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Abstract The evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic has been associated with variations in clinical presentation and severity. Similarly, prediction scores may suffer changes in their diagnostic accuracy. The aim of this study was to test the 30-day mortality predictive validity of the 4C and SEIMC scores during the sixth wave of the pandemic and to compare them with those of validation studies. This was a longitudinal retrospective observational study. COVID-19 patients who were admitted to the Emergency Department of a Spanish hospital from December 15, 2021, to January 31, 2022, were selected. A side-by-side comparison with the pivotal validation studies was subsequently performed. The main measures were 30-day mortality and the 4C and SEIMC scores. A total of 27,614 patients were considered in the study, including 22,361 from the 4C, 4,627 from the SEIMC and 626 from our hospital. The 30-day mortality rate was significantly lower than that reported in the validation studies. The AUCs were 0.931 (95% CI: 0.90–0.95) for 4C and 0.903 (95% CI: 086–0.93) for SEIMC, which were significantly greater than those obtained in the first wave. Despite the changes that have occurred during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, with a reduction in lethality, scorecard systems are currently still useful tools for detecting patients with poor disease risk, with better prognostic capacity.

Abstract Objective This study aims to assess the performance of various scoring systems in predicting the 28-day mortality of patients with aortic aneurysms (AA) admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU). Methods We utilized data from the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care-IV (MIMIC-IV) to perform a comparative analysis of various predictive systems, including the Glasgow Aneurysm Score (GAS), Simplified Acute Physiology Score (SAPS) III, SAPS II, Logical Organ Dysfunction System (LODS), Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA), Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (SIRS), and The Oxford Acute Illness Severity Score (OASIS). The discrimination abilities of these systems were compared using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC). Additionally, a 4-knotted restricted cubic spline regression was employed to evaluate the association between the different scoring systems and the risk of 28-day mortality. Finally, we conducted a subgroup analysis focusing on patients with abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA). Results This study enrolled 586 patients with AA (68.39% male). Among them, 26 patients (4.4%) died within 28 days. Comparative analysis revealed higher SAPS II, SAPS III, SOFA, LODS, OASIS, and SIRS scores in the deceased group, while no statistically significant difference was observed in GAS scores between the survivor and deceased groups (P = 0.148). The SAPS III system exhibited superior predictive value for the 28-day mortality rate (AUROC 0.805) compared to the LODS system (AUROC 0.771), SOFA (AUROC 0.757), SAPS II (AUROC 0.759), OASIS (AUROC 0.742), SIRS (AUROC 0.638), and GAS (AUROC 0.586) systems. The results of the univariate and multivariate logistic analyses showed that SAPS III was statistically significant for both 28-day and 1-year mortality. Subgroup analyses yielded results consistent with the overall findings. No nonlinear relationship was identified between these scoring systems and 28-day all-cause mortality (P for nonlinear > 0.05). Conclusion The SAPS III system demonstrated superior discriminatory ability for both 28-day and 1-year mortality compared to the GAS, SAPS II SIRS, SOFA, and OASIS systems among patients with AA.

Background: Scoring systems play a crucial role in dermatology by providing objective measurements of disease severity, treatment efficacy, and outcome comparisons. In autoimmune blistering diseases (AIBDs), standardized scoring systems are essential for accurate evaluations; however, there is currently a lack of consensus on scoring methods. Objective: This literature review explores scoring systems in AIBDs by tracing their development, addressing challenges, and highlighting their role in defining endpoints, regulatory considerations, and clinical trials. Materials and Methods: Existing scoring systems for AIBDs, such as the Pemphigus Disease Area Index, Autoimmune Bullous Skin Disorder Intensity Score, Pemphigus Oral Lesions Intensity Score, Oral Disease Severity Score, and Pemphigus Vulgaris Activity Score, are examined for their validity, reliability, and responsiveness. The Bullous Pemphigoid Disease Area Index for bullous pemphigoid is also discussed. The concept of minimal clinically important differences is explored to determine clinically significant improvements in disease severity. Conclusion: This review provides a comprehensive understanding of the central role of scoring systems in dermatology and their implications for research and clinical practice in AIBDs.

Objective: In this study, we investigated whether scoring systems determine COVID- 19 severity. Materials and Methods: COVID-19 patients hospitalized between 01.09.2020 and 31.04.2021 were retrospectively assessed. The National Early Warning Score (NEWS), Modified Early Warning Score (MEWS), Rapid Emergency Medicine Score (REMS), Quick Sequential Organ Failure Assessment Score (q-SOFA), CURB-65, MuLBSTA, and ISARIC 4C scores on admission day were calculated. Scoring systems’ ability to predict mechanical ventilation (MV) need, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, and 30-day mortality were assessed. Results: A total of 292 patients were included; 137 (46.9%) were female, and the mean age was 62.5±15.4 years. 69 (23.6%) patients required ICU admission, 45 (15.4%) needed MV, and 49 (16.8%) died within 30 days. No relationship was found between qSOFA and MV need (p=0.167), but a statistically significant relationship was found between other scoring systems and MV need, ICU admission, and 30-day mortality (p5.5) and NEWS (optimal cut-off >3.5) had the highest area under the curve in ROC curve analyses, whereas qSOFA had the lowest. Conclusion: The severity of COVID-19 could be estimated by using these scoring systems, especially ISARIC-4C and NEWS, at the first admission. Thus, mortality and morbidity would be reduced by making the necessary interventions earlier.

OBJECTIVES: Several scoring systems are used to predict prognosis in acute pancreatitis (AP), but their predictive success varies. This study compares the validity of the commonly used Bedside Index of Severity in AP (BISAP) score with the newly developed WL score and the Chinese Simple Scoring System (CSSS) score in predicting mortality and unfavorable prognostic outcomes in AP patients. METHODS: This retrospective descriptive study included all AP patients presenting to the emergency department from June 2, 2019, to June 2, 2022. Patient demographics, vital signs, laboratory values, and imaging findings were recorded, and WL, CSSS, and BISAP scores were calculated. The effectiveness of these scores in predicting adverse outcomes and mortality was compared. RESULTS: Among 357 patients, 53.2% were male, with a median age of 62 years (interquartile range: 48–75). Area under the curve (AUC) values for 7-day outcomes were 0.956 for WL, 0.759 for CSSS, and 0.871 for BISAP; for 30-day outcomes, AUC values were 0.941 for WL, 0.823 for CSSS, and 0.901 for BISAP; and for poor prognostic outcomes, AUC values were 0.792 for WL, 0.769 for CSSS, and 0.731 for BISAP. CONCLUSION: In AP patients, WL, CSSS, and BISAP scores are effective predictors of unfavorable prognosis and mortality. WL score outperforms the CSSS and BISAP scores in predicting 7-day and 30-day mortality and poor prognosis. After WL, BISAP is the second-best system for predicting mortality. For predicting unfavorable prognoses, CSSS is the second-best system after WL. The simplicity of calculating the WL score based on four laboratory parameters makes it a preferable choice.

BackgroundThe global spread of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) underscores the urgent need for reliable methods to forecast the disease’s severity and outcome, thereby facilitating timely interventions and reducing mortality rates. This study focuses on evaluating the clinical and laboratory profiles of patients with Omicron variant-induced COVID-19 pneumonia and assessing the efficacy of various scoring systems in prognosticating disease severity and mortality.MethodsIn this retrospective analysis, we examined the clinical records of 409 individuals diagnosed with Omicron variant COVID-19 pneumonia. We documented the Pneumonia Severity Index, CURB-65, and MuLBSTA scores within the first 24 h and analyzed the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for each scoring system to ascertain their predictive accuracy for disease severity and fatality risk.ResultsThe cohort’s median age was 78 years, predominantly presenting with fever, cough, expectoration, fatigue, and gastrointestinal symptoms. Factors such as expectoration, fatigue, Glasgow Coma Scale score, lactate dehydrogenase levels, procalcitonin, creatinine levels, and co-occurrence of acute respiratory distress syndrome were identified as independent predictors of disease severity. Furthermore, age, oxygenation index, glucose levels, lactate dehydrogenase, and septic shock were independently associated with mortality. For severe disease prediction, the CURB-65, PSI, and MuLBSTA scores demonstrated sensitivities of 65.9%, 63.8%, and 79.7%, respectively, with specificities of 63.8%, 76.8%, and 60.9%, and AUROCs of 0.707, 0.750, and 0.728. To predict mortality risk, these scores at cutoffs of 1.5, 102.5, and 12.5 exhibited sensitivities of 83.3%, 96.3%, and 70.4%, specificities of 59.4%, 60.8%, and 65.4%, and AUROCs of 0.787, 0.850, and 0.736, respectively.ConclusionThe study cohort predominantly comprised elderly individuals with pre-existing health conditions. Elevated lactate dehydrogenase emerged as a significant marker for both disease severity and prognosis, sputum production, gastrointestinal symptoms, GCS score, creatinine, PCT, and ARDS as independent predictors of disease severity, and age, oxygenation index, glucose levels, and septic shock as independent mortality predictors in COVID-19 pneumonia patients. Among the scoring systems evaluated, Pneumonia Severity Index demonstrated superior predictive capability for both disease severity and mortality, suggesting its utility in forecasting the clinical outcomes of Omicron variant COVID-19 pneumonia.

