scholarly journals Predictors of serological cure after penicillin therapy in HIV-negative patients with early syphilis in Shenzhen, China

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. e0245812
Author(s):  
Zhenzhou Luo ◽  
Yi Ding ◽  
Jun Yuan ◽  
Lishan Tian ◽  
Li Zhang ◽  
...  

Background Syphilis is a common infectious disease worldwide. Serological monitoring is important for syphilis management. We currently know little about the characteristics of this seronegative response. The aim of this study was to explore the factors associated with serological cure after treatment of early syphilis. Methods A retrospective cohort study was conducted and the data of patients with early syphilis in a clinic in Shenzhen from 2011 to 2019 were retrieved. Univariable and multiple Cox proportional hazard regression models were utilized to identify factors associated with a serological cure state among syphilis patients with early syphilis two years after treatment. Results A total of 346 (85.9%) syphilis patients achieved serological cure. The multivariate analysis results revealed that having a baseline TRUST titer >1:8 was associated with an increased probability of serological cure, compared with having a baseline TRUST titer ≤1:8 (HR = 1.43, 95% CI = 1.10–1.85, P<0.01); primary syphilis was positively associated with serological cure, compared with participants with latent early syphilis (HR = 1.72, 95% CI = 1.27–2.33, P<0.001). Conclusions Two years after treatment, a higher percentage of early syphilis patients achieved serological cure. The study indicated that the syphilis stage and baseline serum titer were crucial factors associated with serological cure.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gian Maria Campedelli ◽  
Enzo Yaksic

Relying on a sample of 1,394 US-based multiple homicide offenders (MHOs), we study the duration of the careers of this extremely violent category of offenders through Kaplan-Meier estimation and Cox Proportional Hazard regression. We investigate the characteristics of such careers in terms of length and we provide an inferential analysis investigating correlates of career duration. The models indicate that females, MHOs employing multiple methods, younger MHOs and MHOs that acted in more than one US state have higher odds of longer careers. Conversely, those offending with a partner and those targeting victims from a single sexual group have a higher probability of shorter careers.


2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucia Taramasso ◽  
Paolo Bonfanti ◽  
Elena Ricci ◽  
Giancarlo Orofino ◽  
Nicola Squillace ◽  
...  

Abstract Background An unexpected excess in weight gain has recently been reported in the course of dolutegravir (DTG) treatment. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether weight gain differs among different DTG-containing regimens. Methods Adult naïve and experienced people with HIV (PWH) initiating DTG-based antiretroviral therapy (ART) between July 2014 and December 2019 in the Surveillance Cohort Long-Term Toxicity Antiretrovirals (SCOLTA) prospective cohort were included. We used an adjusted general linear model to compare weight change among backbone groups and a Cox proportional hazard regression model to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for weight increases &gt;10% from baseline. Results A total of 713 participants, 25.3% women and 91% Caucasian, were included. Of these, 195 (27.4%) started DTG as their first ART regimen, whereas 518 (72.6%) were ART-experienced. DTG was associated with abacavir/lamivudine in 326 participants, tenofovir disoproxil fumarate/emtricitabine (TDF/FTC) in 148, boosted protease inhibitors in 60, rilpivirine in 45, lamivudine in 75, and tenofovir alafenamide (TAF)/FTC in 59. At 6 and 12 months, weight gain was highest among PWH on TDF/FTC+DTG and TAF/FTC+DTG. Baseline CD4 &lt;200 cells/mm3 (HR, 1.84; 95% CI, 1.15 to 2.96), being ART-naïve (HR, 2.24; 95% CI, 1.24 to 4.18), and treatment with TDF/FTC+DTG (HR, 1.92; 95% CI, 1.23 to 2.98) or TAF/FTC+DTG (HR, 3.80; 95% CI, 1.75 to 8.23) were associated with weight gain &gt;10% from baseline. Higher weight (HR, 0.97 by 1 kg; 95% CI, 0.96 to 0.99) and female gender (HR, 0.54; 95% CI, 0.33 to 0.88) were protective against weight gain. Conclusions Naïve PWH with lower CD4 counts and those on TAF/FTC or TDF/FTC backbones were at higher risk of weight increase in the course of DTG-based ART.


2019 ◽  
Vol 221 (10) ◽  
pp. 1607-1611
Author(s):  
T Zhang ◽  
I B Wilson ◽  
B Youn ◽  
Y Lee ◽  
T I Shireman

Abstract Background This study was conducted to examine patient characteristics associated with antiretroviral therapy (ART) reinitiation in Medicaid enrollees. Methods This is a retrospective cohort study that uses Cox proportional hazard regression to examine the association between person-level characteristics and time from ART discontinuation to the subsequent reinitiation within 18 months. Results There were 45 409 patients who discontinued ART, and 44% failed to reinitiate. More outpatient visits (3+ vs 0 outpatient visits: adjusted hazard ratio (adjHR), 1.56; 99% confidence interval [CI], 1.45–1.67) and hospitalization (adjHR, 1.18; 99% CI,1.16–1.20) during follow-up were associated with reinitiation. Conclusions Failure to reinitiate ART within 18 months was common in this sample. Care engagement was associated with greater ART reinitiation.


