Tag: nevin manimala

Microrna. 2022 Oct 5. doi: 10.2174/2211536611666221005091351. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Diabetic complications have been studied extensively in recent years. There are very few biomarkers in body fluids that can pinpoint a distinct diabetic complication due to insufficient known specific biomarkers for ischemia.

OBJECTIVE: Identifying Micro RNA in animal models for each complication could enable early diagnosis of a given complication if verified in humans. Micro RNA (miRNA) profiling has been done in rodent models for number of diabetic complications like diabetic glomerular injury, atherosclerosis, cognitive impairment, diabetic wound healing, angiopathy and other complications. Due to multiple differences between rodents and humans, the changes in rabbit skin considered closer to humans than even pigs, may better simulate human diabetic complication of ischemia.

METHODS: To study the miRNA profile of rabbits in which diabetes was induced or ischemia was surgically generated, we studied whether diabetes or ischemia induced specific miRNA could be detected. Micro RNA from blood of diabetic rabbits and rabbits with local ischemia was collected in PAXgene Blood RNA tubes specifically designed for miRNA isolation and extracted using the PAX gene miRNA extraction Kit. The isolated RNA was quality controlled using RNA analyzer and further using RNA seq technology was analyzed for distinct miRNAs that were detected in diabetic and non-diabetic rabbits induced with ischemia.

RESULTS: A miRNA found to be expressed in diabetic rabbits and ischemic rabbits but not expressed in untreated rabbits is miRNA-183. Several miRNAs were differentially expressed across comparison groups, and several upregulated miRNAs were identified that are unique to each comparison. In rabbits with a potential diabetic complication of a long-term ischemic model there was one distinct microRNA which was highly significantly upregulated in ischemia rabbit (miRNA-133-3p). One miRNA that was highly significantly upregulated in diabetic rabbit but not in ischemic rabbits was miRNA-3074-5p. Only statistically significant results are considered and analyzed.

CONCLUSION: These findings could lead to a precise and timely diagnosis of a potential single diabetic complication without invasive tissue biopsies and could be a novel tool in the management of diabetic patients developing complications due to progression of diabetes.

PMID:36200149 | DOI:10.2174/2211536611666221005091351

Res Synth Methods. 2022 Oct 5. doi: 10.1002/jrsm.1606. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

A common problem in the analysis of multiple data sources, including individual participant data meta-analysis (IPD-MA), is the misclassification of binary variables. Misclassification may lead to biased estimators of model parameters, even when the misclassification is entirely random. We aimed to develop statistical methods that facilitate unbiased estimation of adjusted and unadjusted exposure-outcome associations and between-study heterogeneity in IPD-MA, where the extent and nature of exposure misclassification may vary across studies. We present Bayesian methods that allow misclassification of binary exposure variables to depend on study- and participant-level characteristics. In an example of the differential diagnosis of dengue using two variables, where the gold standard measurement for the exposure variable was unavailable for some studies which only measured a surrogate prone to misclassification, our methods yielded more accurate estimates than analyses naive with regard to misclassification or based on gold standard measurements alone. In a simulation study, the evaluated misclassification model yielded valid estimates of the exposure-outcome association, and was more accurate than analyses restricted to gold standard measurements. Our proposed framework can appropriately account for the presence of binary exposure misclassification in IPD-MA. It requires that some studies supply IPD for the surrogate and gold standard exposure, and allows misclassification to follow a random effects distribution across studies conditional on observed covariates (and outcome). The proposed methods are most beneficial when few large studies that measured the gold standard are available, and when misclassification is frequent. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

PMID:36200133 | DOI:10.1002/jrsm.1606

Physiol Rep. 2022 Oct;10(19):e15412. doi: 10.14814/phy2.15412.

