scholarly journals Saliva pH Changes in Patients with High and Low Caries Risk After Consuming Organic (Sucrose) and Non-Organic (Maltitol) Sugar

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Widowati W ◽  
Akbar SH ◽  
Tin MH

Introduction: Enamel demineralization is associated with decrease in saliva pH due to fermentation of sugar by oral commensal. Thus, exploring the changing pattern of saliva pH is meaningful in dental caries prevention. The aim of this study was to compare the changing pattern of saliva pH after consuming different types of sweeteners (sucrose and maltitol). Methods: It was a case-control study involving 14 male patients attending IIUM dental clinic who were selected with the intention of getting seven patients with high caries risk ( DMFT ≥6) and seven patients with low caries risk (DMFT ≤3) with initial saliva pH interval of 6.5 to7.5. Patients were asked to consume snacks containing 8 gram sucrose and 8 gram maltitol as sweeteners. The changing pH values of the saliva were measured by Waterproof pHTestr 10BNC (Oakton, Vernon Hills, USA) seven times consecutively at 0 (before snack consumption), and at 5, 10, 15, 20, 30 and 60 minutes after snack consumption. The pH values of saliva of patients with low and high caries risk after consuming sucrose and maltitol were statistically analized by using Anova and Tukey-HSD tests at α = 0.05. Result: There were significant differences in saliva pH changes between low-risk group and high-risk group after consuming sucrose and maltitol. Conclusion: The changing patterns of saliva pH in high-risk patients were lower than those of low-risk patients after consuming two types of snacks containing sucrose and maltitol.

Author(s):  
Yan Fan ◽  
Hong Shen ◽  
Brandon Stacey ◽  
David Zhao ◽  
Robert J. Applegate ◽  
...  

AbstractThe purpose of this study was to explore the utility of echocardiography and the EuroSCORE II in stratifying patients with low-gradient severe aortic stenosis (LG SAS) and preserved left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF ≥ 50%) with or without aortic valve intervention (AVI). The study included 323 patients with LG SAS (aortic valve area ≤ 1.0 cm2 and mean pressure gradient < 40 mmHg). Patients were divided into two groups: a high-risk group (EuroSCORE II ≥ 4%, n = 115) and a low-risk group (EuroSCORE II < 4%, n = 208). Echocardiographic and clinical characteristics were analyzed. All-cause mortality was used as a clinical outcome during mean follow-up of 2 ± 1.3 years. Two-year cumulative survival was significantly lower in the high-risk group than the low-risk patients (62.3% vs. 81.7%, p = 0.001). AVI tended to reduce mortality in the high-risk patients (70% vs. 59%; p = 0.065). It did not significantly reduce mortality in the low-risk patients (82.8% with AVI vs. 81.2%, p = 0.68). Multivariable analysis identified heart failure, renal dysfunction and stroke volume index (SVi) as independent predictors for mortality. The study suggested that individualization of AVI based on risk stratification could be considered in a patient with LG SAS and preserved LVEF.


2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (1_suppl) ◽  
pp. 5-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dominique N van Dongen ◽  
Rudolf T Tolsma ◽  
Marion J Fokkert ◽  
Erik A Badings ◽  
Aize van der Sluis ◽  
...  

