153 research outputs found
Prevalence and predictors for post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and general health in a population from six villages in South Lebanon
No full textObjective To determine the prevalence and predictors of
psychiatric disorders in a general population from South
Lebanon, an area that was under military occupation for
more than 20 years.
Method This study assessed post-traumatic stress disorder
(PTSD) and depression thresholds along with general
health (GHQ) among 625 citizens in six villages in South
Lebanon using a cross-sectional design through random
sampling.
Results The prevalence ranged from 17.6 to 33.3% for
PTSD and from 9.2 to 19.7% for depression. GHQ total
score was found to be 6.7 significantly greater than the
internationally established mean score of 5.0. Social support,
financial resources, gender, and war exposure were
significantly related to PTSD and depression thresholds.
Conclusion The results strongly suggest that the general
population in South Lebanon suffer from mental health
disorders calling for appropriate psychiatric interventions
and development planning
Giant right ventricular fibroma co-existing atrial septal defect in a 15 year old girl
No full textThe most common benign cardiac tumours are the myxomas, the rhabdomyomas, and the fibromas, with the latter 2 variants being the most common tumours encountered in children. The size and location of tumours within the heart create a variety of clinical findings, such as murmurs, chest pain, tachyarrythmias, and congestive cardiac failure. Nowadays, the tumours are usually diagnosed by echocardiography, magnetic resonance imaging and cardiac catheterization. Surgical excision is the treatment of choice if the tumour causes either arrhythmia or cavitary obstruction. In this report, we describe a giant ventricular fibroma co-existing with an atrial septal defect in a girl aged 15 years. © 2009 Cambridge University Press.De Cobelli F, 2005, CIRCULATION, V112, pE242, DOI 10.1161-CIRCULATIONAHA.104.487231; Dulac Y, 2006, ARCH PEDIATRIE, V13, P1416, DOI 10.1016-j.arcped.2006.06.023; LIN TY, 2004, J CLIN ONCOL, V22, P1153; NATARAJAN P, 1982, CATHETER CARDIO DIAG, V8, P267, DOI 10.1002-ccd.1810080309; Ohashi T, 2006, ANN THORAC SURG, V82, P1512, DOI 10.1016-j.athoracsur.2006.01.101; Paraskevaidis IA, 2003, J THORAC CARDIOV SUR, V126, P913, DOI 10.1016-S0022-5223(03)00356-8; PARMLEY LF, 1988, ANN THORAC SURG, V45, P455; WILLIAMS DB, 1992, J THORAC CARDIOVASC, V84, P23022
A retrospective study from the Middle East
No full textElias, E., Mukherji, D., Faraj, W., Khalife, M., Dimassi, H., Eloubeidi, M., ... & Shamseddine, A. (2012). Lymph-node ratio is an independent prognostic factor in patients with stage III colorectal cancer: a retrospective study from the Middle East. World J Surg Oncol, 10, 63.PublishedN/
Potentially inappropriate home medications among older patients with cardiovascular disease admitted to a cardiology service in USA
No full textBackground: The use of potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) may pose more risks than benefits to patients and is a major factor contributing to the likelihood of serious adverse drug reactions and negative health outcomes
among older patients.
Methods: A retrospective chart review was conducted in a tertiary care center in USA where home medications of the
older patients were reviewed and analyzed upon hospital admission over three months, from March till May 2016.
Inclusion criteria were age of 65 years and above, history of cardiovascular disease, and admission to the cardiology
service. The aim of our study was to determine the frequency and factors associated with PIMs, by applying the
updated Beers 2015 criteria.
Results: A total of 404 patients were included in the study and were taking a total of 4669 medications at home, an
average of 11.6 ± 4.5 medications per patient. The proportion of PIMS was 20% of all medications reported, with an
average of 2.4 PIM per patient, and 87.4% of patients were receiving at least one PIM. Significant association was found between use of PIMs and number of home medications, female gender, and number and types of comorbidities.
Comorbidities associated with more PIMs were heart failure, atrial fibrillation/flutter, history of falls/fractures,
cerebrovascular accident, and depression. The most commonly prescribed PIMs were: drugs that may exacerbate or cause syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion or hyponatremia (29.7%), scheduled use of proton
pump inhibitors (PPIs) > 8 weeks in non-high-risk patients (11.3%), and benzodiazepines (8.1%).
