Nevin Manimala

Zhongguo Yi Liao Qi Xie Za Zhi. 2021 Sep 30;45(5):487-491. doi: 10.3969/j.issn.1671-7104.2021.05.004.

ABSTRACT

Aiming at the shortcomings of traditional medical device tracking and supervision mode, such as delayed feedback of medical device positioning information, poor visual tracking effect of medical device, and missing early warning of medical device working state supervision, a medical device visual tracking and supervision system based on wireless Local Area Network (LAN) real-time positioning system is developed. Introduction of wireless LAN real-time positioning system, using standard coding algorithm generating device object ID tags, with the only attribute based on RFID read-write terminal complete physical mapping of medical equipment and material ID label, we realize a real-time positioning and traceability of medical equipment, with the help of active warning algorithm based on depth of learning medical equipment working state supervision for early warning, with the help of indoor map generation and trajectory playback medical equipment to realize visualization back regulation. Choose equipment of hospital of Linyi Central Hospital for performance evaluation of the carrier, the evaluation model of engineering practice and clinical statistical analysis, the results show that the system has a complete real-time positioning, visible trace, abnormal warning function. In medical equipment real-time positioning information visual tracing feedback, abnormal state warning etc, medical equipment has obvious advantages.

PMID:34628758 | DOI:10.3969/j.issn.1671-7104.2021.05.004

Zhongguo Yi Liao Qi Xie Za Zhi. 2021 Sep 30;45(5):473-478. doi: 10.3969/j.issn.1671-7104.2021.05.001.

ABSTRACT

We developed a portable non-specific low back pain measurement system EasiLBP and evaluated its performance in collecting EMG signals:during the wearer’s movement without the assistance of a doctor, the collection of EMG signals by portable devices met problems such as large noise interference, difficulty in accurately calibrating the start and end points of the action interval, and imbalanced samples for feature recognition, et al. To challenge these problems, we proposed a small group-based noise removal method, a dynamic dual-threshold automatic method for identifying the start and end points of the motion interval, and a sampling method to balance group samples, respectively. Portable device and a medical EMG acquisition equipment Thought Technology FlexComp Infiniti 10 were used to perform EMG measurements on 15 patients with non-specific low back pain and 15 normal people. Clinical experiments and statistical analysis show that the portable EMG acquisition system has significant differences in EMG signal characteristics between normal people and non-specific low back pain patients, and it has good measurement consistency and accuracy with the medical EMG acquisition equipment.

PMID:34628755 | DOI:10.3969/j.issn.1671-7104.2021.05.001

Res Synth Methods. 2021 Oct 10. doi: 10.1002/jrsm.1529. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Recent, high-profile, large-scale, preregistered failures to replicate uncover that many highly-regarded experiments are ‘false positives;’ that is, statistically significant results of underlying null effects. Large surveys of research reveal that statistical power is often low and inadequate. When the research record includes selective reporting, publication bias and/or questionable research practices, conventional meta-analyses are also likely to be falsely positive. At the core of research credibility lies the relation of statistical power to the rate of false positives. This study finds that high (> 50-60%) median retrospective power (MRP) is associated with credible meta-analysis and large-scale, preregistered, multi-lab ‘successful’ replications; that is, with replications that corroborate the effect in question. When median retrospective power is low (< 50%), positive meta-analysis findings should be interpreted with great caution or discounted altogether. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

PMID:34628722 | DOI:10.1002/jrsm.1529

Haemophilia. 2021 Oct 10. doi: 10.1111/hae.14433. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: A massive increase of soluble thrombomodulin (sTM) due to variants in the thrombomodulin gene (THBD) has recently been identified as a novel bleeding disorder.

AIM: To investigate sTM levels and underlying genetic variants as a cause for haemostatic impairment and bleeding in a large number of patients with a mild to moderate bleeding disorder (MBD), including patients with bleeding of unknown cause (BUC).

PATIENTS AND METHODS: In 507 MBD patients, sTM levels, thrombin generation and plasma clot formation were measured and compared to 90 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. In patients, genetic analysis of the THBD gene was performed.

RESULTS: No difference in sTM levels between patients and controls was found overall (median ([IQR] 5.0 [3.8-6.3] vs. 5.1 [3.7-6.4] ng/ml, p = .762), and according to specific diagnoses of MBD or BUC, and high sTM levels (≥95th percentile of healthy controls) were not overrepresented in patients. Soluble TM levels had no impact on bleeding severity or global tests of haemostasis, including thrombin generation or plasma clot formation. In the THBD gene, no known pathogenic or novel disease-causing variants affecting sTM plasma levels were identified in our patient cohort.

CONCLUSION: TM-associated coagulopathy appears to be rare, as it was not identified in our large cohort of patients with MBD. Soluble TM did not arise as a risk factor for bleeding or altered haemostasis in these patients.

PMID:34628704 | DOI:10.1111/hae.14433

Scand J Med Sci Sports. 2021 Oct 10. doi: 10.1111/sms.14076. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

In theory, professional sport ‘entry drafts’ are designed to promote parity by granting poorly performing teams with early selections and winning teams with later selections. While this process has intentions to ‘level the playing field’, mixed findings exist in the literature. The aim of this review is to identify and synthesize the literature examining the efficacy of the draft for professional, North American sport leagues. A systematic review of four databases was performed according to PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses) guidelines. Full-text articles containing relevant data on the draft system for the four major professional North American sports were identified. Further restrictions were made to include articles focusing on a specific outcome regarding future success (i.e., whether the draft related to a measure of future performance). The search returned 10,962 records and after screening, 18 articles were synthesized. Of the articles examined, the measures of future success with relation to draft order were (a) career length and/or number of games played at the majors (n=8), (b) future performance statistics at the professional level (n=5), (c) change in winning percentage and/or number of wins produced (n=3), (d) financial compensation (n=1), and (e) a combination measures (a) to (d), (n=1). Most commonly, the first/early rounds most accurately predicted future measures of success (i.e., number of games played, singing bonuses and playing statistics) across sports. The middle and late rounds were less accurate, with the degree of accuracy increasing slightly in the last rounds. This review highlights several opportunities to better understand the draft process (e.g., potential improvements in middle round picks) and emphasizes the need for more research on analyzing and scrutinizing the draft.

PMID:34628688 | DOI:10.1111/sms.14076

Australas J Dermatol. 2021 Oct 10. doi: 10.1111/ajd.13730. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Hypertrophic scars present collagen deposition and an abnormal extracellular matrix that cause abnormal shape changes and limit normal movement. Although fractional carbon dioxide (CO₂ ) laser therapy has provided promising evidence, the improvement of scarring has not been thoroughly reviewed. A systematic review of prospective randomised trial articles collected from PubMed, MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane and Scopus databases was conducted on 15 March 2020 in accordance with the PRISMA-P statement. Types and duration of fractional carbon dioxide laser used in this study along with the comparative modalities were recorded in this review. Treatment efficacy was assessed as the primary outcome. Adverse events and patient satisfaction were assessed as the secondary outcome. Five prospective randomised studies were included in this study. All studies included showed a consistent result with a conclusion that CO₂ fractional laser treatment demonstrated statistically significant improvement for various scar scoring methods. Combination with other modalities may yield better results in some studies with the risk of more severe adverse events. Temporary side effects such as itching or burning sensation, erythema and oedema were present but appeared to be minimal and well tolerated. Overall patients reported significant improvement in quality of life. Some of the studies are uncontrolled with relatively short-term follow-up. Controlled comparative studies within the same scar with larger sample size and longer follow-up period are required. This evidence suggests that fractional CO₂ laser treatment is effective for improving the clinical appearance of hypertrophic scars with a good safety profile.

PMID:34628639 | DOI:10.1111/ajd.13730

J Am Geriatr Soc. 2021 Oct 10. doi: 10.1111/jgs.17503. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Abdominal pain is the most common chief complaint in US emergency departments (EDs) among patients over 65, who are at high risk of mortality or incident disability after the ED encounter. We sought to characterize the evaluation, management, and disposition of older adults who present to the ED with abdominal pain.

METHODS: We performed a survey-weighted analysis of the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NHAMCS), comparing older adults with a chief complaint of abdominal pain to those without. Visits from 2013 to 2017 to nationally representative EDs were included. We analyzed 81,509 visits to 1211 US EDs, which projects to 531,780,629 ED visits after survey weighting. We report the diagnostic testing, evaluation, management, additional reasons for visit, and disposition of ED visits.

RESULTS: Among older adults (≥65 years), 7% of ED visits were for abdominal pain. Older patients with abdominal pain had a lower probability of being triaged to the “Emergent” (ESI2) acuity on arrival (7.1% vs. 14.8%) yet were more likely to be admitted directly to the operating room than older adults without abdominal pain (3.6% vs. 0.8%), with no statistically significant differences in discharge home, death, or admission to critical care. Ultrasound or CT imaging was performed in 60% of older adults with abdominal pain. A minority (39%) of older patients with abdominal pain received an electrocardiogram (EKG).

