Plos One
-
Comparative Study Observational Study
Performance of three prognostic models in patients with cancer in need of intensive care in a medical center in China.
The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II), Simplified Acute Physiology Score 3 (SAPS 3), and Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation IV (APACHE IV) in patients with cancer admitted to intensive care unit (ICU) in a single medical center in China. ⋯ In this cohort, we found that APACHE II, APACHE IV and SAPS 3 models had good discrimination and calibration ability in predicting in-hospital mortality of critically ill patients with cancer in need of intensive care. Of these three severity scores, SAPS 3 was superior to APACHE II and APACHE IV, whether in terms of discrimination and calibration power, or standardized mortality ratios.
-
Back pain is a common disabling chronic condition that burdens individuals, families and societies. Epidemiological evidence, mainly from high-income countries, shows positive association between back pain prevalence and older age. There is an urgent need for accurate epidemiological data on back pain in adult populations in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) where populations are ageing rapidly. The objectives of this study are to: measure the prevalence of back pain; identify risk factors and determinants associated with back pain, and describe association between back pain and disability in adults aged 50 years and older, in six LMICs from different regions of the world. The findings provide insights into country-level differences in self-reported back pain and disability in a group of socially, culturally, economically and geographically diverse LMICs. ⋯ Evidence on back pain and its impact on disability is needed in developing countries so that governments can invest in cost-effective education and rehabilitation to reduce the growing social and economic burden imposed by this disabling condition.
-
World Health Organization (WHO) estimates for deaths attributed to Non Communicable Diseases (NCDs) in Nepal have risen from 51% in 2010 to 60% in 2014. This study assessed the distribution and determinants of NCD risk factors among the Nepalese adult population. ⋯ The prevalence of low fruit and vegetable consumption, overweight and obesity, raised blood pressure and raised total cholesterol is markedly high among the Nepalese population, with variation by demographic and ecological factors and urbanization. Prevention, treatment and control of NCDs and their risk factors in Nepal is an emerging public health problem in the country, and targeted interventions with a multi-sectoral approach need to be urgently implemented.
-
To compare the presence of post-operative residual disease by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and [18F]fluorothymidine (FLT)-positron emission tomography (PET)-computer tomography (CT) in patients with malignant glioma and to estimate the impact of 18F-FLT PET on the delineation of post-operative target volumes for radiotherapy (RT) planning. ⋯ The volumes of post-operative residual tumor in patients with malignant glioma defined by 18F-FLT uptake on PET are not always consistent with the abnormalities shown on post-operative MRI. Incorporation of 18F-FLT-PET in tumor delineation may have the potential to improve the definition of target volume in post-operative radiotherapy.
-
Autosomal dominant non-syndromic hearing loss is highly heterogeneous, and eyes absent 4 (EYA4) is a disease-causing gene. Most EYA4 mutations founded in the Eya-homologous region, however, no deafness causative missense mutation in variable region of EYA4 have previously been found. In this study, we identified a pathogenic missense mutation located in the variable region of the EYA4 gene for the first time in a four-generation Chinese family with 57 members. ⋯ Then, we identified a novel EYA4 mutation in exon 8, c.511G>C; p. G171R, which segregated with postlingual and progressive autosomal dominant sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL). This report is the first to describe a missense mutation in the variable region domain of the EYA4 gene, which is not highly conserved in many species, indicating that the potential unconserved role of 171G>R in human EYA4 function is extremely important.