Male Prevalence Research Articles

Personalized rate control treatment for atrial fibrillation: a prospective case-control study on the use of diltiazem

Abstract Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: None. Background Recent ESC Atrial Fibrillation guidelines introduced some changes in the options for rate control, such as the possibility to combine beta-blockers (BB) and non-dihydropyridine calcium channel blockers (NDCC), to address the need of personalized pharmacologic rate control strategy for AF. However, there are limited data on this topic. Purpose The aim of our study was to explore the prognostic impact of a personalized therapy (PT) for rate control, including the use of NDDC in patients with heart failure (HF) or in combination with BB, compared to standard rate control therapy (ST) as defined by previous ESC guidelines. Methods This is a single centre prospective observational registry on patients referred to our University Hospital for the management of AF between October 2013 and February 2019. Results We enrolled 1112 patients on exclusive rate control treatment, 125 (11.2%) were identified as patients with PT and 987 (88.8%) were on ST. In the PT group, 93/125 (74.4%) patients were prescribed BB + NDCC (±digoxin), while 85/125 (68.0%) were HF patients prescribed with NDCC, diltiazem in all cases. The mean age of patients was 73.5±12.0 years and 72.5±12.7 years in ST and PT groups, respectively. The two cohorts were homogeneous in terms of male prevalence, left ventricular ejection fraction and CHA2DS2-VASc score; while, HF was more frequent in PT group both in terms of patients with NYHA class ≥2 (41.3% in ST vs. 64.8% in PT, p<0.001) and prescription of diuretics (72.2% in ST vs. 88.0% in PT, p<0.001). Patients treated with PT had no difference in one-year overall survival compared to those with a ST (Figure 1 A). Notably, patients with HF in ST had a worse prognosis (p<0.001). (Figure 1 B) Conclusions Our results suggest a potential outcome benefit of NDCC for rate-control in AF patients, either alone or in combination with BB, also in selected patients with HF. Future controlled studies are needed to confirm our findings, and to identify subjects with higher benefit from such personalized rate-control strategies.

A Deep Learning-based Model to Predict Limb Amputation in Peripheral Vascular Trauma

The objective of this study is to develop an accurate neural network (NN)-based approach to predict limb amputation in patients who sustain blunt traumatic peripheral vascular injury. The 2019 National Trauma Data Bank (NTDB) was queried for International Classification of Disease, Tenth Edition (ICD-10) codes corresponding to blunt peripheral vascular trauma. A total of 15,438 patients were used to train a NN, of which 335 received a traumatic amputation. The neural network was trained using the following input variables: age, sex, Injury Severity Scale (ISS), presenting Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), packed red blood cells (RBCs) used in the first 4 hours of presentation, heart rate, and presenting systolic blood pressure (SBP). The primary outcome of our study was the area under the receiver-operator characteristics curve (AUC) of our NN with secondary outcomes including the normalized importance ratio of variables used to train the NN. The NN accurately predicted amputation in patients who sustained blunt peripheral vascular injury with an AUC of 0.78. There were no significant differences in age between the amputation and limb salvage cohorts. There was a higher prevalence of males in the amputation cohort in addition to a higher ISS, lower GCS, increased amount of packed RBCs in the first 4 hours of presentation, and a lower presenting SBP. Our NN found ISS followed by blood transfusion requirements to be most predictive of traumatic amputation. A NN-based approach can accurately predict. Additionally, presenting ISS and transfusion requirements within the first 4 hours were found to have the highest predictive value. Furthermore, NN can be utilized as an innovative predictive adjunct in the management of critical trauma.

Predicting Mortality in Blunt Abdominal Aortic Trauma- a Novel Approach Utilizing Neural Networks

