Tag: nevin manimala

Comput Biol Med. 2022 Apr 2;145:105435. doi: 10.1016/j.compbiomed.2022.105435. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Systemic lupus erythematosus is a chronic autoimmune disease that affects the kidney in most patients. Lupus nephritis (LN) is divided into six categories by the International Society of Nephrology/Renal Pathology Society (ISN/RPS). The purpose of this research is to build a framework for discriminating between ISN/RPS pure class V(MLN) and classes III ± V or IV ± V (PLN) using real clinical data. The framework is developed by merging a hybrid stochastic optimizer, moth-flame algorithm (HMFO), with a support vector machine (SVM), dubbed HMFO-SVM. The HMFO is constructed by enhancing the original moth-flame algorithm (MFO) with a bee-foraging learning operator, which guarantees that the algorithm speeds convergence and departs from the local optimum. The HMFO is used to optimize parameters and select features simultaneously for SVM on clinical SLE data. On 23 benchmark tests, the suggested HMFO method is validated. Finally, clinical data from LN patients are analyzed to determine the efficacy of HMFO-SVM over other SVM rivals. The statistical findings indicate that all measures have predictive capabilities and that the suggested HMFO-SVM is more stable for analyzing systemic LN. HMFO-SVM may be used to analyze LN as a feasible computer-assisted technique.

PMID:35397339 | DOI:10.1016/j.compbiomed.2022.105435

Nurse Educ Today. 2022 Apr 4;112:105360. doi: 10.1016/j.nedt.2022.105360. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Legislation regulating Spanish and European academic curricula prescribes a certain level of knowledge and skills any student must master. Spanish universities freely decide the number of credits assigned to each subject and in which year the subject will be taught. We hypothesize that this flexibility may give way to excessively heterogeneous training across universities in nursing degrees. Such curricula heterogeneity hinders inter-university transfers and weakens educational excellence.

OBJECTIVES: 1) To review the existing differences in nursing degrees in Spanish universities; 2) to compare our results against current legislation; 3) to propose changes in the legislation, if necessary.

DESIGN: Mixed-methods approach.

SETTING: Spain.

METHODS: We reviewed nursing degree curricula of all 60 Spanish universities. Inter-university differences were analyzed and checked against current legislation. A focus group proposed legislative changes accordingly.

RESULTS: Several differences between public and private universities were statistically significant. During the first cycle, public universities´ course loads include more theoretical teachings, more credits in core subjects during the first year, and more compulsory subjects in second year. Private universities are more likely to offer external internships during the first cycle whereas the public ones are more likely to offer them during the second cycle. Public universities offer more credits under the following curricular blocks than private ones: “Nutrition/Dietetics,” “Psychiatry,” “Public and Community Health,” and “Geriatrics.” In turn, private universities offer more credits in the areas of “Theory/Methodology,” “Ethics/Legislation,” “English,” and “Theology.” Academic curricula meet most of the criteria established by the Spanish and European legislation. The proposed legislative changes aim at standardizing curricula by associating specific credits and their timeline to the teaching blocks.

CONCLUSIONS: Nursing degree curricula among Spanish universities are highly heterogeneous. Legislative changes to homogenize teaching blocks would facilitate credit validations and student mobility across universities, in addition to increasing nursing degrees´ standardization and excellence.

PMID:35397295 | DOI:10.1016/j.nedt.2022.105360

Mult Scler Relat Disord. 2022 Mar 19;61:103747. doi: 10.1016/j.msard.2022.103747. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Most women develop MS before menopause. Menopausal hot flashes can worsen MS symptoms, and could be relieved with hormone therapy. Our objective was to evaluate feasibility, tolerability and symptom response of Duavee® (bazedoxifene + conjugated estrogen) in a Phase Ib/IIa double-blind randomized controlled clinical trial.

METHODS: We randomized 24 peri/postmenopausal women with MS and symptomatic hot flashes 1:1 to Duavee® versus placebo. Evaluations occurred at baseline and 2 months.

RESULTS: Groups were balanced for age (mean 51.2 ± 3.6 years), EDSS [median 3 (IQR:2.5, 4.5)], and MS duration. 21/24 participants completed the study.

FEASIBILITY: Enrollment was protracted (34 months), partially due to concerns about hormone therapy safety.

