Nevin Manimala

Sci Rep. 2021 Jun 8;11(1):11863. doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-90867-3.

ABSTRACT

Studies in children have reported associations of screen time and background TV on language skills as measured by their parents. However, few large, longitudinal studies have examined language skills assessed by trained psychologists, which is less prone to social desirability. We assessed screen time and exposure to TV during family meals at ages 2, 3 and 5-6 years in 1562 children from the French EDEN cohort. Language skills were evaluated by parents at 2 years (Communicative Development Inventory, CDI) and by trained psychologists at 3 (NEPSY and ELOLA batteries) and 5-6 years (verbal IQ). Cross-sectional and longitudinal associations were assessed by linear regression adjusted for important confounders. Overall, daily screen time was not associated with language scores, except in cross-sectional at age 2 years, where higher CDI scores were observed for intermediate screen time. Exposure to TV during family meals was consistently associated with lower language scores: TV always on (vs never) at age 2 years was associated with lower verbal IQ (- 3.2 [95% IC: – 6.0, – 0.3] points), independent of daily screen time and baseline language score. In conclusion, public health policies should better account for the context of screen watching, not only its amount.

PMID:34103551 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-021-90867-3

Hum Genome Var. 2021 Jun 8;8(1):22. doi: 10.1038/s41439-021-00154-w.

ABSTRACT

Genome-wide association studies have been performed to identify common genetic variants associated with hepatitis B (HB). However, little is known about copy number variations (CNVs) in HB. In this study, we performed a genome-wide CNV analysis between 1830 healthy controls and 1031 patients with HB infection after quality control. Using signal calling by the Axiom Analysis Suite and CNV detection by PennCNV software, we obtained a total of 4494 CNVs across all individuals. The genes with CNVs that were found only in the HB patients were associated with the immune system, such as antigen processing. A gene-level CNV association test revealed statistically significant CNVs in the contactin 6 (CNTN6) gene. Moreover, we also performed gene-level CNV association tests in disease subgroups, including hepatocellular carcinoma patients, liver cirrhosis patients, and HBV carriers, including asymptomatic carriers and patients with HBV-derived chronic hepatitis. Our findings from germline cells suggested that patient-specific CNVs may be inherent genetic risk factors for HB.

PMID:34103483 | DOI:10.1038/s41439-021-00154-w

Transl Psychiatry. 2021 Jun 9;11(1):338. doi: 10.1038/s41398-021-01445-0.

ABSTRACT

Depression is a multifaceted illness with large interindividual variability in clinical response to treatment. In the era of digital medicine and precision therapeutics, new personalized treatment approaches are warranted for depression. Here, we use a combination of longitudinal ecological momentary assessments of depression, neurocognitive sampling synchronized with electroencephalography, and lifestyle data from wearables to generate individualized predictions of depressed mood over a 1-month time period. This study, thus, develops a systematic pipeline for N-of-1 personalized modeling of depression using multiple modalities of data. In the models, we integrate seven types of supervised machine learning (ML) approaches for each individual, including ensemble learning and regression-based methods. All models were verified using fourfold nested cross-validation. The best-fit as benchmarked by the lowest mean absolute percentage error, was obtained by a different type of ML model for each individual, demonstrating that there is no one-size-fits-all strategy. The voting regressor, which is a composite strategy across ML models, was best performing on-average across subjects. However, the individually selected best-fit models still showed significantly less error than the voting regressor performance across subjects. For each individual’s best-fit personalized model, we further extracted top-feature predictors using Shapley statistics. Shapley values revealed distinct feature determinants of depression over time for each person ranging from co-morbid anxiety, to physical exercise, diet, momentary stress and breathing performance, sleep times, and neurocognition. In future, these personalized features can serve as targets for a personalized ML-guided, multimodal treatment strategy for depression.

PMID:34103481 | DOI:10.1038/s41398-021-01445-0

Signal Transduct Target Ther. 2021 Jun 9;6(1):217. doi: 10.1038/s41392-021-00607-2.

ABSTRACT

We examined the safety and efficacy of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cell (hUC-MSC) infusion for immune non-responder (INR) patients with chronic HIV-1 infection, who represent an unmet medical need even in the era of efficient antiretroviral therapy (ART). Seventy-two INR patients with HIV were enrolled in this phase II randomized, double-blinded, multicenter, placebo-controlled, dose-determination trial (NCT01213186) from May 2013 to March 2016. They were assigned to receive high-dose (1.5 × 10⁶/kg body weight) or low-dose (0.5 × 10⁶/kg body weight) hUC-MSC, or placebo. Their clinical and immunological parameters were monitored during the 96-week follow-up study. We found that hUC-MSC treatment was safe and well-tolerated. Compared with baseline, there was a statistical increase in CD4+ T counts in the high-dose (P < 0.001) and low-dose (P < 0.001) groups after 48-week treatment, but no change was observed in the control group. Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed a higher cumulative probability of achieving an immunological response in the low-dose group compared with the control group (95.8% vs. 70.8%, P = 0.004). However, no significant changes in CD4/CD8+ T counts and CD4/CD8 ratios were observed among the three groups. In summary, hUC-MSC treatment is safe. However, the therapeutic efficacy of hUC-MSC treatment to improve the immune reconstitution in INR patients still needs to be further investigated in a large cohort study.

