Category: Nevin Manimala

Vet Sci. 2023 Jan 7;10(1):43. doi: 10.3390/vetsci10010043.

ABSTRACT

The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of calving-related injuries of the vestibulum vaginae and the vagina on fertility measures in heifers. German Holstein heifers (n = 236) were checked for vestibulum vaginae and vaginal injuries. These were scored according to localization, depth and length. The healing process was assessed until day 42 post partum. Calving ease and the occurrence of metritis and endometritis were evaluated. In 160 heifers, the following fertility measures were calculated to assess the reproductive performance of heifers: mean interval from calving to first insemination, mean days open, mean interval from first insemination to conception, mean calving interval, mean pregnancy index, percentage of animals pregnant at 200 days p.p., and first service conception rate. On the one hand, dystocia was a risk factor for injuries of the soft birth canal, and, on the other hand, those injuries were a risk factor for metritis and endometritis. In this study, calving-related injuries of the vestibulum vaginae and the vagina had no statistically significant effect on the reproductive performance of heifers. One reason for this outcome was probably the overall good healing tendencies of those injuries in heifers.

PMID:36669045 | DOI:10.3390/vetsci10010043

Vet Sci. 2022 Dec 24;10(1):9. doi: 10.3390/vetsci10010009.

ABSTRACT

Farm animals behavior research uses video cameras, mainly for visual observation and recording. The purpose of this feasibility study was to enrich the predictable methods of boar semen production capacity by correlating sperm variables with the scrotal contractions (SC) frequency and intensity. A video camera was used to record the reaction of the scrotum during ejaculation. The respective collected ejaculates were evaluated and semen parameters, such as viability, morphology, membranes functional integrity and kinematics, were determined. The camera recorded the scrotal contractions/relaxations and the video was handled by the Image Processing Toolbox of Matlab (Mathworks Inc., Natick, MA, USA). The SC intensity was verified as a percentage change in the scrotum size among the video frames of maximum contraction and relaxation. The archived data from the frames were analyzed statistically, using a linear mixed effects model that involved sperm assessed parameters. Correlations of the SC intensity with the average path velocity, VAP (R² = 0.591, p = 0.043) and with the percentage of the cytoplasmic droplets (R² = 0.509, p = 0.036) were noticed. Previous studies reported the positive correlation of VAP with the number of live-born piglets. In conclusion, video monitoring of the boar scrotal function during ejaculation is useful, but more research is needed to establish its appropriateness as a supplementary method for the prognosis of boar ability to produce high-quality semen.

PMID:36669010 | DOI:10.3390/vetsci10010009

Diabetes. 2023 Feb 1;72(2):175-183. doi: 10.2337/db22-0110.

ABSTRACT

In this study we examine the instrument selection strategies currently used throughout the type 2 diabetes and HbA1c Mendelian randomization (MR) literature. We then argue for a more integrated and thorough approach, providing a framework to do this in the context of HbA1c and diabetes. We conducted a literature search for MR studies that have instrumented diabetes and/or HbA1c. We also used data from the UK Biobank (UKB) (N = 349,326) to calculate instrument strength metrics that are key in MR studies (the F statistic for average strength and R2 for total strength) with two different methods (“individual-level data regression” and Cragg-Donald formula). We used a 157-single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) instrument for diabetes and a 51-SNP instrument (with partition into glycemic and erythrocytic as well) for HbA1c. Our literature search yielded 48 studies for diabetes and 22 for HbA1c. Our UKB empirical examples showed that irrespective of the method used to calculate metrics of strength and whether the instrument was the main one or included partition by function, the HbA1c genetic instrument is strong in terms of both average and total strength. For diabetes, a 157-SNP instrument was shown to have good average strength and total strength, but these were both substantially lesser than those of the HbA1c instrument. We provide a careful set of five recommendations to researchers who wish to genetically instrument type 2 diabetes and/or HbA1c. In MR studies of glycemia, investigators should take a more integrated approach when selecting genetic instruments, and we give specific guidance on how to do this.

