Nevin Manimala

BMC Public Health. 2025 Jan 8;25(1):81. doi: 10.1186/s12889-025-21292-8.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Since diet is a known modulator of inflammation, the Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII), which quantifies the inflammatory potential of an individual’s diet, becomes a significant parameter to consider. Chronic diarrhea is commonly linked to inflammatory processes within the gut. Thus, this study aimed to explore the potential link between DII and chronic diarrhea.

METHODS: This research utilized data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2005-2010. The DII was calculated according to the average intake of 28 nutrients using information gathered from two 24-hour recall interviews. The Bristol Stool Form Scale (BSFS) was adopted to describe chronic diarrhea, identifying stool Type 6 and Type 7. Multivariate logistic regression models examined the causal connection between DII and chronic diarrhea. Additionally, subgroup analyses and interaction tests were conducted.

RESULTS: The study encompassed 11,219 adults, among whom 7.45% reported chronic diarrhea. Initially, multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed a positive association between DII and chronic diarrhea. Nevertheless, this connection lost statistical significance (OR = 1.00; 95% CI, 0.96-1.05; P = 0.8501) after adjusting for all confounding variables. Stratified by sex, the analysis revealed a notable rise in the risk of chronic diarrhea with increasing DII among female participants (all P for trend < 0.05). This tendency remained constant even after full adjustment (P for trend = 0.0192), whereas no significant association was noted in males (all P for trend > 0.05). Furthermore, an L-shaped association emerged between DII and chronic diarrhea, with an inflection point of -1.34. In the population with DII scores below -1.34, each unit increase in DII correlated with a 27% reduction in the probability of chronic diarrhea (OR = 0.73; 95% CI, 0.57-0.93), whereas in the population with DII scores above -1.34, the risk increased by 4% (OR = 1.04; 95% CI, 0.98-1.10). Merely, the gender interaction was shown to be statistically significant based on subgroup analyses and interaction tests.

CONCLUSIONS: A favorable association between DII and chronic diarrhea exists in adults in the United States. Nevertheless, additional long-term prospective studies are required to confirm and solidify those findings.

PMID:39780113 | DOI:10.1186/s12889-025-21292-8

BMC Psychiatry. 2025 Jan 8;25(1):27. doi: 10.1186/s12888-024-06381-z.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Suicide is a significant yet preventable public health issue. Body mass index (BMI) is a readily measurable indicator associated with various health outcomes. However, the relationship between BMI and suicidal death risk is complex and warrants further investigation, particularly within contemporary, non-Western contexts with consideration of potential confounders. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between BMI and the risk of suicidal death.

METHODS: This study was nationwide, retrospective, observational study based on Korean National Health Insurance Service database. We analyzed 4,045,081 participants who were aged > 19 years and underwent national health surveillance in 2009. The participants were categorized according to their BMI (underweight: < 18.5 kg/m², normal weight: 18.5-23 kg/m², overweight: 23-25 kg/m², class I obesity: 25-30 kg/m², and class II obesity: > 30 kg/m²). The primary outcome was the death events caused by suicide which was defined by International Classification of Disorders (ICD-10) codes (X60-X84) and death records documented by the Korea National Statistical Office. Multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression analysis was performed to estimate the risk of suicidal death with respect to BMI categories after adjusting for potential confounders (age, sex, income, diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, smoking, drinking, exercise, self-abuse, waist circumference, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, eating disorder, cancer, anxiety, and substance use disorder).

RESULTS: Underweight individuals had an increased risk (hazard ratio [HR] 1.44, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.31-1.57) while overweight (HR 0.79, 95% CI 0.76-0.83), class I (HR 0.76, 95% CI 0.71-0.80) and class II obesity (HR 0.71, 95% CI 0.63-0.81) were associated with decreased risks of suicidal deaths compared to those of the normal weight individuals (BMI 18.5-23). This trend was consistent regardless of the presence of major depressive disorder (MDD) or the type of living arrangements of the participants.

CONCLUSIONS: Suicidal death risk was inversely correlated with BMI categories, independent of MDD or living arrangements. Our data suggests the importance of physiological factors associated with body mass in understanding suicidal death risk. Furthermore, these data provide valuable insights to where the public health resources should be invested to reduce suicidal death rates.

PMID:39780112 | DOI:10.1186/s12888-024-06381-z

Quant Plant Biol. 2024 Sep 4;5:e7. doi: 10.1017/qpb.2024.7. eCollection 2024.

