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Selected AbstractsResearch: The challenges of clinical trials in the exclusion zone: The case of the frail elderlyAUSTRALASIAN JOURNAL ON AGEING, Issue 2 2008Iman Ridda Frail older people have been systematically excluded from randomised controlled trials (RCT). We aim to recruit older, frail hospitalised patients in an RCT and evaluate the frailty index (FI) as a measure to describe the types of people included in the study. We recruited 315 hospitalised patients aged 65 years; age ranged from 60 to 102 years. Baseline assessment scores ranged as follow: Mini-Mental Status Examination from 7 to 30, Barthel index from 5 to 100 and FI from 2 to 24. Total deaths were 20 (6%). We demonstrated that it is feasible to recruit frail older people into RCTs. The FI does not show any ,floor' or ,ceiling' effects. We can measure frailty in an RCT cohort, and we believe that clinical trials should include more frail older people and that the use of an FI can facilitate such trials and generate reliable data to guide future medical practice in a rapidly ageing society. [source] Prediction of cardiovascular and total mortality in Chinese type 2 diabetic patients by the WHO definition for the metabolic syndromeDIABETES OBESITY & METABOLISM, Issue 1 2006G. T.-C. Aim:, The aim of this study is to investigate the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MES) in type 2 diabetic patients and the predictive values of the World Health Organization (WHO) and National Cholesterol Education Programme (NCEP) definitions and the individual components of the MES on total and cardiovascular mortality. Methods:, A prospective analysis of a consecutive cohort of 5202 Chinese type 2 diabetic patients recruited between July 1994 and April 2001. Results:, The prevalence of the MES was 49.2,58.1% depending on the use of various criteria. There were 189 deaths (men: 100 and women: 89) in these 5205 patients during a median (interquartile range) follow-up period of 2.1 (0.3,3.6 years). Of these, 164 (87%) were classified as cardiovascular deaths. Using the NCEP criterion, patients with MES had a death rate similar to those without (3.51 vs. 3.85%). By contrast, based on the WHO criteria, patients with MES had a higher mortality rate than those without (4.3 vs. 2.4%, p = 0.002). Compared to patients with neither NCEP- nor WHO-defined MES, only the group with MES defined by the WHO, but not NCEP, criterion had significantly higher mortality rate (2.6 vs. 6.8%, p < 0.001). Using Cox regression analysis, only age, duration of diabetes and smoking were identified as independent factors for cardiovascular or total death. Among the various components of MES, hypertension, low BMI and albuminuria were the key predictors for these adverse events. Conclusions:, In Chinese type 2 diabetic patients, the WHO criterion has a better discriminative power over the NCEP criterion for predicting death. Among the various components of the MES defined either by WHO or NCEP, hypertension, albuminuria and low BMI were the main predictors of cardiovascular and total mortality. [source] Financial Debt and Suicide in Hong Kong SAR,JOURNAL OF APPLIED SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 12 2007Paul S. F. Yip The presence of indebtedness is known to be a risk factor that can trigger stressed persons to contemplate suicide. This study compares the profiles of suicides with and without debt problems based on 2002 Coroner's Court death files. The category of men aged 25,39 has seen a 70% increase in suicide rate since 1997, and the number using carbon monoxide poisoning has increased from 1% of the total deaths in 1997 to about 26% of the total deaths in 2002. Suicides associated with debt problems seem to involve fewer mental and physical problems with formal job attachment than do suicides without debt problems. Gambling is a significant contributing factor to unmanageable indebtedness. [source] Association between respiratory symptom score and 30-year cause-specific mortality and lung cancer incidenceTHE CLINICAL RESPIRATORY JOURNAL, Issue 2008A. Frostad Abstract Introduction:, Respiratory symptoms are among the main reasons why patients make contact with healthcare professionals and they are associated with several diseases. Objective:, The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between respiratory symptoms reported at one time and 30 years cause-specific mortality and incidence of lung cancer in an urban Norwegian population. Materials and Methods:, A total of 19 998 men and women, aged 15,70 years, were in 1972 selected from the general population of Oslo. They received a postal respiratory questionnaire (response rate 89%). All were followed for 30 years for end-point mortality and for lung cancer. The association between respiratory symptoms, given as a symptom load, and end point of interest were investigated separately for men and women by multivariable analyses, with adjustment for age, occupational exposure to air pollution and smoking habits. Results:, A total of 6710 individuals died during follow-up. Obstructive lung diseases (OLDs) and pneumonia accounted for 250 and 293 of the total deaths, respectively. Ischaemic heart disease (IHD) accounted for 1572; stroke accounted for 653 of all deaths. Lung cancer developed in 352 persons during follow-up. The adjusted hazard ratio for mortality from OLD and pneumonia, IHD and stroke increased in a dose,response manner with symptom score, more strongly for OLD and IHD than for pneumonia and stroke. Conclusions:, Respiratory symptoms were positively associated with mortality from OLD, pneumonia, IHD and stroke, and incidence of lung cancer. This association was significant for mortality from OLD and IHD. Please cite this paper as: Frostad A. Association between respiratory symptom score and 30-year cause-specific mortality and lung cancer incidence. The Clinical Respiratory Journal 2008; 2: 53,58. [source] |