Ricostruzione mammaria dopo un tumore: parole che pesano come pietre nella vita di ogni paziente oncologica e che significano dover affrontare un percorso anche di accettazione del nuovo seno. A…
Search Results for: Come il corpo usa il grasso per combattere le infezioni
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Changes in cardiovascular disease risk, lung function and other clinical health outcomes when people who smoke use e-cigarettes to reduce cigarette smoking: an exploratory analysis from a randomised placebo-controlled trial
Objectives
To examine changes in cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors, lung function and clinical laboratory markers among people who smoke who used e-cigarettes to reduce their cigarette smoking.
Design
Four-arm, parallel-group, double-blind, randomised placebo-controlled trial.
Setting
Two sites—Virginia Commonwealth University (Richmond, Virginia, USA) and Penn State University, College of Medicine (Hershey, Pennsylvania, USA).
Participants
Adults (n=520) aged 21–65 years who smoked at least 10 cigarettes per day, had an expired-air carbon monoxide reading of >9 parts per million at baseline and were interested in reducing their cigarette consumption.
Interventions
E-cigarettes with 0, 8 or 36 mg/mL nicotine liquid concentration or a cigarette substitute.
Primary outcome measures
CVD risk factors (blood lipids, C-reactive protein, blood pressure, heart rate, waist-to-hip ratio, body mass index and INTERHEART risk score), lung function (spirometry indices, and pulmonary symptoms and functional state using the Clinical Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder Questionnaire), and other clinical laboratory markers (complete blood count and complete metabolic panel).
Results
At 6 months, the use of nicotine e-cigarettes caused no significant between-group differences for most measures. However, participants randomised to the 36 mg/mL e-cigarette condition had significantly higher levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) (p=0.003 unadjusted, p=0.002 adjusted) and lower levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) (p=0.044 adjusted) and cholesterol/HDL ratio (p=0.034 unadjusted, p=0.026 adjusted) compared with the cigarette substitute condition. Also, those in the 36 mg/mL e-cigarette condition had higher HDL levels than those in the 0 mg/mL condition (p=0.016 unadjusted, p=0.019 adjusted).
Conclusions
Participants randomised to the highest nicotine e-cigarette condition showed modest improvements in some measures of blood lipids (eg, increased HDL, and reduced LDL and cholesterol/HDL ratio) as compared with a non-aerosol cigarette substitute among individuals attempting to reduce their cigarette smoking. Future studies of e-cigarettes for smoking cessation would benefit from including these measures to further explore the results found in this study.
Trial registration number
NCT02342795.
Screening for depression among Spanish-speaking patients in primary care settings within the USA: a scoping review protocol to inform clinical practices
Introduction
In 2016, the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommended depression screening for all adults in the public sector, with screening frequency determined by clinical judgement and patient circumstances. This practice aims to enable timely diagnosis and treatment, reducing long-term healthcare costs associated with this chronic health condition. However, the USPSTF offered no written recommendations for primary care settings serving non-English-speaking populations, particularly where providers speak English and patients speak Spanish. While some research exists on depression screening in linguistically diverse settings, the use of validated Spanish-language screenings in primary care settings is underexplored when it comes to implementing the USPSTF’s recommendation. This scoping review addresses this knowledge gap by (1) assessing the extent to which Spanish-speaking patients in the USA receive depression screening in Spanish and (2) using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) 2.0 to categorise barriers and facilitators to implementing Spanish-language depression screening tools in USA primary care settings. The findings will identify areas needing further research to improve depression screening guidelines for primary care practices serving Spanish-speaking patients.
