Category: Nevin Manimala

Appl Radiat Isot. 2021 Sep 21;178:109957. doi: 10.1016/j.apradiso.2021.109957. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Ceramic fragments can provide an insight into the ancient culture and practices of groups of humans and their way of life (technology, cultural identity, social organization, habitation and economy). Scientific analysis can be used to obtain information on the ceramic production process, as well as the specificities of the material employed. In this research, all samples of archaeological potsherd from the Tupi-Guarani tradition were analyzed in order to identify and to characterize the structures, morphologies and the elemental composition by using by scanning electron microscopy (SEM-EDS) and multivariate statistical methods (PCA and HCA). FTIR spectroscopy revealed the presence of an organic residue in three samples along with carbonates, clay minerals, quartz and hematite. In addition, the presence of the stretching attributed to water molecules in crystalline systems was observed. Also, the presence of TiO2 in the anatase polymorphic form was detected using μ-Raman spectroscopy. These results indicate a firing temperature of between 800 and 1000 °C. In relation to the morphology, all samples revealed amorphous structures presenting isolated and heterogenic particles of different forms and sizes, and the EDS spectrum confirmed the elements present in the molecular structures elucidated by vibrational spectroscopy. The multivariate analysis has confirmed the correlation between the elemental compositions of ceramics collected from two different sites: a mountain region and a coastal area in Santa Catarina State, Brazil.

PMID:34592693 | DOI:10.1016/j.apradiso.2021.109957

Clin Neurol Neurosurg. 2021 Sep 23;210:106959. doi: 10.1016/j.clineuro.2021.106959. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: The relationship between meningioma and progestins has not been elucidated. Meningioma regression after acetate cyproterone (CA) withdrawal has been reported. Our purpose was to evaluate the meningioma evolution after withdrawal of progestins in patients who underwent long-term exposure to CA, nomegestrol acetate (NA), chlormadinone acetate (ChlA).

METHODS: Our study retrospectively included 69 patients with intracranial meningioma and exposed to one of these 3 progestins between December 2006 and March 2019. In each patient, clinico-radiological (MRI) follow-up was performed every 6 months after diagnosis and treatment withdrawal recommendation. Statistical analyses were applied to compare tumor location and respect of prescription rules between the 3 groups.

RESULTS: The mean hormonal exposure was 16 years in CA group (n = 46), 16 years in NA group (n = 12) and 9.7 years in ChlA group (n = 11). A higher rate of “out of label” use was observed in the CA group (p = 0.003). Multiple meningiomas were demonstrated in more than 60% of cases in each group. Anterior skull base location was noted in 60.5% of cases in CA group, 25% of cases in NA group and 36.7% of cases in ChlA group (p = 0.05). Incomplete tumor regression was recorded in 11 cases of CA group and in 2 cases of ChlA group.

CONCLUSION: In CA group, our results suggest a strong relationship between this treatment and development of intracranial meningioma. In presence of voluminous asymptomatic meningioma, treatment can be delayed due to the potential regression after withdrawal. On the contrary in NA and ChlA groups, further studies are needed.

PMID:34592677 | DOI:10.1016/j.clineuro.2021.106959

J Environ Manage. 2021 Sep 27;301:113783. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.113783. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Microalgae-based wastewater treatment (and biomass production) is an environmentally benign and energetically efficient technique as compared to traditional practices. The present study is focused on optimization of the major treatment variables such as temperature, light-dark cycle (LD), and nitrogen (N)-to-phosphate (P) ratio (N/P) for the elimination of N and P from tertiary municipal wastewater utilizing Chlorella kessleri microalgae species. In this regard, a hybrid support vector regression (SVR) technique integrated with the crow search algorithm has been applied as a novel modeling/optimization tool. The SVR models were formulated using the experimental data, which were furnished according to the response surface methodology with Box-Behnken Design. Various statistical indicators, including mean absolute percentage error, Taylor diagram, and fractional bias, confirmed the superior performance of SVR models as compared to the response surface methodology (RSM) and generalized linear model (GLM). Finally, the best SVR model was hybridized with the crow search algorithm for single/multi-objective optimizations to acquire the global optimal treatment conditions for maximum N and P removal efficiencies. The best-operating conditions were found to be 29.3°C, 24/0 h/h of LD, and 6:1 of N/P, with N and P elimination efficiencies of 99.97 and 93.48%, respectively. The optimized values were further confirmed by new experimental data.