PMID:34103473 | DOI:10.1038/s41392-021-00607-2

Eur J Cancer Prev. 2021 Jul 1;30(4):297-303. doi: 10.1097/CEJ.0000000000000627.

ABSTRACT

This study examined the association between adherence to low carbohydrate diet (LCD) and risk of gastric cancer (GC). This hospital-based case-control study was conducted in Iran Cancer Institute, Tehran, Iran between 2010 and 2012. Totally, 178 patients with GC and 276 apparently healthy controls participated in this study. Cases were histo-pathologically confirmed GC patients aged ≥40 years diagnosed with GC in the last year. Dietary intakes were assessed using a validated 146-item Diet History Questionnaire. We computed the LCD score trough the protocol explained by Halton. Patients with GC were older (60.8 vs. 53.2 years, P < 0.001) and more likely to be male (74.2 vs. 63.8%, P = 0.02), married (97.8 vs. 86.6%, P < 0.001) and illiterate (62.4% vs. 26.1%, P < 0.001) than controls. Before adjusting for covariates, adherence to LCD-diet was not associated with risk of GC [odds ratio (OR) 1.31; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.82-2.09 for highest vs. lowest tertile; Ptrend < 0.26]. Adjustments for several potential confounders including H-pylori infection and BMI, participants in the highest tertile of LCD score were 7% more likely to have GC than those in the lowest tertile; however, it was not statistically significant (OR 1.07; 95% CI 0.59-1.95 for highest vs. lowest tertile; Ptrend < 0.79). No significant association was also seen between adherence to animal- or vegetable-based LCD diet and risk of GC. In conclusion, we failed to find any evidence on the association between consumption of LCD and odds of GC. Further studies, in particular of prospective design, are required to confirm these findings.

PMID:34103461 | DOI:10.1097/CEJ.0000000000000627

Georgian Med News. 2021 Apr;(313):176-180.

ABSTRACT

The article reviews the medical and social vaccination-related initiatives in different countries of the world aimed at maintaining the balance between the public interest and respect for rights. A separate emphasis is put on exceptions to general rules of compulsory vaccination of children based on religious, philosophic and other personal beliefs of their parents. The connection between the medical and social initiatives applied in different countries, exemption from vaccination for non-medical reasons and reduction of herd immunity is determine. The methods of the research include the comparative method, i.e. the comparison of Ukrainian and international medical and social initiatives related to vaccination of children; the statistical method which is used for generalization of vaccination-related information of the World Health Organization and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control; the systematic analysis aimed at identification of existing shortcomings and positive experience of state policies of children vaccination in different countries of the world; the linguo-cognitive analysis, i.e the analysis of reasons for judgements with relation to the role of vaccination in modern countries and those social and medical initiatives that are allowed to be used in certain states to ensure exercise of human rights. Even a slight reduction in numbers of vaccinated children caused by parents’ hesitancy due to certain non-medical reasons, religious and philosophic beliefs will have negative consequences for the public health and country’s economy. Looking for a balance of human rights and public interest when it comes to vaccination resulted in establishing by the supranational judicial institutions of the prevalence of social necessity over individual rights. These findings should play a key role in the selection by different states of vaccination-related medical and social initiatives.

PMID:34103453

Georgian Med News. 2021 Apr;(313):163-168.

ABSTRACT

Aim of the research – to study the features of the structural reconstruction of blood vessels of the testes of experimental animals at arterial hypertension in the pulmonary circulation using a complex of morphological methods. Experiments were carried out on 78 laboratory sexually mature white male rats, which were divided into 3 groups. The 1 group included 15 intact practically healthy animals, 2 – 48 rats with hypertension in the pulmonary circulation and compensated cor pulmonale, 15 animals with pulmonary hypertension, which developed decompensation of cor pulmonale, constituted the 3 group. Arterial hypertension in the pulmonary circulation was simulated by performing a right-sided pulmonectomy. Three months after the beginning of the experiment, the rats were euthanized by bloodletting under thiopental anesthesia. Histological micropreparations were made from the testes, on which the morphometry of arteries, veins, and microvessels was performed. Quantitative indicators were processed statistically. It was revealed that postresection hypertension in the pulmonary circulation leads to structural reconstruction of arteries, microvessels, and the venous bed of the left and right testes. At the same time, the degree of remodeling of the studied vessels dominates in the microhemocirculatory bed of the left testis at decompensation of the cor pulmonale. Structural reconstruction of the vessels of the microhemocirculatory bed of the testes in case of insufficiency of the cor pulmonary is characterized by a pronounced narrowing of the arterioles, precapillary arterioles), exchange (hemocapillaries) links of the microhemocirculatory bed and the expansion of postcapillary venules and venules, venous plethora, hypoxia, impaired trophism and metabolism, dystrophy, necrobiosis of cells, tissues, infiltration and sclerosis.

