Reevaluation of the combined dexamethasone suppression-corticotropin-releasing hormone test for differentiation of mild cushing's disease from pseudo-Cushing's syndrome

CONTEXT: The diagnostic accuracy of the combined dexamethasone suppression test (DST)-CRH test for the differential diagnosis between Cushing's disease (CD) and pseudo-Cushing syndrome (PCS) has recently been debated. OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to reevaluate the performance of the DST-CRH test to differentiate CD from PCS and compare it with that of midnight plasma cortisol measurement. SETTING: The study took place at three specialized tertiary care university hospitals. DESIGN: Fourteen patients with PCS and 17 patients with CD matched for 24-h urinary free cortisol were retrospectively studied. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Diagnosis or exclusion of CD was the main outcome measure. RESULTS: A 55 nmol/liter cortisol concentration after dexamethasone (DST) yielded 94% sensitivity, 86% specificity, and 90% diagnostic accuracy. Using the historical 38 nmol/liter threshold for plasma cortisol 15 min after CRH administration, the DST-CRH test achieved 100% sensitivity, 50% specificity, and 77% diagnostic accuracy. Increasing the threshold to 110 nmol/liter improved the specificity and diagnostic accuracy to 86 and 93.5%, respectively. However, diagnostic accuracy was not significantly different from that of the DST. A midnight plasma cortisol concentration of more than 256 nmol/liter was consistent with the diagnosis of CD with 100% sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic accuracy. CONCLUSION: The diagnostic performance of the DST-CRH test for the differential diagnosis between PCS and mild CD was lower than previously reported. Although the specificity of the test is improved using a revised cortisol threshold, its diagnostic accuracy is not better than that of the standard DST. Our study supports the preferential use of the DST and midnight plasma cortisol measurement as first-line diagnostic tests in equivocal cases.     

Diagnostic Value of Ankle-Brachial Index in Peripheral Arterial Disease: A Meta-analysis

Background

In a previous review, we reported that ankle brachial index (ABI) ≤ 0.90 could reliably identify patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD). Since then, more studies have been published which may extend the power of a meta-analysis of studies of diagnostic accuracy of the ABI. MEDLINE and several other databases were searched for studies on sensitivity and specificity of using ABI ≤ 0.90 for PAD diagnosis compared with angiography.

Methods

Quality of each study was assessed by standards for reporting diagnostic accuracy initiative and quality assessment for studies of diagnostic accuracy tool. Heterogeneity was assessed using the Cochran Q statistic, χ², and inconsistency index. The area under the curve and Q* were estimated using summary receiver operator curve. The pooled diagnostic odds ratio (DOR), sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio (PLR), and negative likelihood ratio (NLR) of ABI ≤ 0.90 to diagnose PAD were estimated using Meta-DiSc software (Meta-DiSc, Madrid, Spain).

Results

Four studies comprising 569 patients (922 limbs) met inclusion criteria. Significant heterogeneity among these studies was not detected in DOR but was evident in pooled sensitivity, specificity, PLR, and NLR. The area under the curve under the summary receiver operator curve is 0.87 (standard error = 0.02) and diagnostic accuracy (Q*) is 0.80 (standard error = 0.02). Additionally, DOR was 15.33 with corresponding 95% confidence intervals of 9.39-25.02. The pooled sensitivity and specificity of ABI ≤ 0.90 for PAD diagnosis were 75% and 86% and the pooled PLR and NLR were 4.18 and 0.29, respectively.

Conclusions

We conclude that test of ABI ≤ 0.90 can be a useful tool to identify PAD with serious stenosis in clinical practice.     

