Nevin Manimala

J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol. 2022 Nov 14. doi: 10.1038/s41370-022-00498-7. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Sanitary sewage overflows (SSOs) release raw sewage, which may contaminate the drinking water supply. Boil water advisories (BWAs) are issued during low or negative pressure events, alerting customers to potential contamination in the drinking water distribution system.

OBJECTIVE: We evaluated the associations between SSOs and BWAs and diagnoses of gastrointestinal (GI) illness in Columbia, South Carolina, and neighboring communities, 2013-2017.

METHODS: A symmetric bi-directional case-crossover study design was used to assess the role of SSOs and BWAs on Emergency Room and Urgent Care visits with a primary diagnosis of GI illness. Cases were considered exposed if an SSO or BWA occurred 0-4 days, 5-9 days, or 10-14 days prior to the diagnosis, within the same residential zip code. Effect modification was explored via stratification on participant-level factors (e.g., sex, race, age) and season (January-March versus April-December).

RESULTS: There were 830 SSOs, 423 BWAs, and 25,969 cases of GI illness. Highest numbers of SSOs, BWAs and GI cases were observed in a zip code where >80% of residents identified as Black or African-American. SSOs were associated with a 13% increase in the odds of a diagnosis for GI illness during the 0-4 day hazard period, compared to control periods (Odds Ratio: 1.13, 95% Confidence Interval: 1.09, 1.18), while no associations were observed during the other hazard periods. BWAs were not associated with increased or decreased odds of GI illness during all three hazard periods. However, in stratified analyses BWAs issued between January-March were associated with higher odds of GI illness, compared to advisories issued between April-December, in all three hazard periods.

SIGNIFICANCE: SSOs (all months) and BWAs (January-March) were associated with increased odds of a diagnosis of GI illness. Future research should examine sewage contamination of the drinking water distribution system, and mechanisms of sewage intrusion from SSOs.

IMPACT: Sewage contains pathogens, which cause gastrointestinal (GI) illness. In Columbia, South Carolina, USA, between 2013-2017, there were 830 sanitary sewage overflows (SSOs). There were also 423 boil water advisories, which were issued during negative pressure events. Using case-crossover design, SSOs (all months) and boil water advisories (January-March) were associated with increased odds of Emergency Room and Urgent Care diagnoses of GI illness, potentially due to contamination of the drinking water distribution system. Lastly, we identified a community where >80% of residents identified as Black or African-American, which experienced a disproportionate burden of sewage exposure, compared to the rest of Columbia.

PMID:36376586 | DOI:10.1038/s41370-022-00498-7

Dig Dis Sci. 2022 Nov 14. doi: 10.1007/s10620-022-07745-9. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: Argon plasma coagulation (APC) of gastric inlet patches of the cervical esophagus (GIP) has been shown to relieve the globus sensation. This study aimed to investigate the long-term effects of APC therapy on a variety of laryngopharyngeal symptoms.

METHODS: Patients with laryngopharyngeal symptoms who had undergone endoscopic GIP eradication via APC therapy were eligible for a retrospective observational cohort study. Symptom relief was assessed by a five-grade scale during a structured interview. Statistical analysis included ANOVA, the chi-squared and t-test.

RESULTS: A total of 45 patients (61.0 (52.0; 69.0) years, 26 (57.8%) female) were included after a follow-up time of 85.0 (55.3; 111.0) months. Symptoms included dysphagia (56.0%), dysphonia (51.0%), hoarseness (76.0%), the necessity of throat clearing (73.0%), globus sensation (56.0%) and heartburn (71.0%). Complete GIP eradication was achieved after one session in 25 (55.6%), repetitive sessions were needed in the remaining cases. Fourteen patients (31.1%) reported a very strong, 11 (24.4%) a strong and 8 patients (17.8%) an intermediate improvement; five patients did not benefit. The most apparent improvement was seen regarding hoarseness (from 2.6 ± 1.7 to 1.2 ± 1.3), the necessity of throat clearing (from 2.6 ± 1.7 to 1.1 ± 1.3), globus sensation (from 2.0 ± 1.9 to 0.9 ± 1.3) and heartburn (from 2.5 ± 1.8 to 1.4 ± 1.6). Adverse events included post-endoscopic pain (n = 6, 13.3%) and purulent pharyngitis (n = 2, 4.4%).

