2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan Francisco Roy ◽  
María Luisa Lozano del Hoyo ◽  
Fernando Urcola-Pardo ◽  
Alicia Monreal-Bartolomé ◽  
Diana Cecilia Gracia Ruiz ◽  
...  

AbstractDiabetic patients have increased depression rates, diminished quality of life, and higher death rates due to depression comorbidity or diabetes complications. Treatment adherence (TA) and the maintenance of an adequate and competent self-care are crucial factors to reach optimal glycaemic control and stable quality of life in these patients. In this report, we present the baseline population analyses in phase I of the TELE-DD project, a three-phased population-based study in 23 Health Centres from the Aragonian Health Service Sector II in Zaragoza, Spain. The objectives of the present report are: (1) to determine the point prevalence of T2D and clinical depression comorbidity and treatment nonadherence; (2) to test if HbA1c and LDL-C, as primary DM outcomes, are related to TA in this population; and (3) to test if these DM primary outcomes are associated with TA independently of shared risk factors for DM and depression, and patients’ health behaviours. A population of 7,271 patients with type-2 diabetes and comorbid clinical depression was investigated for inclusion. Individuals with confirmed diagnoses and drug treatment for both illnesses (n = 3340) were included in the current phase I. A point prevalence of 1.9% was found for the T2D-depression comorbidity. The prevalence of patients nonadherent to treatment for these diseases was 35.4%. Multivariate analyses confirmed that lower diabetes duration, increased yearly PCS visits, HbA1c and LDL-C levels were independently related to treatment nonadherence. These findings informed the development of a telephonic monitoring platform for treatment of nonadherence for people with diabetes and comorbid depression and further trial, cost-effectiveness, and prognostic studies (phases II and III).


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (14) ◽  
pp. 8078
Author(s):  
Nyamagere Gladys Sospeter ◽  
Nicholas Chileshe

Risk handling is one of the elements and essential parts of risk management when properly incorporated into a project. However, there is inadequate knowledge amongst the contractual parties on risk handling responsibilities in road projects, particularly in Sub-Saharan African developing countries. This study is aimed at bridging that knowledge gap by investigating the perceptions of contractors and consultants on the risk handling responsibilities in road projects in Tanzania. The primary data were collected from 80 registered foreign and local civil contractors and engineering consultants based in Dar es Salaam. Descriptive statistics and inferential statistics were used for the data analysis. The results show that both contractors and consultants ranked safety project provision and ensuring quality provision in terms of construction as shared risk responsibilities among contractual parties. The findings further show that consultant-related risk responsibilities are: safety provision, the use of historical cost deviation, ensuring quality provision, and review of knowledge on budgeting. On the other hand, contractor-related risk responsibilities include: safety provision and ensuring quality provision. The findings of this study can be used by the practitioners and stakeholders as important lessons useful for controlling risks and making decisions when they intend to participate in such projects during the construction stage.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. e000759
Author(s):  
Daniel Higbee ◽  
Raquel Granell ◽  
Esther Walton ◽  
Roxanna Korologou-Linden ◽  
George Davey Smith ◽  
...  

RationaleLarge retrospective case-control studies have reported an association between chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), reduced lung function and an increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease. However, it remains unclear if these diseases are causally linked, or due to shared risk factors. Conventional observational epidemiology suffers from unmeasured confounding and reverse causation. Additional analyses addressing causality are required.ObjectivesTo examine a causal relationship between COPD, lung function and Alzheimer’s disease.MethodsUsing two-sample Mendelian randomisation, we used single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) identified in a genome wide association study (GWAS) for lung function as instrumental variables (exposure). Additionally, we used SNPs discovered in a GWAS for COPD in those with moderate to very severe obstruction. The effect of these SNPs on Alzheimer’s disease (outcome) was taken from a GWAS based on a sample of 24 807 patients and 55 058 controls.ResultsWe found minimal evidence for an effect of either lung function (OR: 1.02 per SD; 95% CI 0.91 to 1.13; p value 0.68) or liability for COPD on Alzheimer’s disease (OR: 0.97 per SD; 95% CI 0.92 to 1.03; p value 0.40).ConclusionNeither reduced lung function nor liability COPD are likely to be causally associated with an increased risk of Alzheimer’s, any observed association is likely due to unmeasured confounding. Scientific attention and health prevention policy may be better focused on overlapping risk factors, rather than attempts to reduce risk of Alzheimer’s disease by targeting impaired lung function or COPD directly.


