Establishment and evaluation of a nomogram for predicting the survival outcomes of patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma based on International Prognostic Index scores and clinical indicators.

Background: Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is the most common aggressive lymphoma, treatment outcomes of patients vary greatly. The current International Prognostic Index (IPI) is not enough to distinguish patients with poor prognosis, and genetic testing is very expensive, so a inexpensive risk prediction tool should be developed for clinicians to quickly identify the poor prognosis of DLBCL patients. Methods: DLBCL patients (n=420; 18-80 years old) who received a combination of cyclophosphamide, adriamycin, vincristine, and prednisone (CHOP) with or without rituximab (R-CHOP) at our hospital between 2008 and 2017 were included in the study. Potential predictors of survival were determined by univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses, and significant variables were used to construct predictive nomograms. The new prediction models were assessed using concordance indexes (C-indexes), calibration curves, and their clinical utility was assessed by decision curve analyses (DCAs). Results: The 5-year overall survival (OS) rate was 70.62% and the 5-year progression-free survival (PFS) rate was 59.02%. The multivariate Cox analysis indicated that IPI, Ki-67, the lymphocyte/monocyte ratio, and first-line treatment with rituximab were significantly associated with survival. The C-index results indicated that a predictive model that included these variables had better discriminability for OS (0.73 vs. 0.67) and PFS (0.68 vs. 0.63) than the IPI-based model. The calibration plots showed good agreement with observations and nomogram predictions. The DCAs demonstrated the clinical value of the nomograms. Conclusions: Our study identified prognostic factors in patients who were newly diagnosed with DLBCL to construct an individualized risk prediction model, combined IPI with common clinical indicators. Our model might be a valuable tool that could be used to predict the prognosis of DLBCL patients who receive standard first-line treatment regimens. It enables clinicians to quickly identify some patients with possible poor prognosis and choose more active treatment for patients, such as chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CART) Immunotherapy and other new drugs therapy, so as to prolong the PFS and OS of patients.

An Analysis of the Correlation Between Clinical Indexes and Pathological Classifications in 202 Patients with Lupus Nephritis.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the correlation between clinical indexes and pathological classifications in 202 patients with lupus nephritis (LN). METHODS: A total of 202 LN cases were retrospectively analyzed. All these patients met the four diagnostic criteria for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) of the American College of Rheumatology revised in 1997. The pathological diagnostic criteria of LN were in accordance with the pathological LN classification revised by the International Society of Nephrology and the Society of Kidney Pathology in 2003. The patients were scored according to the improved SLE Disease Activity Index 2000 (SLEDAI-2K), and their basic data, clinical data, laboratory data, and pathological data were collected. RESULTS: Among the 202 patients, the ratio of male to female was 1:5.73, and type IV was the most common pathological LN classification. There were differences in the urine analysis, hypertension incidence, blood cell analysis, blood lipids, renal function, plasma albumin, immunological indexes, renal pathological score among the different pathological types (P < 0.05). In the early finding of renal function damage of the patients, cystatin C sensitivity was significantly higher than that of serum creatinine and blood urea nitrogen. Multiple linear regression analysis show that there are strong correlations between AI and SLEDAI, 24hU-Pr, serum C3, serum ALB, BUN, creatinine, UA and PLT (P < 0.001); and there are correlations between AI and serum IgM, IgA, C4, TC and LDL-C (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: There is a clear correlation between pathological classifications and clinical indexes of LN. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Shen-PJ-2018-40, Study on Clinical and Molecular Mechanism of SLE.

Recent progress in research on the gut microbiota and highland adaptation on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

Microbial communities that inhabit the host's intestine influence many aspects of the host's health and bear the adaptive potential to alterations in harsh environments and diets. The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau represents one of the harshest environments in the world. Preliminary progress has been made in identifying the communities of gut microbes in Indigenous Tibetans and non-human animals. However, due to the complexity of microbial communities, the effects of gut microbes on the host's health and high-plateau adaptation remain unexplained. Herein, we review the latest progress in identifying factors affecting the gut microbiota of native Tibetans and non-human animals and highlight the complex interactions between the gut microbiota, health and highland adaptation, which provides a basis for exploring the correlations between the gut microbiota and clinical indexes in native highland residents and travellers, as well as developing microbiota-based strategies to mitigate health risks for tourists and treatments for mountain sickness during high-altitude travel in the future.

