METHODS: A multi-center retrospective study design was used to collect data from TB patients in four different states of Malaysia, namely Penang, Sabah, Sarawak, and Selangor. The study included medical records of TB patients admitted to the selected hospitals in the period from January 2006 to March 2009. Medical records with incomplete data were not included. Patient demographics and clinical data were collected using a validated data collection form.
RESULTS: Of all patients with TB (9337), the prevalence of smokers was 4313 (46.2%). Among smokers, 3584 (83.1%) were associated with pulmonary TB, while 729 (16.9%) were associated with extrapulmonary TB. Male gender (OR = 1.43, 95% CI 1.30-1.58), Chinese ethnicity (OR = 1.23, 95% CI 1.02-1.49), Sarawak indigenous ethnicity (OR = 0.74, 95% CI 0.58-0.95), urban residents (OR = 1.46, 95% CI 1.33-1.61), employed individuals (OR = 1.21, 95% CI 1.09-1.34), alcoholics (OR = 4.91, 95% CI 4.04-5.96), drug abusers (OR = 7.43, 95% CI 5.70-9.60) and presence of co-morbid condition (OR = 1.27, 95% CI 1.16-1.40) all showed significant association with smoking habits. This study found that 3236 (75.0%) patients were successfully treated in the smokers' group, while 4004 (79.7%) patients were non-smokers. The proportion of deaths (6.6%, n = 283), defaulters (6.6%, n = 284) and treatment interruptions (4.7%, n = 204) was higher in the smokers' group.
CONCLUSIONS: Smoking has a strong influence on TB and is a major barrier towards treatment success (OR = 0.76, 95% CI 0.69-0.84, p
METHODS: This prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, interventional study aimed to determine the effectiveness of 15 mg of ertugliflozin versus 30 mg of the standard therapy pioglitazone versus placebo in NAFLD patients with T2DM. The study was established based on patient randomization in three groups: ertugliflozin, pioglitazone, and a placebo. This study was registered under the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trial Registry (Trial ID: ACTRN12624000032550).
RESULTS: The impact of therapy was determined in the treatment groups by utilizing liver ultrasonography and biochemical parameters. After 24 weeks of clinical study, the results revealed significant improvement in the grades of fatty liver, especially in the ertugliflozin group. The number of patients with hepatic steatosis significantly decreased among the respective groups classified according to fatty liver grade. Among patients in the ertugliflozin and pioglitazone groups, 45% to 23.4% and 41.7% to 26.6%, respectively, decreased in the Grade 2 group. The aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase levels were significantly lower in all the study groups, especially in the ertugliflozin group (P ≤ .001).
CONCLUSION: The present study revealed that the concomitant use of ertugliflozin has favorable effects on liver enzymes, as it decreases liver fat intake and reduces complications in patients with NAFLD-associated T2DM. However, more in-depth studies will be required to observe every aspect of ertugliflozin.
OBJECTIVES: This study was devised to evaluate the health-related quality of life of people living with diabetes in Hail region of Saudi Arabia.
METHODS: This cross-sectional research was carried out at eight locations in the Hail region of Saudi Arabia between 21st March-20th May 2022 using the adapted version of the Euro QoL-5 dimension (EQ-5D-3L) questionnaire. A multistage random sample approach was used to choose the diabetes clinics, and data collectors approached the participants in the waiting areas to collect the information. The data were analyzed using logistic regression analysis, Mann-Whitney test, and Kruskal-Wallis tests in IBM SPSS statistics 21.0.
RESULTS: The mean HRQoL score was 0.71±0.21 with a visual analog score of 68.4±16.2. Despite having much higher levels of quality of life in terms of self-care (85.8%), regular activity (73.8%) and anxiety (71.8%), nearly one half of the people reported moderate pain or discomfort, and more than one third reported having moderate mobility issues. In general, the quality of life for women was poorer than for men. Individuals with diabetes who were unmarried, young, educated, financially secure, and taking only oral medication had much improved HRQoL. The Euro QoL of people with diabetes patients were significantly influenced by gender, marital status, age, education, employment and treatment modality (p-values < 0.05), whereas only treatment modality had a significant impact on the patients' visual analogue measures (p-values < 0.05).
CONCLUSIONS: The HRQoL of people with diabetes in Hail region was moderate in general, with pain and mobility issues being particularly prevalent. Gender, marital status, age, education, employment and type of medication therapy are significant predictors of HRQoL of patients with diabetes. Hence, planning and programs to enhance the HRQoL of people with diabetes, especially women is recommended.