Tag: nevin manimala

Am J Clin Nutr. 2023 May 6:S0002-9165(23)48908-3. doi: 10.1016/j.ajcnut.2023.05.015. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: Almonds are nutrient-rich, providing a healthier alternative to many snack foods. Studies report health benefits with regular almond consumption without adverse weight gain. However, most interventions have been relatively short or have included additional dietary advice. Taking a pragmatic approach, we compared consumption of almonds versus biscuits on body weight and other health outcomes in a population of regular snackers of discretionary foods, hypothesizing the almonds will displace some of the less healthful snacks in their current diets.

METHODS: We randomly assigned 136 non-obese habitual discretionary snack consumers to receive almonds or biscuits daily for one-year. These isocaloric snacks provided either 10% of participants’ total energy (TE) requirements or 1030 kJ (equivalent to 42.5 g almonds), whichever was greater. Anthropometry, blood biomarkers, diet, appetite, sleep, and, physical activity, were assessed at baseline, 3, 6, and 12 months, and body composition and resting metabolic rate at baseline and 12 months.

RESULTS: The difference in changes for body weight from baseline to 12 months was not statistically significant (geometric means 67.1 kg and 69.5 kg for almonds and 66.3 kg and 66.3 kg for biscuits, P = 0.275). There were no statistically significant differences in changes for body composition or other non-dietary outcomes (all P ≥ 0.112). Absolute intakes of protein; total, polyunsaturated, and monosaturated fat; fibre; vitamin E; calcium; copper; magnesium; phosphorous; and zinc, and % TE from total monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated fat statistically significantly increased from baseline (all P ≤ 0.033), while % TE from carbohydrate and sugar statistically significantly (both P ≤ 0.014) decreased from baseline, in the almond compared to the biscuit group.

CONCLUSIONS: Almonds can be incorporated into the diets of habitual snackers to improve diet quality, without evidence for changes in body weight, compared to a popular discretionary snack food.

TRIAL REGISTRATION: ACTRN12618001758291 https://www.anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?id=375610&isReview=true.

PMID:37156442 | DOI:10.1016/j.ajcnut.2023.05.015

Neuropsychologia. 2023 May 6:108581. doi: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2023.108581. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

A simple reaction time (SRT) difference between responses to visual stimuli presented ipsilaterally and contralaterally to the responding hand, known as the Poffenberger effect or the crossed-uncrossed difference (CUD), has been commonly interpreted as a measure of interhemispheric transfer time (IHTT). However, the validity of this interpretation, and the measure’s reliability have been debated. The present study aimed at obtaining reliable evidence of the influence of spatial attention on the CUD, which would provide an argument against the classical structural interpretation of CUD. To meet the high statistical power requirements, over 100 thousand SRTs in total were collected from 12 participants. The task had three stimulus presentation conditions differing in the degree of stimulus location uncertainty: blocked (no uncertainty), randomized (full uncertainty), and mixed (25% uncertainty). The results showed robust effects of location uncertainty, proving spatial attention’s contribution to the CUD. Further, we observed a strong visual-field asymmetry reflecting the right hemisphere specialization in target detection and spatial reorienting. Lastly, despite exceptional reliability of the component SRT measures, the CUD reliability was still too low to justify using this measure as an index of individual differences.

PMID:37156411 | DOI:10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2023.108581

J Immunol Methods. 2023 May 6:113486. doi: 10.1016/j.jim.2023.113486. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The 2019 coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic, required the development of different diagnostic tests. While reverse transcriptase real-time PCR (RT-PCR) remains the first-line test of choice in acute infection diagnosis, anti-N antibodies serological assays provide a valuable tool to differentiate natural SARS-CoV-2 immunological response from that induced by vaccination, thus the goal of our study was to evaluate three serological tests agreement for these antibodies detection.

METHODS: Three anti-N different tests were examined in 74 sera from patients referred or not COVID infection: immunochromatographic rapid test (Panbio™ COVID-19 IgG/IgM Rapid Test Device Abbott, Germany), ELISA kit (NovaLisa® SARS-CoV-2 IgG and IgM NovaTech Immunodiagnostic GmbH, Germany) and ECLIA immunoassay (Elecsys® Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Roche Diagnostics, Manheim, Germany).

RESULTS: Qualitative comparison of the three analytical methods revealed a moderate agreement between ECLIA immunoassay and immunochromatographic rapid test (Cohen kappa coefficient κ = 0.564). Correlation analysis indicated weak positive correlation between total Ig (IgT) detected by ECLIA immunoassay and IgG by ELISA test (p < 0.0001), the analysis of ECLIA IgT and IgM ELISA detected, showed no statistical correlation.

CONCLUSION: Comparison between of three analytical systems available for anti-N SARS-CoV-2 IgG and IgM antibodies showed a general agreement when compared to detect total and G class immunoglobulins, while doubtful or discordant results have been highlighted for IgT and IgM class. Anyway, all the tests examined provide reliable results to assess the serological status of SARS-CoV-2 infected patients.

PMID:37156408 | DOI:10.1016/j.jim.2023.113486

Am J Prev Med. 2023 May 6:S0749-3797(23)00206-4. doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2023.05.004. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Screen time is predominantly measured using questionnaires assessing a limited range of activities. This project aimed to develop a coding protocol that reliably identified screen time, including device type and specific screen behaviours, from video camera footage.

METHODS: Screen use was captured from wearable and stationary PatrolEyes video cameras in 43 participants (10-14 years) within the home environment (May-December 2021, coding 2022, statistical analysis 2023). Following extensive piloting, the inter-rater reliability of the final protocol was determined in four coders using 600 minutes of footage from 18 participants who spent unstructured time on digital devices. Coders independently annotated all footage to determine 8 device types (e.g. phone, TV) and 9 screen activities (e.g. social media, video gaming) using Observer XT (behavioural coding software). Reliability was calculated using weighted Cohen’s Kappa (κ) for duration/sequence (meets criteria for total time in each category) and frequency/sequence (meets criteria for total time in each category and order of use) for every coder pair on a per-participant and footage type basis.

RESULTS: Overall reliability of the full protocol was excellent (≥ 0.8) for both duration/sequence (κ = 0.89-0.93) and the more conservative frequency/sequence (κ = 0.83-0.86) analyses. This protocol reliably differentiates between different device types (κ = 0.92-0.94) and screen behaviours (κ = 0.81-0.87). Coder agreement ranged from 91.7 to 98.8% across 28.6 to 107.3 different instances of screen use.

CONCLUSIONS: This protocol reliably codes screen activities in adolescents, offering promise for improving understanding of the impact of different screen activities on health.

PMID:37156402 | DOI:10.1016/j.amepre.2023.05.004

Sci Total Environ. 2023 May 6:163930. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.163930. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

The comparison of oil patterns of a spill (Sp) and suspected spill source (SS) samples is based on ratios between correlated GC-MS signals of oil-discriminating compounds, i.e., diagnostic ratios (DR). The Student’s t statistics (S-t) and a maximum relative difference (SC), proposed in standard methods, have been used for DR comparison due to their simplicity. An alternative methodology based on Monte Carlo Method (MCM) simulations of correlated signals, capable of accurately defining DR comparison criteria, proved that S-t and SC assumptions regarding DR normality and precision are frequently not valid, affecting comparison reliability. The performance of the approaches was accurately compared from independent signals of the same oil sample from a perfect match between Sp and SS. The present study describes the comparison of the approaches in real oil spill scenarios reproduced in International Round Robin Tests. Since as the number of compared DR increases, also rises the probability of not all equivalent DR being actually considered equivalent, the decision of oil pattern equivalence was based on two comparisons of independent sets of Sp and SS signals. The risk of true oil standard equivalency claims is compared for the three oil spill scenarios studied, which are different considering oil types, DR sets and spill weathering. The ability of the approaches to distinguish the Sp sample from an oil sample known not to be the source of the spill was also assessed. The MCM based on two independent DR comparison trials was the only one consistently producing fingerprint comparison risks of correct equivalence claims larger than 98 %. MCM also performed better in distinguishing different oil patterns. It was concluded that comparing >22 DR does not change the risk of correct oil pattern equivalence assessment significantly. The complexity of the MCM approach is overcome by using user-friendly and validated software.

