Category: Nevin Manimala

Environ Monit Assess. 2022 Mar 23;194(4):290. doi: 10.1007/s10661-022-09936-3.

ABSTRACT

The mountain ecosystem is highly vulnerable to climate changes fraught with a multitude of problems related to environment, food, and nutritional security. Quantification of the soil fertility status can provide an efficient way to devise strategies for sustainable crop production. The lack of information on the soil fertility status prompted us to delineate the spatial variability of the soil attributes, viz., pH, electrical conductivity (EC), soil organic carbon (OC), and the macronutrients (nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K)). The extensive soil sampling was carried out from the apple orchards (AO) and potential areas under agricultural land (AL) in Kinnaur region of cold desert, Trans-Himalaya, India. Descriptive statistics was employed for the exploratory analysis of data representing a wide variation (coefficient of variation, CV = 5.70-58.62%). The available N and P, categorized as low (< 280 kg ha^-1) to medium (280-560 kg ha^-1) and low (4-10 kg ha^-1) to high (> 25 kg ha^-1), respectively, were the main limiting factors in crop production. The availability of the K was categorized as medium (118-280 kg ha^-1) to high (> 280 kg ha^-1). The geostatistical analysis was carried out to check the spatial dependency in the dataset. The principal component analysis (PCA) was carried out and the dominant PCs were used in fuzzy c-means clustering for the delineation of management zones (MZs). The management zones highlight the need for area-specific interventions for ameliorating soil degradation and increasing apple productivity. The soil nutrient maps in spatial scale would help to provide precise fertilizer recommendations for sustainable production and environmental conservation.

PMID:35320425 | DOI:10.1007/s10661-022-09936-3

Eur Radiol. 2022 Mar 23. doi: 10.1007/s00330-022-08611-y. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: This study was performed amongst trigeminal neuralgia (TN) patients with neurovascular contact (NVC) to 1) investigate the association of the demographic and radiologic factors/variables with TN occurrence, and 2) develop a screening tool for TN/TN-affected nerves based on the factors/variables associated with it.

METHODS: Eighty-five TN patients were recruited, and 121 trigeminal nerves with NVC were derived from them. Based on MRI sequences, including balanced turbo field echo and enhanced T1 high-resolution isotropic volume excitation, radiologic factors/variables for each nerve, from the offending vessel to the presence of nerve displacement, were identified by a neuroradiologist and a neurosurgeon. Demographic and clinical data were obtained from clinical notes. Logistic regression was performed to assess the association of the factors/variables with TN occurrence (i.e., affected vs. unaffected nerves).

RESULTS: Three factors/variables were significantly (p < 0.05) associated with TN occurrence amongst patients with NVC: nerve laterality, vertebral artery (VA) involvement, and the presence of nerve displacement. The nerves with VA involvement, those on the right side, and those with nerve displacement exhibited a significantly higher likelihood/odd of being affected by TN, compared to those without VA involvement, those on the left side, and those without nerve displacement, respectively. Based on these factors/variables, a screening tool/nomogram with acceptable accuracy was established (C-statistic/AUC = 0.80).

CONCLUSIONS: This study revealed an association of the three radiologic factors/variables with TN occurrence. A screening tool for TN/TN-affected nerves was established based on them. The findings may lay a foundation for an improvement of the diagnosis and clinical management of TN.

KEY POINTS: • VA involvement and nerve displacement could be identified using MRI, and are significantly associated with TN occurrence. • A potential objective screening tool/nomogram for TN/TN-affected nerves could be established based on the three radiologic factors/variables: VA involvement, the presence of nerve displacement, and nerve laterality. • The screening accuracy of the tool/nomogram is acceptable as the C-statistic is 0.80.

PMID:35320409 | DOI:10.1007/s00330-022-08611-y

Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging. 2022 Mar 23. doi: 10.1007/s00259-022-05762-4. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: Concern is growing about long-term side effects of differentiated thyroid cancer treatment, most notably radioactive iodine (RAI) therapy. However, published studies on the subject have had heterogeneous cohorts and conflicting results. This review seeks to provide an updated evaluation of published evidence, and to elucidate the risk of second primary malignancies (SPMs), especially secondary hematologic malignancies (SHMs), attributable to RAI therapy.

METHODS: An extensive literature search was performed in Ovid MEDLINE, Ovid MEDLINE and In-Process & Other Non-Indexed Citations, Ovid MEDLINE Epub Ahead of Print, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) and PubMed. Studies regarding RAI-induced SPMs or a dose-response relationship between RAI therapy and SPMs were identified, 10 of which were eligible for the analysis. We evaluated risk of bias in each study and judged quality of evidence (QOE) across all studies using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluations approach.

