Risk factors and clinical profile of thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura in systemic lupus erythematosus patients. Is this a distinctive clinical entity in the thrombotic microangiopathy spectrum?: A case control study

Introduction

The association of thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is rare. It is associated with high morbidity and mortality. Information about risk factors and clinical outcomes is scant.

Material and Methods

A retrospective case-control study was performed in a referral center in Mexico City between 1994 and 2013. Patients were diagnosed with TTP if they fulfilled the following criteria: microangiopathic haemolytic anaemia, thrombocytopenia, high LDH levels, normal fibrinogen and negative Coombs’ test. Patients with SLE were diagnosed with ≥ 4 ACR criteria. We included three study groups: group A included patients with SLE-associated TTP (TTP/SLE; cases n = 22, TTP events n = 24); patients with non-autoimmune TTP (NA-TTP; cases n = 19, TTP events n = 22) were included in group B and patients with SLE without TTP (n = 48) in group C.

Results

After multivariate analysis, lymphopenia < 1000/mm3 [OR 19.84, p = 0.037], high SLEDAI score three months prior to hospitalisation [OR 1.54, p = 0.028], Hg < 7 g/dL [OR 6.81, p = 0.026], low levels of indirect bilirubin [OR 0.51, p = 0.007], and less severe thrombocytopenia [OR 0.98, p = 0.009] were associated with TTP in SLE patients. Patients with TTP/SLE received increased cumulative steroid dose vs. NA-TTP (p = 0.006) and a higher number of immunosuppressive drugs (p = 0.015). Patients with TTP/SLE had higher survival than NA-TTP (p = 0.033); however, patients hospitalised for TTP/SLE had a higher risk of death than lupus patients hospitalised for other causes

Conclusions

Lymphopenia is an independent risk factor for TTP/SLE. It is likely that patients with TTP/SLE present with less evident clinical features, so the level of suspicion must be higher to avoid delay in treatment.     

Diagnosis and prognostic value of restrictive ventilatory disorders in the elderly: a systematic review of the literature

Although less extensively studied compared to pulmonary obstructive diseases, restrictive lung disease (RLD) is highly prevalent and frequently disabling in the adult and, more, the elderly population. The underlying conditions may be either primarily pulmonary diseases, such as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, or non respiratory conditions secondarily affecting the lung, e. g. congestive heart failure, or else conditions affecting the lung expansion, e. g. obesity or rib cage deformity. The diagnosis is frequently based on the measurement of surrogate indexes such as the forced vital capacity (FVC) used as a proxy for total lung capacity (TLC). As a consequence, diagnosis of RLD is often characterized by poor specificity. In the elderly, worsening in the quality of life and poor prognosis are variably, but significantly, associated to RLD, being the underlying condition an important source of variability. Several causes of RLD are preventable and treatable conditions. A prompt identification of these conditions may allow to slow the decline of respiratory reserve and, thus, to preserve both personal independence and resistance to acute respiratory infections. This review gives an update on the latest evidence available on the prevalence and the prognosis of RLD in the elderly. Studies were identified through systematic searches of the electronic database MEDLINE. Reference list of eligible papers were also manually searched.     

Prognostic value of the Geneva prediction rule in patients with pulmonary embolism

Background

Assessment of pre-test probability of pulmonary embolism (PE) and prognostic stratification are two widely recommended steps in the management of patients with suspected PE. Some items of the Geneva prediction rule may have a prognostic value.We analyzed whether the initial probability assessed by the Geneva rule was associated with the outcome of patients with PE.

Methods

In a post-hoc analysis of a multicenter trial including 1,693 patients with suspected PE, the all-cause death or readmission rates during the 3-month follow-up of patients with confirmed PE were analyzed. PE probability group was prospectively assessed by the revised Geneva score (RGS). Similar analyses were made with the a posteriori-calculated simplified Geneva score (SGS).

