This study aimed to develop risk scores based on clinical characteristics at presentation to predict intensive care unit (ICU) admission and mortality in COVID-19 patients. 641 hospitalized patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 were selected from 4997 persons under investigation. We performed a retrospective review of medical records of demographics, comorbidities and laboratory tests at the initial presentation. Primary outcomes were ICU admission and death. Logistic regression was used to identify independent clinical variables predicting the two outcomes. The model was validated by splitting the data into 70% for training and 30% for testing. Performance accuracy was evaluated using area under the curve (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristic analysis (ROC). Five significant variables predicting ICU admission were lactate dehydrogenase, procalcitonin, pulse oxygen saturation, smoking history, and lymphocyte count. Seven significant variables predicting mortality were heart failure, procalcitonin, lactate dehydrogenase, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, pulse oxygen saturation, heart rate, and age. The mortality group uniquely contained cardiopulmonary variables. The risk score model yielded good accuracy with an AUC of 0.74 ([95% CI, 0.63-0.85], p = 0.001) for predicting ICU admission and 0.83 ([95% CI, 0.73-0.92], p<0.001) for predicting mortality for the testing dataset. This study identified key independent clinical variables that predicted ICU admission and mortality associated with COVID-19. This risk score system may prove useful for frontline physicians in clinical decision-making under time-sensitive and resource-constrained environment.

IMPORTANCE Chronic periodontitis, a destructive inflammatory disorder of the supporting structures of the teeth, is prevalent in patients with diabetes. Limited evidence suggests that periodontal therapy may improve glycemic control. OBJECTIVE To determine if nonsurgical periodontal treatment reduces levels of glycated hemoglobin (HbA 1c) in persons with type 2 diabetes and moderate to advanced chronic periodontitis. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS The Diabetes and Periodontal Therapy Trial (DPTT), a 6-month, single-masked, multicenter, randomized clinical trial. Participants had type 2 diabetes, were taking stable doses of medications, had HbA 1c levels between 7% and less than 9%, and untreated chronic periodontitis. Five hundred fourteen participants were enrolled between November 2009 and March 2012 from diabetes and dental clinics and communities affiliated with 5 academic medical centers. INTERVENTIONS The treatment group (n = 257) received scaling and root planing plus chlorhexidine oral rinse at baseline and supportive periodontal therapy at 3 and 6 months. The control group (n = 257) received no treatment for 6 months. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Difference in change in HbA 1c level from baseline between groups at 6 months. Secondary outcomes included changes in probing pocket depths, clinical attachment loss, bleeding on probing, gingival index, fasting glucose level, and Homeostasis Model Assessment (HOMA2) score. RESULTS Enrollment was stopped early because of futility. At 6 months, mean HbA 1c levels in the periodontal therapy group increased 0.17% (SD, 1.0), compared with 0.11% (SD, 1.0) in the control group, with no significant difference between groups based on a linear regression model adjusting for clinical site (mean difference, −0.05% [95% CI, −0.23% to 0.12%]; P = .55). Periodontal measures improved in the treatment group compared with the control group at 6 months, with adjusted between-group differences of 0.28 mm (95% CI, 0.18 to 0.37) for probing depth, 0.25 mm (95% CI, 0.14 to 0.36) for clinical attachment loss, 13.1% (95% CI, 8.1% to 18.1%) for bleeding on probing, and 0.27 (95% CI, 0.17 to 0.37) for gingival index (P < .001 for all). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Nonsurgical periodontal therapy did not improve glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes and moderate to advanced chronic periodontitis. These findings do not support the use of nonsurgical periodontal treatment in patients with diabetes for the purpose of lowering levels of HbA 1c .