Diagnostic Potential of Zymogen Granule Glycoprotein 2 Antibodies as Serologic Biomarkers in Chinese Patients With Crohn Disease

The need for reliable biomarkers for distinguishing Crohn disease (CD) from ulcerative colitis (UC) is increasing. This study aimed at evaluating the diagnostic potential of anti-GP2 antibodies as a biomarker in Chinese patients with CD. In addition, a variety of autoantibodies, including anti-saccharomyces cerevisiae antibodies (ASCA), perinuclear anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (PANCA), anti-intestinal goblet cell autoantibodies (GAB), and anti-pancreatic autoantibodies (PAB), were evaluated.A total of 91 subjects were prospectively enrolled in this study, including 35 patients with CD, 35 patients with UC, 13 patients with non-IBD gastrointestinal diseases as disease controls (non-IBD DC), and 8 healthy controls (HC). The diagnosis of IBD was determined based on the Lennard-Jones criteria, and the clinical phenotypes of the IBD patients were determined based on the Montreal Classification.Anti-GP2 IgG antibodies were significantly elevated in patients with CD, compared with patients with UC (P = 0.0038), HC (P = 0.0055), and non-IBD DC (P = 0.0063). The prevalence of anti-GP2 IgG, anti-GP2 IgA and anti-GP2 IgA, or IgG antibodies in patients with CD was 40.0%, 37.1%, and 54.3%, respectively, which were higher than those in non-IBD DC (anti-GP2 IgG, 15.4%; anti-GP2 IgA, 7.7%; and anti-GP2 IgA or IgG, 23.1%) and those in patients with UC (anti-GP2 IgG, 11.4%; anti-GP2 IgA, 2.9%; and anti-GP2 IgA or IgG, 14.3%). For distinguishing CD from UC, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV) and positive likelihood ratios (LR+) were 40%, 88.6%, 77.8%, and 3.51 for anti-GP2 IgG, 37.1%, 97.1%, 92.9%, and 13.0 for anti-GP2 IgA, and 54.3%, 85.3%, 79.2%, and 3.69 for anti-GP2 IgA or IgG. For CD diagnosis, the combination of anti-GP2 antibodies with ASCA IgA increased the sensitivity to 68.6% with moderate loss of specificity to 74.3%. Spearman''s rank of order revealed a significantly positive correlation of anti-GP2 IgG with ileocolonic location of disease (L3) (P = 0.043) and a negative correlation of anti-GP2 IgA with biologic therapy (P = 0.012).Our findings suggest that anti-GP2 antibodies could serve as a biomarker for distinguishing patients with CD from patients with UC, and the combination of anti-GP2 antibodies with ASCA IgA may improve the predictive power.     

Impact of 24-h esophageal pH monitoring on the diagnosis of gastroesophageal reflux disease: defining the gold standard

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The tests that are currently available for the diagnosis of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) lack the desired diagnostic accuracy. To date, only pH monitoring has been shown to have a good sensitivity and specificity, but recent studies have failed to confirm this. Thus there is a need to find a test with acceptable sensitivity and specificity for diagnosing GERD. The present study aimed to find a single test or a combination of tests that could serve as a gold standard for the diagnosis of GERD and to identify an evidence-based diagnostic work-up for GERD in clinical and research settings. METHODS: A prospectively conducted masked study was carried out in which 109 GERD patients were recruited on the basis of symptom score evaluation (heartburn and/or regurgitation). After informed consent was given, the patients underwent various tests, including esophagogastroduodenoscopy with biopsy from the lower esophageal mucosa during the first visit, followed by omeprazole challenge test (OCT), radionuclide scintigraphy, barium swallow and finally 24-h esophageal pH monitoring. A positive concordance of three or more tests was taken as the gold standard. RESULTS: The results of all six tests were available for 70 patients. As a single diagnostic test, pH testing had the best combination of sensitivity and specificity (Youden's J = 0.69). Even in cases of endoscopy-negative reflux disease, pH monitoring was the most sensitive and specific test (93.3% and 90.4%, respectively; J = 0.83). OCT, endoscopy and histopathology also had good sensitivity (84.4%, 64.4%, 82.2%, respectively). A combination of OCT, endoscopy and histopathology achieved a sensitivity of 100%. CONCLUSIONS: A combination of OCT, endoscopy and histology will identify all cases of GERD. As these investigations are easily available, they should form the diagnostic work-up in clinical situations. 24-h esophageal pH testing, despite being the gold standard, has no utility in routine clinical settings and hence its availability should be limited to tertiary care settings.     

