Respective Positive Predictive Values Research Articles

Comparison of positive rates between glutamic acid decarboxylase antibodies and ElisaRSR™ 3 Screen ICA™ in recently obtained sera from patients who had been previously diagnosed with slowly progressive type 1 diabetes.

This study aimed to compare the positivity rates of glutamic acid decarboxylase autoantibodies (GADA) and ElisaRSR™ 3 Screen ICA™ (3 Screen ICA), a newly developed assay for the simultaneous measurement of GADA, insulinoma-associated antigen-2 autoantibodies (IA-2A), and zinc transporter 8 autoantibodies (ZnT8A), in recently obtained sera from patients who had been previously diagnosed with slowly progressive type 1 diabetes (SPIDDM). We enrolled 53 patients with SPIDDM who were positive for GADA at the diagnosis and 98 non-diabetic individuals, and investigated the diagnostic accuracy of the 3 Screen ICA (cutoff index ≥30 units) compared with that of GADA. In addition, we compared the clinical characteristics of patients with SPIDDM who were negative or positive on 3 Screen ICA. The positivity rates of 3 Screen ICA, GADA, IA-2A, and ZnT8A were 88.7, 86.8, 24.5, and 13.2%, respectively. The respective sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values for SPIDDM were 88.7, 100, 100, and 94.2% by 3 Screen ICA and 86.8, 100, 100.0, and 93.3% by GADA. There were no significant differences in age at onset, duration of diabetes, body mass index, glycated hemoglobin and C-peptide levels, and the prevalence of autoimmune thyroiditis between patients with SPIDDM who were positive or negative on 3 Screen ICA. However, the prevalence of insulin users was significantly higher in those who were positive than in those who were negative on 3 Screen ICA. Similar to GADA, 3 Screen ICA may be a useful diagnostic tool for detecting patients with SPIDDM.

Diagnostic accuracy of swine echinococcosis cytopathological tests and challenges for a differential diagnosis: slaughterhouse data.

Echinococcosis disease shows clinical signs similar to many diseases. Hence we report cases that need to be confirmed using appropriate tests. A confirmatory study has been conducted to assess the accuracy of two cytopathological tests, with the histopathology test as the reference standard. The first cytopathological test evaluates the Ziehl Neelsen staining with an epifluorescence microscope (cytopath 1). The second cytopathological test uses the same staining followed by a transmitted light microscope examination (cytopath 2). Of a total of 2524 inspected pigs, 101 suspected cases of echinococcosis were detected, of which 67 were found positive with the two cytopathological tests and the histopathological one. The specificity of cytopath 1 (100 % [95 % CI 100 - 100]) and cytopath 2 (100 % [95 % CI 100;100]) were similar, as well as their respective positive predictive values: 100 % [95 % CI 100 - 100] vs. 100 % [95 % CI 100 - 100]. The sensitivity of cytopath 1 is 79.66 % [95 % CI 69.39 - 89.93], while cytopath 2 equals 66.10 % [95 % CI 54.02 - 78.18]. The difference in sensitivity of both tests was not significant. Negative predictive values found for cytopath 1, and cytopath 2 were 40 [95 % CI 18.53 - 61.47] and 28.57 [95 % CI 11.84 - 45.3], leading to the Generalized Estimating Equations (GEE) Model estimate for an odds ratio of 1.4 [95 % CI 0.41 - 5.2], p = 0.06. Cytopath 1 and cytopath 2 are equivalent in terms of specificity (100 % [95 % CI 100 - 100] vs. 100 % [95 % CI 100;100]) and positive predictive value (100 % [95 % CI 100 - 100]. Cytopath 1 is more sensitive than cytopath 2 but not significant (79.66 % [ 95 % CI 69.39 - 89.93] vs. 66.10 % [95 % CI 54.02 - 78.18]). However, the negative predictive value of cytopath 1 is better than that of cytopath 2: 40 % [95 % CI 18.53 - 61.47] vs. 28.57 % [95 % CI 11.84 - 45.3].

