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BACKGROUND: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) triggers autonomic dysfunction and inflammatory response that can result in secondary brain injuries. Dexmedetomidine is an alpha-2 agonist that may modulate autonomic function and inflammation and has been increasingly used as a sedative agent for critically ill TBI patients. We aimed to investigate the association between early dexmedetomidine exposure and blood-based biomarker levels in moderate-to-severe TBI (msTBI). METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study using data from the Transforming Clinical Research and Knowledge in Traumatic Brain Injury Study (TRACK-TBI), which enrolled acute TBI patients prospectively across 18 United States Level 1 trauma centers between 2014-2018. Our study population focused on adults with msTBI defined by Glasgow Coma Scale score 3-12 after resuscitation, who required mechanical ventilation and sedation within the first 48 h of ICU admission. The study's exposure was early dexmedetomidine utilization (within the first 48 h of admission). Primary outcome included brain injury biomarker levels measured from circulating blood on day 3 following injury, including glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), ubiquitin C-terminal hydrolase-L1 (UCH-L1), neuron-specific enolase (NSE), S100 calcium-binding protein B (S100B) and the inflammatory biomarker C-reactive protein (CRP). Secondary outcomes assessed biomarker levels on days 5 and 14. Linear mixed-effects regression modelling of the log-transformed response variable was used to analyze the association of early dexmedetomidine exposure with brain injury biomarker levels. RESULTS: Among the 352 TRACK-TBI subjects that met inclusion criteria, 50 (14.2 %) were exposed to early dexmedetomidine, predominantly male (78 %), white (81 %), and non-Hispanic (81 %), with mean age of 39.8 years. Motor vehicle collisions (27 %) and falls (22 %) were common causes of injury. No significant associations were found between early dexmedetomidine exposure with day 3 brain injury biomarker levels (GFAP, ratio = 1.46, 95 % confidence interval [0.90, 2.34], P = 0.12; UCH-L1; ratio = 1.17 [0.89, 1.53], P = 0.26; NSE, ratio = 1.19 [0.92, 1.53], P = 0.19; S100B, ratio = 1.01 [0.95, 1.06], P = 0.82; hs-CRP, ratio = 1.29 [0.91, 1.83], P = 0.15). The hs-CRP level at day 14 in the dexmedetomidine group was higher than that of the non-exposure group (ratio = 1.62 [1.12, 2.35], P = 0.012). CONCLUSIONS: There were no significant associations between early dexmedetomidine exposure and day 3 brain injury biomarkers in msTBI. Our findings suggest that early dexmedetomidine use is not correlated with either decrease or increase in brain injury biomarkers following msTBI. Further research is necessary to confirm these findings.
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Biomarcadores , Lesiones Traumáticas del Encéfalo , Dexmedetomidina , Hipnóticos y Sedantes , Humanos , Lesiones Traumáticas del Encéfalo/sangre , Masculino , Biomarcadores/sangre , Femenino , Adulto , Persona de Mediana Edad , Estudios Retrospectivos , Escala de Coma de Glasgow , Estudios de Cohortes , Agonistas de Receptores Adrenérgicos alfa 2RESUMEN
Cell migration during many fundamental biological processes including metastasis requires cells to traverse tissue with heterogeneous mechanical cues that direct migration as well as determine force and energy requirements for motility. However, the influence of discrete structural and mechanical cues on migration remains challenging to determine as they are often coupled. Here, we decouple the pro-invasive cues of collagen fiber alignment and tension to study their individual impact on migration. When presented with both cues, cells preferentially travel in the axis of tension against fiber alignment. Computational and experimental data show applying tension perpendicular to alignment increases potential energy stored within collagen fibers, lowering requirements for cell-induced matrix deformation and energy usage during migration compared to motility in the direction of fiber alignment. Energy minimization directs migration trajectory, and tension can facilitate migration against fiber alignment. These findings provide a conceptual understanding of bioenergetics during migration through a fibrous matrix.
