Role of age and comorbidities in mortality of patients with infective endocarditis

Purpose: The aim of this study was to analyse the characteristics of patients with IE in three groups of age and to assess the ability of age and the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) to predict mortality. Methods: Prospective cohort study of all patients with IE included in the GAMES Spanish database between 2008 and 2015. Patients were stratified into three age groups:<65 years, 65 to 80 years, and = 80 years.The area under the receiver-operating characteristic (AUROC) curve was calculated to quantify the diagnostic accuracy of the CCI to predict mortality risk. Results: A total of 3120 patients with IE (1327 < 65 years;1291 65-80 years;502 = 80 years) were enrolled.Fever and heart failure were the most common presentations of IE, with no differences among age groups.Patients =80 years who underwent surgery were significantly lower compared with other age groups (14.3%, 65 years; 20.5%, 65-79 years; 31.3%, =80 years). In-hospital mortality was lower in the <65-year group (20.3%, <65 years;30.1%, 65-79 years;34.7%, =80 years;p < 0.001) as well as 1-year mortality (3.2%, <65 years; 5.5%, 65-80 years;7.6%, =80 years; p = 0.003).Independent predictors of mortality were age = 80 years (hazard ratio [HR]:2.78;95% confidence interval [CI]:2.32–3.34), CCI = 3 (HR:1.62; 95% CI:1.39–1.88), and non-performed surgery (HR:1.64;95% CI:11.16–1.58).When the three age groups were compared, the AUROC curve for CCI was significantly larger for patients aged <65 years(p < 0.001) for both in-hospital and 1-year mortality. Conclusion: There were no differences in the clinical presentation of IE between the groups. Age = 80 years, high comorbidity (measured by CCI), and non-performance of surgery were independent predictors of mortality in patients with IE.CCI could help to identify those patients with IE and surgical indication who present a lower risk of in-hospital and 1-year mortality after surgery, especially in the <65-year group

A922 Sequential measurement of 1 hour creatinine clearance (1-CRCL) in critically ill patients at risk of acute kidney injury (AKI)

Meeting abstrac

Contact models for the representation of joint clearances in multibody mechanical systems

Two general methodologies for dynamic modeling of joint clearances in multibody mechanical systems are presented throughout this work. In the first approach the elements that compose the joint clearance are considered as colliding bodies and contact-impact forces control the behavior of the joint. A continuous contact force model provides these intra-joint contact-impact forces. From the system configuration, a geometric condition defines whether or not the joint elements are in contact. In this model the clearance plays a key role in the joint performance. As far as the second model is concerned, it takes advantage of the analytical definition of the contacting surfaces within the joint clearance. The problem is regularized avoiding the use of the clearance as the primary variable, leading to a contact force formally similar to the Hertz model. This force is specifically formulated in the context of an energy-momentum time integration. The two different methodologies presented in this work are compared with the help of numerical simulations of an elementary mechanical system in which one of the revolute joints has a specified clearance.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia and Fundo Comunitário Europeu FEDER within the project Nr. 38281 entitled ‘Dynamic of Mechanical Systems with Joint Clearances and Imperfections’. Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología from the Spanish government, within the project Nr. DPI-2003-07201 entitled ‘Modelización robusta de uniones en mecanismos flexibles

PROTEÍNAS TOTALES; FEROGRAMA Y ENZIMAS SÉRICAS EN BOVINOS BLANCA CACEREÑA DE DIFERENTES EDADES Y EN GESTACIÓN

Total seric proteins and its fractionation, as well as phosphatase and transaminase activity were studied in sixty four Blanca Cacereña cows, divided in three groups according to the age. All these parameters were studied in twelve of these females along pregnancy and first week of puerperium, finding that animals between four and ten years old had more proteinemy and that this decreases during gestation. Phosphatases are increased in both cases and transaminases decrease during gestation but increase with the age of the animals.Se han determinado las proteínas séricas totales y su fraccionamiento, así como la actividad fosfatásica y transaminásica, en tres grupos de hembras Blanca Cacereña de catorce, veintiocho y veintidós individuos, respectivamente y de edades progresivas. Estos mismos parámetros han sido estudiados en doce de estas hembras a lo largo de la gestación y primera semana del puerperio, observándose que los animales de 4 a l0 años son los que tienen una mayor proteinemia y que ésta desciende a lo largo de la gestación. Las fosfatasas se incrementan en ambos casos y las transaminasas disminuyen con la gestación, aumentando con la edad de los animales

Admission Criteria for MBA Programs

This paper reports a review of studies on admission criteria for MBA programs. The method consisted in a literary review based on a systematic search in international databases (Emerald, ABI/INFORM Global, ProQuest Education Journals, ProQuest European Business, ProQuest Science Journal, ProQuest Research Library, ProQuest Psychology Journals, ProQuest Social Science Journals and Business Source Complete) of studies published from January 1990 to December 2013, which explore the academic performance of students or graduates of MBA programs. A quantitative review was performed. Results show that most researchers studied relations between GMAT (Graduate Management Admission Test) and UGPA (Undergraduate Grade Point Average) as predictors of GGPA (Graduate Grade Point Average). On the other hand, work experience and personal traits (such as personality, motivation, learning strategies, self-efficacy beliefs and achievement expectations) and their relation with GGPA had been less studied, and results are not consistent enough to consider them valid predictors of student performance at this time