Medicine
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Observational Study
Prevalence and impact of Clostridium difficile infection in elderly residents of long-term care facilities, 2011: A nationwide study.
The elderly population is particularly vulnerable to Clostridium difficile infection (CDI), but the epidemiology of CDI in long-term care facilities (LTCFs) is unknown. We performed a retrospective cohort study and used US 2011 LTCF resident data from the Minimum Data Set 3.0 linked to Medicare claims. We extracted CDI cases based on International Classification of Diseases-9 coding, and compared residents with the diagnosis of CDI to those who did not have a CDI diagnosis during their LTCF stay. ⋯ Importantly, CDI was associated with higher mortality (24.7% vs 18.1%, P = 0.001). CDI is common among the elderly residents of LTCFs and is associated with significant increase in 3-month mortality. The prevalence is higher in the Northeast and risk stratification can be used in CDI prevention policies.
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The 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake led to a subsequent nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. In its wake, we sought to examine the association between external radiation dose and thyroid cancer in Fukushima Prefecture. We applied a cross-sectional study design with 300,476 participants aged 18 years and younger who underwent thyroid examinations between October 2011 and June 2015. ⋯ The duration between accident and thyroid examination was not associated with thyroid cancer prevalence. There were no significant associations between individual external doses and prevalence of thyroid cancer. External radiation dose was not associated with thyroid cancer prevalence among Fukushima children within the first 4 years after the nuclear accident.
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Observational Study
Association of depression and psychotropic medication on cardiac-related outcomes in a nationwide community-dwelling elderly population in Taiwan.
The objective of this study was to examine the association of depression, psychotropic medications, and mental illness with cardiovascular disease in a nationwide community-dwelling elderly population in Taiwan. A total of 5664 participants who enrolled in the Healthy Aging Longitudinal Study in Taiwan (HALST) were included in the study. Multiple logistic regression was applied to investigate the association of depression, psychotropic medication use, and mental illness, separately, with cardiovascular disease. ⋯ In line with previous reports, these findings provided supportive evidence that depression and/or mental illness were significantly associated with cardiovascular disease in a community-dwelling elderly population in Taiwan. Moreover, significant associations of cardiovascular disease with the use of antipsychotics, BZDs, and Z-drugs, individually, were found. Further investigation would be of importance to clarify the causal relationship of depression and/or psychotropic medications with cardiovascular disease, especially among elderly populations.
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Observational Study
Cerebral infarct volume measurements to improve patient selection for endovascular treatment.
Patients who have large cerebral infarctions may not be good candidates for endovascular treatment. Various methods for determining infarct volume have been used in clinical studies. We evaluated the effectiveness of several methods for measuring infarct volume, especially regarding futile outcomes despite endovascular treatment. ⋯ Regarding prediction of futile outcomes, area under ROC curve was 0.551 on NCCT ASPECTS and it was significantly smaller than that in PCCT ASPECTS (area under ROC 0.651, P = 0.030), DWI ASPECTS (0.733, P = 0.003), DWI stroke volume (0.702, P = 0.022), and infarct core volume (0.702, P = 0.021). Besides old age and high National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score on admission, MRI parameters such as DWI ASPECTS and infarct core volume indicating large volumes were independently associated with futile outcomes in multivariable analyses. DWI ASPECTS can be a good parameter predicting futility, which is easily measured and has high prediction power.
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The relationship between the body mass index (BMI) and the incidence of cause-specific disability remains unclear. We conducted a prospective cohort study of 12,376 Japanese individuals aged ≥65 years who were followed up for 5.7 years. Information on BMI and other lifestyle factors was collected via a questionnaire in 2006. ⋯ There was no significant relationship between BMI and disability due to stroke. The BMI nadirs for cause-specific disability differed: a low BMI (<23) was a risk factor for disability due to dementia, and a high BMI (≥29) was a risk factor for disability due to joint disease. Because BMI values of 23 to <29 did not pose a significantly higher risk for each cause of disability, this range should be regarded as the optimal one for the elderly population.