To examine psychometric properties of the SNAP-IV, parent (N = 1,613) and teacher data (N = 1,205) were collected from a random sample of elementary school students in a longitudinal study on detection of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Reliability, factor structure, predictive validity, and effect sizes (ES) for differences in ratings across age, gender, and race were examined. Performance as a screening and diagnostic tool was evaluated through calculation of likelihood ratios (LR) and posttest probabilities. Reliability of the parent and teacher SNAP-IV was acceptable. Factor structure was consistent with a two-factor solution of ADHD symptoms and a third ODD factor. Parent and teacher scores varied significantly by gender and poverty status (d = .49 to .56), but not by age; only teacher scores varied by race (d = .25 to .55). SNAP-IV parent and teacher ratings satisfactorily distinguished children by increasing levels of ADHD concerns, but only parent ratings by diagnostic status. Parent SNAP-IV scores above 1.2 increased the probability of concern (LR > 10) and above 1.8 of ADHD diagnosis (LR > 3). Teacher hyperactivity/impulsivity scores above 1.2 and inattention scores above 1.8 increased the probabilities of concern (LR = 4.2 and > 5, respectively), but teacher SNAP-IV scores did not usefully change the probability of diagnosis. Further research should address reasons for higher teacher scores for African American children and the differences in measurement models by race. Keywords assessment; attention deficit hyperactivity disorder; children; likelihood ratios; norms; SNAP-IV; reliability; validity Behavior rating scales as assessment tools for diagnosing attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) have been used for many years, starting with the assessment of symptoms listed in the DSM-III (American Psychiatric Association, 1980) manual (Swanson, Sandman, Deutsch, & Baren, 1983). These scales have changed along with revisions in the DSM to match definitions of ADHD as a three-dimensional construct in DSM-III (APA, 1980), a unidimensional construct in the DSM-III-R (APA, 1987), and the current two-dimensional construct in the DSM-IV (APA, 1994) manual (Pillow, Pelham, Hoza, Molina, & Stultz, 1998). The rating scales are comparable in content (using either the exact DSM symptom NIH-PA Author ManuscriptNIH-PA Author Manuscript NIH-PA Author Manuscript descriptions or variants slightly reworded to improve readability) and measurement approaches (four-point rating intervals) but differ in the assessment of comorbid disorders. Some focus on ADHD only, such as the ADHD Rating Scale IV DuPaul et al., 1997) or the DSM-IV ADHD Rating Scale (Gomez, Harvey, Quick, Scharer, & Harris, 1999). Still others, such as the parent and teacher versions of the Vanderbilt ADHD Diagnostic Rating scales (Wolraich, Feurer, Hannah, Baumgaertel, & Pinnock, 1998;Wolraich et al., 2003), assess both externalizing and internalizing ...

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Objective HIV-1 replication and microbial translocation occur concomitant with systemic immune activation. This study delineates mechanisms of immune activation and CD4 T cell decline in pediatric HIV-1 infection. Design Cross-sectional and longitudinal cellular and soluble plasma markers for inflammation were evaluated in 14 healthy and 33 perinatally HIV-1-infected pediatric subjects prior to and over 96 weeks of protease-inhibitor-containing combination antiretroviral treatment [ART]. All HIV-1-infected subjects reconstituted CD4 T cells either with suppression of viremia or rebound of drug-resistant virus. Methods Systemic immune activation was determined by polychromatic flow cytometry of blood lymphocytes and ELISA for plasma soluble CD27 [sCD27], soluble CD14 [sCD14], and tumor necrosis factor [TNF]. Microbial translocation was evaluated by limulus amebocyte lysate assay to detect bacterial lipopolysaccharide [LPS] and ELISA for anti-endotoxin core antigen IgM antibodies. Immune activation markers were compared to viral load, CD4% and LPS by regression models. Comparisons between healthy and HIV-1 infected or between different viral outcome groups were performed by non-parametric rank sum. Results Microbial translocation was detected in healthy infants but resolved with age (P<0.05). LPS and sCD14 levels were elevated in all HIV-1 infected subjects (P<0.05 and P<0.0001, respectively) and persisted even if CD4 T cells were fully reconstituted, virus optimally suppressed, and lymphocyte activation resolved by ART. Children with CD4 T cell reconstitution but viral rebound following ART continued to display high levels of sCD27. Conclusions Microbial translocation in pediatric HIV-1-infection is associated with persistent monocyte/macrophage activation independent of viral replication or T cell activation.

