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Background The World Health Organization recommends GeneXpert MTB/RIF Ultra (Xpert Ultra), a fully automated polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay, as the initial tuberculous meningitis (TBM) diagnostic test. The assay’s PCR cycle threshold (Ct) values represent the number of PCR cycles required for probe signal to be detected (low Ct value = high bacillary load) and may approximate tuberculosis (TB) bacillary load. We measured the relationship between cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) TB bacillary load with mortality. Methods We prospectively enrolled 102 human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)–positive Ugandans with probable or definite TBM from April 2015 to August 2019. Xpert Ultra Ct tertiles and semi-quantitative categories were separately analyzed as predictors of 2-week mortality. We investigated associations between Ct and baseline clinical and CSF parameters. Results Subjects with Ct values in the low tertile (ie, high bacillary load) had 57% 2-week mortality—worse than the intermediate (17%) and high (25%) Ct tertiles and Xpert Ultra–negative (30%) probable TBM cases (P = .01). In contrast, the reported semi-quantitative Xpert Ultra categorization was less precise; with the medium to low category trending toward worse 2-week survival (42%) compared with very low (28%), trace (26%), and negative (30%) categories (P = .48). Ct tertile was significantly associated with baseline CSF lactate (P = .03). Conclusions High CSF TB bacillary load, as measured by Xpert Ultra Ct tertile, is associated with an almost 2-fold higher 2-week mortality in HIV-associated TBM and is a better predictor than the reported Xpert Ultra semi-quantitative category. Xpert Ultra Ct values could identify TBM patients at increased risk of death who may benefit from enhanced supportive care., High cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) tuberculosis bacillary load, as measured by GeneXpert Ultra cycle threshold tertile, is associated with an almost 2-fold higher 2-week mortality in HIV-associated tuberculosis meningitis and may be a better predictor of outcome than the reported Xpert Ultra semi-quantitative category.

Background High-dose rifampicin may improve outcomes of tuberculous meningitis (TBM). Little safety or pharmacokinetic (PK) data exist on high-dose rifampicin in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) coinfection, and no cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) PK data exist from Africa. We hypothesized that high-dose rifampicin would increase serum and CSF concentrations without excess toxicity. Methods In this phase II open-label trial, Ugandan adults with suspected TBM were randomized to standard-of-care control (PO-10, rifampicin 10 mg/kg/day), intravenous rifampicin (IV-20, 20 mg/kg/day), or high-dose oral rifampicin (PO-35, 35 mg/kg/day). We performed PK sampling on days 2 and 14. The primary outcomes were total exposure (AUC0–24), maximum concentration (Cmax), CSF concentration, and grade 3–5 adverse events. Results We enrolled 61 adults, 92% were living with HIV, median CD4 count was 50 cells/µL (interquartile range [IQR] 46–56). On day 2, geometric mean plasma AUC0–24hr was 42.9·h mg/L with standard-of-care 10 mg/kg dosing, 249·h mg/L for IV-20 and 327·h mg/L for PO-35 (P, Rifampicin is undetectable in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of the majority of tuberculosis meningitis patients at standard dosing. Highdose rifampicin administered intravenously 20 mg/kg and orally 35 mg/kg resulted in therapeutic CSF rifampicin concentrations with no excess toxicity in a population consisting predominantly of people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

There is an increasing recognition of patients presenting with cryptococcal meningitis despite having a negative CSF cryptococcal antigen (CrAg). In this report, we describe three cases of patients with advanced immunosuppression who presented to hospital with “false negative” CSF cryptococcal antigen, two of whom had a positive fungal culture. We describe the challenge of CSF-CrAg negative cryptococcal meningitis and explore ways to overcome this challenge using newer diagnostic techniques.

Summary Introduction Tuberculous meningitis accounts for 1–5% of tuberculosis cases. Diagnostic delay contributes to poor outcomes. We evaluated the performance of the new Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra (Xpert Ultra) for tuberculous meningitis diagnosis. Methods In this prospective validation study, we tested the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of adults presenting with suspected meningitis (ie, headache or altered mental status with clinical signs of meningism) to the Mulago National Referral Hospital and Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital in Uganda. We centrifuged the CSF, resuspended the cell pellet in 2 mL CSF, and tested 0·5 mL aliquots with Xpert Ultra, Xpert MTB/RIF (Xpert), and mycobacterial growth indicator tube (MGIT) culture. We quantified diagnostic performance against the uniform case definition of probable or definite tuberculous meningitis and a composite microbiological reference standard. Findings From Nov 25, 2016, to Jan 24, 2019, we screened 466 adults with suspected meningitis and tested 204 for tuberculous meningitis. Uniform clinical case definition classified 51 participants as having probable or definite tuberculous meningitis. Against this uniform case definition, Xpert Ultra had 76·5% sensitivity (95% CI 62·5–87·2; 39 of 51 patients) and a negative predictive value of 92·7% (87·6–96·2; 153 of 165), compared with 55·6% sensitivity (44·0–70·4; 25 of 45; p=0·0010) and a negative predictive value of 85·8% (78·9–91·1; 121 of 141) for Xpert and 61·4% sensitivity (45·5–75·6; 27 of 44; p=0·020) and negative predictive value of 85·2% (77·4–91·1; 98 of 115) for MGIT culture. Against the composite microbiological reference standard, Xpert Ultra had sensitivity of 92·9% (80·5–98·5; 39 of 42), higher than Xpert at 65·8% (48·6–80·4; 25 of 38; p=0·0063) and MGIT culture at 72·2% (55·9–86·2; 27 of 37; p=0·092). Xpert Ultra detected nine tuberculous meningitis cases missed by Xpert and MGIT culture. Interpretation Xpert Ultra detected tuberculous meningitis with higher sensitivity than Xpert and MGIT culture in this HIV-positive population. However, with a negative predictive value of 93%, Xpert Ultra cannot be used as a rule-out test. Clinical judgment and novel highly sensitive point-of-care tests are still required. Funding Wellcome Trust, National Institute of Health, National Institute of Neurologic Diseases and Stroke, Fogarty International Center, and National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

Background: Asymptomatic Cryptococcal Antigenemia (CrAg) patients develop meningitis within a month of testing positive. Pre-emptive antifungal therapy can prevent progression to Cryptococcal meningitis(CM). In April 2016, a national CrAg screening program was initiated in 206 high-volume health facilities that provide antiretroviral therapy in Uganda. We report the evaluation of the CrAg screening cascade focusing on linkage to care, fluconazole therapy for 10 weeks, and ART initiation in a subset of facilities.Methods: We conducted a retrospective, cross-sectional survey of patients with CD4Results:We evaluated 359 patient records; the majority (358/359, 99.7%) were from government owned health facilities and just over half (193/359, 53.8%) had a median baseline CD4 cell count of Conclusion:There was a critical gap in the follow-up of patients after initiation on fluconazole therapy. ART had been initiated in almost 40% of patients prior to CrAg screening, which predisposes them to unmasking Cryptococcal IRIS. Higher antigenemia patients presenting with CNS symptoms could be related to late presentation. There is need to address these gaps after a more thorough evaluation.

Objectives Tuberculous meningitis(TBM) is a common cause of meningitis in sub-Saharan Africa. CSF PCR with GeneXpert RIF/MTB Ultra is only 70% sensitive for detection of definite/probable TBM. Many infections can mimic TBM. Metagenomic next generation sequencing(mNGS) can detect the whole diversity of infectious microbes, but can be insensitive to TB in CSF. We assessed whether leveraging CSF mNGS to identify infections combined with a machine learning classifier(MLC), based on host transcriptomic data generated by mNGS, could enhance diagnostic accuracy for TBM. Methods Prospectively enrolled 347 HIV-infected Ugandan adults with subacute meningitis: RNA/DNA libraries were made from CSF and deep sequenced. Non-human sequences were interrogated to identify pathogens. A host transcriptomic MLC was developed from human RNA transcripts using 70 cases. The MLC and mNGS reporting thresholds were then tested on 108 blinded cases within the cohort. Results mNGS was 75% concordant(27/36) for detecting TB in definite TBM cases and 59% concordant(30/51) in definite/probable TBM combined. 3 TB and 3 non-TB pathogens were detected in the probable TBM group. In the possible TBM/indeterminant groups, mNGS identified 3 cases of TBM and 17 other pathogens. The combined mNGS and host-MLC displayed 83.3%(5/6) sensitivity, 86.8%(59/68) specificity, with an area under the ROC curve of 0.83(p=0.009). Conclusion mNGS identified an array of infectious TBM mimics, including many treatable and vaccine preventable pathogens. mNGS was 75% concordant with definite TBM. We further enhanced the sensitivity of the CSF mNGS assay by developing the first CSF-based host MLC to discriminate between TBM and its mimics

Cryptococcal meningitis is a leading cause of meningitis in sub-Saharan Africa. Given the need for rapid point-of-care testing, we evaluated the diagnostic performance of the Dynamiker cryptococcal antigen (CrAg) lateral flow assay (LFA). We assessed the diagnostic performance of the Dynamiker CrAg LFA compared to the IMMY CrAg LFA as the reference standard. We tested 150 serum, 115 plasma, and 100 cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples from HIV patients with symptomatic meningitis and 113 serum samples from patients with suspected asymptomatic cryptococcal antigenemia. Compared to the IMMY CrAg LFA, sensitivity of Dynamiker CrAg LFA was 98% in serum, 100% in plasma, 100% in CSF from symptomatic patients and 96% in serum from asymptomatic patients. Specificity was 66% in serum, 61% in plasma, and 91% in CSF from symptomatic patients, and 86% in serum from asymptomatic patients. The positive predictive value was 85% in serum, 82% in plasma, and 96% in CSF from symptomatic patients, and 69% in serum from asymptomatic patients. The negative predictive value was 94% in serum, 100% in plasma, and 100% in CSF from symptomatic patients, and 99% in serum from asymptomatic patients. The interassay reproducibility was 100% across the four sample types with no observed discordant results when Dynamiker CrAg LFA was tested in duplicate. However, a high number of false positives were observed on serum of symptomatic patients (11%), serum of asymptomatic patients (11%) and plasma of symptomatic patients (14%). The Dynamiker CrAg LFA had excellent sensitivity but poor specificity, particularly when tested on serum and plasma.

There are no current descriptions of general anaesthesia characteristics for obstetric surgery, despite recent changes to patient baseline characteristics and airway management guidelines. This analysis of data from the direct reporting of awareness in maternity patients' (DREAMY) study of accidental awareness during obstetric anaesthesia aimed to describe practice for obstetric general anaesthesia in England and compare with earlier surveys and best-practice recommendations. Consenting patients who received general anaesthesia for obstetric surgery in 72 hospitals from May 2017 to August 2018 were included. Baseline characteristics, airway management, anaesthetic techniques and major complications were collected. Descriptive analysis, binary logistic regression modelling and comparisons with earlier data were conducted. Data were collected from 3117 procedures, including 2554 (81.9%) caesarean deliveries. Thiopental was the induction drug in 1649 (52.9%) patients, compared with propofol in 1419 (45.5%). Suxamethonium was the neuromuscular blocking drug for tracheal intubation in 2631 (86.1%), compared with rocuronium in 367 (11.8%). Difficult tracheal intubation was reported in 1 in 19 (95%CI 1 in 16-22) and failed intubation in 1 in 312 (95%CI 1 in 169-667). Obese patients were over-represented compared with national baselines and associated with difficult, but not failed intubation. There was more evidence of change in practice for induction drugs (increased use of propofol) than neuromuscular blocking drugs (suxamethonium remains the most popular). There was evidence of improvement in practice, with increased monitoring and reversal of neuromuscular blockade (although this remains suboptimal). Despite a high risk of difficult intubation in this population, videolaryngoscopy was rarely used (1.9%).

As part of the END TB strategy, the World Health organization (WHO) recommends provision of tuberculosis preventive therapy (TPT) to all people at high risk of developing active TB disease. Patients with HIV-associated cryptococcal meningitis are severely immunocompromised and therefore should be eligible for TPT. In this commentary we discuss the challenges associated with starting tuberculosis preventive therapy in patients with HIV associated cryptococcal meningitis in a clinical setting, we highlight the benefit, existing gaps and research opportunities of tuberculosis preventive therapy in this patient population.

Background There is substantial variation in the reported treatment outcomes for adult tuberculous meningitis (TBM). Data on survival and neurological disability by continent and HIV serostatus are scarce. Methods We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to characterize treatment outcomes for adult TBM. Following a systematic literature search (MEDLINE and EMBASE), studies underwent duplicate screening by independent reviewers in two stages to assess eligibility for inclusion. Two independent reviewers extracted data from included studies. We employed a random effects model for all meta-analyses. We evaluated heterogeneity by the I2 statistic. Results We assessed 2,197 records for eligibility; 39 primary research articles met our inclusion criteria reporting on treatment outcomes for 5,752 adults with TBM. The commonest reported outcome measure was six-month mortality. Pooled six-month mortality was 24% and showed significant heterogeneity (I2 >95%; p50%. Conclusions Mortality in adult TBM is high and varies considerably by continent and HIV-status. The highest mortality is amongst HIV-positive adults in sub-Saharan Africa. Standardized reporting of treatment outcomes will be essential to improve future data quality and increase potential for data sharing, meta-analyses, and facilitating multi-center tuberculosis research to improve outcomes.

