Impact of aspirin use on rates of metastasis in patients with esophageal cancer: insights from the National Inpatient Sample.

Despite advancing treatment methods, esophageal cancer (EC) maintains a high mortality rate and poor prognosis. Through various mechanisms, aspirin has been suggested to have a chemopreventive effect on EC. However, the long-term impact, particularly regarding the rate of metastasis, needs to be further elucidated. NIS 2016-2020 was used to identify adult patients (age > 18 years) with EC using ICD-10 codes. Patients with missing demographics and mortality were excluded. Patients were stratified into two groups based on aspirin use. Data were collected on patient demographics, Elixhauser Comorbidity Index (ECI), and comorbidities (hypertension, chronic pulmonary disease, coronary artery disease (CAD), chronic kidney disease (CKD), congestive heart failure (CHF), coagulopathy, alcohol use, smoking, and obesity). The outcomes studied were rates of total metastasis, gastrointestinal (GI) metastasis, non-GI metastasis, and lymphoid metastasis. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate the impact of aspirin use on various metastases after adjusting for patient demographics, comorbidities, and ECI. Out of 190,655 patients, 20,650 (10.8%) patients were aspirin users. Majority of the patients in the aspirin group were aged > 65 years (74.7%), males (82.1%), White race (84%), and had medicare insurance (71%). There was a higher incidence of diabetes, hypertension, chronic pulmonary disease, CAD, CKD, CHF, and smoking in aspirin users than non-aspirin users. Patients with aspirin users had a lower incidence of metastasis (28.9% vs. 38.7%, P < 0.001), GI metastasis (14.2% vs. 20.6%, P < 0.001), non-GI metastasis (15.1% vs. 22%, P < 0.001), and lymphoid metastasis (8.9% vs. 11.3%, P < 0.001) than non-aspirin users. After adjusting for confounding factors, patients with aspirin use had lower odds of having metastasis (aOR-0.73, 95% CI-0.70-0.77, P < 0.001). Our study noted that aspirin use is associated with a reduction in the rate of metastasis in patients with EC. These studies support the use of aspirin in patients with EC and suggest the need for further studies to understand the mechanism by which aspirin use reduces metastasis in patients with EC.

Association of metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease with gastrointestinal infections: insights from National Inpatient Sample Database.

OBJECTIVES: The study aimed to compare the risk of gastrointestinal infections among patients with and without metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD). METHODS: This was a population-based, retrospective, observational study using data from the National Inpatient Sample (NIS), the largest all-payer US inpatient care database. SETTING: Hospitalisation of adults aged ≥18 years old admitted in 2020 was identified using the NIS. Patients were stratified by the presence and absence of MAFLD. PARTICIPANTS: 26.4 million adults aged ≥18 years old were included in the study. Patients younger than 18 and those with missing demographic or mortality data were excluded. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOMES: Primary outcome was to assess the overall risk of gastrointestinal infections in patients with and without MAFLD. Secondary outcomes were demographics and comorbidities stratified by the presence or absence of gastrointestinal infection, and the risk of specific gastrointestinal pathogens. RESULTS: Of 26.4 million patients admitted in 2020, 755 910 (2.85%) had the presence of MAFLD. There was a higher prevalence of bacterial gastrointestinal infections in patients with MAFLD than those without (1.6% vs 0.9%, p<0.001). The incidence of Clostridioides difficile (1.3% vs 0.8%, p<0.001), Escherichia coli (0.3% vs 0.01%, p<0.001), and Salmonella (0.07% vs 0.03%, p<0.001) was higher in patients with MAFLD. The presence of MAFLD was associated with higher odds of developing gastrointestinal infections (adjusted OR (aOR) -1.75, 95% CI -1.68 to 1.83, p<0.001). After adjusting for confounders, results remained statistically significant (aOR -1.36, 95% CI - 1.30-1.42, p<0.001). CONCLUSION: Even after adjusting for confounding factors, our study demonstrates an increased risk of gastrointestinal infections in patients with MAFLD, specifically of C. difficile, E. coli, and Salmonella. The immune and microbiota changes seen within MAFLD potentially contribute to the increased risk of gastrointestinal infections.

