Tag: nevin manimala

Methods Mol Biol. 2022;2481:3-12. doi: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2237-7_1.

ABSTRACT

In this introductory chapter, we seek to provide the reader with a high-level overview of what goes into designing a genome-wide association study (GWAS) in the context of crop plants. After introducing some general concepts regarding GWAS, we divide the contents of this overview into four main sections that reflect the key components of a GWAS: assembly and phenotyping of an association panel, genotyping, association analysis and candidate gene identification. These sections largely reflect the structure of the chapters which follow later in the book, and which provide detailed discussions of these various steps. In each section, in addition to providing external references from the literature, we also often refer the reader to the appropriate chapters in this book in which they can further explore a topic. We close by summarizing some of the key questions that a prospective user of GWAS should answer prior to undertaking this type of experiment.

PMID:35641755 | DOI:10.1007/978-1-0716-2237-7_1

J Allied Health. 2022 Summer;51(2):154-159.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Multiple mini-interviews (MMI) are emerging as the preferred interview format for admittance to health professions training programs.

OBJECTIVE: Evaluate the evidence regarding MMI as a predictor of programmatic academic achievement in graduate health professions train¬ing programs.

METHODS: Using the PRISMA method, two literature searches on PubMed and Google Scholar of publications from 2004-2019 were completed, identifying 7 unique references pertinent to the review’s objective. Head-to-head comparative analysis was completed between articles that had similar outcomes in addition to cumulative analysis of all included studies.

RESULTS: Of the 7 articles included in this systematic review, all had at least one statistically significant correlation between MMI used for admissions and programmatic academic achievement in graduate health professions training programs. Outcomes assessed were highly variable and included specific assessments, cumulative program GPA, and clinical performance. Studies from four unique health professions–dentistry, medicine, physician associate, and pharmacy–were included in the review.

CONCLUSIONS: Evidence indicates that MMI are an effective, valid, and reliable admissions interview format to identify future programmatic academic achievement of graduate health professions training students in specific scenarios. A head-to-head analysis comparing MMI with more traditional interview formats, particularly on an entire pool of qualified applicants, would be beneficial to assess for superiority.

PMID:35640296

J Allied Health. 2022 Summer;51(2):149-153.

ABSTRACT

Medical documentation is an important component of healthcare delivery and represents a significant portion of physician assistant educational efforts. Assessing proficiency in documentation is challenging, often relying on the subjective evaluation of documents. This study presents a novel approach using video-recorded provider-patient interactions and an interactive scoring rubric. Sixty-five participants, representing three cohorts, completed medical documentation with each document receiving accuracy scores from three independent scorers. Using this approach, the consistency of two versions of a provider-patient encounter with the same chief complaint but variable details was demonstrated (p = 0.239). Inter-scorer reliability using this method was maintained across participants with an average variation of 1.21 points on a 54-point scale between three independent scorers. Applying this method to evaluate educational preparedness, a statistically significant increase in accuracy was identified in cohorts approaching the completion of didactic education (p < 0.05). The method presented here provides a reliable platform to access medical documentation accuracy across educational levels and documentation styles.

PMID:35640295

J Allied Health. 2022 Summer;51(2):143-148.

ABSTRACT

Occupational therapy students must build a solid foundation in hand anatomy to prepare for practice that includes interventions for people with hand injuries or impairments. To engage students in effective active learning, the Anatomy Glove Learning System (AGLS) was used in two entry-level occupational therapy programs. This cloth glove with imprinted bones was worn while students followed an online video series to draw the muscles and tendons on the hand and understand hand physiology. Research exploring student gains in hand anatomy knowledge and confidence at the two universities (n=199) over a 2-year period found statistically significant improvements in 12 of 15 items and in total scores of an anatomy quiz taken as a pre-test and post-test (t(198)=13.77, p<0.001, Cohen’s d = 1.142). In addition, statistically significant differences in student confidence related to hand anatomy (t(110)=24.47, p<0.01) and student reports of positive experiences were identified after using the AGLS. This active learning system utilized a form of embodied learning to facilitate preparedness for entry-level practice of occupational therapy students to address the needs of clients with hand impairments. Future research focused on the student experience may determine additional insights into the full benefits of the AGLS and similar active learning strategies regarding hand anatomy and physiology.

PMID:35640294

J Allied Health. 2022 Summer;51(2):121-129.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: To investigate differences between domestic and international occupational therapy students in their perceptions and experiences of online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic.

METHODS: Cross-sectional study of 151 occupational therapy students enrolled in the 4-year Bachelor of Occupational Therapy (Honours) courses at the University of Canberra and Monash University in Australia. Students completed the Student Engagement in the e-Learning Environment Scale (SELES) and the Distance Education Learning Environment Scale (DELES). Both instruments have established validity and reliability. ANOVA analysis with bootstrapping was completed to examine potential differences in domestic and international students’ experiences and perceptions of online learning.

