Fourfold Table Research Articles

Analysis of the Value of Quantitative Features in Multimodal MRI Images to Construct a Radio-Omics Model for Breast Cancer Diagnosis.

To analyze the diagnostic value of quantitative features in multimodal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) images to construct a radio-omics model for breast cancer. Ninety-five patients with breast-related diseases from January 2020 to January 2021 were grouped into the benign group (n=57) and malignant group (n=38) according to the pathological findings. All cases were randomized as the training group (n=66) and validation group (n=29) in a 7:3 ratio based on the examination time. All subjects were examined by T1-weighted imaging (T1WI), T2-weighted imaging (T2WI), diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI), dynamic contrast enhancement (DCE), and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) multimodality MRI. The MRI findings were analyzed against pathological findings. A diagnostic breast cancer radiomics model was constructed. The diagnostic efficacy of the model in the validation group was analyzed, and the diagnostic efficacy was analyzed via the ROC curve. Fibroadenoma accounted for 49.12% of benign breast diseases, and invasive ductal carcinoma accounted for 73.68% of malignant breast diseases. The sensitivity of T1WI, T2WI, DWI, ADC, and DCE in diagnosing breast cancer was 61.14%, 66.67%, 73.30%, 78.95%, and 85.96%, using the four-fold table method. The area under the curves (AUCs) of T1WI, T2WI, DWI, ADC, and DCE for diagnosing breast cancer were 0.715, 0.769, 0.785, 0.835, and 0.792, respectively. The AUCs of plain scan, diffuse, enhanced, plain scan + diffuse, plain scan + enhanced, enhanced + diffuse, and plain scan + enhanced + diffuse for diagnosing breast cancer were 0.746, 0.798, 0.816, 0.839, 0.890, 0.906, and 0.927, respectively. The construction of a radio-omics model by quantitative features in multimodal MRI images was valuable in the diagnosis of breast cancer. The value of radio-omics models such as plain scan + enhanced + diffuse was higher than the other models in diagnosing breast cancer and could be widely applied in clinical practice.

Induction: an Afterthought

The aim of Saint-Mont (2020) was to provide a rather general answer to Hume’s problem. To this end, induction was treated within a straightforward formal paradigm, i.e., several connected tiers of abstraction. This note reduces the latter argument to its very essence – a simple fourfold table. Moreover, it points out that a sound logical solution to the problem of induction boils down to proper accounting.

Kronik hepatit C’li hastaların karaciğer fibrozisini göstermede APRI ve FIB-4 skorlamalarının değeri

Purpose: Infection with hepatitis C virus causes chronic liver damage, fibrosis and in later processes, cirrhosis and liver cancer. Currently, the use of biomarkers, instead of invasive procedures, is recommended to identify liver fibrosis. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of aspartate aminotransferase (AST) to Platelet Ratio Index (APRI) and Fibrosis-4 Index (FIB-4) scoring for detection of "significant fibrosis" in chronic hepatitis C patients.
 Materials and Methods: Liver biopsy results and blood test results of 50 patients, infected with chronic hepatitis C, were analyzed. APRI and FIB-4 scores were calculated. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV) and consistency for APRI and FIB-4 scorings were calculated using a fourfold table. The values of APRI and FIB-4, providing the best specificity and sensitivity in the diagnosis of significant fibrosis, was determined by ROC (receiver operator characteristics curve) analysis.
 Results: The mean fibrosis stage of 30 patients with significant fibrosis was 2.83±0.74 and the mean patient age was 56.8±13. The sensitivity of APRI ≥ 1.5 to detect significant fibrosis was 16%, the specificity was 90%, PPV was 71% and NPV was 41%. A FIB-4 score of ≥3.25 had a sensitivity of 20%, a specificity of 95%, a PPV of 85% and a NPV of 44%. 
 Conclusion: APRI and FIB-4 have high specificity and PPV in demonstrating significant fibrosis, but have low sensitivity and NPV. The sensitivity of FIB-4 was higher compared to the APRI scoring. More research on this subject is needed, as well as revision of fibrosis scores and development of new fibrosis scores.

Intravoxel incoherent motion predicts positive surgical margins and Gleason score upgrading after radical prostatectomy for prostate cancer.

