Nevin Manimala

J Anim Sci Biotechnol. 2024 Feb 19;15(1):27. doi: 10.1186/s40104-023-00981-7.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Heat stress has severe negative consequences on performance and health of pigs, leading to significant economic losses. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of supplemental vitamin E and a botanical extract in feed or drinking water on growth performance, intestinal health, and oxidative and immune status in growing pigs housed under heat stress conditions.

METHODS: Duplicate experiments were conducted, each using 64 crossbred pigs with an initial body weight of 50.7 ± 3.8 and 43.9 ± 3.6 kg and age of 13-week and 12-week, respectively. Pigs (n = 128) were housed individually and assigned within weight blocks and sex to a 2 × 4 factorial arrangement consisting of 2 environments (thermo-neutral (21.2 °C) or heat-stressed (30.9 °C)) and 4 supplementation treatments (control diet; control + 100 IU/L of D-α-tocopherol in water; control + 200 IU/kg of DL-α-tocopheryl-acetate in feed; or control + 400 mg/kg of a botanical extract in feed).

RESULTS: Heat stress for 28 d reduced (P ≤ 0.001) final body weight, average daily gain, and average daily feed intake (-7.4 kg, -26.7%, and -25.4%, respectively) but no effects of supplementation were detected (P > 0.05). Serum vitamin E increased (P < 0.001) with vitamin E supplementation in water and in feed (1.64 vs. 3.59 and 1.64 vs. 3.24), but not for the botanical extract (1.64 vs. 1.67 mg/kg) and was greater when supplemented in water vs. feed (P = 0.002). Liver vitamin E increased (P < 0.001) with vitamin E supplementations in water (3.9 vs. 31.8) and feed (3.9 vs. 18.0), but not with the botanical extract (3.9 vs. 4.9 mg/kg). Serum malondialdehyde was reduced with heat stress on d 2, but increased on d 28 (interaction, P < 0.001), and was greater (P < 0.05) for antioxidant supplementation compared to control. Cellular proliferation was reduced (P = 0.037) in the jejunum under heat stress, but increased in the ileum when vitamin E was supplemented in feed and water under heat stress (interaction, P = 0.04). Tumor necrosis factor-α in jejunum and ileum mucosa decreased by heat stress (P < 0.05) and was reduced by vitamin E supplementations under heat stress (interaction, P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS: The addition of the antioxidants in feed or in drinking water did not alleviate the negative impact of heat stress on feed intake and growth rate of growing pigs.

PMID:38369504 | DOI:10.1186/s40104-023-00981-7

Clin Neuropsychol. 2024 Feb 18:1-24. doi: 10.1080/13854046.2024.2315735. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Objective: Investigate whether a four-factor model of post-concussion symptoms (i.e. cognitive, physical, affective, and sleep-arousal) aids in identifying student-athletes with persistent concerns not reflected by a total symptom score. Method: Collegiate student-athletes (N = 32,066) from the Concussion Assessment Research and Education consortium completed the Sport Concussion Assessment Tool, 3rd edition Symptom Evaluation at baseline and two post-injury follow-ups (i.e. beginning RTP and 6-month). Confirmatory factor analysis was used to compare a one- and four-factor model of post-concussion symptoms. Normative reference data were compared across stratifications (e.g. sex, prior concussions, and number of pre-existing conditions) using Mann-Whitney U tests, and elevation rates (i.e. $\ge$84th percentile) for subscales and the total score were recorded. Results: The four-factor model fit well before and after injury (CFIs > .95). Greater symptom severity on the subscale and total scores was associated with female sex (ps<.001, r range: .07 to .14) and more pre-existing conditions (ps<.001, $\eta$² range: .01 to .04), while having more prior concussions was only related to total symptom scores (ps<.001, $\eta$²<.01). After a concussion, a sizeable portion of student-athletes (i.e., RTP = 11.8%; 6-month = 8.3%) had subscale elevations despite no total score elevation. Physical subscale elevations at RTP were the most common (i.e., 11.9%), driven by head and neck pain. Conclusion: After a sport-related concussion, a four-factor symptom model can be used to assess persistent symptoms in collegiate student-athletes. Identifying athletes with domain-specific elevations may help clinicians identify areas for further assessment and, in some cases, personalized rehabilitation plans.

