1,721,243 research outputs found
Cortisol and migraine. A systematic literature review
No full textMigraine is a highly prevalent and disabling disorder. Because stress appears to be a prominent trigger of this condition and cortisol is a well-established stress hormone, we performed a search on Medline, Scopus, and Web of Science to identify clinical studies that assessed cortisol levels in migraineurs. Four cross-section studies, one observational study, and three both cross-sectional and observational studies were finally included in our analysis. The heterogeneity was modest for the sample size (49.8%) but was remarkably high for a sample matrix (66.0%), thus precluding the possibility to meta-analyze the data. In six of the seven cross-sectional studies, cortisol levels did not differ between the cases and controls. With regard to the four observational trials, both nitroglycerine and human corticotropin-releasing hormone but not m-chlorophenylpiperazine were effective in generating a more prominent cortisol release in migraineurs than in controls. In a fourth observation trial, salivary cortisol did not differ during the migraine attack and during the migraine free-period. In conclusion, even if altered corticotrope responsiveness exists in migraineurs, it appears to be irrelevant in the pathogenesis of migraine
Superspreaders, asymptomatics and COVID-19 elimination
No full textA meta-analysis published in 2020 concluded that the rate of asymptomatic transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection is 35% lower compared with COVID-19 patients with symptomatic illness. This has also been clearly explained in a seminal study showing that the viral load is the highest in concomitance with symptoms onset, so that the infectiousness of pre-symptomatic or asymptomatic individuals is probably low. Notably, the impact of presymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 transmission seems also rather limited, whereby the secondary attack rate was found to account for only 15% of all secondary COVID-19 cases. Beside the fact that the asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2- positive rate varies greatly depending on many genetic, demographic (ie, age, sex and ethnic origin) and even clinical (eg, time course of disease, comorbidities) variables, an analysis in the official database of the Italian National Institute of Health reveals, for example, that the rate of asymptomatic subjects with SARS-CoV-2 infection approximates 70%. Combined with lower infectiousness, the high prevalence of asymptomatic subjects bearing SARS-CoV-2 infection after release of restrictive practices (eg, lifting of lockdowns) would persuade us to conclude that the possible impact of asymptomatic superspreaders on SARS-CoV-2 transmission would be low and perhaps insufficient to influence or guide future policies aimed at restricting individual freedom
Primary COVID-19 vaccine cycle and booster doses efficacy: analysis of Italian nationwide vaccination campaign
No full textWe provide here an updated analysis of primary COVID-19 vaccination and vaccine booster doses efficacy, emerging from the ongoing Italian nationwide COVID-19 vaccination campaign. Primary COVID-19 vaccination efficacy was 76-92% within 6 months, decreasing to 34-80% after 6 months. Administration of vaccine booster doses decreased SARS-CoV-2 infections by 65%, COVID-19 related hospitalizations and deaths by 69% and 97% compared to vaccine efficacy after 6 months, but also decreased SARS-CoV-2 infections by 39% compared to vaccine efficacy within 6 months. These results suggest that COVID-19 vaccine booster doses are important for restoring vaccine efficacy and further limiting virus circulation
Infant Deaths Throughout the COVID‐19 Pandemic in the U.S
No full textTo gain further insight into the course of births during the COVID-19 pandemic, we conducted an electronic search of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National Vital Statistics System to obtain data on infant deaths recorded from 2018 through 2023. The mean infant death rate ×1000 in the 2 years before the pandemic was 5.63 ± 0.4, decreased to 5.43 ± 0.01 in the first two pandemic years, and increased again to 5.61 ± 0.1 in the endemic period (Figure 1). The difference between the pre-pandemic years was statistically significant compared to the pandemic years (p = 0.029), resulting in a cumulative reduction in the infant mortality rate of −0.195 (95% confidence interval (CI), −0.037 to −0.353; p < 0.001; −3.5%), but not with the two endemic years 2022–2023 (p = 0.863). The results of our analysis suggest that the COVID-19 pandemic is unlikely to have had a significant negative impact on the U.S. infant death rate, as infant mortality may have even declined by approximately 3.5% during the first 2 years of the pandemi
Association of mean annual temperature and hot daily highs with death rate for hyperthermia: a 20-year ecological analysis
No full textAssociation of mean annual temperature and hot daily highs with death rate for hyperthermia: a 20-year ecological analysi
Geographical trend of biomedical research: Analysis of a decade of publications in an "enlarged" Group of Eight (G8).
No full textGeographical trend of biomedical research: Analysis of a decade of publications in an "enlarged" Group of Eight (G8)
Worldwide disease epidemiology in the older persons
No full textPurpose. This article provides an overview on the current worldwide disease epidemiology in older persons, analyzing information contained in the World Health Organization (WHO) health data and statistics database. Methods. Epidemiology data on diseases in older persons (i.e., in subjects aged 60 years or older) were retrieved from the official WHO health data and statistics database. Results. Ischemic heart disease (IHD), stroke and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are the leading causes of disability and death in older people, whilst dementias have displayed the largest increase during the past 16 years. With only few exceptions, significant sex difference can be observed in the majority of diseases causing disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) and deaths in older people. DALYs are mostly caused by IHD, malignancies, COPD and cirrhosis in older men; whilst dementias, hearing loss, falls, hypertensive heart disease, back and neck pain and diarrheal diseases cause larger health loss in older women. Death rate for malignancies (except colorectal cancer), COPD, cirrhosis and tuberculosis is larger in older men; whilst mortality for cardiovascular disorders, dementias and diarrheal diseases is larger in older women. IHD is the leading cause of health loss and deaths in nearly all WHO regions, whilst infectious diseases still cause a substantial epidemiologic burden in Africa. Conclusions. Cancers and dementias will probably display the highest mortality escalation during the next 40 years
Excess Mortality Is Not Synonymous with COVID-19–Related Deaths
No full textWe would like to raise some concerns about the assumption that excess mortality directly translates into COVID-19–related deaths. The first important aspect to be considered is that many countries have established strict restrictive measures to limit virus spread that have limited personal freedom (i.e., prohibition of mass gatherings or public events, lockdowns, and curfews). Therefore, limitation in the circulation of people has contributed to a remarkably reduced burden of road injuries and other unintentional outdoor accidents, which are among the most frequent causes of death in the general population. The adoption of many restrictive measures has also generated unfavorable consequences for the clinical management of a kaleidoscope of acute and chronic pathologies (e.g., acute myocardial infarction, cancer, and diabetes). Accordingly, it has been estimated that the lack of or delayed care throughout the COVID-19 pandemic may have affected more than 10% of emergency practices and more than 30% of routine clinical services, thus contributing to an excess of otherwise avoidable deaths not directly attributed to COVID-19. For these reasons, we do not agree with the syllogism that excess mortality during the pandemic directly indicates COVID-19–related mortality
- …
