Sample records for adverse prognostic parameters

  1. Prognostic significance of perioperative nutritional parameters in patients with gastric cancer.

    PubMed

    Oh, Sung Eun; Choi, Min-Gew; Seo, Jeong-Meen; An, Ji Yeong; Lee, Jun Ho; Sohn, Tae Sung; Bae, Jae Moon; Kim, Sung

    2018-02-20

    It has been suggested that nutritional status is related to the survival outcomes of cancer patients. The purpose of the current research is to evaluate the importance of the prognosis of various nutritional parameters during the perioperative period in patients with gastric cancer. This study enrolled patients with gastric cancer who underwent D2 gastrectomy at the Department of Surgery, Samsung Medical Center, in 2008. The prognostic significance of nutritional parameters was analyzed, along with other clinical and pathological variables, preoperatively and postoperatively at 3, 6, and 12 months. The total number of patients was 1415. The mean values of nutritional parameters, weight, body mass index (BMI), hemoglobin, total cholesterol, and total lymphocyte count (TLC) decreased significantly over time after surgery. On the contrary, albumin and prognostic nutritional index (PNI) score increased significantly during the postoperative follow-up period. Preoperatively, low BMI (<18.5 kg/m 2 ) and low TLC level (<1000 per mm 3 ) were revealed as independent prognostic factors in multivariate analysis. Low preoperative TLC level and decline in PNI (ΔPNI < -2.2) at postoperative 3 months; low preoperative TLC level and decline in TLC (ΔTLC < -279.9 per mm 3 ) at postoperative 6 months; and low preoperative BMI, albumin, and TLC levels at postoperative 12 months were independent nutritional prognostic indicators. Various perioperative nutritional parameters were confirmed as independent prognostic factors in patients with gastric cancer. Our results imply prognostic benefit from careful nutritional support for patients with poor nutritional parameters. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd and European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism. All rights reserved.

  2. Antihistamines and other prognostic factors for adverse outcome in hyperemesis gravidarum

    PubMed Central

    Fejzo, Marlena S.; Magtira, Aromalyn; Schoenberg, Frederic Paik; MacGibbon, Kimber; Mullin, Patrick; Romero, Roberto; Tabsh, Khalil

    2014-01-01

    Objective The purpose of this study is to determine the frequency of adverse perinatal outcome in women with hyperemesis gravidarum and identify prognostic factors. Study design This is a case-control study in which outcomes of first pregnancies were compared between 254 women with hyperemesis gravidarum treated with intravenous fluids and 308 controls. Prognostic factors were identified by comparing the clinical profile of patients with hyperemesis gravidarum with a normal and an adverse pregnancy outcome. Binary responses were analyzed using either a Chi-square or Fisher exact test and continuous responses were analyzed using a t-test. Results Women with hyperemesis gravidarum have over a 4-fold increased risk of poor outcome including preterm birth and lower birth weight (p < 0.0001). Among maternal characteristics, only gestational hypertension had an influence on outcome (p < 0.0001). Treatment as an outpatient and/or by alternative medicine (acupuncture/acupressure/Bowen massage) was associated with a positive outcome (p < 0.0089). Poor outcomes were associated with early start of symptoms (p < 0.019), and treatment with methylprednisolone (p < 0.0217), promethazine (p < 0.0386), and other antihistamines [diphenhy- dramine (Benadryl), dimenhydrinate (Gravol), doxylamine (Unisom), hydroxyzine (Vistaril/Atarax), doxylamine and pyridoxine (Diclectin/Bendectin)] (p < 0.0151) independent of effectiveness. Among these medications, only the other antihistamines were prescribed independent of severity: they were effective in less than 20% of cases and were taken by almost 50% of patients with an adverse outcome. Conclusion Poor outcomes are significantly greater in women with HG and are associated with gestational hypertension, early symptoms, and antihistamine use. Given these results, there is an urgent need to address the safety and effectiveness of medications containing antihistamines in women with severe nausea of pregnancy. PMID:23751910

  3. The correlation of extranodal invasion with other prognostic parameters in lymph node positive breast cancer.

    PubMed

    Altinyollar, Hüseyin; Berberoğlu, Uğur; Gülben, Kaptan; Irkin, Fikret

    2007-06-01

    The presence of extranodal invasion (ENI) in the metastatic lymph nodes is reported to increase the risk of locoregional recurrence while shortening disease-free and overall survival in patients with breast cancer. In this study the relationship between ENI and other prognostic parameters and survival is investigated. Of 650 patients with breast cancer who were treated in Ankara Oncology Teaching and Research Hospital from 1996 to 2003, 368 (56.6%) had lymph node metastasis. The patients with axillary metastasis were separated into two groups as with and without invasion to lymph node capsule and the surrounding adipose tissue. Clinicopathologic features were analyzed by univariate and multivariate logistic regression. Of 368 patients with axillary metastasis, 135 (36.7%) had ENI. Based on multivariate analysis; the number of metastatic lymph nodes, lymphatic invasion, and tumor necrosis were found to be related with ENI. In the group with ENI, 5-year overall survival rate was 74.8%, compared to 82.3% for patients without ENI which was significantly lower (P = 0.04). In lymph node positive breast cancer with presence of ENI, adverse prognostic parameters are more frequently encountered and has a worse overall survival compared to group without ENI. (c) 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

  4. Prognostic accuracy of cerebroplacental ratio and middle cerebral artery Doppler for adverse perinatal outcome: systematic review and meta‐analysis

    PubMed Central

    De Boer, M. A.; Heymans, M. W.; Schoonmade, L. J.; Bossuyt, P. M. M.; Mol, B. W. J.; De Groot, C. J. M.; Bax, C. J.

    2018-01-01

    ABSTRACT Objective Doppler ultrasonographic assessment of the cerebroplacental ratio (CPR) and middle cerebral artery (MCA) is widely used as an adjunct to umbilical artery (UA) Doppler to identify fetuses at risk of adverse perinatal outcome. However, reported estimates of its accuracy vary considerably. The aim of this study was to review systematically the prognostic accuracies of CPR and MCA Doppler in predicting adverse perinatal outcome, and to compare these with UA Doppler, in order to identify whether CPR and MCA Doppler evaluation are of added value to UA Doppler. Methods PubMed, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library and ClinicalTrials.gov were searched, from inception to June 2016, for studies on the prognostic accuracy of UA Doppler compared with CPR and/or MCA Doppler in the prediction of adverse perinatal outcome in women with a singleton pregnancy of any risk profile. Risk of bias and concerns about applicability were assessed using the QUADAS‐2 (Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies‐2) tool. Meta‐analysis was performed for multiple adverse perinatal outcomes. Using hierarchal summary receiver–operating characteristics meta‐regression models, the prognostic accuracy of CPR vs MCA Doppler was compared indirectly, and CPR and MCA Doppler vs UA Doppler compared directly. Results The search identified 4693 articles, of which 128 studies (involving 47 748 women) were included. Risk of bias or suboptimal reporting was detected in 120/128 studies (94%) and substantial heterogeneity was found, which limited subgroup analyses for fetal growth and gestational age. A large variation was observed in reported sensitivities and specificities, and in thresholds used. CPR outperformed UA Doppler in the prediction of composite adverse outcome (as defined in the included studies) (P < 0.001) and emergency delivery for fetal distress (P = 0.003), but was comparable to UA Doppler for the other outcomes. MCA Doppler performed significantly worse

  5. Prognostic value of (18)F-FDG PET/CT volumetric parameters in recurrent epithelial ovarian cancer.

    PubMed

    Mayoral, M; Fernandez-Martinez, A; Vidal, L; Fuster, D; Aya, F; Pavia, J; Pons, F; Lomeña, F; Paredes, P

    2016-01-01

    Metabolic tumour volume (MTV) and total lesion glycolysis (TLG) from (18)F-FDG PET/CT are emerging prognostic biomarkers in various solid neoplasms. These volumetric parameters and the SUVmax have shown to be useful criteria for disease prognostication in preoperative and post-treatment epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) patients. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the utility of (18)F-FDG PET/CT measurements to predict survival in patients with recurrent EOC. Twenty-six patients with EOC who underwent a total of 31 (18)F-FDG PET/CT studies for suspected recurrence were retrospectively included. SUVmax and volumetric parameters whole-body MTV (wbMTV) and whole-body TLG (wbTLG) with a threshold of 40% and 50% of the SUVmax were obtained. Correlation between PET parameters and progression-free survival (PFS) and the survival analysis of prognostic factors were calculated. Serous cancer was the most common histological subtype (76.9%). The median PFS was 12.5 months (range 10.7-20.6 months). Volumetric parameters showed moderate inverse correlation with PFS but there was no significant correlation in the case of SUVmax. The correlation was stronger for first recurrences. By Kaplan-Meier analysis and log-rank test, wbMTV 40%, wbMTV 50% and wbTLG 50% correlated with PFS. However, SUVmax and wbTLG 40% were not statistically significant predictors for PFS. Volumetric parameters wbMTV and wbTLG 50% measured by (18)F-FDG PET/CT appear to be useful prognostic predictors of outcome and may provide valuable information to individualize treatment strategies in patients with recurrent EOC. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier España, S.L.U. and SEMNIM. All rights reserved.

  6. Health-related quality-of-life parameters as independent prognostic factors in advanced or metastatic bladder cancer.

    PubMed

    Roychowdhury, D F; Hayden, A; Liepa, A M

    2003-02-15

    This retrospective analysis examined prognostic significance of health-related quality-of-life (HRQoL) parameters combined with baseline clinical factors on outcomes (overall survival, time to progressive disease, and time to treatment failure) in bladder cancer. Outcome and HRQoL (European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire C30) data were collected prospectively in a phase III study assessing gemcitabine and cisplatin versus methotrexate, vinblastine, doxorubicin, and cisplatin in locally advanced or metastatic bladder cancer. Prespecified baseline clinical factors (performance status, tumor-node-metastasis staging, visceral metastases [VM], alkaline phosphatase [AP] level, number of metastatic sites, prior radiotherapy, disease measurability, sex, time from diagnosis, and sites of disease) and selected HRQoL parameters (global QoL; all functional scales; symptoms: pain, fatigue, insomnia, dyspnea, anorexia) were evaluated using Cox's proportional hazards model. Factors with individual prognostic value (P <.05) on outcomes in univariate models were assessed for joint prognostic value in a multivariate model. A final model was developed using a backward selection strategy. Patients with baseline HRQoL were included (364 of 405, 90%). The final model predicted longer survival with low/normal AP levels, no VM, high physical functioning, low role functioning, and no anorexia. Positive prognostic factors for time to progressive disease were good performance status, low/normal AP levels, no VM, and minimal fatigue; for time to treatment failure, they were low/normal AP levels, minimal fatigue, and no anorexia. Global QoL was a significant predictor of outcome in univariate analyses but was not retained in the multivariate model. HRQoL parameters are independent prognostic factors for outcome in advanced bladder cancer; their prognostic importance needs further evaluation.

  7. A new Leukemia Prognostic Scoring System for refractory/relapsed adult acute myelogeneous leukaemia patients: a GOELAMS study.

    PubMed

    Chevallier, P; Labopin, M; Turlure, P; Prebet, T; Pigneux, A; Hunault, M; Filanovsky, K; Cornillet-Lefebvre, P; Luquet, I; Lode, L; Richebourg, S; Blanchet, O; Gachard, N; Vey, N; Ifrah, N; Milpied, N; Harousseau, J-L; Bene, M-C; Mohty, M; Delaunay, J

    2011-06-01

    A simplified prognostic score is presented based on the multivariate analysis of 138 refractory/relapsed acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) patients (median age 55 years, range: 19-70) receiving a combination of intensive chemotherapy+Gemtuzumab as salvage regimen. Overall, 2-year event-free survival (EFS) and overall survival (OS) were 29±4% and 36±4%, respectively. Disease status (relapse <12 months, including refractory patients), FLT3-ITD-positive status and high-risk cytogenetics were the three strongest independent adverse prognostic factors for OS and EFS in this series. We then defined three subgroups with striking different outcomes at 2 years: no adverse factor (favourable, N=36): OS 58%, EFS 45%; one adverse factor (intermediate, N=54): OS 37%, EFS 31%; two or three adverse factors (poor, N=43): OS 12%, EFS 12% (P<10(-4), P=0.001). This new simplified Leukemia Prognostic Scoring System was then validated on an independent cohort of 111 refractory/relapsed AML patients. This new simplified prognostic score, using three clinical and biological parameters routinely applied, allow to discriminate around two third of the patients who should benefit from a salvage intensive regimen in the setting of refractory/relapsed AML patients. The other one third of the patients should receive investigational therapy.

  8. CD47 is an adverse prognostic factor and a therapeutic target in gastric cancer

    PubMed Central

    Yoshida, Kazumichi; Tsujimoto, Hironori; Matsumura, Kouji; Kinoshita, Manabu; Takahata, Risa; Matsumoto, Yusuke; Hiraki, Shuichi; Ono, Satoshi; Seki, Shuhji; Yamamoto, Junji; Hase, Kazuo

    2015-01-01

    CD47 is an antiphagocytic molecule that acts via ligation to signal regulatory protein alpha on phagocytes; its enhanced expression and therapeutic targeting have recently been reported for several malignancies. However, CD47 expression in gastric cancer is not well documented. Immunohistochemical expression of CD47 in surgical specimens was investigated. Expression of CD47 and CD44, a known gastric cancer stem cell marker, were investigated in gastric cancer cell lines by flow cytometry. MKN45 and MKN74 gastric cancer cells were sorted by fluorescence-activated cell sorting according to CD44 and CD47 expression levels, and their in vitro proliferation, spheroid-forming capacity, and in vivo tumorigenicity were studied. In vitro phagocytosis of cancer cells by human macrophages in the presence of a CD47 blocking monoclonal antibody (B6H12) and the survival of immunodeficient mice intraperitoneally engrafted with MKN45 cells and B6H12 were compared to experiments using control antibodies. Immunohistochemistry of the clinical specimens indicated that CD47 was positive in 57 out of 115 cases, and its positivity was an independent adverse prognostic factor. Approximately 90% of the MKN45 and MKN74 cells expressed CD47 and CD44. CD47hi gastric cancer cells showed significantly higher proliferation and spheroid colony formation than CD47lo, and CD44hiCD47hi cells showed the highest proliferation in vitro and tumorigenicity in vivo. B6H12 significantly enhanced in vitro phagocytosis of cancer cells by human macrophages and prolonged the survival of intraperitoneal cancer dissemination in mice compared to control antibodies. In conclusion, CD47 is an adverse prognostic factor and promising therapeutic target in gastric cancer. PMID:26077800

  9. Heart rate variability enhances the prognostic value of established parameters in patients with congestive heart failure.

    PubMed

    Krüger, C; Lahm, T; Zugck, C; Kell, R; Schellberg, D; Schweizer, M W F; Kübler, W; Haass, M

    2002-12-01

    This prospective study evaluated whether heart rate variability (HRV) assessed from Holter ECG has prognostic value in addition to established parameters in patients with congestive heart failure (CHF). The study included 222 patients with CHF due to dilated or ischemic cardiomyopathy (left ventricular ejection fraction LVEF 21+/-1%; mean+/-SEM). During a mean follow-up of 15+/-1 months, 38 (17%) patients died and 45 (20%) were hospitalized due to worsening of CHF. The HRV parameter SDNN (standard deviation of all intervals between normal beats) was significantly lower in non-surviving or hospitalized than in event-free patients (118+/-6 vs 142+/-5 ms), as were LVEF (18+/-1 vs 23+/-1%), and peak oxygen uptake during exercise (peak VO(2)) (12.8+/-0.5 vs 15.6+/-0.5 ml/min/kg). While each of these parameters was a risk predictor in univariate analysis, multivariate analysis revealed that HRV provides both independent and additional prognostic information with respect to the risk 'cardiac mortality or deterioration of CHF'. It is concluded that the determination of HRV enhances the prognostic power given by the most widely used parameters LVEF and peak VO(2) in the prediction of mortality or deterioration of CHF and thus enables to improve risk stratification.

  10. Radiation Therapy Overcomes Adverse Prognostic Role of Cyclooxygenase-2 Expression on Reed-Sternberg Cells in Early Hodgkin Lymphoma

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Mestre, Francisco; Gutiérrez, Antonio, E-mail: antoniom.gutierrez@ssib.es; Rodriguez, Jose

    Purpose: To analyze the role of radiation therapy (RT) on the adverse prognostic influence of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression on Reed-Sternberg (RS) cells, in the setting of early Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) treated with ABVD (adriamycin, vinblastine, bleomycin, dacarbazine). Methods and Materials: In the present study we retrospectively investigated the prognostic value of COX-2 expression in a large (n=143), uniformly treated early HL population from the Spanish Network of HL using tissue microarrays. Univariate and multivariate analyses were done, including the most recognized clinical variables and the potential role of administration of adjuvant RT. Results: Median age was 31 years; the expression of COX-2more » defined a subgroup with significantly worse prognosis. Considering COX-2{sup +} patients, those who received RT had significantly better 5-year progression-free survival (PFS) (80% vs 54% if no RT; P=.008). In contrast, COX-2{sup −} patients only had a modest, nonsignificant benefit from RT in terms of 5-year PFS (90% vs 79%; P=.13). When we compared the outcome of patients receiving RT considering the expression of COX-2 on RS cells, we found a nonsignificant 10% difference in terms of PFS between COX-2{sup +} and COX-2{sup −} patients (P=.09), whereas the difference between the 2 groups was important (25%) in patients not receiving RT (P=.04). Conclusions: Cyclooxygenase-2 RS cell expression is an adverse independent prognostic factor in early HL. Radiation therapy overcomes the worse prognosis associated with COX-2 expression on RS cells, acting in a chemotherapy-independent way. Cyclooxygenase-2 RS cell expression may be useful for determining patient candidates with early HL to receive consolidation with RT.« less

  11. Relationship of mast cell density with lymphangiogenesis and prognostic parameters in breast carcinoma.

    PubMed

    Keser, Sevinc H; Kandemir, Nilufer O; Ece, Dilek; Gecmen, Gonca G; Gul, Aylin E; Barisik, Nagehan O; Sensu, Sibel; Buyukuysal, Cagatay; Barut, Figen

    2017-04-01

    In many cancers, mast cell density (MCD) in the tumor microenvironment is associated with tumor progression and, to a greater extent, angiogenesis. Our study was designed to investigate the correlation between MCD, tumor lymphangiogenesis, and several well-established prognostic parameters in breast cancer. One hundred and four cases of invasive breast carcinoma diagnosed in our clinic between 2007 and 2011 were included. Mast cells and lymphatic vessels were stained with toluidine blue and D2-40, respectively, and their densities were calculated in various areas of tumors and lymph nodes. The variables of MCD and lymphatic vessel density (LVD) were compared using prognostic parameters as well as with each other. As tumor size and volume increased, MCD increased comparably in metastatic lymph nodes; intratumoral and peritumoral LVD also increased. Lymphovascular invasion, lymphatic invasion, perineural invasion, and estrogen receptor positivity were positively related to intratumoral MCD. The relationship between peritumoral MCD and nontumoral breast tissue MCD was statistically significant. Stage was correlated with MCD in metastatic lymph nodes. Metastatic lymph node MCD and intratumoral MCD were also significantly related. Stage, lymphatic invasion, perineural invasion, lymphovascular invasion, and metastatic lymph node MCD were all correlated with intratumoral and/or peritumoral LVD. As nuclear grade increased, intratumoral LVD became higher. In breast carcinoma, MCD, depending on its location, was related to several prognostic parameters. Notably, mast cells may have at least some effect on lymphangiogenesis, which appears to be a predictor of tumor progression. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Taiwan.

  12. Prognostic parameter for high risk prostate cancer patients at initial presentation.

    PubMed

    Kato, Masashi; Kimura, Kyosuke; Hirakawa, Akihiro; Kobayashi, Yumiko; Ishida, Ryo; Kamihira, Osamu; Majima, Tsuyoshi; Funahashi, Yasuhito; Sassa, Naoto; Matsukawa, Yoshihisa; Hattori, Ryohei; Gotoh, Momokazu; Tsuzuki, Toyonori

    2018-01-01

    High-risk prostate cancer can be defined by a patient's Gleason score (GS), prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level, and clinical T (cT) stage, but a novel marker is needed due to heterogeneity of the disease. In this study, we evaluated whether intraductal carcinoma of the prostate (IDC-P) confirmed by needle biopsy is an adverse prognostic parameter for progression-free survival (PFS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS) in patients with high-risk prostate cancer. We retrospectively evaluated 204 patients with high-risk prostate cancer treated by radical prostatectomy from 1991 to 2005 at Nagoya University and its affiliated hospitals. Data on each patient's PSA level, biopsy GS, cT stage, presence of Gleason pattern 5, presence of IDC-P, percentage of the core involved with cancer, and maximum percentage of the core involved with cancer were analyzed. The median follow-up period was 108 months (range, 11-257 months). Forty-eight patients (24%) showed disease progression. Thirty-four patients (17%) died of the disease during follow-up. The IDC-P component was detected in 74 (36%) needle biopsy samples. The 5-, 10-, and 15-year CSS rates of the IDC-P-negative cases were 3.2%, 9.0%, and 23.7%; the corresponding rates of the IDC-P-positive cases were 23.9%, 33.7%, and 52.7%, respectively (P = 0.0001). In the Fine and Gray's model for PFS, IDC-P, maximum percentage of the core involved with cancer, and cT stage were significantly associated (P = 0.013, P = 0.003, P = 0.007). In the Fine and Gray's model for CSS, only IDC-P was significant (P = 0.027). In a multivariate Cox regression analysis, IDC-P (P = 0.04; hazard ratio [HR], 1.95) and maximum percentage of the core involved with cancer (P = 0.021; HR, 0.43) were significant factors in predicting overall survival (OS). The presence of IDC-P in a needle biopsy was a prognostic factor for PFS, CSS, and OS in patients with high-risk prostate cancer who underwent radical prostatectomy

  13. New prognostic model for extranodal natural killer/T cell lymphoma, nasal type.

    PubMed

    Cai, Qingqing; Luo, Xiaolin; Zhang, Guanrong; Huang, Huiqiang; Huang, Hui; Lin, Tongyu; Jiang, Wenqi; Xia, Zhongjun; Young, Ken H

    2014-09-01

    Extranodal natural killer/T cell lymphoma, nasal type (ENKTL) is an aggressive disease with a poor prognosis, requiring risk stratification in affected patients. We designed a new prognostic model specifically for ENKTL to identify high-risk patients who need more aggressive therapy. We retrospectively reviewed 158 patients who were newly diagnosed with ENKTL. The estimated 5-year overall survival rate was 39.4 %. Independent prognostic factors included total protein (TP) <60 g/L, fasting blood glucose (FBG) >100 mg/dL, and Korean Prognostic Index (KPI) score ≥2. We constructed a new prognostic model by combining these prognostic factors: group 1 (64 cases (41.0 %)), no adverse factors; group 2 (58 cases (37.2 %)), one adverse factor; and group 3 (34 cases (21.8 %)), two or three adverse factors. The 5-year overall survival (OS) rates of these groups were 66.7, 23.0, and 5.9 %, respectively (p < 0.001). Our new prognostic model had a better prognostic value than did the KPI model alone (p < 0.001). Our proposed prognostic model for ENKTL, including the newly identified prognostic indicators, TP and FBG, demonstrated a balanced distribution of patients into different risk groups with better prognostic discrimination compared with the KPI model alone.

  14. Parameters Associated with Adverse Fetal Outcomes in Parvovirus B19 Congenital Infection.

    PubMed

    Agra, Isabela Karine Rodrigues; Amorim Filho, Antonio Gomes; Lin, Lawrence Hsu; Biancolin, Sckarlet Ernandes; Francisco, Rossana Pulcineli Vieira; Brizot, Maria de Lourdes

    2017-11-01

    Objective  To investigate the clinical and sonographic parameters associated with adverse fetal outcomes in patients with congenital parvovirus B19 infection managed by intrauterine transfusion. Methods  This was a single-center retrospective study conducted from January 2005 to December 2016 that assessed patients with singleton pregnancies with fetal parvovirus infection confirmed by a polymerase chain reaction of the amniotic fluid or fetal blood samples who underwent at least one intrauterine transfusion. The maternal characteristics, sonographic findings and parameters related to intrauterine transfusion were compared between the two groups (recovery/non-recovery), who were categorized based on fetal response after in-utero transfusions. Progression to fetal death or delivery without fetal recovery after the transfusions was considered non-recovery and categorized as an adverse outcome. Results  The final analysis included ten singleton pregnancies: seven of which were categorized into the recovery group and three of which into the non-recovery group. The baseline characteristics were similar between the groups. All fetuses were hydropic at the time of diagnosis. No significant differences related to sonographic or intrauterine transfusion parameters were identified between the groups; however, the non-recovery group tended to have an increased number of sonographic markers and lower fetal hemoglobin and platelet levels before the transfusion. Conclusion  We were unable to firmly establish the clinical or sonographic parameters associated with adverse fetal outcomes in patients with parvovirus infection managed with intrauterine transfusions; however, edema, placental thickening and oligohydramnios may indicate greater fetal compromise and, subsequently, adverse outcomes. However, further studies are necessary, mainly due to the small number of cases analyzed in the present study. Thieme Revinter Publicações Ltda Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

  15. Prognostic value of fluorine-18 fludeoxyglucose positron emission tomography parameters differs according to primary tumour location in small-cell lung cancer.

    PubMed

    Nobashi, Tomomi; Koyasu, Sho; Nakamoto, Yuji; Kubo, Takeshi; Ishimori, Takayoshi; Kim, Young H; Yoshizawa, Akihiko; Togashi, Kaori

    2016-01-01

    To investigate the prognostic value of fluorine-18 fludeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) parameters for small-cell lung cancer (SCLC), according to the primary tumour location, adjusted by conventional prognostic factors. From 2008 to 2013, we enrolled consecutive patients with histologically proven SCLC, who had undergone FDG-PET/CT prior to initial therapy. The primary tumour location was categorized into central or peripheral types. PET parameters and clinical variables were evaluated using univariate and multivariate analysis. A total of 69 patients were enrolled in this study; 28 of these patients were categorized as having the central type and 41 patients as having the peripheral type. In univariate analysis, stage, serum neuron-specific enolase, whole-body metabolic tumour volume (WB-MTV) and whole-body total lesion glycolysis (WB-TLG) were found to be significant in both types of patients. In multivariate analysis, the independent prognostic factor was found to be stage in the central type, but WB-MTV and WB-TLG in the peripheral type. Kaplan-Meier analysis demonstrated that patients with peripheral type with limited disease and low WB-MTV or WB-TLG showed significantly better overall survival than all of the other groups (p < 0.0083). The FDG-PET volumetric parameters were demonstrated to be significant and independent prognostic factors in patients with peripheral type of SCLC, while stage was the only independent prognostic factor in patients with central type of SCLC. FDG-PET is a non-invasive method that could potentially be used to estimate the prognosis of patients, especially those with peripheral-type SCLC.

  16. LDH is an adverse prognostic factor independent of ISS in transplant-eligible myeloma patients receiving bortezomib-based induction regimens.

    PubMed

    Chim, Chor Sang; Sim, Joycelyn; Tam, Sidney; Tse, Eric; Lie, Albert Kwok Wai; Kwong, Yok Lam

    2015-04-01

    Serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) has been an adverse prognostic factor for myeloma but does not feature in the International Staging System (ISS). We examined whether elevated serum LDH at diagnosis remains an adverse risk factor independent of ISS for survivals transplant-eligible myeloma patients receiving early/frontline bortezomib-based induction, followed by autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT). Seventy-seven transplant-eligible Chinese patients received three induction regimens [staged approach (N = 25), PAD (N = 19), VTD (N = 33)], followed by ASCT and thalidomide maintenance. Five-year overall (OS) and event-free (EFS) survivals were 66.4% and 36.2%. There was no difference in demographics, complete remission/near complete remission (CR/nCR rates postinduction or ASCT, and survivals among patients induced by the three induction regimens. Elevated LDH was associated with male gender (P = 0.006), ISS III (P = 0.042) and serum β2-microglobulin (P = 0.040). Univariate analysis showed that elevated LDH, ISS III, high β2-microglobulin, and failure to attain CR/nCR post-ACST were risk factors adversely impacting both OS and EFS. Multivariate analysis showed that elevated LDH was the only factor impacting both OS (P = 0.007) and EFS (P = 0.008). In this uniformly treated cohort of transplant-eligible myeloma patients, elevated serum LDH is an adverse risk factor independent of ISS for both OS and EFS. Bortezomib-based induction/ASCT regimen had not abolished the adverse impact of elevated LDH. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  17. Meta-analysis of prognostic value of inflammation parameter in breast cancer.

    PubMed

    Chen, Jie; Pan, Yuqin; He, Bangshun; Ying, Houqun; Sun, Huiling; Deng, Qiwen; Liu, Xian; Wang, Shukui

    2018-01-01

    Recently, increasing studies investigated the association between inflammation parameter such as neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and the prognosis of cancers. However, the clinical and prognostic significance of NLR in breast cancer remains controversial. This meta-analysis was conducted to establish the overall accuracy of the NLR test in the diagnosis of breast cancer. A comprehensive search of the literature was conducted using PubMed and Web of Science. Six studies dating up to July 2014 with 2267 patients were enrolled in the present study. STATA 11.0 software (STATA Corporation, College Station, TX, USA) was selected for data analysis. In order to evaluate the association between NLR and overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), recurrence-free survival or cancer-specific survival, the hazard ratios (HRs), and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were extracted. Subgroup analyses showed that NLR was a strong prognostic factor for OS in multivariate analysis (HR = 2.81, 95% CI = 2.13-3.71, P H = 0.992) and without metastasis (HR = 1.45, 95% CI = 0.37-5.66, P H < 0.001). Elevated NLR was associated with a high risk for DFS in subgroups of multivariate analysis (HR = 2.16, 95% CI = 1.67-2.80, P H = 0.977) and mixed metastasis (HR = 2.13, 95% CI = 1.38-3.30, P H = 0.84). In summary, NLR may be considered as a predictive factor for patients with breast cancer.

  18. Risk factors for adverse outcomes in older adults with blunt chest trauma: A systematic review.

    PubMed

    Sawa, Jake; Green, Robert S; Thoma, Brent; Erdogan, Mete; Davis, Philip J

    2017-08-11

    The objective of this study was to systematically review the published literature for risk factors associated with adverse outcomes in older adults sustaining blunt chest trauma. EMBASE and MEDLINE were searched from inception until March 2017 for prognostic factors associated with adverse outcomes in older adults sustaining blunt chest trauma using a pre-specified search strategy. References were independently screened for inclusion by two reviewers. Study quality was assessed using the Quality in Prognostic Studies tool. Where appropriate, descriptive statistics were used to evaluate study characteristics and predictors of adverse outcomes. Thirteen cohort studies representing 79,313 patients satisfied our selection criteria. Overall, 26 prognostic factors were examined across studies and were reported for morbidity (8 studies), length of stay (7 studies), mortality (6 studies), and loss of independence (1 study). No studies examined patient quality of life or emergency department recidivism. Prognostic factors associated with morbidity and mortality included age, number of rib fractures, and injury severity score. Although age and rib fractures were found to be associated with adverse outcomes in more than 3 studies, meta-analysis was not performed due to heterogeneity amongst included studies in how these variables were measured. While blunt chest wall trauma in older adults is relatively common, the literature on prognostic factors for adverse outcomes in this patient population remains inadequate due to a paucity of high quality studies and lack of consistent reporting standards.

  19. Homoarginine—A prognostic indicator in adolescents and adults with complex congenital heart disease?

    PubMed Central

    Mueller, Marieke; Meinitzer, Andreas; Maerz, Winfried; Dschietzig, Thomas

    2017-01-01

    Background Homoarginine (hArg) has been shown to be of prognostic value in patients with chronic left heart failure. The present study aims to assess the clinical utility and prognostic value of hArg levels in patients with complex congenital heart disease (CHD). Methods Plasma hArg levels were measured in 143 patients with complex CHD and compared to clinical status, echocardiographic and laboratory parameters as well as the occurrence of adverse cardiac events. Results Median hArg levels were 1.5 μmol/l in CHD patients as compared to 1.70 μmol/l in healthy controls (p = 0.051). Median hArg levels were lowest in patients with Fontan palliation (1.27 μmol/l) and Eisenmenger physiology (0.99 μmol/l) and decreased with the severity of adverse cardiac events with lowest values found in patients prior to death or overt heart failure (0.89 μmol/l). According to ROC analysis, the most important predictors of adverse cardiac events were hArg levels (AUC 0.837, p<0.001, CI 0.726–0.947), NYHA class (AUC 0.800, p<0.001, CI 0.672–0.928) and NT-proBNP levels (AUC 0.780, p<0.001, CI 0.669–0.891). The occurrence of overt heart failure or death due to progressive heart failure were best predicted by NYHA class (AUC 0.945, p<0.001, CI 0.898–0.992), hArg levels (AUC 0.911, p<0.001, CI 0.850–0.971) and NT-proBNP levels (AUC 0.877, p<0.001, CI 0.791–0.962), respectively. Conclusion In patients with complex CHD, hArg levels can predict adverse cardiac events as reliably as or even better than NT-proBNP levels and thus might be of prognostic value in this subset of patients. PMID:28886170

  20. An elevated serum beta-2-microglobulin level is an adverse prognostic factor for overall survival in patients with early-stage Hodgkin disease.

    PubMed

    Chronowski, Gregory M; Wilder, Richard B; Tucker, Susan L; Ha, Chul S; Sarris, Andreas H; Hagemeister, Fredrick B; Barista, Ibrahim; Hess, Mark A; Cabanillas, Fernando; Cox, James D

    2002-12-15

    The relative importance of prognostic factors in patients with early-stage Hodgkin disease remains controversial. The purpose of this study was to evaluate prognostic factors among patients who received chemotherapy before radiotherapy. From 1987 to 1995, 217 consecutive patients ranging in age from 16 to 88 years (median, 28 years) with Ann Arbor Stage I (n = 55) or II (n = 162) Hodgkin disease underwent chemotherapy before radiotherapy at a single center. Most were treated on prospective studies. Patients received a median of three cycles of induction chemotherapy. Mitoxantrone, vincristine, vinblastine, and prednisone (NOVP), doxorubicin, bleomycin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine (ABVD), mechlorethamine, vincristine, procarbazine, and prednisone (MOPP), cyclophosphamide, vinblastine, procarbazine, prednisone, doxorubicin, bleomycin, dacarbazine, and CCNU (CVPP/ABDIC), or other chemotherapeutic regimens were given to 160, 18, 15, 10, and 14 patients, respectively. The median radiotherapy dose was 40 Gy. Serum beta-2-microglobulin (beta-2M) levels ranged from 1.0 to 4.1 mg/L (median, 1.7 mg/L; upper limit of normal, 2.0 mg/L). We studied univariate and multivariate associations between survival and the following clinical features: serum beta-2M level above 1.25 times the upper limit of normal (n = 12), male gender (n = 113), hypoalbuminemia (n = 11), and bulky mediastinal disease (n = 94). Follow-up of surviving patients ranged from 0.9 to 13.4 years (median, 6.6 years) and 92% were observed for 3.0 or more years. Nineteen patients have died. Only elevation of the serum beta-2M level was an independent adverse prognostic factor for overall survival (P = 0.0009). The prognostic significance of a simple, widely available, and inexpensive blood test, beta-2M, has not been studied routinely in patients with Hodgkin disease and should be tested prospectively in large, cooperative group trials. Copyright 2002 American Cancer Society.DOI 10.1002/cncr.10998

  1. Contact lens deposits, adverse responses, and clinical ocular surface parameters.

    PubMed

    Zhao, Zhenjun; Naduvilath, Thomas; Flanagan, Judith L; Carnt, Nicole A; Wei, Xiaojia; Diec, Jennie; Evans, Vicki; Willcox, Mark D P

    2010-09-01

    To correlate clinical responses during contact lens wear with the amount of protein or cholesterol extracted from lenses after wear. Clinical parameters, including adverse response rates and corneal staining, and symptomatology rating during lens wear were collected from a series of clinical tests comprising four different silicone hydrogel lenses with four different multipurpose solutions. To test for correlates, the amount of total protein or cholesterol extracted from lenses after daily wear were compared statistically to clinical parameters. The amount of protein (p = 0.008) or cholesterol (p = 0.01) extracted from lenses was higher for those subjects who showed solution-induced corneal staining. Amount of protein extracted was correlated (p < 0.01) with conjunctival staining (R = -0.23), lens front surface wetting (r = 0.14), and lens fit tightness (R = -0.20). These clinical parameters accounted for 48% of lens protein deposition. The amount of cholesterol extracted from lenses was much more weakly associated with clinical variables. Amount of protein or cholesterol extracted from lenses was not associated with the production of any corneal infiltrative or mechanical adverse event during wear and was only very weakly correlated with insertion comfort of lenses. These results suggest that there may be no physiologically relevant consequence of cholesterol depositing on silicone hydrogel lenses. The amount of protein that deposits onto silicone hydrogel lenses during wear may have more affect on lens performance on-eye. However, the correlations were generally small and may still not indicate any causative relevant physiological response. Further work is required to determine whether there is any direct causative effect to support these correlative findings.

  2. Prognostic significance of interventricular septal thickness in patients with AL amyloidosis.

    PubMed

    Cho, Hyunsoo; Kim, Soo-Jeong; Shim, Chi Young; Hong, Geu-Ru; Ha, Jong-Won; Kim, Yu Ri; Yang, Woo Ick; Chung, Haerim; Jang, Ji Eun; Cheong, June-Won; Min, Yoo Hong; Kim, Jin Seok

    2017-09-01

    The major prognostic determinant of immunoglobulin light chain (AL) amyloidosis is cardiac involvement. However, the role of interventricular septal thickness (IVST), which reflects the extent of cardiac involvement, remains unclear. Therefore, we analyzed 77 patients with newly diagnosed AL amyloidosis and evaluated the prognostic role of IVST. Fifty patients (64.9%) had cardiac involvement and 17 patients (22.1%) showed IVST >15mm. Among all patients, the revised Mayo Clinic Stage III-IV and IVST >15mm were independently associated with inferior overall survival (OS) in a multivariable analysis. IVST >15mm was also adversely prognostic for OS in a subgroup of advanced-stage (revised Mayo Clinic stage III-IV) patients in a multivariable analysis (P<0.001). Furthermore, advanced-stage patients with IVST >15mm did not show survival benefit from treatment with bortezomib-based regimens and/or autologous stem-cell transplantation (ASCT). Our study demonstrated that IVST >15mm is adversely prognostic independent of the revised Mayo Clinic staging system in patients with AL amyloidosis. In addition, the degree of IVST might be used as a useful prognostic indicator that can guide the management of patients with AL amyloidosis especially at an advanced stage. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Non-O blood groups can be a prognostic marker of in-hospital and long-term major adverse cardiovascular events in patients with ST elevation myocardial infarction undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention.

    PubMed

    Cetin, Mehmet Serkan; Ozcan Cetin, Elif Hande; Aras, Dursun; Topaloglu, Serkan; Temizhan, Ahmet; Kisacik, Halil Lutfi; Aydogdu, Sinan

    2015-09-01

    Recent studies have suggested ABO blood type locus as an inherited predictor of thrombosis, cardiovascular risk factors, myocardial infarction. However, data is scarce about the impact of non-O blood groups on prognosis in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the prognostic importance of non-O blood groups in patients with STEMI undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (pPCI) METHODS: 1835 consecutive patients who were admitted with acute STEMI between 2010 and 2015 were included and followed-up for a median of 35.6months. The prevalence of hyperlipidemia, total cholesterol, LDL, peak CKMB and no-reflow as well as hospitalization duration were higher in patients with non-O blood groups. Gensini score did not differ between groups. During the in-hospital and long-term follow-up period, MACE, the prevalence of stent thrombosis, non-fatal MI, and mortality were higher in non-O blood groups. In multivariate logistic regression analysis, non-0 blood groups were demonstrated to be independent predictors of in-hospital (OR:2.085 %CI: 1.328-3.274 p=0.001) and long term MACE (OR:2.257 %CI: 1.325-3.759 p<0.001). Kaplan-Meier analysis according to the long-term MACE free survival revealed a higher occurrence of MACE in non-O blood group compared with O blood group (p<0.001, Chi-square: 22.810). Non-O blood groups were determined to be significant prognostic indicators of short- and long-term cardiovascular adverse events and mortality in patients with STEMI undergoing pPCI. In conjunction with other prognostic factors, evaluation of this parameter may improve the risk categorization and tailoring the individual therapy and follow-up in STEMI patient population. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. Adverse prognostic value of peritumoral vascular invasion: is it abrogated by adequate endocrine adjuvant therapy? Results from two International Breast Cancer Study Group randomized trials of chemoendocrine adjuvant therapy for early breast cancer

    PubMed Central

    Viale, G.; Giobbie-Hurder, A.; Gusterson, B. A.; Maiorano, E.; Mastropasqua, M. G.; Sonzogni, A.; Mallon, E.; Colleoni, M.; Castiglione-Gertsch, M.; Regan, M. M.; Brown, R. W.; Golouh, R.; Crivellari, D.; Karlsson, P.; Öhlschlegel, C.; Gelber, R. D.; Goldhirsch, A.; Coates, A. S.

    2010-01-01

    Background: Peritumoral vascular invasion (PVI) may assist in assigning optimal adjuvant systemic therapy for women with early breast cancer. Patients and methods: Patients participated in two International Breast Cancer Study Group randomized trials testing chemoendocrine adjuvant therapies in premenopausal (trial VIII) or postmenopausal (trial IX) node-negative breast cancer. PVI was assessed by institutional pathologists and/or central review on hematoxylin–eosin-stained slides in 99% of patients (analysis cohort 2754 patients, median follow-up >9 years). Results: PVI, present in 23% of the tumors, was associated with higher grade tumors and larger tumor size (trial IX only). Presence of PVI increased locoregional and distant recurrence and was significantly associated with poorer disease-free survival. The adverse prognostic impact of PVI in trial VIII was limited to premenopausal patients with endocrine-responsive tumors randomized to therapies not containing goserelin, and conversely the beneficial effect of goserelin was limited to patients whose tumors showed PVI. In trial IX, all patients received tamoxifen: the adverse prognostic impact of PVI was limited to patients with receptor-negative tumors regardless of chemotherapy. Conclusion: Adequate endocrine adjuvant therapy appears to abrogate the adverse impact of PVI in node-negative disease, while PVI may identify patients who will benefit particularly from adjuvant therapy. PMID:19633051

  5. Comprehensive analysis and validation of contemporary survival prognosticators in Korean patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma treated with targeted therapy: prognostic impact of pretreatment neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio.

    PubMed

    Koo, Kyo Chul; Lee, Kwang Suk; Cho, Kang Su; Rha, Koon Ho; Hong, Sung Joon; Chung, Byung Ha

    2016-06-01

    In line with the era of targeted therapy (TT), an increasing number of prognosticators are becoming available for patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC). Here, potential prognosticators of cancer-specific survival (CSS) were identified based on the contemporary literature and were comprehensively validated in an independent cohort of patients treated for mRCC. Data were collected from 478 patients treated with TT for mRCC between January 1999 and July 2013 at a single institution. The analysis included 25 clinicopathological covariates that included both traditional and contemporary prognosticators. Multivariate Cox regression models were used to quantify the effect of covariates on CSS. Median survival from the initial diagnosis of metastasis was 24.5 (IQR, 11.5-55.7) months. There were 303 (63.4 %) cancer-specific deaths, yielding a 2-year CSS rate of 62.5 %. Low Karnofsky performance status (KPS), hypercalcemia, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), the number of metastatic sites (≥2), and the presence of brain metastases were independent adverse prognosticators of CSS. The C-index of the model was 0.78. Patients with at least one adverse prognosticator demonstrated lower 2-year CSS rates compared to those with no prognosticators (53.9 vs. 70.6 %; log rank p < 0.001). Together with traditional prognosticators such as KPS, hypercalcemia, and the number and location of metastases, the NLR was an independent predictor of CSS in patients with mRCC treated with TT. Our findings could be useful for guiding clinical decision making including stratification of patients for TT and inclusion in clinical trials.

  6. Blunt splenic injury: are early adverse events related to trauma, nonoperative management, or surgery?

    PubMed Central

    Frandon, Julien; Rodiere, Mathieu; Arvieux, Catherine; Vendrell, Anne; Boussat, Bastien; Sengel, Christian; Broux, Christophe; Bricault, Ivan; Ferretti, Gilbert; Thony, Frédéric

    2015-01-01

    PURPOSE We aimed to compare clinical outcomes and early adverse events of operative management (OM), nonoperative management (NOM), and NOM with splenic artery embolization (SAE) in blunt splenic injury (BSI) and identify the prognostic factors. METHODS Medical records of 136 consecutive patients with BSI admitted to a trauma center from 2005 to 2010 were retrospectively reviewed. Patients were separated into three groups: OM, NOM, and SAE. We focused on associated injuries and early adverse events. Multivariate analysis was performed on 23 prognostic factors to find predictors. RESULTS The total survival rate was 97.1%, with four deaths all occurred in the OM group. The spleen salvage rate was 91% in NOM and SAE. At least one adverse event was observed in 32.8%, 62%, and 96% of patients in NOM, SAE, and OM groups, respectively (P < 0.001). We found significantly more deaths, infectious complications, pleural drainage, acute renal failures, and pancreatitis in OM and more pseudocysts in SAE. Six prognostic factors were statistically significant for one or more adverse events: simplified acute physiology score 2 ≥25 for almost all adverse events, age ≥50 years for acute respiratory syndrome, limb fracture for secondary bleeding, thoracic injury for pleural drainage, and at least one associated injury for pseudocyst. Adverse events were not related to the type of BSI management. CONCLUSION Patients with BSI present worse outcome and more adverse events in OM, but this is related to the severity of injury. The main predictor of adverse events remains the severity of injury. PMID:26081719

  7. Blunt splenic injury: are early adverse events related to trauma, nonoperative management, or surgery?

    PubMed

    Frandon, Julien; Rodiere, Mathieu; Arvieux, Catherine; Vendrell, Anne; Boussat, Bastien; Sengel, Christian; Broux, Christophe; Bricault, Ivan; Ferretti, Gilbert; Thony, Frédéric

    2015-01-01

    We aimed to compare clinical outcomes and early adverse events of operative management (OM), nonoperative management (NOM), and NOM with splenic artery embolization (SAE) in blunt splenic injury (BSI) and identify the prognostic factors. Medical records of 136 consecutive patients with BSI admitted to a trauma center from 2005 to 2010 were retrospectively reviewed. Patients were separated into three groups: OM, NOM, and SAE. We focused on associated injuries and early adverse events. Multivariate analysis was performed on 23 prognostic factors to find predictors. The total survival rate was 97.1%, with four deaths all occurred in the OM group. The spleen salvage rate was 91% in NOM and SAE. At least one adverse event was observed in 32.8%, 62%, and 96% of patients in NOM, SAE, and OM groups, respectively (P < 0.001). We found significantly more deaths, infectious complications, pleural drainage, acute renal failures, and pancreatitis in OM and more pseudocysts in SAE. Six prognostic factors were statistically significant for one or more adverse events: simplified acute physiology score 2 ≥25 for almost all adverse events, age ≥50 years for acute respiratory syndrome, limb fracture for secondary bleeding, thoracic injury for pleural drainage, and at least one associated injury for pseudocyst. Adverse events were not related to the type of BSI management. Patients with BSI present worse outcome and more adverse events in OM, but this is related to the severity of injury. The main predictor of adverse events remains the severity of injury.

  8. Chronic lymphocytic leukemia: A prognostic model comprising only two biomarkers (IGHV mutational status and FISH cytogenetics) separates patients with different outcome and simplifies the CLL-IPI.

    PubMed

    Delgado, Julio; Doubek, Michael; Baumann, Tycho; Kotaskova, Jana; Molica, Stefano; Mozas, Pablo; Rivas-Delgado, Alfredo; Morabito, Fortunato; Pospisilova, Sarka; Montserrat, Emili

    2017-04-01

    Rai and Binet staging systems are important to predict the outcome of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) but do not reflect the biologic diversity of the disease nor predict response to therapy, which ultimately shape patients' outcome. We devised a biomarkers-only CLL prognostic system based on the two most important prognostic parameters in CLL (i.e., IGHV mutational status and fluorescence in situ hybridization [FISH] cytogenetics), separating three different risk groups: (1) low-risk (mutated IGHV + no adverse FISH cytogenetics [del(17p), del(11q)]); (2) intermediate-risk (either unmutated IGHV or adverse FISH cytogenetics) and (3) high-risk (unmutated IGHV + adverse FISH cytogenetics). In 524 unselected subjects with CLL, the 10-year overall survival was 82% (95% CI 76%-88%), 52% (45%-62%), and 27% (17%-42%) for the low-, intermediate-, and high-risk groups, respectively. Patients with low-risk comprised around 50% of the series and had a life expectancy comparable to the general population. The prognostic model was fully validated in two independent cohorts, including 417 patients representative of general CLL population and 337 patients with Binet stage A CLL. The model had a similar discriminatory value as the CLL-IPI. Moreover, it applied to all patients with CLL independently of age, and separated patients with different risk within Rai or Binet clinical stages. The biomarkers-only CLL prognostic system presented here simplifies the CLL-IPI and could be useful in daily practice and to stratify patients in clinical trials. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  9. Osteopontin: A non-invasive parameter of portal hypertension and prognostic marker of cirrhosis.

    PubMed

    Bruha, Radan; Jachymova, Marie; Petrtyl, Jaromir; Dvorak, Karel; Lenicek, Martin; Urbanek, Petr; Svestka, Tomislav; Vitek, Libor

    2016-03-28

    To investigate the relationship between osteopontin plasma concentrations and the severity of portal hypertension and to assess osteopontin prognostic value. A cohort of 154 patients with confirmed liver cirrhosis (112 ethylic, 108 men, age 34-72 years) were enrolled in the study. Hepatic venous pressure gradient (HVPG) measurement and laboratory and ultrasound examinations were carried out for all patients. HVPG was measured using a standard catheterization method with the balloon wedge technique. Osteopontin was measured using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method in plasma. Patients were followed up with a specific focus on mortality. The control group consisted of 137 healthy age- and sex- matched individuals. The mean value of HVPG was 16.18 ± 5.6 mmHg. Compared to controls, the plasma levels of osteopontin in cirrhotic patients were significantly higher (P < 0.001). The plasma levels of osteopontin were positively related to HVPG (P = 0.0022, r = 0.25) and differed among the individual Child-Pugh groups of patients. The cut-off value of 80 ng/mL osteopontin distinguished patients with significant portal hypertension (HVPG above 10 mmHg) at 75% sensitivity and 63% specificity. The mean follow-up of patients was 3.7 ± 2.6 years. The probability of cumulative survival was 39% for patients with HVPG > 10 mmHg and 65% for those with HVPG ≤ 10 mmHg (P = 0.0086, odds ratio (OR), 2.92, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.09-7.76). Osteopontin showed a similar prognostic value to HVPG. Patients with osteopontin values above 80 ng/mL had significantly lower cumulative survival compared to those with osteopontin ≤ 80 ng/mL (37% vs 56%, P = 0.00035; OR = 2.23, 95%CI: 1.06-4.68). Osteopontin is a non-invasive parameter of portal hypertension that distinguishes patients with clinically significant portal hypertension. It is a strong prognostic factor for survival.

  10. Late renal transplant failure: an adverse prognostic factor at initiation of peritoneal dialysis.

    PubMed

    Sasal, J; Naimark, D; Klassen, J; Shea, J; Bargman, J M

    2001-01-01

    . Deaths were due mainly to gram-negative peritonitis and cardiovascular disease. We conclude that late failed renal transplant patients starting dialysis are at increased risk of complications and have strikingly higher mortality rates than non-Tx patients. A previously failed kidney transplant can be considered an adverse prognostic factor for patients commencing PD; these patients need to be closely monitored. Although this study was limited to PD patients, the same principles likely apply to fTx patients returning to any form of renal replacement therapy.

  11. Serum C-reactive protein (CRP) as a simple and independent prognostic factor in extranodal natural killer/T-cell lymphoma, nasal type.

    PubMed

    Li, Ya-Jun; Li, Zhi-Ming; Xia, Yi; Huang, Jia-Jia; Huang, Hui-Qiang; Xia, Zhong-Jun; Lin, Tong-Yu; Li, Su; Cai, Xiu-Yu; Wu-Xiao, Zhi-Jun; Jiang, Wen-Qi

    2013-01-01

    C-reactive protein (CRP) is a biomarker of the inflammatory response, and it shows significant prognostic value for several types of solid tumors. The prognostic significance of CRP for lymphoma has not been fully examined. We evaluated the prognostic role of baseline serum CRP levels in patients with extranodal natural killer (NK)/T-cell lymphoma (ENKTL). We retrospectively analyzed 185 patients with newly diagnosed ENKTL. The prognostic value of the serum CRP level was evaluated for the low-CRP group (CRP≤10 mg/L) versus the high-CRP group (CRP>10 mg/L). The prognostic value of the International Prognostic Index (IPI) and the Korean Prognostic Index (KPI) were evaluated and compared with the newly developed prognostic model. Patients in the high-CRP group tended to display increased adverse clinical characteristics, lower rates of complete remission (P<0.001), inferior progression-free survival (PFS, P = 0.001), and inferior overall survival (OS, P<0.001). Multivariate analysis demonstrated that elevated serum CRP levels, age >60 years, hypoalbuminemia, and elevated lactate dehydrogenase levels were independent adverse predictors of OS. Based on these four independent predictors, we constructed a new prognostic model that identified 4 groups with varying OS: group 1, no adverse factors; group 2, 1 factor; group 3, 2 factors; and group 4, 3 or 4 factors (P<0.001). The novel prognostic model was found to be superior to both the IPI in discriminating patients with different outcomes in the IPI low-risk group and the KPI in distinguishing between the low- and intermediate-low-risk groups, the intermediate-low- and high-intermediate-risk groups, and the high-intermediate- and high-risk groups. Our results suggest that pretreatment serum CRP levels represent an independent predictor of clinical outcome for patients with ENKTL. The prognostic value of the new prognostic model is superior to both IPI and KPI.

  12. Checkpoint kinase 1 expression is an adverse prognostic marker and therapeutic target in MYC-driven medulloblastoma

    PubMed Central

    Shah, Monil; Mulcahy Levy, Jean M.; Griesinger, Andrea M.; Alimova, Irina; Harris, Peter S.; Birks, Diane K.; Donson, Andrew M.; Davidson, Nathan; Remke, Marc; Taylor, Michael D.; Handler, Michael H.; Foreman, Nicholas K.; Venkataraman, Sujatha; Vibhakar, Rajeev

    2016-01-01

    Checkpoint kinase 1 (CHK1) is an integral component of the cell cycle as well as the DNA Damage Response (DDR) pathway. Previous work has demonstrated the effectiveness of inhibiting CHK1 with small-molecule inhibitors, but the role of CHK1 mediated DDR in medulloblastoma is unknown. CHK1, both at the mRNA and protein level, is highly expressed in medulloblastoma and elevated CHK1 expression in Group3 medulloblastoma is an adverse prognostic marker. CHK1 inhibition with the small-molecule drug AZD7762, results in decreased cell growth, increased DNA damage and cell apoptosis. Furthermore, AZD7762 acts in synergy with cisplatin in reducing cell proliferation in medulloblastoma. Similar phenotypic changes were observed with another CHK1 inhibitor, PF477736, as well as genetic knockdown using siRNA against CHK1. Treatments with small-molecule inhibitors of CHK1 profoundly modulated the expression of both upstream and downstream target proteins within the CHK1 signaling pathways. This suggests the presence of a feedback loop in activating CHK1. Overall, our results demonstrate that small-molecule inhibition of CHK1 in combination with, cisplatin, is more advantageous than either treatment alone, especially for Group 3 medulloblastoma, and therefore this combined therapeutic approach serves as an avenue for further investigation. PMID:27449089

  13. Checkpoint kinase 1 expression is an adverse prognostic marker and therapeutic target in MYC-driven medulloblastoma.

    PubMed

    Prince, Eric W; Balakrishnan, Ilango; Shah, Monil; Mulcahy Levy, Jean M; Griesinger, Andrea M; Alimova, Irina; Harris, Peter S; Birks, Diane K; Donson, Andrew M; Davidson, Nathan; Remke, Marc; Taylor, Michael D; Handler, Michael H; Foreman, Nicholas K; Venkataraman, Sujatha; Vibhakar, Rajeev

    2016-08-16

    Checkpoint kinase 1 (CHK1) is an integral component of the cell cycle as well as the DNA Damage Response (DDR) pathway. Previous work has demonstrated the effectiveness of inhibiting CHK1 with small-molecule inhibitors, but the role of CHK1 mediated DDR in medulloblastoma is unknown. CHK1, both at the mRNA and protein level, is highly expressed in medulloblastoma and elevated CHK1 expression in Group3 medulloblastoma is an adverse prognostic marker. CHK1 inhibition with the small-molecule drug AZD7762, results in decreased cell growth, increased DNA damage and cell apoptosis. Furthermore, AZD7762 acts in synergy with cisplatin in reducing cell proliferation in medulloblastoma. Similar phenotypic changes were observed with another CHK1 inhibitor, PF477736, as well as genetic knockdown using siRNA against CHK1. Treatments with small-molecule inhibitors of CHK1 profoundly modulated the expression of both upstream and downstream target proteins within the CHK1 signaling pathways. This suggests the presence of a feedback loop in activating CHK1. Overall, our results demonstrate that small-molecule inhibition of CHK1 in combination with, cisplatin, is more advantageous than either treatment alone, especially for Group 3 medulloblastoma, and therefore this combined therapeutic approach serves as an avenue for further investigation.

  14. The Prognostic Influence of BRAF Mutation and other Molecular, Clinical and Laboratory Parameters in Stage IV Colorectal Cancer.

    PubMed

    Karadima, Maria L; Saetta, Angelica A; Chatziandreou, Ilenia; Lazaris, Andreas C; Patsouris, Efstratios; Tsavaris, Nikolaos

    2016-10-01

    Our aim was to evaluate the predictive and prognostic influence of BRAF mutation and other molecular, clinical and laboratory parameters in stage IV colorectal cancer (CRC). 60 patients were included in this retrospective analysis, and 17 variables were examined for their relation with treatment response and survival. KRAS mutation was identified in 40.3 % of cases, BRAF and PIK3CA in 8.8 % and 10.5 % respectively. 29.8 % of patients responded to treatment. Median survival time was 14.3 months. Weight loss, fever, abdominal metastases, blood transfusion, hypoalbuminaimia, BRAF and PIK3CA mutations, CRP and DNA Index were associated with survival. In multivariate analysis, male patients had 3.8 times higher probability of response, increased DNA Index was inversely correlated with response and one unit raise of DNA Index augmented 6 times the probability of death. Our findings potentiate the prognostic role of BRAF, PIK3CA mutations and ploidy in advanced CRC.

  15. The ratio of hemoglobin to red cell distribution width as a novel prognostic parameter in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma: a retrospective study from southern China

    PubMed Central

    Bi, Xiwen; Yang, Hang; An, Xin; Wang, Fenghua; Jiang, Wenqi

    2016-01-01

    Background We propose a novel prognostic parameter for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC)—hemoglobin/red cell distribution width (HB/RDW) ratio. Its clinical prognostic value and relationship with other clinicopathological characteristics were investigated in ESCC patients. Results The optimal cut-off value was 0.989 for the HB/RDW ratio. The HB/RDW ratio (P= 0.035), tumor depth (P = 0.020) and lymph node status (P<0.001) were identified to be an independent prognostic factors of OS by multivariate analysis, which was validated by bootstrap resampling. Patients with a low HB/RDW ratio had a 1.416 times greater risk of dying during follow-up compared with those with a high HB/RDW (95% CI = 1.024–1.958, P = 0.035). Materials and Methods We retrospectively analyzed 362 patients who underwent curative treatment at a single institution between January 2007 and December 2008. The chi-square test was used to evaluate relationships between the HB/RDW ratio and other clinicopathological variables; the Kaplan–Meier method was used to analyze the 5-year overall survival (OS); and the Cox proportional hazards models were used for univariate and multivariate analyses of variables related to OS. Conclusion A significant association was found between the HB/RDW ratio and clinical characteristics and survival outcomes in ESCC patients. Based on these findings, we believe that the HB/RDW ratio is a novel and promising prognostic parameter for ESCC patients. PMID:27223088

  16. Serum C-Reactive Protein (CRP) as a Simple and Independent Prognostic Factor in Extranodal Natural Killer/T-Cell Lymphoma, Nasal Type

    PubMed Central

    Xia, Yi; Huang, Jia-Jia; Huang, Hui-Qiang; Xia, Zhong-Jun; Lin, Tong-Yu; Li, Su; Cai, Xiu-Yu; Wu-Xiao, Zhi-Jun; Jiang, Wen-Qi

    2013-01-01

    Background C-reactive protein (CRP) is a biomarker of the inflammatory response, and it shows significant prognostic value for several types of solid tumors. The prognostic significance of CRP for lymphoma has not been fully examined. We evaluated the prognostic role of baseline serum CRP levels in patients with extranodal natural killer (NK)/T-cell lymphoma (ENKTL). Methods We retrospectively analyzed 185 patients with newly diagnosed ENKTL. The prognostic value of the serum CRP level was evaluated for the low-CRP group (CRP≤10 mg/L) versus the high-CRP group (CRP>10 mg/L). The prognostic value of the International Prognostic Index (IPI) and the Korean Prognostic Index (KPI) were evaluated and compared with the newly developed prognostic model. Results Patients in the high-CRP group tended to display increased adverse clinical characteristics, lower rates of complete remission (P<0.001), inferior progression-free survival (PFS, P = 0.001), and inferior overall survival (OS, P<0.001). Multivariate analysis demonstrated that elevated serum CRP levels, age >60 years, hypoalbuminemia, and elevated lactate dehydrogenase levels were independent adverse predictors of OS. Based on these four independent predictors, we constructed a new prognostic model that identified 4 groups with varying OS: group 1, no adverse factors; group 2, 1 factor; group 3, 2 factors; and group 4, 3 or 4 factors (P<0.001). The novel prognostic model was found to be superior to both the IPI in discriminating patients with different outcomes in the IPI low-risk group and the KPI in distinguishing between the low- and intermediate-low-risk groups, the intermediate-low- and high-intermediate-risk groups, and the high-intermediate- and high-risk groups. Conclusions Our results suggest that pretreatment serum CRP levels represent an independent predictor of clinical outcome for patients with ENKTL. The prognostic value of the new prognostic model is superior to both IPI and KPI. PMID:23724031

  17. A new prognostic model for chemotherapy-induced febrile neutropenia.

    PubMed

    Ahn, Shin; Lee, Yoon-Seon; Lee, Jae-Lyun; Lim, Kyung Soo; Yoon, Sung-Cheol

    2016-02-01

    The objective of this study was to develop and validate a new prognostic model for febrile neutropenia (FN). This study comprised 1001 episodes of FN: 718 for the derivation set and 283 for the validation set. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed with unfavorable outcome as the primary endpoint and bacteremia as the secondary endpoint. In the derivation set, risk factors for adverse outcomes comprised age ≥ 60 years (2 points), procalcitonin ≥ 0.5 ng/mL (5 points), ECOG performance score ≥ 2 (2 points), oral mucositis grade ≥ 3 (3 points), systolic blood pressure <90 mmHg (3 points), and respiratory rate ≥ 24 breaths/min (3 points). The model stratified patients into three severity classes, with adverse event rates of 6.0 % in class I (score ≤ 2), 27.3 % in class II (score 3-8), and 67.9 % in class III (score ≥ 9). Bacteremia was present in 1.1, 11.5, and 29.8 % of patients in class I, II, and III, respectively. The outcomes of the validation set were similar in each risk class. When the derivation and validation sets were integrated, unfavorable outcomes occurred in 5.9 % of the low-risk group classified by the new prognostic model and in 12.2 % classified by the Multinational Association for Supportive Care in Cancer (MASCC) risk index. With the new prognostic model, we can classify patients with FN into three classes of increasing adverse outcomes and bacteremia. Early discharge would be possible for class I patients, short-term observation could safely manage class II patients, and inpatient admission is warranted for class III patients.

  18. Chromosomal aberrations and their prognostic value in a series of 174 untreated patients with Waldenström's macroglobulinemia.

    PubMed

    Nguyen-Khac, Florence; Lambert, Jerome; Chapiro, Elise; Grelier, Aurore; Mould, Sarah; Barin, Carole; Daudignon, Agnes; Gachard, Nathalie; Struski, Stéphanie; Henry, Catherine; Penther, Dominique; Mossafa, Hossein; Andrieux, Joris; Eclache, Virginie; Bilhou-Nabera, Chrystèle; Luquet, Isabelle; Terre, Christine; Baranger, Laurence; Mugneret, Francine; Chiesa, Jean; Mozziconacci, Marie-Joelle; Callet-Bauchu, Evelyne; Veronese, Lauren; Blons, Hélène; Owen, Roger; Lejeune, Julie; Chevret, Sylvie; Merle-Beral, Hélène; Leblondon, Véronique

    2013-04-01

    Waldenström's macroglobulinemia is a disease of mature B cells, the genetic basis of which is poorly understood. Few recurrent chromosomal abnormalities have been reported, and their prognostic value is not known. We conducted a prospective cytogenetic study of Waldenström's macroglobulinemia and examined the prognostic value of chromosomal aberrations in an international randomized trial. The main aberrations were 6q deletions (30%), trisomy 18 (15%), 13q deletions (13%), 17p (TP53) deletions (8%), trisomy 4 (8%), and 11q (ATM) deletions (7%). There was a significant association between trisomy of chromosome 4 and trisomy of chromosome 18. Translocations involving the IGH genes were rare (<5%). Deletion of 6q and 11q, and trisomy 4, were significantly associated with adverse clinical and biological parameters. Patients with TP53 deletion had short progression-free survival and short disease-free survival. Although rare (<5%), trisomy 12 was associated with short progression-free survival. In conclusion, the cytogenetic profile of Waldenström's macroglobulinemia appears to differ from that of other B-cell lymphomas. Chromosomal abnormalities may help with diagnosis and prognostication, in conjunction with other clinical and biological characteristics.

  19. Correlation Between Magnetic Resonance Imaging-Based Evaluation of Extramural Vascular Invasion and Prognostic Parameters of T3 Stage Rectal Cancer.

    PubMed

    Yu, Jing; Huang, Dong-Ya; Xu, Hui-Xin; Li, Yang; Xu, Qing

    2016-01-01

    The aim of this study was to analyze the correlation between magnetic resonance imaging-based extramural vascular invasion (EMVI) and the prognostic clinical and histological parameters of stage T3 rectal cancers. Eighty-six patients with T3 stage rectal cancer who received surgical resection without neoadjuvant therapy were included. Magnetic resonance imaging-based EMVI scores were determined. Correlations between the scores and pretreatment carcinoembryonic antigen levels, tumor differentiation grade, nodal stage, and vascular endothelial growth factor expression were analyzed using Spearman rank coefficient analysis. Magnetic resonance imaging-based EMVI scores were statistically different (P = 0.001) between histological nodal stages (N0 vs N1 vs N2). Correlations were found between magnetic resonance imaging-based EMVI scores and tumor histological grade (rs = 0.227, P = 0.035), histological nodal stage (rs = 0.524, P < 0.001), and vascular endothelial growth factor expression (rs = 0.422; P = 0.016). Magnetic resonance imaging-based EMVI score is correlated with prognostic parameters of T3 stage rectal cancers and has the potential to become an imaging biomarker of tumor aggressiveness. Magnetic resonance imaging-based EMVI may be useful in helping the multidisciplinary team to stratify T3 rectal cancer patients for neoadjuvant therapies.

  20. Cytogenetic abnormalities and their prognostic significance in idiopathic myelofibrosis: a study of 106 cases.

    PubMed

    Reilly, J T; Snowden, J A; Spearing, R L; Fitzgerald, P M; Jones, N; Watmore, A; Potter, A

    1997-07-01

    The prognostic significance of cytogenetic abnormalities was determined in 106 patients with well-characterized idiopathic myelofibrosis who were successfully karyotyped at diagnosis. 35% of the cases exhibited a clonal abnormality (37/106), whereas 65% (69/106) had a normal karyotype. Three characteristic defects, namely del(13q) (nine cases), del(20q) (eight cases) and partial trisomy 1q (seven cases), were present in 64.8% (24/37) of patients with clonal abnormalities. Kaplan-Meier plots and log rank analysis demonstrated an abnormal karyotype to be an adverse prognostic variable (P<0.001). Of the eight additional clinical and haematological parameters recorded at diagnosis, age (P<0.01), anaemia (haemoglobin < or = 10 g/dl: P<0.001), platelet (< or = 100 x 10(9)/l, P<0.0001) and leucocyte count (> 10.3 x 10(9)/l; P=0.06) were also associated with a shorter survival. In contrast, sex, spleen and liver size, and percentage blast cells were not found to be significant. Multivariate analysis, using Cox's regression, revealed karyotype, haemoglobin concentration, platelet and leucocyte counts to retain their unfavourable prognostic significance. A simple and useful schema for predicting survival in idiopathic myelofibrosis has been produced by combining age, haemoglobin concentration and karyotype with median survival times varying from 180 months (good-risk group) to 16 months (poor-risk group).

  1. Localized primary gastrointestinal diffuse large B cell lymphoma received a surgical approach: an analysis of prognostic factors and comparison of staging systems in 101 patients from a single institution.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Shengting; Wang, Li; Yu, Dong; Shen, Yang; Cheng, Shu; Zhang, Li; Qian, Ying; Shen, Zhixiang; Li, Qinyu; Zhao, Weili

    2015-08-15

    Diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) represents the most common histological subtype of primary gastrointestinal lymphoma and is a heterogeneous group of disease. Prognostic characterization of individual patients is an essential prerequisite for a proper risk-based therapeutic choice. Clinical and pathological prognostic factors were identified, and predictive value of four previously described prognostic systems were assessed in 101 primary gastrointestinal DLBCL (PG-DLBCL) patients with localized disease, including Ann Arbor staging with Musshoff modification, International Prognostic Index (IPI), Lugano classification, and Paris staging system. Univariate factors correlated with inferior survival time were clinical parameters [age>60 years old, multiple extranodal/gastrointestinal involvement, elevated serum lactate dehydrogenase and β2-microglobulin, and decreased serum albumin], as well as pathological parameters (invasion depth beyond serosa, involvement of regional lymph node or adjacent tissue, Ki-67 index, and Bcl-2 expression). Major independent variables of adverse outcome indicated by multivariate analysis were multiple gastrointestinal involvement. In patients unfit for Rituximab but received surgery, radical surgery significantly prolonged the survival time, comparing with alleviative surgery. Addition of Rituximab could overcome the negative prognostic effect of alleviative surgery. Among the four prognostic systems, IPI and Lugano classification clearly separated patients into different risk groups. IPI was able to further stratify the early-stage patients of Lugano classification into groups with distinct prognosis. Radical surgery might be proposed for the patients unfit for Rituximab treatment, and a combination of clinical and pathological staging systems was more helpful to predict the disease outcome of PG-DLBCL patients.

  2. [What is the prognostic significance of histomorphology in small cell lung carcinoma?].

    PubMed

    Facilone, F; Cimmino, A; Assennato, G; Sardelli, P; Colucci, G A; Resta, L

    1993-01-01

    What is the prognostic significant of the histomorphology in the small cell carcinomas of the lung? After the WHO classification of the lung cancer (1981), several studies criticized the subdivision of the small cell carcinoma in three sub-types (oat-cell, intermediate cell and combined types). The role of histology in the prognostic predition has been devaluated. In order to verify the prognostic value of the morphology of the small cell types of lung cancer, we performed a multivariate analysis in 62 patients. The survival rate was analytically compared with the following parameters: nuclear maximum diameter, nuclear form, nuclear chromatism, chromatine distribution, presence of nucleolus, evidence of cytoplasm. The results showed that none of these parameters are able to express a prognostic value. According to the recent studies, we think that the small cell carcinoma of the lung is a neoplasia with a multiform histologic pattern. Differences observed in clinical management are not correlate with the morphology, but with other biological parameters still unknown.

  3. Multiple Damage Progression Paths in Model-Based Prognostics

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Daigle, Matthew; Goebel, Kai Frank

    2011-01-01

    Model-based prognostics approaches employ domain knowledge about a system, its components, and how they fail through the use of physics-based models. Component wear is driven by several different degradation phenomena, each resulting in their own damage progression path, overlapping to contribute to the overall degradation of the component. We develop a model-based prognostics methodology using particle filters, in which the problem of characterizing multiple damage progression paths is cast as a joint state-parameter estimation problem. The estimate is represented as a probability distribution, allowing the prediction of end of life and remaining useful life within a probabilistic framework that supports uncertainty management. We also develop a novel variance control mechanism that maintains an uncertainty bound around the hidden parameters to limit the amount of estimation uncertainty and, consequently, reduce prediction uncertainty. We construct a detailed physics-based model of a centrifugal pump, to which we apply our model-based prognostics algorithms. We illustrate the operation of the prognostic solution with a number of simulation-based experiments and demonstrate the performance of the chosen approach when multiple damage mechanisms are active

  4. Water-Exchange-Modified Kinetic Parameters from Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced MRI as Prognostic Biomarkers of Survival in Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma Treated with Antiangiogenic Monotherapy

    PubMed Central

    Lee, Sang Ho; Hayano, Koichi; Zhu, Andrew X.; Sahani, Dushyant V.; Yoshida, Hiroyuki

    2015-01-01

    Background To find prognostic biomarkers in pretreatment dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI) water-exchange-modified (WX) kinetic parameters for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) treated with antiangiogenic monotherapy. Methods Twenty patients with advanced HCC underwent DCE-MRI and were subsequently treated with sunitinib. Pretreatment DCE-MRI data on advanced HCC were analyzed using five different WX kinetic models: the Tofts-Kety (WX-TK), extended TK (WX-ETK), two compartment exchange, adiabatic approximation to tissue homogeneity (WX-AATH), and distributed parameter (WX-DP) models. The total hepatic blood flow, arterial flow fraction (γ), arterial blood flow (BF A), portal blood flow, blood volume, mean transit time, permeability-surface area product, fractional interstitial volume (v I), extraction fraction, mean intracellular water molecule lifetime (τ C), and fractional intracellular volume (v C) were calculated. After receiver operating characteristic analysis with leave-one-out cross-validation, individual parameters for each model were assessed in terms of 1-year-survival (1YS) discrimination using Kaplan-Meier analysis, and association with overall survival (OS) using univariate Cox regression analysis with permutation testing. Results The WX-TK-model-derived γ (P = 0.022) and v I (P = 0.010), and WX-ETK-model-derived τ C (P = 0.023) and v C (P = 0.042) were statistically significant prognostic biomarkers for 1YS. Increase in the WX-DP-model-derived BF A (P = 0.025) and decrease in the WX-TK, WX-ETK, WX-AATH, and WX-DP-model-derived v C (P = 0.034, P = 0.038, P = 0.028, P = 0.041, respectively) were significantly associated with an increase in OS. Conclusions The WX-ETK-model-derived v C was an effective prognostic biomarker for advanced HCC treated with sunitinib. PMID:26366997

  5. The degree of circumferential tumour involvement as a prognostic factor in oesophageal cancer.

    PubMed

    Sillah, Karim; Pritchard, Susan A; Watkins, Gillian R; McShane, James; West, Catharine M; Page, Richard; Welch, Ian M

    2009-08-01

    Tumour length is an adverse prognostic factor in oesophageal cancer. However, the prognostic role of the degree of oesophageal circumference (DOC) involved by tumour with or without resection margin invasion is not clear. This work assessed the relationship between DOC involved by tumour, clinico-pathological variables and prognosis. The clinico-pathological details of 320 patients who underwent potentially curative oesophagogastrectomy for cancer between 1994 and 2007 were analysed. The DOC involved with tumour measured macroscopically on the resected specimen was classified as small (<2.5 cm, n = 115), large (> or = 2.5 cm, n = 144) or circumferential (i.e. involving the whole circumference, n = 61). Univariate and multivariate survival analyses were carried out. The DOC with tumour was higher in ulcerating tumours than stenosing or polypoidal types (p = 0.017). Tumour length, T-stage, neoadjuvant chemotherapy and vascular invasion were independently associated with DOC with tumour on multivariate analysis (p < 0.05 for all). DOC > or = 2.5 cm was an adverse prognostic factor in univariate analysis (p = 0.002) with a hazard ratio of 1.52 [95% CI 1.13-2.04] compared with those <2.5 cm. Circumferential tumours had a similar prognosis to tumours > or = 2.5 cm (p = 0.60). The prognostic significance of DOC with tumour was lost in multivariate analysis where the factors retaining independence were patient age, T-stage, lymph node metastasis, vascular invasion and positive resection margins. However, when patients were stratified by use of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (n = 121), the DOC with tumour retained prognostic significance on multivariate analysis in the 199 patients who did not undergo neoadjuvant chemotherapy (p = 0.04). The DOC with tumour appears to provide prognostic information in oesophageal cancer surgery, especially in patients who do not undergo preoperative chemotherapy.

  6. Newly identified poor prognostic factors for adult T-cell leukemia-lymphoma treated with allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

    PubMed

    Tokunaga, Masahito; Uto, Hirofumi; Takeuchi, Shogo; Nakano, Nobuaki; Kubota, Ayumu; Tokunaga, Mayumi; Takatsuka, Yoshifusa; Seto, Masao; Ido, Akio; Utsunomiya, Atae

    2017-01-01

    To explore pre-transplantation prognostic factors for adult T-cell leukemia-lymphoma (ATL), we retrospectively analyzed allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) in 70 patients at our institute (63 acute type and seven lymphoma type patients). Forty-five patients died after HSCT and the three-year overall survival (OS) rate was 35.2%. By univariate analysis, the adverse prognostic factors for OS were performance status ≥2, hematopoietic cell transplantation-specific comorbidity index (HCT-CI) score ≥3, European Group for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (EBMT) risk score ≥5, HSCT from an HLA-mismatched donor, serum soluble interleukin-2 receptor (sIL-2R) level ≥10,000 U/mL, lymphocyte count ≥4000/μL, and hemoglobin <9 g/dL at the time of HSCT. EBMT risk score and sIL-2R were identified as significant adverse prognostic factors using multivariate analysis. This analysis clearly demonstrates for the first time that HCT-CI and EBMT risk scores are reliable prognostic factors for ATL patients receiving allo-HSCT.

  7. Prognostic factors of whiplash-associated disorders: a systematic review of prospective cohort studies.

    PubMed

    Scholten-Peeters, Gwendolijne G M; Verhagen, Arianne P; Bekkering, Geertruida E; van der Windt, Daniëlle A W M; Barnsley, Les; Oostendorp, Rob A B; Hendriks, Erik J M

    2003-07-01

    We present a systematic review of prospective cohort studies. Our aim was to assess prognostic factors associated with functional recovery of patients with whiplash injuries. The failure of some patients to recover following whiplash injury has been linked to a number of prognostic factors. However, there is some inconsistency in the literature and there have been no systematic attempts to analyze the level of evidence for prognostic factors in whiplash recovery. Studies were selected for inclusion following a comprehensive search of MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, the database of the Dutch Institute of Allied Health Professions up until April 2002 and hand searches of the reference lists of retrieved articles. Studies were selected if the objective was to assess prognostic factors associated with recovery; the design was a prospective cohort study; the study population included at least an identifiable subgroup of patients suffering from a whiplash injury; and the paper was a full report published in English, German, French or Dutch. The methodological quality was independently assessed by two reviewers. A study was considered to be of 'high quality' if it satisfied at least 50% of the maximum available quality score. Two independent reviewers extracted data and the association between prognostic factors and functional recovery was calculated in terms of risk estimates. Fifty papers reporting on twenty-nine cohorts were included in the review. Twelve cohorts were considered to be of 'high quality'. Because of the heterogeneity of patient selection, type of prognostic factors and outcome measures, no statistical pooling was able to be performed. Strong evidence was found for high initial pain intensity being an adverse prognostic factor. There was strong evidence that for older age, female gender, high acute psychological response, angular deformity of the neck, rear-end collision, and compensation not being associated with an adverse prognosis. Several physical (e

  8. EGFR LI and Ki-67 LI are independent prognostic parameters influencing survivals of surgically treated squamous cell lung cancer patients.

    PubMed

    Niemiec, J; Kolodziejski, L; Dyczek, S

    2005-01-01

    In literature there are still opinion differences concerning the prognostic significance of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) expression and proliferative potential in patients with non small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). This prompted us to study those parameters. The Ki-67 labeling index (Ki-67 LI), EGFR labeling index (EGFR LI), and mitotic index (MI) were analyzed in the group of 78 consecutive, surgically treated squamous cell lung cancer (SqCLC) patients. The expression of Ki-67 and EGFR protein was visualized on formalin fixed, paraffin embedded sections using immunohistochemistry (IHC). Mitotic index was assessed on formalin fixed, paraffin embedded sections, stained with hematoxylin and eosin using morphological criteria. Mean values of Ki-67 LI and MI were higher for G2+G3 tumors than for G1 tumors. EGFR LI was higher for G1+G2 than for G3 tumors, and for pT3 than for pT1+pT2 tumors. Patients having tumors with Ki-67 < or =28% or (EGFR LI < or =13% or EGFR LI >80%) survived significantly shorter than those having tumors with Ki-67 LI >28% or 13%< EGFR LI < or =80%. In multivariate analysis, 13%> or = EGFR LI <80% and Ki-67 LI < or =28% were independent negative prognostic parameters influencing survivals of SqCLC patients.

  9. Particle filter based hybrid prognostics for health monitoring of uncertain systems in bond graph framework

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jha, Mayank Shekhar; Dauphin-Tanguy, G.; Ould-Bouamama, B.

    2016-06-01

    The paper's main objective is to address the problem of health monitoring of system parameters in Bond Graph (BG) modeling framework, by exploiting its structural and causal properties. The system in feedback control loop is considered uncertain globally. Parametric uncertainty is modeled in interval form. The system parameter is undergoing degradation (prognostic candidate) and its degradation model is assumed to be known a priori. The detection of degradation commencement is done in a passive manner which involves interval valued robust adaptive thresholds over the nominal part of the uncertain BG-derived interval valued analytical redundancy relations (I-ARRs). The latter forms an efficient diagnostic module. The prognostics problem is cast as joint state-parameter estimation problem, a hybrid prognostic approach, wherein the fault model is constructed by considering the statistical degradation model of the system parameter (prognostic candidate). The observation equation is constructed from nominal part of the I-ARR. Using particle filter (PF) algorithms; the estimation of state of health (state of prognostic candidate) and associated hidden time-varying degradation progression parameters is achieved in probabilistic terms. A simplified variance adaptation scheme is proposed. Associated uncertainties which arise out of noisy measurements, parametric degradation process, environmental conditions etc. are effectively managed by PF. This allows the production of effective predictions of the remaining useful life of the prognostic candidate with suitable confidence bounds. The effectiveness of the novel methodology is demonstrated through simulations and experiments on a mechatronic system.

  10. Chromosomal aberrations and their prognostic value in a series of 174 untreated patients with Waldenström's macroglobulinemia

    PubMed Central

    Nguyen-Khac, Florence; Lambert, Jerome; Chapiro, Elise; Grelier, Aurore; Mould, Sarah; Barin, Carole; Daudignon, Agnes; Gachard, Nathalie; Struski, Stéphanie; Henry, Catherine; Penther, Dominique; Mossafa, Hossein; Andrieux, Joris; Eclache, Virginie; Bilhou-Nabera, Chrystèle; Luquet, Isabelle; Terre, Christine; Baranger, Laurence; Mugneret, Francine; Chiesa, Jean; Mozziconacci, Marie-Joelle; Callet-Bauchu, Evelyne; Veronese, Lauren; Blons, Hélène; Owen, Roger; Lejeune, Julie; Chevret, Sylvie; Merle-Beral, Hélène; Leblondon, Véronique

    2013-01-01

    Waldenström's macroglobulinemia is a disease of mature B cells, the genetic basis of which is poorly understood. Few recurrent chromosomal abnormalities have been reported, and their prognostic value is not known. We conducted a prospective cytogenetic study of Waldenström's macroglobulinemia and examined the prognostic value of chromosomal aberrations in an international randomized trial. The main aberrations were 6q deletions (30%), trisomy 18 (15%), 13q deletions (13%), 17p (TP53) deletions (8%), trisomy 4 (8%), and 11q (ATM) deletions (7%). There was a significant association between trisomy of chromosome 4 and trisomy of chromosome 18. Translocations involving the IGH genes were rare (<5%). Deletion of 6q and 11q, and trisomy 4, were significantly associated with adverse clinical and biological parameters. Patients with TP53 deletion had short progression-free survival and short disease-free survival. Although rare (<5%), trisomy 12 was associated with short progression-free survival. In conclusion, the cytogenetic profile of Waldenström's macroglobulinemia appears to differ from that of other B-cell lymphomas. Chromosomal abnormalities may help with diagnosis and prognostication, in conjunction with other clinical and biological characteristics. This trial is registered with Clinicaltrials.gov, numbers NCT00566332 and NCT00608374. PMID:23065509

  11. Vehicle Integrated Prognostic Reasoner (VIPR) Final Report

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bharadwaj, Raj; Mylaraswamy, Dinkar; Cornhill, Dennis; Biswas, Gautam; Koutsoukos, Xenofon; Mack, Daniel

    2013-01-01

    A systems view is necessary to detect, diagnose, predict, and mitigate adverse events during the flight of an aircraft. While most aircraft subsystems look for simple threshold exceedances and report them to a central maintenance computer, the vehicle integrated prognostic reasoner (VIPR) proactively generates evidence and takes an active role in aircraft-level health assessment. Establishing the technical feasibility and a design trade-space for this next-generation vehicle-level reasoning system (VLRS) is the focus of our work.

  12. Incremental prognostic value of coronary computed tomography angiography over coronary calcium scoring for major adverse cardiac events in elderly asymptomatic individuals

    PubMed Central

    Han, Donghee; Hartaigh, Bríain Ó; Gransar, Heidi; Lee, Ji Hyun; Rizvi, Asim; Baskaran, Lohendran; Schulman-Marcus, Joshua; Dunning, Allison; Achenbach, Stephan; Al-Mallah, Mouaz H; Berman, Daniel S; Budoff, Matthew J; Cademartiri, Filippo; Maffei, Erica; Callister, Tracy Q; Chinnaiyan, Kavitha; Chow, Benjamin J W; DeLago, Augustin; Hadamitzky, Martin; Hausleiter, Joerg; Kaufmann, Philipp A; Raff, Gilbert; Shaw, Leslee J; Villines, Todd C; Kim, Yong-Jin; Leipsic, Jonathon; Feuchtner, Gudrun; Cury, Ricardo C; Pontone, Gianluca; Andreini, Daniele; Marques, Hugo; Rubinshtein, Ronen; Hindoyan, Niree; Jones, Erica C; Gomez, Millie; Lin, Fay Y; Chang, Hyuk-Jae; Min, James K

    2018-01-01

    Abstract Aims Coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) and coronary artery calcium score (CACS) have prognostic value for coronary artery disease (CAD) events beyond traditional risk assessment. Age is a risk factor with very high weight and little is known regarding the incremental value of CCTA over CAC for predicting cardiac events in older adults. Methods and results Of 27 125 individuals undergoing CCTA, a total of 3145 asymptomatic adults were identified. This study sample was categorized according to tertiles of age (cut-off points: 52 and 62 years). CAD severity was classified as 0, 1–49, and ≥50% maximal stenosis in CCTA, and further categorized according to number of vessels ≥50% stenosis. The Framingham 10-year risk score (FRS) and CACS were employed as major covariates. Major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) were defined as a composite of all-cause death or non-fatal MI. During a median follow-up of 26 months (interquartile range: 18–41 months), 59 (1.9%) MACE occurred. For patients in the top age tertile, CCTA improved discrimination beyond a model included FRS and CACS (C-statistic: 0.75 vs. 0.70, P-value = 0.015). Likewise, the addition of CCTA improved category-free net reclassification (cNRI) of MACE in patients within the highest age tertile (e.g. cNRI = 0.75; proportion of events/non-events reclassified were 50 and 25%, respectively; P-value <0.05, all). CCTA displayed no incremental benefit beyond FRS and CACS for prediction of MACE in the lower age tertiles. Conclusion CCTA provides added prognostic value beyond cardiac risk factors and CACS for the prediction of MACE in asymptomatic older adults. PMID:28977374

  13. Comparison of two melphalan protocols and evaluation of outcome and prognostic factors in multiple myeloma in dogs

    PubMed Central

    Fernández, Ricardo

    2018-01-01

    Background Multiple myeloma (MM) in dogs typically is treated with melphalan. A daily melphalan dosing schedule reportedly is well tolerated and associated with favorable outcome. Although anecdotally a pulse dose regimen has resulted in successful responses, little long‐term outcome and safety data is available regarding this dosing regimen for dogs with MM. Hypothesis/objectives (1) To compare outcome and adverse event profiles between pulse dose and daily dose melphalan schedules and (2) to report prognostic factors in dogs with MM treated with melphalan. We hypothesized that both protocols would have similar outcomes and tolerability. Animals Thirty‐eight client‐owned dogs diagnosed with MM receiving pulse dose (n = 17) or daily dose (n = 21) melphalan. Methods Retrospective cohort study assessing outcome and adverse events in dogs receiving either protocol. Risk factors were evaluated for their prognostic relevance. Results Both regimens were well tolerated and similarly effective, with an overall median survival time of 930 days. Renal disease and neutrophil‐to‐lymphocyte ratio (NLR) were negative prognostic factors, whereas hypercalcemia and osteolytic lesions were not prognostic factors in this study population. Conclusions and Clinical Importance Positive results support the use of either dosing regimen for the treatment of dogs with MM, and renal disease and NLR were negative prognostic factors. Prospective, controlled, and randomized studies are warranted to confirm these findings. PMID:29566439

  14. Vehicle Integrated Prognostic Reasoner (VIPR) 2010 Annual Final Report

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hadden, George D.; Mylaraswamy, Dinkar; Schimmel, Craig; Biswas, Gautam; Koutsoukos, Xenofon; Mack, Daniel

    2011-01-01

    Honeywell's Central Maintenance Computer Function (CMCF) and Aircraft Condition Monitoring Function (ACMF) represent the state-of-the art in integrated vehicle health management (IVHM). Underlying these technologies is a fault propagation modeling system that provides nose-to-tail coverage and root cause diagnostics. The Vehicle Integrated Prognostic Reasoner (VIPR) extends this technology to interpret evidence generated by advanced diagnostic and prognostic monitors provided by component suppliers to detect, isolate, and predict adverse events that affect flight safety. This report describes year one work that included defining the architecture and communication protocols and establishing the user requirements for such a system. Based on these and a set of ConOps scenarios, we designed and implemented a demonstration of communication pathways and associated three-tiered health management architecture. A series of scripted scenarios showed how VIPR would detect adverse events before they escalate as safety incidents through a combination of advanced reasoning and additional aircraft data collected from an aircraft condition monitoring system. Demonstrating VIPR capability for cases recorded in the ASIAS database and cross linking them with historical aircraft data is planned for year two.

  15. A New Prognostic Staging System for Rectal Cancer

    PubMed Central

    Ueno, Hideki; Price, Ashley B.; Wilkinson, Kay H.; Jass, Jeremy R.; Mochizuki, Hidetaka; Talbot, Ian C.

    2004-01-01

    Objective: To clarify the appropriateness of tumor “budding,” a quantifiable histologic variable, as 1 parameter in the construction of a new prognostic grading system for rectal cancer. Summary Background Data: Patient division according to an accurate prognostic prediction could enhance the effectiveness of postoperative adjuvant therapy and follow-up. Patients and Methods: Tumor budding was defined as an isolated cancer cell or a cluster composed of fewer than 5 cells in the invasive frontal region, and was divided into 2 grades based on its number within a microscopic field of ×250. We analyzed 2 discrete cohorts comprising 638 and 476 patients undergoing potentially curative surgery. Results: In the first cohort, high-grade budding (10 or more foci in a field) was observed in 30% of patients and was significantly associated with a lower 5-year survival rate (41%) than low-grade budding (84%). Similarly, in the second cohort, the 5-year survival rate was 43% in high-grade budding patients and 83% in low-grade budding patients. In both cohorts, multivariate analyses verified budding to be an independent prognosticator, together with nodal involvement and extramural spread. These 3 variables were given weighted scores, and the score range was divided to provide 5 prognostic groups (97%; 86%; 61%; 39%; 17% 5-year survival). The model was tested on the second cohort, and similar prognostic results were obtained. Conclusions: We propose that because of its relevance to prognosis and its reproducibility, budding is an excellent parameter for use in a grading system to provide a confident prediction of clinical outcome. PMID:15492565

  16. Current state of prognostication and risk stratification in myelodysplastic syndromes.

    PubMed

    Zeidan, Amer M; Gore, Steven D; Padron, Eric; Komrokji, Rami S

    2015-03-01

    Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are characterized by significant biologic and clinical heterogeneity. Because of the wide outcome variability, accurate prognostication is vital to high-quality risk-adaptive care of MDS patients. In this review, we discuss the current state of prognostic schemes for MDS and overview efforts aimed at utilizing molecular aberrations for prognostication in clinical practice. Several prognostic instruments have been developed and validated with increasing accuracy and complexity. Oncologists should be aware of the inherent limitations of these prognostic tools as they counsel patients and make clinical decisions. As more therapies are becoming available for MDS, the focus of model development is shifting from prognostic to treatment-specific predictive instruments. In addition to providing additional prognostic data beyond traditional clinical and pathologic parameters, the improved understanding of the genetic landscape and pathophysiologic consequences in MDS may allow the construction of treatment-specific predictive instruments. How to best use the results of molecular mutation testing to inform clinical decision making in MDS is still a work in progress. Important steps in this direction include standardization in performance and interpretation of assays and better understanding of the independent prognostic importance of the recurrent mutations, especially the less frequent ones.

  17. Autonomous diagnostics and prognostics of signal and data distribution systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Blemel, Kenneth G.

    2001-07-01

    Wiring is the nervous system of any complex system and is attached to or services nearly every subsystem. Damage to optical wiring systems can cause serious interruptions in communication, command and control systems. Electrical wiring faults and failures due to opens, shorts, and arcing probably result in adverse effects to the systems serviced by the wiring. Abnormalities in a system usually can be detected by monitoring some wiring parameter such as vibration, data activity or power consumption. This paper introduces the mapping of wiring to critical functions during system engineering to automatically define the Failure Modes Effects and Criticality Analysis. This mapping can be used to define the sensory processes needed to perform diagnostics during system engineering. This paper also explains the use of Operational Modes and Criticality Effects Analysis in the development of Sentient Wiring Systems as a means for diagnostic, prognostics and health management of wiring in aerospace and transportation systems.

  18. Prognostic relevance of proliferation markers (Ki-67, PHH3) within the cross-relation of ERG translocation and androgen receptor expression in prostate cancer.

    PubMed

    Goltz, Diane; Montani, Matteo; Braun, Martin; Perner, Sven; Wernert, Nicolas; Jung, Klaus; Dietel, Manfred; Stephan, Carsten; Kristiansen, Glen

    2015-12-01

    We evaluated the prognostic value of the mitosis-associated marker phosphorylated histone H3 (PHH3) and Ki-67 in prostate cancer with respect to ERG status and androgen receptor (AR) expression.PHH3 and Ki-67 expression was immunohistochemically detected and digitally quantitated in a radical prostatectomy cohort (n = 640). The results were correlated to clinicopathological parameters including biochemical recurrence times. Prognostic values of PHH3 and Ki-67 were analysed by Cox regression and Kaplan-Meier statistics.In prostate cancer, mean Ki-67 and PHH3 rates were 3.40% (95%CI 3.16-3.63%) and 0.0152% (95%CI 0.0112-0.0191%), respectively.Ki-67 showed a significant correlation with Gleason scores, pT status, margin status, and AR expression, while PHH3 showed a significant correlation with Gleason scores and pT status. Univariate analyses for biochemical recurrence times demonstrated a significant prognostic value for median Ki-67 rate and for the PHH3 rate of the 90th percentile. Of importance, in patient subgroups stratified according to AR expression and ERG translocation, the prognostic power of proliferation markers PHH3 and Ki-67 was markedly enhanced in ERG translocation negative and high-level AR expressing ERG translocation positive prostate cancers.As expected, the proliferation markers PHH3 and Ki-67 predict adverse outcome of prostate cancer and have a particularly pronounced prognostic value in specific molecular subsets of prostate cancer (ERG- or AR+).

  19. Chromosome aberrations detected by conventional karyotyping using novel mitogens in chronic lymphocytic leukemia with "normal" FISH: correlations with clinicobiologic parameters.

    PubMed

    Rigolin, Gian Matteo; Cibien, Francesca; Martinelli, Sara; Formigaro, Luca; Rizzotto, Lara; Tammiso, Elisa; Saccenti, Elena; Bardi, Antonella; Cavazzini, Francesco; Ciccone, Maria; Nichele, Ilaria; Pizzolo, Giovanni; Zaja, Francesco; Fanin, Renato; Galieni, Piero; Dalsass, Alessia; Mestichelli, Francesca; Testa, Nicoletta; Negrini, Massimo; Cuneo, Antonio

    2012-03-08

    It is unclear whether karyotype aberrations that occur in regions uncovered by the standard fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) panel have prognostic relevance in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). We evaluated the significance of karyotypic aberrations in a learning cohort (LC; n = 64) and a validation cohort (VC; n = 84) of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia with "normal" FISH. An abnormal karyotype was found in 21.5% and 35.7% of cases in the LC and VC, respectively, and was associated with a lower immunophenotypic score (P = .030 in the LC, P = .035 in the VC), advanced stage (P = .040 in the VC), and need for treatment (P = .002 in the LC, P = < .0001 in the VC). The abnormal karyotype correlated with shorter time to first treatment and shorter survival in both the LC and the VC, representing the strongest prognostic parameter. In patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia with normal FISH, karyotypic aberrations by conventional cytogenetics with novel mitogens identify a subset of cases with adverse prognostic features.

  20. Value of the prognostic nutritional index in advanced gastric cancer treated with preoperative chemotherapy.

    PubMed

    Sun, Jianyi; Wang, Donghai; Mei, Ying; Jin, Hailong; Zhu, Kankai; Liu, Xiaosun; Zhang, Qing; Yu, Jiren

    2017-03-01

    The prognostic nutritional index (PNI) is a useful parameter indicating the immune and nutritional status of cancer patients; this study investigated the prognostic value of the PNI in advanced gastric cancer patients treated with preoperative chemotherapy. We retrospectively reviewed 117 advanced gastric cancer patients who met the inclusion criteria for preoperative chemotherapy and underwent surgical resection from July 2004 to December 2011. The patients were divided into PNI-high (PNI ≥ 45) and PNI-low (PNI < 45) groups. Clinicopathologic features, chemotherapy adverse events, and surgical complications were compared between the prechemotherapy PNI-high and PNI-low groups using the chi-square test. Survival analysis was performed using the Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank test. The Cox proportional hazard model was used to identify prognostic factors. Overall survival was better in the prechemotherapy PNI-high group than in the PNI-low group (hazard ratio [HR] = 2.237, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.271-3.393, P = 0.005), while there was no significant difference in Overall survival between the postchemotherapy PNI-high and PNI-low groups (P > 0.05). Cox regression analysis indicated that yield pathologic T (ypT), yield pathologic N (ypN) stage, and prechemotherapy PNI were independent prognostic factors (ypT: HR = 2.914, 95% CI = 1.312-6.470, P = 0.009; ypN: HR = 4.909, 95% CI = 1.764-13.660, P = 0.003; prechemotherapy PNI: HR = 1.963, 95% CI = 1.101-3.499, P = 0.022). The prechemotherapy PNI is a useful predictor of the long-term outcome of patients with advanced gastric cancer treated with preoperative chemotherapy. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  1. Advanced Methods for Determining Prediction Uncertainty in Model-Based Prognostics with Application to Planetary Rovers

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Daigle, Matthew J.; Sankararaman, Shankar

    2013-01-01

    Prognostics is centered on predicting the time of and time until adverse events in components, subsystems, and systems. It typically involves both a state estimation phase, in which the current health state of a system is identified, and a prediction phase, in which the state is projected forward in time. Since prognostics is mainly a prediction problem, prognostic approaches cannot avoid uncertainty, which arises due to several sources. Prognostics algorithms must both characterize this uncertainty and incorporate it into the predictions so that informed decisions can be made about the system. In this paper, we describe three methods to solve these problems, including Monte Carlo-, unscented transform-, and first-order reliability-based methods. Using a planetary rover as a case study, we demonstrate and compare the different methods in simulation for battery end-of-discharge prediction.

