Before the implementation of the Braden Scale, an institutional study was conducted to determine the cut-off point at which patients would be at risk for developing a pressure ulcer. Nurses' perception of patient risk for pressure ulcer development also was compared with the Braden Scale. One hundred and three subjects hospitalized for a minimum of 7 days and randomly selected from routine hosp...

BACKGROUND Diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) is recently developed for identifying different malignant tumors. In this article the diagnostic accuracy of DWI for ovarian cancer was evaluated by synthesis of published data. METHODS A comprehensive literature search was conducted in PubMed/MEDLINE and Embase databases on the diagnostic performance of DWI for ovarian cancer published in English. ...

Background: Shear wave elastography (SWE) is one of newly-developed methods. Our meta-analysis was aimed to clarify whether SWE could be used as a diagnostic biomarker of liver fibrosis. Methods: We searched the potential articles in databases of PubMed, EMbase and Google Scholar. The discrimination of F0 from F1/4 (F≥1), F0/1 from F2/4 (F≥2), F0/2 from F3/4 (F≥3), and F0/3 from F4 (F≥4) were t...

BACKGROUND This study is a systematic review and meta-analysis of the diagnostic value of cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) in cardiac amyloidosis (CA). METHODS A wide variety of electronic databases were searched for studies of CMR that reported the diagnostic accuracy in patients with suspected CA. Research manuscripts were subjected to further systematic review and meta-analysis. Met...

BACKGROUND The diagnosis of tuberculous pleurisy is difficult and traditional methods are not always helpful. Many studies have focused on the tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) assay in pleural effusion for the diagnosis of tuberculous pleurisy, but the results remain controversial. This meta-analysis was conducted to determine the overall diagnostic accuracy of TNF-α. METHODS Relevant stud...

This methodological study aimed to evaluate the predictive validity of the Braden scale in critical care patients. The study was conducted in four intensive care units of a general private hospital. After approval of the project by the Hospital Ethics Committee, during six months, adult patients admitted to ICUs with a Braden score <18 and without PU were assessed upon admission and at 48-hours...

Pressure ulcers are serious problems that occur frequently in acute and long term facilities. Once they occur, pressure ulcers may lead to sepsis and death. A key to prevention is early detection of at-risk patients with a valid and reliable pressure ulcer risk assessment instrument. The Braden scale is one of the most intensively used tools designed to facilitate that assessment. The Braden sc...

Introduction:The accuracy of positron emission tomography with computed tomography (PET/CT), positron emission mammography (PEM), and breast specific-gamma imaging (BSGI) in diagnosing breast cancer has never been systematically assessed, the present systematic review was aimed to address this issue.  Methods:PubMed, Scopus and EMBASE were searched for st...

PURPOSE We compared pressure ulcer (PU) prevalence patients with a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or more, and Braden Scale scores of 16 or more to patients with lower BMI. METHODS A cross-sectional study by using existing data was conducted combining patient skin status with BMI. Subjects underwent skin assessment for evidence of skin breakdown by nurses trained in PU assessment. Data from this...

Just as an art ist signs his works, it has been sug gested that God has signed His work of Cre ation by en coding within the DNA of all liv ing things His name ac cording to the an cient He brew and Arabic al pha bets. A star tling dis cov ery if true. Af ter a 12-year study, New York Times best sell ing au thor Gregg Braden claims to have discov ered just such a sig na ture—what he calls “the ...