European Journal of Internal Medicine

Obesity management guidelines recommend metabolic bariatric surgery for individuals with body mass index (BMI) ≥35 kg/m2 , regardless of the presence of any obesity-related comorbidity; and for individuals with BMI 30-34.9 kg/m2 with metabolic diseases. Older age is not in itself a contraindication for bariatric surgeries, which can be performed after careful selection and assessment, to decrease the risks of postoperative complications. An essential amount of data has accumulated about bariatric surgery results for persons aged ≥60 years; but data are limited though increasingly accumulating for the ≥65-year-old population...

BACKGROUND: Acute myocardial infarction is associated with the release of the co-transmitter neuropeptide-Y (NPY). NPY acts as a potent vasoconstrictor and is associated with microvascular dysfunction after ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). This study comprehensively evaluated the association of plasma NPY with myocardial function and infarct severity, visualized by cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging, in STEMI patients revascularized by primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI)...

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BACKGROUND: The relationship between subclinical hypothyroidism (SHYPO) and sleep disturbances is still poorly investigated. This systematic review aims to critically appraise the existing literature to provide more insights in understanding whether SHYPO favors sleep disturbances or it is the sleep disturbance per se that affects the hypothalamus-pituitary-thyroid axis regulation. METHODS: Original studies on sleep quality and duration in patients with SHYPO were searched in the PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science and Scopus databases...

BACKGROUND: Renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system inhibitors (RAASIs) play a crucial role in the treatment of several chronic cardiovascular conditions. Nonetheless, hyperkalemia, a frequent side effect, often leads to the discontinuation of RAASIs. The implications of hyperkalemia-driven changes in RAASI medications are poorly understood. METHODS: Population-based, observational, retrospective cohort study. Two large healthcare databases were utilized to identify 77,089 individuals aged 55 years and older with chronic conditions who were prescribed RAASIs between 2015 and 2017 in Southern Barcelona, Spain...

Atrial fibrillation (AF) represents the most common supraventricular arrhythmia, with a prevalence of 1-3 % in the world population. Growing evidences show that AF plays an important role as a risk factor for the development of cognitive impairment (CoI) and dementia, depression and functional limitation. The purpose of the study is to evaluate, in a large cohort of elderly hospitalized patients with nonvalvular AF (NVAF) on direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) therapy, the prevalence of CoI, depression, and functional limitation, and to assess the different variables that may be detrimental or protective on the risk of CoI or functional limitation...

BACKGROUND: The atherogenic index of plasma (AIP) is linked to lipid metabolism and has shown considerable prognostic value in cardiovascular disorders. However, its role in myocardial infarction with non-obstructive coronary arteries (MINOCA) has not been investigated. We assessed the relationship between AIP, the severity of coronary stenosis, and prognosis in MINOCA. METHODS: We included consecutive patients who were diagnosed with MINOCA. AIP was calculated using the base 10 logarithm of the ratio between the levels of TG and HDL-C...

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OBJECTIVES: There are scarce prospective data on recurrent hypertriglyceridemia-associated acute pancreatitis (HTG-AP). This study aimed to investigate the incidence, potential prognostic factors, and clinical relevance of recurrent HTG-AP. METHODS: This study is a multicenter, prospective cohort study. Adult patients with the first HTG-AP attack enrolled in the PERFORM registry between November 2020 and December 2021 were involved. All the study patients were followed up for more than two years with a two-round schedule...

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No abstract text is available yet for this article.

BACKGROUND: The increasing prevalence of alcohol use disorder (AUD) and the parallel surge in alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD) emphasize the urgent need for comprehensive alcohol management strategies. Low-dose ondansetron (AD04, a 5-HT3 antagonist) was shown recently to be a promising treatment for AUD with a specific genotypic profile (5-marker). The liver safety of AD04 has never been evaluated in subjects with AUD. The aim of the present study was to assess the liver safety profile of AD04 compared with placebo in subjects with AUD...

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No abstract text is available yet for this article.

BACKGROUND: The effectiveness of the body physiological regulatory mechanisms declines in late life, and increased Blood Pressure Variability (BPV) may represent an alteration in cardiovascular homeostatic patterns. Intrinsic Capacity (IC) has been proposed by the World Health Organization as a marker of healthy aging, based on individual's functional abilities and intended at preserving successful aging. We aimed to investigate the association of visit-to-visit BPV with IC decline in a population of community-dwelling older adults...

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OBJECTIVES: Steatotic liver disease is the most frequent chronic liver disease worldwide. Ultrasonography (US) is commonly employed for the assessment and diagnosis. Few information is available on the possible use of artificial intelligence (AI) to ameliorate the diagnostic accuracy of ultrasonography. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An AI-based algorithm was developed using a dataset of US images. We prospectively enrolled 134 patients for algorithm validation. Patients underwent abdominal US and Proton Density Fat Fraction MRI scans (MRI-PDFF), assumed as reference technique...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

No abstract text is available yet for this article.