Tag: nevin manimala

Vaccines (Basel). 2023 May 22;11(5):1013. doi: 10.3390/vaccines11051013.

ABSTRACT

Tuberculosis (TB) is among the top 10 leading causes of death in low-income countries. Statistically, TB kills more than 30,000 people each week and leads to more deaths than any other infectious disease, such as acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and malaria. TB treatment is largely dependent on BCG vaccination and impacted by the inefficacy of drugs, absence of advanced vaccines, misdiagnosis improper treatment, and social stigma. The BCG vaccine provides partial effectiveness in demographically distinct populations and the prevalence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) and extensively drug-resistant (XDR) TB incidences demands the design of novel TB vaccines. Various strategies have been employed to design vaccines against TB, such as: (a) The protein subunit vaccine; (b) The viral vector vaccine; (c) The inactivation of whole-cell vaccine, using related mycobacteria, (d) Recombinant BCG (rBCG) expressing Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb) protein or some non-essential gene deleted BCG. There are, approximately, 19 vaccine candidates in different phases of clinical trials. In this article, we review the development of TB vaccines, their status and potential in the treatment of TB. Heterologous immune responses generated by advanced vaccines will contribute to long-lasting immunity and might protect us from both drug-sensitive and drug-resistant TB. Therefore, advanced vaccine candidates need to be identified and developed to boost the human immune system against TB.

PMID:37243117 | DOI:10.3390/vaccines11051013

Vaccines (Basel). 2023 May 19;11(5):1000. doi: 10.3390/vaccines11051000.

ABSTRACT

HIV is known to accumulate escape mutations in the gag gene in response to the immune response from cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs). These mutations can occur within an individual as well as at a population level. The population of Botswana exhibits a high prevalence of HLA*B57 and HLA*B58, which are associated with effective immune control of HIV. In this retrospective cross-sectional investigation, HIV-1 gag gene sequences were analyzed from recently infected participants across two time periods which were 10 years apart: the early time point (ETP) and late time point (LTP). The prevalence of CTL escape mutations was relatively similar between the two time points-ETP (10.6%) and LTP (9.7%). The P17 protein had the most mutations (9.4%) out of the 36 mutations that were identified. Three mutations (A83T, K18R, Y79H) in P17 and T190A in P24 were unique to the ETP sequences at a prevalence of 2.4%, 4.9%, 7.3%, and 5%, respectively. Mutations unique to the LTP sequences were all in the P24 protein, including T190V (3%), E177D (6%), R264K (3%), G248D (1%), and M228L (11%). Mutation K331R was statistically higher in the ETP (10%) compared to the LTP (1%) sequences (p < 0.01), while H219Q was higher in the LTP (21%) compared to the ETP (5%) (p < 0.01). Phylogenetically, the gag sequences clustered dependently on the time points. We observed a slower adaptation of HIV-1C to CTL immune pressure at a population level in Botswana. These insights into the genetic diversity and sequence clustering of HIV-1C can aid in the design of future vaccine strategies.