PMID:37156391 | DOI:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.163930

Sci Total Environ. 2023 May 6:163877. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.163877. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Fluoride (F^–) enrichment in groundwater of the lower Gangetic plain in West Bengal, India is a major concern. Fluoride contamination and its toxicity were reported earlier in this region; however, limited evidence was available on the precise site of contamination, hydro-geochemical attributions of F^– mobilization and probabilistic health risk caused by fluoridated groundwater. The present study addresses the research gap by exploring the spatial distribution and physico-chemical parameters of fluoridated groundwater along with the depth-wise sedimental distribution of F^–. Approximately, 10 % of the groundwater samples (n = 824) exhibited high F^– ≥ 1.5 mg/l from 5, out of 19 gram-panchayats and Baruipur municipality area and the maximum F^– was observed in Dhapdhapi-II gram-panchayat with 43.7 % of samples showed ≥1.5 mg/l (n = 167). The distribution patterns of cations and anions in fluoridated groundwater were Na⁺ > Ca²⁺ > Mg²⁺ > Fe > K⁺ and Cl^– > HCO₃^– > SO₄^2– > CO₃^2– > NO₃^– > F^–. Different statistical models like Piper and Gibbs diagram, Chloro Alkaline plot, Saturation index were applied to better understand the hydro-geochemical characteristics for F^– leaching in groundwater. Fluoridated groundwater is of Na-Cl type which implies strong saline character. The intermediate zone between evaporation and rock dominance area controls F^– mobilization along with ion-exchange process occurring between groundwater and host silicate mineral. Furthermore, saturation index proves geogenic activities related to groundwater F^– mobilization. All cations present in sediment samples are closely interlinked with F^– in the depth range of 0-18.3 m. Mineralogical analyses revealed that muscovite is the most responsible mineral for F^– mobilization. The probabilistic health risk assessment disclosed severe health hazard in the order of infants > adults > children > teenagers through F^– tainted groundwater. At P95 percentile dose, all the studied age groups showed THQ >1 from Dhapdhapi-II gram-panchayat. Supply of F^– safe drinking water is required through reliable water supply strategies in the studied area.

PMID:37156382 | DOI:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.163877

J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2023 Apr 17:S0022-5223(23)00320-3. doi: 10.1016/j.jtcvs.2023.03.027. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To investigate if gender influences letters of recommendation for cardiothoracic surgery fellowship.

METHODS: From applications to an Accreditation Council Graduate Medical Education cardiothoracic surgery fellowship program between 2016 and 2021, applicant and author characteristics were examined with descriptive statistics, analysis of variance, and Pearson-Chi square tests. Linguistic software was used to assess communication differences in letters of recommendation, stratified by author and applicant gender. An additional higher-level analysis was then performed using a Generalized Estimating Equations model to examine linguistic differences among author-applicant gender pairs.

RESULTS: 739 recommendation letters extracted from 196 individual applications were analyzed; 90% (n=665) of authors were men and 55.8% (n=412) of authors were cardiothoracic surgeons. Compared to women authors, authors who are men wrote more authentic (p=0.01) and informal (p=0.03) recommendation letters. When writing for women applicants, authors who are men were more likely to display their own leadership and status (p=0.03) and discuss women applicants’ social affiliations (p=0.01), like occupation of applicant’s father or husband. Women authors wrote longer letters (p=0.03) and discussed applicants’ work (p=0.01) more often than authors who are men. They also mentioned leisure activities (p=0.03) more often when writing for women applicants.

CONCLUSIONS: Our work identifies gender-specific differences in letters of recommendation. Women applicants may be disadvantaged because their recommendation letters are significantly more likely to focus on their social ties, leisure activities, and the status of the letter writer. Author and reviewer awareness of gender-biased use of language will aid in improvements to the candidate selection process.

PMID:37156362 | DOI:10.1016/j.jtcvs.2023.03.027

J Diabetes Complications. 2023 May 4;37(7):108495. doi: 10.1016/j.jdiacomp.2023.108495. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

AIMS: Diabetes-related distress can negatively affect disease management leading to worse complications, especially among marginalized populations. Prior studies mostly focus on distress’ impact on diabetes outcomes, with few examining distress predictors. The current study examined the impact of social needs on distress on its own and after controlling for other socio-demographic, psychosocial, and health factors.

METHODS: Adult Medicaid beneficiaries with type 2 diabetes and a recent HbA1c test documented in claims data (<120 days) were recruited for a 12-month social needs intervention trial. Baseline survey data assessed diabetes distress, social needs, psychosocial factors and health factors. Descriptive statistics were obtained, and bivariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to identify predictors of moderate to severe distress.

RESULTS: Bivariate analyses revealed social needs, stress, depression, comorbidity and comorbidity burden, poor self-rated health, insulin use, a self-reported HbA1c ≥ 9.0, and difficulty remembering to take diabetes medications were all positively associated with greater odds of diabetes distress; greater social support, diabetes self-efficacy, and age were negatively associated. Four variables remained significant in the multivariate model: depression, diabetes self-efficacy, self-reported HbA1c ≥ 9.0, and younger age.

