Effects of the supplementation with a multispecies probiotic on clinical and laboratory recovery of children with newly diagnosed celiac disease: A randomized, placebo-controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy of a multispecies probiotic on clinical and laboratory recovery of children with celiac disease (CeD) at diagnosis. METHODS: Children with newly diagnosed CeD entered a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial. A gluten-free diet (GFD) plus a multispecies probiotic or placebo were administered for 12 weeks. Growth, laboratory, and clinical parameters were recorded at enrollment, after 3 and 6 months of follow-up. RESULTS: Overall, 96 children completed the study: 49 in group A (placebo) and 47 in group B (probiotic). A significant increase of BMI-Z score was found in both groups after 3 and 6 months of treatment (p < 0.001), however the increase of BMI-Z score was significantly higher and faster in Group B than in Group A. Other clinical and laboratory parameters improved in both groups after 3 and 6 months (p<0.001), but no difference was found between the groups and a comparable time trend was observed in both groups. CONCLUSIONS: Treatment with a multispecies probiotic induced a higher and faster increase of BMI in children with newly diagnosed CeD. The mechanism of this positive effect remains to be elucidated.

Lower Level of Plasma 25-Hydroxyvitamin D in Children at Diagnosis of Celiac Disease Compared with Healthy Subjects: A Case-Control Study.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the vitamin D status of children with a new diagnosis of celiac disease compared with healthy controls. STUDY DESIGN: This was a case-control study. Cases were consecutive children with newly diagnosed celiac disease. Controls were healthy children matched for age, sex, ethnicity, and month of blood testing. Plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-OHD) was measured as the index of vitamin D nutritional status. The Student t test was used for comparisons. Differences in frequencies were evaluated with the χ2 test. Associations between variables were estimated by calculating Pearson correlation coefficients. RESULTS: There were 131 children with celiac disease enrolled (62% females; mean age 8.1 ± 1.1 years). The control group included 131 healthy children (62% females; mean age 8.2 ± 1.2). All were of European origin. Plasma 25-OHD levels were significantly lower in patients than in controls (25.3 ± 8.0 and 31.6 ± 13.7 ng/mL; P < .0001). The percentage of children with vitamin D deficiency (<20 ng/mL) was significantly higher in children with celiac diseaseas compared with controls (31% vs 12%; P < .0001). The concentration of 25-OHD was significantly lower in patients than in controls during summer (P < .01) and autumn (P < .0001). CONCLUSIONS: In this case-control study, at diagnosis, children with celiac disease showed lower levels of plasma 25-OHD compared with healthy subjects. Vitamin D status should be checked at diagnosis of celiac disease, particularly during summer and fall months.

Advanced dementia: opinions of physicians and nurses about antibiotic therapy, artificial hydration and nutrition in patients with different life expectancies.

AIM: The aim of the present study was to investigate the proportion of physicians and nurses who agree with the administration of antibiotic therapy (AT), artificial hydration (AH), and artificial nutrition (AN) in patients with advanced dementia and different life expectancies. Furthermore, we aimed at analyzing the correlates of the opinion according to which medical treatments should no longer be given to advanced dementia patients once their life expectancy falls. METHODS: End-of-life decisions and opinions were measured with a questionnaire that was sent to geriatric units, hospices and nursing homes in three different regions of Italy. Multivariate logistic regressions were carried out to ascertain the correlates of the agreement with the administration of AH, AT or AN. RESULTS: When the patient's life expectancy was 1-6 months, 83% of respondents agreed with AH, 79% with AT and 71% with AN. When the life expectancy was less than 1 month, a large proportion of respondents still agreed with AH and AT (73% and 61%), whereas less than one in two respondents (48%) agreed with AN. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of the present study showed that AN creates more ethical dilemmas in the clinical management of end of life than other treatments, such as AH or AT. Opinions on whether or not these practices are appropriate at the end of life were related with feelings, thoughts and ethical issues that played a different part for physicians and nurses. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2017; 17: 487-493.

Artificial nutrition and hydration in terminally ill patients with advanced dementia: opinions and correlates among Italian physicians and nurses.

BACKGROUND: Although their benefits are controversial, artificial nutrition and hydration are often administered as a form of basic care to terminally ill patients. An important reason for this may be that these treatments have strong emotional and psychological meanings. AIMS: In the present article we investigated the opinions of Italian physicians and nurses on the administration of artificial nutrition and hydration to terminally ill patients with advanced dementia. We also investigated the antecedents of these opinions, considering feelings and thoughts related to death, ethical issues and training in palliative care. METHOD: A questionnaire was administered to Italian physicians (n=288) and nurses (n=763). We analyzed the percentages of agreement with the administration of artificial nutrition and hydration and, using multivariate logistic regressions, the possible antecedents of these opinions. RESULTS: Agreement with the provision of artificial hydration was higher (73%) than for artificial nutrition (48%), suggesting that artificial hydration may be seen as a form of basic care. Agreement with their administration was generally lower among professionals in northern Italy working in geriatrics wards who had received training in palliative care. We also found that death-related feelings and thoughts and ethical issues played a different part for physicians and nurses. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that opinions concerning artificial nutrition and hydration not only derive from scientific background, but also relate to cultural, ethical, and psychological issues. Our results also reveal important differences between physicians' and nurses' opinions, providing useful information for interpreting and overcoming obstacles to the effective cooperation between these professionals.

