Tag: nevin manimala

Int J Neuropsychopharmacol. 2023 Aug 21:pyad051. doi: 10.1093/ijnp/pyad051. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The clinical debut of schizophrenia is frequently a first episode of psychosis (FEP). As such, there is considerable interest in identifying associations between biological markers and clinical or cognitive characteristics that help predict the progression and outcome of FEP patients. Previous studies showed that high prolactin, low oxytocin and high homocysteine are factors associated with FEP 6 months after diagnosis, at which point plasma levels were correlated with some clinical and cognitive characteristics.

METHODS: We re-examined 75 patients 12 months after diagnosis to measure the evolution of these molecules and to assess their association with clinical features.

RESULTS: At follow-up, FEP patients had lower prolactin levels than at baseline, and patients treated with risperidone or paliperidone had higher prolactin levels than patients who received other antipsychotic agents. By contrast, no changes in oxytocin and homocysteine plasma levels were observed between the baseline and follow-up. In terms of clinical features, we found that plasma prolactin and homocysteine levels were correlated with the severity of the psychotic symptoms in male FEP patients, suggesting that they might be factors associated with psychotic symptomatology but only in men. Together with oxytocin, these molecules may also be related to sustained attention, verbal ability and working memory cognitive domains in FEP patients.

CONCLUSION: This study suggests that focusing on prolactin, oxytocin and homocysteine at a FEP may help select adequate pharmacological treatments and develop new tools to improve the outcome of these patients, where sex should also be borne in mind.

PMID:37603404 | DOI:10.1093/ijnp/pyad051

JMIR Form Res. 2023 Aug 21;7:e48332. doi: 10.2196/48332.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Digital health care apps have been widely used for managing chronic conditions such as diabetes mellitus and hypertension, providing promising prospects for enhanced health care delivery, increased patient engagement, and improved self-management. However, the impact of integrating these apps within hospital systems for managing such conditions still lacks conclusive evidence.

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to investigate the real-world effectiveness of using hospital-linked digital health care apps in lowering blood pressure (BP) and blood glucose levels in patients with hypertension and diabetes mellitus.

METHODS: Nationwide multicenter data on demographic characteristics and the use of a digital health care app from 233 hospitals were collected for participants aged 20 to 80 years in South Korea between August 2021 and June 2022. We divided the participants into 2 groups: 1 group consisted of individuals who exclusively used the digital health app (control) and the other group used the hospital-linked digital health app. All the patients participated in a 12-week digital health care intervention. We conducted a comparative analysis to assess the real-world effectiveness of the hospital-linked digital health app. The primary outcome was the differences in the systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), fasting blood glucose (FBG) level, and postprandial glucose (PPG) level between baseline and 12 weeks.

RESULTS: A total of 1029 participants were analyzed for the FBG level, 527 participants were analyzed for the PPG level, and 2029 participants for the SBP and DBP were enrolled. After 12 weeks, a hospital-linked digital health app was found to reduce SBP (-5.4 mm Hg, 95% CI -7.0 to -3.9) and DBP (-2.4 mm Hg, 95% CI -3.4 to -1.4) in participants without hypertension and FBG level in all participants (those without diabetes, -4.4 mg/dL, 95% CI -7.9 to -1.0 and those with diabetes, -3.2 mg/dL, 95% CI -5.4 to -1.0); however, there was no statistically significant difference compared to the control group (using only digital health app). Specifically, participants with diabetes using a hospital-linked digital health app demonstrated a significant decrease in PPG after 12 weeks (-10.9 mg/dL, 95% CI -31.1 to -5.3) compared to those using only a digital health app (P=.006).

CONCLUSIONS: Hospital-linked digital interventions have greatly improved glucose control for diabetes compared with using digital health technology only. These hospital-linked digital health apps have the potential to offer consumers and health care professionals cost-effective support in decreasing glucose levels when used in conjunction with self-monitoring.