Depression, sleep, body image, and lifestyle: Prevalence and associated factors of depression among school-going adolescents in Delhi National Capital Region.

Background: Adolescents are known to be vulnerable to depression, which worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic. They also exhibit poor sleep quality and body image issues (BIIs) which are considered risk factors for depression. There is a paucity of Indian studies regarding adolescent depression and its correlation with lifestyle. Aims: To detect the prevalence of depression in adolescents, and understand its association with sociodemographic variables, sleep quality, BIIs, and lifestyle factors. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 392 adolescents attending classes 8th-12th in two schools in Delhi National Capital Region. A pre-tested semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect sociodemographic and lifestyle data. Depression anxiety stress scale-21 was used to detect depression. Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and Stunkard Figure Rating Scale were used to evaluate sleep quality and BIIs. Data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences Version-25. Results: Depression was present in 40.3% of students. It was more common in girls, older students, students in higher classes, who lacked siblings and whose mothers were engaged in professions as well as those with BIIs. However, after multivariate analysis, the association of depression with poor sleep quality, meal skipping, lack of exercise, family history of mental illness, and inverse association with open discussion of one's thoughts and worries with family remained significant. Conclusions: Depression is common among adolescents and shows associations with poor sleep quality and lifestyle choices. Awareness of these associations may enable better screening and early intervention for vulnerable adolescents.

The Impact of Type 2 Myocardial Infarction in Acute Pancreatitis: Analysis of 1.1 Million Hospitalizations and Review of the Literature.

Introduction  Acute pancreatitis (AP) is a common inflammatory disorder with acute onset and rapid progression. Studies have reported cardiac injury in patients with AP. It is often thought that stress cardiomyopathy can induce these changes leading to type 2 myocardial infarction (type 2 MI) in AP. Our study aims to assess the prevalence as well as the impact of type 2 MI on outcomes in patients with AP.  Methods National Inpatient Sample (NIS) 2016-2020 was used to identify adult patients (age>18) with acute pancreatitis. We excluded patients with STEMI, NSTEMI, pancreatic cancer, or chronic pancreatitis. Patients with missing demographics and mortality were also excluded. Patients were stratified into two groups, based on the presence of type 2 MI. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to assess the impact of concomitant type 2 MI on mortality, sepsis, acute kidney injury (AKI), ICU admission, deep venous thrombosis (DVT), and pulmonary embolism (PE) after adjusting for patient demographics, hospital characteristics, etiology of AP and the Elixhauser comorbidities.  Results Of the 1.1 million patients in the study population, only 2315 patients had type 2 MI. The majority of the patients in the type 2 MI group were aged >65 years (49.2%, p<0.001), males (54.6%, p=0.63), White (67.6%, p=0.19), had Medicare insurance (55.5%, p<0.001), and were in the lowest income quartile (34.8%, p=0.12). Patients in the type 2 MI group had a higher incidence of mortality (5.4% vs 0.6%, p<0.001), sepsis (7.1% vs 3.7%, p<0.001), shock (9.3% vs 0.9%, p<0.001), AKI (42.9% vs. 11.8%, p<0.001) and ICU admission (12.1% vs 1.4%, p<0.001). After adjusting for confounding factors, patients in the type 2 MI group were noted to be at higher odds of mortality (aOR=2.4; 95% CI 1.5-3.8, p<0.001). Patients in the type 2 MI group had a longer length of stay (adjusted coefficient=2.1 days; 95% CI 1.4-2.8; p<0.001) and higher total hospitalization charges (adjusted coefficient=$45,088; 95% CI $30,224-$59,952; p<0.001).  Conclusion Although the prevalence of type 2 MI in AP is low, the presence of type 2 MI is associated with increased mortality and worse outcomes. Physicians should be aware of this association and these patients should be monitored carefully to prevent worse outcomes.