Whether Intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) can be used as a predictive tool of positive surgical margins (PSMs) and Gleason score (GS) upgrading in prostate cancer (PCa) patients after radical prostatectomy (RP) still remains unclear. The aim of this study is to explore the ability of IVIM and clinical characteristics to predict PSMs and GS upgrading. A total of 106 PCa patients after RP who underwent pelvic mpMRI (multiparametric Magnetic Resonance Imaging) between January 2016 and December 2021 and met the requirements were retrospectively included in our study. IVIM parameters were obtained using GE Functool post-processing software. Logistic regression models were fitted to confirm the predictive risk factor of PSMs and GS upgrading. The area under the curve and fourfold contingency table were used to evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of IVIM and clinical parameters. Multivariate logistic regression analyses revealed that percent of positive cores, apparent diffusion coefficient and molecular diffusion coefficient (D) were independent predictors of PSMs (Odds Ratio (OR) were 6.07, 3.62 and 3.16, respectively), Biopsy GS and pseudodiffusion coefficient (D*) were independent predictors of GS upgrading (OR were 0.563 and 7.15, respectively). The fourfold contingency table suggested that combined diagnosis increased the ability of predicting PSMs but had no advantage in predicting GS upgrading except the sensitivity from 57.14 to 91.43%. IVIM showed good performance in predicting PSMs and GS upgrading. Combining IVIM and clinical factors enhanced the performance of predicting PSMs, which may contribute to clinical diagnosis and treatment.

Utility of preoperative MRI for assessing proximal fragment vascularity in scaphoid nonunion.

The benefit of MRI in the preoperative assessment of scaphoid proximal fragment vascularity remains controversial. The purpose of this study is to compare preoperative MRI findings to intraoperative bleeding of the proximal scaphoid. A retrospective review of 102 patients who underwent surgery for scaphoid nonunion between January 2000 and December 2020 at a single institution were identified. Inclusion criteria were: isolated scaphoid nonunion; preoperative MRI assessing the proximal fragment vascularity; and operative details of the vascularity of the proximal fragment with the tourniquet deflated. MRI results and intraoperative findings were dichotomized as either 'yes' or 'no' for the presence of vascularity. A four-fold contingency table was used to analyze the utility of preoperative MRI with 95% confidence intervals. Relative risk was calculated for subgroups to analyze the association between variables and MRI accuracy. Preoperative MRI identified 55 proximal scaphoid fragments with ischaemia and 47 with vascularized proximal fragments. After the proximal fragment was prepared, the tourniquet was deflated and assessed for bleeding; 63 proximal fragments had no bleeding and 39 demonstrated bleeding. MRI was not reliable or accurate in the assessment of proximal fragment vascularity when compared with intraoperative assessment of bleeding. No patient or MRI factors were identified to have a statistical impact on MRI accuracy. Current preoperative MRI protocols and diagnostic criteria do not provide a high degree of correlation with observed intraoperative assessment of proximal fragment bleeding. While preoperative MRI may assist in surgical planning, intraoperative assessment remains the best means for assessing proximal fragment vascularity in scaphoid nonunion. Future efforts should focus on the development of objective measures of osseous blood flow that may be performed intraoperatively.

Restrictions of VC and DLCO in relation to asbestos-related computed tomographic findings quantified by ICOERD-based parameters

