Slow walking speed and health-related exit from employment among older workers over 5 years of follow-up: evidence from the Health and Employment After Fifty (HEAF) cohort study

Introduction
With demographic changes, there is increasing demand for individuals and governments to lengthen working lives. Jobs that are very physically demanding are likely to be more difficult to sustain at older ages. If workers at risk of mismatch of demand and capability could be identified early, there would be opportunities for intervention for health or lifestyle and/or re-training or redeployment.

Objective
To investigate whether self-reported walking speed (a good measure of function in elderly people) predicted health-related job loss (HRJL) longitudinally over 5 years of follow-up among middle-aged workers.

Design
Data came from the Health and Employment After Fifty (HEAF) prospective cohort study of middle-aged people (aged 50–64 years) in UK.

Setting
General population survey (sampling frame was 24 General Practice registers).

Participants
The cohort included 8134 people recruited in 2013–2014. For the current analyses, 5217 people who ever worked and completed at least one follow-up questionnaire were eligible.

Primary outcome
Exit from employment mainly or partly for health reasons (HRJL).

Results
At baseline, very slow walking speed was associated with: obesity, physical inactivity, smoking (men), financial hardship, lower educational attainment and not being in professional occupations. In total, 527 people (10%) reported at least one HRJL during follow-up. After adjustment, the HR for HRJL among men with very slow walking-speed was 4.32, 95% CI 2.72 to 6.87 and among women was 4.47, 95% CI 3.04 to 6.57. After further adjustment for ‘difficulty coping with physical demands at work’, hazards remained doubled in men and women.

Conclusions
Self-reported walking speed could help identify older workers who are at increased risk of HRJL. This could provide opportunities for intervention through optimising health and lifestyle, restricting physical workload, retraining or redeployment. Early appropriate intervention could enable longer working lives and promote healthier, more equal ageing.

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Luglio 2024

Atosiban versus placebo in the treatment of threatened preterm birth between 30 and 34 weeks gestation: study protocol of the 4-year APOSTEL 8 follow-up

Introduction
Currently, the majority of women worldwide with threatened preterm birth are treated with tocolytics. Although tocolytics can effectively delay birth for 48 hours, no tocolytic drug has convincingly been shown to improve neonatal outcomes and effects on long-term child development are unknown. The aim of this follow-up study of a placebo controlled randomised trial is to investigate the long-term effects of atosiban administration in case of threatened preterm birth on child’s neurodevelopment and behaviour development, overall health and mortality.

Methods and analysis
This protocol concerns a follow-up study of the multicentre randomised double-blind placebo controlled APOSTEL 8 trial (NL61439.018.17, EudraCT-number 2017-001007-72). In this trial, women with threatened preterm birth (between 30 and 34 weeks of gestation) defined as uterine contractions with (1) a cervical length of

Leggi
Luglio 2024

Long-term follow-up in outpatients with mildly elevated pulmonary artery systolic pressure on echocardiography: a single-centre retrospective cohort study in Shanghai, China

Objective
To investigate the correlation between mildly elevated pulmonary artery systolic pressure (PASP) on echocardiography and mortality, as well as long-term changes in PASP.

Design
Retrospective cohort study.

Setting
Shanghai, China, a single centre.

Participants
A total of 910 patients were enrolled in this study. From January to June 2016, 1869 patients underwent echocardiography at the Zhongshan Hospital affiliated with Fudan University. Patients with malignant tumours, previous heart or other solid organ transplantation, previous or scheduled ventricular assist device implantation, severe kidney dysfunction (uraemia and patients on dialysis) and a life expectancy of less than 1 year for any medical condition were excluded.

Interventions
No interventions were done.

Primary and secondary outcome measures
The predictors of death in patients with mild echocardiographic pulmonary hypertension were analysed using univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses. Paired t-tests were used to calculate changes in the PASP values at baseline and follow-up for different patient groups.

Results
The 5-year survival of patients was 93.2%. Patients were grouped according to whether they had combined organic heart disease (OHD). The PASP value was an independent predictor of all-cause mortality in patients with OHD, with each 1 mm Hg increase associated with an HR of 1.02 (95% CI: 1.01–1.03, p=0.038) but not in patients without OHD. Of the total, 46% (419/910) of the patients with 5–6 years of echocardiography were investigated for changes in the PASP value. We found significant PASP reduction in patients without OHD (42.8±2.4 mm Hg vs 39.3±8.2 mm Hg, p

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Luglio 2024

Characteristics and feedback of adult survivors of childhood cancer seen in Swiss comprehensive follow-up clinics led by general internists: a prospective cohort study

Objectives
In our study, we aimed to characterise adult childhood cancer survivors (ACCS), assess their health issues, gauge health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and evaluate visit satisfaction.

