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Used Criteria (used + criterion)
Selected AbstractsThe Functions of Participation in a Village-Based Health Pre-Payment Scheme: What Can Participation Actually Do?IDS BULLETIN, Issue 1 2000Andreas Wilkes Summary This article analyses micro-level interactions in one case study to argue that participation does not necessarily lead to accountability. The case study covers the process of establishment, implementation and evaluation of a village-based health pre-payment scheme in a poor village in China. Judged on widely used criteria, the scheme and evaluation activities represent examples of ,high degrees of community participation'. However, analysis of the process points to the influence that different interests, different channels for voicing interests, and unequal power relations have in determining the outcome of decision-making processes. [source] Update on the incidence and prevalence of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis in Olmsted County, Minnesota, 1940,2000,INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASES, Issue 3 2007Conor G. Loftus MD Abstract Background: We previously reported that the prevalence of Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) in Olmsted County, Minnesota, had risen significantly between 1940 and 1993. We sought to update the incidence and prevalence of these conditions in our region through 2000. Methods: The Rochester Epidemiology Project allows population-based studies of disease in county residents. CD and UC were defined by previously used criteria. County residents newly diagnosed between 1990 and 2000 were identified as incidence cases, and persons with these conditions alive and residing in the county on January 1, 2001, were identified as prevalence cases. All rates were adjusted to 2000 US Census figures for whites. Results: In 1990,2000 the adjusted annual incidence rates for UC and CD were 8.8 cases per 100,000 (95% confidence interval [CI], 7.2,10.5) and 7.9 per 100,000 (95% CI, 6.3,9.5), respectively, not significantly different from rates observed in 1970,1979. On January 1, 2001, there were 220 residents with CD, for an adjusted prevalence of 174 per 100,000 (95% CI, 151,197), and 269 residents with UC, for an adjusted prevalence of 214 per 100,000 (95% CI, 188,240). Conclusion: Although incidence rates of CD and UC increased after 1940, they have remained stable over the past 30 years. Since 1991 the prevalence of UC decreased by 7%, and the prevalence of CD increased about 31%. Extrapolating these figures to US Census data, there were ,1.1 million people with inflammatory bowel disease in the US in 2000. (Inflamm Bowel Dis 2007) [source] Clinical and metabolic evaluation of subjects with erectile dysfunction: a review with a proposal flowchartINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ANDROLOGY, Issue 3 2009C. Foresta Summary Erectile function is a haemodynamic phenomenon depending on the integrity of neurological, vascular, endocrinological, tissue (corpora cavernosa), psychological and relational factors; changes in any one of these components may lead to erectile dysfunction (ED). ED and its comorbid conditions share common risk factors such as endothelial dysfunction, atherosclerosis and metabolic and hormonal abnormalities. Furthermore, although cross-sectional studies have shown a clear age-dependent association between ED, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, metabolic syndrome (MetS) and cardiovascular diseases, longitudinal evidence has recently emphasized that ED could be an early marker of these conditions. Recently, the European Association of Urology and American Urology Association provided consensus guidelines for the management of ED patients. However, the metabolic aspect of ED is rather neglected or not sufficiently treated. In this study, more emphasis will be placed on the presence of ED comorbid metabolic factors. The primary and secondary goals of therapy, according to current guidelines and to prevent their clinical evolution, will also be provided. We review the concepts of metabolic diseases related to ED and their treatment. Criteria for the diagnosis and treatment of hypogonadism, metabolic and vascular disease related to ED were analysed. ED can mark the starting point for the evaluation and prevention of significant severe diseases (such as diabetes, MetS, dyslipidaemia, arteriosclerosis, hypertension, ischaemic cardiopathy, neuropathy, etc.) hitherto unknown by the patients. Most widely used criteria for the diagnosis and treatment of these diseases were reported. We suggest a clinical approach which allows the identification of metabolic and others systemic pathologies contributing to the development of ED. This approach may constitute an improvement in disease prognosis and either