Obesity and iron deficiency anemia as risk factors for asymptomatic bacteriuria.

BACKGROUND: Few studies examined the risk factors of asymptomatic bacteriuria, showing contradictory results. Our study aimed to examine the association between different clinical and laboratory parameters and asymptomatic bacteriuria in internal medicine patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 330 consecutive hospitalized subjects, asymptomatic for urinary tract infections (UTIs), underwent to microscopic examination of urine specimens. 100 subjects were positive for microscopic bacteriuria and were recruited into the study. At the quantitative urine culture 31 subjects of study population were positive while 69 subjects were negative for bacteriuria. RESULTS: The analysis of clinical characteristics showed that the two groups of subjects (positive and negative urine culture for bacteriuria) were significant different (p<0.05) about obesity (76.7% vs 42% respectively), metabolic syndrome (80.6% vs 44,9%), cholelithiasis (35.5% vs 13,2%) and iron deficiency anemia (80.6% vs 53,6%). The univariate analysis showed that only obesity, cholelithiasis and iron deficiency anemia were positively associated with positive urine culture for bacteriuria (Odds Ratios [OR]=3.79, p=0.0003; OR=2,65, p=0.0091; OR=2.63, p=0.0097; respectively). However, the multivariate analysis by logistic regression showed that only obesity and iron deficiency anemia, independently associated with positive urine culture for bacteriuria (OR=3.9695, p=0.0075; OR=3.1569, p=0.03420 respectively). CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that obesity and iron deficiency anemia are independent risk factors for asymptomatic bacteriuria.

An m-Health monitoring system for children with suspected arrhythmias.

Advances in wireless communications and networking technologies as well as computer and medical technologies, enable the development of small size, power efficient and more reliable medical multi-parameter recording systems, which can be used for continuous monitoring of patients. Through this paper we present the basic architecture and initial development steps of an m-Health monitoring system that will be used in order to monitor children with suspected cardiac arrhythmias. The proposed system will be based on sensor networks, in order to monitor a subject while being in a predefined area like his/her house; while a module based on PDAs and wearable ECG recorders will be used in order to extent the coverage outside the patient's house. The system will be based on a variable sampling rate to conserve power for the possible arrhythmia episode. The system design has been completed, the hardware specifications have been decided and currently the system is going through the development phase.