Leveraging Multi-Tissue, Single-Cell Atlases as Tools to Elucidate Shared Mechanisms of Immune-Mediated Inflammatory Diseases.

The observation that certain therapeutic strategies for targeting inflammation benefit patients with distinct immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMIDs) is exemplified by the success of TNF blockade in conditions including rheumatoid arthritis, ulcerative colitis, and skin psoriasis, albeit only for subsets of individuals with each condition. This suggests intersecting "nodes" in inflammatory networks at a molecular and cellular level may drive and/or maintain IMIDs, being "shared" between traditionally distinct diagnoses without mapping neatly to a single clinical phenotype. In line with this proposition, integrative tumour tissue analyses in oncology have highlighted novel cell states acting across diverse cancers, with important implications for precision medicine.

Host transcriptomics and machine learning for secondary bacterial infections in patients with COVID-19: a prospective, observational cohort study.

Background: Viral respiratory tract infections are frequently complicated by secondary bacterial infections. This study aimed to use machine learning to predict the risk of bacterial superinfection in SARS-CoV-2-positive individuals.

Methods: In this prospective, multicentre, observational cohort study done in nine centres in six countries (Australia, Indonesia, Singapore, Italy, Czechia, and France) blood samples and RNA sequencing were used to develop a robust model of predicting secondary bacterial infections in the respiratory tract of patients with COVID-19.

The Role of Transcriptomics in Redefining Critical Illness.

This article is one of ten reviews selected from the Annual Update in Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine 2023. Other selected articles can be found online at  https://www.biomedcentral.

Pathway and Network Analyses Identify Growth Factor Signaling and MMP9 as Potential Mediators of Mitochondrial Dysfunction in Severe COVID-19.

Patients with preexisting metabolic disorders such as diabetes are at a higher risk of developing severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Mitochondrion, the very organelle that controls cellular metabolism, holds the key to understanding disease progression at the cellular level. Our current study aimed to understand how cellular metabolism contributes to COVID-19 outcomes.

Blood transcriptome responses in patients correlate with severity of COVID-19 disease.

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Infected individuals display a wide spectrum of disease severity, as defined by the World Health Organization (WHO). One of the main factors underlying this heterogeneity is the host immune response, with severe COVID-19 often associated with a hyperinflammatory state.

transcription is an early predictor for COVID-19 outcomes, a multi-cohort observational study.

Purpose: Robust biomarkers that predict disease outcomes amongst COVID-19 patients are necessary for both patient triage and resource prioritisation. Numerous candidate biomarkers have been proposed for COVID-19. However, at present, there is no consensus on the best diagnostic approach to predict outcomes in infected patients.

The Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) Score: has the time come for an update?

The Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score was developed more than 25 years ago to provide a simple method of assessing and monitoring organ dysfunction in critically ill patients. Changes in clinical practice over the last few decades, with new interventions and a greater focus on non-invasive monitoring systems, mean it is time to update the SOFA score. As a first step in this process, we propose some possible new variables that could be included in a SOFA 2.

Site-tropism of streptococci in the oral microbiome.

A detailed understanding of where bacteria localize is necessary to advance microbial ecology and microbiome-based therapeutics. The site-specialist hypothesis predicts that most microbes in the human oral cavity have a primary habitat type within the mouth where they are most abundant. We asked whether this hypothesis accurately describes the distribution of the members of the genus Streptococcus, a clinically relevant taxon that dominates most oral sites.

Bedside assessment of left atrial pressure in critical care: a multifaceted gem.

Evaluating left atrial pressure (LAP) solely from the left ventricular preload perspective is a restrained approach. Accurate assessment of LAP is particularly relevant when pulmonary congestion and/or right heart dysfunction are present since it is the pressure most closely related to pulmonary venous pressure and thus pulmonary haemodynamic load. Amalgamation of LAP measurement into assessment of the 'transpulmonary circuit' may have a particular role in differentiating cardiac failure phenotypes in critical care.

Redefining critical illness.

Research and practice in critical care medicine have long been defined by syndromes, which, despite being clinically recognizable entities, are, in fact, loose amalgams of heterogeneous states that may respond differently to therapy. Mounting translational evidence-supported by research on respiratory failure due to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection-suggests that the current syndrome-based framework of critical illness should be reconsidered. Here we discuss recent findings from basic science and clinical research in critical care and explore how these might inform a new conceptual model of critical illness.

Echocardiography findings in COVID-19 patients admitted to intensive care units: a multi-national observational study (the ECHO-COVID study).

Purpose: Severely ill patients affected by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) develop circulatory failure. We aimed to report patterns of left and right ventricular dysfunction in the first echocardiography following admission to intensive care unit (ICU).

Methods: Retrospective, descriptive study that collected echocardiographic and clinical information from severely ill COVID-19 patients admitted to 14 ICUs in 8 countries.

