Cryptococcosis, mainly caused by Cryptococcus neoformans/gattii species complexes, is a lethal infection in both immunosuppressive and immunocompetent populations. With the upgrade of detection methods and the increase of clinical knowledge, the incidence rate of cryptococcosis is increasing, and it has become one of the most important fungi threatening human health. In recent years, great progress has been made in this field, including the taxonomy and nomenclature of Cryptococcus spp., laboratory diagnostic methods and antifungal susceptibility tests, as well as the characteristics and treatments of cryptococcosis. This article reviews the above contents, in order to improve the clinical and laboratory understanding of the Cryptococcus spp., and realize the timely diagnosis and early treatment of cryptococcosis.
Objective To observe the imaging features of ultra-wide field short wave fundus autofluorescence (SW-FAF) in eyes with multiple evanescent white dot syndrome (MEWDS), and analysis the correspondence to conventional images. Methods It was a retrospective case series study. Thirteen patients (14 eyes) diagnosed with MEWDS were enrolled. There were 12 females and 1 male, aged from 22 to 57 years, mean age was 34.5 years. All the eyes underwent fundus color photography, optical coherence tomography (OCT) and ultra-wide field autofluorescence (FAF). Simultaneous fundus fluorescein angiography (FFA) and indocyanine green angiography (ICGA) were performed in 6 eyes. The characteristic changes of SW-FAF in studied eyes were observed and compared with the images of FFA and ICGA. All the eyes were followed up every 1 to 2 weeks, with an average of 16.7 weeks. The characteristic images of SW-FAF and corresponding OCT were studied during follow up. Results MEWDS presented with numerous multiple hyper-autofluorescent spots, sized from 50-500 μm, with a vague boundary in ultra-wide field SW-FAF. These spots located mainly at the peripapillary area and the posterior pole with a confluent pattern. The lesions extended to the mid-peripheral retina as well and became more scattered. The distribution of the hyper-autofluorescent lesions in SW-FAF corresponded roughly to that of the greyish-white spots seen in color photograph and the hyper-fluorescent spots detected by FFA. It was consistent with the distribution of hypo-fluorescent spots in late-phase ICGA as well. But the number of the spot showed in FAF is much more than that in FFA, and slightly less than that in ICGA. The OCT scans through the hyper-autofluorescent lesions in SW-FAF showed impairment of outer retina. After the recovery, the hyper-autofluorescent spots disappeared with the outer retina structure repaired completely. Conclusions MEWDS presented with numerous multiple hyper-autofluorescent spots which located mainly at the peripapillary area in ultra-wide field SW-FAF. The distribution of the hyper-autofluorescent lesions in SW-FAF corresponded roughly to color photograph, FFA and ICGA in late-phase. The OCT scans through the hyper-autofluorescent lesions in SW-FAF showed impairment of outer retina.
ObjectiveTo systematically review the overall diagnostic efficacy of Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI in differentiating dysplastic nodules (DNs) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), exploring whether the hepatobiliary phase can effectively improve diagnostic accuracy. MethodsThe PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, CNKI, WanFang Data, and CBM databases were searched from January 1998 to March 2023 to identify original studies on Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI for the differential diagnosis of DNs and HCC. Two investigators independently performed literature screening, extraction of data features and quality assessment. Meta-analysis was performed using Stata 17.0 and Meta-disc1.4 software. ResultsA total of 14 papers were included in this meta-analysis, including 375 DNs and 653 HCC. The results of meta-analysis showed that, in the multiparametric diagnostic sequence, the pooled Sen, Spe, PLR, NLR and AUC were 0.95 (95%CI 0.87 to 0.98), 0.95 (95%CI 0.91 to 0.97), 18.57 (95%CI 9.64 to 35.78), 0.06 (95%CI 0.02 to 0.14) and 0.98 (95%CI 0.97 to 0.99), respectively. ConclusionGd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI has a good differential diagnostic value for DNs and HCC. Hepatobiliary phase imaging also greatly compensates for the diagnostic deficiency of dynamic enhancement with low sensitivity for early HCC.
In this paper, we introduce theory and practice method about combining independent studies of Diagnostic test into a summary ROC curve. This is a useful and easily applied by clinicians to analyse the data of diagnostic test. It’s referance for user and doer of EBM in China.
