Category: Nevin Manimala

BMC Oral Health. 2022 Jun 7;22(1):224. doi: 10.1186/s12903-022-02254-7.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to investigate the effect of enamel-surface modifications on the shear bond strength between ceramic brackets bonded using different adhesive materials and the enamel surface and to identify the most suitable clinical adhesive and bonding method. Whether the non-acid-etching treatment met the clinical bond strength was also determined.

METHODS: A total of 108 extracted premolars were divided into nine groups (n = 12) based on the different enamel-surface modification techniques (acid etching, deproteinization, and wetting). Group 1 was bonded with Transbond™ XT adhesive, whereas groups 2-9 were bonded with resin-modified glass ionomer cement (RMGIC). The treatment methods for each group were as follows: groups 1 and 2, acid etching; group 3, acid etching and wetting; group 4, acid etching and deproteinization; group 5, acid etching, deproteinization, and wetting; group 6, deproteinization; group 7, deproteinization and wetting; group 8, without treatment; and group 9, wetting. The samples’ shear bond strength was measured using an universal testing machine. Adhesive remnant index (ARI) was examined using a stereomicroscope. The enamel-surface morphology was observed with a scanning electron microscope. One-way ANOVA with Tukey’s post-hoc test and chi-square test were used for statistical analysis, and p < 0.05 and α = 0.05 were considered statistically significant.

RESULTS: The ARIs of groups 1-5 and 6-9 were statistically significant (p = 0.000). The enamel surface of groups 1-5 was demineralized, and only a tiny amount of protein remained in groups 7 and 8, whereas a thick layer of protein remained in groups 8 and 9.

CONCLUSIONS: RMGIC adhesive did not damage the enamel surface and achieved the required clinical bond strength. The enamel surface was better treated with 5.25% sodium hypochlorite preferably under non-acid-etching conditions.

PMID:35672818 | DOI:10.1186/s12903-022-02254-7

Adv Rheumatol. 2022 Jun 7;62(1):19. doi: 10.1186/s42358-022-00250-7.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Primary Sjögren syndrome (pSS) is a chronic autoimmune disease with its main target being exocrine glands, and is the connective tissue disease more frequently associated with other autoimmune diseases. The aim of this study was to assess the frequency of another autoimmune rheumatic disease (ARD) developed in primary Sjögren syndrome (pSS) patients and to describe it’s clinical, serological and histologic characteristics.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a retrospective cohort study. Data of patients with pSS diagnosis (American-European criteria 2002), included in the GESSAR database (Grupo de Estudio Síndrome de Sjögren, Sociedad Argentina de Reumatología) were analyzed. The development of a second ARD was registered during the follow up.

RESULTS: 681 patients were included, 94.8% female. The mean age was 54 (SD 14) years and mean age at diagnosis of 50 (SD 13) years. The mean follow-up was 4.7 (SD 4.9) years; 30 patients (4.41%, CI 95%: 3.1-5.7) developed a second ARD during the follow up, incidence rate was 9.1/1000 patients-year (IR 95%: 5.8-12.4/1000 patients-year), the most frequent being rheumatoid arthritis (RA). 96% out of these 30 patients had xerophthalmia, 86.2% xerostomia, 92% positive Schirmer test, 88.24% positive Rosa Bengala test, lisamine green or Ocular Staining Score, 81.2% positive unstimulated salivary flow, 82.1% Ro(+) and 33.33% La(+). Minor salivary gland biopsy had been performed in 14 of the 30 patients, 12 with positive results. There were no statistically significant differences respect baseline characteristics when comparing the patients who developed another ARD to the ones that did not.

CONCLUSIONS: Of all the patients analyzed, 4.4% presented another ARD during their follow-up. It is important to be aware of this, to make an early and proper diagnosis and treatment of our patients.

PMID:35672809 | DOI:10.1186/s42358-022-00250-7

Stem Cell Res Ther. 2022 Jun 7;13(1):237. doi: 10.1186/s13287-022-02931-y.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Stem cell transplantation may improve visual acuity in patients with dry age-related macular degeneration. Herein, we aimed to summarise the evidence on the risks and benefits of stem cell transplantation for improving visual acuity, including the risk of adverse events.

METHODS: Data were obtained from the PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials databases, and each database was interrogated from the date of inception until 19 March 2022. The rates of visual acuity outcomes and adverse events associated with stem cell transplantation were examined. All statistical analyses were conducted using Review Manager 5.4. The study was registered with PROSPERO (CRD 42022322902).

