Patients In Negative Group Research Articles

KLF15 Transcription Activated Tachykinin Precursor 1 to Induce Perineural Invasion in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

In this study, we aimed to identify novel biomarkers related to Peripheral Neural Invasion (PNI) in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). The PNI-related differentially expressed mRNAs (DE-mRNAs) in HNSCC were identified to construct a PNI-related risk score model. The expression level and ROC curve for Tachykinin Precursor 1 (TAC1) were calculated. Additionally, two kinds of in vitro models of PNI were established for investigation, including the Matrigel-PNI model and the Transwell-PNI model. Furthermore, the transcription factor of the TAC1 was predicted and verified by qRTPCR. A total of 139 DE-mRNAs were identified in PNI positive and negative groups of HNSCC patients. The risk-score marker model incorporating 20 PNI-related DE-mRNAs was established. The TAC1 was identified as a potential highly expressed PNI marker, which exhibited good performance in predicting PNI events. Patients with higher TAC1 expressions demonstrated significantly shorter survival rates compared to those with lower TAC1 expressions in HNSCC. Besides, the knockdown of TAC1 significantly repressed neural invasion in HNSCC cells in vitro, according to the Matrigel-PNI model and Transwell-PNI model. Furthermore, KLF15 was predicted and verified as a transcription activator of TAC1 in HNSCC. This study highlights that the activation of KLF15 transcription of TAC1 promotes PNI in HNSCC cells, which provides guidance regarding the molecular diagnosis of PNI in HNSCC cells.

HPV and p16 expression association with 5-year survival in oral squamous cell carcinoma patients of north-east India

BackgroundIn our study, we examined the 5-year survival of OSCC patients with HPV positive or negative status along with p16 protein expression. MethodA total of 72 biopsy tissue specimens from histologically confirmed oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) patients were collected. HPV detection and genotyping were performed using HPV E6/E7 and HPV- type-specific multiplex primer for nested-PCR. Immunohistochemistry evaluation of pl6 was conducted. SPSS statistical software (ver 20) was used for data analysis. ResultsHigh risk-HPV (hr-HPV) DNA positivity was found in 27.7% (n = 20) of OSCC patients. Stage III OSCC patients were 7.80 times more likely to survive 5 years than stage IV patients (OR-7.80 CI-95%; P-0.03). Among the hr-HPV positive OSCC patients, we found that the median survival time for the 1st year (95%), 3 years (78.5%), and 5 years (38.5%) was significantly higher than that of the hr-HPV negative [1st year (78.6%), 3 years (45.2%) and 5 years (38.5%)] OSCC patients (P-0.03 The survival of male patients with hr-HPV positive OSCC is 9.75 times greater than the survival of patients with HPV negative OSCC (OR-9.75; CI-95%; P-0.05). The p16 expression level (low to overexpression) group and negative P16 expression group of OSCC patients have not demonstrated a significant association with 5-year survival. ConclusionWe conclude that in OSCC cases of North-East India, the presence of hr-HPV in OSCC cases could be a good predictor of 5-year survival rate. Expression of p16 does not appear to have any significant association with 5-year survival.

Haematological Profiles of Plasmodium-Induced Changes in Serum Amyloid-A levels among the Internally Displaced Persons in Maiduguri

The menace of malaria has constituted a health challenge in Nigeria. Internally Displaced Persons’ Camps are available temporary accommodation provided for victims of war in war torn zones around the world. A study was undertaken to investigate relationship between Serum Amyloid A (SAA), haematological profiles and malaria infection among internally displaced person in three (3) different camps (GGC: Government Girls’ College Camp, GSS: Girls’ Secondary School Camp, CAN-: Christian Association of Nigeria) within Maiduguri, Borno state capital between March and September, 2017. A total of 400 sample subjects were recruited for the study, malaria parasite test was done using the Giemsa thick and thin peripheral blood film, SAA was analysed using the Enzyme linked immune-sobent assay (ELISA) kit while Haematological parameters were analyse using the automatic full blood count analyser. The result of the study shows a positive correlation between malaria infection and these parameters. A mean SAA of 32.76mg/l, PCV of 28.2%, haemoglobin of 8.88g/dl, platelets of 116.54×103 /µl, leucocyte of 6.02×103 /mm3 and neutrophils of 3.34×103 /mm3 was recorded in the positive subjects compared to the 14.11mg/l, 41%, 14.81g/dl, 261.46×103/µl, 8.23×103 /mm3 , 4.11×103 /mm3 reported in the negative patients group, this results shows that there are abnormal haematological alterations in malaria subjects compared to the negative control group, hence SAA and haematological parameters can be used as markers of plasmodium infection.

