The American journal of medicine
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Hospitalization of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease creates a huge healthcare burden. Positive airway pressure therapy is sometimes used in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, but the possible impact on hospitalization risk remains controversial. We studied the hospitalization risk of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease before and after initiation of various positive airway pressure therapies in a "real-world" bioinformatics study. ⋯ Initiation of positive airway pressure therapy was associated with reduction in hospitalization among patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, but the causality needs to be determined by randomized controlled trials.
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GLP-1 Levels Predict Mortality in Patients with Critical Illness as Well as End-Stage Renal Disease.
Glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) is an incretin hormone, which stimulates glucose-dependent insulin secretion from the pancreas and holds immune-regulatory properties. A marked increase of GLP-1 has been found in critically ill patients. This study was performed to elucidate the underlying mechanism and evaluate its prognostic value. ⋯ Chronic and acute inflammatory processes like sepsis or chronic kidney disease increase circulating GLP-1 levels. This most likely reflects a sum effect of increased GLP-1 secretion and decreased GLP-1 clearance. GLP-1 plasma levels independently predict the outcome of critically ill and end-stage renal disease patients.