PMID:34592662 | DOI:10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.113783

J Trace Elem Med Biol. 2021 Sep 23;68:126867. doi: 10.1016/j.jtemb.2021.126867. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: This study examined the association between iron status and a set of breast cancer risk factors among U.S. adult women aged 20-80 years.

METHODS: Data from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2017-2018) were used to examine the relation between serum ferritin, serum iron and transferrin saturation with a set of breast cancer risk factors [body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), fasting plasma glucose, insulin and HOMA-IR]. The multivariable linear regressions were used controlling for age, race/ethnicity, menopause status, education level, smoking status, alcohol consumption, physical activity, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) and total energy intake.

RESULTS: HbA1c, BMI and waist circumference data were available for 1902 women with a fasting sample (n = 913) for fasting plasma glucose, insulin and HOMA-IR. Transferrin saturation had significant, inverse associations with BMI, waist circumference and HbA1c. The size of difference observed were that participants in the fourth quartile of transferrin saturation had a 4.50 kg/m² smaller BMI, a 9.36 cm smaller waist circumference and a 0.1 % lower HbA1c level than participants in the first quartile. Similarly, serum iron concentrations were inversely associated with BMI and waist circumference. In addition, serum iron had significant, inverse associations with insulin and HOMA-IR. Sensitivity analyses among men gave similar results. For serum ferritin, there was a trend towards a positive association between waist circumference, HbA1c and fasting plasma glucose with serum ferritin. However, the associations did not reach statistical significance among women.

CONCLUSIONS: Iron status may impact breast cancer risk via effects on adiposity or glucose metabolism. The findings should be confirmed with further prospective data.

PMID:34592676 | DOI:10.1016/j.jtemb.2021.126867

Asian J Psychiatr. 2021 Sep 20;65:102866. doi: 10.1016/j.ajp.2021.102866. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Agomelatine is a novel antidepressant that was developed to counter the adverse effects associated with the standard SSRIs and SNRIs that limited their usage. Publication bias was identified in antidepressant trials which can potentially overestimate the treatment efficacy. This meta-analysis was designed to assess the overall antidepressant effect of Agomelatine by pooling all the published and unpublished studies available till date. Studies conducted on adult patients who met with the criteria for MDD that evaluated efficacy of Agomelatine at acute phase (6-12weeks) and at long term phase (24weeks) were included. The primary efficacy measured with SMD of final mean scores of HAM-D and MADRS. Secondary efficacy measures of Response, remission and safety parameters were evaluated with relative risks. RevMan version 5.4 was used for analysis of both continuous (Standardized mean difference) and dichotomous outcomes (response, remission and all cause of discontinuation). Efficacy parameters were presented with 99% confidence intervals while safety parameters were presented with 95% CI. A total of 9233 patients were included from 27 studies. In acute phase placebo controlled studies, Agomelatine had a statistically significant SMD of – 0.24 (-0.39 to -0.09) and response rate of (1.25, 1.07-1.47). In comparison (RR 0.99, 0.92-1.07) Agomelatine is an effective antidepressant having similar efficacy with the currently used antidepressants.

PMID:34592623 | DOI:10.1016/j.ajp.2021.102866

Cancer Genet. 2021 Sep 23;258-259:80-84. doi: 10.1016/j.cancergen.2021.09.003. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Escape from nonsense mediated mRNA decay (NMD-) can produce activated or inactivated gene products, and bias in rates of escape can identify functionally important genes in germline disease. We hypothesized that the same would be true of cancer genes, and tested for NMD- bias within The Cancer Genome Atlas pan-cancer somatic mutation dataset. We identify 29 genes that show significantly elevated or suppressed rates of NMD-. This novel approach to cancer gene discovery reveals genes not previously cataloged as potentially tumorigenic, and identifies many potential driver mutations in known cancer genes for functional characterization.

