The Values of the Prognostic Nutrition Index and the Patient Generated-Subjective Global Assessment during the Nutritional Assessment of Patients with Gastrointestinal Tumors

Objective To compare the value and consistency among the Patient Generated-Subjective Global Assessment(PG-SGA)and the Prognostic Nutrition Index(PNI)for assessing nutritional status in gastrointestinal tumor patients.Methods 251 patients from gastric cancer surgical ward from January 2019 to January 2020 were recruited through convenience sampling in this respective study.Nutritional screening and assessment were conducted for 251 gastrointestinal tumor patients using the nutritional risk screening 2002(NRS 2002)PG-SGA,and the PNI.PNI was calculated using the serum albumin level and the total lymphocyte count obtained from the patients’routine laboratory examination when they were admitted to the hospital.The receiver operating characteristic(ROC)of the PG SGA and the PNI were plotted with the NRS 2002 used as the gold standard,and the diagnostic value of the PG-SGA and PNI was reflected by the area under the curve(AUC),sensitivity,specificity and Youden index.We then determined the optimal cut-off for the PNI and tested the consistency of the PG-SGA and PNI.Results The optimal cut-off point for the PNI was calculated to be 50.78.The AUC of the PG-SGA was 0.908(95%CI 0.871-0.944).The sensitivity was 89.9%,specificity was 76.2%and the Youden index was 0.661.The AUC of the PNI was 0.594(95%CI 0.516-0.572).The sensitivity was 73.8%,specificity was 44.3%and the Youden index was 0.181.In the consistency test,the kappa value was 0.838(P<0.001).Conclusion The PNI is of limited value for assessing malnutrition,although it did have good consistency with the PG-SGA.The combination of the PNI and PG-SGA can be used for diagnosing assessing malnutrition in clinical practice.

Primary liver transplantation vs transplant after Kasai portoenterostomy in children with biliary atresia: A retrospective Brazilian single-center cohort

BACKGROUND Biliary atresia(BA)is the most common indication for pediatric liver transplantation,although portoenterostomy is usually performed first.However,due to the high failure rate of portoenterostomy,liver transplantation has been advocated as the primary procedure for patients with BA.It is still unclear if a previous portoenterostomy has a negative impact on liver transplantation outcomes.AIM To investigate the effect of prior portoenterostomy in infants un-dergoing liver transplantation for BA.METHODS This was a retrospective cohort study of 42 pediatric patients with BA who underwent primary liver transplantation from 2013 to 2023 at a single tertiary center in Brazil.Patients with BA were divided into two groups:Those undergoing primary liver transplantation without portoenterostomy and those undergoing liver transplantation with prior portoenterostomy.Continuous variables were compared using the Student’s t-test or the Kruskal-Wallis test,and categorical variables were compared using theχ2 or Fisher’s exact test,as appropriate.Multivariable Cox regression analysis was performed to determine risk factors for portal vein thrombosis.Patient and graft survival analyses were conducted with the Kaplan–Meier product-limit estimator,and patient subgroups were compared using the two-sided log-rank test.RESULTS Forty-two patients were included in the study(25[60%]girls),23 undergoing liver transplantation without prior portoenterostomy,and 19 undergoing liver transplantation with prior portoenterostomy.Patients with prior portoenterostomy were older(12 vs 8 months;P=0.02)at the time of liver transplantation and had lower Pediatric End-Stage Liver Disease scores(13.2 vs 21.4;P=0.01).The majority of the patients(35/42,83%)underwent livingdonor liver transplantation.The group of patients without prior portoenterostomy appeared to have a higher incidence of portal vein thrombosis(39 vs 11%),but this result did not reach statistical significance.Prior portoenterostomy was not a protective factor against portal vein thrombosis in the multivariable analysis after adjusting for age at liver transplantation,graft-to-recipient weight ratio,and use of vascular grafts.Finally,the groups did not significantly differ in terms of post-transplant survival.CONCLUSION In our study,prior portoenterostomy did not significantly affect the outcomes of liver transplantation.

