29 research outputs found
Sensitivity, specificity, and sex differences in symptoms reported on the 13-item acute coronary syndrome checklist.
BackgroundClinical symptoms are part of the risk stratification approaches used in the emergency department (ED) to evaluate patients with suspected acute coronary syndromes (ACS). The objective of this study was to determine the sensitivity, specificity, and predictive value of 13 symptoms for a discharge diagnosis of ACS in women and men.Methods and resultsThe sample included 736 patients admitted to 4 EDs with symptoms suggestive of ACS. Symptoms were assessed with the 13-item validated ACS Symptom Checklist. Mixed-effects logistic regression models were used to estimate sensitivity, specificity, and predictive value of each symptom for a diagnosis of ACS, adjusting for age, obesity, diabetes, and functional status. Patients were predominantly male (63%) and Caucasian (70.5%), with a mean age of 59.7±14.2 years. Chest pressure, chest discomfort, and chest pain demonstrated the highest sensitivity for ACS in both women (66%, 66%, and 67%) and men (63%, 69%, and 72%). Six symptoms were specific for a non-ACS diagnosis in both women and men. The predictive value of shoulder (odds ratio [OR]=2.53; 95% CI=1.29 to 4.96) and arm pain (OR 2.15; 95% CI=1.10 to 4.20) in women was nearly twice that of men (OR=1.11; 95% CI=0.67 to 1.85 and OR=1.21; 95% CI=0.74 to 1.99). Shortness of breath (OR=0.49; 95% CI=0.30 to 0.79) predicted a non-ACS diagnosis in men.ConclusionsThere were more similarities than differences in symptom predictors of ACS for women and men
Effects of Colon Cancer Risk Counseling for First-Degree Relatives
Background: Individuals with a first-degree relative who has had colorectal cancer are at increased risk for colorectal cancer and thus can benefit from early detection. Tailored risk counseling may increase adherence to screening guidelines in these persons. The present study evaluated a culturally sensitive Colon Cancer Risk Counseling (CCRC) intervention for relatives of colorectal cancer patients.
Methods: A randomized trial evaluated personalized CCRC sessions with print materials and follow-up phone calls compared with a comparable General Health Counseling (GHC) intervention. One hundred and seventy-six siblings and children of colorectal cancer patients, living in Hawaii, were assessed at baseline and 4 and 12 months after intervention. Physician verification of colorectal cancer screening reports supplemented survey data.
Results: The CCRC intervention had a significant treatment effect at 4 months (13% greater increase than for GHC) that plateaued to a trend at 12 months. For those who were nonadherent at baseline, the CCRC led to a 17% net increase in screening adherence. Participants rated the CCRC intervention better than GHC for the amount and usefulness of new information.
Conclusions: Using a study design that compared risk counseling to an attention-matched and tailored control condition provided a rigorous test of CCRC that emphasized the relevance of family experience with colorectal cancer. The combination face-to-face, phone, and small media risk counseling intervention for people with a family history of colorectal cancer should be considered for adoption in health care and public health settings
Interaction between oxytocin receptor DNA methylation and genotype is associated with risk of postpartum depression in women without depression in pregnancy
Postpartum depression (PPD) affects up to 19% of women, negatively impacting maternal and infant health. Reductions in plasma oxytocin levels have been associated with PPD and heritability studies have established a genetic contribution. Epigenetic regulation of the oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) has been demonstrated and we hypothesized that individual epigenetic variability at OXTR may impact the development of PPD and that such variability may be central to predicting risk. This case-control study is nested within the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children and included 269 cases with PPD and 276 controls matched on age group, parity, and presence or absence of depressive symptoms in pregnancy as assessed by the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. OXTR DNA methylation (CpG site -934) and genotype (rs53576 and rs2254298) were assayed from DNA extracted from blood collected during pregnancy. Conditional logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for the association of elevated symptoms of PPD with genotype, methylation, and their interaction adjusted for psychosocial factors (n=500). There was evidence of an interaction between rs53576 and methylation in the OXTR gene amongst women who did not have depression prenatally but developed PPD (p interaction=0.026, adjusted for covariates, n=257). Those women with GG genotype showed 2.63 greater odds of PPD for every 10% increase in methylation level (95% CI: 1.37, 5.03), whereas methylation was unrelated to PPD amongst A carriers (OR=1.00, 95%CI: 0.58, 1.73). There was no such interaction among women with PPD and prenatal depression. These data indicate that epigenetic variation that decreases expression of OXTR in a susceptible genotype may play a contributory role in the etiology of postpartum depression
Baseline Results from Hawaii's NÄ Mikiniiki Project: A Physical Activity Intervention Tailored to Multiethnic Postpartum Women
