BACKGROUND UK primary care records are computerised and these records are used for both research and quality improvement. However, there is disparity in the prevalence of diabetes found in epidemiological studies compared with that reported through the UK's national quality improvement scheme. OBJECTIVE To investigate how non-diagnostic computer data could be used to identify, confirm or refu...

BACKGROUND Large registries are important data sources in epidemiological studies of shock, if these registries are valid. Therefore, we examined the positive predictive value (PPV) of diagnosis codes for shock, the procedure codes for inotropic/vasopressor therapy among patients with a diagnosis of shock, and the combination of a shock diagnosis and a code for inotropic/vasopressor therapy in ...

BACKGROUND One of the most challenging problems in vitro-retinal surgery is the recurrence of retinal detachment in the context of high-grade proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR). The aim of our retrospective study was to assess the surgical outcomes of pars plana vitrectomy, 180° inferior retinotomy and silicone oil tamponade combined with phacoemulsification and IOL implantation for recurren...

PURPOSE To determine the effect of transition to digital screening mammography on clinical outcome measures, including recall rate, cancer detection rate, and positive predictive value (PPV). MATERIALS AND METHODS Institutional review board approval and the need for informed consent were waived for this HIPAA-complaint study. Practice audit data were obtained for three breast imaging radiolog...

BACKGROUND Stroke volume variation (SVV) and pulse pressure variation (PPV), termed dynamic markers of preload responsiveness, may predict the response to i.v. fluid in critically ill patients. However, the predictive accuracy of these variables during gastrointestinal surgery remains uncertain. METHODS Observational study of patients aged ≥50 yr undergoing major gastrointestinal surgery, enr...

We investigate the effect of broken conjugation on the excited state dynamics of excimers in cyano-substituted phenylene-vinylene polymers. We compare previous studies on the well-characterized poly(2,5,2',5'-tetrahexyloxy-8,7'-dicyano-di-p-phenylene vinylene) (CN-PPV) with poly[oxa-1,4-phenylene-1,2-(1-cyano)-ethenylene-2,5-dioctyloxy-1,4-phenylene-1,2-(2-cyano)-ethenylene-1,4-phenylene] (CN-e...

BACKGROUND Similarly to systolic pressure variation (SPV), pulse pressure variation (PPV) and stroke volume variation (SVV) derived from arterial pulse contour analysis have been shown to reflect fluid responsiveness in ventilated patients. However, unlike the SPV, both PPV and SVV have not been validated during extreme hypovolaemia. The aim of the present study was to examine whether these new...

OBJECTIVE Pulse (PPV) and systolic pressure variation (SPV) quantify variations in arterial pressure related to heart-lung interactions and have been introduced as biomarkers of preload dependency to guide fluid treatment in mechanically ventilated patients. However, respiratory intra-thoracic pressure changes during spontaneous breathing are considered too small to affect preload and stroke vo...