Tag: nevin manimala

Psychol Health. 2022 Jun 27:1-19. doi: 10.1080/08870446.2022.2089885. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Objective: Despite the usefulness of social norms for changing behaviour, injunctive norms (i.e., perceptions of what others approve) from significant others tend to be a weak predictor of physical activity (PA) engagement. A potential explanation is that injunctive norms encompass pressuring social influence that undermines autonomous PA engagement. This study examined whether injunctive norms from significant others undermine individuals’ autonomy satisfaction during the pursuit of PA engagement, and whether this effect is moderated by the degree to which significant others offer concurrent autonomy support. Design: Online questionnaires. Measures: Participants’ perceptions of injunctive norms and autonomy support from significant others, autonomy satisfaction, behaviour regulation, PA intentions, and weekly PA frequency were assessed at baseline (N = 497) and after two weeks (N = 351). Results: Autonomy support positively related to autonomy satisfaction, whereas injunctive norms were negatively related to autonomy satisfaction. Though the statistical significance of interaction effects was inconsistent across results, simple slopes suggested that the negative relationship between injunctive norms and autonomy satisfaction was attenuated at higher levels of autonomy support in models focusing on influence from parents and friends. Conclusion: When promoting others’ PA, communicating direct social expectations/pressures may be ineffective.

PMID:35757927 | DOI:10.1080/08870446.2022.2089885

Crisis. 2022 Jun 27. doi: 10.1027/0227-5910/a000870. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Background: A four-level community-based intervention aiming simultaneously to improve the care for depression and to prevent suicidal behavior has been implemented in the German city Munich. Aims: Changes in suicide rates in Munich during 2009-2014 were analyzed with respect to a 10-year baseline. The same was true for a control region (Cologne) and Germany minus Munich. Method: The interventions included training of primary care providers, a public awareness campaign, training of community facilitators, and support for patients and relatives. Analyses included repeated-measures, generalized linear models. Results: In Munich, the suicide rate significantly decreased during the intervention period compared to baseline (percentage change = -15.0%; p < .001, 198 compared to 222 suicides per year). Differences in the change for Munich and the change for the control locations (Cologne; -1.7%; p = .71) and Germany minus Munich (-6.2%; p = .09) were not significant. Limitations: Data on suicide attempts were unavailable. Conclusion: In Munich, a clinically and statistically significant decrease in suicide rate was found. This change was numerically but not significantly larger than in the control regions. The results are promising, however. Because of low suicide base rates and limited power, no strong conclusions can be drawn concerning suicide preventive effects of the intervention.

PMID:35757934 | DOI:10.1027/0227-5910/a000870

Palliat Support Care. 2022 Jun 27:1-9. doi: 10.1017/S1478951522000682. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: It has been suggested that psychosocial factors are related to survival time of inpatients with cancer. However, there are not many studies examining the relationship between spiritual well-being (SWB) and survival time among countries. This study investigated the relationship between SWB and survival time among three East Asian countries.

METHODS: This international multicenter cohort study is a secondary analysis involving newly admitted inpatients with advanced cancer in palliative care units in Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan. SWB was measured using the Integrated Palliative Outcome Scale (IPOS) at admission. We performed multivariate analysis using the Cox proportional hazards model to identify independent prognostic factors.

RESULTS: A total of 2,638 patients treated at 37 palliative care units from January 2017 to September 2018 were analyzed. The median survival time was 18.0 days (95% confidence interval [CI] 16.5-19.5) in Japan, 23.0 days (95% CI 19.9-26.1) in Korea, and 15.0 days (95% CI 13.0-17.0) in Taiwan. SWB was a significant factor correlated with survival in Taiwan (hazard ratio [HR] 1.27; 95% CI 1.01-1.59; p = 0.04), while it was insignificant in Japan (HR 1.10; 95% CI 1.00-1.22; p = 0.06), and Korea (HR 1.02; 95% CI 0.77-1.35; p = 0.89).

SIGNIFICANCE OF RESULTS: SWB on admission was associated with survival in patients with advanced cancer in Taiwan but not Japan or Korea. The findings suggest the possibility of a positive relationship between spiritual care and survival time in patients with far advanced cancer.

PMID:35757916 | DOI:10.1017/S1478951522000682

Hip Int. 2022 Jun 26:11207000221099580. doi: 10.1177/11207000221099580. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: DDH with coxarthrosis causes significant deformity and bone deficiency. Various reconstructive techniques have been proposed to treat developmental dysplasia of the hip. However, the existing literature has not yet reached a consensus on the best technique regarding long-term survival.

OBJECTIVES: This study aims to evaluate the long-term survival of uncemented hydroxyapatite (HA) coated acetabular components augmented with a femoral head autograft.

METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the cases of 31 hips in 29 patients (24 female, 5 male, mean age 45.06 years) treated with HA-coated cementless components and femoral head autograft between 2000-2008 with a minimum follow-up of 10 years. Graft resorption, cup loosening and the anatomical hip centre were determined. Functional outcomes were calculated using the Harris Hip Scoring system. The survival of the acetabular component was evaluated using the Kaplan-Meier method.