PMID:37243104 | DOI:10.3390/vaccines11051000

Ecotoxicol Environ Saf. 2023 May 24;259:115039. doi: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2023.115039. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Growing evidence links long-term air pollution exposure with renal function. However, little research has been conducted on the combined effects of air pollutant mixture on renal function and multiple mediation effects of metabolic risk factors. This study enrolled 8996 adults without chronic kidney disease (CKD) at baseline from the CHCN-BTH cohort study. Three-year exposure to air pollutants [particulate matter ≤ 2.5 µm (PM_2.5), PM₁₀, PM₁, ozone (O₃), nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), sulfur dioxide (SO₂) and carbon monoxide (CO)] and PM_2.5 components [black carbon (BC), ammonium (NH₄⁺), nitrate (NO₃^–), sulfate (SO₄^2-) and organic matter (OM)] were assessed using well-validated machine learning methods. Linear mixed models were applied to investigate the associations between air pollutants and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). Quantile G-computation was used to assess the combined effects of pollutant mixtures. Causal mediation analysis and Bayesian mediation analysis were employed to estimate the mediation effects of metabolic risk factors. An interquartile range increases in BC (-0.256, 95 %CI: -0.331, -0.180) and OM (-0.603, 95 %CI: -0.810, -0.397) were significantly associated with eGFR decline; while O₃ (1.151, 95 %CI: 0.813, 1.489), PM₁₀ (0.721, 95 %CI: 0.309, 1.133), NH₄⁺ (0.990, 95 %CI: 0.638, 1.342), and NO₃^– (0.610, 95 %CI: 0.405, 0.815) were associated with higher eGFR. The combined effect of the PM_2.5 component mixture was found to be associated with lower eGFR (-1.147, 95 % CI: -1.456, -0.839), with OM contributing 72.4 % of the negative effect. Univariate mediation analyses showed that high-density lipoprotein (HDL) mediated 7.1 %, 6.9 %, and 6.1 % effects of O₃, BC, and OM, respectively. However, these mediation effects were not significant in Bayesian mediation analysis. These findings suggest the effect of the PM_2.5 component mixture on eGFR decline and the strong contribution of OM. Metabolic risk factors may not mediate the effects of air pollutants. Further study is warranted to clarify the potential mechanisms involved.

PMID:37235899 | DOI:10.1016/j.ecoenv.2023.115039

Sleep Med. 2023 May 3;107:212-218. doi: 10.1016/j.sleep.2023.04.021. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Public health officials and clinicians routinely advise social media users to avoid nighttime social media use due to the perception that this delays the onset of sleep and predisposes to the health risks of insufficient sleep. With some exceptions, the evidence behind this advice mostly derives from surveys identifying an association between self-reported social media usage and self-reported sleep patterns. In principle, these associations could alternatively be explained by users turning to social media to pass the time when they are otherwise having difficulty sleeping, or by individual differences that draw some people to frequent social media use, or by offline activities that overlap with both social media use and delayed sleep. To attempt to distinguish among these explanations, we leveraged estimated bedtimes from 44,000 Reddit users reported in a recent study and their 120 million posts to test whether the relationship between sleep and social media has properties suggestive of a causal relationship. We find that users are especially likely to be active on Reddit after their bedtime (and therefore awake) on nights that they posted to Reddit shortly before bedtime, especially if they posted multiple times or in high-engagement forums that night. Overall, this study lends additional support to the notion that there likely is some causal effect of evening social media use on delayed sleep onset.

PMID:37235891 | DOI:10.1016/j.sleep.2023.04.021

Am J Forensic Med Pathol. 2023 May 26. doi: 10.1097/PAF.0000000000000842. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

The aims of this study were to determine whether paranasal sinus volumetric measurements differ according to sex, age group, and right-left side and to determine the rate of sexual dimorphism using discriminant function analysis and machine learning algorithms. The study included paranasal computed tomography images of 100 live individuals of known sex and age. The paranasal sinuses were marked using semiautomatic segmentation and their volumes and densities were measured. Sex determination using discriminant analyses and machine learning algorithms was performed. Males had higher mean volumes of all paranasal sinuses than females (P < 0.05); however, there were no statistically significant differences between age groups or sides (P > 0.05). The paranasal sinus volumes of females were more dysmorphic during sex determination. The frontal sinus volume had the highest accuracy, whereas the sphenoid sinus volume was the least dysmorphic. In this study, although there was moderate sexual dimorphism in paranasal sinus volumes, the use of machine learning methods increased the accuracy of sex estimation. We believe that sex estimation rates will be significantly higher in future studies that combine linear measurements, volumetric measurements, and machine-learning algorithms.

PMID:37235867 | DOI:10.1097/PAF.0000000000000842

JCO Clin Cancer Inform. 2023 May;7:e2200196. doi: 10.1200/CCI.22.00196.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: There is an unmet need to empirically explore and understand drivers of cancer disparities, particularly social determinants of health. We explored natural language processing methods to automatically and empirically extract clinical documentation of social contexts and needs that may underlie disparities.