PMID:34103450

Georgian Med News. 2021 Apr;(313):113-117.

ABSTRACT

The aim of the article is scientific conceptualization of the problem of mental derangement as a mandatory medical criterion of limited sanity according to criminal legislation by experience of Ukraine and some foreign countries and development of new approaches to such status assessment. Empirical study base of the problem consists of judgments of conviction taken from Unified State Register of Court Rulings of Ukraine and carried out on persons who commit crimes in the state of limited sanity from March 1st, 2014, till August 1st, 2020. Results of some foreign researchers’ studies of the problem in question have been used as well. A combination of general and special scientific methods (comparative method, system structural method, method of statistical analysis, method of legal phenomenon system analysis etc.) has been applied to reach the aim in view. In conclusion: medical criterion of limited sanity (“mental derangement”) used by lawmaker does not allow defining clearly types of illnesses, represent all possible types of psychiatric pathology and also causes complications in law enforcement practice. It has been proved that increase of quantity of people having mental derangements and quantity of crimes committed by such people shows that non-application of compulsory measures of medical care, correlational programs leads to repeated crimes commitment. Taking into account absence of duration of compulsory measures of medical care application, it has been suggested to stipulate this by Ukrainian legislation and to develop classification of mental derangements and criteria of their division into severe and non-severe.

PMID:34103441

Georgian Med News. 2021 Apr;(313):89-93.

ABSTRACT

Herpesvirus infections (HI) are the most common HIV-associated diseases. Due to the development of the HIV pandemic, the incidence of HI against the background of HIV infection is steadily increasing, and the implantation of HAART makes certain changes in the course of diseases of this category. The aim of the study was to compare clinical and immunological data in different forms of HI in HIV-positive patients and in patients with normal immune status. From March, 2019 to April 2021, 59 HIV-positive and 60 HIV-negative patients were included in the study. The study used clinical and laboratory methods: ELISA, PCR (HIV RNA, HSV-1, HSV-2, VZV, EBV, CMV, HHV-8), immunological studies (CD3 +, CD4 +, CD8 +, CD4 +/CD8 +, CD20 +). The data were statistically processed using the IBM SPSS Statistics statistical package. The clinical features of herpesvirus skin diseases associated with HIV is closely related to the immune status. The spectrum of clinical manifestations and the incidence of skin and mucous membrane diseases in HIV-infected people are influenced by the severity of immunodeficiency and the systemic use of antiretroviral drugs. The severity of manifestations correlates with the level of CD4 + cells: with a value below 349 cells/μl, an atypical course was observed, and with a value of less than 200 cells/μl, a generalized infectious process.

PMID:34103437

Georgian Med News. 2021 Apr;(313):66-71.

ABSTRACT

Musculoskeletal diseases significantly impair the quality of life and work limitation. Purpose: to determine specificities of work limitation dynamic amongst the patients with lower back and lower limbs musculoskeletal disorders grouped by their psychotypes within the outpatient physical therapy. The Work Limitations Questionnaire (WLQ) was used in the research. The study involved 55 patients who completed a course of physical therapy. The data obtained confirmed the impact of the type of attitude to the disease on all indicators of work limitations according to the WLQ, except for the “Physical Demands” scale. The study confirmed the existence of greater work limitations amongst the patients with irrational psychotypes. The biggest difference between the groups was observed on the “Time Management” scale. All questionnaire scales had significant improvements during physical therapy in both groups. The most significant changes were observed on the “Physical Demands” and “Time Management” scales. The largest difference between the groups was observed on the “Physical Demands” and “Mental-Interpersonal Demands” scales. After grouping the patients by the type of attitude to the disease, a number of significant differences in the indicators of work limitations were observed. Though being slightly better, dynamic indicators did not register any statistical advantages in group rational psychotypes during physical therapy. These results are important for working out an individualized physical therapy program according to the type of attitude to the disease, improving dynamic of work limitation indicators, and probably the quality of life.

PMID:34103433