scholarly journals Positive and negative likelihood ratios of two anthropometric indices (Waist/Height Index and Waist/Hip Index) in the diagnosis of pathological nutritional situations overweight and obesity

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 1319-1334
Author(s):  
José Franco–Monsreal ◽  
Alicia May–Panti ◽  
Lidia Esther del Socorro Serralta–Peraza ◽  
María Selene Sánchez–Uluac
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Gold Standard ◽  
Overweight And Obesity ◽  
The Other ◽  
Test Results ◽  
Reference Test ◽  
Likelihood Ratios ◽  
Anthropometric Indices ◽  
Anthropometric Index ◽  
Lorentz Equation

Background and objective. Koch et al., reported that the Waist/Hip Index more accurately predicts cardiovascular risk factors and mortality. Huaman et al., reported that the Waist/Height Index can be used as a diagnostic test for metabolic syndrome, since it has a high significant value. To determine whether two anthropometric indices have sufficient prognostic efficiency or moderate prognostic efficiency by combining sensitivity and specificity using positive and negative likelihood ratios in a single expression. Material and methods. Quantitative epistemological approach. Descriptive observational epidemiological study without directionality and with prospective temporality. Three husband adult patients of both genders who attended the Integral Hospital "Jose Maria Morelos" were studied. As a reference test or Gold Standard was used the Lorentz Equation as a reference test. Results. The results for the positive likelihood ratios corresponded to 13.41 and 1.72 for the anthropometric indices Waist/Height Index and Waist/Hip Index, respectively. The results for the negative likelihood ratios corresponded, respectively, to 0.07 and 0.48 for the anthropometric indices Waist/Height Index and Waist/Hip Index. Conclusions. The best anthropometric index for the diagnosis of overweight and obesity pathological nutritional situations corresponds to the Waist/Height Index, since the results of the positive and negative likelihood ratios report sufficient prognostic efficiencies. On the other hand, the results of the positive and negative likelihood ratios report, respectively, negligible prognostic efficiency and poor prognostic efficiency for the Waist/Hip Index.

scholarly journals Effectiveness of thermal screening in detection of COVID-19 among truck drivers at Mutukula Land Point of Entry, Uganda

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (5) ◽  
pp. e0251150
Author(s):  
Andrew Nsawotebba ◽  
Ivan Ibanda ◽  
Isaac Ssewanyana ◽  
Patrick Ogwok ◽  
Francis Ocen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Body Temperature ◽  
Predictive Value ◽  
Gold Standard ◽  
Truck Drivers ◽  
Screening Tests ◽  
Test Results ◽  
Likelihood Ratios ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Predictive Values ◽  
Point Of Entry

Introduction Despite the limited evidence for its effectiveness, thermal screening at points of entry has increasingly become a standard protocol in numerous parts of the globe in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. We sought to determine the effectiveness of thermal screening as a key step in diagnosing COVID-19 in a resource-limited setting. Materials and methods This was a retrospective cross-sectional study based on a review of body temperature and Xpert Xpress SARS CoV-2 test results records for truck drivers entering Uganda through Mutukula between 15th May and 30th July 2020. All records missing information for body temperature, age, gender, and Xpert Xpress SARS CoV-2 status were excluded from the data set. A data set of 7,181 entries was used to compare thermal screening and Xpert Xpress SARS CoV-2 assay test results using the diagnostic statistical test in STATAv15 software. The prevalence of COVID-19 amongst the truck drivers based on Xpert Xpress SARS CoV-2 assay results was determined. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, positive and negative Likelihood ratios were obtained using Xpert Xpress SARS CoV-2 assay as the gold standard. Results Based on our gold standard test, the proportion of persons that tested positive for COVID-19 was 6.7% (95% CI: 6.1–7.3). Of the 7,181 persons that were thermally screened, 6,844 (95.3%) were male. The sample median age was 38 years (interquartile range, IQR: 31–45 years). The median body temperature was 36.5°C (IQR: 36.3–36.7) and only n (1.2%) had a body temperature above 37.5°C. The sensitivity and specificity of thermal screening were 9.9% (95% CI: 7.4–13.0) and 99.5% (95% CI: 99.3–99.6) respectively. The positive and negative predictive values were 57.8 (95% CI: 46.5–68.6) and 93.9 (95% CI: 93.3–94.4) respectively. The positive and negative Likelihood Ratios (LRs) were 19 (95% CI: 12.4–29.1) and 0.9 (95% CI: 0.88–0.93) respectively. Conclusion In this study population, the use of Thermal screening alone is ineffective in the detection of potential COVID-19 cases at point of entry. We recommend a combination of screening tests or additional testing using highly sensitive molecular diagnostics such as Polymerase Chain Reaction.

