Category: Nevin Manimala

J Cancer Educ. 2021 Jun 20. doi: 10.1007/s13187-021-02056-5. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Co-infection with HIV/HPV and bio-behavioral risk factors (e.g., immunodeficiency, un-protected sex) increase likelihood for developing anal and other HPV-associated cancers among people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). We explored knowledge, attitudes, and health communication regarding HPV-associated anal cancers among HIV/AIDS service organization (ASO) employees/volunteers delivering non-clinical services to PLWHA. Participants (n=59) were recruited from six ASOs located in the South United States Census region and completed a 118-item self-administered survey. For current analyses, outcome measures were knowledge, attitudes, and health communication regarding anal cancer. Descriptive statistics assessed outcome measures which were subsequently dichotomized into binary variables (i.e., high/favorable or low/unfavorable). Fisher’s exact test examined associations between outcome measures and ASO employees/volunteers’ sex/sexual orientation (i.e., heterosexual female, heterosexual male, LGBTI female, LGBTI male). Mean age for ASO employees/volunteers was 45.5 years (±13.5 SD). Participants were heterosexual females (45.7%), LGBTI males (27.3%), heterosexual males (13.5%), and LGBTI females (13.5%). Almost half (44.8%) had not heard about anal Pap screening and 39.0% did not think HPV can cause anal cancer. Overall, 73.9% had low knowledge scores. Participants (47.4%) were unsure or believed HPV vaccinations were non-protective against anal cancer while 94.9% had favorable health communication behaviors. Knowledge regarding anal cancer being linked to HPV (p=0.006) and health information seeking on anal cancer (p=0.000) were statistically significantly different by sex/sexual orientation. Fostering increased knowledge, favorable attitudes, and improved health communication behaviors among ASO employees/volunteers could facilitate dissemination and promotion of anal cancer prevention strategies (anal Pap screenings, HPV vaccinations) among PLWHA.

PMID:34148218 | DOI:10.1007/s13187-021-02056-5

J Anat. 2021 Jun 19. doi: 10.1111/joa.13479. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Nasal cavities in their primitive stage communicate with the oral cavity until the 8th week of intrauterine life where the posterior palate initiates its development. Hence, starting from the initial growth phases, a significant connection lays between the nasal structures and the maxillary bone and witnessing key functional roles, among which the respiration. Proper nasal breathing has been proven to be a crucial factor for the maturity of the craniofacial complex, and obstruction of the respiratory airway due to nasal septum deviation can generate clinically significant reduction of the nasal airflow. This situation will imply irreversible repercussions that hinders the harmonious development of the craniofacial complex. In order to understand such potential impacts of septal deviation, our first objective was to materialize the relation between septum deviation, and both nasal cavity and maxillary structures. For the second objective, we used Procrustes analysis to assess the shape variation of these two anatomical regions, the bivariate plots of Principal Components to evaluate their shape space, and a two-block Partial Least Square (PLS) to explore their covariation. We analysed, in this cross-sectional study, 62 posteroanterior cephalometric radiographs of adult subjects from both sexes (23 males, 39 females; mean age 25.3 years) collected from the database of the Department of Orthodontics at Lebanese University. Landmarks were plotted and variables were calculated and divided into nasal septum, nasal cavity and maxillary ones. The sample was further divided into two groups based on septal deviation severity (a septal deviation is considered minor if <6). The results suggested that nasal septum deviation was correlated to reduced nasal cavity area and a reduced maxillary area. Moreover, the comparison of the two groups concluded that the difference between all variables was statistically significant with higher scores in the minor septal deviation group. These findings were corroborated with the shape analysis where the mean centroid size of nasal cavity and that of the maxilla in the group of reduced septal deviation were significantly greater than those of the group with increased angle of deviation. Results of PLS analysis concluded to a strong covariation between nasal septum and nasomaxillary complex. These conclusions support the early septoplasty in growing patients as a solution to redirect the normal course of growth and re-establish a good function of the nasomaxillary complex.

