Training, Performance, and Physiological Predictors of a Successful Elite Senior Career in Junior Competitive Road Cyclists

2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (10) ◽  
pp. 1287-1292 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ida S. Svendsen ◽  
Espen Tønnesen ◽  
Leif Inge Tjelta ◽  
Stein Ørn
Keyword(s):  
Operating Characteristic ◽  
Good Accuracy ◽  
Area Under The Curve ◽  
Characteristic Analysis ◽  
Training Performance ◽  
Physiological Variables ◽  
Road Cyclists ◽  
High Level ◽  
National Road ◽  
Race Performance

Purpose: To determine whether training, performance, or physiological variables at age 18 can predict which athletes become World Tour (WT) riders at senior level. Methods: Based on performance level at age 23, 80 competitive male cyclists were retrospectively categorized into 4 groups: retired (n = 21), club (n = 26), continental (n = 24), or WT (n = 9). Data collected at age 18 were analyzed to determine whether training, performance, or physiological variables differed significantly between groups. Results: At age 23, 9 riders (11%) were WT level. These riders competed significantly more at age 18 than athletes who were club level (91.5 [19.1] h vs 62.8 [21.8] h, P = .032) or retired by age 23 (61.8 [23.4] h, P = .014). WT athletes placed significantly better in national road championships at age 18 than did continental, club, and retired athletes (all P < .01). Receiver-operating-characteristic analysis showed that placing at national championships at age 18 had good accuracy in predicting whether the athlete would later reach WT level (area under the curve = 0.882). WT athletes had significantly higher maximal aerobic power at age 18 than athletes who did not reach WT level (533 [23] vs 451 [41] W and 6.9 [0.4] vs 6.2 [0.4] W/kg, P < .05). Conclusion: Already at junior level, there were performance and physiological differences distinguishing those who later became WT riders. The findings emphasize the need for high volumes of training and competition, as well as a high level of race performance already at junior level, to become a successful elite road cyclist.

scholarly journals Identification of an optimal prolactin threshold to determine prolactinoma size using receiver operating characteristic analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bianca M. Leca ◽  
Maria Mytilinaiou ◽  
Marina Tsoli ◽  
Andreea Epure ◽  
Simon J. B. Aylwin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Receiver Operating Characteristic ◽  
Operating Characteristic ◽  
Tumour Size ◽  
Area Under The Curve ◽  
Serum Prolactin ◽  
Pituitary Neoplasms ◽  
Characteristic Analysis ◽  
Roc Curve Analysis ◽  
Baseline Serum ◽  
Receiver Operating

AbstractProlactinomas represent the most common type of secretory pituitary neoplasms, with a therapeutic management that varies considerably based on tumour size and degree of hyperprolactinemia. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the relationship between serum prolactin (PRL) concentrations and prolactinoma size, and to determine a cut-off PRL value that could differentiate micro- from macro-prolactinomas. A retrospective cohort study of 114 patients diagnosed with prolactinomas between 2007 and 2017 was conducted. All patients underwent gadolinium enhanced pituitary MRI and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses were performed. 51.8% of patients in this study were men, with a mean age at the time of diagnosis of 42.32 ± 15.04 years. 48.2% of the total cohort were found to have microadenomas. Baseline serum PRL concentrations were strongly correlated to tumour dimension (r = 0.750, p = 0.001). When performing the ROC curve analysis, the area under the curve was 0.976, indicating an excellent accuracy of the diagnostic method. For a value of 204 μg/L (4338 mU/L), sensitivity and specificity were calculated at 0.932 and 0.891, respectively. When a cut off value of 204 μg/L (4338 mU/L) was used, specificity was 93.2%, and sensitivity 89.1%, acceptable to reliably differentiate between micro- and macro- adenomas.

scholarly journals Measuring the palpable pulsatility length as a physical examination test in defining the severity of inflow stenosis for hemodialysis fistulas

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Matt Chiung-Yu Chen ◽  
Mei-Jui Weng ◽  
Misoso Yi-Wen Wu ◽  
Yi-Chun Liu ◽  
Wen-Che Chi
Keyword(s):  
Operating Characteristic ◽  
Area Under The Curve ◽  
High Sensitivity ◽  
Characteristic Analysis ◽  
Main Trunk ◽  
Arteriovenous Fistulas ◽  
Cannulation Site ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Physical Examinations ◽  
Hemodialysis Fistulas

