Search

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of a screening programme for detecting allergic rhinitis (AR) and its risk factors (RFs) based on a 5-year epidemiological analysis among children ages 0 to 17 years in the Odintsovo urban district in Moscow Oblast, Russia. Methods: A retrospective study of polyclinic facilities' performance indicators and an analysis of outpatient records of patients diagnosed with AR between 2017 and 2021 were carried out. The rates of incidence, prevalence, risks and odds ratios for AR were assessed. Results: A database of identified 28 RFs for AR was registered at the Federal Service for Intellectual Property of the Russian Federation (Rospatent) (Certificate of Registration # 2022620939 dated April 13, 2022). All RFs for AR, in terms of modifiability, were divided into three groups: non-modifiable, partially modifiable and modifiable. When assessing the relative risks and risk probability, it was found that the impact of RFs is uneven in different age groups. Therefore, age groups with the highest risk probability for AR were determined. In addition, a screening program has been developed. Conclusion: Epidemiological research and knowledge of modifiable age-related AR RFs will allow the early detection of AR in children's different age groups through cascade screening programmes.

ABSTRACT Endomyocardial fibrosis is a neglected tropical disease that leads to restrictive cardiomyopathy. Its etiopathogenis is unclear and involves the progression of 3 stages of the disease. Compared with echocardiography, cardiac magnetic resonance imaging shows better apical visualization of obliteration and thrombus and provides an early diagnosis. However, there is no specific drug therapy, although surgery can increase survival. Therefore, surgical resection of the fibrous and thickened endocardium is recommended for symptomatic patients. The risk of mortality increases as the ratio of endocardial fibrous tissue per body surface rises. The aim of this manuscript is to describe the surgical management of the right-sided endomyocardial fibrosis mimicking tumor with recurrent pulmonary embolism.

Abstract Background A better understanding of the healthcare pathway of children and adolescents with anorexia nervosa (AN) may contribute to earlier detection and better disease management. Here we measured and compared the symptomatic time to diagnosis (TTD) (time between the first symptoms, as reported by parents, and the diagnosis) and the auxological TTD (time between the deviation in the weight growth curve and the diagnosis). Methods We performed a monocentric retrospective study including all patients age 9 years to 16 years who were hospitalized in Nantes University Hospital for AN between 2013 and 2016. We analysed the two TTDs by medical record review and growth curve investigation. TTDs were described by medians and Kaplan-Meier curves. Two profiles of patients were compared according to the kinetics of growth deviation and the occurrence of symptoms. Results Among the 137 patients included, the median symptomatic and auxological TTDs was 7.0 months (IQR: 4.0–12.0) and 7.2 months (IQR: 2.0–18.0). TTDs were significantly different but clinically similar. For 48% of the patients, a deviation in the growth curve could have been noted at a median of 9.7 months (IQR: 3.0–18.0) before the first symptoms were reported by parents. Those patients showed significantly slower weight loss than did patients with first symptoms reported before growth deviation (weight loss rate 0.41% vs 1.90% per month, p

ABSTRACT Background: Stroke is one of the leading causes of death and neurological disability in the world. Several scales help professionals in the early recognition of the disease. However, none of these were developed in Brazil. Objectives: To translate the Los Angeles Prehospital Stroke Screen (LAPSS) into Brazilian Portuguese, and cross-culturally adapt and validate the scale in a representative sample of the Brazilian population. Methods: This study was carried out in two phases: the first consisted in the translation and cross-cultural validation of the LAPSS, and the second in a cross-sectional study with prospectively collected data in patients with suspected stroke treated in a Brazilian prehospital and referred to a stroke center. Statistical analysis was used to assess the sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of the scale. Cohen's Kappa coefficient (κ) was used for psychometric assessment. Results: After translation and cross-cultural adaptation, the scale was applied to 86 patients. The scale presented a sensitivity of 83.8%, positive predictive value of 79.50%, specificity of 40.70%, negative predictive value of 47.80%, and accuracy of 77%. Cohen’s kappa coefficient was calculated using data from 26 (30.23%) patients and the results showed excellent inter-rater reliability in the majority of the items (52.96%). Conclusions: The scale was translated and cross-culturally adapted for use in Brazil. The scale presented high sensitivity and accuracy but low specificity, and the Cohen’s kappa demonstrated inter-rater reliability. The greatest difficulties occurred when the evaluation included subjective identifications. The scale excluded patients < 45 years old as stroke suspects.

