1,721,071 research outputs found
Fracture risk in patients receiving acid-suppressant medication alone and in combination with bisphosphonates
No full textSummary: previous studies have found an association between acid suppressants and fracture risk. We assessed fracture risk in patients taking concomitant acid suppressant and bisphosphonates. Positive associations were observed for any hip and vertebral fracture. The effect size was modest; however, the significance lies in the widespread prescribing of acid suppressants.Introduction: previous studies have found that acid-suppressive medication (ASM) is associated with an increased risk of fracture. Bisphosphonates can cause upper gastrointestinal problems, and patients may be prescribed ASM to minimise these effects.Methods: a retrospective cohort study using the GPRD was conducted in patients aged 40 years and older starting proton pump inhibitors (PPI, N?=?234,144), H2 receptor antagonists (H2RA, N?=?166,798) or bisphosphonates (N?=?67,309). Fracture risk in current versus past use of ASM and concomitant use of bisphosphonate plus ASM versus bisphosphonate alone was compared using time-dependent Cox regression.Results: in the 6 months before initiating bisphosphonate therapy, 20.1% of patients received a PPI and 7.5% an H2RA. Current PPI use was associated with an increased risk of any (adjusted relative rate (ARR) 1.15, 95% CI 1.10–1.20), hip (ARR 1.22, 95% CI 1.10–1.37), and vertebral fracture (ARR 1.40, 95% CI 1.11–1.78); and concomitant bisphosphonates and PPIs with an increased risk of any (ARR 1.08, 95% CI 1.01–1.16) and hip fracture (ARR 1.24, 95% CI 1.08–1.42).Conclusions: ASM is associated with an increased risk of fracture when taken alone or in combination with bisphosphonates. Given the frequency of coprescription of ASM and bisphosphonates, this issue requires further investigatio
The limitations of using simple definitions of glucocorticoid exposure to predict fracture risk: A cohort study
Get PDFPurpose To evaluate the effects of different definitions of glucocorticoid (GC) exposure on the magnitude and pattern of fracture risk using the same dataset. Methods Data from patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) were extracted from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink, a primary care database with electronic health records in the United Kingdom. Patients exposed to oral GCs were matched to up to two unexposed patients by age, gender and location. The first osteoporotic fracture was identified and adjusted and unadjusted cox proportional hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) produced for fracture risk following GC therapy using different models of risk attribution. These include models demonstrating the effect of dose, duration and recency of GC exposure. Results There were 16,507 patients included. Exposed patients were older and had more comorbidities. GC therapy was associated with an increased risk of fracture, with the effect size influenced by risk attribution model. The risk of fracture decreased with less recent exposure from HR (95% CI) 1.66 (1.27, 2.16) during the first month of stopping GCs to 1.11 (0.79, 1.57) for between 1 and 3 months. The risk of fracture increased with current daily dose, HR 1.44 (1.17, 1.77) for 5–9.9 mg prednisolone equivalent dose (PEQ) to 3.02 (1.77, 5.15) for 15–19.9 mg PEQ. Risk of fracture increased with cumulative dose, a function of dose and duration, from HR 1.22 (1.03, 1.44) for <1 g to 1.83 (1.35, 2.48) for 7.5–10 g. Conclusion GC exposure was associated with excess fracture risk, with effect size differing according to definition of exposure. This highlights the need to incorporate all exposure dimensions (dose, duration and recency) in these patient's fracture risk assessments
Ankylosing spondylitis and the risk of fracture: results from a large primary care-based nested case-control study.
