Nevin Manimala

PLoS One. 2022 Apr 8;17(4):e0266840. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0266840. eCollection 2022.

ABSTRACT

In Hungary, West Nile virus (WNV) has been responsible for 459 laboratory confirmed human cases between 2004 and 2019, while the first human Usutu virus (USUV) infection was confirmed only in 2018. A comprehensive serosurvey was conducted among blood donors to assess the WNV and USUV seroprevalence in 2019, one year after the largest European WNV epidemic. Altogether, 3005 plasma samples were collected and screened for WNV and USUV specific Immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies by Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA). All reactive samples were further tested for tick-borne encephalitis virus IgG antibodies by ELISA. Indirect immunofluorescence test and microneutralization assay were used as confirmatory methods. Overall, the WNV seroprevalence was 4.32%, and in five blood donors USUV seropositivity was confirmed. The highest seroprevalence was measured in Central, Eastern and Southern Hungary, while the Western part of the country proved to be less affected. There was a statistically strong association between the WNV seroprevalence of 2019 and the cumulative incidence in the period of 2004 and 2019 calculated for every NUTS 3 region. The last WNV serological screening was performed in 2016 and the prevalence of anti-WNV IgG proved to be 2.19%. One year after the 2018 WNV outbreak, a significant increase in seroprevalence was observed in the Hungarian population and evidence for USUV seropositivity was also obtained. The spatial pattern of seroprevalence can support the identification of high-risk areas raising awareness of the need for increased surveillance, such as screening vector, equine, and avian populations. The communication with general practitioners and other professionals in primary health care services can support the early identification of acute human cases. Education and awareness-raising on the importance of protection against mosquito vectors amongst residents are also important parts of preventive measures.

PMID:35395048 | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0266840

PLoS One. 2022 Apr 8;17(4):e0266838. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0266838. eCollection 2022.

ABSTRACT

Tennis is a popular sport, and professional tennis matches are probably the most watched games globally. Many studies consider statistical or machine learning models to predict the results of professional tennis matches. In this study, we propose a statistical approach for predicting the match outcomes of Grand Slam tournaments, in addition to applying exploratory data analysis (EDA) to explore variables related to match results. The proposed approach introduces new variables via the Glicko rating model, a Bayesian method commonly used in professional chess. We use EDA tools to determine important variables and apply classification models (e.g., logistic regression, support vector machine, neural network and light gradient boosting machine) to evaluate the classification results through cross-validation. The empirical study is based on men’s and women’s single matches of Grand Slam tournaments (2000-2019). Our analysis results show that professional tennis ranking is the most important variable and that the accuracy of the proposed Glicko model is slightly higher than that of other models.

PMID:35395047 | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0266838

PLoS One. 2022 Apr 8;17(4):e0266723. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0266723. eCollection 2022.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Medication counselling is an important activity that improves patient therapeutic outcomes. After this activity has been carried out, patients should be satisfied with counselling, and possess adequate knowledge about their medications.

OBJECTIVES: To describe outpatient/caregiver medication knowledge and satisfaction with medication counselling at the main outpatient pharmacies of eight public secondary and tertiary hospitals located in two states in Northwestern Nigeria.

METHODS: Exit interviews were conducted from December 2019 to March 2020 with randomly sampled patients/caregivers who had just been dispensed one or more prescription medications from the main pharmacies of the hospitals. The questionnaire used contained 31 questions in three sections. The first section collected demographic information. The second section assessed respondents’ experiences and overall satisfaction with the counselling they had received. The last section evaluated respondents’ knowledge of one randomly selected prescription medication that had been dispensed to them. Data collected were coded and analyzed to generate descriptive statistics. To explore associations between respondent characteristics and overall satisfaction, non-parametric tests were used, and statistical significance set at p<0.05.

RESULTS: A total of 684 patients/caregivers were interviewed. Majority of respondents agreed that the time spent (97.1%) and quantity of information (99.1%) provided during counselling was adequate. However, over 60% of them also agreed that dispensers did not assess their understanding of information provided or invite them to ask questions. Despite this, their average overall satisfaction with counselling on a 10-point scale was 8.6 ± 1.6. Over 90% of them also correctly identified the routes and frequency of administration of the prescribed medication selected for the knowledge assessment. Although, more than 60% of respondents did not know the duration of therapy or names of these medications.

CONCLUSION: Respondents’ satisfaction with medication counselling was fairly high even though they did not seem to know much about their medication.

PMID:35395046 | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0266723

PLoS One. 2022 Apr 8;17(4):e0266333. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0266333. eCollection 2022.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Soil-transmitted helminths (STH) are one of the most common infections affecting underprivileged populations in low- and middle-income countries. Ascaris lumbricoides, Trichuris trichiura, and hookworm are the three main species that infect people. School children are the most vulnerable groups for STH infections due to their practice of walking and playing barefoot, poor personal hygiene, and environmental sanitation. However, evidence is limited in the study area. So, this study aimed to assess the current prevalence, infection intensity, and associated risk factors of STHs among school children in Tachgayint woreda, Northcentral Ethiopia.

METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among school children of Tachgayint woreda from February to May 2021. The study participants were chosen via systematic random sampling. Stool samples were collected from 325 children and examined using the Kato-Katz technique. The data was analyzed using SPSS version 23. Binary and multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to identify the potential associated factors for STHs. An adjusted odds ratio (AOR) with a 95% confidence interval (CI) was used to measure the magnitude of the association. A P-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant.

RESULTS: The overall prevalence of STHs in this study was 36.0% (95% CI: 30.5-41.2%). Ascaris lumbricoides are the most prevalent species 89 (27.4%) followed by hookworm 14 (4.3%) and Trichuris trichiura 10 (3.1%). All of the infected school children had light-intensity of infections with the mean of eggs per gram (EPG) being 464.53. Lack of shoe wearing habit (AOR = 4.08, 95% CI: 1.29-12.88) and having untrimmed fingernail (AOR = 1.85, 95% CI: 1.06-3.22) were identified as risk factors for STH infections.

CONCLUSIONS: More than one-third of the school children were infected with at least one STH species and this indicates that STHs are still a health problem among school children in the study area. Therefore, periodic deworming, implementation of different prevention strategies, and health education programs should be regularly applied in the area.

PMID:35395035 | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0266333

PLoS One. 2022 Apr 8;17(4):e0266062. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0266062. eCollection 2022.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Pakistan is among the countries with the highest maternal death rates. Obstetric hemorrhage accounts for 41% of these deaths. Uterine rupture is a grave obstetric emergency with high maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality. It is important to identify its frequency and associated risk factors to formulate programs for its prevention and management. This study aimed to assess the frequency, associated risk factors, fetomaternal outcomes, and management of women with the ruptured uterus at our hospital.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: It was a retrospective study of 206 women to review data collected from cases of uterine rupture managed at the WCTH Bannu, Pakistan from October 2016 to October 2018. A structured proforma was designed and used to extract data from operating theatre registers and the hospital medical records. In our hospital, there is a strong system of maintaining all information of the patients related to demographics, obstetric information, operative notes, and postoperative course during their hospital stay in the patient’s charts. Detailed information on operative procedures is further maintained in the operation theater register and all these registers are checked in the weekly statistical meetings to ensure proper documentation. Data was entered and analyzed in SPSS package version 21 (IBM Corp.; Armonk, NY, USA). Frequency and percentages were calculated for the categorical variables. For inferential statistics, chi-square or Fischer exact tests were used. A p-value of < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

RESULTS: The overall incidence of the ruptured uterus was 1.71%. The important etiological factors were grand multiparity 62 (35.2%), obstructed/neglected labour 58 (32.9%), injudicious use of Oxytocin 56 (31.8%) and prostaglandins 26 (14.7%), previous cesarean section 35 (19.8%) and previous pelvic surgery (0.5%). Hysterectomy was done in 80.6% of cases, 34 (19.2%) patients underwent uterine repair and 4.5% had bladder repair. The mortality rate was 21%, mainly due to irreversible shock or disseminated intravascular coagulation. Perinatal mortality was 91.4%. Duration of surgery more than two hours and presentation to the hospital at night time was significantly associated with poor maternal outcome (p = 0.00).

CONCLUSION: Uterine rupture is a preventable obstetric emergency associated with high fetomaternal morbidity and mortality. The main causes were grand multigravidity, obstructed labour, previous C-sections and injudicious use of oxytocin and prostaglandins. Women with prolonged surgery and admission at night time had a poor maternal outcome.

PMID:35395033 | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0266062

PLoS One. 2022 Apr 8;17(4):e0266763. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0266763. eCollection 2022.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Furazolidone is a synthetic nitrofuran with a broad spectrum of antimicrobial action and has been widely used in the treatment of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection. However, its safety profile has not been clarified. Moreover, the drug fever associated with its use is frequently misdiagnosed. The aim of this study was to explore the risk factors of furazolidone-associated fever to increase awareness and stimulate further research on this topic.

METHODS: This was a retrospective case-control study of patients referred to a specialist clinic for furazolidone-containing quadruple regimens for H. pylori infection at a tertiary care hospital located in Eastern China between July 2018 and September 2018. We evaluated adult patients who received furazolidone treatment for Helicobacter pylori infection. The exclusion criteria were as follows: (1) patients were pregnant or breastfeeding; (2) patients received furazolidone treatment not for Helicobacter pylori infection; (3) patients had taken antibiotics or any acid suppressant or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug in the last 4 weeks; (4) patients had chronic hepatic, renal, or pulmonary disease. Pertinent information was retrieved from medical records and telephone follow-up. All statistical analysis was performed in SPSS version 22.0.

RESULTS: A total of 1499 patients received furazolidone and met the overall inclusion criterion. Of these 1499 patients, 27 (1.80%) developed drug fever. The mean time between initiation of furazolidone and the onset of fever is 11.00 ± 1.84 days, and the median peak fever was 38.87 ± 0.57°C. We found no differences in age and past drug allergy between the non-fever and fever groups. Through multiple logistic regression analysis, we found two variables as independent risk factors for furazolidone-associated fever, including gender (OR, 3.16; 95% CI, 1.26-7.91; P = 0.014) and clarithromycin (OR, 4.83; 95% CI, 2.17-10.79; P<0.001).

CONCLUSIONS: This retrospective cohort study identified two risk factors for furazolidone-associated fever, which were female and clarithromycin. We also analyzed the characteristics of drug fever during anti-Helicobacter pylori therapy. However, the underlying mechanisms are uncertain and require further research.

PMID:35395029 | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0266763

PLoS One. 2022 Apr 8;17(4):e0266602. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0266602. eCollection 2022.

ABSTRACT

I test the possibility that over-estimating negative consequences of COVID-19 (e.g., hospitalizations, deaths, and threats to children) will be associated with stronger support the ‘new normal’ (i.e., continuation of restrictions for an undefined period starting with wide-spread access to vaccines and completed vaccinations of vulnerable people). The new normal was assessed by endorsing practices such as vaccine passports, travel restrictions, mandatory masking, continuing contact tracing, and pursuing elimination. Results are based on five samples (N = 1,233 from April 2021 and N = 264 from January 2022) and suggest that people over-estimate COVID-19 risks to children and healthy people, as evidenced by median estimates that 5% of all global deaths were children, 29% were generally healthy people under 65, and that a healthy person under the age of 65 has 5% chance of dying from COVID-19. Over-estimates observed in this study align with those based on representative samples, and they were consistently related to stronger support for the new normal. This relationship emerged when participants estimated risks with percentages (core indicators) and indicated the extent to which risk-based statements are true/supported with evidence or false/unsupported (alternative indicators). People were notably more likely to support continuing restrictions if they believed that COVID-19 risk and risk mitigation tactics are true, even when they are not (e.g., children need to be prioritized for boosters). These relationships persisted when considering competing explanations (political ideology, statistics literacy, belief in conspiracy theories). I trace these effects to well-meaning efforts to prevent under-estimation. Public policy and people’s perceptions of risks are intertwined, where even inaccurate judgments may influence decisions. Failure to combat all misinformation with equal rigor may jeopardize the restoration of the social and economic life essential for building adaptive post-pandemic societies.

