Implementation of a mobile application for outpatient care after liver transplantation.

Background: In the face of the Covid-19 pandemic and the need for social distancing new therapeutic tools like mobile health applications might gain in importance for outpatient care. Objective of the present study was to assess if and to what extent the implementation of a free available transplant application in a cohort of liver transplant recipients was possible.

Methods: Patients of the aftercare program at the Department of Transplant Surgery Graz in June 2016 were first asked to complete a survey concerning knowledge about mobile health and their management of everyday life.

Strategy for Deployment of Integrated Healthy Aging Regions Based Upon an Evidence-Based Regional Ecosystem-The Styria Model.

In 2013, the European Commission founded the platform European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Aging as a communication and innovation network in this domain. The goal of the current study was the development of an integrated regional ecosystem for active and healthy aging for the region of Styria via a step-by-step co-creation process. A mixed model approach was used to establish an ecosystem for active and healthy aging, which includes macro-, meso- and micro-level stakeholders in the province of Styria, Austria.

How Bispectral Index Compares to Spectral Entropy of the EEG and A-line ARX Index in the Same Patient.

Background: Bispectral index (BIS) monitoring of depth of anesthesia has pioneered the field for more recent monitoring devices like the A-line ARX Index (AAI) or the state (SE) and response entropy (RE) monitoring devices. Following an observational design the present study aimed to simultaneously compare in the same patient recorded BIS, AAI and entropy values.

Methods: Data from patients (n = 32) undergoing minor gynecological operations were analyzed.

Warm Arctic episodes linked with increased frequency of extreme winter weather in the United States.

Recent boreal winters have exhibited a large-scale seesaw temperature pattern characterized by an unusually warm Arctic and cold continents. Whether there is any physical link between Arctic variability and Northern Hemisphere (NH) extreme weather is an active area of research. Using a recently developed index of severe winter weather, we show that the occurrence of severe winter weather in the United States is significantly related to anomalies in pan-Arctic geopotential heights and temperatures.

Freeform three-dimensional embedded polymer waveguides enabled by external-diffusion assisted two-photon lithography.

This paper introduces a unique method to fabricate free-form symmetrical three-dimensional single-mode waveguides embedded in a newly developed photopolymer. The fabrication process requires only one layer of a single material by combining two-photon lithography and external monomer diffusion resulting in a high refractive index contrast of 0.013.

Are there differences in LDL-C target value attainment in Austrian federal states? Yes!

Unlabelled: Low density lipoprotein (LDL-C) levels determine the cardiovascular risk. Previous studies indicated an LDL-C target attainment of around 50%, but no Austrian wide analysis on results for the federal states was available. We therefore sought to detect potential differences.

Proposal for a new content model for the Austrian Procedure Catalogue.

The Austrian Procedure Catalogue is used for procedure coding in Austria. Its architecture and content has some major weaknesses. The aim of this study is the presentation of a new potential content model for this classification system consisting of main characteristics of health interventions.

The natural history of multiple system atrophy: a prospective European cohort study.

Background: Multiple system atrophy (MSA) is a fatal and still poorly understood degenerative movement disorder that is characterised by autonomic failure, cerebellar ataxia, and parkinsonism in various combinations. Here we present the final analysis of a prospective multicentre study by the European MSA Study Group to investigate the natural history of MSA.

Methods: Patients with a clinical diagnosis of MSA were recruited and followed up clinically for 2 years.

Can LDL-cholesterol targets be achieved in a population at high risk? Results of the non-interventional study ACT II.

Objective: Lowering low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels can reduce vascular clinical endpoints in outcome studies. Despite this evidence, previous cross-sectional analyses reported a mean LDL-C target attainment of <50%. This non-interventional, longitudinal study aimed to asses the rate of target attainment by intensified LDL-C lowering therapy in a high-risk population under routine medical care.

[Actual state and perspectives of e-health in Austria and international--an overview].

eHealth will influence the development of the Austrian health and social care significantly. The main part will be the implementation of an electronic health record. There are many hospital and outpatient information systems already implemented and the challenge is to enable a patient-centered communication of all health care providers by defining technical standards and the organizational and legal framework.

Screening for NPHS2 mutations may help predict FSGS recurrence after transplantation.

Steroid-resistant focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) often recurs after renal transplantation. In this international survey, we sought to identify genotype-phenotype correlations of recurrent FSGS. We surveyed 83 patients with childhood-onset primary FSGS who received at least one renal allograft and analyzed 53 of these patients for NPHS2 mutations.

Prospective study of the association of serum gamma-glutamyltransferase with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia III and invasive cervical cancer.

Epidemiologic studies indicate that elevated levels of gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT), a key enzyme of glutathione metabolism, might be associated with increased cancer risk. Furthermore, preclinical studies support a role for GGT in tumor invasion and progression. However, the relationship between GGT and risks of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia III (CIN-III) and invasive cervical cancer (ICC) have not been evaluated.

Prospective follow-up of patients with acute hepatitis C virus infection in Brazil.

Background: The natural outcome of infection with hepatitis C virus (HCV) varies substantially among individuals. However, little is known about host and viral factors associated with a self-limiting or chronic evolution of HCV infection.

Methods: From 1 January 2001 through 31 December 2008, a consecutive series of 65 patients from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with a well-documented diagnosis of acute HCV infection, acquired via various routes, were enrolled in this study.

Evaluation of 3-5 months' add-on therapy with montelukast in patients with non-controlled asthma in Austria: the STAR open-label, real-world, observational study.

Objective: To assess the current state of asthma management in Austria and evaluate improvement of symptoms and quality of life (QoL) in asthma patients by adding the controller substance montelukast to existing therapy.