ABSTRACT

Amygdala activity in context of the splenocardiac model has not been investigated in healthy, young adults and has not been compared between nonsmokers, electronic cigarette users, and smokers. The purpose of the current study was to determine whether fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computer tomography (FDG PET/CT) scans would demonstrate positively correlated metabolic activity in the amygdala, bone marrow, spleen, and aorta, elucidating activation of the splenocardiac axis in otherwise healthy young people who use tobacco products compared to nonusers. Moreover, the study was conducted to evaluate whether electronic cigarette users and tobacco smokers have similar levels of inflammation compared to nonusers. In 45 healthy adults (mean age = 25 years), including nonsmoker (n = 15), electronic cigarette user (n = 16), and smoker (n = 14) groups, metabolic activity in the amygdala, spleen, aorta, bone marrow of thoracic vertebrae, and adjacent erector spinae skeletal muscle was quantified through visualization of radioactive glucose (¹⁸ FDG) uptake by FDG-PET/CT. The maximum standardized uptake value for each region was calculated for correlation analyses and comparisons between groups. In correlation analyses, metabolic activity of the amygdala correlated with metabolic activity in the aorta (r = 0.757), bone marrow (r = 0.750), and spleen (r = 0.665), respectively. Metabolic activity in the aorta correlated with ¹⁸ FDG uptake in the thoracic vertebrae (r = 0.703) and spleen (r = 0.594), respectively. Metabolic activity in the spleen also correlated with ¹⁸ FDG uptake in the bone marrow (r = 0.620). Metabolic activity in the adjacent erector spinae skeletal muscle (our control tissue) was not positively correlated with any other region of interest. Finally, there were no statistically significant mean differences in metabolic activity between the three groups: nonsmokers, electronic cigarette users, and smokers in any target tissue. Amygdala metabolic activity, as measured by ¹⁸ FDG uptake in FDG-PET/CT scans, positively correlated with inflammation in the splenocardiac tissues, including: the aorta, bone marrow, and spleen, underscoring the existence of a neural-hematopoietic-inflammatory axis in healthy, young adults.

PMID:36200129 | DOI:10.14814/phy2.15412

Med Arch. 2022 Jun;76(3):190-197. doi: 10.5455/medarh.2022.76.190-197.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Diabetic foot is the leading cause of hospitalization among patients with diabetes mellitus (DM). Nurses have a significant role in helping diabetic foot patients by educating them about their condition. Therefore, assessing the knowledge of diabetic foot among nurses will help provide better healthcare services to these patients.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess the knowledge of diabetic foot care among the nursing staff at King Abdulaziz University Hospital (KAUH), Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted at King Abdulaziz University Hospital (KAUH) in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, from March to May 2020. A total of 172 nurses from different departments of the hospital were randomly selected. A validated questionnaire including 68 yes-or-no questions about diabetic foot management was used for the assessment.

RESULTS: The average total score of the entire questionnaire was 59 (standard deviation, ±7). During our study, the nursing school curriculum was found to be the major source of knowledge for nurses. Statistical significance (p=0.031) was found for the association between educational background and answers to the risk factor questions. According to our results, most nurses indicated that they believed that reporting any changes to the feet and toes and signs of infection to the physician was the best way to prevent the development of DM foot.

CONCLUSION: Specialized training programs beyond basic nursing education will reinforce knowledge and skills, resulting in an expected lower risk of amputation for DM patients.

PMID:36200121 | PMC:PMC9478813 | DOI:10.5455/medarh.2022.76.190-197

Med Arch. 2022 Jun;76(3):183-189. doi: 10.5455/medarh.2022.76.183-189.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: As the incidence of intracranial infections increase due to diagnostic procedures improvement, more real-life data is needed to reach a more solid informed management approach.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to describe and analyse clinical features of intracranial abscesses patients treated at a tertiary hospital in North Jordan during a 10-year period.

METHODS: We retrospectively identified 37 patients treated at King Abdullah University Hospital (KAUH) from 2011 to 2020 in Irbid, North Jordan. Treatment consisted of either aspiration, open craniotomy excision (OCE) or conservative therapy. Extracted variables included demographic data such (age, gender), clinical presentation, lab findings, radiological findings as well as management plan. Retrieved data was compared between the patients who underwent a single operation and those who underwent reoperation after the initial procedure.

RESULTS: Thirty-seven patients with 55 intracerebral abscesses were identified, 29 of whom had intraparenchymal brain abscesses, 4 patients had epidural empyema, and 4 had subdural empyema. The mean age was 28.8 (± 20.7) years, with a male predominance (78.4%). Sixteen patients underwent open craniotomy excision (OCE), 14 patients were treated by aspiration and 7 patients were treated conservatively. When comparing the single operation and the reoperation groups, there was no statistically significant difference across variables.

CONCLUSION: Our study presents valuable insight from a tertiary hospital in north Jordan on intracranial abscesses and empyemas. Our findings confirm that good recovery can be established after aspiration or OCE in the majority of patients. Similar results were obtained when comparing the SOP and the ROP groups.

