BACKGROUND: Multimorbidity, the co-occurrence of two or more chronic medical conditions within a single individual, is increasingly becoming part of daily care of general medical practice. Literature-based discovery may help to investigate the patterns of multimorbidity and to integrate medical knowledge for improving healthcare delivery for individuals with co-occurring chronic conditions. OBJECTIVE: To explore the usefulness of literature-based discovery in primary care research through the key-case of finding associations between psychiatric and somatic diseases relevant to general practice in a large biomedical literature database (Medline). METHODS: By using literature based discovery for matching disease profiles as vectors in a high-dimensional associative concept space, co-occurrences of a broad spectrum of chronic medical conditions were matched for their potential in biomedicine. An experimental setting was chosen in parallel with expert evaluations and expert meetings to assess performance and to generate targets for integrating literature-based discovery in multidisciplinary medical research of psychiatric and somatic disease associations. RESULTS: Through stepwise reductions a reference set of 21,945 disease combinations was generated, from which a set of 166 combinations between psychiatric and somatic diseases was selected and assessed by text mining and expert evaluation. CONCLUSIONS: Literature-based discovery tools generate specific patterns of associations between psychiatric and somatic diseases: one subset was appraised as promising for further research; the other subset surprised the experts, leading to intricate discussions and further eliciting of frameworks of biomedical knowledge. These frameworks enable us to specify targets for further developing and integrating literature-based discovery in multidisciplinary research of general practice, psychology and psychiatry, and epidemiology.
BackgroundTo describe the prevalence of multimorbidity and to study the association between acute and chronic diseases in acutely hospitalized older patientsMethodsProspective cohort study conducted between 2006 and 2008 in three teaching hospitals in the Netherlands. 639 patients aged 65 years and older, hospitalized for > 48 h were included. Two physicians scored diseases, using ICD-9 codes. Chronic multimorbidity was defined as the presence of ≥ 2 chronic diseases, and acute multimorbidity as ≥ 1 acute diseases upon pre-existent chronic diseases. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to analyse cluster associations between a chronic index disease and the concurrent chronic or acute disease, corrected for age and sex.ResultsThe mean age of patients was 78 years, over 50% had ADL impairments. Prevalence of chronic multimorbidity was 69%, and acute multimorbidity was present in 88%. Hypertension (OR 1.16; 95% CI 1.08–1.24), diabetes (type I or type 2) (OR 1.12; 95% CI 1.04–1.21), heart failure (OR 1.25; 95% CI 1.14–1.38) and COPD (OR 1.19; 95% CI 1.05–1.34) were associated with acute renal failure. Hypertension (OR 1.10; 95% CI 1.04–1.17) and atrial fibrillation (OR 1.17; 95% CI 1.08–1.27) were associated with an adverse drug event. Gastro-intestinal bleeding was clustered with atrial fibrillation (OR 1.11; 95% CI 1.04–1.19) and gastric ulcer (OR 1.16; 95% CI 1.07–1.25).ConclusionBoth acute and chronic multimorbidity was frequently present in hospitalized older patients. We identified specific associations between acute and chronic diseases. There is a need for strategies addressing multimorbidity during the exacerbation of chronic diseases.
Background: Effective telemonitoring is possible through repetitive collection of electronic patient-reported outcome measures (ePROMs) in patients with chronic diseases. Low adherence to telemonitoring may have a negative impact on the effectiveness, but it is unknown which factors are associated with adherence to telemonitoring by ePROMs. The objective was to identify factors associated with adherence to telemonitoring by ePROMs in patients with chronic diseases. Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted in PubMed, Embase, PsycINFO and the Cochrane Library up to 8 June 2021. Eligibility criteria were: (1) interventional and cohort studies, (2) patients with a chronic disease, (3) repetitive ePROMs being used for telemonitoring, and (4) the study quantitatively investigating factors associated with adherence to telemonitoring by ePROMs. The Cochrane risk of bias tool and the risk of bias in nonrandomized studies of interventions were used to assess the risk of bias. An evidence synthesis was performed assigning to the results a strong, moderate, weak, inconclusive or an inconsistent level of evidence. Results: Five studies were included, one randomized controlled trial, two prospective uncontrolled studies and two retrospective cohort studies. A total of 15 factors potentially associated with adherence to telemonitoring by ePROMs were identified in the predominate studies of low quality. We found moderate-level evidence that sex is not associated with adherence. Some studies showed associations of the remaining factors with adherence, but the overall results were inconsistent or inconclusive. Conclusions: None of the 15 studied factors had conclusive evidence to be associated with adherence. Sex was, with moderate strength, not associated with adherence. The results were conflicting or indecisive, mainly due to the low number and low quality of studies. To optimize adherence to telemonitoring with ePROMs, mixed-method studies are needed.
