cross-sectional studies

Background and Objectives : Myocardial bridging (MB) is still not yet considered a significant finding in Indonesia both radiographically and clinically. Hence, this article aims to assess the prevalence of MB using multi-detector computed tomography (MDCT) and look at factors contributing to stenosis amongst patients with MB. Materials and Methods: This study is cross-sectional in a single centre, with consecutive sampling, looking at all patients who underwent a multi-detector computed tomography (MDCT) scan from February 2021 until February 2023...

Background and Objectives: Breastmilk is the safest and most suitable food for an infant, playing the role of their first vaccine and containing all the essential nutrients for the first months of life. The World Health Organisation recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months of life and continued breastfeeding while introducing a child to complementary foods until 2 years and beyond. According to Latvian statistics from 2022, only 27.4% of babies were breastfed for 12 months. The aim of this study was to determine the socio-economic factors and factors related to pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum that influence breastfeeding for more than 6 months in Latvia...

Background and Objectives : Screening for type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2) aims to identify asymptomatic individuals who may be at a higher risk, allowing proactive interventions. The objective of this study was to predict the incidence of DM2 and prediabetes in the Saudi population over the next five years. Materials and Methods : The study was conducted in the Aseer region through August 2023 using a cross-sectional survey for data collection. A multistage stratified random sampling technique was adopted, and data were collected through face-to-face interviews using the validated Arabic version of the Australian Type 2 Diabetes Risk Assessment Tool (AUSDRISK)...

Background and Objective : Menopause can be associated with many clinical manifestations: vasomotor symptoms, urogenital problems, and additional psychological disturbances, such as anxiety, mood changes, and sleep alterations. The prolonged lack of hormones also increases the risk of long-term consequences. Hormone Replacement Treatment (HRT) in menopause consists of the administration of estrogen, alone or associated to progesterone, to relieve these uncomfortable disturbances and to prevent the onset of other pathologic conditions...

Background and Objectives: Assess the quality of life of children aged 2-10 with mild to moderate bronchial asthma. To evaluate the general health condition of children with mild and moderate severity bronchial asthma. To determine health changes in children with mild- and moderate-severity bronchial asthma as they grow older. To evaluate the impact of mild- and moderate-severity bronchial asthma on children's daily and social activities, physical health, emotional state, and general well-being. Materials and Methods : A comparative cross-sectional study was conducted in March-June 2020...

Background : Mental capacity is a fundamental aspect that enables patients to fully participate in various healthcare procedures. To assist healthcare professionals (HCPs) in assessing patients' capacity, especially in the mental health field, several standardized tools have been developed. These tools include the MacArthur Competence Assessment Tool for Treatment (MacCAT-T), the MacArthur Competence Assessment Tool for Clinical Research (MacCAT-CR), and the Competence Assessment Tool for Psychiatric Advance Directives (CAT-PAD)...

Background and Objectives : Sarcopenic obesity, a clinical condition coexisting with obesity and sarcopenia, is associated with a high risk of functional impairment, reduced quality of life, and increased mortality. A decline in age-related free testosterone (FT) levels has been reported to be associated with decreased muscle mass and muscle strength and increased fat mass. However, the association between low FT levels and risk of sarcopenic obesity has not been well studied. This study aimed to investigate the direct association between low FT levels and sarcopenic obesity...

Background and Objectives: Hip fracture surgery, which affects quality of life, can be a major challenge in geriatric populations. Although sarcopenia is known to be associated with postoperative outcomes, there are few studies on the association between sarcopenia and postoperative acute kidney injury (AKI) in this population. We investigated the association between sarcopenia and postoperative AKI in elderly patients following hip fracture surgery. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the records of patients who underwent hip fracture surgery at our institution from March 2019 to December 2021...

Background and Objective: The aim of this study was to analyze trends in surgical and non-surgical service utilization for common shoulder disorders in Korea from 2010 to 2019. Methods and Materials: This retrospective, cross-sectional, descriptive study utilized National Patient Sample data from the Health Insurance and Review Assessment Service (HIRA) of Korea. These data constitute a 2% sample out of the entire Korean population and include data for a variety of parameters instrumental for health care research...

Background and Objectives : Peripheral arterial stiffness (PAS), assessed by brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV), is an independent biomarker of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) in patients on maintenance hemodialysis (HD). Malondialdehyde-modified low-density lipoprotein (MDA-LDL), an oxidative stress marker, has been linked to atherosclerosis and CVD. However, the association between serum MDA-LDL and PAS among HD patients has not been fully elucidated. This study aimed to examine the association of serum MDA-LDL with PAS in HD patients and to identify the optimal cutoff value of serum MDA-LDL for predicting PAS...

Multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria have become one of the most important health problems. We aimed to assess whether international travel may facilitate their spread through the colonization of asymptomatic travelers. A cross-sectional study was conducted (November 2018 to February 2022). Pharyngeal and rectal swabs were obtained from long-term travelers and recently arrived migrants from non-European countries, and an epidemiological survey was performed. Colonization by Gram-negative bacteria and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) was determined by chromogenic media and MALDI-TOF-MS...

Cryptic Aspergillus species are increasingly recognized as pathogens involved in human disease. They are ubiquitarian fungi with high tenacity in their environment and can express various resistance mechanisms, often due to exposure to antifungal agents employed in agriculture and farming. The identification of such species is increasing thanks to molecular techniques, and a better description of this type of pathogen is granted. Nevertheless, the number of species and their importance in the clinical setting still need to be well studied...

For patients with chronic pain and persistent physical symptoms, understanding the mechanism of central sensitisation may help in understanding how symptoms persist. This cross-sectional study investigated the association of central sensitisation with depression, anxiety, and somatic symptoms. Four hundred and fifteen adults attending an outpatient psychosomatic clinic were evaluated. Participants completed the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Somatic Symptom Scale 8, and the Central Sensitisation Inventory...

The aim of this study was to conduct salivary, microbiological, and caries risk assessments in relation to caries experience among individuals with intellectual disability in an institutional center in the Al-Baha region, Saudi Arabia. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 89 patients residing in special care homes in the Al-Baha region, Saudi Arabia, from October 2023 to February 2024. The demographic details of all participants were recorded. Clinical oral examinations were performed for the decayed, missing, or filled teeth (DMFT) and plaque indices...

BACKGROUND: Recent studies have suggested a possible connection between rosacea and patients' gut microbiota. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the differences in fecal microbial profiles between patients with rosacea and healthy controls. METHODS: Gut microbiota of 54 rosacea patients (RP) were analyzed using MiSeq 16S rRNA sequencing. Enterotypes, the Firmicutes/Bacteroides (F/B) ratio, the significance of alpha and beta diversity, and differential abundance analysis (DAA) were calculated and compared with age- and gender-matched controls (CP, n = 50)...

Overlap syndrome (OVS) is a distinct clinical entity that seems to result in potential cardiovascular consequences. We aimed to estimate the prevalence and risk factors for OVS in OSA patients and analyze clinical and PSG characteristics associated with OVS. In this cross-sectional study, 2616 patients evaluated for OSA underwent type-1 polysomnography (PSG). They were grouped as pure OSA (AHI > 15/h) and OVS patients. Demographics, PSG data, pulmonary function tests and arterial blood gases (ABGs) were compared between groups after adjustments for confounders...

Background : Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic condition associated with multiple complications and comorbidities. Some of these comorbidities are anxiety and depression, with a negative impact on the quality of life, non-adherence to treatment, and poor prognosis. The main aim of this study was to evaluate depression and anxiety in a group of patients with DM and their impact on quality of life and identify factors that improve the prognosis and increase the life expectancy and quality of life of patients with DM...

Background/Objectives: The survival rate among pediatric cancer patients has reached 80%; however, these childhood cancer survivors (CCSs) are at a heightened risk of developing chronic conditions in adulthood, particularly kidney and cardiovascular diseases. The aims of this study were to assess the serum α-Klotho and FGF23 levels in CCSs and to determine their association with nephro- and cardiotoxicity. Methods: This study evaluated a cohort of 66 CCSs who remained in continuous remission, with a mean follow-up of 8...

Background: Chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU), characterized by the recurrence of pruritic hives and/or angioedema for >6 weeks with no identifiable trigger, has a negative impact on health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Methods: The objective of this web-based cross-sectional study was to evaluate disease control, disease burden, and treatment satisfaction in Japanese adults with CSU using the Urticaria Control Test (UCT), HRQoL outcomes, and the Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire for Medication-9 items (TSQM-9)...

Background/Objectives: Many studies have addressed the sex differences in patients with psoriatic arthritis, although these are aimed more at describing the phenotype than at investigating the causes underlying these differences. The aims of our study were to assess the presence of clinical features in relation to sex, and to measure the effect on disease activity of different comorbidities in each sex. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study in which the following factors were measured: the clinical features of the disease, disease activity, the physical function and the disease impact...