Tag: nevin manimala

medRxiv. 2023 Oct 24:2023.10.23.23297381. doi: 10.1101/2023.10.23.23297381. Preprint.

ABSTRACT

Natural-experiment designs that compare survivors of in-utero famine exposure to unaffected controls suggest that in-utero undernutrition predisposes to development of obesity. However, birth rates drop dramatically during famines. Selection bias could arise if factors that contribute to obesity also protect fertility and/or fetal survival under famine conditions. We investigated this hypothesis using genetic analysis of a famine-exposed birth cohort. We genotyped participants in the Dutch Hunger Winter Families Study (DHWFS, N=950; 45% male), of whom 51% were exposed to the 1944-1945 Dutch Famine during gestation and 49% were their unexposed same-sex siblings or “time controls” born before or after the famine in the same hospitals. We computed body-mass index (BMI) polygenic indices (PGIs) in DHWFS participants and compared BMI PGIs between famine-exposed and control groups. Participants with higher polygenic risk had higher BMIs (Pearson r=0.42, p<0.001). However, differences between BMI PGIs of famine-exposed participants and controls were small and not statistically different from zero across specifications (Cohen’s d=0.10, p>0.092). Our findings did not indicate selection bias, supporting the validity of the natural-experiment design within DHWFS. In summary, our study outlines a novel approach to explore the presence of selection bias in famine and other natural experiment studies.

PMID:37961592 | PMC:PMC10635168 | DOI:10.1101/2023.10.23.23297381

J Rural Health. 2023 Nov 13. doi: 10.1111/jrh.12811. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: Our goal was to compare locations of COVID-19 vaccine provision in urban and rural communities over the course of the pandemic.

METHODS: We used the Iowa Immunization Registry Information System (IRIS) to identify the organizations providing COVID-19 vaccines (eg, pharmacies, public health departments, and medical providers). Proportions of first-dose vaccines by organization type and patient census-based statistical area were generated. We calculated Chi-square tests to assess differences among metropolitan, micropolitan, and noncore communities.

FINDINGS: IRIS data revealed that 64% (n = 2,043,251) of Iowans received their first COVID-19 vaccine between December 14, 2020, and December 31, 2022. For metropolitan-dwelling individuals, most first doses were administered at pharmacies (53%), with similar trends observed for micropolitan (49%) and noncore (42%) individuals. The second most common location for metropolitan individuals was medical practices (17%); public health clinics and departments were the second most common provider for micropolitan (26%) and noncore (33%) individuals. These trends shifted over time. In December 2020, hospitals were the most common vaccine provider for everyone, but by December 2022, medical providers were the most common source for metropolitan individuals, and pharmacies were most common for micropolitan and noncore individuals.

CONCLUSIONS: Trends in the type of vaccine provider differentiated metropolitan residents from micropolitan and noncore residents. For the latter groups, local public health departments played a more significant role. Across all groups, pharmacists emerged as a critical vaccine provider. Our findings can be used to plan for seasonal vaccine campaigns as well as potential future mass vaccination campaigns.

PMID:37957524 | DOI:10.1111/jrh.12811

Odontology. 2023 Nov 13. doi: 10.1007/s10266-023-00870-5. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

This study aims to evaluate the number of roots and root canal morphology types of maxillary premolars in relation to a patient’s gender and age in an Iraqi population using two classification systems. Cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) scans of 1116 maxillary premolars from 385 patients were evaluated for the number of roots and root canal morphology types according to Vertucci’s classification and Ahmed et al. classification systems. Differences in the number of roots and root canal morphology types with regard to tooth type, patients’ gender and age groups were evaluated and the degree of bilateral symmetry was determined. Chi-squared test was used for statistical analysis. About 51.1% of the 1st premolars were double rooted. The majority (87.9%) of the 2nd premolars were single rooted. The three-rooted form presented in only 1.2% and 0.7% of the 1st and 2nd premolars, respectively. Vertucci Type IV (Ahmed et al. code ²MaxP B¹P¹) and Vertucci Type I (Ahmed et al. code ¹MaxP¹) were the most common canal morphology types in the 1st and 2nd premolars, respectively. Females showed a lower number of roots and a higher prevalence of Vertucci Type I configuration (P < 0.05). Younger age groups showed a higher prevalence of Vertucci Type I configuration (P < 0.05). Bilateral symmetry was seen in more than half of the maxillary premolars. There is a considerable variation in the number of roots and root canal configurations of maxillary premolars in the studied Iraqi population, with a significant difference by gender and age groups. Ahmed et al. classification provided more accurate presentation of the root and canal anatomy in maxillary premolars compared to Vertucci’s classification.

