Nevin Manimala

J Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2024 Jul 7. doi: 10.1111/jgh.16677. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND AND AIM: There is a pressing need for non-invasive preoperative prediction of microvascular invasion (MVI) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This study investigates the potential of exosome-derived mRNA in plasma as a biomarker for diagnosing MVI.

METHODS: Patients with suspected HCC undergoing hepatectomy were prospectively recruited for preoperative peripheral blood collection. Exosomal RNA profiling was conducted using RNA sequencing in the discovery cohort, followed by differential expression analysis to identify candidate targets. We employed multiplexed droplet digital PCR technology to efficiently validate them in a larger sample size cohort.

RESULTS: A total of 131 HCC patients were ultimately enrolled, with 37 in the discovery cohort and 94 in the validation cohort. In the validation cohort, the expression levels of RSAD2, PRPSAP1, and HOXA2 were slightly elevated while CHMP4A showed a slight decrease in patients with MVI compared with those without MVI. These trends were consistent with the findings in the discovery cohort, although they did not reach statistical significance (P > 0.05). Notably, the expression level of exosomal PRPSAP1 in plasma was significantly higher in patients with more than 5 MVI than in those without MVI (0.147 vs 0.070, P = 0.035).

CONCLUSION: This study unveils the potential of exosome-derived PRPSAP1 in plasma as a promising indicator for predicting MVI status preoperatively.

PMID:38972728 | DOI:10.1111/jgh.16677

J Thorac Oncol. 2024 Jul;19(7):e14-e15. doi: 10.1016/j.jtho.2024.04.010.

NO ABSTRACT

PMID:38972711 | DOI:10.1016/j.jtho.2024.04.010

J Thorac Oncol. 2024 Jul;19(7):e13-e14. doi: 10.1016/j.jtho.2024.03.020.

NO ABSTRACT

PMID:38972710 | DOI:10.1016/j.jtho.2024.03.020

J Affect Disord. 2024 Jul 5:S0165-0327(24)01060-7. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2024.07.012. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Quantitative research on vigour as a therapeutically responsive marker of positive mental health, has become possible by virtue of the validation of the Vigour Assessment Scale (VAS). Considering that its validation and therapeutic responsiveness were examined in an avolitional schizophrenia population, using the VAS outside these constraints requires that its psychometric properties be investigated in a more general non-clinical population.

METHOD: Social media respondents (n = 787) were recruited on social media through snowball sampling and data were obtained for statistical analyses through an online questionnaire comprising the VAS and measures of work-place vigour, active involvement in personal growth, behavioural activation, procrastination, and fatigue.

RESULTS: Convergent validity was confirmed in moderate to strong positive correlations between the VAS and measures approximate to vigour including physical strength (r = 0.805), cognitive liveliness (r = 0.676), planfulness (r = 0.61), and intentional behaviour (r = 0.595). Discriminant validity was evident in negative correlations with procrastination (r = -0.593) and fatigue (r = -0.786). The VAS showed good internal consistency (Cronbach α = 0.951), split-half reliability (r = 0.892), test-retest reliability (r = 0.861), and a low standard error of measurement of 3.73 within a theoretical range of 82 points. Exploratory factor analysis yielded a clear two-factor structure.

LIMITATIONS: Results are limited to willing participants who responded through social media.

CONCLUSIONS: Vigour may now be measured clinically as an indication of positive mental health and well-being. It may also be further investigated for its relations to other parameters of health, personality, and the efficacy of professional and self-enhancing interventions that aim for the cultivation of vigour.

PMID:38972644 | DOI:10.1016/j.jad.2024.07.012

Eur J Vasc Endovasc Surg. 2024 Jul 5:S1078-5884(24)00567-7. doi: 10.1016/j.ejvs.2024.07.003. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: Challenging infrarenal aortic neck characteristics have been associated with increased risk of a type Ia endoleak after endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR). Short apposition (< 10 mm circumferential shortest apposition length [SAL]) on the first post-operative computerised tomography angiography (CTA) has been associated with type Ia endoleak. Therefore, this study aimed to develop a model to predict post-operative SAL in patients with an abdominal aortic aneurysm based on the pre-operative shape.

METHODS: A statistical shape model was developed to obtain principal component scores. The dataset comprised patients treated with standard EVAR without complications (n = 93) enriched with patients with a late type Ia endoleak (n = 54). The infrarenal SAL was obtained from the first post-operative CTA and subsequently binarised (< 10 mm and ≥ 10 mm). The principal component scores that were statistically different between the SAL groups were used as input for five classification models, and evaluated by means of leave one out cross validation. Area under the receiver operating characteristics curves (AUC), accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity were determined for each classification model.