Haematocrit: Relationships with Blood Lipids, Blood Pressure and other Cardiovascular Risk Factors

1994 ◽  
Vol 72 (01) ◽  
pp. 058-064 ◽  
Author(s):  
Goya Wannamethee ◽  
A Gerald Shaper
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Risk Factors ◽  
Blood Pressure ◽  
Body Mass Index ◽  
Cardiovascular Risk ◽  
Cardiovascular Risk Factors ◽  
Alcohol Intake ◽  
Blood Lipids ◽  
The Other ◽  
The Relationship

SummaryThe relationship between haematocrit and cardiovascular risk factors, particularly blood pressure and blood lipids, has been examined in detail in a large prospective study of 7735 middle-aged men drawn from general practices in 24 British towns. The analyses are restricted to the 5494 men free of any evidence of ischaemic heart disease at screening.Smoking, body mass index, physical activity, alcohol intake and lung function (FEV1) were factors strongly associated with haematocrit levels independent of each other. Age showed a significant but small independent association with haematocrit. Non-manual workers had slightly higher haematocrit levels than manual workers; this difference increased considerably and became significant after adjustment for the other risk factors. Diabetics showed significantly lower levels of haematocrit than non-diabetics. In the univariate analysis, haematocrit was significantly associated with total serum protein (r = 0*18), cholesterol (r = 0.16), triglyceride (r = 0.15), diastolic blood pressure (r = 0.17) and heart rate (r = 0.14); all at p <0.0001. A weaker but significant association was seen with systolic blood pressure (r = 0.09, p <0.001). These relationships remained significant even after adjustment for age, smoking, body mass index, physical activity, alcohol intake, lung function, presence of diabetes, social class and for each of the other biological variables; the relationship with systolic blood pressure was considerably weakened. No association was seen with blood glucose and HDL-cholesterol. This study has shown significant associations between several lifestyle characteristics and the haematocrit and supports the findings of a significant relationship between the haematocrit and blood lipids and blood pressure. It emphasises the role of the haematocrit in assessing the risk of ischaemic heart disease and stroke in individuals, and the need to take haematocrit levels into account in determining the importance of other cardiovascular risk factors.

Adding an expansive agent to increase the toughness of steel fibre reinforced concrete

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 197-208
Author(s):  
Leo Gu Li ◽  
Albert Kwok Hung Kwan
Keyword(s):  
Reinforced Concrete ◽  
Steel Fibre ◽  
The Other ◽  
Fibre Reinforced Concrete ◽  
Test Results ◽  
Compressive Properties ◽  
Shrinkage Cracking ◽  
Steel Fibre Reinforced Concrete ◽  
Expansive Agent ◽  
Concrete Matrix

Previous research studies have indicated that using fibres to improve crack resistance and applying expansive agent (EA) to compensate shrinkage are both effective methods to mitigate shrinkage cracking of concrete, and the additions of both fibres and EA can enhance the other performance attributes of concrete. In this study, an EA was added to fibre reinforced concrete (FRC) to produce concrete mixes with various water/binder (W/B) ratios, steel fibre (SF) contents and EA contents for testing of their workability and compressive properties. The test results showed that adding EA would slightly increase the superplasticiser (SP) demand and decrease the compressive strength, Young’s modulus and Poisson’s ratio, but significantly improve the toughness and specific toughness of the steel FRC produced. Such improvement in toughness may be attributed to the pre-stress of the concrete matrix and the confinement effect of the SFs due to the expansion of the concrete and the restraint of the SFs against such expansion.

scholarly journals When Uncontrolled Diabetes Mellitus and Severe COVID-19 Converge: The Perfect Storm for Mucormycosis

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 298
Author(s):  
Teny M. John ◽  
Ceena N. Jacob ◽  
Dimitrios P. Kontoyiannis
Keyword(s):  
Diabetes Mellitus ◽  
Risk Factors ◽  
Clinical Features ◽  
The Other ◽  
Diabetic Patients ◽  
Epidemiological Factors ◽  
Uncontrolled Diabetes ◽  
Diagnostic Certainty ◽  
Patients With Diabetes ◽  
Perfect Storm

