Nevin Manimala

J Phys Act Health. 2021 Mar 5:1-8. doi: 10.1123/jpah.2020-0666. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Physical inactivity is often reported in youth and differs among boys and girls. The aim of this study is to assess sex/gender considerations in intervention studies promoting physical activity and reducing sedentary behavior in youth using a sex/gender checklist.

METHODS: A systematic search was conducted in August 2018 to identify all relevant controlled trials. Studies screened must have reported a quantified measure of physical activity and/or sedentary behavior, and identified participants by sex/gender at baseline. For evaluation of the sex/gender consideration, the authors used a sex/gender checklist developed by expert consensus.

RESULTS: The authors reviewed sex/gender considerations in all aspects of intervention development, implementation, and evaluation in 217 studies. Sex/gender aspects were only rudimentarily taken into account, most frequently during statistical analyses, such as stratification or interaction analysis.

CONCLUSIONS: Sex/gender effects are not sufficiently reported. To develop guidelines that are more inclusive of all girls and boys, future interventions need to document sex/gender differences and similarities, and explore whether sex/gender influences different phases of intervention programs. The newly developed sex/gender checklist can hereby be used as a tool and guidance to adequately consider sex/gender in the several steps of intervention planning, implementation, and evaluation.

PMID:33668018 | DOI:10.1123/jpah.2020-0666

JMIR Public Health Surveill. 2021 Feb 26. doi: 10.2196/27091. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Several studies reported a low prevalence of current smoking among hospitalized COVID-19 cases however, no definitive conclusions can be drawn.

OBJECTIVE: We investigated the association of tobacco smoke exposure with the nasopharyngeal swab (NPS) test result for SARS-CoV-2 infection and the disease severity accounting for possible confounders.

METHODS: The nationwide self-administered cross-sectional EPICOVID19 web-based survey was performed in an Italian population of 198,822 voluntary adults who filled in an online questionnaire between April 13 and June 2, 2020. For the present study, we analyzed 6857 individuals with known NPS test result. The associations of smoking status and the dose-response relationship with the positivity to NPS test and infection severity were calculated as odds ratios with 95% Confidence Intervals (OR, 95%CI) by means of analyzed using logistic and multinomial regression models adjusting for socio-demographic, clinical, and behavioral characteristics.

RESULTS: Out of the 6857 individuals (mean age 47.9 years, 65.9% females), 63.2% had never smoked, 21.3% were former and 15.5% were current smokers. Compared to non-smokers, current smokers were younger, more educated, less affected by chronic diseases, reported less frequently COVID-like symptoms, were less hospitalized and tested for COVID-19. In multivariate analysis current smokers had almost halved odds of a positive NPS test (OR 0.54, 95% CI 0.45-0.65) compared to non-smokers. We also found a dose-dependent relationship with tobacco smoke: mild smokers (OR 0.76, 95% CI 0.55-1.05), moderate (OR 0.56, 95% CI 0.42-0.73) and heavy smokers (OR 0.38, 95% CI 0.27-0.53). This inverse association persisted also when considering the severity of the infection. Current smokers had a statistically significant lower probability of having asymptomatic (OR 0.50 95%CI 0.27-0.92), mild (OR 0.65 95%CI 0.53-0.81), and severe infection (OR 0.27 95%CI 0.17-0.42) compared to never smokers.

CONCLUSIONS: Current smoking was negatively associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection with a dose-dependent relation. Ad-hoc experimental studies are needed to elucidate the mechanisms underlying this association.

CLINICALTRIAL: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04471701.

PMID:33668011 | DOI:10.2196/27091

Vet Parasitol. 2021 Feb 15;291:109387. doi: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2021.109387. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

With the trend to organic production and concerns about using antibiotic feed additives, the control of infections with Eimeria spp. in broiler flocks has become more difficult. Vaccination against coccidia is an alternative, but there are concerns that the live vaccines used might have negative effects on production parameters and intestinal health. Reports of experiments directly comparing anticoccidial drugs and anticoccidial vaccines are rare. This network meta-analysis (NMA) identified and analyzed 61 articles reporting 63 experiments testing anticoccidial drugs and anticoccidial vaccines under conditions resembling commercial broiler production. The effect sizes were mean differences in body weight/body weight gain (BW/BWG) and feed conversion rate (FCR) between the 175 included groups. The results show that groups vaccinated against coccidia have a similar BW/BWG and FCR at processing age compared to groups given anticoccidial drugs. However, the results tended to be more favorable for anticoccidial drugs than for vaccines. The analysis of eight subsets, containing only groups (1) groups that had not received an AGP in addition to an anticoccidial drug, (2) groups that had not received ionophores, (3) groups that had not received chemicals, (4) groups that had not received an attenuated vaccine, (5) groups that had not received a fully virulent vaccine, (6) groups that were not additionally challenged with bacteria or not challenged, (7) groups that had received a severe challenge as defined by a total infection dose of more than 100,000 oocysts or were not challenged, (8) groups that were challenged on day 15 or earlier or not challenged brought similar results and confirmed the robustness of the NMA. In addition, the analysis exposes unnecessary, as well as inherent, problems with data quality, which every researcher working with coccidia should carefully consider, and identifies under-researched areas that should be addressed in future research.

