Validation of POSSUM scoring systems for audit of major hepatectomy

BACKGROUND: The aim of the study was to validate the use of Physiological and Operative Severity Score in the enUmeration of Mortality and morbidity (POSSUM) and Portsmouth (P) POSSUM scoring systems to predict postoperative mortality in a group of Chinese patients who had a major hepatectomy for hepatocellular carcinoma. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed on data collected prospectively over a 6-year interval from January 1997 to December 2002. The mortality risks were calculated using both the POSSUM and the P-POSSUM equations. RESULTS: Two hundred and fifty-nine patients underwent major hepatectomy; there were 17 (6.6 per cent) postoperative deaths. Of 32 preoperative and intraoperative variables studied, age, smoking habit, serum creatinine concentration, American Society of Anesthesiologists grade, and physiological and operative severity scores were found to be significant factors predicting mortality. On multivariate analysis only the physiological and operative severity scores were independent variables. The POSSUM system overpredicted mortality risk (14.2 per cent) and there was a significant lack of fit in these patients (chi(2) = 14.1, 3 d.f., P = 0.003). The mortality rate predicted by P-POSSUM was 4.2 per cent and showed no significant lack of fit (chi(2) = 7.6, 3 d.f., P = 0.055), indicating that it predicted outcome effectively. A new logistic equation was derived from the present patient data set that requires testing prospectively. CONCLUSION: P-POSSUM significantly predicted outcome in Chinese patients who had major hepatectomy for hepatocellular carcinoma. A modified disease-specific equation requires further testing.     

Outcomes of laparoscopic incisional hernia repair: A prospective evaluation

Objective: Although laparoscopic incisional hernioplasty has been gaining in popularity, the best approach for the repair of incisional hernia remains controversial. The present study was undertaken to evaluate the medium‐term outcomes of laparoscopic incisional hernioplasties utilizing onlay GORE‐TEX DualMesh (GORE‐TEX DualMesh Biomaterial; W.L. Gore and Associates, Flagstaff, Arizona, TX, USA). Methodology: Between June 2000 and July 2004, 42 patients underwent laparoscopic incisional hernioplasties at our institution. Perioperative data and postoperative outcomes were collected prospectively and analyzed. Results: Laparoscopic incisional hernioplasty was successfully performed on 39 (93%) patients. Conversion to open repair was required in three patients. The overall mean operative time was 108 min. Sixteen patients (37%) were found to have more than one hernial defect after reduction of the hernial contents. Postoperative morbidity included seroma (n = 8), urinary retention (n = 3), ileus (n = 1), pneumonia (n = 1), fever (n = 1), wound infection (n = 1), and prolonged suture site pain (n = 1) in 13 patients. All these morbidities resolved spontaneously without intervention. Two‐thirds of the patients were discharged within 2 days after surgery. With a median follow up of 2 years, two clinical recurrences (4.8%) were detected. Conclusion: Laparoscopic approach was a safe and efficacious technique for the repair of incisional hernia. Medium‐term outcomes were promising with low postoperative morbidity and recurrence rates. This technique allows clear identification of multiple hernial defects and confers the advantages of minimal access surgery.     

Establishment of the Psychometric Properties of a Disaster Resilience Measuring Tool for Healthcare Rescuers in China:A Cross-Sectional Study

The aim of this study was to test the validity and reliability of a tool for measuring the disaster resilience of healthcare disaster rescuers.A cross-sectional...     

Integrated screening and testing for TB and COVID-19 in Peru

We describe the experience of integrating COVID-19 screening and testing into a mobile TB screening unit in Lima, Peru. All attendees received chest radiographs, which were analysed using CAD4TB and CAD4COVID; Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra was used to test for TB, and antibody and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for SARS-CoV-2. One Xpert-positive TB case was diagnosed per 168 people screened, one person with SARS-CoV-2 antibodies per 3 people screened, and one PCR-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection per 8 people screened. Integrated screening can help to avoid delays in the diagnosis of both TB and COVID-19.     

Demographic and social variables associated with psychiatric and school-related indicators for Asian/Pacific-Islander adolescents

BACKGROUND: Factors associated with Asian/Pacific-Islander adolescent adjustment is a greatly neglected research area. AIMS: The purpose of the present study was to investigate the relation between demographic, social and adjustment measures based on a large-scale investigation of Asian/Pacific-Islander youths. METHOD: A total of 2577 adolescents were surveyed across 4 public schools in Hawai'i during the 1992--1993 school year. RESULTS: Three social variables (number of relatives frequently seen, family support and friends' support) exhibited statistically significant but low correlations. Family support had the highest negative association with the four psychiatric symptoms (depression, anxiety, aggression, substance use). Friends' support was inconsistently associated with the adjustment measures, and the number of relatives frequently seen resulted in negligible effects. In contrast, demographic variables, especially ethnicity, played a much greater role in the association with the four school-related measures (grade-point average, absences, suspensions, conduct infractions). DISCUSSION: For Asian/Pacific-Islander youths, the quality of the social supports, including family relations, may be particularly important in the adolescents' adjustment. When examining school-related outcomes, demographic variables, with particular emphases on ethnicity and culture, must be considered. When developing and implementing prevention and intervention services and programs, consideration of family and ethnic-cultural influences should be taken into account, with further research needed in several related domains: other SES influences, life stressors, migration-generational effects, ethnic identity, self-concept indicators and socio-political aspects.     

Electrodiagnostic reference values for upper and lower limb nerve conduction studies in adult populations

Introduction: To address the need for greater standardization within the field of electrodiagnostic medicine, the Normative Data Task Force (NDTF) was formed to identify nerve conduction studies (NCS) in the literature, evaluate them using consensus‐based methodological criteria derived by the NDTF, and identify those suitable as a resource for NCS metrics. Methods: A comprehensive literature search was conducted of published peer‐reviewed scientific articles for 11 routinely performed sensory and motor NCS from 1990 to 2012. Results: Over 7,500 articles were found. After review using consensus‐based methodological criteria, only 1 study each met all quality criteria for 10 nerves. Conclusion: The NDTF selected only those studies that met all quality criteria and were considered suitable as a clinical resource for NCS metrics. The literature is, however, limited and these findings should be confirmed by larger, multicenter collaborative efforts. Muscle Nerve 54 : 371–377, 2016