scholarly journals Mass spectrometry-based steroid profiling in primary bilateral macronodular adrenocortical hyperplasia

2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (7) ◽  
pp. 403-413 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fady Hannah-Shmouni ◽  
Annabel Berthon ◽  
Fabio R Faucz ◽  
Juan Medina Briceno ◽  
Andrea Gutierrez Maria ◽  
...  

Biochemical characterization of primary bilateral macronodular adrenocortical hyperplasia (PBMAH) by distinct plasma steroid profiles and its putative correlation to disease has not been previously studied. LC-MS/MS–based steroid profiling of 16 plasma steroids was applied to 36 subjects (22 females, 14 males) with PBMAH, 19 subjects (16 females, 3 males) with other forms of adrenal Cushing's syndrome (ACS), and an age and sex-matched control group. Germline ARMC5 sequencing was performed in all PBMAH cases. Compared to controls, PBMAH showed increased plasma 11-deoxycortisol, corticosterone, 11-deoxycorticosterone, 18-hydroxycortisol, and aldosterone, but lower progesterone, DHEA, and DHEA-S with distinct differences in subjects with and without pathogenic variants in ARMC5. Steroids that showed isolated differences included cortisol and 18-oxocortisol with higher (P < 0.05) concentrations in ACS than in controls and aldosterone with higher concentrations in PBMAH when compared to controls. Larger differences in PBMAH than with ACS were most clear for corticosterone, but there were also trends in this direction for 18-hydroxycortisol and aldosterone. Logistic regression analysis indicated four steroids – DHEA, 11-deoxycortisol, 18-oxocortisol, and corticosterone – with the most power for distinguishing the groups. Discriminant analyses with step-wise variable selection indicated correct classification of 95.2% of all subjects of the four groups using a panel of nine steroids; correct classification of subjects with and without germline variants in ARMC5 was achieved in 91.7% of subjects with PBMAH. Subjects with PBMAH show distinctive plasma steroid profiles that may offer a supplementary single-test alternative for screening purposes.

2008 ◽  
Vol 14 (6) ◽  
pp. 1046-1056 ◽  
Author(s):  
MARTIN LAUTERBACH ◽  
ISABEL PAVÃO MARTINS ◽  
PAULA GARCIA ◽  
JOANA CABEÇA ◽  
ANA CRISTINA FERREIRA ◽  
...  

AbstractWe report the adaptation of the Aachen Aphasia Test (AAT) to the Portuguese language (PAAT) and the results of its standardization in 125 persons with aphasia and 153 healthy controls. Patients with aphasia had a previous syndromic diagnosis, obtained through a Portuguese aphasia battery, which served as a reference. The control group was stratified by age and educational level. Hierarchical cluster analyses showed good construct validity. The increasing degree of difficulty and complexity throughout the item sets comprising subtests was confirmed. The discriminatory power of the PAAT for the selection of aphasic from non-aphasic persons proved to be as high as for the AAT versions in other languages. Classification of standard aphasic syndromes by means of discriminant analyses was good. Internal consistency, measured by means of Cronbach's alpha coefficient, was high to very high for the different PAAT subtests. Performance differences caused by age or educational level among the healthy control persons emphasized the need for correction factors. In conclusion, the PAAT showed robust psychometrical properties, comparable to the original German and to adaptations to other languages. It constitutes a useful tool for cross-linguistic and multicenter studies. (JINS, 2008, 14, 1046–1056.)


2001 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 237-244 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Pérez-Magariño ◽  
M. L. Gonzlez-San Jos

Commercial wines (247 samples) from different Spanish Denomination of Origin (D.O.) and from three consecutive vintages were analyzed. Stepwise discriminant analyses (SDA) were applied to the differentiation and classification of young red and rose wines by geographic origin. Good discriminant models with a small number of variables were obtained. These models gave high percentages of correct classification and prediction for both red (84.6% and 76.7%) and rose wines (87.7% and 82.6%). The variables with greater discriminating power were the phenolic compounds and the chromatic parameters. The discriminant models obtained to differentiate wines from D.O. “Ribera del Duero” were adequate with percentages of classification and prediction around 98%. So, these wines have some characteristics that differentiate them from the wines from other D.O.