Introduction: several guidelines emphasize the advantages of multidisciplinary management of patients with psoriasis (PSO) or psoriatic arthritis (PSA). Early diagnosis of PSA relates to better outcomes in 5 years. However, early diagnosis of PSA remains a challenge. Methods: retrospective cohort of patients with previous or suspect diagnosis of PSO and/or PSA who were cared for in the combined dermatology and rheumatology clinic from January 2013 to January 2017. Results: among the 55 patients previously diagnosed with PSO, 30.9% (n=17) were diagnosed with PSA. Changes in medical therapy were made for 58.5% (n = 48) of patients, mainly due to poor cutaneous or articular disease control. Imunobiologicals were the most commonly initiated class of medicine, corresponding to 35.4% (n = 17) of changes in medical therapy. Methotrexate was the second most initiated medicine (18.7%; n = 9), or with changes in its dosage or route of administration (20.8%; n = 10), totaling 39.5% (n = 19) of changes in medical therapy. There was an increase in the proportions of patients undergoing systemic therapies (79.2%; n = 65). Conclusions: this study reenforces the importance of a multidisciplinary approach in the early diagnosis of PSA and demonstrates that a combined approach between dermatology and rheumatology is feasible in Brazil, with similar outcomes to those reported in international literature.

The knowledge of the epidemiological characteristics such as anatomic location, age, and gender of the patients with odontogenic tumors is extremely valuable in the development of differential diagnoses. In the present observational and retrospective study, the objective was to check the occurrence of these tumors in patients attended at the project of Oral Lesions: ‘Diagnosis, treatment and epidemiology of diseases of the oral cavity’ of the State University of Maringa, between 1995 and 2015. Data were obtained from the project charts, in what concerns the variables: gender, age, race, diagnosis, lesion site, time of evolution, symptomatology and radiographic characteristics. Tumors were classified in agreement with the World Health Organization (2005). A total of 2581 records were analyzed. Among them 32 (1.45%) showed the diagnosis of odontogenic tumor. There was no statistically significant difference among genres. The age group with greater incidence was 23-33 years old. Among the patients, 55.3% stated they did not know which the time span of evolution of the tumor. There was greater incidence in people of Caucasian origin and the most affected site was the left posterior region of the mandible. The keratocystic odontogenic tumor, followed by ameloblastoma and odontoma were shown to be the most common neoplasms found in the patients who participated in the project.

Introduction: The term scleroderma derives from the Greek words skleros, which means hard, and derma, which means skin. It refers to an acquired systemic inflammatory disease of the connective tissue –also known as systemic sclerosis (SSc)– characterized by excessive collagen deposition in the skin and the internal organs that results in fibrosis. The typical vascular lesion in SSc leads to narrowing of the vessel lumen, intimal thickening, medial hypotrophy, and adventitial fibrosis of small muscular vessels, collagen deposition in the other matrix components of interstice, and the Raynaud phenomenon secondary to these widespread microvascular abnormalities. All these characteristics lead to a connective tissue re-modeling. Discussion: Several clinical studies utilize the American Rheumatology Association’s 1980 classification. However, these diagnostic criteria are unsatisfactory because they fail to take into consideration part of the disease spectrum. Early-phase SSc is characterized by the Raynaud phenomenon (in 90% of all patients), sclerodactyly, and positivity for SSc-specific autoantibodies (antinuclear antibodies, anti-topoisomerase I antibodies, anti-RNA polymerase I and III antibodies, anti-centromere antibodies, anti-fibrillarin antibodies, anti-PM-SCL antibodies).. It is necessary to reduce delays in the diagnosis of SSc. Conclusions: Patients with red-flag positivity (Raynaud phenomenon and digital edema) require Phase I SSc screening, which consists in capillaroscopic assessment of possible microvascular abnormalities. The work-up will then focus on inflammatory indices, renal function tests, and internal organ involvement (echocardiography, high-resolution computed tomography of the chest, diffusing capacity of the lungs for carbon monoxide).