Evaluation of Psoriasis Area and Severity Index Thresholds as Proxies for Systemic Inflammation on an Individual Patient Level

Background: Psoriasis is a chronic and systemic inflammatory disease with a loss of up to 5 life years, which is thought to be reduced by biologic treatment. Disease severity and eligibility for systemic treatment are often based on the cutaneous psoriasis area and severity index (PASI) with a cut-off of 10 in several European countries. However, it is unclear how well this cut-off reflects systemic inflammation and, consequently, the risk for the development of comorbidity. Objectives: (1) To assess whether specific PASI thresholds, in particular PASI 10, predict elevated biomarkers of systemic inflammation and cardiovascular risk on an individual patient level. (2) To assess the association of PASI and psoriatic arthritis with biomarkers of systemic inflammation and cardiovascular risk. Methods: Retrospective cross-sectional study of 72 psoriasis patients without systemic treatment. Results: Overall, 68, 42, and 50% of patients had cardiovascular risk level neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), C-reactive protein, and elevated platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) values, respectively. The respective positive predictive values of PASI 10 were 70, 45, and 70. The performance of the optimal PASI cut-offs according to the Youden index was similarly weak. Subgrouping of patients with a PASI below 10 did not result in a considerably improved reflection of systemic inflammation. PLR was significantly higher in patients with moderate-to-severe compared to mild psoriasis and significantly correlated with PASI in patients with a PASI above 2 (rs = 0.266, n = 64). NLR was significantly higher in patients with psoriatic arthritis. Conclusion: Specific PASI thresholds were not well suited to predict elevated biomarkers of systemic inflammation and cardiovascular risk on an individual patient level. Therefore, PASI, and possibly other purely cutaneous measures, may not be ideal as stand-alone parameters to define disease severity and eligibility for systemic treatment. Our results are relevant for the ongoing discussion on the definition of psoriasis severity and eligibility for systemic treatment. Further research addressing the added value of a set of biomarkers of systemic inflammation in the assessment of psoriasis severity would be desirable.

Factors Related to Sleeping Disorder Due to Pruritus in Patients with Chronic Liver Disease

Objective This study evaluated cases of pruritus, which is known to be associated with sleep disorder, in chronic liver disease (CLD) patients. Methods Questionnaires were given to 339 enrolled CLD outpatients in winter (November 2019 to March 2020) and again in summer (April to October 2020) (median interval: 104 days). Relative changes in symptoms shown by a visual analogue scale (VAS) and Kawashima's pruritus score between winter and summer were evaluated in Study 1 (n=199), while Study 2 examined the clinical features of patients with sleep disorder based on the results of the second questionnaire (n=235, median age 70 years old; 141 men, liver cirrhosis 37%). Results Study 1. There was a significant relationship in VAS between daytime and nighttime for each season, as well as between winter and summer for each time period (p<0.001). A comparison of Kawashima's pruritus scores for the daytime and nighttime showed no significant seasonal differences (p=0.436 and 0.828, respectively). When Kawashima's score increased, so did the average VAS for both daytime (0:1:2:3:4=0.4±0.2:1.4±0.9:3.0±1.8:5.9±2.1:6.2±2.3) and nighttime (0:1:2:3:4=0.3±0.1:1.4±1.5:3.5±2.3:6.7±2.6:6.9±1.8) (p<0.001 for both). Study 2. Twenty subjects (8.5%) complained of sleep disorder. An elevated FIB-4 index (≥3.07) showed a good predictive value for sleep disorder (p<0.01). The cut-off for the daytime and nighttime VAS values for existing sleep disorder were 1.6 [area under the curve (AUC) 0.901] and 3.4 (AUC 0.931). The respective sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values for sleep disorder based on Kawashima's score (≥2) were 0.85, 0.28, 0.10, and 0.95 for the daytime and 1.00, 0.29, 0.12, and 1.00 for the nighttime. Conclusion Intervention against pruritus is recommended in CLD patients with a high Kawashima's score (≥2) in any season, especially with an elevated FIB-4 index.

Predicting Reparability of Meniscal Tears Pre-Operatively Using 3-Tesla MRI (111)

Objectives:The ability to predict meniscus tear reparability based on pre-operative MRI is desirable for pre-operative patient counseling. However, the accuracy of MRI-based predictive methods varies widely within the orthopedic and radiology literature. We hypothesized that modern higher resolution 3-Tesla (T) MRI improves the accuracy of predicting reparability compared to prior investigations using 1.5T MRI assessments.Methods:We identified 44 patients (age 16 to 40 years) who were known to have undergone arthroscopic meniscal repair at our institution between the dates of January 1, 2013 and June 1, 2019. The MRI characteristics of this meniscus repair group were then compared to 43 age- and sex-matched patients who underwent arthroscopic partial meniscectomy during the same time period. 3T MRI images from the repair (Figure 1A) and the partial meniscectomy (Figure 1B) groups were all obtained pre-operatively at the author’s institution. Images from all 87 patients were independently reviewed by two fellowship-trained musculoskeletal radiologists and one orthopedic surgery fellow specializing in sports medicine. Each examiner was blinded with regard to meniscus tear treatment (repair versus partial meniscectomy). Meniscal tear MRI characteristics were evaluated based on established arthroscopic criteria including tear length greater than 10 mm, tear location within 3 mm of the menisco-synovial junction, tear greater than 50% thickness, and the presence of an intact inner meniscal fragment. We then analyzed the predictive accuracy and interrater reliability of this method.Results:With regards to accurately predicting meniscal reparability using the established criteria, the three MRI examiners accurately predicted repair 58% (orthopedist), 60% (radiologist 1), and 63% (radiologist 2) of the time, with respective positive predictive values of 60%, 62%, and 70%. The three examiners agreed upon tear reparability (i.e., a score of 4 versus not 4) only 41% of the time (κ = 0.173, p = .005). For 2 of the examiners (orthopedist and radiologist), none of the individual criteria were significantly predictive of tear reparability. For the 3rd examiner (radiologist), tear location within 3mm of the meniscosynovial junction was the most predictive individual criterion and the only criteria that reached statistical significance (OR = 9.83, p = .04).Conclusions:Although 3T MRI is higher resolution than 1.5T MRI, 3T MR imaging assessments performed by experienced examiners demonstrated a poor ability to predict the reparability of meniscus tears based on the application of previously established arthroscopic criteria. In addition, inter-observer reliability in this setting was also poor. Arthroscopic inspection remains the gold standard for the determination of meniscus tear reparability.

