Tag: nevin manimala

NPJ Sci Food. 2023 Sep 16;7(1):51. doi: 10.1038/s41538-023-00222-1.

ABSTRACT

The preferences of consumers for different flavours and aromas in wine are varied and may be explained by inherent factors such as cultural background, wine education and personal taste of the wine consumer. Wine flavour, as perceived in the mouth, includes aroma compounds released through the retronasal pathway, which are shaped by interactions with saliva. Saliva and wine interactions could provide an explanation as to why wine tasters express different preferences for wine. To test this hypothesis, 13 Western and 13 Chinese experienced wine tasters were recruited. Sensory evaluation was performed in formal surroundings to acquire free description-based and perceived sensory intensity data using the Pivot^® Profile and continuous scale assessment, respectively. Participants’ saliva samples were collected before the sensory evaluation and spiked into a wine sample to investigate the impact on the wine’s volatile release using comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC × GC-MS). Saliva samples were subjected to enzyme activity assays and protein composition profiling by Tandem Mass Tag (TMT) quantitative proteomics. The wine tasters showed differences in wine flavour perception, which was supported by the difference in wine volatile release resulting from the addition of saliva. The two groups of participants did not have significant differences in total salivary protein concentrations or the amounts of esterase and α-amylase. However, statistically significant variations in the concentrations of specific proteins (proline-rich proteins (PRPs) and lipocalin-1 (LCN-1); p < 0.01) were found between the two groups. Significant correlations between perceived intensities of wine attributes and concentrations of PRPs and LCN-1 were observed. These results indicate that the composition of proteins in saliva is a factor that influences wine perception and preference. Our results provide a biochemical basis for understanding preference for food based on interactions between aroma compounds and salivary proteins and could be used to suggest foods or beverages to particular cultural groups.

PMID:37717071 | DOI:10.1038/s41538-023-00222-1

Nat Commun. 2023 Sep 16;14(1):5763. doi: 10.1038/s41467-023-41488-z.

ABSTRACT

CC and CXC-chemokines are the primary drivers of chemotaxis in inflammation, but chemokine network redundancy thwarts pharmacological intervention. Tick evasins promiscuously bind CC and CXC-chemokines, overcoming redundancy. Here we show that short peptides that promiscuously bind both chemokine classes can be identified from evasins by phage-display screening performed with multiple chemokines in parallel. We identify two conserved motifs within these peptides and show using saturation-mutagenesis phage-display and chemotaxis studies of an exemplar peptide that an anionic patch in the first motif and hydrophobic, aromatic and cysteine residues in the second are functionally necessary. AlphaFold2-Multimer modelling suggests that the peptide occludes distinct receptor-binding regions in CC and in CXC-chemokines, with the first and second motifs contributing ionic and hydrophobic interactions respectively. Our results indicate that peptides with broad-spectrum anti-chemokine activity and therapeutic potential may be identified from evasins, and the pharmacophore characterised by phage display, saturation mutagenesis and computational modelling.

