Tag: nevin manimala

J Oral Implantol. 2022 Apr 21. doi: 10.1563/aaid-joi-D-21-00135. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

A novel implant system resembling the shape of a wedge and employing piezosurgery for implant bed preparation has been introduced with the aim of solving the problem of horizontal bone deficiency. This in vitro study compared emerging bone strain during insertion of a conventionally round implant vs. the wedge implant . Adhering to the manufacturers’ protocols, implant surgery was performed in polyurethane foam blocks equipped with strain gauges attached to the buccal and occlusal surfaces. Five implants per group were placed while strain development during insertion was recorded. Primary implant stability was determined using resonance frequency analysis (RFA). Statistical analysis was based on Welch two sample tests (α=0.05). In general, greater strain development was found on the buccal aspect of bone as compared to the occlusal aspect with an overall range between -724µm/m and 9,132µm/m. A stepwise increase in strain development was seen in the wedge implants while in the round implants a continuous increase in strain development was recorded. Absolute strain development on the buccal aspect of bone was significantly greater in wedge implants (p=0.0137) while on the occlusal aspect significantly lower strain development was seen for wedge implants (p=0.0012). Primary stability of wedge implants was significantly lower as compared to round implants (p=0.0005). Wedge implants differ from round implants with respect to the insertion process characterized by a stepwise increase in bone deformation. High strain development in buccal bone may constitute a risk factor for bone resorption and should be avoided by reducing the degree of underpreparation of the implant site.

PMID:35446948 | DOI:10.1563/aaid-joi-D-21-00135

PLoS One. 2022 Apr 21;17(4):e0267467. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0267467. eCollection 2022.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: We aimed to investigate the performance of clinician prediction of survival (CPS) and the association between CPS and the prognostic confidence of clinicians in ambulatory medical oncology outpatients.

METHODS: Eight medical oncologists estimated the expected survival of their patients in a prospective cohort study. They were asked to provide a temporal type of CPS in weeks, together with their level of confidence for each prediction (0-100%). We analyzed the accuracy of CPS, the association between CPS and the prognostic confidence, and the characteristics of patients showing inaccurate CPS.

RESULTS: A total of 200 advanced cancer patients were enrolled and the median overall survival was 7.6 months. CPS was accurate in 67 (33.5%) patients, underestimated in 87 (43.5%), and overestimated in 46 (23.0%). The overall accuracy of CPS for 12-week, 24-week, 36-week, and 48-week survival was 83.0%, 72.0%, 75.5%, and 74.0%, respectively. The specificity was highest for 12-week survival (90.2%) and the sensitivity was highest for 48-week survival (96.1%). The sensitivity of 12-week CPS was 51.4% and the area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) curve was 0.79 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.71-0.87). The prognostic confidence of clinicians was not significantly associated with the accuracy of prediction (P = 0.359). Patients with overestimated survival had significantly poorer global health status and physical/role/emotional functioning in the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire Core 30 (EORTC QLQ-C30). Additionally, they showed significantly higher levels of fatigue, nausea/vomiting, pain, dyspnea, and loss of appetite.

CONCLUSION: The overall accuracy of CPS in predicting 12-week to 48-week survival was high in medical oncology outpatients. However the sensitivity of 12-week CPS was low and prognostic confidence was not associated with the accuracy of CPS. Patients with overestimated CPS showed poorer quality of life and higher symptom burden.

PMID:35446910 | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0267467

PLoS One. 2022 Apr 21;17(4):e0267425. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0267425. eCollection 2022.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: Vitreoretinal diseases are common causes of ocular morbidities and blindness. Data on the spectrum of vitreoretinal diseases needs to be studied and known in order to establish appropriate vitreoretinal care setups. The aim of this study was to determine the patterns of vitreoretinal diseases among patients who visited the vitreoretina clinic of University of Gondar Tertiary Eye Care and Training Center, NW Ethiopia (UoG-TECTC).

METHODOLOGY: A hospital based cross sectional study was conducted from October/2017-September/2018. All patients who visited the vitreoretinal clinic for the first time during the study period were studied. Data were collected with standardized data extraction format entered into SPSS statistical package Version 20 and analyzed.

