Odynophagia and Retrosternal Pain Are Common in Eosinophilic Esophagitis and Associated with an Increased Overall Symptom Severity.

Background And Aims: Dysphagia is the hallmark symptom in eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE). However, data are limited regarding the overall prevalence and potential implications of atypical symptoms like odynophagia and retrosternal pain.

Methods: Patients enrolled into the Swiss EoE cohort study (SEECS) were analyzed regarding the presence of odynophagia and retrosternal pain.

Evaluation of soluble suppression of tumorigenicity 2 (sST2) as serum marker for liver fibrosis.

Background & Aims: With the increase in patients at risk of advanced liver disease due to the obesity epidemic, there will be a need for simple screening tools for advanced liver fibrosis. Soluble suppression of tumorigenicity 2 (sST2) is a serum biomarker for fibrotic processes. The aim of this study was to evaluate sST2 as marker for liver fibrosis in patients successfully treated for chronic hepatitis C.

Sex-specific clinical characteristics and treatment responses in delirium management: findings from a prospective cohort study in elderly patients.

Delirium incidence and phenotype differ between sexes. Sex differences in the selection of treatment strategies remain elusive. We evaluated sex-specific responses to non- and pharmacological management.

Predisposing and precipitating risk factors for delirium in gastroenterology and hepatology: Subgroup analysis of 718 patients from a hospital-wide prospective cohort study.

Background And Aims: Delirium is the most common acute neuropsychiatric syndrome in hospitalized patients. Higher age and cognitive impairment are known predisposing risk factors in general hospital populations. However, the interrelation with precipitating gastrointestinal (GI) and hepato-pancreato-biliary (HPB) diseases remains to be determined.

Corrigendum: Risk Factors for Delirium Are Different in the Very Old: A Comparative One-Year Prospective Cohort Study of 5,831 Patients.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.

Clinical parameters associated with gastric portal hypertensive polyps.

Objectives: Portal hypertensive polyps (PHPs) are incompletely characterized lesions that can be found in the distal stomach of patients with portal hypertension. We aimed to delineate clinical factors associated with the appearance of these rare polyps.

Material And Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study of a cohort with 513 cirrhotic patients comparing patients with and without PHP using descriptive analyses and multivariable logistic regression.

Discharge Destinations of Delirious Patients: Findings From a Prospective Cohort Study of 27,026 Patients From a Large Health Care System.

Objectives: Delirium is known to contribute to increased rates of institutionalization and mortality. The full extent of adverse outcomes, however, remains understudied. We aimed to systematically assess the discharge destinations and mortality risk in delirious patients in a large sample across all hospital services.

Predisposing and Precipitating Risk Factors for Delirium in Elderly Patients Admitted to a Cardiology Ward: An Observational Cohort Study in 1,042 Patients.

Although the risk factors for delirium in general medicine are well-established, their significance in cardiac diseases remains to be determined. Therefore, we evaluated the predisposing and precipitating risk factors in patients hospitalized with acute and chronic heart disease. In this observational cohort study, 1,042 elderly patients (≥65 years) admitted to cardiology wards, 167 with and 875 without delirium, were included.

Risk Factors for Delirium Are Different in the Very Old: A Comparative One-Year Prospective Cohort Study of 5,831 Patients.

In an ever-aging society, health care systems will be confronted with an increasing number of patients over 80 years ("the very old"). Currently, knowledge about and recommendations for delirium management are often based on studies in patients aged 60 to 65 years. It is not clear whether these findings apply to patients ≥80 years.

Pyloric dilation with the esophageal functional lumen imaging probe in gastroparesis improves gastric emptying, pyloric distensibility, and symptoms.

Background And Aims: The role of decreased pyloric distensibility in gastroparesis as measured by the endolumenal functional luminal imaging probe (EndoFLIP) has been receiving increasing attention. In this study, we present clinical outcomes to pyloric dilation with the esophageal FLIP (EsoFLIP) in regard to gastric emptying, symptom evolution, and FLIP metrics.

Methods: Patients evaluated for gastroparesis (gastric emptying studies of t ≥180 minutes during C-octanoic acid breath test and/or gastric remnants during gastroscopy after a sufficient fasting period) were scheduled for EsoFLIP controlled pyloric dilation.

Delirium in trauma patients: a 1-year prospective cohort study of 2026 patients.

Background: Delirium in trauma surgery is common, especially post-operatively, but medical characteristics, risk factors and residence post-discharge have not comprehensively been investigated in all trauma patients.

Methods: Over 1 year, 2026 trauma patients were prospectively screened for delirium with the following tools: Delirium Observation screening scale (DOS), Intensive Care Delirium Screening Checklist (ICDSC) and a DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual)-5, nursing tool (ePA-AC) construct. Risk factors-predisposing und precipitating-for delirium were assessed via multiple regression analysis.

Improving animal welfare using continuous nalbuphine infusion in a long-term rat model of sepsis.