Background: Recognizing and determining severe trauma is essential for choosing the appropriate treatment strategy. Objectives: The aim of this study was to find the predictive value of the quick sequential organ failure assessment (qSOFA) score for in-hospital mortality in adult trauma patients. Methods: This prospective observational study was conducted on adult patients with multiple trauma presenting to the emergency department. The qSOFA score was calculated according to the initially recorded variables. The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality. The predictive value of qSOFA was evaluated using the Area Under Receiver Operating Characteristic (AUC) analysis. Results: Finally, 775 multiple trauma patients with a mean age of 38.68±18.74 were admitted. Of these, 34 people (4.39%) died and 741 subjects were discharged from hospital. The mean qSOFA score was 0.41±0.64, significantly higher in the survived patients than in the non-survived patients (P < 0.001). The AUC of qSOFA score to predict in-hospital mortality was 0.878 (95% confidence interval: 0.853-0.900); thus, qSOFA was a good predictor of in-hospital mortality in multiple trauma patients. Conclusion: The qSOFA score can be considered a simple and rapid screening tool for identifying multiple-trauma patients.

Abstract Background This study aimed to construct predictive models for the risk of sepsis in patients with Acute pancreatitis (AP) using machine learning methods and compared optimal one with the logistic regression (LR) model and scoring systems. Methods In this retrospective cohort study, data were collected from the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care III (MIMIC III) database between 2001 and 2012 and the MIMIC IV database between 2008 and 2019. Patients were randomly divided into training and test sets (8:2). The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression plus 5-fold cross-validation were used to screen and confirm the predictive factors. Based on the selected predictive factors, 6 machine learning models were constructed, including support vector machine (SVM), K-nearest neighbour (KNN), multi-layer perceptron (MLP), LR, gradient boosting decision tree (GBDT) and adaptive enhancement algorithm (AdaBoost). The models and scoring systems were evaluated and compared using sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), accuracy, and the area under the curve (AUC). Results A total of 1, 672 patients were eligible for participation. In the training set, 261 AP patients (19.51%) were diagnosed with sepsis. The predictive factors for the risk of sepsis in AP patients included age, insurance, vasopressors, mechanical ventilation, Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), heart rate, respiratory rate, temperature, SpO2, platelet, red blood cell distribution width (RDW), International Normalized Ratio (INR), and blood urea nitrogen (BUN). The AUC of the GBDT model for sepsis prediction in the AP patients in the testing set was 0.985. The GBDT model showed better performance in sepsis prediction than the LR, systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) score, bedside index for severity in acute pancreatitis (BISAP) score, sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) score, quick-SOFA (qSOFA), and simplified acute physiology score II (SAPS II). Conclusion The present findings suggest that compared to the classical LR model and SOFA, qSOFA, SAPS II, SIRS, and BISAP scores, the machine learning model-GBDT model had a better performance in predicting sepsis in the AP patients, which is a useful tool for early identification of high-risk patients and timely clinical interventions.

Introduction: Alcoholic hepatitis is a major health problem which carries a high mortality despite treatment. Predicting severity of disease is of utmost importance to avoid overzealous and unnecessary treatment with steroids in each and every case. Maddrey’s discriminant function (DF) may not always be reliable in predicting such prognosis. Aim of the Study: To observe the predictive ability of Glasgow alcoholic hepatitis score (GAHS), age, bilirubin, international normalized ratio (INR) and creatinine (ABIC) score, model for end stage liver disease (MELD) score, and Lille’s score in determining the prognosis in severe alcoholic hepatitis. Materials and Methods: Patients of severe alcoholic hepatitis were enrolled in this study as per inclusion and exclusion criteria and a DF score of >32. Once the decision to initiate corticosteroids was made, DF scores, MELD scores, GAHS scores, and ABIC scores were calculated on the day on initiation of therapy. On day 7, patients were re-assessed and Lille score was calculated in addition. Follow-up was obtained on repeat out-patient visit or telephonically after every 2 weeks till 90 days or till mortality, whichever occurred first. Statistical Analysis: The scores were compared among the survival and mortality groups to see association between mortality and severity of scores using Chi-square test of significance. Cut-offs providing a composite of best sensitivity, specificity, negative predictive value, and positive predictive value were derived on the basis of data of our study. P value of ≤ 0.05 was taken as a cut-off for significance. Results: Our study comprised 30 patients with severe alcoholic hepatitis. At the end of 90-day follow-up, 23 patients survived with 7 (23%) mortalities because of liver failure and sepsis. On day 7, barring the ABIC score (0.713), the areas under curve of all scores were above 0.8 and were hence of comparable efficacy. Lille score performed the best at assessing treatment response but had the limitation of not being applicable at day 1. Conclusion: Severe alcoholic hepatitis carries a bad prognosis. Cut-offs of DF and MELD need to be raised, whereas they need to be lowered in the case of GAHS, ABIC, and Lille score to improve the predictive value of score. Steroid-treated patients should be evaluated preferably with Lille score for a better prediction of survival.

Abstract Background To evaluate the discriminatory ability of imaging modalities' scoring systems in the prediction of COVID‐19 adverse outcomes like ICU admission, ventilatory support, or mortality. Methods We searched PUBMED, EBSCO, WEB OF SCIENCE, and SCOPUS. Two authors independently screened the resulting papers for fulfillment criteria. Meta‐DiSc version 1.4, RevMan version 5.4, and MedCalc version 19.1 were used for test accuracy analysis, sensitivity and specificity analysis, and pooling Area under the curve for discriminatory assessment, respectively. Results Regarding mortality prediction, the computed tomography (CT) showed significantly higher sensitivity [80%; 95% CI 0.74–0.85] and positive likelihood ratio (PLR) [4.41 95% CI 2.94–6.61] relative to the Lung Ultrasound Score (LUS) approach, while the LUS approached the CT scan with specificity of 81% [95% CI 0.78–0.83] and negative likelihood ratio (NLR) of [0.32; 95% CI 0.16–0.64]. The pooled area under ROC for LUS was [AUC = 0.777, 95% CI 0.701–0.852; p

Objective:Trauma is an important cause of functional limitation, disability, and mortality. This study investigated the clinical characteristics of trauma patients and the factors affecting mortality in intensive care unit (ICU).Materials and Methods:The data of patients who were followed up due to trauma in the ICU of University of Health Sciences Turkey, İstanbul Kanuni Sultan Süleyman Training and Research Hospital between January 2019-2020 were evaluated retrospectively. Demographic data, comorbidities, trauma etiologies, Glasgow coma score (GCS), Acute Physiology Assessment and Chronic Health Evaluation-II (APACHE-II) score, revised trauma score (RTS), lactate levels, and mortality were investigated.Results:Two hundred fifty (25.2%) patients were followed up in the ICU with a trauma diagnosis. 60.4% of the patients were male, and the median age was 58.5 (1-97). 71.6% of the patients had no systemic disease. While blunt trauma was observed in 94% of the patients, the most common type of trauma was falling, with 64.4%. ICU and mechanical ventilation (MV) stay median lengths were 4 (1-86) and 1 (0-53) days. The median ICU admission GCS was 11 (3-15), APACHE-II score was 22 (5-56), RTS of 7 (2-10) and lactate value was 1.66 (0.7-19.8) mmoL. While 85.6% of the patients were discharged, 14.4% died. Age, duration of stay in ICU and MV, lactate levels, and APACHE-II scores were significantly higher in patients with mortality. GCS and RTS scores were significantly lower (p

Liver cirrhosis is an irreversible stage of chronic liver disease with varying clinical course. Acute decompensation of liver cirrhosis represents a watershed in prognosis and is characterized by the occurrence of clinical complications such as ascites, jaundice, hepatic encephalopathy, infections, or portal-hypertensive hemorrhages. Emergent data indicate that an acute decompensation can be subdivided into stable decompensated cirrhosis (SDC), unstable decompensated cirrhosis (UDC), pre-acute-on chronic liver failure (pre-ACLF) and acute-on chronic liver failure (ACLF), while the mortality risk varies greatly between the respective subgroups. ACLF is the most severe form of acutely decompensated cirrhosis and characterized by the development of organ failure(s) and a high short-term mortality. Due to the dynamic disease course of acute decompensation, it is paramount to detect patients at particular risk for severe complications those at high risk for developing ACLF as early as possible in order to initiate optimal management. This review describes new concepts and perspectives in the definition and classification of decompensated cirrhosis and provides on overview on emerging predictive scoring systems, non-invasive measurement methods and new biomarkers, which allow an early identification of patients with acute decompensation at risk.

