scholarly journals Classification of Thyroid Nodules with Stacked Denoising Sparse Autoencoder

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Zexin Li ◽  
Kaiji Yang ◽  
Lili Zhang ◽  
Chiju Wei ◽  
Peixuan Yang ◽  
...  

Purpose. Several commercial tests have been used for the classification of indeterminate thyroid nodules in cytology. However, the geographic inconvenience and high cost confine their widespread use. This study aims to develop a classifier for conveniently clinical utility. Methods. Gene expression data of thyroid nodule tissues were collected from three public databases. Immune-related genes were used to construct the classifier with stacked denoising sparse autoencoder. Results. The classifier performed well in discriminating malignant and benign thyroid nodules, with an area under the curve of 0.785 [0.638–0.931], accuracy of 92.9% [92.7–93.0%], sensitivity of 98.6% [95.9–101.3%], specificity of 58.3% [30.4–86.2%], positive likelihood ratio of 2.367 [1.211–4.625], and negative likelihood ratio of 0.024 [0.003–0.177]. In the cancer prevalence range of 20–40% for indeterminate thyroid nodules in cytology, the range of negative predictive value of this classifier was 37–61%, and the range of positive predictive value was 98–99%. Conclusion. The classifier developed in this study has the superb discriminative ability for thyroid nodules. However, it needs validation in cytologically indeterminate thyroid nodules before clinical use.

Duazary ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 344-349
Author(s):  
John Carlos Pedrozo-Pupo ◽  
Jorge Armando Egurrola-Pedraza ◽  
Adalberto Campo-Arias

The STOP-Bang has been promoted as a valuable tool for identifying obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) in medical and surgical patients. However, its performance in Colombian samples is unknown. The objective of this study was to determine the clinimetric performance of the STOP-Bang index versus the study of polysomnography in patients from Santa Marta, Colombia. An accuracy study of diagnostic tests with a test-based approach was designed. Seven hundred sixty-two adults referred for polysomnography to evaluate OSAHS were included in the research. They were aged between 18 and 94 years old (mean=47.2, SD=13.4), 63.3% were men, and 46.5% were classified as obese. The STOP-Bang performance was compared against the best reference criterion, the hypopnea/apnea index determined by polysomnography. The diagnosis of OSAHS was confirmed in 461 (60.5%) and corroborated in 301 (39.5%). The area under the curve was 0.70 (95%CI 0.66-0.74), and the best cut-off point was 4, with a sensitivity of 79.2%, a specificity of 53.5%, the positive predictive value of 72.2%, the negative predictive value of 62.6%, positive likelihood ratio was 1.70, negative likelihood ratio was 0.39; OR=4.08 (CI95% 2.99-5.56) and Cohen's kappa of 0.33. As conclusions, performance indicators show that STOP-Bang...


PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (11) ◽  
pp. e0260596
Author(s):  
Antonella Gigantesco ◽  
Gabriella Palumbo ◽  
Loredana Cena ◽  
Laura Camoni ◽  
Alice Trainini ◽  
...  

Background The PHQ-2 was recently recommended by the International Consortium for Health Outcomes Measurement as a form of initial perinatal screening, followed by the EPDS only for women with positive PHQ-2 score. However, the accuracy of the PHQ-2 in perinatal clinical practice has been barely researched, to date. In the present study, we aim to assess the accuracy of the PHQ-2 against the EPDS in a large sample of perinatal women. Methods A total of 1155 consecutive women attending eleven primary or secondary health care centres throughout Italy completed the EPDS and the PHQ-2 during pregnancy (27-40-weeks) or postpartum (1-13-weeks). Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), positive likelihood ratio, negative likelihood ratio, post-test probabilities and area under the curve (AUC) of the PHQ-2, using a cut-off of ≥ 3, were calculated. Main findings During pregnancy, PHQ-2 revealed low sensitivity (39.5%) and PPV (39.4%) but high specificity and NPV (97.5%). In postpartum, it revealed very low sensitivity (32.7%) and moderately high NPV (80.9%), but high specificity (99.3%) and PPV (94.4%). Given the low sensitivity despite the high specificity, the PHQ-2 demonstrated poor accuracy (AUC from 0.66 to 0.68). Conclusion Initial screening by means of PHQ-2 failed to identify an acceptable number of perinatal women at-risk of depression in Italian clinical practice. The PHQ-2 performance suggested that it has insufficient sensitivity and discriminatory power, and may be inadequate as a screening tool for maternal depression.