ABSTRACT

In this work, we present a quantitative comparison of the cell division dynamics between populations of intact and regenerating root tips in the plant model system Arabidopsis thaliana. To achieve the required temporal resolution and to sustain it for the duration of the regeneration process, we adopted a live imaging system based on light-sheet fluorescence microscopy, previously developed in the laboratory. We offer a straightforward quantitative analysis of the temporal and spatial patterns of cell division events showing a statistically significant difference in the frequency of mitotic events and spatial separation of mitotic event clusters between intact and regenerating roots.

PMID:39777033 | PMC:PMC11706681 | DOI:10.1017/qpb.2024.7

Quant Plant Biol. 2024 Dec 23;5:e12. doi: 10.1017/qpb.2024.11. eCollection 2024.

ABSTRACT

Hormonal mechanisms associated with cell elongation play a vital role in the development and growth of plants. Here, we report Nextflow-root (nf-root), a novel best-practice pipeline for deep-learning-based analysis of fluorescence microscopy images of plant root tissue from A. thaliana. This bioinformatics pipeline performs automatic identification of developmental zones in root tissue images. This also includes apoplastic pH measurements, which is useful for modeling hormone signaling and cell physiological responses. We show that this nf-core standard-based pipeline successfully automates tissue zone segmentation and is both high-throughput and highly reproducible. In short, a deep-learning module deploys deterministically trained convolutional neural network models and augments the segmentation predictions with measures of prediction uncertainty and model interpretability, while aiming to facilitate result interpretation and verification by experienced plant biologists. We observed a high statistical similarity between the manually generated results and the output of the nf-root.

PMID:39777028 | PMC:PMC11706687 | DOI:10.1017/qpb.2024.11

Front Sports Act Living. 2024 Dec 24;6:1437338. doi: 10.3389/fspor.2024.1437338. eCollection 2024.

ABSTRACT

Aquaticity is an important parameter of human aquatic performance and behavior and can be objectively assessed by the aquaticity assessment test. Low aquaticity score can unveil a person’s high risk in the water while it could dictate the specific characteristics that need to be addressed or developed for improving water competence.

AIM: The aim of the current study was to assess whether human aquaticity can be developed by systematic exercise and which type of training is more effective in improving aquaticity score.

METHODS: Twenty healthy untrained, high school students (8M/12F, 16.5 ± 0.7) participated in the study after obtaining parental consent. Participants were screened for their aquaticity level using the Aquaticity Assessment Test (AAT) and randomly divided into two groups: Group A (4M/6F, 16.3 ± 0.8) completed a classical swimming training program, while Group B (Aquaticity) (4M/6F, 16.8 ± 0.5) completed the aquaticity intervention program. Both interventions lasted for two months (3 workouts per week, lasting 60 min per session) while participants assessed before and after the training period using the same testing protocol and evaluators.

RESULTS: Aquaticity score was improved after training by 13% (13.23 ± 6.88%) for Group A (Swimming training) and 26% (-26.6 ± 10.40%) for Group B (Aquaticity training) (p = 0.004). In Group A (swimming), 7 out of 10 tasks were improved significantly compared the pre-values (p < 0.05) while in Group B (aquaticity) 10 out of 10 shown significant improvements compared to pre-training values. Interestingly, the magnitude of change between the two groups was statistically significant in 5 out of 10 tasks (tasks 2, 3, 7, 9, 10) implying a higher magnitude of improvements in the aquaticity intervention group compare to swimming group.

DISCUSSION: Aquaticity can be developed and improved when a specific training program applied. Essential to water competence aquaticity skills can be advanced using simple aquaticity training games that can improve water confidence and reduce drowning related accidents.

PMID:39777016 | PMC:PMC11703659 | DOI:10.3389/fspor.2024.1437338

Ther Adv Drug Saf. 2025 Jan 6;16:20420986241311448. doi: 10.1177/20420986241311448. eCollection 2025.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Medication safety is crucial in clinical care. Although many hospitals have implemented prospective prescription review systems to manage medication use, the impact of these systems on pediatric patients is not yet fully understood.

OBJECTIVES: We explore the characteristics and economic impacts of pediatric prospective prescription review and identify factors influencing intervention success rates.

DESIGN: This study adopted a cross-sectional design.

