Publications by Z Vitalis

Publications by authors named "Z Vitalis"

World J Gastroenterol

May 2024

Increased serum lipase levels are key indicators for diagnosing acute pancreatitis (AP), but they can also indicate non-pancreatic hyperlipasemia (NPHL) due to other health issues, complicating the diagnosis for doctors.
This study aimed to characterize NPHL in a large cohort of patients to find clinical and lab factors that affect the accuracy of lipase diagnosis and identify potential prognostic indicators.
The study involved 808 patients, showing that while 392 had AP, 401 had NPHL from various causes, with sepsis and acute kidney injury being the most common, leading to recommendations for better diagnostic criteria.

Diagnostics (Basel)

September 2023

Liver cirrhosis patients are prone to infections, which can impact their survival, but current detection methods are unreliable.
A study examined various blood parameters, including WBC counts and C-reactive protein levels, to identify infections and predict short-term mortality in 233 hospitalized liver cirrhosis patients.
Results showed that while C-reactive protein was the best indicator of infection, the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) effectively predicted short-term mortality, suggesting it could replace the standard WBC count in current assessments.

Clin Transl Med

June 2022

Acute pancreatitis (AP) is a serious inflammation of the pancreas, and identifying patients at high risk of severe complications early is essential to prevent organ failure and death.
The study developed a machine learning prediction model called EASY, using data from over 4,700 patients to offer quick assessments of severity through algorithms like XGBoost, achieving an average accuracy of 89.1%.
The model identifies key risk factors such as respiratory rate, body temperature, and glucose level, and includes a user-friendly web application for easy access to its predictions.

Nutrients

May 2022

Excessive alcohol consumption is a major cause of recurrent acute pancreatitis (AP), but effective treatments to prevent its recurrence, like psychological therapies, are not widely implemented in practice.
A study analyzed 99 patients with alcohol-induced AP, where a 30-minute brief intervention (BI) by a physician led to significant reductions in alcohol consumption and related blood markers (GGT and MCV).
After one month, 79% of patients reported being alcohol-free, indicating that BI could be a promising method to help prevent future cases of AP, though further research is needed to optimize its use.

Eur J Pain

March 2022

Acute pancreatitis (AP) is primarily characterized by severe abdominal pain, which is crucial for diagnosis, prompting a study on its characteristics among 1435 adult patients from 2012 to 2017.
A vast majority (97.3%) reported pain on admission, predominantly intense (70%), cramping (61%), and often starting within 24 hours prior. Notably, 50.9% experienced atypical pain despite common expectations for epigastric pain.
The study underscores the need for thorough patient assessments regarding pain type to inform monitoring and management, especially for patients with sharp and intense pain, which correlates with more severe cases and higher mortality rates.