induce a spontaneous reduction of ED or facilitate its specific therapy. [source] Inappropriate prescribing in the elderly: a comparison of the Beers criteria and the improved prescribing in the elderly tool (IPET) in acutely ill elderly hospitalized patientsJOURNAL OF CLINICAL PHARMACY & THERAPEUTICS, Issue 6 2006P. J. Barry MB Summary Background:, In appropriate prescribing is a significant and persistent problem in elderly people, both in hospital and the community and has been described in several countries in Europe and also the USA. The problem of inappropriate prescribing has not been quantified in the Republic of Ireland. The most commonly used criteria for the identification of inappropriate prescribing are the Beers' criteria [both independent of diagnosis (ID) and considering diagnosis (CD) , 2003 version]. The Beers' criteria ID includes 48 different categories of either single medications or multiple medications of a similar class identified as inappropriate prescriptions and the Beers' criteria CD contains 19 different categories containing possible drug,disease interactions. A second tool, the improved prescribing in the elderly tool (IPET) has also been validated and used in hospital and community studies and has 14 categories of either explicitly contraindicated medications or possible drug,disease interactions. Objectives:, The primary aim of the study is to measure the incidence of inappropriate prescribing among older community-dwelling individuals presenting to an acute hospital in the Republic of Ireland. A secondary aim of this study was also therefore to compare the efficacy of the above two tools in identifying inappropriate prescribing. Methods:, A prospective, consecutive observational cohort study was carried out over a 4-month period. The setting was an urban-based university hospital acute geriatric medicine assessment unit. Subjects in this study (n = 350) were consecutively screened on admission to hospital (mean age = 80·3 ± 6·1 years) and all patients had both Beers' criteria ID and CD and IPET applied to their list of prescription drugs on admission, cross-referenced with their list of current active medical diagnosis. Results:, The results of the study identified a high rate of inappropriate prescribing among this population of community-dwelling subjects. The total number of inappropriate prescriptions identified using the Beers' criteria (ID) was 148 affecting 121 patients. The Beers' criteria (CD) identified 69 inappropriate prescriptions in 60 patients and the IPET identified 112 inappropriate prescriptions in 78 patients. The Beers criteria (ID and CD combined) identified at least one inappropriate prescription in 34% of subjects and the IPET identified one in at least 22% of subjects. Conclusions:, This study identifies high rates of use of inappropriate medications in community-dwelling elderly presenting with acute illness to hospital. These are comparable with inappropriate prescribing rates identified in previous studies. The revised Beers' criteria (2003) identified more inappropriate prescriptions than the IPET in this population of elders. [source] Methodological issues in papers on IFN therapy: time for reappraisalJOURNAL OF VIRAL HEPATITIS, Issue 3 2000Kondili We conducted an analytical review of 194 full papers on interferon (IFN) therapy for chronic hepatitis C to evaluate current methodology (i.e. study design, criteria for evaluating the efficacy of therapy and predictors of response). Of the papers evaluated, 64 were randomized controlled trials (RCT), 40 were non-randomized controlled trials (NRCT) and 90 were observational studies (OS). The methodological analysis was focused mainly on clinical trials. The number of patients enrolled in RCT was higher compared with the number enrolled in NRCT. Uniform enrolment criteria were used in less than 50% of the trials. Only 20% of RCT and 2.5% of NRCT used criteria for defining sample size. The response rate was calculated on an intention-to-treat basis in 36 of the RCT and in 14 of the NRCT. The outcome of treatment and the criteria employed to define the response to treatment were found to be far from standardized. In 51.5% of the RCT and 42.5% of the NRCT, normalization of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) level at the end of follow-up was the only marker of response studied. Only 57.6% of the trials considered histological evidence as an important outcome. Among the clinical trials, 71.1% evaluated predictors of good response to IFN therapy. In 51% of the OS, ALT normalization by the end of follow-up was the only criterion for defining response. In conclusion, to ensure a high level of reliability in comparing or combining the results of different studies, some basic general requirements must be followed when planning trials on antiviral therapy. [source] |