Cryptococcal antigen (CrAg) screening in HIV-infected persons with CD4

Background Diagnosis of extrapulmonary tuberculosis (TB) remains challenging. We sought to determine the prevalence of disseminated TB by testing urine with TB-lipoarabinomannan (TB-LAM) lateral flow assay and Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra (Ultra) in hospitalized adults. Methods We prospectively enrolled human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive adults with suspected meningitis in Uganda during 2018–2020. Participants underwent standardized urine-based TB screening. Urine (60 mcL) was tested with TB-LAM (Alere), and remaining urine was centrifuged with the cell pellet resuspended in 2 mL of urine for Xpert Ultra testing. Results We enrolled 348 HIV-positive inpatients with median CD4 of 37 cells/mcL (interquartile range, 13–102 cells/mcL). Overall, 26% (90 of 348; 95% confidence interval [CI], 21%–30%) had evidence of disseminated TB by either urine assay. Of 243 participants with both urine TB-LAM and Ultra results, 20% (48 of 243) were TB-LAM-positive, 12% (29 of 243) were Ultra-positive, and 6% (14 of 243) were positive by both assays. In definite and probable TB meningitis, 37% (14 of 38) were TB-LAM-positive and 41% (15 of 37) were Ultra-positive. In cryptococcal meningitis, 22% (40 of 183) were TB-LAM-positive and 4.4% (6 of 135) were Ultra-positive. Mortality trended higher in those with evidence of disseminated TB by either assay (odds ratio = 1.44; 95% CI, 0.83–2.49; P = .19) and was 6-fold higher in those with definite TB meningitis who were urine Ultra-positive (odds ratio = 5.67; 95% CI, 1.13–28.5; P = .04). Conclusions In hospitalized Ugandans with advanced HIV disease and suspected meningitis, systematic screening with urine TB-LAM and Ultra found a high prevalence of urine TB test positivity (26%). In those with TB meningitis, urine tests were positive in over one third. There was little concordance between Ultra and TB-LAM, which warrants further investigation.

Tuberculosis (TB) and cryptococcal meningitis are leading causes of morbidity and mortality in advanced HIV disease. Data are limited on TB co-infection among individuals with cryptococcal meningitis. We performed a retrospective analysis of HIV-infected participants with cryptococcal meningitis from 2010&ndash, 2017. Baseline demographics were compared between three groups: &lsquo, prevalent TB&rsquo, if TB treated &gt, 14 days prior to cryptococcal meningitis diagnosis, &lsquo, concurrent TB&rsquo, if TB treated &plusmn, 14 days from diagnosis, or &lsquo, No TB at baseline&rsquo, We used time-updated proportional-hazards regression models to assess TB diagnosis as a risk for death. Of 870 participants with cryptococcal meningitis, 50 (6%) had prevalent TB, 67 (8%) had concurrent TB, and 753 (86%) had no baseline TB. Among participants without baseline TB, 67 (9%) were diagnosed with incident TB (after &gt, 14 days), with a median time to TB incidence of 41 days (IQR, 22&ndash, 69). The 18-week mortality was 50% (25/50) in prevalent TB, 46% (31/67) in concurrent TB, and 45% (341/753) in the no TB group (p = 0.81). However, TB co-infection was associated with an increased hazard of death (HR = 1.75, 95% CI, 1.33&ndash, 2.32, p &lt, 0.001) in a time-updated model. TB is commonly diagnosed in cryptococcal meningitis, and the increased mortality associated with co-infection is a public health concern.

The novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, has spread across the world within months of its first description in Wuhan, China in December 2019, resulting in an unprecedented global health emergency. Whilst Europe and North America are the current epicentres of infection, the global health community are preparing for the potential effects of this new disease on the African continent. Modelling studies predict that factors such as youthful and rural population may be protective in mitigating the spread of COVID-19 in the World Health Organisation (WHO) African Region, however, with 220 million infections and 4.6 million hospitalisations predicted in the first year of the pandemic alone, fragile health systems could still be placed under significant strain. Furthermore, subsequent disruptions to the provision of services for people living with HIV, or at risk of acquiring HIV, are predicted to lead to an extra 500,000 adult HIV deaths and a 2-fold increase in mother to child transmission of HIV in sub-Saharan Africa in 2020-2021. Ignoring these predictions may have severe consequences and we risk “stepping back in time” in AIDS-related deaths to numbers seen over a decade ago. Reflecting on our current experience of the COVID-19 pandemic in Uganda, we explore the potential impact of public health measures implemented to mitigate spread of COVID-19 on the HIV care continuum, and suggest areas of focus for HIV services, policy makers and governments to urgently address in order to minimise the collateral damage.

Over the last decade excellent progress has been made globally in HIV management thanks to antiretroviral therapy (ART) rollout and international guidelines now recommending immediate initiation of ART in people living with HIV. Despite this, advanced HIV disease (CD4 less than 200 cells/mL) and opportunistic infections remain a persistent challenge and contribute significantly to HIV-associated mortality, which equates to 23,000 deaths in Uganda in 2018 alone. Our Meningitis Research Team based in Uganda is committed to conducting clinical trials to answer important questions regarding diagnostics and management of HIV-associated opportunistic infections, including tuberculosis and cryptococcal meningitis. However, clinical research is impossible without research participants and results are meaningless unless they are translated into benefits for those affected by the disease. Therefore, we held a series of community engagement events with the aims of 1) giving research participants a voice to share their experiences of clinical research and messages of hope around advanced HIV disease with the community, 2) dispelling myths and stigma around HIV, and 3) raising awareness about the complications of advanced HIV disease and local clinical research and recent scientific advances. The purpose of this Open Letter is to describe our community engagement experience in Uganda, where we aimed to give clinical research participants a greater voice to share their experiences. These activities build upon decades of work in HIV community engagement and lays a platform for future research and engagement activities.

In 2016, 10.4 million cases of tuberculosis (TB) were reported globally. Malaria also continues to be a global public health threat. Due to marked epidemiological overlap in the global burden of TB and malaria, co-infection does occur. An HIV-infected, 32-year-old male presented with a two-week history of headache with fevers to Mulago National Referral Hospital, Uganda. Five months prior, he was diagnosed with pulmonary TB. He endorsed poor adherence to anti-tuberculous medications. Mycobacterium tuberculosis in CSF was confirmed on Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra. On day 2, he was initiated on dexamethasone at 0.4mg/kg/day and induction TB-medications were re-commenced (rifampicin, isoniazid, ethambutol, pyrazinamide) for TBM. He continued to spike high-grade fevers, a peripheral blood smear showed P. falciparum parasites despite a negative malaria rapid diagnostic test (RDT). He received three doses of IV artesunate and then completed 3 days of oral artemether/lumefantrine. To our knowledge this is the first published case of HIV-TBM-malaria co-infection. TBM/malaria co-infection poses a number of management challenges. Due to potential overlap in symptoms between TBM and malaria, it is important to remain vigilant for co-infection. Access to accurate parasitological diagnostics is essential, as RDT use continues to expand, it is essential that clinicians are aware of the potential for false negative results. Anti-malarial therapeutic options are limited due to important drug-drug interactions (DDIs). Rifampicin is a potent enzyme inducer of several hepatic cytochrome P450 enzymes, this induction results in reduced plasma concentrations of several anti-malarial medications. Despite recognition of potential DDIs between rifampicin and artemisinin compounds, and rifampicin and quinine, no treatment guidelines currently exist for managing patients with co-infection. There is both an urgent need for the development of new anti-malarial drugs which do not interact with rifampicin and for pharmacokinetic studies to guide dose modification of existing anti-malarial drugs to inform clinical practice guidelines.

Introduction: Tuberculous meningitis accounts for 1-5% of tuberculosis (TB) cases. Diagnostic delay contributes to poor outcomes. We evaluated the performance of the new Xpert MTB/Rif Ultra (Ultra) for TB meningitis diagnosis. Methods: In a prospective diagnostic accuracy study, we tested the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of adults presenting with sub-acute meningitis to Mulago and Mbarara Hospitals, Uganda. We centrifuged the CSF, resuspended the cell pellet in 2mL CSF and tested 0.5ml aliquots with Ultra, Xpert, and mycobacterial growth indicator tube (MGIT) culture. We quantified diagnostic performance against 1) the uniform case definition of probable or definite TB meningitis and 2) a composite microbiological reference standard. Findings: From November 2016 to January 2019, we screened 466 adults with suspected meningitis and tested 204 for TB meningitis. Uniform clinical case definition classified 51 participants as probable/definite TB meningitis. Against this uniform case definition, Ultra had 76% sensitivity (39/51) compared with Xpert 56% (25/45; P=0·001) or culture 61% (27/44; P=0·02). Against the composite reference standard, Ultra had sensitivity of 93% (39/42), higher than Xpert at 66% (25/38; p=0·006) or culture at 72% (27/37; p=0·09). Ultra detected nine TB meningitis cases missed by Xpert and culture. In multivariate analysis, decreasing CSF glucose was a predictor of definite TB meningitis (P=0.001). Interpretation: Ultra detects TB meningitis with higher sensitivity than Xpert and culture in this HIV-positive population. However, with a negative predictive value of 93% Ultra cannot be used as a 'rule out' test. Clinical judgement and novel highly sensitive point of care tests are still required. Funding Statement: This research was made possible through support from the National Institute of Neurologic Disorders and Stroke (R01NS086312), the Fogarty International Center (K01TW010268, K43TW010718), and National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (T32AI055433). Declaration of Interests: FVC is supported through a Wellcome Trust Clinical PhD Fellowship (Grant no. 210772/Z/18/Z). FVC is an honorary fellow of the Makerere University – Uganda Virus Research Institute Centre of Excellence for Infection and Immunity Research and Training (MUII-plus). MUII-plus is supported through the DELTAS Africa Initiative (Grant no. 107743). The DELTAS Africa Initiative is an independent funding scheme of the African Academy of Sciences (AAS), Alliance for Accelerating Excellence in Science in Africa (AESA) and supported by the New Partnership for Africa's Development Planning and Coordinating Agency (NEPAD Agency) with funding from the Wellcome Trust (Grant no. 107743) and the UK Government. The MRC/UVRI and LSHTM Uganda Research Unit is jointly funded by the UK Medical Research Council (MRC) and the UK Department for International Development (DFID) under the MRC/DFID Concordat agreement and is also part of the EDCTP2 programme supported by the European Union. All other authors have nothing to disclose. Ethics Approval Statement: Institutional review board and Uganda National Council of Science and Technology approvals were obtained and informed consent was obtained from participants or their surrogate (in patients with altered mental status). The study was conducted in line with the Standards for Reporting Diagnostic Accuracy Studies.

Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) of the surface tubercles of a specialized mechanoreceptor found within the head of Elaphe obsoleta lindheimeri indicates that the tubercle consists of a craterlike structure with a peg emerging from its center. After removal of the outer keratinized layers of the epidermis, the SEM discloses a replicate tubercle on the underlying alpha keratin layer. Over 6000 tubercles were found within a single snake. The mechanoreceptors were more densely concentrated on anterior scales, and their number appears to be species specific so that they are more concentrated in snakes with smaller heads than in those with larger ones.

Many abstracts of diagnostic accuracy studies are currently insufficiently informative. We extended the STARD (Standards for Reporting Diagnostic Accuracy) statement by developing a list of essential items that authors should consider when reporting diagnostic accuracy studies in journal or conference abstracts. After a literature review of published guidance for reporting biomedical studies, we identified 39 items potentially relevant to report in an abstract. We then selected essential items through a two round web based survey among the 85 members of the STARD Group, followed by discussions within an executive committee. Seventy three STARD Group members responded (86%), with 100% completion rate. STARD for Abstracts is a list of 11 quintessential items, to be reported in every abstract of a diagnostic accuracy study. We provide examples of complete reporting, and developed template text for writing informative abstracts.

