ISOLATION BEFORE DIAGNOSIS

Intervals before tuberculosis diagnosis and isolation at a regional hospital in Taiwan.

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE Nosocomial tuberculosis (TB) infection is still a problem in many Taiwanese hospitals. The objectives of this study were to explore the intervals before TB diagnosis and isolation at a regional hospital in Taiwan, and to provide useful knowledge to hospitals for the purpose of TB infection control. METHODS From 2002 to 2005, we included a total of 343 patients with culture-...

Alzheimer disease: before the diagnosis.

WHAT DID THESE RESEARCHERS STUDY? These researchers were interested in the idea of “cognitive reserve”—the brain’s ability to resist harm from disease. They studied the specific example of Alzheimer disease (AD), and the idea that people with more cognitive reserve might be able to continue to function fairly well even as the disease advances. To do this, they studied people before they develop...

Diagnosis of COPD before cardiac surgery.

We recently performed a retrospective study of the utility of respiratory function tests prior to cardiac surgery at our hospital. The study aimed to identify whether an association exists between pre-operative respiratory function tests and post-operative outcomes. The study also aimed to determine how the definition of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) by Global Initiative in Chron...

Adiponectin Trajectories Before Type 2 Diabetes Diagnosis

OBJECTIVE The role of adiponectin in the natural history of diabetes is not well characterized. We set out to characterize prediagnosis trajectories of adiponectin in individuals who develop type 2 diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS In a case-cohort study (335 incident diabetes case and 2,474 noncase subjects) nested in the Whitehall II study, serum adiponectin was measured up to three tim...

When prognosis precedes diagnosis: putting the cart before the horse.