Category: Nevin Manimala

J Med Syst. 2023 Aug 17;47(1):88. doi: 10.1007/s10916-023-01984-7.

ABSTRACT

As part of a clinical validation of a new brain-dedicated PET system (CMB), image quality of this scanner has been compared to that of a whole-body PET/CT scanner. To that goal, Hoffman phantom and patient data were obtined with both devices. Since CMB does not use a CT for attenuation correction (AC) which is crucial for PET images quality, this study includes the evaluation of CMB PET images using emission-based or CT-based attenuation maps. PET images were compared using 34 image quality metrics. Moreover, a neural network was used to evaluate the degree of agreement between both devices on the patients diagnosis prediction. Overall, results showed that CMB images have higher contrast and recovery coefficient but higher noise than PET/CT images. Although SUVr values presented statistically significant differences in many brain regions, relative differences were low. An asymmetry between left and right hemispheres, however, was identified. Even so, the variations between the two devices were minor. Finally, there is a greater similarity between PET/CT and CMB CT-based AC PET images than between PET/CT and the CMB emission-based AC PET images.

PMID:37589893 | DOI:10.1007/s10916-023-01984-7

Cogn Res Princ Implic. 2023 Aug 17;8(1):55. doi: 10.1186/s41235-023-00510-0.

ABSTRACT

A commonplace sight is seeing other people walk. Our visual system specializes in processing such actions. Notably, we are not only quick to recognize actions, but also quick to judge how elegantly (or not) people walk. What movements appear appealing, and why do we have such aesthetic experiences? Do aesthetic preferences for body movements arise simply from perceiving others’ positive emotions? To answer these questions, we showed observers different point-light walkers who expressed neutral, happy, angry, or sad emotions through their movements and measured the observers’ impressions of aesthetic appeal, emotion positivity, and naturalness of these movements. Three experiments were conducted. People showed consensus in aesthetic impressions even after controlling for emotion positivity, finding prototypical walks more aesthetically pleasing than atypical walks. This aesthetic prototype effect could be accounted for by a computational model in which walking actions are treated as a single category (as opposed to multiple emotion categories). The aesthetic impressions were affected both directly by the objective prototypicality of the movements, and indirectly through the mediation of perceived naturalness. These findings extend the boundary of category learning, and hint at possible functions for action aesthetics.

PMID:37589891 | DOI:10.1186/s41235-023-00510-0

Acta Diabetol. 2023 Aug 17. doi: 10.1007/s00592-023-02168-y. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

AIMS: Between 1985 and 1996, Sweden experienced an “epidemic” of celiac disease with a fourfold increase in incidence in young children. Timing and amount of gluten introduced during infancy have been thought to explain this “epidemic”. We aimed to study whether the cumulative incidence of type 1 diabetes differs between children born during the “epidemic” compared to children born after.

METHODS: This is a national register study in Sweden comparing the cumulative incidence of type 1 diabetes in two birth cohorts of 240 844 children 0-17 years old born 1992-1993, during the “epidemic”, and 179 530 children born 1997-1998, after the “epidemic”. Children diagnosed with type 1 diabetes were identified using three national registers.

RESULTS: The cumulative incidence of type 1 diabetes by the age of 17 was statistically significantly higher in those born after the “epidemic” 0.77% than in those born during the “epidemic” 0.68% (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION: The incidence of type 1 diabetes is higher in those born after the epidemic compared to those born during the epidemic, which does not support the hypothesis that gluten introduction increases the incidence of T1D. Changes in gluten introduction did not halt the increased incidence of type 1 diabetes in Sweden.

PMID:37589890 | DOI:10.1007/s00592-023-02168-y

J Clin Ultrasound. 2023 Aug 17. doi: 10.1002/jcu.23537. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and clinical effects of superior mesenteric artery (SMA) Doppler indices such as the systole diastole ratio (S/D), Pulsatility (PI), and resistance index (RI) in the diagnosis of hyperechogenic bowel.

METHODS: A total of 133 pregnant women, including 66 with hyperechogenic bowel and 67 controls, were enrolled in the study. All participants were evaluated in the second trimester by an experienced obstetrician. Doppler measurements were performed, including superior mesenteric artery peak systolic velocity, S/D ratio, PI, and RI. Statistical analysis was conducted to compare the Doppler parameters between the hyperechogenic bowel and control groups.

RESULTS: No significant differences were found between the hyperechogenic bowel and control groups in terms of age, body mass index, gestational week, and fetal measurements. While SMA peak systolic velocity (PSV) showed no significant difference between the groups (p = 0.074), the S/D ratio (4.01 ± 0.59 vs. 3.27 ± 0.57, p = 0.0001), PI (1.51 ± 0.15 vs. 1.29 ± 0.06, p = 0.0001), RI (0.76 ± 0.05 vs. 0.67 ± 0.04, p = 0.0001) were significantly higher in the hyperechogenic bowel group compared to the control group. Screening tests based on Doppler parameters also demonstrated significant differences. The S/D ratio, PI, and RI exhibited good to excellent diagnostic accuracy, as indicated by the area under the curve values. Pregnant women with a high RI value of 0.72 were 101 times more likely to be diagnosed with HB. The odds ratio (OR) for diagnosing HB is 101.66 (CI 95%, 31.04-332.97).

