Search Our Scientific Publications & Authors

Acta Neurochir (Wien) 2021 Apr 15. Epub 2021 Apr 15.

Division of Endocrinology, University Department of Medicine, Kantonsspital Aarau, Aarau, Switzerland.

Background: Acromegaly is associated with various comorbidities, such as arterial hypertension (aHT), type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2), obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome (OSAS), carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) and polyposis coli. For therapeutic decisions, it is essential to know if, and to what extent, these associated morbidities are reversible or preventable. The aim of this study is to assess the prevalence and course of aHT, obesity, OSAS, CTS, DM2 and polyposis coli in acromegalic patients. Read More

JAMA Netw Open 2021 Apr 1;4(4):e215503. Epub 2021 Apr 1.

Department of Surgery, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

Importance: Rehospitalization after major surgery is common and represents a significant cost to the health care system. Little is known regarding the causes of these readmissions and the degree to which they may be preventable.

Objective: To evaluate the degree to which readmissions after major surgery are potentially preventable. Read More

West J Nurs Res 2021 Apr 13:1939459211005710. Epub 2021 Apr 13.

Donald W. Reynolds Center of Geriatric Nursing Excellence, Fran and Earl Ziegler College of Nursing, The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, USA.

Immunosenescence and comorbidities increase the susceptibility of older adults with diabetes mellitus (DM) to vaccine-preventable diseases, hospitalization, disability, or death. This systematic review synthesizes research on protecting older adults with DM during pandemics, exploring vaccine safety, tolerance, and vaccination uptake by older adults in anticipation of seasonal influenza outbreaks during the current COVID-19 threat. Addressed were: (a) age-related factors influencing the effectiveness of vaccines against infectious disease in older adults; (b) vaccine safety, tolerance, effectiveness for older persons with DM; and (c) issues affecting older adults accepting immunization recommendations. Read More

RMD Open 2021 Apr;7(1)

Rheumatology, Rheumazentrum Ruhrgebiet, Herne, Germany.

Objective: To evaluate the prevalence of infections, prevalence of hospitalisation due to infections, the vaccination status and perceived screening of infections prior to the start of biologic disease modifying antirheumatic drugs (bDMARDs) of a patient cohort with chronic inflammatory rheumatic diseases (CIRD).

Methods: Consecutive CIRD patients reporting to our specialised centre were prospectively included (n=975) in this cross-sectional study. Data on comorbidities including infections, treatment, vaccination status, screening for latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) and hepatitis B (HepB) were collected. Read More

Ochsner J 2021 ;21(1):19-24

Department of Medical Education Services, UnityPoint Health-Des Moines, Des Moines, IA.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a common and preventable condition. The disease accounts for a large economic burden in the US health care system. Better control and prevention of COPD exacerbations can help prevent presentations to already-crowded emergency departments (EDs) and hospitals. Read More

Pediatrics 2021 Apr 2. Epub 2021 Apr 2.

Department of Pediatrics, The Hospital for Sick Children and University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada;

Background: A mother whose child has a chronic condition, such as a major congenital anomaly, often experiences poorer long-term health, including earlier mortality. Little is known about the long-term health of fathers of infants with a major congenital anomaly.

Methods: In this population-based prospective cohort study, we used individual-linked Danish registry data. Read More

PLoS One 2021 1;16(4):e0249419. Epub 2021 Apr 1.

Department of Community Health Sciences, UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, Los Angeles, California, United States of America.

Congenital syphilis is the result of placental transmission from mother to fetus of Treponema pallidum. Although congenital syphilis is preventable through timely treatment, the rate of new infections in the United States (US) has increased each year since 2013, and is increasing at a noticeably greater pace in California (CA). Most research into congenital syphilis has focused on individual psychosocial and behavioral factors that contribute to maternal vulnerability for syphilis. Read More

Cell Mol Neurobiol 2021 Mar 30. Epub 2021 Mar 30.

Department of Pharmacology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, 110029, India.