Even though the health sciences develop, the interventions in diagnosis and therapy develop and change rapidly, the sensitivity of the society about the risks of health increases; breast cancer still remains to be a global issue which threatens the life of women. Breast cancer worldwide takes the first place in between the whole types of cancer that have been observed among women. It comes as the second after the lung cancer when men and women together concerned. The surprisingly rapid increment of cancer incidence data in Turkey which is a low-middle income based country, makes it obligatory to focus on the studies of the early diagnosis. Until the recent years; breast self-examination (BSE) for diagnosing the breast cancer in early stage, was introduced as an application that has to be applied by the women and guarantees their life. BSE has also been mentioned in breast cancer scanning guidelines by the authorities. In the last few years randomized controls in various studies showed that BSE is not efficient enough for early diagnosis and according to this fact, the breast health authorities agreed that BSE is important to raise the awareness as a scanning method; however it has a limited effect alone on the breast cancers’ mortality. On the other hand; it can’t be refused that costless BSE takes an important place and role in the low-middle income countries like Turkey, where all the people don’t have health insurances and enough budget to effort the expensive routine mammography control.

Introduction: Choanal atresia (CA) can be defined as a failure to develop the communication between the nasal cavity and nasopharynx. May occur as a plate osteo-membranous, bony or membranous. Diagnosis depends on high clinical suspicion and laboratory tests, treatment is surgical. Objective: To report a case of an adult patient diagnosed with bilateral choanal atresia and underwent surgery. Case Report:MLSM, 34 years old female with a history of bilateral nasal obstruction, rhinorrhea hyaline since childhood. On nasal endoscopy and CT scan of the sinuses showed bilateral membranous atresia osteo. Patient underwent endoscopic transnasal route, with production of mucosal flap covering the wound, without stent placement. Tomography was performed which showed control choanae open and broad. The patient progressed well and has normal nasal breathing. Conclusion: AC bilateral, although rare, can occur in adult patients.

Endomyocardial fibrosis is a neglected tropical disease that leads to restrictive cardiomyopathy. Its etiopathogenis is unclear and involves the progression of 3 stages of the disease. Compared with echocardiography, cardiac magnetic resonance imaging shows better apical visualization of obliteration and thrombus and provides an early diagnosis. However, there is no specific drug therapy, although surgery can increase survival. Therefore, surgical resection of the fibrous and thickened endocardium is recommended for symptomatic patients. The risk of mortality increases as the ratio of endocardial fibrous tissue per body surface rises. The aim of this manuscript is to describe the surgical management of the right-sided endomyocardial fibrosis mimicking tumor with recurrent pulmonary embolism.

Effects related to depth of verbal information processing were investigated in probable Alzheimer’s disease patients (AD) and age matched controls. During word encoding sessions 10 patients and 10 controls had either to decide whether the letter “s” appeared in visually presented words (alphabetical decision, shallow encoding), or whether the meaning of each presented word was animate or inanimate (lexical decision, deep encoding). These encoding sessions were followed by test sessions during which all previously encoded words were presented again together with the same number of new words. The task was then to discriminate between repeated and new words. Magnetic field changes related to brain activity were recorded with a whole cortex MEG.5 probable AD patients showed recognition performances above chance level related to both depths of information processing. Those patients and 5 age matched controls were then further analysed. Recognition performance was poorer in probable AD patients compared to controls for both levels of processing. However, in both groups deep encoding led to a higher recognition performance than shallow encoding. We therefore conclude that the performance reduction in the patient group was independent of depth of processing. Reaction times related to false alarms differed between patients and controls after deep encoding which perhaps could already be used for supporting an early diagnosis.The analysis of the physiological data revealed significant differences between correctly recognised repetitions and correctly classified new words (old/new-effect) in the control group which were missing in the patient group after deep encoding. The lack of such an effect in the patient group is interpreted as being due to the respective neuropathology related to probable AD. The present results demonstrate that magnetic field recordings represent a useful tool to physiologically distinguish between probable AD and age matched controls. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