Objective: The aim of this study is to analyze the diagnostic value of Quick Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (qSOFA), modified qSOFA, National Early Warning Score (NEWS) and NEWS + Lactate (NEWS + L) scores in the detection of severe community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). Methods: This research is a retrospective cohort study. Patients admitted to the Emergency Department (ED) with the diagnosis of CAP were divided into severe and mild pneumonia regarding their Pneumonia Severity Index (PSI) scores. The accuracies of lactate, procalcitonin (PCT) values, NEWS and qSOFA scores, as well as score combinations (NEWS + L and qSOFA + PCT) in predicting patients with severe CAP were analyzed. Results: Median qSOFA value in the severe CAP group (0 [IQR 0–1]) was found to be higher than median qSOFA value (0 [IQR 0-0]) in the mild CAP group (p

Introduction This study investigated the association between smoking types, including dual use (usage of both combustible cigarettes and e-cigarettes), and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) status in Korean men. Methods Data from the 7th and 8th Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) 2016–2020 were used. The presence of NAFLD was defined by the respective cut-off values for the Hepatic Steatosis Index (HSI), NAFLD Ridge Score (NRS), and Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey NAFLD score (KNS). Multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to determine the associations between smoking types and NAFLD as determined by HSI, NRS, and KNS. Results After adjustment for confounders, an independent association was observed between dual use and NAFLD (HSI: AOR=1.47; 95% CI: 1.08–1.99, p=0.014; NRS: AOR=2.21; 95% CI: 1.70–2.86, p=0.000; KNS: AOR=1.35; 95% CI: 1.01– 1.81, p=0.045). Cigarette only smokers also had significantly higher odds of NAFLD compared to never smokers for all of the NAFLD indices (HSI: AOR=1.22; 95% CI: 1.05–1.42, p=0.008; NRS: AOR=2.13; 95% CI: 1.87–2.42, p=0.000; KNS: AOR=1.33; 95% CI: 1.14–1.55, p=0.000). In subgroup analyses, no significant interaction effects were found for age, BMI, alcohol consumption, income, physical activity, and the diagnosis of T2DM. Moreover, cigarette only smokers and dual users differed significantly in terms of log-transformed urine cotinine and packyears. The relationship between smoking type and pack-years was attenuated after stratification by age. Conclusions This study shows that the dual use of e-cigarettes and combustible cigarettes is associated with NAFLD. Age differences may explain why dual users, with a greater proportion of young people, appear to have fewer pack-years than cigarette only smokers. Further research should be conducted to investigate the adverse effects of dual use on hepatic steatosis.

Abstract Background Pre-hospital blood transfusion (PHBT) is a safe and gradually expanding procedure applied to trauma patients. A proper decision to activate PHBT with the presently limited diagnostic options at the site of an incident poses a challenge for pre-hospital crews. The purpose of this study was to compare the selected scoring systems and to determine whether they can be used as valid tools in identifying patients with PHBT requirements. Methods A retrospective single-center study was conducted between June 2018 and December 2020. Overall, 385 patients (aged [median; IQR]: 44; 24–60; 73% males) were included in this study. The values of five selected scoring systems were calculated in all patients. To determine the accuracy of each score for the prediction of PHBT, the Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analysis was used and to measure the association, the odds ratio with 95% confidence intervals was counted (Fig. 1). Results Regarding the proper indication of PHBT, shock index (SI) and pulse pressure (PP) revealed the highest value of AUC and sensitivity/specificity ratio (SI: AUC 0.88; 95% CI 0.82–0.93; PP: AUC 0.85 with 95% CI 0.79–0.91). Conclusion Shock index and pulse pressure are suitable tools for predicting PHBT in trauma patients.

Objective:Scoring systems can be used to determine the severity of injury, triage, and create epidemiological data. This study evaluated the performance of scoring systems.Materials and Methods:A total of 130 patients who are admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) with multitrauma diagnosis were included in the study. The demographic characteristics of patients, length of stay in mechanical ventilation and ICU, mortality rates, and scores from scoring systems were calculated and recorded.Results:When the relationship between the age groups of patients and mortality was examined, a statistically significant difference was found in the mortality rate in patients >65 years of age (65.2%), in patients 18-65 years of age (36.7%), and in patients

BackgroundAnastomotic leakage is a major complication in colorectal surgery, resulting in significant morbidity and mortality rates. Despite substantial progress in surgical technique, anastomotic leakage rates remain stable. An early diagnosis of anastomotic leaks was proven to reduce adverse outcomes and improve survival.ObjectiveThis study aims to find a novel scoring system for detecting anastomotic leaks using inflammatory and nutritional indicators after colorectal surgery. Our purpose was to analyze the diagnostic accuracy of leak scores ((CRPPOD3)(CRPPOD1)∗preoperativealbuminlevel) in predicting postoperative complications.DesignThe study included colorectal cancer patients who underwent curative surgery at Koc University Hospital between 2014 and 2018. Patients were categorized into two groups depending on the presence of anastomotic leaks and compared in terms of preoperative albumin levels, CRP levels in postoperative days 1 and 3, anastomotic leakage rates, length of hospital stay, and CRP quotient, which was calculated by dividing POD 3 CRP level to POD 1 CRP level. The bedside leak score is calculated by dividing the CRP quotient by the preoperative albumin level. The predictive value of bedside leak score, CRP quotient, and preoperative albumin levels in estimating anastomotic leakage was analyzed, and a cutoff value for the leak score was calculated.ResultsA total of 184 patients were included in the study. The leak score, CRP POD 3–1 ratio, and preoperative albumin levels were found to successfully detect anastomotic leakage. The area under the curve for the leak score was calculated as 0.78. The optimal cutoff value was found to be 50.3 for the bedside leak score, which shows 90.9% sensitivity and 59.3% specificity.ConclusionThe leak score may represent a valuable diagnostic tool for detecting patients at risk for anastomotic leakage after colorectal surgery and planning a better strategy to reduce morbidity and mortality rates and associated costs. However, further multicenter studies with large cohorts are necessary to confirm these results.

IntroductionAdrenocortical cancer (ACC) is a rare malignant tumor that originates in the adrenal cortex. Despite extensive molecular-genetic, pathomorphological, and clinical research, assessing the malignant potential of adrenal neoplasms in clinical practice remains a daunting task in histological diagnosis. Although the Weiss score is the most prevalent method for diagnosing ACC, its limitations necessitate additional algorithms for specific histological variants. Unequal diagnostic value, subjectivity in evaluation, and interpretation challenges contribute to a gray zone where the reliable assessment of a tumor’s malignant potential is unattainable. In this study, we introduce a universal mathematical model for the differential diagnosis of all morphological types of ACC in adults.MethodsThis model was developed by analyzing a retrospective sample of data from 143 patients who underwent histological and immunohistochemical examinations of surgically removed adrenal neoplasms. Statistical analysis was carried out on Python 3.1 in the Google Colab environment. The cutting point was chosen according to Youden’s index. Scikit-learn 1.0.2 was used for building the multidimensional model for Python. Logistical regression analysis was executed with L1-regularization, which is an effective method for extracting the most significant features of the model.ResultsThe new system we have developed is a diagnostically meaningful set of indicators that takes into account a smaller number of criteria from the currently used Weiss scale. To validate the obtained model, we divided the initial sample set into training and test sets in a 9:1 ratio, respectively. The diagnostic algorithm is highly accurate [overall accuracy 100% (95% CI: 96%-100%)].DiscussionOur method involves determining eight diagnostically significant indicators that enable the calculation of ACC development probability using specified formulas. This approach may potentially enhance diagnostic precision and facilitate improved clinical outcomes in ACC management.

