Tag: nevin manimala

Avian Dis. 2023 Sep;67(3):237-244. doi: 10.1637/aviandiseases-D-22-00080.

ABSTRACT

Dust and ammonia gas (NH₃) are two of the most abundant pollutants suspended in the air of poultry houses. Chronic inhalation of poultry dust and NH₃ causes damage to the airways and reduces performance in broilers. Poultry dust is a mixture of organic and inorganic matter from feed, bedding material, manure, feathers, skin debris, and microorganisms. Thus, the composition and concentration of poultry dust vary among farms. This study proposes a model to assess the individual effect of a defined fraction of poultry dust derived from bedding material (wood dust) and its effects, alone or combined with NH₃, on the performance and respiratory integrity of broilers. Ninety-six, 1-day-old broilers were randomly divided into groups of 24 and placed into four controlled environment chambers to continuously receive one of four treatments: 1) negative control; 2) exposure to airborne red oak wood dust at a concentration of 7.5 × 10⁶ particles/m³ (particulate matter_5.0); 3) exposure to 50 parts per million (ppm) of NH₃; and 4) exposure to airborne red oak wood dust and 50 ppm of NH₃. On day 43, all birds were weighed and euthanized. Performance data were recorded. Tissue samples were collected from six birds per treatment. Histologic evaluations of the nasal turbinates, trachea, and lungs were conducted. Histologic lesion scores (0 to 3) were assigned, and tracheal mucosal thickness was measured. No significant differences among treatments were found in body weight (P = 0.066), tracheal mucosal thickness (P = 0.593), or tracheal lesion score (P = 0.07). The average nasal turbinate lesion scores were higher in the wood and wood + ammonia treatments compared with the control (P = 0.015). The lung lesion scores were higher (P = 0.004) in all treatment groups compared with the control. In conclusion, chronic exposure to red oak wood dust, alone or in combination with NH₃, induced important inflammatory damage to portions of the respiratory system of broilers; however, no significant effects on performance were observed.

PMID:39126410 | DOI:10.1637/aviandiseases-D-22-00080

J Psychosoc Oncol. 2024 Aug 10:1-16. doi: 10.1080/07347332.2024.2389094. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Traditional MBSR or MBTC programs do not delve deeply enough into emotional regulation, which is especially relevant in oncological patients. The aim of this study was to analyze the benefits of a mindfulness-based emotion regulation program in adult oncological patients.

METHOD: Psycho-oncologists from the AECC developed a mindfulness-based emotion regulation program. The Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ), Trait Meta-Mood Scale (TMMS), and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) were administered before and after the program. A single-group pre-post test design with repeated measures was employed, utilizing the General Linear Model.

RESULTS: Ninety-seven adult cancer patients completed the pre- and post-program assessments. Statistically significant improvements were observed in all FFMQ subscales, increased clarity of emotional discrimination, mood repair, and statistically significant reductions in anxiety and depressive symptoms.

CONCLUSIONS: Regardless of the phase of the disease, the results of this study suggest that emotional regulation may improve and anxiety and depressive symptomatology decrease after a mindfulness-based emotion regulation program in oncological patients.

PMID:39126398 | DOI:10.1080/07347332.2024.2389094

J Bone Miner Res. 2024 Aug 10:zjae122. doi: 10.1093/jbmr/zjae122. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Several small genetic association studies have been conducted for atypical femur fracture (AFF) without replication of results. We assessed previously implicated and novel genes associated with AFFs in a larger set of unrelated AFF cases using whole exome sequencing (WES).

METHODS: We performed gene-based association analysis on 139 European AFF cases and 196 controls matched for bisphosphonate use. We tested all rare, protein-altering variants using both candidate gene and hypothesis-free approaches. In the latter, genes suggestively associated with AFFs (uncorrected P-values <0.01) were investigated in a Swedish whole-genome sequencing replication study and assessed in 46 non-European cases.

RESULTS: In the candidate gene analysis, PLOD2 showed a suggestive signal. The hypothesis-free approach revealed 10 tentative associations, with XRN2, SORD, and PLOD2 being the most likely candidates for AFF. XRN2 and PLOD2 showed consistent direction of effect estimates in the replication analysis, albeit not statistically significant. Three SNPs associated with SORD expression according to the GTEx portal, were in linkage disequilibrium (R2 ≥ 0.2) with a SNP previously reported in a genome-wide association study of AFF. The prevalence of carriers of variants for both PLOD2 and SORD was higher in Asian versus European cases.

