Marital status and stage of cancer at diagnosis: A systematic review.

Early cancer detection is fundamental to the promotion of better health in the community, but disparities remain in the likelihood of cancer being detected at an early stage, some of which relate to socio-demographic factors such as marital status. The aim of this study was to conduct a systematic review of research on the association between marital status and stage at diagnosis of different types of cancer. A comprehensive systematic literature search was run in the Medline and Scopus databases (from January 1990 to June 2014), identifying 245 and 208 articles on PubMed and Scopus respectively.

Adverse event reporting and patient safety at a University Hospital: Mapping, correlating and associating events for a data-based patient risk management.

Background: Reporting adverse events (AE) with a bearing on patient safety is fundamentally important to the identification and mitigation of potential clinical risks.

Objective: The aim of this study was to analyze the AE reporting systems adopted at a university hospital for the purpose of enhancing the learning potential afforded by these systems.

Research Design: Retrospective cohort study

Methods: Data were collected from different information flows (reports of incidents and falls, patients' claims and complaints, and cases of hospital-acquired infection [HAI]) at an university hospital.

A cost-consequence analysis of hepatitis B screening in an immigrant population.

Objective: Screening for HBV among groups at risk, such as migrant populations, has proved to be a cost-effective strategy. With a view to advising local policy-makers, the cost-consequences of HBV screening was assessed using a modeling approach.

Methods: This cost-consequence analysis of an HBV screening strategy was conducted in a cohort of adult migrants in the province of Padua, northern Italy.

Problematic cell phone use for text messaging and substance abuse in early adolescence (11- to 13-year-olds).

Unlabelled: The aim of our study was to examine the association between problematic cell phone use (PCPU) for text messaging and substance abuse in young adolescents. This cross-sectional study was conducted on the basis of an ad hoc questionnaire, during the 2014-2015 school year in a province of the Veneto Region (Italy); it involved a sample of 1156 students in grades 6 to 8 (11 to 13 years old). A self-report scale based on the Short Message Service (SMS) Problem Use Diagnostic Questionnaire (SMS-PUDQ) was administered to assess the sample's PCPU.

Is moderate alcohol consumption a risk factor for kidney function decline? A systematic review of observational studies.

Objective: The aim of this study was to conduct a systematic review of published observational studies on the association between alcohol consumption and renal functional impairment.

Methods: A search of Medline and Scopus (1985 through June 2013) was performed and supplemented with manual searches of bibliographies. Of the 430 studies considered, 15 were judged eligible for this systematic review.