Postgraduate medicine
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Postgraduate medicine · Mar 2023
Are bipolar disorder, major depression, and suicidality linked with Toxoplasma gondii? A seromolecular case-control study.
The existence of predisposing effects of latent Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) infection in bipolar disorder (BD), major depression (MD), and even suicide attempt (SA) has long been debatable. This conjecture remains unclear because there is a lack of evidence regarding how T. gondii manipulates the brain and behavior. ⋯ Our findings strongly support the burgeoning interest in the possibility that latent T. gondii infection may be relevant to the etiology of BD and SA, although this connection remains ambiguous.
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Postgraduate medicine · Mar 2023
Relationship between social determinants of health and quality of life in low income adults with diabetes in Lebanon.
Global rates of type 2 diabetes (T2DM) are increasing, with the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region having the second highest prevalence in the world. Populations from the MENA region, including Lebanon, are also witnessing massive waves of immigration to the western hemisphere. Limited data exist about how social determinants of health (SDOH) impact outcomes for T2DM in this population. Thus, the aim of this study was to assess the relationship between SDOH and quality of life (QoL) in Lebanese adults with T2DM. ⋯ This study shows that psychosocial, socioeconomic, and neighborhood/built environment variables are differentially associated with different QoL domains, suggesting that SDOH factors are strongly associated with quality of life in low-income adults with T2DM in Lebanon.
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Postgraduate medicine · Mar 2023
Review Meta AnalysisLow serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels are associated with increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.
There is controversy about the association between vitamin D and cardiovascular disease (CVD). This article aims to explore the association of serum 25-hydroxyvitaminD (25 OHD) with the risk of CVD. ⋯ The underlying mechanism still needs to be explored further, and well-designed RCTs are needed to confirm the role of vitamin D in the occurrence and development of CVD.
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Postgraduate medicine · Mar 2023
Psychometric properties of the Clarke questionnaire for hypoglycemia awareness in the Spanish population with type 2 diabetes.
The Clarke questionnaire, validated in Spanish language, assesses hypoglycemia awareness in patients with type 1 diabetes. This study aimed to analyze its psychometric properties in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM). ⋯ The Spanish version of the Clarke questionnaire was not valid or reliable for assessing hypoglycemia awareness in people with T2DM in Spanish population.
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Postgraduate medicine · Mar 2023
Determining the effectiveness of the immature granulocyte percentage and systemic immune-inflammation index in predicting acute pyelonephritis.
The most serious form of urinary tract infection (UTI) is acute pyelonephritis (APN), which can result in bacteremia and renal scarring. This study aims to show the roles that the systemic immune-inflammation index (SII) and the immature granulocyte (IG) percentage play in predicting APN in pediatric patients by comparing them with traditional infection markers. By illustrating a significant relationship between APN, the IG percentage, and the SII, the study's contributions to the differential diagnosis of UTI can promote a rapid and appropriate treatment of APN. ⋯ This study emphasizes the support features of the IG percentage and the SII in the diagnosis of APN in pediatric patients, a topic that has recently attracted attention. The findings indicated that among all of the parameters behind CRP, the IG percentage and the SII had the highest sensitivities, specificities, and predictive values for forecasting APN. It is worth noting that these methods can be applied without additional costs or burdens to the patient.