PMID:37603401 | DOI:10.2196/48332

J Biol Dyn. 2023 Dec;17(1):2249024. doi: 10.1080/17513758.2023.2249024.

ABSTRACT

Dengue fever creates more than 390 million cases worldwide yearly. The most effective way to deal with this mosquito-borne disease is to control the vectors. In this work we consider two weapons, the endosymbiotic bacteria Wolbachia and predators of mosquito larvae, for combating the disease. As Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes are less able to transmit dengue virus, releasing infected mosquitoes to invade wild mosquito populations helps to reduce dengue transmission. Besides this measure, the introduction of predators of mosquito larvae can control mosquito population. To evaluate the impact of the predators on Wolbachia spreading dynamics, we develop a stage-structured five-dimensional model, which links the predator-prey dynamics with the Wolbachia spreading. By comparatively analysing the dynamics of the models without and with predators, we observe that the introduction of the predators augments the number of coexistence equilibria and impedes Wolbachia spreading. Some numerical simulations are presented to support and expand our theoretical results.

PMID:37603352 | DOI:10.1080/17513758.2023.2249024

Blood Adv. 2023 Aug 22;7(16):4671-4675. doi: 10.1182/bloodadvances.2023010482.

NO ABSTRACT

PMID:37603350 | DOI:10.1182/bloodadvances.2023010482

JAMA Netw Open. 2023 Aug 1;6(8):e2330024. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.30024.

ABSTRACT

IMPORTANCE: Evidence of the association between income fluctuation and risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D) is scarce.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether sustained low or high income and income changes are associated with incidence of T2D.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: In this population-based cohort study, more than 7.8 million adults without T2D aged 30 to 64 years from a nationally representative sample from the Korean Health Insurance Service database were enrolled in 2012 and followed up to 2019 (median follow-up, 6.3 years [IQR, 6.1-6.6 years]).

EXPOSURES: Twenty quantiles of monthly health insurance premiums determined income levels. Income quartiles were annually analyzed from 2008 to 2012. Beneficiaries of the Medical Aid Program were regarded as those with very low income. A decrease in income was indicated as a reduction of 25% or more in income compared with income in the previous year.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: The primary outcome was incident T2D based on the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, Tenth Revision codes E11 to E14, 1 or more claims of antidiabetic medication, or a fasting glucose level of 126 mg/dL or higher. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards models were used to assess the association of low- or high-income status and income changes with incidence of T2D.

RESULTS: Of 7 821 227 participants (mean [SD] age, 46.4 [9.3] years; 54.9% men), 359 931 (4.6%) developed T2D at least 1 year after enrollment. Individuals who repeatedly experienced low and very low income for 5 years showed 22% (hazard ratio [HR], 1.22 [95% CI, 1.21-1.23]) and 57% (1.57 [95% CI, 1.53-1.62]) higher T2D risk compared with those who never experienced low and very low income, respectively. In contrast, individuals who were repeatedly in high-income quartiles showed lower T2D risk compared with those who never experienced high income (HR, 0.86 [95% CI, 0.85-0.86]). The number of income decreases was associated with elevated T2D risk (≥2 vs 0 income decreases: HR, 1.08 [95% CI, 1.06-1.11]; P < .001 for trend). When income quartile status was compared between 2008 and 2012, individuals who experienced an income increase had lowered T2D risk, while those who experienced an income decrease had elevated T2D risk in each income quartile group.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: This cohort study found that individuals who experienced sustained low-income status or an income decrease had elevated T2D risk, while those who had sustained high-income status or an income increase had lowered T2D risk.

PMID:37603333 | DOI:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.30024

Adv Skin Wound Care. 2023 Sep 1;36(9):481-485. doi: 10.1097/ASW.0000000000000016.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To study the effect of liquid dressing and ostomy powder on the treatment of incontinence-associated dermatitis (IAD).

