Nevin Manimala

J Chromatogr B Analyt Technol Biomed Life Sci. 2023 Jun 10;1226:123787. doi: 10.1016/j.jchromb.2023.123787. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Metabolomics studies in human dermal fibroblasts can elucidate the biological mechanisms associated with some diseases, but several methodological issues that increase variability have been identified. We aimed to quantify the amino acid levels in cultured fibroblasts and to apply different sample-based normalization approaches. Forty-four skin biopsies from control subjects were collected. Amino acids were measured in fibroblasts supernatants by UPLC-MS/MS. Statistical supervised and unsupervised studies were used. Spearman’s test showed that phenylalanine displayed the second highest correlation with the remaining amino acids (mean r = 0.8), whereas the total protein concentration from the cell pellet showed a mean of r = 0.67. The lowest percentage of variation was obtained when amino acids were normalized by phenylalanine values, with a mean of 42% vs 57% when normalized by total protein values. When amino acid levels were normalized by phenylalanine, Principal Component Analysis and clustering analyses identified different fibroblasts groups. In conclusion, phenylalanine may be a suitable biomarker to estimate cellular content in cultured fibroblasts.

PMID:37327517 | DOI:10.1016/j.jchromb.2023.123787

Ann Am Thorac Soc. 2023 Jun 16. doi: 10.1513/AnnalsATS.202301-078OC. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Rationale/Objective: Antibiotic selection for in-hospital treated pulmonary exacerbations (PEx) in people with cystic fibrosis (PwCF) is typically guided by previous respiratory culture results or past PEx antibiotic treatment. In the absence of clinical improvement during PEx treatment, antibiotics are frequently changed in search of a regimen that better alleviates symptoms and restores lung function. The clinical benefits of changing antibiotics during PEx treatment are largely uncharacterized.

METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study utilizing the CF Foundation Patient Registry-Pediatric Health Information System. PEx were included if they occurred in children with CF from 6 to 21 years old who had been treated with IV antibiotics between January 1st, 2006, through December 31st, 2018. PEx with lengths of stay <5 or >21 days or where treatment was delivered in an intensive care unit were excluded. An antibiotic change was defined as addition or subtraction of any IV antibiotic between hospital day 6 and the day prior to hospital discharge. Inverse probability of treatment weighting was used to adjust for disease severity and indication bias, which might influence a decision to change antibiotics.

RESULTS: In all, 4099 children with CF contributed 18,745 PEx for analysis, of which 8,169 PEx (43.6%) included a change in IV antibiotics on or after day 6. The mean change in in pre- to post-treatment percent predicted forced expiratory volume in one second (ppFEV1) was 11.3 (standard error 0.21) among events in which an IV antibiotic change occurred versus 12.2 (0.18) among PEx without an IV antibiotic change (p=0.001). Similarly, the odds of return to ≥90% of baseline ppFEV1 were less for PEx with antibiotic changes than those without changes (odds ratio (OR) 0.89; [95% Confidence Interval (CI): 0.80-0.98]). Odds of returning to ≥100% of baseline ppFEV1 did not differ between PEx with versus without antibiotic changes (OR 0.94; [0.86-1.03]). In addition, PEx treated with IV antibiotic changes were associated with higher odds of future PEx (OR 1.17 [1.12-1.22]).

CONCLUSIONS: In this retrospective study, changing IV antibiotics during PEx treatment in children with CF was common and not associated with improved clinical outcomes.

PMID:37327485 | DOI:10.1513/AnnalsATS.202301-078OC

J Glaucoma. 2023 Jun 15. doi: 10.1097/IJG.0000000000002253. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PRCIS: The thicknesses of the circumpapillary retinal nerve fiber layer and ganglion cell complex did not change during 5 years in physiological large disc cupping.

PURPOSE: We evaluated longitudinal changes in the thicknesses of the circumpapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (cpRNFL) and ganglion cell complex (GCC) in large disc cupping with a normal intraocular pressure (IOP) (<21 mmHg) and visual field.

METHODS: This retrospective, consecutive case series study included 269 eyes of 269 patients with large disc cupping and normal IOP. We analyzed patient demographics, IOP, central corneal thickness, vertical cup-to-disc ratios (vCDR) using color fundus photography, the thicknesses of the cpRNFL and GCC using RTVue-100, and mean deviation (MD) using visual field examinations.

RESULTS: The differences in IOP, vCDR, and MD between the baseline and each follow-up visit were not statistically significant. The baseline average and mean average at 60 months follow-up of the cpRNFL thickness were 106.5±8.5 μm and 105.1±9.3 μm, respectively; differences between the baseline and each follow-up visit were not statistically significant. The baseline average and mean average at 60 months follow-up of the GCC thickness were 82.8±9.7 μm and 81.5±9.2 μm, respectively; differences between baseline and each follow-up visit were not statistically significant.