PMID:36669000 | DOI:10.2337/db22-0110

J Laparoendosc Adv Surg Tech A. 2023 Jan 20. doi: 10.1089/lap.2022.0465. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Background: The main purpose of this study was to analyze patient-related factors that may influence the risk of hernia recurrence following laparoscopic incisional hernia repair (LIHR), including the potential role of chosen materials. Materials and Methods: A multicenter, retrospective cohort study was conducted on all patients who were aged >18 years and who underwent elective laparoscopic incisional hernia mesh repair at the Departments of Surgery of the S. Anna University Hospital in Ferrara and Sassuolo Hospital in Modena, Italy. Exclusion criteria were as follows: patients undergoing an open or emergency incisional hernia repair or with primary ventral hernia. All hernia and operative variables that may favor hernia recurrence were collected and analyzed. Follow-up was conducted through a standardized telephone interview, followed by an outpatient visit and diagnostic imaging if needed. Results: From September 2002 to September 2017, 312 consecutive patients underwent elective laparoscopic incisional hernia mesh repair. At a mean 22-month follow-up, 273 patients presented no recurrence of incisional hernia and 39 had relapsed. Intra- and postoperative complications were similar between groups. Unadjusted Cox regression analysis showed a statistically significant association between both the partially absorbable mesh (P < .0001) and absorbable tacks (P = .001) and recurrence, while after adjusting for potential confounders, only the partially absorbable mesh was significantly associated with recurrence (P = .007). Conclusions: The laparoscopic approach may be considered safe for incisional hernia mesh repair. In this multicenter, retrospective cohort study, the use of a partially absorbable mesh in LIHR was the only predictor of hernia recurrence. The partially absorbable mesh that was investigated, however, has been withdrawn from the market.

PMID:36668993 | DOI:10.1089/lap.2022.0465

J Wound Ostomy Continence Nurs. 2023 Jan-Feb 01;50(1):26-30. doi: 10.1097/WON.0000000000000945.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: Recent reports have noted an emergence of unusual organisms in microflora of pilonidal sinus (PNS); this study was undertaken to identify the primary microbial flora associated with infected primary PNS over a period of 1 year.

DESIGN: A prospective multiple case series.

SUBJECTS AND SETTING: A case series of 20 patients with primary PNS in a tertiary care center in Varanasi, India, was studied. The study was conducted at the Department of Microbiology and General Surgery, Institute of Medical Sciences, Varanasi, over a period of 1 year (September 2016 to July 2017).

METHODS: Purulent exudate (pus) samples were collected from 20 patients with primary PNS from the discharging sinuses by aseptic methods. Samples were assessed for aerobic and anaerobic flora by conventional culture and molecular methods. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was done for bacterial isolates. Bacterial diversity was compared with the demographic and clinical profile of the sinuses by multiple correspondence analysis.

RESULTS: Of the total cases, 11 (55%) had purulent discharge, among which all showed polymicrobial flora. The ratio of aerobic to anaerobic organisms was 1:2 (16/32). Escherichia coli (E. coli, 4, 36.36%) and Enterococcus faecalis (E. faecalis, 4, 36.36%) were commonly isolated. Bifidobacterium was the most frequent anaerobe. Detailed molecular analysis revealed the presence of Kocuria flava as an unusual pathogen. On statistical analysis, factors like male gender, increased body mass index, absence of hair in sinus, presence of features of hirsutism, and absence of Fusobacteria were closely associated with one another in these PNS cases.

CONCLUSIONS: The case series revealed the predominance of anaerobes in primarily infected PNS cases. Bifidobacterium spp and unusual pathogens like K. flava were among the emerging pathogens in infected PNS. Use of better molecular diagnostic facilities in addition to the conventional methods might enhance the verified diversity of microorganisms in such cases.

PMID:36668986 | DOI:10.1097/WON.0000000000000945

Trop Med Infect Dis. 2023 Jan 14;8(1):64. doi: 10.3390/tropicalmed8010064.