PMID:36200111 | PMC:PMC9478810 | DOI:10.5455/medarh.2022.76.183-189

Infect Dis (Lond). 2022 Oct 5:1-17. doi: 10.1080/23744235.2022.2129778. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Mapping of infectious diseases like COVID-19 is the foremost importance for diseases control and prevention. This study attempts to identify the spatio-temporal pattern and evolution trend of COVID-19 at the district level in India using spatial statistical models.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Active cases of eleven time-stamps (30 March-2 December, 2020) with an approximately 20-day interval are considered. The study reveals applications of spatial statistical tools, i.e. optimised hotspot and outlier analysis (which follow Gi* and Moran I statistics) and emerging hotspot with the base of space time cube, are effective for the spatio-temporal evolution of disease clusters.

RESULTS: The result shows the overall increasing trend of COVID-19 infection with a Mann-Kendall trend score of 2.95 (p = 0.0031). The spatial clusters of high infection (hotspots) and low infection (coldspots) change their location over time but are limited to the districts of the south-western states (Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat) and the north-eastern states (West Bengal, Jharkhand, Assam, Tripura, Manipur, etc.) respectively.

CONCLUSIONS: A total of eight types of patterns are identified, but the most concerning types are consecutive (7.24% of districts), intensifying (15.13% districts) and persistent (24.34% of districts) which will help health policy makers and the government to prioritize-based resource allocation and control measures.

PMID:36199164 | DOI:10.1080/23744235.2022.2129778

Equine Vet J. 2022 Oct 5. doi: 10.1111/evj.13878. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Judicious antimicrobial use (AMU) is important for preserving therapeutic effectiveness. Large-scale studies of antimicrobial prescribing can provide clinical benchmarks and help identify opportunities for improved stewardship.

OBJECTIVES: To describe systemic AMU in UK equine practice and identify factors associated with systemic and Category B (third and fourth generation cephalosporins, quinolones and polymixins) AMU.

STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective cohort.

METHODS: Anonymised electronic patient records (EPRs) for all equids attended by 39 UK veterinary practices between 1 January and 31 December 2018 were collected via the VetCompass™ programme. Systemic antimicrobial prescriptions were identified using electronic keyword searches. Indications for AMU were determined through manual review of a randomly selected subset of EPRs. The types and frequency of systemic antimicrobials prescribed and indications were summarised using descriptive statistics. Mixed-effects logistic regression was used to evaluate practice- and horse-related risk factors.

RESULTS: Systemic antimicrobials were prescribed to 12,538 (19.5%, 95% CI 19.2-19.8%) of 64,322 equids attended in 2018. Category B antimicrobials were prescribed to 1.9% (95% CI 1.8-2.0%) of attended equids and in 8.9% (95% CI 8.5-9.4%) of antimicrobial courses. Bacteriological culture was performed in 19.1% (95% CI 17.1-21.3%) of Category B antimicrobial courses. The most commonly prescribed antimicrobial classes were potentiated sulphonamides (50.2% of equids receiving antimicrobials) and tetracyclines (33.5% of equids receiving antimicrobials). Integumentary disorders were the most common reason for systemic AMU (40.5% of courses). Urogenital disorders were the most common reason for Category B AMU (31.1% of courses). Increased odds of systemic and Category B AMU were observed in equids <1 year compared to those aged 5-14 years. Breed was associated with AMU, with odds of systemic and Category B AMU highest in Thoroughbreds and Thoroughbred crosses.

MAIN LIMITATIONS: Convenience sample of practices may limit generalisability.

CONCLUSIONS: Empirical use of Category B antimicrobials remains commonplace.

PMID:36199158 | DOI:10.1111/evj.13878

Eye Vis (Lond). 2022 Oct 6;9(1):37. doi: 10.1186/s40662-022-00309-y.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: To determine the association of the ANGPT2 gene with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) in Chinese.

METHODS: Six single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in ANGPT2 (rs2515487, rs2922869, rs13255574, rs4455855, rs13269021, and rs11775442) were genotyped in a total of 2601 study subjects from two cohorts. One is a Hong Kong Chinese cohort of 484 high tension glaucoma (HTG) and 537 normal tension glaucoma (NTG) patients, and 496 non-glaucoma control subjects. Another cohort is a Shantou Chinese cohort of 403 HTG and 135 NTG patients, and 543 non-glaucoma control subjects. Subgroup analysis by sex was conducted. Outcomes from different cohorts were combined for meta-analysis.