CONCLUSION: The thicknesses of the cpRNFL and GCC did not change in well-maintained optic nerve head (ONH) findings with normal IOP and visual field during a 5-year follow-up period. Optical coherence tomography evaluations of the thicknesses of the cpRNFL and GCC help accurately diagnose physiological optic disc cupping.

PMID:37327476 | DOI:10.1097/IJG.0000000000002253

JCO Oncol Pract. 2023 Jun 16:OP2300068. doi: 10.1200/OP.23.00068. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: The COVID-19 pandemic has had deleterious effects on oncologist professional and personal well-being, the optimal delivery of quality cancer care, and the future cancer care workforce, with many departing the field. Hence, the identification of evidence-based approaches to sustain oncologists is essential to promote well-being.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: We developed a brief, oncologist-centered, virtual group peer support program and tested its feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary impact on well-being. Trained facilitators provided support to peers on the basis of burnout research in oncology with available resources to enhance oncologist resilience. Peers completed pre- and postsurvey assessment of well-being and satisfaction.

RESULTS: From April to May 2022, 11 of 15 (73%) oncologists participated in its entirety: mean age 51.1 years (range, 33-70), 55% female, 81.8% Ca, 82% medical oncologists, 63.6% trained ≥15 years, average 30.3 patients/wk (range, 5-60), and 90.9% employed in hospital/health system practice. There was a statistically significant difference in pre- and postintervention well-being (7.0 ± 3.6 v 8.2 ± 3.0, P = .03) with high satisfaction with postgroup experience (9.1 ± 2.5). These quantitative improvements were affirmed by qualitative feedback. These themes included (1) an enhanced understanding of burnout in oncology, (2) shared experience in practice of oncology, and (3) fostering connections with diverse colleagues. Future recommendations proposed included (1) restructuring group format and (2) tailoring groups according to practice setting (academic v community).

CONCLUSION: Preliminary results suggest that a brief, innovative oncologist-tailored group peer support program is feasible, acceptable, and beneficial for enhancing well-being dimensions including burnout, engagement, and satisfaction. Additional study is required to refine program components (optimal timing, format) to support oncologist well-being, now during the pandemic and well into recovery.

PMID:37327462 | DOI:10.1200/OP.23.00068

Environ Sci Technol. 2023 Jun 16. doi: 10.1021/acs.est.3c00365. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

On-site batteries, low-pressure biogas storage, and wastewater storage could position wastewater resource recovery facilities as a widespread source of industrial energy demand flexibility. This work introduces a digital twin method that simulates the coordinated operation of current and future energy flexibility resources. We combine process models and statistical learning on 15 min resolution sensor data to construct a facility’s energy and water flows. We then value energy flexibility interventions and use an iterative search algorithm to optimize energy flexibility upgrades. Results from a California facility with anaerobic sludge digestion and biogas cogeneration predict a 17% reduction in electricity bills and an annualized 3% return on investment. A national analysis suggests substantial benefit from using existing flexibility resources, such as wet-weather storage, to reduce electricity bills but finds that new energy flexibility investments are much less profitable in electricity markets without time-of-use incentives and plants without existing cogeneration facilities. Profitability of a range of energy flexibility interventions may increase as a larger number of utilities place a premium on energy flexibility, and cogeneration is more widely adopted. Our findings suggest that policies are needed to incentivize the sector’s energy flexibility and provide subsidized lending to finance it.

PMID:37327453 | DOI:10.1021/acs.est.3c00365

Phys Rev Lett. 2023 Jun 2;130(22):221801. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.130.221801.

ABSTRACT

Top quarks have been recently shown to be a promising system to study quantum information at the highest-energy scale available. The current lines of research mostly discuss topics such as entanglement, Bell nonlocality or quantum tomography. Here, we provide the full picture of quantum correlations in top quarks by studying also quantum discord and steering. We find that both phenomena are present at the LHC. In particular, quantum discord in a separable quantum state is expected to be detected with high-statistical significance. Interestingly, due to the singular nature of the measurement process, quantum discord can be measured following its original definition, and the steering ellipsoid can be experimentally reconstructed, both highly demanding measurements in conventional setups. In contrast to entanglement, the asymmetric nature of quantum discord and steering can provide witnesses of CP-violating physics beyond the standard model.

