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Aim: To develop a scoring system for the prediction of a successful pregnancy. Methods: Data were collected prospectively from women diagnosed with pregnancy from January 1, 2015, to December 31, 2018. Pregnant days, hormone levels, and gestational sac diameters were recorded. Relationships among the pregnancy days, hormones, and gestational sac were analyzed by Spearman correlation analysis. A scoring system was established and stratified by the 5th, 50th, and 95th percentile of hormone levels and gestational sac diameters on different pregnancy days. Pregnancy outcomes were predicted by the scores using quadratic polynomial regression analyses. A portable desktop analyzer was developed and the performance was evaluated by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. Results: In 273 successful pregnancy cases, the length of gestational days was significantly correlated to beta‐human chorionic gonadotropin (β‐hCG) (r = 0.74, p < 0.001) and E2 (r = 0.79, p < 0.001) levels, and the size of the gestational sac (r = 0.88, p < 0.001). Meanwhile, the size of gestational sac was positively correlated with β‐hCG (r = 0.93, p < 0.001) and E2 (r = 0.55, p < 0.001). For 273 delivery and 103 miscarriage cases included in this study, our scoring‐based prediction model rendered an area under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.86 with the sensitivity of 78.31% and the specificity of 80.83%. Conclusions: We successfully developed a scoring‐based analyzer to evaluate the viability of embryos at different gestation stages and to predict the probability of a successful delivery, which would provide a reference for clinicians in postpregnancy management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. Chinese medicine (CM) improves the symptoms of patients with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and prolongs their survival. This real-world study aimed to evaluate the effects of CM on the survival of AIDS patients administered second-line antiretroviral therapy (ART). Methods. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of the medical records of patients with AIDS who switched to second-line ART between January 2009 and December 2014. Patients were divided into ART and CM + ART groups. Propensity score matching (PSM) was performed to correct for biases between groups. Kaplan–Meier analysis and the log-rank test were used to compare survival rates, and Cox regression models were employed to identify factors significantly associated with survival. Results. The study population (n = 4180) was comprised of the CM + ART group (n = 855) and the ART group (n = 3325). After 1 : 2 PSM, 855 patients in the CM + ART group and 1699 in the ART group were selected for analysis. Patients in the CM + ART group were followed for 4246.8 person-years, and the mortality rate was 2.12/100 person-years. Patients in the ART group were followed for 8381.2 person-years, and the mortality rate was 2.91/100 person-years. Cox regression model analysis revealed that patients in the CM + ART group survived significantly longer than those in the ART group (hazard ratio: 0.73 and 95% confidence interval: 0.57–0.93). Gender, age, symptoms, CD4 cell counts, and viral loads were independently associated with the survival of AIDS patients treated with second-line ART. Conclusions. CM significantly improved the survival rate of AIDS patients treated with second-line ART. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The conventional survival analysis model on HIV/AIDS prognosis is the Cox proportional hazard model, which deals with only one event type, death, regardless of the cause. Few studies have used a competing risk model to evaluate the predictors of AIDS-related mortality. To estimate the influence of antiretroviral therapy (ART) initiation time and baseline CD4+ cell counts on acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)-related death among former plasma donors. A retrospective cohort study was conducted involving 11,905 human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or AIDS patients in a high-risk area of Henan province in China between 1995 and 2016. Demographic and clinical data were collected. Sub-distribution hazard ratios (sHRs) for AIDS-related mortality with baseline CD4+ cell counts and ART initiation time were determined using a competing risk model. Patients who initiated ART within 90 days of HIV/AIDS diagnosis (sHR: 0.24, 95% CI: 0.22–0.27) or had baseline CD4+ counts of >500 cells/μL (sHR: 0.23, 95% CI: 0.19–0.28) were associated with lower AIDS-related mortality risk. Patients with ART initiation time >1 year but CD4+ counts >350 cells/μL (sHR: 4.42, 95% CI: 3.30–5.91) had a higher AIDS-related mortality risk than those with ART initiation time >90 days but CD4+ counts ≤350 cells/μL (sHR: 4.33, 95% CI: 3.58–5.23). Our results demonstrate that patients with high CD4+ cell counts and late ART had a 9% higher risk of AIDS-related death than those with low CD4+ cell counts and early ART. This study confirms the great significance of immediate ART initiation among former plasma donor HIV patients in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]