1987 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 275-281 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rudradeo C. Bowen ◽  
Donald G. Fischer ◽  
Peter Barrett ◽  
Carl D'Arcy

This paper reports the results of principal components and stepwise discriminant analyses of anxiety, depression and fear scores for 74 phobic and anxious-depressed psychiatric patients. Factor analysis indicated a coherent agoraphobia factor, with less coherent blood-injury and social phobia factors. Discriminant analysis showed a high degree of correct classification of diagnosed agoraphobic, blood-injury and social phobic patients particularly for agoraphobia. A frequency distribution of the phobia scores indicated an all or nothing quality to agoraphobic fears. The results indicate that agoraphobia is a fairly coherent syndrome, but that more work is needed on the concepts and measurement of blood-injury and social phobias.


2002 ◽  
Vol 41 (04) ◽  
pp. 337-341 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Cincotti ◽  
D. Mattia ◽  
C. Babiloni ◽  
F. Carducci ◽  
L. Bianchi ◽  
...  

Summary Objectives: In this paper, we explored the use of quadratic classifiers based on Mahalanobis distance to detect mental EEG patterns from a reduced set of scalp recording electrodes. Methods: Electrodes are placed in scalp centro-parietal zones (C3, P3, C4 and P4 positions of the international 10-20 system). A Mahalanobis distance classifier based on the use of full covariance matrix was used. Results: The quadratic classifier was able to detect EEG activity related to imagination of movement with an affordable accuracy (97% correct classification, on average) by using only C3 and C4 electrodes. Conclusions: Such a result is interesting for the use of Mahalanobis-based classifiers in the brain computer interface area.


1979 ◽  
Vol 59 (3) ◽  
pp. 481-490 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. MATTON ◽  
V. ADELAKOUN ◽  
J. J. DUFOUR

Plasma steroids (cortisol, progesterone, estrone and estradiol) were studied during the peripartum period in cows with three different types of parturition: unifoetal normal (VUN), unifoetal with retained placenta (VRP), multifoetal with or without retained placenta (VG). In the control group, cortisol rose gradually from 8 ng/ml on day −7 to 11 ng/ml on the day of parturition and thereafter came back to the level of day −7. In the VRP group, cortisol was slightly lower than in the control on day −7 and it did not vary significantly before or after parturition. In the group of cows with multiple births, where retained placenta was encountered in 3/4 cases, cortisol was much higher than in control animals. Plasma progesterone decreased gradually from 5.5 ng/ml to less than 1 ng/ml on the day of parturition in the control group. In the group VRP and VG, it was significantly higher than in the control on the 2 days before and on the day of parturition. The patterns of estrone and estradiol were similar in the groups VUN and VRP until the first day following parturition, but much higher in the cows giving birth to twins. During the postpartum period, the drop in estrogens was much slower in the VRP and VG groups than in the VUN control group. These results suggest that retention of the placenta is not linked with the plasma concentration of cortisol but rather associated with an increased level of progesterone on the day of parturition and that the slower decrease in estrogen levels after parturition would be the result of the persisting attachment of the foetal membranes.


2018 ◽  
Vol 184 (2) ◽  
pp. 63-63 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandra Dorothee Starke ◽  
Maarten Oosterlinck

Visual equine lameness assessment is often unreliable, yet the full understanding of this issue is missing. Here, we investigate visual lameness assessment using near-realistic, three-dimensional horse animations presenting with 0–60 per cent movement asymmetry. Animations were scored at an equine veterinary seminar by attendees with various expertise levels. Results showed that years of experience and exposure to a low, medium or high case load had no significant effect on correct assessment of lame (P>0.149) or sound horses (P≥0.412), with the exception of a significant effect of case load exposure on forelimb lameness assessment at 60 per cent asymmetry (P=0.014). The correct classification of sound horses as sound was significantly (P<0.001) higher for forelimb (average 72 per cent correct) than for hindlimb lameness assessment (average 28 per cent correct): participants often saw hindlimb lameness where there was none. For subtle lameness, errors often resulted from not noticing forelimb lameness and from classifying the incorrect limb as lame for hindlimb lameness. Diagnostic accuracy was at or below chance level for some metrics. Rater confidence was not associated with performance. Visual gait assessment may overall be unlikely to reliably differentiate between sound and mildly lame horses irrespective of an assessor’s background.


