ABSTRACT Introduction: Acute kidney injury is a common and serious condition in critically ill patients. Current biomarkers, such as serum creatinine, are limited in early detection and prognostic assessment. The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio has emerged as a promising inflammatory biomarker, reflecting systemic inflammation and potentially serving as a tool for risk stratification in high-risk groups. Objective: To evaluate the prognostic value of the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio in predicting mortality in patients with acute kidney injury through a systematic review and meta-analysis. Methods: […]

ABSTRACT Objective To investigate whether the urine dipstick screening test can be used to predict urine culture results. Methods A retrospective study conducted between January and December 2014 based on data from 8,587 patients with a medical order for urine dipstick test, urine sediment analysis and urine culture. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values were determined and ROC curve analysis was performed. Results The percentage of positive cultures was 17.5%. Nitrite had 28% sensitivity and 99% specificity, with positive […]

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the diagnostic sensitivity, specificity, and agreement of the Dementia Rating Scale with clinical diagnosis of cognitive impairment and to compare its psychometric measures with those from Mini Mental State Examination. METHODS: Eighty-six elders from a long-term care institution were invited to participate in a study, and fifty-eight agreed to participate. The global health assessment protocol applied to these elders contained Mini Mental State Examination and Dementia Rating Scale. Clinical diagnose of cognitive impairment was performed by experts […]