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Movimiento Celular , Humanos , Línea Celular Tumoral , Metabolismo Energético , Colágeno/química , Colágeno/metabolismo , Matriz Extracelular/metabolismo , Animales , Estrés MecánicoRESUMEN
This review explores the concept of futility timeouts and the use of traumatic brain injury (TBI) as an independent predictor of the futility of resuscitation efforts in severely bleeding trauma patients. The national blood supply shortage has been exacerbated by the lingering influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on the number of blood donors available, as well as by the adoption of balanced hemostatic resuscitation protocols (such as the increasing use of 1:1:1 packed red blood cells, plasma, and platelets) with and without early whole blood resuscitation. This has underscored the urgent need for reliable predictors of futile resuscitation (FR). As a result, clinical, radiologic, and laboratory bedside markers have emerged which can accurately predict FR in patients with severe trauma-induced hemorrhage, such as the Suspension of Transfusion and Other Procedures (STOP) criteria. However, the STOP criteria do not include markers for TBI severity or transfusion cut points despite these patients requiring large quantities of blood components in the STOP criteria validation cohort. Yet, guidelines for neuroprognosticating patients with TBI can require up to 72 h, which makes them less useful in the minutes and hours following initial presentation. We examine the impact of TBI on bleeding trauma patients, with a focus on those with coagulopathies associated with TBI. This review categorizes TBI into isolated TBI (iTBI), hemorrhagic isolated TBI (hiTBI), and polytraumatic TBI (ptTBI). Through an analysis of bedside parameters (such as the proposed STOP criteria), coagulation assays, markers for TBI severity, and transfusion cut points as markers of futilty, we suggest amendments to current guidelines and the development of more precise algorithms that incorporate prognostic indicators of severe TBI as an independent parameter for the early prediction of FR so as to optimize blood product allocation.
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Hypertensive emergencies cause substantial morbidity and mortality, particularly when acute organ injury is present. Careful and effective strategies to reduce blood pressure and diminish the effects of pressure-mediated injury are essential. While the selection of specific antihypertensive medications varies little across different forms of hypertensive emergencies, the intensity of blood pressure reduction to the target pressure differs substantially. Treatment hinges on balancing the positive effects of lowering blood pressure with the potential for negative effects of organ hypoperfusion in patients with altered autoregulatory mechanisms. When patients do not have acute organ injury in addition to severe hypertension, they benefit from a conservative, outpatient approach to blood pressure management. In all cases, long term control of blood pressure is paramount to prevent recurrent hypertensive emergencies and improve overall prognosis. This review discusses the current evidence and guidelines on the evaluation and management of hypertensive emergency.
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Antihipertensivos , Urgencias Médicas , Hipertensión , Humanos , Hipertensión/diagnóstico , Hipertensión/terapia , Hipertensión/tratamiento farmacológico , Antihipertensivos/uso terapéutico , Presión Sanguínea/fisiología , Guías de Práctica Clínica como Asunto , Crisis HipertensivaRESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: Falls are the leading cause of hospital transfer from residential aged care homes (RACHs). However, many falls do not result in significant injury, and ageing patients are exposed to complications while hospitalised. Inreach services are designed to reduce hospital transfer by providing care, support and assessment to residents at the RACH. This study evaluated a pilot inreach program targeting ageing patients following a fall. METHODS: We conducted a prospective, mixed methods evaluation of a 5-month (May-September 2022) pilot implementation across 108 government-funded RACHs within a single health-care network in Melbourne, Australia. RESULTS: A total of 123 residents (median [interquartile range] age: 88 [82, 94] years, female: 49%) were included in the intervention. The majority (n = 116, 94%) of residents were managed onsite and required no further investigation (n = 80, 69%) or treatment (n = 63, 54%). Among the seven residents referred to the emergency department (ED), two received hospital admission and five were transferred back to residential care. In the 7 days following referral to the intervention, four additional residents were referred to the ED and one received hospital admission. Qualitative feedback (n = 40) included specific comments relating to themes of general satisfaction (n = 20, 50%), compliments for staff (n = 16, 40%) and acknowledgement of comprehensiveness (n = 9, 23%). CONCLUSIONS: Implementation of a specialised fall assessment team to complement an existing geriatric-led RACH assessment service meant that a high rate of eligible residents were managed onsite, with very low need for subsequent hospitalisation. Residents, family members and caregivers expressed high rates of satisfaction with the service.
