1,721,204 research outputs found
SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 vaccines: The promises and the challenges ahead
Full text link: The development of a new vaccine usually consists of a linear sequence of several steps and lasts many years [...]
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
LA CHIRURGIA TIROIDEA NELLA REGIONE VENETO
No full textDato che la tiroide è considerata un organo “di confine” tra le discipline di ORL e Chirurgia Generale, è stato condotto uno studio retrospettivo decennale per la definizione di un quadro epidemiologico relativo alla chirurgia tiroidea nel Veneto, identificando specialità di erogazione e volume di prestazioni erogate dalle singole Aziende Sanitarie
Breast cancer primary prevention and diet: An umbrella review
Full text linkIntroduction: Many studies have been published, but none have pooled the useful evidence available in the literature to produce guidelines and health policies promoting healthy eating styles to prevent breast cancer (BC). The present study aimed to summarize the evidence produced to date, taking a judicious, critical approach to the quality of the studies analyzed. Methods: An umbrella review method was adopted, which is a systematic review of second-level studies, meta-analyses and literature reviews. Results: In all, 48 studies were considered: 32 meta-analyses, 4 pooled analyses, 5 systematic reviews, and 7 qualitative reviews. A higher intake of total meat, or red or processed meats, or foods with a high glycemic index, or eggs would seem to be associated with a higher risk of BC. Some foods, such as vegetables, would seem instead to have an inverse association with BC risk. One meta-analysis revealed an inverse association between citrus fruit and mushroom consumption and BC. Some nutrients, such as calcium, folate, vitamin D, lignans and carotenoids, also seem to be inversely associated with BC risk. The evidence is still conflicting as concerns exposure to other dietary elements (e.g., polyunsaturated fatty acids, dairy foods). Conclusion: Nutrition is one of the most modifiable aspects of people’s lifestyles and dietary choices can affect health and the risk of cancer. Overall, adhering to a healthy eating style may be associated with a significant reduction in the risk of BC
Epidemiologia del tetano: notifiche e ospedalizzazioni nella Regione Veneto (2000-2015)
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Epidemiology and prevention of domestic injuries among children in the Verona Area (North-East Italy).
No full textIn the developed world, domestic injuries (DI) are an important cause of morbidity, temporary or permanent disability, and death in early life, the social and economic costs of which are often underestimated. To assess the epidemiology of this phenomenon in an area of north-eastern Italy, a retrospective investigation was performed with an anonymous questionnaire administered to the parents of approximately 3000 children aged between 3 and 15 years. More than 45% of the sample had suffered at least one DI in their lifetime. The most common involved falling, wounding and scalding, and particularly affected children above 4 years old. The various types of injury were analyzed and correlated with the parents' personal parameters, the circumstances and the location of the accident. The type of aid required (medical advice was sought in more than 70% of cases) and the outcome of the DI (26% cases of temporary disability and 2% of permanent disability) were also assessed. The majority of DI could be prevented by a capillary campaign on the prevention of domestic hazards in childhood, preferably as part of a holistic approach to the problem that also considers their living conditions in architectural and interior design terms
Organization or Community-Based Outbreak? Responding to Cases of Meningitis Under Epidemiologic Uncertainty.
No full textSix cases of serogroup C invasive meningococcal disease were identified in Treviso district, Veneto region, Italy between December 13 and 15, 2007. The afflicted patients were found to have attended the same Latin-dance clubs on the same nights, and chemoprophylaxis was provided to potentially exposed individuals. Despite these efforts, 2 cases caused by the same meningococcal strain subsequently occurred in the same area, without any apparent epidemiological correlation to the initial cases. This may have resulted from a failure to neutralize the meningococcal carrier/s. The root cause analysis method applied to public health emergency preparedness was used to analyze the response to this critical incident. The root cause analysis revealed a need to develop regional guidelines for the classification and management of a meningococcal outbreak and for developing risk-communication strategies that include the identification of appropriate channels of communication for differing segments of the population. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2018;page 1 of 4)
Telemedicine in chronic disease management: a Public Health perspective
Full text linkIntroduction
In 2014, the School of Hygiene of the University of Padua carried out an evaluation of home telemonitoring (HTM) programs for the management of chronic diseases. Our aims were to verify their efficacy, and to identify a model of care that could be integrated into the current health system. Our analysis addressed both organizational and clinical matters.