2021 ◽  
pp. 108876792110108
Author(s):  
Gian Maria Campedelli ◽  
Enzo Yaksic

Relying on a sample of 1,381 US-based multiple homicide offenders (MHOs), we study the duration of the careers of this extremely violent category of offenders through Kaplan–Meier estimation and Cox Proportional Hazard regression. We investigate the characteristics of such careers in terms of length and we provide an inferential analysis investigating correlates of career duration. The models indicate that MHOs employing multiple methods, younger MHOs and MHOs that acted in more than one US state have higher odds of longer careers. When controlling for career-based attributes, female MHOs are also correlated with longer careers.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuqi Yang ◽  
Jingjing Da ◽  
Yi Jiang ◽  
Jing Yuan ◽  
Yan Zha

Abstract Background Serum parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels have been reported to be associated with infectious mortality in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients. Peritonitis is the most common and fatal infectious complication, resulting in technique failure, hospital admission and mortality. Whether PTH is associated with peritonitis episodes remains unclear. Methods We examined the association of PTH levels and peritonitis incidence in a 7-year cohort of 270 incident PD patients who were maintained on dialysis between January 2012 and December 2018 using Cox proportional hazard regression analyses. Patients were categorized into three groups by serum PTH levels as follows: low-PTH group, PTH < 150 pg/mL; middle-PTH group, PTH 150-300 pg/mL; high-PTH group, PTH > 300 pg/mL. Results During a median follow-up of 29.5 (interquartile range 16–49) months, the incidence rate of peritonitis was 0.10 episodes per patient-year. Gram-positive organisms were the most common causative microorganisms (36.2%), and higher percentage of Gram-negative organisms was noted in patients with low PTH levels. Low PTH levels were associated with older age, higher eGFR, higher hemoglobin, calcium levels and lower phosphate, alkaline phosphatase levels. After multivariate adjustment, lower PTH levels were identified as an independent risk factor for peritonitis episodes [hazard ratio 1.643, 95% confidence interval 1.014–2.663, P = 0.044]. Conclusions Low PTH levels are independently associated with peritonitis in incident PD patients.


2020 ◽  
Vol 79 (Suppl 1) ◽  
pp. 1445.1-1445
Author(s):  
F. Girelli ◽  
A. Ariani ◽  
M. Bruschi ◽  
A. Becciolini ◽  
L. Gardelli ◽  
...  

Background:The available biosimilars of etanercept are as effective and well tolerated as their bio originator molecule in the naive treatment of chronic autoimmune arthritis. More data about the switching from the bio originator are needed.Objectives:To compare the clinical outcomes of the treatment with etanercept biosimilars (SB4 and GP2015) naïve and after the switch from their corresponding originator in patients affected by autoimmune arthritis in a real life settingMethods:We retrospectively analyzed the baseline characteristics and the retention rate in a cohort of patients who received at least a course of etanercept (originator or biosimilar) in our Rheumatology Units from January 2000 to January 2020. We stratified the study population according to biosimilar use. Descriptive data are presented by medians (interquartile range [IQR]) for continuous data or as numbers (percentages) for categorical data. Drug survival distribution curves were computed by the Kaplan-Meier method and compared by a stratified log-rank test. A Cox proportional hazards regression analysis stratified by indication, drug, age, disease duration, sex, treatment line, biosimilar use and prescription year was performed. P values≤0.05 were considered statistically significant.Results:477 patients (65% female, median age 56 [46-75] years, median disease duration 97 [40.25-178.75] months) treated with etanercept were included in the analysis. 257 (53.9%) were affect by rheumatoid arthritis, 139 (29.1%) by psoriatic arthritis, and 81 (17%) by axial spondylarthritis. 298 (62.5%) were treated with etanercept originator, 97 (20.3%) with SB4, and 82 (17.2%) with GP2015. Among the biosimilars 90/179 (50.3%) patients were naïve to etanercept treatment. Among the 89 switchers we observed 8 treatment discontinuations: one due to surgical infection complication, three due to disease flare, two due to subjective worsening and one due to remission. The overall 6- and 12-month retentions rate were 92.8% and 80.2%. The 6- and 12-month retention rate for etanercept, SB4 and GP2015 were 92.7%, 93.4% and 90.2%, and 82%, 74.5% and 88.1% respectively, without significant differences among the three groups (p=0.374). Patients switching from originator to biosimilars showed and overall higher treatment survival when compared to naive (12-month retention rate 81.2% vs 70.8%, p=0.036). The Cox proportional hazard regression analysis highlighted that the only predictor significantly associated with an overall higher risk of treatment discontinuation was the year of prescription (HR 1.08, 95% CI 1.04 to 1.13; p<0.0001).Conclusion:In our retrospective study etanercept originator and its biosimilars (SB4 and GP2015) showed the same effectiveness. Patients switching from originator to biosimilar showed an significant higher retention rate when compared to naive. The only predictor of treatment discontinuation highlighted by the Cox proportional hazard regression analysis was the year of treatment prescription.Disclosure of Interests:Francesco Girelli: None declared, Alarico Ariani: None declared, Marco Bruschi: None declared, Andrea Becciolini Speakers bureau: Sanofi-Genzyme, UCB and AbbVie, Lucia Gardelli: None declared, Maurizio Nizzoli: None declared


