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ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Screening for probable and confirmed sarcopenia using sociodemographic and anthropometric indicators can be a practical, cheap, and effective strategy to identify and treat older people susceptible to this condition. OBJECTIVES: To identify cutoff points for sociodemographic and anthropometric variables in screening probable and confirmed sarcopenia in community-dwelling older adults. DESIGN AND SETTING: This was a cross-sectional study of community-dwelling older adults in Araranguá, Santa Catarina, Brazil. METHODS: Sociodemographic (age, education) and anthropometric (weight, height, body mass index [BMI], waist circumference [WC], and dominant calf circumference [DCC]) factors were considered as predictors. The outcomes were probable sarcopenia (reduction in muscle strength assessed by time ≥ 15 s in the five-time sit-to-stand test) and confirmed sarcopenia (reduction in strength and muscle mass). Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was used to analyze the ability to track sociodemographic and anthropometric variables for sarcopenia. RESULTS: In 308 older adults, WC > 91 cm in women and age > 69 years in men were useful in screening for probable sarcopenia. The variables age, weight, BMI, WC, and DCC can be used to screen for sarcopenia in older women and men. CONCLUSION: Sociodemographic and anthropometric variables are simple and accessible tools for sarcopenia screening in older adults.
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Schizophrenia is a common severe mental illness with unknown etiology, 1/7-1/3 of which onset in children and adolescents. The treatment of childhood schizophrenia is more difficult,and the prognosis is even worse,so the early identification and timely intervention has great significance. Event-relat-ed potentials ( ERPs) are bioelectrical activities that occur in the brain during external or internal stimuli. They reflect the electrophysiological changes in the brain during cognitive activity. In recent years,scholars at home and abroad have tried to find biomarkers of early identification of childhood schizophrenia through ERPs. The main contents include:error related negativity (ERN),mismatched negativity (MMN),N100, P300 and so on.It was found that children and adolescents with schizophrenia prodromal symptoms and high-risk children and adolescents have decreased ERN,MMN,N100,P300 amplitudes,and prolonged P300 laten-cy. However,some of these results are still lack of consistency and need further research. And combined with brain imaging and molecular biology for clinical validation,it will be more helpful to the early identification of childhood schizophrenia.
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Pre-eclampsia is known to cause considerable maternal morbidity and mortality. Thus, many studies have examined the etiopathogenesis of pre-eclampsia. While many pathophysiological factors related to pre-eclampsia have been identified, the precise etiopathogenesis of pre-eclampsia remains unclear. Numerous studies have identified factors for the early prediction for pre-eclampsia to lead to preparation and closer observation on pre-eclampsia when it occurs. This article reviews on current studies of biomarkers and genetic factors related to pre-eclampsia, which may be important for developing strategies for early prediction of pre-eclampsia.
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Biomarkers , Early Diagnosis , Mortality , Pre-EclampsiaABSTRACT
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to investigate the clinical characteristics of infantile Kawasaki disease (KD), and to evaluate early diagnostic features of KD in febrile infants. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 64 KD patients from January 2010 to October 2014. There was an analysis of the clinical, laboratory data of the infants versus children groups. Furthermore, the clinical and laboratory data of infantile KD patients were compared with 16 infants who were admitted for other acute febrile diseases. RESULTS: A total of 64 patients with KD were identified; 20 (31.3%) were infants; 44 (68.8%) were >1 year old children. Incomplete KD was much more common in infants (n=13, 65.0%) than in children group (n=14, 31.8%) (p=0.013). The infants were characterized by significantly higher rates of inflammatory changes at the Bacille Calmett-Guerin (BCG) inoculation site (p<0.001), but lower rates of changes in the extremities (p=0.029) and cervical lymphadenopathy (p=0.006). The serum levels of platelet after 1 week (p=0.005), C-reactive protein (p=0.038), and N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) (p=0.026) were all significantly higher in the infants group. Comparing the infants with KD versus the other acute febrile diseases, there were significantly higher serum levels of erythrocyte sedimentation rate (p=0.002), C-reactive protein (p=0.046) and NT-proBNP (p=0.001) for the infants with KD group. CONCLUSION: BCGitis and higher levels of NT-proBNP can be helpful for early diagnosis of the incomplete KD in infants, and may be a good predictor of KD in acute febrile infants, when combined with other acute phase reactants.