The Development of the Japanese Psychiatric Nursing Assessment Classification System (PsyNACS©)

The purpose of this study was to develop the Japanese Psychiatric Nursing Assessment Classification System (PsyNACS)©. This study used the on-line survey method from February to April 2015. There were 644 respondents comprised of professional nurses with minimum qualification of 3 years’ experience being in a psychiatric unit of a stand-alone 200-bed or more Psychiatric Hospital in Japan. Assessment items were derived from 211 specific items selected from nursing textbooks, excluding the North-American-Nursing-Diagnosis-Association (NANDA). The questionnaire contained Cover Letter, Demographic Data Sheet, and the PsyNACS© questionnaire. There were 644 questionnaires accessed but only 435 were completed and valid. Item levels of importance were evaluated: 1) Unnecessary, 2) Not very important, 3) Important and 4) Very important. Data analysis used descriptive and multivariate statistics. Factor analysis (principal factor analysis, varimax rotation), the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) and the Bartlett’s test of Sphericity assessed the adaptive validity of the factor analysis. Factor loadings were set at 0.4 or more for the configuration of items. Internal consistency and reliability were established using Cronbach’s alpha coefficient. Mean factor points were calculated, including standard deviation, range, and confidence interval at 95%. Statistical significance was at 0.05 level. Nine Patient Assessment Data (PAD) with 2 to 5 Cluster Assessment Data (CAD) each were categorized. Thirty one CADs comprised the Patient Assessment Data: (PAD1) Psychological symptom and stress, (PAD2) Information about treatment, (PAD3) Function of eating and balance of water, (PAD4) Life and value, (PAD5) Vital signs and health assessment, (PAD6) Self-care, (PAD7) Social support, (PAD8) Activity, sleeping and mobility capability, and (PAD9) Sexual function and sexual behavior. The PsyNACS© is a classification of items assessing health care needs within the Japanese psychiatric nursing care environment, and also can be used in various psychiatric patient care situations in all psychiatric units.

Malnutrition and Quality of Life in Chinese Cancer Patients: a Clinical Study of 23,994 Subjects

Background Malnutrition is common in patients with cancer,and can negatively impact their quality of life(QoL)and even survival.However,there is currently no large data available on the prevalence of malnutrition in Chinese cancer patients.This study evaluated the prevalence of malnutrition and the QoL of Chinese patients with locoregional,recurrent or metastatic cancer.Methods We conducted a nationwide observational,multi-center,hospital-based cross-sectional study within the Chinese Society of Nutritional Oncology(CSNO)Network.All of the patients were diagnosed with one of the following 18 different types of malignant tumors:lung cancer,gastric cancer,liver cancer,colorectal cancer,breast cancer,esophageal cancer,cervical cancer,endometrial cancer,nasopharyngeal carcinoma,malignant lymphoma,leukemia,pancreatic cancer,ovarian cancer,prostate cancer,bladder cancer,brain cancer,biliary tract malignant tumors or gastrointestinal stromal tumors.These patients were enrolled from 72 hospitals located in different regions of China.The patients’nutritional status was evaluated based on the body mass index(BMI),loss of bodyweight,laboratory measurements and patient generated-subjective global assessment(PG-SGA)scores.The cancer patients’physical status and QoL were assessed by the Karnofsky Performance Status(KPS)questionnaire and the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer(EORTC)QLQ-C30 questionnaire,respectively.Results From December 2013 to April 2016,23,994 patients hospitalized for cancer treatment(such as surgery,chemotherapy or radiotherapy)were enrolled in the study.The patients included 12,494(52.9%)males and 11,124(47.1%)females.The mean age was 55.8±13.7 years.The proportions of patients in cancer stagesⅠ,Ⅱ,Ⅲ,Ⅳand uncertain were 11.5%,20.3%,27.5%,30.2%and 10.5%,respectively.Among the 23,994 inpatients,the proportions of patients who were underweight(BMI<18.5 kg/m2),normal(18.5 kg/m2<BMI<24 kg/m2),overweight(24 kg/m2≤BMI<28 kg/m2)and obese(BMI≥28 kg/m2)were 9.3%,59.9%,26.1%and 4.7%,respectively.A total of 18.3%(4,101/22,424)of patients had lost 5%or more of their bodyweight within the past month and 19.6%(2,463/12,538)of patients had lost 10%or more of their bodyweight within the past 6 months.According to the PG-SGA scores,26.6%of the patients were severely malnourished(score≥9),31.3%were moderately malnourished(scores 4~8).A total of 22.2%of patients had a serum albumin level lower than 35g/L.Only 8.6%(2056/23,991)of the patients had severe KPS scores(≤60).The patients with these severe KPS scores were most frequently among those with cancers of the brain(19.7%),prostate(18.0%),pancreas(15.5%)and bladder(15.0%).Based on the QLQ-C30 score,11.6%of patients had a poor QoL.The PG-SGA score and global QoL were correlated(r=-0.593,P<0.001).Conclusion The prevalence of malnutrition in patients with cancer is relatively high,and is related to a poorer QoL.The present findings should be kept in mind when assessing cancer patients,because addressing the patient’s problems in nutritional status would be expected to improve both the clinical outcomes and QoL in cancer patients with malnutrition.

