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The article discusses research to evaluate the risk of Parkinson's disease (PD) associated with tea consumption. PD is considered the second most frequent neurodegenerative disease at present, and its prevalence is expected to increase rapidly, given the growing proportion of elderly in many populations. The study found that drinking tea can protect against PD and this protective effect is clearer in Chinese populations.

Aspergillosis is the second most frequent fungal infection after candidiasis in teaching hospitals. Clinical manifestations of pulmonary aspergillosis range from asymptomatic colonization to disseminated disease. The aim of this study was to identify the risk factors associated with invasive pulmonary aspergillosis, in patients with positive pulmonary isolation of Aspergillus species. A review was undertaken of all clinical records with pulmonary isolation of Aspergillus species at Reina Sofia University Hospital from January 1995 to December 1998. Data collected were: age, gender, history of smoking, past medical history, such as chronic pulmonary disease, immunosuppression, granulocytopenia in the past 6 months and during the last admission, history of surgery including within the last year of the study period, number of hospital admissions and clinical evidence of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis. To investigate all the possible risk factors for invasive pulmonary aspergillosis, a multivariable logistic regression model was used. 132 patients with positive pulmonary isolation were identified, of which 42.4% had clinical evidence of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis. The independent factors significantly associated with invasive pulmonary aspergillosis were: granulocytopenia in the past 6 months, immunosuppression in the last admission and the number of hospital admissions within the past year. Patients with a history of granulocytopenia in the past 6 months and immunosuppression in the last admission are the high-risk group for invasive pulmonary aspergillosis. However, invasive pulmonary aspergillosis can also occur in mild granulocytopenic or even immunocompetent patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Comparison of statistical methods and measurement scales to identify nosocomial infection risk factors in intensive care units (ICU).Design: Prospective study in 558 patients admitted to the ICU of a referral hospital between February and November 1994.Methods: Analysis using three logistic regression models, three standard Cox regression models, and two Cox regression models with time-dependent extrinsic factors. Different scales were used to measure exposures to risk factors (dichotomous, ordinal, quantitative, and time-dependent variables).Results: The most appropriate models were those that measured exposure using dichotomous variables. Models using ordinal or quantitative variables estimated biased coefficients and/or failed to comply with the statistical assumptions underlying the analyses. The Cox regression model with quantitative time-dependent variables met all the statistical assumptions, obtained a precise assessment of risk by exposure time, and estimated unbiased coefficients.Conclusions: The Cox regression analysis with quantitative time-dependent variables is the most valid alternative for assessing the risk of nosocomial infection per day of exposure to an extrinsic risk factor in the ICU. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]