Sensitivity and specificity of surgeons' intra-operative diagnosis of appendicitis. A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Appendicitis is a frequently encountered surgical condition, yet its diagnosis can be challenging. There is increasing research on the safety of leaving macroscopically normal appendices in situ, the necessity of routine histopathological assessment, and the impact of the intra-operative assessment on the post-operative course. We aimed to determine the sensitivity and specificity of the surgeon's intra-operative diagnosis of appendiceal pathology, which is an important factor in answering these questions.

Outcomes in patients receiving continuous monitoring of vital signs on general wards: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.

Objective: The timely identification of deterioration on general wards is crucial to patient care with each hour of delay independently associated with increased risk of death. The introduction of continuous monitoring of patient vital signs on general wards, currently not standard care, may improve patient outcomes. Our aim was to investigate whether patients on general wards receiving continuous vital signs monitoring have better outcomes than patients receiving usual care.

Anti-social behaviour and police contact among 13- to 15-year-old English adolescents with and without mild/moderate intellectual disability.

Objectives: To describe the rates of anti-social behaviour (ASB) among adolescents with/without mild/moderate intellectual disability (MMID). To estimate whether any differences could be attributable to differences in exposure to extraneous risk factors.

Design: Secondary analysis of the Longitudinal Study of Young People in England.