Moritz Platzer, David Totschnig, Mario Karolyi, Tamara Clodi-Seitz, Christoph Wenisch, Alexander Zoufaly
{"title":"The effect of early remdesivir administration in COVID-19 disease progression in hospitalised patients.","authors":"Moritz Platzer, David Totschnig, Mario Karolyi, Tamara Clodi-Seitz, Christoph Wenisch, Alexander Zoufaly","doi":"10.1007/s00508-024-02377-7","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00508-024-02377-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Antiviral drugs have become crucial in managing COVID-19, reducing complications and mortality. Remdesivir has emerged as an effective therapeutic drug for hospitalized patients at risk of disease progression, especially when alternative treatments are infeasible. While the recommended treatment duration of remdesivir extends up to 7 days post-symptom onset, this study examines how early remdesivir administration impacts clinical outcomes.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We conducted a retrospective analysis using clinical data from consecutively PCR confirmed SARS-CoV‑2 adult patients (≥ 18 years) who received remdesivir during their hospitalization at the department of infectious diseases, Klinik Favoriten in Vienna. The data covered the period from July 1, 2021, to April 31, 2022. Patients were divided into two groups based on the timing of remdesivir administration: an early group (0-3 days since symptom onset) and a late group (≥ 4 days since symptom onset). The primary outcome was in-hospital disease progression, assessed using the WHO COVID-19 Clinical Progression Scale (≥ 1 point increase). Multivariable logistic regression, adjusted for age, sex, SARS-CoV‑2 variant, and COVID-19 vaccination status, was used to assess clinical outcomes.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>In total 219 patients were included of whom 148 (67.6%) were in the early group and 71 (32.4%) were in the late group. The average age was 66.5 (SD: 18.0) years, 68.9% of the patients were vaccinated, and 72.6% had the Omicron virus variant. Late remdesivir administration was associated with a significantly higher probability of needing high-flow oxygen therapy (OR 2.52, 95% CI 1.40-4.52, p = 0.002) and ICU admission (OR 4.34, 95% CI 1.38-13.67, p = 0.012) after adjusting for confounders. In the late group there was a trend towards a higher risk of clinical worsening (OR 2.13, 95% CI 0.98-4.64, p = 0.056) and need for any oxygen therapy (OR 1.85, 95% CI 0.94-3.64, p = 0.074).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Compared to patients who received remdesivir within the first 3 days after symptom onset, administering remdesivir after day 3 in hospitalized COVID-19 patients is associated with higher risk for complications, such as the need for high-flow oxygen therapy and ICU admission.</p>","PeriodicalId":23861,"journal":{"name":"Wiener Klinische Wochenschrift","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2024-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11327179/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141331872","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Mathias Ausserwinkler, Sophie Gensluckner, Andreas Voelkerer, Jens Thiel, Hans-Jörg Neumann, Maria Flamm, Christian Datz, Elmar Aigner, Bernhard Wernly
{"title":"Genetic relationship between rheumatoid arthritis and cardiovascular diseases : A systematic review of Mendelian randomization studies.","authors":"Mathias Ausserwinkler, Sophie Gensluckner, Andreas Voelkerer, Jens Thiel, Hans-Jörg Neumann, Maria Flamm, Christian Datz, Elmar Aigner, Bernhard Wernly","doi":"10.1007/s00508-024-02392-8","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00508-024-02392-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is recognized as a chronic autoimmune disorder with systemic inflammation and joint damage. Its potential role as a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases (CVD) is increasingly noted. This review delves into the causal relationship between RA and CVD, with Mendelian randomization (MR) offering a genetic perspective.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>An extensive search was conducted in PubMed, Cochrane and Web of Science to identify MR studies addressing the RA-CVD link. Out of 530 studies, 9 met the inclusion criteria, which were rigorously assessed using a critical appraisal checklist. These were further stratified by a sensitivity analysis into categories reflecting the strength of their evidence, from not evaluable to robust.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>From the nine included studies, eight supported a causal association between RA and an increased risk of CVD, specifically coronary artery disease (CAD) and one did not support a link between RA and heart failure. The results suggest that genetic factors associated with RA may contribute to an elevated risk for CVD. Chronic inflammation, prevalent in RA, emerges as a key mediator in this connection.