Background: Pre-hospital risk stratification of non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTE-ACS) by the complete HEART score has not yet been assessed. We investigated whether pre-hospital risk stratification of patients with suspected NSTE-ACS using the HEART score is accurate in predicting major adverse cardiac events (MACE). Methods: This is a prospective observational study, including 700 patients with suspected NSTE-ACS. Risk stratification was performed by ambulance paramedics, using the HEART score; low risk was defined as HEART score ⩽ 3. Primary endpoint was occurrence of MACE within 45 days after inclusion. Secondary endpoint was myocardial infarction or death. Results: A total of 172 patients (24.6%) were stratified as low risk and 528 patients (75.4%) as intermediate to high risk. Mean age was 53.9 years in the low risk group and 66.7 years in the intermediate to high risk group ( p<0.001), 50% were male in the low risk group versus 60% in the intermediate to high risk group ( p=0.026). MACE occurred in five patients in the low risk group (2.9%) and in 111 (21.0%) patients at intermediate or high risk ( p<0.001). There were no deaths in the low risk group and the occurrence of acute myocardial infarction in this group was 1.2%. In the high risk group six patients died (1.1%) and 76 patients had myocardial infarction (14.4%). Conclusions: In suspected NSTE-ACS, pre-hospital risk stratification by ambulance paramedics, including troponin measurement, is accurate in differentiating between low and intermediate to high risk. Future studies should investigate whether transportation of low risk patients to a hospital can be avoided, and whether high risk patients benefit from immediate transfer to a hospital with early coronary angiography possibilities.


2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
T Grinberg ◽  
T Bental ◽  
Y Hammer ◽  
A R Assali ◽  
H Vaknin-Assa ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Following Myocardial Infarction (MI), patients are at increased risk for recurrent cardiovascular events, particularly during the immediate period. Yet some patients are at higher risk than others, owing to their clinical characteristics and comorbidities, these high-risk patients are less often treated with guideline-recommended therapies. Aim To examine temporal trends in treatment and outcomes of patients with MI according to the TIMI risk score for secondary prevention (TRS2°P), a recently validated risk stratification tool. Methods A retrospective cohort study of patients with an acute MI, who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention and were discharged alive between 2004–2016. Temporal trends were examined in the early (2004–2010) and late (2011–2016) time-periods. Patients were stratified by the TRS2°P to a low (≤1), intermediate (2) or high-risk group (≥3). Clinical outcomes included 30-day MACE (death, MI, target vessel revascularization, coronary artery bypass grafting, unstable angina or stroke) and 1-year mortality. Results Among 4921 patients, 31% were low-risk, 27% intermediate-risk and 42% high-risk. Compared to low and intermediate-risk patients, high-risk patients were older, more commonly female, and had more comorbidities such as hypertension, diabetes, peripheral vascular disease, and chronic kidney disease. They presented more often with non ST elevation MI and 3-vessel disease. High-risk patients were less likely to receive drug eluting stents and potent anti-platelet drugs, among other guideline-recommended therapies. Evidently, they experienced higher 30-day MACE (8.1% vs. 3.9% and 2.1% in intermediate and low-risk, respectively, P<0.001) and 1-year mortality (10.4% vs. 3.9% and 1.1% in intermediate and low-risk, respectively, P<0.001). During time, comparing the early to the late-period, the use of potent antiplatelets and statins increased among the entire cohort (P<0.001). However, only the high-risk group demonstrated a significantly lower 30-day MACE (P=0.001). During time, there were no differences in 1-year mortality rate among all risk categories. Temporal trends in 30-day MACE by TRS2°P Conclusion Despite a better application of guideline-recommended therapies, high-risk patients after MI are still relatively undertreated. Nevertheless, they demonstrated the most notable improvement in outcomes over time.