The application of the combined corticotropin-releasing hormone plus desmopressin stimulation during petrosal sinus sampling is both sensitive and specific in differentiating patients with Cushing's disease from patients with the occult ectopic adrenocorticotropin syndrome

CONTEXT: Although bilateral inferior petrosal sinus sampling (BIPSS) with CRH stimulation is the most accurate procedure for the differential diagnosis of ACTH-dependent Cushing's syndrome (CS), 4-15% of patients with Cushing's disease (CD) fail to demonstrate diagnostic gradients. Preliminary data suggest that a more potent stimulation by the combined administration of CRH plus desmopressin during BIPSS may provide some diagnostic advantage. A crucial issue, however, is whether such an amplified stimulation may affect the specificity of the procedure, and this was the main aim of the present study. OBJECTIVE: We investigated the diagnostic accuracy of BIPSS performed by CRH plus desmopressin stimulation. DESIGN AND SETTING: A retrospective analysis was conducted at a single tertiary care center. PARTICIPANTS: Fifty-four patients were admitted for the investigation of ACTH-dependent CS. CD was diagnosed in 47 patients; occult ectopic ACTH syndrome (oEAS) was histologically confirmed in seven patients. INTERVENTION(S): All patients underwent BIPSS with CRH plus desmopressin administration. Additional noninvasive tests included CRH test, high-dose dexamethasone suppression test, desmopressin test, and pituitary magnetic resonance imaging. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Gradients of inferior petrosal sinus (IPS) to peripheral (IPS/P) ACTH were calculated before and after stimulation with CRH plus desmopressin. RESULTS: The sensitivity for a basal IPS/P gradient greater than 2 was 61.7%, with 100% specificity and a diagnostic accuracy of 66.7%. After stimulation with CRH plus desmopressin, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis showed that a cutoff gradient of more than 2 offers the best test performance. In total, 46 of 47 patients with CD had an IPS/P gradient greater than 2, but none of the patients with oEAS, resulting in a sensitivity of 97.9%. The specificity was 100%, diagnostic accuracy was 98.2%, and the positive and negative predictive values were 100 and 87.5%, respectively. A subgroup of 18 patients (16 with CD and two with oEAS) had contradictory responses to routine tests with CRH and/or high-dose dexamethasone suppression test; sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of BIPSS in this subgroup were 100%. CONCLUSIONS: The application of a combined stimulation with CRH plus desmopressin during BIPSS is associated with a high sensitivity but no loss of specificity.     

常规检验及生化检验在糖尿病患者诊断中的特异性价值对比分析

目的对比并分析常规检验、生化检验两种方法对糖尿病患者的重要诊断价值。方法抽选2018年10月—2020年10月期间收治的100例2型糖尿病患者,以随机抽样法将其随机分入对照组与研究组,各50例。给予对照组患者以尿常规检验,给予研究组患者以血液生化检验。组间对比诊断准确率、漏诊率、特异度、灵敏度。结果研究组诊断准确率为98.00%(49/50),比对照组的84.00%(42/50)高(χ²=4.396,P<0.05);研究组漏诊率为2.00%(1/50),比对照组的16.00%(8/50)低,差异有统计学意义(χ²=4.396,P=0.036<0.05)。生化检验的灵敏度为98.00%,特异度为84.00%;常规检验的灵敏度为84.00%,特异度为16.00%,生化检验无论是特异度还是灵敏度均比常规检验高。结论与尿常规检验相比,血液生化检验在糖尿病的诊断上具有更高的准确性、灵敏度、特异度,其临床价值更加显著。     