PMID:37717048 | DOI:10.1038/s41467-023-41488-z

Trials. 2023 Sep 16;24(1):594. doi: 10.1186/s13063-023-07600-w.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Pulmonary segmentectomy, when combined with hilar and mediastinal lymphadenectomy, is currently considered the gold standard treatment for early-stage lung tumors (NSCLC) smaller than 2 cm in diameter. The preoperative planning for segmentectomies usually includes a contrast-enhanced CT with 2D reconstructions (axial, coronary, and sagittal). Recent technological advances allow 3D (volume rendering) reconstructions of preoperative CT scans, intended to improve the surgeon’s understanding of the segmental anatomy. The study aims to investigate the added value of 3D reconstruction in enhancing the surgeon’s understanding of anatomical structures, thus facilitating surgical planning and improving oncological outcomes.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This is a prospective, randomized, controlled study. Patients will be randomized into two groups: 1. Group 2D: the preoperative workup for these patients will consist of a contrast-enhanced chest CT with two-dimensional (2D) reconstructions (axial, coronary, and sagittal); 2. Group 3D: the preoperative workup for these patients will consist of a contrast-enhanced chest CT with two-dimensional (2D) reconstructions (axial, coronary, and sagittal) and a 3D reconstruction (volume rendering) of the same chest CT employing dedicated software. The primary endpoints will be negative margin (R0) resection rate, resection margin (staple line-to-tumor distance), and thoracotomy conversions. We will use Fisher’s exact test for binary outcomes and Mann-Whitney U test for continuous outcomes. For subgroup analyses, we will use regression. Multivariable analyses will be based on logistic regression for binary outcomes and linear regression for continuous outcomes.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The protocol and the model informed consent forms have been reviewed and approved by the ethics committee (N.: 1-2023) concerning scientific content and compliance with applicable research and human subject regulations. A Subcommittee on Publications was established to review all publications and report its recommendations to the steering committee. The anonymized participant-level dataset and statistical code for generating the results will not be publicly available.

TRIAL REGISTRATION: The protocol was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (ID: NCT05716815; Prospective rAndomized sTudy efficaCy tHree-dimensional rEconstructions Segmentectomy – Full-Text View – ClinicalTrials.gov). Jan 19, 2023.

PMID:37717001 | DOI:10.1186/s13063-023-07600-w

BMC Complement Med Ther. 2023 Sep 16;23(1):324. doi: 10.1186/s12906-023-04131-4.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Folk medicine is crucial to healthcare delivery in the underdeveloped countries. It is frequently used as a primary treatment option or as a complementary therapy for malaria. Malaria is a deadly disease which greatly threatens global public health, claiming incredible number of lives yearly. The study was aimed at documenting the medicinal plants used for malaria treatment in folk medicine in Kwara State, Nigeria.

METHODS: Ethnobotanical information was collected from selected consenting registered traditional medicine practitioners (TMPs) through oral face-to-face interviews using in-depth, semi-structured interview guide. The ethnobotanical data were analysed, and descriptive statistical methods were used to compile them.

RESULTS: Sixty-two indigenous medicinal plants, including 13 new plants, used for malaria treatment were identified in this study. The TMPs preferred decoction in aqueous solvent (34%) and steeping in decaffeinated soft drink (19%) for herbal preparations. Oral administration (74%) was the main route of administration, while leaves (40%) and stem barks (32%) were the most dominant plant parts used in herbal preparations. The most cited families were Fabaceae (15%) and Rutaceae (6%), while Mangifera indica (77.14%), Enantia chlorantha (65.71%), Alstonia boonei (57.14%) followed by Cymbopogon citratus (54.29%) were the most used plants. Besides, the antimalarial activities of many of the plants recorded and their isolated phytocompounds have been demonstrated. Furthermore, the conservation status of 4 identified plants were Vulnerable.

CONCLUSION: The study showed strong ethnobotanical knowledge shared by the TMPs in the State and provides preliminary information that could be explored for the discovery of more potent antimalarial compounds.

PMID:37716985 | DOI:10.1186/s12906-023-04131-4

BMC Pediatr. 2023 Sep 16;23(1):467. doi: 10.1186/s12887-023-04284-8.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Regular growth monitoring can be used to evaluate young children’s nutritional and physical health. While adequate evaluation of the scope and quality of nutrition interventions is necessary to increase their effectiveness, there is little research on growth monitoring coverage measurement. The purpose of this study was to investigate socioeconomic disparities in under-5 Rwandan children who participate in growth monitoring and nutrition promotion.

METHODS: We used data from the 2019-2020 Rwanda Demographic and Health Survey (RDHS), which included 8092under-5 children. Percentage was employed in univariate analysis. To examine the socioeconomic inequalities, concentration indices and Lorenz curves were used in growth monitoring and nutrition promotion among under-5 children.

