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Nevin Manimala Statistics

Evaluating the baseline auscultation abilities of second-year chiropractic students using simulated patients and high-fidelity manikin simulators: A pilot study

J Chiropr Educ. 2022 Aug 1. doi: 10.7899/JCE-21-1. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To assess the ability of 2nd-year students to identify normal and abnormal findings during cardiac and lung auscultation using high-fidelity manikin simulators and standardized patients. A secondary objective was to assess students’ perceived competence and confidence in their abilities.

METHODS: This was a descriptive pilot study of randomly selected 2nd-year students at 1 chiropractic training program. Participants were asked to perform cardiac and lung auscultation on high-fidelity manikins (2 stations) and standardized human patients (2 stations) with normal and abnormal auscultation sounds. Participants described the auscultated sound as “abnormal” or “normal” and were also asked to score their confidence in describing the sound and competence in performing auscultation on a 100-mm visual analog scale. Descriptive statistics were calculated for all study variables.

RESULTS: Thirty-two students (23 women and 9 men) were included. For lung auscultation, 15.6% were incorrect on the human subject and 6.2% were incorrect on the manikin. For cardiac auscultation, 62.5% were incorrect on the human subject and 40.6% were incorrect on the manikin. Confidence mean scores ranged from 34.8 to 60. Competence mean scores ranged from 34.8 to 50.

CONCLUSION: Results identified that 2nd-year students from 1 institution were correct in identifying an abnormal sound during lung auscultation but reported low levels of perceived competence or confidence in their responses. They performed poorly on cardiac auscultation and reported low perceived confidence and competence in their abilities to perform cardiac auscultation and identify sounds.

PMID:35914216 | DOI:10.7899/JCE-21-1

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Nevin Manimala Statistics

Alcohol-Attributable Deaths Help Drive Growing Socioeconomic Inequalities In US Life Expectancy, 2000-18

Health Aff (Millwood). 2022 Aug;41(8):1160-1168. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2021.01905.

ABSTRACT

Socioeconomic gaps in life expectancy have widened substantially in the United States since 2000. Yet the contribution of specific causes to these growing disparities remains unknown. We used death records from the National Vital Statistics System and population data from Current Population Surveys to quantify the contribution of alcohol-attributable causes of death to changes in US life expectancy between 2000 and 2018 by sex and socioeconomic status (as measured by educational attainment). During the study period, the gap in life expectancy between people with low (high school diploma or less) compared with high (college degree) levels of education increased by three years among men and five years among women. Between 2000 and 2010 declines in cardiovascular disease mortality among people with high education made major contributions to growing inequalities. In contrast, between 2010 and 2018 deaths from a cause with an alcohol-attributable fraction of 20 percent or more were a dominant driver of socioeconomic divergence. Increased efforts to implement cost-effective alcohol control policies will be essential for reducing health disparities.

PMID:35914205 | DOI:10.1377/hlthaff.2021.01905

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Nevin Manimala Statistics

Prenatal Exposure to PM2.5 and Its Specific Components and Risk of Hypertensive Disorders in Pregnancy: A Nationwide Cohort Study in China

Environ Sci Technol. 2022 Aug 1. doi: 10.1021/acs.est.2c01103. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Hypertensive disorders in pregnancy (HDP) are a leading cause of maternal mortality and adverse birth outcomes. Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) has been linked to HDP risk; however, limited studies have explored the relationships between specific chemical constituents of PM2.5 and HDP risk. Based on maternal data from the China Labor and Delivery Survey (CLDS), this study included a total of 67,659 participants from 95 participant hospitals in 25 provinces of China between March 1, 2015, and December 31, 2016. Maternal exposure to total PM2.5 mass and six main components during pregestation and pregnancy were estimated using the Combined Geoscience-Statistical Method. Multilevel logistic regression models were applied to quantify the associations, controlling for sociodemographic characteristics. We found that an interquartile range (IQR) increase in PM2.5 exposure during the second trimester was associated with a 14% increase in HDP risk (95% CI: 2%, 29%). We observed that black carbon (BC) and SO42- had larger or comparable estimates of the effect than total PM2.5 mass. The association estimates were greater in the gestational hypertension group than in the group of pre-eclampsia and eclampsia. Our findings suggest that PM2.5 exposure and specific chemical components (particularly BC and SO42-) were associated with an increased HDP risk in China.

