An analysis of the biochemical diagnosis of 66 pheochromocytomas

Objectives: The aims of this study were to determine the performance of each variable, to define the optimal diagnostic thresholds and to determine the relative value of assaying chromogranin A (CgA). Design: Prospective study. Methods: Two groups of patients were studied: a control group of 71 patients and a group of 63 patients with a histologically-proven pheochromocytoma (52 pheochromocytomas and 14 paragangliomas). Fourteen of the patients had a family history of the disease. Eleven variables were assayed in each patient, i.e. the plasma and urinary concentrations of amines and their derivatives, and the CgA serum concentration. Results: The study of the control group showed that all the serum assays gave false positive results (from 6 to 23%), as did four of the six urinary assays (from 2.9 to 12.3%). The areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves varied from 0.689 to 0.992. The variables relating to the epinephrine pathway were significantly less expressed in the hereditary diseases than in the sporadic cases. The diagnostic thresholds of the three most efficient variables have been raised. Conclusions: Plasma determinations of metanephrines are now an easy and convenient tool for the diagnosis of pheochromocytoma. However, in our study the best specificity was obtained with the urinary tests rather than with the plasma assays while the highest sensitivities were for the normetanephrine assays. The assay of CgA was highly efficient in diagnosing pheochromocytomas in the absence of renal insufficiency. By combining it with fractionated metanephrine assays, the sensitivities of the latter were increased.

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Plasma Fibulin-3 as a Potential Biomarker for Patients with Asbestos-Related Diseases in the Han Population

Disease Markers ◽

10.1155/2017/1725354 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 2017 ◽

pp. 1-8 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Zhaoqiang Jiang ◽

Shibo Ying ◽

Wei Shen ◽

Xianglei He ◽

Junqiang Chen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Operating Characteristic ◽

Asbestos Exposure ◽

Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay ◽

Control Group ◽

Early Screening ◽

Receiver Operating Characteristic Curves ◽

Chinese Populations ◽

Pleural Plaques ◽

Potential Biomarker ◽

Group A

Fibulin-3 has been reported as a potential biomarker for mesothelioma. However, little is known about the diagnostic efficacies of fibulin-3 for asbestos-related diseases (ARDs) in China. This study was to investigate the utility of fibulin-3 for asbestos exposure and ARDs. A total of 430 subjects were recruited from Southeast China, including healthy individuals, asbestos-exposed (AE) individuals, and patients with pleural plaques (PP), asbestosis, and malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM). Plasma fibulin-3 was measured using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Linear regression analyses were applied to explore the influencing factors of fibulin-3. Receiver operating characteristic curves were used to determine the cutoff values. The median fibulin-3 level of subjects in the mesothelioma group was higher than that in other groups. Subjects in the asbestosis group had higher median fibulin-3 level than those in the control group. A higher fibulin-3 level was found in the group with ≥10 years of asbestos exposure as compared with control groups. The AUCs of fibulin-3 for distinguishing MPM subjects from control, AE, PP, and asbestosis subjects were 0.92, 0.88, 0.90, and 0.81, respectively. Our study provided evidence that fibulin-3 could be a potential biomarker for the early screening of MPM, but not of other nonmalignant ARDs in Chinese populations.

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Efficient diagnosis of tuberculous meningitis by detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis DNA in cerebrospinal fluid filtrates using PCR

Journal of Medical Microbiology ◽

10.1099/jmm.0.006015-0 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 58 (5) ◽

pp. 616-624 ◽

Cited By ~ 47

Author(s):

Sagarika Haldar ◽

Neera Sharma ◽

V. K. Gupta ◽

Jaya Sivaswami Tyagi

Keyword(s):

