scholarly journals Usefulness of Adenosine Deaminase Assay in Diagnosis of Patients with HIV Infection and Pleural Tuberculosis

2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 101
Author(s):  
Gabriel Yusti ◽  
Mariano Fielli ◽  
Alejandra Gonzalez ◽  
Graciela Torales ◽  
Alejandra Zapata ◽  
...  

The utility of the adenosine deaminase (ADA) assay in the diagnosis of patients with pleural tuberculosis (TB) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is controversial. Forty-eight HIV positive patients with pleural effusion were evaluated; ADA assay was obtained in forty-three of them. Twenty-five patients presented diagnosis of TB. Patients with diagnosis of TB showed a median value of ADA of 70 IU/L (interquartile range (IQR) 41–89) and the non-TB group a median of 27.5 IU/L (IQR 13.5–52). Patients with diagnosis of TB had a median cluster of differentiation 4 (CD4) count of 174 (IQR 86–274) and the non-TB group had a median of 134 (IQR 71–371). Receiver operating characteristic curve was performed with an area under the curve of 0.79. The best cut-off obtained was 35 IU/L with a sensibility of 80% and a specificity of 66%. There was no correlation between CD4 lymphocytes count and the value of ADA in the TB patient group.

Respiration ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 1-5
Author(s):  
Amanda Beukes ◽  
Jane Alexandra Shaw ◽  
Andreas H. Diacon ◽  
Elvis M. Irusen ◽  
Coenraad F.N. Koegelenberg

In high-burden settings, the diagnosis of pleural tuberculosis (TB) is frequently inferred in patients who present with lymphocyte predominant exudative effusions and high adenosine deaminase (ADA) levels. Two recent small retrospective studies suggested that the lactate dehydrogenase (LDH)/ADA ratio is significantly lower in TB than in non-TB pleural effusions and that the LDH/ADA ratio may be useful in differentiating pleural TB from other pleural exudates. We compared the pleural LDH/ADA ratios, ADA levels, and lymphocyte predominance of a prospectively collected cohort of patients with proven pleural TB (<i>n</i> = 160) to those with a definitive alternative diagnosis (<i>n</i> = 68). The mean pleural fluid LDH/ADA ratio was lower in patients with pleural TB than alternative diagnoses (6.2 vs. 34.3, <i>p</i> &#x3c; 0.001). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.92 (<i>p</i> &#x3c; 0.001) for LDH/ADA ratio and 0.88 (<i>p</i> &#x3c; 0.001) for an ADA ≥40 U/L alone. A ratio of ≤12.5 had the best overall diagnostic efficiency, while a ratio of ≤10 had a specificity of 90% and a positive predictive value of 95%, with a sensitivity of 78%, making it a clinically useful “rule in” value for pleural TB in high incidence settings. When comparing the LDH/ADA ratio to an ADA level ≥40 U/L in the presence of a lymphocyte predominant effusion, the latter performed better. When lymphocyte values are unavailable, our data suggest that the LDH/ADA ratio is valuable in distinguishing TB effusions from other pleural exudates.


Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (15) ◽  
pp. 3896
Author(s):  
Karla Montalbán-Hernández ◽  
Ramón Cantero-Cid ◽  
Roberto Lozano-Rodríguez ◽  
Alejandro Pascual-Iglesias ◽  
José Avendaño-Ortiz ◽  
...  

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second most deadly and third most commonly diagnosed cancer worldwide. There is significant heterogeneity among patients with CRC, which hinders the search for a standard approach for the detection of this disease. Therefore, the identification of robust prognostic markers for patients with CRC represents an urgent clinical need. In search of such biomarkers, a total of 114 patients with colorectal cancer and 67 healthy participants were studied. Soluble SIGLEC5 (sSIGLEC5) levels were higher in plasma from patients with CRC compared with healthy volunteers. Additionally, sSIGLEC5 levels were higher in exitus than in survivors, and the receiver operating characteristic curve analysis revealed sSIGLEC5 to be an exitus predictor (area under the curve 0.853; cut-off > 412.6 ng/mL) in these patients. A Kaplan–Meier analysis showed that patients with high levels of sSIGLEC5 had significantly shorter overall survival (hazard ratio 15.68; 95% CI 4.571–53.81; p ≤ 0.0001) than those with lower sSIGLEC5 levels. Our study suggests that sSIGLEC5 is a soluble prognosis marker and exitus predictor in CRC.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Enav Yefet ◽  
Avishag Yossef ◽  
Zohar Nachum