PMID:35914180 | DOI:10.1021/acs.est.2c01103

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Nevin Manimala Statistics

Refinement of the Optimized Potentials for Liquid Simulations Force Field for Thermodynamics and Dynamics of Liquid Alkanes

J Phys Chem B. 2022 Aug 1. doi: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.2c03686. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Torsion and Lennard-Jones parameters of the optimized potentials for liquid simulations (OPLS) all-atom force field have been refined for describing thermodynamics and dynamics of a wide range of liquid alkanes. Monte Carlo statistical mechanics (MC) and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were carried out. For thermodynamics properties, MC simulations with truncated electrostatic interactions performed very closely to MD simulations with a Verlet neighbor list and the particle mesh Ewald algorithm. The average errors in comparison with experimental data for computed properties were improved with the modified force field (OPLS/2020), especially for long-chain alkanes. For liquid densities, heats of vaporization, and free energies of hydration, the average errors are 0.01 g/cm3, 0.2 kcal/mol, and ca. 0.5 kcal/mol, respectively; significant gains were made for relative heats of vaporization of isomeric series. Results for self-diffusion coefficients also reproduce experimental data well for linear alkane liquids up to hexadecane. The new force field is suitable for use in improved modeling of myriad systems of importance in chemistry, biology, and materials science.

PMID:35914179 | DOI:10.1021/acs.jpcb.2c03686

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Nevin Manimala Statistics

One-Dimensional Strain Solitons Manipulated Superlubricity on Graphene Interface

J Phys Chem Lett. 2022 Aug 1:7261-7268. doi: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.2c02066. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

The frictional properties of a uniaxial tensile strained graphene interface are studied using molecular dynamics simulations. A misfit interval statistical method (MISM) is applied to characterize the atomistic misfits at the interface and strain soliton pattern. During sliding along both armchair and zigzag directions, the lateral force depends on the ratio of graphene flake length (L) to strain soliton spacing (Ls) and becomes nearly zero when L is an integer multiple of 3Ls. Furthermore, the strain solitons propagate along the armchair sliding direction dynamically, while fission and fusion are repeatedly evidenced along the zigzag sliding direction. The underlying superlubric mechanism is revealed by a single-atom quasi-static model. The cancellation of lateral force for the contacting atoms exhibits a dynamic balance when sliding along the armchair direction but a quasi-static balance along the zigzag direction. A diagram of flake length with respect to tensile strain (L-ε) is proposed to predict the critical condition for the transition from nonsuperlubricity to superlubricity. Our results provide insights on the design of superlubric devices.

PMID:35914178 | DOI:10.1021/acs.jpclett.2c02066

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Nevin Manimala Statistics

Community-based practical behavioral intervention in public transportation for people with acquired brain injury: study of two cases using a single-case experimental design study

Neurocase. 2022 Aug 1:1-8. doi: 10.1080/13554794.2022.2106876. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this paper was to report on the progress of a behavioral approach to enable patients with acquired brain injury (age 57, male, stroke and age 36, old, female, TBI) using a community activity support center to commute alone using public transportation. In this study, two ABI patients were intervened to enable them to use public transportation. The frequency of intervention was once a month or once a week. The two community-dwelling adults each had post-ABI attention and memory deficits and anxiety. A-B-A single-case experimental design was employed for this study. The transportation route was stepped into multiple steps. Each step was scored in a unique way to determine the degree of assistance the participant received from others. This score was considered the main outcome. Tau-U analysis was used for statistical analysis. Statistically significant improvements in public transportation use were shown between baseline and intervention. There were no significant differences between the intervention and follow-up periods. The results suggest that behavioral interventions are beneficial in reacquiring the ability to use public transportation and that the intervention effects are sustained.

PMID:35914121 | DOI:10.1080/13554794.2022.2106876

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Nevin Manimala Statistics

Addiction Services for Veterans: Opportunities in Acute Care

J Addict Med. 2022 Aug 1. doi: 10.1097/ADM.0000000000001026. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to estimate the proportion of total hospital discharges that involved a primary or secondary substance-related diagnosis code (SubDx) on inpatient medicine, psychiatry, and surgery services as part of a needs assessment for inpatient addiction consultation at our large, academic-affiliated Veterans Affairs (VA) hospital.

METHODS: We first calculated the percentage of total and service-specific discharges with a primary or secondary substance-related International Classification of Disease, Tenth Revision, code on all inpatient services (medicine, psychiatry, and surgery) in Fiscal Year 2017, 2018, and 2019, using facility-level data. Second, we calculated the proportion of total discharges that involved alcohol- and opioid-related diagnoses.

RESULTS: Over the 3 years studied, 29% of total discharges had a SubDx (4469 of 15,575). The proportion of total discharges that involved a SubDx was 23% (1246 of 5449) in 2017, 31% (1664 of 5332) in 2018, and 33% in 2019 (1559 of 4794), a statistically significant increase (P < 0.001). As a percentage of service-specific discharges, 65% of discharges from psychiatry (1446 of 2217) had a SubDx, compared with 25% from medicine (2469 of 9713), and 15% from surgery (554 of 3645). Medicine services had the most discharges with SubDx, with a year-over-year increase in the number of discharges with SubDx. The percentage of total discharges that involved alcohol- and opioid-related diagnoses was 14% and 4%, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS: Substance-related diagnoses are prevalent at our hospital and are increasing over time. The largest number of discharges with SubDx was found on medicine services. Alcohol-related diagnoses were nearly 4 times more prevalent than opioid-related diagnoses. We found focused need around alcohol use and alcohol withdrawal.