RESULTS: Of the 147 patients, 24 patients had an infrarenal SAL < 10 mm and 123 patients had a SAL ≥ 10 mm. The gradient boosting model resulted in the highest AUC of 0.77. Using this model, 114 (78.0%) patients were correctly classified; sensitivity (< 10 mm apposition was correctly predicted) and specificity (≥ 10 mm apposition was correctly predicted) were 0.70 and 0.79, and were based on a threshold of 0.21, respectively.

CONCLUSION: A model was developed to predict which patients undergoing EVAR will achieve sufficient graft apposition (≥ 10 mm) in the infrarenal aortic neck based on a statistical shape model of pre-operative CTA data. This model can help vascular specialists during the planning phase to accurately identify patients who are unlikely to achieve sufficient apposition after standard EVAR.

PMID:38972630 | DOI:10.1016/j.ejvs.2024.07.003

Comp Biochem Physiol C Toxicol Pharmacol. 2024 Jul 5:109972. doi: 10.1016/j.cbpc.2024.109972. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are toxic pollutants generated by artificial activities. Moreover, their hormone-like structure induces disturbances, such as mimicking or blocking metabolic activity. Previous studies on EDCs have focused on the adverse effect of the endocrine system in vertebrates, with limited investigations conducted on ion channels in invertebrates. Thus, in this study, we investigated the potential adverse effects of exposure to bisphenol-A (BPA) and di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) at the molecular level on the ryanodine receptor (RyR), a calcium ion channel receptor in Macrophthalmus japonicus. In the phylogenetic analysis, the RyR amino acid sequences in M. japonicus clustered with those in the Crustacean and formed separated branches for RyR in insects and mammals. When exposed to 1 μg L^-1 BPA, a significant increase in RyR mRNA expression was observed in the gills on day 1, although a similar level to the control group was observed from day 4 to day 7. However, the RyR expression due to DEHP exposure decreased on days 1 and 4, although it increased on day 7 following exposure to 10 μg L^-1. The RyR expression pattern in the hepatopancreas increased for up to 4 days, depending on the BPA concentration. However, there was a tendency for the expression to decrease gradually after the statistical significance increased during the early stage of DEHP exposure (D1). Hence, the transcriptional alterations in the M. japonicus RyR gene observed in the study suggest that exposure toxicities to EDCs, such as BPA and DEHP, have the potential to disrupt calcium ion channel signaling in the gills and hepatopancreas of M. japonicus crabs.

PMID:38972622 | DOI:10.1016/j.cbpc.2024.109972

Prev Med. 2024 Jul 5:108061. doi: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2024.108061. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Preterm and/or low birthweight (PT/LBW) is predictive of a range of adverse adult outcomes, including lower employment, educational attainment, and mental wellbeing, and higher welfare receipt. Existing studies, however, on PT/LBW and adult psychosocial risks are often limited by low statistical power. Studies also fail to examine potential child or adolescent pathways leading to later adult adversity. Using a life course framework, we examine how adolescent problem behaviors may moderate the association between PT/LBW and a multidimensional measure of life success at age 30 to potentially address these limitations.

METHODS: We analyze 2044 respondents from a Brisbane, Australia cohort followed from birth in1981-1984 through age 30. We examine moderation patterns using obstetric birth outcomes for weight and gestation, measures of problem behaviors from the Child Behavioral Checklist at age 14, and measures of educational attainment and life success at 30 using multivariable normal and ordered logistic regression.

RESULTS: Associations between PT/LBW and life success was found to be moderated by adolescent problem behaviors in six scales, including CBCL internalizing, externalizing, and total problems (all p < 0.01). In comparison, associations between LBW and educational attainment illustrate how a single-dimensional measure may yield null results.

CONCLUSION: For PT/LBW, adolescent problem behaviors increase risk of lower life success at age 30. Compared to analysis of singular outcomes, the incorporation of multidimensional measures of adult wellbeing, paired with identification of risk and protective factors for adult life success as children develop over the lifespan, may further advance existing research and interventions for PT/LBW children.

PMID:38972605 | DOI:10.1016/j.ypmed.2024.108061

J Stomatol Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2024 Jul 5:101966. doi: 10.1016/j.jormas.2024.101966. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: There is no established consensus on the postoperative follow-up from which the aesthetic and functional outcomes of rhinoseptoplasty are considered as stable.

