Assessment of adherence to corticosteroids in asthma by drug monitoring or fractional exhaled nitric oxide: A literature review.

Background: Although the efficacy of corticosteroid treatment in controlling asthma is widely accepted, its effectiveness is undermined by poor adherence. However, the optimal method for measuring adherence to asthma therapy remains unclear.

Objective: To perform a review of the literature reporting biological, objective methods for assessing adherence to inhaled or oral corticosteroids in asthma; we included studies reporting direct measurement of exogenous corticosteroids in blood, or the effect of adherence on exhaled nitric oxide.

Evaluation and comparison of automated and manual ELISA for diagnosis of chronic pulmonary aspergillosis (CPA) in Indonesia.

Pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) is one of the common risk factors for chronic pulmonary aspergillosis (CPA). A positive Aspergillus IgG is a key element of the diagnosis of CPA but this has not been studied in Indonesia. We conducted studies with patients at the end of TB therapy in Indonesia.

Pulmonary Aspergillosis in Patients with Suspected Ventilator-associated Pneumonia in UK ICUs.

infection in patients with suspected ventilator-associated pneumonia remains uncharacterized because of the absence of a disease definition and limited access to sensitive diagnostic tests. To estimate the prevalence and outcomes of infection in adults with suspected ventilator-associated pneumonia. Two prospective UK studies recruited 360 critically ill adults with new or worsening alveolar shadowing on chest X-ray and clinical/hematological parameters supporting suspected ventilator-associated pneumonia.

Factors influencing the amount of therapy received during inpatient stroke care: an analysis of data from the UK Sentinel Stroke National Audit Programme.

Objectives: To understand why most stroke patients receive little therapy. We investigated the factors associated with the amount of stroke therapy delivered.

Methods: Data regarding adults admitted to hospital with stroke for at least 72 hours (July 2013-July 2015) were extracted from the UK's Sentinel Stroke National Audit Programme.

Six-month reviews for stroke survivors: a study of the modified Greater Manchester Stroke Assessment Tool with care home residents.

Objectives: To explore the feasibility of using a stroke-specific toolkit for six-month post-stroke reviews in care homes to identify unmet needs and actions.

Design: An observational study including qualitative interviews to explore the process and outcome of reviews.

Setting: UK care homes.

The Burden of Fungal Infections in Ethiopia.

The burden of severe fungal infections (FIs) is not well addressed in Ethiopia. We have estimated the burden of FIs from multiple demographic sources and by searching articles from PubMed. Opportunistic FIs were estimated using modelling and 2017 national HIV data.

Fungal Diseases in Taiwan-National Insurance Data and Estimation.

The burden of fungal diseases based on the real-world national data is limited. This study aimed to estimate the Taiwan incident cases with selected fungal diseases in 2013 using the National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD) which covered 99.6% of the 23.

Prospective study of the serum Aspergillus-specific IgG, IgA and IgM assays for chronic pulmonary aspergillosis diagnosis.

Background: Chronic pulmonary aspergillosis (CPA) is an underdiagnosed and misdiagnosed disease and now increasingly recognised. However, the diagnosis of CPA remains challenging. In this study, we aimed to investigate the diagnostic values of serum Aspergillus-specific IgG, IgA and IgM antibodies in patients with CPA.

Do emotional difficulties and peer problems occur together from childhood to adolescence? The case of children with a history of developmental language disorder (DLD).

Children and adolescents with developmental language disorder (DLD) are, overall, vulnerable to difficulties in emotional adjustment and in peer relations. However, previous research has shown that different subgroups follow different trajectories in respect to the quality of peer relations. Less is known about the trajectories of emotional development.

Financial capability and functional financial literacy in young adults with developmental language disorder.

Background: Financial capability is an essential feature of the organisation of one's personal life and engagement with society. Very little is known of how adequately individuals with developmental language disorder handle financial matters. It is known that language difficulties place them at a disadvantage in many aspects of their development and during their transition into adulthood, leading to the possibility that financial issues may prove burdensome for them.

Estimated Burden of Serious Fungal Diseases in Serbia.

For the first time, we aimed to estimate the burden of serious fungal infections or diseases (SFD) and highlight national epidemiological features in Serbia. Data on population and underlining conditions were extracted from the Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia, World Bank, the Institute of Public Health of Serbia, the World Health Organization, National reference laboratory for medical mycology, the national registries of Serbian professional societies, and relevant publications. The population structure/inhabitants in 2016 (not including the autonomous region Kosovo & Metohija) was 7,058,322; with 6,041,743 adults (85.