Difference of gut microbiota between patients with negative and positive HBeAg in chronic hepatitis B and the effect of tenofovir alafenamide on intestinal flora.

Severe liver diseases, such as liver fibrosis, cirrhosis, and liver cancer, are mainly caused by hepatitis B virus (HBV). This study investigated the differences between gut microbiota in HBeAg-positive and negative groups of patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) and investigated the effect of tenofovir alafenamide (TAF) on gut microbiota. This prospective study included patients with CHB not taking nucleoside antivirals (No-NAs group, n = 95) and those taking TAF (TAF group, n = 60). We divided CHB patients into two groups according to the HBeAg status of the subjects on the day of data collection. Phase 1 are HBeAg-negative patients and phase 2 are HBeAg-positive patients. We investigated the improvement of clinical symptoms by TAF, as well as differences in gut microbiota between different groups by 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing. Gut microbiota demonstrated significant differences between patients with HBeAg-positive and -negative CHB. Both the No-NAs and TAF Phase 2 subgroups demonstrated significantly increased microbiota richness and diversity, showing greater heterogeneity. Additionally, the Phase 2 subgroup exhibited a low abundance of pathways associated with glucose metabolism and amino acid metabolism. The TAF group demonstrated a significantly decreased HBV load, alanine aminotransferase, and aspartate aminotransferase and a significant increase in prealbumin compared with the No-NAs group. No significant difference was found in uric acid, creatinine, blood calcium, inorganic phosphorus, eGFR, and β2-microglobulin concentrations between the two groups. Additionally, the urea level in the TAF group was significantly lower than that in the No-NAs group, but with no significant effect on other indicators such as eGFR and β2-microglobulin. This study revealed significant differences in gut microbiota composition and function between patients with HBeAg-positive and -negative CHB.

PARP-1 improves leukemia outcomes by inducing parthanatos during chemotherapy

Previous chemotherapy research has focused almost exclusively on apoptosis. Here, a standard frontlinedrug combination of cytarabine and idarubicin induces distinct features of caspase-independent, poly(ADP-ribose)polymerase 1 (PARP-1)-mediated programmed cell death "parthanatos" in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cell lines (n= 3/10 tested), peripheral blood mononuclear cells from healthy human donors (n= 10/10 tested), and primary cell samples from patients with AML (n= 18/39 tested, French-American-British subtypes M4 and M5). A 3-fold improvement in survival rates is observed in the parthanatos-positive versus -negative patient groups (hazard ratio [HR]= 0.28-0.37, p= 0.002-0.046). Manipulation of PARP-1 activity in parthanatos-competent cells reveals higher drug sensitivity in cells that have basal PARP-1 levels as compared with those subjected to PARP-1 overexpression or suppression. The same trends are observed in RNA expression databases and support the conclusion that PARP-1 can have optimal levels for favorable chemotherapeutic responses.

Delayed 18F-FDG PET imaging provides better metabolic asymmetry in potential epileptogenic zone in temporal lobe epilepsy.

