Category: Nevin Manimala

J Proteome Res. 2024 Feb 23. doi: 10.1021/acs.jproteome.3c00677. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

The Zika virus (ZIKV) can be vertically transmitted, causing congenital Zika syndrome (CZS) in fetuses. ZIKV infection in early gestational trimesters increases the chances of developing CZS. This syndrome involves several pathologies with a complex diagnosis. In this work, we aim to identify biological processes and molecular pathways related to CZS and propose a series of putative protein and metabolite biomarkers for CZS prognosis in early pregnancy trimesters. We analyzed serum samples of healthy pregnant women and ZIKV-infected pregnant women bearing nonmicrocephalic and microcephalic fetuses. A total of 1090 proteins and 512 metabolites were identified by bottom-up proteomics and untargeted metabolomics, respectively. Univariate and multivariate statistical approaches were applied to find CZS differentially abundant proteins (DAP) and metabolites (DAM). Enrichment analysis (i.e., biological processes and molecular pathways) of the DAP and the DAM allowed us to identify the ECM organization and proteoglycans, amino acid metabolism, and arachidonic acid metabolism as CZS signatures. Five proteins and four metabolites were selected as CZS biomarker candidates. Serum multiomics analysis led us to propose nine putative biomarkers for CZS prognosis with high sensitivity and specificity.

PMID:38390744 | DOI:10.1021/acs.jproteome.3c00677

Mol Imaging Radionucl Ther. 2024 Feb 22;33(1):19-27. doi: 10.4274/mirt.galenos.2023.04880.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between mobile phone usage and miRNA-574-5p and miRNA-30C-5p levels in patients diagnosed with differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC).

METHODS: Fifty patients diagnosed with DTC and 50 healthy volunteers were included in the study. miRNA-574-5p and miRNA-30C-5p gene expression levels in the blood of all subjects were analyzed by real time-polymerase chain reaction, and a questionnaire including various questions was administered to both groups.

RESULTS: Although there was a 7.60-fold increase in miRNA-30C-5p gene expression levels in the patient group compared with the control group, it was not found to be statistically significant. Considering the miRNA-574-5p gene expression levels, although there was a 2.96-fold increase in the patient group compared with the control group, no significant relationship was found. In our study, 85% of our patients were using mobile phones with internet access, whereas 98% of our healthy volunteers were using mobile phones (p<0.05). While 53.5% of the patients had their mobile phones with them while they were sleeping, this rate was 83.7% in healthy volunteers (p<0.05). However, 93.9% of the healthy volunteers did not have a Wi-Fi device in their bedrooms, and this rate was 75% in the patient group (p<0.05).

CONCLUSION: Although miRNA-30C-5p and miRNA-574-5p gene expression levels were higher in patients than in healthy volunteers, the differences were not statistically significant. Although there was no significant difference in miRNA levels, we believe that due to the higher rate of Wi-Fi device presence in bedrooms in patients compared with healthy volunteers, the effects of electromagnetic radiation on the thyroid can be reduced by paying attention to this simple change.

PMID:38390734 | DOI:10.4274/mirt.galenos.2023.04880

Mol Imaging Radionucl Ther. 2024 Feb 22;33(1):1-10. doi: 10.4274/mirt.galenos.2023.26122.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the role of ¹⁸F-fluorocholine (¹⁸F-FCH) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) in prostate cancer (PC) patients with biochemical recurrence who were submitted to different curative treatments.

METHODS: Seventy-five patients with PC who underwent ¹⁸F-FCH PET/CT for biochemical recurrence were retrospectively analyzed to distinguish patients who were submitted only to prostatectomy (PR group), only to radiotherapy (RT) on prostate with curative intent (RT group), and to both (PR + RT group). Correlations between ¹⁸F-FCH PET/CT and outcome and between prostate-specific antigen (PSA) values and sites and the number of metastases were analyzed. The performance of ¹⁸F-FCH PET/CT in relation to the PSA value and of maximum standardized uptake value (SUV_max) value in relation to patient outcome were assessed by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves.

RESULTS: ¹⁸F-FCH PET/CT relapses mostly involved lymph nodes, bones, and prostate bed. K-cohen test showed moderate agreement with the outcome in the whole population and in the PR group, whereas in the RT group it was perfect and in PR + RT fair. A statistically significant difference in PSA values was observed in the presence of lymph node metastases and with multiple metastases. ROC curves showed PSA cut-off values of 1.96 ng/dL, 1.95, 1.81, and 2.96, respectively, in the whole population, PR, RT and PR + RT group. SUV_max cut-off values of 3.75, 3.45, and 4.7 were described in the whole population, PR group, and PR + RT group.