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BACKGROUND: Understanding biodiversity patterns is a central topic in biogeography and ecology, and it is essential for conservation planning and policy development. Diversity estimates that consider the evolutionary relationships among species, such as phylogenetic diversity and phylogenetic endemicity indices, provide valuable insights into the functional diversity and evolutionary uniqueness of biological communities. These estimates are crucial for informed decision-making and effective global biodiversity management. However, the current methodologies used to generate these metrics encounter challenges in terms of efficiency, accuracy, and data integration. RESULTS: We introduce PhyloNext, a flexible and data-intensive computational pipeline designed for phylogenetic diversity and endemicity analysis. The pipeline integrates GBIF occurrence data and OpenTree phylogenies with the Biodiverse software. PhyloNext is free, open-source, and provided as Docker and Singularity containers for effortless setup. To enhance user accessibility, a user-friendly, web-based graphical user interface has been developed, facilitating easy and efficient navigation for exploring and executing the pipeline. PhyloNext streamlines the process of conducting phylogenetic diversity analyses, improving efficiency, accuracy, and reproducibility. The automated workflow allows for periodic reanalysis using updated input data, ensuring that conservation strategies remain relevant and informed by the latest available data. CONCLUSIONS: PhyloNext provides researchers, conservationists, and policymakers with a powerful tool to facilitate a broader understanding of biodiversity patterns, supporting more effective conservation planning and policy development. This new pipeline simplifies the creation of reproducible and easily updatable phylogenetic diversity analyses. Additionally, it promotes increased interoperability and integration with other biodiversity databases and analytical tools.
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Biodiversidad , Filogenia , Programas InformáticosRESUMEN
STUDY OBJECTIVE: The real-world effectiveness and safety of a 0/1-hour accelerated protocol using high-sensitivity cardiac troponin (hs-cTn) to exclude myocardial infarction (MI) compared to routine care in the United States is uncertain. The objective was to compare a 0/1-hour accelerated protocol for evaluation of MI to a 0/3-hour standard care protocol. METHODS: The RACE-IT trial was a stepped-wedge, randomized trial across 9 emergency departments (EDs) that enrolled 32,609 patients evaluated for possible MI from July 2020 through April 2021. Patients undergoing high-sensitivity cardiac troponin I testing with concentrations less than or equal to 99th percentile were included. Patients who had MI excluded by the 0/1-hour protocol could be discharged from the ED. Patients in the standard care protocol had 0- and 3-hour troponin testing and application of a modified HEART score to be eligible for discharge. The primary endpoint was the proportion of patients discharged from the ED without 30-day death or MI. RESULTS: There were 13,505 and 19,104 patients evaluated in the standard care and accelerated protocol groups, respectively, of whom 19,152 (58.7%) were discharged directly from the ED. There was no significant difference in safe discharges between standard care and the accelerated protocol (59.5% vs 57.8%; adjusted odds ratio (aOR)=1.05, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.95 to 1.16). At 30 days, there were 90 deaths or MIs with 38 (0.4%) in the standard care group and 52 (0.4%) in the accelerated protocol group (aOR=0.84, 95% CI 0.43 to 1.68). CONCLUSION: A 0/1-hour accelerated protocol using high-sensitivity cardiac troponin I did not lead to more safe ED discharges compared with standard care.
