Pediatric Index of Mortality and PIM2 Scores Have Good Calibration in a Large Cohort of Children from a Developing Country

Objective. Our objective was to validate the Pediatric Index of Mortality (PIM) and PIM2 scores in a large cohort of children from a developing country. Design. Prospective observational study. Setting. Pediatric intensive care unit of a tertiary care teaching hospital. Patients. All children aged <18 years admitted between June 2011 and July 2013. Measurements and Main Results. We evaluated the discriminative ability and calibration as measured by the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, the HosmerLemeshow goodness-of-fit (GOF), and standardized mortality ratio (SMR), respectively. Of the 819 children enrolled, 232 (28%) died. The median (IQR) age of the study subjects was 4 years (0.8, 10). The major reasons for ICU admission as well as mortality were sepsis/severe sepsis. The area under ROC curves for PIM and PIM2 was 0.72 (95% CI: 0.67-0.75) and 0.74 (95% CI: 0.70-0.78), respectively. The goodness-of-fit test showed a good calibration across deciles of risk for the two scores with values being >0.05. The SMR (95% CI) was 0.99 (0.85-1.15) and 1 (0.85-1.16) for PIM and PIM2, respectively. The calibration across different age and diagnostic subgroups was also good. Conclusion. PIM and PIM2 scores had good calibration in our setup

Efficacy and safety of anti-malarial drugs (chloroquine and hydroxy-chloroquine) in treatment of COVID-19 infection: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Anti-malarial drugs inhibit coronaviruses in-vitro. Few published studies have evaluated the safety and efficacy of these drugs in the treatment of COVID-19 infection. Materials and Methods: This is a systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical trials and observational studies. Major database searches were carried out up until June 5, 2020. Participants admitted with RT-PCR-confirmed SARS Cov-2 (COVID-19) infection were included. The “Intervention group” received anti-malarial drugs with or without other drugs (Azithromycin) administered as an adjunct to the standard treatment/care. The “Control group” received treatment except anti-malarial drugs. The primary outcome is “all-cause mortality.” Secondary outcome measures were effects on clinical and laboratory parameters and adverse events. Results: Of 3,472 citations, 17 (six clinical trials and 11 observational studies) studies provided data of 8,071 participants. Compared to the control, Hydroxy-chloroquine (HCQ) has no significant effect on mortality [(OR 0.87; 95% CI 0.46–1.64); eight observational studies; N = 5,944]. Data from a single, small non-randomized trial (N = 42) also reached a similar conclusion (OR 1.94; 95% CI 0.07–50.57; p = 0.69). Compared to the control, HCQ plus Azithromycin (AZM) significantly increased mortality [(OR 2.84; 95% CI 2.19–3.69); four observational studies; N = 2,310]. Compared to the control, risk of any adverse event was significantly increased in HCQ group [(OR 3.35; 95% CI 1.58–7.13); four clinical trials; N = 263]. Compared to control, risk of adverse cardiac events (abnormal ECG, arrhythmia, or QT prolongation) were not significantly increased in HCQ group (but significantly increased in the HCQ plus AZM group). The GRADE evidence generated for all the outcomes was of “very low-quality.” Conclusions: As very low quality evidence suggests an increased risk of mortality and adverse event with HCQ plus Azithromycin combination (not HCQ alone), caution should be exercised while prescribing this combination for treatment of hospitalized adults with COVID-19 infection. Good quality, multi-centric RCTs (including both hospitalized and non-hospitalized patients) are required for any firm recommendation to be made during the ongoing pandemic. OSF Protocol Registration Link: https://osf.io/6zxsu

Dynamics of Hot QCD Matter -- Current Status and Developments

The discovery and characterization of hot and dense QCD matter, known as Quark Gluon Plasma (QGP), remains the most international collaborative effort and synergy between theorists and experimentalists in modern nuclear physics to date. The experimentalists around the world not only collect an unprecedented amount of data in heavy-ion collisions, at Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC), at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) in New York, USA, and the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), at CERN in Geneva, Switzerland but also analyze these data to unravel the mystery of this new phase of matter that filled a few microseconds old universe, just after the Big Bang. In the meantime, advancements in theoretical works and computing capability extend our wisdom about the hot-dense QCD matter and its dynamics through mathematical equations. The exchange of ideas between experimentalists and theoreticians is crucial for the progress of our knowledge. The motivation of this first conference named "HOT QCD Matter 2022" is to bring the community together to have a discourse on this topic. In this article, there are 36 sections discussing various topics in the field of relativistic heavy-ion collisions and related phenomena that cover a snapshot of the current experimental observations and theoretical progress. This article begins with the theoretical overview of relativistic spin-hydrodynamics in the presence of the external magnetic field, followed by the Lattice QCD results on heavy quarks in QGP, and finally, it ends with an overview of experiment results.Comment: Compilation of the contributions (148 pages) as presented in the `Hot QCD Matter 2022 conference', held from May 12 to 14, 2022, jointly organized by IIT Goa & Goa University, Goa, Indi