RESULT: A total of 739 new patients who visited the vitreoretinal clinic were included in the study. The mean age was 50.26 +/- 19 years. The age group between 21-60 years accounted for 59.7% of study patients. Male’s accounted for 63.1% and 58.7% of the participants were from urban areas. Bilateral disease was diagnosed in 504 (68.2%) of patients and 220 (29.7%) were bilaterally blind at presentation. Three hundred eighty nine (52.6%) of them had duration of illness six months and above. Diabetic Retinopathy (DR), Age Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) and Rhegmatoginous Retinal Detachment (RRD) were the top three retinal diseases accounting for 21.3%(196), 17.3% (128) and 12.4% (92) of diagnoses respectively. Systemic comorbidities were found in 44% (325) of the patients with diabetes mellitus, hypertension and hyperlipidemia being the commonest, occurring in 27.8%, 6.3% and 2.8% of study patients respectively. Cataract was the commonest ocular comorbidity seen in 33.5% of study participants.

CONCLUSION: Vitreoretinal diseases affected a significant number of patients presented to our center and most of the study patients presented late with significant vision loss and blindness. Males were affected more than females and the age group between 21-60 years accounted nearly two-third of study patients. This is the working age group suffering from vision loss from vitreoretinal diseases. DR, AMD and RRD were the commonest retinal pathologies accounting for nearly half of the vitreoretinal diseases and these conditions are treatable either surgically or medically. However, available facilities for the management of these diseases are not adequate at the center. Strengthening the vitreoretinal services of UoG-TECTC with relevant equipment is recommended.

PMID:35446916 | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0267425

PLoS One. 2022 Apr 21;17(4):e0267451. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0267451. eCollection 2022.

ABSTRACT

Around the world, an increasing number of people, predominantly women, are choosing to undergo cosmetic surgery-despite the associated health risks. This study aimed to promote a better cross-cultural understanding of the correlates and predictors of favorable attitudes toward cosmetic surgery among women in China (an Eastern country where cosmetic surgery is increasing most rapidly) and the Netherlands (a Western country). Questionnaire data were obtained from 763 adult women; 245 were Chinese women in China (Mage = 29.71), 265 were Chinese women in the Netherlands (Mage = 25.81), and 253 were Dutch women (Mage = 29.22). Facial appearance concerns and materialistic belief were significant predictors of favorable attitudes towards cosmetic surgery for all three cultural groups. Body appreciation was a significant positive predictor among Chinese women in both China and the Netherlands, whereas age and beauty-ideal internalization were significant positive predictors only among Chinese women in China. The findings and their implications are discussed with respect to the characteristics of Chinese culture that could explain the identified differences between Chinese and Dutch women.

PMID:35446909 | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0267451

PLoS One. 2022 Apr 21;17(4):e0267397. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0267397. eCollection 2022.

ABSTRACT

At the time of the COVID-19 pandemic, providing access to data (properly optimised regarding personal data protection) plays a crucial role in providing the general public and media with up-to-date information. Open datasets also represent one of the means for evaluation of the pandemic on a global level. The primary aim of this paper is to describe the methodological and technical framework for publishing datasets describing characteristics related to the COVID-19 epidemic in the Czech Republic (epidemiology, hospital-based care, vaccination), including the use of these datasets in practice. Practical aspects and experience with data sharing are discussed. As a reaction to the epidemic situation, a new portal COVID-19: Current Situation in the Czech Republic (https://onemocneni-aktualne.mzcr.cz/covid-19) was developed and launched in March 2020 to provide a fully-fledged and trustworthy source of information for the public and media. The portal also contains a section for the publication of (i) public open datasets available for download in CSV and JSON formats and (ii) authorised-access-only section where the authorised persons can (through an online generated token) safely visualise or download regional datasets with aggregated data at the level of the individual municipalities and regions. The data are also provided to the local open data catalogue (covering only open data on healthcare, provided by the Ministry of Health) and to the National Catalogue of Open Data (covering all open data sets, provided by various authorities/publishers, and harversting all data from local catalogues). The datasets have been published in various authentication regimes and widely used by general public, scientists, public authorities and decision-makers. The total number of API calls since its launch in March 2020 to 15 December 2020 exceeded 13 million. The datasets have been adopted as an official and guaranteed source for outputs of third parties, including public authorities, non-governmental organisations, scientists and online news portals. Datasets currently published as open data meet the 3-star open data requirements, which makes them machine-readable and facilitates their further usage without restrictions. This is essential for making the data more easily understandable and usable for data consumers. In conjunction with the strategy of the MH in the field of data opening, additional datasets meeting the already implemented standards will be also released, both on COVID-19 related and unrelated topics.

