Meta-analysis of the effects of smoking and smoking cessation on triglyceride levels.

Smoking increases lipid levels, including triglycerides, leading to increased cardiovascular disease risk. We performed a meta-analysis to quantify the effects of smoking and smoking cessation on triglyceride levels. The PubMed and Scopus databases were searched to identify studies reporting either triglyceride levels in smokers and non-smokers or the effects of smoking cessation on triglyceride levels.

Smoking and apolipoprotein levels: A meta-analysis of published data.

Background: Apolipoproteins are major components of lipoproteins such as high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and very-low-density lipoprotein and are considered nontraditional markers in the risk assessment for cardiovascular disease. The goal of this review was to quantify the effects of smoking and smoking cessation on serum levels of apolipoproteins AI, AII, and B and the ratio of apolipoproteins B and AI.

Methods: PubMed and Scopus were searched up to June 2021 to identify publications that reported the levels of apolipoproteins AI, AII, and B and the apolipoprotein B/AI ratio in smokers and nonsmokers as well as articles reporting the effect of smoking cessation on the same endpoints.

Ischemic Heart Disease and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Hospitalizations in Japan Before and After the Introduction of a Heated Tobacco Product.

To substantiate the beneficial effects of switching from cigarette smoking to heated tobacco products (HTP), this study conducted a time-trend analysis using data from the Japanese Medical Data Center (JMDC) database. Specifically, we assessed hospitalization numbers for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbations and acute ischemic heart disease (IHD) before and after the introduction of HTPs in the Japanese market. This study replicated a previous study using a different Japanese real-world data source (Medical Data Vision).

Influence of tobacco smoking on the development of halitosis.

Background: Halitosis is the general term used to describe any disagreeable odor in exhaled air, regardless of whether the odorous substances originate from oral or non-oral sources. Previous research has strongly associated tobacco smoking in the development of halitosis, as it increases the synthesis of toxic volatile sulfur compounds in diseased periodontal pockets. In this review, we summarize the etiopathology and epidemiology of halitosis as well as the current evidence on the impact of smoking by means of a meta-analysis.

The Medication Adherence Report Scale: A measurement tool for eliciting patients' reports of nonadherence.

Aims: This study aimed to establish the psychometric properties of a questionnaire measure of patients' adherence to medications to elicit patients' report of medication use in a variety of clinical samples. The reliability and validity were assessed in patients with hypertension. Additional analyses were performed on other patient groups.

Barriers and facilitators of effective self-management in asthma: systematic review and thematic synthesis of patient and healthcare professional views.

Self-management is an established, effective approach to controlling asthma, recommended in guidelines. However, promotion, uptake and use among patients and health-care professionals remain low. Many barriers and facilitators to effective self-management have been reported, and views and beliefs of patients and health care professionals have been explored in qualitative studies.

Early drug use of dapagliflozin prescribed by general practitioners and diabetologists in Germany.

Objectives: Dapagliflozin is an inhibitor of the human sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT2) that has been shown to improve glycaemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). This study aimed to evaluate the characteristics and treatment patterns of dapagliflozin users in comparison to users of other anti-diabetic (AD) treatments in Germany.

Methods: Data from patients with T2DM initiating at least one prescription for dapagliflozin or other AD therapy between November 2012 and April 2014 were collected from the IMS German Disease Analyzer database.

Stress, Illness Perceptions, Behaviors, and Healing in Venous Leg Ulcers: Findings From a Prospective Observational Study.

Objective: The aim of the study was to investigate the impact of stress, illness perceptions, and behaviors on healing of venous leg ulcers.

Methods: A prospective observational study of 63 individuals for 24 weeks investigated possible psychosocial predictors of healing. There were two indices of healing: rate of change in ulcer area and number of weeks to heal.

Prevalence of cancer chemotherapy-related problems, their relation to health-related quality of life and associated supportive care: a cross-sectional survey.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify the treatment-associated problems that most impact on patients undergoing cancer chemotherapy, how problems relate to experiences of supportive care and variations in experience between cancer treatment centres.

Methods: A survey administered to patients at six cancer centres in England explored variations of prevalence of 17 cancer chemotherapy-associated problems and associated supportive care. Problem items were identified as the most frequently experienced and severe when experienced in a scoping and consensus exercise.

Microvascular Outcomes in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Treated with Vildagliptin vs. Sulfonylurea: A Retrospective Study Using German Electronic Medical Records.

Introduction: Preliminary data suggest that dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors may reduce microvascular events, but there is a little evidence to support this from adequate real-world studies. This study aimed to compare microvascular outcomes between patients-prescribed vildagliptin and those prescribed sulfonylurea (SU).

Methods: This retrospective cohort study was conducted on a large sample from the German electronic medical records database IMS Lifelink Disease Analyzer.

Development and psychometric evaluation of a new patient -reported outcome measure for stroke self -management: The Southampton Stroke Self - Management Questionnaire (SSSMQ).

Background: Self-management is important to the recovery and quality of life of people following stroke. Many interventions to support self-management following stroke have been developed, however to date no reliable and valid outcome measure exists to support their evaluation. This study outlines the development and preliminary investigation of the psychometric performance of a newly developed patient-reported outcome measure (PROM) of self-management competency following stroke; the Southampton Stroke Self-Management Questionnaire (SSSMQ).

The effects of expressive writing on lung function, quality of life, medication use, and symptoms in adults with asthma: a randomized controlled trial.