Accuracy of health-related quality of life in identifying systolic dysfunction in patients with Chagas cardiomyopathy.

Systolic dysfunction is a well-established marker of mortality in patients with Chagas cardiomyopathy (CC). However, its diagnosis is expensive and useful tools for screening these patients are required. The evaluation of the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) detects the patient's perception of the disease's impact. However, its accuracy in identifying patients with CC and systolic dysfunction is unknown. The study aimed to verify the sensitivity, specificity and predictive values of the physical and mental components related to HRQoL in identifying patients with CC and systolic dysfunction. 75 patients with CC, aged 49 (95% confidence interval: 47-51) years, were evaluated by echocardiography and Short-Form of Health Survey (SF-36) questionnaire. Systolic dysfunction was defined by left ventricular ejection fraction <52% for men and <54% for women and left ventricular diastolic diameter >55mm. Most patients (73%) had systolic dysfunction, with lower HRQoL values in the physical functioning, physical role functioning and general health perceptions domains and in the physical component summary. The accuracy of identifying patients with systolic dysfunction by the scores of physical components was 73% and 62% of mental components. The optimal cut-off point was 46 for physical and 54 for mental components, with respective positive predictive values of 91% and 80%. The evaluation of the HRQoL by the SF-36, a low-cost instrument, can be useful in identifying patients with systolic dysfunction, assisting in the screening and risk stratification of patients.

Diagnostic accuracy of true fast imaging with steady-state precession, MR pulmonary angiography and volume-interpolated body examination for pulmonary embolism compared with CT pulmonary angiography.

The diagnostic performance of magnetic resonance (MR) sequences for displaying different levels of pulmonary artery involvement in pulmonary embolism (PE) has rarely been reported but is essential for critically ill and emergency patients. The aim of the present study was to analyze the diagnostic accuracy of true fast imaging with steady-state precession (true FISP), MR pulmonary angiography (MRPA) and volume-interpolated body examination (VIBE) for PE detection in comparison to CT pulmonary angiography (CTPA), which is the reference standard. A total of 21 patients with confirmed deep venous thrombosis suspected of having PE were enrolled. Emboli were evaluated on per-patient and per-vessel bases. The evidence of PE on a per-vessel basis was classified into central, lobar and segmental levels, and 27 vessel segments per patient were analyzed for a total of 567 vessel segments in all patients. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) were calculated. Receiver operating characteristic curves were drawn to compare differences in sequences. A total of 158 pulmonary vessels were involved with emboli on CTPA, 58 of which were identified by true FISP, 63 by MRPA and 94 by VIBE. On per-patient and per-vessel bases, the sensitivity was 81.3 and 36.7%, respectively, for true FISP, 82.4 and 56.3%, respectively, for MRPA, and 94.4 and 68.1%, respectively, for VIBE; the specificity was 80.0 and 99.8%, respectively, for true FISP, 100 and 99.2%, respectively, for MRPA, and 100 and 99.2%, respectively, for VIBE. The respective PPV was 92.9 and 98.3% for true FISP, 100 and 95.5% for MRPA, 100 and 96.9% for VIBE. The NPV was 57.1 and 80.3%, respectively, for true FISP, 50.0 and 88.2%, respectively, for MRPA, and 75.0 and 89.8%, respectively, for VIBE. In conclusion, enhanced VIBE surpassed the other two sequences in revealing PE, particularly in segmental analysis, which is essential for emergency patients who have contraindications for receiving iodinated contrast and those who have concerns about the ionizing radiation.

