METHODS: Stiffness index (SI) was measured and T-scores generated against an Asian database were recorded for 598,757 women and 173,326 men aged over 21 years old using Lunar Achilles (GE Healthcare) heel scanners. The scanners were made available in public centres in Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan, Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines.
RESULTS: The mean SI was higher for men than women. In women SI as well as T-scores declined slowly until approximately 45 years of age, then declined rapidly to reach a mean T-score of 80 years.
CONCLUSIONS: The heel scan data shows a high degree of poor bone health in both men and women in Asian countries, raising concern about the possible increase in fractures with ageing and the expected burden on the public health system.
METHODS: Thirty-five research organizations from Europe, North-Africa, Western Asia, and the Americas promoted the survey through their networks to the general society, in 7 languages (English, German, French, Arabic, Spanish, Portuguese, and Slovenian). Questions were presented in a differential format with questions related to responses "before" and "during" confinement conditions.
RESULTS: 1047 participations (54% women) from Asia (36%), Africa (40%), Europe (21%), and others (3%) were included in the analysis. Findings revealed psychosocial strain during the enforced COVID-19 home confinement. Large decreases (p < 0.001) in the amount of social activity through family (-58%), friends/neighbors (-44.9%), or entertainment (-46.7%) were triggered by the enforced confinement. These negative effects on social participation were also associated with lower life satisfaction (-30.5%) during the confinement period. Conversely, the social contact score through digital technologies significantly increased (p < 0.001) during the confinement period with more individuals (+24.8%) being socially connected through digital technology.
CONCLUSION: These preliminary findings elucidate the risk of psychosocial strain during the early COVID-19 home confinement period in 2020. Therefore, in order to mitigate the negative psychosocial effects of home confinement, implementation of national strategies focused on promoting social inclusion through a technology-based solution is strongly suggested.
METHODS: Nine hospitals in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand participated in SEA-ORCHID. These hospitals were supported by researchers from three Australian centres. Health care practices and outcomes were assessed for 1000 women at each hospital both before and after the intervention. The capacity development intervention was tailored to the needs and context of each hospital and delivered over an 18 month period. Main outcomes included adherence to forms of care likely to be beneficial and avoidance of forms of care likely to be ineffective or harmful.
RESULTS: We observed substantial variation in clinical practice change between sites. The capacity development intervention had a positive impact on some care practices across all countries, including increased family support during labour and decreased perineal shaving before birth, but in some areas there was no significant change in practice and a few beneficial practices were followed less often.
CONCLUSION: The results of SEA-ORCHID demonstrate that investing in developing capacity for research use, synthesis and generation can lead to improvements in maternal and neonatal health practice and highlight the difficulty of implementing evidence-based practice change.
Methods: Data were collected from consecutive patients across 9 centres. Major endpoints included procedural success, safety and long-term outcomes including occurrence of bleeding, stroke/transient ischaemic attack/systemic embolism and all-cause mortality.
Results: Subjects (n = 201) had a mean age of 70.8 ± 9.4 years, high stroke risk (CHA2DS2-VASc: 3.9 ± 1.7), elevated bleeding risk (HAS-BLED: 2.1 ± 1.2) with 53% patients from Asian countries. Successful implantation occurred in 98.5% of patients; 7-day device/procedure-related SAE rate was 3.0%. After 2 years of follow-up, the rates of ischaemic stroke/TIA/SE and major bleeding were 1.9 and 2.2 per 100-PY, respectively, representing relative reductions of 77% and 49% versus expected rates per risk scores. The relative risk reductions versus expected rates were more pronounced in Asians vs. Non-Asians (89% vs 62%; 77% vs 14%). Other significant findings included larger mean LAA ostium diameter for Asians vs. Non-Asians (23.4 ± 4.1 mm vs. 21.2 ± 3.2 mm, p