GRADE-based procalcitonin guideline for emergency departments.

Procalcitonin is a useful biomarker for infection. Over the past two decades, there has been much research on the clinical applications of procalcitonin, yet the majority of these studies have been conducted in the intensive care setting. Despite the extensive use of procalcitonin in emergency departments, there have been no guidelines focusing specifically on these clinical settings.

Procalcitonin-guided antibiotic treatment in patients with cancer: a patient-level meta-analysis from randomized controlled trials.

Background: Use of serum procalcitonin (PCT), an inflammatory biomarker for bacterial infections, has shown promising results for early stopping antibiotic treatment among patients with respiratory infections and sepsis. There is need for additional data regarding effectiveness and safety of this concept among patients with cancer.

Methods: Individual data of patients with a documented diagnosis of cancer and proven or suspected respiratory infection and/or sepsis were extracted from previous trials where adult patients were randomized to receive antibiotic treatment based on a PCT protocol or usual care (control group).

Microbiological trends, in-hospital outcomes, and mortality in infective endocarditis: a Swiss-nationwide cohort study.

Background: The epidemiology of infective endocarditis (IE) is evolving, driven by an aging population and increased use of endovascular devices, and is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. This study aims to evaluate changes in microbiological trends and clinical outcomes in patients with IE over the past decade in Switzerland.

Methods: This nationwide cohort study analyzed in-hospital claims data from patients hospitalized with IE in Switzerland between 2012 and 2021.

Association of phenylalanine and tyrosine metabolism with mortality and response to nutritional support among patients at nutritional risk: a secondary analysis of the randomized clinical trial EFFORT.

Background: Elevated phenylalanine serum level is a surrogate marker of whole-body proteolysis and has been associated with increased mortality in critically ill patients. Tyrosine is a metabolite of phenylalanine and serves as a precursor of thyroid hormones and catecholamines with important functions in the oxidative stress response among others. Herein, we examined the prognostic significance of phenylalanine, tyrosine, as well as its metabolites nitrotyrosine, L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA), and dopamine regarding clinical outcomes and response to nutritional therapy in patients at nutritional risk.

Health economic value of postacute oral nutritional supplementation in older adult medical patients at risk for malnutrition: a US-based modelling approach.

Objective: To estimate the health economic value of postdischarge oral nutrition supplement (ONS) consumption among elderly adults who were malnourished during hospitalisation.

Design: A cost-effectiveness model was developed from a US payer perspective based on a recent meta-analysis of randomised trials of nutritional support following hospital discharge and studies of US hospital mortality, readmission rates and costs.

Participants And Setting: The target population of this study was postacute care US patients aged ≥65 years who were identified as malnourished during hospitalisation.

Sex differences in clinical presentation, treatment response, and side effects of nutritional therapy among patients at nutritional risk: a secondary analysis of the randomized clinical trial EFFORT.

Background: Considering sex-specific factors has become an increasingly recognized area for research and practice, in the field of clinical nutrition, there is insufficient evidence regarding differences in clinical presentation, treatment response, and side effects of nutritional therapy among female and male patients.

Objectives: We hypothesized that the clinical presentation, response to nutritional therapy, and side effects from the intervention would differ in the two sexes.

Methods: This secondary analysis investigated differences among female and male patients at risk for malnutrition regarding initial presentation, clinical outcomes, and treatment response in patients included in the Effect of Early Nutritional Support on Frailty, Functional Outcomes, and Recovery of Malnourished Medical Inpatients Trial (EFFORT), a randomized controlled trial comparing individualized nutritional support to usual care.

Hospitalization Trends for Airway Infections and In-Hospital Complications in Cleft Lip and Palate.

Importance: Cleft lip or palate is a prevalent birth defect, occurring in approximately 1 to 2 per 1000 newborns and often necessitating numerous hospitalizations. Specific rates of hospitalization and complication are underexplored.

Objective: To assess the rates of airway infection-associated hospitalization, overall hospital admissions, in-hospital complications, and mortality among children with a cleft lip or palate.

Association of leucine and other branched chain amino acids with clinical outcomes in malnourished inpatients: a secondary analysis of the randomized clinical trial EFFORT.

Background: The essential branched-chain amino acids leucine, isoleucine and valine are considered anabolic and stimulate protein synthesis in the muscles as well in the liver. They also promote muscle recovery and contribute to glucose homeostasis. Recent studies in critically ill patients have demonstrated that depletion of plasma leucine is associated with increased mortality, but data in the non-critical care setting is lacking.

Impact of nutrition interventions for malnourished patients: Introduction to health economics and outcomes research with findings from nutrition care studies.

Healthcare systems and patients today are challenged by high and ever-escalating costs for care. With increasing costs and declining affordability, public and private healthcare payers are all seeking value in care. As the evidence regarding health benefits of nutrition products and interventional nutrition care is increasing, cost-effectiveness of these interventions needs consideration.

The Association of the Essential Amino Acids Lysine, Methionine, and Threonine with Clinical Outcomes in Patients at Nutritional Risk: Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Clinical Trial.