Despite achieving remarkable success in understanding the cellular, molecular and pathophysiological aspects of stroke, translation from preclinical research has always remained an area of debate. Although thousands of experimental compounds have been reported to be neuro-protective, their failures in clinical setting have left the researchers and stakeholders in doldrums. Though the failures described have been excruciating, they also give us a chance to refocus on the shortcomings. Read More

BMJ Open Respir Res 2021 Mar;8(1)

Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK.

Background: There is a paucity of UK data to aid healthcare professionals in predicting which patients hospitalised with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) are at greatest risk of 30-day readmission and to determine which readmissions may occur soonest.

Methods: An analysis of CAP cases admitted to nine UK hospitals participating in the Advancing Quality Pneumonia Programme.

Results: An analysis was performed of 12 157 subjects hospitalised with CAP in the Advancing Quality Programme Database. Read More

Harefuah 2021 Feb;160(2):98-103

Department of Psychology, Palo Alto University, CA, USA &Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, CA, USA.

Introduction: Tobacco smoking is the worldwide leading preventable cause of morbidity [1]. The prevalence of current smoking among individuals with mental illnesses is more than twice as that of the general population [2]. Despite it being a primary cause of morbidity and mortality in Israel too, there is little information and research on the features of smoking among people with mental illnesses in Israel. Read More

Epidemiol Psychiatr Sci 2021 Mar 10;30:e22. Epub 2021 Mar 10.

School of Public Health, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.

Aims: Mental health (MH) service users have increased prevalence of chronic physical conditions such as cardio-respiratory diseases and diabetes. Potentially Preventable Hospitalisations (PPH) for physical health conditions are an indicator of health service access, integration and effectiveness, and are elevated in long term studies of people with MH conditions. We aimed to examine whether PPH rates were elevated in MH service users over a 12-month follow-up period more suitable for routine health indicator reporting. Read More

Tob Use Insights 2021 26;14:1179173X21998355. Epub 2021 Feb 26.

West Palm Beach, FL, USA.

Cigarette use is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States. Despite the well documented dangers of smoking, nearly 20% of adults report regular use of tobacco. A majority desire to discontinue but the long-term cessation success rate remains near 4%. Read More

Vaccine 2021 Apr 11;39(14):1997-2004. Epub 2021 Mar 11.

Immunisation and Countermeasures Division, Public Health England, 61 Colindale Avenue, London NW9 5EQ, UK; Paediatric Infectious Diseases Research Group, St. George's University of London, Cranmer Terrace, London SW17 0RE, UK. Electronic address:

Background: A 15-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV15) aims to protect against serotype 22F and 33F in addition to the serotypes within the 13-valent PCV (PCV13) which was introduced to the UK childhood immunisation programme in April 2010. Little is known about the specific epidemiology, clinical features or outcomes of invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) due to these two serotypes.

Methods: Public Health England (PHE) conducts enhanced IPD surveillance in England. Read More

Int J Ment Health Syst 2021 Mar 3;15(1):22. Epub 2021 Mar 3.

Department of Mental Health and Substance Use, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland.

Background: People with severe mental disorders (SMD) experience premature mortality mostly from preventable physical causes. The World Health Organization (WHO) have recently produced guidelines on the prevention and management of physical health conditions in SMD. This paper presents the evidence which led to the recommendations presented in the guidelines. Read More

BMJ Open 2021 Mar 2;11(3):e037827. Epub 2021 Mar 2.

Division of Respiratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Objectives: To describe the association between types of cancer and active tuberculosis (TB) risk in migrants. Additionally, in order to better inform latent TB infection (LTBI) screening protocols, we assessed proportion of active TB cases potentially preventable through LTBI screening and treatment in migrants with cancer.

Design: Population-based, retrospective cohort study. Read More

World J Gastrointest Surg 2021 Feb;13(2):141-152

Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH 43210, United States.

Background: Gastrointestinal (GI) and liver diseases contribute to substantial inpatient morbidity, mortality, and healthcare resource utilization. Finding ways to reduce the economic burden of healthcare costs and the impact of these diseases is of crucial importance. Thirty-day readmission rates and related hospital outcomes can serve as objective measures to assess the impact of and provide further insights into the most common GI ailments. Read More

Reprod Health 2021 Feb 19;18(1):46. Epub 2021 Feb 19.