ABSTRACT

Chagas disease is more prevalent in socially vulnerable communities in the Gran Chaco Eco-region. The study evaluated the seroprevalence of Chagas disease and associated factors between May 2014 and September 2015, in indigenous communities of Santa Fe, Argentina, in the southern Chaco. Lysate ELISA and indirect hemagglutination tests were used to detect antibodies against Trypanosoma cruzi, and recombinant ELISA was used in the case of disagreement. Household surveys were conducted with the head of household about risk factors for the disease. Serological tests were conducted on 298 people from three indigenous communities, 127 male and 171 female. Seroprevalence was 18.5%. A total of 64 surveys were conducted; 82.8% of the heads of household were male, with a median age of 39 years, and 61.0% had not completed primary school. In 35.9% of the households, there was at least one member of the cohabiting group infected with T. cruzi. The level of education of the head of household showed a statistically significant association with Chagas disease (OR = 3.43), among all the risk factors studied. The prevalence of infection is lower than that of other indigenous communities of the Gran Chaco, probably because environmental conditions are moderating and disfavoring the establishment of the insect vector in homes, but also because of socioeconomic differences with the rest of the eco-region. Beyond this, serological controls are needed to prevent vertical transmission.

PMID:36668971 | DOI:10.3390/tropicalmed8010064

Trop Med Infect Dis. 2023 Jan 12;8(1):59. doi: 10.3390/tropicalmed8010059.

ABSTRACT

The phylogenetic relationships within Neodermata were examined based on putative orthologous groups of proteins (OGPs) from 11 species of Monogenea, Trematoda, and Cestoda. The dataset included OGPs from BUSCO and OMA. Additionally, peptidases were identified and evaluated as phylogenetic markers. Phylogenies were inferred using the maximum likelihood method. A network analysis and a hierarchical grouping analysis of the principal components (HCPC) of orthologous groups of peptidases were performed. The phylogenetic analyses showed the monopisthocotylean monogeneans as the sister-group of cestodes, and the polyopisthocotylean monogeneans as the sister-group of trematodes. However, the sister-group relationship between Monopisthocotylea and Cestoda was not statistically well supported. The network analysis and HCPC also showed a cluster formed by polyopisthocotyleans and trematodes. The present study supports the non-monophyly of Monogenea. An analysis of mutation rates indicated that secreted peptidases and inhibitors, and those with multiple copies, are under positive selection pressure, which could explain the expansion of some families such as C01, C19, I02, and S01. Whilst not definitive, our study presents another point of view in the discussion of the evolution of Neodermata, and we hope that our data drive further discussion and debate on this intriguing topic.

PMID:36668966 | DOI:10.3390/tropicalmed8010059

Trop Med Infect Dis. 2023 Jan 12;8(1):57. doi: 10.3390/tropicalmed8010057.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: The MIP (maximum inspiratory pressure) and MEP (maximum expiratory pressure) are sensitive indicators of respiratory muscle function. The aim of the study was to assess the function of respiratory muscles in patients after COVID-19 infection, before and after hospitalisation at the Pulmonary Rehabilitation Ward.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was conducted on a group of 19 people with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 infection, who, in the period from 1 February to 31 May 2021, were hospitalised at the Independent Public Pulmonary Hospital and underwent respiratory rehabilitation in hospital conditions. A statistical analysis was performed using the STATISTICA package, ver. 10. A respiratory pressure meter (RP Check) was used to measure muscle strength. Measurements were performed twice on each patient-before admission and after hospitalisation in the Pulmonary Rehabilitation Ward.

RESULTS: We show that conducting pulmonary rehabilitation contributes to the increase in MIP and MEP, which are associated with increased strength of the inspiratory and expiratory muscles. The average value of MIP increased by 11.95 cmH₂O and MEP by 26.16 cmH₂O. The improvement was visible in both female and male patients.

CONCLUSIONS: Pulmonary rehabilitation contributes to the improvement of respiratory muscle function indicators among patients after COVID-19 infection. Assessment of the MIP and MEP indices is a simple and quick way to reliably assess the function of the respiratory muscles.