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The systematic review corroborates a genetic causal link between RA and CVD, as evidenced by eight of the nine MR studies reviewed. This suggests a need for integrated cardiovascular risk management in the treatment of RA patients. The findings advocate considering anti-inflammatory treatment that can reduce cardiovascular risk. The overarching evidence signifies a potential direction for new therapeutic strategies aimed at enhancing cardiovascular health in RA patients.</p>","PeriodicalId":23861,"journal":{"name":"Wiener Klinische Wochenschrift","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2024-07-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141767607","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Attitudes of the general population and mental health practitioners towards blended therapy in Austria.","authors":"Gloria Mittmann, Verena Steiner-Hofbauer, Beate Schrank","doi":"10.1007/s00508-024-02391-9","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00508-024-02391-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Mental health problems are steadily increasing worldwide. In Austria, the overall supply of mental health services is low, especially in rural areas. Mobile technology and a blended care approach have the potential to overcome problems with service provision. The aim of this study was to map the attitudes of practitioners and people living in Austria towards blended therapy.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>Two individual online questionnaires (including the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology, advantages and disadvantages, useful features) were distributed to practitioners and the general population in Austria.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The questionnaires were answered by 152 members of the general public and 129 practitioners. The general population and practitioners seem to be cautious, but slightly positive about blended therapy. Previous experience of practitioners with blended therapy was low. Practitioners are most worried about the therapeutic process and their work-life balance, while the general population is worried about being overwhelmed by the concept, mainly due to the time investment. Tracking, recording and reminding functions (e.g., for mood, homework) were seen as especially valuable features and accessibility was deemed the biggest advantage by both samples.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Practitioners' attitudes are important for implementation of blended therapy. More awareness might help against the cautiousness as well as implementing digital health applications in Austrian health policies.</p>","PeriodicalId":23861,"journal":{"name":"Wiener Klinische Wochenschrift","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2024-07-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141735091","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Childhood asthma and mould in homes-A meta-analysis.","authors":"Marton Kristof Varga, Hanns Moshammer, Oral Atanyazova","doi":"10.1007/s00508-024-02396-4","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00508-024-02396-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Asthma is a multifaceted and multicausal disease. Childhood asthma is strongly influenced by genetic traits and is characterized by hyperreactivity of the airways so that also unspecific triggers including moulds can trigger an asthma attack. Therefore, it is undisputed that moulds in the home can cause asthma attacks in asthmatic children. It is, however, unclear if mould in homes also induce the development of asthma. Because more and more severe attacks in asthmatic children living in mouldy homes might speed up the diagnosis of asthma, cross-sectional studies are not well-suited to differentiate between mould as a causative or only as a precipitating factor. Cross-sectional studies show an increased asthma risk and poorer lung function in children living in mouldy homes. To better understand the causal role of mould in homes, a systematic review was performed with random effects meta-analysis focusing on cohort and case-control studies only.We found 21 case-control and 11 cohort studies examining the association between mould at home and later advent of childhood asthma. According to the case-control studies, mouldy homes increase the risk of asthma by 53% (95 confidence interval [CI]: 42-65%) with no evidence of heterogeneity or publication bias. Risk estimates based on cohort studies were smaller with 15% (1-31%). The cohort studies also showed no publication bias but substantial heterogeneity (I<sup>2</sup> = 60.5, p = 0.005). Heterogeneity could be partly explained by percentage of male children, age of participants, and publication year, but was not affected by study quality.In conclusion, living in mouldy homes during childhood seems to increase the risk of later developing bronchial asthma.</p>","PeriodicalId":23861,"journal":{"name":"Wiener Klinische Wochenschrift","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2024-07-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141591444","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Martin Baumgartner, Michaela Wagner-Menghin, Christian Vajda, Gernot Lecaks, Armin Redzic, Georg Dorffner