Predictors of Occlusion of Hepatic Blood Vessels after Irreversible Electroporation of Liver Tumors

PurposeTo examine predictors of midterm occlusion in portal and hepatic veins within or adjacent to the ablation zone after irreversible electroporation (IRE) of liver tumors. Materials and MethodsThis retrospective cohort analysis included 39 patients who underwent CT-guided IRE of liver tumors. Vessels within or adjacent to the ablation zone were identified on CT images acquired immediately after the procedure, and the positional relationships with the ablation zone (within/adjacent), locations (proximal/distal), and diameters (< 4 mm or ≥ 4 mm) were evaluated. Using contrast-enhanced follow-up scans, each vessel was classified as patent, stenosed, or occluded. Associations between vessel occlusion and each variable were investigated. ResultsOverall, 33 portal veins and 64 hepatic veins were analyzed. Follow-up scans showed occlusion in 12/33 (36.7%) portal veins and 17/64 (26.6%) hepatic veins. Vessels within the ablation zone were occluded significantly more frequently than vessels adjacent to the ablation zone (portal: 55.6% [10/18] vs 13.3% [2/15], P = .04; hepatic: 45.4% [15/33] vs 6.4% [2/31], P = .011). Vessels with a diameter < 4 mm were also occluded significantly more frequently than vessels with a diameter ≥ 4 mm (portal: 72.7% [8/11] vs 18.1% [4/22], P = .011; hepatic: 54.8% [17/31] vs 0% [0/33], P < .001). The respective positive and negative predictive values for occlusion of vessels categorized as both within and < 4 mm were 88% (7/8) and 82% (20/25) for portal veins and 79% (15/19) and 96% (43/45) for hepatic veins. ConclusionsMidterm vessel occlusion after liver IRE could be predicted with relatively high accuracy by assessing ablation location and vessel diameter.

Postoperative serum CA19-9, YKL-40, CRP and IL-6 in combination with CEA as prognostic markers for recurrence and survival in colorectal cancer

Background In colorectal cancer (CRC) patients, guidelines only recommend measurement of preoperative carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), although postoperative CEA may be more informative. However, the sensitivity of both preoperative and postoperative CEA in identifying relapse is limited. We studied whether CA19-9, YKL-40, C-reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin (IL)-6 add prognostic information combined with postoperative CEA. Material and methods This post-hoc analysis included 147 radically resected stage II (n = 38), III (n = 91) and IV (n = 18) CRC patients treated with adjuvant 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)-based therapy in the phase III LIPSYT study (ISRCTN98405441). We collected postoperative blood samples a median of 48 days after surgery. We analysed relapses, sensitivity, positive predictive value (PPV) and disease-free (DFS) and overall survival (OS) by bootstrap, Kaplan–Meier and adjusted Cox-models in the elevated vs. normal biomarker groups. Results Elevated postoperative CEA associated with impaired DFS (HR 7.23; CI95% 3.85–13.58), impaired OS (HR 7.16; CI95% 3.76–13.63), and more relapses (HR 7.9; CI95% 3.4–18.2); but sensitivity for CEA in finding relapses was only 31% (CI95% 21–48%). Normal CEA combined with an elevated YKL-40 or elevated CRP showed more relapses (HR for YKL-40 2.13 [CI95% 1.10–4.13], HR for CRP 3.14 [CI95% 1.21–8.16]), impaired DFS (HR 2.18 [CI95% 1.12–4.24] or 3.23 [CI95% 1.34–7.82]), and impaired OS (2.33 [CI95%1.24–4.40] or 2.68 [CI95%1.12–6.44]). Elevated CEA combined with a concomitantly elevated CA19-9, YKL-40, CRP or IL-6 showed a respective PPV of 100, 90, 100, and 100%. Conclusion In radically operated stage II to IV CRC patients who received adjuvant 5-FU-based chemotherapy, a postoperatively elevated CEA alone or in combination with CA19-9, YKL-40, CRP, or IL-6, or a normal CEA combined with an elevated YKL-40 or with an elevated CRP, may indicate patients at high risk of relapse.

Evaluation of Extrapolation Methods to Predict Trough Concentrations to Guide Therapeutic Drug Monitoring of Oral Anticancer Drugs.