CONCLUSIONS: While we did not identify genes enriched for damaging variants, we found suggestive evidence of a role for XRN2, PLOD2 and SORD, which requires further investigation. Our findings indicate that genetic factors responsible for AFFs are not widely shared among AFF cases. The study provides a stepping-stone for future larger genetic studies of AFF.

PMID:39126371 | DOI:10.1093/jbmr/zjae122

Clinics (Sao Paulo). 2024 Aug 8;79:100454. doi: 10.1016/j.clinsp.2024.100454. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to assess the impact of the Gamma coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) variant on pregnant and postpartum women with Cardiovascular Disease (CVD).

METHODS: The Influenza Epidemiological Surveillance System database (SIVEP-Gripe), a compulsory notification system for cases of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), was investigated for notified cases of pregnant and postpartum women with reported CVD and SARS due to COVID-19 between February 16, 2020 and May 1, 2021 (when vaccination began), was investigated. In this retrospective cohort, two groups were formed based on symptom onset date, according to the predominance of the variants: original (group 2020) and Gamma (group 2021). Cases with missing information on the presence or absence of CVD were excluded. The comparative analysis was controlled for confounding variables.

RESULTS: Among 703 COVID-19 cases notified with CVD (406 patients in 2020 and 297 patients in 2021), compared to 2020, cases in 2021 had more respiratory symptoms (90.6 % vs. 80.1 %, p < 0.001), greater ventilatory support need (75.3 % vs. 53.9 %, p < 0.001), more ICU admission (46.6 % vs. 34.3 %, p = 0.002), longer duration (20.59 ± 14.47 vs. 16.52 ± 12.98 days, p < 0.001), higher mortality (25.6 % vs. 15.5 %, p < 0.001), with more than two-times mortality likelihood in the third trimester (adjusted OR = 2.41, 95 % CI 1.50-3.88, p < 0.001) or puerperium periods (adjusted_OR = 2.15, 95 % CI 1.34-3.44, p = 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS: In Brazil, pregnant and postpartum women with CVDs in the Gamma variant phase have higher morbidity and mortality than those affected by the original variant of Coronavirus-19.

PMID:39121513 | DOI:10.1016/j.clinsp.2024.100454

J Anxiety Disord. 2024 Jul 26;106:102895. doi: 10.1016/j.janxdis.2024.102895. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: This study examined the relationship between structural brain networks and long-term treatment outcomes in patients with panic disorder (PD) using machine learning methods.

METHOD: The study involved 80 participants (53 PD patients and 27 healthy controls) and included clinical assessments and MRI scans at baseline and after two years (160 MRIs). Patients were categorized based on their response to two-year pharmacotherapy. Brain networks were analyzed using white matter tractography and network-based statistics.

RESULTS: Results showed structural network changes in PD patients, particularly in the extended fear network, including frontal regions, thalamus, and cingulate gyrus. Longitudinal analysis revealed that increased connections to the amygdala, hippocampus, and insula were associated with better treatment response. Conversely, overconnectivity in the amygdala and insula at baseline was associated with poor response, and similar patterns were found in the insula and parieto-occipital cortex related to non-remission. This study found that SVM and CPM could effectively predict treatment outcomes based on network pattern changes in PD.

CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that monitoring structural connectome changes in limbic and paralimbic regions is critical for understanding PD and tailoring treatment. The study highlights the potential of using personalized biomarkers to develop individualized treatment strategies for PD.

PMID:39121510 | DOI:10.1016/j.janxdis.2024.102895

Retina. 2024 Aug 9. doi: 10.1097/IAE.0000000000004240. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: To determine the validity, accuracy and acceptability of the Image Warping Test (IWT), a novel test for the measurement of visual distortion in the central visual field.

METHODS: 25 volunteers with metamorphopsia secondary to vitreoretinal pathology were recruited at a tertiary referral center. All subjects underwent ophthalmological examination and measurement of metamorphopsia via Amsler grid, Morphision, M-CHARTS and the IWT. Construct validity was determined through assessment of the association between symptoms, pathology, visual acuity, established metamorphopsia test results and IWT results.