PMID:33667988 | DOI:10.1016/j.vetpar.2021.109387

Cognition. 2021 Mar 2;210:104580. doi: 10.1016/j.cognition.2020.104580. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Comparison of different lines of research on statistical intuitions and probabilistic reasoning reveals several puzzling contradictions. Whereas babies seem to be intuitive statisticians, surprisingly capable of statistical learning and inference, adults’ statistical inferences have been found to be inconsistent with the rules of probability theory and statistics. Whereas researchers in the 1960s concluded that people’s probability updating is “conservatively” proportional to normative predictions, probability updating research in the 1970s suggested that people are incapable of following Bayes’s rule. And whereas animals appear to be strikingly risk savvy, humans often seem “irrational” when dealing with probabilistic information. Drawing on research on the description-experience gap in risky choice, we integrate and systematize these findings from disparate fields of inquiry that have, to date, operated largely in parallel. Our synthesis shows that a key factor in understanding inconsistencies in statistical intuitions research is whether probabilistic inferences are based on symbolic, abstract descriptions or on the direct experience of statistical information. We delineate this view from other conceptual accounts, consider potential mechanisms by which attributes of first-hand experience can facilitate appropriate statistical inference, and identify conditions under which they improve or impair probabilistic reasoning. To capture the full scope of human statistical intuition, we conclude, research on probabilistic reasoning across the lifespan, across species, and across research traditions must bear in mind that experience and symbolic description of the world may engage systematically distinct cognitive processes.

PMID:33667974 | DOI:10.1016/j.cognition.2020.104580

J Electromyogr Kinesiol. 2021 Feb 28;58:102532. doi: 10.1016/j.jelekin.2021.102532. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

We used a 3-arm randomized control trial to investigate whether abdominal hollowing (AH) home exercise using pocket-sized ultrasonography (US)-miruco (AH with miruco group)-was more effective than conventional AH home exercise using abdominal palpation and or also a wait-and-see approach (control group) to improve isolated control of the transversus abdominis (TrA) muscle during AH. We randomized 60 participants with low back pain into the three groups equally. Primary outcome measures for the US group were percentage of change in TrA thickness and excursion of the edge of the TrA fascia during AH when the thickness of the internal or external oblique muscles increased. Score on the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) was a secondary outcome measure. The intervention period was 1 week, followed by 1 week without intervention. As a result, we found no statistically significant interaction effect (P > .05) in changes of the primary outcome measures from baseline for each follow-up period. The AH with miruco group had a statistically lower ODI (P = .036) than did the control group after the intervention. Results indicate a limited benefit for use of the miruco in AH home exercise to improve isolated control of the TrA muscle during AH.

PMID:33667960 | DOI:10.1016/j.jelekin.2021.102532

Arch Oral Biol. 2021 Jan 23;125:105054. doi: 10.1016/j.archoralbio.2021.105054. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: This systematic review aimed to address whether the alveolar socket repair after a tooth extraction is impacted by an osteoporotic phenotype and propose methodological observations.

DESIGN: A search strategy in MEDLINE/PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, and Scopus databases was performed. Quality assessment was carried out through the SYRCLE Risk of Bias tool.

RESULTS: Out of the 1147 potentially relevant records, 25 met the inclusion criteria. Most of the studies were performed in rats, and ovariectomy (OVX) was the most frequent osteoporosis induction method. Histomorphometry, micro-computed tomography (microCT), and immunohistochemistry were the main bone repair evaluation methods. Most of the included studies (88 %) presented negative impacts of osteoporosis on the alveolar socket repair. Only three studies (12 %) showed no statistical differences among groups. Overall, most of the quality assessment categories presented a high percentage of unclear risk of bias due to insufficient information in the studies.

CONCLUSIONS: The results indicated that an osteoporotic phenotype seems to impair alveolar socket repair after tooth extraction. However, there is still a lack of information and standardization. Therefore, further studies should consider the proposed methodological aspects regarding animal characteristics, OVX associated with a low calcium diet, waiting 8 weeks to osteoporosis induction, maxillary molars as the best option for tooth extraction, confirming and reporting OVX and osteoporosis success, and an appropriate method of repair analysis.

