Despite the importance of oral care in the prevention of aspiration pneumonia, the association between oral hygiene and the prevalence of pneumonia-causing bacteria has not yet been determined. The present study is a cross-sectional study aimed at determining the association between the original point-rating system used during oral examinations (the prompt non-invasive oral assessment) and the prevalence of pneumonia-causing bacteria in a population of hospitalized patients with malnutrition. The nutrition support team cared for 61 patients; 6 were excluded as they were not eligible. Bedside analyses were conducted using the point-rating system. The findings were analyzed to determine the association between the prompt non-invasive oral assessment and the detection of pneumonia-causing bacteria. Patients who tested positive for pneumonia-causing bacteria (n=13) received significantly higher total and hygiene item scores than those who tested negative (n=42) [median (25th, 75th percentile), total score, 6 (4, 7) vs. 3 (1, 5), P=0.02; hygiene score, 2 (1, 3) vs. 1 (0, 2), P=0.02]. In the receiver operating characteristic analysis, a total oral assessment cut-off score of 4 was identified as optimal for detecting pneumonia-causing bacteria. Additionally, a multivariable analysis revealed a high odds ratio for the presence of pneumonia-causing bacteria in patients with poor oral hygiene (odds ratio, 2.09; 95% CI, 1.04 to 4.22). Thus, the present study demonstrates that the prompt non-invasive oral assessment is a simple and effective tool for detecting pneumonia-causing bacteria in hospitalized patients.
The association between maternal pre-pregnancy smoking status and asthma risk is unclear. This study aimed to investigate the association between pre- and post-pregnancy maternal smoking status and bronchial asthma at 3 years of age in a large birth cohort. Data of 75,411 mother–child pairs from the Japan Environment and Children's Study (JECS) were analysed using multivariate logistic regression analysis. Overall, 7.2% of the children had bronchial asthma. The maternal smoking status before childbirth was as follows: Never = 60.0%, Quit before recognising current pregnancy = 24.1%, Quit after finding out about current pregnancy = 12.3%, and Still smoking = 3.6%. Children of mothers who sustained smoking during pregnancy had an increased risk of bronchial asthma at 3 years of age even after adjusting for pre- and postnatal covariates (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.34, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.15–1.56). Children of mothers who quit before (aOR 1.09, 95% CI 1.02–1.18) or after (aOR 1.11, 95% CI 1.01–1.23) recognising the current pregnancy had an increased risk of bronchial asthma at 3 years of age. Maternal smoking throughout pregnancy and smoking exposure pre-pregnancy or in early pregnancy increases the risk of bronchial asthma in children.
Background/AimsManoScan and Sandhill high-resolution manometry (HRM) systems are used worldwide; however, the diagnosis of achalasia on the Starlet HRM system is not fully characterized. Furthermore, the impact of calcium channel blockers and nitrites in treating achalasia has not been investigated using HRM. Management of recurrent cases is a priority issue, although few studies have examined patient characteristics. MethodsWe conducted a multicenter, large-scale database analysis. First, the diagnosis of treatment-naive achalasia in each HRM system was investigated. Next, patient characteristics were compared between type I-III achalasia, and the impact of patient characteristics, including calcium channel blocker and nitrite use for integrated relaxation pressure (IRP) values, were analyzed. Finally, patient characteristics with recurrent achalasia were elucidated. ResultsThe frequency of type I achalasia with Starlet was significantly higher than that with ManoScan and Sandhill HRM systems. In achalasia, multivariate analysis identified male sex, advanced age, long disease duration, obesity, type I achalasia, and sigmoid type as risk factors related to normal IRP values (< 26 mmHg). Calcium channel blockers and nitrites use had no significant impact on the IRP values, although achalasia symptoms were indicated to be alleviated. In recurrent cases, the IRP value was significantly lower, and advanced age, long disease duration, and sigmoid type were more common than in treatment-naive patients. ConclusionsWe should cautiously interpret the type of achalasia and IRP values in the Starlet HRM system. Symptoms of recurrent cases are related to disease progression rather than IRP values, which should be considered in decision making.
Background: The safety of influenza A (H1N1) 2009 among chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients has not been investigated yet. Our objective was to investigate the safety of the A (H1N1) 2009 vaccine, especially for mortality after vaccination. Methods:From October 2009 to March 2010, we collected records from all Japanese hospitals registered in the Japanese Respiratory Society. We conducted a 1:1 matched case-control study. Patients with COPD who died in the study period were determined as case group patients (n=36). Patients with COPD who survived the study period were determined as control group patients (n=36). In the control group selection process, we selected age, sex, period of home oxygen therapy (measure for COPD severity), hospital, and calendar time as matching factors. We then compared the proportion of patients who received the influenza A (H1N1) 2009 vaccine in each group and evaluated the conditional odds ratio.Results: Both the case and control groups had 36 COPD patients, 32 of whom were men. The mean age was 76.6 years (SD=8.6) in the case group and 76.9 years (SD=8.3) in the control group. The mean period of home oxygen therapy in both groups was 1.8. The proportion of patients receiving A (H1N1) 2009 vaccinations was 47.2% in the case group and 63.9% in the control group. The crude conditional odds ratio of mortality in the winter was 0.33 (95% confidence interval: 0.06-1.34) and adjusted conditional odds ratio was 0.37 (95% confidence interval: 0.09-1.52) with no significance. Conclusions:Our study detected no statistically increased risk of mortality after influenza A (H1N1) 2009 vaccination among COPD patients. The results are, however, limited by the small sample size and low statistical power. A similar larger-scale study is needed in the future to confirm our findings.
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