The design of an Obstetric Telephone Triage Guideline (OTTG): a mixed method study.

BACKGROUND: Clarifying the dimensions and characteristics of obstetric telephone triage is important in improving the quality of services in the health system because researchers can evaluate the effectiveness of treatment, care and diagnostic measures in the form of obstetric telephone triage by developing a guideline. Therefore, this study aimed to design an Obstetric Telephone Triage Guideline (OTTG) using a mixed-method study. METHODS: The present study was carried out using an exploratory sequential mixed method study in two qualitative and quantitative phases. An inductive-deductive approach was also used to determine the concept of obstetric telephone triage. In this respect, a qualitative study and a literature review were used in the inductive and deductive stages, respectively. Moreover, the validity of the developed guideline was confirmed based on experts' opinions and results of the AGREE II tool. RESULTS: The guideline included the items for evaluating the severity of obstetric symptoms at five levels including "critical", "urgent", "less urgent", "no urgent", and "recommendations". The validity of the guideline was approved at 96%, 95%, 97%, 95%, 93%, and 100% for six dimensions of AGREE II including scope and purpose, stakeholder involvement, the rigor of development, clarity of presentation, applicability, and editorial independence, respectively. CONCLUSION: The OTTG is a clinically comprehensive, easy-to-use, practical, and valid tool. This guideline is a standardized tool for evaluating the severity of symptoms and determining the urgency for obstetrics triage services. By using this integrated and uniform guideline, personal biases can be avoided, leading to improved performance and ensuring that patients are not overlooked. Additionally, the use of OTTG promotes independent decision-making and reduces errors in triage decision-making.

Prevalence and clinical significance of incidental findings in chest and abdominopelvic CT scans of trauma patients; A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Imaging may inadvertently reveal pathologies unrelated to their performing purpose, known as incidental findings (IF). This study aimed to assess the prevalence, clinical significance, and documentation of IFs in chest and abdominopelvic computed tomography (CT) scans of trauma patients. METHODS: This observational study was conducted at two urban level-1 trauma centers from March 2019 through April 2022. Official radiology reports of trauma patients who underwent chest and/or abdominopelvic CT scans at the emergency department (ED) were explored, and IF were extracted. Predictive factors of the presence of IFs and their documenting were investigated. RESULTS: Out of 656 chest and 658 abdominopelvic CT scans, 167 (25.37%) and 212 (32.31%) scans harbored at least one IF, respectively. Patients with IFs tended to be of higher age and female in both chest (age: 48 [IQR: 35-62] vs. 34 [IQR: 25-42.5]; female: 31.14% vs 14.66%, p < 0.001 for both) and abdominopelvic CT scans (age: 41 [IQR: 30-57.5] vs 33 [IQR: 25-43], female: 26.42% vs. 13.96%, p < 0.001 for both). As for documentation of significant IFs, only 49 of 112 chest IFs (43.8%) and 55 of 176 abdominopelvic IFs (31.3%) were documented. Investigating factors associated with documentation of clinically significant IFs, shorter length of hospital stay (1.5 (IQR: 0-4) vs. 3 (IQR: 2-8), p = 0.003), and discharging by ED physicians (documentation rate: 13.2% vs 42.6%, p < 0.001) were associated with poorer documentation of IFs only in abdominopelvic scans. CONCLUSION: CT imaging in ED trauma patients often reveals incidental findings, especially in older patients. Over 50% of these findings are clinically significant, yet they are frequently ignored and not documented. Physicians need to be more vigilant in recognizing and documenting these incidental findings and informing patients of the need for further evaluation.

Uric acid in predicting the traumatic rhabdomyolysis induced acute kidney injury; a systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to assess the value of uric acid in predicting acute kidney injury caused by traumatic rhabdomyolysis. METHODS: The search was conducted in MEDLINE, Scopus, Embase and Web of Science until November 1, 2023. Based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria, the articles were included by two independent researchers. Data regarding study design, patient characteristics, number of patients with and without AKI, mean and SD of uric acid and prognostic characteristics of uric acid were extracted from relevant studies. STATA version 17.0 was used to compute pooled measures of standardized mean differences, odds ratios, and diagnostic accuracy. I2 and chi-square tests were used to assess heterogeneity between studies. RESULTS: We found 689 non-redundant studies, 44 of them were potentially relevant. Six articles met the inclusion criteria and were included in the review. The results of the meta-analysis confirmed that there was a significant correlation between serum uric acid levels and the occurrence of AKI (SMD = 1.61, 95% CI = 0.69 to 2.54, I2 = 96.94%; p value = 0.001). There were no significant publication biases. CONCLUSION: According to this meta-analysis, uric acid levels could be considered as a predictor of acute kidney injury following traumatic rhabdomyolysis.

