Nutrition and Rheumatoid Arthritis Onset: A Prospective Analysis Using the UK Biobank

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory disease that affects the joints. The multifactorial etiopathogenesis of RA has been heavily investigated, but is still only partially understood. Diet can represent both a risk factor and a protective factor, based on some evidence that suggests specific properties of certain foods and their ability to increase/reduce inflammation. To date, the studies done on this topic provide discordant results and are heterogeneous in terms of design and cohort size. In this work, we investigated for the first time the relationship between nutrition and the risk of RA onset using a sample size of about half a million subjects from one of the largest publicly available biobanks that is the UK biobank. Results showed that oily fish, alcohol, coffee and breakfast cereals have protective roles in RA; whereas, tea can increase the risk of RA. In conclusion, the obtained results confirm that diet plays key roles in RA, either by promoting or by preventing RA onset and development. Future research should focus on unravelling the effects of dietary habits on immune-mediated diseases to establish better preventive strategies

Analytic continuation of the Hurwitz Zeta Function with physical application

A new formula relating the analytic continuation of the Hurwitz zeta function to the Euler gamma function and a polylogarithmic function is presented. In particular, the values of the first derivative of the real part of the analytic continuation of the Hurwitz zeta function for even negative integers and the imaginary one for odd negative integers are explicitly given. The result can be of interest both on mathematical and physical side, because we are able to apply our new formulas in the context of the Spectral Zeta Function regularization, computing the exact pair production rate per space-time unit of massive Dirac particles interacting with a purely electric background field.Comment: Replaced version, minor changes. 9 pages, to be published in J. Math. Phy

Vitamin D as a Biomarker of Ill Health among the Over-50s: A Systematic Review of Cohort Studies.

BACKGROUND: The association between circulating levels of vitamin D and the incidence of chronic diseases is known. The identification of vitamin D as a biomarker of physiological/pathological ageing could contribute to expanding current knowledge of its involvement in healthy ageing. METHODS: According to PRISMA guidelines, a systematic review was conducted on cohorts studying the role of 25OH-Vitamin D [25(OH)D] and 1,25(OH)2-Vitamin D [1,25(OH)2D] concentrations as biomarkers of healthy ageing. We consulted MedLine, Scopus, and Web of Science to search for studies on the association between vitamin D status in populations of originally healthy adults, and outcomes of longevity, illness, and physical and cognitive functionality. The quality of the studies was assessed using the Newcastle Ottawa scale. RESULTS: Twenty cohorts from 24 articles were selected for this review. Inverse associations were found between low 25(OH)D levels and all-cause mortality, respiratory and cardiovascular events, as well as markers relating to hip and non-vertebral fractures. Associations between 1,25(OH)2D and healthy ageing outcomes gave similar results, although of lower clinical significance. CONCLUSIONS: This systematic review pinpoints peculiar aspects of vitamin D as a multidimensional predictor of ill health in the ageing process. Further well-designed controlled trials to investigate whether vitamin D supplement results in superior outcomes are warranted in the future

Mental health services utilization after Mariana dam burst

Abstract Background The global burden of mental health conditions is increasing, especially in middle- and low-income countries and frequently the quality of mental health services is lower than the quality of services for other conditions. Disasters may increase this burden through their direct impact or due to secondary stressors, such as the preclusion of access to essential services. The aim of this study is to assess the impact of Mariana dam burst (Brazil) in November 2015, in the utilization of public mental health services by the population that experienced an interruption of water supply after the event. Methods We used data from DATASUS, the database of the Brazilian public health system, analyzing data from 34 months before to 36 months after the event. We defined as affected the population living in the municipalities of Minas Gerais state that had an interruption of water supply after the event and the rest of the state population as the comparison group. We designed an Interrupted time-series analysis to evaluate both immediate and gradual changes in use of mental health services after the accident. Results The affected population included 381,749 inhabitants and the comparison group 20,487,352 inhabitants. The monthly rate of mental health visits in the affected population in the beginning of the series was 296 (CI 182 to 409, p < 0.001) per 100.000 person-month. Comparing the groups after the event, we observed a non-statistically significant higher increase in the rate of visits immediately after the event of 115.96 (CI -30.00 to 261.92, p = 0.118) and a significant increase in the monthly rate of visits (change in slope) of 15.55 (CI 8.19 to 22.92, p < 0.001) in the affected group. Discussion The results suggest that the event translated in a long-term increase in mental health services utilization. We believe that this study presents an innovative methodology on the assessment of mental health services after disasters and that it could be adapted to other contexts. Key messages Indirect impacts of disasters may be associated with long-term changes in the utilization of mental health services. Interrupted time series using routine data are useful tools for the assessment of health services utilization following disasters