PMID:33667958 | DOI:10.1016/j.archoralbio.2021.105054

Psychiatry Res. 2021 Feb 26;299:113840. doi: 10.1016/j.psychres.2021.113840. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Four subtypes of the alexithymia construct have been proposed based on different response patterns to the Cognitive and Affective dimensions of the Bermond-Vorst Alexithymia Questionnaire (BVAQ). Previous studies investigating whether alexithymia subtypes can be statistically estimated have not found complete support for these specific subtypes. These previous studies, however, contained several methodological limitations such as relatively small sample sizes, and considerations of only a limited number of proposed subtypes. In the current investigation, we examined whether the four proposed subtypes could be statistically detected in a large sample of undergraduate students (N = 612) who completed the BVAQ, using latent profile analysis (LPA). Based on observed responses to the five BVAQ subscales, consistent with previous studies, our results did not find support for the four proposed alexithymia subtypes. Rather, our results suggested LPA solutions that correspond to individuals with various degrees of alexithymia ‘severity’. Although further studies are needed, especially with clinical samples, these results question the idea of four alexithymia subtypes and suggest that the implementation of these subtypes into various research studies may be a premature endeavour.

PMID:33667948 | DOI:10.1016/j.psychres.2021.113840

Vet Immunol Immunopathol. 2021 Feb 25;234:110218. doi: 10.1016/j.vetimm.2021.110218. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

The immune response and phenotypic characteristics of Pelibuey lambs were analysed after the induction of a Haemonchus contortus trickle infection. Male lambs (n = 29; 20 kg live weight) were infected with 100 H. contortus infective larvae per kg of live weight on day 3, 5 and 7 of the experiment. The number of eggs per gram (epg), seven haematological parameters and the immunoglobulin A (IgA) level were analysed for 56 experimental days. In addition, histopathological samples from the fundic abomasal region and the relative expression of 10 immune-related genes from 15 infected and three non-infected lambs were analysed at day 0 and 49 of the experiment. The epg count and some haematological parameters (leucocytes, red blood cells, haemoglobin and total protein) with statistically significant differences (P < 0.01) were used to identify nine resistant and 20 susceptible lambs (1166 ± 1071 and 3171 ± 1463 epg, respectively). Moreover, acute infiltration of immune cells and parasitic granuloma formation were observed in susceptible lambs; the resistant group had moderate inflammatory cell infiltration. With respect to relative gene expression, resistant lambs showed upregulation (P < 0.001) of 10 genes, from 2.2 to 15.99 fold. Moreover, there was a strong indirect correlation (P < 0.05) between the epg count and interleukin 5 (IL5) gene expression. By contrast, there was an average 0.34 fold downregulation in nine of the immune-related genes (P ≤ 0.05) in susceptible lambs (the only exception was Fc fragment of IgE receptor Ia [FCER1A] upregulation). In addition, there was a direct correlation (P ≤ 0.05) between the epg count and the expression of IL8, which encodes an inflammatory chemokine. In conclusion, this study showed differential IL5 and IL8 gene expression during haemonchosis in resistant and susceptible Pelibuey lambs, respectively, together with a variable immune response based on histopathological and haematological parameters.

PMID:33667946 | DOI:10.1016/j.vetimm.2021.110218

Int J Med Inform. 2021 Jan 28;149:104400. doi: 10.1016/j.ijmedinf.2021.104400. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Introduction The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need for robust data linkage systems and methods for identifying outbreaks of disease in near real-time. Objectives The primary objective of this study was to develop a real-time geospatial surveillance system to monitor the spread of COVID-19 across the UK. Methods Using self-reported app data and the Secure Anonymised Information Linkage (SAIL) Databank, we demonstrate the use of sophisticated spatial modelling for near-real-time prediction of COVID-19 prevalence at small-area resolution to inform strategic government policy areas. Results We demonstrate that using a combination of crowd-sourced app data and sophisticated geo-statistical techniques it is possible to predict hot spots of COVID-19 at fine geographic scales, nationally. We are also able to produce estimates of their precision, which is an important pre-requisite to an effective control strategy to guard against over-reaction to potentially spurious features of ‘best guess’ predictions. Conclusion In the UK, important emerging risk-factors such as social deprivation or ethnicity vary over small distances, hence risk needs to be modelled at fine spatial resolution to avoid aggregation bias. We demonstrate that existing geospatial statistical methods originally developed for global health applications are well-suited to this task and can be used in an anonymised databank environment, thus preserving the privacy of the individuals who contribute their data.

PMID:33667930 | DOI:10.1016/j.ijmedinf.2021.104400

Food Chem. 2021 Feb 23;352:129380. doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2021.129380. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Solid-phase microextraction coupled to gas chromatography-mass spectrometry is a common approach to analyze the volatile profile of cooked meat. The present study aims to investigate the combined effect of sample preparation, including meat presentation (minced and steak) and cooking method (stewed and grilled), and extraction temperature (30, 60 and 80 °C) and time (30 and 50 min) on the volatile composition of cooked deer meat. The statistical results indicated that extraction temperature was the most relevant factor affecting the meat volatile profile of cooked meat followed by the extraction time. Higher extraction temperatures improved the detection of heavy volatile compounds, while sample preparation had little influence on the meat volatile profile, probably due to the accurate control of the parameters used for meat presentation and cooking methods. The results of this work can assist in the standardization of analytical procedures for the characterization of volatile compounds in cooked meat.

PMID:33667923 | DOI:10.1016/j.foodchem.2021.129380