To investigate the value of 18F-FDG positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) two time point imaging for the identification of the potential epileptogenic zone (EZ) in temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). Fifty-two patients with TLE were prospectively enrolled in the 18F-FDG PET/CT two time point imaging study. The early imaging was obtained approximately 40 min (43.44 ± 18.04 min) after 18F-FDG injection, and the delayed imaging was obtained about 2 to 3 h (160.46 ± 28.70 min) after the injection. Visual and semi-quantitative analysis of 18F-FDG uptake were performed at the two time points in EZ and contralateral symmetrical region. The mean standardized uptake value (SUVmean) of EZ and contralateral symmetrical region was calculated to determine the asymmetry index (AI) of the early and delayed images, as well as in the MRI positive and negative patient groups. Semi-quantitative analysis demonstrated that AI of the early and delayed 18F-FDG PET/CT images was 13.47 ± 6.10 and 16.43 ± 6.66, respectively. The ΔAI was 2.95 ± 3.05 in 52 TLE patients between the two time points. The AI of the EZ was significantly elevated in delayed images compared to the early images (p < 0.001). The AI of delayed imaging was also significantly elevated compared to the early imaging in both MRI positive (ΔAI = 2.81 ± 2.54, p < 0.001) and MRI negative (ΔAI = 3.21 ± 3.91, p < 0.003) groups, and more pronounced in MRI negative group. Visual analysis also showed that the delayed imaging appeared to be superior to the early imaging for identification of potential EZ. Delayed 18F-FDG PET imaging provided significantly better than the early imaging in the identification of potential EZ, which can be valuable during epilepsy pre-surgical evaluation in patients with TLE.

Cytomegalovirus reactivation in ulcerative colitis patients: Early indicators.

The association of. ytomegalovirus (CMV) infection with ulcerative colitis (UC) still remains a controversial topic for the clinicians. Aim: In this study, we aimed to elucidate the CMV infection related parameters in the exacerbation of UC. In this study, 812 UC patients who have admitted to our institution between June 2008 and November 2020 were analyzed retrospectively. CMV infection was diagnosed by the detection of CMV DNA with polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in tissue biopsies with presence of clinical colitis symptoms. CMV negative UC patient group was defined as UC activation group with negative PCR results. A total of 153 patients met the inclusion criteria during the study period, with a median age of 41.8 years. CMV PCR positivity had been detected in tissue biopsy in 43 (28.1%) UC patients. CMV-positive patients had a statistically significant higher frequency of steroid resistance, treatment with azathioprine, longer disease duration, longer remission, and hospitalization day. The mean C-reactive protein (CRP) level, platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR) were higher, and mean albumin level was lower in CMV positive patients, with statistically significance. Also, colectomy and anti-tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) therapy were more frequent in CMV-reactivated group in long-term follow-up. In a multivariable model, steroid resistance, treatment with azathioprine, long disease duration, low albumin value was independently associated with colonic CMV infection. Steroid resistance, treatment with azathioprine, long disease duration, low albumin levels were significant risk factors for CMV colitis, among patients with UC activation.

Helikobakter Pilori Enfeksiyonu ile Nötrofil-Lenfosit Oranı, Trombosit-Lenfosit Oranı Ve Nötrofil-Monosit Oranları Arasındaki İlişki

Aim: In our study, we aimed to show the relationship between neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio, platelet-lymphocyte ratio, neutrophil-monocyte ratio and mean platelet volume, and Helicobacter pylori positivity and severity. Material and Methods: In this study, we included 596 patients without active and/or chronic disease who underwent upper gastrointestinal system endoscopy due to dyspeptic complaints in a state hospital between July 2021 and July 2022. Demographic and laboratory data were obtained retrospectively from electronic patient records. The patients were divided into two groups as positive and negative for Helicobacter pylori according to the pathology report. Helicobacter pylori presence was defined as none, mild, moderate and severe. Hemogram parameters were compared between the groups. Results: Mean age of the patients (n=596) was 41.8±13.57 years, 374 (62.8%) were female, and 331 (55.5%) were Helicobacter pylori positive. There was no statistically significant difference between Helicobacter pylori positive and negative patient groups in terms of age, gender, leukocytes, lymphocytes, monocytes, platelets, hemoglobin, neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio, platelet-lymphocyte ratio, neutrophil-monocyte ratio and mean platelet volume values. When the hemogram parameters were evaluated according to the severity of Helicobacter pylori, a statistically significant difference was found between the groups only in terms of lymphocyte levels (p=0.028). However, this difference was not considered clinically significant. Conclusion: Neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio, platelet-lymphocyte ratio, neutrophil-monocyte ratio and mean platelet volume are thought to be popular recently and easy, accessible and inexpensive parameters for diagnosis and degree of inflammation in many systemic diseases, but in our study, no statistically significant relationship was found between Helicobacter pylori positivity and severity and hemogram parameters. Prospective studies with larger numbers of cases are needed to accept these parameters as predictors for Helicobacter pylori infection.