Estimated Burden of Serious Fungal Infections in Mozambique.

Mozambique is a sub-Saharan African country with limited information on the burden of fungal disease. We estimate the burden of serious fungal infections for the general healthy population and for those at risk, including those infected with HIV, patients with asthma, as well as those under intensive care. We consult the Mozambican National Institute of Statistics Population and Housing Census report to obtain denominators for different age groups.

Risk of Being Subjected to Crime, Including Violent Crime, After Onset of Mental Illness: A Danish National Registry Study Using Police Data.

Importance: People with mental illness are more likely to have contact with the criminal justice system, but research to date has focused on risk of offense perpetration, while less is known about risk of being subjected to crime and violence.

Objectives: To establish the incidence of being subjected to all types of criminal offenses, and by violent crimes separately, after onset of mental illness across the full diagnostic spectrum compared with those in the population without mental illness.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This investigation was a longitudinal national cohort study using register data in Denmark.

Estimation of the Burden of Serious Human Fungal Infections in Malaysia.

Fungal infections (mycoses) are likely to occur more frequently as ever-increasingly sophisticated healthcare systems create greater risk factors. There is a paucity of systematic data on the incidence and prevalence of human fungal infections in Malaysia. We conducted a comprehensive study to estimate the burden of serious fungal infections in Malaysia.

Atypical Callosal Morphology in Children with Speech Sound Disorder.

Speech sound disorder (SSD) is common, yet its neurobiology is poorly understood. Recent studies indicate atypical structural and functional anomalies either in one hemisphere or both hemispheres, which might be accompanied by alterations in inter-hemispheric connectivity. Indeed, abnormalities of the corpus callosum - the main fiber tract connecting the two hemispheres - have been linked to speech and language deficits in associated disorders, such as stuttering, dyslexia, aphasia, etc.

An investigation of antifungal stewardship programmes in England.

Purpose: We sought to explore the current status of antifungal stewardship (AFS) initiatives across National Health Service (NHS) Trusts within England, the challenges and barriers, as well as ways to improve current AFS programmes.

Methodology: An electronic survey was sent to all 155 acute NHS Trusts in England. A total of 47 Trusts, corresponding to 30 % of English acute Trusts, responded to the the survey; 46 Trusts (98 %) had an antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) programme but only 5 (11 %) had a dedicated AFS programme.

F508del CFTR gene mutation in patients with allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis.

Objective: The F508del mutation occurs in approximately 3.5% of Caucasian population of Northern Europe. Heterozygotes have increased risk for asthma and reduced pulmonary function.

A multicentre study of how goal-setting is practised during inpatient stroke rehabilitation.

Objective: To describe goal-setting during inpatient stroke rehabilitation.

Design: There were two stages: an electronic questionnaire for multidisciplinary teams and an analysis of goal-setting documentation for rehabilitation patients.

Setting: Five inpatient stroke units.

Successful long-term terbinafine therapy in an asthmatic patient with sensitization and bronchiectasis.

Severe asthma with fungal sensitization (SAFS) is estimated to affect ~25% of patients with poorly controlled asthma. Tri-azole therapy is effective in only 60-80% and side effects are common. We report a 25 years-old woman with severe asthma, sensitization and marked bronchiectasis that developed a rare Achilles-tendinopathy with both itraconazole and voriconazole.

An estimate of the burden of serious fungal diseases in Greece.

Data on the epidemiology of serious fungal infections in Greece are scarce. Our aim was to calculate the burden of serious fungal diseases in Greece. A thorough literature search for papers reporting epidemiological data on serious fungal diseases in Greece was performed.

Burden of serious fungal infections in Tanzania.

The incidence and prevalence of fungal infections in Tanzania remains unknown. We assessed the annual burden in the general population and among populations at risk. Data were extracted from 2012 reports of the Tanzanian AIDS program, WHO, reports, Tanzanian census, and from a comprehensive PubMed search.

A risk prediction algorithm for ovarian cancer incorporating BRCA1, BRCA2, common alleles and other familial effects.

Background: Although BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations account for only ∼27% of the familial aggregation of ovarian cancer (OvC), no OvC risk prediction model currently exists that considers the effects of BRCA1, BRCA2 and other familial factors. Therefore, a currently unresolved problem in clinical genetics is how to counsel women with family history of OvC but no identifiable BRCA1/2 mutations.

Methods: We used data from 1548 patients with OvC and their relatives from a population-based study, with known BRCA1/2 mutation status, to investigate OvC genetic susceptibility models, using segregation analysis methods.