Value of NEXUS chest rules in assessment of traumatic chest injuries; a systematic review and a meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Although many studies have evaluated the diagnostic value of the National Emergency X-ray Utilization Studies (NEXUS) chest rules in assessment of traumatic chest injuries, there still is no consensus on this subject matter. Therefore, this systematic review and meta-analysis aims to review the current existing literature in order to evaluate the diagnostic value of NEXUS chest rules for assessment of traumatic chest injuries. METHOD: Databases of Medline, Embase, Scopus and Web of Science were searched until August 20th, 2022. Two independent reviewers screened the articles related to the diagnostic value of NEXUS chest radiography, NEXUS chest CT-all and NEXUS chest-Major. RESULTS: Data of 6 studies, on 23,741 patients, were included in this review. Since only one article assessed the value of NEXUS chest CT scan, the meta-analysis was performed only on NEXUS chest radiography rule. Pooled analysis on the results of 5 articles showed that the AUC of NEXUS chest radiography rule in assessment of traumatic chest injuries was 0.98 (95% CI: 0.96 to 0.99), with a sensitivity and specificity of 0.99 (95% CI: 0.98 to 0.99) and 0.32 (95% CI: 0.17 to 0.52), respectively. Positive and negative likelihood ratio of NEXUS chest radiography rule were 1.46 (95% CI: 1.12 to 1.90) and 0.04 (95% CI: 0.03 to 0.06). Overall diagnostic odds ratio was calculated to be 36.67 (95% CI: 19.17 to 70.16). CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate that NEXUS chest radiography rule is a sensitive decision rule for assessment of traumatic chest injuries, but its specificity was found to be low. However, few articles have investigated the diagnostic value of NEXUS chest rules, especially the NEXUS chest CT scan, and more studies need to be done in order to strengthen the currently provided results.

Acute kidney injury following traumatic rhabdomyolysis in Kermanshah earthquake victims; A cross-sectional study.

INTRODUCTION: Rhabdomyolysis induced acute kidney injury (AKI) develops due to leakage of the potentially nephrotoxic intracellular content into the circulation. This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence and predictive factors of AKI in Kermanshah earthquake victims. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was performed on victims of 2017 Kermanshah earthquake, Iran, who were admitted in Kermanshah and Tehran Hospitals. Data of the hospitalized patients were gathered and the prevalence of rhabdomyolysis induced AKI was studied. In addition, correlations of various clinical and laboratory variables with rhabdomyolysis induced AKI were assessed. RESULTS: 370 hospitalized patients with the mean age of 39.24 ± 20.32 years were studied (58.6% female). 10 (2.7% of all admitted) patients were diagnosed with AKI. Time under the rubble (p < .0001), serum level of creatinine phosphokinase (CPK) (p < .001), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) (p < .0001), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) (p = .001) and uric acid (p = .003) were significantly higher in patients with AKI. Area under the ROC curves of CPK, LDH, AST, and uric acid for predicting the risk of developing AKI were 0.883 (95% CI: 0.816-0.950), 0.865 (95% CI: 0.758-0.972), 0.846 (95% CI: 0.758-0.935), and 0.947 (95% CI: 0.894-0.100), respectively. The best cutoff points for CPK, LDH, AST, and uric acid in this regard were 1656 IU/L, 839.5 U/L, 46.00 IU/L, and 5.95 mg/dL. CONCLUSION: The rate of traumatic rhabdomyolysis induced AKI development was estimated to be 2.7%. Time under the rubble and serum levels of CPK, LDH, AST, and uric acid were identified as the most important predictive factors of AKI development.

The ability of Canadian Syncope risk score in differentiating cardiogenic and non-cardiogenic syncope; a cross-sectional study.