For oral anticancer drugs, trough concentration (Cmin) is usually used as a target in therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM). Recording of Cmin is highly challenging in outpatients, in whom there is typically a variability in sample collection time after dosing. Various methods are used to estimate Cmin from the collected samples. This simulation study aimed to evaluate the performance of 3 different methods in estimating the Cmin of 4 oral anticancer drugs for which TDM is regularly performed. Plasma concentrations of abiraterone, dabrafenib, imatinib, and pazopanib at a random time (Ct,sim) and at the end of the dosing interval (Cmin,sim) were simulated from population pharmacokinetic models including 1000 patients, and the values were converted into simulated observed concentrations (Ct,sim,obs and Cmin,sim,obs) by adding a residual error. From Ct, sim,obs, Cmin was predicted (Cmin,pred) by the Bayesian estimation (method 1), taking the ratio of the Ct,sim,obs and typical population concentration and multiplying this ratio with the typical population value of Cmin,sim (method 2), and log-linear extrapolation (method 3). Target attainment was assessed by comparing Cmin,pred with the proposed pharmacokinetic targets related to efficacy and calculating the positive predictive and negative predictive values. The mean relative prediction error and root mean squared relative prediction error results showed that method 3 was out-performed by method 1 and 2. Target attainment was adequately predicted by all 3 methods (the respective positive predictive value of method 1, 2, and 3 was 92.1%, 92.5%, and 93.1% for abiraterone; 87.3%, 86.9%, and 99.1% for dabrafenib; 79.3%, 79.3%, and 75.9% for imatinib; and 72.5%, 73.5%, and 67.6% for pazopanib), indicating that dose adjustments were correctly predicted. Both method 1 and 2 provided accurate and precise individual Cmin,pred values. However, method 2 was easier to implement than method 1 to guide individual dose adjustments in TDM programs.

Molecular Variants and Their Risks for Malignancy in Cytologically Indeterminate Thyroid Nodules.

Background: Gene panels are routinely used to assess predisposition to hereditary cancers by simultaneously testing multiple susceptibility genes and/or variants. More recently, genetic panels have been implemented as part of solid tumor malignancy testing assessing somatic alterations. One example is targeted variant panels for thyroid nodules that are not conclusively malignant or benign upon fine-needle aspiration (FNA). We systematically reviewed published studies from 2009 to 2018 that contained genetic data from preoperative FNA specimens on cytologically indeterminate thyroid nodules (ITNs) that subsequently underwent surgical resection. Pooled prevalence estimates per gene and variant, along with their respective positive predictive values (PPVs) for malignancy, were calculated.Summary: Our systematic search identified 540 studies that were supplemented by 18 studies from bibliographies or personal files. Sixty-one studies met all inclusion criteria and included >4600 ITNs. Overall, 26% of nodules contained at least 1 variant or fusion. However, half of them did not include details on the specific gene, variant, and/or complete fusion pair reported for inclusion toward PPV calculations. The PPVs of genomic alterations reported at least 10 times were limited to BRAFV600E (98%, 95% confidence interval [CI 96–99%]), PAX8/PPARG (55% [CI 34–78%]), HRASQ61R (45% [CI 22–72%]), BRAFK601E (42% [CI 19–68%]), and NRASQ61R (38% [CI 23–55%]). Excluding BRAFV600E, the pooled PPV for all other specified variants and fusions was 47%. Multiple variants within the same nodule were identified in ∼1% of ITN and carried a cumulative PPV of 77%.Conclusions: The chance that a genomic alteration predicts malignancy depends on the individual variant or fusion detected. Only five alterations were reported at least 10 times; BRAFV600E had a PPV of 98%, while the remaining four had individual PPVs ranging from 38% to 55%. The small sample size of most variants and fusion pairs found among ITNs, however, limits confidence in their individual PPV point estimates. Better specific reporting of genomic alterations with cytological category, histological subtype, and cancer staging would facilitate better understanding of cancer prediction, and the independent contribution of the genomic profile to prognosis.

Detection of incident breast and colorectal cancer cases from an administrative healthcare database in Catalonia, Spain.

To validate the Catalan minimum basic data set (MBDS) of hospital discharges as an information source for detecting incident breast (BC) and colorectal cancer (CRC), against the Hospital del Mar Cancer Registry (RTHMar) in Barcelona (Spain) as the gold standard. Using ASEDAT software (Analysis, Selection and Extraction of Tumour Data), we identified Catalan public hospital discharge abstracts in patients with a first-time diagnosis of BC and CRC in the years 2005, 2008, and 2011, aggregated by unique patient identifiers and sorted by date. Once merged with the RTHMar database and anonymized, tumour-specific algorithms were validated to extract data on incident cases, tumour stage, surgical treatment, and date of incidence. MBDS had a respective sensitivity and positive predictive value (PPV) of 78.0% (564/723) and 90.5% (564/623) for BC case detection; and 83.9% (387/461) and 94.9% (387/408) for CRC case detection. The staging algorithms overestimated the proportion of local-stage cases and underestimated the regional-stage cases in both cancers. When loco-regional stage and surgery were combined, sensitivity and PPV reached 98.3% and 99.8%, respectively, for BC and 96.4% and 98.4% for CRC. The differences between dates of incidence between RTHMar and MBDS were greater for BC cases without initial surgery, whereas they were generally smaller and homogeneous for CRC cases. The MBDS is a valid and efficient instrument to improve the completeness of a hospital-based cancer registry (HBCR), particularly in BC and CRC, which require hospitalization and are predominantly surgical.

