Road traffic injury in sub-Saharan African countries: A systematic review and summary of observational studies.

Objective: The aim of this study is to evaluate, through a systematic review of hospital-based studies, the proportion of road traffic injuries and fatalities in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).

Methods: In accordance with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) and Meta-analysis of Observational Studies in Epidemiology guidelines, we searched the following electronic databases: PubMed, Embase, Africa-Wide Information, Global Health, and Web of Science. Articles were eligible if they measured proportion of road traffic injuries (RTIs) in SSA by using hospital-based studies.

Myocardial Ischemia on Exercise Stress Echocardiography Testing Is Not Associated with Changes in Troponin T Concentrations.

Background: Some posit that any amount of myocardial ischemia can be detected by high-sensitivity cardiac troponin assays. We hypothesized that patients with myocardial ischemia induced by exercise stress would have significantly higher increases in high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T (hs-cTnT) concentrations than patients without ischemia.

Methods: We prospectively recruited for a biorepository 317 adult patients who presented to an academic hospital emergency department for evaluation possible ischemic symptoms and who were scheduled for exercise echocardiography.

Periodic Breathing and Behavioral Awakenings at High Altitude.

Objectives. To study the relationship between nocturnal periodic breathing episodes and behavioral awakenings at high altitude. Methods.

Longitudinal assessment of inflammation in recipients of continuous-flow left ventricular assist devices.

Background: The long-term effects of continuous-flow left ventricular assist device (CF-LVAD) support on trends of inflammatory markers over time are unknown. We examined the hypothesis that the levels of inflammatory markers in CF-LVAD recipients are higher than in healthy controls and that these levels increase over time with long-term CF-LVAD support.

Methods: We examined the levels of inflammatory markers longitudinally at baseline before CF-LVAD implantation and at 3, 6, and 9 months after implantation.

Diagnosing appendicitis: evidence-based review of the diagnostic approach in 2014.

Introduction: Acute appendicitis is the most common abdominal emergency requiring emergency surgery. However, the diagnosis is often challenging and the decision to operate, observe or further work-up a patient is often unclear. The utility of clinical scoring systems (namely the Alvarado score), laboratory markers, and the development of novel markers in the diagnosis of appendicitis remains controversial.

The reliability and validity of passive leg raise and fluid bolus to assess fluid responsiveness in spontaneously breathing emergency department patients.

Purpose: We investigated the reproducibility of passive leg raise (PLR) and fluid bolus (BOLUS) using the Non-Invasive Cardiac Output Monitor (NICOM; Cheetah Medical, Tel Aviv, Israel) for assessment of fluid responsiveness (FR) in spontaneously breathing emergency department (ED) patients.

Methods: Prospective, observational study of a convenience sample of adult ED patients receiving intravenous fluid bolus. We assessed stroke volume (SV) using NICOM and obtained results from PLR, where the head of the bed was changed from semirecumbent to supine while the patients' legs raised to 45° for 3 minutes.

Markers of inflammation in recipients of continuous-flow left ventricular assist devices.

Although the newer continuous-flow left ventricular assist devices (CF-LVADs) provide clinical advantages over the pulsatile pumps, the effects of low pulsatility on inflammation are incompletely understood. The objective of our study was to examine the levels of inflammatory mediators in CF-LVAD recipients compared with both healthy control subjects and heart failure patients who were candidates for CF-LVAD support. Plasma levels of chemokines, cytokines, and inflammatory markers were measured in 18 CF-LVAD recipients and compared with those of 14 healthy control subjects and 14 heart failure patients who were candidates for CF-LVADs.