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What is a statistical genocide? Memo for an active nursing management of the new reform of the national health system. A recent editorial note in a journal which is certainly culturally and not only scientifically relevant as The Lancet, underlines how statistics, a discipline and methodology expected to be highly reliable and needed to produce critical evidences for programming and evaluating health issues and interventions, has become in various scenarios a misleading tool, by its capacity of using data to manipulate epidemiological information which coincides with the specific cancellation of situations of violation of human and health rights. As we live in a time and in contexts where data are becoming the protagonists of the decision-making processes from the digitalisation of all information, to the uncontrollable dependence from algorithms in deciding priorities and 'personalised' care the alarm raised deserves attention: not exclusively to avoid misled behaviour, but more importantly to assure better and truly innovative practices. In the present challenging situation, which sees the nursing profession planned to acquire more substantial autonomy in the production of knowledge, the alarm could and should be interpreted as a 'sentinel provocation' (and concrete model scenarios are proposed) to manage and utilise data which focus and made better targeted populations more exposed to conditions of fragility and marginalisation: the dominance of administrative data directed mainly to monitor economic sustainability, must be integrated and re-directed to a care where the human rights to health are the indicators and the measure of outcomes.

Background: Statin therapy is effective for the prevention of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and is widely prescribed, but there are persisting concerns that statin therapy might frequently cause muscle pain or weakness. We aimed to address these through an individual participant data meta-analysis of all recorded adverse muscle events in large, long-term, randomised, double-blind trials of statin therapy. Methods: Randomised trials of statin therapy were eligible if they aimed to recruit at least 1000 participants with a scheduled treatment duration of at least 2 years, and involved a double-blind comparison of statin versus placebo or of a more intensive versus a less intensive statin regimen. We analysed individual participant data from 19 double-blind trials of statin versus placebo (n=123 940) and four double-blind trials of a more intensive versus a less intensive statin regimen (n=30 724). Standard inverse-variance-weighted meta-analyses of the effects on muscle outcomes were conducted according to a prespecified protocol. Findings: Among 19 placebo-controlled trials (mean age 63 years [SD 8], with 34 533 [27·9%] women, 59 610 [48·1%] participants with previous vascular disease, and 22 925 [18·5%] participants with diabetes), during a weighted average median follow-up of 4·3 years, 16 835 (27·1%) allocated statin versus 16 446 (26·6%) allocated placebo reported muscle pain or weakness (rate ratio [RR] 1·03; 95% CI 1·01–1·06). During year 1, statin therapy produced a 7% relative increase in muscle pain or weakness (1·07; 1·04–1·10), corresponding to an absolute excess rate of 11 (6–16) events per 1000 person-years, which indicates that only one in 15 ([1·07–1·00]/1·07) of these muscle-related reports by participants allocated to statin therapy were actually due to the statin. After year 1, there was no significant excess in first reports of muscle pain or weakness (0·99; 0·96–1·02). For all years combined, more intensive statin regimens (ie, 40–80 mg atorvastatin or 20–40 mg rosuvastatin once per day) yielded a higher RR than less intensive or moderate-intensity regimens (1·08 [1·04–1·13] vs 1·03 [1·00–1·05]) compared with placebo, and a small excess was present (1·05 [0·99–1·12]) for more intensive regimens after year 1. There was no clear evidence that the RR differed for different statins, or in different clinical circumstances. Statin therapy yielded a small, clinically insignificant increase in median creatine kinase values of approximately 0·02 times the upper limit of normal. Interpretation: Statin therapy caused a small excess of mostly mild muscle pain. Most (>90%) of all reports of muscle symptoms by participants allocated statin therapy were not due to the statin. The small risks of muscle symptoms are much lower than the known cardiovascular benefits. There is a need to review the clinical management of muscle symptoms in patients taking a statin. Funding: British Heart Foundation, Medical Research Council, Australian National Health and Medical Research Council.

BackgroundWe aim to describe the characteristics and outcomes of the severe spectrum of paediatric emergency visits using a multi-site registry developed as part of an international cooperation project.MethodsThis observational registry-based study presented descriptive statistics of clinical and outcome data on urgent-emergency paediatric visits from 7 Nicaraguan hospitals, including the national referral paediatric hospital, between January and December 2017. Extensive piloting to ensure data collection feasibility, sustainability and accuracy was carried out in 2016 with substantial input and feedback from local stakeholders.ResultsOverall, 3521 visits of patients ConclusionsThe mortality rate of urgent-emergency paediatric visits in Nicaragua is high, with younger children being most at risk and the majority of deaths being eventually caused by septic shock or respiratory failure. Our data provide useful information for the development of a Paediatric Emergency Care network to help direct training efforts, resources and logistic/organisational interventions to improve children’s health in an emergency setting in Nicaragua.