  2. The prognostic impact of clinical and CT parameters in patients with pontine hemorrhage.

    PubMed

    Dziewas, Rainer; Kremer, Marion; Lüdemann, Peter; Nabavi, Darius G; Dräger, Bianca; Ringelstein, Bernd

    2003-01-01

    In patients with pontine hemorrhage (PH), an accurate prognostic assessment is critical for establishing a reasonable therapeutic approach. The initial clinical symptoms and computed tomography (CT) features were analyzed with multivariate regression analysis in 39 consecutive patients with PH. PHs were classified into three types: (1) large paramedian, (2) basal or basotegmental and (3) lateral tegmental, and the hematomas' diameters were measured. The patients' outcome was evaluated. Twenty-seven patients (69%) died and 12 (31%) survived for more than 1 year after PH. The symptom most predictive of death was coma on admission. The large paramedian type of PH predicted a poor prognosis, whereas the lateral tegmental type was associated with a favorable outcome. The transverse hematoma diameter was also related to outcome, with the threshold value found to be 20 mm. We conclude that PH outcome can be estimated best by combining the CT parameters 'large paramedian PH' and 'transverse diameter >/=20 mm' with the clinical variable 'coma on admission'. Survival is unlikely if all 3 features are present, whereas survival may be expected if only 1 or none of these features is found. Copyright 2003 S. Karger AG, Basel

  3. CD25 expression status improves prognostic risk classification in AML independent of established biomarkers: ECOG phase 3 trial, E1900

    PubMed Central

    Gönen, Mithat; Sun, Zhuoxin; Figueroa, Maria E.; Patel, Jay P.; Abdel-Wahab, Omar; Racevskis, Janis; Ketterling, Rhett P.; Fernandez, Hugo; Rowe, Jacob M.; Tallman, Martin S.; Melnick, Ari; Levine, Ross L.

    2012-01-01

    We determined the prognostic relevance of CD25 (IL-2 receptor-α) expression in 657 patients (≤ 60 years) with de novo acute myeloid leukemia (AML) treated in the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group trial, E1900. We identified CD25POS myeloblasts in 87 patients (13%), of whom 92% had intermediate-risk cytogenetics. CD25 expression correlated with expression of stem cell antigen CD123. In multivariate analysis, controlled for prognostic baseline characteristics and daunorubicin dose, CD25POS patients had inferior complete remission rates (P = .0005) and overall survival (P < .0001) compared with CD25NEG cases. In a subset of 396 patients, we integrated CD25 expression with somatic mutation status to determine whether CD25 impacted outcome independent of prognostic mutations. CD25 was positively correlated with internal tandem duplications in FLT3 (FLT3-ITD), DNMT3A, and NPM1 mutations. The adverse prognostic impact of FLT3-ITDPOS AML was restricted to CD25POS patients. CD25 expression improved AML prognostication independent of integrated, cytogenetic and mutational data, such that it reallocated 11% of patients with intermediate-risk disease to the unfavorable-risk group. Gene expression analysis revealed that CD25POS status correlated with the expression of previously reported leukemia stem cell signatures. We conclude that CD25POS status provides prognostic relevance in AML independent of known biomarkers and is correlated with stem cell gene-expression signatures associated with adverse outcome in AML. PMID:22855599

  4. Prognostic Value of Pretherapeutic Tumor-to-Blood Standardized Uptake Ratio in Patients with Esophageal Carcinoma.

    PubMed

    Bütof, Rebecca; Hofheinz, Frank; Zöphel, Klaus; Stadelmann, Tobias; Schmollack, Julia; Jentsch, Christina; Löck, Steffen; Kotzerke, Jörg; Baumann, Michael; van den Hoff, Jörg

    2015-08-01

    Despite ongoing efforts to develop new treatment options, the prognosis for patients with inoperable esophageal carcinoma is still poor and the reliability of individual therapy outcome prediction based on clinical parameters is not convincing. The aim of this work was to investigate whether PET can provide independent prognostic information in such a patient group and whether the tumor-to-blood standardized uptake ratio (SUR) can improve the prognostic value of tracer uptake values. (18)F-FDG PET/CT was performed in 130 consecutive patients (mean age ± SD, 63 ± 11 y; 113 men, 17 women) with newly diagnosed esophageal cancer before definitive radiochemotherapy. In the PET images, the metabolically active tumor volume (MTV) of the primary tumor was delineated with an adaptive threshold method. The blood standardized uptake value (SUV) was determined by manually delineating the aorta in the low-dose CT. SUR values were computed as the ratio of tumor SUV and blood SUV. Uptake values were scan-time-corrected to 60 min after injection. Univariate Cox regression and Kaplan-Meier analysis with respect to overall survival (OS), distant metastases-free survival (DM), and locoregional tumor control (LRC) was performed. Additionally, a multivariate Cox regression including clinically relevant parameters was performed. In multivariate Cox regression with respect to OS, including T stage, N stage, and smoking state, MTV- and SUR-based parameters were significant prognostic factors for OS with similar effect size. Multivariate analysis with respect to DM revealed smoking state, MTV, and all SUR-based parameters as significant prognostic factors. The highest hazard ratios (HRs) were found for scan-time-corrected maximum SUR (HR = 3.9) and mean SUR (HR = 4.4). None of the PET parameters was associated with LRC. Univariate Cox regression with respect to LRC revealed a significant effect only for N stage greater than 0 (P = 0.048). PET provides independent prognostic information

  5. Rectal cancer delivery of radiotherapy in adequate time and with adequate dose is influenced by treatment center, treatment schedule, and gender and is prognostic parameter for local control: Results of study CAO/ARO/AIO-94

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Fietkau, Rainer; Roedel, Claus; Hohenberger, Werner

    2007-03-15

    Purpose: The impact of the delivery of radiotherapy (RT) on treatment results in rectal cancer patients is unknown. Methods and Materials: The data from 788 patients with rectal cancer treated within the German CAO/AIO/ARO-94 phase III trial were analyzed concerning the impact of the delivery of RT (adequate RT: minimal radiation RT dose delivered, 4300 cGy for neoadjuvant RT or 4700 cGy for adjuvant RT; completion of RT in <44 days for neoadjuvant RT or <49 days for adjuvant RT) in different centers on the locoregional recurrence rate (LRR) and disease-free survival (DFS) at 5 years. The LRR, DFS, andmore » delivery of RT were analyzed as endpoints in multivariate analysis. Results: A significant difference was found between the centers and the delivery of RT. The overall delivery of RT was a prognostic factor for the LRR (no RT, 29.6% {+-} 7.8%; inadequate RT, 21.2% {+-} 5.6%; adequate RT, 6.8% {+-} 1.4%; p = 0.0001) and DFS (no RT, 55.1% {+-} 9.1%; inadequate RT, 57.4% {+-} 6.3%; adequate RT, 69.1% {+-} 2.3%; p = 0.02). Postoperatively, delivery of RT was a prognostic factor for LRR on multivariate analysis (together with pathologic stage) but not for DFS (independent parameters, pathologic stage and age). Preoperatively, on multivariate analysis, pathologic stage, but not delivery of RT, was an independent prognostic parameter for LRR and DFS (together with adequate chemotherapy). On multivariate analysis, the treatment center, treatment schedule (neoadjuvant vs. adjuvant RT), and gender were prognostic parameters for adequate RT. Conclusion: Delivery of RT should be regarded as a prognostic factor for LRR in rectal cancer and is influenced by the treatment center, treatment schedule, and patient gender.« less

  6. Combined p16 and p53 expression in cervical cancer of unknown primary and other prognostic parameters : A single-center analysis.

    PubMed

    Yildirim, Müjdat; Müller von der Grün, Jens; Winkelmann, Ria; Fokas, Emmanouil; Rödel, Franz; Ackermann, Hanns; Rödel, Claus; Balermpas, Panagiotis

    2017-04-01

    Cervical cancer of unknown primary (CUP) represents an uncommon and heterogeneous subentity of head and neck cancer. However, both optimal diagnostics and therapy remain unclear. An improved understanding of the underlying pathology is essential to enable future tailored therapies and optimized outcomes. We retrospectively analyzed 53 patients with head and neck CUP and 48 available cervical lymph node specimens. All patients have received radiotherapy between 2007 and 2015. Preradiotherapy involved lymph node specimens were analyzed for p16 and p53 immunoreactivity. The prognostic relevance of the combined p16 and p53 status and other clinical parameters were examined by univariate and multivariate analyses. Median patient age was 61.5 years and median irradiation dose to the involved nodal levels was 66 Gy. Of the 48 evaluated specimens, 13 (27%) were p16-positive and 31 (64.6%) p53-positive. After a median follow up of 32.9 months, patients with p16-negative and simultaneously p53-positive tumors showed a significantly inferior tumor-specific survival (TSS) compared to those with either p16+/p53-, p16+/p53+, or p16-/p53- (univariate: p = 0.055, multivariate: p = 0.038). Other factors with an adverse impact on TSS in the univariate analysis were smoking history (p = 0.032) and nodal stage (p = 0.038). The combined p16- and p53-expression status in cervical metastases of CUP may represent a simple method for risk stratification. Further validation of these biomarkers in large prospective trials is essential to design rational trials for CUP treatment optimization.

  7. Prognostic Value of Right Ventricular Dysfunction Markers for Serious Adverse Events in Acute Normotensive Pulmonary Embolism.

    PubMed

    Weekes, Anthony J; Johnson, Angela K; Troha, Daniel; Thacker, Gregory; Chanler-Berat, Jordan; Runyon, Michael

    2017-02-01

    Right ventricular dysfunction (RVD) in pulmonary embolism (PE) has been associated with increased morbidity. Tools for RVD identification are not well defined. The prognostic value of RVD markers to predict serious adverse events (SAE) during hospitalization is unclear. Prospectively compare the incidence of SAE in normotensive emergency department patients with PE based upon RVD by goal-directed echocardiography (GDE), cardiac biomarkers, and right-to-left ventricle ratio by computed tomography (CT). Simplified Pulmonary Embolism Severity Index (sPESI) was calculated. Deaths and readmissions within 30 days were recorded. Consecutive normotensive PE patients underwent GDE focused on RVD (RV enlargement, hypokinesis, or septal bowing), serum troponin, and brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), and evaluation of the CT ventricle ratio. In-hospital SAE and complications within 30 days were recorded. We enrolled 123 normotensive PE patients (median age 59 years, 49% female). Twenty-six of 123 (26%) patients had one or more SAE. RVD was detected in 26% by GDE, in 39% by biomarkers, and in 38% with CT. In-hospital SAE included one death, six respiratory interventions, six dysrhythmias, three major bleeding episodes, and 21 hypotension episodes. Forty-one percent of patients RVD positive by GDE had SAE, compared to the 18% RVD negative by GDE. Odds ratios for GDE, CT, BNP, troponin, and sPESI for SAE were 3.2 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.2-8.5), 2.0 (95% CI 0.8-5.1), 3.3 (95% CI 1.3-8.6), 4.2 (95% CI 1.4-13.5), and 2.9 (95% CI 1.1-8.3), respectively. Five patients had non-PE-related deaths within 30 days. The incidence of SAE within days of PE was significant in our cohort. Those with RVD had an increased risk of nonmortality SAE. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  8. A novel H-FABP assay and a fast prognostic score for risk assessment of normotensive pulmonary embolism.

    PubMed

    Dellas, Claudia; Tschepe, Merle; Seeber, Valerie; Zwiener, Isabella; Kuhnert, Katherina; Schäfer, Katrin; Hasenfuß, Gerd; Konstantinides, Stavros; Lankeit, Mareike

    2014-05-05

    We tested whether heart-type fatty acid binding protein (H-FABP) measured by a fully-automated immunoturbidimetric assay in comparison to ELISA provides additive prognostic value in patients with pulmonary embolism (PE), and validated a fast prognostic score in comparison to the ESC risk prediction model and the simplified Pulmonary Embolism Severity Index (sPESI). We prospectively examined 271 normotensive patients with PE; of those, 20 (7%) had an adverse 30-day outcome. H-FABP levels determined by immunoturbidimetry were higher (median, 5.2 [IQR; 2.7-9.8] ng/ml) than those by ELISA (2.9 [1.1-5.4] ng/ml), but Bland-Altman plot demonstrated a good agreement of both assays. The area under the curve for H-FABP was greater for immunoturbidimetry than for ELISA (0.82 [0.74-0.91] vs 0.78 [0.68-0.89]; P=0.039). H-FABP measured by immunoturbidimetry (but not by ELISA) provided additive prognostic information to other predictors of 30-day outcome (OR, 12.4 [95% CI, 1.6-97.6]; P=0.017). When H-FABP determined by immunoturbidimetry was integrated into a novel prognostic score (H-FABP, Syncope, and Tachycardia; FAST score), the score provided additive prognostic information by multivariable analysis (OR, 14.2 [3.9-51.4]; p<0.001; c-index, 0.86) which were superior to information obtained by the ESC model (c-index, 0.62; net reclassification improvement (NRI), 0.39 [0.21-0.56]; P<0.001) or the sPESI (c-index, 0.68; NRI, 0.24 [0.05-0.43]; P=0.012). In conclusion, determination of H-FABP by immunoturbidimetry provides prognostic information superior to that of ELISA and, if integrated in the FAST score, appears more suitable to identify patients with an adverse 30-day outcome compared to the ESC model and sPESI.

  9. Combined prognostic value of pretreatment anemia and cervical node necrosis in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma receiving intensity-modulated radiotherapy: A large-scale retrospective study.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Lu-Lu; Zhou, Guan-Qun; Li, Yi-Yang; Tang, Ling-Long; Mao, Yan-Ping; Lin, Ai-Hua; Ma, Jun; Qi, Zhen-Yu; Sun, Ying

    2017-12-01

    This study investigated the combined prognostic value of pretreatment anemia and cervical node necrosis (CNN) in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Retrospective review of 1302 patients with newly diagnosed nonmetastatic NPC treated with intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) ± chemotherapy. Patients were classified into four groups according to anemia and CNN status. Survival was compared using the log-rank test. Independent prognostic factors were identified using the Cox proportional hazards model. The primary end-point was overall survival (OS); secondary end-points were disease-free survival (DFS), locoregional relapse-free survival (LRRFS), and distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS). Pretreatment anemia was an independent, adverse prognostic factor for DMFS; pretreatment CNN was an independent adverse prognostic factor for all end-points. Five-year survival for non-anemia and non-CNN, anemia, CNN, and anemia and CNN groups were: OS (93.1%, 87.2%, 82.9%, 76.3%, P < 0.001), DFS (87.0%, 84.0%, 73.9%, 64.6%, P < 0.001), DMFS (94.1%, 92.1%, 82.4%, 72.5%, P < 0.001), and LRRFS (92.8%, 92.4%, 88.7%, 84.0%, P = 0.012). The non-anemia and non-CNN group had best survival outcomes; anemia and CNN group, the poorest. Multivariate analysis demonstrated combined anemia and CNN was an independent prognostic factor for OS, DFS, DMFS, and LRRFS (P < 0.05). The combination of anemia and CNN is an independent adverse prognostic factor in patients with NPC treated using IMRT ± chemotherapy. Assessment of pretreatment anemia and CNN improved risk stratification, especially for patients with anemia and CNN who have poorest prognosis. This study may aid the design of individualized treatment plans to improve treatment outcomes. © 2017 The Authors. Cancer Medicine published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  10. The AXL receptor tyrosine kinase is associated with adverse prognosis and distant metastasis in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

    PubMed Central

    Wong, Li-Fan; Lee, Jang-Ming

    2016-01-01

    Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is a frequently recurrent deadly cancer for which no efficient targeted drug exists. AXL is an adverse prognostic factor in some cancers. Strong clinical evidence to support the prognostic role of AXL in ESCC is lacking. A total of 116 patients diagnosed with operable primary ESCC were enrolled. Both AXL and HER2 expression were detected by immunohistochemistry (IHC) in esophageal tissue and were correlated with the clinical outcome of patients. The efficacy of the AXL targeted drug foretinib was also evaluated in ESCC cells. Expression of AXL was found in about 80 % of ESCC tissue, and was significantly correlated with progression of tumor (P<0.001), increased risk of death (Hazard ratio HR [95 % CI=2.09[1.09-4.04], P=0.028], and distant metastasis (odds ratio OR [95 %CI]=3.96 (1.16-13.60), P=0.029). The adverse clinical impact of AXL was more evident when cumulatively expressed with HER2. In cell model, ESCC cells were more sensitive to AXL inhibitor foretinib than to the HER2 inhibitor lapatinib. Meanwhile, the AXL inhibitor foretinib showed a synergistic effect with HER2 inhibitors and the potential to overcome drug resistance to lapatinib. We thus concluded that AXL is a strong adverse prognostic factor for ESCC. Therapeutic agents targeting AXL have great potential to improve prognosis of ESCC patients. PMID:27172793

  11. GLUT-1 Expression in Proliferative Endometrium, Endometrial Hyperplasia, Endometrial Adenocarcinoma and the Relationship Between GLUT-1 Expression and Prognostic Parameters in Endometrial Adenocarcinoma.

    PubMed

    Canpolat, Tuba; Ersöz, Canan; Uğuz, Aysun; Vardar, Mehmet Ali; Altintaş, Aytekin

    2016-01-01

    Malignant cells show increased glucose uptake in in vitro and in vivo studies. This uptake is mediated by glucose transporter proteins. GLUT-1 is the most common transporter protein, and its expression is reported to be increase in many human cancers. The aim of this study is to determine the GLUT-1 overexpression in benign, hyperplastic, and malignant endometrial tissues, to evaluate the usefulness of GLUT-1 expression in endometrial hyperplasia, and to determine its role in the neoplastic progression to endometrioid type adenocarcinoma. We also aimed to analyze prognostic clinical parameters, predict prognosis, and survival. We examined immunohistochemical expression of GLUT-1 in 91 cases of endometrial hyperplasia, 100 cases of endometrioid type adenocarcinoma, and 10 proliferative endometrial tissues. The percentage of positive cells and staining intensity were assessed in a semi quantitative fashion and scored (1+ to 3+). GLUT-1 immunoreactivity was not present in proliferative endometrium. Twenty-nine (31.9%) of 91 endometrial hyperplasia cases showed positive immunoreactivity, of which only six were cases of hyperplasia without atypia while 23 of them were cases with atypia. We found GLUT-1 positivity of 95% in endometrioid type adenocarcinoma. GLUT-1 overexpression was not significantly correlated with any of the clinicopathological parameters except histological grade in endometrioid adenocarcinoma; the survival was not found to be correlated with GLUT-1 expression. GLUT-1 immunostaining may be useful in distinguishing hyperplasia without atypia from hyperplasia with atypia; GLUT-1 overexpression is a consistent feature of endometrioid adenocarcinoma. A correlation between GLUT -1 expression and tumor grade has been found, although other prognostic parameters and survival has no meaningful correlation.

  12. An inflammation-based cumulative prognostic score system in patients with diffuse large B cell lymphoma in rituximab era.

    PubMed

    Sun, Feifei; Zhu, Jia; Lu, Suying; Zhen, Zijun; Wang, Juan; Huang, Junting; Ding, Zonghui; Zeng, Musheng; Sun, Xiaofei

    2018-01-02

    Systemic inflammatory parameters are associated with poor outcomes in malignant patients. Several inflammation-based cumulative prognostic score systems were established for various solid tumors. However, there is few inflammation based cumulative prognostic score system for patients with diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL). We retrospectively reviewed 564 adult DLBCL patients who had received rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine and prednisolone (R-CHOP) therapy between Nov 1 2006 and Dec 30 2013 and assessed the prognostic significance of six systemic inflammatory parameters evaluated in previous studies by univariate and multivariate analysis:C-reactive protein(CRP), albumin levels, the lymphocyte-monocyte ratio (LMR), the neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio(NLR), the platelet-lymphocyte ratio(PLR)and fibrinogen levels. Multivariate analysis identified CRP, albumin levels and the LMR are three independent prognostic parameters for overall survival (OS). Based on these three factors, we constructed a novel inflammation-based cumulative prognostic score (ICPS) system. Four risk groups were formed: group ICPS = 0, ICPS = 1, ICPS = 2 and ICPS = 3. Advanced multivariate analysis indicated that the ICPS model is a prognostic score system independent of International Prognostic Index (IPI) for both progression-free survival (PFS) (p < 0.001) and OS (p < 0.001). The 3-year OS for patients with ICPS =0, ICPS =1, ICPS =2 and ICPS =3 were 95.6, 88.2, 76.0 and 62.2%, respectively (p < 0.001). The 3-year PFS for patients with ICPS = 0-1, ICPS = 2 and ICPS = 3 were 84.8, 71.6 and 54.5%, respectively (p < 0.001). The prognostic value of the ICPS model indicated that the degree of systemic inflammatory status was associated with clinical outcomes of patients with DLBCL in rituximab era. The ICPS model was shown to classify risk groups more accurately than any single inflammatory prognostic parameters. These findings may be

  13. Prognostic Implications of Monosomies in Patients With Multiple Myeloma.

    PubMed

    Shin, Sang-Yong; Eom, Hyeon-Seok; Sohn, Ji Yeon; Lee, Hyewon; Park, Boram; Joo, Jungnam; Jang, Ja-Hyun; Lee, Mi-Na; Kim, Jung Kwon; Kong, Sun-Young

    2017-03-01

    Cytogenetic analysis aides in risk stratification for patients with multiple myeloma (MM). Although several cytogenetic aberrations have been reported to be prognostic, less is known about the association between the presence of monosomies and prognosis. The present study evaluated the prevalence and prognostic implications of monosomies in patients with MM. Karyotypes were determined using conventional cytogenetics and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). The prognostic effect of monosomies was evaluated by comparison with the clinical factors in MM patients with normal karyotypes. Karyotypes were successfully determined in 167 of the 170 patients with MM. Of these 167 patients, 52 (31.1%) had abnormal karyotypes. Univariable analyses showed that a normal karyotype, hypodiploidy, monosomies of chromosomes 13 and 16, deletion or monosomy of 13q14, and loss of X detected by metaphase analysis were each associated with reduced progression-free survival (P < .05 for each). Univariable analyses showed that a normal karyotype, hypodiploidy, monosomies of chromosomes 13 and 16, deletion or monosomy of 13q14 detected by metaphase analysis and FISH-determined RB1 (13q)/TP53 (17p) deletion were each associated with reduced overall survival (P < .05 for each). Multivariable analysis showed that hypodiploidy detected by metaphase analysis was independently prognostic of shorter progression-free survival (P < .05 for each) and that hypodiploidy, monosomy 16, and loss of Y chromosome and FISH-determined TP53 (17p) deletion were associated with reduced overall survival (P < .05 for each). In addition to known cytogenetic abnormalities, such as monosomy 13, hypodiploidy, and TP53 (17p) deletion, monosomy 16 and loss of the Y chromosome have adverse prognostic implications in patients with MM. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  14. The prognostic and predictive value of vascular response parameters measured by dynamic contrast-enhanced-CT, -MRI and -US in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma receiving sunitinib.

    PubMed

    Hudson, John M; Bailey, Colleen; Atri, Mostafa; Stanisz, Greg; Milot, Laurent; Williams, Ross; Kiss, Alex; Burns, Peter N; Bjarnason, Georg A

    2018-06-01

    To identify dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) imaging parameters from MRI, CT and US that are prognostic and predictive in patients with metastatic renal cell cancer (mRCC) receiving sunitinib. Thirty-four patients were monitored by DCE imaging on day 0 and 14 of the first course of sunitinib treatment. Additional scans were performed with DCE-US only (day 7 or 28 and 2 weeks after the treatment break). Perfusion parameters that demonstrated a significant correlation (Spearman p < 0.05) with progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were investigated using Cox proportional hazard models/ratios (HR) and Kaplan-Meier survival analysis. A higher baseline and day 14 value for Ktrans (DCE-MRI) and a lower pre-treatment vascular heterogeneity (DCE-US) were significantly associated with a longer PFS (HR, 0.62, 0.37 and 5.5, respectively). A larger per cent decrease in blood volume on day 14 (DCE-US) predicted a longer OS (HR, 1.45). We did not find significant correlations between any of the DCE-CT parameters and PFS/OS, unless a cut-off analysis was used. DCE-MRI, -CT and ultrasound produce complementary parameters that reflect the prognosis of patients receiving sunitinib for mRCC. Blood volume measured by DCE-US was the only parameter whose change during early anti-angiogenic therapy predicted for OS and PFS. • DCE-CT, -MRI and ultrasound are complementary modalities for monitoring anti-angiogenic therapy. • The change in blood volume measured by DCE-US was predictive of OS/PFS. • Baseline vascular heterogeneity by DCE-US has the strongest prognostic value for PFS.

  15. Prognostic factors of pathologic stage IB non-small cell lung cancer.

    PubMed

    Yano, Motoki; Sasaki, Hidefumi; Moriyama, Satoru; Kawano, Osamu; Hikosaka, Yu; Fujii, Yoshitaka

    2011-01-01

    In pathologic IB (pIB) non-small cell lung cancer, especially in adenocarcinoma, adjuvant chemotherapy with uracil-tegafur is widely recognized as being effective. The aim of this study was to determine the prognostic factors of pIB disease. Sixty patients who were diagnosed with pIB disease between 2004 and 2007 were retrospectively analyzed. Of 60 patients, 22 (36.7%) opted for surgery plus adjuvant chemotherapy with uracil-tegafur, whereas 38 (63.3%) opted for surgery only. The oral administration dose of uracil-tegafur was 400 mg/body. Compliance of adjuvant chemotherapy with uracil-tegafur was 65.5% in 12 months, 57.3% in 24 months. Adjuvant chemotherapy was interrupted in 11 patients because of the recurrence of disease in 3 patients and adverse reaction in 8 patients. Anorexia was the most common adverse reaction. The larger tumor diameter (5 cm<) and p2 pleural invasion were the worse prognostic factors in disease free survival in a univariate analysis and a multivariate analysis (hazard ratio = 0.26 and 0.25; p = 0.028 and 0.032, respectively). The prognosis of the patients with pleural invasion and a tumor diameter >5 cm was poor, and these, partly support the forthcoming classification.

  16. Prognostic Biomarkers Used for Localised Prostate Cancer Management: A Systematic Review.

    PubMed

    Lamy, Pierre-Jean; Allory, Yves; Gauchez, Anne-Sophie; Asselain, Bernard; Beuzeboc, Philippe; de Cremoux, Patricia; Fontugne, Jacqueline; Georges, Agnès; Hennequin, Christophe; Lehmann-Che, Jacqueline; Massard, Christophe; Millet, Ingrid; Murez, Thibaut; Schlageter, Marie-Hélène; Rouvière, Olivier; Kassab-Chahmi, Diana; Rozet, François; Descotes, Jean-Luc; Rébillard, Xavier

    2017-03-07

    Prostate cancer stratification is based on tumour size, pretreatment PSA level, and Gleason score, but it remains imperfect. Current research focuses on the discovery and validation of novel prognostic biomarkers to improve the identification of patients at risk of aggressive cancer or of tumour relapse. This systematic review by the Intergroupe Coopérateur Francophone de Recherche en Onco-urologie (ICFuro) analysed new evidence on the analytical validity and clinical validity and utility of six prognostic biomarkers (PHI, 4Kscore, MiPS, GPS, Prolaris, Decipher). All available data for the six biomarkers published between January 2002 and April 2015 were systematically searched and reviewed. The main endpoints were aggressive prostate cancer prediction, additional value compared to classical prognostic parameters, and clinical benefit for patients with localised prostate cancer. The preanalytical and analytical validations were heterogeneous for all tests and often not adequate for the molecular signatures. Each biomarker was studied for specific indications (candidates for a first or second biopsy, and potential candidates for active surveillance, radical prostatectomy, or adjuvant treatment) for which the level of evidence (LOE) was variable. PHI and 4Kscore were the biomarkers with the highest LOE for discriminating aggressive and indolent tumours in different indications. Blood biomarkers (PHI and 4Kscore) have the highest LOE for the prediction of more aggressive prostate cancer and could help clinicians to manage patients with localised prostate cancer. The other biomarkers show a potential prognostic value; however, they should be evaluated in additional studies to confirm their clinical validity. We reviewed studies assessing the value of six prognostic biomarkers for prostate cancer. On the basis of the available evidence, some biomarkers could help in discriminating between aggressive and non-aggressive tumours with an additional value compared to the

  17. Prognostic value of calcium score and coronary flow velocity reserve in asymptomatic diabetic patients.

    PubMed

    Dikic, Miodrag; Tesic, Milorad; Markovic, Zeljko; Giga, Vojislav; Djordjevic-Dikic, Ana; Stepanovic, Jelena; Beleslin, Branko; Jovanovic, Ivana; Mladenovic, Ana; Seferovic, Jelena; Ostojic, Miodrag; Arandjelovic, Aleksandra

    2015-09-04

    The risk stratification of patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) is a major objective for the clinicians, and it can be achieved by coronary flow velocity reserve (CFVR) or with coronary artery calcium score (CS). CS evaluates underlying coronary atherosclerotic plaque burden and CFVR estimates both presence of coronary artery stenosis and microvascular function. Consequently, CFVR may provide unique risk information beyond the extent of coronary atherosclerosis. Our aim is to assess joint prognostic value of CFVR and CS in asymptomatic DM patients. We prospectively included 200 asymptomatic patients (45,5 % male, mean age 57,35 ± 11,25), out of which, there were 101 asymptomatic patients with DM and 99 asymptomatic patients without DM, but with one or more conventionally risk factors for coronary artery disease. We analyzed clinical, biochemical, metabolic, inflammatory parameters, CS by Agatston method, transthoracic Doppler echocardiography CFVR of left anterior descending artery and echocardiographic parameters. Total CS and CS LAD were significantly higher, while mean CFVR was lower in diabetics compared to the nondiabetics. During 1 year follow-up, 24 patients experienced cardio-vascular events (one cardiovascular death, two strokes, three myocardial infarctions, nine new onsets of unstable angina and nine myocardial revascularizations): 19 patients with DM and five non DM patients, (p = 0,003). Overall event free survival was significantly higher in non DM group, compared to the DM group (94,9 % vs. 81,2 %, p = 0,002 respectively), while the patients with CS ≥200 and CFVR <2 had the worst outcome during 1 year follow up in the whole study population as well as in the DM group. At multivariable analysis CFVR on LAD (HR 12.918, 95 % CI 3.865-43.177, p < 0.001) and total CS (HR 13.393, 95 % CI 1.675-107.119, p = 0.014) were independent prognostic predictors of adverse events in DM group of patients. Both CS and CFVR provide independent and complementary

  18. GPU Accelerated Prognostics

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Gorospe, George E., Jr.; Daigle, Matthew J.; Sankararaman, Shankar; Kulkarni, Chetan S.; Ng, Eley

    2017-01-01

    Prognostic methods enable operators and maintainers to predict the future performance for critical systems. However, these methods can be computationally expensive and may need to be performed each time new information about the system becomes available. In light of these computational requirements, we have investigated the application of graphics processing units (GPUs) as a computational platform for real-time prognostics. Recent advances in GPU technology have reduced cost and increased the computational capability of these highly parallel processing units, making them more attractive for the deployment of prognostic software. We present a survey of model-based prognostic algorithms with considerations for leveraging the parallel architecture of the GPU and a case study of GPU-accelerated battery prognostics with computational performance results.

  19. Prognostics for Microgrid Components

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Saxena, Abhinav

    2012-01-01

    Prognostics is the science of predicting future performance and potential failures based on targeted condition monitoring. Moving away from the traditional reliability centric view, prognostics aims at detecting and quantifying the time to impending failures. This advance warning provides the opportunity to take actions that can preserve uptime, reduce cost of damage, or extend the life of the component. The talk will focus on the concepts and basics of prognostics from the viewpoint of condition-based systems health management. Differences with other techniques used in systems health management and philosophies of prognostics used in other domains will be shown. Examples relevant to micro grid systems and subsystems will be used to illustrate various types of prediction scenarios and the resources it take to set up a desired prognostic system. Specifically, the implementation results for power storage and power semiconductor components will demonstrate specific solution approaches of prognostics. The role of constituent elements of prognostics, such as model, prediction algorithms, failure threshold, run-to-failure data, requirements and specifications, and post-prognostic reasoning will be explained. A discussion on performance evaluation and performance metrics will conclude the technical discussion followed by general comments on open research problems and challenges in prognostics.

  20. Requirements Flowdown for Prognostics and Health Management

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Goebel, Kai; Saxena, Abhinav; Roychoudhury, Indranil; Celaya, Jose R.; Saha, Bhaskar; Saha, Sankalita

    2012-01-01

    Prognostics and Health Management (PHM) principles have considerable promise to change the game of lifecycle cost of engineering systems at high safety levels by providing a reliable estimate of future system states. This estimate is a key for planning and decision making in an operational setting. While technology solutions have made considerable advances, the tie-in into the systems engineering process is lagging behind, which delays fielding of PHM-enabled systems. The derivation of specifications from high level requirements for algorithm performance to ensure quality predictions is not well developed. From an engineering perspective some key parameters driving the requirements for prognostics performance include: (1) maximum allowable Probability of Failure (PoF) of the prognostic system to bound the risk of losing an asset, (2) tolerable limits on proactive maintenance to minimize missed opportunity of asset usage, (3) lead time to specify the amount of advanced warning needed for actionable decisions, and (4) required confidence to specify when prognosis is sufficiently good to be used. This paper takes a systems engineering view towards the requirements specification process and presents a method for the flowdown process. A case study based on an electric Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (e-UAV) scenario demonstrates how top level requirements for performance, cost, and safety flow down to the health management level and specify quantitative requirements for prognostic algorithm performance.

  1. Genomic scar signatures associated with homologous recombination deficiency predict adverse clinical outcomes in patients with ovarian clear cell carcinoma.

    PubMed

    Chao, Angel; Lai, Chyong-Huey; Wang, Tzu-Hao; Jung, Shih-Ming; Lee, Yun-Shien; Chang, Wei-Yang; Yang, Lan-Yang; Ku, Fei-Chun; Huang, Huei-Jean; Chao, An-Shine; Wang, Chin-Jung; Chang, Ting-Chang; Wu, Ren-Chin

    2018-05-03

    We investigated whether genomic scar signatures associated with homologous recombination deficiency (HRD), which include telomeric allelic imbalance (TAI), large-scale transition (LST), and loss of heterozygosity (LOH), can predict clinical outcomes in patients with ovarian clear cell carcinoma (OCCC). We enrolled patients with OCCC (n = 80) and high-grade serous carcinoma (HGSC; n = 92) subjected to primary cytoreductive surgery, most of whom received platinum-based adjuvant chemotherapy. Genomic scar signatures based on genome-wide copy number data were determined in all participants and investigated in relation to prognosis. OCCC had significantly lower genomic scar signature scores than HGSC (p < 0.001). Near-triploid OCCC specimens showed higher TAI and LST scores compared with diploid tumors (p < 0.001). While high scores of these genomic scar signatures were significantly associated with better clinical outcomes in patients with HGSC, the opposite was evident for OCCC. Multivariate survival analysis in patients with OCCC identified high LOH scores as the main independent adverse predictor for both cancer-specific (hazard ratio [HR] = 3.22, p = 0.005) and progression-free survival (HR = 2.54, p = 0.01). In conclusion, genomic scar signatures associated with HRD predict adverse clinical outcomes in patients with OCCC. The LOH score was identified as the strongest prognostic indicator in this patient group. Genomic scar signatures associated with HRD are less frequent in OCCC than in HGSC. Genomic scar signatures associated with HRD have an adverse prognostic impact in patients with OCCC. LOH score is the strongest adverse prognostic factor in patients with OCCC.

  2. Prognostic factors in children with acute myeloid leukaemia and excellent response to remission induction therapy.

    PubMed

    Karol, Seth E; Coustan-Smith, Elaine; Cao, Xueyuan; Shurtleff, Sheila A; Raimondi, Susana C; Choi, John K; Ribeiro, Raul C; Dahl, Gary V; Bowman, William Paul; Taub, Jeffrey W; Degar, Barbara; Leung, Wing; Downing, James R; Pui, Ching-Hon; Rubnitz, Jeffrey E; Campana, Dario; Inaba, Hiroto

    2015-01-01

    Minimal residual disease (MRD) is a strong prognostic factor in children and adolescents with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) but nearly one-quarter of patients who achieve MRD-negative status still relapse. The adverse prognostic factors among MRD-negative patients remain unknown. We analysed the AML02 study cohort to identify demographic and genetic prognostic factors. Among the presenting features, certain 11q23 abnormalities, such as t(6;11) and t(10;11), acute megakaryoblastic leukaemia without the t(1;22), and age ≥10 years were associated with inferior outcome in patients who had MRD-negative status after either remission induction I or II. By contrast, those with rearrangement of CBF genes had superior outcome. Our study identifies patient populations for whom close post-remission MRD monitoring to detect and treat emerging relapse and adjustment in treatment intensity might be indicated. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  3. Prognostication in Philadelphia Chromosome Negative Myeloproliferative Neoplasms: a Review of the Recent Literature.

    PubMed

    Zhou, Amy; Afzal, Amber; Oh, Stephen T

    2017-10-01

    The prognosis for patients with Philadelphia chromosome (Ph)-negative myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) is highly variable. All Ph-negative MPNs carry an increased risk for thrombotic complications, bleeding, and leukemic transformation. Several clinical, biological, and molecular prognostic factors have been identified in recent years, which provide important information in guiding management of patients with Ph-negative MPNs. In this review, we critically evaluate the recent published literature and discuss important new developments in clinical and molecular factors that impact survival, disease transformation, and thrombosis in patients with polycythemia vera, essential thrombocythemia, and primary myelofibrosis. Recent studies have identified several clinical factors and non-driver mutations to have prognostic impact on Ph-negative MPNs independent of conventional risk stratification and prognostic models. In polycythemia vera (PV), leukocytosis, abnormal karyotype, phlebotomy requirement on hydroxyurea, increased bone marrow fibrosis, and mutations in ASXL1, SRSF2, and IDH2 were identified as additional adverse prognostic factors. In essential thrombocythemia (ET), JAK2 V617F mutation, splenomegaly, and mutations in SH2B3, SF3B1, U2AF1, TP53, IDH2, and EZH2 were found to be additional negative prognostic factors. Bone marrow fibrosis and mutations in ASXL1, SRSF2, EZH2, and IDH1/2 have been found to be additional prognostic factors in primary myelofibrosis (PMF). CALR mutations appear to be a favorable prognostic factor in PMF, which has not been clearly demonstrated in ET. The prognosis for patients with PV, ET, and PMF is dependent upon the presence or absence of several clinical, biological, and molecular risk factors. The significance of additional risk factors identified in these recent studies will need further validation in prospective studies to determine how they may be best utilized in the management of these disorders.

  4. Prognostics of Power Electronics, Methods and Validation Experiments

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kulkarni, Chetan S.; Celaya, Jose R.; Biswas, Gautam; Goebel, Kai

    2012-01-01

    Abstract Failure of electronic devices is a concern for future electric aircrafts that will see an increase of electronics to drive and control safety-critical equipment throughout the aircraft. As a result, investigation of precursors to failure in electronics and prediction of remaining life of electronic components is of key importance. DC-DC power converters are power electronics systems employed typically as sourcing elements for avionics equipment. Current research efforts in prognostics for these power systems focuses on the identification of failure mechanisms and the development of accelerated aging methodologies and systems to accelerate the aging process of test devices, while continuously measuring key electrical and thermal parameters. Preliminary model-based prognostics algorithms have been developed making use of empirical degradation models and physics-inspired degradation model with focus on key components like electrolytic capacitors and power MOSFETs (metal-oxide-semiconductor-field-effect-transistor). This paper presents current results on the development of validation methods for prognostics algorithms of power electrolytic capacitors. Particularly, in the use of accelerated aging systems for algorithm validation. Validation of prognostics algorithms present difficulties in practice due to the lack of run-to-failure experiments in deployed systems. By using accelerated experiments, we circumvent this problem in order to define initial validation activities.

  5. Association of Fascin and matrix metalloproteinase-9 expression with poor prognostic parameters in breast carcinoma of Egyptian women.

    PubMed

    Youssef, Nermeen Salah; Hakim, Sarah Adel

    2014-07-04

    The effects of fascin on cell invasiveness involve changes in cell motility and matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) activity. Previous studies on the prognostic value of fascin and MMP-9 in breast carcinoma revealed conflicting results. To date, no immunohistochemical studies have been performed to assess the possible association between them in breast carcinoma. This study is designed to correlate their expression with prognostic parameters in breast carcinoma and assess the relationship between them. Immunohistochemical expression of fascin and MMP-9 was evaluated semi quantitatively in 67 cases of breast carcinoma regarding the percentage of positive cells. Chi square test and Fisher's exact test were used to examine the relationship between categorical variables. Kappa statistics was used to compute the measure of agreement between two investigational methods. Fascin and MMP-9 expressions were detected in 43.28% and 50.75% of breast carcinomas (respectively). Regarding the normal breast tissue, fascin expression was observed in myoepithelial cells and luminal cells of few ducts and acini. However, normal tissue showed negative MMP-9 expression. A significant relationship was observed between fascin and MMP-9 expression and lymph node metastases (p = 0.001 and 0.002 respectively), advanced tumor stage (p = 0.004 and 0.005 respectively), estrogen receptor negative (p = 0.002 and 0.005 respectively), progesterone receptor negative (p = 0.001 and 0.003 respectively) hormonal status and molecular subtypes (p = 0.0007 and 0.014 respectively). A significant strong agreement was detected between fascin and MMP-9 expression (p = 0.0001). More intense immunostaining of fascin and MMP-9 was observed at the invasive fronts compared with other areas of the tumor. Moreover, a significant moderate agreement between fascin and MMP-9 was found regarding the site of predominant intensity. Fascin and MMP-9 proteins are associated with parameters of poor prognosis in breast cancer

  6. [Usefulness of scoring risk for adverse outcomes in older patients with the Identification of Seniors at Risk scale and the Triage Risk Screening Tool: a meta-analysis].

    PubMed

    Rivero-Santana, Amado; Del Pino-Sedeño, Tasmania; Ramallo-Fariña, Yolanda; Vergara, Itziar; Serrano-Aguilar, Pedro

    2017-02-01

    A considerable proportion of the geriatric population experiences unfavorable outcomes of hospital emergency department care. An assessment of risk for adverse outcomes would facilitate making changes in clinical management by adjusting available resources to needs according to an individual patient's risk. Risk assessment tools are available, but their prognostic precision varies. This systematic review sought to quantify the prognostic precision of 2 geriatric screening and risk assessment tools commonly used in emergency settings for patients at high risk of adverse outcomes (revisits, functional deterioration, readmissions, or death): the Identification of Seniors at Risk (ISAR) scale and the Triage Risk Screening Tool (TRST). We searched PubMed, EMBASE, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and SCOPUS, with no date limits, to find relevant studies. Quality was assessed with the QUADAS-2 checklist (for quality assessment of diagnostic accuracy studies). We pooled data for prognostic yield reported for the ISAR and TRST scores for each short- and medium-term outcome using bivariate random-effects modeling. The sensitivity of the ISAR scoring system as a whole ranged between 67% and 99%; specificity fell between 21% and 41%. TRST sensitivity ranged between 52% and 75% and specificity between 39% and 51%.We conclude that the tools currently used to assess risk of adverse outcomes in patients of advanced age attended in hospital emergency departments do not have adequate prognostic precision to be clinically useful.

  7. Prognostics for Ground Support Systems: Case Study on Pneumatic Valves

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Daigle, Matthew; Goebel, Kai

    2011-01-01

    Prognostics technologies determine the health (or damage) state of a component or sub-system, and make end of life (EOL) and remaining useful life (RUL) predictions. Such information enables system operators to make informed maintenance decisions and streamline operational and mission-level activities. We develop a model-based prognostics methodology for pneumatic valves used in ground support equipment for cryogenic propellant loading operations. These valves are used to control the flow of propellant, so failures may have a significant impact on launch availability. Therefore, correctly predicting when valves will fail enables timely maintenance that avoids launch delays and aborts. The approach utilizes mathematical models describing the underlying physics of valve degradation, and, employing the particle filtering algorithm for joint state-parameter estimation, determines the health state of the valve and the rate of damage progression, from which EOL and RUL predictions are made. We develop a prototype user interface for valve prognostics, and demonstrate the prognostics approach using historical pneumatic valve data from the Space Shuttle refueling system.

  8. Adverse prognostic impact of the CpG island methylator phenotype in metastatic colorectal cancer

    PubMed Central

    Cha, Yongjun; Kim, Kyung-Ju; Han, Sae-Won; Rhee, Ye Young; Bae, Jeong Mo; Wen, Xianyu; Cho, Nam-Yun; Lee, Dae-Won; Lee, Kyung-Hun; Kim, Tae-Yong; Oh, Do-Youn; Im, Seock-Ah; Bang, Yung-Jue; Jeong, Seung-Yong; Park, Kyu Joo; Kang, Gyeong Hoon; Kim, Tae-You

    2016-01-01

    Background: The association between the CpG island methylator phenotype (CIMP) and clinical outcomes in metastatic colorectal cancer remains unclear. We investigated the prognostic impact of CIMP in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer treated with systemic chemotherapy. Methods: Eight CIMP-specific promoters (CACNA1G, IGF2, NEUROG1, RUNX3, SOCS1, CDKN2A, CRABP1, and MLH1) were examined. The CIMP status was determined by the number of methylated promoters as high (⩾5), low (1–4), and negative (0). Results: A total of 153 patients were included (men/women, 103/50; median age, 61 years; range, 22–80 years). The CIMP status was negative/low/high in 77/ 69/7 patients, respectively. Overall survival (OS) was significantly different among the three CIMP groups, with median values of 35.7, 22.2, and 9.77 months for the negative, low, and high groups, respectively (P<0.001). For patients treated with fluoropyrimidine and oxaliplatin first-line chemotherapy (N=128), OS and progression-free survival (PFS) were significantly different among the three CIMP groups; the median OS was 37.9, 23.8, and 6.77 months for the negative, low, and high groups, respectively (P<0.001), while the median PFS was 9.97, 7.87, and 1.83 months, respectively (P=0.002). Response rates were marginally different among the three CIMP groups (53.4% vs 45.1% vs 16.7%, respectively; P=0.107). For patients treated with fluoropyrimidine and irinotecan second-line chemotherapy (N=86), only OS showed a difference according to the CIMP status, with median values of 20.4, 13.4, and 2.90 months for the negative, low, and high groups, respectively (P<0.001). Conclusions: The CIMP status is a negative prognostic factor for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer treated with chemotherapy. PMID:27310704

  9. Adverse prognostic impact of the CpG island methylator phenotype in metastatic colorectal cancer.

    PubMed

    Cha, Yongjun; Kim, Kyung-Ju; Han, Sae-Won; Rhee, Ye Young; Bae, Jeong Mo; Wen, Xianyu; Cho, Nam-Yun; Lee, Dae-Won; Lee, Kyung-Hun; Kim, Tae-Yong; Oh, Do-Youn; Im, Seock-Ah; Bang, Yung-Jue; Jeong, Seung-Yong; Park, Kyu Joo; Kang, Gyeong Hoon; Kim, Tae-You

    2016-07-12

    The association between the CpG island methylator phenotype (CIMP) and clinical outcomes in metastatic colorectal cancer remains unclear. We investigated the prognostic impact of CIMP in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer treated with systemic chemotherapy. Eight CIMP-specific promoters (CACNA1G, IGF2, NEUROG1, RUNX3, SOCS1, CDKN2A, CRABP1, and MLH1) were examined. The CIMP status was determined by the number of methylated promoters as high (⩾5), low (1-4), and negative (0). A total of 153 patients were included (men/women, 103/50; median age, 61 years; range, 22-80 years). The CIMP status was negative/low/high in 77/ 69/7 patients, respectively. Overall survival (OS) was significantly different among the three CIMP groups, with median values of 35.7, 22.2, and 9.77 months for the negative, low, and high groups, respectively (P<0.001). For patients treated with fluoropyrimidine and oxaliplatin first-line chemotherapy (N=128), OS and progression-free survival (PFS) were significantly different among the three CIMP groups; the median OS was 37.9, 23.8, and 6.77 months for the negative, low, and high groups, respectively (P<0.001), while the median PFS was 9.97, 7.87, and 1.83 months, respectively (P=0.002). Response rates were marginally different among the three CIMP groups (53.4% vs 45.1% vs 16.7%, respectively; P=0.107). For patients treated with fluoropyrimidine and irinotecan second-line chemotherapy (N=86), only OS showed a difference according to the CIMP status, with median values of 20.4, 13.4, and 2.90 months for the negative, low, and high groups, respectively (P<0.001). The CIMP status is a negative prognostic factor for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer treated with chemotherapy.

  10. Lifecycle Prognostics Architecture for Selected High-Cost Active Components

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    N. Lybeck; B. Pham; M. Tawfik

    There are an extensive body of knowledge and some commercial products available for calculating prognostics, remaining useful life, and damage index parameters. The application of these technologies within the nuclear power community is still in its infancy. Online monitoring and condition-based maintenance is seeing increasing acceptance and deployment, and these activities provide the technological bases for expanding to add predictive/prognostics capabilities. In looking to deploy prognostics there are three key aspects of systems that are presented and discussed: (1) component/system/structure selection, (2) prognostic algorithms, and (3) prognostics architectures. Criteria are presented for component selection: feasibility, failure probability, consequences of failure,more » and benefits of the prognostics and health management (PHM) system. The basis and methods commonly used for prognostics algorithms are reviewed and summarized. Criteria for evaluating PHM architectures are presented: open, modular architecture; platform independence; graphical user interface for system development and/or results viewing; web enabled tools; scalability; and standards compatibility. Thirteen software products were identified and discussed in the context of being potentially useful for deployment in a PHM program applied to systems in a nuclear power plant (NPP). These products were evaluated by using information available from company websites, product brochures, fact sheets, scholarly publications, and direct communication with vendors. The thirteen products were classified into four groups of software: (1) research tools, (2) PHM system development tools, (3) deployable architectures, and (4) peripheral tools. Eight software tools fell into the deployable architectures category. Of those eight, only two employ all six modules of a full PHM system. Five systems did not offer prognostic estimates, and one system employed the full health monitoring suite but lacked

  11. Hypoglycorrhachia in Adults with Community-Acquired Meningitis: Etiologies and Prognostic Significance

    PubMed Central

    Shrikanth, Vandana; Salazar, Lucrecia; Khoury, Nabil; Wootton, Susan; Hasbun, Rodrigo

    2015-01-01

    Study objectives Hypoglycorrhachia (CSF glucose < 45mg/dL) has been identified as a prognostic factor in patients with meningitis. We analyzed the differential diagnosis of hypoglycorrhachia and its clinical significance. Methods Retrospective study of 620 adult patients with community acquired meningitis [CSF WBC >5 cells/mm3, absence of a CSF shunt or recent neurosurgical procedure (< 1 month)] at 8 Memorial Hermann Hospitals in Houston, TX from January, 2005 to December, 2010. An adverse clinical outcome was defined as a Glasgow outcome scale of 4 or less. Results Out of 620 patients with meningitis, 116 (19%) had hypoglycorrachia. Etiologies of hypoglycorrhachia were idiopathic (40), bacterial (27), cryptococcal (26), viral (15), and tuberculous (4). Patients with hypoglycorrachia were more likely to be immunosuppressed, have a history of intravenous drug use, and present with a vesicular or petechial rash, nausea or vomiting, nuchal rigidity, sinusitis/otitis, abnormal mental status and focal neurological deficits compared to those patients without hypoglycorrachia (p<0.05). Additionally, patients in the hypoglycorrhachia group had significantly higher rates of positive CSF and blood cultures, urgent treatable conditions and abnormal cranial imaging (p<005). Furthermore, patients with hypoglycorrachia had more adverse clinical outcomes [26 out of 116 (22.4%) vs. 45 out of 504 (8.9%)] (p< 0.001). Conclusion Hypoglycorrhachia has significant clinical and prognostic value in the evaluation of adult patients with community-acquired meningitis. PMID:26299186

  12. Towards Prognostics of Power MOSFETs: Accelerated Aging and Precursors of Failure

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Celaya, Jose R.; Saxena, Abhinav; Wysocki, Philip; Saha, Sankalita; Goebel, Kai

    2010-01-01

    This paper presents research results dealing with power MOSFETs (metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor) within the prognostics and health management of electronics. Experimental results are presented for the identification of the on-resistance as a precursor to failure of devices with die-attach degradation as a failure mechanism. Devices are aged under power cycling in order to trigger die-attach damage. In situ measurements of key electrical and thermal parameters are collected throughout the aging process and further used for analysis and computation of the on-resistance parameter. Experimental results show that the devices experience die-attach damage and that the on-resistance captures the degradation process in such a way that it could be used for the development of prognostics algorithms (data-driven or physics-based).

  13. Prognostic value of 18F-FDG-PET/CT in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

    PubMed

    Lin, Jie; Xie, Guozhu; Liao, Guixiang; Wang, Baiyao; Yan, Miaohong; Li, Hui; Yuan, Yawei

    2017-05-16

    The prognostic role of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography CT (18F-FDG PET/CT) parameters is still controversial in nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients. We sought to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis to explore the prognostic value of maximal standardized uptake value (SUVmax), metabolic tumor volume (MTV) and total lesion glycolysis (TLG) on event-free survival (EFS) and overall survival (OS) in nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients. Fifteen studies comprising 1,938 patients were included in this study. The combined hazard ratios (HRs) for EFS were 2.63 (95%CI 1.71-4.05) for SUVmax, 2.55 (95%CI 1.49-4.35) for MTV, and 3.32 (95%CI 1.23-8.95) for TLG. The pooled HRs for OS were 2.07 (95%CI 1.54-2.79) for SUVmax, 3.86 (95%CI 1.85-8.06) for MTV, and 2.60 (95%CI 1.55-4.34) for TLG. The prognostic role of SUVmax, MTV and TLG remained similar in the sub-group analyses. A systematic literature search was performed to identify studies which associated 18F-FDG PET/CT to clinical survival outcomes of nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients. The summarized HRs for EFS and OS were estimated by using fixed- or random-effect models according to heterogeneity between trials. The present meta-analysis confirms that high values of SUVmax, MTV and TLG predicted a higher risk of adverse events or death in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma, despite clinically heterogeneous nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients and the various methods adopted between these studies.

  14. Two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography prognostic parameters in patients after acute myocardial infarction.

    PubMed

    Haberka, Maciej; Liszka, Jerzy; Kozyra, Andrzej; Finik, Maciej; Gąsior, Zbigniew

    2015-03-01

    The aim of the study was to evaluate the left ventricle (LV) function with speckle tracking echocardiography (STE) and to assess its relation to prognosis in patients after acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Sixty-three patients (F/M = 16/47 pts; 62.33 ± 11.85 years old) with AMI (NSTEMI/STEMI 24/39 pts) and successful percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with stent implantation (thrombolysis in myocardial infarction; TIMI 3 flow) were enrolled in this study. All patients underwent baseline two-dimensional conventional echocardiography and STE 3 days (baseline) and 30 days after PCI. All patients were followed up for cardiovascular clinical endpoints, major adverse cardiovascular endpoint (MACE), and functional status (Canadian Cardiovascular Society and New York Heart Association). During the follow-up (31.9 ± 5.1 months), there were 3 cardiovascular deaths, 15 patients had AMI, 2 patients had cerebral infarction, 24 patients reached the MACE. Baseline LV torsion (P = 0.035), but none of the other strain parameters were associated with the time to first unplanned cardiovascular hospitalization. Univariate analysis showed that baseline longitudinal two-chamber and four-chamber strain (sLa2 0 and sLa4 0) and the same parameters obtained 30 days after the AMI together with transverse four-chamber strain (sLa2 30, sLa4 30, and sTa4 30) were significantly associated with combined endpoint (MACE). The strongest association in the univariate analysis was found for the baseline sLa2. However, in multivariable analysis only a left ventricular remodeling (LVR - 27% pts) was significantly associated with MACE and strain parameters were not associated with the combined endpoint. The assessment of LV function with STE may improve cardiovascular risk prediction in postmyocardial infarction patients. © 2014, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  15. Novel recurrent chromosomal aberrations detected in clonal plasma cells of light chain amyloidosis patients show potential adverse prognostic effect: first results from a genome-wide copy number array analysis.

    PubMed

    Granzow, Martin; Hegenbart, Ute; Hinderhofer, Katrin; Hose, Dirk; Seckinger, Anja; Bochtler, Tilmann; Hemminki, Kari; Goldschmidt, Hartmut; Schönland, Stefan O; Jauch, Anna

    2017-07-01

    Immunoglobulin light chain (AL) amyloidosis is a rare plasma cell dyscrasia characterized by the deposition of abnormal amyloid fibrils in multiple organs, thus impairing their function. In the largest cohort studied up to now of 118 CD138-purified plasma cell samples from previously untreated immunoglobulin light chain amyloidosis patients, we assessed in parallel copy number alterations using high-density copy number arrays and interphase fluorescence in situ hybridization (iFISH). We used fluorescence in situ hybridization probes for the IgH translocations t(11;14), t(4;14), and t(14;16) or any other IgH rearrangement as well as numerical aberrations of the chromosome loci 1q21, 8p21, 5p15/5q35, 11q22.3 or 11q23, 13q14, 15q22, 17p13, and 19q13. Recurrent gains included chromosomes 1q (36%), 9 (24%), 11q (24%), as well as 19 (15%). Recurrent losses affected chromosome 13 (29% monosomy) and partial losses of 14q (19%), 16q (14%) and 13q (12%), respectively. In 88% of patients with translocation t(11;14), the hallmark chromosomal aberration in AL amyloidosis, a concomitant gain of 11q22.3/11q23 detected by iFISH was part of the unbalanced translocation der(14)t(11;14)(q13;q32) with the breakpoint in the CCND1/MYEOV gene region. Partial loss of chromosome regions 14q and 16q were significantly associated to gain 1q. Gain 1q21 detected by iFISH almost always resulted from a gain of the long arm of chromosome 1 and not from trisomy 1, whereas deletions on chromosome 1p were rarely found. Overall and event-free survival analysis found a potential adverse prognostic effect of concomitant gain 1q and deletion 14q as well as of deletion 1p. In conclusion, in the first whole genome report of clonal plasma cells in AL amyloidosis, novel aberrations and hitherto unknown potential adverse prognostic effects were uncovered. Copyright© 2017 Ferrata Storti Foundation.

  16. Novel recurrent chromosomal aberrations detected in clonal plasma cells of light chain amyloidosis patients show potential adverse prognostic effect: first results from a genome-wide copy number array analysis

    PubMed Central

    Granzow, Martin; Hegenbart, Ute; Hinderhofer, Katrin; Hose, Dirk; Seckinger, Anja; Bochtler, Tilmann; Hemminki, Kari; Goldschmidt, Hartmut; Schönland, Stefan O.; Jauch, Anna

    2017-01-01

    Immunoglobulin light chain (AL) amyloidosis is a rare plasma cell dyscrasia characterized by the deposition of abnormal amyloid fibrils in multiple organs, thus impairing their function. In the largest cohort studied up to now of 118 CD138-purified plasma cell samples from previously untreated immunoglobulin light chain amyloidosis patients, we assessed in parallel copy number alterations using high-density copy number arrays and interphase fluorescence in situ hybridization (iFISH). We used fluorescence in situ hybridization probes for the IgH translocations t(11;14), t(4;14), and t(14;16) or any other IgH rearrangement as well as numerical aberrations of the chromosome loci 1q21, 8p21, 5p15/5q35, 11q22.3 or 11q23, 13q14, 15q22, 17p13, and 19q13. Recurrent gains included chromosomes 1q (36%), 9 (24%), 11q (24%), as well as 19 (15%). Recurrent losses affected chromosome 13 (29% monosomy) and partial losses of 14q (19%), 16q (14%) and 13q (12%), respectively. In 88% of patients with translocation t(11;14), the hallmark chromosomal aberration in AL amyloidosis, a concomitant gain of 11q22.3/11q23 detected by iFISH was part of the unbalanced translocation der(14)t(11;14)(q13;q32) with the breakpoint in the CCND1/MYEOV gene region. Partial loss of chromosome regions 14q and 16q were significantly associated to gain 1q. Gain 1q21 detected by iFISH almost always resulted from a gain of the long arm of chromosome 1 and not from trisomy 1, whereas deletions on chromosome 1p were rarely found. Overall and event-free survival analysis found a potential adverse prognostic effect of concomitant gain 1q and deletion 14q as well as of deletion 1p. In conclusion, in the first whole genome report of clonal plasma cells in AL amyloidosis, novel aberrations and hitherto unknown potential adverse prognostic effects were uncovered. PMID:28341732

  17. Prognostic significance of KIT exon 11 deletion mutation in intermediate-risk gastrointestinal stromal tumor.

    PubMed

    Quek, Richard; Farid, Mohamad; Kanjanapan, Yada; Lim, Cindy; Tan, Iain Beehuat; Kesavan, Sittampalam; Lim, Tony Kiat Hon; Oon, Lynette Lin-Ean; Goh, Brian Kp; Chan, Weng Hoong; Teo, Melissa; Chung, Alexander Yf; Ong, Hock Soo; Wong, Wai Keong; Tan, Patrick; Yip, Desmond

    2017-06-01

    Benefit of adjuvant imatinib therapy following curative resection in patients with intermediate-risk gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) is unclear. GIST-specific exon mutations, in particular exon 11 deletions, have been shown to be prognostic. We hypothesize that specific KIT mutations may improve risk stratification in patients with intermediate-risk GIST, identifying a subgroup of patients who may benefit from adjuvant therapy. In total, 142 GIST patients with complete clinicopathologic and mutational data from two sites were included. Risk classification was based on the modified National Institute of Health (NIH) criteria. In this cohort, 74% (n = 105) of patients harbored a KIT mutation; 61% (n = 86) were found in exon 11 of which nearly 70% were KIT exon 11 deletions (n = 60). A total of 18% (n = 25) of cases were classified as having intermediate-risk disease. Univariate analysis confirmed tumor size, mitotic index, nongastric origin, presence of tumor rupture and modified NIH criteria were adversely prognostic for relapse-free survival (RFS). Among KIT/PDGFRA mutants, KIT exon 11 deletions had a significantly worse prognosis (hazard ratio 2.31; 95% confidence interval, 1.30-4.10; P = 0.003). Multivariate analysis confirmed KIT exon 11 deletion (P = 0.003) and clinical risk classification (P < 0.001) as independent adverse prognostic factors for RFS. Intermediate-risk patients harboring KIT exon 11 deletions had RFS outcomes similar to high-risk patients. The presence of KIT exon 11 deletion mutation in patients with intermediate-risk GIST is associated with an inferior clinical outcome with RFS similar to high-risk patients. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

  18. Diagnostic and Prognostic Stratification in the Emergency Department Using Urinary Biomarkers of Nephron Damage

    PubMed Central

    Nickolas, Thomas L.; Schmidt-Ott, Kai M.; Canetta, Pietro; Forster, Catherine; Singer, Eugenia; Sise, Meghan; Elger, Antje; Maarouf, Omar; Sola-Del Valle, David Antonio; O'Rourke, Matthew; Sherman, Evan; Lee, Peter; Geara, Abdallah; Imus, Philip; Guddati, Achuta; Polland, Allison; Rahman, Wasiq; Elitok, Saban; Malik, Nasir; Giglio, James; El-Sayegh, Suzanne; Devarajan, Prasad; Hebbar, Sudarshan; Saggi, Subodh J.; Hahn, Barry; Kettritz, Ralph; Luft, Friedrich C.; Barasch, Jonathan

    2012-01-01

    Objectives This study aimed to determine the diagnostic and prognostic value of urinary biomarkers of intrinsic acute kidney injury (AKI) when patients were triaged in the emergency department. Background Intrinsic AKI is associated with nephron injury and results in poor clinical outcomes. Several urinary biomarkers have been proposed to detect and measure intrinsic AKI. Methods In a multicenter prospective cohort study, 5 urinary biomarkers (urinary neutrophil gelatinase–associated lipocalin, kidney injury molecule-1, urinary liver-type fatty acid binding protein, urinary interleukin-18, and cystatin C) were measured in 1,635 unselected emergency department patients at the time of hospital admission. We determined whether the biomarkers diagnosed intrinsic AKI and predicted adverse outcomes during hospitalization. Results All biomarkers were elevated in intrinsic AKI, but urinary neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin was most useful (81% specificity, 68% sensitivity at a 104-ng/ml cutoff) and predictive of the severity and duration of AKI. Intrinsic AKI was strongly associated with adverse in-hospital outcomes. Urinary neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin and urinary kidney injury molecule 1 predicted a composite outcome of dialysis initiation or death during hospitalization, and both improved the net risk classification compared with conventional assessments. These biomarkers also identified a substantial subpopulation with low serum creatinine at hospital admission, but who were at risk of adverse events. Conclusion Urinary biomarkers of nephron damage enable prospective diagnostic and prognostic stratification in the emergency department. PMID:22240130

  19. Biomarkers of adverse drug reactions.

    PubMed

    Carr, Daniel F; Pirmohamed, Munir

    2018-02-01

    Adverse drug reactions can be caused by a wide range of therapeutics. Adverse drug reactions affect many bodily organ systems and vary widely in severity. Milder adverse drug reactions often resolve quickly following withdrawal of the casual drug or sometimes after dose reduction. Some adverse drug reactions are severe and lead to significant organ/tissue injury which can be fatal. Adverse drug reactions also represent a financial burden to both healthcare providers and the pharmaceutical industry. Thus, a number of stakeholders would benefit from development of new, robust biomarkers for the prediction, diagnosis, and prognostication of adverse drug reactions. There has been significant recent progress in identifying predictive genomic biomarkers with the potential to be used in clinical settings to reduce the burden of adverse drug reactions. These have included biomarkers that can be used to alter drug dose (for example, Thiopurine methyltransferase (TPMT) and azathioprine dose) and drug choice. The latter have in particular included human leukocyte antigen (HLA) biomarkers which identify susceptibility to immune-mediated injuries to major organs such as skin, liver, and bone marrow from a variety of drugs. This review covers both the current state of the art with regard to genomic adverse drug reaction biomarkers. We also review circulating biomarkers that have the potential to be used for both diagnosis and prognosis, and have the added advantage of providing mechanistic information. In the future, we will not be relying on single biomarkers (genomic/non-genomic), but on multiple biomarker panels, integrated through the application of different omics technologies, which will provide information on predisposition, early diagnosis, prognosis, and mechanisms. Impact statement • Genetic and circulating biomarkers present significant opportunities to personalize patient therapy to minimize the risk of adverse drug reactions. ADRs are a significant heath issue

  20. Gastric lymphomas in Turkey. Analysis of prognostic factors with special emphasis on flow cytometric DNA content.

    PubMed

    Aydin, Z D; Barista, I; Canpinar, H; Sungur, A; Tekuzman, G

    2000-07-01

    In contrast to DNA ploidy, to the authors' knowledge the prognostic significance of S-phase fraction (SPF) in gastric lymphomas has not been determined. In the current study, the prognostic significance of various parameters including SPF and DNA aneuploidy were analyzed and some distinct epidemiologic and biologic features of gastric lymphomas in Turkey were found. A series of 78 gastric lymphoma patients followed at Hacettepe University is reported. DNA flow cytometry was performed for 34 patients. The influence of various parameters on survival was investigated with the log rank test. The Cox proportional hazards model was fitted to identify independent prognostic factors. The median age of the patients was 50 years. There was no correlation between patient age and tumor grade. DNA content analysis revealed 4 of the 34 cases to be aneuploid with DNA index values < 1.0. The mean SPF was 33.5%. In the univariate analysis, surgical resection of the tumor, modified Ann Arbor stage, performance status, response to first-line chemotherapy, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) level, and SPF were important prognostic factors for disease free survival (DFS). The same parameters, excluding LDH level, were important for determining overall survival (OS). In the multivariate analysis, surgical resection of the tumor, disease stage, performance status, and age were found to be important prognostic factors for OS. To the authors' knowledge the current study is the first to demonstrate the prognostic significance of SPF in gastric lymphomas. The distinguishing features of Turkish gastric lymphoma patients are 1) DNA indices of aneuploid cases that all are < 1.0, which is a unique feature; 2) a lower percentage of aneuploid cases; 3) a higher SPF; 4) a younger age distribution; and 5) lack of an age-grade correlation. The authors conclude that gastric lymphomas in Turkey have distinct biologic and epidemiologic characteristics. Copyright 2000 American Cancer Society.

  1. Adverse effects of MWCNTs on life parameters, antioxidant systems, and activation of MAPK signaling pathways in the copepod Paracyclopina nana.

    PubMed

    Kim, Duck-Hyun; Puthumana, Jayesh; Kang, Hye-Min; Lee, Min-Chul; Jeong, Chang-Bum; Han, Jeonghoon; Hwang, Dae-Sik; Kim, Il-Chan; Lee, Jin Wuk; Lee, Jae-Seong

    2016-10-01

    Engineered multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) have received widespread applications in a broad variety of commercial products due to low production cost. Despite their significant commercial applications, CNTs are being discharged to aquatic ecosystem, leading a threat to aquatic life. Thus, we investigated the adverse effect of CNTs on the marine copepod Paracyclopina nana. Additional to the study on the uptake of CNTs and acute toxicity, adverse effects on life parameters (e.g. growth, fecundity, and size) were analyzed in response to various concentrations of CNTs. Also, as a measurement of cellular damage, oxidative stress-related markers were examined in a time-dependent manner. Moreover, activation of redox-sensitive mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathways along with the phosphorylation pattern of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), p38, and c-Jun-N-terminal kinases (JNK) were analyzed to obtain a better understanding of molecular mechanism of oxidative stress-induced toxicity in the copepod P. nana. As a result, significant inhibition on life parameters and evoked antioxidant systems were observed without ROS induction. In addition, CNTs activated MAPK signaling pathway via ERK, suggesting that phosphorylated ERK (p-ERK)-mediated adverse effects are the primary cause of in vitro and in vivo endpoints in response to CNTs exposure. Moreover, ROS-independent activation of MAPK signaling pathway was observed. These findings will provide a better understanding of the mode of action of CNTs on the copepod P. nana at cellular and molecular level and insight on possible ecotoxicological implications in the marine environment. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  2. The importance of consumption of the epidermis in malignant melanoma and correlation with clinicopathological prognostic parameters.

    PubMed

    Seçkin, Selda; Ozgũn, Elmas

    2011-01-01

    The aim of the study was to investigate the importance of consumption of the epidermis as an additional diagnostic criteria for malignant melanoma and to evaluate its relationship to clinicopathological findings. The age, gender, localization of the lesion and the histopathological parameters such as tumor type, Breslow thickness, ulceration, Clark's level, mitosis/mm2, lymphocytic infiltration were noted in 40 malignant melanoma cases. Consumption of the epidermis was evaluated in tumor sections. Consumption of the epidermis (COE) due to thinning of the epidermis and loss of rete ridges was noted as (+) or (-). Furthermore, COE was compared with clinical and histopathological parameters. The Shapiro Wilk and Logistic Regression tests were used for statistical analysis. The results were accepted as significant if the p value was < 0.05. COE was detected in 60% (24/40) of malignant melanoma cases. A positive correlation was present between COE and head and neck localization (p = 0,698), superficial spreading melanoma (p = 0,341), ulceration (p = 0,097) and brisk lymphocytic infiltration (p = 0,200) but the results were not statistically significant. COE was frequently detected in males but the difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.796). There was no correlation or significant statistical association between COE and age, Breslow thickness, Clark's level or the mitotic index. The detection of COE in most of the patients suggests that COE could be a histopathological criterion in the diagnosis of malignant melanoma. The frequent association between COE and the presence of ulceration could also direct attention to COE as regards prognostic importance.

  3. Prognostic role of cardiac power index in ambulatory patients with advanced heart failure.

    PubMed

    Grodin, Justin L; Mullens, Wilfried; Dupont, Matthias; Wu, Yuping; Taylor, David O; Starling, Randall C; Tang, W H Wilson

    2015-07-01

    Cardiac pump function is often quantified by left ventricular ejection fraction by various imaging modalities. As the heart is commonly conceptualized as a hydraulic pump, cardiac power describes the hydraulic function of the heart. We aim to describe the prognostic value of resting cardiac power index (CPI) in ambulatory patients with advanced heart failure. We calculated CPI in 495 sequential ambulatory patients with advanced heart failure who underwent invasive haemodynamic assessment with longitudinal follow-up of adverse outcomes (all-cause mortality, cardiac transplantation, or ventricular assist device placement). The median CPI was 0.44 W/m(2) (interquartile range 0.37, 0.52). Over a median of 3.3 years, there were 117 deaths, 104 transplants, and 20 ventricular assist device placements in our cohort. Diminished CPI (<0.44 W/m(2) ) was associated with increased adverse outcomes [hazard ratio (HR) 2.4, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.8-3.1, P < 0.0001). The prognostic value of CPI remained significant after adjustment for age, gender, pulmonary capillary wedge pressure, cardiac index, pulmonary vascular resistance, left ventricular ejection fraction, and creatinine [HR 1.5, 95% CI 1.03-2.3, P = 0.04). Furthermore, CPI can risk stratify independently of peak oxygen consumption (HR 2.2, 95% CI 1.4-3.4, P = 0.0003). Resting cardiac power index provides independent and incremental prediction in adverse outcomes beyond traditional haemodynamic and cardio-renal risk factors. © 2015 The Authors. European Journal of Heart Failure © 2015 European Society of Cardiology.

  4. Prognostic value of 18F-choline PET/CT metabolic parameters in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer treated with abiraterone or enzalutamide.

    PubMed

    Caroli, Paola; De Giorgi, Ugo; Scarpi, Emanuela; Fantini, Lorenzo; Moretti, Andrea; Galassi, Riccardo; Celli, Monica; Conteduca, Vincenza; Rossi, Lorena; Bianchi, Emanuela; Paganelli, Giovanni; Matteucci, Federica

    2018-03-01

    The role of 18F-choline positron emission tomography/computed tomography (FCH-PET/CT) in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) has been firmly established in recent years. We analyzed the prognostic value of functional parameters such as mean standardized uptake volume (SUVmean), maximum standardized uptake volume (SUVmax), metabolic total volume (MTV; the volume of interest consisting of all spatially connected voxels within a fixed threshold of 40% of the SUVmax), and total lesion activity (TLA: the product of MTV and mean standardized uptake value) estimated with FCH-PET/CT in mCRPC patients in progression after docetaxel and treated with new antiandrogen receptor therapies, abiraterone or enzalutamide. We retrospectively studied 94 mCRPC patients, mean age 74 years (range 42-90), previously treated with docetaxel who were treated with either abiraterone (n = 52) or enzalutamide (n = 42). An FCH-PET/CT was performed at baseline, and patients were evaluated on a monthly basis for serological PSA response and every 3 months for radiological response. We measured MTV, SUVmean, SUVmax and TLA for each lesion and analyzed the sum of MTV (SMTV), SUVmean (SSUVmean), SUVmax (SSUVmax) and TLA (STLA) values for a maximum of 20 lesions. Univariate analysis was used to correlate these data with PFS and OS. We observed a median SMTV of 130 cm 3 , median SSUVmax of 106.5 and a median STLA of 495,070. All of these parameters were significant for PFS and OS in univariate analysis, while only STLA was significant for PFS and OS in multivariate analysis after adjusting for lesion and age (p < 0.0001 and p = 0.001, respectively). Baseline PSA values maintained a certain reliability for OS (p = 0.034). Semiquantitative parameters of FCH-PET/CT play a prognostic role in mCRCP patients treated with abiraterone or enzalutamide.

  5. A Novel Independent Survival Predictor in Pulmonary Embolism: Prognostic Nutritional Index.

    PubMed

    Hayıroğlu, Mert İlker; Keskin, Muhammed; Keskin, Taha; Uzun, Ahmet Okan; Altay, Servet; Kaya, Adnan; Öz, Ahmet; Çinier, Göksel; Güvenç, Tolga Sinan; Kozan, Ömer

    2018-05-01

    The prognostic impact of nutritional status in patients with pulmonary embolism (PE) is poorly understood. A well-accepted nutritional status parameter, prognostic nutritional index (PNI), which was first demonstrated to be valuable in patients with cancer and gastrointestinal surgery, was introduced to patients with PE. Our aim was to evaluate the predictive value of PNI in outcomes of patients with PE. We evaluated the in-hospital and long-term (53.8 ± 5.4 months) prognostic impact of PNI on 251 patients with PE. During a median follow-up of 53.8 ± 5.4 months, 27 (11.6%) patients died in hospital course and 31 (13.4%) died in out-of-hospital course. The patients with lower PNI had significantly higher in-hospital and long-term mortality. The Cox proportional hazard analyses showed that PNI was associated with an increased risk of all-cause death for both unadjusted model and adjusted for all covariates. Our study demonstrated that PNI, calculated based on serum albumin level and lymphocyte count, is an independent prognostic factor for mortality in patients with PE.

  6. Long-term outcome of patients with triphasic mitral flow with a mid-diastolic L wave: prognostic role of left atrial volume and N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide.

    PubMed

    Kim, Sung-Ai; Son, Jungwoo; Shim, Chi-Young; Choi, Eui-Young; Ha, Jong-Won

    2017-09-01

    A mid-diastolic L wave has been recognized as a marker of advanced left ventricular (LV) diastolic dysfunction. However, its prognostic implication is unclear. This study assessed long-term prognosis and independent predictors of adverse outcomes in patients with a mid-diastolic L wave. A total of 144 consecutive patients (mean age 63 ± 12 years, 88 female) with a mid-diastolic L wave of ≥0.2 m/s and in sinus rhythm were identified. Patients with significant valvular heart disease, low LV ejection fraction and arrhythmias were excluded. Subjects were followed up for cardiovascular (CV) mortality and hospitalization for heart failure (HF). During follow-up for a median of 44 months (1-76), CV deaths and hospitalization for HF occurred in 41 (28%) patients. In multivariate Cox analysis, age (hazard ratio [HR], 1.07; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.02-1.11; p = 0.001), log N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP)(HR 3.81; 95% CI 1.78-8.15; p = 0.001), and left atrial volume index (HR 1.02; 95% CI 1.01-1.04; p = 0.019) were independent predictors of adverse outcomes in patients with a mid-diastolic L wave. In a stepwise model, NT-proBNP showed an incremental prognostic value for prediction of adverse outcomes when added to the clinical and echocardiographic parameters (Chi square from 30.1 to 41.1, p < 0.001). Patients with a mid-diastolic L wave and clinical, biochemical, and echocardiographic evidence of advanced diastolic dysfunction showed poor long-term clinical outcome.

  7. Independent Prognostic Value of Serum Markers in Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma in the Era of the NCCN-IPI.

    PubMed

    Melchardt, Thomas; Troppan, Katharina; Weiss, Lukas; Hufnagl, Clemens; Neureiter, Daniel; Tränkenschuh, Wolfgang; Schlick, Konstantin; Huemer, Florian; Deutsch, Alexander; Neumeister, Peter; Greil, Richard; Pichler, Martin; Egle, Alexander

    2015-12-01

    Several serum parameters have been evaluated for adding prognostic value to clinical scoring systems in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), but none of the reports used multivariate testing of more than one parameter at a time. The goal of this study was to validate widely available serum parameters for their independent prognostic impact in the era of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network-International Prognostic Index (NCCN-IPI) score to determine which were the most useful. This retrospective bicenter analysis includes 515 unselected patients with DLBCL who were treated with rituximab and anthracycline-based chemoimmunotherapy between 2004 and January 2014. Anemia, high C-reactive protein, and high bilirubin levels had an independent prognostic value for survival in multivariate analyses in addition to the NCCN-IPI, whereas neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, high gamma-glutamyl transferase levels, and platelets-to-lymphocyte ratio did not. In our cohort, we describe the most promising markers to improve the NCCN-IPI. Anemia and high C-reactive protein levels retain their power in multivariate testing even in the era of the NCCN-IPI. The negative role of high bilirubin levels may be associated as a marker of liver function. Further studies are warranted to incorporate these markers into prognostic models and define their role opposite novel molecular markers. Copyright © 2015 by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network.

  8. Cancer testis antigens and NY-BR-1 expression in primary breast cancer: prognostic and therapeutic implications.

    PubMed

    Balafoutas, Dimitrios; zur Hausen, Axel; Mayer, Sebastian; Hirschfeld, Marc; Jaeger, Markus; Denschlag, Dominik; Gitsch, Gerald; Jungbluth, Achim; Stickeler, Elmar

    2013-06-03

    Cancer-testis antigens (CTA) comprise a family of proteins, which are physiologically expressed in adult human tissues solely in testicular germ cells and occasionally placenta. However, CTA expression has been reported in various malignancies. CTAs have been identified by their ability to elicit autologous cellular and or serological immune responses, and are considered potential targets for cancer immunotherapy. The breast differentiation antigen NY-BR-1, expressed specifically in normal and malignant breast tissue, has also immunogenic properties. Here we evaluated the expression patterns of CTAs and NY-BR-1 in breast cancer in correlation to clinico-pathological parameters in order to determine their possible impact as prognostic factors. The reactivity pattern of various mAbs (6C1, MA454, M3H67, 57B, E978, GAGE #26 and NY-BR-1 #5) were assessed by immunohistochemistry in a tissue micro array series of 210 randomly selected primary invasive breast cancers in order to study the diversity of different CTAs (e.g. MAGE-A, NY-ESO-1, GAGE) and NY-BR-1. These expression data were correlated to clinico-pathological parameters and outcome data including disease-free and overall survival. Expression of at least one CTA was detectable in the cytoplasm of tumor cells in 37.2% of the cases. NY-BR-1 expression was found in 46.6% of tumors, respectively. Overall, CTA expression seemed to be linked to adverse prognosis and M3H67 immunoreactivity specifically was significantly correlated to shorter overall and disease-free survival (p=0.000 and 0.024, respectively). Our findings suggest that M3H67 immunoreactivity could serve as potential prognostic marker in primary breast cancer patients. The exclusive expression of CTAs in tumor tissues as well as the frequent expression of NY-BR-1 could define new targets for specific breast cancer therapies.

  9. Prognostic Impact of Calcium Score after Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation Performed With New Generation Prosthesis.

    PubMed

    Akodad, Mariama; Lattuca, Benoit; Agullo, Audrey; Macia, Jean-Christophe; Gandet, Thomas; Marin, Grégory; Iemmi, Anaïs; Vernhet, Hélène; Schmutz, Laurent; Nagot, Nicolas; Albat, Bernard; Cayla, Guillaume; Leclercq, Florence

    2018-05-15

    Calcium score (CS) is a well-known prognostic factor after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) performed with first generation prosthesis but few data are available concerning new generation valves. The aim of this study was to evaluate if CS remains a prognostic factor after Sapien 3 and Evolut R valves implantation. Agatston CS was evaluated on multislice computed tomography before TAVI in 346 patients implanted with Sapien XT (n = 61), CoreValve (n = 57) devices, (group 1, n = 118), and with new generation Sapien 3 (n = 147), Evolut R (n = 81) prosthesis, (group 2, n = 228). Major adverse cardiovascular events and aortic regurgitation (AR) were evaluated at 1 month. The 2 groups were similar at baseline except for logistic Euroscore (20.1% in group 1 vs 15.0 % in group 2; p = 0.001), chronic renal failure (44.1% vs 37.2% respectively, p = 0.007) and preprocedural CS (4,092 ± 2,176 vs 3,682 ± 2,109 respectively, p = 0.022). In group 1, 28 patients (23.7%) had adverse clinical events vs 21 (9.2%) in group 2 (p <0.01). In multivariate analysis, a higher CS was predictive of adverse events in group 1 (5,785 ± 3,285 vs 3,565 ± 1,331 p <0.0001) but not in group 2 (p = 0.28). A higher CS was associated with AR in group 1 (6,234 ± 2711 vs 3,429 ± 1,505; p <0.001) and in patients implanted with an Evolut R device from group 2 (4,085 ± 3,645 vs 2,551 ± 1,356; p = 0.01). In conclusion, CS appears as an important prognostic factor of major events after TAVI with first generation valves but not with new generation devices. CS remains associated with AR only with new generation self-expandable Evolut R devices. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  10. A Generic Software Architecture For Prognostics

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Teubert, Christopher; Daigle, Matthew J.; Sankararaman, Shankar; Goebel, Kai; Watkins, Jason

    2017-01-01

    Prognostics is a systems engineering discipline focused on predicting end-of-life of components and systems. As a relatively new and emerging technology, there are few fielded implementations of prognostics, due in part to practitioners perceiving a large hurdle in developing the models, algorithms, architecture, and integration pieces. As a result, no open software frameworks for applying prognostics currently exist. This paper introduces the Generic Software Architecture for Prognostics (GSAP), an open-source, cross-platform, object-oriented software framework and support library for creating prognostics applications. GSAP was designed to make prognostics more accessible and enable faster adoption and implementation by industry, by reducing the effort and investment required to develop, test, and deploy prognostics. This paper describes the requirements, design, and testing of GSAP. Additionally, a detailed case study involving battery prognostics demonstrates its use.

  11. Model Adaptation for Prognostics in a Particle Filtering Framework

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Saha, Bhaskar; Goebel, Kai Frank

    2011-01-01

    One of the key motivating factors for using particle filters for prognostics is the ability to include model parameters as part of the state vector to be estimated. This performs model adaptation in conjunction with state tracking, and thus, produces a tuned model that can used for long term predictions. This feature of particle filters works in most part due to the fact that they are not subject to the "curse of dimensionality", i.e. the exponential growth of computational complexity with state dimension. However, in practice, this property holds for "well-designed" particle filters only as dimensionality increases. This paper explores the notion of wellness of design in the context of predicting remaining useful life for individual discharge cycles of Li-ion batteries. Prognostic metrics are used to analyze the tradeoff between different model designs and prediction performance. Results demonstrate how sensitivity analysis may be used to arrive at a well-designed prognostic model that can take advantage of the model adaptation properties of a particle filter.

  12. A new biologic prognostic model based on immunohistochemistry predicts survival in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.

    PubMed

    Perry, Anamarija M; Cardesa-Salzmann, Teresa M; Meyer, Paul N; Colomo, Luis; Smith, Lynette M; Fu, Kai; Greiner, Timothy C; Delabie, Jan; Gascoyne, Randy D; Rimsza, Lisa; Jaffe, Elaine S; Ott, German; Rosenwald, Andreas; Braziel, Rita M; Tubbs, Raymond; Cook, James R; Staudt, Louis M; Connors, Joseph M; Sehn, Laurie H; Vose, Julie M; López-Guillermo, Armando; Campo, Elias; Chan, Wing C; Weisenburger, Dennis D

    2012-09-13

    Biologic factors that predict the survival of patients with a diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, such as cell of origin and stromal signatures, have been discovered by gene expression profiling. We attempted to simulate these gene expression profiling findings and create a new biologic prognostic model based on immunohistochemistry. We studied 199 patients (125 in the training set, 74 in the validation set) with de novo diffuse large B-cell lymphoma treated with rituximab and CHOP (cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone) or CHOP-like therapies, and immunohistochemical stains were performed on paraffin-embedded tissue microarrays. In the model, 1 point was awarded for each adverse prognostic factor: nongerminal center B cell-like subtype, SPARC (secreted protein, acidic, and rich in cysteine) < 5%, and microvascular density quartile 4. The model using these 3 biologic markers was highly predictive of overall survival and event-free survival in multivariate analysis after adjusting for the International Prognostic Index in both the training and validation sets. This new model delineates 2 groups of patients, 1 with a low biologic score (0-1) and good survival and the other with a high score (2-3) and poor survival. This new biologic prognostic model could be used with the International Prognostic Index to stratify patients for novel or risk-adapted therapies.

  13. Prognostic Stratification of Patients With Advanced Oral Cavity Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

    PubMed

    De Paz, Dante; Kao, Huang-Kai; Huang, Yenlin; Chang, Kai-Ping

    2017-08-10

    Prognosis of advanced oral squamous cell carcinoma remains a challenge for clinicians despite progress in its diagnosis and treatment over the past decades. In this review, we assessed clinicopathological factors and potential biomarkers along with their prognostic relevance in an attempt to develop optimal treatment strategies for these patients. In addition to several pathologic factors that have been proposed to improve prognostic stratification and treatment planning in the eighth edition of the American Joint Committee staging manual on cancer, we reviewed some other imaging and clinicopathological parameters demonstrated to be closely associated with patient prognosis, along with the biomarkers related to novel target or immune therapy. Evaluation of current literature regarding the prognostic stratification used in contemporary clinicopathological studies and progress in the development of targeted or immune therapy may help these patients benefit from tailored and personalized treatment and obtain better oncological results.

  14. Heart failure and anemia: Effects on prognostic variables.

    PubMed

    Cattadori, Gaia; Agostoni, Piergiuseppe; Corrà, Ugo; Sinagra, Gianfranco; Veglia, Fabrizio; Salvioni, Elisabetta; Bonomi, Alice; La Gioia, Rocco; Scardovi, Angela B; Ferraironi, Alessandro; Emdin, Michele; Metra, Marco; Di Lenarda, Andrea; Limongelli, Giuseppe; Raimondo, Rosa; Re, Federica; Guazzi, Marco; Belardinelli, Romualdo; Parati, Gianfranco; Caravita, Sergio; Magrì, Damiano; Lombardi, Carlo; Frigerio, Maria; Oliva, Fabrizio; Girola, Davide; Mezzani, Alessandro; Farina, Stefania; Mapelli, Massimo; Scrutinio, Domenico; Pacileo, Giuseppe; Apostolo, Anna; Iorio, AnnaMaria; Paolillo, Stefania; Filardi, Pasquale Perrone; Gargiulo, Paola; Bussotti, Maurizio; Marchese, Giovanni; Correale, Michele; Badagliacca, Roberto; Sciomer, Susanna; Palermo, Pietro; Contini, Mauro; Giannuzzi, Pantaleo; Battaia, Elisa; Cicoira, Mariantonietta; Clemenza, Francesco; Minà, Chiara; Binno, Simone; Passino, Claudio; Piepoli, Massimo F

    2017-01-01

    Anemia is frequent in heart failure (HF), and it is associated with higher mortality. The predictive power of established HF prognostic parameters in anemic HF patients is unknown. Clinical, laboratory, echocardiographic and cardiopulmonary-exercise-test (CPET) data were analyzed in 3913 HF patients grouped according to hemoglobin (Hb) values. 248 (6%), 857 (22%), 2160 (55%) and 648 (17%) patients had very low (<11g/dL), low (11-12 for females, 11-13 for males), normal (12-15 for females, 13-15 for males) and high (>15) Hb, respectively. Median follow-up was 1363days (606-1883). CPETs were always performed safely. Hb was related to prognosis (Hazard ratio (HR)=0.864). No prognostic difference was observed between normal and high Hb groups. Peak oxygen consumption (VO 2 ), ventilatory efficiency (VE/VCO 2 slope), plasma sodium concentration, ejection fraction (LVEF), kidney function and Hb were independently related to prognosis in the entire population. Considering Hb groups separately, peakVO 2 (very low Hb HR=0.549, low Hb HR=0.613, normal Hb HR=0.618, high Hb HR=0.542) and LVEF (very low Hb HR=0.49, low Hb HR=0.692, normal Hb HR=0.697, high Hb HR=0.694) maintained their prognostic roles. High VE/VCO 2 slope was associated with poor prognosis only in patients with low and normal Hb. Anemic HF patients have a worse prognosis, but CPET can be safely performed. PeakVO 2 and LVEF, but not VE/VCO 2 slope, maintain their prognostic power also in HF patients with Hb<11g/dL, suggesting CPET use and a multiparametric approach in HF patients with low Hb. However, the prognostic effect of an anemia-oriented follow-up is unknown. Copyright © 2016 European Federation of Internal Medicine. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. Toward IVHM Prognostics

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Walsh, Kevin; Venti, Mike

    2007-01-01

    This viewgraph presentation reviews the prognostics of Integrated Vehicle Health Management. The contents include: 1) Aircraft Operations-Today's way of doing business; 2) Prognostics; 3) NASA's instrumentation data-system rack; 4) Data mining for IVHM; 5) NASA GRC's C-MAPSS generic engine model; and 6) Concluding thoughts.

  16. Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma prognostic determination using pre-operative serum C-reactive protein levels.

    PubMed

    Lin, Zi-Ying; Liang, Zhen-Xing; Zhuang, Pei-Lin; Chen, Jie-Wei; Cao, Yun; Yan, Li-Xu; Yun, Jing-Ping; Xie, Dan; Cai, Mu-Yan

    2016-10-12

    Serum C-reactive protein (CRP), an acute inflammatory response biomarker, has been recognized as an indicator of malignant disease progression. However, the prognostic significance of CRP levels collected before tumor removal in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma requires further investigation. We sampled the CRP levels in 140 patients with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma who underwent hepatectomies with regional lymphadenectomies between 2006 and 2013. A retrospective analysis of the clinicopathological data was performed. We focused on the impact of serum CRP on the patients' cancer-specific survival and recurrence-free survival rates. High levels of preoperative serum CRP were significantly associated with well-established clinicopathologic features, including gender, advanced tumor stage, and elevated carcinoembryonic antigen and carbohydrate antigen 19-9 levels (P < 0.05). Univariate analysis demonstrated a significant association between high levels of serum CRP and adverse cancer-specific survival (P = 0.001) and recurrence-free survival (P < 0.001). In patients with stage I/II intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, the serum CRP level was a prognostic indicator for cancer-specific survival. In patients with stage I/II or stage III/IV, the serum CRP level was a prognostic indicator for recurrence-free survival (P < 0.05). Additionally, multivariate analysis identified serum CRP level in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma as an independent prognostic factor (P < 0.05). We confirmed a significant association of elevated pre-operative CRP levels with poor clinical outcomes for the tested patients with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma. Our results indicate that the serum CRP level may represent a useful factor for patient stratification in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma management.

  17. Prognostic impact of c-Rel nuclear expression and REL amplification and crosstalk between c-Rel and the p53 pathway in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma

    PubMed Central

    Ok, Chi Young; Tzankov, Alexandar; Manyam, Ganiraju C.; Sun, Ruifan; Visco, Carlo; Zhang, Mingzhi; Montes-Moreno, Santiago; Dybkaer, Karen; Chiu, April; Orazi, Attilio; Zu, Youli; Bhagat, Govind; Richards, Kristy L.; Hsi, Eric D.; Choi, William W.L.; van Krieken, J. Han; Huh, Jooryung; Ponzoni, Maurilio; Ferreri, Andrés J.M.; Møller, Michael B.; Wang, Jinfeng; Parsons, Ben M.; Winter, Jane N.; Piris, Miguel A.; Pham, Lan V.; Medeiros, L. Jeffrey; Young, Ken H.

    2015-01-01

    Dysregulated NF-κB signaling is critical for lymphomagenesis. The regulation, function, and clinical relevance of c-Rel/NF-κB activation in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) have not been well studied. In this study we analyzed the prognostic significance and gene-expression signature of c-Rel nuclear expression as surrogate of c-Rel activation in 460 patients with de novo DLBCL. Nuclear c-Rel expression, observed in 137 (26.3%) DLBCL patients frequently associated with extranoal origin, did not show significantly prognostic impact in the overall- or germinal center B-like-DLBCL cohort, likely due to decreased pAKT and Myc levels, up-regulation of FOXP3, FOXO3, MEG3 and other tumor suppressors coincided with c-Rel nuclear expression, as well as the complicated relationships between NF-κB members and their overlapping function. However, c-Rel nuclear expression correlated with significantly poorer survival in p63+ and BCL-2− activated B-cell-like-DLBCL, and in DLBCL patients with TP53 mutations. Multivariate analysis indicated that after adjusting clinical parameters, c-Rel positivity was a significantly adverse prognostic factor in DLBCL patients with wild type TP53. Gene expression profiling suggested dysregulations of cell cycle, metabolism, adhesion, and migration associated with c-Rel activation. In contrast, REL amplification did not correlate with c-Rel nuclear expression and patient survival, likely due to co-amplification of genes that negatively regulate NF-κB activation. These insights into the expression, prognostic impact, regulation and function of c-Rel as well as its crosstalk with the p53 pathway underscore the importance of c-Rel and have significant therapeutic implications. PMID:26324762

  18. Prognostic model based on nailfold capillaroscopy for identifying Raynaud's phenomenon patients at high risk for the development of a scleroderma spectrum disorder: PRINCE (prognostic index for nailfold capillaroscopic examination).

    PubMed

    Ingegnoli, Francesca; Boracchi, Patrizia; Gualtierotti, Roberta; Lubatti, Chiara; Meani, Laura; Zahalkova, Lenka; Zeni, Silvana; Fantini, Flavio

    2008-07-01

    To construct a prognostic index based on nailfold capillaroscopic examinations that is capable of predicting the 5-year transition from isolated Raynaud's phenomenon (RP) to RP secondary to scleroderma spectrum disorders (SSDs). The study involved 104 consecutive adult patients with a clinical history of isolated RP, and the index was externally validated in another cohort of 100 patients with the same characteristics. Both groups were followed up for 1-8 years. Six variables were examined because of their potential prognostic relevance (branching, enlarged and giant loops, capillary disorganization, microhemorrhages, and the number of capillaries). The only factors that played a significant prognostic role were the presence of giant loops (hazard ratio [HR] 2.64, P = 0.008) and microhemorrhages (HR 2.33, P = 0.01), and the number of capillaries (analyzed as a continuous variable). The adjusted prognostic role of these factors was evaluated by means of multivariate regression analysis, and the results were used to construct an algorithm-based prognostic index. The model was internally and externally validated. Our prognostic capillaroscopic index identifies RP patients in whom the risk of developing SSDs is high. This model is a weighted combination of different capillaroscopy parameters that allows physicians to stratify RP patients easily, using a relatively simple diagram to deduce the prognosis. Our results suggest that this index could be used in clinical practice, and its further inclusion in prospective studies will undoubtedly help in exploring its potential in predicting treatment response.

  19. Prognostic grouping of metastatic prostate cancer using conventional pretreatment prognostic factors.

    PubMed

    Mikkola, Arto; Aro, Jussi; Rannikko, Sakari; Ruutu, Mirja

    2009-01-01

    To develop three prognostic groups for disease specific mortality based on the binary classified pretreatment variables age, haemoglobin concentration (Hb), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), prostate-specific antigen (PSA), plasma testosterone and estradiol level in hormonally treated patients with metastatic prostate cancer (PCa). The present study comprised 200 Finnprostate 6 study patients, but data on all variables were not known for every patient. The patients were divided into three prognostic risk groups (Rgs) using the prognostically best set of pretreatment variables. The best set was found by backward stepwise selection and the effect of every excluded variable on the binary classification cut-off points of the remaining variables was checked and corrected when needed. The best group of variables was ALP, PSA, ESR and age. All data were known in 142 patients. Patients were given one risk point each for ALP > 180 U/l (normal value 60-275 U/l), PSA > 35 microg/l, ESR > 80 mm/h and age < 60 years. Three risk groups were formed: Rg-a (0-1 risk points), Rg-b (2 risk points) and Rg-c (3-4 risk points). The risk of death from PCa increased statistically significantly with advancing prognostic group. Patients with metastatic PCa can be divided into three statistically significantly different prognostic risk groups for PCa-specific mortality by using the binary classified pretreatment variables ALP, PSA, ESR and age.