CONCLUSIONS: Targeted distress screening efforts might prioritize people with HbA1c values >9.0, greater depression, and worse diabetes self-efficacy.

PMID:37156052 | DOI:10.1016/j.jdiacomp.2023.108495

Mult Scler Relat Disord. 2023 Apr 24;75:104730. doi: 10.1016/j.msard.2023.104730. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD) most commonly cause severe disability which is related to disease attacks. However, some patients retain good neurological function for a long time after disease onset.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the frequency, demographic and the clinical features of good outcome NMOSD, and analyze their predictive factors.

METHODS: We selected patients who met the 2015 International Panel for NMOSD diagnostic criteria from seven MS Centers. Assessed data included age at disease onset, sex, race, number of attacks within the first and three years from onset, annualized relapsing rate (ARR), total number of attacks, aquaporin-IgG serum status, presence of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)-specific oligoclonal bands (OCB) and the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) score at the last follow-up visit. NMOSD was classified as non-benign if patients developed sustained EDSS score >3.0 during the disease course, or benign if patients had EDSS score ≤3.0 after ≥15 years from disease onset. Patients with EDSS <3.0 and disease duration shorter than 15 years were not qualified for classification. We compared the demographic and clinical characteristics of benign and non-benign NMOSD. Logistic regression analysis identified predictive factors of outcome.

RESULTS: There were 16 patients with benign NMOSD (3% of the entire cohort; 4.2% of those qualified for classification; and 4.1% of those who tested positive for aquaporin 4-IgG), and 362 (67.7%) with non-benign NMOSD, whereas 157 (29.3%) did not qualify for classification. All patients with benign NMOSD were female, 75% were Caucasian, 75% tested positive for AQP4-IgG, and 28.6% had CSF-specific OCB. Regression analysis showed that female sex, pediatric onset, and optic neuritis, area postrema syndrome, and brainstem symptoms at disease onset, as well as fewer relapses in the first year and three years from onset, and CSF-specific OCB were more commonly found in benign NMOSD, but the difference did not reach statistical significance. Conversely, non-Caucasian race (OR: 0.29, 95% CI: 0.07-0.99; p = 0.038), myelitis at disease presentation (OR: 0.07, 95% CI: 0.01-0.52; p <0.001), and high ARR (OR: 0.07, 95% CI: 0.01-0.67; p = 0.011) were negative risk factors for benign NMOSD.

CONCLUSION: Benign NMOSD is very rare and occurs more frequently in Caucasians, patients with low ARR, and those who do not have myelitis at disease onset.

PMID:37156036 | DOI:10.1016/j.msard.2023.104730

Mult Scler Relat Disord. 2023 May 1;75:104742. doi: 10.1016/j.msard.2023.104742. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Although cannabis has become an increasingly common method for pain management among people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS), there is a dearth of knowledge regarding the types of cannabis products used as well as the characteristics of cannabis users. The current study aimed to (1) describe the prevalence of cannabis use and the routes of administration of cannabis products in adults with an existing chronic pain condition and MS, (2) to examine differences in demographic and disease-related variables between cannabis users and non-users, and (3) to examine differences between cannabis users and non-users in pain-related variables, including pain intensity, pain interference, neuropathic pain, pain medication use, and pain-related coping.

METHODS: Secondary analysis of baseline data from participants with multiple sclerosis (MS) and chronic pain (N = 242) enrolled in an RCT comparing mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT), cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), and usual care for chronic pain. Statistical methods included t-tests, Mann-Whitney tests, chi-square tests, and Fisher’s exact tests to assess for differences in demographic, disease-related, and pain-related variables between cannabis users and non-users.

RESULTS: Of the 242 participants included in the sample, 65 (27%) reported the use of cannabis for pain management. The most common route of administration was oil/tincture (reported by 42% of cannabis users), followed by vaped (22%) and edible (17%) products. Cannabis users were slightly younger than non-users (Med_age 51.0 vs 55.0, p = .019) and reported higher median pain intensity scores (6.0 vs 5.0, p = .022), higher median pain interference scores (5.9 vs 5.4, p = .027), and higher median levels of neuropathic pain (20.0 vs 16.0, p = .001).

CONCLUSIONS: The current study identified factors that may intersect with cannabis use for pain management and adds to our current knowledge of the types of cannabis products used by PwMS. Future research should continue to investigate trends in cannabis use for pain management, especially as the legality and availability of products continue to shift. Additionally, longitudinal studies are needed to examine the effects of cannabis use on pain-related outcomes over time.

PMID:37156034 | DOI:10.1016/j.msard.2023.104742