Background: The existence, the components and the clinical relevance of treatment related cardiotoxicity in breast cancer patients are still the subject of controversial findings and recommendations. Two of the possible main determinants of uncertainty were taken as the focus of the present analysis of cardiovascular (CV) mortality and morbidity: the overtime changing risk profile of breast cancer protocols; the age-dependence of the role of background CV risk. Methods: Prospective comparative assessment of two cohorts of breast cancer women, cases, and their closely matched controls followed for three (36 330) and five years (23 906), covering the period Jan 1, 2007 to Dec 31, 2013. The pertinent NHS administrative databases were analyzed with Cox proportional hazards regression models to assess the differences in the incidence of fatal and not fatal CV events between pre-stratified cohorts of cases and controls representing three successive generations of breast cancer care and three age groups

Background Novel circulating biomarkers may help in understanding the underlying mechanisms of atrial fibrillation (AF), a challenge for AF management and prevention of cardiovascular (CV) events. Whether glycosylation affects the prognostic value of N-terminal pro-B type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) in AF is still unknown. Objectives To test how deglycosylated total NT-proBNP, NT-proBNP and a panel of biomarkers are associated with: (1) recurrent AF, (2) first hospitalization for CV reasons. Methods A total of 382 patients of the GISSI-AF trial in sinus rhythm with a history of AF, echocardiographic variables, total NT-proBNP, NT-proBNP and nine additional biomarkers [Total N-terminal pro-B type natriuretic peptide (Total NT proBNP), N-terminal pro-B type natriuretic peptide (NTproBNP), Angiopoietin 2 (Ang2), Bone morphogenic protein-10 (BMP10), Dickkopf-related protein-3 (DKK3), Endothelial cell specific molecule-1 (ESM1), Fatty acid-binding protein 3 (FABP3), Fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23), Growth differentiation factor-15 (GDF15), Insulin-like growth factor-binding protein-7 (IGFBP7) and Myosin binding protein C3 (MYPBC3)]. were assayed at baseline, 6 and 12 months under blind conditions in a laboratory at Roche Diagnostics, Penzberg, Germany. The associations between circulating biomarkers and AF at the 6- and 12-month visits, and their predictive value, were assessed in multivariable models with logistic regression analysis and Cox proportional hazards regression analysis. Biomarkers associations were modelled for 1SD increase in their level. Results Over a median follow-up of 365 days, 203/382 patients (53.1%) had at least one recurrence of AF and 16.3% were hospitalized for CV reasons. Total NT-proBNP, NT-proBNP, Ang2 and BMP10 showed the strongest associations with ongoing AF. Natriuretic peptides also predicted recurrent AF (total NT-proBNP: HR:1.19[1.04–1.36], p = 0.026; NT-proBNP: HR:1.19[1.06–1.35], p = 0.016; Ang2: HR:1.07[0.95–1.20], p = 0.283; BMP10: HR:1.09[0.96–1.25], p = 0.249) and CV hospitalization (total NT-proBNP: HR:1.57[1.29–1.90], p Conclusions The association of total NT-proBNP with the risk of AF first recurrence was similar to that of NT-proBNP, suggesting no influence of glycosylation. Analogous results were obtained for the risk of first hospitalization for CV reasons. Natriuretic peptides, Ang2 and BMP10 were associated with ongoing AF. Findings from the last two biomarkers point to a pathogenic role of cardiac extracellular matrix and cardiomyocyte growth in the myocardium of the right atrium and ventricle.