Table of contents P001 - Sepsis impairs the capillary response within hypoxic capillaries and decreases erythrocyte oxygen-dependent ATP efflux R. M. Bateman, M. D. Sharpe, J. E. Jagger, C. G. Ellis P002 - Lower serum immunoglobulin G2 level does not predispose to severe flu. J. Solé-Violán, M. López-Rodríguez, E. Herrera-Ramos, J. Ruíz-Hernández, L. Borderías, J. Horcajada, N. González-Quevedo, O. Rajas, M. Briones, F. Rodríguez de Castro, C. Rodríguez Gallego P003 - Brain protective effects of intravenous immunoglobulin through inhibition of complement activation and apoptosis in a rat model of sepsis F. Esen, G. Orhun, P. Ergin Ozcan, E. Senturk, C. Ugur Yilmaz, N. Orhan, N. Arican, M. Kaya, M. Kucukerden, M. Giris, U. Akcan, S. Bilgic Gazioglu, E. Tuzun P004 - Adenosine a1 receptor dysfunction is associated with leukopenia: A possible mechanism for sepsis-induced leukopenia R. Riff, O. Naamani, A. Douvdevani P005 - Analysis of neutrophil by hyper spectral imaging - A preliminary report R. Takegawa, H. Yoshida, T. Hirose, N. Yamamoto, H. Hagiya, M. Ojima, Y. Akeda, O. Tasaki, K. Tomono, T. Shimazu P006 - Chemiluminescent intensity assessed by eaa predicts the incidence of postoperative infectious complications following gastrointestinal surgery S. Ono, T. Kubo, S. Suda, T. Ueno, T. Ikeda P007 - Serial change of c1 inhibitor in patients with sepsis – A prospective observational study T. Hirose, H. Ogura, H. Takahashi, M. Ojima, J. Kang, Y. Nakamura, T. Kojima, T. Shimazu P008 - Comparison of bacteremia and sepsis on sepsis related biomarkers T. Ikeda, S. Suda, Y. Izutani, T. Ueno, S. Ono P009 - The changes of procalcitonin levels in critical patients with abdominal septic shock during blood purification T. Taniguchi, M. O P010 - Validation of a new sensitive point of care device for rapid measurement of procalcitonin C. Dinter, J. Lotz, B. Eilers, C. Wissmann, R. Lott P011 - Infection biomarkers in primary care patients with acute respiratory tract infections – Comparison of procalcitonin and C-reactive protein M. M. Meili, P. S. Schuetz P012 - Do we need a lower procalcitonin cut off? H. Hawa, M. Sharshir, M. Aburageila, N. Salahuddin P013 - The predictive role of C-reactive protein and procalcitonin biomarkers in central nervous system infections with extensively drug resistant bacteria V. Chantziara, S. Georgiou, A. Tsimogianni, P. Alexandropoulos, A. Vassi, F. Lagiou, M. Valta, G. Micha, E. Chinou, G. Michaloudis P014 - Changes in endotoxin activity assay and procalcitonin levels after direct hemoperfusion with polymyxin-b immobilized fiber A. Kodaira, T. Ikeda, S. Ono, T. Ueno, S. Suda, Y. Izutani, H. Imaizumi P015 - Diagnostic usefullness of combination biomarkers on ICU admission M. V. De la Torre-Prados, A. Garcia-De la Torre, A. Enguix-Armada, A. Puerto-Morlan, V. Perez-Valero, A. Garcia-Alcantara P016 - Platelet function analysis utilising the PFA-100 does not predict infection, bacteraemia, sepsis or outcome in critically ill patients N. Bolton, J. Dudziak, S. Bonney, A. Tridente, P. Nee P017 - Extracellular histone H3 levels are inversely correlated with antithrombin levels and platelet counts and are associated with mortality in sepsis patients G. Nicolaes, M. Wiewel, M. Schultz, K. Wildhagen, J. Horn, R. Schrijver, T. Van der Poll, C. Reutelingsperger P018 - Il-8: is this a more reliable biomarker for sepsis severity than CRP, Procalcitonin, E-selectin, IL-6 and TNF-[alpha] S. Pillai, G. Davies, G. Mills, R. Aubrey, K. Morris, P. Williams, P. Evans P019 - Relation between adrenomedullin and short-term outcome in ICU patients: Results from the frog ICU study E. G. Gayat, J. Struck, A. Cariou, N. Deye, B. Guidet, S. Jabert, J. Launay, M. Legrand, M. Léone, M. Resche-Rigon, E. Vicaut, A. Vieillard-Baron, A. Mebazaa P020 - Impact of disease severity assessment on performance of heparin-binding protein for the prediction of septic shock R. Arnold, M. Capan, A. Linder, P. Akesson P021 - Kinetics and prognostic value of presepsin (sCD14) in septic patients. A pilot study M. Popescu, D. Tomescu P022 - Comparison of CD64 levels performed by the facs and accellix systems C. L. Sprung, R. Calderon Morales, G. Munteanu, E. Orenbuch-Harroch, P. Levin, H. Kasdan, A. Reiter, T. Volker, Y. Himmel, Y. Cohen, J. Meissonnier P023 - Diagnosing sepsis in 5 minutes: Nanofluidic technology study with pancreatic-stone protein (PSP/ reg) L. Girard, F. Rebeaud P024 - How nanotechnology-based approaches could contribute to sepsis prevention, diagnosis and treatment I. Herrmann P025 - Il7r transcriptional expression analysis during septic shock B. Delwarde, E. Peronnet, E. Cerrato, F. Venet, A. Lepape, T. Rimmelé, G. Monneret, J. Textoris P026 - Disbalance of microbial metabolites of aromatic acids affects the severity in critically ill patients N. Beloborodova, V. Moroz, A. Osipov, A. Bedova, Y. Sarshor, A. Pautova, A. Sergeev, E. Chernevskaya P027 - Copeptin predicts 10-year all-cause mortality in community patients J. Odermatt, R. Bolliger, L. Hersberger, M. Ottiger, M. Christ-Crain, B. Mueller, P. Schuetz P028 - Identification of differential proteomic response in septic patients secondary to community and hospital acquired pneumonia N. K. Sharma, A. K. Tashima, M. K. Brunialti, F. R. Machado, M. Assuncao, O. Rigato, R. Salomao P029 - Monocyte HLA-DR expression in community-acquired bacteremic sepsis - dynamics associated to aetiology and prediction of secondary sepsis S. C. Cajander, G. Rasmussen, E. Tina, B. Söderquist, J. Källman, K. Strålin P030 - Soluble B- and T-lymphocyte attenuator: A possible prognostic marker in sepsis A. L. Lange, J. S. Sundén-Cullberg, A. M. Magnuson, O. H. Hultgren P031 - Fractal dimension: A new biomarker for quantifying clot microstructure in patients across the sepsis spectrum G. Davies, S. Pillai, G. Mills, R. Aubrey, K. Morris, P. Williams, P. Evans P032 - Comparison between the new biomarker for coagulation, clot microstructure (Df) with rotational thromboelastometry (ROTEM) in patients across the sepsis spectrum S. Pillai, G. Davies, G. Mills, R. Aubrey, K. Morris, P. Williams, P. Evans P033 - Changes in fibrinolysis across the sepsis spectrum: The use of rotational thromboelastometry (ROTEM) lysis index (LI60) and D-Dimer concentration S. Pillai, G. Davies, G. Mills, R. Aubrey, K. Morris, P. Williams, P. Evans P034 - The intensive care infection score – a promising marker for the prediction of infection and its severity. P. Van der Geest, M. Mohseni, J. Linssen, R. De Jonge, S. Duran, J. Groeneveld P035 - Challenges in the clinical diagnosis of sepsis R. Miller III, B. K. Lopansri, L. C. McHugh, A. Seldon, J. P. Burke P036 - Does zero heat flux thermometry more accurately identify sepsis on intensive care? J. Johnston, R. Reece-Anthony, A. Bond, A. Molokhia P037 - Advancing quality (AQ) sepsis programme: Improving early identification & treatment of sepsis in North West England. C. Mcgrath, E. Nsutebu P038 - Prehospital transport of acute septic patients P. Bank Pedersen, D. Pilsgaard Henriksen, S. Mikkelsen, A. Touborg Lassen P039 - Vasodilatory plant extracts gel as an alternative treatment for fever in critically ill patients R. Tincu, C. Cobilinschi, D. Tomescu, Z. Ghiorghiu, R. Macovei P040 - Host response and outcome of hypothermic sepsis M. A. Wiewel, M. B. Harmon, L. A. Van Vught, B. P. Scicluna, A. J. Hoogendijk, J. Horn, A. H. Zwinderman, O. L. Cremer, M. J. Bonten, M. J. Schultz, T. Van der Poll, N. P. Juffermans, W. J. Wiersinga P041 - Septic shock alert over SIRS criteria has an impact on outcome but needs to be revised G. Eren, Y Tekdos, M. Dogan, O. Acicbe, E. Kaya, O. Hergunsel P042 - Association between previous prescription of βblockers and mortality rate among septic patients: A retrospective observational study S. Alsolamy, G. Ghamdi, L. Alswaidan, S. Alharbi, F. Alenezi, Y. Arabi P043 - Recognition and treatment of sepsis on labour ward– teaching & information resources can improve knowledge J. Heaton, A. Boyce, L. Nolan, J. Johnston, A. Dukoff-Gordon, A. Dean, A. Molokhia P044 - Culture negative sepsis in the ICU – what is unique to this patient population? T. Mann Ben Yehudah P045 - Organ dysfunction in severe sepsis patients identified in administrative data in Germany, 2007-2013 C. Fleischmann, D. Thomas-Rueddel, C. Haas, U. Dennler, K. Reinhart P046 - A comparison of residents’ knowledge regarding; the Surviving Sepsis Campaign 2012 guideline O. Suntornlohanakul, B. Khwannimit P047 - Effectiveness of a septic shock bundle to improve outcomes in the ICU F. Breckenridge, A. Puxty P048 - Dose of norepinephrine in the first 24 hours as a parameter evaluating the effectiveness of treatment in patients with severe sepsis and septic shock P. Szturz, P. Folwarzcny, J. Svancara, R. Kula, P. Sevcik P049 - Norepinephrine or vasopressin + norepinephrine in septic shock. A retrospective series of 39 patients L. Caneva, A. Casazza, E. Bellazzi, S. Marra, L. Pagani, M. Vetere, R. Vanzino, D. Ciprandi, R. Preda, R. Boschi, L. Carnevale P050 - Methylene blue effectiveness as contributory treatment in patients with septic shock V. Lopez, M. Aguilar Arzapalo, L. Barradas, A. Escalante, J. Gongora, M. Cetina P051 - Coagulation disorders in patients with severe sepsis and DIC evaluated with thromboelastometry. B Adamik, D Jakubczyk, A Kübler P052 - Frequency and outcome of early sepsis-associated coagulopathy A. Radford, T. Lee, J. Singer, J. Boyd, D. Fineberg, M. Williams, J. Russell P053 - Assessment of coagulopathy in cancer patients with severe sepsis or septic shock. A case-control pilot study E. Scarlatescu, D. Tomescu, G. Droc, S. Arama P054 - Thromboelastometry in critically ill patients with disseminated intravascular coagulation M. Müller, M. Straat, S. S. Zeerleder, N. P. Juffermans P055 - Cessation of a preexisting chronic antiplatelet therapy is associated with increased mortality rates in severe sepsis and septic shock C. F. Fuchs, C. S. Scheer, S. W. Wauschkuhn, M. V. Vollmer, K. M. Meissner, S. K. Kuhn, K. H. Hahnenkamp, S. R. Rehberg, M. G. Gründling P056 - Neutrophil Extracellular Traps (NETs) production under hypoxic condition N. Yamamoto, M. Ojima, S. Hamaguchi, T. Hirose, Y. Akeda, R. Takegawa, O. Tasaki, T. Shimazu, K. Tomono P057 - Impact of ultraviolet air sterilizer in intensive care unit room, and clinical outcomes of patients E. Gómez-Sánchez, M. Heredia-Rodríguez, E. Álvarez-Fuente, M. Lorenzo-López, E. Gómez-Pesquera, M. Aragón-Camino, P. Liu-Zhu, A. Sánchez-López, A. Hernández-Lozano, M. T. Peláez-Jareño, E. Tamayo P058 - Focus of infection in severe sepsis - comparison of administrative data and prospective cohorts from Germany D. O. Thomas-Rüddel, C. Fleischmann, C. Haas, U. Dennler, K. Reinhart P059 - “Zero CLABSI” – can we get there? Obstacles on the 4 year journey and our strategies to overcome them – experience from an Indian ICU V. Adora, A. Kar, A. Chakraborty, S. Roy, A. Bandyopadhyay, M. Das P060 - Novel molecular techniques to identify central venous catheter (CVC) associated blood stream infections (BSIs) T. Mann Ben Yehudah, G. Ben Yehudah, M. Salim, N. Kumar, L. Arabi, T. Burger, P. Lephart, E. Toth-martin P061 - Zero clabsi” – can we get there? Obstacles on the 4 year journey and our strategies to overcome them – experience from an Indian ICU R. Rao, A. Kar, A. Chakraborty P062 - Prevention of central line-associated bloodstream infections in intensive care units: An international online survey C. Valencia, N. Hammami, S. Blot, J. L. Vincent, M. L. Lambert P063 - 30 days antimicrobial efficacy of non-leaching central venous catheters J. Brunke, T. Riemann, I. Roschke P064 - Efficacy of noble metal alloy-coated catheter in prevention of bacteriuria R. Tincu, C. Cobilinschi, D. Tomescu, Z. Ghiorghiu, R. Macovei P065 - Predicting bacteremic urinary tract infection in community setting: A prospective observational study S. Nimitvilai, K. Jintanapramote, S. Jarupongprapa P066 - Eight-year analysis of acinetobacter spp. monobacteremia in surgical and medical intensive care units at university hospital in Lithuania D. Adukauskiene, D. Valanciene P067 - Group A and group B streptococcal infections in intensive care unit – our experience in a tertiary centre G. Bose, V. Lostarakos, B. Carr P068 - Improved detection of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis by uritop + tm strip test and inoculation of blood culture bottles with ascitic fluid S. Khedher, A. Maaoui, A. Ezzamouri, M. Salem P069 - Increased risk of cellulitis in patients with congestive heart failure: a population based cohort study J. Chen P070 - Outcomes of severe cellulitis and necrotizing fasciitis in the critically ill D. R. Cranendonk, L. A. Van Vught, M. A. Wiewel, O. L. Cremer, J. Horn, M. J. Bonten, M. J. Schultz, T. Van der Poll, W. J. Wiersinga P071 - Botulism outbreak associated with people who inject drugs (PWIDs) in Scotland. M. Day, G. Penrice, K. Roy, P. Robertson, G. Godbole, B. Jones, M. Booth, L. Donaldson P072 - Surveillance of ESBL-producing enterobacteriaceae fecal carriers in the ICU Y. Kawano, H. Ishikura P073 - Prevalence of ESBL and carbapenemase producing uropathogens in a newly opened hospital in south India S. Sreevidya, N. Brahmananda Reddy, P. Muraray Govind, R. Pratheema, J. Devachandran Apollo Speciality Hospital - OMR, Chennai, India P074 - Prevalence, risk factors and outcomes of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus nasal colonization in critically ill patients H. Al-Dorzi, M. Almutairi, B. Alhamadi, A. Crizaldo Toledo, R. Khan, B. Al Raiy, Y. Arabi P075 - Multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii infection in intensive care unit patients in a hospital with building construction: Is there an association? H. Talaie P076 - Multidrug-resistant organisms in a Dutch ICU J. A. Van Oers, A. Harts, E. Nieuwkoop, P. Vos P077 - Epidemiology and risk factors of ICU acquired infections caused by multidrug-resistant gram negative bacilli Y. Boussarsar, F. Boutouta, S. Kamoun, I. Mezghani, S. Koubaji, A. Ben Souissi, A. Riahi, M. S. Mebazaa P078 - Improving outcomes of severe infections by multidrug-resistant pathogens with polyclonal IgM-enriched immunoglobulins E. Giamarellos-Bourboulis, N. Tziolos, C. Routsi, C. Katsenos, I. Tsangaris, I. Pneumatikos, G. Vlachogiannis, V. Theodorou, A. Prekates, E. Antypa, V. Koulouras, N. Kapravelos, C. Gogos, E. Antoniadou, K. Mandragos, A. Armaganidis P079 - Must change the medical practice in ICU? A. R. Robles Caballero, B. Civantos, J. C. Figueira, J. López P080 - Mediterranean spotted fever in an infectious diseases intensive care unit A. Silva-Pinto, F. Ceia, A. Sarmento, L. Santos P081 - Clinical features and outcomes of patients with Middle East respiratory syndrome requiring admission to a saudi intensive care unit: A retrospective analysis of 31 cases G. Almekhlafi, Y. Sakr P082 - The ICU response to a hospital outbreak of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus infection H. Al-Dorzi, R. Khan, S. Baharoon, A. Aldawood, A. Matroud, J. Alchin, S. Al Johani, H. Balkhy, Y. Arabi P083 - Middle East respiratory syndrome: Surveillance data analysis S. Alsolamy, S. Y. Yousif, B. O. Alotabi, A. S. Alsaawi P085 - Use of Taqman array card molecular diagnostics in severe pneumonia: A case series J. Ang, MD Curran, D. Enoch, V. Navapurkar, A. Conway Morris P086 - ‘BUNS’: An investigation protocol improves the ICU management of pneumonia R. Sharvill, J. Astin P087 - Pneumonia in patients following secondary peritonitis: epidemiological features and impact on mortality M. Heredia-Rodríguez, E. Gómez-Sánchez, M. T. Peláez-Jareño, E. Gómez-Pesquera, M. Lorenzo-López, P. Liu-Zhu, M. Aragón-Camino, A. Hernández-Lozano, A. Sánchez-López, E. Álvarez-Fuente, E. Tamayo P088 - The use of the “CURB-65 score” by emergency room clinicians in a large teaching hospital J. Patel, C. Kruger P089 - Incidence of community acquired pneumonia with viral infection in mechanically ventilated patients in the medical intensive care unit J. O’Neal, H. Rhodes, J. Jancik P090 - The SAATELLITE Study: Prevention of S aureus Nosocomial Pneumonia (NP) with MEDI4893, a Human Monoclonal Antibody (mAb) Against S aureus B. François, P. F. Laterre, P. Eggimann, A. Torres, M. Sánchez, P. F. Dequin, G. L. Bassi, J. Chastre, H. S. Jafri P091 - Risk factors and microbiological profile for nosocomial infections in trauma patients M. Ben Romdhane, Z. Douira, S. Kamoun, M. Bousselmi, A. Ben Souissi, Y. Boussarsar, A. Riahi, M.S. Mebazaa P092 - Correlation between percentages of ventilated patients developed vap and use of antimicrobial agents in ICU patients. A. Vakalos, V. Avramidis P093 - A comparison of two ventilator associated pneumonia surveillance techniques T. H. Craven, G. Wojcik, K. Kefala, J. McCoubrey, J. Reilly, R. Paterson, D. Inverarity, I. Laurenson, T. S. Walsh P094 - Lung ultrasound before and after fiberbronchoscopy - modifications may improve ventilator-associated pneumonia diagnosis S. Mongodi, B. Bouhemad, A. Orlando, A. Stella, G. Via, G. Iotti, A. Braschi, F. Mojoli P095 - Comparing the accuracy of predictors of mortality in ventilator-associated pneumonia M. Haliloglu, B. Bilgili, U. Kasapoglu, I. Sayan, M. Süzer Aslan, A. Yalcın, I. Cinel P096 - Impact of pRBCs transfusion on percentage of ventilated patients developed VAP in ICU patients A. Vakalos, V. Avramidis P097 - The impact of a series of interventions on the rate of ventilator associated pneumonia in a large teaching hospital H. E. Ellis, K. Bauchmuller, D. Miller, A Temple P098 - The EVADE study: Prevention of Nosocomial Pneumonia (NP) caused by P aeruginosa with MEDI3902, a Novel Bispecific Monoclonal Antibody, against P aeruginosa virulence factors J. Chastre, B. François, A. Torres, C. E. Luyt, M. Sánchez, M. Singer, H. S. Jafri P099 - Short-term inhaled colistin adjunctive therapy for ventilator-associated pneumonia Y. Nassar, M. S. Ayad P100 - Effect of aerosolised colistin on weaning from mechanical ventilation A. Trifi, S. Abdellatif, F. Daly, R. Nasri, S. Ben Lakhal P101 - Septic shock is an independent risk factor for colistin-induced severe acute kidney injury: a retrospective cohort study B. Bilgili, M. Haliloglu, F. Gul, I. Cinel P102 - Nosocomial pneumonia - emphasis on inhaled tobramycin A. Kuzovlev, A. Shabanov, S. Polovnikov, V. Moroz P103 - In vitro evaluation of amikacin inhale and commercial nebulizers in a mechanical ventilator N. Kadrichu, T. Dang, K. Corkery, P. Challoner P104 - The effects of nebulized amikacin/fosfomycin and systemic meropenem on severe amikacin-resistant meropenem-susceptible P.aeruginosa pneumonia G. Li Bassi, E. Aguilera, C. Chiurazzi, C. Travierso, A. Motos, L. Fernandez, R. Amaro, T. Senussi, F. Idone, J. Bobi, M. Rigol, A. Torres P105 - Optimization of gentamicin peak concentrations in critically ill patients C. J. Hodiamont, N. P. Juffermans, J. M. Janssen, C. S. Bouman, R. A. Mathôt, M. D. De Jong, R. M. Van Hest P106 - Systematic review of cefepime induced neurotoxicity L. Payne, G. L. Fraser P107 - Unasyn® causes QT prolongation during treatment of intensive care patients B. Tudor, M. Lahner, G. Roth, C. Krenn P108 - Comparative study between teicoplanin and vancomycin in methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (mrsa) infectious of toxicological intensive care unit (ticu) patients – Tehran, Iran H. Talaie P109 - Phage therapy against antimicrobial resistance, design of the first clinical study phagoburn P. Jault, J. Gabard, T. Leclerc, S. Jennes, Y. Que, A. Rousseau, F. Ravat P110 - Antibiotic dosing errors in critically ill patients with severe sepsis or septic shock H. Al-Dorzi, A. Eissa, S. Al-Harbi, T. Aldabbagh, R. Khan, Y. Arabi P111 - Does empiric antifungal therapy improve survival in septic critically ill patients? (immunocompromised excluded) A. Trifi, S. Abdellatif, F. Daly, R. Nasri, S. Ben Lakhal P112 - Neurocysticercosis-Qatar experience F. Paramba, N. Purayil, V. Naushad, O. Mohammad, V. Negi, P. Chandra P113 - Early indicators in acute haemorrhagic shock A. Kleinsasser P114 - Filtering of red blood cells reduces the inflammatory response of pulmonary cells in an in vitro model of mechanical ventilation M. R. Witrz, J. F. Buchner-Doeven, A. M. Tuip-de Boer, J. C. Goslings, N. P. Juffermans P115 - Microparticles from red blood cell transfusion induce a pro-coagulant and pro-inflammatory endothelial cell response M. Van Hezel, M. Straat, A Boing, R Van Bruggen, N Juffermans P116 - The contribution of cytokines on thrombosis development during hospitalization in ICU D. Markopoulou, K. Venetsanou, V. Kaldis, D. Koutete, D. Chroni, I. Alamanos P117 - Prophylactic enoxaparin dosing and adjustment through anti-xa monitoring in an inpatient burn unit L. Koch, J. Jancik, H. Rhodes, E. Walter P118 - Determination of optimal cut-off values of haemoglobin, platelet count and fibrinogen at 24 hours after injury associated with mortality in trauma patients K. Maekawa, M. Hayakawa, S. Kushimoto, A. Shiraishi, H. Kato, J. Sasaki, H. Ogura, T. Matauoka, T. Uejima, N. Morimura, H. Ishikura, A. Hagiwara, M. Takeda P119 - Trauma-induced coagulopathy - prothrombin complex concentrate vs fresh frozen plasma O. Tarabrin, S. Shcherbakow, D. Gavrychenko, G. Mazurenko, V. Ivanova, O. Chystikov P120 - First study to prove the superiority of prothrombin complex concentrates on mortality rate over fresh frozen plasma in patients with acute bleeding