PMID:35446896 | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0267397

PLoS One. 2022 Apr 21;17(4):e0266330. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0266330. eCollection 2022.

ABSTRACT

More than a year since the appearance of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), many questions about the disease COVID-19 have been answered; however, many more remain poorly understood. Although the situation continues to evolve, it is crucial to understand what factors may be driving transmission through different populations, both for potential future waves, as well as the implications for future pandemics. In this report, we compiled a database of more than 28 potentially explanatory variables for each of the 50 U.S. states through early May 2020. Using a combination of traditional statistical and modern machine learning approaches, we identified those variables that were the most statistically significant, and, those that were the most important. These variables were chosen to be fiduciaries of a range of possible drivers for COVID-19 deaths in the USA. We found that population-weighted population density (PWPD), some “stay at home” metrics, monthly temperature and precipitation, race/ethnicity, and chronic low-respiratory death rate, were all statistically significant. Of these, PWPD and mobility metrics dominated. This suggests that the biggest impact on COVID-19 deaths was, at least initially, a function of where you lived, and not what you did. However, clearly, increasing social distancing has the net effect of (at least temporarily) reducing the effective PWPD. Our results strongly support the idea that the loosening of “lock-down” orders should be tailored to the local PWPD. In contrast to these variables, while still statistically significant, race/ethnicity, health, and climate effects could only account for a few percent of the variability in deaths. Where associations were anticipated but were not found, we discuss how limitations in the parameters chosen may mask a contribution that might otherwise be present.

PMID:35446873 | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0266330

PLoS One. 2022 Apr 21;17(4):e0266897. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0266897. eCollection 2022.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: For many drugs, mechanisms of action with regard to desired effects and/or unwanted side effects are only incompletely understood. To investigate possible pleiotropic effects and respective molecular mechanisms, we describe here a catalogue of commonly used drugs and their impact on the blood transcriptome.

METHODS AND RESULTS: From a population-based cohort in Germany (LIFE-Adult), we collected genome-wide gene-expression data in whole blood using in Illumina HT12v4 micro-arrays (n = 3,378; 19,974 gene expression probes per individual). Expression profiles were correlated with the intake of active substances as assessed by participants’ medication. This resulted in a catalogue of fourteen substances that were identified as associated with differential gene expression for a total of 534 genes. As an independent replication cohort, an observational study of patients with suspected or confirmed stable coronary artery disease (CAD) or myocardial infarction (LIFE-Heart, n = 3,008, 19,966 gene expression probes per individual) was employed. Notably, we were able to replicate differential gene expression for three active substances affecting 80 genes in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (carvedilol: 25; prednisolone: 17; timolol: 38). Additionally, using gene ontology enrichment analysis, we demonstrated for timolol a significant enrichment in 23 pathways, 19 of them including either GPER1 or PDE4B. In the case of carvedilol, we showed that, beside genes with well-established association with hypertension (GPER1, PDE4B and TNFAIP3), the drug also affects genes that are only indirectly linked to hypertension due to their effects on artery walls or their role in lipid biosynthesis.

CONCLUSIONS: Our developed catalogue of blood gene expressions profiles affected by medication can be used to support both, drug repurposing and the identification of possible off-target effects.

PMID:35446883 | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0266897

PLoS One. 2022 Apr 21;17(4):e0267388. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0267388. eCollection 2022.

ABSTRACT

IMPORTANCE: Screening and vaccination are essential in the fight against infectious diseases, but need to be integrated and customized based on community and disease characteristics.

OBJECTIVE: To develop effective screening and vaccination strategies, customized for a college campus, to reduce COVID-19 infections, hospitalizations, deaths, and peak hospitalizations.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: We construct a compartmental model of disease spread under vaccination and routine screening, and study the efficacy of four mitigation strategies (routine screening only, vaccination only, vaccination with partial or full routine screening), and a no-intervention strategy. The study setting is a hypothetical college campus of 5,000 students and 455 faculty members during the Fall 2021 academic semester, when the Delta variant was the predominant strain. For sensitivity analysis, we vary the screening frequency, daily vaccination rate, initial vaccine coverage, and screening and vaccination compliance; and consider scenarios that represent low/medium/high transmission and test efficacy. Model parameters come from publicly available or published sources.