RESULTS: For the outcome “SPM”, the relative effect (relative risk, hazard ratio, or odds ratio) of RAI vs. no RAI ranged from 1.14 to 1.84 across studies, but most results were not statistically significant. For the outcome “SHM”, reported relative effects ranged from 1.30 to 2.50, with 2/3 of the studies presenting statistically significant results. In 7/8 of the studies, increased risk for SPM was shown with increasing cumulative RAI activity. QOE was “very low” regarding SPM after RAI and regarding a dose-response relationship, and “low” for SHM after RAI.

CONCLUSION: Based on low quality evidence, an excess risk for the development of SPM cannot be excluded but is expected to be small.

PMID:35320386 | DOI:10.1007/s00259-022-05762-4

Biol Cybern. 2022 Mar 23. doi: 10.1007/s00422-022-00929-6. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Seminal work by A. Winfree and J. Guckenheimer showed that a deterministic phase variable can be defined either in terms of Poincaré sections or in terms of the asymptotic (long-time) behaviour of trajectories approaching a stable limit cycle. However, this equivalence between the deterministic notions of phase is broken in the presence of noise. Different notions of phase reduction for a stochastic oscillator can be defined either in terms of mean-return-time sections or as the argument of the slowest decaying complex eigenfunction of the Kolmogorov backwards operator. Although both notions of phase enjoy a solid theoretical foundation, their relationship remains unexplored. Here, we quantitatively compare both notions of stochastic phase. We derive an expression relating both notions of phase and use it to discuss differences (and similarities) between both definitions of stochastic phase for (i) a spiral sink motivated by stochastic models for electroencephalograms, (ii) noisy limit-cycle systems-neuroscience models, and (iii) a stochastic heteroclinic oscillator inspired by a simple motor-control system.

PMID:35320405 | DOI:10.1007/s00422-022-00929-6

Intensive Care Med. 2022 Mar 23. doi: 10.1007/s00134-022-06670-9. Online ahead of print.

NO ABSTRACT

PMID:35320369 | DOI:10.1007/s00134-022-06670-9

Anal Bioanal Chem. 2022 Mar 23. doi: 10.1007/s00216-022-04006-6. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Schistosomiasis, caused by the human parasite Schistosoma mansoni, is one of the WHO-listed neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), and it has severe impact on morbidity and mortality, especially in Africa. Not only the adult worms but also their eggs are responsible for health problems. Up to 50% of the eggs produced by the female worms are not excreted with the feces but are trapped in the host tissue, such as the liver, where they provoke immune responses and a change in the lipid profile. We built up a database with 372 infection markers found in livers of S. mansoni-infected hamsters, using LC-MS/MS for identification, followed by statistical analysis. Most of them belong to the lipid classes of phosphatidylcholines (PCs), phosphatidylethanolamines (PEs), and triglycerides (TGs). We assigned some of these markers to specific anatomical structures by applying high-resolution MALDI MSI to cryosections of hamster liver and generating ion images based on the marker list from the LC-MS/MS experiments. Furthermore, enrichment and depletion of several markers were visualized.

PMID:35320368 | DOI:10.1007/s00216-022-04006-6

PLoS One. 2022 Mar 23;17(3):e0265733. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0265733. eCollection 2022.

ABSTRACT

Dry eye disease (DED) is one of the most common ophthalmological disorders, resulting from several systemic and ocular etiologies including meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD). During the COVID-19 pandemic, medical students are among the high-risk group for DED, mainly due to the increasing use of a visual display terminal (VDT) for online lectures and psychological stress from encountering several changes. Our study aimed to explore the prevalence of DED using the symptom-based definition and potential risk factors in medical students. This is a prospective cross-sectional study that included medical students at Chiang Mai University between November 2020 and January 2021. All participants were assessed using the Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) questionnaire, the Thai version of the 10-Item Perceived Stress Scale-10 (T-PSS-10), the LipiView® II interferometer, and an interview for other possible risk factors. Overall, 528 participants were included in the study; half of the participants were female. The prevalence of DED was 70.8%. In the univariate analysis, female sex, contact lens wear, and T-PSS-10 stress scores were significantly higher in the DED group (P = 0.002, 0.002, and <0.001, respectively). Moreover, participants with severe DED were likely to have higher meibomian gland tortuosity but not statistically significant. In the multivariate analysis, contact lens use and T-PSS-10 score were significant risk factors associated with the severity of DED. In conclusions, the prevalence of DED in medical students was as high as 70.8%. Contact lens use and psychological stress evaluated using the T-PSS-10 questionnaire had a significant correlation with a risk of DED. Female gender and duration of VDT use were also associated. Most of the risk factors were modifiable and may be used as initial management in patients with DED.

PMID:35320310 | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0265733

PLoS One. 2022 Mar 23;17(3):e0265875. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0265875. eCollection 2022.