Background: Aeromonas species, Gram-negative, non-sporulating, facultative, and anaerobic bacilli, widely distributed in aquatic environments, derive various infections, including bacteremia. Most of these infections were opportunistic and found in patients with predisposing conditions. Among the infections, bacteremia remains with notable mortality, reported from 15% to 45%. However, predicting systems for assessing the mortality risk of this disease have yet to be investigated. We aimed to validate the performance of specific predictive scoring systems to assess the clinical outcomes of Aeromonas bacteremia and applied the revised systems to predict mortality risk. Methods: A retrospective observational study reviewed patients with bacteremia caused by Aeromonas spp. based on at least one positive blood culture sample collected in the emergency department from January 2012 to December 2020. The outcome was in-hospital mortality. We used seven predictive scoring systems to predict the clinical outcome. According to the effectiveness in predicting mortality, we revised three of the seven predictive scoring systems by specific characteristics to refine their risk-predicting performances. Results: We enrolled 165 patients with bacteremia caused by Aeromonas spp., including 121 males (73.3%) and 44 females (26.7%), with a mean age of 66.1 ± 14.9 years and an average length of hospital stay of 12.4 ± 10.9 days. The overall mortality rate was 32.7% (54/165). The non-survivors had significantly higher scores in MEDS (6.7 ± 4.2 vs. 12.2 ± 3.3, p < 0.001), NEWS (4.0 ± 2.8 vs. 5.3 ± 3.0, p = 0.008), and qSOFA (0.3 ± 0.6 vs. 0.6 ± 0.7, p = 0.007). Regarding mortality risk prediction, the MEDS demonstrated the best predictive power with AUC of ROC measured up to 0.834, followed by NEWS (0.626) and qSOFA (0.608). We revised the MEDS, NEWS, and qSOFA by hemoglobin and lactate. We found that the revised scores had better powerful performance, including 0.859, 0.767, and 0.691 of the AUC of ROC, if the revised MEDS ≥10, revised NEWS ≥8, and revised qSOFA ≥2, respectively. Conclusions: MEDS, NEWS, and qSOFA were good tools for predicting outcomes in patients with Aeromonas spp. bacteremia. The revised MEDS, NEWS, and qSOFA demonstrated more powerful predicting performance than the original scoring systems. We suggested that patients with higher scores in revised MEDS (≥10), revised NEWS (≥8), and revised qSOFA (≥2) received early goal-directed therapy and appropriate broad-spectrum antibiotic treatment as early as possible to reduce mortality.

Innumerable scoring systems have been introduced to measure the disease severity of various dermatological conditions. The development of such scores has proved to be beneficial to assess disease progression and treatment effectiveness in the context of dermatological research. However, these scoring systems tend to be time consuming, monotonous, and hence often difficult to use during overburdened routine clinical consultations, especially when it is in the form of a paper-based system. Many of the scoring systems are now available in the digital form, such as smart phone apps. This aids to calculate effortlessly and reduces human errors associated with paper-based formats. Various calculators like Psoriasis Area Severity Index calculators, Severity Scoring Of Atopic Dermatitis, and Melasma Area Severity Index have been introduced in the digital format for a quicker, efficient quality of work and uncomplicated data storage. This review highlights and discusses some of the digital tools available at present for severity scoring in dermatology.

Abstract Background In Taekwondo competitions, the rule is that points are scored when the impact of the kick reaches a predetermined threshold of strength. This study aimed to explore the adequacy of the protector and scoring system (PSS) designed to determine taekwondo body scoring based on a reference group model (RGM). Specifically, the kicking impact of the PSS was calculated using data from 188 matches fought during of 2018 Jakarta Asian Games. The RGM was designed based on empirical data by classifying the victory and defeat groups by gender and weight class, and the scoring method was set according to these criteria. Result The result of this study are as follows. First, there was no difference in the average impact of kicks of taekwondo players by weight class. Second, result of setting up the kick scoring impact standards of taekwondo PSS by classifying the winning and non-winning groups, the kick scoring impact set by the WT was found to be high in all weight classes except 58 kg. Lastly, result of comparing the settings of impact to score according to weight classes, the kick scoring impact standard set by the WT was higher in heavyweight (men's: under 80 kg, + 80 kg, women's: under 67 kg, over 67 kg) than in the lightweight (men's: under 58 kg, under 63 kg, under 68 kg, women's: under 49 kg, under 53 kg, under 57 kg). Conclusion The kick scoring impact set by the WT was found to be high in all weight classes except for the under 58 kg class defining kick scoring impact based on the standards of WT-certified PSS by classifying the matches into winning and non-winning groups. Finally, as a result of comparing the scoring impact settings according to weight class, the kick scoring impact standard set by the WT was higher for the heavier weight classes than for the lighter weight classes.

Maxime Sempels,1 Mohamed Ali Ben Chehida,1 Paul Meunier,2 David Waltregny1 1Department of Urology, University Hospital of Liège, Liège, Belgium; 2Department of diagnostic and interventional Radiology, University Hospital of Liège, Liège, BelgiumCorrespondence: Maxime SempelsDepartment of Urology,University Hospital of Liège, Avenue de l’hôpital, 1, Liège, 4000, BelgiumTel +32 43667251Fax +32 43679506Email maxime.sempels@chuliege.bePurpose: To evaluate potential associations between 4 nephrometric scoring systems, namely the PADUA (preoperative aspects and dimensions used for anatomical classification), RENAL (radius endophytic/exophytic nearness anterior posterior location), ABC (arterial-based complexity), and MAP (Mayo adhesive probability) scores and their individual components, with surgical and oncological outcomes of patients undergoing a partial nephrectomy.Materials and Methods: A consecutive, monocentric cohort of partial nephrectomy patients was retrospectively analyzed. PADUA, RENAL, ABC and MAP nephrometry scores were determined from preoperative axial images. Unadjusted and adjusted associations between overall scores, individual components, surgical approach, complications and oncological outcomes were determined using univariate and multivariate logistic regressions.Results: A total of 189 partial nephrectomies were performed in 181 patients, via an open or a laparoscopic approach. Among scoring systems, only the MAP classification, which assesses adherent perinephric fat, was associated with severe surgical complications as well as with operative time (p< 0.05). Among all components of the PADUA and RENAL scores, only proximity of the tumor to the collecting system was associated with overall surgical complication rates, while the diameter of the tumor influenced the operative time (p< 0.05). The ABC score was not relevant. Male gender, antiplatelet therapy, and a laparoscopic approach were associated with higher overall surgical complication rates (p< 0.05). The number of oncologic recurrences during follow-up was too low to run statistical analyses.Conclusion: Nephrometry scores could be simplified to predict surgical complications after partial nephrectomy. In this framework, adherent perinephric fat seemed to be strongly associated with an increased risk of surgical complications.Keywords: partial nephrectomy, scoring systems, perinephric fat, laparoscopy, complications

BACKGROUND: Acute appendicitis is one of the most common causes of emergency department (ED) admission among pediatric patients, and the most common cause of abdominal pain requiring surgical intervention. The present study aimed to measure the success of three different appendicitis scoring systems in patients who were operated due to acute appendicitis (AA) upon presenting at the pediatric ED with acute abdominal pain. METHODS: The study included a total of 226 patients who were admitted to Pediatric Emergency Department and who underwent an appendectomy between December 2018 and May 2019. Through a retrospective review of patient files; age, gender, clinical findings, laboratory results, Pediatric Appendicitis Score (PAS), Lintula score, Acute Inflammatory Response (AIR) score, ultrasonography (USG) findings and pathology results of the patients operated due to AA were recorded. RESULTS: A total of 226 patients were included in the study, with a mean age of 11.6±3.66 (1-17) years, and 57.1% (n=129) of the patients were female and 42.9% (n=97) were male. The pathology results were evaluated under three categories: suppurative (phlegmonous) appendicitis, 74.3%; perforated appendix, 9.7%; and reactive lymphoid hyperplasia, 15.9%. The cut-off values gt;3 for AIR, gt;7 for PAS and gt;15 for Lintula were found statistically significant. Among the three scoring systems, Lintula had the highest sensitivity (91.5%) and PAS had the highest specificity (69.4%). DISCUSSION:Although scoring systems are used to diagnose AA, the selected cut-off values for the scoring systems have an effect on the results.. Patients with a PAS score of ≥7 were found to have more significant AA results. We believe that PAS is likely to be a preferred scoring system in pediatric patients, especially under busy ED conditions; however, further studies with larger populations are needed to develop scoring systems that will guide physicians to establish a final diagnosis.