2013 ◽  
Vol 19 (10) ◽  
pp. 1341-1348 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ilse Lamers ◽  
Lore Kerkhofs ◽  
Joke Raats ◽  
Daphne Kos ◽  
Bart Van Wijmeersch ◽  
...  

Background: The real-life relevance of frequently applied clinical arm tests is not well known in multiple sclerosis (MS). Objective: This study aimed to determine the relation between real-life arm performance and clinical tests in MS. Methods: Thirty wheelchair-bound MS patients and 30 healthy controls were included. Actual and perceived real-life arm performance was measured by using accelerometry and a self-reported measure (Motor Activity Log). Clinical tests on ‘body functions & structures’ (JAMAR handgrip strength, Motricity Index (MI), Fugl Meyer (FM)) and ‘activity’ level (Nine Hole Peg Test (NHPT), Action Research Arm test) of the International Classification of Functioning were conducted. Statistical analyses were performed separately for current dominant and non-dominant arm. Results: For all outcome measures, MS patients scored with both arms significantly lower than the control group. Higher correlations between actual arm performance and clinical tests were found for the non-dominant arm (0.63–0.80). The FM (55%) was a good predictor of actual arm performance, while the MI (46%) and NHPT (55%) were good predictors of perceived arm performance. Conclusions: Real-life arm performance is decreased in wheelchair-bound MS patients and can be best predicted by measures on ‘body functions & structures’ level and fine motor control. Hand dominance influenced the magnitude of relationships.


Author(s):  
Nuwan Madusanka ◽  
Heung-Kook Choi ◽  
Jae-Hong So ◽  
Boo-Kyeong Choi

Background: In this study, we investigated the fusion of texture and morphometric features as a possible diagnostic biomarker for Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). Methods: In particular, we classified subjects with Alzheimer’s disease, Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) and Normal Control (NC) based on texture and morphometric features. Currently, neuropsychiatric categorization provides the ground truth for AD and MCI diagnosis. This can then be supported by biological data such as the results of imaging studies. Cerebral atrophy has been shown to correlate strongly with cognitive symptoms. Hence, Magnetic Resonance (MR) images of the brain are important resources for AD diagnosis. In the proposed method, we used three different types of features identified from structural MR images: Gabor, hippocampus morphometric, and Two Dimensional (2D) and Three Dimensional (3D) Gray Level Co-occurrence Matrix (GLCM). The experimental results, obtained using a 5-fold cross-validated Support Vector Machine (SVM) with 2DGLCM and 3DGLCM multi-feature fusion approaches, indicate that we achieved 81.05% ±1.34, 86.61% ±1.25 correct classification rate with 95% Confidence Interval (CI) falls between (80.75-81.35) and (86.33-86.89) respectively, 83.33%±2.15, 84.21%±1.42 sensitivity and 80.95%±1.52, 85.00%±1.24 specificity in our classification of AD against NC subjects, thus outperforming recent works found in the literature. For the classification of MCI against AD, the SVM achieved a 76.31% ± 2.18, 78.95% ±2.26 correct classification rate, 75.00% ±1.34, 76.19%±1.84 sensitivity and 77.78% ±1.14, 82.35% ±1.34 specificity. Results and Conclusion: The results of the third experiment, with MCI against NC, also showed that the multiclass SVM provided highly accurate classification results. These findings suggest that this approach is efficient and may be a promising strategy for obtaining better AD, MCI and NC classification performance.


