Portable eyetracking-based assessment of memory decline

Introduction: Preferential viewing of novel stimuli in the Visual Paired Comparison task has provided a useful marker of memory and medial temporal lobe function. We created a portable version of the VPC (P-VPC) and contrasted P-VPC metrics against the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) in healthy adults, to assess the validity and reliability of the P-VPC as an indicator of memory function across age. A supplementary case series was conducted with individuals diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and other dementias, to provide a preliminary illustration of the P-VPC’s use as a measure in clinical populations.

Method: Participants (n = 207) were tested using the P-VPC. Individuals were familiarized with a set of objects, which were each presented alongside a novel object in the test phase. Novelty viewing scores were compared to MoCA scores to index concurrent validity. Item analyses were conducted as a test of internal reliability of the P-VPC. A complementary clinical case series was conducted with AD (n = 4) and dementia (n = 5) participants, who were tested using the P-VPC and further compared to healthy age-matched participants.

Results: Preferential viewing decreased with age in healthy participants, and was positively correlated with MoCA scores. Compared to the MoCA, P-VPC scores did not differ based on education and/or whether English was spoken as the native language. Item analyses revealed acceptable internal consistency. P-VPC viewing percentiles of healthy participants were modeled as a function of age, and illustrated that individuals of the clinical case series diagnosed with AD scored in below-average percentiles, while those with dementia did not score below-average.

Conclusion: Good concurrent validity and acceptable internal reliability were observed, and P-VPC scores were not confounded by education or language experience. Low performance was observed in individuals with clinically diagnosed AD, suggesting that the P-VPC may be a potential tool for screening memory decline.     

Seven Hormonal Biomarkers for Diagnosing Endometriosis: Meta-Analysis and Adjusted Indirect Comparison of Diagnostic Test Accuracy

ObjectiveTo compare the diagnostic accuracy of different hormonal biomarkers and to find the most effective hormonal biomarker for the diagnosis of endometriosis.Data SourcesWe conducted a systematic search using PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, and China Biomedical Literature to identify relevant studies from the first day of databases to August 2018.Methods of Study SelectionTwo independent reviewers screened for study eligibility and extracted data. Random controlled trials, cross-sectional studies, case-control studies, and cohort studies evaluating the diagnostic accuracy of hormonal markers for endometriosis were included.Tabulation, Integration, and ResultsWe included 17 studies that involved 1279 participants and evaluated 7 hormonal biomarkers. The pooled sensitivity and specificity in endometriosis were .79 (.71, .86) and .89 (.82, .94) for aromatase, .30 (.18, .46) and .80 (.65, .90) for human chorionic gonadotropin/luteinizing hormone receptor, .75 (.66, .83) and .47 (.34, .60) for estrogen receptor (ER)-α, .65 (.56, .74) and .68 (.55, .80) for ER-β, .45 (.38–.52) and .92 (.85–.97) for serum prolactin, .69 (.51, .83) and .30 (.16, .49) for estrogen sulfotransferase, and .73 (.60–.84) and .48 (.33–.63) for 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2 (17βHSD2). Compared with human chorionic gonadotropin/luteinizing hormone receptor, ER-α, ER-β, estrogen sulfotransferase, and 17βHSD2, aromatase had a higher sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio, and diagnostic odds ratio. The specificities of aromatase and serum prolactin were comparable, but the sensitivity, positive likelihood ratio, and positive likelihood ratio of serum prolactin were much lower than that of aromatase.ConclusionAromatase may be an excellent diagnostic test for endometriosis. However, because of the moderate quality of the included studies and the limited sample size, this result requires more research to validate. (PROSPERO registration number: PROSPERO 2018 CRD42018105126.)     

