European journal of internal medicine
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Eur. J. Intern. Med. · Feb 2014
In-hospital mortality of acutely ill medical patients admitted to a resource poor hospital in sub-Saharan Africa and to a Canadian regional hospital compared using the abbreviated VitalPAC Early Warning Score.
the development of validated early warning scores that only require the measurement of vital signs at the bedside has provided for the first time a practical and affordable method of comparing the outcomes of similar patients admitted to hospital in the developed and developing world. ⋯ the in-hospital mortality of patients with the same abbreviated ViEWS on hospital admission is similar in TBRHSC and Kitovu Hospital.
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Eur. J. Intern. Med. · Feb 2014
Observational StudyVitamin D status and seasonal changes in plasma concentrations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D in office workers in Ankara, Turkey.
Lack of sun exposure is one of the primary causes of epidemic vitamin D deficiency worldwide. The aim of this study was to investigate vitamin D status and seasonal changes in summer and winter in office workers. ⋯ Vitamin D deficiency is very prevalent in office workers even in summer time and this should be accepted as a public health problem.
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Eur. J. Intern. Med. · Feb 2014
Immunological profiles determine neurological involvement in Sjögren's syndrome.
Up to 68% of patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS) undergo neurological complications, and evidence for distinct immunological subgroups is emerging. We sought to determine systemic and immunological profiles associated with neurological manifestations. ⋯ In pSS, patients with sensorimotor neuropathies and pure sensory neuropathies have distinct extraglandular and immunological profiles.
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Eur. J. Intern. Med. · Feb 2014
Acute effects of autoadjusting and fixed continuous positive airway pressure treatments on cardiorespiratory coupling in obese patients with obstructive sleep apnea.
Treatment with positive airway pressure devices improved signs and symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSA); however, auto-adjusting positive pressure (APAP) device was not as effective as continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) in reducing arterial blood pressure and insulin resistance. The role played by autonomic cardiac regulation remains to be clarified. We aimed to test the effects of CPAP and APAP on autonomic regulation and cardiorespiratory coupling during sleep. ⋯ APAP treatment was characterized by a greater sympathetic activation and it was associated with a lower cardio-respiratory coupling compared with CPAP. This might account for the different effects on cardiovascular risk factors induced by the two treatments.
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Eur. J. Intern. Med. · Feb 2014
Acute urticaria presenting in the emergency room of a general hospital.
Acute urticaria is a common disorder that often prompts patients to seek treatment in the emergency room (ER). There are few data on acute urticaria presenting in ER. ⋯ Patients with acute urticaria are frequently referred to the emergency room, but only in a few cases urticaria is associated with severe allergic manifestations. Drug and food hypersensitivity, together with anaphylaxis, are the best predictors of the length of stay in ER.