Tag: nevin manimala
J Chem Inf Model. 2024 Jul 1. doi: 10.1021/acs.jcim.4c00061. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
Foods possess a range of unexplored functionalities; however, fully identifying these functions through empirical means presents significant challenges. In this study, we have proposed an in silico approach to comprehensively predict the functionalities of foods, encompassing even processed foods. This prediction is accomplished through the utilization of machine learning on biomedical big data. Our focus revolves around disease-related protein pathways, wherein we statistically evaluate how the constituent compounds collaboratively regulate these pathways. The proposed method has been employed across 876 foods and 83 diseases, leading to an extensive revelation of both food functionalities and their underlying operational mechanisms. Additionally, this approach identifies food combinations that potentially affect molecular pathways based on interrelationships between food functions within disease-related pathways. Our proposed method holds potential for advancing preventive healthcare.
PMID:38950938 | DOI:10.1021/acs.jcim.4c00061
Int J Gynecol Cancer. 2024 Jul 1;34(7):1051-1059. doi: 10.1136/ijgc-2024-005660.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: To develop a pre-operative tool to estimate the risk of peri-operative packed red blood cell transfusion in primary debulking surgery.
METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed an institutional database to identify patients who underwent primary debulking surgery for ovarian cancer at a single center between January 1, 2001 and May 31, 2019. Receiver operating characteristic curve and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) were calculated. Five-fold cross-validation was applied to the multivariate model. Significant variables were assigned a ‘BLOODS’ (BLood transfusion Over an Ovarian cancer Debulking Surgery) score of +1 if present. A total BLOODS score was calculated for each patient, and the odds of receiving a transfusion was determined for each score.
RESULTS: Overall, 1566 patients met eligibility criteria; 800 (51%) underwent a peri-operative blood transfusion. Odds ratios (OR) were statistically significant for American Society of Anesthesiologists scores of 3 and 4 (OR 1.34, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.09 to 1.63), pre-operative levels of cancer antigen 125 (CA125) (OR 2.43, 95% CI 1.98 to 2.99), platelets (OR 1.59, 95% CI 1.45 to 1.74), obesity (OR 0.76, 95% CI 0.60 to 0.96), presence of carcinomatosis (OR 2.45, 95% CI 1.93 to 3.11), bulky upper abdominal disease (OR 2.86, 95% CI 2.32 to 3.54), pre-operative serum albumin level (OR 0.31, 95% CI 0.24 to 0.40), and pre-operative hemoglobin level (OR 0.56, 95% CI 0.51 to 0.61). The corrected AUC was 0.748 (95% CI 0.693 to 0.804). BLOODS scores of 0 and 5 corresponded to 11% and 73% odds, respectively, of receiving a peri-operative blood transfusion.
CONCLUSIONS: We developed a universal pre-operative scoring system, the BLOODS score, to help identify patients with ovarian cancer who would benefit from surgical planning and blood-saving techniques. The BLOODS score was directly proportional to the American Society of Anesthesiologists score, presence of upper abdominal disease, carcinomatosis, CA125 level, and platelets level. We believe this model can help physicians with surgical planning and can benefit patient outcomes.
PMID:38950927 | DOI:10.1136/ijgc-2024-005660
Int J Gynecol Cancer. 2024 Jun 30:ijgc-2024-005419. doi: 10.1136/ijgc-2024-005419. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the impact of cumulative cisplatin dose on clinical outcomes in locally advanced cervical cancer patients undergoing definitive chemoradiotherapy.
METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 654 patients with stage IB3-IVA disease treated with definitive chemoradiotherapy. Radiotherapy was applied as external beam pelvic with or without para-aortic radiotherapy and brachytherapy. Concomitant chemotherapy was in the form of weekly or 3 weekly cisplatin. Data on demographics, treatment protocols, cumulative cisplatin dose, adverse effects, and survival outcomes were collected. Statistical analyses, including univariate and multivariate Cox regression models, were used to assess factors influencing progression free survival and overall survival.