CONCLUSION: The study confirms that ¹⁸F-FCH PET/CT is still valid in PC patients with suspected biochemical recurrence. Therefore, we can affirm that it still makes sense to perform it both with high PSA values and with lower values when prostate-specific membrane antigen tracers are not available.

PMID:38390705 | DOI:10.4274/mirt.galenos.2023.26122

Urologia. 2024 Feb 23:3915603241229764. doi: 10.1177/03915603241229764. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Bladder cancer is a global disease, ranks as the fourth most prevalent cancer. The incidence and prevalence increase with age. Grade and aggressiveness have been found to be related with different genetic expression and mutation.

AIMS: To evaluate any relation of grade and invasiveness of urothelial cancer with varied expression of immune histochemical marker p63 and her2/neu.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: The present study was a hospital based prospective cross-sectional study. This Study was conducted from July 2021 to April 2023 in the Urology department of a tertiary care hospital. Total 90 patients undergoing trans urethral resection of bladder tumour (TURBT) were included in this study.

RESULT: It was found that, patients who had decreased p63 expression had high grade in tumours (93.1%) compared to patients who were expressing normal p63 (32.8%) and this was statistically significant (p < 0.0001). Tumours with decreased p63 also appeared to be more invasive, 62.1% were found to be muscle invasive. Tumours with her2 neu expression found to be more aggressive in nature, 85.7% had high grade features and 53.6% were muscle invasive.

CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that immunohistochemical expression of HER2/neu positive and decreased p63 expression were associated with high grade and invasiveness in case of bladder carcinoma.

PMID:38390685 | DOI:10.1177/03915603241229764

Chem Biodivers. 2024 Feb 23:e202302064. doi: 10.1002/cbdv.202302064. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Based on our previous research, a 3D-QSAR model (q2=0.51, ONC=5, r2=0.982, F=271.887, SEE=0.052) was established to predict the inhibitory effects of triazole Schiff base compounds on Fusarium graminearum, and its predictive ability was also confirmed through the statistical parameters. According to the results of the model design, 30 compounds with superior bioactivity compared to the template molecule 4 were obtained. Seven of these compounds (DES2-6, DES9-10) with improved biological activity and readily available raw materials were successfully synthesized. Their structures were confirmed through HRMS, NMR, and single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis (DES-5). The bioactivity of the final products was investigated through an in vitro antifungal assay. There was little difference in the EC50 values between the experimental and predicted values of the model, demonstrating the reliability of the model. Especially, DES-3 (EC50=9.915 mg/L) and DES-5 (EC50=9.384 mg/L) exhibited better inhibitory effects on Fusarium graminearum compared to the standard drug (SD) triadimenol (EC50=10.820 mg/L). These compounds could serve as potential new fungicides for future research. The interaction between the final products and isocitrate lyase (ICL) was investigated through molecular docking. Compounds with R groups that have a higher electron-donating capacity were found to be biologically active.

PMID:38390665 | DOI:10.1002/cbdv.202302064

Int J Soc Psychiatry. 2024 Feb 23:207640231216354. doi: 10.1177/00207640231216354. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: A variety of psychiatric illnesses can develop in children of parents who suffer from bipolar affective disorder.

AIMS: The purpose of the research was to investigate, among the offsprings of patients diagnosed with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder type I, the prevalence of a variety of psychiatric diseases as well as a range of behavioral abnormalities.

METHOD: This was a cross-sectional observational comparative study. The outpatient psychiatric clinics at Shebin Elkom Mental Health Hospital, Menofia Governorate, Egypt 500 offspring (there were 250 offspring of parents both diagnosed with schizophrenia and 250 offsprings born to parents with bipolar affective disorder).

RESULTS: Statistically significant association of male gender with somatic complaints, social problems, and attention problems in the bipolar offspring group. In addition, there was a statistically significant association between female gender and anxiety or depression in the bipolar offspring group. Moreover, there was a statistically significant association between male gender and thought problems and aggressive behavior in the schizophrenia group. Assessment of psychiatric symptoms using K-SADS in relation to gender revealed a statistically significant association of male gender with affective disorder, behavioral disorder, and substance use disorder in the bipolar offspring group. Moreover, there was a statistically significant association between female gender and psychotic disorder in the schizophrenia group.