Accuracy of urea breath test in Helicobacter pylori infection: Meta-analysis

AIM: To quantitatively summarize and appraise the available evidence of urea breath test(UBT) use to diagnose Helicobacter pylori(H. pylori) infection in patients with dyspepsia and provide pooled diagnostic accuracy measures.METHODS: We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane library and other databases for studies addressing the value of UBT in the diagnosis of H. pylori infection. We included cross-sectional studies that evaluated the diagnostic accuracy of UBT in adult patients with dyspeptic symptoms. Risk of bias was assessed using QUADAS(Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies)-2 tool. Diagnostic accuracy measures were pooled using the random-effects model. Subgroup analysis was conducted by UBT type(13C vs 14C) and by measurement technique(Infrared spectrometry vs Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry).RESULTS: Out of 1380 studies identified, only 23 met the eligibility criteria. Fourteen studies(61%) evaluated 13 C UBT and 9 studies(39%) evaluated 14 C UBT. There was significant variation in the type of reference standard tests used across studies.Pooled sensitivity was 0.96(95%CI: 0.95-0.97) andpooled specificity was 0.93(95%CI: 0.91-0.94). Likelihood ratio for a positive test was 12 and for a negative test was 0.05 with an area under thecurve of 0.985. Meta-analyses were associated with a significant statistical heterogeneity that remained unexplained after subgroup analysis. The included studies had a moderate risk of bias.CONCLUSION: UBT has high diagnostic accuracy for detecting H. pylori infection in patients with dyspepsia. The reliability of diagnostic meta-analytic estimates however is limited by significant heterogeneity.     

Diagnostic accuracy of a new point-of-care screening assay for celiac disease

AIM: To determine the diagnostic accuracy of a new point-of-care assay detecting anti-deamidated gliadin peptides in celiac disease(CD) patients.METHODS: One-hundred-and-twelve patients(age range: 1.8-79.2 years old) with clinical symptoms suggestive of CD and/or first-degree relatives(FDR) of CD patients(n = 66),and confirmed CD on a gluten-free diet(GFD)(n = 46),were prospectively enrolled in the study at Gastroenterology outpatient clinics for adult patients and from the Gastroenterology Consultation Ward at the Pediatric Department of the University Hospital of Geneva.Written informed consent was obtained from all subjects enrolled.The study received approval from the local ethics committee.The original CD diagnosis had been based on serum-positive IgA anti-tissue transglutaminase enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA)(QuantaLite,Inova Diagnostics,San Diego,CA,United States) and on biopsy results.Serum samples from all study participants were tested by the new CD lateral flow immunochromatographic assay(CD-LFIA) device,Simtomax Blood Drop(Augurix SA,BioArk,Monthey,Switzerland) to detect immunoglobulin(Ig)A and IgG antibodies against deamidated gliadin peptides.The diagnostic performance was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic curves with 95%CIs.A cut-off of 2 on the Rann colorimetric scale was used to calculate the device’s sensitivity and specificity.RESULTS: CD-LFIA was highly accurate in detecting untreated celiac patients.In the group of patients with CD symptoms and/or FDR,eight new cases of CD were detected by ELISA and biopsy.All of these new cases were also correctly identified by CD-LFIA.The test yielded four false positive and four false negative results.The false positive results were all within the groups with clinical symptoms suggestive of CD and/or FDR,whereas the false negative results were all within the GFD group.The test yeld a sensitivity of 78.9%(95%CI: 54.4-93.9) and specificity of 95.7%(95%CI: 89.4-98.8),and the area under the curve reached 0.893(95%CI: 0.798-0.988).T     

核素心肌灌注显像与电子束CT诊断冠心病的对比研究

目的 :比较核素心肌灌注显像 (SPECT)与电子束 CT(EBCT)冠状动脉钙化定量积分对冠心病 (CHD)的诊断价值。方法 :44例住院患者同时进行冠状动脉造影 (CAG)、SPECT和EBCT检查。以 CAG为金标准 ,比较 SPECT与 EBCT诊断 CHD的各项诊断指标 ,并评价平行试验和系列试验的诊断指标。结果 :SPECT诊断 CHD的敏感性为 88.9% ,特异性为 69.2 % ,准确性为 77.3% ;EBCT以钙化积分≥ 1 0分为阳性标准 ,敏感性、特异性、准确性分别为 77.8%、80 .8%及 79.5%。这两种方法对检测 CHD的价值相似 (P >0 .0 5)。 SPECT与 EBCT联合平行试验的准确性为 72 .7% ;系列试验的准确性为 86.4%。结论 :SPECT与 EBCT诊断 CHD的效率相近 ;SPECT显像和 EBCT冠状动脉钙化定量积分法均为非创伤性检查法 ,对 CHD的诊断各有优势 ,宜结合使用     