Cerebrospinal Fluid ◽

Mycobacterium Tuberculosis ◽

Tuberculous Meningitis ◽

Operating Characteristic ◽

Positive Likelihood Ratio ◽

Control Group ◽

Receiver Operating Characteristic Curves ◽

Qrt Pcr ◽

Prompt Diagnosis ◽

Recent Demonstration

Tuberculous meningitis (TBM) is the most devastating form of meningitis and prompt diagnosis holds the key to its management. Conventional microbiology has limited utility and nucleic acid-based methods have not been widely accepted for various reasons. In view of the paucibacillary nature of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and the recent demonstration of free Mycobacterium tuberculosis DNA in clinical specimens, the present study was designed to evaluate the utility of CSF ‘filtrates’ for the diagnosis of TBM using PCR. One hundred and sixty-seven CSF samples were analysed from patients with ‘suspected’ TBM (n=81) and a control group including other cases of meningitis or neurological disorders (n=86). CSF ‘sediments’ and ‘filtrates’ were analysed individually for M. tuberculosis DNA by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) and conventional PCR. Receiver-operating characteristic curves were generated from qRT-PCR data and cut-off values of 84 and 30 were selected for calling a ‘filtrate’ or ‘sediment’ sample positive, respectively. Based on these, TBM was diagnosed with 87.6 % and 53.1 % sensitivity (P <0.001) in ‘filtrates’ and ‘sediments’, respectively, and with 92 % specificity each. Conventional devR and IS6110 PCR were also significantly more sensitive in ‘filtrates’ versus ‘sediments’ (sensitivity of 87.6 % and 85.2 % vs 31 % and 39.5 %, respectively; P <0.001). The qRT-PCR test yielded a positive likelihood ratio of 11 and 6.6 by analysing ‘filtrate’ and ‘sediment’ fractions, respectively, which establishes the superiority of the ‘filtrate’-based assay over the ‘sediment’ assay. PCR findings were separately verified in 10 confirmed cases of TBM, where M. tuberculosis DNA was detected using devR PCR assays in ‘sediment’ and ‘filtrate’ fractions of all samples. From this study, we conclude that (i) CSF ‘filtrates’ contain a substantial amount of M. tuberculosis DNA and (ii) ‘filtrates’ and not ‘sediments’ are likely to reliably provide a PCR-based diagnosis in ‘suspected’ TBM patients.

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Sleep and circadian rhythm disturbances in intensive care unit (ICU)-acquired delirium: a case–control study

Journal of International Medical Research ◽

10.1177/0300060521990502 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 49 (3) ◽

pp. 030006052199050

Author(s):

Ting Sun ◽

Yunliang Sun ◽

Xiao Huang ◽

Jianghua Liu ◽

Jiabin Yang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Intensive Care Unit ◽

Intensive Care ◽

Circadian Rhythm ◽

Rem Sleep ◽

Operating Characteristic ◽

Control Group ◽

Optimal Cutoff ◽

Receiver Operating Characteristic Curves ◽

Cortisol Levels ◽

Control Study

Objective The relationships among sleep, circadian rhythm, and intensive care unit (ICU)-acquired delirium are complex and remain unclear. This study aimed to examine the pathophysiological mechanisms of sleep and circadian rhythm disturbances in patients with ICU-acquired delirium. Methods This study included critical adult patients aged 18 to 75 years who were treated in the ICU. Twenty-four-hour polysomnography was performed and serum melatonin and cortisol levels were measured six times during polysomnography. Receiver operating characteristic curves and binomial logistic regression were used to evaluate the potential of sleep, melatonin, and cortisol as indicators of delirium in the ICU. Results Patients with delirium (n = 24) showed less rapid eye movement (REM) sleep compared with patients without delirium (n = 24, controls). Melatonin levels were lower and cortisol levels were higher in the delirium group than in the control group. REM sleep, melatonin, and cortisol were significantly associated with delirium. The optimal cutoff values of REM sleep and mean melatonin and cortisol levels that predicted delirium were ≤1.05%, ≤422.09 pg/mL, and ≥212.14 ng/mL, respectively. Conclusions REM sleep, and melatonin and cortisol levels are significantly associated with the risk of ICU-acquired delirium. Improved sleep and readjustment of circadian rhythmicity may be therapeutic targets of ICU-acquired delirium.

