Darcy number effects on natural convection around a porous cylinder in L-shaped enclosure using Lattice Boltzmann method.

This study numerically evaluates fluid flow and natural convection heat transfer of a porous square cylinder in an L-shaped enclosure using the Lattice Boltzmann method. Three layouts along vertical and horizontal centrelines are explored, investigating the effects of Rayleigh number (Ra) (10 ≤ Ra ≤ 10), Darcy number (Da) (10 ≤ Da ≤ 10), and cylinder size. Results show that increasing Rayleigh numbers enhances heat transfer, with higher Mean Nusselt number (Nu) values observed.

Major psychiatric comorbidity among the critically ill: a multi-centred cohort study in Queensland.

Background: Although comorbid medical diseases are important determinants of outcome among the critically ill, the role of psychiatric comorbidity is not well defined. The objective of this study was to determine the occurrence of psychiatric comorbidity and its effect on the outcome of patients admitted to adult intensive care units (ICU) in Queensland.

Methods: Admissions among adults to 12 ICUs in Queensland during 2015-2021 were included and clinical and outcome information was obtained through linkages between the ANZICS Adult Patient Database, the state-wide Queensland Hospital Admitted Patient Data Collection, and death registry.

Serum chloride concentration and outcomes in adults receiving intravenous fluid therapy with a balanced crystalloid solution or 0.9% sodium chloride.

Purpose: To determine whether there is an interaction between baseline serum chloride concentration and pH and treatment effects in Intensive Care Unit (ICU) patients receiving intravenous fluid therapy with balanced solution versus 0.9% sodium chloride (saline).

Methods: A secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial in which patients were divided into cohorts according to quartiles of baseline serum chloride concentration and pH.

Waiting to be discharged from intensive care units: Key factors shaping patient and family experiences.

Objectives: To explore the factors that facilitate and hinder intensive care unit (ICU) discharge processes related to patients and their family members.

Methods: This was a qualitative exploratory study conducted in three regional adult ICUs in Queensland, Australia. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with patients and their family members (or patient representatives) in addition to daily reflections based on direct observation.

Tracking Outcomes Post Intensive Care: Findings of a longitudinal observational study.

Background: Many intensive care unit (ICU) survivors experience new or worsening impairments, termed post-intensive care syndrome. Substantial investment has been made in identifying patients at risk and developing interventions, but evidence remains equivocal. A more nuanced understanding of risk and outcomes is therefore warranted.

Composite Primary Outcomes Reported in Studies of Critical Care: A Scoping Review.

Objective: Composite primary outcomes (CPO) (incorporating both mortality and non-mortality outcomes) offer several advantages over mortality as an outcome for critical care research. Our objective was to explore and map the literature to report on CPO evaluated in critical care research.

Data Sources: PubMed, Embase, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Scopus, and Cochrane Library from January 2000 to January 2024.

Timing of adjunctive vasopressin initiation for septic shock patients and hospital mortality: A multicentre observational study.

Objective: The optimal timing of vasopressin initiation as an adjunctive vasopressor remains unclear. We aimed to study the association between the timing of vasopressin commencement, pre-specified physiological parameters, and hospital mortality.

Design: We conducted a multicentre, retrospective, observational study.

ICU-acquired hypernatremia: Prevalence, patient characteristics, trajectory, risk factors, and outcomes.

Objective: Knowledge of intensive care unit (ICU) acquired hypernatremia (ICU-AH) has been hampered by the absence of granular data and confounded by variable definitions and inclusion criteria.

Design: Multicentre retrospective cohort study.

Setting: Twelve ICUs in Queensland (QLD), Australia.

Hypophosphataemia in Critical Illness: A Narrative Review.

Phosphate is a predominately intracellular anion that has several key roles in normal cellular functions. Derangements in serum phosphate concentration occur frequently during critical illness, particularly hypophosphataemia, which has been reported in up to 75% of Intensive Care Unit (ICU) patients. The association between hypophosphataemia and ICU outcomes reported in the literature are conflicting and and subject to substantial confounding.

Who gets the bed: Factors influencing the intensive care exit block: A qualitative study.

Background: Patient flow problems, including discharge delay and after-hours discharge, have been a consistently major issue, especially for intensive care units (ICUs). Evidence suggests that discharge delay and after-hours discharge are associated with increased ICU and hospital length of stay, leading to worsened patient outcomes and increased healthcare costs. They can also increase ICU readmission and post-ICU mortality.

Barley Grain Proteome Assessment Using Multi-Environment Trial Data and Machine Learning.

Proteomics can be used to assess individual protein abundances, which could reflect genotypic and environmental effects and potentially predict grain/malt quality. In this study, 79 barley grain samples (genotype-location-year combinations) from Californian multi-environment trials (2017-2022) were assessed using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. In total, 3104 proteins were identified across all of the samples.

Contextual Factors Influencing Intensive Care Patients' Discharge Processes: A Multicentre Prospective Observational Study.

Aims: To compare contextual factors influencing discharge practices in three intensive care units (ICUs).

Design: A prospective observational study.

Methods: Data were collected using a discharge process report form (DPRF) between May and September 2023.

Associations between Late Lactate Clearance and Clinical Outcomes in Adults with Hyperlactataemia in the Setting of Diabetic Ketoacidosis.

: This study aimed to determine the associations between lactate clearance in hyperlactataemic patients with diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) and intensive care unit (ICU), hospital length of stay (LOS), and case-fatality. : A retrospective, multicentre, cohort study of adult patients admitted to ICU with hyperlactataemia and a primary diagnosis of DKA from twelve sites in Queensland, Australia was conducted utilising pre-existing datasets that were linked for research purposes. The patients were divided into early and late lactate clearance groups; the early lactate clearance group included patients whose lactate returned to <2.

The Impact of Prescription Time Limits on Phosphate Administration in the Intensive Care Unit: A Before-After Quality Improvement Study.

(1) Background: We aim to examine and improve phosphate prescribing as part of a quality assurance program by examining the change in the proportion of patients receiving phosphate with normal or high preceding serum phosphate concentrations before and after the introduction of the 24 h time limit to default phosphate prescription. (2) Methods: This was a quality assurance study conducted across three Australian adult intensive care units (ICUs). All adult patients with ICU lengths of stay greater than or equal to 48 h who had their serum phosphate concentrations measured were included.

Environment found to explain the largest variance in physical and compositional traits in malting barley grain.

Background: Starch is the most abundant constituent (dry weight) in the barley endosperm, followed by protein. Variability of compositional and potentially related physical traits due to genotype and environment can have important implications for the malting and brewing industry. This was the first study to assess the effects of genotype, environment, and their interaction (G × E) on endosperm texture, protein content, and starch traits corresponding to granule size, gelatinization, content, and composition, using a multi-environment variety trial in California, USA.

Impact of frailty on outcomes after cardiac surgery.

Objective: The study objective was to evaluate whether increasing frailty, as measured by the Clinical Frailty Scale, was associated with an increased risk of hospital mortality for patients undergoing cardiac surgery.

Methods: A retrospective binational cohort study of 46,928 patients who underwent cardiac surgery in Australia and New Zealand was conducted. The primary exposure, frailty, was measured using the Clinical Frailty Scale.