ObjeCtiveTo examine the associations between the regular consumption of spicy foods and total and cause specific mortality.Design Population based prospective cohort study. PartiCiPants 199 293 men and 288 082 women aged 30 to 79 years at baseline after excluding participants with cancer, heart disease, and stroke at baseline. Main exPOsure MeasuresConsumption frequency of spicy foods, self reported once at baseline. Main OutCOMe MeasuresTotal and cause specific mortality.results During 3 500 004 person years of follow-up between 2004 and 2013 (median 7.2 years), a total of 11 820 men and 8404 women died. Absolute mortality rates according to spicy food consumption categories were 6.1, 4.4, 4.3, and 5.8 deaths per 1000 person years for participants who ate spicy foods less than once a week, 1 or 2, 3 to 5, and 6 or 7 days a week, respectively. Spicy food consumption showed highly consistent inverse associations with total mortality among both men and women after adjustment for other known or potential risk factors. In the whole cohort, compared with those who ate spicy foods less than once a week, the adjusted hazard ratios for death were 0.90 (95% confidence interval 0.84 to 0.96), 0.86 (0.80 to 0.92), and 0.86 (0.82 to 0.90) for those who ate spicy food 1 or 2, 3 to 5, and 6 or 7 days a week, respectively. Compared with those who ate spicy foods less than once a week, those who consumed spicy foods 6 or 7 days a week showed a 14% relative risk reduction in total mortality. The inverse association between spicy food consumption and total mortality was stronger in those who did not consume alcohol than those who did (P=0.033 for interaction). Inverse associations were also observed for deaths due to cancer, ischemic heart diseases, and respiratory diseases. COnClusiOnIn this large prospective study, the habitual consumption of spicy foods was inversely associated with total and certain cause specific mortality, independent of other risk factors of death.

SummaryBackgroundThe age-specific association between blood pressure and vascular disease has been studied mostly in high-income countries, and before the widespread use of brain imaging for diagnosis of the main stroke types (ischaemic stroke and intracerebral haemorrhage). We aimed to investigate this relationship among adults in China.Methods512 891 adults (59% women) aged 30–79 years were recruited into a prospective study from ten areas of China between June 25, 2004, and July 15, 2008. Participants attended assessment centres where they were interviewed about demographic and lifestyle characteristics, and their blood pressure, height, and weight were measured. Incident disease was identified through linkage to local mortality records, chronic disease registries, and claims to the national health insurance system. We used Cox regression analysis to produce adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) relating systolic blood pressure to disease incidence. HRs were corrected for regression dilution to estimate associations with long-term average (usual) systolic blood pressure.FindingsDuring a median follow-up of 9 years (IQR 8–10), there were 88 105 incident vascular and non-vascular chronic disease events (about 90% of strokes events were diagnosed using brain imaging). At ages 40–79 years (mean age at event 64 years [SD 9]), usual systolic blood pressure was continuously and positively associated with incident major vascular disease throughout the range 120–180 mm Hg: each 10 mm Hg higher usual systolic blood pressure was associated with an approximately 30% higher risk of ischaemic heart disease (HR 1·31 [95% CI 1·28–1·34]) and ischaemic stroke (1·30 [1·29–1·31]), but the association with intracerebral haemorrhage was about twice as steep (1·68 [1·65–1·71]). HRs for vascular disease were twice as steep at ages 40–49 years than at ages 70–79 years. Usual systolic blood pressure was also positively associated with incident chronic kidney disease (1·40 [1·35–1·44]) and diabetes (1·14 [1·12–1·15]). About half of all vascular deaths in China were attributable to elevated blood pressure (ie, systolic blood pressure >120 mm Hg), accounting for approximately 1 million deaths (<80 years of age) annually.InterpretationAmong adults in China, systolic blood pressure was continuously related to major vascular disease with no evidence of a threshold down to 120 mm Hg. Unlike previous studies in high-income countries, blood pressure was more strongly associated with intracerebral haemorrhage than with ischaemic stroke. Even small reductions in mean blood pressure at a population level could be expected to have a major impact on vascular morbidity and mortality.FundingUK Wellcome Trust, UK Medical Research Council, British Heart Foundation, Cancer Research UK, Kadoorie Charitable Foundation, Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology, and the National Science Foundation of China.

This study investigated continued and discontinued use of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEi) or angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARB) during hospitalization of 614 hypertensive laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 patients. Demographics, comorbidities, vital signs, and laboratory data and ACEi/ARB usage were analyzed. To account for confounders, patients were sub-stratified by whether they developed hypotension and acute kidney injury (AKI) during the index hospitalization. Mortality (22% vs 17%, p&gt;0.05) and intensive-care-unit (ICU) admission (26% vs 12%, p&gt;0.05) rates were not significantly different between non-ACEi/ARB and ACEi/ARB groups. However, patients who continued ACEi/ARBs in the hospital had markedly lower ICU admission rate (12% vs 26%, p=0.001, OR=0.347 [95% CI:0.187-0.643]) and mortality rate (6% vs 28%, p=0.001, OR=0.215 [95% CI:0.101-0.455]) compared to patients who discontinued ACEi/ARB. The odds ratio for mortality remained significantly lower after accounting for development of hypotension or AKI. These findings suggest that continued ACEi/ARB use in hypertensive COVID-19 patients yields better clinical outcomes.