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Assessment of Homocysteine as a Diagnostic and Early Prognostic Biomarker for Patients with Acute Lacunar Infarction

European Neurology ◽

10.1159/000484893 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 79 (1-2) ◽

pp. 54-62 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Huimin Fan ◽

Shuna Yang ◽

Yue Li ◽

Jiangmei Yin ◽

Wei Qin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Operating Characteristic ◽

Prognostic Biomarker ◽

Univariate Analysis ◽

Area Under The Curve ◽

National Institutes Of Health ◽

Lacunar Infarction ◽

Control Group ◽

Clinical Predictors ◽

Receiver Operating Characteristic Curves ◽

Early Neurological Deterioration

Background: Although increasing evidence has demonstrated that elevated homocysteine (Hcy) levels may be an important contributor for the development of cerebral infarction, rare studies focused on its diagnostic and early prognostic roles in acute lacunar infarction. Methods: A total of 197 patients with acute lacunar infarction and 192 to form the control group were prospectively recruited between January 2013 and February 2017. Early neurological deterioration was defined as an increase of ≥2 points in National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale or the decrease in Barthel index (BI) score at discharge. Results: Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses revealed that higher levels of fibrinogen and Hcy were independently clinical predictors associated with lacunar infarction. Receiver operating characteristic curves analysis demonstrated that the diagnosis value of Hcy was superior to fibrinogen, with the area under the curve of 0.881 and 0.688 respectively. Using the optimal cutoff value of 15.5 μmol/L of Hcy, a sensitivity of 65% and a specificity of 100% were achieved for predicting lacunar infarction. Hcy was only significantly related with BI reduction in the males (30.5 [15.5–65.5] vs. 18 [15–24], p = 0.034) in the univariate analysis but not in the females and the multivariate analysis. Conclusions: Serum Hcy may be an independent diagnostic and not an early prognostic biomarker for patients with acute lacunar infarction.

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The Embittered Mind

Journal of Individual Differences ◽

10.1027/1614-0001/a000208 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 37 (4) ◽

pp. 213-222 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Hansjörg Znoj ◽

Sandra Abegglen ◽

Ulrike Buchkremer ◽

Michael Linden

Keyword(s):

Emotional Reaction ◽

Control Group ◽

Systematic Research ◽

Roc Curve Analysis ◽

Confirmatory Factor Analyses ◽

Receiver Operating Characteristic Curves ◽

Confirmatory Factor ◽

Different Dimensions ◽

First Time ◽

Common Understanding

Abstract. There is a growing interest in embitterment as psychological concept. However, little systematic research has been conducted to characterize this emotional reaction. Still, there is an ongoing debate about the distinctiveness of embitterment and its dimensions. Additionally, a categorical and a dimensional perspective on embitterment have been developed independently over the last decade. The present study investigates the dimensions of embitterment by bringing these two different approaches together, for the first time. The Bern Embitterment Inventory (BEI) was given to 49 patients diagnosed with “Posttraumatic Embitterment Disorder (PTED)” and a matched control group of 49 patients with psychological disorders with other dominant emotional dysregulations. The ability to discriminate between the two groups was assessed by t-tests and Receiver Operating Characteristic Curves (ROC curve analysis). PTED patients scored significantly higher on the BEI than the patients of the control group. ROC analyses indicated diagnostic accuracy of the inventory. Further, we conducted Confirmatory Factor Analyses (CFA) to examine the different dimensions of embitterment and their relations. As a result, we found four characteristic dimensions of embitterment, namely disappointment, lack of acknowledge, pessimism, and misanthropy. In general, our findings showed a common understanding of embitterment as a unique but multidimensional emotional reaction to distressful life-events.

