scholarly journals Diagnostic sensitivity of arginase, alpha-1 antitrypsin and alpha-fetoprotein in hepatitis patients

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hala A. Abdelgaid ◽  
Mohamed A. El-Desouky ◽  
Khairy A. Ibrahim ◽  
Abdelgawad A. Fahmi ◽  
Ahmed I. Amin
Keyword(s):  
Operating Characteristic ◽  
Characteristic Curve ◽  
High Sensitivity ◽  
Alpha Fetoprotein ◽  
Diagnostic Sensitivity ◽  
Significant Elevation ◽  
Diagnostic Ability ◽  
Alpha 1 Antitrypsin ◽  
Linear Regressions

Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are common liver diseases that lead to death in Egypt, especially in men. The current study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic sensitivity of arginase (ARG) activity, alpha-1 antitrypsin (AAT), and alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) in the sera of patients with HCV (with & without viremia) and HCC. A total of 190 men classified as 40 healthy used as control (G1), 100 infected with HCV (subdivided into 50 with viremia (G2) and 50 without viremia (G3), and 50 with HCC (G4). The activity of ARG significantly decreased in HCV and HCC groups along with significant elevation in the level of AAT and AFP as compared with the control. Although a non-significant variation was scored in AST/ALT, significant differences were observed among AST/ARG and ARG/ALT in the pathogenic groups as compared with the healthy group. Moreover, significant variations in ARG, AAT, AFP, AST/ARG, and ARG/ALT were observed between viremia and non-viremia. Although AFP scored significant change among the viremia and HCC, the rest parameters scored non-significant changes between both groups. Furthermore, a receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) showed the diagnostic ability for the selected parameters with high sensitivity and multiple linear regressions exhibited good associations between those parameters. These findings suggest the using possibility of ARG, AAT, and AFP in the diagnosis and/or follow-up of patients with HCV or HCC.

scholarly journals Relationship between serum angiopoietin-like 4 levels and recurrence of atrial fibrillation

2021 ◽  
Vol 49 (2) ◽  
pp. 030006052098839
Author(s):  
Zhongping Ning ◽  
Xinming Li ◽  
Xi Zhu ◽  
Jun Luo ◽  
Yingbiao Wu
Keyword(s):  
Atrial Fibrillation ◽  
Catheter Ablation ◽  
Operating Characteristic ◽  
Characteristic Curve ◽  
High Sensitivity ◽  
Peroxisome Proliferator ◽  
C Reactive Protein ◽  
Peroxisome Proliferator Activated Receptor ◽  
Reactive Protein ◽  
New Onset

Objective To investigate the association between serum angiopoietin-like 4 (ANGPTL4) levels and recurrence of atrial fibrillation (AF) after catheter ablation. Methods This retrospective study recruited patients with AF undergoing catheter ablation and they were divided into two groups (new-onset AF group and recurrent AF group). Demographic, clinical, and laboratory parameters were collected. Results A total of 192 patients with AF were included, including 69 patients with recurrence of AF. Serum ANGPTL4 levels were lower in patients with recurrent AF than in those with new-onset AF. Serum ANGPTL4 levels were positively correlated with superoxide dismutase and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ, and negatively correlated with the CHA2DS2-VASC score, left atrial diameter, and levels of brain natriuretic peptide, malondialdehyde, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, and interleukin-6. The receiver operating characteristic curve showed that the best cut-off for recurrent AF was serum ANGPTL4 levels  < 19.735 ng/mL, with a sensitivity and specificity of 63.9% and 74.5%, respectively. Serum ANGPTL4 levels were significantly associated with recurrence and new onset of AF (odds ratio, 2.241; 95% confidence interval, 1.081–4.648). Conclusions Serum ANGPTL4 levels are lower in patients with recurrent AF than in those with new-onset AF, and are associated with cardiac hypertrophy, oxidative stress, and inflammation.

scholarly journals Alzheimer’s Disease and Parkinson Dementia Distinguished by Cognitive Marker

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Irina Kozlova ◽  
Mario A Parra ◽  
Nataliya Titova ◽  
Maria Gantman ◽  
Sergio Della Sala
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Operating Characteristic ◽  
Characteristic Curve ◽  
High Sensitivity ◽  
Task Demands ◽  
Memory Binding ◽  
Parkinson Dementia ◽  
Temporary Memory