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BACKGROUND: Filtering Facepiece Respirators (FFRs) are an important and readily scalable infection control measure; however their effectiveness is ultimately determined by compliance. We aimed to examine staff compliance and satisfaction with wearing the N95/P2 FFRs assigned to them via the standardised fit testing protocol implemented in a single large healthcare network in Victoria, Australia. METHODS: In this cross-sectional survey, employees from five hospital campuses who participated in the health networks N95/P2 FFR fit testing process were invited in person to participate in the study. Data were analysed descriptively, after which chi-squared analysis was performed to determine differences between respirator types, gender, and age groups. RESULTS: Amongst the 258 staff members surveyed, 28% had either never or only sometimes worn an FFR to which they had been successfully fit tested, and 11% had experienced facial changes that potentially rendered their most recent fit test invalid. More than half (53%) of those surveyed had experienced side effects, the most common being skin irritation and pressure sores. A majority (87%) of staff felt that wearing an FFR had some impact on their ability to perform their duties. Pooled mean self-reported satisfaction ratings were highest for three-panel flat-fold and duckbill models. CONCLUSION: 28% of HCWs surveyed described not wearing N-95/P2 FFRs for which they had successfully been fit tested. Reasons for non-compliance remain unclear, but rates of side effects and interference with duties were high. Further research is required to determine and address potential causative factors and ascertain ongoing optimal organisation-level fit test strategies.
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Respiradores N95 , Humanos , Femenino , Masculino , Estudios Transversales , Adulto , Persona de Mediana Edad , Dispositivos de Protección Respiratoria/normas , Personal de Hospital/psicología , Victoria , Adhesión a Directriz , Encuestas y Cuestionarios , Adulto Joven , COVID-19/prevención & controlRESUMEN
Background and aim: Identifying clinical characteristics and outcomes of different ethnicities in the US may inform treatment for hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Aim of this study is to identify predictors of mortality among US races/ethnicities. Design Setting and participants: We retrospectively analyzed de-identified data from 9,873 COVID-19 patients who were hospitalized at 15 US hospital centers in 11 states (March 2020-November 2020). Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcome was to identify predictors of mortality in hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Results: Among the 9,873 patients, there were 64.1% African Americans (AA), 19.8% Caucasians, 10.4% Hispanics, and 5.7% Asians, with 50.7% female. Males showed higher in-hospital mortality (20.9% vs. 15.3%, p=0.001). Non- survivors were significantly older (67 vs. 61 years) than survivors. Patients in New York had the highest in-hospital mortality (OR=3.54 (3.03 - 4.14)). AA patients possessed higher prevalence of comorbidities, had longer hospital stay, higher ICU admission rates, increased requirement for mechanical ventilation and higher in-hospital mortality compared to other races/ethnicities. Gastrointestinal symptoms (GI), particularly diarrhea, were more common among minority patients. Among GI symptoms and laboratory findings, abdominal pain (5.3%, p=0.03), elevated AST (n=2653, 50.2%, p=<0.001, OR=2.18), bilirubin (n=577, 12.9%, p=0.01) and low albumin levels (n=361, 19.1%, p=0.03) were associated with mortality. Multivariate analysis (adjusted for age, sex, race, geographic location) indicates that patients with asthma, COPD, cardiac disease, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, immunocompromised status, shortness of breath and cough possess higher odds of in-hospital mortality. Among laboratory parameters, patients with lymphocytopenia (OR2=2.50), lymphocytosis (OR2=1.41), and elevations of serum CRP (OR2=4.19), CPK (OR2=1.43), LDH (OR2=2.10), troponin (OR2=2.91), ferritin (OR2=1.88), AST (OR2=2.18), D-dimer (OR2=2.75) are more prone to death. Patients on glucocorticoids (OR2=1.49) and mechanical ventilation (OR2=9.78) have higher in-hospital mortality. Conclusion: These findings suggest that older age, male sex, AA race, and hospitalization in New York were associated with higher in-hospital mortality rates from COVID-19 in early pandemic stages. Other predictors of mortality included the presence of comorbidities, shortness of breath, cough elevated serum inflammatory markers, altered lymphocyte count, elevated AST, and low serum albumin. AA patients comprised a disproportionate share of COVID-19 death in the US during 2020 relative to other races/ethnicities.