PMID:37957521 | DOI:10.1007/s10266-023-00870-5

Inflammopharmacology. 2023 Nov 13. doi: 10.1007/s10787-023-01338-2. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Diabetic neuropathy is one of the most common complications of diabetes. The synthetic drugs available in the market have side effects and limitations for diabetic patients, the vast majority of whom are in the upper age group. In this regard, based on Persian medicinal sources, Nigella sativa (N. sativa) has proved to have beneficial effects on neuropathic pain and neurological disorders. In this study, the effect of N. sativa is investigated topically in patients with diabetic neuropathy.

METHODS: This study was performed as a double-blind clinical trial on 120 neuropathic patients. The patients were divided into three groups. The first group received a topical N. sativa product as an ointment, the second group was given a topical placebo, and the third received 300 mg gabapentin capsules. The blindness was done in first and second groups. Diabetic neuropathy was assessed before the study using the Michigan Neuropathy Screening Instrument (MNSI). In addition, neuropathy symptoms were evaluated after the trial using the MNSI questionnaire.

RESULTS: The data were elicited from the patients’ answers to a number of questions in the Michigan questionnaire. There were statistically significant differences between the group that received the topical N. sativa product and the other two groups in terms of legs and feet numbness (p value = 0.001), burning pain in feet or legs (p value = 0.001), muscle cramps in feet or legs (p value = 0.001), prickling fleeing in feet or legs (p value = 0.001), hurting of the skin when the bed covers touch it (p value = 0.005), aggravated symptoms at night (p value = 0.001) and hurting feelings in the legs when walking (p value = 0.032). However, the three studied groups were not statistically different in distinguishing hot water from cold water.

CONCLUSION: According to the results of this study, the topical use of N. sativa, compared to the current drugs, has acceptable improving effects on diabetic neuropathic patients.

PMID:37957516 | DOI:10.1007/s10787-023-01338-2

Reprod Sci. 2023 Nov 13. doi: 10.1007/s43032-023-01385-8. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

The aim of this study was to investigate if variation in endometrial thickness affects clinical pregnancy and live birth rates among patients undergoing single euploid embryo transfer (SET). A retrospective review of IVF cycles performed at a single private fertility institution between 2015 and 2020 was performed. Patients with normal uterine anatomy undergoing their first SET of a euploid embryo undergoing their first cycle at the center were included, for a total of 796 cycles. Endometrial thickness was measured by transvaginal ultrasound following 10-14 days of estradiol exposure. Specific infertility diagnoses did not significantly impact endometrial lining thickness with means across diagnoses ranging from 9.3 to 11.0 mm. Endometrial thickness was grouped into five categories: < 8 mm, 8-10 mm, 10-13 mm, 13-15 mm, and ≥ 15 mm. Using 8-10 mm as the reference group, the odds ratio of live birth was 0.5, 1.22, 1.05, and 1.05 for < 8 mm, 10-13 mm, 13-15 mm, and ≥ 15 mm groups, respectively. Risk of first trimester miscarriage was equivalent across groups. There was a trend toward an increased rate of biochemical pregnancies in patients with a < 8 mm and ≥ 15 mm endometrium; however, this was not statistically significant. The clinical pregnancy and live birth rate were lowest in patients with < 8-mm endometrial thickness. For single euploid embryo transfers, an endometrial lining greater than or equal to 8 mm confers optimal live birth rates following a medicated FET cycle. These data confirm the findings of prior studies in fresh embryo transfers without the confounders of supraphysiologic ovarian hormone concentrations and genetically untested embryos.

PMID:37957470 | DOI:10.1007/s43032-023-01385-8

Reprod Sci. 2023 Nov 13. doi: 10.1007/s43032-023-01393-8. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