Background: Sepsis research relies on animal models to investigate the mechanisms of the dysregulated host response to infection. Animal welfare concerns request the use of potent analgesics for the Refinement of existing sepsis models, according to the 3Rs principle. Nevertheless, adequate analgesia is often missing, partly because the effects of analgesics in this particular condition are unknown.

The multimorbidity interaction severity index (MISI): A proof of concept study.

Therapeutic decision-making for patients with multimorbidity (MM) is challenging. Clinical practice guidelines inadequately address harmful interactions and resulting therapeutic conflicts within and among diseases. A patient-specific measure of MM severity that takes account of this conflict is needed.

Disease-Targeted Treatment Improves Cognitive Function in Patients with Precapillary Pulmonary Hypertension.

Background: Patients with pulmonary hypertension (PH) may suffer from cognitive deficits that potentially relate to reduced oxygen delivery and cerebral tissue oxygenation (CTO).

Objective: To evaluate the hypothesis that cognitive function improves with therapy, along with improved CTO.

Methods: Twenty incident patients with arterial or chronic thromboembolic PH had CTO monitoring by near-infrared spectroscopy during diagnostic right heart catheterization.

Effects of exercise and vasodilators on cerebral tissue oxygenation in pulmonary hypertension.

Background: Arterial and thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (PH) lead to arterial hypoxaemia.

Objective: To investigate whether cerebral tissue oxygenation (CTO) in patients with PH is reduced and whether this is associated with reduced exercise tolerance.

Methods: 16 patients with PH (mean pulmonary arterial pressure ≥25 mmHg, 14 arterial, 2 chronic thromboembolic) and 15 controls underwent right heart catheterisation with monitoring of CTO at rest, during maximal bicycle exercise and during inhalation of oxygen and NO.

Effect of oxygen and acetazolamide on nocturnal cardiac conduction, repolarization, and arrhythmias in precapillary pulmonary hypertension and sleep-disturbed breathing.

Background: Sleep-disturbed breathing (SDB) is common in patients with precapillary pulmonary hypertension (PH). Nocturnal oxygen therapy (NOT) and acetazolamide improve SDB in patients with PH, and NOT improves exercise capacity. We investigated the effect of NOT and acetazolamide on nocturnal cardiac conduction, repolarization, and arrhythmias in patients with PH and SDB.

Tobacco smoke exposure in pulmonary arterial and thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension.

Background: Animal studies and data from a single-center study suggest that tobacco smoke exposure may be a risk factor for precapillary pulmonary hypertension (PH).

Objective: We aimed to survey tobacco smoke exposure in a large PH collective and to compare it with epidemiological data from healthy subjects.

Methods: This is an international, multicenter, case-control study including patients with pulmonary arterial and chronic thromboembolic PH.

Effect of nocturnal oxygen and acetazolamide on exercise performance in patients with pre-capillary pulmonary hypertension and sleep-disturbed breathing: randomized, double-blind, cross-over trial.

Aim: Sleep-disturbed breathing (SDB) is common in pre-capillary pulmonary hypertension (PH) and impairs daytime performance. In lack of proven effective treatments, we tested whether nocturnal oxygen therapy (NOT) or acetazolamide improve exercise performance and quality of life in patients with pre-capillary PH and SDB.

Methods: This was a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, three period cross-over trial.

Reference values for the 6-minute walk test in healthy children and adolescents in Switzerland.

Background: The six-minute walk test (6MWT) is a simple, low tech, safe and well established, self-paced assessment tool to quantify functional exercise capacity in adults. The definition of normal 6MWT in children is especially demanding since not only parameters like height, weight and ethnical background influence the measurement, but may be as crucial as age and the developmental stage. The aim of this study is establishing reference values for the 6MWT in healthy children and adolescents in Switzerland and to investigate the influence of age, anthropometrics, heart rate, blood pressure and physical activity on the distance walked.

Daytime measurements underestimate nocturnal oxygen desaturations in pulmonary arterial and chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension.

Background: Nocturnal hypoxemia is important in precapillary pulmonary hypertension (pPH) as it worsens pulmonary hemodynamics. Whether daytime oxygen saturation (SpO(2)) predicts nocturnal hypoxemia in pPH patients has not been conclusively studied.

Objectives: To investigate the prevalence of nocturnal hypoxemia in comparison to daytime SpO(2) and disease severity in ambulatory patients with pulmonary hypertension.

A low resting heart rate at diagnosis predicts favourable long-term outcome in pulmonary arterial and chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension. A prospective observational study.

Background: A low resting heart rate (HR) is prognostically favourable in healthy individuals and in patients with left heart disease. In this study we investigated the impact of HR at diagnosis on long-term outcome in patients with differently classified precapillary pulmonary hypertension (pPH).

Methods: pPH patients diagnosed as pulmonary arterial (PAH) or inoperable chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) were registered and regularly followed at our centre Baseline characteristics and events defined as either death or lung transplantation were noted.