Abstract Background Temporary memory binding (TMB) has been shown to be specifically affected by Alzheimer’s disease (AD) when it is assessed via free recall and titrating the task demands to equate baseline performance across patients. Methods Patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) were subdivided into patients with and without cognitive impairment and compared with AD and amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) patients on their performance on the TMB. Results The results show that only patients with AD dementia present with impaired TMB performance. Receiver operating characteristic curve analyses showed that TMB holds high sensitivity and specificity for aMCI and AD relative to PD groups and healthy controls. Conclusion The TMB is sensitive to the neurodegenerative mechanisms leading to AD dementia but not to those underpinning PD dementia. As such, TMB task can aid the differential diagnosis of these common forms of dementia.

scholarly journals CT-Based Radiomics Helps to Predict Residual Lung Lesions in COVID-19 Patients at Three Months after Discharge

Diagnostics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 1814
Author(s):  
Jia Huang ◽  
Feihong Wu ◽  
Leqing Chen ◽  
Jie Yu ◽  
Wengang Sun ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Operating Characteristic ◽  
Characteristic Curve ◽  
Lung Region ◽  
Training Set ◽  
Test Set ◽  
Psychological Burden ◽  
Lung Lesions ◽  
Model Based ◽  
Entire Lung

Background: In this study, our focus was on pulmonary sequelae of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). We aimed to develop and validate CT-based radiomic models for predicting the presence of residual lung lesions in COVID-19 survivors at three months after discharge. Methods: We retrospectively enrolled 162 COVID-19 confirmed patients in our hospital (84 patients with residual lung lesions and 78 patients without residual lung lesions, at three months after discharge). The patients were all randomly allocated to a training set (n = 114) or a test set (n = 48). Radiomic features were extracted from chest CT images in different regions (entire lung or lesion) and at different time points (at hospital admission or at discharge) to build different models, sequentially, or in combination, as follows: (1) Lesion_A model (based on the lesion region at admission CT); (2) Lesion_D model (based on the lesion region at discharge CT); (3) Δlesion model (based on the lesion region at admission CT and discharge CT); (4) Lung_A model (based on the lung region at admission CT); (5) Lung_D model (based on the lung region at discharge CT); (6) Δlung model (based on the lung region at admission CT and discharge CT). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), sensitivity, and specificity were used to evaluate the predictive performances of the radiomic models. Results: Among the six models, the Lesion_D and the Δlesion models achieved better predictive efficacy, with AUCs of 0.907 and 0.927, sensitivity of 0.898 and 0.763, and specificity of 0.855 and 0.964 in the training set, and AUCs of 0.875 and 0.837, sensitivity of 0.920 and 0.680, and specificity of 0.826 and 0.913 in the test set, respectively. Conclusions: The CT-based radiomic models showed good predictive effects on the presence of residual lung lesions in COVID-19 survivors at three months after discharge, which may help doctors to plan follow-up work and to reduce the psychological burden of COVID-19 survivors.

The role of venous pressure variability during hemodialysis in the prediction of impending arteriovenous graft occlusion

2021 ◽  
pp. 112972982110573
Author(s):  
Yuan-Hsi Tseng ◽  
Min Yi Wong ◽  
Chih-Chen Kao ◽  
Chien-Chao Lin ◽  
Ming-Shian Lu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Operating Characteristic ◽  
Characteristic Curve ◽  
Venous Pressure ◽  
Blood Flow Rate ◽  
Curve Analysis ◽  
Graft Occlusion ◽  
Arteriovenous Graft ◽  
Significant Elevation ◽  
Operating Characteristic Curve

