Could gastrointestinal disorders differ in two close but divergent social environments?

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Many public health problems in modern society affect the gastrointestinal area. Knowledge of the disease occurrence in populations is better understood if viewed in a psychosocial context including indicators of the social environment where people spend their lives. The general aim of this study was to estimate the occurrence in the population and between sexes of common gastrointestinal conditions in two neighborhood cities representing two different social environments defined as a "white-collar" and a "blue-collar" city.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We conducted a retrospective register study using data of diagnosed gastrointestinal disorders (cumulative incidence rates) derived from an administrative health care register based on medical records assigned by the physicians at hospitals and primary care.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Functional gastrointestinal diseases and peptic ulcers were more frequent in the white-collar city, while diagnoses in the gallbladder area were significantly more frequent in the blue-collar city. Functional dyspepsia, irritable bowel syndrome, and unspecified functional bowel diseases, and celiac disease, were more frequent among women while esophageal reflux, peptic ulcers, gastric and rectal cancers were more frequent among men regardless of social environment.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Knowledge of the occurrence of gastrointestinal problems in populations is better understood if viewed in a context were the social environment is included. Indicators of the social environment should therefore also be considered in future studies of the occurrence of gastrointestinal problems.</p

Letter: Atrial fibrillation and platelet reactivity : in International Journal of Cardiology(ISSN 0167-5273)(EISSN 1874-1754)

BACKGROUND: The impact of atrial fibrillation (AF) upon platelet reactivity has not been investigated. METHODS: Subjects were 33 individuals with AF who consented to elective electrical cardioversion (ECV) immediately before ECV determination of surface-bound fibrinogen after stimulation i.e. platelet reactivity was carried out. A flow cytometer was employed. ADP (1.7 and 8.5mumol/L) and a thrombin receptor activating peptide (54 and 74mumol/L) were used as agonists. The analyses were repeated after 26+/-8(SD) months. RESULTS: Compared to day 1 subjects with AF (n=18) had a trend towards lower platelet reactivity at study end. It reached significance when using 1.7mumol/L ADP. In contrast, after 26+/-8(SD) months sinus rhythm (SR) (n=15) was associated with significant lower reactivity with all agonists. CONCLUSION: After 26+/-8(SD) months patients returning with AF had higher platelet reactivity than those who remained with SR.Original Publication: Micha Milovanovic, Elisabeth Fransson, Claes Hallert and Petter Järemo, Letter: Atrial fibrillation and platelet reactivity, International Journal of Cardiology, 2010. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijcard.2010.02.030 Copyright: Elsevie

Tertiary Thrust Belt Evolution Of Southern Albania

The southern Albania thrust belt comprises Mesozoic - Eocene carbonate sequences incorporated into three major Tertiary thrust sheets verging towards the Apulia foreland in the southwest. The problem of the structural evolution has been previously approached through a hypothesis of orthogonal thin-skinned thrusting controlled by a differential areal extent ofPermo-Triassic evaporites. This thesis uses the interpretation of several seismic profiles to address questions such as those relating to the subsurface geometric patterns ofthe thrust sheets, the kinematic framework the evaporites operated in, the role ofthe pre-existing faults and the timing ofthe evolution. The interpretation demonstrates that significant along - strike changes characterize the subsurface geometry of the thrust sheets. The Permo-Triassic evaporites facilitated their buttressing against a buffer zope in the Apulian foreland primarily within an orthogonal compression regime. Regional clockwise rotation about a pivot point to the north may have provided a transpressional component along the thrusts. Pre-existing normal faults played a significant role on thrusting and accomodation of the strain partitioning. The main structural events included thin-skinned thrusting during Oligocene - Aquitaniane, formation of a buffer zone in the forelarni during Burdigalian and subsequent thrust - buttressing during the Miocene. Post - Pliocene deformation occurs in the foredeep basin.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Patients with irritable bowel syndrome are more burdened by co-morbidity and worry about serious diseases than healthy controls- eight years follow-up of IBS patients in primary care

Background Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a hidden public health disease that affects up to 20% of the general population. Although co-morbidity can affect diagnose setting and treatment of the disease, there are few studies concerning diagnosed and registered co-morbidity for IBS patients in primary care. The aim of this study was to analyse co-morbidity among IBS-patients compared to age- and sex-matched controls from the general population using data from a county-wide computerized medical record system. Methods IBS cases were recruited from three Swedish primary health care centres during a five-years period and controls from the same corresponding geographical areas. Co-morbidity data for IBS-patients and morbidity data for controls were derived from a population-based Health Care Register (HCR) covering all diagnoses in primary as well as hospital care in the region. Odds Ratios with 95% confidence intervals for morbidity in gastro-intestinal and non-gastrointestinal diagnoses for cases with irritable bowel syndrome compared to controls were calculated separately for each gender and diagnosis. Results We identified more co-morbidity among IBS patients of both sexes, compared to matched controls in the general population. Patients with IBS were particularly more worried about having a serious disease than their control group. The risk among male IBS-cases to get this latter diagnose was three times higher compared to the male controls. Conclusions In this population based case–control study, the analysis of diagnoses from the HCR revealed a broad spectrum of common co-morbidity and significantly more physician-recorded diagnoses among IBS-patients in comparisons to the control group

Sex differences in dietary coping with gastrointestinal symptoms

Aim Nutritional changes are often considered first-line treatment in public health diseases that apply to many gastrointestinal (GI) disorders, as different food and beverages may modulate GI motor and sensory functions, and may provoke GI symptoms. The aim of this study was to examine dietary coping and possible changes in food and beverage intake in relation to GI symptoms reported by identified irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) patients compared with healthy controls, and whether any sex differences were observed in these respects. Methods A population-based case-control design was used. Three primary healthcare centres were selected in the city of Linko ping in Sweden. The IBS patients were recruited from the studied primary healthcare centers on the basis of diagnoses from computerized medical records. The controls were randomly selected from the general population in the same region. A questionnaire was used with specific questions about self-reported food and beverage increase or decrease of GI symptoms and self-reported changes in dietary habits. Results Female IBS patients seem to be more willing to change dietary habits because of their GI problems than men. Effects of these nutritional behaviour changes were reported for almost all participants that had made dietary adjustments. Fatty food, certain vegetables, dairy products and eggs were significantly more reported to cause GI complaints among IBS patients compared with their controls. Conclusion Female IBS patients reported more changes in their dietary habits because of GI problems than men with the disease. The majority of both women and men who changed their dietary habits because of GI problems experienced improvement in their symptoms.Original Publication:Åshild Olsen Faresjö, Saga Johansson, Tomas Faresjö and Claes Hallert, Sex differences in dietary coping with gastrointestinal symptoms, 2010, EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF GASTROENTEROLOGY and HEPATOLOGY, (22), 3, 327-333.http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/MEG.0b013e32832b9c53Copyright: Lippincott Williams and Wilkinshttp://www.lww.com