CONCLUSIONS: The APC therapy of GIP is safe and leads to long-term relief of laryngopharyngeal symptoms in carefully selected patients.

PMID:36376579 | DOI:10.1007/s10620-022-07745-9

Ir J Med Sci. 2022 Nov 15. doi: 10.1007/s11845-022-03223-3. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE/AIM: The Five Times Sit-to-Stand Test (FTSST) is a method that evaluates lower extremity muscle strength and balance level. The aim of this study is to test the validity and reliability of the FTSST in patients with non-specific chronic low back pain (NSCLBP) whose lower extremity muscle strength and balance levels are adversely affected.

METHODS: The first outcome measure of the study was the FTSST, which was conducted by two different researchers. Secondary outcome measures are Biodex Balance System (BBS), Quadriceps Muscle Strength Test, Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) was used for the validity and reliability of the FTSST, which was made by two different researchers, and Pearson’s Correlation Analysis was used to determine its relationship with other measurements.

RESULTS: Inter-rater and test-retest reliability for the FTSST were excellent (Intraclass Correlation Coefficient = 0.99). A statistically significant correlation was found between all secondary outcome measures (BBS, quadriceps muscle strength, ODI, VAS) and FTSST (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION: In line with the findings of our study, we think that FTSST is a simple, easy, and reproducible method for evaluating lower extremity muscle strength, balance level, functional status, and pain in patients with NSCLBP.

PMID:36376556 | DOI:10.1007/s11845-022-03223-3

Ir J Med Sci. 2022 Nov 15. doi: 10.1007/s11845-022-03226-0. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: This study aimed to determine how an early occupational therapy (OT) intervention affected hospital length of stay (LOS) in a sample of patients with a moderate to severe traumatic brain injury (TBI).

METHODS: This quasi-experimental study was conducted with 2018-2020 data from a rehabilitation center at the King Saud Medical City in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The sample of 29 TBI patients included 15 experimental (prospective) group participants who received an early OT intervention and 14 control group (retrospective) participants who did not receive the intervention. The intervention provided patients with daily OT therapy based on their needs and was divided into two phases: the intensive care unit (ICU) phase and the general ward phase. The following measures were used: Glasgow Coma Scale score at admission (both groups), hospital LOS (from admission until discharge; both groups), and functional independence measures (FIM) at admission and discharge (experimental group).

RESULTS: Experimental group patients had a much shorter LOS (average 61.53 days) compared with the control group (mean 108.86 days). Additionally, the experimental group had a statistically significant increase in FIM scores from admission to discharge.

CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that providing early OT interventions to patients with moderate and severe TBIs can help decrease their LOS, which can contribute to reduced treatment costs.

PMID:36376555 | DOI:10.1007/s11845-022-03226-0

Sci Rep. 2022 Nov 14;12(1):19513. doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-24009-8.

