Automatic BIRCH thresholding with features transformation for hierarchical breast cancer clustering

<p>Breast cancer is one of the most common diseases diagnosed in women over the world. The balanced iterative reducing and clustering using hierarchies (BIRCH) has been widely used in many applications. However, clustering the patient records and selecting an optimal threshold for the hierarchical clusters still a challenging task. In addition, the existing BIRCH is sensitive to the order of data records and influenced by many numerical and functional parameters. Therefore, this paper proposes a unique BIRCH-based algorithm for breast cancer clustering. We aim at transforming the medical records using the breast screening features into sub-clusters to group the subject cases into malignant or benign clusters. The basic BIRCH clustering is firstly fed by a set of normalized features then we automate the threshold initialization to enhance the tree-based sub-clustering procedure. Additionally, we present a thorough analysis on the performance impact of tuning BIRCH with various relevant linkage functions and similarity measures. Two datasets of the standard breast cancer wisconsin (BCW) benchmarking collection are used to evaluate our algorithm. The experimental results show a clustering accuracy of 97.7% in 0.0004 seconds only, thereby confirming the efficiency of the proposed method in clustering the patient records and making timely decisions.</p>

Female Sex Is a Risk Factor Associated with Long-Term Post-COVID Related-Symptoms but Not with COVID-19 Symptoms: The LONG-COVID-EXP-CM Multicenter Study

This multicenter cohort study investigated the differences between coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) related symptoms and post-COVID symptoms between male and female COVID-19 survivors. Clinical and hospitalization data were collected from hospital medical records in a sample of individuals recovered from COVID-19 at five public hospitals in Spain. A predefined list of post-COVID symptoms was systematically assessed, but patients were free to report any symptom. Anxiety/depressive levels and sleep quality were also assessed. Adjusted multivariate logistic regressions were used to identify the association of sex with post-COVID related-symptoms. A total of 1969 individuals (age: 61, SD: 16 years, 46.4% women) were assessed 8.4 months after discharge. No overall significant sex differences in COVID-19 onset symptoms at hospital admission were found. Post-COVID symptoms were present in up to 60% of hospitalized COVID-19 survivors eight months after the infection. The number of post-COVID symptoms was 2.25 for females and 1.5 for males. After adjusting by all variables, female sex was associated with ≥3 post-COVID symptoms (adj OR 2.54, 95%CI 1.671–3.865, p < 0.001), the presence of post-COVID fatigue (adj OR 1.514, 95%CI 1.040–2.205), dyspnea (rest: adj OR 1.428, 95%CI 1.081–1.886, exertion: adj OR 1.409, 95%CI 1.109–1.791), pain (adj OR 1.349, 95%CI 1.059–1.720), hair loss (adj OR 4.529, 95%CI 2.784–7.368), ocular problems (adj OR 1.981, 95%CI 1.185–3.312), depressive levels (adj OR 1.606, 95%CI 1.002–2.572) and worse sleep quality (adj OR 1.634, 95%CI 1.097–2.434). Female sex was a risk factor for the development of some long-term post-COVID symptoms including mood disorders. Healthcare systems should consider sex differences in the management of long haulers.

INTRACEREBRAL HEMORRHAGE (ICH) INCIDENCE PROFILE IN JEMURSARI ISLAMIC HOSPITAL DURING THE PERIOD 2017-2019

Background: Intracerebral hemorrhage or ICH or hemorrhagic stroke is caused by bleeding within brain parenchyma. Riskesdas reported that stroke patients in Indonesia experienced an increase from 7 permil in 2013 to 10.9 permil in 2018. Mortality rate for ICH is estimated 40% in 1 month and 54% in 1 year. Rumah sakit Islam Jemursari (RSI) is the only type B hospital in Wonocolo sub-district, Surabaya city. This study aimed to analyze the pattern of incidents and variations of ICH at RSI Jemursari Surabaya.Method: This was a descriptive observational study. Medical record data is collected from 2017-2019. The data were obtained from medical records section of total number of ICH, gender, age and outcome of patients. Furthermore, data is analyzed and illustrated through a bar chart and the frequency of mortality is calculated.Results: Total ICH patients at Jemursari Hospital were 310 with 192 male patients and 118 female patients over 3 years. Meanwhile, the most groups experienced ICH were 45-64 years, followed by +65 age group. This is consistent with several epidemiological studies related to ICH, where the incidence of ICH increases with increasing age. The mortality rate for ICH patients, in the 2017-2019 periode, was around 23-30%.Conclusion: It can be concluded that male more susceptible to ICH than female subjects. Meanwhile, the mortality rate for ICH patients ranged from 23-30% in the 2017-2019 period. It is necessary to carry out further evaluation related to other data from the patient. So it could describe incidence rate as well as an overview of the ICH profile at RSI Jemursari.

