D-dimer levels for Risk Stratification in Patients with Suspected COVID-19 – A Prospective Observational Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 193-203
Author(s):  
AS Jauslin ◽  
◽  
J Kellett ◽  
M Brabrand ◽  
NR Simon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Prognostic Value ◽  
Prospective Observational Study ◽  
Observational Cohort Study ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Age And Gender ◽  
Group Methods ◽  
Observational Cohort ◽  
Patient Groups ◽  
And Gender ◽  
D Dimer

Background: Elevated D-dimer levels have been observed in COVID-19 and are of prognostic value, but have not been compared to an appropriate control group. Methods: Observational cohort study including emergency patients with suspected or confirmed COVID-19. Logistic regression defined the association of D-dimer levels, COVID-19 positivity, age, and gender with 30-day-mortality. Results: 953 consecutive patients (median age 58, 43% women) presented with suspected COVID-19: 12 (7.4%) patients with confirmed SARS-CoV-2-infection died, compared with 28 (3.5%) patients without SARS-CoV-2-infection. Overall, most (56%) patients had elevated D-dimer levels (≥0.5mg/l). Age (OR 1.07, CI 1.05-1.10), D-dimer levels ≥0.5mg/l (OR 2.44, CI 0.98-7.39), and COVID-19 (OR 2.79, CI 1.28-5.80) were associated with 30-day-mortality. Conclusion: D-dimer levels are effective prognosticators in both patient groups.

scholarly journals Increased monohexosylceramide levels in the serum of established rheumatoid arthritis patients

Rheumatology ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 59 (8) ◽  
pp. 2085-2089
Author(s):  
Gabriel Miltenberger-Miltenyi ◽  
Ana Rita Cruz-Machado ◽  
Jennifer Saville ◽  
Vasco A Conceição ◽  
Ângelo Calado ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rheumatoid Arthritis ◽  
Early Arthritis ◽  
Classification Criteria ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Established Rheumatoid Arthritis ◽  
Regression Analyses ◽  
Lipid Levels ◽  
Age And Gender ◽  
Patient Groups ◽  
And Gender

Abstract Objectives To identify serum sphingolipids that could act as candidate biomarkers in RA. Methods We performed lipidomic analyses in the serum of 82 participants: 19 established RA patients, 18 untreated early RA patients, 13 untreated early arthritis patients not fulfilling the classification criteria for RA, 12 established SpA patients and 20 controls. We compared the lipid levels from the different patient groups with the control group through multiple-regression analyses controlling for age at diagnosis, gender and medication (cDMARDs and corticoids). Results Established RA patients had significantly increased levels of sphingosine, monohexosylceramide and ceramide compared with controls, when controlling for age and gender. Monohexosylceramide levels remained significantly increased when additionally controlling for medication. On the contrary, SpA patients had significantly decreased levels of ceramide, in both analyses. Conclusion We observed a detectable increase in the levels of certain sphingolipids in the serum of established RA patients when compared with controls, in line with previous observations in the synovial fluid. Such findings provide further evidence that sphingolipids may play a key role in the pathophysiology of RA.

scholarly journals CORRELATION STUDY BETWEEN THREE DIFFERENT GENES EXPRESSION AND CHRONIC MYELOID LEUKEMIA IN IRAQ

2021 ◽  
Vol 52 (3) ◽  
pp. 611-619
Author(s):  
Aljoubory & Altaee
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Chronic Myeloid Leukemia ◽  
Myeloid Leukemia ◽  
Correlation Study ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Age And Gender ◽  
Patient Groups ◽  
The Difference ◽  
And Gender ◽  
And Control

The following study was conducted to investigate the correlation between the expression of three different genes (NOB1, DDX47, CD101 (with the occurrence and development of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) in Iraq. The difference in the expression of these genes between patients and healthy controls was studied. Moreover the correlation of age and gender with CML occurrence and comparing with control was also examined. Results showed significant increases in mean of gene expression level (ΔCt) of patient groups for all genes compared to the corresponding ΔCt means in control group, also the gene expression folding (2-∆∆Ct) reflect significant differences in the expression of these genes and CD101, mRNA showed the highest level in CML patients which reached to (3.44), while NOB1 and DDX47 recorded (2.90 and 1.08) respectively. On the other hand no significant differences were recorded according to age and gender between CML patients and control, CML disease could affect any age and both male and female.

scholarly journals Psychological Traits and Behavioural Influences in Patients with Dystonia—An Observational Cohort Study in a Romanian Neurology Department

Life ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 612
Author(s):  
Eugenia Irene Davidescu ◽  
Irina Odajiu ◽  
Delia Tulbă ◽  
Iulia Mitrea ◽  
Camelia Cucu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cohort Study ◽  
Informed Consent ◽  
Personality Traits ◽  
Patient Group ◽  
Observational Cohort Study ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Inclusion Criteria ◽  
Control Subjects ◽  
Observational Cohort ◽  
Idiopathic Dystonia

(1) Background: Emerging evidence indicates that non-motor symptoms significantly influence the quality of life in dystonic patients. Therefore, it is essential to evaluate their psychological characteristics and personality traits. (2) Methods: Subjects with idiopathic dystonia and a matched control group were enrolled in this prospective observational cohort study. Inclusion criteria for patient group included idiopathic dystonia diagnosis, evolution exceeding 1 year, and signed informed consent. Inclusion criteria for the control group included lack of neurological comorbidities and signed informed consent. All subjects completed the DECAS Personality Inventory along with an additional form of demographic factors. Data (including descriptive statistics and univariate and multivariate analysis) were analyzed with SPSS. (3) Results: In total, 95 participants were included, of which 57 were in the patient group. Females prevailed (80%), and the mean age was 54.64 ± 12.8 years. The most frequent clinical features of dystonia were focal distribution (71.9%) and progressive disease course (94.73%). The patients underwent regular treatment with botulinum toxin (85.95%). In addition, patients with dystonia obtained significantly higher openness scores than controls, even after adjusting for possible confounders (p = 0.006). Personality traits were also different between the two groups, with patients more often being fantasists (p = 0.007), experimenters (p = 0.022), sophists (p = 0.040), seldom acceptors (p = 0.022), and pragmatics (p = 0.022) than control subjects. (4) Conclusion: Dystonic patients tend to have different personality profiles compared to control subjects, which should be taken into consideration by the treating neurologist.

scholarly journals Dental and periodontal disease in patients with inflammatory bowel disease

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher X. W. Tan ◽  
Henk S. Brand ◽  
Bilgin Kalender ◽  
Nanne K. H. De Boer ◽  
Tymour Forouzanfar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Inflammatory Bowel Disease ◽  
Periodontal Disease ◽  
Bowel Disease ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Age And Gender ◽  
Preventive Dental Care ◽  
Dmft Index ◽  
Inflammatory Bowel ◽  
And Gender

Abstract Objectives Although bowel symptoms are often predominant, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients can have several oral manifestations. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of dental caries and periodontal disease in patients with Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) compared to an age and gender-matched control group of patients without IBD. Material and methods The DMFT (Decayed, Missing, Filled Teeth) scores and the DPSI (Dutch Periodontal Screening Index) of 229 IBD patients were retrieved from the electronic health record patient database axiUm at the Academic Centre for Dentistry Amsterdam (ACTA) and were compared to the DMFT scores and DPSI from age and gender-matched non-IBD patients from the same database. Results The total DMFT index was significantly higher in the IBD group compared to the control group. When CD and UC were analyzed separately, a statistically significant increased DMFT index was observed in CD patients but not in UC patients. The DPSI did not differ significantly between the IBD and non-IBD groups for each of the sextants. However, in every sextant, IBD patients were more frequently edentulous compared to the control patients. Conclusion CD patients have significantly more dental health problems compared to a control group. Periodontal disease did not differ significantly between IBD and non-IBD groups as determined by the DPSI. Clinical relevance It is important that IBD patients and physicians are instructed about the correlation between their disease and oral health problems. Strict oral hygiene and preventive dental care such as more frequent checkups should be emphasized by dental clinicians.

scholarly journals A Study of Wideband Energy Reflectance in Patients with Otosclerosis: Data from a Chinese Population

2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suju Wang ◽  
Wenyang Hao ◽  
Chunxiao Xu ◽  
Daofeng Ni ◽  
Zhiqiang Gao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Resonance Frequency ◽  
Racial Differences ◽  
Chinese Population ◽  
Ambient Pressure ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Age And Gender ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
And Gender ◽  
And Control ◽  
Peak Pressures

Objective(s). The purpose of this study was to explore the effectiveness of wideband acoustic immittance (WAI) in the diagnosis of otosclerosis by comparing the differences in the energy reflectance (ER) of WAI between patients with otosclerosis and age- and gender-matched normal hearing controls in the Chinese population. Methods. Twenty surgically confirmed otosclerotic ears were included in the otosclerotic group. The ER of WAI at ambient and peak pressures, resonance frequency, and 226-Hz tympanogram were collected prior to surgery using a Titan hearing test platform (Interacoustics A/S, Middelfart, Denmark). All diagnoses of otosclerosis in the tested ear were confirmed by surgery after the measurements. Thirteen normal adults (26 ears) who were age- and gender-matched with the otosclerotic patients were included as the control group. Results. At peak pressure, the ERs of otosclerotic patients were higher than those of the control group for frequencies less than 4,000Hz and were lower for frequencies greater than 4,000Hz. In addition, within the analyzed frequencies, the differences observed at 2,520Hz was statistically significant (p<0.05/16=0.003, Bonferroni corrected). At ambient pressure, the differences observed at 1,260 and 6,350Hz were statistically significant (p<0.05/16=0.003, Bonferroni corrected). Although the differences between the otosclerotic and control groups exhibited similar trends to those in studies implemented in Caucasian populations, the norms in the present study in the control group were different from those in the Caucasian populations, suggesting racial differences in WAI test results. Regarding the middle ear resonance frequency, no significant difference was observed between the two groups (P>0.05). Conclusion. WAI can provide valuable information for the diagnosis of otosclerosis in the Chinese population. Norms and diagnostic criteria corresponding to the patient’s racial group are necessary to improve the efficiency of WAI in the diagnosis of otosclerosis.

Immature granulocyte and other hematological inflammatory parameters in patients with migraine headache

2021 ◽  
pp. 101-104
Keyword(s):  
Complete Blood Count ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Age And Gender ◽  
Neutrophil Lymphocyte Ratio ◽  
Lymphocyte Ratio ◽  
Inflammatory Parameters ◽  
Group Data ◽  
Healthy Control ◽  
Immature Granulocyte ◽  
And Gender

Background: Today, many hypotheses have been proposed in the pathogenesis of migraine. The inflammatory hypothesis is one of them. The immature granulocyte count (IGC) is also an inflammatory parameter which importance has been understood recently. There are no studies evaluating IGC in migraine. The aim of the study to investigate the levels of IGC and other hematological inflammatory parameters in migraine. Material and Method: Materials and Methods: Forty-eight patients diagnosed with migraine who applied to Kastamonu Training and Research Hospital Neurology outpatient clinic between 07.01.2020 and 10.01.2021 were included in the study. 42 people with similar age and gender distribution were included for the control group. Data on laboratory tests, age and gender of patients were obtained from the hospital Laboratory Information System (LIS). CBC parameters of the patients at the first admission and before any treatment, calculated with an automated hematological analyzer (XN-1000-Hematology-analyzer-Sysmex Corporation, Japan) were analyzed. Using Complete Blood Count (CBC) data, neutrophil count (NEUT#), neutrophil percentage (NEUT%), lymphocyte percentage (LYMPH%), and IGC were recorded. Neutrophil lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and systemic immune inflammation index (SII) values were calculated with the formula. Results: In our study, NLR and IGC was significantly higher than the healthy control group (p=0.002, p=0.025). PLR was also found to be high, but it was not statistically significant (p=0.063). Conclusion: The significantly higher NLR and IGC levels in migraine patients compared to the healthy controls support the role of inflammation in etiopathogenesis.

scholarly journals Balance and motor coordination are not fully developed in 7 years old blind children

2004 ◽  
Vol 62 (3a) ◽  
pp. 654-657 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andréa Sanchez Navarro ◽  
Marcia Maiumi Fukujima ◽  
Sissy Veloso Fontes ◽  
Sandro Luiz de Andrade Matas ◽  
Gilmar Fernandes do Prado
Keyword(s):  
Visually Impaired ◽  
Motor Coordination ◽  
Psychomotor Development ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Age And Gender ◽  
Blind Children ◽  
Spatial Parameters ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Impaired Children ◽  
Visually Impaired Children

Visually impaired children show difficulties in recognizing their own bodies, objects around then and the spatial parameters that are essential for independent movement. This study analyzes the neuro-psychomotor development of a group of congenitally visually impaired children as compared to children with normal sight. We have evaluated two groups of seven-year-olds by means of neurological evolution examination (NEE). The group studied comprised 20 blind children and the control group comprised 20 children with normal sight, and they were paired up according to age and gender. In some tests, the blind children were guided by touch. The visually impaired children performed worse in tests evaluating balance and appendage coordination compared to normal sighted children (p< 0.001), and this suggests that visual deficiency impairs children's neuro-psychomotor development.