The aim of this study was to develop an accurate neural network (NN)-based approach to predict in-hospital mortality in patients who sustain blunt traumatic aortic injury (BTAI). Secondary objectives include identifying factors that may play a contributory role in mortality. The 2019 National Trauma Data Bank (NTDB) was queried for International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Edition (ICD-10) codes corresponding to blunt abdominal aortic trauma. Patients with no signs of life upon presentation were excluded from this study. A total of 113 patients were used to train a NN using the following input variables: age, sex, Injury Severity Scale (ISS), presenting Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), packed red blood cells (RBCs) used in the first 4 hours of presentation, and presenting systolic blood pressure (SBP). The primary outcome of our study was the area under the receiver-operator characteristics curve (AUC), sensitivity, and specificity of our NN with secondary outcomes including the normalized importance ratio of variables used to train the NN. The NN accurately predicted mortality in patients who sustained BTAI with an AUC of 0.93 (Fig), sensitivity of 72%, and specificity of 89%. There were no significant differences in age between the mortality and survival cohorts. There was a higher prevalence of males in the mortality group in addition to a higher ISS, lower GCS, increased number of packed RBCs in the first 4 hours of presentation and a lower presenting SBP. Our NN found transfusion requirements to be the most predictive of mortality followed by ISS. A NN-based approach can accurately predict mortality in BTAI. Additionally, transfusions requirements within the first 4 hours and presenting ISS were found to have the highest predictive value. Furthermore, NN can be utilized as an innovative predictive adjunct in the management of critical trauma.

Prevalence of Giardia duodenalis among Asian children: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Giardia duodenalis is one of the major causes of diarrhea among children. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the prevalence of G. duodenalis and associated risk factors among Asian children. We searched online databases (PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science) and Google Scholar search engine for studies published from 1 January 2000 to 15 March 2022 that measured the prevalence of G. duodenalis among Asian children. Accordingly, the pooled prevalence and 95% CIs were estimated using a random-effects meta-analysis model for the included studies. A total of 182 articles from 22 Asian countries met the inclusion criteria. The pooled prevalence of G. duodenalis infection among Asian children was estimated as 15.1% (95% CI 14.1 to 16%). The highest and lowest pooled prevalence values of G. duodenalis infection were estimated for Tajikistan and China as 26.4% (95% CI 22.9 to 30%) and 0.6% (95% CI 0.001 to 1.02%), respectively. The infection had a higher prevalence in males than in females (OR=1.24; 95% CI 1.16 to 1.31; p<0.001), which was statistically significant. Giardiasis is common among Asian children, hence, a prevention and control scheme of this protozoan in children should be considered by health officials and health policymakers, especially in Asian countries where the prevalence is highest.

P248 HOW COVID–19 PANDEMIC HAS CHANGED EPIDEMIOLOGY OF PATIENTS WITH ACUTE CORONARY SYNDROME WITHOUT ST–T ELEVATION. DATA OF SINGLE CENTER

Abstract Background In recent years, the COVID–19 pandemic has led to a profound change in the epidemiological framework and incidence of cardiovascular diseases, as described in numerous reports. This condition can be attributed to various factors including reduction of hospitalizations for ACS (acute coronary syndrome) already widely discussed and documented, reduction of programmed cardiological follow–up and last but not least, the unfavorable effects of the lock–down period on life style and current health status of cardiac patients and the general population. The aim of our study was to evaluate how the characteristics of patients referred to our Cardiology Unit affected by ACS without elevation of the ST–T segment have changed in the post–pandemic phase. We analyzed the data fo the year 2022 and in particular the average age of incidence, the difference between the two sexes and the variation in the incidence of cardiovascular risk factors compared to 2021. The results showed an important reduction in the mean age of ACS incidence of about 2 years, a confirmed prevalence in males compared to females, a statistically significant increase in newly diagnosed dyslipidemia, especially in young patients, and the uncorrected primary prevention management of other cardiovascular risk factors. These data can be explained considering important changes in the lifestyle of the general population in terms of increased sedentary, poor eating habits during the pandemic phase and poor control of cardiovascular risk factors, also due to the absence of ambulatorial follow–up. Conclusions These data direct our future measures in the careful and punctual early correction of cardiovascular risk factors starting from outpatient visits, in primary prevention and in the optimization of therapy with aggressive correction of the pathologies encountered during the hospitalization and prevention phase secondary.

Complete prevalence of primary malignant and nonmalignant brain tumors in comparison to other cancers in the United States.