PMID:34148243 | DOI:10.1111/joa.13479

Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2021 Jun 20. doi: 10.1007/s11356-021-14934-y. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Globally, the novel COVID-19 has been recognized as one of the most important pandemics and devastating diseases in human history, with many deaths and morbidities. In the absence of effective treatment and limited supply of COVID-19 vaccine, people must adhere to recommended preventive measures. This study aimed to determine the level of COVID-19 knowledge, perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, and health information-seeking and preventive behaviors as well as associated factors with preventive behaviors in a sample of Iranian students at Persian Gulf University. Data was collected using an online structured and validated questionnaire. Descriptive statistics, the Mann-Whitney U, Chi-square, and Spearman correlation tests were applied to analyze data. The significance level was set at P < 0.05. In total, 98% (319/325) of the participants completed the survey. A majority of participants were aware of the three main COVID-19 symptoms: fever, dry cough, and shortness of breath, while half of them were unaware of gastrointestinal problems caused by COVID-19. More than half of the subjects had a low perceived susceptibility and severity toward COVID-19. Most of the participants engaged in preventive behaviors and got COVID-19 information from social media and the Internet. Preventive behavior was associated with perceived susceptibility (P = 0.015), perceived severity (P = 0.014), and health information seeking (P < 0.001) of individuals toward COVID-19. The results of our research can help health authorities develop health promotion programs for student populations by providing baseline data.

PMID:34148194 | DOI:10.1007/s11356-021-14934-y

Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2021 Jun 20. doi: 10.1007/s11356-021-14961-9. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Internet addiction is one of the most growing addictive behaviors worldwide, especially among university students affecting their physical and mental health negatively. During COVID-19, accessing online books, completing assignments, and online assessments are highly recommended by universities, teachers, and students. The Internet has increasingly become a vital part of our lives, and distant online classes increase the dependency of students on the Internet. The aim of this study is to assess the level of internet addiction among medical or non-medical students in Tanta University, Egypt. This was a cross-sectional study conducted during October and November 2020. It included 373 students from the faculty of medicine and 373 non-medical students from the faculty of science. The validated (IAT-20) was used to assess the level of Internet addiction among these students. A total of 51.7% of medical students were found severe internet addicts and 43.4% of them were possible addicts compared to only 11.3% of non-medical students who were found severely addicted to the Internet and 68.9% of them were possible addicts with statistically significant difference between them. Female students of both colleges were found addicted to the Internet than males. Female medical and non-medical students suffered from severe Internet addiction more than non-medical and male ones. Appropriate awareness creation intervention strategies should be implemented to decrease the level of Internet addiction among university students and to reduce its harmful and negative consequences.

PMID:34148197 | DOI:10.1007/s11356-021-14961-9

Updates Surg. 2021 Jun 19. doi: 10.1007/s13304-021-01116-1. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Adrenalectomy is the first line of treatment in unilateral aldosterone-producing adenoma. Whether adrenalectomy should be performed using a cortex-sparing technique (partial adrenalectomy) or total adrenalectomy remains debatable. Therefore, this meta-analysis aims to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of partial adrenalectomy (PA) to total adrenalectomy (TA) by comparing perioperative and functional outcomes. A systematic search was performed across Pubmed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library database for RCTs and non-RCTs comparing PA and TA on unilateral aldosterone-producing adenoma. The main outcomes analyzed were the perioperative and postoperative effectiveness. In addition, weighted mean difference (WMD) or odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence intervals of continuous and dichotomous variables are presented. Two RCTs and 5 non-RCTs trials, including 834 patients were identified and included in the meta-analysis. PA was associated with statistically significant shorter hospital stay (WMD – 0.51 days, 95% CI – 0.87, – 0.14; p = 0.007), shorter operative time (WMD – 15.54 min, 95% CI – 25.12, – 5.97; p = 0.001) and lower overall complications (OR 0.52, 95% CI 0.32, 0.85; p = 0.009) compared to TA. There was no statistical significance in postoperative effectiveness, including postoperative blood pressure, potassium, hypokalemia, ARR and renin between TA and PA. PA seems to have advantages over TA. The surgical outcomes were comparable in TA and PA. The hospital stay, operative time and overall complications may be reduced. When technically feasible, PA might be considered as a better treatment for unilateral aldosterone-producing adenoma.

