Delivery Methods of Cognitive Behavior Therapy for Patients With Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is the most commonly diagnosed gastrointestinal disorder and negatively impacts individuals' quality of life. Cognitive behavioral therapy appears effective for reducing symptoms in many irritable bowel syndrome patients. However, the optimal methods to deliver cognitive behavioral therapy and the effective treatment dosage for patients with IBS remain unclear. This article aims to provide an update on cognitive behavioral therapy research in IBS, particularly considering the dose of treatment, route of delivery (in-person vs. web- and telephone-based delivery), and outcome measures. A systematic literature review was conducted using databases of PubMed, CINAHL Complete, and Web of Science from 2008 through 2021. Twelve studies reporting randomized clinical trials comparing cognitive behavioral therapy delivered with in-person, telephone, and web for the management of IBS symptoms among adults with irritable bowel syndrome were found. The dose of treatment varied from 4 to 10 sessions. Six different scales measured various outcomes. No severe adverse reactions to cognitive behavioral therapy were reported. Cognitive behavioral therapy is an effective treatment for IBS symptoms regardless of the dose and the route of treatment. However, it is difficult to compare the effectiveness of these randomized clinical trials due to the various cognitive behavioral therapy protocols, combined routes of therapy delivery, and different outcome measures used.

The utilization and prognostic impact of B-type Natriuretic Peptide in hospitalized acute decompensated heart failure in an Asian population.

BACKGROUND: B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) levels during admission have been shown to have prognostic value in the diagnosis of heart failure and further predict the in-hospital mortality of acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF). This study describes the characteristics of BNP among hospitalized ADHF and elucidates its prognostic value of in-hospital mortality in an Asian population. METHODS: We consecutively studied patients aged 20+ who were discharged with a diagnosis of ADHF from March 2013 to March 2014 in a tertiary hospital of northern Taiwan by reviewing medical records. Prognostic predictors of mortality were assessed using Cox proportional hazard regression models. BNP > 100 pg/ml was used as the cut-off for defining abnormally high BNP based on current clinical practice criteria. RESULTS: After implementation of our exclusion criteria, a total of 1,807 patients hospitalized with ADHF were studied. Compared to those subjects with BNP ≤100 pg/ml, individuals with higher BNP tended to have more advanced age, more clusters of the typical signs of heart failure (HF) (e.g., peripheral edema or lung rales) at presentation, lower ejection fraction, lower hemoglobin levels, more disturbed biochemical data, worsened renal function, and twice the risk for in-hospital mortality (15.2 vs 6.2 %, all p < 0.05). In a multivariate analysis, more advanced age, the presence of rales, a worse New York Heart Association functional class, wider QRS duration, and abnormal BNP levels (>100 pg/ml) were all associated with in-hospital mortality among admitted HF patients after accounting for clinical co-variates and global ventricular ejection fraction (HR: 2.17, 95 % CI: 1.15-6.64, p = 0.024). CONCLUSION: Abnormally high BNP levels in ADHF patients during admission were tightly linked to clinical features of worse physical, functional, and clinical presentations, and further provided prognostic value for determining in-hospital mortality among patients with ADHF in an Asian population.

Age Differences in Upper Gastrointestinal Symptoms and Vagal Modulation in Women With Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) often report upper gastrointestinal (GI) (e.g., nausea and heartburn), somatic, and emotional symptoms. This study seeks to examine the relationships among younger and older women with IBS and indicators of autonomic nervous system (ANS) function and daily nausea and heartburn symptoms. METHODS: Women were recruited through clinics and the community. Nocturnal heart rate variability (HRV) was obtained using ambulatory electrocardiogram Holter monitors. Individual symptom severity and frequency were collected using 28-day diaries. All variables were stratified by younger (<46 years) and older (≥46 years) age groups. RESULTS: Eighty-nine women with IBS were included in this descriptive correlation study (n = 57 younger; n = 32 older). Older women had reduced indices of vagal activity when compared to younger women. In older women, there was an inverse correlation between nausea and vagal measures (Ln RMSSD, r = -.41, p = .026; Ln pNN50, r = -.39, p = .034). Heartburn in older women was associated with sleepiness (r = .59, p < .001) and anger (r = .48, p = .006). Nausea was significantly correlated with anger in the younger group (r = .41, p = .001). There were no significant relationships between HRV indicators and nausea and heartburn in younger women. CONCLUSIONS: Age-related differences in ANS function that are associated with nausea may portend unique opportunities to better understand the vagal dysregulation in women with IBS.

Relationship Between High Frequency Component of Heart Rate Variability and Delta EEG Power During Sleep in Women With Irritable Bowel Syndrome Compared to Healthy Women.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the relationship between the high frequency (HF) heart rate variability (HRV) and electroencephalogram (EEG) delta band power in women with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) versus healthy control women. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty women with IBS and twenty healthy controls were studied over three consecutive nights using polysomnography in a sleep laboratory. To avoid the first night effect, only second-night data were analyzed. Power spectral analysis was applied to HRV and EEG recordings. The linear system coherence/phase analysis assessed the relationship between normalized HF power of HRV and normalized delta band power of EEG during the first four NREM-REM sleep cycles. RESULTS: Women with IBS exhibited a significantly higher percentage of NREM sleep, higher normalized HF, lower normalized low frequency (LF) and decreased LF/HF ratio of HRV in the first four NREM-REM sleep cycles compared to controls. Additionally, their normalized delta band power was significantly lower in these sleep cycles and over the whole night. The phase shift between HF and delta band power was significantly longer in the IBS group. While the coherence between normalized HF and normalized delta band power was lower in the IBS group, the difference was not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: The coherence/phase analysis showed a dysregulated interaction between autonomic and central nervous systems in women with IBS, manifested by increased lag time between cardiac and EEG delta band power compared to healthy controls. Whether this dysregulation contributes to the pathophysiology of IBS remains to be determined.