INTRODUCTION: Determining the underlying etiology of syncope provides valuable prognostic information and expedites the implementation of a therapeutic strategy. This study aimed to evaluate the ability of Canadian Syncope Risk Score (CSRS) in differentiating cardiogenic and non-cardiac syncope. METHODS: The present diagnostic accuracy study was conducted on adult patients with syncope, who presented to the emergency departments of Shohadaye Tajrish and Imam Hossein Hospitals in Tehran from March 2018 to March 2019. The data required for determining CSRS were collected during the initial assessment and the underlying etiology was confirmed through further diagnostic follow-up under the supervision of a cardiologist or neurologist. Finally, the screening performance characteristics of the score were calculated. RESULTS: 300 patients with the mean age of 56.38 ± 19.10 years were studied. The source of syncope was cardiac in 133 (44.3%) and non-cardiac in 137 (55.7%) patients. The area under the ROC curve of CSRS in differentiating cardiac syncope was 0.77 (95% CI: 0.715-0.824). At a cutoff point of -1.5, the sensitivity and specificity of the score were calculated to be 73.68% (95% CI: 65.21-80.75%) and 73.05% (95%CI: 75.54-79.47%), respectively. CONCLUSION: The present study reveals that CSRS has fair accuracy in differentiating the source of syncope and has no superiority over a clinical examination. Therefore, we do not recommend relying on the CSRS to differentiate between cardiac and non-cardiac syncope alone.

Lessons learnt from COVID-19 in adult congenital heart patient in Tehran: a survey-based study of prevention, exposure, susceptibility, and outcomes.

BACKGROUND: COVD-19 pandemic has overwhelmed many healthcare systems worldwide. Underlying cardiovascular disease predisposes to greater disease susceptibility and more complications including mortality. Such data is unverified in adults with congenital heart disease (ACHD). The aim of the study is to report the Tehran experience with respect to preventative self-care measures, disease exposure, susceptibility, and outcomes after COVD-19 infection in ACHD patients. METHODS: A telephone-based survey was conducted in ACHD patients, focusing on new-onset symptoms that might indicate COVID-19 infection, prevention measures, confirmed infection rates, and outcomes. RESULTS: Three-hundred and nine ACHD patients, with a mean age of 29.13 years (range from 14 to 72 years, SD = 10.64), and 170 (55%) women were assessed. The majority (86.7%) had moderate or complex ACHD. Two-thirds (67.3%) of the patients practiced high-level preventative self-care measures. After community exposure, 33.3% developed COVID-19, and after household exposure, 43.7% developed COVID-19. There was only one mortality in a post-operative patient. Thirty-seven patients (12%) reported new symptoms including cough (10%), fatigue (8%), fever (7%), and new dyspnoea (6.5%). Amongst 18 (6%) with confirmed COVID-19, there was only 1 mortality in a post-operative patient. Age (adjusted OR = 1.19, 95% CI: 1.07-1.31, p = 0.001), contact with confirmed COVID-19 cases (adjusted OR = 59.34, 95% CI: 3.68-955.10, p = 0.004) were independently associated with COVID-19 infection. CONCLUSIONS: Mortality risk associated with COVID-19 infection in ACHD patients with moderate or severe disease appears to be relatively low, similar to the general population. Such risk appears to act through conventional risk factors, and in this cohort, we demonstrated age as a significant risk factor in addition to exposure to the development of COVID-19 infection. Preventative self-care measures are a potentially significant and impactful intervention target for intervention and for improving outcomes.

COVID-19 Outbreak and Surgical Practice: Unexpected Fatality in Perioperative Period.

: Little is known about surgical practice in the initial phase of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) global crisis. This is a retrospective case series of 4 surgical patients (cholecystectomy, hernia repair, gastric bypass, and hysterectomy) who developed perioperative complications in the first few weeks of COVID-19 outbreak in Tehran, Iran in the month of February 2020. COVID-19 can complicate the perioperative course with diagnostic challenge and a high potential fatality rate. In locations with widespread infections and limited resources, the risk of elective surgical procedures for index patient and community may outweigh the benefit.

Abdominal Surgery in Patients With COVID-19: Detection of SARS-CoV-2 in Abdominal and Adipose Tissues.

