View clinical trials related to Morbidity.
Filter by:The aim of the study is to develop a simple computer program, evaluating nutritional status of HD patients. The programming will enable to perform a nutritional screening, based on biochemical measures, taken as part of HD patients' routine care every month. The program will identify patients at risk of malnutrition, define the degree of malnutrition, and identify patients who at risk for increased morbidity and mortality. Patients who are at risk of malnutrition will be treated by a standard nutrition; dietary counseling (high protein diet, appropriate calories intake and use of oral supplementation. Intra-dialytic parenteral nutrition (IDPN) will be used for patients who fail to improve nutrition status by standard nutrition care, as a second line treatment. The effect of IDPN on their nutrition status will be evaluated. A sub group of 30 patients will provide blood smample to assess a NIR method for Cr determination as creatinine is one of the parameters our nutrition score is based on.
To evaluate the efficacy of consumption of yoghurt fortified with 30% recommended dietary allowance (RDA) of essential micronutrients (iron, zinc, vitamin A and iodine) for a period of one year in comparison to same yoghurt without fortification for change in mean levels and proportion deficient for markers of status of Iron (Hemoglobin, Serum ferritin, Serum transferrin, ZnPP), Vitamin A (Plasma retinol levels), Iodine (Urinary iodine levels), Zinc (Plasma zinc), and copper (Plasma copper levels, sub sample of children); improvement in cognitive development, reduction in episodes/days of illnesses (diarrhea, pneumonia, febrile illness), hospitalizations and morbidity causing absenteeism from school and improvement in growth. Additionally to evaluate the efficacy of consumption of fortified and non fortified yoghurt (plain yoghurt) for a period of 12 months in comparison to pure control that do not receive any intervention in the improvement in cognitive development and physical growth. The main objective is to evaluate the impact of addition of micronutrients to Yoghurt and can be best addressed by RCT. The effect of taking yoghurt per se cannot be blinded so for that the investigators have included a concurrent control. Hypothesis: Consumption of fortified yoghurt with 30% RDA of essential micronutrients (iron, zinc, vitamin A and iodine) for a period of one year will improve the micronutrient status indicators, cognitive development, and growth and reduce morbidity of children.
Introduction: High blood pressure especially systolic hypertension is a common condition in the elderly and is considered as a major determinant not only of cardiovascular (CV) morbidity and mortality, but also of several other age-related diseases, frailty and loss of autonomy. Actually, the association between BP levels and morbidity and mortality in the very elderly persons with several co-morbidities remains a controversial issue Objectives: The aim of the PARTAGE study (Predictive values of blood pressure and arterial stiffness in institutionalized very aged population)is to determine the predictive value of blood pressure (BP) and arterial stiffness for overall mortality, major cardiovascular events and cognitive decline in a large population of institutionalized subjects aged 80 and over. Methods: The population is composed of 1130 subjects aged over 80, living in nursing home, included by four french university hospitals centre (Nancy, Dijon, Paris, Toulouse) and two Italian (Cesena, Verona). Subjects with severe dementia and a very low level of autonomy are excluded from the study During the first visit, blood pressure were measured using an automatic monitor by physician in sitting and standing position (clinical BP and Orthostatic BP) and by a self measurement of blood pressure 3 measurements, in the morning and the evening, during 3 consecutive days). Arterial stiffness is evaluated by measuring the carotid-femoral and carotid-radial pulse wave velocity (PWV) with the PulsePen® automatic device. Deaths and cardiovascular events are recorded during a follow-up of 2 years. The hypothesis of the PARTAGE longitudinal study is that in very elderly frail individuals with multiple co-morbidities, CV risk could be better evaluated by combining self-measurements of BP and direct evaluation of arterial stiffness which are less influenced by the above mentioned disease and co-morbidities.
Our group has consistently found that the major interventions to reduce morbidity and mortality in low-income countries have sex-differential effects. These interventions include BCG vaccine, oral polio vaccination (OPV), and vitamin A supplementation (VAS). Low-birth-weight (LBW) children constitute the largest high-risk group in low-income countries. According to current policy, they receive OPV at birth. Current evidence suggests that a policy of providing BCG with OPV for girls and VAS instead of OPV for boys at birth may improve survival in LBW neonates. This will be tested in a large randomized trial. We experienced an unexpected cluster of deaths among boys in the VAS arm, which could be due to chance, but we decided to stop randomizing boys to OPV or VAS. Very recent evidence has suggested that low-birth-weight boys may benefit from BCG at birth as well. Hence, we have obtained ethical permission to continue the trial with randomization of boys to OPV or OPV plus BCG.