AbstractWe aimed to assess risk factors for anemia at delivery by conducting a secondary analysis of a prospective cohort study database including 1527 women who delivered vaginally ≥ 36 gestational weeks. Anemia (Hemoglobin (Hb) < 10.5 g/dL) was assessed at delivery. A complete blood count results during pregnancy as well as maternal and obstetrical characteristics were collected. The primary endpoint was to determine the Hb cutoff between 24 and 30 gestational weeks that is predictive of anemia at delivery by using the area under the curve (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristic curve. Independent risk factors for anemia at delivery were assessed using stepwise multivariable logistic regression. Hb and infrequent iron supplement treatment were independent risk factors for anemia at delivery (OR 0.3 95%CI [0.2–0.4] and OR 2.4 95%CI [1.2–4.8], respectively; C statistics 83%). Hb 10.6 g/dL was an accurate cutoff to predict anemia at delivery (AUC 80% 95%CI 75–84%; sensitivity 75% and specificity 74%). Iron supplement was beneficial to prevent anemia regardless of Hb value. Altogether, Hb should be routinely tested between 24 and 30 gestational weeks to screen for anemia. A flow chart for anemia screening and treatment during pregnancy is proposed in the manuscript.Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02434653.


Author(s):  
Kangkang Hong ◽  
Ziping Shu ◽  
Laodong Li ◽  
Yu Zhong ◽  
Weiqian Chen ◽  
...  

Scrub typhus is often misdiagnosed in febrile patients, leading to antibiotic abuse and multiple complications. We conducted a retrospective record review at the Fourth Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University in China. Data were collected on 52 patients with a confirmed diagnosis of scrub typhus and complete clinical data. In addition, data were collected on 52 patients with bloodstream infection, 25 patients with HIV infection, 112 patients with common community-acquired pneumonia (CCAP), and 36 patients with severe community-acquired pneumonia (SCAP) to serve as control groups. The peripheral blood CD4 and CD8 counts, CD4/CD8 ratio, C-reactive protein, procalcitonin, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, creatinine, and β2 microglobulin levels; and the white blood cell count and neutrophil percentage were compared between the scrub typhus and the control groups. The value of these biomarkers in the diagnosis of scrub typhus was assessed using receiver–operating characteristic curve analysis. The scrub typhus group had a significantly lower CD4 count and CD4/CD8 ratio than the bloodstream infection, CCAP, and SCAP groups, and a significantly greater CD4 count and CD4/CD8 ratio than the HIV infection group. In contrast, the scrub typhus group had a significantly greater CD8 count than the bloodstream infection and CCAP and SCAP groups, and it had a lower level of CD8 than the HIV infection group. The areas under the curve of CD4/CD8 were more than 0.93 in the receiver–operating characteristic curve analysis. These findings suggest that the CD4/CD8 ratio is a useful ancillary test for diagnosing scrub typhus.


Stroke ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 44 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Haralabos Zacharatos ◽  
Malik M Adil ◽  
Ameer E Hassan ◽  
Sarwat I Gilani ◽  
Adnan I Qureshi

Background: There is limited data regarding the unique attributes of ischemic stroke among patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). There is no published data regarding the occurrence and outcomes of subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) among HIV infected persons. Methods: The largest all-payer Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS 2002-2010) data was used to identify and analyze all patients presenting with the primary diagnosis of SAH in the United States. Among this cohort, we identified the patients who were not HIV positive and those who were HIV positive. Patient demographics, medical co-morbidities, in-hospital complications, in-hospital procedures, and discharge disposition were compared between the two groups. The association between HIV infection and outcomes was evaluated in multivariate analysis after adjusting for potential confounders. Results: Of the 351,491 patients admitted with SAH, 1367 (0.39%) were infected with HIV. HIV infected patients were younger, mean age [±SD] of 45 ±14.2 years versus those who were not 58±19 years, (p<0.0001). The rate of blood transfusion [27,286 (7.8%) versus 245.6 (18%), p=0.0003], mechanical ventilation [51,199 (14.6%) versus 316.1(23.1%), p=0.008], and sepsis [14,644 (4.2%) versus 236.1 (17.3%), p<0.0001] was significantly higher among HIV infected patients. After adjusting for age, gender, hypertension, coagulopathy, atrial fibrillation, renal failure, and dyslipidemia, HIV negative patients had a significantly higher rate of discharge to home (odds ratio [OR] 1.9, 95% CI: 1.4-2.6, p<0.0001) and lower in-patient mortality (OR 0.4, 95% CI: 0.3-0.5, p<0.001). Further adjustment for blood transfusion and sepsis reduced the odds of discharge to home for the HIV negative patients, from 1.9 to 1.7 but did not affect in-hospital mortality. Conclusion: The in-hospital mortality in HIV infected patients with SAH is higher despite these patients being younger than non-HIV infected patients. We believe that this study provides a nationwide perspective which may have some important implications for early recognition and diagnosis of HIV-infection in SAH patients.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (B) ◽  
pp. 1561-1564
Author(s):  
Ngakan Ketut Wira Suastika ◽  
Ketut Suega

