Medicine
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Observational Study
Centralized HIV Program Oversight: An Investigation of a Case Series of New HIV Infections among US Army Soldiers, 2012 to 2013.
Centralized HIV program oversight and repeal of the Department of Defense policy "Don't Ask Don't Tell" permitted characterization of HIV transmission among soldiers assigned to a large US Army base continental United States from 2012 to 2013. An investigation of a greater than expected number of new HIV infections among soldiers was initiated to characterize transmission and identify opportunities to disrupt transmission and deliver services. All soldiers who were assigned to the base at the time of their first positive HIV test and who had their first positive HIV test in 2012 or in the first 6 months of 2013 and who had a clinical genotype available for analysis were eligible for inclusion in the investigation. ⋯ This investigation represents an important step forward in on-going efforts to develop a comprehensive understanding of transmission networks in the Army that can inform delivery of best practices combination prevention services. The Army is developing plans to directly engage individuals in key affected populations most at risk for HIV infection to identify and address unmet needs and expand delivery and uptake of prevention services. Further investigation is underway and will determine whether these findings are generalizable to the Army.
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Interleukin 33 (IL-33) is a cytokine belonging to the IL-1 superfamily. Soluble ST2 (sST2) binds to IL-33 and by functioning as trap receptor inhibits signal sending to Th2 via transmembrane ST2. Because Th2-type cytokines play an important role in fibrosis, the aim of this study is to determine whether sST2 can be used as a marker of fibrosis in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients or not. ⋯ According to multiple logistic regression analysis, only METAVIR fibrosis stage was found to be an independent predictor of serum sST2 elevation in CHB patients (P = 0.04). The sST2 level can be used for differentiating significant fibrosis from mild fibrosis in CHB patients. However, the efficacy of this marker should be verified by larger studies in the future.
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Review Meta Analysis
Diagnostic Value of Presepsin for Sepsis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Several individual studies have reported the diagnostic accuracy of presepsin (sCD14-ST) for sepsis, but the results are inconsistent. The present systematic review and meta-analysis pooled data to better ascertain the value of circulatory presepsin as a biomarker for sepsis. Studies published in English before November 7, 2014 and assessing the diagnostic accuracy of presepsin for sepsis were retrieved from medical databases. ⋯ The major design deficits of the included studies were lack of prespecified thresholds and patient selection bias. The publication bias was negative. Presepsin is an effective adjunct biomarker for the diagnosis of sepsis, but is insufficient to detect or rule out sepsis when used alone.
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Clinical Trial
Risk Factors for Long-Term Mortality and Progressive Chronic Kidney Disease Associated With Acute Kidney Injury After Cardiac Surgery.
The aim of the study was to evaluate risk factors for long-term mortality and progressive chronic kidney disease (CKD) after cardiac surgery in patients with normal preoperative renal function and postoperative acute kidney injury (AKI). From April 2009 to December 2012, we prospectively enrolled 3245 cardiac surgery patients of our hospital. The primary endpoints included survival rates and the secondary endpoint was the incidence of progressive chronic kidney disease (CKD) in a follow-up period of 2 years. ⋯ The accumulated progressive CKD prevalence was significantly higher in AKI than in non-AKI patients (6.8% vs 0.2%, P < 0.001) in the 2 years after surgery. Even with complete recovery of renal function at discharge, AKI was still a risk factor for accumulated progressive CKD (RR 1.92, 95% CI 1.37-2.69). The 2-year mortality and progressive CKD incidence even after complete recovery of renal function were significantly increased in cardiac surgery patients with postoperative AKI.
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Observational Study
Selected Cytokines Serve as Potential Biomarkers for Predicting Liver Inflammation and Fibrosis in Chronic Hepatitis B Patients With Normal to Mildly Elevated Aminotransferases.
Previous studies of small cohorts have implicated several circulating cytokines with progression of chronic hepatitis B (CHB). However, to date there have been no reliable biomarkers for assessing histological liver damage in CHB patients with normal or mildly elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT). The aim of the present study was to investigate the association between circulating cytokines and histological liver damage in a large cohort. ⋯ Compared to existing scores, fib-index was significantly superior to aspartate aminotransferase (AST) to platelet ratio index (APRI) and FIB-4 score for significant fibrosis. In conclusion, CXCL-11 was independently associated with at least moderate inflammation, whereas IL-2R and TGF-α were independent indicators of significant fibrosis in both, total CHB patients and patients with normal or mildly elevated ALT. An IL-2R and TGF-α based score (fib-index) was superior to APRI and FIB-4 for the diagnosis of significant fibrosis in patients with normal or mildly elevated ALT.