Simple scoring system to predict in-hospital mortality after surgery for infective endocarditis

BACKGROUND: Aspecific scoring systems are used to predict the risk of death postsurgery in patients with infective endocarditis (IE). The purpose of the present study was both to analyze the risk factors for in-hospital death, which complicates surgery for IE, and to create a mortality risk score based on the results of this analysis. METHODS AND RESULTS: Outcomes of 361 consecutive patients (mean age, 59.1\ub115.4 years) who had undergone surgery for IE in 8 European centers of cardiac surgery were recorded prospectively, and a risk factor analysis (multivariable logistic regression) for in-hospital death was performed. The discriminatory power of a new predictive scoring system was assessed with the receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. Score validation procedures were carried out. Fifty-six (15.5%) patients died postsurgery. BMI >27 kg/m2 (odds ratio [OR], 1.79; P=0.049), estimated glomerular filtration rate 55 mm Hg (OR, 1.78; P=0.032), and critical state (OR, 2.37; P=0.017) were independent predictors of in-hospital death. A scoring system was devised to predict in-hospital death postsurgery for IE (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, 0.780; 95% CI, 0.734-0.822). The score performed better than 5 of 6 scoring systems for in-hospital death after cardiac surgery that were considered. CONCLUSIONS: A simple scoring system based on risk factors for in-hospital death was specifically created to predict mortality risk postsurgery in patients with IE

The Significance of Linking

The link has been central to the idea of hypertext since its inception and continues to enjoy widespread popularity. This paper briefly explores the history of links and draws a distinction between navigation and retrieval in information handling. The value of information content in certain navigation and retrieval tasks is examined and the challenges of extending content based retrieval and navigation to non-text media are identified. Finally, the goal of more versatile content and concept based navigation is discussed

The CrystalGrid Collaboratory Foundation Workshop, Southampton, 13-17 September, 2004: a selection of presentations

The objective of the workshop was to discuss and plan the establishment of a global collaboratory for the development and application of eScience concepts and technology to the field of chemical crystallography and dependent or related subjects. The lead roles are taken by the UK National Crystallography Service (Southampton, UK), Indiana University Molecular Structure Center (Bloomington, IN, USA) and the Australian Molecular & Materials Structure Network (Sydney, Australia).A five day schedule of talks and discussions drew on work and experiences from numerous and varied groups:Monday 13th, Tuesday 14th September.Topics:- Grid Infrastructure, Grid Services – Software and Hardware; Security, Licence Keys, Automation etc.Monday AM.1. Introduction and Welcome. (Mike Hursthouse, Soton).2. Setting the Scene (just brief introductory outlines) The Comb-e-Chem Project. (Jeremy Frey, Soton) Crystallography: it’s all about the data. (John Huffman, Indiana) An overview of why and how the various past and present informatics projects in the Indiana University Molecular Structure Center have developed.The e-HTPX Project. (Dave Meredith, Daresbury Lab.) Monday PM.3. RealisationsThe NCS Service – basic approaches. (Ken Meacham & Steve Taylor, IT-Innovation) The Semantic Grid. (Dave DeRoure, Soton ECS) Making instruments first-class members of the Grid. (Ken Chiu, Indiana). A discussion of the progress and goals of the Common Instrument Middleware Initiative (CIMA) project. TuesdayContinuation and further development of Monday topics.ECSES and NCS Service demos (if not presented Monday). (Ken Meacham, IT-Innovation)A distributed architecture for crystallography data, metadata, and applications. (John Bollinger, Indiana) A discussion of the purpose and design of the Reciprocal Net software suite. Wednesday 15 September.Data Aspects DayThe e-Lab concept – The Smart Tea Exemplar. (Gareth Hughes, ECS Soton) The Crystallographic e-Lab – requirements and realisation. (Mike Hursthouse, Soton) Crystallographic Metadata. (Simon Coles, Soton)Data and metadata in the Reciprocal Net. (John Bollinger, Indiana) A few words about how the Reciprocal Net software currently classifies information into data and metadata, and about the role of each category in the Reciprocal Net system.Information management in a crystallography laboratory. (John Huffman, Indiana) How the Reciprocal Net site software is useful for tracking the information required for efficiently managing a crystallography laboratory.SRB services. (Peter Berrisford, RAL Data management group)The Atlas Datastore: Data archival and retrieval. (David Corney – Atlas Datastore)Data storage and archiving (John Huffman, Indiana) A brief discussion of the data archiving strategy planned for the SCrAPS and related projects, to be enabled via the CIMA project.Other speakers may contribute – to be decided on the fly. Thursday 16 September.Topics: Dissemination of Results. Harvesting and AggregationThursday AM. Disseminating crystallography results the Indiana way. (John Bollinger / John Huffman, Indiana) A presentation of the data dissemination aspects of the Reciprocal Net software, including interactive structure visualization, data tables, and automated graphics generation. Also a few words about exposing metadata via Open Archives Initiative protocols.eCrystallographyDataReports and the eBank project. (Simon Coles, Soton)The Chemical Database Service. (R. McMeeking, CDS)Publishing and the IUCr. (Peter Strickland, Brian McMahon, IUCr)Publishing and the CCDC. (Owen Johnson, CCDC)Thursday PM. Use/reuse of data. Data Base Aspects. CIF2CML. Data and software sharing in molecular science. (Peter Murray-Rust, Unilever Centre, Cambridge)Design of a GRID enabled database system to facilitate reuse, provenance tracking and automated processing of chemical information. (Rob Gledhill, Soton and Comb-e-Chem)Other speakers may be added. Friday 17 SeptemberFriday AM. Data mining, pattern searching, structure descriptorsManagement of data in the PDB (John Westbrook, Rutgers, US)The XPAC program – Quantification of Solid State Structure Similarity. (Thomas Gelbrich, Soton)Development of a Ligand Knowledge Base. (Natalie Fey, Bristol)Development of Molecular Geometry Knowledge Bases from the Cambridge Structural Database. (Steph Harris, Bristol)DiscussionsWrap-up. Future pathways, prospects, recommendations

An Open Architecture for Supporting Collaboration on the Web

The MEMOIR framework supports researchers working with a vast quantity of distributed information, by assisting them in finding both relevant documents and researchers with related interests. It is an open architecture based on the existing Web infrastructure. Key to the architecture are the use of proxies and the use of an open and extensible message protocol for communication: to support message routing for dynamic reconfiguration and extension of the system, to collect information about the trail of documents that a user visits, and to insert links on-the-fly. In this paper we present the MEMOIR architecture and its rationale, and discuss early experiences with the system

An open framework for collaborative distributed information management

The MEMOIR project supports researchers working with a vast quantity of distributed information. by assisting them in finding both relevant documents and researchers with related interests. It is an open architecture based on the existing Web infrastructure. Key to the architecture is the use of proxies: to support message routing for dynamic reconfiguration and extension of the system, to collect information about the trail of documents that a user visits, and to insert links on-the-fly. In this paper we present the MEMOIR framework and its rationale. and discuss early experiences with the system. (C) 1998 Published by Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved