International journal of clinical practice
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Int. J. Clin. Pract. · Jun 2021
A study of the possible factors affecting COVID-19 spread, severity and mortality and the effect of social distancing on these factors: Machine learning forecasting model.
SARS-CoV-2 is affecting different countries all over the world, with significant variation in infection-rate and death-ratio. We have previously shown a presence of a possible relationship between different variables including the Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine, average age, gender, and malaria treatment, and the rate of spread, severity and mortality of COVID-19 disease. This paper focuses on developing machine learning models for this relationship. ⋯ From the experimental results, we confirm that COVID-19 has a very low spread in the African countries with all the four variables (average young age, hot weather, BCG vaccine and malaria treatment); a very high spread in European countries and the USA with no variable (old people, cold weather, no BCG vaccine and no malaria). The effect of the variables could be on the spread or the severity to the extent that the infected subject might not have symptoms or the case is mild and can be missed as a confirmed-case. Social distancing decreases the effect of these factors.
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Int. J. Clin. Pract. · Jun 2021
Prognostic value of intraductal carcinoma for adjuvant radiotherapy candidates after radical prostatectomy.
To investigate the prognostic significance of intraductal carcinoma of the prostate (IDC-P) in radical prostatectomy (RP) specimens and predictive value of IDC-P for biochemical recurrence and adjuvant therapy decision. ⋯ In both the groups, IDC-P was a prognostic factor for progression-free survival and/or biochemical recurrence. Especially in these patients, the presence of IDC-P might be helpful for postoperative adjuvant therapy management decision.
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Int. J. Clin. Pract. · Jun 2021
Observational StudyThe Association between Micronutrient and Hemogram Values and Prognostic Factors in COVID-19 Patients: A Single Center Experience from Turkey.
The contribution of micronutrients to the immune system has been known for a long time. This study aimed to investigate the association between the micronutrient levels and hemogram values and prognostic factors of the disease in COVID-19 patients in Ankara City Hospital. ⋯ Micronutrient and hemogram values, advanced age, being male, and having comorbid diseases were correlated with the poor prognosis of COVID-19 infection. Deficiency of Iron, Folate, and vitamin D should be well-considered in COVID-19. Excessive vitamin B12 and multivitamin supplementation should be avoided by choosing supplement wisely. In addition, attention should be paid to leukocytosis, lymphocyte counts, and anemia during COVID-19 patient follow-up. What's known Some micronutrients have an immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory effect with antioxidant effects and thus play a protective role in respiratory tract infections as COVID-19. Vitamin D deficiency is found to be associated with poor prognostic factors in COVID-19. Lymphopenia is found to be associated with poor prognostic factors in COVID-19. What's new According to the results obtained from our study, low iron and folate levels should be controlled first in patients diagnosed with COVID-19, low vitamin D levels should also be well-considered, and supplementation should be provided in the case of deficiencies. On the other hand excessive use of vitamin B12 should be avoided. The fact that all micronutrients should be evaluated and managed by choosing wisely rather than a complete multivitamin supplement approach was demonstrated by the differences in the poor prognosis levels of vitamin B12 versus the other micronutrients. In addition, it was found in our study that leukocytosis, lymphocyte counts, and anemia should be taken into consideration together when evaluating hemogram parameters in the follow-up of COVID-19 patients.
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Int. J. Clin. Pract. · Jun 2021
Observational StudyChanges in Liver Steatosis as Well as Liver Fibrosis in Patients with Chronic Hepatitis C After Successful Direct-Acting Antiviral Therapy.
After successful treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection with direct-acting antivirals (DAAs), the stage of liver fibrosis decreases over time. Here, we aimed to assess the changes in the liver fibrosis stage using transient elastography (TE) after successful DAA therapy in HCV-infected cirrhotic patients who were referred to Shariati hospital from 2016 to 2017. ⋯ Successful HCV eradication in patients with liver fibrosis results in significant improvement in LS, even in cirrhotic patients.
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Int. J. Clin. Pract. · Jun 2021
Red blood cell distribution width in patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation: implications for outcomes.
Red cell distribution width (RDW) is recently emerging as a prognostic indicator in many cardiovascular diseases. However, less is known about its predictive role in patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). ⋯ In our cohort, elevated basal RDW values were independent predictors of increased long-term mortality and higher rate of in-hospital adverse events. The inclusion of a routinely available biomarker as RDW, may help the pre-operative risk assessment in potential TAVI candidates and optimise their management.