We investigated the polymorphisms/mutations in synaptonemal complex central element protein 1 (SYCE1) and CDC25A mRNA-binding protein (BOLL) to test whether they increase the risk of azoospermia among Bengali-speaking men from West Bengal, India. Sanger’s dideoxy sequencing was used to genotype 140 azoospermic individuals who tested negative for Y chromosome microdeletion and 120 healthy controls. In both cases and controls, qRT-PCR was used to determine the expression summary of SYCE1 and BOLL. The perceived harmful consequences of identified mutations were inferred using in silico analysis. Suitable statistical approaches were used to conduct the association study. We found SYCE1 177insT (ON245141), 10650T > G (ON257012), 10093insT (ON257013), 10653insG (ON292504), rs10857748A > G, rs10857749G > A, and rs10857750T > A and BOLL 7708T > A (ON245141insT), rs72918816T > C, and rs700655C > T variants with the prevalence of azoospermia. Data from qRT-PCR and in silico studies projected that the variations would either disrupt the transcript’s natural splice junctions or cause probable damage to the structure of the genes’ proteins. SYCE1 gene variants [177insT (ON245141), 10650T > G (ON257012), 10093insT (ON257013), 10653insG (ON292504), rs10857748A > G, rs10857749G > A, rs10857750T > A] and BOLL gene variants [7708T > A (ON245141insT), rs72918816T > C, rs700655C > T] reduce the expression of respective gene in testicular tissue among azoospermic male as revealed from qRT-PCR result. These genetic variations could be utilized as screening tools for male infertility to determine the best course of treatment in routine ART practise.

PMID:37957469 | DOI:10.1007/s43032-023-01393-8

Int J Cardiovasc Imaging. 2023 Nov 13. doi: 10.1007/s10554-023-02991-y. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

The ratio of early transmitral filling velocity to early diastolic strain rate (E/SRe) has been proposed as a new non-invasive measurement of left ventricular filling pressure. We aimed to investigate the ability of E/SRe to predict atrial fibrillation (AF) after ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). This was a prospective cohort study of patients (n = 369) with STEMI. Patients underwent an echocardiographic examination a median of two days after pPCI. By echocardiography, transmitral early filling velocity (E) was measured by pulsed-wave Doppler, and early diastolic strain rate (SRe) was measured by speckle tracking of the left ventricle. E was indexed to SRe and the early myocardial relaxation velocity (e’) to obtain the E/SRe and E/e’, respectively. The endpoint was new-onset AF. During follow-up (median 5.6 years, IQR: 5.0-6.1 years), 23 (6%) of the 369 patients developed AF. In unadjusted analyses, both E/SRe and E/e’ were significantly associated with AF [E/SRe: HR = 1.06; (1.03-1.10); p < 0.001, per 10 increase] and [E/e’: HR = 1.11 (1.05-1.17); p < 0.001, per 1 increase] and had equal Harrell’s C-statistic of 0.71. However, only E/SRe remained an independent predictor after multivariable adjustments for clinical and echocardiographic parameters [E/SRe: HR = 1.06 (1.00-1.11); p = 0.044, per 10 increase]. E/SRe was further significantly associated with AF in patients with E/e’ < 14 HR = 1.09 (1.01-1.17); p = 0.030, per 10 increase), also after multivariable adjustments. E/SRe is an independent predictor of AF in STEMI patients, even in subjects with seemingly normal filling pressure.

PMID:37957448 | DOI:10.1007/s10554-023-02991-y

Behav Res Methods. 2023 Nov 13. doi: 10.3758/s13428-023-02244-9. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

When two cognitive processes contribute to a behavioral output-each process producing a specific distribution of the behavioral variable of interest-and when the mixture proportion of these two processes varies as a function of an experimental condition, a common density point should be present in the observed distributions of the data across said conditions. In principle, one can statistically test for the presence (or absence) of a fixed point in experimental data to provide evidence in favor of (or against) the presence of a mixture of processes, whose proportions are affected by an experimental manipulation. In this paper, we provide an empirical diagnostic of this test to detect a mixture of processes. We do so using resampling of real experimental data under different scenarios, which mimic variations in the experimental design suspected to affect the sensitivity and specificity of the fixed-point test (i.e., mixture proportion, time on task, and sample size). Resampling such scenarios with real data allows us to preserve important features of data which are typically observed in real experiments while maintaining tight control over the properties of the resampled scenarios. This is of particular relevance considering such stringent assumptions underlying the fixed-point test. With this paper, we ultimately aim at validating the fixed-point property of binary mixture data and at providing some performance metrics to researchers aiming at testing the fixed-point property on their experimental data.

PMID:37957433 | DOI:10.3758/s13428-023-02244-9

Nature. 2023 Nov 13. doi: 10.1038/s41586-023-06852-5. Online ahead of print.

NO ABSTRACT

PMID:37957400 | DOI:10.1038/s41586-023-06852-5

Nat Med. 2023 Nov 13. doi: 10.1038/s41591-023-02656-2. Online ahead of print.

NO ABSTRACT

PMID:37957381 | DOI:10.1038/s41591-023-02656-2