de Leon MJ, DeSanti S, Zinkowski R, Mehta PD, Pratico D, Segal S, Clark C, Kerkman D, DeBernardis J, Li J, Lair L, Reisberg B, Tsui W, Rusinek H. (New York University School of Medicine, NY; Nathan Kline Institute, NY; Molecular Geriatrics, Vernon Hills, IL; Institute for Basic Research, NY; and University of Pennsylvania, PA; USA). MRI and CSF studies in the early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (Key Symposium). J Intern Med 2004; 256: 205–223. The main goal of our studies has been to use MRI, FDG-PET, and CSF biomarkers to identify in cognitively normal elderly (NL) subjects and in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), the earliest clinically detectable evidence for brain changes due to Alzheimer's disease (AD). A second goal has been to describe the cross-sectional and longitudinal interrelationships amongst anatomical, CSF and cognition measures in these patient groups. It is now well known that MRI-determined hippocampal atrophy predicts the conversion from MCI to AD. In our summarized studies, we show that the conversion of NL subjects to MCI can also be predicted by reduced entorhinal cortex (EC) glucose metabolism, and by the rate of medial temporal lobe atrophy as determined by a semi-automated regional boundary shift analysis (BSA-R). However, whilst atrophy rates are predictive under research conditions, they are not specific for AD and cannot be used as primary evidence for AD. Consequently, we will also review our effort to improve the diagnostic specificity by evaluating the use of CSF biomarkers and to evaluate their performance in combination with neuroimaging. Neuropathology studies of normal ageing and MCI identify the hippocampal formation as an early locus of neuronal damage, tau protein pathology, elevated isoprostane levels, and deposition of amyloid beta 1-42 (Aβ42). Many CSF studies of MCI and AD report elevated T-tau levels (a marker of neuronal damage) and reduced Aβ42 levels (possibly due to increased plaque sequestration). However, CSF T-tau and Aβ42 level elevations may not be specific to AD. Elevated isoprostane levels are also reported in AD and MCI but these too are not specific for AD. Importantly, it has been recently observed that CSF levels of P-tau, tau hyperphosphorylated at threonine 231 (P-tau231) are uniquely elevated in AD and elevations found in MCI are useful in predicting the conversion to AD. In our current MCI studies, we are examining the hypothesis that elevations in P-tau231 are accurate and specific indicators of AD-related changes in brain and cognition. In cross-section and longitudinally, our results show that evaluations of the P-tau231 level are highly correlated with reductions in the MRI hippocampal volume and by using CSF and MRI measures together one improves the separation of NL and MCI. The data suggests that by combining MRI and CSF measures, an early (sensitive) and more specific diagnosis of AD is at hand. Numerous studies show that neither T-tau nor P-tauX (X refers to all hyper-phosphorylation site assays) levels are sensitive to the longitudinal progression of AD. The explanation for the failure to observe longitudinal changes is not known. One possibility is that brain-derived proteins are diluted in the CSF compartment. We recently used MRI to estimate ventricular CSF volume and demonstrated that an MRI-based adjustment for CSF volume dilution enables detection of a diagnostically useful longitudinal P-tau231 elevation. Curiously, our most recent data show that the CSF isoprostane level does show significant longitudinal elevations in MCI in the absence of dilution correction. In summary, we conclude that the combined use of MRI and CSF incrementally contributes to the early diagnosis of AD and to monitor the course of AD. The interim results also suggest that a panel of CSF biomarkers can provide measures both sensitive to longitudinal change as well as measures that lend specificity to the AD diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many factors such as trauma and COVID-19 cause acute kidney injury (AKI). Late AKI have a very high incidence and mortality rate. Early diagnosis of AKI provides a critical therapeutic time window for AKI treatment to prevent progression to chronic renal failure. However, the current clinical detection based on creatinine and urine output isn't effective in diagnosing early AKI. In recent years, the early diagnosis of AKI has made great progress with the advancement of information technology, nanotechnology, and biomedicine. These emerging methods are mainly divided into two aspects: First, predicting AKI through models construct by machine learning; Second, early diagnosis of AKI through detection of newly-discovered early biomarkers. Currently, these methods have shown great potential and become an attractive tool for the early diagnosis of AKI. Therefore, it is very important to discuss and summarize these methods for the early diagnosis of AKI. In this review, we first systematically summarize the application of machine learning in AKI prediction algorithms and specific scenarios. In addition, we introduce the key role of early biomarkers in the progress of AKI, and then comprehensively summarize the application of emerging detection technologies for early AKI. Finally, we discuss current challenges and prospects of machine learning and biomarker detection. The review is expected to provide new insights for early diagnosis of AKI, and provided important inspiration for the design of early diagnosis of other major diseases., Competing Interests: Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interest exists., (© The author(s).)