A Core Outcome Set for Pediatric Critical Care

Objectives: More children are surviving critical illness but are at risk of residual or new health conditions. An evidence-informed and stakeholder-recommended core outcome set is lacking for pediatric critical care outcomes. Our objective was to create a multinational, multistakeholder-recommended pediatric critical care core outcome set for inclusion in clinical and research programs.Design: A two-round modified Delphi electronic survey was conducted with 333 invited research, clinical, and family/advocate stakeholders. Stakeholders completing the first round were invited to participate in the second. Outcomes scoring greater than 69% “critical” and less than 15% “not important” advanced to round 2 with write-in outcomes considered. The Steering Committee held a virtual consensus conference to determine the final components.Setting: Multinational survey.Patients: Stakeholder participants from six continents representing clinicians, researchers, and family/advocates.Measurements and Main Results: Overall response rates were 75% and 82% for each round. Participants voted on seven Global Domains and 45 Specific Outcomes in round 1, and six Global Domains and 30 Specific Outcomes in round 2. Using overall (three stakeholder groups combined) results, consensus was defined as outcomes scoring greater than 90% “critical” and less than 15% “not important” and were included in the final PICU core outcome set: four Global Domains (Cognitive, Emotional, Physical, and Overall Health) and four Specific Outcomes (Child Health-Related Quality of Life, Pain, Survival, and Communication). Families (n = 21) suggested additional critically important outcomes that did not meet consensus, which were included in the PICU core outcome set—extended.Conclusions: The PICU core outcome set and PICU core outcome set—extended are multistakeholder-recommended resources for clinical and research programs that seek to improve outcomes for children with critical illness and their families

Knowledge and Skill Retention of In-Service versus Preservice Nursing Professionals following an Informal Training Program in Pediatric Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation: A Repeated-Measures Quasiexperimental Study

Our objective was to compare the impact of a training program in pediatric cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on the knowledge and skills of in-service and preservice nurses at prespecified time points. This repeated-measures quasiexperimental study was conducted in the pediatric emergency and ICU of a tertiary care teaching hospital between January and March 2011. We assessed the baseline knowledge and skills of nursing staff (in-service nurses) and final year undergraduate nursing students (preservice nurses) using a validated questionnaire and a skill checklist, respectively. The participants were then trained on pediatric CPR using standard guidelines. The knowledge and skills were reassessed immediately after training and at 6 weeks after training. A total of 74 participants—28 in-service and 46 preservice professionals—were enrolled. At initial assessment, in-service nurses were found to have insignificant higher mean knowledge scores (6.6 versus 5.8, P=0.08) while the preservice nurses had significantly higher skill scores (6.5 versus 3.2, P<0.001). Immediately after training, the scores improved in both groups. At 6 weeks however, we observed a nonuniform decline in performance in both groups—in-service nurses performing better in knowledge test (10.5 versus 9.1, P=0.01) and the preservice nurses performing better in skill test (9.8 versus 7.4, P<0.001). Thus, knowledge and skills of in-service and preservice nurses in pediatric CPR improved with training. In comparison to preservice nurses, the in-service nurses seemed to retain knowledge better with time than skills

Use of intravenous immunoglobulin compared with standard therapy is associated with improved clinical outcomes in children with acute encephalitis syndrome complicated by myocarditis,” Pediatric Cardiology

