Longitudinal relationship between long sleep duration and future kidney function decline.

Background: Evidence linking chronic kidney disease (CKD) and sleep duration is inconsistent. This study examined whether sleep duration is associated with a long-term risk of kidney function decline.

Methods: This retrospective, longitudinal cohort study included 82 001 participants who visited a primary care centre in Japan.

Comparison of outcomes of prenatal versus postnatal presentation of posterior urethral valves: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: To determine through a comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis the differences in the outcomes of prenatally versus postnatally diagnosed posterior urethral valves (PUV) to ascertain if prenatal detection of PUV has superior outcomes.

Methods: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis in March 2022 (PROSPERO ID - CRD42021243546) and included all studies that reported outcomes of prenatally and postnatally diagnosed PUV. However, for meta-analysis, only those studies that described both groups were included.

Divergent effect of blood glucose dysregulation on long-term clinical outcome in acute decompensated heart failure: A reappraisal in contemporary practice.

Background: The prognostic implication of elevated or decreased blood glucose (BG) level in acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) has been still controversial. Indices of stress hyperglycemia, expressed by the ratio of BG and chronic BG control, has been reported to be associated with poor outcome in different disease population. We sought to assess BG at admission and %ΔBG, an index of BG deviation from estimated average BG calculated from glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), on the long-term outcome in ADHF patients.

Temporal trends and outcomes of peripheral artery disease revascularization and amputation among the HIV population.

Objective: With antiretroviral therapy, people with HIV (PWH) are developing age-related diseases, including peripheral arterial disease (PAD). This study examined frequency and outcomes of peripheral vascular intervention (PVI) and primary amputation in PWH.

Design: We used the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) database to examine demographics, comorbidities, and temporal trends among PVI and primary amputation admissions by HIV status from 2012 to 2018.

Home High-Flow Nasal Cannula Oxygen Therapy for Stable Hypercapnic COPD: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

The long-term effects of using a high-flow nasal cannula for chronic hypercapnic respiratory failure caused by chronic obstructive pulmonary disease remain unclear. To assess whether long-term high-flow nasal cannula use reduces the number of exacerbations and improves other physiological parameters in patients with chronic hypercapnic respiratory failure caused by chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. We enrolled 104 participants (aged ⩾40 yr) with daytime hypercapnia (Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease stages 2-4) receiving long-term oxygen therapy (⩾16 h/d for ⩾1 mo) and randomly assigned them to high-flow nasal cannula/long-term oxygen therapy and long-term oxygen therapy groups.

Epidemiology and genomics of a slow outbreak of methicillin-resistant (MRSA) in a neonatal intensive care unit: Successful chronic decolonization of MRSA-positive healthcare personnel.

Objective: To describe the genomic analysis and epidemiologic response related to a slow and prolonged methicillin-resistant (MRSA) outbreak.

Design: Prospective observational study.

Setting: Neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).

Elastin Degradation and Lung Function Deterioration with Remote Secondhand Tobacco Smoke Exposure in Never-smokers.

Background: Prolonged past exposure to secondhand tobacco smoke (SHS) in never-smokers is associated with abnormal lung function and reduced diffusing capacity suggestive of an associated lung tissue injury and damage. The mechanisms by which past SHS exposure may contribute to lung tissue damage are unknown. Elastin is a major constituent of extracellular matrix in lung parenchyma.

Clinical Characteristics, Risk Factors, and Outcomes Among a Large Midwestern U.S. Cohort of Patients Hospitalized With COVID-19 Prior to Vaccine Availability.

Purpose: The COVID-19 pandemic posed unprecedented demands on health care. This study aimed to characterize COVID-19 inpatients and examine trends and risk factors associated with hospitalization duration, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, and in-hospital mortality.

Methods: This retrospective study analyzed patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection hospitalized at an integrated health system between February 2, 2020, and December 12, 2020.

Proton pump inhibitor therapy usage and associated hospitalization rates and critical care outcomes of COVID-19 patients.

Proton Pump Inhibitors (PPI) are one of the most prescribed medications in the United States. However, PPIs have been shown to increase the risk of enteric infections. Our study aims to evaluate the correlation between PPI and COVID-19 severity.

Updates on the diagnosis and management of celiac disease.

Celiac disease is a chronic autoimmune enteropathy affecting about 1% of the population. Gluten ingestion triggers an immune response in genetically susceptible patients, resulting in intestinal and extraintestinal disease manifestations. Current recommendations for diagnosis include serology for celiac-specific antibodies to transglutaminase, endomysium, and deamidated gliadin, and IgA serology.

COVID-19 Presenting With a Challenging Combination of Thrombocytopenia and Thrombosis.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) causes various hematological abnormalities, leading to several complications in the disease course. We report two COVID-19 cases presenting with a combination of thrombocytopenia and coagulopathy complications in late 2020. A 73-year-old male with a history of immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) presented with acute ischemic stroke and acute thrombocytopenia in the setting of COVID-19.

Association between serum β2-microglobulin and mortality in Japanese peritoneal dialysis patients: A cohort study.