METHODS: This was a retrospective analysis of 230,325 clinical notes from 5,285 patients treated with radiotherapy from 2007 to 2019. We compared linguistic features among White versus non-White, low-income insurance versus other insurance, and male versus female patients’ notes. Log odds ratios with an informative Dirichlet prior were calculated to compare words over-represented in each group. A variational autoencoder topic model was applied, and topic probability was compared between groups. The presence of machine-learnable bias was explored by developing statistical and neural demographic group classifiers.

RESULTS: Terms associated with varied social contexts and needs were identified for all demographic group comparisons. For example, notes of non-White and low-income insurance patients were over-represented with terms associated with housing and transportation, whereas notes of White and other insurance patients were over-represented with terms related to physical activity. Topic models identified a social history topic, and topic probability varied significantly between the demographic group comparisons. Classification models performed poorly at classifying notes of non-White and low-income insurance patients (F1 of 0.30 and 0.23, respectively).

CONCLUSION: Exploration of linguistic differences in clinical notes between patients of different race/ethnicity, insurance status, and sex identified social contexts and needs in patients with cancer and revealed high-level differences in notes. Future work is needed to validate whether these findings may play a role in cancer disparities.

PMID:37235847 | DOI:10.1200/CCI.22.00196

Int J Prosthodont. 2023 May 26. doi: 10.11607/ijp.8063. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to compare soft tissue volumetric changes on buccal aspect and pink aesthetics score in immediate implant placement by socket shield and conventional technique.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: This parallel-arm, randomized controlled trial included 22 participants requiring replacement of single maxillary incisor by immediate implant placement. Immediate implants were placed with socket shield technique (SST) and conventional technique (CT) in respective two groups after randomization. All implants were immediately loaded by immediate loading protocol. Definitive crowns were placed 6 months after implant placement. Scans of casts were recorded by using a digital white light scanner before implant placement and at the end of 12 months. Volumetric soft tissue changes on the buccal aspect was assessed by the superimposition of scanned cast. Esthetic evaluation of soft tissue was done by using pink esthetic score (PES) before implant placement, 6 months, and 12 months after implant placement. Statistical analysis of the data was performed using statistical software (Stata 16.0; Stata Corp LLC).

RESULTS: The mean soft tissue volumetric change on the buccal aspect at the end of 12 months in the SST group was -0.1520 ±0.86 mm, and in the CT group was -0.643 ±0.35 mm and the difference was statistically significant (P=.001). Higher PES was observed in the SST group when compared to the CT group at all time intervals. The difference was statistically significant at 6 months (P=.001) and 12 months (P=.007).

CONCLUSIONS: The results of the study show less volumetric change on the buccal aspect and higher PES in SST when compared to CT. Int J Prosthodont 2023. doi: 10.11607/ijp.8063.

PMID:37235832 | DOI:10.11607/ijp.8063

Int J Prosthodont. 2023 May 26. doi: 10.11607/ijp.7936. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: The effect of single tooth replacement in brain activity is indistinct. Hence, to evaluate the changes in brain activity of individuals with a single missing mandibular molar replaced with removable, tooth-supported fixed, and implant prostheses in the static and post-masticatory phase.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: 24 patients with unilateral missing mandibular first molar were rehabilitated with a resin removable prosthesis (RPD) and then divided into two groups of 12 each; group A rehabilitated with implants and group B with 3-unit tooth-supported fixed partial dentures (FPD). EEG was taken during the three phases of assessment (i)before insertion of any prosthesis(N0), (ii)after insertion of an RPD(N1), and (iii)after cementation of an FPD or an implant crown(F2). The effect of the bite force with RPD(N1M) and FPD or implant prosthesis(F2M) on alpha waves was evaluated by recording EEG immediately after chewing gum for 30 seconds.

