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Background: Independent predictive factors of preterm delivery were evaluated using clinical data at hospitalisation by multivariate analysis. Aim: The aim of this study was to clarify independent predictive factors related to preterm delivery by multivariate analysis of clinical data at hospitalisation of patients with threatened preterm delivery or premature rupture of membranes (PROM), and to realise the early and highly reliable prediction of preterm delivery in pregnant women at risk. Methods: The subjects were 200 patients, which diagnosed with threatened preterm delivery or PROM and admitted at gestational ages of 22–35 weeks. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed; 20 factors were evaluated concerning clinical data, and we extracted prognostic factors using logistic regression analysis. Results: The mean age of the patients was 30.5 years, and the mean gestational age at admission was 30.0 weeks. Preterm delivery was observed in 55 (27.5%), and term delivery in 145 (72.5%). On multivariate analysis, haemorrhage, prepregnancy body mass index, fetal fibronectin and cervical length were extracted as independent predictive factors related to preterm delivery. Conclusions: If the reliable and reproducible prediction of preterm delivery becomes possible using the four factors extracted in this study, further evaluation of these factors may lead to clarification of the mechanism of preterm delivery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background: Allergens that cause food allergy vary considerably according to race, environment, dietary habits and age. However, data on the actual situation of food allergy in young adult students are limited in Japan. The aim of the present study was to investigate the actual situation of food allergy in young adults. Methods: Food allergy was examined, along with the presence or absence of allergic rhinitis, atopic dermatitis and bronchial asthma complicating food allergy, in 2053 Japanese university students. Results: Food allergy was noted in 5.2% of subjects, with a higher prevalence in female students. In terms of the causative allergen, the rank order of incidence was egg, buckwheat, shrimp, crab, mackerel, milk, yam, beef fat, shellfish and other foods. In comparison with Western countries, the incidence of allergy to buckwheat and seafood tended to be higher. Among students with a food allergy, the proportion of those with allergic rhinitis, atopic dermatitis and bronchial asthma was 45.8, 29.0 and 12.1%, respectively, showing higher prevalences than in students without any food allergy. Conclusion: In the future, the number of young adults with food allergy complicated by other allergic diseases will increase and measures against this issue seem to be necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We retrospectively evaluated clinical data from patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treated with third-generation chemotherapy agents prior to treatment, to determine a reliable method for predicting prognosis in such patients. We analyzed 100 patients who received thirdgeneration agents (paclitaxel, docetaxel, gemcitabine, irinotecan, and vinorelbine) for the treatment of advanced NSCLC. Factors significantly related to prognosis were evaluated using the Cox regression model, and the prognostic index (PI) was determined by combining these factors. The mean follow-up duration was 12.6 months (0.2-67.0 months). Multivariate analysis identified pleural effusion, absolute neutrophil count (ANC), and C-reactive protein (CRP) level as significant factors that independently contribute to prognosis in patients with advanced NSCLC treated with third-generation agents ( p < 0.05). The PI was calculated using these 3 factors, according to the following formula: PI = 0.581 × pleural effusion + 0.125 × ANC + 0.105 × CRP. The death rate in the group with the highest PI scores was significantly higher than in the group with the lowest scores ( p < 0.001). Pleural effusion, ANC, and CRP level were the most important factors that contributed to prognosis following chemotherapy with third-generation agents in patients with advanced NSCLC. The PI is suggested to be an appropriate index to predict the prognosis of patients with NSCLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: We conducted a retrospective cohort study to examine whether neutropenia could be an indicator of good prognosis in patients treated with gemcitabine (GEM) for unresectable pancreatic cancer.Methods: A total of 178 patients with unresectable pancreatic cancer, who were treated with first-line (n = 121) or second-line (n = 57) GEM, were included in our analyses. A Cox proportional hazard model was used to examine the effect of the grade of GEM-induced neutropenia on prognosis. Furthermore, the difference in survival time for each grade was assessed using a log-rank test.Results: In the first-line population, the hazard ratios of patients with grade 2 or grade 3 neutropenia compared with the ratios of those without neutropenia (grade 0) were 0.43 (95% CI 0.27-0.70) and 0.37 (0.21-0.65), respectively (p < 0.05). The median survival time (MST) was 3.8 months for grade 0, 9.4 months for grade 2, and 10.1 for grade 3. Landmark analysis of the second-line population revealed a hazard ratio of 0.52 (0.30-0.82) for grade 1 and 0.49 for grade 2 (0.28-0.72) (p < 0.05). MST was 1.3 months for grade 0, 4.7 months for grade 1, and 4.6 months for grade 2.Conclusions: We found that neutropenia grade was an indicator of good prognosis in patients treated with first-line and second-line GEM for unresectable pancreatic cancer. A prospective study should be performed to examine whether dosage adjustment using neutropenia grade as an indicator would improve prognosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have retrospectively evaluated clinical data before therapy to enable reliable prediction of the response of esophageal cancer to chemoradiotherapy (CRT). We analyzed 108 patients who received 5-fluorouracil and platinum combined with 60 Gy radiation for esophageal cancer. Factors significantly related to response were extracted by use of logistic regression analysis, and a response score (RS) was prepared by combining these factors. By multivariate analysis, nutritional status, T stage, M stage, and alkaline phosphatase were selected as significant factors that contributed independently to the response of esophageal cancer to CRT (P < 0.05). The odds ratios of the four selected factors was approximated and scored. The group with a high RS was found to include patients with complete response with a significantly higher frequency than the group with a low score (72.7% vs. 14.8%, P < 0.001). The RS is suggested to be an appropriate scoring system with which to predict response for these patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]