Clinical characteristics of patients with subacute thyroidits and factors affecting development hypothyroidism after subacute thyroiditis

IntroductionSubacute thyroiditis (SAT) is typically a self-limiting, inflammatory disease. Patients can experience hypothyroidism during or after an episode. We examined the clinical characteristics based on laboratory and imaging studies in patients with SAT and possible factors contributing to the development of permanent hypothyroidism after SAT.Material and methodsWe retrospectively examined medical records of patients diagnosed with SAT at one medical facility in Turkey. Patients known to have previous thyroid disease, those with <6 months of follow-up after resolution of SAT, and those who lacked sufficient data for analysis were excluded. Of the 283 patients identified 119 met all inclusion criteria. We extracted data on demographics, laboratory tests, neck pain and other symptoms, ultrasonography findings, medication use, and SAT recurrence. We examined the relationships between these variables and development of permanent hypothyroidism.ResultsThe patients were 42 years old on average, and 78% were women. Most patients (70%) described flu-like symptoms before neck pain started; accordingly, 57% had initially visited a specialty other than endocrinology before SAT was diagnosed, and 28% had received antibiotics for misdiagnosed upper respiratory tract infection. In all, 10 patients (8.4%) developed permanent hypothyroidism after SAT. These patients had received steroids significantly longer than did those without permanent hypothyroidism (mean 17.7 vs. 8.9 weeks; P = .021). Development of hypothyroidism was significantly lower among patients with thyrotoxicosis.ConclusionsThe diagnosis of SAT can be challenging. Patients who require longer-term steroids after SAT and who have recurrent SAT should be closely monitored for development of hypothyroidism.

Evaluating the Implementation of the Diabetes Self-Management Program in a Rural Population

The evidence-based Diabetes Self-Management Program (DSMP) has been shown to improve a variety of health-related outcomes, but the program has been challenging to implement in rural areas, and rural dissemination has been low. The purpose of this project was to evaluate the effect of implementing the DSMP on self-reported outcomes in a rural region. Through a collaboration with multiple partners, the Living Well program delivered 28 DSMP workshops from 2017 to 2019. Data were collected to determine whether there were post-intervention changes in patient-reported outcomes on measures of diabetes distress, self-management, and patient activation. In addition, secondary analysis of A1C was abstracted from the medical records of participants with type 2 diabetes who completed at least four sessions of a DSMP workshop between 2017 and 2019 and whose medical records had a A1C value in the year before the program and at least one A1C value &gt;3 months after the program. Statistically significant improvements were seen for the Diabetes Distress Scale (P = 0.0017), the Diabetes Self-Management Questionnaire (P &lt;0.0001) and the 10-item Patient Activation Measure (P &lt;0.0001). There was no evidence of change in A1C over time in analyses of all participants (P = 0.5875), but a consistent though nonsignificant (P = 0.1087) decline in A1C was seen for a subset of participants with a baseline A1C ≥8%. This evaluation provides preliminary support for implementing the DSMP as part of a comprehensive treatment and self-management plan for people living with diabetes in rural areas.

Gamma Knife Radiosurgery for Tuberculum Sellae Meningiomas: A Series of 78 Consecutive Patients

Background: Outcomes of Gamma Knife Radiosurgery (GKRS) for tuberculum sellae meningiomas (TSMs) have not been reported explicitly within any meningioma series. We present the first and largest TSM series with clinical, radiosurgical, and outcome features for 78 consecutive patients managed with GKRS. Methods: Patients who underwent GKRS for TSMs between 2005 and 2021 and had a minimum of 6 months of follow-up were included. Medical records, imaging studies, and follow-up examinations were evaluated retrospectively.Results: A total of 78 patients with a median age of 50.5 years were included. SRS was conducted as an upfront treatment for 38 patients (48.7%). The median target volume was 1.7 cm3 (range, 0.1-14.6). During a median follow-up of 78.5 months, the cumulative PFS rates of the whole cohort at 1, 5, and 10 years by Kaplan-Meier analysis were 100%, 97.9%, and 94.5%, respectively. Of 47 patients with impaired vision, improvement and/or preservation of visual acuity and visual field were achieved in 55.3% and 42.6%, respectively. No new-onset hormonal deficits were observed.Conclusions: Based on our data, SRS represents an effective and safe modality for unresected or recurrent/residual TSMs. SRS should be offered to patients who are not willing or not ideal candidates for surgery.