Cultural meta-analysis 2: the after Covid-19. Against the background of the promises-expectations of an ethically and ecologically renewed and resilient world (declared needed to compensate and to avoid the repetition of the pandemic tragedy), the same methodology proposed in the heart of the Covid scenario has been applied: a cultural metanalysis - transversal through and comprehensive of the various points of view which have had ( and seem to have) an important role for a period defined as 'some light at the end of the tunnel'. After the mandatory priority of a focus on the most qualified health literature, the survey provides essential elements of information and analysis on scenarios which more closely coincide with the challenges to be faced if and when the imaginary of a 'different-better' world should be translated into reality, specifically in the model area of health. With the obvious limitation of an exercise of methodology (which cannot pretend to a completeness of coverage), both world famous and 'significant' authors are included, as well as Italian voices. The take-home - not easy - message is clear. The pandemic has not been an 'health-disease' event. Its 'syndemic' nature (i.e. its interaction with structural, permanent, economic, social, cultural pandemics) imposes the acceptance and the long-term pursuit of new civilisation paradigms. Health care is definitely one of the areas where this cultural challenge must be met.

The goal of therapy for essential thrombocythemia (ET) and polycythemia vera (PV) patients is to reduce thrombotic events by normalizing blood counts. Hydroxyurea (HU) and interferon-α (IFN-α) are the most frequently used cytoreductive options for ET and PV patients at high-risk for vascular complications. Myeloproliferative Disorders Research Consortium 112 was an investigator-initiated, phase 3 trial comparing HU to pegylated IFN-α (PEG) in treatment naïve, high-risk ET/PV patients. The primary endpoint was complete response (CR) rate at 12 months. A total of 168 patients were treated for a median of 81.0 weeks. CR for HU was 37% and 35% for PEG (p=0.80) at 12 months. At 24/36 months, CR was 20%/17% for HU and 29%/33% for PEG. PEG led to a greater reduction in JAK2V617F at 24 months, but histopathologic responses were more frequent with HU. Thrombotic events and disease progression were infrequent in both arms, while grade 3/4 adverse events were more frequent with PEG (46% vs. 28%). At 12 months of treatment there was no significant difference in CR rates between HU and PEG. This study indicates that PEG and HU are both effective treatments for PV and ET. With longer treatment PEG was more effective in normalizing blood counts and reducing driver mutation burden, while HU produced more histopathologic responses. Despite these differences, both agents did not differ in limiting thrombotic events and disease progression in high-risk ET/PV patients. (Funded by the National Cancer Institute, 5P01CA108671-09; clinicaltrials.gov number (NCT01259856). [Abstract copyright: Copyright © 2022 American Society of Hematology.]

Prevalence of Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Three Andean Countries: Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis 2000-2017

Background Relevance of low ( Methods Regardless of treatment assignment (to receive albumin or not), all subjects enrolled in the ALBIOS trial received early goal-directed therapy aiming for Scvo2 ≥ 70% at 6 h. Using multivariable logistic regression analyses, we tested the association between Scvo2 Results Scvo2 Conclusions In the ALBIOS trial, persistence of low Scvo2 was associated with higher 90-day mortality, possibly because it reflected underlying cardiac dysfunction. Subjects with Scvo2 Trial Registry ClinicalTrials.gov; No. NCT00707122; URL: www.clinicaltrials.gov.

For a visibility of the subjects of health as a human right/common good. In order to make the many populations of the national health service visible and to produce data that can be used as a guide for health planning, the fragmentation currently present in the databases, prevents the cross-communication and should be overcomed. Social, economical and health indicators should help to shape subgroups of populations and their needs, to render visible the problems (met and unmet) at community level. The critical step is the move from an epidemiology limited to the description of population problems to one that allows to highlight problems' avoidability.

Child health inequalities violate children’s rights to optimal wellbeing. Different issues worldwide affect children’s physical and mental health as well as their development, influencing their future as adults. Inequities are avoidable inequalities. Despite improvements in the past two decades, the ambitious goals of global agendas have, for the most part, remained as expectations with regard to childhood rights, social justice, and health equity in practice. The concept of social determinants of health has become part of the common language in certain settings, but this is still too little to improve health in practice on a global scale, particularly for underprivileged subgroups of the community, as children and adolescents often are. Pediatric health professionals and their organizations are also responsible for guaranteeing children’s and adolescents’ right to health and better wellbeing, helping to reduce health inequalities.