CONCLUSION: Doppler indices, specifically the S/D ratio, PI, and RI, showed strong predictive ability and diagnostic accuracy in identifying cases of hyperechogenic bowel. These findings suggest that Doppler ultrasound can serve as a valuable tool for evaluating hyperechogenic bowel and may provide important clinical implications. Further diagnostic tests are warranted to determine the underlying cause of hyperechogenic bowel in individual cases.

PMID:37589231 | DOI:10.1002/jcu.23537

Oncologist. 2023 Aug 17:oyad230. doi: 10.1093/oncolo/oyad230. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

The aim of this study was to determine the pan-cancer landscape of MUTYH alterations and the relationship between MUTYH mutations and potentially actionable biomarkers such as specific genomic alterations, tumor mutational burden, and mutational signatures. We used a large pan-cancer comprehensive genomic dataset from patients profiled (tissue next generation sequencing) during routine clinical care. Overall, 2.8% of 229 120 solid tumors had MUTYH alterations, of which 55% were predicted germline. Thirty tumor types had a 2% or greater MUTYH mutation rate. MUTYH-altered versus -WT cancers had significantly higher tumor mutational burden and more frequent alterations in KRAS G12C, but not in KRAS in general; these observations were statistically significant, especially in colorectal cancers. Across cancers, PD-L1 expression levels (immunohistochemistry) were not associated with MUTYH alteration status. In silico computation demonstrated that MUTYH mutational signatures are associated with higher levels of hydrophobicity (which may reflect higher immunogenicity of neoantigens) relative to several other signature types such as microsatellite instability. Survival of patients with MUTYH-altered versus -WT tumors was similar. In conclusion, comprehensive genomic profiling suggests that several features of MUTYH-altered cancers may be pharmacologically targetable. Drugs such as sotorasib (targeting KRAS G12C) and immune checkpoint inhibitors, targeting the increased mutational load and higher neo-antigen hydrophobicity/immunogenicity merit investigation in MUTYH-mutated malignancies.

PMID:37589222 | DOI:10.1093/oncolo/oyad230

Int J Gynaecol Obstet. 2023 Aug 17. doi: 10.1002/ijgo.15034. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To determine the proportion of women who experienced disrespect and abuse (D&A) and the type of D&A during labor and postpartum, and to determine the factors significantly associated with D&A.

METHODS: A cross-sectional mixed-methods study undertaken in tertiary care teaching institute South India. After ethical approval, 380 postpartum women within 72 h of delivery were recruited for the study. The determinants of respectful maternity care (RMC) were assessed quantitatively and qualitatively. For quantitative assessment, they were interviewed using questionnaires adopted from the United States Agency for International Development- Maternal and Child Health Integrated Program (USAID-MCHIP) protocol, which has verification criteria for RMC. As a second method for quantitative assessment, they were asked to rate the care from their perspective on a 10-point score. For the qualitative component, they were asked to identify the healthcare workers associated with D&A by their designation and to answer three open-ended questions. IBM SPSS Statistics 25 (IBM Corporation, Statistical Package for Social Sciences, version 25) was used for analysis. D&A as per RMC standards I-VII and its severity were expressed as frequencies and percentages with 95% confidence interval. Univariate analysis was used to determine the associated factors, and severity was determined by χ² test.

RESULTS: The prevalence of D&A was high (85%) according to the RMC standards of the USAID-MCHIP questionnaire, whereas it was only 33% according to women’s perspective. The most common type of D&A was non-dignified care. The factors significantly associated with D&A were women over 25 years, those admitted as an emergency referral, having a recommendation letter, and relatives working at the same healthcare facility.

CONCLUSION: The prevalence of D&A was high as measured by the USAID-MCHIP questionnaire, and the most common type was non-dignified care followed by physical abuse.