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Purpose: This study investigated the reading profiles of middle school Spanish-speaking emergent bilinguals (EBs) with significantly below grade level reading comprehension and whether these profiles varied in their reading comprehension performance over time. Method: Latent profile analyses were used to classify Grade 6 and 7 Hispanic EBs (n = 340; 39% female) into subgroups based on their word reading and vocabulary knowledge. Growth models were then fit within each profile to evaluate reading comprehension performance over time. Results: Analyses revealed four latent profiles emerged: (a) very low word reading and low vocabulary (10%), (b) low word reading and low vocabulary (71%), (c) average word reading and low vocabulary (16%), and (d) high word reading and low vocabulary (3%). Subgroups varied in their reading comprehension initially and over one year. Students in the subgroup marked by very low word reading and low vocabulary showed the lowest reading comprehension performance initially; however, they also showed the greatest growth over one year. Conclusion: These findings suggest there is heterogeneity in the reading skill profiles of Spanish-speaking EBs with reading comprehension difficulties. They also underscore the prevalence of word reading difficulties among these students. These may be important factors to consider when developing interventions to prevent and remediate these difficulties.
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Purpose of Review: Currently, an estimated 3.4 million people in the United States live with epilepsy. Previous studies have identified health disparities associated with race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status (SES), sex, insurance status, and age in this population. However, there has been a dearth of research addressing these disparities. We performed a literature review of articles published between 2010 and 2020 pertaining to health disparities in people with epilepsy (PWE), identified key factors that contribute to gaps in their care, and discussed possible solutions. Recent Findings: Health disparities in prevalence, treatment access, time to diagnosis, health care delivery and engagement, and clinical outcomes were identified among individuals who were either of low SES, rural-based, uninsured/underinsured, older patients, patients of color, or female sex. Summary: Disparities in care for PWE continue to persist. Greater priority should be placed on addressing these gaps intricately tied to sociodemographic factors. Reforms to mitigate health disparities in PWE are necessary for timely diagnosis, effective treatment, and positive long-term outcomes.
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Objective: Protocols to evaluate for myocardial infarction (MI) using high-sensitivity cardiac troponin (hs-cTn) have the potential to drive costs upward due to the added sensitivity. We performed an economic evaluation of an accelerated protocol (AP) to evaluate for MI using hs-cTn to identify changes in costs of treatment and length of stay compared with conventional testing. Methods: We performed a planned secondary economic analysis of a large, cluster randomized trial across nine emergency departments (EDs) from July 2020 to April 2021. Patients were included if they were 18 years or older with clinical suspicion for MI. In the AP, patients could be discharged without further testing at 0 h if they had a hs-cTnI < 4 ng/L and at 1 h if the initial value were 4 ng/L and the 1-h value ≤7 ng/L. Patients in the standard of care (SC) protocol used conventional cTn testing at 0 and 3 h. The primary outcome was the total cost of treatment, and the secondary outcome was ED length of stay. Results: Among 32,450 included patients, an AP had no significant differences in cost (+$89, CI: -$714, $893 hospital cost, +$362, CI: -$414, $1138 health system cost) or ED length of stay (+46, CI: -28, 120 min) compared with the SC protocol. In lower acuity, free-standing EDs, patients under the AP experienced shorter length of stay (-37 min, CI: -62, 12 min) and reduced health system cost (-$112, CI: -$250, $25). Conclusion: Overall, the implementation of AP using hs-cTn does not result in higher costs.