PMID:34148213 | DOI:10.1007/s13304-021-01116-1

Eur J Epidemiol. 2021 Jun 20. doi: 10.1007/s10654-021-00772-2. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

The role of chronic inflammation on breast cancer (BC) risk remains unclear beyond as an underlying mechanism of obesity and physical activity. We aimed to evaluate the association between the inflammatory potential of the diet and risk of BC overall, according to menopausal status and tumour subtypes. Within the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition cohort, 318,686 women were followed for 14 years, among whom 13,246 incident BC cases were identified. The inflammatory potential of the diet was characterized by an inflammatory score of the diet (ISD). Multivariable Cox regression models were used to assess the potential effect of the ISD on BC risk by means of hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). ISD was positively associated with BC risk. Each increase of one standard deviation (1-Sd) of the score increased by 4% the risk of BC (HR = 1.04; 95% CI 1.01-1.07). Women in the highest quintile of the ISD (indicating a most pro-inflammatory diet) had a 12% increase in risk compared with those in the lowest quintile (HR = 1.12; 95% CI 1.04-1.21) with a significant trend. The association was strongest among premenopausal women, with an 8% increased risk for 1-Sd increase in the score (HR = 1.08; 95% CI 1.01-1.14). The pattern of the association was quite homogeneous by BC subtypes based on hormone receptor status. There were no significant interactions between ISD and body mass index, physical activity, or alcohol consumption. Women consuming more pro-inflammatory diets as measured by ISD are at increased risk for BC, especially premenopausal women.

PMID:34148186 | DOI:10.1007/s10654-021-00772-2

Int J Legal Med. 2021 Jun 19. doi: 10.1007/s00414-021-02635-7. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

The estimation of the time since death is an important task in forensic medicine that mainly relies on body cooling in the early post-mortem period. The rectum has been traditionally used to determine the central core temperature after death, though the external auditory canal has been proposed as an alternative site by several authors. The objective of this study was to assess the ability of four body temperature-based methods (Henssge’s rectal nomogram, Henssge’s brain nomogram, and Baccino’s both interval and global formulae based on ear temperature) to estimate the post-mortem interval (PMI). PMI calculations were carried out based on ear and rectal temperature measurements performed with a reference metal probe on 100 inpatient bodies with an average PMI of 4.5 ± 2.5 h. For practical purposes, ear temperature measurements were applied to Henssge’s brain nomogram. All methods could be applied to 81 cases, since high body temperatures prevented the rectal nomogram method from being used in most of the remaining cases. The actual PMI was within the time interval (95% CI) provided by the rectal nomogram method in 72.8% of cases, and in 63.0% to 76.5% of cases when using ear temperature-based methods. The proportions of adequate estimates did not differ statistically between the different methods. When the methods failed to provide a reliable time interval, all except the brain nomogram tended to underestimate the PMI. Similar results were obtained in the subgroup of normothermic patients at the time of death (n = 63), confirming that the PMI calculations had not been biased by the inclusion of patients with thermoregulation disorders. Our findings are in accordance with the published literature which suggests that ear temperature-based methods are as reliable as those based on rectal temperature for estimating the early PMI and that they may be used as quick, simple, and non-invasive methods at the scene, although caution should be taken in interpreting their results given their high error rates. However, further research including field studies is recommended to confirm their practical relevance in forensic casework.

PMID:34148133 | DOI:10.1007/s00414-021-02635-7

Arch Osteoporos. 2021 Jun 19;16(1):97. doi: 10.1007/s11657-021-00937-2.

ABSTRACT

We used data from NHANES to explore the associations between serum folate and grip strength, and found that high levels of serum folate were associated with increased grip strength among females rather than males. It is recommended to maintain a proper level of serum folate, especially in women.

PURPOSE: Associations and dose-response relationships between serum total folate, 5-methyltetrahydrofolate, and grip strength in general adults were unknown. Thus, we conducted this analysis for further exploration.

METHODS: Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) database of 2011-2014 cycle were used. The independent variables including serum total folate, combined total folate (total folate plus Mefox), and 5-methyltetrahydrofolate. The dependent variable was BMI-corrected grip strength. Linear regression and the restricted cubic splines were used in our analyses.

RESULTS: A total of 9079 adults aged over 20 years were included. In multivariate-adjusted model 2, compared with quartile (Q) 1, grip strength increased in Q3 of combined total folate and total folate, and the weighted β values with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of grip strength were 0.06 (0.01, 0.12) and 0.06 (0.00, 0.10) for combined total folate and total folate, respectively. In the stratified analysis by gender, positive relationships between combined total folate, total folate, and 5-methyltetrahydrofolate and grip strength were found only in females, with β (95% CIs) of 0.07 (0.02, 0.12), 0.07 (0.03, 0.12), and 0.09 (0.05, 0.13) for combined total folate, total folate, and 5-methyltetrahydrofolate in Q4, respectively. Non-linear positive dose-response relationships between serum folate and grip strength were also found only in females, not in males.

