Nevin Manimala

J Inj Violence Res. 2023 Aug 20;15(2). doi: 10.5249/jivr.v15i2.1824. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Emotional sadness caused by the experience of the loss of a romantic relationship can lead to love trauma syndrome, which includes a set of psychopathology symptoms. The present study was also conducted to investigate the effectiveness of cognitive emotion regulation training based on the Gross model in improving the love trauma syndrome, hoping and positive affect negative affect among female students with love trauma.

METHODS: The research method was experimental (pre-test and post-test with the control group). The statistical population was all the female students with love trauma at the University of Mohaghegh Ardabili and 34 participants (17 participants in each group) were selected by purposive sampling. Also, in order to determine the target sample from the Love Trauma Syndromes Inventory (LTSI-10), to implement the intervention of the cognitive emotion regulation program based on the Gross model, and to measure dependent variables in addition to the LTSI, Positive Affect Negative Affect Scale (PANAS-20) and Miller Hope Scale (MHS-48) were used. Multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) was also used for data analysis.

RESULTS: The results showed that the assumptions (homogeneity of covariances and variances) are maintained. Also, the effect of group membership shows the significant impact of the intervention on the love trauma syndrome (p less than 0.01), negative affect (p less than 0.01), hope (p less than 0.01), and no effect on positive affect (p greater than 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS: Therefore, after identifying individuals with love trauma, the intervention of cognitive emotion regulation can be done on them in a group to reduce the symptoms of psychological harms in them and also to cognitive strategies, and to equip them for problem solving or compatibility.

PMID:37598300 | DOI:10.5249/jivr.v15i2.1824

Med Sci Monit. 2023 Aug 20;29:e940539. doi: 10.12659/MSM.940539.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND Midpalatal suture ossification varies in patients of different ages, which can lead to making inaccurate presumptions when considering effective treatment timing based on chronological age. Chronological age provides only general information, whereas dental development correlates with skeletal growth, which suggests that tooth mineralization could be considered to be a precise criterion for determining the midpalatal suture’s maturity. The present study was conducted to investigate the association between third-molar mineralization and midpalatal suture’s maturation stages using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) images. MATERIAL AND METHODS The study involved 97 CBCT images of patients aged 8-37 years with normal growth and development. Subjects with cleft lip and palate, caries treatment, or present cavities in the third molars were not included in the study. The stages of midpalatal suture ossification were evaluated according to the protocol suggested by Angelieri et al, and the third-molar mineralization degree was measured by the Demirjian index. Statistical analysis was performed to evaluate correlations between the variables. RESULTS Patients with advanced third-molar mineralization stages were found to have greater midpalatal suture maturity. A statistically significant positive correlation was found between the stages of third-molar mineralization and midpalatal suture maturation (R=0.814, P<0.01). Third-molar development was also found to be associated with chronological age (R=0.883, P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS A measure of third-molar mineralization does not allow for accurate determination of the midpalatal suture maturation stage.

PMID:37598290 | DOI:10.12659/MSM.940539

Sci Rep. 2023 Aug 19;13(1):13504. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-40744-y.

ABSTRACT

COVID-19 is associated with higher inflammatory markers, illness severity and mortality in males compared to females. Differences in immune responses to COVID-19 may underpin sex- specific outcome differences. We hypothesised that anti-IL-6 receptor monoclonal antibodies are associated with heterogenous treatment effects between male and female patients. We conducted a retrospective cohort study assessing the interaction between biological sex and anti-IL-6 receptor antibody treatment with respect to hospital mortality or progression of respiratory failure. We used a Cox proportional hazards regression model to adjust for age, ethnicity, steroid use, baseline C-reactive protein, and COVID-19 variant. We included 1274 patients, of which 58% were male and 15% received anti-IL-6 receptor antibodies. There was a significant interaction between sex and anti-IL-6 receptor antibody use on progression to respiratory failure or death (p = 0.05). For patients who did not receive anti-IL-6 receptor antibodies, the risk of death was slightly higher in males (HR = 1.13 (0.72-1.79)), whereas in patients who did receive anti-IL-6 receptor antibodies, the risk was lower in males (HR = 0.65 (0.32-1.33)). There was a heterogenous treatment effect with anti-IL-6 receptor antibodies between males and females; with anti-IL-6 receptor antibody use having a greater benefit in preventing progression to respiratory failure or death in males (p = 0.05).

PMID:37598275 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-023-40744-y

Sci Rep. 2023 Aug 19;13(1):13510. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-40564-0.