BackgroundEven almost 30 years after the ban on the use of asbestos in Germany, the effects of asbestos are still highly relevant in everyday clinical practice in occupational medicine. The aim of this study was to further investigate the significance of essential parameters of both pulmonary function diagnostics and imaging techniques (low-dose HR-TCT) for the prevention and early detection of asbestos-related morphological and functional lung changes.MethodsData from spirometry, body plethysmography and diffusion capacity, as well as CT images of the thorax, were retrospectively studied from 72 patients examined between 2017 and 2019 at the Institute for Occupational and Maritime Medicine (ZfAM), Hamburg, Germany. The subjects were divided into four subgroups according to the presence of comorbidities (concomitant cardiac diseases, obstructive ventilatory disorder, pulmonary function pattern consistent with emphysema, and no other pulmonary or cardiac diseases). These subgroups were analysed in addition to the overall collective. The CT images were evaluated according to the International Classification of Occupational and Environmental Respiratory Diseases (ICOERD) with radiological expertise. In addition, some asbestos-related parameters were newly quantified, and corresponding scores were defined based on ICOERD. Statistical analysis included the use of correlations and fourfold tables with calculation of Spearman's rho (ρ), Cohen’s κ, and accuracy.ResultsVital capacity (VC) is slightly reduced in the total collective compared to the normal population (mean 92% of predicted value), while diffusion capacity for CO (DLCO) shows predominantly pathological values, mean 70% of the respective predicted value. The CO transfer coefficient (DLCO/VA), which refers to alveolar volume (VA), also shows slightly decreased values (mean 87% pred.). Seventy-nine percent of patients (n = 57) had signs of pulmonary fibrosis on CT scans, and pleural plaques appeared in 58 of 72 patients (81%). Of the newly quantified additional parameters, particularly frequently described findings are subpleural curvilinear lines (SC, n = 39) and parenchymal bands (PB, n = 29). VC correlates well with the expression of pleural plaques (ρ = − 0.273, P < 0.05), and DLCO measures show a better correlation with fibrosis score (ρ = − 0.315, P < 0.01). A third, newly developed score, which includes the extent of pleural plaques and additional subpleural parameters instead of fibrosis parameters, shows significant correlations for both VC and DLCO (ρ = − 0.283, − 0.274, resp.; both P < 0.05).DiscussionThe importance of spirometry (VC) and diffusion capacity measurement (DLCO) as essential diagnostic procedures for the early detection of asbestos-related changes ‒ also including patients with relevant concomitant cardiac or pulmonary diseases ‒ was confirmed. Significant and better correlations between lung function changes (VC and DLCO) and abnormal CT findings are seen when parenchymal bands (PB), subpleural curvilinear lines (SC), and rounded atelectasis (RA) are quantitatively included into the evaluation, in addition to assessing the extent of pleural plaques alone. Therefore, when assessing CT images according to ICOERD, these parameters should also be quantified.

The Accuracies of Fine-Needle Aspiration Biopsy without Ultrasound Guidance versus Frozen-Section Examination of Thyroid Nodule Diagnosis in Teaching Hospital Universitas Sumatera Utara: Single-Center Experience

BACKGROUND: The urgency to determine the most applicable methodological approach in thyroid nodules diagnosis workup is unquestionably important due to a significant increase in its prevalence globally. To date, fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) is the most recommended procedure to diagnose preoperatively even though the certain role of frozen-section examination (FSE) intraoperatively were significant as well to be administered at some circumstances. AIM: This study aims to measure the diagnostic accuracies of FNAB and FSE and determine the role of each procedure in the current thyroid nodules’ workup. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective study was conducted at teaching hospital of Universitas Sumatera Utara, Indonesia. We included and investigated both FNAB and FSE in 106 patients; the results were compared to the final histopathological report, in which statistical analyses were conducted. RESULTS: Most of the nodules are malignant after histopathological confirmation. From the fourfold contingency table, we were able to subtract several diagnostic parameters of the procedures. The FSE substantially disclosed better performance in sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value, and remarkably the accuracy. After several in-depth analyses, it is apparent that a higher rate of false-negative in FNAB is inducing its substandard performance, especially when the guidance of ultrasonography was not applied in this study. Furthermore, an analysis toward the concordance between both procedures results is revealing a significant improvement on almost every parameter, indicated by 100.0% specificity and PPV. CONCLUSION: Although the outcomes in this study are not corresponding to the current guidelines, we acknowledged several limitations in this study, However, the role of FSE in thyroid nodule workup should be reconsidered since we found that the procedure is exhibiting a potential to assist the current method, even though the influence of its certain pitfall remained questionable.

Meta-Analysis of the Diagnostic Efficacy of the Luminex xTAG Respiratory Viral Panel FAST v2 Assay for Respiratory Viral Infections.