Background: Elevated venous pressure during hemodialysis (VPHD) is associated with arteriovenous graft (AVG) stenosis. This study investigated the role of VPHD variations in the prediction of impending AVG occlusion. Methods: Data were retrieved from 118 operations to treat AVG occlusion (occlusion group) and 149 operations to treat significant AVG stenosis (stenosis group). In addition to analyzing the VPHD values for the three hemodialysis (HD) sessions prior to the intervention, VPHD values were normalized to mean blood pressure (MBP), blood flow rate (BFR), BFR × MBP, and BFR2 × MBP to yield ratios for analysis. The coefficient of variation (CV) was used to measure relative variations. Results: The within-group comparisons for both groups revealed no significant differences in the VPHD mean and CV values among the three HD sessions prior to intervention. However, the CVs for VPHD/MBP, VPHD/(BFR × MBP), and VPHD/(BFR2 × MBP) exhibited significant elevation in the occlusion group during the last HD session prior to intervention compared with both the penultimate and antepenultimate within-group HD data ( p < 0.05). In the receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, the CV for VPHD/(BFR2 × MBP) was the only parameter able to discriminate between the last and the penultimate HD outcomes ( p < 0.001). According to a multivariate analysis, after controlling for covariates, CV for VPHD/(BFR2 × MBP) >8.76% was associated with a higher risk of AVG thrombosis (odds ratio: 3.17, p < 0.001). Conclusions: Increasing the variation in VPHD/(BFR2 × MBP) may increase the probability of AVG occlusion.

scholarly journals Variables Affecting Peri-Implant Radiographic Bone Loss-8-23 Years Follow-Up

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (23) ◽  
pp. 8591
Author(s):  
Michael Saminsky ◽  
Anat Ben Dor ◽  
Jacob Horwitz
Keyword(s):  
Bone Loss ◽  
Goodness Of Fit ◽  
Operating Characteristic ◽  
Characteristic Curve ◽  
Area Under The Curve ◽  
Factors Associated ◽  
Implant Placement ◽  
Dental Records

The aim of this study is to evaluate factors associated with long-term peri-implant bone-loss and to create a statistical model explaining bone-loss. The dental records in a private periodontal practice were screened for implant-patients with a minimal follow-up period of 8 years with periapical radiographs at implant-placement (T0) and last follow-up (Tf). Collected data included demographics, general health, medications, periodontal parameters, implant parameters, bone augmentation procedures, restoration and antagonist data, number of supportive periodontal appointments (SPT), and radiographic bone-loss between T0 and Tf. Bivariate and Mixed Logistic Regression analyses were performed. “Goodness-of-fit” of the model was elaborated with Receiver Operating Characteristic Curve (ROC) analyses. Thirty-seven patients receiving 142 implants were included. Mean clinical follow-up period was 11.7 ± 3.7 years (range 8–23). Most implants 64.4% were SPT-maintained more than twice a year. Patients with osteoporosis and smokers were prone to increased radiographic peri-implant bone-loss. External-hex implants placed without guided bone regeneration (GBR) and implants 10–12 mm long and diameter of 3.7–4 mm showed less peri-implant bone-loss. The model’s Area Under the Curve (AUC) was 76.9% (Standard Error 4.6%, CI 67.8%–86%).

Validation Study of the Accuracy of a Postoperative Nomogram for Recurrence After Radical Prostatectomy for Localized Prostate Cancer

2002 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 951-956 ◽  
Author(s):  
Markus Graefen ◽  
Pierre I. Karakiewicz ◽  
Ilias Cagiannos ◽  
Eric Klein ◽  
Patrick A. Kupelian ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Prostate Cancer ◽  
Radical Prostatectomy ◽  
Operating Characteristic ◽  
Predictive Accuracy ◽  
Characteristic Curve ◽  
Extracapsular Extension ◽  
Validation Data ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Time Period

PURPOSE: A postoperative nomogram for prostate cancer was developed at Baylor College of Medicine. This nomogram uses readily available clinical and pathologic variables to predict 7-year freedom from recurrence after radical prostatectomy. We evaluated the predictive accuracy of the nomogram when applied to patients of four international institutions. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Clinical and pathologic data of 2,908 patients were supplied for validation, and 2,465 complete records were used. Nomogram-predicted probabilities of 7-year freedom from recurrence were compared with actual follow-up in two ways. First, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was calculated for all patients and stratified by the time period of surgery. Second, calibration of the nomogram was achieved by comparing the predicted freedom from recurrence with that of an ideal nomogram. For patients in whom the pathologic report does not distinguish between focal and established extracapsular extension (an input variable of the nomogram), two separate calculations were performed assuming one or the other. RESULTS: The overall AUC was 0.80 when applied to the validation data set, with individual institution AUCs ranging from 0.77 to 0.82. The predictive accuracy of the nomogram was apparently higher in patients who were operated on between 1997 and 2000 (AUC, 0.83) compared with those treated between 1987 and 1996 (AUC, 0.78). Nomogram predictions of 7-year freedom from recurrence were within 10% of an ideal nomogram. CONCLUSION: The postoperative Baylor nomogram was accurate when applied at international treatment institutions. Our results suggest that accurate predictions may be expected when using this nomogram across different patient populations.