{"title":"Analysis of the impact of a university distance learning course on digitalization in medicine on students and healthcare professionals.","authors":"Martin Baumgartner, Michaela Wagner-Menghin, Christian Vajda, Gernot Lecaks, Armin Redzic, Georg Dorffner","doi":"10.1007/s00508-024-02393-7","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00508-024-02393-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>The public medical universities in Austria (educating 11,000 students) developed a joint public distance learning series in which clinicians discussed current digital lighthouse projects in their specialty. This study aims to examine the changes in attitude and knowledge of the participants before and after the lecture series to gain insights for future curriculum developments.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>The lecture series was announced via various channels at the universities, in health newsletters and in social media. Attitudes toward digitalization in medicine were surveyed before and after the lecture series, together with demographic data. The data were analyzed statistically and descriptively for four groups of interest: female medical students, male medical students, faculty members and members from industry and public agencies.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Out of 351 subjects who attended at least 1 lecture, 117 took part in the survey before and 47 after the lectures. Most participants had a positive attitude towards digitalization (85.3%). They improved their self-assessment of their knowledge from 34.4% to 64.7% (p < 0.05). After the lecture series 55.8% of participants considered digital medical applications to be important or very important today and 68.6% in the future.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The study shows that the presentation and discussion of lighthouse projects improves understanding of digitalization in medicine but does not trigger a strong desire for additional further training.</p>","PeriodicalId":23861,"journal":{"name":"Wiener Klinische Wochenschrift","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2024-07-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141564541","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Anna Kitta, Franziska Ecker, Elisabeth Lucia Zeilinger, Lea Kum, Feroniki Adamidis, Eva Katharina Masel
{"title":"Statements of Austrian hospices and palliative care units after the implementation of the law on assisted suicide : A qualitative study of web-based publications.","authors":"Anna Kitta, Franziska Ecker, Elisabeth Lucia Zeilinger, Lea Kum, Feroniki Adamidis, Eva Katharina Masel","doi":"10.1007/s00508-023-02157-9","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00508-023-02157-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Since January 2022, assisted suicide (AS) in Austria is legal under certain conditions. One of these conditions is informative consultations with two physicians, one of whom must be qualified in palliative medicine. Patients who are thinking about AS can approach palliative care institutions. This study aims to assess the availability and nature of Austrian palliative care institutions' web-based statements about AS.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>In this qualitative study, the websites of all Austrian palliative care units (n = 43) and all Austrian inpatient hospices (n = 14) were searched for possible statements on AS once in February 2022 and once in August 2022 using the three search terms \"suicide\", \"assisted\", and \"euthanasia\". The findings were subsequently evaluated using thematic analysis and NVivo software.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Statements or texts that included positions on AS were found on the websites of 11 institutions (19%). The results covered three main themes 1) demarcation: denial of involvement and judgment about AS, 2) duty: handling of requests and describing the target group of care recipients, and 3) explanation: experience, values, concerns, and demands.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The results of this study indicate that people in Austria who wish to have AS and who may use the internet as their first source of information largely find no relevant information. There is no online statement of a palliative care or hospice institution that endorses AS. Positions on AS are mostly lacking, while reluctant attitudes of Christian institutions are predominant.</p>","PeriodicalId":23861,"journal":{"name":"Wiener Klinische Wochenschrift","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2024-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11239715/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9137763","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Hrvoje Puretić, Marijana Bosnar Puretić, Gordana Pavliša, Marko Jakopović