The Role of Mitochondria in the Immune Response in Critical Illness.

This article is one of ten reviews selected from the Annual Update in Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine 2022. Other selected articles can be found online at https://www.biomedcentral.

Mechanisms underlying interactions between two abundant oral commensal bacteria.

Complex polymicrobial biofilm communities are abundant in nature particularly in the human oral cavity where their composition and fitness can affect health. While the study of these communities during disease is essential and prevalent, little is known about interactions within the healthy plaque community. Here we describe interactions between two of the most abundant species in this healthy microbiome, Haemophilus parainfluenzae and Streptococcus mitis.

Association Between Premorbid Beta-Blocker Exposure and Sepsis Outcomes-The Beta-Blockers in European and Australian/American Septic Patients (BEAST) Study.

Objectives: To examine the effect of premorbid β-blocker exposure on mortality and organ dysfunction in sepsis.

Design: Retrospective observational study.

Setting: ICUs in Australia, the Czech Republic, and the United States.

Immunophenotyping of Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells in Septic Shock Patients With High-Dimensional Flow Cytometry Analysis Reveals Two Subgroups With Differential Responses to Immunostimulant Drugs.

Sepsis is associated with a dysregulated inflammatory response to infection. Despite the activation of inflammation, an immune suppression is often observed, predisposing patients to secondary infections. Therapies directed at restoration of immunity may be considered but should be guided by the immune status of the patients.

Prospective validation study of prognostic biomarkers to predict adverse outcomes in patients with COVID-19: a study protocol.

Introduction: Accurate triage is an important first step to effectively manage the clinical treatment of severe cases in a pandemic outbreak. In the current COVID-19 global pandemic, there is a lack of reliable clinical tools to assist clinicians to perform accurate triage. Host response biomarkers have recently shown promise in risk stratification of disease progression; however, the role of these biomarkers in predicting disease progression in patients with COVID-19 is unknown.

The PRICES statement: an ESICM expert consensus on methodology for conducting and reporting critical care echocardiography research studies.

Purpose: Echocardiography is a common tool for cardiac and hemodynamic assessments in critical care research. However, interpretation (and applications) of results and between-study comparisons are often difficult due to the lack of certain important details in the studies. PRICES (Preferred Reporting Items for Critical care Echocardiography Studies) is a project endorsed by the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine and conducted by the Echocardiography Working Group, aiming at producing recommendations for standardized reporting of critical care echocardiography (CCE) research studies.

Recommendations for core critical care ultrasound competencies as a part of specialist training in multidisciplinary intensive care: a framework proposed by the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine (ESICM).

Unlabelled: Critical care ultrasound (CCUS) is an essential component of intensive care practice. Although existing international guidelines have focused on training principles and determining competency in CCUS, few countries have managed to operationalize this guidance into an accessible, well-structured programme for clinicians training in multidisciplinary intensive care. We seek to update and reaffirm appropriate CCUS scope so that it may be integrated into the international Competency-based Training in Intensive Care Medicine.

Basic echocardiography competence program in intensive care units: A multinational survey of intensive care units accredited by the College of Intensive Care Medicine.

In 2014, basic critical care echocardiography (BCCE) competence became a mandatory requirement for trainees registered with the College of Intensive Care Medicine (CICM). To determine the proportion of CICM intensive care units (ICUs) that conduct a BCCE competence program and to learn about the barriers/challenges and successful strategies, we conducted a survey of intensivists working in ICUs accredited by CICM for basic/advanced training in Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore, Ireland and India. Following consultations with content experts and a trial phase to improve clarity and minimise ambiguity, an 11-point questionnaire survey was sent to one intensivist from every CICM-accredited ICU by several methods.

Evaluating the influence of data collector training for predictive risk of death models: an observational study.

Background: Severity-of-illness scoring systems are widely used for quality assurance and research. Although validated by trained data collectors, there is little data on the accuracy of real-world data collection practices.

Objective: To evaluate the influence of formal data collection training on the accuracy of scoring system data in intensive care units (ICUs).

Accuracy of Quick Sequential Organ Failure Assessment Score to Predict Sepsis Mortality in 121 Studies Including 1,716,017 Individuals: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Unlabelled: We performed a meta-analysis to assess whether the newly introduced quick Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score could predict sepsis outcomes and compared its performance to systematic inflammatory response syndrome, the previously widely used screening criteria for sepsis.

Data Sources: We searched multiple electronic databases including MEDLINE, the Cochrane Library, Embase, Web of Science, and Google Scholar (up to March 1, 2019) that evaluated quick Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score, systemic inflammatory response syndrome, or both (International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews [PROSPERO]: CRD42018103327).

Study Selection: Studies were included if the outcome was mortality, organ dysfunction, admission to ICU, ventilatory support, or prolonged ICU stay and if prediction performance was reported as either area under the curve, odds ratio, sensitivity, or specificity.