Primary brain tumors (BTs) are rare, but cause morbidity and mortality disproportionately to their incidence. Prevalence estimates population-level cancer burdens at a specified time. This study estimates the prevalence of malignant and non-malignant BTs in comparison to other cancers. Incidence data were obtained from the Central Brain Tumor Registry of the United States (2000-2019, varying), a combined data set including the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's National Program of Cancer Registries and National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program. Incidence of non-BT cancers were obtained from the United States Cancer Statistics (2001-2019). Incidence and survival estimates for all cancers were obtained from SEER (1975-2018). Complete prevalence as of December 31, 2019, was estimated using prevEst. Estimates were generated overall for non-BT cancers, by BT histopathology, age groups at prevalence (0-14, 15-39, 40-64, 65+ years), and sex. We estimated 1,323,121 individuals with a diagnosis of BTs at the date of prevalence. The majority of BT cases had non-malignant tumors (85.3%). Among all cancers, BTs were the most prevalent cancer type among those ages 15 to 39years, second among those ages 0 to 14years, and in the top five among those ages 40 to 64years. The plurality of prevalent cases (43.5%) occurred among those ages 65+ years. Overall, females had a higher prevalence of BTs than males, with an overall female:male prevalence ratio of 1.68. BTs contribute significantly to the cancer burden in the United States, particularly among those younger than age 65years. Understanding complete prevalence is crucial for monitoring cancer burden to inform clinical research and public policy.

Global prevalence, incidence, and outcomes of alcohol related liver diseases: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BackgroundAlcohol related liver disease (ARLD) is one of the major chronic liver diseases worldwide. This review aimed to describe the global prevalence, incidence, and outcomes of ARLD.MethodsMedline, Embase, The Cochrane Library, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) were searched from inception to May 31, 2022. The language was restricted to English or Chinese. According to the criteria, articles describing the basic characteristics of the population were selected. Two reviewers extracted the data independently.ResultsA total of 372 studies were identified: 353 were used for prevalence analysis, 7 were used for incidence analysis, and 114 were used to for outcome analysis. The prevalence of ARLD worldwide was 4.8%. The prevalence in males was 2.9%, which was higher than female (0.5%). Among the ethnic groups, the percentage was highest in Caucasians (68.9%). Alcoholic liver cirrhosis comprised the highest proportion in the disease spectrum of ARLD at 32.9%. The prevalence of ascites in ARLD population was highest (25.1%). The ARLD population who drinking for > 20 years accounted for 54.8%, and the average daily alcohol intake was 146.6 g/d. About 59.5% of ARLD patients were current or former smokers, and 18.7% were complicated with hepatitis virus infection. The incidence was 0.208/1000 person-years. The overall mortality was 23.9%, and the liver-related mortality was 21.6%.ConclusionThe global prevalence of ARLD was 4.8% and was affected by sex, region, drinking years, and other factors. Therefore, removing the factors causing a high disease prevalence is an urgent requisite.Trial registrationPROSPERO Nr: CRD42021286192

Foreign body ingestion in children and their follow-up in a tertiary care hospital – A prospective study

Background: Foreign body (FB) ingestion is a common pediatric surgery emergency, with potential complications such as perforation, obstruction, and bleeding. The demographics, characteristics, and management of these cases can vary based on factors such as age, gender, and type of FB ingested. Aims and Objectives: This study aimed to analyze these factors in a prospective study of children with FB ingestion. Materials and Methods: This was a prospective observational study done under 13 years of age with FB ingestion who presented to a tertiary care hospital over a period of 15 months. Results: A total of 133 cases were included, with a mean age of 6.15 years and a higher prevalence in males (60.2%). The most common age group affected was 5–13 years (50.4%). The mean length of ingested FB was 2.77 cm, with 52.6% of cases ingesting FBs &gt;2 cm. The majority of FBs were blunt (92.5%) and circular in shape (61.7%). The primary reason for ingestion was playing (95.5%). The most common site of FB impaction was the intestine (50.4%). Most cases were managed by observation(93.2%). Conclusion: FB ingestion is a common pediatric emergency, with a higher prevalence in males. Most cases can be managed by observation, and endoscopic removal or PR may be required in a small proportion of cases. Awareness of the risk factors and clinical presentation of FB ingestion can aid in prompt diagnosis and management of these cases.