  20. Prognostic value of a new cardiopulmonary exercise testing parameter in chronic heart failure: oxygen uptake efficiency at peak exercise - comparison with oxygen uptake efficiency slope.

    PubMed

    Toste, Alexandra; Soares, Rui; Feliciano, Joana; Andreozzi, Valeska; Silva, Sofia; Abreu, Ana; Ramos, Ruben; Santos, Ninel; Ferreira, Lurdes; Ferreira, Rui Cruz

    2011-10-01

    A growing body of evidence shows the prognostic value of oxygen uptake efficiency slope (OUES), a cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET) parameter derived from the logarithmic relationship between O(2) consumption (VO(2)) and minute ventilation (VE) in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF). To evaluate the prognostic value of a new CPET parameter - peak oxygen uptake efficiency (POUE) - and to compare it with OUES in patients with CHF. We prospectively studied 206 consecutive patients with stable CHF due to dilated cardiomyopathy - 153 male, aged 53.3±13.0 years, 35.4% of ischemic etiology, left ventricular ejection fraction 27.7±8.0%, 81.1% in sinus rhythm, 97.1% receiving ACE-Is or ARBs, 78.2% beta-blockers and 60.2% spironolactone - who performed a first maximal symptom-limited treadmill CPET, using the modified Bruce protocol. In 33% of patients an cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) or cardiac resynchronization therapy device (CRT-D) was implanted during follow-up. Peak VO(2), percentage of predicted peak VO(2), VE/VCO(2) slope, OUES and POUE were analyzed. OUES was calculated using the formula VO(2) (l/min) = OUES (log(10)VE) + b. POUE was calculated as pVO(2) (l/min) / log(10)peakVE (l/min). Correlation coefficients between the studied parameters were obtained. The prognosis of each variable adjusted for age was evaluated through Cox proportional hazard models and R2 percent (R2%) and V index (V6) were used as measures of the predictive accuracy of events of each of these variables. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves from logistic regression models were used to determine the cut-offs for OUES and POUE. pVO(2): 20.5±5.9; percentage of predicted peak VO(2): 68.6±18.2; VE/VCO(2) slope: 30.6±8.3; OUES: 1.85±0.61; POUE: 0.88±0.27. During a mean follow-up of 33.1±14.8 months, 45 (21.8%) patients died, 10 (4.9%) underwent urgent heart transplantation and in three patients (1.5%) a left ventricular assist device was implanted. All variables proved

  1. Hypoglycorrhachia in adults with community-acquired meningitis: etiologies and prognostic significance.

    PubMed

    Shrikanth, Vandana; Salazar, Lucrecia; Khoury, Nabil; Wootton, Susan; Hasbun, Rodrigo

    2015-10-01

    Hypoglycorrhachia (cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) glucose <45 mg/dl) has been identified as a prognostic factor in patients with meningitis. The differential diagnosis of hypoglycorrhachia and its clinical significance was analyzed in the present study. This was a retrospective study of 620 adult patients with community-acquired meningitis (CSF white blood cell count >5 × 10(6) cells/l and absence of a CSF shunt or recent neurosurgical procedure (<1 month)) at eight Memorial Hermann hospitals in Houston, Texas, from January 2005 to December 2010. An adverse clinical outcome was defined as a Glasgow outcome scale score of ≤ 4. Out of 620 patients with meningitis, 116 (19%) had hypoglycorrhachia. Etiologies of hypoglycorrhachia were idiopathic (n=40), bacterial (n=27), cryptococcal (n=26), viral (n=15), and tuberculous (n=4). Patients with hypoglycorrhachia were more likely to be immunosuppressed, have a history of intravenous drug use, and present with a vesicular or petechial rash, nausea or vomiting, nuchal rigidity, sinusitis/otitis, abnormal mental status, and focal neurological deficits compared to those patients without hypoglycorrhachia (p<0.05). Additionally, patients in the hypoglycorrhachia group had significantly higher rates of positive CSF and blood cultures, urgent treatable conditions, and abnormal cranial imaging (p<0.05). Furthermore, patients with hypoglycorrhachia had more adverse clinical outcomes (26/116 (22.4%) vs. 45/504 (8.9%); p<0.001). Hypoglycorrhachia has significant clinical and prognostic value in the evaluation of adult patients with community-acquired meningitis. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

  2. [Results of surgical treatment in ampullary and pancreatic carcinoma and its prognostic parameters after R0-resection].

    PubMed

    Ridwelski, K; Meyer, F; Schmidt, U; Lippert, H

    2005-08-01

    Resection is currently the only established reasonable therapeutic option with curative potential in pancreatic and ampullary carcinoma. The aim of the study was i) to analyze value and results of surgical therapy and ii) to detect the prognostic parameters, which determine significantly higher survival rates. Two-hundred-twenty patients with pancreatic and ampullary carcinoma (mean age, 61.4 years; 104 females/116 males) underwent surgery. Histologic investigation revealed 19 carcinomas of the papilla of Vater and 201 ductal pancreatic carcinomas. In 126 patients, stage IV a or b tumors were found, in addition, stage I (n =26), II (n = 17) and III (n = 51). Survival-rate was determined according to the method by Kaplan/Meier. Survival was compared using log-rank test. Association of several or multiple parameters with survival was tested using Cox model. Hundred-ten patients underwent tumor resection with primary curative intention (50 %): 96 resections of the pancreatic head, 2 total pancreatectomies and 12 left resections of the pancreas. R0-resection was achieved in 94 patients (42.7 %), whereas intervention was classified R1 in 10 and R2 in 6 cases. In addition, 60 palliative interventions (28 gastroenterostomies, 17 biliodigestive anastomoses, 15 anastomoses at both sites) and 50 explorative laparotomies were performed. In 42.3 % of patients, postoperative complications were found, but only 12/220 individuals died (overall letality, 5.4 %). Postoperative letality of curative pancreatic resections was 3.6 % (palliative intervention, 6.7 %; explorative laparotomy, 8.8 %). Five-year survival-rate of carcinoma of the papilla of Vater and pancreatic carcinoma was 73.3 % and 16.2 %, respectively (median survival time was 66.0 and 14.0 months, respectively). Taken together all other interventions, median survival time ranged between 4.0 (palliative intervention) to 10.0 months (R1-resection). No patient survived 5 years. Therefore, the most relevant prognostic

  3. Acute Kidney Injury Predicts Major Adverse Outcomes in Diabetes: Synergic Impact With Low Glomerular Filtration Rate and Albuminuria.

    PubMed

    Monseu, Mathilde; Gand, Elise; Saulnier, Pierre-Jean; Ragot, Stéphanie; Piguel, Xavier; Zaoui, Philippe; Rigalleau, Vincent; Marechaud, Richard; Roussel, Ronan; Hadjadj, Samy; Halimi, Jean-Michel

    2015-12-01

    Subjects with diabetes are prone to the development of cardiovascular and noncardiovascular complications. In separate studies, acute kidney injury (AKI), albuminuria, and low estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) were shown to predict adverse outcomes, but, when considered together, their respective prognostic value is unknown. Patients with type 2 diabetes consecutively recruited in the SURDIAGENE cohort were prospectively followed up for major diabetes-related events, as adjudicated by an independent committee: death (with cause), major cardiovascular events (myocardial infarction, stroke, congestive heart failure, amputation, and arterial revascularization), and renal failure (i.e., sustained doubling of serum creatinine level or end-stage renal disease). Intrahospital AKI occurred in 411 of 1,371 patients during the median follow-up period of 69 months. In multivariate analyses, AKI was significantly associated with cardiovascular and noncardiovascular death, including cancer-related death. In multivariate analyses, AKI was a powerful predictor of major adverse cardiovascular events, heart failure requiring hospitalization, myocardial infarction, stroke, lower-limb amputation or revascularization, and carotid artery revascularization. AKI, eGFR, and albuminuria, even when simultaneously considered in multivariate models, predicted all-cause and cardiovascular deaths. All three renal biomarkers were also prognostic of most adverse outcomes and of the risk of renal failure. AKI, low eGFR, and elevated albuminuria, separately or together, are compelling biomarkers of major adverse outcomes and death in diabetes. © 2015 by the American Diabetes Association. Readers may use this article as long as the work is properly cited, the use is educational and not for profit, and the work is not altered.

  4. The impact of gestational diabetes and hypothyroidism on the third-trimester ultrasound parameters and in adverse perinatal outcomes: a retrospective cohort study.

    PubMed

    Peixoto, Alberto Borges; Caldas, Taciana Mara Rodrigues da Cunha; Santos, Raisa Oliveira; Lopes, Karina Souza; Martins, Wellington P; Araujo Júnior, Edward

    2016-11-01

    To assess the impact of gestational diabetes and hypothyroidism on the third-trimester ultrasound parameters and in adverse perinatal outcomes. We performed a retrospective cohort study with 817 singleton pregnant women between 26w0d and 37w6d of gestation which were divided in four groups: 56 gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), 63 hypothyroidism, 14 GDM + hypothyroidism, and 684 controls. The following ultrasound parameters were assessed: mean uterine artery pulsatility index (PI), umbilical artery PI, middle cerebral artery PI, single deepest pocket (SDP) and cerebroplacental ratio (CPR). Adverse perinatal outcomes were the following: low birth weight, macrosomia, and Agar score at 1st min <7. These four groups were compared using the Kruskall-Wallis and χ(2) tests. Pregnant women from GDM showed higher weight (p < 0.001), BMI (p < 0.001), SDP (p < 0.001) and newborns with higher birth weight (p = 0.008) and macrosomia (p = 0.02) than other groups. Comparing with control, hypothyroidism showed higher SDP (p < 0.05). Pregnant women with GDM showed higher risk of macrosomic newborns than other three groups. Both pregnant women with GDM and hypothyroidism showed higher SDP than normal pregnancies.

  5. Low expression of G protein-coupled oestrogen receptor 1 (GPER) is associated with adverse survival of breast cancer patients

    PubMed Central

    Martin, Stewart G.; Lebot, Marie N.; Sukkarn, Bhudsaban; Ball, Graham; Green, Andrew R.; Rakha, Emad A.; Ellis, Ian O.; Storr, Sarah J.

    2018-01-01

    G protein-coupled oestrogen receptor 1 (GPER), also called G protein-coupled receptor 30 (GPR30), is attracting considerable attention for its potential role in breast cancer development and progression. Activation by oestrogen (17β-oestradiol; E2) initiates short term, non-genomic, signalling events both in vitro and in vivo. Published literature on the prognostic value of GPER protein expression in breast cancer indicates that further assessment is warranted. We show, using immunohistochemistry on a large cohort of primary invasive breast cancer patients (n=1245), that low protein expression of GPER is not only significantly associated with clinicopathological and molecular features of aggressive behaviour but also significantly associated with adverse survival of breast cancer patients. Furthermore, assessment of GPER mRNA levels in the METABRIC cohort (n=1980) demonstrates that low GPER mRNA expression is significantly associated with adverse survival of breast cancer patients. Using artificial neural networks, genes associated with GPER mRNA expression were identified; these included notch-4 and jagged-1. These results support the prognostic value for determination of GPER expression in breast cancer. PMID:29899833

  6. Male gender and renal dysfunction are predictors of adverse outcome in nonpostoperative ischemic colitis patients.

    PubMed

    Lee, Tsung-Chun; Wang, Hsiu-Po; Chiu, Han-Mo; Lien, Wan-Ching; Chen, Mei-Jyh; Yu, Linda C H; Sun, Chia-Tung; Lin, Jaw-Town; Wu, Ming-Shiang

    2010-01-01

    Ischemic colitis (IC) spans a broad spectrum from self-limiting illness to intestinal gangrene and mortality. Prognostic factors specifically for nonpostoperative IC were not fully characterized. We aim to focus on nonpostoperative IC in patients with renal dysfunction and try to identify prognostic factors for adverse outcomes. We conducted a retrospective analysis at a university-affiliated tertiary medical center in Taiwan. From January 2003 to August 2008, 25 men and 52 women (mean age: 66 y) had colonoscopic biopsy-proven IC without prior culprit surgery. We estimated glomerular filtration rate with simplified Modification of Diet in Renal Disease equation. Nine patients with glomerular filtration rate below 30 mL per minute per 1.73 m were classified as renal dysfunction group (including 7 dialysis patients). Adverse outcomes were defined as need for surgery and mortality. Predictors for adverse outcomes were captured by univariate and multivariate analysis. Research ethical committee approved the study protocol. Patients with renal dysfunction more often had: diabetes mellitus (56% vs. 16%, P=0.02), prolonged symptoms (6.8 d vs. 3.5 d, P=0.01), lower hemoglobin (11.1 g/dL vs. 13.4 g/dL, P=0.01), and more often right colonic involvement (56% vs. 19%, P=0.03). Renal dysfunction patients also had longer hospitalization days (median 15 d vs. 4 d, P=0.045). However, there was no statistical significance in the rate of either surgery or mortality between these 2 groups (P>0.05). Univariate analysis showed that renal dysfunction, sex, emergency department referral, presentation with abdominal pain were significant for adverse outcome (P<0.1). Multivariate analysis revealed that male sex conveyed 9.5-fold risk (P=0.01) and renal dysfunction conveyed 8.5-fold risk (P=0.03) for adverse outcomes. Nonpostoperative IC patients with concurrent renal dysfunction had distinct clinical profiles. Multivariate analysis showed that male patients had 9.5-fold and renal

  7. Neuroblastoma in children: Update on clinicopathologic and genetic prognostic factors.

    PubMed

    Ahmed, Atif A; Zhang, Lei; Reddivalla, Naresh; Hetherington, Maxine

    2017-04-01

    Neuroblastoma is the most common extracranial solid tumor in childhood accounting for 8-10% of all childhood malignancies. The tumor is characterized by a spectrum of histopathologic features and a heterogeneous clinical phenotype. Modern multimodality therapy results in variable clinical response ranging from cure in localized tumors to limited response in aggressive metastatic disease. Accurate clinical staging and risk assessment based on clinical, surgical, biologic and pathologic criteria are of pivotal importance in assigning prognosis and planning effective treatment approaches. Numerous studies have analyzed the presence of several clinicopathologic and biologic factors in association with the patient's prognosis and outcome. Although patient's age, tumor stage, histopathologic classification, and MYCN amplification are the most commonly validated prognostic markers, several new gene mutations have been identified in sporadic and familial neuroblastoma cases that show association with an adverse outcome. Novel molecular studies have also added data on chromosomal segmental aberrations in MYCN nonamplified tumors. In this review, we provide an updated summary of the clinical, serologic and genetic prognostic indicators in neuroblastoma including classic factors that have consistently played a role in risk stratification of patients as well as newly discovered biomarkers that may show a potential significance in patients' management.

  8. Bayesian Framework Approach for Prognostic Studies in Electrolytic Capacitor under Thermal Overstress Conditions

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2012-09-01

    make end of life ( EOL ) and remaining useful life (RUL) estimations. Model-based prognostics approaches perform these tasks with the help of first...in parameters Degradation Modeling Parameter estimation Prediction Thermal / Electrical Stress Experimental Data State Space model RUL EOL ...distribution at given single time point kP , and use this for multi-step predictions to EOL . There are several methods which exits for selecting the sigma

  9. Prognostic pathologic factors in radical cystectomy after neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

    PubMed

    Brimo, Fadi; Downes, Michelle R; Jamaspishvili, Tamara; Berman, David; Barkan, Guliz A; Athanazio, Daniel; Abro, Schuharazad; Visram, Kash; Yilmaz, Asli; Solanki, Shraddha; Hahn, Elan; Siemens, Robert; Kassouf, Wassim; Trpkov, Kiril

    2018-05-18

    We undertook a systematic evaluation of the prognostic value of numerous histologic factors in 165 radical cystectomies (RC) of patients with invasive urothelial carcinoma who underwent surgery after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC). Tumor regression grade (TRG) and therapy-related stromal and epithelial changes were also recorded. Locally advanced disease (≥pT2 and/or pN+) was present in 64% of patients, 22% had no evidence of residual carcinoma (pT0+pN0) and 28% had no evidence of residual muscle invasive carcinoma (≤pT1+N0). TRG 1, 2, and 3 were found in 32%, 15%, and 50% of patients, respectively. Histologic variants of UC were reported in 25% of cases. The most common therapy-related stromal change was fibroblastic reaction (78%) and the most common epithelial change in residual UC was smudgy and poorly preserved chromatin (28%). Prominent stromal and epithelial changes were noted in 41% and 5% of RC, respectively. Progression was found in 45% of patients and cancer-related deaths occurred in 30%. Multivariate analysis showed that the only independent prognostic parameters for progression were T stage, N stage, lymphovascular invasion, and the margin status. Similarly, only T stage, N stage, and the margin status correlated with cancer-related deaths. Neither TRG, nor any of the stromal or epithelial-related variables correlated with outcome. We confirm that the traditional and routinely-reported histologic parameters in RC post-NAC remain the most powerful prognosticators of disease course. The significance of TRG in the bladder remains unconfirmed. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

  10. A Distributed Approach to System-Level Prognostics

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Daigle, Matthew J.; Bregon, Anibal; Roychoudhury, Indranil

    2012-01-01

    Prognostics, which deals with predicting remaining useful life of components, subsystems, and systems, is a key technology for systems health management that leads to improved safety and reliability with reduced costs. The prognostics problem is often approached from a component-centric view. However, in most cases, it is not specifically component lifetimes that are important, but, rather, the lifetimes of the systems in which these components reside. The system-level prognostics problem can be quite difficult due to the increased scale and scope of the prognostics problem and the relative Jack of scalability and efficiency of typical prognostics approaches. In order to address these is ues, we develop a distributed solution to the system-level prognostics problem, based on the concept of structural model decomposition. The system model is decomposed into independent submodels. Independent local prognostics subproblems are then formed based on these local submodels, resul ting in a scalable, efficient, and flexible distributed approach to the system-level prognostics problem. We provide a formulation of the system-level prognostics problem and demonstrate the approach on a four-wheeled rover simulation testbed. The results show that the system-level prognostics problem can be accurately and efficiently solved in a distributed fashion.

  11. Prognostic value of platelet-derived growth factor-A (PDGF-A) in gastric carcinoma.

    PubMed Central

    Katano, M; Nakamura, M; Fujimoto, K; Miyazaki, K; Morisaki, T

    1998-01-01

    OBJECTIVE: Because our previous study indicated that PDGF-A mRNA expression in biopsy specimens might identify a subgroup of high-risk patients with gastric carcinoma, in this study we analyzed the prognostic value of platelet-derived growth factor-A (PDGF-A) gene expression in gastric carcinoma biopsy specimens. METHODS: Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used to analyze the PDGF-A gene expression in 65 gastric carcinoma endoscopic biopsy specimens. The 65 patients were divided into a PDGF-A-positive group (29 patients) and a PDGF-A-negative group (36 patients). RESULTS: On the basis of 2-year follow-up data, the PDGF-A-positive group demonstrated a shorter overall survival rate compared with the PDGF-A-negative group (p < 0.0001). A similar correlation was found in 34 advanced-stage patients (p = 0.003) and in 24 advanced-stage patients who underwent a curative resection (p = 0.003). Multivariance analysis indicated that the transcription of PDGF-A gene is a potent prognostic factor that is independent of the traditional pathologic parameters. CONCLUSIONS: Expression of PDGF-A mRNA in gastric biopsy specimens may be a new preoperative prognostic parameter in gastric carcinoma. Images Figure 1. Figure 5. PMID:9527059

  12. Prognostic significance of SRSF2 mutations in myelodysplastic syndromes and chronic myelomonocytic leukemia: a meta-analysis.

    PubMed

    Arbab Jafari, Pourya; Ayatollahi, Hossein; Sadeghi, Ramin; Sheikhi, Maryam; Asghari, Amir

    2018-05-14

    Serine/arginine-rich splicing factor 2 (SRSF2) mutations were detected frequently in myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML) patients. However, its prognostic value has not yet been fully clarified. In this meta-analysis, Hazard Ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for overall-survival (OS) were chosen to evaluate the prognostic impact of SRSF2 mutations and to compare SRSF2 mutations to those with wild-type. A total of 2056 patients from 12 studies were obtained. The pooled HRs for OSsuggested that patients with MDS had a poorer prognosis (HR = 1.780, 95% CI (1.410-2.249)), while analysis on SRSF2 mutations revealed no significant effect on the prognosis of CMML patients (HR = 1.091, 95% CI (0.925-1.286)). The frequency of SRSF2 mutations was found to be 11.5% and 39.8% in patients with MDS and CMML, respectively. This meta-analysis suggests that SRSF2 has a poor prognosis in patients with MDS, but no prognosis impact on patients with CMML. In conclusion, SRSF2 mutations were significantly related to the shorter OS in patients with MDS which may consider as an adverse prognostic risk factor. Whereas, analysis did not show any prognostic effect on OS of CMML patients with SRSF2 mutations.

  13. Generic Software Architecture for Prognostics (GSAP) User Guide

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Teubert, Christopher Allen; Daigle, Matthew John; Watkins, Jason; Sankararaman, Shankar; Goebel, Kai

    2016-01-01

    The Generic Software Architecture for Prognostics (GSAP) is a framework for applying prognostics. It makes applying prognostics easier by implementing many of the common elements across prognostic applications. The standard interface enables reuse of prognostic algorithms and models across systems using the GSAP framework.

  14. Distilling the Verification Process for Prognostics Algorithms

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Roychoudhury, Indranil; Saxena, Abhinav; Celaya, Jose R.; Goebel, Kai

    2013-01-01

    The goal of prognostics and health management (PHM) systems is to ensure system safety, and reduce downtime and maintenance costs. It is important that a PHM system is verified and validated before it can be successfully deployed. Prognostics algorithms are integral parts of PHM systems. This paper investigates a systematic process of verification of such prognostics algorithms. To this end, first, this paper distinguishes between technology maturation and product development. Then, the paper describes the verification process for a prognostics algorithm as it moves up to higher maturity levels. This process is shown to be an iterative process where verification activities are interleaved with validation activities at each maturation level. In this work, we adopt the concept of technology readiness levels (TRLs) to represent the different maturity levels of a prognostics algorithm. It is shown that at each TRL, the verification of a prognostics algorithm depends on verifying the different components of the algorithm according to the requirements laid out by the PHM system that adopts this prognostics algorithm. Finally, using simplified examples, the systematic process for verifying a prognostics algorithm is demonstrated as the prognostics algorithm moves up TRLs.

  15. [Prognostic parameters in liver cirrhosis, varicose bleeding and sclerosing therapy. Prospective comparison of a prognostic system with the Child classification obtained by discriminant analysis].

    PubMed

    Sauerbruch, T; Ansari, H; Wotzka, R; Soehendra, N; Köpcke, W

    1988-01-08

    Prospective prognosis systems for predicting half-year death-rate after bleeding from oesophageal varices and sclerotherapy were tested on 129 patients. The receiver-operating-characteristic curves of three discriminant scores were compared with the Child-Pugh classification. It was found that the latter is still the best for prognosticating the course of the disease. A simplified discriminant score which contains as its only factors bilirubin and the Quick value does, however, give nearly as good information.

  16. Evaluating biomarkers for prognostic enrichment of clinical trials.

    PubMed

    Kerr, Kathleen F; Roth, Jeremy; Zhu, Kehao; Thiessen-Philbrook, Heather; Meisner, Allison; Wilson, Francis Perry; Coca, Steven; Parikh, Chirag R

    2017-12-01

    A potential use of biomarkers is to assist in prognostic enrichment of clinical trials, where only patients at relatively higher risk for an outcome of interest are eligible for the trial. We investigated methods for evaluating biomarkers for prognostic enrichment. We identified five key considerations when considering a biomarker and a screening threshold for prognostic enrichment: (1) clinical trial sample size, (2) calendar time to enroll the trial, (3) total patient screening costs and the total per-patient trial costs, (4) generalizability of trial results, and (5) ethical evaluation of trial eligibility criteria. Items (1)-(3) are amenable to quantitative analysis. We developed the Biomarker Prognostic Enrichment Tool for evaluating biomarkers for prognostic enrichment at varying levels of screening stringency. We demonstrate that both modestly prognostic and strongly prognostic biomarkers can improve trial metrics using Biomarker Prognostic Enrichment Tool. Biomarker Prognostic Enrichment Tool is available as a webtool at http://prognosticenrichment.com and as a package for the R statistical computing platform. In some clinical settings, even biomarkers with modest prognostic performance can be useful for prognostic enrichment. In addition to the quantitative analysis provided by Biomarker Prognostic Enrichment Tool, investigators must consider the generalizability of trial results and evaluate the ethics of trial eligibility criteria.

  17. [A prognostic model of a cholera epidemic].

    PubMed

    Boev, B V; Bondarenko, V M; Prokop'eva, N V; San Román, R T; Raygoza-Anaya, M; García de Alba, R

    1994-01-01

    A new model for the prognostication of cholera epidemic on the territory of a large city is proposed. This model reflects the characteristic feature of contacting infection by sensitive individuals due to the preservation of Vibrio cholerae in their water habitat. The mathematical model of the epidemic quantitatively reflects the processes of the spread of infection by kinetic equations describing the interaction of the streams of infected persons, the causative agents and susceptible persons. The functions and parameters of the model are linked with the distribution of individuals according to the duration of the incubation period and infectious process, as well as the period of asymptomatic carrier state. The computer realization of the model by means of IBM PC/AT made it possible to study the cholera epidemic which took place in Mexico in 1833. The verified model of the cholera epidemic was used for the prognostication of the possible spread of this infection in Guadalajara, taking into account changes in the epidemiological situation and the size of the population, as well as improvements in sanitary and hygienic conditions, in the city.

  18. Prognostic Importance of Small Prostate Size in Men Receiving Definitive Prostate Brachytherapy

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Taira, Al V.; Merrick, Gregory S., E-mail: gmerrick@urologicresearchinstitute.org; Galbreath, Robert W.

    Purpose: To assess whether small prostate size is an adverse prognostic factor in men undergoing brachytherapy in the same manner in which it seems to be for men undergoing radical prostatectomy. Methods and Materials: From April 1995 to June 2008, 2024 patients underwent brachytherapy by a single brachytherapist. Median follow-up was 7.4 years. The role of small prostate size ({<=}20 cm{sup 3}) as a prognostic factor for biochemical progression-free survival, cause-specific survival, and all-cause mortality was investigated. The differences in survival between men with small and larger prostates were compared using Kaplan-Meier curves and log-rank tests. Results: Median prostate sizemore » for the entire cohort was 32.7 cm{sup 3}. For the 167 men with small prostates, median prostate size was 17.4 cm{sup 3}. There was no difference in biochemical progression-free survival (95.2% vs 96.2%, P=.603), cause-specific survival (97.7% vs 98.3%, P=.546), or all-cause mortality (78.0% vs 77.2%, P=.838) at 10 years for men with small prostates compared with men with larger prostates. On univariate and multivariate analysis, small prostate size was not associated with any of the primary outcome measures. Conclusion: Men with small prostates treated with brachytherapy have excellent outcomes and are at no higher risk of treatment failure than men with larger glands. High-quality implants with adequate margins seem sufficient to address the increased adverse risk factors associated with small prostate size.« less

  19. Diagnostic and prognostic value of N-terminal pro B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) in patients with chronic aortic regurgitation.

    PubMed

    Weber, Michael; Hausen, Michael; Arnold, Roman; Moellmann, Helge; Nef, Holger; Elsaesser, Albrecht; Mitrovic, Vesselin; Hamm, Christian

    2008-07-21

    BNP and its N-terminal fragment NT-proBNP have proven to be of diagnostic and prognostic value in patients with valvular aortic stenosis. Data regarding those biomarkers in patients with chronic aortic regurgitation (AR) are sparse. Thus it was the aim of the present study to evaluate the diagnostic and the long term prognostic value of NT-proBNP in patients presenting with AR. This study included 60 patients with isolated AR of varying severity (AR I mild, AR II moderate and AR III severe) and preserved left ventricular function. Patients were followed over a median period of 824 (770-921) days. NT-proBNP at baseline was related to disease severity and to functional status (161 (70-456) pg/ml in AR I, 226 (100-666) pg/ml in AR II and 1268 (522-5446) pg/ml in AR III (p=0.003)). Patients (n=6) experiencing an adverse event had higher NT-proBNP values at baseline as event free survivors (1271 (613-2992) pg/ml vs. 215 (92-534) pg/ml; p=0.034). The AUC of the ROC curve for NT-proBNP as a predictor for an adverse event was 0.76 (p<0.036) with an optimised cut-off value of 602 pg/ml. Consequently, in Kaplan-Meier analysis NT-proBNP values dichotomised at this cut-off were able to discriminate patients with an adverse outcome in the entire study group (Log rank 9.98, p=0.0016) and even better in the conservative group (Log rank 26.92, p<0.001). NT-proBNP is linked to disease severity in patients with chronic aortic regurgitation reflecting hemodynamic stress due to volume overload. It provides prognostic information for the clinical outcome and thus might be a useful biomarker for risk stratification.

  20. Improving the Prognostic Ability through Better Use of Standard Clinical Data - The Nottingham Prognostic Index as an Example

    PubMed Central

    Winzer, Klaus-Jürgen; Buchholz, Anika; Schumacher, Martin; Sauerbrei, Willi

    2016-01-01

    Background Prognostic factors and prognostic models play a key role in medical research and patient management. The Nottingham Prognostic Index (NPI) is a well-established prognostic classification scheme for patients with breast cancer. In a very simple way, it combines the information from tumor size, lymph node stage and tumor grade. For the resulting index cutpoints are proposed to classify it into three to six groups with different prognosis. As not all prognostic information from the three and other standard factors is used, we will consider improvement of the prognostic ability using suitable analysis approaches. Methods and Findings Reanalyzing overall survival data of 1560 patients from a clinical database by using multivariable fractional polynomials and further modern statistical methods we illustrate suitable multivariable modelling and methods to derive and assess the prognostic ability of an index. Using a REMARK type profile we summarize relevant steps of the analysis. Adding the information from hormonal receptor status and using the full information from the three NPI components, specifically concerning the number of positive lymph nodes, an extended NPI with improved prognostic ability is derived. Conclusions The prognostic ability of even one of the best established prognostic index in medicine can be improved by using suitable statistical methodology to extract the full information from standard clinical data. This extended version of the NPI can serve as a benchmark to assess the added value of new information, ranging from a new single clinical marker to a derived index from omics data. An established benchmark would also help to harmonize the statistical analyses of such studies and protect against the propagation of many false promises concerning the prognostic value of new measurements. Statistical methods used are generally available and can be used for similar analyses in other diseases. PMID:26938061

  1. New breast cancer prognostic factors identified by computer-aided image analysis of HE stained histopathology images

    PubMed Central

    Chen, Jia-Mei; Qu, Ai-Ping; Wang, Lin-Wei; Yuan, Jing-Ping; Yang, Fang; Xiang, Qing-Ming; Maskey, Ninu; Yang, Gui-Fang; Liu, Juan; Li, Yan

    2015-01-01

    Computer-aided image analysis (CAI) can help objectively quantify morphologic features of hematoxylin-eosin (HE) histopathology images and provide potentially useful prognostic information on breast cancer. We performed a CAI workflow on 1,150 HE images from 230 patients with invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) of the breast. We used a pixel-wise support vector machine classifier for tumor nests (TNs)-stroma segmentation, and a marker-controlled watershed algorithm for nuclei segmentation. 730 morphologic parameters were extracted after segmentation, and 12 parameters identified by Kaplan-Meier analysis were significantly associated with 8-year disease free survival (P < 0.05 for all). Moreover, four image features including TNs feature (HR 1.327, 95%CI [1.001 - 1.759], P = 0.049), TNs cell nuclei feature (HR 0.729, 95%CI [0.537 - 0.989], P = 0.042), TNs cell density (HR 1.625, 95%CI [1.177 - 2.244], P = 0.003), and stromal cell structure feature (HR 1.596, 95%CI [1.142 - 2.229], P = 0.006) were identified by multivariate Cox proportional hazards model to be new independent prognostic factors. The results indicated that CAI can assist the pathologist in extracting prognostic information from HE histopathology images for IDC. The TNs feature, TNs cell nuclei feature, TNs cell density, and stromal cell structure feature could be new prognostic factors. PMID:26022540

  2. The prognostic role of exercise echocardiography in heart failure.

    PubMed

    Rubiś, Paweł; Drabik, Leszek; Kopeć, Grzegorz; Olszowska, Maria; Płazak, Wojciech; Podolec, Piotr

    2011-01-01

    Gradual impairment of exercise tolerance is the commonest sign of heart failure (HF). Little is known as to which cardiac contributors of poor exercise capacity carry an independent prognostic information in HF. We investigated the prognostic role of exercise echocardiography (ex-echo) in HF patients. We studied 85 consecutive, symptomatic HF patients (66 males, mean age 62.5 ± 11.8 [range 21-83] years, mean left ventricular ejection fraction [LVEF] 27.2 ± 9.5%). The end-point was all-cause mortality. During the follow-up period (mean 43 ± 21 months) 21 patients died. Resting echocardiography and ex-echo, with the simultaneous measurement of peak oxygen uptake (VO(2peak)), was performed in each patient using a semi-supine ergometer (20 W, 2-min increments). Apart from conventional assessment of systolic and diastolic function (EF, E/A, DT, IVRT) or right ventricular systolic pressure (RVSP), tissue Doppler imaging was used for the assessment of LV and RV peak velocity (IVV) as well as acceleration during isovolumic contraction (IVA), peak velocity during ejection phase (S'), peak early diastolic velocity (E'), peak late diastolic velocity (A'), and ratio of early diastolic mitral/tricuspid velocity to peak early diastolic velocity (E/E'). Patients who died were significantly older, had lower exercise capacity, more advanced HF, greater impairment of baseline systolic function, higher baseline pulmonary artery systolic pressure, and most importantly a lack of improvement in EF, diastolic function, and further increase of RVSP during exercise. Out of all echocardiographic parameters, only peak stress EF (x(2) 6.1; p = 0.01), baseline and peak exercise RVSP (x(2) 12.5 and c(2) 18.7; p 〈 0.001; respectively), and mitral E/E' ratio (x(2) 8.9; p 〈 0.01) were univariate predictors of prognosis and remained independently prognostic when adjusted for age and sex but were eliminated from the model by NT-proBNP. During exercise, more severe systolic and diastolic

  3. Prognostic value of bone marrow involvement by clonal immunoglobulin gene rearrangements in follicular lymphoma

    PubMed Central

    Berget, Ellen; Helgeland, Lars; Liseth, Knut; Løkeland, Turid; Molven, Anders; Vintermyr, Olav Karsten

    2014-01-01

    Aims We aimed to evaluate the prognostic value of routine use of PCR amplification of immunoglobulin gene rearrangements in bone marrow (BM) staging in patients with follicular lymphoma (FL). Methods Clonal rearrangements were assessed by immunoglobulin heavy and light-chain gene rearrangement analysis in BM aspirates from 96 patients diagnosed with FL and related to morphological detection of BM involvement in biopsies. In 71 patients, results were also compared with concurrent flow cytometry analysis. Results BM involvement was detected by PCR in 34.4% (33/96) of patients. The presence of clonal rearrangements by PCR was associated with advanced clinical stage (I–III vs IV; p<0.001), high FL International Prognostic Index (FLIPI) score (0–1, 2 vs ≥3; p=0.003), and detection of BM involvement by morphology and flow cytometry analysis (p<0.001 for both). PCR-positive patients had a significantly poorer survival than PCR-negative patients (p=0.001, log-rank test). Thirteen patients positive by PCR but without morphologically detectable BM involvement, had significantly poorer survival than patients with negative morphology and negative PCR result (p=0.002). The poor survival associated with BM involvement by PCR was independent of the FLIPI score (p=0.007, Cox regression). BM involvement by morphology or flow cytometry did not show a significant impact on survival. Conclusions Our results showed that routine use of PCR-based clonality analysis significantly improved the prognostic impact of BM staging in patients with FL. BM involvement by PCR was also an independent adverse prognostic factor. PMID:25233852

  4. The Glasgow Prognostic Score as a significant predictor of diffuse large B cell lymphoma treated with R-CHOP in China.

    PubMed

    Li, Xiaoyang; Zhang, Yunxiang; Zhao, Weili; Liu, Zhao; Shen, Yang; Li, Junmin; Shen, Zhixiang

    2015-01-01

    The Glasgow Prognostic Score (GPS) incorporates C-reactive protein and albumin as clinically useful markers of tumor behavior and shows significant prognostic value in several types of solid tumors. The accuracy of the GPS in predicting outcomes in diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) remains unknown. We performed this study to evaluate the prognostic significance of the GPS in DLBCL in China. We retrospectively analyzed 160 patients with newly diagnosed DLBCL at the Shanghai Ruijin Hospital (China). The prognostic value of the GPS was evaluated and compared with that of the International Prognostic Index (IPI) and immunohistochemical subtyping. The GPS was defined as follows: GPS-0, C-reactive protein (CRP) ≤10 mg/L and albumin ≥35 g/L; GPS-1, CRP >10 mg/L or albumin <35 g/L; and GPS-2, CRP >10 mg/L and albumin <35 g/L. Patients with lower GPS tended to have better outcomes including progression-free survival (PFS, P < 0.001) and overall survival (OS, P < 0.001). Multivariate analysis demonstrated that high GPS and high IPI score were independent adverse predictors of OS. Similar to several other tumors, GPS is a reliable predictor of survival outcomes in DLBCL patients treated with R-CHOP therapy. Inflammatory responses are implicated in the progression and survival of patients with DLBCL.

  5. Prognostic Value of the Apparent Diffusion Coefficient in Newborns with Hypoxic-Ischaemic Encephalopathy Treated with Therapeutic Hypothermia.

    PubMed

    Heursen, Eva-Marie; Zuazo Ojeda, Amaya; Benavente Fernández, Isabel; Jimenez Gómez, Gema; Campuzano Fernández-Colima, Rosalía; Paz-Expósito, José; Lubián López, Simón Pedro

    2017-01-01

    Apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) quantification has been proven to be of prognostic value in term newborns with hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy (HIE) who were treated under normothermia. To evaluate the prognostic value of ADC in standardized brain regions in neonates with HIE who were treated with therapeutic hypothermia (TH). This prospective cohort study included 54 term newborns who were admitted with HIE and treated with TH. All magnetic resonance imaging examinations were performed between days 4 and 6 of life, and ADC values were measured in 13 standardized regions of the brain. At 2 years of age we explored whether ADC values were related to composite outcomes (death or survival with abnormal neurodevelopment). The severity of HIE is inversely related to ADC values in different brain regions. We found that lower ADC values in the posterior limb of the internal capsule (PLIC), the thalami, the semioval centre, and frontal and parietal white matter were related to adverse outcomes. ADC values in the PLIC and thalami are good predictors of adverse outcomes (AUC 0.86 and 0.76). Low ADC values in the PLIC, thalamus, semioval centre, and frontal and parietal white matter in full-term infants with HIE treated with TH were associated with a poor outcome. © 2017 S. Karger AG, Basel.

  6. Model-Based Prognostics of Hybrid Systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Daigle, Matthew; Roychoudhury, Indranil; Bregon, Anibal

    2015-01-01

    Model-based prognostics has become a popular approach to solving the prognostics problem. However, almost all work has focused on prognostics of systems with continuous dynamics. In this paper, we extend the model-based prognostics framework to hybrid systems models that combine both continuous and discrete dynamics. In general, most systems are hybrid in nature, including those that combine physical processes with software. We generalize the model-based prognostics formulation to hybrid systems, and describe the challenges involved. We present a general approach for modeling hybrid systems, and overview methods for solving estimation and prediction in hybrid systems. As a case study, we consider the problem of conflict (i.e., loss of separation) prediction in the National Airspace System, in which the aircraft models are hybrid dynamical systems.

  7. A Physics-Based Modeling Framework for Prognostic Studies

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kulkarni, Chetan S.

    2014-01-01

    Prognostics and Health Management (PHM) methodologies have emerged as one of the key enablers for achieving efficient system level maintenance as part of a busy operations schedule, and lowering overall life cycle costs. PHM is also emerging as a high-priority issue in critical applications, where the focus is on conducting fundamental research in the field of integrated systems health management. The term diagnostics relates to the ability to detect and isolate faults or failures in a system. Prognostics on the other hand is the process of predicting health condition and remaining useful life based on current state, previous conditions and future operating conditions. PHM methods combine sensing, data collection, interpretation of environmental, operational, and performance related parameters to indicate systems health under its actual application conditions. The development of prognostics methodologies for the electronics field has become more important as more electrical systems are being used to replace traditional systems in several applications in the aeronautics, maritime, and automotive fields. The development of prognostics methods for electronics presents several challenges due to the great variety of components used in a system, a continuous development of new electronics technologies, and a general lack of understanding of how electronics fail. Similarly with electric unmanned aerial vehicles, electrichybrid cars, and commercial passenger aircraft, we are witnessing a drastic increase in the usage of batteries to power vehicles. However, for battery-powered vehicles to operate at maximum efficiency and reliability, it becomes crucial to both monitor battery health and performance and to predict end of discharge (EOD) and end of useful life (EOL) events. We develop an electrochemistry-based model of Li-ion batteries that capture the significant electrochemical processes, are computationally efficient, capture the effects of aging, and are of suitable

  8. Prospective Cohort Study Evaluating the Prognostic Value of Simple EEG Parameters in Postanoxic Coma.

    PubMed

    Azabou, Eric; Fischer, Catherine; Mauguiere, François; Vaugier, Isabelle; Annane, Djillali; Sharshar, Tarek; Lofaso, Fréderic

    2016-01-01

    We prospectively studied early bedside standard EEG characteristics in 61 acute postanoxic coma patients. Five simple EEG features, namely, isoelectric, discontinuous, nonreactive to intense auditory and nociceptive stimuli, dominant delta frequency, and occurrence of paroxysms were classified yes or no. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of each of these variables for predicting an unfavorable outcome, defined as death, persistent vegetative state, minimally conscious state, or severe neurological disability, as assessed 1 year after coma onset were computed as well as Synek's score. The outcome was unfavorable in 56 (91.8%) patients. Sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV, and AUC of nonreactive EEG for predicting an unfavorable outcome were 84%, 80%, 98%, 31%, and 0.82, respectively; and were all very close to the ones of Synek score>3, which were 82%, 80%, 98%, 29%, and 0.81, respectively. Specificities for predicting an unfavorable outcome were 100% for isoelectric, discontinuous, or dominant delta activity EEG. These 3 last features were constantly associated to unfavorable outcome. Absent EEG reactivity strongly predicted an unfavorable outcome in postanoxic coma, and performed as accurate as a Synek score>3. Analyzing characteristics of some simple EEG features may easily help nonneurophysiologist physicians to investigate prognostic issue of postanoxic coma patient. In this study (a) discontinuous, isoelectric, or delta-dominant EEG were constantly associated with unfavorable outcome and (b) nonreactive EEG performed prognostic as accurate as a Synek score>3. © EEG and Clinical Neuroscience Society (ECNS) 2015.

  9. Distributed Prognostic Health Management with Gaussian Process Regression

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Saha, Sankalita; Saha, Bhaskar; Saxena, Abhinav; Goebel, Kai Frank

    2010-01-01

    Distributed prognostics architecture design is an enabling step for efficient implementation of health management systems. A major challenge encountered in such design is formulation of optimal distributed prognostics algorithms. In this paper. we present a distributed GPR based prognostics algorithm whose target platform is a wireless sensor network. In addition to challenges encountered in a distributed implementation, a wireless network poses constraints on communication patterns, thereby making the problem more challenging. The prognostics application that was used to demonstrate our new algorithms is battery prognostics. In order to present trade-offs within different prognostic approaches, we present comparison with the distributed implementation of a particle filter based prognostics for the same battery data.

  10. Diagnostic and prognostic stratification in the emergency department using urinary biomarkers of nephron damage: a multicenter prospective cohort study.

    PubMed

    Nickolas, Thomas L; Schmidt-Ott, Kai M; Canetta, Pietro; Forster, Catherine; Singer, Eugenia; Sise, Meghan; Elger, Antje; Maarouf, Omar; Sola-Del Valle, David Antonio; O'Rourke, Matthew; Sherman, Evan; Lee, Peter; Geara, Abdallah; Imus, Philip; Guddati, Achuta; Polland, Allison; Rahman, Wasiq; Elitok, Saban; Malik, Nasir; Giglio, James; El-Sayegh, Suzanne; Devarajan, Prasad; Hebbar, Sudarshan; Saggi, Subodh J; Hahn, Barry; Kettritz, Ralph; Luft, Friedrich C; Barasch, Jonathan

    2012-01-17

    This study aimed to determine the diagnostic and prognostic value of urinary biomarkers of intrinsic acute kidney injury (AKI) when patients were triaged in the emergency department. Intrinsic AKI is associated with nephron injury and results in poor clinical outcomes. Several urinary biomarkers have been proposed to detect and measure intrinsic AKI. In a multicenter prospective cohort study, 5 urinary biomarkers (urinary neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin, kidney injury molecule-1, urinary liver-type fatty acid binding protein, urinary interleukin-18, and cystatin C) were measured in 1,635 unselected emergency department patients at the time of hospital admission. We determined whether the biomarkers diagnosed intrinsic AKI and predicted adverse outcomes during hospitalization. All biomarkers were elevated in intrinsic AKI, but urinary neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin was most useful (81% specificity, 68% sensitivity at a 104-ng/ml cutoff) and predictive of the severity and duration of AKI. Intrinsic AKI was strongly associated with adverse in-hospital outcomes. Urinary neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin and urinary kidney injury molecule 1 predicted a composite outcome of dialysis initiation or death during hospitalization, and both improved the net risk classification compared with conventional assessments. These biomarkers also identified a substantial subpopulation with low serum creatinine at hospital admission, but who were at risk of adverse events. Urinary biomarkers of nephron damage enable prospective diagnostic and prognostic stratification in the emergency department. Copyright © 2012 American College of Cardiology Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  11. The Prognostic Value of Late Gadolinium-Enhanced Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Nonischemic Dilated Cardiomyopathy: A Review and Meta-Analysis.

    PubMed

    Becker, Marthe A J; Cornel, Jan H; van de Ven, Peter M; van Rossum, Albert C; Allaart, Cornelis P; Germans, Tjeerd

    2018-04-13

    This review and meta-analysis reviews the prognostic value of cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) in nonischemic dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). Late gadolinium-enhanced (LGE) CMR is a noninvasive method to determine the underlying cause of DCM and previous studies reported the prognostic value of the presence of LGE to identify patients at risk of major adverse cardiovascular events. PubMed was searched for studies describing the prognostic implication of LGE in patients with DCM for the specified endpoints cardiovascular mortality, major ventricular arrhythmic events including appropriate implantable cardioverter-defibrillator therapy, rehospitalization for heart failure, and left ventricular reverse remodeling. Data from 34 studies were included, with a total of 4,554 patients. Contrast enhancement was present in 44.8% of DCM patients. Patients with LGE had increased cardiovascular mortality (odds ratio [OR]: 3.40; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.04 to 5.67), ventricular arrhythmic events (OR: 4.52; 95% CI: 3.41 to 5.99), and rehospitalization for heart failure (OR: 2.66; 95% CI: 1.67 to 4.24) compared with those without LGE. Moreover, the absence of LGE predicted left ventricular reverse remodeling (OR: 0.15; 95% CI: 0.06 to 0.36). The presence of LGE on CMR substantially worsens prognosis for adverse cardiovascular events in DCM patients, and the absence indicates left ventricular reverse remodeling. Copyright © 2018 American College of Cardiology Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  12. Electromechanical actuators affected by multiple failures: Prognostic method based on spectral analysis techniques

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Belmonte, D.; Vedova, M. D. L. Dalla; Ferro, C.; Maggiore, P.

    2017-06-01

    The proposal of prognostic algorithms able to identify precursors of incipient failures of primary flight command electromechanical actuators (EMA) is beneficial for the anticipation of the incoming failure: an early and correct interpretation of the failure degradation pattern, in fact, can trig an early alert of the maintenance crew, who can properly schedule the servomechanism replacement. An innovative prognostic model-based approach, able to recognize the EMA progressive degradations before his anomalous behaviors become critical, is proposed: the Fault Detection and Identification (FDI) of the considered incipient failures is performed analyzing proper system operational parameters, able to put in evidence the corresponding degradation path, by means of a numerical algorithm based on spectral analysis techniques. Subsequently, these operational parameters will be correlated with the actual EMA health condition by means of failure maps created by a reference monitoring model-based algorithm. In this work, the proposed method has been tested in case of EMA affected by combined progressive failures: in particular, partial stator single phase turn to turn short-circuit and rotor static eccentricity are considered. In order to evaluate the prognostic method, a numerical test-bench has been conceived. Results show that the method exhibit adequate robustness and a high degree of confidence in the ability to early identify an eventual malfunctioning, minimizing the risk of fake alarms or unannounced failures.

  13. Reduced high-density lipoprotein cholesterol: A valuable, independent prognostic marker in peripheral arterial disease.

    PubMed

    Martinez-Aguilar, Esther; Orbe, Josune; Fernández-Montero, Alejandro; Fernández-Alonso, Sebastián; Rodríguez, Jose A; Fernández-Alonso, Leopoldo; Páramo, Jose A; Roncal, Carmen

    2017-11-01

    The prognosis of patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is characterized by an exceptionally high risk for myocardial infarction, ischemic stroke, and death; however, studies in search of new prognostic biomarkers in PAD are scarce. Even though low levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) have been associated with higher risk of cardiovascular (CV) complications and death in different atherosclerotic diseases, recent epidemiologic studies have challenged its prognostic utility. The aim of this study was to test the predictive value of HDL-C as a risk factor for ischemic events or death in symptomatic PAD patients. Clinical and demographic parameters of 254 symptomatic PAD patients were recorded. Amputation, ischemic coronary disease, cerebrovascular disease, and all-cause mortality were recorded during a mean follow-up of 2.7 years. Multivariate analyses showed that disease severity (critical limb ischemia) was significantly reduced in patients with normal HDL-C levels compared with the group with low HDL-C levels (multivariate analysis odds ratio, 0.09; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.03-0.24). A decreased risk for mortality (hazard ratio, 0.46; 95% CI, 0.21-0.99) and major adverse CV events (hazard ratio, 0.38; 95% CI, 0.16-0.86) was also found in patients with normal vs reduced levels of HDL-C in both Cox proportional hazards models and Kaplan-Meier estimates, after adjustment for confounding factors. Reduced HDL-C levels were significantly associated with higher risk for development of CV complications as well as with mortality in PAD patients. These findings highlight the usefulness of this simple test for early identification of PAD patients at high risk for development of major CV events. Copyright © 2017 Society for Vascular Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  14. Prognostic value of inflammation-based scores in patients with osteosarcoma

    PubMed Central

    Liu, Bangjian; Huang, Yujing; Sun, Yuanjue; Zhang, Jianjun; Yao, Yang; Shen, Zan; Xiang, Dongxi; He, Aina

    2016-01-01

    Systemic inflammation responses have been associated with cancer development and progression. C-reactive protein (CRP), Glasgow prognostic score (GPS), neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), lymphocyte-monocyte ratio (LMR), and neutrophil-platelet score (NPS) have been shown to be independent risk factors in various types of malignant tumors. This retrospective analysis of 162 osteosarcoma cases was performed to estimate their predictive value of survival in osteosarcoma. All statistical analyses were performed by SPSS statistical software. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was generated to set optimal thresholds; area under the curve (AUC) was used to show the discriminatory abilities of inflammation-based scores; Kaplan-Meier analysis was performed to plot the survival curve; cox regression models were employed to determine the independent prognostic factors. The optimal cut-off points of NLR, PLR, and LMR were 2.57, 123.5 and 4.73, respectively. GPS and NLR had a markedly larger AUC than CRP, PLR and LMR. High levels of CRP, GPS, NLR, PLR, and low level of LMR were significantly associated with adverse prognosis (P < 0.05). Multivariate Cox regression analyses revealed that GPS, NLR, and occurrence of metastasis were top risk factors associated with death of osteosarcoma patients. PMID:28008988

  15. Prognostic Factors and Expression of MDM2 in Patients with Primary Extremity Liposarcoma

    PubMed Central

    Júnior, Rosalvo Zósimo Bispo; de Camargo, Olavo Pires; de Oliveira, Cláudia Regina G. C. M.; Filippi, Renée Zon; Baptista, André Mathias; Caiero, Marcelo Tadeu

    2008-01-01

    OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to investigate MDM2 (murine double minute 2) protein expression and evaluate its relationship with some anatomical and pathological aspects, aiming also to identify prognostic factors concerning local recurrence-free survival, metastasis-free survival and overall survival in patients with primary liposarcomas of the extremities. MATERIALS AND METHODS Of 50 patients with primary liposarcomas of the extremities admitted to a Reference Service, between 1968 and 2004, 25 were enrolled in the study, following eligibility and exclusion criteria. RESULTS The adverse factors that influenced the risk for local recurrence in the univariant analysis included male sex (P = 0.023), pleomorphic histological subtype (P = 0.027), and high histological grade (P = 0.007). Concerning metastasis-free survival, age less than 50 years (P = 0.040), male sex (P = 0.040), pleomorphic subtype (P < 0.001), and high histological grade (P = 0.003) had a worse prognosis. Adverse factors for overall survival were age under 50 years (P = 0.040), male sex (P = 0.040), pleomorphic subtype (P < 0.001), and high histological grade (P = 0.003). CONCLUSIONS There was no correlation between immunohistochemically observed MDM2 protein expressions and the anatomical and pathological variables studied. The immunohistochemical expression of MDM2 protein was not considered to have a prognostic value for any of the surviving patients in this study (local recurrence-free survival, metastasis-free survival, or overall survival). The immunoexpression of MDM2 protein was a frequent event in the different subtypes of liposarcomas. PMID:18438568

  16. Multivariate meta-analysis of prognostic factor studies with multiple cut-points and/or methods of measurement.

    PubMed

    Riley, Richard D; Elia, Eleni G; Malin, Gemma; Hemming, Karla; Price, Malcolm P

    2015-07-30

    A prognostic factor is any measure that is associated with the risk of future health outcomes in those with existing disease. Often, the prognostic ability of a factor is evaluated in multiple studies. However, meta-analysis is difficult because primary studies often use different methods of measurement and/or different cut-points to dichotomise continuous factors into 'high' and 'low' groups; selective reporting is also common. We illustrate how multivariate random effects meta-analysis models can accommodate multiple prognostic effect estimates from the same study, relating to multiple cut-points and/or methods of measurement. The models account for within-study and between-study correlations, which utilises more information and reduces the impact of unreported cut-points and/or measurement methods in some studies. The applicability of the approach is improved with individual participant data and by assuming a functional relationship between prognostic effect and cut-point to reduce the number of unknown parameters. The models provide important inferential results for each cut-point and method of measurement, including the summary prognostic effect, the between-study variance and a 95% prediction interval for the prognostic effect in new populations. Two applications are presented. The first reveals that, in a multivariate meta-analysis using published results, the Apgar score is prognostic of neonatal mortality but effect sizes are smaller at most cut-points than previously thought. In the second, a multivariate meta-analysis of two methods of measurement provides weak evidence that microvessel density is prognostic of mortality in lung cancer, even when individual participant data are available so that a continuous prognostic trend is examined (rather than cut-points). © 2015 The Authors. Statistics in Medicine Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  17. Human papillomavirus reduces the prognostic value of nodal involvement in tonsillar squamous cell carcinomas.

    PubMed

    Straetmans, Jos M J A A; Olthof, Nadine; Mooren, Jeroen J; de Jong, Jos; Speel, Ernst-Jan M; Kremer, Bernd

    2009-10-01

    Assessment of the prognostic value of nodal status in relation to human papillomavirus (HPV) status and the various treatment modalities in tonsillar squamous cell carcinomas (TSCC). Retrospective 5-year survival analysis. A 5-year follow-up of disease-free, disease-specific, and overall survival in a group of 81 patients with TSCC was conducted. The nodal status and integration of HPV-DNA in the genome (detected with fluorescence in situ hybridization) as prognostic indicators were examined while correcting for other clinical parameters (smoking habits, alcohol consumption, treatment modality, differentiation, TNM classification). Of TSCCs, 41% were positive for HPV type 16. In these TSCCs, the primary tumor was significantly smaller when compared to HVP-negative TSCCs (P = .04), whereas the percentage of cases with cervical metastases was identical. In the total population, it was not nodal involvement, but rather HPV manifestation, which was related to patient prognosis. Within the treatment modalities (surgery combined with radiotherapy and radiotherapy alone), neither nodal status nor HPV were prognostic indicators. Since a substantial percentage of TSCCs are HPV-positive and metastasizes to cervical lymph nodes in less advanced primary tumors, the N status is an unreliable prognostic indicator in TSCCs. HPV is only prognostically relevant in the total tumor population, but loses its value within patient groups receiving a single treatment modality. The value of HPV for prognosis of patients with TSCC requires further study.

  18. [Expression of BAG3 Gene in Acute Myeloid Leukemia and Its Prognostic Value].

    PubMed

    Zhu, Hua-Yuan; Fu, Yuan; Wu, Wei; Xu, Jia-Dai; Chen, Ting-Mei; Qiao, Chun; Li, Jian-Yong; Liu, Peng

    2015-08-01

    To investigate the expression of BAG3 gene in acue myeloid leukemia (AML) and its prognostic value. Real-time quantitative RT-PCR was used to detect the expression of BAG3 mRNA in 88 previously untreated AML patients. The corelation of BAG3 expression level with clinical characteristics and known prognostic markers of AML was analyzed. In 88 patients with AML, the expression of BAG3 mRNA in NPMI mutated AML patients was obviously lower than that in NPMI unmutated patients (P = 0.018). The expression level of BAG3 mRNA did not related to clinical parameters, such as age, sex, FAB subtype, WBC count, extra-modullary presentation, and to prognostic factors including cytogenetics, FLT3-ITD, c-kit and CEBPα mutation status (P > 0.05). The expression level of BAG3 had no obvious effect on complete remission (CR) of patients in first treatment. The expression level of BAG3 in non-M3 patients was higher than that in relapsed patients (P = 0.036). The expression level of BAG3 had no effect on overall survival (OS) of patients. The expression level of BAG3 does not correlated with known-prognostic markers of AML, only the expression level of BAG3 in NPM1 mutated patients is lower than that in NPM1 unmutated patients. The expression level of BAG3 has no effect on OS of AML patients, the BAG3 can not be difined as a prognostic marker in AML.

  19. Prognostic Significance of Pre-treatment Serum C-Reactive Protein Level in Patients with Adenocarcinoma of the Uterine Cervix.

    PubMed

    Bodner-Adler, Barbara; Kimberger, Oliver; Schneidinger, Cora; Kölbl, Heinz; Bodner, Klaus

    2016-09-01

    To evaluate pre-treatment serum C-reactive protein (CRP) level as a prognostic parameter in patients with adenocarcinoma of the uterine cervix. Pre-treatment CRP levels were analyzed to determine potential associations with clinicopathological parameters and to assess prognostic value in 46 patients with sole adenocarcinoma of the uterine cervix. The mean (±SD) pre-treatment serum CRP level was 5.82 (7.21) mg/l. Serum CRP concentration significantly correlated positively with age at diagnosis (p=0.001), lymphovascular space invasion (p=0.0026), recurrent disease (p=0.0001) and International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage (p=0.0002). In multivariate Cox regression models with age, FIGO stage, histological grade and lymph node status, elevated CRP and cancer antigen 125 levels were associated with shortened survival (p<0.05). Overall 5-year survival rate of patients with pre-treatment serum CRP level <5.0 mg/l was 100% compared to 46.9% for patients with pre-treatment CRP level ≥5.0 mg/l. Serum CRP level can be seen as an additional independent prognostic parameter in patients with the rare histological subtype adenocarcinoma of the uterine cervix. Copyright© 2016 International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. John G. Delinassios), All rights reserved.

  20. Prognostic significance of ZNF217 expression in gastric carcinoma.

    PubMed

    Shida, Atsuo; Fujioka, Shuichi; Kurihara, Hideaki; Ishibashi, Yoshio; Mitsumori, Norio; Omura, Nobuo; Yanaga, Katsuhiko

    2014-09-01

    The zinc finger protein ZNF217 is a candidate oncogene in breast cancer and ovarian clear cell cancer. The purpose of the present study was to clarify the significance of this protein's expression in gastric carcinoma and to evaluate the outcome of these patients. Using paraffin-embedded specimens from 84 patients with gastric cancer, ZNF217 protein was detected using an anti-ZNF217 goat polyclonal antibody. We evaluated the ZNF217 protein expression in relation to patient outcome and clinicopathological parameters. The ZNF217 protein was expressed in 34 (40.5%) tumor sections. Patients with ZNF217-negative tumors had better relapse-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) than those with ZNF217-positive tumors by the log-rank test. Notably, multivariate analysis indicated that ZNF217 was an independent prognostic factor for RFS. ZNF217 expression seems to be a novel prognostic biomarker in gastric cancer. Copyright© 2014 International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. John G. Delinassios), All rights reserved.

  1. Prognostic value of contrast-enhanced MR mammography in patients with breast cancer.

    PubMed

    Fischer, U; Kopka, L; Brinck, U; Korabiowska, M; Schauer, A; Grabbe, E

    1997-01-01

    The objective of this study was to evaluate the prognostic value of contrast-enhanced MR mammography in patients with breast cancer. A total of 190 patients with breast cancer (37 noninvasive carcinomas, 153 invasive carcinomas) underwent dynamic contrast-enhanced MR mammography preoperatively. Using 1.5-T unit, T1-weighted sequences (2D FLASH) were obtained repeatedly one time before and five times after IV administration of 0.1 mmol gadopentetate-dimeglumine per kilogram body weight. The findings on MR imaging were correlated with histopathologically defined prognostic factors (histological type, tumor size, tumor grading, metastasis in lymph nodes). In addition, immunohistochemically defined prognostic factors (c-erbB-1, c-erbB-2, p53, Ki-67) were correlated with the signal increase on MR mammogram in 40 patients. There was no significant correlation between the findings on MR mammography and the histopathological type of carcinoma, the grading, and the lymphonodular status. Noninvasive carcinomas showed a higher rate of moderate (38 %) or low (27 %) enhancement on MR imaging than invasive carcinomas (6 and 3 %). The results on MR mammography and the results of immunohistochemical stainings did not correlate significantly. Noninvasive carcinomas showed significantly lower enhancement than invasive carcinomas. However, the signal behavior of contrast-enhanced MR mammography is not related to established histopathological prognostic parameters as subtyping, grading, nodal status, and the expression of certain oncogenes/tumor suppressor genes.

  2. State of the art and taxonomy of prognostics approaches, trends of prognostics applications and open issues towards maturity at different technology readiness levels

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Javed, Kamran; Gouriveau, Rafael; Zerhouni, Noureddine

    2017-09-01

    Integrating prognostics to a real application requires a certain maturity level and for this reason there is a lack of success stories about development of a complete Prognostics and Health Management system. In fact, the maturity of prognostics is closely linked to data and domain specific entities like modeling. Basically, prognostics task aims at predicting the degradation of engineering assets. However, practically it is not possible to precisely predict the impending failure, which requires a thorough understanding to encounter different sources of uncertainty that affect prognostics. Therefore, different aspects crucial to the prognostics framework, i.e., from monitoring data to remaining useful life of equipment need to be addressed. To this aim, the paper contributes to state of the art and taxonomy of prognostics approaches and their application perspectives. In addition, factors for prognostics approach selection are identified, and new case studies from component-system level are discussed. Moreover, open challenges toward maturity of the prognostics under uncertainty are highlighted and scheme for an efficient prognostics approach is presented. Finally, the existing challenges for verification and validation of prognostics at different technology readiness levels are discussed with respect to open challenges.

  3. On Applying the Prognostic Performance Metrics

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Saxena, Abhinav; Celaya, Jose; Saha, Bhaskar; Saha, Sankalita; Goebel, Kai

    2009-01-01

    Prognostics performance evaluation has gained significant attention in the past few years. As prognostics technology matures and more sophisticated methods for prognostic uncertainty management are developed, a standardized methodology for performance evaluation becomes extremely important to guide improvement efforts in a constructive manner. This paper is in continuation of previous efforts where several new evaluation metrics tailored for prognostics were introduced and were shown to effectively evaluate various algorithms as compared to other conventional metrics. Specifically, this paper presents a detailed discussion on how these metrics should be interpreted and used. Several shortcomings identified, while applying these metrics to a variety of real applications, are also summarized along with discussions that attempt to alleviate these problems. Further, these metrics have been enhanced to include the capability of incorporating probability distribution information from prognostic algorithms as opposed to evaluation based on point estimates only. Several methods have been suggested and guidelines have been provided to help choose one method over another based on probability distribution characteristics. These approaches also offer a convenient and intuitive visualization of algorithm performance with respect to some of these new metrics like prognostic horizon and alpha-lambda performance, and also quantify the corresponding performance while incorporating the uncertainty information.

  4. Visit-to-visit blood pressure variability as a prognostic marker in patients with cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases--relationships and comparisons with vascular markers of atherosclerosis.

    PubMed

    Lau, Kui Kai; Wong, Yuen Kwun; Chan, Yap Hang; Teo, Kay Cheong; Chan, Koon Ho; Wai Li, Leonard Sheung; Cheung, Raymond Tak Fai; Siu, Chung Wah; Ho, Shu Leong; Tse, Hung Fat

    2014-07-01

    Visit-to-visit blood pressure variability (BPV) is a simple surrogate marker for the development of atherosclerotic diseases, cardiovascular and all-cause mortality. Nevertheless, the relative prognostic value of BPV in comparison with other established vascular assessments remain uncertain. We prospectively followed-up 656 high-risk patients with diabetes or established cardiovascular or cerebrovascular diseases for the occurrence of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs). Baseline brachial endothelial function, carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) and plaque burden, ankle-brachial index and arterial stiffness were determined. Visit-to-visit BPV were recorded during a mean 18 ± 9 outpatient clinic visits. After a mean 81 ± 12 month's follow-up, 123 patients (19%) developed MACEs. Patients who developed a MACE had significantly higher systolic BPV, more severe endothelial function, arterial stiffness and systemic atherosclerotic burden compared to patients who did not develop a MACE (all P<0.01). BPV significantly correlated with all of the vascular assessments (P<0.01). A high carotid IMT had the greatest prognostic value in predicting development of a MACE (area under receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) 0.69 ± 0.03, P<0.01). A high BPV also had moderate prognostic value in prediction of MACE (AUC 0.65 ± 0.03, P<0.01). After adjustment of confounding factors, a high BPV remained a significant independent predictor of MACE (hazards ratio 1.67, 95% confidence interval 1.14-2.43, P<0.01). Compared with established surrogate markers of atherosclerosis, visit-to-visit BPV provides similar prognostic information and may represent a new and simple marker for adverse outcomes in patients with vascular diseases. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. Intrinsic Molecular Subtypes of Glioma Are Prognostic and Predict Benefit From Adjuvant Procarbazine, Lomustine, and Vincristine Chemotherapy in Combination With Other Prognostic Factors in Anaplastic Oligodendroglial Brain Tumors: A Report From EORTC Study 26951

    PubMed Central

    Erdem-Eraslan, Lale; Gravendeel, Lonneke A.; de Rooi, Johan; Eilers, Paul H.C.; Idbaih, Ahmed; Spliet, Wim G.M.; den Dunnen, Wilfred F.A.; Teepen, Johannes L.; Wesseling, Pieter; Sillevis Smitt, Peter A.E.; Kros, Johan M.; Gorlia, Thierry; van den Bent, Martin J.; French, Pim J.

    2013-01-01

    Purpose Intrinsic glioma subtypes (IGSs) are molecularly similar tumors that can be identified based on unsupervised gene expression analysis. Here, we have evaluated the clinical relevance of these subtypes within European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) 26951, a randomized phase III clinical trial investigating adjuvant procarbazine, lomustine, and vincristine (PCV) chemotherapy in anaplastic oligodendroglial tumors. Our study includes gene expression profiles of formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) clinical trial samples. Patients and Methods Gene expression profiling was performed in 140 samples, 47 fresh frozen samples and 93 FFPE samples, on HU133_Plus_2.0 and HuEx_1.0_st arrays, respectively. Results All previously identified six IGSs are present in EORTC 26951. This confirms that different molecular subtypes are present within a well-defined histologic subtype. Intrinsic subtypes are highly prognostic for overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS). They are prognostic for PFS independent of clinical (age, performance status, and tumor location), molecular (1p/19q loss of heterozygosity [LOH], IDH1 mutation, and MGMT methylation), and histologic parameters. Combining known molecular (1p/19q LOH, IDH1) prognostic parameters with intrinsic subtypes improves outcome prediction (proportion of explained variation, 30% v 23% for each individual group of factors). Specific genetic changes (IDH1, 1p/19q LOH, and EGFR amplification) segregate into different subtypes. We identified one subtype, IGS-9 (characterized by a high percentage of 1p/19q LOH and IDH1 mutations), that especially benefits from PCV chemotherapy. Median OS in this subtype was 5.5 years after radiotherapy (RT) alone versus 12.8 years after RT/PCV (P = .0349; hazard ratio, 2.18; 95% CI, 1.06 to 4.50). Conclusion Intrinsic subtypes are highly prognostic in EORTC 26951 and improve outcome prediction when combined with other prognostic factors. Tumors

  6. The prognostic reliability of intracranial pressure monitoring and MRI data in severe traumatic brain injury.

    PubMed

    Woischneck, Dieter; Kapapa, Thomas

    2017-02-01

    The predictive quality of intracranial pressure (ICP) monitoring has for many years been a matter of debate. We correlate ICP data comparing MRI data with the outcome after severe traumatic brain injury to evaluate their prognostic potency. This study compares the results of ICP monitoring, MRI, coma duration and outcome according to Glasgow Outcome Scale obtained in 32 patients having suffered severe TBI. Level of significance was set to p≤0.05 in statistical tests. The MRI results were closely correlated with coma duration and Glasgow Outcome Scale, but the ICP measurements were not. With the exception of severe, bipontine lesions, there is no other region of the brain in which increased evidence of traumatogenic lesions emerges as the intracranial pressure rises. Just bipontine lesions that proof to be infaust correlate with elevated ICP values. ICP monitoring does not allow individual prognostic conclusions to be made. Implantation of an intracranial pressure sensor alone for making a prognostic estimate is not advisable. The use of intracranial pressure measurements in the retrospective appraisal of disease progress is highly problematic. However, MRI diagnostic in patients with severe TBI improves prognostic potency of clinical parameters. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  7. Circulating FABP4 is a prognostic biomarker in patients with acute coronary syndrome but not in asymptomatic individuals.

    PubMed

    Reiser, Hans; Klingenberg, Roland; Hof, Danielle; Cooksley-Decasper, Seraina; Fuchs, Nina; Akhmedov, Alexander; Zoller, Stefan; Marques-Vidal, Pedro; Marti Soler, Helena; Heg, Dik; Landmesser, Ulf; Rodondi, Nicolas; Mach, Francois; Windecker, Stephan; Vollenweider, Peter; Matter, Christian M; Lüscher, Thomas F; von Eckardstein, Arnold; Gawinecka, Joanna

    2015-08-01

    Blood-borne biomarkers reflecting atherosclerotic plaque burden have great potential to improve clinical management of atherosclerotic coronary artery disease and acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Using data integration from gene expression profiling of coronary thrombi versus peripheral blood mononuclear cells and proteomic analysis of atherosclerotic plaque-derived secretomes versus healthy tissue secretomes, we identified fatty acid-binding protein 4 (FABP4) as a biomarker candidate for coronary artery disease. Its diagnostic and prognostic performance was validated in 3 different clinical settings: (1) in a cross-sectional cohort of patients with stable coronary artery disease, ACS, and healthy individuals (n=820), (2) in a nested case-control cohort of patients with ACS with 30-day follow-up (n=200), and (3) in a population-based nested case-control cohort of asymptomatic individuals with 5-year follow-up (n=414). Circulating FABP4 was marginally higher in patients with ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction (24.9 ng/mL) compared with controls (23.4 ng/mL; P=0.01). However, elevated FABP4 was associated with adverse secondary cerebrovascular or cardiovascular events during 30-day follow-up after index ACS, independent of age, sex, renal function, and body mass index (odds ratio, 1.7; 95% confidence interval, 1.1-2.5; P=0.02). Circulating FABP4 predicted adverse events with similar prognostic performance as the GRACE in-hospital risk score or N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide. Finally, no significant difference between baseline FABP4 was found in asymptomatic individuals with or without coronary events during 5-year follow-up. Circulating FABP4 may prove useful as a prognostic biomarker in risk stratification of patients with ACS. © 2015 American Heart Association, Inc.

  8. Distributed Prognostics based on Structural Model Decomposition

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Daigle, Matthew J.; Bregon, Anibal; Roychoudhury, I.

    2014-01-01

    Within systems health management, prognostics focuses on predicting the remaining useful life of a system. In the model-based prognostics paradigm, physics-based models are constructed that describe the operation of a system and how it fails. Such approaches consist of an estimation phase, in which the health state of the system is first identified, and a prediction phase, in which the health state is projected forward in time to determine the end of life. Centralized solutions to these problems are often computationally expensive, do not scale well as the size of the system grows, and introduce a single point of failure. In this paper, we propose a novel distributed model-based prognostics scheme that formally describes how to decompose both the estimation and prediction problems into independent local subproblems whose solutions may be easily composed into a global solution. The decomposition of the prognostics problem is achieved through structural decomposition of the underlying models. The decomposition algorithm creates from the global system model a set of local submodels suitable for prognostics. Independent local estimation and prediction problems are formed based on these local submodels, resulting in a scalable distributed prognostics approach that allows the local subproblems to be solved in parallel, thus offering increases in computational efficiency. Using a centrifugal pump as a case study, we perform a number of simulation-based experiments to demonstrate the distributed approach, compare the performance with a centralized approach, and establish its scalability. Index Terms-model-based prognostics, distributed prognostics, structural model decomposition ABBREVIATIONS

  9. Prognostic significance of DSG3 in rectal adenocarcinoma treated with preoperative chemoradiotherapy.

    PubMed

    Chao, Tung-Bo; Li, Chien-Feng; Lin, Ching-Yih; Tian, Yu-Feng; Chang, I-Wei; Sheu, Ming-Jen; Lee, Ying-En; Chan, Ti-Chun; He, Hong-Lin

    2016-06-01

    This study aimed to investigate the prognostic significance of DSG3 and its association with response to neoadjuvant concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) in rectal cancer. Data mining of a publicly available dataset was performed to find genes associated with CCRT response. Immunohistochemistry was applied to evaluate DSG3 expression. The relationships between DSG3 expression and various clinicopathological parameters and survival were analyzed. The DSG3 gene was significantly associated with CCRT response. The expression of DSG3 negatively correlated with poorer tumor regression (p < 0.001) and had an independent negative impact on disease-specific survival (p = 0.011), local recurrence-free survival (p = 0.031) and metastasis-free survival (p = 0.029). DSG3 was a key prognostic factor and predictor for CCRT response in rectal cancer patients.

  10. A dexamethasone-regulated gene signature is prognostic for poor survival in glioblastoma patients

    PubMed Central

    Luedi, Markus M.; Singh, Sanjay K.; Mosley, Jennifer C.; Hatami, Masumeh; Gumin, Joy; Sulman, Erik P.; Lang, Frederick F.; Stueber, Frank; Zinn, Pascal O.; Colen, Rivka R.

    2016-01-01

    Background Dexamethasone is reported to induce both tumor-suppressive and tumor-promoting effects. The purpose of this study was to identify the genomic impact of dexamethasone in glioblastoma stem cell (GSC) lines and its prognostic value; furthermore, to identify drugs that can counter these side effects of dexamethasone exposure. Methods We utilized three independent GSC lines with tumorigenic potential for this study. Whole-genome expression profiling and pathway analyses were done with dexamethasone-exposed and control cells. GSCs were also co-exposed to dexamethasone and temozolomide. Risk scores were calculated for most affected genes, and their associations with survival in TCGA and REMBRANDT databases. In silico connectivity Map analysis identified camptothecin as antagonist to dexamethasone induced negative effects. Results Pathway analyses predicted an activation of dexamethasone network (z-score:2.908). Top activated canonical pathways included ‘role of BRCA1 in DNA damage response’ (p=1.07E-04). GSCs were protected against temozolomide-induced apoptosis when co-incubated with dexamethasone. Altered cellular functions included cell-movement, cell-survival, and apoptosis with z-scores of 2.815, 5.137, and −3.122 respectively. CEBPB was activated in a dose dependent manner specifically in slow-dividing ‘stem-like’ cells. CEBPB was activated in dexamethasone-treated orthotopic tumors. Patients with high risk score had significantly shorter survival. Camptothecin was validated as potential partial neutralizer of dexamethasone effects. Conclusions Dexamethasone exposure induces a genetic program and CEBPB expression in GSCs that adversely affects key cellular functions and response to therapeutics. High risk scores associated with these genes have negative prognostic value. Our findings further suggest camptothecin as a potential neutralizer of adverse dexamethasone-mediated effects. PMID:27653222

  11. Tumour functional sphericity from PET images: prognostic value in NSCLC and impact of delineation method.

    PubMed

    Hatt, Mathieu; Laurent, Baptiste; Fayad, Hadi; Jaouen, Vincent; Visvikis, Dimitris; Le Rest, Catherine Cheze

    2018-04-01

    Sphericity has been proposed as a parameter for characterizing PET tumour volumes, with complementary prognostic value with respect to SUV and volume in both head and neck cancer and lung cancer. The objective of the present study was to investigate its dependency on tumour delineation and the resulting impact on its prognostic value. Five segmentation methods were considered: two thresholds (40% and 50% of SUV max ), ant colony optimization, fuzzy locally adaptive Bayesian (FLAB), and gradient-aided region-based active contour. The accuracy of each method in extracting sphericity was evaluated using a dataset of 176 simulated, phantom and clinical PET images of tumours with associated ground truth. The prognostic value of sphericity and its complementary value with respect to volume for each segmentation method was evaluated in a cohort of 87 patients with stage II/III lung cancer. Volume and associated sphericity values were dependent on the segmentation method. The correlation between segmentation accuracy and sphericity error was moderate (|ρ| from 0.24 to 0.57). The accuracy in measuring sphericity was not dependent on volume (|ρ| < 0.4). In the patients with lung cancer, sphericity had prognostic value, although lower than that of volume, except for that derived using FLAB for which when combined with volume showed a small improvement over volume alone (hazard ratio 2.67, compared with 2.5). Substantial differences in patient prognosis stratification were observed depending on the segmentation method used. Tumour functional sphericity was found to be dependent on the segmentation method, although the accuracy in retrieving the true sphericity was not dependent on tumour volume. In addition, even accurate segmentation can lead to an inaccurate sphericity value, and vice versa. Sphericity had similar or lower prognostic value than volume alone in the patients with lung cancer, except when determined using the FLAB method for which there was a small

  12. Prognostic Value of Coronary Computed Tomography Imaging in Patients at High Risk Without Symptoms of Coronary Artery Disease.

    PubMed

    Dedic, Admir; Ten Kate, Gert-Jan R; Roos, Cornelis J; Neefjes, Lisan A; de Graaf, Michiel A; Spronk, Angela; Delgado, Victoria; van Lennep, Jeanine E Roeters; Moelker, Adriaan; Ouhlous, Mohamed; Scholte, Arthur J H A; Boersma, Eric; Sijbrands, Eric J G; Nieman, Koen; Bax, Jeroen J; de Feijter, Pim J

    2016-03-01

    At present, traditional risk factors are used to guide cardiovascular management of asymptomatic subjects. Intensified surveillance may be warranted in those identified as high risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD). This study aims to determine the prognostic value of coronary computed tomography (CT) angiography (CCTA) next to the coronary artery calcium score (CACS) in patients at high CVD risk without symptoms suspect for coronary artery disease (CAD). A total of 665 patients at high risk (mean age 56 ± 9 years, 417 men), having at least one important CVD risk factor (diabetes mellitus, familial hypercholesterolemia, peripheral artery disease, or severe hypertension) or a calculated European systematic coronary risk evaluation of >10% were included from outpatient clinics at 2 academic centers. Follow-up was performed for the occurrence of adverse events including all-cause mortality, nonfatal myocardial infarction, unstable angina, or coronary revascularization. During a median follow-up of 3.0 (interquartile range 1.3 to 4.1) years, adverse events occurred in 40 subjects (6.0%). By multivariate analysis, adjusted for age, gender, and CACS, obstructive CAD on CCTA (≥50% luminal stenosis) was a significant predictor of adverse events (hazard ratio 5.9 [CI 1.3 to 26.1]). Addition of CCTA to age, gender, plus CACS, increased the C statistic from 0.81 to 0.84 and resulted in a total net reclassification index of 0.19 (p <0.01). In conclusion, CCTA has incremental prognostic value and risk reclassification benefit beyond CACS in patients without CAD symptoms but with high risk of developing CVD. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  13. A critical prognostic analysis of neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio for patients undergoing nephroureterectomy due to upper urinary tract urothelial carcinoma.

    PubMed

    Altan, Mesut; Haberal, Hakan Bahadır; Akdoğan, Bülent; Özen, Haluk

    2017-10-01

    To determine preoperative serum complete blood count parameters that affects survival of patients who underwent surgery for upper urinary tract urothelial cancer (UUT-UC). Since 1990, 150 patients underwent nephroureterectomy with bladder cuff excision for UUT-UC at Hacettepe University. Patients with a history of muscle-invasive bladder cancer, adjuvant chemotherapy or metastasis at the time of diagnosis were excluded. One hundred and thirteen patients without infective symptoms and with a full set of serum data were evaluated retrospectively. Effects of the neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), lymphocyte-monocyte ratio (LMR), platelet-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and leukocyte count on disease-free survival (DFS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were investigated. Threshold values for each parameter to predict PFS were calculated. The mean age and median follow-up were 63.7 ± 11.1 years and 34 (3-186) months, respectively. Male to female ratio was 86/27. The 5-years PFS (bladder recurrence was excluded) and DFS were 59.6 and 38.4%, respectively. In multivariate analysis, NLR was independent prognostic factor for PFS and DFS (p = 0.006 and p = 0.021, respectively) while LMR was prognostic only for PFS (p = 0.037). For UUT-UC, NLR is a prognostic factor for PFS and DFS, while LMR is a prognostic indicator for PFS in present series.

  14. Prognostic significance of surgical extranodal extension in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma patients.

    PubMed

    Matsumoto, Fumihiko; Mori, Taisuke; Matsumura, Satoko; Matsumoto, Yoshifumi; Fukasawa, Masahiko; Teshima, Masanori; Kobayashi, Kenya; Yoshimoto, Seiichi

    2017-08-01

    Lymph node metastasis with extranodal extension represents one of the most important adverse prognostic factors for survival in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. We propose that extranodal extension occurs to differing extents. The aim of this study was to determine the prognostic significance of extranodal extension in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. Two hundred and ninety-eight patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma who underwent surgical resection and neck dissection were included. Cervical lymph nodes were classified into four categories: (i) pathological N negative, (ii) extranodal extension negative, (iii) non-surgical extranodal extension and (iv) surgical extranodal extension. Lymph node metastases were detected in 67.1% of laryngeal/hypopharyngeal cancer patients and 52.7% of oral cancer patients. The 3-year disease-specific survival rates for patients in the pathological N negative, extranodal extension negative, non-surgical extranodal extension and surgical extranodal extension groups were 90.9%, 79.6%, 63.8% and 48.3%, respectively. In laryngeal/hypopharyngeal cancer patients, surgical extranodal extension was associated with a significantly poorer disease-specific survival than a pathological N negative, extranodal extension negative or non-surgical extranodal extension status. In oral cancer patients, no significant differences were observed between the non-surgical and surgical extranodal extension groups. However, non-surgical extranodal extension was associated with a poorer disease-specific survival than a pathological N negative or extranodal extension negative status. Surgical extranodal extension was a poor prognostic factor in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. The prognostic significance of surgical extranodal extension differed between laryngeal/hypopharyngeal and oral cancer patients. The clinical significance of surgical extranodal extension was much greater for

  15. Prognostic role of ABO blood type in patients with extranodal natural killer/T cell lymphoma, nasal type: a triple-center study.

    PubMed

    Li, Ya-Jun; Yi, Ping-Yong; Li, Ji-Wei; Liu, Xian-Ling; Tang, Tian; Zhang, Pei-Ying; Jiang, Wen-Qi

    2017-07-31

    The prognostic significance of ABO blood type for lymphoma is largely unknown. We evaluated the prognostic role of ABO blood type in patients with extranodal natural killer (NK)/T-cell lymphoma (ENKTL). We retrospectively analyzed clinical data of 697 patients with newly diagnosed ENKTL from three cancer centers. The prognostic value of ABO blood type was evaluated using Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox proportional hazard models. The prognostic values of the International Prognostic Index (IPI) and the Korean Prognostic Index (KPI) were also evaluated. Compared with patients with blood type O, those with blood type non-O tended to display elevated baseline serum C-reactive protein levels (P = 0.038), lower rate of complete remission (P = 0.005), shorter progression-free survival (PFS, P < 0.001), and shorter overall survival (OS, P = 0.001). Patients with blood type O/AB had longer PFS (P < 0.001) and OS (P = 0.001) compared with those with blood type A/B. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that age >60 years (P < 0.001), mass ≥5 cm (P = 0.001), stage III/IV (P < 0.001), elevated serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels (P = 0.001), and blood type non-O were independent adverse predictors of OS (P = 0.001). ABO blood type was found to be superior to both the IPI in discriminating patients with different outcomes in the IPI low-risk group and the KPI in distinguishing between the intermediate-to-low- and high-to-intermediate-risk groups. ABO blood type was an independent predictor of clinical outcome for patients with ENKTL.

  16. Fasting blood glucose is a novel prognostic indicator for extranodal natural killer/T-cell lymphoma, nasal type

    PubMed Central

    Cai, Q; Luo, X; Liang, Y; Rao, H; Fang, X; Jiang, W; Lin, T; Lin, T; Huang, H

    2013-01-01

    Background: Extranodal natural killer (NK)/T-cell lymphoma, nasal type (ENKTL) is an aggressive disease with poor prognosis, requiring risk stratification. However, the prognosis of ENKTL is not fully defined and needs supplementation. We hypothesised that fasting blood glucose (FBG) may be a new prognostic factor for ENKTL. Methods: We retrospectively analysed 130 patients newly diagnosed with ENKTL. Results: Both univariate analysis and multivariate analysis revealed that FBG >100 mg dl−1 was associated with a poor outcome. Patients with FBG >100 mg dl−1 at diagnosis had more adverse clinical features, achieved lower complete remission rates (P=0.003) and had worse overall survival (P<0.001) and progression-free survival (P<0.001) compared with low-FBG patients. Measurement of FBG was helpful in differentiating between low-risk patients using the International Prognostic Index (IPI) and Prognosis Index for peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PIT) scoring and patients in a different category using the Korean Prognostic Index (KPI) scores with different survival outcomes (P<0.05). Conclusion: Our data suggest that measuring FBG levels at diagnosis is a novel, independent predictor of prognosis in ENKTL and helps to distinguish low-risk patients with poor survival, and this holds true in patients considered low-risk by IPI, PIT and KPI. PMID:23299534

  17. HOXB2, an adverse prognostic indicator for stage I lung adenocarcinomas, promotes invasion by transcriptional regulation of metastasis-related genes in HOP-62 non-small cell lung cancer cells.

    PubMed

    Inamura, Kentaro; Togashi, Yuki; Ninomiya, Hironori; Shimoji, Takashi; Noda, Tetsuo; Ishikawa, Yuichi

    2008-01-01

    Previously, using microarray and real-time RT-PCR analysis, we established that HOXB2 is an adverse prognostic indicator for Stage I lung adenocarcinomas. HOXB2 is one of the homeobox master development-controlling genes regulating morphogenesis and cell differentiation. The molecular functions of HOXB2 were analyzed with a small interfering RNA (siRNA) approach in HOP-62 human non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells featuring high HOXB2 expression. Matrigel invasion assays and microarray gene expression analysis were compared between the HOXB2-siRNA cells and the control cells. The Matrigel invasion assays showed attenuation of HOXB2 expression by siRNA to result in a significant decrease of invasiveness compared to the control cells (p = 0.0013, paired t-test). On microarray gene expression analysis, up-regulation of many metastasis-related genes and others correlating with HOXB2 expression was observed in the control case. With attenuation of HOXB2 expression, downregulation was noted for laminins alpha 4 and 5, involved in enriched signaling, and for Mac-2BP (Mac-2 binding protein) and integrin beta 4 amongst the genes having an enriched glycoprotein ontology. HOXB2 promotes invasion of lung cancer cells through the regulation of metastasis-related genes.

  18. Development and Validation of a Lifecycle-based Prognostics Architecture with Test Bed Validation

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Hines, J. Wesley; Upadhyaya, Belle; Sharp, Michael

    assessment for RUL predictions, with as little uncertainty as possible. From a reliability and maintenance standpoint, there would be improved safety by avoiding all failures. Calculated risk would decrease, saving money by avoiding unnecessary maintenance. One major bottleneck for data-driven prognostics is the availability of run-to-failure degradation data. Without enough degradation data leading to failure, prognostic models can yield RUL distributions with large uncertainty or mathematically unsound predictions. To address these issues a "Lifecycle Prognostics" method was developed to create RUL distributions from Beginning of Life (BOL) to End of Life (EOL). This employs established Type I, II, and III prognostic methods, and Bayesian transitioning between each Type. Bayesian methods, as opposed to classical frequency statistics, show how an expected value, a priori, changes with new data to form a posterior distribution. For example, when you purchase a component you have a prior belief, or estimation, of how long it will operate before failing. As you operate it, you may collect information related to its condition that will allow you to update your estimated failure time. Bayesian methods are best used when limited data are available. The use of a prior also means that information is conserved when new data are available. The weightings of the prior belief and information contained in the sampled data are dependent on the variance (uncertainty) of the prior, the variance (uncertainty) of the data, and the amount of measured data (number of samples). If the variance of the prior is small compared to the uncertainty of the data, the prior will be weighed more heavily. However, as more data are collected, the data will be weighted more heavily and will eventually swamp out the prior in calculating the posterior distribution of model parameters. Fundamentally Bayesian analysis updates a prior belief with new data to get a posterior belief. The general approach to

  19. Circulating Endothelial Cells and Endothelial Function predict Major Adverse Cardiac Events and Early Adverse Left Ventricular Remodeling in Patients with ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction

    PubMed Central

    Magdy, Abdel Hamid; Bakhoum, Sameh; Sharaf, Yasser; Sabry, Dina; El-Gengehe, Ahmed T; Abdel-Latif, Ahmed

    2016-01-01

    Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) and circulating endothelial cells (CECs) are mobilized from the bone marrow and increase in the early phase after ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). The aim of this study was to assess the prognostic significance of CECs and indices of endothelial dysfunction in patients with STEMI. In 78 patients with acute STEMI, characterization of CD34+/VEGFR2+ CECs, and indices of endothelial damage/dysfunction such as brachial artery flow mediated dilatation (FMD) were determined. Blood samples for CECs assessment and quantification were obtained within 24 hours of admission and FMD was assessed during the index hospitalization. At 30 days follow up, the primary composite end point of major cardiac adverse events (MACE) consisting of all-cause mortality, recurrent non-fatal MI, or heart failure and the secondary endpoint of early adverse left ventricular (LV) remodeling were analyzed. The 17 patients (22%) who developed MACE had significantly higher CEC level (P = 0.004), vWF level (P =0.028), and significantly lower FMD (P = 0.006) compared to the remaining patients. Logistic regression analysis showed that CECs level and LV ejection fraction were independent predictors of MACE. The areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves (ROC) for CEC level, FMD, and the logistic model with both markers were 0.73, 0.75, and 0.82 respectively for prediction of the MACE. The 16 patients who developed the secondary endpoint had significantly higher CEC level compared to remaining patients (p =0.038). In conclusion, increased circulating endothelial cells and endothelial dysfunction predicted the occurrence of major adverse cardiac events and adverse cardiac remodeling in patients with STEMI. PMID:26864952

  20. Lycopersicon esculentum (Tomato) Prevents Adverse Effects of Lead on Blood Constituents

    PubMed Central

    SALAWU, Emmanuel O

    2010-01-01

    Background: Lead is known for its adverse effects on various organs and systems. In this study, the ability of lead to adversely affect blood parameters was investigated, and Lycopersicon esculentum, or commonly known as tomato (a source of antioxidants), was administered orally in the form of tomato paste (TP) to reduce the adverse effects of lead. Methods: The study involved 56 Wistar rats divided equally into 4 groups of 14 rats each: Control, LAG, TPG, and LA+TPG. Control and TPG rats were given distilled water ad libitum, while LAG and LA+TPG rats were given 1% lead (II) acetate (LA) per day. TPG and LA+TPG rats were additionally treated with 1.5 ml of TP per day. All treatments lasted for 10 weeks, after which the rats were weighed and sacrificed, and haematological and biochemical parameters were measured. The independent samples t test was used to analyse the results. Results: Lead caused significant reductions in the following parameters: weight; packed cell volume; red blood cell and white blood cell counts; the percentages of lymphocytes and monocytes; total serum protein, albumin, and globulin levels; and plasma superoxide dismutase and catalase activities. In contrast, lead caused a significant increase in the percentage of neutrophils and the plasma malondialdehyde concentration. TP, however, significantly prevented the adverse effects of LA. Conclusion: The oral administration of TP prevents the adverse effects of lead on blood constituents. PMID:22135544

  1. Pneumococcal pneumonia - Are the new severity scores more accurate in predicting adverse outcomes?

    PubMed

    Ribeiro, C; Ladeira, I; Gaio, A R; Brito, M C

    2013-01-01

    The site-of-care decision is one of the most important factors in the management of patients with community-acquired pneumonia. The severity scores are validated prognostic tools for community-acquired pneumonia mortality and treatment site decision. The aim of this paper was to compare the discriminatory power of four scores - the classic PSI and CURB65 ant the most recent SCAP and SMART-COP - in predicting major adverse events: death, ICU admission, need for invasive mechanical ventilation or vasopressor support in patients admitted with pneumococcal pneumonia. A five year retrospective study of patients admitted for pneumococcal pneumonia. Patients were stratified based on admission data and assigned to low-, intermediate-, and high-risk classes for each score. Results were obtained comparing low versus non-low risk classes. We studied 142 episodes of hospitalization with 2 deaths and 10 patients needing mechanical ventilation and vasopressor support. The majority of patients were classified as low risk by all scores - we found high negative predictive values for all adverse events studied, the most negative value corresponding to the SCAP score. The more recent scores showed better accuracy for predicting ICU admission and need for ventilation or vasopressor support (mostly for the SCAP score with higher AUC values for all adverse events). The rate of all adverse outcomes increased directly with increasing risk class in all scores. The new gravity scores appear to have a higher discriminatory power in all adverse events in our study, particularly, the SCAP score. Copyright © 2012 Sociedade Portuguesa de Pneumologia. Published by Elsevier España. All rights reserved.

  2. Prognostic categories and timing of negative prognostic communication from critical care physicians to family members at end-of-life in an intensive care unit.

    PubMed

    Gutierrez, Karen M

    2013-09-01

    Negative prognostic communication is often delayed in intensive care units, which limits time for families to prepare for end-of-life. This descriptive study, informed by ethnographic methods, was focused on exploring critical care physician communication of negative prognoses to families and identifying timing influences. Prognostic communication of critical care physicians to nurses and family members was observed and physicians and family members were interviewed. Physician perception of prognostic certainty, based on an accumulation of empirical data, and the perceived need for decision-making, drove the timing of prognostic communication, rather than family needs. Although prognoses were initially identified using intuitive knowledge for patients in one of the six identified prognostic categories, utilizing decision-making to drive prognostic communication resulted in delayed prognostic communication to families until end-of-life (EOL) decisions could be justified with empirical data. Providers will better meet the needs of families who desire earlier prognostic information by separating prognostic communication from decision-making and communicating the possibility of a poor prognosis based on intuitive knowledge, while acknowledging the uncertainty inherent in prognostication. This sets the stage for later prognostic discussions focused on EOL decisions, including limiting or withdrawing treatment, which can be timed when empirical data substantiate intuitive prognoses. This allows additional time for families to anticipate and prepare for end-of-life decision-making. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  3. Evaluation of clinical, laboratory and morphologic prognostic factors in colon cancer

    PubMed Central

    Grande, Michele; Milito, Giovanni; Attinà, Grazia Maria; Cadeddu, Federica; Muzi, Marco Gallinella; Nigro, Casimiro; Rulli, Francesco; Farinon, Attilio Maria

    2008-01-01

    Background The long-term prognosis of patients with colon cancer is dependent on many factors. To investigate the influence of a series of clinical, laboratory and morphological variables on prognosis of colon carcinoma we conducted a retrospective analysis of our data. Methods Ninety-two patients with colon cancer, who underwent surgical resection between January 1999 and December 2001, were analyzed. On survival analysis, demographics, clinical, laboratory and pathomorphological parameters were tested for their potential prognostic value. Furthermore, univariate and multivariate analysis of the above mentioned data were performed considering the depth of tumour invasion into the bowel wall as independent variable. Results On survival analysis we found that depth of tumour invasion (P < 0.001; F-ratio 2.11), type of operation (P < 0.001; F-ratio 3.51) and CT scanning (P < 0.001; F-ratio 5.21) were predictors of survival. Considering the degree of mural invasion as independent variable, on univariate analysis, we observed that mucorrhea, anismus, hematocrit, WBC count, fibrinogen value and CT scanning were significantly related to the degree of mural invasion of the cancer. On the multivariate analysis, fibrinogen value was the most statistically significant variable (P < 0.001) with the highest F-ratio (F-ratio 5.86). Finally, in the present study, the tumour site was significantly related neither to the survival nor to the mural invasion of the tumour. Conclusion The various clinical, laboratory and patho-morphological parameters showed different prognostic value for colon carcinoma. In the future, preoperative prognostic markers will probably gain relevance in order to make a proper choice between surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Nevertheless, current data do not provide sufficient evidence for preoperative stratification of high and low risk patients. Further assessments in prospective large studies are warranted. PMID:18778464

  4. Akt activation is a common event in pediatric malignant gliomas and a potential adverse prognostic marker: a report from the Children's Oncology Group.

    PubMed

    Pollack, Ian F; Hamilton, Ronald L; Burger, Peter C; Brat, Daniel J; Rosenblum, Marc K; Murdoch, Geoffrey H; Nikiforova, Marina N; Holmes, Emiko J; Zhou, Tianni; Cohen, Kenneth J; Jakacki, Regina I

    2010-09-01

    Aberrant activation of Akt is a common finding in adult malignant gliomas, resulting in most cases from mutations or deletions involving PTEN, which allows constitutive Akt phosphorylation. In contrast, we have previously reported that pediatric malignant gliomas, which are morphologically similar to lesions arising in adults, have a substantially lower incidence of genomic alterations of PTEN. The objective of this study was to determine whether Akt activation was also an uncommon finding in childhood malignant gliomas and whether this feature was associated with survival. To address this issue, we examined the frequency of Akt activation, determined by overexpression of the activated phosphorylated form of Akt (Se(473)) on immunohistochemical analysis, in a series of 53 childhood malignant gliomas obtained from newly diagnosed patients treated on the Children's Oncology Group ACNS0126 and 0423 studies. The relationship between Akt activation and p53 overexpression, MIB1 labeling, and tumor histology was evaluated. The association between Akt activation and survival was also assessed. Overexpression of activated Akt was observed in 42 of 53 tumors, far in excess of the frequency of PTEN mutations we have previously observed. There was no association between Akt activation and either histology, p53 overexpression, or MIB1 proliferation indices. Although tumors that lacked Akt overexpression had a trend toward more favorable event-free survival and overall survival (p = 0.06), this association reflected that non-overexpressing tumors were significantly more likely to have undergone extensive tumor removal, which was independently associated with outcome. Activation of Akt is a common finding in pediatric malignant gliomas, although it remains uncertain whether this is an independent adverse prognostic factor. In view of the frequency of Akt activation, the evaluation of molecularly targeted therapies that inhibit this pathway warrants consideration for these tumors.

