METHODS: Qualitative study using six focus groups and 14 semi-structured interviews with doctors responsible for dengue management at a large tertiary hospital in Malaysia.
RESULTS: Dengue was recognised as difficult to diagnose and manage. Wide awareness and use of both WHO and Ministry of Health guidelines was reported, but several limitations noted in their coverage of particular patient groups. However, the phrase 'guidelines' also referred to local algorithms for fluid management, which were less clinically evidence-based. Where Medical Officers were well trained in the appropriate use of evidence-based guidelines, barriers to use included: the potential for 'following the algorithm' to undermine junior clinicians' claims to clinical expertise; inability to recognise the pattern of clinical progress; and lack of clinical experience. Other reported barriers to improved case management were resource constraints, poor referral practices, and insufficient awareness of the need for timely help seeking.
CONCLUSIONS: Awareness of clinical practice guidelines is a necessary, but not sufficient, condition for optimal dengue management. In high prevalence settings, all clinical staff would benefit from regular dengue management training which should include diagnosis, practice in monitoring disease progression and the use of clinical practice guidelines in a range of clinical contexts.
OBJECTIVES: The objective of this investigation was to create and validate 5-point photo numeric scales which assess horizontal necklines, platysmal bands and wrinkles in the décolleté.
METHODS: A medical team created 3 different novel 5-point photonumeric scale for the assessment of horizontal necklines, platysmal bands and décolleté wrinkling. Eleven international raters were involved in the digital validation, while 4 raters performed a live validation.
RESULTS: The Croma Horizontal Neck Line - Assessment Scale showed substantial inter-rater agreement and almost perfect intra-rater agreement in the digital and live validations. The Croma Platysmal Bands-Assessment Scale showed substantial intra-rater agreement in both, digital and live validations. For the décolleté, a static and a dynamic scale was created and validated. The Croma Static Décolleté Wrinkling-Assessment Scale showed substantial and almost perfect inter-rater agreement in the digital validation and live-validation, respectively, while the intra-rater agreement was in both almost perfect. The Croma Dynamic Décolleté Wrinkling-Assessment Scale showed almost perfect agreement in both validation settings for both, inter-and intra-rater agreement.
CONCLUSIONS: The Croma Horizontal Neck Line - Assessment Scale, the Croma Static and Dynamic Décolleté Wrinkling-Assessment Scales have sufficient inter and intrarater agreements to be justifiably used in the clinical and study setting.
OBJECTIVES: The objective of this investigation was to create and validate 5-point photo numeric scales which assess perioral lines and marionette lines.
METHODS: A medical team created two different novel 5-point photonumeric scale for the assessment of perioral lines and marionette lines. Eleven international raters were involved in the digital validation, while 4 raters performed a live validation.
RESULTS: For the Croma Static Perioral Lines-Assessment Scale digital inter-rater ICCs were 0.88 [95% CI: 0.85-0.91] in the first rating and 0.87 [0.83-0.90] in the second rating. The digital intra-rater ICCs were 0.90 [95% CI: 0.87-0.92]. In the live rating, the inter-rater ICCs were 0.89 [95% CI: 0.85-0.93] in the first rating and 0.91 [95% CI: 0.87-0.93] in the second rating with an intra-rater ICC of 0.91 [95% CI: 0.88-0.95]. For the Croma Marionette Lines-Assessment scale the digital rating inter-rater ICCs were 0.85 [95% CI: 0.81-0.89] in the first rating and 0.87 [95% CI: 0.84-0.90] in the second rating with an intra-rater ICC of 0.89 [95% CI: 0.88-0.91]. In the live rating, the inter-rater ICCs were 0.73 [95% CI: 0.54-0.83] in the first rating and 0.79 [95% CI: 0.65-0.87] in the second rating with an intra-rater ICC of 0.88 [95% CI: 0.83-0.94].
CONCLUSIONS: It is to be concluded that the Croma Static Perioral Lines-Assessment Scale and the Croma Marionette Lines-Assessment Scale have exceptional inter- and intra-rater agreements to be justifiably used in the clinical and study setting for all ethnic groups.
METHODS: The predictive eight biomarker set is derived from prospective observational clinical trials, representing 280 treatments with Pembrolizumab, Atezolizumab, Durvalumab, Nivolumab, and Avelumab in a broad range of indications: melanoma, lung, hepatocellular, renal, breast, bladder, colon, head and neck, bone, brain, lymphoma, prostate, vulvar, and cervical cancers.
RESULTS: The 3D genomic eight biomarker panel for response to immune checkpoint therapy achieved a high accuracy of 85%, sensitivity of 93%, and specificity of 82%.
CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that a 3D genomic approach can be used to develop a predictive clinical assay for response to PD-1/PD-L1 checkpoint inhibition in cancer patients.