Abstract 584: Myeloid Kruppel-like Factor 14 Mediates Sexual Dimorphism Of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Via Estrogen Receptor β

Rationale: Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is an irreversible degenerative disease of the abdominal aorta. Monocytes/macrophages are important mediators of inflammation and proteolysis during AAA development. In both human and rodent models, AAA has strong sexual dimorphism with a 4-6-fold higher prevalence in males than females, largely attributed to the estrogen/estrogen receptor signaling pathway. Krüppel-Like Factor 14 (KLF14) mediates anti-inflammatory response during disease pathogenesis and shows sexual heterogeneity in human genetic studies. However, whether and how KLF14 regulates sexual dimorphism during AAA progression has largely been unknown. Objective: Herein, we generated a novel insight into the anti-inflammatory effect and sexual dimorphic regulation of KLF14 during AAA pathogenesis. Methods and Results: We induced AAA model in myeloid cell-specific Klf14 knockout mice in ApoE -deficient background ( Klf14 LysM ApoE -/- ) and their littermate control mice ( Klf14 fl/fl ApoE -/- ). Klf14 deficiency in macrophages completely abrogated the sexual dimorphism observed in control mice by showing higher AAA incidence with more macrophage infiltration and more severe elastin degradation in female mice. Mechanistically, KLF14 upregulates the transcription of estrogen receptors, especially ESR2 , in macrophages. Perhexiline, a KLF14 inducer, induces Esr2 expression dependent on Klf14 and exerts an anti-inflammatory effect partially dependent on Esr2 in macrophages. Furthermore, Klf14 or Esr2 deficiency in macrophages abolished the protective effect of exogenous estradiol (E 2 ) treatment in male control mice. Conclusions: These studies provide evidence that Klf14 deficiency within myeloid lineage cells accelerated AAA development in female mice, resulting in the loss of sexual dimorphism in AAA pathogenesis. KLF14 showed protective effects, likely via transcriptionally regulating ESR2 expression and suppressing inflammation.

Statin-Associated Muscle Symptoms: Clinical Index in a hypertensive population candidated to lipid-lowering therapy but not taking statins

Aim: Statin-associated muscle symptoms (SAMS) are claimed to be frequent in clinical practice. The SAMS-clinical index (SAMS-CI) assesses the likelihood that muscle symptoms are related to statin use. We evaluated the prevalence and characteristics of muscle symptoms in hypertensive patients eligible for statin therapy according to their individual cardiovascular risk. Methods: Observational study on 390 consecutive outpatients referred to our Centre. All patients were asked the following question: “Have you ever taken a drug/nutraceutical that you think gave you muscle symptoms?”. Patients who answered “yes” were evaluated with SAMS-CI. Results: Mean age: 60.5±13.5 years. Male prevalence: 53.8%. Patients who have ever taken a statin (“statin+” group): 250. Patients who have never taken a statin but have taken at least one other drug (“statin-” group): 140. Prevalence of muscle symptoms did not differ between the groups (p=0.217). Age and number of drugs taken were significantly associated with muscle symptoms at multivariate analysis. A not clinically significant higher SAMS-CI score emerged in the “statin+” group (p=0.004). Localization and pattern of muscle symptoms did not differ between the groups (p=0.170). Timing of muscle symptoms onset after starting the drug (p=0.036) and timing of symptom improvement after withdrawal (p=0.002) were associated with statin therapy. Conclusions: Prevalence of patient-reported muscle symptoms was not associated with statin therapy in our real life clinical study, confirming the growing evidence that subjective muscle-related symptoms are often misattributed to statins, while they may more likely be related to the nocebo/drucebo effect or other common undiagnosed conditions.

Promising efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitor plus chemotherapy for thoracic SMARCA4-deficient undifferentiated tumor

PurposeThoracic SMARCA4-deficient undifferentiated tumor (SD-UT) is a highly aggressive disease that is nosologically related to but distinct from SMARCA4-deficient non-small cell lung cancer (SD-NSCLC). No standard treatment guidelines were established for SD-UT. This research explored the efficacy of different treatments in SD-UT, and the prognostic, clinicopathologic and genomic difference between SD-UT and SD-NSCLC.Materials and methodsInformation of 25 SD-UT and 22 SD-NSCLC patients diagnosed and treated in Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center from January, 2017 to September, 2022 was analyzed.ResultsSD-UT was similar to SD-NSCLC in characteristics of onset age, male prevalence, heavy smoking history and metastatic pattern. SD-UT showed a rapid relapse pattern after radical therapy. For Stage IV SD-UT patients, immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) plus chemotherapy significantly improved median progression-free survival (PFS) compared to traditional chemotherapy as first-line treatment (26.8 vs. 2.73 months, p = 0.0437), while objective response rates of two arms were comparable (71.4% vs. 66.7%). No significant survival differences were observed between SD-UT and SD-NSCLC under similar treatment settings. SD-UT or SD-NSCLC patients receiving ICI in the first line had significantly prolonged OS than those with ICI in the latter lines or without ICI treatment throughout clinical courses. Genetic study found frequent SMARCA4, TP53 and LRP1B mutations in SD-UT.ConclusionTo the best of our knowledge, this is the largest series to date to compare the efficacy of ICI-based treatment to chemotherapy and document frequent mutations of LRP1B in SD-UT. ICI plus chemotherapy is an effective strategy for Stage IV SD-UT.