RESULTS: The analysis examined 10 studies (102 patients), including one and three, randomised and non-randomised clinical trials, and one and five, multicentre prospective and prospective clinical trials, respectively. Meta-analysis showed changes in best-corrected visual acuity in the study eyes after stem cell transplantation (6 months: risk ratio [RR] = 17.00, 95% confidence interval [CI] 6.08-47.56, P < 0.00001; 12 months: RR = 11.00, 95% CI 2.36-51.36, P = 0.002). Subgroup analysis showed that different stem cell types achieved better best-corrected visual acuity at post-operative 6 months, compared to that observed at baseline. Four cases of related ocular adverse events and no related systemic adverse events were reported.

CONCLUSION: This meta-analysis suggests that stem cell transplantation may improve best-corrected visual acuity in dry age-related macular degeneration, based on small sample sizes and fewer randomised controlled trials.

PMID:35672801 | DOI:10.1186/s13287-022-02931-y

BMC Psychol. 2022 Jun 7;10(1):144. doi: 10.1186/s40359-022-00858-w.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Disclosing traumatic events experienced by parents to their children is a central issue in the intergenerational trauma transmission. However, little is known about this question among migrant population. The main objective of this study was to examine the choice to disclose the traumatic experiences of migrant women in France to their children.

METHODS: This pilot study examined fourteen mother-child dyads in which migrant mothers (M = 30 years; range = 19-42 years) were exposed to traumatic events. A sequential mixed method design was used. In addition to the completion of the Impact Event Scale-Revised, qualitative data were collected through semi-structured interviews. These data were analyzed using thematic and cross-cultural methods. The survey took place from May 2019 to July 2020.

RESULTS: Our study revealed three profiles of mothers with regard to the choice to disclose the traumatic story to the child: one group of mothers opted for silence (n = 4), the other for disclosure (n = 7) and the last group who were hesitant (n = 3). The modalities of choice were statistically associated with the severity of the post-traumatic stress symptoms, F (2, 11) = 4,62, p < .05. Specifically, women who made the choice of silence (M = 72.75, SD = 4.99) and those hesitated on the choice to disclosure (M = 71.33, SD = 7.51) reported higher scores on IES-R than those who made the choice to disclosure (M = 59.86, SD = 12.44). Six main themes emerged from the thematic and cross-cultural analysis of participants’ narratives: (1) the personalization of the traumatic experience, (2) the child seen as a weapon against collapse, (3) the fear of the child’s personal reactions, (4) the possible partial disclosure, (5) the trauma narrative according to the child’s age, and (6) the trap of the in-between two cultures.

CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that the recovery of these mothers from their trauma, through culturally appropriate therapeutic care, can effectively contribute to the choice to disclose their traumatic experiences to their children. This treatment can support them in developing open and healthy communication strategies to prevent the transmission of traumatic effects to their children.

PMID:35672800 | DOI:10.1186/s40359-022-00858-w

Genome Biol. 2022 Jun 7;23(1):127. doi: 10.1186/s13059-022-02694-y.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune condition of the central nervous system with a well-characterized genetic background. Prior analyses of MS genetics have identified broad enrichments across peripheral immune cells, yet the driver immune subsets are unclear.

RESULTS: We utilize chromatin accessibility data across hematopoietic cells to identify cell type-specific enrichments of MS genetic signals. We find that CD4 T and B cells are independently enriched for MS genetics and further refine the driver subsets to T_h17 and memory B cells, respectively. We replicate our findings in data from untreated and treated MS patients and find that immunomodulatory treatments suppress chromatin accessibility at driver cell types. Integration of statistical fine-mapping and chromatin interactions nominate numerous putative causal genes, illustrating complex interplay between shared and cell-specific genes.

CONCLUSIONS: Overall, our study finds that open chromatin regions in CD4 T cells and B cells independently drive MS genetic signals. Our study highlights how careful integration of genetics and epigenetics can provide fine-scale insights into causal cell types and nominate new genes and pathways for disease.

PMID:35672799 | DOI:10.1186/s13059-022-02694-y

J Transl Med. 2022 Jun 7;20(1):261. doi: 10.1186/s12967-022-03458-9.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: High immune infiltration is associated with favourable prognosis in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), but an automated workflow for characterizing immune infiltration, with high validity and reliability, remains to be developed.