ABSTRACT

Childhood obesity remains one of the most important issues in global health, which is implicated in many chronic diseases. Converging evidence suggests that a higher body mass index during childhood (CBMI) is significantly associated with increased coronary artery disease (CAD) susceptibility in adulthood, which may partly arise from the shared genetic determination. Despite genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have successfully identified some loci associated with CBMI and CAD individually, the genetic overlap and common biological mechanism between them remains largely unexplored. Here, relying on the results from the two large-scale GWASs (n = 35,668 for CBMI and n = 547,261 for CAD), linkage disequilibrium score regression (LDSC) was used to estimate the genetic correlation of CBMI and CAD in the first step. Then, we applied different pleiotropy-informed methods including conditional false discovery rate ([Formula: see text]) and genetic analysis incorporating pleiotropy and annotation (GPA) to detect potentially common loci for childhood obesity and CAD. By integrating the genetic information from the existing GWASs summary statistics, we found a significant positive genetic correlation ([Formula: see text] = 0.127, p = 2E-4) and strong pleiotropic enrichment between CBMI and CAD (LRT = 79.352, p = 5.2E-19). Importantly, 28 loci were simultaneously discovered to be associated with CBMI, and 13 of them were identified as potentially pleiotropic loci by [Formula: see text] and GPA. Those corresponding pleiotropic genes were enriched in trait-associated gene ontology (GO) terms “amino sugar catabolic process”, “regulation of fat cell differentiation” and “synaptic transmission”. Overall, the findings of the pleiotropic loci will help to further elucidate the common molecular mechanisms underlying the association of childhood obesity and CAD, and provide a theoretical direction for early disease prevention and potential therapeutic targets.

PMID:36376549 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-022-24009-8

Sci Rep. 2022 Nov 14;12(1):19456. doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-24172-y.

ABSTRACT

Colonization of auto-polymerized acrylic resin by pathogenic Candida albicans is a common problem for denture users. In this study, zinc-modified phosphate-based glass was introduced into an auto-polymerized acrylic resin at concentrations of 3, 5, and 7 wt.%. The mechanical or physical properties (flexural strength, elastic modulus, microhardness, and contact angle), surface morphology of the resultant materials, and the antimicrobial effect on C. albicans were investigated. There were no statistical differences in the mechanical properties between the control and the zinc-modified phosphate-based glass samples (p > 0.05); however, the number of C. albicans colony-forming units was significantly lower in the control group (p < 0.05). Scanning electron microscopy revealed that C. albicans tended not to adhere to the zinc-modified-phosphate-based glass samples. Thus, the zinc-modified materials retained the advantageous mechanical properties of unaltered acrylic resins, while simultaneously exhibiting a strong antimicrobial effect in vitro.

PMID:36376540 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-022-24172-y

Nature. 2022 Nov 14. doi: 10.1038/s41586-022-05492-5. Online ahead of print.

NO ABSTRACT

PMID:36376532 | DOI:10.1038/s41586-022-05492-5

Neuroradiology. 2022 Nov 14. doi: 10.1007/s00234-022-03085-7. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: To investigate the relationship of the striatal dopamine transporter density to changes in the gray matter (GM) volume and cerebral perfusion in patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD).

METHODS: We evaluated the regional cerebral blood flow (CBF) and GM volume, concurrently measured using arterial spin labeling and T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging, respectively, as well as the striatal specific binding ratio (SBR) in ¹²³I-N-ω-fluoropropyl-2β-carboxymethoxy-3β-(4-iodophenyl)nortropane (¹²³I-FP-CIT) single-photon emission computed tomography in 30 non-demented patients with PD (15 men and 15 women; mean age, 67.2 ± 8.8 years; mean Hoehn-Yahr stage, 2.2 ± 0.9). Voxel-wise regression analyses using statistical parametric mapping (SPM) were performed to explore the brain regions that showed correlations of the striatal SBR to the GM volume and CBF, respectively, with a height threshold of p < 0.0005 at the voxel level and p < 0.05 family-wise error-corrected at the cluster level.

RESULTS: SPM analysis showed a significant positive correlation between the SBR and GM volume in the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG). Whereas, a positive correlation between the SBR and CBF was widely found in the frontotemporal and parietotemporal regions, including the IFG. Notably, the opercular part of the IFG showed significant correlations in both SPM analyses of the GM volume (r² = 0.90, p < 0.0001) and CBF (r² = 0.88, p < 0.0001).

CONCLUSION: The voxel-wise analyses revealed the brain regions, mainly the IFG, that showed hypoperfusion and atrophy related to dopaminergic loss, which suggests that the progression of dopaminergic neurodegeneration leads to regional cortical dysfunction in PD.