Design
Prospective cohort study using data from clinical visits and questionnaires.

Setting
Interdisciplinary follow-up programme for ACCS based on the long-term follow-up (LTFU) guidelines of the Children’s Oncology Group and overseen by internists in two Swiss hospitals.

Participants
ACCS attending our LTFU clinics between April 2017 and January 2022 were eligible.

Interventions
We documented medical history, current health status and assessed HRQOL using Short Form-36 V.2, comparing it with Swiss general population (SGP) norms (T mean=50, SD=10; age stratified). 3 months post visit, a feedback questionnaire was distributed.

Main results
Among 102 ACCS (mean age: 32 years (range: 18–62 years), 68% women), 43 had no prior follow-up (36 ACCS >28 years, 7 ACCS≤28 years). A notable 94% had health issues, affecting an average of 6.1 (SD=3.3) organ systems. HRQOL was lower in ACCS >28 years than the SGP >28 years (physical: 44.8 (SD=11.65) vs 49.3 (SD=10.29), p=0.016; mental: 44.4 (SD=13.78) vs 50.53 (SD=9.92), p=0.004). Older ACCS ( >28 years) reported inferior physical (44.8 vs 50.1 (SD=9.30), p=0.017) and mental HRQOL (44.4 vs 50.3 (SD=7.20), p=0.009) than younger ACCS. The majority of respondents reported high levels of satisfaction with the consultation, exceeding 90%.

Conclusion
ACCS attending LTFU clinics face diverse health issues impacting multiple organ systems and exhibit lower HRQOL compared with the SGP. Thus, internist-led LTFU clinics are crucial for optimising follow-up care.

Leggi
Luglio 2024

Heart rate vARiability and physical activity in inpatient treatMent of burnOut and DepressIon (HARMODI): protocol of a cross-sectional study with up to 8-week follow up

Introduction
Chronic stress can cause an imbalance within the autonomic nervous system, thereby affecting cardiovascular and mental health. Physical activity (PA) may have a positive effect on the autonomic nervous system and stress-related disorders, such as depression and burnout. Heart rate variability (HRV) is a non-invasive marker of the autonomic nervous system. However, limited and inconsistent data exist on the exact relationship between HRV, PA and depression and burnout symptoms. The HARMODI study aims to explore whether HRV is a feasible marker of depression and burnout symptoms and aims to evaluate the role of PA in the treatment of stress-related disorders.

Methods and analyses
This is an observational study with a cross-sectional up to 8 week follow-up study design. A total of 153 patients, undergoing psychiatric inpatient treatment with burnout syndrome (Z73) and depressive episode (F32 or F33) or adjustment disorder (F43.2), will be recruited. Data on depression and burnout symptoms, HRV recordings (24-hour, supine, standing and exercise stress test), cognitive function, cardiorespiratory fitness, cardiovascular health, balance and strength will be collected at baseline (T1) and after up to 8 weeks (T2). Continuous data on PA and Ecological Momentary Assessments of exhaustion, mood and tension will be monitored daily throughout inpatient treatment. Multiple regression models, adjusted for potential confounders, will assess the association between HRV as the primary outcome, PA and depression and burnout severity score.

Ethics and dissemination
The protocol has been approved by Swiss Ethics Committee, Cantonal Ethics Committee Zürich. Results of HARMODI will be disseminated through peer-reviewed journals and conference presentations.

Trial registration number
NCT05874856.

Leggi
Giugno 2024

Incidence and predictors of diabetic foot ulcer among patients with diabetes mellitus in a diabetic follow-up clinic in Central Ethiopia: a retrospective follow-up study

Background
Diabetic foot ulcer is a major medical, social, and economic problem, and a leading cause of hospitalisations, increased morbidity, and mortality. Despite a rising occurrence, there is a dearth of data on the incidence and its predictors.

Objective
To assess the incidence and predictors of diabetic foot ulcers among patients with diabetes mellitus in a diabetic follow-up clinic in Central Ethiopia.

Design
Retrospective follow-up study design.

Participants
A total of 418 newly diagnosed diabetes mellitus patients from 1 January 2012 to 31 December 2022. A computer-generated simple random sampling method was used to select the study participants. Data were collected using a structured data extraction checklist. The collected data were entered into Epi Info V.7.2 and exported to STATA V.14 for analysis. To estimate survival time, the Kaplan-Meier method was used, and the survival difference was tested using a log-rank test.

Outcome measures
The Cox proportional hazard model was fitted to identify the predictors of diabetic foot ulcer development. The strength of the association was estimated using an adjusted hazard ratio (AHR) with a 95% confidence interval (CI), and statistical significance was proclaimed at a p

Leggi
Giugno 2024