RESULTS: The median cumulative cisplatin dose was 210 mg (range 40-320), and ≥200 mg in 503 (76.9%) patients. Median follow-up was 35 months (range 1-150). The 5 year progression free survival and overall survival rates were 66.9% and 77.1%, respectively. Multivariate analysis identified poor performance status, non-squamous cell histology, presence of lymph node metastases, and hemoglobin <10 g/dL before chemoradiotherapy as poor prognostic factors for both progression free survival and overall survival in the whole group. When stage III cases were evaluated separately, the cumulative cisplatin dose <200 mg was found to be a significant poor prognostic factor in overall survival (hazard ratio 1.79, 95% confidence interval 1.1 to 3.0, p=0.031).
CONCLUSION: Our study showed that a cumulative cisplatin dose >200 mg, particularly in patients with lymph node metastases, significantly improved overall survival. Factors such as anemia, toxicity related challenges, and comorbidities were identified as critical considerations in treatment planning. These findings emphasize the balance between maximizing therapeutic efficacy and managing toxicity, guiding personalized treatment approaches for locally advanced cervical cancer.
PMID:38950923 | DOI:10.1136/ijgc-2024-005419
Eur Heart J Qual Care Clin Outcomes. 2024 Jul 1:qcae050. doi: 10.1093/ehjqcco/qcae050. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: Patients surviving acute pulmonary embolism (PE) necessitate long-term treatment and follow-up. However, the chronic economic impact of PE on European healthcare systems remains to be determined.
METHODS AND RESULTS: We calculated the direct cost of illness during the first year after discharge for the index PE, analyzing data from a multicentre prospective cohort study in Germany. Main and accompanying readmission diagnoses were used to calculate DRG-based hospital reimbursements; anticoagulation costs were estimated from the exact treatment duration and each drug’s unique national identifier; and outpatient post-PE care costs from guidelines-recommended algorithms and national reimbursement catalogues. Of 1017 patients enrolled at 17 centres, 958 (94%) completed ≥ 3-month follow-up; of those, 24% were rehospitalized (0.34 [95% CI 0.30-0.39] readmissions per PE survivor). Age, coronary artery, pulmonary and kidney disease, diabetes, and (in the sensitivity analysis of 837 patients with complete 12-month follow-up) cancer, but not recurrent PE, were independent cost predictors by hurdle gamma regression accounting for zero readmissions. Estimated rehospitalization cost was €1138 (95% CI 896-1420) per patient. Anticoagulation duration was 329 (IQR 142-365) days, with estimated average per-patient costs of €1050 (median 972; IQR 458-1197); costs of scheduled ambulatory follow-up visits amounted to €181. Total estimated direct per-patient costs during the first year after PE ranged from €2369 (primary analysis) to €2542 (sensitivity analysis).
CONCLUSIONS: By estimating per-patient costs and identifying cost drivers of post-PE care, our study may inform decisions concerning implementation and reimbursement of follow-up programmes aiming at improved cardiovascular prevention. (Trial registration number: DRKS00005939).
PMID:38950900 | DOI:10.1093/ehjqcco/qcae050
Hand Surg Rehabil. 2024 Jun 29:101747. doi: 10.1016/j.hansur.2024.101747. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: The proximal regions of the brachial plexus (roots, trunks) are more susceptible to permanent damage due to stretch injuries than the distal regions (cords, terminal branches). A better description of brachial plexus mechanical behavior is necessary to better understand deformation mechanisms in stretch injury. The purpose of this study was to model the biomechanical behavior of each portion of the brachial plexus (roots, trunks, cords, peripheral nerves) in a cadaveric model and report differences in elastic modulus, maximum stress and maximum strain.