Physical activity, sport participation, and cigarette smoking in university students after COVID-19 pandemic; Cross sectional analysis of the associations in south-eastern Europe

Cigarette smoking (CS) and low physical activity levels (PAL) are known to be risk factors for cardiovascular diseases. However, few studies have examined the associations between these factors in population of university students, and, to the best of our knowledge, no study examined this issue in period after the COVID-19 pandemic, despite the detrimental social and health consequences of the pandemic. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to examine associations between sport-participation, PAL and CS among university-level students in the first year after the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants were 761 students (411 females) from three universities in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia, who were tested using semi-structured anonymous questionnaires at the beginning of the 2022/2023 academic year. Questions included queries on sociodemographic characteristics, CS, PAL, and sport-participation. Differences between genders were established by Chi-square test and gender-stratified logistic regressions were calculated to evaluate the associations between sport-participation and PAL, with binomized CS (smoking vs. non-smoking). One third of participants were daily smokers. Logistic regression showed no correlation between PAL and smoking prevalence for total sample (OR = 0.88, 95%CI: 0.75-1.05), males (OR = 0.95, 95%CI: 0.41-1.45), or females (OR = 0.90, 95%CI: 0.54-1.52). In addition, sport participation was not significantly associated with smoking. Results did not prove that sport and physical exercising are a way of reducing the likelihood of smoking; this finding could be a characteristic of the studied sample of participants, but could also be related to the period that was observed (the first year after the COVID-19 pandemic). Further studies examining the associations between PAL/sport participation and other types of substance misuse are warranted.

Prevalence of familial hypercholesterolemia and its association with coronary artery disease: A Chinese cohort study.

Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is underrecognized, and its association with coronary artery disease (CAD) remains limited, especially in China. We aimed to investigate the prevalence of FH and its relationship with CAD in a large Chinese cohort. FH was defined using the Make Early Diagnosis to Prevent Early Death (MEDPED) criteria. The crude and age-sex standardized prevalence of FH were calculated based on surveys of the Prediction for Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease Risk in China (China-PAR) project during 2007-2008. The associations of FH with incident CAD and its major subtypes were estimated with the cohort-stratified multivariate Cox proportional hazard models based on the data from the baseline to the last follow-up (2018-2020). Among 98,885 included participants, 190 participants were defined as FH. Crude and age-sex standardized prevalence and 95% confidence interval (CI) of FH were 0.19% (0.17%-0.22%) and 0.13% (0.10%-0.16%), respectively. The prevalence varied across age groups and peaked in the group of 60-<70 years (0.28%), and the peak prevalence (0.18%) in males was earlier, yet lower than the peak crude prevalence in females (0.41%). During a mean follow-up of 10.7 years, 2493 cases of incident CAD were identified. After multivariate adjustment, FH patients had a 2.03-fold greater risk of developing CAD compared to non-FH participants. The prevalence of FH was estimated to be 0.19% in the participants, and it was associated with an elevated risk of incident CAD. Our study suggests that early screening of FH has certain public health significance for the prevention of CAD.

Global Type-Specific Genital Human Papillomavirus Prevalence in Men, by Sexual Orientation: a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Knowledge on genital type-specific HPV prevalence among men is important for prevention of HPV-related cancers and other diseases. Men who have sex with men (MSM) have higher anal prevalence than men who have sex with women only (MSW) but for genital HPV this is unclear. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of type-specific genital HPV prevalence among men, by sexual orientation. MEDLINE and Embase were used for searching publications reporting on male genital HPV prevalence with data from November 2011 onwards. A random-effects meta-analysis was conducted estimating pooled type-specific and grouped external genital and urethral HPV prevalence. Subgroup analyses were conducted for sexual orientation. Twenty-nine studies were eligible. Of those, 13 studies reported prevalence among MSM, 5 among MSW and 13 studies did not stratify by sexual orientation. The most common genotypes were HPV-6 and HPV-16 for both anatomical locations, although heterogeneity was high. HPV prevalence was similar among studies reporting on MSW, MSM and men with unknown sexual orientation. Genital HPV is common among men, with HPV-6 and HPV-16 being the most common genotypes. Type-specific HPV genital prevalence appears to be similar among MSM and MSW, which contrasts with earlier findings on anal HPV.