C. Plourde, J. Lessard, J. Chauny, R. Daoust P121 - Prothrombin complex concentrate vs fresh frozen plasma in obstetric massive bleeding S. Shcherbakow, O. Tarabrin, D. Gavrychenko, G. Mazurenko, O. Chystikov P122 - Impact of FFP transfusion on VAP in ICU patients A. Vakalos, V. Avramidis P123 - Preoperative platelet function test and the thrombin generation assay are predictive for blood loss after cardiac surgery L. Kropman, L. In het Panhuis, J. Konings, D. Huskens, E. Schurgers, M. Roest, B. De Laat, M. Lance P124 - Rotational thromboelastometry versus standard coagulation tests before surgical interventions M. Durila, P. Lukas, M. Astraverkhava, J. Jonas P125 - Correction of impaired clot quality and stability by fibrinogen and activated prothrombin complex concentrate in a model of severe thrombocytopenia I. Budnik, B. Shenkman P126 - Assessment of point-of-care prothrombin time analyzer as a monitor after cardiopulmonary bypass H. Hayami, Y. Koide, T. Goto P127 - Disseminated intravascular coagulation (dic) is underdiagnosed in critically ill patients: do we need d-dimer measurements? R. Iqbal, Y. Alhamdi, N. Venugopal, S. Abrams, C. Downey, C. H. Toh, I. D. Welters P128 - Validity of the age-adjusted d-dimer cutoff in patients with COPD B. Bombay, J. M. Chauny, R. D. Daoust, J. L. Lessard, M. M. Marquis, J. P. Paquet P129 - A scoping review of strategies for prevention and management of bleeding following paediatric cardiopulmonary bypass surgery K. Siemens, D. Sangaran, B. J. Hunt, A. Durward, A. Nyman, I. A. Murdoch, S. M. Tibby P130 - Nadir hemoglobulin during cardiopulmonary bypass: impact on postoperative morbidity and mortality F. Ampatzidou, D. Moisidou, E. Dalampini, M. Nastou, E. Vasilarou, V. Kalaizi, H. Chatzikostenoglou, G. Drossos P131 - Red blood cell transfusion do not influence the prognostic value of RDW in critically ill patients S. Spadaro, A. Fogagnolo, T. Fiore, A. Schiavi, V. Fontana, F. Taccone, C. Volta P132 - Reasons for admission in the paediatric intensive care unit and the need for blood and blood products transfusions E. Chochliourou, E. Volakli, A. Violaki, E. Samkinidou, G. Evlavis, V. Panagiotidou, M. Sdougka P133 - The implementation of a massive haemorrhage protocol (mhp) for the management of major trauma: a ten year, single-centre study R. Mothukuri, C. Battle, K. Guy, G. Mills, P. Evans P134 - An integrated major haemorrhage protocol for pre-hospital and retrieval medical teams J. Wijesuriya, S. Keogh P135 - The impact of transfusion thresholds on mortality and cardiovascular events in patients with cardiovascular disease (non-cardiac surgery): a systematic review and meta-analysis A. Docherty, R. O’Donnell, S. Brunskill, M. Trivella, C. Doree, L. Holst, M. Parker, M. Gregersen, J. Almeida, T. Walsh, S. Stanworth P136 - The relationship between poor pre-operative immune status and outcome from cardiac surgery is specific to the peri-operative antigenic threat S. Moravcova, J. Mansell, A. Rogers, R. A. Smith, C. Hamilton-Davies P137 - Impact of simple clinical practice guidelines for reducing post-operative atrial fibrillation after cardiac surgery. A. Omar, M. Allam, O. Bilala, A. Kindawi, H. Ewila P138 - Dexamethasone administration during cardiopulmonary bypass has no beneficial effects on elective postoperative cardiac surgery patients F. Ampatzidou, D. Moisidou, M. Nastou, E. Dalampini, A. Malamas, E. Vasilarou, G. Drossos P139 - Intra-aortic balloon counterpulsation in patients undergoing cardiac surgery (IABCS): preliminary results G. Ferreira, J. Caldas, J. Fukushima, E. A. Osawa, E. Arita, L. Camara, S. Zeferino, J. Jardim, F. Gaioto, L. Dallan, F. B. Jatene, R. Kalil Filho, .F Galas, L. A. Hajjar P140 - Effects of low-dose atrial natriuretic peptide infusion on cardiac surgery-associated acute kidney injury C. Mitaka, T. Ohnuma, T. Murayama, F. Kunimoto, M. Nagashima, T. Takei, M. Tomita P141 - Acute kidney injury influence on high sensitive troponin measurements after cardiac surgery A. Omar, K. Mahmoud, S. Hanoura, S. Sudarsanan, P. Sivadasan, H. Othamn, Y. Shouman, R. Singh, A. Al Khulaifi P142 - Complex evaluation of endothelial dysfunction markers for prognosis of outcomes in patients undergoing cardiac surgery I. Mandel, S. Mikheev, I. Suhodolo, V. Kiselev, Y. Svirko, Y. Podoksenov P143 - New-onset atrial fibrillation in intensive care: incidence, management and outcome S. A. Jenkins, R. Griffin P144 - One single spot measurement of the sublingual microcirculation during acute pulmonary hypertension in a pig model of shock M. S. Tovar Doncel, A. Lima, C. Aldecoa, C. Ince P145 - Assessment of levosimendan as a therapeutic option to recruit the microcirculation in cardiogenic shock – initial experience in cardiac ICU A. Taha, A. Shafie, M. Mostafa, N. Syed, H. Hon P146 - Terlipressin vs. norepinephrine in the Potential Multiorgan Donor(PMD) F. Righetti, E. Colombaroli, G. Castellano P147 - Echocardiography in the potential heart donor exposed to substitution hormonotherapy F. Righetti, E. Colombaroli P148 - Machine learning can reduce rate of monitor alarms M. Hravnak, L. C. Chen, A. D. Dubrawski, G. C. Clermont, M. R. Pinsky P149 - Peripherally inserted central catheters placed in the ICU S. Gonzalez, D. Macias, J. Acosta, P. Jimenez, A. Loza, A. Lesmes, F. Lucena, C. Leon P150 - Recordings of abnormal central venous pressure waveform morphology during an episode of pulmonary hypertension in a porcine shock model M. S. Tovar Doncel, C. Ince, C. Aldecoa, A. Lima P151 - Ultrasound guided central venous access technique among French intensivists M. Bastide, J. Richecoeur, E. Frenoy, C. Lemaire, B. Sauneuf, F. Tamion, S. Nseir, D. Du Cheyron, H. Dupont, J. Maizel P152 - Predictive ability of the Pv-aCO2 gap in patients with shock M. Shaban, R. Kolko, N. Salahuddin, M. Sharshir, M. AbuRageila, A. AlHussain P153 - Comparison of echocardiography and pulmonary artery catheter measurements of hemodynamic parameters in critical ill patients P. Mercado, J. Maizel, L. Kontar, D. Titeca, F. Brazier, A. Riviere, M. Joris, T. Soupison, B. De Cagny, M. Slama P154 - The volume clamp method for noninvasive cardiac output measurement in postoperative cardiothoracic surgery patients: a comparison with intermittent pulmonary artery thermodilution J. Wagner, A. Körner, M. Kubik, S. Kluge, D. Reuter, B. Saugel P155 - Hemodynamic monitoring in patients with septic shock (SS) – CPCCO (continuous pulse contour cardiac output) vs. TEE (transesophageal echocardiography) E. Colombaroli, F. Righetti, G. Castellano P156 - Cardiac output measurement with transthoracic echocardiography in critically ill patients: a pragmatic clinical study T. Tran, D. De Bels, A. Cudia, M. Strachinaru, P. Ghottignies, J. Devriendt, C. Pierrakos P157 - Left ventricular outflow tract velocity time integral correlates with stroke volume index in mechanically ventilated patients Ó. Martínez González, R. Blancas, J. Luján, D. Ballesteros, C. Martínez Díaz, A. Núñez, C. Martín Parra, B. López Matamala, M. Alonso Fernández, M. Chana P158 - Transpulmonary thermodilution (TPTD) derived from femoral vs. jugular central venous catheter: validation of a previously published correction formula and a proprietary correction formula for global end-diastolic volume index (GEDVI) W. Huber, M. Eckmann, F. Elkmann, A. Gruber, I. Klein, R. M. Schmid, T. Lahmer P160 - Dynamic arterial elastance calculated with lidcoplus monitor does not predict changes in arterial pressure after a fluid challenge in postsurgical patients D. Bastoni, H. Aya, L. Toscani, L. Pigozzi, A. Rhodes, M. Cecconi P159 - Venous return driving pressure and resistance in acute blood volume changes P. W. Moller, S. Sondergaard, S. M. Jakob, J. Takala, D. Berger P160 - Dynamic arterial elastance calculated with lidcoplus monitor does not predict changes in arterial pressure after a fluid challenge in postsurgical patients D. Bastoni, H. Aya, L. Toscani, L. Pigozzi, A. Rhodes, M. Cecconi P161 - Analysis of duration of post-operative goal-directed therapy protocol C. Ostrowska, H. Aya, A. Abbas, J. Mellinghoff, C. Ryan, D. Dawson, A. Rhodes, M. Cecconi P162 - Hemodynamic optimization – back to square one? M. Cronhjort, O. Wall, E. Nyberg, R. Zeng, C. Svensen, J. Mårtensson, E. Joelsson-Alm P163 - Effectiveness of fluid thoracic content measurement by bioimpedance guiding intravascular volume optimization in patients with septic shock M. Aguilar Arzapalo, L. Barradas, V. Lopez, M. Cetina P164 - A systematic review on the role of internal jugular vein ultrasound measurements in assessment of volume status in critical shock patients N. Parenti, C. Palazzi, L. A. Amidei, F. B. Borrelli, S. C. Campanale, F. T. Tagliazucchi, G. S. Sedoni, D. L. Lucchesi, E. C. Carella, A. L Luciani P165 - Importance of recognizing dehydration in medical Intensive Care Unit M. Mackovic, N. Maric, M. Bakula P166 - Effect of volume for a fluid challenge in septic patients H. Aya, A. Rhodes, R. M. Grounds, N. Fletcher, M. Cecconi P167 - Fluid bolus practices in a large Australian intensive care unit B. Avard, P. Zhang P168 - Liberal late fluid management is associated with longer ventilation duration and worst outcome in severe trauma patients: a retrospective cohort of 294 patients M. Mezidi, J. Charbit, M. Ould-Chikh, P. Deras, C. Maury, O. Martinez, X. Capdevila P169 - Association of fluids and outcomes in emergency department patients hospitalized with community-acquired pneumonia P. Hou, W. Z. Linde-Zwirble, I. D. Douglas, N. S. Shapiro P170 - Association of positive fluid balance with poor outcome in medicosurgical ICU patients A. Ben Souissi, I. Mezghani, Y. Ben Aicha, S. Kamoun, B. Laribi, B. Jeribi, A. Riahi, M. S. Mebazaa P171 - Impact of fluid balance to organ dysfunction in critically ill patients C. Pereira, R. Marinho, R. Antunes, A. Marinho P172 - Volume bolus in ICU patients: do we need to balance our crystalloids? M. Crivits, M. Raes, J. Decruyenaere, E. Hoste P173 - The use of 6 % HES solution do not reduce total fluid requirement in the therapy of patients with burn shock V. Bagin, V. Rudnov, A. Savitsky, M. Astafyeva, I. Korobko, V. Vein P174 - Electron microscopic assessment of acute kidney injury in septic sheep resuscitated with crystalloids or different colloids T. Kampmeier , P. Arnemann, M. Hessler, A. Wald, K. Bockbreder, A. Morelli, H. Van Aken, S. Rehberg, C. Ertmer P175 - Alterations of conjunctival microcirculation in a sheep model of haemorrhagic shock and resuscitation with 0.9 % saline or balanced tetrastarch P. Arnemann, M. Hessler, T. Kampmeier, S. Rehberg, H. Van Aken, C. Ince, C. Ertmer P176 - A single centre nested pilot study investigating the effect of using 0.9 % saline or Plasma-Lyte 148 ® as crystalloid fluid therapy on gastrointestinal feeding intolerance in mechanically ventilated patients receiving nasogastric enteral nutrition S. Reddy, M. Bailey, R. Beasley, R. Bellomo, D. Mackle, A. Psirides, P. 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Kindgen-Milles P188 - Citrate regional anticoagulation for post dilution continuous renal replacement therapy S. Ghabina P189 - Citrate 18 mmol/l improves anticoagulation during RRT with adsorbing filters F. Turani, A. Belli, S. Busatti, G. Barettin, F. Candidi, F. Gargano, R. Barchetta, M. Falco P190 - Calcium gluconate instead of calcium chloride in citrate-anticoagulated CVVHD O. Demirkiran, M. Kosuk, S. Bozbay P191 - Enhanced clearance of interleukin-6 with continuous veno-venous haemodialysis (CVVHD) using Ultraflux EMiC2 vs. Ultraflux AV1000S V. Weber, J. Hartmann, S. Harm, I. Linsberger, T. Eichhorn, G. Valicek, G. Miestinger, C. Hoermann P192 - Removal of bilirubin with a new adsorbent system: in vitro kinetics S. Faenza, D. Ricci, E. Mancini, C. Gemelli, A. Cuoghi, S. Magnani, M. Atti P193 - Case series of patients with severe sepsis and septic shock treated with a new extracorporeal sorbent T. Laddomada, A. Doronzio, B. Balicco P194 - In vitro adsorption of a broad spectrum of inflammatory mediators with CytoSorb® hemoadsorbent polymer beads M. C. Gruda, P. O’Sullivan, V. P. Dan, T. Guliashvili, A. Scheirer, T. D. Golobish, V. J. Capponi, P. P. Chan P195 - Observations in early vs. late use of cytosorb therapy in critically ill patients K. Kogelmann, M. Drüner, D. Jarczak P196 - Oxiris membrane decreases endotoxin during rrt in septic patients with basal EAA > 0,6 F. Turani, A. B. Belli, S. M. Martni, V. C. Cotticelli, F. Mounajergi, R. Barchetta P197 - An observational prospective study on the onset of augmented renal clearance: the first report S. Morimoto, H. Ishikura P198 - An ultrasound- guided algorithm for the management of oliguria in severe sepsis I. Hussain, N. Salahuddin, A. Nadeem, K. Ghorab, K. Maghrabi P199 - Ultrasound in acute kidney injury (aki). First findings of farius, an education-programme in structural ultrasonography S. K. Kloesel, C. Goldfuss, A. Stieglitz, A. S. Stieglitz, L. Krstevska, G. Albuszies P200 - Effectiveness of renal angina index score predicting acute kidney injury on critically ill patients M. Aguilar Arzapalo, L. Barradas, V. Lopez, A. Escalante, G. Jimmy, M. Cetina P201 - Time length below blood pressure thresholds and progression of acute kidney injury in critically ill patients with or without sepsis: a retrospective, exploratory cohort study J. Izawa, T. Iwami, S. Uchino, M. Takinami, T. Kitamura, T. Kawamura P202 - Anaemia does not affect renal recovery in acute kidney injury J. G. Powell-Tuck, S. Crichton, M. Raimundo, L. Camporota, D. Wyncoll, M. Ostermann P203 - Estimated glomerular filtration rate based on serum creatinine: actual practice in Dutch ICU’s A. Hana, H. R. De Geus P204 - Comparison of estimated glomerular filtration rate calculated by mdrd, ckd-epi-serum-creatinine and ckd-epi-cystatin-c in adult critically ill patients H. R. De Geus, A. Hana P205 - Early diagnosis of septic acute kidney injury in medical critical care patients with a urine cell cycle arrest marker: insulin like growth factor binding protein-7 (IGFBP-7) M. Aydogdu, N. Boyaci, S. Yuksel, G. Gursel, A. B. Cayci Sivri P206 - Urinary neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin as early biomarker of severe acute kidney injury in intensive care J. Meza-Márquez, J. Nava-López, R. Carrillo-Esper P207 - Shrunken pore syndrome is associated with a sharp rise in mortality in patients undergoing elective coronary artery bypass grafting A. Dardashti, A. Grubb P208 - The biomarker nephrocheck™ can discriminate the septic shock patients with an akin 1 or 2 acute renal failure who will not progress toward the akin 3 level J. Maizel, M. Wetzstein, D. Titeca, L. Kontar, F. Brazier, B. De Cagny, A. Riviere, T. Soupison, M. Joris, M. 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Pavlovic, L. Lewerentz, A. Spassov, R. Schneider P227 - Long-term outcome and health-related quality of life in patients discharged from the intensive care unit with a tracheostomy and with or without prolonged mechanical ventilation S. De Smet, S. De Raedt, E. Derom, P Depuydt, S. Oeyen, D. Benoit, J. Decruyenaere P228 - Ultrasound-guided percutaneous dilational tracheostomy versus bronchoscopy-guided percutaneous dilational tracheostomy in critically ill patients (trachus): a randomized clinical trial A. Gobatto, B. Bese, P. Tierno, L. Melro, P. Mendes, F. Cadamuro, M. Park, L. M. Malbouisson P229 - Is it safe to discharge patients with tracheostomy from the ICU to the ward? B. C. Civanto, J. L. Lopez, A. Robles, J. Figueira, S. Yus, A. Garcia P230 - The application of tracheostomy in children in ICU A. Oglinda, G. Ciobanu, C. Oglinda, L. Schirca, T. Sertinean, V. Lupu P231 - The impact of passive humidifiers on aerosol drug delivery during mechanical ventilation P. Kelly, A. O’Sullivan, L. Sweeney, R. MacLoughlin P232 - Evaluation of vibrating mesh and jet nebuliser performance at two different attachment setups in line with a humidifier nebuliser system A. O’Sullivan, P. Kelly, L. Sweeney, E. Mukeria, M. Wolny , R. MacLoughlin P233 - Psv-niv versus cpap in the treatment of acute cardiogenic pulmonary edema A. Pagano, F. Numis, G. Vison, L. Saldamarco, T. Russo, G. Porta, F. Paladino P234 - Noninvasive ventilation in patients with haematologic malignancy: a retrospective review C. Bell, J. Liu, J. Debacker, C. Lee, E. Tamberg, V. Campbell, S. Mehta P235 - Use of non-invasive ventilation in infectious diseases besides classical indications A. Silva-Pinto, A. Sarmento, L. Santos P236 - The impact of fragility on noninvasive mechanical ventilation application and results in the ICU Ý. Kara, F. Yýldýrým, A. Zerman, Z. Güllü, N. Boyacý, B. Basarýk Aydogan, Ü. Gaygýsýz, K. Gönderen, G. Arýk, M. Turkoglu, M. Aydogdu, G. Aygencel, Z. Ülger, G. 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Gagliardi P247 - Dorsal diaphragmatic excursion tracks transpulmonary pressure in ventilated ARDS patients: a potential non-invasive indicator of lung recruitment? R. Cho, A. Adams , S. Lunos, S. Ambur, R. Shapiro, M. Prekker P248 - Pulse oximetry in the icu patient: is the perfusion index of any value? M. Thijssen, L. Janssen, N. Foudraine P249 - Ventilation is a better assessment of respiratory status than EtCO2 C. J. Voscopoulos, J. Freeman P250 - Evaluation of the relationship between non-invasive minute ventilation and end-tidal CO2 in patients undergoing general vs spinal anesthesia C. J. Voscopoulos, J. Freeman, E. George P251 - Respiratory volume monitoring provides early warning of respiratory depression and can be used to reduce false alarms in non-intubated patients C. J. Voscopoulos, D. Eversole, J. Freeman, E. George P252 - P/i index: a predictive edi-derived weaning index during nava S. Muttini, R. Bigi, G. Villani, N. 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Numis, C. S. Serra, A. P. Pagano, M. M. Masarone, L. R. Rinaldi, A. A. Amelia, M. F. Fascione, L. A. Adinolfi, E. R. Ruggiero P259 - Outcome of patients admitted to the intensive care with pulmonary fibrosis F. Asota, K. O’Rourke, S. Ranjan, P. Morgan P260 - Sedation and analgesia practice in extra-corporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO)-treated patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS): a retrospective study J. W. DeBacker, E. Tamberg, L. O’Neill, L. Munshi, L. Burry, E. Fan, S. Mehta P261 - Characteristics and outcomes of patients deemed not eligible when referred for veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (vv-ECMO) S. Poo, K. Mahendran, J. Fowles, C. Gerrard, A. Vuylsteke P262 - The SAVE SMR for veno-arterial ECMO R. Loveridge, C. Chaddock, S. Patel, V. Kakar, C. Willars, T. Hurst, C. Park, T. Best, A. Vercueil, G. Auzinger P263 - A simplified score to predict early (48 h) mortality in patients being considered for VA-ECMO A. Borgman, A. G. Proudfoot, E. 