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SIGNIFICANCE: Results of this study provide preliminary data on parent strategies for improving compliance with eyeglass treatment in young children, an age group for which previous data are limited. Parent responses provide important insights to support parents of young children who wear eyeglasses and provide preliminary data to guide additional research. PURPOSE: The goal of this exploratory study was to learn more about parents' strategies to improve compliance with eyeglass treatment of young children. METHODS: An online survey of parents of 1-year-old to less than 5-year-old children who wear eyeglasses was conducted. Parents indicated whether they used various strategies to encourage wear and were asked to provide advice for parents of young children recently prescribed eyeglasses. Use of various strategies by age was determined. Open-ended responses regarding advice for other parents were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. RESULTS: The final sample included 104 parents who were predominantly White (81%), non-Hispanic (76%), and college graduates (68%). During the 2 weeks prior to survey completion, 74% of parents reported their child wore their eyeglasses ≥8 hours/day. Use of strategies for improving eyeglass wear varied by child age. The most frequent recommendations that parents provided for other parents were to be consistent in encouraging wear, use social modeling, provide positive reinforcement when the eyeglasses are worn, and ensure that the eyeglasses fit well and were comfortable. CONCLUSIONS: Parents provided many useful insights into their experiences. However, results may not be broadly generalizable, because of the limited diversity and high rate of compliance in the study sample. Further research with more diverse populations and research on effectiveness of various strategies to increase compliance in this age group are recommended to support eyeglass treatment compliance in young children.
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Anteojos , Padres , Cooperación del Paciente , Humanos , Preescolar , Femenino , Masculino , Lactante , Encuestas y Cuestionarios , Ambliopía/terapia , Ambliopía/fisiopatología , AdultoRESUMEN
On September 12, 2023, CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommended updated 2023-2024 (updated) COVID-19 vaccination with a monovalent XBB.1.5-derived vaccine for all persons aged ≥6 months to prevent COVID-19, including severe disease. During fall 2023, XBB lineages co-circulated with JN.1, an Omicron BA.2.86 lineage that emerged in September 2023. These variants have amino acid substitutions that might increase escape from neutralizing antibodies. XBB lineages predominated through December 2023, when JN.1 became predominant in the United States. Reduction or failure of spike gene (S-gene) amplification (i.e., S-gene target failure [SGTF]) in real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction testing is a time-dependent, proxy indicator of JN.1 infection. Data from the Increasing Community Access to Testing SARS-CoV-2 pharmacy testing program were analyzed to estimate updated COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness (VE) (i.e., receipt versus no receipt of updated vaccination) against symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection, including by SGTF result. Among 9,222 total eligible tests, overall VE among adults aged ≥18 years was 54% (95% CI = 46%-60%) at a median of 52 days after vaccination. Among 2,199 tests performed at a laboratory with SGTF testing, VE 60-119 days after vaccination was 49% (95% CI = 19%-68%) among tests exhibiting SGTF and 60% (95% CI = 35%-75%) among tests without SGTF. Updated COVID-19 vaccines provide protection against symptomatic infection, including against currently circulating lineages. CDC will continue monitoring VE, including for expected waning and against severe disease. All persons aged ≥6 months should receive an updated COVID-19 vaccine dose.
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Vacunas contra la COVID-19 , COVID-19 , Estados Unidos/epidemiología , Adulto , Humanos , Adolescente , COVID-19/diagnóstico , COVID-19/epidemiología , COVID-19/prevención & control , Eficacia de las Vacunas , SARS-CoV-2RESUMEN
Purpose: The murine oxygen-induced retinopathy (OIR) model is one of the most widely used animal models of ischemic retinopathy, mimicking hallmark pathophysiology of initial vaso-obliteration (VO) resulting in ischemia that drives neovascularization (NV). In addition to NV and VO, human ischemic retinopathies, including retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), are characterized by increased vascular tortuosity. Vascular tortuosity is an indicator of disease severity, need to treat, and treatment response in ROP. Current literature investigating novel therapeutics in the OIR model often report their effects on NV and VO, and measurements of vascular tortuosity are less commonly performed. No standardized quantification of vascular tortuosity exists to date despite this metric's relevance to human disease. This proof-of-concept study aimed to apply a previously published semi-automated computer-based image analysis approach (iROP-Assist) to develop a new tool to quantify vascular tortuosity in mouse models. Design: Experimental study. Subjects: C57BL/6J mice subjected to the OIR model. Methods: In a pilot study, vasculature was manually segmented on flat-mount images of OIR and normoxic (NOX) mice retinas and segmentations were analyzed with iROP-Assist to quantify vascular tortuosity metrics. In a large cohort of age-matched (postnatal day 12 [P12], P17, P25) NOX and OIR mice retinas, NV, VO, and vascular tortuosity were quantified and compared. In a third experiment, vascular tortuosity in OIR mice retinas was quantified on P17 following intravitreal injection with anti-VEGF (aflibercept) or Immunoglobulin G isotype control on P12. Main Outcome Measures: Vascular tortuosity. Results: Cumulative tortuosity index was the best metric produced by iROP-Assist for discriminating between OIR mice and NOX controls. Increased vascular tortuosity correlated with disease activity in OIR. Treatment of OIR mice with aflibercept rescued vascular tortuosity. Conclusions: Vascular tortuosity is a quantifiable feature of the OIR model that correlates with disease severity and may be quickly and accurately quantified using the iROP-Assist algorithm. Financial Disclosures: Proprietary or commercial disclosure may be found in the Footnotes and Disclosures at the end of this article.
