Health technology assessment process of a cardiovascular medical device in four different settings

Aim: Health technology assessment (HTA) is a tool to help the decision-making process. The aim is to describe methods and processes used in the reimbursement decision making for drug-eluting stents (DES) in four different settings. Methods: DES as a technology under study was selected according to different criteria, all of them agreed by a working…

Expression of placental regulatory genes is associated with fetal growth

The placenta is the principal organ regulating respiratory, nutritional, endocrine and metabolic functions on behalf of the developing fetus. Changes in gene expression patterns of placenta-specific genes may influence fetal growth. We profiled the expression of 17 genes related to placenta functioning in term placentas (n=677) to identify genes differentially expressed across birth weight categories…

Socio-demographic, lifestyle, and dietary determinants of essential and possibly-essential trace element levels in adipose tissue from an adult cohort

There is increasing evidence linking levels of trace elements (TEs) in adipose tissue with certain chronic conditions (e.g., diabetes or obesity). The objectives of this study were to assess concentrations of a selection of nine essential and possibly-essential TEs in adipose tissue samples from an adult cohort and to explore their socio-demographic, dietary, and lifestyle…

Identificación de indicadores de resultado en salud en atención primaria. Una revisión de revisiones sistemáticas

Introducción Las medidas de resultados están siendo ampliamente utilizadas por los servicios sanitarios para evaluar la calidad de la atención sanitaria. Disponer de una batería de indicadores de resultados de alta validez y factibilidad y que además sean de utilidad resulta de gran importancia. Así, el objetivo de este trabajo es realizar una revisión de…

Physical activity, mediating factors and risk of colon cancer: insights into adiposity and circulating biomarkers from the EPIC cohort

Background: There is convincing evidence that high physical activity lowers the risk of colon cancer; however, the underlying biological mechanisms remain largely unknown. We aimed to determine the extent to which body fatness and biomarkers of various biologically plausible pathways account for the association between physical activity and colon cancer.Methods: We conducted a nested case-control…