PMID:38369485 | DOI:10.1080/13854046.2024.2315735

Environ Health. 2024 Feb 19;23(1):22. doi: 10.1186/s12940-024-01059-1.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Prenatal exposure to particulate matter (PM) and traffic was associated with the programming of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) in early life. However, the exact underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the association between in-utero exposure to PMs and traffic indicators with the atherogenic index of plasma (AIP) in newborns, which is a precise index reflecting an enhancement of lipid risk factors for CVDs.

METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, a total of 300 mother-newborn pairs were enrolled in Sabzevar, Iran. Spatiotemporal land-use regression models were used to estimate the level of PM₁, PM_2.5 and PM₁₀ at the mother’s residential address. The total length of streets in different buffers (100,300 and 500m) and proximity to major roads were calculated as indicators of traffic. The AIP of cord blood samples was calculated using an AIP calculator. Multiple linear regression models were used to examine the association of PM concentrations as well as traffic indicators with AIP controlled for relevant covariates.

RESULTS: PM_2.5 exposure was significantly associated with higher levels of AIP in newborns. Each interquartile range (IQR) increment of PM_2.5 concentration at the mothers’ residential addresses was associated with a 5.3% (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.0, 10.6%, P = 0.04) increase in the AIP. Associations between PM₁, PM₁₀ and traffic indicators with cord blood level of AIP were positive but not statistically significant.

CONCLUSION: Our findings showed that in utero exposure to PM_2.5 may be associated with CVDs programming through the increase of atherogenic lipids.

PMID:38369478 | DOI:10.1186/s12940-024-01059-1

J Orthop Surg (Hong Kong). 2024 Jan-Apr;32(1):10225536241233474. doi: 10.1177/10225536241233474.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The hallux valgus deformity is made up of misaligned first metatarsal, hallux, and sesamoids. Their angular deformities are well-studied, but not their positional displacements. A few available reports claimed the proximal end of the proximal phalanx and sesamoids were not shifted medially along with the first metatarsal head. However, the general observation is otherwise. This study revisits the issue.

METHODS: A radiological study of 189 feet with and without the hallux valgus deformity was carried out to analyze the first metatarsal, hallux, and sesamoid positional changes in relation to the second metatarsal and among themselves. A total of 194 X-ray images with all relevant measurements that formed the raw database for this study were submitted for online viewing and reference.

RESULTS: There was a statistically significant change in the first metatarsal, hallux, and sesamoid positions of feet with hallux valgus deformity compared to normal feet. All have migrated medially but to different degrees. It was contrary to the past findings of no change in sesamoid and hallux positions.

CONCLUSIONS: We agree with past findings that the metatarsus primus varus deformity is directly related to the failed medial metatarsosesamoid ligament. We also believe in the failure of the deep 1-2 transverse metatarsal ligament responsible for the sesamoid migration.

PMID:38369475 | DOI:10.1177/10225536241233474

J Matern Fetal Neonatal Med. 2024 Dec;37(1):2317412. doi: 10.1080/14767058.2024.2317412. Epub 2024 Feb 18.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: In recent years, neonatal hearing screening (NHS) has gained rapid traction in both developed and developing nations. However, the efficacy of these efforts depends on comprehensive standardization across all screening facets. This study aimed to assess the status and quality of NHS by investigating the knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and practices of hearing screening practitioners regarding NHS.

METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted, and an online questionnaire based on the knowledge-attitude/belief (A/B)-practice model was distributed to all NHS practitioners in Luzhou, western China. Valid questionnaires were examined and uniformly graded.

RESULTS: A total of 63 valid questionnaires were collected. The practitioners were mainly female (96.83%), with nursing backgrounds (63.49%), and undergraduate degrees (66.67%). Most had ≤5 years of experience (74.60%) and had junior/intermediate titles (93.65%). The NHS within the Luzhou area started in 2006 with provincial institutions, expanding to 42 institutions by 2022. Statistically significant correlations were observed between the A/B score and the conducting years of each NHS institution (p < .05) as well as between the Knowledge (K) and Practice (P) scores (p < .01). No significant correlation was found between the K score, P score, A/B score, and working years of practitioners (p > .05), or in the total score of NHS institutions at different levels or in different counties by one-way ANOVA (p > .05).

CONCLUSIONS: It has been 17 years since the first medical institution in Luzhou launched NHS, and the overall performance of practitioners from different institutions has been consistent in terms of their knowledge, attitudes, or level of practice. However, there is room for further improvement in both the professional development of individuals and aspects related to work, such as health education and long-term follow-up.

