Tag: nevin manimala

Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2022 Jul 5;119(27):e2115047119. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2115047119. Epub 2022 Jun 29.

ABSTRACT

Human vision is attuned to the subtle differences between individual faces. Yet we lack a quantitative way of predicting how similar two face images look and whether they appear to show the same person. Principal component-based three-dimensional (3D) morphable models are widely used to generate stimuli in face perception research. These models capture the distribution of real human faces in terms of dimensions of physical shape and texture. How well does a “face space” based on these dimensions capture the similarity relationships humans perceive among faces? To answer this, we designed a behavioral task to collect dissimilarity and same/different identity judgments for 232 pairs of realistic faces. Stimuli sampled geometric relationships in a face space derived from principal components of 3D shape and texture (Basel face model [BFM]). We then compared a wide range of models in their ability to predict the data, including the BFM from which faces were generated, an active appearance model derived from face photographs, and image-computable models of visual perception. Euclidean distance in the BFM explained both dissimilarity and identity judgments surprisingly well. In a comparison against 16 diverse models, BFM distance was competitive with representational distances in state-of-the-art deep neural networks (DNNs), including novel DNNs trained on BFM synthetic identities or BFM latents. Models capturing the distribution of face shape and texture across individuals are not only useful tools for stimulus generation. They also capture important information about how faces are perceived, suggesting that human face representations are tuned to the statistical distribution of faces.

PMID:35767642 | DOI:10.1073/pnas.2115047119

PLoS One. 2022 Jun 29;17(6):e0270108. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0270108. eCollection 2022.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Inappropriate Anti-diabetic Medication Therapy (IADT) refers to a drug-related problem and includes ‘ineffective drug therapy’, ‘unnecessary drug therapy’, ‘dosage too high’, and ‘dosage too low’. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and factors associated with IADT among T2DM patients at Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital, Uganda (MRRH).

METHOD: A prospective cross-sectional study was conducted at the medical and surgical wards of MRRH from November 2021 to January 2022. One hundred and thirty-eight adult patients aged 18 years and above, with T2DM, were recruited using consecutive sampling. Patient file reviews and interviewer-administered questionnaire was used for data collection. The data were entered into and analyzed using SPSS version 25. Descriptive analysis was employed to describe the population and determine the prevalence of IADT. Types of IADTs were identified using Cipolle’s DRP classification tool. A univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors significantly associated with IADT. The P-value of < 0.05 was considered statistically significant at 95% confidence interval.

RESULTS: A total of 138 hospitalized T2DM patients were studied. Eighty (58.0%) were females, and 70 (50.7%) were ≥ 60 years of age. Out of a total of 138 participants, 97 experienced at least one IADT, with an estimated prevalence of 70.3%. ‘Dosage too high’ (29.2%) and ‘dosage too low’ (27.9%) were the most common type of IADTs. Age ≥ 60 years (AOR, 8.44; 95% CI, 2.09-10.90; P-value = 0.003), T2DM duration of < 1 year (AOR, 0.37; 95% CI, 0.11-0.35; P-value = 0.019), and HbA1c of < 7% (AOR, 9.97; 95% CI, 2.34-13.57; P-value = 0.002) were found to be factors significantly associated with the occurrence of IADTs.

CONCLUSION: The overall prevalence of inappropriate anti-diabetic medication therapy among T2DM patients admitted to medical and surgical wards of MRRH was 70.3%. The most common type of IADT in this study was ‘dosage too high’, accounting for almost one-third followed by ‘dosage too low’ accounting for a quarter of total IADTs. Age greater or equal to 60 years, T2DM duration of < 1 year, and HbA1c of < 7% during the current admission were found to be factors significantly associated with the occurrence of IADTs in hospitalized T2DM patients.

PMID:35767589 | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0270108

PLoS One. 2022 Jun 29;17(6):e0270378. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0270378. eCollection 2022.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Intestinal parasitic infection (IPIs) is one of the major health problems in Sub -Saharan Africa where water, sanitation and hygiene practices are inadequate. Taking into account the national level implementation of intensive hand hygiene against COVID-19 pandemic and general protective effect this study assessed its effect on intestinal parasite.

OBJECTIVE: This study aim to investigate the effect of compliance to hand hygiene practice on the prevalence of intestinal parasitic infection (IPIs) and intensity of Soil transmitted helminthes (STH) among patients attending tertiary care hospital in southern Ethiopia.

