Evaluation of appendicitis risk prediction models in adults with suspected appendicitis

Background Appendicitis is the most common general surgical emergency worldwide, but its diagnosis remains challenging. The aim of this study was to determine whether existing risk prediction models can reliably identify patients presenting to hospital in the UK with acute right iliac fossa (RIF) pain who are at low risk of appendicitis. Methods A systematic search was completed to identify all existing appendicitis risk prediction models. Models were validated using UK data from an international prospective cohort study that captured consecutive patients aged 16–45 years presenting to hospital with acute RIF in March to June 2017. The main outcome was best achievable model specificity (proportion of patients who did not have appendicitis correctly classified as low risk) whilst maintaining a failure rate below 5 per cent (proportion of patients identified as low risk who actually had appendicitis). Results Some 5345 patients across 154 UK hospitals were identified, of which two‐thirds (3613 of 5345, 67·6 per cent) were women. Women were more than twice as likely to undergo surgery with removal of a histologically normal appendix (272 of 964, 28·2 per cent) than men (120 of 993, 12·1 per cent) (relative risk 2·33, 95 per cent c.i. 1·92 to 2·84; P < 0·001). Of 15 validated risk prediction models, the Adult Appendicitis Score performed best (cut‐off score 8 or less, specificity 63·1 per cent, failure rate 3·7 per cent). The Appendicitis Inflammatory Response Score performed best for men (cut‐off score 2 or less, specificity 24·7 per cent, failure rate 2·4 per cent). Conclusion Women in the UK had a disproportionate risk of admission without surgical intervention and had high rates of normal appendicectomy. Risk prediction models to support shared decision‐making by identifying adults in the UK at low risk of appendicitis were identified

Astacin gene family of metalloproteinases in planarians: Structural organization and tissue distribution

Planarian flatworms possess extraordinary regenerative capability and body plasticity, which rely on a composite population of stem cells, the neoblasts. Despite impressive advances have been recently achieved in the knowledge of neoblast biology, few is still known about factors that are released by differentiated tissues and influence the neoblast fate. Extracellular matrix (ECM) is a fundamental component of the stem cell niche and its remodeling affects stem cell fate. Here we provide the characterization of the astacin gene family of metalloproteinases in planarians, good candidate enzymes for generating dynamicity in the ECM. Ten and eighteen astacin isoforms were identified in the planarian species Schmidtea mediterranea and Dugesia japonica, respectively. Besides the already characterized Smedolloid, in Schmidtea mediterranea are present eight astacins with a minimal structure (a signal peptide, an activation domain and a Zn-binding catalytic domain), that are colocalized in large cells organized in a peculiar, not yet morphologically characterized, two-ring-shaped structure located in the middle of the body. A single astacin, characterized by a ShK toxin domain in its C-terminal region, has been found to be produced in gastrodermal cells

Perfil e processo da assistência prestada ao recém-nascido de risco no Sul do Brasil Profile and process of the care provided to high-risk newborns in southern Brazil

