Echocardiographic Biventricular Coupling Index to Predict Precapillary Pulmonary Hypertension.

Background: Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a frequent and detrimental condition. Right heart catheterization (RHC) is the gold standard to identify PH subtype (precapillary from postcapillary PH) and is key for treatment allocation. In this study, the novel echocardiographic biventricular coupling index (BCI), based on the ratio between right ventricular stroke work index and left ventricular E/E' ratio, was tested for the discrimination of PH subtype using RHC as the comparator.

Cross-reactivity between tick and wasp venom can contribute to frequent wasp sensitization in patients with the α-Gal syndrome.

Background: α-Gal syndrome (AGS) is a food allergy with severe delayed allergic reactions, mediated by IgE-reactivity to galactose-α1,3-galactose (α-Gal). AGS is strongly associated with tick bites. An increased incidence of venom sensitization has been found in AGS patients.

Lemierre's syndrome caused by complicated with multiple brain abscesses-A case report, literature review, and suggested management.

We present an unusual case of Lemierre´s syndrome complicated by multiple brain abscesses, a literature review and suggested management. A young man with multiple brain abscesses deteriorated despite two weeks of directed antibiotics. A multidisciplinary approach was successful.

Inflammation neuroscience: neuro-immune crosstalk and interfaces.

Inflammation is a key process in antimicrobial defence and tissue repair, and failure to properly regulate inflammation can result in tissue damage and death. Neural circuits play important roles throughout the course of an inflammatory response, and the neurophysiological and molecular mechanisms are only partly understood. Here, we review key evidence for the neural regulation of inflammation and discuss emerging technologies to further map and harness this neurophysiology, a cornerstone in the rapidly evolving field of .

Cardiometabolic, Lifestyle, and Nutritional Factors in Relation to Varicose Veins: A Mendelian Randomization Study.

Background We conducted a 2-sample Mendelian randomization study to assess the associations of cardiometabolic, lifestyle, and nutritional factors with varicose veins. Methods and Results Independent single-nucleotide polymorphisms associated with height (positive control), body mass index, type 2 diabetes, diastolic and systolic blood pressure, smoking, alcohol and coffee consumption, 7 circulating vitamins (A, B6, B9, B12, C, 25-hydroxyvitamin D, and E), and 5 circulating minerals (calcium, iron, magnesium, selenium, and zinc) at the genome-wide significance level were used as instrumental variables. Summary-level data for the genetic associations with varicose veins were obtained from the UK Biobank (8763 cases and 352 431 noncases) and the FinnGen consortium (13 928 cases and 153 951 noncases).

A population-adjusted indirect comparison of cardiovascular benefits of once-weekly subcutaneous semaglutide and dulaglutide in the treatment of patients with type 2 diabetes, with or without established cardiovascular disease.

Introduction: Cardiovascular (CV) effects of once-weekly subcutaneous (s.c.) semaglutide 0.

Efficiency of an Optimized Care Organization in Fibromyalgia Patients: The From Intent to Move (FIMOUV) Study Protocol of a Randomized Controlled Trial.

Fibromyalgia (FM) is characterized by multiple symptoms including pain, fatigue, and sleep disorders, altering patient's quality of life. In the absence of effective pharmacological therapy, the last European guidelines recommend a multidisciplinary management based on exercise and education. Thus, our main objective was to measure the effectiveness of a healthcare organization offering a specific program of adapted physical activity combined with a therapeutic education program for FM patients.

Emergency department crowding associated with increased 30-day mortality: a cohort study in Stockholm Region, Sweden, 2012 to 2016.

Objectives: Emergency department (ED) crowding is a major problem across the world. Studies investigating the association between crowding and mortality are many, but the quality is inconsistent and there are very few large, high-quality multicenter studies that are properly designed to deal with confounding due to case mix. The aim of this study is to investigate the association between ED crowding and 30-day mortality.

Changes over time in 30-day survival and the incidence of shockable rhythms after in-hospital cardiac arrest - A population-based registry study of nearly 24,000 cases.

Objective: To determine changes over time in 30-day survival and the incidence of shockable rhythms after in-hospital cardiac arrest, from a countrywide perspective.

Methods: Patient information from the Swedish Registry for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation was analysed in relation to monitoring level of ward and initial rhythm. The primary outcome was defined as survival at 30 days.

Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Have an Increased Demand for Pacemaker Treatment: A Comparison With Age- and Sex-Matched Control Subjects From the General Population.

Objective: Patients with type 2 diabetes have an increased risk for cardiovascular disease, including arrhythmias. The prevalence of bradyarrhythmia and the subsequent need for treatment with pacemakers (PMs) is less well explored in a contemporary patient population. The current study explores ) whether patients with type 2 diabetes have an increased demand for PM implantation compared with an age- and sex-matched control population without diabetes and ) patient characteristics associated with an increased demand for receiving a PM.

hsCRP Level and the Risk of Death or Recurrent Cardiovascular Events in Patients With Myocardial Infarction: a Healthcare-Based Study.

