Nevin Manimala

PLoS One. 2021 Nov 11;16(11):e0259377. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0259377. eCollection 2021.

ABSTRACT

This study establishes a new method for estimating the monthly Average Population Present (APP) in Australian regions. Conventional population statistics, which enumerate people where they usually live, ignore the significant spatial mobility driving short term shifts in population numbers. Estimates of the temporary or ambient population of a region have several important applications including the provision of goods and services, emergency preparedness and serve as more appropriate denominators for a range of social statistics. This paper develops a flexible modelling framework to generate APP estimates from an integrated suite of conventional and novel data sources. The resultant APP estimates reveal the considerable seasonality in small area populations across Australia’s regions alongside the contribution of domestic and international visitors as well as absent residents to the observed monthly variations. The modelling framework developed in the paper is conceived in a manner such that it can be adapted and re-deployed both for use with alternative data sources as well as other situational contexts for the estimation of temporary populations.

PMID:34762671 | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0259377

Panminerva Med. 2021 Nov 11. doi: 10.23736/S0031-0808.21.04573-0. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Few studies compared paclitaxel-coated balloon (PCB) versus sirolimus-coated balloon (SCB) in the treatment of drug-eluting stent (DES) instent restenosis (ISR).

METHODS: Between November 5 2009 and October 14 2020, in our centre 212 patients with first DES-ISR were treated with PCB (Restore®; Cardionovum GmbH, Bonn, Germany), whereas 230 patients were treated with SCB (Devoir®; MINVASYS SAS, Gennevilliers, France). Following a propensity matching, 186 patients were included into PCB group (PCB group), and in the SCB group (SCB group). The primary purpose of the study was the 1-year target lesion failure (TLF) rate, including cardiac death, target vessel-related myocardial infarction, and repeated target lesion or target vessel revascularization.

RESULTS: Procedural success occurred in all cases. Fully optimal predilation (that is, balloon-to-stent ratio >0.91, time of DCB inflation >60 sec. and residual percent diameter stenosis after lesion preparation <20%) was observed more often in the SCB group (126 [68%] patients versus 106 [57%] patients; p = 0.042). One year TLF occurred in 29 (15.5%) patients in the SCB group and in 32 (17%) patients in the PCB group (OR = 1.12 [0.65-1.95]; p = 0.78). By logistic Cox regression analysis fully optimal predilation (OR = 0.06; 95% confidence interval = 0.01-0.21; p <0.001) but not DCB type (OR = 0.74; 95% confidence interval = 0.41-1.31; p = 0.29) was independent predictor of 1-year TLF.

CONCLUSIONS: The current study suggests that 1-year TLF is not statistically and clinically different in patients with DES ISR treated with a PCB and a SCB.

PMID:34761888 | DOI:10.23736/S0031-0808.21.04573-0

Minerva Med. 2021 Nov 11. doi: 10.23736/S0026-4806.21.07894-0. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Cardiac involvement significantly contributes to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)mortality.12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) represents a fast, cheap, and easy to perform exam with the adjunctive advantage of the remote reporting possibility. In this study, we sought to investigate if electrocardiographic parameters are able to identify patients, deemed at low-risk at admission,who will face in-hospital unfavourable course.

METHODS: From March 1, 2020 through March 30, 2021, 384 consecutive patients with confirmed low-risk COVID-19 were hospitalized at the AziendaOspedalieroUniversitariaPoliclinico di Bari (Italy). Criteria for low-risk were: admission to the division of Pneumology or Infectious Diseases, no need for immediate (within 24 hours from admission) transfer to Intensive Care Unit or for respiratory support with invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) or for circulation support (either mechanical or pharmacological). Admission ECGs were reviewed and interpreted by two expert cardiologists. The primary outcomes were in-hospital death and the composite outcome of in-hospitaldeath and IMV.

RESULTS: In low-risk COVID-19 patients, atrial fibrillation (AF), poor R wave progression (PRWP), tachycardia, and right bundle branch block (RBBB) resulted as statistically significant and independent predictors of in-hospital all-cause mortality; AF, PRWP, Tachycardia, RBBB, and corrected QT interval showed to be statistically significant and independent risk factors for the occurrence of the composite endpoint of death and IMV.

CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrated for the first time that RBBB and PRWP, assessed upon admission with ECG, are associated with unfavourable clinical course in a baseline low-risk population hospitalized for COVID-19.

PMID:34761885 | DOI:10.23736/S0026-4806.21.07894-0

Minerva Med. 2021 Nov 11. doi: 10.23736/S0026-4806.21.07665-5. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The aim of the present study was to investigate the possible correlation between various inflammation-nutritional scores to histological determined Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH) and other liver injury suggestive for Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) in a bariatric population.

