A cohort study for the derivation and validation of a clinical prediction scale for hospital-onset Clostridium difficile infection

OBJECTIVE:

To develop and validate a clinical prediction scale for hospital-onset Clostridium difficile infection (CDI).

METHODS:

A community-based, 360-bed hospital located in the suburbs of a metropolitan area in the United States served as the setting for the present retrospective cohort study. The cohort consisted of patients admitted to the adult medical service over a six-year period from October 2005 to September 2011. The cohort was divided into derivation (October 2005 to September 2009) and validation (October 2009 to September 2011) groups. The primary outcome measure was hospital-onset CDIs identified as stool positive for C difficile after 48 h of hospital admission ordered for new-onset unformed stool by the treating physician.

RESULTS:

In the derivation phase, 35,588 patients were admitted to the medical service and 21,541 stayed in hospital beyond 48 h. A total of 266 cases of CDI were identified, 121 of which were hospital onset. The developed clinical prediction scale included the onset of unformed stool (5 points), length of hospital stay beyond seven days (4 points), age >65 years (3 points), long-term care facility residence (2 points), high-risk antibiotic use (1 point) and hypoalbuminemia (1 point). The scale had an area under the receiver operating curve (AUC) of 0.93 (95% CI 0.82 to 0.94) in predicting hospital-onset CDI, with a sensitivity of 0.94 (95% CI 0.88 to 0.97) and a specificity of 0.80 (95% CI 0.79 to 0.80) at a cut-off score of 9 on the scale. During the validation phase, 16,477 patients were admitted, of whom 10,793 stayed beyond 48 h and 58 acquired CDI during hospitalization. The predictive performance of the score was maintained in the validation cohort (AUC 0.95 [95% CI 0.93 to 0.96]) and the goodness-to-fit model demonstrated good calibration.

CONCLUSION:

The authors developed and validated a simple clinical prediction scale for hospital-onset CDI. This score can be used for periodical evaluation of hospitalized patients for early initiation of contact precautions and empirical treatment once it is validated externally in a prospective manner.     

Single-Stage Operative Management of Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy Leaks Without Endoscopic Stent Placement

Background

Leaks occur in 1.4–20 % (Bohdjalian et al., Obes. Surg. 20:535–540, 2010; Nocca et al., Obes Surg. 18:560–565, 2008; Stroh et al., 19:632–640, 2009; Aurora et al., Surg. Endosc. 26:1509–1515, 2012) of patients following laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG). Leaks may lead to major morbidity and prolonged hospitalization. Endoscopic stent placement is a potential management strategy that needs expertise and also has recognized complications (stent migration, significant dysphagia, and failure) (Rosenthal et al., Surg. Obes Relat. Dis. 8:8–19, 2012). A standard method of managing leaks following LSG has not been established. This study aims to evaluate the outcomes of consecutive patients with leaks following LSG managed at BMI Abu Dhabi Tertiary Multidisciplinary Bariatric Surgery, Abu Dhabi, UAE.

Methods

We examined all patients presenting to BMI Abu Dhabi between February 2010 and May 2012 with leaks following LSG. Data were obtained from the hospital medical record, and IRB approval was obtained. All patients were managed by utilizing a standardized operative management strategy without the use of endoscopic stenting.

Results

A total of five patients were referred to us for higher level of care; during the same time period, we performed 71 LSGs without a leak. Patients were optimized and resuscitated adequately before surgery. Intraoperatively, all patients had endoscopy, and a T tube was placed inside the leak if clearly identifiable. Otherwise, the leak site was drained adequately without attempting to place sutures, and a jejunostomy tube was inserted. All leaks healed following an initial period of hospital stay, followed by an outpatient period on jejunostomy tube feeding and nil per os.

Conclusion

Single-stage operative management of leaks after LSG utilizing a standardized operative strategy without the use of endoscopic stenting is both safe and effective.     

Tennis Training Sessions as a Rehabilitation Instrument for Patients after Acute Myocardial Infarction

The aims of this study were to measure the effects of a cardiac rehabilitation program based on a modification of a sport (tennis) on quality of life, on various laboratory test parameters and on an exercise stress test, and to determine if the results of this novel activity are equivalent to those of traditional programs (i.e., the use of the bicycle ergometer). The sample consisted of 79 patients with a low-risk acute coronary syndrome. They were divided into three groups: two experimental groups and one control group. One of the experimental groups used the bicycle ergometer as its main physical activity, whereas the other received training in a modified form of tennis lesson. By the end of the 3-month program, triglycerides, cholesterol LDL, cholesterol HDL, (-25 mg·dl^-1 and 32.3 mg·dl^-1 final, and 15.7 mg·dl^-1 and 23.3 mg·dl^-1 LDL final, respectively) and exercise capacity improved significantly (by 1.1 metabolic equivalents (METs) and 1.2 METs, respectively), in both experimental groups. We conclude that the application of a comprehensive cardiac rehabilitation program in patients with low-risk acute coronary syndrome based on a program of modified tennis improves exercise tolerance and metabolic parameters, as well as certain physical characteristics that reduce cardiovascular risk.