Does the Multidimensional Prognostic Index (MPI), based on a Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA), predict mortality in cancer patients? Results of a prospective observational trial.

OBJECTIVE: Despite the lack of definitive data on the impact of Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA) in the geriatric oncology setting, the broad use of any form of CGA is strongly recommended before any treatment decision in elderly cancer patients (ECP); currently there is no consensus about the best format for this geriatric assessment. The aim of this study was to firstly test the Multidimensional Prognostic Index (MPI) in ECP with locally advanced or metastatic disease. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients aged ≥70years with inoperable or metastatic solid cancer consecutively admitted to our Program of Geriatric Oncology were assessed by a multidisciplinary team and received a basal CGA to calculate the MPI score. RESULTS: A hundred and sixty patients entered the study. In the Cox's regression model, MPI, CIRS-SI, BSA, GDS, MMSE, chemotherapy and a diagnosis of primary lung cancer were associated with mortality at 6 and 12months. The ROC curves confirmed the prognostic value of MPI, with the best discriminatory power for mortality at both 6 and 12months. CONCLUSION: The present study is the first to indicate that the MPI retains its prognostic value even in elderly cancer patients with advanced stage of disease. The CIRS-SI and the GDS may potentiate the prognostic value of MPI.

Discussing end-of-life care issues with terminally ill patients and their relatives: comparisons among physicians, nurses and psychologists.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The aim of this study was to analyse the end-of-life topics most frequently discussed by Italian physicians, nurses and psychologists with terminally ill patients and their relatives. Findings were compared with the levels of communication reported by physicians in other countries involved in the EURELD research project, in Europe and elsewhere. METHODS: An ad hoc questionnaire was prepared to measure levels of communication and administered to 716 professionals (181 physicians, 454 nurses and 81 psychologists) employed in geriatric hospital wards, hospices and nursing homes, or registered with professional associations in the Veneto and Trentino Alto-Adige regions of north-east Italy. Statistical analyses (frequency analysis, multivariate logistic regression) were conducted on data from questionnaires returned by standard mail or email. RESULTS: Communication levels vary for the various end-of-life issues which physicians, nurses and psychologists are required to discuss and the individuals with whom they deal. Italian physicians are more communicative with relatives than with patients, whereas psychologists tend to discuss these problems more with patients than with members of their families. Nurses behave in much the same way with both patients and relatives. By comparison with their colleagues elsewhere in Europe, Italian physicians reveal more evident differences in their willingness to discuss end-of-life issues, depending on whether they are communicating with patients or relatives. Having received bio-ethical training helps physicians communicate with their patients. CONCLUSIONS: Communicating is a fundamental part of providing care for terminally ill patients and support for their families. The patient care process involves several kinds of professionals, who are all increasingly called upon to be prepared to discuss the end of a patient's life, and to develop a therapeutic relationship which includes communicating without evading any of the aspects (and problems) relating to this crucial final stage of an individual's life.

Physicians' and nurses' experiences of end-of-life decision-making in geriatric settings.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: In Italy there is a paucity of empirical data on practices concerning end-of-life decisions (ELDs) in geriatrics. We aimed to investigate the frequency and characteristics of ELDs made by Italian physicians and nurses in the geriatric setting. METHODS: In 2009, an anonymous questionnaire was sent to 54 geriatric units, 21 hospices, and 382 nursing homes in the Veneto and Trentino Alto Adige regions, and to professionals in the area who are members of the Italian Gerontology and Geriatrics Association. RESULTS: This paper reports the results of 552 questionnaires answered by 171 physicians, 368 nurses and 13 professionals who did not state their profession. Death was preceded by decisions to start or continue treatments likely to prolong the patients' life in 51.3% of cases. The proportion of deaths preceded by a decision to end life (DEL) was 20.8%; 18% of DELs concerned non-treatment decisions. There were 9 cases of ending of life without patient's explicit request. No cases of doctor-assisted suicide were reported, while there were 2 cases of euthanasia, one reported by a physician and one by a nurse. CONCLUSION: In geriatrics, DELs often precede the deaths of terminally-ill Italian patients. Nurses report making DELs more often than physicians, especially in incompetent patients. Continuous deep sedation was adopted by 39.5% of the Italian physicians for deaths not occurring suddenly and unexpectedly. Our report on physicians' and nurses' experiences of ELD making in geriatric settings can offer a valuable contribution to the current debate on end-of-life treatment, an issue that goes beyond national borders.