PMID:34592632 | DOI:10.1016/j.cancergen.2021.09.003

Respir Med. 2021 Sep 21;188:106610. doi: 10.1016/j.rmed.2021.106610. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

This study identifies participants ineligible for lung cancer screening with the greatest likelihood of future eligibility. Lung cancer risk in participants enrolled in longitudinal lung screening was assessed using the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal and Ovarian lung cancer risk calculator (PLCO_m2012) at two timepoints: baseline (T₁) and follow-up (T₂). Separate analyses were performed on four PLCO_m2012 eligibility thresholds (3.25%, 2.00%, 1.50%, and 1.00%); only participants with a T₁ risk less than the threshold were included in that analysis. Cox-models identified T₁ risk factors associated with screen-eligibility at T₂. Three models, applying differing assumptions of participant behavior, predicted future eligibility and were benchmarked against the observed cohort. Nine hundred and fifty-six participants had a T₁ risk <3.25%; at 2.00% n= 755; at 1.50% n= 652; at 1.00% n= 484. Lung cancer risk increased over time in most screen-ineligible participants. However, risk increased much faster in participants who became screen-eligible at T₂ compared to those who remained screen-ineligible (median per-year increase of 0.35% versus 0.02%, when using a 3.25% threshold). Participants smoking for >30 years, current smokers, less educated participants, and those with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) at T₁ were significantly more likely to become screen-eligible. New diagnoses of COPD and/or non-lung cancers between T₁ and T₂ precipitated eligibility in a subset of participants. The prediction model that assumed health behaviors observed at T₁ continued to T₂ reasonably predicted changes in lung cancer risk. This prediction model and the identified baseline risk factors can identify screen-ineligible participants who should be closely followed for future eligibility.

PMID:34592536 | DOI:10.1016/j.rmed.2021.106610

Respir Med. 2021 Sep 24;188:106625. doi: 10.1016/j.rmed.2021.106625. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: We aimed to identify the inspiratory muscle strength thresholds below which exercise capacity is compromised in men with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

METHODS: We measured the maximum static inspiratory mouth pressure (PImax) and the percentage of predicted values (%PImax) in 113 patients with COPD. Six-minute walk distance (6-MWD) was measured as an indicator of functional exercise capacity, and a 6-MWD of <350 m was defined as functional exercise intolerance. Thresholds were determined as values with high specificity (>0.90) and maximal sensitivity. Statistical significance was set at P < 0.01.

RESULTS: The data of 96 patients (74 ± 6 years old; forced expiratory volume in 1-s [FEV₁], 56.5 ± 26.2% predicted) were analyzed; three women and 14 participants with missing data were excluded. Multivariate logistic regression models identified significant associations of PImax (odds ratio at 99% confidence interval [CI]: 0.95 [0.92-0.98]) and %PImax (odds ratio at 99% CI: 0.97 [0.95-0.99]) with 6-MWD, after adjustments for height and FEV₁. C-statistics showed that the area under the curves (99% CI) of PImax and %PImax were comparable (0.87 [0.77-0.96] and 0.83 [0.72-0.94]). The thresholds of PImax and %PImax were 45.1 cmH₂O and 66%; PImax and %PImax also had moderate positive likelihood ratios of 4.44 and 5.00.

CONCLUSIONS: Thresholds of inspiratory muscle strength in men with COPD could help clinicians evaluate whether their patient’s inspiratory muscle strength is inadequate to achieve a 6-MWD of ≥350 m, and identify patients who should be targeted for inspiratory muscle training.

