Background: The early establishment of prophylaxis and immediate administration of anticoagulant therapy upon the diagnosis of venous thromboembolism should be the treatment objectives in these patients. Objective: The study aimed to determine the optimal cut-off point of Calprotectin, IL-6 (interleukin-6), CRP (C reactive protein) to differentiate UC, IBS-D. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study of 335 individuals ≥15 years old was performed, including 31 healthy controls, 215 with IBS-D, 71 diagnosed with UC, and 18 diagnosed with CD. Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC), sensitivity, specificity, and area under curve (AUC) were computed. Results: The results showed that the median value of calprotectin (IQR) in healthy participants was 20.0 (6.0 - 34.0) µg/g; 17,7 (8,7-38,9) µg/g in IBS-D group; 1710.0 (588 - 4260,0) µg/g in UC group; and 560.5 (177.8 - 1210.0) µg/g in CD group. Calprotectin concentration in IBD group including UC and CD was higher than IBS-D with p<0.05. The median value of CRP (range IQR) was 1,3 (0,9 – 2,3) mg/L in IBS-D group; 7.0 (2.4 -16.6) mg/L in UC group; and 10.1 (2.2 - 42.5) mg/L in CD group. CRP concentration in IBD group including UC and CD was higher than IBS-D with p<0.05. The median value of IL-6 (range IQR) was 2.3 (1.6 – 5.7) pg/mL in IBS-D group; 16.8 (9.4 - 47.0) pg/mL in UC group; and 9.4 (7.9 - 11.0) pg/mL in CD group. Calprotectin concentration in IBD group including UC and CD was higher than IBS-D with p<0.05. The optimal cut-off point of calprotectin that differentiated IBS-D from IBD was 110.5 µg/g, with sensitivity and specificity of 93.3% and 91.4%, respectively; of IL-6 was 7.2 pg/mL with sensitivity and specificity of 92.0% and 78.0%, respectively; of CRP of 2.4 mg/L had specific sensitivities of 83.3% and 86.0%, respectively. Conclusion: The Calprotectin immunoassay has the best value in discriminating between IBD and IBS-D.

Background: The etiology of ischemic stroke is multifactorial. Several gene mutations have been identified as leading causes of cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy (CADASIL), a hereditary disease that causes stroke and other neurological symptoms. Objective: We aimed to identify the variants of NOTCH3 and thrombophilia genes, and their complex interactions with other factors. Methods: We conducted a hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) on the data of 100 patients diagnosed with ischemic stroke. The variants of NOTCH3 and thrombophilia genes were identified by polymerase chain reaction with confronting 2-pair primers and real-time polymerase chain reaction. The overall preclinical characteristics, cumulative cutpoint values, and factors associated with these somatic mutations were analyzed in unidimensional and multidimensional scaling models. Results: We identified the following optimal cutpoints: creatinine, 83.67 (SD 9.19) µmol/L; age, 54 (SD 5) years; prothrombin (PT) time, 13.25 (SD 0.17) seconds; and international normalized ratio (INR), 1.02 (SD 0.03). Using the Nagelkerke method, cutpoint 50% values of the Glasgow Coma Scale score; modified Rankin scale score; and National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale scores at admission, after 24 hours, and at discharge were 12.77, 2.86 (SD 1.21), 9.83 (SD 2.85), 7.29 (SD 2.04), and 6.85 (SD 2.90), respectively. Conclusions: The variants of MTHFR (C677T and A1298C) and NOTCH3 p.R544C may influence the stroke severity under specific conditions of PT, creatinine, INR, and BMI, with risk ratios of 4.8 (95% CI 1.53-15.04) and 3.13 (95% CI 1.60-6.11), respectively (Pfisher<.05). It is interesting that although there are many genes linked to increased atrial fibrillation risk, not all of them are associated with ischemic stroke risk. With the detection of stroke risk loci, more information can be gained on their impacts and interconnections, especially in young patients.

