Anxiety and depression in geriatric hemodialysis patients: factors that influence the border of diseases

IntroductionThe two main psychological issues that people with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) experience are depression and anxiety. We conducted this study to determine both the prevalence of depression and anxiety, and the factors associated with them, among hemodialysis patients.MethodsPatients aged 18 years or older, who had received hemodialysis in a hemodialysis center in Elbasan, for at least 3 months were included in this study. Beck Anxiety Inventory and Beck Depression Inventory Instruments were used to assess hemodialysis patients levels of depression and anxiety.ResultsOverall, 107 hemodialysis patients (men 65.4%) with a mean age of 57 ± 8.9 years were enrolled in the study. The prevalence of anxiety and depression resulted to be 85.98, and 84.11%, respectively. We found a significant difference in depression and anxiety scores in patients age groups of 61–70 years old (OR = 1.8; 95% CI [0.7–3.7]; p = 0.041), in non-smoking patients (OR 3.4; 95% CI [1.09–8.2]; p = 0.04), in diabetic patients (OR 3.4; 95% CI [1.09–8.2]; p = 0.04), and in patients with a time in dialysis of 6–10 years and >11 years, respectively, (OR 3.4; 95% [1.5–9.0]; p = 0.01), (OR1.3; 95% CI [0.4–3.6]; p = 0.04).ConclusionOur study shows that the prevalence of mental disorders (depression and anxiety) is high among patients with ESRD on maintenance hemodialysis. We recommend a routine screening and referral to psychological health specialists to evaluate the mental health disorders among hemodialysis patients with the primary aim of improving their quality of life

Evaluation of Preeclampsia Risk in Gestational Weight Gain

Background: The incidence of obesity worldwide has increased over the last 20 years. The increase in obesity in maternal pregnancy is causing a major challenge to obstetrics practices. The aimed study was to evaluate gestational weight gain as a risk for preeclampsia in pregnant women.  Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 2756 pregnant women with gestational age≥37 weeks. The selection of women was categorized into two groups, 1528 normal-weight women with BMI less than 25kg/m2 and 1228 pregnant women with a BMI of 25kg/m2 or more. SPSS software version 26.0 was used to analyze data. Multivariate logistic regression described the relation of weight change to pregnancy course and outcomes. Results: A comparison between study groups shows an increase in antepartum complications in obese women. Besides that, arterial hypertension, pre-eclampsia, and gestational diabetes were more frequent in overweight women compared to normal-weight women. The incidence of cesarean was highest in overweight and obese women with a statistically significant difference from normal weight women (p-value <0.005). In addition, maternal overweight and obese were at twice the risk for delivering infants with macrosomia (OR = 3.1, 95%CI = [1.09-5.8]). The difference in mean birth weight of the babies between normal and overweight women was statistically significant (p<0.05). Conclusion: The results of this study show that obesity during pregnancy is associated with pregnancy complications. To optimize all complications for the mother and fetus, weight gain during the pregnancy must be controlled and appropriate. Furthermore, studies are recommended to explore maternal obesity complications and risk factors for obesity to minimize the adverse effect of this risk.   &nbsp

Risk of Complications in Patients Undergoing Complete Thyroidectomy. A Retrospective Study

Introduction: The main aim of this study was to determine the influence of surgery on postoperative complications in patients undergoing total thyroidectomy. Methods: Patients diagnosed with goiter and undergoing total thyroidectomy for more than ten years were retrospectively enrolled, and the main study outcomes were postoperative complications. Statistical analysis was done by chi-square and t-test with a p-value <0.05 as significant. Results A total of 116 patients with goiter were identified (mean age, 45.3 ± 8.75 years, with minimum and maximum age of 23 to 69). The most affected age with goiter resulted in 41-50 years old with 41.4% (95% CI, 37.4 to 45.8%). The majority of patients with goiter were women (85.3%), with a mean age of 47 years. After the thyroid surgery, male patients had significantly higher rates of hospital readmission than females with a risk ratio [RR] of 1.05; 95% CI [0.67–1.52], p-value = 0.02. Either hemorrhage/hematoma occurred in 4.7% and cardiopulmonary and thromboembolic events in 3.1% of the patients undergoing total thyroidectomy. In addition, either hypoparathyroidism was observed in 3.1% and temporary recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy (RLN) in 1.56%. Conclusion: The current study demonstrates that total thyroidectomy is associated with an increased rate of hemorrhagic complications. RLN palsies and hypoparathyroidism are less observed. Male patients undergoing thyroidectomy have higher rates of readmission and ICU admission. Furthermore, male patients revealed higher rates of hemorrhage and wound infection, while hypoparathyroidism or temporary recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy was more frequent among female patients