  5. Cutaneous Lymphoma International Consortium Study of Outcome in Advanced Stages of Mycosis Fungoides and Sézary Syndrome: Effect of Specific Prognostic Markers on Survival and Development of a Prognostic Model

    PubMed Central

    Scarisbrick, Julia J.; Prince, H. Miles; Vermeer, Maarten H.; Quaglino, Pietro; Horwitz, Steven; Porcu, Pierluigi; Stadler, Rudolf; Wood, Gary S.; Beylot-Barry, Marie; Pham-Ledard, Anne; Foss, Francine; Girardi, Michael; Bagot, Martine; Michel, Laurence; Battistella, Maxime; Guitart, Joan; Kuzel, Timothy M.; Martinez-Escala, Maria Estela; Estrach, Teresa; Papadavid, Evangelia; Antoniou, Christina; Rigopoulos, Dimitis; Nikolaou, Vassilki; Sugaya, Makoto; Miyagaki, Tomomitsu; Gniadecki, Robert; Sanches, José Antonio; Cury-Martins, Jade; Miyashiro, Denis; Servitje, Octavio; Muniesa, Cristina; Berti, Emilio; Onida, Francesco; Corti, Laura; Hodak, Emilia; Amitay-Laish, Iris; Ortiz-Romero, Pablo L.; Rodríguez-Peralto, Jose L.; Knobler, Robert; Porkert, Stefanie; Bauer, Wolfgang; Pimpinelli, Nicola; Grandi, Vieri; Cowan, Richard; Rook, Alain; Kim, Ellen; Pileri, Alessandro; Patrizi, Annalisa; Pujol, Ramon M.; Wong, Henry; Tyler, Kelly; Stranzenbach, Rene; Querfeld, Christiane; Fava, Paolo; Maule, Milena; Willemze, Rein; Evison, Felicity; Morris, Stephen; Twigger, Robert; Talpur, Rakhshandra; Kim, Jinah; Ognibene, Grant; Li, Shufeng; Tavallaee, Mahkam; Hoppe, Richard T.; Duvic, Madeleine; Whittaker, Sean J.; Kim, Youn H.

    2015-01-01

    Purpose Advanced-stage mycosis fungoides (MF; stage IIB to IV) and Sézary syndrome (SS) are aggressive lymphomas with a median survival of 1 to 5 years. Clinical management is stage based; however, there is wide range of outcome within stages. Published prognostic studies in MF/SS have been single-center trials. Because of the rarity of MF/SS, only a large collaboration would power a study to identify independent prognostic markers. Patients and Methods Literature review identified the following 10 candidate markers: stage, age, sex, cutaneous histologic features of folliculotropism, CD30 positivity, proliferation index, large-cell transformation, WBC/lymphocyte count, serum lactate dehydrogenase, and identical T-cell clone in blood and skin. Data were collected at specialist centers on patients diagnosed with advanced-stage MF/SS from 2007. Each parameter recorded at diagnosis was tested against overall survival (OS). Results Staging data on 1,275 patients with advanced MF/SS from 29 international sites were included for survival analysis. The median OS was 63 months, with 2- and 5-year survival rates of 77% and 52%, respectively. The median OS for patients with stage IIB disease was 68 months, but patients diagnosed with stage III disease had slightly improved survival compared with patients with stage IIB, although patients diagnosed with stage IV disease had significantly worse survival (48 months for stage IVA and 33 months for stage IVB). Of the 10 variables tested, four (stage IV, age > 60 years, large-cell transformation, and increased lactate dehydrogenase) were independent prognostic markers for a worse survival. Combining these four factors in a prognostic index model identified the following three risk groups across stages with significantly different 5-year survival rates: low risk (68%), intermediate risk (44%), and high risk (28%). Conclusion To our knowledge, this study includes the largest cohort of patients with advanced-stage MF/SS and

  6. Cutaneous Lymphoma International Consortium Study of Outcome in Advanced Stages of Mycosis Fungoides and Sézary Syndrome: Effect of Specific Prognostic Markers on Survival and Development of a Prognostic Model.

    PubMed

    Scarisbrick, Julia J; Prince, H Miles; Vermeer, Maarten H; Quaglino, Pietro; Horwitz, Steven; Porcu, Pierluigi; Stadler, Rudolf; Wood, Gary S; Beylot-Barry, Marie; Pham-Ledard, Anne; Foss, Francine; Girardi, Michael; Bagot, Martine; Michel, Laurence; Battistella, Maxime; Guitart, Joan; Kuzel, Timothy M; Martinez-Escala, Maria Estela; Estrach, Teresa; Papadavid, Evangelia; Antoniou, Christina; Rigopoulos, Dimitis; Nikolaou, Vassilki; Sugaya, Makoto; Miyagaki, Tomomitsu; Gniadecki, Robert; Sanches, José Antonio; Cury-Martins, Jade; Miyashiro, Denis; Servitje, Octavio; Muniesa, Cristina; Berti, Emilio; Onida, Francesco; Corti, Laura; Hodak, Emilia; Amitay-Laish, Iris; Ortiz-Romero, Pablo L; Rodríguez-Peralto, Jose L; Knobler, Robert; Porkert, Stefanie; Bauer, Wolfgang; Pimpinelli, Nicola; Grandi, Vieri; Cowan, Richard; Rook, Alain; Kim, Ellen; Pileri, Alessandro; Patrizi, Annalisa; Pujol, Ramon M; Wong, Henry; Tyler, Kelly; Stranzenbach, Rene; Querfeld, Christiane; Fava, Paolo; Maule, Milena; Willemze, Rein; Evison, Felicity; Morris, Stephen; Twigger, Robert; Talpur, Rakhshandra; Kim, Jinah; Ognibene, Grant; Li, Shufeng; Tavallaee, Mahkam; Hoppe, Richard T; Duvic, Madeleine; Whittaker, Sean J; Kim, Youn H

    2015-11-10

    Advanced-stage mycosis fungoides (MF; stage IIB to IV) and Sézary syndrome (SS) are aggressive lymphomas with a median survival of 1 to 5 years. Clinical management is stage based; however, there is wide range of outcome within stages. Published prognostic studies in MF/SS have been single-center trials. Because of the rarity of MF/SS, only a large collaboration would power a study to identify independent prognostic markers. Literature review identified the following 10 candidate markers: stage, age, sex, cutaneous histologic features of folliculotropism, CD30 positivity, proliferation index, large-cell transformation, WBC/lymphocyte count, serum lactate dehydrogenase, and identical T-cell clone in blood and skin. Data were collected at specialist centers on patients diagnosed with advanced-stage MF/SS from 2007. Each parameter recorded at diagnosis was tested against overall survival (OS). Staging data on 1,275 patients with advanced MF/SS from 29 international sites were included for survival analysis. The median OS was 63 months, with 2- and 5-year survival rates of 77% and 52%, respectively. The median OS for patients with stage IIB disease was 68 months, but patients diagnosed with stage III disease had slightly improved survival compared with patients with stage IIB, although patients diagnosed with stage IV disease had significantly worse survival (48 months for stage IVA and 33 months for stage IVB). Of the 10 variables tested, four (stage IV, age > 60 years, large-cell transformation, and increased lactate dehydrogenase) were independent prognostic markers for a worse survival. Combining these four factors in a prognostic index model identified the following three risk groups across stages with significantly different 5-year survival rates: low risk (68%), intermediate risk (44%), and high risk (28%). To our knowledge, this study includes the largest cohort of patients with advanced-stage MF/SS and identifies markers with independent prognostic value

  7. Prognostic usefulness of derived T2-weighted fetal magnetic resonance imaging measurements in congenital diaphragmatic hernia.

    PubMed

    Sebastià, C; Gomez, O; Salvador, R; Buñesch, L; Garcia, R; Nicolau, C

    2015-01-01

    To determine the usefulness of various parameters based on T2-weighted fetal magnetic resonance (MR) imaging measurements of the uninvolved lung for the neonatal prognosis of congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH). We used ultrasonography and MR imaging to study 28 fetuses with CDH. We retrospectively analyzed a) on fetal ultrasonography, the observed-to-expected lung to head ratio (O/E LHR) and the position of the liver, and b) on fetal MR imaging, the lung-liver signal ratio (LLSR) and the lungcerebrospinal fluid ratio (L/CSF SR). To determine the prognostic value of these parameters, we compared them with the following postnatal parameters: survival, pulmonary hypertension, need for oxygen supplementation, and need for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. We found significant differences between O/E LHR and the need for postnatal extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (P=.033) and postnatal survival (P=.01). We also found significant differences in LLSR between fetuses that survived more than 45 days and those that died within 45 days (1.91 vs. 2.56; P=.039). In fetuses with CDH, the LLSR correlates with postnatal survival and can potentially be used as a prognostic parameter in CDH. Copyright © 2013 SERAM. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

  8. Metrics for Offline Evaluation of Prognostic Performance

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Saxena, Abhinav; Celaya, Jose; Saha, Bhaskar; Saha, Sankalita; Goebel, Kai

    2010-01-01

    Prognostic performance evaluation has gained significant attention in the past few years. Currently, prognostics concepts lack standard definitions and suffer from ambiguous and inconsistent interpretations. This lack of standards is in part due to the varied end-user requirements for different applications, time scales, available information, domain dynamics, etc. to name a few. The research community has used a variety of metrics largely based on convenience and their respective requirements. Very little attention has been focused on establishing a standardized approach to compare different efforts. This paper presents several new evaluation metrics tailored for prognostics that were recently introduced and were shown to effectively evaluate various algorithms as compared to other conventional metrics. Specifically, this paper presents a detailed discussion on how these metrics should be interpreted and used. These metrics have the capability of incorporating probabilistic uncertainty estimates from prognostic algorithms. In addition to quantitative assessment they also offer a comprehensive visual perspective that can be used in designing the prognostic system. Several methods are suggested to customize these metrics for different applications. Guidelines are provided to help choose one method over another based on distribution characteristics. Various issues faced by prognostics and its performance evaluation are discussed followed by a formal notational framework to help standardize subsequent developments.

  9. Vehicle Integrated Prognostic Reasoner (VIPR) Metric Report

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Cornhill, Dennis; Bharadwaj, Raj; Mylaraswamy, Dinkar

    2013-01-01

    This document outlines a set of metrics for evaluating the diagnostic and prognostic schemes developed for the Vehicle Integrated Prognostic Reasoner (VIPR), a system-level reasoner that encompasses the multiple levels of large, complex systems such as those for aircraft and spacecraft. VIPR health managers are organized hierarchically and operate together to derive diagnostic and prognostic inferences from symptoms and conditions reported by a set of diagnostic and prognostic monitors. For layered reasoners such as VIPR, the overall performance cannot be evaluated by metrics solely directed toward timely detection and accuracy of estimation of the faults in individual components. Among other factors, overall vehicle reasoner performance is governed by the effectiveness of the communication schemes between monitors and reasoners in the architecture, and the ability to propagate and fuse relevant information to make accurate, consistent, and timely predictions at different levels of the reasoner hierarchy. We outline an extended set of diagnostic and prognostics metrics that can be broadly categorized as evaluation measures for diagnostic coverage, prognostic coverage, accuracy of inferences, latency in making inferences, computational cost, and sensitivity to different fault and degradation conditions. We report metrics from Monte Carlo experiments using two variations of an aircraft reference model that supported both flat and hierarchical reasoning.

  10. Prognostic Significance of Human Apurinic/Apyrimidinic Endonuclease (APE/Ref-1) Expression in Rectal Cancer Treated With Preoperative Radiochemotherapy

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Kim, Jun-Sang, E-mail: k423j@cnu.ac.kr; Cancer Research Institute, Chungnam National University, Daejeon; Kim, Jin-Man

    adverse prognostic factor for LARC patients who receive preoperative radiochemotherapy.« less

  11. Cytogenetic prognostication within medulloblastoma subgroups.

    PubMed

    Shih, David J H; Northcott, Paul A; Remke, Marc; Korshunov, Andrey; Ramaswamy, Vijay; Kool, Marcel; Luu, Betty; Yao, Yuan; Wang, Xin; Dubuc, Adrian M; Garzia, Livia; Peacock, John; Mack, Stephen C; Wu, Xiaochong; Rolider, Adi; Morrissy, A Sorana; Cavalli, Florence M G; Jones, David T W; Zitterbart, Karel; Faria, Claudia C; Schüller, Ulrich; Kren, Leos; Kumabe, Toshihiro; Tominaga, Teiji; Shin Ra, Young; Garami, Miklós; Hauser, Peter; Chan, Jennifer A; Robinson, Shenandoah; Bognár, László; Klekner, Almos; Saad, Ali G; Liau, Linda M; Albrecht, Steffen; Fontebasso, Adam; Cinalli, Giuseppe; De Antonellis, Pasqualino; Zollo, Massimo; Cooper, Michael K; Thompson, Reid C; Bailey, Simon; Lindsey, Janet C; Di Rocco, Concezio; Massimi, Luca; Michiels, Erna M C; Scherer, Stephen W; Phillips, Joanna J; Gupta, Nalin; Fan, Xing; Muraszko, Karin M; Vibhakar, Rajeev; Eberhart, Charles G; Fouladi, Maryam; Lach, Boleslaw; Jung, Shin; Wechsler-Reya, Robert J; Fèvre-Montange, Michelle; Jouvet, Anne; Jabado, Nada; Pollack, Ian F; Weiss, William A; Lee, Ji-Yeoun; Cho, Byung-Kyu; Kim, Seung-Ki; Wang, Kyu-Chang; Leonard, Jeffrey R; Rubin, Joshua B; de Torres, Carmen; Lavarino, Cinzia; Mora, Jaume; Cho, Yoon-Jae; Tabori, Uri; Olson, James M; Gajjar, Amar; Packer, Roger J; Rutkowski, Stefan; Pomeroy, Scott L; French, Pim J; Kloosterhof, Nanne K; Kros, Johan M; Van Meir, Erwin G; Clifford, Steven C; Bourdeaut, Franck; Delattre, Olivier; Doz, François F; Hawkins, Cynthia E; Malkin, David; Grajkowska, Wieslawa A; Perek-Polnik, Marta; Bouffet, Eric; Rutka, James T; Pfister, Stefan M; Taylor, Michael D

    2014-03-20

    Medulloblastoma comprises four distinct molecular subgroups: WNT, SHH, Group 3, and Group 4. Current medulloblastoma protocols stratify patients based on clinical features: patient age, metastatic stage, extent of resection, and histologic variant. Stark prognostic and genetic differences among the four subgroups suggest that subgroup-specific molecular biomarkers could improve patient prognostication. Molecular biomarkers were identified from a discovery set of 673 medulloblastomas from 43 cities around the world. Combined risk stratification models were designed based on clinical and cytogenetic biomarkers identified by multivariable Cox proportional hazards analyses. Identified biomarkers were tested using fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) on a nonoverlapping medulloblastoma tissue microarray (n = 453), with subsequent validation of the risk stratification models. Subgroup information improves the predictive accuracy of a multivariable survival model compared with clinical biomarkers alone. Most previously published cytogenetic biomarkers are only prognostic within a single medulloblastoma subgroup. Profiling six FISH biomarkers (GLI2, MYC, chromosome 11 [chr11], chr14, 17p, and 17q) on formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissues, we can reliably and reproducibly identify very low-risk and very high-risk patients within SHH, Group 3, and Group 4 medulloblastomas. Combining subgroup and cytogenetic biomarkers with established clinical biomarkers substantially improves patient prognostication, even in the context of heterogeneous clinical therapies. The prognostic significance of most molecular biomarkers is restricted to a specific subgroup. We have identified a small panel of cytogenetic biomarkers that reliably identifies very high-risk and very low-risk groups of patients, making it an excellent tool for selecting patients for therapy intensification and therapy de-escalation in future clinical trials.

  12. Expression and prognostic relevance of MET and phospho-BAD in non-small cell lung cancer.

    PubMed

    Sun, Wenze; Ai, Ting; Gao, Ying; Zhang, Yingbing; Cui, Jie; Song, Liping

    2013-01-01

    MET is involved in the progression of several types of human cancers, while phospho-BAD(Ser-136) is a key molecule in apoptosis and might be regulated by MET. The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation between altered expression of MET and phospho-BAD in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and their association with clinicopathologic parameters and overall survival. MET and phospho-BAD(Ser-136) proteins were evaluated by immunohistochemical analysis in 183 paraffin-embedded specimens and were also assessed by Western blotting analysis in 12 frozen tumor tissue samples, which were representative examples of immunohistochemical staining. Positive expression of MET and phospho-BAD(Ser-136) occurred in 67.2% and 49.2% of the 183 cases of NSCLC, respectively. However, neither MET expression nor phospho-BAD(Ser-136) expression was associated with any clinicopathologic parameter. A significant correlation was found between MET and phospho-BAD(Ser-136) expression levels evaluated by immunohistochemistry (r = 0.268, P < 0.001). Overexpression of MET was significantly associated with shortened overall survival in univariate analysis (P < 0.001). Moreover, patients with a MET+/phospho-BAD(Ser-136)+ phenotype had a poorer prognosis than others (P < 0.001). Multivariate Cox proportional hazard analysis confirmed that MET expression is a prognostic factor for NSCLC. MET expression might be correlated with phospho-BAD(Ser-136) expression, and may be an adverse predictor for NSCLC. Activation of the MET/phospho-BAD(Ser-136) signaling pathway might play a role in the development and progression of NSCLC.

  13. Identifying prognostic signature in ovarian cancer using DirGenerank

    PubMed Central

    Wang, Jian-Yong; Chen, Ling-Ling; Zhou, Xiong-Hui

    2017-01-01

    Identifying the prognostic genes in cancer is essential not only for the treatment of cancer patients, but also for drug discovery. However, it's still a big challenge to select the prognostic genes that can distinguish the risk of cancer patients across various data sets because of tumor heterogeneity. In this situation, the selected genes whose expression levels are statistically related to prognostic risks may be passengers. In this paper, based on gene expression data and prognostic data of ovarian cancer patients, we used conditional mutual information to construct gene dependency network in which the nodes (genes) with more out-degrees have more chances to be the modulators of cancer prognosis. After that, we proposed DirGenerank (Generank in direct netowrk) algorithm, which concerns both the gene dependency network and genes’ correlations to prognostic risks, to identify the gene signature that can predict the prognostic risks of ovarian cancer patients. Using ovarian cancer data set from TCGA (The Cancer Genome Atlas) as training data set, 40 genes with the highest importance were selected as prognostic signature. Survival analysis of these patients divided by the prognostic signature in testing data set and four independent data sets showed the signature can distinguish the prognostic risks of cancer patients significantly. Enrichment analysis of the signature with curated cancer genes and the drugs selected by CMAP showed the genes in the signature may be drug targets for therapy. In summary, we have proposed a useful pipeline to identify prognostic genes of cancer patients. PMID:28615526

  14. Prevalence and prognostic significance of hyperkalemia in hospitalized patients with cirrhosis.

    PubMed

    Maiwall, Rakhi; Kumar, Suman; Sharma, Manoj Kumar; Wani, Zeeshan; Ozukum, Mulu; Sarin, Shiv Kumar

    2016-05-01

    The prevalence and clinical significance of hyponatremia in cirrhotics have been well studied; however, there are limited data on hyperkalemia in cirrhotics. We evaluated the prevalence and prognostic significance of hyperkalemia in hospitalized patients with cirrhosis and developed a prognostic model incorporating potassium for prediction of liver-related death in these patients. The training derivative cohort of patients was used for development of prognostic scores (Group A, n = 1160), which were validated in a large prospective cohort of cirrhotic patients. (Group B, n = 2681) of cirrhosis. Hyperkalemia was seen in 189 (14.1%) and 336 (12%) in Group A and Group B, respectively. Potassium showed a significant association that was direct with creatinine (P < 0.001) and urea (P < 0.001) and inverse with sodium (P < 0.001). Mortality was also significantly higher in patients with hyperkalemia (P = 0.0015, Hazard Ratio (HR) 1.3, 95% confidence interval 1.11-1.57). Combination of all these parameters into a single value predictor, that is, renal dysfunction index predicted mortality better than the individual components. Combining renal dysfunction index with other known prognostic markers (i.e. serum bilirubin, INR, albumin, hepatic encephalopathy, and ascites) in the "K" model predicted both short-term and long-term mortality with an excellent accuracy (Concordance-index 0.78 and 0.80 in training and validation cohorts, respectively). This was also superior to Model for End-stage Liver Disease, Model for End-stage liver disease sodium (MELDNa), and Child-Turcott-Pugh scores. Cirrhotics frequently have impaired potassium homeostasis, which has a prognostic significance. Serum potassium correlates directly with serum creatinine and urea and inversely with serum sodium. The model incorporating serum potassium developed from this study ("K"model) can predict death in advanced cirrhotics with an excellent accuracy. © 2015 Journal of

  15. Machine Learning Approach to Extract Diagnostic and Prognostic Thresholds: Application in Prognosis of Cardiovascular Mortality

    PubMed Central

    Mena, Luis J.; Orozco, Eber E.; Felix, Vanessa G.; Ostos, Rodolfo; Melgarejo, Jesus; Maestre, Gladys E.

    2012-01-01

    Machine learning has become a powerful tool for analysing medical domains, assessing the importance of clinical parameters, and extracting medical knowledge for outcomes research. In this paper, we present a machine learning method for extracting diagnostic and prognostic thresholds, based on a symbolic classification algorithm called REMED. We evaluated the performance of our method by determining new prognostic thresholds for well-known and potential cardiovascular risk factors that are used to support medical decisions in the prognosis of fatal cardiovascular diseases. Our approach predicted 36% of cardiovascular deaths with 80% specificity and 75% general accuracy. The new method provides an innovative approach that might be useful to support decisions about medical diagnoses and prognoses. PMID:22924062

  16. Integration of Wall Motion, Coronary Flow Velocity, and Left Ventricular Contractile Reserve in a Single Test: Prognostic Value of Vasodilator Stress Echocardiography in Patients with Diabetes.

    PubMed

    Cortigiani, Lauro; Huqi, Alda; Ciampi, Quirino; Bombardini, Tonino; Bovenzi, Francesco; Picano, Eugenio

    2018-06-01

    Coronary flow velocity reserve (CFVR) and left ventricular contractile reserve (LVCR) have demonstrated prognostic importance in patients with diabetes. The aim of this study was to investigate the prognostic contribution of combined evaluation of CFVR and LVCR in patients with diabetes with nonischemic stress echocardiography. Three hundred seventy-five patients with diabetes (mean age, 68 ± 9 years) with nonischemic dipyridamole stress echocardiography underwent assessment of CFVR of the left anterior descending coronary artery (prospectively) and LVCR with left ventricular force (retrospectively) in a multicenter study. On receiver operating characteristic analysis, LVCR ≤ 1.1 was the best prognostic predictor and was considered an abnormal value. CFVR was abnormal (≤2) in 139 patients (37%), LVCR in 156 (42%), neither in 157 (42%), and both in 77 (21%). During a median follow-up period of 16 months, 86 major adverse cardiac events occurred: 16 deaths, 13 myocardial infarctions, and 57 revascularizations. Multivariate prognostic indicators were CFVR ≤ 2 (P < .0001), age (P = .03), and LVCR ≤ 1.1 (P = .04). The 3-year rate of major adverse cardiac events was 63% in patients with both abnormal CFVR and LVCR, 42% in those with abnormal CFVR only, 19% in those with abnormal LVCR only, and 10% in patients with both normal CFVR and LVCR. The 3-year hard event rate was 3% in patients with both normal CFVR and LVCR, fivefold higher in patients with abnormal CFVR or LVCR only, and ninefold higher in patients with both abnormal CFVR and LVCR. Patients with diabetes with nonischemic dipyridamole stress echocardiography may still have significant risk in presence of abnormal CFVR and/or LVCR, which assess the underlying, largely unrelated, microvascular and myocardial components of coronary circulation. Copyright © 2017 American Society of Echocardiography. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  17. Prognostic marker for liver disease due to alpha1-antitrypsin deficiency.

    PubMed

    Pferdmenges, D C; Baumann, U; Müller-Heine, A; Framke, T; Pfister, E-D

    2013-09-01

    Only some Alpha1-antitrypsin deficiency (A1ATD) PiZZ patients develop liver cirrhosis and portal hypertension. Aim of the study was to investigate the course of liver disease associated with PiZZ A1ATD and to determine prognostic factors. We retrospectively reviewed the clinical and laboratory data of all PiZZ children up to 18 years of age admitted to our centre since 1978. 53 patients (age at first visit 2 days to 12 years) met our criteria. The children were divided into 2 groups: group 1 'bad prognosis', meaning the patients which were on the waiting list for liver transplantation (LTx), had a liver transplantation or had died, and group 2 'good prognosis', containing the patients they were living with their own liver. We analysed family history including smoking, gestational age, maternal age at delivery, date of birth, sex, neonatal history, breast-feeding, symptoms at presentation, clinical and laboratory data and date of LTx and/or death. Various anamnesis parameters such as manifestation of neonatal cholestasis showed no prognostic significance. In contrast the laboratory parameters thrombocytes (p=0.008), bilirubin (p<0.001), prothrombin time (p<0.001), choline-sterase (p<0.001), gamma-GT (p=0.001) and GOT (p=0.002) showed a correlation with a liver transplantation and/or death. Prognosis is difficult to determine at an early stage of this disease, but various laboratory parameters can help to predict an outcome. Therefore a regular follow-up is necessary for the children. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

  18. Prognostic factors, pathophysiology and novel biomarkers in Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever.

    PubMed

    Akinci, Esragul; Bodur, Hurrem; Sunbul, Mustafa; Leblebicioglu, Hakan

    2016-08-01

    Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is a geographically widespread tick-borne zoonosis. The clinical spectrum of the illness varies from mild infection to severe disease and death. In severe cases, hemorrhagic manifestations develop, with fatality rates of 4-20%, depending on the geographic region and quality of the health care. Although vast majority of the CCHF cases were reported from Turkey, mortality rate is lower than the other regions, which is 5% on average. Prediction of the clinical course of the disease enables appropriate management planning by the physician and prompt transportation, if needed, of the patient to a tertiary care hospital for an intensive therapy. Thus, predicting the outcome of the disease may avert potential mortality. There are numerous studies investigating the prognostic factors of CCHF in the literature. Majority of them were reported from Turkey and included investigations on clinical and biochemical parameters, severity scoring systems and some novel biomarkers. Somnolence, bleeding, thrombocytopenia, elevated liver enzymes and prolonged bleeding times are the most frequently reported prognostic factors to predict the clinical course of the disease earlier. High viral load seems to be the strongest predictor to make a clinical decision about the patient outcome. The severity scoring systems based on clinically important mortality-related parameters are especially useful for clinicians working in the field to predict the course of the disease and to decide which patient should be referred to a tertiary care hospital for intensive care. In the light of the pathophysiological characteristics of CCHF, some new biomarkers of prognosis including cytokines, soluble adhesion molecules, genetic polymorphisms and coagulopathy parameters were also investigated. However most of these tests are not available to clinicians and they were obtained mostly for research purposes. In spite of the various studies about prognostic factors, they

  19. Prognostic value of exercise echocardiography: validation of a new risk index combining echocardiographic, treadmill, and exercise electrocardiographic parameters.

    PubMed

    Mazur, Wojciech; Rivera, Jose M; Khoury, Alexander F; Basu, Abhijeet G; Perez-Verdia, Alejandro; Marks, Gary F; Chang, Su Min; Olmos, Leopoldo; Quiñones, Miguel A; Zoghbi, William A

    2003-04-01

    Exercise (Ex) echocardiography has been shown to have significant prognostic power, independent of other known predictors of risk from an Ex stress test. The purpose of this study was to evaluate a risk index, incorporating echocardiographic and conventional Ex variables, for a more comprehensive risk stratification and identification of a very low-risk group. Two consecutive, mutually exclusive populations referred for treadmill Ex echocardiography with the Bruce protocol were investigated: hypothesis-generating (388 patients; 268 males; age 55 +/- 13 years) and hypothesis-testing (105 patients; 61 males age: 54 +/- 14 years).Cardiac events included cardiac death, myocardial infarction, late revascularization (>90 days), hospital admission for unstable angina, and admission for heart failure. Mean follow-up in the hypothesis-generating population was 3.1 years. There were 38 cardiac events. Independent predictors of events by multivariate analysis were: Ex wall motion score index (odds ratio [OR] = 2.77/Unit; P <.001); ischemic S-T depression > or = 1 mm (OR = 2.84; P =.002); and treadmill time (OR = 0.87/min; P =.037). A risk index was generated on the basis of the multivariate Cox regression model as: risk index = 1.02 (Ex wall motion score index) + 1.04 (S-T change) - 0.14 (treadmill time). The validity of this index was tested in the hypothesis-testing population. Event rates at 3 years were lowest (0%) in the lower quartile of risk index (-1.22 to -0.47), highest (29.6%) in the upper quartile (+0.66 to +2.02), and intermediate (19.2% to 15.3%) in the intermediate quartiles. The OR of the risk index for predicting cardiac events was 2.94/Unit ([95% confidence interval: 1.4 to 6.2]; P =.0043). Echocardiographic and Ex parameters are independent powerful predictors of cardiac events after treadmill stress testing. A risk index can be derived with these parameters for a more comprehensive risk stratification with Ex echocardiography.

  20. Prognosis Research Strategy (PROGRESS) 2: prognostic factor research.

    PubMed

    Riley, Richard D; Hayden, Jill A; Steyerberg, Ewout W; Moons, Karel G M; Abrams, Keith; Kyzas, Panayiotis A; Malats, Núria; Briggs, Andrew; Schroter, Sara; Altman, Douglas G; Hemingway, Harry

    2013-01-01

    Prognostic factor research aims to identify factors associated with subsequent clinical outcome in people with a particular disease or health condition. In this article, the second in the PROGRESS series, the authors discuss the role of prognostic factors in current clinical practice, randomised trials, and developing new interventions, and explain why and how prognostic factor research should be improved.

  1. Whole-tumour diffusion kurtosis MR imaging histogram analysis of rectal adenocarcinoma: Correlation with clinical pathologic prognostic factors.

    PubMed

    Cui, Yanfen; Yang, Xiaotang; Du, Xiaosong; Zhuo, Zhizheng; Xin, Lei; Cheng, Xintao

    2018-04-01

    To investigate potential relationships between diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI)-derived parameters using whole-tumour volume histogram analysis and clinicopathological prognostic factors in patients with rectal adenocarcinoma. 79 consecutive patients who underwent MRI examination with rectal adenocarcinoma were retrospectively evaluated. Parameters D, K and conventional ADC were measured using whole-tumour volume histogram analysis. Student's t-test or Mann-Whitney U-test, receiver operating characteristic curves and Spearman's correlation were used for statistical analysis. Almost all the percentile metrics of K were correlated positively with nodal involvement, higher histological grades, the presence of lymphangiovascular invasion (LVI) and circumferential margin (CRM) (p<0.05), with the exception of between K 10th , K 90th and histological grades. In contrast, significant negative correlations were observed between 25th, 50th percentiles and mean values of ADC and D, as well as ADC 10th , with tumour T stages (p< 0.05). Meanwhile, lower 75th and 90th percentiles of ADC and D values were also correlated inversely with nodal involvement (p< 0.05). K mean showed a relatively higher area under the curve (AUC) and higher specificity than other percentiles for differentiation of lesions with nodal involvement. DKI metrics with whole-tumour volume histogram analysis, especially K parameters, were associated with important prognostic factors of rectal cancer. • K correlated positively with some important prognostic factors of rectal cancer. • K mean showed higher AUC and specificity for differentiation of nodal involvement. • DKI metrics with whole-tumour volume histogram analysis depicted tumour heterogeneity.

  2. Contrasting breast cancer molecular subtypes across serial tumor progression stages: biological and prognostic implications

    PubMed Central

    Kimbung, Siker; Kovács, Anikó; Danielsson, Anna; Bendahl, Pär-Ola; Lövgren, Kristina; Stolt, Marianne Frostvik; Tobin, Nicholas P.; Lindström, Linda; Bergh, Jonas; Einbeigi, Zakaria; Fernö, Mårten; Hatschek, Thomas; Hedenfalk, Ingrid

    2015-01-01

    The relevance of the intrinsic subtypes for clinical management of metastatic breast cancer is not comprehensively established. We aimed to evaluate the prevalence and prognostic significance of drifts in tumor molecular subtypes during breast cancer progression. A well-annotated cohort of 304 women with advanced breast cancer was studied. Tissue microarrays of primary tumors and synchronous lymph node metastases were constructed. Conventional biomarkers were centrally assessed and molecular subtypes were assigned following the 2013 St Gallen guidelines. Fine-needle aspirates of asynchronous metastases were transcriptionally profiled and subtyped using PAM50. Discordant expression of individual biomarkers and molecular subtypes was observed during tumor progression. Primary luminal-like tumors were relatively unstable, frequently adopting a more aggressive subtype in the metastases. Notably, loss of ER expression and a luminal to non-luminal subtype conversion was associated with an inferior post-recurrence survival. In addition, ER and molecular subtype assessed at all tumor progression stages were independent prognostic factors for post-recurrence breast cancer mortality in multivariable analyses. Our results demonstrate that drifts in tumor molecular subtypes may occur during tumor progression, conferring adverse consequences on outcome following breast cancer relapse. PMID:26375671

  3. Prognostic Disclosures to Children: A Historical Perspective.

    PubMed

    Sisk, Bryan A; Bluebond-Langner, Myra; Wiener, Lori; Mack, Jennifer; Wolfe, Joanne

    2016-09-01

    Prognostic disclosure to children has perpetually challenged clinicians and parents. In this article, we review the historical literature on prognostic disclosure to children in the United States using cancer as an illness model. Before 1948, there was virtually no literature focused on prognostic disclosure to children. As articles began to be published in the 1950s and 1960s, many clinicians and researchers initially recommended a "protective" approach to disclosure, where children were shielded from the harms of bad news. We identified 4 main arguments in the literature at this time supporting this "protective" approach. By the late 1960s, however, a growing number of clinicians and researchers were recommending a more "open" approach, where children were included in discussions of diagnosis, which at the time was often synonymous with a terminal prognosis. Four different arguments in the literature were used at this time supporting this "open" approach. Then, by the late 1980s, the recommended approach to prognostic disclosure in pediatrics shifted largely from "never tell" to "always tell." In recent years, however, there has been a growing appreciation for the complexity of prognostic disclosure in pediatrics. Current understanding of pediatric disclosure does not lead to simple "black-and-white" recommendations for disclosure practices. As with most difficult questions, we are left to balance competing factors on a case-by-case basis. We highlight 4 categories of current considerations related to prognostic disclosure in pediatrics, and we offer several approaches to prognostic disclosure for clinicians who care for these young patients and their families. Copyright © 2016 by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

  4. Conceptualizing prognostic awareness in advanced cancer: a systematic review.

    PubMed

    Applebaum, Allison J; Kolva, Elissa A; Kulikowski, Julia R; Jacobs, Jordana D; DeRosa, Antonio; Lichtenthal, Wendy G; Olden, Megan E; Rosenfeld, Barry; Breitbart, William

    2014-09-01

    This systematic review synthesizes the complex literature on prognostic awareness in cancer. A total of 37 studies examining cancer patients' understanding of their prognosis were included. Prognostic awareness definitions and assessment methods were inconsistent across studies. A surprisingly high percentage of patients (up to 75%) were unaware of their poor prognosis, and in several studies, even their cancer diagnosis (up to 96%), particularly in studies conducted outside of North America. This review highlights surprisingly low rates of prognostic awareness in patients with advanced cancer as well as discrepancies in prognostic awareness assessment, suggesting the need for empirically validated measures of prognostic awareness. © The Author(s) 2013.

  5. Conceptualizing prognostic awareness in advanced cancer: A systematic review

    PubMed Central

    Applebaum, Allison J; Kolva, Elissa A; Kulikowski, Julia R; Jacobs, Jordana D; DeRosa, Antonio; Lichtenthal, Wendy G; Olden, Megan E; Rosenfeld, Barry; Breitbart, William

    2015-01-01

    This systematic review synthesizes the complex literature on prognostic awareness in cancer. A total of 37 studies examining cancer patients’ understanding of their prognosis were included. Prognostic awareness definitions and assessment methods were inconsistent across studies. A surprisingly high percentage of patients (up to 75%) were unaware of their poor prognosis, and in several studies, even their cancer diagnosis (up to 96%), particularly in studies conducted outside of North America. This review highlights surprisingly low rates of prognostic awareness in patients with advanced cancer as well as discrepancies in prognostic awareness assessment, suggesting the need for empirically validated measures of prognostic awareness. PMID:24157936

  6. Investigation of landslide potential parameters on Zonguldak-Ereğli Highway and adverse effects of landslides in the region.

    PubMed

    Can, Eray

    2014-04-01

    Landslides are natural phenomena in the same class of natural disasters as earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, erosion, and volcanic eruptions that adversely affect human lives and property. Owing to their widespread occurrence, landslides are easily visible and able to be partially understood by people witnessing them. Nevertheless, to comprehend the detail of their formation and determine their potential, it is necessary to undertake geodetic, geological, and geophysical measurements in regions prone to landslides. By analyzing these measurements, it is possible to better ascertain those regions predisposed to landslides and thus provide the means to prevent loss of life and property. The city of Zonguldak, situated in the Western Black Sea region of Turkey, has a high occurrence of landslides owing to its harsh topography with rugged and steep slopes and rainfall in almost every season. Furthermore, the diurnal temperature ranging up to 10 °C in all seasons, especially in winter, plays a crucial role in rock disintegration in this region. Other factors damage ground composition and trigger landslides, such as underground mining operations, road construction that collapses rocky hills using explosives, and excavation works in steep terrain for building construction. This study gives a detailed account of the causes and adverse effects of landslides and their parameters through examples of landslide occurrences in the region, together with the results and analyses of two periods of geodetic measurements conducted on the Zonguldak-Ereğli Highway in Ilıksu district.

  7. Cytogenetic Prognostication Within Medulloblastoma Subgroups

    PubMed Central

    Shih, David J.H.; Northcott, Paul A.; Remke, Marc; Korshunov, Andrey; Ramaswamy, Vijay; Kool, Marcel; Luu, Betty; Yao, Yuan; Wang, Xin; Dubuc, Adrian M.; Garzia, Livia; Peacock, John; Mack, Stephen C.; Wu, Xiaochong; Rolider, Adi; Morrissy, A. Sorana; Cavalli, Florence M.G.; Jones, David T.W.; Zitterbart, Karel; Faria, Claudia C.; Schüller, Ulrich; Kren, Leos; Kumabe, Toshihiro; Tominaga, Teiji; Shin Ra, Young; Garami, Miklós; Hauser, Peter; Chan, Jennifer A.; Robinson, Shenandoah; Bognár, László; Klekner, Almos; Saad, Ali G.; Liau, Linda M.; Albrecht, Steffen; Fontebasso, Adam; Cinalli, Giuseppe; De Antonellis, Pasqualino; Zollo, Massimo; Cooper, Michael K.; Thompson, Reid C.; Bailey, Simon; Lindsey, Janet C.; Di Rocco, Concezio; Massimi, Luca; Michiels, Erna M.C.; Scherer, Stephen W.; Phillips, Joanna J.; Gupta, Nalin; Fan, Xing; Muraszko, Karin M.; Vibhakar, Rajeev; Eberhart, Charles G.; Fouladi, Maryam; Lach, Boleslaw; Jung, Shin; Wechsler-Reya, Robert J.; Fèvre-Montange, Michelle; Jouvet, Anne; Jabado, Nada; Pollack, Ian F.; Weiss, William A.; Lee, Ji-Yeoun; Cho, Byung-Kyu; Kim, Seung-Ki; Wang, Kyu-Chang; Leonard, Jeffrey R.; Rubin, Joshua B.; de Torres, Carmen; Lavarino, Cinzia; Mora, Jaume; Cho, Yoon-Jae; Tabori, Uri; Olson, James M.; Gajjar, Amar; Packer, Roger J.; Rutkowski, Stefan; Pomeroy, Scott L.; French, Pim J.; Kloosterhof, Nanne K.; Kros, Johan M.; Van Meir, Erwin G.; Clifford, Steven C.; Bourdeaut, Franck; Delattre, Olivier; Doz, François F.; Hawkins, Cynthia E.; Malkin, David; Grajkowska, Wieslawa A.; Perek-Polnik, Marta; Bouffet, Eric; Rutka, James T.; Pfister, Stefan M.; Taylor, Michael D.

    2014-01-01

    Purpose Medulloblastoma comprises four distinct molecular subgroups: WNT, SHH, Group 3, and Group 4. Current medulloblastoma protocols stratify patients based on clinical features: patient age, metastatic stage, extent of resection, and histologic variant. Stark prognostic and genetic differences among the four subgroups suggest that subgroup-specific molecular biomarkers could improve patient prognostication. Patients and Methods Molecular biomarkers were identified from a discovery set of 673 medulloblastomas from 43 cities around the world. Combined risk stratification models were designed based on clinical and cytogenetic biomarkers identified by multivariable Cox proportional hazards analyses. Identified biomarkers were tested using fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) on a nonoverlapping medulloblastoma tissue microarray (n = 453), with subsequent validation of the risk stratification models. Results Subgroup information improves the predictive accuracy of a multivariable survival model compared with clinical biomarkers alone. Most previously published cytogenetic biomarkers are only prognostic within a single medulloblastoma subgroup. Profiling six FISH biomarkers (GLI2, MYC, chromosome 11 [chr11], chr14, 17p, and 17q) on formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissues, we can reliably and reproducibly identify very low-risk and very high-risk patients within SHH, Group 3, and Group 4 medulloblastomas. Conclusion Combining subgroup and cytogenetic biomarkers with established clinical biomarkers substantially improves patient prognostication, even in the context of heterogeneous clinical therapies. The prognostic significance of most molecular biomarkers is restricted to a specific subgroup. We have identified a small panel of cytogenetic biomarkers that reliably identifies very high-risk and very low-risk groups of patients, making it an excellent tool for selecting patients for therapy intensification and therapy de-escalation in future clinical trials. PMID

  8. Independent Prognostic Value of Stroke Volume Index in Patients With Immunoglobulin Light Chain Amyloidosis.

    PubMed

    2018-05-01

    Heart involvement is the most important prognostic determinant in AL amyloidosis patients. Echocardiography is a cornerstone for the diagnosis and provides important prognostic information. We studied 754 patients with AL amyloidosis who underwent echocardiographic assessment at the Mayo Clinic, including a Doppler-derived measurement of stroke volume (SV) within 30 days of their diagnosis to explore the prognostic role of echocardiographic variables in the context of a well-established soluble cardiac biomarker staging system. Reproducibility of SV, myocardial contraction fraction, and left ventricular strain was assessed in a separate, yet comparable, study cohort of 150 patients from the Pavia Amyloidosis Center. The echocardiographic measures most predictive for overall survival were SV index <33 mL/min, myocardial contraction fraction <34%, and cardiac index <2.4 L/min/m 2 with respective hazard ratios (95% confidence intervals) of 2.95 (2.37-3.66), 2.36 (1.96-2.85), and 2.32 (1.91-2.80). For the subset that had left ventricular strain performed, the prognostic cut point was -14% (hazard ratios, 2.70; 95% confidence intervals, 1.84-3.96). Each parameter was independent of systolic blood pressure, Mayo staging system (NT-proBNP [N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide] and troponin), and ejection fraction on multivariable analysis. Simple predictive models for survival, including biomarker staging along with SV index or left ventricular strain, were generated. SV index prognostic performance was similar to left ventricular strain in predicting survival in AL amyloidosis, independently of biomarker staging. Because SV index is routinely calculated and widely available, it could serve as the preferred echocardiographic measure to predict outcomes in AL amyloidosis patients. © 2018 American Heart Association, Inc.

  9. Cost-Utility of a Prognostic Test Guiding Adjuvant Chemotherapy Decisions in Early-Stage Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.

    PubMed

    Stenehjem, David D; Bellows, Brandon K; Yager, Kraig M; Jones, Joshua; Kaldate, Rajesh; Siebert, Uwe; Brixner, Diana I

    2016-02-01

    A prognostic test was developed to guide adjuvant chemotherapy (ACT) decisions in early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) adenocarcinomas. The objective of this study was to compare the cost-utility of the prognostic test to the current standard of care (SoC) in patients with early-stage NSCLC. Lifetime costs (2014 U.S. dollars) and effectiveness (quality-adjusted life-years [QALYs]) of ACT treatment decisions were examined using a Markov microsimulation model from a U.S. third-party payer perspective. Cancer stage distribution and probability of receiving ACT with the SoC were based on data from an academic cancer center. The probability of receiving ACT with the prognostic test was estimated from a physician survey. Risk classification was based on the 5-year predicted NSCLC-related mortality. Treatment benefit with ACT was based on the prognostic score. Discounting at a 3% annual rate was applied to costs and QALYs. Deterministic one-way and probabilistic sensitivity analyses examined parameter uncertainty. Lifetime costs and effectiveness were $137,403 and 5.45 QALYs with the prognostic test and $127,359 and 5.17 QALYs with the SoC. The resulting incremental cost-effectiveness ratio for the prognostic test versus the SoC was $35,867/QALY gained. One-way sensitivity analyses indicated the model was most sensitive to the utility of patients without recurrence after ACT and the ACT treatment benefit. Probabilistic sensitivity analysis indicated the prognostic test was cost-effective in 65.5% of simulations at a willingness to pay of $50,000/QALY. The study suggests using a prognostic test to guide ACT decisions in early-stage NSCLC is potentially cost-effective compared with using the SoC based on globally accepted willingness-to-pay thresholds. Providing prognostic information to decision makers may help some patients with high-risk early stage non-small cell lung cancer receive appropriate adjuvant chemotherapy while avoiding the associated toxicities and

  10. Prognostic Value of Pulmonary Vascular Resistance by Magnetic Resonance in Systolic Heart Failure

    PubMed Central

    Fabregat-Andrés, Óscar; Estornell-Erill, Jordi; Ridocci-Soriano, Francisco; Pérez-Boscá, José Leandro; García-González, Pilar; Payá-Serrano, Rafael; Morell, Salvador; Cortijo, Julio

    2016-01-01

    Background Pulmonary hypertension is associated with poor prognosis in heart failure. However, non-invasive diagnosis is still challenging in clinical practice. Objective We sought to assess the prognostic utility of non-invasive estimation of pulmonary vascular resistances (PVR) by cardiovascular magnetic resonance to predict adverse cardiovascular outcomes in heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). Methods Prospective registry of patients with left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) < 40% and recently admitted for decompensated heart failure during three years. PVRwere calculated based on right ventricular ejection fraction and average velocity of the pulmonary artery estimated during cardiac magnetic resonance. Readmission for heart failure and all-cause mortality were considered as adverse events at follow-up. Results 105 patients (average LVEF 26.0 ±7.7%, ischemic etiology 43%) were included. Patients with adverse events at long-term follow-up had higher values of PVR (6.93 ± 1.9 vs. 4.6 ± 1.7estimated Wood Units (eWu), p < 0.001). In multivariate Cox regression analysis, PVR ≥ 5 eWu(cutoff value according to ROC curve) was independently associated with increased risk of adverse events at 9 months follow-up (HR2.98; 95% CI 1.12-7.88; p < 0.03). Conclusions In patients with HFrEF, the presence of PVR ≥ 5.0 Wu is associated with significantly worse clinical outcome at follow-up. Non-invasive estimation of PVR by cardiac magnetic resonance might be useful for risk stratification in HFrEF, irrespective of etiology, presence of late gadolinium enhancement or LVEF. PMID:26840055

  11. A consensus prognostic gene expression classifier for ER positive breast cancer

    PubMed Central

    Teschendorff, Andrew E; Naderi, Ali; Barbosa-Morais, Nuno L; Pinder, Sarah E; Ellis, Ian O; Aparicio, Sam; Brenton, James D; Caldas, Carlos

    2006-01-01

    Background A consensus prognostic gene expression classifier is still elusive in heterogeneous diseases such as breast cancer. Results Here we perform a combined analysis of three major breast cancer microarray data sets to hone in on a universally valid prognostic molecular classifier in estrogen receptor (ER) positive tumors. Using a recently developed robust measure of prognostic separation, we further validate the prognostic classifier in three external independent cohorts, confirming the validity of our molecular classifier in a total of 877 ER positive samples. Furthermore, we find that molecular classifiers may not outperform classical prognostic indices but that they can be used in hybrid molecular-pathological classification schemes to improve prognostic separation. Conclusion The prognostic molecular classifier presented here is the first to be valid in over 877 ER positive breast cancer samples and across three different microarray platforms. Larger multi-institutional studies will be needed to fully determine the added prognostic value of molecular classifiers when combined with standard prognostic factors. PMID:17076897

  12. Prognostic Value of Urinary Neutrophil Gelatinase-Associated Lipocalin on the First Day of Admission for Adverse Events in Patients With Acute Decompensated Heart Failure.

    PubMed

    Nakada, Yasuki; Kawakami, Rika; Matsui, Masaru; Ueda, Tomoya; Nakano, Tomoya; Takitsume, Akihiro; Nakagawa, Hitoshi; Nishida, Taku; Onoue, Kenji; Soeda, Tsunenari; Okayama, Satoshi; Watanabe, Makoto; Kawata, Hiroyuki; Okura, Hiroyuki; Saito, Yoshihiko

    2017-05-18

    Urinary neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (U-NGAL) is an early predictor of acute kidney injury and adverse events in various diseases; however, in acute decompensated heart failure patients, its significance remains poorly understood. This study aimed to investigate the prognostic value of U-NGAL on the first day of admission for the occurrence of acute kidney injury and long-term outcomes in acute decompensated heart failure patients. We studied 260 acute decompensated heart failure patients admitted to our department between 2011 and 2014 by measuring U-NGAL in 24-hour urine samples collected on the first day of admission. Primary end points were all-cause death, cardiovascular death, and heart failure admission. Patients were divided into 2 groups according to their median U-NGAL levels (32.5 μg/gCr). The high-U-NGAL group had a significantly higher occurrence of acute kidney injury during hospitalization than the low-U-NGAL group ( P =0.0012). Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed that the high-U-NGAL group exhibited a worse prognosis than the low-U-NGAL group in all-cause death (hazard ratio 2.07; 95%CI 1.38-3.12, P =0.0004), cardiovascular death (hazard ratio 2.29; 95%CI 1.28-4.24, P =0.0052), and heart failure admission (hazard ratio 1.77; 95%CI 1.13-2.77, P =0.0119). The addition of U-NGAL to the estimated glomerular filtration rate significantly improved the predictive accuracy of all-cause mortality ( P =0.0083). In acute decompensated heart failure patients, an elevated U-NGAL level on the first day of admission was related to the development of clinical acute kidney injury and independently associated with poor prognosis. © 2017 The Authors. Published on behalf of the American Heart Association, Inc., by Wiley.

  13. Predictive value of seven preoperative prognostic scoring systems for spinal metastases.

    PubMed

    Leithner, Andreas; Radl, Roman; Gruber, Gerald; Hochegger, Markus; Leithner, Katharina; Welkerling, Heike; Rehak, Peter; Windhager, Reinhard

    2008-11-01

    Predicting prognosis is the key factor in selecting the proper treatment modality for patients with spinal metastases. Therefore, various assessment systems have been designed in order to provide a basis for deciding the course of treatment. Such systems have been proposed by Tokuhashi, Sioutos, Tomita, Van der Linden, and Bauer. The scores differ greatly in the kind of parameters assessed. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prognostic value of each score. Eight parameters were assessed for 69 patients (37 male, 32 female): location, general condition, number of extraspinal bone metastases, number of spinal metastases, visceral metastases, primary tumour, severity of spinal cord palsy, and pathological fracture. Scores according to Tokuhashi (original and revised), Sioutos, Tomita, Van der Linden, and Bauer were assessed as well as a modified Bauer score without scoring for pathologic fracture. Nineteen patients were still alive as of September 2006 with a minimum follow-up of 12 months. All other patients died after a mean period of 17 months after operation. The mean overall survival period was only 3 months for lung cancer, followed by prostate (7 months), kidney (23 months), breast (35 months), and multiple myeloma (51 months). At univariate survival analysis, primary tumour and visceral metastases were significant parameters, while Karnofsky score was only significant in the group including myeloma patients. In multivariate analysis of all seven parameters assessed, primary tumour and visceral metastases were the only significant parameters. Of all seven scoring systems, the original Bauer score and a Bauer score without scoring for pathologic fracture had the best association with survival (P < 0.001). The data of the present study emphasize that the original Bauer score and a modified Bauer score without scoring for pathologic fracture seem to be practicable and highly predictive preoperative scoring systems for patients with spinal metastases

  14. Predictive value of seven preoperative prognostic scoring systems for spinal metastases

    PubMed Central

    Leithner, Andreas; Radl, Roman; Gruber, Gerald; Hochegger, Markus; Leithner, Katharina; Welkerling, Heike; Rehak, Peter

    2008-01-01

    Predicting prognosis is the key factor in selecting the proper treatment modality for patients with spinal metastases. Therefore, various assessment systems have been designed in order to provide a basis for deciding the course of treatment. Such systems have been proposed by Tokuhashi, Sioutos, Tomita, Van der Linden, and Bauer. The scores differ greatly in the kind of parameters assessed. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prognostic value of each score. Eight parameters were assessed for 69 patients (37 male, 32 female): location, general condition, number of extraspinal bone metastases, number of spinal metastases, visceral metastases, primary tumour, severity of spinal cord palsy, and pathological fracture. Scores according to Tokuhashi (original and revised), Sioutos, Tomita, Van der Linden, and Bauer were assessed as well as a modified Bauer score without scoring for pathologic fracture. Nineteen patients were still alive as of September 2006 with a minimum follow-up of 12 months. All other patients died after a mean period of 17 months after operation. The mean overall survival period was only 3 months for lung cancer, followed by prostate (7 months), kidney (23 months), breast (35 months), and multiple myeloma (51 months). At univariate survival analysis, primary tumour and visceral metastases were significant parameters, while Karnofsky score was only significant in the group including myeloma patients. In multivariate analysis of all seven parameters assessed, primary tumour and visceral metastases were the only significant parameters. Of all seven scoring systems, the original Bauer score and a Bauer score without scoring for pathologic fracture had the best association with survival (P < 0.001). The data of the present study emphasize that the original Bauer score and a modified Bauer score without scoring for pathologic fracture seem to be practicable and highly predictive preoperative scoring systems for patients with spinal

  15. Standardizing the definition of adverse pathology for lower risk men undergoing radical prostatectomy.

    PubMed

    Kozminski, Michael A; Tomlins, Scott; Cole, Adam; Singhal, Udit; Lu, Louis; Skolarus, Ted A; Palapattu, Ganesh S; Montgomery, Jeffrey S; Weizer, Alon Z; Mehra, Rohit; Hollenbeck, Brent K; Miller, David C; He, Chang; Feng, Felix Y; Morgan, Todd M

    2016-09-01

    Numerous definitions of adverse pathology at radical prostatectomy (RP) have been proposed and implemented for both research and clinical care, and there is tremendous variation in the specific criteria used to define adverse pathology in these settings. Given the current landscape in which magnetic resonance imaging criteria and biomarker cutoffs are validated for disparate adverse pathology definitions, we sought to identify which of these is most closely tied to biochemical recurrence (BCR) after RP. A total of 2,837 patients who underwent RP at a single institution for localized prostate cancer (PCa) were included. We evaluated the following existing definitions of adverse pathology at RP: (1) Gleason score ≥7, (2) primary Gleason pattern ≥4, (3) Gleason score ≥7 or pathologic stage T3-4, (4) pathologic stage T3-4, (5) primary Gleason pattern ≥4 or pathologic stage T3-4. The primary outcome measure was BCR. Multiple statistical techniques were used to assess BCR prediction. Of the 5 definitions assessed, 1 (primary Gleason pattern ≥4 or pathologic stage T3-4, 540 patients [19% of cohort]) consistently outperformed the other definitions across all statistical measures. Additionally, a total of only 13 (6.6%) and 34 (10.3%) men with very-low-risk and low-risk cancer per National Comprehensive Cancer Network guideline, respectively, met this definition of adverse pathology at the time of RP. Varying definitions of adverse pathology differ in their prognostic performance. The criteria defined by either primary Gleason pattern ≥4 or pT3-4 disease appears to most accurately predict BCR in this subset of patients with lower risk PCa at the time of diagnosis. Additionally, men with very-low-risk or low-risk PCa per National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines are relatively unlikely to have adverse pathology at the time of surgical resection. These data may help inform the use of imaging and molecular markers as well as the intensity of surveillance in

  16. Incorporating prognostic imaging biomarkers into clinical practice

    PubMed Central

    Miles, Kenneth A.

    2013-01-01

    Abstract A prognostic imaging biomarker can be defined as an imaging characteristic that is objectively measurable and provides information on the likely outcome of the cancer disease in an untreated individual and should be distinguished from predictive imaging biomarkers and imaging markers of response. A range of tumour characteristics of potential prognostic value can be measured using a variety imaging modalities. However, none has currently been adopted into routine clinical practice. This article considers key examples of emerging prognostic imaging biomarkers and proposes an evaluation framework that aims to demonstrate clinical efficacy and so support their introduction into the clinical arena. With appropriate validation within an established evaluation framework, prognostic imaging biomarkers have the potential to contribute to individualized cancer care, in some cases reducing the financial burden of expensive cancer treatments by facilitating their more rational use. PMID:24060808

  17. Early warning score independently predicts adverse outcome and mortality in patients with acute pancreatitis.

    PubMed

    Jones, Michael J; Neal, Christopher P; Ngu, Wee Sing; Dennison, Ashley R; Garcea, Giuseppe

    2017-08-01

    The aim of this study was to compare the prognostic value of established scoring systems with early warning scores in a large cohort of patients with acute pancreatitis. In patients presenting with acute pancreatitis, age, sex, American Society of Anaesthesiologists (ASA) grade, Modified Glasgow Score, Ranson criteria, APACHE II scores and early warning score (EWS) were recorded for the first 72 h following admission. These variables were compared between survivors and non-survivors, between patients with mild/moderate and severe pancreatitis (based on the 2012 Atlanta Classification) and between patients with a favourable or adverse outcome. A total of 629 patients were identified. EWS was the best predictor of adverse outcome amongst all of the assessed variables (area under curve (AUC) values 0.81, 0.84 and 0.83 for days 1, 2 and 3, respectively) and was the most accurate predictor of mortality on both days 2 and 3 (AUC values of 0.88 and 0.89, respectively). Multivariable analysis revealed that an EWS ≥2 was independently associated with severity of pancreatitis, adverse outcome and mortality. This study confirms the usefulness of EWS in predicting the outcome of acute pancreatitis. It should become the mainstay of risk stratification in patients with acute pancreatitis.

  18. Prognostic value of tripartite motif containing 29 expression in patients with gastric cancer following surgical resection.

    PubMed

    Wang, Chenghu; Zhou, Yi; Chen, Beibei; Yuan, Weiwei; Huang, Jinxi

    2018-04-01

    Tripartite motif containing 29 (TRIM29) dysregulation serves an important function in the progression of numerous types of cancer, but its function in the prognosis of patients with gastric cancer remains unknown. The present study assessed the prognostic value of TRIM29 in patients with gastric cancer following surgical resection. A total of 243 fresh gastric adenocarcinoma and adjacent normal tissues were continuously retrieved from patients who underwent curative surgery for gastric cancer at the Cancer Hospital of Henan Province (Zhengzhou, China) between January 2005 and December 2011. The reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction was performed to assess TRIM29 expression. The association between TRIM29 expression and clinicopathological features and prognosis was subsequently evaluated. The results of the present study revealed that the expression of TRIM29 was increased in the gastric cancer tissues compared with the normal adjacent tissues, and that upregulated expression of TRIM29 was associated with tumor cell differentiation, tumor stage, lymph node metastasis, and tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) stage. In the training and validation data, high TRIM29 expression was associated with poor overall survival in patients with gastric cancer. Furthermore, multivariate analysis identified that TRIM29 expression was an independent prognostic factor for overall survival, in addition to TNM stage and Lauren classification. Combining TRIM29 expression with the TNM staging system generated a novel predictive model that exhibited improved prognostic accuracy for overall survival in patients with gastric cancer. The present study revealed that TRIM29 was an independent adverse prognostic factor in patients with gastric cancer. Incorporating TRIM29 expression level into the TNM staging system may improve risk stratification and render prognosis more accurate in patients with gastric cancer.

  19. Prognostic significance of extranodal extension in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma cN0 patients with occult metastatic neck nodes.

    PubMed

    Lop, Joan; Rigó, Antoni; Codina, Alberto; de Juan, Julia; Quer, Miquel; León, Xavier

    Extranodal extension in nodal metastases is an independent adverse prognostic factor in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma patients. However, few studies specifically address the subgroup of patients with no clinical evidence of nodal disease. We retrospectively analysed data from 348 head and neck squamous cell carcinoma patients without any previous treatment and lacking clinical or radiological evidence of neck node metastases during the initial workup, treated with an elective neck dissection between 1992-2014. The incidence of occult metastatic neck nodes with extranodal extension and the impact of extranodal extension in survival were evaluated. The proportion of patients with occult neck node metastases was 33%. Of these, 23.5% had at least one metastatic neck node with extranodal extension. There were significant differences in the disease-specific survival rate according to neck node status. Five-year disease-specific survival for patients without histopathological metastases was 90%, for patients with occult neck node metastases without extranodal extension it was 71.2%, and for patients with occult neck node metastases with extranodal extension it was 25.9% (P=.0001). The multivariate analysis revealed that the presence of occult node metastases with extranodal extension was the factor with strongest impact on survival. The inclusion of the extranodal extension as a criterion of histopathological evaluation in the 8th TNM classification edition improves the prognostic capacity compared to previous TNM editions. Appearance of metastatic neck nodes with extranodal extension is an adverse prognostic factor in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma patients without clinical evidence of regional disease during the initial workup of the tumour. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier España, S.L.U. and Sociedad Española de Otorrinolaringología y Cirugía de Cabeza y Cuello. All rights reserved.

  20. An Integrated Approach for Gear Health Prognostics

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    He, David; Bechhoefer, Eric; Dempsey, Paula; Ma, Jinghua

    2012-01-01

    In this paper, an integrated approach for gear health prognostics using particle filters is presented. The presented method effectively addresses the issues in applying particle filters to gear health prognostics by integrating several new components into a particle filter: (1) data mining based techniques to effectively define the degradation state transition and measurement functions using a one-dimensional health index obtained by whitening transform; (2) an unbiased l-step ahead RUL estimator updated with measurement errors. The feasibility of the presented prognostics method is validated using data from a spiral bevel gear case study.

  1. Towards Prognostics of Electrolytic Capacitors

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Celaya, Jose R.; Kulkarni, Chetan; Biswas, Gautam; Goegel, Kai

    2011-01-01

    A remaining useful life prediction algorithm and degradation model for electrolytic capacitors is presented. Electrolytic capacitors are used in several applications ranging from power supplies on critical avionics equipment to power drivers for electro-mechanical actuators. These devices are known for their low reliability and given their criticality in electronics subsystems they are a good candidate for component level prognostics and health management research. Prognostics provides a way to assess remaining useful life of a capacitor based on its current state of health and its anticipated future usage and operational conditions. In particular, experimental results of an accelerated aging test under electrical stresses are presented. The capacitors used in this test form the basis for a remaining life prediction algorithm where a model of the degradation process is suggested. This preliminary remaining life prediction algorithm serves as a demonstration of how prognostics methodologies could be used for electrolytic capacitors.

  2. Prognostic significance of red cell distribution width and other red cell parameters in patients with chronic heart failure during two years of follow-up.

    PubMed

    Wołowiec, Łukasz; Rogowicz, Daniel; Banach, Joanna; Buszko, Katarzyna; Surowiec, Agnieszka; Błażejewski, Jan; Bujak, Robert; Sinkiewicz, Władysław

    Studies published during the last decade seem to indicate red blood cell parameters as inexpensive, rapidly available, and simple tools for the assessment of prognosis in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF). To evaluate the prognostic value of red cell parameters determined in a routine blood count in patients with CHF. The study group included 165 patients with the New York Heart Association (NYHA) class II-IV CHF hospitalised in the 2nd Department of Cardiology in Bydgoszcz. On the first day of hospitalisation, all patients in the study group underwent a complete blood count with an assessment of haemoglobin (Hb) level, mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular haemoglobin (MCH), mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration (MCHC) and red blood cell distribution width (RDW). Follow-up was carried over 24 months by phone calls every 3 months. MCV, MCH and MCHC were not shown to be significant predictors of mortality in CHF patients at 1 and 2 years of follow-up. In univariate analysis at 1-year follow-up, the following variables were significantly associated with the occurrence of the study endpoint: Hb level (p = 0.022; HR = 0.80), RDW (p = 0.004; HR = 1.257), and N-terminal pro-B-type na-triuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) level (p = 0.0001; HR = 1). At 2 years of follow-up, the following variables were significantly associated with the occurrence of the study endpoint: left ventricular ejection fraction (p = 0.018; HR = 0.956), NYHA class (p = 0.007; HR = 0.378), RDW (p = 0.044; HR = 1.175), and NT-proBNP level (p < 0.001; HR = 1). Multivariate analysis for 1-year follow-up showed that RDW and NT-proBNP level were independent significant predictors of mortality, while NT-proBNP level (p = 0.006; HR = 1) and NYHA class (p = 0.024; HR = 0.439) were significant predictors of mortality at 2 years of follow-up. Based on receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, the cut-off RDW was 15.00% (AUC = 0.63; 0.523-0.737), at 12 months of follow-up and 14

  3. Differential Prognostic Value of Coronary Computed Tomography Angiography in Relation to Exercise Electrocardiography in Asymptomatic Subjects

    PubMed Central

    Lee, Sang-Eun; Cho, Iksung; Hong, Geu-Ru; Sung, Ji Min; Cho, In-Jeong; Shim, Chi Young; Choi, Byoung Wook; Chung, Namsik

    2015-01-01

    Background To explore the prognostic performance of coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) and exercise electrocardiography (XECG) in asymptomatic subjects. Methods We retrospectively enrolled 812 (59 ± 9 years, 60.8% male) asymptomatic subjects who underwent CCTA and XECG concurrently from 2003 through 2009. Subjects were followed-up for major adverse cardiac events (MACE) including cardiac death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, unstable angina, and revascularization after 90 days from index CCTA. Results The prevalence of occult coronary artery disease (CAD) detected by CCTA was 17.5% and 120 subjects (14.8%) had positive XECG. During a mean follow-up of 37 ± 16 months, nine subjects experienced MACE. In multivariable Cox-regression analysis, only the presence of CAD by CCTA independently predicted future MACE (p = 0.002). Moreover, CAD by CCTA improved the predictive value when added to a clinical risk factor model using the likelihood ratio test (p < 0.001). Notably, the prognostic value of CCTA persisted in the moderate-to-high-risk group as classified by the Duke treadmill score (p = 0.040), but not in the low-risk group (p = 0.991). Conclusion CCTA provides incremental prognostic benefit over and above XECG in an asymptomatic population, especially for those in a moderate-to-high-risk group as classified by the Duke treadmill score. Risk stratification using XECG may prove valuable for identifying asymptomatic subjects who can benefit from CCTA. PMID:26755933

  4. The prognostic value of T1 mapping and late gadolinium enhancement cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging in patients with light chain amyloidosis.

    PubMed

    Lin, Lu; Li, Xiao; Feng, Jun; Shen, Kai-Ni; Tian, Zhuang; Sun, Jian; Mao, Yue-Ying; Cao, Jian; Jin, Zheng-Yu; Li, Jian; Selvanayagam, Joseph B; Wang, Yi-Ning

    2018-01-03

    Cardiac impairment is associated with high morbidity and mortality in immunoglobulin light chain (AL) type amyloidosis, for which early identification and risk stratification is vital. For myocardial tissue characterization, late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) is a classic and most commonly performed cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) parameter. T1 mapping with native T1 and extracellular volume (ECV) are recently developed quantitative parameters. We aimed to investigate the prognostic value of native T1, ECV and LGE in patients with AL amyloidosis. Eighty-two patients (55.5 ± 8.5 years; 52 M) and 20 healthy subjects (53.2 ± 11.7 years; 10 M) were prospectively recruited. All subjects underwent CMR with LGE imaging and T1 mapping using a Modified Look-Locker Inversion-recovery (MOLLI) sequence on a 3 T scanner. Native T1 and ECV were measured semi-automatically using a dedicated CMR software. The left ventricular (LV) LGE pattern was classified as none, patchy, and global groups. Global LGE was considered when there was diffuse, transmural LGE in more than half of the short axis images. Follow-up was performed for all-cause mortality using Cox proportional hazards regression analysis and Kaplan-Meier survival curves. The patients demonstrated an increase in native T1 (1438 ± 120 ms vs. 1283 ± 46 ms, P = 0.001) and ECV (43.9 ± 10.9% vs. 27.0 ± 1.7%, P = 0.001) compared to healthy controls. Native T1, ECV and LGE showed significant correlation with Mayo Stage, and ECV and LGE showed significant correlation with echocardiographic E/E' and LV ejection fraction. During the follow-up for a median time of 8 months, 21 deaths occurred. ECV ≥ 44.0% (hazard ratio [HR] 7.249, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.751-13.179, P = 0.002) and global LGE (HR 4.804, 95% CI 1.971-12.926, P = 0.001) were independently prognostic for mortality over other clinical and imaging parameters. In subgroups with the same LGE pattern

  5. Prognostic factors in prostate cancer.

    PubMed

    Braeckman, Johan; Michielsen, Dirk

    2007-01-01

    In the nineteenth century the main goal of medicine was predictive: diagnose the disease and achieve a satisfying prognosis of the patient's chances. Today the effort has shifted to cure the disease. Since the twentieth century, the word prognosis has also been used in nonmedical contexts, for example in corporate finance or elections. The most accurate form of prognosis is achieved statistically. Based on different prognostic factors it should be possible to tell patients how they are expected to do after prostate cancer has been diagnosed and how different treatments may change this outcome. A prognosis is a prediction. The word prognosis comes from the Greek word (see text) and means foreknowing. In the nineteenth century this was the main goal of medicine: diagnose the disease and achieve a satisfying prognosis of the patient's chances. Today the effort has shifted towards seeking a cure. Prognostic factors in (prostate) cancer are defined as "variables that can account for some of the heterogeneity associated with the expected course and outcome of a disease". Bailey defined prognosis as "a reasoned forecast concerning the course, pattern, progression, duration, and end of the disease. Prognostic factors are not only essential to understand the natural history and the course of the disease, but also to predict possible different outcomes of different treatments or perhaps no treatment at all. This is extremely important in a disease like prostate cancer where there is clear evidence that a substantial number of cases discovered by prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing are unlikely ever to become clinically significant, not to mention mortal. Furthermore, prognostic factors are of paramount importance for correct interpretation of clinical trials and for the construction of future trials. Finally, according to WHO national screening committee criteria for implementing a national screening programme, widely accepted prognostic factors must be defined before

  6. Prognostic value of CD66b positive tumor-infiltrating neutrophils in testicular germ cell tumor.

    PubMed

    Yamada, Yuta; Nakagawa, Tohru; Sugihara, Toru; Horiuchi, Takamasa; Yoshizaki, Uran; Fujimura, Tetsuya; Fukuhara, Hiroshi; Urano, Tomohiko; Takayama, Kenichi; Inoue, Satoshi; Kume, Haruki; Homma, Yukio

    2016-11-18

    Prognostic value of immune cells is not clear in testicular germ cell tumors (TGCTs). We aimed to investigate the prognostic value of tumor-infiltrating neutrophils in TGCTs. A total of 102 patients who underwent orchiectomy for TGCT were investigated for CD66b positive tumor-infiltrating neutrophils (CD66b + TINs). Immmunostaining for CD66b was performed in 102 sections as described. Clinicopathological parameters as well as cancer specific survival and overall survival were assessed for correlation with CD66b + TIN density. High density group was significantly correlated with tumor diameter ≥ 10 cm, presence of nodal/distant metastasis, S stage, diagnosis of nonseminomatous germ cell tumor (NGCT), and presence of venous invasion (p = 0.0198, p < 0.0001, p = 0.0275, p = 0.0004, and p = 0.0287, respectively). It was also significantly associated with cancer-specific and overall survival (logrank p = 0.0036, and p = 0.0002, respectively). Multivariate analysis showed that increased CD66b + TIN was an independent prognostic factor for overall survival (p = 0.0095). Increased CD66b + TIN was significantly associated with presence of metastasis, S stage, and nonseminomatous germ cell tumor diagnosis. It was also an independent prognostic factor of overall survival in patients with TGCT.

  7. FDG-PET/CT at the end of immuno-chemotherapy in follicular lymphoma: the prognostic role of the ratio between target lesion and liver SUVmax (rPET).

    PubMed

    Annunziata, Salvatore; Cuccaro, Annarosa; Tisi, Maria Chiara; Hohaus, Stefan; Rufini, Vittoria

    2018-06-01

    To retrospectively investigate the prognostic role of the ratio between target lesion and liver SUV max (rPET) in patients with follicular lymphoma (FL) submitted to FDG-PET/CT at the end of immuno-chemotherapy (PI-PET), and to compare rPET with International Harmonization Project criteria (IHP), Deauville Score (5p-DS) and FL International Prognostic Index at diagnosis (FLIPI). Eighty-nine patients with FL undergoing PI-PET were evaluated. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) approach was applied to identify the optimal cut-point of rPET with respect to 5-years progression free survival (PFS). The prognostic significance of rPET was compared with IHP, DS and FLIPI. Positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) were calculated using the presence of adverse events as gold standard. The ROC analysis for rPET as predictor of progression showed an optimal rPET cut-point of 0.98. Patients with positive values of IHP, DS and rPET had a PFS of 50, 30 and 31%. PPV were of 56, 80 and 80%, NPV of 83, 86 and 88%, respectively. DS and rPET differed only in two patients. FLIPI was not predictive of progression and relapse. rPET is a prognostic factor in patients with FL submitted to PI-PET. Although it has a similar prognostic power as DS, it can have methodological advantages over visual analysis. PI-PET with different evaluation systems has a stronger prognostic power than FLIPI at diagnosis, so it could be useful to identify patients with FL at risk for early relapse after immuno-chemotherapy.

  8. Prognostic and clinicopathological significance of long noncoding RNA HOXA11-AS expression in human solid tumors: a meta-analysis.

    PubMed

    Mu, Shidai; Ai, Lisha; Fan, Fengjuan; Sun, Chunyan; Hu, Yu

    2018-01-01

    Recent studies have emphasized the important prognostic role of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in various types of cancers. Here we conducted a meta-analysis to investigate whether lncRNA HOXA11-AS can be served as a prognostic biomarker in human cancers. We systematically searched PubMed, Embase, ISI Web of Science, and SCOPUS for relevant studies, to investigate the prognostic significance of HOXA11-AS expression in cancer patients. Odds ratios (ORs) or hazards ratios (HRs) with corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) are pooled to estimate the association between HOXA11-AS expression and clinicopathological parameters or survival of cancer patients. A total of eight eligible studies with 1320 cancer patients were enrolled in our meta-analysis. The results revealed that increased expression level of HOXA11-AS was significantly associated with clinicopathological parameters including more lymph node metastasis (OR = 2.06, 95% CI 1.31-3.25), advanced tumor stage (OR = 4.22, 95% CI 2.60-6.85), as well as poor tumor differentiation (OR = 2.49, 95 CI 1.47-4.20), but not correlated with age ( p  = 0.101) or gender ( p  = 0.845). In addition, cancer patients with high HOXA11-AS are prognosed to have shorter OS (pooled HR = 1.86, 95% CI 1.39-2.48) and PFS (pooled HR = 2.47, 95% CI 1.29-4.75). HOXA11-AS overexpression might be a convinced unfavorable prognostic factor that helps the clinical decision-making process.

  9. Glasgow Prognostic Score is a predictor of perioperative and long-term outcome in patients with only surgically treated esophageal cancer.

    PubMed

    Vashist, Yogesh K; Loos, Julian; Dedow, Josephine; Tachezy, Michael; Uzunoglu, Guentac; Kutup, Asad; Yekebas, Emre F; Izbicki, Jakob R

    2011-04-01

    Systemic inflammation (SI) plays a pivotal role in cancer. C-reactive protein (CRP) and albumin as parameters of SI form the Glasgow Prognostic Score (GPS). The purpose of the study was to evaluate the potential prognostic role of GPS in a homogeneous population of esophageal cancer (EC) patients undergoing only resection. GPS was evaluated on the basis of admission blood sample taken before surgery. Patients with a CRP < 10 mg/L and albumin > 35 g/L were allocated to GPS0 group. If only CRP was increased or albumin decreased patients were allocated to the GPS1 and patients in whom CRP was ≥10 mg/L and albumin level ≤35 g/L were classified as GPS2. GPS was correlated to clinicopathological parameters and clinical outcome. Increasing GPS significantly correlated with more aggressive tumor biology in terms of tumor size (P < 0.001), presence of regional (P = 0.01) and nonregional lymph node metastasis (P = 0.02), and higher tumor recurrence rate (P < 0.001). Furthermore, GPS was identified as an independent prognosticator of perioperative morbidity (odds ratio 1.9; P = 0.03). In addition, a gradual decrease in disease-free and overall survival was evident between the three GPS subgroups. Survival differences between the GPS groups remained apparent even after stratification of the study population to underlying tumor type and nodal status. GPS was identified as a strong prognosticator of tumor recurrence (hazard ratio 2.5; P < 0.001) and survival (hazard ratio 3.0; P < 0.001) in EC. GPS represents a strong prognosticator of perioperative morbidity and long-term outcome in resected EC patients without neoadjuvant or adjuvant treatment.

  10. Sensor systems for prognostics and health management.

    PubMed

    Cheng, Shunfeng; Azarian, Michael H; Pecht, Michael G

    2010-01-01

    Prognostics and health management (PHM) is an enabling discipline consisting of technologies and methods to assess the reliability of a product in its actual life cycle conditions to determine the advent of failure and mitigate system risk. Sensor systems are needed for PHM to monitor environmental, operational, and performance-related characteristics. The gathered data can be analyzed to assess product health and predict remaining life. In this paper, the considerations for sensor system selection for PHM applications, including the parameters to be measured, the performance needs, the electrical and physical attributes, reliability, and cost of the sensor system, are discussed. The state-of-the-art sensor systems for PHM and the emerging trends in technologies of sensor systems for PHM are presented.

  11. Sensor Systems for Prognostics and Health Management

    PubMed Central

    Cheng, Shunfeng; Azarian, Michael H.; Pecht, Michael G.

    2010-01-01

    Prognostics and health management (PHM) is an enabling discipline consisting of technologies and methods to assess the reliability of a product in its actual life cycle conditions to determine the advent of failure and mitigate system risk. Sensor systems are needed for PHM to monitor environmental, operational, and performance-related characteristics. The gathered data can be analyzed to assess product health and predict remaining life. In this paper, the considerations for sensor system selection for PHM applications, including the parameters to be measured, the performance needs, the electrical and physical attributes, reliability, and cost of the sensor system, are discussed. The state-of-the-art sensor systems for PHM and the emerging trends in technologies of sensor systems for PHM are presented. PMID:22219686

  12. Prognostic Analysis System and Methods of Operation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    MacKey, Ryan M. E. (Inventor); Sneddon, Robert (Inventor)

    2014-01-01

    A prognostic analysis system and methods of operating the system are provided. In particular, a prognostic analysis system for the analysis of physical system health applicable to mechanical, electrical, chemical and optical systems and methods of operating the system are described herein.

  13. Prognostics of Power MOSFET

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Celaya, Jose Ramon; Saxena, Abhinav; Vashchenko, Vladislay; Saha, Sankalita; Goebel, Kai Frank

    2011-01-01

    This paper demonstrates how to apply prognostics to power MOSFETs (metal oxide field effect transistor). The methodology uses thermal cycling to age devices and Gaussian process regression to perform prognostics. The approach is validated with experiments on 100V power MOSFETs. The failure mechanism for the stress conditions is determined to be die-attachment degradation. Change in ON-state resistance is used as a precursor of failure due to its dependence on junction temperature. The experimental data is augmented with a finite element analysis simulation that is based on a two-transistor model. The simulation assists in the interpretation of the degradation phenomena and SOA (safe operation area) change.

  14. An elevated neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio is associated with adverse outcomes following single time-point paracetamol (acetaminophen) overdose: a time-course analysis.

    PubMed

    Craig, Darren G; Kitto, Laura; Zafar, Sara; Reid, Thomas W D J; Martin, Kirsty G; Davidson, Janice S; Hayes, Peter C; Simpson, Kenneth J

    2014-09-01

    The innate immune system is profoundly dysregulated in paracetamol (acetaminophen)-induced liver injury. The neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is a simple bedside index with prognostic value in a number of inflammatory conditions. To evaluate the prognostic accuracy of the NLR in patients with significant liver injury following single time-point and staggered paracetamol overdoses. Time-course analysis of 100 single time-point and 50 staggered paracetamol overdoses admitted to a tertiary liver centre. Timed laboratory samples were correlated with time elapsed after overdose or admission, respectively, and the NLR was calculated. A total of 49/100 single time-point patients developed hepatic encephalopathy (HE). Median NLRs were higher at both 72 (P=0.0047) and 96 h after overdose (P=0.0041) in single time-point patients who died or were transplanted. Maximum NLR values by 96 h were associated with increasing HE grade (P=0.0005). An NLR of more than 16.7 during the first 96 h following overdose was independently associated with the development of HE [odds ratio 5.65 (95% confidence interval 1.67-19.13), P=0.005]. Maximum NLR values by 96 h were strongly associated with the requirement for intracranial pressure monitoring (P<0.0001), renal replacement therapy (P=0.0002) and inotropic support (P=0.0005). In contrast, in the staggered overdose cohort, the NLR was not associated with adverse outcomes or death/transplantation either at admission or subsequently. The NLR is a simple test which is strongly associated with adverse outcomes following single time-point, but not staggered, paracetamol overdoses. Future studies should assess the value of incorporating the NLR into existing prognostic and triage indices of single time-point paracetamol overdose.

  15. An internally validated new clinical and inflammation-based prognostic score for patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma treated with sorafenib.

    PubMed

    Diaz-Beveridge, R; Bruixola, G; Lorente, D; Caballero, J; Rodrigo, E; Segura, Á; Akhoundova, D; Giménez, A; Aparicio, J

    2018-03-01

    Sorafenib is a standard treatment for patients (pts) with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (aHCC), although the clinical benefit is heterogeneous between different pts groups. Among novel prognostic factors, a low baseline neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (bNLR) and early-onset diarrhoea have been linked with a better prognosis. To identify prognostic factors in pts with aHCC treated with 1st-line sorafenib and to develop a new prognostic score to guide management. Retrospective review of 145 pts bNLR, overall toxicity, early toxicity rates and overall survival (OS) were assessed. Univariate and multivariate analysis of prognostic factors for OS was performed. The prognostic score was calculated from the coefficients found in the Cox analysis. ROC curves and pseudoR2 index were used for internal validation. Discrimination ability and calibration were tested by Harrel's c-index (HCI) and Akaike criteria (AIC). The optimal bNLR cut-off for the prediction of OS was 4 (AUC 0.62). Independent prognostic factors in multivariate analysis for OS were performance status (PS) (p < .0001), Child-Pugh (C-P) score (p = 0.005), early-onset diarrhoea (p = 0.006) and BNLR (0.011). The prognostic score based on these four variables was found efficient (HCI = 0.659; AIC = 1.180). Four risk groups for OS could be identified: a very low-risk (median OS = 48.6 months), a low-risk (median OS = 11.6 months), an intermediate-risk (median OS = 8.3 months) and a high-risk group (median OS = 4.4 months). PS and C-P score were the main prognostic factors for OS, followed by early-onset diarrhoea and bNLR. We identified four risk groups for OS depending on these parameters. This prognostic model could be useful for patient stratification, but an external validation is needed.

  16. Evaluating Algorithm Performance Metrics Tailored for Prognostics

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Saxena, Abhinav; Celaya, Jose; Saha, Bhaskar; Saha, Sankalita; Goebel, Kai

    2009-01-01

    Prognostics has taken a center stage in Condition Based Maintenance (CBM) where it is desired to estimate Remaining Useful Life (RUL) of the system so that remedial measures may be taken in advance to avoid catastrophic events or unwanted downtimes. Validation of such predictions is an important but difficult proposition and a lack of appropriate evaluation methods renders prognostics meaningless. Evaluation methods currently used in the research community are not standardized and in many cases do not sufficiently assess key performance aspects expected out of a prognostics algorithm. In this paper we introduce several new evaluation metrics tailored for prognostics and show that they can effectively evaluate various algorithms as compared to other conventional metrics. Specifically four algorithms namely; Relevance Vector Machine (RVM), Gaussian Process Regression (GPR), Artificial Neural Network (ANN), and Polynomial Regression (PR) are compared. These algorithms vary in complexity and their ability to manage uncertainty around predicted estimates. Results show that the new metrics rank these algorithms in different manner and depending on the requirements and constraints suitable metrics may be chosen. Beyond these results, these metrics offer ideas about how metrics suitable to prognostics may be designed so that the evaluation procedure can be standardized. 1

  17. The preoperative plasma fibrinogen level is an independent prognostic factor for overall survival of breast cancer patients who underwent surgical treatment.

    PubMed

    Wen, Jiahuai; Yang, Yanning; Ye, Feng; Huang, Xiaojia; Li, Shuaijie; Wang, Qiong; Xie, Xiaoming

    2015-12-01

    Previous studies have suggested that plasma fibrinogen contributes to tumor cell proliferation, progression and metastasis. The current study was performed to evaluate the prognostic relevance of preoperative plasma fibrinogen in breast cancer patients. Data of 2073 consecutive breast cancer patients, who underwent surgery between January 2002 and December 2008 at the Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, were retrospectively evaluated. Plasma fibrinogen levels were routinely measured before surgeries. Participants were grouped by the cutoff value estimated by the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Overall survival (OS) was assessed using Kaplan-Meier analysis, and multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression model was performed to evaluate the independent prognostic value of plasma fibrinogen level. The optimal cutoff value of preoperative plasma fibrinogen was determined to be 2.83 g/L. The Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that patients with high fibrinogen levels had shorter OS than patients with low fibrinogen levels (p < 0.001). Multivariate analysis suggested preoperative plasma fibrinogen as an independent prognostic factor for OS in breast cancer patients (HR = 1.475, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.177-1.848, p = 0.001). Subgroup analyses revealed that plasma fibrinogen level was an unfavorable prognostic parameter in stage II-III, Luminal subtypes and triple-negative breast cancer patients. Elevated preoperative plasma fibrinogen was independently associated with poor prognosis in breast cancer patients and may serve as a valuable parameter for risk assessment in breast cancer patients. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

  18. The Prognostic Nutritional Index Predicts Survival and Identifies Aggressiveness of Gastric Cancer.

    PubMed

    Eo, Wan Kyu; Chang, Hye Jung; Suh, Jungho; Ahn, Jin; Shin, Jeong; Hur, Joon-Young; Kim, Gou Young; Lee, Sookyung; Park, Sora; Lee, Sanghun

    2015-01-01

    Nutritional status has been associated with long-term outcomes in cancer patients. The prognostic nutritional index (PNI) is calculated by serum albumin concentration and absolute lymphocyte count, and it may be a surrogate biomarker for nutritional status and possibly predicts overall survival (OS) of gastric cancer. We evaluated the value of the PNI as a predictor for disease-free survival (DFS) in addition to OS in a cohort of 314 gastric cancer patients who underwent curative surgical resection. There were 77 patients in PNI-low group (PNI ≤ 47.3) and 237 patients in PNI-high group (PNI > 47.3). With a median follow-up of 36.5 mo, 5-yr DFS rates in PNI-low group and PNI-high group were 63.5% and 83.6% and 5-yr OS rates in PNI-low group and PNI-high group were 63.5% and 88.4%, respectively (DFS, P < 0.0001; OS, P < 0.0001). In the multivariate analysis, the only predictors for DFS were PNI, tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) stage, and perineural invasion, whereas the only predictors for OS were PNI, age, TNM stage, and perineural invasion. In addition, the PNI was independent of various inflammatory markers. In conclusion, the PNI is an independent prognostic factor for both DFS and OS, and provides additional prognostic information beyond pathologic parameters.

  19. A Distributed Prognostic Health Management Architecture

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bhaskar, Saha; Saha, Sankalita; Goebel, Kai

    2009-01-01

    This paper introduces a generic distributed prognostic health management (PHM) architecture with specific application to the electrical power systems domain. Current state-of-the-art PHM systems are mostly centralized in nature, where all the processing is reliant on a single processor. This can lead to loss of functionality in case of a crash of the central processor or monitor. Furthermore, with increases in the volume of sensor data as well as the complexity of algorithms, traditional centralized systems become unsuitable for successful deployment, and efficient distributed architectures are required. A distributed architecture though, is not effective unless there is an algorithmic framework to take advantage of its unique abilities. The health management paradigm envisaged here incorporates a heterogeneous set of system components monitored by a varied suite of sensors and a particle filtering (PF) framework that has the power and the flexibility to adapt to the different diagnostic and prognostic needs. Both the diagnostic and prognostic tasks are formulated as a particle filtering problem in order to explicitly represent and manage uncertainties; however, typically the complexity of the prognostic routine is higher than the computational power of one computational element ( CE). Individual CEs run diagnostic routines until the system variable being monitored crosses beyond a nominal threshold, upon which it coordinates with other networked CEs to run the prognostic routine in a distributed fashion. Implementation results from a network of distributed embedded devices monitoring a prototypical aircraft electrical power system are presented, where the CEs are Sun Microsystems Small Programmable Object Technology (SPOT) devices.

  20. Prognostic factors for risk stratification of adult cancer patients with chemotherapy-induced febrile neutropenia: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

    PubMed

    Lee, Yee Mei; Lang, Dora; Lockwood, Craig

    Increasing numbers of studies identify new prognostic factors for categorising chemotherapy-induced febrile neutropenia adult cancer patients into high- or low-risk groups for adverse outcomes. These groupings are used to tailor therapy according to level of risk. However many emerging factors with prognostic significance remain controversial, being based on single studies only. A systematic review was conducted to determine the strength of association of all identified factors associated with the outcomes of chemotherapy-induced febrile neutropenia patients. The participants included were adults of 15 years old and above, with a cancer diagnosis and who underwent cancer treatment.The review focused on clinical factors and their association with the outcomes of cancer patients with chemotherapy-induced febrile neutropenia at presentation of fever.All quantitative studies published in English which investigated clinical factors for risk stratification of adult cancer patients with chemotherapy-induced febrile neutropenia were considered.The primary outcome of interest was to identify the clinical factors for risk stratification of adult cancer patients with chemotherapy-induced febrile neutropenia. Electronic databases searched from their respective inception date up to December 2011 include MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), Web of Science, Science-Direct, Scopus and Mednar. The quality of the included studies was subjected to assessment by two independent reviewers. The standardised critical appraisal tool from the Joanna Briggs Institute Meta-Analysis of Statistics Assessment and Review Instrument (JBI-MAStARI) was used to assess the following criteria: representativeness of study population; clearly defined prognostic factors and outcomes; whether potential confounders were addressed and appropriate statistical analysis was undertaken for the study design. Data extraction was performed using a modified version of

  1. The Glasgow Prognostic Score Predicts Response to Chemotherapy in Patients with Metastatic Breast Cancer.

    PubMed

    Wang, Dexing; Duan, Li; Tu, Zhiquan; Yan, Fei; Zhang, Cuicui; Li, Xu; Cao, Yuzhu; Wen, Hongsheng

    2016-01-01

    Breast cancer is one of the most common causes of cancer death in women worldwide. The Glasgow Prognostic Score (GPS), a cumulative prognostic score based on C-reactive protein and albumin, indicates the presence of a systemic inflammatory response. The GPS has been adopted as a powerful prognostic tool for patients with various types of malignant tumors, including breast cancer. The aim of this study was to assess the value of the GPS in predicting the response and toxicity in breast cancer patients treated with chemotherapy. Patients with metastatic breast cancers in a progressive stage for consideration of chemotherapy were eligible. The clinical characteristics and demographics were recorded. The GPS was calculated before the onset of chemotherapy. Data on the response to chemotherapy and progression-free survival (PFS) were also collected. Objective tumor responses were evaluated according to Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST). Toxicities were graded according to National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (NCI-CTC) version 3.0 throughout therapy. In total, 106 breast cancer patients were recruited. The GPS was associated with the response rate (p = 0.05), the clinical benefit rate (p = 0.03), and PFS (p = 0.005). The GPS was the only independent predictor of PFS (p = 0.005). The GPS was significantly associated with neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, anorexia, nausea and vomiting, fatigue, and mucositis (p = 0.05-0.001). Our data demonstrate that GPS assessment is associated with poor clinical outcomes and severe chemotherapy-related toxicities in patients with metastatic breast cancer who have undergone chemotherapy, without any specific indication regarding the type of chemotherapy applied. © 2016 S. Karger AG, Basel.

  2. BIOBEHAVIORAL PROGNOSTIC FACTORS IN CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE: Results from the INSPIRE-II Trial

    PubMed Central

    Blumenthal, James A.; Smith, Patrick J.; Durheim, Michael; Mabe, Stephanie; Emery, Charles F.; Martinu, Tereza; Diaz, Philip T.; Babyak, Michael; Welty-Wolf, Karen; Palmer, Scott

    2015-01-01

    Objective To examine the prognostic value of select biobehavioral factors in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in a secondary analysis of participants from the INSPIRE-II trial. Methods Three hundred twenty six outpatients with COPD underwent assessments of pulmonary function, physical activity, body mass index, inflammation, pulmonary symptoms, depression, and pulmonary quality of life, and were followed for up to 5.4 years for subsequent clinical events. The prognostic value of each biobehavioral factor, considered individually and combined, also was examined in the context of existing Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) 2011 risk stratification. Results Sixty-nine individuals experienced a hospitalization or died over a mean follow-up time period of 2.4 (interquartile range = 1.6) years. GOLD classification was associated with an increased risk of clinical events (HR = 2.72 [95% CI 1.63, 4.54], per stage); Six Minute Walk (HR = 0.50 [0.34, 0.73] per 500 feet), total steps (HR = 0.82 [0.71, 0.94] per 1,000 steps), hsC-reactive protein (HR = 1.44 [1.01, 2.06] per 4.5 mg/L), depression (HR = 1.12 [1.01, 1.25] per 4 points), and pulmonary quality of life (HR = 1.73 [1.14, 2.63] per 25 points) were each predictive over and above the GOLD assessment. However, only GOLD group and Six Minute Walk were predictive of all-cause mortality and COPD hospitalization when all biobehavioral variables were included together in a multivariable model. Conclusion Biobehavioral factors provide added prognostic information over and above measures of COPD severity in predicting adverse events in patients with COPD. PMID:26780299

  3. Factors prognostic for phonetic development after cleft palate repair.

    PubMed

    Lee, Joon Seok; Kim, Jae Bong; Lee, Jeong Woo; Yang, Jung Dug; Chung, Ho Yun; Cho, Byung Chae; Choi, Kang Young

    2015-10-01

    Palatoplasty is aimed to achieve normal speech, improve food intake, and ensure successful maxillary growth. However, the velopharyngeal function is harder to control than other functions. Therefore, many studies on the prognostic factor of velopharyngeal insufficiency have been conducted. This study aimed to evaluate the relationships between speech outcomes and multimodality based on intraoral and preoperative three-dimensional computerized tomographic (CT) findings. Among 73 children with cleft palate who underwent palatoplasty between April 2011 and August 2014 at Kyungpook National University Hospital (KNUH), 27 were retrospectively evaluated. The 27 cases were non-syndromic, for which successful speech evaluation was conducted by a single speech-language pathologist (Table 1). Successful speech evaluation was defined as performing the test three times in 6-month intervals. Three intraoral parameters were measured before and immediately after operation (Fig. 1). On axial- and coronal-view preoperative facial CT, 5 and 2 different parameters were analyzed, respectively (Figs. 2 and 3). Regression analysis (SPSS IBM 22.0) was used in the statistical analysis. Two-flap palatoplasty and Furlow's double opposing Z-plasty were performed in 15 and 12 patients, respectively. The operation was performed 11 months after birth on average. Children with a higher palatal arch and wider maxillary tuberosity distance showed hypernasality (p < 0.05; Table 2). The useful prognostic factors of velopharyngeal function after palatoplasty were palate width and height, rather than initial diagnosis, treatment method, or palate length. Therefore, a more active intervention is needed, such as orthopedic appliance, posterior pharyngeal wall augmentation, or early speech training. Copyright © 2015 European Association for Cranio-Maxillo-Facial Surgery. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. Adverse effects of methylmercury (MeHg) on life parameters, antioxidant systems, and MAPK signaling pathways in the rotifer Brachionus koreanus and the copepod Paracyclopina nana.

    PubMed

    Lee, Young Hwan; Kim, Duck-Hyun; Kang, Hye-Min; Wang, Minghua; Jeong, Chang-Bum; Lee, Jae-Seong

    2017-09-01

    To evaluate the adverse effects of MeHg on the rotifer Brachionus koreanus and the copepod Paracyclopina nana, we assessed the effects of MeHg toxicity on life parameters (e.g. growth retardation and fecundity), antioxidant systems, and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathways at various concentrations (1ng/L, 10ng/L, 100ng/L, 500ng/L, and 1000ng/L). MeHg exposure resulted in the growth retardation with the increased ROS levels but decreased glutathione (GSH) levels in a dose-dependent manner in both B. koreanus and P. nana. Antioxidant enzymatic activities (e.g. glutathione S-transferase [GST], glutathione reductase [GR], and glutathione peroxidase [GPx]) in B. koreanus showed more positive responses compared the control but in P. nana, those antioxidant enzymatic activities showed subtle changes due to different no observed effect concentration (NOEC) values among the two species. Expression of antioxidant genes (e.g. superoxide dismutase [SOD], GSTs, glutathione peroxidase [GPx], and catalase [CAT]) also demonstrated similar effects as shown in antioxidant enzymatic activities. In B. koreanus, the level of p-ERK was decreased in the presence of 1000ng/L MeHg, while the levels of p-ERK and p-p38 in P. nana were reduced in the presence of 10ng/L MeHg. However, p-JNK levels were not altered by MeHg in B. koreanus and P. nana, compared to the corresponding controls. In summary, life parameters (e.g. reduced fecundity and survival rate) were closely associated with effects on the antioxidant system in response to MeHg. These observations provide a better understanding on the adverse effects of MeHg on in vivo life parameters and molecular defense mechanisms in B. koreanus and P. nana. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  5. Analysis of adverse events of renal impairment related to platinum-based compounds using the Japanese Adverse Drug Event Report database.

