Effects of alcohol-related problems on the costs of frequent emergency department use: an economic analysis of a case-control study in Spain.

Introduction: Alcohol-related problems increase the probability of frequent emergency department (ED) use. In this study, we compared the direct healthcare expenses incurred during a single visit among frequent and non-frequent ED users and analyzed the impact of alcohol-related issues in healthcare costs arising from ED usage.

Methods: The study relied on secondary analyses of economic data from a 1:1 matched case-control study with the primary aim of identifying the clinical characteristics of hospital ED frequent users in a Mediterranean European environment with a public, universal, and tax-funded health system.

Is a vegetarian diet beneficial for bipolar disorder? Relationship between dietary patterns, exercise and pharmacological treatments with metabolic syndrome and course of disease in bipolar disorder.

Background: Lifestyle factors are being increasingly studied in bipolar disorder (BD) due to their possible effects on both course of disease and physical health. The aim of this study was to jointly describe and explore the interrelations between diet patterns, exercise, pharmacological treatment with course of disease and metabolic profile in BD.

Methods: The sample consisted of 66 euthymic or mild depressive individuals with BD.

Multiplatform web app (My Way Up) plus motivational interviewing for improving treatment retention in patients with onset of alcohol-related liver disease and alcohol use disorder - an example of participatory research.

Background: With the aim of improving treatment retention in patients with the onset of alcohol-related liver disease (ArLD), we designed a blended intervention (brief motivational intervention + 'serious game' (SG)). We present the participatory design methodology and outcomes and the usability assessment of the intervention.

Methods: (1) The design of the SG was based on the outcomes of two 3-h co-creation sessions with 37 participants (healthcare and technology professionals, patients, and patients' relatives).

Intestinal permeability and low-grade chronic inflammation in schizophrenia: A multicentre study on biomarkers. Rationale, objectives, protocol and preliminary results.

Background: Altered intestinal permeability and low-grade chronic inflammation disrupt the integrity of the blood-brain barrier (microbiota-gut-brain axis), probably playing a role in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia-spectrum disorders. However, studies assessing the microbiota-gut-brain axis are inconsistent. This article describes the rationale, objectives, protocol, and presents descriptive results for a new project.

Medications for alcohol use disorder promote abstinence in alcohol-associated cirrhosis: Results from a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background And Aims: The role of medications for alcohol use disorder (MAUD) in patients with cirrhosis is not well established. Evidence on the efficacy and safety of these drugs in these patients is scarce.

Approach And Results: We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis Protocol guidelines on the efficacy of MAUD in patients with cirrhosis.