BACKGROUND. Asthma is a common chronic disease characterized by airway inflammation and structural remodeling. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), a major regulator of angiogenesis, is elevated in asthma patients. VEGF contributes to airway responsiveness and remodeling. It has been shown that treatment of asthma patients decreases VEGF levels, and inhibition of VEGF diminishes asthma symptoms in mice. Therefore, polymorphisms in the vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA) gene might be associated with asthma treatment response. METHODS. This study enrolled 131 children with asthma treated with different therapies - specifically, the inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) fluticasone propionate or the leukotriene receptor antagonist (LTRA) montelukast. We performed an association analysis between improvement of lung function - assessed by measurement of the percentage of the predicted forced expiratory volume in 1 second (%predicted FEV(1)), the ratio between the FEV(1) and the forced vital capacity (FEV(1)/FVC) after 6 and 12 months of treatment, and asthma control after 12 months of treatment - and two polymorphisms, rs2146323 and rs833058, in the VEGFA gene. RESULTS. Polymorphism rs2146323 A)C in VEGFA was associated with response to ICS therapy. Asthma patients with the AA genotype had a greater improvement in the%predicted FEV(1) than those with the AC or CC genotype (p = 0.018). Conversely, the AA genotype in rs2146323 was associated with uncontrolled asthma in patients regularly receiving LTRA therapy (p = 0.020) and a worse FEV(1)/FVC ratio in patients who episodically used LTRA therapy (p = 0.044). Furthermore, polymorphism rs833058 C)T was associated with treatment response to episodically used LTRA therapy. A subgroup of patients with the TT genotypehad an improvement in the %predicted FEV(1), compared with no improvement in patients with the CT or CC genotype (p = 0.029). (Abs. trunc. at 2000 ch.)
COBISS.SI-ID: 29912793
In the paper we proposed a noninvasive method for assessment of skeletal muscle composition and studied its reliability. We found that the reliability is high enough for valid use of the method.
COBISS.SI-ID: 2212307
BACKGROUND. The prevalence of depression in primary care setting is high. About a half of patients with depression re ma in undetected. The aim of our study was to determine whether screening questionnaires assist family practitioners in identifying more patients with depression. METHODS, The multicentric study included 25 medical teams (a family practitioner and a nurse) from several Slovenian regions and 2,328 patients (86 % of all patients who were asked to participate) above 18 years of age, who had not been treated for mental disorders and who during the study visited the ir family practitioners for different medical problems. The study was divided into two phases, which lasted three consecutive hours daily over a period of ten working days. In the first phase, the family practitioners recorded the number of new diagnoses of depression. Six weeks later, patients completed the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale (ZSRDS) in the waiting room. At the same time, family practitioner used the Patient Health Questionnaire 9 (PHQ-9) to screen depression symptoms. RESULTS. In the first phase, depression was diagnosed in 5.7 % participating patients, and in the second phase, 10.9 % of patients on ZSRDS or 9.6 % on PHQ-9 exceeded the cut-off score. The difference was statistically significant in ZSRDS (p ( 001). Patients with positive screening results were mostly women - 16.9 % (PHQ-9) or 18.8 % (ZSRDS), and patients with chronic condition 22.0 % (PHQ-9) or 23.3 % (ZSRDS), both in age groups from 46 to 55 years. The family practitioners treated 94.6 % (PHQ-9) or 71.3 % (ZSRDS) of people with positive screening results. Conclusions: Results of both screening questionnaires were comparable. The screening tools can help family physicians in more efficient identification of depression. Targeted screening in high-risk groups, women and chronic patients in the age group from 46 to 55 years, would be reasonable.
COBISS.SI-ID: 30426329