Lysine, methionine, and threonine are essential amino acids with vital functions for muscle and connective tissue health, metabolic balance, and the immune system. During illness, the demand for these amino acids typically increases, which puts patients at risk for deficiencies with harmful clinical consequences. In a secondary analysis of the Effect of Early Nutritional Support on Frailty, Functional Outcomes, and Recovery of Malnourished Medical Inpatients Trial (EFFORT), which compared individualized nutritional support to usual care nutrition in patients at nutritional risk, we investigated the prognostic impact of the lysine, methionine, and threonine metabolism.

Muscle matters: Prognostic implications of malnutrition and muscle health parameters in patients with cancer. A secondary analysis of a randomised trial.

Background: Low muscle mass and malnutrition are independently associated with an increased risk of adverse outcomes in patients with cancer. However, it is not yet clear which parameter is most indicative of these risks. This study investigates the prognostic significance of different parameters reflecting malnutrition and muscle health in a well-characterised oncology population at nutritional risk.

Nutritional support in hospitalised patients with diabetes and risk for malnutrition: a secondary analysis of an investigator-initiated, Swiss, randomised controlled multicentre trial.

Objectives: The main objective of this study was to investigate the effects of nutritional support on mortality in hospitalised patients with diabetes and nutritional risk participating in the (EFFORT) trial.

Design: Secondary analysis of a Swiss-wide multicentre, randomised controlled trial.

Participants: Patients with diabetes and risk for malnutrition.

Evaluation of health care utilisation and mortality in medical hospitalisations with multimorbidity and kidney disease, according to frailty: a nationwide cohort study.

Introduction: The impact of impaired kidney function on healthcare use among medical hospitalisations with multimorbidity and frailty is incompletely understood. In this study, we assessed the prevalence of acute kidney injury (AKI) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) among multimorbid medical hospitalisations in Switzerland and explored the associations of kidney disease with in-hospital outcomes across different frailty strata.

Methods: This observational study analysed nationwide hospitalisation records from 1 January 2012 to 31 December 2020.

Long-term outcomes in patients with Cushing's disease vs nonfunctioning pituitary adenoma after pituitary surgery: an active-comparator cohort study.

Objective: There is increasing evidence that multisystem morbidity in patients with Cushing's disease (CD) is only partially reversible following treatment. We investigated complications from multiple organs in hospitalized patients with CD compared to patients with nonfunctioning pituitary adenoma (NFPA) after pituitary surgery.

Design: Population-based retrospective cohort study using data from the Swiss Federal Statistical Office between January 2012 and December 2021.

Cardiovascular risk in patients with acromegaly vs. non-functioning pituitary adenoma following pituitary surgery: an active-comparator cohort study.

Purpose: Given the increased cardio-metabolic risk in patients with acromegaly, this study compared cardiovascular outcomes, mortality, and in-hospital outcomes between patients with acromegaly and non-functioning pituitary adenoma (NFPA) following pituitary surgery.

Methods: This was a nationwide cohort study using data from hospitalized patients with acromegaly or NFPA undergoing pituitary surgery in Switzerland between January 2012 and December 2021. Using 1:3 propensity score matching, eligible acromegaly patients were paired with NFPA patients who underwent pituitary surgery, respectively.

Corrigendum to "Classifying Hypotonic Hyponatremia by Projected Treatment Effects - A Quantitative 3-Dimensional Framework" [ Volume 8, Issue 12, December 2023, Pages 2720-2732].

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1016/j.ekir.

The association of vaccination status with perceived discrimination in patients with COVID-19: results from a cross-sectional study.

Study Aims: During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was increasing pressure to be vaccinated to prevent further spread of the virus and improve outcomes. At the same time, part of the population expressed reluctance to vaccination, for various reasons. Only a few studies have compared the perceptions of vaccinated and non-vaccinated patients being treated in hospitals for COVID-19.

Development and validation of a clinical decision support system to prevent anticoagulant duplications.

Background And Objective: Unintended duplicate prescriptions of anticoagulants increase the risk of serious adverse events. Clinical Decision Support Systems (CDSSs) can help prevent such medication errors; however, sophisticated algorithms are needed to avoid alert fatigue. This article describes the steps taken in our hospital to develop a CDSS to prevent anticoagulant duplication (AD).

A multi-technique and multiscale comparative study on the efficiency of conservation methods for the stabilisation of waterlogged archaeological pine.

Archaeological wood can be preserved in waterlogged conditions. Due to their degradation in the ground, these archaeological remains are endangered after their discovery, since they decay irretrievably during drying. Conservation measures are used to preserve waterlogged archaeological objects, maintaining their shape and character as much as possible.

Association of tryptophan pathway metabolites with mortality and effectiveness of nutritional support among patients at nutritional risk: secondary analysis of a randomized clinical trial.

Tryptophan is an essential amino acid and is the precursor of many important metabolites and neurotransmitters. In malnutrition, the availability of tryptophan is reduced, potentially putting patients at increased risks. Herein, we investigated the prognostic implications of the tryptophan metabolism in a secondary analysis of the Effect of Early Nutritional Support on Frailty, Functional Outcomes, and Recovery of Malnourished Medical Inpatients Trial (EFFORT), a randomized, controlled trial comparing individualized nutritional support to usual care in patients at risk for malnutrition.