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Screening for haemorrhagic disorders in paediatric patients by means of a questionnaire

Hämostaseologie ◽

10.1055/s-0037-1621503 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 29 (S 01) ◽

pp. S87-S89 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

I. Music ◽

M. Novak ◽

B. Acham-Roschitz ◽

W. Muntean

Keyword(s):

Predictive Value ◽

Laboratory Diagnosis ◽

Von Willebrand Disease ◽

Control Group ◽

Older Children ◽

Mild Disease ◽

History Of ◽

Von Willebrand ◽

Specific Symptoms ◽

Infants And Young Children

SummaryAim: In children, screening for haemorrhagic disorders is further complicated by the fact that infants and young children with mild disease in many cases most likely will not have a significant history of easy bruising or bleeding making the efficacy of a questionnaire even more questionable. Patients, methods: We compared the questionnaires of a group of 88 children in whom a haemorrhagic disorder was ruled out by rigorous laboratory investigation to a group of 38 children with mild von Willebrand disease (VWD). Questionnaires about child, mother and father were obtained prior to the laboratory diagnosis on the occasion of routine preoperative screening. Results: 23/38 children with mild VWD showed at least one positive question in the questionnaire, while 21/88 without laboratory signs showed at least one positive question. There was a trend to more specific symptoms in older children. Three or more positive questions were found only in VWD patients, but only in a few of the control group. The question about menstrual bleeding in mothers did not differ significantly. Sensitivity of the questionnaire for a hemostatic disorder was 0.60, while specifity was 0.76. The negative predictive value was 0.82, but the positive predictive value was only 0.52. Conclusions: Our small study shows, that a questionnaire yields good results to exclude a haemostatic disorder, but is not a sensitive tool to identify such a disorder.

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Natural Oestrogen in the Female Climacteric - Influence on Blood Coagulation and Fibrinolysis

Thrombosis and Haemostasis ◽

10.1055/s-0038-1648686 ◽

1978 ◽

Vol 40 (02) ◽

pp. 532-541 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Anders Lagrelius ◽

Nils-Olov Lunell ◽

Margareta Blombäck

Keyword(s):

Blood Coagulation ◽

Antithrombin Iii ◽

Coagulation Factors ◽

Control Group ◽

Blood Coagulation Factors ◽

Excessive Bleeding ◽

Oestrone Sulphate ◽

Menopausal Women ◽

History Of ◽

Coagulation And Fibrinolysis

SummaryThe aim of the present study was to investigate the effect on blood coagulation and fibrinolysis of a natural oestrogen preparation, piperazine oestrone sulphate, prospectively in menopausal women. Scopolamine was given to the control group.The women were investigated before and during treatment with regard to factors VIII, VII, X, V, fibrinopeptide A, antithrombin III, plasminogen, rapid antiplasmin and α1-antitrypsin. There was no significant change towards hypercoagulability or decreased fibrinolysis in any group. In the oestrogen group, however, a tendency towards an increased level of plasminogen and a decreased level of antiplasmin was demonstrated. In the scopolamine group there was an unexpected fall in factors X and V and also in plasminogen and α1,-antitrypsin. A low level of some blood coagulation factors in some of the women before treatment is somewhat astonishing; none of them had any history of excessive bleeding.

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DYSLIPIDEMIA IN THYROID DISORDERS

International Journal of Medical and Biomedical Studies ◽

10.32553/ijmbs.v4i7.1308 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (7) ◽

Author(s):

Kashish Narula ◽

Narendra Kumar Dara ◽

Shyam Lal Meena

Keyword(s):

Lipid Metabolism ◽

Thyroid Dysfunction ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Control Group ◽

Thyroid Disorders ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Carbohydrate And Lipid Metabolism ◽

History Of ◽

Thyroid Profile ◽

Basal Energy Expenditure

Background: Thyroid hormones influence nearly all major metabolic pathways. Their most obvious and well-known action is the increase in basal energy expenditure obtained by acting on protein, carbohydrate and lipid metabolism. The lipid metabolism is more influenced by the thyroid hormone. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 100 patients with suspicion of thyroid disorders were taken as cases. One hundred patients with normal thyroid profile and no history of other chronic diseases were taken as control group. Results: The serum TC, TG and LDL levels in hypothyroid individuals (both overt and subclinical) were significantly higher than euthyroid subjects but the levels were comparable between hyperthyroid and euthyroid group. Conclusion: Dyslipidemias are associated with thyroid disorders, so biochemical screening for thyroid dysfunction in all dyslipidemic patients. Therefore, patients presenting with dyslipidemia are recommended for investigation to explore thyroid dysfunction. Keywords: Thyroid profile, Total cholesterol, Triglycerides and LDL

