Nevin Manimala

J Sci Food Agric. 2022 Apr 22. doi: 10.1002/jsfa.11955. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND AND AIM: To date, no study has investigated the effects of probiotic yogurt as a functional food in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF). So, the aim of this study was to compare the impact of probiotic yogurt versus ordinary yogurt on inflammatory, endothelial, lipid and renal indices in CHF patients.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: In this randomized, triple-blind clinical trial, 90 patients with CHF were randomly allocated into two groups to take either probiotic or ordinary yogurt for 10 weeks. Serum levels of Soluble Tumor Necrosis Factor-Like Weak Inducer of Apoptosis) sTWEAK(, Soluble Cluster of Differentiation 163 )sCD163(, Asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) , lecithin cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT) were measured by using ELISA kits, and Blood urea nitrogen (BUN) was measured by calorimetry method at baseline and at the end of trial. P-value < 0.05 was defined as statistically significant.

RESULTS: 78 patients completed the study. At the end of the intervention, the levels of sTWEAK in both groups increased significantly, and this increase was greater in the probiotic yogurt group (691.84 (335.60, 866.95)) compared to control group (581.96 (444.99, 929.40)), and the difference between the groups was statistically significant after adjusting for confounders (P-value: 0.257, adjusted P-value: 0.038). However, no significant differences were found between the groups in the cases of other study indices.

CONCLUSION: Probiotic yogurt may be useful for improving the inflammatory status in patients with CHF through increasing sTWEAK levels, however, further studies are needed in this area. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

PMID:35460085 | DOI:10.1002/jsfa.11955

Int J Cancer. 2022 Apr 22. doi: 10.1002/ijc.34043. Online ahead of print.

NO ABSTRACT

PMID:35460074 | DOI:10.1002/ijc.34043

J Community Health. 2022 Apr 22. doi: 10.1007/s10900-021-01058-0. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

COVID-19 is a novel coronavirus with data suggesting a more serious clinical course in pregnancy. We aimed to assess changes in knowledge, behaviors, and intentions of pregnant women regarding COVID-19. This was a cross-sectional survey study of 58 and 77 predominantly African-American and Afro-Caribbean pregnant patients presenting for prenatal care in Brooklyn, NY in 2020 (during the first surge of the pandemic) and 2021, respectively. Descriptive and inferential statistics were performed. Many beliefs and intentions were unchanged between 2020 and 2021 (e.g. believing pregnant women were at higher risk of COVID-19 infection and subsequent ICU admission due to pregnancy, having the desire to breastfeed, among others). Other beliefs and behaviors changed between 2020 and 2021 (fewer women believed they received information from their provider regarding COVID-19 and fewer would miss a prenatal visit for fear of COVID-19 contagion). Patients’ behaviors and intended behaviors in both 2020 and 2021 were directly influenced by their beliefs, many of which were based on unsupported data regarding COVID-19 and pregnancy (ie: babies were at increased risk of being born with congenital malformation following a mother’s COVID-19 infection). Patients who held these beliefs were more likely to say that they did not attend prenatal visits and did not receive information from their provider regarding COVID-19. Knowledge of patient beliefs is useful for structuring care as the pandemic evolves. This study demonstrates that pregnant patients make decisions regarding behaviors based on beliefs grounded in misinformation. Accordingly, it is the provider’s responsibility to ensure that beliefs regarding COVID-19 are based in fact, so patients can make informed decisions.

PMID:35460062 | DOI:10.1007/s10900-021-01058-0

Curr Top Behav Neurosci. 2022 Apr 23. doi: 10.1007/7854_2021_280. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Sensitive periods are times during development when life experiences can have a greater impact on outcomes than at other periods during the life course. However, a dearth of sophisticated methods for studying time-dependent exposure-outcome relationships means that sensitive periods are often overlooked in research studies in favor of more simplistic and easier-to-use hypotheses such as ever being exposed, or the effect of an exposure accumulated over time. The structured life course modeling approach (SLCMA; pronounced “slick-mah”) allows researchers to model complex life course hypotheses, such as sensitive periods, to determine which hypothesis best explains the amount of variation between a repeated exposure and an outcome. The SLCMA makes use of the least angle regression (LARS) variable selection technique, a type of least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) estimation procedure, to yield a parsimonious model for the exposure-outcome relationship of interest. The results of the LARS procedure are complemented with a post-selection inference method, called selective inference, which provides unbiased effect estimates, confidence intervals, and p-values for the final explanatory model. In this chapter, we provide a brief overview of the genesis of this sensitive period modeling approach and provide a didactic step-by-step user’s guide to implement the SLCMA in sensitive- period research. R code to complete the SLCMA is available on our GitHub page at: https://github.com/thedunnlab/SLCMA-pipeline .