Multiple tissue samples were obtained during emergent abdominal surgery in 4 patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) to examine for tissue involvement by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first patient underwent a laparoscopic cholecystectomy for gallbladder empyema and died from severe respiratory failure. The second patient with Crohn disease underwent emergent laparotomy for a perforation in the terminal ileum and recovered. The third patient underwent an open appendectomy and recovered. The fourth patient underwent emergent laparotomy for a perforated peptic ulcer and died from sepsis. Although the SARS-CoV-2 RNA was found in the feces of 3 patients and in the duodenal wall of the patient with perforated peptic ulcer, real time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) examination of abdominal fluid was negative for the virus. The RT-PCR did not detect viral RNA in the wall of small intestine, appendix, gallbladder, bile, liver, and urine. Visceral fat (omentum) and abdominal subcutaneous fat of 4 patients were also not infected with the SARS-CoV-2. Although this limited experience did not show direct involvement of abdominal fluid and omentum, assessment in large series is suggested to provide answers about the safety of abdominal surgery in patients with COVID-19.

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in management of COVID-19; A systematic review on current evidence.

BACKGROUND: Since there is still no definitive conclusion regarding which non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are most effective and safe in viral respiratory infections, we decided to evaluate the efficacy and safety of various NSAIDs in viral respiratory infections so that we can reach a conclusion on which NSAID is best choice for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). METHODS: A search was performed in Medline (via PubMed), Embase and CENTRAL databases until 23 March 2020. Clinical trials on application of NSAIDs in viral respiratory infections were included. RESULTS: Six clinical trials were included. No clinical trial has been performed on COVID-19, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome infections. Studies show that ibuprofen and naproxen not only have positive effects in controlling cold symptoms, but also do not cause serious side effects in rhinovirus infections. In addition, it was found that clarithromycin, naproxen and oseltamivir combination leads to decrease in mortality rate and duration of hospitalisation in patients with pneumonia caused by influenza. CONCLUSION: Although based on existing evidence, NSAIDs have been effective in treating respiratory infections caused by influenza and rhinovirus, since there is no clinical trial on COVID-19 and case-reports and clinical experiences are indicative of elongation of treatment duration and exacerbation of the clinical course of patients with COVID-19, it is recommended to use substitutes such as acetaminophen for controlling fever and inflammation and be cautious about using NSAIDs in management of COVID-19 patients until there are enough evidence. Naproxen may be a good choice for future clinical trials.

Clinical predictors of abnormal chest CT scan findings following blunt chest trauma: A cross-sectional study.

PURPOSE: Some surgeons believe that chest computed tomography (CT) scan should be used more prudently in management of blunt chest trauma patients. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical predictors of abnormal chest CT scan findings in trauma patients. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted on blunt chest trauma patients aged ≥18 years who were referred to the emergency departments of two educational hospitals and underwent chest CT scan. These patients were enrolled in the study using a non-probability sampling method. The exclusion criteria included: class III or IV hemodynamic shock, need for immediate surgical or neurosurgical interventions, penetrating trauma, lack of required information, and pregnancy. Demographic factors, accident details, trauma mechanism, vital signs, and level of consciousness in predicting abnormal chest CT scan findings were evaluated. Analysis was performed using IBM SPSS statistics 21. RESULTS: A total of 977 patients (male 51.5%, female 48.5%) with the mean age of (41.71 ± 14.24) years, range 18-88 years were studied; 34.2% of them with high energy trauma mechanism. With 334 (34.2%) patients had abnormal findings on chest X-ray (CXR) and 332 (34.0%) cases had an abnormal findings on chest CT scan (agreement rate was 99.4%). There was a significant correlation between male gender (p < 0.0001), GCS<15 (p < 0.0001), high energy trauma mechanism (p < 0.0001), unstable hemodynamics (p < 0.01), and clinical signs and symptoms (p < 0.0001) with chest CT findings. Chest wall deformity (odds = 8; p < 0.0001), generalized tenderness (odds = 6.6, p < 0.0001), and decreased cardiac sound (odds = 3.8, p < 0.0001) were the important and independent clinical predictors of abnormal chest CT scan findings. CONCLUSION: Based on the findings, chest wall deformity, generalized tenderness, decreased cardiac sound, distracting pain, chest wall tenderness, high energy trauma mechanism, male gender, respiratory rate > 20 breathes/min, decreased pulmonary sound, and chest wall crepitation were independent clinical predictors of abnormal chest CT scan findings following blunt trauma.

