Nevin Manimala

Jpn J Ophthalmol. 2022 Apr 17. doi: 10.1007/s10384-022-00918-z. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: To assess the risk factors for intraocular pressure (IOP) elevation during the early period post cataract surgery.

STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective study.

METHODS: This study involved 1587 eyes that underwent cataract surgery at the Baptist Eye Institute, Kyoto, Japan between April 2020 and May 2021. In all subjects, risk factors for early postoperative IOP elevation (i.e., an increase of IOP of 10 mmHg or more at 1-day postoperative compared with that at baseline, or a postoperative IOP of 28 mmHg or more) were analyzed by multivariate logistic regression analysis.

RESULTS: Of the 1587 treated eyes in this study, 100 (6.3%) experienced early-postoperative IOP elevation. Of those 100 eyes, 78.0% were men, 27.0% had an axial length (AL) of ≥ 26.5 mm, 23.0% had a history of glaucoma treatment, 11.0% had poor mydriasis and 10.0% had intraoperative floppy iris syndrome (IFIS). Multivariate analysis findings revealed that male [odds ratio (OR) 4.36; 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.63-7.23; P < 0.001], AL of ≥ 26.5 mm (3.11; 1.83-5.30; P < 0.001), a history of glaucoma treatment (2.83; 1.63-4.91; P < 0.001), poorly mydriasis (2.63; 1.16-6.01; P = 0.02), IFIS (4.37; 1.78-10.74; P = 0.001) and baseline high IOP (1.09; 1.01-1.18; P = 0.03) were associated with increased IOP during the early period post cataract surgery.

CONCLUSIONS: The findings in this study reveal that male sex, high myopia, a history of glaucoma treatment, poor mydriasis, IFIS and baseline high IOP are risk factors for IOP elevation during the early period post cataract surgery.

PMID:35430642 | DOI:10.1007/s10384-022-00918-z

Mycopathologia. 2022 Apr 16. doi: 10.1007/s11046-022-00631-y. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Whether cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene mutations contribute to the high prevalence of allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA) in India remains unknown. We aimed to evaluate the occurrence of CFTR mutations in subjects with ABPA complicating asthma.

METHODS: We sequenced the CFTR gene using genomic DNA from blood on the Illumina NextSeq500 platform. Before undertaking zygosity analysis by genome analysis toolkit, the known or novel single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and indels were called. For rigorous analysis, we included only high-quality SNPs (scores > 500) and coverage ranging from 30 × 150x.

RESULTS: We included 18, 12, and eight adult participants of ABPA, asthma, and healthy controls, respectively. The frequency of SNPs was higher in asthmatic subjects than ABPA or healthy controls, albeit not statistically significant (9/12 [75%] vs. 11/18 [61.1%] vs. 3/8 [37.5%], p = 0.24). Of the 38 subjects, 23 yielded 50 variants (healthy controls [n = 5], ABPA [n = 22], asthma [n = 23]) corresponding to six SNPs not previously linked with ABPA. Of these, four SNPs (rs213950, rs200735475, rs1800113, and rs1800136) were catalogued in the NCBI database. We identified two novel SNPs (chr7:117250703, chr7:117282655) in four (ABPA [n = 1], asthma [n = 3]) subjects without corresponding reference SNP. Most SNPs (85.5%) were heterozygous. The frequency of SNPs was higher in ABPA subjects with high-attenuation mucus (52.2%) and bronchiectasis (39.1%) than serological ABPA (8.7%).

CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggests the role of CFTR mutations in the pathogenesis of ABPA. The SNPs in the CFTR gene may contribute to disease severity in ABPA. Larger studies are required to confirm our findings.

PMID:35430640 | DOI:10.1007/s11046-022-00631-y

Nicotine Tob Res. 2022 Apr 17:ntac107. doi: 10.1093/ntr/ntac107. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Bans of menthol characterizing flavor in tobacco products have been proposed, however there is limited data regarding the impact on current menthol cigarette smokers of including e-cigarettes in such bans.

