Identification of the long noncoding RNA_ AK096792 in cord blood as a clinical predictor for early diagnosis of bronchopulmonary dysplasia in preterm infants / 中华实用儿科临床杂志

Objective@#To investigate the feasibility of long noncoding RNA (lncRNA)_AK096792 as a clinical predictor of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) in preterm infants.@*Methods@#All the cord blood(2-5 mL) of very low birth weight (VLBW) preterm infants born in Huai′an First Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University were collected from December 1, 2015 to December 1, 2017.Moreover, the peripheral blood(2 mL) of those VLBW infants diagnosed with BPD was also collected.A total of 36 infants with BPD were collected.Another 36 cases of premature children with VLBW were chosen as control group according to random number table.The relative content of lncRNA_AK096792 in cord blood and peripheral blood was detected by using real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR). Additionally, the correlation of lncRNA_AK096792 levels between cord and peripheral blood of BPD infants was analyzed.The sensitivity and specificity of lncRNA_AK096792 for BPD were analyzed by using receiver operating curve test.@*Results@#(1)LncRNA_AK096792 was a common, evolutionarily conserved, non-coding RNA present in both mouse and human.(2) The expression level of lncRNA_AK096792 in peripheral blood was significantly higher than that in cord blood in BPD group[(463.3±352.0)% vs.(50.0±37.5)%], and the difference was significant(P<0.001), and they were highly correlated (r=0.825, P<0.001). (3) The level of lncRNA_AK096792 in cord blood in BPD group was signi-ficantly higher than that in non-BPD group [(484.3±280.5)% vs.(101.2±28.6)%], and the difference was significant(P<0.001). (4)When lncRNA_AK096792 served as a clinical predictor for BPD, the specificity was 83.3%, the sensitivity was 75.6%, and an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.88(P<0.001).@*Conclusions@#LncRNA_AK096792 is highly correlated with the development of BPD.The level of lncRNA_AK096792 in umbilical cord blood of premature infants can be used as an early predictive marker for BPD, it calls for further study.

Clinical Predictors of Oro-esophageal Tube Feeding Success in Brain Injury Patients With Dysphagia

OBJECTIVE: To identify possible clinical predictors of intermittent oro-esophageal (OE) tube feeding success, and evaluate the clinical factors associated with OE tube treatment. METHODS: A total of 135 dysphagic patients were reviewed, who received OE tube treatment and were hospitalized in the department of rehabilitation medicine between January 2005 and December 2014. The 76 eligible cases enrolled were divided into two groups, based on the OE tube training success. Clinical factors assessed included age, cause of brain lesion, gag reflex, cognitive function and reasons for OE tube training failure. RESULTS: Of the 76 cases enrolled, 56 study patients were assigned to the success group, with the remaining 20 in the failure group. There were significant differences between these two groups in terms of age, gag reflex, ability to follow commands, and the score of Korean version of Mini-Mental Status Examination (K-MMSE). Location of the brain lesion showed a borderline significance. Multivariable analysis using logistic regression revealed that age, cause of brain lesion, gag reflex, and K-MMSE were the main predictors of OE tube training success. CONCLUSION: A younger age, impaired gag reflex and higher cognitive function (specifically a K-MMSE score ≥19.5) are associated with an increased probability of OE tube training success in dysphagic patients.

Clinical Predictors for Response to Proton Pump Inhibitor Treatment in Patients With Globus

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Globus is a persistent or intermittent non-painful sensation of a lump or foreign body in the throat. Given the benign nature of the condition and the association of gastroesophageal reflux disease, empirical therapy with proton pump inhibitor seems reasonable for patients with typical globus. The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical predictors for symptom response to short-term proton pump inhibitor treatment in patients with globus symptom. METHODS: Fifty-four patients with globus symptom were enrolled prospectively. All patients were treated with pantoprazole 40 mg daily for 4 weeks. Treatment response was defined as a > 50% reduction in symptom scores between symptom assessments. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis between responders and non-responders was performed to identify variables predicting response to pantoprazole treatment. RESULTS: Of the 54 consecutive patients considered, 13 were excluded on the basis of exclusion criteria and/or refusal to participate in the study. Finally, 41 patients were included in this study. After 4-week pantoprazole treatment, 22 patients (53.7%) were classified as responders. On multivariate analysis, the presence of reflux symptom was associated with a higher response rate to 4-week pantoprazole treatment (OR, 68.56; P = 0.043), and long symptom duration (> or = 3 months) were associated with a lower response rate to pantoprazole treatment (OR, 0.03; P = 0.034). CONCLUSIONS: Presence of reflux symptom and short symptom duration were independent predictors of responsiveness to 4-week pantoprazole treatment in patients with globus.

Clinical Predictor in Obstructive Sleep Apnea Patient / 대한이비인후과학회지

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Identifying sites of obstruction and estimating the severity of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is the principal goal of clinical examination by an otolaryngologist. There have been many attempts to derive easily obtainable predictors for OSA, which are complementary to polysomnography (PSG) in the evaluation of patients suspected of OSA. The aim of this study is to explore relatively simple and useful test batteries that can predict the presence and severity of OSA. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: Seventy seven patients who complained for snoring and/or sleep apnea, excessive daytime sleepness prospectively underwent PSG, physical examination, cephalometry and nasopharyngosopy. The physical examination included the measurement of tonsil size, palatal position, body mass index (BMI) and thyromental space distance (TMD). The AP diameter of posterior airway space (PAS), the length of soft palate (PNS-P) and inferior displacement of hyoid bone (MP-H) was measured in cephalometry. Retropalatal area and retroglossal area were measured by 4 scales with nasopharyngoscopy during the end of expiration and during Mueller maneuver (MM). RESULTS: Significant correlations with RDI were found in BMI, TMD, MP-H in cephalometry and collapsibility of the retropalatal area in nasopharyngoscopy during MM. BMI, MP-H in cephalometry and collapsibility of the retropalatal area in nasopharingoscopy during MM were found to be good predictors of OSA severity by multivariate linear regression analysis. CONCLUSION: We suggest that, although it can not replace the role of PSG, the test battery combined with BMI, cephalometry (MP-H) and nasopharyngoscopy with MM (collapsibility of retropalatal area) can predict the presence and severity of OSA.