The administration of vaginal progesterone, in addition to standard tocolysis, will decrease the risk of delivering prematurely and of recurrent preterm labor. We also hypothesize that the reduction in preterm delivery will be associated with a decrease in infant mortality and morbidity.
High-dose vitamin A to children above 6 months of age reduces all-cause mortality by 23-30%. The WHO recommends vitamin A supplementation (VAS) with the first vaccine after 6 months of age. However, the effect of providing VAS with vaccines has never been investigated. We have hypothesised that the effect of VAS depends on the immune stimulus at the time of supplementation. Hence, the effect might vary depending on which type of vaccine it is given with. In particular, we hypothesised that VAS might be beneficial when given with measles vaccine but not when given with DTP vaccine. Normally the first vaccine after 6 months of age would be a measles vaccine, but many children come late for their DTP vaccinations and receive DTP alone or together with measles vaccine. Hence, it is important to study whether the effect of VAS is the same irrespective of the vaccine(s) administered at the same time. Guinea-Bissau has not yet implemented the WHO vitamin A policy of providing VAS with vaccines, but plans to do so within the next years. Together with the Ministry of Health in Guinea-Bissau, the Bandim Health Project (BHP) in Guinea-Bissau will investigate the effect on mortality and morbidity of implementing the WHO vitamin A policy in Guinea-Bissau. This will be done in a large randomised trial. BHP has a demographic surveillance system (DSS) which has followed a population of now more than 150,000 individuals for almost 30 years. Children will be randomised to receive VAS or placebo with their first vaccine after 6 months of age, and will be followed through the DSS to assess mortality and morbidity. Based on previous observations, the effects of VAS might differ according to sex and season. The interaction between VAS, sex, and season will also be studied in the present trial. By identifying situations where VAS may be beneficial, ineffective, or even harmful the study may contribute importantly to optimising the VAS policy for low-income countries.
Low body temperature (hypothermia (HT)) at birth contributes to infant mortality in low-income countries. A study from Guinéa-Bissau indicates that HT results in an increased mortality rate, which persist at least two months after birth. Therefore interventions that reduce the prevalence of HT might have a significant effect on infant mortality. The purpose of the proposed study is to identify risk factors for HT in an in-hospital setting in Guinea-Bissau and to investigate whether continuous temperature-monitoring enabling early detection of HT and treatment can prevent HT <34,5°C.
Background: Different anaesthetic agents have been shown to have different protective effects upon heart, brain and renal function under ischaemic conditions (oxygen starvation). Cardiopulmonary bypass takes over the work of the heart and the lungs during heart surgery, but oxygenation of vital organs such as the brain and heart may not be perfect, and can produce brain or heart damage as a consequence. Propofol and desflurane are commonly used anaesthetic agents, and there has been recent research to suggest that anaesthetic agents may provide some protection during periods where inadequate oxygenation occurs, with the potential to reduce the degree of organ damage. Both types of anaesthetics are used for cardiac surgery with anaesthetists choosing between them largely on the basis of personal preference. Aim: To determine whether the use of either propofol or desflurane as the primary anaesthetic agent, can lead to differences in postoperative brain function, total morbidity or cost, following coronary artery surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass. Methods: Patients will be recruited by professional research staff and will be randomised into one of two groups (90 in each group). They will receive a standardized technique for anaesthesia, cardiopulmonary bypass and postoperative ICU treatment. The only difference between the 2 groups will be as to which anaesthetic agent they receive during the surgical period, desflurane or propofol. Measurements will involve i) brain function testing before and 3 months after surgery ( a set of 10 verbal or manual tests), ii) incidence of delirium in the immediate postoperative period (a survey form), iii) incidence of total postoperative morbidity and iv) cost of hospital stay. Data collection will be by anaesthesia and research staff and a neuropsychologist will employed for performing the brain function testing. Anticipated timeline: Initial recruitment completed by 15-18 months following trial commencement. Follow up completed 3 month after the last enrolment. Data validation, statistical analysis and manuscript preparation completed by 24 months.
Children, aged 1 months to 23 months, in the intervention households received zinc, iron and folic acid and those in the control households were administered iron and folic acid (IFA) alone for a period of one year. The primary outcomes were hospitalizations and deaths during this period.
We previously compared the effect on mortality of the half dose and the full dose currently recommended by WHO. Unexpectedly, the low dose was clearly better for girls, but not for boys. The girls' response might have depended on the last vaccine received before the OPV and VAS campaign. We believe that these findings call for confirmation. In connection with a new campaign, we will examine whether half the dose or the full dose has a more beneficial effect on mortality and morbidity in girls, and furthermore address the potential effect modification by the last vaccine received before the supplementation.