Early smoking onset age (SOA) is a public health concern with scant empirical evidence of its role in health outcomes. The study had two aims: i) to assess whether an early SOA was associated with the risk of fatal and non-fatal CVD and all-cause and CVD mortality and ii) to explore the linear and non-linear association between SOA and the outcomes of interest. Data from 4,499 current or former smokers, recruited from 1995 to 2005, aged 25 to 79 years, and with a median 7.02 years of follow-up, were obtained from the REGICOR population-based cohort. In the present analysis, performed in 2018, the independent variable was SOA and the dependent variables were CVD events, CVD mortality, and all-cause mortality. Penalized smoothing spline methods were used to assess the linear and non-linear association. During follow-up, 361 deaths and 210 CVD events were recorded. A significant non-linear component was identified in the association between SOA and CVD outcomes with a cut-off point at 12 years: In the group aged ≤12 years, each year of delay in SOA was inversely associated with CVD risk (HR=0.71; 95%CI=0.53-0.96) and CVD mortality (HR=0.58; 95%CI=0.37-0.90). No association was observed in the older SOA group. A linear association was observed between SOA and all-cause mortality, and each year of delay was associated with 4% lower risk of mortality (HR=0.96; 95%CI=0.93-0.98). The associations were adjusted for lifelong exposure to tobacco and cardiovascular risk factors. These results reinforce the value of preventing tobacco use among teenagers and adolescents.
Avulsion fracture types II and III of flexor digitorum profundus (FPD), also called Jersey Finger, in flexor zone 1 are an uncommon pathology requiring surgical treatment. The aim of this study was to assess whether hook miniplates were an accessible and reliable option to repair FDP avulsion types II and III. Between July and August 2018, we treated 2 consecutive patients’ zone 1 Leddy-Packer type II and III FDP injuries with hook plates and 1.2 × 7 mm screws included in Medartis Aptus Hand fixation system set. Patients were aged 37 and 39 years, a man and a woman, respectively. At the end of the follow-up, we evaluated the Visual Analog Scale, range of motion, grip strength, and Quick Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand. Both patients completed 12 months of follow-up with excellent functional and radiological results. Neither presented complications or residual disability. This injury has been treated with a wide range of surgical techniques, including anchor suture, pullout button sutures, screws, and plates. However, due to the difficulty in surgical fixation of fragments around finger joints, limited access to ligaments and tendons, and the lack of cases, none of the techniques have turned out as a clear option above others. Hook plates placed in distal phalanx emerge as surgical treatment for FDP avulsion types II and III in flexor zone 1, with excellent clinical outcomes.
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