Methods and analysis
This scoping review follows the Joanna Briggs Institute Manual for Evidence Synthesis and the Arksey and O’Malley scoping review methodology, updated by Levac and colleagues. The reporting protocol adheres to PRISMA-ScR. A systematic search will be conducted in PubMed, Embase, APA PsycINFO, CINAHL and Web of Science Core Collection for studies on Spanish-language depression screening for adults in non-Veterans Affairs Medical Centers in the USA, excluding those focused on youth or adolescents. We will extract data from qualitative, quantitative and mixed-methods studies on screening. We will also examine studies addressing provider-reported comfort and competency in screening Spanish-speaking patients. We hypothesise that primary care clinics have implemented strategies for screening Spanish-speaking patients for depression driven by healthcare provider initiatives, local policies, research funding or community needs. The review will extract data on sample size, study methodology, primary care settings, patient and provider demographics, depression screeners used, and barriers and facilitators to screening. The quality of the studies will be appraised using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT).
Ethics and dissemination
At Brown University, scoping reviews that analyse and synthesise existing research do not require Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval, provided they do not involve primary data collection or direct interaction with human subjects. Findings will be disseminated through peer-reviewed journals, conference presentations and community workshops to improve practices and policies addressing language barriers in depression screening and care.
Registration details
This scoping review protocol is registered with the Open Science Framework (OSF) at https://osf.io/dyru5.
Patient-informed outpatient intervention to improve pregnancy outcomes through connections to social services: protocol for the BETTER randomised controlled trial
Introduction
A substantial portion of the 3.6 million births per year in the USA (approximately 25%–30%) occur in the context of adverse pregnancy outcomes (APOs), including preterm birth (PTB), hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) and small-for-gestational-age (SGA) birth. Black individuals have a 2–3-fold higher risk of APOs and a similarly increased risk of maternal morbidity and mortality compared with White individuals. Adverse social determinants of health (SDoH) are at the root of this disparity and contribute to it through multiple mechanisms. Maternal anaemia is an upstream factor associated with severe maternal morbidity, maternal mortality and other APOs and is also associated with adverse SDoH. Effectively and efficiently addressing social needs arising from adverse SDoH in the obstetric setting can be difficult due to varying patient preferences, resource accessibility and clinic workflows. The Better Birth Outcomes Through Technology, Education and Reporting (BETTER) intervention attempts to account for these barriers by encouraging patients to address social needs through motivational interviewing and by sending recurring text messages that provide links to multiple kinds of social service resources.
Methods and analysis
We will use a two-arm randomised controlled trial to evaluate the effects of providing patients with a motivational interviewing session and text messages with links to multiple resources to address their social needs compared with patients receiving usual care. We will recruit 550 pregnant individuals less than 21 weeks of gestation from two university prenatal clinics that primarily serve Medicaid-covered individuals in an urban city in the Midwestern USA. We will assess whether the intervention reduces the primary outcome of maternal anaemia measured as haemoglobin
Campaign messages to support pictorial health warning labels for little cigars and cigarillos: an online survey-based experiment
Objectives
Campaigns to support pictorial health warning labels (HWLs) for cigarettes have enhanced their effectiveness, but little to no research on campaign messages to support little cigars and cigarillos (LCC) pictorial HWLs exists. The goal of this study was to examine the effectiveness of messages to augment pictorial HWLs on LCCs among priority populations.
Design
Online survey-based experiment.
Setting
Qualtrics research panel online of US adults, recruited between January and February 2023.
Participants
Adults ages 21–29 who reported current cigar use and reside in the USA.
Interventions
Participants (n=315) were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: (1) messages designed to elaborate pictorial HWLs, (2) pictorial HWLs alone and (3) messages and pictorial HWLs paired together.
Procedures and outcome measures
Within conditions, participants were shown six negative health effects of LCCs and answered questions about perceived message effectiveness (PME), negative affect, thinking about risks (TAR) and self-reported learning (SRL) as well as questions on quit intention, concern about their health and reactance. Using mixed-effects models and ANOVA, we evaluated for differences across conditions.
Results
Most participants identified as male (60%) and either Black (45%) or White (45%). PME was very high across all three conditions (≥ 3.85) but no difference between conditions in a statistically significant manner (p=0.18). Mixed-effects models indicated that negative affect varied across conditions, highest in condition 2 (3.76; 95% CI 3.58, 3.94) and lowest in condition 3 (3.44; 95% CI 3.27, 3.61) (p=0.01), and showed no statistically significant difference between conditions for SRL (p=0.31) or TAR (p=0.43). No statistically significant difference was noted for quit intentions (p=0.16), health concern (p=0.28) or reactance (p=0.84).