PMID:35914119 | DOI:10.1097/ADM.0000000000001026

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Nevin Manimala Statistics

A Quality Improvement Study on Delirium Awareness Day: In Pursuit of Missed Delirium Diagnoses

J Gerontol Nurs. 2022 Aug;48(8):43-51. doi: 10.3928/00989134-20220630-03. Epub 2022 Aug 1.

ABSTRACT

The current study aimed to screen for delirium in hospitalized older adults and assess the validity of the Turkish version of the 4A’s Test (4AT-TR) as a feasible tool to integrate in routine patient care. The point prevalence of delirium according to clinical evaluation in routine practice was detected among all patients aged ≥60 years in 12 pilot wards. Delirium screening was then conducted by two arms: (a) nurses using the 4AT-TR and (b) geriatricians according to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition (DSM-5) criteria. Prevalence of delirium according to clinical impression was 3.3% (n = 4), whereas prevalence was 12.4% (n = 17) according to DSM-5 criteria and 13.8% (n = 17) according to the 4AT-TR. The 4AT-TR performed by nurses had a sensitivity of 66.6% and specificity of 93.5%. Area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for delirium diagnosis was 0.819 (p < 0.001). Most delirium cases remain undetected unless a routine and formal delirium assessment is integrated in hospital care of high-risk patients. The 4AT-TR performed by nurses seems to be a valid tool for determining delirium in hospitalized older adults. [Journal of Gerontological Nursing, 48(8), 43-51.].

PMID:35914081 | DOI:10.3928/00989134-20220630-03

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Nevin Manimala Statistics

Exploring the Relationship Between Binocular Imbalance and Myopia: Refraction with a Virtual Reality Platform

Cyberpsychol Behav Soc Netw. 2022 Aug 1. doi: 10.1089/cyber.2022.0162. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

To explore the relationship between binocular imbalance (BI) and the abnormal development of binocular refraction. BI data were collected by enrolling the first 1,000 adolescents and children aged 6-18 years in Shenzhen Eye Hospital from April 2020 to January 2021. In this cross-sectional study, the imbalance value (IV) did not show a statistical correlation with the spherical equivalent (SE) (oculus dexter [OD]: r = 0.022, p = 0.586; oculus sinister [OS]: r = -0.021, p = 0.606), and had little correlation with the uncorrected visual acuity (VA) (OD: r = -0.084, p = 0.039; OS: r = -0.034, p = 0.408). The proportion of binocular contrast imbalance (BCI) (the absolute value) maintained the highest level (from 54.42 to 79.17 percent) with the increase of bilateral SE difference in the four subcategories (binocular balance, monocular suppression, binocular rivalry, and BCI). From -100 to +100 of IV, the SE of the left eye tends to increase negatively when compared with the right eye (from -95 < IV ≦ -80, SE difference = -0.83 ± 1.58, to -20 < IV ≦ -10, SE difference = -0.14 ± 0.61; from 10 ≦ IV <20, SE difference = -0.05 ± 0.80, to 80 ≦ IV <95, SE difference = 1.48 ± 2.77). BI widely exists within the general pediatric population. The BI did not show significant correlation with the unilateral eye refractive state and the VA. However, the BI may be accompanied by imbalanced development of the eye refractive system. Furthermore, the SE of the dominant eye (from the prospective of BI) tends to be more negative than that of the opposite eye as the value increases. Clinical Trial Registration number: ChiCTR2100045457.

PMID:35914075 | DOI:10.1089/cyber.2022.0162

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Nevin Manimala Statistics

Dynamic Range of Luminance Perception in Acute Hypobaric Hypoxia

High Alt Med Biol. 2022 Aug 1. doi: 10.1089/ham.2022.0036. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Rizzi, Alessandro, Alice Plutino, Diego Vecchi, Anton Giulio Guadagno, and Marco Lucertini. Dynamic range of luminance perception in acute hypobaric hypoxia. High Alt Med Biol. 00:000-000, 2022.-The effects of acute hypobaric hypoxia, as potentially experienced in high altitude flight, on the detection of low contrast targets within a high dynamic range (DR) of luminance were investigated. The tests were performed after 10 minutes of adaptation to an ambient luminance level of 0.2 lx. Twenty-four individuals were exposed to hypobaric hypoxia at an altitude of 18,000 ft (5,490 m) inside a hypobaric chamber and were asked to identify the darkest one perceived from a grid of progressively less luminous patches. The results were compared with those obtained by the same subjects at sea level. The results indicate a global reduction of the DR perception during hypoxia, with a mean decrease of 0.023 cd/m2 (standard deviation ±0.064), which resulted statistically significant (p < 0.05). No significant correlations with oxygen saturation levels were observed. These findings might have practical applications in the design of cockpit’s instruments, especially those dedicated to night-time flight missions at high altitudes.

PMID:35914060 | DOI:10.1089/ham.2022.0036