Division Women and Baby, Department of Obstetrics, Wilhelmina's Children Hospital, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.

The World Health Organization (WHO) provides a framework (ICD-MM) to classify pregnancy-related deaths systematically, which enables global comparison among countries. We compared the classification of pregnancy-related deaths in Suriname by the attending physician and by the national maternal death review (MDR) committee and among the MDR committees of Suriname, Jamaica and the Netherlands. There were 89 possible pregnancy-related deaths in Suriname between 2010 and 2014. Read More

Aging Clin Exp Res 2021 Feb 18. Epub 2021 Feb 18.

School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, building U8, room 2043 - via Cadore 48, 20900, Monza, MB, Italy.

Objectives: To assess the prevalence of delirium (DEL) among older patients living at home and periodically visited by their General Practitioners (GPs).

Design: Observational study.

Setting: In Italy, programmed home visits by the GPs are regularly scheduled for their vulnerable and frail patients who are often on poly-drug regimens and suffering from dementia. Read More

BMJ Open 2021 Feb 16;11(2):e039986. Epub 2021 Feb 16.

Family Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan

Objectives: The objective of this study was to explore the impact of Taiwan's Family Practice Integrated Care Project (FPICP) on hospitalisation.

Design: A population-based cohort study compared the hospitalisation rates for ambulatory care sensitive conditions (ACSCs) among FPICP participating and non-participating patients during 2011-2015.

Setting: The study accessed the FPICP reimbursement database of Taiwan's National Health Insurance (NHI) administration containing all NHI administration-selected patients for FPICP enrolment. Read More

Transplant Proc 2021 Mar 4;53(2):762-767. Epub 2021 Feb 4.

Montefiore Medical Center, Department of Surgery, Bronx, New York.

Purpose: To investigate risk factors for hernia recurrence, surgical site occurrence/infection (SSO/I) and those requiring procedural intervention (SSOPI) after incisional hernia repair (IHR) following abdominal transplantation.

Methods: Patients undergoing IHR following abdominal transplant were retrospectively identified in the Americas Hernia Society Quality Collaborative database. Primary outcome measures were SSO/I, SSOPI and hernia recurrence. Read More

J Pers Med 2021 Jan 21;11(2). Epub 2021 Jan 21.

Institute of Biomedical Chemistry, Pogodinskaya Street 10/8, 119121 Moscow, Russia.

Obesity is a frightening chronic disease, which has tripled since 1975. It is not expected to slow down staying one of the leading cases of preventable death and resulting in an increased clinical and economic burden. Poor lifestyle choices and excessive intake of "cheap calories" are major contributors to obesity, triggering type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and other comorbidities. Read More

J Orthop Surg Res 2021 Jan 22;16(1):76. Epub 2021 Jan 22.

Department of Orthopedics, West China Hospital/West China School of Medicine, Sichuan University, 37# Wuhou Guoxue road, Chengdu, 610041, People's Republic of China.

Background: The risk factors of postoperative delirium (POD), a serious while preventable complication, developed by patients undergoing knee and replacement surgery are still under investigation. In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we identified risk factors associated with POD in knee and hip replacement.

Methods: PubMed, Ovid MEDLINE, and Ovid EMBASE were used to identify original researches. Read More

Clin Med Insights Endocrinol Diabetes 2020 28;13:1179551420984130. Epub 2020 Dec 28.

Joslin Diabetes Center, Boston, MA, USA.

T2D is a potentially preventable disease that has been ranked the seventh leading cause of mortality in the United States. There is strong evidence demonstrating that preventing type 2 diabetes is, in many cases, attainable through lifestyle intervention. Unfortunately, prediabetes is mostly overlooked and awareness with diabetes prevention tools is lacking among primary care physicians. Read More

Afr J Emerg Med 2021 Mar 30;11(1):46-52. Epub 2020 Nov 30.

Division of Clinical Pharmacology, Department of Medicine, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.

