BACKGROUND CD4+ T lymphocyte enumeration plays a critical role in the initiation and monitoring of HIV-infected patients on antiretroviral therapy. There is an urgent need for low-cost CD4+ enumeration technologies, particularly for use in dry, dusty climates characteristic of many small cities in Sub-Saharan Africa. DESIGN Cross-sectional study. METHODS Blood samples from 98 HIV-infected p...

PURPOSE MUC4 shows aberrant expression in early pancreatic lesions and a high specificity for pancreatic cancer. It thus has a high potential to be a sensitive and specific biomarker. Unfortunately, its low serum level limits its diagnostic/prognostic potential. We here report that a multifaceted acute phase protein lipocalin 2, regulated by MUC4, could be a potential diagnostic/prognostic mark...

OBJECTIVE To determine the mean level of adherence and factors contributing to non-adherence in patients on Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART). METHODS An observational study was done on 101 HIV/AIDS patients attending the Centre for HIV/ AIDS Research, Education and Services (CHARES) - University Hospital of the West Indies, between May 2006 and August 2006. A questionnaire was adm...

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to validate a quantitative food-frequency questionnaire (QFFQ) created for assessing the usual intake of foods and nutrients in the prevailing season in Western Mali. DESIGN Intake of foods and nutrients over the week preceding the interview was measured with a 69-item QFFQ. Intakes were compared with intakes as measured with 2-day combined weighed and ...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The e-ASPECTS software is a tool for the automated use of ASPECTS. Our aim was to analyze whether baseline e-ASPECT scores correlate with outcome after mechanical thrombectomy. MATERIALS AND METHODS Patients with ischemic strokes in the anterior circulation who were admitted between 2010 and 2015, diagnosed by CT, and received mechanical thrombectomy were included. The ...

OBJECTIVE A high genomic load of Pneumococcus from blood or cerebrospinal fluid has been associated with increased mortality. We aimed to analyse whether nasopharyngeal colonisation density in HIV-infected patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is associated with markers of disease severity or poor outcome. METHODS Quantitative lytA real-time PCR was performed on nasopharyngeal swab...

BACKGROUND Dysphagia is a common side effect of anticancer treatments in patients with head and neck cancer (HNC) and can worsen patients' quality of life. A well-established measure is essential to evaluate dysphagia in HNC patients. OBJECTIVES The aim of this study is to determine the psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the M.D. Anderson Dysphagia Inventory (MDADI-C) for HNC p...

AIMS Atrial overdrive pacing algorithms increase Atrial Pacing Percentage (APP) to reduce Atrial Tachyarrhythmia (AT) recurrences in patients with Brady-Tachy Syndrome (BTS). This study aimed to compare AT burden and APP in BTS patients treated with conventional DDDR pacing, DDD+ overdrive or Closed-Loop Stimulation (CLS). METHODS AND RESULTS One hundred and forty-nine BTS patients were inclu...

INTRODUCTION Physical activity (PA) is protective against non-communicable diseases and it can reduce premature mortality. However, it is difficult to assess the frequency, duration, type and intensity of PA. The global physical activity questionnaire (GPAQ) has been developed by World Health Organization with the aim of having valid and reliable estimates of PA. The primary aim of this study i...

INTRODUCTION The Instrumento de Evaluación de Modelos de Atención ante la Cronicidad/Assessment of Readiness for Chronicity in Health Care Organisations instrument was developed to implement the conceptual framework of the Chronic Care Model in the Spanish national health system. It has been used to assess readiness to tackle chronicity in health care organisations. In this study, we use self-a...