METHODS: We performed a multicentre retrospective study of patients with completely resected NSCLC. We developed an image analysis workflow for automatically evaluating the density of CD3⁺ and CD8⁺ T-cells in the tumour regions on immunohistochemistry (IHC)-stained whole-slide images (WSIs), and proposed an immune scoring system “I-score” based on the automated assessed cell density.

RESULTS: A discovery cohort (n = 145) and a validation cohort (n = 180) were used to assess the prognostic value of the I-score for disease-free survival (DFS). The I-score (two-category) was an independent prognostic factor after adjusting for other clinicopathologic factors. Compared with a low I-score (two-category), a high I-score was associated with significantly superior DFS in the discovery cohort (adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 0.54; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.33-0.86; P = 0.010) and validation cohort (adjusted HR, 0.57; 95% CI 0.36-0.92; P = 0.022). The I-score improved the prognostic stratification when integrating it into the Cox proportional hazard regression models with other risk factors (discovery cohort, C-index 0.742 vs. 0.728; validation cohort, C-index 0.695 vs. 0.685).

CONCLUSION: This automated workflow and immune scoring system would advance the clinical application of immune microenvironment evaluation and support the clinical decision making for patients with resected NSCLC.

PMID:35672787 | DOI:10.1186/s12967-022-03458-9

Res Integr Peer Rev. 2022 Jun 7;7(1):3. doi: 10.1186/s41073-022-00122-0.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Structured, systematic methods to formulate consensus recommendations, such as the Delphi process or nominal group technique, among others, provide the opportunity to harness the knowledge of experts to support clinical decision making in areas of uncertainty. They are widely used in biomedical research, in particular where disease characteristics or resource limitations mean that high-quality evidence generation is difficult. However, poor reporting of methods used to reach a consensus – for example, not clearly explaining the definition of consensus, or not stating how consensus group panellists were selected – can potentially undermine confidence in this type of research and hinder reproducibility. Our objective is therefore to systematically develop a reporting guideline to help the biomedical research and clinical practice community describe the methods or techniques used to reach consensus in a complete, transparent, and consistent manner.

METHODS: The ACCORD (ACcurate COnsensus Reporting Document) project will take place in five stages and follow the EQUATOR Network guidance for the development of reporting guidelines. In Stage 1, a multidisciplinary Steering Committee has been established to lead and coordinate the guideline development process. In Stage 2, a systematic literature review will identify evidence on the quality of the reporting of consensus methodology, to obtain potential items for a reporting checklist. In Stage 3, Delphi methodology will be used to reach consensus regarding the checklist items, first among the Steering Committee, and then among a broader Delphi panel comprising participants with a range of expertise, including patient representatives. In Stage 4, the reporting guideline will be finalised in a consensus meeting, along with the production of an Explanation and Elaboration (E&E) document. In Stage 5, we plan to publish the reporting guideline and E&E document in open-access journals, supported by presentations at appropriate events. Dissemination of the reporting guideline, including a website linked to social media channels, is crucial for the document to be implemented in practice.

DISCUSSION: The ACCORD reporting guideline will provide a set of minimum items that should be reported about methods used to achieve consensus, including approaches ranging from simple unstructured opinion gatherings to highly structured processes.

PMID:35672782 | DOI:10.1186/s41073-022-00122-0

Malar J. 2022 Jun 7;21(1):175. doi: 10.1186/s12936-022-04175-w.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The collection and utilization of surveillance data is essential in monitoring progress towards achieving malaria elimination, in the timely response to increases in malaria case numbers and in the assessment of programme functioning. This paper describes the surveillance activities used by the malaria elimination task force (METF) programme which operates in eastern Myanmar, and provides an analysis of data collected from weekly surveillance, case investigations, and monitoring and evaluation of programme performance.

METHODS: This retrospective analysis was conducted using data collected from a network of 1250 malaria posts operational between 2014 and 2021. To investigate changes in data completeness, malaria post performance, malaria case numbers, and the demographic details of malaria cases, summary statistics were used to compare data collected over space and time.

RESULTS: In the first 3 years of the METF programme, improvements in data transmission routes resulted in a 18.9% reduction in late reporting, allowing for near real-time analysis of data collected at the malaria posts. In 2020, travel restrictions were in place across Karen State in response to COVID-19, and from February 2021 the military coup in Myanmar resulted in widescale population displacement. However, over that period there has been no decline in malaria post attendance, and the majority of consultations continue to occur within 48 h of fever onset. Case investigations found that 43.8% of cases travelled away from their resident village in the 3 weeks prior to diagnosis and 36.3% reported never using a bed net whilst sleeping in their resident village, which increased to 72.2% when sleeping away from their resident village. Malaria post assessments performed in 82.3% of the METF malaria posts found malaria posts generally performed to a high standard.