Non-invasive diagnosis of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease using an algorithm combining clinical indexes and ultrasonographic measures.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE: Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) is a metabolic liver disease related to insulin resistance, which requires invasive methods for diagnosis. The aim of this study was to analyze whether the use of an algorithm involving both clinical indices and hepatic ultrasound measurements improves the accuracy for the non-invasive diagnosis of NAFLD. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Cross-sectional study with patients undergoing elective cholecystectomy. We collected anthropometric, metabolic, liver biopsy, and liver ultrasonography data. We calculated unpaired t-test and Pearson's coefficient, and areas under the receiver-operating characteristic curves (AUROC) for the Fatty Liver Index (FLI), Lipid Accumulation Product (LAP) indexes, right liver index diameter, and for predictive models constructed with discriminant analysis. RESULTS: One hundred patients in groups with and without NAFLD. FLI, LAP, right and caudate liver lobe diameters, and congestion index were higher in NAFLD group (p = 0.011, p = 0.011, p = 0.001, p = 0.027, p = 0.009). The right liver lobe diameter had the highest AUROC. Predictive models that combined sensitivity and specificity for the clinical indexes and liver ultrasound had an AUROC over 0.7. CONCLUSION: The ultrasonography measure of right liver lobe diameter by itself can reliably identify patients with NAFLD with a good sensitivity and specificity, however, this can be improved by adding the LAP mathematical index in our population.

Benefits of nonlinear analysis indices of walking stride interval in the evaluation of neurodegenerative diseases.

Indices characterising the long-range temporal structure of walking stride interval (SI) variability such as Hurst exponent (H) and fractal dimension (D) may be used in addition to indices measuring the amount of variability like the coefficient of variation (CV). We assess the added value of the former indices in a clinical neurological context. Our aim is to demonstrate that they provide a clinical significance in aging and in frequent neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's disease, Huntington, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Indices assessing the temporal structure of variability are mainly dependent on SI time series length and algorithms used, making quantitative comparisons between different studies difficult or even impossible. Here, we recompute these indices from available SI time series, either from our lab or from online databases. More precisely, we recompute CV, H, and D in a unified way. The average SI is also added to the measured parameters. We confirm that variability indices are relevant indicators of aging process and neurodegenerative diseases. While CV is sensitive to aging process and pathology, it does not discriminate between specific neurodegenerative diseases. H, which measures predictability of SI, significantly decreases with age but increases in patients suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. D, catching complexity of SI, is correlated with total functional capacity in patients with Huntington's disease. We conclude that the computation of H complements the clinical diagnosis of walking in patients with neurodegenerative diseases and we recommend it as a relevant supplement to classical CV or averaged SI. Since H and D indices did not lead to the same observations, suggesting the multi-fractal nature of SI dynamics, we recommend to open clinical gait analysis to the evaluation of more parameters.

Impacts of the Plateau Environment on the Gut Microbiota and Blood Clinical Indexes in Han and Tibetan Individuals.

The intestinal microbiota is significantly affected by the external environment, but our understanding of the effects of extreme environments such as plateaus is far from adequate. In this study, we systematically analyzed the variation in the intestinal microbiota and 76 blood clinical indexes among 393 healthy adults with different plateau living durations (Han individuals with no plateau living, with plateau living for 4 to 6 days, with plateau living for >3 months, and who returned to the plain for 3 months, as well as plateau-living Tibetans). The results showed that the high-altitude environment rapidly (4 days) and continually (more than 3 months) shaped both the intestinal microbiota and clinical indexes of the Han population. With prolongation of plateau living, the general characteristics of the intestinal microbiota and clinical indexes of the Han population were increasingly similar to those of the Tibetan population. The intestinal microbiota of the Han population that returned to the plain area for 3 months still resembled that of the plateau-living Han population rather than that of the Han population on the plain. Moreover, clinical indexes such as blood glucose were significantly lower in the plateau groups than in the nonplateau groups, while the opposite result was obtained for testosterone. Interestingly, there were Tibetan-specific correlations between glucose levels and Succinivibrio and Sarcina abundance in the intestine. The results of this study suggest that a hypoxic environment could rapidly and lastingly affect both the human intestinal microbiota and blood clinical indexes, providing new insights for the study of plateau adaptability.IMPORTANCE The data presented in the present study demonstrate that the hypoxic plateau environment has a profound impact on the gut microbiota and blood clinical indexes in Han and Tibetan individuals. The plateau-changed signatures of the gut microbiota and blood clinical indexes were not restored to the nonplateau status in the Han cohorts, even when the individuals returned to the plain from the plateau for several months. Our study will improve the understanding of the great impact of hypoxic environments on the gut microbiota and blood clinical indexes as well as the adaptation mechanism and intervention targets for plateau adaptation.

