Joint modeling of survival and longitudinal data: Carrico index data example

Aim: When the respiratory system is unable to adequately absorb oxygen or excrete carbon dioxide, acute respiratory failure (ARF) develops. A current area of study is the survival analysis of patients with acute hypercapnic respiratory failure (AHRF) in the field of pulmonary diseases. In the follow-up period, several biochemical markers are repeatedly measured, such as respiration rate and Carrico Index; however, baseline or averaged values are mostly related to treatment failure. Although this approach is not inaccurate, it causes information loss, which leads to biased estimates. This prospective cohort study primarily looked at the relationship between changes in Carrico Index and failure of treatment in AHRF patients. Methods: We included 86 patients from Ankara University School of Medicine Pulmonary Diseases Department. The association between the trajectory of the Carrico Index and failure in AHRF patients was examined using a joint modeling approach for longitudinal and survival data. Results: Results showed that averaged Carrico Index change was inversely and significantly associated with failure (HR: 0.97, 95% CI: -0.05 to 1.97). With hazard ratios of 1.43 and 1.4, chronic health evaluation II (Apache II), and COPD Assesment test (CAT) were positively correlated with failure risk. Conclusions: The present study demonstrate that applying the risk predictors' trajectory through an appropriate statistical method improved accuracy and avoid biased results

Outcomes of renal replacement therapy in boys with prune belly syndrome : findings from the ESPN/ERA-EDTA Registry

As outcome data for prune belly syndrome (PBS) complicated by end-stage renal disease are scarce, we analyzed characteristics and outcomes of children with PBS using the European Society for Pediatric Nephrology/European Renal Association-European Dialysis and Transplant Association (ESPN/ERA-EDTA) Registry data. Data were available for 88 male PBS patients aged <20 years who started renal replacement therapy (RRT) between 1990 and 2013 in 35 European countries. Patient characteristics, survival, and transplantation outcomes were compared with those of male patients requiring RRT due to congenital obstructive uropathy (COU) and renal hypoplasia or dysplasia (RHD). Median age at onset of RRT in PBS was lower [7.0; interquartile range (IQR) 0.9-12.2 years] than in COU (9.6; IQR: 3.0-14.1 years) and RHD (9.4; IQR: 2.7-14.2 years). Unadjusted 10-year patient survival was 85% for PBS, 94% for COU, and 91% for RHD. After adjustment for country, period, and age, PBS mortality was similar to that of RHD but higher compared with COU [hazard ratio (HR) 1.96, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.03-3.74]. Seventy-four PBS patients (84%) received a first kidney transplant after a median time on dialysis of 8.4 (IQR 0.0-21.1) months. Outcomes with respect to time on dialysis before transplantation, chance of receiving a first transplant within 2 years after commencing RRT, and death-censored, adjusted risk of graft loss were similar for all groups. This study in the largest cohort of male patients with PBS receiving RRT to date demonstrates that outcomes are comparable with other congenital anomalies of the kidney and urinary tract, except for a slightly higher mortality risk compared with patients with COU.Peer reviewe

Minimal Clinically Important Difference as Applied in Rheumatology

10.3899/jrheum.141150Journal of Rheumatology431194-20

Turkish version of the Drug Hypersensitivity Quality of Life Questionnaire: assessment of reliability and validity

Dursun, A. Berna/0000-0002-6337-6326; Bavbek, Sevim/0000-0002-7884-0830; GOKSEL, Ozlem/0000-0003-1121-9967; Romano, Antonino/0000-0001-9742-9898WOS: 000367896300011PubMed: 26091583The first disease-specific quality-of-life questionnaire in patients with drug hypersensitivity, Drug Hypersensitivity Quality of Life Questionnaire (DrHy-Q), was developed and validated recently. the aim of this study was to assess validity, reliability and responsiveness to interventions of the Turkish version of the DrHy-Q. the Turkish version of the DrHy-Q was administered to prospectively enrolled 736 patients with drug hypersensitivity from ten allergy units. To assess validity, all patients completed the validated Turkish version of Psychological General Well-Being Index (PGWBI). For test-retest reliability, 182 patients completed the DrHy-Q 1 week after the first questionnaire administration without any intervention. Responsiveness was assessed on 97 patients who had a DrHy-Q recorded at a follow-up visit after the intervention. the internal consistency and test-retest reliability of the scale were adequate (Cronbach's alpha = 0.934, intra-class correlation coefficient = 0.783). the DrHy-Q scores showed weak negative correlations with the PGWBI total and domain scores (r = - 0.378 to -0.254, p 0.05). the baseline DrHy-Q scores were significantly higher than the post-intervention scores (p = 0.008). the Turkish version of DrHy-Q is reliable and valid for evaluating quality of life in patients with drug hypersensitivity, and it appeared responsive to interventions

Effect of drug desensitization on drug hypersensitivity-related quality of life

[No Abstract Available

Turkish version of the Drug Hypersensitivity Quality of Life Questionnaire: assessment of reliability and validity

The first disease-specific quality-of-life questionnaire in patients with drug hypersensitivity, Drug Hypersensitivity Quality of Life Questionnaire (DrHy-Q), was developed and validated recently. The aim of this study was to assess validity, reliability and responsiveness to interventions of the Turkish version of the DrHy-Q

From RNA isolation to microarray analysis: Comparison of methods in FFPE tissues

Background: Genome-wide gene expression profiling analysis of FFPE tissue samples is indispensable for cancer research and provides the opportunity to evaluate links between molecular and clinical information, however, working with FFPE samples is challenging due to extensive cross-linking, fragmentation and limited quantities of nucleic acid. Thus, processing of FFPE tissue samples from RNA extraction to microarray analysis still needs optimization