Tag: nevin manimala

Dev Psychol. 2022 Sep 5. doi: 10.1037/dev0001459. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Recruiting participants for studies of early-life longitudinal development is challenging, often resulting in practical upper bounds in sample size and missing data due to attrition. These factors pose risks for the statistical power of such studies depending on the intended analytic model. One mitigation strategy is to increase measurement precision by conducting assessments of children as close to a fixed chronological age as possible. We present analyses that illustrate how such practices are only sometimes useful, focusing on cases where temporal trajectories are analyzed using multilevel modeling approaches. Simulations were conducted using results from two studies of longitudinal development. Data were generated according to both continuous and discrete developmental processes and factorially analyzed treating time on either interval, ordinal, or categorical scales. The power to detect continuously generated developmental processes was robust to, and even benefited from, increased variability around target ages. For discrete processes, power was unaffected when modeled ordinally/categorically, but declined steadily if modeled using exact chronological age on an interval scale. Our results suggest that in many circumstances, researchers may be unnecessarily devoting resources toward minimizing age sampling variability when studying functional patterns across time. In fact, when the theoretical developmental process is continuous, increasing the age sampling variability of assessments and utilizing multilevel models in favor of latent growth curve alternatives can be associated with substantial gains rather than reductions in power. Such considerations also extend to limited equivalent formulations of other common developmental models, such as panel analysis. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

PMID:36066871 | DOI:10.1037/dev0001459

J Consult Clin Psychol. 2022 Aug;90(8):613-625. doi: 10.1037/ccp0000751.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: Body image disturbance is crucial in the psychopathology of binge-eating disorder (BED). According to cognitive models of eating disorders, biased attentional processes contribute to the development and maintenance of body image concerns. Mirror exposure constitutes an effective method to improve body image. The present study investigated if stand-alone mirror exposure reduces body image concerns, eating pathology as well as body-related attention processes in BED.

METHOD: Women with BED were assigned to an intervention group (IG; four sessions of mirror exposure) or a waiting list control group (WL; 4 weeks waiting period). Prior to and after the intervention/waiting period, body image concerns, and attentional processes toward the self- and a control-body were measured using questionnaires and two eye-tracking tasks. All analyses were conducted on intent-to-treat (ITT) bases.

RESULTS: Relative to the WL, the IG reported lower levels of shape concerns and reduced eating pathology after the intervention. Furthermore, while at baseline attention for the most unattractive body part was higher for the self-body (SB) relative to the control body (CB) in both IG and WL, no such difference was found after the intervention in the IG. By contrast, in the WL attention allocation between SB and CB remained unchanged.

CONCLUSIONS: Evidence was found that stand-alone mirror exposure may contribute to improving shape concerns and the reduction of eating pathology in women with BED. Furthermore, mirror exposure impacts selective body-related attention even though generalizability of results is limited by small sample size, lack of statistical power, and expectancy effects due to comparison with WL. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

PMID:36066863 | DOI:10.1037/ccp0000751

Clin Neuropharmacol. 2022 Sep 7. doi: 10.1097/WNF.0000000000000516. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: Considering autism spectrum disorder (ASD) as a neurodevelopmental condition associated with immune system impairments, we aimed to evaluate the potential benefits, efficacy, tolerability, and safety of the anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and neuroprotective trans-resveratrol (RSV) in behavioral impairments and in a set of 8 microRNAs (miR) related to the immune system in pediatric subjects with ASD.

METHODS: This is an open-label pilot trial over a 3 months (90 days) study follow-up period designed to assess the effect of 200 mg/d RSV on 5 boys aged 10 to 13 (11.8 ± 1.1) years diagnosed with ASD according to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition.

RESULTS: The RSV treatment significantly reduced the Aberrant Behavior Checklist total score (P = 0.042) and Irritability (P = 0.041), with no alteration in Stereotypical Behavior (P = 0.066), Hyperactivity (P = 0.068), and Lethargy/Social Withdrawal (P = 0.078) subscales. On the Clinical Global Impression scale, 3 individuals showed marked improvement in behavior; one showed mild improvement, and the other had no changes. The RSV treatment increased the miR-195-5p (P = 0.043), an important modulator of targets related to inflammatory and immunological pathways. RSV administration did not present adverse effects and did not alter clinical laboratory results.

