Category: Nevin Manimala

Matern Child Nutr. 2023 Feb 22:e13493. doi: 10.1111/mcn.13493. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

The southeastern region of Kenya is prone to aflatoxin outbreaks, yet maternal and infant aflatoxin intake levels remain unclear. We determined dietary aflatoxin exposure of 170 lactating mothers breastfeeding children aged 6 months and below in a descriptive cross-sectional study involving aflatoxin analysis of maize-based cooked food samples (n = 48). Their socioeconomic characteristics, food consumption patterns and postharvest handling of maize were determined. Aflatoxins were determined using high-performance liquid chromatography and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Statistical analysis was conducted using Statistical Package Software for Social Sciences (SPSS version 27) and Palisade’s @Risk software. About 46% of the mothers were from low-income households, and 48.2% had not attained the basic level of education. A generally low dietary diversity was reported among 54.1% of lactating mothers. Food consumption pattern was skewed towards starchy staples. Approximately 50% never treated their maize, and at least 20% stored their maize in containers that promote aflatoxin contamination. Aflatoxin was detected in 85.4% of food samples. The mean of total aflatoxin was 97.8 μg/kg (standard deviation [SD], 57.7), while aflatoxin B1 was 9.0 μg/kg (SD, 7.7). The mean dietary intake of total aflatoxin and aflatoxin B1 was 7.6 μg/kg/b.w.t/day (SD, 7.5) and 0.6 (SD, 0.6), respectively. Dietary aflatoxin exposure of lactating mothers was high (margin of exposure < 10,000). Sociodemographic characteristics, food consumption patterns and postharvest handling of maize variably influenced dietary aflatoxin exposure of the mothers. The high prevalence and presence of aflatoxin in foods of lactating mothers are a public health concern and calls for the need to devise easy-to-use household food safety and monitoring measures in the study area.

PMID:36814005 | DOI:10.1111/mcn.13493

Biomech Model Mechanobiol. 2023 Feb 23. doi: 10.1007/s10237-022-01682-2. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Cells mechanically interact with their environment to sense, for example, topography, elasticity and mechanical cues from other cells. Mechano-sensing has profound effects on cellular behaviour, including motility. The current study aims to develop a mathematical model of cellular mechano-sensing on planar elastic substrates and demonstrate the model’s predictive capabilities for the motility of individual cells in a colony. In the model, a cell is assumed to transmit an adhesion force, derived from a dynamic focal adhesion integrin density, that locally deforms a substrate, and to sense substrate deformation originating from neighbouring cells. The substrate deformation from multiple cells is expressed as total strain energy density with a spatially varying gradient. The magnitude and direction of the gradient at the cell location define the cell motion. Cell-substrate friction, partial motion randomness, and cell death and division are included. The substrate deformation by a single cell and the motility of two cells are presented for several substrate elasticities and thicknesses. The collective motility of 25 cells on a uniform substrate mimicking the closure of a circular wound of 200 µm is predicted for deterministic and random motion. Cell motility on substrates with varying elasticity and thickness is explored for four cells and 15 cells, the latter again mimicking wound closure. Wound closure by 45 cells is used to demonstrate the simulation of cell death and division during migration. The mathematical model can adequately simulate the mechanically induced collective cell motility on planar elastic substrates. The model is suitable for extension to other cell and substrates shapes and the inclusion of chemotactic cues, offering the potential to complement in vitro and in vivo studies.

PMID:36814004 | DOI:10.1007/s10237-022-01682-2

J Gastrointest Cancer. 2023 Feb 23. doi: 10.1007/s12029-023-00919-2. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), characterised by recurrent episodes of upper airway collapse, intermittent hypoxia (IH) and sleep fragmentation (SF), has been associated with carcinogenesis in pre-clinical models. The relationship between OSA and colorectal cancer (CRC) in clinical studies is controversial.

AIM: The objective of this meta-analysis was to assess the association between OSA and CRC.