Abstract Background Pulsatility is an important property of hemodialysis arteriovenous fistulas (AVF) and can be perceived by the fingers as a gradual decrease in strength downstream from the anastomosis along the main trunk of the fistula. The distance from the point at which the pulse becomes imperceptible to the anastomosis is termed the palpable pulsatility length (PPL); we considered this length may play a role in assessing the severity of inflow stenosis for hemodialysis fistulas. Methods This study was performed by retrospective analysis of routinely collected data. Physical examinations and fistula measurements were performed in a selected population of 76 hemodialysis patients with mature fistulas during half a year. Fistula measurements included the PPL before and after treatment and the distance between the anastomosis and the arterial cannulation site (aPump length). The aPump index (API) was calculated by dividing the PPL by the aPump length. Angiograms were reviewed to determine the location and severity of stenosis. PPL and API were used to detect the critical inflow stenosis, which indicates severe inflow stenosis of an AVF. Results Receiver operating characteristic analysis showed that the area under the curve was 0.895 for API and 0.878 for PPL. A cutoff value of API < 1.29 and PPL < 11.0 cm were selected to detect the critical inflow stenosis. The sensitivity was 96.0% versus 80.0% and specificity was 84.31% versus 84.31% for API and PPL, respectively. Conclusions PPL and API are useful tools in defining the severity of pure inflow stenosis for mature AVFs in the hands of trained examiners with high sensitivity and specificity.

EGFR detection by liquid biopsy: ripe for clinical usage

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ullas Batra ◽  
Shrinidhi Nathany ◽  
Mansi Sharma ◽  
Parveen Jain ◽  
Surender Dhanda ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lung Cancer ◽  
Liquid Biopsy ◽  
Operating Characteristic ◽  
International Association ◽  
Area Under The Curve ◽  
Characteristic Analysis ◽  
New Era ◽  
Appropriate Treatment ◽  
Polymerase Chain ◽  
Digital Polymerase Chain Reaction

Introduction: With the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) recommendations promoting liquid biopsy as a primary detection tool, a new era of research has begun. The authors aimed to study the concordance of plasma genotyping platforms against the tissue gold standard. Methods: 184 patients with non-small cell lung cancer underwent EGFR genotyping using Cobas, droplet digital polymerase chain reaction (ddPCR) and Therascreen assays from 2019–2020. Results: Of 184 cases, 70 were positive by Cobas, 51 by ddPCR and 69 by Therascreen. The sensitivity of Cobas was 97.1% and the sensitivity of ddPCR was 71%. Receiver operating characteristic analysis showed an area under the curve of 0.977 for Cobas and 0.846 for ddPCR. Conclusion: In line with the FLAURA trial of osimertinib making its way to first-line and given the IASLC recommendations, it is important to understand the attributes of these tests to initiate appropriate treatment.

scholarly journals Investigating the clinico-anatomical dissociation in the behavioral variant of Alzheimer disease

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ellen H. Singleton ◽  
Yolande A. L. Pijnenburg ◽  
Carole H. Sudre ◽  
Colin Groot ◽  
Elena Kochova ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Operating Characteristic ◽  
Receiver Operating Characteristic Analysis ◽  
Area Under The Curve ◽  
Posterior Cingulate Cortex ◽  
White Matter Hyperintensity ◽  
Salience Network ◽  
Characteristic Analysis ◽  
Cognitively Normal ◽  
Metabolic Connectivity ◽  
Subcortical Volume

Abstract Background We previously found temporoparietal-predominant atrophy patterns in the behavioral variant of Alzheimer’s disease (bvAD), with relative sparing of frontal regions. Here, we aimed to understand the clinico-anatomical dissociation in bvAD based on alternative neuroimaging markers. Methods We retrospectively included 150 participants, including 29 bvAD, 28 “typical” amnestic-predominant AD (tAD), 28 behavioral variant of frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD), and 65 cognitively normal participants. Patients with bvAD were compared with other diagnostic groups on glucose metabolism and metabolic connectivity measured by [18F]FDG-PET, and on subcortical gray matter and white matter hyperintensity (WMH) volumes measured by MRI. A receiver-operating-characteristic-analysis was performed to determine the neuroimaging measures with highest diagnostic accuracy. Results bvAD and tAD showed predominant temporoparietal hypometabolism compared to controls, and did not differ in direct contrasts. However, overlaying statistical maps from contrasts between patients and controls revealed broader frontoinsular hypometabolism in bvAD than tAD, partially overlapping with bvFTD. bvAD showed greater anterior default mode network (DMN) involvement than tAD, mimicking bvFTD, and reduced connectivity of the posterior cingulate cortex with prefrontal regions. Analyses of WMH and subcortical volume showed closer resemblance of bvAD to tAD than to bvFTD, and larger amygdalar volumes in bvAD than tAD respectively. The top-3 discriminators for bvAD vs. bvFTD were FDG posterior-DMN-ratios (bvAD<bvFTD), MRI posterior-DMN-ratios (bvAD<bvFTD), MRI salience-network-ratios (bvAD>bvFTD, area under the curve [AUC] range 0.85–0.91, all p < 0.001). The top-3 for bvAD vs. tAD were amygdalar volume (bvAD>tAD), MRI anterior-DMN-ratios (bvAD<tAD), FDG anterior-DMN-ratios (bvAD<tAD, AUC range 0.71–0.84, all p < 0.05). Conclusions Subtle frontoinsular hypometabolism and anterior DMN involvement may underlie the prominent behavioral phenotype in bvAD.

