METHODS: During the 6-year study period, using Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Healthcare Safety Network (CDC-NHSN) definitions for device-associated health care-associated infection (DA-HAI), we collected prospective data from 861,284 patients hospitalized in INICC hospital ICUs for an aggregate of 3,506,562 days.

RESULTS: Although device use in INICC ICUs was similar to that reported from CDC-NHSN ICUs, DA-HAI rates were higher in the INICC ICUs: in the INICC medical-surgical ICUs, the pooled rate of central line-associated bloodstream infection, 4.1 per 1,000 central line-days, was nearly 5-fold higher than the 0.8 per 1,000 central line-days reported from comparable US ICUs, the overall rate of ventilator-associated pneumonia was also higher, 13.1 versus 0.9 per 1,000 ventilator-days, as was the rate of catheter-associated urinary tract infection, 5.07 versus 1.7 per 1,000 catheter-days. From blood cultures samples, frequencies of resistance of Pseudomonas isolates to amikacin (29.87% vs 10%) and to imipenem (44.3% vs 26.1%), and of Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates to ceftazidime (73.2% vs 28.8%) and to imipenem (43.27% vs 12.8%) were also higher in the INICC ICUs compared with CDC-NHSN ICUs.

METHODS: We conducted a prospective cohort study, between March 27, 2004 and November 2, 2022, in 279 ICUs of 95 hospitals in 44 cities in 9 Asian countries (China, India, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam).

METHODS: Multinational, multicenter, prospective cohort study at 786 ICUs of 312 hospitals in 147 cities in 37 Latin American, Asian, African, Middle Eastern, and European countries.

METHODS: From January 1, 2014, to February 12, 2022, we conducted a prospective cohort study. To estimate CAUTI incidence, the number of UC days was the denominator, and CAUTI was the numerator. To estimate CAUTI RFs, we analyzed 11 variables using multiple logistic regression.

STUDY DESIGN: Prospective observational cohort study.

SETTING & PARTICIPANTS: 552 children and adolescents from 27 countries on maintenance HD followed up prospectively by the International Pediatric HD Network (IPHN) Registry between 2012 and 2017.

PREDICTOR: Type of vascular access: AVF, central venous catheter (CVC), or arteriovenous graft.

OUTCOME: Infectious and noninfectious vascular access complication rates, dialysis performance, biochemical and hematologic parameters, and clinical outcomes.

ANALYTICAL APPROACH: Univariate and multivariable linear mixed models, generalized linear mixed models, and proportional hazards models; cumulative incidence functions.

RESULTS: During 314 cumulative patient-years, 628 CVCs, 225 AVFs, and 17 arteriovenous grafts were placed. One-third of the children with an AVF required a temporary CVC until fistula maturation. Vascular access choice was associated with age and expectations for early transplantation. There was a 3-fold higher living related transplantation rate and lower median time to transplantation of 14 (IQR, 6-23) versus 20 (IQR, 14-36) months with CVCs compared with AVFs. Higher blood flow rates and Kt/Vurea were achieved with AVFs than with CVCs. Infectious complications were reported only with CVCs (1.3/1,000 catheter-days) and required vascular access replacement in 47%. CVC dysfunction rates were 2.5/1,000 catheter-days compared to 1.2/1,000 fistula-days. CVCs required 82% more revisions and almost 3-fold more vascular access replacements to a different site than AVFs (P<0.001).

LIMITATIONS: Clinical rather than population-based data.

STUDY DESIGN: Prospective cohort study.

SETTING & PARTICIPANTS: Patients younger than 19 years at inclusion into the International Pediatric Peritoneal Dialysis Network registry, who initiated MPD between 1996 and 2017.

EXPOSURE: Region as primary exposure (Asia, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Latin America, North America, and Oceania). Other demographic, clinical, and macroeconomic (4 income groups based on gross national income) factors also were studied.

OUTCOME: All-cause MPD mortality.