Ceramides are sphingolipids that play roles as structural lipids and as second messengers in biological processes. Circulating ceramides are influenced by diet/food and predict major cardiovascular (CV) events, such as atrial fibrillation (AF). In 1227 patients with symptomatic chronic heart failure (HF), an association between diet and ceramides was found for coffee consumption of ≥3 cups and Cer(d18:1/24:0). Increased Cer(d18:1/24:0) was associated with lower incident AF (24.3% vs 15.4% tertile 1 vs 3, P = 0.016) and lower CV mortality (28.4% vs 12.0% tertile 1 vs 3, P < 0.0001). For coffee consumption, only an association with incident AF was found (24.5% never, 5.2% ≥3 cups). These inverse associations with AF were confirmed in survival analyses corrected for biomarkers (Cer(d18:1/24:0) HR: 0.79, P = 0.018; coffee consumption HR: 0.22, P = 0.001). In conclusion, higher coffee intake was associated with a lower risk of incident AF and with higher concentrations of Cer(d18:1/24:0). Cer(d18:1/24:0) was inversely associated to risk of AF.

Background: Despite the need for cardiac surgery in Sub-Saharan Africa, access is still very limited. Active since 2007, the Salam Centre for Cardiac Surgery, run by EMERGENCY NGO and co-financed by the Sudanese government, offers heart surgery free of charge. Methods: Retrospective cohort study of 8369 consecutive patients undergoing open-heart surgery between 2007 and 2019, from Sudan (81%) and from neighbouring countries (19%). Findings: Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) was prevalent in 80% of adults (median age 28, Q1-Q3 20-37); with 43% isolated mitral, 11% aortic and 46% multiple valve procedures. Out of the 1396 (17%) patients with congenital heart disease (CHD), 74% were children (< 15 years). Continuity over the years and the low hospital/ 30 days mortality (2·9% RHD; 3·4% CHD) reflect the quality of in-hospital care. Outpatient and oral anticoagulation clinics ensured care after discharge, leading to a 5-years loss-to-follow-up for RHD patients of 18% and a 5-years overall survival of 89.6% (95% CI: 88.9-90.3), with values over 90% for MV and AV surgeries . The programme has also provided training for more than 400 local healthcare workers (2013–2019). Interpretation: The overall favorable results strongly support the original hypothesis that quality, gratuity, and long-term commitment represent the key elements in the collaboration between a humanitarian independent NGO and institutional actors, paving the way for wider, sustainable developments. Funding: The SALAM Centre is funded by EMERGENCY-NGO and by the Sudanese Government. The average Government Contribution in 2007-2019 amounts to 32% of the project’s overall costs, reaching 50% in 2014-2017. Declaration of Interest: We declare no competing interests. Ethical Approval: The institutional ethics board of the University of Milan have approved this study and, due to the nature of retrospective chart reviews, waived the need for informed consent from individual patients.

A cultural meta-analysis for post Covid-19 times. The professional and human experience of the still ongoing emergency which has transformed the structure itself of the lives of world countries has generated a very large and fragmented spectrum of mainly descriptive and narrative publications (from inside the professions involved, as well as on the impact of the pandemia on the society) which defy any tentative of comprehensive understanding. This contribution proposes the results of an unusual, possibly provocative, metanalytic approach adapted to assess the existence, if any, of general evidences which could be assumed as a take home message of the heterogeneous, highly rich, mainly qualitative materials which have been produced so far: on the care aspects of the pandemia as well as on its more general significance for and impact on the society. The predefined biases and limitations of this approach (defined as cultural, i.e.which tries to provide an overall picture beyond the details) are declared to introduce and justify the outcome results of the exercise: a series of keywords is presented and commented as a guide into the future of a nursing profession ready and willing to have a more autonomous and innovative professional identity in the health care scenario and in the society.

Background Economic crises have heterogeneous effects on population-level mortality between high- and low- or middle-income countries. Argentina – a middle income country- has suffered economic crises repeatedly over the past 30 years and is a model case study for the effects of economic crises on mortality. Methods Over 28 years (1990-2017), all death records in Argentina were analysed at the most disaggregated level possible (departments, that is, second-level administrative divisions). Age-and-sex-standardized all-cause mortality, premature death (

