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Normally distributed continuous variables are expressed as means ± standard error of the mean (SEM), abnormally distributed continuous variables are expressed as median (interquartile range) and categorical variables are expressed as number (percentage).
For equivalent variables with a normal distribution, the independent Student’s t test was utilized to compare two groups. The Mann–Whitney U test was used to compare categorical variables and abnormal distributional variables between two groups. One-way analysis of variance and the Kruskal–Wallis test were used to compare multiple groups.
Correlation between variables with normal distribution was assessed using Pearson’s correlation test, while abnormal distributions were assessed using Spearman’s rho test.
Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was performed to differentiate patients with CAP from those with SCAP, and to separate non-survivors from the overall patients with SCAP. Areas under the curve (AUCs), optimal threshold values, sensitivity, and specificity were calculated.
Kaplan–Meier methods were used to build 30-day survival curves, and survival rates were compared using the log-rank test. Cox proportional hazards regression analyses were used to analyse the effect of an array of variables on 30-day survival.A two-sided p value <0.05 was considered statistically significant; confidence intervals (CIs) were set at 95%. Statistical analyses were performed by using GraphPad Prism version 6.01 software (GraphPad Software, La Jolla, CA, USA) and MedCalc statistical software version 15.2.2 (MedCalc Software, Ostend, Belgium).
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