    PubMed

    Naganuma, Misa; Motooka, Yumi; Sasaoka, Sayaka; Hatahira, Haruna; Hasegawa, Shiori; Fukuda, Akiho; Nakao, Satoshi; Shimada, Kazuyo; Hirade, Koseki; Mori, Takayuki; Yoshimura, Tomoaki; Kato, Takeshi; Nakamura, Mitsuhiro

    2018-01-01

    Platinum compounds cause several adverse events, such as nephrotoxicity, gastrointestinal toxicity, myelosuppression, ototoxicity, and neurotoxicity. We evaluated the incidence of renal impairment as adverse events are related to the administration of platinum compounds using the Japanese Adverse Drug Event Report database. We analyzed adverse events associated with the use of platinum compounds reported from April 2004 to November 2016. The reporting odds ratio at 95% confidence interval was used to detect the signal for each renal impairment incidence. We evaluated the time-to-onset profile of renal impairment and assessed the hazard type using Weibull shape parameter and used the applied association rule mining technique to discover undetected relationships such as possible risk factor. In total, 430,587 reports in the Japanese Adverse Drug Event Report database were analyzed. The reporting odds ratios (95% confidence interval) for renal impairment resulting from the use of cisplatin, oxaliplatin, carboplatin, and nedaplatin were 2.7 (2.5-3.0), 0.6 (0.5-0.7), 0.8 (0.7-1.0), and 1.3 (0.8-2.1), respectively. The lower limit of the reporting odds ratio (95% confidence interval) for cisplatin was >1. The median (lower-upper quartile) onset time of renal impairment following the use of platinum-based compounds was 6.0-8.0 days. The Weibull shape parameter β and 95% confidence interval upper limit of oxaliplatin were <1. In the association rule mining, the score of lift for patients who were treated with cisplatin and co-administered furosemide, loxoprofen, or pemetrexed was high. Similarly, the scores for patients with hypertension or diabetes mellitus were high. Our findings suggest a potential risk of renal impairment during cisplatin use in real-world setting. The present findings demonstrate that the incidence of renal impairment following cisplatin use should be closely monitored when patients are hypertensive or diabetic, or when they are co

  6. Independent Prognostic Factors for Acute Organophosphorus Pesticide Poisoning.

    PubMed

    Tang, Weidong; Ruan, Feng; Chen, Qi; Chen, Suping; Shao, Xuebo; Gao, Jianbo; Zhang, Mao

    2016-07-01

    Acute organophosphorus pesticide poisoning (AOPP) is becoming a significant problem and a potential cause of human mortality because of the abuse of organophosphate compounds. This study aims to determine the independent prognostic factors of AOPP by using multivariate logistic regression analysis. The clinical data for 71 subjects with AOPP admitted to our hospital were retrospectively analyzed. This information included the Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) scores, 6-h post-admission blood lactate levels, post-admission 6-h lactate clearance rates, admission blood cholinesterase levels, 6-h post-admission blood cholinesterase levels, cholinesterase activity, blood pH, and other factors. Univariate analysis and multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted to identify all prognostic factors and independent prognostic factors, respectively. A receiver operating characteristic curve was plotted to analyze the testing power of independent prognostic factors. Twelve of 71 subjects died. Admission blood lactate levels, 6-h post-admission blood lactate levels, post-admission 6-h lactate clearance rates, blood pH, and APACHE II scores were identified as prognostic factors for AOPP according to the univariate analysis, whereas only 6-h post-admission blood lactate levels, post-admission 6-h lactate clearance rates, and blood pH were independent prognostic factors identified by multivariate logistic regression analysis. The receiver operating characteristic analysis suggested that post-admission 6-h lactate clearance rates were of moderate diagnostic value. High 6-h post-admission blood lactate levels, low blood pH, and low post-admission 6-h lactate clearance rates were independent prognostic factors identified by multivariate logistic regression analysis. Copyright © 2016 by Daedalus Enterprises.

  7. Estimating human-equivalent no observed adverse-effect levels for VOCs (volatile organic compounds) based on minimal knowledge of physiological parameters. Technical paper

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Overton, J.H.; Jarabek, A.M.

    1989-01-01

    The U.S. EPA advocates the assessment of health-effects data and calculation of inhaled reference doses as benchmark values for gauging systemic toxicity to inhaled gases. The assessment often requires an inter- or intra-species dose extrapolation from no observed adverse effect level (NOAEL) exposure concentrations in animals to human equivalent NOAEL exposure concentrations. To achieve this, a dosimetric extrapolation procedure was developed based on the form or type of equations that describe the uptake and disposition of inhaled volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in physiologically-based pharmacokinetic (PB-PK) models. The procedure assumes allometric scaling of most physiological parameters and that the value ofmore » the time-integrated human arterial-blood concentration must be limited to no more than to that of experimental animals. The scaling assumption replaces the need for most parameter values and allows the derivation of a simple formula for dose extrapolation of VOCs that gives equivalent or more-conservative exposure concentrations values than those that would be obtained using a PB-PK model in which scaling was assumed.« less

  8. Distinguishing prognostic and predictive biomarkers: An information theoretic approach.

    PubMed

    Sechidis, Konstantinos; Papangelou, Konstantinos; Metcalfe, Paul D; Svensson, David; Weatherall, James; Brown, Gavin

    2018-05-02

    The identification of biomarkers to support decision-making is central to personalised medicine, in both clinical and research scenarios. The challenge can be seen in two halves: identifying predictive markers, which guide the development/use of tailored therapies; and identifying prognostic markers, which guide other aspects of care and clinical trial planning, i.e. prognostic markers can be considered as covariates for stratification. Mistakenly assuming a biomarker to be predictive, when it is in fact largely prognostic (and vice-versa) is highly undesirable, and can result in financial, ethical and personal consequences. We present a framework for data-driven ranking of biomarkers on their prognostic/predictive strength, using a novel information theoretic method. This approach provides a natural algebra to discuss and quantify the individual predictive and prognostic strength, in a self-consistent mathematical framework. Our contribution is a novel procedure, INFO+, which naturally distinguishes the prognostic vs predictive role of each biomarker and handles higher order interactions. In a comprehensive empirical evaluation INFO+ outperforms more complex methods, most notably when noise factors dominate, and biomarkers are likely to be falsely identified as predictive, when in fact they are just strongly prognostic. Furthermore, we show that our methods can be 1-3 orders of magnitude faster than competitors, making it useful for biomarker discovery in 'big data' scenarios. Finally, we apply our methods to identify predictive biomarkers on two real clinical trials, and introduce a new graphical representation that provides greater insight into the prognostic and predictive strength of each biomarker. R implementations of the suggested methods are available at https://github.com/sechidis. konstantinos.sechidis@manchester.ac.uk. Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

  9. Telomere length is an independent prognostic marker in MDS but not in de novo AML.

    PubMed

    Williams, Jenna; Heppel, Nicole H; Britt-Compton, Bethan; Grimstead, Julia W; Jones, Rhiannon E; Tauro, Sudhir; Bowen, David T; Knapper, Steven; Groves, Michael; Hills, Robert K; Pepper, Chris; Baird, Duncan M; Fegan, Chris

    2017-07-01

    Telomere dysfunction is implicated in the generation of large-scale genomic rearrangements that drive progression to malignancy. In this study we used high-resolution single telomere length analysis (STELA) to examine the potential role of telomere dysfunction in 80 myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and 95 de novo acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) patients. Despite the MDS cohort being older, they had significantly longer telomeres than the AML cohort (P < 0·0001) where telomere length was also significantly shorter in younger AML patients (age <60 years) (P = 0·02) and in FLT3 internal tandem duplication-mutated AML patients (P = 0·03). Using a previously determined telomere length threshold for telomere dysfunction (3·81 kb) did not provide prognostic resolution in AML [Hazard ratio (HR) = 0·68, P = 0·2]. In contrast, the same length threshold was highly prognostic for overall survival in the MDS cohort (HR = 5·0, P < 0·0001). Furthermore, this telomere length threshold was an independent parameter in multivariate analysis when adjusted for age, gender, cytogenetic risk group, number of cytopenias and International Prognostic Scoring System (IPSS) score (HR = 2·27, P < 0·0001). Therefore, telomere length should be assessed in a larger prospective study to confirm its prognostic role in MDS with a view to integrating this variable into a revised IPSS. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  10. Expression of p40 (∆Np63) protein in meningiomas, an unexpected finding: immunohistochemical study and evaluation of its possible prognostic role.

    PubMed

    Guadagno, Elia; Del Basso De Caro, Marialaura; Pignatiello, Sara; Sciammarella, Concetta; Solari, Domenico; Cappabianca, Paolo; Maiuri, Francesco; Dones, Flavia

    2016-09-01

    According to the 2007 WHO (World Health Organization) Classification, meningiomas are divided into three grades of malignancy, with different recurrence rate, based exclusively on histopathological parameters. Loss/reduction of PgR (Progesterone Receptor) expression and increased Ki67 L.I. (Labeling Index) have been proven as possible prognostic factors able to predict the relapse of the disease. However, they sometimes result unreliable, especially when discordant. p40 is the short form of the p53 homologue gene p63, also named ∆Np63, and its antibody has recently been introduced as a highly specific diagnostic marker of the squamous cell carcinoma of the lung. Nevertheless its expression has been found in many other unconventional sites (e.g. placenta, urotheluim, etc). Herein we assessed the immuno-expression of p40 protein in a series of 72 meningiomas (35 grade I and 37 grade II) and analyzed its correlation with clinicopathological parameters, overall survival and recurrence free interval. We found that a high p40 score correlated with high histological grade, presence of recurrence, increased Ki67 L.I. and loss/reduction of PgR signal. Moreover, a higher expression of p40 was shown to be a significant prognostic factor for the development of recurrences and resulted a prognostic independent variable in multivariate analysis. Overall, for the first time, we investigated the expression of p40 protein in meningiomas and explored its usefulness as prognostic marker in addition to PgR and Ki67 L.I.

  11. [CLINICAL AND IMMUNOLOGICAL CRITERIA FOR THE ADVERSE COURSE OF INFECTIOUS MONONUCLEOSIS IN CHILDREN].

    PubMed

    Kolesnik, Ya; Zharkova, T; Rzhevskaya, O; Kvaratskheliya, T; Sorokina, O

    2018-05-01

    The article presents the results of our own studies to determine the criteria for the adverse variants of the course of infectious mononucleosis (IM) in children. The study was conducted in the regional children's infectious clinical hospital in Kharkov. 161 children aged three to fifteen years were under observation with diagnosis of infectious moninucleosis. Out of 161 ill children, 140 (86.9%) had moderate severity of disease, and 21 (13.1%) had severe forms. All children were prescribed standard clinical and laboratory-instrumental examinations. The diagnosis of IM was verified by PCR (detection of VEB DNA in the blood) and ELISA (anti-VEB Ig M and Ig G). In 140 children (86.9%) IM proceeded sharply, smoothly (the first group), in 21 (13.1%) - unfavorably (wave and / or prolonged course) - the second group. The groups were comparable according to age, the severity of the disease and other parameters. All children received therapy according to approved protocols (Order of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine No. 354 of 09.07.2004). Immune status of children was assessed by determining the relative contents of CD3 +, CD4 +, CD8 +, CD16 +, CD19 + blood cells with appropriate monoclonal antibodies, serum IgA, IgM, IgG concentration by Mancini and interleukin (IL) -1β cytokine response and - 4, tumor necrosis factor (TNF α) is a solid-phase enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Based on the results of observations, it was established that the prognostically unfavorable criteria of IМ at the stages of manifestation of disease include: generalized lymphadenopathy involving 5-6 groups of lymph nodes and a significant increasing of them, purulent tonsillitis, marked increasing of size of liver and spleen on the background of anemia, thrombocytopenia, neutropenia and the absence of atypical mononuclears in the complete blood count. There is a depression of the cellular link and an increase in the humoral mechanisms of immune responses in case of development of adverse

  12. A Discussion on Uncertainty Representation and Interpretation in Model-Based Prognostics Algorithms based on Kalman Filter Estimation Applied to Prognostics of Electronics Components

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Celaya, Jose R.; Saxen, Abhinav; Goebel, Kai

    2012-01-01

    This article discusses several aspects of uncertainty representation and management for model-based prognostics methodologies based on our experience with Kalman Filters when applied to prognostics for electronics components. In particular, it explores the implications of modeling remaining useful life prediction as a stochastic process and how it relates to uncertainty representation, management, and the role of prognostics in decision-making. A distinction between the interpretations of estimated remaining useful life probability density function and the true remaining useful life probability density function is explained and a cautionary argument is provided against mixing interpretations for the two while considering prognostics in making critical decisions.

  13. Intelligent approach to prognostic enhancements of diagnostic systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Vachtsevanos, George; Wang, Peng; Khiripet, Noppadon; Thakker, Ash; Galie, Thomas R.

    2001-07-01

    This paper introduces a novel methodology to prognostics based on a dynamic wavelet neural network construct and notions from the virtual sensor area. This research has been motivated and supported by the U.S. Navy's active interest in integrating advanced diagnostic and prognostic algorithms in existing Naval digital control and monitoring systems. A rudimentary diagnostic platform is assumed to be available providing timely information about incipient or impending failure conditions. We focus on the development of a prognostic algorithm capable of predicting accurately and reliably the remaining useful lifetime of a failing machine or component. The prognostic module consists of a virtual sensor and a dynamic wavelet neural network as the predictor. The virtual sensor employs process data to map real measurements into difficult to monitor fault quantities. The prognosticator uses a dynamic wavelet neural network as a nonlinear predictor. Means to manage uncertainty and performance metrics are suggested for comparison purposes. An interface to an available shipboard Integrated Condition Assessment System is described and applications to shipboard equipment are discussed. Typical results from pump failures are presented to illustrate the effectiveness of the methodology.

  14. Risk factors and screening instruments to predict adverse outcomes for undifferentiated older emergency department patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

    PubMed

    Carpenter, Christopher R; Shelton, Erica; Fowler, Susan; Suffoletto, Brian; Platts-Mills, Timothy F; Rothman, Richard E; Hogan, Teresita M

    2015-01-01

    A significant proportion of geriatric patients experience suboptimal outcomes following episodes of emergency department (ED) care. Risk stratification screening instruments exist to distinguish vulnerable subsets, but their prognostic accuracy varies. This systematic review quantifies the prognostic accuracy of individual risk factors and ED-validated screening instruments to distinguish patients more or less likely to experience short-term adverse outcomes like unanticipated ED returns, hospital readmissions, functional decline, or death. A medical librarian and two emergency physicians conducted a medical literature search of PubMed, EMBASE, SCOPUS, CENTRAL, and ClinicalTrials.gov using numerous combinations of search terms, including emergency medical services, risk stratification, geriatric, and multiple related MeSH terms in hundreds of combinations. Two authors hand-searched relevant specialty society research abstracts. Two physicians independently reviewed all abstracts and used the revised Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies instrument to assess individual study quality. When two or more qualitatively similar studies were identified, meta-analysis was conducted using Meta-DiSc software. Primary outcomes were sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio (LR+), and negative likelihood ratio (LR-) for predictors of adverse outcomes at 1 to 12 months after the ED encounters. A hypothetical test-treatment threshold analysis was constructed based on the meta-analytic summary estimate of prognostic accuracy for one outcome. A total of 7,940 unique citations were identified yielding 34 studies for inclusion in this systematic review. Studies were significantly heterogeneous in terms of country, outcomes assessed, and the timing of post-ED outcome assessments. All studies occurred in ED settings and none used published clinical decision rule derivation methodology. Individual risk factors assessed included dementia, delirium, age, dependency

  15. Nuclear YB-1 expression as a negative prognostic marker in nonsmall cell lung cancer.

    PubMed

    Gessner, C; Woischwill, C; Schumacher, A; Liebers, U; Kuhn, H; Stiehl, P; Jürchott, K; Royer, H D; Witt, C; Wolff, G

    2004-01-01

    The human Y-box binding protein, YB-1, is a multifunctional protein that regulates gene expression. Nuclear expression of YB-1 has been associated with chemoresistance and poor prognosis of tumour patients. Representative samples from autopsied material of primary tumours from 77 patients with NSCLC were investigated by immunohistochemistry for subcellular distribution of YB-1 and p53, in order to evaluate the prognostic role of nuclear expression of YB-1. Cytoplasmic YB-1 expression was found in all tumour samples, whereas nuclear expression was only observed in 48%. There was no correlation with histological classification, clinical parameters or tumour size, stage and metastasis status. However, patients with positive nuclear YB-1 expression in tumours showed reduced survival times when compared with patients without nuclear expression. Including information about the histology and mutational status for p53 increased the prognostic value of nuclear YB-1. Patients with nuclear YB-1 expression and p53 mutations had the worst prognosis (median survival 3 months), while best outcome was found in patients with no nuclear YB-1 and wildtype p53 (median survival 15 months). This suggests that the combined analysis of both markers allows a better identification of subgroups with varying prognosis. Nuclear expression of Y-box binding protien seems to be an independent prognostic marker.

  16. Prognostic significance of MRI findings in patients with myxoid-round cell liposarcoma.

    PubMed

    Tateishi, Ukihide; Hasegawa, Tadashi; Beppu, Yasuo; Kawai, Akira; Satake, Mitsuo; Moriyama, Noriyuki

    2004-03-01

    The aims of this study were to determine the prognostic significance of MRI findings in patients with myxoid-round cell liposarcomas and to clarify which MRI features best indicate tumors with adverse clinical behavior. The initial MRI studies of 36 pathologically confirmed myxoid-round cell liposarcomas were retrospectively reviewed, and observations from this review were correlated with the histopathologic features. MR images were evaluated by two radiologists with agreement by consensus, and both univariate and multivariate analyses were conducted to evaluate survival with a median clinical follow-up of 33 months (range, 9-276 months). Statistically significant MRI findings that favored a diagnosis of intermediate- or high-grade tumor were large tumor size (> 10 cm), deeply situated tumor, tumor possessing irregular contours, absence of lobulation, absence of thin septa, presence of thick septa, absence of tumor capsule, high-intensity signal pattern, pronounced enhancement, and globular or nodular enhancement. Of these MRI findings, thin septa (p < 0.05), a tumor capsule (p < 0.01), and pronounced enhancement (p < 0.01) were associated significantly, according to univariate analysis, with overall survival. Multivariate analysis indicated that pronounced enhancement was associated significantly with overall survival (p < 0.05). Contrast-enhanced MRI findings can indicate a good or adverse prognosis in patients with myxoid-round cell liposarcomas.

  17. The prognostic impact of sex on surgically resected non-small cell lung cancer depends on clinicopathologic characteristics.

    PubMed

    Sterlacci, William; Tzankov, Alexandar; Veits, Lothar; Oberaigner, Wilhelm; Schmid, Thomas; Hilbe, Wolfgang; Fiegl, Michael

    2011-04-01

    The increasing incidence of lung cancer in women and their supposed survival advantage over men requires clarification of the significance of sex. Age, stage, histologic features, differentiation grade, and Ki-67 index were assessed in 405 surgically resected non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLCs) using a standardized tissue microarray platform. Women were associated with well/moderate tumor differentiation, a Ki-67 index of 3% or less, and adenocarcinoma histologic features. Female sex predicted increased survival time only by univariate analysis. Stratified by sex, increased survival was noted for women older than 64 years, with a tumor at postsurgical International Union Against Cancer stage I, with adenocarcinoma histologic features, with well- or moderately differentiated tumors, or with a Ki-67 index of 3% or less. Sex is not an independent prognostic parameter for patients with surgically resected NSCLC. Sex-linked differences are associated with other factors, thus simulating a prognostic impact of sex. This study elucidates sex-specific interactions between patient and tumor characteristics, which are pivotal toward improving prognostic accuracy, individualized therapies, and screening efforts.

  18. A Model-Based Prognostics Approach Applied to Pneumatic Valves

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Daigle, Matthew J.; Goebel, Kai

    2011-01-01

    Within the area of systems health management, the task of prognostics centers on predicting when components will fail. Model-based prognostics exploits domain knowledge of the system, its components, and how they fail by casting the underlying physical phenomena in a physics-based model that is derived from first principles. Uncertainty cannot be avoided in prediction, therefore, algorithms are employed that help in managing these uncertainties. The particle filtering algorithm has become a popular choice for model-based prognostics due to its wide applicability, ease of implementation, and support for uncertainty management. We develop a general model-based prognostics methodology within a robust probabilistic framework using particle filters. As a case study, we consider a pneumatic valve from the Space Shuttle cryogenic refueling system. We develop a detailed physics-based model of the pneumatic valve, and perform comprehensive simulation experiments to illustrate our prognostics approach and evaluate its effectiveness and robustness. The approach is demonstrated using historical pneumatic valve data from the refueling system.

  19. Early Prognostication Markers in Cardiac Arrest Patients Treated with Hypothermia

    PubMed Central

    Karapetkova, Maria; Koenig, Matthew A.; Jia, Xiaofeng

    2015-01-01

    Background and purpose Established prognostication markers, such as clinical findings, electroencephalography (EEG), and biochemical markers, used by clinicians to predict neurologic outcome after cardiac arrest (CA) are altered under therapeutic hypothermia (TH) conditions and their validity remains uncertain. Methods MEDLINE and EMBASE were searched for evidence on the current standards for neurologic outcome prediction for out-of-hospital CA patients treated with TH and the validity of a wide range of prognostication markers. Relevant studies that suggested one or several established biomarkers, and multimodal approaches for prognostication were included and reviewed. Results While the prognostic accuracy of various tests has been questioned after TH, pupillary light reflexes and somatosensory evoked potentials (SSEP) are still strongly associated with negative outcome for early prognostication. Increasingly, EEG background activity has also been identified as a valid predictor for outcome after 72 hours after CA and a preferred prognostic method in clinical settings. Neuroimaging techniques, such as MRI and CT, can identify functional and structural brain injury, but are not readily available at the patient’s bedside because of limited availability and high costs. Conclusions A multimodal algorithm composed of neurological examination, EEG-based quantitative testing, and SSEP, in conjunction with newer MRI sequences, if available, holds promise for accurate prognostication in CA patients treated with TH. In order to avoid premature withdrawal of care, prognostication should be performed later than 72 hours after CA. PMID:26228521

  20. Early prognostication markers in cardiac arrest patients treated with hypothermia.

    PubMed

    Karapetkova, M; Koenig, M A; Jia, X

    2016-03-01

    Established prognostication markers, such as clinical findings, electroencephalography (EEG) and biochemical markers, used by clinicians to predict neurological outcome after cardiac arrest (CA) are altered under therapeutic hypothermia (TH) conditions and their validity remains uncertain. MEDLINE and Embase were searched for evidence on the current standards for neurological outcome prediction for out-of-hospital CA patients treated with TH and the validity of a wide range of prognostication markers. Relevant studies that suggested one or several established biomarkers and multimodal approaches for prognostication are included and reviewed. Whilst the prognostic accuracy of various tests after TH has been questioned, pupillary light reflexes and somatosensory evoked potentials are still strongly associated with negative outcome for early prognostication. Increasingly, EEG background activity has also been identified as a valid predictor for outcome after 72 h after CA and a preferred prognostic method in clinical settings. Neuroimaging techniques, such as magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography, can identify functional and structural brain injury but are not readily available at the patient's bedside because of limited availability and high costs. A multimodal algorithm composed of neurological examination, EEG-based quantitative testing and somatosensory evoked potentials, in conjunction with newer magnetic resonance imaging sequences, if available, holds promise for accurate prognostication in CA patients treated with TH. In order to avoid premature withdrawal of care, prognostication should be performed more than 72 h after CA. © 2015 EAN.

  1. Prognostic value of preoperative serum CA 242 in Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma cases.

    PubMed

    Feng, Ji-Feng; Huang, Ying; Chen, Qi-Xun

    2013-01-01

    Carbohydrate antigen (CA) 242 is inversely related to prognosis in many cancers. However, few data regarding CA 242 in esophageal cancer (EC) are available. The aim of this study was to determine the prognostic value of CA 242 and propose an optimum cut-off point in predicting survival difference in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). A retrospective analysis was conducted of 192 cases. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve for survival prediction was plotted to verify the optimum cuf- off point. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to evaluate prognostic parameters for survival. The positive rate for CA 242 was 7.3% (14/192). The ROC curve for survival prediction gave an optimum cut-off of 2.15 (U/ml). Patients with CA 242 ≤ 2.15 U/ml had significantly better 5-year survival than patients with CA 242 >2.15 U/ml (45.4% versus 22.6%; P=0.003). Multivariate analysis showed that differentiation (P=0.033), CA 242 (P=0.017), T grade (P=0.004) and N staging (P<0.001) were independent prognostic factors. Preoperative CA 242 is a predictive factor for long-term survival in ESCC, especially in nodal-negative patients. We conclude that 2.15 U/ml may be the optimum cuf-off point for CA 242 in predicting survival in ESCC.

  2. Left ventricular energy model predicts adverse events in women with suspected myocardial ischemia: results from the NHLBI-sponsored women’s ischemia syndrome evaluation (WISE) study

    PubMed Central

    Weinberg, Nicole; Pohost, Gerald M.; Bairey Merz, C. Noel; Shaw, Leslee J.; Sopko, George; Fuisz, Anthon; Rogers, William J.; Walsh, Edward G.; Johnson, B. Delia; Sharaf, Barry L.; Pepine, Carl J.; Mankad, Sunil; Reis, Steven E.; Rayarao, Geetha; Vido, Diane A.; Bittner, Vera; Tauxe, Lindsey; Olson, Marian B.; Kelsey, Sheryl F.; Biederman, Robert WW

    2013-01-01

    Objectives To assess the prognostic value of a left ventricular energy-model in women with suspected myocardial ischemia. Background The prognostic value of internal energy utilization (IEU) of the left ventricle in women with suspected myocardial ischemia is unknown. Methods Women [n=227, mean age 59±12 years (range, 31-86 years)], with symptoms of myocardial ischemia, underwent myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) assessment for regional perfusion defects along with measurement of ventricular volumes separately by gated Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT) (n=207) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) (n=203). During follow-up (40±17 months), time to first major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE, death, myocardial infarction or hospitalization for congestive heart failure) was analyzed using MRI and gated SPECT variables. Results Adverse events occurred in 31 (14%). Multivariable Cox models were formed for each modality: IEU and wall thickness by MRI (Chi-squared 34, P<0.005) and IEU and systolic blood pressure by gated SEPCT (Chi-squared 34, P<0.005). The models remained predictive after adjustment for age, disease history and Framingham risk score. For each Cox model, patients were categorized as high-risk if the model hazard was positive and not high-risk otherwise. Kaplan-Meier analysis of time to MACE was performed for high-risk vs. not high-risk for MR (log rank 25.3, P<0.001) and gated SEPCT (log rank 18.2, P<0.001) models. Conclusions Among women with suspected myocardial ischemia a high internal energy utilization has higher prognostic value than either a low EF or the presence of a myocardial perfusion defect assessed using two independent modalities of MR or gated SPECT. PMID:24015377

  3. Diagnostic and Prognostic Models for Generator Step-Up Transformers

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Vivek Agarwal; Nancy J. Lybeck; Binh T. Pham

    In 2014, the online monitoring (OLM) of active components project under the Light Water Reactor Sustainability program at Idaho National Laboratory (INL) focused on diagnostic and prognostic capabilities for generator step-up transformers. INL worked with subject matter experts from the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) to augment and revise the GSU fault signatures previously implemented in the Electric Power Research Institute’s (EPRI’s) Fleet-Wide Prognostic and Health Management (FW-PHM) Suite software. Two prognostic models were identified and implemented for GSUs in the FW-PHM Suite software. INL and EPRI demonstrated the use of prognostic capabilities for GSUs. The complete set of faultmore » signatures developed for GSUs in the Asset Fault Signature Database of the FW-PHM Suite for GSUs is presented in this report. Two prognostic models are described for paper insulation: the Chendong model for degree of polymerization, and an IEEE model that uses a loading profile to calculates life consumption based on hot spot winding temperatures. Both models are life consumption models, which are examples of type II prognostic models. Use of the models in the FW-PHM Suite was successfully demonstrated at the 2014 August Utility Working Group Meeting, Idaho Falls, Idaho, to representatives from different utilities, EPRI, and the Halden Research Project.« less

  4. Serum soluble E-cadherin is a potential prognostic marker in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

    PubMed

    Chung, Y; Law, S; Kwong, D L W; Luk, J M

    2011-01-01

    E-cadherin is a well-documented tumor suppressor with downregulated expression in many cancer types. Upon proteolytic cleavage, a soluble form of 80-kDa degradation fragment, known as soluble E-cadherin (s-Ecad), is present in circulation; its level in sera of cancer patients is significantly associated with metastasis, recurrence, and prognosis in some malignancies. The present study investigated the association of s-Ecad with clinicopathological characteristics of patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and its prognostic significance. A cohort of 97 patients who underwent surgery alone (n= 56) or neoadjuvant chemoradiation therapy and surgery (CRT) (n= 41) was recruited for this study. Serum samples were collected at operation (surgery group) and pre- and post-CRT treatment (CRT group) for measurement of s-Ecad protein by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. Serum s-Ecad levels were correlated with clinicopathological parameters as well as survival. Univariate analysis showed no significant relationship between serum s-Ecad level and clinicopathological parameters for all sets of samples. Survival analysis showed that in patients who had surgical resection only, those with s-Ecad levels equal to or below the median value survived significantly longer than those with levels above the median (median survival 25.6 vs. 14.1 months, P= 0.012). Multivariate analysis showed that pathological N stage, M stage, R category, and serum s-Ecad level were significant independent prognostic factors for ESCC patients who underwent surgery only. The hazard ratio for s-Ecad was 1.104 (95% CI: 1.026-1.187) and P= 0.008. Serum s-Ecad was detected in ESCC patients and its potential as an independent prognostic marker requires further investigation. © 2010 Copyright the Authors. Journal compilation © 2010, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. and the International Society for Diseases of the Esophagus.

  5. [PROGNOSTIC MODELS IN MODERN MANAGEMENT OF VULVAR CANCER].

    PubMed

    Tsvetkov, Ch; Gorchev, G; Tomov, S; Nikolova, M; Genchev, G

    2016-01-01

    The aim of the research was to evaluate and analyse prognosis and prognostic factors in patients with squamous cell vulvar carcinoma after primary surgery with individual approach applied during the course of treatment. In the period between January 2000 and July 2010, 113 patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the vulva were diagnosed and operated on at Gynecologic Oncology Clinic of Medical University, Pleven. All the patients were monitored at the same clinic. Individual approach was applied to each patient and whenever it was possible, more conservative operative techniques were applied. The probable clinicopathological characteristics influencing the overall survival and recurrence free survival were analyzed. Univariate statistical analysis and Cox regression analysis were made in order to evaluate the characteristics, which were statistically significant for overall survival and survival without recurrence. A multivariate logistic regression analysis (Forward Wald procedure) was applied to evaluate the combined influence of the significant factors. While performing the multivariate analysis, the synergic effect of the independent prognostic factors of both kinds of survivals was also evaluated. Approaching individually each patient, we applied the following operative techniques: 1. Deep total radical vulvectomy with separate incisions for lymph dissection (LD) or without dissection--68 (60.18 %) patients. 2. En-bloc vulvectomy with bilateral LD without vulva reconstruction--10 (8.85%) 3. Modified radical vulvactomy (hemivulvectomy, patial vulvactomy)--25 (22.02%). 4. wide-local excision--3 (2.65%). 5. Simple (total /partial) vulvectomy--5 (4.43%) patients. 6. En-bloc resection with reconstruction--2 (1.77%) After a thorough analysis of the overall survival and recurrence free survival, we made the conclusion that the relapse occurrence and clinical stage of FIGO were independent prognostic factors for overall survival and the independent prognostic factors

  6. Outcomes of Prognostic Disclosure: Associations With Prognostic Understanding, Distress, and Relationship With Physician Among Patients With Advanced Cancer

    PubMed Central

    Enzinger, Andrea C.; Zhang, Baohui; Schrag, Deborah; Prigerson, Holly G.

    2015-01-01

    Purpose To determine how prognostic conversations influence perceptions of life expectancy (LE), distress, and the patient-physician relationship among patients with advanced cancer. Patients and Methods This was a multicenter observational study of 590 patients with metastatic solid malignancies with progressive disease after ≥ one line of palliative chemotherapy, undergoing follow-up to death. At baseline, patients were asked whether their oncologist had disclosed an estimate of prognosis. Patients also estimated their own LE and completed assessments of the patient-physician relationship, distress, advance directives, and end-of-life care preferences. Results Among this cohort of 590 patients with advanced cancer (median survival, 5.4 months), 71% wanted to be told their LE, but only 17.6% recalled a prognostic disclosure by their physician. Among the 299 (51%) of 590 patients willing to estimate their LE, those who recalled prognostic disclosure offered more realistic estimates as compared with patients who did not (median, 12 months; interquartile range, 6 to 36 months v 48 months; interquartile range, 12 to 180 months; P < .001), and their estimates were less likely to differ from their actual survival by > 2 (30.2% v 49.2%; odds ratio [OR], 0.45; 95% CI, 0.14 to 0.82) or 5 years (9.5% v 35.5%; OR, 0.19; 95% CI, 0.08 to 0.47). In adjusted analyses, recall of prognostic disclosure was associated with a 17.2-month decrease (95% CI, 6.2 to 28.2 months) in patients' LE self-estimates. Longer LE self-estimates were associated with lower likelihood of do-not-resuscitate order (adjusted OR, 0.439; 95% CI, 0.296 to 0.630 per 12-month increase in estimate) and preference for life-prolonging over comfort-oriented care (adjusted OR, 1.493; 95% CI, 1.091 to 1.939). Prognostic disclosure was not associated with worse patient-physician relationship ratings, sadness, or anxiety in adjusted analyses. Conclusion Prognostic disclosures are associated with more realistic

  7. Outcomes of Prognostic Disclosure: Associations With Prognostic Understanding, Distress, and Relationship With Physician Among Patients With Advanced Cancer.

    PubMed

    Enzinger, Andrea C; Zhang, Baohui; Schrag, Deborah; Prigerson, Holly G

    2015-11-10

    To determine how prognostic conversations influence perceptions of life expectancy (LE), distress, and the patient-physician relationship among patients with advanced cancer. This was a multicenter observational study of 590 patients with metastatic solid malignancies with progressive disease after ≥ one line of palliative chemotherapy, undergoing follow-up to death. At baseline, patients were asked whether their oncologist had disclosed an estimate of prognosis. Patients also estimated their own LE and completed assessments of the patient-physician relationship, distress, advance directives, and end-of-life care preferences. Among this cohort of 590 patients with advanced cancer (median survival, 5.4 months), 71% wanted to be told their LE, but only 17.6% recalled a prognostic disclosure by their physician. Among the 299 (51%) of 590 patients willing to estimate their LE, those who recalled prognostic disclosure offered more realistic estimates as compared with patients who did not (median, 12 months; interquartile range, 6 to 36 months v 48 months; interquartile range, 12 to 180 months; P < .001), and their estimates were less likely to differ from their actual survival by > 2 (30.2% v 49.2%; odds ratio [OR], 0.45; 95% CI, 0.14 to 0.82) or 5 years (9.5% v 35.5%; OR, 0.19; 95% CI, 0.08 to 0.47). In adjusted analyses, recall of prognostic disclosure was associated with a 17.2-month decrease (95% CI, 6.2 to 28.2 months) in patients' LE self-estimates. Longer LE self-estimates were associated with lower likelihood of do-not-resuscitate order (adjusted OR, 0.439; 95% CI, 0.296 to 0.630 per 12-month increase in estimate) and preference for life-prolonging over comfort-oriented care (adjusted OR, 1.493; 95% CI, 1.091 to 1.939). Prognostic disclosure was not associated with worse patient-physician relationship ratings, sadness, or anxiety in adjusted analyses. Prognostic disclosures are associated with more realistic patient expectations of LE, without decrements to

  8. Analyzing risks of adverse pregnancy outcomes.

    PubMed

    Kramer, Michael S; Zhang, Xun; Platt, Robert W

    2014-02-01

    Approaches for analyzing the risks of adverse pregnancy outcomes have been the source of much debate and many publications. Much of the problem, in our view, is the conflation of time at risk with gestational age at birth (or birth weight, a proxy for gestational age). We consider the causal questions underlying such analyses with the help of a generic directed acyclic graph. We discuss competing risks and populations at risk in the context of appropriate numerators and denominators, respectively. We summarize 3 different approaches to quantifying risks with respect to gestational age, each of which addresses a distinct etiological or prognostic question (i.e., cumulative risk, prospective risk, or instantaneous risk (hazard)) and suggest the appropriate denominators for each. We show how the gestational age-specific risk of perinatal death (PND) can be decomposed as the product of the gestational age-specific risk of birth and the risk of PND conditional on birth at a given gestational age. Finally, we demonstrate how failure to consider the first of these 2 risks leads to selection bias. This selection bias creates the well-known crossover paradox, thus obviating the need to posit common causes of early birth and PND other than the study exposure.

  9. Incremental Prognostic Value of Apparent Diffusion Coefficient Histogram Analysis in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

    PubMed

    Li, Xiaoxia; Yuan, Ying; Ren, Jiliang; Shi, Yiqian; Tao, Xiaofeng

    2018-03-26

    We aimed to investigate the incremental prognostic value of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) histogram analysis in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) and integrate it into a multivariate prognostic model. A retrospective review of magnetic resonance imaging findings was conducted in patients with pathologically confirmed HNSCC between June 2012 and December 2015. For each tumor, six histogram parameters were derived: the 10th, 50th, and 90th percentiles of ADC (ADC 10 , ADC 50 , and ADC 90 ); mean ADC values (ADC mean ); kurtosis; and skewness. The clinical variables included age, sex, smoking status, tumor volume, and tumor node metastasis stage. The association of these histogram and clinical variables with overall survival (OS) was determined. Further validation of the histogram parameters as independent biomarkers was performed using multivariate Cox proportional hazard models combined with clinical variables, which was compared to the clinical model. Models were assessed with C index and receiver operating characteristic curve analyses for the 12- and 36-month OS. Ninety-six patients were eligible for analysis. Median follow-up was 877 days (range, 54-1516 days). A total of 29 patients died during follow-up (30%). Patients with higher ADC values (ADC 10  > 0.958 × 10 -3 mm 2 /s, ADC 50  > 1.089 × 10 -3 mm 2 /s, ADC 90  > 1.152 × 10 -3 mm 2 /s, ADC mean  > 1.047 × 10 -3 mm 2 /s) and lower kurtosis (≤0.967) were significant predictors of poor OS (P < .100 for all). After adjusting for sex and tumor node metastasis stage, the ADC 90 and kurtosis are both significant predictors of OS with hazard ratios = 1.00 (95% confidence interval: 1.001-1.004) and 0.58 (95% confidence interval: 0.37-0.90), respectively. By adding the ADC parameters into the clinical model, the C index and diagnostic accuracies for the 12- and 36-month OS showed significant improvement. ADC histogram analysis has

  10. Minimal residual disease assessed by multi-parameter flow cytometry is highly prognostic in adult patients with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia

    PubMed Central

    Ravandi, Farhad; Jorgensen, Jeffrey L.; O'Brien, Susan M.; Jabbour, Elias; Thomas, Deborah A.; Borthakur, Gautam; Garris, Rebecca; Huang, Xuelin; Garcia-Manero, Guillermo; Burger, Jan A.; Ferrajoli, Alessandra; Wierda, William; Kadia, Tapan; Jain, Nitin; Wang, Sa A.; Konoplev, Sergei; Kebriaei, Partow; Champlin, Richard E.; McCue, Deborah; Estrov, Zeev; Cortes, Jorge E; Kantarjian, Hagop M.

    2016-01-01

    SUMMARY The prognostic value of minimal residual disease (MRD) assessed by multi-parameter flow cytometry (MFC) was investigated among 340 adult patients with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (B-ALL) treated between 2004 and 2014 using regimens including the hyperCVAD (hyperfractionated cyclophosphamide, vincristine, doxorubicin, dexamethasone, methotrexate, cytarabine) backbone. Among them, 323 (95%) achieved complete remission (CR) and were included in this study. Median age was 52 years (range, 15-84). Median white blood cell count (WBC) was 9.35 × 109/l (range, 0.4-658.1 ×109/l). MRD by MFC was initially assessed with a sensitivity of 0.01%, using a 15-marker, 4-colour panel and subsequently a 6-colour panel on bone marrow specimens obtained at CR achievement and at approximately 3 month intervals thereafter. MRD negative status at CR was associated with improved disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS)(P=0.004 and P=0.04, respectively). Similarly, achieving MRD negative status at approximately 3 and 6 months was associated with improved DFS (P=0.002 and P<0.0001, respectively) and OS (P=0.003 and P<0.0001, respectively). Multivariate analysis including age, WBC at presentation, cytogenetics (standard vs. high risk) and MRD status at CR, 3 months and 6 months, indicated that MRD negative status at CR was an independent predictor of DFS (P<0.05). Achievement of an MRD negative state assessed by MFC is an important predictor of DFS and OS in adult patients with ALL PMID:26492205

  11. Fear of knowledge: Clinical hypotheses in diagnostic and prognostic reasoning.

    PubMed

    Chiffi, Daniele; Zanotti, Renzo

    2017-10-01

    Patients are interested in receiving accurate diagnostic and prognostic information. Models and reasoning about diagnoses have been extensively investigated from a foundational perspective; however, for all its importance, prognosis has yet to receive a comparable degree of philosophical and methodological attention, and this may be due to the difficulties inherent in accurate prognostics. In the light of these considerations, we discuss a considerable body of critical thinking on the topic of prognostication and its strict relations with diagnostic reasoning, pointing out the distinction between nosographic and pathophysiological types of diagnosis and prognosis, underlying the importance of the explication and explanation processes. We then distinguish between various forms of hypothetical reasoning applied to reach diagnostic and prognostic judgments, comparing them with specific forms of abductive reasoning. The main thesis is that creative abduction regarding clinical hypotheses in diagnostic process is very unlikely to occur, whereas this seems to be often the case for prognostic judgments. The reasons behind this distinction are due to the different types of uncertainty involved in diagnostic and prognostic judgments. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  12. Prognostics

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Goebel, Kai; Vachtsevanos, George; Orchard, Marcos E.

    2013-01-01

    Knowledge discovery, statistical learning, and more specifically an understanding of the system evolution in time when it undergoes undesirable fault conditions, are critical for an adequate implementation of successful prognostic systems. Prognosis may be understood as the generation of long-term predictions describing the evolution in time of a particular signal of interest or fault indicator, with the purpose of estimating the remaining useful life (RUL) of a failing component/subsystem. Predictions are made using a thorough understanding of the underlying processes and factor in the anticipated future usage.

  13. Childhood Adversity, Self-Esteem, and Diurnal Cortisol Profiles across the Lifespan

    PubMed Central

    Zilioli, Samuele; Slatcher, Richard B.; Chi, Peilian; Li, Xiaoming; Zhao, Junfeng; Zhao, Guoxiang

    2016-01-01

    Childhood adversity is associated with poor health outcomes in adulthood; the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis has been proposed as a crucial biological intermediary of these long-term effects. Here we tested whether childhood adversity was associated with diurnal cortisol parameters, and whether this link was partially explained by self-esteem. In both adults and children, childhood adversity was associated with lower levels of cortisol at awakening and this association was partially driven by low self-esteem. Further, we found a significant indirect pathway through which greater adversity during childhood was linked to a flatter cortisol slope via self-esteem. Lastly, those youth who had a caregiver with high self-esteem experienced a steeper decline in cortisol throughout the day compared to those youth whose caregiver reported low self-esteem. We conclude that self-esteem is a plausible psychological mechanism through which childhood adversity may get embedded in the activity of the HPA axis across the lifespan. PMID:27481911

  14. Pre-treatment red blood cell distribution width provides prognostic information in multiple myeloma.

    PubMed

    Zhou, Di; Xu, Peipei; Peng, Miaoxin; Shao, Xiaoyan; Wang, Miao; Ouyang, Jian; Chen, Bing

    2018-06-01

    The red blood cell distribution width (RDW), a credible marker for abnormal erythropoiesis, has recently been studied as a prognostic factor in oncology, but its role in multiple myeloma (MM) hasn't been thoroughly investigated. We performed a retrospective study in 162 patients with multiple myeloma. Categorical parameters were analyzed using Pearson chi-squared test. The Mann-Whitney and Wilcoxon tests were used for group comparisons. Comparisons of repeated samples data were analyzed with the general linear model repeated-measures procedure. The Kaplan-Meier product-limit method was used to determine OS and PFS, and the differences were assessed by the log-rank test. High RDW baseline was significantly associated with indexes including haemoglobin, bone marrow plasma cell infiltration, and cytogenetics risk stratification. After chemotherapy, the overall response rate (ORR) decreased as RDW baseline increased. In 24 patients with high RDW baseline, it was revealed RDW value decreased when patients achieved complete remission (CR), but increased when the disease progressed. The normal-RDW baseline group showed both longer overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) than the high-RDW baseline group. Our study suggests pre-treatment RDW level is a prognostic factor in MM and should be regarded as an important parameter for assessment of therapeutic efficiency. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  15. Glutamate Decarboxylase 1 Overexpression as a Poor Prognostic Factor in Patients with Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma.

    PubMed

    Lee, Yi-Ying; Chao, Tung-Bo; Sheu, Ming-Jen; Tian, Yu-Feng; Chen, Tzu-Ju; Lee, Sung-Wei; He, Hong-Lin; Chang, I-Wei; Hsing, Chung-Hsi; Lin, Ching-Yih; Li, Chien-Feng

    2016-01-01

    Background : Glutamate decarboxylase 1 (GAD1) which serves as a rate-limiting enzyme involving in the production of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), exists in the GABAergic neurons in the central nervous system (CNS). Little is known about the relevance of GAD1 to nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Through data mining on a data set derived from a published transcriptome database, this study first identified GAD1 as a differentially upregulated gene in NPC. We aimed to evaluate GAD1 expression and its prognostic effect on patients with early and locoregionally advanced NPC. Methods : We evaluated GAD1 immunohistochemistry and performed an H-score analysis on biopsy specimens from 124 patients with nonmetastasized NPC receiving treatment. GAD1 overexpression was defined as an H score higher than the median value. The findings of such an analysis are correlated with clinicopathological behaviors and survival rates, namely disease-specific survival (DSS), distant-metastasis-free survival (DMeFS), and local recurrence-free survival (LRFS) rates. Results : GAD1 overexpression was significantly associated with an increase in the primary tumor status ( p < 0.001) and American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) stages III-IV ( p = 0.002) and was a univariate predictor of adverse outcomes of DSS ( p = 0.002), DMeFS ( p < 0.0001), and LRFS ( p = 0.001). In the multivariate comparison, in addition to advanced AJCC stages III-IV, GAD1 overexpression remained an independent prognosticator of short DSS ( p = 0.004, hazard ratio = 2.234), DMeFS ( p < 0.001, hazard ratio = 4.218), and LRFS ( p = 0.013, hazard ratio = 2.441) rates. Conclusions : Our data reveal that GAD1 overexpression was correlated with advanced disease status and may thus be a critical prognostic indicator of poor outcomes in NPC and a potential therapeutic target to facilitate the development of effective treatment modalities.

  16. Clinical performance validation of PITX2 DNA methylation as prognostic biomarker in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

    PubMed

    Sailer, Verena; Gevensleben, Heidrun; Dietrich, Joern; Goltz, Diane; Kristiansen, Glen; Bootz, Friedrich; Dietrich, Dimo

    2017-01-01

    Despite advances in combined modality therapy, outcomes in head and neck squamous cell cancer (HNSCC) remain dismal with five-year overall survival rates of less than 50%. Prognostic biomarkers are urgently needed to identify patients with a high risk of death after initial curative treatment. Methylation status of the paired-like homeodomain transcription factor 2 (PITX2) has recently emerged as a powerful prognostic biomarker in various cancers. In the present study, the clinical performance of PITX2 methylation was validated in a HNSCC cohort by means of an independent analytical platform (Infinium HumanMethylation450 BeadChip, Illumina, Inc.). A total of 528 HNSCC patients from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) were included in the study. Death was defined as primary endpoint. PITX2 methylation was correlated with overall survival and clinicopathological parameters. PITX2 methylation was significantly associated with sex, tumor site, p16 status, and grade. In univariate Cox proportional hazards analysis, PITX2 hypermethylation analyzed as continuous and dichotomized variable was significantly associated with prolonged overall survival of HNSCC patients (continuous: hazard ratio (HR) = 0.19 [95%CI: 0.04-0.88], p = 0.034; dichotomized: HR = 0.52 [95%CI: 0.33-0.84], p = 0.007). In multivariate Cox analysis including established clinicopathological parameters, PITX2 promoter methylation was confirmed as prognostic factor (HR = 0.28 [95%CI: 0.09-0.84], p = 0.023). Using an independent analytical platform, PITX2 methylation was validated as a prognostic biomarker in HNSCC patients, identifying patients that potentially benefit from intensified surveillance and/or administration of adjuvant/neodjuvant treatment, i.e. immunotherapy.

  17. The prognostic value of undetectable highly sensitive cardiac troponin I in patients with acute pulmonary embolism.

    PubMed

    Hakemi, Emad U; Alyousef, Tareq; Dang, Geetanjali; Hakmei, Jalal; Doukky, Rami

    2015-03-01

    Elevated cardiac troponin levels have been shown to be associated with adverse outcomes in patients with acute pulmonary embolism (PE). However, few data address the management implications of undetectable cardiac troponin I (cTnI) using a highly sensitive assay. We hypothesized that undetectable cTnI predicts very low in-hospital adverse event rates. In a retrospective cohort study, we classified patients with confirmed acute PE according to cTnI detectability into cTnI+ (≥ 0.012 ng/mL) and cTnI- (< 0.012 ng/mL) groups. The Pulmonary Embolism Severity Index (PESI) was used for clinical risk determination. The primary outcome was a composite of hard events defined as in-hospital death, CPR, or thrombolytic therapy. The secondary outcome was a composite of soft events defined as ICU admission or inferior vena cava filter placement. Among 298 consecutive patients with confirmed acute PE, 161 (55%) were cTnI+ and 137 (45%) cTnI-. No deaths occurred in the cTnI- group vs nine (6%) in the cTnI+ group (P = .004). No hard events were observed in the cTnI- group vs 15 (9%) in the cTnI+ group (P < .001). Soft events were observed at a lower rate in the cTnI- group (21[15%] vs 69 [43%], P < .001). Patients in the cTnI- group had a higher survival rate free of hard (P = .001) or soft (P < .001) events, irrespective of clinical risk. Furthermore, cTnI provided incremental prognostic value beyond clinical, ECG, and imaging data (P < .001). Highly sensitive cTnI assay provides an excellent prognostic negative predictive value; thus, it plays a role in identifying candidates for out-of-hospital treatment of acute PE.

  18. Validity, prognostic value and optimal cutoff of respiratory muscle strength in patients with chronic heart failure changes with beta-blocker treatment.

    PubMed

    Frankenstein, Lutz; Nelles, Manfred; Meyer, F Joachim; Sigg, Caroline; Schellberg, Dieter; Remppis, B Andrew; Katus, Hugo A; Zugck, Christian

    2009-08-01

    Training studies frequently use maximum inspiratory mouth occlusion pressure (PImax) as a therapeutic target and surrogate marker. For patients on beta-blocker (BBL), prognostic data allowing this extrapolation do not exist. Furthermore, the effects of BBL, mainstay of modern chronic heart failure therapy, on respiratory muscle function remain controversial. Finally, no proper separate cutoff according to treatment exists. Prospective, observational inclusion of patients with stable systolic chronic heart failure and recording of 1 year and all-time mortality for endpoint analysis. In 686 patients, 81% men, 494 patients on BBL, PImax was measured along with clinical evaluation. The median follow-up was 50 months (interquartile range: 26-75 months). Patients with or without BBL did not differ significantly for PImax, percentage of predicted PImax or other marker of disease severity. PImax was a significant (hazard ratio: 0.925; 95% confidence interval: 0.879-0.975; chi(2): 8.62) marker of adverse outcome, independent of BBL-status or aetiology. Percentage of predicted PImax was not independent of PImax. The cutoff identified through receiver-operated characteristics for 1-year mortality was 4.14 kPa for patients on BBL and 7.29 kPa for patients not on BBL. When separated accordingly, 1-year mortality was 8.5 versus 21.4%, P=0.02, for patients not on BBL and 4.3 versus 16.2%, P<0.001, for patients on BBL. This study fills the gap between trials targeting respiratory muscle on a functional basis and the resultant prognostic information with regard to BBL. BBL lowered the optimal PImax cutoff values for risk stratification without changing the measured values of PImax. This should be considered at inclusion and evaluation of trials and interpretation of exercise parameters.

  19. Characteristics of quantitative perfusion parameters on dynamic contrast‐enhanced MRI in mammographically occult breast cancer

    PubMed Central

    Ryu, Jung Kyu; Rhee, Sun Jung; Song, Jeong Yoon; Cho, Soo Hyun

    2016-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to compare the characteristics of quantitative perfusion parameters obtained from dynamic contrast‐enhanced (DCE) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in patients with mammographically occult (MO) breast cancers and those with mammographically visible (MV) breast cancers. Quantitative parameters (AUC, Ktrans,kep,ve,vp, and wi) from 13 MO breast cancers and 16 MV breast cancers were mapped after the DCE‐MRI data were acquired. Various prognostic factors, including axillary nodal status, estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), Ki‐67, p53, E‐cadherin, and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) were obtained in each group. Fisher's exact test was used to compare any differences of the various prognostic factors between the two groups. The Mann‐Whitney U test was applied to compare the quantitative parameters between these two groups. Finally, Spearman's correlation was used to investigate the relationships between perfusion indices and four factors — age, tumor size, Ki‐67, and p53 — for each group. Although age, tumor size, and the prognostic factors were not statistically different between the two groups, the mean values of the quantitative parameters, except wi in the MV group, were higher than those in the MO group without statistical significance (p=0.219). The kep value was significantly different between the two groups (p=0.048), but the other parameters were not. In the MO group, vp with size, ve with p53, and Ktrans and vp with Ki‐67 had significant correlations (p<0.05). However, in the MV group, only kep showed significant correlation with age. The kep value was only the perfusion parameter of statistical significance between MO and MV breast cancers. PACS number(s): 87.19.U‐, 87.61.‐c PMID:27685105

  20. A prognostic classifier for patients with colorectal cancer liver metastasis, based on AURKA, PTGS2 and MMP9.

    PubMed

    Goos, Jeroen A C M; Coupé, Veerle M H; van de Wiel, Mark A; Diosdado, Begoña; Delis-Van Diemen, Pien M; Hiemstra, Annemieke C; de Cuba, Erienne M V; Beliën, Jeroen A M; Menke-van der Houven van Oordt, C Willemien; Geldof, Albert A; Meijer, Gerrit A; Hoekstra, Otto S; Fijneman, Remond J A

    2016-01-12

    Prognosis of patients with colorectal cancer liver metastasis (CRCLM) is estimated based on clinicopathological models. Stratifying patients based on tumor biology may have additional value. Tissue micro-arrays (TMAs), containing resected CRCLM and corresponding primary tumors from a multi-institutional cohort of 507 patients, were immunohistochemically stained for 18 candidate biomarkers. Cross-validated hazard rate ratios (HRRs) for overall survival (OS) and the proportion of HRRs with opposite effect (P(HRR < 1) or P(HRR > 1)) were calculated. A classifier was constructed by classification and regression tree (CART) analysis and its prognostic value determined by permutation analysis. Correlations between protein expression in primary tumor-CRCLM pairs were calculated. Based on their putative prognostic value, EGFR (P(HRR < 1) = .02), AURKA (P(HRR < 1) = .02), VEGFA (P(HRR < 1) = .02), PTGS2 (P(HRR < 1) = .01), SLC2A1 (P(HRR > 1) < 01), HIF1α (P(HRR > 1) = .06), KCNQ1 (P(HRR > 1) = .09), CEA (P (HRR > 1) = .05) and MMP9 (P(HRR < 1) = .07) were included in the CART analysis (n = 201). The resulting classifier was based on AURKA, PTGS2 and MMP9 expression and was associated with OS (HRR 2.79, p < .001), also after multivariate analysis (HRR 3.57, p < .001). The prognostic value of the biomarker-based classifier was superior to the clinicopathological model (p = .001). Prognostic value was highest for colon cancer patients (HRR 5.71, p < .001) and patients not treated with systemic therapy (HRR 3.48, p < .01). Classification based on protein expression in primary tumors could be based on AURKA expression only (HRR 2.59, p = .04). A classifier was generated for patients with CRCLM with improved prognostic value compared to the standard clinicopathological prognostic parameters, which may aid selection of patients who may benefit from adjuvant systemic therapy.

  1. Noncutaneous malignant melanoma: a prognostic model from a retrospective multicenter study

    PubMed Central

    2010-01-01

    Background We performed multicenter study to define clinical characteristics of noncutaneous melanomas and to establish prognostic factors patients who received curative resection. Methods Of the 141 patients who were diagnosed of non-cutaneous melanoma at 4 institutions in Korea between June 1992 and May 2005, 129 (91.5%) satisfied the selection criteria. Results Of the 129 noncutaneous melanoma patients, 14 patients had ocular melanoma and 115 patients had mucosal melanoma. For mucosal melanoma, anorectum was the most common anatomic site (n = 39, 30.2%) which was followed by nasal cavity (n = 30, 23.3%), genitourinary (n = 21, 16.3%), oral cavity (n = 14, 10.9%), upper gastrointestinal tract (n = 6, 4.7%) and maxillary sinus (n = 5, 3.9%) in the order of frequency. With the median 64.5 (range 4.3-213.0) months follow-up, the median overall survival were 24.4 months (95% CI 13.2-35.5) for all patients, and 34.6 (95% CI 24.5-44.7) months for curatively resected mucosal melanoma patients. Adverse prognostic factors of survival for 87 curatively resected mucosal melanoma patients were complete resection (R1 resection margin), and age > 50 years. For 14 ocular melanoma, Survival outcome was much better than mucosal melanoma with 73.3% of 2 year OS and 51.2 months of median OS (P = .04). Conclusion Prognosis differed according to primary sites of noncutaneous melanoma. Based on our study, noncutaneous melanoma patients should be treated differently to improve survival outcome. PMID:20426858

  2. Current Pressure Transducer Application of Model-based Prognostics Using Steady State Conditions

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Teubert, Christopher; Daigle, Matthew J.

    2014-01-01

    Prognostics is the process of predicting a system's future states, health degradation/wear, and remaining useful life (RUL). This information plays an important role in preventing failure, reducing downtime, scheduling maintenance, and improving system utility. Prognostics relies heavily on wear estimation. In some components, the sensors used to estimate wear may not be fast enough to capture brief transient states that are indicative of wear. For this reason it is beneficial to be capable of detecting and estimating the extent of component wear using steady-state measurements. This paper details a method for estimating component wear using steady-state measurements, describes how this is used to predict future states, and presents a case study of a current/pressure (I/P) Transducer. I/P Transducer nominal and off-nominal behaviors are characterized using a physics-based model, and validated against expected and observed component behavior. This model is used to map observed steady-state responses to corresponding fault parameter values in the form of a lookup table. This method was chosen because of its fast, efficient nature, and its ability to be applied to both linear and non-linear systems. Using measurements of the steady state output, and the lookup table, wear is estimated. A regression is used to estimate the wear propagation parameter and characterize the damage progression function, which are used to predict future states and the remaining useful life of the system.

  3. Accelerated Aging in Electrolytic Capacitors for Prognostics

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Celaya, Jose R.; Kulkarni, Chetan; Saha, Sankalita; Biswas, Gautam; Goebel, Kai Frank

    2012-01-01

    The focus of this work is the analysis of different degradation phenomena based on thermal overstress and electrical overstress accelerated aging systems and the use of accelerated aging techniques for prognostics algorithm development. Results on thermal overstress and electrical overstress experiments are presented. In addition, preliminary results toward the development of physics-based degradation models are presented focusing on the electrolyte evaporation failure mechanism. An empirical degradation model based on percentage capacitance loss under electrical overstress is presented and used in: (i) a Bayesian-based implementation of model-based prognostics using a discrete Kalman filter for health state estimation, and (ii) a dynamic system representation of the degradation model for forecasting and remaining useful life (RUL) estimation. A leave-one-out validation methodology is used to assess the validity of the methodology under the small sample size constrain. The results observed on the RUL estimation are consistent through the validation tests comparing relative accuracy and prediction error. It has been observed that the inaccuracy of the model to represent the change in degradation behavior observed at the end of the test data is consistent throughout the validation tests, indicating the need of a more detailed degradation model or the use of an algorithm that could estimate model parameters on-line. Based on the observed degradation process under different stress intensity with rest periods, the need for more sophisticated degradation models is further supported. The current degradation model does not represent the capacitance recovery over rest periods following an accelerated aging stress period.

  4. Immunohistochemical and prognostic analysis of apoptosis and proliferation in uveal melanoma.

    PubMed Central

    Mooy, C. M.; Luyten, G. P.; de Jong, P. T.; Luider, T. M.; Stijnen, T.; van de Ham, F.; van Vroonhoven, C. C.; Bosman, F. T.

    1995-01-01

    Neoplasia can be defined as deregulated tissue homeostasis caused by an imbalance between proliferation and apoptosis. Many genes are involved in the maintenance of tissue homeostasis, eg, the c-myc oncoprotein, which is an important regulator of cell proliferation and Bcl-2 protein, which is involved in the regulation of apoptosis. We studied retrospectively indices of proliferation, such as mitotic count and the Mib-1 index, on 51 uveal melanomas and compared their prognostic significance with established indicators of prognosis such as cell type and tumor size. Along the same line we investigated the expression of the regulating proteins c-myc and Bcl-2. Of all parameters tested, the largest tumor diameter and mitotic count were most strongly associated with tumor-related death (P < 0.001 and P = 0.005, respectively). In addition, cell type, the presence of epithelioid cells, the Mib-1 index, and the percentage of cytoplasmic c-myc-positive cells were significant predictive factors. Multivariate analysis showed that the Mib-1 index, largest tumor diameter, and the percentage of cytoplasmic c-myc-positive cells were independent prognostic parameters. Bcl-2 expression did not correlate with clinical outcome. The Mib-1 index correlated with the presence of epithelioid cells (P < 0.03) and the presence of apoptotic bodies (P < 0.001) and c-myc. A strong inverse relationship was found between (nuclear and cytoplasmic) c-myc and Bcl-2 (P < 0.00004 and P < 0.006, respectively), suggesting that Bcl-2 cooperates with c-myc to immortalize uveal melanoma cells. Images Figure 1 Figure 2 PMID:7573354

  5. Systematic review of renal carcinoma prognostic factors.

    PubMed

    Lorente, D; Trilla, E; Meseguer, A; Planas, J; Placer, J; Celma, A; Salvador, C; Regis, L; Morote, J

    2017-05-01

    The natural history of renal cell carcinoma is heterogeneous. Some scenarios can be found in terms of clinical presentation, clinical evolution or type of recurrence (local/metastatic). The aim of this publication is to analyze the most important prognostic factors published in the literature. A literature review ob published papers was performed using the Pubmed, from first Motzer's classification published in 1999 to 2015, according to PRISMA declaration. Search was done using the following keywords: kidney neoplasm, kidney cancer, renal cell carcinoma, prognostic factors, mortality, survival and disease progression. Papers were classified according to level of evidence, the number of patients included and the type of study performed. The evolution in the knowledge of molecular pathways related to renal oncogenesis and the new targeted therapies has left to remain obsolete the old prognostic models. It's necessary to perform a continuous review to actualize nomograms and to adapt them to the new scenarios. Is necessary to perform a proper external validation of existing prognostic factors using prospective and multicentric studies to add them into the daily urologist clinical practice. Copyright © 2016 AEU. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

  6. Prognostic factors for ovarian epithelial cancer in the elderly: a case-control study.

    PubMed

    Sabatier, Renaud; Calderon, Benoît; Lambaudie, Eric; Chereau, Elisabeth; Provansal, Magali; Cappiello, Maria-Antonietta; Viens, Patrice; Rousseau, Frederique

    2015-06-01

    Ovarian cancer is the leading cause of mortality by gynecologic cancers in Western countries. Many publications have suggested that age may be an independent prognostic factor in ovarian carcinoma. There are only few data concerning the impact of treatments and geriatric features within the elderly population. We collected data of older (≥ 70 years old) patients treated in our institution for an invasive ovarian carcinoma between 1995 and 2011. First we described usual clinical and pathological features for these patients, as well as their outcome. We compared these parameters with that of young (<70 years old) patients treated during the same period. We then observed geriatric features in our set: Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status, number of medications, Charlson index, body mass index, hemoglobin, and glomerular filtration rate. We finally looked for prognostic factors specific of the elderly population. One hundred nine elderly patients were identified and compared with 488 younger cases. There was no difference concerning clinicopathologic data. Surgery was more frequently complete in young women (58% vs 41.7%), and older patients received less chemotherapy courses and less taxanes (38.4% vs 67.1%). Young patients had a longer overall survival (median, 65.2 vs 26.2 months, P = 8.5E-10, log-rank test). Multivariate analyses confirmed that age was an independent prognostic factor and that within the elderly set the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics stage, surgery results, number of chemotherapy cycles administered and performance status had a significant prognostic value. No clear correlation could be observed between geriatric characteristics and treatments administration. Ovarian cancer prognosis is poorer for older women, but they are more frequently suboptimally treated. No correlation could be observed between geriatric factors and surgery or chemotherapy achievement. Treatment decision should be based on objective

  7. A Testbed for Data Fusion for Helicopter Diagnostics and Prognostics

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2003-03-01

    and algorithm design and tuning in order to develop advanced diagnostic and prognostic techniques for air craft health monitoring . Here a...and development of models for diagnostics, prognostics , and anomaly detection . Figure 5 VMEP Server Browser Interface 7 Download... detections , and prognostic prediction time horizons. The VMEP system and in particular the web component are ideal for performing data collection

  8. Investigation of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell internal behaviour during long term operation and its use in prognostics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mao, Lei; Jackson, Lisa; Jackson, Tom

    2017-09-01

    This paper investigates the polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cell internal behaviour variation at different operating condition, with characterization test data taken at predefined inspection times, and uses the determined internal behaviour evolution to predict the future PEM fuel cell performance. For this purpose, a PEM fuel cell behaviour model is used, which can be related to various fuel cell losses. By matching the model to the collected polarization curves from the PEM fuel cell system, the variation of fuel cell internal behaviour can be obtained through the determined model parameters. From the results, the source of PEM fuel cell degradation during its lifetime at different conditions can be better understood. Moreover, with determined fuel cell internal behaviour, the future fuel cell performance can be obtained by predicting the future model parameters. By comparing with prognostic results using adaptive neuro fuzzy inference system (ANFIS), the proposed prognostic analysis can provide better predictions for PEM fuel cell performance at dynamic condition, and with the understanding of variation in PEM fuel cell internal behaviour, mitigation strategies can be designed to extend the fuel cell performance.

  9. A new prognostic score for AIDS-related lymphomas in the rituximab-era

    PubMed Central

    Barta, Stefan K.; Xue, Xiaonan; Wang, Dan; Lee, Jeannette Y.; Kaplan, Lawrence D.; Ribera, Josep-Maria; Oriol, Albert; Spina, Michele; Tirelli, Umberto; Boue, Francois; Wilson, Wyndham H.; Wyen, Christoph; Dunleavy, Kieron; Noy, Ariela; Sparano, Joseph A.

    2014-01-01

    While the International Prognostic Index is commonly used to predict outcomes in immunocompetent patients with aggressive B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphomas, HIV-infection is an important competing risk for death in patients with AIDS-related lymphomas. We investigated whether a newly created prognostic score (AIDS-related lymphoma International Prognostic Index) could better assess risk of death in patients with AIDS-related lymphomas. We randomly divided a dataset of 487 patients newly diagnosed with AIDS-related lymphomas and treated with rituximab-containing chemoimmunotherapy into a training (n=244) and validation (n=243) set. We examined the association of HIV-related and other known risk factors with overall survival in both sets independently. We defined a new score (AIDS-related lymphoma International Prognostic Index) by assigning weights to each significant predictor [age-adjusted International Prognostic Index, extranodal sites, HIV-score (composed of CD4 count, viral load, and prior history of AIDS)] with three risk categories similar to the age-adjusted International Prognostic Index (low, intermediate and high risk). We compared the prognostic value for overall survival between AIDS-related lymphoma International Prognostic Index and age-adjusted International Prognostic Index in the validation set and found that the AIDS-related lymphoma International Prognostic Index performed significantly better in predicting risk of death than the age-adjusted International Prognostic Index (P=0.004) and better discriminated risk of death between each risk category (P=0.015 vs. P=0.13). Twenty-eight percent of patients were defined as low risk by the ARL-IPI and had an estimated 5-year overall survival (OS) of 78% (52% intermediate risk, 5-year OS 60%; 20% high risk, 5-year OS 50%). PMID:25150257

  10. Inflammation-based prognostic score and number of lymph node metastases are independent prognostic factors in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

    PubMed

    Kobayashi, Takashi; Teruya, Masanori; Kishiki, Tomokazu; Kaneko, Susumu; Endo, Daisuke; Takenaka, Yoshiharu; Miki, Kenji; Kobayashi, Kaoru; Morita, Koji

    2010-08-01

    Few studies have investigated whether the Glasgow Prognostic Score (GPS), an inflammation-based prognostic score, is useful for postoperative prognosis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. GPS was calculated on the basis of admission data as follows: patients with elevated C-reactive protein level (>10 mg/l) and hypoalbuminemia (<35 g/l) were assigned to GPS2. Patients with one or no abnormal value were assigned to GPS1 or GPS0. A new scoring system was constructed using independent prognostic variables and was evaluated on whether it could be used to dictate the choice of clinical options. 65 patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma were enrolled. GPS and the number of lymph node metastases were found to be independent prognostic variables. The scoring system comprising GPS and the number of lymph node metastases was found to be effective in the prediction of a long-term outcome (p < 0.0001). Preoperative GPS may be useful for postoperative prognosis of patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. GPS and the number of lymph node metastases could be used to identify a subgroup of patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma who are eligible for radical resection but show poor prognosis.

  11. Preoperative Carcinoembryonic Antigen and Prognosis of Colorectal Cancer. An Independent Prognostic Factor Still Reliable

    PubMed Central

    Li Destri, Giovanni; Rubino, Antonio Salvatore; Latino, Rosalia; Giannone, Fabio; Lanteri, Raffaele; Scilletta, Beniamino; Di Cataldo, Antonio

    2015-01-01

    To evaluate whether, in a sample of patients radically treated for colorectal carcinoma, the preoperative determination of the carcinoembryonic antigen (p-CEA) may have a prognostic value and constitute an independent risk factor in relation to disease-free survival. The preoperative CEA seems to be related both to the staging of colorectal neoplasia and to the patient's prognosis, although this—to date—has not been conclusively demonstrated and is still a matter of intense debate in the scientific community. This is a retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data. A total of 395 patients were radically treated for colorectal carcinoma. The preoperative CEA was statistically compared with the 2010 American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) staging, the T and N parameters, and grading. All parameters recorded in our database were tested for an association with disease-free survival (DFS). Only factors significantly associated (P < 0.05) with the DFS were used to build multivariate stepwise forward logistic regression models to establish their independent predictors. A statistically significant relationship was found between p-CEA and tumor staging (P < 0.001), T (P < 0.001) and N parameters (P = 0.006). In a multivariate analysis, the independent prognostic factors found were: p-CEA, stages N1 and N2 according to AJCC, and G3 grading (grade). A statistically significant difference (P < 0.001) was evident between the DFS of patients with normal and high p-CEA levels. Preoperative CEA makes a pre-operative selection possible of those patients for whom it is likely to be able to predict a more advanced staging. PMID:25875542

  12. Preoperative carcinoembryonic antigen and prognosis of colorectal cancer. An independent prognostic factor still reliable.

    PubMed

    Li Destri, Giovanni; Rubino, Antonio Salvatore; Latino, Rosalia; Giannone, Fabio; Lanteri, Raffaele; Scilletta, Beniamino; Di Cataldo, Antonio

    2015-04-01

    To evaluate whether, in a sample of patients radically treated for colorectal carcinoma, the preoperative determination of the carcinoembryonic antigen (p-CEA) may have a prognostic value and constitute an independent risk factor in relation to disease-free survival. The preoperative CEA seems to be related both to the staging of colorectal neoplasia and to the patient's prognosis, although this-to date-has not been conclusively demonstrated and is still a matter of intense debate in the scientific community. This is a retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data. A total of 395 patients were radically treated for colorectal carcinoma. The preoperative CEA was statistically compared with the 2010 American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) staging, the T and N parameters, and grading. All parameters recorded in our database were tested for an association with disease-free survival (DFS). Only factors significantly associated (P < 0.05) with the DFS were used to build multivariate stepwise forward logistic regression models to establish their independent predictors. A statistically significant relationship was found between p-CEA and tumor staging (P < 0.001), T (P < 0.001) and N parameters (P = 0.006). In a multivariate analysis, the independent prognostic factors found were: p-CEA, stages N1 and N2 according to AJCC, and G3 grading (grade). A statistically significant difference (P < 0.001) was evident between the DFS of patients with normal and high p-CEA levels. Preoperative CEA makes a pre-operative selection possible of those patients for whom it is likely to be able to predict a more advanced staging.

  13. Recurrent ischemia across the spectrum of acute coronary syndromes: prevalence and prognostic significance of (re-)infarction and ST-segment changes in a large contemporary registry.

    PubMed

    Yan, Andrew T; Steg, Philippe Gabriel; Fitzgerald, Gordon; Feldman, Laurent J; Eagle, Kim A; Gore, Joel M; Anderson, Frederick A; López-Sendón, Jose; Gurfinkel, Enrique P; Brieger, David; Goodman, Shaun G

    2010-11-05

    There are limited recent data on the prevalence and potentially different adverse impact of the various types of recurrent ischemia (RI) in unselected patients with acute coronary syndromes(ACS). We examined the clinical features and treatment associated with, and the differential prognostic impact of, the various types of RI in unselected patients across the broad spectrum of ACS in the contemporary era. The Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events (GRACE) was a prospective, multinational registry of patients hospitalized for ACS. Data were collected on standardized case report forms. Of the 29,400 ACS patients enrolled in May 2000-March 2007, 21% developed RI; 2.4%, 4.9%, and 16% had myocardial (re-)infarction [(re-)MI], RI with ST-segment changes, and RI without ST-segment changes (not mutually exclusive), respectively. Rates of in-hospital mortality and complications, and 6-month mortality were significantly higher among patients with RI compared to those without; the rates were highest for patients who developed (re-)MI, followed by those with RI and ST-segment changes. After adjusting for other validated prognosticators in the GRACE risk score, all three types of RI retained an independent association with both higher in-hospital and post-discharge 6-month mortality. Early revascularization was associated with lower in-hospital mortality only in the group with (re-)MI (P for interaction=0.003). Despite the current use of intensive medical therapies, RI remains a common and serious consequence across the spectrum of ACS. Different types of RI confer a variable adverse prognostic impact. Re-MI is associated with the worst outcome, which appears to be mitigated by early revascularization. Our findings underscore the persistent need to improve the treatment of ACS. Copyright © 2009 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. NEDD9, an independent good prognostic factor in intermediate-risk acute myeloid leukemia patients

    PubMed Central

    Pallarès, Victor; Hoyos, Montserrat; Chillón, M. Carmen; Barragán, Eva; Conde, M. Isabel Prieto; Llop, Marta; Céspedes, María Virtudes; Nomdedeu, Josep F.; Brunet, Salut; Sanz, Miguel Ángel; González-Díaz, Marcos; Sierra, Jorge; Casanova, Isolda; Mangues, Ramon

    2017-01-01

    Intermediate-risk acute myeloid leukemia (IR-AML) is the largest subgroup of AML patients and is highly heterogeneous. Whereas adverse and favourable risk patients have well-established treatment protocols, IR-AML patients have not. It is, therefore, crucial to find novel factors that stratify this subgroup to implement risk-adapted strategies. The CAS (Crk-associated substrate) adaptor protein family regulates cell proliferation, survival, migration and adhesion. Despite its association with metastatic dissemination and prognosis of different solid tumors, the role of these proteins in hematological malignancies has been scarcely evaluated. Nevertheless, previous work has established an important role for the CAS family members NEDD9 or BCAR1 in the migratory and dissemination capacities of myeloid cells. On this basis, we hypothesized that NEDD9 or BCAR1 expression levels could associate with survival in IR-AML patients and become new prognostic markers. To that purpose, we assessed BCAR1 and NEDD9 gene expression in a cohort of 73 adult AML patients validating the results in an independent cohort (n = 206). We have identified NEDD9, but not BCAR1, as a new a marker for longer overall and disease-free survival, and for lower cumulative incidence of relapse. In summary, NEDD9 gene expression is an independent prognostic factor for favourable prognosis in IR-AML patients. PMID:29100287

  15. Low CLL-1 Expression Is a Novel Adverse Predictor in 123 Patients with De Novo CD34+ Acute Myeloid Leukemia.

    PubMed

    Wang, Yan-Yu; Chen, Wen-Lian; Weng, Xiang-Qin; Sheng, Yan; Wu, Jing; Hao, Jie; Liu, Zhan-Yun; Zhu, Yong-Mei; Chen, Bing; Xiong, Shu-Min; Chen, Yu; Chen, Qiu-Sheng; Sun, Hui-Ping; Li, Jun-Min; Wang, Jin

    2017-10-15

    Recent reports state that C-type lectin-like molecule-1 (CLL-1) in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is expressed primarily on myeloid cells, but there is still no investigation about its prognostic significance on leukemic blast compartment. Hence, this study aimed to evaluate the prognostic value of CLL-1 in 123 patients with de novo CD34 + Non-M3 AML. Multiparameter flow cytometry was used to assess the expression of CLL-1 on immature compartment in AML and control groups. We found that CLL-1 expression level on blast compartment was closely linked to clinical characteristics, treatment response, and survival outcome of patients. Decreased expression of CLL-1 was observed on immature compartment from AML patients as compared with controls (62.6% vs. 86.5%, P < 0.05). Logistic model exhibited that CLL-1 low independently predicted low complete remission rate with an odds ratio of 4.57 (2.53-6.61, P < 0.05). Additionally, CLL-1 expression level at diagnosis was inversely correlated to the residual blast cells (residual leukemia cell) after induction chemotherapy (r = -0.423, P < 0.05). Furthermore, multivariate Cox regression model demonstrated that CLL-1 low was still an independent adverse predictor (P < 0.05 for event-free survival, P < 0.05 for overall survival). Notably, CLL-1 low was able to discriminate poor survival patients from intermediate- and favorable-risk groups. Taken together, CLL-1 is a novel prognostic predictor that could be exploited to supplement the current AML prognostic risk stratification system, and potentially optimize the clinical management of AML.

  16. Parotid metastasis--an independent prognostic factor for head and neck cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma.

    PubMed

    Ch'ng, S; Maitra, A; Lea, R; Brasch, H; Tan, S T

    2006-01-01

    of 18 months, the loco-regional recurrence rate was 52%. The presence of parotid disease was an independent prognostic factor on survival (p < 0.01), and P3 fared significantly worse than P1 and P2. Those patients who had both parotid and neck disease fared worse than those who had parotid or neck disease alone (p = 0.01). N2 had a significantly poorer outcome compared with N1 (p < 0.01). Immunosuppression (p = 0.01) and a positive surgical margin (p < 0.01) were significant adverse prognostic factors for survival. Adjuvant radiotherapy, extracapsular spread, and perineural and vascular invasion did not influence survival. Our study demonstrates that the extent of parotid disease is an independent prognostic factor for metastatic head and neck cutaneous SCC.

  17. A Comparison of Filter-based Approaches for Model-based Prognostics

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Daigle, Matthew John; Saha, Bhaskar; Goebel, Kai

    2012-01-01

    Model-based prognostics approaches use domain knowledge about a system and its failure modes through the use of physics-based models. Model-based prognosis is generally divided into two sequential problems: a joint state-parameter estimation problem, in which, using the model, the health of a system or component is determined based on the observations; and a prediction problem, in which, using the model, the stateparameter distribution is simulated forward in time to compute end of life and remaining useful life. The first problem is typically solved through the use of a state observer, or filter. The choice of filter depends on the assumptions that may be made about the system, and on the desired algorithm performance. In this paper, we review three separate filters for the solution to the first problem: the Daum filter, an exact nonlinear filter; the unscented Kalman filter, which approximates nonlinearities through the use of a deterministic sampling method known as the unscented transform; and the particle filter, which approximates the state distribution using a finite set of discrete, weighted samples, called particles. Using a centrifugal pump as a case study, we conduct a number of simulation-based experiments investigating the performance of the different algorithms as applied to prognostics.

  18. Prognostic Value of Negative Coronary CT Angiography in Severely Obese Patients Prior to Bariatric Surgery: a Follow-Up After 6 Years.

    PubMed

    Messerli, Michael; Maywald, Céline; Wälti, Stephan; Warschkow, René; Wildermuth, Simon; Alkadhi, Hatem; Leschka, Sebastian; Schiesser, Marc

    2017-08-01

    This study aims to determine the long-term prognostic value of coronary CT angiography (CCTA) prior to bariatric surgery in severely obese patients with a body mass index (BMI) ≥35 kg/m 2 . Seventy consecutive patients undergoing cardiac CT for coronary assessment prior to bariatric surgery were prospectively included. Images were analysed for the presence of coronary calcification and for non-obstructive (<50%) or obstructive (>50% stenosis) coronary artery disease (CAD). A median clinical follow-up of 6.1 years in 54 patients was obtained for major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs), defined as death, non-fatal myocardial infarction or coronary revascularisation. Weight loss and BMI decrease following bariatric surgery were recorded. The median BMI prior to surgery was 46.9 kg/m 2 . The median percentage of excess BMI loss after surgery was 75%. CT showed coronary calcification in 26 (48%) patients, whereas 28 (52%) patients had no calcification. CCTA revealed normal coronaries in 47 (87%) and non-obstructive CAD in 7 (13%) patients. No obstructive CAD was found. All patients successfully underwent bariatric surgery, and no MACE occurred neither perioperatively nor in the follow-up period. The negative predictive value of CCTA was 100% (95% confidence interval of 90.1-100.0%). In severely obese patients, the absence of obstructive CAD in cardiac CT prior to bariatric surgery with subsequently marked weight reduction has strong long-term prognostic implications for ruling out major adverse cardiac events in the postoperative period.

  19. Review and Analysis of Algorithmic Approaches Developed for Prognostics on CMAPSS Dataset

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ramasso, Emannuel; Saxena, Abhinav

    2014-01-01

    Benchmarking of prognostic algorithms has been challenging due to limited availability of common datasets suitable for prognostics. In an attempt to alleviate this problem several benchmarking datasets have been collected by NASA's prognostic center of excellence and made available to the Prognostics and Health Management (PHM) community to allow evaluation and comparison of prognostics algorithms. Among those datasets are five C-MAPSS datasets that have been extremely popular due to their unique characteristics making them suitable for prognostics. The C-MAPSS datasets pose several challenges that have been tackled by different methods in the PHM literature. In particular, management of high variability due to sensor noise, effects of operating conditions, and presence of multiple simultaneous fault modes are some factors that have great impact on the generalization capabilities of prognostics algorithms. More than 70 publications have used the C-MAPSS datasets for developing data-driven prognostic algorithms. The C-MAPSS datasets are also shown to be well-suited for development of new machine learning and pattern recognition tools for several key preprocessing steps such as feature extraction and selection, failure mode assessment, operating conditions assessment, health status estimation, uncertainty management, and prognostics performance evaluation. This paper summarizes a comprehensive literature review of publications using C-MAPSS datasets and provides guidelines and references to further usage of these datasets in a manner that allows clear and consistent comparison between different approaches.

  20. [Changes of menstruation patterns and adverse effects during the treatment of LNG-IUS for symptomatic adenomyosis].

    PubMed

    Li, L; Leng, J H; Zhang, J J; Jia, S Z; Li, X Y; Shi, J H; Dai, Y; Zhang, J R; Li, T; Xu, X X; Liu, Z Z; You, S S; Chang, X Y; Lang, J H

    2016-09-25

    Objective: To investigate the changes of mestruation patterns and adverse effects during the treatment of levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system(LNG-IUS)for symptomatic adenomyosis in a prospective cohort study. Methods: From December, 2006 to December, 2014, patients of symptomatic adenomyosis diagnosed by transvaginal ultrasound in Peking Union Medical College Hospital were given LNG-IUS. Before and after placement of IUS, all patients' parameters were recorded, including carrying status of IUS, symptoms and scores of dysmenorrhea, menstruation scores, biochemical indicators, physical parameters, menstruation patterns and adverse effects. Risk factors for changes of menstruation patterns and adverse effects, and their impact on treatment effects were analyzed. Results: Totally 1 100 cases met inclusion criteria, with median age 36 years(range 20-44 years), median follow-up 35 months(range 1 -108 months). During follow-up changes of menstruation patterns increased significantly with amenorrhea and shortened-menstruation being the most common manifestations. On 3, 6, 12, 24, 36, 48 and 60 months after the placement of LNG-IUS, 0, 5.8%(43/744), 6.9%(47/682), 10.1%(60/595), 17.3%(87/502), 27.2%(104/383)and 29.6%(82/277)patients achieved amenorrhea respectively( P <0.01). Total and subclassification of adverse effects decreased significantly( P <0.01). Within 12 months and >12 months after placement, abdominal pain and body weight increasing ≥5 kg/year were the most common adverse effects. Changes of menstruation patterns, total and subclassifications of adverse effects were neither dependent on patient parameters, treatment modes and treatment effects, nor could predict future LNG-IUS carrying status(all P > 0.05). After taking out of LNG-IUS, most changes of menstruation and adverse effects disappeared. Conclusions: During the treatment of LNG-IUS for symptomatic adenomyosis, changes of menstruation patterns increase gradually with amenorrhea and shortened

  1. Systematic review of current prognostication systems for primary gastrointestinal stromal tumors.

    PubMed

    Khoo, Chun Yuet; Chai, Xun; Quek, Richard; Teo, Melissa C C; Goh, Brian K P

    2018-04-01

    The advent of tyrosine kinase inhibitors as adjuvant therapy has revolutionized the management of GIST and emphasized the need for accurate prognostication systems. Numerous prognostication systems have been proposed for GIST but at present it remains unknown which system is superior. The present systematic review aims to summarize current prognostication systems for primary treatment-naive GIST. A literature review of the Pubmed and Embase databases was performed to identify all published articles in English, from the 1st January 2002 to 28th Feb 2017, reporting on clinical prognostication systems of GIST. Twenty-three articles on GIST prognostication systems were included. These systems were classified as categorical systems, which stratify patients into risk groups, or continuous systems, which provide an individualized form of risk assessment. There were 16 categorical systems in total. There were 4 modifications of the National Institute of Health (NIH) system, 2 modifications of Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (AFIP) criteria and 3 modifications of Joensuu (modified NIH) criteria. Of the 7 continuous systems, there were 3 prognostic nomograms, 3 mathematical models and 1 prognostic heat/contour maps. Tumor size, location and mitotic count remain the main variables used in these systems. Numerous prognostication systems have been proposed for the risk stratification of GISTs. The most widely used systems today are the NIH, Joensuu modified NIH, AFIP and the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center nomogram. More validation and comparison studies are required to determine the optimal prognostication system for GIST. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd, BASO ~ The Association for Cancer Surgery, and the European Society of Surgical Oncology. All rights reserved.

  2. Development of an On-board Failure Diagnostics and Prognostics System for Solid Rocket Booster

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Smelyanskiy, Vadim N.; Luchinsky, Dmitry G.; Osipov, Vyatcheslav V.; Timucin, Dogan A.; Uckun, Serdar

    2009-01-01

    We develop a case breach model for the on-board fault diagnostics and prognostics system for subscale solid-rocket boosters (SRBs). The model development was motivated by recent ground firing tests, in which a deviation of measured time-traces from the predicted time-series was observed. A modified model takes into account the nozzle ablation, including the effect of roughness of the nozzle surface, the geometry of the fault, and erosion and burning of the walls of the hole in the metal case. The derived low-dimensional performance model (LDPM) of the fault can reproduce the observed time-series data very well. To verify the performance of the LDPM we build a FLUENT model of the case breach fault and demonstrate a good agreement between theoretical predictions based on the analytical solution of the model equations and the results of the FLUENT simulations. We then incorporate the derived LDPM into an inferential Bayesian framework and verify performance of the Bayesian algorithm for the diagnostics and prognostics of the case breach fault. It is shown that the obtained LDPM allows one to track parameters of the SRB during the flight in real time, to diagnose case breach fault, and to predict its values in the future. The application of the method to fault diagnostics and prognostics (FD&P) of other SRB faults modes is discussed.

  3. A Distributed Approach to System-Level Prognostics

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2012-09-01

    the end of (useful) life ( EOL ) and/or the remaining useful life (RUL) of components, subsystems, or systems. The prognostics problem itself can be...system state estimate, computes EOL and/or RUL. In this paper, we focus on a model-based prognostics approach (Orchard & Vachtse- vanos, 2009; Daigle...been focused on individual components, and determining their EOL and RUL, e.g., (Orchard & Vachtsevanos, 2009; Saha & Goebel, 2009; Daigle & Goebel

  4. Community-Acquired Meningitis in Older Adults: Clinical Features, Etiology, and Prognostic Factors

    PubMed Central

    Wang, Amy Y.; Machicado, Jorge D.; Khoury, Nabil T.; Wootton, Susan H.; Salazar, Lucrecia; Hasbun, Rodrigo

    2014-01-01

    Background Bacterial meningitis in older adults is a well-studied and serious disease, but few studies have investigated the epidemiology and outcomes of community-acquired meningitis in older adults. Methods We conducted a retrospective study of 619 adults in Houston, Texas, with community-acquired meningitis hospitalized between January 1, 2005, and January 1, 2010. Patients were categorized as older if age ≥65 (N=54) and younger if age 18–64 (N=565). An adverse clinical outcome was defined as a Glasgow Outcome Scale score of 4 or less. Results Older patients consisted of 8.7% (54/619) of the total cohort and had higher rates of comorbidities, abnormal neurological and laboratory findings, abnormalities on computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging of the head and adverse clinical outcomes (ACO) (p<0.05). The majority of patients (65.8%) had meningitis of unknown etiology. Bacterial meningitis was an infrequent cause (7.4%). Of the known causes, bacterial meningitis and West Nile virus were more common in older patients. In contrast, younger patients more frequently had cryptococcal and viral meningitis. On logistic regression, female gender was predictive of a poor outcome in the older patients, whereas abnormal neurologic exam, fever, and CSF glucose <45mg/dLwere significant poor prognostic factors in younger patients (p<0.05). Conclusion Most cases of community-acquired meningitis are of unknown origin. Older patients are more likely to have bacterial meningitis and West Nile virus infection when a cause can be identified. They also have more neurologic abnormalities, laboratory and imaging abnormalities, as well as adverse clinical outcomes. PMID:25370434

  5. Significance of the prognostic nutritional index in patients with glioblastoma: A retrospective study.

    PubMed

    Zhou, Xing-Wang; Dong, Hui; Yang, Yuan; Luo, Jie-Wen; Wang, Xiang; Liu, Yan-Hui; Mao, Qing

    2016-12-01

    Accumulating evidence demonstrates that prognostic nutritional index(PNI) is linked to the clinical outcome of patients with malignant tumors, but few studies had investigated the clinical significance of PNI in glioblastoma multiforme(GBM). This study aimed to clarify the association between PNI and the clinical outcome of patients with GBM. The clinical data of 84 patients with GBM were retrospectively analyzed. PNI was calculated from the following formula: 10×serum albumin (g/dL)+0.005×total lymphocyte count (per mm 3 ). X-tile software was used to determine the cut-off of PNI and other hematological parameters. GBM patients were dichotomized as two groups based on the PNI cut-off. The optimal PNI cut-off level was 44.4. There were 14 patients with a PNI<44.4 and 70 patients with a PNI≥44.4. The results showed that PNI score was associated with gender, serum albumin, and hemoglobin level. Univariate analysis suggested that age, extent of resection, adjuvant treatment, platelet count and PNI score were predictors of overall survival in patients with GBM. The 1- and 2-survival rates of patients with a PNI<44.4 were 28.60 and 0%, respectively, while the corresponding values for patients with a PNI≥44.4 were 52.90 and 5.70%, respectively. Based on multivariate analysis, a PNI≥44.4 (HR:0.479, 95% CI:0.235-0.975,p=0.042) remained an independent prognostic indicator for a favorable outcome of patients with GBM. Furthermore, patients with a PNI≥44.4 may have a better efficacy of adjuvant treatment than patients with a PNI<44.4 (HR:0.259, 95% CI:0.096-0.700, p=0.008). A PNI>44.4 was an independent prognostic parameter of overall survival in patients with GBM and the efficacy of adjuvant treatment. Interventions aimed at correcting the nutritional and immune status of patients with GBM may, therefore, promote the effectiveness of adjuvant treatment and improve the survival outcomes. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  6. Prognostic factors in Acanthamoeba keratitis.

    PubMed

    Kaiserman, Igor; Bahar, Irit; McAllum, Penny; Srinivasan, Sathish; Elbaz, Uri; Slomovic, Allan R; Rootman, David S

    2012-06-01

    To assess the prognostic factors influencing visual prognosis and length of treatment after acanthamoeba keratitis (AK). Forty-two AK eyes of 41 patients treated between 1999 and 2006 were included. A diagnosis of AK was made on the basis of culture results with a corresponding clinical presentation. We calculated the prognostic effect of the various factors on final visual acuity and the length of treatment. Multivariate regression analysis was used to adjust for the simultaneous effects of the various prognostic factors. Mean follow-up was 19.7 ± 21.0 months. Sixty-four percent of cases had > 1 identified risk factor for AK, the most common risk factor being contact lens wear (92.9% of eyes). At presentation, median best spectacle corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was 20/200 (20/30 to Hand Motion [HM]) that improved after treatment to 20/50 (20/20 to Counting Fingers [CF]). Infection acquired by swimming or related to contact lenses had significantly better final BCVA (p = 0.03 and p = 0.007, respectively). Neuritis and pseudodendrites were also associated with better final BCVA (p = 0.04 and p = 0.05, respectively). Having had an epithelial defect on presentation and having been treated with topical steroid were associated with worse final best spectacle corrected visual acuity (BSCVA) (p = 0.0006 and p = 0.04). Multivariate regression analysis found a good initial visual acuity (p = 0.002), infections related to swimming (p = 0.01), the absence of an epithelial defect (p = 0.03), having been treated with chlorhexidine (p = 0.05), and not having receive steroids (p = 0.003) to significantly forecast a good final BCVA. We identified several prognostic factors that can help clinicians evaluate the expected visual damage of the AK infection and thus tailor treatment accordingly. Copyright © 2012 Canadian Ophthalmological Society. All rights reserved.

  7. Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced MRI of Cervical Cancers: Temporal Percentile Screening of Contrast Enhancement Identifies Parameters for Prediction of Chemoradioresistance

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Andersen, Erlend K.F.; Hole, Knut Hakon; Lund, Kjersti V.

    Purpose: To systematically screen the tumor contrast enhancement of locally advanced cervical cancers to assess the prognostic value of two descriptive parameters derived from dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI). Methods and Materials: This study included a prospectively collected cohort of 81 patients who underwent DCE-MRI with gadopentetate dimeglumine before chemoradiotherapy. The following descriptive DCE-MRI parameters were extracted voxel by voxel and presented as histograms for each time point in the dynamic series: normalized relative signal increase (nRSI) and normalized area under the curve (nAUC). The first to 100th percentiles of the histograms were included in a log-rank survival test,more » resulting in p value and relative risk maps of all percentile-time intervals for each DCE-MRI parameter. The maps were used to evaluate the robustness of the individual percentile-time pairs and to construct prognostic parameters. Clinical endpoints were locoregional control and progression-free survival. The study was approved by the institutional ethics committee. Results: The p value maps of nRSI and nAUC showed a large continuous region of percentile-time pairs that were significantly associated with locoregional control (p < 0.05). These parameters had prognostic impact independent of tumor stage, volume, and lymph node status on multivariate analysis. Only a small percentile-time interval of nRSI was associated with progression-free survival. Conclusions: The percentile-time screening identified DCE-MRI parameters that predict long-term locoregional control after chemoradiotherapy of cervical cancer.« less

  8. Prognostic significance of Fas and Fas ligand system-associated apoptosis in gastric cancer.

    PubMed

    Ohno, S; Tachibana, M; Shibakita, M; Dhar, D K; Yoshimura, H; Kinugasa, S; Kubota, H; Masunaga, R; Nagasue, N

    2000-12-01

    Previous studies indicate that gastric carcinomas express Fas ligand and down-regulate Fas to escape from the host immune attack; however, the prognostic importance of Fas/FasL expression in this tumor is yet to be evaluated. Specimens from 87 gastric carcinoma patients of different stages treated in a defined period with curative intent were evaluated for apoptosis, Fas, FasL, and CD8 expression using an immunohistochemical method. The percentage of terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL)-positive apoptotic cells expressed as apoptotic index (AI) was higher in 43 patients when the cut-off value was set at the median value. There were no significant correlations between AI and clinicopathologic parameters. Thirty-nine patients showed a high number of CD8+ cells within cancer nests. Positive FasL and Fas expression was seen in 53 and 72 patients, respectively. CD8 and FasL expressions were related only to patients' age. Fas expression had significant correlations with tumor invasion and Lauren classification. There were significant direct correlations between AI and number of nest CD8+ cells and between AI and grade of Fas expression. Apoptotic index, pT stage, CD8 expression, and Fas expression were identified as independent prognostic factors. Spontaneous apoptosis in gastric carcinoma may be an independent prognosticator for survival and is significantly influenced by tumor Fas expression and number of nest CD8 + cells.

  9. Clinico-pathological and biological prognostic variables in squamous cell carcinoma of the vulva.

    PubMed

    Gadducci, Angiolo; Tana, Roberta; Barsotti, Cecilia; Guerrieri, Maria Elena; Genazzani, Andrea Riccardo

    2012-07-01

    Several clinical-pathological parameters have been related to survival of patients with invasive squamous cell carcinoma of the vulva, whereas few studies have investigated the ability of biological variables to predict the clinical outcome of these patients. The present paper reviews the literature data on the prognostic relevance of lymph node-related parameters, primary tumor-related parameters, FIGO stage, blood variables, and tissue biological variables. Regarding these latter, the paper takes into account the analysis of DNA content, cell cycle-regulatory proteins, apoptosis-related proteins, epidermal growth factor receptor [EGFR], and proteins that are involved in tumor invasiveness, metastasis and angiogenesis. At present, the lymph node status and FIGO stage according to the new 2009 classification system are the main predictors for vulvar squamous cell carcinoma, whereas biological variables do not have yet a clinical relevance and their role is still investigational. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. Prognosis Research Strategy (PROGRESS) 3: prognostic model research.

    PubMed

    Steyerberg, Ewout W; Moons, Karel G M; van der Windt, Danielle A; Hayden, Jill A; Perel, Pablo; Schroter, Sara; Riley, Richard D; Hemingway, Harry; Altman, Douglas G

    2013-01-01

    Prognostic models are abundant in the medical literature yet their use in practice seems limited. In this article, the third in the PROGRESS series, the authors review how such models are developed and validated, and then address how prognostic models are assessed for their impact on practice and patient outcomes, illustrating these ideas with examples.

  11. Prognostic markers in localized prostate cancer: from microscopes to molecules.

    PubMed

    Harding, M A; Theodorescu, D

    Management of patients diagnosed with localized prostate cancer is complicated by the diverse natural history of the disease and variable response to treatment. Prognostic criteria currently in use cannot fully predict tumor behavior and thus limit the ability to recommend treatment regimens with the assurance that they are the best course of action for each individual patient. The search for better prognostic markers is now focussed on the molecular mechanisms which underlay tumor behavior, such as altered cell cycle progression, apoptosis, neuroendocrine differentiation, and angiogenesis. As the number of potential molecular markers increases, it is becoming evident that no single marker will provide the prognostic information necessary to make a significant improvement in patient care. In addition, it seems likely that traditional methods of assessing the prognostic value of this multitude of new markers will prove inadequate. In this review, we briefly examine the current state of prognostication in localized prostate cancer and some of the promising new molecular markers. Next, we examine how new technologies may allow the multiplex analysis of vast numbers of markers and how computational methods such as artificial neural networks will provide meaningful interpretation of the data. In the near future, such an integrated approach may provide a comprehensive prognostic tool for localized prostate cancer.

  12. Vaccine Adverse Events

    MedlinePlus

    ... use in the primary immunization series in infants Report Adverse Event Report a Vaccine Adverse Event Contact FDA (800) 835- ... back to top Popular Content Home Latest Recalls Report an Adverse Event MedWatch Safety Alerts News Releases ...