PMID:38369473 | DOI:10.1080/14767058.2024.2317412

J Cardiothorac Vasc Anesth. 2024 Feb 1:S1053-0770(24)00059-4. doi: 10.1053/j.jvca.2024.01.027. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: There is accumulating evidence that blood pressure management might be associated with end-organ dysfunction after cardiac surgery. This study aimed to investigate the impact of intraoperative hypotension (IOH) on adverse neurologic outcomes and mortality.

DESIGN: A single-center retrospective cohort study.

SETTING: The Heart and Diabetes Centre Bad Oeynhausen NRW, Ruhr-University Bochum.

PARTICIPANTS: This retrospective cohort study included 31,315 adult patients who underwent elective cardiac surgery at the authors’ institution between January 2009 and December 2018.

INTERVENTIONS: All cardiac surgery procedures except assist device implantation, organ transplantation, and emergency surgery.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Adverse neurologic outcomes were defined as postoperative delirium and stroke. IOH was defined as mean arterial pressure below 60 mmHg for >2 minutes. The frequency of IOH episodes and the cumulative IOH duration were recorded. The association between IOH and adverse neurologic outcomes was examined with unadjusted statistical analysis and multiple logistic regression analysis. Eight hundred forty-nine (2.9%) patients developed postoperative stroke, and 2,401 (7.7%) patients developed postoperative delirium. The frequency of IOH episodes was independently associated with postoperative delirium in the multiple logistic regression analysis (odds ratio 1.02, 95% CI 1.003-1.03, p < 0.001), whereas there was no association between it and stroke.

CONCLUSION: This large retrospective monocentric cohort study revealed that increased episodes of IOH were associated with the risk of developing postoperative delirium after cardiac surgery. This might have important clinical implications with respect to careful and precise hemodynamic monitoring and proactive treatment, especially in patients with increased risk for postoperative delirium.

PMID:38369449 | DOI:10.1053/j.jvca.2024.01.027

Dent Mater. 2024 Feb 17:S0109-5641(24)00028-9. doi: 10.1016/j.dental.2024.02.009. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the clinical performance of posterior restorations over wet and dry dentin with an etch-and-rinse adhesive after 36 months of clinical service.

METHODS: Forty-five participants were recruited, each one had at least two posterior teeth that needed restoration. Ninety restorations were placed on Class I or Class II cavities. For the restoration protocol, a simplified etch-and-rinse adhesive (Adper Single Bond 2) was applied over wet (WD) or dry dentin (DD) and later restored with a bulk-fill composite (Filtek Bulk Fill) under rubber dam isolation. Each restoration was evaluated using the World Dental Federation (FDI) criteria after 6, 12, and 36 months of clinical service, regarding the following principal restoration characteristics: postoperative sensitivity, marginal discoloration, marginal adaptation, fracture of material and retention, and recurrence of caries. Kruskal Wallis analysis of variance rank (α = 0.05) and Kaplan-Meier survival analysis were used for statistical analysis.

RESULTS: After 36 months of clinical evaluation, no significant difference between groups was observed in each FDI criterion (p > 0.05). Twenty restorations (WD=10, DD=10) showed minor marginal staining, and twenty-two restorations (WD=11, DD=11) presented small marginal adaptation defects (p > 0.05). Four restorations were lost (WD = 2, DD = 2) and the fracture rates (95% confidence interval) were 94.9% for each one, without significant difference between wet and dry dentin (p > 0.05).

SIGNIFICANCE: The degree of dentin moisture does not seem to affect the clinical performance of a simplified etch-and-rinse adhesive in posterior restorations when the adhesive is applied vigorously over the dentine surface.

PMID:38369403 | DOI:10.1016/j.dental.2024.02.009

J Infect Public Health. 2024 Feb 3;17(4):579-587. doi: 10.1016/j.jiph.2024.02.001. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) is a severe condition resulting from the dengue virus, with four serotypes known as DEN-1, DEN-2, DEN-3, and DEN-4. Genetic variations play a crucial role in influencing susceptibility to DHF. Therefore, this investigation conducted a meta-analysis to uncover genetic changes that might have remained undetected in individual studies due to small sample sizes or methodological differences. Among 2212 initially identified studies, 23 were deemed suitable for analysis based on PRISMA guidelines. Toll-like receptors (TLR) and CD209 showed significant association with DHF (odds ratios: TLR=0.56, CD209 =0.55), indicating protective effects. However, tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and human leukocyte antigen (HLA) did not exhibit a statistically significant relationship with DHF. This study emphasizes the relevance of TLR and CD209 in DHF susceptibility and resistance across diverse geographical locations.