Results

PE was confirmed in 357 patients and 21 (5.9%) died during the 3-month follow-up. The mortality rate differed significantly with the initial RGS group, as with the SGS group. For the RGS, the mortality increased from 0% (95% Confidence Interval: [0–5.4%]) in the low-probability group to 14.3% (95% CI: [6.3-28.2%]) in the high-probability group, and for the SGS, from 0% (95% CI: [0–5.4%] to 17.9% (95% CI: [7.4-36%]). Readmission occurred in 58 out of the 352 patients with complete information on readmission (16.5%). No significant change of readmission rate was found among the RGS or SGS groups.

Conclusions

Returning to the initial PE probability evaluation may help clinicians predict 3-month mortality in patients with confirmed PE.(ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT00117169)     

评估应用术前PLR、NLR及AGR预测乳腺癌患者预后的价值

目的探究术前血小板淋巴细胞比值（PLR）、中性粒细胞淋巴细胞比值（NLR）及白蛋白球蛋白比值（AGR）在评估乳腺癌患者预后中的价值。 方法选取2013年1月至2017年12月收治的1184例浸润性乳腺癌女性患者为浸润性乳腺癌组,随机选取仅患乳腺纤维腺瘤的患者279例为乳腺纤维腺瘤组。收集患者一般资料、术后病理资料、血型、术前外周血血小板、中性粒细胞、淋巴细胞数量以及血清白蛋白和球蛋白水平,并计算得出PLR、NLR及AGR。应用受试者功能特征曲线下面积来评估三者预测乳腺癌患者预后的能力。本研究使用SPSS 20.0及MedCalc软件进行统计学分析和绘图,P<0.05代表差异具有统计学意义。 结果浸润性乳腺癌患者的术前PLR及NLR均值显著高于乳腺纤维腺瘤患者（P<0.05）,而AGR低于乳腺纤维腺瘤患者（P<0.05）。Cox比例回归风险分析显示,患者的诊断年龄、PLR、NLR、AGR、肿瘤直径、组织学分级、阳性淋巴结个数和分子分型均为乳腺癌的预后危险因素（P<0.05）。ROC曲线分析结果得出,PLR、NLR及AGR的最佳诊断临界值分别为147.4、2.9及1.7。应用术前PLR（AUC=0.796,P<0.001）、NLR（AUC=0.716,P<0.001）及AGR（AUC=0.748,P<0.001）预测乳腺癌患者预后均有价值,且PLR价值更高。 结论术前PLR、NLR及AGR对乳腺癌患者预后的判断均具价值,三者相比,PLR价值更高,有望成为判断乳腺癌患者预后的补充指标。     

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.     

Cervical Infection of Oncogenic Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Types in Beijing,China

ObjectiveThis study was designed to determine the prevalence of oncogenic human papillomavirus (HPV) in cervical infections in Beijing, China, and to investigate the odds ratio (OR) of HPV single and multiple infections in abnormal cytology. MethodsA total of 19,018 specimens from outpatients in thedepartment ofobstetric andgynecology were collected. They were detected usinghigh-risk HPV genotyping real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) kit and analyzed by ThinPrep cytology test for cervical pathological diagnosis. HPV prevalence, age-specific prevalence, andOR of each type of HPV in abnormal cytology were analyzed. ResultsOverall, 19.1% (3,623/19,018) of the individuals were positive for HPV infection, 14.9%(2,833/19,018) were positive for a single HPV type, and 4.2% (790/19,018) were positive for multiple types. Among the 3,623 HPV-positive individuals, the most predominant HPV types were HPV52 (4.4%, 834/19,018), HPV16 (3.7%, 710/19,018), and HPV58 (3.4%, 644/19,018). TheOR of multiple infections and single infection differed significantly among disease severities. TheOR of dual infection was higher than that of each of the two single infection types, respectively. ConclusionHPV prevalence in the outpatients was 19.1%, and the most predominant HPV types in the study were HPV52, HPV16, and HPV58. Women with multiple infectionswere more likely to have abnormal cytology.     

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。