  13. Are adverse effects incorporated in economic models? An initial review of current practice.

    PubMed

    Craig, D; McDaid, C; Fonseca, T; Stock, C; Duffy, S; Woolacott, N

    2009-12-01

    To identify methodological research on the incorporation of adverse effects in economic models and to review current practice. Major electronic databases (Cochrane Methodology Register, Health Economic Evaluations Database, NHS Economic Evaluation Database, EconLit, EMBASE, Health Management Information Consortium, IDEAS, MEDLINE and Science Citation Index) were searched from inception to September 2007. Health technology assessment (HTA) reports commissioned by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) HTA programme and published between 2004 and 2007 were also reviewed. The reviews of methodological research on the inclusion of adverse effects in decision models and of current practice were carried out according to standard methods. Data were summarised in a narrative synthesis. Of the 719 potentially relevant references in the methodological research review, five met the inclusion criteria; however, they contained little information of direct relevance to the incorporation of adverse effects in models. Of the 194 HTA monographs published from 2004 to 2007, 80 were reviewed, covering a range of research and therapeutic areas. In total, 85% of the reports included adverse effects in the clinical effectiveness review and 54% of the decision models included adverse effects in the model; 49% included adverse effects in the clinical review and model. The link between adverse effects in the clinical review and model was generally weak; only 3/80 (< 4%) used the results of a meta-analysis from the systematic review of clinical effectiveness and none used only data from the review without further manipulation. Of the models including adverse effects, 67% used a clinical adverse effects parameter, 79% used a cost of adverse effects parameter, 86% used one of these and 60% used both. Most models (83%) used utilities, but only two (2.5%) used solely utilities to incorporate adverse effects and were explicit that the utility captured relevant adverse effects; 53% of

  14. Childhood Adversity, Self-Esteem, and Diurnal Cortisol Profiles Across the Life Span.

    PubMed

    Zilioli, Samuele; Slatcher, Richard B; Chi, Peilian; Li, Xiaoming; Zhao, Junfeng; Zhao, Guoxiang

    2016-09-01

    Childhood adversity is associated with poor health outcomes in adulthood; the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis has been proposed as a crucial biological intermediary of these long-term effects. Here, we tested whether childhood adversity was associated with diurnal cortisol parameters and whether this link was partially explained by self-esteem. In both adults and youths, childhood adversity was associated with lower levels of cortisol at awakening, and this association was partially driven by low self-esteem. Further, we found a significant indirect pathway through which greater adversity during childhood was linked to a flatter cortisol slope via self-esteem. Finally, youths who had a caregiver with high self-esteem experienced a steeper decline in cortisol throughout the day compared with youths whose caregiver reported low self-esteem. We conclude that self-esteem is a plausible psychological mechanism through which childhood adversity may get embedded in the activity of the HPA axis across the life span. © The Author(s) 2016.

  15. Alpha-fetoprotein as a prognostic marker in acute liver failure: a pilot study.

    PubMed

    Varshney, Anshul; Gupta, Rohit; Verma, Sanjiv K; Ahmad, Sohaib

    2017-07-01

    Prognostic markers of acute liver failure (ALF) are based on clinical, laboratory or radiological parameters. Most of the biochemical markers are based on hepatic degeneration. We studied the impact of serial serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) levels, a marker of liver regeneration, on the outcome of the patients with ALF. AFP levels were estimated on days 1 and 3 of hospitalisation of 32 patients with ALF and the ratio (AFP day3/day1) was calculated. All subjects were categorised as group A (expired) or group B (survived). The AFP ratio was 0.84  +  0.15 in group A (n = 20) versus 1.55  +  0.70 in group B (n = 10); P < 0.001. However, the absolute initial AFP values were not associated with the outcome, favourable or unfavourable. We conclude that AFP levels change dynamically during ALF and have the potential to be used as a predictor of outcome in isolation or in combination with well-established prognostic markers.

  16. CMS-dependent prognostic impact of KRAS and BRAFV600E mutations in primary colorectal cancer.

    PubMed

    Smeby, J; Sveen, A; Merok, M A; Danielsen, S A; Eilertsen, I A; Guren, M G; Dienstmann, R; Nesbakken, A; Lothe, R A

    2018-05-01

    The prognostic impact of KRAS and BRAFV600E mutations in primary colorectal cancer (CRC) varies with microsatellite instability (MSI) status. The gene expression-based consensus molecular subtypes (CMSs) of CRC define molecularly and clinically distinct subgroups, and represent a novel stratification framework in biomarker analysis. We investigated the prognostic value of these mutations within the CMS groups. Totally 1197 primary tumors from a Norwegian series of CRC stage I-IV were analyzed for MSI and mutation status in hotspots in KRAS (codons 12, 13 and 61) and BRAF (codon 600). A subset was analyzed for gene expression and confident CMS classification was obtained for 317 samples. This cohort was expanded with clinical and molecular data, including CMS classification, from 514 patients in the publically available dataset GSE39582. Gene expression signatures associated with KRAS and BRAFV600E mutations were used to evaluate differential impact of mutations on gene expression among the CMS groups. BRAFV600E and KRAS mutations were both associated with inferior 5-year overall survival (OS) exclusively in MSS tumors (BRAFV600E mutation versus KRAS/BRAF wild-type: Hazard ratio (HR) 2.85, P < 0.001; KRAS mutation versus KRAS/BRAF wild-type: HR 1.30, P = 0.013). BRAFV600E-mutated MSS tumors were strongly enriched and associated with metastatic disease in CMS1, leading to negative prognostic impact in this subtype (OS: BRAFV600E mutation versus wild-type: HR 7.73, P = 0.001). In contrast, the poor prognosis of KRAS mutations was limited to MSS tumors with CMS2/CMS3 epithelial-like gene expression profiles (OS: KRAS mutation versus wild-type: HR 1.51, P = 0.011). The subtype-specific prognostic associations were substantiated by differential effects of BRAFV600E and KRAS mutations on gene expression signatures according to the MSI status and CMS group. BRAFV600E mutations are enriched and associated with metastatic disease in CMS1 MSS tumors, leading

  17. Metabolic syndrome and the risk of adverse cardiovascular events after an acute coronary syndrome.

    PubMed

    Cavallari, Ilaria; Cannon, Christopher P; Braunwald, Eugene; Goodrich, Erica L; Im, KyungAh; Lukas, Mary Ann; O'Donoghue, Michelle L

    2018-05-01

    Background The incremental prognostic value of assessing the metabolic syndrome has been disputed. Little is known regarding its prognostic value in patients after an acute coronary syndrome. Design and methods The presence of metabolic syndrome (2005 International Diabetes Federation) was assessed at baseline in SOLID-TIMI 52, a trial of patients within 30 days of acute coronary syndrome (median follow-up 2.5 years). The primary endpoint was major coronary events (coronary heart disease death, myocardial infarction or urgent coronary revascularization). Results At baseline, 61.6% ( n = 7537) of patients met the definition of metabolic syndrome, 34.7% (n = 4247) had diabetes and 29.3% had both ( n = 3584). The presence of metabolic syndrome was associated with increased risk of major coronary events (adjusted hazard ratio (adjHR) 1.29, p < 0.0001) and recurrent myocardial infarction (adjHR 1.30, p < 0.0001). Of the individual components of the definition, only diabetes (adjHR 1.48, p < 0.0001) or impaired fasting glucose (adjHR 1.21, p = 0.002) and hypertension (adjHR 1.46, p < 0.0001) were associated with the risk of major coronary events. In patients without diabetes, metabolic syndrome was numerically but not significantly associated with the risk of major coronary events (adjHR 1.13, p = 0.06). Conversely, diabetes was a strong independent predictor of major coronary events in the absence of metabolic syndrome (adjHR 1.57, p < 0.0001). The presence of both diabetes and metabolic syndrome identified patients at highest risk of adverse outcomes but the incremental value of metabolic syndrome was not significant relative to diabetes alone (adjHR 1.07, p = 0.54). Conclusions After acute coronary syndrome, diabetes is a strong and independent predictor of adverse outcomes. Assessment of the metabolic syndrome provides only marginal incremental value once the presence or absence of diabetes is established.

  18. A novel prognostic model in myeloma based on co-segregating adverse FISH lesions and the ISS: analysis of patients treated in the MRC Myeloma IX trial.

    PubMed

    Boyd, K D; Ross, F M; Chiecchio, L; Dagrada, G P; Konn, Z J; Tapper, W J; Walker, B A; Wardell, C P; Gregory, W M; Szubert, A J; Bell, S E; Child, J A; Jackson, G H; Davies, F E; Morgan, G J

    2012-02-01

    The association of genetic lesions detected by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) with survival was analyzed in 1069 patients with newly presenting myeloma treated in the Medical Research Council Myeloma IX trial, with the aim of identifying patients associated with the worst prognosis. A comprehensive FISH panel was performed, and the lesions associated with short progression-free survival and overall survival (OS) in multivariate analysis were +1q21, del(17p13) and an adverse immunoglobulin heavy chain gene (IGH) translocation group incorporating t(4;14), t(14;16) and t(14;20). These lesions frequently co-segregated, and there was an association between the accumulation of these adverse FISH lesions and a progressive impairment of survival. This observation was used to define a series of risk groups based on number of adverse lesions. Taking this approach, we defined a favorable risk group by the absence of adverse genetic lesions, an intermediate group with one adverse lesion and a high-risk group defined by the co-segregation of >1 adverse lesion. This genetic grouping was independent of the International Staging System (ISS) and so was integrated with the ISS to identify an ultra-high-risk group defined by ISS II or III and >1 adverse lesion. This group constituted 13.8% of patients and was associated with a median OS of 19.4 months.

  19. Embedded Diagnostic/Prognostic Reasoning and Information Continuity for Improved Avionics Maintenance

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2006-01-01

    enabling technologies such as built-in-test, advanced health monitoring algorithms, reliability and component aging models, prognostics methods, and...deployment and acceptance. This framework and vision is consistent with the onboard PHM ( Prognostic and Health Management) as well as advanced... monitored . In addition to the prognostic forecasting capabilities provided by monitoring system power, multiple confounding errors by electronic

  20. Application of molecular biology of differentiated thyroid cancer for clinical prognostication.

    PubMed

    Marotta, Vincenzo; Sciammarella, Concetta; Colao, Annamaria; Faggiano, Antongiulio

    2016-11-01

    Although cancer outcome results from the interplay between genetics and environment, researchers are making a great effort for applying molecular biology in the prognostication of differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC). Nevertheless, role of molecular characterisation in the prognostic setting of DTC is still nebulous. Among the most common and well-characterised genetic alterations related to DTC, including mutations of BRAF and RAS and RET rearrangements, BRAF V600E is the only mutation showing unequivocal association with clinical outcome. Unfortunately, its accuracy is strongly limited by low specificity. Recently, the introduction of next-generation sequencing techniques led to the identification of TERT promoter and TP53 mutations in DTC. These genetic abnormalities may identify a small subgroup of tumours with highly aggressive behaviour, thus improving specificity of molecular prognostication. Although knowledge of prognostic significance of TP53 mutations is still anecdotal, mutations of the TERT promoter have showed clear association with clinical outcome. Nevertheless, this genetic marker needs to be analysed according to a multigenetic model, as its prognostic effect becomes negligible when present in isolation. Given that any genetic alteration has demonstrated, taken alone, enough specificity, the co-occurrence of driving mutations is emerging as an independent genetic signature of aggressiveness, with possible future application in clinical practice. DTC prognostication may be empowered in the near future by non-tissue molecular prognosticators, including circulating BRAF V600E and miRNAs. Although promising, use of these markers needs to be refined by the technical sight, and the actual prognostic value is still yet to be validated. © 2016 Society for Endocrinology.

  1. Prognostic nomogram and score to predict overall survival in locally advanced untreated pancreatic cancer (PROLAP)

    PubMed Central

    Vernerey, Dewi; Huguet, Florence; Vienot, Angélique; Goldstein, David; Paget-Bailly, Sophie; Van Laethem, Jean-Luc; Glimelius, Bengt; Artru, Pascal; Moore, Malcolm J; André, Thierry; Mineur, Laurent; Chibaudel, Benoist; Benetkiewicz, Magdalena; Louvet, Christophe; Hammel, Pascal; Bonnetain, Franck

    2016-01-01

    Background: The management of locally advanced pancreatic cancer (LAPC) patients remains controversial. Better discrimination for overall survival (OS) at diagnosis is needed. We address this issue by developing and validating a prognostic nomogram and a score for OS in LAPC (PROLAP). Methods: Analyses were derived from 442 LAPC patients enrolled in the LAP07 trial. The prognostic ability of 30 baseline parameters was evaluated using univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses. Performance assessment and internal validation of the final model were done with Harrell's C-index, calibration plot and bootstrap sample procedures. On the basis of the final model, a prognostic nomogram and a score were developed, and externally validated in 106 consecutive LAPC patients treated in Besançon Hospital, France. Results: Age, pain, tumour size, albumin and CA 19-9 were independent prognostic factors for OS. The final model had good calibration, acceptable discrimination (C-index=0.60) and robust internal validity. The PROLAP score has the potential to delineate three different prognosis groups with median OS of 15.4, 11.7 and 8.5 months (log-rank P<0.0001). The score ability to discriminate OS was externally confirmed in 63 (59%) patients with complete clinical data derived from a data set of 106 consecutive LAPC patients; median OS of 18.3, 14.1 and 7.6 months for the three groups (log-rank P<0.0001). Conclusions: The PROLAP nomogram and score can accurately predict OS before initiation of induction chemotherapy in LAPC-untreated patients. They may help to optimise clinical trials design and might offer the opportunity to define risk-adapted strategies for LAPC management in the future. PMID:27404456

  2. Prognostic Value of MicroRNAs in Coronary Artery Diseases: A Meta-Analysis.

    PubMed

    Kim, Ji Suk; Pak, Kyoungjune; Goh, Tae Sik; Jeong, Dae Cheon; Han, Myoung Eun; Kim, Jihyun; Oh, Sae Ock; Kim, Chi Dae; Kim, Yun Hak

    2018-06-01

    Coronary artery diseases (CADs) are the leading causes of death in the world. Recent studies have reported that differentially expressed microRNAs (miRNAs) are associated with prognosis or major adverse cardiac events (MACEs) in CAD patients. In a previous meta-analysis, the authors made serious mistakes that we aimed to correct through an updated systematic review and meta-analysis of the prognostic value of altered miRNAs in patients with CADs. We performed a systematic search of MEDLINE (from inception to May 2017) and EMBASE (from inception to May 2017) for English-language publications. Studies of CADs with results on miRNAs that reported survival data or MACEs were included. Data were extracted from each publication independently by two reviewers. After reviewing 515 articles, a total eight studies were included in this study. We measured pooled hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of miRNA 133a with a fixed-effect model (pooled HR, 2.35; 95% CI, 1.56-3.55). High expression of miRNA 133a, 208b, 126, 197, 223, and 122-5p were associated with high mortality. Additionally, high levels of miRNA 208b, 499-5p, 134, 328, and 34a were related with MACEs. The present study confirmed that miRNA 133a, which was associated with high mortality in CAD patients, holds prognostic value in CAD. More importantly, this study corrected issues raised against a prior meta-analysis and provides accurate information. © Copyright: Yonsei University College of Medicine 2018.

  3. Specific prognostic factors for secondary pancreatic infection in severe acute pancreatitis.

    PubMed

    Armengol-Carrasco, M; Oller, B; Escudero, L E; Roca, J; Gener, J; Rodríguez, N; del Moral, P; Moreno, P

    1999-01-01

    The aim of the present study was to investigate whether there are specific prognostic factors to predict the development of secondary pancreatic infection (SPI) in severe acute pancreatitis in order to perform a computed tomography-fine needle aspiration with bacteriological sampling at the right moment and confirm the diagnosis. Twenty-five clinical and laboratory parameters were determined sequentially in 150 patients with severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) and univariate, and multivariate regression analyses were done looking for correlation with the development of SPI. Only APACHE II score and C-reactive protein levels were related to the development of SPI in the multivariate analysis. A regression equation was designed using these two parameters, and empiric cut-off points defined the subgroup of patients at high risk of developing secondary pancreatic infection. The results showed that it is possible to predict SPI during SAP allowing bacteriological confirmation and early treatment of this severe condition.

  4. Accelerated Aging with Electrical Overstress and Prognostics for Power MOSFETs

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Saha, Sankalita; Celaya, Jose Ramon; Vashchenko, Vladislav; Mahiuddin, Shompa; Goebel, Kai F.

    2011-01-01

    Power electronics play an increasingly important role in energy applications as part of their power converter circuits. Understanding the behavior of these devices, especially their failure modes as they age with nominal usage or sudden fault development is critical in ensuring efficiency. In this paper, a prognostics based health management of power MOSFETs undergoing accelerated aging through electrical overstress at the gate area is presented. Details of the accelerated aging methodology, modeling of the degradation process of the device and prognostics algorithm for prediction of the future state of health of the device are presented. Experiments with multiple devices demonstrate the performance of the model and the prognostics algorithm as well as the scope of application. Index Terms Power MOSFET, accelerated aging, prognostics

  5. Neurological prognostication of outcome in patients in coma after cardiac arrest.

    PubMed

    Rossetti, Andrea O; Rabinstein, Alejandro A; Oddo, Mauro

    2016-05-01

    Management of coma after cardiac arrest has improved during the past decade, allowing an increasing proportion of patients to survive, thus prognostication has become an integral part of post-resuscitation care. Neurologists are increasingly confronted with raised expectations of next of kin and the necessity to provide early predictions of long-term prognosis. During the past decade, as technology and clinical evidence have evolved, post-cardiac arrest prognostication has moved towards a multimodal paradigm combining clinical examination with additional methods, consisting of electrophysiology, blood biomarkers, and brain imaging, to optimise prognostic accuracy. Prognostication should never be based on a single indicator; although some variables have very low false positive rates for poor outcome, multimodal assessment provides resassurance about the reliability of a prognostic estimate by offering concordant evidence. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  6. Serum cholinesterase is an important prognostic factor in chronic heart failure.

    PubMed

    Sato, Takamasa; Yamauchi, Hiroyuki; Suzuki, Satoshi; Yoshihisa, Akiomi; Yamaki, Takayoshi; Sugimoto, Koichi; Kunii, Hiroyuki; Nakazato, Kazuhiko; Suzuki, Hitoshi; Saitoh, Shu-ichi; Takeishi, Yasuchika

    2015-03-01

    We determine the importance of indicators of nutrition including lymphocyte, total protein, albumin, cholinesterase and body mass index, and compare the prognostic significance in chronic heart failure (CHF). We examined consecutive 465 CHF patients (376 males, age 62 ± 14 years) who underwent cardiopulmonary exercise testing, echocardiography and blood examination including indicators of nutrition at the same time in our hospital. The patients were followed up [median period 766 days (interquartile range 500-1060)] to register cardiac deaths and rehospitalization due to worsening heart failure. There were 180 cardiac events during the follow-up periods. Patients with cardiac events had lower cholinesterase level than those without events (P < 0.001). On the receiver operating characteristic analysis, the best cut-off value for cholinesterase was 240 U/l (area under the curve 0.720). In the Kaplan-Meier analysis, patients with cholinesterase <240 U/l had significantly higher cardiac event rates than those with cholinesterase >240 U/l. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards model demonstrated that NYHA class III [hazard ratio (HR): 1.688, 95 % confidence interval (CI) 1.062-2.684, P = 0.027], eGFR (HR: 0.983, 95 % CI 0.971-0.995, P = 0.006), sodium concentration (HR: 0.947, 95 % CI 0.897-0.999, P < 0.046), log BNP (HR: 1.880, 95 % CI 1.509-2.341, P < 0.001), cholinesterase (HR: 0.996, 95 % CI 0.993-0.998, P = 0.002) and exertional periodic breathing (HR: 1.619, 95 % CI 1.098-2.388, P = 0.015) were independent factors to predict adverse clinical outcomes. Serum cholinesterase level was an important prognostic factor in CHF.

  7. Autophagy-related prognostic signature for breast cancer.

    PubMed

    Gu, Yunyan; Li, Pengfei; Peng, Fuduan; Zhang, Mengmeng; Zhang, Yuanyuan; Liang, Haihai; Zhao, Wenyuan; Qi, Lishuang; Wang, Hongwei; Wang, Chenguang; Guo, Zheng

    2016-03-01

    Autophagy is a process that degrades intracellular constituents, such as long-lived or damaged proteins and organelles, to buffer metabolic stress under starvation conditions. Deregulation of autophagy is involved in the progression of cancer. However, the predictive value of autophagy for breast cancer prognosis remains unclear. First, based on gene expression profiling, we found that autophagy genes were implicated in breast cancer. Then, using the Cox proportional hazard regression model, we detected autophagy prognostic signature for breast cancer in a training dataset. We identified a set of eight autophagy genes (BCL2, BIRC5, EIF4EBP1, ERO1L, FOS, GAPDH, ITPR1 and VEGFA) that were significantly associated with overall survival in breast cancer. The eight autophagy genes were assigned as a autophagy-related prognostic signature for breast cancer. Based on the autophagy-related signature, the training dataset GSE21653 could be classified into high-risk and low-risk subgroups with significantly different survival times (HR = 2.72, 95% CI = (1.91, 3.87); P = 1.37 × 10(-5)). Inactivation of autophagy was associated with shortened survival of breast cancer patients. The prognostic value of the autophagy-related signature was confirmed in the testing dataset GSE3494 (HR = 2.12, 95% CI = (1.48, 3.03); P = 1.65 × 10(-3)) and GSE7390 (HR = 1.76, 95% CI = (1.22, 2.54); P = 9.95 × 10(-4)). Further analysis revealed that the prognostic value of the autophagy signature was independent of known clinical prognostic factors, including age, tumor size, grade, estrogen receptor status, progesterone receptor status, ERBB2 status, lymph node status and TP53 mutation status. Finally, we demonstrated that the autophagy signature could also predict distant metastasis-free survival for breast cancer. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  8. Evaluation of breast cancer using intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) histogram analysis: comparison with malignant status, histological subtype, and molecular prognostic factors.

    PubMed

    Cho, Gene Young; Moy, Linda; Kim, Sungheon G; Baete, Steven H; Moccaldi, Melanie; Babb, James S; Sodickson, Daniel K; Sigmund, Eric E

    2016-08-01

    To examine heterogeneous breast cancer through intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) histogram analysis. This HIPAA-compliant, IRB-approved retrospective study included 62 patients (age 48.44 ± 11.14 years, 50 malignant lesions and 12 benign) who underwent contrast-enhanced 3 T breast MRI and diffusion-weighted imaging. Apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and IVIM biomarkers of tissue diffusivity (Dt), perfusion fraction (fp), and pseudo-diffusivity (Dp) were calculated using voxel-based analysis for the whole lesion volume. Histogram analysis was performed to quantify tumour heterogeneity. Comparisons were made using Mann-Whitney tests between benign/malignant status, histological subtype, and molecular prognostic factor status while Spearman's rank correlation was used to characterize the association between imaging biomarkers and prognostic factor expression. The average values of the ADC and IVIM biomarkers, Dt and fp, showed significant differences between benign and malignant lesions. Additional significant differences were found in the histogram parameters among tumour subtypes and molecular prognostic factor status. IVIM histogram metrics, particularly fp and Dp, showed significant correlation with hormonal factor expression. Advanced diffusion imaging biomarkers show relationships with molecular prognostic factors and breast cancer malignancy. This analysis reveals novel diagnostic metrics that may explain some of the observed variability in treatment response among breast cancer patients. • Novel IVIM biomarkers characterize heterogeneous breast cancer. • Histogram analysis enables quantification of tumour heterogeneity. • IVIM biomarkers show relationships with breast cancer malignancy and molecular prognostic factors.

  9. Neuroendocrine tumors of colon and rectum: validation of clinical and prognostic values of the World Health Organization 2010 grading classifications and European Neuroendocrine Tumor Society staging systems.

    PubMed

    Shen, Chaoyong; Yin, Yuan; Chen, Huijiao; Tang, Sumin; Yin, Xiaonan; Zhou, Zongguang; Zhang, Bo; Chen, Zhixin

    2017-03-28

    This study evaluated and compared the clinical and prognostic values of the grading criteria used by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the European Neuroendocrine Tumors Society (ENETS). Moreover, this work assessed the current best prognostic model for colorectal neuroendocrine tumors (CRNETs). The 2010 WHO classifications and the ENETS systems can both stratify the patients into prognostic groups, although the 2010 WHO criteria is more applicable to CRNET patients. Along with tumor location, the 2010 WHO criteria are important independent prognostic parameters for CRNETs in both univariate and multivariate analyses through Cox regression (P<0.05). Data from 192 consecutive patients histopathologically diagnosed with CRNETs and had undergone surgical resection from January 2009 to May 2016 in a single center were retrospectively analyzed. Findings suggest that the WHO classifications are superior over the ENETS classification system in predicting the prognosis of CRNETs. Additionally, the WHO classifications can be widely used in clinical practice.

  10. Prognostic Value of Quantitative Stress Perfusion Cardiac Magnetic Resonance.

    PubMed

    Sammut, Eva C; Villa, Adriana D M; Di Giovine, Gabriella; Dancy, Luke; Bosio, Filippo; Gibbs, Thomas; Jeyabraba, Swarna; Schwenke, Susanne; Williams, Steven E; Marber, Michael; Alfakih, Khaled; Ismail, Tevfik F; Razavi, Reza; Chiribiri, Amedeo

    2018-05-01

    This study sought to evaluate the prognostic usefulness of visual and quantitative perfusion cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) ischemic burden in an unselected group of patients and to assess the validity of consensus-based ischemic burden thresholds extrapolated from nuclear studies. There are limited data on the prognostic value of assessing myocardial ischemic burden by CMR, and there are none using quantitative perfusion analysis. Patients with suspected coronary artery disease referred for adenosine-stress perfusion CMR were included (n = 395; 70% male; age 58 ± 13 years). The primary endpoint was a composite of cardiovascular death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, aborted sudden death, and revascularization after 90 days. Perfusion scans were assessed visually and with quantitative analysis. Cross-validated Cox regression analysis and net reclassification improvement were used to assess the incremental prognostic value of visual or quantitative perfusion analysis over a baseline clinical model, initially as continuous covariates, then using accepted thresholds of ≥2 segments or ≥10% myocardium. After a median 460 days (interquartile range: 190 to 869 days) follow-up, 52 patients reached the primary endpoint. At 2 years, the addition of ischemic burden was found to increase prognostic value over a baseline model of age, sex, and late gadolinium enhancement (baseline model area under the curve [AUC]: 0.75; visual AUC: 0.84; quantitative AUC: 0.85). Dichotomized quantitative ischemic burden performed better than visual assessment (net reclassification improvement 0.043 vs. 0.003 against baseline model). This study was the first to address the prognostic benefit of quantitative analysis of perfusion CMR and to support the use of consensus-based ischemic burden thresholds by perfusion CMR for prognostic evaluation of patients with suspected coronary artery disease. Quantitative analysis provided incremental prognostic value to visual assessment and

  11. Serum uric acid level predicts adverse outcomes after myocardial revascularization or cardiac valve surgery.

    PubMed

    Lazzeroni, Davide; Bini, Matteo; Camaiora, Umberto; Castiglioni, Paolo; Moderato, Luca; Bosi, Davide; Geroldi, Simone; Ugolotti, Pietro T; Brambilla, Lorenzo; Brambilla, Valerio; Coruzzi, Paolo

    2018-01-01

    Background High levels of serum uric acid have been associated with adverse outcomes in cardiovascular diseases such as myocardial infarction and heart failure. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the prognostic role of serum uric acid levels in patients undergoing cardiac rehabilitation after myocardial revascularization and/or cardiac valve surgery. Design We performed an observational prospective cohort study. Methods The study included 1440 patients with available serum uric acid levels, prospectively followed for 50 ± 17 months. Mean age was 67 ± 11 years; 781 patients (54%) underwent myocardial revascularization, 474 (33%) cardiac valve surgery and 185 (13%) valve-plus-coronary artery by-pass graft surgery. The primary endpoints were overall and cardiovascular mortality while secondary end-points were combined major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events. Results Serum uric acid level mean values were 286 ± 95 µmol/l and elevated serum uric acid levels (≥360 µmol/l or 6 mg/dl) were found in 275 patients (19%). Overall mortality (hazard ratio = 2.1; 95% confidence interval: 1.5-3.0; p < 0.001), cardiovascular mortality (hazard ratio = 2.0; 95% confidence interval: 1.2-3.2; p = 0.004) and major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events rate (hazard ratio = 1.5; 95% confidence interval: 1.0-2.0; p = 0.019) were significantly higher in patients with elevated serum uric acid levels, even after adjustment for age, gender, arterial hypertension, diabetes, glomerular filtration rate, atrial fibrillation and medical therapy. Moreover, strong positive correlations between serum uric acid level and probability of overall mortality ( p < 0.001), cardiovascular mortality ( p < 0.001) and major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events ( p = 0.003) were found. Conclusions Serum uric acid levels predict mortality and adverse cardiovascular outcome in patients undergoing myocardial revascularization

  12. Multivariate analysis of prognostic factors in synovial sarcoma.

    PubMed

    Koh, Kyoung Hwan; Cho, Eun Yoon; Kim, Dong Wook; Seo, Sung Wook

    2009-11-01

    Many studies have described the diversity of synovial sarcoma in terms of its biological characteristics and clinical features. Moreover, much effort has been expended on the identification of prognostic factors because of unpredictable behaviors of synovial sarcomas. However, with the exception of tumor size, published results have been inconsistent. We attempted to identify independent risk factors using survival analysis. Forty-one consecutive patients with synovial sarcoma were prospectively followed from January 1997 to March 2008. Overall and progression-free survival for age, sex, tumor size, tumor location, metastasis at presentation, histologic subtype, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and resection margin were analyzed, and standard multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression analysis was used to evaluate potential prognostic factors. Tumor size (>5 cm), nonlimb-based tumors, metastasis at presentation, and a monophasic subtype were associated with poorer overall survival. Multivariate analysis showed metastasis at presentation and monophasic tumor subtype affected overall survival. For the progression-free survival, monophasic subtype was found to be only 1 prognostic factor. The study confirmed that histologic subtype is the single most important independent prognostic factors of synovial sarcoma regardless of tumor stage.

  13. Prognostic and predictive impact of central necrosis and fibrosis in early breast cancer. Results from two International Breast Cancer Study Group randomized trials of chemoendocrine adjuvant therapy

    PubMed Central

    Maiorano, Eugenio; Regan, Meredith M.; Viale, Giuseppe; Mastropasqua, Mauro G.; Colleoni, Marco; Castiglione-Gertsch, Monica; Price, Karen N.; Gelber, Richard D.; Goldhirsch, Aron; Coates, Alan S.

    2013-01-01

    Purpose A minority of early invasive breast cancers show a pattern of central necrosis and fibrosis (CNF). Previous studies have documented an adverse prognostic impact and association with other adverse pathological features, but its predictive importance for therapy selection is unknown. Methods We examined the prognostic and predictive value of CNF in two randomized clinical trials comparing chemoendocrine therapy with endocrine therapy alone in patients with node-negative breast cancer. A total of 1850 patients randomly assigned to treatment groups comparing endocrine with chemoendocrine therapy, and with centrally-assessed CNF, ER, PgR and HER2 were included in the analytic cohort. The median follow up was 10 years. Results CNF was present in 84 of 1850 trial patients (4.5%). It was associated with tumor characteristics suggesting poor outcome, but was an independent adverse factor for disease-free survival. In the presence of CNF outcome was worse regardless of tumor grade, whereas in the absence of CNF, patients with grade 3 tumors had poorer outcome than those with grade 1-2 tumors. Among patients with estrogen receptor-absent tumors chemoendocrine therapy was superior to endocrine therapy alone only in the absence of CNF [HR (chemoendocrine:endocrine)=0.46 in CNF-absent, 0.90 in CNF-present], while among those with receptor-positive disease chemoendocrine therapy was beneficial only in the presence of CNF [HR=0.34 CNF-present, 0.96 CNF-absent]. Conclusion The results suggest that the presence of CNF reflects a biological difference in early breast cancer that is important in modulating the efficacy of standard therapies. Accordingly we believe that its presence should be routinely reported. PMID:19280340

  14. Do the conventional clinicopathologic parameters predict for response and survival in head and neck cancer patients undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy?

    PubMed

    Fonseca, E; Cruz, J J; Dueñas, A; Gómez, A; Sánchez, P; Martín, G; Nieto, A; Soria, P; Muñoz, A; Gómez, J L; Pardal, J L

    1996-01-01

    Neoadjuvant chemotherapy for head and neck carcinoma is still an important treatment modality. The prognostic value of patient and tumor parameters has been extensively evaluated in several trials, yielding mixed results. We report the prognostic factors emerging from a group of patients undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy. From April 1986 to June 1992, 149 consecutive patients received cisplatin-5-fluorouracil-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy. After four courses of chemotherapy, patients underwent local-regional treatment with surgery, radiation or both. A variety of patient and tumor characteristics were evaluated as predictors for response to chemotherapy and survival. The complete response, partial response and no response rates to NAC were 52%, 33% and 15%, respectively. No parameters predicted response to chemotherapy. At a maximum follow-up of 87 months, overall survival was 39% and disease-free survival was 49%. Variables shown to be predictors of survival in univariate analyses were age, performance status, histology, site, T, N, stage, and response to chemotherapy. Using the Cox regression analysis, only complete response to induction chemotherapy (P = 0.0006), performance status (P = 0.03), stage (P = 0.01), age (P = 0.03) and primary tumor site (P = 0.04) emerged as independent prognostic factors for survival. Complete response to chemotherapy was confirmed as the strongest prognostic factor influencing survival. However, conventional clinicopathologic factors did not predict response, hence, potential prognostic biologic and molecular factors for response must be sought. At present, much effort must be made for the improvement of the complete response rate, which seems to be a requisite to prolong survival.

  15. In phyllodes tumour of the breast expression of c-kit but not of ALDH1A1 is associated with adverse clinico-pathological features.

    PubMed

    Chougule, Abhijit; Bal, Amanjit; Das, Ashim; Kohli, Pavneet Singh; Singh, Gurpreet

    2016-12-01

    Attempts at identification of an ideal prognostic/predictive biomarker in phyllodes tumour (PT) have not been fruitful so far. Studies evaluating c-kit expression in PT have shown contradictory results. Recently aldehyde dehydrogenase 1A1 (ALDH1A1) was proposed as a stem cell marker for malignant PT but its expression has not been studied in benign and borderline tumours. We aimed to evaluate expression and prognostic significance of c-kit and ALDH1A1 in different grades of PT. Epithelial and stromal c-kit and ALDH1A1 expression were studied in 104 PT cases (86 primary and 18 recurrent tumours) and compared with different clinico-pathological features and recurrence rates. Stromal c-kit expression at 1 % cutoff correlated with increasing tumour grade, larger tumour size, hypercellularity, nuclear atypia, stromal overgrowth, infiltrative margins and mitotic count. These associations, however, were lost with higher (5 or 10 %) cutoffs. Conversely, decreased c-kit expression in the epithelial component correlated with increasing tumour grade, regardless of the cutoffs used. Stromal ALDH1A1 expression did not have significant associations with tumour grade or other adverse clinico-pathological features, regardless of different cutoffs. None of the cases showed significant epithelial ALDH1A1 expression. Expression of c-kit was associated with poorer overall survival (p = 0.011), while ALDH1A1 expression was associated with shorter recurrence-free survival (p = 0.036). In conclusion, c-kit expression was associated with higher tumour grade and adverse clinico-pathological features. However, these associations are cutoff dependent, partly explaining the variability in previously reported studies. ALDH1A1 expression did not have significant correlations with tumour grade and adverse clinico-pathological variables.

  16. Prognostic factors and risk stratification in patients with castration-resistant prostate cancer receiving docetaxel-based chemotherapy.

    PubMed

    Yamashita, Shimpei; Kohjimoto, Yasuo; Iguchi, Takashi; Koike, Hiroyuki; Kusumoto, Hiroki; Iba, Akinori; Kikkawa, Kazuro; Kodama, Yoshiki; Matsumura, Nagahide; Hara, Isao

    2016-03-22

    While novel drugs have been developed, docetaxel remains one of the standard initial systemic therapies for castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) patients. Despite the excellent anti-tumor effect of docetaxel, its severe adverse effects sometimes distress patients. Therefore, it would be very helpful to predict the efficacy of docetaxel before treatment. The aims of this study were to evaluate the potential value of patient characteristics in predicting overall survival (OS) and to develop a risk classification for CRPC patients treated with docetaxel-based chemotherapy. This study included 79 patients with CRPC treated with docetaxel. The variables, including patient characteristics at diagnosis and at the start of chemotherapy, were retrospectively collected. Prognostic factors predicting OS were analyzed using the Cox proportional hazard model. Risk stratification for overall survival was determined based on the results of multivariate analysis. PSA response ≥50 % was observed in 55 (69.6 %) of all patients, and the median OS was 22.5 months. The multivariate analysis showed that age, serum PSA level at the start of chemotherapy, and Hb were independent prognostic factors for OS. In addition, ECOG performance status (PS) and the CRP-to-albumin ratio were not significant but were considered possible predictors for OS. Risk stratification according to the number of these risk factors could effectively stratify CRPC patients treated with docetaxel in terms of OS. Age, serum PSA level at the start of chemotherapy, and Hb were identified as independent prognostic factors of OS. ECOG PS and the CRP-to-albumin ratio were not significant, but were considered possible predictors for OS in Japanese CRPC patients treated with docetaxel. Risk stratification based on these factors could be helpful for estimating overall survival.

  17. Prognostic factors in canine appendicular osteosarcoma - a meta-analysis.

    PubMed

    Boerman, Ilse; Selvarajah, Gayathri T; Nielen, Mirjam; Kirpensteijn, Jolle

    2012-05-15

    Appendicular osteosarcoma is the most common malignant primary canine bone tumor. When treated by amputation or tumor removal alone, median survival times (MST) do not exceed 5 months, with the majority of dogs suffering from metastatic disease. This period can be extended with adequate local intervention and adjuvant chemotherapy, which has become common practice. Several prognostic factors have been reported in many different studies, e.g. age, breed, weight, sex, neuter status, location of tumor, serum alkaline phosphatase (SALP), bone alkaline phosphatase (BALP), infection, percentage of bone length affected, histological grade or histological subtype of tumor. Most of these factors are, however, only reported as confounding factors in larger studies. Insight in truly significant prognostic factors at time of diagnosis may contribute to tailoring adjuvant therapy for individual dogs suffering from osteosarcoma. The objective of this study was to systematically review the prognostic factors that are described for canine appendicular osteosarcoma and validate their scientific importance. A literature review was performed on selected studies and eligible data were extracted. Meta-analyses were done for two of the three selected possible prognostic factors (SALP and location), looking at both survival time (ST) and disease free interval (DFI). The third factor (age) was studied in a qualitative manner. Both elevated SALP level and the (proximal) humerus as location of the primary tumor are significant negative prognostic factors for both ST and DFI in dogs with appendicular osteosarcoma. Increasing age was associated with shorter ST and DFI, however, was not statistically significant because information of this factor was available in only a limited number of papers. Elevated SALP and proximal humeral location are significant negative prognosticators for canine osteosarcoma.

  18. Analysis of Stage and Clinical/Prognostic Factors for Lung Cancer from SEER Registries: AJCC Staging and Collaborative Stage Data Collection System

    PubMed Central

    Chen, Vivien W.; Ruiz, Bernardo A.; Hsieh, Mei-Chin; Wu, Xiao-Cheng; Ries, Lynn; Lewis, Denise R.

    2014-01-01

    Introduction The American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) 7th edition introduced major changes in the staging of lung cancer, including Tumor (T), Node (N), Metastasis (M) (TNM) system and new stage/prognostic site-specific factors (SSFs), collected under the Collaborative Stage Version 2 (CSv2) Data Collection System. The intent was to improve the stage precision which could guide treatment options and ultimately lead to better survival. This report examines stage trends, the change in stage distributions from the AJCC 6th to the 7th edition, and findings of the prognostic SSFs for 2010 lung cancer cases. Methods Data were from the November 2012 submission of 18 Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program population-based registries. A total of 344 797 cases of lung cancer, diagnosed in 2004–2010, were analyzed. Results The percentages of small tumors and early stage lung cancer cases increased from 2004 to 2010. The AJCC 7th edition, implemented for 2010 diagnosis year, subclassified tumor size and reclassified multiple tumor nodules, pleural effusions, and involvement of tumors in the contralateral lung, resulting in a slight decrease in stage IB and stage IIIB and a small increase in stage IIA and stage IV. Overall about 80% of cases remained the same stage group in AJCC 6th and 7th editions. About 21% of lung cancer patients had separate tumor nodules in the ipsilateral (same) lung, and 23% of the surgically resected patients had visceral pleural invasion, both adverse prognostic factors. Conclusion It is feasible for high quality population-based registries such as the SEER Program to collect more refined staging and prognostic SSFs that allows better categorization of lung cancer patients with different clinical outcomes and to assess their survival. PMID:25412390

  19. Atypical and Malignant Meningioma: Outcome and Prognostic Factors in 119 Irradiated Patients. A Multicenter, Retrospective Study of the Rare Cancer Network

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Pasquier, David; Bijmolt, Stefan; Veninga, Theo

    2008-08-01

    Purpose: To retrospectively analyze and assess the outcomes and prognostic factors in a large number of patients with atypical and malignant meningiomas. Methods and Materials: Ten academic medical centers participating in this Rare Cancer Network contributed 119 cases of patients with atypical or malignant meningiomas treated with external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) after surgery or for recurrence. Eligibility criteria were histologically proven atypical or anaplastic (malignant) meningioma (World Health Organization Grade 2 and 3) treated with fractionated EBRT after initial resection or for recurrence, and age >18 years. Sex ratio (male/female) was 1.3, and mean ({+-}SD) age was 57.6 {+-} 12more » years. Surgery was macroscopically complete (Simpson Grades 1-3) in 71% of patients; histology was atypical and malignant in 69% and 31%, respectively. Mean dose of EBRT was 54.6 {+-} 5.1 Gy (range, 40-66 Gy). Median follow-up was 4.1 years. Results: The 5- and 10-year actuarial overall survival rates were 65% and 51%, respectively, and were significantly influenced by age >60 years (p = 0.005), Karnofsky performance status (KPS) (p = 0.01), and high mitotic rate (p = 0.047) on univariate analysis. On multivariate analysis age >60 years (p = 0.001) and high mitotic rate (p = 0.02) remained significant adverse prognostic factors. The 5- and 10-year disease-free survival rates were 58% and 48%, respectively, and were significantly influenced by KPS (p 0.04) and high mitotic rate (p = 0.003) on univariate analysis. On multivariate analysis only high mitotic rate (p = 0.003) remained a significant prognostic factor. Conclusions: In this multicenter retrospective study, age, KPS, and mitotic rate influenced outcome. Multicenter prospective studies are necessary to clarify the management and prognostic factors of such a rare disease.« less

  20. Clinicopathological and prognostic significance of MUC4 expression in cancers: evidence from meta-analysis.

    PubMed

    Huang, Xing; Wang, Xin; Lu, Shi-Ming; Chen, Chen; Wang, Jie; Zheng, Yan-Yan; Ren, Bin-Hui; Xu, Lin

    2015-01-01

    Mucin4 (MUC4) is a secreted glycoprotein. Numerous studies had indicated that MUC4 was an attractive prognostic tumor biomarker. However, the results of different studies have been inconsistent. So we conducted this meta-analysis to explore the association between MUC4 expression and cancer prognosis. A systematically comprehensive search was performed through PubMed, EMBASE and CNKI (Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure). Prognostic value of MUC4 expression in malignancy patients was evaluated by pooled hazard ratios (HRs) and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Meanwhile, pooled odds ratio (OR) with 95% CI was appropriate for the association between MUC4 expression and clinicopathological parameters. Eighteen studies including 1,933 patients were enrolled in this meta-analysis. Significant association was found between elevated MUC4 expression and poorer overall survival (OS) with pooled hazard ratio (HR) of 1.87 [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.58-2.23, P<0.001]. Significant associations were also detected in biliary tract carcinoma (HR: 2.41, 95% CI: 1.69-3.42, P<0.001), pancreatic cancer (HR: 2.01, 95% CI: 1.42-2.86, P<0.001) and colorectal cancer (HR: 1.73, 95% CI: 1.17-2.54, P=0.006). Moreover, combined odds ratio (OR) of MUC4 indicated that MUC4 overexpression was associated with tumor stage, tumor invasion and lymph node metastasis. Our results demonstrated that MUC4 may be exploited as a novel prognostic biomarker for cancer patients.

  1. Clinicopathological and prognostic significance of MUC4 expression in cancers: evidence from meta-analysis

    PubMed Central

    Huang, Xing; Wang, Xin; Lu, Shi-Ming; Chen, Chen; Wang, Jie; Zheng, Yan-Yan; Ren, Bin-Hui; Xu, Lin

    2015-01-01

    Mucin4 (MUC4) is a secreted glycoprotein. Numerous studies had indicated that MUC4 was an attractive prognostic tumor biomarker. However, the results of different studies have been inconsistent. So we conducted this meta-analysis to explore the association between MUC4 expression and cancer prognosis. A systematically comprehensive search was performed through PubMed, EMBASE and CNKI (Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure). Prognostic value of MUC4 expression in malignancy patients was evaluated by pooled hazard ratios (HRs) and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Meanwhile, pooled odds ratio (OR) with 95% CI was appropriate for the association between MUC4 expression and clinicopathological parameters. Eighteen studies including 1,933 patients were enrolled in this meta-analysis. Significant association was found between elevated MUC4 expression and poorer overall survival (OS) with pooled hazard ratio (HR) of 1.87 [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.58-2.23, P<0.001]. Significant associations were also detected in biliary tract carcinoma (HR: 2.41, 95% CI: 1.69-3.42, P<0.001), pancreatic cancer (HR: 2.01, 95% CI: 1.42-2.86, P<0.001) and colorectal cancer (HR: 1.73, 95% CI: 1.17-2.54, P=0.006). Moreover, combined odds ratio (OR) of MUC4 indicated that MUC4 overexpression was associated with tumor stage, tumor invasion and lymph node metastasis. Our results demonstrated that MUC4 may be exploited as a novel prognostic biomarker for cancer patients. PMID:26379819

  2. Outcome and prognostic factors in metastatic urothelial carcinoma patients receiving second-line chemotherapy: an analysis of real-world clinical practice data in Japan.

    PubMed

    Matsumoto, Ryuji; Abe, Takashige; Ishizaki, Junji; Kikuchi, Hiroshi; Harabayashi, Toru; Minami, Keita; Sazawa, Ataru; Mochizuki, Tango; Akino, Tomoshige; Murakumo, Masashi; Osawa, Takahiro; Maruyama, Satoru; Murai, Sachiyo; Shinohara, Nobuo

    2018-06-25

    The objective of the present study was to investigate the survival outcome and prognostic factors of metastatic urothelial carcinoma patients treated with second-line systemic chemotherapy in real-world clinical practice. Overall, 114 patients with metastatic urothelial carcinoma undergoing second-line systemic chemotherapy were included in this retrospective analysis. The dominant second-line chemotherapy was a paclitaxel-based combination regimen (60%, 68/114). We assessed the progression-free survival and overall survival times using the Kaplan-Meier method. The Cox proportional hazards model was applied to identify the factors affecting overall survival. The median progression-free survival and overall survival times were 4 and 9 months, respectively. In the multivariate analysis, an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status score greater than 0 at presentation, C-reactive protein level ≧1 mg/dl and poor response to prior chemotherapy were adverse prognostic indicators. Patients with 0, 1, 2 and 3 of those risk factors had a median overall survival of 17, 12, 7 and 3 months, respectively. The Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status at presentation, C-reactive protein level and response to prior chemotherapy were prognostic factors for metastatic urothelial carcinoma patients undergoing second-line chemotherapy. In the future, this information might help guide the choice of salvage treatment, such as second-line chemotherapy or immune checkpoint inhibitors, after the failure of first-line chemotherapy.

  3. Research on prognostics and health management of underground pipeline

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, Guangdi; Yang, Meng; Yang, Fan; Ni, Na

    2018-04-01

    With the development of the city, the construction of the underground pipeline is more and more complex, which has relation to the safety and normal operation of the city, known as "the lifeline of the city". First of all, this paper introduces the principle of PHM (Prognostics and Health Management) technology, then proposed for fault diagnosis, prognostics and health management in view of underground pipeline, make a diagnosis and prognostics for the faults appearing in the operation of the underground pipeline, and then make a health assessment of the whole underground pipe network in order to ensure the operation of the pipeline safely. Finally, summarize and prospect the future research direction.

  4. Prognostic value of depression, anxiety, and anger in hospitalized cardiovascular disease patients for predicting adverse cardiac outcomes.

    PubMed

    Nakamura, Shunichi; Kato, Koji; Yoshida, Asuka; Fukuma, Nagaharu; Okumura, Yasuyuki; Ito, Hiroto; Mizuno, Kyoichi

    2013-05-15

    Although attention has recently been focused on the role of psychosocial factors in patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD), the factors that have the greatest influence on prognosis have not yet been elucidated. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of depression, anxiety, and anger on the prognosis of patients with CVD. Four hundred fourteen consecutive patients hospitalized with CVD were prospectively enrolled. Depression was evaluated using the Patient Health Questionnaire, anxiety using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Questionnaire, and anger using the Spielberger Trait Anger Scale. Cox proportional-hazards regression was used to examine the individual effects of depression, anxiety, and anger on a combined primary end point of cardiac death or cardiac hospitalization and on a combined secondary end point of all-cause death or hospitalization during follow-up (median 14.2 months). Multivariate analysis showed that depression was a significant risk factor for cardiovascular hospitalization or death after adjusting for cardiac risk factors and other psychosocial factors (hazard ratio 2.62, p = 0.02), whereas anxiety was not significantly associated with cardiovascular hospitalization or death after adjustment (hazard ratio 2.35, p = 0.10). Anger was associated with a low rate of cardiovascular hospitalization or death (hazard ratio 0.34, p <0.01). In conclusion, depression in hospitalized patients with CVD is a stronger independent risk factor for adverse cardiac events than either anxiety or anger. Anger may help prevent adverse outcomes. Routine screening for depression should therefore be performed in patients with CVD, and the potential effects of anger in clinical practice should be reconsidered. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  5. Towards Prognostics for Electronics Components

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Saha, Bhaskar; Celaya, Jose R.; Wysocki, Philip F.; Goebel, Kai F.

    2013-01-01

    Electronics components have an increasingly critical role in avionics systems and in the development of future aircraft systems. Prognostics of such components is becoming a very important research field as a result of the need to provide aircraft systems with system level health management information. This paper focuses on a prognostics application for electronics components within avionics systems, and in particular its application to an Isolated Gate Bipolar Transistor (IGBT). This application utilizes the remaining useful life prediction, accomplished by employing the particle filter framework, leveraging data from accelerated aging tests on IGBTs. These tests induced thermal-electrical overstresses by applying thermal cycling to the IGBT devices. In-situ state monitoring, including measurements of steady-state voltages and currents, electrical transients, and thermal transients are recorded and used as potential precursors of failure.

  6. An inflammation-based prognostic score (mGPS) predicts cancer survival independent of tumour site: a Glasgow Inflammation Outcome Study.

    PubMed

    Proctor, M J; Morrison, D S; Talwar, D; Balmer, S M; O'Reilly, D S J; Foulis, A K; Horgan, P G; McMillan, D C

    2011-02-15

    A selective combination of C-reactive protein and albumin (termed the modified Glasgow Prognostic Score, mGPS) has been shown to have prognostic value, independent of tumour stage, in lung, gastrointestinal and renal cancers. It is also of interest that liver function tests such as bilirubin, alkaline phosphatase and γ-glutamyl transferase, as well as serum calcium, have also been reported to predict cancer survival. The aim of the present study was to examine the relationship between an inflammation-based prognostic score (mGPS), biochemical parameters, tumour site and survival in a large cohort of patients with cancer. Patients (n=21,669) who had an incidental blood sample taken between 2000 and 2006 for C-reactive protein, albumin and calcium (and liver function tests where available) and a diagnosis of cancer were identified. Of this group 9608 patients who had an ongoing malignant process were studied (sampled within 2 years before diagnosis). Also a subgroup of 5397 sampled at the time of diagnosis (sampled within 2 months prior to diagnosis) were examined. Cancers were grouped by tumour site in accordance with International Classification of Diseases 10 (ICD 10). On follow up, there were 6005 (63%) deaths of which 5122 (53%) were cancer deaths. The median time from blood sampling to diagnosis was 1.4 months. Increasing age, male gender and increasing deprivation was associated with a reduced 5-year overall and cancer-specific survival (all P<0.001). An elevated mGPS, adjusted calcium, bilirubin, alkaline phosphatase, aspartate transaminase, alanine transaminase and γ-glutamyl transferase were associated with a reduced 5-year overall and cancer-specific survival (independent of age, sex and deprivation in all patients sampled), as well as within the time of diagnosis subgroup (all P<0.001). An increasing mGPS was predictive of a reduced cancer-specific survival in all cancers (all P<0.001). The results of the present study indicate that the mGPS is a

  7. Prognostic value of circulating VEGFR2+ bone marrow-derived progenitor cells in patients with advanced cancer.

    PubMed

    Massard, Christophe; Borget, Isabelle; Le Deley, Marie Cécile; Taylor, Melissa; Gomez-Roca, Carlos; Soria, Jean Charles; Farace, Françoise

    2012-06-01

    We hypothesised that host-related markers, possibly reflecting tumour aggressiveness, such as circulating endothelial cells (CEC) and circulating VEGFR2(+) bone marrow-derived (BMD) progenitor cells, could have prognostic value in patients with advanced cancer enrolled in early anticancer drug development trials. Baseline CECs (CD45(-)CD31(+)CD146(+)7AAD(-) cells) and circulating VEGFR2(+)-BMD progenitor cells (defined as CD45(dim)CD34(+)VEGFR2(+)7AAD(-) cells) were measured by flow-cytometry in 71 and 58 patients included in phase 1 trials testing novel anti-vascular or anti-angiogenic agents. Correlations between levels of CECs, circulating VEGFR2(+)-BMD progenitor cells, clinical and biological prognostic factors (i.e. the Royal Marsden Hospital (RMH) score), and overall survival (OS) were studied. The median value of CECs was 12 CEC/ml (range 0-154/ml). The median level of VEGFR2(+)-BMD progenitor cells was 1.3% (range 0-32.5%) of circulating BMD-CD34(+) progenitors. While OS was not correlated with CEC levels, it was significantly worse in patients with high VEGFR2(+)-BMD progenitor levels (>1%) (median OS 9.0 versus 17.0 months), and with a RMH prognostic score >0 (median OS 9.0 versus 24.2 months). The prognostic value of VEGFR2(+)-BMD progenitor levels remained significant (hazard ratio (HR) = 2.3, 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.1-4.6, p = 0.02) after multivariate analysis. A composite VEGFR2(+)-BMD progenitor level/RHM score ≥ 2 was significantly associated with an increased risk of death compared to scores of 0 or 1 (median OS 9.0 versus 18.4 months, HR = 2.6 (95%CI, 1.2-5.8, p = 0.02)). High circulating VEGFR2(+)-BMD progenitor levels are associated with poor prognostics and when combined to classical clinical and biological parameters could provide a new tool for patient selection in early anticancer drug trials. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. An Uncertainty Quantification Framework for Prognostics and Condition-Based Monitoring

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Sankararaman, Shankar; Goebel, Kai

    2014-01-01

    This paper presents a computational framework for uncertainty quantification in prognostics in the context of condition-based monitoring of aerospace systems. The different sources of uncertainty and the various uncertainty quantification activities in condition-based prognostics are outlined in detail, and it is demonstrated that the Bayesian subjective approach is suitable for interpreting uncertainty in online monitoring. A state-space model-based framework for prognostics, that can rigorously account for the various sources of uncertainty, is presented. Prognostics consists of two important steps. First, the state of the system is estimated using Bayesian tracking, and then, the future states of the system are predicted until failure, thereby computing the remaining useful life of the system. The proposed framework is illustrated using the power system of a planetary rover test-bed, which is being developed and studied at NASA Ames Research Center.

  9. Early prognostic factors of outcomes in monochorionic twin pregnancy: systematic review and meta-analysis.

    PubMed

    Mackie, Fiona L; Hall, Matthew J; Morris, R Katie; Kilby, Mark D

    2018-05-12

    Assess ability of first trimester pregnancy related factors (ultrasound measurements, maternal characteristics, biomarkers) to predict complications in monochorionic twin pregnancies DATA SOURCES: MEDLINE, EMBASE, ISI Web of Science, CINAHL, the Cochrane Central Registration of Controlled Trials and Research Registers, and Google Scholar, from inception to 12 May 2017. Grey literature and bibliographies of articles were checked. Studies that reported ultrasound measurements, maternal characteristics, or potential biomarkers, measured in the first trimester in monochorionic diamniotic twin pregnancies, where the potential prognostic ability between the variable and twin-twin transfusion syndrome, growth restriction, or intrauterine fetal death could be assessed. Quality assessment was evaluated using the STROBE checklist by 2 reviewers independently. For meta-analysis, odds ratios using a random effects model, or standardized mean difference were calculated. If a moderate association was found, the prognostic ability was evaluated by calculating the sensitivity and specificity. Risk of heterogeneity was reported as I 2 and publication bias was visually assessed by funnel plots and quantitatively by Egger's test. Forty-eight studies were eligible for inclusion. Twenty meta-analyses could be performed. A moderate association was demonstrated in 3 meta-analyses, between: NT>95th centile in one/both fetuses and TTTS (OR 2.29 [95%CI 1.05, 4.96] I 2 =6.6%, 4 studies, 615 pregnancies); CRL discordance ≥10% and TTTS (OR 2.43 [95%CI 1.13, 5.21] I 2 =14.1%, 3 studies, 708 pregnancies); and maternal ethnicity and TTTS (OR 2.12 [95%CI 1.17, 3.83] I 2 =0.0%, 5 studies, 467 pregnancies), but none demonstrated a prognostic ability for any outcome under investigation. It is not currently possible to predict adverse outcomes in monochorionic twin pregnancies. We have revealed a lack of research investigating first trimester biomarkers in monochorionic twin pregnancies. Different

  10. Expression and prognostic examination of heat shock proteins (HSP 27, HSP 70, and HSP 90) in medulloblastoma.

    PubMed

    Hauser, Péter; Hanzély, Zoltán; Jakab, Zsuzsanna; Oláh, Lászlóné; Szabó, Erika; Jeney, András; Schuler, Dezso; Fekete, Gyoörgy; Bognár, László; Garami, Miklós

    2006-07-01

    Expression of heat shock proteins (HSPs) is of prognostic significance in several tumor types. HSP expression levels were determined in medulloblastomas and tested whether HSPs expression was associated with prognostic parameters. Expression of antiapoptotic HSP 27, HSP 70, and HSP 90 was investigated by immunohistochemistry, on paraffin-embedded sections from 65 patients. Expression of HSPs was validated on internal vascular controls and by Western blotting analysis. Sample evaluation was based on the estimated percentage of HSP positive tumor cells. For survival analysis Kaplan-Meier method, for statistical analysis chi2 test, univariate analysis, and log rank test were applied. Expression of HSPs varied in medulloblastomas. On the basis of the average expression rate of HSPs, at HSP 27 and HSP 90 with a 10% cut off, and at HSP 70 with a 70% cut off 2 groups were created. The amount of expression of any of the HSP types was not significantly associated with known prognostic factors (age of patient, extent of resection, presence of metastasis) and histologic subtype. After an average follow-up period of 4.30 years, no significant difference was observed in survival depending on the expression of HSP 27 or HSP 70 or HSP 90. The high expression of HSPs indicates that these proteins are potential therapeutic targets.

  11. Prognostic and health management of active assets in nuclear power plants

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Agarwal, Vivek; Lybeck, Nancy; Pham, Binh T.

    This study presents the development of diagnostic and prognostic capabilities for active assets in nuclear power plants (NPPs). The research was performed under the Advanced Instrumentation, Information, and Control Technologies Pathway of the Light Water Reactor Sustainability Program. Idaho National Laboratory researched, developed, implemented, and demonstrated diagnostic and prognostic models for generator step-up transformers (GSUs). The Fleet-Wide Prognostic and Health Management (FW-PHM) Suite software developed by the Electric Power Research Institute was used to perform diagnosis and prognosis. As part of the research activity, Idaho National Laboratory implemented 22 GSU diagnostic models in the Asset Fault Signature Database and twomore » wellestablished GSU prognostic models for the paper winding insulation in the Remaining Useful Life Database of the FW-PHM Suite. The implemented models along with a simulated fault data stream were used to evaluate the diagnostic and prognostic capabilities of the FW-PHM Suite. Knowledge of the operating condition of plant asset gained from diagnosis and prognosis is critical for the safe, productive, and economical long-term operation of the current fleet of NPPs. This research addresses some of the gaps in the current state of technology development and enables effective application of diagnostics and prognostics to nuclear plant assets.« less

  12. Prognostic and health management of active assets in nuclear power plants

    DOE PAGES

    Agarwal, Vivek; Lybeck, Nancy; Pham, Binh T.; ...

    2015-06-04

    This study presents the development of diagnostic and prognostic capabilities for active assets in nuclear power plants (NPPs). The research was performed under the Advanced Instrumentation, Information, and Control Technologies Pathway of the Light Water Reactor Sustainability Program. Idaho National Laboratory researched, developed, implemented, and demonstrated diagnostic and prognostic models for generator step-up transformers (GSUs). The Fleet-Wide Prognostic and Health Management (FW-PHM) Suite software developed by the Electric Power Research Institute was used to perform diagnosis and prognosis. As part of the research activity, Idaho National Laboratory implemented 22 GSU diagnostic models in the Asset Fault Signature Database and twomore » wellestablished GSU prognostic models for the paper winding insulation in the Remaining Useful Life Database of the FW-PHM Suite. The implemented models along with a simulated fault data stream were used to evaluate the diagnostic and prognostic capabilities of the FW-PHM Suite. Knowledge of the operating condition of plant asset gained from diagnosis and prognosis is critical for the safe, productive, and economical long-term operation of the current fleet of NPPs. This research addresses some of the gaps in the current state of technology development and enables effective application of diagnostics and prognostics to nuclear plant assets.« less

  13. The modified glasgow prognostic score is an independent prognostic indicator in neoadjuvantly treated adenocarcinoma of the esophagogastric junction

    PubMed Central

    Jomrich, Gerd; Hollenstein, Marlene; John, Maximilian; Baierl, Andreas; Paireder, Matthias; Kristo, Ivan; Ilhan-Mutlu, Aysegül; Asari, Reza; Preusser, Matthias; Schoppmann, Sebastian F.

    2018-01-01

    The modified Glasgow Prognostic Score (mGPS) combines the indicators of decreased plasma albumin and elevated CRP. In a number of malignancies, elevated mGPS is associated with poor survival. Aim of this study was to investigate the prognostic role of mGPS in patients with neoadjuvantly treated adenocarcinomas of the esophagogastric junction 256 patients from a prospective database undergoing surgical resection after neoadjuvant treatment between 2003 and 2014 were evaluated. mGPS was scored as 0, 1, or 2 based on CRP (>1.0 mg/dl) and albumin (<35 g/L) from blood samples taken prior (preNT-mGPS) and after (postNT-mGPS) neoadjuvant therapy. Scores were correlated with clinicopathological patients’ characteristics. From 155 Patients, sufficient data was available. Median follow-up was 63.8 months (33.3–89.5 months). In univariate analysis, Cox proportional hazard model shows significant shorter patients OS (p = 0.04) and DFS (p = 0.02) for increased postNT-mGPS, preNT-hypoalbuminemia (OS: p = 0.003; DFS: p = 0.002) and post-NT-CRP (OS: p = 0.03; DFS: p = 0.04). Elevated postNT-mGPS and preNT-hypoalbuminemia remained significant prognostic factors in multivariate analysis for OS (p = 0.02; p = 0.005,) and DFS (p = 0.02, p = 0.004) with tumor differentiation and tumor staging as significant covariates. PostNT-mGPS and preNT-hypoalbuminemia are independent prognostic indicators in patients with neoadjuvantly treated adenocarcinomas of the esophagogastric junction and significantly associated with diminished OS and DFS. PMID:29467943

  14. Prognostic predictive value of preoperative intratumoral 2-deoxy-2-(18F)fluoro-D-glucose uptake heterogeneity in patients with high-grade serous ovarian cancer.

    PubMed

    Liu, Shuai; Feng, Zheng; Jiang, Zhaoxia; Wen, Hao; Xu, Junyan; Pan, Herong; Deng, Yu; Zhang, Lei; Ju, Xingzhu; Chen, Xiaojun; Wu, Xiaohua

    2018-05-16

    This study aimed to explore the clinical and prognostic significance of pretreatment positron-emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) parameters, especially 2-deoxy-2-(F)fluoro-D-glucose-based heterogeneity, in high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSC). We retrospectively investigated 56 patients with HGSC who underwent PET/CT before primary surgery at our hospital between January 2010 and June 2015. None of these patients received neoadjuvant chemotherapy. PET/CT parameters, including maximum and mean standardized uptake value (SUVmax and SUVmean), metabolic tumor volume (MTV), total lesion glycolysis (TLG), and intratumoral heterogeneity index (HI), were measured for all patients. Differences of each PET/CT parameter between primary tumors (-P) and omental metastatic lesions (-M) were compared by paired t tests. Progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival were analyzed by the Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank tests in univariate analyses. Cox regression analyses were used for multivariate analysis. SUVmean-P was higher than SUVmean-M (P=0.001). However, there were no statistical differences of SUVmax, MTV, TLG, or HI between primary and omental lesions. Chemosensitive patients tended to have higher levels of SUVmax-P (P=0.011), MTV-P (P=0.014), TLG-P (P=0.035), and HI-P (P=0.002), respectively. In univariate analyses, higher HI-P was associated with better PFS (P=0.007). However, in multivariate analysis, HI-P was not an independent predictor of PFS (P=0.581). Neither HI-P nor HI-M was the prognostic predictor for overall survival (P=0.078 and 0.063, respectively). 2-Deoxy-2-(F)fluoro-D-glucose-based heterogeneity appears to be a predictive and prognostic factor for patients with HGSC. Parameters of primary tumors have predominant value compared with omental metastatic lesions.

  15. Prognostic and predictive value of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes in two phase III randomized adjuvant breast cancer trials

    PubMed Central

    Dieci, M. V.; Mathieu, M. C.; Guarneri, V.; Conte, P.; Delaloge, S.; Andre, F.; Goubar, A.

    2015-01-01

    Background Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) are emerging as strong prognostic factor for early breast cancer patients, especially in the triple-negative subtype. Here, we aim to validate previous findings on the prognostic role of TIL in the context of two randomized adjuvant trials and to investigate whether lymphocyte infiltrates can predict benefit from adjuvant anthracyclines. Patients and methods A total of 816 patients enrolled and treated at the Gustave Roussy in the context of two multicentric randomized trials comparing adjuvant anthracyclines versus no chemotherapy were included in the present analysis. Primary end point was overall survival (OS). Hematoxilin and eosin slides of primary tumors were retrieved and evaluated for the percentage of intratumoral (It) and stromal (Str) TIL. Each case was also defined as high-TIL or low-TIL breast cancer adopting previously validated cutoffs. Results TIL were assessable for 781 of 816 cases. High-TIL cases were more likely grade 3 and estrogen receptor (ER)-negative (P < 0.001). In multivariate analysis, both continuous It-TIL and Str-TIL were strong prognostic factors for OS [hazard ratio (HR) 0.85, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.77–0.95 P = 0.003; HR 0.89, 95% CI 0.81–0.96, P = 0.005 for It-TIL and Str-TIL, respectively]. The prognostic effect of continuous TIL was limited to triple-negative and HER2-positive patients. Ten-year OS rates were: 89% and 68% for triple-negative high-TIL and low-TIL, respectively (HR 0.44, 95% CI 0.18–1.10, P = 0.07) and 78% and 57% for HER2-positive high-TIL versus low-TIL, respectively (HR 0.46, 95% CI 0.20–1.11, P = 0.08). Either continuous or binary TIL variables did not predict for the efficacy of anthracyclines. Test for interaction P value was not significant in the whole study population and in subgroups (ER+/HER2−, HER2+, ER−/HER2−). Conclusions We confirmed the prognostic role of TIL in triple-negative early breast cancer and suggested a prognostic

  16. Using Cox's proportional hazards model for prognostication in carcinoma of the upper aero-digestive tract.

    PubMed

    Wolfensberger, M

    1992-01-01

    One of the major short comings of the traditional TNM system is its limited potential for prognostication. With the development of multifactorial analysis techniques, such as Cox's proportional hazards model, it has become possible to simultaneously evaluate a large number of prognostic variables. Cox's model allows both the identification of prognostically relevant variables and the quantification of their prognostic influence. These characteristics make it a helpful tool for analysis as well as for prognostication. The goal of the present study was to develop a prognostic index for patients with carcinoma of the upper aero-digestive tract which makes use of all prognostically relevant variables. To accomplish this, the survival data of 800 patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity, oropharynx, hypopharynx or larynx were analyzed. Sixty-one variables were screened for prognostic significance; of these only 19 variables (including age, tumor location, T, N and M stages, resection margins, capsular invasion of nodal metastases, and treatment modality) were found to significantly correlate with prognosis. With the help of Cox's equation, a prognostic index (PI) was computed for every combination of prognostic factors. To test the proposed model, the prognostic index was applied to 120 patients with carcinoma of the oral cavity or oropharynx. A comparison of predicted and observed survival showed good overall correlation, although actual survival tended to be better than predicted.

  17. Health Monitoring and Management for Manufacturing Workers in Adverse Working Conditions.

    PubMed

    Xu, Xiaoya; Zhong, Miao; Wan, Jiafu; Yi, Minglun; Gao, Tiancheng

    2016-10-01

    In adverse working conditions, environmental parameters such as metallic dust, noise, and environmental temperature, directly affect the health condition of manufacturing workers. It is therefore important to implement health monitoring and management based on important physiological parameters (e.g., heart rate, blood pressure, and body temperature). In recent years, new technologies, such as body area networks, cloud computing, and smart clothing, have allowed the improvement of the quality of services. In this article, we first give five-layer architecture for health monitoring and management of manufacturing workers. Then, we analyze the system implementation process, including environmental data processing, physical condition monitoring and system services and management, and present the corresponding algorithms. Finally, we carry out an evaluation and analysis from the perspective of insurance and compensation for manufacturing workers in adverse working conditions. The proposed scheme will contribute to the improvement of workplace conditions, realize health monitoring and management, and protect the interests of manufacturing workers.

  18. Real-Time Prognostics of a Rotary Valve Actuator

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Daigle, Matthew

    2015-01-01

    Valves are used in many domains and often have system-critical functions. As such, it is important to monitor the health of valves and their actuators and predict remaining useful life. In this work, we develop a model-based prognostics approach for a rotary valve actuator. Due to limited observability of the component with multiple failure modes, a lumped damage approach is proposed for estimation and prediction of damage progression. In order to support the goal of real-time prognostics, an approach to prediction is developed that does not require online simulation to compute remaining life, rather, a function mapping the damage state to remaining useful life is found offline so that predictions can be made quickly online with a single function evaluation. Simulation results demonstrate the overall methodology, validating the lumped damage approach and demonstrating real-time prognostics.

  19. Distributed Prognostics and Health Management with a Wireless Network Architecture

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Goebel, Kai; Saha, Sankalita; Sha, Bhaskar

    2013-01-01

    A heterogeneous set of system components monitored by a varied suite of sensors and a particle-filtering (PF) framework, with the power and the flexibility to adapt to the different diagnostic and prognostic needs, has been developed. Both the diagnostic and prognostic tasks are formulated as a particle-filtering problem in order to explicitly represent and manage uncertainties in state estimation and remaining life estimation. Current state-of-the-art prognostic health management (PHM) systems are mostly centralized in nature, where all the processing is reliant on a single processor. This can lead to a loss in functionality in case of a crash of the central processor or monitor. Furthermore, with increases in the volume of sensor data as well as the complexity of algorithms, traditional centralized systems become for a number of reasons somewhat ungainly for successful deployment, and efficient distributed architectures can be more beneficial. The distributed health management architecture is comprised of a network of smart sensor devices. These devices monitor the health of various subsystems or modules. They perform diagnostics operations and trigger prognostics operations based on user-defined thresholds and rules. The sensor devices, called computing elements (CEs), consist of a sensor, or set of sensors, and a communication device (i.e., a wireless transceiver beside an embedded processing element). The CE runs in either a diagnostic or prognostic operating mode. The diagnostic mode is the default mode where a CE monitors a given subsystem or component through a low-weight diagnostic algorithm. If a CE detects a critical condition during monitoring, it raises a flag. Depending on availability of resources, a networked local cluster of CEs is formed that then carries out prognostics and fault mitigation by efficient distribution of the tasks. It should be noted that the CEs are expected not to suspend their previous tasks in the prognostic mode. When the

  20. Combined DNA methylation and gene expression profiling in gastrointestinal stromal tumors reveals hypomethylation of SPP1 as an independent prognostic factor.

    PubMed

    Haller, Florian; Zhang, Jitao David; Moskalev, Evgeny A; Braun, Alexander; Otto, Claudia; Geddert, Helene; Riazalhosseini, Yasser; Ward, Aoife; Balwierz, Aleksandra; Schaefer, Inga-Marie; Cameron, Silke; Ghadimi, B Michael; Agaimy, Abbas; Fletcher, Jonathan A; Hoheisel, Jörg; Hartmann, Arndt; Werner, Martin; Wiemann, Stefan; Sahin, Ozgür

    2015-03-01

    Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) have distinct gene expression patterns according to localization, genotype and aggressiveness. DNA methylation at CpG dinucleotides is an important mechanism for regulation of gene expression. We performed targeted DNA methylation analysis of 1.505 CpG loci in 807 cancer-related genes in a cohort of 76 GISTs, combined with genome-wide mRNA expression analysis in 22 GISTs, to identify signatures associated with clinicopathological parameters and prognosis. Principal component analysis revealed distinct DNA methylation patterns associated with anatomical localization, genotype, mitotic counts and clinical follow-up. Methylation of a single CpG dinucleotide in the non-CpG island promoter of SPP1 was significantly correlated with shorter disease-free survival. Hypomethylation of this CpG was an independent prognostic parameter in a multivariate analysis compared to anatomical localization, genotype, tumor size and mitotic counts in a cohort of 141 GISTs with clinical follow-up. The epigenetic regulation of SPP1 was confirmed in vitro, and the functional impact of SPP1 protein on tumorigenesis-related signaling pathways was demonstrated. In summary, SPP1 promoter methylation is a novel and independent prognostic parameter in GISTs, and might be helpful in estimating the aggressiveness of GISTs from the intermediate-risk category. © 2014 UICC.

  1. Immunoglobulin M monoclonal gammopathies of undetermined significance and indolent Waldenstrom's macroglobulinemia recognize the same determinants of evolution into symptomatic lymphoid disorders: proposal for a common prognostic scoring system.

    PubMed

    Baldini, Luca; Goldaniga, Maria; Guffanti, Andrea; Broglia, Chiara; Cortelazzo, Sergio; Rossi, Andrea; Morra, Enrica; Colombi, Mariangela; Callea, Vincenzo; Pogliani, Enrico; Ilariucci, Fiorella; Luminari, Stefano; Morel, Pierre; Merlini, Giampaolo; Gobbi, Paolo

    2005-07-20

    To evaluate the clinicohematologic variables at diagnosis that are prognostically related to neoplastic progression in patients with immunoglobulin M (IgM) monoclonal gammopathies of undetermined significance (MGUS), and indolent Waldenström's macroglobulinemia (IWM), and propose a scoring system to identify subsets of patients at different risk. We evaluated 217 patients with IgM MGUS and 201 with IWM (male-female ratio, 131:86 and 117:84; mean age, 63.7 and 63.6 years, respectively) diagnosed on the basis of serum monoclonal component (MC) levels and bone marrow lymphoplasmacytic infiltration degree. The variables selected by univariate analyses were multivariately investigated; on the basis of their individual relative hazards, a scoring system was devised to identify subsets of patients at different risk of evolution. After a median follow-up of 56.1 and 60.2 months, 15 of 217 MGUS and 45 of 201 IWM patients, respectively, required chemotherapy for symptomatic WM (13 and 36), non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (2 and 6) and amyloidosis (0 and 3). The median time to evolution (TTE) was not reached for MGUS and was 141.5 months for IWM. The variables adversely related to evolution were qualitatively the same in both groups: MC levels, Hb concentrations and sex. A scoring system based on these parameters identified three risk groups with highly significant differences in TTE in both groups (P < .0001). MGUS and IWM identify disease entities with different propensities for symptomatic neoplastic evolution. As both have the same prognostic determinants of progression, we propose a practical scoring system that, identifying different risks of malignant evolution, may allow an individualized clinical approach.

  2. Kinematic parameters of second-mode internal waves in the South China Sea

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kurkina, Oxana; Talipova, Tatiana; Kurkin, Andrey; Naumov, Alexander; Rybin, Artem

    2017-04-01

    Kinematic parameters of second-mode internal waves (in the framework of weakly nonlinear model of the Gardner equation) are calculated for the region of the South China Sea on a base of GDEM climatology. The prognostic parameters of the model include phase speed of long linear waves, coefficients of dispersion, quadratic and cubic nonlinearity, location (in vertical) of minimum, zero and maximum of the second vertical baroclinic mode and the ratio of its maximal and minimal values. All the parameters are presented in the form of geographical maps for winter (January) and summer (July) seasons. Frequence (in the sense of occurrence) histograms and scatter plots with depth are also given for all the parameters. Special attention is paid to the conditions of normalizing for internal waves of the second mode, as it possesses two extremes. Here some freedom exists, but for correct further modeling of internal waves within the Gardner model one has to fix and keep the same normalization (at maximum or at minimum) for whole a basin. Constructed arrays of prognostic parameters of second-mode internal waves are necessary for the estimations of shape and width (at fixed amplitude) of internal solitary and breather-like waves, limiting amplitudes of internal solitary waves of different families, for assessment of near-bed and near-surface flows induced by such waves, and for evaluation of transport distance for dissolved and suspended matter. The presented results of research are obtained with the support of the Russian Foundation for Basic Research grant 16-05-00049.

  3. Preoperative prognostic factors for mortality in peptic ulcer perforation: a systematic review.

    PubMed

    Møller, Morten Hylander; Adamsen, Sven; Thomsen, Reimar Wernich; Møller, Ann Merete

    2010-08-01

    Mortality and morbidity following perforated peptic ulcer (PPU) is substantial and probably related to the development of sepsis. During the last three decades a large number of preoperative prognostic factors in patients with PPU have been examined. The aim of this systematic review was to summarize available evidence on these prognostic factors. MEDLINE (January 1966 to June 2009), EMBASE (January 1980 to June 2009), and the Cochrane Library (Issue 3, 2009) were screened for studies reporting preoperative prognostic factors for mortality in patients with PPU. The methodological quality of the included studies was assessed. Summary relative risks with 95% confidence intervals for the identified prognostic factors were calculated and presented as Forest plots. Fifty prognostic studies with 37 prognostic factors comprising a total of 29,782 patients were included in the review. The overall methodological quality was acceptable, yet only two-thirds of the studies provided confounder adjusted estimates. The studies provided strong evidence for an association of older age, comorbidity, and use of NSAIDs or steroids with mortality. Shock upon admission, preoperative metabolic acidosis, tachycardia, acute renal failure, low serum albumin level, high American Society of Anaesthesiologists score, and preoperative delay >24 h were associated with poor prognosis. In patients with PPU, a number of negative prognostic factors can be identified prior to surgery, and many of these seem to be related to presence of the sepsis syndrome.

  4. A nationwide multi-institutional retrospective study to identify prognostic factors and develop a graded prognostic assessment system for patients with brain metastases from uterine corpus and cervical cancer.

    PubMed

    Hayashi, Nakamasa; Takahashi, Hideaki; Hasegawa, Yuzo; Higuchi, Fumi; Takahashi, Masamichi; Makino, Keishi; Takagaki, Masatoshi; Akimoto, Jiro; Okuda, Takeshi; Okita, Yoshiko; Mitsuya, Koichi; Hirashima, Yasuyuki; Narita, Yoshitaka; Nakasu, Yoko

    2017-06-02

    The prevalence of brain metastases (BM) from uterine cancer has recently increased because of the improvement of overall survival (OS) of patients with uterine cancer due to its early detection and improved local control as a result of new effective treatments. However, little information is available regarding their clinical characteristics and prognosis, because oncologists have encountered BM from uterine cancer on rare occasions. Records from 81 patients with uterine BM were collected from 10 institutes in Japan. These were used in a multi-institutional study to identify prognostic factors and develop a graded prognostic assessment (GPA) for patients with BM from uterine cancer. Median OS after the development of BM was 7 months (95% confidence interval, 4 to 10 months). Multivariate analysis revealed that there were survival differences according to the existence of extracranial metastases and number of BM. In the present uterine-GPA, a score of 0 was assigned to those patients with ≥5 BM and extracranial metastasis, a score of 2 was assigned to those patients with one to four BM or without extracranial metastasis, and a score of 4 was assigned to those patients with one to four BM and without extracranial metastasis. The median OS for patients with a uterine-GPA scores of 0, 2, and 4 was 3, 7, and 22 months, respectively. A survival analysis confirmed the presence of statistically significant differences between these groups (p < 0.05). The results were validated by data obtained from the National Report of Brain Tumor Registry of Japan. Uterine GPA incorporates two simple clinical parameters of high prognostic significance and can be used to predict the expected survival times in patients with BM from uterine cancer. Its use may help in determining an appropriate treatment for individual patients with BM.

  5. Contemporary approach to neurologic prognostication of coma after cardiac arrest.

    PubMed

    Ben-Hamouda, Nawfel; Taccone, Fabio S; Rossetti, Andrea O; Oddo, Mauro

    2014-11-01

    Coma after cardiac arrest (CA) is an important cause of admission to the ICU. Prognosis of post-CA coma has significantly improved over the past decade, particularly because of aggressive postresuscitation care and the use of therapeutic targeted temperature management (TTM). TTM and sedatives used to maintain controlled cooling might delay neurologic reflexes and reduce the accuracy of clinical examination. In the early ICU phase, patients' good recovery may often be indistinguishable (based on neurologic examination alone) from patients who eventually will have a poor prognosis. Prognostication of post-CA coma, therefore, has evolved toward a multimodal approach that combines neurologic examination with EEG and evoked potentials. Blood biomarkers (eg, neuron-specific enolase [NSE] and soluble 100-β protein) are useful complements for coma prognostication; however, results vary among commercial laboratory assays, and applying one single cutoff level (eg, > 33 μg/L for NSE) for poor prognostication is not recommended. Neuroimaging, mainly diffusion MRI, is emerging as a promising tool for prognostication, but its precise role needs further study before it can be widely used. This multimodal approach might reduce false-positive rates of poor prognosis, thereby providing optimal prognostication of comatose CA survivors. The aim of this review is to summarize studies and the principal tools presently available for outcome prediction and to describe a practical approach to the multimodal prognostication of coma after CA, with a particular focus on neuromonitoring tools. We also propose an algorithm for the optimal use of such multimodal tools during the early ICU phase of post-CA coma.

  6. Prognostic significance of biochemical markers in African Burkitt's lymphoma.

    PubMed

    Arthur, F K N; Owusu, L; Yeboah, F A; Rettig, T; Osei-Akoto, A

    2011-10-01

    BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Endemic Burkitt's lymphoma (eBL) remains the prevalent form of paediatric cancer in tropical Africa with subtle pathological differences. This calls for intensified efforts to validate the global prognostic markers within local settings for improved cancer treatment and survival. This study proposes prognostic markers for enhanced eBL treatment and management. PATIENTS AND METHOD One hundred and eighty histologically and/or clinically diagnosed BL patients at Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Kumasi, Ghana were eligible for this cross-sectional eight-year retrospective study. Biochemical, clinical and demographic data, before chemotherapy administration, were documented and examined for their progression-free (PFS) and overall survival (OS) significance. RESULTS A mean age of 6 (SD=2.7, range: 1-16) years was observed with general male dominance (M:F=1.69:1). Total serum lactate dehydrogenase (HR=2.04; 95% CI, 1.25-3.32; log rank=8.3; p=0.004), serum creatinine (HR=3.59; 95% CI, 1.62-7.98; log rank=15.4; p=0.002) and St. Jude stage (HR=1.74; 95% CI, 1.11-2.73; log rank=8.0; p=0.015) were important independent prognostic biochemical markers for both PFS and OS. Age, serum calcium, uric acid, potassium, sodium and phosphorus were non-prognostic. CONCLUSION The better monitoring of these prognostic indices coupled with risk-stratification treatment may improve patients' survival, especially in resource-limited settings.

  7. The expression level of BAALC-associated microRNA miR-3151 is an independent prognostic factor in younger patients with cytogenetic intermediate-risk acute myeloid leukemia

    PubMed Central

    Díaz-Beyá, M; Brunet, S; Nomdedéu, J; Cordeiro, A; Tormo, M; Escoda, L; Ribera, J M; Arnan, M; Heras, I; Gallardo, D; Bargay, J; Queipo de Llano, M P; Salamero, O; Martí, J M; Sampol, A; Pedro, C; Hoyos, M; Pratcorona, M; Castellano, J J; Nomdedeu, M; Risueño, R M; Sierra, J; Monzó, M; Navarro, A; Esteve, J

    2015-01-01

    Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a heterogeneous disease whose prognosis is mainly related to the biological risk conferred by cytogenetics and molecular profiling. In elderly patients (⩾60 years) with normal karyotype AML miR-3151 have been identified as a prognostic factor. However, miR-3151 prognostic value has not been examined in younger AML patients. In the present work, we have studied miR-3151 alone and in combination with BAALC, its host gene, in a cohort of 181 younger intermediate-risk AML (IR-AML) patients. Patients with higher expression of miR-3151 had shorter overall survival (P=0.0025), shorter leukemia-free survival (P=0.026) and higher cumulative incidence of relapse (P=0.082). Moreover, in the multivariate analysis miR-3151 emerged as independent prognostic marker in both the overall series and within the unfavorable molecular prognostic category. Interestingly, the combined determination of both miR-3151 and BAALC improved this prognostic stratification, with patients with low levels of both parameters showing a better outcome compared with those patients harboring increased levels of one or both markers (P=0.003). In addition, we studied the microRNA expression profile associated with miR-3151 identifying a six-microRNA signature. In conclusion, the analysis of miR-3151 and BAALC expression may well contribute to an improved prognostic stratification of younger patients with IR-AML. PMID:26430723

  8. Modeling for Battery Prognostics

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kulkarni, Chetan S.; Goebel, Kai; Khasin, Michael; Hogge, Edward; Quach, Patrick

    2017-01-01

    For any battery-powered vehicles (be it unmanned aerial vehicles, small passenger aircraft, or assets in exoplanetary operations) to operate at maximum efficiency and reliability, it is critical to monitor battery health as well performance and to predict end of discharge (EOD) and end of useful life (EOL). To fulfil these needs, it is important to capture the battery's inherent characteristics as well as operational knowledge in the form of models that can be used by monitoring, diagnostic, and prognostic algorithms. Several battery modeling methodologies have been developed in last few years as the understanding of underlying electrochemical mechanics has been advancing. The models can generally be classified as empirical models, electrochemical engineering models, multi-physics models, and molecular/atomist. Empirical models are based on fitting certain functions to past experimental data, without making use of any physicochemical principles. Electrical circuit equivalent models are an example of such empirical models. Electrochemical engineering models are typically continuum models that include electrochemical kinetics and transport phenomena. Each model has its advantages and disadvantages. The former type of model has the advantage of being computationally efficient, but has limited accuracy and robustness, due to the approximations used in developed model, and as a result of such approximations, cannot represent aging well. The latter type of model has the advantage of being very accurate, but is often computationally inefficient, having to solve complex sets of partial differential equations, and thus not suited well for online prognostic applications. In addition both multi-physics and atomist models are computationally expensive hence are even less suited to online application An electrochemistry-based model of Li-ion batteries has been developed, that captures crucial electrochemical processes, captures effects of aging, is computationally efficient

  9. A review on prognostic techniques for non-stationary and non-linear rotating systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kan, Man Shan; Tan, Andy C. C.; Mathew, Joseph

    2015-10-01

    The field of prognostics has attracted significant interest from the research community in recent times. Prognostics enables the prediction of failures in machines resulting in benefits to plant operators such as shorter downtimes, higher operation reliability, reduced operations and maintenance cost, and more effective maintenance and logistics planning. Prognostic systems have been successfully deployed for the monitoring of relatively simple rotating machines. However, machines and associated systems today are increasingly complex. As such, there is an urgent need to develop prognostic techniques for such complex systems operating in the real world. This review paper focuses on prognostic techniques that can be applied to rotating machinery operating under non-linear and non-stationary conditions. The general concept of these techniques, the pros and cons of applying these methods, as well as their applications in the research field are discussed. Finally, the opportunities and challenges in implementing prognostic systems and developing effective techniques for monitoring machines operating under non-stationary and non-linear conditions are also discussed.

  10. TNM: evolution and relation to other prognostic factors.

    PubMed

    Sobin, Leslie H

    2003-01-01

    The TNM Classification describes the anatomic extent of cancer. TNM's ability to separately classify the individual tumor (T), node (N), and metastasis (M) elements and then group them into stages differs from other cancer staging classifications (e.g., Dukes), which are only concerned with summarized groups. The objectives of the TNM Classification are to aid the clinician in the planning of treatment, give some indication of prognosis, assist in the evaluation of the results of treatment, and facilitate the exchange of information. During the past 50 years, the TNM system has evolved under the influence of advances in diagnosis and treatment. Radiographic imaging (e.g., endoscopic ultrasound for the depth of invasion of esophageal and rectal tumors) has improved the accuracy of the clinical T, N, and M classifications. Advances in treatment have necessitated more detail in some T4 categories. Developments in multimodality therapy have increased the importance of the "y" symbol and the R (residual tumor) classification. New surgical techniques have resulted in the elaboration of the sentinel node (sn) symbol. The use of immunohistochemistry has resulted in the classification of isolated tumor cells and their distinction from micrometastasis. The most important challenge facing users of the TNM Classification is how it should interface with the large number of non-anatomic prognostic factors that are currently in use or under study. As non-anatomic prognostic factors become widely used, the TNM system provides an inviting foundation upon which to build a prognostic classification; however, this carries a risk that the system will be overwhelmed by a variety of prognostic data. An anatomic extent-of-disease classification is needed to aid practitioners in selecting the initial therapeutic approach, stratifying patients for therapeutic studies, evaluating non-anatomic prognostic factors at specific anatomic stages, comparing the weight of non-anatomic factors with

  11. Prognostic relevance of epithelial-mesenchymal transition and proliferation in surgically treated primary parotid gland cancer.

    PubMed

    Busch, Alina; Bauer, Larissa; Wardelmann, Eva; Rudack, Claudia; Grünewald, Inga; Stenner, Markus

    2017-05-01

    Cancer of the major salivary glands comprises a morphologically diverse group of rare tumours of largely unknown cause. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) has been shown to play a significant prognostic role in various human cancers. The aim was to assess the expression of EMT markers in different histological subtypes of parotid gland cancer (PGC) and analyse their prognostic value. We examined 94 PGC samples (13 histological subtypes) for the expression of MIB-1, epithelial cadherin (E-cadherin), β-catenin, vimentin and cytokeratin 8/18 (CK8/18) by means of immunohistochemistry. The experimental findings were correlated with clinicopathological and survival parameters. We detected all analysed EMT and proliferation markers in specifically different constellations within the examined histological subtypes of PGC. We found high epithelial marker expressions (CK8/18, E-cadherin, membranous β-catenin) only in a distinct variety of carcinomas. A high proliferation rate (high MIB-1 expression) as well as a combination of high CK8/18 and low vimentin expression was associated with a significantly worse survival. Our findings indicate that activation of the EMT pathway is a relevant explanation for tumour progression in individual histological subtypes of malignant parotid gland lesions, but by far not in all. Evidence of EMT activation in PGC cannot be seen as an isolated prognostic factor. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

  12. Prognostic Value of Strain by Tissue Tracking Cardiac Magnetic Resonance After ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction.

    PubMed

    Gavara, Jose; Rodriguez-Palomares, Jose F; Valente, Filipa; Monmeneu, Jose V; Lopez-Lereu, Maria P; Bonanad, Clara; Ferreira-Gonzalez, Ignacio; Garcia Del Blanco, Bruno; Rodriguez-Garcia, Julian; Mutuberria, Maria; de Dios, Elena; Rios-Navarro, Cesar; Perez-Sole, Nerea; Racugno, Paolo; Paya, Ana; Minana, Gema; Canoves, Joaquim; Pellicer, Mauricio; Lopez-Fornas, Francisco J; Barrabes, Jose; Evangelista, Arturo; Nunez, Julio; Chorro, Francisco J; Garcia-Dorado, David; Bodi, Vicente

    2017-12-08

    The aim of this study was to evaluate the prognostic value of strain as assessed by tissue tracking (TT) cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) soon after ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). The prognostic value of myocardial strain as assessed post-STEMI by TT-CMR is unknown. The authors studied the prognostic value of TT-CMR in 323 patients who underwent CMR 1 week post-STEMI. Global (average of peak segmental values [%]) and segmental (number of altered segments) longitudinal (LS), circumferential, and radial strain were assessed using TT-CMR. Global and segmental strain cutoff values were derived from 32 control patients. CMR-derived left ventricular ejection fraction, microvascular obstruction, and infarct size were determined. Results were validated in an external cohort of 190 STEMI patients. During a median follow-up of 1,085 days, 54 first major adverse cardiac events (MACE), which included 10 cardiac deaths, 25 readmissions for heart failure, and 19 readmissions for reinfarction were documented. MACE was associated with more severe abnormalities in all strain indexes (p < 0.001), although only global LS was an independent predictor (p < 0.001). The MACE rate was higher in patients with a global LS of ≥-11% (22% vs. 9%; p = 0.001). After adjustment for baseline and CMR variables, global LS (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.21; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.11 to 1.32; p < 0.001) was associated with MACE. In the external validation cohort, a global LS ≥-11% was seen in a higher proportion of patients with MACE (34% vs. 9%; p < 0.001). Global LS predicted MACE after adjustment for baseline and CMR variables (HR: 1.18; 95% CI: 1.04 to 1.33; p = 0.008). The addition of global LS to the multivariate models, including baseline and CMR variables, did not significantly improve the categorical net reclassification improvement index in either the study group (-0.015; p = 0.7) or in the external validation cohort (-0.019; p = 0.9). TT-CMR provided

  13. Serum Lactate Predicts Adverse Outcomes in Emergency Department Patients With and Without Infection.

    PubMed

    Oedorf, Kimie; Day, Danielle E; Lior, Yotam; Novack, Victor; Sanchez, Leon D; Wolfe, Richard E; Kirkegaard, Hans; Shapiro, Nathan I; Henning, Daniel J

    2017-02-01

    Lactate levels are increasingly used to risk stratify emergency department (ED) patients with and without infection. Whether a serum lactate provides similar prognostic value across diseases is not fully elucidated. This study assesses the prognostic value of serum lactate in ED patients with and without infection to both report and compare relative predictive value across etiologies. We conducted a prospective, observational study of ED patients displaying abnormal vital signs (AVS) (heart rate ≥130 bpm, respiratory rate ≥24 bpm, shock index ≥1, and/or systolic blood pressure <90 mmHg). The primary outcome, deterioration, was a composite of acute renal failure, non-elective intubation, vasopressor administration or in-hospital mortality. Of the 1,152 patients with AVS who were screened, 488 patients met the current study criteria: 34% deteriorated and 12.5% died. The deterioration rate was 88/342 (26%, 95% CI: 21 - 30%) for lactate < 2.5 mmol/L, 47/90 (52%, 42 - 63%) for lactate 2.5 - 4.0 mmol/L, and 33/46 (72%, 59 - 85%) for lactate >4.0mmol/L. Trended stratified lactate levels were associated with deterioration for both infected (p<0.01) and non-infected (p<0.01) patients. In the logistic regression models, lactate > 4mmol/L was an independent predictor of deterioration for patients with infection (OR 4.8, 95% CI: 1.7 - 14.1) and without infection (OR 4.4, 1.7 - 11.5). Lactate levels can risk stratify patients with AVS who have increased risk of adverse outcomes regardless of infection status.

  14. On the Prognostic Efficiency of Topological Descriptors for Magnetograms of Active Regions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Knyazeva, I. S.; Urtiev, F. A.; Makarenko, N. G.

    2017-12-01

    Solar flare prediction remains an important practical task of space weather. An increase in the amount and quality of observational data and the development of machine-learning methods has led to an improvement in prediction techniques. Additional information has been retrieved from the vector magnetograms; these have been recently supplemented by traditional line-of-sight (LOS) magnetograms. In this work, the problem of the comparative prognostic efficiency of features obtained on the basis of vector data and LOS magnetograms is discussed. Invariants obtained from a topological analysis of LOS magnetograms are used as complexity characteristics of magnetic patterns. Alternatively, the so-called SHARP parameters were used; they were calculated by the data analysis group of the Stanford University Laboratory on the basis of HMI/SDO vector magnetograms and are available online at the website (http://jsoc.stanford.edu/) with the solar dynamics observatory (SDO) database for the entire history of SDO observations. It has been found that the efficiency of large-flare prediction based on topological descriptors of LOS magnetograms in epignosis mode is at least s no worse than the results of prognostic schemes based on vector features. The advantages of the use of topological invariants based on LOS data are discussed.

  15. Comparison of the prognostic utility of the revised International Prognostic Scoring System and the French Prognostic Scoring System in azacitidine-treated patients with myelodysplastic syndromes.

    PubMed

    Zeidan, Amer M; Lee, Ju-Whei; Prebet, Thomas; Greenberg, Peter; Sun, Zhuoxin; Juckett, Mark; Smith, Mitchell R; Paietta, Elisabeth; Gabrilove, Janice; Erba, Harry P; Tallman, Martin S; Gore, Steven D

    2014-08-01

    The revised International Prognostic Scoring System (IPSS-R) was developed in a cohort of untreated myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) patients. A French Prognostic Scoring System (FPSS) was recently reported to identify differential survival among azacitidine-treated patients with high-risk MDS. We applied the FPSS and IPSS-R to 150 patients previously randomized to azacitidine monotherapy or a combination of azacitidine with entinostat (a histone deacetylase inhibitor). Neither score predicted response but both discriminated patients with different overall survival (OS; median OS, FPSS: 9·7, 14·7, and 25·3 months, P = 0·018; IPSS-R: 12·5, 11·3, 20·8, and 36 months, P = 0·005). Statistical analysis suggested no improvement in OS prediction for the FPSS over the IPSS-R in azacitidine-treated patients. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  16. Validation and Development of a Modified Breast Graded Prognostic Assessment As a Tool for Survival in Patients With Breast Cancer and Brain Metastases.

    PubMed

    Subbiah, Ishwaria M; Lei, Xiudong; Weinberg, Jeffrey S; Sulman, Erik P; Chavez-MacGregor, Mariana; Tripathy, Debu; Gupta, Rohan; Varma, Ankur; Chouhan, Jay; Guevarra, Richard P; Valero, Vicente; Gilbert, Mark R; Gonzalez-Angulo, Ana M

    2015-07-10

    Several indices have been developed to predict overall survival (OS) in patients with breast cancer with brain metastases, including the breast graded prognostic assessment (breast-GPA), comprising age, tumor subtype, and Karnofsky performance score. However, number of brain metastases-a highly relevant clinical variable-is less often incorporated into the final model. We sought to validate the existing breast-GPA in an independent larger cohort and refine it integrating number of brain metastases. Data were retrospectively gathered from a prospectively maintained institutional database. Patients with newly diagnosed brain metastases from 1996 to 2013 were identified. After validating the breast-GPA, multivariable Cox regression and recursive partitioning analysis led to the development of the modified breast-GPA. The performances of the breast-GPA and modified breast-GPA were compared using the concordance index. In our cohort of 1,552 patients, the breast-GPA was validated as a prognostic tool for OS (P < .001). In multivariable analysis of the breast-GPA and number of brain metastases (> three v ≤ three), both were independent predictors of OS. We therefore developed the modified breast-GPA integrating a fourth clinical parameter. Recursive partitioning analysis reinforced the prognostic significance of these four factors. Concordance indices were 0.78 (95% CI, 0.77 to 0.80) and 0.84 (95% CI, 0.83 to 0.85) for the breast-GPA and modified breast-GPA, respectively (P < .001). The modified breast-GPA incorporates four simple clinical parameters of high prognostic significance. This index has an immediate role in the clinic as a formative part of the clinician's discussion of prognosis and direction of care and as a potential patient selection tool for clinical trials. © 2015 by American Society of Clinical Oncology.

