ABSTRACT
Purpose@#While regurgitation is a common and often benign phenomenon in infants and younger children, it can also be a presenting symptom of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). If untreated, GERD can lead to dangerous or lifelong complications.Clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) have been published to inform clinical diagnosis and management of pediatric GERD, but to date there has been no comprehensive review of guideline quality or methodological rigor. @*Methods@#A systematic literature search was performed, and a total of eight CPGs pertaining to pediatric GERD were identified. These CPGs were evaluated using the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation instrument. @*Results@#Three CPGs were found to be “high” quality, with 5 of 6 domains scoring >60%, one “average” quality, with 4 of 6 domains meeting that threshold, and the remaining four “low” quality. @*Conclusion@#Areas of strength among the CPGs included “Scope and Purpose” and “Clarity and Presentation,” as they tended to be well-written and easily understood. Areas in need of improvement were “Stakeholder Involvement,” “Rigor of Development,” and “Applicability,” suggesting these CPGs may not be appropriate for all patients or providers. This analysis found that while strong CPGs pertaining to the diagnosis and treatment of pediatric GERD exist, many published guidelines lack methodological rigor and broad applicability.
ABSTRACT
BackgroundKidney injury is common in COVID-19 infection, but serum creatinine (SCr) is not a sensitive or specific marker of kidney injury. We hypothesized that molecular markers of tubular injury could diagnose COVID-19 associated kidney damage and predict its clinical course. MethodsThis is a prospective cohort study of 444 consecutive COVID-19 patients (43.9% females, 20.5% African American, 54.1% Latinx) in Columbia Universitys Emergency Department at the peak of the New York pandemic (March-April 2020). Urine and blood were collected simultaneously at admission (median time of day 0, IQR 0-2 days) and within 1 day of a positive SARS-CoV-2 test in 70% of patients. Biomarker assays were blinded to clinical data. ResultsUrinary NGAL (uNGAL) was strongly associated with AKI diagnosis (267{+/-}301 vs. 96{+/-}139 ng/mL, P=1.6x10-10). uNGAL >150ng/mL had 80% specificity and 75% sensitivity to diagnose AKIN stage 2 or higher. uNGAL quantitatively predicted the duration of AKI and outcomes, including death, dialysis, shock, and longer hospital stay. The risk of death increased 73% per standard deviation of uNGAL [OR (95%CI): 1.73 (1.29-2.33), P=2.8x10-4] and was independent of baseline SCr, co-morbidities, and proteinuria [adjusted OR (95%CI): 1.51 (1.10-2.11), P=1.2x10-2]. Proteinuria and uKIM-1 also indicated tubular injury but were not diagnostic of AKI. Typically, distal nephron segments transcribe NGAL, but in COVID-19 biopsies with widespread acute tubular injury (ATI), NGAL expression overlapped KIM-1 in proximal tubules. ConclusionuNGAL predicted diagnosis, duration, and severity of AKI and ATI, as well as hospital stay, dialysis, shock, and death in patients with acute COVID-19.