Simultaneous dobutamine stress echocardiography and dobutamine scintigraphy (99mTc-MIBI-SPET) for assessment of coronary artery disease

Background: Simultaneous dobutamine stress echocardiography (DSE) and^99mTc-MIBI-SPET (DMS) for the evaluation of the presence and the extent of coronary artery disease (CAD) were assessed for a head to head comparison regarding the diagnostic accuracy of the two tests. Methods and Results: Forty-five consecutive patients (33 males and 12 females: 53±6.8 yr.) underwent exercise electrocardiography and simultaneous dobutamine stress echocardiography and MIBI-SPET imaging. Coronary angiography was performed in all patients (significant coronary stenosis > 50%). On the basis of the results of exercise electrocardiogram the pre-test probability for coronary artery disease (Diamond's algorithm) was low (45.6±12.7 %). The overall specificity, sensitivity and predictive accuracy of Echo-dobutamine stress test for diagnosis of the presence or absence of CAD were: specificity 82%, sensitivity 76%, diagnostic accuracy 80%, positive predictive value 90%, negative predictive value 40%. The overall specificity, sensitivity and predictive accuracy of MIBI-SPET-dobutamine test for diagnosis of the presence or absence of CAD were: specificity 86%, sensitivity 87%, diagnostic accuracy 84%, positive predictive value 97%, negative predictive value 54%. MIBI-SPET-dobutamine test showed a significantly higher sensitivity in comparison with ECHO-dobutamine test (P<0.05). Conclusion: Both noninvasive methods for the detection of CAD showed a good diagnostic accuracy. Nevertheless the SPET model showed an higher sensitivity in comparison with DSE model, essentially in the presence of a lower extent of CAD and during submaximal test.     

The ovine corticotropin-releasing hormone stimulation test and the dexamethasone suppression test in the differential diagnosis of Cushing's syndrome

We gave a standard dexamethasone suppression test and an ovine corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) stimulation test to 41 patients with adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH)-dependent hypercortisolism to determine the efficacy of each test in the differential diagnosis of Cushing's syndrome. Twenty-nine of thirty-three patients with Cushing's disease and 0 of 8 patients with ectopic secretion of ACTH responded to the ovine CRH test with increased levels of cortisol. When a cortisol response was judged as positive for Cushing's disease, the CRH test had a diagnostic sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of 88%, 100%, and 90%, respectively. Twenty-nine patients with Cushing's disease and 1 patient with ectopic secretion of ACTH responded to the dexamethasone suppression test. A combined-test strategy requiring negative results from both tests to exclude a diagnosis of Cushing's disease yielded superior sensitivity (100%) and diagnostic accuracy (98%). Thus, the ovine CRH test works as well as the standard dexamethasone suppression test in discriminating between Cushing's disease and ectopic ACTH secretion. The diagnostic power of each test is enhanced when the two tests are combined.     

Diagnostic values of clinical diagnostic tests in subacromial impingement syndrome

OBJECTIVE: Subacromial impingement syndrome (SIS) is a frequent cause of shoulder pain. The aim of this study was to investigate the diagnostic values of clinical diagnostic tests, in patients with SIS. METHODS: 72 female, 48 male patients with shoulder pain were included in the study. Five had bilateral shoulder pain, so 125 painful shoulders were evaluated. Details were recorded about the patients' ages and sexes, as well as characteristics of pain and related problems. Detailed physical examination and routine laboratory tests were performed. Conventional radiography and subsequent magnetic resonance imaging of the shoulder region of all patients were performed. Patients were divided into two groups according to the results of subacromial injection test, a reference standard test for SIS. Test positive patients constituted SIS group and test negative patients the non-SIS group. Sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive and negative predictive values of some clinical diagnostic tests such as Neer, Hawkins, horizontal adduction, painful arc, drop arm, Yergason and Speed tests for SIS were determined by using 2 x 2 table. RESULTS: The most sensitive diagnostic tests were found to be Hawkins test (92.1%), Neer test (88.7%) and horizontal adduction test (82.0%). Tests with highest specificity were drop arm test (97.2%), Yergason test (86.1%) and painful arc test (80.5%) consecutively. CONCLUSION: The highly sensitive tests seem to have low specificity values and the highly specific ones to have low sensitivity values. Although this finding suggests that these diagnostic tests are insufficient for certain diagnosis, it is suggested they play an important part in clinical evaluation.     