RESULTS: In 24 hips (77,4%), we reconstructed the hip centre anatomically. The remaining cups had variable deviations from the anatomical rotation centre. Only one patient required revision due to loosening. Survival analysis revealed 96.8% survival at 10 years. The mean Harris Hip Score was 39.23 preoperatively and 84.77 at final follow-up. There was no statistical correlation between revision and any of the measured parameters.

DISCUSSION: Acetabular reconstruction with a femoral head autograft allows for anatomical cup positioning, early structural support and increases bone stock for future revisions. Although our prior cemented cup study showed that anatomical cup orientation is critical, this study demonstrated the absence of a correlation between implant failure and cup positioning, suggesting that HA-coated cementless cups are more stable and forgiving.

CONCLUSIONS: HA-coated acetabular cups augmented with femoral head autograft provided long-term, reliable and durable cup fixation in dysplastic hips of young adults.

PMID:35757909 | DOI:10.1177/11207000221099580

J Pharm Pract. 2022 Jun 27:8971900221107836. doi: 10.1177/08971900221107836. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: The primary aim of the study is to describe the development and implementation of a remote required ambulatory care and required community pharmacy dual-cohort Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience (APPE) rotation from the student pharmacist perspective. The secondary objective is to identify elements of a remote APPE to integrate into traditional onsite rotations.

METHODS: An electronic post-survey was developed to evaluate rotation effectiveness based on the Center for the Advancement of Pharmacy Education (CAPE) outcomes, and to identify rotation attributes to inform future rotations. Students from different graduating classes on rotation between April and June 2020 participated in the survey. Likert-scale, ranked-response, and fixed-answer-choice questions were analyzed using descriptive statistics, and comparisons between cohorts and rotation groups were completed using the Chi-squared statistic (alpha .05). Open-ended questions were assessed for recurring themes. Study was exempted by university’s Institutional Review Board.

RESULTS: Twenty-four of 45 invited students completed the survey (53% response rate). Of the surveyed CAPE outcomes, agreement was highest (95.7%) that the rotation improved students’ abilities within 1.1 Learner, 2.2 Manager, and 4.4 Professional subdomains. Diversity of experiences and topic discussions were elements most frequently identified for inclusion in future rotations.

CONCLUSION: Student feedback was largely positive and indicated the remote APPE rotation experience was meaningful and improved abilities on key CAPE outcomes. Although remote rotations are unique, aspects including diverse learning experiences and preceptor collaboration may be considered for integration into traditional onsite rotations.

PMID:35757892 | DOI:10.1177/08971900221107836

Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 2022 Aug 15;377(1857):20210394. doi: 10.1098/rstb.2021.0394. Epub 2022 Jun 27.

ABSTRACT

Temperature overshoot pathways entail exceeding a specified global warming level (e.g. 1.5°C or 2°C) followed by a decline in warming, achieved through anthropogenically enhanced CO₂ removal from the atmosphere. However, risks to biodiversity from temperature overshoot pathways are poorly described. Here, we explore biodiversity risks from overshoot by synthesizing existing knowledge and quantifying the dynamics of exposure and de-exposure to potentially dangerous temperatures for more than 30 000 species for a 2°C overshoot scenario. Our results suggest that climate risk to biodiversity from temperature overshoot pathways will arrive suddenly, but decrease only gradually. Peak exposure for biodiversity occurs around the same time as peak global warming, but the rate of de-exposure lags behind the temperature decline. While the global overshoot period lasts around 60 years, the duration of elevated exposure of marine and terrestrial biodiversity is substantially longer (around 100 and 130 years, respectively), with some ecological communities never returning to pre-overshoot exposure levels. Key biodiversity impacts may be irreversible and reliance on widespread CO₂ removal to reduce warming poses additional risks to biodiversity through altered land use. Avoiding any temperature overshoot must be a priority for reducing biodiversity risks from climate change, followed by limiting the magnitude and duration of any overshoot. More integrated models that include direct and indirect impacts from overshoot are needed to inform policy. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Ecological complexity and the biosphere: the next 30 years’.

PMID:35757884 | DOI:10.1098/rstb.2021.0394

Mycoses. 2022 Jun 27. doi: 10.1111/myc.13488. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The diagnostic accuracy of immunoassays versus immunoprecipitation methods for detecting A.fumigatus-specific IgG in patients with allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA) complicating asthma remains unclear.

METHODS: We performed a systematic review to identify studies describing both the methods in the same ABPA subjects. We assessed study quality using the QUADAS-2 tool. We derived the relative sensitivity and specificity using the HSROC meta-regression model. We calculated the number-needed-to-test using an immunoassay to detect one additional positive test in ABPA.