Diagnostic agreement of the 3 Incontinence Questionnaire to video-urodynamics findings in women with urinary incontinence: Department of Urology, Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust Wexham Park Hospital Slough, Berkshire, United Kingdom.

IntroductionThere are limited studies evaluating the 3 Incontinence Questionnaire (3IQ) against urodynamics based diagnosis as a reference standard. The 3IQ has been proposed to be useful to evaluate women at the level of primary care. The aim of this study was to determine correlation between 3IQ and video-urodynamics (VUDS) in diagnosing types of urinary incontinence.Material and methodsProspective data was collected on 200 consecutive female patients referred by primary care physicians for urinary incontinence. The mean age was 55 years (range 15–83 years). The patients were evaluated using the 3IQ and video-urodynamics. The 3IQ-based diagnosis of type of female urinary incontinence was compared to VUDS-based results. Sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratios and positive predictive values were calculated.ResultsOn 3IQ based self-evaluation, 28% of patients were classified as having stress urinary incontinence, 20% with urge incontinence and 40% with mixed incontinence. On video-urodynamics, urodynamic stress urinary incontinence (UDSUI) was detected in 56% of patients, detrusor overactivity (DO) in 15% and mixed urinary incontinence (MUI) in 19%. The 3IQ had a sensitivity and specificity respectively of 43% and 92% for UDSUI, 57% and 86% for DO and 58% and 64% for MUI. The corresponding positive likelihood ratios (CI, 95%) were 5.4 (CI 2.6 to 11.3) for stress urinary incontinence, 4.0 (CI 2.5 to 6.5) for DO and 1.62 (1.2 to 2.3) for MUI. The respective positive predictive values were 87% (CI 75% to 95%), 42% (CI 26% to 58%) and 28% (18% to 39%).ConclusionsIn our study population, stress urinary incontinence was reasonably well predicted by the 3IQ, but the questionnaire under-performed in the diagnoses of detrusor overactivity and mixed urinaryincontinence.

Detection of malignant pleural mesothelioma in exhaled breath by multicapillary column/ion mobility spectrometry (MCC/IMS)

Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is predominantly caused by previous asbestos exposure. Diagnosis often happens in advanced stages restricting any therapeutic perspectives. Early stage detection via breath analysis was explored using multicapillary column/ion mobility spectrometry (MCC/IMS) to detect volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the exhaled breath of MPM patients in comparison to former occupational asbestos-exposed and non-exposed controls.Breath and background samples of 23 MPM patients, 22 asymptomatic former asbestos (AEx) workers and 21 healthy non-asbestos exposed persons were taken for analysis. After background correction, we performed a logistic least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (lasso) regression to select the most important VOCs, followed by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis.MPM patients were discriminated from both controls with 87% sensitivity, 70% specificity and respective positive and negative predictive values of 61% and 91%. The overall accuracy was 76% and the area under the ROC-curve was 0.81. AEx individuals could be discriminated from MPM patients with 87% sensitivity, 86% specificity and respective positive and negative predictive values of 87% and 86%. The overall accuracy was 87% with an area under the ROC-curve of 0.86.Breath analysis by MCC/IMS allows MPM patients to be discriminated from controls and holds promise for further investigation as a screening tool for former asbestos-exposed persons at risk of developing MPM.

Evaluation of recombinant K39 antigen and various promastigote antigens in sero-diagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis in Bangladesh

