Outcomes of selective nonoperative management of civilian abdominal gunshot wounds: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Although mandatory laparotomy has been standard of care for patients with abdominal gunshot wounds (GSWs) for decades, this approach is associated with non-therapeutic operations, morbidity, and long hospital stays. This systematic review and meta-analysis sought to summarize outcomes of selective nonoperative management (SNOM) of civilian abdominal GSWs.

Methods: We searched electronic databases (March 1966-April 1, 2017) and reference lists of articles included in the systematic review for studies reporting outcomes of SNOM of civilian abdominal GSWs.

Time course and outcomes associated with transient versus persistent fibrinolytic phenotypes after injury: A nested, prospective, multicenter cohort study.

Background: Temporal changes in fibrinolytic activity after injury and their impact on outcomes remain poorly defined. We conducted a prospective, multicenter cohort study to determine the incidence of fibrinolytic phenotypes after injury and the trajectories and associated outcomes of these phenotypes over time.

Methods: We included adults that arrived within 6 hours of injury to three American Level I trauma centers.

Spectrum of Changes Seen With Placental Intravascular Organisms.

Fetal bacterial infections are a common cause of fetal/neonatal morbidity and mortality. The pathologic correlates of congenital bacterial infection include acute chorioamnionitis, acute villitis, and acute intervillositis. The strength of the association of congenital bacterial infection differs among these pathologies.

Birth Weight and Risk of Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in Arizona, Illinois, and Kentucky.

Objective: To confirm the previously reported increased risk of leukemia among macrosomic children (those with birth weight >4 kg).

Methods: Birth certificates of Arizona, Illinois, and Kentucky children diagnosed as having acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) before age 5 years were matched with birth certificates from leukemia-free children of the same sex, race, and ethnicity who were born in the same county on or about the same day. Odds ratios (ORs) for ALL among children of low (<2.

Suitability of Long-Term Frozen Rat Blood Samples for the Interrogation of Pig-a Gene Mutation by Flow Cytometry.

The rodent blood Pig-a assay has been undergoing international validation for use as an in vivo hematopoietic cell gene mutation assay, and given the promising results an Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Test Guideline is currently under development. Enthusiasm for the assay stems in part from its alignment with 3Rs principles permitting combination with other genotoxicity endpoint(s) and integration into repeat-dose toxicology studies. One logistical requirement and experimental design limitation has been that blood samples required antibody labeling and flow cytometric analysis within one week of collection.

Administrator Perspectives on ICU-to-Ward Transfers and Content Contained in Existing Transfer Tools: a Cross-sectional Survey.

Background: The transfer of critically ill patients from the intensive care unit (ICU) to hospital ward is challenging. Shortcomings in the delivery of care for patients transferred from the ICU have been associated with higher healthcare costs and poor satisfaction with care. Little is known about how hospital ward providers, who accept care of these patients, perceive current transfer practices nor which aspects of transfer they perceive as needing improvement.

Closed Or Open after Source Control Laparotomy for Severe Complicated Intra-Abdominal Sepsis (the COOL trial): study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Severe complicated intra-abdominal sepsis (SCIAS) has an increasing incidence with mortality rates over 80% in some settings. Mortality typically results from disruption of the gastrointestinal tract, progressive and self-perpetuating bio-mediator generation, systemic inflammation, and multiple organ failure. Principles of treatment include early antibiotic administration and operative source control.

Use of the iTClamp versus standard suturing techniques for securing chest tubes: A randomized controlled cadaver study.

Objectives: Tube thoracostomy (TT) is a common yet potentially life-saving trauma procedure. After successful placement however, securing a TT through suturing is a skillset that requires practice, risking that the TT may become dislodged during prehospital transport. The purpose of this study was to examine if the iTClamp was a simpler technique with equivalent effectiveness for securing TTs.

Genomic atlas of the human plasma proteome.

Although plasma proteins have important roles in biological processes and are the direct targets of many drugs, the genetic factors that control inter-individual variation in plasma protein levels are not well understood. Here we characterize the genetic architecture of the human plasma proteome in healthy blood donors from the INTERVAL study. We identify 1,927 genetic associations with 1,478 proteins, a fourfold increase on existing knowledge, including trans associations for 1,104 proteins.

Summary results of the 2014-2015 DARPA Chikungunya challenge.

Background: Emerging pathogens such as Zika, chikungunya, Ebola, and dengue viruses are serious threats to national and global health security. Accurate forecasts of emerging epidemics and their severity are critical to minimizing subsequent mortality, morbidity, and economic loss. The recent introduction of chikungunya and Zika virus to the Americas underscores the need for better methods for disease surveillance and forecasting.