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[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1230049.].
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Importance: More than 80% of patients who present to the emergency department (ED) with acute heart failure (AHF) are hospitalized. With more than 1 million annual hospitalizations for AHF in the US, safe and effective alternatives are needed. Care for AHF in short-stay units (SSUs) may be safe and more efficient than hospitalization, especially for lower-risk patients, but randomized clinical trial data are lacking. Objective: To compare the effectiveness of SSU care vs hospitalization in lower-risk patients with AHF. Design, Setting, and Participants: This multicenter randomized clinical trial randomly assigned low-risk patients with AHF 1:1 to SSU or hospital admission from the ED. Patients received follow-up at 30 and 90 days post discharge. The study began December 6, 2017, and was completed on July 22, 2021. The data were analyzed between March 27, 2020, and November 11, 2023. Intervention: Randomized post-ED disposition to less than 24 hours of SSU care vs hospitalization. Main Outcomes and Measures: The study was designed to detect at least 1-day superiority for a primary outcome of days alive and out of hospital (DAOOH) at 30-day follow-up for 534 participants, with an allowance of 10% participant attrition. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, enrollment was truncated at 194 participants. Before unmasking, the primary outcome was changed from DAOOH to an outcome with adequate statistical power: quality of life as measured by the 12-item Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (KCCQ-12). The KCCQ-12 scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating better quality of life. Results: Of the 193 patients enrolled (1 was found ineligible after randomization), the mean (SD) age was 64.8 (14.8) years, 79 (40.9%) were women, and 114 (59.1%) were men. Baseline characteristics were balanced between arms. The mean (SD) KCCQ-12 summary score between the SSU and hospitalization arms at 30 days was 51.3 (25.7) vs 45.8 (23.8) points, respectively (P = .19). Participants in the SSU arm had 1.6 more DAOOH at 30-day follow-up than those in the hospitalization arm (median [IQR], 26.9 [24.4-28.8] vs 25.4 [22.0-27.7] days; P = .02). Adverse events were uncommon and similar in both arms. Conclusions and Relevance: The findings show that the SSU strategy was no different than hospitalization with regard to KCCQ-12 score, superior for more DAOOH, and safe for lower-risk patients with AHF. These findings of lower health care utilization with the SSU strategy need to be definitively tested in an adequately powered study. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03302910.
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Insuficiencia Cardíaca , Alta del Paciente , Femenino , Humanos , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Cuidados Posteriores , Servicio de Urgencia en Hospital , Insuficiencia Cardíaca/terapia , Hospitalización , Pandemias , Calidad de Vida , AncianoRESUMEN
Few studies have summarized the literature relevant to the incremental validity of tools and procedures for the assessment of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The current project reviewed such studies published in the prior 18 years. Results from studies on the incremental validity of measures used in the assessment of ADHD were reviewed. Measures included symptom reports, clinical interviews, behavioral observation, continuous performance and other psychomotor tasks, intelligence tests, and measures of executive function. Twenty-nine published studies and two reviews were identified from 2004 to 2022. Incremental validity was determined using various statistics including R2, classification metrics, odds ratios, and post-test probabilities. Findings suggest that symptom reports from a collateral source and continuous performance test measures have incremental validity over self-reports and clinical interviews. Measures of intellectual and executive functioning did not show incremental validity in the diagnosis of ADHD. Findings are relevant to the practitioner, as they bear on the optimization of both the cost-effectiveness and the diagnostic accuracy of combined procedures in the assessment of ADHD.