Mucormycosis (MCR) has been increasingly described in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) but the epidemiological factors, presentation, diagnostic certainty, and outcome of such patients are not well described. We review the published COVID-19-associated mucormycosis (CAMCR) cases (total 41) to identify risk factors, clinical features, and outcomes. CAMCR was typically seen in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) (94%) especially the ones with poorly controlled DM (67%) and severe or critical COVID-19 (95%). Its presentation was typical of MCR seen in diabetic patients (mostly rhino-orbital and rhino-orbital-cerebral presentation). In sharp contrast to reported COVID-associated aspergillosis (CAPA) cases, nearly all CAMCR infections were proven (93%). Treating physicians should have a high suspicion for CAMCR in patients with uncontrolled diabetes mellitus and severe COVID-19 presenting with rhino-orbital or rhino-cerebral syndromes. CAMR is the convergence of two storms, one of DM and the other of COVID-19.

scholarly journals The Implementation of Childhood Obesity Related Policy Interventions in Malaysia—A Non Communicable Diseases Scorecard Project

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (11) ◽  
pp. 5950
Author(s):  
Wilfred Kok Hoe Mok ◽  
Noran Naqiah Hairi ◽  
Caryn Mei Hsien Chan ◽  
Feisul Idzwan Mustapha ◽  
Thamil Arasu Saminathan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Childhood Obesity ◽  
Communicable Diseases ◽  
Overweight And Obesity ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Non Communicable Diseases ◽  
Modified Delphi ◽  
Policy Interventions ◽  
Non Governmental Organizations ◽  
The Government

(1) Background: The prevalence of overweight and obesity among children has increased tremendously in the ASEAN region, including Malaysia. In Malaysia, the National Strategic Plan for Non-Communicable Diseases (2015–2025) provides the overall framework for its response to the non-communicable diseases (NCD) epidemic. Preventing childhood obesity is one of the key strategies for early intervention to prevent NCDs. The objective of this research is to examine the current status of policy interventions in addressing childhood obesity in Malaysia. (2) Methods: A panel of 22 stakeholders and experts from Malaysia, representing the government, industry, academia and non-governmental organizations, were sampled using a modified Delphi technique. Data were collected using a modified NCD scorecard under four domains (governance, risk factors, surveillance and research and health systems response). A heat map was used to measure the success of the four realms of the NCD scorecard. For each domain of the NCD scorecard, the final score was grouped in quintiles. (3) Results: A total of 22 participants responded, comprising of eight (36.4%) males and 14 (63.4%) females. All the domains measured in implementing policies related to childhood obesity were of low progress. Nine governance indicators were reported as 22.5% (low progress), four in the risk factors domain, and two in the surveillance. This shows that timely and accurate monitoring, participatory review and evaluation, and effective remedies are necessary for a country’s surveillance system. (4) Conclusion: Although Malaysia has published several key strategic documents relating to childhood obesity and implemented numerous policy interventions, we have identified several gaps that must be addressed to leverage the whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach in addressing childhood obesity in the country.

scholarly journals Evaluating Presence/Absence of Target Microbes in Microbiological Tests

2000 ◽  
Vol 83 (6) ◽  
pp. 1429-1434
Author(s):  
Robert J Blodgett ◽  
Anthony D Hitchins
Keyword(s):  
Performance Studies ◽  
Collaborative Study ◽  
False Negative ◽  
The Other ◽  
Test Results ◽  
Logistic Curve ◽  
Microbiological Method ◽  
Test Portion ◽  
Method Performance ◽  
Data Set

Abstract A typical qualitative microbiological method performance (collaborative) study gathers a data set of responses about a test for the presence or absence of a target microbe. We developed 2 models that estimate false-positive and false-negative rates. One model assumes a constant probability that the tests will indicate the target microbe is present for any positive concentration in the test portion. The other model assumes that this probability follows a logistic curve. Test results from several method performance studies illustrate these estimates.

scholarly journals Urbanization and greenness in HBSC survey: association with overweight and obesity in adolescents

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
V Bellisario ◽  
R Bono ◽  
G Squillacioti ◽  
M Caputo ◽  
I Gintoli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Physical Activity ◽  
Risk Factors ◽  
Air Pollution ◽  
Population Density ◽  
Weight Status ◽  
Overweight And Obesity ◽  
Green Spaces ◽  
Children Health ◽  
Public Health Strategies

