Fatigue,anxiety and depression overrule the role of oncological treatment in predicting self-reported health complaints in women with breast cancer compared to healthy controls

BackgroundWomen with breast cancer often attribute their health problems as side effects caused by oncological treatments. The aim of the study was to examine and compare self-reported health complaints (SHC) in postmenopausal patients with breast cancer to healthy controls.MethodWomen with breast cancer (N = 196) filled in 5 questionnaires 1–2 years after surgery; SHC Inventory, Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Endocrine Subscale (FACT-ES), Fatigue – Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Fatigue subscale (FACIT-F), Fatigue Visual Analog Scale (Fatigue VAS), and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Controls comprised 101 blood donors who reported on the questionnaires except for HADS. Bonferroni adjustment and p < 0.0017 was considered statistically significant for SHC Inventory, p < 0.05 for the remaining questionnaires.ResultsThe patients, mean age 58.0 (SD 9.5), reported significantly more self-reported health complaints, whereof 6 of 29 complaints were significantly elevated compared to the controls, mean age 57.0 (SD 5.8) (p < 0.001). HADS scores in patients fell into normal range, mean 6.3 (SD 5.7). A subgroup of 48 patients experienced more frequent and severe symptoms in all the questionnaires compared to the remaining 148 patients, and the 101 controls. Among the patients, fatigue, anxiety and depression explained 49% of the total variance in self-reported health complaints (p ≤ 0.001).ConclusionMost women with breast cancer (76%) reported health complaints equal to the healthy controls. Fatigue, anxiety and depression, not oncological treatments, were significant predictors for the complaints.     

冠心病患者血清ApoB/A1比值与临床SYNTAX评分的相关性

目的 分析冠心病患者血清ApoB/A1比值与临床SYNTAX评分（CSS）的相关性,探讨ApoB/A1比值对冠状动脉病变程度及预后的预测价值。方法 回顾性分析2015年1月1日至2016年1月1日在蚌埠医学院第一附属医院心血管内科住院,并行冠状动脉造影确诊为冠心病患者372例的临床资料,依据冠状动脉造影结果计算CSS,以分值高低分为高分、中分、低分组。采用Pearson分析各血脂指标与CSS的相关性。结果 ApoB/A1比值在CSS的低、中、高分组差异均有统计学意义（P<0.05）,且随评分的增高,ApoB/A1比值增加。且ApoB/A1比值与CSS呈正相关性（r=0.269,P<0.001）。结论 ApoB/A1比值对冠状动脉病变程度及预后具有较好的预测价值。     

Role of the Neutrophil-Lymphocyte Ratio in the Differential Diagnosis of Exudative Pleural Effusion

OBJECTIVES:Pleural effusion is a common diagnostic and clinical problem. The differential diagnosis of pleural effusion may be difficult and may require several procedures, including invasive ones. Certain studies have investigated biochemical parameters to facilitate the diagnosis of exudative pleural effusion; however, it remains a challenging problem in clinical practice. We aimed to investigate the potential role of the neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio, which can be easily obtained by determining the cell count of the pleural fluid, in the differential diagnosis of exudative pleural effusion.METHODS:Records from patients who underwent thoracentesis and pleural fluid analysis between May 1, 2013, and March 1, 2015, were obtained from the electronic database of our hospital. The patients who met the inclusion criteria were divided into five groups according to their diagnosis: malignant pleural effusion, para-malignant pleural effusion, para-pneumonic effusion, tuberculosis-related effusion or other. The neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio value was calculated by dividing the absolute neutrophil count by the absolute lymphocyte count. The patient groups were compared according to the given parameter.RESULTS:A total of 465 patients who met the inclusion criteria among 1616 patients with exudative pleural effusion were included in the study. The mean neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio value was significantly lower in tuberculosis-related pleural effusion compared to malignant, para-pneumonic and para-malignant effusions (p=0.001, p=0.001, p=0.012, respectively). The areas under the curve for tuberculosis pleurisy compared to malignant, para-pneumonic and para-malignant effusions were 0.38, 0.36, and 0.37, respectively. Lower cut-off values had higher sensitivity but lower specificity for tuberculosis pleurisy, while higher cut-off values had higher specificity but lower sensitivity for this condition.CONCLUSION:The pleural fluid neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio, which is an inexpensive, reproducible, and easily calculated hematological parameter, may facilitate the differential diagnosis of pleural effusion.     

