Nevin Manimala

JMIR Ment Health. 2021 Oct 14. doi: 10.2196/32948. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic and its mitigation measures such as shelter-in-place orders, social isolation, restrictions on freedoms, unemployment, financial insecurity and disrupted routines, have led to declines in mental health worldwide and concomitant escalating demands for mental health services. Under the circumstances, e-mental health programs and services have rapidly become the “new normal”.

OBJECTIVE: To assess key characteristics and evidence gaps in the e-mental health literature published in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic via a scoping review and bibliometric analysis.

METHODS: A search of four academic databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, CINAHL) published from 31st December 2019 to 31st March 2021 using keywords for e-mental health and COVID-19. Article information was extracted relevant to the review objective including journal, type of article, keywords, focus and corresponding author. Information was synthesised by coding these attributes, then summarised through descriptive statistics and narrative techniques. Article influence was examined from Altmetric and CiteScore data, and a network analysis was conducted on article keywords.

RESULTS: A total of 356 publications were included in the review. Articles on e-mental health quickly thrived early in the pandemic, with most articles being non-empirical, chiefly commentaries or opinions (n = 225, 63.2%). Empirical publications emerged later and became more frequent as the pandemic progressed. The United States contributed the most articles (n = 160, 44.9%), though a notable number came from middle-income countries (n = 59, 16.6). Articles were spread across 165 journals, and were of above-average-influence (almost half of the articles were in the top 25% of outputs scores by Altmetric and the average CiteScore across articles was 4.22). The network analysis of author-supplied keywords identified key topic areas, including specific: mental disorders; e-health modalities; issues and challenges; and populations of interest. These were further explored via full-text analysis. Applications of e-mental health during the pandemic overcame, or were influenced by system, service, technology, provider and patient factors.

CONCLUSIONS: COVID-19 has accelerated applications of e-mental health. Further research is needed to support the implementation of e-mental health across system and service infrastructure alongside evidence of the relative effectiveness of e-mental health in comparison to traditional modes of care.

PMID:34666306 | DOI:10.2196/32948

Lung Cancer. 2021 Oct 11;162:36-41. doi: 10.1016/j.lungcan.2021.10.002. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Tumor size and metastatic extent may influence tumor response to immunotherapy in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between both baseline sum of longest diameters (bSLD) and number of metastatic organs (NMO) and the tumor response to pembrolizumab. Secondly, we aimed to analyze the association of baseline SLD and NMO with progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS).

METHODS: This retrospective study included patients with high PD-L1 expressing tumors (≥50%) and a good performance score (ECOG ≤ 2) that received first-line pembrolizumab monotherapy. Tumor response was calculated as the ‘SLD-change score’ and ‘early treatment discontinuation’ within 3 months on therapy (ETD). The relationship of both bSLD (based on RECIST v1.1) and NMO with tumor response and survival outcome (PFS, OS) was evaluated.

RESULTS: No significant differences in SLD-change score could be found using bSLD (OR = 1.010, 95%CI = 0.999-1.021), or using NMO at baseline (OR = 1.608, 95%CI = 0.943-2.743). A bSLD cut-off value of 90 mm was found to be most distinctive for ETD. This cut-off value showed a significant difference for PFS (HR = 2.28, 95%CI = 1.12-4.64, p = 0.023) and OS (HR = 2.99, 95%CI = 1.41-6.34, p = 0.004). NMO also showed a difference for PFS and OS, however, not statistically significant.

CONCLUSIONS: Tumor size and metastatic extent could not discriminate for tumor response, however, a bSLD of 90 mm could differentiate for PFS and OS.