Conclusions: A high prevalence of PIMs in older patients with cardiovascular disease was observed. Provider education and detailed assessment of medication lists upon hospital admission by multidisciplinary teams can help in preventing the use of PIMs.PublishedN/
Usage and understanding of food labels among Lebanese shoppers
No full textFood labelling is a population-based approach to health education that enables consumers to make better choices by providing information at the point of purchase. This study aimed to assess the food label usage and understanding and factors affecting them among Lebanese supermarket shoppers. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 748 supermarket shoppers in Lebanon between December 2013 and February 2014 using a pre-coded structured questionnaire. About 29.3 of the shoppers check the food labels every time they buy a food product and 15.7% never do it. Shoppers who do not read food labels identified the long time needed in reading them as top reason (34.9%), while 9.8% answered that they do not understand them. About 55.4%of the surveyed shoppers read the food labels at the supermarkets. About 44.4% of participants agreed that reading food labels is very important, while 30.3% read the food labels depending on the purchased product. Then 19.4% of participants complained that food labels contain too much information and 13.8% claimed that food labels are difficult to understand. About 60.3% think that food labels have helped people in changing their eating habits, while health and nutrition claims affected the product selection among 59.8% of participants. The food label knowledge score average was 63.1%. Older, obese shoppers having kids, suffering from chronic illness or allergies, following a specific diet and residing in big cities scored significantly (p < .05) higher. The low knowledge score necessitates the nutrition education on how to read and use the food labels. Groceries would be the perfect place to reach out mass consumers.PublishedN/
Use of over the counter products in older cardiovascular patients admitted to a tertiary care center in USA
No full textAbstract Background In recent years there has been a substantial increase in the use of over-the-counter (OTC) products around the world. While they are assumed to be safe by consumers, they can potentially lead to adverse effects and drug interactions particularly in older adults. Methods We assessed the patterns of OTC products used by older adults admitted to the cardiology service in a tertiary care medical center in the USA over a three month period. We conducted a retrospective chart review where older adults with cardiovascular diseases (CVD) who were taking at least one OTC product at home were included. Results Out of 404 patients who were admitted to the cardiology service, 281 (69.6%) were taking OTC products. Patients were taking a total of 659 OTC products; mean of 2.35 ± 1.57 and the range varied from 1 to 9 products. The most commonly used products were vitamins (37.3%), followed by laxatives (17%), minerals (13.6%), stomach acid reducers (9%), and analgesics (3.6%). OTC users were found to be suffering from more comorbidities and received more prescription medications as compared to non-users. Gender and age did not have an impact on the use of OTC products while patients with atrial fibrillation, sleep apnea and gastro-esophageal reflux disease were more likely to use OTC products. Conclusion Use of OTC products is quite frequent in older adults with CVD in our study. Clinicians should ask about OTC product usage and counsel patients about the risks and benefits associated with their use
Formulation Optimization Study for an Immediate-Release Tablet
No full textA simple method based on statistical analysis was used to optimize an immediate-release tablet formulation that includes a water-soluble drug. The objective of this study was to optimize different factors to develop a tablet formulation that has good tablet characteristics (hardness of 85 to 90 Newtons), disintegration time between 3 to 6 minutes, and friability <1%. The critical formulation/process factors were the type and concentration of microcrystalline cellulose, the ratio of lactose to microcrystalline cellulose, the concentration of croscarmellose, and the compression force. A two-step approach was implemented. First an optimization study was performed to determine the type of microcrystalline cellulose and its ratio to lactose. Subsequently, a final optimization formulation study was performed based on the results obtained in the preliminary study. Data were analyzed using the SPSS 15 (Statistical Software for Social Sciences). The differences in means between the formulation and the targeted productPublishedN/
Symptom prevalence of PTSD, anxiety, depression, effect of exposure and mediating factors on a population from southern Lebanon
No full textThe Israeli occupation of the South of Lebanon has affected the mental and physical health of the people living in the region. The current
research aimed at studying the exposure to war related traumatic events, establishing the prevalence of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
(PTSD), and level of General Psychiatric Morbidity, as well as looking at some predictor variables for PTSD among the general population.