PMID:37589210 | DOI:10.1002/ijgo.15034

J Am Heart Assoc. 2023 Aug 17:e029100. doi: 10.1161/JAHA.122.029100. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Background Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is the leading cause of death up to age 1. Sudden unexplained death in childhood (SUDC) is similar but affects mostly toddlers aged 1 to 4. SUDC is rarer than SIDS, and although cardiogenetic testing (molecular autopsy) identifies an underlying cause in a fraction of SIDS, less is known about SUDC. Methods and Results Seventy-seven SIDS and 16 SUDC cases underwent molecular autopsy with 25 definitive-evidence arrhythmia-associated genes. In 18 cases, another 76 genes with varying degrees of evidence were analyzed. Parents were offered cascade screening. Double-blind review of clinical-genetic data established genotype-phenotype correlations. The yield of likely pathogenic variants in the 25 genes was higher in SUDC than in SIDS (18.8% [3/16] versus 2.6% [2/77], respectively; P=0.03), whereas novel/ultra-rare variants of uncertain significance were comparably represented. Rare variants of uncertain significance and likely benign variants were found only in SIDS. In cases with expanded analyses, likely pathogenic/likely benign variants stemmed only from definitive-evidence genes, whereas all other genes contributed only variants of uncertain significance. Among 24 parents screened, variant status and phenotype largely agreed, and 3 cases positively correlated for cardiac channelopathies. Genotype-phenotype correlations significantly aided variant adjudication. Conclusions Genetic yield is higher in SUDC than in SIDS although, in both, it is contributed only by definitive-evidence genes. SIDS/SUDC cascade family screening facilitates establishment or dismissal of a diagnosis through definitive variant adjudication indicating that anonymity is no longer justifiable. Channelopathies may underlie a relevant fraction of SUDC. Binary classifications of genetic causality (pathogenic versus benign) could not always be adequate.

PMID:37589201 | DOI:10.1161/JAHA.122.029100

Brain Behav. 2023 Aug 17:e3227. doi: 10.1002/brb3.3227. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Perfectionism is a common personality trait, particularly among university students. As awareness of this trait increases, research seeks to update tools for measuring it. The psychometric properties of the three-dimensional perfectionism scale-short form (BTPS-SF) have not been studied in the Iranian population. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the psychometric properties of this 16-item scale among Iranian university students.

METHODS: The statistical population for this research included all students in Tehran. From this population, 528 students were selected, and data analysis was performed using SPSS 26 and AMOS 24 software.

RESULTS: The findings showed that the BTPS-SF has acceptable validity and reliability. Furthermore, a positive and significant correlation was found between perfectionism and interpersonal sensitivity, whereas a negative and significant correlation was found between perfectionism and self-compassion.

CONCLUSION: Given the desirable psychometric properties of the Persian version of the BTPS-SF, its use can be recommended to psychology experts in research and clinical evaluation situations.

PMID:37589196 | DOI:10.1002/brb3.3227

HIV Med. 2023 Aug 17. doi: 10.1111/hiv.13533. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Decreased physical activity is a major cardiovascular risk factor that is particularly pronounced in people living with HIV (PLHIV), who are more susceptible to endothelial dysfunction and accelerated atherosclerosis than the general population due to multiple mechanisms. The aim of the present study was to analyse whether regular physical activity is capable of improving endothelial function measured by flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) in PLHIV.

METHODS: We performed FMD measurement in 38 PLHIV, along with the assessment of their regular physical activity level using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ).

RESULTS: Flow-mediated dilatation results in PLHIV were 0.31 ± 0.06 mm and 7.34% ± 1.41% for absolute and relative FMD, respectively. IPAQ results showed that the average weekly level of physical activity was 3631.1 ± 1526.7 MET-min/week, whereas the average daily sitting time was 287.3 ± 102.7 min/day. Predictors jointly accounted for 48% (adjusted value 42%) of FMD variance. Bootstrapped confidence levels revealed that physical activity had a statistically significant effect on the outcome [beta = 0.517, 2.5% confidence interval (CI) = 0.205, 97.5% CI = 0.752].

CONCLUSION: Physical activity represents a widely available and uncostly tool that is capable of improving endothelial function and overall cardiovascular health in PLHIV.

PMID:37589182 | DOI:10.1111/hiv.13533

Health Promot Pract. 2023 Aug 17:15248399231192992. doi: 10.1177/15248399231192992. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Homelessness among older individuals is increasing and women experiencing homelessness have been previously shown to have poorer health outcomes than their male counterparts. To address these concerns, the Bridges to Elders (BTE) program was developed to improve health and social outcomes for older women experiencing or at risk for homelessness. BTE consisted of a nurse practitioner (NP) and community health worker (CHW) dyad who provided intensive case management services for women 55+ with housing instability. This evaluation used a pretest/posttest design to examine three main outcomes from BTE: change in housing status, enrollment with a primary care provider (PCP), and diagnosis of uncontrolled chronic condition. The sample included 96 BTE participants enrolled from January 2017 to December 2018. The average age of participants was 66 years and had a mean BTE enrollment time of 7.6 months. Statistically significant improvements were achieved in all three outcomes measured: 17% (p < .009) increase in stable housing, 35% (p < .001) increase in PCP enrollment, and 47% (p < .001) decrease in the diagnosis of an uncontrolled chronic condition. The results indicated an NP/CHW dyad improved housing status, primary care access, and targeted health outcomes for older women who are experiencing or at risk for homelessness. Future studies examining the impact of NP/CHW dyads on additional social determinants of health and their impact on health outcomes are recommended.

PMID:37589174 | DOI:10.1177/15248399231192992