The impact of HCV chronic positivity and clearance on extrahepatic morbidity in thalassemia major patients: an observational study from MIOT Network

BackgroundNo study has evaluated the effect of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection on the wide spectrum of complications affecting patients with thalassemia. ObjectivesThis multicenter study prospectively assessed the relationship of HCV infection with diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular complications in patients with thalassemia major (TM). MethodsWe considered 1057 TM patients (539 females; 29.79±10.08 years) enrolled in the MIOT Network and categorized into 4 groups: negative patients (group 1a, N=460), patients who spontaneously cleared the virus within 6months (group 1b, N=242), patients who eradicated the virus after the treatment with antiviral therapy (group 2, N=102), and patients with chronic HCV infection (group 3, N=254). ResultsGroup 1a and 1b were considered as a unique group (group 1). For both groups 1 and 3, a match 1:1 for age and sex with group 2 was performed. The effective study cohort consisted of 306 patients (three groups of 102 patients).During a mean follow-up of 67.93±39.20months, the group 3 experienced a significantly higher % increase/month in aspartate transaminase levels and left ventricular mass index than both groups 1 and 2. The changes in iron overload indexes were comparable among the three groups.Compared to group 1, the chronic HCV group showed a significantly higher risk of diabetes (hazard ratio-HR=5.33; p=0.043) and of cardiovascular diseases (HR=3.80; p=0.034). ConclusionChronic HCV infection is associated with a significant higher risk of diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular complications in TM patients and should be approached as a systemic disease in which extrahepatic complications increase the weight of its pathological burden.

Significance of serum copper zinc ratio in smear negative pulmonary tuberculosis cases in Rohilkhand region

Tuberculosis being a highly contagious chronic pulmonary and systemic disease is explicit cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. There is a direct relationship between zinc and copper in maturation of immunity, Cu/Zn ratio in serum serves to assess levels of oxidative stress in infectious diseases and thus could be used as a diagnostic tool in early diagnosis of smear negative tuberculosis. To study and evaluate significance of serum Cu and Zn concentration and Cu/Zn ratio in smear negative pulmonary tuberculosis patients in comparison to apparently healthy controls. Observational case control study was carried out on patients attending IPD and OPD, Department of Pulmonary Medicine, RMCH. Fifty cases of smear negative PTB patients(group A) was taken and compared with fifty age and sex matched apparently healthy controls(group B). Serum Cu and Zn were estimated in both groups by colorimetric method using EM Chem5Plus V2 Semi autoanalyzer. Data is presented as mean ± SD. Comparison of serum levels of the parameters between the two groups was performed by Student’s‘t’ test. The p value &amp;#60;0.05 was considered as statistically significant. We found serum Zinc to be significantly lower in group I than group II(p&amp;#60;0.00), serum Copper &amp; Cu/Zn ratio to be significantly higher in group I than II(p&amp;#60;0.00). The results suggests that early estimation of serum Cu, Zn &amp; Cu/Zn ratio serves as useful diagnostic marker for smear negative pulmonary TB cases though more extensive multicentric study will provide more insights.