One thousand consecutive in-hospital deaths following severe injury: Has the etiology of traumatic inpatient death changed in Canada?

A wide range of factors have traditionally led to early in-hospital death following severe injury. The primary goal of this commentary was to evaluate the causes of early posttraumatic inpatient deaths over an extended period. Although early posttraumatic in-hospital death remains multifactorial, severe traumatic brain injuries are the dominant cause and have increased in proportion over time.

Prevalence and Factors Associated with Hydatidiform Mole among Patients Undergoing Uterine Evacuation at Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital.

Objective: We sought to determine the prevalence of and factors associated with hydatidiform molar gestations amongst patients undergoing uterine evacuation at Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital (MRRH), Mbarara, Uganda.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional study carried out from November 2016 to February 2017. All patients admitted for uterine evacuation for nonviable pregnancy were included.

Automated typing of red blood cell and platelet antigens: a whole-genome sequencing study.

Background: There are more than 300 known red blood cell (RBC) antigens and 33 platelet antigens that differ between individuals. Sensitisation to antigens is a serious complication that can occur in prenatal medicine and after blood transfusion, particularly for patients who require multiple transfusions. Although pre-transfusion compatibility testing largely relies on serological methods, reagents are not available for many antigens.

Cost-effectiveness of alternative changes to a national blood collection service.

Objectives: To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of changing opening times, introducing a donor health report and reducing the minimum inter-donation interval for donors attending static centres.

Background: Evidence is required about the effect of changes to the blood collection service on costs and the frequency of donation.

Methods/materials: This study estimated the effect of changes to the blood collection service in England on the annual number of whole-blood donations by current donors.

Getting the invite list right: a discussion of sepsis severity scoring systems in severe complicated intra-abdominal sepsis and randomized trial inclusion criteria.

Background: Severe complicated intra-abdominal sepsis (SCIAS) is a worldwide challenge with increasing incidence. Open abdomen management with enhanced clearance of fluid and biomediators from the peritoneum is a potential therapy requiring prospective evaluation. Given the complexity of powering multi-center trials, it is essential to recruit an inception cohort sick enough to benefit from the intervention; otherwise, no effect of a potentially beneficial therapy may be apparent.

Publisher Correction: Protein-altering variants associated with body mass index implicate pathways that control energy intake and expenditure in obesity.

In the version of this article originally published, one of the two authors with the name Wei Zhao was omitted from the author list and the affiliations for both authors were assigned to the single Wei Zhao in the author list. In addition, the ORCID for Wei Zhao (Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA) was incorrectly assigned to author Wei Zhou. The errors have been corrected in the HTML and PDF versions of the article.

Publisher Correction: Protein-altering variants associated with body mass index implicate pathways that control energy intake and expenditure in obesity.

In the published version of this paper, the name of author Emanuele Di Angelantonio was misspelled. This error has now been corrected in the HTML and PDF versions of the article.

Kelch Mutations in Plasmodium falciparum Protein K13 Do Not Modulate Dormancy after Artemisinin Exposure and Sorbitol Selection .

Some Kelch mutations of the K13 protein confer increased survival to dihydroartemisinin (DHA)-treated ring-stage parasites. Here, we asked if K13 mutations affect a dormancy phenotype allowing parasites to survive DHA exposure and then sorbitol selection. Although recrudescence from dormancy differed between two distinct parasite lines, it was similar for isogenic lines carrying single-site substitutions in K13.

Stillborn Infants: Associated Malformations.

Background: Stillbirth, defined as death of a fetus in utero after 20 weeks of gestation, occurs in 1 to 2% of pregnancies in the United States. Many of these stillborn infants have associated malformations, including chromosome abnormalities, neural tube defects, and malformation syndromes. Other causes are abnormalities of the placenta and maternal conditions, such as pre-eclampsia and obesity.

Cochrane systematic reviews of interventions for risk factors correlate weakly with global risk factor burden: a cross-sectional study.

Background And Objectives: Systematic reviews (SRs) are important for health-care decision-makers requiring evidence for interventions that target modifiable risk factors to prevent disease. We investigated whether Cochrane SR output correlated with risk factor burden as assessed by the Global Burden of Disease Study 2015.

Methods: We screened and extracted data from Cochrane reviews and protocols published since January 2011 investigating modifiable risk factors as outcomes.