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Dean, A. Stilwell, G. Friedlaender P308 Dispatcher-assisted telephone cardiopulmonary resuscitation using a French-language compression-ventilation pediatric protocol M. Peters, S. Stipulante, A. Delfosse, AF Donneau, A. Ghuysen P309 Dantrolene versus amiodarone for resuscitation – an experimental study C. Feldmann, D. Freitag, W. Dersch, M. Irqsusi, D. Eschbach, T. Steinfeldt, H. Wulf, T. Wiesmann P310 Long term survival and functional neurological outcome in comatose survivors undergoing therapeutic hypothermia N. Kongpolprom, J. Cholkraisuwat P311 Impact of kidney disease on mortality and neurological outcome in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: a prospective observational study S. Beitland , E. Nakstad, H. Stær-Jensen , T. Drægni , G. Andersen , D. Jacobsen , C. Brunborg, B. Waldum-Grevbo , K. Sunde P312 ICU dependency of patients admitted after primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) following out of the hospital cardiac arrest K. Hoyland, D. Pandit P313 Prognostic indicators and outcome prediction model for patients with return of spontaneous circulation from cardiopulmonary arrest: comprehensive registry of in-hospital intensive care on OHCA survival (critical) study in Osaka, Japan K. Hayakawa P314 Cerebral oxygen saturation during resuscitation in a porcine model of cardiac arrest E. Oloktsidou, K. Kotzampassi, B. Fyntanidou, S. Patsatzakis, L. Loukipoudi, E. Doumaki, V. Grosomanidis P315 Presumption of cardiopulmonary resuscitation for sustaining cerebral oxidation using regional cerebral saturation of oxygen: observational cohort study (press study) H. Yasuda P316 EEG reactivity in patients after cardiac arrest: a close look at stimuli MM Admiraal, M. Van Assen, MJ Van Putten, M. Tjepkema-Cloostermans, AF Van Rootselaar, J. Horn P317 Prognostic value of neuron-specific enolase after cardiac arrest F. Ragusa, A. Marudi , S. Baroni, A. Gaspari, E. Bertellini P318 Correlation between electroencephalographic findings and serum neuron specific enolase with outcome of post cardiac arrest patients A. Taha, T. Abdullah, S. Abdel Monem P319 Introduction of a targeted temperature management strategy following cardiac arrest in a district general hospital intensive care unit. S. Alcorn, S. McNeill, S. Russell P320 The evolution of cerebral oxygen saturation in post-cardiac arrest patients treated with therapeutic hypothermia W. Eertmans, C. Genbrugge, I. Meex, J. Dens, F. Jans, C. De Deyne P321 Prognostic factors and neurological outcomes of therapeutic hypothermia in comatose survivors from cardiac arrest: 8-year single center experience J. Cholkraisuwat, N. Kongpolprom P322 Adherence to targeted temperature management after out of hospital cardiac arrest B. Avard, R. Burns P323 Implementation of a therapeutic hypothermia protocol for comatose survivors of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. A. Patarchi, T. Spina P324 Factors associated with ventilator weaning after targeted temperature management for cardiac arrest patients in japan H. Tanaka, N. Otani, S. Ode, S. Ishimatsu P325 Differential activation of c-fos in paraventricular nuclei of the hypothalamus and thalamus of the rat following myocardial infarction J. Cho, J. B. Moon, C. W. Park, T. G. Ohk, M. C. Shin, M. H. Won P326 Monitoring of cTroponin I in patients with acute ischemic stroke - predictor of inhospital mortality S. Dakova, Z. Ramsheva, K. Ramshev P327 Hyperthermic preconditioning severely accelerates neuronal damage in the gerbil ischemic hippocampal dentate gyrus via decreasing sods expressions J. Cho, J. B. Moon, C. W. Park, T. G. Ohk, M. C. Shin P328 Failure in neuroprotection of remote limb ischemic post conditioning in the hippocampus of a gerbil model of transient cerebral ischemia J. Cho, J. B. Moon, C. W. Park, T. G. Ohk, M. C. Shin P329 Brain death and admission diagnosis in neurologic intensive care unit, a correlation? A Marudi, S Baroni, A Gaspari, E Bertellini P330 Brain magnetic resonance imaging findings in patients with septic shock G. Orhun, E. Senturk, P. E. Ozcan, S. Sencer, C. Ulusoy, E. Tuzun, F . Esen P331 Benefits of L-carnitine in valproic acid induced encephalopathy R. Tincu, C. Cobilinschi, D. Tomescu, Z. Ghiorghiu, R. Macovei P332Automatic analysis of EEG reactivity in comatose patients M. Van Assen, M. M. Admiraal, M. J. Van Putten, M. Tjepkema-Cloostermans, A. F. Van Rootselaar, J. Horn P333 Usefulness of common ICU severity scoring systems in predicting outcome after spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage M. Fallenius, M. B. Skrifvars, M. Reinikainen, S. Bendel, R. Raj P334 Evalution of patients with suspected subarachnoid haemorrhage and negative ct imaging M. Abu-Habsa, C. Hymers, A. Borowska, H. Sivadhas, S. Sahiba, S. Perkins P335 Timing of endovascular and surgical treatment for aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage: early but not so fast. J. Rubio, J. A. Rubio, R. Sierra P336 Red blood cell transfusion in aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage – the Sahara cohort study S. English, M. Chasse, A. Turgeon, F. Lauzier, D. Griesdale, A. Garland, D. Fergusson, R. Zarychanski, A. Tinmouth, C. Van Walraven, K. Montroy, J. Ziegler, R. Dupont Chouinard, R. Carignan, A. Dhaliwal, C. Lum, J. Sinclair, G. Pagliarello, L. McIntyre P337 - Aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage and anemia: a canadian multi-centre retrospective cohort study S. English, M. Chasse, A. Turgeon, F. Lauzier, D. Griesdale, A. Garland, D. Fergusson, R. Zarychanski, A. Tinmouth, C. Van Walraven, K. Montroy, J. Ziegler, R. Dupont Chouinard, R. Carignan, A. Dhaliwal, C. Lum, J. Sinclair, G. Pagliarello, L. McIntyre P338 - Does the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte (NLR) ratio predict symptomatic vasospasm or delayed cerebral ischemia (DCI) after aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH)? T. Groza, N. Moreau, D. Castanares-Zapatero, P. Hantson P339 - ICU-acquired infections in aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage patients: impact on ICU and hospital length of stay M. Carbonara , F. Ortolano, T. Zoerle, S. Magnoni, S. Pifferi, V. Conte, N. Stocchetti P340 - Cerebral metabolic effects of normobaric hyperoxia during the acute phase of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage L. Carteron, T. Suys, C. Patet, H. Quintard, M. Oddo P341 - Postoperative care for elective craniotomy: where is best done? J. A. Rubio, J. Rubio, R. Sierra P342 - 5-year follow-up of patients after transplantation of organs from donors from neurocritical care V. Spatenkova, E. Pokorna, P. Suchomel P343 - Evaluation of levetiracetam pharmacokinetics after severe traumatic brain injury in neurocritical care patients at a level one trauma center N. Ebert, J. Jancik, H. Rhodes P344 - Model based time series cluster analysis to determine unique patient states in traumatic brain injury T. Bylinski, C. Hawthorne, M. Shaw, I. Piper, J. Kinsella P345 - Brain compartment monitoring capabilities from ICP to BI (bioimpedance) during HS (hypertonic saline) administration. State of art simulation outcome depending on brain swelling type A. K. Kink , I. R. Rätsep P346 - Transfusion of red blood cells in patients with traumatic brain injury admitted to Canadian trauma health centers: a multicenter cohort study A. Boutin, L. Moore, M. Chasse, R. Zarychanski, F. Lauzier, S. English, L. McIntyre, J. Lacroix, D. Griesdale, P. Lessard-Bonaventure, A. F. Turgeon P347 - Hemoglobin thresholds and red blood cell transfusions in adult patients with moderate or severe traumatic brain injury: a retrospective cohort study A. Boutin, L. Moore, R. Green, P. Lessard-Bonaventure, M. Erdogan, M. Butler, F. Lauzier, M. Chasse, S. English, L. McIntyre, R. Zarychanski, J. Lacroix, D. Griesdale, P. Desjardins, D. A. Fergusson, A. F. Turgeon P348 - Characteristics of patients with gunshot wounds to the head - an observational Brazilian study B. Goncalves, B. Vidal, C. Valdez, A. C. Rodrigues, L. Miguez, G. Moralez P349 - Base excess as predictor for ICU admission and the injury severity in blunt trauma patients T. Hong P350 - Enhancement of usual emergency department care with proadrenomedullin to improve outcome prediction - Results from the multi-national, prospective, observational TRIAGE study A. Kutz, P. Hausfater, D. Amin, T. Struja, S. Haubitz, A. Huber, B. Mueller, P. Schuetz P351 - Developing an innovative emergency medicine point-of-care simulation programme T. Brown, J. Collinson, C. Pritchett, T. Slade P352 - The InSim program: an in situ simulation program for junior trainees in intensive care M. Le Guen, S. Hellings, R. Ramsaran P353 - Impact of excessive and inappropriate troponin testing in the emergency setting how good are we A. Alsheikhly P354 - The development of time tracking monitor at emergency department T. Abe P355 - Role of focussed echocardiography in emergency assessment of syncope L. Kanapeckaite, M. Abu-Habsa, R. Bahl P356 - Insertion of an open-ended 14-gauge catheter through the chest wall causes a significant pneumothorax in a self-ventilating swine model M. Q Russell, K. J. Real, M. Abu-Habsa , R. M. Lyon, N. P. Oveland P357 - Ez-io® intraosseous access teaching in the workplace using a mobile ‘tea trolley’ training method J. Penketh, M. Mcdonald, F. Kelly P358 - Black widow envenomation in Saudi Arabia: a prospective observational case series M. Alfafi, S. Alsolamy, W. Almutairi, B. Alotaibi P359 - Mechanical ventilation in patients with overdose not yet intubated on icu admission A. E. Van den Berg, Y. Schriel, L. Dawson, I. A. Meynaar P360 - Central nervous system depressants poisoning and ventilator associated pneumonia: an underrated risk factor in toxicological intensive care unit H. Talaie P361 - Acute barium intoxication treated with hemodiafiltration D. Silva, S. Fernandes, J. Gouveia, J. Santos Silva P362 - Major trauma presenting to the emergency department. the spectrum of cycling injuries in Ireland J. Foley, A. Kaskovagheorgescu, D. Evoy, J. Cronin, J. Ryan P363 - Burns from French military operations: a 14-year retrospective observational analysis. M. Huck, C. Hoffmann, J. Renner, P. Laitselart, N. Donat, A. Cirodde, J. V. Schaal, Y. Masson, A. Nau, T. Leclerc P364 - A comparison of mortality scores in burns patients on the intensive care unit. O. Howarth, K. Davenport, P. Jeanrenaud, S. Raftery P365 - Clasification of pain and its treatment and an intensive care rehabiliation clinic P. MacTavish, H. Devine, J. McPeake, M. Daniel, J. Kinsella, T. Quasim P366 - Pain management adequacy in critical care areas ,the process and the barriers perceived by critical care nurses S. Alrabiee, A. Alrashid , S. Alsolamy P367 - Pain assessment in critically ill adult patients: validation of the Turkish version of the critical-care pain observation tool O. Gundogan, C. Bor, E. Akýn Korhan, K. Demirag , M. Uyar P368 - An audit of pain and sedation assessments in the intensive care unit: recommendations for clinical practice F. Frame, C. Ashton, L. Bergstrom Niska P369 - Impact of pharmaceutical care on treatment of pain and agitation in medical intensive care unit P. Dilokpattanamongkol, T. Suansanae, C. Suthisisang, S. Morakul, C. Karnjanarachata, V. Tangsujaritvijit P370 - Agitation in trauma ICU, prevention and outcome S. Mahmood, H. Al Thani, A. Almenyar P371 Correlation between percentages of ventilated patients developed vap and use of sedative agents in icu patients. A. Vakalos , V. Avramidis P372 - Improving recording of sedation events in the Emergency Department: The implementation of the SIVA International Taskforce adverse event reporting tool for procedural sedation R. Sharvill, J. Penketh P373 - Impact of sedative drug use on the length of mechanical ventilation S. E. Morton, Y. S. Chiew, C. Pretty, J. G. Chase, G. M. Shaw P374 - Co-administration of nitric oxide and sevoflurane using anaconda R. Knafelj, P. Kordis P375 - A retrospective study of the use of Dexmedetomidine in an oncological critical care setting S. Patel, V. Grover P376 - Dexmedetomidine and posttraumatic stress disorder incidence in alcohol withdrawal icu patients I. Kuchyn, K. Bielka P377 - Hemodynamic effects of dexmedetomidine in a porcine model of septic shock Z. Aidoni, V. Grosomanidis, K. Kotzampassi, G. Stavrou, B. Fyntanidou, S. Patsatzakis, C. Skourtis P378 - Ketamine for analgosedation in severe hypoxic respiratory failure S. D. Lee, K. Williams, I. D. Weltes P379 - Madness from the moon? lunar cycle and the incidence of delirium on the intensive care unit S. Berhane, C. Arrowsmith, C. Peters, S. Robert P380 - Impaired dynamic cerebral autoregulation after coronary artery bypass grafting and association with postoperative delirium J. Caldas, R. B. Panerai, T. G. Robinson, L. Camara, G. Ferreira, E. Borg-Seng-Shu, M. De Lima Oliveira, N. C. Mian, L. Santos, R. Nogueira, S. P. Zeferino, M. Jacobsen Teixeira, F. Galas, L. A. Hajjar P381 - Risk factors predicting prolonged intensive care unit length of stay after major elective surgery. P. Killeen, M. McPhail, W. Bernal, J. Maggs, J. Wendon, T. Hughes P382 - Systemic inflammatory response syndrome criteria and hospital mortality prediction in a brazilian cohort of critically ill patients L. U. Taniguchi, E. M. Siqueira, J. M. Vieira Jr, L. C. Azevedo P383 - Evaluating the efficacy of a risk predictor panel in identifying patients at elevated risk of morbidity following emergency admission A. N. Ahmad, M. Abu-Habsa, R. Bahl, E. Helme, S. Hadfield, R. Loveridge P384 - A retrospective comparison of outcomes for elective surgical patients admitted post-operatively to the critical care unit or general ward J. Shak, C. Senver, R. Howard-Griffin P385 - Effect of obesity on mortality in surgical critically ill patients. P. Wacharasint, P. Fuengfoo, N. Sukcharoen, R. Rangsin P386 - The national early warning score (news) reliably improves adverse clinical outcome prediction in community-acquired pneumonia - results from a 6 year follow-up D. Sbiti-Rohr, P. Schuetz P387 - Clinical usefulness of the charlson¡¯s weighted index of comorbidities _as prognostic factor in patients with prolonged acute mechanical ventilation H. Na, S. Song, S. Lee, E. Jeong, K. Lee P388 - Comparison of mortality prediction scoring systems in patients with cirrhosis admitted to general intensive care unit M. Cooper, K. Milinis, G. Williams, E. McCarron, S. Simants, I. Patanwala, I. D. Welters P389 - Impact of admission source and time of admission on outcome of pediatric intensive care patients: retrospective 15 years study E. Zoumpelouli, EA Volakli, V. Chrysohoidou, S. Georgiou, K. Charisopoulou, E. Kotzapanagiotou, V. Panagiotidou, K. Manavidou, Z. Stathi, M. Sdougka P390 - Heart rate variability and outcomes prediction in critical illness N. Salahuddin, B. AlGhamdi, Q. Marashly, K. Zaza, M. Sharshir, M. Khurshid, Z. Ali, M. Malgapo, M. Jamil, A. Shafquat, M. Shoukri, M. Hijazi P391 - The incidence and outcome of hyperlactatemia in the post anaesthesia care unit T. Abe, S. Uchino, M. Takinami P392 - Correlation between arterial blood gas disturbances and arterial lactate levels during hospitalization and outcome in critically septic patients N. R. Rangel Neto, S. Oliveira, F. Q. Reis, F. A. Rocha P393 - External validation of saps 3 and mpm iii scores in 48,816 patients from 72 brazilian icus G. Moralez, K. Ebecken, L. S. Rabello, M. F. Lima, R. Hatum, F. V. De Marco, A. Alves, J. E. Pinto, M. Godoy, P. E. Brasil, F. A. Bozza, J. I. Salluh, M. Soares P394 - The frailty penalty: pre-admission functional status confounds mortality prediction models in critically ill patients J. Krinsley, G. Kang P395 - ‘sooner rather than later”: how delayed discharge from critical care leads to increased out of hours discharges and subsequent increase in in-hospital mortality. J. Perry, H. 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Loureiro, J. Dias, O. Afonso, F. Coelho, A. Martins, F. Faria P402 - Patients with hematologic malignancies requiring invasive mechanical ventilation: characteristics and predictors of mortality H. Al-Dorzi, H. Al Orainni , F. AlEid, H. Tlaygeh, A. Itani, A. Hejazi, Y. Arabi P403 - Patient-important outcomes in randomized controlled trials in critically ill patients: a systematic review S. Gaudry, J. Messika, J. D. Ricard, S. Guillo, B. Pasquet, E. Dubief, D. Dreyfuss, F. Tubach P404 - Alopecia in survivors of critical illness: a qualitative study C . Battle, K. James, P. Temblett P405 - The impact of mental health on icu admission L. Davies, C. Battle, C. Lynch P406 - Cognitive impairment 5 years after ICU discharge S. Pereira, S. Cavaco, J. Fernandes, I. Moreira, E. Almeida, F. Seabra Pereira, M. Malheiro, F. Cardoso, I. Aragão, T. Cardoso P407 - Apache ii versus apache iv for octagenerians in medical icu M. Fister, R. Knafelj P408 - Outcomes of octagenarians in an indian icu P. Muraray Govind, N. Brahmananda Reddy, R. Pratheema, E. D. Arul, J. Devachandran P409 - Mortality and outcomes in elderly patients 80 years of age or older admitted to the icu M. B. Velasco , D. M. Dalcomune P410 - Octagenerians in medical icu - adding days to life or life to days? R. Knafelj, M. Fister P411 - The very elderly admitted to intensive care unit: outcomes and economic evaluation N. Chin-Yee, G. D’Egidio, K. Thavorn, D. Heyland, K. Kyeremanteng P412 - The very elderly in intensive care: relationship between acuity of illness and long-term mortality A. G. Murchison, K. Swalwell, J. Mandeville, D. Stott P413 - Acquired weakness in an oncological intensive care unit I. Guerreiro P414 - Musculoskeletal problems in intensive care unit (ICU) patients post-discharge H. Devine, P. MacTavish, J. McPeake, T. Quasim, J. Kinsella, M. Daniel P415 - Premorbid obesity, but not nutrition, prevents critical illness-induced muscle wasting and weakness C. Goossens M. B. Marques, S. Derde, S. Vander Perre, T. Dufour, S. E. Thiessen, F. Güiza, T. Janssens, G. Hermans, I. Vanhorebeek, K. De Bock, G. Van den Berghe, L. Langouche P416 - Physical outcome measures for critical care patients following intensive care unit (icu) discharge H. Devine, P. MacTavish, T. Quasim, J. Kinsella, M. Daniel, J. McPeake P417 - Improving active mobilisation in a general intensive care unit B. Miles , S. Madden, H. Devine P418 - Mobilization in patients on vasoactive drugs use – a pilot study. M. Weiler, P. Marques, C. Rodrigues, M. Boeira, K. Brenner, C. Leães, A. Machado, R. Townsend, J. Andrade P419 - Pharmacy intervention at an intensive care rehabilitation clinic P. MacTavish, J. McPeake, H. Devine, J. Kinsella, M. Daniel, R. Kishore, C. Fenlon, T. Quasim P420 - Interactive gaming is feasible and potentially increases icu patients’ motivation to be engaged in rehabilitation programs T. Fiks, A. Ruijter, M. Te Raa, P. Spronk P421 - Simulation-based design of a robust stopping rule to ensure patient safety Y. S. Chiew, P. Docherty, J. Dickson, E. Moltchanova, C. Scarrot, C. Pretty, G. M. Shaw, J. G. Chase P422 - Are daily blood tests on the intensive care unit necessary? T. Hall, W. C. Ngu, J. M. Jack, P. Morgan P423 - Measuring urine output in ward patients: is it helpful? B. Avard, A. Pavli, X. Gee P424 - The incidence of pressure ulcers in an adult mixed intensive care unit in turkey C . Bor, E. Akin Korhan, K. Demirag, M. Uyar P425 - Intensivist/patient ratios in closed ICUs in Alexandria, Egypt; an overview M. Shirazy, A. Fayed P426 - Eicu (electronic intensive care unit): impact on ALOS (average length of stay) in a developing country like India S. Gupta, A. Kaushal, S. Dewan, A. Varma P427 - Predicting deterioration in general ward using early deterioration indicator E. Ghosh, L. Yang, L. Eshelman, B. Lord, E. Carlson P428 - High impact enhanced critical care outreach - the imobile service: making a difference E. Helme, R. Broderick, S. Hadfield, R. Loveridge P429 - Impact of bed availability and cognitive load on intensive care unit (ICU) bed allocation: a vignette-based trial J. Ramos, D. Forte P430 - Characteristics of critically ill patients admitted through the emergency department F. Yang, P. Hou P431 - Admission to critical care: the quantification of functional reserve J. Dudziak, J. Feeney, K. Wilkinson, K. Bauchmuller, K. Shuker, M. Faulds, A. Raithatha, D. Bryden, L. England, N. Bolton, A. Tridente P432 - Admission to critical care: the importance of frailty K. Bauchmuller, K Shuker, A Tridente, M Faulds, A Matheson, J. Gaynor, D Bryden, S South Yorkshire Hospitals Research Collaboration P433 - Development of an instrument to aid triage decisions for intensive care unit admission J. Ramos, B. Peroni, R. Daglius-Dias, L. Miranda, C. Cohen, C. Carvalho, I . Velasco, D. Forte P434 - Using selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors and serotonin-norepinephrine re-uptake inhibitors in critical care: a systematic review of the evidence for benefit or harm J. M. Kelly, A. Neill, G. Rubenfeld, N. Masson, A. Min P435 - Measuring adaptive coping of hospitalized patients with a severe medical condition:the sickness insight in coping questionnaire (sicq) E. Boezeman, J. Hofhuis , A. Hovingh, R. De Vries, P. Spronk P436 - Results of a national survey regarding intensive care medicine training G. Cabral-Campello, I. Aragão, T. Cardoso P437 - Work engagement among healthcare professionals in the intensive care unit M. Van Mol, M. Nijkamp, E . Kompanje P438 - Empowering the intensive care practitioners. is it a burnout ameliorating intervention? P. Ostrowski, A. Omar P439 - Icu patients suffer from circadian rhythm desynchronisation K. Kiss , B. Köves, V. Csernus, Z. Molnár P440 - Noise reduction in the ICU: feasible ? Y. Hoydonckx, S. Vanwing, B. Stessel, A. 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Mallat P446 - Palliative care consultation and intensive care unit admission request: a cohort study J. Ramos, M. Correa, R. T. Carvalho, D. Forte P447 - Nursing and medicine together in postsurgical intensive care unit: situations of prognostic conflict at the end of life. our critical care nurses suffer with our medical activism? A. Fernandez, C. McBride P448 - End of life who may decide E. Koonthalloor, C. Walsh P449 - Correctly diagnosing death A. Webber, M. Ashe, K. Smith, P. Jeanrenaud P450 - Skin procurement performed by intensive care physicians: yes, we can. A. Marudi , S. Baroni, F. Ragusa, E. Bertellini P451 - Death analysis in pediatric intensive care patients E. A. Volakli , E. Chochliourou, M. Dimitriadou, A. Violaki, P. Mantzafleri, E. Samkinidou, O. Vrani, A. Arbouti, T. Varsami, M. Sdougka P452 - The potential impact of euthanasia on organ donation: analysis of data from belgium J. A. Bollen, T. C. Van Smaalen, W. C. De Jongh, M. M. Ten Hoopen, D. Ysebaert, L. W. Van Heurn, W. N. Van Mook P453 - Communication within an intensive care setting K. Sim, A. Fuller P454 - Development and implementation of a longitudinal communication curriculum for critical care medicine fellows A. Roze des Ordons, P. Couillard, C. Doig P455 - Staff-family conflict in a multi-ethnic intensive care unit R. V. Van Keer, R. D. Deschepper, A. F. Francke, L. H. Huyghens, J. B. Bilsen P456 - Does the source of admission to critical care affect family satisfaction? B. Nyamaizi, C. Dalrymple, A. Molokhia, A. Dobru P457 - A simple alternative to the family satisfaction survey (fs-icu) E. Marrinan, A. Ankuli, A. Molokhia P458 - A study to explore the experiences of patient and family volunteers in a critical care environment: a phenomenological analysis J. McPeake, R. Struthers, R. Crawford , H. Devine , P. Mactavish , T. Quasim P459 - Prevalence and risk factors of anxiety and depression in relatives of burn patients. P. Morelli, M. Degiovanangelo, F. Lemos, V. MArtinez, F. Verga, J. Cabrera, G. Burghi P460 - Guidance of visiting children at an adult intensive care unit (icu) A. Rutten , S. Van Ieperen, S. De Geer, M. Van Vugt, E. Der Kinderen P461 - Visiting policies in Italian pediatric ICUs: an update A. Giannini, G Miccinesi, T Marchesi, E Prandi