METHODS: We evaluated consecutively and retrospectively all the patients referred to the department of bariatric surgery in Trieste, Italy. Inflammation-nutritional scores were calculated starting from pre-operative hematologic data. Liver biopsy was performed at the time of bariatric surgery (sleeve gastrectomy or gastric bypass) and pathological assessment was performed using Kleiner-Brunt staging system (NAS score).

RESULTS: Glasgow Prognostic Score/modified Glasgow Prognostic Score (GPS/ mGPS) and Prognostic Index (PI) were associated to the diagnosis of NASH (p= 0,024 and p=0,03 respectively). The presence of perisinusoidal and/or periportal fibrosis was correlated to Prognostic Nutritional Index (PNI) and Platelet-to-Lymphocyte ratio (PLR) values (p=0,02 and p=0,009 respectively).

CONCLUSIONS: GPS/mGPS and PI are statistically associated to the histological diagnosis of NASH. Further studies on large series are needed to better understand the relationship between these serum markers and liver injury in obese patients.

PMID:34761883 | DOI:10.23736/S0026-4806.21.07665-5

Aust N Z J Public Health. 2021 Nov 11. doi: 10.1111/1753-6405.13159. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: This study assessed the effectiveness of a school-based intervention in reducing adolescents’ sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption and percentage of energy from SSBs. Secondary outcomes were SSB consumption within school, average daily energy intake, and body mass index z-scores.

METHODS: Six secondary schools located in New South Wales, Australia were recruited to participate in a six-month pilot randomised controlled trial (1:1). The intervention included components targeting the school nutrition environment, curricula and community. Outcomes were collected via online surveys, observations, anthropometric measurements and project records. Between-group differences were assessed via linear mixed models.

RESULTS: At the six-month intervention endpoint (n=862) there were no statistically significant differences between students in intervention or control schools for mean daily intake of SSBs (8.55mL; CI -26.77, 43.87; p=0.63), percentage daily energy from SSBs (0.12% kJ; CI -0.55, 0.80; p=0.72), or for secondary outcomes. Acceptability of the school-based strategies were high, however intervention fidelity varied across schools.

CONCLUSION: While acceptable, improving fidelity of implementation and increasing the duration or intensity of the intervention may be required to reduce SSB intake. Implications for public health: Engaging parents and education stakeholders in the development phase to co-design interventions may prove beneficial in improving intervention fidelity and enhance behavioural outcomes.

PMID:34761854 | DOI:10.1111/1753-6405.13159

Alzheimers Dement. 2021 Nov 11. doi: 10.1002/alz.12411. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: We examined the temporal sequence of the core features in probable dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB).

METHODS: In 488 patients with probable DLB, the onset of each core feature and time to diagnosis was determined for men and women, and a pathologic subgroup (n = 209).

RESULTS: REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD) developed before the other core features in men and women. Men were more likely to have RBD and were diagnosed with probable DLB earlier than women. Visual hallucinations developed after the other core features in men, but in women, they appeared earlier and concurrently with fluctuations and parkinsonism. Women were older and more cognitively impaired at first visit, were less likely to have RBD, more likely to be diagnosed with probable DLB later than men, and more likely to have neocortical tangles.

DISCUSSION: An earlier latency to probable DLB was associated with men, RBD, and Lewy body disease without neocortical tangles.

PMID:34761850 | DOI:10.1002/alz.12411

Am J Bot. 2021 Nov 11. doi: 10.1002/ajb2.1803. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PREMISE OF THE STUDY: Relict species provide valuable insights into the origin and formation of extant vegetation. Here, we aimed to elucidate the genetic structure and diversity of a riparian relic Acer miyabei in Japan; this species used to have a wide distribution but now occurs in three isolated regions. The most northern regional group is located at low elevation on Hokkaido Island, whereas the southern group is at high elevation in a mountainous landscape. This contrastive distribution enables us to examine the effects of climate oscillations on genetic diversity in relation to topographic variation.

METHODS: We collected 604 individuals of A. miyabei from 43 sites. Their genetic structure and diversity were analyzed using 12 microsatellite markers and cpDNA sequences.

KEY RESULTS: According to STRUCTURE analyses, ∆K statistic was lowest at K = 2; the clustering essentially separated many of the individuals in the most northern regional group from the others. In contrast, the two southern groups were not clearly differentiated from each other, despite their geographic discontinuity. The proportion of private alleles was high in populations from mountain terrain in the southern group although the number of extant populations is limited.