TOLERABILITY: treatment group participants reported greater satisfaction and fewer missed doses; one participant (placebo) developed new MRI lesions; liver function testing remained normal for all patients.

SYMPTOMS: Hot Flash Related Daily Interference scale at 2 months was lower in treatment vs. placebo group [median (IQR) of 4 (0.5, 14) vs. 9 (0, 33)]. Between-group differences were not statistically significant.

CONCLUSION: Despite perceived benefits in MS, estrogens have perceived risks that represent a hurdle to enrollment. With appropriate education and screening of participants, the favorable study retention (87%) and treatment satisfaction observed in the current study support the feasibility of a longer, powered trial to evaluate whether a proven treatment for menopausal symptoms, Duavee®, could also improve MS-related function in menopausal women with MS.

PMID:35397292 | DOI:10.1016/j.msard.2022.103747

Clin Neurophysiol. 2022 Feb 24;138:134-142. doi: 10.1016/j.clinph.2022.02.009. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: Investigate the variability previously found with cortical stimulation and handheld transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) coils, criticized for its high potential of coil position fluctuations, bypassing the cortex using deep brain electrical stimulation (DBS) of the corticospinal tract with fixed electrodes where both latent variations of the coil position of TMS are eliminated and cortical excitation fluctuations should be absent.

METHODS: Ten input-output curves were recorded from five anesthetized cats with implanted DBS electrodes targeting the corticospinal tract. Goodness of fit of regressions with a conventional single variability source as well as a dual variability source model was quantified using a Schwarz Bayesian Information approach to avoid overfitting.

RESULTS: Motor evoked potentials (MEPs) through DBS of the corticospinal tract revealed short-term fluctuations in excitability of the targeted neuron pathway reflecting endogenous input-side variability at similar magnitude as TMS despite bypassing cortical networks.

CONCLUSION: Input-side variability, i.e., variability resulting in changing MEP amplitudes as if the stimulation strength was modulated, also emerges in electrical stimulation at a similar degree and is not primarily a result of varying stimulation, such as minor coil movements in TMS. More importantly, this variability component is present, although the cortex is bypassed. Thus, it may be of spinal origin, which can include cortical input from spinal projections. Further, the nonlinearity of the compound variability entails complex heteroscedastic non-Gaussian distributions and typically does not allow simple linear averages in statistical analysis of MEPs. As the average is dominated by outliers, it risks bias. With appropriate regression, the net effects of excitatory and inhibitory inputs to the targeted neuron pathways become noninvasively observable and quantifiable.

SIGNIFICANCE: The neural responses evoked by artificial stimulation in the cerebral cortex are variable. For example, MEPs in response to repeated presentations of the same stimulus can vary from no response to saturation across trials. Several sources of such variability have been suggested, and most of them may be technical in nature, but localization is missing.

PMID:35397278 | DOI:10.1016/j.clinph.2022.02.009

Acta Paediatr. 2022 Apr 9. doi: 10.1111/apa.16356. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

AIM: To assess the strength of associations between interrelated perinatal risk factors and mortality in very preterm infants.

METHODS: Information on all liveborn infants delivered in Sweden at 22-31 weeks of gestational age (GA) from 2011 to 2019 was gathered from the Swedish Neonatal Quality Register, excluding infants with major malformations or not resuscitated because of anticipated poor prognosis. Twenty-seven perinatal risk factors available at birth were exposures and in-hospital mortality outcome. Orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis was applied to assess proximity between individual risk factors and mortality, and receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve was used to estimate discriminant ability.

RESULTS: In total, 638/8396 (7.6%) infants died. Thirteen risk factors discriminated reduced mortality, the most important were higher Apgar scores at 5 and 10 minutes, GA and birthweight. Restricting the analysis to preterm infants <28 weeks GA (n=2939, 16.9% mortality) added antenatal corticosteroid therapy as significantly associated with lower mortality. The area under the ROC-curve (the C-statistic) using all risk factors was 0.86, as determined after both internal and external validation.

CONCLUSION: Apgar scores, gestational age and birthweight show stronger associations with mortality in very preterm infants than several other risk perinatal factors available at birth.