ABSTRACT

Accurate spatial information on Land use and land cover (LULC) plays a crucial role in city planning. A widely used method of obtaining accurate LULC maps is a classification of the categories, which is one of the challenging problems. Attempts have been made considering spectral (Sp), statistical (St), and index-based (Ind) features in developing LULC maps for city planning. However, no work has been reported to automate LULC performance modeling for their robustness with machine learning (ML) algorithms. In this paper, we design seven schemes and automate the LULC performance modeling with six ML algorithms-Random Forest, Support Vector Machine with Linear kernel, Support Vector Machine with Radial basis function kernel, Artificial Neural Network, Naïve Bayes, and Generalised Linear Model for the city of Melbourne, Australia on Sentinel-2A images. Experimental results show that the Random Forest outperforms remaining ML algorithms in the classification accuracy (0.99) on all schemes. The robustness and statistical analysis of the ML algorithms (for example, Random Forest imparts over 0.99 F1-score for all five categories and p value [Formula: see text] 0.05 from Wilcoxon ranked test over accuracy measures) against varying training splits demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed schemes. Thus, providing a robust measure of LULC maps in city planning.

PMID:37598272 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-023-40564-0

Eye (Lond). 2023 Aug 19. doi: 10.1038/s41433-023-02699-2. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: To evaluate the association between age-related macular degeneration (AMD) with or without visual disability (VD) and the risk of fracture using the National Health Insurance data in South Korea.

METHODS: In total, 3,894,702 individuals who had taken part in health-screening programs between January 1, 2009, and December 31, 2009, were included in the cohort and followed until December 31, 2019. The participants with VD, which could be related to the severity of AMD, were defined as those with a loss of vision or visual field defect as certified by the Korean government’s Ministry of Health and Welfare. The hazard ratio was calculated for groups (control and AMD with/without VD) using the multivariable-adjusted cox regression analysis.

RESULTS: In total, 466,890 participants (11.99%) were diagnosed with fractures during the study period. An increased risk of fracture was observed in individuals with AMD compared with the control (adjusted hazard ratio (aHR), 1.09, 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.06-1.11). Furthermore, among the AMD individuals, an increased risk of fracture was prominent in individuals with VD (aHR 1.17, 95% CI 1.08-1.27) than those without VD (aHR 1.08, 95% CI 1.06-1.11) compared with the reference group (control).

CONCLUSIONS: AMD was associated with an increased risk of fracture even without VD. Prevention for fracture should be considered in AMD patients, especially when accompanied by VD.

PMID:37598260 | DOI:10.1038/s41433-023-02699-2

Sci Rep. 2023 Aug 19;13(1):13543. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-40584-w.

ABSTRACT

The adoption of strategies for monitoring water consumption is essential for water resources management, contributing to the promotion of the sustainability in the water sector. Statistical process control (SPC) charts, which are widely used in the industrial sector, are statistical methods developed to improve the quality of products and processes. The application of this method has reached other areas over the last decades and has recently been identified as an option for environmental monitoring. In this context, the application of SPC charts emerges as an option for water consumption monitoring, whether in a building or an urban scale. Thus, this article aims to analyze the application of statistical process control charts in the monitoring of water consumption of two housing compounds in Joinville, southern Brazil. The methodological procedures include the use of the Shewhart and the EWMA control charts in addition to the non-parametric alternative, the EWMA-SN, assessing the effectiveness of these techniques in detecting water leaks in residential apartment buildings. The data sets, obtained through a telemetry metering system from the water utility, represent a period of 243 days. The results show that control charts are a powerful tool in identifying changes in water consumption patterns, with the EWMA chart flagging the leaks sooner.

PMID:37598231 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-023-40584-w

Sci Rep. 2023 Aug 19;13(1):13527. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-40731-3.

ABSTRACT

Spinal cord cross-sectional area (CSA) is an important MRI biomarker to assess spinal cord atrophy in various neurodegenerative and traumatic spinal cord diseases. However, the conventional method of computing CSA based on vertebral levels is inherently flawed, as the prediction of spinal levels from vertebral levels lacks reliability, leading to considerable variability in CSA measurements. Computing CSA from an intrinsic neuroanatomical reference, the pontomedullary junction (PMJ), has been proposed in previous work to overcome limitations associated with using a vertebral reference. However, the validation of this alternative approach, along with its variability across and within participants under variable neck extensions, remains unexplored. The goal of this study was to determine if the variability of CSA across neck flexions/extensions is reduced when using the PMJ, compared to vertebral levels. Ten participants underwent a 3T MRI T2w isotropic scan at 0.6 mm³ for 3 neck positions: extension, neutral and flexion. Spinal cord segmentation, vertebral labeling, PMJ labeling, and CSA were computed automatically while spinal segments were labeled manually. Mean coefficient of variation for CSA across neck positions was 3.99 ± 2.96% for the PMJ method vs. 4.02 ± 3.01% for manual spinal segment method vs. 4.46 ± 3.10% for the disc method. These differences were not statistically significant. The PMJ method was slightly more reliable than the disc-based method to compute CSA at specific spinal segments, although the difference was not statistically significant. This suggests that the PMJ can serve as a valuable alternative and reliable method for estimating CSA when a disc-based approach is challenging or not feasible, such as in cases involving fused discs in individuals with spinal cord injuries.

