Methods: Sixteen LMIC sites included in the International Epidemiology Databases to Evaluate AIDS - Asia-Pacific network were surveyed.
Results: Sites were mostly (81%) based in urban public referral hospitals. Half had protocols to assess tobacco and alcohol use. Protocols for assessing physical inactivity and obesity were in place at 31% and 38% of sites, respectively. Most sites provided educational material on ASCVD risk factors (between 56% and 75% depending on risk factors). A total of 94% reported performing routine screening for hypertension, 100% for hyperlipidaemia and 88% for diabetes. Routine ASCVD risk assessment was reported by 94% of sites. Protocols for the management of hypertension, hyperlipidaemia, diabetes, high ASCVD risk and chronic ischaemic stroke were in place at 50%, 69%, 56%, 19% and 38% of sites, respectively. Blood pressure monitoring was free for patients at 69% of sites; however, most required patients to pay some or all the costs for other ASCVD-related procedures. Medications available in the clinic or within the same facility included angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (81%), statins (94%) and sulphonylureas (94%).
Conclusion: The consistent availability of clinical screening, diagnostic testing and procedures and the availability of ASCVD medications in the Asian LMIC clinics surveyed are strengths that should be leveraged to improve the implementation of cardiovascular care protocols.
METHODS: This cross-sectional study was performed at Hue Central Hospital from 2012-2016 on 176 CKD and 64 control subjects. ADMA levels were measured by using the enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method.
RESULTS: Mean ADMA level was markedly higher (p<0.001) in all patients combined (0.73±0.24μmol/L) than in control subjects (0.47±0.13μmol/L). Mean ADMA levels in advanced kidney disease were higher than control subjects. ADMA levels correlated inversely and relatively strictly to estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) (r = -0.689; p<0.001), haemoglobin (r = -0.525; p<0.001) and haematocrit (r = - 0.491; p<0.001); correlated favourably and relatively strictly to serum creatinine (r = 0.569; p<0.001) and serum urea (r = 0.642; p<0.001). ADMA elevation was predicted simultaneously by eGFR<60 mL/min/1.73m2 (p<0.001), anaemia (p=0.002), body mass index (BMI) (p=0.011) and high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) (p=0.041). Cutoff of ≥0.68μmol/L, ADMA levels predict reduction of eGFR<60 mL/min/1.73m2, sensitivity of 86.9 %, specificity of 82.6%, area under ROC 92.4% (95%CI: 88.6-96.1%).
METHODS: An online health survey was conducted between May to July 2017 among employees from 47 private companies located in urban Malaysia. A total of 5235 respondents completed the 20-min online employee health survey on a voluntary basis. Chi-Square or Fisher's exact tests were used to determine association between income with demographic and categorical factors of absenteeism and presenteeism. Multivariate linear regression was used to identify factors predicting absenteeism and presenteeism.
RESULTS: More than one third of respondents' monthly income were less than RM4,000 (35.4%), 29.6% between RM4,000-RM7,999 and 35.0% earned RM8,000 and above. The mean age was 33.8 years (sd ± 8.8) and 49.1% were married. A majority were degree holders (74.4%) and 43.6% were very concerned about their financial status. Mean years of working was 6.2 years (sd ± 6.9) with 68.9% satisfied with their job. More than half reported good general physical health (54.5%) (p = 0.065) and mental health (53.5%) (p = 0.019). The mean hours of sleep were 6.4 h (sd ± 1.1) with 63.2% reporting being unwell due to stress for the past 12 months. Mean work time missed due to ill-health (absenteeism) was 3.1% (sd ± 9.1), 2.8% (sd ± 9.1) and 1.8% (sd ± 6.5) among employees whose monthly income was less than RM4,000, RM4,000-RM7,999 and over RM8,000 respectively (p = 0.0066). Mean impairment while working due to ill-health (presenteeism) was 28.2% (sd ± 25.3), 24.9% (sd ± 25.5) and 20.3% (sd ± 22.9) among employees whose monthly income was less than RM4,000, RM4,000-RM7,999 and over RM8,000 respectively (p
Methods: A purposive design in combination with a convenience sampling approach was used to recruit 24 women ages 26 to 55 of Malay, Indian, and Chinese descent across 15 university departments in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Audio recordings of the individual semi-structured interviews were transcribed and analyzed using grounded theory.
Results: Women identified two important life transitions, getting married and having children, as particularly influential in changing eating behavior. Women reported a desire to eat healthier that was in tension with pressures to cater to the taste preferences of their household members and to accommodate their work schedules. Persistent social norms of eating in group settings and difficulty in accessing foods perceived as nutritious were reported as barriers to changing individual eating behavior. Regardless of education level and marital status, women agreed that the act of eating was closely connected with cultural values and embodied important meanings that took precedence over eating as a health-promoting behavior. While all participants expressed a desire to eat healthier, many reported limited confidence in their ability to consistently give up familiar and tasty foods for healthier alternatives. Shifts in eating behavior such as trying new healthy recipes and adopting a more restrictive diet were reported as most feasible and personally applicable after learning about a family member's declining health.
Conclusions: In this urban, multiethnic population, increasing the accessibility of nutritious foods and changing cultural perceptions of the relationship between food and nutrition may be important for enabling healthy eating behaviors.
Funding Sources: Yale Sustainable Food Program, Yale School of Public Health.
METHOD: This is a retrospective cohort study. Data on medical background, previous DCF treatment and complications were obtained. Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to measure factors related to various complications of DCF.
RESULTS: Ninety-eight patient records were retrieved. Of the 83 patients who were still alive, 75.9% (n = 63) had recurrent ulcers, 53.0% (n = 44) had undergone foot surgery and 45.8% (n = 38) had undergone amputation. Patients with a history of recurrent ulcers have the highest predilection to amputation (odds ratio: 8.5; 95% confidence interval: 1.8, 39.1).
DISCUSSION: In terms of DCF complications, foot ulcers are an independent predictor of recurrent foot ulcers, foot surgery and amputation. Regular foot assessment of patients with DCF to prevent ulcers is strongly recommended.
METHODS: The present meta-analysis was conducted between January 2000-August 2019. Articles related to the subject matter were obtained by searching Scopus, Sciencedirect, SID, magiran, Barakat Knowledge Network System, Medline (PubMed), and Google Scholar databases. The heterogeneity of the studies was evaluated using I2 index and the data were analyzed in Comprehensive Meta-Analysis software.
RESULTS: In a study of 3948 individuals aged 50-90 years, the overall prevalence of severe depression in Iranian older adult was 8.2% (95% CI, 4.14-6.3%) based on meta-analysis. Also, in order to investigate the effects of potential factors (sample size and year of study) on the heterogeneity of severe depression in Iranian older adult, meta-regression was used. It was reported that the prevalence of severe depression in Iranian older adult decreased with increasing sample size and increasing years of the study, which is significantly different (P