PurposeAcute respiratory viral infections pose significant morbidity and mortality, making it essential to diagnose respiratory viral infections rapidly. In this study, the diagnostic efficacy of the Luminex xTAG Respiratory Virus Panel (RVP) FAST v2 test was evaluated on respiratory viral infections.Materials and MethodsInformation was retrieved from electronic databases, including Embase, Web of Science, PubMed, and Cochrane Library, for systematic review. Studies that fulfilled predefined inclusion criteria were included. After the extraction of information, statistical software was utilized for quality evaluation, data analysis, and assessment of publication bias.ResultsEighty groups in fourfold tables from nine articles were included to perform statistical analyses. Therein, the mean specificity and mean sensitivity of Luminex xTAG RVP FAST v2 test for the detection of respiratory viral infections were 0.99 (0.98–0.99) and 0.88 (0.87–0.90), respectively. Additionally, the negative and positive likelihood ratios were 0.14 (0.11–0.19) and 87.42 (61.88–123.50), respectively. Moreover, the diagnostic odds ratio and area under the curve of summary receiver operating characteristic were 714.80 and 0.9886, respectively.ConclusionThe Luminex xTAG RVP FAST v2 test could be a reliable and rapid diagnostic method for multiple respiratory viral infections.

Similarity of mirative and contrastive focus: three parameters for describing attention markers

Abstract This article addresses the heretofore unacknowledged similarity of mirative-like and contrastive-focus-like functions by describing data from Denjongke (Tibetic, sip), Bih (Chamic, Vietnam, ibh) and Nepali (Indo-Aryan, nep). The similarity between mirative-like and contrastive-focus-like functions in the aforementioned languages is captured by the notion of something being brought to the forefront of attention. Mirative-like semantics are shown to be epiphenomenal to attention-oriented phenomena, and the functional domain in which the morphemes operate is shown to be attention rather than knowledge structure. The morphemes in the study are described in terms of three parameters, which are put forward as potentially useful tools for describing similar morphemes in other languages: speaker versus addressee orientation, clausal versus phrasal scope, and anaphoric versus cataphoric use. The first two parameters form a fourfold table in which the heuristically named “mirative-like function” has clausal scope and is speaker-oriented (i.e. speaker signals that something has come to the forefront of their attention). “Contrastive-focus-like function”, on the other hand, has phrasal scope and is addressee-oriented (i.e. speaker intends to bring something to the forefront of the addressee’s attention). Cognitively, contrastive-focus-like function is shown to establish joint attention.

RISK OF CIRCULATORY DISEASES ON THE EXAMPLE OF HEART RHYTHM DISORDERS IN PATIENTS WITH SEROLOGICAL MARKERS OF EPSTEIN – BARR INFECTION

To reduce a burden of circulatory diseases (CD) is among primary tasks the state has to solve. There are available data on a contribution made by chronic inflammation on occurrence of heart and vascular diseases. Given that, it seems especially interesting to examine impacts exerted by Epstein-Barr virus infection on CD development. The paper focuses on analyzing morbidity with infectious mononucleosis and CD in the Russian Federation over 1995–2018. 103 patients with heart rhythm disorders and 92 blood donors were examined to determine whether they had immunoglobulins to EBV antigens.The results were statistically processed involving calculation of Pearson’s linear correlation coefficient, error of cor- relation coefficient, validity coefficient, determination coefficient, and frequencies of EBV markers detection per 100 exam- ined people and their confidence intervals. Differences were considered to be authentic when confidence probability was equal to 95 % and confidence significance was p&lt;0.05. Relative risks of heart rhythm disorders in patients with active EBV- infection were calculated as per results obtained via creating a fourfold table. EBV was established to make a significant contribution into circulatory pathology occurrence and it was confirmed by an overall ascending trend in morbidity with infectious mononucleosis and CD in the Russian Federation in 1995-2018 and an authentic strong direct correlation between these two processes (r=0.94; m=0.02; t=47; p&lt;0.01) with determination be- ing equal to 0.88. Risk of developing heart rhythm disorders was determined by active EBV-infection in case history com- bined with detected M-immunoglobulins to capsid EBV antigen and G-immunoglobulins to early EBV antigen, as well as an increase in concentration of G-immunoglobulins to capsid antigen in blood serum (RR=5.8 and 2.3 accordingly). These detected peculiarities require further more profound study and development of activities aimed at risk minimization.

