Nevin Manimala

Forensic Sci Int. 2021 Mar 15;322:110753. doi: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2021.110753. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Fibre population surveys are a necessary part of the forensic fibres examination field. They provide valuable information as to which fibres are the most popular and help estimate the likelihood of observing similar properties in a fibre unrelated to the event. The time needed to carry these types of studies is however a major obstacle to wider use. With the advent of e-commerce and digital computation, collecting information from digital sources and structuring it in a convenient way may provide meaningful information on fibres population. It has become more affordable for researchers who can now devote most of their time to extracting meaningful information from the structured data. In this article, we have used a scrapy and kibana/elastic search interface to crawl and scrape a major online clothes retailer. In less than 24 h we have extracted 68 text-based field describing a total of 24,701 clothes to help provide precise estimations of fibres types and color frequencies. We were able to provide data that cotton, polyester, viscose and elastane are the 4 main types of fibres used in the textile industry. Elastane, while being very popular in garments, rarely accounts for more than 10% of the mass while cotton accounts for up to 80% of content. The most common colors are white, black, and blue, with important dependencies to the fibre type. Through further statistics and examples we demonstrate that web scraping techniques have the potential to provide near real-time population studies that can greatly benefit forensic practitioners.

PMID:33752084 | DOI:10.1016/j.forsciint.2021.110753

Leg Med (Tokyo). 2020 Nov 25;50:101820. doi: 10.1016/j.legalmed.2020.101820. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Each year in Japan from 1990 to 1997, approx. 21,000-24,000 individuals committed suicide. In 1998, the number of suicides increased to >30,000, and a trend of high suicide numbers then persisted for >10 years. Although Japan’s annual number of suicides has recently been decreasing, it remains among the highest worldwide. Herein, we assessed the annual suicide data (numbers and rates) related to three economic and life indicators: (1) the difference between actual income and consumer spending of one average month per year in one household, (2) the annual difference between exports and imports, and (3) the annual total debt determined by statistical analyses for both sexes/males/females during the 40-year period from 1979 to 2018 in Japan. Our findings indicated that [1] total debt may be associated with both the number of suicides and the suicide rate for both sexes, for males, and for females, and [2] the difference between actual income and consumer spending may be associated with both the number of suicides and the suicide rate only in females. These findings revealed factors that are clearly suicide-related, and it is necessary to design suicide prevention strategies based on the factors. Relevant public and private entities should become aware of the involvement of both debt and the difference between income and spending in suicide trends as they plan suicide prevention measures. Further analyses of suicide data should be performed in a wide range of fields including legal medicine, toward a greater understanding of suicide risk factors.

PMID:33752083 | DOI:10.1016/j.legalmed.2020.101820

Neuroimage Clin. 2021 Mar 8;30:102619. doi: 10.1016/j.nicl.2021.102619. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the large-scale structural rich club organization was abnormal in patients with Leber’s hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), and the associations among disrupted brain structural connectivity, disease duration, and neuro-ophthalmological impairment.

METHODS: Nineteen acute, 34 chronic LHON patients, and 36 healthy controls (HC) underwent DTI and neuro-ophthalmological measurements. The brain structural network and rich club organization were constructed based on deterministic fiber tracking at the individual level. Then intergroup differences among the acute, chronic LHON patients and healthy controls (HC) in three types of structural connections, including rich club, feeder, and local ones, were compared. Network-based Statistics (NBS) was also used to test the intergroup connectivity differences for each fiber. Several linear and nonlinear curve fit models were applied to explore the associations among large-scale brain structural connectivity, disease duration, and neuro-ophthalmological metrics.

RESULTS: Compared to the HC, both the acute and chronic LHON patients had consistently significantly lower fractional anisotropy (FA) and higher radial diffusion (RD) for feeder connections (p < 0.05, FDR correction). Acute LHON patients had significantly lower FA and higher RD for local connections (p < 0.05, FDR correction). There was no significant difference in large-scale brain structural connectivity between acute and chronic LHON (p > 0.05, FDR correction). NBS also identified reduced FA of three feeder connections and five local ones linking visual, auditory, and basal ganglia areas in LHON patients (p < 0.05, FDR correction). No structural connections showed linear or nonlinear association with either disease duration or neuro-ophthalmological indicators (p > 0.05, FDR correction). A significant negative correlation was shown between the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness and disease duration (p < 0.05, FDR correction).

