Decomposing socioeconomic inequality in dental caries in Iran: cross-sectional results from the PERSIAN cohort study.

Background: The current study aimed to measure and decompose socioeconomic-related inequalities in DMFT (decayed, missing, and filled teeth) index among adults in Iran.

Methods: The study data were extracted from the adult component of Prospective Epidemiological Research Studies in IrAN (PERSIAN) from 17 centers in 14 different provinces of Iran. DMFT score was used as a measure of dental caries among adults in Iran.

Effect of crocin, a carotenoid from saffron, on plasma cholesteryl ester transfer protein and lipid profile in subjects with metabolic syndrome: A double blind randomized clinical trial.

Background: Metabolic syndrome is defined by insulin resistance and a clustering of other cardiovascular risk factors. Crocin is a carotenoid derived from the stigmas of the saffron flower and had previously been shown to affect lipid profile. However, the mechanism for this function is not well understood.

Feasibility of automatic evaluation of clinical rules in general practice.

Purpose: To assess the extent to which clinical rules (CRs) can be implemented for automatic evaluation of quality of care in general practice.

Methods: We assessed 81 clinical rules (CRs) adapted from a subset of Assessing Care of Vulnerable Elders (ACOVE) clinical rules, against Dutch College of General Practitioners (NHG) data model. Each CR was analyzed using the Logical Elements Rule METHOD: (LERM).

Cytokine and growth factor profiling in patients with the metabolic syndrome.

The metabolic syndrome (MetS) is associated with a pro-inflammatory milieu that may partially account for its association with an increased cardiovascular risk. We aimed to (1) evaluate the serum concentrations of twelve cytokines and growth factors (epidermal growth factor (EGF), interferon-γ (IFN-γ), IL-1α/-1β/-2/-4/-6/-8/-10, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), TNF-α and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)) in 303 individuals with or without the MetS; and (2) explore their relationship with the presence of the MetS. Patients with the MetS had significantly higher serum concentrations of IFN-γ, EGF, IL-1α/-1β/-2/-4/-6/-8/-10, MCP-1 and TNF-α, whilst serum VEGF concentrations were markedly lower compared with the control group (e.

An imbalance in serum concentrations of inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines in hypertension.

Hypertension is an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease and there is increasing evidence that inflammation and abnormal immune responses are involved in the pathogenesis of hypertension. However, the data on the association between specific cytokine concentrations and hypertension are inconsistent. We have evaluated the association between 12 cytokines/growth factors and the presence of different degrees of hypertension, comparing these concentrations to values in a healthy group of subjects.

Fall-related Information seeking behavior of seniors on the web.

Falls form a major health problem for older persons, and increasingly strain the healthcare system. The Internet is a potentially useful platform for empowering seniors. The aim of this study was therefore to investigate the information-seeking behavior about falls among elderly Internet users.

Different risk-increasing drugs in recurrent versus single fallers: are recurrent fallers a distinct population?

Background: Polypharmacy, and specifically the use of multiple fall-risk-increasing drugs (FRID), have been associated with increased risk of falling in older age. However, it is not yet clear whether the known set of FRIDs can be extrapolated to recurrent fallers, since they form a distinct group of more vulnerable older persons with different characteristics.

Objectives: We aim to investigate which classes of medications are associated with recurrent falls in elderly patients visiting the Emergency Department (ED) after a fall.

A combined disease management and process modeling approach for assessing and improving care processes: a fall management case-study.

Objectives: To propose a combined disease management and process modeling approach for evaluating and improving care processes, and demonstrate its usability and usefulness in a real-world fall management case study.

Methods: We identified essential disease management related concepts and mapped them into explicit questions meant to expose areas for improvement in the respective care processes. We applied the disease management oriented questions to a process model of a comprehensive real world fall prevention and treatment program covering primary and secondary care.

Frequency and nature of drug-drug interactions in the intensive care unit.

Purpose: Drug-drug interactions (DDIs) may compromise patient safety. However, there are no good estimates of their frequency or understanding of their nature in the intensive care unit (ICU). The objective of this study was to determine the frequency and nature of potential DDIs (pDDIs) in the ICU when assessed in light of documented and perceived clinical relevance.

Inappropriateness of medication prescriptions to elderly patients in the primary care setting: a systematic review.

Background: Inappropriate medication prescription is a common cause of preventable adverse drug events among elderly persons in the primary care setting.

Objective: The aim of this systematic review is to quantify the extent of inappropriate prescription to elderly persons in the primary care setting.

Methods: We systematically searched Ovid-Medline and Ovid-EMBASE from 1950 and 1980 respectively to March 2012.

Relevance of drug-drug interaction in the ICU - perceptions of intensivists and pharmacists.

Relevancy of potential drug-drug interactions (pDDIs) is crucial in alerting system design. However, the way this relevancy is perceived is not well understood. The main objective of this study was to gauge and identify differences in perceptions of intensivists and pharmacists about pDDI relevancy in the ICU.

Assessing quality of care of elderly patients using the ACOVE quality indicator set: a systematic review.

Background: Care of the elderly is recognized as an increasingly important segment of health care. The Assessing Care Of Vulnerable Elderly (ACOVE) quality indicators (QIs) were developed to assess and improve the care of elderly patients.

Objectives: The purpose of this review is to summarize studies that assess the quality of care using QIs from or based on ACOVE, in order to evaluate the state of quality of care for the reported conditions.

Studies pertaining to the ACOVE quality criteria: a systematic review.

Purpose: To identify and uniformly describe studies employing the Assessing Care Of Vulnerable Elders (ACOVE) quality indicators within a comprehensive thematic model that reflects how the indicators were used.

Data Sources: A systematic search of MEDLINE, EMBASE and CINAHL was conducted.

Study Selection: English-language studies meeting our criteria published prior to January 2010.