PMID:36668964 | DOI:10.3390/tropicalmed8010057

JMIR Med Inform. 2023 Jan 20;11:e38861. doi: 10.2196/38861.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: There is a variety of libre/free and open-source software (LIFOSS) products for medicine and health care. To support health care and IT professionals select an appropriate software product for given tasks, several comparison studies and web platforms, such as Medfloss.org, are available. However, due to the lack of a uniform terminology for health informatics, ambiguous or imprecise terms are used to describe the functionalities of LIFOSS. This makes comparisons of LIFOSS difficult and may lead to inappropriate software selection decisions. Using Linked Open Data (LOD) promises to address these challenges.

OBJECTIVE: We describe LIFOSS systematically with the help of the underlying Health Information Technology Ontology (HITO). We publish HITO and HITO-based software product descriptions using LOD to obtain the following benefits: (1) linking and reusing existing terminologies and (2) using Semantic Web tools for viewing and querying the LIFOSS data on the World Wide Web.

METHODS: HITO was incrementally developed and implemented. First, classes for the description of software products in health IT evaluation studies were identified. Second, requirements for describing LIFOSS were elicited by interviewing domain experts. Third, to describe domain-specific functionalities of software products, existing catalogues of features and enterprise functions were analyzed and integrated into the HITO knowledge base. As a proof of concept, HITO was used to describe 25 LIFOSS products.

RESULTS: HITO provides a defined set of classes and their relationships to describe LIFOSS in medicine and health care. With the help of linked or integrated catalogues for languages, programming languages, licenses, features, and enterprise functions, the functionalities of LIFOSS can be precisely described and compared. We publish HITO and the LIFOSS descriptions as LOD; they can be queried and viewed using different Semantic Web tools, such as Resource Description Framework (RDF) browsers, SPARQL Protocol and RDF Query Language (SPARQL) queries, and faceted searches. The advantages of providing HITO as LOD are demonstrated by practical examples.

CONCLUSIONS: HITO is a building block to achieving unambiguous communication among health IT professionals and researchers. Providing LIFOSS product information as LOD enables barrier-free and easy access to data that are often hidden in user manuals of software products or are not available at all. Efforts to establish a unique terminology of medical and health informatics should be further supported and continued.

PMID:36662569 | DOI:10.2196/38861

JMIR Form Res. 2023 Jan 20;7:e41820. doi: 10.2196/41820.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Medical informatization has initially demonstrated its advantages in improving the medical service industry. Over the past decade, the Chinese government have made a lot of effort to complete infrastructural information construction in the medical and health domain, and smart hospitals will be the next priority according to policies released by Chinese government in recent years.

OBJECTIVE: To provide strategic support for further development of medical information construction in China, this study aimed to investigate the current situation of medical information construction in tertiary class-A public hospitals and analyze the existing problems and countermeasures.

METHODS: This study surveyed 23 tertiary class-A public hospitals in China who voluntarily responded to a self-designed questionnaire distributed in April 2020 to investigate the current medical information construction status. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the current configurations of hospital information department, hospital information systems, hospital internet service and its application, and the satisfaction of hospital information construction. Interviews were also conducted with the respondents in this study for requirement analysis.

RESULTS: The results show that hospital information construction has become one of the priorities of the hospitals’ daily work, and the medical information infrastructural construction and internet service application of the hospitals are good; however, a remarkable gap among the different level of hospitals can be observed. Although most hospitals had built their own IT team to undertake information construction work, the actual utilization rate of big data collected and stored in the hospital information system was not satisfactory.

CONCLUSIONS: Support for the construction of information technology in primary care institutions should be increased to balance the level of development of medical informatization in medical institutions at all levels. The training of complex talents with both IT and medical backgrounds should be emphasized, and specialized disease information standards should be developed to lay a solid data foundation for data utilization and improve the utilization of medical big data.

PMID:36662565 | DOI:10.2196/41820