| 1. |
- Gustavsson, Sandra, et al.
(author)
-
Can echocardiography and ECG discriminate hereditary transthyretin V30M amyloidosis from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy?
- 2015
-
In: Amyloid. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1350-6129 .- 1744-2818. ; 22:3, s. 163-170
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Objective: Hereditary transthyretin (ATTR) amyloidosis with increased left ventricular wall thickness could easily be misdiagnosed by echocardiography as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). Our aim was to create a diagnostic tool based on echocardiography and ECG that could optimise identification of ATTR amyloidosis. Methods: Data were analysed from 33 patients with biopsy proven ATTR amyloidosis and 30 patients with diagnosed HCM. Conventional features from ECG were acquired as well as two dimensional and Doppler echocardiography, speckle tracking derived strain and tissue characterisation analysis. Classification trees were used to select the most important variables for differentiation between ATTR amyloidosis and HCM. Results: The best classification was obtained using both ECG and echocardiographic features, where a QRS voltage >30 mm was diagnostic for HCM, whereas in patients with QRS voltage <30 mm, an interventricular septal/posterior wall thickness ratio (IVSt/PWt) >1.6 was consistent with HCM and a ratio <1.6 supported the diagnosis of ATTR amyloidosis. This classification presented both high sensitivity (0.939) and specificity (0.833). Conclusion: Our study proposes an easily interpretable classification method for the differentiation between HCM and increased left ventricular myocardial thickness due to ATTR amyloidosis. Our combined echocardiographic and ECG model could increase the ability to identify ATTR cardiac amyloidosis in clinical practice.
|
|
| 2. |
|
|
| 3. |
- Haghighi, Mona, et al.
(author)
-
A Comparison of Rule-based Analysis with Regression Methods in Understanding the Risk Factors for Study Withdrawal in a Pediatric Study
- 2016
-
In: Scientific Reports. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2045-2322. ; 6
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Regression models are extensively used in many epidemiological studies to understand the linkage between specific outcomes of interest and their risk factors. However, regression models in general examine the average effects of the risk factors and ignore subgroups with different risk profiles. As a result, interventions are often geared towards the average member of the population, without consideration of the special health needs of different subgroups within the population. This paper demonstrates the value of using rule-based analysis methods that can identify subgroups with heterogeneous risk profiles in a population without imposing assumptions on the subgroups or method. The rules define the risk pattern of subsets of individuals by not only considering the interactions between the risk factors but also their ranges. We compared the rule-based analysis results with the results from a logistic regression model in The Environmental Determinants of Diabetes in the Young (TEDDY) study. Both methods detected a similar suite of risk factors, but the rule-based analysis was superior at detecting multiple interactions between the risk factors that characterize the subgroups. A further investigation of the particular characteristics of each subgroup may detect the special health needs of the subgroup and lead to tailored interventions.
|
|
| 4. |
- Sörman, Karolina, et al.
(author)
-
Reliability and Construct Validity of the Psychopathic Personality Inventory-Revised in a Swedish Non-Criminal Sample : A Multimethod Approach including Psychophysiological Correlates of Empathy for Pain
- 2016
-
In: PLOS ONE. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 11:6
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Cross-cultural investigation of psychopathy measures is important for clarifying the nomological network surrounding the psychopathy construct. The Psychopathic Personality Inventory-Revised (PPI-R) is one of the most extensively researched self-report measures of psychopathic traits in adults. To date however, it has been examined primarily in North American criminal or student samples. To address this gap in the literature, we examined PPI-R’s reliability, construct validity and factor structure in non-criminal individuals (N = 227) in Sweden, using a multimethod approach including psychophysiological correlates of empathy for pain. PPI-R construct validity was investigated in subgroups of participants by exploring its degree of overlap with (i) the Psychopathy Checklist: Screening Version (PCL:SV), (ii) self-rated empathy and behavioral and physiological responses in an experiment on empathy for pain, and (iii) additional self-report measures of alexithymia and trait anxiety. The PPI-R total score was significantly associated with PCL:SV total and factor scores. The PPI-R Coldheartedness scale demonstrated significant negative associations with all empathy subscales and with rated unpleasantness and skin conductance responses in the empathy experiment. The PPI-R higher order Self-Centered Impulsivity and Fearless Dominance dimensions were associated with trait anxiety in opposite directions (positively and negatively, respectively). Overall, the results demonstrated solid reliability (test-retest and internal consistency) and promising but somewhat mixed construct validity for the Swedish translation of the PPI-R.
|
|
