The shortage of deceased-donor organs is compounded by donation metrics that fail to account for the total pool of possible donors, leading to ambiguous donor statistics. We sought to assess potential metrics of organ procurement organizations (OPOs) utilizing data from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) from 2009-2012 and State Inpatient Databases (SIDs) from 2008-2014. A possible donor was defined as a ventilated inpatient death ≤75 years of age, without multi-organ system failure, sepsis, or cancer, whose cause of death was consistent with organ donation. These estimates were compared to patient-level data from chart review from two large OPOs. Among 2,907,658 inpatient deaths from 2009-2012, 96,028 (3.3%) were a "possible deceased-organ donor." The two proposed metrics of OPO performance were: (1) donation percentage (percentage of possible deceased-donors who become actual donors; range: 20.0-57.0%); and (2) organs transplanted per possible donor (range: 0.52-1.74). These metrics allow for comparisons of OPO performance and geographiclevel donation rates, and identify areas in greatest need of interventions to improve donation rates. We demonstrate that administrative data can be used to identify possible deceased donors in the US and could be a data source for CMS to implement new OPO performance metrics in a standardized fashion.Abbreviations: AHRQ-NIS, agency for healthcare research and quality-nationwide inpatient sample; DCDD, donation after circulatory determination of death; DNDD, donation after neurologic determination of death; DSA, donor service area; EDCR, eligible death conversion rate; HCUP, healthcare cost and utilization project; HRSA, health resources and services administration; OPO, organ procurement organization; OTPPD, organs transplanted per possible donor; SIDs, state inpatient databases; UNOS, united network for organ sharing

Objective Sepsis is the leading cause of death in patients admitted to adult intensive care units (ICUs). We aimed to determine the predictive value of red blood cell distribution width (RDW) in patients with sepsis in a large cohort. Methods This retrospective observational study used data from the eICU Collaborative Research Database. The prognostic value of RDW was investigated using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, multiple logistic regression model, integrated discriminatory index (IDI), and net reclassification index (NRI). Results In total, 9743 patients were included. The area under the ROC curve of the RDW for predicting hospital mortality was 0.631 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.616–0.645). Based on the multiple logistic regression model, an RDW of ≥14.5% was correlated with hospital mortality, regardless of Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) and Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation IV (APACHE IV) scores (odds ratio [OR]: 1.838, 95% CI: 1.598–2.119). Using SOFA and APACHE IV scores as reference, the IDI and continuous NRI of RDW for hospital mortality was about 0.3 and 0.014, respectively. Conclusions The RDW may be useful in predicting hospital mortality in patients with sepsis, offering extra prognostic value beyond SOFA and APACHE IV scores.

Background Nearly 234 million patients undergo surgery each year, and 1.3 million among them develop complications. Patients undergoing major upper abdominal surgery (operation time > 2 h) have a really high incidence of postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs). The occurrence of PPCs seriously affects the outcomes of patients. High-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) is as effective as noninvasive ventilation (NIV) in preventing postoperative hypoxaemia and respiratory failure. Respiratory training using positive expiratory pressure (PEP) Acapella (Choice) has been shown to help patients with rapid recovery from postoperative atelectasis. However, no relevant randomized controlled studies have been conducted to clarify the effect of HFNC combined with respiratory training in the prevention of PPCs. This study aims to investigate whether the use of HFNC combined with respiratory training could reduce the incidence of PPCs within 7 days after major upper abdominal surgery compared to that with conventional oxygen therapy (COT). Methods This is a randomized controlled single-centre trial. A total of 328 patients who undergo major abdominal surgery will be included. Subjects who fulfil the eligible criteria will be randomly assigned into the combination treatment group (Group A) or COT group (Group B) after extubation. The interventions will begin within 30 min of extubation. Patients in Group A will receive HFNC for at least 48 h and respiratory training three times a day for at least 72 h. Patients in Group B will receive oxygen therapy through a nasal catheter or mask for at least 48 h. Our primary endpoint is the incidence of PPCs within 7 days, and the secondary outcome measures include 28-day mortality, reintubation rate, length of hospital stay, and all-cause mortality within 1 year. Discussion This trial would help provide evidence on the effectivity of applying HFNC combined with respiratory training for the prevention of PPCs in patients undergoing major upper abdominal surgery. The objective of this study is to determine the optimal treatment approach to improve the prognosis of patients undergoing surgery. Trial registration ChiCTR2100047146. Registered on 8 June 2021. Retrospectively registered.

Background Nearly 234 million patients undergo surgery each year, and 1.3 million develop complications. The risk of postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs) remains high, especially in major upper abdominal surgery. The occurrence of PPCs seriously affects the outcomes of surgical patients, and the risk of death is significantly increased. This could have a serious impact on the prognosis of patients if no effective prevention or timely intervention is carried out. High-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) is increasingly used in postoperative patients and is confirmed to be as effective as noninvasive ventilation (NIV) in preventing postoperative hypoxaemia and respiratory failure. In our clinical study, we observed faster recovery with combined HFNC and respiratory training (using PEP Acapella Choice) in patients with postoperative atelectasis. These two interventions have a theoretical benefit in the prevention of PPCs, but no relevant prospective randomised controlled studies have been conducted. Could HFNC combined with respiratory training reduce the incidence of PPCs compared to conventional oxygen therapy (COT) in postoperative patients? Could these combined interventions reduce mortality or improve the long-term prognosis? The answers to these questions remain unknown. In this randomised controlled trial, we hypothesise that HFNC combined with respiratory training will reduce the incidence of PPCs and mortality and improve the long-term prognosis in this cohort. Methods This is a randomised controlled single-centre trial. A total of 328 patients who undergo major abdominal surgeries will be included. Subjects will be randomised to receive HFNC combined with Acapella or COT alone immediately after extubation. Our primary endpoint is the incidence of PPCs within 7 days, and the secondary outcome measures include 28-day mortality, reintubation, length of hospital stay, and all-cause mortality within 1 year. Discussion This trial would help provide evidence of the preferred effect of HFNC combined with Acapella on COT in patients after major abdominal surgery. The objective of this study is to determine the optimal choice for improving the prognosis of patients undergoing surgery. Trial registration: ChiCTR2100047146. Registered on 8 June 2021. Retrospectively registered.

Cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) are attractive non-viral gene delivery vectors due to their high transfection capacity and safety. Previously, we have shown that cell-penetrating peptide RALA can be a promising gene delivery vector for chronic wound regeneration application. In this study, we engineered a novel peptide called RALA-E by introducing elastin-derived VGVAPG fragment into RALA, in order to target the elastin-binding protein on the cell surface and thus improve delivery efficacy of RALA. The transfection efficiency of RALA-E was evaluated by transfecting the HEK-293T and HeLa cell lines cells with RALA-E/pDNA complexes and the flow-cytometry results showed that RALA-E significantly increased the transfection efficiency by nearly 20% in both cell lines compared to RALA. Inhibition of pDNA transfection on HEK-293T cells via chlorpromazine, genistein and mβCD showed that the inhibition extent in transfection efficiency was much less for RALA-E group compared to RALA group. In addition, RALA-E/miR-146a complexes showed up to 90% uptake efficiency in macrophages, and can escape from the endosome and enter the nucleus to inhibit the expression of inflammation genes. Therefore, the developed RALA-E peptide has high potential as a safe and efficient vector for gene therapy application.