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Trastorno por Déficit de Atención con Hiperactividad , Humanos , Trastorno por Déficit de Atención con Hiperactividad/diagnóstico , Trastorno por Déficit de Atención con Hiperactividad/psicología , Función Ejecutiva , Autoinforme , Pruebas de Inteligencia , Pruebas NeuropsicológicasRESUMEN
UNITE (https://unite.ut.ee) is a web-based database and sequence management environment for molecular identification of eukaryotes. It targets the nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region and offers nearly 10 million such sequences for reference. These are clustered into â¼2.4M species hypotheses (SHs), each assigned a unique digital object identifier (DOI) to promote unambiguous referencing across studies. UNITE users have contributed over 600 000 third-party sequence annotations, which are shared with a range of databases and other community resources. Recent improvements facilitate the detection of cross-kingdom biological associations and the integration of undescribed groups of organisms into everyday biological pursuits. Serving as a digital twin for eukaryotic biodiversity and communities worldwide, the latest release of UNITE offers improved avenues for biodiversity discovery, precise taxonomic communication and integration of biological knowledge across platforms.
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Bases de Datos de Ácidos Nucleicos , Hongos , ADN Espaciador Ribosómico , Hongos/genética , Biodiversidad , ADN de Hongos , FilogeniaRESUMEN
Objective: To develop a generative adversarial network (GAN) to segment major blood vessels from retinal flat-mount images from oxygen-induced retinopathy (OIR) and demonstrate the utility of these GAN-generated vessel segmentations in quantifying vascular tortuosity. Design: Development and validation of GAN. Subjects: Three datasets containing 1084, 50, and 20 flat-mount mice retina images with various stains used and ages at sacrifice acquired from previously published manuscripts. Methods: Four graders manually segmented major blood vessels from flat-mount images of retinas from OIR mice. Pix2Pix, a high-resolution GAN, was trained on 984 pairs of raw flat-mount images and manual vessel segmentations and then tested on 100 and 50 image pairs from a held-out and external test set, respectively. GAN-generated and manual vessel segmentations were then used as an input into a previously published algorithm (iROP-Assist) to generate a vascular cumulative tortuosity index (CTI) for 20 image pairs containing mouse eyes treated with aflibercept versus control. Main Outcome Measures: Mean dice coefficients were used to compare segmentation accuracy between the GAN-generated and manually annotated segmentation maps. For the image pairs treated with aflibercept versus control, mean CTIs were also calculated for both GAN-generated and manual vessel maps. Statistical significance was evaluated using Wilcoxon signed-rank tests (P ≤ 0.05 threshold for significance). Results: The dice coefficient for the GAN-generated versus manual vessel segmentations was 0.75 ± 0.27 and 0.77 ± 0.17 for the held-out test set and external test set, respectively. The mean CTI generated from the GAN-generated and manual vessel segmentations was 1.12 ± 0.07 versus 1.03 ± 0.02 (P = 0.003) and 1.06 ± 0.04 versus 1.01 ± 0.01 (P < 0.001), respectively, for eyes treated with aflibercept versus control, demonstrating that vascular tortuosity was rescued by aflibercept when quantified by GAN-generated and manual vessel segmentations. Conclusions: GANs can be used to accurately generate vessel map segmentations from flat-mount images. These vessel maps may be used to evaluate novel metrics of vascular tortuosity in OIR, such as CTI, and have the potential to accelerate research in treatments for ischemic retinopathies. Financial Disclosures: The author(s) have no proprietary or commercial interest in any materials discussed in this article.