Author(s):  
Junyu Huo ◽  
Jinzhen Cai ◽  
Ge Guan ◽  
Huan Liu ◽  
Liqun Wu

Background: Due to the heterogeneity of tumors and the complexity of the immune microenvironment, the specific role of ferroptosis and pyroptosis in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is not fully understood, especially its impact on prognosis.Methods: The training set (n = 609, merged by TCGA and GSE14520) was clustered into three subtypes (C1, C2, and C3) based on the prognosis-related genes associated with ferroptosis and pyroptosis. The intersecting differentially expressed genes (DEGs) among C1, C2, and C3 were used in univariate Cox and LASSO penalized Cox regression analysis for the construction of the risk score. The median risk score served as the unified cutoff to divide patients into high- and low-risk groups.Results: Internal (TCGA, n = 370; GSE14520, n = 239) and external validation (ICGC, n = 231) suggested that the 12-gene risk score had high accuracy in predicting the OS, DSS, DFS, PFS, and RFS of HCC. As an independent prognostic indicator, the risk score could be applicable for patients with different clinical features tested by subgroup (n = 26) survival analysis. In the high-risk patients with a lower infiltration abundance of activated B cells, activated CD8 T cells, eosinophils, and type I T helper cells and a higher infiltration abundance of immature dendritic cells, the cytolytic activity, HLA, inflammation promotion, and type I IFN response in the high-risk group were weaker. The TP53 mutation rate, TMB, and CSC characteristics in the high-risk group were significantly higher than those in the low-risk group. Low-risk patients have active metabolic activity and a more robust immune response. The high- and low-risk groups differed significantly in histology grade, vascular tumor cell type, AFP, new tumor event after initial treatment, main tumor size, cirrhosis, TNM stage, BCLC stage, and CLIP score.Conclusion: The ferroptosis and pyroptosis molecular subtype-related signature identified and validated in this work is applicable for prognosis prediction, immune microenvironment estimation, stem cell characteristics, and clinical feature assessment in HCC.


Rheumatology ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 58 (12) ◽  
pp. 2284-2294 ◽  
Author(s):  
Veerle Stouten ◽  
René Westhovens ◽  
Sofia Pazmino ◽  
Diederik De Cock ◽  
Kristien Van der Elst ◽  
...  

AbstractObjectivesTo investigate whether MTX should be combined with an additional DMARD and bridging glucocorticoids as initial treatment for patients with early RA to induce an effective long-term response.MethodsThe Care in early RA study is a two-year investigator-initiated pragmatic multicentre randomized trial. Early RA patients, naïve to DMARDs and glucocorticoids, were stratified based on prognostic factors. High-risk patients were randomized to COBRA-Classic (n = 98): MTX, sulfasalazine, prednisone step-down from 60 mg; COBRA-Slim (n = 98): MTX, prednisone step-down from 30 mg; or COBRA-Avant-Garde (n = 93): MTX, leflunomide, prednisone step-down from 30 mg. Low-risk patients were randomized to COBRA-Slim (n = 43); or Tight Step Up (TSU) (n = 47): MTX without prednisone. Clinical/radiological outcomes at year 2, sustainability of response, safety and treatment adaptations were assessed.ResultsIn the high-risk group 71/98 (72%) patients achieved a DAS28-CRP < 2.6 with COBRA-Slim compared with 64/98 (65%) with COBRA-Classic and 69/93 (74%) with COBRA-Avant-Garde (P = 1.00). Other clinical/radiological outcomes and sustainability of response were similar. COBRA-Slim treatment resulted in less therapy-related adverse events compared with COBRA-Classic (P = 0.02) or COBRA-Avant-Garde (P = 0.005). In the low-risk group, 29/43 (67%) patients on COBRA-Slim and 34/47 (72%) on TSU achieved a DAS28-CRP < 2.6 (P = 1.00). On COBRA-Slim, low-risk patients had lower longitudinal DAS28-CRP scores over 2 years, a lower need for glucocorticoid injections and a comparable safety profile compared with TSU.ConclusionAll regimens combining DMARDs with glucocorticoids were effective for patients with early RA up to 2 years. The COBRA-Slim regimen, MTX monotherapy with glucocorticoid bridging, provided the best balance between efficacy and safety, irrespective of patients’ prognosis.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov, http://www.clinicaltrials.gov, NCT01172639.


2009 ◽  
Vol 29 (2_suppl) ◽  
pp. 153-157 ◽  
Author(s):  
Narayan Prasad ◽  
Amit Gupta ◽  
Archana Sinha ◽  
Anurag Singh ◽  
Raj Kumar Sharma ◽  
...  