RESULTS: A weighted prevalence of 33.0% (95%CI: 30.6-35.6%) under-5 children growth monitoring and nutrition promotion was estimated. Growth monitoring and nutrition promotion among under-5 children had higher uptake in the most disadvantaged cohort, as the line of equality sags below the diagonal line in Lorenz curve. Overall, there was pro-poor growth monitoring and nutrition promotion among under-5 in Rwanda (Conc. Index = 0.0994; SE = 0.0111). Across the levels of child and mother’s characteristics, the results show higher coverage of under-5 growth monitoring and nutrition promotion in the most socioeconomic disadvantaged cohort.

CONCLUSION: The study found a pro-poor disparity in growth monitoring and nutrition promotion among under-5 children in Rwanda. By implication, the most disadvantaged children had a higher uptake of growth monitoring and nutrition promotion. The Rwanda government should develop policies and programmes to achieve the universal health coverage for the well-off and underserved population.

PMID:37716969 | DOI:10.1186/s12887-023-04284-8

BMC Womens Health. 2023 Sep 16;23(1):494. doi: 10.1186/s12905-023-02645-0.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM) is a common and disturbing issue in the postmenopausal period. Unlike vasomotor symptoms, it has a progressive trend. Our study aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of oxytocin gel versus placebo gel in postmenopausal women with GSM.

METHODS: A systematic review and meta-analysis synthesizing randomized controlled trials (RCTs) from Web of Science, SCOPUS, PubMed, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials databases on January 18, 2023. Keywords such as “oxytocin,” “intravaginal,” “vaginal,” “atrophic,” and “atrophy” were used. We used Review Manager (RevMan) version 5.4 in our analysis. We used the risk ratio (RR) for dichotomous outcomes and the mean difference (MD) for continuous outcomes; both were presented with the corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI) and were calculated with the Mantel-Haenszel or inverse variance statistical method. Cochrane’s Q test and the I² statistic were used as measures of statistical inconsistency and heterogeneity. The Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool for RCTs was used for the quality assessment of the included studies.

RESULTS: Seven studies with 631 patients were included. Regarding the maturation index, there was a statistically insignificant increase in the oxytocin arm (MD = 12.34, 95% CI (-12.52-37.19), P = 0.33). Clinically assessed vaginal atrophy showed a statistically significant reduction in the oxytocin group (RR = 0.32, 95% CI (0.23 – 0.10), P < 0.00001). For dyspareunia, vaginal pH, and histological evaluation of vaginal atrophy, there was a statistically insignificant difference between the two groups (RR = 1.02, 95% CI (0.82-1.27), P = 0.84), (MD = -0.74, 95% CI (-1.58-0.10), P = 0.08), and (MD = -0.38, 95% CI (-0.82-0.06), P = 0.09), respectively. There was no significant difference in the safety profile between the two groups as measured by endometrial thickness (MD = 0.00, 95% CI (-0.23-0.23), P = 0.99).

CONCLUSIONS: Although oxytocin has been proposed as a viable alternative to estrogen in the treatment of GSM, our findings show the opposite. Larger, high-quality RCTs are needed to confirm or refute our results.

TRIAL REGISTRATION: PROSPERO registration number CRD42022334357.

PMID:37716966 | DOI:10.1186/s12905-023-02645-0

BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2023 Sep 16;23(1):668. doi: 10.1186/s12884-023-05975-x.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Preterm birth (PTB) is a complex and significant challenge in obstetrics. Thus, clinicians and researchers have paid a keen interest in the identification of women at a high risk for PTB. This study aimed to develop a PTB risk assessment scale based on the preliminary 32-item Preterm Birth Risk Assessment Scale-Korean version (PBRAS-K).

METHODS: We enrolled 298 participants (167 in the exploratory factor analysis group from March 3, 2021 to August 31, 2021 and 131 in the confirmatory factor analysis group from December 3, 2021 to February 14, 2022) who delivered before 37⁺⁰ weeks after experiencing preterm symptoms and were admitted to high-risk pregnancy maternal-fetal intensive care units (MFICUs). After an item-reduction process in the exploratory factor analysis, the psychometric property scales were assessed using SPSS Statistics version 27.0, and the confirmatory factor analysis was conducted using AMOS version 27.0.