Objective(1) to test the association with prevalent and incident atrial fibrillation (AF), and prognosis of total N-terminal pro-B type natriuretic peptide (total NT-proBNP) and of a panel of biomarkers; (2) to assess iwhether the extent of glycosylation affects the relation of NT-proBNP with AF.MethodsIn a sub-study of the GISSI-AF trial on 382 patients in sinus rhythm with a history of AF, echocardiographic variables and eight circulating biomarkers were serially assayed over one year. The relations between circulating baseline biomarkers and AF and the risk of CV events, were assessed by Cox-analysis models adjusting the first by clinical variables, the second by clinical variables and the echocardiographic left-atrial-minimum-volume-index (LAVImin).ResultsOver a median follow-up of 365 days, 203/382 patients (53.1%) had at least one recurrence of AF and 16.3% were hospitalized for cardiovascular (CV) reasons. Total NT-proBNP, NT-proBNP, angiopoietin 2 (Ang2), myosin binding protein (MyBPC3) and bone morphogenic protein-10 (BMP-10) were strongly associated to ongoing AF. Natriuretic peptides and MyBPC3 predicted recurrent AF but this lost significance after adjustment for LAVImin. NT-proBNP and Ang2 predicted CV hospitalization even after adjustment for LAVImin, HR95%CI: 2.20 [1.02-4.80] and 5.26 [1.16-23.79].ConclusionsThe association of AF recurrence with the novel biomarker total NT-proBNP, is similar to that of NT-proBNP, suggesting no influence of glycosylation. Ang2, MyBPC3 and BMP10 were strongly associated with AF, indicating a possible role of extracellular matrix and myocardial injury. Abstract-words=233Key messagesWhat is already known on this subject?It is still complicated to predict the recurrence of AF in patients in sinus rhythm with a recent history of AF. Though several biomarkers have been associated with AF, few of them have proved to be independent predictors for recurrent AF or cardiovascular (CV) events. Their predictive sensitivity and specificity is modest at best. Previous studies showed that NT-proBNP was possibly the strongest predictor of recurrent AF and CV hospitalization. Natriuretic peptides circulate to a large extent as glycosylated molecules and a novel assay is now available to measure the glycosylated and non-glycosylated NT-proBNP in plasma, the total NT-proBNP. The extent of glycosylation varies in different diseases.What might this study add?No studies have assessed (a) the extent of NT-proBNP glycosylation in AF, or (b) the association and predictive value in patients with AF of total NT-proBNP. A multimarker approach, ratter than one based on a single biomarker, might predict AF better.The relation with AF of the novel biomarker, total NT-proBNP, is as strong as that of NT-proBNP, suggesting no-influence of glycosylation.Two biomarkers, MyBPC3, secreted few minutes after myocardial injury and Ang-2, involved in inflammation and coagulation, were strongly associated to AF.How might this impact on clinical practice?The identification of novel circulating biomarkers could have a direct impact on clinical practice when predicting the occurrence of AF, but unfortunately current data do not allow predictions based on biomarkers.The associations of different biomarkers with ongoing AF may cast light on the mechanisms of triggering and maintenance of AF.Strengths and limitations of this studyThe data came from to a multicenter randomized clinical trial with available concomitant serial echocardiographic and circulating biomarkers recorded and evaluated centrally, hence with minimal bias; AF recurrence during a 12-month follow up was checked weekly by trans-telephonic electrocardiographic monitoring, and with 12-lead ECG every six months.A comparative analysis of total NT-proBNP with other novel biomarkers and echocardiographic variables has never been done so far. The possible added value of total NT-proBNP to the benchmark biomarker NT-proBNP was assessed on the basis of different dimensions of performance, as recently proposed for new biomarkers. The main limitations are (1) the relatively small numbers of patients with AF during follow-up visits, (2) the very low prevalence of patients with other cardiac diseases such as coronary artery disease and heart failure, and (3) consequently, the low incidence of clinical events in one-year follow-up.

Based on a synthetic overview that embraces the evolution of the ‘health’ concept, and its related institutions, from the role of health as the main indicator of fundamental human rights—as envisaged in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights—to its qualification as the systems of disease control dependent on criteria of economic sustainability, the paper focuses on the implications and the impact of such evolution in two model scenarios which are centred on the COVID-19 pandemia. The article analyses COVID-19 both in the characteristics of its global dynamics and in its concrete management, as performed in a model medium income country, Argentina. In a world which has progressively assigned market values and goods an absolute strategic and political priority over the health needs and the rights to health of individual and peoples, the recognition of health as human right is confined to aspirational recommendations and rather hollowed out declarations of good will.

