scholarly journals Comparative Evaluation of Endotoxin Activity Level and Various Biomarkers for Infection and Outcome of ICU-Admitted Patients

Biomedicines ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 47
Author(s):  
Toshiaki Ikeda ◽  
Hidenobu Kamohara ◽  
Shingo Suda ◽  
Takeo Nagura ◽  
Mikiko Tomino ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Intensive Care Unit ◽  
Comparative Evaluation ◽  
Patient Survival ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Survival Outcome ◽  
Activity Level ◽  
Significant Positive Association ◽  
Endotoxin Activity ◽  
Multiple Biomarkers ◽  
Highly Correlated

Here, we concurrently measured the endotoxin activity (EA) level and levels of multiple biomarkers in patient blood obtained within 24 h after being admitted into the intensive care unit (ICU) and analyzed whether there were links between these markers and their associations with patient conditions and outcomes. The EA levels highly correlated with disease severity and patient survival, and showed a significant positive association with levels of lactate, procalcitonin, presepsin, and interleukin-6. Notably, the EA level was the marker that most highly correlated with the results of blood culture, and the presepsin level was the marker most highly correlated with the survival outcome at 28 days. Thus, the optimal biomarker should be selected based on whether it will be used to discriminate the presence of an infection or to predict survival.

Administration of Sedatives and Level of Sedation: Comparative Evaluation via the Sedation-Agitation Scale and the Bispectral Index

2003 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 343-348 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marjolein de Wit ◽  
Scott K. Epstein
Keyword(s):  
Intensive Care Unit ◽  
Bispectral Index ◽  
Comparative Evaluation ◽  
Medical Intensive Care Unit ◽  
Objective Assessment ◽  
Subjective Assessments ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Scale Range ◽  
Medical Intensive Care ◽  
Highly Correlated

• Objectives To compare levels of sedation in patients receiving continuous intravenous infusions of sedative/hypnotic or narcotic agents with levels in patients not receiving infusions and to compare subjective (Sedation-Agitation Scale) and objective (Bispectral Index) evaluations of sedation. • Methods Patients receiving mechanical ventilation in a medical intensive care unit were evaluated prospectively. Level of sedation was assessed with the Sedation-Agitation Scale (range 1–7, unarousable to dangerous agitation) and the Bispectral Index (range 0–100, flat line to awake waveform) recorded before and after stimulation. Patients were classified as receiving continuous infusions if an infusion had been administered within 24 hours preceding assessment. • Results Nineteen patients were evaluated on 80 occasions. Scores on the Sedation-Agitation Scale ranged from 1 to 5 (mean 2.6 and median 2) and correlated highly with values for the Bispectral Index (R2 = 0.48 before and 0.44 after stimulation, P < .001). Patients receiving continuous infusions were more deeply sedated than were patients receiving boluses or no medication (mean [SD] scores, Sedation-Agitation Scale: 2.1 [1.2] vs 3.3 [1.0], P < .001; Bispectral Index before stimulation: 63 [24] vs 86 [13], P < .001). Patients receiving continuous infusions were more likely to have a score of 2 or less on the Sedation-Agitation Scale (32/44 vs 8/35, P < .001). • Conclusion Objective and subjective assessments of sedation are highly correlated. Use of continuous infusions is associated with deeper levels of sedation, and patients receiving continuous infusions are more likely to be oversedated. Sedation therapy should be guided by subjective or objective assessment.

scholarly journals Quantitative Correlation of Salivary Streptococcus Mutans Count Amongst Siblings and their Mothers

2017 ◽  
Vol 05 (02) ◽  
pp. 090-096
Author(s):  
Paramdeep Singh ◽  
Avninder Kaur ◽  
Neerja Kakkar ◽  
Manjeet Kaur ◽  
Shivesh Acharya
Keyword(s):  
Quantitative Analysis ◽  
Streptococcus Mutans ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Older Children ◽  
Significant Positive Association ◽  
Plaque Score ◽  
Quantitative Correlation ◽  
The Family ◽  
Related Individuals ◽  
Highly Correlated

Abstract Aim: The present study was planned to analyze quantitative correlation of salivary Streptococcus Mutans (S. Mutans) in siblings and their mothers. Materials and Methods: Quantitative analysis of S. Mutans in saliva was performed using Dentocult SM strip mutans kit (Orion Diagnostica, Helsinki, Finland) in closely related members of the family i.e. siblings along with their mothers. Results: S. Mutans count between the siblings showed positive correlation which was statistically highly significant. The younger childrens’ S. Mutans count was very highly correlated (rs = 0.711) with the mothers’ as compared to that of the older children (rs = 0.412). The S. Mutans count was found to be associated with caries score and was statistically significant. A statistically highly significant positive association was also found with the plaque score. Conclusion: The correlation between the S. Mutans count of related individuals has been reaffirmed. S. Mutans is positively associated with dental caries.

