Role of Phytoestrogen in Menopausal Women With Depressive Symptoms: A Consecutive Case Series Study.

Introduction During menopause, healthy women experience a diverse aggregate of clinical manifestations and symptoms that relate to hormonal and aging changes. These alterations are strictly associated with psychological disorders, mainly depression. Estrogen treatment may be effective for these mood variations caused by menopause.

Diagnostic Performance of Biomarkers for Bladder Cancer Detection Suitable for Community and Primary Care Settings: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Evidence on the use of biomarkers to detect bladder cancer in the general population is scarce. This study aimed to systematically review evidence on the diagnostic performance of biomarkers which might be suitable for use in community and primary care settings [PROSPERO Registration: CRD42021258754]. Database searches on MEDLINE and EMBASE from January 2000 to May 2022 resulted in 4914 unique citations, 44 of which met inclusion criteria.

Out-of-hours services and end-of-life hospital admissions: a complex intervention systematic review and narrative synthesis.

Background: Out-of-hours (OOH) hospital admissions for patients receiving end-of-life care are a common cause of concern for patients, families, clinicians, and policymakers. It is unclear what issues, or combinations of issues, lead OOH clinicians to initiate hospital care for these patients.

Aim: To investigate the circumstances, processes, and mechanisms of UK OOH services-initiated end-of-life care hospital admissions.

Smoking Cessation Advisory Intervention in Patients with Cardiovascular Disease.

Introduction: Several studies have examined the efficacy of smoking cessation therapies in the general population. However little is known about the efficacy of these advisory methods in cardiovascular patients.

Aim: The aim of the study is to determine the prevalence and the characteristics of smoking abstinence in cardiovascular patients, after a smoking intervention during hospitalization.

Vernakalant versus ibutilide for immediate conversion of recent-onset atrial fibrillation.

Background: The pharmacological cardioversion of recent-onset atrial fibrillation (AF) is a challenge for the clinician. The aim of the study was to compare the efficacy, the safety, and the overall cost of intravenous (iv) administration of vernakalant, which is a relatively new atrial-selective antiarrhythmic agent, versus ibutilide, in cardioversion of recent-onset AF.

Methods: We enrolled in this study 78 patients (56 men, 22 women; mean age 63.

A Systematic Content Analysis of Policy Barriers Impeding Access to Opioid Medication in Central and Eastern Europe: Results of ATOME.

Context: Reliable access to opioid medication is critical to delivering effective pain management, adequate treatment of opioid dependence, and quality palliative care. However, more than 80% of the world population is estimated to be inadequately treated for pain because of difficulties in accessing opioids. Although barriers to opioid access are primarily associated with restrictive laws, regulations, and licensing requirements, a key problem that significantly limits opioid access relates to policy constraints.

Physician-reported practices on continuous deep sedation until death: A descriptive and comparative study.

Background: Research on continuous deep sedation until death has focused on estimating prevalence and describing clinical practice across care settings. However, evidence on sedation practices by physician specialty is scarce.

Aims: To compare and contrast physician-reported practices on continuous deep sedation until death between general practitioners and medical specialists.

Current debates on end-of-life sedation: an international expert elicitation study.

Purpose: End-of-life sedation, though increasingly prevalent and widespread internationally, remains one of the most highly debated medical practices in the context of palliative medicine. This qualitative study aims to elicit and record the perspectives of leading international palliative care experts on current debates.

Methods: Twenty-one professionals from diverse backgrounds, sharing field-specific knowledge/expertise defined by significant scholarly contribution on end-of-life sedation, were recruited.

The complexity of nurses' attitudes and practice of sedation at the end of life: a systematic literature review.

Context: Sedation is administered to some palliative care patients at the end of their life. Nurses play an important role in this practice.

Objectives: To systematically review the evidence on nurses' attitudes and practice of end-of-life sedation.

From sedation to continuous sedation until death: how has the conceptual basis of sedation in end-of-life care changed over time?