ASSOCIATION BETWEEN TWENTY SERUM MIRNAS AND CLINICOPATHOLOGICAL VARIABLES IN PATIENTS WITH BREAST CANCER

Determining that miRNAs play a role in breast cancer pathogenesis suggests that it may be useful in the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer. In this study, 39 patients with invasive breast cancer were diagnosed with serum levels of 20 miRNAs(miR-105, miR-21, miR-141, miR-200a, miR-200b, miR-200c, miR-203, miR-210, miR-375, miR-34a, miR-133a, miR-155, miR-139-5p, miR-143, miR-145, miR-365, miR-299-5p, miR-411, miR-452, miR-17) were analyzed during diagnosis and after treatment. In the analysis results, it is detected that serum levels of miR-200c(p=0.030), miR-375(p=0.045), miR-34a(p=0.042) were significantly higher in the local advanced/metastatic group. Serum level of miR-141(p=0.062) was lower in patients with positive lymph node involvement, whereas miR-133a(p=0.037) levels were higher in the same patient group. MiR-105(p=0.015), miR-203(p=0.015), miR-375(p=0.033), miR-145(p=0.025) serum levels were significantly higher in the progesterone receptor negative group, likewise miR-105(p=0.053) levels were high in the estrogen receptor negative patient group. The high levels of miR-375 and miR-133a were noticeable in human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 positive patients(p=0.037 and p=0.014, respectively). MiR-143(p=0.009) and miR-145(p=0.017) levels were observed to be higher in the patient group with a ki-67 index&gt;20%. It was found that 2 miRNAs(miR-133a(p=0.018) and miR-139-5p(p=0.004)) were significantly higher in patients in the luminal B group, which were separated by molecular subgroups. Nine of miRNAs that evaluated(miR-105(p=0.0001), miR-21(p=0.001), miR-141(p=0.041), miR-200a(p=0.003), miR-200b(p=0.0001), miR-200c(p=0.0001), miR-203(p=0.0001), miR-34a(p=0.0001), miR-452(p=0.018)) significantly increased after treatment and 5 of the miRNAs(miR-155(p=0.0001), miR-143(p=0.0001), miR-145(p=0.0001), miR-365(p=0.0001), miR-299-5p(p=0.0001)) were significantly reduced after treatment. We think that miRNAs may help in evaluating the follow-up and prognosis of invasive breast cancer.

Melatonin levels are low in COVID-19 positive patients and these levels are associated with depression, death anxiety and insomnia

In this study, we aimed to measure the melatonin levels in COVID-19 positive patients and to investigate the relationship of these levels with depression, death anxiety and insomnia. COVID-19 positive pneumonia group, COVID-19 negative pneumonia group and healthy control groups were included in the study. Melatonin ELISA kit was used. Blood samples were taken at 23:00 h (h), 02:00 h and 06:00 h. Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Templer Death Anxiety Scale (TDAS), Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) were employed to collect data from the participants. The melatonin levels of COVID-19 positive patients at 23:00 h were lower than the control group. In addition, and the melatonin levels of COVID-19 positive patients at 02:00 h and at 06:00 h were lower than both the COVID-19 negative patient group and the control group. It was observed that the peak melatonin concentration of COVID-19 positive patients occurred at 06:00 h. BDI, TDAS and ISI scores of COVID-19 positive patients were higher than other groups. There was a negative correlation between BDI, TDAS, ISI scores of COVID-19 positive patients and their melatonin levels. The correlation between all scale scores and melatonin levels was higher at 02:00 h. Adding melatonin to the treatment of COVID-19 positive patients may be beneficial for these patients experiencing high levels of depression, anxiety and insomnia.

Prognostic Significance of Immune-checkpoint Molecule PD-L1 in Classical Hodgkin Lymphoma: A Clinicopathologic Study of 120 Cases.

Classic Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL) is a common B-cell malignancy. Despite the good prognosis, in some patients the standard chemotherapy and radiotherapy-based approach does not lead to long-term remission, and these patients eventually relapse. Moreover, the primary refractory disease is of major concern regarding prognosis. We performed a retrospective analysis to evaluate PD-L1 expression in 120 patients with classic Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL). The median follow-up of the entire group of patients was 90 months. After initial therapy, complete remission was achieved in 113 (94.2%) patients. During the follow-up, cHL relapse/refractory disease was reported in 23 (19.2%) cases. A total of five patients died during the follow-up period, all from cHL progression. When determining PD-L1 expression on Hodgkin-Reed-Sternberg (HRS) cells, 37 cases (30.8%) were evaluated as negative, and 83 cases (69.2%) as positive. In the negative PD-L1 group of patients, no cHL relapse/refractory disease was observed during the follow-up period. However, out of 83 patients with positive PD-L1 expression on HRS cells, 23 (28%) showed relapse/refractory cHL. A significantly higher relapse rate was observed in PD-L1-positive patients diagnosed with cHL.