Background Case-mix comorbidities and malnutrition influence outcome in continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) patients. In the present study, we analyzed the influence of stratified comorbidities on nutrition indices and survival in CAPD patients. Patients and Methods We categorized 373 CAPD patients (197 with and 176 without diabetes) into three risk groups: low—age under 70 years and no comorbid illness; medium—age 70 – 80 years, or any age with 1 comorbid illness, or age under 70 years with diabetes; high—age over 80 years, or any age with 2 comorbid illnesses. We then compared nutrition indices and malnutrition by subjective global assessment (SGA) between the three groups. Survival was compared using Kaplan–Meier survival analysis. Results Mean daily calorie and protein intakes in the low-risk group (21 ± 6.7 Kcal/kg, 0.85 ± 0.28 g/kg) were significantly higher than in the medium- (17.6 ± 5.2 Kcal/kg, 0.79 ± 0.25 g/kg) and high-risk (17.5 ± 6.1 Kcal/kg, 0.78 ± 0.26 g/kg) groups ( p = 0.001 and p = 0.04 respectively). Relative risk (RR) of malnutrition was less in the low-risk group (103/147, 70.06%) than in the medium-risk group [135/162, 83.3%; RR: 2.0; 95% confidence interval (CI): 2.1 to 3.4; p = 0.01] or the high-risk group (54/64, 84.4%; RR: 2.3; 95% CI: 2.1 to 4.9; p = 0.03). Mean survivals of patients in the low-, medium-, and high-risk groups were 51 patient–months (95% CI: 45.6 to 56.4 patient–months), 43.3 patient–months (95% CI: 37.8 to 48.7 patient–months), and 29.7 patient–months (95% CI: 23 to 36.4 patient–months) respectively (log-rank: 35.9 patient–months; p = 0.001). The 1-, 2-, 3-, 4-, and 5-year patient survivals in the low-, medium-, and high-risk groups were 96%, 87%, 79%, 65%, and 56%; 89%, 67%, 54%, 43%, and 34%; and 76%, 48%, 31%, 30%, and 30% respectively. Conclusions Intake of calories and protein was significantly lower in the medium-risk and high-risk groups than in the low-risk group. Survival was significantly better in low-risk patients than in medium- and high-risk patients.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael R Ardern-Jones ◽  
Hang T.T. Phan ◽  
Florina Borca ◽  
Matthew Stammers ◽  
James Batchelor ◽  
...  

Background The success of early dexamethasone therapy for hospitalised COVID-19 cases in treatment of Sars-CoV-2 infection may predominantly reflect its anti-inflammatory action against a hyperinflammation (HI) response. It is likely that there is substantial heterogeneity in HI responses in COVID-19. Methods Blood CRP, ferritin, neutrophil, lymphocyte and platelet counts were scored to assess HI (HI5) and combined with a validated measure of generalised medical deterioration (NEWS2) before day 2. Our primary outcome was 28 day mortality from early treatment with dexamethasone stratified by HI5-NEWS2 status. Findings Of 1265 patients, high risk of HI (high HI5-NEWS2) (n=367, 29.0%) conferred a strikingly increased mortality (36.0% vs 7.8%; Age adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) 5.9; 95% CI 3.6-9.8, p<0.001) compared to the low risk group (n= 455, 36.0%). An intermediate risk group (n= 443, 35.0%) also showed significantly higher mortality than the low risk group (17.6% vs 7.8%), aHR 2.2, p=0.005). Early dexamethasone treatment conferred a 50.0% reduction in mortality in the high risk group (36.0% to 18.0%, aHR 0.56, p=0.007). The intermediate risk group showed a trend to reduction in mortality (17.8% to 10.3%, aHR 0.82, p=0.46) which was not observed in the low risk group (7.8% to 9.2%, aHR 1.4, p =0.31). Interpretation The HI5-NEWS2 measured at COVID-19 diagnosis, strongly predicts mortality at 28 days. Significant reduction in mortality with early dexamethasone treatment was only observed in the high risk group. Therefore, the HI5-NEWS2 score could be utilised to stratify randomised clinical trials to test whether intensified anti-inflammatory therapy would further benefit high risk patients and whether alternative approaches would benefit low risk groups. Considering its recognised morbidity, we suggest that early dexamethasone should not be routinely prescribed for HI5-NEWS2 low risk individuals with COVID-19 and clinicians should cautiously assess the risk benefit of this intervention. Funding No external funding.