Inferior part of rectus abdominis muscle flap: A case report.

Background: Abdominoperineal resection (APR) is the standard surgical treatment for low-lying anorectal malignancies. It seems that immediate flap reconstruction has fewer complications compared to primary closure. There are several options for local flap reconstruction of perineal wound closure, and each specific flap method has its own advantages and disadvantages. Case presentation: In this case report, a new method of reconstruction is presented which contains only the inferior part of the rectus abdominis muscle in 2 patients, one with unilateral and the other with bilateral involvement and they both underwent APR. Both patients were referred to the colorectal surgery clinic for APR by an oncologist. Both patients had severe constipation and both reported pain on defecation and rectorrhagia. Patient 1 received a unilateral inferior part of rectus abdominis muscle flap and patient 2 received a bilateral flap. Conclusion: Immediate flap reconstruction after APR has fewer complications than primary closure and the inferior part of rectus abdominis muscle flap seems to be a possible means of reconstruction after APR.

Effects of Telestroke on Thrombolysis Times and Outcomes: A Meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: Telestroke systems are tools, used to provide an advanced stroke care in regions without sufficient neurologic services. We performed this meta-analysis to assess the effects of telemedicine on treatment times and clinical outcomes of acute stroke care. METHODS: A literature search of PubMed, SCOPUS, and Cochrane CENTRAL was conducted for original studies investigating telemedicine applications in acute stroke care. Dichotomous data on treatment outcomes were pooled as odds ratios (ORs), while continuous data on thrombolysis times were pooled as mean differences (MDs) with 95% confidence interval (CI), using RevMan software (version 5.3). RESULTS: Pooling data from 26 studies (6605 thrombolysed patients) showed no significant differences between the telestroke and control groups in terms of in-hospital mortality (OR = 1.21, 95% CI [0.98, 1.49]), 90-day mortality (OR = 1.08, 95% CI [0.85, 1.37]), symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (sICH) (OR = 1.10, 95% CI [0.79, 1.53]), and favorable clinical outcome at discharge (OR = 1.03, 95% CI [0.69, 1.53]) and 90 days later (OR = 0.99, 95% CI [0.82, 1.18]). The onset-to-door (OTD) duration (MD = -10.4 minutes, 95% CI [-14.79, -.01]) and length of hospital stay (MD = -0.55 days, 95% CI [-1.02, -0.07]) were significantly shorter in the telestroke group, compared to the control group. Although the overall effect estimate (under the fixed-effect model) showed a significant decrease in the onset-to-treatment (OTT) duration in the telestroke group (MD = -5.83 minutes, 95% CI [-8.57, -3.09]), employing the random-effects model for between-study heterogeneity abolished this significance (MD = -5.90 minutes, 95% CI [-13.23, 1.42]). CONCLUSION: Telestroke significantly reduced OTD and hospital stay durations in stroke patients without increasing the risk of mortality or sICH. Therefore, telemedicine can improve stroke care in regional areas with minor experience in thrombolysis. Further randomized controlled trials are needed to assess the benefits of telestroke systems, especially in terms of cost-effectiveness and quality of life outcomes.

The effect of fibrinogen concentrate and fresh frozen plasma on the outcome of patients with acute traumatic coagulopathy: A quasi-experimental study.

INTRODUCTION: The debate on replacing coagulation factors and its effect on the final outcome of the patients with acute traumatic coagulopathy (ATC) in need of transfusion is still ongoing. Therefore, the present study is designed with the aim of comparing the outcome of patients with acute traumatic coagulopathies receiving fibrinogen and fresh frozen plasma (FFP). METHODS: In this quasi-experimental randomized controlled study, patients with severe blunt trauma (ISS>16) and in need of packed cells transfusion were divided into 3 groups of receiving fibrinogen, receiving FFP, and control, and their final outcome was compared. RESULTS: 90 patients with the mean age of 33.16±16.32years were randomly allocated to one of the 3 study groups (82.2% male). The 3 groups were similar regarding baseline characteristics. Patients receiving fibrinogen needed significantly less packed cells (p=0.044) and intravenous fluid in the initial 24h of hospitalization (p=0.022). In addition, mortality rate (p=0.029), need for admission to intensive care unit (p=0.020) and duration of hospitalization (p=0.045) were also lower in the group receiving fibrinogen. The number of sepsis cases in patients receiving fibrinogen and control group was lower than those who received FFP (p=0.001). The number of multiple organ failure cases in patients receiving fibrinogen was about one fourth of the other 2 groups (p=0.106), and a fewer number of them needed mechanical ventilation (p=0.191). No case of venous thrombosis was detected in any of the 3 groups. CONCLUSION: Multiple trauma patients in need of transfusion who received fibrinogen along with packed cells had significantly better outcomes regarding mortality, sepsis, need for admission to the intensive care unit, need for receiving packed cells, need for receiving intravenous fluids in the initial 24h, and duration of hospitalization.