BMC Medicine ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chun Yu Li ◽  
Tian Mi Yang ◽  
Ru Wei Ou ◽  
Qian Qian Wei ◽  
Hui Fang Shang

Abstract Background Epidemiological and clinical studies have suggested comorbidity between amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and autoimmune disorders. However, little is known about their shared genetic architecture. Methods To examine the relation between ALS and 10 autoimmune diseases, including asthma, celiac disease (CeD), Crohn’s disease (CD), inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), multiple sclerosis (MS), psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis (RA), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), type 1 diabetes (T1D), and ulcerative colitis (UC), and identify shared risk loci, we first estimated the genetic correlation using summary statistics from genome-wide association studies, and then analyzed the genetic enrichment leveraging the conditional false discovery rate statistical method. Results We identified a significant positive genetic correlation between ALS and CeD, MS, RA, and SLE, as well as a significant negative genetic correlation between ALS and IBD, UC, and CD. Robust genetic enrichment was observed between ALS and CeD and MS, and moderate enrichment was found between ALS and UC and T1D. Thirteen shared genetic loci were identified, among which five were suggestively significant in another ALS GWAS, namely rs3828599 (GPX3), rs3849943 (C9orf72), rs7154847 (G2E3), rs6571361 (SCFD1), and rs9903355 (GGNBP2). By integrating cis-expression quantitative trait loci analyses in Braineac and GTEx, we further identified GGNBP2, ATXN3, and SLC9A8 as novel ALS risk genes. Functional enrichment analysis indicated that the shared risk genes were involved in four pathways including membrane trafficking, vesicle-mediated transport, ER to Golgi anterograde transport, and transport to the Golgi and subsequent modification. Conclusions Our findings demonstrate a specific genetic correlation between ALS and autoimmune diseases and identify shared risk loci, including three novel ALS risk genes. These results provide a better understanding for the pleiotropy of ALS and have implications for future therapeutic trials.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kaitlyn M. Roman ◽  
Aaron K. Jenkins ◽  
David A. Lewis ◽  
David W. Volk

AbstractBipolar disorder and schizophrenia have multiple clinical and genetic features in common, including shared risk associated with overlapping susceptibility loci in immune-related genes. Higher activity of the nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) transcription factor complex, which regulates the transcription of multiple immune markers, has been reported to contribute to immune activation in the prefrontal cortex in schizophrenia. These findings suggest the hypothesis that elevated NF-κB activity is present in the prefrontal cortex in bipolar disorder in a manner similar to that seen in schizophrenia. Therefore, we quantified levels of NF-κB-related mRNAs in the prefrontal cortex of 35 matched pairs of bipolar disorder and unaffected comparison subjects using quantitative PCR. We found that transcript levels were higher in the prefrontal cortex of bipolar disorder subjects for several NF-κB family members, NF-κB activation receptors, and NF-κB-regulated mRNAs, and were lower for an NF-κB inhibitor. Transcript levels for NF-κB family members, NF-κB activation receptors, and NF-κB-regulated mRNAs levels were also highly correlated with each other. This pattern of elevated transcript levels for NF-κB-related markers in bipolar disorder is similar to that previously reported in schizophrenia, suggesting that cortical immune activation is a shared pathophysiological feature between the two disorders.


2016 ◽  
Vol 45 (4) ◽  
pp. 672-686 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vangie A. Foshee ◽  
H. Luz McNaughton Reyes ◽  
May S. Chen ◽  
Susan T. Ennett ◽  
Kathleen C. Basile ◽  
...  

2017 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 203-216 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Drakaki ◽  
Panagiotis Tzionas

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to describe in-depth a community-based social partnership, emerged in response to the financial crisis in Greece, with members from the private, public and civic sectors, using a case example of a grass-root self-organised national network. Design/methodology/approach Formal and informal interviews as well as written communication with members of the partnership mainly formed the basis for the analysis. Topics covered formation and implementation activities, outcomes, relationship issues, such as trust and links to social capital. Findings A shared community risk and a national media campaign to increase public awareness of the issue were catalysts for individuals’ sensitisation and participation in the partnership. The shared risk was the loss of community’s social cohesion, through poverty aggravated by the financial crisis. Self-organisation led to innovative relationships, whereas trust, collective action and collaboration show social capital attributes in the partnership enabling resilience development. Research limitations/implications The research contributes in the fields of community-based partnerships and engagement in building community and crisis resilience. The findings are based on a case example. More evidence is needed in order to derive generalised statements about the partnership’s contribution to crisis resilience. Practical implications The partnership has shown impact on community engagement, health and well-being. Originality/value This paper presents a partnership type for building community and crisis resilience with the case example of one such partnership in Greece, formed to alleviate community distress caused by the crisis.


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