RESULTS: Statistically significant differences were observed between domestic and international students’ scores on the DELES Student Autonomy (p=0.001), Personal Relevance (p=0.001) and Student Interaction and Collaboration (p=0.037) subscales.

CONCLUSION: International students experienced greater difficulties during online learning in relation to taking control of their own learning, connecting acquired knowledge with real-world settings, and forging collaborative and interactive working relationships with their peers. Academic, technological, and social support measures are recommended to strengthen students’ self-directed learning skills, facilitate them to link what they have learned beyond online settings, and encourage active and collaborative engagement with peers and instructors.

PMID:35640291

J Pediatric Infect Dis Soc. 2022 May 30:piac038. doi: 10.1093/jpids/piac038. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Children with chronic medical conditions are at higher risk of invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD), but little is known about the effectiveness of the primary course of pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) in these children.

METHODS: A cohort born in 2001-2004 from two Australian states and identified as medically at-risk (MAR) of IPD either using ICD-coded hospitalizations (with conditions of interest identified by 6 months of age) or linked perinatal data (for prematurity) were followed to age 5 years for notified IPD by serotype. We categorized fully vaccinated children as either receiving PCV dose 3 by <12 months of age or ≥1 PCV dose at ≥12 months of age. Cox proportional hazard modeling was used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs), adjusted for confounders, and vaccine effectiveness (VE) was estimated as (1-HR) × 100.

RESULTS: A total of 9220 children with MAR conditions had 53 episodes of IPD (43 vaccine-type); 4457 (48.3%) were unvaccinated and 4246 (46.1%) were fully vaccinated, with 1371 (32.3%) receiving dose 3 by 12 months and 2875 (67.7%) having ≥1 dose at ≥12 months. Estimated VE in fully vaccinated children was 85.9% (95% CI: 33.9-97.0) against vaccine-type IPD and 71.5% (95% CI: 26.6-88.9) against all-cause IPD.

CONCLUSION: This is the first population-based study evaluating the effectiveness of PCV in children with MAR conditions using record linkage. Our study provides evidence that the VE for vaccine-type and all-cause IPD in MAR children in Australia is high and not statistically different from previously reported estimates for the general population. This method can be replicated in other countries to evaluate VE in MAR children.

PMID:35640283 | DOI:10.1093/jpids/piac038

J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2022 May 29:glac115. doi: 10.1093/gerona/glac115. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: Theoretical perspectives suggest that adiposity and cognitive function may be bidirectionally associated, but this has not been examined in a large-scale dataset. The current investigation aims to fill this gap using a large, representative sample of middle-aged and older adults.

METHODS: Using data from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA; n = 25,854), the bidirectional hypothesis was examined with three indicators of cognitive function (i.e., executive function, processing speed and verbal fluency) and adiposity (i.e., waist circumference [WC], body mass index [BMI] and total fat mass). We used multivariate multivariable regression and structural equation modeling to assess the prospective associations between adiposity and cognitive indicators.

RESULTS: Analyses revealed that higher baseline WC was associated with higher Stroop interference at follow-up for both middle-aged (standardized estimate, β = 0.08, 95% CI 0.06, 0.10) and older adults (β = 0.07, 95% CI 0.04, 0.09). Similarly, higher baseline Stroop interference was also associated with higher follow-up WC in middle-aged (β = 0.08, 95% CI 0.06, 0.10) and older adults (β = 0.03, 95% CI 0.01, 0.06). Effects involving semantic fluency and processing speed were less consistent. The above effects were similar to those observed using other adiposity indicators (e.g., BMI, total fat mass) and were robust to adjustment for demographics and other cofounders, and when using latent variable modeling of the adiposity variable.

CONCLUSION: Evidence for a bidirectional relationship between adiposity and cognitive function exists, though the associations are most reliable for executive function and primarily evident at mid-life.

PMID:35640256 | DOI:10.1093/gerona/glac115

BJS Open. 2022 May 2;6(3):zrac074. doi: 10.1093/bjsopen/zrac074.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Natural orifice specimen extraction (NOSE) is a technique that involves collecting a specimen for extraction through a natural opening avoiding a mini-laparotomy incision. The aim of this study was to compare NOSE and transabdominal specimen extraction in laparoscopic (LAP) colorectal cancer surgery for postoperative outcomes and oncological safety.

METHOD: A systematic search was conducted in five electronic databases from inception till October 2020. Articles were selected based on the inclusion criteria (studies comparing LAP and NOSE colorectal surgeries reporting at least one of the outcomes) and analysed. Primary outcomes included postoperative complications, pathological results (resection margins and lymph node collection), and oncological outcomes. Secondary outcomes included operating time, blood losses, use of analgesics, functional recovery, duration of hospital stay, and cosmetic results. Fixed and random-effect models were used to measure the pooled estimates.