Incomplete reporting has been identified as a major source of avoidable waste in biomedical research. Essential information is often not provided in study reports, impeding the identification, critical appraisal, and replication of studies. To improve the quality of reporting of diagnostic accuracy studies, the Standards for Reporting of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies (STARD) statement was developed. Here we present STARD 2015, an updated list of 30 essential items that should be included in every report of a diagnostic accuracy study. This update incorporates recent evidence about sources of bias and variability in diagnostic accuracy and is intended to facilitate the use of STARD. As such, STARD 2015 may help to improve completeness and transparency in reporting of diagnostic accuracy studies.

The present study investigated the use of insecticide-impregnated bed nets by communities in central Malaita, Solomon Islands. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected by: (1) questionnaire administration to 124 care-givers of children aged 0-10 years of age; (2) 20 focus group discussions; (3) two structured observations of bed net re-impregnation, and (4) interviews with key informants. Ninety-four percent of all care-givers had bed nets, but only 62% had sufficient bed nets for all household members. Fifty-two percent used bed nets throughout the year and 70% of care-givers reported that all their children slept under bed nets. Although coastal householders considered malaria and mosquitoes more of a problem than inland householders, overall bed net compliance did not differ. Factors affecting bed net ownership were cost and community expectation of free bed nets. Bed net use was affected by four factors: (1) seasonality (99% used bed nets during the rainy season, 52% used them all year); (2) mosquito nuisance (59% of respondents reported that protection against mosquitoes was the main reason for using a bed net); (3) weather (68% of care-givers would not use a bed net if the weather was hot), and (4) low density of mosquitoes (respondents who used bed nets as protection against mosquito nuisance were more likely not to use bed nets when mosquitoes were few than those who used bed nets for malaria protection (odds ratio (OR), 3.9; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.4-12.0). Protection against malaria was the main reason children slept under bed nets. Children from households where bed nets were used for malaria protection were more likely to sleep under bed nets than children from households where nets were used as protection from mosquitoes only (OR, 2.7; 95% CI, 1.3-5.9). Other factors that affected children's bed net use were, age (users were significantly younger than non-users; ?2=7.9, degrees of freedom=1, P=0.005) and sufficiency of bed nets (OR, 2.0; 95% CI, 1.3-7.0). Copyright (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V.