When, how, why and whom for there will be an "after" Covid-19? The announced, but unpredicted, radical and global experience of the Covid-19 pandemia has revealed the degree of ignorance, fragmentation, inadequacy of the national and international knowledge and strategies of intervention and, even more substantially, of coordination across all the critical areas of prevention and care. The importance of the nursing component of the organisation and of the technical and cultural aspects of health care delivery and accessibility has been underlined as a protagonist of the resistance and resilience during the worst period of the emergency, and should be specifically involved in this renewal, where a profound modification of the interactions, hierarchies, roles of various professions is required. A long term, widespread, flexible experimentation of country specific and international solutions must be envisaged and timely activated. The 'grammar' and the major concrete characteristics of the methodology which could be usefully adopted to guarantee the feasibility and effectiveness of this 'systemic' experimentation are proposed and exemplified.

Summary Background There is no evidence that phlebotomy alone is sufficient to steadily maintain haematocrit on target level in low-risk patients with polycythaemia vera. This study aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of ropeginterferon alfa-2b on top of the standard phlebotomy regimen with phlebotomy alone. Methods In 2017, we launched the Low-PV study, a multicentre, open-label, two-arm, parallel-group, investigator-initiated, phase 2 randomised trial with a group-sequential adaptive design. The study involved 21 haematological centres across Italy. Participants were recruited in a consecutive order. Participants enrolled in the study were patients, aged 18–60 years, with a diagnosis of polycythaemia vera according to 2008–16 WHO criteria. Eligible patients were randomly allocated (1:1) to receive either phlebotomy and low-dose aspirin (standard group) or ropeginterferon alfa-2b on top of the standard treatment (experimental group). Randomisation sequence was generated using five blocks of variable sizes proportional to elements of Pascal's triangle. Allocation was stratified by age and time from diagnosis. No masking was done. Patients randomly allocated to the standard group were treated with phlebotomy (300 mL for each phlebotomy to maintain the haematocrit values of lower than 45%) and low-dose aspirin (100 mg daily), if not contraindicated. Patients randomly allocated to the experimental group received ropeginterferon alfa-2b subcutaneously every 2 weeks in a fixed dose of 100 μg on top of the phlebotomy-only regimen. The primary endpoint was treatment response, defined as maintenance of the median haematocrit values of 45% or lower without progressive disease during a 12-month period. Analyses were done by intention-to-treat principle. The study was powered assuming a higher percentage of responders in the experimental group (75%) than in the standard group (50%). Here we report results from the second planned interim analysis when 50 patients had been recruited to each group. The trial is ongoing, and registered with ClinicalTrials.gov , NCT03003325 . Findings Between Feb 2, 2017, and March 13, 2020, 146 patients were screened, and 127 patients were randomly assigned to the standard group (n=63) or the experimental group (n=64). The median follow-up period was 12·1 months (IQR 12·0–12·6). For the second pre-planned interim analysis, a higher response rate in the experimental group was seen (42 [84%] of 50 patients) than in the standard group (30 [60%] of 50 patients; absolute difference 24%, 95% CI 7–41%, p=0·0075). The observed z value (2·6001) crossed the critical bound of efficacy (2·5262), and the stagewise adjusted p value early showed superiority of experimental treatment. Thus, the data safety monitoring board decided to stop patient accrual for overwhelming efficacy and to continue the follow-up, as per protocol, for 2 years. Under the safety profile, no statistically significant difference between groups in frequency of adverse events of grade 3 or higher was observed; the most frequently reported adverse events were neutropenia (four [8%] of 50 patients) in the experimental group and skin symptoms (two [4%] of 50 patients) in the standard group. No grade 4 or 5 adverse events occurred. Interpretation Supplementing phlebotomy with ropeginterferon alfa-2b seems to be safe and effective in steadily maintaining haematocrit values on target in low-risk patients with polycythaemia vera. Findings from the current study might have implications for changing the current management of low-risk patients with polycythaemia vera. Funding AOP Orphan Pharmaceuticals, Associazione Italiana per la Ricerca sul Cancro

Against the increasing recognition of the critical importance of a direct participation of community members to assure effective health care in peripheral areas of Middle and Low Income Countries (MLIC), representative field experiences of their essential role are only occasionally available.We report a narrative, factual documentation of a spectrum of projects covering the basic and specific health needs of the disperse communities in Ecuador, a model MLIC, and discuss the broader implications of the role and performance of HPs over a long period, 1980-2018, in the project activation, implementation and monitoring.The role of 60 HPs, with the coordination of a small core group of professionals of the Centro de Epidemiologia Comunitaria y Medicina Tropical (CECOMET) is documented through their main achievements which include: infectious diseases and in particular Neglected Tropical Diseases (eradication of onchocerciasis and yaws; virtual elimination of malaria and of strongyloidiasis; identification and control of a new focus of Chagas Disease; control of tuberculosis), mother and child health, reproductive health, hypertension (as model of the emergence of non-transmissible, chronic diseases). The most effective and sustainable strategies and methods are discussed also in terms of their more general transferability, already partially tested in programs in Bolivia, Burkina Faso, undeserved areas of Argentina.The systematic availability of non-professional, trained HPs should be recommended as a sustainable and reliable component of health care strategies and interventions targeted to marginalized settings, to assure a concrete accessibility to the fundamental human right to life.