Key Points

• Cardiac rehabilitation of low risk patients with acute coronary syndrome based on a program of modified tennis produces an improvement in quality of life, lipid profiles and in exercise tolerance
• A cardiac rehabilitation program based on a modification of tennis produces favourable changes in various anthropometric parameters related to the reduction of cardiovascular risk
• The development of programs of cardiac rehabilitation based on modified versions of various sports would advantage the adherence to physical exercise.

Key words: Tennis, exercise, cardiovascular diseases, cardiac rehabilitation, acute coronary syndrome     

Epidemiology of childhood conduct problems in Brazil: systematic review and meta-analysis

Purpose

This study aimed to review evidence on the prevalence of and risk factors for conduct problems in Brazil.

Methods

We searched electronic databases and contacted Brazilian researchers up to 05/2012. Studies were included in the review if they reported the prevalence of or risk factors for conduct problems, conduct disorder, or oppositional defiant disorder for 100 + Brazilian children aged ≤18 years, systematically sampled in schools or the community. Prevalence rates and sex differences were meta-analysed. Risk factor studies were reviewed one by one.

Results

The average prevalence of conduct problems in screening questionnaires was 20.8 %, and the average prevalence of conduct disorder/oppositional defiant disorder was 4.1 %. There was systematic variation in the results of screening studies according to methodology: recruitment location, informants, instruments, impairment criterion for case definition, and response rates. Risk factors previously identified in high-income countries were mainly replicated in Brazil, including comorbid mental health problems, educational failure, low religiosity, harsh physical punishment and abuse, parental mental health problems, single parent family, and low socioeconomic status. However, boys did not always have higher risk for conduct problems than girls.

Conclusions

Studies using screening questionnaires suggest that Brazilian children have higher rates of conduct problems than children in other countries, but diagnostic studies do not show this difference. Risk factors in Brazil were similar to those in high-income countries, apart from child sex. Future research should investigate developmental patterns of antisocial behaviour, employ a variety of research designs to identify causal risk mechanisms, and examine a broader range of risk factors.     

Laboratory evaluation of modern plastic brackets

The aim of the study was to evaluate some properties of modern orthodontic plastic brackets. Seven bracket brands [Aesthetik-Line (AL), Avalon (AV), Brillant (BR), Elegance (EL), OrthoFlex (OF), Silkon Plus (SL), and Spirit MB (SP)] were included in the study. The properties tested were chemical composition, base morphology, slot roughness, Vickers hardness (VH), and shear bond strength (SBS) with enamel.According to the results, the brackets were composed of polyurethane (AV and OF), polyoxymethylene (BR), and Ca-Al-silicate fibre glass-reinforced polycarbonate (AL, EL, SL, and SP). Metallic slots were composed of austenitic stainless steel (EL and SP) and Ag-Cu alloy (AV). The base morphology exhibited distinct designs, employing parallel retentive canals (AV, EL, and OF) or round-angled square protrusions with major retentive elements (AL, BR, and SP) or a combination of both (SL). The SP metallic slot demonstrated the lowest Sz values. No significant differences were found in VH among the brackets before water immersion (19.6-16.9 VH). After 12 weeks immersion, the brackets showed a significant hardness reduction (16.6-12.9 HV). SBS ranged between 111 and 193 N (8-14 MPa) for all brackets, except from SP (59 N/5 MPa). The predominant failure mode was mixed adhesive and cohesive. Most of the plastic brackets presented a base structure capable of adequate bonding to enamel, regardless of their differences in composition. Slot roughness showed differences among groups. All the brackets demonstrated plasticization after prolonged water storage.     

Diagnostic performance of CT angiography in neck vessel trauma: systematic review and meta-analysis

This study was conducted in order to define the diagnostic performance of CT angiography for vascular injuries compared with angiography in patients with neck trauma. CT angiography is the cornerstone of diagnosis for hemodynamically stable patients with wounds suspicious of vascular trauma in the limbs, chest, or abdomen. Available evidence for the use of CT angiography in neck vascular trauma comes from small case series and few randomized controlled trials, and high-quality information does not exist regarding its performance. A protocol using the recommendations of the Cochrane Collaboration was designed. A systematic search of diagnostic studies without limits on language or time was carried out to December 2014. Studies including patients with neck trauma with retrospective or prospective data collection that assessed CT angiography compared with other methods were selected. Methodological quality was assessed using the QUADAS-2 tool. A hierarchical model ROC curve and a bivariate random effects model were used for the pooled analysis. Sixteen studies were selected and reviewed, and nine studies with 693 patients were included in this review. The overall sensitivity was 97 % (95 % CI 0.77–1.00; I ²?=?65.7 % (41.4–90.0)), while the overall specificity was 99 % (95 % CI 0.93–1.00; I ²?=?0). The hierarchic ROC curve showed an area under the curve of 0.99. Publication bias was not identified in this study. CT angiography can be stated as the gold standard for diagnosing vascular injuries in hemodynamically stable patients with neck trauma.