Explore the vast range of titles available.

The diagnostic accuracy of individual laboratory tests for the diagnosis of acute pancreatitis is well studied.2 A Cochrane review of 10 studies with 5,096 participants evaluated the accuracy of serum amylase, serum lipase, and urinary trypsinogen.3 Table 1 summarizes these results.3 All tests had similar accuracy; however, other studies have found that approximately one-half of patients with a serum lipase level above three times the upper limit of normal (ULN) do not have acute pancreatitis.4,5 Other conditions, such as small bowel obstruction, gastroenteritis, biliary tract disease, hepatitis, kidney failure, and alcohol intoxication, can also cause significant elevation in serum lipase levels.4 Accuracy of Individual Blood and Urine Tests for the Diagnosis of Acute Pancreatitis in Patients Presenting With Acute Abdominal Pain Test Sensitivity (%) Specificity (%) LR+ LR− Probability of acute pancreatitis* Positive test result (%) Negative test result (%) Serum amylase > three times the ULN 72 93 10.3 0.30 74 8 Serum lipase > three times the ULN 79 89 7.2 0.24 68 7 Urine trypsinogen-2 > 50 ng/mL 72 90 7.2 0.31 67 8 LR– = negative likelihood ratio; LR+ = positive likelihood ratio; ULN = upper limit of normal. *—Assumes 23% prevalence of acute pancreatitis in patients with acute abdominal pain. [...]was a sign or symptom not present or simply not recorded? [...]it is especially important that this risk score be prospectively validated in a new population. Researchers (the principal investigator was the same person who originally developed the risk score) from Brigham and Women's Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital prospectively identified 349 inpatients with serum lipase levels that were elevated at least three times the ULN.4 Patients with malignancy, acute trauma, or the inability to provide an accurate history were excluded.

The risk score is shown in Table 1.5 HARMS2-AF Risk Score Risk factor Points Hypertension 4 Age (years)  60–64 1  ≥ 65 2 Body mass index ≥ 30 kg/m2 1 Male sex 2 Sleep apnea 2 Smoking 1 Alcohol (drinks per week)  7–14 1  ≥ 15 2 Total (range 0–14): _______ Risk group: points Hazard ratio for AF 10-year risk of AF Very low: 0 1.0 < 1% Low: 1–4 2.8 1% Moderate: 5–9 8.9 6% High: 10–14 27.0 18% AF = atrial fibrillation. Atrial fibrillation and the risk for myocardial infarction, all-cause mortality and heart failure: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Prediction models for atrial fibrillation applicable in the community: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Women 50 to 60 years of age with a bone mineral density T-score between 0 and −2.5 at the lumbar spine, femoral neck, or total hip were recruited for this study; women with a previous spine or hip fracture were excluded. Vertebral fractures were observed less often in the two groups that received zoledronate (6.3% in the group that received zoledronate both times, 6.6% in the zoledronate and placebo group, and 11.1% in those who received placebo both times; relative risk [RR] = 0.58; 95% CI, 0.38–0.87 for both zoledronate arms vs placebo; number needed to treat [NNT] = 21–22 to prevent one fracture over 10 years). Study design: