A Factor Structure within Misophonia: The Sussex Misophonia Scale for researchers and clinicians

Misophonia is an unusually strong aversion to a specific class of sounds -- most often human bodily sounds such as chewing, crunching, or breathing. A number of questionnaires exist to diagnose misophonia, but few have been validated, and fewer still show any factor structure within the symptoms of the condition. Here we present a novel tool, the Sussex Misophonia Scale, which represents all key theme from previous questionnaires within a single easy-to-use measure. We validated our questionnaire in a sample of 501 adults, including people with and without misophonia. Our exploratory factor analyses revealed five factors tied to misophonia (Feelings/ Isolation; Life consequences; Intersocial reactivity; Avoidance/ Repulsion; Pain). Receiver Operator Characteristic showed our questionnaire to be an excellent measure for identifying people with misophonia, and we present it here with its diagnostic threshold for researchers and clinicians.

Predictors of Spontaneous Echocardiographic Contrast Within the Left Atrial Appendage in Cardiac Computed Tomography of Patients with Atrial Fibrillation

PurposeCardiac computed tomography (CT) depiction of the relationship between spontaneous echocardiographic contrast (SEC) and findings of the left atrial appendage (LAA) has not been reported. We evaluated predictors of SEC within the LAA using findings of cardiac CT in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF).MethodsWe retrospectively analyzed cardiac CT findings of the LAA, including morphology, volume, and filling defects, of 641 patients who underwent Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) prior to pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) from January 6, 2013 through December 16, 2019 at our institution. We investigated potential associated factors that might be predictors of SEC and computed a receiver operator characteristic,choosing a threshold value at which the likelihood of SEC could be predicted based on the LAA volume indexed for body size.ResultsSEC correlated significantly with history of persistent AF (P<0.001; odds ratio [OR], 3.74; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.91–7.29), LAA early filling defects (P =0.003; OR, 2.83; 95% CI, 1.43–5.62), LAAFV (P<0.001; OR, 0.97; 95% CI, 0.96–0.99), and indexed LAA volume (P = 0.001; OR, 1.18; 95% CI, 1.07–1.30) of 8.04 cm3/m2 or greater (sensitivity, 75.0%; specificity, 48.7%).The addition of LAAFV to indexed LAA volume increased the area under the receiver operator characteristic curve from 0.642 to 0.724 (P< 0.001).ConclusionFindings of LAA in cardiac CT might allow the noninvasive estimation of SEC and additional information for risk stratification and management of thromboembolic events in patients with AF.

Trauma Scores and Their Prognostic Value for the Outcome Following Pediatric Polytrauma

Purpose: The management and prognostic assessment of pediatric polytrauma patients can pose substantial challenges. Trauma scores developed for adults are not universally applicable in children. An accurate prediction of the severity of trauma and correct assessment of the necessity of surgical procedures are important for optimal treatment. Several trauma scores are currently available, but the advantages and drawbacks for use in pediatric patients are unclear. This study examines the value of the trauma scores Injury Severity Score (ISS), Pediatric Trauma Score (PTS), National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), and Glasgow Coma Score (GCS) for the assessment of the polytraumatized child.Methods: In a retrospective study, 97 patients aged 0–17 years who presented with polytrauma and an ISS ≥16 in the trauma bay were included in the study. Patient records including radiological studies were analyzed. Pathological imaging findings and emergency surgery were assessed as outcome variables and the predictive value of the trauma scores were analyzed using receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curves. Statistical significance was set at an alpha level of P ≤ 0.05.Results: In this study, 35 of the 97 studied children had pathological cranial computed findings. These either underwent craniectomy or trepanation or a parenchymal catheter was placed for intracranial pressure monitoring. Abdominal trauma was present in 45 patients, 16 of which were treated surgically. Forty-three patients arrived with thoracic injuries, 10 of which received a thoracic drainage. One child underwent an emergency thoracotomy. Predictive accuracy for emergency surgery calculated using receiver-operator characteristic (ROC) curves was highest for ISS and NACA scores (0,732 and 0.683, respectively), and lower for GCS (0.246) and PTS (0.261).Conclusion: In our study cohort, initial ISS and NACA scores better predicted operative interventions and outcome than PTS or GCS for polytraumatized pediatric patients.

Clinical Value of Fecal Calprotectin in Predicting Mucosal Healing in Patients With Ulcerative Colitis

Aim: This study aimed to evaluate the clinical significance of fecal calprotectin (FC) in assessment of ulcerative colitis (UC) patients' endoscopic patterns and clinical manifestation.Methods: A total of 143 UC patients who received colonoscopy and 108 controls were included. After providing stool samples, patients underwent total colonoscopy. FC was measured by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Clinical activity was based on the Mayo score. Endoscopic findings was scored by the Ulcerative Colitis Endoscopic Index of Severity (UCEIS). Correlation analysis and receiver-operator characteristic (ROC) analysis were carried out to determine the significance of measurements.Results: The median (interquartile range, IQR) of FC levels was 211 (43–990) μg/g in UC and 87.5 (40.50~181) μg/g in the control group. Fecal calprotectin correlated significantly with both Mayo and UCEIS scores (Spearman's r 0.670 and 0.592, P &lt; 0.01). With a cut-off value of 164 μg/g for fecal calprotectin concentration, the area under the curve (AUC) in receiver operator characteristic analysis was 0.830, sensitivity was 85.42%, specificity was 73.68%, positive predictive value (PPV) was 62.12%, and negative predictive value (NPV) was 9.10% in predicting clinical active disease. Similarly, the power of FC to predict mucosal healing (MH) was modest. With a cut-off value of 154.5 μg/g, the AUC was 0.839, sensitivity was 72.34%, and specificity was 85.71%.Conclusion: For evaluating the disease activity of UC, FC is a clinically relevant biomarker for both clinically active disease and MH in patients with UC. But the cut-off value still needs large and multicenter studies for confirmation.

Immediate Pain Relief at Time of Corticosteroid Injection for Idiopathic Adhesive Capsulitis as a Predictor of Eventual Outcomes

Background: Corticosteroid injection and physical therapy remain the mainstay of treatment for idiopathic adhesive capsulitis of the shoulder; however, a certain percentage of patients will not improve using these interventions and will require manipulation under anesthesia (MUA) and/or lysis of adhesions (LOA). Purpose: To evaluate whether the immediate pain reduction after fluoroscopic-guided, mixed anesthetic-corticosteroid injection for idiopathic adhesive capsulitis is related to the eventual need for LOA/MUA or a repeat glenohumeral steroid injection. Study Design: Case-control study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: This single-institution study involved patients undergoing fluoroscopic glenohumeral corticosteroid injection for a diagnosis of idiopathic adhesive capsulitis between 2010 and 2017. Included were patients with a minimum of 1-year postinjection follow-up and visual analog scale (VAS) pain scores from immediately before and after the injection. The primary analysis was the relationship between patients with an immediate change in VAS score after injection and those who underwent LOA/MUA. A repeat glenohumeral injection was also evaluated as an outcome. Receiver operator characteristic curves and a multivariate binomial logistic regression analysis were performed. Results: Overall, 739 shoulders in 728 patients (mean age, 52.6 years; 68% women) were included, of which 38 (5.1%) underwent LOA/MUA and 209 (28%) underwent repeat injections. The immediate change in the VAS score was not significantly associated with the eventual need for LOA/MUA. Preinjection VAS and immediate postinjection VAS scores were not significant predictors of eventual LOA/MUA or subsequent injection. For all 3 predictors, the area under the receiver operator characteristic curve classified them as extremely poor discriminators. Conclusion: The immediate pain response to a fluoroscopic-guided glenohumeral injection for idiopathic shoulder adhesive capsulitis was not predictive of the eventual need for LOA/MUA or subsequent injection. Patients can be counseled that even if their initial pain response to an injection is poor, they still have an excellent chance of avoiding surgery, as the overall rate of LOA/MUA was low (5.1%).

Prognostic value of prealbumin, N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide, heart type fatty acid binding protein, and cardiac troponin I in elderly patients for heart failure and poor outcomes

Objectives This study aimed to investigate the prognostic value of serum prealbumin, N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), heart type fatty acid binding protein (hFABP), and cardiac troponin I (cTnI) for heart failure and cardiac death in elderly patients. Methods We studied 426 consecutive patients with New York Heart Association classes I to IV who were recruited between February 2014 and 2018. Cardiac mortality was the primary end point. Receiver operator characteristic curves were created to analyze predictive values. Results When prealbumin, NT-proBNP, hFABP, and cTnI were combined, the areas under the receiver operator characteristic curve reached 0.930 and 0.903 for heart failure and cardiac death, respectively. Prealbumin, NT-proBNP, hFABP, and cTnI levels changed differently during therapy in patients in different prognosis groups. These parameters improved in patients who did not develop major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs), but were unchanged or deteriorated in patients with MACEs. Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that these parameters were significant independent risk factors for MACEs and cardiac death. Conclusions Our study shows that serum prealbumin, NT-proBNP, hFABP, and cTnI levels are significant prognostic factors for elderly patients with poor cardiac function. These parameters are more accurate for prognosis when used together.