METHODS: The authors searched PubMed, Web of Science, CNKI (China National Knowledge Internet), and Google Scholar databases for literature through July 28, 2022. After literature screening, two investigators independently extracted data from the included studies and applied the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale to assess the quality of the included studies. The χ2-based Q statistic test and the I2 statistic were used to measure the heterogeneity of the included studies. Publication bias was measured with funnel plots and the Egger test. Sensitivity analysis was conducted by eliminating each study one by one.

RESULTS: Four high-quality studies were included in the meta-analysis, involving a total of 307 participants. The meta-analysis results showed that compared with traditional care, treatment with liquid dressing and ostomy powder significantly improved the effective rate (pooled odds ratio, 21.42; 95% CI, 8.58 to 53.44), shortened the healing time (pooled mean difference, -10.73; 95% CI, -12.92 to -8.54), and reduced the recurrence rate (pooled mean difference, -2.03; 95% CI, -2.30 to -1.77) of IAD. Among the included studies, no publication bias was detected. Sensitivity analysis results confirmed the robustness of the pooled estimates.

CONCLUSIONS: Treatment with liquid dressing and ostomy powder has clinical value for patients with IAD.

PMID:37603316 | DOI:10.1097/ASW.0000000000000016

J Laparoendosc Adv Surg Tech A. 2023 Aug 21. doi: 10.1089/lap.2023.0085. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Background: Hilar cholangiocarcinoma (HCCA) has a high degree of malignancy and poor prognosis, and the best long-term prognosis can only be achieved by radical resection. However, the surgical steps are complicated, and the operating space is limited, making it hard to complete laparoscopically. So our team proposes a new surgical approach for laparoscopic left-liver-first anterior radical modular orthotopic right hemihepatectomy (Lap-Larmorh). In this way, we can simplify the operation steps and reduce the difficulty. Materials and Methods: We recorded and analyzed the clinical data of 26 patients with type IIIa HCCA, who underwent laparoscopic radical resection in our department from December 2018 to January 2023. According to the laparoscopic surgical approach, we divided the patients into the new approach (NA) group (n = 14) using the Lap-Lamorh and the traditional approach (TA) group (n = 12) not using the Lap-Lamorh. Results: All surgeries in this study were completed laparoscopically with no conversion to open surgery. The operation time in the NA group and TA group had statistically significant differences, which was 372.5 (332.8, 420.0) minutes versus 423.5 (385.8, 498.8) minutes (P = .019). The two groups showed no significant difference in other characteristics (P > .05). Only 1 patient suffered from transient liver failure due to portal vein thrombosis. Patients with pleural effusion or ascites were cured by catheter drainage and enhanced nutrition. Conclusion: Lap-Larmorh reduces the difficulty of serving the vessels at the second and third hepatic hilum by splitting the right and left livers early intraoperatively. The new approach is more suitable for the narrow space of laparoscopic surgery and reflects the no-touch principle of oncology.

PMID:37603304 | DOI:10.1089/lap.2023.0085

Turk J Gastroenterol. 2023 Aug 21. doi: 10.5152/tjg.2023.23226. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Non-variceal upper gastrointestinal bleeding is a well-established complication of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and anti-thrombotics. Both medication groups are frequently used by older populations and increase the incidence of non-var- iceal upper gastrointestinal bleeding; however, their impact on etiology and outcomes of non-variceal upper gastrointestinal bleeding has not been well defined. We aimed to compare the etiology and outcomes of non-variceal upper gastrointestinal bleeding in older patients who use anti-thrombotics and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or do not use either of them.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a single-center prospective study of patients older than 65 years with non-variceal upper gastrointesti- nal bleeding. Endoscopic findings, laboratory values, blood transfusion, endoscopic treatment, re-bleeding, and 30-day mortality rates were recorded.