Adalimumab in Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada Disease Refractory to Conventional Therapy

Background: No study explores the effectiveness of adalimumab in sight-threatening Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada (VKH) patients in China.Objective: To evaluate the short-term effectiveness and safety of adalimumab (ADA) in patients with sight-threatening Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada (VKH) disease refractory to conventional therapy.Methods: Medical records of VKH patients who had been treated with systemic glucocorticoids and immunosuppressants but whose condition was poorly controlled were collected and analyzed. Primary outcomes comprised of best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), intraocular inflammation, relapses, and glucocorticoid-sparing effects. Other outcomes included central macular thickness (CMT), intraocular manifestations and adverse events (AEs).Results: Nine refractory VKH patients with a median age of 30 (16, 43) years old were enrolled in this study and received treatment for a median of 10 (7, 11) months. Mean BCVA improved from LogMar 0.63 ± 0.50 (20/72 or 0.36 ± 0.26 in Snellen chart) at baseline to LogMar 0.50 ± 0.37 (20/82 or 0.41 ± 0.28 in Snellen chart) at final visit (P = 0.090). The anterior chamber cell grade decreased from 2 (1.75, 3)+ at baseline to 0.5 (0, 1.25)+ cell at final visit (P &lt; 0.001). The vitritis grade decreased from 1 (1, 1) + cell at baseline to 0 (0, 1)+ cell at final visit (P &lt; 0.001). Patients suffered a median of 1 (0, 2) relapse during treatment. CMT remained stable from 238.50 ± 144.94 μm at baseline to 219.28 ± 77.20 μm at final visit (P = 0.553). The mean prednisone dosage decreased from 21.91 ± 18.39 mg/d to 2.73 ± 4.10 mg/d (P = 0.005). No severe AEs were found during treatment.Conclusions: The outcomes indicated that ADA was an effective and safe option for VKH patients refractory to conventional therapy by controlling inflammation, preserving visual function and reducing the daily glucocorticoid dose.

Anticoagulation Prior to COVID-19 Infection Has No Impact on 6 Months Mortality: A Propensity Score–Matched Cohort Study

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) shows high incidence of thromboembolic events in humans. In the present study, we aimed to evaluate if anticoagulation prior to COVID-19 infection may impact clinical profile, as well as mortality rate among patients hospitalized with COVID-19. The study was based on retrospective analysis of medical records of patients with laboratory confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection. After propensity score matching (PSM), a group of 236 patients receiving any anticoagulant treatment prior to COVID-19 infection (AT group) was compared to 236 patients without previous anticoagulation (no AT group). In 180 days, the observation we noted comparable mortality rate in AT and no AT groups (38.5% vs. 41.1%, p = 0.51). Similarly, we did not observe any statistically significant differences in admission in the intensive care unit (14.1% vs. 9.6%, p = 0.20), intubation and mechanical ventilation (15.0% vs. 11.6%, p = 0.38), catecholamines usage (14.3% vs. 13.8%, p = 0.86), and bleeding rate (6.3% vs. 8.9%, p = 0.37) in both groups. Our results suggest that antithrombotic treatment prior to COVID-19 infection is unlikely to be protective for morbidity and mortality in patients hospitalized with COVID-19.

Study of Incompleteness Medical Records of Inpatient in Appendicitis Cases at Dr. Reksodiwiryo Hospital Padang

Background: Incomplete filling of medical record files for inpatients at Dr. Reksodiwiryo hospital medical records will be describe health services and the quality of medical record services. Medical record quality services include the completeness of medical record files, accuracy in providing diagnosis and diagnosis codes, as well as speed in providing service information. The requirements for quality medical records must be accurate, complete, reliable, valid, timely, usable, common, comparable, guaranteed, and easy.Methods: This research method is a descriptive with a retrospective approach or looking at existing data. This study was carried out in September 2021. The population was 70 files cases of inpatient digestive surgery. Samples were taken from 27 files of inpatients with appendicitis cases.Results: From the research that has been done, the highest percentage of incomplete identification components is found on the gender item about 81.48%, the highest percentage of incomplete important report components is obtained on the medical resume and informed consent items about 11.1%. The highest percentage of incomplete authentication components was obtained in the nursing degree about 96.3%. The highest percentage of the components of the recording method was obtained by 59.3%, there are several blank sections about 16 files. The percentage of incomplete diagnostic codes and procedures is 100% Conclusions: the researcher suggested that the hospital can have an Operational Standart on filling out the completeness of medical records files