METHODS: In this six-week pilot study, menthol smokers were randomized to receive all tobacco products from an experimental marketplace simulating either no menthol ban, a menthol ban for cigarettes but not e-cigarettes or a ban for both (“total menthol ban”).

RESULTS: At the first experimental marketplace visit, all but one participant selected cigarettes with e-cigarettes selected by 38%, 69% and 40% of participants in the no ban, menthol cigarette ban and total menthol ban groups, respectively. Over the study period, the total menthol ban group smoked more than the menthol cigarette ban group (estimated mean ratio [EMR] in cigarettes per day = 1.38; 95% CI: 1.1, 1.75; p=0.006). Compared to the no ban condition, the menthol cigarette ban group smoked slightly fewer (EMR = 0.87; 95% CI: 0.68, 1.11) and the total menthol ban group smoked slightly more (EMR = 1.20; 95% CI: 1.00, 1.45) although neither difference reached statistical significance. In both menthol ban conditions, ratings were lower (vs. no ban) on several measures of craving and of cigarette effects and liking.

CONCLUSIONS: Menthol bans that include e-cigarettes may result in different patterns of tobacco use than if only combustible cigarettes are included, although e-cigarettes were not extensively used in any group. Larger studies are needed to determine which policies most likely provide the largest public health benefit.

IMPLICATIONS: Bans of menthol characterizing flavor have been proposed, however the effects on menthol cigarette smokers of including e-cigarettes in such bans are not clear. This study found that smokers randomized to a simulated ban on menthol in both cigarettes and e-cigarettes smoked more cigarettes per day over the 6-week study period than those randomized to a simulated ban on menthol in only cigarettes suggesting that smoking patterns among current menthol smokers differ depending on which products are included in a menthol ban. Larger studies are needed to determine policies most likely to provide the largest public health benefit.

PMID:35430631 | DOI:10.1093/ntr/ntac107

Sci Rep. 2022 Apr 16;12(1):6378. doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-10479-3.

ABSTRACT

Recent wildfire events (e.g. Mediterranean region, USA, and Australia) showed that this hazard poses a serious threat for wildland-urban interface (WUI) areas around the globe. Furthermore, recent events in regions where wildfire does not constitute a frequent hazard (e.g. Siberia, Scandinavia) indicated that the spatial pattern of wildfire risk might have significantly changed. To prepare for upcoming extreme events, it is critical for decision-makers to have a thorough understanding of the vulnerability of the built environment to wildfire. Building quality and design standards are important not only because building loss is costly but also because robust buildings may offer shelter when evacuation is not possible. However, studies aiming at the analysis of wildfire vulnerability for the built environment are limited. This paper presents an innovative solution for the vulnerability assessment to wildfires, making use of an all-relevant feature selection algorithm established on statistical relationships to develop a physical vulnerability index for buildings subject to wildfire. Data from a recent and systematically documented wildfire event in Greece (Mati, 2018) are used to select and weight the relevant indicators using a permutation-based automated feature selection based on random forests. Building characteristics including the structural type, the roof type, material and shape, the inclination of the ground, the surrounding vegetation, the material of the shutters and the ground covering were selected and formed into the index. The index may be used in other places in Europe and beyond, especially where no empirical data are available supporting decision-making and risk reduction of an emerging hazard amplified by climate change.

PMID:35430626 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-022-10479-3

Sci Rep. 2022 Apr 16;12(1):6385. doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-10416-4.