PMID:35460052 | DOI:10.1007/7854_2021_280

Pediatr Radiol. 2022 Apr 22. doi: 10.1007/s00247-022-05372-0. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Fetal growth restriction caused by placental insufficiency is associated with increased risk of poor neurodevelopment, even in the absence of specific perinatal brain injury. Placental insufficiency leads to chronic hypoxaemia that may alter cerebral tissue organisation and maturation.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess the effects fetal growth restriction and fetal haemodynamic abnormalities have on brain volumes and white matter microstructure at early school age.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study examined 32 children born with fetal growth restriction at 24 to 40 gestational weeks, and 27 gestational age-matched children, who were appropriate for gestational age. All children underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at the age of 8-10 years. Cerebral volumes were analysed, and tract-based spatial statistics and atlas-based analysis of white matter were performed on 17 children born with fetal growth restriction and 14 children with birth weight appropriate for gestational age.

RESULTS: Children born with fetal growth restriction demonstrated smaller total intracranial volumes compared to children with normal fetal growth, whereas no significant differences in grey or white matter volumes were detected. On atlas-based analysis of white matter, children born with fetal growth restriction demonstrated higher mean and radial diffusivity values in large white matter tracts when compared to children with normal fetal growth.

CONCLUSION: Children ages 8-10 years old born with fetal growth restriction demonstrated significant changes in white matter microstructure compared to children who were appropriate for gestational age, even though no differences in grey and white matter volumes were detected. Poor fetal growth may impact white matter maturation and lead to neurodevelopmental impairment later in life.

PMID:35460034 | DOI:10.1007/s00247-022-05372-0

Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2022 Apr 23. doi: 10.1007/s11356-022-20112-5. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Industrial upgrading is the key to promoting green economic efficiency. Coordination between environmental regulations and industrial structure can lead to sustainable economic growth. However, insufficient attention has been paid to the mechanism by which environmental regulation (ER) promote green economic efficiency (GEE) under the mediating role of industrial structure optimization. Using robust and comprehensive measures of green economic efficiency, we assess how various environmental regulations affect green economic efficiency as well as the intermediate effect of industrial structure of a certain province with provincial panel data during the period 2003-2017. The results of dynamic panel two-step system generalized method of moments (GMM) confirm the heterogeneous effects of the three types of ER, namely control-and-command regulation, market-based regulation, and voluntary regulation on GEE in China. The spatial analysis demonstrates that control-and-command and voluntary regulations significantly accelerate GEE in inland provinces, while they have insignificant effect in coastal provinces. Based on the mediating analysis, we find that market-based regulation is conducive to GEE through both advanced and rationalized industrial structure, whereas control-and-command regulation improves GEE through advanced industrial structure only. The voluntary-based regulation on one hand stimulates GEE through advanced industrial structure, but on other hand impedes it through rationalized industrial structure. The results could provide critical insights and a theoretical basis for policy makers in reasonable optimization of industrial structure and guaranteeing green economic efficiency.

PMID:35460008 | DOI:10.1007/s11356-022-20112-5

Clin Oral Investig. 2022 Apr 22. doi: 10.1007/s00784-022-04498-7. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of 30% hydrogen peroxide (HP) solution containing various contents of 45S5 bioactive glass (BAG) on whitening efficacy and enamel surface properties after simulating the clinical bleaching procedure.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 60 bovine enamel specimens discolored with black tea were divided into five groups treated with distilled water (DW), HP, 0.01 wt.% BAG + HP, 1.0 wt.% BAG + HP, and 20.0 wt.% BAG + HP (n = 12). The pH change was observed for 20 min immediately after mixing the experimental solutions, which were applied for 20 min/week, at 37 °C over 21 days. Color, gloss, roughness, microhardness, and micromorphology measurements were conducted before and after bleaching treatment.

RESULTS: All groups containing BAG experienced an increase in pH from 3.5 to 5.5 in less than 1 min, and the final pH increased as the BAG content increased. The ΔE of all experimental groups was significantly higher than that of the DW group (p < 0.05), but there were no significant differences between different BAG contents (p > 0.05). Gloss significantly decreased in all experimental groups compared to the DW group, and the increased BAG content had significantly affected the decrease in gloss (p < 0.05). There was no statistical difference in surface roughness (p > 0.05), but hardness increased significantly with BAG content after bleaching treatment (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS: HP containing 45S5 BAG showed efficacy in tooth whitening. Also, the pH value of the HP remained acidic near 3.5 for 20 min, while the HP containing the 45S5 BAG showed an increase in pH, which inhibited the demineralization of the enamel surface, and maintained the surface morphology.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE: These novel materials are promising candidates to minimize enamel surface damage caused by HP during bleaching procedure in dental clinic.