Five-Year Evaluation of Lifecore Restore® Implants: A Retrospective Comparison with Nobel Biocare MK II® Implants

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare survival rates and marginal bone resorption of the Lifecore (LC) Restore® Implant System with the benchmark Nobel Biocare (NB) MK II® Implant System.
Materials and Methods: All implants were inserted by the same surgeon and all radiological analyses were performed by the same radiologist. Two hundred ninety LC implants were analyzed radiologically after 1 year and compared with the same number of NB implants serving as a historical reference group. After 5 years, 200 LC implants could be compared with 224 NB implants. Each implant was monitored for exposed threads, as compared with the baseline registrations.
Results: No significant differences were found between the two implant systems regarding survival rates (LC 100% and NB 99.2%). Considering the findings of this study, the two implant systems compared might be regarded as clones. Nevertheless, because of dissimilar onset of threads, about 1 mm more implant-retaining bone anchorage is gained with the Lifecore Restore Implants as compared with NB MK II Implants.
Conclusions: Based on the assumption that >3 exposed NB threads correspond to >4 exposed LC threads, significantly more bone loss ( p  < .01) could be demonstrated for the NB implants after 5 years. Thus, it may be justified to consider the differences in implant design to have a decisive clinical relevance.     

Systematic comparison of nonmelanoma skin cancer microarray datasets reveals lack of consensus genes

Summary Background DNA microarray technology has revealed vast numbers of gene expression alterations associated with human malignancies. Assigning validity and biological significance to these changes, however, remains a considerable hurdle. Recently, microarray analysis has been applied to the study of nonmelanoma skin cancer. Objectives To compare experimental data rigorously in order to strengthen conclusions regarding the pathogenesis of basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), and to evaluate systematically the experimental and statistical parameters that may impact the degree of consensus among differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between studies. Methods We performed a systematic comparison of 10 studies that applied DNA microarray technology to study BCC/SCC. Results A total of 1133 DEGs collectively reported across the studies were compared, and 64 DEG overlaps were found: 18 DEG overlaps in SCC vs. SCC study comparisons, 18 DEG overlaps in BCC vs. BCC study comparisons and 28 DEG overlaps in BCC vs. SCC study comparisons. We documented differences in several experimental methods that may account for the relative lack of consensus between studies, including sample type, tissue procurement/handling, microarray chip and statistical analysis. The two most dysregulated biological pathways across all studies involved genes with enzymatic and structural/adhesion functions. Conclusions DEGs that were found to overlap across two or more studies and biological pathways with the largest representation of DEGs across studies may be particularly relevant to disease pathogenesis and serve as targets for future therapy. In future work, more consistent experimental methods across laboratories may improve the validity of reported DEGs and strengthen conclusions drawn from microarray data.     

Severity of Airflow Obstruction in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD): Proposal for a New Classification

Current classifications of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) severity are complex and do not grade levels of obstruction. Obstruction is a simpler construct and independent of ethnicity. We constructed an index of obstruction severity based on the FEV₁/FVC ratio, with cut-points dividing the Burden of Obstructive Lung Disease (BOLD) study population into four similarly sized strata to those created by the GOLD criteria that uses FEV₁. We measured the agreement between classifications and the validity of the FEV₁-based classification in identifying the level of obstruction as defined by the new groupings. We compared the strengths of association of each classification with quality of life (QoL), MRC dyspnoea score and the self-reported exacerbation rate. Agreement between classifications was only fair. FEV₁-based criteria for moderate COPD identified only 79% of those with moderate obstruction and misclassified half of the participants with mild obstruction as having more severe COPD. Both scales were equally strongly associated with QoL, exertional dyspnoea and respiratory exacerbations. Severity assessed using the FEV₁/FVC ratio is only in moderate agreement with the severity assessed using FEV₁ but is equally strongly associated with other outcomes. Severity assessed using the FEV₁/FVC ratio is likely to be independent of ethnicity.     

可调负压封闭引流装置治疗复杂创面

选取96例大面积复杂创面,其中上肢创面及下肢创面各48例;按创面部位、入院时间顺序随机分为8组,其中4组上肢创面,4组下肢创面,每组12 例;在手术清创后均采用负压封闭引流装置( VSD)进行治疗,观察比较各组创面应用不同负压进行治疗后肉芽组织生长情况、堵管率以及细菌量. 结果证实在上肢部位创面 VSD 中应用26. 60 ~46. 55 kPa负压效果较好,在下肢创面中应用46. 55~66. 50 kPa负压效果最佳.     