Objectives: Asthma is a chronic condition affecting 300 million people worldwide. Management involves adherence to pharmacological treatments such as corticosteroids and β-agonists, but residual symptoms persist. As asthma symptoms are exacerbated by stress, one possible adjunct to pharmacological treatment is expressive writing (EW).

Patients' treatment beliefs in low back pain: development and validation of a questionnaire in primary care.

Choosing the most appropriate treatment for individual patients with low back pain (LBP) can be challenging, and clinical guidelines recommend taking into account patients' preferences. However, no tools exist to assess or compare patients' views about LBP treatments. We report the development and validation of the Low Back Pain Treatment Beliefs Questionnaire (LBP-TBQ) for use across different treatments in clinical practice and research.

Parents' expressed emotion and mood, rather than their physical disability are associated with adolescent adjustment: a longitudinal study of families with a parent with multiple sclerosis.

Objective: This study investigated the impact of the severity of parental multiple sclerosis, parents' expressed emotion and psychological well-being on offspring's psychological difficulties.

Design: A longitudinal study including baseline and 6-month follow-up data collected from parents and children.

Subjects: Adolescents (n=75), their parents with multiple sclerosis (n=56) and the partner without multiple sclerosis (n=40).

Detecting acute distress and risk of future psychological morbidity in critically ill patients: validation of the intensive care psychological assessment tool.

Introduction: The psychological impact of critical illness on a patient can be severe, and frequently results in acute distress as well as psychological morbidity after leaving hospital. A UK guideline states that patients should be assessed in critical care units, both for acute distress and risk of future psychological morbidity; but no suitable method for carrying out this assessment exists. The Intensive care psychological assessment tool (IPAT) was developed as a simple, quick screening tool to be used routinely to detect acute distress, and the risk of future psychological morbidity, in critical care units.

The impact of nutritional labels and socioeconomic status on energy intake. An experimental field study.

There is some evidence for paradoxical effects of nutritional labelling on energy intake particularly amongst restrained eaters and those with a higher body mass index (BMI) resulting in greater consumption of energy from foods with a positive health message (e.g. "low-fat") compared with the same foods, unlabelled.

Written emotional disclosure for asthma.

Background: Psychological stress has been widely implicated in asthma exacerbation. Evidence suggests that written emotional disclosure, an intervention that involves writing about traumatic or stressful experiences, helps to reduce stress and promote physical and psychological well-being. Written emotional disclosure may have a role in the management of asthma.

Development and reliability of a system to classify the eating and drinking ability of people with cerebral palsy.

Aim: The aim of this study was to develop a valid classification system to describe eating and drinking ability in people with cerebral palsy (CP), and to test its reliability.

Method: The Eating and Drinking Ability Classification System (EDACS) was developed in four stages in consultation with individuals with CP, parents, and health professionals: Stage 1, drafting informed by literature and clinical experience; Stage 2, modification by nominal groups; Stage 3, refinement in an international Delphi survey; and Stage 4, testing of agreement and reliability between classifications made by speech and language therapists (SaLTs), and between SaLTs and parents.

Results: Seven nominal groups involved 56 participants; 95 people participated in two rounds of the Delphi survey.

Patients' expectations of private osteopathic care in the UK: a national survey of patients.

Background: Patients' expectations of osteopathic care have been little researched. The aim of this study was to quantify the most important expectations of patients in private UK osteopathic practices, and the extent to which those expectations were met or unmet.

Methods: The study involved development and application of a questionnaire about patients' expectations of osteopathic care.

Separating emotions from consequences in muscle disease: comparing beneficial and unhelpful illness schemata to inform intervention development.

Objective: Muscle diseases are currently untreatable and people with muscle disease experience reduced quality of life (QoL) and low mood. Patient's illness perceptions explain large proportions of the variance in QoL and mood, even after considering the impact of disease severity. Therefore a psychological intervention which helps patients modify their illness perceptions may improve QoL and mood even as the disease progresses.

Change in anxiety following successful and unsuccessful attempts at smoking cessation: cohort study.

Background: Despite a lack of empirical evidence, many smokers and health professionals believe that tobacco smoking reduces anxiety, which may deter smoking cessation.

Aims: The study aim was to assess whether successful smoking cessation or relapse to smoking after a quit attempt are associated with changes in anxiety.

Method: A total of 491 smokers attending National Health Service smoking cessation clinics in England were followed up 6 months after enrolment in a trial of pharmacogenetic tailoring of nicotine replacement therapy (ISRCTN14352545).

A short measure of quality of life in older age: the performance of the brief Older People's Quality of Life questionnaire (OPQOL-brief).

Promoting quality of life in older age is an internationally recognized priority, requiring valid measurement. We present a short version of the established Older People's Quality of Life questionnaire (OPQOL-brief). The full OPQOL-35 was original in being developed from the perspectives of older people, assessed conceptually, and validated with a population sample using gold-standard psychometric assessment.

Validity of two common asthma-specific quality of life questionnaires: Juniper mini asthma quality of life questionnaire and Sydney asthma quality of life questionnaire.

Background: This study explored the psychometric properties (internal consistency, construct validity, discriminative ability) of the Juniper Mini Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (Mini AQLQ-J) and the Sydney Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (AQLQ-S).

Methods: One hundred fourty-six adults (18-45 years) with asthma requiring regular inhaled corticosteroids were recruited to a trial of written emotional disclosure. Correlational analyses were performed to understand the relationship of the two measures with each other, with symptoms, lung function, asthma control, asthma bother and generic quality of life.