Linear Combination of Leukocyte Count and D-Dimer Levels in the Diagnosis of Patients with Non-traumatic Acute Abdomen

Aim: Rapid intervention is required in patients with non-traumatic acute abdominal pain. It is very important to distinguish between surgical and non-surgical pathologies during this intervention. This study aimed to increase the diagnostic accuracy by combining the leukocyte count and D-dimer levels used in this evaluation with linear combination methods. Materials and Methods: Logistic regression, scoring, min-max, minimax, Su & Liu, Pepe & Thompson, Pepe, Cai & Langton, and Todor & Saplacan methods were used as linear combination methods. The data set was divided into 70% training set and 30% test set. Parameter optimization was performed on the training data by 5 fold cross-validation method using 10 repeats. The area under the ROC curve, sensitivity, selectivity, accuracy, positive and negative predictive value, and positive and negative likelihood ratio statistics were used in the performance evaluation.Results: The area under the ROC curve statistic for D-dimer level and log-transformed leukocyte count variable were obtained as 0.71 and 0.70, respectively. The accuracy rate was 0.69 for the D-dimer level and 0.73 for log-transformed leukocyte count. For the linear combination methods, the area under the ROC curve was between 0.77 and 0.81, and the accuracy statistics were between 0.72 and 0.79. The best performance was obtained with the min-max method.Conclusion: In patients with non-traumatic acute abdominal pain, leukocyte count and D-dimer levels can be evaluated together by using linear combination methods in differentiating surgical and non-surgical pathologies. The obtained results showed that the diagnostic performance of the combined results with the min-max procedure was higher than the leukocyte count and D-dimer levels

Examination of the correlation between hand grip strength and muscle mass, balance, mobility, and daily life activities in elderly individuals living in nursing homes

Abstract. BACKGROUND: Aging is a process that includes progressive physiological changes. Grip strength is an important indicator of current health in the elderly. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to examine the correlation between dominant-hand grip strength (HGS) and cognitive function, mid-upper arm circumference, muscle-bone mass, balance, mobility, and daily life activities in elderly individuals living in nursing homes and determine the effect rates of these factors on HGS. METHODS: Seventy-two elderly individuals aged over 65 who lived in a nursing home were included in the study. Dominant HGS and mid-upper forearm circumference were measured. Muscle and bone masses were measured with bioelectrical impedance analysis. Mid-upper arm circumference was measured using a non-elastic tape. HGS was measured using a hand dynamometer. Cognitive function was evaluated with the Standardized Mini-Mental Test (SMMT); mobility and balance were evaluated with the Timed Up and Go Test (TUGT) and Berg Balance Scale (BBS); the Katz Activities of Daily Living Scale (KATZ ADL) was used to evaluate daily life activities. RESULTS: There was a significant correlation between HGS and muscle and bone masses (p < 0.001). A significant correlation was found between HGS and TUGT, ADL (p = 0.001, p = 0.016). There was no significant correlation between HGS and BBS (p = 0.2). There was a correlation between HGS and SMMT at the statistical significance limit (p = 0.055). On HGS, the Body Mass Index had a 64.9% effect; the muscle mass had a 30.9% effect; the TUGT had a 27.7% effect. These parameters were found to explain 59.9% of the variance. CONCLUSION: As a global indicator of muscle strength, HGS can be used to predict age-related functional changes. Approaches to increase physical activity levels in elderly can be effective in reducing age-related negativities