Prediction of hospital mortality in intensive care unit patients from clinical and laboratory data: A machine learning approach

BACKGROUND Intensive care unit(ICU)patients demand continuous monitoring of several clinical and laboratory parameters that directly influence their medical progress and the staff’s decision-making.Those data are vital in the assistance of these patients,being already used by several scoring systems.In this context,machine learning approaches have been used for medical predictions based on clinical data,which includes patient outcomes.AIM To develop a binary classifier for the outcome of death in ICU patients based on clinical and laboratory parameters,a set formed by 1087 instances and 50 variables from ICU patients admitted to the emergency department was obtained in the“WiDS(Women in Data Science)Datathon 2020:ICU Mortality Prediction”dataset.METHODS For categorical variables,frequencies and risk ratios were calculated.Numerical variables were computed as means and standard deviations and Mann-Whitney U tests were performed.We then divided the data into a training(80%)and test(20%)set.The training set was used to train a predictive model based on the Random Forest algorithm and the test set was used to evaluate the predictive effectiveness of the model.RESULTS A statistically significant association was identified between need for intubation,as well predominant systemic cardiovascular involvement,and hospital death.A number of the numerical variables analyzed(for instance Glasgow Coma Score punctuations,mean arterial pressure,temperature,pH,and lactate,creatinine,albumin and bilirubin values)were also significantly associated with death outcome.The proposed binary Random Forest classifier obtained on the test set(n=218)had an accuracy of 80.28%,sensitivity of 81.82%,specificity of 79.43%,positive predictive value of 73.26%,negative predictive value of 84.85%,F1 score of 0.74,and area under the curve score of 0.85.The predictive variables of the greatest importance were the maximum and minimum lactate values,adding up to a predictive importance of 15.54%.CONCLUSION We demonstrated the efficacy of a Random Forest machine learning algorithm for handling clinical and laboratory data from patients under intensive monitoring.Therefore,we endorse the emerging notion that machine learning has great potential to provide us support to critically question existing methodologies,allowing improvements that reduce mortality.

Eficacy of Electro-acupuncture in Treatment of Functional Constipation: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Functional constipation(FC)is a chronic discasc that significantly afcts the life quality of patients.Acupuncture has been used for the treatment of FC for many years,but its effectiveness has not been scientifcally assessed.The present study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of electro-acupuncture(EA)in relieving the symptoms,mental states and quality of life(QOL)of FC patients.A total of 96 FC patients were randomly allocated into EA,mosapride&sham EA group(MS)and mosapride control group(MC).In the EA group,patients were treated with 16 sessions of needling at Quchi(LI1I)and Shangjuxu(ST37)bilaterally,5 times a week in the first 2 weeks,and 3 times a.week in the last 2 weeks.In the MC group,patients were treated with 5 mg mosapride citrate three times a day for 4 weeks.In the MS group,patients underwent sham EA and the same mosapride citrate treatment as in the MC group.The primary outcome was the number of weekly spontaneous bowel movements(SBMs).The secondary outcomes included stool consistency,intensity of defecating difficulty,36-Item Short-Form Health Survey(SF-36),Self-rating Anxiety Scale(SAS),Self-rating Depression Scale(SDS),and the validated Patient Assessment of Constipation-Quality of Life(PAC-QOL).The results showed that as compared with the baseline,EA significantly improved the weekly SBMs,stool consistency and intensity of defecating difficulty(P<0.05).It also partly ameliorated the PAC-QOL,SF-36,SDS and SAS scores when compared with MC or MS group(P<0.05).However,no significant difference was observed between MS and MC groups in bowel function outcomes and QOL scores.It was concluded that EA could effectivcly improve bowel function,mental states and QOL of FC patients.

Effect of Dermabrasion and ReCell on Large Superficial Facial Scars Caused by Burn, Trauma and Acnes

Objective To explore the effects of dermabrasion combined with ReCell on large superficial facial scars caused by burn, trauma and acnes. Methods Nineteen patients with large superficial facial scars were treated by the same surgeon with dermabrasion combined with ReCell？. According to the etiology, patients were classified into post-burning group （n=5）, post-traumatic group （n=7） and post-acne group （n=7）. Fifteen patients completed the follow-ups, 5 patients in each group. Healing time, complication rate, the preoperative and 18-month-post-operative assessments using Patient Satisfaction Score （PSS）, Vancouver Scar Scale （VSS）, and Patient and Observer Scar Assessment Scale （POSAS） of each group were analyzed to compare the effect of the combined therapy on outcomes.Results The healing time of post-burning group （19.6±4.0 days）, post-traumatic group （15.8±2.6 days）, and post-acne group （11.4±3.1 days） varied remarkably （F=7.701, P=0.007）. The complication rates were 60%, 20%, and 0 respectively. The post-operative POSAS improved significantly in all groups （P〈0.05）, where the most significant improvement was shown in the post-acne group （P〈0.05）. The post-operative PSS and VSS improved only in the post-traumatic group and post-acne group （all P〈0.05）, where the more significant improvement was also shown in the post-acne group （P〈0.05）. Conclusions The combined treatment of dermabrasion and ReCell has remarkable effect on acne scars, moderate effect on traumatic scars and is not suggested for burn scars. POSAS should be applied to assess the therapeutic effects of treatments for large irregular scars.