A comparison of three methods for titration of poliovirus vaccines

Two methods for in vitro endpoint titration of poliovirus — the roller tube and the microtitration assay — were compared with each other and with the plaque assay, using secondary vervet monkey kidney cells and Vero cells as indicators. The roller tube method is the most reliable under difficult working conditions, but is otherwise cumbersome and expensive. The microtitre method is the most economical and the plaque assay the most sensitive. By suspending freshly trypsinized indicator cells with the virus dilutions before planting, it was possible to simplify the microtitre method considerably. The sensitivity of the plaque assay was improved for Vero cells by absorbing the virus onto freshly planted monolayers. The method was scaled down to a semi-micro level by using 24-well cell culture trays. The slower rate of plaque development under a low calcium overlay medium facilitated a more accurate plaque count.     

Prospective validation of the Chinese University Prognostic Index and comparison with other staging systems for hepatocellular carcinoma in an Asian population

Background and Aim: Hepatitis B viral (HBV) infection is the predominant etiology of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in Asia. Our group previously reported a staging system known as the Chinese University Prognostic Index (CUPI) for HCC populations of which HBV infection is the predominant etiology. This study aims to validate CUPI and compare with other published staging systems. Methods: We analyzed a prospective cohort of patients with newly diagnosed HCC from 2003 to 2005. All patients were staged with CUPI, Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer Classification (BCLC), Cancer of the Liver Italian Program score (CLIP), tumor‐node‐metastasis (TNM) and Okuda systems at diagnosis. They were followed with survival data and the performance of each staging system (in terms of homogeneity, discriminatory ability and monotonicity of gradient) were analyzed and compared. Results: A total of 595 patients (80.2% with chronic HBV infection) were analyzed. The median follow‐up was 41.4 months and the median survival was 6.6 months. Multivariate analyses identified symptomatic disease, ascites, vascular involvement, Child‐Pugh‐stage, alpha‐fetoprotein and treatment to be the independent prognostic factors. CUPI could identify three groups with statistically significant survival difference (P < 0.0001). Both CUPI and CLIP had the most favorable performance in terms of discriminatory ability, homogeneity and monotonicity. CUPI performed the best in predicting 3‐month survival while CLIP performed better in predicting the outcome of 6‐ and 12‐month survival rate. BCLC was inferior to CLIP and CUPI in the overall performance. Conclusion: We have validated CUPI in a population composed of predominant HBV‐related HCC. CUPI is an appropriate staging system for HBV‐related HCC. In patients with advanced HCC, both CUPI and CLIP offer good risk stratification.     

Quantification of hepatitis B surface antigen and E antigen: correlation between Elecsys and Architect assays

Quantification of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) and their change model during treatment are emerging as a useful tool for assessing the outcome of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and predicting the efficacy of antiviral therapy. The aim of this study was to compare the performance of the Elecsys and Architect assays for HBsAg and HBeAg quantification. Quantification of HBsAg and HBeAg, determined by these two assays, were assessed in 1292 sera from patients with chronic hepatitis B(CHB). HBeAg quantification in serum was performed by calibrating the results through HBeAg Paul‐Ehrlich international (PEI) reference standard. The HBV genotype was determined by direct sequencing and phylogenetic analysis. Of 1292 samples, the distribution of genotype was 514 (39.78%) genotype B, 776 (60.06%) genotype C, 2 (0.16%) genotype D. The results of HBsAg and HBeAg quantification between the Architect and Elecsys assays were significantly correlated (HBsAg: r = 0.939; HBeAg: r = 0.987), independent of HBV genotype and treatment phase. The mean differences between the two methods (the log₁₀ [Elecsys] ‐ the log₁₀ [Architect]) were 0.075 log₁₀ IU/mL and ?0.149 log₁₀PE IU/mL in quantifying HBsAg and HBeAg, respectively. This study demonstrates a high correlation between the Elecsys and the Architect assays in quantifying HBsAg and HBeAg, regardless of HBV genotype. Both the two assays can be used to monitor the HBsAg and HBeAg levels in patients with chronic hepatitis B.