RESULTS: With low initial vaccine coverage (30% in our study), even aggressive vaccination and screening result in a high number of infections: 1,020 to 2,040 (1,530 to 2,480) with routine daily (every other day) screening of the unvaccinated; 280 to 900 with daily screening extended to the newly vaccinated in base- and worst-case scenarios, which respectively consider reproduction numbers of 4.75 and 6.75 for the Delta variant.

CONCLUSION: Integrated vaccination and routine screening can allow for a safe opening of a college when both the vaccine effectiveness and the initial vaccine coverage are sufficiently high. The interventions need to be customized considering the initial vaccine coverage, estimated compliance, screening and vaccination capacity, disease transmission and adverse outcome rates, and the number of infections/peak hospitalizations the college is willing to tolerate.

PMID:35446872 | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0267388

PLoS One. 2022 Apr 21;17(4):e0266322. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0266322. eCollection 2022.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Labor pain management is crucial to ensure the quality of obstetric care but it is one of the neglected areas in obstetrics. This study aimed to assess the practice of labor pain management and associated factors among skilled attendants working in public health facilities in Southern, Ethiopia from November 1-January 26, 2019.

METHODS: An Institution-based cross-sectional study design was conducted from November 1-January 26, 2019. A simple random sampling technique was used to select a total of 272 obstetric care providers. Data were collected using pretested, and structured questionnaires. Data were entered to Epi data version 3.1 statistical software and exported to SPSS 22 for analysis. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to identify associated factors. P-value <0.05 with 95% confidence level were used to declare statistical significance.

RESULT: Overall, 37.5% (95%CI: 32%, 43%) of health care providers had a good practice on non-pharmacological labor pain management. Clinical experience of 5 years and above (AOR = 2.91, 95%CI: 1.60, 5.42), favorable attitude (AOR = 2.82, 95%CI: 1.56, 5.07), midwife profession (AOR = 1.45, 95%CI: 1.98, 4.27), and working in satisfactory delivery rooms (AOR = 3.45, 95%CI: 2.09, 7.43), were significantly associated with a health professional good practice of labor pain management.

CONCLUSION: This study showed that the practice of non-pharmacological labor pain management was poor in public health facilities in Gamo and Gofa zone. It was observed that having a favorable attitude, having ≥5 years of work experience, being a midwife by professional, and having a satisfactory delivery room were found to be significant predictors of the practice of non -pharmacological labor pain management. Therefore, all health facilities and concerned bodies need efforts to focus on providing training to midwives on non-pharmacological labor pain management practice.

PMID:35446867 | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0266322

PLoS One. 2022 Apr 21;17(4):e0265406. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0265406. eCollection 2022.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to explore factors affecting family health management during home quarantine as well as the effects of variations in family health management (FHM) on individuals’ health status.

METHODS: Using stratified random sampling, 618 families in Wuhan as well as cities within its surrounding provinces were recruited and surveyed online. Latent class variables were extracted from four modules: disinfection, space layout, physical exercise, and food reserves. The analysis was conducted using the poLCA package in R software (v.4.1.0). Chi-squared tests, Fisher’s exact tests, and non-parametric Kruskal-Wallis tests were used to compare groups as appropriate.

RESULTS: We found an overall questionnaire reliability of 0.77 and a total omega of 0.92, indicating that the survey results were credible. The Bayesian information criterion and Akaike information criterion were used to identified four latent class variables, namely latent non-family health management (18.9%) and latent low, medium, and advanced FHM (30.93%, 29.49%, and 20.59%, respectively). Gender, household income level, body mass index, the presence of a nearby community hospital, and self-rated health status showed statistically significant differences with respect to latent FHM. Moreover, we found a statistically significant difference in emotional reactions when comparing latent advanced and low to mid-level latent FHM. Compared with latent non-family health managers, we detected statistically significant differences in individual energy levels between potential family health managers at latent low and medium levels. Additionally, we found statistically significant differences in individual energy levels between latent advanced and low level family health managers.

CONCLUSIONS: We found that multiple factors, including gender, household income, and body mass index, were correlated with latent FHM during home quarantine. We conclude that FHM can meaningfully improve individuals’ health. Thus, increasing social support for individuals can improve FHM as well as individuals’ health during home quarantine.

PMID:35446866 | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0265406