RESULTS: The Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) test and Bartlett’s χ² test of sphericity confirmed the adequacy of the sample for factor analysis (KMO = .81 (> .80), χ² = 1841.38, p < .001). The final version of the PBRAS-K comprised 23 items within seven dimensions. Factor analysis identified items explaining 65.9% of the total variance. The PBRAS-K achieved a mean score of 35.58 (± 10.35) and showed high internal consistency and satisfactory reliability (Cronbach’s alpha = .85). Regarding concurrent validity, the PBRAS-K exhibited a low-to-moderate correlation with the PTB risk (r = .45, p < .001). As for criterion validity and convergent validity, the PBRAS-K showed a positive and high correlation with the Somatic Awareness Scale with Spontaneous Preterm Labor (SPL-SAS) (r = .65, p < .001) and pregnancy-related stress (r = .57, p < .001), respectively. Risk scoring for preterm delivery and SPL-SAS were moderately correlated (r = .53, p < .001).

CONCLUSIONS: PBRAS-23-K is a valid and reliable instrument for assessing the risk for PTB in pregnant women. Clinical nurses are encouraged to apply and obtain information regarding effective interventions in MFICUs. This scale provides meaningful results and reflects the opinions of women who had experienced PTB. The PBRAS-23-K should be evaluated for standardization and cut-off scores using larger sample sizes in the future.

PMID:37716962 | DOI:10.1186/s12884-023-05975-x

BMC Pediatr. 2023 Sep 16;23(1):469. doi: 10.1186/s12887-023-04304-7.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Hypertension is a prevalent complication of Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) and Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring (ABPM) is the gold standard for diagnosis. The aim of our study was to assess the usefulness of obtaining ABPM and to identify barriers to ABPM in this pediatric patient population.

METHOD: In this retrospective analysis of patients with CKD stage 3-5 who were seen in one academic medical center’s outpatient Pediatric Nephrology clinics between 2018 and 2021, we performed logistic regression to evaluate for associations between demographic factors and odds of having an ABPM.

RESULT: Among 96 patients included in the study, 48 patients carried a diagnosis of hypertension. 31 patients had ABPM performed with usable data. In those who had ABPM done, 21 had normotension and 10 had undertreated hypertension. Our study also showed 1 had masked hypertension and 5 had white coat hypertension or effect. We did not find a statistically significant difference in those who did or did not undergo ABPM evaluation based on gender, previous diagnosis of hypertension, distance from clinic, language preference, or racial or ethnic identity.

CONCLUSION: ABPM is a useful tool in our CKD population for the diagnosis and management of hypertension. We did not identify specific barriers to ABPM in our CKD population, and there were no differences in patients who obtained ABPM when looking at specific demographic and disease characteristics. Given these findings, we recommend focusing on areas of future improvement in spheres of patient and provider education as well as better quantification using surveys to further illuminate barriers.

PMID:37716957 | DOI:10.1186/s12887-023-04304-7

Cardiovasc Diabetol. 2023 Sep 16;22(1):254. doi: 10.1186/s12933-023-01983-5.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Stroke was reported to be highly correlated with the triglyceride glucose-body mass index (TyG-BMI). Nevertheless, literature exploring the association between changes in the TyG-BMI and stroke incidence is scant, with most studies focusing on individual values of the TyG-BMI. We aimed to investigate whether changes in the TyG-BMI were associated with stroke incidence.