CONCLUSION: We concluded that offspring with bipolar illness had a significant association with somatic symptoms, anxiety/depressive disorder, social issues, attention problems, and aggressive behavior. Schizophrenia offspring were strongly related to thought issues.

PMID:38390657 | DOI:10.1177/00207640231216354

Womens Health (Lond). 2024 Jan-Dec;20:17455057241231478. doi: 10.1177/17455057241231478.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: An exclusive breastfeeding period is a time when the infant’s feeding depends on only breast milk. Inadequate maternal nutrition during this period could lead to insufficient infant feeding, which can further lead to childhood undernutrition and developmental restrictions. Evidently, the burden of maternal undernutrition was higher in resource-limited countries, including Ethiopia.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to assess the proportion of undernutrition among exclusive breastfeeding mothers and its associated factors in Southwest Ethiopia.

DESIGN: The study used a community-based cross-sectional design.

METHODS: The study was conducted among 442 nursing mothers from 10 to 30 June 2022. The participants were selected using multistage sampling techniques. An interviewer-administered structured questionnaire was used to collect information. Statistical software EpiData version 3.1 and SPSS version 20 were used for data entry and analysis, respectively. The factors associated with undernutrition were identified using a binary logistic regression analysis. In the bivariable analysis, a p-value of less than 0.25 was used to include the variable in the multivariable analysis, whereas p-value less than 0.05 was an odds ratio used to declare an independent association at a 95% confidence interval.

RESULTS: The proportion of undernutrition among the participants was found to be 24.8% in the study area. Poor intake of extra meals (adjusted odds ratio = 2.104; 95% confidence interval: 1.208, 3.664), poor dietary diversity habits (adjusted odds ratio = 3.605; 95% confidence interval: 2.112, 6.153), a lack of nutrition information (adjusted odds ratio = 1.853; 95% confidence interval: 1.070, 3.212), and household food insecurity (adjusted odds ratio = 4.424; 95% confidence interval: 2.639, 7.417) were identified as factors enhancing undernutrition among exclusive breastfeeding mothers in the area.

CONCLUSION: A quarter of exclusive breastfeeding mothers were undernourished in the area. Poor dietary diversity habits, poor intake of extra meals, a lack of nutrition information, and household food insecurity were found to be the factors determining undernutrition. Hence, it is important to reinforce nutrition intervention programs, including maternal nutrition education and counseling.

PMID:38390653 | DOI:10.1177/17455057241231478

J Glob Health. 2024 Feb 23;14:05012. doi: 10.7189/jogh.14.05012.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The global scarcity of medical oxygen has proven to be catastrophic during the surges in COVID-19 cases over the past two years, with the heaviest burden felt in low- and middle-income countries. Despite its criticality, data and analyses of oxygen consumption, even for typical clinical cases, are missing. Consequently, planning oxygen needs, particularly with variable surges in COVID-19 cases, has presented a substantial challenge to policymakers and hospital decision-makers.

METHODS: We performed a sub-analysis of the COVID-19 Critical Care Consortium database assessing the oxygen consumption requirements of COVID-19 patients admitted to intensive care units between February 2020 and October 2021. We calculated descriptive statistics for oxygen flow-rates, stratified by oxygen supplementation method, and developed a multi-state model for estimating the frequency, therapy duration, probability of transition, and number of oxygen therapy modes per patient.

RESULTS: Overall, 12 429 patients from 35 countries received oxygen support on at least one day of their hospitalisation. Of the patients with measurable flow rates, 6142 received invasive mechanical ventilation, 838 received high-flow nasal oxygen, and 257 received both modalities. The median flow rate for mechanical ventilation was 3.2 L per minute (interquartile range (IQR) = 2.0-4.9), with a median duration of 12 days (IQR = 6-24), while the median flow rate for high-flow nasal cannula was 40 L per minute (IQR = 15-55), with a median duration of three days (IQR = 2-6).

CONCLUSIONS: Oxygen consumption among critical COVID-19 patients varies by mode of delivery (invasive ventilation vs high-flow nasal cannula), across patients, and over treatment duration. Therefore, it is essential that health facilities routinely monitor oxygen utilization to better inform oxygen delivery system design and regular supply planning.

REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov: CTG2021-01 ACTRN12620000421932.

PMID:38390629 | DOI:10.7189/jogh.14.05012

SAR QSAR Environ Res. 2024 Mar;35(3):241-263. doi: 10.1080/1062936X.2024.2320143. Epub 2024 Feb 23.