CONCLUSIONS: Abnormal rich club organization of the structural network was identified in both the acute and chronic LHON. Furthermore, our findings suggest the coexistence of both primary and secondary connectivity damage in the LHON.

PMID:33752075 | DOI:10.1016/j.nicl.2021.102619

Sci Total Environ. 2021 Mar 13;779:146427. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.146427. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Lung cancer (LC) mortality, as one of the top cancer deaths in China, has been associated with increased levels of exposure to ambient air pollutants. In this study, different lag times on weekly basis were applied to study the association of air pollutants (PM2.5, PM10, and NO2) and LC mortality in Ningbo, and in subpopulations at different age groups and genders. Furthermore, seasonal variations of pollutant concentrations and meteorological variables (temperature, relative humidity, and wind speed) were analysed. A generalised additive model (GAM) using Poisson regression was employed to estimate the effect of single pollutant model on LC mortality in Yangtze River Delta using Ningbo as a case study. It was reported that there were statistically significant relationships between lung cancer mortality and air pollutants. Increases of 6.2% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.2% to 12.6%) and 4.3% (95% CI: 0.1% to 8.5%) weekly total LC mortality with a 3-week lag time were linked to each 10 μg/m³ increase of weekly average PM_2.5 and PM₁₀ respectively. The association of air pollutants (PM_2.5, PM₁₀ and NO₂) and LC mortality with a 3-week lag time was also found statistically significant during periods of low temperature (T < 18 °C), low relative humidity (H < 73.7%) and low wind speed (u < 2.8 m/s), respectively. The female population was found to be more susceptible to the exposure to air pollution than the male population. In addition, the population with an age of 50 years or above was shown to be more sensitive to ambient air pollutant. These outcomes indicated that increased risk of lung cancer mortality was evidently linked to exposure to ambient air pollutant on a weekly basis. The impact of weekly variation on the LC mortality and air pollutant levels should be considered in air pollution-related health burden analysis.

PMID:33752019 | DOI:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.146427

Infect Dis Poverty. 2021 Mar 10;10(1):22. doi: 10.1186/s40249-021-00811-w.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: China is still faced with the public health challenge of tuberculosis (TB), and a robust surveillance system is critical for developing evidence-based TB control policies. The Tuberculosis Information Management System (TBIMS), an independent system launched in 2005, has encountered several challenges in meeting the current needs of TB control. The Chinese government also planned to establish the National Health Information System (NHIS) aggregating data in different areas. The China National Health Commission-Gates TB Project Phase III launched a new TB surveillance system to address these challenges and also as a pilot for the countrywide implementation of the NHIS. This commentary highlights the improvements and challenges in implementing the new TB system and also discusses the implications for the roll-out of the NHIS.

MAIN TEXT: The new TB surveillance system piloted in each prefecture of the project provinces was designed based on the local information system under the unified principle of organizing patient information under a unique ID and realizing the function of data exchange. Upon mid-2019, the data exchange successful rate reached almost 100%, and the system showed good performance in data completeness. Major improvements of the new system included achieving automatic data extraction instead of manual entry, assisting clinical service provision, and the augmented statistical functions. The major challenges in the implementation and scale-up of the new system were the licensing issue and the diversities of infrastructures that hinder the promotion of the new system at a low cost. This pilot also accumulated experiences for the roll-out of the NHIS regarding the technical solutions of reforming current information systems as well as effective training approaches for the developers and users of the new system.

CONCLUSIONS: The successful implementation of the new TB surveillance system in the three TB designated medical institutions demonstrated how the diverse infrastructures of the information system could be reformed to achieve the functions of automatic data extraction and data exchange and better cater to the needs of healthcare workers. This pilot also accumulated rich experiences and lessons learnt for developing technical solutions and personnel training for the scale-up of the NHIS.