Notes of method to imagine an education tailored to the future. Health and social inequalities represent a problem not only from an ethical point of view but also from the point of view of public and social health. Unfortunately, this issue remains confined to conferences and debates and is not yet the subject of a serious reflection on how to constructively and permanently incorporate it in the education of health professionals, to provide the skill to read and interpret data, and to make research. This contribution, in addition to providing some reflections, launches an initiative that aims at incorporating these contents in the basic education, to make the message of Florence Nightingale real: wounds, suffering, dying and the absurdity of disability can be taken care of, be part of the care, only if you learn to recognize the causes, which are not only in the medical domain.

The covid-19 emergency in the words of the nurses . This special issue of AIR is dedicated to the direct professional experiences and personal testimonies of a sample of the nursing personnel during the most dramatic phase of the covid-19 pandemia in the most severely affected regions of Northern Italy (Lombardy, Piedmont, Veneto, Friuli, Trentino, Emilia Romagna Regions). The decision to adopt a research strategy aimed to give visibility and voice to colleagues representing some of the key hospitals of the regions obliged to a radical reorganisation of their structures and organisation of care, was adopted to catch from inside the crisis scenarios the expected mix of intense emotions (from anxiety, to fatigue, to personal and professional uncertainty, to the burden of impotence), and of needed technical creativity and efficiency which were requested to face a totally unexpected situation where guidelines could hardly be of help. The interview/diaries/focus groups were carefully planned not so much in terms of the contents, but with attention to the acceptance of the interviewed to enter in a free dialogue, with no QA, to be recorded, and to last for the time felt to be by both sides appropriate. The texts which are reported in this dossier are fragments of the recordings (overall more then 30 hours), without adjustments. It has been agreed that while all the names of the participants are provided as 'authors', the individual contributions are anonymous (not out of privacy consideration!) as they are part of a collective narrative, which reflects the great variability of the languages and of the perceived-expressed experiences and memories. The material has been organised in sections which are conceived as 'verbal snapshots' taken from the networks of care settings, but at the same time of the places and houses where the colleagues were literally full-time living, to assure unaccountable overtime working hours, and the requested 'safety distances' and lockdowns. The titles of the 8 sections coincide somehow with the principal components of the chain of activities and challenges which had to be faced: The changes in everyday's care, How to be prepared to the emergency, The teamwork, The loneliness and the isolation of the patients, The loneliness of the nurses, The difficult choices, The organization of the work and of the wards, change after covid-19. The core of the dossier is framed by boxes which provide also a minimum background of the administrative and epidemiological data on the pandemia in the regions of interest (it is interesting to remind that the central-southern areas of Italy have been far less affected), and a brief concluding reflection on reflection on the post-pandemia from the nursing point of view.

Background: In contrast with the abundance of global epidemiological descriptive data on cardiovascular diseases and their risk factors, information on the outcomes of real populations prospectively followed up in their life and care settings is much rarer, especially in low-income countries.Objectives: This study sought to evaluate the feasibility and the overall results of a hypertension control program, based mainly on a network of community nonprofessional health promoters, in the poor rural region of Borbon (Ecuador).Methods: This is a prospective cohort study describing the results of a program of hypertension diagnosis, treatment and follow-up from 2004 to 2015 in the area, carried out mainly by the health promoters.Results: The number of hypertensive patients identified and followed over the years increased from 1,024 in 2004 to 1,733 in 2015. The percentage of patients with no visits during a year was reduced to

