The screening tool is reliable when completed by different observers and is valid for wide scale nutritional assessment. The screening tool identifies an acceptable number of patients who are malnourished but overestimates patients at moderate risk.

PurposeThis study aimed to determine the mortality rate in patients with severe trauma and the risk factors for trauma mortality based on 3 years' data in a regional trauma center in Korea.MethodsWe reviewed the medical records of severe trauma patients admitted to Ajou University Hospital with an Injury Severity Score (ISS) > 15 between January 2010 and December 2012. Pearson chi-square tests and Student t-tests were conducted to examine the differences between the survived and deceased groups. To identify factors associated with mortality after severe trauma, multivariate logistic regression was performed.ResultsThere were 915 (743 survived and 172 deceased) enrolled patients with overall mortality of 18.8%. Age, blunt trauma, systolic blood pressure (SBP) at admission, Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) at admission, head or neck Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) score, and ISS were significantly different between the groups. Age by point increase (odds ratio [OR], 1.016; P = 0.001), SBP ≤ 90 mmHg (OR, 2.570; P < 0.001), GCS score ≤ 8 (OR, 6.229; P < 0.001), head or neck AIS score ≥ 4 (OR, 1.912; P = 0.003), and ISS by point increase (OR, 1.042; P < 0.001) were significant risk factors.ConclusionIn severe trauma patients, age, initial SBP, GCS score, head or neck AIS score, and ISS were associated with mortality.

Objective: To establish a reliable equation to predict hepatic venous pressure gradient (HVPG) using serological tests for surgical patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Background: Accurate assessment of portal pressure for surgical patients with HCC is important for safe hepatic resection (HR). The HVPG is regarded as the most reliable method to detect portal hypertension. However, HVPG is not utilized in many medical centers due to invasiveness of procedure. Methods: Between 2006 and 2008, 171 patients (Correlation cohort), who underwent liver surgery in a tertiary hospital, were enrolled. Preoperative measurements of the HVPG and serological tests were performed simultaneously. Correlation between the HVPG and serological tests were analyzed to establish an equation for calculated HVPG (cHVPG). Between 2008 and 2013, 510 surgical patients (Application cohort) were evaluated, and HR recommended when cHVPG < 10 mm Hg. The outcomes of HR were analyzed to evaluate reliability of the cHVPG for HR. Results: In the correlation cohort, the equation for cHVPG was established using multivariate linear regression analysis; cHVPG (mm Hg)In the application cohort, 425 patients with cHVPG < 10 mm Hg underwent HR. Among them, 357 had favorable value of ICG-R15 < 20% (group A), and 68 had unfavorable value of ICG-R15 ! 20% (group B). There was no significant difference in patient demographics, tumor characteristics, operative outcome, and survival rates between group A and B. Conclusions: The equation for cHVPG of this study was established on statistical reliability. The cHVPG could be useful to predict portal pressure quantitatively for surgical patients with HCC using serological tests.

High NK cell counts in a transplant recipient's blood are associated with ITBL after ABO-I ALDLT. Further research is needed to elucidate the molecular mechanism of NK cell involvement in the development of ITBL.