METHODS: Eight cadaveric plexi, divided into 47 segments according to regions of interest, underwent cyclical uniaxial tensile tests, using a BOSE® Electroforce® 3330 and INSTRON® 5969 material testing machines, to obtain the stress and strain histories of each specimen. Maximum stress, maximum strain and elastic modulus were extracted from the load-displacement and stress-strain curves. Statistical analyses used 1-way ANOVA with post-hoc Tukey HSD (Honestly Significant Difference) and Mann-Whitney tests.
RESULTS: Mean elastic modulus was 8.65 MPa for roots, 8.82 MPa for trunks, 22.44 MPa for cords, and 26.43 MPa for peripheral nerves. Differences in elastic modulus and in maximum stress were statistically significant (p < 0.001) between proximal (roots, trunks) and distal (cords, peripheral nerves) specimens.
CONCLUSIONS: Proximal structures demonstrated significantly smaller elastic modulus and maximum stress than distal structures. These data confirm the greater fragility of proximal regions of the brachial plexus.
PMID:38950883 | DOI:10.1016/j.hansur.2024.101747
Osteoarthritis Cartilage. 2024 Jun 29:S1063-4584(24)01269-X. doi: 10.1016/j.joca.2024.06.014. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of unilateral anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury on cartilage thickness and composition, specifically laminar transverse relaxation time (T2) by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), in younger and older participants and to compare within-person side differences in these parameters between ACL-injured and healthy controls.
DESIGN: Quantitative double-echo steady-state (qDESS) 3 Tesla MRI-sequences were acquired in both knees of 85 participants in four groups: 20-30 years: healthy, HEA20-30, n=24; ACL-injured, ACL20-30, n=23; 40-60 years: healthy, HEA40-60, n=24; ACL-injured, ACL40-60, n=14 (ACL injury 2-10 years prior to study inclusion). Weight-bearing femorotibial cartilages were manually segmented; cartilage T2 and thickness were computed using custom software. Mean and side difference in subregional cartilage thickness, superficial and deep cartilage T2 were compared within and between groups using non-parametric statistics.
RESULTS: Cartilage thickness did not differ within or between groups. Only the side difference in medial femorotibial cartilage thickness was greater in ACL20-30 than in HEA20-30. Deep zone T2 was longer in the ACL-injured than in the contralateral uninjured knees and than in healthy controls, especially in the lateral compartment. Most ACL-injured participants had side differences in femorotibial deep zone T2 above the threshold derived from controls.
CONCLUSION: In the ACL-injured knee, early compositional differences in femorotibial cartilage (T2) appear to occur in the deep zone and precede cartilage thickness loss. These results suggest that monitoring laminar T2 after ACL injury may be useful in the diagnosing and monitoring early articular cartilage changes.
PMID:38950877 | DOI:10.1016/j.joca.2024.06.014
J Affect Disord. 2024 Jun 29:S0165-0327(24)01042-5. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2024.06.109. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Loneliness is a pressing public mental health issue. So far, there has been a paucity of investigations focused on the individual differences modulating this subjective feeling in the face of difficult circumstances, e.g., the COVID-19 pandemic. As such, the present study aimed to investigate the role of mentalization; given that the construct comprises reflection abilities that might be particularly relevant to the pandemic’s interpersonal challenges.
METHODS: A survey representative of the German population was conducted from May to June 2020 (N = 2503). We examined mentalization, operationalized as reflective functioning (RF) and measured using the Mentalization Questionnaire (MZQ), both as a protective factor against loneliness on its own and as a moderator of the association of social isolation with loneliness.
RESULTS: Of the overall sample, 822 (32.8 %) individuals reported social isolation. Worse RF was moderately associated with higher levels of loneliness (r = 0.433, p < .001). A linear regression model (controlling for sociodemographic characteristics and general personality pathology) confirmed this positive association, but also indicated an interaction effect of RF and social isolation in the statistical prediction of loneliness. Stratified models showed that RF was a comparatively weaker statistical predictor of loneliness among the socially isolated.