PMID:34666276 | DOI:10.1016/j.lungcan.2021.10.002

Accid Anal Prev. 2021 Oct 16;163:106446. doi: 10.1016/j.aap.2021.106446. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Safety evaluation of signalized intersections is often conducted by developing statistical and data-driven methods based on data aggregated at certain temporal and spatial levels (e.g., yearly, hourly, or per signal cycle; intersection or approach leg). However, such aggregations are subject to a major simplification that masks the underlying spatio-temporal safety risk patterns within the data aggregation levels. Consequently, high-resolution analysis such as safety risk within signal cycles and at traffic movement level cannot be performed. This study contributes to the literature by proposing a new functional data analysis (FDA) approach for a novel characterization of safety risk patterns of signalized intersections. Functional data smoothing methods that can mitigate overfitting and account for the nonnegative characteristics of safety risk are proposed to model the time series of safety risk within signal cycles at the traffic movement level. Functional analysis of variance method (FANOVA) that can compare the group level differences of functional curves is used to test differences of safety risk functions among different traffic movements. A typical signalized intersection with representative signal types and channelizations is selected as the study location and approximately 1-hour traffic video data recorded by an unmanned aerial vehicle are used to extract traffic conflicts. New movement-level safety risk patterns are characterized based on the safety risk functions that can reveal the temporal distribution of risk within signal cycles. Most of the tested traffic movements have significantly distinct functional risk patterns according to the FANOVA results while risk patterns for most of the traffic movements cannot be differentiated based on the data aggregated at the cycle and approach levels. The proposed functional approach has the potential to be used for facilitating proactive safety management, calibrating microsimulation models for safety evaluation, and optimizing signal timing while considering traffic safety at more disaggregated levels.

PMID:34666264 | DOI:10.1016/j.aap.2021.106446

Clin Nutr. 2021 Oct 8;40(11):5648-5654. doi: 10.1016/j.clnu.2021.09.042. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

AIMS: Data about the influence of short-term lifestyle intervention in children with obesity on long-term follow-up body weight, adipokines and cardiometabolic risk parameters is scarce.

METHODS: In a subgroup of the LOGIC-trial (Long-term Effects of Lifestyle Intervention in Obesity and Genetic Influence in Children), we assessed anthropometry (BMI, BMI-SDS (Standard Deviation Score), adipokines (omentin-1, chemerin, leptin, adiponectin) and cardiometabolic risk parameters, (e.g. hsCRP) in children with overweight/obesity after 4 weeks of lifestyle intervention (n = 156, 14.0 ± 1.8 yrs) and after one year follow-up (n = 50). Data were compared to normal weight children (JuvenTUM school cohort; n = 152, 13.3 ± 0.7 yrs).

RESULTS: Short-term lifestyle intervention was associated with a significant reduction in BMI and BMI-SDS (p < 0.001), with significant reductions in hsCRP, leptin, and chemerin levels, and an increase in adiponectin and omentin-1 levels (p < 0.001 for all). After one year follow-up a significant reduction in BMI and BMI-SDS was observed in children from the LOGIC-trial (p < 0.001). Improvements in adiponectin (p = 0.025) and chemerin levels (p = 0.027) were seen in children with clear weight loss success (BMI-SDS reduction ≥ 0.2), whereas children with no or only mild weight loss success showed an increase in leptin levels (p < 0.001). An increase in omentin-1 levels was observed after 1 year independent of weight change (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION: Effects of short-term weight reduction on mean BMI and BMI-SDS persist over one year. Improvements in omentin-1 levels were independent of short-term or long-term weight loss.

TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov: LOGIC-trial: NCT01067157, JuvenTUM-trial: NCT00988754.

PMID:34666255 | DOI:10.1016/j.clnu.2021.09.042

J Biomech. 2021 Oct 11;129:110806. doi: 10.1016/j.jbiomech.2021.110806. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Subacromial shoulder pain (SSP) accounts for 44-65% of all cases of shoulder pain. Kinematic alterations in the upper limbs have been observed in individuals with SSP, although there is no consensus on such alterations in the literature. Therefore, the present study aimed to compare the three-dimensional kinematics of the scapula, trunk, and arm during shoulder flexion-extension and abduction-adduction movements in individuals with SSP and a control group using statistical parametric mapping (SPM). We evaluated 117 participants [61 with SSP and 56 in the control group (CG)]. The three-dimensional kinematic analysis was performed starting from arm extension/adduction (0%), moving to flexion/abduction, and ending returning to extension/adduction, respectively (100%) in both groups. SSP group flexed more their trunk (0-100%, p < 0.001) and rotated scapula internally (0-20%, p < 0.001 and 75-100%, p < 0.001); rotated upwards (17-32%, p < 0.005 and 58-87%, p < 0.003) and posteriorly tilted (28-79%,p < 0.001 and 81-95%,p < 0.006) less than CG group during arm abduction-adduction. Through arm flexion-extension, the SSP group flexed (38-82% p < 0.009) less their trunk, rotated upwards (5-10% p = 0.021) less their scapula, and posteriorly tilted scapula (0-100% p < 0.001) more than CG. Combining conventional variables used to describe motion in individuals with SSP, such as minimum and maximum values, range of motion, and results provided by SPM can furnish a detailed description of the compensations and limitations of the patient, enabling a better understanding of the function of the scapular girdle as well as improvements in the evaluation process and clinical decision making.