Use of administrative health databases to estimate incidence and prevalence of acromegaly in Piedmont Region, Italy

Recent studies from national registries have described changing patterns in epidemiology of acromegaly. Our retrospective study used administrative databases to estimate prevalence and incidence of acromegaly in the Piedmont Region, Italy

Cardiovascular risk in patients with severe mental illness in Italy

Background: Patients with severe mental illness (SMI), such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorders, are more frequently affected by metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular (CV) diseases than the general population, with a significant reduction in life expectancy. Beyond metabolic syndrome, quantifying the risk of CV morbidity in the long-term may help clinicians to put in place preventive strategies. In this study, we assessed 10-year CV risk in patients with SMI and healthy individuals using an algorithm validated on the Italian general population. Methods: Patients aged 35-69 years diagnosed with SMI were consecutively recruited from psychiatric acute care units. Single CV risk factors were assessed, and 10-year CV risk calculated by means of the CUORE Project 10-year CV risk algorithm, based on the combination of the following risk factors: age, systolic blood pressure, total and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, diabetes, smoking habit, and hypertensive treatment. Patients' data were compared with those from the general population. The 10-year CV risk was log-transformed, and multivariable linear regression was used to estimate mean ratios, adjusting for age, and education. Results: Three hundred patients and 3,052 controls were included in the analysis. Among men, the 10-year CV risk score was very similar between patients with SMI and the general population (mean ratio [MR]: 1.02; 95%CI 0.77-1.37), whereas a 39% increase in 10-year CV risk was observed in women with SMI compared to the general population (MR: 1.39; 95%CI 1.16-1.66). Conclusions: In our study, women with SMI were consistently more at risk than the general population counterpart, even at younger age

L’impatto della ricostruzione mediante lembo microvascolare nei tumori del cavo orale: la nostra esperienza su 130 casi

Obiettivo del presente studio è stato valutare i risultati oncologici della nostra casistica di pazienti affetti da tumore del cavo orale trattati mediante chirurgia compartimentale radicale seguita da ricostruzione mediante lembo microvascolare. Abbiamo condotto un’analisi retrospettiva su 130 casi. Tutti i pazienti sono stati sottoposti ad una resezione chirurgica della neoformazione seguita da una ricostruzione immediata mediante lembo libero e, quando necessario, in accordo con la valutazione espressa dal nostro tumor board e con le linee guida internazionali, ad un trattamento chemioradioterapico adjuvante. Le curve di sopravvivenza specifica per malattia (DSS) sono state ottenute mediante il metodo di Kaplan-Meier. Il test Long Rank e il Wilcoxon sono stati utilizzati per investigare i più importanti fattori influenzanti la sopravvivenza specifica per malattia a 5 anni. Per calcolare l’HR e il RR per le singole variabili è stato utilizzato un modello di Cox. L’88,5% dei pazienti è risultato affetto da una neoplasia a istologia squamocellulare. Il campione è risultato essere composto da 46 (35,4%) donne e 84 (64,6%) uomini con un età media di 58,5 anni. Al termine del periodo di follow up, 36 pazienti (27,7%) erano deceduti, 3 dei quali per altre cause. Il DSS è stato del 67,8% (S.E. = 4,9%). All’analisi univariata secondo Kaplan-Meier ed alla analisi multivariata con regressione di Cox sono state individuate sette differenti variabili aventi una relazione significativa con il DSS: T (p = 0,026) ed N (p = 0,0001), lo staging clinico (UICC TNM Sixth Edition) (p = 0,007), i margini di resezione (p = 0,001), l’extracapsular spread (p = 0.005), la recidiva di malattia (p = 0,00002) e la modalità di trattamento (sola chirurgia o chirurgia + RT/CHT) (p = 0,004). In nostri risultati sono risultati in linea con le osservazioni in letteratura, e ci permettono di sottolineare come la chirurgia ricostruttiva mediante lembo libero microvascolare possa incrementare la sopravvivenza nei pazienti con tumore del cavo orale