RESULTS: The association of SNP rs11775442 with NTG in the Hong Kong cohort [P = 0.0498, OR = 1.24, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.00-1.55] after adjusting for age and sex did not reach statistical significance after Bonferroni correction. Other SNPs were not significantly associated with NTG, HTG and POAG in individual cohort or in the combined analyses (P > 0.05). In the subgroup analysis by sex, SNP rs13269021 in the Shantou cohort, but not in the Hong Kong cohort, was significantly associated with NTG in males (P = 0.0081, OR = 1.67, 95% CI: 1.14-2.43) but not in females (P = 0.874). In the combined analyses by sex, no SNPs were significantly associated with NTG, HTG and POAG.

CONCLUSIONS: In the subgroup analysis by sex, a significant association was shown in SNP rs13269021 with NTG in Shantou males, but not in Hong Kong males. Further studies are needed to verify the association between ANGPT2 locus (rs13269021) and NTG in Chinese males.

PMID:36199153 | DOI:10.1186/s40662-022-00309-y

Porcine Health Manag. 2022 Oct 5;8(1):42. doi: 10.1186/s40813-022-00287-6.

ABSTRACT

Biosecurity protocols (BP) and good management practices are key to reduce the risk of introduction and transmission of infectious diseases into the pig farms. In this observational cross-sectional study, survey data were collected from 176 pig farms with inventories over 100 sows in Colombia. We analyzed a complex survey dataset to explore the structure and identify clustering patterns using Multiple Correspondence Analysis (MCA) of swine farms in Colombia, and estimated its association with Influenza A virus detection. Two principal dimensions contributed to 27.6% of the dataset variation. Farms with highest contribution to dimension 1 were larger farrow-to-finish farms, using self-replacement of gilts and implementing most of the measures evaluated. In contrast, farms with highest contribution to dimension 2 were medium to large farrow-to-finish farms, but implemented biosecurity in a lower degree. Additionally, two farm clusters were identified by Hierarchical Cluster Analysis (HCA), and the odds of influenza A virus detection was statistically different between clusters (OR 7.29, CI: 1.7,66, p = < 0.01). Moreover, after logistic regression analysis, three important variables were associated with higher odds of influenza detection: (1) “location in an area with a high density of pigs”, (2) “farm size”, and (3) “after cleaning and disinfecting, the facilities are allowed to dry before use”. Our results revealed two clustering patterns of swine farms. This systematic analysis of complex survey data identified relationships between biosecurity, husbandry practices and influenza status. This approach helped to identify gaps on biosecurity and key elements for designing successful strategies to prevent and control swine respiratory diseases in the swine industry.

PMID:36199147 | DOI:10.1186/s40813-022-00287-6

BMC Womens Health. 2022 Oct 5;22(1):406. doi: 10.1186/s12905-022-01954-0.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: During epidemics, supports are limited and individual and collective vulnerabilities as well as domestic violence are increased. Therefore, various groups in society, especially children and their mothers, are extremely vulnerable. This study aimed to assess the relationship between aggressive behaviors of preschool children and the violence against Iranian women during the COVID-19 pandemic.

METHODS: This descriptive-correlational study was conducted in October-November 2020. Stratified random sampling was performed among preschool children in Kerman. Data were collected using the Violence toward Women Inventory and the Aggression scale for preschoolers Scale. Data were analyzed using SPSS25, ANOVA, independent t-test, and Pearson correlation test.

RESULTS: The results showed that the total mean scores of violence against women and preschoolers’ aggression were 54.43 ± 10.6 and 88.44 ± 6.5, respectively. The results showed a statistically significant difference in aggressive behaviors of preschool children, mother’s job, number of children, mother’s education, income, and age. A positive and significant relationship was also found between the subscales of violence against women and aggression in preschool children.

CONCLUSIONS: The results showed a positive and significant relationship between violence against women and aggression of preschool children. Therefore, it is recommended that parents identify and eliminate the risk factors for domestic violence during the COVID-19 in order to protect their children. Parents also must learn coping strategies for stress and resilience in the epidemic crises.

PMID:36199132 | DOI:10.1186/s12905-022-01954-0