РИСК РАЗВИТИЯ БОЛЕЗНЕЙ СИСТЕМЫ КРОВООБРАЩЕНИЯ НА ПРИМЕРЕ НАРУШЕНИЙ РИТМА СЕРДЦА У ПАЦИЕНТОВ С СЕРОЛОГИЧЕСКИМИ МАРКЕРАМИ ЭПШТЕЙНА – БАРР ВИРУСНОЙ ИНФЕКЦИИ

To reduce a burden of circulatory diseases (CD) is among primary tasks the state has to solve. There are available data on a contribution made by chronic inflammation on occurrence of heart and vascular diseases. Given that, it seems especially interesting to examine impacts exerted by Epstein-Barr virus infection on CD development. The paper focuses on analyzing morbidity with infectious mononucleosis and CD in the Russian Federation over 1995–2018. 103 patients with heart rhythm disorders and 92 blood donors were examined to determine whether they had immunoglobulins to EBV antigens The results were statistically processed involving calculation of Pearson’s linear correlation coefficient, error of cor- relation coefficient, validity coefficient, determination coefficient, and frequencies of EBV markers detection per 100 exam- ined people and their confidence intervals. Differences were considered to be authentic when confidence probability was equal to 95 % and confidence significance was p&lt;0.05. Relative risks of heart rhythm disorders in patients with active EBV- infection were calculated as per results obtained via creating a fourfold table. EBV was established to make a significant contribution into circulatory pathology occurrence and it was confirmed by an overall ascending trend in morbidity with infectious mononucleosis and CD in the Russian Federation in 1995-2018 and an authentic strong direct correlation between these two processes (r=0.94; m=0.02; t=47; p&lt;0.01) with determination be- ing equal to 0.88. Risk of developing heart rhythm disorders was determined by active EBV-infection in case history com- bined with detected M-immunoglobulins to capsid EBV antigen and G-immunoglobulins to early EBV antigen, as well as an increase in concentration of G-immunoglobulins to capsid antigen in blood serum (RR=5.8 and 2.3 accordingly).

Modification and accuracy of the STOP-Bang questionnaire for screening obstructive sleep apnea in adults

Objective:To assess the accuracy of the STOP-Bang questionnaire（SBQ） about screening for obstructive sleep apnea（OSA） in adults, and to establish appropriate cutoffs for body mass index（BMI）, neck circumference（NC）, age, and SBQ score for this population in combination with the body size characteristics of the study subjects, and to evaluate the accuracy of the SBQ for combined screening with waist to height ratio（WHtR）. Methods:The data were collected from October, 2019 to November, 2020 at the Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University, and 218 patients with suspicious OSA were included in this study, all of them completed the SBQ and underwent overnight PSG. SBQ screening and PSG were tested in a blinded concurrent manner. Using the PSG results as the gold standard, the subjects were divided into a diseased group with moderate to severe OSA and a non-diseased group based on apnea hypopnea index. According to SBQ screening results, the subjects were divided into a positive group with moderate severe OSA and negative group. And calculated in the form of four-fold table, the optimal cutoffs were determined by adjusting age, BMI, NC, and SBQ score cutoffs, and calculating the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value（PPV）, negative predictive value（NPV）, Youden index, and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve（ROC）. And the modified version of SBQ was combined with WHtR for joint diagnosis to evaluate the accuracy of combined screening. Results:With all 218 patients completing the experiment, 159（72.94%） patients were in the moderate-severe group. The original SBQ had a sensitivity of 93.71%, specificity of 47.46%, PPV of 82.80%, NPV of 73.70%, Youden index of 0.41, and area under the ROC curve（AUC） of 0.71 for predicting moderate to severe OSA. When adjusting the BMI cutoff to 30 kg/m², NC cutoff to 40 cm, and age cutoff to 50 years, the modified SBQ had a sensitivity of 95.60%, specificity of 47.46%, PPV of 83.10%, NPV of 80.00%, Youden index of 0.43, and AUC of 0.72 for predicting moderate to severe OSA. When the modified SBQ score was 4 or more as the cutoff value, the highest Youden index and AUC were 0.54, 0.77 respectively. When the modified SBQ≥3 points were combined with WHtR>0.55, the highest Youden index and AUC were 0.58, 0.79 respectively. Conclusion:SBQ is effective in screening for moderate to severe OSA and better screening accuracy can be achieved by using a modified version of the SBQ（BMI>30 kg/m², NC>40 cm, age>50 years）. The maximum diagnostic accuracy can be achieved when the modified SBQ total score was 4 or more as the cutoff. Those with the modified SBQ total score=3 and WHtR>0.55 can be classified as high risk for moderate to severe OSA, and the modified version of SBQ can be a screening tool to identify moderate to severe OSA.

Evaluation of a non-contact ultra-wideband bio-radar sleep monitoring device for screening of sleep breathing disease.