Introduction Numerous scoring systems have been created to predict the risk of morbidity and mortality in patients undergoing emergency general surgery (EGS). In this article, we compared the different scoring systems utilized at Humanitas Research Hospital and analyzed which one performed the best when assessing geriatric patients (>65 years of age). The scoring systems that were utilized were the APACHE II (Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II), ASA (American Society of Anesthesiologists), ACS-NSQIP (American College of Surgeons-National Surgical Quality Improvement Program), Clinical Frailty Score, and the Clavien–Dindo classification as control. Materials and Methods We compiled a database consisting of all patients over the age of 65 who underwent EGS in a consecutive 24-month period between January 1, 2017 and December 31, 2018. We used the biostatistical program “Stata Version 15” to analyze our results. Results We found 213 patients who matched our inclusion criteria. Regarding death, we found that the ACS-NSQIP death calculator performed the best with an area under the curve of 0.9017 (odds ratio: 1.09; 95% confidence interval: 1.06–1.12). The APACHE II score had the lowest discriminator when predicting death. Considering short-term complications, the Clavien–Dindo classification scored highly, while both the APACHE II score and Clinical Frailty Score produced the lowest results. Conclusion The results obtained from our research showed that scoring systems and classifications produced different results depending on whether they were used to predict deaths or short-term complications among geriatric patients undergoing EGS.

Sanjhai Ramdeen,1 Brandon Ferrell,1 Christopher Bonk,2 Laura Schubel,2 Robin Littlejohn,2 Muge Capan,3 Ryan Arnold,4 Kristen Miller1,2 1Georgetown University School of Medicine, Washington, DC, USA; 2National Center for Human Factors in Healthcare, MedStar Health Research Institute, Washington, DC, USA; 3Decision Sciences & MIS Department, LeBow College of Business, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA; 4Department of Emergency Medicine, Drexel University School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USACorrespondence: Kristen MillerNational Center for Human Factors in Healthcare, MedStar Health Research Institute, 3007 Tilden Street NW, Suite 6N, Washington, DC, 20008, USATel +1 2022433873Fax +1 8553449800Email Kristen.E.Miller@medstar.netObjective: The goal of the study was to assess the criteria availability of eight sepsis scoring methods within 6 hours of triage in the emergency department (ED).Design: Retrospective data analysis study.Setting: ED of MedStar Washington Hospital Center (MWHC), a 912-bed urban, tertiary hospital.Patients: Adult (age ≥ 18 years) patients presenting to the MWHC ED between June 1, 2017 and May 31, 2018 and admitted with a diagnosis of severe sepsis with or without shock.Main Outcomes Measured: Availability of sepsis scoring criteria of eight different sepsis scoring methods at three time points— 0 Hours (T0), 3 Hours (T1) and 6 Hours (T2) after arrival to the ED.Results: A total of 50 charts were reviewed, which included 23 (46%) males and 27 (54%) females. Forty-eight patients (96%) were Black or African American. Glasgow Coma Scale was available for all 50 patients at T0. Vital signs, except for temperature, were readily available (> 90%) at T0. The majority of laboratory values relevant for sepsis scoring criteria were available (> 90%) at T1, with exception to bilirubin (66%) and creatinine (80%). NEWS, PRESEP and qSOFA had greater than 90% criteria availability at triage. SOFA and SIRS consistently had the least percent of available criteria at all time points in the ED.Conclusion: The availability of patient data at different time points in a patient’s ED visit suggests that different scoring methods could be utilized to assess for sepsis as more patient information becomes available.Keywords: sepsis, scoring systems, available criteria, emergency department, patient safety, quality improvement

Background and Objectives: The aim of this study is to compare the performance of six clinical physiological-based scores, including the pre-endoscopy Rockall score, shock index (SI), age shock index (age SI), Rapid Acute Physiology Score (RAPS), Rapid Emergency Medicine Score (REMS), and Modified Early Warning Score (MEWS), in predicting in-hospital mortality in elderly and very elderly patients in the emergency department (ED) with acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding (AUGIB). Materials and Methods: Patients older than 65 years who visited the ED with a clinical diagnosis of AUGIB were enrolled prospectively from July 2016 to July 2021. The six scores were calculated and compared with in-hospital mortality. Results: A total of 336 patients were recruited, of whom 40 died. There is a significant difference between the patients in the mortality group and survival group in terms of the six scoring systems. MEWS had the highest area under the curve (AUC) value (0.82). A subgroup analysis was performed for a total of 180 very elderly patients (i.e., older than 75 years), of whom 27 died. MEWS also had the best predictive performance in this subgroup (AUC, 0.82). Conclusions: This simple, rapid, and obtainable-by-the-bed parameter could assist emergency physicians in risk stratification and decision making for this vulnerable group.

ABSTRACTBackground: Identification of tissue hypoxia and hypoperfusion plays an important role in the management of critically ill patients. Although the venous-arterial PCO2 difference (ΔPCO2) cannot serve as a marker of tissue hypoxia, it is considered a marker of the adequacy of venous blood flow (Cardiac output). The present study aimed to evaluate the role of venous-arterial PCO2 gradient in prediction of outcome in septic patients admitted to ICU.Patients and methods: 100 adult patients fulfilled the criteria of severe sepsis or septic shock admitted to Emergency Intensive Care Unit, were divided in two groups according to ΔPCO2. The high ΔpCO2 group (ΔpCO2 > 6 mmHg) included 58 patients and the normal ΔpCO2 (ΔpCO2 ≤ 6 mmHg) included 42 patients. Clinical scoring systems were recorded. Clinical outcome including organ dysfunction and mortality was recorded.Results: The high ΔPCO2 group showed significant lower blood glucose level (p = 0.038) than the normal ΔPCO2 group. Serum lactate, heart rate, and APACHE score were significantly higher in high ΔPCO2 group than normal ΔPCO2 group (p, 0.012, 0.013, and 0.020, respectively). As regard to the clinical outcome, patient mortality was significantly higher (p = 0.042) in high ΔPCO2 group than normal ΔPCO2 group and the number of organ dysfunction was higher in high ΔPCO2 group than normal ΔPCO2 group but not reached a significant level (p = 0.625).Conclusions: ΔPCO2 is a reliable index for early prediction of clinical outcome including organ dysfunction and mortality in patients with sepsis and septic shock.

Objective: To evaluate the performance of the Quick COVID-19 Severity Index (qCSI) and the Brescia-COVID Respiratory Severity Scale (BCRSS) in predicting intensive care unit (ICU) admissions and in-hospital mortality in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia. Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study of 313 consecutive hospitalized adult patients (18 years or older) with confirmed COVID-19. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was used to assess the discriminatory power of the qCSI score and BCRSS prediction rule compared to the CURB-65 score for predicting mortality and intensive care unit admission. Results: The overall in-hospital fatality rate was 32.3%, and the ICU admission rate was 31.3%. The CURB-65 score had the highest numerical AUC to predict in-hospital mortality (AUC 0.781) compared to the qCSI score (AUC 0.711) and the BCRSS prediction rule (AUC 0.663). For ICU admission, the qCSI score had the highest numerical AUC (AUC 0.761) compared to the BCRSS prediction rule (AUC 0.735) and the CURB-65 score (AUC 0.629). Conclusions: The CURB-65 and qCSI scoring systems showed a good performance for predicting in-hospital mortality. The qCSI score and the BCRSS prediction rule showed a good performance for predicting ICU admission.