  17. Prognostic value of the pretreatment neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio in cervical cancer: a meta-analysis and systematic review.

    PubMed

    Wu, Jiayuan; Chen, Manyu; Liang, Caixia; Su, Wenmei

    2017-02-21

    The prognostic value of pretreatment neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in cervical cancer remains controversial. We conducted a meta-analysis based on the data from 13 studies with 3729 patients to evaluate the association between the pretreatment NLR and the clinical outcomes of overall survival and progression-free survival in patients with cervical cancer. The relationship between NLR and clinicopathological parameters was also assessed. Hazard ratio (HR) or odds ratio (OR) with its 95% confidence interval (CI) was used as the effect size estimate. Our analysis indicated that elevated pretreatment NLR was a poor prognostic marker for patients with cervical cancer because it predicted unfavorable overall survival (HR = 1.375, 95% CI: 1.200-1.576) and progression-free survival (HR = 1.646, 95% CI: 1.313-2.065). Increased NLR is also significantly associated with the larger tumor size (OR = 1.780, 95% CI: 1.090-2.908), advanced clinical stage (OR = 2.443, 95% CI: 1.730-3.451), and positive lymph node metastasis (OR = 2.380, 95% CI: 1.775-3.190). By these results, high pretreatment NLR predicted a shorter survival period for patients with cervical cancer, and it could be served as a novel index of prognostic evaluation in patients with cervical cancer.

  18. Prognostic Value of PD-L1 in Breast Cancer: A Meta-Analysis.

    PubMed

    Wang, Changjun; Zhu, Hanjiang; Zhou, Yidong; Mao, Feng; Lin, Yan; Pan, Bo; Zhang, Xiaohui; Xu, Qianqian; Huang, Xin; Sun, Qiang

    2017-07-01

    Programmed cell death 1 ligand 1 (PD-L1) is a promising therapeutic target for cancer immunotherapy. However, the correlation between PD-L1 and breast cancer survival remains unclear. Here, we present the first meta-analysis to investigate the prognostic value of PD-L1 in breast cancer. We searched Pubmed, Embase, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials databases for relevant studies evaluating PD-L1 expression and breast cancer survival. Fixed- and random-effect meta-analyses were conducted based on heterogeneity of included studies. Publication bias was evaluated by funnel plot and Begg's test. Overall, nine relevant studies with 8583 patients were included. PD-L1 overexpression was found in 25.8% of breast cancer patients. PD-L1 (+) associated with several high-risk prognostic indicators, such as ductal cancer (p = 0.037), high tumor grade (p = 0.000), ER negativity (p = 0.000), PR negativity (p = 0.000), HER2 positivity (p = 0.001) and aggressive molecular subtypes (HER2-rich and Basal-like p = 0.000). PD-L1 overexpression had no significant impact on metastasis-free survival (HR 0.924, 95% CI = 0.747-1.141, p = 0.462), disease-free survival (HR 1.122, 95% CI = 0.878-1.434, p = 0.357) and overall specific survival (HR 0.837, 95% CI = 0.640-1.093, p = 0.191), but significantly correlated with shortened overall survival (HR 1.573, 95% CI = 1.010-2.451, p = 0.045). PD-L1 overexpression in breast cancer associates with multiple clinicopathological parameters that indicated poor outcome, and may increase the risk for mortality. Further standardization of PD-L1 assessment assay and well-controlled clinical trials are warranted to clarify its prognostic and therapeutic value. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  19. Prognostic markers and tumour growth kinetics in melanoma patients progressing on vemurafenib.

    PubMed

    Seifert, Heike; Fisher, Rosalie; Martin-Liberal, Juan; Edmonds, Kim; Hughes, Peta; Khabra, Komel; Gore, Martin; Larkin, James

    2016-04-01

    The BRAF inhibitor vemurafenib is an effective drug in patients with BRAF mutant metastatic melanoma, but resistance occurs after a median of 6 months. The anti-CTLA4-antibody, ipilimumab, is a standard first-line and second-line treatment option in Europe, with a median time to response of 2-3 months, but some patients show rapid clinical deterioration before that. The aim of this analysis was to identify prognostic markers for survival after failure of vemurafenib treatment to identify patients who have a sufficient life expectancy to respond to new immunotherapy treatments. We retrospectively analysed 101 consecutive unselected patients treated with vemurafenib for metastatic melanoma at a single institution. The association between clinical parameters and death within 3 months after cessation of vemurafenib (n=69) was assessed by binary logistic and Cox regression. Of the patients, 45% died within 3 months of progression on vemurafenib. Elevated baseline serum lactate dehydrogenase, absence of normalization of serum lactate dehydrogenase on vemurafenib therapy, performance status of at least 2 at progression and time from primary tumour to metastatic disease less than 5 years were identified as poor prognostic markers. In an exploratory tumour growth kinetics analysis (n=16), we found that following cessation of vemurafenib, approximately a third each showed a stable, decelerated or accelerated rate of tumour growth. Patients with these poor prognostic markers are unlikely to have sufficient life expectancy to complete ipilimumab treatment after failure with vemurafenib. Consideration needs to be given to the elective use of immunotherapy before patients become resistant to vemurafenib. This requires prospective randomized evaluation. Our tumour growth kinetics analysis requires confirmation; however, it may suggest that intermittent vemurafenib treatment should be investigated in clinical trials.

  20. [Upper gastrointestinal bleeding: usefulness of prognostic scores].

    PubMed

    Badel, S; Dorta, G; Carron, P-N

    2011-08-24

    Upper gastrointestinal bleeding is a potentially serious event, usually requiring urgent endoscopic treatment. Better stratification of the risk of complication or death could optimize management and improve patient outcomes, while ensuring adequate resource allocation. Several prognostic scores have been developed, in order to identify high risk patients, who require immediate treatment, and patients at low risk for whom endoscopy may be delayed. An ideal prognostic score should be accurate, simple, reproducible, and prospectively validated in different populations. Published scores meet these requirements only partially, and thus can only be used as part of an integrative diagnostic and therapeutic process.

  1. Prognostic significance of anaemia in patients with heart failure with preserved and reduced ejection fraction: results from the MAGGIC individual patient data meta-analysis.

    PubMed

    Berry, C; Poppe, K K; Gamble, G D; Earle, N J; Ezekowitz, J A; Squire, I B; McMurray, J J V; McAlister, F A; Komajda, M; Swedberg, K; Maggioni, A P; Ahmed, A; Whalley, G A; Doughty, R N; Tarantini, L

    2016-06-01

    Anaemia is common among patients with heart failure (HF) and is an important prognostic marker. We sought to determine the prognostic importance of anaemia in a large multinational pooled dataset of prospectively enrolled HF patients, with the specific aim to determine the prognostic role of anaemia in HF with preserved and reduced ejection fraction (HF-PEF and HF-REF, respectively). Individual person data meta-analysis. Patients with haemoglobin (Hb) data from the MAGGIC dataset were used. Anaemia was defined as Hb < 120 g/l in women and <130 g/l in men. HF-PEF was defined as EF ≥ 50%; HF-REF was EF < 50%. Cox proportional hazard modelling, with adjustment for clinically relevant variables, was undertaken to investigate factors associated with 3-year all-cause mortality. Thirteen thousand two hundred and ninety-five patients with HF from 19 studies (9887 with HF-REF and 3408 with HF-PEF). The prevalence of anaemia was similar among those with HF-REF and HF-PEF (42.8 and 41.6% respectively). Compared with patients with normal Hb values, those with anaemia were older, were more likely to have diabetes, ischaemic aetiology, New York Heart Association class IV symptoms, lower estimated glomerular filtration rate and were more likely to be taking diuretic and less likely to be taking a beta-blocker. Patients with anaemia had higher all-cause mortality (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] 1.38, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.25-1.51), independent of EF group: aHR 1.67 (1.39-1.99) in HF-PEF and aHR 2.49 (2.13-2.90) in HF-REF. Anaemia is an adverse prognostic factor in HF irrespective of EF. The prognostic importance of anaemia was greatest in patients with HF-REF. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Association of Physicians. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  2. Prognostic value of serum phosphate level in adult patients resuscitated from cardiac arrest.

    PubMed

    Jung, Yong Hun; Lee, Byung Kook; Jeung, Kyung Woon; Youn, Chun Song; Lee, Dong Hun; Lee, Sung Min; Heo, Tag; Min, Yong Il

    2018-07-01

    Several studies have reported increased levels of phosphate after cardiac arrest. Given the relationship between phosphate level and the severity of ischaemic injury reported in previous studies, higher phosphate levels may be associated with worse outcomes. We investigated the prognostic value of phosphate level after the restoration of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) in adult cardiac arrest patients. This study was a retrospective observational study including adult cardiac arrest survivors treated at the Chonnam National University Hospital between January 2014 and June 2017. From medical records, data regarding clinical characteristics, outcome at hospital discharge, and laboratory parameters including phosphate levels after ROSC were collected. The primary outcome was poor outcome at hospital discharge, defined as Cerebral Performance Categories 3-5. Of the 674 included patients, 465 had poor outcome at hospital discharge. Serum phosphate level was significantly higher in patients with poor outcome than in those with good outcome (p < 0.001). Phosphate level was correlated with time to ROSC (r = 0.350, p < 0.001). Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis revealed an area under the curve of 0.805 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.777-0.838) for phosphate level. In multivariate analysis, a higher phosphate level was independently associated with poor outcome at hospital discharge (odds ratio, 1.432; 95% CI, 1.245-1.626; p < 0.001). A higher phosphate level after ROSC was independently associated with poor outcome at hospital discharge in adult cardiac arrest patients. However, given its modest prognostic performance, phosphate level should be used in combination with other prognostic indicators. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  3. Adverse prognostic value of MYBL2 overexpression and association with microRNA-30 family in acute myeloid leukemia patients.

    PubMed

    Fuster, Oscar; Llop, Marta; Dolz, Sandra; García, Paloma; Such, Esperanza; Ibáñez, Mariam; Luna, Irene; Gómez, Inés; López, María; Cervera, José; Montesinos, Pau; Moscardó, Federico; Cordón, Lourdes; Solves, Pilar; de Juan, Inmaculada; Palanca, Sarai; Bolufer, Pascual; Sanz, Miguel Ángel; Barragán, Eva

    2013-12-01

    The MYBL2 gene encodes a transcription factor implicated in cell proliferation and maturation whose amplification or overexpression has been associated with different human malignancies, suggesting that it could be implicated in tumorigenesis. We analyzed MYBL2 expression and its prognostic value in 291 patients with de novo acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and we also evaluated its association with microRNAs 29 and 30 families. MYBL2 expression in AML patients was increased relative to CD34+ cells. Moreover, MYBL2 overexpression was associated with lower expression of miR-30a (P=0.024), miR-30b (P=0.021) and miR-30c (P=0.009). Multivariate analysis showed that MYBL2 expression was an independent factor for disease-free survival (HR 3.0, 95% CI 1.5-6.0, P=0.002) and cumulative incidence of relapse (HR 2.6, 95% CI 1.2-5.6, P=0.015) in patients with an intermediate-risk karyotype. In conclusion, our data showed that MYBL2 expression analysis could be useful to define subgroups of patients with poor prognosis. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. Prognostic value of the Glasgow Prognostic Score for glioblastoma multiforme patients treated with radiotherapy and temozolomide.

    PubMed

    Topkan, Erkan; Selek, Ugur; Ozdemir, Yurday; Yildirim, Berna A; Guler, Ozan C; Ciner, Fuat; Mertsoylu, Huseyin; Tufan, Kadir

    2018-04-25

    To evaluate the prognostic value of the Glasgow Prognostic Score (GPS), the combination of C-reactive protein (CRP) and albumin, in glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) patients treated with radiotherapy (RT) and concurrent plus adjuvant temozolomide (GPS). Data of newly diagnosed GBM patients treated with partial brain RT and concurrent and adjuvant TMZ were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were grouped into three according to the GPS criteria: GPS-0: CRP < 10 mg/L and albumin > 35 g/L; GPS-1: CRP < 10 mg/L and albumin < 35 g/L or CRP > 10 mg/L and albumin > 35 g/L; and GPS-2: CRP > 10 mg/L and albumin < 35 g/L. Primary end-point was the association between the GPS groups and the overall survival (OS) outcomes. A total of 142 patients were analyzed (median age: 58 years, 66.2% male). There were 64 (45.1%), 40 (28.2%), and 38 (26.7%) patients in GPS-0, GPS-1, and GPS-2 groups, respectively. At median 15.7 months follow-up, the respective median and 5-year OS rates for the whole cohort were 16.2 months (95% CI 12.7-19.7) and 9.5%. In multivariate analyses GPS grouping emerged independently associated with the median OS (P < 0.001) in addition to the extent of surgery (P = 0.032), Karnofsky performance status (P = 0.009), and the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group recursive partitioning analysis (RTOG RPA) classification (P < 0.001). The GPS grouping and the RTOG RPA classification were found to be strongly correlated in prognostic stratification of GBM patients (correlation coefficient: 0.42; P < 0.001). The GPS appeared to be useful in prognostic stratification of GBM patients into three groups with significantly different survival durations resembling the RTOG RPA classification.

  5. Baseline Hemodynamics and Response to Contrast Media During Diagnostic Cardiac Catheterization Predict Adverse Events in Heart Failure Patients.

    PubMed

    Denardo, Scott J; Vock, David M; Schmalfuss, Carsten M; Young, Gregory D; Tcheng, James E; O'Connor, Christopher M

    2016-07-01

    Contrast media administered during cardiac catheterization can affect hemodynamic variables. However, little is documented about the effects of contrast on hemodynamics in heart failure patients or the prognostic value of baseline and changes in hemodynamics for predicting subsequent adverse events. In this prospective study of 150 heart failure patients, we measured hemodynamics at baseline and after administration of iodixanol or iopamidol contrast. One-year Kaplan-Meier estimates of adverse event-free survival (death, heart failure hospitalization, and rehospitalization) were generated, grouping patients by baseline measures of pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (PCWP) and cardiac index (CI), and by changes in those measures after contrast administration. We used Cox proportional hazards modeling to assess sequentially adding baseline PCWP and change in CI to 5 validated risk models (Seattle Heart Failure Score, ESCAPE [Evaluation Study of Congestive Heart Failure and Pulmonary Artery Catheterization Effectiveness], CHARM [Candesartan in Heart Failure: Assessment of Reduction in Mortality and Morbidity], CORONA [Controlled Rosuvastatin Multinational Trial in Heart Failure], and MAGGIC [Meta-Analysis Global Group in Chronic Heart Failure]). Median contrast volume was 109 mL. Both contrast media caused similarly small but statistically significant changes in most hemodynamic variables. There were 39 adverse events (26.0%). Adverse event rates increased using the composite metric of baseline PCWP and change in CI (P<0.01); elevated baseline PCWP and decreased CI after contrast correlated with the poorest prognosis. Adding both baseline PCWP and change in CI to the 5 risk models universally improved their predictive value (P≤0.02). In heart failure patients, the administration of contrast causes small but significant changes in hemodynamics. Calculating baseline PCWP with change in CI after contrast predicts adverse events and increases the predictive value of

  6. Overexpression of Transcobalamin 1 is an Independent Negative Prognosticator in Rectal Cancers Receiving Concurrent Chemoradiotherapy

    PubMed Central

    Lee, Yi-Ying; Wei, Yu-Ching; Tian, Yu-Feng; Sun, Ding-Ping; Sheu, Ming-Jen; Yang, Ching-Chieh; Lin, Li-Ching; Lin, Chen-Yi; Hsing, Chung-Hsi; Li, Wan-Shan; Li, Chien-Feng; Hsieh, Pei-Ling; Lin, Ching-Yih

    2017-01-01

    Objective: Neoadjuvant concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) is an increasingly common therapeutic strategy for locally advanced rectal cancer, but stratification of risk and final outcomes remain a major challenge. Transcobalamin 1 (TCN1), a vitamin B12 (cobalamin)-binding protein, regulates cobalamin homeostasis. High expression of TCN1 have been reported in neoplasms such as breast cancer and hepatocellular carcinoma. However, little is known about the relevance of TCN1 to rectal cancer receiving CCRT. This study examined the predictive and prognostic impact of TCN1 expression in patients with rectal cancer following neoadjuvant CCRT. Methods: Through data mining from a published transcriptome of rectal cancers (GSE35452), we identified upregulation of TCN1 gene as the most significantly predicted poor response to CCRT among ion transport-related genes (GO:0006811). We evaluated TCN1 immunohistochemistry and performed an H-score analysis on endoscopic biopsy specimens from 172 rectal cancer patients receiving neoadjuvant CCRT followed by curative surgery. Expression levels of TCN1 were further correlated with clinicopathologic features, therapeutic response, tumor regression grade (TRG) and survivals including metastasis-free survival (MeFS), disease-specific survival (DSS) and recurrent-free survival (LRFS). Results: TCN1 overexpression was significantly related to advanced post-treatment tumor (T3, T4; p<0.001) and nodal status (N1, N2; p<0.001), vascular invasion (p=0.003) and inferior tumor regression grade (p < 0.001). In survival analyses, TCN1 overexpression was significantly associated with shorter DSS (p<0.0001), MeFS (p=0.0002) and LRFS (p=0.0001). Furthermore, it remained an independent prognosticator of worse DSS (p=0.002, hazard ratio=3.344), MeFS (p=0.021, hazard ratio=3.015) and LRFS (p=0.037, hazard ratio=3.037) in the multivariate comparison. Conclusion: Overexpression of TCN1 is associated with poor therapeutic response and adverse outcomes in

  7. Overexpression of Transcobalamin 1 is an Independent Negative Prognosticator in Rectal Cancers Receiving Concurrent Chemoradiotherapy.

    PubMed

    Lee, Yi-Ying; Wei, Yu-Ching; Tian, Yu-Feng; Sun, Ding-Ping; Sheu, Ming-Jen; Yang, Ching-Chieh; Lin, Li-Ching; Lin, Chen-Yi; Hsing, Chung-Hsi; Li, Wan-Shan; Li, Chien-Feng; Hsieh, Pei-Ling; Lin, Ching-Yih

    2017-01-01

    adverse outcomes in rectal cancer patients receiving CCRT, justifying the potential prognostic value of TCN1 in rectal cancer receiving CCRT.

  8. Prognostic indices for early mortality in ischaemic stroke - meta-analysis.

    PubMed

    Mattishent, K; Kwok, C S; Mahtani, A; Pelpola, K; Myint, P K; Loke, Y K

    2016-01-01

    Several models have been developed to predict mortality in ischaemic stroke. We aimed to evaluate systematically the performance of published stroke prognostic scores. We searched MEDLINE and EMBASE in February 2014 for prognostic models (published between 2003 and 2014) used in predicting early mortality (<6 months) after ischaemic stroke. We evaluated discriminant ability of the tools through meta-analysis of the area under the curve receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) or c-statistic. We evaluated the following components of study validity: collection of prognostic variables, neuroimaging, treatment pathways and missing data. We identified 18 articles (involving 163 240 patients) reporting on the performance of prognostic models for mortality in ischaemic stroke, with 15 articles providing AUC for meta-analysis. Most studies were either retrospective, or post hoc analyses of prospectively collected data; all but three reported validation data. The iSCORE had the largest number of validation cohorts (five) within our systematic review and showed good performance in four different countries, pooled AUC 0.84 (95% CI 0.82-0.87). We identified other potentially useful prognostic tools that have yet to be as extensively validated as iSCORE - these include SOAR (2 studies, pooled AUC 0.79, 95% CI 0.78-0.80), GWTG (2 studies, pooled AUC 0.72, 95% CI 0.72-0.72) and PLAN (1 study, pooled AUC 0.85, 95% CI 0.84-0.87). Our meta-analysis has identified and summarized the performance of several prognostic scores with modest to good predictive accuracy for early mortality in ischaemic stroke, with the iSCORE having the broadest evidence base. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  9. Prognostic accuracy of five simple scales in childhood bacterial meningitis.

    PubMed

    Pelkonen, Tuula; Roine, Irmeli; Monteiro, Lurdes; Cruzeiro, Manuel Leite; Pitkäranta, Anne; Kataja, Matti; Peltola, Heikki

    2012-08-01

    In childhood acute bacterial meningitis, the level of consciousness, measured with the Glasgow coma scale (GCS) or the Blantyre coma scale (BCS), is the most important predictor of outcome. The Herson-Todd scale (HTS) was developed for Haemophilus influenzae meningitis. Our objective was to identify prognostic factors, to form a simple scale, and to compare the predictive accuracy of these scales. Seven hundred and twenty-three children with bacterial meningitis in Luanda were scored by GCS, BCS, and HTS. The simple Luanda scale (SLS), based on our entire database, comprised domestic electricity, days of illness, convulsions, consciousness, and dyspnoea at presentation. The Bayesian Luanda scale (BLS) added blood glucose concentration. The accuracy of the 5 scales was determined for 491 children without an underlying condition, against the outcomes of death, severe neurological sequelae or death, or a poor outcome (severe neurological sequelae, death, or deafness), at hospital discharge. The highest accuracy was achieved with the BLS, whose area under the curve (AUC) for death was 0.83, for severe neurological sequelae or death was 0.84, and for poor outcome was 0.82. Overall, the AUCs for SLS were ≥0.79, for GCS were ≥0.76, for BCS were ≥0.74, and for HTS were ≥0.68. Adding laboratory parameters to a simple scoring system, such as the SLS, improves the prognostic accuracy only little in bacterial meningitis.

  10. The Glasgow Prognostic Score. An useful tool to predict survival in patients with advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

    PubMed

    Henry, Maria Aparecida Coelho de Arruda; Lerco, Mauro Masson; de Oliveira, Walmar Kerche; Guerra, Anderson Roberto; Rodrigues, Maria Aparecida Marchesan

    2015-08-01

    To evaluate the usefulness of the Glasgow Prognostic Score (GPS) in patients with esophageal carcinoma (EC). A total of 50 patients with EC were analyzed for GPS, nutritional and clinicopathologic parameters. Patients with CRP ≤ 1.0mg/L and albumin ≥ 3.5mg/L were considered as GPS = 0. Patients with only CRP increased or albumin decreased were classified as GPS = 1 and patients with CRP > 1.0mg/L and albumin < 3.5mg/L were considered as GPS = 2. GPS of 0, 1 and 2 were observed in seven, 23 and 20 patients, respectively. A significant inverse relationship was observed between GPS scores and the survival rate. The survival rate was greatest in patients with GPS = 0 and significantly higher than those from patients with GPS = 1 and GPS = 2. Minimum 12-month survival was observed in 71% patients with GPS = 0 and in 30% patients with GPS = 1. None of the patients with GPS = 2 survived for 12 months. A significant relationship between CRP or albumin individually and the survival rate was observed. No significant relationship among nutritional, clinic pathological parameters and survival was found. Glasgow Prognostic Score is an useful tool to predict survival in patients with esophageal carcinoma.

  11. Differing prognostic value of pulse pressure in patients with heart failure with reduced or preserved ejection fraction: results from the MAGGIC individual patient meta-analysis.

    PubMed

    Jackson, Colette E; Castagno, Davide; Maggioni, Aldo P; Køber, Lars; Squire, Iain B; Swedberg, Karl; Andersson, Bert; Richards, A Mark; Bayes-Genis, Antoni; Tribouilloy, Christophe; Dobson, Joanna; Ariti, Cono A; Poppe, Katrina K; Earle, Nikki; Whalley, Gillian; Pocock, Stuart J; Doughty, Robert N; McMurray, John J V

    2015-05-07

    Low pulse pressure is a marker of adverse outcome in patients with heart failure (HF) and reduced ejection fraction (HF-REF) but the prognostic value of pulse pressure in patients with HF and preserved ejection fraction (HF-PEF) is unknown. We examined the prognostic value of pulse pressure in patients with HF-PEF [ejection fraction (EF) ≥ 50%] and HF-REF. Data from 22 HF studies were examined. Preserved left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was defined as LVEF ≥ 50%. All-cause mortality at 3 years was evaluated in 27 046 patients: 22 038 with HF-REF (4980 deaths) and 5008 with HF-PEF (828 deaths). Pulse pressure was analysed in quintiles in a multivariable model adjusted for the previously reported Meta-Analysis Global Group in Chronic Heart Failure prognostic variables. Heart failure and reduced ejection fraction patients in the lowest pulse pressure quintile had the highest crude and adjusted mortality risk (adjusted hazard ratio 1.68, 95% confidence interval 1.53-1.84) compared with all other pulse pressure groups. For patients with HF-PEF, higher pulse pressure was associated with the highest crude mortality, a gradient that was eliminated after adjustment for other prognostic variables. Lower pulse pressure (especially <53 mmHg) was an independent predictor of mortality in patients with HF-REF, particularly in those with an LVEF < 30% and systolic blood pressure <140 mmHg. Overall, this relationship between pulse pressure and outcome was not consistently observed among patients with HF-PEF. Published on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology. All rights reserved. © The Author 2015. For permissions please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  12. Traditional and emerging molecular markers in neuroblastoma prognosis: the good, the bad and the ugly.

    PubMed

    Poremba, C; Hero, B; Goertz, H G; Scheel, C; Wai, D; Schaefer, K L; Christiansen, H; Berthold, F; Juergens, H; Boecker, W; Dockhorn-Dworniczak, B

    2001-01-01

    Neuroblastomas (NB) are a heterogeneous group of childhood tumours with a wide range of likelihood for tumour progression. As traditional parameters do not ensure completely accurate prognostic grouping, new molecular markers are needed for assessing the individual patient's prognosis more precisely. 133 NB of all stages were analysed in blind-trial fashion for telomerase activity (TA), expression of surviving, and MYCN status. These data were correlated with other traditional prognostic indicators and disease outcome. TA is a powerful independent prognostic marker for all stages and is capable of differentiating between good and poor outcome in putative "favourable" clinical or biological subgroups of NB patients. High surviving expression is associated with an adverse outcome, but is more difficult to interprete than TA because survivin expression needs to be accurately quantified to be of predictive value. We propose an extended progression model for NB including emerging prognostic markers, with emphasis on telomerase activity.

  13. Clinical implications of six inflammatory biomarkers as prognostic indicators in Ewing sarcoma

    PubMed Central

    Li, Yong-Jiang; Yang, Xi; Zhang, Wen-Biao; Yi, Cheng; Wang, Feng; Li, Ping

    2017-01-01

    Cancer-related systemic inflammation responses have been correlated with cancer development and progression. The prognostic significance of several inflammatory indicators, including neutrophil–lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet–lymphocyte ratio (PLR), Glasgow Prognostic Score (GPS), C-reactive protein to albumin ratio (CRP/Alb ratio), lymphocyte–monocyte ratio (LMR), and neutrophil–platelet score (NPS), were found to be correlated with prognosis in several cancers. However, the prognostic role of these inflammatory biomarkers in Ewing sarcoma has not been evaluated. This study enrolled 122 Ewing patients. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was generated to determine optimal cutoff values; areas under the curves (AUCs) were assessed to show the discriminatory ability of the biomarkers; Kaplan–Meier analysis was conducted to plot the survival curves; and Cox multivariate survival analysis was performed to identify independent prognostic factors. The optimal cutoff values of CRP/Alb ratio, NLR, PLR, and LMR were 0.225, 2.38, 131, and 4.41, respectively. CRP/Alb ratio had a significantly larger AUC than NLR, PLR, LMR, and NPS. Higher levels of CRP/Alb ratio (hazard ratio [HR] 2.41, P=0.005), GPS (HR 2.27, P=0.006), NLR (HR 2.07, P=0.013), and PLR (HR 1.85, P=0.032) were significantly correlated with poor prognosis. As the biomarkers had internal correlations, only the CRP/Alb ratio was involved in the multivariate Cox analysis and remained an independent prognostic indicator. The study demonstrated that CRP/Alb ratio, GPS, and NLR were effective prognostic indicators for patients with Ewing sarcoma, and the CRP/Alb ratio was the most robust prognostic indicator with a discriminatory ability superior to that of the other indicators; however, PLR, LMR, and NPS may not be suitable as prognostic indicators in Ewing sarcoma. PMID:29033609

  14. Molecular Pathology: Predictive, Prognostic, and Diagnostic Markers in Uterine Tumors.

    PubMed

    Ritterhouse, Lauren L; Howitt, Brooke E

    2016-09-01

    This article focuses on the diagnostic, prognostic, and predictive molecular biomarkers in uterine malignancies, in the context of morphologic diagnoses. The histologic classification of endometrial carcinomas is reviewed first, followed by the description and molecular classification of endometrial epithelial malignancies in the context of histologic classification. Taken together, the molecular and histologic classifications help clinicians to approach troublesome areas encountered in clinical practice and evaluate the utility of molecular alterations in the diagnosis and subclassification of endometrial carcinomas. Putative prognostic markers are reviewed. The use of molecular alterations and surrogate immunohistochemistry as prognostic and predictive markers is also discussed. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. [Prognostic factors of early breast cancer].

    PubMed

    Almagro, Elena; González, Cynthia S; Espinosa, Enrique

    2016-02-19

    Decision about the administration of adjuvant therapy for early breast cancer depends on the evaluation of prognostic factors. Lymph node status, tumor size and grade of differentiation are classical variables in this regard, and can be complemented by hormonal receptor status and HER2 expression. These factors can be combined into prognostic indexes to better estimate the risk of relapse or death. Other factors are less important. Gene profiles have emerged in recent years to identify low-risk patients who can forgo adjuvant chemotherapy. A number of profiles are available and can be used in selected cases. In the future, gene profiling will be used to select patients for treatment with new targeted therapies. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

  16. Adverse Effects of GLP-1 Receptor Agonists

    PubMed Central

    Filippatos, Theodosios D.; Panagiotopoulou, Thalia V.; Elisaf, Moses S.

    2014-01-01

    Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists are a class of injective anti-diabetic drugs that improve glycemic control and many other atherosclerosis-related parameters in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D). However, the use of this relatively new class of drugs may be associated with certain adverse effects. Concerns have been expressed regarding the effects of these drugs on pancreatic and thyroid tissue, since animal studies and analyses of drug databases indicate an association of GLP-1 receptor agonists with pancreatitis, pancreatic cancer, and thyroid cancer. However, several meta-analyses failed to confirm a cause-effect relation between GLP-1 receptor agonists and the development of these adverse effects. One benefit of GLP-1 receptor agonists is that they do not cause hypoglycemia when combined with metformin or thiazolidinediones, but the dose of concomitant sulphonylurea or insulin may have to be decreased to reduce the risk of hypoglycemic episodes. On the other hand, several case reports have linked the use of these drugs, mainly exenatide, with the occurrence of acute kidney injury, primarily through hemodynamic derangement due to nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. The most common symptoms associated with the use of GLP-1 receptor agonists are gastrointestinal symptoms, mainly nausea. Other common adverse effects include injection site reactions, headache, and nasopharyngitis, but these effects do not usually result in discontinuation of the drug. Current evidence shows that GLP-1 receptor agonists have no negative effects on the cardiovascular risk of patients with T2D. Thus, GLP-1 receptor agonists appear to have a favorable safety profile, but ongoing trials will further assess their cardiovascular effects. The aim of this review is to analyze critically the available data regarding adverse events of GLP-1 receptor agonists in different anatomic systems published in Pubmed and Scopus. Whenever possible, certain differences between GLP-1

  17. Prognostic Utility of Cell Cycle Progression Score in Men With Prostate Cancer After Primary External Beam Radiation Therapy

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Freedland, Stephen J., E-mail: steve.freedland@duke.edu; Department of Surgery; Department of Pathology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina

    Purpose: To evaluate the prognostic utility of the cell cycle progression (CCP) score, a RNA signature based on the average expression level of 31 CCP genes, for predicting biochemical recurrence (BCR) in men with prostate cancer treated with external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) as their primary curative therapy. Methods and Materials: The CCP score was derived retrospectively from diagnostic biopsy specimens of men diagnosed with prostate cancer from 1991 to 2006 (n=141). All patients were treated with definitive EBRT; approximately half of the cohort was African American. Outcome was time from EBRT to BCR using the Phoenix definition. Median follow-upmore » for patients without BCR was 4.8 years. Association with outcome was evaluated by Cox proportional hazards survival analysis and likelihood ratio tests. Results: Of 141 patients, 19 (13%) had BCR. The median CCP score for patient samples was 0.12. In univariable analysis, CCP score significantly predicted BCR (P=.0017). The hazard ratio for BCR was 2.55 for 1-unit increase in CCP score (equivalent to a doubling of gene expression). In a multivariable analysis that included Gleason score, prostate-specific antigen, percent positive cores, and androgen deprivation therapy, the hazard ratio for CCP changed only marginally and remained significant (P=.034), indicating that CCP provides prognostic information that is not provided by standard clinical parameters. With 10-year censoring, the CCP score was associated with prostate cancer-specific mortality (P=.013). There was no evidence for interaction between CCP and any clinical variable, including ethnicity. Conclusions: Among men treated with EBRT, the CCP score significantly predicted outcome and provided greater prognostic information than was available with clinical parameters. If validated in a larger cohort, CCP score could identify high-risk men undergoing EBRT who may need more aggressive therapy.« less

  18. Glasgow Prognostic Score as a Prognostic Clinical Marker in T4 Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

    PubMed

    Ohira, Masaichi; Kubo, Naoshi; Masuda, Go; Yamashita, Yoshito; Sakurai, Katsunobu; Toyokawa, Takahiro; Tanaka, Hiroaki; Muguruma, Kazuya; Hirakawa, Kosei

    2015-09-01

    Patients with clinical T4 esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) have an unfavorable prognosis, mainly indicated by the response to chemoradiotherapy (CRT), crucial to estimating long-term survival. Other prognostic measures include systemic inflammatory or immunonutritional indices such as the Glasgow Prognostic Score (GPS) and Prognostic Nutritional Index (PNI) that have not been sufficiently documented. This study retrospectively evaluated 91 patients with T4 ESCC treated at our Hospital between 2000 and 2013. All patients initially received CRT, including 5-fluorouracil (5FU) and cisplatin or nedaplatin with concurrent 2-Gy/fraction radiation (total dose, 40-60 Gy). Curative tumor resection was undertaken in suitable patients on completing CRT. Patients were classified as GPS0, GPS1, or GPS2 based on C-reactive protein (CRP) ≤ 10 mg/l and albumin ≥ 35 g/l, CRP >10 mg/l or albumin <35 g/l, or CRP >10 mg/l and albumin <35 g/l, respectively. PNI was calculated as 10-times the serum albumin (g/dl)+0.005 × total lymphocyte count (/mm(3)). The impact of the pre-treatment GPS and PNI on the prognosis of patients with T4 ESCC was investigated in univariate and multivariate analyses. Sixty (67%) patients responded to CRT (9 complete responses and 51 partial responses). Forty-one (45%) patients also underwent surgical resection of the residual tumor. The overall 5-year survival rate and median survival time were 27.0% and 11.8 months, respectively. In the cohort of CRT-plus-surgical resection, the 5-year survival rate was significantly higher than in the groups treated with CRT-alone (51.1% vs. 6.5%; p < 0.01). On multivariate analysis, good response to CRT [hazard ratio (HR) =0.449, p<0.01], GPS1/2 (HR=2.151, p=0.015), and surgical resection (HR=0.282, p<0.01) were significant prognostic factors, whereas PNI was not. The GPS is a useful, simple survival marker for patients with T4 ESCC undergoing multimodal therapy. Copyright© 2015 International Institute of

  19. Prognostic significance of infarct core pathology revealed by quantitative non-contrast in comparison with contrast cardiac magnetic resonance imaging in reperfused ST-elevation myocardial infarction survivors.

    PubMed

    Carrick, David; Haig, Caroline; Rauhalammi, Sam; Ahmed, Nadeem; Mordi, Ify; McEntegart, Margaret; Petrie, Mark C; Eteiba, Hany; Hood, Stuart; Watkins, Stuart; Lindsay, Mitchell; Mahrous, Ahmed; Ford, Ian; Tzemos, Niko; Sattar, Naveed; Welsh, Paul; Radjenovic, Aleksandra; Oldroyd, Keith G; Berry, Colin

    2016-04-01

    To assess the prognostic significance of infarct core tissue characteristics using cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging in survivors of acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). We performed an observational prospective single centre cohort study in 300 reperfused STEMI patients (mean ± SD age 59 ± 12 years, 74% male) who underwent CMR 2 days and 6 months post-myocardial infarction (n = 267). Native T1 was measured in myocardial regions of interest (n = 288). Adverse remodelling was defined as an increase in left ventricular (LV) end-diastolic volume ≥20% at 6 months. All-cause death or first heart failure hospitalization was a pre-specified outcome that was assessed during follow-up (median duration 845 days). One hundred and sixty (56%) patients had a hypo-intense infarct core disclosed by native T1. In multivariable regression, infarct core native T1 was inversely associated with adverse remodelling [odds ratio (95% confidence interval (CI)] per 10 ms reduction in native T1: 0.91 (0.82, 0.00); P = 0.061). Thirty (10.4%) of 288 patients died or experienced a heart failure event and 13 of these events occurred post-discharge. Native T1 values (ms) within the hypo-intense infarct core (n = 160 STEMI patients) were inversely associated with the risk of all-cause death or first hospitalization for heart failure post-discharge (for a 10 ms increase in native T1: hazard ratio 0.730, 95% CI 0.617, 0.863; P < 0.001) including after adjustment for left ventricular ejection fraction, infarct core T2 and myocardial haemorrhage. The prognostic results for microvascular obstruction were similar. Infarct core native T1 represents a novel non-contrast CMR biomarker with potential for infarct characterization and prognostication in STEMI survivors. Confirmatory studies are warranted. CLINICALTRIALS. NCT02072850. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology.

  20. Prognostic factors and scoring system for survival in colonic perforation.

    PubMed

    Komatsu, Shuhei; Shimomatsuya, Takumi; Nakajima, Masayuki; Amaya, Hirokazu; Kobuchi, Taketsune; Shiraishi, Susumu; Konishi, Sayuri; Ono, Susumu; Maruhashi, Kazuhiro

    2005-01-01

    No ideal and generally accepted prognostic factors and scoring systems exist to determine the prognosis of peritonitis associated with colonic perforation. This study was designed to investigate prognostic factors and evaluate the various scoring systems to allow identification of high-risk patients. Between 1996 and 2003, excluding iatrogenic and trauma cases, 26 consecutive patients underwent emergency operations for colorectal perforation and were selected for this retrospective study. Several clinical factors were analyzed as possible predictive factors, and APACHE II, SOFA, MPI, and MOF scores were calculated. The overall mortality was 26.9%. Compared with the survivors, non-survivors were found more frequently in Hinchey's stage III-IV, a low preoperative marker of pH, base excess (BE), and a low postoperative marker of white blood cell count, PaO2/FiO2 ratio, and renal output (24h). According to the logistic regression model, BE was a significant independent variable. Concerning the prognostic scoring systems, an APACHE II score of 19, a SOFA score of 8, an MPI score of 30, and an MOF score of 7 or more were significantly related to poor prognosis. Preoperative BE and postoperative white blood cell count were reliable prognostic factors and early classification using prognostic scoring systems at specific points in the disease process are useful to improve our understanding of the problems involved.

  1. Prognostic value of Child-Turcotte criteria in medically treated cirrhosis.

    PubMed

    Christensen, E; Schlichting, P; Fauerholdt, L; Gluud, C; Andersen, P K; Juhl, E; Poulsen, H; Tygstrup, N

    1984-01-01

    The Child- Turcotte criteria (CTC) (based on serum bilirubin and albumin, ascites, neurological disorder and nutrition) are established prognostic factors in patients with cirrhosis having portacaval shunt surgery. The objective of this study was to evaluate the prognostic value of CTC in conservatively treated cirrhosis. Patients (n = 245) with histologically verified cirrhosis from a control group of a controlled clinical trial were studied. Data at entry into the trial were used to classify patients according to CTC. Survival curves for up to 16 years were made, and survival rates were compared using the log-rank test. Survival decreased significantly with increasing degree of abnormality (A----B----C) of albumin (p less than 0.001), ascites (p less than 0.001), bilirubin (p = 0.02) and nutritional status (p = 0.03). Survival was insignificantly influenced by neurological status (p = 0.11) probably because none of the patients had hepatic coma at entry into the trial. The five variables in CTC were combined to a score. With increasing score, the median survival time decreased from 6.4 years (score 5) to 2 months (scores 12 or more). Furthermore, the mortality from hepatic failure, gastrointestinal bleeding or hepatocellular carcinoma increased significantly with increasing score. CTC provide valuable and easily obtainable prognostic information in cirrhosis. However, CTC are inferior to a prognostic index based on multivariate analysis of prognostic factors.

  2. A Prognostic Gene Expression Profile That Predicts Circulating Tumor Cell Presence in Breast Cancer Patients

    PubMed Central

    Molloy, Timothy J.; Roepman, Paul; Naume, Bjørn; van't Veer, Laura J.

    2012-01-01

    The detection of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in the peripheral blood and microarray gene expression profiling of the primary tumor are two promising new technologies able to provide valuable prognostic data for patients with breast cancer. Meta-analyses of several established prognostic breast cancer gene expression profiles in large patient cohorts have demonstrated that despite sharing few genes, their delineation of patients into “good prognosis” or “poor prognosis” are frequently very highly correlated, and combining prognostic profiles does not increase prognostic power. In the current study, we aimed to develop a novel profile which provided independent prognostic data by building a signature predictive of CTC status rather than outcome. Microarray gene expression data from an initial training cohort of 72 breast cancer patients for which CTC status had been determined in a previous study using a multimarker QPCR-based assay was used to develop a CTC-predictive profile. The generated profile was validated in two independent datasets of 49 and 123 patients and confirmed to be both predictive of CTC status, and independently prognostic. Importantly, the “CTC profile” also provided prognostic information independent of the well-established and powerful ‘70-gene’ prognostic breast cancer signature. This profile therefore has the potential to not only add prognostic information to currently-available microarray tests but in some circumstances even replace blood-based prognostic CTC tests at time of diagnosis for those patients already undergoing testing by multigene assays. PMID:22384245

  3. C-reactive protein as an adverse prognostic marker for men with castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC): confirmatory results

    PubMed Central

    Prins, Renee C.; Rademacher, Brooks L.; Mongoue-Tchokote, Solange; Alumkal, Joshi J.; Graff, Julie N.; Eilers, Kristine M.; Beer, Tomasz M.

    2010-01-01

    We previously reported that higher serum concentrations of C-reactive protein (CRP) are associated with shorter survival in men with castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). To confirm this finding in an independent data set, we used 119 CRPC patients enrolled in 6 phase II clinical trials and examined the relationship of CRP, alkaline phosphatase, hemoglobin, age, ECOG PS, and prostate specific antigen (PSA) with survival. Median follow-up was 19.7 months (0.9–98.5 months) and 89% have died. After analyzing the form of the risk function using the generalized additive model method, univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazard models were used to assess associations between baseline individual categorical and continuous variables. Quartiles of CRP were: 1: 0–1.0, 1.1–4.9, 5.0–17.0, and 17.1 to 311 mg/L. In a Cox multivariate model, log2(CRP) (HR 1.106 p=0.013) as well as hemoglobin and alkaline phosphatase were independently associated with survival, confirming that higher CRP is associated with shorter survival in CRPC. Since CRP is a marker of inflammation, this finding suggests that inflammation may play an important role in the natural history of advanced prostate cancer. CRP is a readily measurable biomarker that has the potential to improve prognostic models and should be validated in a prospective clinical trial. PMID:20207556

  4. External validation of leukocytosis and neutrophilia as a prognostic marker in anal carcinoma treated with definitive chemoradiation.

    PubMed

    Schernberg, Antoine; Huguet, Florence; Moureau-Zabotto, Laurence; Chargari, Cyrus; Rivin Del Campo, Eleonor; Schlienger, Michel; Escande, Alexandre; Touboul, Emmanuel; Deutsch, Eric

    2017-07-01

    To validate the prognostic value of leukocyte disorders in anal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) patients receiving definitive concurrent chemoradiation. Bi-institutional clinical records from consecutive patients treated between 2001 and 2015 with definitive chemoradiation for anal SCC were retrospectively reviewed. Prognostic value of pretreatment leukocyte disorders was examined, with focus on patterns of relapse and survival. Leukocytosis and neutrophilia were defined as leukocyte or neutrophil count exceeding 10G/L and 7G/L, respectively. We identified 133 patients, treated in two institutions. Eight% and 7% displayed baseline leukocytosis and neutrophilia, respectively. Estimated 3-year overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were 88% and 77%, respectively. In univariate analysis, both leukocytosis and neutrophilia were associated with worse OS, PFS (p<0.01), locoregional control (LRC) and Distant Metastasis Control (DMC) (p<0.05), also after stratification by each institution. In multivariate analysis, leukocytosis and neutrophilia remained as independent risk factors associated with poorer OS, PFS, LRC and DMC (p<0.05). This study validates leukocytosis and neutrophilia as independent prognostic factors in anal SCC patients treated with definitive chemoradiation. Although prospective confirmation is warranted, it is suggested that the leukocyte and neutrophil count parameters are clinically relevant biomarkers to be considered for further clinical investigations. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  5. Validation and Potential Mechanisms of Red Cell Distribution Width as a Prognostic Marker in Heart Failure

    PubMed Central

    ALLEN, LARRY A.; FELKER, G. MICHAEL; MEHRA, MANDEEP R.; CHIONG, JUN R.; DUNLAP, STEPHANIE H.; GHALI, JALAL K.; LENIHAN, DANIEL J.; OREN, RON M.; WAGONER, LYNNE E.; SCHWARTZ, TODD A.; ADAMS, KIRKWOOD F.

    2014-01-01

    Background: Adverse outcomes have recently been linked to elevated red cell distribution width (RDW) in heart failure. Our study sought to validate the prognostic value of RDW in heart failure and to explore the potential mechanisms underlying this association. Methods and Results: Data from the Study of Anemia in a Heart Failure Population (STAMINA-HFP) registry, a prospective, multicenter cohort of ambulatory patients with heart failure supported multivariable modeling to assess relationships between RDW and outcomes. The association between RDW and iron metabolism, inflammation, and neurohormonal activation was studied in a separate cohort of heart failure patients from the United Investigators to Evaluate Heart Failure (UNITE-HF) Biomarker registry. RDW was independently predictive of outcome (for each 1% increase in RDW, hazard ratio for mortality 1.06, 95% CI 1.01-1.12; hazard ratio for hospitalization or mortality 1.06; 95% CI 1.02-1.10) after adjustment for other covariates. Increasing RDW correlated with decreasing hemoglobin, increasing interleukin-6, and impaired iron mobilization. Conclusions: Our results confirm previous observations that RDW is a strong, independent predictor of adverse outcome in chronic heart failure and suggest elevated RDW may indicate inflammatory stress and impaired iron mobilization. These findings encourage further research into the relationship between heart failure and the hematologic system. PMID:20206898

  6. Validation and potential mechanisms of red cell distribution width as a prognostic marker in heart failure.

    PubMed

    Allen, Larry A; Felker, G Michael; Mehra, Mandeep R; Chiong, Jun R; Dunlap, Stephanie H; Ghali, Jalal K; Lenihan, Daniel J; Oren, Ron M; Wagoner, Lynne E; Schwartz, Todd A; Adams, Kirkwood F

    2010-03-01

    Adverse outcomes have recently been linked to elevated red cell distribution width (RDW) in heart failure. Our study sought to validate the prognostic value of RDW in heart failure and to explore the potential mechanisms underlying this association. Data from the Study of Anemia in a Heart Failure Population (STAMINA-HFP) registry, a prospective, multicenter cohort of ambulatory patients with heart failure supported multivariable modeling to assess relationships between RDW and outcomes. The association between RDW and iron metabolism, inflammation, and neurohormonal activation was studied in a separate cohort of heart failure patients from the United Investigators to Evaluate Heart Failure (UNITE-HF) Biomarker registry. RDW was independently predictive of outcome (for each 1% increase in RDW, hazard ratio for mortality 1.06, 95% CI 1.01-1.12; hazard ratio for hospitalization or mortality 1.06; 95% CI 1.02-1.10) after adjustment for other covariates. Increasing RDW correlated with decreasing hemoglobin, increasing interleukin-6, and impaired iron mobilization. Our results confirm previous observations that RDW is a strong, independent predictor of adverse outcome in chronic heart failure and suggest elevated RDW may indicate inflammatory stress and impaired iron mobilization. These findings encourage further research into the relationship between heart failure and the hematologic system. Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  7. Introducing a novel highly prognostic grading scheme based on tumour budding and cell nest size for squamous cell carcinoma of the uterine cervix.

    PubMed

    Jesinghaus, Moritz; Strehl, Johanna; Boxberg, Melanie; Brühl, Frido; Wenzel, Adrian; Konukiewitz, Björn; Schlitter, Anna M; Steiger, Katja; Warth, Arne; Schnelzer, Andreas; Kiechle, Marion; Beckmann, Matthias W; Noske, Aurelia; Hartmann, Arndt; Mehlhorn, Grit; Koch, Martin C; Weichert, Wilko

    2018-04-01

    A novel histopathological grading system based on tumour budding and cell nest size has recently been shown to outperform conventional (WHO-based) grading algorithms in several tumour entities such as lung, oral, and oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) in terms of prognostic patient stratification. Here, we tested the prognostic value of this innovative grading approach in two completely independent cohorts of SCC of the uterine cervix. To improve morphology-based grading, we investigated tumour budding activity and cell nest size as well as several other histomorphological factors (e.g., keratinization, nuclear size, mitotic activity) in a test cohort (n = 125) and an independent validation cohort (n = 122) of cervical SCC. All parameters were correlated with clinicopathological factors and patient outcome. Small cell nest size and high tumour budding activity were strongly associated with a dismal patient prognosis (p < 0.001 for overall survival [OS], disease-specific survival, and disease-free survival; test cohort) in both cohorts of cervical SCC. A novel grading algorithm combining these two parameters proved to be a highly effective, stage-independent prognosticator in both cohorts (OS: p < 0.001, test cohort; p = 0.001, validation cohort). In the test cohort, multivariate statistical analysis of the novel grade revealed that the hazard ratio (HR) for OS was 2.3 for G2 and 5.1 for G3 tumours compared to G1 neoplasms (p = 0.010). In the validation cohort, HR for OS was 3.0 for G2 and 7.2 for G3 tumours (p = 0.012). In conclusion, our novel grading algorithm incorporating cell nest size and tumour budding allows strongly prognostic histopathological grading of cervical SCC superior to WHO-based grading. Therefore, our data can be regarded as a cross-organ validation of previous results demonstrated for oesophageal, lung, and oral SCC. We suggest this grading algorithm as an additional morphology-based parameter for the routine

  8. Prognostic significance of the prognostic nutritional index in esophageal cancer patients undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

    PubMed

    Nakatani, M; Migita, K; Matsumoto, S; Wakatsuki, K; Ito, M; Nakade, H; Kunishige, T; Kitano, M; Kanehiro, H

    2017-08-01

    Nutritional status is one of the most important issues faced by cancer patients. Several studies have shown that a low preoperative nutritional status is associated with a worse prognosis in patients with various types of cancer, including esophageal cancer (EC). Recently, neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) and/or radiotherapy have been accepted as the standard treatment for resectable advanced EC. However, NAC has the potential to deteriorate the nutritional status of a patient. This study aimed to evaluate the prognostic significance of the nutritional status for EC patients who underwent NAC. We retrospectively reviewed 66 squamous cell EC patients who underwent NAC consisting of docetaxel, cisplatin, and 5-fluorouracil followed by subtotal esophagectomy at Nara Medical University Hospital between January 2009 and August 2015. To assess the patients' nutritional status, the prognostic nutritional index (PNI) before commencing NAC and prior to the operation was calculated as 10 × serum albumin (g/dl) + 0.005 × total lymphocyte count in the peripheral blood (per mm3). The cutoff value of the PNI was set at 45. A multivariable analysis was performed to identify prognostic factors for overall survival (OS) and relapse-free survival (RFS). The mean pre-NAC and preoperative PNI were 50.2 ± 5.7 and 48.1 ± 4.7, respectively (P = 0.005). The PNI decreased following NAC in 44 (66.7%) patients. Before initiating NAC, 9 (13.6%) patients had a low PNI, and 12 (18.2%) patients had a low PNI prior to the operation. The pre-NAC PNI and preoperative PNI were significantly associated with the OS (P = 0.013 and P = 0.004, respectively) and RFS (P = 0.036 and P = 0.005, respectively) rates. The multivariable analysis identified the preoperative PNI as an independent prognostic factor for poor OS and RFS, although the pre-NAC PNI was not an independent predictor. Our results suggest that the preoperative PNI is a useful marker for predicting the long-term outcomes of EC patients

  9. Prognostic Significance of Interleukin-34 (IL-34) in Patients With Chronic Heart Failure With or Without Renal Insufficiency.

    PubMed

    Tao, Rong; Fan, Qin; Zhang, Hang; Xie, Hongyang; Lu, Lin; Gu, Gang; Wang, Fang; Xi, Rui; Hu, Jian; Chen, Qiujing; Niu, Wenquan; Shen, Weifeng; Zhang, Ruiyan; Yan, Xiaoxiang

    2017-04-01

    Renal dysfunction, commonly associated with cardiac dysfunction, has predictive value for adverse long-term outcomes in heart failure (HF). We previously identified a novel renal biomarker, interleukin-34 (IL-34), elevated in HF patients and associated with kidney dysfunction and coronary artery disease during HF. However, the prognostic value of IL-34 in HF remains unclear, so that the present study aimed to determine it. This prospective, observational study included 510 consecutive HF patients with their serum IL-34 as well as other variables measured at baseline, and they were followed up for 2 years. The primary end point was a composite of cardiovascular death or a first HF hospitalization, with cardiovascular death, HF hospitalization, and all-cause mortality as secondary outcomes. There was a significant and gradual increase in risk as IL-34 increased, determined by log-rank tests with Kaplan-Meier curves. Serum IL-34 was also a significant prognostic predictor of the primary end point (1.301 [1.115-1.518]; P =0.001), cardiovascular death (1.347 [1.096-1.655]; P =0.005), HF hospitalization (1.234 [1.018-1.494]; P =0.032), and all-cause mortality (1.343 [1.115-1.618]; P =0.002) in HF as per SD increase in the log IL-34 level after adjusting for age, sex, traditional risk factors, and N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide. Especially, IL-34 had a more-significant prognostic value in HF patients with kidney impairment than those without. IL-34 is a significant predictor of cardiovascular death, HF hospitalization, and all-cause mortality in chronic HF, especially when concomitant with renal dysfunction. Serum IL-34 measurement may provide new insights linking kidney impairment to poor HF outcomes beyond other renal markers. © 2017 The Authors. Published on behalf of the American Heart Association, Inc., by Wiley Blackwell.

  10. [Prognostic value of first fasting glucose measurement compared with admission glucose level in patients with acute coronary syndrome].

    PubMed

    Vivas, David; García-Rubira, Juan C; González-Ferrer, Juan J; Núñez-Gil, Iván; del Prado, Náyade; Fernández-Ortiz, Antonio; Macaya, Carlos

    2008-05-01

    The admission plasma glucose (APG) level is a recognized prognostic factor in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). However, little is known about the prognostic value of the first fasting plasma glucose (FPG) measurement. The aim of this study was to determine the prognostic value of the first FPG measurement relative to that of the APG level in patients with ACS. The study involved 547 consecutive patients who were admitted to our center with a diagnosis of ACS in 2006. Patients were divided into three groups according to their first FPG or APG level (i.e., <126 mg/dL, 126-200 mg/dL, or >200 mg/dL). The primary endpoint was the combined outcome of death or reinfarction during hospitalization. The primary endpoint was observed in 46 patients, 25 of whom died. Patients in this group were older, were more often diabetics or smokers, more often had had a prior myocardial infarction, were in a higher admission Killip class, showed more than one vessel disease on catheterization, had a lower left ventricular ejection fraction, and had higher admission creatinine, APG, and first FPG levels. Multivariate analysis, adjusted for previously identified factors, revealed that the first FPG level was an independent risk factor for death or reinfarction (126-200 mg/dL, odds ratio [OR]=5.26; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.09-25.45; >200 mg/dL, OR=6.66; 95% CI, 2.05-21.63), but that the APG level was not (126-200 mg/dL, OR=0.84; 95% CI, 0.63-1.05; >200 mg/dL, OR=1.14; 95% CI, 0.29-4.51). The first FPG level was found to be a better predictor of an adverse outcome (i.e., death or reinfarction) during hospitalization in ACS patients than the APG level.

  11. Prognostic significance of Glasgow prognostic score in patients undergoing esophagectomy for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

    PubMed

    Feng, Ji-Feng; Zhao, Qiang; Chen, Qi-Xun

    2014-01-01

    Recent studies have revealed that Glasgow prognostic score (GPS), an inflammation-based prognostic score, is inversely related to prognosis in a variety of cancers; high levels of GPS is associated with poor prognosis. However, few studies regarding GPS in esophageal cancer (EC) are available. The aim of this study was to determine whether the GPS is useful for predicting cancer-specific survival (CSS) of patients for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). The GPS was calculated on the basis of admission data as follows: Patients with elevated C-reactive protein (CRP) level (>10 mg/L) and hypoalbuminemia (<35 g/L) were assigned to GPS2. Patients with one or no abnormal value were assigned to GPS1 or GPS0, respectively. Our study showed that GPS was associated with tumor size, depth of invasion, and nodal metastasis (P<0.001). In addition, there was a negative correlation between the serum CRP and albumin (r=-0.412, P<0.001). The 5-year CSS in patients with GPS0, GPS1, and GPS2 were 60.8%, 34.7% and 10.7%, respectively (P<0.001). Multivariate analysis showed that GPS was a significant predictor of CSS. GPS1-2 had a hazard ratio (HR) of 2.399 [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.805-3.190] for 1-year CSS (P<0.001) and 1.907 (95% CI: 1.608-2.262) for 5-year CSS (P<0.001). High levels of GPS is associated with tumor progression. GPS can be considered as an independent prognostic factor in patients who underwent esophagectomy for ESCC.

  12. Variable selection under multiple imputation using the bootstrap in a prognostic study

    PubMed Central

    Heymans, Martijn W; van Buuren, Stef; Knol, Dirk L; van Mechelen, Willem; de Vet, Henrica CW

    2007-01-01

    Background Missing data is a challenging problem in many prognostic studies. Multiple imputation (MI) accounts for imputation uncertainty that allows for adequate statistical testing. We developed and tested a methodology combining MI with bootstrapping techniques for studying prognostic variable selection. Method In our prospective cohort study we merged data from three different randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to assess prognostic variables for chronicity of low back pain. Among the outcome and prognostic variables data were missing in the range of 0 and 48.1%. We used four methods to investigate the influence of respectively sampling and imputation variation: MI only, bootstrap only, and two methods that combine MI and bootstrapping. Variables were selected based on the inclusion frequency of each prognostic variable, i.e. the proportion of times that the variable appeared in the model. The discriminative and calibrative abilities of prognostic models developed by the four methods were assessed at different inclusion levels. Results We found that the effect of imputation variation on the inclusion frequency was larger than the effect of sampling variation. When MI and bootstrapping were combined at the range of 0% (full model) to 90% of variable selection, bootstrap corrected c-index values of 0.70 to 0.71 and slope values of 0.64 to 0.86 were found. Conclusion We recommend to account for both imputation and sampling variation in sets of missing data. The new procedure of combining MI with bootstrapping for variable selection, results in multivariable prognostic models with good performance and is therefore attractive to apply on data sets with missing values. PMID:17629912

  13. Thai venous stroke prognostic score: TV-SPSS.

    PubMed

    Poungvarin, Niphon; Prayoonwiwat, Naraporn; Ratanakorn, Disya; Towanabut, Somchai; Tantirittisak, Tassanee; Suwanwela, Nijasri; Phanthumchinda, Kamman; Tiamkoa, Somsak; Chankrachang, Siwaporn; Nidhinandana, Samart; Laptikultham, Somsak; Limsoontarakul, Sansern; Udomphanthuruk, Suthipol

    2009-11-01

    Prognosis of cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) has never been studied in Thailand. A simple prognostic score to predict poor prognosis of CVST has also never been reported. The authors are aiming to establish a simple and reliable prognostic score for this condition. The medical records of CVST patients from eight neurological training centers in Thailand who received between April 1993 and September 2005 were reviewed as part of this retrospective study. Clinical features included headache, seizure, stroke risk factors, Glasgow coma scale (GCS), blood pressure on arrival, papilledema, hemiparesis, meningeal irritation sign, location of occluded venous sinuses, hemorrhagic infarction, cerebrospinal fluid opening pressure, treatment options, length of stay, and other complications were analyzed to determine the outcome using modified Rankin scale (mRS). Poor prognosis (defined as mRS of 3-6) was determined on the discharge date. One hundred ninety four patients' records, 127 females (65.5%) and mean age of 36.6 +/- 14.4 years, were analyzed Fifty-one patients (26.3%) were in the poor outcome group (mRS 3-6). Overall mortality was 8.4%. Univariate analysis and then multivariate analysis using SPSS version 11.5 revealed only four statistically significant predictors influencing outcome of CVST They were underlying malignancy, low GCS, presence of hemorrhagic infarction (for poor outcome), and involvement of lateral sinus (for good outcome). Thai venous stroke prognostic score (TV-SPSS) was derived from these four factors using a multiple logistic model. A simple and pragmatic prognostic score for CVST outcome has been developed with high sensitivity (93%), yet low specificity (33%). The next study should focus on the validation of this score in other prospective populations.

  14. Evidence-Based Diagnostic Algorithm for Glioma: Analysis of the Results of Pathology Panel Review and Molecular Parameters of EORTC 26951 and 26882 Trials.

    PubMed

    Kros, Johan M; Huizer, Karin; Hernández-Laín, Aurelio; Marucci, Gianluca; Michotte, Alex; Pollo, Bianca; Rushing, Elisabeth J; Ribalta, Teresa; French, Pim; Jaminé, David; Bekka, Nawal; Lacombe, Denis; van den Bent, Martin J; Gorlia, Thierry

    2015-06-10

    With the rapid discovery of prognostic and predictive molecular parameters for glioma, the status of histopathology in the diagnostic process should be scrutinized. Our project aimed to construct a diagnostic algorithm for gliomas based on molecular and histologic parameters with independent prognostic values. The pathology slides of 636 patients with gliomas who had been included in EORTC 26951 and 26882 trials were reviewed using virtual microscopy by a panel of six neuropathologists who independently scored 18 histologic features and provided an overall diagnosis. The molecular data for IDH1, 1p/19q loss, EGFR amplification, loss of chromosome 10 and chromosome arm 10q, gain of chromosome 7, and hypermethylation of the promoter of MGMT were available for some of the cases. The slides were divided in discovery (n = 426) and validation sets (n = 210). The diagnostic algorithm resulting from analysis of the discovery set was validated in the latter. In 66% of cases, consensus of overall diagnosis was present. A diagnostic algorithm consisting of two molecular markers and one consensus histologic feature was created by conditional inference tree analysis. The order of prognostic significance was: 1p/19q loss, EGFR amplification, and astrocytic morphology, which resulted in the identification of four diagnostic nodes. Validation of the nodes in the validation set confirmed the prognostic value (P < .001). We succeeded in the creation of a timely diagnostic algorithm for anaplastic glioma based on multivariable analysis of consensus histopathology and molecular parameters. © 2015 by American Society of Clinical Oncology.

  15. Prognostic significance of morphometric parameters of nucleoli and nuclei of invasive ductal breast carcinomas.

    PubMed

    Karpińska-Kaczmarczyk, Katarzyna; Kram, Andrzej; Kaczmarczyk, Mariusz; Domagała, Wenancjusz

    2009-01-01

    The aim of this study was to evaluate associations between seven morphometric parameters of the nucleoli and nuclei of methyl green and pyronin Y (MG-PY) stained tumour cells of invasive ductal breast carcinoma with relapse-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) time. Histological sections from 150 invasive ductal breast cancers were stained with MG-PY and the following parameters were evaluated by computer image analysis: the nucleolar area, long to short nucleolar axis ratio, nucleolar shape parameter assessing the degree of nucleolar roundness, long to short nuclear axis ratio, number of nucleoli in the nucleus and the percentage of the nuclear cross-section surface area occupied by the nucleoli. A statistically significant association between a nucleolar shape polymorphism and the number of nucleoli in the nuclei of tumour cells and the RFS but not OS was found in the entire group of patients as well as patients with axillary lymph node metastases. A higher polymorphism of nucleolar shape and a higher number of nucleoli in the nuclei of breast cancer cells were associated with decreased relapse-free survival (p < 0.05). The remaining morphometric parameters showed no statistically significant association with RFS or OS. The results indicate that morphometry of nucleoli in MG-PY stained histological sections can be useful in the analysis of associations between nucleolar parameters and prognosis of patients with invasive breast cancer.

  16. Prognostic indicators for dogs with dilated cardiomyopathy.

    PubMed

    Borgarelli, Michele; Santilli, Roberto A; Chiavegato, David; D'Agnolo, Gino; Zanatta, Renato; Mannelli, Alessandro; Tarducci, Alberto

    2006-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to investigate the prognostic value of various clinical, ECG, echocardiographic, and Doppler echocardiographic variables in dogs with dilated cardiomyopathy. The relationship to survival of 11 variables was evaluated in 63 dogs. Studied variables were age at time of diagnosis, class of heart failure (HF), dyspnea, ascites, atrial fibrillation (AF), ejection fraction (EF), E-point septal separation, end-diastolic volume index, end-systolic volume index (ESV-I), and restrictive or nonrestrictive transmitral flow (TMF) pattern. Median survival time was 671 days (lower 95% confidence limit, 350 days). Survival curves showed that severity of HF, ascites, ESV-I greater than 140 mL/m2, EF less than 25%, and restrictive TMF pattern had a significant negative relation to survival time. Thirty-nine dogs with both sinus rhythm and AF presented adequate TMF recordings; in these dogs, after stratification by TMF pattern, the restrictive TMF pattern was the most important negative prognostic indicator. We conclude that in dogs with dilated cardiomyopathy the restrictive TMF pattern appears to represent a useful prognostic indicator. Class of HF, ascites, ESV-I, and EF are also useful indexes if an adequate TMF pattern is not recorded.

  17. A Multifactorial Analysis of Melanoma: Prognostic Histopathological Features Comparing Clark's and Breslow's Staging Methods

    PubMed Central

    Balch, Charles M.; Murad, Tariq M.; Soong, Seng-Jaw; Ingalls, Anna Lee; Halpern, Norman B.; Maddox, William A.

    1978-01-01

    A multifactorial analysis was used to identify the dominant prognostic variables affecting survival from a computerized data base of 339 melanoma patients treated at this institution during the past 17 years. Five of the 13 parameters examined simultaneously were found to independently influence five year survival rates: 1) pathological stage (I vs II, p = 0.0014), 2) lesion ulceration (present vs absent, p = 0.006), 3) surgical treatment (wide excision vs wide excision plus lymphadenectomy, p = 0.024), 4) melanoma thickness (p = 0.032), and 5) location (upper extremity vs lower extremity vs trunk vs head and neck, p = 0.038). Additional factors considered that had either indirect or no influence on survival rates were clinical stage of disease, age, sex, level of invasion, pigmentation, lymphocyte infiltration, growth pattern, and regression. Most of these latter variables derived their prognostic value from correlation with melanoma thickness, except sex which correlated with location (extremity lesions were more frequent on females, trunk lesions on males). This statistical analysis enabled us to derive a mathematical equation for predicting an individual patient's probability of five year survival. Three categories of risk were delineated by measuring tumor thickness (Breslow microstaging) in Stage I patients: 1) thin melanomas (<0.76 mm) were associated with localized disease and a 100% cure rate: 2) intermediate thickness melanomas (0.76-4.00 mm) had an increasing risk (up to 80%) of harboring regional and/or distant metastases and 3) thick melanomas (≥4.00 mm) had a 80% risk of occult distant metastases at the time of initial presentation. The level of invasion (Clark's microstaging) correlated with survival, but was less predictive than measuring tumor thickness. Within each of Clark's Level II, III and IV groups, there were gradations of thickness with statistically different survival rates. Both microstaging methods (Breslow and Clark) were less

  18. A combined pulmonary function and emphysema score prognostic index for staging in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

    PubMed

    Boutou, Afroditi K; Nair, Arjun; Douraghi-Zadeh, Dariush; Sandhu, Ranbir; Hansell, David M; Wells, Athol U; Polkey, Michael I; Hopkinson, Nicholas S

    2014-01-01

    Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is characterized by high morbidity and mortality. Lung computed tomography parameters, individually or as part of a composite index, may provide more prognostic information than pulmonary function tests alone. To investigate the prognostic value of emphysema score and pulmonary artery measurements compared with lung function parameters in COPD and construct a prognostic index using a contingent staging approach. Predictors of mortality were assessed in COPD outpatients whose lung computed tomography, spirometry, lung volumes and gas transfer data were collected prospectively in a clinical database. Univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazard analysis models with bootstrap techniques were used. 169 patients were included (59.8% male, 61.1 years old; Forced Expiratory Volume in 1 second % predicted: 40.5±19.2). 20.1% died; mean survival was 115.4 months. Age (HR = 1.098, 95% Cl = 1.04-1.252) and emphysema score (HR = 1.034, 95% CI = 1.007-1.07) were the only independent predictors of mortality. Pulmonary artery dimensions were not associated with survival. An emphysema score of 55% was chosen as the optimal threshold and 30% and 65% as suboptimals. Where emphysema score was between 30% and 65% (intermediate risk) the optimal lung volume threshold, a functional residual capacity of 210% predicted, was applied. This contingent staging approach separated patients with an intermediate risk based on emphysema score alone into high risk (Functional Residual Capacity ≥210% predicted) or low risk (Functional Residual Capacity <210% predicted). This approach was more discriminatory for survival (HR = 3.123; 95% CI = 1.094-10.412) than either individual component alone. Although to an extent limited by the small sample size, this preliminary study indicates that the composite Emphysema score-Functional Residual Capacity index might provide a better separation of high and low risk patients with COPD

  19. Prognostic factors in canine appendicular osteosarcoma – a meta-analysis

    PubMed Central

    2012-01-01

    Background Appendicular osteosarcoma is the most common malignant primary canine bone tumor. When treated by amputation or tumor removal alone, median survival times (MST) do not exceed 5 months, with the majority of dogs suffering from metastatic disease. This period can be extended with adequate local intervention and adjuvant chemotherapy, which has become common practice. Several prognostic factors have been reported in many different studies, e.g. age, breed, weight, sex, neuter status, location of tumor, serum alkaline phosphatase (SALP), bone alkaline phosphatase (BALP), infection, percentage of bone length affected, histological grade or histological subtype of tumor. Most of these factors are, however, only reported as confounding factors in larger studies. Insight in truly significant prognostic factors at time of diagnosis may contribute to tailoring adjuvant therapy for individual dogs suffering from osteosarcoma. The objective of this study was to systematically review the prognostic factors that are described for canine appendicular osteosarcoma and validate their scientific importance. Results A literature review was performed on selected studies and eligible data were extracted. Meta-analyses were done for two of the three selected possible prognostic factors (SALP and location), looking at both survival time (ST) and disease free interval (DFI). The third factor (age) was studied in a qualitative manner. Both elevated SALP level and the (proximal) humerus as location of the primary tumor are significant negative prognostic factors for both ST and DFI in dogs with appendicular osteosarcoma. Increasing age was associated with shorter ST and DFI, however, was not statistically significant because information of this factor was available in only a limited number of papers. Conclusions Elevated SALP and proximal humeral location are significant negative prognosticators for canine osteosarcoma. PMID:22587466

  20. Characteristics of Left Atrial Deformation Parameters and Their Prognostic Impact in Patients with Pathological Left Ventricular Hypertrophy: Analysis by Speckle Tracking Echocardiography.

    PubMed

    Iio, Chiharuko; Inoue, Katsuji; Nishimura, Kazuhisa; Fujii, Akira; Nagai, Takayuki; Suzuki, Jun; Okura, Takafumi; Higaki, Jitsuo; Ogimoto, Akiyoshi

    2015-12-01

    The pathological process of left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy is associated with left atrial (LA) remodeling. This study was aimed to evaluate the prognostic value of LA strain parameters in patients with pathological LV hypertrophy. This study included 95 patients with hypertensive heart disease (HHD: n = 24), hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM: n = 56), cardiac amyloidosis (CA: n = 15), and control subjects (n = 20). We used two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography (STE) to analyze LA global strain. LA electromechanical conduction time (EMT) at the septal (EMT-septal) and lateral wall (EMT-lateral), and their time difference (EMT-diff) were calculated. The incidence of cardiac death and heart failure hospitalization was defined as major cardiac events and that of atrial fibrillation as secondary outcome. Left atrial volume index was increased and LA booster strain was decreased in the HCM and CA groups compared with the HHD group. EMT-lateral was increased in the diseased groups compared with the control. EMT-diff was prolonged in the CA group compared with the HCM group. During the follow-up period (mean 3.4 years), major cardiac events and atrial fibrillation occurred in 17 and 13 patients, respectively. The occurrence of atrial fibrillation was associated with CA etiology, E/e', LA volume index, LAa, and EMT-lateral. The incidence of major cardiac events was independently correlated with LA volume index and EMT-diff in multivariate analysis. This study suggested that the EMT-diff could discriminate patients with a high risk of cardiac events among patients with pathological LV hypertrophy. © 2015, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  1. Early life adversity and adult biological risk profiles.

    PubMed

    Friedman, Esther M; Karlamangla, Arun S; Gruenewald, Tara L; Koretz, Brandon; Seeman, Teresa E

    2015-01-01

    To determine whether there is a relationship between early life adversity (ELA) and biological parameters known to predict health risks and to examine the extent to which circumstances in midlife mediate this relationship. We analyzed data on 1180 respondents from the biomarker subsample of the second wave of the National Survey of Midlife Development in the United States. ELA assessments were based on childhood socioeconomic disadvantage (i.e., on welfare, perceived low income, and less educated parents) and other stressors (e.g., parental death, parental divorce, and parental physical abuse). The outcome variable was cumulative allostatic load (AL), a marker of biological risk. We also incorporate information on adult circumstances, including than following: education, social relationships, and health behaviors. Childhood socioeconomic adversity and physical abuse were associated with increased AL (B = 0.094, standard error = 0.041, and B = 0.263, standard error = 0.091 respectively), with nonsignificant associations for parental divorce and death with AL. Adult education mediated the relationship between socioeconomic ELA and cumulative AL to the point of nonsignificance, with this factor alone explaining nearly 40% of the relationship. The association between childhood physical abuse and AL remained even after adjusting for adult educational attainments, social relationships, and health behaviors. These associations were most pronounced for secondary stress systems, including inflammation, cardiovascular function, and lipid metabolism. The physiological consequences of early life socioeconomic adversity are attenuated by achieving high levels of schooling later on. The adverse consequences of childhood physical abuse, on the other hand, persist in multivariable-adjusted analysis.

  2. Doubt and belief in physicians' ability to prognosticate during critical illness: The perspective of surrogate decision makers

    PubMed Central

    Zier, Lucas S.; Burack, Jeffrey H.; Micco, Guy; Chipman, Anne K.; Frank, James A.; Luce, John M.; White, Douglas B.

    2009-01-01

    Objectives: Although discussing a prognosis is a duty of physicians caring for critically ill patients, little is known about surrogate decision-makers' beliefs about physicians' ability to prognosticate. We sought to determine: 1) surrogates' beliefs about whether physicians can accurately prognosticate for critically ill patients; and 2) how individuals use prognostic information in their role as surrogate decision-makers. Design, Setting, and Patients: Multicenter study in intensive care units of a public hospital, a tertiary care hospital, and a veterans' hospital. We conducted semistructured interviews with 50 surrogate decision-makers of critically ill patients. We analyzed the interview transcripts using grounded theory methods to inductively develop a framework to describe surrogates' beliefs about physicians' ability to prognosticate. Validation methods included triangulation by multidisciplinary analysis and member checking. Measurements and Main Results: Overall, 88% (44 of 50) of surrogates expressed doubt about physicians' ability to prognosticate for critically ill patients. Four distinct themes emerged that explained surrogates' doubts about prognostic accuracy: a belief that God could alter the course of the illness, a belief that predicting the future is inherently uncertain, prior experiences where physicians' prognostications were inaccurate, and experiences with prognostication during the patient's intensive care unit stay. Participants also identified several factors that led to belief in physicians' prognostications, such as receiving similar prognostic estimates from multiple physicians and prior experiences with accurate prognostication. Surrogates' doubts about prognostic accuracy did not prevent them from wanting prognostic information. Instead, most surrogate decision-makers view physicians' prognostications as rough estimates that are valuable in informing decisions, but are not determinative. Surrogates identified the act of prognostic

  3. Prognostic Significance of Tumor Necrosis in Hilar Cholangiocarcinoma.

    PubMed

    Atanasov, Georgi; Schierle, Katrin; Hau, Hans-Michael; Dietel, Corinna; Krenzien, Felix; Brandl, Andreas; Wiltberger, Georg; Englisch, Julianna Paulina; Robson, Simon C; Reutzel-Selke, Anja; Pascher, Andreas; Jonas, Sven; Pratschke, Johann; Benzing, Christian; Schmelzle, Moritz

    2017-02-01

    Tumor necrosis and peritumoral fibrosis have both been suggested to have a prognostic value in selected solid tumors. However, little is known regarding their influence on tumor progression and prognosis in hilar cholangiocarcinoma (HC). Surgically resected tumor specimens of HC (n = 47) were analyzed for formation of necrosis and extent of peritumoral fibrosis. Tumor necrosis and grade of fibrosis were assessed histologically and correlated with clinicopathological characteristics, tumor recurrence, and patients' survival. Univariate Kaplan-Meier analysis and a stepwise multivariable Cox regression model were applied. Mild peritumoral fibrosis was evident in 12 tumor samples, moderate peritumoral fibrosis in 20, and high-grade fibrosis in 15. Necrosis was evident in 19 of 47 tumor samples. Patients with tumors characterized by necrosis showed a significantly decreased 5-year recurrence-free survival (37.9 vs. 25.7 %; p < .05) and a significantly decreased 5-year overall survival (42.6 vs. 12.4 %; p < .05), when compared with patients with tumors showing no necrosis. R status, tumor recurrence, and tumor necrosis were of prognostic value in the univariate analysis (all p < .05). Multivariate survival analysis confirmed tumor necrosis (p = .038) as the only independent prognostic variable. The assessment of tumor necrosis appears as a valuable additional prognostic tool in routine histopathological evaluation of HC. These observations might have implications for monitoring and more individualized multimodal therapeutic strategies.

  4. Prognostic Utility of Novel Biomarkers of Cardiovascular Stress: The Framingham Heart Study

    PubMed Central

    Wang, Thomas J.; Wollert, Kai C.; Larson, Martin G.; Coglianese, Erin; McCabe, Elizabeth L.; Cheng, Susan; Ho, Jennifer E.; Fradley, Michael G.; Ghorbani, Anahita; Xanthakis, Vanessa; Kempf, Tibor; Benjamin, Emelia J.; Levy, Daniel; Vasan, Ramachandran S.; Januzzi, James L.

    2013-01-01

    Background Biomarkers for predicting cardiovascular events in community-based populations have not consistently added information to standard risk factors. A limitation of many previously studied biomarkers is their lack of cardiovascular specificity. Methods and Results To determine the prognostic value of 3 novel biomarkers induced by cardiovascular stress, we measured soluble ST2, growth differentiation factor-15, and high-sensitivity troponin I in 3,428 participants (mean age 59, 53% women) in the Framingham Heart Study. We performed multivariable-adjusted proportional hazards models to assess the individual and combined ability of the biomarkers to predict adverse outcomes. We also constructed a “multimarker” score composed of the 3 biomarkers, in addition to B-type natriuretic peptide and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein. During a mean follow-up of 11.3 years, there were 488 deaths, 336 major cardiovascular events, 162 heart failure events, and 142 coronary events. In multivariable-adjusted models, the 3 new biomarkers were associated with each endpoint (p<0.001) except for coronary events. Individuals with multimarker scores in the highest quartile had a 3-fold risk of death (adjusted hazard ratio, 3.2, 95% CI, 2.2–4.7; p<0.001), 6-fold risk of heart failure (6.2, 95% CI, 2.6–14.8; p<0.001), and 2-fold risk of cardiovascular events (1.9, 95% CI, 1.3–2.7; p=0.001). Addition of the multimarker score to clinical variables led to significant increases in the c-statistic (p=0.007 or lower) and net reclassification improvement (p=0.001 or lower). Conclusions Multiple biomarkers of cardiovascular stress are detectable in ambulatory individuals, and add prognostic value to standard risk factors for predicting death, overall cardiovascular events, and heart failure. PMID:22907935

  5. Prognostic utility of novel biomarkers of cardiovascular stress: the Framingham Heart Study.

    PubMed

    Wang, Thomas J; Wollert, Kai C; Larson, Martin G; Coglianese, Erin; McCabe, Elizabeth L; Cheng, Susan; Ho, Jennifer E; Fradley, Michael G; Ghorbani, Anahita; Xanthakis, Vanessa; Kempf, Tibor; Benjamin, Emelia J; Levy, Daniel; Vasan, Ramachandran S; Januzzi, James L

    2012-09-25

    Biomarkers for predicting cardiovascular events in community-based populations have not consistently added information to standard risk factors. A limitation of many previously studied biomarkers is their lack of cardiovascular specificity. To determine the prognostic value of 3 novel biomarkers induced by cardiovascular stress, we measured soluble ST2, growth differentiation factor-15, and high-sensitivity troponin I in 3428 participants (mean age, 59 years; 53% women) in the Framingham Heart Study. We performed multivariable-adjusted proportional hazards models to assess the individual and combined ability of the biomarkers to predict adverse outcomes. We also constructed a "multimarker" score composed of the 3 biomarkers in addition to B-type natriuretic peptide and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein. During a mean follow-up of 11.3 years, there were 488 deaths, 336 major cardiovascular events, 162 heart failure events, and 142 coronary events. In multivariable-adjusted models, the 3 new biomarkers were associated with each end point (P<0.001) except coronary events. Individuals with multimarker scores in the highest quartile had a 3-fold risk of death (adjusted hazard ratio, 3.2; 95% confidence interval, 2.2-4.7; P<0.001), 6-fold risk of heart failure (6.2; 95% confidence interval, 2.6-14.8; P<0.001), and 2-fold risk of cardiovascular events (1.9; 95% confidence interval, 1.3-2.7; P=0.001). Addition of the multimarker score to clinical variables led to significant increases in the c statistic (P=0.005 or lower) and net reclassification improvement (P=0.001 or lower). Multiple biomarkers of cardiovascular stress are detectable in ambulatory individuals and add prognostic value to standard risk factors for predicting death, overall cardiovascular events, and heart failure.

  6. Increased risk of adverse drug events secondary to bevacizumab treatment in patients with advanced or metastatic breast cancer: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

    PubMed

    Shin, Sooyoung; Noh, Yoojin

    2018-01-01

    Several clinical trials have shown an increased risk of hypertension with bevacizumab when added to chemotherapy in different types of malignancy; however, the risks of other significant adverse events besides hypertension, specifically in breast cancer, have not been completely elucidated. This study was conducted with the aim, primarily, to assess the overall incidence and risk of common toxicities associated with bevacizumab in patients with advanced or metastatic breast cancer and, secondarily, to descriptively review study results concerning a potential correlation between bevacizumab-induced hypertension and its efficacy for breast cancer treatment. We carried out a meta-analysis of relevant randomized controlled trials (RCTs) identified from a database search (Cochrane Library and PubMed) and, additionally, by reviewing previous reviews and meta-analyses. Overall incidence rates, odds ratios (ORs), and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were assessed with the random- or fixed-effect models, depending on the level of heterogeneity across the included trials. The primary clinical outcomes were high-grade adverse events commonly reported with bevacizumab therapy. We included 6,260 patients with advanced-stage breast cancer from 12 RCTs in the meta-analysis. Five types of high-grade (Grade 3 or 4) adverse drug events were identified as being correlated with bevacizumab treatment versus alternative treatment with statistical significance: hypertension (OR 5.67, 95% CI 3.02-10.65), proteinuria (OR 10.09, 95% CI 4.79-21.27), bleeding (OR 3.45, 95% CI 2.25-5.30), cardiac toxicity (OR 2.15, 95% CI 1.29-3.59), and neutropenic fever (OR 1.51, 95% CI 1.15-2.00). The prognostic value of bevacizumab-induced hypertension for its antitumor efficacy among patients with breast cancer remains controversial, with mixed results presented in the five retrospective studies that were identified from our additional literature search. The addition of bevacizumab to anticancer therapy was

  7. Prognostic Indexes for Brain Metastases: Which Is the Most Powerful?

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Arruda Viani, Gustavo, E-mail: gusviani@gmail.com; Bernardes da Silva, Lucas Godoi; Stefano, Eduardo Jose

    Purpose: The purpose of the present study was to compare the prognostic indexes (PIs) of patients with brain metastases (BMs) treated with whole brain radiotherapy (WBRT) using an artificial neural network. This analysis is important, because it evaluates the prognostic power of each PI to guide clinical decision-making and outcomes research. Methods and Materials: A retrospective prognostic study was conducted of 412 patients with BMs who underwent WBRT between April 1998 and March 2010. The eligibility criteria for patients included having undergone WBRT or WBRT plus neurosurgery. The data were analyzed using the artificial neural network. The input neural datamore » consisted of all prognostic factors included in the 5 PIs (recursive partitioning analysis, graded prognostic assessment [GPA], basic score for BMs, Rotterdam score, and Germany score). The data set was randomly divided into 300 training and 112 testing examples for survival prediction. All 5 PIs were compared using our database of 412 patients with BMs. The sensibility of the 5 indexes to predict survival according to their input variables was determined statistically using receiver operating characteristic curves. The importance of each variable from each PI was subsequently evaluated. Results: The overall 1-, 2-, and 3-year survival rate was 22%, 10.2%, and 5.1%, respectively. All classes of PIs were significantly associated with survival (recursive partitioning analysis, P < .0001; GPA, P < .0001; basic score for BMs, P = .002; Rotterdam score, P = .001; and Germany score, P < .0001). Comparing the areas under the curves, the GPA was statistically most sensitive in predicting survival (GPA, 86%; recursive partitioning analysis, 81%; basic score for BMs, 79%; Rotterdam, 73%; and Germany score, 77%; P < .001). Among the variables included in each PI, the performance status and presence of extracranial metastases were the most important factors. Conclusion: A variety of prognostic models describe

  8. Incidence and economic burden of suspected adverse events and adverse event monitoring during AF therapy.

    PubMed

    Kim, M H; Lin, J; Hussein, M; Battleman, D

    2009-12-01

    Rhythm- and rate-control therapies are an essential part of atrial fibrillation (AF) management; however, the use of existing agents is often limited by the occurrence of adverse events. The aim of this study was to evaluate suspected adverse events and adverse event monitoring, and associated medical costs, in patients receiving AF rhythm-control and/or rate-control therapy. This retrospective cohort study used claims data from the Integrated Healthcare Information Systems National Managed Care Benchmark Database from 2002-2006. Patients hospitalized for AF (primary diagnosis), and who had at least 365 days' enrollment before and after the initial (index) AF hospitalization, were included in the analysis. Suspected AF therapy-related adverse events and function tests for adverse event monitoring were identified according to pre-specified diagnosis codes/procedures, and examined over the 12 months following discharge from the index hospitalization. Events/function tests had to have occurred within 90 days of a claim for AF therapy to be considered a suspected adverse event/adverse event monitoring. Of 4174 AF patients meeting the study criteria, 3323 received AF drugs; 428 received rhythm-control only (12.9%), 2130 rate-control only (64.1%), and 765 combined rhythm/rate-control therapy (23.0%). Overall, 50.1% of treated patients had a suspected adverse event and/or function test for adverse event monitoring (45.5% with rate-control, 53.5% with rhythm-control, and 61.2% with combined rhythm/rate-control). Suspected cardiovascular adverse events were the most common events (occurring in 36.1% of patients), followed by pulmonary (6.1%), and endocrine events (5.9%). Overall, suspected adverse events/function tests were associated with mean annual per-patient costs of $3089 ($1750 with rhythm-control, $2041 with rate control, and $6755 with combined rhythm/rate-control). As a retrospective analysis, the study is subject to potential selection bias, while its reliance on

  9. External validation of a Cox prognostic model: principles and methods

    PubMed Central

    2013-01-01

    Background A prognostic model should not enter clinical practice unless it has been demonstrated that it performs a useful role. External validation denotes evaluation of model performance in a sample independent of that used to develop the model. Unlike for logistic regression models, external validation of Cox models is sparsely treated in the literature. Successful validation of a model means achieving satisfactory discrimination and calibration (prediction accuracy) in the validation sample. Validating Cox models is not straightforward because event probabilities are estimated relative to an unspecified baseline function. Methods We describe statistical approaches to external validation of a published Cox model according to the level of published information, specifically (1) the prognostic index only, (2) the prognostic index together with Kaplan-Meier curves for risk groups, and (3) the first two plus the baseline survival curve (the estimated survival function at the mean prognostic index across the sample). The most challenging task, requiring level 3 information, is assessing calibration, for which we suggest a method of approximating the baseline survival function. Results We apply the methods to two comparable datasets in primary breast cancer, treating one as derivation and the other as validation sample. Results are presented for discrimination and calibration. We demonstrate plots of survival probabilities that can assist model evaluation. Conclusions Our validation methods are applicable to a wide range of prognostic studies and provide researchers with a toolkit for external validation of a published Cox model. PMID:23496923

  10. Prognostic Importance of Spinopelvic Parameters in the Assessment of Conservative Treatment in Patients with Spondylolisthesis.

    PubMed

    M L V, Sai Krishna; Sharma, Deep; Menon, Jagdish

    2018-04-01

    This was a prospective, two-group comparative study. The present study aimed to determine the importance of the spinopelvic parameters in the causation and progression of spondylolisthesis. Spondylolisthesis is slippage of one vertebra over the vertebra below. Since the discovery of pelvic incidence (PI) in 1998 in addition to documentation of other parameters in spinopelvic balance, slippage in spondylolisthesis has been attributed to these parameters. Many studies on the Caucasian population have implicated high PI as a causative factor of spondylolisthesis. To the best of our knowledge, no study has described the role of these parameters in the progression of spondylolisthesis. The study was conducted in Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, Puducherry, India. Seventy-nine patients with spondylolisthesis consented to participate in the study. All patients were advised to undergo conservative treatment and were regularly followed up according to the protocol. Seventy-five asymptomatic volunteers were recruited as a control group. Of the total of 79 patients, 54 were followed up for 6 months, during which 46 improved, eight showed no improvement, and 25 were lost to follow-up. Sagittal spinopelvic parameters were measured by a single observer using the Surgimap spine software ver. 2.1.2 (Nemaris, New York, NY, USA). Parameters measured were PI, pelvic tilt (PT), sacral slope (SS), thoracic kyphosis, and lumbar lordosis. The results from patients and controls were compared using appropriate statistical methods. The normal and spondylolisthesis groups significantly differed with respect to PI, SS, and PT ( p <0.001). There were no significant differences in the measured spinopelvic parameters between patients with high- and low-grade spondylolisthesis or between those whose condition improved and those whose condition worsened. PI, the most important of all spinopelvic parameters, is responsible for the slip in spondylolisthesis, but

  11. Prognostics and Health Management of Wind Turbines: Current Status and Future Opportunities

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Sheng, Shuangwen

    This presentation was given at the 2016 Annual Conference of the Prognostics and Health Management Society. It covers the current status and challenges and opportunities of prognostics and health management of wind turbines.

  12. Prognostics Approach for Power MOSFET Under Thermal-Stress

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Galvan, Jose Ramon Celaya; Saxena, Abhinav; Kulkarni, Chetan S.; Saha, Sankalita; Goebel, Kai

    2012-01-01

    The prognostic technique for a power MOSFET presented in this paper is based on accelerated aging of MOSFET IRF520Npbf in a TO-220 package. The methodology utilizes thermal and power cycling to accelerate the life of the devices. The major failure mechanism for the stress conditions is dieattachment degradation, typical for discrete devices with leadfree solder die attachment. It has been determined that dieattach degradation results in an increase in ON-state resistance due to its dependence on junction temperature. Increasing resistance, thus, can be used as a precursor of failure for the die-attach failure mechanism under thermal stress. A feature based on normalized ON-resistance is computed from in-situ measurements of the electro-thermal response. An Extended Kalman filter is used as a model-based prognostics techniques based on the Bayesian tracking framework. The proposed prognostics technique reports on preliminary work that serves as a case study on the prediction of remaining life of power MOSFETs and builds upon the work presented in [1]. The algorithm considered in this study had been used as prognostics algorithm in different applications and is regarded as suitable candidate for component level prognostics. This work attempts to further the validation of such algorithm by presenting it with real degradation data including measurements from real sensors, which include all the complications (noise, bias, etc.) that are regularly not captured on simulated degradation data. The algorithm is developed and tested on the accelerated aging test timescale. In real world operation, the timescale of the degradation process and therefore the RUL predictions will be considerable larger. It is hypothesized that even though the timescale will be larger, it remains constant through the degradation process and the algorithm and model would still apply under the slower degradation process. By using accelerated aging data with actual device measurements and real

  13. The prognostic value of p62 in solid tumor patients: a meta-analysis

    PubMed Central

    Ruan, Haihua; Xu, Jingyue; Wang, Lingling; Zhao, Zhenyu; Kong, Lingqin; Lan, Bei; Li, Xichuan

    2018-01-01

    p62, as a scaffolding/adaptor protein, is involved in multiple physiological processes include inflammation, autophagy and mitosis. However, the influence of p62 in cancer patients has not been comprehensively investigated. Moreover, the prognostic value of p62 for the survival of patients with solid tumors remains controversial. In this present meta-analysis, twenty suitable articles were identified from PubMed, EMBASE and Web of Science, Nature databases, including 4271 patients. A random-effect or fixed-effect model was adopted to correlate p62 expression with different outcome measured in entire tumors. Combined with results of hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs), we concluded that higher expression of p62 is associated with poorer overall survival (OS) (HR: 2.22, 95% CI: 1.82–2.71, P < 0.05), disease-free survival (DFS) (HR = 2.48, 95% CI: 1.78–3.46, P < 0.05) and even certain clinicopathological parameters, such as lymph node metastasis (RR = 1.21, 95% CI: 1.06–1.37) and clinical stages (RR = 1.27, 95% CI: 1.12–1.45), in cancer patients. Consequently, our data showed that p62 might be an effective poor prognostic factor for patients with various solid tumors. PMID:29423120

  14. Tissue microarray immunohistochemical detection of brachyury is not a prognostic indicator in chordoma.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Linlin; Guo, Shang; Schwab, Joseph H; Nielsen, G Petur; Choy, Edwin; Ye, Shunan; Zhang, Zhan; Mankin, Henry; Hornicek, Francis J; Duan, Zhenfeng

    2013-01-01

    Brachyury is a marker for notochord-derived tissues and neoplasms, such as chordoma. However, the prognostic relevance of brachyury expression in chordoma is still unknown. The improvement of tissue microarray technology has provided the opportunity to perform analyses of tumor tissues on a large scale in a uniform and consistent manner. This study was designed with the use of tissue microarray to determine the expression of brachyury. Brachyury expression in chordoma tissues from 78 chordoma patients was analyzed by immunohistochemical staining of tissue microarray. The clinicopathologic parameters, including gender, age, location of tumor and metastatic status were evaluated. Fifty-nine of 78 (75.64%) tumors showed nuclear staining for brachyury, and among them, 29 tumors (49.15%) showed 1+ (<30% positive cells) staining, 15 tumors (25.42%) had 2+ (31% to 60% positive cells) staining, and 15 tumors (25.42%) demonstrated 3+ (61% to 100% positive cells) staining. Brachyury nuclear staining was detected more frequently in sacral chordomas than in chordomas of the mobile spine. However, there was no significant relationship between brachyury expression and other clinical variables. By Kaplan-Meier analysis, brachyury expression failed to produce any significant relationship with the overall survival rate. In conclusion, brachyury expression is not a prognostic indicator in chordoma.

  15. Match and mismatch - comparing plant phenological metrics from ground-observations and from a prognostic model

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rutishauser, This; Stöckli, Reto; Jeanneret, François; Peñuelas, Josep

    2010-05-01

    Changes in the seasonality of life cycles of plants as recorded in phenological observations have been widely analysed at the species level with data available for many decades back in time. At the same time, seasonality changes in satellite-based observations and prognostic phenology models comprise information at the pixel-size or landscape scale. Change analysis of satellite-based records is restricted due to relatively short satellite records that further include gaps while model-based analyses are biased due to current model deficiencies., At 30 selected sites across Europe, we analysed three different sources of plant seasonality during the 1971-2000 period. Data consisted of (1) species-specific development stages of flowering and leave-out with different species observed at each site. (2) We used a synthetic phenological metric that integrates the common interannual phenological signal across all species at one site. (3) We estimated daily Leaf Area Index with a prognostic phenology model. The prior uncertainties of the model's empirical parameter space are constrained by assimilating the Fraction of Photosynthetically Active Radiation absorbed by vegetation (FPAR) and Leaf Area Index (LAI) from the MODerate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). We extracted the day of year when the 25%, 50% and 75% thresholds were passed each spring. The question arises how the three phenological signals compare and correlate across climate zones in Europe. Is there a match between single species observations, species-based ground-observed metrics and the landscape-scale prognostic model? Are there single key-species across Europe that best represent a landscape scale measure from the prognostic model? Can one source substitute another and serve as proxy-data? What can we learn from potential mismatches? Focusing on changes in spring this contribution presents first results of an ongoing comparison study from a number of European test sites that will be extended to

  16. Prognostic significance of peripheral monocyte count in patients with extranodal natural killer/T-cell lymphoma.

    PubMed

    Huang, Jia-Jia; Li, Ya-Jun; Xia, Yi; Wang, Yu; Wei, Wen-Xiao; Zhu, Ying-Jie; Lin, Tong-Yu; Huang, Hui-Qiang; Jiang, Wen-Qi; Li, Zhi-Ming

    2013-05-03

    Extranodal natural killer/T-cell lymphoma (ENKL) has heterogeneous clinical manifestations and prognosis. This study aims to evaluate the prognostic impact of absolute monocyte count (AMC) in ENKL, and provide some immunologically relevant information for better risk stratification in patients with ENKL. Retrospective data from 163 patients newly diagnosed with ENKL were analyzed. The absolute monocyte count (AMC) at diagnosis was analyzed as continuous and dichotomized variables. Independent prognostic factors of survival were determined by Cox regression analysis. The AMC at diagnosis were related to overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with ENKL. Multivariate analysis identified AMC as independent prognostic factors of survival, independent of International Prognostic Index (IPI) and Korean prognostic index (KPI). The prognostic index incorporating AMC and absolute lymphocyte count (ALC), another surrogate factor of immune status, could be used to stratify all 163 patients with ENKL into different prognostic groups. For patients who received chemotherapy followed by radiotherapy (102 cases), the three AMC/ALC index categories identified patients with significantly different survivals. When superimposed on IPI or KPI categories, the AMC/ALC index was better able to identify high-risk patients in the low-risk IPI or KPI category. The baseline peripheral monocyte count is shown to be an effective prognostic indicator of survival in ENKL patients. The prognostic index related to tumor microenvironment might be helpful to identify high-risk patients with ENKL.