Background: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) can be transmitted from mother to child either through transplacental infection or via blood-to-blood contact during or immediately after delivery. Early and accurate risk assessments are essential for guiding clinical decisions and implementing effective preventive measures. Data mining techniques are powerful tools for identifying key predictors in medical diagnostics. Objective: This study aims to develop a robust predictive model for mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of HBV using decision tree algorithms, specifically Iterative Dichotomiser 3 (ID3) and classification and regression trees (CART). The study identifies clinically and paraclinically relevant predictors, particularly hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) status and peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) concentration, for effective risk stratification and prevention. Additionally, we will assess the model’s reliability and generalizability through cross-validation with various training-test split ratios, aiming to enhance its applicability in clinical settings and inform improved preventive strategies against HBV MTCT. Methods: This study used decision tree algorithms—ID3 and CART—on a data set of 60 hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)–positive pregnant women. Samples were collected either before or at the time of delivery, enabling the inclusion of patients who were undiagnosed or had limited access to treatment. We analyzed both clinical and paraclinical parameters, with a particular focus on HBeAg status and PBMC concentration. Additional biochemical markers were evaluated for their potential contributory or inhibitory effects on MTCT risk. The predictive models were validated using multiple training-test split ratios to ensure robustness and generalizability. Results: Our analysis showed that 20 out of 48 (based on a split ratio of 0.8 from a total of 60 cases, 42%) to 27 out of 57 (based on a split ratio of 0.95 from a total of 60 cases, 47%) training cases with HBeAg-positive status were associated with a significant risk of MTCT of HBV (χ28=21.16, P=.007, df=8). Among HBeAg-negative women, those with PBMC concentrations ≥8 × 106 cells/mL exhibited a low risk of MTCT, whereas individuals with PBMC concentrations <8 × 106 cells/mL demonstrated a negligible risk. Across all training-test split ratios, the decision tree models consistently identified HBeAg status and PBMC concentration as the most influential predictors, underscoring their robustness and critical role in MTCT risk stratification. Conclusions: This study demonstrates that decision tree models are effective tools for stratifying the risk of MTCT of HBV by integrating key clinical and paraclinical markers. Among these, HBeAg status and PBMC concentration emerged as the most critical predictors. While the analysis focused on untreated patients, it provides a strong foundation for future investigations involving treated populations. These findings offer actionable insights to support the development of more targeted and effective HBV MTCT prevention strategies.

BACKGROUND&AIMS: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection remains a major public health problem. The interaction between HBV and the host inflammatory response is an important factor contributing to liver damage and disease development. We compared the correlation between the subclinical index and PBMCs concentration in two groups of pregnant women (HBsAg positive), which are different in HBV DNA concentration in Vietnam. METHODS: The Hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) was run with 20 different clustering methods on data collected from 80 Vietnamese pregnant women and their babies (60/80 cord blood). RESULTS: In the high viral load group (HBV DNA ≥ 5x10^7 copies/ml), a strong correlation between CBMCs with serum maternal Haemoglobin concentration and maternal platelet and maternal ALT. Their R values are: -0.88, 0.82, and 0.84 with p=8.97E-03, 2.41E-02 and 1.75E-01, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: We found a significant correlation shift of subclinical index between the two groups, which may be important in diagnosing pregnant women with chronic hepatitis B virus infection.

Đột quỵ não nói chung cũng như nhồi máu não nói riêng là bệnh có tỷ lệ tử vong cao, để lại di chứng nặng nề, ảnh hưởng lớn đến người bệnh, là gánh nặng cho gia đình và xã hội. Với mục tiêu mô tả đặc điểm lâm sàng và các yếu tố nguy cơ trên bệnh nhân nhồi máu não tại một số tỉnh khu vực miền núi phía Bắc, chúng tôi đã tiến hành nghiên cứu trên 100 bệnh nhân được chẩn đoán nhồi máu não (thời điểm đột quỵ lần đầu ≤ 60 tuổi) điều trị tại Trung tâm Đột quỵ, Bệnh viện Trung ương Thái Nguyên tình nguyện tham gia nghiên cứu. Bằng phương pháp nghiên cứu mô tả có phân tích, chúng tôi đã thu được kết quả: 77% bệnh nhân đến viện sau 4,5h từ khi khởi phát. Triệu chứng lâm sàng thường gặp là: yếu/liệt vận động, nói khó và méo miệng tương ứng là: 97%, 95% và 72%. Đau đầu chiếm 49%, tê bì chiếm 41%, hoa mắt/chóng mặt chiếm 27%, rối loạn cơ tròn chiếm 21%, buồn nôn/nôn chiếm 8%. 70% có tiền sử tăng huyết áp và rối loạn lipid máu 77%.

Trong những năm gần đây, nhiều nghiên cứu cho thấy tỷ lệ đột quỵ não ở người trẻ tuổi ngày càng tăng. Với mục tiêu mô tả đặc điểm cận lâm sàng và kết quả chẩn đoán hình ảnh của bệnh nhân nhồi máu não tại khu vực miền núi phía Bắc, chúng tôi đã tiến hành nghiên cứu trên 100 bệnh nhân được chẩn đoán nhồi máu não (thời điểm đột quỵ lần đầu ≤ 60 tuổi) điều trị tại Trung tâm Đột quỵ, Bệnh viện Trung ương Thái Nguyên tình nguyện tham gia nghiên cứu. Bằng phương pháp nghiên cứu mô tả có phân tích, chúng tôi đã thu được kết quả: Giá trị trung bình các chỉ số glucose huyết tương, cholesterol toàn phần, triglycerid tăng cao hơn so với giá trị bình thường; Nhận vị trí tổn thương hay gặp nhất là chất trắng (chiếm 27%), tiếp đến là nhân bèo (chiếm 21%), thùy thái dương chiếm 13%. Nhồi máu các vùng khác gặp với tỉ lệ thấp hơn (≤9%); Một ổ tổn thương chiếm tỉ lệ cao nhất (31%), số bệnh nhân có trên ba ổ tổn thương cũng chiếm tỉ lệ cao là 29%. Chủ yếu là nhồi máu não ổ khuyết và nhỏ (kích thước <30 mm) chiếm 70,4%.