PMID:35395026 | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0266602

PLoS Comput Biol. 2022 Apr 8;18(4):e1009991. doi: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1009991. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Cellular barcoding methods offer the exciting possibility of ‘infinite-pseudocolor’ anatomical reconstruction-i.e., assigning each neuron its own random unique barcoded ‘pseudocolor,’ and then using these pseudocolors to trace the microanatomy of each neuron. Here we use simulations, based on densely-reconstructed electron microscopy microanatomy, with signal structure matched to real barcoding data, to quantify the feasibility of this procedure. We develop a new blind demixing approach to recover the barcodes that label each neuron, and validate this method on real data with known barcodes. We also develop a neural network which uses the recovered barcodes to reconstruct the neuronal morphology from the observed fluorescence imaging data, ‘connecting the dots’ between discontiguous barcode amplicon signals. We find that accurate recovery should be feasible, provided that the barcode signal density is sufficiently high. This study suggests the possibility of mapping the morphology and projection pattern of many individual neurons simultaneously, at high resolution and at large scale, via conventional light microscopy.

PMID:35395020 | DOI:10.1371/journal.pcbi.1009991

PLoS One. 2022 Apr 8;17(4):e0265815. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0265815. eCollection 2022.

ABSTRACT

Mathematical models of infectious diseases exhibit robust dynamics, such as stable endemic, disease-free equilibriums or convergence of the solutions to periodic epidemic waves. The present work shows that the accuracy of such dynamics can be significantly improved by including global effects of host movements in disease models. To demonstrate improved accuracy, we extended a standard Susceptible-Infected-Recovered (SIR) model by incorporating the global dynamics of the COVID-19 pandemic. The extended SIR model assumes three possibilities for susceptible individuals traveling outside of their community: • They can return to the community without any exposure to the infection. • They can be exposed and develop symptoms after returning to the community. • They can be tested positively during the trip and remain quarantined until fully recovered. To examine the predictive accuracy of the extended SIR model, we studied the prevalence of the COVID-19 infection in six randomly selected cities and states in the United States: Kansas City, Saint Louis, San Francisco, Missouri, Illinois, and Arizona. The extended SIR model was parameterized using a two-step model-fitting algorithm. The extended SIR model significantly outperformed the standard SIR model and revealed oscillatory behaviors with an increasing trend of infected individuals. In conclusion, the analytics and predictive accuracy of disease models can be significantly improved by incorporating the global dynamics of the infection.

PMID:35395018 | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0265815

PLoS One. 2022 Apr 8;17(4):e0266138. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0266138. eCollection 2022.

ABSTRACT

Scorpion envenomation is a significant public health concern in São Paulo, Brazil, and its incidence and mortality have increased in recent decades. The present study analyzed documented scorpion envenomation notifications from 2008 to 2018 throughout the 645 municipalities of São Paulo. Annual incidence and mortality rates were calculated and stratified according to sex and age. The local empirical Bayesian method and Getis-Ord Gi* statistic were used to represent standardized incidence rates in the municipalities and to identify high- and low-risk agglomerates. The incidence rate of scorpion envenomation quintupled between 2008 and 2018. Overall, the risk was higher for man, and increased with age. Deaths due to envenomation, however, were concentrated almost entirely in children 0-9 years of age. Incidence maps showed that the risk of envenomation increased in almost all regions and municipalities of São Paulo throughout the study period. The highest incidence rates were found in the western, northwestern and northern regions of the state, in contrast to the São Paulo metropolitan area and southern and coastal regions. Hot spots were identified in the Presidente Prudente, Barretos, São José do Rio Preto, and Araçatuba regional health districts, which over time formed a single high-risk cluster. In spatial terms, however, deaths were randomly distributed. In this study, we identified areas and populations at risk of scorpion envenomation and associated-fatalities, which can be used to support decision-making by health services to reduce human contact with these arachnids and avoid fatalities, especially in children.

PMID:35395017 | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0266138