With the aim of detecting mild dementias, 94 elderly subjects who had participating in a long-term study since 1976 were studied by means of a new diagnostic instrument, the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale (ADAS) (Rosen et al., 1984). Data available from intelligence tests performed during the course of the long-term study were also analysed. On the basis of an independent clinical assessment, four subjects were rated as clearly demented, seven as possibly demented, and 83 as normal. A comparison of these three groups showed that the subjects classified as demented obtained significantly poorer scores on the ADAS than did the group of normal subjects. The cognitive section of the ADAS distinguished even better between the normal and the clearly demented subjects. On the other hand, there was no indication that the ADAS was specifically sensitive to degenerative types of dementia since the subject with the highest ADAS score was suffering from vascular dementia. There were significant correlations between the score on the ADAS and the subjects previous or current intelligence level as assessed by means of two standard intelligence tests. however, no correlation was found between any deterioration in intelligence over time (8, 10 years) and the (1976, 78) on at its end in 1986: however, there were trends in this direction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ischemic stroke (IS) is one of the leading causes of death and accounts for 85% of stroke cases. Since the symptoms are not obvious, diagnosis of IS, particularly at an early stage, is a great challenge. Photoacoustic imaging combines high sensitivity of optical imaging and fine resolution of ultrasonography to non-invasively provide structural and functional information of IS. Methods : We adopted three rapid photoacoustic imaging systems with varying characteristics, including a portable handheld photoacoustic system, high-sensitivity bowl-shaped array photoacoustic computed tomography (PACT), and high-resolution photoacoustic microscopy (PAM) to assess the stereoscopic and comprehensive pathophysiological status of IS at an early stage. Two representative models of IS, referring to photothrombosis and middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) models, were established to verify the feasibility of photoacoustic imaging detection. Results: Non-invasive, rapid PACT of the IS model in mouse provided structural information of the brain lesion, achieving early disease identification (5 min after the onset of disease). Moreover, it was able to dynamically reflect disease progression. Quantitative high-resolution PAM allowed observation of pathological changes in the microvascular system of mouse brain. In terms of functional imaging, significant differences in oxygen saturation (sO 2 ) levels between infarcted and normal areas could be observed by PACT, permitting effective functional parameters for the diagnosis of IS. Conclusions: We used PACT to perform full-view structural imaging and functional imaging of sO 2 in IS at the macroscopic level, and then observed the microvascular changes in the infarcted area at the microscopic level by using PAM. This work may provide new tools for the early diagnosis of IS and its subsequent complications as well as assessment of disease progression., Competing Interests: Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interest exists., (© The author(s).)

