July 2025
33 ArticlesNo Section
Refining the predictive value of nasal pressure swing in acute hypoxemic respiratory failure management. Author's reply
Dear Editor,
The role of achieving blood pressure targets in renal protection: Insights from the VALUE trial
We have read with great interest the article by Olsen et al. on the VALUE trial [1], which investigated the comparative effectiveness of valsartan versus amlodipine in reducing the incidence of end-... more
Some comments on Tecovirimat and mpox
The paper by Rizk et al., "Tecovirimat and mpox: A regulatory balancing act between hope, hurdles, and high-risk populations," presents a detailed discussion on the antiviral Tecovirimat (TPOXX) and... more
Commentary
Intermediate care units in internal medicine – From concept to consolidation
The traditional organization of hospital care along rigid specialty lines is increasingly challenged by the complex clinical profiles of today’s inpatients. Multimorbidity, polypharmacy and... more
Predicting the unpredictable: Personalizing VTE risk in cancer with the Caravaggio Score
Patients with cancer account for >20 % of all patients newly diagnosed with venous thromboembolism (VTE), which remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in this patient population [1].... more
The oldest old and critical care: a potentially successful binomial
Very old people are frequently denied advanced care on the assumption that they will not benefit from such interventions, even in absence of coexisting conditions that may impact their prognosis [1... more
Ideas and Opinions
Fast versus slow fibrosers: Risk factors for fibrosis progression in eosinophilic oesophagitis
Oesophageal fibrosis is a progressive and severe complication of long-standing, T-helper type 2-driven, allergen-mediated inflammation in untreated patients with eosinophilic oesophagitis (EoE) [1].... more
Internal Medicine Flashcard
A protrusion of the left abdominal wall
A 73-year-old male presented to the dermatology department following a 5-day history of vesicular rash accompanied with serious pain in the left waist and abdomen. Constipation-associated symptom... more
A man with chronic progressive mucositis and extensive skin detachment
A 62-year-old man was referred to our department with a 6-week history of a progressively worsening rash. Three weeks earlier, he had been admitted for gastric perforation, which was ultimately... more
Omalizumab-associated purpura fulminans
A 27-year-old male with chronic urticaria began omalizumab treatment. Before treatment, blood count, coagulation profile, and liver function were normal. After one dose, he developed chest, back, and... more
Letter to the Editor
Insights from the VALUE Trial: Achieving blood pressure targets for renal protection
We thank Wang, Jiang and Zhou [1] for their interest in our paper [2]. We agree in their conclusions that the VALUE Trial [2,3] provides critical evidence to guide antihypertensive therapy in high-... more
Refining the predictive value of nasal pressure swing in acute hypoxemic respiratory failure management
With great interest, we read about the study by Tonelli et al. on the predictive value of nasal pressure swing (Pnose) in assessing respiratory support dependency among patients with acute hypoxemic... more
Utilizing D-dimer levels for predicting survival probability in unplanned hospital admissions: Insights from a 5-year nationwide population-based register study
Although the most common clinical use of D-dimer measurements is to rule out thromboembolic disease [1], it is also elevated in several other serious illnesses and raised levels are associated with a... more
Why doesn't sepsis rhyme with Internal Medicine?
I am writing to share some reflections on the challenges that internists face in the management of sepsis, a complex and multifactorial condition requiring a multidisciplinary approach. Despite the... more
Glucagon-like peptide–1 receptor agonist for patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction and obesity
Dear Editor,
Hemoglobin levels for the diagnosis of polycythemia vera: How high is high enough?
