19 research outputs found
Study protocol for the safety and efficacy of probiotic therapy on days alive and out of hospital in adult ICU patients: The multicentre, randomised, placebo-controlled Restoration Of gut microflora in Critical Illness Trial (ROCIT)
Introduction The effect of early and sustained administration of daily probiotic therapy on patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) remains uncertain.
Methods and analysis The Restoration Of gut microflora in Critical Illness Trial (ROCIT) study is a multicentre, randomised, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, two-sided superiority trial that will enrol 220 patients in five ICUs. Adult patients who are within 48 hours of admission to an ICU and are expected to require intensive care beyond the next calendar day will be randomised in a 1:1 ratio to receive early and sustained Lactobacillus plantarum 299v probiotic therapy in addition to usual care or placebo in addition to usual care. The primary endpoint is days alive and out of hospital to day 60.
Ethics and dissemination ROCIT has been approved by the South Metropolitan Health Service Human Research Ethics Committee (ref: RGS00000004) and the St John of God Health Care Human Research Ethics Committee (ref: 1183). The trial results will be submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal.
Trial registration number Australian and New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR12617000783325); Pre-results
Resummation of the Divergent Perturbation Series for a Hydrogen Atom in an Electric Field
We consider the resummation of the perturbation series describing the energy
displacement of a hydrogenic bound state in an electric field (known as the
Stark effect or the LoSurdo-Stark effect), which constitutes a divergent formal
power series in the electric field strength. The perturbation series exhibits a
rich singularity structure in the Borel plane. Resummation methods are
presented which appear to lead to consistent results even in problematic cases
where isolated singularities or branch cuts are present on the positive and
negative real axis in the Borel plane. Two resummation prescriptions are
compared: (i) a variant of the Borel-Pade resummation method, with an
additional improvement due to utilization of the leading renormalon poles (for
a comprehensive discussion of renormalons see [M. Beneke, Phys. Rep. vol. 317,
p. 1 (1999)]), and (ii) a contour-improved combination of the Borel method with
an analytic continuation by conformal mapping, and Pade approximations in the
conformal variable. The singularity structure in the case of the LoSurdo-Stark
effect in the complex Borel plane is shown to be similar to (divergent)
perturbative expansions in quantum chromodynamics.Comment: 14 pages, RevTeX, 3 tables, 1 figure; numerical accuracy of results
enhanced; one section and one appendix added and some minor changes and
additions; to appear in phys. rev.
Hadronic contributions to of the leptons and to the effective fine structure constant
The hadronic contributions to the anomalous magnetic moments of the leptons
and to the effective fine structure constant at the Z-mass are reevaluated
using all presently available data.Comment: 36 pages, 11 Postscript figures, available at
ftp://129.129.40.58/pub/preprints/vapogm2.ps.g
The Cholecystectomy As A Day Case (CAAD) Score: A Validated Score of Preoperative Predictors of Successful Day-Case Cholecystectomy Using the CholeS Data Set
Background
Day-case surgery is associated with significant patient and cost benefits. However, only 43% of cholecystectomy patients are discharged home the same day. One hypothesis is day-case cholecystectomy rates, defined as patients discharged the same day as their operation, may be improved by better assessment of patients using standard preoperative variables.
Methods
Data were extracted from a prospectively collected data set of cholecystectomy patients from 166 UK and Irish hospitals (CholeS). Cholecystectomies performed as elective procedures were divided into main (75%) and validation (25%) data sets. Preoperative predictors were identified, and a risk score of failed day case was devised using multivariate logistic regression. Receiver operating curve analysis was used to validate the score in the validation data set.
Results
Of the 7426 elective cholecystectomies performed, 49% of these were discharged home the same day. Same-day discharge following cholecystectomy was less likely with older patients (OR 0.18, 95% CI 0.15–0.23), higher ASA scores (OR 0.19, 95% CI 0.15–0.23), complicated cholelithiasis (OR 0.38, 95% CI 0.31 to 0.48), male gender (OR 0.66, 95% CI 0.58–0.74), previous acute gallstone-related admissions (OR 0.54, 95% CI 0.48–0.60) and preoperative endoscopic intervention (OR 0.40, 95% CI 0.34–0.47). The CAAD score was developed using these variables. When applied to the validation subgroup, a CAAD score of ≤5 was associated with 80.8% successful day-case cholecystectomy compared with 19.2% associated with a CAAD score >5 (p < 0.001).
Conclusions
The CAAD score which utilises data readily available from clinic letters and electronic sources can predict same-day discharges following cholecystectomy