PMID:34666249 | DOI:10.1016/j.jbiomech.2021.110806

Cogn Psychol. 2021 Oct 16;131:101441. doi: 10.1016/j.cogpsych.2021.101441. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Distributional models of lexical semantics have proven to be powerful accounts of how word meanings are acquired from the natural language environment (Günther, Rinaldi, & Marelli, 2019; Kumar, 2020). Standard models of this type acquire the meaning of words through the learning of word co-occurrence statistics across large corpora. However, these models ignore social and communicative aspects of language processing, which is considered central to usage-based and adaptive theories of language (Tomasello, 2003; Beckner et al., 2009). Johns (2021) recently demonstrated that integrating social and communicative information into a lexical strength measure allowed for benchmark fits to be attained for lexical organization data, indicating that the social world contains important statistical information for language learning and processing. Through the analysis of the communication patterns of over 330,000 individuals on the online forum Reddit, totaling approximately 55 billion words of text, the findings of the current article demonstrates that social information about word usage allows for unique aspects of a word’s meaning to be acquired, providing a new pathway for distributional model development.

PMID:34666227 | DOI:10.1016/j.cogpsych.2021.101441

J Surg Res. 2021 Aug 30;270:145-150. doi: 10.1016/j.jss.2021.08.020. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: On March 17, 2020 the Association of American Medical Colleges recommended dismissal of medical students from clinical settings due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Third-year (M3) and fourth-year (M4) medical students were at home, M4s were interested in teaching, and residents and faculty had fewer clinical responsibilities due to elective surgery cancellations. To continue M3 access to education, we created a virtual surgery elective (VSE) that aimed to broaden students’ exposure to, and elicit interest in, general surgery (GS).

METHODS: Faculty, surgical residents, and M4s collaborated to create a 2-wk VSE focusing on self-directed learning and direct interactions with surgery faculty. Each day was dedicated to a specific pathology commonly encountered in GS. A variety of teaching methods were employed including self-directed readings and videos, M4 peer lectures, case-based learning and operative video review with surgery faculty, and weekly surgical conferences. A VSE skills lab was also conducted to teach basic suturing and knot-tying. All lectures and skills labs were via Zoom videoconference (Zoom Video Communications Inc). A post-course anonymous survey sent to all participants assessed changes in their understanding of GS and their interest in GS and surgery overall.

RESULTS: Fourteen M3s participated in this elective over two consecutive iterations. The survey response rate was 79%. Ninety-one percent of students believed the course met its learning objectives “well” or “very well.” Prior to the course, 27% reported a “good understanding” and 0% a “very good” understanding of GS. Post-course, 100% reported a “good” or “very good” understanding of GS, a statistically significant increase (P = 0.0003). Eighty-two percent reported increased interest in GS and 64% reported an increase in pursuing GS as a career.

CONCLUSIONS: As proof of concept, this online course successfully demonstrated virtual medical student education can increase student understanding of GS topics, increase interest in GS, and increase interest in careers in surgery. To broaden student exposure to GS, we plan to integrate archived portions of this course into the regular third-year surgery clerkship and these can also be used to introduce GS in the preclinical years.

PMID:34666220 | DOI:10.1016/j.jss.2021.08.020

Eur J Cancer. 2021 Oct 16;158:133-143. doi: 10.1016/j.ejca.2021.09.018. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

AIM: This study investigated how material deprivation in Italy influences the stage of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) at diagnosis and the chance of cure.

METHODS: 4114 patients from the Italian Liver Cancer database consecutively diagnosed with HCC between January 2008 and December 2018 were analysed about severe material deprivation (SMD) rate tertiles of the region of birth and region of managing hospitals, according to the European Statistics on Income and Living Conditions. The main outcomes were HCC diagnosis modalities (during or outside surveillance), treatment adoption and overall survival.

