Tag: nevin manimala

Ann Am Acad Pol Soc Sci. 2022 Sep;703(1):162-187. doi: 10.1177/00027162221142648. Epub 2023 Mar 20.

ABSTRACT

Although the detrimental effects of the opioid epidemic on health and wellbeing have been well documented, we know little about how it has affected the family contexts in which children live. Using data from the 2000 Census, the 2005-2018 American Community Survey (ACS) and restricted Vital Statistics, we assess how the opioid epidemic, as measured by a rise in the opioid overdose death rate, affected the rates of children living in different family arrangements: two married parents, two cohabiting parents, single mother, single father, or another configuration. According to local fixed-effects models, a higher opioid overdose death rate is associated with fewer children living with two married parents and an increase in children living in family structures that tend to be less stable, such as those led by cohabiting parents or a single father. These changes in family arrangements have potential long-term implications for the wellbeing of future generations.

PMID:39036709 | PMC:PMC11259247 | DOI:10.1177/00027162221142648

Blood Neoplasia. 2024 Jun;1(2):100013. doi: 10.1016/j.bneo.2024.100013. Epub 2024 Apr 12.

ABSTRACT

Waldenström macroglobulinemia (WM) is a rare hematological malignancy. Risk for WM is elevated 20-fold among first-degree relatives of patients with WM. However, the list of variants and genes that cause WM remains incomplete. In this study we analyzed exomes from 64 WM pedigrees for evidence of genetic susceptibility for this malignancy. We determined the frequency of pathogenic (P) or likely pathogenic (LP) variants among patients with WM; performed variant- and gene-level association analyses with the set of 166 WM cases and 681 unaffected controls; and examined the segregation pattern of deleterious variants among affected members in each pedigree. We identified P/LP variants in TREX1 and SAMHD1 (genes that function at the interface between innate immune response, genotoxic surveillance, and DNA repair) segregating in patients with WM from 2 pedigrees. There were additional P/LP variants in cancer-predisposing genes (eg, POT1, RECQL4, PTPN11, PMS2). In variant- and gene-level analyses, no associations were statistically significant after multiple testing correction. On a pathway level, we observed involvement of genes that play a role in telomere maintenance (q-value = 0.02), regulation of innate immune response (q-value = 0.05), and DNA repair (q-value = 0.08). Affected members of each pedigree shared multiple deleterious variants (median, n = 18), but the overlap between the families was modest. In summary, P/LP variants in highly penetrant genes constitute a modest proportion of the deleterious variants; each pedigree is largely unique in its genetic architecture, and multiple genes are likely involved in the etiology of WM.

PMID:39036705 | PMC:PMC11258892 | DOI:10.1016/j.bneo.2024.100013

Asian J Transfus Sci. 2024 Jan-Jun;18(1):97-101. doi: 10.4103/ajts.ajts_91_23. Epub 2023 Nov 7.

ABSTRACT

CONTEXT: COVID-19 usually presents with mild symptoms. No cases of transfusion – transmission of COVID-19 had been reported. Assessing the prevalence of viral infections among blood donors is essential to frame blood safety strategies.

AIM: The main aim of this study is to assess the seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies among healthy and asymptomatic voluntary blood donors by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

SETTING AND DESIGN: This cross-sectional study was conducted among voluntary blood donors using a consecutive sampling technique in the Department of Transfusion Medicine, the Tamil Nadu Dr. M.G.R. Medical University, Guindy, Chennai, for 18 months.

METHODS: Adhering to COVID-19 pandemic guidelines and donor eligibility criteria, blood samples collected from 500 asymptomatic unvaccinated voluntary blood donors were tested for SARS-CoV-2 (IgG + IgM + IgA and IgG) antibodies by ELISA. Adding IgA to a conventional IgM and IgG serological test improves sensitivity.

STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: The collected donor data were analyzed with IBM SPSS Statistics software. Pearson’s Chi-square test and Fisher’s exact test were used. P = 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

RESULTS: IgG seropositivity among the donors was 58.8%, and IgM + IgA seropositivity was 29.6%. There was no statistically significant difference in the COVID-19 IgG/IgM + IgA seropositivity status with age, gender, blood group, occupation, or socioeconomic status. The IgG and IgM/IgA/IgG ELISA kits showed a difference of 13 cases which could be attributed to the higher sensitivity of IgG alone ELISA kit. This increased the seroprevalence by 3%.

CONCLUSION: The majority of donors were either IgG or IgM and IgA positive, despite remaining asymptomatic. The seropositivity rate coincided with the COVID-19 surge among population.

PMID:39036700 | PMC:PMC11259330 | DOI:10.4103/ajts.ajts_91_23

Asian J Transfus Sci. 2024 Jan-Jun;18(1):62-66. doi: 10.4103/ajts.ajts_20_22. Epub 2023 May 11.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Apheresis is practiced widely to collect single donor platelets (SDPs). This procedure utilizes an anticoagulant acid citrate dextrose to prevent clotting of blood in the extracorporeal circuit which chelates divalent ions like calcium. This alters the calcium homeostasis resulting in hypocalcemia causing acute adverse events.