RESULTS: The improvement of the amplitude of alpha waves before and after insertion of the prosthesis between group A and B showed a significant difference (P<.05) with the highest mean value of 158.3 μV, 147.9 μV, 182.1 μV in pair F2-N0, F2-N1, F2M-N1M respectively for Group A. Similarly, for the power of alpha waves between group A and B, a significant statistical difference (P<.05) with the highest mean value of 30.3 dB, 28.9 dB, 36.9 dB, 11.2 dB in pair F2-N0, F2-N1, F2M-N1M, F2M-F2 respectively were observed for Group A. There was no statistically significant increase in pair N0-N1(P<.05).

CONCLUSIONS: Replacement of a single missing tooth enhanced brain activity and was highest with an implant-supported crown. Int J Prosthodont 2023. doi: 10.11607/ijp.7936.

PMID:37235830 | DOI:10.11607/ijp.7936

Int J Prosthodont. 2023 May 26. doi: 10.11607/ijp.8052. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: To investigate the association between the oro-facial implant position distance (ID) and facial bone crest thickness (FBCT) in single-tooth implant crowns (STIC) placed in the esthetic zone, and predict presence of facial bone above the implant shoulder and its impact on Pink and White Esthetic Score (PES and WES) and patient related outcome measurements (PROMS).

MATERIAL AND METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, all patients treated with STIC in esthetic zone between 2006 and 2013, with at least 12 months post-loading were invited to enroll. CBCTs were used to assess ID and FBCT. Esthetic outcomes included the PES and WES. PROMS measures included participants’ satisfaction questionnaire with 13 formulated questions for this study. Descriptive statistics and ROC analysis were used. The association between ID, FBCT, esthetic outcomes and PROMS were calculated.

RESULTS: Data was available for 60 implants. Mean ID was 2.02mm (SD=0.77). Mean FBCT at implant shoulder was 0.99mm (SD=0.98). FBCT was significantly associated with higher PES scores (P=0.040), but not with WES scores (P=0.149). FBCT was significantly associated with ID (P=0.009) and implants positioned ≥ 1.6mm palatal in relation to the adjacent teeth were likely to have higher FBCT.

CONCLUSIONS: FBCT influences PES and is more predictable if implants are positioned ≥ 1.6mm palatal in relation to the adjacent teeth. Int J Prosthodont 2023. Doi: 10.11607/ijp.8052.

PMID:37235828 | DOI:10.11607/ijp.8052

Int J Prosthodont. 2023 May 26. doi: 10.11607/ijp.8340. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: This study aims to investigate the effect of different bonding agents and the application of glaze on the shear bond strength (SBS) between monolithic zirconia (MZ) and indirect composite (IC).

MATERIALS AND METHODS: For this study, five different bonding agents (G-prime bond, GP; Tokuyama Universal bond, TU; Signum Zirconia bond, SZ; Clearfil Ceramic Primer, CCP; Zprime bond, ZP) were applied on 200 MZ disk-shaped specimens. For each group, the sample size was 10 (n = 10). The experimental setup was prepared as two pieces according to the ISO TR 11405 standards. The specimens embedded in the acrylic resin were placed into the experimental setup and a universal testing machine at a crosshead speed of 0.5 mm/min. Mann-Whitney U test and Kruskal-Wallis test were used for statistical analyses of the groups. Thereafter, Bonferroni correction was performed, and test results with P < 0.05 were accepted as statistically significant.

RESULTS: The application of glaze significantly enhanced SBS when ZP or CCP were used; however, it did not have any significant effect when GP, TU, or SZ were used. Thermocycling significantly decreased the SBS in all bonding-agent groups except GP specimens with glaze (P = 0.16). The highest SBS in all conditions was noted when GP and TU were used.

CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that the bonding agents GP and TU may be recommended for better bonding between MZ and IC. Int J Prosthodont 2023. doi: 10.11607/ijp.8340.

PMID:37235827 | DOI:10.11607/ijp.8340