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- Brito-Zerón, Pilar, et al.
(author)
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Influence of geolocation and ethnicity on the phenotypic expression of primary Sjögren's syndrome at diagnosis in 8310 patients : a cross-sectional study from the Big Data Sjögren Project Consortium
- 2017
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In: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases. - : BMJ. - 0003-4967 .- 1468-2060. ; 76:6, s. 1042-1050
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- OBJECTIVES: To analyse the influence of geolocation and ethnicity on the clinical presentation of primary Sjögren's syndrome (SjS) at diagnosis.METHODS: The Big Data Sjögren Project Consortium is an international, multicentre registry designed in 2014. By January 2016, 20 centres from five continents were participating. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed.RESULTS: We included 7748 women (93%) and 562 men (7%), with a mean age at diagnosis of primary SjS of 53 years. Ethnicity data were available for 7884 patients (95%): 6174 patients (78%) were white, 1066 patients (14%) were Asian, 393 patients (5%) were Hispanic, 104 patients (1%) were black/African-American and 147 patients (2%) were of other ethnicities. SjS was diagnosed a mean of 7 years earlier in black/African-American compared with white patients; the female-to-male ratio was highest in Asian patients (27:1) and lowest in black/African-American patients (7:1); the prevalence of sicca symptoms was lowest in Asian patients; a higher frequency of positive salivary biopsy was found in Hispanic and white patients. A north-south gradient was found with respect to a lower frequency of ocular involvement in northern countries for dry eyes and abnormal ocular tests in Europe (OR 0.46 and 0.44, respectively) and Asia (OR 0.18 and 0.49, respectively) compared with southern countries. Higher frequencies of antinuclear antibodies (ANAs) were reported in northern countries in America (OR=1.48) and Asia (OR=3.80) while, in Europe, northern countries had lowest frequencies of ANAs (OR=0.67) and Ro/La (OR=0.69).CONCLUSIONS: This study provides the first evidence of a strong influence of geolocation and ethnicity on the phenotype of primary SjS at diagnosis.
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- Castiglione, Alessandro, 1976-, et al.
(author)
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Correspondence Between Cognitive and Audiological Evaluations Among the Elderly : A Preliminary Report of an Audiological Screening Model of Subjects at Risk of Cognitive Decline With Slightto Moderate Hearing Loss
- 2019
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In: Frontiers in Neuroscience. - Lausanne : Frontiers Media S.A.. - 1662-4548 .- 1662-453X. ; 13
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Epidemiological studies show increasing prevalence rates of cognitive decline and hearing loss with age, particularly after the age of 65 years. These conditions are reported to be associated, although conclusive evidence of causality and implications is lacking. Nevertheless, audiological and cognitive assessment among elderly people is a key target for comprehensive and multidisciplinary evaluation of the subject's frailty status. To evaluate the use of tools for identifying older adults at risk of hearing loss and cognitive decline and to compare skills and abilities in terms of hearing and cognitive performances between older adults and young subjects, we performed a prospective cross-sectional study using supraliminal auditory tests. The relationship between cognitive assessment results and audiometric results was investigated, and reference ranges for different ages or stages of disease were determined. Patients older than 65 years with different degrees of hearing function were enrolled. Each subject underwent an extensive audiological assessment, including tonal and speech audiometry, Italian Matrix Sentence Test, and speech audiometry with logatomes in quiet. Cognitive function was screened and then verified by experienced clinicians using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment Score, the Geriatric Depression Scale, and further investigations in some. One hundred twenty-three subjects were finally enrolled during 2016-2019: 103 were >65 years of age and 20 were younger participants (as controls). Cognitive functions showed a correlation with the audiological results in post-lingual hearing-impaired patients, in particular in those affected by slight to moderate hearing loss and aged more than 70 years. Audiological testing can thus be useful in clinical assessment and identification of patients at risk of cognitive impairment. The study was limited by its sample size (CI 95%; CL 10%), strict dependence on language, and hearing threshold. Further investigations should be cond
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- Favaretto, Niccolò, et al.
(author)
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Cochlear implant outcomes in the elderly : a uni- and multivariate analyses of prognostic factors
- 2019
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In: European Archives of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology. - Berlin, Germany : Springer. - 0937-4477 .- 1434-4726. ; 276:111, s. 3089-3094
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Purpose: To assess preoperative features that could predict the audiological outcome after cochlear implantation in the elderly, in terms of pure tone audiometry, speech audiometry, and speech perception performance. Methods: All available records of patients with cochlear implants aged 65 or more at the time of their implantation at our Institution were reviewed (50 patients, mean age 70.76 ± 4.03 years), recording preoperative clinical features. Pure tone audiometry, speech audiometry, and speech perception performance 1 year after cochlear implant activation and fitting were used as outcome measures. Results: No statistically significant association emerged between clinical features and pure tone audiometry. On univariate analysis, progressive sensorineural hearing loss of unknown origin was associated with a better outcome in terms of speech audiometry and speech perception performance (p = 0.035 and p = 0.033, respectively). On multivariate analysis, progressive sensorineural hearing loss retained its independent prognostic significance in terms of speech perception performance (p = 0.042). The discriminatory power of a two-variable panel (age and etiology of hearing loss) featured an AUC (ROC) of 0.738 (an acceptable discriminatory power according to the Hosmer-Lemeshow scale). Conclusions: A progressive sensorineural hearing loss of unknown origin was associated with a better outcome in terms of speech perception in the elderly in our case study. Further features that can predict audiological outcome achievable with cochlear implants in the elderly are desirable to perform adequate counselling and rehabilitation programs.
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