No full textBACKGROUND AND AIMS: Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is associated with bone loss in the vertebrae and an increased prevalence of vertebral fractures, but literature about the magnitude of the risk of fracturing is limited. One retrospective cohort study provided evidence of an increased risk of clinical vertebral fractures but not of non-vertebral fractures. This study further explores the risk of clinical vertebral and non-vertebral fractures in a large population database. METHODS: In a primary care-based nested case-control study, 231,778 patients with fracture and 231,778 age- and sex-matched controls were recruited. A history of AS was assessed from the medical records. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated after adjustment for medication, other illnesses, smoking and body mass index when known. RESULTS: AS was diagnosed in 758 subjects. The prevalence of AS was 0.18% in patients with fracture and 0.15% in controls. Patients with AS had an increased risk of clinical vertebral fracture (OR 3.26; 95% CI 1.51 to 7.02). The risk of fractures of the forearm and hip was not significantly increased (OR 1.21; 95% CI 0.87 to 1.69 and OR 0.77; 95% CI 0.43 to 1.37, respectively). The risk of any clinical fracture was increased in patients with AS with a history of inflammatory bowel disease (OR 2.79; 95% CI 1.10 to 7.08), whereas it was decreased in patients with AS taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (OR 0.65; 95% CI 0.50 to 0.84). The risk was not associated with recent back pain, psoriasis, joint replacement therapy and use of sulfasalazine. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with AS have an increased risk of clinical vertebral fracture but not of non-vertebral fractures, while the risk of any clinical fracture is increased in patients with concomitant inflammatory bowel disease. The mechanism by which non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs reduce the risk of any clinical fracture warrants further research
Bone density threshold and other predictors of vertebral fracture in patients receiving oral glucocorticoid therapy
No full textObjective: To evaluate predictors of vertebral fractures, including a threshold for bone mineral density (BMD), in patients receiving oral glucocorticoids (GCs). Methods: Data were obtained from 2 randomized clinical trials (prevention and treatment trials of risedronate) using similar methods, but different inclusion criteria were applied with regard to prior exposure to GCs. Predictors of vertebral fracture in the placebo group were identified using Cox regression with forward selection. The BMD threshold analysis involved a comparison of the 1-year fracture risk in postmenopausal women receiving placebo in the GC trials with that in postmenopausal women not taking GCs in 3 other trials. Results: The study population comprised 306 patients with baseline and 1-year followup data on vertebral fractures (111 receiving placebo and 195 receiving risedronate). In the placebo group, the statistically significant predictors of incident fracture were the baseline lumbar spine BMD (for each 1-point decrease in T score, relative risk [RR] 1.85, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 1.06-3.21) and the daily GC dose (for each 10-mg dose increase, RR 1.62, 95% CI 1.11-2.36). In the BMD threshold analysis, compared with nonusers of GCs, patients receiving GCs were younger, had a higher BMD at baseline, and had fewer prevalent fractures; nevertheless, the risk of fracture was higher in the GC users compared with nonusers (adjusted RR 5.67, 95% CI 2.57-12.54). The increased risk of fracture was observed in GC users regardless of whether osteoporosis was present. Conclusion: The daily, but not cumulative, GC dose was found to be a strong predictor of vertebral fracture in patients receiving GCs. At similar levels of BMD, postmenopausal women taking GCs, as compared with nonusers of GCs, had considerably higher risks of fracture
Comparative anti-fracture effectiveness of different oral anti-osteoporosis therapies based on "real-world" data: a meta-analysis of propensity-matched cohort findings from the UK Clinical Practical Research Database and Catalan SIDIAP Database.
No full textChildren and the risk of fractures caused by oral corticosteroids
No full textOral corticosteroids are known to increase the risk of fracture in adults, but their effects in children remain uncertain. The medical records of general practitioners in the United Kingdom (from the General Practice Research Database) were used to estimate the incidence rates of fracture of children ages 4-17 years taking oral corticosteroids (n = 37,562) and of control children taking nonsystemic corticosteroids (n = 345,748). Each child with a fracture (n = 22,846) was subsequently matched by age, sex, practice, and calendar time to one child without a fracture. The average duration of treatment was 6.4 days (median, 5 days). The risk of fracture was increased in children with a history of frequent use of oral corticosteroids; children who received four or more courses of oral corticosteroids had an adjusted odds ratio (OR) for fracture of 1.32 (95% CI, 1.03-1.69). Of the various fracture types, the risk of humerus fracture was doubled in children who received four or more courses of oral corticosteroids (adjusted OR, 2.17 [1.01-4.67]). Fracture risk was also increased among children using 30 mg prednisolone or more each day (adjusted OR for fracture, 1.24 [1.00-1.52]) and among those receiving four or more courses of oral corticosteroids (OR, 1.32 [1.03-1.69]). Children who stopped taking oral corticosteroids had a comparable risk of fracture to those in the control group. Our findings suggest that children who require more than four courses of oral corticosteroid as treatment for underlying disease are at increased risk of fracture. It is not entirely clear whether this relates directly to oral corticosteroid use or the underlying disease and its severity. Irrespective of these issues, this group of children is at increased risk of fracture
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Get PDFThe 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
Variations on the Author
Get PDF“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
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