CONCLUSIONS: RSV is a safe molecule for administrating in the pediatric population, able to modulate behavior alterations and molecules associated with the immune system, becoming a promising therapeutic strategy for large-scale studies in ASD, to investigate both behavioral and molecular approaches.

PMID:36066854 | DOI:10.1097/WNF.0000000000000516

Mem Cognit. 2022 Sep 6. doi: 10.3758/s13421-022-01335-w. Online ahead of print.

NO ABSTRACT

PMID:36066845 | DOI:10.3758/s13421-022-01335-w

Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2022 Sep 6. doi: 10.1007/s11356-022-22878-0. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Varicella (chickenpox) is a serious public health problem in China, with the most reported cases among childhood vaccine-preventable infectious diseases, and its reported incidence has increased over 20-fold since 2005. Few previous studies have explored the association of multiple meteorological factors with varicella and considered the potential confounding effects of air pollutants. It is the first study to investigate and analyze the effects of multiple meteorological factors on varicella incidence, controlling for the confounding effects of various air pollutants. Daily meteorological and air pollution data and varicella cases were collected from January 1, 2015, to December 31, 2020, in Lu’an, Eastern China. A combination of the quasi-Poisson generalized additive model (GAM) and distributed lag nonlinear model (DLNM) was used to evaluate the meteorological factor-lag-varicella relationship, and the risk of varicella in extreme meteorological conditions. The maximum single-day lag effects of varicella were 1.288 (95%CI, 1.201-1.381, lag 16 day), 1.475 (95%CI, 1.152-1.889, lag 0 day), 1.307 (95%CI, 1.196-1.427, lag 16 day), 1.271 (95%CI, 0.981-1.647, lag 4 day), and 1.266 (95%CI, 1.162-1.378, lag 21 day), when mean temperature, diurnal temperature range (DTR), mean air pressure, wind speed, and sunshine hours were -5.8°C, 13.5°C, 1035.5 hPa, 6 m/s, and 0 h, respectively. At the maximum lag period, the overall effects of mean temperature and pressure on varicella showed W-shaped curves, peaked at 17.5°C (RR=2.085, 95%CI: 1.480-2.937) and 1035.5 hPa (RR=5.481, 95%CI: 1.813-16.577), while DTR showed an M-shaped curve and peaked at 4.4°C (RR=6.131, 95%CI: 1.120-33.570). Sunshine hours were positively correlated with varicella cases at the lag of 0-8 days and 0-9 days when sunshine duration exceeded 10 h. Furthermore, the lag effects of extreme meteorological factors on varicella cases were statistically significant, except for the extremely high wind speed. We found that mean temperature, mean air pressure, DTR, and sunshine hours had significant nonlinear effects on varicella incidence, which may be important predictors of varicella early warning.

PMID:36066801 | DOI:10.1007/s11356-022-22878-0

Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2022 Sep 6. doi: 10.1007/s11356-022-22819-x. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Mass transfer of CO₂ absorption in 2-amino-2-methyl-1-propanol (AMP) – piperazine (PZ) – monoethanolamine (MEA) was statistically investigated in terms of overall mass transfer coefficient ([Formula: see text]) and CO₂ removal percentage. The parameters of interest were lean solvent flux (A), rich gas flux (B), CO₂ loading in the lean solvent (C), and ratio of the sampling height to the total column height [Formula: see text] (D). From ANOVA, A was the most impactable parameter on both responses with three-quarters of the overall contribution. Regarding the three-level factorial design, a second-order polynomial increasing trend of [Formula: see text] was observed as C and/or D increased. Additionally, [Formula: see text] linearly increased as A increased but was not affected by B. On the other hand, the CO₂ removal percentage linearly increased as A and/or D increased but linearly decreased as B and/or C increased. Surface analysis suggested the optimum condition for both responses at a high level of A, low level of B, low level of C, and middle level of D. In this work, D was statistically investigated and included in the predictive correlation for [Formula: see text] for the first time. The main advantage of the proposed correlation over the recently reported correlations was that it did not require a measurement of CO₂ partial pressure along the column height. For each amine component in the blend, (i) AMP played a positive key role in cyclic capacity and solvent regeneration duty, (ii) PZ enhanced transfer rate, and (iii) MEA elevated total amine concentration. As a result, 1.5:1.5:3 was recommended due to (i) elevations of 68.2% [Formula: see text], 14% CO₂ removal percentage, 15.1% absorption capacity, and 66.7% cyclic capacity and (ii) reduction of 50% regeneration duty compared with 5 M MEA. With respect to the other literature-reported solvents, AMP-PZ-MEA is very competitive in terms of transfer coefficient, cyclic capacity, and solvent regeneration heat duty.