Patient-Doctor Contact Interval and Clinical Outcomes in Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis Patients

2017 ◽  
Vol 45 (4) ◽  
pp. 346-352 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chunyan Yi ◽  
Qunying Guo ◽  
Jianxiong Lin ◽  
Jianying Li ◽  
Xueqing Yu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Peritoneal Dialysis ◽  
Clinical Outcomes ◽  
Operating Characteristic ◽  
Patient Survival ◽  
Characteristic Curve ◽  
Survival Rates ◽  
Guangzhou City ◽  
Clinical Events ◽  
The Mean

Background: The optimal patient-doctor contact (PDC) interval remains unknown in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients. The aim was to investigate the association between PDC interval and clinical outcomes in continuous ambulatory PD (CAPD) patients. Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, CAPD patients who resided in Guangzhou city between January 2006 and December 2012 were included. According to receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, all patients were classified as high (PDC interval ≤2 months) and low (PDC interval >2 months) PDC frequency groups. Biochemical data, clinical events, and clinical outcomes during the follow-up period were compared. Results: Of 433 CAPD patients, the mean age was 51.3 ± 15.7 years, 54.3% of patients were male, and 29.1% with diabetes. The median vintage of PD was 45.8 (26.3-69.1) months. Patients with high PDC frequency (n = 233) had better patient-survival rates (99.6, 87.7, and 76.5% vs. 92.7, 76.5, and 58.7% at 1, 3, and 5 years; p < 0.001), lower peritonitis rate (0.17 vs. 0.23 episodes per patient-year; p < 0.001), and hospitalization rate (0.49 vs. 0.67 episodes per patient-year; p < 0.001) than those in the low PDC frequency group (n = 200). After adjustment for confounders, PDC interval of no more than 2 months was independently associated with better patient survival (hazard ratio 0.60, 95% CI 0.42-0.86, p = 0.006). Conclusion: A PDC interval of 2 months or less was associated with better clinical outcomes in CAPD patients. This indicates that a shorter PDC interval should be encouraged for them to achieve better clinical outcomes.

Urinary orosomucoid: a novel, early biomarker of sepsis with promising diagnostic performance

2017 ◽  
Vol 55 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Péter Kustán ◽  
Balázs Szirmay ◽  
Zoltán Horváth-Szalai ◽  
Andrea Ludány ◽  
Gábor L. Kovács ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Operating Characteristic ◽  
Clinical Decision Making ◽  
Characteristic Curve ◽  
Clinical Decision ◽  
Follow Up Study ◽  
Inflammatory Parameters ◽  
Early Biomarker ◽  
Turbidimetric Assay ◽  
Operating Characteristic Curve

AbstractBackground:In order to help clinical decision making, we investigated the diagnostic and prognostic ability of urinary orosomucoid (u-ORM) as a new sepsis biomarker, and compared its performance to classical inflammatory parameters.Methods:We monitored u-ORM in septic (n=43) and SIRS (n=13) patients in a 5-day follow-up study vs. control patients (n=30). U-ORM was measured by a newly developed turbidimetric assay. U-ORM values were referred to urinary creatinine and expressed as u-ORM/u-CREAT (mg/mmol).Results:Significantly higher (p<0.001) u-ORM/u-CREAT levels were found in sepsis than in SIRS. Both intensive care unit (ICU) groups showed strongly elevated values compared to controls (p<0.001). The medians of admission u-ORM/u-CREAT levels were 19.2 in sepsis, 2.1 in SIRS and 0.2 mg/mmol in controls. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for distinguishing SIRS from sepsis was found to be 0.954 for u-ORM/u-CREAT, superior to serum ORM and hsCRP. U-ORM levels did not change during the 5-day follow-up and were independent of the severity of sepsis however, we found extremely elevated u-ORM/u-CREAT values in dialyzed septic patients (52.2 mg/mmol as median).Conclusions:The early and relevant increase of u-ORM in sepsis suggests that it might be a promising novel marker of sepsis and could be a valuable part of routine laboratory and clinical practice.