AIM: The study aimed to know the calcium homeostasis in apheresis platelet donors.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted from January 2020 to December 2020 in the department of transfusion medicine. The sample size was 50. Donors who walk in for voluntary SDP donation were selected. Total and ionized calcium, pH, and serum albumin for all the donors at baseline and ionic calcium at the end of the procedure and 30 min after the procedure were measured.

RESULTS: According to statistical analysis of the ionic calcium level at pre procedure, immediate post procedure and 30 minutes post procedure, there was decrease in the value immediate post procedure and values returned to baseline within 30 minutes. The levels of pH change were analyzed. On comparing the preprocedure and immediate postprocedure values, there was a significant lowering of pH value from the baseline (P = 0.5), indicating acute lowering of pH immediate postprocedure. Hence, most of the citrate metabolism can be achieved within 30 min after completion of the apheresis procedure.

CONCLUSION: SDP collection is essentially a safe procedure with minimal adverse effects. Toxicity of citrate is not much pronounced. Recovery of calcium levels is within 30 min of completion of plateletpheresis.

PMID:39036698 | PMC:PMC11259349 | DOI:10.4103/ajts.ajts_20_22

Asian J Transfus Sci. 2024 Jan-Jun;18(1):73-78. doi: 10.4103/ajts.ajts_160_22. Epub 2023 Aug 2.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Hepcidin is the key regulator of systemic iron homeostasis. In iron-loading anemias, hepcidin levels are regulated by opposite forces of erythropoiesis and iron overload. In β-thalassemia major patients, transfusions are the predominant cause of iron overload; in such chronically transfused patients, hepcidin concentrations are significantly higher than nontransfused patients, due to both increased iron load of transfusions and the suppression of ineffective erythropoiesis.

AIM: This study aims to evaluate the effect of blood transfusions on serum hepcidin levels in chronically transfused patients of β-thalassemia major and correlate with hemoglobin and serum ferritin levels of pre- and posttransfusion.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-three β-thalassemia major patients requiring monthly transfusions were included in the study. Blood samples, collected pretransfusion and 7 days posttransfusion, were evaluated for hemoglobin, serum ferritin, and serum hepcidin using enzyme immunoassay.

STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Data were statistically analyzed through SPSS software and P < 0.05 is considered statically significant.

RESULTS: Posttransfusion levels of hemoglobin, serum ferritin, and serum hepcidin increased. Posttransfusion levels of hepcidin were near normal levels. Pre- and posttransfusion hepcidin concentrations were significantly associated with hemoglobin levels.

CONCLUSION: Serum hepcidin concentrations vary depending on the degree of erythropoiesis drive and level of anemia. We found that the serum hepcidin levels decrease over the inter-transfusion interval and transfusions cause suppression of ineffective erythropoiesis by the increase in hemoglobin. Posttransfusion values of hepcidin in our study were closer to normal levels which may be due to lower erythropoietic drive posttransfusion. We suggest that the measurement of serum hepcidin in chronically transfused β-thalassemia patients can be used as a follow-up investigation for better management of these patients.

PMID:39036689 | PMC:PMC11259346 | DOI:10.4103/ajts.ajts_160_22

Dent Mater J. 2024 Jul 20. doi: 10.4012/dmj.2024-014. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Archwire bending is the key to orthodontic treatment, and multi-time bendings are inevitable during manual and robotic automated bending. The purpose of this paper is to quantitatively evaluate the mechanical effects of the different preparation modes and to compare the mechanical properties of the orthodontic loops in one and multiple bends. Three types of typical stainless steel orthodontic loops (vertical loop, T-loop, and L-loop) were used to quantify the mechanical effect of patterns for preparation by experimental comparison between loops with different bending times by using an orthodontic force tester (OFT). The results were statistically analyzed by t-test. The fracture test of the stainless steel archwire was also carried out, and the bending times at fracture were recorded. Results of the tests indicate that one-time and multi-time bending have a significant mechanical effect on orthodontic appliances. Multi-time bending causes significant mechanical decreases and can damage the appliances.

PMID:39034130 | DOI:10.4012/dmj.2024-014

J Epidemiol. 2024 Jul 20. doi: 10.2188/jea.JE20240085. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: A recent systematic review showed Japan’s mortality from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the lowest among 204 countries, despite notably higher smoking rates in men in Japan than in the US. This study aims to compare (1) trends in smoking rates, (2) trends in COPD mortality, and (3) the spirometry-based COPD prevalence in the general adult population between Japan and the US.

METHODS: Age- and sex-specific smoking rates from the 1980s through 2010s and COPD mortality from 1999 through 2019 were obtained from national surveys and official statistics (International Classification of Diseases-10^th codes J40-44), respectively. A systematic review and meta-analysis was performed to estimate COPD prevalence in Japan, while the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2007-2012 was used for the US. A fixed ratio of 0.7 of forced expiratory volume in the first second of forced vital capacity was used to define COPD.