Ultra-wideband bio-radar (UWB) is a new non-contact technology that can be used to screen for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). However, little information is available regarding its reliability. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of UWB and to determine if UWB could provide a novel and reliable method for the primary screening of sleep-related breathing disorders. Subjects with suspected OSA from the sleep center of the First Hospital of the China Medical University wereassessed over the period of September 2018 to April 2019 for enrollment in the study. Three detection methods were simultaneously used, including the STOP-Bang questionnaire (SBQ), UWB, and standard polysomnography (PSG). The data were analyzed using a fourfold table, receiver operating characteristic curves, Spearman rank correlation coefficients, Bland-Altman plots, and epoch-by-epoch analysis. Of 67 patients, 56 were men, mean age was 43 ± 11years, mean body mass index was 27.8 ± 4.8kg/m2, and mean SBQ score was 4.8 ± 1.6. The apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) (r = 0.82, p < 0.01) and minimum arterial oxygen saturation (r = 0.80, p < 0.01) of the UWB were positively correlated with those obtained from the PSG. UWB performed better than SBQ, as indicated by the larger area under the curve (0.85 vs. 0.632). The sensitivity and specificity of the UWB-AHI were good (100%, 70%, respectively). UWB performs well in the screening of OSA and can provide reliable outcomes for the screening of OSA at the primary level.

Diagnostic Accuracy of Xpert Xpress Flu/RSV for the Detection of Influenza and Respiratory Syncytial Viruses.

Xpert Xpress Flu/RSV is a fast and automated real-time nucleic acid amplification tool for detecting influenza virus and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). The aim of this study was to verify the accuracy of Xpert Xpress Flu/RSV for detecting influenza virus and RSV. PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science databases were searched up to October 2020. The quality of the original research was assessed using the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies-2 guidelines. Meta-DiSc 1.4 software was used to analyze the sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio, negative likelihood ratio, diagnostic odds ratio, and summary receiver operating characteristic curve. Deek's funnel plot asymmetry test was used to evaluate the publication bias using the Stata 12.0 software. Ten studies with 25 fourfold tables were included in the analysis. The sensitivity of Xpert Xpress Flu/RSV for detecting influenza A, influenza B, and RSV were 0.97, 0.98, and 0.96, respectively, and the specificities were 0.97, 1.00, and 1.00, respectively. Compared with other common clinical real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), Xpert Xpress Flu/RSV is a valuable tool for diagnosing influenza virus and RSV with high sensitivity and specificity.

Pooled Analysis of the Accuracy of Xpert Ebola Assay for Diagnosing Ebola Virus Infection.

Background West Africa has witnessed the unprecedented outbreak of Ebola virus disease (EVD). The Ebola virus (EBOV) can cause Ebola hemorrhagic fever, which is documented as the most deadly viral hemorrhagic fever in the world. RT-PCR had been suggested to be employed in the detection of Ebola virus; however, this method has high requirements for laboratory equipment and takes a long time to determine Ebola infection. Although Xpert Ebola is a fast and simple instrument for the detection of Ebola virus, its effect is still unclear. This study is aimed at evaluating the accuracy of Xpert Ebola in diagnosing Ebola virus infection. Methods Using the keywords “Xpert” and “Ebola virus”, relevant studies were retrieved from the database of PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane. RT-PCR was employed as a reference standard to evaluate whether the study is eligible to be included in the meta-analysis. Data from these included studies were extracted by two independent assessors and were then analyzed by the Meta-DiSc 1.4 software to produce the heterogeneity of sensitivity (SEN), specificity (SP), positive likelihood ratio (PLR), negative likelihood ratio (NLR), and diagnostic advantage ratio (DOR) of the study. The results of pooled analysis were plotted, together with the summary receiver operating characteristic (SROC) curve plotted by calculating the area under the curve (AUC). Generated pooled summary estimates (95% CIs) were calculated for the evaluation of the overall accuracy of this study. Results Five fourfold tables were made from the four studies that were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled sensitivity of Xpert Ebola was 0.98 (95% confidence interval (CI) (0.95, 0.99)), and the pooled specificity was 0.98 (95% CI (0.97, 0.99)). The pooled values of positive likelihood ratio was 53.91 (95% CI (12.82, 226.79)), with negative likelihood ratio being 0.04 (95% CI (0.02, 0.08)) and diagnostic odds ratio being 2649.45 (95% CI (629.61, 11149.02)). The AUC was 0.9961. Conclusions Compared with RT-PCR, Xpert Ebola has high sensitivity and specificity. Therefore, it is a valued alternative method for the clinical diagnosis of Ebola virus infection. However, the Xpert Ebola test is a qualitative test that does not provide quantitative testing of EBOV concentration. Whether it can completely replace other methods or not calls for further evidences.