2021 ◽  
Vol 20 ◽  
pp. 153303382110119
Author(s):  
Wen-Ting Zhang ◽  
Guo-Xun Zhang ◽  
Shuai-Shuai Gao

Background: Leukemia is a common malignant disease in the human blood system. Many researchers have proposed circulating microRNAs as biomarkers for the diagnosis of leukemia. We conducted a meta-analysis to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of circulating miRNAs in the diagnosis of leukemia. Methods: A comprehensive literature search (updated to October 13, 2020) in PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Wanfang database and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) was performed to identify eligible studies. The sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio (PLR), negative likelihood ratio (NLR), diagnostic odds ratio (DOR), and area under the curve (AUC) for diagnosing leukemia were pooled for both overall and subgroup analysis. The meta-regression and subgroup analysis were performed to explore heterogeneity and Deeks’ funnel plot was used to assess publication bias. Results: 49 studies from 22 publications with a total of 3,489 leukemia patients and 2,756 healthy controls were included in this meta-analysis. The overall sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio, negative likelihood ratio, diagnostic odds ratio and area under the curve were 0.83, 0.92, 10.8, 0.18, 59 and 0.94, respectively. Subgroup analysis shows that the microRNA clusters of plasma type could carry out a better diagnostic accuracy of leukemia patients. In addition, publication bias was not found. Conclusions: Circulating microRNAs can be used as a promising noninvasive biomarker in the early diagnosis of leukemia.


2021 ◽  
Vol 49 (3) ◽  
pp. 030006052199296
Author(s):  
Juan Wang ◽  
Liu Yang ◽  
Yanjun Diao ◽  
Jiayun Liu ◽  
Jinjie Li ◽  
...  

Objective To evaluate the performance of a DNA methylation-based digital droplet polymerase chain reaction (ddPCR) assay to detect aberrant DNA methylation in cell-free DNA (cfDNA) and to determine its application in the detection of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods The present study recruited patients with liver-related diseases and healthy control subjects. Blood samples were used for the extraction of cfDNA, which was then bisulfite converted and the extent of DNA methylation quantified using a ddPCR platform. Results A total of 97 patients with HCC, 80 healthy control subjects and 46 patients with chronic hepatitis B/C virus infection were enrolled in the study. The level of cfDNA in the HCC group was significantly higher than that in the healthy control group. For the detection of HCC, based on a cut-off value of 15.7% for the cfDNA methylation ratio, the sensitivity and specificity were 78.57% and 89.38%, respectively. The diagnostic accuracy was 85.27%, the positive predictive value was 81.91% and the negative predictive value was 87.20%. The positive likelihood ratio of 15.7% in HCC diagnosis was 7.40, while the negative likelihood ratio was 0.24. Conclusions A sensitive methylation-based assay might serve as a liquid biopsy test for diagnosing HCC.


2015 ◽  
Vol 9 (11-12) ◽  
pp. 387 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathan C Wong ◽  
Rahul K Bansal ◽  
Armando J Lorenzo ◽  
Jorge DeMaria ◽  
Luis H Braga

<p><strong>Introduction:</strong> Although previous evidence has shown that ultrasound is unreliable to diagnose undescended testis, many primary care providers (PCP) continue to misuse it. We assessed the performance of ultrasound as a diagnostic tool for palpable undescended testis, as well as the diagnostic agreement between PCP and pediatric urologists.</p><p><strong>Methods:</strong> We performed a prospective observational cohort study between 2011 and 2013 for consecutive boys referred with a diagnosis of undescended testis to our tertiary pediatric hospital. Patients referred without an ultrasound and those with non-palpable testes were excluded. Data on referring diagnosis, pediatric urology examination and ultrasound reports were analyzed.</p><p><strong>Results:</strong> Our study consisted of 339 boys. Of these, patients without an ultrasound (n = 132) and those with non-palpable testes (n = 38) were excluded. In the end, there were 169 pateints in this study. Ultrasound was performed in 50% of referred boys showing 256 undescended testis. The mean age at time of referral was 45 months. When ultrasound was compared to physical examination by the pediatric urologist, agreement was only 34%. The performance of ultrasound for palpable undescended testis was: sensitivity = 100%; specificity = 16%; positive predictive value = 34%; negative predictive value = 100%; positive likelihood ratio = 1.2; and negative likelihood ratio = 0. Diagnosis of undescended testis by PCP was confirmed by physical examination in 30% of cases, with 70% re-diagnosed with normal or retractile testes.</p><p><strong>Conclusion:</strong> Ultrasound performed poorly to assess for palpable undescended testis in boys and should not be used. Although the study has important limitations, there is an increasing need for education and evidence-based guidelines for PCP in the management of undescended testis.</p>