PMID:34592537 | DOI:10.1016/j.rmed.2021.106625

J Environ Radioact. 2021 Sep 27;240:106740. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2021.106740. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

The results of the first detailed study, involving a large number of samples, on water equivalent factor (WEQ_p), non-exchangeable organically bound tritium (NE-OBT) and tissue free water tritium (TFWT) activity concentrations in predominant plant species of the tropical monsoonal climatic region, are presented. A total of 369 samples from the vicinity of the PHWR nuclear power plant (NPP) at Kaiga, West Coast of India, and 47 samples of the control region (region not affected by local anthropogenic sources) were analysed. The WEQ_p varied in the range of 0.347-0.666 L kg^-1 with an overall mean value of 0.540 ± 0.045 L kg^-1. The NE-OBT activity concentration varied in the range of <9.8-60.9 Bq L^-1 of combustion water (mean = 24.6 ± 11.5 Bq L^-1) and that of TFWT in the range of 9.2-60.5 Bq L^-1 (mean = 30.7 ± 10.9 Bq L^-1) in the vicinity of the NPP. Rigorous statistical analysis of the data confirmed that (i) the activity concentrations of both forms of tritium decreased with the increase in the distance between the sampling location and NPP, and beyond 10 km, it was similar to that of the control region, (ii) the incorporation of tritium released from the NPP into wild plant leaves is not species-dependent, (iii) the NE-OBT activity concentration in the 5-10 km zone exhibited a dependence on the prevailing wind regime with respect to the NPP, but not in the 2.3-5 km zone which suggests that the transport of tritium, released into the atmosphere as the gaseous effluent, through diffusion is a dominating factor governing its activity concentration in the 2.3-5 km zone. The NE-OBT to TFWT specific activity concentration ratio (R-value) had a mean value of 0.82 ± 0.27 (range: 0.38-1.64) for samples collected from the vicinity of the NPP and 1.93 ± 0.50 (range: 1.35-3.19) for the control region. Recording higher NE-OBT activity concentration and R-value at the control region highlights the necessity of detailed studies to understand the mechanism of NE-OBT partitioning in the terrestrial environment.

PMID:34592534 | DOI:10.1016/j.jenvrad.2021.106740

Ecotoxicol Environ Saf. 2021 Sep 27;226:112829. doi: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2021.112829. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have found associations between single toxic metals, such as arsenic and cadmium, and kidney function in adults with diabetes. However, studies with regards to other metals and metal mixtures are still limited.

OBJECTIVE: Our study aimed to investigate the associations between urinary concentrations of 5 selected metals and metal mixtures and kidney function using a sample of older adults with diabetes mellitus in Chinese communities.

METHODS: In a sample of older adults (n = 5186), 592 eligible subjects were included in this study. Urinary concentrations of 5 metals, i.e., arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), vanadium (V), cobalt (Co), and thallium (Tl), were measured by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (ICP-MS). Estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was calculated and dichotomized into indicator of chronic kidney disease (CKD). Logistic analysis and Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) were used to explore the associations between single metals and metal mixtures and CKD, respectively.

RESULTS: Urinary levels of As and V were positively correlated with CKD (OR=2.37, 95% CI: 1.31-4.30 for As; OR=2.24, 95% CI: 1.25-4.03 for V), when compared the 4th quartile with the 1st quartile. After adjustment for potential confounders, the significant association between As and CKD still existed (OR=2.73, 95% CI: 1.23-6.07). BKMR analyses showed strong linear positive associations between As and V and CKD. Higher urinary levels of the mixture were significantly associated with higher odds of CKD in a dose-response pattern. As and V showed the highest posterior inclusion probabilities.

CONCLUSION: Urine As and V were positively associated with CKD in older adults with diabetes mellitus, separately and in a mixture. The metals mixture showed a linear dose-response association with the odds of CKD. The analyses of mixtures, rather than of single metals, may provide a real-world perspective on the relationship between metals and kidney function.

PMID:34592520 | DOI:10.1016/j.ecoenv.2021.112829