METHODS: Observational study was conducted from June to September 2021. Data on socio demographic, hand hygiene practice and intestinal parasite (prevalence and intensity of helminthic infection) was collected from randomly selected and consented patients. Compliance to hand hygiene practice was assessed using pre-tested questionnaire. Fresh stool sample from each participant was examined by direct wet mount, concentration and Ziehl-Neelson (ZN) staining technique to detect intestinal parasite. Intensity of STH measurements was done through direct egg-count per gram using Kato Katz methods. Data analysis was done using SPSS version 25. Odds ratio with 95% confidence interval was used to measure association and p-value <0.05 was considered as statistically significant.

RESULTS: The study population (N = 264) consisted of 139(52.65%) male and 125 (47.34%) female with the mean ages of 36 ±16.12(±SD). The proportion of good compliance to hand hygiene during COVID-19 to was 43.93% (95%CI: 37% to 47) and prevalence of intestinal parasite was 26.14% (95%CI:21.2% to 31.75) comprising 23.48% intestinal protozoa and 6.43% of soil transmitted helminthic infection. Gardia lamblia, Entamoeba histolytica/dispar, Ascaris lumbricoides were the common parasite in the study area with prevalence of 15.53%, 6.44%, and 1.52% respectively. Prevalence of intestinal parasite among participants with good compliance to hand hygiene group and poor compliance to hand hygiene were (14.65% vs. 35.13%)(AOR: 0.48,95%CI:0.13 to 0.68) (p = 0.002) implying that good compliance to hand hygiene can reduce the risk of IPIs by 52%. Moreover significantly lower odds of intestinal protozoa among good compliance to hand hygiene group than the control (OR:0.38; (95%CI: 0.20 to 0.71);P = 0.001. However, no significant difference in the odds of intensity of STH infection in good compliance hand hygiene and poor compliance group. The result of this study also confirmed the association between intestinal parasitic infections and younger /adolescent age, education status, habit of eating raw vegetable and figure nail status.

CONCLUSION: Good hand hygiene compliance during COVID-19 significantly associated with reduction of intestinal parasitic infection. This finding highlights the secondary protective effect of improved hand hygiene against IPIs and suggest it can used in augmenting the existing parasitic control strategies in the study setting.

PMID:35767582 | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0270378

PLoS One. 2022 Jun 29;17(6):e0270680. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0270680. eCollection 2022.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Asthma is one of the most common chronic illnesses among children and adolescents. It can severely affect their quality of life (QoL). Our study assessed the QoL and analyzed potential risk factors for poor QoL among asthmatic children and adolescents.

METHODS: This was a cross-sectional comparative study. Pediatric Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (PAQLQ) was used to measure the QoL and Asthma Control Test (ACT) was used to evaluate asthma control. The Chi-square test and independent t-test were used to compare variables. We used Multivariate logistic regression to identify the association between determinants and outcomes. Statistical significance was set at p<0.05.

RESULTS: We recruited 132 participants. We found that 47 patients (35.6%) had controlled Asthma and 85 patients (64.3%) had uncontrolled Asthma. When compared to uncontrolled asthma individuals, participants with controlled asthma had improved QoL and scored significantly higher in the symptom domain (P = 0.002), activity domain (P = 0.004), emotional domain (P = 0.002), and overall PAQoL scores (P = 0.002). Hospital admission affects significantly all domains of PAQOL (P<0.05). Poor QoL was significantly associated with hospitalization for asthma (OR = 3.4; CI: 2.77-3.94, P = 0.01), disease severity (OR = 3.0; CI: 2.41-3.61, P = 0.01), uncontrolled asthma (OR = 2.88; CI: 2.21-3.41, P = 0.019), and male gender (OR = 2.55; CI: 1.88-2.91, P = 0.02).

CONCLUSIONS: The results of the present study showed that in children and adolescents, uncontrolled asthma, disease severity, and previously hospitalized patients were associated with poor QoL. These factors must be considered when planning a comprehensive care plan for a better quality of life.

PMID:35767577 | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0270680

PLoS One. 2022 Jun 29;17(6):e0268766. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0268766. eCollection 2022.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: There is uncertainty around the health impact and economic costs of the recent slowing of the historical decline in cardiovascular disease (CVD) incidence and the future impact on dementia and disability.

METHODS: Previously validated IMPACT Better Ageing Markov model for England and Wales, integrating English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA) data for 17,906 ELSA participants followed from 1998 to 2012, linked to NHS Hospital Episode Statistics. Counterfactual design comparing two scenarios: Scenario 1. CVD Plateau-age-specific CVD incidence remains at 2011 levels, thus continuing recent trends. Scenario 2. CVD Fall-age-specific CVD incidence goes on declining, following longer-term trends. The main outcome measures were age-related healthcare costs, social care costs, opportunity costs of informal care, and quality adjusted life years (valued at £60,000 per QALY).