Introduction. The infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis represents a common cause of pleural effusions, and its diagnosis poses difficulties for clinicians. In the attempt to facilitate a quick, accurate and inexpensive diagnosis, the research is focused on evaluating useful biomarkers in the pleural fluid. Adenosine deaminase (ADA) level in the pleural fluid is a biomarker with high specificity and sensitivity for the diagnosis. The objective of the study was to assess the association between ADA levels in the pleural fluid, other pleural fluid characteristics, and clinical aspects in tuberculous pleurisy. Material and methods. We performed a retrospective study on 77 patients diagnosed with tuberculous pleurisy (positive Mycobacterium tuberculosis cultures in the pleural fluid or biopsy specimens and/or specific histological aspect: epithelioid granuloma with caseous necrosis in pleural biopsy), between 2011-2018, in The National Institute of Pneumology “Marius Nasta” Bucharest, Romania. Results. The ADA values were positively and statistically significant correlated with lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and protein levels in the pleural fluid. Also, the mean ADA value was increased in febrile patients as compared with the afebrile ones, statistically significant (p

Abstract Background Mechanical prosthetic heart valves are known for their durability; however, a malfunctioning prosthesis can deteriorate rapidly to become a life-threatening complication. Our aim was to calculate a numerical index to express the rate of clinical deterioration of patients presenting with a mechanical prosthetic heart valve thrombosis (PVT), called the index of deterioration (ID), and to evaluate its usefulness in predicting hospital outcomes. Results The median ID and range were (0.43, 0.03-3) NYHA class/day. A higher ID was significantly related to early development of PVT after native valve replacement, younger age, female gender, pregnancy, non-compliance to oral anticoagulation (OAC), low LVEF%, high mean pressure gradient across a mitral prosthesis, raised serum creatinine, and SGOT on admission (P < 0.05). Independent predictors were early presentation after native valve replacement, female gender, and non-compliance to OAC (P < 0.05). ID correlated positively with the need for urgent/emergency surgery, and the durations of cardiopulmonary bypass, postoperative mechanical ventilation, and positive inotropes. ID correlated negatively with the postoperative LVEF% (P < 0.05). Median ID of the 21 mortalities (0.75, 0.1-3) was > 2.1 times that of survivors (0.35: 0.03−2; P = 0.002), and the median ID of the 29 cases with postoperative complications (0.5, 0.1-1.5) was 2.5 times that of the 39 uneventful cases (0.2, 0.03-2; P = 0.011). The ID significantly predicted both mortality (odds ratio 3.87; 1.33-1.29; P = 0.013) and mortality and hospital complications (odds ratio 4.77; 1.49-15.2; P = 0.008). The respective discriminating abilities were AUC 0.734 (0.616-0.852; P = 0.002) and 0.724 (0.61-0.835; P < 0.001). EuroScore II correlated positively with ID (r = 0.571; P < 0.001) but showed better discriminative abilities. Conclusion The simple index of deterioration was useful in monitoring deterioration and predicting hospital progression and outcomes in patients presenting with PVT.

Background: Surgical treatment for esophageal cancer is a high-risk procedure. Prediction of postoperative adverse events could aid in the stratification of patients, thus improving outcomes as well as achieving optimal use of resources. The Physiological and Operative Severity Score for the Enumeration of Mortality and Morbidity (POSSUM) is a prediction model that utilizes both physiological and surgical parameters to assess risk. This study evaluates the effectiveness of POSSUM, Portsmouth-POSSUM (P-POSSUM), and esophagogastric-POSSUM (O-POSSUM) scoring systems in predicting postoperative morbidity and mortality in Indian patients operated for esophageal cancers. Patients and Methods: It is a retrospective study conducted in a tertiary care teaching hospital with data collected from esophagectomies performed from January 2015 to January 2019. The calibration and discriminative abilities of the scores to predict 30-day morbidity and mortality were analyzed using the Hosmer–Lemeshow test, observed to predicted ratios (observed/expected [O/E]), and the receiver operating characteristic curve tests. Results: A total of sixty patients were included. The 30-day mortality and morbidity were 6.67% (4/60) and 46.66% (28/60), respectively. POSSUM morbidity showed proper calibration and discrimination (O/E: 0.86) with a modest predictive ability (area under the curve [AUC]: 0.701). While analyzing mortality, though all scores displayed good calibration, O-POSSUM displayed superior predictive ability (O/E: 1.02). The POSSUM score overpredicted mortality by nearly twice (O/E: 0.52), whereas P-POSSUM underpredicted it (O/E: 1.71). All scores showed moderate discrimination with P-POSSUM outperforming other tests (AUC: 0.825). Conclusions: The POSSUM scoring system was useful in predicting morbidity risk following esophageal resection for cancer, with O-POSSUM more accurate for mortality prediction in this group of patients.

Introduction and objectives: Little is known about primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) in non-whites. The purpose of this study was to evaluate clinical features and outcomes of PBC in a highly admixed population. Material and methods: The Brazilian Cholestasis Study Group multicentre database was reviewed to assess demographics, clinical features and treatment outcomes of Brazilian patients with PBC. Results: 562 patients (95% females, mean age 51 ± 11 years) with PBC were included. Concurrent autoimmune diseases and overlap with autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) occurred, respectively, in 18.9% and 14%. After a mean follow-up was 6.2 ± 5.3 years, 32% had cirrhosis, 7% underwent liver transplantation and 3% died of liver-related causes. 96% were treated with ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) and 12% required add-on therapy with fibrates, either bezafibrate, fenofibrate or ciprofibrate. Response to UDCA and to UDCA/fibrates therapy varied from 39%-67% and 42-61%, respectively, according to different validated criteria. Advanced histological stages and non-adherence to treatment were associated with primary non-response to UDCA, while lower baseline alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels correlated with better responses to both UDCA and UDCA/fibrates.Conclusions: Clinical features of PBC in highly admixed Brazilians were similar to those reported in Caucasians and Asians, but with inferior rates of overlap syndrome with AIH. Response to UDCA was lower than expected and inversely associated with histological stage and baseline AST and ALP levels. Most of patients benefited from add-on fibrates, including ciprofibrate. A huge heterogeneity in response to UDCA therapy according to available international criteria was observed and reinforces the need of global standardization.

Introduction. Management of upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB) is of great importance. In this way, we aimed to evaluate the performance of three well known scoring systems of AIMS65, Glasgow-Blatchford Score (GBS) and Full Rockall Score (FRS) in predicting adverse outcomes in patients with UGIB as well as their ability in identifying low risk patients for outpatient management. We also aimed to assess whether changing albumin cutoff in AIMS65 and addition of albumin to GBS add predictive value to these scores.

Objectives: In critical care it is crucial to appropriately assess the risk of mortality for each patient. This is especially relevant in pediatrics, with its need for accurate and repeatable scoring. Aim of this study was to evaluate an age-adapted version of the expanded Simplified Acute Physiology Score II; (p-SAPS II), a repeatable, newly-designed scoring system compared to established scores (Pediatric Sequential Organ Failure Assessment Score/pSOFA, Pediatric Logistic Organ Dysfunction Score-2/PELOD-2 and Pediatric Index of Mortality 3/PIM3).Design: This retrospective cohort pilot study included data collected from patients admitted to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) at the Medical University of Vienna between July 2017 through December 2018.Patients: 231 admissions were included, comprising neonates (gestational age of ≥ 37 weeks) and patients up to 18 years of age with a PICU stay longer than 48 h.Main Outcomes: Mortality risk prediction and discrimination between survivors and non-survivors were the main outcomes of this study. The primary statistical methods for evaluating the performance of each score were the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) and goodness-of-fit test.Results: Highest AUROC curve was calculated for p-SAPS II (AUC = 0.86; 95% CI: 0.77–0.96; p < 0.001). This was significantly higher than the AUROCs of PELOD-2/pSOFA but not of PIM3. However, in a logistic regression model including p-SAPS II and PIM3 as covariates, p-SAPS II had a significant effect on the accuracy of prediction (p = 0.003). Nevertheless, according to the goodness-of-fit test for p-SAPS II and PIM3, p-SAPS II overestimated the number of deaths, whereas PIM3 showed acceptable estimations. Repeatability testing showed increasing AUROC values for p-SAPS II throughout the clinical stay (0.96 at day 28) but still no significant difference to PIM 3. The prediction accuracy, although improved over the days and even exceeded PIM 3.Conclusions: The newly-created p-SAPS II performed better than the established PIM3 in terms of discriminating between survivors and non-survivors. Furthermore, p-SAPS II can be assessed repeatably throughout a patient's PICU stay what improves mortality prediction. However, there is still a need to optimize calibration of the score to accurately predict mortality sooner throughout the clinical stay.