No evidence of disease activity is associated with reduced rate of axonal retinal atrophy in MS

Neurology ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 89 (24) ◽  
pp. 2469-2475 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marco Pisa ◽  
Simone Guerrieri ◽  
Giovanni Di Maggio ◽  
Stefania Medaglini ◽  
Lucia Moiola ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Disease Activity ◽  
Operating Characteristic ◽  
Characteristic Curve ◽  
Brain Mri ◽  
Area Under The Curve ◽  
Fiber Layer ◽  
Additional Tool ◽  
Disability Status ◽  
Reduced Rate

Objective:To explore, in a longitudinal study, the usefulness of optical coherence tomography (OCT) in monitoring people with multiple sclerosis (MS) by testing the association between retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thinning and clinical and brain MRI criteria of no evidence of disease activity (NEDA).Methods:OCT, visual evoked potentials (VEPs), and disability, using the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS), were tested at baseline and after 2 years in 72 patients, 63 with routine yearly brain MRI.Results:Longitudinal mean binocular RNFL thinning, in absence of optic neuritis during follow-up, was correlated with EDSS worsening, also controlling for baseline EDSS, RNFL, disease duration, and MS subtype (Spearman ρ −0.462, p < 0.001; partial correlation coefficient −0.437, p < 0.001). At follow-up, patients classified as NEDA (20; 31.7%) had RNFL loss of −0.93 μm ± 1.35 SD, while patients with active disease had −2.83 μm ± 2 SD thinning (t test; p < 0.001). At logistic regression, mean RNFL reduction correctly classified 76.2% of patients as NEDA at 2 years (R2 0.355; p = 0.003). A cutoff of −1.25 μm RNFL loss classified NEDA status with specificity 81.4% and sensitivity 80% (receiver operating characteristic curve: area under the curve 0.8; p < 0.001). No significant longitudinal correlations were found between changes in RNFL and in VEP latencies or scores.Conclusions:NEDA is associated with a relatively preserved RNFL over 2 years. A greater neuroretinal loss was detected even in patients with clinical evidence of disease activity independently from changes in brain MRI lesions, prompting further validation of OCT as an additional tool in MS monitoring.

scholarly journals Accuracy of new Corvis ST parameters for detecting subclinical and clinical keratoconus eyes in a Chinese population

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shengwei Ren ◽  
Liyan Xu ◽  
Qi Fan ◽  
Yuwei Gu ◽  
Kaili Yang
Keyword(s):  
Receiver Operating Characteristic Curve ◽  
Chinese Population ◽  
Operating Characteristic ◽  
Characteristic Curve ◽  
Youden Index ◽  
Diagnostic Efficiency ◽  
Stiffness Parameter ◽  
Diagnostic Ability ◽  
Corvis St ◽  
Operating Characteristic Curve

AbstractThis study aimed to compare the values of new corneal visualization Scheimpflug technology (Corvis ST) parameters in normal, subclinical keratoconus (SKC) and keratoconus (KC) eyes, and evaluate the diagnostic ability to distinguish SKC and KC eyes from normal eyes. One-hundred normal, 100 SKC and 100 KC eyes were included in the study. Corvis ST parameters containing dynamic corneal response parameters were measured by one ophthalmologist. The receiver operating characteristic curve was used to evaluate the diagnostic ability of new Corvis ST parameters. The new Corvis ST parameters in KC eyes were different from those in the control and SKC eyes after adjusting for IOP and CCT, and stiffness parameter at the first applanation (SP-A1) and Corvis biomechanical index (CBI) were significantly different between the control and SKC eyes (all P < 0.05). The parameter with the highest diagnostic efficiency was SP-A1 (Youden index = 0.40, AUC = 0.753), followed by CBI (Youden index = 0.38, AUC = 0.703), and Integrated Radius (Youden index = 0.33, AUC = 0.668) in diagnosing SKC from control eyes. New Corvis ST parameters in SKC eyes were significantly different from normal control and KC eyes, and could be considered to distinguish SKC and KC eyes from normal eyes.

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