RESULTS: In more deprived regions, HCC was more frequently diagnosed during surveillance, while the incidental diagnosis was prevalent in the least deprived. Tumour characteristics did not differ among regions. The proportion of patients undergoing potentially curative treatments progressively decreased as the SMD worsened. Consequently, overall survival was better in less deprived regions. Patients who moved from most deprived to less deprived regions increased their probability of receiving potentially curative treatments by 1.11 times (95% CI 1.03 to 1.19), decreasing their mortality likelihood (hazard ratio 0.78 95% CI 0.67 to 0.90).

CONCLUSIONS: Socioeconomic status measured through SMD does not seem to influence HCC features at diagnosis but brings a negative effect on the chance of receiving potentially curative treatments. Patient mobility from the most deprived to the less deprived regions increased the access to curative therapies, with the ultimate result of improving survival.

PMID:34666215 | DOI:10.1016/j.ejca.2021.09.018

J Proteomics. 2021 Oct 16:104394. doi: 10.1016/j.jprot.2021.104394. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

The beneficial role of yogurt on metabolic profile has been widely reported. Yet, few studies have intended to describe the integrated metabolic alterations in response to yogurt. Yogurt and milk (220 g/d) were given to 48 and 44 obese women with metabolic syndrome and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease for 24 weeks in a randomized controlled trial (registered at http://www.chictr.org.cn as ChiCTR-IPR-15006801). Fasting serum samples were collected before and after intervention for global, untargeted metabolomics based on ¹H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF-MS) (in positive and negative ion modes). Multivariable statistical analysis and pathway analysis were conducted. In both ¹H NMR and UPLC-Q-TOF-MS metabolomics, no clustering was observed between the two groups at baseline. While, a clear clustering was shown after intervention, and the yogurt group had significantly different metabolic status from the milk. The metabolites that contributed mostly to class separation were identified, and involved into pathway analysis. Pathways on amino acids metabolism, fatty acid oxidation, cholesterol catabolism and choline metabolism significantly changed after yogurt intervention. The study revealed the integrated metabolic alterations in response to yogurt via two metabolomics approaches, suggesting the potential mechanisms of yogurt against metabolic disorders. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, ChiCTR-IPR-15006801. Registered 20 July 2015, http://www.chictr.org.cn/ ChiCTR-IPR-15006801. SIGNIFICANCE: Both review from prospective studies and our randomized clinical trial showed the protective role of yogurt against multiple metabolic disorders. However, they were focus on targeted glucose, lipid, and other metabolic indicators, which were only part of human metabolism, failing to show an integrated metabolic feature on yogurt. Therefore, two global, untargeted metabolomics were applied in our current randomized clinical trial, trying to uncover the significant metabolic alterations characterizing the effects of yogurt on obese women with multiple metabolic disorders, and to explore the potential biological mechanisms of yogurt. The finding will shed light on a more comprehensive picture of how yogurt affects host metabolism, and provide theoretical foundation for dietary prevention of chronic diseases.

PMID:34666202 | DOI:10.1016/j.jprot.2021.104394

Photodiagnosis Photodyn Ther. 2021 Oct 16:102584. doi: 10.1016/j.pdpdt.2021.102584. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT) and laser-activated irrigation (LAI) are adjunctive therapies developed to enhance the effectiveness of root canal disinfection. Sealer penetration into dentinal tubules is significant for preventing re-infection, and the sealer’s penetration ability is affected by the chemo-mechanical preparation of the root canal. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of aPDT and LAI on dentinal tubule penetration of MTA-based root canal sealer.

METHODS: Forty single-rooted mandibular premolars were divided into four groups (n=10): control, methylene blue 50 mg/L (MB50), curcumin 500 mg/L (C500), and Er,Cr:YSGG and sodium hypochlorite (LAI). The smear removal efficiency of the groups on intraradicular dentin was evaluated with a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) was performed to determine the depth of penetration of MTA Fillapex into dentinal tubules. Data were analyzed statistically.

RESULTS: The maximum penetration depth of the C500 group was significantly higher than that of the other groups in all three levels of root sections (p<0.05). Regarding mean penetration depth, the highest values were obtained from the C500 group. However, there was no statistically significant difference between the C500 and MB50 groups in the middle and coronal thirds of the root (p>0.05). The LAI group showed the lowest penetrated area percentage in the middle and coronal third of the root (p<0.05). The C500 and LAI groups were more effective in removing the smear layer than the control and MB50 groups.

CONCLUSION: aPDT could enhance the penetration of MTA-based root canal sealer into dentin tubules.

PMID:34666196 | DOI:10.1016/j.pdpdt.2021.102584