METHODS: Prospective prescription review tasks were compared in the outpatient of our hospital between 2021 and 2023 to assess medication rationalization rates and cost variability. Data were collected using the PASS PharmReview system, including patient information, medication indications, prescribing physicians, intervention pharmacists, prescription rationality rate, and medication costs. SPSS 26.0 software was used to compare changes in medication rationality and medication costs between the initial (2021) and stable (2023) periods and to analyze factors affecting intervention success during the stable period by the logistic regression model.

RESULTS: The study included 11,533,807 prospective prescription review tasks. The medication rationalization rate increased from 92.0% to 95.7% (p < 0.05) between the initial (n = 5,392,551) and stabilization periods (n = 6,141,256). Outpatient medication costs per capita decreased by 3.2%, from ¥320.7 to ¥310.5. Factors influencing intervention success included the following: the greater age is negatively associated with success(p < 0.001, odds ratio (OR) = 0.98); internal medicine demonstrates a superior intervention success rate compared to the surgical department (p < 0.001, OR = 1.37); higher physician titles were associated with lower success rates (p < 0.001, OR = 0.59); and success increased with pharmacists of higher educational levels (p < 0.001, OR = 1.18).

CONCLUSION: Implementing a prospective prescription review system in pediatric outpatient settings improves medication rationality and reduces errors and costs, with intervention success influenced by patient age, department, physician titles, and the educational level of pharmacists.

PMID:39776977 | PMC:PMC11705348 | DOI:10.1177/20420986241311448

Front Ophthalmol (Lausanne). 2024 Dec 24;4:1498968. doi: 10.3389/fopht.2024.1498968. eCollection 2024.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Giant cell arteritis (GCA) is the most common vasculitis in patients older than 50 years and is considered a “do not miss” diagnosis. However, it remains a diagnostic challenge given overlapping clinical syndromes such as non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION) and poorly explored imaging findings.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this retrospective study between the time period of January 2013 and December 2021, a total of 13 consecutive patients with a pathological diagnosis of GCA and 8 patients with clinical diagnosis of NAION were isolated. Demographic and clinical data for each patient were collected, including pertinent laboratory data. Pertinent physical exam data was also collected, including fundoscopic exam and visual acuity. Two neuroradiologist assessed the orbital MRI imaging findings of GCA and NAION for the presence and characterization of imaging abnormalities. Assessment for potential relationship between GCA orbital findings, laboratory and visual outcomes was performed. Finally, comparison between GCA and NAION imaging findings was performed.

RESULTS: 13 GCA patients were assessed. 9 patients had abnormal orbital findings. Of these 8 patients had bilateral orbital involvement The most common imaging findings was perineuritis of the optic nerve sheath, present in 7 patients. In total, 8 NAION patients were assessed. All patients demonstrate optic nerve involvement. The Snellen test was converted to logmar, and visual acuity was assessed for both NAION and GCA for each eye at diagnosis and at the last follow-up. There was no statistical significance for either eye for both GCA and NAION at initial diagnosis and final follow-up. In the 4 GCA patients with normal MRI findings and 9 GCA patients with abnormal MRI findings, there was no statistical significance between initial presentation and final follow-up visual acuity.

CONCLUSION: GCA and NAION are potentially overlapping clinical syndromes with different treatment approach and poorly explored imaging findings. Our case series assesses the orbital imaging findings of both syndromes while noting different imaging pattern of both on MRI, which can serve as a potential tool to aid in diagnosis of both. .

PMID:39776976 | PMC:PMC11703802 | DOI:10.3389/fopht.2024.1498968

Front Psychol. 2024 Dec 24;15:1501343. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1501343. eCollection 2024.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: When a child has a disability, their families face significant challenges that also impact parents’ and siblings’ mental health and adjustment. We examined the potential bidirectional relationships between parental mental health and sibling mental health and adjustment in families of children with a disability.

METHODS: We utilized baseline and 12-month follow-up data from a randomized controlled trial of a brief intervention designed to enhance parent-sibling communication in families of children with a disability. The sample comprised 214 siblings aged 8-16 years and their parents (N = 203 mothers, N = 124 fathers). We estimated bivariate latent change score models to examine the longitudinal cross-domain associations between changes in parental mental health and changes in sibling mental health, and changes in parental mental health and sibling adjustment.

