Journal of investigative medicine : the official publication of the American Federation for Clinical Research
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Predictive factors for adverse outcomes in patients with COVID-19 are urgently needed. Data related to the applicability of the Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS) for risk stratification in patients with COVID-19 are currently lacking. We investigated the ability of CFS to predict need for mechanical ventilation and the duration of hospital stays in European patients with COVID-19. ⋯ In multivariable Cox regression analyses, higher CFS scores (HR 1.659, 95% CI 1.090 to 2.525, p=0.018) were an independent predictor for a higher risk of mechanical ventilation after adjusting for age, Charlson Comorbidity Index and quick sepsis-related organ failure score. Additionally, lower CFS scores (HR 0.554, 95% CI 0.312 to 0.983, p=0.043) were associated with earlier discharge from hospital. In conclusion, this report demonstrates the usefulness of the CFS for risk stratification at hospital admission in patients with COVID-19.
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The objective of this study was to determine the role of miR-3150b-3p in the cervical cancer (CC) progression. Real-time PCR and western blot analysis were conducted to test the expression of miR-3150b-3p, TNFRSF11a and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway. The interaction between miR-3150b-3p and TNFRSF11a was verified by luciferase assay. ⋯ Enforced expression of TNFRSF11a abolished the antitumor effect of miR-3150b-3p. Besides, miR-3150b-3p was involved in the regulation of the p38 MAPK signaling pathway. In conclusion, our data suggested that miR-3150b-3p directly targets TNFRSF11a to inactivate the p38 MAPK signaling pathway, thus implicating miR-3150b-3p in the regulation of CC cell growth.
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To measure the serum levels of anticarbamylated protein (CarP) antibodies in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in China and to evaluate the association of anti-CarP antibodies with clinical parameters and disease activity. 260 Chinese patients with RA, 40 patients with osteoarthritis (OA), 88 patients with spondyloarthritis (SpA) and 77 healthy controls were included. The serum levels of anti-CarP antibodies were detected by ELISA. Blood tests to detect the anticyclic citrullinated peptide (CCP) antibody level, rheumatoid factor (RF) level, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C reactive protein level and Disease Activity Score in 28 joints using the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (DAS28-ESR) were performed by standard methods. ⋯ Moreover, anti-CarP-positive patients had a higher risk of developing bone erosion. The anti-CarP antibody was found to play an important role in the diagnosis of RA, especially in anti-CCP antibody and RF-double-negative patients. The anti-CarP antibody is a potential marker of disease activity and bone erosion in RA.
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Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative brain disorder associated with relentlessly progressive cognitive impairment and memory loss. AD pathology proceeds for decades before cognitive deficits become clinically apparent, opening a window for preventative therapy. ⋯ However, multiple clinical trials of treatments aimed at averting accumulation of these proteins have yielded little success, and there is still no disease-modifying intervention. Here, we discuss current knowledge of AD pathology and treatment with an emphasis on emerging biomarkers and treatment strategies.
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Comparative Study
Analysis of count data in the setting of cervical cancer detection.
Women with an abnormal Pap smear are often referred to colposcopy, a procedure during which endocervical curettage (ECC) may be performed. ECC is a scraping of the endocervical canal lining. Our goal was to compare the performance of a naïve Poisson (NP) regression model with that of a zero-inflated Poisson (ZIP) model when identifying predictors of the number of distress/pain vocalizations made by women undergoing ECC. ⋯ ZIP was preferred over NP. ZIP performed better than NP regression. Clinicians and epidemiologists should consider using the ZIP model (or the zero-inflated negative binomial model) for zero-inflated count data.