Predictive Value of Blood Ammonia in the Prognosis of Acute Liver Failure Evaluated by Receiver Operating Characteristic Curves

To investigate the predictive value of blood ammonia (BLA) quantification in the prognosis of acute liver failure (ALF).Seventy-one patients with ALF were enrolled and BLA concentration was measured in all patients. After following up for 28 days, patients were divided into two groups: the surviving group (n = 21) and the deceased group (n = 50). An independent-samples t-test was used to compare BLA concentrations between the two groups, and receiver operating characteristic curves were used to ¬evaluate the predictive value of BLA in the prognosis of ALF. A fourfold table analysis was performed with the determined BLA cutoff value.The average concentration of BLA in the deceased group was significantly higher compared with the surviving group (144.50 µmol/L vs. 106 µmol/L, respectively; P = .035). The cutoff BLA concentration for a good ALF prognosis was 122.5 µmol/L. The area under the curve was 0.659. Both the sensitivity and specificity were >0.6. The 95% CIs for sensitivity and specificity were 0.452-0.733 and 0.477-0.878, respectively. The fourfold table analysis revealed a positive predictive value of 83.3%, a negative predictive value of 42.9%, a misdiagnosis rate of 28.6%, and an accuracy of 63.4%.With a cutoff BLA concentration of 122.5 µmol/L, the prognosis of ALF could be predicted with high sensitivity and specificity, a positive predictive value, a low misdiagnosis rate, and good accuracy.

Theory of language: a taxonomy

The study of language has been historically proposed as a model for human sciences. For the structuralists, it is because languages, like society, and cultural habits, are man-made rule-based systems. For the Darwinists, it is because cultures and societies are like living species, and can be studied with biological methodology. Sociology, biology and linguistics are considered analogous in different ways. To support work in theoretical and applied linguistics, this paper discusses the problem of the nature of language, investigating how the question “What is language?” has been approached from different angles. Textbook answers guide us in many different directions: language is a tool for communication—and for thinking. It is a collection of words and instructions how to use them. It is the characteristic which—arguably—separates humans from other animals. It is a social construction, a system of symbols, a system of systems, and so on. To classify perspectives, the intellectual history of schools of linguistic thought is examined, connecting linguistic theory with related disciplines. A taxonomy is proposed based on two axes: humanistic versus biological; and historical versus systemic. Main linguistics frameworks are identified and placed into a fourfold table based on these axes. They include the Bloomfieldian school (Type 1); Saussurean structuralism and its derivatives (Type 2); generative grammar and biolinguistics (Type 3); and cognitive‒evolutionary linguistics (Type 4).

Pooled analysis of Xpert Bladder Cancer based on the 5 mRNAs for rapid diagnosis of bladder carcinoma

BackgroundXpert Bladder Cancer is a detection method developed in recent years, designed with the functions of integrating sample automatically, nucleic acid amplification, and target sequence detection. It is a urine assay targeting five mRNAs (CRH, IGF2, UPK1B, ANXA10, and ABL1). The purpose of this article is to review the accuracy of Xpert Bladder Cancer in the follow-up diagnosis of bladder cancer and evaluate the role of Xpert Bladder Cancer in detecting the recurrence of non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer in the round.MethodsIn the database of Embase, PubMed, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library, the articles published up to October 13, 2020, were searched and screened based on the exclusion and inclusion criteria, and data were extracted from the included studies. The sensitivity, specificity, negative likelihood ratio, positive likelihood ratio summary of receiver operating characteristic curves, and diagnostic odds ratio were combined by the Meta-DiSc 1.4 software. The Stata 12.0 software was used to obtain the assessment of publication bias.ResultsA total of 8 articles involving eight fourfold tables were finally identified. The pooled sensitivity and specificity of Xpert Bladder Cancer in the diagnosis of bladder cancer were 0.71 and 0.81, respectively. The positive likelihood ratio and negative likelihood ratio were 3.74 and 0.34, respectively. The area under the curve was 0.8407. The diagnostic odds ratio was 11.99. Deeks’ funnel plot asymmetry test manifested no publication bias.ConclusionsIn summary, Xpert Bladder Cancer presents high accuracy and specificity in monitoring bladder cancer compared with cystoscopy. More researches are still required to further confirm this conclusion.