Introduction: South Africa has the world's largest antiretroviral treatment programme, which may contribute to the adverse drug reaction (ADR) burden. We aimed to determine the proportion of adult non-trauma emergency unit (EU) presentations attributable to ADRs and to characterise ADR-related EU presentations, stratified according to HIV status, to determine the contribution of drugs used in management of HIV and its complications to ADR-related EU presentations, and identify factors associated with ADR-related EU presentation.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective folder review on a random 1. Read More

Phytomedicine 2021 May 5;85:153403. Epub 2020 Nov 5.

Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China. Electronic address:

Background: Since the declaration of COVID-19 as a global pandemic by the World Health Organization, countries are struggling with a shortage of medical capacities. It would be essential if the risk for preventable comorbidities, such as the common cold, can be reduced or prevented, so that the scarce medical resources and facilities can be focused on COVID-19.

Purpose: To evaluate the effects of two herbal medicines (Jinhaoartemisia antipyretic granules and Huoxiangzhengqi oral liquids) in reducing the risk of the common cold in community-dwelling residents in China during the COVID-19 outbreak. Read More

Acta Chir Orthop Traumatol Cech 2020 ;87(6):429-437

Department of Orthopaedics, University Hospital Olomouc and Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Palacký University Olomouc.

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY To determine the optimal strategy for tranexamic acid (TXA) administration in diabetic patients, smokers and obese patients (BMI > 30 kg/m2) undergoing primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA). MATERIAL AND METHODS The total of 400 consecutive patients indicated for primary TKA were randomised into 4 basic groups with different TXA administration regimens. Group 1 (IV1) had a single intravenous dose (15 mg TXA/kg) applied prior to skin incision. Read More

Environ Sci Pollut Res Int 2021 Apr 3;28(13):16682-16689. Epub 2021 Jan 3.

Department of Critical Care and Acute Medicine, Northampton General Hospital, Northampton, 01060, UK.

Heat-related illnesses (HRIs), mainly heat exhaustion (HE) and heat stroke (HS), are characterized by an elevation of core body temperature. In this study, we aimed to explore the HRIs' types and patient characteristics among a sample taken from various representative in-field points in the Hajj season. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2018 at 80 data collection points distributed in the field. Read More

Biomed Pap Med Fac Univ Palacky Olomouc Czech Repub 2020 Dec;164(4):325-356

Pulmonary Department, University Hospital Hradec Kralove and Faculty of Medicine in Hradec Kralove, Charles University, Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic.

This position paper has been drafted by experts from the Czech national board of diseases with bronchial obstruction, of the Czech Pneumological and Phthisiological Society. The statements and recommendations are based on both the results of randomized controlled trials and data from cross-sectional and prospective real-life studies to ensure they are as close as possible to the context of daily clinical practice and the current health care system of the Czech Republic. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a preventable and treatable heterogeneous syndrome with a number of pulmonary and extrapulmonary clinical features and concomitant chronic diseases. Read More

Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol 2020 Dec 15:3489420980176. Epub 2020 Dec 15.

Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA.

Objective: Effective delivery of discharge instructions and access to postoperative care play a critical role in outcomes after pediatric surgery. Previous studies in the pediatric emergency department suggest that caregivers with language barriers have less comprehension of discharge instructions despite use of interpretation services. However, the impact of language barriers during discharge on surgical outcomes in a pediatric surgical setting has not been studied. Read More

Dev Med Child Neurol 2021 May 13;63(5):614-622. Epub 2020 Dec 13.

Department of Pediatrics, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Aim: To determine whether inequities in health outcomes for Indigenous Canadians are also present in cerebral palsy (CP) by comparing CP profiles between Indigenous and non-Indigenous children.

Method: Using the Canadian Cerebral Palsy Registry, we conducted a cross-sectional study. CP motor subtype, gross motor severity, comorbidities, perinatal adversity, preterm birth, and parental education were compared between 94 Indigenous (53 males, 41 females) and 1555 non-Indigenous (891 males, 664 females) children (all >5y). Read More