Comparing oil based ointment versus standard practice for the treatment of moderate burns in Greece: a trial based cost effectiveness evaluation

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The local treatment of burn wounds has long been a subject of debate. The objective of this study was to compare the cost and the effectiveness of Moist Exposed Burn Ointment -MEBO versus a combination of <it>povidone iodine </it>plus <it>bepanthenol </it>cream for partial thickness burns.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The study was carried out in the Burn Center of a state hospital in Athens, Greece. 211 patients needing conservative therapy were prospectively selected according to the depth of the burn wound. The treatment was allocated according to the Stratified Randomization Design. The outcomes measured were mean cost of in-hospital stay, rate of complications, time of 50% wound healing, pain scores, in hospital stay diminution. We have adopted a societal perspective.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In the total groups MEBO presented lower cost, (although not significantly different: p = 0.10) and better effectiveness. The data suggest that MEBO is the dominant therapy for superficial partial burn wound with significantly lower costs and significantly higher effectiveness due to a lesser time of recovery and consequently lower time of hospitalization and follow-up. MEBO presented similar percentages of complications with the comparator, lower pain levels and smaller time of no healthy appearance of the burn limits for superficial partial thickness burns.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The data suggested that topical application of MEBO may be considered for further investigation as a potential first-line treatment modality for superficial partial thickness burns.</p> <p>Trial registration</p> <p>The trial has been registered on the International Standard Randomised Controlled Trial Number Register (ISRCTN) and given the registration number <a href="http://www.controlled-trials.com/ISRCTN74058791">ISRCTN74058791</a>.</p

Modélisation et gestion de l'incertitude en évaluation économique de politiques sociales (le cas des politiques de santé)

La modélisation des résultats d'une évaluation économique des politiques de santé est une technique validée et reconnue par les experts : et peut être une façon intéressante de présenter un certain nombre de données existantes au sein d'une telle étude. Toutefois, des conditions doivent être respectées, notamment la présentation mathématique des études ne doit pas occulter les réalités cliniques. Encore faut-il que les hypothèses et les estimations sur lesquelles repose le modèle soient explicitées, documentées et que leur robustesse soit vérifiée. La première partie de cette thèse est consacrée à une brève description des différentes méthodes d'évaluation économique globale ainsi qu'à d'autres types d'analyse que l'on rencontre dans la bibliographie récente. Dans la seconde partie on étudie l'utilisation des modèles mathématiques pour l'évaluation économique. Une troisième partie traite de la gestion de l'incertitude dans les deux approches utilisées en évaluation économique (approche par modélisation et approche pragmatique). On a constaté qu'il sagit d'un domaine scientifique peu exploré jusqu'à maintenant mais qui est actuellement en plaine évolution. Des recommandations pour la présentation et pour le choix de la méthode la plus appropriée ont été développées par les chercheurs surtout dans le cas de l'analyse de sensibilité traditionnelle. Cependant, aucun pays jusqu'à maintenant n'a donné une place importante à la modélisation et à la gestion d'incertitude dans les recommandations qu'ils ont publiées. Cela a pour effets de rendre délicate et difficile la tâche de ceux qui souhaite appuyer leur choix sur de telles études.LYON1-BU.Sciences (692662101) / SudocSudocFranceF

How Did the COVID-19 Pandemic Change the Hand and Mobile Phone Hygiene Behaviors of Greek Undergraduate Students?

The aim of this study is to assess the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on undergraduate students’ knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors on hand and mobile phone hygiene. An anonymous self-reported questionnaire was distributed among 100 Greek male and female undergraduate students of all academic years who attended healthcare as well as non-healthcare curriculums. Descriptive statistics and statistical tests (chi-squared and Wilcoxon signed-rank test) were used (α = 5%). Students provided better responses during COVID-19, compared to the period before the COVID-19 pandemic, concerning their hand washing frequency (p p < 0.001). Statistically significant differences were observed between males and females in their knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors on hand and mobile phone hygiene, followed by faculty and year of studies. Overall, being a final-year female undergraduate student of health sciences has a positive influence on correct knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors on hand and mobile phone hygiene

Anthropometric, Lifestyle Characteristics, Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet, and COVID-19 Have a High Impact on the Greek Adolescents’ Health-Related Quality of Life

Objective: The study aimed at analyzing the relationship between anthropometric characteristics, lifestyle, and dietary habits, as well as the burden of the pandemic on the health-related quality of life among Greek pupils. Research methods and procedures: On the whole, 2088 adolescents aged 12–18 years from Attica, Greece, were enlisted in this school-based cross-sectional study that took place in May–December 2021. Health-related quality of life was estimated through the KIDSCREEN-27 questionnaire, adherence to the Mediterranean diet—through the KIDMED test. For the empirical and econometric analyses, the Mann–Whitney U and Kruskal–Wallis means comparison tests were utilized; multiple linear regression was used accordingly. Results: The present study provides evidence to the fact that boys, younger adolescents, adolescents living with both parents and with highly educated mothers had a better health-related quality of life. Concerning their eating practices, positive predictors were consuming a better-quality breakfast, having all five meals daily, consuming lunch and dinner with parents, and higher adherence to the Mediterranean diet. Moreover, sufficient night sleep time, fewer hours spent on screen viewing, more frequent walks, and having hobbies were linked to the health-related quality of life with a positive sign. In contrast, negative predictors were higher body mass index and everyday life difficulties due to the COVID-19 pandemic crisis. Conclusions: Greek adolescents’ anthropometric characteristics, BMI, lifestyle and sedentary habits, eating habits, and adherence to the Mediterranean diet were significantly related to their perceived health-related quality of life during the pandemic