{"title":"Revisiting the Epworth sleepiness scale : Is excessive daytime sleepiness still a valid screening tool for obstructive sleep apnea in a population at risk?","authors":"Hrvoje Puretić, Marijana Bosnar Puretić, Gordana Pavliša, Marko Jakopović","doi":"10.1007/s00508-023-02213-4","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00508-023-02213-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common medical problem with numerous comorbidities and high costs. Since the introduction of the Epworth sleepiness scale (ESS), excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) has been considered the most common and prominent symptom of OSA. Aim of this study was to re-evaluate the ESS for detection of OSA in a population at risk compared to the gold standard overnight polysomnography (PSG).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A total of 266 patients (mean age 57.9 ± 11.6 years; 189 men and 77 women), referred to our sleep laboratory for probable OSA, were given ESS followed by an overnight PSG. The ESS values were compared to PSG apnea hypopnea index (AHI) with sensitivity (SE), specificity (SP), positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV) and diagnostic accuracy (DA) calculated for ESS. The positive cut-off value for ESS was ≥ 10 and for AHI ≥ 5.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Only 92 (34.6%) subjects had a positive ESS. An OSA was diagnosed by PSG in 213 (80.1%) subjects: 46 having mild, 37 moderate and 130 severe apnea. Most subjects with positive ESS (88.0%) were found to have OSA but most subjects with a negative ESS (75.9%) were also positive for OSA (42% with AHI ≥ 30). The area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve for ESS was 0.60 (95% confidence interval, CI 0.54-0.66; p = 0.020) with SE 38.0%, SP 79.3%, PPV 88.0%, NPV 24.1% and DA 46.2%.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>It was found that excessive daytime sleepiness, measured by ESS, is not a valuable screening tool for OSA, especially when the test is negative. Other screening tests that involve additional parameters, beside daytime sleepiness alone, should be considered.</p>","PeriodicalId":23861,"journal":{"name":"Wiener Klinische Wochenschrift","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2024-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9572364","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Antonia-Therese Kietaibl, Ingrid Schütz-Fuhrmann, Latife Bozkurt, Lisa Frühwald, Birgit Rami-Merhar, Elke Fröhlich-Reiterer, Sabine E Hofer, Martin Tauschmann, Michael Resl, Thomas Hörtenhuber, Lars Stechemesser, Yvonne Winhofer, Michaela Riedl, Sandra Zlamal-Fortunat, Marlies Eichner, Harald Stingl, Christian Schelkshorn, Raimund Weitgasser, Gersina Rega-Kaun, Gerd Köhler, Julia K Mader
{"title":"[Position paper: Open-source technology in the treatment of people living with diabetes mellitus-an Austrian perspective : Technology Committee of the Austrian Diabetes Association].","authors":"Antonia-Therese Kietaibl, Ingrid Schütz-Fuhrmann, Latife Bozkurt, Lisa Frühwald, Birgit Rami-Merhar, Elke Fröhlich-Reiterer, Sabine E Hofer, Martin Tauschmann, Michael Resl, Thomas Hörtenhuber, Lars Stechemesser, Yvonne Winhofer, Michaela Riedl, Sandra Zlamal-Fortunat, Marlies Eichner, Harald Stingl, Christian Schelkshorn, Raimund Weitgasser, Gersina Rega-Kaun, Gerd Köhler, Julia K Mader","doi":"10.1007/s00508-024-02400-x","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00508-024-02400-x","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>People living with diabetes mellitus can be supported in the daily management by diabetes technology with automated insulin delivery (AID) systems to reduce the risk of hypoglycemia and improve glycemic control as well as the quality of life. Due to barriers in the availability of AID-systems, the use and development of open-source AID-systems have internationally increased. This technology provides a necessary alternative to commercially available products, especially when approved systems are inaccessible or insufficiently adapted to the specific needs of the users. Open-source technology is characterized by worldwide free availability of codes on the internet, is not officially approved and therefore the use is on the individual's own responsibility. In the clinical practice a lack of expertise with open-source AID technology and concerns about legal consequences, lead to conflict situations for health-care professionals (HCP), sometimes resulting in the refusal of care of people living with diabetes mellitus. This position paper provides an overview of the available evidence and practical guidance for HCP to minimize uncertainties and barriers. People living with diabetes mellitus must continue to be supported in education and diabetes management, independent of the chosen diabetes technology including open-source technology. Check-ups of the metabolic control, acute and chronic complications and screening for diabetes-related diseases are necessary and should be regularly carried out, regardless of the chosen AID-system and by a multidisciplinary team with appropriate expertise.</p>","PeriodicalId":23861,"journal":{"name":"Wiener Klinische Wochenschrift","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2024-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11358222/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142081888","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}