Microbiota and arthritis: cause or consequence?

The relationship between intestinal microbiota and arthritis has garnered significant attention, with emerging evidence suggesting a potential association between dysbiosis and various forms of inflammatory arthropathies. While observational studies have provided valuable insights into microbiota alterations in patients with arthritis, establishing causality remains challenging. Observational data, influenced by multiple confounders such as environmental factors, medication effects, and dietary habits, are insufficient to conclusively determine whether microbiota changes are somehow causally linked to arthritis.

Adding the value of the Charlson Comorbidity Index to the GRACE score for mortality prediction in acute coronary syndromes.

Background: Scarce and conflicting data still exist about the role of the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) when added to the traditional Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events (GRACE) risk score for outcome prediction in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS).

Methods: All consecutive admissions due to ACS, from 1 January 2018 to 31 December 2020 were retrospectively reviewed from an internal database of a tertiary cardiac center in Salerno (Italy). Logistic and Cox proportional regression analyses were performed in order to assess the contribution of the CCI on 30-day and long-term mortality.