Sex differences in depression among older adults: are older women more vulnerable than men in social risk factors? The case of open care centers for older people in Greece

This study examined depression, which, research has indicated, is the most common mental health problem affecting older people, especially women. Our objective was to estimate the prevalence of depression among older people in an urban Greek population and to investigate the covariates of depression symptoms prevalence by gender. The sample consisted of 360 individuals, 218 women and 142 men, aged 60 years or older, members of four open care centers for older people in Greece. A questionnaire for socio-demographic and medical data was used. Depression was probed by use of the geriatric depression scale short form. One-hundred and nine persons (30.3%), 32 men (22.53%) and 77 women (35.12%) were found to have depressive symptoms. The results indicated that women have more depression symptoms than men. Being currently unmarried and suffering from multimorbidity were associated with depression symptoms in both gender groups. Meetings with friends were found to be protective factors for both sexes; care of grandchildren and participating in outings and excursions seemed to be protective factors for women only. Unfavorable economic situations, and being childless, were associated with prevalence of depression symptoms among women only. This study confirmed the relationship between depression symptoms and gender and the importance of social and medical factors in the prevalence of depression symptoms, in both gender groups. It also indicated the greater vulnerability of women to some social factors

Predicting VO2max in Children and Adolescents Aged between 6 and 17 Using Physiological Characteristics and Participation in Sport Activities: A Cross-Sectional Study Comparing Different Regression Models Stratified by Gender

Background: The aim of this study is to use different regression models to capture the association between cardiorespiratory fitness VO2max (measured in mL/kg/min) and somatometric characteristics and sports activities and making better predictions. Methods: multiple linear regression (MLR), quantile regression (QR), ridge regression (RR), support vector regression (SVR) with three different kernels, artificial neural networks (ANNs), and boosted regression trees (RTs) were compared to explain and predict VO2max and to choose the best performance model. The sample consisted of 4908 children (2314 males and 2594 females) aged between 6 and 17. Cardiorespiratory fitness was assessed by the 20 m maximal multistage shuttle run test and maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) was calculated. Welch t-tests, Mann&ndash;Whitney-U tests, X2 tests, and ANOVA tests were performed. The performance measures were root mean square error (RMSE), mean absolute error (MAE), and coefficient of determination (R2). All analyses were stratified by gender. Results: A comparison of the statistical indices for both the predicted and actual data indicated that in boys, the MLR model outperformed all other models in all indices, followed by the linear SVR model. In girls, the MLR model performed better than the other models in R2 but was outperformed by SVR-RBF in terms of RMSE and MAE. The overweight and obesity categories in both sexes (p &lt; 0.001) and maternal prepregnancy obesity in girls had a significant negative effect on VO2max. Age, weekly football training, track and field, basketball, and swimming had different positive effects based on gender. Conclusion: The MLR model showed remarkable performance against all other models and was competitive with the SVR models. In addition, this study&rsquo;s data showed that changes in cardiorespiratory fitness were dependent, to a different extent based on gender, on BMI category, weight, height, age, and participation in some organized sports activities. Predictors that are not considered modifiable, such as gender, can be used to guide targeted interventions and policies

Effects of Nutrition, and Physical Activity Habits and Perceptions on Body Mass Index (BMI) in Children Aged 12–15 Years: A Cross-Sectional Study Comparing Boys and Girls

Background: The aim of the present study was to examine the effects of socioeconomic status, nutrition and physical activity lifestyle habits and perceptions on Body Mass Index (BMI) in children aged 12–15 years in Greece. Furthermore, to compare the difference between the two sexes. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study conducted on a representative secondary school cohort that included 5144 subjects, aged 12 to 15 years. Students and their parents filled in validated questionnaires evaluating socioeconomic status, nutrition and physical activity. International Obesity Task Force cut offs were used to classify the children. Factor analysis of mixed data and partial proportional ordered logistic models were used to analyze ΒMΙ distributions. All analyses were stratified by gender. Results: Boys were 2.9 (95%CI: 2.592–3.328) times more likely to be overweight/obese than girls. Partial proportional ordinal models indicate significant associations between nutritional and physical habits and perceptions variables but also significant gender differences in socio-demographic, nutritional risk factors as well as physical activity habits and perceptions. Conclusions: A clear understanding of the factors that contribute to the sex differences in nutrition and physical activity habits and perceptions may guide intervention efforts