BackgroundDefinitive diagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) by demonstrating parasites in tissue smears or by culture involves invasive procedures, technical expertise and adequate laboratory facilities. Endemic countries rely mainly on serological tests to diagnose VL. Currently, the immunochromatographic test incorporating the recombinant K39 antigen (rK39 ICT) is the reference test for rapid diagnosis of VL in the Indian subcontinent. The performance of serological tests using rK39 and other promastigote antigens can vary due to differences in antigen expression, the various hosts and environmental factors. To achieve elimination of VL, diagnostic accuracy will be necessary for active case detection especially in those who carry asymptomatic infections. We evaluated the performance of rK39 ICT, enzyme linked immunosorbent assay using mixed Leishmania promastigotes from different Leishmania species (p-ELISA) and indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT) utilizing whole promastigotes from the Leishmania donovani complex for sero-diagnosis of VL in Bangladesh. MethodsThe sensitivity of each serological test was evaluated on 155 patients who were diagnosed to have VL by microscopy and/or by culture methods. Test specificities were calculated on 706 healthy blood donors, 91 diagnostic sera from patients with a febrile illness and sera from patients positive for malaria (n=91) and Chagas disease (n=91). All statistical calculations were at 95% confidence intervals. ResultsThe sensitivities of rK39 ICT, p-ELISA and IFAT were 100%, 86.5% and 92.3%, respectively. All three serological methods had a pooled sensitivity of 82.6%. The specificities of rK39 ICT, p-ELISA and IFAT from combined control groups were 100%, 93.1% and 99.9%, respectively. The respective positive and negative predictive values of the tests were both 100% for rK39 ICT, 66.3% and 97.8% for p-ELISA and 99.3% and 98.8% for IFAT. The p-ELISA showed cross reactivity with 36.3% of sera positive for malaria and 28.6% of sera positive for Chagas disease while rK39 ICT and IFAT showed no cross reactivity. ConclusionThis study confirms the efficiency of rK39 ICT for rapid diagnosis of VL. The p-ELISA using mixed promastigote antigens did not perform well as a serological test for VL in Bangladesh. Due to high sensitivity and specificity of whole promastigote antigen of L. donovani complex utilized in IFAT, this test can be considered in combination with rK39 ICT to confirm VL diagnosis when clinical diagnosis cannot distinguish between other diseases.

Evaluating the Diagnostic Yield of Computed Tomography-Guided Aspirations in Suspected Post-operative Spine Infections.

Early detection of surgical site infection (SSI) following spinal surgery would allow for prompt treatment and would improve overall outcome, yet early diagnosis is a challenge. Computed tomography (CT) guided aspiration of fluid collections may aid in diagnosis, as its diagnostic utility has previously been demonstrated in the setting of hip SSI, knee SSI, and spontaneous diskitis. There is no literature on its use in post-operative spinal SSIs. The current study aims to (1) determine the diagnostic value of CT-guided aspiration in evaluating suspected SSI; (2) identify the characteristics of the clinical presentation that are predictive of SSI; and (3) identify characteristics of the hematologic workup that are predictive of SSI. Thirty patients who underwent CT-guided aspiration of paraspinal post-operative fluid collections and culture of aspirate fluid over the 6-year period from 2006 to 2011 were retrospectively reviewed. Aspirate fluid culture results were compared to intraoperative cultures, which were used as the "gold standard" for diagnosing SSI. The diagnostic value was evaluated by determining the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) of aspirate fluid cultures. Clinical presentation, patient demographics, comorbidities, and laboratory values were reviewed for association with infection risk. Eleven of thirty patients undergoing CT-guided aspiration were subsequently confirmed to have SSI through positive cultures. Wound drainage, wound erythema, elevated ESR, and cloudiness of aspirate fluid were associated with SSI. The sensitivity and specificity of aspirate cultures were 36.4 and 89.5%, respectively, and the respective positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) were 66.7 and 70.8%. Cloudy aspirate fluid was highly suggestive of infection, while wound erythema, drainage, and elevated ESR were also suggestive of SSI. CT-guided aspirations are a useful adjunct tool in evaluating for SSI but further studies are necessary before it can be considered a stand-alone diagnostic procedure.

Initiation de la technique d’écho-endoscopie bronchique au centre hospitalier Lyon-Sud : expérience des trois premières années

Endobronchial ultrasound is a recent technique for the diagnosis and the lymph node staging in lung cancer. It also showed interest in non tumoral mediastinal lymph nodes diagnosis. This work relates the CHLS first three years' experience in terms of EEB practical use as a new diagnostic tool in this field. Retrospective study of consecutive cases patients having undergone endobronchial ultrasound from November 2008 till June 2011 in the CHLS. On 65 endobronchial ultrasound, general anesthesia was practiced in 89 % of the cases, with a good tolerance in 81 % of the cases. In 77 % cases, EEB allowed diagnosis and avoided mediastinoscopy in 60.5 % of the cases. The respective sensibility, specificity, positive and negative predictive values were 74 %, 100 %, 100 % and 48 %. These data, reflect of a novice team experience, illustrate the results obtained in the current practice in terms of etiologic diagnosis. Endobronchial ultrasound seems destined to a bright future but requires the development of dedicated centers allowing pulmonologists training and specialized pathologists in this field.