Methods
Our evaluation involved 19 reviews and 53 randomized controlled trials (RCT). Main selection criteria were: papers published over the last 15 years, HTM performed through a sensor system, data sent remotely to physicians, health out-comes and monitored parameters clearly stated. Included diseases were: heart failure, hypertension, COPD, asthma and diabetes.
Results
Several critical issues were highlighted. Due to the general tendency in the scientific literature to report HTM efficacy, there is a lack of conclusive evidence whether telemedicine actually improves both clinical (e.g. decreased disease/all-cause mortality, drop in disease/all-cause hospitalization rates, improvement in biological parameters and quality of life) and organizational (decreased length of hospital stay, decreased emergency room/other service use, decreased costs) outcomes or not.
Discussion
From a Public Health perspective, discrepancies and weaknesses may affect published results, since the best method for organizing and delivering telemedicine programs has not yet been identified. There is still no consensus on the following topics: setting: which context expresses the potential of technology best? No studies were found comparing, e.g., rural with urban communities. Within urban scenarios, samples do not discriminate users by their capability to access the healthcare network (e.g. residents in peripheral areas with limited transportation resources, rather than users with reduced mobility); target: it is unclear which demographic or socioeconomic characteristics users should possess to gain most benefit from HTM; duration and frequency: there are significant differences in RCT (and HTM program) duration. It has not been established whether HTM is more effective when permanently implemented, or only in the early stages of disease (i.e. until stabilization). There is no agreement on the optimal HTM implementation frequency, nor whether the patients should also receive traditional interventions (e.g. nurse home visits);scope: it has not been determined whether measurements should be disclosed to patients as educational means to improve disease management. However, past literature does include some indications that the effectiveness of HTM programs may be attributable to care intensification (or to a perceived intensification by the patient, as per the “Hawthorne effect” described in sociology) or to the empowerment process.
Conclusions
HTM management of chronic diseases is a promising and remarkable strategy, still flawed by the lack of evidence. Reported efficacy, although modest, probably has a multifactorial origin. Our hypothesis is that it may not result from the technology itself, but from the impact of such process on multiple components of care, emphasizing patients' involvement and autonomy, and improving monitoring intensity. Further studies are needed to clarify the role played by the different HTM components (target, setting, etc.). The application of HTM as a tool for prevention, empowerment and reduction of healthcare access remains little explored
Obesità e sovrappeso: dalla epidemiologia alle strategie di prevenzione.
No full textL’obesità può essere definita come un eccesso di accumulo di grasso corporeo che può determinare
conseguenze patologiche in diversi organi (apparato cardiovascolare, pancreas, fegato, apparato
respiratorio, apparato muscolo-scheletrico), così come nella sfera psichiatrica e nelle relazioni
sociali.Obesità e sovrappeso sono condizioni ormai universalmente riconosciute come fattori di rischio per
le principali malattie croniche: malattie cardiovascolari, ictus, diabete, alcuni tumori (endometriale,
colorettale, renale, della colecisti e della mammella in post-menopausa), osteoartriti, patologie del
sistema riproduttivo, patologie psichiatriche.Si è quindi visto che sovrappeso e obesità determinano problemi di importanza non tracurabile sul
piano della salute in senso stretto, della qualità della vita, delle relative ricadute economiche
personali e pubbliche. La World Health Organization, Regional Office For Europe, in occasione del
recente incontro Istanbul, Turchia, 15–17 Novembre 2006 ha stilato la Carta Europea sull’azione di
contrasto al sovrappeso e obesita
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