OBJECTIVES To assess the magnitude of difference in antibiotic use between clinical teams in the acute setting and assess evidence for any adverse consequences to patient safety or healthcare delivery. DESIGN Prospective cohort study (1 week) and analysis of linked electronic health records (3 years). SETTING UK tertiary care centre. PARTICIPANTS All patients admitted sequentially to the ...

BACKGROUND In patients with acute coronary syndromes, compensatory processes are initiated, including angiogenesis and endothelial regeneration of ruptured or eroded plaques. Angiogenic growth factors like vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) are upregulated during ischemia. However, it is unknown whether their seru...

BACKGROUND The clinical response of patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) to a combination of lopinavir/ritonavir and ribavirin was examined after establishing the in vitro antiviral susceptibility of the SARS associated coronavirus to a panel of antiviral agents. METHODS The in vitro susceptibility of the prototype of SARS associated coronavirus to a panel of nucleoside anal...

BACKGROUND Acute rhinosinusitis is one of the most common reasons for prescribing antibiotics in primary care. However, it is not clear whether antibiotics improve the outcome for patients with clinically diagnosed acute rhinosinusitis. We evaluated the effect of a combination product of amoxicillin-potassium clavulanate on adults with acute rhinosinusitis that was clinically diagnosed in a gen...

OBJECTIVES The primary purpose was to compare the odds of acute coronary syndrome-pertinent diagnostic testing between self-reported cocaine users and non-users at the turn of the century. The secondary purpose was to compare the odds of acute coronary syndrome outcomes between cocaine users and non-users. DESIGN Nested matched case-control study using data from the Internet Tracking Registry...

OBJECTIVE Vitamin D and fibroblast growth factor-23 (FGF-23) are related with cardiovascular disorders. We have investigated the relationship of calcidiol (vitamin D metabolite) and FGF-23 plasma levels with the incidence of adverse outcomes in patients with coronary artery disease. METHODS Prospective follow-up study of 704 outpatients, attending the departments of Cardiology of four hospita...

BACKGROUND We sought to describe the proportion of acute ischemic stroke admissions for very old patients (> or =85 years), compare the characteristics of very old versus younger patients and identify factors among very old patients associated with adverse outcomes. METHODS The 2000 Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project data included acute ischemic stroke hospitalizations for patients > or ...

Porphyromonas gingivalis is a Gram-negative, anaerobic bacterium considered to be an important pathogen of periodontal disease that is also implicated in adverse pregnancy outcome (APO). Until recently, our understanding of the role of P. gingivalis in APO has been limited and sometimes contradictory. The purpose of this review is to provide an overview of past and current research on P. gingiv...

The challenge of sorting through copious amounts of data to find the essential information is not new. Over the years, various professions have developed key markers to highlight the essential. For example, clinicians use vital signs, accountants have bottom lines, and journalists pen pithy headlines. Perinatal safety professionals grapple with complex systems and also desire a succinct summary...