Research Design And Methods: Office-based pneumologists across Austria were invited to participate in an open-label, multicenter observational study. Male and female patients aged from 12-50 years with mild or moderate persistent asthma according to GINA guidelines and FEV(1) > 70% predicted were included if they were on concurrent asthma treatment, but still had persistent symptoms and reduced quality of life.

Capacity constraints and cost-effectiveness: a discrete event simulation for drug-eluting stents.

Background: Waiting times for access to care, for example, for diagnostic imaging or surgery, are a highly relevant issue in health care. Waiting or deferred treatment caused by limited resource capacities can affect treatment success, quality of life, and costs. However, when treatment alternatives are compared in economic models, often unrestricted availability of resources is assumed, and dynamic changes in waiting lines remain unconsidered.

Relevance and management of methylation data in electronic health records.

In this paper we give an overview of challenges and chances of the integration of methylation data into Electronic Health Records. Perspectives of methylation data in terms of clinical relevance and characteristics of these data are shown. Among several standards OpenEHR, HL7 CG and LOINC are identified as starting point for the representation and communication of methylation data within the clinical context.

Low serum LDL cholesterol in patients with type 2 diabetes: an analysis on two different patient populations.

Background: Patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) typically exhibit a pattern of dyslipidemia with high triglycerides, low HDL cholesterol, and small LDL particles. We aimed at investigating whether also LDL cholesterol levels are altered in diabetic patients.

Methods: Lipid panels were obtained in a consecutive series of angiographied coronary patients (n=750), and in a large sample of hypertensive outpatients (n=5949).

Use of penalized splines in extended Cox-type additive hazard regression to flexibly estimate the effect of time-varying serum uric acid on risk of cancer incidence: a prospective, population-based study in 78,850 men.

Purpose: We sought to investigate the effect of serum uric acid (SUA) levels on risk of cancer incidence in men and to flexibly determine the shape of this association by using a novel analytical approach.

Methods: A population-based cohort of 78,850 Austrian men who received 264,347 serial SUA measurements was prospectively followed-up for a median of 12.4 years.

Prospective study of the association of gamma-glutamyltransferase with cancer incidence in women.

Although several epidemiologic studies have shown that gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) is associated with cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality, its relationship with cancer incidence remains widely unexplored. In experimental models the ability of cellular GGT to modulate crucial redox-sensitive functions has been established, and it may thus play a role in tumor progression. In the present study, we investigated the association of GGT with overall and site-specific cancer incidence in a population-based cohort of 92,843 Austrian women with 349,674 serial GGT measurements, prospectively followed-up for a median of 13.

Longitudinal change in serum gamma-glutamyltransferase and cardiovascular disease mortality: a prospective population-based study in 76,113 Austrian adults.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the association of longitudinal change in serum gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) with mortality from cardiovascular disease (CVD).

Methods And Results: A population-based cohort of 76,113 Austrian men and women with 455,331 serial GGT measurements was prospectively followed-up for a median of 10.2 years after assessment of longitudinal GGT change during an average period of 6.

A set of SAS macros for calculating and displaying adjusted odds ratios (with confidence intervals) for continuous covariates in logistic B-spline regression models.

In clinical and epidemiologic research to investigate dose-response associations, non-parametric spline regression has long been proposed as a powerful alternative to conventional parametric regression approaches, since no underlying assumptions of linearity have to be fulfilled. For logistic spline models, however, to date, little standard statistical software is available to estimate any measure of risk, typically of interest when quantifying the effects of one or more continuous explanatory variable(s) on a binary disease outcome. In the present paper, we propose a set of SAS macros which perform non-parametric logistic regression analysis with B-spline expansions of an arbitrary number of continuous covariates, estimating adjusted odds ratios with respective confidence intervals for any given value with respect to a supplied reference value.

Association of gamma-glutamyltransferase and risk of cancer incidence in men: a prospective study.

Although several epidemiologic studies have shown that gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) is independently associated with cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality, its relationship with cancer incidence remains widely unexplored. In several experimental models, the ability of cellular GGT to modulate crucial redox-sensitive functions has been established, and it thus may play a role in tumor progression, as has been repeatedly suggested. We prospectively investigated the association between GGT and risk of overall and site-specific cancer incidence in a large population-based cohort of 79,279 healthy Austrian men with serial GGT measurements.

Serum uric acid is an independent predictor for all major forms of cardiovascular death in 28,613 elderly women: a prospective 21-year follow-up study.

Background: The role of serum uric acid (SUA) as a risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains controversial. Little is known about its predictive value for mortality from congestive heart failure (CHF) and stroke, particularly in elderly, post-menopausal women.

Methods: The relation of SUA to risk of death from total CVD, CHF, stroke and coronary heart disease (CHD) was examined prospectively in a large cohort of 28613 elderly Austrian women (mean age 62.

Serum uric acid and risk of cardiovascular mortality: a prospective long-term study of 83,683 Austrian men.

Background: The role of serum uric acid (SUA) as an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains controversial, and little is known about its prognostic importance for mortality from congestive heart failure (CHF) and stroke. Few large-scale epidemiologic studies with sufficient follow-up have addressed the association of SUA and CVD mortality in apparently healthy men across a wide age range.

Methods: A cohort of 83 683 Austrian men (mean age, 41.

Serum uric acid and risk of cancer mortality in a large prospective male cohort.

Objective: To examine the prognostic role of serum uric acid (SUA) for cancer mortality in apparently healthy men across a wide age range.

Methods: Prospective data from a large cohort of 83,683 male Austrian adults with a median follow-up of 13.6 years was analyzed.