BackgroundEarly studies of community-acquired pneumonia showed that nonsurvivors had higher blood urea nitrogen levels and lower serum albumin levels than survivors. Therefore, elevation of the blood urea nitrogen to serum albumin (B/A) ratio may identify patients with community-acquired pneumonia who are becoming critically ill. This study investigated the correlation between commonly used laboratory markers, in particular the B/A ratio, and clinical outcomes of community-acquired pneumonia.MethodsThis observational study was performed in consecutive patients with community-acquired pneumonia admitted to our hospital over a period of one year. Blood counts, commonly used laboratory markers, microbiological tests, and calculation of Pneumonia Severity Index (PSI) and CURB-65 were done on admission. The endpoints were mortality within 28 days of admission and requirement for intensive care.ResultsOne hundred and seventy-five patients with community-acquired pneumonia were enrolled. Nineteen patients died within 28 days of admission and 29 patients required intensive care. Using multivariate analysis, independent factors associated with mortality were the requirement for intensive care (odds ratio [OR] 14.96, 95% confidence interval [CI] 3.73–60.03, P < 0.001), PSI class (OR 3.55, 95% CI 1.08–11.66, P = 0.037), and B/A ratio (OR 1.10, 95% CI 1.01–1.20, P = 0.037). Similarly, independent factors associated with need for intensive care were PSI class (OR 5.35, 95% CI 1.90–15.06, P = 0.002), CURB-65 (OR 2.37, 95% CI 1.26–4.45, P = 0.007), and B/A ratio (OR 1.27, 95% CI 1.09–1.47, P = 0.002).ConclusionThe B/A ratio is a simple but independent predictor of mortality and severity of community-acquired pneumonia.

A 32-year-old man presented with the chief complaint of severe cough. Examination of peripheral blood showed a marked increase in eosinophils. Chest CT demonstrated multiple ground glass opacities in both lungs. Bronchoalveolar lavage showed abundant eosinophils. Abdominal CT demonstrated multiple low attenuation areas in the liver. Liver biopsy with ultrasonography revealed severe eosinophil infiltrations around the portal veins. Serologically, a multi-dot enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (DOT-ELISA) and ELISA inhibition test using microtiter plates were positive for Ascaris suum. Thus, visceral larva migrans due to Ascaris suumwas diagnosed. Outbreaks of this disease in Japan have previously been confined to the Kyushu area. The present case which occurred outside that area, illustrates the importance of constant attention to the epidemiology of this disease. (Internal Medicine 41: 574-579, 2002)

BACKGROUND:The semi-quantitative serum procalcitonin test (Brahms PCT-Q) is available conveniently in clinical practice. However, there are few data on the relationship between results for this semi-quantitative procalcitonin test and clinical outcomes of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). We investigated the usefulness of this procalcitonin test for predicting the clinical outcomes of CAP in comparison with severity scoring systems and the blood urea nitrogen/serum albumin (B/A) ratio, which has been reported to be a simple but reliable prognostic indicator in our prior CAP study. METHODS: This retrospective study included data from subjects who were hospitalized for CAP from August 2010 through October 2012 and who were administered the semiquantitative serum procalcitonin test on admission. The demographic characteristics; laboratory biomarkers; microbiological test results; Pneumonia Severity Index scores; confusion, urea nitrogen, breathing frequency, blood pressure, > 65 years of age (CURB-65) scale scores; and age, dehydration, respiratory failure, orientation disturbance, pressure (A-DROP) scale scores on hospital admission were retrieved from their medical charts. The outcomes were mortality within 28 days of hospital admission and the need for intensive care. RESULTS: Of the 213 subjects with CAP who were enrolled in the study, 20 died within 28 days of hospital admission, and 32 required intensive care. Mortality did not differ significantly among subjects with different semi-quantitative serum procalcitonin levels; however, subjects with serum procalcitonin levels > 10.0 ng/mL were more likely to require intensive care than those with lower levels (P < .001). The elevation of semi-quantitative serum procalcitonin levels was more frequently observed in subjects with proven etiology, especially pneumococcal pneumonia. Using the receiver operating characteristic curves for mortality, the area under the curve was 0.86 for Pneumonia Severity Index class, 0.81 for B/A ratio, 0.81 for A-DROP, 0.80 for CURB-65, and 0.57 for semi-quantitative procalcitonin test. CONCLU-SIONS: The semi-quantitative serum procalcitonin level on hospital admission was less predictive of mortality from CAP compared with the B/A ratio. However, the subjects with serum procalcitonin levels > 10.0 ng/mL were more likely to require intensive care than those with lower levels.

BackgroundThe credibility of prognostic indicators in nursing-home-acquired pneumonia (NHAP) is not clear. We previously reported a simple prognostic indicator in community-acquired pneumonia (CAP): blood urea nitrogen to serum albumin (B/A) ratio. This retrospective study investigated the prognostic value of severity indicators in NHAP versus CAP in elderly patients.MethodsPatients aged ≥65 years and hospitalized because of NHAP or CAP within the previous 3 years were enrolled. Demographics, coexisting illnesses, laboratory and microbiological findings, and severity scores (confusion, urea, respiratory rate, blood pressure, and age ≥65 [CURB-65] scale; age, dehydration, respiratory failure, orientation disturbance, and pressure [A-DROP] scale; and pneumonia severity index [PSI]) were retrieved from medical records. The primary outcome was mortality within 28 days of admission.ResultsIn total, 138 NHAP and 307 CAP patients were enrolled. Mortality was higher in NHAP (18.1%) than in CAP (4.6%) (P<0.001). Patients with NHAP were older and had lower functional status and a higher rate of do-not-resuscitate orders, heart failure, and cerebrovascular diseases. The NHAP patients more frequently had typical bacterial pathogens. Using the receiver-operating characteristics curve for predicting mortality, the area under the curve in NHAP was 0.70 for the A-DROP scale, 0.69 for the CURB-65 scale, 0.67 for the PSI class, and 0.65 for the B/A ratio. The area under the curve in CAP was 0.73 for the A-DROP scale, 0.76 for the CURB-65 scale, 0.81 for the PSI class, and 0.83 for the B/A ratio.ConclusionPatient mortality was greater in NHAP than in CAP. Patient characteristics, coexisting illnesses, and detected pathogens differed greatly between NHAP and CAP. The existing severity indicators had less prognostic value for NHAP than for CAP.

We determined the slip distribution of a slow‐slip event (SSE) off the Boso Peninsula, Japan, from ocean bottom pressure gauge (OBP) observations. Most large SSEs occur under the ocean, and continuous OBP measurements have been used previously for their detection. These measurements require removing oceanic changes by subtracting averaged data of multiple stations from each OBP data set, a method that requires multiple stations. We developed a new method for extracting transient deformation due to a targeted event from data of a single OBP station. We fit a model that takes account of linear trends, seasonal variations, and other effects to the OBP data to detect transient deformation during the 2014 Boso SSE. We determined the OBP observation accuracy to be ±10 mm and detected 20 mm of uplift which was objectively confirmed by using Akaike's information criterion. Our method improves the potential for measuring slip distributions of SSEs under the ocean.