Perceived Overprotection and Its Association With Quality of Life in Dementia

GeroPsych ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 125-134
Author(s):  
Mechthild Niemann-Mirmehdi ◽  
Andreas Häusler ◽  
Paul Gellert ◽  
Johanna Nordheim
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Patient Autonomy ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Negative Association ◽  
Significant Positive Association ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
People With Dementia ◽  
Mental Well Being

Abstract. To date, few studies have focused on perceived overprotection from the perspective of people with dementia (PwD). In the present examination, the association of perceived overprotection in PwD is examined as an autonomy-restricting factor and thus negative for their mental well-being. Cross-sectional data from the prospective DYADEM study of 82 patient/partner dyads (mean age = 74.26) were used to investigate the association between overprotection, perceived stress, depression, and quality of life (QoL). The analyses show that an overprotective contact style with PwD has a significant positive association with stress and depression, and has a negative association with QoL. The results emphasize the importance of avoiding an overprotective care style and supporting patient autonomy.

The Nexus Between Urbanisation and Human Empowerment: Income Group Based Findings of Bidirectional Causality

2019 ◽  
Vol 64 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-15
Author(s):  
Christos Kollias ◽  
Panayiotis Tzeremes
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Income Group ◽  
Academic Discourse ◽  
Access To Education ◽  
Democratic Institutions ◽  
Significant Positive Association ◽  
Public Action ◽  
Income Groups ◽  
Democratic Rule

Abstract The economic and social drivers of democratisation and the emergence and establishment of democratic institutions are longstanding themes of academic discourse. Within this broad body of literature, it has been argued that the process of urbanisation is also conducive to the emergence and consolidation of democracy through a number of different channels. Cities offer better access to education and facilitate organised public action and the demand for more democratic rule and respect of human rights. The nexus between urbanisation and human rights is the theme that is taken up in the present paper. Using a sample of 123 countries for the period 1981–2011, the paper examines empirically the association between urbanisation and human empowerment using the Cingranelli-Richards Index. In broad terms, the findings reported herein do not point to a strong nexus across all income groups. Nevertheless, there is evidence suggesting the presence of such a statistically significant positive association in specific cases.

Empirical analysis on corporate environmental performance and environmental disclosure in an emerging market context

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (6) ◽  
pp. 1061-1082 ◽  
Author(s):  
Merve Acar ◽  
Hüseyin Temiz
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Performance ◽  
Emerging Market ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Corporate Environmental Performance ◽  
Tobit Regression ◽  
Environmental Reporting ◽  
Environmental Disclosure ◽  
Significant Positive Association ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Environmental Disclosures

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to investigate the association between environmental performance of firms and the level of voluntary environmental disclosure in emerging markets.Design/methodology/approachWe used tobit regression OLS and t-test methods to reveal the association between environmental performance and the level of voluntary environmental disclosure.FindingsWe find a significant positive association between the level of discretionary environmental disclosures and corporate environmental performance. The result is in line with the arguments of economics disclosure theory that argues environmentally good performers disclose more.Practical implicationsMany of the environmentally good firms in Turkey are also listed in the “BIST Sustainability Index,” and this situation can be the result of the relative power of external regulations. Accordingly, it can be suggested to increase the community and governmental pressures for environmental reporting but also gives importance to increase intrinsic motivations for companies to engage in disclosure practices.Originality/valueThis study shed light on relation between environmental performance and environmental disclosure in an emerging market context. Also, it is revisited that the relation between environmental performance and the level of environmental disclosure by testing two different predictions on the level of environmental disclosures.

scholarly journals Can Anhedonia Be Considered a Suicide Risk Factor? A Review of the Literature

Medicina ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 55 (8) ◽  
pp. 458 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bonanni ◽  
Gualtieri ◽  
Lester ◽  
Falcone ◽  
Nardella ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Suicidal Behavior ◽  
Affective Disorders ◽  
Suicide Attempts ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Negative Association ◽  
Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Significant Positive Association ◽  
Search Terms ◽  
Schizophrenia Spectrum