The World Health Organization (WHO) diagnostic criteria for Polycythemia Vera (PV), initially published in 2001 and 2008, were last revised in 2016. According to these criteria, evaluation for PV is... more
Evolution of care pathways in clinical practice guidelines for heart failure
In the context of the increasing complexity of patients with heart failure (HF) and the rapid expansion of available therapies, clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) have become indispensable for... more
Direct oral anticoagulants guided by CHA2DS2-VASc stratification for stroke prevention in patients with device-detected atrial fibrillation
Atrial fibrillation (AF) significantly increases stroke risk, with affected individuals having a fivefold higher likelihood compared to the general population. Oral anticoagulation (OAC),... more
Sodium-glucose cotransporter2 inhibitor-associated ketoacidosis in nondiabetic patients
Sodium-Glucose Cotransporter2-inhibitors (SGLT2i) were developed for treating diabetic patients. Empagliflozin and dapagliflozin, frequently prescribed SGLT2i, are now also recommended for... more
Factor XI/XIa inhibitors versus direct oral anticoagulants in atrial fibrillation
Dear Editor,
Original Article
Effectiveness and safety of telemonitoring compared with standard of care in people with type 2 diabetes treated with insulin: a national multicenter randomized controlled trial
The trial demonstrated that telemonitoring is superior to standard of care in T2D for improving glycemic control.
PEPPER – Prehospital prediction in pulmonary embolism: The association of the national early warning score with mortality, thrombolysis, and clinical outcomes
Pulmonary embolism (PE) requires careful risk assessment for informed care decisions. We evaluated the value of the National Early Warning Score (NEWS) in patients with PE when used by emergency... more
New onset left atrial dilatation in the general population: A quarter-century follow-up
Left atrial (LA) anatomical remodeling, detected by measuring the diameter or, more comprehensively, the volume with echocardiography is regarded as a marker of left ventricular (LV) diastolic... more
Difficult-to-treat rheumatoid arthritis among elderly patients from the KOBIO registry
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disorder characterized by systemic inflammation the primarily affects the joints, resulting in pain, swelling, stiffness, and functional impairment [... more
Cost-effectiveness of daily home haemodialysis versus in-centre haemodialysis: A propensity score matching analysis based on real-world data from the French healthcare system
Home haemodialysis (HD) offers several advantages over conventional in-centre 3-times-weekly HD which have been summarised in recent reviews [1,2]. Among them are better preservation of health-... more
NT-proBNP to guide risk stratification after cardiac rehabilitation in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction
The use of N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) after ST-segment elevation acute myocardial infarction (STEMI) is unclear. We evaluated its prognostic significance after post-STEMI... more
Derivation and validation of the Caravaggio score for the risk stratification for recurrence in patients with cancer-associated venous thromboembolism
Cancer associated venous thromboembolism (CAT) has a high risk of recurrence and treatment-emergent bleeding [1–4]. The identification of risk factors for venous thromboembolic (VTE) recurrence and... more
Intermediate Care Units in Internal Medicine
A cornerstone of the reorganization challenge of hospital systems has been provided by the Progressive Patient Care (PPC) model [1], lying on the concept of pooling patients around the acuity of... more
The role of an intermediate care unit in reducing intensive care unit admissions and improving patient outcomes in internal medicine: A quasi-experimental study
The optimal management of non-intensive critical patients remains a debated topic. This debate is further complicated by the fact that Intensive Care Units (ICUs) bed availability is regulated by... more
Excess mortality of critically ill patients aged ≥90 years in intensive care units: A retrospective cohort study
We live in an aging society, which is foremost caused by increasing life expectancy, next other factors. In concordance, at least the sheer number of older patients increases, too. When those older... more
Review Article
Drug-induced hyponatremia in clinical care
Over the last decades, advances in understanding of previously described associations have important implications for diagnosis and workup of hyponatremia. In addition, new drug groups potentially... more
Tailoring non-invasive respiratory supports in acute hypoxemic respiratory failure: A practical approach for clinicians
The use of non-invasive respiratory support (NIRS) for acute respiratory failure (ARF), particularly hypoxemic respiratory failure, has advanced in recent years, especially during the COVID-19... more
A physico-chemical explanation for the litho-protective effects of obeticholic acid in low phospholipid-associated cholelithiasis
Prevalence of gallstones in the adult European population is ̴20 % (mostly cholesterol stones in the gallbladder). Obesity, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, female sex, pregnancy, multiparity and... more