Abstract Although an autoimmune mechanism has been postulated for acute encephalitis syndrome (AES) complicated by myocarditis, immunomodulatory treatment strategies are still under investigation. To study the role of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) in AES complicated by myocarditis in children age 2-12 years. This nonrandomized study was conducted in a tertiary care teaching hospital from July 2008 to January 2010. A total of 83 consecutive children with AES complicated by myocarditis were enrolled. Diagnosis of myocarditis was based on clinical, electrocardiogram, and echocardiogram findings. Patients were allocated to the two groups based on the days of the week: Those presenting on Monday and Friday were allocated to IVIG treatment (group I), and those presenting on the other days of the week to standard care (group II). Group I (n = 26) patients received IVIG at a dose of 400 mg/kg/day for 5 days in addition to standard care. All baseline and outcome data were recorded prospectively in a prestructured performa. The primary outcomes were mortality and improvement of left-ventricular dysfunction. A total of 83 children were studied: 26 in group I and 57 in group II. The mean (SD) age of the enrolled children was 4.6 years (3.1). The baseline characteristics were comparable between the two groups. A viral etiology could be established in 14 children, with the 2 most common agents isolated being Coxackie virus and enterovirus. Mortality was lower in the IVIG group [n = 1 (3.8 %)] patients compared with the standard care group [n = 13 (22.8 %)] with a relative risk of 0.17 (95 % CI = 0.02, 1.22). The difference in mortality reached borderline significance (p = 0.05). At discharge, mean (SD) ejection fraction improved from 32.8 % (6.31 %) to 49.5 % (9.04 %) in group I patients, which was significantly greater than that of group II (p = 0.001). Use of IVIG seemed to have a beneficial effect in terms of improved clinical outcomes in children with AES complicated by myocarditis. Our findings need further validation before IVIG can be incorporated into the treatment protocol of these children

Protocol for administering continuous positive airway pressure in neonates

Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is a simple, inexpensive and gentle mode of respiratory support in preterm very low birth weight (VLBW) infants. It helps by preventing the alveolar collapse and increasing the functional residual capacity of the lungs. Since it results in less ventilator induced lung injury than mechanical ventilation, it should theoretically reduce the incidence of chronic lung disease in VLBW infants. Various devices have been used for CPAP generation and delivery. The relative merits and demerits of these devices and the guidelines for CPAP therapy in neonates are discussed in this protocol

Comparison of clinical effects of beclomethasone dipropionate & budesonide in treatment of children with mild persistent asthma: A double-blind, randomized, controlled study

Background & objectives: Various inhaled corticosteroids (ICSs) are available to control the symptoms of asthma. Although beclomethasone dipropionate (BDP) and budesonide (BUD) are one of the oldest ICSs, their wide availability and low cost make them attractive options in developing countries. Due to lack of consensus on which of the two drugs is better for controlling mild persistent asthma, we undertook this study to compare the efficacy of these two drugs by measuring the change in percentage predicted forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV 1 ) from baseline in children with mild persistent asthma. Methods: A double-blind, randomized, parallel group study was conducted in children 7-15 yr of age with newly diagnosed asthma. Of the 85 cases of mild persistent asthma, 42 received BUD while 43 received BDP at a dose of 400 µg/day using pressurized metered-dose inhaler with valved spacer for two months. The outcomes measured were change in FEV 1 , symptom scores and side effects. Results: There was a significant (P < 0.05) improvement in FEV 1 in BUD group (98.43 ± 4.63%) than in BDP group (95.65 ± 5.66%) at the end of two months of treatment. The mean symptom scores in BUD group (0.28 ± 1.22) and BDP group (0.43 ± 1.52) were comparable after two months. No side effects were seen in either group. Interpretation & conclusions: FEV 1 was significantly greater in BUD group than BDP group. Improvement in symptoms and incidence of side effects were similar. Our findings indicate that both BDP and BUD can be used effectively in the management of children with mild persistent asthma. [CTRI No: CTRI/2013/03/003495]

Pediatric Index of Mortality and PIM2 Scores Have Good Calibration in a Large Cohort of Children from a Developing Country

Objective. Our objective was to validate the Pediatric Index of Mortality (PIM) and PIM2 scores in a large cohort of children from a developing country. Design. Prospective observational study. Setting. Pediatric intensive care unit of a tertiary care teaching hospital. Patients. All children aged <18 years admitted between June 2011 and July 2013. Measurements and Main Results. We evaluated the discriminative ability and calibration as measured by the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, the Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit (GOF), and standardized mortality ratio (SMR), respectively. Of the 819 children enrolled, 232 (28%) died. The median (IQR) age of the study subjects was 4 years (0.8, 10). The major reasons for ICU admission as well as mortality were sepsis/severe sepsis. The area under ROC curves for PIM and PIM2 was 0.72 (95% CI: 0.67–0.75) and 0.74 (95% CI: 0.70–0.78), respectively. The goodness-of-fit test showed a good calibration across deciles of risk for the two scores with P values being >0.05. The SMR (95% CI) was 0.99 (0.85–1.15) and 1 (0.85–1.16) for PIM and PIM2, respectively. The calibration across different age and diagnostic subgroups was also good. Conclusion. PIM and PIM2 scores had good calibration in our setup