Background and Objectives: At present, data collected from the literature about suicide and anhedonia are controversial. Some studies have shown that low levels of anhedonia are associated with serious suicide attempts and death by suicide, while other studies have shown that high levels of anhedonia are associated with suicide. Materials and Methods: For this review, we searched PubMed, Medline, and ScienceDirect for clinical studies published from 1 January 1990 to 31 December 2018 with the following search terms used in the title or in the abstract: “anhedonia AND suicid*.” We obtained a total of 155 articles; 133 items were excluded using specific exclusion criteria, the remaining 22 articles included were divided into six groups based on the psychiatric diagnosis: mood disorders, schizophrenia spectrum disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), other diagnoses, attempted suicides, and others (healthy subjects). Results: The results of this review reveal inconsistencies. Some studies reported that high anhedonia scores were associated with suicidal behavior (regardless of the diagnosis), while other studies found that low anhedonia scores were associated with suicidal behavior, and a few studies reported no association. The most consistent association between anhedonia and suicidal behavior was found for affective disorders (7 of 7 studies reported a significant positive association) and for PTSD (3 of 3 studies reported a positive association). In the two studies of patients with schizophrenia, one found no association, and one found a negative association. For patients who attempted suicide (undiagnosed), one study found a positive association, one a positive association only for depressed attempters, and one a negative association. Conclusions: We found the most consistent positive association for patients with affective disorders and PTSD, indicating that the assessment of anhedonia may be useful in the evaluation of suicidal risk.

scholarly journals Genome-Wide Transcriptomic Analysis of Non-Tumorigenic Tissues Reveals Aging-Related Prognostic Markers and Drug Targets in Renal Cell Carcinoma

Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 3045
Author(s):  
Euiyoung Oh ◽  
Jun-Hyeong Kim ◽  
JungIn Um ◽  
Da-Woon Jung ◽  
Darren R. Williams ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Renal Cell Carcinoma ◽  
Cancer Patient ◽  
Immune Cells ◽  
Renal Cell ◽  
Prognostic Markers ◽  
Patient Survival ◽  
Survival Outcome ◽  
Normal Tissues ◽  
Genome Wide ◽  
The Relationship

The relationship between expression of aging-related genes in normal tissues and cancer patient survival has not been assessed. We developed a genome-wide transcriptomic analysis approach for normal tissues adjacent to the tumor to identify aging-related transcripts associated with survival outcome, and applied it to 12 cancer types. As a result, five aging-related genes (DUSP22, MAPK14, MAPKAPK3, STAT1, and VCP) in normal tissues were found to be significantly associated with a worse survival outcome in patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC). This computational approach was investigated using nontumorigenic immune cells purified from young and aged mice. Aged immune cells showed upregulated expression of all five aging-related genes and promoted RCC invasion compared to young immune cells. Further studies revealed DUSP22 as a regulator and druggable target of metastasis. DUSP22 gene knockdown reduced RCC invasion and the small molecule inhibitor BML-260 prevented RCC dissemination in a tumor/immune cell xenograft model. Overall, these results demonstrate that deciphering the relationship between aging-related gene expression in normal tissues and cancer patient survival can provide new prognostic markers, regulators of tumorigenesis and novel targets for drug development.

scholarly journals Autophagic Markers in Chordomas: Immunohistochemical Analysis and Comparison with the Immune Microenvironment of Chordoma Tissues

Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 2169
Author(s):  
Georgia Karpathiou ◽  
Maroa Dridi ◽  
Lila Krebs-Drouot ◽  
François Vassal ◽  
Emmanuel Jouanneau ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tumor Cell ◽  
Immune Cells ◽  
Immune Cell ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Immunohistochemical Analysis ◽  
Vascular Density ◽  
Immune Microenvironment ◽  
Significant Positive Association ◽  
Sequestosome 1 ◽  
Cell Expression