HBsAg Pozitif Hastaların Trombosit İndekslerinin Değerlendirilmesi /Evaluation of Platelet Indexes of HBsAg Positive Patients

OBJECTIVE: Hepatitis B virus is the most important cause of chronic liver inflammation. Studies showing that platelets have important functions as an inflammatory trigger in cases of chronic inflammation have increased in recent years. Expressed as platelet (PLT) indices; platelet volume (MPV), platelet distribution width (PDW), and platelet percentage (PCT) values; it is one of the important markers that provide information about the function and activation of platelets. In this study, in HBsAg positive and HBsAg negative patients, it is aimed to evaluate the parameters of PLT, MPV, PDW and PCT. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this retrospective study, the results of 193 HBsAg positive and 193 HBsAg negative patients who applied to Infectious Diseases Outpatient Clinic of Uşak University Faculty of Medicine Training and Research Hospital were evaluated. The values of PLT, PDW, PCT and MPV parameters were determined using a hemogram device. Student t-test and one- way ANOVA test were used for comparison between the groups. A value of P&amp;lt;0.05 was considered as statistically significant. RESULTS: In our study, while PLT, PDW, PCT and MPV values were determined as 227.36±69.98 103/mm3, 16.34±1.52%, 0.22±0.62% and 9.74±1.10 fl, respectively, in the HBsAg positive patient group, the same values were determined as 224.95±67.48 103/mm3, 16.16±1.08%, 0.22±0.62%, 9.82±1.20 fl, respectively, (p&amp;gt;0.05, p&amp;gt;0.05, p&amp;gt;0.05 and p&amp;gt;0.05, respectively) in the HBsAg negative patient group. In terms of these values, no statistically significant difference was found between the HBsAg positive patient group and the HBsAg negative patient group. In the correlation analysis performed in all cases (n=386), it can be said that there is a very strong negative correlation between PLT and age, MPV, and PDW (respectively, r=-0.156 p=0.06, r=-0.394 p&amp;lt;0.01, r=-0.467 p&amp;lt; 0.01). It was also determined that there was a strong positive correlation (r=0.915 p&amp;lt;0.01) between PLT and PCT. CONCLUSION: In this study, there was no significant difference between HBsAg positive patients and HBsAg negative patients in terms of platelet indices. We recommend that studies on this subject be conducted by grouping hepatitis B patients according to different clinical stages.

Chronic Hepatitis C Virus Infection Is Associated with an Increased Risk of Diabetes Mellitus in Thalassemia Major

Introduction. Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is associated with a number of important extrahepatic manifestations. The association between HCV infection and the occurrence of diabetes mellitus remains controversial. Aim. The aim of this multicentric study was to prospectively assess the relationship between HCV infection and diabetes mellitus in patients with thalassemia major (TM). Methods. We considered 1057 TM patients (539 females; 29.79±10.08 years) consecutively enrolled in the Myocardial Iron Overload in Thalassemia (MIOT). Every 18±3 months the patients performed a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan for iron overload assessment by the T2* technique. The disturbances of glucose metabolism were assessed within three months from each MRI by means of oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). Results. On the basis of the presence of HCV antibodies and RNA, a categorization in 4 groups was performed: negative patients (group 1a, N=460), patients who spontaneously cleared the virus in the first 6 months of infection (group 1b, N=242), patients who eradicated the virus after the treatment with antiviral therapy obtaining a sustained virological response (SVR) (group 2, N=102), and patients with chronic HCV infection (group 3, N=254). The absolute first MRI was the baseline for patients in groups 1a, 1b and 3 while for patients in group 2 the baseline was represented by the first MRI performed after the virus eradication. The follow-up date coincided with the date of the last available MRI. Mean age was significantly lower in group 1a than in all the other 3 groups and in both groups 1b and 3 than in group 2. Group 1a and 1b were considered as a unique group (group 1, no chronic HCV infection). A match 1:1 for age and sex with group 2 was performed. At the baseline ALT and AST levels were significantly increased in group 3 versus both groups 1 and 2 (P<0.0001 for all comparison) and GGT was significantly higher in group 3 than in group 2 (P=0.024). No significant difference was detected in iron overload indices. The OGTT was not performed in 5 patients without known diabetes and frequency of diabetes was comparable among the three groups. Mean follow-up time was 66.27±39.23 months. Among the 253 (84.1%) patients free of diabetes at the baseline MRI, 8 did not perform the OGTT at the follow-up. So, we considered 245 patients: 85 in group 1, 83 in group 2, and 77 in group 3. During the follow-up, diabetes mellitus was recorded in the 2.4%, 6.0% and 7.8% of patients in group 1, 2 and 3, respectively. The chronic HCV group showed a significantly higher risk of diabetes than group 1 (hazard-ratio-HR=5.33, 95%CI=1.06-26.93; P=0.043). The Figure shows the Kaplan-Meier curve. Conclusion. Chronic HCV infection is associated with a significant higher risk of diabetes mellitus in TM patients and, as a consequence, it should be analyzed as a systemic disease in which extrahepatic consequences increase the weight of its pathological burden. Figure 1View largeDownload PPTFigure 1View largeDownload PPT Close modal