ABSTRACT

Babesiosis, caused by protozoan parasites of the genus Babesia, and ixodid ticks are considered to be one of the most important causes that result in significant economic losses in cattle production worldwide, including in Ethiopia. A cross-sectional study was undertaken in the Dasenech and Salamago Districts of South Omo zone Ethiopia to determine the prevalence and associated risk factors of babesia infection and ixodid ticks of cattle using Giemsa-stained thin and thick film techniques and morphological identification keys for babesia species and tick identification, respectively. Out of 470 examined cattle, 102 (21.7%) were infected by Babesiosis (15.53% Babesia bigemina and 6.17% Babesia bovis). A statistically significant association (p < 0.05) was observed between babesia infection and season and tick infestation. However, cattle that were infected with the Babesia parasite revealed a lower mean PCV value (21.49%) than noninfected cattle (28.29%) and showed a statistically significant (p < 0.05) difference with the occurrence of Babesia infection. The overall prevalence of ixodid ticks was 53.8% (253/470) and revealed a statistically significant association (p < 0.05) between the season and origin of the animal. However, no statistically significant association (p > 0.05) was observed between sex, age, and body condition score of the animal with the occurrence of ixodid tick. A total of 8040 adult ticks belonging to four tick genera, Amblyomma, Rhipicephalus (Boophilus), Hyalomma, and Rhipicephalus, were collected from various body parts and identified. The high prevalence of Babesia infection and ixodid ticks in cattle at the study sites requires seroprevalence and molecular studies to identify the predominant Babesia species and to detect Babesia in tick hemolymph for the identification of tick genera responsible for the occurrence of Babesia infection. Additionally, tailoring suitable and coordinated tick management methods using chemotherapy as well as strategic treatment to overt clinical cases of bovine babesiosis is critical.

PMID:35430623 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-022-10416-4

Sci Rep. 2022 Apr 16;12(1):6377. doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-10422-6.

ABSTRACT

Metabolic syndrome (MS) is a clinical syndrome with multiple metabolic disorders. As the diagnostic criteria for MS still lacking of imaging laboratory method, this study aimed to explore the differences between healthy people and MS patients through infrared thermography (IRT). However, the observation region of the IRT image is uncertain, and the research tried to solve this problem with the help of knowledge mining technology. 43 MS participants were randomly included through a cross-sectional method, and 43 healthy participants were recruited through number matching. The IRT image of each participant was segmented into the region of interest (ROI) through the preprocessing method proposed in this research, and then the ROI features were granulated by the K-means algorithm to generate the formal background, and finally, the two formal background were separately built into a knowledge graph through the knowledge mining method based on the attribute partial order structure. The baseline data shows that there is no difference in age, gender, and height between the two groups (P > 0.05). The image preprocessing method can segment the IRT image into 18 ROI. Through the K-means method, each group of data can be separately established with a 43 × 36 formal background and generated a knowledge graph. It can be found through knowledge mining and independent-samples T test that the average temperature and maximum temperature difference between the chest and face of the two groups are statistically different (P < 0.01). IRT could reflect the difference between healthy people and MS people. The measurement regions were found by the method of knowledge mining on the premise of unknown. The method proposed in this paper may add a new imaging method for MS laboratory examinations, and at the same time, through knowledge mining, it can also expand a new idea for clinical research of IRT.

PMID:35430598 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-022-10422-6

Prostate Cancer Prostatic Dis. 2022 Apr 16. doi: 10.1038/s41391-022-00533-6. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Although the benefit of androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) continuation in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) remains controversial, clinical evidence is lacking. Recent results indicated that treatment with abiraterone acetate (AA) plus prednisone (P) further suppresses serum testosterone levels over ADT alone, suggesting that continuation of ADT in the treatment of mCRPC may not be necessary.

METHODS: In this exploratory phase 2 study, mCRPC patients were randomized with a 1:1 ratio to receive either continued ADT plus AA + P (Arm A) or AA + P alone (Arm B). The primary endpoint was the rate of radiographic progression-free survival (rPFS) at month 12. Secondary endpoints included PSA-response rate, objective response, time to PSA progression and safety.

RESULTS: A total of 68 patients were equally randomized between the two study arms. Median testosterone-levels remained below castrate-levels throughout treatment in all patients. According to the intention-to-treat analysis the rPFS rate was 0.84 in Arm A and 0.89 in Arm B. Moderate and severe treatment-emergent adverse events were reported for 72% of the patients in Arm A and for 85% of the patients in Arm B.

CONCLUSIONS: AA + P treatment without ADT may be effective in mCRPC patients and ADT may not be necessary in patients receiving AA + P.