Conclusions
Pictorial HWLs, campaign messages and the combination of the conditions were all perceived as very effective, with little differences in PME. Such findings indicate that pictorial HWLs on LCCs and communication messages about LCCs both appear as promising approaches to reducing LCC use among target populations. Longitudinal studies with ongoing exposure may identify factors that can enhance the effectiveness of campaign messages to enhance pictorial HWLs for LCCs.
Systemic immune-inflammation index in critically ill patients with renal failure: a retrospective cohort study from Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care IV (MIMIC-IV) database
Objectives
Systemic immune-inflammation index (SII) is a biomarker of inflammatory conditions; however, no scoring system has been evaluated for predicting mortality in patients with renal failure in intensive care unit (ICU). This study aimed to determine associations between SII level and mortality in patients with renal failure.
Design
Using the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care IV (V.2.0) database (USA), this retrospective study included 837 patients who were admitted to ICU with end-stage renal disease (ESRD), between 2008 and 2019.
Primary and secondary outcome measures
Cox proportional-hazards models were used to evaluate correlations between SII and outcomes, expressing results as hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs). Regression analysis was used to determine associations between variables and SII.
Results
In total, 837 adult patients from a total of 76 943 patients admitted to ICU were included, comprising 59.60% males with mean age 62.27±14.9 years and mean BMI 28.36±7.43 Kg/m2. Using median SII (1628 X 109 /L) as cut-off value, high (≥ 1628X109 /L) SII was also associated with an increased risk of ICU mortality (HR 1.97 (95% CI 1.15 to 3.35), p=0.034), in-hospital mortality (HR 1.95 (95% CI 1.23 to 3.09), p=0.017) and total mortality (HR 1.30 (95% CI 1.07 to 1.58), p=0.024).
Conclusions
SII may predict mortality in critically ill patients admitted to ICU with ESRD. SII ≥ 1628×109 /L correlates significantly with increased ICU mortality, in-hospital mortality and total mortality.
Peer support enhanced behavioural crisis response teams in the emergency department: protocol for a stepped-wedge cluster-randomised controlled trial
Introduction
Despite expert recommendations to prioritise non-invasive and patient-centred approaches for behavioural crisis management, physical restraints are commonly used in the emergency department (ED). Patients describe the restraint process as coercive and dehumanising. The use of peer support workers, who are individuals with lived experience of mental illness and behavioural conditions, has shown positive patient outcomes when assisting individuals experiencing behavioural crises. However, there is limited evidence of the implementation of such an approach in the ED setting. The goal of this study is to evaluate if the implementation of a Peer support enhanced Agitation Crisis response Team (PACT) for behavioural crisis management in the ED is more effective than usual care to reduce restraint use and improve outcomes among patients presenting to the ED with behavioural crises.
Methods and analysis
We will first conduct a stakeholder-informed needs assessment to codesign the protocol and then train staff and peers in PACT intervention readiness. Next, a stepped-wedge, cluster-randomised controlled trial will be conducted over 3 years at five ED sites across a healthcare system in the Northeast USA. The PACT intervention will integrate peer delivery of trauma-informed care within a structured, interprofessional, team-based response protocol for behavioural crisis management. The primary outcome is the rate of physical restraint and/or sedation use. The secondary outcome is the level of patient agitation during the ED visit. Analyses of primary and secondary outcomes will be conducted using generalised linear mixed models.
Ethics and dissemination
This protocol has been approved by the Yale University Human Investigation Committee (protocol number 2000037554). The study is deemed minimal risk and has been granted a waiver of consent for trial participants. However, verbal consent will be obtained for a subset of patients receiving follow-up data collection. Results will be disseminated through publications in open-access, peer-reviewed journals, via scientific presentations, or through direct mail notifications.