The sample consisted of 256 randomly selected participants in two adjacent towns. The instruments used were the Harvard Trauma
Questionnaire and the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28). The majority of the respondents had experienced one or more war-related
traumatic events. The overall prevalence of PTSD was found to be 29.3%; among females the prevalence was 36.6% and among males
20.9%. The level of general psychiatric morbidity was high compared to studies in other countries. Both PTSD and psychiatric morbidity
correlated highly with PTSD and general psychiatric morbidity. The main predictor for PTSD was the degree of exposure to traumatic events.U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel CommandN/
Predictors of surgical site infection following reconstructive flap surgery: A multi-institutional analysis of 37,177 patients
No full textPurpose: Rates of surgical site infection (SSI) following reconstructive flap surgeries (RFS) vary according to flap recipient site, potentially leading to flap failure. This is the largest study to determine predictors of SSI following RFS across recipient sites. Methods: The National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database was queried for patients undergoing any flap procedure from years 2005 to 2020. RFS involving grafts, skin flaps, or flaps with unknown recipient site were excluded. Patients were stratified according to recipient site: breast, trunk, head and neck (H&N), upper and lower extremities (UE&LE). The primary outcome was the incidence of SSI within 30 days following surgery. Descriptive statistics were calculated. Bivariate analysis and multivariate logistic regression were performed to determine predictors of SSI following RFS. Results: 37,177 patients underwent RFS, of whom 7.5% (n = 2,776) developed SSI. A significantly greater proportion of patients who underwent LE (n = 318, 10.7%) and trunk (n = 1,091, 10.4%) reconstruction developed SSI compared to those who underwent breast (n = 1,201, 6.3%), UE (n = 32, 4.4%), and H&N (n = 100, 4.2%) reconstruction (p <.001). Longer operating times were significant predictors of SSI following RFS across all sites. The strongest predictors of SSI were presence of open wound following trunk and H&N reconstruction [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.82 (1.57–2.11) and 1.75 (1.57–1.95)], disseminated cancer following LE reconstruction [aOR (CI) 3.58 (2.324–5.53)], and history of cardiovascular accident or stroke following breast reconstruction [aOR (CI) 16.97 (2.72–105.82)]. Conclusion: Longer operating time was a significant predictor of SSI regardless of reconstruction site. Reducing operating times through proper surgical planning might help mitigate the risk of SSI following RFS. Our findings should be used to guide patient selection, counseling, and surgical planning prior to RFS. 2023 Hassan, Abou Koura, Makarem, Abi Mosleh, Dimassi, Tamim and Ibrahim
Obesity and Psychological Distress in Young Adults
No full textBackground: Obesity has been identified as a global epidemic and is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Although obesity has been widely recognized for its consequences on physical health, its psychological burden in the adult populations remains unclear. Objectives: Our purpose was to address the relationship between Obesity status and psychological health within the adult young population in the Middle East and particularly in Lebanon (first aim). In addition, we intended to develop and validate a screening tool for the assessment of psychological distress (PD) in the obese young adult populations (second aim). Methods: To achieve the first aim, three studies were conducted. The first study was a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies that investigate the association between obesity and depression among adult populations in Middle Eastern countries. The second study was a cross sectional that aimed to explore the relationship between obesity and PD among the Lebanese University Students. The third study was conducted to examine the effects of actual body weight and body image on PD using a convenient sample of obese Lebanese young adults. The second aim was accomplished by conducting a fourth study to develop and validate a measure of PD related to obesity using three different samples of obese young adults. Results: The systematic review identified eight observational studies from six countries of the Middle East. Meta-analysis showed a significant positive association between obesity and depression (OR 1.27; 95% CI 1.11–1.44) particularly in women (Study1). Among the Lebanese university students, no evidence of a positive association was found between obesity and PD for both genders (Study 2). This result was confirmed in our third study in which body image dissatisfaction rather than obesity per se was associated with greater risk for PD. Finally, the “Obesity Specific Distress scale” (OSD) developed to measure distress in the obese young adult population demonstrated good psychometric properties regarding internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and construct validity (Study 4). Conclusions: Our meta-analysis suggests a positive association between obesity and depression among adult population in the Middle East which appeared to be more marked among women. This is of public health significance and provides a framework for establishing policy interventions to diagnose and treat depression in obese adults. In Lebanon, young obese adults who suffer from body image dissatisfaction are at increased risk of PD. Public health interventions targeting PD at the population level may need to promote healthy attitudes towards body weight, body shape and self-acceptance, regardless of weight status. Finally, the developed instrument used to assess young obese persons with high risk of PD can help promote a better understanding of the association between PD and obesity. This might improve the outcome and provide the patients with more efficient treatment.Doctorat en Santé Publiqueinfo:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublishe
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