EPIDEMIOLOGY OF ROCKY MOUNTAIN SPOTTED FEVER IN BRAZIL, 2010-2020

Rocky Mountain spotted fever is a tick-borne rickettsiosis. The main clinical signs and symptoms are fever, severe headache, rashes and myalgia. It is considered difficult to diagnose and underreported. The study aims to descriptively analyze the epidemiology of cases of Rocky Mountain spotted fever in Brazil from 2010 to 2021. This is a retrospective cohort study that statisticall analyzes the cases of spotted fever in Brazil between 2010 and 2020 through data obtained by the Information System of Notifiable Diseases. The proportions of spotted fever cases were calculated according to: sex, age, race/color, infection environment and evolution. There are 1967 cases were confirmed. The regions with the most cases were the Southeast (n%=72.24) and the South (n%=24). However, there are 4 deaths in the south while the lethality coefficient from the southeast is 47.78%. The most affected age group was 40-59 years old (n%=34.87), and 20-39 years old (n%=28.98). 71.17% of the cases are male. As for color/race, 60% of the cases are in whites. As for the infection environment, 35.23% are at home, 15.3% are at work, 26.13% are leisure places. The prevalence in males and the predominant age group 20-59 years can be linked to work activity, which leaves hem more exposed to ticks. The high numbers in adulthood can also be related to ecotourism. The lethality of the disease differs between the South and Southeast regions. One explanation for this phenomenon would be the different etiological agents, R. rickettsi, predominant in the Southeast, generating more severe clinical conditions.

Guillain-Barré Syndrome Induced by Vaccination Against COVID-19: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) is a rare but serious immune-mediated neurological condition characterized by damage to the peripheral nervous system.Two-thirds of cases of GBS are diagnosed following infection; however, vaccination has also been linked to GBS pathogenesis. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to establish the prevalence of GBS following vaccination against the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes COVID-19, describe the clinical and neurophysiological characteristics, and identify potential determinants. A systematic review of the literature regarding post-vaccination GBS was conducted using the PubMed database. Seventy papers were included. The pooled prevalence of GBS after vaccination against COVID-19 per has been established to be 8.1 (95% CI 30-220) per 1,000,000 vaccinations. Vaccination with vector vaccines - but not mRNA - has been associated with an increased risk of GBS. More than 80% of the patients developed GBS within 21 days following the first dose of the vaccination. The interval between the vaccination and GBS was shorter in patients who were vaccinated with mRNA versus vector vaccines (9.7±6.7 days versus 14.2±6.6 days). Epidemiological findings regarding post-vaccination GBS revealed a higher prevalence in males and people between the ages of 40 and 60 years, with a mean age of 56.8±16.1 years. The most common type was the acute inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy type. Most cases responded well to treatment. In conclusion, vaccination against COVID-19 with vector vaccines seems to increase the risk of GBS. GBS occurring following vaccination does differ in characteristics from GBS during the pre-COVID-19 era.

Prevalence, Trend, and Risk Factors for Early Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: An Analysis of the Nationwide Population-Based Survey from 2010 to 2019 in South Korea

This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence, trends, and risk factors of early chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) by using a nationally representative sample. The datasets of the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2010–2019 were used, where 80,860 individuals were identified; of these, 9,045 participants aged 40–49 years who underwent spirometry with no missing data were analyzed. Early COPD was defined as forced expiratory volume in 1 s /forced vital capacity ratio < the lower limit of normal (2.5th percentile) in individuals aged <50 years without a history of asthma, inhaler therapy, or persistent respiratory symptoms. The prevalence and trend of early COPD were estimated according to features such as smoking status and pack-years. Joinpoint regression analysis was used to analyze the significant annual change in the trend according to sex, smoking status, and pack-years. A complex sample multivariable-adjusted regression model was used to identify factors affecting early COPD. The estimated population size during 2010–2019 was 82,326,178. Early COPD was present in 4.5% of patients (6.5% of men and 2.3% of women). It was present in 7.7% of current smokers, followed by former and never smokers. Among smokers with ≥ 10 pack-years, early COPD was present in 8.2%, whereas it was present in 2.6% of smokers with < 10 pack-years. Joinpoint regression analyses found a recent decrease in the trend of prevalence in males who were former and current smokers. The multivariable-adjusted logistic regression model showed that being male, lower educational level, smoking status, and pack-years were factors that affected the presence of early COPD. Continued surveillance of this pre-disease condition is required, and further research are warrant.