Context: Numerous attempts have been made to describe and define sedation in end-of-life care over time. However, confusion and inconsistency in the use of terms and definitions persevere in the literature, making interpretation, comparison, and extrapolation of many studies and case analyses problematic.

Objectives: This evidence review aims to address and account for the conceptual debate over the terminology and definitions ascribed to sedation at the end of life over time.

Continuous sedation (CS) until death: mapping the literature by bibliometric analysis.

Context: Sedation at the end of life, regardless of the nomenclature, is an increasingly debated practice at both clinical and bioethical levels. However, little is known about the characteristics and trends in scientific publications in this field of study.

Objectives: This article presents a bibliometric analysis of the scientific publications on continuous sedation until death.

Plasma levels of lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A(2) are increased in patients with β-thalassemia.

Lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A(2) (Lp-PLA(2)) is an independent cardiovascular risk factor. We investigated the plasma levels of Lp-PLA(2) activity and mass as a function of plasma lipid levels, LDL subclass profile, and oxidative stress in patients with β-thalassemia. Thirty-five patients with β-thalassemia major (β-TM) and 25 patients with β-thalassemia intermedia (β-TI) participated in the study.

Vitamin D receptor gene polymorphisms and susceptibility to type 1 diabetes in Crete, Greece.

Introduction: Association studies of vitamin D receptor (VDR) polymorphisms and risk of type 1 diabetes (T1D) have produced inconsistent results in different populations, pointing to contribution of additional genetic variants and environmental factors. In this study we investigated the association between four VDR polymorphisms and susceptibility to T1D in Crete, an island with homogenous population and considerably low incidence of T1D.

Results And Discussion: We genotyped 100 patients with T1D and 96 controls for the FokI (rs10735810), BsmI (rs1544410), ApaI (rs7975232), and TaqI (rs731236) single nucleotide polymorphisms by polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis.

Staphylococcus aureus nasal carriage might be associated with vitamin D receptor polymorphisms in type 1 diabetes.

Background: Polymorphisms in the vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene have been associated with susceptibility to several diseases, including type 1 diabetes (T1D) and infections. In this study we investigated whether VDR gene polymorphisms influence nasal carriage of Staphylococcus aureus in individuals with T1D.

Methods: In 93 T1D patients, VDR polymorphisms on FokI F>f, BsmI B>b, ApaI A>a, and TaqI T>t were determined in DNA extracted from peripheral blood leukocytes, and a nasal swab was obtained to detect colonization by S.

Effects of eprosartan on serum metabolic parameters in patients with essential hypertension.

The effect of the anti-hypertensive drug eprosartan on metabolic parameters is currently not extensively documented. We evaluated the effect of eprosartan on parameters involved in atherogenesis, oxidative stress and clotting activity. This open-label unblinded intervention study included 40 adult patients with essential hypertension taking eprosartan.

Reporting distress and quality of life of patients with diabetes mellitus in primary and secondary care in Greece.

Background and aim This study constitutes an initial attempt at elucidating the relationship between quality of life (QoL), health status and psychological distress in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) in Greece, by comparing patients with DM registered at a rural primary healthcare centre (PHCC) and those attending a diabetes outpatient clinic (DOC) at an urban hospital.Methods Cross-sectional study. Participants were consecutive, consenting patients with a known history of type 2DM(T2 DM), currently registered at either of the two centres.

The effects of orlistat and fenofibrate, alone or in combination, on high-density lipoprotein subfractions and pre-beta1-HDL levels in obese patients with metabolic syndrome.

Objective: We assessed the effect of orlistat and fenofibrate, alone or in combination, on plasma high-density lipoprotein (HDL) subfractions and plasma pre-beta1-HDL levels in overweight and obese subjects with metabolic syndrome (MetS).

Methods: Patients (n = 89) were prescribed a low-fat low-calorie diet and were randomly allocated to receive orlistat 120 mg three times daily (O group), micronized fenofibrate 200 mg/day (F group) or both (OF group) for 6 months. HDL subfractions were determined using a polyacrylamide gel tube electrophoresis method and pre-beta1-HDL levels using enzyme-linked immunoabsorbent assay.