Ascitic calprotectin and lactoferrin for detection of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP) is a common bacterial infection in cirrhotic patients associated with a high mortality rate. Prompt diagnosis and early antibiotic administration are crucial in minimizing adverse outcomes. Although detection of ≥250 polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) in ascitic fluid is the current gold standard to diagnose SBP, consideration for rapid detection with biomarkers is warranted.

Illicit Drug Use and Endoscopy: When Do We Say No?

Background: Illicit drug use (IDU) is often encountered in patients undergoing elective ambulatory surgical procedures such as endoscopy. Given the variety of systemic effects of these drugs, sedation and anesthetics are believed to increase the risk of cardiopulmonary complications during procedures. Procedural cancelations are common, regardless of the drug type, recency of use, and total dosage consumed.

Performance of Leukocyte Esterase Reagent Strips in the Detection of Spontaneous Bacterial Peritonitis in Cirrhotic Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Background: Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP) is a bacterial infection associated with a high mortality rate in cirrhotic patients. The gold standard for the detection of SBP is a manual cell count from ascitic fluid; however, alternative screening methods are under investigation. In particular, leukocyte esterase reagent strips (LERS) has been studied as an alternative method to detect SBP with a low cost and instant turnaround time.

Transmission of SARS-CoV-2: an update of current literature.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the etiologic agent for the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, has caused a public health emergency. The need for additional research in viral pathogenesis is essential as the number of cases and deaths rise. Understanding the virus and its ability to cause disease has been the main focus of current literature; however, there is much unknown.

Performance of echocardiography for detection of portopulmonary hypertension among liver transplant candidates: Meta-analysis.

Background: Evaluation of pulmonary arterial pressure is crucial among cirrhotic patients, considering that moderate portopulmonary hypertension (POPH) is a contraindication for liver transplantation. Although right heart catheterization (RHC) is the most accurate method to diagnose POPH, it is invasive.

Objective: The aim of the study is to evaluate the performance of echocardiography in detecting POPH in liver transplant candidates.

The impact of secondary task cognitive processing demand on driving performance.

Crash causation research has identified inattention as a major source of driver error leading to crashes. The series of experiments presented herein investigate the characteristics of an in-vehicle information system (IVIS) task that could hinder driving performance due to uncertainty buildup and cognitive capture. Three on-road studies were performed that used instrumented passenger and tractor-trailer vehicles to obtain real-world driving performance data.