CONCLUSION: Our study suggested a positive association between serum folate and grip strength, while this positive association was only found in females; besides, the dose-response relationships were in a non-linear trend. Thus, it is recommended to maintain a proper serum folate level to keep better muscle strength, especially for women.

PMID:34148134 | DOI:10.1007/s11657-021-00937-2

Acta Diabetol. 2021 Jun 20. doi: 10.1007/s00592-021-01759-x. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

AIM: The study is aimed to detect the expression of serum Sirtuin 6 (SIRT6) with different severities and urinary albumin creatinine ratios (UACR) in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients, thus exploring the association of SIRT6 together with glycolipid metabolism and urinary protein in the cross-sectional study.

METHODS: T2DM patients (313 cases), pre-diabetic patients (102 cases), and healthy volunteers (100 cases) were selected. T2DM patients were divided into the normal albuminuria (103 cases, UACR < 30 mg/g), micro-albuminuria (106 cases, UACR 30-300 mg/g), and large amount of albuminuria group (104 cases, UACR > 300 mg/g) based on different UACR levels. The medical history was asked, biochemical indicators were detected, hematuria samples were taken, serum SIRT6 levels were detected, and detailed statistical analysis was conducted.

RESULTS: FPG, 2 h-PG, HOMA-IR, HbA1c, and LDL-C increased, while ISI and HDL-C decreased with the aggravation of diabetic status (P < 0.05). HbA1c, UACR, TNFα, HIF1α, and SIRT6 increased with UACR in T2DM patients (P < 0.05). Correlation analysis demonstrated that SIRT6 was significantly positively correlated with glycolipid metabolism in the whole samples, and correlated with UACR, TNFα, and HIF1α in T2DM patients (P < 0.05). Ridge regression analysis showed that SIRT6 was a risk factor for both glycolipid metabolism and urinary protein (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION: SIRT6 increases with biomarkers in glycolipid metabolism and urinary protein in different severities of diabetes and UACR, which is expected to be a potential biomarker for early prediction and diagnosis related to glycolipid metabolism disorders and related nephropathy. Trial number: ChiCTR2000039808.

PMID:34148121 | DOI:10.1007/s00592-021-01759-x

Eur J Appl Physiol. 2021 Jun 19. doi: 10.1007/s00421-021-04744-y. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: This study investigated the effect of 5 days of heat acclimation training on neuromuscular function, intestinal damage, and 20 km cycling (20TT) performance in the heat.

METHODS: Eight recreationally trained males completed two 5-day training blocks (cycling 60 min day^-1 at 50% peak power output) in a counter-balanced, cross-over design, with a 20TT completed before and after each block. Training was conducted in hot (HA: 34.9 ± 0.7 °C, 53 ± 4% relative humidity) or temperate (CON: 22.2 ± 2.6 °C, 65 ± 8% relative humidity) environment. All 20TTs were completed in the heat (35.1 ± 0.5 °C, 51 ± 4% relative humidity). Neuromuscular assessment of knee extensors (5 × 5 s maximum voluntary contraction; MVC) was completed before and after each 20TT and on the first and last days of each training block.

RESULTS: MVC torque was statistically higher after 5 days of HA training compared to CON (mean difference = 14 N m [95% confidence interval; 6, 23]; p < 0.001; d = 0.77). However, 20TT performance after 5 days of HA training was not statistically different to CON, with a between-conditions mean difference in the completion time of 68 s [95% confidence interval; – 9, 145] (p = 0.076; d = 0.35).

CONCLUSION: Short-term heat acclimation training may increase knee extensor strength without changes in central fatigue or intestinal damage. Nevertheless, it is insufficient to improve 20 km self-paced cycling performance in the heat compared to workload-matched training in a temperate environment. These data suggest that recreationally trained athletes gain no worthwhile performance advantage from short-term heat-training before competing in the heat.

PMID:34148124 | DOI:10.1007/s00421-021-04744-y