PMID:37598229 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-023-40731-3

Transl Psychiatry. 2023 Aug 19;13(1):284. doi: 10.1038/s41398-023-02584-2.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Most patients with late-life depression (LLD) have cognitive impairment, and at least one-third meet diagnostic criteria for mild cognitive impairment (MCI), a prodrome to Alzheimer’s dementia (AD) and other neurodegenerative diseases. However, the mechanisms linking LLD and MCI, and brain alterations underlying impaired cognition in LLD and LLD + MCI remain poorly understood.

METHODS: To address this knowledge gap, we conducted a systematic review of studies of brain-cognition relationships in LLD or LLD + MCI to identify circuits underlying impaired cognition in LLD or LLD + MCI. We searched MEDLINE, PsycINFO, EMBASE, and Web of Science databases from inception through February 13, 2023. We included studies that assessed cognition in patients with LLD or LLD + MCI and acquired: (1) T1-weighted imaging (T1) measuring gray matter volumes or thickness; or (2) diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) assessing white matter integrity. Due to the heterogeneity in studies, we only conducted a descriptive synthesis.

RESULTS: Our search identified 51 articles, resulting in 33 T1 studies, 17 DWI studies, and 1 study analyzing both T1 and DWI. Despite limitations, reviewed studies suggest that lower thickness or volume in the frontal and temporal regions and widespread lower white matter integrity are associated with impaired cognition in LLD. Lower white matter integrity in the posterior cingulate region (precuneus and corpus callosum sub-regions) was more associated with impairment executive function and processing speed than with memory.

CONCLUSION: Future studies should analyze larger samples of participants with various degrees of cognitive impairment and go beyond univariate statistical models to assess reliable brain-cognition relationships in LLD.

PMID:37598228 | DOI:10.1038/s41398-023-02584-2

Sci Rep. 2023 Aug 19;13(1):13528. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-39433-7.

ABSTRACT

This study aimed to investigate the diabetes mellitus (DM) and prediabetes epidemiology, care cascade, and compliance with global coverage targets. We recruited the results of the nationally representative Iran STEPS Survey 2021. Diabetes and prediabetes were two main outcomes. Diabetes awareness, treatment coverage, and glycemic control were calculated for all population with diabetes to investigate the care cascade. Four global coverage targets for diabetes developed by the World Health Organization were adopted to assess the DM diagnosis and control status. Among 18,119 participants, the national prevalence of DM and prediabetes were 14.2% (95% confidence interval 13.4-14.9) and 24.8% (23.9-25.7), respectively. The prevalence of DM treatment coverage was 65.0% (62.4-67.7), while the prevalence of good (HbA1C < 7%) glycemic control was 28.0% (25.0-31.0) among all individuals with diabetes. DM diagnosis and statin use statics were close to global targets (73.3% vs 80%, and 50.1% vs 60%); however, good glycemic control and strict blood pressure control statistics, were much way behind the goals (36.7% vs 80%, and 28.5% vs 80%). A major proportion of the Iranian population are affected by DM and prediabetes, and glycemic control is poorly achieved, indicating a sub-optimal care for diabetes and comorbidities like hypertension.

PMID:37598214 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-023-39433-7

BMC Public Health. 2023 Aug 19;23(1):1585. doi: 10.1186/s12889-023-16507-9.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: A steady decline in the number of cases of malaria was observed in the 2000s in French Guiana. This enabled regional health policies to shift their public health goal from control to elimination. To include inhabitants in this strategy, the main objective of this study was to describe knowledge about malaria, and related attitudes and practices in persons living in the French Guiana border.

METHODS: We conducted a survey in people over 15 years old living in the twelve neighbourhoods of Saint-Georges de l’Oyapock with the highest malaria incidence. It comprised a 147-item questionnaire which collected data on socio-demographic characteristics and included a Knowledge Attitude and Practices survey on malaria. Knowledge-related data were studied using exploratory statistical methods to derive summary variables. A binary variable assessing level of knowledge was proposed and then assessed using exploratory approaches.

RESULTS: The mean age of the 844 participants was 37.2 years [15.8], the male/female sex ratio was 0.8. In terms of nationality, 485 (57.5%) participants were Brazilian and 352 (41.7%) French. One third (305, 36.1%) spoke Brazilian Portuguese as their native language, 295 (34.9%) the Amerindian language Palikur, 36 (4.3%) French. The symptoms of malaria and prevention means were poorly known by 213 (25.2%) and 378 (44.8%) respondents, respectively. A quarter (206, 24.4%) did not know that malaria can be fatal. Overall, 251 people (29.7%) had an overall poor level of knowledge about malaria. Being under 25 years old, living in a native Amerindian neighbourhood, having an Amerindian mother tongue language, having risk behaviours related to gold mining were significantly associated with a poor level of knowledge.

CONCLUSIONS: This study is the first to describe the poor level of knowledge about malaria in populations living in the malaria endemic border area along the Oyapock river in French Guiana. Results will allow to reinforce, to diversify and to culturally adapt prevention messages and health promotion to increase their effectiveness with a view to quickly reaching the goal of malaria elimination through empowerment.

PMID:37598208 | DOI:10.1186/s12889-023-16507-9