RESULTS: There was close association between subjective estimation of metamorphopsia severity and IWT score (p=0.005), between Morphision result and IWT score (p=0.015), and between the nature of vitreoretinal pathology and IWT score (p=0.007). There was no statistically significant correlation between best corrected distance visual acuity and IWT score, and between M-CHARTS score and IWT score.

CONCLUSION: The IWT allows the creation of a digital map of subjective metamorphopsia which effectively measures its severity and nature, and opens the possibility to its non-invasive correction in future through inverse mapping of the distortion map onto live images.

PMID:39121494 | DOI:10.1097/IAE.0000000000004240

Issues Ment Health Nurs. 2024 Aug 9:1-11. doi: 10.1080/01612840.2024.2381128. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Adolescents with subclinical depression are at high risk of developing mental disorders. Early interventions are effective but expensive. Affordable and accessible mental health services are needed. This multimethod study obtained its sample from the database of the Finnish national chat room service and describes the usage of the service among young people in Finland. All chats between 1.1-31.12.2018 were extracted and analysed using quantitative and qualitative methods. The usage frequency was analysed with descriptive statistics, while the specific content of the chat topics was first categorised with content analysis and then quantified and analysed using descriptive statistics. The association between the demographic characteristics and the usage were analysed. A total of 839 young people used chat room services. The great majority of the chat users were girls, and half were 12-14 years old. The use of the chat room varied in terms of the number of words and the duration of the chat discussions. Based on the chat room topics, young people had complex life situations with psychological distress, difficulties related to their social living environment, or they were involved in risky behaviour. The gender and the age of the users influenced their chat room usage. The results of this study can be used in the development of mental health services for young people.

PMID:39121493 | DOI:10.1080/01612840.2024.2381128

Dis Colon Rectum. 2024 Sep 1;67(9):1107-1119. doi: 10.1097/DCR.0000000000003268. Epub 2024 Aug 7.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Although surgery is commonly regarded as the primary curative treatment for colorectal cancer, it could potentially be associated with postoperative morbidity and mortality.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the pooled effect of exercise and multidisciplinary prehabilitation interventions on postoperative hospital length of stay and functional capacity in patients undergoing resection of colorectal cancer.

DATA SOURCES: A systematic search was conducted in MEDLINE (via PubMed) and Web of Science databases from inception to November 2022.

STUDY SELECTION: The original systematic search retrieved 2005 studies. After the removal of duplicates and screening by title and abstract, 77 eligible full-text documents were evaluated for final inclusion in the meta-analysis. A total of 12 randomized controlled trials, 5 nonrandomized controlled trials, and 3 uncontrolled before-and-after studies were selected.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Postoperative hospital length of stay (in days) and functional capacity (assessed with the peak of oxygen consumption [VO2 peak] and 6-minute walking test) were the outcome measures.

RESULTS: The meta-analysis was conducted on 20 studies (3805 participants). Randomized controlled trials and nonrandomized controlled trials showed significant reductions in postoperative hospital length of stay (d = -0.10, nearly 2 days) and significant incremental improvements in VO2 peak (d = 0.27) and 6-minute walking test (d = 0.31). Regarding the before-and-after studies, the pooled effect of multidisciplinary prehabilitation interventions was positively significant for VO2 peak (d = 0.29) and 6-minute walking test (d = 0.29). There was no risk of publication bias (Egger test: p > 0.05), with a score of 0.71 (0-1) on average.

LIMITATIONS: There was a high between-studies heterogeneity, and several outcomes did not have the required number of studies for a desirable statistical power.

CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that multidisciplinary prehabilitation interventions might be effective at decreasing postoperative hospital length of stay (nearly 2 days) and improving functional capacity.

REGISTRATION: PROSPERO registration number CRD42022373982.

PMID:39121485 | DOI:10.1097/DCR.0000000000003268

JMIR Res Protoc. 2024 Aug 9;13:e59224. doi: 10.2196/59224.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Stigma is a barrier to treatment and harm reduction seeking in people who use drugs. Most stigma reduction interventions offer psychotherapy or psychoeducation in group-based clinical settings, failing to reach people who are not in treatment. SMS text messaging is an effective and acceptable modality for delivering health information to people who use drugs and may be a suitable conduit for providing information and advice to understand and cope with stigma.