FINDINGS: The total 10 year cumulative incremental net monetary cost associated with a persistent plateauing of CVD would be approximately £54 billion (95% uncertainty interval £14.3-£96.2 billion), made up of some £13 billion (£8.8-£16.7 billion) healthcare costs, £1.5 billion (-£0.9-£4.0 billion) social care costs, £8 billion (£3.4-£12.8 billion) informal care and £32 billion (£0.3-£67.6 billion) value of lost QALYs.

INTERPRETATION: After previous, dramatic falls, CVD incidence has recently plateaued. That slowdown could substantially increase health and social care costs over the next ten years. Healthcare costs are likely to increase more than social care costs in absolute terms, but social care costs will increase more in relative terms. Given the links between COVID-19 and cardiovascular health, effective cardiovascular prevention policies need to be revitalised urgently.

PMID:35767575 | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0268766

PLoS One. 2022 Jun 29;17(6):e0267660. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0267660. eCollection 2022.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Skilled birth attendants (SBAs) play a crucial role in reducing infant and maternal mortality. Although the ratio of skilled assistance at birth has increased in Bangladesh, factors associated with SBA use are unknown. The main goal of our study was to reveal the individual- and community-level factors associated with SBA use during childbirth in Bangladesh. We also showed the prevalence and trend of SBA use and related independent variables in Bangladesh over the past decade.

METHODS: This study utilized the Bangladesh Health and Demographic Survey (BDHS) 2017-2018, a cross-sectional study. We used binary logistic regression to examine the extent of variation in SBA use attributable to the individual- and community-level variables.

RESULTS: Overall, 53.35% of women received assistance from SBAs during childbirth. The average annual rate of increase (AARI) in the number of SBA-assisted births over the past 10 years was 8.88%. Respondents who gave birth at or above 19 years had 1.40 times (AOR = 1.40; 95% CI: 1.21-1.62) greater odds of having skilled delivery assistance than respondents aged 18 years old or less. Women and their husband’s education levels were significantly associated with using skilled assistance during delivery, with odds of 1.60 (AOR = 1.60; 95% CI: 1.45-2.01) and 1.41 (AOR = 1.41; 95% CI: 1.21-1.66), respectively compared to those with education up to primary level. Women from rich families and those receiving better antenatal care (ANC) visits were more likely to have professional delivery assistance. Community-level factors also showed significance towards having professional assistance while giving birth. Women from urban communities and those who utilized more than four ANC visits and had completed secondary or higher education showed a greater tendency to use an SBA during childbirth than their counterparts.

CONCLUSION: The use of SBAs during delivery was significantly associated with some individual- and community-level factors. To reduce maternal and child mortality, there is a need to focus on rural and uneducated people who are less likely to access these facilities. Special programs could increase awareness and help the poor community obtain the minimum facility in maternal care.

PMID:35767568 | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0267660

PLoS One. 2022 Jun 29;17(6):e0269845. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0269845. eCollection 2022.

ABSTRACT

We propose a stochastic generative model to represent a directed graph constructed by citations among academic papers, where nodes and directed edges represent papers with discrete publication time and citations respectively. The proposed model assumes that a citation between two papers occurs with a probability based on the type of the citing paper, the importance of cited paper, and the difference between their publication times, like the existing models. We consider the out-degrees of citing paper as its type, because, for example, survey paper cites many papers. We approximate the importance of a cited paper by its in-degrees. In our model, we adopt three functions: a logistic function for illustrating the numbers of papers published in discrete time, an inverse Gaussian probability distribution function to express the aging effect based on the difference between publication times, and an exponential distribution (or a generalized Pareto distribution) for describing the out-degree distribution. We consider that our model is a more reasonable and appropriate stochastic model than other existing models and can perform complete simulations without using original data. In this paper, we first use the Web of Science database and see the features used in our model. By using the proposed model, we can generate simulated graphs and demonstrate that they are similar to the original data concerning the in- and out-degree distributions, and node triangle participation. In addition, we analyze two other citation networks derived from physics papers in the arXiv database and verify the effectiveness of the model.