RESULTS: Our search yielded 20 studies (796 ABPA, 929 controls). The studies had a high risk of bias. The summary estimates for sensitivity and specificity of immunoprecipitation methods were 68.6% (95% CI, 48.4-83.5) and 93.8% (95% CI, 83.6-97.8), while for immunoassays they were 85.2% (95% CI, 73.3-92.3) and 84.6% (95% CI, 76.0-90.5), respectively. The relative sensitivity and specificity of immunoassays compared to immunoprecipitation tests were 1.29 (95% CI, 1.1-1.6) and 0.91 (95% CI, 0.85-0.97), respectively. The automated immunoassays (1.77; 95% CI, 1.1-2.8) had better relative sensitivity than the manual (1.1; 95% CI, 1.02-1.18) assays compared to immunoprecipitation. The relative specificity of manual immunoassays (0.95; 95% CI, 0.91-0.99) was significantly lower, while that of automated (0.88; 95% CI, 0.77-1.0) assays was lower but not statistically different. One additional positive result was detected for every 6 (95% CI, 5-7) tests performed with immunoassay (versus immunoprecipitation).

CONCLUSION: Manual immunoassays have higher sensitivity and lower specificity, while automated immunoassays have higher sensitivity and similar specificity than immunoprecipitation methods for detecting A.fumigatus-IgG in patients with ABPA.

PMID:35757847 | DOI:10.1111/myc.13488

J Am Stat Assoc. 2022;117(537):348-360. doi: 10.1080/01621459.2020.1777138. Epub 2020 Aug 19.

ABSTRACT

We consider estimation of mean and covariance functions of functional snippets, which are short segments of functions possibly observed irregularly on an individual specific subinterval that is much shorter than the entire study interval. Estimation of the covariance function for functional snippets is challenging since information for the far off-diagonal regions of the covariance structure is completely missing. We address this difficulty by decomposing the covariance function into a variance function component and a correlation function component. The variance function can be effectively estimated nonparametrically, while the correlation part is modeled parametrically, possibly with an increasing number of parameters, to handle the missing information in the far off-diagonal regions. Both theoretical analysis and numerical simulations suggest that this hybrid strategy is effective. In addition, we propose a new estimator for the variance of measurement errors and analyze its asymptotic properties. This estimator is required for the estimation of the variance function from noisy measurements.

PMID:35757778 | PMC:PMC9216204 | DOI:10.1080/01621459.2020.1777138

IJID Reg. 2021 Oct 28;1:100-106. doi: 10.1016/j.ijregi.2021.10.006. eCollection 2021 Dec.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: Outbreaks of Neisseria meningitidis have reached alarming levels due to the pathogen’s ability to cause severe complications, presenting as meningitis or septicemia. Our study reports the results of the first wide-scale surveillance of meningococcal meningitis in Iraq.

METHODS: The study included all consecutive cases of clinically suspected meningitis between June 2018 and May 2020 at 18 major hospitals around Iraq (n = 2314). Laboratory analysis of biological samples and real-time polymerase chain reaction tests were conducted to confirm bacterial etiology. Demographical and medical data were collected for statistical analysis.

RESULTS: In total, 370 patients were confirmed to have bacterial meningitis (215 had N. meningitidis, 154 had Streptococcus pneumoniae, and one case had Haemophilus influenzae type b). The most common N. meningitidis serogroup was B (77.7%), followed by W (18.1%) and X (4.2%). The annual incidence rate of N. meningitidis per 100 000 population was 0.86, with the highest being in Karbala (1.52 per 100 000 population). Cases of meningococcal meningitis were more likely to occur in children younger than 15 (OR = 3.526), and in the winter (OR = 1.474).

CONCLUSIONS: Continuous surveillance of N. meningitidis is necessary in Iraq, and can only be achieved through improved detection methods. The incidence of meningococcal meningitis in Iraq warrants improved vaccination programs.

PMID:35757824 | PMC:PMC9216274 | DOI:10.1016/j.ijregi.2021.10.006

J Am Stat Assoc. 2022;117(537):1-11. doi: 10.1080/01621459.2021.1906684. Epub 2021 May 19.

ABSTRACT

Cross-trait polygenic risk score (PRS) method has gained popularity for assessing genetic correlation of complex traits using summary statistics from biobank-scale genome-wide association studies (GWAS). However, empirical evidence has shown a common bias phenomenon that highly significant cross-trait PRS can only account for a very small amount of genetic variance (R ² can be < 1%) in independent testing GWAS. The aim of this paper is to investigate and address the bias phenomenon of cross-trait PRS in numerous GWAS applications. We show that the estimated genetic correlation can be asymptotically biased toward zero. A consistent cross-trait PRS estimator is then proposed to correct such asymptotic bias. In addition, we investigate whether or not SNP screening by GWAS p-values can lead to improved estimation and show the effect of overlapping samples among GWAS. We analyze GWAS summary statistics of reaction time and brain structural magnetic resonance imaging-based features measured in the Pediatric Imaging, Neurocognition, and Genetics study. We find that the raw cross-trait PRS estimators heavily underestimate the genetic similarity between cognitive function and human brain structures (mean R ² = 1.32%), whereas the bias-corrected estimators uncover the moderate degree of genetic overlap between these closely related heritable traits (mean R ² = 22.42%). Supplementary materials for this article, including a standardized description of the materials available for reproducing the work, are available as an online supplement.

PMID:35757777 | PMC:PMC9232179 | DOI:10.1080/01621459.2021.1906684