PMID:38368646 | DOI:10.1016/j.jiph.2024.02.001

Contact Dermatitis. 2024 Feb 18. doi: 10.1111/cod.14524. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The baseline series includes common allergens, evolves over time, and differs by location. Our study aims to characterize allergen sensitization trends among the Israeli population during the last two decades, compare our results to American and European registries, as well as to highlight significant allergens in additional series outside the European baseline series (OEBS).

METHODS: We analysed patch test results of 2086 patients from a designated contact dermatitis clinic in Tel Aviv between 2019 and 2022, compared them to European and North American registries and to 2156 patch test results conducted in Israel two decades ago.

RESULTS: 38.6% of patients had at least one positive reaction to an allergen in the European baseline series (EBS), Nickel sulphate (14.6%), Fragrance mix I (4.6%), and Methylchloroisothiazolinone methylisothiazolinone (MCI/MI; 3.7%) were the most common among them. N-Isopropyl N-Phenyl-4-Phenylenediamine (NIPPD; 0%), Propolis (0.1%), Sesquiterpene lactone mix (0.1%), and Budesonide (0.1%) elicited a sensitization frequency significantly lower than the proposed threshold for baseline inclusion. Chi-square test revealed a statistically significant decrease (p < 0.05) in the sensitization frequency of Fragrance mix 1, Formaldehyde, Potassium dichromate, Neomycin sulphate, Myroxylon pereirae, Sesquiterpene lactone, and NIPPD during the last two decades. The overall sensitization frequency to the majority of allergens was lower in our cohort in comparison to the North American and European registries.

CONCLUSIONS: MCI/MI and 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate-2 (HEMA) are common, relevant allergens, with high SPIN (significance and prevalence index number) and should be better regulated by the authorities. While among the EBS, NIPPD, Propolis, Sesquiterpene lactone, and Budesonide usually do not elicit a positive reaction and therefore should be reconsidered in baseline series, among the OEBS, Chloramphenicol, Quaternium 15, Propyl gallate, and Amerchol L101 have elicited high SPIN values and should be vigilantly examined in the suitable clinical scenario. Significantly lower sensitization frequency to propolis raises the possibility of a protective effect due to early oral exposure among the Israeli population.

PMID:38368629 | DOI:10.1111/cod.14524

J Appl Clin Med Phys. 2024 Feb 18:e14305. doi: 10.1002/acm2.14305. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: To elucidate the dosimetric errors caused by a model-based algorithm in lung stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) with Helical TomoTherapy (HT) using Monte Carlo (MC)-based dose verification software.

METHODS: For 38 plans of lung SBRT, the dose calculation accuracy of a treatment planning system (TPS) of HT was compared with the results of DoseCHECK, the commercial MC-based independent verification software. The following indices were extracted to evaluate the correlation of dosimetric errors: (1) target volume, (2) average computed tomography (CT) value of the planning target volume (PTV) margin, and (3) average CT value of surrounding 2-mm area of the PTV (PTV ring). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses determined the threshold for 5% of differences in PTV D_95% . Then, the 38 plans were classified into two groups using the cutoff values of ROC analysis for these three indices. Dosimetric differences between groups were statistically compared using the Mann-Whitney U test.

RESULTS: TPS of HT overestimated by more than 5% in the PTV D_95% in 16 of 38 plans. The PTV ring showed the strongest correlation with dosimetric differences. The cutoff value for the target volume, the PTV margin, and the PTV ring was 14.7 cc, -754 HU, and -708 HU, respectively. The area under the curve (AUC) for the target volume, the PTV margin, and the PTV ring were 0.835, 0.878, and 0.932, respectively. Dosimetric errors more than 5% were observed when the PTV volume was less than 15 cc or when the CT value around the target was less than -700 HU.

CONCLUSION: The TPS of HT might overestimate the PTV dose by more than 5% if any the three indices in this study were below threshold. Therefore, independent verification with an MC-based algorithm should be strongly recommended for lung SBRT in HT.

PMID:38368607 | DOI:10.1002/acm2.14305