Variation in general practice referral rate to acute medicine services and association with hospital admission. A retrospective observational study.

Background: Variation in general practice (GP) referral rates to outpatient services is well described however variance in rates of referral to acute medical units is lacking.

Objective: To investigate variance in GP referral rate for acute medical assessment and subsequent need for hospital admission.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study of acute medical referrals from 88 GPs in Lothian, Scotland between 2017 and 2020 was performed using practice population size, age, deprivation, care home residence, and distance from hospital as explanatory variables.

The systemic inflammatory response and clinicopathological characteristics in patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19 infection: Comparison of 2 consecutive cohorts.

Background: In order to manage the COVID-19 systemic inflammatory response, it is important to identify clinicopathological characteristics across multiple cohorts.

Methods: The aim of the present study was to compare the 4C mortality score, other measures of the systemic inflammatory response and clinicopathological characteristics in two consecutive cohorts of patients on admission with COVID-19. Electronic patient records for 2 consecutive cohorts of patients admitted to two urban teaching hospitals with COVID-19 during two 7-week periods of the COVID-19 pandemic in Glasgow, U.

Prognostic factors in patients admitted to an urban teaching hospital with COVID-19 infection.

Background: Severe COVID-19 infection results in a systemic inflammatory response (SIRS). This SIRS response shares similarities to the changes observed during the peri-operative period that are recognised to be associated with the development of multiple organ failure.

Methods: Electronic patient records for patients who were admitted to an urban teaching hospital during the initial 7-week period of the COVID-19 pandemic in Glasgow, U.

Multicentre, prospective observational study of the correlation between the Glasgow Admission Prediction Score and adverse outcomes.

Objectives: To assess whether the Glasgow Admission Prediction Score (GAPS) is correlated with hospital length of stay, 6-month hospital readmission and 6-month all-cause mortality. This study represents a 6-month follow-up of patients who were included in an external validation of the GAPS' ability to predict admission at the point of triage.

Setting: Sampling was conducted between February and May 2016 at two separate emergency departments (EDs) in Sheffield and Glasgow.

Formulation and manufacturing of lymphatic targeting liposomes using microfluidics.

The lymphatics are a target for a range of therapeutic purposes, including cancer therapy and vaccination, and both vesicle size and charge have been considered as factors controlling lymphatic targeting. Within this work, a range of liposomal formulations were investigated to develop a liposomal lymphatic targeting system. Initial screening of formulations considered the effect of charge, with neutral, cationic and anionic liposomes being investigated.

Relative validity of a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire for Singaporean toddlers aged 15-36 months.

Background: There is presently no simple tool for use in large epidemiological studies to understand the food and nutrient intakes of Asian toddlers. This study aimed to assess the relative validity of a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (sqFFQ) developed for multi-ethnic Singaporean toddlers aged 15-36 months.

Methods: Ninety-one parents completed the sqFFQ and a 2-day weighed food record as the reference method.

Comparison of Glasgow Admission Prediction Score and Amb Score in predicting need for inpatient care.

Aim: We compared the abilities of two established clinical scores to predict emergency department (ED) disposition: the Glasgow Admission Prediction Score (GAPS) and the Ambulatory Score (Ambs).

Methods: The scores were compared in a prospective, multicentre cohort study. We recruited consecutive patients attending ED triage at two UK sites: Northern General Hospital in Sheffield and Glasgow Royal Infirmary, between February and May 2016.

Predicting admission at triage: are nurses better than a simple objective score?

Aim: We compared two methods of predicting hospital admission from ED triage: probabilities estimated by triage nurses and probabilities calculated by the Glasgow Admission Prediction Score (GAPS).

Methods: In this single-centre prospective study, triage nurses estimated the probability of admission using a 100 mm visual analogue scale (VAS), and GAPS was generated automatically from triage data. We compared calibration using rank sum tests, discrimination using area under receiver operating characteristic curves (AUC) and accuracy with McNemar's test.

Outpatient management of low-risk patients with upper gastrointestinal bleeding: can we safely extend the Glasgow Blatchford Score in clinical practice?

Background And Aim: The Glasgow Blatchford Score (GBS) is a validated prognostic score for patients presenting with upper gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding (UGIB). The score predicts the need for therapeutic intervention or death, and studies have suggested that outpatient management is safe for patients with a GBS of zero. Our aim was to assess whether we could safely extend the threshold for outpatient management to patients with GBS≤1.

A simple tool to predict admission at the time of triage.

Aim: To create and validate a simple clinical score to estimate the probability of admission at the time of triage.

Methods: This was a multicentre, retrospective, cross-sectional study of triage records for all unscheduled adult attendances in North Glasgow over 2 years. Clinical variables that had significant associations with admission on logistic regression were entered into a mixed-effects multiple logistic model.

A clinical scoring system in undifferentiated chest pain predicting undetectable troponin concentration.

Background: Chest pain is the most common reason for emergency admission to hospital, but the majority of these are due to non-cardiac pain. We sought to determine which combination of clinical features is more likely to predict an undetectable troponin level in patients presenting with chest pain.

Methods: We collected data over a two-month period on consecutive patients presenting acutely to hospital with chest pain and who had a troponin I measured.

Analysis and modelling of cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol changes across the range of C-reactive protein levels in clinical practice as an aid to better understanding of inflammation-lipid interactions.

Objectives: Raised total cholesterol (TC) and reduced high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels are established cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors. However, in autoimmune conditions the lipid-CVD association appears paradoxical, with inflammation as a potential confounding factor. We therefore sought to model the relationship between systemic inflammatory illness and lipid levels using C-reactive protein (CRP) as the prototypical marker of inflammation.

The effect of time of day on injury patterns amongst adolescents in Australia.

Labour force participation of adolescents in Australia is growing at an unprecedented rate. This increased participation is coupled with a growing realisation of the vulnerability of adolescents in the labour market in terms of occupational injury. Despite recent evidence that time of day may be an important determinant of adolescent injuries, the impact of non-standard and night work on adolescent injury rates has received scant attention to date.