Sonographic diameter of optic nerve sheath in differentiation of ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes; a diagnostic accuracy study.

INTRODUCTION: Differentiating between ischemic and hemorrhagic types is of special importance in the treatment process of patients with stroke. The present study was designed with the aim of evaluating the diagnostic accuracy of ultrasonographic optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD) in differentiation of ischemic from hemorrhagic stroke. METHODS: The present research is a diagnostic accuracy study on patients with stroke presenting to emergency department during 1 year. Ultrasonographic diameter of optic nerve sheath of both eyes was measured for all the patients and its sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values and positive and negative likelihood ratios in differentiating ischemic stroke from hemorrhagic type were calculated considering CT scan findings as the gold standard. RESULTS: 80 patients with stroke (40 hemorrhagic and 40 ischemic) were studied. Mean age of the patients was 65.0 ±â€¯13.1 years (57.5% male). Mean ONSD was 5.5 ±â€¯0.4 mm in the ischemic group and 6.1 ±â€¯0.7 mm in the hemorrhagic group (p < 0.0001). Area under the curve of ONSD in differentiation of hemorrhagic and ischemic stroke was 0.75 (95% CI: 0.64-0.86). In 5.5 mm cut-off point, sensitivity and specificity of ONSD in identifying the type of stroke were 75.0% (95% CI: 58.5-86.8) and 52.5% (95% CI: 36.3-68.2), respectively. These values were 57.5% (95% CI: 41.0-68.2) and 90.0% (95% CI: 75.4-96.7), respectively, in the 6 mm cut-off point. CONCLUSION: Findings of the present study showed that ultrasonographic diameter of optic nerve sheath has moderate accuracy in differentiation of hemorrhagic and ischemic stroke.

Two-dimensional echocardiographic right ventricle measurements adjusted to body mass index and surface area in a normal population.

BACKGROUND: To determine reference echocardiographic values in a normal population and assess their correlation with body mass index (BMI) and body surface area. METHODS: An expert cardiologist performed two-dimensional echocardiography with triplicate right ventricle (RV) size measurements in 80 subjects with normal heart condition. Results were correlated with anthropometric data. RESULTS: Base-to-apex length in four-chamber view (RVD3) and above-pulmonic valve in short-axis view in males, as well as mid-RV diameter in standard four-chamber view (RVD), basal RV diameter, and mid RV diameter in RV-focused four-chamber view in females, were significantly correlated with BMI. All RV variables were significantly correlated with BMI in 20-30-year-old subjects. All RV variables except RVD3 and above-aortic valve in short-axis view (proximal) were significantly correlated with BMI in 35-55-year-old subjects. All RV parameters were significantly correlated with body surface area, except for RVD and in 20-35-year-old subjects. CONCLUSIONS: RV echocardiographic values must be adjusted to anthropometric characteristics for proper diagnosis and management of cardiac disorders. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Ultrasound 45:204-210, 2017.

