Background: Fructose malabsorption is commonly diagnosed by the hydrogen fructose (H2) breath test. However, the mechanisms behind fructose malabsorption in humans are not well understood and the clinical relevance of this test is considered controversial. Hence, the main aim of this study is to evaluate the predictive value of the H2 breath test.
Methods: Regarding exclusion criteria, the study enrolled 562 consecutive patients, enlisted to a gastroenterology clinic between 2009 and 2011 for testing malabsorption. In the final data analysis, 246 patients were included. Ecotrophologists used 3 categories to rate dietary success: complete response, partial response and no response to the diet. They also rated the occurrence of abdominal pain, diarrhoea and bloating during the H2 breath test. Ordinal regression analysis using SPSS was performed to evaluate whether H2 breath test results - measured as the maximum H2 level, the maximum increase in H2, and the area under the curve (AUC) - predicted dietary success or failure. Correlation analyses were applied to test whether symptoms of fructose malabsorption correlated with the H2 breath test measures. Finally, we evaluated whether cut-off-values of 40 or 60 parts per million (ppm) serve better than the test measure of 20 ppm to diagnose fructose malabsorption.
Results: When a fructose-free diet was administered it was found that 103 patients (41.9%) were complete responders, 116 (47.2%) were partial responders and 27 (11%) were non-responders. The H2 breath test with the 20 ppm cut-off-value, that is, the maximum H2 level, the maximum increase in H2, and the AUC did not predict dietary response (all 95% CI ns). This was also the case when using 40 or 60 ppm as cut-off-values (all 95% CI ns). Abdominal pain during the test correlated significantly with the AUC. Diarrhoea and bloating correlated significantly with the AUC, the maximum H2 level and the maximum increase in H2 (p < 0.05).
Conclusions: The H2 breath test produced no predictive value for the fructose-free diet outcomes; its value as a predictive test is therefore questionable. However, the symptoms of fructose malabsorption correlated significantly with the H2 breath test measures, and this is an indication that there is at least a degree of validity of the H2 breath test beyond the simple detection or exclusion of fructose malabsorption.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1159/000489877 | DOI Listing |
Background: Lung cancer continues to be the primary cause of cancer-related deaths globally, with the majority of cases identified at advanced stages. Genetic alterations, including mutations and gene fusions, are central to its molecular pathogenesis. The discovery of therapeutically targetable gene fusions, such as ALK, RET, ROS1, and NTRK1, has significantly advanced lung cancer management.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Polysomnography (PSG) is resource-intensive but remains the gold standard for diagnosing Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA). We aimed to develop a screening tool to better allocate resources by identifying individuals at higher risk for OSA, overcoming limitations of current tools that may under-diagnose based on self-reported symptoms.
Methods: A total of 884 patients (490 diagnosed with OSA) were included, which was divided into the training, validation, and test sets.
Radiol Case Rep
March 2025
Faculty of Medicine, Arab American University of Palestine, Jenin, Palestine.
Spontaneous cervical swelling syndrome is an uncommon clinical syndrome characterized by the sudden onset of swelling in the cervical region with no identifiable cause. A 47-year-old woman with a history of Iron Deficiency Anemia presented to the emergency department (ED) complaining of an acute left neck and upper chest swelling and pressure sensation in her neck. The swelling started suddenly and was growing rapidly over several hours.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: This study aims to investigate the effects of video scenario-based breathing training on interleukin-4 (IL-4), interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-10 (IL-10), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and interferon-γ (IFN-γ) in children with Mycoplasma pneumonia.
Methods: A total of 106 children with Mycoplasma pneumonia treated in our hospital from February 2022 to April 2024 were selected. According to different nursing methods, children receiving routine intervention were assigned to the control group, while those undergoing video scenario-based breathing training were assigned to the training group.
Invest Radiol
January 2025
From the Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany (N.M., A.I., A.L., L.B., T.D., D. Kravchenko, D. Kuetting, C.C.P., J.A.L.); Quantitative Imaging Lab Bonn (QILaB), Bonn, Germany (N.M., A.I., L.B., D. Kravchenko, D. Kuetting, J.A.L.); Philips Healthcare, Hamburg, Germany (C.K.); Philips Medical Systems, Eindhoven, the Netherlands (A.H.-M.); and Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital Aachen, Aachen, Germany (C.Y.).
Objectives: Impaired image quality and long scan times frequently occur in respiratory-triggered sequences in liver magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). We evaluated the impact of an in-bore active breathing guidance (BG) application on image quality and scan time of respiratory-triggered T2-weighted (T2) and diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) by comparing sequences with standard triggering (T2S and DWIS) and with BG (T2BG and DWIBG).
Materials And Methods: In this prospective study, random patients with clinical indications for liver MRI underwent 3 T MRI with standard and BG acquisitions.
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