The tele-liver frailty index (TeLeFI): development of a novel frailty tool in patients with cirrhosis via telemedicine.

Frailty is a critical determinant of outcomes in cirrhosis patients. The increasing use of telemedicine has created an unmet need for virtual frailty assessment. We aimed to develop a telemedicine-enabled frailty tool (tele-liver frailty index).

Hepatic and renal function impact concentrations of plasma biomarkers of neuropathology.

Introduction: The impact of hepatorenal function on plasma biomarkers of neuropathology is unknown. Herein, we measured several plasma biomarkers in patients with cirrhosis.

Methods: Plasma phosphorylated tau (p-tau181), neurofilament light chain (NfL), glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), total tau (t-tau), and ubiquitin carboxyl-terminal hydrolase L1 (UCHL1) were measured in 135 adults with cirrhosis and 22 healthy controls using Simoa.

Loneliness in adults awaiting liver transplantation at 7 U.S. transplant centers.

Introduction: Loneliness, "a subjective feeling of being isolated", is a strong predictor of adverse health. We characterized loneliness in patients with end-stage liver disease (ESLD) awaiting liver transplantation (LT).

Methods: We surveyed loneliness in ambulatory ESLD adults awaiting LT at 7 U.

Perioperative Delta Sodium and Post-Liver Transplant Neurological Complications in Liver Transplant Recipients.

Background: Hyponatremia before liver transplant (LT) increases risk of post-LT neurological complications in patients with decompensated cirrhosis, but it is unknown to what extent change in sodium from pre- to post-LT influences risk of central nervous system (CNS) sequelae. We assessed the relationship between pre- to post-LT delta sodium and prevalence of CNS complications during LT hospitalization.

Methods: We performed retrospective single-center chart review of 1265 adults with cirrhosis who underwent LT (2011-2020).

Cognitive Impairment and Physical Frailty in Patients With Cirrhosis.

Physical frailty and impaired cognition are common in patients with cirrhosis. Physical frailty can be assessed using performance-based tests, but the extent to which impaired cognition may impact performance is not well characterized. We assessed the relationship between impaired cognition and physical frailty in patients with cirrhosis.

B and T Lymphocyte Densities Remain Stable With Age in Human Cortex.

One hallmark of human aging is increased brain inflammation represented by glial activation. With age, there is also diminished function of the adaptive immune system, and modest decreases in circulating B- and T-lymphocytes. Lymphocytes traffic through the human brain and reside there in small numbers, but it is unknown how this changes with age.

Osmotic Demyelination Syndrome in Hospitalized Patients With Cirrhosis: Analysis of the National Inpatient Sample (NIS).

Goal: Characterize prevalence of osmotic demyelination syndrome (ODS) in hospitalized patients with cirrhosis.

Background: ODS is a serious complication of rapid serum sodium correction. Patients with cirrhosis experience labile sodium levels related to portal hypertension and diuretic use, often with rapid correction-intentional or unintentional-during hospitalizations.

Projected costs of single-payer healthcare financing in the United States: A systematic review of economic analyses.

Background: The United States is the only high-income nation without universal, government-funded or -mandated health insurance employing a unified payment system. The US multi-payer system leaves residents uninsured or underinsured, despite overall healthcare costs far above other nations. Single-payer (often referred to as Medicare for All), a proposed policy solution since 1990, is receiving renewed press attention and popular support.

A year-long immune profile of the systemic response in acute stroke survivors.

Stroke is a leading cause of cognitive impairment and dementia, but the mechanisms that underlie post-stroke cognitive decline are not well understood. Stroke produces profound local and systemic immune responses that engage all major innate and adaptive immune compartments. However, whether the systemic immune response to stroke contributes to long-term disability remains ill-defined.