Many factors determine the time elementary teachers devote to nutrition instruction. We tested theoretical models for the relationships among time spent teaching nutrition (TTN) and several aspects of the teacher's nutrition background: nutrition training, self-efficacy, knowledge, and beliefs. We proposed two models: (1) teachers with more nutrition training would have increased self-efficacy for teaching nutrition and, because of that increased self-efficacy, would teach more nutrition (primary model); and (2) both training and self-efficacy would directly and independently influence TTN (alternative model). The models differed only in one respect: whether the influence of training on TTN is direct or mediated by self-efficacy. We used data from a 1990-92 Hawai‘i Nutrition Education and Training Program needs assessment survey (N = 324 elementary teachers) and completed a structural analysis using the CALIS procedure of SAS. The primary model fit the actual data more closely than did the alternative model. Nutrition knowledge predicted self-efficacy for teaching nutrition, but a belief that nutrition instruction was important did not predict TTN. These results indicate that in elementary teachers, self-efficacy for teaching nutrition mediates the relationship between in-service training, nutrition knowledge, and TTN.

A total of 35 women with advanced, metastatic breast cancer were treated with combination chemotherapy consisting of folinic acid 500 mg/m 2 over 2 hours administered with 600 mg/m 2 of 5FU at the midpoint of the folinic acid infusion weekly for 6 weeks, plus 60 mg/m 2 of thiotepa on day 1 and day 28. The cycle was repeated every 8 weeks. Patients were evaluated for toxicity weekly. Response was evaluated at the end of each 8-week cycle. The median age was 55 years (range : 34-67). Prior to this study 30 patients had received chemotherapy; 13 had I regimen ; 17 had 2 or more regimens ; 8 had 5FU treatment ; 18 had hormonal therapy ; and 15 had radiation treatment. The overall response rate was 40% (1 complete and 13 partial) ; median duration of response was 4 months. Four of 8 patients with prior 5FU responded. Hematologic toxicity was significant : nadir WBC count

