Nevin Manimala

BMJ. 2021 Aug 18;374:n1868. doi: 10.1136/bmj.n1868.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To determine associations of BNT162b2 vaccination with SARS-CoV-2 infection and hospital admission and death with covid-19 among nursing home residents, nursing home staff, and healthcare workers.

DESIGN: Prospective cohort study.

SETTING: Nursing homes and linked electronic medical record, test, and mortality data in Catalonia on 27 December 2020.

PARTICIPANTS: 28 456 nursing home residents, 26 170 nursing home staff, and 61 791 healthcare workers.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Participants were followed until the earliest outcome (confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection, hospital admission or death with covid-19) or 26 May 2021. Vaccination status was introduced as a time varying exposure, with a 14 day run-in after the first dose. Mixed effects Cox models were fitted to estimate hazard ratios with index month as a fixed effect and adjusted for confounders including sociodemographics, comorbidity, and previous medicine use.

RESULTS: Among the nursing home residents, SARS-CoV-2 infection was found in 2482, 411 were admitted to hospital with covid-19, and 450 died with covid-19 during the study period. In parallel, 1828 nursing home staff and 2968 healthcare workers were found to have SARS-CoV-2 infection, but fewer than five were admitted or died with covid-19. The adjusted hazard ratio for SARS-CoV-2 infection after two doses of vaccine was 0.09 (95% confidence interval 0.08 to 0.11) for nursing home residents, 0.20 (0.17 to 0.24) for nursing home staff, and 0.13 (0.11 to 0.16) for healthcare workers. Adjusted hazard ratios for hospital admission and mortality after two doses of vaccine were 0.05 (0.04 to 0.07) and 0.03 (0.02 to 0.04), respectively, for nursing home residents. Nursing home staff and healthcare workers recorded insufficient events for mortality analysis.

CONCLUSIONS: Vaccination was associated with 80-91% reduction in SARS-CoV-2 infection in all three cohorts and greater reductions in hospital admissions and mortality among nursing home residents for up to five months. More data are needed on longer term effects of covid-19 vaccines.

PMID:34407952 | DOI:10.1136/bmj.n1868

Ann Rheum Dis. 2021 Aug 18:annrheumdis-2021-219931. doi: 10.1136/annrheumdis-2021-219931. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to determine the prevalence of ultrasound-detected tendon abnormalities in healthy subjects (HS) across the age range.

METHODS: Adult HS (age 18-80 years) were recruited in 23 international Outcome Measures in Rheumatology ultrasound centres and were clinically assessed to exclude inflammatory diseases or overt osteoarthritis before undergoing a bilateral ultrasound examination of digit flexors (DFs) 1-5 and extensor carpi ulnaris (ECU) tendons to detect the presence of tenosynovial hypertrophy (TSH), tenosynovial power Doppler (TPD) and tenosynovial effusion (TEF), usually considered ultrasound signs of inflammatory diseases. A comparison cohort of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) was taken from the Birmingham Early Arthritis early arthritis inception cohort.

RESULTS: 939 HS and 144 patients with RA were included. The majority of HS (85%) had grade 0 for TSH, TPD and TEF in all DF and ECU tendons examined. There was a statistically significant difference in the proportion of TSH and TPD involvement between HS and subjects with RA (HS vs RA p<0.001). In HS, there was no difference in the presence of ultrasound abnormalities between age groups.

CONCLUSIONS: Ultrasound-detected TSH and TPD abnormalities are rare in HS and can be regarded as markers of active inflammatory disease, especially in newly presenting RA.