Magnetic resonance imaging for evaluation of bowel inflammation and disease activity in Crohn's disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BackgroundThe aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to determine the performance of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the diagnosis of bowel inflammation and disease activity in Crohn's disease (CD).MethodsMEDLINE, Embase and Web of Science databases of biomedical literature were systematically searched to identify studies that investigated the diagnostic accuracy of MRI in diagnosing bowel inflammation and disease activity in CD by comparing it with reference standards. Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies-2 tool was used to assess study quality. The summary sensitivity and specificity were estimated using the bivariate model, and hierarchical summary receiver operating characteristic (HSROC) parameters were calculated and plotted.ResultsOf 5492 citations of interest, 34 articles contained the diagnostic accuracy data. Of these, results for the small bowel and the colorectum were reported separately in 19 studies and jointly by 21 studies. The meta-analytic summary sensitivity and specificity under the bivariate model were 90.9% (95% CI, 85.8%–94.2%) and 90.2% (95% CI, 81.9%–95.0%), respectively. The sensitivities and specificities of individual studies ranged from 55% to 100% and 51% to 100%, respectively. Substantial heterogeneity was observed in both sensitivity (I² = 84.9%) and specificity (I² = 78.8%). The HSROC curve also showed considerable heterogeneity between studies.ConclusionAlthough the meta-analytic summary accuracy of MRI was high for the diagnosis of bowel inflammation in CD, the summary estimates might be unreliable due to the presence of high heterogeneity.     

Diagnostic accuracy of tests to detect hepatitis B surface antigen: a systematic review of the literature and meta-analysis

Background

Chronic Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) infection is characterised by the persistence of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg). Expanding HBV diagnosis and treatment programmes into low resource settings will require high quality but inexpensive rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) in addition to laboratory-based enzyme immunoassays (EIAs) to detect HBsAg. The purpose of this review is to assess the clinical accuracy of available diagnostic tests to detect HBsAg to inform recommendations on testing strategies in 2017 WHO hepatitis testing guidelines.

Methods

The systematic review was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines using 9 databases. Two reviewers independently extracted data according to a pre-specified plan and evaluated study quality. Meta-analysis was performed. HBsAg diagnostic accuracy of rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) was compared to enzyme immunoassay (EIA) and nucleic-acid test (NAT) reference standards. Subanalyses were performed to determine accuracy among brands, HIV-status and specimen type.

Results

Of the 40 studies that met the inclusion criteria, 33 compared RDTs and/or EIAs against EIAs and 7 against NATs as reference standards. Thirty studies assessed diagnostic accuracy of 33 brands of RDTs in 23,716 individuals from 23 countries using EIA as the reference standard. The pooled sensitivity and specificity were 90.0% (95% CI: 89.1, 90.8) and 99.5% (95% CI: 99.4, 99.5) respectively, but accuracy varied widely among brands. Accuracy did not differ significantly whether serum, plasma, venous or capillary whole blood was used. Pooled sensitivity of RDTs in 5 studies of HIV-positive persons was lower at 72.3% (95% CI: 67.9, 76.4) compared to that in HIV-negative persons, but specificity remained high. Five studies evaluated 8 EIAs against a chemiluminescence immunoassay reference standard with a pooled sensitivity and specificity of 88.9% (95% CI: 87.0, 90.6) and 98.4% (95% CI: 97.8, 98.8), respectively. Accuracy of both RDTs and EIAs using a NAT reference were generally lower, especially amongst HIV-positive cohorts.

Conclusions

HBsAg RDTs have good sensitivity and excellent specificity compared to laboratory immunoassays as a reference standard. Sensitivity of HBsAg RDTs may be lower in HIV infected individuals.