METHODS: Two independent investigators searched studies indexed in CINAHL, MEDLINE, EMBASE, the Cochrane Database and clinicaltrials.gov that were randomised controlled trials (RCT) or observational studies evaluating the relationship between OSA and CRC. Studies were included if they had available odds ratios (OR) and relative risks (RR) or if hazard ratios (HR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were available and a reference group composed of participants who did not have OSA. OR and 95% CI were calculated using a random-effect, generic inverse variance method.

RESULTS: We included four observational studies out of 85 records, comprising a combined cohort of 5,651,662 identified patients in the data analysis. Three studies used polysomnography to identify OSA. The pooled OR of CRC in patients with OSA was 1.49 (95% CI, 0.75 to 2.97). The statistical heterogeneity was high with I² of 95%.

CONCLUSIONS: Our study is unable to conclusively point towards OSA being a risk factor in the development of CRC, despite the plausible biological mechanisms for this. Further well-designed prospective RCT assessing the risk of CRC in patients with OSA and the impact of OSA treatments on the incidence and prognosis of CRC are needed.

PMID:36813984 | DOI:10.1007/s12029-023-00919-2

Neurol Sci. 2023 Feb 23. doi: 10.1007/s10072-023-06632-z. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECT: Recent evidence has suggested that systemic inflammatory and immune index (SIRI) and systematic inflammation index (SII) could predict prognosis in stroke patients. This study aimed to determine the effects of SIRI and SII on predicting in-hospital infections and unfavorable outcomes in patients with acute intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH).

METHODS: We used the data from a prospective and registry-based study recruiting ICH patients between January 2014 and September 2016 in a single comprehensive stroke center. All patients were stratified by quartiles of SIRI or SII. Logistic regression analysis was used to estimate the associations with follow-up prognosis. The receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves were performed to examine the predictive utility of these indexes for infections and prognosis.

RESULTS: Six hundred and forty spontaneous ICH patients were enrolled in this study. Compared with the lowest quartile (Q1), SIRI or SII values both showed positive correlations with increased risks for poor 1-month outcomes (adjusted ORs in Q4 was 2.162 [95% CI: 1.240-3.772] for SIRI, 1.797 [95% CI: 1.052-3.070] for SII). Additionally, a higher level of SIRI, but not SII, was independently associated with a higher risk of infections and an unfavorable 3-month prognosis. The C-statistic for the combined SIRI and ICH score was higher than SIRI or ICH score alone for predicting in-hospital infections and poor outcomes.

CONCLUSION: Elevated SIRI values were associated with in-hospital infections and poor functional outcomes. It may provide a new biomarker for ICH prognosis prediction, especially in the acute stage.

PMID:36813976 | DOI:10.1007/s10072-023-06632-z

Neurosci Bull. 2023 Feb 22. doi: 10.1007/s12264-023-01035-8. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

The article presents an original method for the automatic assessment of the quality of event-related potentials (ERPs), based on the calculation of the coefficient ε, which describes the compliance of recorded ERPs with some statistically significant parameters. This method was used to analyze the neuropsychological EEG monitoring of patients suffering from migraines. The frequency of migraine attacks was correlated with the spatial distribution of the coefficients ε, calculated for EEG channels. More than 15 migraine attacks per month was accompanied by an increase in calculated values in the occipital region. Patients with infrequent migraines exhibited maximum quality in the frontal areas. The automatic analysis of spatial maps of the coefficient ε demonstrated a statistically significant difference between the two analyzed groups with different means of migraine attack numbers per month.

PMID:36813952 | DOI:10.1007/s12264-023-01035-8

Arch Orthop Trauma Surg. 2023 Feb 23. doi: 10.1007/s00402-023-04816-y. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: The conventional treatment of enchondromas is the open surgery with curettage of lesions. Osteoscopic surgery is a minimally invasive endoscopic approach for lesions inside bone. The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of the osteoscopic surgery in comparison with the conventional open surgery for patients with foot enchondromas.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective cohort study comparing patients with foot enchondromas treated with osteoscopic or open surgery from 2000 to 2019. Functional evaluations were based on both the AOFAS score and the Musculoskeletal Tumor Society (MSTS) functional rate. Complication and local recurrence were evaluated.