PMID:34407928 | DOI:10.1136/annrheumdis-2021-219931

Int J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2021 Aug 15:S0901-5027(21)00265-4. doi: 10.1016/j.ijom.2021.07.015. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

The goal of this study was to determine whether a relationship exists between the amount of mandibular setback and the amount of airway dimensional changes. Records and cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) of patients who had undergone isolated bilateral sagittal split osteotomy setback between January 1, 2013 and March 16, 2020 at a single institution were reviewed retrospectively. The primary outcome variable was upper airway volume dimension change, and the predictor variable was the magnitude of mandibular setback as measured by six different methods. Thirty-one patients were included in the study, with a mean mandibular setback ranging from 1.41 mm to 6.11 mm. None of the predictor variables showed an association with oropharyngeal (P = 0.54) or hypopharyngeal (P = 0.33) volume. Stepwise regression analysis failed to show any significant relationships. Similarly, there was no statistically significant association between any of the predictor variables and oropharyngeal (P = 0.44) or hypopharyngeal (P = 0.74) minimum axial area. The results showed that no correlation exists between the magnitude of mandibular setback and the amount of static airway dimensional changes; therefore, it may not be possible to predict whether obstructive sleep apnea will develop following mild to moderate mandibular setback based upon CBCT measurements.

PMID:34407912 | DOI:10.1016/j.ijom.2021.07.015

Cardiol Young. 2021 Aug 19:1-27. doi: 10.1017/S1047951121003693. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: This study was conducted to evaluate the persisting Covid-19-related symptoms of the cases included in our study and to assess their cardiac findings in order to determine the impact of Covid-19 on children’s cardiovascular health.

METHODS: In this study, 121 children between the ages of 0-18 with Covid-19 were evaluated based on their history, blood pressure values, and electrocardiography and echocardiography results. These findings were compared with the findings of the control group which consisted of 95 healthy cases who were in the same age range as the study group and did not have Covid-19. The results were evaluated using the statistics program, SPSS 21.

RESULTS: There was no significant difference between the study group and the control group in terms of age, weight, and body mass index. The clinical symptoms (chest and back pain, dizziness, headache, palpitation, fatigue, shortness of breath, loss of balance, coughing) of 37.2% of the cases persisted at least 1 month after Covid-19 recovery. Statistically significant differences were found in systolic blood pressure, left ventricular ejection fraction, relative wall thickness, and tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion.

CONCLUSION: The continuation of some cases’ clinical symptoms post-recovery indicates that long Covid infection can be observed in children. The fact that statistically significant differences were observed between the echocardiographic parameters of the study and control groups suggests that Covid-19 may have effects on the cardiovascular system. To shed light on the long Covid cases among children and the infection’s cardiac impacts, it would be beneficial to conduct more comprehensive studies on this matter.

PMID:34407902 | DOI:10.1017/S1047951121003693

Br J Nutr. 2021 Aug 19:1-26. doi: 10.1017/S0007114521003159. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Central Africa is experiencing rapid urbanization and this situation comes along with changes in food habits and an increased prevalence of obesity and associated health risks. Factors influencing dietary intake among the diverse African populations are not well understood. Our objective was to characterize the dietary intake and their determinants in the two main ethnic groups experiencing nutrition transition in Cameroon, the Bamiléké and the Béti. We sampled Bamiléké (381) and Béti (347) adults living in both rural and urban, collected sociodemographic variables, assessed dietary patterns by using a food portion photographs book to administrate a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) and a 24-hour dietary recall technique, and derived their Body Mass Index (BMI) from measured weight and height. The dietary patterns of Bamiléké people were comprised of more energy-dense foods than the Béti people, regardless of the living area. The energy intake (13·8 (SD 4·6)-15·4 (SD 4·8) MJ vs 9·7 (SD 3·5)-11·2 (SD 3·9 MJ) and the obesity (15-29 % vs 5-8 %) were therefore higher in Bamiléké than in Béti respectively. Multivariable linear regression analyses showed strong associations of both ethnicities (4·02 MJ; P <0·001), living area (0·21 MJ; P <0·001), and education (0·59 MJ; P <0·048) with energy intake (EI), independently of each other and other sociodemographic factors. The ethnicity factor has been characterized as the more important determinant of diet. Our findings provide new insights and perspectives highlighting the importance of anthropological factors when building prevention campaigns against obesity in Central Africa.

PMID:34407901 | DOI:10.1017/S0007114521003159

Cardiol Young. 2021 Aug 19:1-8. doi: 10.1017/S1047951121003218. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Parents who receive a diagnosis of a severe, life-threatening CHD for their foetus or neonate face a complex and stressful decision between termination, palliative care, or surgery. Understanding how parents make this initial treatment decision is critical for developing interventions to improve counselling for these families.