Fosinopril sodium (I), a new angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor, is a diester prodrug of the active moiety II. We report here a novel transformation of fosinopril into β-ketoamide, III, and a phosphonic acid, IV, mediated through metal ion participation. The interaction of fosinopril with magnesium ions was studied in a solution model system in which methanol was used as the solvent and magnesium acetate as the source of metal ions. Kinetic analysis indicated the degradation to be a bimolecular process, with the rate being first order in both metal ion and fosinopril concentration. The degradation products II, III, and IV effectively retarded the magnesium ion mediated reaction of fosinopril. Based on the results of 31P-NMR, 1H-NMR, Mn(II)-EPR spectroscopy experiments and mass spectrometry, a mechanism is postulated for this transformation. A key reactive intermediate has been characterized that supports the proposed mechanism. The results can account for the observed degradation profile of the fosinopril sodium in a prototype tablet formulation.

Aims: To describe the epidemiology of children with traumatic brain injury (TBI) admitted to paediatric intensive care units (PICUs) in the UK. Methods: Prospective collection of clinical and demographic information from paediatric and adult intensive care units in the UK and Eire between February 2001 and August 2003. Results: The UK prevalence rate for children (0–14 years) admitted to intensive care with TBI between February 2001 and August 2003 was 5.6 per 100 000 population per year (95% Poisson exact confidence intervals 5.17 to 6.05). Children admitted to PICUs with TBI were more deprived than the population as a whole (mean Townsend score for TBI admissions 1.19 v 0). The commonest mechanism of injury was a pedestrian accident (36%), most often occurring in children over 10. There was a significant summer peak in admissions in children under 10 years. Time of injury peaked in the late afternoon and early evening, a pattern that remained constant across the days of the week. Injuries involving motor vehicles have the highest mortality rates (23% of vehicle occupants, 12% of pedestrians) compared with cyclists (8%) and falls (3%). In two thirds of admissions (65%) TBI was an isolated injury. Conclusions: TBI in children requiring intensive care is more common in those from poorer backgrounds who have been involved in accidents as pedestrians. The summer peak in injury occurrence for 0–10 year olds and late afternoon timing give clear targets for community based injury prevention.

Government health policy for malaria control in Solomon Islands has three main objectives: (1) early diagnosis and treatment of malaria at a health service; (2) reduction of human-vector contact through widespread use of insecticide-impregnated bed nets; and (3) provision of malaria chemoprophylaxis for pregnant women. Social research was carried out in thirteen villages in central Malaita to determine local attitudes toward malaria and to estimate the level of participation in malaria control activities. Interviews with 124 care-givers who had children 0–10 years of age, 20 focus group discussions and four evening structured observations were research methods used. Antimalarial drugs were the most favoured treatment, and use of traditional medicines and healers were reportedly minimal. Twenty-five percent of respondents reported keeping chloroquine at home and 42% said they would use chloroquine before seeking diagnosis and treatment from a health service. Structured observations suggest that protection against mosquitoes is poor during the evening. Fifty-two percent of respondents reported using fire and 32% said they used bed nets to protect themselves from mosquitoes. Participants had contradictory beliefs on the threat of malaria during pregnancy and the safety of taking chloroquine prophylaxis. Implications of malaria treatment and prevention practices are discussed, and recommendations for improving malaria control are presented.

The functional properties of specialized cutaneous corpuscles found within the cephalic integument of the Texas rat snake were studied. The surface morphology of each of these end organs consisted of a rimmed, crater-like structure with a prominent peg protruding from the center of the crater. These surface features were directly associated with an underlying corpuscle which evaginated into the epidermis as a dermal papilla. The inner portion of the corpuscle contained a number of central cells with variously oriented cytoplasmic processes. Three or four myelinated nerve fibers were found near the base of the corpuscle; each fiber became unmyelinated as it entered the corpuscle and then divided into two or three smaller branches which terminated near the apex of the end organ. To determine whether or not these corpuscles might be specialized mechanoreceptors, the functional properties of 146 single maxillary nerve fibers innervating the corpuscle-rich supralabial scales of the Texas rat snake were studied. Twenty-one of these fibers (14%) were exclusively sensitive to mechanical stimulation of corpuscles, and were classified as “corpuscle units”; the other 125 fibers (86%) responded to mechanical stimulation of skin surrounding the corpuscles. Each corpuscle fiber was found to innervate from four to 13 individual corpuscles, with a mean of eight end organs per fiber. The adequate stimulus of these receptor units was lateral deflection of the central peg protruding from the crater of each corpuscle. Initial displacement of the peg from its vertical axis evoked a single “on” spike discharge; no response was elicited during sustained pressure exerted against the peg. When the peg was allowed to rebound to its original position, a single “off” impulse was usually elicited. Each fiber was optimally excited by moving mechanical stimuli across the surface of all corpuscles innervated by that fiber; the number of evoked spikes was directly related to the number of corpuscles stimulated. No directional preference for stimulus movement was found. All receptor units faithfully discharged one impulse during each cycle of a 256-Hz vibratory stimulus. Both the morphologic and electrophysiologic data indicated that the cutaneous corpuscles are structurally and functionally unique mechanoreceptors.

As part of a comprehensive nutrition education needs assessment, we collected, by a modified 24-hour recall method, data on the nutritional quality of diets of a representative sample of 890 students in the state of Hawaii. In general, the nutritional quality of diets decreased as the students got older. Large proportions of students reported daily intake of less than two-thirds of the Recommended Dietary Allowances for iron, calcium, vitamin A, thiamin, and vitamin C. We also found high intakes of sodium, cholesterol, and saturated fatty acids and relatively high energy contribution from snacks and high-sugar foods. These data document the need for nutrition education for the school children in Hawaii and provide important baseline food selection information for designing a nutrition education program for the specific target audience.

Summary During the course of experiments performed for other purposes on dogs opportunities have occurred to make numerous incidental observations which support the opinion that, within the limitations of present conditions and methods, the mucosa of a jejunal pedicle graft can withstand active peptic digestion for very long periods of time and, conversely, the secretion of acid by the stomach is not changed by the presence of jejunal mucosa or its secretions.

T HE tremendous deveIopment of surgical therapy made possibIe by anesthesia and asepsis has naturahy enough been accompanied by an enthusiasm for one or another operation, which Iater experience modifies. A constant questioning and review of operative resuhs is therefore necessary. I have ventured to offer here a foIIow-up study of resuIts in a controversia1 field of surgica1 therapy, retroposition ofthe uterus, hoping that it may be of interest both to the medica man who must advise in this common condition and to the surgeon who may be caIIed on to operate. That there is a difference of opinion as to the significance and indications for operative treatment of retroposition is apparent from a study of recent literature on the subject. Bevanl of Chicago in a recent editoria1 stated, “Time and scientific investigations have proved beyond question that retroposition of the uterus produces no IocaI or genera1 symptoms of any kind, that when symptoms are present with this condition they are due to complications. These facts are now so cIearIy estabIished that we must con&de without any reserve that the time has arrived when operations done on women for retroposition of the uterus, for this condition aIone, are unwarranted, unnecessary and indefensibIe.” The present study is based on cases of retroversion of the uterus operated on at St. Luke’s Hospital in the past eight years, the object being to examine the indications for surgica1 treatment. OnIy those cases have been incIuded in the series in which a suspension was the soIe gynecoIogica1 procedure with the exception of a few in which a curettage was aIso done. The Iarge majority had appendectomies and an occasiona1 one some additiona non-gynecoIogica1 procedure. This reduces the number of avaiIabIe cases very greatIy from the Iist filed under the heading of retroversion. It is cIear, however, that if patients on whom such procedures as perineorrhaphy, tracheIorrhaphy, saIpingectomy or myomectomy have been done in addition are included the vaIue of the suspension itseIf wil1 be in doubt. Patients who have not been fohowed at Ieast six months have been eIiminated in order to give time for any psychic effect to wane. The average period of observation after operation is over a year. With one or two exceptions who have reported by Ietter, the patients have been examined at the hospital. The series consists of 74 cases operated upon by 12 different surgeons.

The effects of preceding stimuli on the judgments of current stimuli were examined in a study using absolute judgments of loudness with feedback. It was found that the response on a given trial was dependent on the stimuli in the preceding sequence of at least five trials. Both assimilation and contrast effects were observed. The form of the dependency of a response on a prior stimulus was a function of the ordinal position of the stimulus in the preceding sequence of trials. The stimulus on the immediately preceding trial had an assimilative effect on the response and preceding stimuli two to five trials removed all showed a contrast effect on a given response. The extent to which these preceding stimuli contributed to the contrast effect was an increasing function of their recency. The reversal of the dependency of the response, from assimilation to the stimulus one trial back, to contrast with the stimuli two and more trials back, indicates a unique function of the immediately preceding stimulus in this task. Since there was a reduction in the variance of responses to those stimuli similar in value to the immediately preceding stimulus, it is proposed that the stimulus and feedback on the last trial were remembered and used asa standardin judging the presented stimulus. A model is presented in which it is assumed that the memory of the magnitude of the immediately preceding stimulus is contaminated in specified ways by prior stimuli in the series. The empirical findings of assimilation and contrastare expected consequences of the proposed memorial processes.

The rate of blinking is related to certain mental activities. One common feature of states associated with low blink rates is the presence of concentrated cognitive activity. The purpose of the present study was to determine how blinking is affected by variations in mental load; it was hypothesized that, for a given nonvisual task, blinking would decrease as mental load increased. The first study reported here manipulated memory load by requiring Ss to retain a sequence of 4, 6, or 8 digits. The second study involved mental arithmetic under time pressure; half the trials contained zeros in the sequence of numbers to be summed. In both studies the rate of blinking was low when mental load was high and the rate was high when mental load was low. It is speculated that blinking may disrupt certain cognitive processes and may therefore be inhibited when these processes are active. When mental load is increased, the inhibition of blinking may be an adaptive mechanism which protects vulnerable cognitive processes from interference.

Summary Polypoid redundancy of the gastric mucosa was produced in dogs by a plastic surgical procedure. At the beginning the mucosa was apparently normal and no other treatment was given. After prolonged periods of observation, atrophic gastritis was found on the polyps but not elsewhere in the stomach. Implications of this are discussed.

The case of an infant who suffered repeated attacks of melena and who was found at operation to have a diverticulum in the form of a duplication of the bowel about 12 inches long, with evidence of ulceration in the adjacent small intestine, is described. In addition this patient had a tumor in the right side of the chest which is believed to have led to her death. In the discussion cases from the literature of diverticulum presenting the form of intestinal duplication wholly or in part are cited; cases are also cited which suggest that the tumor of the chest may have been a diverticulum of alimentary tract origin. The significance of unexplained melena as an indication of congenital intestinal diverticulum with ulcer formation is emphasized.