The ability of free to total prostate-specific antigen and prostate-specific antigen density to detect clinically significant prostate cancer in men undergoing transperineal template biopsy

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 529-534 ◽  
Author(s):  
Surayne V Segaran ◽  
Amr M Emara ◽  
Tharani Mahesan ◽  
Joshua Silverman ◽  
Hashim U Ahmed ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Prostate Cancer ◽  
Prostate Specific Antigen ◽  
Operating Characteristic ◽  
Receiver Operating Characteristic Analysis ◽  
Specific Antigen ◽  
Area Under The Curve ◽  
Characteristic Analysis ◽  
Total Prostate Specific Antigen ◽  
Prostate Specific Antigen Density ◽  
Clinically Significant

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the ability of the ratio of free to total prostate-specific antigen and prostate-specific antigen density to predict the presence of clinically significant prostate cancer on template biopsies. The value of these tests may be underestimated as they were previously validated against sextant transrectal biopsy of the prostate, which has been proved to miss a large proportion of significant prostate cancers. The ability of these tests to specifically detect clinically significant cancers has not previously been studied. Patients and methods: A retrospective analysis was performed of patients undergoing transperineal template biopsy who also had free to total prostate-specific antigen and prostate-specific antigen density. Receiver-operating characteristic analysis was performed to determine the comparative utility of each test in the detection of all cancers as well as clinically significant cancers, by means of the area under the curve. Results: Data from 293 patients were analysed. Prostate cancer was detected in 72% of patients, of which 62% of this group had clinically significant disease. Receiver-operating characteristic analysis demonstrated the superiority of prostate-specific antigen density and free to total prostate-specific antigen over standard prostate-specific antigen in the overall detection of cancer (area under the curve 0.662 and 0.674 vs 0.534, p=0.003 and 0.02 respectively). Both tests were even more effective in the detection of clinically significant cancers (area under the curve 0.755 and 0.715 vs 0.572, p<0.0001 and 0.009 respectively). Conclusion: The free to total prostate-specific antigen and prostate-specific antigen density both appear to perform well at detecting clinically significant prostate cancer in our population of men undergoing template biopsy. The potential role of these inexpensive tests should not be overlooked as they may be of value when deciding which patients require biopsy following an initial magnetic resonance imaging scan and also for those on surveillance protocols.

Race Weight: Perceptions of Elite Female Road Cyclists

2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 311-317 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric C. Haakonssen ◽  
David T. Martin ◽  
David G. Jenkins ◽  
Louise M. Burke
Keyword(s):  
Weight Loss ◽  
Hormonal Contraceptive ◽  
Menstrual Dysfunction ◽  
Weight Perceptions ◽  
Road Cycling ◽  
Road Cyclists ◽  
Common Weight ◽  
National Road ◽  
Race Performance ◽  
Current Weight