OBJECTIVE: This paper presents the protocol for a study that aims to determine the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effectiveness of a 4-week automated SMS text message intervention to increase stigma resistance and reduce self-stigma in people who use drugs.

METHODS: We designed a novel automated SMS text message intervention to address the four personal-level constructs of stigma resistance: (1) not believing stigma and catching and challenging stigmatizing thoughts, (2) empowering oneself through learning about substance use and one’s recovery, (3) maintaining one’s recovery and proving stigma wrong, and (4) developing a meaningful identity and purpose apart from one’s substance use. Theory-based messages were developed and pilot-tested in qualitative elicitation interviews with 22 people who use drugs, resulting in a library of 56 messages. In a single-group, within-subjects, community-based pilot trial, we will enroll 30 participants in the Resisting Stigma and Revaluating Your Thoughts (RESTART) intervention. Participants will receive 2 daily SMS text messages for 4 weeks. Implementation feasibility will be assessed through recruitment, enrollment, retention, and message delivery statistics. User feasibility and acceptability will be assessed at follow-up using 23 survey items informed by the Theoretical Framework of Acceptability. Primary effectiveness outcomes are changes in self-stigma (Substance Abuse Self-Stigma Scale) and stigma resistance (Stigma Resistance Scale) from baseline to follow-up measured via a self-administered survey. Secondary outcomes are changes in hope (Adult Dispositional Hope Scale) and self-esteem (Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale). Feasibility and acceptability will be assessed with descriptive statistics; effectiveness outcomes will be assessed with paired 2-tailed t tests, and group differences will be explored using ANOVA. Overall, 12 participants will also be selected to complete acceptability interviews.

RESULTS: This pilot study was funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse in April 2023 and received regulatory approval in January 2024 by the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill Institutional Review Board. Recruitment and enrollment began in March 2024. Follow-up visits are expected to conclude by May 2024. Results will be disseminated in relevant peer-reviewed journals.

CONCLUSIONS: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to address substance use stigma via a self-help SMS text messaging program. Results will add to the nascent literature on stigma reduction in people who use drugs. This protocol may interest researchers who are considering text messaging to address psychosocial needs in hard-to-reach populations.

TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT06281548; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT06281548.

INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): DERR1-10.2196/59224.

PMID:39121478 | DOI:10.2196/59224

Endocr Regul. 2024 Aug 9;58(1):153-157. doi: 10.2478/enr-2024-0017. Print 2024 Jan 1.

ABSTRACT

Objective. Genetic factors substantially contribute to the development and duration of arterial hypertension. The study of the A1166C polymorphism of the angiotensin II type 1 receptor gene (AGTR1) in arterial hypertension is an auspicious area for assessing the relationship between heredity, hypertension development, and adipokines, but it still remains debatable. The purpose of the current study was to investigate serum adipokines levels depending on the AGTR1 A1166C polymorphism. Methods. A total of 86 patients with arterial hypertension were examined, who underwent the evaluation of the allelic A1166C polymorphism of AGTR1 by polymerase chain reaction with electrophoretic detection and determination of serum adipokines levels using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results. In the group of patients with arterial hypertension, a significant increase in serum adipokines (resistin, adiponectin, and leptin) levels was found against the background of a decrease in the antianorexic hormone ghrelin with a predominance of CC genotype carriers compared with AA genotype carriers of the AGTR1. A statistically significant decrease in ghrelin and an increase in serum adipokines (resistin, adiponectin, and leptin) in CC genotype carriers compared with AA genotype carriers of the AGTR1 were found suggesting that CC genotype carriers may be predictors of the development of arterial hypertension in our patients. Conclusions. Statistically significant decrease in ghrelin and increase in serum adipokines (resistin, adiponectin, and leptin) were found in CC genotype carriers compared with AA genotype carriers of the AGTR1, which suggests that carriers of the CC genotype are predictors of the arterial hypertension development in our patients.

PMID:39121476 | DOI:10.2478/enr-2024-0017