OBJECTIVES: To contribute to defining the postoperative follow-up from which rhinoseptoplasty outcomes cease to evolve.

METHODS: Postoperative assessments of Nasal Obstruction Symptom Evaluation (NOSE) and Rhinoplasty Outcome Evaluation (ROE) scores from 357 closed structural rhinoseptoplasty procedures were prospectively gathered from January 2019 to December 2023. These measurements encompassed the postoperative period from 1 to 12 months. All procedures were performed utilizing closed technique.

RESULTS: No statistically significant difference was detected between the scores at 1, 2, and 6 months versus 12 months postoperatively (ROE: p = 0.388; 0.268; 0.162; NOSE: p = 0.265; 0.192; 0.975, Mann-Whitney test). Similarly, no follow-up impact was revealed between the scores at 1, 2, 6, and 12 months postoperatively (ROE: p = 0.548; NOSE: p = 0.280, Kruskal-Wallis test). No significant correlation was established between follow-up (in months) and ROE and NOSE scores (ROE: p = 0.397; NOSE: p = 0.632, Spearman).

CONCLUSION: Follow-up duration does not influence NOSE and ROE scores over the 1- to 12-month timeframe. The 1-month postoperative outcome can be regarded as a reliable indicator of the 12-month outcome. These conclusions apply to NOSE and ROE scores of rhinoseptoplasty conducted using closed technique for the 1- to 12-month period. Further research is needed for open techniques, preservation rhinoplasty, other patient-reported outcomes measures (PROMs) as well as for the follow-up beyond 12 months postoperatively.

PMID:38972598 | DOI:10.1016/j.jormas.2024.101966

Actas Dermosifiliogr. 2024 Jul 5:S0001-7310(24)00530-1. doi: 10.1016/j.ad.2024.05.023. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Since the field of dermatopathology is not an exact science, it is prone to personal subjectivity, which sometimes causes disagreements on the diagnosis and assessment of some histological features. In the case of melanoma, some variables such as regression are associated with low interobserver agreement. On the contrary, other variables such as the measurement of Breslow thickness show high reproducibility.

OBJECTIVE: The main objective of our study was to investigate multiple features of 60 consecutive cases of melanoma to establish interobserver reproducibility.

METHODS AND MAIN RESULTS: We conducted an observational and descriptive study at Hospital de Manises, Valencia, Spain, IVO Foundation, Valencia, Spain, and Hospital 12 de Octubre, Madrid, Spain. The mean level of agreement of all study variables was moderate (Cohen’s kappa coefficient statistic = 0.5). The highest agreement corresponded to polypoid morphology, pigmentation, ulceration, and solar elastosis. On the other hand, the lowest level agreement was reached for the presence of cellular pleomorphism and tumor necrosis.

CONCLUSIONS: Our mean level of agreement was moderate, which reflects that some of the measured characteristics such as cellular pleomorphism or the presence of necrosis cannot be used for future studies or must be redefined and their reproducibility, reestablished. When conducting a research study, it is necessary to analyze the study variables to demonstrate their validity to measure or classify a certain feature. It is also advisable to warrant that that the variables are reproducible to be able to use them for other studies or in the routine clinical practice.

PMID:38972585 | DOI:10.1016/j.ad.2024.05.023

J Theor Biol. 2024 Jul 5:111881. doi: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2024.111881. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

The overall course of the COVID-19 pandemic in Western countries has been characterised by complex sequences of phases. In the period before the arrival of vaccines, these phases were mainly due to the alternation between the strenghtening/lifting of social distancing measures, with the aim to balance the protection of health and that of the society as a whole. After the arrival of vaccines, this multi-phasic character was further emphasised by the complicated deployment of vaccination campaigns and the onset of virus’ variants. To cope with this multi-phasic character, we propose a theoretical approach to the modeling of overall pandemic courses, that we term multi-period/multi-phasic, based on a specific definition of phase. This allows a unified and parsimonious representation of complex epidemic courses even when vaccination and virus’ variants are considered, through sequences of weak ergodic renewal equations that become fully ergodic when appropriate conditions are met. Specific hypotheses on epidemiological and intervention parameters allow reduction to simple models. The framework suggest a simple, theory driven, approach to data explanation that allows an accurate reproduction of the overall course of the COVID-19 epidemic in Italy since its beginning (February 2020) up to omicron onset, confirming the validity of the concept.

PMID:38972568 | DOI:10.1016/j.jtbi.2024.111881