METHODS: Data were obtained from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), which is an ongoing nationally representative prospective cohort study. The exposures were changes in the TyG-BMI and cumulative TyG-BMI from 2012 to 2015. Changes in the TyG-BMI were classified using K-means clustering analysis, and the cumulative TyG-BMI was calculated as follows: (TyG-BMI₂₀₁₂ + TyG-BMI₂₀₁₅)/2 × time (2015-2012). Logistic regressions were used to determine the association between different TyG-BMI change classes and stroke incidence. Meanwhile, restricted cubic spline regression was applied to examine the potential nonlinear association of the cumulative TyG-BMI and stroke incidence. Weighted quantile sum regression was used to provide a comprehensive explanation of the TyG-BMI by calculating the weights of FBG, triglyceride-glucose (TG), and BMI.

RESULTS: Of the 4583 participants (mean [SD] age at baseline, 58.68 [9.51] years), 2026 (44.9%) were men. During the 3 years of follow-up, 277 (6.0%) incident stroke cases were identified. After adjusting for potential confounders, compared to the participants with a consistently low TyG-BMI, the OR for a moderate TyG-BMI with a slow rising trend was 1.01 (95% CI 0.65-1.57), the OR for a high TyG-BMI with a slow rising trend was 1.62 (95% CI 1.11-2.32), and the OR for the highest TyG-BMI with a slow declining trend was 1.71 (95% CI 1.01-2.89). The association between the cumulative TyG-BMI and stroke risk was nonlinear (P_association = 0.017; P_nonlinearity = 0.012). TG emerged as the primary contributor when the weights were assigned to the constituent elements of the TyG-BMI (weight₂₀₁₂ = 0.466; weight₂₀₁₅ = 0.530).

CONCLUSIONS: Substantial changes in the TyG-BMI are independently associated with the risk of stroke in middle-aged and older adults. Monitoring long-term changes in the TyG-BMI may assist with the early identification of individuals at high risk of stroke.

PMID:37716947 | DOI:10.1186/s12933-023-01983-5

BMC Oral Health. 2023 Sep 16;23(1):670. doi: 10.1186/s12903-023-03382-4.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Cleft lip and palate (CLP) is the most common facial birth defect worldwide and causes morphological, aesthetic, and functional problems with psychosocial implications for an individual’s life and well-being. The present systematic review and meta-analysis assessed whether the treatment of CLP impacts the oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) in children and adolescents in comparison to healthy controls.

METHODS: We searched MEDLINE/PubMed, EMBASE, and PsycINFO databases using terms related to CLP, and included articles until August 2023. Observational comparison studies that assessed OHRQoL in non-syndromic CLP patients aged 8-19 years with validated scales designed to such aim or scales capable to identify aspects related to oral health compared to healthy controls were included. We used the ROBINS-I tool for risk of bias assessment. A meta-analysis of continuous variables was performed using inverse variance for pooling estimates, Standardized Mean Difference (SMD) as a summary measure, with random effects model. Heterogeneity was estimated by the I² statistics. Sensitivity analyses included subgrouping based on the scale, risk of bias and scale domains. Meta-regression was performed under a mixed-effects model considering the variables type of scale, scale domains and risk of bias.

RESULTS: Fourteen studies were included comprising 1,185 patients with CLP and 1,558 healthy controls. The direction of the effect of OHRQoL favoured the healthy group (-0.92; 95% CI:-1,55;-0,10) and I² = 95%. After removing three studies, I² dropped to 80%. Meta-regression showed no influence on risk of bias (p = 0.2240) but influence of scale type (p = 0.0375) and scale domains (p < 0.001). The subgroup analysis indicated that the CPQ and COHIP scales presented very discrepant SMD values, despite pointing to the same effect direction. In contrast, the OHIP scale showed a non-significant difference between cases and controls, with estimates much lower than the other two scales. Results also suggest that OHRQoL associated with oral functionality and social well-being is more influential on outcomes than emotional well-being.

CONCLUSION: The global OHRQoL is slightly worst in the CLP patients than control group. The difference between OHRQoL was mainly detected through OHIP. The most affected domains are functional, emotional and social.

SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: PROSPERO CRD42022336956.

PMID:37716942 | DOI:10.1186/s12903-023-03382-4