PMID:36066795 | DOI:10.1007/s11356-022-22819-x

J Neurooncol. 2022 Sep 6. doi: 10.1007/s11060-022-04124-2. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: To report the results of systematic meningioma screening program implemented by French authorities in patients exposed to progestin therapies (cyproterone (CPA), nomegestrol (NA), and chlormadinone (CMA) acetate).

METHODS: We conducted a prospective monocentric study on patients who, between September 2018 and April 2021, underwent standardized MRI (injection of gadolinium, then a T2 axial FLAIR and a 3D-T1 gradient-echo sequence) for meningioma screening.

RESULTS: Of the 210 included patients, 15 (7.1%) had at least one meningioma; seven (7/15, 47%) had multiple meningiomas. Meningiomas were more frequent in older patients and after exposure to CPA (13/103, 13%) compared to NA (1/22, 4%) or CMA (1/85, 1%; P = 0.005). After CPA exposure, meningiomas were associated with longer treatment duration (median = 20 vs 7 years, P = 0.001) and higher cumulative dose (median = 91 g vs. 62 g, P = 0.014). Similarly, their multiplicity was associated with higher dose of CPA (median = 244 g vs 61 g, P = 0.027). Most meningiomas were ≤ 1 cm³ (44/58, 76%) and were convexity meningiomas (36/58, 62%). At diagnosis, patients were non-symptomatic, and all were managed conservatively. Among 14 patients with meningioma who stopped progestin exposure, meningioma burden decreased in 11 (79%) cases with no case of progression during MR follow-up.

CONCLUSION: Systematic MR screening in progestin-exposed patients uncovers small and multiple meningiomas, which can be managed conservatively, decreasing in size after progestin discontinuation. The high rate of meningiomas after CPA exposure reinforces the need for systematic screening. For NA and CMA, further studies are needed to identify patients most likely to benefit from screening.

PMID:36066786 | DOI:10.1007/s11060-022-04124-2

Indian J Pediatr. 2022 Sep 6. doi: 10.1007/s12098-022-04311-z. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To assess cardiorespiratory fitness in children and adolescents with overweight/obesity using the Kasch pulse recovery (KPR) test, and its correlation with severity of obesity, insulin resistance, and blood pressure (BP).

METHODS: This is a retrospective analysis of baseline data from a study evaluating the efficacy of yoga for reduction of body mass index (BMI) in children aged 8-15 y with overweight/obesity. KPR three-minute step test was done. Children were classified into cardiorespiratory fitness categories based on the post-KPR heart rate (HR); the maximal oxygen consumption (VO₂ max) was calculated, and the correlation analysis was done.

RESULTS: One hundred fifty-five children with mean age of 11.6 ± 1.8 y and mean BMI of 26.2 ± 4.1 kg/m² were included. Mean post-KPR-HR and calculated VO₂ max were 119 ± 14 per minute and 48.7 ± 5.6 mL/kg/min, respectively. In children < 13 y, cardiorespiratory fitness was excellent or very good in 28%, good or sufficient in 58%, and poor or very poor in 14%. BMI, waist circumference (WC), resting HR, systolic BP, and homeostatic model of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) were higher among those with poor/very poor fitness, with WC z score being statistically significant (p = 0.015). Post-KPR-HR showed positive correlation with BMI z score (r = 0.16, p = 0.044), WC z score (r = 0.21, p = 0.011), and HOMA-IR (r = 0.22, p = 0.012).

