The Incidence and Anatomic Variation of Os Naviculare in a Multiethinic Asian Population.

The incidence of asymptomatic os naviculare ranges from 4% to 21%, varying between different ethnicities, with majority of studies performed in Caucasians. The aim of this study was to document the incidence of asymptomatic os naviculare in an Asian population stratified by ethnicity, and to characterize the features of each type. The records of all patients who underwent dorsoplantar and oblique foot radiographs between July and December 2017 were reviewed. We excluded patients with medial-sided foot pain. The radiographs of the remaining patients were reviewed and the incidence and type of os naviculare according to Coughlin's classification were recorded. About 439 patients were included. The overall incidence of asymptomatic os naviculare was 46.0%, of which 76.7% were bilateral. The prevalence of type Ia, Ib, and Ic os was 7.5%, 6.2%, and 5.9%, respectively. The prevalence of type IIAa, IIAb, IIAc, IIBa, IIBb, and IIBc was 2.7%, 0.7%, 0.2%, 16.6%, 5.9%, and 2.1%, respectively. The prevalence of type IIIa, IIIb, and IIIc was 1.1%, 8.4%, and 0.2%. Type IIBa had the highest prevalence of 16.6% out of 439 patients. The highest incidence of os naviculare was in the Chinese population (n = 145, p = .034) at 50.2%. There was no significant gender difference in the incidence of asymptomatic os naviculare. The incidence of asymptomatic os naviculare in a multiethnic Asian population is higher than that reported in other populations, and particularly in the Chinese. Type IIBa was the most prevalent type, which differs from previous reports. When treating patients of Chinse ethnicity who present with pain over the medial aspect of the foot, the diagnosis of a symptomatic os naviculare should be considered.

Modified AST to platelet ratio index improves APRI and better predicts advanced fibrosis and liver cirrhosis in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

AIMS: Advanced fibrosis (AF) and liver cirrhosis (LC) are important milestones in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). FIB-4, NFS and BARD are validated scores with good accuracy in detecting AF and LC. APRI does not have similar predictive accuracy. While a modification (m-APRI) improves its use in viral hepatitis, this has yet to be evaluated in NAFLD. This study compares diagnostic performance of aforementioned scores in predicting AF and LC in NAFLD. METHODS: Consecutive NAFLD patients undergoing Transient Elastography (TE) using Echosens® Fibroscan® for fibrosis staging were included. Cut-off liver stiffness measurements for AF and LC were 7.9 kPa and 11.5 kPa respectively. Anthropometric and laboratory tests done within 3 months were used. Diagnostic performances of scores were analyzed by standard statistical tests. RESULTS: 161 patients qualified for the study. Mean age was 60.2 ±â€¯14 years, BMI 26.8 ±â€¯4.6 kg/m2. M-probe was used in 113, XL in 48. Optimal cut-offs of m-APRI for AF and LC were 5.84 and 9 respectively. Area under receiver operator characteristic curves (AUROC) for prediction of AF at optimal cut-off points were m-APRI 0.84, APRI 0.80, FIB-4: 0.77, NFS 0.77 and BARD 0.65. For prediction of LC, AUROC were m-APRI: 0.83, APRI: 0.76, FIB-4: 0.81, NFS: 0.77 and BARD: 0.66. m-APRI was significantly superior to all scores compared in detecting AF (p < 0.05 for all) and superior to APRI (p = 0.008) and BARD (p = 0.007) in predicting LC. There was no significant difference between m-APRI and FIB-4 or NFS in prediction of LC. CONCLUSIONS: For prediction of AF in NAFLD, m-APRI outperforms BARD, APRI, NFS and FIB-4, while for the prediction of cirrhosis, m-APRI is superior to APRI and BARD but comparable to NFS and FIB-4.

Comparisons between non-alcoholic steatohepatitis and alcohol-related hepatocellular carcinoma.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Non-alcoholic liver disease and alcoholic liver disease begin as simple steatosis that may progress to steatohepatitis and ensuing liver-related complications such as cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We explored differences in characteristics between non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and alcoholic steatohepatitis-related (ASH) HCC. METHODS: NASH and ASH patients were identified from our department's prospective HCC database. A total of 54 and 45 patients met predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria for the NASH-HCC and ASH-HCC groups, respectively. Clinical, biochemical and tumor characteristics were studied. RESULTS: NASH-HCC patients were older compared to ASH-HCC patients (72±9 vs. 66±9 years, P<0.001) and less male predominant (65% vs. 98%, P<0.001). Prevalence of diabetes mellitus (78% vs. 36%, P<0.001) and hypertension (80% vs. 58%, P<0.001) were significantly higher in the NASH-HCC group. Liver function tests and Child-Pugh scores were similar. There were no differences in alpha-fetoprotein level, lesions found at diagnosis (unifocal/multifocal) or prevalence of portal vein invasion. In both groups, almost half of the patients were in TNM stage 4 at the time of diagnosis and more than 50% of patients were not suitable for any therapy. Median survival in the NASH-HCC and ASH-HCC groups were 13 and 7 months respectively (P=0.113). CONCLUSION: Despite significant differences in demography of the NASH-HCC and ASH-HCC groups, liver and tumor characteristics were comparable. Most patients were diagnosed late and were not amenable to curative or locoregional therapies. Better characterization of patients with NASH and ASH at risk of HCC is necessary to optimize screening, surveillance, and management strategies.

Evaluation of unplanned dialysis as a predictor of mortality in elderly dialysis patients: a retrospective data analysis.

BACKGROUND: Increasing numbers of elderly patients are undergoing long-term dialysis. However, the role of dialysis in survival and quality of life is unclear, and poor outcomes may be associated with comorbidities rather than with age only. The initiation of unplanned dialysis in elderly patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) has been reported to be associated with poor survival. We evaluated patient and practice factors associated with poor survival. METHODS: We performed a retrospective analysis of 90 consecutive elderly patients (≥75 years) with CKD initiated on long-term dialysis at our renal unit between October 2010 and February 2014. Six patients were excluded; data from 84 remaining patients (≥75 years) with end-stage renal disease undergoing planned or unplanned dialysis were analyzed. Patients were followed up until death or January 2015. Patient factors such as age at initiation of dialysis and comorbidities (i.e., diabetes mellitus, ischemic heart disease [IHD], peripheral vascular disease, cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and cognitive dysfunction) were analyzed. Practice factors such as planned or unplanned initiation of dialysis were compared in relation to survival outcomes. "Unplanned dialysis" was defined as a patient with known CKD stage 4 or 5 who had not been evaluated by a nephrologist in the 3 months before dialysis initiation. RESULTS: The average age at dialysis initiation was 81.5 ± 4.5 years), serum albumin level was 24.8 ± 6 g/L, body mass index was 22.5 ± 4.8 kg/m2, and glycated hemoglobin A1c level was 6.3 ± 1.3. Overall, 51 (61%) and 33 (39%) patients underwent unplanned and planned dialysis, respectively. On univariate analysis, the presence of IHD, peripheral vascular disease, ≥3 comorbidities, and unplanned initiation of dialysis were significantly related to death. On multivariate analysis, unplanned start of dialysis, ischemic heart diseases and peripheral vascular disease remained significant. Survival rates at 3 and 12 months were 38.6% vs. 90.9% and 14.4% vs. 73.6% for unplanned vs. planned dialysis, respectively (p < 0.001). Unplanned dialysis was significantly associated with greater mortality. CONCLUSIONS: In elderly dialysis patients, unplanned start of dialysis was associated with poor survival. Patient characteristics such as associated peripheral vascular disease and IHD were associated with poor survival.