PMID:37327434 | DOI:10.1103/PhysRevLett.130.221801

Phys Rev Lett. 2023 Jun 2;130(22):223201. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.130.223201.

ABSTRACT

We characterize and model the Stark effect due to the radio-frequency (rf) electric field experienced by a molecular ion in an rf Paul trap, a leading systematic in the uncertainty of the field-free rotational transition. The ion is deliberately displaced to sample different known rf electric fields and measure the resultant shifts in transition frequencies. With this method, we determine the permanent electric dipole moment of CaH^{+}, and find close agreement with theory. The characterization is performed by using a frequency comb which probes rotational transitions in the molecular ion. With improved coherence of the comb laser, a fractional statistical uncertainty for a transition line center of as low as 4.6×10^{-13} was achieved.

PMID:37327411 | DOI:10.1103/PhysRevLett.130.223201

Biometrics. 2023 Jun 16. doi: 10.1111/biom.13882. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

The study of how the number of spikes in a middle temporal visual area (MT/V5) neuron is tuned to the direction of a visual stimulus has attracted considerable attention over the years, but recent studies suggest that the variability of the number of spikes might also be influenced by the directional stimulus. This entails that Poisson regression models are not adequate for this type of data, as the observations usually present over/underdispersion (or both) with respect to the Poisson distribution. This paper makes use of the double exponential family and presents a flexible model to estimate, jointly, the mean and dispersion functions, accounting for the effect of a circular covariate. The empirical performance of the proposal is explored via simulations and an application to a neurological data set is shown.

PMID:37327387 | DOI:10.1111/biom.13882

Breastfeed Med. 2023 Jun 16. doi: 10.1089/bfm.2022.0263. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Objective: This study investigated changes in sodium concentrations in human milk from mothers of premature infants using different breast pumps for 14 days postpartum, and the correlation between the sodium concentration in mother’s own milk (MOM) and the volume pumped. Study Design: This randomized controlled study recruited 66 mothers of premature infants delivered in our hospital from February to December 2018, and we assigned them to three groups using an envelope method. In intervention group 1, a hospital-grade electric breast pump was used from postpartum day 1 to 14; in intervention group 2, a hospital-grade electric breast pump was used on postpartum days 1 to 5 and a normal personal electric breast pump on postpartum days 6 to 14; in the control group, a personal normal electric breast pump was used from postpartum day 1 to 14. Data recorded included the breast milk volume pumped and milk sodium concentration. Results: The average daily volume of MOM pumped differed statistically (p < 0.05) between the intervention and control groups at postpartum days 7 and 14. The average daily volume pumped did not differ between intervention groups 1 and 2 by postpartum day 14 (p > 0.05). However, the time taken for the sodium concentrations to normalize differed significantly (p < 0.01). At postpartum day 5, the sodium concentrations of 73% of intervention group 1 and 2 mothers were within normal limits, and they were maintained until day 14. In comparison, only 41% of the controls had normal MOM sodium levels on day 5, and they were still high on day 7 in 27.3% of controls. Conclusions: In the early stage of lactation initiation (within 5 days postpartum), using a hospital-grade electric breast pump promotes lactation in mothers who deliver prematurely and the sodium concentrations normalize more quickly. Sodium can be used as an objective biomarker of MOM to evaluate the possibility of delayed lactation in mothers of premature infants, and it could assist interventions in the early postpartum period. Trial Registration: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, ChiCTR2200061384.

PMID:37327383 | DOI:10.1089/bfm.2022.0263

Ther Hypothermia Temp Manag. 2023 Jun 16. doi: 10.1089/ther.2023.0017. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

This study aimed to determine the effects of preoperative active and passive warming on postoperative hypothermia, vital signs, and perception of thermal comfort in patients scheduled to undergo elective open abdominal surgery. This was a randomized controlled study. The study sample comprised 90 patients (30 in the active warming group, 30 in the passive warming group, and 30 in the control group) who agreed to participate and met the research criteria. According to the comparison of patients’ vital signs, a statistically significant difference was observed in terms of patients’ preoperative body temperature values (χ² = 56.959; p = 0.000). A comparison of the patients’ postoperative thermal comfort perception scores yielded a statistically significant difference (χ² = 39.693; p = 0.000). Postoperative comfort scores in the active warming group were significantly higher than those in the passive warming and control groups. In conclusion, warming methods are effective in preventing undesirable postoperative hypothermia. The time to reach normothermia after surgery was shorter, vital signs were at a desirable level, and thermal comfort perceptions were higher in patients who were prewarmed. ClinicalTrials.gov (Identifier: NCT04997694).

PMID:37327382 | DOI:10.1089/ther.2023.0017