Recombinant human growth hormone (r-hGH) is indicated for pediatric patients with a variety of growth disorders. Until recently, analysis of adherence to treatment has been limited by recall bias and reliance on self-reporting. Accurate recorded data on r-hGH use can now be collected using the easypodTM auto-injector. The multinational easypodTM connect observational study (ECOS) was launched i...

OBJECTIVE To update previous meta-analyses of cohort studies that investigated the association between the Mediterranean diet and health status and to utilize data coming from all of the cohort studies for proposing a literature-based adherence score to the Mediterranean diet. DESIGN We conducted a comprehensive literature search through all electronic databases up to June 2013. SETTING Coh...

BACKGROUND Differences in dietary patterns between ethnic groups have often been observed. These differences may partially be a reflection of differences in socio-economic status (SES) or may be the result of differences in the direction and strength of the association between SES and diet. OBJECTIVE We aimed to examine ethnic differences in dietary patterns and the role of socio-economic ind...

OBJECTIVES Mediterranean diet (MD) is associated with a reduced risk of major chronic disease. Health-related quality of life (HRQL) is a valid predictor of mortality. The aim of this study is to investigate the association between MD and HRQL and to examine the possible role of dietary antioxidants, fibre content and/or fatty acid components. DESIGN Cross-sectional study on a sample of Itali...

Moderate alcohol intake has been related to lower mortality. However, alcohol use includes other dimensions beyond the amount of alcohol consumed. These aspects have not been sufficiently studied as a comprehensive entity. We aimed to test the relationship between an overall alcohol-drinking pattern and all-cause mortality. In a Mediterranean cohort study, we followed 18 394 Spanish participant...

BACKGROUND The Mediterranean diet (MD) is well known as a healthy diet that protects against several chronic diseases. However, there is no appropriate and easy index to assess adherence to the MD pattern in Japan. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to develop a novel instrument to measure MD adherence adapted to a Japanese diet and to examine its association with overweight/obesity risk. ...

In this study, the interactions of enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) O157 strains with human ileocecal (HCT-8) epithelial cells and HEp-2 cells were examined. EHEC adhered to, but did not invade, HCT-8 cells by the localized adherence mechanism and a heretofore unrecognized pattern which we called log jam. The log jam formation was (i) not observed on HEp-2 cells, (ii) independent of th...

Background This study investigated medication adherence in kidney transplant patients (KTPs) converted from immediate-release tacrolimus (IR-T) to prolonged-release tacrolimus (PR-T)-based immunosuppression in routine practice. Methods Noninterventional, observational, multicenter study in Norway. Included adult KTPs with stable graft function, converted from IR-T (baseline) to PR-T (1 mg:1 m...

BACKGROUND Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is considered as a major health problem, associated with mortality and morbidities. Various disease management strategies have been established to optimize patient's longevity and functional status where patient adherence to the prescribed treatment plays a key role. Poor adherence to medication is common among COPD patients and is affecte...