Evaluation of Preeclampsia Risk in Gestational Weight Gain

Background: The incidence of obesity worldwide has increased over the last 20 years. The increase in obesity in maternal pregnancy is causing a major challenge to obstetrics practices. The aimed study was to evaluate gestational weight gain as a risk for preeclampsia in pregnant women. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 2756 pregnant women with gestational age≥37 weeks. The selection of women was categorized into two groups, 1528 normal-weight women with BMI less than 25kg/m2 and 1228 pregnant women with BMI over 25kg/m2. SPSS software version 26.0 was used to analyze data. Multivariate logistic regression described the relation of weight change to pregnancy course and outcomes. Results: A comparison between study groups appears an increase in antepartum complications in obese weight women. Besides that, arterial hypertension, pre-eclampsia, and gestational diabetes were more frequent in obese weight women compared to normal-weight women obese women. The incidence of cesarean was highest in obese women statistically significant difference from normal women with a p-value <0.005. In addition, maternal obese pregnancies were at twice the risk for delivery of infants who were macrosomia with higher odds (OR = 3.1, 95%CI = [1.09-5.8]). In perinatal outcomes, the difference in mean birth weight of the babies among normal and obese women was statistically significant (p<0.05). Conclusion: As we saw from the results of this study obesity during pregnancy was associated with pregnancy complications. To optimize all complications to maternal and fetus, weight gains during the pregnancy must be controlled and appropriate. Furthermore, studies are recommended to explore the maternal obesity complication and risk factors that influence obesity to minimize the adverse negative effect of this risk

Prevalence of Staphylococcus aureus and Methicillin-resistant S. aureus in Adult Hospitalized Patients in “Mother Theresa” Hospital Center in Albania

AIM: The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of Staphylococcus aureus and methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) in clinical specimens hospitalized to “Mother Theresa” Hospital Center for 2 years. METHODS: We isolated and identified S. aureus on 356 clinical specimens using standard tests. Furthermore, for further accurate microbial identification, we have to use the VITEK® 2 system. The samples were tested to detect the presence of MRSA by a slide latex agglutination kit for the rapid detection of PBP2. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of S. aureus in patients was 34.2%. The prevalence of MRSA was 20.5% of cases. Of the MRSA isolates identified in this study, 28% were susceptible to antibiotics, 24% demonstrated intermediate resistance, and 48% were multi-drug resistant with resistance to nineteen antibiotics involved in the examination. In addition, seven of the 25 MRSA cases showed 100% resistance to norfloxacin, imipenem, meropenem, levofloxacin, etc. CONCLUSIONS: The rate of S. aureus in hospitalized patients on this study was 34.2% and the MRSA 20.5%. These results indicated that this type of infection is a significant concern for health services and patients included. A screening of all hospitalized cases can lead to reduce the incidence of this infection in the hospital environment

Evaluation of Preeclampsia Risk in Gestational Weight Gain

Background: The incidence of obesity worldwide has increased over the last 20 years. The increase in obesity in maternal pregnancy is causing a major challenge to obstetrics practices. The aimed study was to evaluate gestational weight gain as a risk for preeclampsia in pregnant women. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 2756 pregnant women with gestational age≥37 weeks. The selection of women was categorized into two groups, 1528 normal-weight women with BMI less than 25kg/m2 and 1228 pregnant women with BMI over 25kg/m2. SPSS software version 26.0 was used to analyze data. Multivariate logistic regression described the relation of weight change to pregnancy course and outcomes. Results: A comparison between study groups appears an increase in antepartum complications in obese weight women. Besides that, arterial hypertension, pre-eclampsia, and gestational diabetes were more frequent in obese weight women compared to normal-weight women obese women. The incidence of cesarean was highest in obese women statistically significant difference from normal women with a p-value <0.005. In addition, maternal obese pregnancies were at twice the risk for delivery of infants who were macrosomia with higher odds (OR = 3.1, 95%CI = [1.09-5.8]). In perinatal outcomes, the difference in mean birth weight of the babies among normal and obese women was statistically significant (p<0.05). Conclusion: As we saw from the results of this study obesity during pregnancy was associated with pregnancy complications. To optimize all complications to maternal and fetus, weight gains during the pregnancy must be controlled and appropriate. Furthermore, studies are recommended to explore the maternal obesity complication and risk factors that influence obesity to minimize the adverse negative effect of this risk

Risk of Complications in Patients Undergoing Complete Thyroidectomy. A Retrospective Study

Introduction: The main aim of this study was to determine the influence of surgery on postoperative complications in patients undergoing total thyroidectomy. Methods: Patients diagnosed with goiter and undergoing total thyroidectomy for more than ten years were retrospectively enrolled, and the main study outcomes were postoperative complications. Statistical analysis was done by chi-square and t-test with a p-value <0.05 as significant. Results: A total of 116 patients with goiter were identified (mean age, 45.3 ± 8.75 years, with minimum and maximum age of 23 to 69). The most affected age with goiter resulted in 41-50 years old with 41.4% (95% CI, 37.4 to 45.8%). The majority of patients with goiter were women (85.3%), with a mean age of 47 years. After the thyroid surgery, male patients had significantly higher rates of hospital readmission than females with a risk ratio [RR] of 1.05; 95% CI [0.67–1.52], p-value = 0.02. Either hemorrhage/hematoma occurred in 4.7% and cardiopulmonary and thromboembolic events in 3.1% of the patients undergoing total thyroidectomy. In addition, either hypoparathyroidism was observed in 3.1% and temporary recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy (RLN) in 1.56%. Conclusion: The current study demonstrates that total thyroidectomy is associated with an increased rate of hemorrhagic complications. RLN palsies and hypoparathyroidism are less observed. Male patients undergoing thyroidectomy have higher rates of readmission and ICU admission. Furthermore, male patients revealed higher rates of hemorrhage and wound infection, while hypoparathyroidism or temporary recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy was more frequent among female patients