2020 ◽  
pp. 140349482096065
Author(s):  
Hanna Rinne ◽  
Mikko Laaksonen

Aims: Most high mortality-risk occupations are manual occupations. We examined to what extent high mortality of such occupations could be explained by education, income, unemployment or industry and whether there were differences in these effects among different manual occupations. Methods: We used longitudinal individual-level register-based data, the study population consisting of employees aged 30–64 at the end of the year 2000 with the follow-up period 2001–2015. We used Cox proportional hazard regression models in 31 male and 11 female occupations with high mortality. Results: There were considerable differences between manual occupations in how much adjusting for education, income, unemployment and industry explained the excess mortality. The variation was especially large among men: controlling for these variables explained over 50% of the excess mortality in 23 occupations. However, in some occupations the excess mortality even increased in relation to unadjusted mortality. Among women, these variables explained a varying proportion of the excess mortality in every occupation. After adjustment of all variables, mortality was no more statistically significantly higher than average in 14 occupations among men and 2 occupations among women. Conclusions: The high mortality in manual occupations was mainly explained by education, income, unemployment and industry. However, the degree of explanation varied widely between occupations, and considerable variation in mortality existed between manual occupations after controlling for these variables. More research is needed on other determinants of mortality in specific high-risk occupations.


Neurology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 96 (12) ◽  
pp. e1620-e1631
Author(s):  
James B. Wetmore ◽  
Yi Peng ◽  
Heng Yan ◽  
Suying Li ◽  
Muna Irfan ◽  
...  

ObjectiveTo determine the association of dementia-related psychosis (DRP) with death and use of long-term care (LTC); we hypothesized that DRP would be associated with increased risk of death and use of LTC in patients with dementia.MethodsA retrospective cohort study was performed. Medicare claims from 2008 to 2016 were used to define cohorts of patients with dementia and DRP. Outcomes were LTC, defined as nursing home stays of >100 consecutive days, and death. Patients with DRP were directly matched to patients with dementia without psychosis by age, sex, race, number of comorbid conditions, and dementia index year. Association of DRP with outcomes was evaluated using a Cox proportional hazard regression model.ResultsWe identified 256,408 patients with dementia. Within 2 years after the dementia index date, 13.9% of patients developed DRP and 31.9% had died. Corresponding estimates at 5 years were 25.5% and 64.0%. Mean age differed little between those who developed DRP (83.8 ± 7.9 years) and those who did not (83.1 ± 8.7 years). Patients with DRP were slightly more likely to be female (71.0% vs 68.3%) and white (85.7% vs 82.0%). Within 2 years of developing DRP, 16.1% entered LTC and 52.0% died; corresponding percentages for patients without DRP were 8.4% and 30.0%, respectively. In the matched cohort, DRP was associated with greater risk of LTC (hazard ratio [HR] 2.36, 2.29–2.44) and death (HR 2.06, 2.02–2.10).ConclusionsDRP was associated with a more than doubling in the risk of death and a nearly 2.5-fold increase in risk of the need for LTC.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Shouliang Hu ◽  
Dan Wang ◽  
Tean Ma ◽  
Fanli Yuan ◽  
Yong Zhang ◽  
...  

<b><i>Background:</i></b> Inflammation appears to be at the biological core of arteriovenous fistula (AVF) dysfunction, and the occurrence of AVF dysfunction is related to high death and disability in hemodialysis (HD) patients. Despite several studies on the correlations between AVF dysfunction and inflammatory indicators, how AVF dysfunction is related to the monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio (MLR) is much unclear. We hypothesize that preoperative MLR is associated with AVF dysfunction in Chinese HD patients. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> In this single-center retrospective cohort study, totally 769 adult HD patients with a new AVF created between 2011 and 2019 were included. Association of preoperative MLR with AVF dysfunction (thrombosis or decrease of normal vessel diameter by &#x3e;50%, requiring either surgical revision or percutaneous transluminal angioplasty) was assessed by multivariable Cox proportional hazard regression. <b><i>Results:</i></b> The patients were aged 55.8 ± 12.2 years and were mostly males (55%). During the average 32-month follow-up (maximum 119 months), 223 (29.0%) patients had permanent vascular access dysfunction. In adjusted multivariable Cox proportional hazard regression analyses, the risk of AVF dysfunction was 4.32 times higher with 1 unit increase in MLR (hazard ratio [HR]: 5.32; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.1–9.11). Compared with patients with MLR &#x3c;0.28, HRs associated with an MLR of 0.28–0.41 and ≥0.41 are 1.54 (95% CI: 1.02–2.32) and 3.17 (2.18–4.62), respectively. <b><i>Conclusions:</i></b> A higher preoperative MLR is independently connected with a severer risk of AVF dysfunction in HD patients. Its clinical value should be determined in the future.


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