中性粒细胞/淋巴细胞比率对急性百草枯中毒患者30天死亡风险的预测价值评估

目的 评估血中性粒细胞/淋巴细胞比率(Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio,NLR)对急性百草枯中毒患者30 d死亡风险的预测价值。 方法 回顾性分析收住南京大学医学院附属鼓楼医院急诊科的115例急性百草枯中毒患者临床资料,以中毒30 d后的临床转归情况分为存活组(64例)和死亡组(51例)。单因素及多因素logistic回归分析临床资料确定中毒患者死亡的高危因素。利用受试者工作特征曲线(receiver operating characteristic curve,ROC)评估NLR对中毒患者30 d死亡风险的预测价值。Spearman分析探讨NLR与百草枯中毒严重程度指数(severity index of paraquat poisoning,SIPP)之间的相关性。 结果 急性百草枯中毒患者平均年龄(38.9±13.6)岁,男性54例,女性61例,总体病死率44.35%(51/115)。多因素Logistic回归分析显示,NLR是中毒患者死亡的危险因素(OR:1.477,95%CI: 1.035~2.107,P<0.05)。NLR预测效能的ROC曲线下面积为0.894(95%CI:0.821 2~0.966 3,P<0.01),最佳截断值为11.71(敏感度71.79%、特异度94.29%;阳性预测值93.33%、阴性预测值75.00%;阳性似然比12.57、阴性似然比0.30)。NLR与SIPP呈中等强度正相关(r=0.525, P<0.01),且SIPP≥10组患者NLR值(15.02±12.40)较SIPP<10组(6.19±2.54)均明显升高,差异有统计学意义(P<0.05)。 结论 NLR值增高是急性百草枯中毒患者死亡的高危因素,其与SIPP具有良好的相关性,对中毒患者的30 d死亡风险具有良好的预测价值。     

Performance of a new rapid diagnostic test the lactate/glucose ratio of synovial fluid for the diagnosis of septic arthritis

ObjectiveTo evaluate the diagnostic performance of the synovial lactate, glucose and lactate/glucose ratio assay for the diagnosis of septic arthritis.MethodsIn this monocentric cross-sectional study, synovial fluids were prospectively obtained from patients with acute joint effusion (<30 days) on native joint. Septic arthritis was defined using Newman's criteria. To evaluate diagnostic performance, Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves with Area under the curve (AUC), Sensitivities (Se), Specificities (Sp), LR+ their 95% confidence intervals were calculated. Synovial fluid cultures with gram staining, crystal analyses, synovial fluid white blood cell counts (WBC), lactate and glucose assays were performed.ResultsA total of 233 synovial fluids were included. 25 patients had septic arthritis and 208 had non-septic arthritis (104 crystal-induced arthritis, 15 RA, 8 SpA, 6 reactive arthritis, and 75 acute arthritis of undifferentiated origin). Synovial lactate/glucose ratio performed higher than the synovial lactate or glucose assay separately (AUC: 0.859 [0.772–0.945]). Best synovial lactate/glucose ratio threshold to differentiate septic arthritis from non-septic arthritis was 5 Se 52% [0.34–0.7], Sp 98.1% [0.95–0.99], LR+ 27.0[9.50–76.00]).ConclusionThe diagnostic performance of synovial lactate/glucose allows septic arthritis to be effectively and very quickly distinguished from other types of arthritis.     

Predictors of hospital transfer and associated risks of mortality in acute pancreatitis