Predictive Value of Occult Metastasis and Survival Significance of Metabolic Tumor Volume Determined by PET-CT in cT1-2N0 Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Tongue.

ObjectivesOur goal was to analyze the possibility of using metabolic tumor volume (MTV) to predict occult cervical metastasis and survival in cT1-2N0 squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the tongue.MethodsData on the primary tumor MTV and cervical node status as determined by the maximum standardized uptake value were retrieved. The sensitivity and specificity in predicting occult metastasis were calculated with a fourfold table. Associations between occult metastasis and clinicopathological variables were evaluated by univariate and multivariate analyses. The main study endpoints were locoregional control (LRC) and disease-specific survival (DSS).ResultsA total of 24 (20.3%) of 118 patients had occult metastasis. An MTV cutoff value of 4.3 cm3 showed a sensitivity of 50.0% and a specificity of 76.6% in predicting occult metastasis. The sensitivity and specificity of PET-CT in predicting occult metastasis in cT1 tumors were 66.6 and 89.8%, respectively, with values of 83.3 and 67.3%, respectively, when combined with the MTV. The sensitivity and specificity of PET-CT in predicting occult metastasis in cT2 tumors were 72.2 and 82.2%, respectively, with values of 88.9 and 57.8%, respectively, when combined with the MTV. Patients with MTV ≥4.3 cm3 had a higher occult metastasis rate than patients with MTV <4.3 cm3. The 5-year LRC and DSS rates were 86 and 94%, respectively, in patients with MTV <4.3 cm3 and 54 and 72%, respectively, in patients with MTV ≥4.3 cm3. Both differences were found to be significant in univariate and multivariate analyses.ConclusionsMTV ≥4.3 cm3 was associated with an increased probability of occult metastasis and lower LRC and DSS rates in early-stage SCC of the tongue.

Evaluation of the Diagnostic Efficacy of Xpert CT/NG for Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae.

Background Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) and Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG) are widely spread across the world. Asymptomatic or inconspicuous CT/NG infections are difficult to diagnose and treat. Traditional methods have the disadvantages of low detection rate, inaccurate results, and long detection time. However, Xpert CT/NG makes up for the aforementioned shortcomings and has research value and popularization significance. Methods PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science were systematically searched, and studies were screened using Xpert CT/NG for diagnosing CT/NG. QUADAS-2 was used to evaluate the quality of the eligible studies. Then, two groups of researchers independently extracted data from these studies. Meta-analyses of sensitivity (SEN), specificity (SPE), positive likelihood ratio (PLR), negative likelihood ratio (NLR), diagnostic odds ratio (DOR), and the area under the curve (AUC) of the summary receiver operating characteristic (SROC) curve were conducted using Meta-DiSc 1.4. Finally, Deek's funnel plots were made using Stata 12.0 to evaluate publication bias. Results 14 studies were identified, and 46 fourfold tables were extracted in this meta-analysis. The pooled SEN, SPE, PLR, NLR, DOR, and AUC in diagnosing CT were 0.94 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.93–0.95), 0.99 (95% CI: 0.99–1.00), 97.17 (95% CI: 56.76–166.32), 0.07 (95% CI: 0.04–0.12), 1857.25 (95% CI: 943.78–3654.86), and 0.9960, respectively. The pooled SEN, SPE, PLR, NLR, DOR, and AUC in diagnosing NG were 0.95 (95% CI: 0.93–0.96), 1.00 (95% CI: 1.00–1.00), 278.15 (95% CI: 152.41–507.63), 0.08 (95% CI: 0.06–0.12), 4290.70 (95% CI: 2161.78–8516.16), and 0.9980, respectively. Conclusions Xpert CT/NG had high diagnostic sensitivity and specificity for CT and NG. However, more evidence is required to confirm that Xpert CT/NG might serve as the primary method for detecting CT and NG and even the gold standard for diagnosis in the future.