The prognostic impact of hyperuricemia on long-term clinical outcomes in patients with chronic heart failure (HF) has been investigated in observational registries and clinical trials, but the results have been often inconclusive. We examined the prognostic impact of elevated serum uric acid levels on long-term clinical outcomes in the GISSI-HF (Gruppo Italiano per lo Studio della Sopravvivenza nella Insufficienza Cardiaca-Heart Failure) trial.CLINICALTRIALS.NCT00336336.We assessed the rates of all-cause death, cardiovascular death, cardiovascular hospitalization and the composite of all-cause death or cardiovascular hospitalization over a median follow-up of 3.9 years among 6683 ambulatory patients with chronic HF.Patients in the 3rd serum uric acid tertile (7.2 mg/dl) had a nearly 1.8-fold increased risk of both all-cause death and cardiovascular death, and a nearly 1.5-fold increased risk of cardiovascular hospitalization and of the composite endpoint compared to those in the 1st uric acid tertile (5.7 mg/dl). Beyond serum uric acid ≥ 7 mg/dl the risk of outcomes increased sharply and linearly. The significant association between elevated serum uric acid levels and adverse outcomes persisted after adjustment for multiple established cardiovascular risk factors, HF etiology, left ventricular ejection fraction, medication use and other potential confounders, with an adjusted hazard ratio of 1.37 (95% CI 1.22-1.55) for all-cause death, 1.48 (1.29-1.69) for cardiovascular death, 1.19 (1.09-1.30) for cardiovascular hospitalization and 1.21 (1.11-1.31) for the composite endpoint, respectively.Elevated serum uric acid levels are independently associated with poor long-term survival and increased risk of cardiovascular hospitalization in patients with chronic HF.

Aims Up to one-third of patients with diabetes mellitus and heart failure (HF) are treated with insulin. As insulin causes sodium retention and hypoglycaemia, its use might be associated with worse outcomes. Methods and results We examined two datasets: 24 012 patients with HF from four large randomized trials and an administrative database of 4 million individuals, 103 857 of whom with HF. In the former, survival was examined using Cox proportional hazards models adjusted for baseline variables and separately for propensity scores. Fine-Gray competing risk regression models were used to assess the risk of hospitalization for HF. For the latter, a case-control nested within a population-based cohort study was conducted with propensity score. Prevalence of diabetes mellitus at study entry ranged from 25.5% to 29.5% across trials. Insulin alone or in combination with oral hypoglycaemic drugs was prescribed at randomization to 24.4% to 34.5% of the patients with diabetes. The rates of death from any cause and hospitalization for HF were higher in patients with vs. without diabetes, and highest of all in patients prescribed insulin [propensity score pooled hazard ratio for all-cause mortality 1.27 (1.16-1.38), for HF hospitalization 1.23 (1.13-1.33)]. In the administrative registry, insulin prescription was associated with a higher risk of all-cause death [odds ratio (OR) 2.02, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.87-2.19] and rehospitalization for HF (OR 1.42, 95% CI 1.32-1.53). Conclusions Whether insulin use is associated with poor outcomes in HF should be investigated further with controlled trials, as should the possibility that there may be safer alternative glucose-lowering treatments for patients with HF and type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Background Dysregulation of the vitamin D system promotes renal dysfunction and has direct detrimental effects on the heart. Progressive deterioration of renal function is common in patients with chronic heart failure (HF) and is invariably associated with unfavorable outcomes which can be improved by early identification and timely interventions. We examined the relation between two plasma markers of vitamin D metabolism and worsening of renal function (WRF) in a large cohort of patients with chronic HF. Methods Plasma levels of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D (1,25(OH) 2 D) and parathyroid hormone PTH (1–84) were measured in 1237 patients with clinical evidence of chronic and stable HF enrolled in the multicentre GISSI-HF trial and followed for 3.9years. We examined the relation of 1,25(OH) 2 D, PTH(1–84), and their ratio with WRF, defined as first increase in serum creatinine concentration ≥0.3mg/dL and ≥25% at two consecutive measurements at any time during the study. Results Lower 1,25(OH) 2 D/PTH(1–84) ratio was associated with a higher baseline serum concentration of creatinine, winter season, female sex and older age; 335 patients (29.6%) experienced an episode of WRF. After adjustment, a lower 1,25(OH) 2 D/PTH(1–84) ratio remained significantly associated with a higher risk of WRF (HR=0.75 [0.62–0.90], p=0.002) and correctly reclassified events. This ratio also independently predicted mortality and admission to hospital for cardiovascular reasons. Conclusions The plasma 1,25(OH) 2 D/PTH(1–84) ratio is a promising indicator of future risk of deterioration of renal function in patients with chronic HF and mild renal impairment, that may serve to optimize therapies and improve outcomes.