The value of serum creatine kinase in predicting the risk of rhabdomyolysis-induced acute kidney injury: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Identifying the potential effective factors of rhabdomyolysis-induced acute kidney injury (AKI) is of major importance for both treatment and logistic concerns. The present study aimed to evaluate the value of creatine kinase (CK) in predicting the risk of rhabdomyolysis-induced AKI through meta-analysis. METHODS: Two reviewers searched the electronic databases of Medline, EMBASE, Cochrane library, Scopus, and Google Scholar. Data regarding study design, patient characteristics, number of cases, mean and screening characteristics of CK, and final patient outcome were extracted from relevant studies. Pooled measures of standardized mean difference, OR, and diagnostic accuracy were calculated using STATA version 11.0. RESULT: 5997 non-redundant studies were found (143 potentially relevant). 27 articles met the inclusion criteria but 9 were excluded due to lack of data. The correlation between serum CK and AKI occurrence was stronger in traumatic cases (SMD = 1.34, 95 % CI = 1.25-1.42, I(2) = 94 %; p < 0.001). This correlation was more prominent in crush-induced AKI (adjusted OR = 14.7, 95 % CI = 7.63-28.52, I(2) = 0.0 %; p = 0.001). Area under the ROC curve of CK in predicting AKI occurrence was 0.75 (95 % CI = 0.71-0.79). CONCLUSION: The results of this meta-analysis declared the significant role of rhabdomyolysis etiology (traumatic/non-traumatic) in predictive performance of CK. There was a significant correlation between mean CK level and risk of crush-induced AKI. The pooled OR of CK was considerable, but its screening performance characteristics were not desirable.

Comparison of different risk stratification systems in predicting short-term serious outcome of syncope patients.

BACKGROUND: Determining etiologic causes and prognosis can significantly improve management of syncope patients. The present study aimed to compare the values of San Francisco, Osservatorio Epidemiologico sulla Sincope nel Lazio (OESIL), Boston, and Risk Stratification of Syncope in the Emergency Department (ROSE) score clinical decision rules in predicting the short-term serious outcome of syncope patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The present diagnostic accuracy study with 1-week follow-up was designed to evaluate the predictive values of the four mentioned clinical decision rules. Screening performance characteristics of each model in predicting mortality, myocardial infarction (MI), and cerebrovascular accidents (CVAs) were calculated and compared. To evaluate the value of each aforementioned model in predicting the outcome, sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio, and negative likelihood ratio were calculated and receiver-operating curve (ROC) curve analysis was done. RESULTS: A total of 187 patients (mean age: 64.2 ± 17.2 years) were enrolled in the study. Mortality, MI, and CVA were seen in 19 (10.2%), 12 (6.4%), and 36 (19.2%) patients, respectively. Area under the ROC curve for OESIL, San Francisco, Boston, and ROSE models in prediction the risk of 1-week mortality, MI, and CVA was in the 30-70% range, with no significant difference among models (P > 0.05). The pooled model did not show higher accuracy in prediction of mortality, MI, and CVA compared to others (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: This study revealed the weakness of all four evaluated models in predicting short-term serious outcome of syncope patients referred to the emergency department without any significant advantage for one among others.

SSTE: Syllable-Specific Temporal Encoding to FORCE-learn audio sequences with an associative memory approach.

The circuitry and pathways in the brains of humans and other species have long inspired researchers and system designers to develop accurate and efficient systems capable of solving real-world problems and responding in real-time. We propose the Syllable-Specific Temporal Encoding (SSTE) to learn vocal sequences in a reservoir of Izhikevich neurons, by forming associations between exclusive input activities and their corresponding syllables in the sequence. Our model converts the audio signals to cochleograms using the CAR-FAC model to simulate a brain-like auditory learning and memorization process. The reservoir is trained using a hardware-friendly approach to FORCE learning. Reservoir computing could yield associative memory dynamics with far less computational complexity compared to RNNs. The SSTE-based learning enables competent accuracy and stable recall of spatiotemporal sequences with fewer reservoir inputs compared with existing encodings in the literature for similar purpose, offering resource savings. The encoding points to syllable onsets and allows recalling from a desired point in the sequence, making it particularly suitable for recalling subsets of long vocal sequences. The SSTE demonstrates the capability of learning new signals without forgetting previously memorized sequences and displays robustness against occasional noise, a characteristic of real-world scenarios. The components of this model are configured to improve resource consumption and computational intensity, addressing some of the cost-efficiency issues that might arise in future implementations aiming for compactness and real-time, low-power operation. Overall, this model proposes a brain-inspired pattern generation network for vocal sequences that can be extended with other bio-inspired computations to explore their potentials for brain-like auditory perception. Future designs could inspire from this model to implement embedded devices that learn vocal sequences and recall them as needed in real-time. Such systems could acquire language and speech, operate as artificial assistants, and transcribe text to speech, in the presence of natural noise and corruption on audio data.