Wiener klinische Wochenschrift
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Wien. Klin. Wochenschr. · May 2021
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter StudyThe positive effect of spermidine in older adults suffering from dementia : First results of a 3-month trial.
The worldwide prevalence of dementia is estimated at 35.6 million and will rise to 115 million by 2050. There is therefore an urgent need for well-founded dementia diagnostics and well-researched therapeutic options. Previous studies have highlighted that spermidine has the ability to trigger the important process of dissolving amyloid-beta plaques by autophagy. ⋯ The results demonstrated a clear correlation between the intake of spermidine and the improvement in cognitive performance in subjects with mild and moderate dementia in the group treated with the higher spermidine dosage. The most substantial improvement in test performance was found in the group of subjects with mild dementia with an increase of 2.23 points (p = 0.026) in the mini mental state examination (MMSE) and 1.99 (p = 0.47) in phonematic fluidity. By comparison, the group which had a lower spermidine intake showed consistent or declining cognitive performance.
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Wien. Klin. Wochenschr. · May 2021
ReviewDevelopment of sustainable research excellence with a global perspective on infectious diseases: Centre de Recherches Médicales de Lambaréné (CERMEL), Gabon.
Medical research in sub-Saharan Africa is of high priority for societies to respond adequately to local health needs. Often enough it remains a challenge to build up capacity in infrastructure and human resources to highest international standards and to sustain this over mid-term to long-term periods due to difficulties in obtaining long-term institutional core funding, attracting highly qualified scientists for medical research and coping with ever changing structural and political environments. The Centre de Recherches Médicales de Lambaréné (CERMEL) serves as model for how to overcome such challenges and to continuously increase its impact on medical care in Central Africa and beyond. ⋯ Advancing bioethics in medical research in Africa and steadily improving its global networks and infrastructures, CERMEL serves as a reference centre for several international consortia. In close collaboration with national authorities, CERMEL has become one of the main training hubs for medical research in Central Africa. It is hoped that CERMEL and its leitmotiv "to improve medical care for local populations" will serve as an inspiration to other institutions in sub-Saharan Africa to further increase African capacity to advance medicine.
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Wien. Klin. Wochenschr. · May 2021
Open-label phase II study evaluating safety and efficacy of the non-steroidal farnesoid X receptor agonist PX-104 in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
The PX-104 is an oral non-steroidal agonist for the farnesoid X receptor (FXR), a key regulator of bile acid (BA), glucose and lipid homeostasis. ⋯ The non-steroidal FXR agonist PX-104 improved insulin sensitivity and liver enzymes after 4 weeks of treatment in non-diabetic NAFLD patients. Changes in fecal BAs and gut microbiota deserve more extensive investigations.
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Wien. Klin. Wochenschr. · May 2021
Integrating public health policies in the epidemiological modeling of hepatitis C with LEHC tool: application in Austria.
Eliminating hepatitis C requires addressing issues other than medicines or therapies. Public health policies focused on the hepatitis C virus (HCV) must be emphasized and worked to know the impacts on its epidemiologic dynamics. This research aims to provide a tool to evaluate and simulate alternatives by redefining policies meeting specific needs in each country towards the HCV elimination target by 2030. ⋯ In Austria, the LEHC tool allowed to forecast the HCV elimination year anticipation to 2026, instead of being achieved after 2030. This target will only be valid if adequate management of the 24 public health policies focused on this pathology is further implemented.
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Wien. Klin. Wochenschr. · May 2021
Perceptions on the management of varices and on the use of albumin in patients with cirrhosis among GI specialists in Austria.
Portal hypertension (PH) causes severe complications in patients with liver cirrhosis, such as variceal bleeding and ascites; however, data on the knowledge and perceptions on guideline recommendations for the management of varices and the use of albumin is scarce. ⋯ The reported management of PH and varices is mostly adherent to guidelines, but endoscopic surveillance in patients without varices is too intense and EBL is overused in the setting of PP. Knowledge on the correct use of early TIPS must be improved among Austrian specialists. Albumin use is widely unrestricted in Austria; however, albumin is often underdosed in established indications.