P282 High plasma oncostatin-M predicts non-response to tumour necrosis factor-alpha antagonists in inflammatory bowel disease

Background The interleukin-6 family cytokine, oncostatin-M (OSM) has been associated with a lack of remission to tumor necrosis factor-α antagonists (anti-TNFs) in small cohorts of patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). We aimed to further evaluate the association between plasma OSM concentrations and response to anti-TNFs (infliximab and adalimumab) in addition to other clinical outcomes in both ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease (CD). Methods A retrospective cohort study was carried out in patients with IBD with a history of anti-TNF exposure. Blood samples, collected prior to anti-TNF exposure, were analyzed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for the presence and quantity of OSM. The primary outcome evaluated was clinical remission at 1-year based on the Harvey Bradshaw Index (HBI, remission, HBI&lt;5) for CD and the Partial Mayo Score for UC (remission, Partial Mayo Score&lt;2). Data pertaining to the occurrence of surgery, hospitalization, corticosteroid use, and adverse drug events during the 1-year follow-up period were also collected. Lastly the threshold OSM plasma concentration associated with anti-TNF non-response was assessed by receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Results One hundred and fourteen patients with IBD (CD, n=73; UC, n=40) seen at a tertiary care centre in London, Ontario Canada, were included in the analyses. Patients received one of infliximab (n=61) or adalimumab (n=53). For those with UC achieving clinical remission at 1-year (n=24), the mean OSM concentration was 84.5±119.7pg/ml versus those not achieving clinical remission (n=16) where the mean OSM concentration was 1064.0±958.8pg/ml (p&lt;0.0001). For those with CD, the mean OSM concentration was 116.3 ± 222.3pg/ml in those achieving clinical remission (n=52) versus those did not (n=22) where the mean OSM concentration was 1220.0 ± 1274.0pg/ml (p&lt;0.0001). A threshold OSM concentration of 168.7pg/ml in CD and 233.6pg/ml in UC separated those who achieved clinical remission at 1-year on an anti-TNF from those who did not (CD: area under the receiver operator characteristic curve, AUROC=0.880, 95%CI=0.79-0.96, p&lt;0.0001; UC: AUROC=0.938, 95%CI=0.87-1.00, p&lt;0.0001). In CD, participants with a plasma OSM concentration above the threshold concentration of 168.7pg/ml, were more likely to discontinue their anti-TNF at 1-year (p&lt;0.0001), require hospitalization (p=0.0019) and/or corticosteroid rescue therapy (p&lt;0.0001), require a surgical intervention (p=0.0087) or experience a drug-related adverse event (p=0.009). Conclusion OSM plasma concentrations were associated with response to anti-TNFs at 1-year in IBD. A threshold OSM concentration of 168.7pg/ml distinguished patients with CD at-risk of poor clinical outcomes.

DNA methylation signatures to predict the cervicovaginal microbiome status

Background The composition of the microbiome plays an important role in human health and disease. Whether there is a direct association between the cervicovaginal microbiome and the host’s epigenome is largely unexplored. Results Here we analyzed a total of 448 cervicovaginal smear samples and studied both the DNA methylome of the host and the microbiome using the Illumina EPIC array and next-generation sequencing, respectively. We found that those CpGs that are hypo-methylated in samples with non-lactobacilli (O-type) dominating communities are strongly associated with gastrointestinal differentiation and that a signature consisting of 819 CpGs was able to discriminate lactobacilli-dominating (L-type) from O-type samples with an area under the receiver operator characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.84 (95% CI = 0.77–0.90) in an independent validation set. The performance found in samples with more than 50% epithelial cells was further improved (AUC 0.87) and in women younger than 50 years of age was even higher (AUC 0.91). In a subset of 96 women, the buccal but not the blood cell DNA showed the same trend as the cervicovaginal samples in discriminating women with L- from O-type cervicovaginal communities. Conclusions These findings strongly support the view that the epithelial epigenome plays an essential role in hosting specific microbial communities.