INTRODUCTION: Mortality rate is high in patients who are hospitalized in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Knowing the risk factors affecting mortality is important in determining the prognosis of the patient. This work; It was planned to compare the first and third day laboratory values with the scoring systems in determining the prognosis of the patients admitted to the YBU. METHODS: From November 2013 to April 2014, 86 patients from respiratory intensive care unit were included in the retrospective study. Sequential Organ Failure Assesment (SOFA), Acute Pysiology And Chronic Health Assessment (APACHE II), GCS (Glaskow Coma Score) and SAPS II (Simplified Acute Physilogy Score) scores were calculated during hospitalization. Laboratory parameters were studied at the first hours and at the end of 72 hours for all patients. The results were compared between the dead and the living. RESULTS: In the patients who died, SOFA, APACHE II and SAPS II scores were statistically significantly higher than patients who did not die. GCS was statistically lower (p

Introduction. The diagnosis of acute appendicitis (AA), as the most common cause of acute abdominal pain, has changed in the past decade by introducing scoring systems in addition to the use of clinical, laboratory parameters, and radiological examinations. This study aimed to assess the significance of the four scoring systems (Alvarado, Appendicitis Inflammatory Response (AIR), Raya Isteri Pengiran Anak Saleha Appendicitis (RIPASA) and Tzanakis) in the prediction of delayed appendectomy. Materials and methods. The study included 100 respondents, who were diagnosed with AA in the period from January 2018 to February 2019 and were also operated on. In addition to the clinical, laboratory, and ultrasonographic examinations, four scoring systems (Alvarado, AIR, RIPASA, and Tzanakis) were used to diagnose AA. According to the obtained histopathological (HP) findings, the patients were divided into 3 groups: timely appendectomy, delayed appendectomy and unnecessary appendectomy. Using the sensitivity and specificity of all 4 scoring systems, ROC analysis was performed to predict delayed appendectomy. Results. In the study that included 100 patients (58% men, 42% women), after the appendectomy was performed, the resulting HP showed that 74% had a timely appendectomy, while 16% had delayed and 10% had an unnecessary appendectomy. For the prediction of delayed appendectomy, the area under the ROC curve showed a value of 0.577 for the Alvarado score, 0.504 for the AIR, 0.651 for the RIPASA, and 0.696 for the Tzanakis. Sensitivity and specificity for the Alvarado score was 54% and 62%, for RIPASA 62.5% and 63.5%, for Tzanakis 69% and 60.8%, respectively. Combining the three scoring systems (Alvarado, RIPASA, and Tzanakis), the surface area under the ROC curve was 0.762 (95% CI 0.521–0.783), with a sensitivity of 85% and a specificity of 62%. Conclusion. In our study, the diagnostic accuracy of RIPASA and Tzanakis showed better results than Alvarado, while AIR cannot be used to predict delayed appendectomy in our population. However, the simultaneous application of all three scoring systems, RIPASA, Tzanakis and Alvarado, has shown much better discriminatory ability, with higher sensitivity and specificity, as opposed to their use alone. Combining scoring systems should help in proper diagnosis to avoid negative appendectomy, but additional studies with a larger number of patients are needed to support these results.

Drug-induced liver injury (DILI) is one among the common adverse drug reactions and the leading causes of drug development attritions, black box warnings, and post-marketing withdrawals. Despite having relatively low clinical incidence, its potentially severe adverse events should be considered in the individual patients due to the high risk of acute liver failure. Although traditional liver parameters have been applied to the diagnosis of DILI, the lack of specific and sensitive biomarkers poses a major limitation, and thus accurate prediction of the subsequent clinical course remains a significant challenge. These drawbacks prompt the investigation and discovery of more effective biomarkers, which could lead to early detection of DILI, and improve its diagnosis and prognosis. Novel promising biomarkers include glutamate dehydrogenase, keratin 18, sorbitol dehydrogenase, glutathione S-transferase, bile acids, cytochrome P450, osteopontin, high mobility group box-1 protein, fatty acid binding protein 1, cadherin 5, miR-122, genetic testing, and omics technologies, among others. Furthermore, several clinical scoring systems have gradually emerged for the diagnosis of DILI including the Roussel Uclaf Causality Assessment Method (RUCAM), Clinical Diagnostic Scale (CDS), and Digestive Disease Week Japan (DDW-J) systems. However, currently their predictive value is limited with certain inherent deficiencies. Thus, perhaps the greatest benefit would be achieved by simultaneously combining the scoring systems and those biomarkers. Herein, we summarized the recent research progress on molecular biomarkers for DILI to improved approaches for its diagnosis and clinical management.

Abstract Background High red blood cell distribution width (RDW) is associated with worse outcome in diverse scenarios, including in critical illness. The Sabadell score (SS) predicts in-hospital survival after ICU discharge. We aimed to determine RDW’s association with survival after ICU discharge and whether RDW can improve the accuracy of the SS. Design Retrospective cohort study. Setting: general ICU at a university hospital. Patients We included all patients discharged to wards from January 2010 to October 2016. Methods We analyzed associations between RDW and variables recorded on admission (age, comorbidities, severity score), during the ICU stay (treatments, complications, length of stay (LOS)), and at ICU discharge (SS). The primary outcome was hospital mortality. Statistical analysis included multivariable logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analyses. Results We discharged 3366 patients to wards; median ward LOS was 7 [4–13] days; ward mortality was 5.2%. Mean RDW at ICU discharge was 15.4 ± 2.5%. Ward mortality was higher at each quartile of RDW (0.7%, 2.9%, 7.5%, 10.3%; area under ROC 0.81). A logistic regression model with Sabadell score obtained an excellent accuracy for ward mortality (area under ROC 0.863), and the addition of RDW slightly improved accuracy (AUROC 0.890, p

Abstract Background The Liverpool Elbow Score (LES) has been widely used to assess the outcomes of total elbow replacement in various conditions. However, there have been no published validation studies on LES for patients with stiff elbows undergoing arthrolysis. The purpose of this study was to find out whether LES could be equally applied to evaluate joint function in patients with elbow stiffness. Methods A total of 63 patients with elbow stiffness were included in this retrospective validation study. The LES combines a nine-item patient-answered questionnaire (PAQ) and a six-item clinical assessment score (CAS), and can also be divided to evaluate two different parameters: elbow motion capacity (EMC) and elbow-related symptoms (ERS). Construct validity was assessed by correlating LES with previously validated scoring systems, and Spearman correlation coefficients (SCCs) were calculated. Effect size (ES) and standardized response mean (SRM) were calculated to determine responsiveness. Results There were no ceiling or floor effects in the target population. Good-to-excellent validity was determined based on total score (0.45–0.89), PAQ (0.42–0.88), CAS (0.35–0.60), EMC (0.46–0.86), and ERS (0.36–0.59). High responsiveness (ES/SRM) was observed in total score (2.80/2.24), PAQ (2.34/1.78), CAS (2.90/2.34), EMC (2.92/2.35), and ERS (0.55/0.52). Conclusion Our results suggest that the LES is a valid elbow-specific scoring system that can be used to evaluate joint function in patients with elbow stiffness, though some items included had some weakness either.

Objective: To compare the scoring systems used in intensive care units in terms of predicting the mortality in emergency patients and to determine the most appropriate scoring system for urgent care. Methods: This study was carried out by retrospectively reviewing the files of patients admitted to Ankara Numune Training and Research Hospital emergency medicine clinic between October 1, 2010 and October 31, 2010 for non-traumatic reasons and admitted to any service of the hospital. This study calculated automatically with the data obtained from the patients files and records, and Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE II), Simplified Acute Physiology Score (SAPS II), Modified Early Warning Score (MEW) and Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) scores via internet. Patient files were reviewed and their outcomes (hospitalization, discharge, referral and mortality) were recorded. The obtained data were entered in SPSS 18 and compared with the scores of APACHE II, SAPS II, MEW and SOFA. Results: Based on area under the curve analysis, APACE II (0.799; 95% CI: 0.746 to 0.845) showed the biggest area under the curve in terms of predicting the patients mortality. However, there was no difference between four scoring system in terms of predicting the mortality. Age (P

Background: Most patients with blunt aortic injuries, who arrive alive in a clinic, suffer from traumatic pseudoaneurysms. Due to modern treatments, the perioperative mortality has significantly decreased. Therefore, it is unclear how exact the prediction of commonly used scoring systems of the outcome is. Methods: We analyzed data on 65 polytraumatized patients with blunt aortic injuries. The following scores were calculated: injury severity score (ISS), new injury severity score (NISS), trauma and injury severity score (TRISS), revised trauma score coded (RTSc) and acute physiology and chronic health evaluation II (APACHE II). Subsequently, their predictive value was evaluated using Spearman´s and Kendall´s correlation analysis, logistic regression and receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves. Results: A proportion of 83% of the patients suffered from a thoracic aortic rupture or rupture with concomitant aortic wall dissection (54/65). The overall mortality was 24.6% (16/65). The sensitivity and specificity were calculated as the area under the receiver operating curves (AUC): NISS 0.812, ISS 0.791, APACHE II 0.884, RTSc 0.679 and TRISS 0.761. Logistic regression showed a slightly higher specificity to anatomical scoring systems (ISS 0.959, NISS 0.980, TRISS 0.957, APACHE II 0.938). The sensitivity was highest in the APACHE II with 0.545. Sensitivity and specificity for the RTSc were not significant. Conclusion: The predictive abilities of all scoring systems were very limited. All scoring systems, except the RTSc, had a high specificity but a low sensitivity. In our study population, the RTSc was not applicable. The APACHE II was the most sensitive score for mortality. Anatomical scoring systems showed a positive correlation with the amount of transfused blood products.

