Plos One
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The aim of the study was to assess the psychometric properties of the Medical Outcomes Study HIV Health Survey (MOS-HIV) in people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) in mainland China. ⋯ The results of this study provide evidence that the MOS-HIV may be an acceptable, valid and reliable instrument for evaluating QOL of PLWHA in mainland China.
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Although several studies have explored factors associated with loss to follow-up (LTFU) from HIV care, there remains a gap in understanding how these factors vary by setting, volume of patient and patients' demographic and clinical characteristics. We determined rates and factors associated with LTFU in HIV care Lilongwe, Malawi. ⋯ A sizeable proportion of ART LTFU occurred among women enrolled during pregnancy or breast-feeding. Non- compliance to clinic and receiving ART in a rural facility or high-volume facility were associated with increased risk of LTFU from ART care. Developing effective interventions that target high-risk subgroups and contexts may help reduce LTFU from HIV care.
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Comparative Study
Comparison of traffic-injury related hospitalisation between bicyclists and motorcyclists in Taiwan.
Bicyclists and motorcyclists contribute substantially to the morbidity and mortality rates of road crash casualties. The objective of the study was to investigate the crash characteristics of bicyclist and motorcyclist casualties presented to hospitals in Taiwan resulting from crashes. ⋯ The result that bicyclists had an increased probability of being hospitalised than motorcyclists is particularly noteworthy, because there have recently been much more users of bikesharing systems in metropolitan cities where cycle helmets are not provided. We further found that helmet non-use was also a risk factor for motorcyclists, but insignificant for cyclists, possibly due to lower helmet utilization rates among bicyclists. Our findings regarding the increased hospitalisation percentage emphasize the importance of helmet use.
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Idiopathic Parkinson's disease (IPD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by typical motor impairment. However, lower urinary tract symptoms, including urinary urgency or frequency, which are non-motor phenomena, occur frequently among patients with IPD. In this study, we assess the risk of overactive bladder (OAB) in patients with IPD. ⋯ This study reveals that IPD is independently associated with an increased risk of OAB in patients with IPD. The probability of OAB was 1.54% over a 10-year period after IPD diagnosis; the risk of OAB is considered to be age-dependent and most substantial in patients aged 65-74 years.
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Comparative Study
Comparison of spinal curvature parameters as determined by the ZEBRIS spine examination method and the Cobb method in children with scoliosis.
The most common and gold standard method to diagnose and follow-up on scoliosis treatment is to capture biplanar X-ray images and then use these to determine the sagittal frontal spinal curvature angles by the Cobb method. Reducing exposure to radiation is an important aspect for consideration, especially regarding children. The ZEBRIS spinal examination method is an external, non-invasive measurement method that uses an ultrasound-based motion analysis system. The aim of this study is to compare angle values of patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) determined by the ZEBRIS spine examination method with the angle values defined by the gold standard Cobb method on biplanar X-ray images. ⋯ Thoracic spinal curvature angles in sagittal and in frontal planes can be measured with sufficient accuracy. The slopes of the linear regression lines for thoracic kyphosis (TK) and thoracic scoliosis (TSC) are close to one (1.00 and 0.79 respectively), and the intercept values are below 5 degrees. The correlation between the TK and TSC values determined by the two methods is significant (p = 0.000) and excellent (rTK = 0.95, rTSC = 0.85). The differences are in the limit of agreement. The lumbar lordosis (LL) in the sagittal plane shows a very good correlation (rLL = 0.76); however the differences between the angles determined by the two methods are out of the limit of agreement in patients with major lumbar lordosis (LL≥50°). The thoracolumbar/lumbar spinal curvature angles in the frontal plane determined by ZEBRIS spine examination were underestimated at curvatures larger than 15°, mainly due to the rotational and pathological deformities of the scoliotic vertebrae. However, the correlation between lumbar scoliosis (LSC) values determined by the two methods is significant (p = 0.000) and excellent (rLSC = 0.84), the slopes are below one (0.71), the intercept values are below 5 degrees, and the differences between the angles determined by the two methods are within the limits of agreement. We could conclude that ZEBRIS spinal examination is a valid and reliable method for determination of sagittal and frontal curvatures during the treatment of patients with scoliosis. However, it cannot replace the biplanar X-ray examination for the visualization of spinal curvatures in the sagittal and frontal planes and the rotation of vertebral bodies during the diagnosis and annual evaluation of the progression.