ABSTRACT

Rainfall fluctuation is directly affected by the Earth’s climate change. It can be described using the coefficient of variation (CV). Similarly, the ratio of CVs can be used to compare the rainfall variation between two regions. The ratio of CVs has been widely used in statistical inference in a number of applications. Meanwhile, the confidence interval constructed with this statistic is also of interest. In this paper, confidence intervals for the ratio of two independent CVs of lognormal distributions with excess zeros using the fiducial generalized confidence interval (FGCI), Bayesian methods based on the left-invariant Jeffreys, Jeffreys rule, and uniform priors, and the Wald and Fieller log-likelihood methods are proposed. The results of a simulation study reveal that the highest posterior density (HPD) Bayesian using the Jeffreys rule prior method performed the best in terms of the coverage probability and the average length for almost all cases of small sample size and a large sample size together with a large variance and a small proportion of non-zero values. The performance of the statistic is demonstrated on two rainfall datasets from the central and southern regions in Thailand.

PMID:35320313 | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0265875

PLoS One. 2022 Mar 23;17(3):e0265342. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0265342. eCollection 2022.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Sickle cell disease (SCD) is an inherited hemoglobinopathy that predominantly affects African Americans in the United States. The disease is associated with complications leading to high healthcare utilization rates, including emergency department (ED) visits and hospitalizations. Optimal SCD care requires a multidisciplinary approach involving SCD specialists to ensure preventive care, minimize complications and prevent unnecessary ED visits and hospitalizations. However, most individuals with SCD receive sub-optimal care or are unaffiliated with care (have not seen an SCD specialist). We aimed to identify barriers to care from the perspective of individuals with SCD in a multi-state sample.

METHODS: We performed a multiple methods study consisting of surveys and interviews in three comprehensive SCD centers from March to June 2018. Interviews were transcribed and coded, exploring themes around barriers to care. Survey questions on the specific themes identified in the interviews were analyzed using summary statistics.

RESULTS: We administered surveys to 208 individuals and conducted 44 in-depth interviews. Barriers to care were identified and classified according to ecological level (i.e., individual, family/interpersonal, provider, and socio-environmental/organizational level). Individual-level barriers included lack of knowledge in self-management and disease severity. Family/interpersonal level barriers were inadequate caregiver support and competing life demands. Provider level barriers were limited provider knowledge, provider inexperience, poor provider-patient relationship, being treated differently, and the provider’s lack of appreciation of the patient’s SCD knowledge. Socio-environmental/organizational level barriers included limited transportation, lack of insurance, administrative barriers, poor care coordination, and reduced access to care due to limited clinic availability, services provided or clinic refusal to provide SCD care.

CONCLUSION: Participants reported several multilevel barriers to SCD care. Strategies tailored towards reducing these barriers are warranted. Our findings may also inform interventions aiming to locate and link unaffiliated individuals to care.

PMID:35320302 | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0265342

PLoS One. 2022 Mar 23;17(3):e0265624. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0265624. eCollection 2022.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Data on health status outcomes after spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) are limited.

METHODS AND FINDINGS: Using the Variation in Recovery: Role of Gender on Outcomes of Young AMI Patients (VIRGO) study we compared patients with SCAD and other acute myocardial infarction (AMI) at presentation (baseline), 1-month, and-12 months using standardized health status instruments. Among 3572 AMI patients ≤ 55 years, 67 had SCAD. SCAD patients were younger (median age (IQR) 45 (40.5-51) years vs. 48 (44-52) in other AMI, p = 0.003), more often female (92.5% vs. 66.6%), have college education (73.1% vs. 51.7%) and household income >$100,000 (43.3% vs. 17.7% (All p<0.001). SCAD patients at baseline had higher mean ± SD Short Form-12 [SF-12] physical component scores [PCS] (48.7±10.2 vs. 43.8±12.1, p<0.001) and mental component scores [MCS] (49.6±12.4 vs. 45.4±12.5, p = 0.008), and at 12-months [PCS (50.1±9.0 vs. 44.3±12.3, p<0.001) and MCS (53±10.1 vs 50.2±11.0, p = 0.045)]. The Euro-Quality of Life Scale [EQ-5D] VAS and EQ-5D index scores were similar at baseline, but higher at 12-months for SCAD (EQ-5D VAS: 82.2±10.2 vs. 72.3±21.0, p<0.001; EQ-5D index scores; 90.2±15.3 vs. 83.7±19.8, p = 0.012). SCAD patients had better baseline Seattle Angina Questionnaire [SAQ] physical limitation (88.8±20.1 vs. 81.2±25.4, p = 0.017). At 12-months SCAD patients had better physical limitation (98.0±8.5 vs. 91.4±18.8, p = 0.007), angina frequency (96.4±8.8 vs. 91.3±16.8, p = 0.018) and quality of life scores (80.7±14.7 vs 72.2±23.2, p = 0.005). Magnitude of change in health status from baseline to 12-months was not statistically different between the groups. After adjustment for time and comorbidities there remained no difference in most health status outcomes.

CONCLUSIONS: SCAD patients fare marginally better than other AMI patients on most health status instruments and have similar 12-month health status recovery. Better pre-event health status suggests a need to modify exercise prescriptions and cardiac rehabilitation protocols to better assist this physically active population to recover.

PMID:35320296 | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0265624