BACKGROUND: The burden of noncommunicable diseases has increased globally, and it has negatively affected the QoL of diabetic patients.
METHODS: A quasi-experimental study was conducted by including 77 T2DM patients selected from 2 public health centers in Thailand. The respondents were randomly selected 38 in control group and 39 in intervention group. Pretested, piloted, and validated tool were used during this study. Knowledge on blood glucose level, stress, and QoL was measured at baseline and then compared to end line after 3 months of the intervention. The effects of intervention were estimated by regression coefficient of intervention on blood glucose level and QoL. The study was ethically approved by the Chulalongkorn University, Thailand.
FINDINGS: Baseline characteristics of both the groups were similar before the start of the intervention and there were no significant differences observed in age, education, blood sugar monitoring behavior, medical checkup, knowledge, self-care, stress, and hemoglobin HbA1c (>0.05). However, blood HbA1c, stress level, and QoL among the T2DM patients had significant changes (<0.05) after the intervention. The control group was remained same and there was no statistically significant difference reported (>0.05).
CONCLUSIONS: The study concluded that the designed intervention of DSME has proved effective in lowering the blood sugar level, HbA1c level, stress level, and improved QoL among T2DM patients during this limited period of time. Hence, policy-makers can replicate this intervention for diabetic patients in a similar context.
OBJECTIVE: The study aimed to assess the association of unprocessed red meat, poultry, and processed meat intake with mortality and major CVD.
METHODS: The Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiology (PURE) Study is a cohort of 134,297 individuals enrolled from 21 low-, middle-, and high-income countries. Food intake was recorded using country-specific validated FFQs. The primary outcomes were total mortality and major CVD. HRs were estimated using multivariable Cox frailty models with random intercepts.
RESULTS: In the PURE study, during 9.5 y of follow-up, we recorded 7789 deaths and 6976 CVD events. Higher unprocessed red meat intake (≥250 g/wk vs. <50 g/wk) was not significantly associated with total mortality (HR: 0.93; 95% CI: 0.85, 1.02; P-trend = 0.14) or major CVD (HR: 1.01; 95% CI: 0.92, 1.11; P-trend = 0.72). Similarly, no association was observed between poultry intake and health outcomes. Higher intake of processed meat (≥150 g/wk vs. 0 g/wk) was associated with higher risk of total mortality (HR: 1.51; 95% CI: 1.08, 2.10; P-trend = 0.009) and major CVD (HR: 1.46; 95% CI: 1.08, 1.98; P-trend = 0.004).
CONCLUSIONS: In a large multinational prospective study, we did not find significant associations between unprocessed red meat and poultry intake and mortality or major CVD. Conversely, a higher intake of processed meat was associated with a higher risk of mortality and major CVD.
METHODS: ACLF patients recruited from the APASL-ACLF Research Consortium (AARC) were followed up till 30 days, death or transplantation, whichever earlier. Clinical details, including dynamic grades of HE and laboratory data, including ammonia levels, were serially noted.
RESULTS: Of the 3009 ACLF patients, 1315 (43.7%) had HE at presentation; grades I-II in 981 (74.6%) and grades III-IV in 334 (25.4%) patients. The independent predictors of HE at baseline were higher age, systemic inflammatory response, elevated ammonia levels, serum protein, sepsis and MELD score (p
AIM OF THE STUDY: Phytochemical investigation and assessment of pharmacological mechanism(s) involved in anti-ulcer effect of methanolic extract of the seeds of E. conferta.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: Bioactive phytoconstituents were isolated by column chromatography. These were identified by spectroscopic techniques including infrared (IR) spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and mass spectrometry. Methanolic extract (MEC) of the seeds was prepared by cold maceration and its anti-ulcerogenic potential was evaluated using indomethacin (50 mg/kg) and water immersion stress models in male rats. The animals were pre-treated with different doses of MEC (400 and 800 mg/kg) and the therapeutic effect was compared with standard drug i.e. ranitidine (RANT; 50 mg/kg). The ameliorative effects of MEC were investigated on gastric juice pH, total acidity, free acidity and ulcer index. The assays of malionaldehyde (MDA), catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione (GSH) and pro-inflammatory cytokines i.e. interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) were carried out to find out the possible mechanism(s) of protection. Further, histopathological changes were also studied.
RESULTS: Chromatography studies and further confirmation by spectroscopic techniques revealed the presence of four different compounds in MEC i.e oleic acid (1), stearic acid (2), ascorbic acid (3) and quercetin (4). MEC exhibited anti-ulcerogenic effect in dose dependent manner which may be attributed to suppression of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-6, TNF-α) and MDA (112.7%), and up-regulation of protective factors such as CAT (90.48%), SOD (92.77%) and GSH (90.01%). Ulcer inhibition, reduction in total and free acidity and increase in gastric juice pH were observed in MEC treated rats as compared to disease control animals. Histopathological findings confirmed decreased cell infiltration, less epithelial cell damage and regeneration of gastric mucosa in dose dependent manner.