Purpose:This study investigated the satisfaction of elite female cyclists with their body weight (BW) in the context of race performance, the magnitude of BW manipulation, and the association of these variables with menstrual function.Methods:Female competitors in the Australian National Road Cycling Championships (n = 32) and the Oceania Championships (n = 5) completed a questionnaire to identify current BW, BW fluctuations, perceived ideal BW for performance, frequency of weight consciousness, weight-loss techniques used, and menstrual regularity.Results:All but 1 cyclist reported that female cyclists are “a weight-conscious population,” and 54% reported having a desire to change BW at least once weekly; 62% reported that their current BW was not ideal for performance. Their perceived ideal BW was (mean ± SD) 1.6 ± 1.6 kg (2.5% ± 2.5%) less than their current weight (P < .01), and 73% reported that their career-lowest BW was either “beneficial” or “extremely beneficial” for performance. 65% reported successfully reducing BW in the previous 12 months with a mean loss of 2.4 ± 1.0 kg (4.1% ± 1.9%). The most common weight-loss technique was reduced energy intake (76%). Five cyclists (14%) had been previously diagnosed as having an eating disorder by a physician. Of the 18 athletes not using a hormonal contraceptive, 11 reported menstrual dysfunction (oligomenorrhea or amenorrhea).Conclusion:Elite Australian female cyclists are a weight-conscious population who may not be satisfied with their BW leading into a major competition and in some cases are frequently weight conscious.

scholarly journals Clinical Significance of Serum HE4, CA125, CA724, and CA19-9 in Patients With Endometrial Cancer

2016 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 435-439 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jing Bian ◽  
Xiaoxu Sun ◽  
Bo Li ◽  
Liang Ming
Keyword(s):  
Endometrial Cancer ◽  
Receiver Operating Characteristic ◽  
Predictive Value ◽  
Operating Characteristic ◽  
Area Under The Curve ◽  
International Federation ◽  
Characteristic Analysis ◽  
Predictive Values ◽  
Gynecology And Obstetrics ◽  
Receiver Operating

Purpose: Serum markers with increased sensitivity and specificity for endometrial cancer are required. To date, no good marker has met this standard. The aims of our study were to evaluate the utility of tumor markers HE4, CA125, CA724, and CA19-9 as potential markers in patients diagnosed with endometrial cancer. Methods: Blood samples from 105 patients with endometrial cancer and 87 healthy women were analyzed by Roche electrochemiluminescent immunoassay, and serum values were measured for the following biomarkers: HE4, CA125, CA724, and CA19-9. Results: Serum HE4, CA125, CA724, and CA19-9 concentrations were significantly higher in patients with endometrial cancer, compared with controls ( P < .001). In the receiver operating characteristic analysis, the area under the curve value for combination of HE4, CA125, CA724, and CA19-9 was 82.1% (95% confidence interval: 75.3%-86.2%), the maximum area of the test groups. For all stages of patients with endometrial cancer, HE4 had higher sensitivity (58%), positive predictive value (60%), and negative predictive value (67%) than any other single tumor marker, and in the combination of HE4, CA125, CA724, and CA19-9, the sensitivity and positive predictive values reached 59.1% and 88%, respectively. Meanwhile, the receiver operating characteristic area under the curve of the combination of the 4 markers was significantly increased than any other group, either in stage I or in stage II to IV cases. HE4 and CA125 both correlate with advanced age; in addition, HE4 was related to pathology subtypes and positive adnexal involvement, CA125 was related to International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics stage, CA19-9 was related to International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics stage, and CA724 was correlated with positive lymph node. Conclusion: Combination of HE4, CA125, CA724, and CA19-9 has the highest value in diagnosing endometrial cancer, and they can be a useful tissue immune marker for patients with endometrial cancer.

scholarly journals Serum TNFα levels at 24 h after certolizumab pegol predict effectiveness at week 12 in patients with rheumatoid arthritis from TSUBAME study