Background: Aberrant lipid metabolism is closely associated with cancer. Materials & Methods : Serum levels of sphingomyelins (SM) (34:1), phosphatidylcholine (PC) (34:2), PC(34:1), PC(36:4), PC(36:3), and PC(36:2) in 1449 serum samples (including 599 normal controls, 69 patients with benign lung diseases (BLDs), 61 with benign colorectal diseases, 54 with benign gastric diseases, 67 with benign pancreatic diseases, and 246 with lung cancer (LC), 144 with colorectal cancer, 94 with gastric cancer, 115 with pancreatic cancer) were quantified simultaneously based on their respective calibration equations with correlation coefficient of >0.98. Results : Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis indicated that 18 panels obtained from these six phospholipids have high diagnostic ability to differentiate between different pathophysiological states. For example, a combination of SM(34:1), PC(34:2), PC(34:1), PC(36:3), and PC(36:2) to differentiating male patients with early stage LC from male normal controls plus male BLDs with a value under ROC curve (AUC) of 0.957, a sensitivity of 88.9%, and a specificity of 90.8%. SM(34:1) and PC(34:1) to differentiating female patients with early stage LC from female normal controls plus female BLDs with an AUC of 0.903, a sensitivity of 90.0%, and a specificity of 77.5%. Conclusion : Change trends of these six phospholipids were significantly correlated with gender, physiological states, and cancer stages., Competing Interests: Competing interests: All authors disclose any affiliations that are considered to be relevant and important with any organization that to our knowledge has any direct interest in the subject matter discussed.

Objectives: To systematize the clinico-radiological symptoms and course of bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of jaw bone and toevaluate the diagnostic potential of various radiological techniques to detect mild osteonecrosis in each stage of the disease., Material and Methods: The sample consisted of 22 patients previously diagnosed with extraoral malignant disease. Diagnosis was based on a clinical examination in conjunction to digital panoramic radiography and cone beam computed tomography (CBCT). Two dentomaxillofacial radiologists reviewed all images., Results: Twenty patients showed mandibular involvement clinically, while two others had a maxillary involvement. Four stages of the disease were proposed based on the clinico-radiological findings. Subclinical cortical and lamina dura thickening was detected with only three-dimensional CBCT and periapical images, while ulceration and cortical bone thickening was detected only by three-dimensional CBCT. Mixed sclerotic, lytic bone destruction involving alveolar and basal bone with or without encroachment on the mandibular canal, pathological mandibular fractures were detected by two-dimensional panoramic and three-dimensional CBCT images. Other findings are non healing extraction sockets, periapical radiolucencies, osteolysis, sequestra, oroantral fistula, and periosteal new bone formation., Conclusions: The present study showed that bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of jaw bone occurs in four distinct clinico-radiological stages. For mild cases, panoramic image diagnosis was much less obvious, whereas cone beam computed tomography was able to fully characterise the bony lesions and describe their extent and involvement of neighbouring structures in all cases. Thus cone beam computed tomography might better contribute to the prevention of bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of jaw bone as well to the disease management.

There is an increasingly growing interest world-wide for the genomics, transcriptomics and proteomics of saliva and the oral cavity, since they provide a non-invasive source of unprecedently rich genetic information. The complexity of oral systems biology goes much beyond the human genome, transcriptome and proteome revealed by oral mucosal cells, gingival crevicular fluid, and saliva, and includes the complexity of the oral microbiota, the symbiotic assembly of bacterial, fungal and other microbial flora in the oral cavity. In our review we summarize the recent information on oral genomics, transcriptomics and proteomics, of both human and microbial origin. We also give an introduction and practical advice on sample collection, handling and storage for analysis. Finally, we show the usefulness of salivary and oral genomics in early diagnosis of cancer, as well as in uncovering other systemic diseases, infections and oral disorders. We close the review by highlighting a number of possible exploratory pathways in this emerging, hot research field.