Preoperative staging of rectal cancer with MRI: correlation with pathologic staging

IntroductionAn accurate preoperative rectal cancer staging is crucial to the correct management of the disease. Despite great controversy around this issue, pelvic magnetic resonance (RM) is said to be the imagiologic standard modality. This work aimed to evaluate magnetic resonance accuracy in preoperative rectal cancer staging comparing with the anatomopathological results. MethodsWe calculated sensibility, specificity, positive (VP positive) and negative (VP negative) predictive values for each T and N. We evaluated the concordance between both methods of staging using the Cohen weighted K (Kw), and through ROC curves, we evaluated magnetic resonance accuracy in rectal cancer staging. Results41 patients met the inclusion criteria. We achieved an efficacy of 43.9% for T and 61% for N staging. The respective sensibility, specificity, positive and negative predictive values are 33.3%, 94.7%, 33.3% and 94.7% for T1; 62.5%, 32%, 37.0% and 57.1% for T2; 31.8%, 79%, 63.6% and 50% for T3 and 27.8%, 87%, 62.5% and 60.6% for N. We obtained a poor concordance for T and N staging and the anatomopathological results. The ROC curves indicated that magnetic resonance is ineffective in rectal cancer staging. ConclusionMagnetic resonance has a moderate efficacy in rectal cancer staging and the major difficulty is in differentiating T2 and T3.

Diagnostic accuracy of 64-slice multidetector CT angiography for detection of in-stent restenosis of vertebral artery ostium stents: comparison with conventional angiography

There are very few reports assessing in-stent restenosis (ISR) after vertebral artery ostium (VAO) stents using multidetector computed tomography (MDCT). To compare the diagnostic accuracy of computed tomography angiography (CTA) using 64-slice MDCT with digital subtraction angiography (DSA) for detection of significant ISR after VAO stenting. The study evaluated 57 VAO stents in 57 patients (39 men, 18 women; mean age 64 years [range, 48-90 years]). All stents were scanned with a 64-slice MDCT scanner. Three sets of images were reconstructed with three different convolution kernels. Two observers who were blinded to the results of DSA assessed the diagnostic accuracy of CTA for detecting significant ISR (≥50% diameter narrowing) of VAO stents in comparison with DSA as the reference standard. The sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, and accuracy were calculated. Of the 57 stents, 46 (81%) were assessable using CTA, while 11 (19%) were not. No stents with diameters ≤2.75 mm were assessable. DSA revealed 13 cases of significant ISR in all stents. The respective sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, and accuracy were 92%, 82%, 60%, 97%, and 84% for all stents. On excluding the 11 non-assessable stents, the respective values were 88%, 95%, 78%, 97%, and 93%. Of the 46 CTA assessable stents, eight significant ISRs were diagnosed on DSA. Seven of eight patients with significant ISR by DSA were diagnosed correctly with CTA. The area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve (AUC) was 0.87 for all stents and 0.91 for assessable stents, indicating good to excellent agreement between CTA and DSA for detecting significant ISR after VAO stenting. Sixty-four-slice MDCT is a promising non-invasive method of assessing stent patency and can exclude significant ISR with high diagnostic values after VAO stenting.

Using calculated globulin fraction to reduce diagnostic delay in primary and secondary hypogammaglobulinaemias: results of a demonstration project.

Median diagnostic delay of five to six years seen in primary hypogammaglobulinaemia results in morbidity including bronchiectasis. Patients typically have multiple health care encounters and blood tests before the diagnosis is considered. We report outcomes from using the difference between total protein and albumin (globulin fraction) to reduce diagnostic delay in unsuspected hypogammaglobulinaemia. A prospective >5 year programme in the setting of a National Health Services Hospital Blood Sciences pathology service processing serum samples from primary and secondary care. Patients with globulin fraction below the first percentile were reviewed in the context of supplied clinical details. Immunoglobulin measurements were performed in selected patients. Of 2,910,850 globulin fractions 27,304 (0.9%) were below the 1st percentile globulin fraction (<18 g/L). After exclusions, 933 (3% of these) had immunoglobulins measured. Of these, 292 had IgG < 5 g/L, 186 < 4 g/L and 80 < 3 g/L, giving respective positive predictive values of 31%, 20% and 8.6%. Positive predictive value for common variable immunodeficiency was 1.3%. We identified 12 new cases of common variable immunodeficiency, 10 new haematological disorders and 20 hypogammaglobulinaemias secondary to medication. Locally derived cut-offs are required as small differences between analysers have a significant effect on screen-positive rates. Use of a 1st percentile globulin fraction improved early detection of hypogammaglobulinaemia. This is a useful adjunct to alert clinicians to unsuspected hypogammaglobulinaemia but should not replace immunoglobulin measurement. Patients with globulin fraction below the first percentile should be reviewed for possible hypogammaglobulinaemia.