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Background: Heart failure (HF) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) share a common organ failure trajectory marked by prognostic uncertainty, which is a barrier to appropriate provision of palliative care. We describe in a prospective cohort from specialist hospital services the epidemiology and late clinical course of these chronic diseases to trace criteria for transition to palliative care in the community., Methods and Results: Seven centers enrolled 267 patients with advanced HF (n=174) or COPD (n=93) using common (multiple hospitalizations or severely impaired functional status or cachexia) and disease-specific (HF: systolic dysfunction, NYHA classes III-IV, end-organ hypoperfusion; COPD: very severe airflow obstruction, hypoxemia, hypercapnia, or long-term oxygen therapy) entry criteria. These patients represented 7.2% and 13% respectively of the overall HF and COPD population hospitalized during one year. They showed similar symptom burden, functional and quality of life impairment, recurrent hospitalizations, and 6-month mortality (39% and 37%, respectively). Organ failure progression was the cause of death in >75%. In-hospital overall stay during the previous year was the main mortality predictor in both. Disease-specific predictors included anemia, hyponatremia, no beta-blockers in HF; older age, hypercapnia in COPD., Conclusions: Patients with advanced HF/COPD represent almost 10% of subjects hospitalized yearly with a primary diagnosis of HF or COPD, have similarly impaired functional status, disabling symptoms and reduced survival. Overall days spent in-hospital during the previous year, a "red flag" in the late clinical course of both diseases, might be used as a simple, reliable screening tool for appropriate transition to palliative care in the community., (Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.)

The natural history of heart failure (HF) is characterized by a progressive decline in functional capacity, punctuated by acute heart destabilization episodes which contribute to a spiraling worsening course. Advanced HF affects one in four patients who are referred to the hospital for the syndrome and has an estimated yearly incidence of 12 000 new cases in Italy. Life expectancy is very limited, and in general less than 50% of advanced HF patients are alive at 1-2 years. Advanced HF patients show a high, not modifiable mortality, severe symptoms and impaired quality of life. Treatment goals should focus on the improvement of symptoms and quality of life, the aims of palliative care. Palliative consultations during hospital admissions reduce the number of interventions and procedures in the last stages of life, the length of stay in the intensive care unit and general ward. HF patients who receive home palliative care are more likely to die at home, in accordance with their expressed will. The research project RF-MAR-2007-67955 aims to analyze, through a prospective observational registry, the palliative care needs of HF patients in Italy, to answer the gaps in knowledge on symptom changes during the terminal stages of the disease, on the quality of communication between healthcare professionals, patients and their families and caregivers' needs.

Biliopancreatic bypass surgery leads to considerable weight loss and the stabilisation over time of the newly acquired body weight. The aim of this study was to evaluate the long-term clinical and nutritional conditions of patients undergoing this operation. Thirty subjects who had undergone biliopancreatic bypass surgery (7 males and 23 females) aged between 20 and 55 years old, with body mass indexes between 35 and 80, were examined at yearly intervals (maximum follow-up 5 years). Tha following parameters were evaluated at each control: body weight, presence of collateral effects, support therapy, main hematochemical parameters, nutritional behavior and calorie intake. All patients recorded a significant reduction in body weight with a mean weight loss of 28% during the first year; these values were confirmed during the second year, whereas body weight tended to stabilise in the long-term. Laboratory data showed a significant reduction in triglycerides, cholesterol, glycemia in all patients; sideropenic anemia appeared in 50% of patients. Mean daily calorie intake was 2,200 kcal/day, broken down as follows: glucides 50%, lipids 33%, proteins 17%. The main collateral effects reported were: diarrhea, vomit, flatulence, onset of food intolerances. The following support therapies were used: iron in 90% of cases, calcium in 60% and 30% of patients also underwent surgery. In conclusion, biliopancreatic bypass surgery enables a significant weight loss to be achieved together with an improved glycolipid status without leading to nutritional deficiencies.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Colonic adenomas represent the natural precursor lesions of most colorectal cancers. The treatment of choice is endoscopic polypectomy. However, after endoscopic removal, polyps recur in a large fraction of cases. Thus, we evaluated the effect of antioxidant vitamins or lactulose on the recurrence rate of adenomatous polyps. After polypectomy, 255 individuals were randomized into three groups. Group 1 was given vitamin A (30,000 IU/day), vitamin C (1 g/day), and vitamin E (70 mg/day); Group 2 was given lactulose (20 g/day); Group 3 received no treatment. Forty-six subjects had to be excluded because the histologic diagnosis was not consistent with adenoma. The remaining 209 individuals were included in the analysis according to the "intention to treat" criterion, though 34 did not adhere to the scheduled treatment or were lost during the follow-up. Subjects were followed at regular intervals for an average of 18 months. Polyps recurring before one year from index colonoscopy were considered missed by the endoscopist. In the 209 evaluable subjects, the percentages of recurrence of adenomas were 5.7 percent, 14.7 percent, and 35.9 percent in the vitamins, lactulose, and untreated groups, respectively. The fraction of subjects remaining free of adenomas, estimated by Kaplan-Meier survival curves, was significantly different among the three groups (log-rank chi-squared = 17.138; P < 0.001). Using Cox's regression analysis, treatment was the only variable that significantly contributed to the model (regression coefficient = 0.905; P < 0.001). In conclusion, either antioxidant vitamins or, to a lesser extent, lactulose lower the recurrence rate of adenomas of the large bowel and can be proposed as chemopreventive agents, at least in high-risk individuals.