RESULTS: The results showed that changes in maternal mental health and sibling adjustment over the 12-month period were correlated (r = 0.22). The cross-domain associations between changes in maternal mental health and sibling mental health and adjustment were not statistically significant in any of the two models. However, baseline sibling mental health had nearly doubled impact on changes in maternal mental health (Β = 0.232, p = 0.061) compared to maternal health’s impact on sibling mental health (Β = -0.134, p = 0.289). Models with paternal mental health data unfortunately did not run due to low paternal response rate at 12-months.

DISCUSSION: The findings suggest that whereas maternal mental health and sibling adjustment changes are correlated over time, the relationship between maternal and sibling measures does not necessarily operate bidirectionally. Future studies on family mental health dynamics should include data from fathers that may contribute to a broader understanding of these complex relationships.

PMID:39776971 | PMC:PMC11703835 | DOI:10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1501343

Front Psychol. 2024 Dec 24;15:1509392. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1509392. eCollection 2024.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: While the fact that visual stimuli synthesized by Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) may evoke emotional reactions is documented, the precise mechanisms that connect the strength and type of such reactions with the ways of how ANNs are used to synthesize visual stimuli are yet to be discovered. Understanding these mechanisms allows for designing methods that synthesize images attenuating or enhancing selected emotional states, which may provide unobtrusive and widely-applicable treatment of mental dysfunctions and disorders.

METHODS: The Convolutional Neural Network (CNN), a type of ANN used in computer vision tasks which models the ways humans solve visual tasks, was applied to synthesize (“dream” or “hallucinate”) images with no semantic content to maximize activations of neurons in precisely-selected layers in the CNN. The evoked emotions of 150 human subjects observing these images were self-reported on a two-dimensional scale (arousal and valence) utilizing self-assessment manikin (SAM) figures. Correlations between arousal and valence values and image visual properties (e.g., color, brightness, clutter feature congestion, and clutter sub-band entropy) as well as the position of the CNN’s layers stimulated to obtain a given image were calculated.

RESULTS: Synthesized images that maximized activations of some of the CNN layers led to significantly higher or lower arousal and valence levels compared to average subject’s reactions. Multiple linear regression analysis found that a small set of selected image global visual features (hue, feature congestion, and sub-band entropy) are significant predictors of the measured arousal, however no statistically significant dependencies were found between image global visual features and the measured valence.

CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that the specific method of synthesizing images by maximizing small and precisely-selected parts of the CNN used in this work may lead to synthesis of visual stimuli that enhance or attenuate emotional reactions. This method paves the way for developing tools that stimulate, in a non-invasive way, to support wellbeing (manage stress, enhance mood) and to assist patients with certain mental conditions by complementing traditional methods of therapeutic interventions.

PMID:39776961 | PMC:PMC11703666 | DOI:10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1509392

Germs. 2024 Sep 30;14(3):277-286. doi: 10.18683/germs.2024.1438. eCollection 2024 Sep.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Dengue infection poses a serious threat to global public health, including Indonesia. The rapid spread and significant economic impact are crucial concerns for control efforts. Investigating risk factors of dengue virus infection is necessary to formulate effective strategies, particularly at the household level. This study aims to investigate contributing risk factors to dengue virus transmission in the Borobudur Subdistrict, Magelang, Indonesia, an area with persistently high dengue infection mortality rates.

METHODS: This study adopted a case-control design and utilized secondary data collected from six villages in the Borobudur Subdistrict. A total of 111 households (37 cases and 74 controls) participated in the study and completed a questionnaire encompassing: 1) Sociodemographic data; 2) Healthy housing components; 3) Sanitation and behavioral components; and 4) Dengue infection prevention practices. Data were analyzed bivariately using statistical software to identify differences in group proportions.

RESULTS: The findings of this study indicate that the presence of stagnant water (odds ratio [OR]: 5.02) and mosquito larvae (OR: 4.80) around the house, morning sleep habits (OR: 6.97), and lack of participation in anti-dengue programs (OR: 3.23) are significant risk factors (p<0.05) for dengue infection. However, no significant differences (p>0.05) were found in healthy housing components between the case and control groups.

CONCLUSIONS: This study has identified contributing risk factors to dengue virus transmission in the Borobudur Subdistrict. These results can serve as a foundation for designing more effective intervention programs for dengue infection and future prevention efforts.

PMID:39776959 | PMC:PMC11703583 | DOI:10.18683/germs.2024.1438