Forced expiratory volume in one second: Predicting return to work within 3months after chronic heart failure diagnosis

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Infortuni biologici in un'azienda ospedaliera universitaria: possibili strumenti preventivi

The exposure to biological risk is very common in health workers. The aim of our study was to identify the main causes of biological injuries, the categories at risk and the possible prevention tools at the University Hospital of Ferrara. In 2009 175 accidents occurred on a general population of 2602 health workers. The categories found to be most affected were the non medical staff (74 cases) and the physicians in training (43 cases). Prevalence rates were 15,4% for phisicians in training and 4,6% for non-medical staff. Then, we investigated the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) in 30 injured hospital employees and in 20 injured physicians in formation. In the subgroup of 50 subjects, 28 of 30 hospital employees and only 4 of the 20 physicians in training, had attended courses for the proper use of PPE. Our findings indicate that the category most affected by biological injury is the medical in training. More effort in preventive strategies is necessary to decrease the biological injuries of physicians in training

Impatto delle patologie croniche non-professionali sui giorni di assenza per malattia del personale tecnico-amministrativo, Università degli studi di Ferrara

Obiettivo dello studio è stato quello di individuare le principali patologie croniche non-professionali nel personale tecnico-amministrativo dell'Università di Ferrara e valutare il loro impatto sulle assenze per malattia nell'anno 2012. I nostri risultati mostrano come le patologie psichiatriche, gastrointestinali e il BMI elevato siano fattori predittivi di assenza per malattia. La nostra indagine evidenzia, inoltre, che l'essere affetto da 2 o più patologie prolunga mediamente di 23 giorni i periodi di assenza per motivi di salute. Le patologie croniche, quindi, hanno un significativo impatto sulle assenze per malattia nei lavoratori con età media più elevata

Occurrence and impact of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in elderly patients with stable heart failure.

SUMMARY AT A GLANCE: We examined the occurrence of COPD in elderly outpatients with stable heart failure. Longitudinal follow-up over 3 years of study indicated that coexistent COPD did not affect patient survival. ABSTRACT: Background and objective:  The coexistence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and chronic heart failure (CHF) increases with age. We investigated the occurrence, prognosis, and therapeutic implications of concurrent COPD in elderly patients with CHF. Methods:  We enrolled 118 consecutive patients, ≥65 years old with ≥10 pack-years of smoking and with a verified diagnosis of CHF in stable condition. They were followed for a mean of 1029 (range 758-1064) days. All patients had spirometry and the diagnosis and classification of COPD were made according to GOLD Guidelines. Results:  The mean occurrence of COPD was 30% (90% CI 24-37%). At baseline in patients with CHF and COPD, there was a shorter 6-minute walking distance (6MWT), lower arterial oxygen tension, glomerular filtration rate and higher N-terminal B-natriuretic peptide (all p<0.05). The prescription of CHF therapies, including β-blockers, was similar in the two groups. After follow-up the presence of COPD in patients with CHF did not appear to influence survival. Conclusions:  COPD is relatively frequent in elderly patients with CHF. COPD did not alter survival. © 2012 The Authors. Respirology © 2012 Asian Pacific Society of Respirology

Occurrence and impact of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in elderly patients with stable heart failure.

SUMMARY AT A GLANCE: We examined the occurrence of COPD in elderly outpatients with stable heart failure. Longitudinal follow-up over 3 years of study indicated that coexistent COPD did not affect patient survival. ABSTRACT: Background and objective:  The coexistence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and chronic heart failure (CHF) increases with age. We investigated the occurrence, prognosis, and therapeutic implications of concurrent COPD in elderly patients with CHF. Methods:  We enrolled 118 consecutive patients, ≥65 years old with ≥10 pack-years of smoking and with a verified diagnosis of CHF in stable condition. They were followed for a mean of 1029 (range 758-1064) days. All patients had spirometry and the diagnosis and classification of COPD were made according to GOLD Guidelines. Results:  The mean occurrence of COPD was 30% (90% CI 24-37%). At baseline in patients with CHF and COPD, there was a shorter 6-minute walking distance (6MWT), lower arterial oxygen tension, glomerular filtration rate and higher N-terminal B-natriuretic peptide (all p<0.05). The prescription of CHF therapies, including β-blockers, was similar in the two groups. After follow-up the presence of COPD in patients with CHF did not appear to influence survival. Conclusions:  COPD is relatively frequent in elderly patients with CHF. COPD did not alter survival. © 2012 The Authors. Respirology © 2012 Asian Pacific Society of Respirology

Advanced glycation end products and its soluble receptor (sRAGE) are increased in chronic heart failure but not in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

The binding of the receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) with its ligands begins a cellular activation and an inflammatory signal amplification in different diseases. We determined the plasma levels of N(epsilon)-carboxymethyllysine (CML) and soluble RAGE (sRAGE) in chronic heart failure (CHF) patients, in cases with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and in healthy controls. We also investigated the associations between these biomarkers and the clinical and functional characteristics of the study populations. The CML and sRAGE plasma levels were measured by using a sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in 146 subjects, aged ≥ 65 years, divided into five groups: 58 with CHF, 23 with COPD, 29 with CHF and COPD and 36 controls (18 current or former smokers, and 18 never smokers). Individuals with diabetes were excluded from this study. The CML and sRAGE levels were higher in CHF patients than in controls [CML: 1.9 (1.5-2.4) vs 1.6 (1.4-2.0) ng/mL; sRAGE: 0.51 (0.3-0.8) vs 0.41 (0.3-0.5) ng/mL; p=0.01]. By contrast, both CML and sRAGE were not different when the group with COPD and that with CHF/COPD were compared with controls (p>0.05). sRAGE positively correlated with N-terminal proBNP (Nt-Pro BNP) in the three patient groups: CHF (r=0.43, p<0.01), COPD (r=0.77, p<0.001) and in CHF/COPD (r=0.60, p<0.01). In conclusion, subjects with CHF have high plasma levels of CML and sRAGE. The robust asociation between sRAGE and NT-proBNP concentrations might suggest a potential diagnostic and prognostic significance of this receptor in heart failure