Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34789198›Full record

ArticleBMC neurology2021

Development and external validation of a nomogram for neurosyphilis diagnosis among non-HIV patients: a cross-sectional study.

Wenjing Ge, Yang Zhang, Chao Peng, Dongdong Li, Lijie Gao, Jiajia Bao, Changling Li, Ning Chen, Dong Zhou, Li He

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC neurology, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
0.1field-weighted citation impact, top 51% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed, 2 citations in OpenAlex.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

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PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Wenjing Ge *Department of Neurology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, People's Republic of China.
Yang Zhang *Department of Neurology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, People's Republic of China.
Chao PengDepartment of Neurology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, People's Republic of China.
Dongdong LiDepartment of Laboratory Medicine, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, People's Republic of China.
Lijie GaoDepartment of Neurology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, People's Republic of China.
Jiajia BaoDepartment of Neurology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, People's Republic of China.
Changling LiDepartment of Neurology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, People's Republic of China.
Ning ChenDepartment of Neurology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, People's Republic of China.
Dong ZhouDepartment of Neurology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, People's Republic of China. zhoudong66@yahoo.de.
Li HeDepartment of Neurology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, People's Republic of China. heli2003new@126.com.
West China Hospital of Sichuan University · CNSichuan University · CN

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe diagnosis of neurosyphilis is challenging due to the requirement of a lumbar puncture and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) laboratory tests. Therefore, a convenient diagnostic nomogram for neurosyphilis is warranted. This study aimed to construct diagnostic models for diagnosing neurosyphilis.

methodsThis cross-sectional study included data of two patient cohorts from Western China Hospital of Sichuan University between September 2015 and April 2021 and Shangjin Hospital between September 2019 and April 2021 as the development cohort and the external validation cohort, respectively. A diagnostic model using logistic regression analysis was constructed to readily provide the probability of diagnosis at point of care and presented as a nomogram. The clinical usefulness of the diagnostic models was assessed using a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) and Harrell concordance (Harrell C) index for discrimination and calibration plots for accuracy, which adopted bootstrap resampling 500 times.

resultsOne hundred forty-eight and 67 patients were included in the development and validation cohorts, respectively. Of those, 131 were diagnosed as having reactive neurosyphilis under the criteria of positive results in both CSF treponemal and non-treponemal tests. In the development cohort, male, psychiatric behaviour disorders, and serum toluidine red unheated serum test were selected as diagnostic indicators applying a stepwise procedure in multivariable logistic model. The model reached 80% specificity, 79% sensitivity, and 0·85 area under the curves (AUC) (95% confidence interval, 0·76-0·91). In the validation cohorts, the Harrell C index for the diagnostic possibility of reactive neurosyphilis was 0·71.

conclusionsA convenient model using gender, presence of psychiatric behaviour disorders, and serum TRUST titre was developed and validated to indicate diagnostic results in patients suspected of neurosyphilis. Checking the model value of factors on nomogram is a feasible way to assist clinicians and primary health servers in updating patients' medical charts and making a quantitatively informed decision on neurosyphilis diagnosis.

trial registrationThis research was retrospectively registered in the Ethics committee on biomedical research, West China Hospital of Sichuan University. The research registration and committee's reference number was 1163 in 2020 approval.

Indexed as

NeurosyphilisNomogramsCross-Sectional StudiesHumansMaleSyphilis SerodiagnosisTreponema pallidumDiagnostic modelHIV-negative patientNeurosyphilisPsychiatric behaviour disordersSerum TRUST

Identifiers

PMID34789198
PMCPMC8600785
OpenAlexW3212749347

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.