METHODS: We conducted focus groups in four academic medical centres across the United States of America with a purposive sample of parents who chose termination, palliative care, or surgery for their foetus or neonate diagnosed with severe CHD.

RESULTS: Ten focus groups were conducted with 56 parents (Mage = 34 years; 80% female; 89% White). Results were constructed around three domains: decision-making approaches; values and beliefs; and decision-making challenges. Parents discussed varying approaches to making the decision, ranging from relying on their “gut feeling” to desiring statistics and probabilities. Religious and spiritual beliefs often guided the decision to not terminate the pregnancy. Quality of life was an important consideration, including how each option would impact the child (e.g., pain or discomfort, cognitive and physical abilities) and their family (e.g., care for other children, marriage, and career). Parents reported inconsistent communication of options by clinicians and challenges related to time constraints for making a decision and difficulty in processing information when distressed.

CONCLUSION: This study offers important insights that can be used to design interventions to improve decision support and family-centred care in clinical practice.

PMID:34407894 | DOI:10.1017/S1047951121003218

Int J Retina Vitreous. 2021 Aug 18;7(1):47. doi: 10.1186/s40942-021-00315-7.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Our study aimed to assess and compare the accuracy of 8 intraocular lens (IOL) power calculation formulas (Barrett Universal II, EVO 2.0, Haigis, Hoffer Q, Holladay 1, Kane and PEARL-DGS) in patients submitted to combined phacovitrectomy for vitreomacular (VM) interface disorders.

METHODS: Retrospective chart review study including axial-length matched patients submitted to phacoemulsification alone (Group 1) and combined phacovitrectomy (Group 2). Using optimized constants in both groups, refraction prediction error of each formula was calculated for each eye. The optimised constants from Group 1 were also applied to patients of Group 2 – Group 3. Outcome measures included the mean prediction error (ME) and its standard deviation (SD), mean (MAE) and median (MedAE) absolute errors, in diopters (D), and the percentage of eyes within ± 0.25D, ± 0.50D and ± 1.00D.

RESULTS: A total of 220 eyes were included (Group 1: 100; Group 2: 120). In Group 1, the difference in formulas absolute error was significative (p = 0.005). The Kane Formula had the lowest MAE (0.306) and MedAE (0.264). In Group 2, Kane had the overall best performance, followed by PEARL-DGS, EVO 2.0 and Barrett Universal II. The ME of all formulas in both Groups 1 and 2 were 0.000 (p = 0.934; p = 0.971, respectively). In Group 3, a statistically significant myopic shift was observed for each formula (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION: Surgeons must be careful regarding IOL power selection in phacovitrectomy considering the systematic myopic shift evidenced-constant optimization may help eliminating such error. Moreover, newly introduced formulas and calculation methods may help us achieving increasingly better refractive outcomes both in cataract surgery alone and phacovitrectomy.

PMID:34407889 | DOI:10.1186/s40942-021-00315-7

Genome Med. 2021 Aug 18;13(1):132. doi: 10.1186/s13073-021-00945-4.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Gene copy number variations (CNVs) contribute to genetic diversity and disease prevalence across populations. Substantial efforts have been made to decipher the relationship between CNVs and pathogenesis but with limited success.

RESULTS: We have developed a novel computational framework X-CNV ( www.unimd.org/XCNV ), to predict the pathogenicity of CNVs by integrating more than 30 informative features such as allele frequency (AF), CNV length, CNV type, and some deleterious scores. Notably, over 14 million CNVs across various ethnic groups, covering nearly 93% of the human genome, were unified to calculate the AF. X-CNV, which yielded area under curve (AUC) values of 0.96 and 0.94 in training and validation sets, was demonstrated to outperform other available tools in terms of CNV pathogenicity prediction. A meta-voting prediction (MVP) score was developed to quantitively measure the pathogenic effect, which is based on the probabilistic value generated from the XGBoost algorithm. The proposed MVP score demonstrated a high discriminative power in determining pathogenetic CNVs for inherited traits/diseases in different ethnic groups.