Trial registration number
Clinicaltrials.gov: NCT06556069.
Spiaggia insidiosa, un decalogo per prevenire le infezioni della pelle
Esperta, ‘attenzione agli scogli e ai massaggi improvvisati’
Ecdc, 11mila casi di E. coli e 3.000 di Listeria in Ue nel 2023
‘Record di infezioni alimentari dall’inizio della sorveglianza’
Fiaso, 'sanità pubblica e militare insieme per i cittadini'
A cerimonia Corpo sanitario, ‘risposta straordinaria a pandemia’
In Usa per i malati di tumore rischio doppio di bancarotta
Allarme tossicità finanziaria anche in Italia, debiti per 62%
Exploring perinatal loneliness as a key social determinant of perinatal mental ill health in the UK: findings from a multidisciplinary consensus statement exercise that mapped knowledge about measurement, prevalence, antecedents, impacts and interventions, and agreed future priorities for research, policy and practice
Objectives
New parents are at increased risk of loneliness, which adversely affects parental and infant health and well-being and has been linked to an increased likelihood of parental mental illness. In the UK, perinatal mental illness is estimated to cost £8.1bn a year, predominantly due to lasting poor health and developmental consequences for children. The purpose of this consensus statement is to determine the state of this research field, highlighting key issues for researchers, policymakers and those responsible for perinatal mental health services and interventions. We will also highlight knowledge gaps to be addressed in future perinatal loneliness research.
Design, setting and participants
The Parental Loneliness Research Group held six online meetings between October 2023 and May 2024, attended by academics and practitioners from the UK and USA. Attendees conducted a mapping exercise by appraising published, unpublished and ongoing perinatal loneliness research. The findings were shared with advisory groups, including parents with lived experience of loneliness. A consensus statement was then drafted, reflecting existing knowledge and gaps in the current evidence about the experience of perinatal loneliness in the first 1001 days.
Results
A consensus about the definitions, measurement, prevalence, antecedents, impacts and interventions relevant to perinatal loneliness is outlined. Gaps in the literature are highlighted.
Conclusions
Despite emerging research into perinatal loneliness, it is hard to determine prevalence due to limited analyses of national survey data. Recommendations for future research include secondary data analysis; prioritising equality, diversity and inclusion; reconsidering solutions to perinatal loneliness through a social justice lens; co-producing interventions, and rigorous evaluation of existing interventions.
Investigating mood and cognition in people with multiple sclerosis: a prospective cross-sectional study protocol
Introduction
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an immune-mediated neurological disorder that affects one million people in the USA. Up to 50% of patients with MS experience depression, yet the mechanisms of depression in MS remain underinvestigated. MS is characterised by white matter lesions, suggesting that brain network disruption may underlie depression symptoms. Studies of medically healthy participants with depression have described associations between white matter variability and depressive symptoms, but frequently exclude participants with medical comorbidities and thus cannot be extrapolated to people with intracranial diseases. The purpose of this current study is to investigate how brain network disruption underlies depression by learning from the example of MS.
Methods and analysis
We will obtain structured clinical and cognitive assessments from 250 participants with MS and prospectively evaluate white matter disease burden as a predictor of depressive symptoms. White matter lesion burden will be quantified by identifying streamlines within white matter fascicles that intersect lesions along any portion of their trajectory, classifying these streamlines as injured, and calculating the total volume of injured streamlines to serve as the metric of disease burden.
Ethics and dissemination
Ethics approval was obtained from The University of Pennsylvania Institutional Review Board (protocol #853883). The results of this study will be presented at scientific meetings and conferences and published in peer-reviewed journals.
ANSA/La ricerca oncologica parla italiano, 17 premiati in Usa
Al congresso American Society of oncology, 8 lavorano in Italia
Premiati in Usa 17 ricercatori italiani per studi sui tumori
Al via il Congresso dell’American Society of oncology
Nuove linee guida per la gestione chirurgica della rinosinusite cronica negli adulti
L’American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery Foundation ( AAO-HNSF ) […]