     

Antibodies Against Glycoprotein 2 Are Specific Biomarkers for Pediatric Crohn’s Disease

Background

Serological markers can assist in accurate differentiation between Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). One such marker is anti-glycoprotein 2 (anti-GP2) which was shown to be a specific marker for CD in adult patients. The aim of our study was to assess the utility of anti-GP2 and GP2 as biomarkers for pediatric CD, and determine whether they correlate with disease activity.

Methods

Serum samples were tested by ELISA for anti-GP2 isoform 4 IgG and IgA, and also for GP2. Results were correlated with demographic and clinical data.

Results

The cohort consisted of 53 pediatric patients with CD, 42 with UC, and 53 controls. Levels of anti-GP2 were significantly increased in pediatric patients with CD in comparison with patients with UC, and control subjects, with high positive predictive value for both IgG and IgA (97.9% and 82.6%, respectively). While specificity of anti-GP2 IgG and IgA was very high (98.7% and 90.0%, respectively), sensitivity was low (42.0% and 35.5% for IgG and IgA, respectively). In CD, anti-GP2 correlated with disease activity, and decreased in treatment-naïve patients following successful induction therapy. A higher IgA anti-GP2 was also demonstrated in patients with ileo-colonic involvement, and was associated with a younger age. Finally, positive GP2 level was identified in only 1/211 serum samples.

Conclusions

A positive anti-GP2 level is highly associated with CD, while a negative result does not exclude CD. Additional studies are required to determine whether these markers can be used in pediatric patients with CD for risk stratification.

     

13C-galactose breath test and 13C-aminopyrine breath test for the study of liver function in chronic liver disease.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Liver biopsy examination is the gold standard to diagnose the presence of cirrhosis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of both 13 C-aminopyrine breath test ( 13 C-ABT) and 13 C-galactose breath test ( 13 C-GBT) in the noninvasive assessment of the presence of cirrhosis in patients with chronic liver disease. METHODS: We evaluated 61 patients with chronic liver disease of diverse etiologies (21 compensated cirrhosis). All patients underwent 13 C-GBT and 13 C-ABT, and the results were expressed as a percentage of the administered dose of 13 C recovered per hour (%dose/h) and as the cumulative percentage of administered dose of 13 C recovered over time (%dose cumulative). Results were analyzed according to absence vs presence of cirrhosis. RESULTS: On average, 13 C-GBT %dose/h and %dose cumulative were decreased significantly in patients with compensated cirrhosis, and the same finding was observed for 13 C-ABT results from 30 to 120 minutes. 13 C-GBT %dose/h at 120 minutes had 71.4% sensitivity, 85.0% specificity, and 83.7% accuracy, whereas 13 C-ABT %dose cumulative at 30 minutes had 85.7% sensitivity, 67.5% specificity, and 77.1% accuracy for distinguishing between the 2 subgroups of patients. Combined assessment of 13 C-GBT and 13 C-ABT increased the diagnostic accuracy (80% positive predictive value) of either test alone and reached 92.5% specificity and 100% sensitivity for the diagnosis of cirrhosis. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with chronic liver disease, both 13 C-GBT and 13 C-ABT are useful for the diagnosis of cirrhosis. Combination of the tests increases the diagnostic yield of each test alone.     

结核分枝杆菌分泌性酸性磷酸酶检测对结核病诊断价值的Meta分析

目的系统评价结核分枝杆菌分泌性酸性磷酸酶（TB—SA）检测对结核病的诊断价值。方法计算机检索CNKI、万方、维普、Medline、Embase、CochraneLibrary等数据库，筛选关于TB—SA检测对结核病诊断价值的中、英文文献并进行系统评价。对纳入的文献，采用诊断精确性研究的质量评估方法（QUADAS）进行质量评价，并用Meta—Disc1．4软件进行meta分析。结果共纳入符合要求的文献13篇，合并敏感度为0．70（95％CI：0．69～0．72），合并特异度为0．83（95％CI：0．82～0．85），合并阳性似然比为4．43（95％CI：3．32～5．92），合并阴性似然比为0．35（95％CI：0．30～0．42），合并诊断优势比为14．33（95％CI：9．17～22．37），汇总受试者工作特征曲结（SROC）下面积为0．8324。结论TB—SA检测对结核病具有一定的诊断价值，可以辅助结核病的诊断。     

