J Res Med Sci
-
Large amounts of information have called for increased computational complexity. Data dimension reduction is therefore critical to preliminary analysis. In this research, four variable selection (VS) methods are compared to obtain the important variables in predicting the prognosis of traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients. ⋯ The use of an SVM classifier on optimal subsets given by GA and SFS reveals that wrapper-based methods perform better than filter-based methods in our data set, although all selected subsets, except for the MRMR, were clinically accepted. In addition, for prognosis prediction of TBI patients, a small subset of clinical records during ICU admission is enough to achieve an accepted accuracy.
-
Diabetes is one of the most common causes of peripheral neuropathy. There are no known cures for diabetic neuropathy. Pentoxifylline could theoretically be a beneficial treatment for diabetic sensory neuropathy, but there is not enough evidence to prove its effect. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of pentoxifylline on distal diabetic neuropathy. ⋯ This study showed pentoxifylline could be effective in reducing the symptoms of distal diabetic neuropathy.
-
The standard treatment for patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) had been rituximab-based immunochemotherapy. However, the biological and clinical heterogeneity within DLBCL seems to affect treatment outcome. Therefore, the evaluation of miRNA levels might be useful in predicting treatment response and relapse risk. miR-146a is a modulator of innate and acquired immunity and may play an important role in predicting treatment response. The aim of the present study was to compare the expression level of miR-146a in plasma-derived exosomes of responsive DLBCL patients (response to R-CHOP (Rituximab, and Cyclophosphamide, Hydroxydaunorubicin, Oncovine and Prednisone)), refractory DLBCL patients (resistant to R-CHOP), patients receiving R-CHOP, and healthy donors. ⋯ Exosomal miR-146a might be useful as a promising "liquid biopsy" biomarker in predicting treatment response and relapse risk; however, we could not find significant differences due to small sample size.
-
Although cognitive impairment is common in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, language difficulties are controversy and little information is available on nonEnglish languages. Therefore, the present cross-sectional study was conducted to assess the naming accuracy in Persian relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) patients. ⋯ The present study suggests that naming ability can be impaired in RRMS regardless of disability score. Specific language function tests including naming should be considered in the process of evaluating and rehabilitating patients with MS.
-
This study is to evaluate swallowing problems (dysphasia) in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients; the importance of using tools that are durable and appropriate is well understood. One of the most trusted tools is the dysphagia in multiple sclerosis (DYMUS) test. The aim of this study was to prepare a Persian version and to evaluate the validity and reliability of the test. ⋯ The results of this study indicated that the Persian version of the DYMUS questionnaire had good reliability and validity for patients with MS.