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HUBUNGAN TUNGAU DEBU RUMAH, PAPARAN ASAP ROKOK DAN RIWAYAT PENYAKIT KELUARGA TERHADAP KEJADIAN ASMA BRONKIAL PADA ANAK USIA 5 – 10 TAHUN DI WILAYAH KERJA PUSKESMAS LEMPAKE KOTA SAMARINDA TAHUN 2016

KESMAS UWIGAMA: Jurnal Kesehatan Masyarakat ◽

10.24903/kujkm.v3i1.327 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 3 (1) ◽

pp. 1

Author(s):

Sri Evi New Yearsi Pangadongan ◽

Agustina Rahyu ◽

Selvy Pasulu

Keyword(s):

Cigarette Smoke ◽

Bronchial Asthma ◽

Sampling Technique ◽

Total Sample ◽

Control Group ◽

Case Group ◽

Chi Square ◽

History Of ◽

Weather Changes ◽

And Gender

Bronchial Asthma generally starts from childhood which is condition where respiration channel experiences constriction because of hyperactivity with some specific stimulation which cause inflammation. Some risk factors are smoking exposure of cigarette smoke, weather changes, mite on house dirt, pet and history of family sickness. The purpose of this research is to know Relation of mite on house dirt, exposure of cigarette smoke and history of family sickness with bronchial asthma incident to child 5 – 10 years old on working area of Puskesmas Lempake Samarinda City in 2016. Method which used was analytic survey with Case Control approaching. The total sample was 36 children which consisted of 18 case group and 18 control group with matching by using age and gender which submitted with Purposive Sampling technique. Data Analysis used Chi Square with wrong degree α = 0,005. The result showed that there was relation of mite of house dirt (p = 0,006), history of family sickness (p = 0,001) and no relation with exposure of cigarette smoke (p = 0,370) with bronchial asthma incident to child 5 – 10 years old on working area of Puskesmas Lempake Samarinda City in 2016.

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Breastfeeding Training through Role-Play and Effects on Mother-infant Attachment Behaviours: A Randomised Controlled Trial

Africa Journal of Nursing and Midwifery ◽

10.25159/2520-5293/6232 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 22 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Farokh Saljughi ◽

Mitra Savabi-Esfahani ◽

Shahnaz Kohan ◽

Soheila Ehsanpour

Keyword(s):

Pregnant Women ◽

Maternal Employment ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Role Play ◽

Intervention Group ◽

Control Group ◽

Maternal Behaviour ◽

Infant Attachment ◽

Significant Difference ◽

History Of

Mother-infant attachment is an intimate, lasting and satisfying relationship that leads to better cognitive, emotional and social growth of the infant. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of breastfeeding training by role-play on mother-infant attachment behaviours. This research was a randomised clinical trial (parallel design). Inclusion criteria were: no history of mental disorders; ability to read and write the Persian language to complete the questionnaire; no history of drug and tobacco intake in primigravida women. The sample comprised 100 pregnant women (in 2 groups), selected through simple random sampling at healthcare centres. The researcher reviewed prenatal care registries of selected healthcare centres and extracted the names of pregnant women in their early third trimester. The data were imported into randomisation software. The control group received routine breastfeeding training, while the intervention group received routine training together with training through role-play. The data collection tool was the Maternal Behaviour Inventory Questionnaire. Consequently 75 samples were analysed in SPSS16. Independent t-tests and chi-square tests were used to examine the difference between the two groups. Results showed that the mean score of mother-infant attachment one week after delivery was significantly higher in the intervention group in comparison to that in the control group (p<0.001). No significant difference was observed between the two groups in maternal age, age of marriage, neonatal gender, maternal employment and education, number of parity, and number of abortions (P>0.05). Since breastfeeding training through role-play could affect mother-infant attachment, it is suggested that this type of training should be provided for pregnant women to promote mother-infant attachment and exclusive breastfeeding.

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