PMID:35767539 | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0269845

PLoS One. 2022 Jun 29;17(6):e0270103. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0270103. eCollection 2022.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Thousands of youth are sexually trafficked each year worldwide. Increased public attention to the commercial sexual exploitation (CSE) of children has resulted in the rapid deployment of hybrid community public health and social service programs for these vulnerable youth. Research on the effectiveness of these advocacy programs is lacking, particularly whether they decrease psychosocial distress and increase readiness to leave CSE.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS: Cisgender girls under age 18 at the time of CSE, and who were identified as at-risk for sex trafficking revictimization, were included in an evaluation of an anti-trafficking advocacy program in the North Texas region of the United States. The program includes crisis response, case management, referral, and mentoring services in collaboration with multi-disciplinary team (MDT) responses to identified youth sex trafficking. Case management notes, needs assessments and individualized treatment plans were collected at intake and every 30 days until study conclusion. Standardized surveys, including the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), the Coping Self-Efficacy Scale, and the University of Rhode Island Change Assessment (URICA) were collected at intake and every 180 days until the study concluded. Analyses included descriptive statistics, paired t-tests, chi-square, multivariate linear and logistic regressions, Poisson regressions, and latent profile analysis.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This study was approved by the Texas Christian University’s Institutional Review Board (IRB). Results of this study will be presented to the scientific community at conferences and in peer-reviewed journals and non-scholarly outlets such as public health and social service conferences.

PMID:35767522 | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0270103

JMIR Serious Games. 2022 Jun 29;10(2):e38952. doi: 10.2196/38952.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Various face-to-face training opportunities have been lost due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Instructor development workshops for advanced resuscitation (ie, advanced life support) training courses are no exception. Virtual reality (VR) is an attractive strategy for remote training. However, to our knowledge, there are no reports of resuscitation instructor training programs being held in a virtual space.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the learning effects of an instructor development workshop that was conducted in a virtual space.

METHODS: In this observational study, we created a virtual workshop space by using NEUTRANS (Synamon Inc)-a commercial VR collaboration service. The instructor development workshop for the advanced life support training course was held in a virtual space (ie, termed the VR course) as a certified workshop by the Japanese Association of Acute Medicine. We asked 13 instructor candidates (students) who participated in the VR course to provide a workshop report (VR group). Reports from a previously held face-to-face workshop (ie, the face-to-face course and group) were likewise prepared for comparison. A total of 5 certified instructor trainers viewed and scored the reports on a 5-point Likert scale.

RESULTS: All students completed the VR course without any problems and received certificates of completion. The scores for the VR group and the face-to-face group did not differ at the level of statistical significance (median 3.8, IQR 3.8-4.0 and median 4.2, IQR 3.9-4.2, respectively; P=.41).

CONCLUSIONS: We successfully conducted an instructor development workshop in a virtual space. The degree of learning in the virtual workshop was the same as that in the face-to-face workshop.

PMID:35767318 | DOI:10.2196/38952

JMIR Med Educ. 2022 Jun 29;8(2):e35074. doi: 10.2196/35074.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: With the move to virtual interviewing, residency websites are an important recruitment resource, introducing applicants to programs across the country and allowing for comparison. Recruitment is highly competitive from a common potential pool between vascular surgery, thoracic surgery, and interventional radiology with the ratio of applicants to positions being highest in interventional radiology, followed by thoracic surgery and lastly vascular surgery, as reported by the National Resident Matching Program.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to evaluate the accessibility and availability of online content for those integrated residency programs.

METHODS: A list of accredited vascular surgery, thoracic surgery, and interventional radiology residencies was obtained from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) database. Program websites were evaluated by trained independent reviewers (n=2) for content items pertaining to program recruitment and education (scored absent or present). Statistical analysis was performed in R software.

RESULTS: Of ACGME-accredited programs, 56 of 61 (92%) vascular surgery, 27 of 27 (100%) thoracic surgery, and 74 of 85 (87%) interventional radiology programs had functional websites (P=.12). Vascular surgery websites contained a median of 26 (IQR 20-32) content items, thoracic surgery websites contained a median of 27 (IQR 21-32) content items, and interventional radiology websites contained a median of 23 (IQR 18-27) content items. Two content items considered highly influential to applicant program decisions are procedural experience and faculty mentorship, which were reported at 32% (18/56) and 11% (6/56) for vascular surgery, 19% (5/27) and 11% (3/27) for thoracic surgery, and 50% (37/74) and 15% (11/74) for interventional radiology (P=.008 and P=.75), respectively. Key deficits were work hours, debt management, and curriculum for interventional radiology; resident profiles, sample contracts, and research interests in vascular surgery; and operative experiences and the program director’s contact and message for thoracic surgery. Interventional radiology deficits were work hours, and thoracic surgery deficits were procedural experience. Both interventional radiology and thoracic surgery websites lacked information on evaluation criteria and faculty mentorship.

CONCLUSIONS: This study has uncovered key differences in the availability of online content for residencies recruiting from the same pool of applicants. Thoracic surgery has the most information, followed by vascular surgery, with interventional radiology reporting the least content. In the era of virtual interviewing from the same potential pool of applicants, programs should review and revise their web presence with the aim to increase the availability of online content to attract valuable candidates.

PMID:35767342 | DOI:10.2196/35074