PMID:36376524 | DOI:10.1007/s00234-022-03085-7

Int J Implant Dent. 2022 Nov 15;8(1):53. doi: 10.1186/s40729-022-00447-x.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: The present prospective study evaluates the association between new bone formation rate in the iliac onlay graft and sex steroid hormone serum levels.

METHODS: A total of 15 partially or completely edentulous postmenopausal females and 9 males with less than 5 mm height of the remaining alveolar bone underwent iliac onlay grafting followed by dental implant placement using a two-stage approach. Sex hormone binding globulin and 17β-estradiol serum levels were investigated by electrochemiluminescence immunoassay, while total testosterone level was analyzed using radioimmunoassay. At the time of implant placement, 12 weeks after grafting, bone biopsies were obtained and analyzed histomorphometrically. Statistical analysis was performed using linear mixed models.

RESULTS: Grafting procedure was successfully performed in all patients. The mean new bone formation rate was 32.5% (116 samples). In men the mean new bone formation rate (38.1%) was significantly higher (p < 0.01) than in women (27.6%). Independent of gender 17β-estradiol and testosterone were positively associated to overall new bone formation rate, albeit a significant influence was only seen for 17β-estradiol in men (p = 0.020). Sex hormone binding globulin had no influence on new bone formation rate (p = 0.897). There was no significant association between new bone formation rate and age (p = 0.353) or new bone formation rate and body mass index (p = 0.248).

CONCLUSION: Positive association of 17ß-estradiol as well as testosterone with new bone formation rate after iliac onlay grafting indicates a role of sex steroid hormones in alveolar bone regeneration, although the observed influence was only significant for 17ß-estradiol in men.

PMID:36376517 | DOI:10.1186/s40729-022-00447-x

Pediatr Res. 2022 Nov 14. doi: 10.1038/s41390-022-02383-3. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: To evaluate the association between exposure to early skin-to-skin contact (SSC) and incidence of late-onset sepsis (LOS) in extremely and very preterm infants.

METHODS: Observational study using the national population-based EPIPAGE-2 cohort in 2011. A propensity score for SSC exposure was used to match infants with and without exposure to SSC before day 4 of life and binomial log regression used to estimate risk ratios and CIs in the matched cohort. The primary outcome was at least one episode of LOS during hospitalization. Secondary outcomes were the occurrence of any late-onset neonatal infection (LONI), LOS with Staphylococcus or Staphylococcus aureus, incidence of LOS and LONI per 1000 central venous catheter days.

RESULTS: Among the 3422 included infants, 919 were exposed to early SSC. The risk ratio (RR) for LOS was 0.86 (95% CI, 0.67-1.10), for LONI was 1.00 (95% CI, 0.83-1.21), and for LOS with Coagulase-negative Staphylococcus or Staphylococcus aureus infection was 0.91 (95% CI, 0.68-1.21) and 0.77 (95% CI, 0.31-1.87). The incidence RR for LOS per-catheter day was 0.87 (95% CI, 0.64-1.18).

CONCLUSION: Early SSC exposure was not associated with LOS or LONI risk. Thus, their prevention should not be a barrier to a wider use of SSC.

IMPACT: Kangaroo Mother Care decreased neonatal infection rates in middle-income countries. Skin-to-skin contact is beneficial for vulnerable preterm infants but barriers exist to its implementation. In a large population-based study using a propensity score methods, we found that skin-to-skin contact before day 4 of life was not associated with a decreased risk of late-onset-sepsis in very and extremely preterm infants. Early skin-to-skin contact was not associated with an increased risk of any late-onset-neonatal-infection, in particular with staphylococcus. The fear of neonatal infection should not be a barrier to a wider use of early skin-to-skin contact in this population.

PMID:36376509 | DOI:10.1038/s41390-022-02383-3