Impact of HIV on inpatient mortality and complications in stroke in Thailand: A National Database Study

The co-existence of stroke and HIV has increased in recent years, but the impact of HIV on post-stroke outcomes is poorly understood. We examined the impact of HIV on inpatient mortality, length of acute hospital stay and complications (pneumonia, respiratory failure, sepsis and convulsions), in hospitalized strokes in Thailand. All hospitalized strokes between 1 October 2004 and 31 January 2013 were included. Data were obtained from a National Insurance Database. Characteristics and outcomes for non-HIV and HIV patients were compared and multivariate logistic and linear regression models were constructed to assess the above outcomes. Of 610 688 patients (mean age 63·4 years, 45·4% female), 0·14% (866) had HIV infection. HIV patients were younger, a higher proportion were male and had higher prevalence of anaemia (P < 0·001) compared to non-HIV patients. Traditional cardiovascular risk factors, hypertension and diabetes, were more common in the non-HIV group (P < 0·001). After adjusting for age, sex, stroke type and co-morbidities, HIV infection was significantly associated with higher odds of sepsis [odds ratio (OR) 1·75, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1·29–2·4], and inpatient mortality (OR 2·15, 95% CI 1·8–2·56) compared to patients without HIV infection. The latter did not attenuate after controlling for complications (OR 2·20, 95% CI 1·83–2·64). HIV infection is associated with increased odds of sepsis and inpatient mortality after acute stroke

Association of chronic kidney disease with outcomes in acute stroke

Previous studies have found an association between chronic kidney disease and poor outcomes in stroke patients. However, there is a paucity of literature evaluating this association by stroke type. We therefore aimed to explore the association between CKD and stroke outcomes according to type of stroke. The data consisting of 594,681 stroke patients were acquired from Universal Coverage Health Security Insurance Scheme Database in Thailand. Binary logistic regression was used to assess the relationship of CKD and outcomes, which were as follows; in-hospital mortality, long length of stay (>3 days), pneumonia, sepsis, respiratory failure and myocardial infarction. Results: after fully adjusting for covariates, CKD was associated with increased odds of in-hospital mortality in patients with ischemic (OR 1.32; 95% CI = 1.27–1.38), haemorrhagic (OR 1.31; 95% CI = 1.24–1.39), and other undetermined stroke type (OR 1.44; 95% CI = 1.21–1.73). CKD was found to be associated with increased odds of pneumonia, sepsis, respiratory failure and myocardial infarction in ischaemic stroke. While CKD was found to be associated with increase odds of sepsis, respiratory failure, and myocardial infarction, decrease odds of pneumonia was observed in patients with haemorrhagic stroke. In other undetermined stroke type, CKD was found to only be associated with increase odds of sepsis and respiratory failure, while there is no significant association of CKD and increase or decrease odds with pneumonia and myocardial infarction. CKD was associated with poor outcomes in all stroke types. CKD should be considered as part of stroke prognosis as well as identifying at risk patient population for in-hospital complications

Infective endocarditis is associated with worse outcomes in stroke : A Thailand National Database Study

Acknowledgements We thank the administrative staff of Insurance Schemes who prepared the anonymized dataset Funding No project specific funding was obtained for this study. KAR received the Aberdeen Summer Research Scholarship funded by the NHS Grampian Department of Medicine for the Elderly Endowment Funds.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Seasonality of stroke:Winter admissions and mortality excess: A Thailand National Stroke population database study

OBJECTIVES: We examined the existence and potential burden of seasonality of stroke admissions and mortality within a tropical climate using cohort data collected between 1 st November 2003 and 31 st October 2012. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In a prospective cohort of hospitalised stroke patients from the catchment of ∼75 % of the Thai population (n = 569,307; mean SD age = 64(14.5)), incident stroke admissions, in-hospital mortality, prolonged hospitalisations, and stroke related complications by season were determined. Rates of incident stroke admissions by month and season were plotted. Winter excess indexes for study outcomes expressed as a percentage were calculated. Using logistic regression we examined the association between winter admission and in-hospital mortality (non-winter admission as reference) adjusting for age, sex, stroke type, year of admission, and presence of pre-existing comorbidities. RESULTS: We observed a winter excess in mortality during hospitalisation (+10.3 %) and prolonged length of stay (+7.3 %). Respective winter excess indexes for dyslipidaemias, arrhythmias, anaemia, and alcohol related disorders in patients that died during hospitalisation were +1.4 %, +6.2 %, +0.2 %, +1.5 %. In these patients, respective winter excess indexes for post-stroke complications of pneumonia and sepsis were +6.7 % and +3.2 %. In fully adjusted analyses, winter admission (compared to non-winter admission) was associated with increased odds of in-hospital mortality (OR (95 % CI) = 1.023 (1.006-1.040)). CONCLUSIONS: We provide robust evidence for the existence of an excess in winter stroke admissions and subsequent in-hospital deaths within a tropical region

A Brokering Framework for Assessing Legal Risks in Big Data and the Cloud

“Cloud computing” and “Big Data” are amongst the most hyped-up terms and buzzwords of the moment. After decades in which individuals and companies used to host their data and applications using their own IT infrastructure, the world has seen the stunning transformation of the Internet. Major shifts occurred when these infrastructures began to be outsourced to public Cloud providers to match commercial expectations. Storing, sharing and transferring data and databases over the Internet is convenient, yet legal risks cannot be eliminated. Legal risk is a fast-growing area of research and covers various aspects of law. Current studies and research on Cloud computing legal risk assessment have been, however, limited in scope and focused mainly on security and privacy aspects. There is little systematic research on the risks, threats and impact of the legal issues inherent to database rights and “ownership” rights of data. Database rights seem to be outdated and there is a significant gap in the scientific literature when it comes to the understanding of how to apply its provisions in the Big Data era. This means that we need a whole new framework for understanding, protecting and sharing data in the Cloud. The scheme we propose in this chapter is based on a risk assessment-brokering framework that works side by side with Service Level Agreements (SLAs). This proposed framework will provide better control for Cloud users and will go a long way to increase confidence and reinforce trust in Cloud computing transactions

