Low L3 skeletal muscle area (SMA), which is assessed on computed tomography (CT) images, has been reported to indicate poor clinical outcomes of patients with acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The dorsal muscle group area at the T12 vertebral level (T12DMA) was used as an alternative to L3 SMA. This study aimed to investigate whether T12DMA could be used as a predictor of in-hospital mortality and long-term survival in elderly patients with COPD admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU). This single-center retrospective case-control study was performed by analyzing the clinical information and measuring T12DMA on chest CT images of elderly patients with COPD admitted to the ICU between May 2013 and May 2018. This study included 136 patients. The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that T12DMA, neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio, invasive mechanical ventilation, and systemic steroid therapy were independent risk factors for predicting the hospital mortality. The median survival was significantly higher in the high-T12DMA group (214 days) than in the low-T12DMA group (32 days).

Background The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of a simple visceral obesity phenotype, known as the hypertriglyceridemic waist phenotype and its quantitative indicator waist circumference index on the severity of acute pancreatitis. Materials and methods Diagnosis and severity analysis of acute pancreatitis were determined according to the Atlanta classification guidelines, revised in 2012. We considered the hypertriglyceridemic waist phenotype as characterized by increased waist circumference and elevated triglyceride concentrations. We investigated the association between the acute pancreatitis severity and hypertriglyceridemic waist phenotype, including waist circumference index. Results The hypertriglyceridemic waist phenotype was significantly associated with systemic inflammatory response syndrome, organ failure, and severe acute pancreatitis. The median waist circumference index and demonstration of hypertriglyceridemic waist phenotype were positively correlated with acute pancreatitis severity. In addition, multivariate logistic analysis showed that patients with the hypertriglyceridemic waist phenotype had 1.664 times the risk of organ failure and 1.891 times the risk of systemic inflammatory response syndrome, compared with the other groups. Conclusion Upon admission, the hypertriglyceridemic waist phenotype was strongly associated with acute pancreatitis in patients. This phenotype, including waist circumference index, might be a simple method for evaluating individuals at high risk of severe acute pancreatitis. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12944-019-1019-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Objective. This study aims to investigate the effects of reporting colonoscopy findings and the regular review of outcomes on adenoma detection rates. Methods. Patients who underwent colonoscopy from August 2013 to February 2014 were selected as the intervention group. The preintervention group included patients who underwent colonoscopy from January 2013 to July 2013, in which the procedure sheet for this group of patients was not accomplished. The primary outcome was adenoma detection rate (ADR), and secondary outcomes included the success rate of intubation and withdrawal time. Results. This study included 2,467 cases: 1,302 cases in the intervention group and 1,165 cases in the preintervention group. There was no significant difference in demographic characteristics between the two groups. In the intervention group, withdrawal time of colonoscopy was longer (P < 0.01), and the success rate of intubation (92.5% versus 89.1%, P < 0.05) and detection rate of polyps (32.6% versus 27.6%, P < 0.05) and adenomas (20.0% versus 16.1%, P < 0.05) were higher. Significantly high detection rates for proximal adenomas, flat adenomas, and adenomas with a diameter <5 mm were observed in the intervention group (all P < 0.01). Conclusion. The reporting and review of procedure details help to improve quality indicators of colonoscopy.

OBJECTIVE: Disease-related skeletal muscle loss is highly prevalent among patients with Crohn's disease. Low skeletal muscle mass lead to disability and interventions to prevent skeletal mass loss as an effective strategy to prevent disability. The aim of this article was to identify the factor associated with skeletal muscle loss of Crohn's disease and seek for management target for the prevention of sarcopenia-related disability. METHODS: Patients with Crohn's disease were divided into low and normal skeletal muscle mass groups based on L3 skeletal muscle index using abdominal CT scans. The clinical and laboratory parameters and colonoscopy were compared between the two groups. Univariate and multivariate regression logistic models were built to identify the prognostic markers of Crohn's disease-associated muscle loss. RESULTS: A total of 191 Crohn's disease patients were enrolled in this study, of whom 116 (60.73%) were detected to have low L3 skeletal muscle index, including 71 (68.26%) males. The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that age (OR: 1.