Our limited understanding of the pathophysiological mechanisms that operate during sepsis is an obstacle to rational treatment and clinical trial design. There is a critical lack of data from low- ...and middle-income countries where the sepsis burden is increased which inhibits generalized strategies for therapeutic intervention. Here we perform RNA sequencing of whole blood to investigate longitudinal host response to sepsis in a Ghanaian cohort. Data dimensional reduction reveals dynamic gene expression patterns that describe cell type-specific molecular phenotypes including a dysregulated myeloid compartment shared between sepsis and COVID-19. The gene expression signatures reported here define a landscape of host response to sepsis that supports interventions via targeting immunophenotypes to improve outcomes.
Nurse-led rounding checklists are a common strategy for facilitating evidence-based practice in the intensive care unit (ICU). To streamline checklist workflow, some ICUs have the nurse or another ...individual listen to the conversation and customize the checklist for each patient. Such customizations assume that individuals can reliably assess whether checklist items have been addressed.
To evaluate whether 1 critical care nurse can reliably assess checklist items on rounds.
Two nurses performed in-person observation of multidisciplinary ICU rounds. Using a standardized paper-based assessment tool, each nurse indicated whether 17 items related to the ABCDEF bundle were discussed during rounds. For each item, generalizability coefficients were used as a measure of reliability, with a single-rater value of 0.70 or greater considered sufficient to support its assessment by 1 nurse.
The nurse observers assessed 118 patient discussions across 15 observation days. For 11 of 17 items (65%), the generalizability coefficient for a single rater met or exceeded the 0.70 threshold. The generalizability coefficients (95% CIs) of a single rater for key items were as follows: pain, 0.86 (0.74-0.97); delirium score, 0.74 (0.64-0.83); agitation score, 0.72 (0.33-1.00); spontaneous awakening trial, 0.67 (0.49-0.83); spontaneous breathing trial, 0.80 (0.70-0.89); mobility, 0.79 (0.69-0.87); and family (future/past) engagement, 0.82 (0.73-0.90).
Using a paper-based assessment tool, a single trained critical care nurse can reliably assess the discussion of elements of the ABCDEF bundle during multidisciplinary rounds.
Abstract Background Sepsis from infection is a global health priority and clinical trials have failed to deliver effective therapeutic interventions. To address complicating heterogeneity in sepsis ...pathobiology, and improve outcomes, promising precision medicine approaches are helping identify disease endotypes, however, they require a more complete definition of sepsis subgroups. Methods Here, we use RNA sequencing from peripheral blood to interrogate the host response to sepsis from participants in a global observational study carried out in West Africa, Southeast Asia, and North America (N = 494). Results We identify four sepsis subtypes differentiated by 28-day mortality. A low mortality immunocompetent group is specified by features that describe the adaptive immune system. In contrast, the three high mortality groups show elevated clinical severity consistent with multiple organ dysfunction. The immunosuppressed group members show signs of a dysfunctional immune response, the acute-inflammation group is set apart by molecular features of the innate immune response, while the immunometabolic group is characterized by metabolic pathways such as heme biosynthesis. Conclusions Our analysis reveals details of molecular endotypes in sepsis that support immunotherapeutic interventions and identifies biomarkers that predict outcomes in these groups.
Background
The COVID‐19 pandemic is the most serious global public health crisis since the 1918 influenza pandemic. This study is the first to assess its mental health impact across the lifespan in ...the United States in adolescents, adults, and health care workers.
Methods
We recruited 4909 participants through an online survey advertising on Facebook and Instagram to assess exposure to COVID‐19 and psychiatric symptoms from April 27 to July 13. We also recruited through the University of Pittsburgh, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, and other health care systems around Pittsburgh. The primary outcomes were clinically significant depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, suicidal ideation or behavior, and grief reactions since COVID‐19.
Results
Adolescents were significantly more likely to report moderate to severe symptoms of depression (55% vs. 29%; χ2 = 122, df = 1; p < .001), anxiety (48% vs. 29%; χ2 = 73; df = 1; p < .001), PTSD (45% vs. 33%; χ2 = 12; df = 1; p < .001), suicidal ideation or behavior (38% vs. 16%; χ2 = 117; df = 1; p < .001), and sleep problems (69% vs. 57%; χ2 = 26; df = 1; p < .001) compared to adults. The rates of intense grief reactions among those who lost someone to COVID‐19 was 55%. Loneliness was the most common predictor across outcomes and higher number of hours spent on social media and exposure to media about COVID‐19 predicted depression symptoms and suicidal ideation or behavior in adolescents.
Conclusions
The COVID‐19 pandemic is associated with increased rates of clinically significant psychiatric symptoms. Loneliness could put individuals at increased risk for the onset of psychiatric disorders.
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