2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Na Sun ◽  
Jinhua Zhao ◽  
Wenli Qiao ◽  
Taisong Wang

Objective.We conducted a meta-analysis to evaluate the predictive value of interim18F-FDG PET/CT in patients with DLBCL treated with R-CHOP chemotherapy.Methods.We searched for articles published in PubMed, ScienceDirect, Wiley, Scopus, and Ovid database from inception to March 2014. Articles related to interim PET/CT in patients with DLBCL treated with R-CHOP chemotherapy were selected. PFS with or without OS was chosen as the endpoint to evaluate the prognostic significance of interim PET/CT.Results.Six studies with a total of 605 cases were included. The sensitivity of interim PET/CT ranged from 21.2% to 89.7%, and the pooled sensitivity was 52.4%. The specificity of interim PET/CT ranged from 37.4% to 90.7%, and the pooled specificity was 67.8%. The pooled positive likelihood ratio and negative likelihood ratio were 1.780 and 0.706, respectively. The explained AUC was 0.6978 and theQ*was 0.6519.Conclusions.The sensitivity and specificity of interim PET/CT in predicting the outcome of DLBCL patients treated with R-CHOP chemotherapy were not satisfactory (52.4% and 67.8%, resp.). To improve this, some more work should be done to unify the response criteria and some more research to assess the prognostic value of interim PET/CT with semiquantitative analysis.


Author(s):  
Zahra Hadizadeh-Talasaz ◽  
Ali Taghipour ◽  
Seyede Houra Mousavi-Vahed ◽  
Robab Latifnejad Roudsari

Background: For a woman with bleeding and threatened abortion, ultrasound scan is done to confirm the viability of the fetus; however, 10-15% of the embryos are eventually aborted. Distinguishing between women with good and poor prognosis can be a helpful approach. Objective: This study aimed to review the predictive value of Pregnancy-associated Plasma Protein A (PAPP-A) in relation to the diagnosis of fetal loss. Materials and Methods: The articles published in multiple databases including Web of Science, PubMed, MEDLINE, Scopus, and Persian databases such as ISC, Magiran, and IranMedx were searched for articles published until May 2019. MeSH terms was used for searching the databases including fetal loss OR pregnancy loss OR abortion OR miscarriage with the following word using AND; Pregnancy-Associated Plasma Protein- A OR PAPP-A. Two reviewers extracted data and recorded them in a pre-defined form and assessed the quality of articles using the Newcastle-Ottawa tool. Meta-analysis was done using the Comprehensive Meta-Analysis/2.0 software and MetaDisc. Results: A total number of 16 studies were eligible for the qualitative data synthesis, out of which 8 studies were included in the meta-analysis. All studies had high and medium quality. The forest plot analysis showed a sensitivity of 57% (95% CI: 53-63%), a specificity of 83% (95% CI: 80-85%), a positive likelihood ratio of 3.52 (95% CI: 2.44- 5.07), a negative likelihood ratio of 0.54 (95% CI: 0.37-0.79), and a diagnostic odds ratio of 6.95 (95% CI: 3.58-13.50). Conclusion: PAPP-A cannot be recommended on a routine basis for predicting fetal loss and still further research with a combination of other biomarkers is required. Key words: Pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A, Fetal loss, Pregnancy, Systematic review.


2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (5) ◽  
pp. 1473
Author(s):  
Amulya Aggarwal ◽  
Alok V. Mathur ◽  
Ram K. Verma ◽  
Megha Gupta ◽  
Dheeraj Raj