PMID:33750465 | DOI:10.1186/s40249-021-00811-w

BMC Res Notes. 2021 Mar 9;14(1):86. doi: 10.1186/s13104-021-05501-2.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: To assess the appropriateness of the statistical methodology used in a recent meta-analysis investigating the effect of maternity waiting homes (MWHs) on perinatal mortality in Sub-Saharan Africa.

RESULTS: A recent meta-analysis published in BMC Research Notes used a fixed-effect model to generate an unadjusted summary estimate of the effectiveness of MWHs in reducing perinatal mortality in Africa using ten observational studies (pooled odds ratio 0.15, 95% confidence interval 0.14-0.17). The authors concluded that MWHs reduce perinatal mortality by over 80% and should be incorporated into routine maternal health care services. In the present article, we illustrate that due to the contextual and methodological heterogeneity present in existing studies, the authors’ conclusions about the effectiveness of MWHs in reducing perinatal mortality were likely overstated. Additionally, we argue that because of the selection bias and confounding inherent in observational studies, unadjusted pooled estimates provide little causal evidence for effectiveness. Additional studies with robust designs are required before an appropriately designed meta-analysis can be conducted; until then, the ability to draw causal inferences regarding the effectiveness of MWHs in reducing perinatal mortality is limited.

PMID:33750459 | DOI:10.1186/s13104-021-05501-2

BMC Res Notes. 2021 Mar 9;14(1):92. doi: 10.1186/s13104-021-05508-9.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: In 2018, we conducted a retrospective survey using the medical records of 484 patients with type 2 diabetes. The observed value of coronary heart disease (CHD) incidence after 5 years and the predicted value by the JJ risk engine as of 2013 were compared and verified using the discrimination and calibration values.

RESULTS: Among the total cases analyzed, the C-statistic was 0.588, and the calibration was p < 0.05; thus, the JJ risk engine could not correctly predict the risk of CHD. However, in the group expected to have a low frequency of hypoglycemia, the C-statistic was 0.646; the predictability of the JJ risk engine was relatively accurate. Therefore, it is difficult to accurately predict the complication rate of patients using the JJ risk engine based on the diabetes treatment policy after the Kumamoto Declaration 2013. The JJ risk engine has several input items (variables), and it is difficult to satisfy them all unless the environment is well-equipped with testing facilities, such as a university hospital. Therefore, it is necessary to create a new risk engine that requires fewer input items than the JJ risk engine and is applicable to several patients.

PMID:33750456 | DOI:10.1186/s13104-021-05508-9

J Orthop Surg Res. 2021 Mar 9;16(1):180. doi: 10.1186/s13018-021-02325-5.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Acromioclavicular joint dislocation is a shoulder joint injury common in the clinical setting and is generally surgically treated with clavicular hook plate technique with confirmed curative effect. However, symptoms such as shoulder abduction limitation, shoulder discomfort and joint pain postoperatively may occur in some patients. Therefore, this study aimed to explore whether the existing clavicular hook plate can be reasonably selected to reduce the incidence of subacromial impingement syndrome (SIS) and provide a reference for clinical diagnosis and treatment.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients with SIS admitted from March 2018 to June 2020 were selected as the experimental group and asymptomatic patients postoperatively, as the control group. The hook end depth and acromial height of the hook plate used in patients were recorded, and the difference between them was calculated.

RESULTS: The difference between the hook plate depth and acromial height was 7.500±1.912 mm and 6.563±1.537 mm in the experimental and control groups, respectively, with statistically significant difference (t=3.021, P=0.006). A difference of >0.6 mm as a grouping index is required to perform a single factor analysis, with statistically significant difference (t=3.908, P=0.048).

CONCLUSIONS: The occurrence of SIS after placing the clavicular hook plate may be related to the difference between its depth and the acromial height. A difference of >6 mm may be a factor affecting the occurrence of SIS. Pre-imaging measurement of the acromial height can provide suggestions for selecting the type of hook plate intraoperatively.