CONCLUSION: In children with overweight/obesity, 14% had poor cardiorespiratory fitness. Post-KPR-HR and calculated VO₂ max had good correlation with measures of obesity and HOMA-IR. Further studies evaluating cardiorespiratory fitness and normative data of VO₂ max for Indian children are warranted.

PMID:36066791 | DOI:10.1007/s12098-022-04311-z

Ann Biomed Eng. 2022 Sep 6. doi: 10.1007/s10439-022-03050-8. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Osteoporosis-related hip fragility fractures are a catastrophic event for patient lives but are not frequently observed in prospective studies, and therefore phase III clinical trials using fractures as primary clinical endpoint require thousands of patients enrolled for several years to reach statistical significance. A novel answer to the large number of subjects needed to reach the desired evidence level is offered by In Silico Trials, that is, the simulation of a clinical trial on a large cohort of virtual patients, monitoring the biomarkers of interest. In this work we investigated if statistical aliasing from a custom anatomy atlas could be used to expand the patient cohort while retaining the original biomechanical characteristics. We used a pair-matched cohort of 94 post-menopausal women (at the time of the CT scan, 47 fractured and 47 not fractured) to create a statistical anatomy atlas through principal component analysis, and up-sampled the atlas in order to obtain over 1000 synthetic patient models. We applied the biomechanical computed tomography pipeline to the resulting virtual cohort and compared its fracture risk distribution with that of the original physical cohort. While the distribution of femoral strength values in the non-fractured sub-group was nearly identical to that of the original physical cohort, that of the fractured sub-group was lower than in the physical cohort. Nonetheless, by using the classification threshold used for the original population, the synthetic population was still divided into two parts of approximatively equal number.

PMID:36066781 | DOI:10.1007/s10439-022-03050-8

Mol Biol Rep. 2022 Sep 6. doi: 10.1007/s11033-022-07884-2. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: An inability of a man to conceive a potentially fertile woman after a year of unprotected intercourse is defined as male infertility. It is reported that 30-40% of males in their reproductive years have abnormalities in sperm production, either qualitatively or quantitatively, or both. However, genetic factors result in up to 15% of male infertility cases. The present study aimed to analyze the possible correlations between sub-fertility and polymorphisms in sperm mitochondrial CO3, ATP6 and ATP8 genes in sub-fertile men.

METHODS AND RESULTS: For 67 sub-fertile and 44 fertile male samples, Sanger sequencing of selected mitochondrial DNA genes was done. A total of twelve SNPs in the MT-CO3 gene: rs2248727, rs7520428, rs3134801, rs9743, rs28358272, rs2853824, rs2856985, rs2854139, rs41347846, rs28380140, rs3902407, and 28,411,821, fourteen SNPs in the MT-ATP6: rs2001031, rs2000975, rs2298011, rs7520428, rs9645429, rs112660509, rs6650105, rs6594033, rs6594034, rs6594035, rs3020563, rs28358887, rs2096044, and rs9283154, and ten SNPs in the MT-ATP8: rs9285835, rs9285836, rs9283154, rs8179289, rs121434446, rs1116906, rs2153588, rs1116905, rs1116907, and rs3020563 were detected in the case and control groups at different nucleotide positions. Only the rs7520428 in the MT-CO3 and MT-ATP6 showed a statistically significant difference between sub-fertile and fertile groups in the genotype’s and allele’s frequency test (P < 0.0001 for both).

CONCLUSION: The results of our study suggest that male sub-fertility is linked with rs7520428 SNP in MT-CO3 and MT-ATP6. The studied polymorphic variations in the MT-ATP8 gene, on the contrary, did not reveal any significant association with male sub-fertility.

PMID:36066780 | DOI:10.1007/s11033-022-07884-2