RESULTS: A total of 257 patients (median age 77.7 ± 8.2, 59% male) were included. Re-bleeding occurred in 25 (10%) and the 30-day mortality rate was 40 (16%). There was no statistically significant difference between patients using anti-thrombotics, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or non-users for blood transfusion (P = .46), endoscopic hemostasis (P = .39), re-bleeding (P = .09), and 30-day mortality (P = .45). Peptic ulcer was the most common etiology in all groups (124, 48%). Although the incidence of peptic ulcer was similar between drug users and anti-thrombotic users (P = .75), the incidence of peptic ulcer was significantly higher in patients using non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs than in patients who did not use drugs (P = .05). When the patients were analyzed as using anti- thrombotic drugs or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or neither, no statistically significant difference was found between ulcer location, ulcer number, and ulcer size.

CONCLUSION: Non-variceal upper gastrointestinal bleeding increasingly occurs in older populations with several comorbidities; non- steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or anti-thrombotics do not seem to change the clinical outcomes among older patients with non- variceal upper gastrointestinal bleeding.

PMID:37603303 | DOI:10.5152/tjg.2023.23226

Turk J Gastroenterol. 2023 Aug 21. doi: 10.5152/tjg.2023.22827. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficiency for educational purposes by evaluating the videos published on YouTube channel, which is an open source video sharing platform, for robotic right hemicolectomy procedure.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: We searched YouTube website to choose video clips that included information about robotic right hemicolec- tomy for right colon cancer. All videos were analyzed according to the criteria like quality of videos, quality of teaching, and modified Laparoscopic Surgery Video Educational Guidelines.

RESULTS: There were 16 complete mesocolic excision and 56 noncomplete mesocolic excision videos in the study. According to the Likert scale, calculated complete mesocolic excision scores were analyzed better than the noncomplete mesocolic excision group and this difference was statistically significant (P < .0001). The teaching quality scores of complete mesocolic excision videos were higher than noncomplete mesocolic excision group and this result was statistically significant (P = .02). The videos were scored according to the modified Laparoscopic Surgery Video Educational Guideline, and the score difference was statistically significant between complete mesocolic excision and noncomplete mesocolic excision videos (P < .001). The video power index was higher (mean 5.52 ± 15.56 vs. mean 1.66 ± 3.41) in the complete mesocolic excision group, but there was no statistically significant difference between the 2 groups (P = .086).

CONCLUSIONS: Most of the robotic right hemicolectomy videos on the YouTube platform are insufficient in terms of educational capaci- ties. Complete mesocolic excision-containing videos are slightly superior in this respect to noncomplete mesocolic excision videos, as considering a new technique can make video presenters more attentive. In our opinion, if the images presented to the video platforms are to be used for educational purposes, they must undergo a certain evaluation and screening process.

PMID:37603300 | DOI:10.5152/tjg.2023.22827

J Chem Theory Comput. 2023 Aug 21. doi: 10.1021/acs.jctc.3c00254. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Enhanced sampling techniques have revolutionized molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, enabling the study of rare events and the calculation of free energy differences in complex systems. One of the main families of enhanced sampling techniques uses physical degrees of freedom called collective variables (CVs) to accelerate a system’s dynamics and recover the original system’s statistics. However, encoding all the relevant degrees of freedom in a limited number of CVs is challenging, particularly in large biophysical systems. Another category of techniques, such as parallel tempering, simulates multiple replicas of the system in parallel, without requiring CVs. However, these methods may explore less relevant high-energy portions of the phase space and become computationally expensive for large systems. To overcome the limitations of both approaches, we propose a replica exchange method called OneOPES that combines the power of multireplica simulations and CV-based enhanced sampling. This method efficiently accelerates the phase space sampling without the need for ideal CVs, extensive parameters fine tuning nor the use of a large number of replicas, as demonstrated by its successful applications to protein-ligand binding and protein folding benchmark systems. Our approach shows promise as a new direction in the development of enhanced sampling techniques for molecular dynamics simulations, providing an efficient and robust framework for the study of complex and unexplored problems.

PMID:37603295 | DOI:10.1021/acs.jctc.3c00254