INFLUENCIA DEL TIPO DE ALIMENTACIÓN EN EL DESARROLLO DE LA ALERGIA A LA LECHE DE VACA. FACTORES INVOLUCRADOS EN EL PROCESO POR EL CUAL SE ADQUIERE LA ENFERMEDAD / Infl uence of the type of feeding in the development of cow's milk allergy. Factors involved in the process by which the disease is acquired

Antecedentes. Los resultados de las investigaciones sobre la historia natural de la alergia a la leche de vaca (ALV) no han provisto aún, de un cuadro claro y consistente que ayude en la práctica al médico tratante. Objetivo. Identifi car los factores involucrados en el desarrollo de la enfermedad en lactantes pequeños, con el fi n de determinar perfi les específi cos e índices predictivos. Lugar de realización: Río Cuarto, Córdoba, Argentina. Diseño. Análisis observacional y retrospectivo. Población. 91 niños con diagnóstico de ALV y 91 controles, de ambos sexos, menores de 6 años. Método. Análisis de factores seleccionados de las historias clínicas, su relación individual con el diagnóstico (prueba X2, Odds Ratios, diferencias de medias) y su incidencia conjunta en la probabilidad de ser ALV para determinar perfi les (análisis de correspondencias múltiple y regresión logística). Elaboración de 3 índices predictivos basados en: odds ratios individuales, los correspondientes a la regresión logística y la identifi cación de criterios mayores y menores, con su respectiva evaluación de efectividad diagnóstica (sensibilidad, especifi cidad, valores predictivos y curva ROC). Resultados. Se encontró que la edad de inicio de los síntomas, el tipo de alimentación recibida hasta el 3er mes de vida, la exposición al humo de cigarrillo, los antecedentes alérgicos maternos y el tipo de manifestaciones clínicas con que comienza la ALV son factores que con mayor probabilidad inciden en su desarrollo. Conclusión. La utilidad de estos perfi les e índices predictivos radica en una temprana identifi cación de pacientes con riesgo de padecer ALV(AU)

Background: The results of the research on the natural history of allergy to cow's milk allergy (CMA) still have not provided a clear picture and consistent that in practice helps the attending physician. Objective: to identify the factors involved in the development of the disease in young infants, in order to determine specifi c profi les and predictive clinical indexes. Setting: Río Cuarto, Córdoba, Argentina. Design: observacional and retrospective analysis. Population: 91 children with a diagnosis of CMA and 91 controls, of both sexes, under the age of 6 years. Methods: analysis of selected factors of the clinical histories, their relationship with the individual diagnosis (test X2, Odds Ratios, differences in average) and their combined impact on the probability of being CMA to determine profi les (multiple correspondence analysis and logistic regression). Elaboration of 3 predictive indices based on: individual Odds Ratios, corresponding to the logistic regression and the identifi cation of greater and smaller criteria, with its respective evaluation of effectiveness diagnoses (predictive sensitivity, specifi city, values and ROC curve). Results: we found that the age of onset of symptoms, the type of feeding received until the 3rd month of life, exposure to cigarette smoke, the maternal allergy history and the type of clinical manifestations with that begins the CMA, are factors that most likely have an impact on its development. Conclusion: the utility of these profi les and predictive clinics indexes lies in an early identifi cation of patients at risk of CMA.(AU)

Evaluación de factores asociados a la ansiedad social y a otras psicopatologías en adolescentes / Assessment of factors associated to social anxiety and other psychopatologies in adolescents

Introduction The study of factors associated with anxiety and social phobia is a subject of recent interest in mental health. Specifically, shyness in children seems to act as an early expression of social phobia that may later consolidate into a clinical entity. The presence of certain psychopathologies and particular styles of child rearing in parents, are perceived by their children, are associated with the emergence of social phobia in adolescence. On the other hand, social anxiety disorder during adolescence or early adulthood may predict subsequent depressive disorders. The presence of both disorders (anxiety and social phobia) during adolescence increases the probability of suffering from them recurrently in early adulthood. Family structure and cohesion as well as stressful life events have been found to be associated with mood disorders during the childhood-youth period. However, studies conducted with young subjects are scarce, even though understanding the factors associated to different psychopathologies in the youth has proven of great value in clinical practice and epidemiology. For this reason, we attempt to evaluate, in a sample of three groups of adolescents (social anxiety, other psychopathologies and without psychopathologies) the possible demographical factors, competences and clinical indexes that could be associated with the different conditions under consideration. Methodology A sample of 1012 adolescents (582 women and 430 men) with an average age of 15.80 years (SD = 1.48) fulfilled a series of tests to assess demographical variables, psychosocial competences and clinical indexes. Results The difference between the average scores in the Escala de Ansiedad en Interacción Social -SIAS- was significant for the variables sex and the school year. Sex and couple relationships significantly affect the probability of manifesting social anxiety and other psychopathologies, respectively. Some competences significantly affect the probability of social anxiety, whereas others affect the probability of developing other psychopathologies. The majority of the 46 clinical indexes assessed demonstrate a significant effect on the probability of developing both conditions. Discussion and conclusions The results indicate that, in line with previous studies, the average score of women in the SIAS is slightly higher than in men. The average score in the SIAS of the young people from formative cycles was slightly higher than in the subjects from the obligatory secondary education and high schools. Very few studies have informed on the differences in social anxiety associated with the educational level. Women presented significantly higher probability of suffering from social anxiety than men. Unexpectedly, adolescents who maintained couple relationships also showed significantly higher probabilities than the rest of suffering from other psychopathologies. Some psychosocial competences, especially those related to the situations of social interactions, have a significant effect on the probability of developing social anxiety, whereas others (social and behavioural) influence other psychopathologies. In general and to a large extent, the findings are coherent and explainable, although some of them are contradictory. This could be caused by the difficulty to evaluate the complex construct of psychosocial competences. The majority of the evaluated clinical indexes showed a significant effect on the probability of developing of social anxiety and other psychopathologies. This effect is more evident in the group of young people with other psychopathologies than in the group of adolescents with social anxiety. Previous studies have found similar results, especially in the indexes referring to the general measures of anxiety and depression, specific measures of anxiety and avoidance of social situations and personality.