Objective To investigate the characteristics of ultrasonogram of eyes with silicon oil tamponade. Methods Forty-seven patients (47 eyes) who had undergone the operation of silicon-oil removing were examined by A-(to determine the length of ocular axis) and B-scan before and after the operation respectively. The length of ocular axis and cubage of vitreous chamber were detected and the characteristics of the ultrasonograms were observed according to the default parameters of ultrasonograph. Results The results of A-scan showed that the preoperative axial length was 1.465 times of the postoperative one in the eyes without lens, and 1.284 times in eyes with lens; after modified the parameter according to the acoustic velocity, the preoperative axial length was (0.78±0.34) mm longer than the postoperative one in the eyes without lens, and (0.56±0.32) mm in eyes with lens. The results of A-scan showed that the cubage of vitreous chamber enlarged obviously in eyes with silicon oil tamponade, and the acoustic features included complete filling and partial filling according to the amount of silicon oil. Several arc echoes at the posterior segment of eye were detected in the silicon-oil-filling eyes with retinal detachment. Conclusion In the silicon-oil-filling eyes with lengthened ocular axis, the characteristics of B-scan images are affected by acoustic velocity through silicon oil, the amount of silicon oil capacity and the emulsification of silicon oil. (Chin J Ocul Fundus Dis，2004，20：349-351)
Acute pharyngitis belongs to the category of "acute throat impediment" in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), which has a high incidence and is easy to recur. In clinical practice of TCM, Chinese patent medicines with the effects of clearing heat and detoxifying, reducing swelling and relieving pain are widely used in the treatment of acute pharyngitis. These medicines have the advantages of definite efficacy, low side effects, and low risk of developing drug resistance. However, at present, there are no standardized clinical diagnostic and therapeutic evaluation norms for acute pharyngitis in TCM, which has hindered the application of TCM in the prevention and treatment of acute pharyngitis and the development of new TCM preparations. Therefore, the China Association of Chinese Medicine initiated this expert consensus, which was led the formulation by Xiyuan Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences. This expert consensus integrates the current best evidence and extensive clinical expert experience from the front line, covering seven aspects: applicable scope, diagnosis in both Chinese and Western medicine, syndrome classification and evaluation scales, basis for efficacy evaluation, and time for efficacy evaluation. It has formed 8 types of TCM syndromes for acute pharyngitis, as well as the diagnostic criteria, syndrome classification and evaluation scales, evaluation basis for efficacy, and scoring standards for syndromes and diseases. This expert consensus can be used to standardize the diagnosis of the TCM syndromes of acute pharyngitis, as well as the core indicators and evaluation methods for syndrome and disease efficacy, with the aim of providing references for clinical practice and scientific research on acute pharyngitis.
ObjectiveTo compare the diagnostic efficacy of serum thyroglobulin (Tg), diagnostic 131I whole-body scan (D-WBS), neck ultrasound for diagnosing metastasis and recurrence of differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC). MethodsFrom May to June 2011, fifty follow-up DTC patients were collected retrospectively 6 months or more after 131I ablation therapy following total-thyroidectomy or near-total thyroidectomy. The diagnostic standard for DTC metastasis and relapse were based on serum Tg, D-WBS, neck ultrasound and chest CT. Diagnostic 2 by 2 table was employed for calculating the sensitivity, specificity, accuracy of the methods. ResultsThe sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive predictive value, negative predictive value of TgIMA and D-WBS parallel experiments were 100.0%, 92.9%, 96.0%, 91.7%, and 100.0% respectively. ConclusionTgIMA combined with D-WBS parallel test in diagnosis of DTC metastasis and recurrence has the highest accuracy.
Receiving the amount of true positives, false positives, false negatives and true negatives is necessary when conducting meta-analysis of diagnostic tests. Advanced methods of data extraction are required if these data could not be directly obtained from a literature. We introduced three methods and discussed the theories. An example was then given to illustrate how to apply the methods.
Objective To evaluate the diagnostic value of N terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) for heart failure (HF) and the relationship between NT-proBNP and HF. Methods Applying electrochemiluminescence immunoassay on Elecsys 2 010 quantitatively detects NT-proBNP in HF patients with varing heart damage. Results ① Using 155 pg/ml as the cutoff for diagnosis of HF, the sensitivity and specificity are both 80 %, positive likelihood ratio (PLR) is more than 4.0; when NT-proBNP is more than 350 pg/ml, PLR is more than 14. ② NT-proBNP significantly increases in HF patients，and has significant difference compared with disease control group, Plt;0.05. In dilated cardiomyopathy (DCMP) and acute myocardial infarction (AMI) NT-proBNP is the highest, in coronary heart disease (CHD) and hypertension it’s the smallest. With rising NYHA classes, NT-proBNP increases exponentially. The correlation between NT-proBNP and heart function is good, rs=0.859 (Plt;0.01). Conclusions NT-proBNP for diagnosing HF has a high sensitivity and specificity and can effectively evaluate heart function. With worsening of heart damage, NT-proBNP shows exponential or linear increase.