Blood ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 120 (21) ◽  
pp. 3778-3778 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mario Tiribelli ◽  
Massimiliano Bonifacio ◽  
Elisabetta Calistri ◽  
Gianni Binotto ◽  
Elena Maino ◽  
...  

Abstract Abstract 3778 Introduction. The EUTOS score has recently been developed by the European Leukemia-Net (ELN) to predict the achievement of an 18-month complete cytogenetic response (CCyR) and progression-free survival in imatinib-treated early chronic phase (ECP) chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) patients. The score uses the percentage of basophils and spleen size to divide patients in 2 groups of low- and high-risk. Since its publication in 2011, however, there have been conflicting reports about the efficacy of EUTOS score. Moreover, scanty data are available on the power of this scoring system to foresee optimal response to imatinib, as defined by ELN recommendations. Aims and Methods. To test the power of EUTOS score in predicting achievement of optimal response to imatinib, as defined by ELN, time to imatinib failure (TTF) and progression-free survival (PFS), we evaluated 265 ECP CML patients treated with front-line standard dose imatinib (400 mg daily) at 5 major hematology centres in the north-eastern area of Italy. Partial cytogenetic response (PCyR) and CCyR were defined as 1–35% and 0% Ph+ metaphases, respectively; major molecular response (MMR) was defined as BCR-ABL <0.1%IS. TTF was measured from the start of imatinib to the date of any of the following events: progression to accelerated or blastic phase, death for any cause at any time, imatinib dose increase (≥ 600 mg/day) for primary or secondary hematologic or cytogenetic resistance. PFS was measured from the start of imatinib to the date of progression to accelerated or blastic phase or death for any cause at any time. Survival probabilities were estimated by the Kaplan-Meier method and compared by log rank test; differences among variables were evaluated by the Fisher's exact test or by Student's t-distribution. Results. A total of 265 consecutive patients with ECP CML were included in this study. The median age was 55 years (range 19–84), with 149 males and 116 females. The median follow-up was 61 months (range 6–136). The median time from diagnosis to imatinib therapy was 0.7 months (range 0 – 7.6). The distribution according to the EUTOS score was: 248 patients (93.6%) in the low risk group and 17 patients (6.4%) in the high risk group. The “optimal response” endpoints to imatinib (i.e. PCyR at 6th months, CCyR at 12th months and MMR at 18th months) were higher in low-risk patients, but did not achieve statistical significance. Specifically, the values were as following: PCyR 86% vs 67% (p=0.055), CCyR 80% vs 63% (p=0.117) and MMR 61% vs 36% (p=0.126). Cumulative incidence of CCyR was comparable in the two groups (88%% in low-risk and 80% in high risk), but time to CCyR was shorter in low-risk patients (6 months) compared to the one in high-risk patients (9 months) (p=0.048) [figure 1]. More importantly, EUTOS score was able to predict long term response to therapy. Indeed, 59% of patients in the high-risk group experienced imatinib failure, compared to 30% in the low-risk group (p=0.027). Moreover also TTF was significant shorter in the high-risk group [figure 2]. Fifty-three patients in the low-risk group (21%) were switched to 2nd-generation TKIs (29 dasatinib, 22 nilotinib, 1 bosutinib, 1 ponatinib), compared to six (35%) in the high-risk group (4 dasatinib, 2 nilotinib). Also PFS rate was significantly worse in patients with high EUTOS score, with 11/248 events (4%) in the low-risk group and 4/17 (23%) in the high-risk cases (p=0.01) [figure 3]. Conclusions. In our study group, the EUTOS score was predictive for long-term outcome of imatinib therapy, both in terms of treatment failure and of progression-free survival. Taking into consideration the ELN definitions of optimal response, there was a trend toward better cytogenetic and molecular response in low-risk patients; the lack of statistical significance could be due to the relatively small number of high-risk cases. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