CONCLUSIONS: Surveillance data collected by the METF programme demonstrate that despite significant changes in the context in which the programme operates, malaria posts have remained accessible and continue to provide early diagnosis and treatment contributing to an 89.3% decrease in Plasmodium falciparum incidence between 2014 and 2021.

PMID:35672747 | DOI:10.1186/s12936-022-04175-w

BMC Infect Dis. 2022 Jun 7;22(1):525. doi: 10.1186/s12879-022-07499-9.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Guizhou is located in the southwest of China with high multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) epidemic. To fight this disease, Guizhou provincial authorities have made efforts to establish MDR-TB service system and perform the strategies for active case finding since 2014. The expanded case finding starting from 2019 and COVID-19 pandemic may affect the cases distribution. Thus, this study aims to analyze MDR-TB epidemic status from 2014 to 2020 for the first time in Guizhou in order to guide control strategies.

METHODS: Data of notified MDR-TB cases were extracted from the National TB Surveillance System correspond to population information for each county of Guizhou from 2014 to 2020. The percentage change was calculated to quantify the change of cases from 2014 to 2020. Time trend and seasonality of case series were analyzed by a seasonal autoregressive integrated moving average (SARIMA) model. Spatial-temporal distribution at county-level was explored by spatial autocorrelation analysis and spatial-temporal scan statistic.

RESULTS: Guizhou has 9 prefectures and 88 counties. In this study, 1,666 notified MDR-TB cases were included from 2014-2020. The number of cases increased yearly. Between 2014 and 2019, the percentage increase ranged from 6.7 to 21.0%. From 2019 to 2020, the percentage increase was 62.1%. The seasonal trend illustrated that most cases were observed during the autumn with the trough in February. Only in 2020, a peak admission was observed in June. This may be caused by COVID-19 pandemic restrictions being lifted until May 2020. The spatial-temporal heterogeneity revealed that over the years, most MDR-TB cases stably aggregated over four prefectures in the northwest, covering Bijie, Guiyang, Liupanshui and Zunyi. Three prefectures (Anshun, Tongren and Qiandongnan) only exhibited case clusters in 2020.

CONCLUSION: This study identified the upward trend with seasonality and spatial-temporal clusters of MDR-TB cases in Guizhou from 2014 to 2020. The fast rising of cases and different distribution from the past in 2020 were affected by the expanded case finding from 2019 and COVID-19. The results suggest that control efforts should target at high-risk periods and areas by prioritizing resources allocation to increase cases detection capacity and better access to treatment.

PMID:35672746 | DOI:10.1186/s12879-022-07499-9

BMC Med Inform Decis Mak. 2022 Jun 7;22(1):151. doi: 10.1186/s12911-022-01893-8.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: In many hospitals, operating theatres are not used to their full potential due to the dynamic nature of demand and the complexity of theatre scheduling. Theatre inefficiencies may lead to access block and delays in treating patients requiring critical care. This study aims to employ operating theatre data to provide decision support for improved theatre management.

METHOD: Historical observations are used to predict long-term daily surgery caseload in various levels of granularity, from emergency versus elective surgeries to clinical specialty-level demands. A statistical modelling and a machine learning-based approach are developed to estimate daily surgery demand. The statistical model predicts daily demands based on historical observations through weekly rolling windows and calendar variables. The machine learning approach, based on regression algorithms, learns from a combination of temporal and sequential features. A de-identified data extract of elective and emergency surgeries at a major 783-bed metropolitan hospital over four years was used. The first three years of data were used as historical observations for training the models. The models were then evaluated on the final year of data.

RESULTS: Daily counts of overall surgery at a hospital-level could be predicted with approximately 90% accuracy, though smaller subgroups of daily demands by medical specialty are less predictable. Predictions were generated on a daily basis a year in advance with consistent predictive performance across the forecast horizon.

CONCLUSION: Predicting operating theatre demand is a viable component in theatre management, enabling hospitals to provide services as efficiently and effectively as possible to obtain the best health outcomes. Due to its consistent predictive performance over various forecasting ranges, this approach can inform both short-term staffing choices as well as long-term strategic planning.

PMID:35672729 | DOI:10.1186/s12911-022-01893-8