CONCLUSIONS: The ability of the X-CNV framework to quantitatively prioritize functional, deleterious, and disease-causing CNV on a genome-wide basis outperformed current CNV-annotation tools and will have broad utility in population genetics, disease-association studies, and diagnostic screening.

PMID:34407882 | DOI:10.1186/s13073-021-00945-4

Parasit Vectors. 2021 Aug 18;14(1):413. doi: 10.1186/s13071-021-04918-9.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Dengue is a significant public health issue that is caused by Aedes spp. mosquitoes. The current vector control methods are unable to effectively reduce Aedes populations and thus fail to decrease dengue transmission. Hence, there is an urgent need for new tools and strategies to reduce dengue transmission in a wide range of settings. In this study, the Mosquito Home System (MHS) and Mosquito Home Aqua (MHAQ) formulations were assessed as commercial autodissemination traps in laboratory and small-scale field trials.

METHOD: Multiple series of laboratory and small-scale field trials were performed to assess the efficacy of MHS and MHAQ exposed to Ae. aegypti. In the laboratory trials, various parameters such as fecundity, fertility, wing size, oviposition preferences, residual effects, and MHAQ transference to other containers through controlled experiments were tested. For small-scale field trials, the efficacy of the MHS and MHAQ approaches was determined to ascertain whether wild mosquitoes could transfer the MHAQ formulation from MHS stations to ovitraps.

RESULTS: The data revealed that Ae. aegypti was highly susceptible to low concentrations of MHAQ formulations and had a residual effect of up to 3 months, with MHAQ exposure affecting fecundity, fertility, and mosquito wing size. In the oviposition studies, gravid females strongly preferred the hay infusion compared to tap water and MHAQ during egg-laying in the laboratory. Nevertheless, the use of commercial MHAQ by MHS was highly attractive in field settings compared to conventional ovitraps among local Aedes spp. mosquitoes. In addition, MHAQ horizontal transfer activities in the laboratory and small-scale field trials were demonstrated through larval bioassays. These findings demonstrated the potential of MHAQ to be transferred to new containers in each study site.

CONCLUSION: This study provided proof of principle for the autodissemination of MHAQ. Through further refinement, this technique and device could become an effective oviposition trap and offer an alternative preventive tool for vector control management.

PMID:34407881 | DOI:10.1186/s13071-021-04918-9

Stem Cell Res Ther. 2021 Aug 18;12(1):461. doi: 10.1186/s13287-021-02496-2.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Pulmonary fibrosis (PF) is a devastating disease characterized by remodeling of lung architecture and abnormal deposition of fibroblasts in parenchymal tissue and ultimately results in respiratory failure and death. Preclinical studies suggest that mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) administration may be a safe and promising option in treating PF. The objective of our meta-analysis is to assess the efficacy of MSC therapy in preclinical models of PF.

METHODS: We performed a comprehensive literature search in PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library databases from inception to March 17, 2021. Studies that assessed the efficacy of MSC therapy to animals with PF were included. The SYRCLE bias risk tool was employed to evaluate the bias of included studies. The primary outcomes included survival rate and pulmonary fibrosis scores. Meta-analysis was conducted via Cochrane Collaboration Review Manager (version 5.4) and Stata 14.0 statistical software.

RESULTS: A total of 1120 articles were reviewed, of which 24 articles met inclusion criteria. Of these, 12 studies evaluated the survival rate and 20 studies evaluated pulmonary fibrosis scores. Compared to the control group, MSC therapy was associated with an improvement in survival rate (odds ratios (OR) 3.10, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.06 to 4.67, P < 0.001, I² = 0%) and a significant reduction in pulmonary fibrosis scores (weighted mean difference (WMD) 2.05, 95% CI -2.58 to -1.51, P < 0.001, I² = 90%).

CONCLUSIONS: MSC therapy is a safe and effective method that can significantly improve the survival and pulmonary fibrosis of PF animals. These results provide an important basis for future translational clinical studies.

PMID:34407861 | DOI:10.1186/s13287-021-02496-2