Abstract 12315: Prognostic Value of Proteinuria on Cardiac Events in Japanese Patients With Atrial Fibrillation: The Fushimi AF Registry

Background: Previous studies have suggested that proteinuria is independently associated with incidence of atrial fibrillation (AF). However, data regarding the impact of proteinuria on clinical outcomes in patients with AF are limited. Methods: The Fushimi AF Registry is a community-based prospective survey of AF patients in Fushimi-ku, Kyoto, Japan. Follow-up data were available in 4,489 patients, and 2,164 patients with available data of proteinuria as the results of the urine test by dipstick were examined. We divided these patients into three groups according to the level of proteinuria; positive group (n=339), trace group (n=267) and negative group (n=1,558). Results: Patients in positive group and trace group were older (positive vs. trace vs. negative; 75.9±9.7 vs. 75.7±10.8 vs. 73.4±10.5; p&lt;0.01), had higher prevalence of heart failure (HF), hypertension, diabetes mellitus and renal dysfunction (estimated glomerular filtration rate &lt;60 ml/min/1.73 m 2 ), and had higher CHADS 2 score (2.6±1.4 vs. 2.5±1.3 vs. 2.0±1.3; p&lt;0.01) and HAS-BLED score (2.2±1.2 vs. 1.9±1.0 vs. 1.7±1.0; p&lt;0.01). During the median follow-up of 2,978 days, the incidence rates of cardiac events (composite of cardiac death or HF hospitalization during follow-up) were higher in patients in both of positive group and trace group than patients in negative group (3.8% vs. 4.0% vs. 1.9% per person-year; p&lt;0.01) (Figure). Multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression analysis revealed that proteinuria was an independent determinant of cardiac events (positive vs. negative; adjusted hazard ratio [HR]: 1.44, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.12-1.85, trace vs. negative; adjusted HR: 1.60, 95% CI: 1.23-2.09). Conclusion: In Japanese patients with AF, the presence of proteinuria, even if it was trace level, was associated with higher incidence of cardiac events.

Why is the mortality rate high in RT-PCR negative COVID-19 patients with comorbid diseases?

Background. The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the whole world and still, sufficient progress has not been made in diagnosis and treatment. Since there has not been a definite method for the treatment of COVID-19 yet, the mortality rate is extremely high despite the different treatments. Mortality rates of COVID-19 in China are reported as 1.4–4.61%, in Italy— 11.9%, in Spain— 9.0%, and in the UK— 7.9%. The study purpose was to investigate the mortality rates in reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) negative COVID-19 patients with comorbid the disease. Materials and methods. A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted in the COVID-19 service. Patients who had COVID-19 treatment in our clinic between March 2020 and March 2021 were included in the study. A review of medical records was performed. Results. Comorbidity rates of the 515 patients were 40.4% hypertension (HT), 16.7% diabetes mellitus, 13% pulmonary diseases, 28% coronary artery disease (CAD), 12.6% psychiatric diseases, 3.7% oncological diseases and 18.4% other diseases. While 40 patients (7.8%) died, 475 patients (92.2%) recovered. Most of the patients who died were found to have a negative PCR test result (30 patients, 75%) and this difference was significant in the statistical analysis based on RT-PCR status (p=0.006). Moreover, evaluating the effects of comorbid diseases on prognosis, it was found that HT (p=0.001), CAD (p=0.004), and asthma and/or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (p=0.019) were associated with poor prognosis. Conclusions. HT, CAD, and pulmonary diseases are supposed to be associated with poor prognosis. In addition, it is noteworthy that the mortality rates in the RT-PCR negative patient group were higher. Delay in clinic entry and delay in treatment may explain the high mortality rates in patients with negative RT-PCR. Evaluating the symptoms, examining chest CT and hematological data, and establishing treatment plans earlier can reduce mortality in RT-PCR negative patients.

