Use of a dual lumen port for automated red cell exchange in adults with sickle cell disease

Red cell exchange (RCE) is a common procedure in adults with sickle cell disease (SCD). Implantable dual lumen Vortex (DLV) ports can be used for RCE in patients with poor peripheral venous access. We performed a retrospective cohort study of RCE procedures performed in adults with SCD. The main objective of the study was to compare the inlet speed, duration of procedures and rate of complications performed through DLV ports to those performed through temporary central venous and peripheral catheters. Twenty‐nine adults with SCD underwent a total of 318 RCE procedures. Twenty adults had DLV ports placed and 218 procedures were performed using DLV ports. Mean length of follow‐up after DLV port placement was 397 ± 263 days. Six DLV ports were removed due to infection and 1 for malfunction after a mean of 171 ± 120 days. Compared to temporary central venous and peripheral catheters, DLV port procedures had a greater rate of procedural complications, a longer duration, and a lower inlet speed (all P < 0.01). When accounting for the maximum allowable inlet speed to avoid citrate toxicity, 40% of DLV port procedures were greater than 10% below maximum speed, compared to 7 and 14% of procedures performed through temporary central venous and peripheral catheters (P < 0.0001). In conclusion, DLV ports can be used for RCE in adults with SCD, albeit with more procedural complications and longer duration. The smaller internal diameter and longer catheter of DLV ports compared to temporary central venous catheters likely accounts for the differences noted. J. Clin. Apheresis 30:353–358, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Differentiating autoimmune pancreatitis from pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma with CT radiomics features

PurposeThe purpose of this study was to determine whether computed tomography (CT)-based machine learning of radiomics features could help distinguish autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP) from pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC).Materials and MethodsEighty-nine patients with AIP (65 men, 24 women; mean age, 59.7 ± 13.9 [SD] years; range: 21–83 years) and 93 patients with PDAC (68 men, 25 women; mean age, 60.1 ± 12.3 [SD] years; range: 36–86 years) were retrospectively included. All patients had dedicated dual-phase pancreatic protocol CT between 2004 and 2018. Thin-slice images (0.75/0.5 mm thickness/increment) were compared with thick-slices images (3 or 5 mm thickness/increment). Pancreatic regions involved by PDAC or AIP (areas of enlargement, altered enhancement, effacement of pancreatic duct) as well as uninvolved parenchyma were segmented as three-dimensional volumes. Four hundred and thirty-one radiomics features were extracted and a random forest was used to distinguish AIP from PDAC. CT data of 60 AIP and 60 PDAC patients were used for training and those of 29 AIP and 33 PDAC independent patients were used for testing.ResultsThe pancreas was diffusely involved in 37 (37/89; 41.6%) patients with AIP and not diffusely in 52 (52/89; 58.4%) patients. Using machine learning, 95.2% (59/62; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 89.8–100%), 83.9% (52:67; 95% CI: 74.7–93.0%) and 77.4% (48/62; 95% CI: 67.0–87.8%) of the 62 test patients were correctly classified as either having PDAC or AIP with thin-slice venous phase, thin-slice arterial phase, and thick-slice venous phase CT, respectively. Three of the 29 patients with AIP (3/29; 10.3%) were incorrectly classified as having PDAC but all 33 patients with PDAC (33/33; 100%) were correctly classified with thin-slice venous phase with 89.7% sensitivity (26/29; 95% CI: 78.6–100%) and 100% specificity (33/33; 95% CI: 93–100%) for the diagnosis of AIP, 95.2% accuracy (59/62; 95% CI: 89.8–100%) and area under the curve of 0.975 (95% CI: 0.936–1.0).ConclusionsRadiomic features help differentiate AIP from PDAC with an overall accuracy of 95.2%.     

Maximizing intelligence obtained from higher-order DNA mixtures from volume crime samples

ABSTRACT

This work collates data from the analysis of complex mixtures analysed in STRmix during routine no-suspect volume crime work. It interrogates the upload rate for these types of mixtures and which component of the profile has been able to be interpreted for upload. The number of profiles giving multiple uploads and the amount of replicate PCR analysis has been collated.     

Transarterial Chemoembolization vs Radioembolization for Neuroendocrine Liver Metastases: A Multi-Institutional Analysis

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Electronic clinical records in primary care for estimating disease burden and management. An example of COPD

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a significant health problem in developed countries. We aimed to estimate the prevalence of COPD in a single Spanish healthcare area. We also aimed to assess if there are any differences in prevalence and spirometry use among primary care services by utilizing already registered information. We designed a cross-sectional study to determine the prevalence of COPD and the performance of spirometries in each primary care service. A total of 8,444 patients were diagnosed with COPD, with a prevalence of 2.6% for individuals older than 39 years. The prevalence increased with age and was much higher in men. Significant heterogeneity was found in the prevalence of COPD and spirometry use among primary care services. COPD was underdiagnosed and there was wide variability in spirometry use in our area. Greater efforts are needed to diagnose COPD in order to improve its clinical outcomes and to refine registries so that they can be used as reliable sources of information     

普通变异型免疫缺陷病合并肝硬化1例并文献复习

目的:讨论普通变异型免疫缺陷病(common variable immunodeficiency disease,CVID)的发病机制、临床表现及治疗方法。方法:报道1例普通变异型免疫缺陷病合并肝硬化患者并复习相关文献。结果:普通变异型免疫缺陷病是临床少见病,易误诊,病因不清,临床表现复杂,部分患者病程中可出现肝功能异常,甚至并发肝硬化。结论:临床反复感染的患者应考虑CVID的可能,须进一步作血浆免疫球蛋白的检测确诊。对已经确诊患者定期补充静脉丙种球蛋白,同时还应定期检查肝功能。     

Sudden Cardiac Death in Patients With Type 1 Versus Type 2 Diabetes

ObjectiveTo investigate the association between type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1D) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) with risk of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA).MethodsIn a prospective community-based study of SCA from February 1, 2002, through November 30, 2019, we ascertained 2771 cases age 18 years of age or older and matched them to 8313 controls based on geography, age, sex, and race/ethnicity. We used logistic regression to evaluate the independent association between diabetes, T1D, T2D, and SCA.ResultsPatients had a mean age of 64.5±15.9 years, were 33.3% female and 23.9% non-White race. Overall, 36.7% (n=1016) of cases and 23.8% (n=1981) of controls had diabetes. Among individuals with diabetes, the proportion of T1D was 6.5% (n=66) among cases and 2.0% among controls (n=40). Diabetes was associated with 1.5-times higher odds of SCA. Compared with those without diabetes, the odds ratio and 95% CI for SCA was 4.36 (95% CI, 2.81 to 6.75; P<.001) in T1D and 1.45 (95% CI, 1.30 to 1.63; P<.001) in T2D after multivariable adjustment. Among those with diabetes, the odds of having SCA were 2.41 times higher in T1D than in T2D (95% CI, 1.53 to 3.80; P<.001). Cases of SCA with T1D were more likely to have an unwitnessed arrest, less likely to receive resuscitation, and less likely to survive compared with those with T2D.ConclusionType 1 diabetes was more strongly associated with SCA compared with T2D and had less favorable outcomes following resuscitation. Diabetes type could influence the approach to risk stratification and prevention of SCA.