During the postpartum period, ethnic minority women have higher rates of inactivity/under-activity than white women. The NÄ Mikimiki (âthe active onesâ) Project is designed to increase moderate-to-vigorous physical activity over 18 months among multiethnic women with infants 2â12 months old. The study was designed to test, via a randomized controlled trial, the effectiveness of a tailored telephone counseling of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity intervention compared to a print/website materials-only condition. Healthy, underactive women (mean age = 32 ± 5.6 years) with a baby (mean age = 5.7 ± 2.8 months) were enrolled from 2008â2009 (N = 278). Of the total sample, 84% were ethnic minority women, predominantly AsianâAmerican and Native Hawaiian. Mean self-reported baseline level of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity was 40 minutes/week with no significant differences by study condition, ethnicity, infant's age, maternal body mass index, or maternal employment. Women had high scores on perceived benefits, self-efficacy, and environmental support for exercise but low scores on social support for exercise. This multiethnic sample's demographic and psychosocial characteristics and their perceived barriers to exercise were comparable to previous physical activity studies conducted largely with white postpartum women. The NÄ Mikimiki Project's innovative tailored technology-based intervention and unique population are significant contributions to the literature on moderate-to-vigorous physical activity in postpartum women
Criteria for Gauging Response to Sodium Oxybate for Narcolepsy
Our objective was to define responder criteria using an anchor-based approach for frequency of
cataplexy attacks and excessive daytime sleepiness in narcolepsy patients undergoing sodium oxybate
treatment. We used pooled data from two randomized, placebo-controlled, double blind, multi-center
4-week and 8-week trials of sodium oxybate for narcolepsy with cataplexy and analyzed using receiver
operator characteristics analysis. Percent change in frequency of weekly cataplexy attacks and the
Epworth Sleepiness Scale outcomes were compared to Clinical Global Impression of Change ratings,
used as the anchor to define true response. Participants (n=336) were 39% male, 89% white, with a
mean age of 41.5 (15.3), reporting a median of 20.5 cataplexy attacks per week and a mean Epworth
Sleepiness score of 17.5 at baseline. A majority (51%) were much or very much improved based on
Clinical Global Impression of Change ratings, considered a true response to treatment. Area under the
curve values for % reduction in cataplexy attacks (77%) and % change in sleepiness score (78%)
supported response definition thresholds of 46% and 12%, respectively. Classification using either
response definition agreed with the anchor for approximately 71% of participants. Cataplexy response
definition was more sensitive (Cataplexy=0.77, ESS=0.69) while sleepiness was more specific
(Cataplexy=0.66, ESS=0.75). Both responder definitions showed a dose response relationship with
sodium oxybate demonstrating their validity using an external criterion. Weekly cataplexy attacks and
ESS can be used to help document clinical response to narcolepsy treatment using criteria of 46% and
12% reductions, respectively
Impart: findings from a prisonâbased model of HIV assisted partner notification in Indonesia
Abstract Introduction Assisted partner notification (APN) safely and effectively increases partner awareness of HIV exposure, testing and case identification in community settings. Nonetheless, it has not been specifically developed or evaluated for use in prison settings where people with HIV often are diagnosed and may have difficulty contacting or otherwise notifying partners. We developed Impart, a prisonâbased APN model, and evaluated its efficacy in Indonesia to increase partner notification and HIV testing. Methods From January 2020 to January 2021, 55 incarcerated men with HIV were recruited as index participants from six jail and prison facilities in Jakarta in a twoâgroup randomized trial comparing the outcomes of selfâtell notification (treatment as usual) versus Impart APN in increasing partner notification and HIV testing. Participants voluntarily provided names and contact information for sex and drugâinjection partners in the community with whom they had shared possible HIV exposure during the year prior to incarceration. Participants randomized to the selfâtell only condition were coached in how to notify their partners by phone, mail or during an inâperson visit within 6 weeks. Participants randomized to Impart APN could choose between selfâtell notification or anonymous APN by a twoâperson team consisting of a nurse and outreach worker. We compared the proportion of partners in each group who were notified of exposure by the end of 6 weeks, subsequently tested and HIV diagnosed. Results Index participants (n = 55) selected 117 partners for notification. Compared to selfâtell notification, Impart APN resulted in nearly a sixâfold increase in the odds of a named partner being notified of HIV exposure. Nearly two thirds of the partners notified through Impart APN (15/24) completed HIV testing within 6 weeks post notification compared to none of those whom participants had selfânotified. Oneâthird of the partners (5/15) who completed HIV testing post notification were diagnosed as HIV positive for the first time. Conclusions Voluntary APN can be successfully implemented with a prison population and within a prison setting despite the many barriers to HIV notification that incarceration presents. Our findings suggest that the Impart model holds considerable promise to increase partner notification, HIV testing and diagnosis among sex and drugâinjecting partners of HIVâpositive incarcerated men