2020 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Nan Lee ◽  
Xuelian Xia ◽  
Hui Meng ◽  
Weiliang Zhu ◽  
Xiankai Wang ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND: DNA methylation plays a vital role in modulating genomic function and warrants evaluation as a biomarker for the diagnosis and treatment of lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC). OBJECTIVE: In this study, we aimed to identify effective potential biomarkers for predicting prognosis and drug sensitivity in LUSC. METHODS: A univariate Cox proportional hazards regression analysis, a random survival forests-variable hunting (RSFVH) algorithm, and a multivariate Cox regression analysis were adopted to analyze the methylation profile of patients with LUSC included in public databases: The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), and the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO). RESULTS: A methylated region consisting of 3 sites (cg06675147, cg07064331, cg20429172) was selected. Patients were divided into a high-risk group and a low-risk group in the training dataset. High-risk patients had shorter overall survival (OS) (hazard ratio [HR]: 2.72, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.82–4.07, P< 0.001) compared with low-risk patients. The accuracy of the prognostic signature was validated in the test and validation cohorts (TCGA, n= 94; GSE56044, n= 23). Gene set variation analysis (GSVA) showed that activity in the cell cycle/mitotic, ERBB, and ERK/MAPK pathways was higher in the high-risk compared with the low-risk group, which may lead to differences in OS.Interestingly, we observed that patients in the high-risk group were more sensitive to gemcitabine and docetaxel than the low-risk group, which is consistent with results of the GSVA. CONCLUSION: We report novel methylation sites that could be used as powerful tools for predicting risk factors for poorer survival in patients with LUSC.


Author(s):  
Alessandro Brunelli ◽  
Herbert Decaluwe ◽  
Dominique Gossot ◽  
Francesco Guerrera ◽  
Zalan Szanto ◽  
...  

Abstract OBJECTIVES We queried the European Society of Thoracic Surgeons (ESTS) database with the aim to assess cardiopulmonary morbidity and 30-day mortality of segmentectomies and lobectomies in patients with a Eurolung-predicted mortality above the upper interquartile and classified as high risk. METHODS A total of 61 492 patients registered in the ESTS database (2007–2018) and submitted to lobectomy (55 353) or segmentectomy (6139) were divided into high risk or low risk according to a Eurolung-predicted mortality cut-off of 2.5% (corresponding in our population to the upper interquartile). Predicted versus observed mortalities were compared within each type of operation by using binomial test of proportion. Observed morbidity and mortality rates were compared between the 2 procedures using the χ2 test. RESULTS A total of 14 007 lobectomies and 1251 segmentectomies were classified as high risk. In the high-risk group, the cardiopulmonary morbidity and 30-day mortality rates observed in segmentectomies were lower than in lobectomies (morbidity: 12% vs 17%, P &lt; 0.0001; mortality: 2.4% vs 3.7%, P = 0.018). In segmentectomy patients, the observed mortality rate was lower than the Eurolung-predicted one (2.4% vs 3.8%, P = 0.009), while in the lobectomy patients, there was no difference between observed and predicted mortality (3.7% vs 3.8%, P = 0.9). In the low-risk group, the cardiopulmonary morbidity and 30-day mortality rates observed in segmentectomies were lower than in lobectomies (morbidity: 4.5% vs 7.8%, P &lt; 0.0001; mortality: 0.6% vs 1.0%, P = 0.01). In segmentectomy patients, the observed mortality rate was lower than the Eurolung-predicted one (0.6% vs 1.0%, P = 0.0003), while in the lobectomy patients, there was no difference between observed and predicted mortality (1.0% vs 1.1%, P = 0.06). CONCLUSIONS Segmentectomy was found associated with a 0.65 relative risk of mortality rate compared to lobectomy in patients deemed at higher surgical risk.


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