Abstract Background Childhood obesity is an important public health issue worldwide and includes different risk factors, such as environmental pollutants exposure or physical activity. Neighborhood composition and green spaces availability could contrast obesogenic lifestyles and promote healthy habits, whereas, urbanization and traffic volume exposure are inversely associated with physical activity and worsen effects on childhood health. Methods This project analyzed students involved in the HBSC survey from the Piedmont Region. Data were collected in 2018, following the protocol. All the subjects were georeferenced within buffers around schools. Green-spaces availability was measured by Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI-satellite images) while urbanization was calculated by population density, traffic intensity (satellite measurements) and air pollution concentration (sampling stations). Results Overall, the sample included 3022 subjects, with amount 50% male/female and 30% for each age group (11-13-15 years old). Concerning weight status, above 14% of the all sample is obese or overweight, with, respectively, 20% among boys and 11% among girls. Preliminary analyses showed an association between weight status and population density (rural vs urbanized areas). Currently, we are analyzing the association with greenness and the other measures of urbanization. Conclusions Our preliminary findings suggest that high urbanization levels impact health implementing weight in children. We are testing the hypothesis that greenness positively influences weight status and reduce negative effects of urbanization and air pollution. The managing of these risk factors must be deepened and corroborated by active preventive Public Health strategies for improving children health. Key messages Urbanization and greenness may influence weight status in children. Public Health strategies must be improved for children health.

scholarly journals Obesity and its impact on COVID-19

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angélica J. M. de Leeuw ◽  
Maureen A. M. Oude Luttikhuis ◽  
Annemarijn C. Wellen ◽  
Christine Müller ◽  
Cornelis F. Calkhoven
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Growth Hormone ◽  
Healthcare Systems ◽  
Review Literature ◽  
Overweight And Obesity ◽  
Hormone Signaling ◽  
Global Spread ◽  
Number Of Publications ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Sheer Number

AbstractThe severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic has proven a challenge to healthcare systems since its first appearance in late 2019. The global spread and devastating effects of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on patients have resulted in countless studies on risk factors and disease progression. Overweight and obesity emerged as one of the major risk factors for developing severe COVID-19. Here we review the biology of coronavirus infections in relation to obesity. In particular, we review literature about the impact of adiposity-related systemic inflammation on the COVID-19 disease severity, involving cytokine, chemokine, leptin, and growth hormone signaling, and we discuss the involvement of hyperactivation of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS). Due to the sheer number of publications on COVID-19, we cannot be completed, and therefore, we apologize for all the publications that we do not cite.

scholarly journals Baseline risk factor prevalence among adolescents aged 15–17 years old: findings from National Non-communicable Disease Monitoring Survey (NNMS) of India

BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. e044066
Author(s):  
Prashant Mathur ◽  
Vaitheeswaran Kulothungan ◽  
Sravya Leburu ◽  
Anand Krishnan ◽  
Himanshu Kumar Chaturvedi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Risk Factors ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Communicable Disease ◽  
National Level ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Overweight And Obesity ◽  
Baseline Risk ◽  
Attitudes And Practices ◽  
Non Communicable Disease

ObjectiveTo generate national estimates of key non-communicable disease (NCD) risk factors for adolescents (15–17 years) identified in the National NCD Monitoring Framework and, study the knowledge, attitudes and practices towards NCD risk behaviours among school-going adolescents.Design and settingA community-based, national, cross-sectional survey conducted during 2017–2018. The survey was coordinated by the Indian Council of Medical Research—National Centre for Disease Informatics and Research with 10 reputed implementing research institutes/organisations across India in urban and rural areas.ParticipantsA multistage sampling design was adopted covering ages between 15 and 69 years—adolescents (15–17 years) and adults (18–69 years). The sample included 12 000 households drawn from 600 primary sampling units. All available adolescents (15–17 years) from the selected households were included in the survey.Main outcome measuresKey NCD risk factors for adolescents (15–17 years)—current tobacco and alcohol use, dietary behaviours, insufficient physical activity, overweight and obesity.ResultsOverall, 1402 households and 1531 adolescents completed the survey. Prevalence of current daily use of tobacco was 3.1% (95% CI: 2.0% to 4.7%), 25.2% (95% CI: 22.2% to 28.5%) adolescents showed insufficient levels of physical activity, 6.2% (95% CI: 4.9% to 7.9%) were overweight and 1.8% (95% CI: 1.0% to 2.9%) were obese. Two-thirds reported being imparted health education on NCD risk factors in their schools/colleges.ConclusionThe survey provides baseline data on NCD-related key risk factors among 15–17 years in India. These national-level data fill information gaps for this age group and help assess India’s progress towards NCD targets set for 2025 comprehensively. Though the prevalence of select risk factors is much lower than in many developed countries, this study offers national evidence for revisiting and framing appropriate policies, strategies for prevention and control of NCDs in younger age groups.

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