Background: Listeria monocytogenes (LM) is a facultative anaerobe, Gram-positive bacillus which is widely distributed in nature, and can be separated from soil, water, and rotten vegetables. Immunocompetent people are less likely to suffer from LM infection or may only show gastrointestinal symptoms. However, immunocompromised elderly people, pregnant women, and newborns may develop life-threatening invasive infections. The mortality rate of LM infection is as high as 25–30%. The aim of this study is to investigate clinical scores of patients with bacteremia of LM confirmed by one or more blood cultures. We analyzed their demographics and laboratory findings in relation to their clinical outcomes. Materials and Methods: This was a hospital-based retrospective study on patients with bacteremia of LM. Data were collected from the electronic clinical database of Taichung Veterans General Hospital between January 2012 and December 2020. Bacteremia of LM was confirmed by at least one blood culture. Demographics, clinical characteristics, and laboratory data were collected for analysis. A variety of clinical scoring systems were used to predict the clinical outcome. Results: A total of 39 patients had confirmed bacteremia of LM. Among them, 1 neonatal patient was excluded. The remaining 38 patients were studied. They included 16 males (42.1%) and 22 females (57.9%), with a mean age of 59.9 ± 19.6 years. Their hospital stay averaged 23.3 ± 20.9 days. The in-hospital mortality rate was 36.8%. Mortality in Emergency Department Sepsis (MEDS) Score was 6.6 ± 4.0 for survivors and 12.4 ± 4.4 for non-survivors (P < 0.001). The National Early Warning Score (NEWS) was 3.9 ± 2.8 for survivors and 7.8 ± 3.1 for non-survivors (P = 0.001). Regarding the prediction of mortality risk, the AUC of ROC was 0.829 for MEDS and 0.815 for NEWS. Conclusions: MEDS and NEWS were both good predictors of the clinical outcome in LM bacteremic patients. In those with higher scores of MEDS (≥10) and NEWS (≥8), we recommended an early goal-directed therapy and appropriate antibiotic treatment as early as possible to reduce mortality. Further large-scale studies are required to gain a deeper understanding of this disease and to ensure patient safety.

Background/Objective: Gastric cancer is the fourth most prevalent cancer worldwide. The ability to accurately predict surgery-related morbidity and mortality is critical in deciding both the timing of surgery and choice of surgical procedure. The aim of this study is to compare the POSSUM, p-POSSUM, o-POSSUM, and APACHE II scoring systems for predicting surgical morbidity and mortality in Chinese gastric cancer patients, as well as to create new scoring systems to achieve better prediction. Methods: Data from 612 gastric cancer patients undergoing gastrectomy between January 2007 and December 2011 were included in this study. The predictive abilities of the four scoring systems were compared by examining observed-to-expected (O/E) ratios, the receiver operating characteristic curve, Student t test, and χ2 test results. Results: The observed complication rate of 34% (n = 208) did not differ significantly from the rate of 36.6% (n = 208) predicted by the POSSUM scoring system (O/E ratio = 0.93). The observed mortality rate was 2.9% (n = 18). For predicting mortality, POSSUM had an O/E ratio of 0.34 as compared with p-POSSUM (O/E ratio = 0.91), o-POSSUM (O/E ratio = 1.26), and APACHE II (O/E ratio = 0.28). Conclusion: The POSSUM scoring system performed well with respect to predicting morbidity risk following gastric cancer resection. For predicting postoperative mortality, p-POSSUM and o-POSSUM exhibited superior performance relative to POSSUM and APACHE II.

Samuel N Uwaezuoke,1 Adaeze C Ayuk2 1Pediatric Nephrology Firm, 2Pediatric Pulmonology Firm, Department of Pediatrics, University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Ituku-Ozalla, Enugu, Nigeria Abstract: This article aimed to review the current prognostic and diagnostic tools used for community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) and highlight those potentially applicable in children with CAP. Several scoring systems have been developed to predict CAP mortality risk and serve as guides for admission into the intensive care unit. Over the years, clinicians have adopted these tools for improving site-of-care decisions because of high mortality rates in the extremes of age. The major scoring systems designed for geriatric patients include the Pneumonia Severity Index and the confusion, uremia, respiratory rate, blood pressure, age >65 years (CURB-65) rule, as well as better predictors of intensive care unit admission, such as the systolic blood pressure, multilobar chest radiography involvement, albumin level, respiratory rate, tachycardia, confusion, oxygenation and arterial pH (SMART-COP) score, the Infectious Diseases Society of America/American Thoracic Society guidelines, the criteria developed by España et al as well as the systolic blood pressure, oxygenation, age and respiratory rate (SOAR) criteria. Only the modified predisposition, insult, response and organ dysfunction (PIRO) score has so far been applied to children with CAP. Because none of the tools is without its limitations, there has been a paradigm shift to incorporate biomarkers because they are reliable diagnostic tools and good predictors of disease severity and outcome, irrespective of age group. Despite the initial preponderance of reports on their utility in geriatric CAP, much progress has now been made in demonstrating their usefulness in pediatric CAP. Keywords: community-acquired pneumonia, children, scoring systems, biomarkers

Background: Timely and correct diagnosis of acute appendicitis reduces complications and avoids unnecessary surgeries. Scoring systems are used as adjuncts to aid in diagnosis. Methods: This was a prospective observational study carried out at Kenyatta National Hospital, from November 2014 to April 2015. Demographic, clinical and laboratory data was collected from consenting patients. The gold standard of diagnosis was histopathology. Data analysis was done using SPSS. The receiver operating characteristics, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive values and negative predictive values of both scoring systems were then calculated for each of the scoring systems and compared between the two. Results: Majority of patients presented with right iliac fossa pain and underwent appendectomy. The sensitivity of the Lintula and Alvarado scoring systems were 60.8% and 84.3% respectively, while the specificity was 60% and 35% respectively. The PPV of the Lintula was 79.5% while that of the Alvarado 76.8%. Conclusion: The Lintula system compares well with the Alvarado system for diagnosis of acute appendicitis and can therefore be employed in situations where laboratory facilities may be limited.

This study evaluated the use of risk prediction models in estimating short- and mid-term mortality following proximal hip fracture in an elderly Austrian population. Data from 1101 patients who sustained a proximal hip fracture were retrospectively analyzed and applied to four models of interest: Physiological and Operative Severity Score for the enUmeration of Mortality and Morbidity (POSSUM), Charlson Comorbidity Index, Portsmouth-POSSUM and the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS-NSQIP®) Risk Score. The performance of these models according to the risk prediction of short- and mid-term mortality was assessed with a receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC). The median age of participants was 83 years, and 69% were women. Six point one percent of patients were deceased by 30 days and 15.2% by 180 days postoperatively. There was no significant difference between the models; the ACS-NSQIP had the largest area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for within 30-day and 180-day mortality. Age, male gender, and hemoglobin (Hb) levels at admission p < 0.001). Among the four scores, the ACS-NSQIP score could be best-suited clinically and showed the highest discriminative performance, although it was not specifically designed for the hip fracture population.

Introduction and aim: The role of serum albumin level in patients with non-variceal upper gastrointestinal bleeding (NVUGB) has not been extensively studied. Our aim was to evaluate the role of serum albumin on admission in terms of in-hospital mortality in patients with NVUGB. Materials and methods: Patients admitted with NVUGB during a 4-year period were prospectively included. Demographic, clinical, and laboratory data were collected. ROC curve analysis was used to determine the cutoff value for serum albumin on admission that made a distinction between deceased patients and survivors with respect to serum albumin on admission, as well as its overall performance compared with the Rockall score. Results: 185 patients with NVUGB were evaluated. Men predominated (56.7%) and a mean age of 59.1 ± 19.9 years was found. Mean serum albumin on admission was 2.9 ± 0.9 g/dl with hypoalbuminemia (< 3.5 g/dl) detected on admission in 71.4% of cases. The ROC curve found that the best value for predicting hospital mortality was an albumin level of 3.1 g/dl (AUROC 0.738). Mortality in patients with albumin ≥ 3.2 g/dl was 1.2% compared with 11.2% in patients with albumin