PMID:35459971 | DOI:10.1007/s00784-022-04498-7

Support Care Cancer. 2022 Apr 22. doi: 10.1007/s00520-022-07033-2. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Implementing effective strategies to transition care for individuals with colorectal cancer is an important tool to qualify care for affected individuals, as well as contribute to the dispensation of continuous and quality care to patients.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of strategies to transition from hospital care to the community compared to usual care for colorectal cancer patients to reduce hospital stay, readmissions at 30 days, and visit to the emergency department up to 30 days.

METHOD: Systematic review and meta-analysis followed the recommendations of PRISMA statement, with protocol registered in PROSPERO (CRD 42,020,162,249). Searches were carried out in May 2020 in the following databases: PubMed/MEDLINE, LILACS, EMBASE, and Cochrane Central. Meta-analysis was performed using a random-effects model. The measure of effect used for dichotomous outcomes was relative risk, and for continuous outcomes, the difference of means was used, with their confidence intervals of 95%. Heterogeneity was evaluated using inconsistency statistics.

RESULTS: Of 631 identified studies, seven studies were included. The meta-analysis of the studies showed a reduction in readmissions at 30 days of 32% and a significant reduction in hospital stay time of approximately one and a half days, both of which were analyzed in favor of the group of care transition interventions.

CONCLUSION: The findings showed effective care transition strategies for the transition of colorectal cancer patients, such as post-discharge active surveillance program, standardized protocol of improved recovery, and telephone follow-up.

TRIAL REGISTRATION: CRD42020162249.

PMID:35459953 | DOI:10.1007/s00520-022-07033-2

J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol. 2022 Apr 22. doi: 10.1038/s41370-022-00438-5. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: In the first stage of a two-stage study, the researcher uses a statistical model to impute the unobserved exposures. In the second stage, imputed exposures serve as covariates in epidemiological models. Imputation error in the first stage operate as measurement errors in the second stage, and thus bias exposure effect estimates.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to improve the estimation of exposure effects by sharing information between the first and second stages.

METHODS: At the heart of our estimator is the observation that not all second-stage observations are equally important to impute. We thus borrow ideas from the optimal-experimental-design theory, to identify individuals of higher importance. We then improve the imputation of these individuals using ideas from the machine-learning literature of domain adaptation.

RESULTS: Our simulations confirm that the exposure effect estimates are more accurate than the current best practice. An empirical demonstration yields smaller estimates of PM effect on hyperglycemia risk, with tighter confidence bands.

SIGNIFICANCE: Sharing information between environmental scientist and epidemiologist improves health effect estimates. Our estimator is a principled approach for harnessing this information exchange, and may be applied to any two stage study.

PMID:35459930 | DOI:10.1038/s41370-022-00438-5

Am J Reprod Immunol. 2022 Apr 22. doi: 10.1111/aji.13551. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The pathogenesis of recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) is multifactorial and not completely elucidated. Dysregulated immunity was implicated with RPL, in which regulatory T cells (Tregs) are key. As Tregs development and function is regulated by Forkhead Box P3 (FOXP3) transcription factor, and as FOXP3 expression is genetically determined, a role for FOXP3 polymorphisms in RPL pathogenesis was suggested.

AIM: To investigate the association of rs2294021, rs2232365, rs3761548, and rs141704699 FOXP3 variants with idiopathic RPL in Lebanese women.

METHODS: This retrospective case-control study included 386 RPL cases and 398 age-matched control women. Logistic odds ratios were estimated with 95% confidence interval after adjustment; a significance value of <0.05 was set.

RESULTS: Significantly lower rs22944021 and rs2232365 minor allele frequency (MAF) was found in patients with idiopathic RPL in comparison with the control group. Furthermore, statistically significantly lower frequency of heterozygous and homozygous rs2294021 and rs2232365 genotypes was seen in controls, while significantly lower rs3761548 heterozygous genotype frequencies were found in the patient group. Obesity, anti-hypertension treatment, smoking, positive RPL family history, abortion state, and infertility treatment correlated negatively with rs2294021, while rs2232365 negatively correlated with obesity, and rs3761548 negatively correlated with infertility treatment. Marked linkage disequilibrium was noted among FOXP3 SNPs, with TGCC and CGAC haplotypes being positive, while CAAC, CACC, and TGAC haplotypes being negatively associated with RPL risk. Except for CGAC, the association of these haplotypes with RPL persisted after adjustment.

CONCLUSION: FOXP3 gene variants and haplotypes are associated with altered incidence of RPL, proposing the role of Treg in RPL pathogenesis. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

PMID:35452532 | DOI:10.1111/aji.13551