PMID:33750451 | DOI:10.1186/s13018-021-02325-5

Ital J Pediatr. 2021 Mar 9;47(1):57. doi: 10.1186/s13052-021-01002-x.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Benign acute childhood myositis (BACM) is a self-limited syndrome associated with viral infections characterized by symmetric lower extremity pain typically affecting school-aged children. Evolution in rhabdomyolysis and kidney damage is rarely reported. Despite this, the acute presentation commonly concerns both parents and health care providers, often leading to unnecessary workup. The aim of the study was to determine the features and outcome of a large series of children with BACM identifying a management pathway for pediatricians in Emergency Department (ED).

METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study of patients with BACM managed in 2 Italian pediatric ED during a period of 8 and a half years. Demographic data, clinical, and laboratory results were extracted from electronic medical records. Recurrence, complications, treatments, and outcomes were also recorded. Descriptive statistics were produced for first-episode patients and for those with recurrence of myositis. A comparison between groups was performed.

RESULTS: One hundred and thirteen patients with BACM were identified. Ninety-two children (65 males) had a single episode, while ten (nine males) had recurrence. The mean age at presentation was 6.0 years (range 2-13,2). All patients had normal neurological examination and no one developed myoglobinuria, or renal failure. At first evaluation median CK level was 1413 UI/l (normal values < 150 U/L). Median CK of “recurrent” patients was higher than “non-recurrent” (2330 vs 1150 U/L, p = 0.009). Viral studies were positive in 51/74 cases, with high prevalence of Influenza viruses. Ninety-six patients (85%) were hospitalized with a median of 4 days. No patients had any residual muscular impairment.

CONCLUSIONS: BACM has an excellent prognosis. Severe pathological conditions can be excluded with a complete history and clinical examination and simple blood and urine tests, avoiding unnecessary diagnostic investigations. Most patients may be discharged home from ED recommending hydration, rest, analgesics and careful follow-up.

PMID:33750449 | DOI:10.1186/s13052-021-01002-x

Ital J Pediatr. 2021 Mar 9;47(1):55. doi: 10.1186/s13052-021-01010-x.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Lack of exclusive breastfeeding during the first half-year of life is an important risk factor for childhood morbidity and mortality. Despite this, less than 40% of infants below 6 months are exclusively breastfed worldwide. This is because breastfeeding is declining and being replaced by formula feeding. Nowaday, formula feeding has become a more common practice in urban communities of developing countries. However, relatively little information is available regarding formula feeding practice and its associated factors in Ethiopia, particularly in Addis Ababa. Hence, this study was aimed at assessing the prevalence of formula feeding practice and its associated factors among mothers of an infant aged 0-6 months in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

METHODS: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted from April-1 to May 30/2020 among 494 mothers with infants 0-6 months of age. Data were collected using a pre-tested structured questionnaire. Data were entered and cleaned by using Epi data version 3.1 and analysed by SPSS software version 25. Then data were processed by using descriptive analysis, including frequency distribution, and summary measures. The degree of association was assessed using binary logistic regression analysis. P-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

RESULT: The prevalence of formula feeding and pre-lacteal feeding practice was 46.2 and 34.4%, respectively. Educational status with a diploma and above (AOR = 3.09, 95%CI: 1.56-6.14), delivery by cesarean section (AOR = 6.13, 95%CI: 4.01-9.37), pre-lacteal feeding practice (AOR = 7.61, 95%CI: 4.11-11.06), and delayed initiation of breastfeeding (after 1 h to 1 day (AOR = 3.43, 95% CI: 1.59-7.40), after 1 day to 3 days (AOR = 3.71, 95% CI: 1.51-9.41), and after 3 days (AOR = 5.41, 95% CI: 2.15-13.60)) were significantly associated with formula feeding practice.

CONCLUSIONS: Nearly half of the participants were practiced formula-feeding for their infant. Educational status of mothers, the timing of initiation of breastfeeding, delivery by cesarean section, and pre-lacteal feeding practice were significantly associated with formula feeding practice. Therefore, early initiation of breastfeeding, educating mothers about the risks associated with pre-lacteal feeding, and supporting mothers who gave birth by cesarean section for exclusive breastfeeding should be encouraged at the community and institutional levels.

PMID:33750442 | DOI:10.1186/s13052-021-01010-x