PMID:35430584 | DOI:10.1038/s41391-022-00533-6

Sci Rep. 2022 Apr 16;12(1):6386. doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-10389-4.

ABSTRACT

Insufficient evidence is available comparing mortality and cause of death between general hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) and general non-HCM populations. We aimed to investigate how causes of death and mortality differ in subjects with and without HCM. Using the National Health Insurance Service database from 2009 to 2016, individuals who underwent health check-up(s) with or without a history of HCM were identified. Participants in the HCM group were matched at a 1:1 ratio with those in the non-HCM group using propensity scores calculated from the baseline covariates. Mortality rates and risks were compared between the groups. In total, 14,858 participants (7,429 each in the HCM and non-HCM groups) were followed up over a mean 4.4 ± 2.2 years (mean age, 61.0 years; male proportion, 66.8%). Compared to the non-HCM group, the HCM group showed a higher risk of all-cause and HCM-related mortality and a similar risk for non-cardiovascular mortality (hazard ratio [95% confidence interval] 1.57 [1.38-1.78], 2.71 [1.92-3.83], and 1.04 [0.88-1.23], respectively). The sensitivity analyses consistently showed that the HCM group showed higher risks of all-cause and HCM-related mortality than the non-HCM group. The female participants with HCM were associated with an increasing trend of the risks of all-cause mortality but not HCM-related mortality compared to their male counterparts (p for interaction < 0.001 and 0.185, respectively). In conclusion, compared to the non-HCM population, the general HCM population showed higher risks of both all-cause and HCM-related mortality, but had a similar risk of non-cardiovascular mortality.

PMID:35430580 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-022-10389-4

Orv Hetil. 2022 Apr 17;163(16):624-630. doi: 10.1556/650.2022.32440. Print 2022 Apr 17.

ABSTRACT

Összefoglaló. Bevezetés: A fejlett országok körében a hátsószegmens-betegségek számítanak a vakság és a gyengénlátás leggyakoribb okának az időskorú lakosság körében. Célkitűzés: Tanulmányunk célja a hátsószegmens-betegségek okozta látásromlás és vakság prevalenciájának meghatározása az 50 éves és annál idősebb korú lakosság körében Magyarországon. Módszer: A Központi Statisztikai Hivatal által kijelölt 105 lakókörzetben, az Elkerülhető Vakság Gyors Felmérése (Rapid Assessment of Avoidable Blindness; RAAB) metodika segítségével végeztük a vizsgálatokat. Minden résztvevőnél direkt szemtükörrel szemvizsgálatot végeztünk. A látóélességet egyszerűsített Snellen-tábla segítségével, stenop lyukkal, illetve a nélkül vizsgáltuk. A cukorbeteg résztvevőkön pupillatágítást és szemfenéki vizsgálatot végeztünk indirekt binokuláris oftalmoszkóppal. Eredmények: Összességében 3675 alkalmas résztvevőből 3523 (95,9%) személyt vizsgáltunk, akik között a hátsószegmens-betegségek következtében kialakult kétoldali vakság és súlyos látásromlás prevalenciája 0,7% és 0,2% volt. A hátsó szegmens betegségei miatt kialakult összes látásromlás leggyakoribb okai gyakorisági sorrendben (prevalenciaértékkel) a következők voltak: öregkori maculadegeneratio (1,419%), glaucoma (0,397%), diabeteses retinopathia (0,341%) és rhegmatogen ideghártya-leválás (0,198%). A hátsószegmens-betegség okozta vakság leggyakoribb okai az öregkori maculadegeneratio (37,5%), a glaucoma (16,7%), a diabeteses retinopathia (8,3%), a nagyfokú myopia (8,3%), a rhegmatogen retinaleválás (8,3%) és a retinitis pigmentosa (8,3%) voltak. Következtetés: Hazánkban a súlyos látásromláshoz és vaksághoz vezető hátsószegmens-betegségek előfordulási gyakorisága más, korábban RAAB-felmérést végzett országokéhoz képest alacsonyabb, az egyes kórképek gyakorisági sorrendje pedig a fejlett országokéhoz hasonló. Az öregkori maculadegeneratiós, glaucomás, cukorbeteg és patológiás myop páciensek folyamatosan növekvő száma miatt javítani kellene a szemészeti ellátás hozzáférhetőségén és modernizálni a finanszírozását. Orv Hetil. 2022; 163(16): 624-630.