Author(s):  
V. I. Solovyov ◽  
O. V. Rybalskiy ◽  
V. V. Zhuravel ◽  
V. K. Zheleznyak

Possibility of creation of effective system, which is intended for exposure of tracks of editing in digital phonograms and is built on the basis of neuron networks of the deep learning, is experimentally proven. Sense of experiment consisted in research of ability of the systems on the basis of such networks to expose pauses with tracks of editing. The experimental array of data is created in a voice editor from phonograms written on the different apparatus of the digital audio recording (at frequency of discretisation 44,1 kHz). A preselection of pauses was produced from it, having duration from 100 мs to a few seconds. From 1000 selected pauses the array of fragments of pauses is formed in the automatic (computer) mode, from which the arrays of fragments of pauses of different duration are generated by a dimension about 100 000. For forming of array of fragments of pauses with editing, the chosen pauses were divided into casual character parts in arbitrary correlation. Afterwards, the new pauses were created from it with the fixed place of editing. The general array of all fragments of pauses was broken into training and test arrays. The maximum efficiency, achieved on a test array in the process of educating, was determined. In general case this efficiency is determined by the maximum size of probability of correct classification of fragments with editing and fragments without editing. Scientifically reasonable methodology of exposure of signs of editing in digital phonograms is offered on the basis of neuron networks of the deep learning. The conducted experiments showed that the construction of the effective system is possible for the exposure of such tracks. Further development of methodology must be directed to find the ways to increase the probability of correct binary classification of investigated pauses.


2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 82-90
Author(s):  
V. T. Sakhin ◽  
M. A. Grigoriev ◽  
E. V. Kryukov ◽  
S. P. Kazakov ◽  
A. V. Sotnikov ◽  
...  

Objective: to study the importance of cytokines, hepcidin, a soluble transferrin receptor, iron metabolism in the development of anemia of chronic diseases in patients with malignant neoplasms and rheumatic pathology, to identify the leading factors in the development of anemia for each of the studied groups and to develop a working classification of anemia of chronic diseases.Materials and methods. 63 patients with rheumatic pathology were examined. The study group included 41 (17 men/24 women, average age 53.4 ± 4 years) patients with anemia, the control group included 22 (9 men/13 women, age 49.3 ± 1.78 years) patients without anemia. The patients (n = 63) with stage II–IV malignant neoplasms were examined. The study group included 41 patients with anemia (34 men/7 women, age 67.1 ± 9.9 years), in the control group 22 patients without it (17 men/5 women, age 60.2 ± 14.9 years). The number of red blood cells, the hemoglobin level, hematocrit, mean corpuscular volume, mean corpuscular hemoglobin, mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration, concentrations of serum iron, total iron binding capacity (TIBC), ferritin, transferrin, C-reactive protein (CRP), transferrin saturation index (TSI), and soluble transferrin receptor (sTfR), hepcidin, interleukin (IL) – 6, – 10, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) were determined. Mann – Whitney U Test was applied to check for statistically significant differences in study samples.Results. Compared with the control group, elevated concentrations of ferritin, CRP, hepcidin, sTfR and IL-6 (p <0.05) were found for patients with rheumatic pathology and anemia and no differences were found in the concentrations of iron, TIBC, TSI, transferrin. For patients with solid malignant neoplasms and anemia, lower concentrations of iron, TIBC, TSI and higher concentrations of CRP, hepcidin, sTfR, IL-6, IL-10, TNF-α (p <0.05) are shown in comparison with the control group and there were no differences in the concentrations of ferritin, transferrin (p >0.05).Conclusion. The multicomponent anemia genesis in patients with cancer and rheumatic pathology is shown. The contribution of each mechanism to the development of anemia may vary depending on the specific nosological form. In patients with cancer, functional iron deficiency, activation of IL-6, IL-10, TNF-α synthesis and an increase in hepcidin synthesis lead to the development of anemia of chronic diseases. In patients with a rheumatic profile and anemia, a more pronounced synthesis of hepcidin and an increase IL-6 concentration are indicated. A working version of the classification of anemia of chronic diseases based on the leading pathogenetic factor is proposed (with a predominant iron deficiency, with impaired regulatory mechanisms of erythropoiesis, with insufficient production of erythropoietin).


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