PeerJ
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Background and Objectives. Glycemic control is of paramount importance in the intensive care unit. Presently, several BG control algorithms have been developed for clinical trials, but they are mostly based on experts' opinion and consensus. ⋯ Conclusion. The study developed the PIGnOLI model for the initial insulin dose setting. Furthermore, experimental study is mandatory to examine whether adjustment of the insulin infusion rate based on PIGnOLI will benefit patients' outcomes.
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Current ovarian cancer treatment involves chemotherapy that has serious limitations, such as rapid clearance, unfavorable biodistribution and severe side effects. To overcome these limitations, drug delivery systems (DDS) have been developed to encapsulate chemotherapeutics for delivery to tumor cells. However, no systematic assessment of the efficacy of chemotherapy by DDS compared to free chemotherapy (not in a DDS) has been performed for animal studies. ⋯ Other subgroup analyses, such as targeted versus non-targeted DDS or IV versus IP administration route, did not identify specific characteristics of DDS that affected treatment efficacy. This systematic review shows the potential, but also the limitations of chemotherapy by drug delivery systems for ovarian cancer treatment. For future animal research, we emphasize that data need to be reported with ample attention to detailed reporting.
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Introduction. Researchers' productivity is usually measured in terms of their publication output. A minimum number of publications is required for some medical qualifications and professional appointments. ⋯ Types of publication by the prolific authors varied but included substantial numbers of original research papers (not simply editorials or letters). Conclusions. Institutions and funders should be alert to unfeasibly prolific authors when measuring and creating incentives for researcher productivity.
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Background. Despite guideline recommendations, chest radiography (CR) for the diagnosis of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in children is commonly used also in mild and/or uncomplicated cases. The aim of this study is to assess the reliability of lung ultrasonography (LUS) as an alternative test in these cases and suggest a new diagnostic algorithm. ⋯ The LUS sensitivity was 96.5% (95% CI [82.2%-99.9%]), specificity of 95.6% (95% CI [78.0%-99.9%]), positive likelihood ratio of 22.2 (95% CI [3.2-151.2]), and negative likelihood ratio of 0.04 (95% CI [0.01-0.25]) for diagnosing pneumonia. Conclusion. LUS can be considered as a valid alternative diagnostic tool of CAP in children and its use must be promoted as a first approach in accordance with our new diagnostic algorithm.
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Rapid drop in the reproduction number during the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) experienced a confined rural outbreak of Ebola virus disease (EVD) with 69 reported cases from July to October 2014. Understanding the transmission dynamics during the outbreak can provide important information for anticipating and controlling future EVD epidemics. ⋯ The model suggests that the net reproduction number Rt fell below unity 28 days (95% CI [25-34] days) after the onset of symptoms in the index case. This study adds to previous epidemiological descriptions of the 2014 EVD outbreak in DRC, and is consistent with the notion that a rapid implementation of control interventions helped reduce further spread.