scholarly journals Multiple Gene Polymorphisms Associated with Exfoliation Syndrome in the Uygur Population

2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yi-Nu Ma ◽  
Ting-Yu Xie ◽  
Xue-Yi Chen
Keyword(s):  
Protective Factor ◽  
Lysyl Oxidase ◽  
Direct Sequencing ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Exfoliation Syndrome ◽  
Nucleotide Polymorphisms ◽  
Age And Gender ◽  
Protective Allele ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
And Gender

Background. Our previous data suggested that three single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), rs1048661, rs3825942, and rs2165241, of the lysyl oxidase-like 1 gene (LOXL1) are significantly associated with exfoliation syndrome (XFS) and exfoliation glaucoma (XFG). The following study investigated other SNPs that potentially effect XFS/XFG. Methods. A total of 216 Uygur patients diagnosed with XFS/XFG, and 297 Uygur volunteers were admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital at Xinjiang Medical University between January 2015 and October 2017. Blood samples were collected by venipuncture. Alleles and genotypes of LOXL1, TBC1D21, ATXN2, APOE, CLU, AFAP1, TXNRD2, CACNA1A, ABCA1, GAS7, and CNTNAP2 were analyzed by direct sequencing. Results. The allele G of rs41435250 of LOXL1 was a risk allele for XFS/XFG (P<0.001), whereas the allele G of rs893818 of LOXL1 was a protective allele for XFS/XFG (P<0.001). After adjusting all data for age and gender, the following results were obtained: the frequency of genotype CC for rs7137828 of ATXN2 was significantly higher in XFS/XFG patients than in controls (P=0.027), while no significance was found with reference to the frequency of genotype TT. The frequency of genotype GG for rs893818 of LOXL1 (P<0.001) and the frequency of genotype AA were both significantly higher in XFS/XFG groups compared to the control group (P<0.001). In addition, the frequency of genotype TT for rs41435250 of LOXL1 was higher in XFS/XFG patients than in controls (P=0.003), while no significant difference was found with reference to the frequency of genotype GG after adjusting for age and gender. In addition, the haplotypes G-A/T-G/G-G for rs41435250 and rs893818 were significantly associated with XFS/G. Conclusions. With reference to LOXL1, the rs41435250 resulted as a risk factor and rs893818 as a protective factor for XFS/XFG in the Uygur populations. Meanwhile, the rs16958445 of TBC1D21 and the rs7137828 of ATXN2 have also shown to be associated with pathogenesis of XFS/XFG.

scholarly journals Copeptin levels in patients with coronary artery ectasia

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 112-116
Author(s):  
Ozkan Yavcin ◽  
Lutfu Askin ◽  
Ozlem Seçen ◽  
Serdar Turkmen ◽  
Erdal Akturk ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Coronary Artery ◽  
Prognostic Value ◽  
Rapid Rise ◽  
Coronary Artery Ectasia ◽  
Coronary Anatomy ◽  
Age And Gender ◽  
Catheter Laboratory ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Study Participants ◽  
Diagnostic And Prognostic Value

Background and aims The etiology and pathophysiology of coronary artery ectasia (CAE) has not been fully elucidated. A rapid rise in plasma copeptin has been observed in cardiovascular diseases, stroke, sepsis, and shock. This increase has diagnostic and prognostic value. The aim of this study was to investigate whether copeptin has a relationship with CAE. Methods This observational prospective study was carried out between October 2012 and March 2013 in the cardiology catheter laboratory with the inclusion of 44 subjects with a diagnosis of CAE and 44 age- and gender-matched individuals with normal coronary arteries. Blood samples obtained from the patients were stored at −70 °C until analysis and copeptin levels in sera were measured by ELISA. Results This study comprised 88 study participants, among whom 44 were patients meeting ectasia criteria [mean age: 58.0 ± 11.5 years; 59% (n = 26) male], and 44 were control subjects with angiographically normal coronary anatomy [mean age: 49.2 ± 10.1 years; 30% (n = 13) male]. Copeptin levels were similar between the groups (p > 0.05). In addition, there was no correlation between copeptin levels and CAE. Conclusion In this study, it is examined that copeptin levels were not elevated in CAE patients.

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