RESULTS: Seventeen patients underwent endoscopic surgery, and eight patients underwent open surgery. The AOFAS score was higher in the osteoscopic group than the open group at 1 and 2 weeks after surgery (mean, 89.18 vs 67.25 [p = 0.001], 93.88 vs 79.38 [p = 0.004]). The MSTS functional rate was also higher in the osteoscopic group than the open group at 1 and 2 weeks after surgery (mean, 81.96 vs 59.58% [p = 0.00], 90.98 vs 75.00% [p = 0.02]). No statistical differences were found after 1-month of surgery. The osteoscopic group had lower complication rate than the open group (12 vs 50%; p = 0.04). No local recurrence was found in any groups.

CONCLUSION: The osteoscopic surgery is feasible to provide earlier functional recovery and fewer complications than the open surgery.

PMID:36813947 | DOI:10.1007/s00402-023-04816-y

Arch Orthop Trauma Surg. 2023 Feb 22. doi: 10.1007/s00402-023-04818-w. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: The decrease in the medial joint space width (MJSW) in patients with osteoarthritis (OA) is proportional to the degree of arthritis. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the affecting factors of the MJSW by serial radiologic assessment after medial open wedge high tibial osteotomy (MOW-HTO).

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between March 2014 and March 2019, 162 MOW-HTO knees that underwent serial radiologic assessment and follow-up MRI were enrolled. Changes in the MJSW were analyzed by dividing into three groups: group I, low quartile (< 25%); II, middle quartile (25-75%); and III, high quartile (> 75%), according to the magnitude of the MJSW. The correlation between the MJSW and weight-bearing line ratio (WBLR), hip knee ankle angle (HKA), joint line convergence angle (JLCA), medial proximal tibial angle (MPTA), mechanical lateral distal femoral angle (m-LDFA), joint line orientation angle (JLOA), and MRI cartilage status was analyzed. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to analyze factors affecting the amount of change in the MJSW. The clinical outcome was also correlated with the MJSW.

RESULTS: The amount of change in the JLCA, which has the largest beta value (weight-bearing standing anteroposterior (AP) view and 45° flexion posteroanterior view (Rosenberg view) β = – 0.699 and β = -5.221, both p < 0.001, respectively), had the greatest contribution to the change in the MJSW. The WBLR was also related (standing AP and Rosenberg β = 0.177 and β = 0.264, p = 0.015 and p = 0.004, respectively). There was no statistical difference between the amount of change in the MJSW and the change in cartilage. The clinical outcomes did not differ between the groups.

CONCLUSION: The JLCA was the most important contributing factor for the MJSW, followed by WBLR. This contribution was more pronounced in Rosenberg view than standing AP view. Changes in cartilage status were not related to the MJSW and JLCA. The clinical outcome was not related to the MJSW, either. Level of evidence Cohort study; level III.

PMID:36813946 | DOI:10.1007/s00402-023-04818-w

Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2023 Feb 22. doi: 10.1007/s10006-023-01143-9. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: To retrospectively review lateral wall orbital decompression for thyroid eye disease (TED) and to evaluate pre-operative CT scans to analyse the variation in proptosis reduction.

METHODS: Consecutive lateral wall orbital decompressions performed by a single surgeon were retrospectively reviewed. Pre-operative CT scan features and post-operative proptosis reduction were analysed. The sphenoid trigone cross-sectional areas were summed and multiplied by the slice thickness to yield bone volume. Cumulative extraocular muscle thickness was calculated by combining the maximum thickness of the four recti. “Trigone volume” and “cumulative muscle thickness” were correlated with proptosis reduction at 3 months post-surgery.