Risk of Complications in Patients Undergoing Complete Thyroidectomy. A Retrospective Study

Introduction: The main aim of this study was to determine the influence of surgery on postoperative complications in patients undergoing total thyroidectomy. Methods: Patients diagnosed with goiter and undergoing total thyroidectomy for more than ten years were retrospectively enrolled, and the main study outcomes were postoperative complications. Statistical analysis was done by chi-square and t-test with a p-value <0.05 as significant. Results: A total of 116 patients with goiter were identified (mean age, 45.3 ± 8.75 years, with minimum and maximum age of 23 to 69). The most affected age with goiter resulted in 41-50 years old with 41.4% (95% CI, 37.4 to 45.8%). The majority of patients with goiter were women (85.3%), with a mean age of 47 years. After the thyroid surgery, male patients had significantly higher rates of hospital readmission than females with a risk ratio [RR] of 1.05; 95% CI [0.67–1.52], p-value = 0.02. Either hemorrhage/hematoma occurred in 4.7% and cardiopulmonary and thromboembolic events in 3.1% of the patients undergoing total thyroidectomy. In addition, either hypoparathyroidism was observed in 3.1% and temporary recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy (RLN) in 1.56%. Conclusion: The current study demonstrates that total thyroidectomy is associated with an increased rate of hemorrhagic complications. RLN palsies and hypoparathyroidism are less observed. Male patients undergoing thyroidectomy have higher rates of readmission and ICU admission. Furthermore, male patients revealed higher rates of hemorrhage and wound infection, while hypoparathyroidism or temporary recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy was more frequent among female patients

Risk of Complications in Patients Undergoing Complete Thyroidectomy. A Retrospective Study

Introduction: The main aim of this study was to determine the influence of surgery on postoperative complications in patients undergoing total thyroidectomy. Methods: Patients diagnosed with goiter and undergoing total thyroidectomy for more than ten years were retrospectively enrolled, and the main study outcomes were postoperative complications. Statistical analysis was done by chi-square and t-test with a p-value <0.05 as significant. Results A total of 116 patients with goiter were identified (mean age, 45.3 ± 8.75 years, with minimum and maximum age of 23 to 69). The most affected age with goiter resulted in 41-50 years old with 41.4% (95% CI, 37.4 to 45.8%). The majority of patients with goiter were women (85.3%), with a mean age of 47 years. After the thyroid surgery, male patients had significantly higher rates of hospital readmission than females with a risk ratio [RR] of 1.05; 95% CI [0.67–1.52], p-value = 0.02. Either hemorrhage/hematoma occurred in 4.7% and cardiopulmonary and thromboembolic events in 3.1% of the patients undergoing total thyroidectomy. In addition, either hypoparathyroidism was observed in 3.1% and temporary recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy (RLN) in 1.56%. Conclusion: The current study demonstrates that total thyroidectomy is associated with an increased rate of hemorrhagic complications. RLN palsies and hypoparathyroidism are less observed. Male patients undergoing thyroidectomy have higher rates of readmission and ICU admission. Furthermore, male patients revealed higher rates of hemorrhage and wound infection, while hypoparathyroidism or temporary recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy was more frequent among female patients

Prevalence of Hepatitis C Virus in the Population of Albania for the Period 2007-2010

BACKGROUND: Hepatitis C is a blood-borne, infectious, viral disease that is caused by a hepatotropic virus called Hepatitis C virus (HCV).AIM: The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of active HCV infection (HCV–RNA) in the cases that were anti-HCV positive.MATERIAL AND METHODS: Plasma of 301 high-risk for HCV infection consecutive from University Hospital Centre “Mother Theresa†Tirana-Albania, during January 2007 to December 2010 was included in this study. To identify the presence of HCV RNA, the samples were examined by Cobas Amplicor HCV test (qualitative method).RESULTS: From 301 samples analyzed in total, 214 of them resulted positive for the presence of HCV-RNA's, corresponding to a prevalence of 71.1%, with 95% CI interval [65.8 - 75.9] for value of χ2 = 52.7 p value <0.0001. Divide by the sex 56% were males and 44% females, with statistically significant difference between them for value χ2 =4306 p value=0.0380. Among the age groups the highest prevalence was observed in the age groups > 25 years with a significant difference with other age groups for p value <0.001.CONCLUSION: Among tested samples, 71.1 % were confirmed to be positive for HCV –RNA infections. The prevalence of male was highest compared to female. For males and females infected the prevalence was highest in the age group of > 25 years