CONCLUSIONS: Genetic clustering of A. miyabei is not perfectly congruent with the current patterns of geographic distribution. We infer that disjunction of the two southern groups occurred more recently than that between these groups and the northern group. Mountainous landscape in the most southern region likely provided multiple refugia and contributed to the retention of distinctive genetic variation. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

PMID:34761814 | DOI:10.1002/ajb2.1803

J Physiol. 2021 Nov 11. doi: 10.1113/JP282228. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

KEY POINTS: Spatiotemporal contractility analysis of human induced pluripotent stem cell derived cardiomyocyte (hiPSC-CM) monolayers seeded on conventional, rigid surfaces (glass or plastic) revealed the presence of multiphasic contraction patterns across the monolayer with a high variability, despite action potentials recorded in the same areas being identical. These multiphasic patterns are not present in single cells, in detached monolayers or in monolayers seeded on soft substrates such as a hydrogel, where only ‘twitch’-like transients are observed. HiPSC-CM monolayers that display a high percentage of regions with multiphasic contraction have significantly increased contractile duration and a decreased lusotropic drug response. There is no indication that the multiphasic contraction patterns are associated with significant activation of the stress-activated NPPA or NPPB signalling pathways. A computational model of cell clusters supports the biological findings that the rigid surface and the differential cell-substrate adhesion underly multiphasic contractile behaviour of hiPSC-CMs.

ABSTRACT: Human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CM) in monolayers interact mechanically via cell-cell and cell-substrate adhesion. Spatiotemporal features of contraction were analysed in hiPSC-CM monolayers 1) attached to glass or plastic (Young’s modulus (E) >1 GPa), 2) detached (substrate-free) and 3) attached to a flexible collagen hydrogel (E = 22 kPa). The effects of isoprenaline on contraction were compared between rigid and flexible substrates. To clarify underlying mechanisms, further gene expression and computational studies were performed. HiPSC-CM monolayers exhibited multi-phasic contractile profiles on rigid surfaces in contrast to hydrogels, substrate-free cultures or single cells where only simple twitch-like time-courses were observed. Isoprenaline did not change the contraction profile on either surface, but its lusitropic and chronotropic effects were greater in hydrogel compared to glass. There was no significant difference between stiff and flexible substrates in regard to expression of the stress activated genes NPPA and NPPB. A computational model of cell clusters demonstrated similar complex contractile interactions on stiff substrates as a consequence of cell-to-cell functional heterogeneity. Rigid biomaterial surfaces give rise to unphysiological, multi-phasic contractions in hiPSC-CM monolayers. Flexible substrates are necessary for normal twitch-like contractility kinetics and interpretation of inotropic interventions. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

PMID:34761809 | DOI:10.1113/JP282228

Chem Commun (Camb). 2021 Nov 11. doi: 10.1039/d1cc03756k. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIM) was used to study the behaviour of a BODIPY dye in a giant unilamellar vesicle (GUV) in the presence of an electric field. The modulation of the electric field resulted in distinctive fluorescence lifetime changes in line with environment alterations within the membrane mimic.

PMID:34761753 | DOI:10.1039/d1cc03756k

Curr Med Res Opin. 2021 Nov 11:1-15. doi: 10.1080/03007995.2021.2003671. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to characterize the risk of people living with HIV (PLHIV) in the UK progressing to pre-specified HIV-associated comorbidities, compared with matched, HIV-negative controls.

METHODS: Primary and secondary care records from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) and linked Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) were used to identify PLHIV, and a matched cohort from the HIV-negative population. Kaplan Meier curves and cox proportional hazard models were used to evaluate the risk of developing comorbidities including central nervous system (CNS) disorders, end-stage renal disease, osteoporosis, diabetes, cardiovascular disease (CVD), hypertension, stroke, and cancer.

RESULTS: 2,945 PLHIV were matched to a cohort of 5,890 HIV-negative controls. PLHIV demonstrated an increased hazard ratio (HR) for time to development of incident sleep disorders, depression, osteoporosis, stroke, cancer and renal disease when compared with their matched HIV-negative control. The HRs for anxiety, hypertension, diabetes, and CVD were not significantly increased.

CONCLUSIONS: PLHIV in the UK were at a higher risk of developing a number of comorbid conditions, highlighting the need for regular attendance of health reviews such as the annual health reviews recommended by the British HIV Associations (BHIVA) quality standard for care, which are currently not uniformly conducted.

PMID:34761727 | DOI:10.1080/03007995.2021.2003671