RESULTS: Out of 73 consecutive lateral wall orbital decompressions, 17 orbits had prior endonasal medial wall orbital decompression. In the remaining 56 orbits, the mean pre-operative and post-operative proptosis were 24.3 ± 1.6 mm and 20.9 ± 2.3 mm respectively. The proptosis reduction ranged from 1 to 7 mm (mean of 3.5 mm ± 1.3 (p < 0.001)). Mean sphenoid trigone volume was 895 ± 434.4 mm³. The mean cumulative muscle thickness was 20.4 ± 5 mm. The correlation coefficient between muscle thickness and proptosis reduction was – 0.3 and was statistically significant (p = 0.043). The correlation coefficient between sphenoidal trigone volume and proptosis reduction was 0.2 (p = 0.068). With a multivariate analysis, the coefficient of efficient of regression for muscle thickness was – 0.007 (p = 0.42) and the coefficient of regression for trigone volume was 0.0 (p = 0.046).

CONCLUSION: Proptosis reduction following lateral wall orbital decompression can be variable. Extraocular muscle thickness had a significant correlation with the outcome, with greater proptosis reduction in orbits with thin muscles. The sphenoidal trigone size had a weak correlation with decompression outcome.

PMID:36813910 | DOI:10.1007/s10006-023-01143-9

Eur Spine J. 2023 Feb 22. doi: 10.1007/s00586-023-07601-y. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: The present study aimed to estimate the trunk muscles moment-arms in low back pain (LBP) patients and compare this data to those of healthy individuals. This research further explored whether the difference of the moment-arms between these two is a contributing factor to LBP.

METHODOLOGY: Fifty patients with CLBP (group A) and 25 healthy controls (group B) were enrolled. All participants were subjected to magnetic resonance imaging of lumbar spine. Muscle moment-arms were estimated on a T2W axial section parallel to the disc.

RESULTS: There was statistically significant differences (p < 0.05) in the sagittal plane moment-arms at L1-L2 for right erector spinae (ES), bilateral psoas and rectus abdominis (RA), right quadratus lumborum (QL), and left obliques; bilateral ES, QL, RA, and right psoas at L2-L3; bilateral QL, RA, and obliques at L3-L4; bilateral RA and obliques at L4-L5; and bilateral psoas, RA, and obliques at L5-S1. There was no statistically significant difference (p < 0.05) in the coronal plane moment-arms except for left ES and QL at L1-L2; left QL and right RA at L3-L4; right RA and obliques at L4-L5; and bilateral ES and right RA at L5-S1.

CONCLUSIONS: There was a significant difference in muscle moment-arms of the lumbar spine’s prime stabilizer (psoas) and primary locomotors (rectus abdominis and obliques) between LBP patients and healthy individuals. This difference in the moment-arms leads to altered compressive forces at intervertebral discs and may be one of the risk factors for LBP.

PMID:36813904 | DOI:10.1007/s00586-023-07601-y

J Perinatol. 2023 Feb 22. doi: 10.1038/s41372-023-01631-6. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: Evaluate if odds of survival without major morbidity are higher among extremely low gestation neonates (ELGANs) born to mothers with chronic hypertension (cHTN) or hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) compared to ELGANs born to mothers without hypertension (HTN).

STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective study of prospectively collected data from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Neonatal Research Network. Included children had a birthweight of 401-1000 g and/or gestational age of 22^0/7 to 28^6/7 wks. The primary outcome was survival to discharge without major morbidity. Multivariable regression models were used to compare outcomes among ELGANs born to women with cHTN, HDP, and no HTN.

RESULTS: Survival without morbidities for newborns of mothers with no HTN, cHTN and HDP (29.1%, 32.9%, 37.0% respectively) did not differ after adjustment.

CONCLUSION: After adjusting for contributing variables maternal HTN is not associated with improved survival free of morbidity among ELGANs.

TRIALS REGISTRATION: clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00063063 (generic database).

PMID:36813902 | DOI:10.1038/s41372-023-01631-6