INTRODUCTION: Posterior segment diseases are the most common causes of blindness and visual impairment in developed countries among people aged 50 years and older in Hungary.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to estimate the prevalence of visual impairment and blindness caused by posterior segment diseases in the population aged 50 years and older in Hungary.

METHOD: 105 census enumeration units were randomly selected with a probability proportional to size by the Hungarian Central Statistical Office. The standardised Rapid Assessment of Avoidable Blindness (RAAB) method was used. Participants underwent eye examination with a direct ophthalmoscope. Participants underwent visual acuity testing with a Snellen tumbling E-chart with or without a pinhole. Dilated fundus examination was performed in diabetic participants using an indirect binocular ophthalmoscope.

RESULTS: In total, 3523 (95.9%) out of 3675 eligible people were examined, of whom the prevalence of bilateral blindness and severe visual impairment was 0.7% and 0.2%, respectively. The most common causes of visual impairment caused by posterior segment diseases were age-related macular degeneration (1.419%), glaucoma (0.397%), diabetic retinopathy (0.341%) and rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (0.198%). The most common causes of blindness caused by posterior segment diseases were age-related macular degeneration (37.5%), glaucoma (16.7%), diabetic retinopathy (8.3%), high myopia (8.3%), rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (8.3%) and retinitis pigmentosa (8.3%).

CONCLUSION: Prevalence of severe visual impairment and blindness caused by posterior segment diseases was lower compared to results of RAAB surveys in other countries. The frequency order of different posterior segment diseases was in line with developed countries. Availability of eye care should be improved and financing should be modernized due to the continuously increasing number of patients with age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma, diabetes and pathologic myopia. Orv Hetil. 2022; 163(16): 624-630.

PMID:35430571 | DOI:10.1556/650.2022.32440

JMIR Cancer. 2022 Apr 10. doi: 10.2196/35020. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The advancement of cancer research has been facilitated through freely available cancer literature, databases and tools. The age of genomics and big data has given rise to the need for cooperation and data sharing in order to make efficient use of this new information in the COVID-19 pandemic. Although there are many databases for cancer research their access is not easy due to different ways of processing and managing the data. There is absence of a unified platform to manage all of them in a transparent and more comprehensible way.

OBJECTIVE: In the herein research effort, an improved integrated cancer research database and platform is provided facilitating a deeper statistical insight of correlation between cancer and COVID-19 pandemic, unifying the collection of almost all previous published cancer databases and defining a model web database for cancer research, scoring databases on the basis of the variety types of cancer, sample size, completeness of omics results, and user interface.

METHODS: Databases examined and integrated include Data Portal database, Genomic database, Proteomic database, Expression database, Gene database and Mutation database; and it is expected that this launch will sort, save, advance understanding and encourage the use of these resources in the cancer research environment.

RESULTS: To make it easy to search valuable information 85 cancer databases are provided in the form of table as well as the database of databases named Cancer research database (CRDB) has been built and herein presented. Furthermore, the CRDB has been herein equipped with unique navigation tools so that to be explored by three methods, i.e., any single database can be browsed by typing the name in the given search bar, while all Categories can be browsed by clicking on the name of the category, or image expression icon, a facility that could provide all the categories databases on a single click.

CONCLUSIONS: Moreover, the computational platform (PHP, HTML, CSS, and MySQL) is used to build CRDB for the cancer scientific community, which can be freely investigated and browsed by clicking at https://www.habdsk.org/crdb.php, and is planned to be updated timely. In addition, based on the proposed platform, the status and diagnoses statistics of cancer during COVID-19 pandemic has been herein thoroughly investigated through using CRDB, thus, providing an easy to manage and understandable framework that mining knowledge for future researchers.

PMID:35430561 | DOI:10.2196/35020