尿液检验与生化检验在糖尿病诊断中的效果分析

目的探究尿液检验与生化检验在糖尿病诊断中的效果情况。方法选择2017年10月—2019年10月该院所收治的疑似2型糖尿病患者90例为研究对象。对受试者开展尿液检验与生化检验,并以糖化血红蛋白检验结果为“金标准”,分析以上方法诊断2型糖尿病的效能情况。结果和生化检验相比,尿常规检验糖尿病阳性率明显较低;和尿常规检验相比,生化检验诊断糖尿病的特异度、灵敏度、准确度明显更高;相较于非糖尿病患者,糖尿病患者的空腹血糖以及糖化血红蛋白指标明显更高,差异有统计学意义(P<0.05)。结论和尿常规检验方法相比,利用生化检验在诊断2型糖尿病中的效能更大。该类方法有着较高的灵敏度、特异度以及准确度,有助于进一步提升2型糖尿病检出率。     

Evaluation of the monoclonal stool antigen test for Helicobacter pylori in an Asian population with dyspepsia

OBJECTIVE: Although well established in the West, stool antigen tests (SAT) are not widely used in Asia. Data on the accuracy of this test in Asia is sparse and, to date, there have been no studies looking at the more refined monoclonal SAT. The aim of this study is to validate the diagnostic accuracy of a stool antigen test, Hp STAR, for the detection of Helicobacter pylori. METHODS: Consecutive new patients with dyspepsia, referred to the endoscopy unit were recruited. At endoscopy, biopsies were taken for rapid urease tests and histology. Stool specimens were collected before any therapy was given and were tested for H. pylori using the monoclonal SAT HpSTAR test. Samples were collected from 90 patients. The stool antigen results were compared with the results of rapid urease tests and histopathology, which were used together as the gold standard test in the diagnosis of H. pylori. RESULTS: Of the 90 patients tested, 45 were H. pylori positive and 45 were H. pylori negative. There was one false positive and one false negative test. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value for the Hp STAR were identical: 97.8% with a 95% confidence interval of 88.2-99.9%. The diagnostic accuracy was 97.8% with a 95% confidence interval of 92.2-99.7%. CONCLUSION: The monoclonal stool antigen test, HpSTAR is a highly accurate test for the diagnosis of H. pylori.     

hsCRP、HCY水平对老年冠心病患者的诊断价值

目的探讨高敏C反应蛋白(hsCRP)、同型半胱氨酸(HCY)水平在单、多支冠状动脉病变的老年冠心病患者中的诊断价值。方法选取老年冠状动脉病变患者120例,根据冠状动脉病变支数不同分为单支组(n=47)、双支组(n=41)、多支组(n=32),另选取同期体检健康者40例作为对照组。采用全自动生化分析仪和免疫比浊法分别测定一般临床指标及hsCRP、HCY水平,采用ROC曲线判断hsCRP、HCY诊断冠状动脉病变支数的截点及相应的敏感性和特异性。结果与对照组比较,单支组、双支组、多支组患者血清hsCRP、HCY水平增高,有统计学差异(P0.05);与单支组比较,双支组患者HCY水平增高,多支组患者hsCRP、HCY水平增高,有统计学差异(P0.05);与双支组比较,多支组患者hsCRP水平增高,有统计学差异(P0.05)。以hsCRP9.6 mmol/L为标准诊断单支组的敏感性为62.51%、特异性为87.42%、准确性为79.85%;诊断双支组的敏感性为66.78%、特异性为90.17%、准确性为85.64%;诊断多支组的敏感性为80.46%、特异性为96.35%、准确性为89.47%。以HCY7.3 mmol/L为标准诊断单支组的敏感性为55.75%、特异性为80.63%、准确性为65.58%;诊断双支组的敏感性为63.58%、特异性为86.17%、准确性为76.84%;诊断多支组的敏感性为73.75%、特异性为91.38%、准确性为82.66%。结论 hsCRP、HCY水平在单、双、多支老年患者冠状动脉病变中的诊断有较高的敏感性和特异性。