  17. Prognostic significance of peripheral monocyte count in patients with extranodal natural killer/T-cell lymphoma

    PubMed Central

    2013-01-01

    Background Extranodal natural killer/T-cell lymphoma (ENKL) has heterogeneous clinical manifestations and prognosis. This study aims to evaluate the prognostic impact of absolute monocyte count (AMC) in ENKL, and provide some immunologically relevant information for better risk stratification in patients with ENKL. Methods Retrospective data from 163 patients newly diagnosed with ENKL were analyzed. The absolute monocyte count (AMC) at diagnosis was analyzed as continuous and dichotomized variables. Independent prognostic factors of survival were determined by Cox regression analysis. Results The AMC at diagnosis were related to overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with ENKL. Multivariate analysis identified AMC as independent prognostic factors of survival, independent of International Prognostic Index (IPI) and Korean prognostic index (KPI). The prognostic index incorporating AMC and absolute lymphocyte count (ALC), another surrogate factor of immune status, could be used to stratify all 163 patients with ENKL into different prognostic groups. For patients who received chemotherapy followed by radiotherapy (102 cases), the three AMC/ALC index categories identified patients with significantly different survivals. When superimposed on IPI or KPI categories, the AMC/ALC index was better able to identify high-risk patients in the low-risk IPI or KPI category. Conclusion The baseline peripheral monocyte count is shown to be an effective prognostic indicator of survival in ENKL patients. The prognostic index related to tumor microenvironment might be helpful to identify high-risk patients with ENKL. PMID:23638998

  18. The Prognostic Value of Signet-Ring Cell Histology in Resected Gastric Adenocarcinoma.

    PubMed

    Postlewait, Lauren M; Squires, Malcolm H; Kooby, David A; Poultsides, George A; Weber, Sharon M; Bloomston, Mark; Fields, Ryan C; Pawlik, Timothy M; Votanopoulos, Konstantinos I; Schmidt, Carl R; Ejaz, Aslam; Acher, Alexandra W; Worhunsky, David J; Saunders, Neil; Swords, Douglas; Jin, Linda X; Cho, Clifford S; Winslow, Emily R; Cardona, Kenneth; Staley, Charles A; Maithel, Shishir K

    2015-12-01

    Conflicting data exist on the prognostic implication of signet-ring cell (SRC) histology in gastric adenocarcinoma (GAC). All patients who underwent curative-intent resection of GAC from the seven institutions of the U.S. Gastric Cancer Collaborative between 2000 and 2012 were included. Primary end points were recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS). Stage-specific analyses were performed. A total of 768 patients met the inclusion criteria. SRC was present in 40.6 % of patients and was associated with female sex (52.9 vs. 38.6 %; p < 0.001), younger age (61 vs. 67 years; p < 0.001), poor differentiation (94.8 vs. 50.3 %; p < 0.001), perineural invasion (PNI) (41.4 vs. 23 %; p < 0.001), microscopically positive resection margins (R1, 24.7 vs. 8.6 %; p < 0.001), distal location (82.2 vs. 70.1 %; p < 0.001), receipt of adjuvant therapy (63 vs. 51.2 %; p = 0.002), and more advanced stage (stage 3: 55.2 vs. 36.5 %; p < 0.001). SRC was associated with earlier recurrence (56.7 months vs. median not reached; p = 0.009) and decreased OS (33.7 vs. 46.6 months; p = 0.011). When accounting for other adverse pathologic features, PNI (hazard ratio [HR] 1.57; p = 0.016) and higher stage (HR 2.64; p < 0.001) were associated with decreased RFS, but SRC was not. Although PNI (HR 1.52; p = 0.007), higher stage (HR 2.11; p < 0.001), greater size (HR 1.05; p = 0.016), and adjuvant therapy (HR 0.50; p < 0.001) were associated with OS, SRC was not. Similarly, when accounting for adverse pathologic factors on multivariate analysis, stage-specific analyses showed no association between SRC and RFS or OS. SRC histology is associated with adverse pathologic features including poor differentiation, higher stage, and microscopically positive resection margins but is not independently associated with reduced RFS or OS. Identification of signet-ring histology during preoperative evaluation should not, in isolation, dictate treatment strategy.

  19. Uncertainty Representation and Interpretation in Model-Based Prognostics Algorithms Based on Kalman Filter Estimation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Galvan, Jose Ramon; Saxena, Abhinav; Goebel, Kai Frank

    2012-01-01

    This article discusses several aspects of uncertainty representation and management for model-based prognostics methodologies based on our experience with Kalman Filters when applied to prognostics for electronics components. In particular, it explores the implications of modeling remaining useful life prediction as a stochastic process, and how it relates to uncertainty representation, management and the role of prognostics in decision-making. A distinction between the interpretations of estimated remaining useful life probability density function is explained and a cautionary argument is provided against mixing interpretations for two while considering prognostics in making critical decisions.

  20. Predictive and Prognostic Factors in Ovarian and Uterine Carcinosarcomas

    PubMed Central

    Cicin, İrfan; Özatlı, Tahsin; Türkmen, Esma; Özturk, Türkan; Özçelik, Melike; Çabuk, Devrim; Gökdurnalı, Ayşe; Balvan, Özlem; Yıldız, Yaşar; Şeker, Metin; Özdemir, Nuriye; Yapar, Burcu; Tanrıverdi, Özgür; Günaydin, Yusuf; Menekşe, Serkan; Öksüzoğlu, Berna; Aksoy, Asude; Erdogan, Bülent; Bekir Hacıoglu, M.; Arpaci, Erkan; Sevinç, Alper

    2016-01-01

    Background: Prognostic factors and the standard treatment approach for gynaecological carcinosarcomas have not yet been clearly defined. Although carcinosarcomas are more aggressive than pure epithelial tumours, they are treated similarly. Serous/clear cell and endometrioid components may be predictive factors for the efficacy of adjuvant chemotherapy (CT) or radiotherapy (RT) or RT in patients with uterine and ovarian carcinosarcomas. Heterologous carcinosarcomas may benefit more from adjuvant CT. Aims: We aimed to define the prognostic and predictive factors associated with treatment options in ovarian (OCS) and uterine carcinosarcoma (UCS). Study Design: Retrospective cross-sectional study Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of patients with ovarian and uterine carcinosarcoma from 2000 to 2013, and 127 women were included in this study (24 ovarian and 103 uterine). Patients admitted to seventeen oncology centres in Turkey between 2000 and December 2013 with a histologically proven diagnosis of uterine carcinosarcoma with FIGO 2009 stage I–III and patients with sufficient data obtained from well-kept medical records were included in this study. Stage IV tumours were excluded. The patient records were retrospectively reviewed. Data from 104 patients were evaluated for this study. Results: Age (≥70 years) was a poor prognostic factor for UCS (p=0.036). Pelvic±para aortic lymph node dissection did not affect overall survival (OS) (p=0.35). Macroscopic residual disease was related with OS (p<0.01). The median OS was significantly longer in stage I–II patients than stage III patients (p=0.03). Adjuvant treatment improved OS (p=0.013). Adjuvant radiotherapy tended to increase the median OS (p=0.075). However, this tendency was observed in UCS (p=0.08) rather than OCS (p=0.6).Adjuvant chemotherapy had no effect on OS (p=0.15).Adjuvant radiotherapy significantly prolonged the median OS in patients with endometrioid component (p=0.034). A

  1. A New Multivariate Approach for Prognostics Based on Extreme Learning Machine and Fuzzy Clustering.

    PubMed

    Javed, Kamran; Gouriveau, Rafael; Zerhouni, Noureddine

    2015-12-01

    Prognostics is a core process of prognostics and health management (PHM) discipline, that estimates the remaining useful life (RUL) of a degrading machinery to optimize its service delivery potential. However, machinery operates in a dynamic environment and the acquired condition monitoring data are usually noisy and subject to a high level of uncertainty/unpredictability, which complicates prognostics. The complexity further increases, when there is absence of prior knowledge about ground truth (or failure definition). For such issues, data-driven prognostics can be a valuable solution without deep understanding of system physics. This paper contributes a new data-driven prognostics approach namely, an "enhanced multivariate degradation modeling," which enables modeling degrading states of machinery without assuming a homogeneous pattern. In brief, a predictability scheme is introduced to reduce the dimensionality of the data. Following that, the proposed prognostics model is achieved by integrating two new algorithms namely, the summation wavelet-extreme learning machine and subtractive-maximum entropy fuzzy clustering to show evolution of machine degradation by simultaneous predictions and discrete state estimation. The prognostics model is equipped with a dynamic failure threshold assignment procedure to estimate RUL in a realistic manner. To validate the proposition, a case study is performed on turbofan engines data from PHM challenge 2008 (NASA), and results are compared with recent publications.

  2. Visual and semiquantitative 11C-methionine PET: an independent prognostic factor for survival of newly diagnosed and treatment-naïve gliomas.

    PubMed

    Poetsch, Nina; Woehrer, Adelheid; Gesperger, Johanna; Furtner, Julia; Haug, Alexander R; Wilhelm, Dorothee; Widhalm, Georg; Karanikas, Georgios; Weber, Michael; Rausch, Ivo; Mitterhauser, Markus; Wadsak, Wolfgang; Hacker, Marcus; Preusser, Matthias; Traub-Weidinger, Tatjana

    2018-02-19

    Few data exist regarding the prognostic value of L-[S-methyl-11C]methionine (MET) PET for treatment-naïve gliomas. A total of 160 glioma patients (89 men, 71 women; mean age: 45, range 18-84 y) underwent a MET PET prior to any therapy. The PET scans were evaluated visually and semiquantitatively by tumor-to-background (T/N) ratio thresholds chosen by analysis of receiver operating characteristics. Additionally, isocitrate dehydrogenase 1-R132H (IDH1-R132H) immunohistochemistry was performed. Survival analysis was done using Kaplan-Meier estimates and the Cox proportional hazards model. Significantly shorter mean survival times (7.2 vs 8.6 y; P = 0.024) were seen in patients with amino acid avid gliomas (n = 137) compared with visually negative tumors (n = 33) in MET PET. T/N ratio thresholds of 2.1 and 3.5 were significantly associated with survival (10.3 vs 7 vs 4.3 y; P < 0.001). Mean survival differed significantly using the median T/N ratio of 2.4 as cutoff, independent of histopathology (P < 0.01; mean survival: 10.2 ± 0.8 y vs 5.5 ± 0.6 y). In the subgroup of 142 glioma patients characterized by IDH1-R132H status, METT/N ratio demonstrated a significant prognostic impact in IDH1-R132H wildtype astrocytomas and glioblastoma (P = 0.001). Additionally, multivariate testing revealed semiquantitative MET PET as an independent prognostic parameter for treatment-naïve glioma patients without (P = 0.031) and with IDH1-R132H characterization of gliomas (P = 0.024; odds ratio 1.57). This retrospective analysis demonstrates the value of MET PET as a prognostic parameter on survival in treatment-naïve glioma patients. © The Author(s) 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Neuro-Oncology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com

  3. HPV RNA CISH score identifies two prognostic groups in a p16 positive oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma population.

    PubMed

    Augustin, Jérémy; Mandavit, Marion; Outh-Gauer, Sophie; Grard, Ophélie; Gasne, Cassandre; Lépine, Charles; Mirghani, Haïtham; Hans, Stéphane; Bonfils, Pierre; Denize, Thomas; Bruneval, Patrick; Bishop, Justin A; Fontugne, Jacqueline; Péré, Hélène; Tartour, Eric; Badoual, Cécile

    2018-06-20

    HPV-related and HPV-unrelated oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinomas are two distinct entities according to the Union for International Cancer Control, with a better prognosis conferred to HPV-related oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinomas. However, variable clinical outcomes are observed among patients with p16 positive oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma, which is a surrogate marker of HPV infection. We aimed to investigate the prognostic value of RNA CISH against E6 and E7 transcripts (HPV RNA CISH) to predict such variability. We retrospectively included 50 histologically confirmed p16 positive oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinomas (p16 positive immunostaining was defined by a strong staining in 70% or more of tumor cells). HPV RNA CISH staining was assessed semi-quantitatively to define two scores: RNA CISH "low" and RNA CISH "high". Negative HPV RNA CISH cases were scored as RNA CISH "low". This series contained 29 RNA CISH low cases (58%) and 21 RNA CISH high cases (42%). Clinical and pathologic baseline characteristics were similar between the two groups. RNA CISH high staining was associated with a better overall survival in both univariate and multivariate analyses (p = 0.033 and p = 0.042, respectively). Other recorded parameters had no prognostic value. In conclusion, HPV RNA CISH might be an independent prognostic marker in p16 positive oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinomas and might help guide therapeutics.

  4. Smoking Adversely Affects Survival in Acute Myeloid Leukemia Patients

    PubMed Central

    Varadarajan, Ramya; Licht, Andrea S; Hyland, Andrew J; Ford, Laurie A.; Sait, Sheila N.J.; Block, Annemarie W.; Barcos, Maurice; Baer, Maria R.; Wang, Eunice S.; Wetzler, Meir

    2011-01-01

    Summary Smoking adversely affects hematopoietic stem cell transplantation outcome. We asked whether smoking affected outcome of newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients treated with chemotherapy. Data were collected on 280 AML patients treated with high-dose cytarabine and idarubicin-containing regimens at Roswell Park Cancer Institute who had smoking status data at diagnosis. Patients’ gender, age, AML presentation (de novo vs. secondary), white blood cell (WBC) count at diagnosis, karyotype and smoking status (never vs. ever) were analyzed. Among the 161 males and 119 females with a median follow-up of 12.9 months, 101 (36.1%) had never smoked and 179 (63.9%) were ever smokers. The proportion of patients between never and ever smokers was similar with respect to age, AML presentation, WBC count at diagnosis or karyotype based on univariate analysis of these categorical variables. Never smokers had a significantly longer overall survival (60.32 months) compared to ever smokers (30.89; p=0.005). In multivariate analysis incorporating gender, age, AML presentation, WBC count, karyotype, and smoking status as covariates, age, karyotype and smoking status retained prognostic value for overall survival. In summary, cigarette smoking has a deleterious effect on overall survival in AML. PMID:21520043

  5. Diagnostic and prognostic epigenetic biomarkers in cancer.

    PubMed

    Costa-Pinheiro, Pedro; Montezuma, Diana; Henrique, Rui; Jerónimo, Carmen

    2015-01-01

    Growing cancer incidence and mortality worldwide demands development of accurate biomarkers to perfect detection, diagnosis, prognostication and monitoring. Urologic (prostate, bladder, kidney), lung, breast and colorectal cancers are the most common and despite major advances in their characterization, this has seldom translated into biomarkers amenable for clinical practice. Epigenetic alterations are innovative cancer biomarkers owing to stability, frequency, reversibility and accessibility in body fluids, entailing great potential of assay development to assist in patient management. Several studies identified putative epigenetic cancer biomarkers, some of which have been commercialized. However, large multicenter validation studies are required to foster translation to the clinics. Herein we review the most promising epigenetic detection, diagnostic, prognostic and predictive biomarkers for the most common cancers.

  6. Bimodality of intratumor Ki67 expression is an independent prognostic factor of overall survival in patients with invasive breast carcinoma.

    PubMed

    Laurinavicius, Arvydas; Plancoulaine, Benoit; Rasmusson, Allan; Besusparis, Justinas; Augulis, Renaldas; Meskauskas, Raimundas; Herlin, Paulette; Laurinaviciene, Aida; Abdelhadi Muftah, Abir A; Miligy, Islam; Aleskandarany, Mohammed; Rakha, Emad A; Green, Andrew R; Ellis, Ian O

    2016-04-01

    Proliferative activity, assessed by Ki67 immunohistochemistry (IHC), is an established prognostic and predictive biomarker of breast cancer (BC). However, it remains under-utilized due to lack of standardized robust measurement methodologies and significant intratumor heterogeneity of expression. A recently proposed methodology for IHC biomarker assessment in whole slide images (WSI), based on systematic subsampling of tissue information extracted by digital image analysis (DIA) into hexagonal tiling arrays, enables computation of a comprehensive set of Ki67 indicators, including intratumor variability. In this study, the tiling methodology was applied to assess Ki67 expression in WSI of 152 surgically removed Ki67-stained (on full-face sections) BC specimens and to test which, if any, Ki67 indicators can predict overall survival (OS). Visual Ki67 IHC estimates and conventional clinico-pathologic parameters were also included in the study. Analysis revealed linearly independent intrinsic factors of the Ki67 IHC variance: proliferation (level of expression), disordered texture (entropy), tumor size and Nottingham Prognostic Index, bimodality, and correlation. All visual and DIA-generated indicators of the level of Ki67 expression provided significant cutoff values as single predictors of OS. However, only bimodality indicators (Ashman's D, in particular) were independent predictors of OS in the context of hormone receptor and HER2 status. From this, we conclude that spatial heterogeneity of proliferative tumor activity, measured by DIA of Ki67 IHC expression and analyzed by the hexagonal tiling approach, can serve as an independent prognostic indicator of OS in BC patients that outperforms the prognostic power of the level of proliferative activity.

  7. Imaging Tumor Response and Tumoral Heterogeneity in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Treated With Antiangiogenic Therapy: Comparison of the Prognostic Ability of RECIST 1.1, an Alternate Method (Crabb), and Image Heterogeneity Analysis.

    PubMed

    Yip, Connie; Tacelli, Nunzia; Remy-Jardin, Martine; Scherpereel, Arnaud; Cortot, Alexis; Lafitte, Jean-Jacques; Wallyn, Frederic; Remy, Jacques; Bassett, Paul; Siddique, Musib; Cook, Gary J R; Landau, David B; Goh, Vicky

    2015-09-01

    We aimed to assess computed tomography (CT) intratumoral heterogeneity changes, and compared the prognostic ability of the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) 1.1, an alternate response method (Crabb), and CT heterogeneity in non-small cell lung cancer treated with chemotherapy with and without bevacizumab. Forty patients treated with chemotherapy (group C) or chemotherapy and bevacizumab (group BC) underwent contrast-enhanced CT at baseline and after 1, 3, and 6 cycles of chemotherapy. Radiologic response was assessed using RECIST 1.1 and an alternate method. CT heterogeneity analysis generating global and locoregional parameters depicting tumor image spatial intensity characteristics was performed. Heterogeneity parameters between the 2 groups were compared using the Mann-Whitney U test. Associations between heterogeneity parameters and radiologic response with overall survival were assessed using Cox regression. Global and locoregional heterogeneity parameters changed with treatment, with increased tumor heterogeneity in group BC. Entropy [group C: median -0.2% (interquartile range -2.2, 1.7) vs. group BC: 0.7% (-0.7, 3.5), P=0.10] and busyness [-27.7% (-62.2, -5.0) vs. -11.5% (-29.1, 92.4), P=0.10] showed a greater reduction in group C, whereas uniformity [1.9% (-8.0, 9.8) vs. -5.0% (-13.9, 5.6), P=0.10] showed a relative increase after 1 cycle but did not reach statistical significance. Two (9%) and 1 (6%) additional responders were identified using the alternate method compared with RECIST in group C and group BC, respectively. Heterogeneity parameters were not significant prognostic factors. The alternate response method described by Crabb identified more responders compared with RECIST. However, both criteria and baseline imaging heterogeneity parameters were not prognostic of survival.

  8. Serum prognostic biomarkers in head and neck cancer patients.

    PubMed

    Lin, Ho-Sheng; Siddiq, Fauzia; Talwar, Harvinder S; Chen, Wei; Voichita, Calin; Draghici, Sorin; Jeyapalan, Gerald; Chatterjee, Madhumita; Fribley, Andrew; Yoo, George H; Sethi, Seema; Kim, Harold; Sukari, Ammar; Folbe, Adam J; Tainsky, Michael A

    2014-08-01

    A reliable estimate of survival is important as it may impact treatment choice. The objective of this study is to identify serum autoantibody biomarkers that can be used to improve prognostication for patients affected with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Prospective cohort study. A panel of 130 serum biomarkers, previously selected for cancer detection using microarray-based serological profiling and specialized bioinformatics, were evaluated for their potential as prognostic biomarkers in a cohort of 119 HNSCC patients followed for up to 12.7 years. A biomarker was considered positive if its reactivity to the particular patient's serum was greater than one standard deviation above the mean reactivity to sera from the other 118 patients, using a leave-one-out cross-validation model. Survival curves were estimated according to the Kaplan-Meier method, and statistically significant differences in survival were examined using the log rank test. Independent prognostic biomarkers were identified following analysis using multivariate Cox proportional hazards models. Poor overall survival was associated with African Americans (hazard ratio [HR] for death = 2.61; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.58-4.33; P = .000), advanced stage (HR = 2.79; 95% CI: 1.40-5.57; P = .004), and recurrent disease (HR = 6.66; 95% CI: 2.54-17.44; P = .000). On multivariable Cox analysis adjusted for covariates (race and stage), six of the 130 markers evaluated were found to be independent prognosticators of overall survival. The results shown here are promising and demonstrate the potential use of serum biomarkers for prognostication in HNSCC patients. Further clinical trials to include larger samples of patients across multiple centers may be warranted. © 2014 The American Laryngological, Rhinological and Otological Society, Inc.

  9. Serum Prognostic Biomarkers in Head and Neck Cancer Patients

    PubMed Central

    Lin, Ho-Sheng; Siddiq, Fauzia; Talwar, Harvinder S.; Chen, Wei; Voichita, Calin; Draghici, Sorin; Jeyapalan, Gerald; Chatterjee, Madhumita; Fribley, Andrew; Yoo, George H.; Sethi, Seema; Kim, Harold; Sukari, Ammar; Folbe, Adam J.; Tainsky, Michael A.

    2014-01-01

    Objectives/Hypothesis A reliable estimate of survival is important as it may impact treatment choice. The objective of this study is to identify serum autoantibody biomarkers that can be used to improve prognostication for patients affected with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Study Design Prospective cohort study. Methods A panel of 130 serum biomarkers, previously selected for cancer detection using microarray-based serological profiling and specialized bioinformatics, were evaluated for their potential as prognostic biomarkers in a cohort of 119 HNSCC patients followed for up to 12.7 years. A biomarker was considered positive if its reactivity to the particular patient’s serum was greater than one standard deviation above the mean reactivity to sera from the other 118 patients, using a leave-one-out cross-validation model. Survival curves were estimated according to the Kaplan-Meier method, and statistically significant differences in survival were examined using the log rank test. Independent prognostic biomarkers were identified following analysis using multivariate Cox proportional hazards models. Results Poor overall survival was associated with African Americans (hazard ratio [HR] for death =2.61; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.58–4.33; P =.000), advanced stage (HR =2.79; 95% CI: 1.40–5.57; P =.004), and recurrent disease (HR =6.66; 95% CI: 2.54–17.44; P =.000). On multivariable Cox analysis adjusted for covariates (race and stage), six of the 130 markers evaluated were found to be independent prognosticators of overall survival. Conclusions The results shown here are promising and demonstrate the potential use of serum biomarkers for prognostication in HNSCC patients. Further clinical trials to include larger samples of patients across multiple centers may be warranted. PMID:24347532

  10. Adverse surgical outcomes in screen-detected ductal carcinoma in situ of the breast.

    PubMed

    Thomas, Jeremy; Hanby, Andrew; Pinder, Sarah E; Ball, Graham; Lawrence, Gill; Maxwell, Anthony; Wallis, Matthew; Evans, Andrew; Dobson, Hilary; Clements, Karen; Thompson, Alastair

    2014-07-01

    The Sloane Project is the largest prospective audit of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) worldwide, with over 12,000 patients registered between 2003 and 2012, accounting for 50% of screen-detected DCIS diagnosed in the United Kingdom (UK) over the period of accrual. Complete multidisciplinary data from 8313 patients with screen-detected DCIS were analysed for surgical outcome in relation to key radiological and pathological parameters for the cohort and also by hospital of treatment. Adverse surgical outcomes were defined as either failed breast conservation surgery (BCS) or mastectomy for small lesions (<20mm) (MFSL). Inter-hospital variation was analysed by grouping hospitals into high, medium and low frequency subgroups for these two adverse outcomes. Patients with failed BCS or MFSL together accounted for 49% of all mastectomies. Of 6633 patients embarking on BCS, 799 (12.0%) required mastectomy. MFSL accounted for 510 (21%) of 2479 mastectomy patients. Failed BCS was associated with significant radiological under-estimation of disease extent and MFSL significant radiological over-estimation of disease extent. There was considerable and significant inter-hospital variation in failed BCS (range 3-32%) and MFSL (0-60%) of a hospital's BCS/mastectomy workload respectively. Conversely, there were no differences between the key radiological and pathological parameters in high, medium and low frequency adverse-outcome hospitals. This evidence suggests significant practice variation, not patient factors, is responsible for these adverse surgical outcomes in screen-detected DCIS. The Sloane Project provides an evidence base for future practice benchmarking. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Primary central nervous system lymphoma in immunocompetent individuals: a single center experience.

    PubMed

    Aki, Hilal; Uzunaslan, Didem; Saygin, Caner; Batur, Sebnem; Tuzuner, Nukhet; Kafadar, Ali; Ongoren, Seniz; Oz, Buge

    2013-01-01

    Primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) is defined as the involvement of brain, leptomeninges, eyes or spinal cord by non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The role of various prognostic markers in predicting adverse outcome is debated. To investigate the clinical and immunohistochemical findings of immunocompetent PCNSL cases (39 cases) diagnosed at the study center, and evaluate the influence of potential prognostic factors on overall survival (OS) of patients. Data regarding patient characteristics, neuroimaging, pathological and immunohistochemical features and follow-up were obtained from patient records. The influence of potential prognostic parameters on OS was investigated by log-rank test and Cox regression analysis. Patients who received combined chemotherapy and radiotherapy had a significantly better OS when compared to chemotherapy alone. Other variables included in this study were not associated with a significant survival advantage. In this study, we failed to demonstrate a relationship between different clinicopathological variables and OS of patients. Prospective studies with large patient series are needed to investigate other potential prognostic factors.

  12. Statistical considerations on prognostic models for glioma

    PubMed Central

    Molinaro, Annette M.; Wrensch, Margaret R.; Jenkins, Robert B.; Eckel-Passow, Jeanette E.

    2016-01-01

    Given the lack of beneficial treatments in glioma, there is a need for prognostic models for therapeutic decision making and life planning. Recently several studies defining subtypes of glioma have been published. Here, we review the statistical considerations of how to build and validate prognostic models, explain the models presented in the current glioma literature, and discuss advantages and disadvantages of each model. The 3 statistical considerations to establishing clinically useful prognostic models are: study design, model building, and validation. Careful study design helps to ensure that the model is unbiased and generalizable to the population of interest. During model building, a discovery cohort of patients can be used to choose variables, construct models, and estimate prediction performance via internal validation. Via external validation, an independent dataset can assess how well the model performs. It is imperative that published models properly detail the study design and methods for both model building and validation. This provides readers the information necessary to assess the bias in a study, compare other published models, and determine the model's clinical usefulness. As editors, reviewers, and readers of the relevant literature, we should be cognizant of the needed statistical considerations and insist on their use. PMID:26657835

  13. Association of maternal serum PAPP-A levels, nuchal translucency and crown-rump length in first trimester with adverse pregnancy outcomes: retrospective cohort study.

    PubMed

    Bilagi, Ashwini; Burke, Danielle L; Riley, Richard D; Mills, Ian; Kilby, Mark D; Katie Morris, R

    2017-07-01

    Are first trimester serum pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A (PAPP-A), nuchal translucency (NT) and crown-rump length (CRL) prognostic factors for adverse pregnancy outcomes? Retrospective cohort, women, singleton pregnancies (UK 2011-2015). Unadjusted and multivariable logistic regression. small for gestational age (SGA), pre-eclampsia (PE), preterm birth (PTB), miscarriage, stillbirth, perinatal mortality and neonatal death (NND). A total of 12 592 pregnancies: 852 (6.8%) PTB, 352 (2.8%) PE, 1824 (14.5%) SGA, 73 (0.6%) miscarriages, 37(0.3%) stillbirths, 73 perinatal deaths (0.6%) and 38 (0.30%) NND. Multivariable analysis: lower odds of SGA [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 0.88 (95% CI 0.85,0.91)], PTB [0.92 (95%CI 0.88,0.97)], PE [0.91 (95% CI 0.85,0.97)] and stillbirth [0.71 (95% CI 0.52,0.98)] as PAPP-A increases. Lower odds of SGA [aOR 0.79 (95% CI 0.70,0.89)] but higher odds of miscarriage [aOR 1.75 95% CI (1.12,2.72)] as NT increases, and lower odds of stillbirth as CRL increases [aOR 0.94 95% CI (0.89,0.99)]. Multivariable analysis of three factors together demonstrated strong associations: a) PAPP-A, NT, CRL and SGA, b) PAPP-A and PTB, c) PAPP-A, CRL and PE, d) NT and miscarriage. Pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A, NT and CRL are independent prognostic factors for adverse pregnancy outcomes, particularly PAPP-A and SGA with lower PAPP-A associated with increased risk. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  14. [Some morphometric parameters of nucleoli and nuclei in invasive ductal breast carcinomas in women].

    PubMed

    Karpinska-Kaczmarczyk, Katarzyna

    2009-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to correlate seven morphometric parameters of nucleoli and nuclei of invasive ductal cancer cells with some clinico-pathological factors such as age, tumor size, axillary lymph node status, MIB-1 proliferation index, and estrogen receptor expression in tumor cells. Methyl green-pyronin Y (MG-PY) was used for simultaneous staining of nuclei and nucleoli in histological sections of 150 invasive ductal breast carcinomas. Next, morphometric parameters of nucleoli and nuclei of tumor cells were measured with computerized image analysis. Nuclear area and number of nucleoli in breast tumor cells were greater in younger axillary node-negative patients. The number of nucleoli and nucleolar shape polymorphism were reduced in tumors measuring 20 mm or less or with lower histological grade. Nuclear area, nucleolar number, and nucleolar polymorphism in carcinomas with low proliferation index and estrogen receptor expression were smaller than in carcinomas with high proliferation index and no estrogen receptor expression. Nucleolar area in primary tumors without axillary node involvement was greater than in tumors with more than three axillary nodes positive. MG-PY selectively and simultaneously stains nucleoli and nuclei of tumor cells enabling standardized and reproducible examination of these structures with computerized image analysis. Univariate statistical analysis disclosed that some morphometric parameters of nucleoli and nuclei of tumor cells correlated with several established clinico-pathological prognostic factors. Therefore, the prognostic significance of these parameters should be studied in a larger group of patients with invasive ductal breast carcinomas.

  15. Prognostic factors in prostate cancer patients treated by radical external beam radiotherapy.

    PubMed

    Garibaldi, Elisabetta; Gabriele, Domenico; Maggio, Angelo; Delmastro, Elena; Garibaldi, Monica; Russo, Filippo; Bresciani, Sara; Stasi, Michele; Gabriele, Pietro

    2017-09-01

    The aim of this paper was to analyze, retrospectively, in prostate cancer patients treated in our Centre with external beam radiotherapy, the prognostic factors and their impact on the outcome in terms of cancer-specific survival (CSS), biochemical disease-free survival (BDFS) and clinical disease-free survival (CDFS). From October 1999 and March 2012, 1080 patients were treated with radiotherapy at our Institution: 87% of them were classified as ≤cT2, 83% had a Gleason Score (GS) ≤7, their mean of iPSA was 18 ng/mL, and the rate of clinical positive nodes was 1%. The mean follow-up was 81 months. The statistically significant prognostic factors for all groups of patients at both, univariate and multivariate analysis, were the GS and the iPSA. In intermediate- and high- or very-high-risk patients at multivariate analysis other prognostic factors for CSS were positive nodes on computed tomography (CT) scan and rectal preparation during the treatment; for BDFS, the prognostic factors were patient risk classification, positive lymph nodes on CT scan and rectal/bladder preparation; for CDFS, the prognostic factors were the number of positive core on biopsy (P=0.003), positive lymph nodes on CT scan, and radiotherapy (RT) dose. In high/very-high risk patient group at multivariate analysis other prognostic factors for CSS were clinical/radiological stage and RT dose, for BDFS they were adjuvant hormone therapy, clinical/radiological stage, and RT dose >77.7 Gy, and for CDFS they were clinical/radiological stage and RT dose >77.7 Gy. The results of this study confirm the prognostic factors described in the recent literature, with the addition of rectal/bladder preparation, generally known for its effect on toxicity but not yet on outcome.

  16. Association Between Nutritional Status, Inflammatory Condition, and Prognostic Indexes with Postoperative Complications and Clinical Outcome of Patients with Gastrointestinal Neoplasia.

    PubMed

    Costa, Milena Damasceno de Souza; Vieira de Melo, Camila Yandara Sousa; Amorim, Ana Carolina Ribeiro de; Cipriano Torres, Dilênia de Oliveira; Dos Santos, Ana Célia Oliveira

    2016-10-01

    The aim of this study is to describe and relate nutritional and inflammatory status and prognostic indexes with postoperative complications and clinical outcome of patients with gastrointestinal malignancies. Twenty-nine patients were evaluated; nutritional assessment was carried out by subjective and objective parameters; albumin, pre-albumin, C-reactive protein (CRP), and alpha-1-acid glycoprotein (AGP) were determined. To assess prognosis, the Glasgow scale, the Prognostic Inflammatory Nutritional Index (PINI), and CRP/albumin ratio were used; the clinical outcomes considered were hospital discharge and death. A high Subjective Global Assessment (SGA) score was associated with the occurrence of postoperative complications: 73% of the patients with postoperative complications had the highest SGA score, but only 6% of those without postoperative complications had the highest SGA score (P < 0.001). Greater occurrence of death was observed in patients with a high SGA score, low serum albumin, increased CRP, PINI > 1, and Glasgow score 2. There was a positive correlation between weight loss percentage with serum CRP levels (P = 0.002), CRP/albumin (P = 0.002), PINI (P = 0.002), and Glasgow score (P = 0.000). This study provides evidence that the assessment of the nutritional status and the use of prognostic indexes are good tools for predicting postoperative complications and clinical outcome in patients with gastrointestinal neoplasia.

  17. Prognostic roles of neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio and platelet to lymphocyte ratio in ovarian cancer: a meta-analysis of retrospective studies.

    PubMed

    Zhao, Zhe; Zhao, Xinrui; Lu, Jingjing; Xue, Jing; Liu, Peishu; Mao, Hongluan

    2018-04-01

    The systemic inflammatory response markers have been reported to be associated with the prognosis of various cancers. We conducted this meta-analysis of retrospective studies to evaluate and identify the prognostic impact of neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR) on ovarian cancer. PubMed, EMBASE, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure databases were included to search for eligible studies. The following terms were used: "neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio", "NLR", "platelet to lymphocyte ratio", "PLR", "ovarian cancer", "ovary cancer", "ovarian carcinoma", "ovary carcinoma", "ovarian neoplasm", "ovary neoplasm", "ovarian tumor", and "ovary tumor". The random-effects model was chosen to estimate the pooled HR with 95% CI. Heterogeneity between studies was assessed by Higgins I 2 value. The stability and heterogeneity of studies were analyzed by sensitivity analysis. Publication bias was examined by Egger's test and Begg's test with the funnel plots. 13 studies consisting of 3467 patients were considered for meta-analysis. We found that the high NLR had a poor prognostic impact on OS and PFS in ovarian cancer, with a pooled HR 1.70, 95% CI 1.35-2.15 and HR 1.77, 95% CI 1.48-2.12, respectively. Similarly, the results showed the high PLR adversely affected OS and PFS in ovarian cancer, with a pooled HR 2.05, 95% CI 1.70-2.48 and HR 1.85, 95% CI 1.53-2.25, respectively. In conclusion, we found that both NLR and PLR had an unfavorable impact on PFS and OS of patients with ovarian cancer. Our meta-analysis supported that NLR/PLR could be effective prognostic predictors of ovarian cancer.

  18. Hyponatremia is Associated with Fluid Imbalance and Adverse Renal Outcome in Chronic Kidney Disease Patients Treated with Diuretics.

    PubMed

    Lim, Lee Moay; Tsai, Ni-Chin; Lin, Ming-Yen; Hwang, Daw-Yang; Lin, Hugo You-Hsien; Lee, Jia-Jung; Hwang, Shang-Jyh; Hung, Chi-Chih; Chen, Hung-Chun

    2016-11-14

    Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is frequently complicated with hyponatremia, probably because of fluid overload or diuretic usage. Hyponatremia in CKD population is associated with increased mortality, but the effect on renal outcome was unknown. We investigated whether hyponatremia is associated with fluid status and is a prognostic indicator for adverse outcomes in a CKD cohort of 4,766 patients with 1,009 diuretic users. We found that diuretic users had worse clinical outcomes compared with diuretic non-users. Hyponatremia (serum sodium <135 mEq/L) was associated with excessive volume and volume depletion, measured as total body water by bioimpedance analysis, in diuretic users, but not in diuretic non-users. Furthermore, in Cox survival analysis, hyponatremia was associated with an increased risk for renal replacement therapy (hazard ratio, 1.45; 95% CI, 1.13-1.85, P < 0.05) in diuretic users, but not in diuretic non-users (P for interaction <0.05); restricted cubic spline model also showed a similar result. Hyponatremia was not associated with all-cause mortality or cardiovascular event whereas hypernatremia (serum sodium >141 mEq/L) was associated with an increased risk for all-cause mortality. Thus, hyponatremia is an indicator of fluid imbalance and also a prognostic factor for renal replacement therapy in CKD patients treated with diuretics.

  19. Hyponatremia is Associated with Fluid Imbalance and Adverse Renal Outcome in Chronic Kidney Disease Patients Treated with Diuretics

    PubMed Central

    Lim, Lee Moay; Tsai, Ni-Chin; Lin, Ming-Yen; Hwang, Daw-Yang; Lin, Hugo You-Hsien; Lee, Jia-Jung; Hwang, Shang-Jyh; Hung, Chi-Chih; Chen, Hung-Chun

    2016-01-01

    Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is frequently complicated with hyponatremia, probably because of fluid overload or diuretic usage. Hyponatremia in CKD population is associated with increased mortality, but the effect on renal outcome was unknown. We investigated whether hyponatremia is associated with fluid status and is a prognostic indicator for adverse outcomes in a CKD cohort of 4,766 patients with 1,009 diuretic users. We found that diuretic users had worse clinical outcomes compared with diuretic non-users. Hyponatremia (serum sodium <135 mEq/L) was associated with excessive volume and volume depletion, measured as total body water by bioimpedance analysis, in diuretic users, but not in diuretic non-users. Furthermore, in Cox survival analysis, hyponatremia was associated with an increased risk for renal replacement therapy (hazard ratio, 1.45; 95% CI, 1.13–1.85, P < 0.05) in diuretic users, but not in diuretic non-users (P for interaction <0.05); restricted cubic spline model also showed a similar result. Hyponatremia was not associated with all-cause mortality or cardiovascular event whereas hypernatremia (serum sodium >141 mEq/L) was associated with an increased risk for all-cause mortality. Thus, hyponatremia is an indicator of fluid imbalance and also a prognostic factor for renal replacement therapy in CKD patients treated with diuretics. PMID:27841359

  20. High Phosphohistone H3 Expression Correlates with Adverse Clinical, Biological, and Pathological Factors in Neuroblastomas

    PubMed Central

    Ramani, Pramila; Taylor, Scott; Miller, Elizabeth; Sowa-Avugrah, Emile; May, Margaret T.

    2015-01-01

    Phosphohistone H3 (pHH3), a biomarker of the late G2- and M-phase of the cell cycle, provides a powerful indication of the proliferative state of many cancers. We investigated the prognostic significance of pHH3 by immunostaining 80 neuroblastomas and counting the average number of strongly stained nuclei and mitotic figures. The median and 75th percentile pHH3 proliferation indices (PIs) were 0.54% and 1.06% (range, 0.01% to 2.23%) respectively. pHH3 expression was significantly higher in neuroblastomas from patients with adverse clinical characteristics, all unfavorable pathological factors including high mitosis karyorrhexis index (MKI), and adverse biological factors including MYCN oncogene amplification. High pHH3-PIs, at 1% threshold, were significantly associated with a shorter overall survival (OS) and event-free survival (EFS) in the univariable Cox regression analyses. In the multivariable models, high pHH3 counts were significantly associated with worse OS after adjustment for age but were not independent of either high MKI or MYCN amplification. In children less than 18 months of age, high MKIs and high PHH3-PIs were associated with significantly worse OS and EFS. In conclusion, high pHH3 expression correlates strongly with high MKI and MYCN amplification and indicates poor prognosis in neuroblastomas. PMID:25711230

  1. Albumin and C-reactive protein have prognostic significance in patients with community-acquired pneumonia.

    PubMed

    Lee, Jae Hyuk; Kim, Jooyeong; Kim, Kyuseok; Jo, You Hwan; Rhee, JoongEui; Kim, Tae Youn; Na, Sang Hoon; Hwang, Seung Sik

    2011-06-01

    This study aims to determine the association of commonly used biochemical markers, such as albumin and C-reactive protein (CRP), with mortality and the prognostic performance of these markers combined with the pneumonia severity index (PSI) for mortality and adverse outcomes in patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). The data were gathered prospectively for patients hospitalized with CAP via the emergency department. Laboratory values, including CRP and albumin, clinical variables, and the PSI were measured. Primary outcomes were 28-day mortality and survival times. Secondary outcome was admission to the intensive care unit, vasopressor use, or the need for mechanical ventilation during the hospital stay. A total of 424 patients were included. The 28-day mortality was 13.7%. C-reactive protein and albumin were significantly different between survivors and nonsurvivors. In logistic regression analysis, CRP and albumin were independently associated with 28-day mortality (P < .05). Receiver operating characteristic curves showed improved mortality prediction by adding CRP or albumin to the PSI scale. The Cox proportional hazards analysis showed that high serum albumin (≥3.3 mg/dL) had a hazard ratio of 0.5 (95% confidence interval, 0.3-0.9), and high CRP (≥14.3 mg/dL) had a hazard ratio of 2.0 (95% confidence interval, 1.1-3.4). For predicting secondary outcome, adding albumin to PSI increased areas under the curve significantly, but CRP did not. Albumin and CRP were associated with 28-day mortality in hospitalized patients with CAP, and these markers increased prognostic performance when combined with the PSI scale. Crown Copyright © 2011. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  2. Focal versus diffuse anaplasia in Wilms tumor--new definitions with prognostic significance: a report from the National Wilms Tumor Study Group.

    PubMed

    Faria, P; Beckwith, J B; Mishra, K; Zuppan, C; Weeks, D A; Breslow, N; Green, D M

    1996-08-01

    Anaplasia, defined by the presence of extreme nuclear and mitotic atypia, is a potent marker of adverse prognosis in Wilms tumor (WT). Anaplastic WT cells apparently have increased resistance to therapy rather than increased aggressiveness. The distribution of anaplasia should therefore have critical prognostic relevance. The original definitions for focal anaplasia (FA) and diffuse anaplasia (DA) were based on quantitative rather than topographical criteria and lacked prognostic significance. A new definition was developed based on the distribution of anaplastic changes within the tumor: FA applies only to tumors with anaplasia confined to one or a few discrete loci within the primary tumor, with no anaplasia or marked nuclear atypia elsewhere. This revised definition was evaluated in 165 cases with anaplastic WT entered on the third and fourth National Wilms Tumor Study. Only three relapses and one death occurred among 39 cases with FA, regardless of tumor stage, a result comparable to that for nonanaplastic WT. Eight children with metastases at diagnosis and FA in the primary tumor were alive and free of relapse; 22 of 23 children with stage IV DA WT died of tumor. This new definition reinforces the importance of carefully documenting the exact site from which each tumor section is obtained.

  3. [Adverse effects of oxcarbazepine].

    PubMed

    Fang, Shu; Gong, Zhi-Cheng

    2015-04-01

    Oxcarbazepine is a new antiepileptic drug. The results of clinical trials suggest that oxcarbazepine is well tolerated and has less drug interactions. It is being used more and more widely in clinical practice, but its adverse effects should not be ignored. The most common adverse effects of oxcarbazepine are usually related to the central nervous system and digestive system, including fatigue, drowsiness, diplopia, dizziness, nausea and vomit. The common skin adverse reaction is rash. Long-term use of oxcarbazepine may also cause hyponatremia. This article reviews the literature from China and overseas about the adverse effets of oxcarbazepine over the last 10 years in order to find information about rational clinical use of oxcarbazepine.

  4. Using prognostic models in CLL to personalize approach to clinical care: Are we there yet?

    PubMed

    Mina, Alain; Sandoval Sus, Jose; Sleiman, Elsa; Pinilla-Ibarz, Javier; Awan, Farrukh T; Kharfan-Dabaja, Mohamed A

    2018-03-01

    Four decades ago, two staging systems were developed to help stratify CLL into different prognostic categories. These systems, the Rai and the Binet staging, depended entirely on abnormal exam findings and evidence of anemia and thrombocytopenia. Better understanding of biologic, genetic, and molecular characteristics of CLL have contributed to better appreciating its clinical heterogeneity. New prognostic models, the GCLLSG prognostic index and the CLL-IPI, emerged. They incorporate biologic and genetic information related to CLL and are capable of predicting survival outcomes and cases anticipated to need therapy earlier in the disease course. Accordingly, these newer models are helping develop better informed surveillance strategies and ultimately tailor treatment intensity according to presence (or lack thereof) of certain prognostic markers. This represents a step towards personalizing care of CLL patients. We anticipate that as more prognostic factors continue to be identified, the GCLLSG prognostic index and CLL-IPI models will undergo further revisions. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. Accelerated Aging Experiments for Capacitor Health Monitoring and Prognostics

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kulkarni, Chetan S.; Celaya, Jose Ramon; Biswas, Gautam; Goebel, Kai

    2012-01-01

    This paper discusses experimental setups for health monitoring and prognostics of electrolytic capacitors under nominal operation and accelerated aging conditions. Electrolytic capacitors have higher failure rates than other components in electronic systems like power drives, power converters etc. Our current work focuses on developing first-principles-based degradation models for electrolytic capacitors under varying electrical and thermal stress conditions. Prognostics and health management for electronic systems aims to predict the onset of faults, study causes for system degradation, and accurately compute remaining useful life. Accelerated life test methods are often used in prognostics research as a way to model multiple causes and assess the effects of the degradation process through time. It also allows for the identification and study of different failure mechanisms and their relationships under different operating conditions. Experiments are designed for aging of the capacitors such that the degradation pattern induced by the aging can be monitored and analyzed. Experimental setups and data collection methods are presented to demonstrate this approach.

  6. Diagnostic Reasoning using Prognostic Information for Unmanned Aerial Systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Schumann, Johann; Roychoudhury, Indranil; Kulkarni, Chetan

    2015-01-01

    With increasing popularity of unmanned aircraft, continuous monitoring of their systems, software, and health status is becoming more and more important to ensure safe, correct, and efficient operation and fulfillment of missions. The paper presents integration of prognosis models and prognostic information with the R2U2 (REALIZABLE, RESPONSIVE, and UNOBTRUSIVE Unit) monitoring and diagnosis framework. This integration makes available statistically reliable health information predictions of the future at a much earlier time to enable autonomous decision making. The prognostic information can be used in the R2U2 model to improve diagnostic accuracy and enable decisions to be made at the present time to deal with events in the future. This will be an advancement over the current state of the art, where temporal logic observers can only do such valuation at the end of the time interval. Usefulness and effectiveness of this integrated diagnostics and prognostics framework was demonstrated using simulation experiments with the NASA Dragon Eye electric unmanned aircraft.

  7. TP53 mutations in myelodysplastic syndrome are strongly correlated with aberrations of chromosome 5, and correlate with adverse prognosis.

    PubMed

    Kulasekararaj, Austin G; Smith, Alexander E; Mian, Syed A; Mohamedali, Azim M; Krishnamurthy, Pramila; Lea, Nicholas C; Gäken, Joop; Pennaneach, Coralie; Ireland, Robin; Czepulkowski, Barbara; Pomplun, Sabine; Marsh, Judith C; Mufti, Ghulam J

    2013-03-01

    This study aimed to determine the incidence/prognostic impact of TP53 mutation in 318 myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) patients, and to correlate the changes to cytogenetics, single nucleotide polymorphism array karyotyping and clinical outcome. The median age was 65 years (17-89 years) and median follow-up was 45 months [95% confidence interval (CI) 27-62 months]. TP53 mutations occurred in 30 (9.4%) patients, exclusively in isolated del5q (19%) and complex karyotype (CK) with -5/5q-(72%), correlated with International Prognostic Scoring System intermediate-2/high, TP53 protein expression, higher blast count and leukaemic progression. Patients with mutant TP53 had a paucity of mutations in other genes implicated in myeloid malignancies. Median overall survival of patients with TP53 mutation was shorter than wild-type (9 versus 66 months, P < 0.001) and it retained significance in multivariable model (Hazard Ratio 3.8, 95%CI 2.3-6.3,P < 0.001). None of the sequentially analysed samples showed a disappearance of the mutant clone or emergence of new clones, suggesting an early occurrence of TP53 mutations. A reduction in mutant clone correlated with response to 5-azacitidine, however clones increased in non-responders and persisted at relapse. The adverse impact of TP53 persists after adjustment for cytogenetic risk and is of practical importance in evaluating prognosis. The relatively common occurrence of these mutations in two different prognostic spectrums of MDS, i.e. isolated 5q- and CK with -5/5q-, possibly implies two different mechanistic roles for TP53 protein. © 2013 Crown copyright. This article is published with the permission of the Controller of HMSO and the Queen's Printer for Scotland.

  8. Prognostic Value of [18F]-Fluoromethylcholine Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography Before Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy for Oligometastatic Prostate Cancer.

    PubMed

    Cysouw, Matthijs; Bouman-Wammes, Esther; Hoekstra, Otto; van den Eertwegh, Alfons; Piet, Maartje; van Moorselaar, Jeroen; Boellaard, Ronald; Dahele, Max; Oprea-Lager, Daniela

    2018-06-01

    To investigate the predictive value of [ 18 F]-fluoromethylcholine positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT)-derived parameters on progression-free survival (PFS) in oligometastatic prostate cancer patients treated with stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT). In [ 18 F]-fluoromethylcholine PET/CT scans of 40 consecutive patients with ≤4 metachronous metastases treated with SBRT we retrospectively measured the number of metastases, standardized uptake values (SUV mean , SUV max , SUV peak ), metabolically active tumor volume (MATV), and total lesion choline uptake. Partial-volume correction was applied using the iterative deconvolution Lucy-Richardson algorithm. Thirty-seven lymph node and 13 bone metastases were treated with SBRT. Thirty-three patients (82.5%) had 1 lesion, 4 (10%) had 2 lesions, and 3 (7.5%) had 3 lesions. After a median follow-up of 32.6 months (interquartile range, 35.5 months), the median PFS was 11.5 months (95% confidence interval 8.4-14.6 months). Having more than a single metastasis was a significant prognostic factor (hazard ratio 2.74; P = .03), and there was a trend in risk of progression for large MATV (hazard ratio 1.86; P = .10). No SUV or total lesion choline uptake was significantly predictive for PFS, regardless of partial-volume correction. All PET semiquantitative parameters were significantly correlated with each other (P ≤ .013). The number of choline-avid metastases was a significant prognostic factor for progression after [ 18 F]-fluormethylcholine PET/CT-guided SBRT for recurrent oligometastatic prostate cancer, and there seemed to be a trend in risk of progression for patients with large MATVs. The lesional level of [ 18 F]-fluoromethylcholine uptake was not prognostic for progression. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  9. Advanced Ground Systems Maintenance Prognostics Project

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Harp, Janicce Leshay

    2014-01-01

    The project implements prognostics capabilities to predict when a component, system or subsystem will no longer meet desired functional or performance criteria, called the "end of life." The capability also provides an assessment of the "remaining useful life" of a hardware component.

  10. D-Cycloserine Augmentation of Cognitive Behavioral Group Therapy of Social Anxiety Disorder: Prognostic and Prescriptive Variables

    PubMed Central

    Smits, Jasper A. J.; Hofmann, Stefan G.; Rosenfield, David; DeBoer, Lindsey B.; Costa, Paul T.; Simon, Naomi M.; O'Cleirigh, Conall; Meuret, Alicia E.; Marques, Luana; Otto, Michael W.; Pollack, Mark H.

    2014-01-01

    Objective The aim of the current study was to identify individual characteristics that (1) predict symptom improvement with group cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for social anxiety disorder (SAD; i.e., prognostic variables) or (2) moderate the effects of d-cycloserine vs. placebo augmentation of CBT for SAD (i.e., prescriptive variables). Method Adults with SAD (N=169) provided Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS) scores in a trial evaluating DCS augmentation of group CBT. Rate of symptom improvement during therapy and posttreatment symptom severity were evaluated using multilevel modeling. As predictors of these two parameters, we selected the range of variables assessed at baseline (demographic characteristics, clinical characteristics, personality traits). Using step-wise analyses, we first identified prognostic and prescriptive variables within each of these domains and then entered these significant predictors simultaneously in one final model. Results African American ethnicity and cohabitation status were associated with greater overall rates of improvement during therapy and lower posttreatment severity. Higher initial severity was associated with a greater improvement during therapy, but also higher posttreatment severity (the greater improvement was not enough to overcome the initial higher severity). D-cycloserine augmentation was evident only among individuals low in conscientiousness and high in agreeableness. Conclusions African American ethnicity, cohabitation status, and initial severity are prognostic of favorable CBT outcomes in SAD. D-cycloserine augmentation appears particularly useful for patients low in conscientiousness and high in agreeableness. These findings can guide clinicians in making decisions about treatment strategies and can help direct research on the mechanisms of these treatments. PMID:23937345

  11. CXCL12 promoter methylation and PD-L1 expression as prognostic biomarkers in prostate cancer patients.

    PubMed

    Goltz, Diane; Holmes, Emily Eva; Gevensleben, Heidrun; Sailer, Verena; Dietrich, Jörn; Jung, Maria; Röhler, Magda; Meller, Sebastian; Ellinger, Jörg; Kristiansen, Glen; Dietrich, Dimo

    2016-08-16

    The CXCR4/CXCL12 axis plays a central role in systemic metastasis of prostate carcinoma (PCa), thereby representing a promising target for future therapies. Recent data suggest that the CXCR4/CXCL12 axis is functionally linked to the PD-1/PD-L1 immune checkpoint. We evaluated the prognostic value of aberrant CXCL12 DNA methylation with respect to PD-L1 expression in primary PCa. CXCL12 methylation showed a consistent significant correlation with Gleason grading groups in both cohorts (p < 0.001 for training and p = 0.034 for testing cohort). Short BCR-free survival was significantly associated with aberrant CXCL12 methylation in both cohorts and served as an independent prognostic factor in the testing cohort (hazard ratio = 1.92 [95%CI: 1.12-3.27], p = 0.049). Concomitant aberrant CXCL12 methylation and high PD-L1 expression was significantly associated with shorter BCR-free survival (p = 0.005). In comparative analysis, the CXCL12 methylation assay was able to provide approximately equivalent results in biopsy and prostatectomy specimens. CXCL12 methylation was determined by means of a methylation specific quantitative PCR analysis in a radical prostatectomy patient cohort (n = 247, training cohort). Data published by The Cancer Genome Atlas served as a testing cohort (n = 498). CXCL12 methylation results were correlated to clinicopathological parameters including biochemical recurrence (BCR)-free survival. CXCL12 methylation is a powerful prognostic biomarker for BCR in PCa patients after radical prostatectomy. Further studies need to ascertain if CXCL12 methylation may aid in planning active surveillance strategies.

  12. Coronary artery calcium scoring does not add prognostic value to standard 64-section CT angiography protocol in low-risk patients suspected of having coronary artery disease.

    PubMed

    Kwon, Sung Woo; Kim, Young Jin; Shim, Jaemin; Sung, Ji Min; Han, Mi Eun; Kang, Dong Won; Kim, Ji-Ye; Choi, Byoung Wook; Chang, Hyuk-Jae

    2011-04-01

    To evaluate the prognostic outcome of cardiac computed tomography (CT) for prediction of major adverse cardiac events (MACEs) in low-risk patients suspected of having coronary artery disease (CAD) and to explore the differential prognostic values of coronary artery calcium (CAC) scoring and coronary CT angiography. Institutional review committee approval and informed consent were obtained. In 4338 patients who underwent 64-section CT for evaluation of suspected CAD, both CAC scoring and CT angiography were concurrently performed by using standard scanning protocols. Follow-up clinical outcome data regarding composite MACEs were procured. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards models were developed to predict MACEs. Risk-adjusted models incorporated traditional risk factors for CAC scoring and coronary CT angiography. During the mean follow-up of 828 days ± 380, there were 105 MACEs, for an event rate of 3%. The presence of obstructive CAD at coronary CT angiography had independent prognostic value, which escalated according to the number of stenosed vessels (P < .001). In the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis, the superiority of coronary CT angiography to CAC scoring was demonstrated by a significantly greater area under the ROC curve (AUC) (0.892 vs 0.810, P < .001), whereas no significant incremental value for the addition of CAC scoring to coronary CT angiography was established (AUC = 0.892 for coronary CT angiography alone vs 0.902 with addition of CAC scoring, P = .198). Coronary CT angiography is better than CAC scoring in predicting MACEs in low-risk patients suspected of having CAD. Furthermore, the current standard multisection CT protocol (coronary CT angiography combined with CAC scoring) has no incremental prognostic value compared with coronary CT angiography alone. Therefore, in terms of determining prognosis, CAC scoring may no longer need to be incorporated in the cardiac CT protocol in this population. © RSNA, 2011.

  13. Prognostic nomogram for previously untreated adult patients with acute myeloid leukemia

    PubMed Central

    Zheng, Zhuojun; Li, Xiaodong; Zhu, Yuandong; Gu, Weiying; Xie, Xiaobao; Jiang, Jingting

    2016-01-01

    This study was designed to perform an acceptable prognostic nomogram for acute myeloid leukemia. The clinical data from 311 patients from our institution and 165 patients generated with Cancer Genome Atlas Research Network were reviewed. A prognostic nomogram was designed according to the Cox's proportional hazard model to predict overall survival (OS). To compare the capacity of the nomogram with that of the current prognostic system, the concordance index (C-index) was used to validate the accuracy as well as the calibration curve. The nomogram included 6 valuable variables: age, risk stratifications based on cytogenetic abnormalities, status of FLT3-ITD mutation, status of NPM1 mutation, expression of CD34, and expression of HLA-DR. The C-indexes were 0.71 and 0.68 in the primary and validation cohort respectively, which were superior to the predictive capacity of the current prognostic systems in both cohorts. The nomogram allowed both patients with acute myeloid leukemia and physicians to make prediction of OS individually prior to treatment. PMID:27689396

  14. Prognostic factors in patients with spinal metastasis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

    PubMed

    Luksanapruksa, Panya; Buchowski, Jacob M; Hotchkiss, William; Tongsai, Sasima; Wilartratsami, Sirichai; Chotivichit, Areesak

    2017-05-01

    Incidence of symptomatic spinal metastasis has increased owing to improvement in treatment of the disease. One of the key factors that influences decision-making is expected patient survival. To our knowledge, no systematic reviews or meta-analysis have been conducted that review independent prognostic factors in spinal metastases. This study aimed to determine independent prognostic factors that affect outcome in patients with metastatic spine disease. This is a systematic literature review and meta-analysis of publications for prognostic factors in spinal metastatic disease. Pooled patient results from cohort and observational studies. Meta-analysis for poor prognostic factors as determined by hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidential interval (95% CI). We systematically searched relevant publications in PubMed and Embase. The following search terms were used: ("'spinal metastases'" OR "'vertebral metastases'" OR "spinal metastasis" OR 'vertebral metastases') AND ('"prognostic factors"' OR "'survival'"). Inclusion criteria were prospective and retrospective cohort series that report HR and 95% CI of independent prognostic factors from multivariate analysis. Two reviewers independently assessed all papers. The quality of included papers was assessed by using Newcastle-Ottawa Scale for cohort studies and publication bias was assessed by using funnel plot, Begg test, and Egger test. The prognostic factors that were mentioned in at least three publications were pooled. Meta-analysis was performed using HR and 95% CI as the primary outcomes of interest. Heterogeneity was assessed using the I 2 method. A total of 3,959 abstracts (1,382 from PubMed and 2,577 from Embase) were identified through database search and 40 publications were identified through review of cited publications. The reviewers selected a total of 51 studies for qualitative synthesis and 43 studies for meta-analysis. Seventeen poor prognostic factors were identified. These included presence of a

  15. Histomorphologic parameters and CXCR4 mRNA and protein expression in sentinel node melanoma metastasis are correlated to clinical outcome.

    PubMed

    Franco, Renato; Cantile, Monica; Scala, Stefania; Catalano, Elisabetta; Cerrone, Margherita; Scognamiglio, Giosuè; Pinto, Antonio; Chiofalo, Maria Grazia; Caracò, Corrado; Anniciello, Anna Maria; Abbruzzese, Alberto; Caraglia, Michele; Botti, Gerardo

    2010-03-15

    Sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy is an important independent prognostic factor for invasive cutaneuos melanoma, although its role is strongly debated. In clinical practice SLN leads to complete lymph node dissection of basin draining melanoma site. However only 7-30% of positive sentinel node patients present additional non SLN metastasis. Melanoma cells diffusion through SLN and extranodal spreading depends upon biological features, such as cell chemokine receptors and adhesion molecules. CXCR4 has been proposed in melanoma patients as prognostic marker. Therefore we have analyzed both histopathological parameters and CXCR4 expression in melanoma infiltrate of SLN, in order to evaluate its potential prognostic role. Micrometastases were detected in 23 cases (48.93%); metastases >2 mm in 23 cases (48.93%) and isolated metastatic cells in one case (2.01%). High CXCR4 expression was observed in 21 nodal metastases. Node metastases in complete dissection were associated to >10% relative tumor area (RTA) in all lymph nodes (p = 0.006). Extranodal invasion (p = 0.006) and >2 mm centripetal metastasis thickness (p = 0.01), while shorter Disease Free Survival (DFS) was significantly associated to high CXCR4 expression (p = 0.02). Forty-seven positive lymph node metastases were collected and analysed for both histopathological parameters and CXCR4 expression. More than 10% RTA in SLN, extranodal invasion and centripetal metastasis thickness all predict additional lymph node metastases in melanoma site draining basins. Moreover, high CXCR4 expression is correlated to shorter DFS and could be used as a prognostic marker in order to stratify melanoma patients at higher progression risk.

  16. Prognostic importance of DNA ploidy in non-endometrioid, high-risk endometrial carcinomas.

    PubMed

    Sorbe, Bengt

    2016-03-01

    The present study investigated the predictive and prognostic impact of DNA ploidy together with other well-known prognostic factors in a series of non-endometrioid, high-risk endometrial carcinomas. From a complete consecutive series of 4,543 endometrial carcinomas of International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stages I-IV, 94 serous carcinomas, 48 clear cell carcinomas and 231 carcinosarcomas were selected as a non-endometrioid, high-risk group for further studies regarding prognosis. The impact of DNA ploidy, as assessed by flow cytometry, was of particular focus. The age of the patients, FIGO stage, depth of myometrial infiltration and tumor expression of p53 were also included in the analyses (univariate and multivariate). In the complete series of cases, the recurrence rate was 37%, and the 5-year overall survival rate was 39% with no difference between the three histological subtypes. The primary cure rate (78%) was also similar for all tumor types studied. DNA ploidy was a significant predictive factor (on univariate analysis) for primary tumor cure rate, and a prognostic factor for survival rate (on univariate and multivariate analyses). The predictive and prognostic impact of DNA ploidy was higher in carcinosarcomas than in serous and clear cell carcinomas. In the majority of multivariate analyses, FIGO stage and depth of myometrial infiltration were the most important predictive (tumor recurrence) and prognostic (survival rate) factors. DNA ploidy status is a less important predictive and prognostic factor in non-endometrioid, high-risk endometrial carcinomas than in the common endometrioid carcinomas, in which FIGO and nuclear grade also are highly significant and important factors.

  17. Prognostic impact of chronic nitrate therapy in patients with vasospastic angina: multicentre registry study of the Japanese coronary spasm association.

    PubMed

    Takahashi, Jun; Nihei, Taro; Takagi, Yusuke; Miyata, Satoshi; Odaka, Yuji; Tsunoda, Ryusuke; Seki, Atsushi; Sumiyoshi, Tetsuya; Matsui, Motoyuki; Goto, Toshikazu; Tanabe, Yasuhiko; Sueda, Shozo; Momomura, Shin-ichi; Yasuda, Satoshi; Ogawa, Hisao; Shimokawa, Hiroaki

    2015-01-21

    Although nitrates are widely used as a concomitant therapy with calcium channel blockers (CCBs) for vasospastic angina (VSA), their prognostic contribution remains unclear. The present study aimed to examine the prognostic impact of chronic nitrate therapy in patients with VSA. A total of 1429 VSA patients (median 66 years; male/female, 1090/339) were enrolled. The primary endpoint was defined as major adverse cardiac events (MACE). The propensity score matching and multivariable Cox proportional hazard model were used to adjust for selection bias for treatment and potential confounding factors. Among the study patients, 695 (49%) were treated with nitrates, including conventional nitrates [e.g. nitroglycerin (GTN), isosorbide mono- and dinitrate] in 551 and nicorandil in 306. Calcium channel blockers were used in >90% of patients. During the median follow-up period of 32 months, 85 patients (5.9%) reached the primary endpoint. Propensity score-matched analysis demonstrated that the cumulative incidence of MACE was comparable between the patients with and those without nitrates [11 vs. 8% at 5 years; hazard ratio (HR): 1.28; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.72-2.28, P = 0.40]. Although nicorandil itself had a neutral prognostic effect on VSA (HR: 0.80; 95% CI: 0.28-2.27, P = 0.67), multivariable Cox model revealed the potential harm of concomitant use of conventional nitrates and nicorandil (HR: 2.14; 95% CI: 1.02-4.47; P = 0.044), particularly when GTN and nicorandil were simultaneously administered. Chronic nitrate therapy did not improve the long-term prognosis of VSA patients when combined with CCBs. Furthermore, the VSA patients with multiple nitrates would have increased risk for cardiac events. Published on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology. All rights reserved. © The Author 2014. For permissions please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  18. Residual tumor after neoadjuvant chemoradiation outside the radiation therapy target volume: a new prognostic factor for survival in esophageal cancer.

    PubMed

    Muijs, Christina; Smit, Justin; Karrenbeld, Arend; Beukema, Jannet; Mul, Veronique; van Dam, Go; Hospers, Geke; Kluin, Phillip; Langendijk, Johannes; Plukker, John

    2014-03-15

    The aim of this study was to analyze the accuracy of gross tumor volume (GTV) delineation and clinical target volume (CTV) margins for neoadjuvant chemoradiation therapy (neo-CRT) in esophageal carcinoma at pathologic examination and to determine the impact on survival. The study population consisted of 63 esophageal cancer patients treated with neo-CRT. GTV and CTV borders were demarcated in situ during surgery on the esophagus, using anatomical reference points to provide accurate information regarding tumor location at pathologic evaluation. To identify prognostic factors for disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS), a Cox regression analysis was performed. After resection, macroscopic residual tumor was found outside the GTV in 7 patients (11%). Microscopic residual tumor was located outside the CTV in 9 patients (14%). The median follow-up was 15.6 months. With multivariate analysis, only microscopic tumor outside the CTV (hazard ratio [HR], 4.96; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.03-15.36), and perineural growth (HR, 5.77; 95% CI, 1.27-26.13) were identified as independent prognostic factors for OS. The 1-year OS was 20% for patients with tumor outside the CTV and 86% for those without (P<.01). For DFS, microscopic tumor outside the CTV (HR, 5.92; 95% CI, 1.89-18.54) and ypN+ (HR, 3.36; 95% CI, 1.33-8.48) were identified as independent adverse prognostic factors. The 1-year DFS was 23% versus 77% for patients with or without tumor outside the CTV (P<.01). Microscopic tumor outside the CTV is associated with markedly worse OS after neo-CRT. This may either stress the importance of accurate tumor delineation or reflect aggressive tumor behavior requiring new adjuvant treatment modalities. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  19. Prognostic Indicators: Predicting Degree of Change from Interventions for Adolescents at Risk for Language Weakness

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Poll, Gerard H.; Burke, Lisa; Miller, Carol A.; Fiene, Judy

    2017-01-01

    Prognostic statements are a standard component of assessments for adolescents at risk for language-learning disabilities, but there is limited evidence on the validity of prognostic indicators. In two studies, we collected measures of language ability and candidate prognostic indicators from adolescents age 12 to 13. We conducted an expository…

  20. Prognostic Factors for Immune Thrombocytopenia Outcome in Greek Children: A Retrospective Single-Centered Analysis

    PubMed Central

    Gkoutsias, Athanasios; Palianopoulos, Theodoros; Pappa, Eleni; Papapetrou, Evangelia; Tsaousi, Christina; Chaliasos, Nikolaos

    2017-01-01

    Immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) in children has a varied course and according to duration is distinguished as newly diagnosed (<3 months), persistent (3–12), and chronic (>12) types. Several studies have evaluated the prognostic factors for the progression of the disease, but similar works have yet to be performed in Greece. We aimed to identify prognostic markers for the three forms of the disease in 57 Greek children during a 13-year period. Information regarding age, gender, preceding infection, bleeding type, duration of symptoms and platelets at diagnosis, treatment, disease course, and immunological markers was recorded. 39 children had newly diagnosed, 4 persistent, and 14 chronic disease. Chronic ITP children were more likely to be of age > 10 years (p = 0.015) and have gradual initiation of the disease (p = 0.001), platelets > 10 × 109/L (p = 0.01), and impaired immunological markers (p < 0.003) compared to newly diagnosed/persistent groups. Recent history of infection was found mainly in the newly diagnosed/persistent group (p = 0.013). None of the children exhibited severe spontaneous bleeding. Conclusion. Even though ITP in children usually has a self-limited course, with rare serious bleeding complications, the chronic form of the disease is characterized by different predictive parameters, which can be used in clinical practice. PMID:29362564

  1. Comparison of Glasgow prognostic score and prognostic index in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer.

    PubMed

    Jiang, Ai-Gui; Chen, Hong-Lin; Lu, Hui-Yu

    2015-03-01

    Previous studies have shown that Glasgow prognostic score (GPS) and prognostic index (PI) are also powerful prognostic tool for patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The aim of this study was to compare the prognostic value between GPS and PI. We enrolled consecutive patients with advanced NSCLC in this prospective cohort. GPS and PI were calculated before the onset of chemotherapy. The prognosis outcomes included 1-, 3-, and 5-year progression-free survival and overall survival (OS). The performance of two scores in predicting prognosis was analyzed regarding discrimination and calibration. 138 patients were included in the study. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for GPS predicting 1-year DFS was 0.62 (95 % confidence interval (CI) 0.56-0.68, P < 0.05), and the area under curve for PI predicting 1-year DFS was 0.57 (95 % CI 0.52-0.63). Delong's test showed that GPS was more accurate than PI in predicting 1-year DFS (P < 0.05). Similar results of discriminatory power were found for predicting 3-year DFS, 1-year OS, and 3-year OS. The predicted 1-year DFS by GPS 0, GPS 1, and GPS 2 were 62.5, 42.1, and 23.1 %, respectively, while actual 1-year DFS by GPS 0, GPS 1, and GPS 2 were 61.1, 43.8, and 27.2 %, respectively. Calibration of the Hosmer and Lemeshow statistic showed good fit of the predicted 1-year DFS to the actual 1-year DFS by GPS (χ(2) = 4.326, P = 0.462), while no fit was found between the predicted 1-year DFS and the actual 1-year DFS by PI (χ(2) = 15.234, P = 0.091). Similar results of calibration power were found for predicting 3-year DFS, 5-year DFS, 1-year OS, 3-year OS, and 5-year OS by GPS and PI. GPS is more accurate than PI in predicting prognosis for patients with advanced NSCLC. GPS can be used as a useful and simple tool for predicting prognosis in patients with NSCLC. However, GPS only can be used for preliminary assessment because of low predicting accuracy.

  2. Prognostic value of survivin expression in parotid gland cancer in consideration of different histological subtypes.

    PubMed

    Stenner, Markus; Demgensky, Ariane; Molls, Christoph; Hardt, Aline; Luers, Jan C; Grosheva, Maria; Huebbers, Christian U; Klussmann, Jens P

    2011-05-01

    Cancer of the major salivary glands comprises a morphological diverse group of rare tumours of largely unknown cause. Survivin, an inhibitor of apoptosis has shown to be a significant prognostic indicator in various human cancers. The aim of this study was to assess the long-term prognostic value of survivin in a large group of histological different salivary gland cancers. We analysed the survivin expression in 143 patients with parotid gland cancer by means of immunohistochemistry and tissue micro array. Survivin expression was categorised into a low and a high expressing group. The experimental findings were correlated with clinicopathological and survival parameters. The mean follow-up time was 54.8 months. A positive cytoplasmic expression of survivin was found in 61.5%, a high expression in 25.9% of all specimens. In the whole group, high cytoplasmic survivin expression significantly indicated a poor 5-year disease-free and overall survival rate (p < 0.0001, p = 0.003). This applied for all adeno-, adenoid cystic and undifferentiated carcinomas whereas in mucoepidermoid carcinomas an analogical non-significant trend could be observed. A high cytoplasmic survivin expression significantly indicated a poor survival in high grade but not in low grade tumours. A multivariate analysis revealed that high cytoplasmic survivin expression was the only significant negative prognostic indicator for a poor 5-year disease-free survival rate in all patients (p = 0.042). The correlation between cytoplasmic survivin expression and survival probabilities of salivary gland cancer might make this an effective tool in patient follow-up, prognosis and targeted therapy in future. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Differences between Drug-Induced and Contrast Media-Induced Adverse Reactions Based on Spontaneously Reported Adverse Drug Reactions.

    PubMed

    Ryu, JiHyeon; Lee, HeeYoung; Suh, JinUk; Yang, MyungSuk; Kang, WonKu; Kim, EunYoung

    2015-01-01

    We analyzed differences between spontaneously reported drug-induced (not including contrast media) and contrast media-induced adverse reactions. Adverse drug reactions reported by an in-hospital pharmacovigilance center (St. Mary's teaching hospital, Daejeon, Korea) from 2010-2012 were classified as drug-induced or contrast media-induced. Clinical patterns, frequency, causality, severity, Schumock and Thornton's preventability, and type A/B reactions were recorded. The trends among causality tools measuring drug and contrast-induced adverse reactions were analyzed. Of 1,335 reports, 636 drug-induced and contrast media-induced adverse reactions were identified. The prevalence of spontaneously reported adverse drug reaction-related admissions revealed a suspected adverse drug reaction-reporting rate of 20.9/100,000 (inpatient, 0.021%) and 3.9/100,000 (outpatients, 0.004%). The most common adverse drug reaction-associated drug classes included nervous system agents and anti-infectives. Dermatological and gastrointestinal adverse drug reactions were most frequently and similarly reported between drug and contrast media-induced adverse reactions. Compared to contrast media-induced adverse reactions, drug-induced adverse reactions were milder, more likely to be preventable (9.8% vs. 1.1%, p < 0.001), and more likely to be type A reactions (73.5% vs. 18.8%, p < 0.001). Females were over-represented among drug-induced adverse reactions (68.1%, p < 0.001) but not among contrast media-induced adverse reactions (56.6%, p = 0.066). Causality patterns differed between the two adverse reaction classes. The World Health Organization-Uppsala Monitoring Centre causality evaluation and Naranjo algorithm results significantly differed from those of the Korean algorithm version II (p < 0.001). We found differences in sex, preventability, severity, and type A/B reactions between spontaneously reported drug and contrast media-induced adverse reactions. The World Health Organization

  4. Differences between Drug-Induced and Contrast Media-Induced Adverse Reactions Based on Spontaneously Reported Adverse Drug Reactions

    PubMed Central

    Suh, JinUk; Yang, MyungSuk; Kang, WonKu; Kim, EunYoung

    2015-01-01

    Objective We analyzed differences between spontaneously reported drug-induced (not including contrast media) and contrast media-induced adverse reactions. Methods Adverse drug reactions reported by an in-hospital pharmacovigilance center (St. Mary’s teaching hospital, Daejeon, Korea) from 2010–2012 were classified as drug-induced or contrast media-induced. Clinical patterns, frequency, causality, severity, Schumock and Thornton’s preventability, and type A/B reactions were recorded. The trends among causality tools measuring drug and contrast-induced adverse reactions were analyzed. Results Of 1,335 reports, 636 drug-induced and contrast media-induced adverse reactions were identified. The prevalence of spontaneously reported adverse drug reaction-related admissions revealed a suspected adverse drug reaction-reporting rate of 20.9/100,000 (inpatient, 0.021%) and 3.9/100,000 (outpatients, 0.004%). The most common adverse drug reaction-associated drug classes included nervous system agents and anti-infectives. Dermatological and gastrointestinal adverse drug reactions were most frequently and similarly reported between drug and contrast media-induced adverse reactions. Compared to contrast media-induced adverse reactions, drug-induced adverse reactions were milder, more likely to be preventable (9.8% vs. 1.1%, p < 0.001), and more likely to be type A reactions (73.5% vs. 18.8%, p < 0.001). Females were over-represented among drug-induced adverse reactions (68.1%, p < 0.001) but not among contrast media-induced adverse reactions (56.6%, p = 0.066). Causality patterns differed between the two adverse reaction classes. The World Health Organization–Uppsala Monitoring Centre causality evaluation and Naranjo algorithm results significantly differed from those of the Korean algorithm version II (p < 0.001). Conclusions We found differences in sex, preventability, severity, and type A/B reactions between spontaneously reported drug and contrast media-induced adverse

  5. Medications and Adverse Voice Effects.

    PubMed

    Nemr, Kátia; Di Carlos Silva, Ariana; Rodrigues, Danilo de Albuquerque; Zenari, Marcia Simões

    2017-08-16

    To identify the medications used by patients with dysphonia, describe the voice symptoms reported on initial speech-language pathology (SLP) examination, evaluate the possible direct and indirect effects of medications on voice production, and determine the association between direct and indirect adverse voice effects and self-reported voice symptoms, hydration and smoking habits, comorbidities, vocal assessment, and type and degree of dysphonia. This is a retrospective cross-sectional study. Fifty-five patients were evaluated and the vocal signs and symptoms indicated in the Dysphonia Risk Protocol were considered, as well as data on hydration, smoking and medication use. We analyzed the associations between type of side effect and self-reported vocal signs/symptoms, hydration, smoking, comorbidities, type of dysphonia, and auditory-perceptual and acoustic parameters. Sixty percent were women, the mean age was 51.8 years, 29 symptoms were reported on the screening, and 73 active ingredients were identified with 8.2% directly and 91.8% indirectly affecting vocal function. There were associations between the use of drugs with direct adverse voice effects, self-reported symptoms, general degree of vocal deviation, and pitch deviation. The symptoms of dry throat and shortness of breath were associated with the direct vocal side effect of the medicine, as well as the general degree of vocal deviation and the greater pitch deviation. Shortness of breath when speaking was also associated with the greatest degree of vocal deviation. Copyright © 2017 The Voice Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  6. Novel immunological and nutritional-based prognostic index for gastric cancer.

    PubMed

    Sun, Kai-Yu; Xu, Jian-Bo; Chen, Shu-Ling; Yuan, Yu-Jie; Wu, Hui; Peng, Jian-Jun; Chen, Chuang-Qi; Guo, Pi; Hao, Yuan-Tao; He, Yu-Long

    2015-05-21

    To assess the prognostic significance of immunological and nutritional-based indices, including the prognostic nutritional index (PNI), neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), and platelet-lymphocyte ratio in gastric cancer. We retrospectively reviewed 632 gastric cancer patients who underwent gastrectomy between 1998 and 2008. Areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve were calculated to compare the predictive ability of the indices, together with estimating the sensitivity, specificity and agreement rate. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify risk factors for overall survival (OS). Propensity score analysis was performed to adjust variables to control for selection bias. Each index could predict OS in gastric cancer patients in univariate analysis, but only PNI had independent prognostic significance in multivariate analysis before and after adjustment with propensity scoring (hazard ratio, 1.668; 95% confidence interval: 1.368-2.035). In subgroup analysis, a low PNI predicted a significantly shorter OS in patients with stage II-III disease (P = 0.019, P < 0.001), T3-T4 tumors (P < 0.001), or lymph node metastasis (P < 0.001). Canton score, a combination of PNI, NLR, and platelet, was a better indicator for OS than PNI, with the largest area under the curve for 12-, 36-, 60-mo OS and overall OS (P = 0.022, P = 0.030, P < 0.001, and P = 0.024, respectively). The maximum sensitivity, specificity, and agreement rate of Canton score for predicting prognosis were 84.6%, 34.9%, and 70.1%, respectively. PNI is an independent prognostic factor for OS in gastric cancer. Canton score can be a novel preoperative prognostic index in gastric cancer.

  7. Circulating tumor cells and miRNAs as prognostic markers in neuroendocrine neoplasms.

    PubMed

    Zatelli, Maria Chiara; Grossrubatscher, Erika Maria; Guadagno, Elia; Sciammarella, Concetta; Faggiano, Antongiulio; Colao, Annamaria

    2017-06-01

    The prognosis of neuroendocrine neoplasms (NENs) is widely variable and has been shown to associate with several tissue- and blood-based biomarkers in different settings. The identification of prognostic factors predicting NEN outcome is of paramount importance to select the best clinical management for these patients. Prognostic markers have been intensively investigated, also taking advantage of the most modern techniques, in the perspective of personalized medicine and appropriate resource utilization. This review summarizes the available data on the possible role of circulating tumor cells and microRNAs as prognostic markers in NENs. © 2017 Society for Endocrinology.

  8. Prognostic role of high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T in patients with nonischemic dilated cardiomyopathy.

    PubMed

    Kawahara, Chiho; Tsutamoto, Takayoshi; Nishiyama, Keizo; Yamaji, Masayuki; Sakai, Hiroshi; Fujii, Masanori; Yamamoto, Takashi; Horie, Minoru

    2011-01-01

    Cardiac troponin T (cTnT) is useful biomarker in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF). However, its clinical use is limited by the low sensitivity of the conventional commercial assay system. Recently, a highly sensitive cTnT (hs-cTnT) assay has become commercially available. To compare the prognostic value of conventional cTnT and hs-cTnT in patients with nonischemic dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), hemodynamic parameters and the serum levels of conventional cTnT, hs-cTnT and brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) were measured in 85 consecutive CHF patients with nonischemic DCM and then these patients were followed for a mean of 4.1 years. During long-term follow up, there were 20 cardiac deaths. In 85 DCM patients, conventional cTnT was elevated (≥0.03ng/ml) in 4 patients (5%) and hs-cTnT was elevated (≥0.01ng/ml) in 46 patients (54%). In non-survivors (n=20), conventional cTnT was elevated (≥0.03ng/ml) in 2 patients (2%) and hs-cTnT was elevated (≥0.01ng/ml) in 17 patients (85%). In the stepwise multivariate analyses, a high plasma level of BNP (P=0.002), low left ventricular ejection fraction (<30%, P=0.012) and high hs-cTnT (≥0.01ng/ml, P=0.006) were independent significant prognostic predictors, but conventional cTnT (≥0.03ng/ml) was not. The findings of the present study indicated that a high serum concentration of hs-cTnT is a useful prognostic predictor that is independent of LVEF or BNP in CHF patients with non-ischemic DCM, suggesting that an increased hs-cTnT concentration sensitively reflects ongoing myocardial damage.

  9. Prognostics and Health Management of Wind Turbines: Current Status and Future Opportunities

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Sheng, Shuangwen

    Prognostics and health management is not a new concept. It has been used in relatively mature industries, such as aviation and electronics, to help improve operation and maintenance (O&M) practices. In the wind industry, prognostics and health management is relatively new. The level for both wind industry applications and research and development (R&D) has increased in recent years because of its potential for reducing O&M cost of wind power, especially for turbines installed offshore. The majority of wind industry application efforts has been focused on diagnosis based on various sensing and feature extraction techniques. For R&D, activities are being conductedmore » in almost all areas of a typical prognostics and health management framework (i.e., sensing, data collection, feature extraction, diagnosis, prognosis, and maintenance scheduling). This presentation provides an overview of the current status of wind turbine prognostics and health management that focuses on drivetrain condition monitoring through vibration, oil debris, and oil condition analysis techniques. It also discusses turbine component health diagnosis through data mining and modeling based on supervisory control and data acquisition system data. Finally, it provides a brief survey of R&D activities for wind turbine prognostics and health management, along with future opportunities.« less

  10. Predictive and Prognostic Factors in Definition of Risk Groups in Endometrial Carcinoma

    PubMed Central

    Sorbe, Bengt

    2012-01-01

    Background. The aim was to evaluate predictive and prognostic factors in a large consecutive series of endometrial carcinomas and to discuss pre- and postoperative risk groups based on these factors. Material and Methods. In a consecutive series of 4,543 endometrial carcinomas predictive and prognostic factors were analyzed with regard to recurrence rate and survival. The patients were treated with primary surgery and adjuvant radiotherapy. Two preoperative and three postoperative risk groups were defined. DNA ploidy was included in the definitions. Eight predictive or prognostic factors were used in multivariate analyses. Results. The overall recurrence rate of the complete series was 11.4%. Median time to relapse was 19.7 months. In a multivariate logistic regression analysis, FIGO grade, myometrial infiltration, and DNA ploidy were independent and statistically predictive factors with regard to recurrence rate. The 5-year overall survival rate was 73%. Tumor stage was the single most important factor with FIGO grade on the second place. DNA ploidy was also a significant prognostic factor. In the preoperative risk group definitions three factors were used: histology, FIGO grade, and DNA ploidy. Conclusions. DNA ploidy was an important and significant predictive and prognostic factor and should be used both in preoperative and postoperative risk group definitions. PMID:23209924

  11. Gestational dyslipidaemia and adverse birthweight outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

    PubMed

    Wang, J; Moore, D; Subramanian, A; Cheng, K K; Toulis, K A; Qiu, X; Saravanan, P; Price, M J; Nirantharakumar, K

    2018-05-21

    Low and high birthweight is known to increase the risk of acute and longer-term adverse outcomes, such as stillbirth, infant mortality, obesity, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Gestational dyslipidaemia is associated with a numbers of adverse birth outcomes, but evidence regarding birthweight is still inconsistent to reliably inform clinical practice and treatment recommendations. The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between maternal gestational dyslipidaemia and neonatal health outcomes, namely, birthweight, metabolic factors and inflammatory parameters. We searched systematically Embase, MEDLINE, PubMed, CINAHL Plus and Cochrane Library up to 1 August 2016 (with an updated search in MEDLINE at the end of July 2017) for longitudinal studies that assessed the association of maternal lipid levels during pregnancy with neonatal birthweight, or metabolic and inflammatory parameters up to 3 years old. Data from 46 publications including 31,402 pregnancies suggest that maternal high triglycerides and low high-density-lipoprotein cholesterol levels throughout pregnancy are associated with increased birthweight, higher risk of large for gestational age and macrosomia and lower risk of small-for-gestational age. The findings were consistent across the studied populations, but stronger associations were observed in women who were overweight or obese prior to pregnancy. This meta-analysis suggested that the potential under-recognized adverse effects of intrauterine exposure to maternal dyslipidaemia may warrant further investigation into the relationship between maternal dyslipidaemia and birthweight in large prospective cohorts or in randomized trials. © 2018 World Obesity Federation.

  12. A Virtual Laboratory for Aviation and Airspace Prognostics Research

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kulkarni, Chetan; Gorospe, George; Teubert, Christ; Quach, Cuong C.; Hogge, Edward; Darafsheh, Kaveh

    2017-01-01

    Integration of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), autonomy, spacecraft, and other aviation technologies, in the airspace is becoming more and more complicated, and will continue to do so in the future. Inclusion of new technology and complexity into the airspace increases the importance and difficulty of safety assurance. Additionally, testing new technologies on complex aviation systems and systems of systems can be challenging, expensive, and at times unsafe when implementing real life scenarios. The application of prognostics to aviation and airspace management may produce new tools and insight into these problems. Prognostic methodology provides an estimate of the health and risks of a component, vehicle, or airspace and knowledge of how that will change over time. That measure is especially useful in safety determination, mission planning, and maintenance scheduling. In our research, we develop a live, distributed, hardware- in-the-loop Prognostics Virtual Laboratory testbed for aviation and airspace prognostics. The developed testbed will be used to validate prediction algorithms for the real-time safety monitoring of the National Airspace System (NAS) and the prediction of unsafe events. In our earlier work1 we discussed the initial Prognostics Virtual Laboratory testbed development work and related results for milestones 1 & 2. This paper describes the design, development, and testing of the integrated tested which are part of milestone 3, along with our next steps for validation of this work. Through a framework consisting of software/hardware modules and associated interface clients, the distributed testbed enables safe, accurate, and inexpensive experimentation and research into airspace and vehicle prognosis that would not have been possible otherwise. The testbed modules can be used cohesively to construct complex and relevant airspace scenarios for research. Four modules are key to this research: the virtual aircraft module which uses the X

  13. A Comparison of Systemic Inflammation-Based Prognostic Scores in Patients on Regular Hemodialysis

    PubMed Central

    Kato, Akihiko; Tsuji, Takayuki; Sakao, Yukitoshi; Ohashi, Naro; Yasuda, Hideo; Fujimoto, Taiki; Takita, Takako; Furuhashi, Mitsuyoshi; Kumagai, Hiromichi

    2013-01-01

    Background/Aims Systemic inflammation-based prognostic scores have prognostic power in patients with cancer, independently of tumor stage and site. Although inflammatory status is associated with mortality in hemodialysis (HD) patients, it remains to be determined as to whether these composite scores are useful in predicting clinical outcomes. Methods We calculated the 6 prognostic scores [Glasgow prognostic score (GPS), modified GPS (mGPS), neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet lymphocyte ratio (PLR), prognostic index (PI) and prognostic nutritional index (PNI), which have been established as a useful scoring system in cancer patients. We enrolled 339 patients on regular HD (age: 64 ± 13 years; time on HD: 129 ± 114 months; males/females = 253/85) and followed them for 42 months. The area under the receiver-operating characteristics curve was used to determine which scoring system was more predictive of mortality. Results Elevated GPS, mGPS, NLR, PLR, PI and PNI were all associated with total mortality, independent of covariates. If GPS was raised, mGPS, NLR, PLR and PI were also predictive of all-cause mortality and/or hospitalization. GPS and PNI were associated with poor nutritional status. Using overall mortality as an endpoint, the area under the curve (AUC) was significant for a GPS of 0.701 (95% CI: 0.637-0.765; p < 0.01) and for a PNI of 0.616 (95% CI: 0.553-0.768; p = 0.01). However, AUC for hypoalbuminemia (<3.5 g/dl) was comparable to that of GPS (0.695, 95% CI: 0.632-0.759; p < 0.01). Conclusion GPS, based on serum albumin and highly sensitive C-reactive protein, has the most prognostic power for mortality prediction among the prognostic scores in HD patients. However, as the determination of serum albumin reflects mortality similarly to GPS, other composite combinations are needed to provide additional clinical utility beyond that of albumin alone in HD patients. PMID:24403910

  14. New Breast Cancer Recursive Partitioning Analysis Prognostic Index in Patients With Newly Diagnosed Brain Metastases

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Niwinska, Anna, E-mail: alphaonetau@poczta.onet.pl; Murawska, Magdalena

    2012-04-01

    Purpose: The aim of the study was to present a new breast cancer recursive partitioning analysis (RPA) prognostic index for patients with newly diagnosed brain metastases as a guide in clinical decision making. Methods and Materials: A prospectively collected group of 441 consecutive patients with breast cancer and brain metastases treated between the years 2003 and 2009 was assessed. Prognostic factors significant for univariate analysis were included into RPA. Results: Three prognostic classes of a new breast cancer RPA prognostic index were selected. The median survival of patients within prognostic Classes I, II, and III was 29, 9, and 2.4more » months, respectively (p < 0.0001). Class I included patients with one or two brain metastases, without extracranial disease or with controlled extracranial disease, and with Karnofsky performance status (KPS) of 100. Class III included patients with multiple brain metastases with KPS of {<=}60. Class II included all other cases. Conclusions: The breast cancer RPA prognostic index is an easy and valuable tool for use in clinical practice. It can select patients who require aggressive treatment and those in whom whole-brain radiotherapy or symptomatic therapy is the most reasonable option. An individual approach is required for patients from prognostic Class II.« less

  15. Adverse effects associated with photodynamic therapy (PDT) of port-wine stain (PWS) birthmarks.

    PubMed

    Yuan, Kai-Hua; Gao, Jian-Hua; Huang, Zheng

    2012-12-01

    Several Chinese studies suggest that Hemoporfin-mediated photodynamic therapy (PDT) is an alternative treatment for port-wine stain (PWS) birthmarks. To evaluate treatment responses and adverse effects associated with Hemoporfin PDT for the treatment of PWS and their management. The medical records of 700 patients who underwent PDT treatment in our center were retrospectively examined. Treatment-related reactions and adverse effects were reviewed. Different types of PWS lesions and different individuals showed different immediate responses (e.g. swelling, color change, pain). To certain extents these reactions were a useful indicator of the treatment endpoint. Edema and scabbing were the most common post-treatment responses. Short-term (e.g. blister, eczematous dermatitis, cutaneous photosensitivity) and long-term (e.g. pigmentation change, scar formation) adverse effects were generally caused by the phototoxicity associated with the combination of photosensitizer and light exposure. Although PDT is a safe treatment alternative for PWS birthmarks, treatment parameters must be selected for each individual patient and cutaneous changes must be monitored during light irradiation to minimize the risk of adverse effects. Over estimation of required light dosage or failure to recognize cutaneous changes associated with adverse effects can increase the risk of a poor outcome. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  16. The Evolution of Prognostic Factors in Multiple Myeloma

    PubMed Central

    Hassanein, Mona; Rasheed, Walid; Aljurf, Mahmoud; Alsharif, Fahad

    2017-01-01

    Multiple myeloma (MM) is a heterogeneous hematologic malignancy involving the proliferation of plasma cells derived by different genetic events contributing to the development, progression, and prognosis of this disease. Despite improvement in treatment strategies of MM over the last decade, the disease remains incurable. All efforts are currently focused on understanding the prognostic markers of the disease hoping to incorporate the new therapeutic modalities to convert the disease into curable one. We present this comprehensive review to summarize the current standard prognostic markers used in MM along with novel techniques that are still in development and highlight their implications in current clinical practice. PMID:28321258

  17. Prognostic implications of adhesion molecule expression in colorectal cancer.

    PubMed

    Seo, Kyung-Jin; Kim, Maru; Kim, Jeana

    2015-01-01

    Research on the expression of adhesion molecules, E-cadherin (ECAD), CD24, CD44 and osteopontin (OPN) in colorectal cancer (CRC) has been limited, even though CRC is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths. This study was conducted to evaluate the expression of adhesion molecules in CRC and to determine their relationships with clinicopathologic variables, and the prognostic significance. The expression of ECAD, CD24, CD44 and OPN was examined in 174 stage II and III CRC specimens by immunohistochemistry of TMA. Negative ECAD expression was significantly correlated with advanced nodal stage and poor tumor differentiation. Multivariate analysis showed that both negative expression of ECAD and positive expression of CD24 were independent prognostic factors for disease-free survival (DFS) in CRC patients (P<0.001, relative risk [RR] = 5.596, 95% CI = 2.712-11.549; P = 0.038, RR = 3.768, 95% CI = 1.077-13.185, respectively). However, for overall survival (OS), only ECAD negativity showed statistically significant results in multivariate analysis (P<0.001, RR = 4.819, 95% CI = 2.515-9.234). Positive expression of CD24 was associated with poor OS in univariate analysis but was of no prognostic value in multivariate analysis. In conclusion, our study suggests that among these four adhesion molecules, ECAD and CD24 expression can be considered independent prognostic factors. The role of CD44 and OPN may need further evaluation.

  18. Prognostic implications of adhesion molecule expression in colorectal cancer

    PubMed Central

    Seo, Kyung-Jin; Kim, Maru; Kim, Jeana

    2015-01-01

    Research on the expression of adhesion molecules, E-cadherin (ECAD), CD24, CD44 and osteopontin (OPN) in colorectal cancer (CRC) has been limited, even though CRC is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths. This study was conducted to evaluate the expression of adhesion molecules in CRC and to determine their relationships with clinicopathologic variables, and the prognostic significance. The expression of ECAD, CD24, CD44 and OPN was examined in 174 stage II and III CRC specimens by immunohistochemistry of TMA. Negative ECAD expression was significantly correlated with advanced nodal stage and poor tumor differentiation. Multivariate analysis showed that both negative expression of ECAD and positive expression of CD24 were independent prognostic factors for disease-free survival (DFS) in CRC patients (P<0.001, relative risk [RR] = 5.596, 95% CI = 2.712-11.549; P = 0.038, RR = 3.768, 95% CI = 1.077-13.185, respectively). However, for overall survival (OS), only ECAD negativity showed statistically significant results in multivariate analysis (P<0.001, RR = 4.819, 95% CI = 2.515-9.234). Positive expression of CD24 was associated with poor OS in univariate analysis but was of no prognostic value in multivariate analysis. In conclusion, our study suggests that among these four adhesion molecules, ECAD and CD24 expression can be considered independent prognostic factors. The role of CD44 and OPN may need further evaluation. PMID:26097606

  19. Prognostic factors in sensory recovery after digital nerve repair.

    PubMed

    Bulut, Tuğrul; Akgün, Ulaş; Çıtlak, Atilla; Aslan, Cihan; Şener, Ufuk; Şener, Muhittin

    2016-01-01

    The prognostic factors that affect sensory nerve recovery after digital nerve repair are variable because of nonhomogeneous data, subjective tests, and different assessment/scoring methods. The aim of this study was to evaluate the success of sensory nerve recovery after digital nerve repair and to investigate the prognostic factors in sensorial healing. Ninety-six digital nerve repairs of 63 patients were retrospectively evaluated. All nerves were repaired with end-to-end neurorraphy. The static two-point discrimination (s2PD) and Semmes Weinstein monofilament (SWM) tests were performed to evaluate sensory recovery. The association between prognostic factors such as gender, age, involved digit, time from injury to repair, length of follow-up, smoking, concomitant injuries, type of injury, and sensory recovery results were assessed. The s2PD test demonstrated excellent results in 26 nerves (27%), good results in 61 nerves (64%), and poor results in 9 nerves (9%). The results of the SWM test according to Imai classification showed that 31 nerves (32%) were normal, light touch was diminished in 38 nerves (40%), protective sensation was diminished in 17 nerves (18%), loss of protective sensation occurred in 5 nerves (5%), and 5 nerves (5%) were anesthetic. There was a negative relationship between age, smoking, concomitant injuries, and sensory recovery. Our results demonstrate that concomitant tendon, bone and vascular injuries, older age, and smoking were associated with worse sensory nerve recovery results. However, all digital nerve injuries should be repaired, regardless of these prognostic factors.

  20. Prognostic and predictive factors in colorectal cancer.

    PubMed

    Bolocan, A; Ion, D; Ciocan, D N; Paduraru, D N

    2012-01-01

    Colorectal cancer (CRC) is an important public health problem; it is a leading cause of cancer mortality in the industrialized world, second to lung cancer: each year there are nearly one million new cases of CRC diagnosed worldwide and half a million deaths (1). This review aims to summarise the most important currently available markers for CRC that provide prognostic or predictive information. Amongst others, it covers serum markers such as CEA and CA19-9, markers expressed by tumour tissues, such as thymidylate synthase, and also the expression/loss of expression of certain oncogenes and tumour suppressor genes such as K-ras and p53. The prognostic value of genomic instability, angiogenesis and proliferative indices, such as the apoptotic index, are discussed. The advent of new therapies created the pathway for a personalized approach of the patient. This will take into consideration the complex genetic mechanisms involved in tumorigenesis, besides the classical clinical and pathological stagings. The growing number of therapeutic agents and known molecular targets in oncology lead to a compulsory study of the clinical use of biomarkers with role in improving response and survival, as well as in reducing toxicity and establishing economic stability. The potential predictive and prognostic biomarkers which have arisen from the study of the genetic basis of colorectal cancer and their therapeutical significance are discussed. RevistaChirurgia.