Intermittent fasting and changes in clinical risk scores: Secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Intermittent fasting may increase longevity and lower cardiometabolic risk. This study evaluated whether fasting modifies clinical risk scores for mortality [i.e.

Association of the Intermountain Risk Score with major adverse health events in patients positive for COVID-19: an observational evaluation of a US cohort.

Objectives: The Intermountain Risk Score (IMRS), composed using published sex-specific weightings of parameters in the complete blood count (CBC) and basic metabolic profile (BMP), is a validated predictor of mortality. We hypothesised that IMRS calculated from prepandemic CBC and BMP predicts COVID-19 outcomes and that IMRS using laboratory results tested at COVID-19 diagnosis is also predictive.

Design: Prospective observational cohort study.

Preferential Metabolic Improvement by Intermittent Fasting in People with Elevated Baseline Red Cell Distribution Width: A Secondary Analysis of the WONDERFUL Randomized Controlled Trial.

Red cell distribution width (RDW) predicts cardiovascular outcomes, but it is unstudied with regard to intermittent fasting. In WONDERFUL trial subjects, the effect of the interaction between baseline RDW and intermittent fasting on changes in insulin and other cardiometabolic endpoints and the effect of fasting on changes in RDW were evaluated. The subjects enrolled were aged 21-70 years and were free of statins, anti-diabetes medications, and chronic diseases, and had ≥1 metabolic syndrome feature, as well as elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol.

Neonatal Reference Intervals for the Complete Blood Count Parameters MicroR and HYPO-He: Sensitivity Beyond the Red Cell Indices for Identifying Microcytic and Hypochromic Disorders.

Objective: To create neonatal reference intervals for the MicroR and HYPO-He complete blood count (CBC) parameters and to test whether these parameters are sensitive early markers of disease at early stages of microcytic/hypochromic disorders while the CBC indices are still normal.

Study Design: We retrospectively collected the CBC parameters MicroR and HYPO-He, along with the standard CBC parameters, from infants aged 0-90 days at Intermountain Healthcare hospitals using Sysmex hematology analyzers. We created reference intervals for these parameters by excluding values from neonates with proven microcytic disorders (ie, iron deficiency or alpha thalassemia) from the dataset.

Reconciling markedly discordant values of serum ferritin versus reticulocyte hemoglobin content.

Objective: To determine why serum ferritin and reticulocyte hemoglobin (RET-He), drawn to assess neonatal iron sufficiency, sometimes have markedly discordant results.

Study Design: Retrospective records review of five NICUs over 28 months, identifying all patients with a ferritin and RET-He within 48 h. We examined records of all who had marked discordance (one value >95th % reference interval, the other <5th %).

Neonates with suspected microangiopathic disorders: performance of standard manual schistocyte enumeration vs. the automated fragmented red cell count.

Objectives: To enhance the diagnosis of schistocyte-producing conditions, we compared routine manual schistocyte enumeration with automated fragmented red cell counts (FRCs).

Study Design: In neonates "suspected" of having sepsis, NEC, or DIC we compared manual schistocyte estimates vs. automated FRC counts.

Automated Quantification of Fragmented Red Blood Cells: Neonatal Reference Intervals and Clinical Disorders of Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Patients with High Values.

Background: Schistocytes are circulating erythrocyte fragments. They can be identified microscopically from a blood smear; but automated systems evaluate more cells and avoid inconsistencies in microscopy. Studies using adult subjects indicate that automated quantification of schistocytes can be clinically useful.

Extreme erythrocyte macrocytic and microcytic percentages are highly predictive of morbidity and mortality.

Background: The red cell distribution width (RDW) is associated with health outcomes. Whether non-RDW risk information is contained in RBC sizes is unknown. This study evaluated the association of the percentage of extreme macrocytic RBCs (%Macro, RBC volume > 120 fl) and microcytic RBCs (%Micro, RBC volume < 60 fl) and the RDW-size distribution (RDW-sd) with mortality and morbidity.

Circadian and Circannual Rhythms in Thyroid Hormones: Determining the TSH and Free T4 Reference Intervals Based Upon Time of Day, Age, and Sex.