2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yusuke Miyazaki ◽  
Kazuhisa Nakano ◽  
Shingo Nakayamada ◽  
Satoshi Kubo ◽  
Shigeru Iwata ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Operating Characteristic ◽  
Certolizumab Pegol ◽  
Area Under The Curve ◽  
Serum Levels ◽  
Trial Registration ◽  
Clinical Parameters ◽  
Characteristic Analysis ◽  
Clinical Trial Registration ◽  
Registration Number ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract Objective To estimate the relationship between serum TNFα, IL-6, and serum CZP levels and the clinical response to CZP in RA patients in the TSUBAME study. Methods One hundred patients with RA who received CZP were enrolled and multiple clinical parameters, serum TNFα, IL-6, and CZP levels, were assessed at 0, 24, and 48 h and 12 weeks after first administration of CZP. Results The CZP therapy significantly improved the DAS28(ESR) at 12 weeks. Serum TNFα and IL-6 levels significantly decreased from baseline at 24 h after the first administration of CZP. Serum TNFα levels at baseline were not related to clinical parameters at baseline and improvement in DAS28(ESR) at week 12 of the CZP therapy. However, serum levels of CZP at 24 h were strongly and negatively correlated with TNFα levels at 24 h, which were negatively correlated with improved rate in DAS28(ESR) at week 12. Only serum levels of TNFα, but not IL-6, at 24 h had a negative correlation with achievement of DAS28(ESR)<2.6 at week 12 by the multivariate analysis (odds ratio 0.01, 95% confidence interval 0.04e−2–0.22, p < 0.01). A receiver operating characteristic analysis was conducted to estimate the achievement of DAS28(ESR)<2.6 at week 12 after the CZP therapy and cut-off value of 0.76 pg/ml for serum levels of TNFα at 24 h was yielded (area under the curve=0.75). DAS28(ESR)<2.6 was achieved at week 12 significantly more patients with lower serum TNF levels (≦0.76 pg/ml) at 24 h than those with higher TNF levels. Conclusions CZP was highly effective in RA patients who had low serum TNFα levels at 24 h after the initial administration of CZP. Therefore, we propose that serum TNFα levels at 24 h could serve as a biomarker predicting effectiveness to CZP at week 12 in patients with RA. Trial registration Clinical trial registration number: UMIN ID:000022831

scholarly journals Evaluation of a Novel Plasma (1,3)-β-d-Glucan Detection Assay for Diagnosis of Candidemia in Pediatric Patients

2015 ◽  
Vol 53 (9) ◽  
pp. 3017-3020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ying Liu ◽  
Feng Chen ◽  
Xiaodong Zhu ◽  
Lisong Shen ◽  
Sean X. Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Positive Predictive Value ◽  
Receiver Operating Characteristic ◽  
Negative Predictive Value ◽  
Predictive Value ◽  
Operating Characteristic ◽  
Pediatric Patients ◽  
Receiver Operating Characteristic Analysis ◽  
Area Under The Curve ◽  
Characteristic Analysis ◽  
Detection Assay

We evaluated a novel plasma (1,3)-β-d-glucan (BDG) detection assay for the diagnosis of candidemia in children. The median BDG levels were 73.4 pg/ml in patients with candidemia and <10 pg/ml in patients without candidemia (P< 0.001). Receiver operating characteristic analysis revealed a cutoff point of 14 pg/ml and an area under the curve of 0.802. At these values, the assay demonstrated 68% sensitivity, 91% specificity, 66% positive predictive value, and 91% negative predictive value. Plasma BDG levels were undetectable in 18 candidemia cases.

scholarly journals Neural network analysis of clinical variables predicts escalated care in COVID-19 patients: a retrospective study

PeerJ ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. e11205
Author(s):  
Joyce Q. Lu ◽  
Benjamin Musheyev ◽  
Qi Peng ◽  
Tim Q. Duong
Keyword(s):  
Operating Characteristic ◽  
Vital Signs ◽  
Area Under The Curve ◽  
Blood Gases ◽  
Characteristic Analysis ◽  
Test Dataset ◽  
Clinical Variables ◽  
Icu Admission ◽  
Reactive Protein ◽  
Laboratory Variables

This study sought to identify the most important clinical variables that can be used to determine which COVID-19 patients hospitalized in the general floor will need escalated care early on using neural networks (NNs). Analysis was performed on hospitalized COVID-19 patients between 7 February 2020 and 4 May 2020 in Stony Brook Hospital. Demographics, comorbidities, laboratory tests, vital signs and blood gases were collected. We compared those data obtained at the time in emergency department and the time of intensive care unit (ICU) upgrade of: (i) COVID-19 patients admitted to the general floor (N = 1203) vs. those directly admitted to ICU (N = 104), and (ii) patients not upgraded to ICU (N = 979) vs. those upgraded to the ICU (N = 224) from the general floor. A NN algorithm was used to predict ICU admission, with 80% training and 20% testing. Prediction performance used area under the curve (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristic analysis (ROC). We found that C-reactive protein, lactate dehydrogenase, creatinine, white-blood cell count, D-dimer and lymphocyte count showed temporal divergence between COVID-19 patients hospitalized in the general floor that were upgraded to ICU compared to those that were not. The NN predictive model essentially ranked the same laboratory variables to be important predictors of needing ICU care. The AUC for predicting ICU admission was 0.782 ± 0.013 for the test dataset. Adding vital sign and blood-gas data improved AUC (0.822 ± 0.018). This work could help frontline physicians to anticipate downstream ICU need to more effectively allocate healthcare resources.

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