RESULTS: Nineteen studies involving a total of 3432 participants were analysed (3 randomized clinical trials (RCTs) and 16 retrospective non-randomized studies). Pooled results showed significantly reduced postoperative complications (OR 0.54; 95 per cent c.i. 0.44 to 0.67; P < 0.00001). Pathological outcomes of NOSE were comparable to LAP with no significant difference noted in terms of resection margins (P > 0.05) and lymph node collection (weighted mean difference (WMD) -0.47; 95 per cent c.i. -0.94 to 0; P = 0.05). Pooled analysis demonstrated comparable long-term outcomes in terms of cancer recurrence (OR 0.94; 95 per cent c.i. 0.63 to 1.39; P = 0.75), 5-year disease-free survival (HR 0.97; 95 per cent c.i. 0.73 to 1.29; P = 0.83), and overall survival (HR 0.93, 95 per cent c.i. 0.58 to -1.51; P = 0.78). Finally, the NOSE group had decreased use of additional analgesia after surgery and earlier resumption of oral intake when compared with LAP (respectively OR 0.28; 95 per cent c.i. 0.20 to 0.37; P < 0.00001 and WMD -0.35; 95 per cent c.i. -0.54 to -0.15; P = 0.0005).

CONCLUSION: This meta-analysis showed that in comparison with LAP, NOSE decreases severe postoperative morbidity while improving postoperative recovery without compromising oncological safety, but it is limited by the small number of RCTs performed in this field.

PMID:35640267 | DOI:10.1093/bjsopen/zrac074

Int Health. 2022 May 28:ihac032. doi: 10.1093/inthealth/ihac032. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: One of the key reasons for the high prevalence of intimate partner violence among women is the justification of intimate partner violence. Socio-economic status of women plays a key role in intimate partner violence justification. This study investigated the socio-economic inequalities in the justification of intimate partner violence among Ghanaian women.

METHODS: Data from the 2014 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey were used in this study. The study involved a total of 9267 women. A binary logistic regression analysis was performed to examine the socio-economic disparities in intimate partner violence justification. The findings were presented as adjusted odds ratios (aORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) demonstrating precision. Statistical significance was set at p<0.05.

RESULTS: The prevalence of intimate partner violence justification among women in Ghana was 28.2%. Compared with women with no formal of education, those with a higher level of education (aOR 0.17 [95% CI 0.10 to 0.30]) were less likely to justify intimate partner violence. In terms of wealth status, women in the richest quintile had lower odds of justifying intimate partner violence compared with women in the poorest wealth quintile (aOR 0.44 [95% CI 0.28 to 0.67]).

CONCLUSIONS: Interventions, policies, strategies and programs such as women’s equitable access to formal education, formation of stronger social networks to improve women’s socio-economic status, advocacy to stop intimate partner violence and empowerment interventions among women should be focused toward contextualizing intimate partner violence in terms of the acceptance of this behaviour, since this can play a significant role in victimization and perpetration.

PMID:35640232 | DOI:10.1093/inthealth/ihac032

Fam Pract. 2022 May 28;39(3):373-380. doi: 10.1093/fampra/cmab157.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Relational continuity, ‘a therapeutic relationship between a patient and provider/s that spans health care events’, has been associated with improved patient outcomes.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate whether an intervention incorporating patient enrolment and a funding model for higher-risk patients influenced patient-reported experience measures, particularly relational continuity.

METHODS: Cluster-randomized controlled trial over 12 months (1 August 2018-31 July 2019). Participating patients within intervention practices were offered enrolment with a preferred general practitioner, a minimum of 3 longer appointments, and review within 7 days of hospital admission or emergency department attendance. Intervention practices received incentives for longer consultations (dependent on reducing unnecessary prescriptions and tests), early post-hospital follow-up, and hospitalization reductions. The primary outcome was patient-reported relational continuity, measured by the Primary Care Assessment Tool Short Form.

RESULTS: A total of 774 patients, aged 18-65 years with a chronic illness or aged over 65 years, from 34 general practices in metropolitan, regional, and rural Australia across 3 states participated. Response rates for questionnaires were >90%. From a maximum of 4.0, mean baseline scores for relational continuity were 3.38 (SE 0.05) and 3.42 (SE 0.05) in control and intervention arms, respectively, with no significant between-group differences in changes pre-post trial. There were no significant changes in other patient-focussed measures.

CONCLUSION: Patient-reported relational continuity was high at baseline and not influenced by the intervention, signalling the need for caution with policies incorporating patient enrolment and financial incentives. Further research is required targeting at-risk patient groups with low baseline engagement with primary care.

PMID:35640205 | DOI:10.1093/fampra/cmab157