Background Beyond the controlled setting of trials, scarce information exists on the burden, predictors, and outcomes associated with elevated hs CRP (high-sensitivity C-reactive protein) in "real-world" patients with myocardial infarction ( MI ). Methods and Results We included all-coming MI survivors undergoing hs CRP testing >30 days after an MI during routine health care in Stockholm, Sweden (2006-2011). hs CRP tests measured during hospitalization/emergency department visits, followed by antibiotics or indicative of acute illness, were excluded, together with patients with ongoing/recent cancer, chronic infections, or immunosuppression.

Frequency, mutual exclusivity and clinical associations of myositis autoantibodies in a combined European cohort of idiopathic inflammatory myopathy patients.

Objectives: To determine prevalence and co-existence of myositis specific autoantibodies (MSAs) and myositis associated autoantibodies (MAAs) and associated clinical characteristics in a large cohort of idiopathic inflammatory myopathy (IIM) patients.

Methods: Adult patients with confirmed IIM recruited to the EuroMyositis registry (n = 1637) from four centres were investigated for the presence of MSAs/MAAs by radiolabelled-immunoprecipitation, with confirmation of anti-MDA5 and anti-NXP2 by ELISA. Clinical associations for each autoantibody were calculated for 1483 patients with a single or no known autoantibody by global linear regression modelling.

Fecal immunochemical test in cancer screening - colonoscopy outcome in FIT positives and negatives.

Fecal immunochemical test (FIT) is used in colorectal cancer (CRC) screening, but evaluations of multiple sample strategies in colonoscopy screening cohorts are rare. The aim of this study was to assess accuracy of FIT for advanced neoplasia (AN) with two fecal samples in a colonoscopy screening cohort. The study comprised 1155 participants of the colonoscopy arm in SCREESCO (Screening of Swedish Colons, NCT02078804), a randomized controlled study on CRC screening of 60-year-olds from the Swedish average-risk population.

Change in self-efficacy after participation in a supported self-management program for osteoarthritis - an observational study of 11 906 patients.

Describe the change in self-efficacy after a supported osteoarthritis self-management program. An observational register-based study comprising 11 906 patients. Participants with hip or knee osteoarthritis self-reported at baseline, 3 and 12 months.

Two high-risk susceptibility loci at 6p25.3 and 14q32.13 for Waldenström macroglobulinemia.

Waldenström macroglobulinemia (WM)/lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma (LPL) is a rare, chronic B-cell lymphoma with high heritability. We conduct a two-stage genome-wide association study of WM/LPL in 530 unrelated cases and 4362 controls of European ancestry and identify two high-risk loci associated with WM/LPL at 6p25.3 (rs116446171, near EXOC2 and IRF4; OR = 21.

Valproic acid utilization among girls and women in Stockholm: Impact of regulatory restrictions.

Objective: In November 2014, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) strengthened restrictions on the use of valproic acid in girls and women of childbearing potential. The objective of this study was to determine whether there has been a change in initiations of valproic acid treatment to females after the regulatory restrictions and to assess if such changes differed between indications (epilepsy and psychiatric disorder).

Methods: An interrupted time-series analysis was conducted using all initiations of valproic acid in Stockholm, Sweden.

World Endoscopy Organization Consensus Statements on Post-Colonoscopy and Post-Imaging Colorectal Cancer.

Background & Aims: Colonoscopy examination does not always detect colorectal cancer (CRC)- some patients develop CRC after negative findings from an examination. When this occurs before the next recommended examination, it is called interval cancer. From a colonoscopy quality assurance perspective, that term is too restrictive, so the term post-colonoscopy colorectal cancer (PCCRC) was created in 2010.

Long-term quality of life and postthrombotic syndrome in women after an episode of venous thromboembolism.

Objectives To evaluate health-related quality of life after venous thromboembolism. Methods We conducted a cohort study, TEHS follow-up, including 1040 women with a first episode of venous thromboembolism and 994 women unexposed to venous thromboembolism. Patients were recruited from the "Thrombo Embolism Hormonal Study" (TEHS), a Swedish nation-wide case-control study on risk factors for venous thromboembolism in women 18-64 years of age.

Comparison of Mortality and Nonfatal Cardiovascular Events in Adults With Atrial Fibrillation With Versus Without Levothyroxine Treatment.

Levothyroxine has been suggested to be cardiotoxic, but previous studies on the risk of cardiovascular events associated with levothyroxine treatment have been inconclusive. We aimed to study the association between levothyroxine treatment and all-cause mortality as well as cardiovascular events. Study population included all adults (n = 12,283) ≥ 45 years diagnosed with atrial fibrillation (AF) at 75 primary care centers in Sweden in 2001 to 2007, with (n = 1,189; 283 men and 906 women) or without (n = 11,094) levothyroxine treatment.

Local infiltration analgesia: a 2-year follow-up of patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty.

Purpose: Local infiltration analgesia (LIA) is commonly used for postoperative pain management following total hip arthroplasty (THA). However, the long-term effects of the component drugs are unclear. The aim of our study was to investigate functional outcome, quality of life, chronic post-surgical pain, and adverse events in patients within 2 years of undergoing THA.