ABSTRACT

Excessive use of chemicals is the outcome of the industrialization of agricultural sectors which leads to disturbance of ecological balance. Various agrochemicals are widely used in agricultural fields, urban green areas, and to protect from various pest-associated diseases. Due to their long-term health and environmental hazards, chronic toxicity assessment is crucial. Since in vivo and in vitro toxicity assessments are costly, lengthy, and require a large number of animal experiments, in silico toxicity approaches are better alternatives to save time, cost, and animal experimentation. We have developed the first regression-based 2D-QSAR models using different sub-chronic and chronic toxicity data of pesticides against dogs employing 2D descriptors. From the statistical results ($n\mathrm{train}=53–62,r^2$ = 0.614 to 0.754, $Q_{LOO}^2$ = 0.501 to 0.703 and $Q_{\left(F1\right)}^2$ = 0.531 to 0.718, $Q_{\left(F2\right)}^2=0.523–0.713$), it was concluded that the models are robust, reliable, interpretable, and predictive. Similarity-based read-across algorithm was also used to improve the predictivity ($Q_{\left(F1\right)}^2=0.595–0.813,Q_{\left(F2\right)}^2=0.573–0.809$) of the models. 5132 chemicals obtained from the CPDat and 1694 pesticides obtained from the PPDB database were also screened using the developed models, and their predictivity and reliability were checked. Thus, these models will be helpful for eco-toxicological data-gap filling, toxicity prediction of untested pesticides, and development of novel, safer & eco-friendly pesticides.

PMID:38390626 | DOI:10.1080/1062936X.2024.2320143

Front Neurol. 2024 Feb 8;15:1304270. doi: 10.3389/fneur.2024.1304270. eCollection 2024.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: A notable prevalence of subarachnoid hemorrhage is evident among patients with anterior choroidal artery aneurysms in clinical practice. To evaluate the risk of rupture in unruptured anterior choroidal artery aneurysms, we conducted a comprehensive analysis of risk factors and subsequently developed two nomograms.

METHODS: A total of 120 cases of anterior choroidal artery aneurysms (66 unruptured and 54 ruptured) from 4 medical institutions were assessed utilizing computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and digital subtraction angiography (DSA). The training set, consisting of 98 aneurysms from 3 hospitals, was established, with an additional 22 cases from the fourth hospital forming the external validation set. Statistical differences between the two data sets were thoroughly compared. The significance of 9 clinical baseline characteristics, 11 aneurysm morphology parameters, and 4 hemodynamic parameters concerning aneurysm rupture was evaluated within the training set. Candidate selection for constructing the nomogram models involved regression analysis and variance inflation factors. Discrimination, calibration, and clinical utility of the models in both training and validation sets were assessed using area under curves (AUC), calibration plots, and decision curve analysis (DCA). The DeLong test, net reclassification index (NRI), and integrated discrimination improvement (IDI) were employed to compare the effectiveness of classification across models.

RESULTS: Two nomogram models were ultimately constructed: model 1, incorporating clinical, morphological, and hemodynamic parameters (C + M + H), and model 2, relying primarily on clinical and morphological parameters (C + M). Multivariate analysis identified smoking, size ratio (SR), normalized wall shear stress (NWSS), and average oscillatory shear index (OSI_ave) as optimal candidates for model development. In the training set, model 1 (C + M + H) achieved an AUC of 0.795 (95% CI: 0.706 ~ 0.884), demonstrating a sensitivity of 95.6% and a specificity of 54.7%. Model 2 (C + M) had an AUC of 0.706 (95% CI: 0.604 ~ 0.808), with corresponding sensitivity and specificity of 82.4 and 50.3%, respectively. Similarly, AUCs for models 1 and 2 in the external validation set were calculated to be 0.709 and 0.674, respectively. Calibration plots illustrated a consistent correlation between model evaluations and real-world observations in both sets. DCA demonstrated that the model incorporating hemodynamic parameters offered higher clinical benefits. In the training set, NRI (0.224, p = 0.007), IDI (0.585, p = 0.002), and DeLong test (change = 0.089, p = 0.008) were all significant. In the external validation set, NRI, IDI, and DeLong test statistics were 0.624 (p = 0.063), 0.572 (p = 0.044), and 0.035 (p = 0.047), respectively.

CONCLUSION: Multidimensional nomograms have the potential to enhance risk assessment and patient-specific treatment of anterior choroidal artery aneurysms. Validated by an external cohort, the model incorporating clinical, morphological, and hemodynamic features may provide improved classification of rupture states.

PMID:38390597 | PMC:PMC10882079 | DOI:10.3389/fneur.2024.1304270