Our unilateral diet has resulted in a deficiency of specific elements/components needed for well-functioning of the human body. Especially the element magnesium is low in our processed food and results in neuronal and muscular malfunctioning, problems in bone heath/strength, and increased chances of diabetes, depression and cardiovascular diseases. Furthermore, it has also been recognized that magnesium plays an important role in cognitive functioning (impairment and enhancement), especially for people suffering from neurodegenerative diseases (Parkinson disease, Alzheimer, etc). Recently, it has been reported that magnesium addition positively effects sleep and calmness (anti-stress). In order to increase the bioavailability of magnesium cations, organic acids such as citrate, glycerophosphate and glycinate are often used as counterions. However, the magnesium supplements that are currently on the market still suffer from low bio-availability and often do not enter the brain significantly.The preparation of dual/multiple ligands of magnesium in which the organic acid not only functions as a carrier but also has synergistically/complementary biological effects is widely unexplored and needs further development. As a result, there is a strong need for dual/multiple magnesium supplements that are non-toxic, stable, prepared via an economically and ecologically attractive route, resulting in high bioavailability of magnesium in vivo, preferably positively influencing cognition/concentration
Micro and macro algae are a rich source of lipids, proteins and carbohydrates, but also of secondary metabolites like phytosterols. Phytosterols have important health effects such as prevention of cardiovascular diseases. Global phytosterol market size was estimated at USD 709.7 million in 2019 and is expected to grow with a CAGR of 8.7% until 2027. Growing adoption of healthy lifestyle has bolstered demand for nutraceutical products. This is expected to be a major factor driving demand for phytosterols. Residues from algae are found in algae farming and processing, are found as beachings and are pruning residues from underwater Giant Kelp forests. Large amounts of brown seaweed beaches in the province of Zeeland and are discarded as waste. Pruning residues from Giant Kelp Forests harvests for the Namibian coast provide large amounts of biomass. ALGOL project considers all these biomass residues as raw material for added value creation. The ALGOL feasibility project will develop and evaluate green technologies for phytosterol extraction from algae biomass in a biocascading approach. Fucosterol is chosen because of its high added value, whereas lipids, protein and carbohydrates are lower in value and will hence be evaluated in follow-up projects. ALGOL will develop subcritical water, supercritical CO2 with modifiers and ethanol extraction technologies and compare these with conventional petroleum-based extractions and asses its technical, economic and environmental feasibility. Prototype nutraceutical/cosmeceutical products will be developed to demonstrate possible applications with fucosterol. A network of Dutch and African partners will supply micro and macro algae biomass, evaluate developed technologies and will prototype products with it, which are relevant to their own business interests. ALGOL project will create added value by taking a biocascading approach where first high-interest components are processed into high added value products as nutraceutical or cosmeceutical.
Micro and macro algae are a rich source of lipids, proteins and carbohydrates, but also of secondary metabolites like phytosterols. Phytosterols have important health effects such as prevention of cardiovascular diseases. Global phytosterol market size was estimated at USD 709.7 million in 2019 and is expected to grow with a CAGR of 8.7% until 2027. Growing adoption of healthy lifestyle has bolstered demand for nutraceutical products. This is expected to be a major factor driving demand for phytosterols.Residues from algae are found in algae farming and processing, are found as beachings and are pruning residues from underwater Giant Kelp forests. Large amounts of brown seaweed beaches in the province of Zeeland and are discarded as waste. Pruning residues from Giant Kelp Forests harvests for the Namibian coast provide large amounts of biomass. ALGOL project considers all these biomass residues as raw material for added value creation.The ALGOL feasibility project will develop and evaluate green technologies for phytosterol extraction from algae biomass in a biocascading approach. Fucosterol is chosen because of its high added value, whereas lipids, protein and carbohydrates are lower in value and will hence be evaluated in follow-up projects. ALGOL will develop subcritical water, supercritical CO2 with modifiers and ethanol extraction technologies and compare these with conventional petroleum-based extractions and asses its technical, economic and environmental feasibility. Prototype nutraceutical/cosmeceutical products will be developed to demonstrate possible applications with fucosterol.A network of Dutch and African partners will supply micro and macro algae biomass, evaluate developed technologies and will prototype products with it, which are relevant to their own business interests. ALGOL project will create added value by taking a biocascading approach where first high-interest components are processed into high added value products as nutraceutical or cosmeceutical.