Impact of intravenous thrombolysis on length of hospital stay in cases of acute ischemic stroke

Narongrit Kasemsap,1,2 Nisa Vorasoot,1,2 Kannikar Kongbunkiat,1,2 Udomlack Peansukwech,1 Somsak Tiamkao,1,2 Kittisak Sawanyawisuth1,3,4 1Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, 2North-Eastern Stroke Research Group, 3Research Center in Back, Neck, Other Joint Pain and Human Performance (BNOJPH), 4Internal Medicine Research Group, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand Background: There are limited data available on factors associated with length of stay (LOS) in cases of acute ischemic stroke according to Poisson analysis, which is more appropriate than other methods.Materials and methods: We retrospectively reviewed medical summary charts of patients with acute ischemic stroke in 30 hospitals across northeast Thailand, with the main outcome as LOS. Poisson regression was used to examine factors associated with LOS.Results: We included 898 patients in the analysis; 460 (51.2%) were male. The median age (interquartile; IQR) was 58 (67&ndash;75) years and the median LOS was 5 (4&ndash;7) days. The median National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS [IQR]) was 8 (4&ndash;13). Results of the analysis showed that, after controlling for age, stroke severity, atrial fibrillation, and thrombolytic use, significant variables associated with LOS were moderate stroke (incidence rate ratio [IRR] 95% confidence interval [CI]&nbsp;=1.15 [range 1.01&ndash;1.30], P=0.040), severe stroke (IRR [95% CI]&nbsp;=1.27 [1.09&ndash;1.47], P=0.002), thrombolytic use (IRR [95% CI]&nbsp;=0.68 [0.60&ndash;0.76], P&lt;0.001), and atrial fibrillation (IRR [95% CI]&nbsp;=1.15 [1.02&ndash;1.30], P=0.023). After adjusting for complications, thrombolytic use remained significantly associated with decreased LOS (IRR [95% CI]&nbsp;=0.74 [0.67&ndash;0.83], P=0.001). Other significant factors were atrial fibrillation (IRR [95% CI]&nbsp;=1.14 [1.02&ndash;1.28], P=0.018), pneumonia (IRR [95% CI]&nbsp;=1.48 [1.30&ndash;1.68], P&lt;0.001), and urinary tract infection (IRR [95% CI]&nbsp;=1.41 [1.14&ndash;1.74], P=0.001).Conclusion: According to Poisson analysis, intravenous thrombolysis, atrial fibrillation, pneumonia, and urinary tract infection are associated with LOS in cases of acute ischemic stroke, regardless of age, stroke severity, comorbidities, or complications. Keywords: acute ischemic stroke, length of stay, thrombolysi

Is growth performance in rubber (Hevea brasiliensis) clones related to xylem hydraulic efficiency?

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Efficacy and motor complications of original and generic levodopa in Parkinson&#39;s disease treatment

Narongrit Kasemsap,1 Satrirat Onsanit,2 Piyawan Chiewthanakul,3 Kannikar Kongbunkiat,1 Chonthicha Tanking,1 Nisa Vorasoot,1 Kittisak Sawanyawisuth,1,4 Somsak Tiamkao1,5 1Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, 2Department of Medicine, Udonthani Hospital, Udonthani, 3Department of Medicine, Khon&nbsp;Kaen Hospital, 4Research Center in Back, Neck, Other Joint Pain and Human Performance (BNOJPH), 5Neuroscience Research and Development Group (NRDG), Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand Background: In general, a generic drug is considered interchangeable with the original formulated drug. In Parkinson&rsquo;s disease (PD), generic drug use remains debated. This study was aimed to investigate whether the generic drug was as effective as the original in improving the symptoms of PD and the prevalence of motor complications.Methods: This study was a multicenter cohort study of patients with PD enrolled from three northeast hospitals in Thailand between February 2013 and February 2014. The patients were categorized into original and generic levodopa groups. The clinical characteristics, efficacy, and motor complications were compared between the groups.Results: There were 400 eligible patients. Of these, 327 patients (81.75%) met the study criteria and were classified as the original levodopa group (200 patients, 61.16%) and the generic levodopa group (127 patients, 38.84%). The average age of all patients with PD was 65 years. The duration of PD and the modified Hoehn&ndash;Yahr stages were not different between the groups. The total doses of original and generic levodopa-equivalent doses were significantly different (199.97&plusmn;127.08 versus 305.58&plusmn;138.27 mg; P-value &lt;0.001) and the actual doses were 198.10&plusmn;117.92 versus 308.85&plusmn;139.40 mg (P-value &lt;0.001). Approximately 80% of patients with PD in both groups had good responses (P-value &gt;0.999), but the development of motor complications was significantly greater in the original than in the generic group.Conclusion: Generic levodopa was effective in improving the symptoms of PD. The prevalence of motor complications in the original compound group, at a lower dose of levodopa equivalent, was higher than in the generic group. Keywords: Parkinson&rsquo;s disease, original, generic, levodopa, efficacy, motor complicatio