ANALYTICAL APPROACH: Patients were observed for 3 years, and the mortality rates in different regions and income groups were calculated. Cause-specific hazards models with random effects were fit to calculate the proportional change in variance for factors that could explain variation in mortality rates.

RESULTS: A total of 2,956 patients with a median age of 7.8 years at the start of KRT were included. After 3 years, the overall probability of death was 5%, ranging from 2% in North America to 9% in Eastern Europe. Mortality rates were higher in low-income countries than in high-income countries. Income category explained 50.1% of the variance in mortality risk between regions. Other explanatory factors included peritoneal dialysis modality at start (22.5%) and body mass index (11.1%).

LIMITATIONS: The interpretation of interregional survival differences as found in this study may be hampered by selection bias.

METHODS: This prospective clinical study included consecutive Asian patients with dark irides and confirmed for glaucoma. Only one eye of each patient was treated. Diode laser contact transscleral cyclophotocoagulation treatment was performed with the center of the probe placed 1.5 mm behind the limbus. About 30 pulses of 810-mm laser radiation (power, 1.8 to 2.0 W; duration, 0.3 to 0.5 second) were applied around the eye. Patients were examined at fixed postoperative intervals. Intraocular pressure levels and postoperative complications were recorded. The relation between patient and disease characteristics, total laser energy delivered, and intraocular pressure effects were analyzed.

RESULTS: Thirty-three patients were studied, with a mean follow-up period of 9.4 months. An average 56% of patients showed a 30% or greater drop in intraocular pressure. About 38% of patients achieved sustained intraocular pressure lowering to below 22 mm Hg at 18 months. Complications were few and included transient hypotony and iritis.

DESIGN: Prospective cross-sectional study.

METHODS: Consecutive CSC patients were recruited from retina clinic. The reference standard for CNV was determined by interpretation of multimodal imaging with OCTA, structural OCT line scan, fluorescein angiography (FA), indocyanine green angiography (ICGA), ultra-widefield fundus photography and fundus autofluorescence (FAF). Two independent masked graders examined OCTA without FA and ICGA to diagnose CNV. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to evaluate factors associated with CNV.

RESULTS: CNV was detected in 69 eyes in 64 out of 277 CSC patients according to reference standard. The two masked graders who examined OCTA had sensitivity of 81.2% (95% Confidence Interval [CI], 71.9%-90.4%) and 78.3% (95% CI, 68.5%-88.0%), specificity of 97.3% (95% CI, 95.9%-98.8%) and 96.2% (95% CI, 94.5%-98.0%), positive predictive values of 82.4% (95% CI, 73.3%-91.4%) and 76.1% (95% CI, 66.1%-86.0%), and negative predictive values of 97.1% (95% CI, 95.6%-98.7%) and 96.7% (95% CI, 95.0%-98.3%). Their mean area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was 0.88 with good agreement (Kappa coefficient 0.80 [95% CI, 0.72-0.89]). Flat irregular pigment epithelial detachment on structural OCT, neovascular network on OCTA and ill-defined late leakage on FA significantly correlated with CNV in CSC from multiple regression (P < 0.001, P < 0.001 and P = 0.005, respectively).

MATERIAL AND METHODS: A prospective, quasi-experimental physiological study. Selected healthy subjects were observed electrocardiographically for 60 s continuously in three equal phases of 20 s each - baseline phase, nasoendoscopic phase, and recovery phase (post-nasoendoscopy). Heart rate fluctuations were charted, followed by identification of a positive nasocardiac reflex group of subjects and a negative group. Analyses against multiple variables were done.

RESULTS: A total of 53 subjects were analysed. Heart rate during the baseline phase was 81.0 ± 9.9, nasoendoscopic phase was 72.7 ± 10.1, and recovery phase was 75.2 ± 9.6. Sixteen subjects (30.2%) had a positive nasocardiac reflex, and they remained in sinus rhythm with no occurrences of skipped beats, atrioventricular blocks or asystoles. One subject (1.9%) developed temporary ectopic premature ventricular contractions after nasoendoscopy. No variables were found affecting the incidence of a nasocardiac reflex in our study.