Introduction: Coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) can cause coagulation parameters abnormalities such as an increase of D-dimer levels especially in severe cases. The purpose of this study is to determine the differences of D-dimer levels in severe cases of Covid-19 who survived and non-survived and determine the optimal cut-off value of D-dimer levels to predict in-hospital mortality. Method: Data were obtained from confirmed Covid-19 patients who were treated from June to September 2020. The Mann-Whitney U test was used to determine differences of D-dimer levels in surviving and non-surviving patients. The optimal cut-off value and area under the curve (AUC) of the D-dimer level in predicting mortality were obtained by the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) method. Results: A total of 80 patients were recruited in this study. Levels of D-dimer were significantly higher in non-surviving patients (median 3.346 mg/ml; minimum – maximum: 0.939 – 50.000 mg/ml) compared to surviving patients (median 1.201 mg/ml; minimum – maximum: 0.302 – 29.425 mg/ml), p = 0.012. D-dimer levels higher than 1.500 mg/ml are the optimal cut-off value for predicting mortality in severe cases of Covid-19 with a sensitivity of 80.0%; specificity of 64.3%; and area under the curve of 0.754 (95% CI 0.586 - 0.921; p = 0.010). Conclusions: D-dimer levels can be used as a predictor of mortality in severe cases of Covid-19.


2018 ◽  
Vol 47 (3) ◽  
pp. 925-947 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peng Lin ◽  
Dong-yue Wen ◽  
Yi-wu Dang ◽  
Yun He ◽  
Hong Yang ◽  
...  

Background/Aims: Liver cancer has the second highest cancer-related death rate globally and has relatively few targeted therapeutics. Polo-like kinase 1 (PLK1) is a fascinating trigger of the cell cycle; however, the still-rudimentary understanding of PLK1 at present is a significant barrier to its clinical applications. Here, we comprehensively clarified the clinicopathological value and potential functions of PLK1 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods: HCC-related microarrays, RNA-sequencing datasets and published studies were deeply mined and integrated from The Cancer Genome Atlas, Gene Expression Omnibus, ArrayExpress, Oncomine, literature databases, and immunohistochemistry experiments. Meanwhile, the associations between PLK1 expression and its clinicopathological implications and prognostic value in HCC patients were assessed. The standardized mean difference, summary receiver operating characteristic curve and the corresponding area under the curve, hazard ratios, odds ratios (ORs), and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were examined by STATA 12.0. Additionally, several bioinformatics methods were used to identify the potential function of PLK1 in HCC. Results: Comprehensive analyses revealed that PLK1 was significantly increased in HCC (standardized mean difference = 1.34, 95% CI: 1.03–1.65, P < 0.001). The results of diagnostic tests specified that in the summary receiver operating characteristic curve, the area under the curve was 0.88 (95% CI: 0.85–0.90). Furthermore, an elevated PLK1 level significantly predicted unfavorable overall survival (hazard ratio = 1.78, 95% CI: 1.10–2.88, P = 0.019) and was correlated with female gender (OR = 0.73, 95% CI: 0.56–0.95, P = 0.017), tumor thrombus (OR = 3.97, 95% CI: 1.46–10.78, P < 0.001), metastasis (OR = 3.46, 95% CI: 1.33–9.01, P = 0.011), pathologic stage (OR = 1.56, 95% CI: 1.17–2.07, P = 0.002), Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer stage (OR = 5.76, 95% CI: 2.17–15.28, P < 0.001) and histologic grade (OR = 2.33, 95% CI: 1.12–487, P = 0.024). Through bioinformatics methods, we determined that enhancing the proliferative effect of PLK1 in HCC was associated with a series of hub genes and the activation of the cell cycle pathway. Conclusions: These findings substantiated that PLK1 may be an independent prognostic biomarker in HCC and may facilitate the development of targeted precision oncology.


2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 302-308 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiqi Peng ◽  
Xiang Pan ◽  
Kaihao Liu ◽  
Chunduo Zhang ◽  
Liwen Zhao ◽  
...  