Chordomas are notably resistant to chemotherapy. One of the cytoprotective mechanisms implicated in chemoresistance is autophagy. There are indirect data that autophagy could be implicated in chordomas, but its presence has not been studied in chordoma tissues. Sixty-one (61) chordomas were immunohistochemically studied for autophagic markers and their expression was compared with the expression in notochords, clinicopathological data, as well as the tumor immune microenvironment. All chordomas strongly and diffusely expressed cytoplasmic p62 (sequestosome 1, SQSTM1/p62), whereas 16 (26.2%) tumors also showed nuclear p62 expression. LC3B (Microtubule-associated protein 1A/1B-light chain 3B) tumor cell expression was found in 44 (72.1%) tumors. Autophagy-related 16‑like 1 (ATG16L1) was also expressed by most tumors. All tumors expressed mannose-6-phosphate/insulin-like growth factor 2 receptor (M6PR/IGF2R). LC3B tumor cell expression was negatively associated with tumor size, while no other parameters, such as age, sex, localization, or survival, were associated with the immunohistochemical factors studied. LC3B immune cell expression showed a significant positive association with programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1)+ immune cells and with a higher vascular density. ATG16L1 expression was also positively associated with higher vascular density. Notochords (n = 5) showed different immunostaining with a very weak LC3B and M6PR expression, and no p62 expression. In contrast to normal notochords, autophagic factors such as LC3B and ATG16L1 are often present in chordomas, associated with a strong and diffuse expression of p62, suggesting a blocked autophagic flow. Furthermore, PD-L1+ immune cells also express LC3B, suggesting the need for further investigations between autophagy and the immune microenvironment.

scholarly journals Association between Health Practice and Food Stockpiling for Disaster

Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 1414
Author(s):  
Moeka Harada ◽  
Rie Kobayashi ◽  
Jun Oka ◽  
Nobuyo Tsuboyama-Kasaoka
Keyword(s):  
High Risk ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Good Health ◽  
Food Shortage ◽  
Multivariable Logistic Regression Analysis ◽  
Health Practices ◽  
Health Practice ◽  
Significant Positive Association ◽  
Good Score

In this study investigated the association between health practices and food stockpiling for disasters in predicted areas with a high risk of food shortage due to the Nankai Trough earthquake. A survey was conducted during 18–20 December 2019 using a self-administered web-based questionnaire. In total, 1200 individuals registered with an online survey company participated in the study. The association between health practices and food stockpiling status was analyzed (n = 998). 59.1% of participants had a poor Breslow’s seven health practice scores (BHPS), 32.9% had a moderate score, and 8.0% had a good score. Multivariable logistic regression analysis revealed that higher BHPS had a significantly higher prevalence of food stockpiling. Additionally, the interrupted group had the highest percentage of participants with low BHPS. Lower BHPS was significantly associated with interrupted stockpiled in the adjusted models. Among the seven health practices, the odds ratio of the “eating breakfast” practice was high. There was a significant positive association between higher health practice scores and food stockpiling for disasters in areas with a high risk of food shortage due to the predicted earthquake. Particularly, it was clarified that individuals who had fewer good health practices were associated with ending up interrupting food stockpiling.

scholarly journals Granulocyte Colony Stimulating Factor Expression in Breast Cancer and Its Association with Carbonic Anhydrase IX and Immune Checkpoints

Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 1022
Author(s):  
Shawn C. Chafe ◽  
Nazia Riaz ◽  
Samantha Burugu ◽  
Dongxia Gao ◽  
Samuel C. Y. Leung ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Carbonic Anhydrase ◽  
Immune Checkpoint ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Carcinoma Cells ◽  
Carbonic Anhydrase Ix ◽  
Granulocyte Colony Stimulating Factor ◽  
Colony Stimulating Factor ◽  
Significant Positive Association ◽  
Stimulating Factor

Purpose: Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) and hypoxia modulate the tumour immune microenvironment. In model systems, hypoxia-induced carbonic anhydrase IX (CAIX) has been associated with G-CSF and immune responses, including M2 polarization of macrophages. We investigated whether these associations exist in human breast cancer specimens, their relation to breast cancer subtypes, and clinical outcome. Methods: Using validated protocols and prespecified scoring methodology, G-CSF expression on carcinoma cells and CD163 expression on tumour-associated macrophages were assayed by immunohistochemistry and applied to a tissue microarray series of 2960 primary excision specimens linked to clinicopathologic, biomarker, and outcome data. Results: G-CSFhigh expression showed a significant positive association with ER negativity, HER2 positivity, presence of CD163+ M2 macrophages, and CAIX expression. In univariate analysis, G-CSFhigh phenotype was associated with improved survival in non-luminal cases, although the CAIX+ subset had a significantly adverse prognosis. A significant positive association was observed between immune checkpoint biomarkers on tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes and both G-CSF- and CAIX-expressing carcinoma cells. Immune checkpoint biomarkers correlated significantly with favourable prognosis in G-CSFhigh/non-luminal cases independent of standard clinicopathological features. Conclusions: The prognostic associations linking G-CSF to immune biomarkers and CAIX strongly support their immunomodulatory roles in the tumour microenvironment.

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