Health related quality of life in patients with primary biliary cholangitis

Aim: To assess the health related quality of life (HRQOL) in patients diagnosed with primary biliary cholangitis (PBC). Material and methods: A single-centered, prospective, cross-sectional study was conducted among patients diagnosed with primary biliary cholangitis in the Gastroenterology out-patient clinic at Gazi University Hospital, Ankara. Data was collected using a sociodemographic information form, hospital medical database and a PBC-40 questionnaire. Statistical comparison analysis was performed using Chi-square test for categorical variables and Mann-Whitney U test for continuous variables. P values less than 0.05 were considered significant. Results: A total of 37 PBC patients were included in the study. The mean age of the participants was 54.2±8.6. When evaluating the PBC-40 questionnaire scores from each domain in terms of severity, we found that majority of patients in itch %40.4 (n=19) and social %42,6 (n=20) domains had mild severity, as for fatigue %42.6 (n=20), cognitive %36 (n=17), emotional %40.4 (n=19) and other symptoms %44.7 ((n=21) domains had moderate severity. A statistically significant difference was found between AMA positive and AMA negative patient groups in the itch domain (p=0.007). Discussion: With this study on a Turkish based population using the PBK-40 questionnaire we were able to demonstrate that patients with PBC had a significantly impaired HRQOL and fatigue was the most seen symptom.

Comparative Study between Initial Positive and Negative Preoperative Urine Culture for Postoperative Fever in PCNL Patients

Background: The exact mechanism of fever after PCNL has not been established.2. This research studied the frequency of post-PCNL fever and UTI in both initial preoperative positive and negative urine culture group of patients. Objectives: To compare the frequency of post PCNL fever and UTI in initial positive and negative preoperative urine culture patients. Method: This was a prospective observational study on a total sixty patients who underwent single PCNL at the Department of Urology, Sir Salimullah Medical College Mitford Hospital, Dhaka and National Institute of Kidney Diseases and Urology, Dhaka from March 2013 to October 2014.There were two groups of patients, Group-I, with initial positive preoperative urine culture and another Group-II with initial negative preoperative urine culture. But the operation deferred until the positive urine culture became negative. Both groups received prophylactic antibiotic. Results: The frequency of fever and UTI after PCNL was 53.33% in Group-I (n=30) but only 23.33% was found in Group-II (n=30).Significant correlations were observed between post-PCNL fever with initial positive preoperative urine culture group (p=0.017), female sex (p=0.02), prolong hospital stay (p=0.018). Conclusion: The frequency of postoperative fever and UTI is more than two times in preoperative positive urine culture patients than culture negative patients. Risk of post- PCNL fever increased in patients who had initial positive preoperative urine culture. Bangladesh J. Urol. 2021; 24(1): 25-32

Repeatable enhancement of healthcare data with social determinants of health.

BackgroundSocial and behavioral aspects of our lives significantly impact our health, yet minimal social determinants of health (SDOH) data elements are collected in the healthcare system.MethodsIn this proof-of-concept study we developed a repeatable SDOH enrichment and integration process to incorporate dynamically evolving SDOH domain concepts from consumers into clinical data. This process included SDOH mapping, linking compiled consumer data to patient records in Electronic Health Records, data quality analysis and preprocessing, and storage.ResultsConsumer compilers data coverage ranged from ~90 to ~54% and the percentage match rate between compilers was between ~21 and 64%. Our preliminary analysis showed that apart from demographic factors, several SDOH factors like home-ownership, marital-status, presence of children, number of members per household, economic stability and education were significantly different between the COVID-19 positive and negative patient groups while estimated family-income and home market-value were not.ConclusionOur preliminary analysis shows commercial consumer data can be a viable source of SDOH factor at an individual-level for clinical data thus providing a path for clinicians to improve patient treatment and care.