Clinical outcomes of tricuspid valve repair accompanying left-sided heart disease

AIM To determine whether the need for additional tricuspid valve repair is an independent risk factor when surgery is required for a left-sided heart disease.METHODS One hundred and eighty patients(68 ± 12 years,79 males) underwent tricuspid annuoplasty.Cox proportionalhazards regression model for multivariate analysis was performed for variables found significant in univariate analyses.RESULTS Tricuspid regurgitation etiology was functional in 154 cases(86%),organic in 16 cases(9%),and mixed in10 cases(6%),respectively.Postoperative mortality at 30 days was 11.7%.Mean follow-up was 51.7 mo with survival at 5 years of 73.5%.Risk factors for mortality were acute endocarditis [hazard ratio(HR) = 9.22(95%CI:2.87-29.62),P < 0.001],ischemic heart disease requiring myocardial revascularization [HR = 2.79(1.26-6.20),P = 0.012],and aortic valve stenosis [HR = 2.6(1.15-5.85),P = 0.021].Significant predictive factors from univariate analyses were double-valve replacement combined with tricuspid annuloplasty [HR = 2.21(1.11-4.39),P = 0.003] and preoperatively impaired ejection fraction [HR = 1.98(1.04-3.92),P = 0.044].However,successful mitral valve repair showed a protective effect [HR = 0.32(0.10-0.98),P = 0.046].Additionally,in instances where tricuspid regurgitation required the need for concomitant tricuspid valve repair,mortality predictor scores such as Euroscore 2 could be shortened to a simple Euroscore-tricuspid comprised of only 7 inputs.The explanation may lie in the fact that significant tricuspid regurgitation following leftsided heart disease represents an independent risk factor encompassing several other factors such as pulmonary arterial hypertension and dyspnea.CONCLUSION Tricuspid annuloplasty should be used more often as a concomitant procedure in the presence of relevant tricuspid regurgitation,although it usually reveals an overly delayed correction of a left-sided heart disease.

Profiles of and correlation between objective and subjective outcome assessments following open-door laminoplasty for cervical spondylotic myelopathy

Background Open-door laminoplasty is widely used in the treatment of cervical spondylotic myelopathy （CSM）. This study aimed to investigate the profiles of and correlation between objective and subjective short-term outcome assessments after open-door laminoplasty for CSM. Methods We retrospectively analyzed surgical outcomes in 129 consecutive CSM patients who underwent open-door laminoplasty in Peking University Third Hospital from February 2008 to November 2011. Both objective and subjective assessments were evaluated before surgery, 3 months after surgery, and 1 year after surgery. We then analyzed the profiles of and correlation between objective and subjective short-term outcomes. Results The Modified Japanese Orthopaedic Association （mJOA） score was significantly improved at 3 months （P〈0.01） and 1 year （P〈0.01） after surgery. Bivariate Logistic regression showed that sensory improvement contributed more to the recovery rate than motor function improvement at 3 months after surgery, while motor function contributed more to the recovery rate at 1 year after surgery. On the subjective assessment （the short form （SF）-36）, there was no significant improvement at 3 months after surgery （P〉0.05）, while physical function （PF）, role-physical （RP）, and social function （SF） were notably improved at 1 year after surgery （P〈0.01）. Improved mJOA score correlated with improvements in PF, RP, bodily pain, general health （GH）, vitality （VT）, and SF （P〈0.05） at 3 months after surgery; PF, GH, VT, and SF were associated with improved mJOA scores at 1 year after surgery. Conclusions Patients benefit from surgery by postoperative restitution of neurological function with early recovery of sensory function, followed by a gradual transition to motor function improvement. At the early stage of recovery, improvement in the mJOA score essentially correlated with improvements in the physical domains of the SF-36, while at the later stage, mJOA score improvement was associated with improvements in both mental and physical domains of the SF-36.Chin med J 2014;127（14）：2659-2663