Background: miR-142-3p has proved to be involved in tumorigenesis and the development of renal cell carcinoma. The present study aimed to explore the prognostic value of miR-142-3p. Methods: Total RNA was extracted from renal cell carcinoma specimens and the expression level of miR-142-3p was measured. Pearson Chi-square test, Kaplan–Meier analysis, as well as univariate and multivariate regression analysis were performed to determine the correlation between miR-142-3p and the prognosis of renal cell carcinoma patients. Receiver operating characteristic curves were constructed to evaluate the predictive efficiency of miR-142-3p for the prognosis of renal cell carcinoma patients. Data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) were utilized to validate our findings. Results: Our results demonstrated that upregulation of miR-142-3p was correlated with shorter overall survival (P=0.002) and was, in the meantime, an independent prognostic factor for renal cell carcinoma patients (P=0.002). The receiver operating characteristic curve combining miR-142-3p expression with tumor stage showed an area under the curve of 0.633 (95% confidence interval 0.563, 0.702). The result of TCGA data was consistent with our findings. Conclusions: Our results suggest miR-142-3p expression is correlated with poor prognosis of renal cell carcinoma patients and may serve as a prognostic biomarker in the future.


2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (5) ◽  
pp. 328-334 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shayan Sirat Maheen Anwar ◽  
Mirza Zain Baig ◽  
Altaf Ali Laghari ◽  
Fatima Mubarak ◽  
Muhammad Shahzad Shamim ◽  
...  

Background and purposeThis study aimed to determine the accuracy of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and enhancement ratio (ER) in discriminating primary cerebral lymphomas (PCL) and glioblastomas.Materials and methodsCircular regions of interest were randomly placed centrally within the largest solid-enhancing area of all lymphomas and glioblastomas on both post-contrast T1-weighted images and corresponding ADC maps. Regions of interest were also drawn in the contralateral hemisphere to obtain enhancement and ADC values of normal-appearing white matter. This helped us to calculate the ER and ADC ratio.ResultsMean enhancement and ADC (mm2/s) values for PCL were 2220.56 ± 2948.30 and 712.00 ± 137.87, respectively. Mean enhancement and ADC values for glioblastoma were 1537.07 ± 1668.33 and 1037.93 ± 280.52, respectively. Differences in ADC values, ratios and ERs were all statistically significant between the two groups ( p < 0.05). ADC values correctly predicted 71.4% of the lesions as glioblastoma and 83.3% as PCL (area under the curve (AUC) = 0.86 on receiver operating characteristic curve analysis). ADC ratios correctly predicted 85.7% of the lesions as glioblastoma and 100% as PCL (AUC = 0.93). ERs correctly predicted 71.4% of the lesions as glioblastoma and 88.9% as PCL (AUC = 0.92). The combination of ADC ratio and ER correctly predicted 100% tumour type in both patient subgroups.ConclusionsADC values, ADC ratios and ERs may serve as useful variables to distinguish PCL from glioblastoma. The combination of ADC ratio and ER yielded the best results in identification of both patient subgroups.


2019 ◽  
Vol 77 (5) ◽  
pp. 357-365 ◽  
Author(s):  
Omar Herrera Vazquez ◽  
Matthew L. Romo ◽  
Agnès Fleury

ABSTRACT Infections caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and by the larvae of Taenia solium (i.e., cysticercosis) are still widespread in many developing countries. Both pathologies modify host immune status and it is possible that HIV infection may modulate the frequency and pathogeny of cysticercosis of the central nervous system (i.e., neurocysticercosis [NCC]). Objective: To describe published cases of NCC among HIV-positive patients and to evaluate whether the characteristics of NCC, including frequency, symptoms, radiological appearance, and response to treatment differed between HIV-positive and HIV-negative patients. Methods: Forty cases of NCC/HIV co-infected patients were identified in the literature. Clinical and radiological characteristics, as well as response to treatment, were compared with non-matching historical series of NCC patients without HIV infection. Results: Most of these patients had seizures and multiple vesicular parasites located in parenchyma. Clinical and radiological characteristics were similar between HIV-positive and HIV-negative patients with NCC, as well as between immunocompromised and non-immunocompromised HIV-positive patients. Conclusion: Our review did not reveal clear interactions between HIV and NCC. This may be partially due to the small number of cases and reliance on published research. A systematic, multi-institutional effort aiming to report all the cases of this dual pathology is needed to confirm this finding and to clarify the possible relationship between both pathogens.


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