Handgrip strength and risk of malnutrition are associated with an increased risk of hospitalizations in inflammatory bowel disease patients.

Background: In patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), frailty is independently associated with mortality and morbidity. Objectives: This study aimed to extend this work to determine the association between the clinical frailty scale (CFS), handgrip strength (HGS), and malnutrition with IBD-related hospitalizations and surgeries. Design: IBD patients ⩾18 years of age were prospectively enrolled from two ambulatory care clinics in Alberta, Canada. Methods: Frailty was defined as a CFS score ⩾4, dynapenia as HGS < 16 kg for females and <27 kg for males, malnutrition using the subjective global assessment (SGA), and the risk of malnutrition using either the abridged patient-generated SGA (abPG-SGA), or the Saskatchewan Inflammatory Bowel Disease Nutrition Risk Tool (SaskIBD-NRT). Logarithm relative hazard graphs and multivariable logistic regression models adjusting for relevant confounders were constructed. Results: One hundred sixty-one patients (35% ulcerative colitis, 65% Crohn's disease) with a mean age of 42.2 (±15.9) years were followed over a mean period of 43.9 (±10.1) months. Twenty-seven patients were hospitalized, and 13 patients underwent IBD-related surgeries following baseline. While the CFS (aHR 1.34; p = 0.61) and SGA (aHR 0.81; p = 0.69) did not independently predict IBD-related hospitalizations, decreased HGS (aHR 3.96; p = 0.03), increased abPG-SGA score (aHR 1.07; p = 0.03) and a SaskIBD-NRT ⩾ 5 (aHR 4.49; p = 0.02) did. No variable was independently associated with IBD-related surgeries. Conclusion: HGS, the abPG-SGA, and the SaskIBD-NRT were independently associated with an increased risk of IBD-related hospitalizations. Future studies should aim to validate other frailty assessments in the IBD population in order to better tailor care for all IBD patients.

Association Between Frailty or Sarcopenia and Adverse Outcomes in Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Systematic Review.

Background and Aims: Chronological age often guides the management of patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Frailty and sarcopenia, which are related but distinct entities that become increasingly prevalent with age, better predict nonsurgical and surgical outcomes in various chronic illnesses. We conducted a systematic review to assess the association between frailty or sarcopenia and adverse nonsurgical outcomes in adult patients with IBD. Methods: Through a systematic literature review of 4 online databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, Scopus, and CINAHL Plus), we identified 16 studies that focused on frailty or sarcopenia and nonsurgical outcomes in IBD. The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale was used to determine the quality of included studies. Results: We identified 16 studies: 8 frailty-based and 8 sarcopenia-based studies (14 high-quality and 2 low-quality studies). All results were presented in a summarized narrative format. Frailty predicted all hospitalization-related outcomes (hospitalization, readmission, and length of stay) and mortality-related outcomes. The outcomes of therapeutic efficacy, need for therapy escalation, and infections had mixed results in relation to their association with frailty or sarcopenia. The data regarding sarcopenia and hospitalizations were also equivocal. Conclusion: This systematic review supports the use of frailty indices to predict hospitalization- and mortality-related outcomes in adult patients with IBD. Future research should focus on identifying and validating frailty and sarcopenia tools in IBD to better help predict adverse clinical outcomes and response to therapy.

Current psychological perspectives on adolescent lesbian identity development.

Developing a healthy identity is one of the main tasks of adolescence. This process is certainly full of challenges for all adolescents; however, the experiences are different for lesbian adolescents than they are for gay male adolescents, or even lesbian adults. This article aims to discuss what makes the lesbian adolescent identity development process unique (e.g., the role of femininity, the school context, friendships) and how this process can, or cannot, be conceptualized using current psychological models of sexual identity development. Future directions are suggested for researchers and educators in order to implement changes needed to support positive sexual identity development in young lesbian adolescents.

Separation anxiety as a mediator between acute morphine administration and PTSD symptoms in injured children.

Emerging evidence suggests that individuals who receive morphine while hospitalized demonstrate a decrease in symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, the mechanisms of effects are not yet well understood. The goal of the current study was to examine three possible mediators for this effect. Sixty-one injured (burns, motor vehicle accidents, falls, and assaults) children were assessed during hospitalization and again 3 months post discharge. Assessment included acute and follow-up child report measures of pain, PTSD, and anxiety symptoms, as well as a medical record review for medication administration and pulse during hospitalization. Pathway analyses were conducted to test the potential mediating roles of pain reduction, noradrenergic attenuation, and separation anxiety on the association between morphine and PTSD. Results suggest that a reduction in separation anxiety may mediate the association between morphine administration and PTSD symptom reduction at 3 months. These findings have implications for our understanding of morphine's effects on psychological functioning following an acute injury and for direct clinical care.