Background: Establishing the reference interval for thyrotropin (TSH) and free thyroxine (T4) is clinically important because a number of disease states have been linked to alterations in TSH and free T4 concentrations that are within the 95% confidence interval for normal thyroid hormone values. Age, sex, time of day, and ethnicity are known to affect circulating levels of TSH and free T4 but have not been used to establish reference intervals. The purpose of this study was to define the reference interval for TSH and free T4 taking into account age, sex, ethnicity, and circadian and circannual variability.

Association of the dispersion in red blood cell volume with mortality.

Background: The red cell distribution width (RDW) predicts mortality among many populations. RDW is calculated as the standard deviation (SD) of the red blood cell (RBC) volume divided by mean corpuscular volume (MCV). Because higher MCV also predicts mortality, we hypothesized that the RDW numerator (one SD of RBC volume or 1SD-RDW) predicts mortality more strongly than the RDW.

Red blood cell distribution width: reference intervals for neonates.

Objective: To create reference intervals for red blood cell distribution width (RDW) of neonates and to use these intervals to better understand and classify hematopathology of neonates.

Study Design: This was a retrospective analysis of data from neonates born between 1/1/2001 and 12/31/2011, who had a complete blood cell count (CBC) in the first 14 days. The first RDW recorded from each was displayed according to gestational and postnatal age.

Reference intervals for common coagulation tests of preterm infants (CME).

Background: Fresh-frozen plasma (FFP) is sometimes administered to nonbleeding preterm neonates who are judged to be at risk for bleeding because they have abnormal coagulation tests. The benefits/risks of this practice are not well defined. One limitation to progress is lack of reference intervals for the common coagulation tests, thus limiting precision about whether coagulation tests are indeed abnormal.

Using patients like my patient for clinical decision support: institution-specific probability of celiac disease diagnosis using simplified near-neighbor classification.

Background: Interpretation of a diagnostic test result requires knowing what proportion of patients with a "similar" result has the condition in question. This information is often not readily available from the medical literature, or may be based on different clinical populations that make it nonapplicable. In certain settings, where correlated screening parameters and diagnostic data are available in electronic medical records, a representation of diagnostic test performance on "patients like my patient" can be obtained.

Reference ranges for lymphocyte counts of neonates: associations between abnormal counts and outcomes.

Background And Objective: Both high and low lymphocyte counts at birth have been associated with adverse outcomes. However, the validity of defining a lymphocyte count as "abnormal" depends on having an accurate reference range. We established a reference range for neonatal lymphocyte counts by using multihospital data and used this to assess previously reported relationships between abnormal counts and early onset sepsis (EOS), intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH), retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), periventricular leukomalacia, and birth asphyxia.

Reference ranges for blood concentrations of nucleated red blood cells in neonates.

Background: Previous studies reported a relationship between high nucleated red blood cells (NRBC) in neonates and the development of intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) and/or retinopathy of prematurity (ROP).

Objective: We sought to (1) establish reference ranges for NRBC in neonates based on a large data set, (2) compare NRBC from automated versus manual counts, (3) determine the effect of an elevated NRBC, on the day of birth, on the odds of developing grade ≥3 IVH or ROP.

Methods: We analyzed all NRBC obtained during 8.

Postponing or eliminating red blood cell transfusions of very low birth weight neonates by obtaining all baseline laboratory blood tests from otherwise discarded fetal blood in the placenta.

Background: Safely reducing the proportion of very low birth weight neonates (<1500 g) that receive a red blood cell (RBC) transfusion would be an advance in transfusion practice.

Study Design And Methods: We performed a prospective, single-centered, case-control, feasibility analysis, preparatory to designing a definitive trial. Specifically, we sought to determine whether we could obtain all baseline neonatal intensive care unit blood tests from the placenta, after placental delivery, thereby initially drawing no blood from the neonate.

The use of a fixed high sensitivity to evaluate five D-dimer assays' ability to rule out deep venous thrombosis: a novel approach.

Suspected deep venous thrombosis (DVT) is difficult to refute without complex diagnostic algorithms and expensive testing. We analysed five D-dimer assays' utility for exclusion of suspected DVT during a prospective clinical cohort trial, choosing a highly sensitive cut-off value at which to compare the assays. Assays were performed on 436 consecutive patients who were referred with symptoms that suggested a first episode of DVT.