Radiological lung sequelae, functional status and symptoms in older patients 3 and 6 months after hospitalization for COVID-19 pneumonia

The aim of our study was to assess the lung sequelae and clinical consequences 3 and 6 months after hospitalization for COVID-19 pneumonia in older patients. An observational study was conducted on 55 patients aged 65 years and older. Activities of daily living (ADL) and clinical frailty scale (CFS) were assessed at baseline and after 3 months. Both quantitative assessment at chest high-resolution computed tomography (CT) and semi-quantitative severity score (CTSS) were performed at baseline and after 3 and 6 months. Mean age: 82.3 ± 7.1 years. Male prevalence: 56.4%. After 6 months, ground-glass opacities (GGO) were still detectable in 22% of subjects, while consolidations were no longer appreciable. During follow-up, CTSS reached an overall median score of zero after 6 months. Fibrotic-like changes were found in 40% of subjects with an overall median score of 0 (0–5) points, being more prevalent in males. Patients reporting worsening ADL and CFS were 10.9% and 45.5%, respectively. They were associated with the burden of comorbidities, especially history of heart failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease at baseline. Amnesic disorders, exertional dyspnea, and fatigue were the most relevant symptoms reported. No association emerged between persistent or new-onset symptoms and evidence of fibrotic-like changes. The typical chest CT abnormalities of the COVID-19 pneumonia acute phase resolved in most of our older patients. Mild fibrotic-like changes persisted in less than half of the patients, especially males, without significantly affecting the functional status and frailty condition, which instead were more likely associated with pre-existing comorbidities.

Sex-biased, but not plumage color-based, prevalence of haemosporidian parasites in free-range chickens.

Previous studies found a relationship between blood parasite infection and bird gender, with higher prevalence in males. Some studies also found a relationship between host plumage color and parasitic infection, while others did not. Here, we investigated the blood parasite prevalence in correlation with sex and plumage color in free-range chickens (Gallus gallus domesticus) in China. We analyzed a total of 297 blood samples, out of which 234 chickens tested positive for haemosporidian parasites, with 78.5% parasite prevalence. Out of 139 males, 118 tested positive with 84.8% parasite prevalence while 116 of 158 female samples tested positive (73.4%). Leucocytotozoon was the most frequent genus isolated (193 infected individuals /234 birds), followed by Plasmodium (41 infected individuals/234 birds), with no Haemoproteus parasites being detected. There were no significant differences in the body parameters and chicken color plumages with regards to the infection status. Our study indicated that blood parasite infection was significantly different between male and female chickens, with infection prevalent in males.

Prevalence of Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome in the High Cardiovascular Risk Setting of Rural Western Honduras.

To determine the prevalence of obesity and metabolic syndrome (MS) in the population older than 45 years in rural Western Honduras and contribute to the limited literature on MS in Central America. Descriptive cross-sectional study conducted in the District of Copan. The study includes 382 men and women aged 45 to 75 years. With proper consent, anthropometric parameters, blood pressure, blood sugar, and lipid profile were evaluated. MS was diagnosed by using the National Cholesterol Education Program Criteria - Adult Panel Treatment III (NCEP-ATP III). Data were stored in REDCap (Research Electronic Data Capture) and analyzed with STATA14. Data were collected on 382 patients; of these, 38% were male and 62% female. The prevalence of obesity was 24.1% for both sexes. The prevalence of MS was 64.9%. Prevalence in males and females was 54% and 71%, respectively. Notable parameters were elevated triglycerides (71%), low High-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) (63.4%), and abdominal obesity (56.8%). In men, the distribution of MS was more homogeneous, with a mean result of 80% amongst all ages. The overall prevalence of obesity and MS is severely underestimated in rural Honduras. The most remarkable parameter for MS was high triglycerides (71%). Sixty-nine percent of the population has above-normal Body Mass Index (BMI). Public health efforts to control comorbidities and tackle risk factors in this population should take utmost priority.