Search results for "algorithm"

Usefulness of the index of NASH - ION for the diagnosis of steatohepatitis in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver: An external validation study

2018

Background & Aims The non-invasive identification of steatohepatitis (NASH) in patients with Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease is an unmet need in clinical practice. Index of NASH (ION) is a new tool for the prediction of NASH. We aimed to externally validate ION and to compare it with CK-18. Since necroinflammation precedes fibrosis, we also tested ION in combination with non-invasive tools for fibrosis. Methods We analysed data from 292 Italian patients (169 Southern cohort, and 123 Northern cohort) with an histological diagnosis of NAFLD. The ION, FIB-4 and NFS scores were calculated according to published algorithms. Serum cytokeratin18-Aspartate396 levels and liver stiffness (LS) by Fi…

Utility and appropriateness of the fatty liver inhibition of progression (FLIP) algorithm and steatosis, activity, and fibrosis (SAF) score in the ev…

2013

Biopsy is still the gold standard for the diagnosis of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis but the definition may vary among pathologists, a drawback especially in evaluation of biopsies for clinical trials. We previously developed a scoring system (steatosis, activity, fibrosis [SAF]) allowing the use of an algorithm (fatty liver inhibition of progression [FLIP]) for the classification of liver injury in morbid obesity. The aim of this study was to determine whether the use of the SAF score and FLIP algorithm can decrease interobserver variations among pathologists. In a first session, pathologists categorized 40 liver biopsies of patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) according t…

Serial combination of non-invasive tools improves the diagnostic accuracy of severe liver fibrosis in patients with NAFLD

2017

SummaryBackground The accuracy of available non-invasive tools for staging severe fibrosis in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is still limited. Aim To assess the diagnostic performance of paired or serial combination of non-invasive tools in NAFLD patients. Methods We analysed data from 741 patients with a histological diagnosis of NAFLD. The GGT/PLT, APRI, AST/ALT, BARD, FIB-4, and NAFLD Fibrosis Score (NFS) scores were calculated according to published algorithms. Liver stiffness measurement (LSM) was performed by FibroScan. Results LSM, NFS and FIB-4 were the best non-invasive tools for staging F3-F4 fibrosis (AUC 0.863, 0.774, and 0.792, respectively), with LSM ha…

A semi-automatic approach for epicardial adipose tissue segmentation and quantification on cardiac CT scans

2019

Abstract Many studies have shown that epicardial fat is associated with a higher risk of heart diseases. Accurate epicardial adipose tissue quantification is still an open research issue. Considering that manual approaches are generally user-dependent and time-consuming, computer-assisted tools can considerably improve the result repeatability as well as reduce the time required for performing an accurate segmentation. Unfortunately, fully automatic strategies might not always identify the Region of Interest (ROI) correctly. Moreover, they could require user interaction for handling unexpected events. This paper proposes a semi-automatic method for Epicardial Fat Volume (EFV) segmentation a…

Phenotype and natural history of inherited neuropathies caused byHSJ1c.352+1G>A mutation

2015

Mutations in the HSJ1 ( Heat-Shock Protein J1 ) gene, also called DNAJB2 (DnaJ (Hsp40) homologue, subfamily B, member 2), have been recently described as a cause of hereditary neuropathies. The HSJ1 c.352+1G>A mutation in homozygote state has been reported as the causative mutation in a single family with autosomal recessive distal hereditary motor neuropathy (dHMN).1 Since then, two other families with different HSJ1 mutations have been described: one with a dHMN phenotype and the other with a Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 2 (CMT2) phenotype.2 We identified the HSJ1 c.352+1G>A mutation in 10 patients who underwent long-lasting follow-up. We describe their phenotype and clinical evolutio…

Biomarker discovery study of inflammatory proteins for colorectal cancer early detection demonstrated importance of screening setting validation

2018

Abstract Objectives Most studies identifying inflammatory markers for early detection of colorectal cancer (CRC) were conducted using clinically manifest cases. We aimed to identify circulating inflammatory biomarkers for early detection of CRC and validate them in both a clinical setting and a true screening setting. Study Design and Setting A total of 92 inflammatory proteins were quantified in baseline plasma samples from individuals clinically diagnosed with CRC and neoplasm-free controls matched on age and sex (training set). A multimarker panel was selected and evaluated in samples from another clinical setting (validation set C) and a screening setting (validation set S). Results In …

Hereditary angioedema with a mutation in the plasminogen gene

2017

Background Hereditary angioedema (HAE) with normal C1-INH (HAEnCI) may be linked to specific mutations in the coagulation factor 12 (FXII) gene (HAE-FXII) or functional mutations in other genes that are still unknown. We sought to identify and characterize a hitherto unknown type of HAE with normal C1-INH and without mutation in the F12 gene. Methods The study comprised analysis of whole-exome sequencing, Sanger sequencing, and clinical data of patients. Results We detected a mutation in the plasminogen (PLG) gene in patients with HAEnCI. The mutation c.9886A>G was located in exon 9 leading to the missense mutation p.Lys330Glu (K330E) in the kringle 3 domain of the PLG protein. The mutation…

Lack of TERT promoter mutations in melanomas with extensive regression

2015

The Prognostic Value of Renal Function in Acute Pulmonary Embolism—A Multi-Centre Cohort Study

2018

Background Haemodynamic alterations caused by acute pulmonary embolism (PE) may affect multi-organ function including kidneys. This multi-centre, multinational cohort study aimed to validate the prognostic significance of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and its potential additive value to the current PE risk assessment algorithms. Methods The post hoc analysis of pooled prospective cohort studies: 2,845 consecutive patients (1,424 M/1,421 F, 66 ± 17 years) with confirmed acute PE and followed up for 180 days. We tested prognostic value of pre-specified eGFR level ≤60 mL/min/1.73 m2 calculated on admission according to the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease study equation. Th…

Impact of cardiopulmonary resuscitation on a cannot intubate, cannot oxygenate condition: a randomised crossover simulation research study of the int…

2019

ObjectivesDuring a ‘cannot intubate, cannot oxygenate’ situation, asphyxia can lead to cardiac arrest. In this stressful situation, two complex algorithms facilitate decision-making to save a patient’s life: difficult airway management and cardiopulmonary resuscitation. However, the extent to which competition between the two algorithms causes conflicts in the execution of pivotal treatment remains unknown. Due to the rare incidence of this situation and the very low feasibility of such an evaluation in clinical reality, we decided to perform a randomised crossover simulation research study. We propose that even experienced healthcare providers delay cricothyrotomy, a lifesaving approach, d…