RESULTS: Over the past four decades, men in Japan consistently had 20-30% higher smoking rates than their US counterparts. From 1999-2019, age-adjusted COPD mortality in men in Japan was only a third of the US, whereas that in women was less than a tenth in 2019. Synthesizing data from 11 studies, involving 89,955 participants, Japan’s COPD prevalence was more than 10% lower than in the US in almost all age groups for both sexes.

CONCLUSIONS: This study showed markedly lower rates of COPD in Japan than in the US. Investigating factors contributing to the paradoxical observations could lead to advancing COPD risk reduction strategies.

PMID:39034109 | DOI:10.2188/jea.JE20240085

Arch Psychiatr Nurs. 2024 Aug;51:48-53. doi: 10.1016/j.apnu.2024.04.004. Epub 2024 Apr 26.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: This descriptive-correlational study was carried out to determine the relationship between emotional intelligence levels and teamwork attitudes of nursing students.

METHOD: The study has a descriptive-correlational design. A total of 469 nursing students participated in this study. To collect the study data, the “Personal Information Form”, “Emotional Intelligence Evaluation Scale” and “TeamSTEPPS-Teamwork Attitudes Questionnaire” were used. Descriptive statistics, correlation and regression analysis were used to analyze the data.

RESULTS: The emotional intelligence levels of the nursing students were low and the level of their attitudes towards teamwork was above the average. There was a positive and significant relationship between the mean scores they obtained from the overall Emotional Intelligence Evaluation Scale and TeamSTEPPS-Teamwork Attitudes Questionnaire and their sub-scales.

CONCLUSION: Students’ emotional intelligence levels are low and their attitude levels towards teamwork are above average. Therefore, emphasis should be placed on increasing students’ emotional intelligence and teamwork attitudes during nursing education.

PMID:39034094 | DOI:10.1016/j.apnu.2024.04.004

Arch Psychiatr Nurs. 2024 Aug;51:38-47. doi: 10.1016/j.apnu.2024.04.002. Epub 2024 Apr 28.

ABSTRACT

Digital health technologies may offer an alternate approach to augmenting the established mental health care delivery systems for migrants and promoting their mental well-being. This review aims to provide a broad examination of literature, to determine the impact of technology-based interventions on outcomes of immigrants and refugees experiencing mental health symptoms associated with pre-and postmigration stress (depression, anxiety, psychological stress, PTSD). We searched five electronic databases (PubMed, Embase, PsycINFO, Web of Science, and the ACM digital library). We included studies that looked at the effectiveness of any technologybased intervention (internet or phone-based, telepsychiatry, telemedicine, digital technology, videoconferencing, or tele video). We limited our search to articles written in English and published up until January 2202. Two reviewers independently extracted article data and evaluated the quality of studies using the Cochrane risk-of-bias criteria and ROBINS-I risk of bias evaluation tool. We found scant evidence that the use of digital interventions, such as mobile-based therapies, video conferencing, and digital platforms, is associated with a statistically significant reduction in depressive and anxious symptoms among immigrants and refugees. In the included trials, no evidence of a substantial decrease in PTSD symptoms was found following the use of a self-help mobile app. Our systematic review revealed intriguing but limited evidence that digital psychological therapies can reduce depression in immigrants and refugees. Future study with a randomized experimental design is required to examine the effectiveness of digital treatments in lowering the impacts of mental health outcomes among immigrants.

PMID:39034093 | DOI:10.1016/j.apnu.2024.04.002

Arch Psychiatr Nurs. 2024 Aug;51:282-286. doi: 10.1016/j.apnu.2024.06.014. Epub 2024 Jul 9.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: Westernized alcohol and commercial tobacco use prevention approaches for Native Americans have not been effective, or sustainable. The overall objective of this study examined the effect of the culturally based Urban Talking Circle (UTC) intervention versus standard education (SE) program for the prevention of alcohol and commercial tobacco use among urban Native American youth.

DESIGN: The study employed a 2-condition quasi-experimental design and utilized convenience and snowball sampling methods for recruiting 100 urban Native American youth participants in two urban Native American community program locations in Florida. Study participants were randomized by their urban Native American community program location to one of the 2-conditions. These included the standard education (SE) program used within United States school systems (drug abuse resistance education) and the Urban Talking Circle (UTC) intervention, culturally tailored and developed for urban Native American youth from the culturally based Talking Circle Intervention for rural Native American Youth. The Native American Alcohol Measure for Youth (NAAMY) and Native Reliance Questionnaire were utilized to collect participants’ data. Participants’ data was analyzed using multivariate analysis of variance to determine differences between the scores on all measures at pre/post-intervention for the 2-conditions.

RESULTS: Study findings indicate that a culturally based intervention was more effective for the reduction of commercial tobacco and alcohol use than a non-culturally based intervention for urban Native American youth.

CONCLUSION: The study findings emphasized that the utilization of the culturally tailored UTC intervention reduced involvement associated with alcohol and commercial tobacco use.

PMID:39034090 | DOI:10.1016/j.apnu.2024.06.014