Mass screening

About: Mass screening is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 34508 publications have been published within this topic receiving 1365148 citations.

Prevalence of adrenal incidentaloma in a contemporary computerized tomography series

Abstract: Adrenal incidentalomas, defined as masses discovered incidentally during imaging investigation of non-adrenal disorders, have become a rather common finding in clinical practice. The prevalence is not well characterized and varies among studies. The aim of the present study was to perform a prospective evaluation of the prevalence of adrenal incidentalomas among subjects undergoing computerized tomography (CT) scan of the chest in a screening program of lung cancer (Tic TAC study) in Piedmont, a region of Northwestern Italy. This evaluation included 520 subjects (382 males and 138 females, aged between 55-82 yr), referred to our hospital from April to December 2001. Twenty-three patients with adrenal masses were identified: 21 adrenal adenomas, 1 myelolipoma, and 1 metastasis of lung cancer. Therefore, the overall prevalence of adrenal lesions was 4.4%, and that of benign adrenal masses was 4.2%. This prevalence is higher than those found in previous CT scan series reported in the literature, probably because of the use of high-resolution CT scanning technology. Another factor that influenced our results is that subject age is skewed towards the decades characterized by a greater occurrence of adrenal masses. The outcome of this study confirms that we are presently able to identify incidentally discovered adrenal masses more often than in early years and that the prevalence of adrenal incidentalomas on CT images is approaching that of autopsy series. The present study provides a reliable estimate of the prevalence of adrenal incidentaloma with currently used CT scanners. Notwithstanding that our subjects were at increased risk of lung cancer, the rate of adrenal metastases was low. We think that the present results can be generalized even if we may disclose the lack of histological diagnosis.

Is the Timed Up and Go test a useful predictor of risk of falls in community dwelling older adults: a systematic review and meta- analysis

Abstract: The Timed Up and Go test (TUG) is a commonly used screening tool to assist clinicians to identify patients at risk of falling. The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to determine the overall predictive value of the TUG in community-dwelling older adults. A literature search was performed to identify all studies that validated the TUG test. The methodological quality of the selected studies was assessed using the QUADAS-2 tool, a validated tool for the quality assessment of diagnostic accuracy studies. A TUG score of ≥13.5 seconds was used to identify individuals at higher risk of falling. All included studies were combined using a bivariate random effects model to generate pooled estimates of sensitivity and specificity at ≥13.5 seconds. Heterogeneity was assessed using the variance of logit transformed sensitivity and specificity. Twenty-five studies were included in the systematic review and 10 studies were included in meta-analysis. The TUG test was found to be more useful at ruling in rather than ruling out falls in individuals classified as high risk (>13.5 sec), with a higher pooled specificity (0.74, 95% CI 0.52-0.88) than sensitivity (0.31, 95% CI 0.13-0.57). Logistic regression analysis indicated that the TUG score is not a significant predictor of falls (OR = 1.01, 95% CI 1.00-1.02, p = 0.05). The Timed Up and Go test has limited ability to predict falls in community dwelling elderly and should not be used in isolation to identify individuals at high risk of falls in this setting.

The Set Test as an Aid to the Detection of Dementia in Old People

Abstract: The Set test is a simple rapid test of mental function. It was applied to a sample of 189 elderly subjects in the East End of Glasgow. A score of under 15 on the test corresponded closely to a clinical diagnosis of dementia. Scores in the range 15 to 24 showed a lesser degree of association with dementia; while no subject with a score of 25 or over was demented. Low scores in the test were associated with physical illness, and to a limited extent with low social class, but not with affective illness. The test appears worthy of further studies in screening programmes, and may have other clinical and epidemiological uses.

CT Screening for Lung Cancer: Five-year Prospective Experience

Abstract: PURPOSE: To report results of a 5-year prospective low-dose helical chest computed tomographic (CT) study of a cohort at high risk for lung cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: After informed written consent was obtained, 1520 individuals were enrolled. Protocol was approved by institutional review board and National Cancer Institute and was compliant with Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, or HIPAA. Participants were aged 50 years and older and had smoked for more than 20 pack-years. Participants underwent five annual (one initial and four subsequent) CT examinations. A significant downward shift was evaluated in non–small cell lung cancers detected initially from advanced stage down to stage I by using a one-sided binomial test of proportions. Poisson regression and Fisher exact tests were used for comparisons with Mayo Lung Project. RESULTS: In 788 (52%) men and 732 (48%) women, 61% (927 of 1520) were current smokers, and 39% were former smokers. After five annual CT examinations, 3356 unca...