Background: Higher serum β2-microglobulin (B2M) concentrations are associated with higher mortality in the general population, non-dialyzed chronic kidney disease patients and patients receiving hemodialysis (HD). However, this relationship among patients on peritoneal dialysis (PD) has not been validated.

Methods: We collected baseline data for 3,011 prevalent PD patients from a nationwide dialysis registry in Japan at the end of 2010.

Stress, Thyroid Dysregulation, and Thyroid Cancer in Children and Adolescents: Proposed Impending Mechanisms.

Stress is a potential catalyst for thyroid dysregulation through cross-communication of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal and hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid (HPT) axes. Stress and stressors exposure motivates molecular mechanisms affecting compound feedback loops of the HPT axis. While there is evidence of connection between stress and thyroid dysregulation, the question whether this connection is implicated in the development of thyroid cancer (TC) remains unanswered.

Treatment for Mild Chronic Hypertension during Pregnancy.

Background: The benefits and safety of the treatment of mild chronic hypertension (blood pressure, <160/100 mm Hg) during pregnancy are uncertain. Data are needed on whether a strategy of targeting a blood pressure of less than 140/90 mm Hg reduces the incidence of adverse pregnancy outcomes without compromising fetal growth.

Methods: In this open-label, multicenter, randomized trial, we assigned pregnant women with mild chronic hypertension and singleton fetuses at a gestational age of less than 23 weeks to receive antihypertensive medications recommended for use in pregnancy (active-treatment group) or to receive no such treatment unless severe hypertension (systolic pressure, ≥160 mm Hg; or diastolic pressure, ≥105 mm Hg) developed (control group).

Long-Term Outcomes in Elderly Patients After Deferral of Coronary Revascularization Guided by Fractional Flow Reserve.

Background: Little evidence is available regarding the long-term outcome in elderly patients after deferral of revascularization based on fractional flow reserve (FFR).

Methods and results: From the J-CONFIRM registry (long-term outcomes of Japanese patients with deferral of coronary intervention based on fractional flow reserve in multicenter registry), 1,262 patients were divided into 2 groups according to age: elderly and younger patients (aged ≥75 or <75 years, respectively). The primary endpoint was the cumulative 5-year incidence of target vessel failure (TVF), defined as a composite of cardiac death, target vessel-related myocardial infarction (TVMI), and clinically driven target vessel revascularization (CDTVR).

Adenocarcinoma of the Gastroesophageal Junction Masquerading as Mallory-Weiss Syndrome.

Mallory-Weiss syndrome (MWS) is a relatively uncommon cause of upper gastrointestinal bleeding. While most cases can be managed conservatively, frequent transfusions or endoscopic hemostasis may be required in some cases. A 74-year-old man presented with hematemesis triggered by coughing.

Trend analysis of the loss and gain of patients on HIV treatment in the context of COVID-19 in South West Shewa Zone, Oromia, Ethiopia from 2016 to 2020: a short report.

Coronavirus disease 2019 poses significant risk to countries. People living with HIV may be at greater risk for COVID-19 complications. Therefore, this short report analyses the trend of the loss and gain of patients receiving ART in the context of COVID-19 in South West Shewa Zone, Oromia, Ethiopia.

Five-Year Outcomes After Fractional Flow Reserve-Based Deferral of Revascularization in Chronic Coronary Syndrome: Final Results From the J-CONFIRM Registry.

Background: Little large-scale data is available about the long-term (beyond 3 years) clinical outcomes after fractional flow reserve (FFR)-based deferral of revascularization in clinical practice. We sought to assess the 5-year outcomes after deferral of revascularization based on FFR.

Methods: The J-CONFIRM registry (Long-Term Outcomes of Japanese Patients With Deferral of Coronary Intervention Based on Fractional Flow Reserve in Multicenter Registry) prospectively enrolled 1263 patients with 1447 lesions in whom revascularization was deferred based on FFR from 28 Japanese centers.

One-Year Outcomes of Postintensive Care Syndrome in Critically Ill Coronavirus Disease 2019 Patients: A Single Institutional Study.

Importance: Postintensive care syndrome has a strong impact on coronavirus disease 2019 survivors.

Objectives: Assess the 1-year prevalence of postintensive care syndrome after coronavirus disease 2019.

Design Setting And Participants: This was a single-center prospective cohort using questionnaires and telephone calls from 4 months to 1 year after ICU discharge.

Role of the new bioimpedance monitoring device (Seca) in assessing dry weight in hemodialysis patients.

Background: In recent years, bioimpedance analysis has come to be widely used in clinical practice for dialysis patients, but there is not sufficient consensus on its significance. We aimed to examine the merits of performing bioimpedance analysis in addition to conventional evaluation methods for dry weight such as measuring human atrial natriuretic peptide (hANP), blood pressure, and cardiothoracic ratio in patients on chronic hemodialysis.

Methods: Body composition of 78 hemodialysis patients was performed by using a new and more accurate segmental multifrequency bioimpedance analysis device (Seca medical body composition analyzer 525, Seca GmbH & Co.