CONCLUSIONS: The anti-ulcer effect of MEC may be attributed to its ability to scavenge free radicals and anti-inflammatory property via suppression of TNF-α and IL-6, thus offers a complete and holistic approach for management of peptic ulcer.
METHODS AND RESULTS: Baseline ECGs were collected in 153 152 middle-aged participants (ages 35-70 years) to document AF in two community-based studies, spanning 20 countries. Medication use and clinical outcome data (mean follow-up of 7.4 years) were available in one cohort. Cross-sectional analyses were performed to document the prevalence of AF and medication use, and associations between AF and clinical events were examined prospectively. Mean age of participants was 52.1 years, and 57.7% were female. Age and sex-standardized prevalence of AF varied 12-fold between regions; with the highest in North America, Europe, China, and Southeast Asia (270-360 cases per 100 000 persons); and lowest in the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia (30-60 cases per 100 000 persons) (P
BACKGROUND: Absence of congenital cardiac catheterization registries in LMICs led to the development of the International Quality Improvement Collaborative Congenital Heart Disease Catheterization Registry (IQIC-CHDCR). As a foundation for this initiative, the IQIC is a collaboration of pediatric cardiac surgical programs from LMICs. Participation in IQIC has been associated with improved patient outcomes.
METHODS: A web-based registry was designed through a collaborative process. A pilot study was conducted from October through December 2017 at seven existing IQIC sites. Demographic, hemodynamic, and adverse event data were obtained and a novel tool to assess procedural efficacy was applied to five specific procedures. Procedural efficacy was categorized using ideal, adequate, and inadequate.
RESULTS: A total of 429 cases were entered. Twenty-five adverse events were reported. The five procedures for which procedural efficacy was measured represented 48% of cases (n = 208) and 71% had complete data for analysis (n = 146). Procedure efficacy was ideal most frequently in patent ductus arteriosus (95%) and atrial septal defect (90%) device closure, and inadequate most frequently in coarctation procedures (100%), and aortic and pulmonary valvuloplasties (50%).
CONCLUSIONS: The IQIC-CHDCR has designed a feasible collaborative to capture catheterization data in LMICs. The novel tool for procedural efficacy will provide valuable means to identify areas for quality improvement. This pilot study and lessons learned culminated in the full launch of the IQIC-CHDCR.
METHODS: We defined high CVD risk as the presence of any of the following: hypertension, coronary artery disease, stroke, smoker, diabetes or age >55 years. Availability and affordability of blood pressure lowering drugs, antiplatelets and statins were obtained from pharmacies. Participants were categorised: group 1-all three drug types were available and affordable, group 2-all three drugs were available but not affordable and group 3-all three drugs were not available. We used multivariable Cox proportional hazard models with nested clustering at country and community levels, adjusting for comorbidities, sociodemographic and economic factors.
RESULTS: Of 163 466 participants, there were 93 200 with high CVD risk from 21 countries (mean age 54.7, 49% female). Of these, 44.9% were from group 1, 29.4% from group 2 and 25.7% from group 3. Compared with participants from group 1, the risk of MACEs was higher among participants in group 2 (HR 1.19, 95% CI 1.07 to 1.31), and among participants from group 3 (HR 1.25, 95% CI 1.08 to 1.50).
CONCLUSION: Lower availability and affordability of essential CVD medicines were associated with higher risk of MACEs and mortality. Improving access to CVD medicines should be a key part of the strategy to lower CVD globally.
Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted with school-going children from 16 selected schools of a tribal district in Jharkhand using multistage cluster random sampling. In each selected school, 60 students, 30 boys and 30 girls, were chosen randomly, totaling 960 children (full data was for 935 children only). Growth charts were created using Lambda-Mu-Sigma (LMS) chart maker version 2.5 for height, weight and body mass index (BMI). In the charts, the LMS values with Z scores for each age and respective height and weight for boys and girls were recorded.
Results: The 468 boys and 467 girls were in the range of 6-14 years of age. Percentile values obtained for the measured heights in centimetres were evaluated and compared with Indian Academy of Pediatrics reference charts for boys and girls for the same age group, and our values were found to be on the lower side. We were able to plot a growth chart of the data set; as the tribal children's ethnicity is different, this growth chart might be used to assess nutritional status.
Conclusion: We concluded that growth curves for height, weight, and BMI may be used for evaluating children of age 6-14 years in the tribal population. The measures can be a good indicator of their nourishment status and overall growth patterns, which might be indigenous to their ethnicity. A larger sample size of similar tribal populations may give a clearer picture.