Anxiety in cirrhosis: a prospective study on prevalence and development of a practical screening nomogram.

OBJECTIVES: The prevalence and effects of anxiety on health-related quality of life and clinical outcomes in cirrhosis are not well understood. This is increasingly relevant during COVID-19. Our aim was to use the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) to determine the prevalence of anxiety, its association with clinical outcomes in cirrhosis and to develop a rapid cirrhosis-specific anxiety screening nomogram. METHODS: Adults with a diagnosis of cirrhosis were prospectively recruited as outpatients at three tertiary care hospitals across Alberta and followed for up to 6 months to determine the association with unplanned hospitalization/death. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale (HADS) was used as a screening tool as it is free of influence from somatic symptoms. Anxiety was diagnosed using the MINI. RESULTS: Of 304 patients, 17% of patients had anxiety by the MINI and 32% by the HADS. Anxious patients had lower health-related quality of life as assessed by the chronic liver disease questionnaire (P < 0.001) and EuroQol Visual Analogue Scale (P < 0.001), and also had higher levels of frailty using the Clinical Frailty score (P = 0.004). Multivariable analysis revealed smoking and three HADS subcomponents as independent predictors of anxiety. These were used to develop a rapid screening nomogram. CONCLUSION: A formal diagnosis of anxiety was made in approximately one in five patients with cirrhosis, and it was associated with worse HrQoL and frailty. The use of a 4-question nonsomatic symptom-based nomogram requires validation but is promising as a rapid screen for anxiety in cirrhosis.

The Genetics of Postoperative Recurrence in Crohn Disease: A Systematic Review, Meta-analysis, and Framework for Future Work.

Background: Recurrence following abdominal surgery in Crohn disease is over 50%. The impact of genetics on postoperative recurrence is not well defined. Methods: A literature search was conducted where inclusion required an assessment, by genotype, of postoperative recurrence. The primary endpoint was odds of surgical recurrence. Results: Twenty-eight studies identified a total of 6715 patients. Thirteen loci were identified as modifying the risk of recurrence. NOD2 was identified as a risk factor for recurrence by multiple works (cumulative odds ratio: 1.64, P = 0.003). Conclusions: A NOD2 risk allele is associated with recurrence following surgery in Crohn disease. Progress in this area will require standardized reporting in future works.

KODA score: an updated and validated bowel preparation scale for patients undergoing small bowel capsule endoscopy.

Background and study aims A reliable outcome measure is needed for bowel preparation quality during capsule endoscopy. Currently, no scales are adequately validated. Our objective was to update an existing small bowel preparation score, create a standardized training module, then determine its inter-rater and intra-rater reliability. Patients and methods Modification to produce standardized scoring of an existing small bowel preparation score was performed followed by development of a training module and validation to create the new Korea-Canada (KODA) score. Twenty readers from a range of backgrounds, including capsule endoscopists, gastroenterology fellows, residents, medical students, and nurses rated bowel cleanliness in 25 capsule videos consisting of 1,233 images, in duplicate 4 weeks apart, after completing the training module. Sequential images selected in 5-minute intervals during small bowel transit were rated on a scale between 0-3 based on the amount of visualized mucosa and the degree of obstruction. Reliability was assessed using estimates of intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs). Results Intraclass correlation coefficients for inter-rater (ICC 0.81, 95 % CI 0.70-0.87) and intra-rater (ICC 0.92, 95 % CI 0.87-0.94) reliability were almost perfect among the 20 readers. Inter-rater reliability ranged between 0.72 (95 % CI 0.57-0.81) and 0.89 (95 % CI 0.79-0.93) for nurses and residents, respectively. Intra-rater reliability was greater than 0.90 for all groups except for nurses, which was still almost perfect (ICC 0.86, 95 % CI 0.79-0.90). Conclusions Almost perfect inter-rater and intra-rater reliability was observed for the KODA score. This simple score could be used for future clinical trials after completion of the training module.

Clostridium difficile and Laparoscopic Bariatric Surgery: an Analysis of the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program Database.

BACKGROUND: Obesity is associated with disturbances in the gut microbiota which is a risk factor for Clostridium difficile infection (CDI). Bariatric surgery can induce substantive changes to the gut microbiota which may affect the risk of developing CDI. METHODS: The Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program captures variables specific to bariatric surgery from 832 centers. Patients undergoing laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (LRYGB) or laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) in 2016 and 2017 were identified. Primary outcomes included the prevalence and predictors of CDI after bariatric surgery. A multivariable logistic regression model determined preoperative factors predictive of 30-day CDI. RESULTS: A total of 78,222 LRYGB and 222,968 LSG were included. The overall incidence of CDI was low with 0.13% developing CDI. Rates of CDI were two times higher after LRYGB compared to LSG (0.2 vs 0.1%, p < 0.001). Although CDI rates were low, CDI was associated with increased post-operative complications. Multivariable analysis identified chronic kidney disease (OR 2.37, 95%CI 1.09-5.15, p = 0.03) and history of venous thromboembolism (OR 2.06, 95%CI 1.29-3.29, p = 0.002) as being most predictive of developing CDI with more than a twofold increase in risk. Patients undergoing LRYGB had an increased risk of CDI compared to LSG (OR 1.65, 95%CI 1.31-2.09, p < 0.001). White race, female sex, and obstructive sleep apnea also increased risk of CDI. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of CDI following bariatric surgery is relatively low with LRYGB having a higher risk than LSG. Furthermore, CDI is associated with significant adverse outcomes post-operatively but had no increased risk of mortality.

Noninvasive Fecal Immunochemical Testing and Fecal Calprotectin Predict Mucosal Healing in Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Prospective Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: The noninvasive biomarkers fecal immunochemical testing (FIT) and fecal calprotectin (FCP) are sensitive for prediction of mucosal inflammation in inflammatory bowel disease. However, neither test has yet been shown to independently and accurately predict mucosal healing (MH). We aimed to assess the specificity of noninvasive FIT and FCP for MH prediction. METHODS: In this prospective cohort study of adult inflammatory bowel disease outpatients presenting for colonoscopy, stool samples for FIT and FCP were collected 48 hours before endoscopy. Using MH defined by Simple Endoscopic Score for Crohn's disease (SES-CD = 0), Rutgeert's score (i0), and the Ulcerative Colitis Endoscopic Index of Severity (UCEIS = 3), receiver operator characteristic curves were plotted, and sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, and areas under the curve were calculated. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to develop a clinical model for noninvasively predicting MH. RESULTS: Eighty patients (40 Crohn's disease and 40 ulcerative colitis) were enrolled. The specificities of FIT <100 ng/mL and FCP <250 µg/g for MH were 0.57 (95% confidence interval, 0.38-0.74) and 0.77 (0.57-0.89), respectively. Positive predictive values for MH for FIT <100 ng/mL and FCP <250 µg/g were 0.78 (0.64-0.87) and 0.77 (0.58-0.90), respectively. In multivariate modeling, combining FIT, FCP, and clinical symptomatic remission improved specificity for MH to 0.90 (0.72-0.97) with positive predictive values of 0.84 (0.60-0.96). Areas under the curve for FIT was higher for patients with ulcerative colitis (0.88) than for patients with Crohn's disease (0.69, P = 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: FIT and FCP have similar performance characteristics for identifying MH. Combined, low FIT, low FCP, and clinical remission are specific for MH.