Background: Pancreatitis can lead to serious complications with severe morbidity and mortality. So an early, quick and accurate scoring system is necessary to stratify the patients according to their severity so as to enable early initiation of required management and care. Scoring system commonly used have some drawbacks. This study aimed to compare bedside index for severity in acute pancreatitis (BISAP) and Ranson’s score to predict severe acute pancreatitis and establish the validity of a simple and accurate clinical scoring system for stratifying patients.Methods: This is a prospective comparative study on 100 patients diagnosed with acute pancreatitis admitted in department of general surgery. Parameters included in the BISAP and Ranson’s criteria were studied at the time of admission and after 48 hours. Result of these two were compared with that of revised Atlanta classification.Results: As per the BISAP score, the sensitivity and specificity were 95.8 % (95% CI, 76.8-99.8), 94.7 % (95% CI, 86.3-98.3) whereas positive likelihood ratio, negative likelihood ratio 18.21 (95% CI, 6.9-47.44), 0.04 (95% CI, 0.01-0.30) and accuracy was 95 % (95% CI, 88.72%-98.36%). On using Ranson’s score, the sensitivity and specificity were 91.6 (95% CI, 71.5-98.5) and 89.4 (95% CI, 79.8-95) with a positive predictive value 8.71 (95% CI, 4.47-18.96) and negative predictive value of 0.09 (95% CI, 0.02-0.35) and accuracy of 90% (95% CI, 82.38%-95.10%)..Conclusions: BISAP score outperformed Ranson’s score in terms of Sensitivity and specificity of prediction of severe pancreatitis. The authors recommend inclusion of BISAP Scoring system in standard treatment protocol of management of acute pancreatitis.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
xiu yuan ◽  
Shaojun Li ◽  
Liang Zhou ◽  
yanru LI ◽  
tian tang ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Ghrelin is the endogenous ligand of growth hormone secretagogue receptor 1a (GHSR1a), which can regulate immunity and inflammation. To assess the diagnostic value of plasma ghrelin levels in sepsis-associated pediatric acute respiratory distress syndrome (PARDS).Methods: We recruited patients from the PICU of a third-class teaching hospital who met the diagnostic criteria for sepsis from January 2019 to January 2020. Clinical data, laboratory indicators, plasma ghrelin concentrations, and inflammatory factors of cohort were evaluated in detail, and patients were followed up for 28 days. The area under the receiver-operating characteristic curves (AUROC) was calculated using logistic regression to calculate and positivity cut-offs was tested. Ghrelin's ability to diagnose and differentiate sepsis-associated PARDS were determined. The log-rank test was used to compare the survival curves of different ghrelin level groups.Main results: Sixty-six PICU patients (30 with ARDS, 36 without ARDS) who met the diagnostic criteria of sepsis were recruited. The ghrelin level was significantly higher in the sepsis patients of the ARDS group than in those of the non-ARDS group. The AUROC of ghrelin was 0.708 (95% confidence interval: 0.584–0.833) and the positivity cutoff value was 445 pg/mL. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), positive likelihood ratio (+LR), and negative likelihood ratio (–LR) of plasma ghrelin for diagnosis of sepsis with PARDS were 86.7%, 50.0%, 59.1%, 81.8%,1.734, and 0.266, respectively. The survival rate of sepsis patients was significantly improved when the ghrelin level was >445 pg/mL.Conclusions: Ghrelin plasma was higher in sepsis-associated PARDS, and accompanied by the increase of inflammatory factors. The increased plasma ghrelin may be due to the anti-inflammatory response, which may be a protective factor in children with sepsis. Yet, there is no evidence to prove that elevated ghrelin appears to be a promising diagnostic indicator of sepsis-associated PARDS. In addition, the ghrelin levels may be a positive predictor of sepsis.Trial registration: Clinicaltrials, ChiCTR1900023254. Registered 1 December 2018 - Retrospectively registered, http://www.clinicaltrials. gov/ChiCTR1900023254.


Author(s):  
Amita Ray ◽  
Divya S. ◽  
B. N. Kumar Guru ◽  
A. S. Ramaswamy ◽  
Bharat Kumar

Background: Identification of the nature of an adnexal mass can ensure optimum management. Single parameters as well as diagnostic models using a combination of several parameters are in use. The International Ovarian Tumor Analysis (IOTA) consortium has developed and published the Assessment of Different NEoplasias in the adneXa (ADNEX) model, which differentiates between benign and malignant masses. Authors conducted this study with the aim of finding a cut off value for this model in the study population and comparing the diagnostic accuracy of this model to that of the risk of malignancy (RMI).Methods: Women with adnexal masses admitted to the 3 medical college affiliated hospitals for surgical management were included in this study. Appropriate investigations were done to calculate the RMI-I and ADNEX score for each participant. A cut off score for the ADNEX model was determined and diagnostic accuracy tests were done for comparison.Results: At a cut-off of 29 for the ADNEX model and 200 for RMI model the sensitivity was 75% and 77.8, specificity 100% and 80.6%; Positive Predictive Value (PPV) 100%and 60%; Negative Predictive Value (NPV) 91% and 90.6%; Positive Likelihood ratio of infinity and 4 and a negative Likelihood Ratio of 2.8 and 2.5 respectively.Conclusions: The ADNEX model rates higher than the RMI in almost all tests of diagnostic accuracy and can be used for triaging, framing a referral policy and prioritizing surgery.


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