Introducción El estudio de factores asociados a la ansiedad y fobia social constituye un tema de reciente interés. Concretamente, la timidez infantil parece actuar como una expresión temprana de la fobia social que más tarde se puede consolidar como cuadro clínico. La percepción de los hijos sobre la presencia de ciertas psicopatologías y de determinados estilos de crianza de los padres se asocia a la aparición de la fobia social en la adolescencia. El trastorno de ansiedad social durante la adolescencia o la adultez temprana puede predecir trastornos depresivos subsecuentes. La presencia de ambos trastornos (ansiedad y fobia social) durante la adolescencia incrementaría la probabilidad de padecerlos de manera recurrente a lo largo de la adultez temprana. La estructura y la cohesión familiar, así como los sucesos estresantes de la vida, se han asociado con trastornos afectivos en la etapa infanto-juvenil. En la actualidad, los estudios realizados en estas edades son escasos, aun cuando el entendimiento de los factores asociados a distintas psicopatologías en la edad temprana reviste importancia clínica y epidemiológica. Por ello, pretendemos evaluar en una muestra de adolescentes formada por tres grupos (ansiedad social, otras psicopatologías y sin psicopatologías) los posibles factores demográficos, de competencias e índices clínicos que pueden estar asociados a las diferentes condiciones estudiadas. Metodología Una muestra de 1012 adolescentes (582 mujeres y 430 hombres) con una edad media de 15.80 años (DT = 1.48) completó en su medio escolar una serie de pruebas que evalúan variables demográficas, competencias psicosociales e índices clínicos. Resultados La diferencia de medias en las puntuaciones de la Escala de Ansiedad en Interacción Social -SIAS- fue significativa para las variables sexo y curso escolar. El sexo y la relación de pareja ejercieron un efecto significativo en la probabilidad de manifestar ansiedad social y otras psicopatologías, respectivamente. Algunas competencias mostraron un efecto significativo en la probabilidad de presentar ansiedad social, mientras que otras lo hicieron en la probabilidad de desarrollar otras psicopatologías. La mayoría de los 46 índices clínicos evaluados mostró un efecto significativo en la probabilidad de sufrir ambas condiciones. Discusión y conclusiones Los resultados indican que la puntuación media de las mujeres en la SIAS superó ligeramente a la de los hombres, lo que coincide con estudios previos. La puntuación media en la SIAS de los jóvenes que formaron los ciclos formativos fue ligeramente superior a la de los procedentes de educación secundaria obligatoria y de bachillerato. Hay pocos estudios que informen de diferencias en la ansiedad social asociadas al nivel de estudios. Las mujeres presentaron una probabilidad significativamente mayor que los hombres de sufrir ansiedad social. Los adolescentes que mantenían relaciones de pareja también mostraron significativamente más posibilidades que el resto de presentar otras psicopatologías, el cual es un resultado inesperado. Algunas competencias psicosociales, especialmente las que se relacionan con las situaciones de interacción social, han mostrado un efecto significativo en la probabilidad de sufrir ansiedad social, mientras que otras (sociales y de actuación) lo han hecho en la probabilidad de desarrollar otras psicopatologías. En general, gran parte de estos hallazgos tienen coherencia y explicación, aunque algunos son contradictorios, lo que puede deberse a la dificultad de evaluar el constructo de competencias psicosociales por su complejidad. Por último, la mayoría de los índices clínicos evaluados presentó un efecto significativo en la probabilidad de desarrollar ansiedad social y otras psicopatologías. Este último efecto fue más notorio en el grupo de jóvenes con otras psicopatologías que en el grupo de adolescentes con ansiedad social. Diversos estudios encuentran resultados parecidos a los hallados en éste, especialmente en los índices referentes a medidas generales de ansiedad o depresión, específicas de ansiedad y evitación en situaciones sociales, y de personalidad.