Journal of investigative medicine : the official publication of the American Federation for Clinical Research
-
Exposure to pesticides has been linked to an elevated risk of leukemia. The present research aimed to evaluate the relationship between organochlorine (OC) pesticides and biomarkers of oxidative stress in patients with leukemia. This work was conducted on 109 patients with leukemia and 109 healthy controls. ⋯ In contrast, MDA, NO, and PC concentrations were higher in patients with leukemia than in the controls (p<0.05). Moreover, the serum level of 4,4-DDE was negatively associated with GPx activity (p=0.038). Our findings suggest that OCs may play a role in the development of leukemia by disrupting the oxidant/antioxidant balance.
-
Coronary artery disease (CAD) due to atherosclerosis is one of the important reasons for death worldwide. Recent evidence has suggested the essential role of inflammation in the progression of atherosclerosis. Interleukin (IL)-37 is a critical anti-inflammatory member of the IL-1 family which regulates the inflammatory processes. ⋯ In addition, IL-37 has positively correlated with ATP-binding cassette transporter A1 and G1 gene expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells and serum levels of the FRAP. A receiver operating characteristic test displayed that IL-37 level ratios were a relatively significant CAD predictor. Our results indicated that decreased serum levels of IL-37 in patients with CAD and its relationship with inflammatory cytokines and reverse cholesterol transport genes are more likely to be associated in the inflammatory process with disease pathology.
-
Socioeconomic disparities adversely affected healthcare use during COVID-19 lockdown. However, trends in these disparities post lockdown are unknown. Therefore, our aim was to study temporal trends and factors associated with gastroenterology healthcare access and disparities during and after COVID-19 lockdown. ⋯ In conclusion, socioeconomic and ethnic disparities persist in healthcare use even a year after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. There is an alarming increase in missed visits and substance abuse. Therefore, efforts should be targeted on improving healthcare access for these aforementioned vulnerable groups.
-
Reporting of statistical analysis is essential in any clinical and translational research study. However, medical research studies sometimes report statistical analysis that is either inappropriate or insufficient to attest to the accuracy and validity of findings and conclusions. Published works involving inaccurate statistical analyses and insufficient reporting influence the conduct of future scientific studies, including meta-analyses and medical decisions. ⋯ We provide clarity and the importance of understanding study objective types, data generation process, effect size use, evidence-based biostatistical methods use, and development of statistical models through several thematic frameworks. We also provide published examples of adherence or non-adherence to methodological standards related to each step in the statistical analysis and their implications. We believe the suggestions provided in this report can have far-reaching implications for education and strengthening the quality of statistical reporting and biostatistical practice in medical research.
-
Prescriptions for biologic therapy for treatment of Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) have increased during the past two decades; however, trends are less clear regarding corticosteroid prescriptions in this context. We designed a cross-sectional study using the IQVIA Ambulatory Electronic Medical Records databases. Weighted linear regressions by age group were used to estimate annual percentage change from 2011 to 2020 in prescriptions for biologics and for corticosteroids among patients with or without biologic prescriptions within the same calendar year. ⋯ The percentage of patients with biologics prescriptions prescribed corticosteroids decreased by 2% (CD) and 3% (UC) annually after 2015, while the percentage remained unchanged for corticosteroid prescriptions among patients without biologics. In 2019, differences in medication prescriptions existed by patient's demographic and lifestyle factors for patients with CD (n=52,892) and UC (n=52,280), including a higher percentage prescribed biologics among younger patients, men, those with fewer comorbidities, and current alcohol drinkers, and a higher percentage prescribed corticosteroids without biologics among women, those with more comorbidities, and a history of smoking. While medications continue to evolve during the biologic era, it is important to continue to monitor trends and differences in prescription patterns to assess progress toward optimizing treatment for patients with CD or UC.