BackgroundThere is limited research in prognosticators of hospital transfer in acute pancreatitis (AP). Hence, we sought to determine the predictors of hospital transfer from small/medium-sized hospitals and outcomes following transfer to large acute-care hospitals.MethodsUsing the 2010–2013 Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS), patients ≥18 years of age with a primary diagnosis of AP were identified. Hospital size was classified using standard NIS Definitions. Multivariable analyses were performed for predictors of “transfer-out” from small/medium-sized hospitals and mortality in large acute-care hospitals.ResultsAmong 381,818 patients admitted with AP to small/medium-sized hospitals, 13,947 (4%) were transferred out to another acute-care hospital. Multivariable analysis revealed that older patients (OR = 1.04; 95%CI 1.03–1.06), men (OR = 1.15; 95%CI 1.06–1.24), lower income quartiles (OR = 1.54; 95%CI 1.35–1.76), admission to a non-teaching hospital (OR = 3.38; 95%CI 3.00–3.80), gallstone pancreatitis (OR = 3.32; 95%CI 2.90–3.79), pancreatic surgery (OR = 3.14; 95%CI 1.76–5.58), and severe AP (OR = 3.07; 95%CI 2.78–3.38) were predictors of “transfer-out”. ERCP (OR = 0.53; 95%CI 0.43–0.66) and cholecystectomy (OR = 0.14; 95%CI 0.12–0.18) were associated with decreased odds of “transfer-out”.Among 507,619 patients admitted with AP to large hospitals, 31,058 (6.1%) were “transferred-in” from other hospitals. The mortality rate for patients “transferred-in” was higher than those directly admitted (2.54% vs. 0.91%, p < 0.001). Multivariable analysis revealed that being “transferred-in” from other hospitals was an independent predictor of mortality (OR = 1.47; 95% CI 1.22–1.77).ConclusionsPatients with AP transferred into large acute-care hospitals had a higher mortality than those directly admitted likely secondary to more severe disease. Early implementation of published clinical guidelines, triage, and prompt transfer of high-risk patients may potentially offset these negative outcomes.     

The influence of Gelatin/PCL ratio and 3-D construct shape of electrospun membranes on cartilage regeneration

Scaffolds play an important role in directing three-dimensional (3-D) cartilage regeneration. Our recent study reported the potential advantages of electrospun gelatin/polycaprolactone (GT/PCL) membranes in regenerating 3-D cartilage. However, it is still unknown whether the changes of GT/PCL ratio have significant influence on 3-D cartilage regeneration. To address this issue, the current study prepared three kinds of electrospun membranes with different GT/PCL ratios (70:30, 50:50, 30:70). Adhesion and proliferation of chondrocytes on the membranes were examined to evaluate biocompatibility of the membranes. Cartilage with different 3-D shapes was engineered to further evaluate the influences of GT/PCL ratio on cartilage regeneration. The current results demonstrated that all the membranes with different GT/PCL ratios presented good biocompatibility with chondrocytes. Nevertheless, the high PCL content in the membranes significantly hampered early 3-D cartilage formation at 3 weeks in vivo. Unexpectedly, at 12 weeks, all the cylinder-shaped constructs formed mature cartilage-like tissue with no statistical differences among groups. To our surprise, ear-shaped cartilage regeneration obtained quite different results again: the high PCL content completely disrupted cartilage regeneration even at 12 weeks, and only the least PCL content group formed homogeneous and continuous cartilage with a satisfactory shape and elasticity similar to human ear. All these results indicated that the high PCL content was unfavorable for 3-D cartilage regeneration, especially for the cartilage with a complicated shape, and that GT/PCL 70:30 might be a relatively suitable ratio for ear-shaped cartilage regeneration. The research models established in the current study provide detailed information for cartilage and other tissue regeneration based on electrospun GT/PCL membranes.     

Understanding Hispanic Patient Satisfaction with Telehealth During COVID-19

BackgroundRecent studies have described the use of telehealth for pediatric surgical care during the COVID-19 pandemic. We aimed to evaluate equity in telehealth use by comparing rates of utilization and satisfaction with pediatric surgical telemedicine among Hispanic patients.MethodsWe conducted a retrospective cohort study of patients seen by a surgical subspecialty provider in the outpatient setting at a quaternary pediatric hospital between April 1 and June 30, 2020. Patients evaluated in the same three-month period in 2019 were analyzed as a historic control. Differences in Family Experience Survey (FES) responses based on race and ethnicity and preferred language of care were assessed using univariable and multivariable generalized linear modeling.ResultsThe pandemic cohort included fewer patients of Hispanic ethnicity and fewer Spanish-speakers. After controlling for visit type, comparison of Spanish-speaking and English-speaking patients revealed that Spanish-speaking families had significantly lower scores for FES items that evaluated healthcare provider explaining (IRR 0.74, 95% CI: 0.61–0.90), listening (IRR 0.76, 95% CI: 0.63–0.92), and time spent with the family (IRR 0.73, 95% CI: 0.60–0.89). There were no differences in FES responses based on insurance status or degree of medical complexity.ConclusionsTelehealth services were less commonly used among Hispanic and Spanish-speaking patients. Language may differentially affect family satisfaction with healthcare and telehealth solutions. Strategies to mitigate these inequities are needed and may include strengthening interpreter services and providing language-concordant care.Level of evidenceLevel IV.