OBJETIVO: Caracterizar os recém-nascidos (RN) de risco e verificar o processo de assistência dispensado pelo Programa de Vigilância ao Recém-nascido de Risco do município de Maringá, PR. METODOLOGIA: Os dados foram coletados dos prontuários e das Fichas de Acompanhamento de uma amostragem estratificada composta por 505 RN de risco nascidos em 2007. As variáveis maternas, neonatais e assistenciais foram analisadas descritivamente utilizando o software Statistica 7.1. RESULTADOS: O Programa considerou somente os riscos biológicos como critério de inclusão, podendo os mesmos estar isolados (63,2%) ou associados entre si (36,8%). Sobre as mães, 71,5% eram adultas, 78,2% com escolaridade > 8 anos de estudo, 57,2% sem companheiro, 55,3% com ocupação não remunerada, 69,5% com > 6 consultas pré-natal, 87,3% de gravidez única e 65,4% realizaram parto cesáreo. Sobre os RN de risco, 51% eram masculinos, 50,3% com baixo peso ao nascer, 51,5% a termo, 95,8% sem anomalias congênitas e 90,3% com Apgar > 7 no 5º minuto. Sobre a assistência prestada às crianças de risco 69,5% foram acompanhadas pelo Programa, 71% dos prontuários foram localizados, 82,6% com nenhuma visita domiciliar, 8,9% receberam > 12 consultas médicas, 33,1% não receberam nenhuma orientação, 5,8% foram hospitalizados, 18,7% apresentaram > 12 pesagens, e 19,8% apresentaram registro de imunização completa. CONCLUSÃO: Faz-se necessário reorganizar a atenção básica que assegure a integralidade da assistência e à continuidade do acompanhamento do desenvolvimento e crescimento biopsicossocial da criança de risco.<br>OBJECTIVE: To describe newborns at risk and check the process of care provided by the High Risk Newborn Surveillance Program in Maringá-PR. METHODS: Data were collected from medical records and monitoring sheets of a stratified sample consisting of 505 newborns at risk, born in 2007. Maternal and neonatal care were analyzed descriptively using Statistica 7.1 software. RESULTS: The program only considered biological risks as inclusion criteria, whether they appeared alone (63.2%) or associated (36.8%). Regarding mothers, 71.5% were adults, 78.2% had > 8 years of schooling, 57.2% were single parents, 55.3% had an unpaid occupation, 69.5% had > 6 prenatal visits, 87.3% had a single baby, and 65.4% had a C-section. Regarding newborns at risk, 51% were male, 50.3% had low birth weight, 51.5% were full term, 95.8% without congenital anomalies, and 90.3% with 5th minute scores > 7. Regarding care provided to children at risk, 69.5% were accompanied by the Program, 71% of the medical records were located, for 82.6% there were no home visits, 8.9% received > 12 medical consultations, 33.1% had not received any guidance, 5.8% were hospitalized, 18.7% were weighed > 12 times, and 19.8% presented full immunization records. CONCLUSION: It is necessary to reorganize primary care to ensure integral care and for ongoing monitoring of the bio-psychosocial development and growth of children at risk

The need for transparency and good practices in the qPCR literature.

Two surveys of over 1,700 publications whose authors use quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) reveal a lack of transparent and comprehensive reporting of essential technical information. Reporting standards are significantly improved in publications that cite the Minimum Information for Publication of Quantitative Real-Time PCR Experiments (MIQE) guidelines, although such publications are still vastly outnumbered by those that do not

The impact of surgical delay on resectability of colorectal cancer: An international prospective cohort study

AimThe SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has provided a unique opportunity to explore the impact of surgical delays on cancer resectability. This study aimed to compare resectability for colorectal cancer patients undergoing delayed versus non-delayed surgery.MethodsThis was an international prospective cohort study of consecutive colorectal cancer patients with a decision for curative surgery (January-April 2020). Surgical delay was defined as an operation taking place more than 4 weeks after treatment decision, in a patient who did not receive neoadjuvant therapy. A subgroup analysis explored the effects of delay in elective patients only. The impact of longer delays was explored in a sensitivity analysis. The primary outcome was complete resection, defined as curative resection with an R0 margin.ResultsOverall, 5453 patients from 304 hospitals in 47 countries were included, of whom 6.6% (358/5453) did not receive their planned operation. Of the 4304 operated patients without neoadjuvant therapy, 40.5% (1744/4304) were delayed beyond 4 weeks. Delayed patients were more likely to be older, men, more comorbid, have higher body mass index and have rectal cancer and early stage disease. Delayed patients had higher unadjusted rates of complete resection (93.7% vs. 91.9%, P = 0.032) and lower rates of emergency surgery (4.5% vs. 22.5%, P ConclusionOne in 15 colorectal cancer patients did not receive their planned operation during the first wave of COVID-19. Surgical delay did not appear to compromise resectability, raising the hypothesis that any reduction in long-term survival attributable to delays is likely to be due to micro-metastatic disease