[Assessment of older patients upon admission at the emergency department].

Older patients admitted to the emergency departments represent a heterogeneous group, some are frail with reduced reserve capacity and without ability to compensate to acute illness. They often present with nonspecific complaints and atypical presentation and are at-risk of complications and adverse events. These patients need a fast comprehensive interdisciplinary and multicomponent assessment and intervention to reduce the risk of further functional decline and to optimize their overall health status, independency and quality of life.

Risk assessment models for potential use in the emergency department have lower predictive ability in older patients compared to the middle-aged for short-term mortality - a retrospective cohort study.

Background: Older patients is a complex group at increased risk of adverse outcomes compared to younger patients, which should be considered in the risk assessment performed in emergency departments. We evaluated whether the predictive ability of different risk assessment models for acutely admitted patients is affected by age.

Methods: Cohort study of middle-aged and older patients.

Deadly pressure pneumothorax after withdrawal of misplaced feeding tube: a case report.

Background: Many patients have a nasogastric feeding tube inserted during admission; however, misplacement is not uncommon. In this case report we present, to the best of our knowledge, the first documented fatality from pressure pneumothorax following nasogastric tube withdrawal.

Case Presentation: An 84-year-old Caucasian woman with dysphagia and at risk of aspiration underwent routine insertion of a nasogastric feeding tube; however, shortly after insertion she developed respiratory distress.

Fermented milk for hypertension.

Background: Fermented milk has been suggested to have a blood pressure lowering effect through increased content of proteins and peptides produced during the bacterial fermentation. Hypertension is one of the major risk factors for cardiovascular disease world wide and new blood pressure reducing lifestyle interventions, such as fermented milk, would be of great importance.

Objectives: To investigate whether fermented milk or similar products produced by lactobacilli fermentation of milk proteins has any blood pressure lowering effect in humans when compared to no treatment or placebo.

Accuracy of multi-slice computed tomography for measurement of left ventricular ejection fraction compared with cardiac magnetic resonance imaging and two-dimensional transthoracic echocardiography: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Multi-slice computed tomography (MSCT) allows non-invasive assessment of the coronary arteries and simultaneously can provide measurement of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). The accuracy of newer MSCT generations (64-slice or more) for assessment of LVEF compared with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and two-dimensional transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) has not been evaluated in a meta-analysis.

Purpose: To evaluate, via a systematic literature review and meta-analysis, whether MSCT can assess LVEF with high accuracy compared with MRI and TTE.

Gastric emptying of orally administered glucose solutions and incretin hormone responses are unaffected by laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding.

Background: Laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding (LAGB) provides weight loss in obese individuals and is associated with improved glucose homeostasis and resolution of type 2 diabetes. However, in most available reports, potentially inappropriate methodology has been applied when measuring the impact of LAGB on glucose intolerance. In order to clarify the applicability of the diagnostic 75 g-oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) to measure the effect of LAGB on glucose metabolism, we investigated the effect of LAGB on gastric emptying for liquids as well as pancreatic and incretin hormone responses.

Human in vivo study of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system and the sympathetic activity after 8 weeks daily intake of fermented milk.

Objective: Milk fermented by lactic acid bacteria is suggested to have antihypertensive effect in humans. In vitro and animal studies have established an angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor effect of peptides in fermented milk. However, other modes of action must be considered, because until today no human studies have confirmed an ACE inhibition in relation to the intake of fermented milk.

Does fermented milk possess antihypertensive effect in humans?

The putative antihypertensive effect of milk after fermentation by lactic bacteria has attracted attention over the past 20 years. Research on fermented milk and hypertension has mainly focused on the content of peptides with in-vitro angiotensin converting enzyme-inhibitor effect. However, fermented milk products contain several proteins, peptides and minerals, all with possible different antihypertensive modes of actions.