CONCLUSIONS: Abdominal pain in older adults presenting to EDs is a serious condition yet is triaged to “emergent” acuity at half the rate of other conditions. Opportunities for improving diagnosis and management may exist. Further research is needed to examine whether improved recognition of abdominal pain as a syndromic presentation would improve patient outcomes.

PMID:34628638 | DOI:10.1111/jgs.17503

Aging Clin Exp Res. 2021 Oct 10. doi: 10.1007/s40520-021-01994-w. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Over the latest years different studies have investigated the possible relationship between D deficiency and occurrence of orthostatic hypotension (OH), often reaching controversial results. We perform an update meta-analysis providing an update overview on the association between hypovitaminosis D and orthostatic hypotension (OH) in older adults.

METHODS: Data extraction was independently performed by two authors and based upon predefined criteria. The meta-analysis was performed using a random-effects model. Statistical heterogeneity between groups was measured using the Higgins I2 statistic.

RESULTS: Eight investigations enrolling 16.326 patients (mean age 75.5 years) met the inclusion criteria and were considered for the analysis. Patients with vitamin D deficiency were more likely to have OH compared to those without (OR: 1.36, 95% CI 1.14-1.63, p = 0.0001, I2 = 43.6%). A further sub-analysis, based on three studies, estimating the risk of OH in patients with hypovitaminosis D receiving antihypertensive treatment, did not reach the statistical significance (OR: 1.40, 95% CI 0.61-3.18, p = 0.418, I2 = 53.3%). Meta-regression performed using age (p = 0.12), BMI (p = 0.73) and gender (p = 0.62) as moderators did not reveal any statistical significance in influencing OH. Conversely, physical activity, Vitamin D supplementation and use of radioimmunoassay for the measurement of vitamin D serum levels showed a significant inverse relationship towards the risk of OH (Coeff.-0.09, p = 0.002, Coeff. – 0.12, p < 0.001 and Coeff. – 0.08, p = 0.03, respectively) among patients with hypovitaminosis D. A direct correlation between the administration of antihypertensive treatment and the risk of OH in older patients with low vitamin D level was observed (Coeff. 0.05, p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS: Hypovitaminosis D is significantly associated with OH in older adults and directly influence by the administration of antihypertensive drugs. Conversely, physical activity, vitamin D supplementation and use of radioimmunoassay as analytic method inversely correlated with the risk of OH in older patients.

PMID:34628636 | DOI:10.1007/s40520-021-01994-w

Adv Exp Med Biol. 2021;1336:243-264. doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-77252-9_12.

ABSTRACT

The present chapter describes basic aspects of the main steps for data processing on mass spectrometry-based metabolomics platforms, focusing on the main objectives and important considerations of each step. Initially, an overview of metabolomics and the pivotal techniques applied in the field are presented. Important features of data acquisition and preprocessing such as data compression, noise filtering, and baseline correction are revised focusing on practical aspects. Peak detection, deconvolution, and alignment as well as missing values are also discussed. Special attention is given to chemical and mathematical normalization approaches and the role of the quality control (QC) samples. Methods for uni- and multivariate statistical analysis and data pretreatment that could impact them are reviewed, emphasizing the most widely used multivariate methods, i.e., principal components analysis (PCA), partial least squares-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA), orthogonal partial least square-discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA), and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA). Criteria for model validation and softwares used in data processing were also approached. The chapter ends with some concerns about the minimal requirements to report metadata in metabolomics.

PMID:34628635 | DOI:10.1007/978-3-030-77252-9_12

Eur Arch Paediatr Dent. 2021 Oct 9. doi: 10.1007/s40368-021-00672-9. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: According to new studies, oxidative stress may play an important role in the beginning and progression of oral diseases. The aim of this study was the evaluation of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) as an indicator of lipid peroxidation, total protein, and pH of saliva in children with various degrees of early childhood caries in comparison with caries-free children.

METHODS: This case-control study was carried out on 90 children 3-5 years old in three equal groups, including caries-free children (CF), early childhood caries (ECC), and severe early childhood caries (S-ECC) who were age- and sex matched. Saliva pH was measured using a paper pH meter and TBARS and total protein were measured by spectrophotometer methods and data were statistically analysed.

RESULTS: TBARS and total protein levels in ECC and S-ECC groups were significantly higher than the CF group (p < 0.001), but pH was not significantly different between groups. There were no significant differences between ECC and S-ECC groups in any of the studied indicators.

CONCLUSION: Considering the limitations of the present study, the results showing the higher salivary TBARS levels in the S-ECC and ECC groups compared to caries-free children, lead to the conclusion that oxidative stress could be considered as a risk factor for early childhood caries.

PMID:34628622 | DOI:10.1007/s40368-021-00672-9