Results. Of the 228 047 asthma patients, fixed-dose combination (FDC) LABAs were used by the majority of patients (96%). Prior use of ICS or LTRAs was observed in 64% and 31% of SI and FDC LABA incident episodes, respectively.

The median MCR for SI LABAs was 62%. Approximately half of the patients met at least one criterion for poorly controlled asthma prior to LABA use. Conclusions. Substantial proportion of patients was prescribed LABAs without prior use of ICS or LTRAs, or other indicators of poor asthma control. These findings find more suggest that asthma guidelines were not entirely followed in clinical practice during the study period.”
“To minimize morbidity and mortality associated with surgery risks in the

obese patient, algorithms offer planning operative strategy. Because these algorithms often classify patients G418 nmr based on inadequate category granularity, outcomes may not be predicted accurately. We reviewed patient factors and patient outcomes for those who had undergone bariatric surgical procedures to determine relationships and developed a nomogram to calculate individualized patient risk.

From the American College of Surgeons National Security Quality Improvement Program database, we identified 32,426 bariatric surgery patients meeting NIH criteria and treated between 2005 and 2008. We defined a composite binary outcome of 30-day postoperative morbidity and mortality. A predictive model based buy AZD3965 on preoperative variables was developed using multivariable logistic regression; a multiple imputation procedure allowed inclusions of observations with missing data. Model performance was assessed using the C-statistic. A calibration plot graphically assessed the agreement between predicted and observed probabilities in regard to 30-day morbidity/mortality.

The nomogram model was constructed for maximal predictive accuracy. The estimated C-statistic [95% confidence interval] for the predictive nomogram was 0.629 [0.614, 0.645], indicative of slight to moderate discriminative

ability beyond that of chance alone, and the greatest impacts on the estimated probability of morbidity/mortality were determined to be age, body mass index, serum albumin, and functional status.

By accurately predicting 30-day morbidity and mortality, this nomogram may prove useful in patient preoperative counseling on postoperative complication risk. Our results additionally indicate that neither age nor presence of obesity-related comorbidities should exclude patients from bariatric surgery consideration.”
“The EUPHRATES trial (Evaluating Use of Polymyxin B Hemoperfusion in a Randomized Controlled Trial of Adults Treated for Endotoxemia and Septic Shock) is the first biomarker-driven trial in sepsis. This unique trial is being run in a blinded manner, further contributing to the robustness of its design.