DISCUSSION: This representative population study expanded our knowledge about the factors shaping loneliness in the population. RF emerged as a potentially modifiable protective influence. Further research needs to clarify the mechanisms through which it mitigates loneliness.
LIMITATIONS: The cross-sectional design does not give insight into the temporal association of RF and loneliness.
PMID:38950870 | DOI:10.1016/j.jad.2024.06.109
J Hosp Infect. 2024 Jun 29:S0195-6701(24)00221-4. doi: 10.1016/j.jhin.2024.06.003. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: While seasonality of hospital-acquired infections, including incisional SSI after orthopaedic surgery, is recognized, the seasonality of incisional SSI after general and gastroenterological surgeries remains unclear.
STUDY DESIGN: This retrospective single-institute observational study analysed the seasonality and risk factors of incisional SSI after general and gastroenterological surgeries using univariate and multivariable analyses. The evaluated variables included age, sex, surgical approach, surgical urgency, operation time, wound classification, and the American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status (ASA-PS).
RESULTS: 8,436 patients were enrolled. General surgeries (n=2,241) showed a pronounced SSI incidence in summer (3.9%; odds ratio [OR] 1.87; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.05-3.27; p=0.025) compared to other seasons (2.1%). Conversely, gastroenterological surgeries (n=6,195) showed a higher incidence in winter (8.3%; OR 1.38; 95% CI 1.10-1.73; p=0.005) than in other seasons (6.1%). Summer for general surgery (OR 1.90; 95% CI 1.12-3.24; p=0.018) and winter for gastroenterological surgery (OR 1.46; 95% CI 1.17-1.82; p=0.001) emerged as independent risk factors for incisional SSI. Open surgery (OR, 2.72; 95% CI 1.73-4.29, p<0.001) and an ASA-PS score ≥3 (OR, 1.64; 95% CI 1.08-2.50, p=0.021) were independent risk factors for incisional SSI in patients undergoing gastroenterological surgery during winter.
CONCLUSION: Seasonality exists in the incisional SSI incidence following general and gastroenterological surgeries. Recognizing these trends may help enhance preventive strategies, highlighting the elevated risk in summer for general surgery and in winter for gastroenterological surgery.
PMID:38950864 | DOI:10.1016/j.jhin.2024.06.003
Environ Pollut. 2024 Jun 29:124468. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2024.124468. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
Urban aquifers are at risk of contamination from persistent and mobile organic compounds (PMOCs), especially per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), which are artificial organic substances widely used across various industrial sectors. PFAS are considered toxic, mobile and persistent, and have therefore gained significant attention in environmental chemistry. Moreover, precursors could transform into more recalcitrant products under natural conditions. However, there is limited information about the processes which affect their behaviour in groundwater at the field-scale. In this context, the aim of this study is to assess the presence of PFAS in an urban aquifer in Barcelona, and identify processes that control their evolution along the groundwater flow. 21 groundwater and 6 river samples were collected revealing the presence of 16 PFAS products and 3 novel PFAS. Short and ultra-short chain PFAS were found to be ubiquitous, with the highest concentrations detected for perfluorobutanesulfonic acid (PFBS), trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) and trifluoromethanesulfonic acid (TFSA). Long chain PFAS and novel PFAS were found to be present in very low concentrations (< 50 ng/L). It was observed that redox conditions influence the behaviour of a number of PFAS controlling their attenuation or recalcitrant behaviour. Most substances showed accumulation, possibly explained by sorption/desorption processes or transformation processes, highlighting the challenges associated with PFAS remediation. In addition, the removal processes of different intensities for three PFAS were revealed. Our results help to establish the principles of the evolution of PFAS along the groundwater flow, which are important for the development of conceptual models used to plan and adopt site specific groundwater management activities (e.g., Managed Aquifer Recharge).
PMID:38950847 | DOI:10.1016/j.envpol.2024.124468