PMID:35397189 | DOI:10.1111/apa.16356

J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2022 Apr 9:dgac213. doi: 10.1210/clinem/dgac213. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

CONTEXT: Loss of the incretin effect (IE) in type 2 diabetes (T2D) contributes to hyperglycemia and the mechanisms underlying this impairment are unclear.

OBJECTIVE: To quantify the IE impairment in T2D and to investigate the factors associated with it using a meta-analytic approach.

DATA SOURCES: PubMed, Scopus and Web-of-Science.

STUDY SELECTION: Studies measuring IE by the gold-standard protocol employing an OGTT and an intravenous glucose infusion at matched glucose levels.

DATA EXTRACTION: We extracted IE, sex, age, BMI, HbA1c, fasting values and areas-under-curve (AUC) of glucose, insulin, C-peptide, GIP and GLP-1. In T2D subjects, we also recorded T2D duration, age at diagnosis, and the percentage of subjects taking antidiabetic medications.

DATA SYNTHESIS: The IE weighted mean difference between T2D and NGT subjects was -27.3% (CI [-36.5 -18.1]%; p<0.001; I 2 = 86.6%) and was affected by age (p<0.005). By meta-regression of combined NGT and T2D data, IE was inversely associated with glucose tolerance (lower IE in T2D), BMI, and fasting GIP (p<0.05). By meta-regression of T2D studies only, IE was associated with the OGTT glucose dose (p<0.0001). IE from insulin was larger than IE from C-peptide (weighted mean difference 11.2%, CI [9.2-13.2]%; p<0.0001; I 2=28.1%); the IE difference was inversely associated with glucose tolerance and fasting glucose.

CONCLUSIONS: The IE impairment in T2D vs NGT is consistent though considerably variable, age being a possible factor affecting the IE difference. Glucose tolerance, BMI, and fasting GIP are independently associated with IE; in T2D subjects only, the OGTT dose is a significant covariate.

PMID:35397169 | DOI:10.1210/clinem/dgac213

Indian J Pediatr. 2022 Apr 9. doi: 10.1007/s12098-022-04124-0. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether heated humidified high-flow nasal cannula (HHHFNC) is noninferior to NCPAP to provide DR respiratory support to preterm neonates of gestational age (GA) 28-36 wk.

METHODS: This randomized, controlled, noninferiority trial included 124 spontaneously breathing preterm neonates who developed respiratory distress soon after birth and/or had a FiO₂ requirement > 0.3. Primary outcome measure was treatment failure within 24 h. The absolute risk difference with 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated with a noninferiority margin of 10%. Secondary outcome variables were temperature at admission, time to treatment failure, treatment failure at 72 h, need for surfactant, intubation, duration of respiratory support, and incidences of adverse events including mortality. Intention-to-treat analysis was done in Stata software.

RESULTS: Both the groups were similar in baseline characteristics. There was no statistically significant difference between the treatment failure rates with HHHFNC (13.1%, n = 61) and NCPAP (11.1%, n = 63) (risk difference 2.0%, 95% CI – 9.9% to 14.07%, p = 0.73). However, noninferiority of HHHFNC to NCPAP could not be conclusively proved as the 95% CI crossed both 0 and the noninferiority margin of 10%. There were no significant differences in secondary outcomes.

CONCLUSIONS: HHHFNC showed similar efficacy and safety as NCPAP irrespective of gestational age, though its noninferiority to NCPAP remained inconclusive.

TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinical Trial Registry of India, Registration no: CTRI/2019/10/021633, https://ctri.icmr.org.in/.

PMID:35397090 | DOI:10.1007/s12098-022-04124-0

Age Ageing. 2022 Apr 1;51(4):afac079. doi: 10.1093/ageing/afac079.

ABSTRACT

Clinical trials have suggested that increased 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) has positive effect on hand grip strength. This Mendelian randomisation (MR) was implemented using summary-level data from the largest genome-wide association studies on vitamin D (n = 73,699) and hand grip strength. Inverse variance weighted method (IVW) was used to estimate the causal estimates. Weighted median (WM)-based method, MR-Egger and leave-one-out were applied as sensitivity analysis. Results showed that genetically higher-serum 25(OH)D levels had a positive effect on both right hand grip (IVW = Beta: 0.038, P = 0.030) and left hand grip (IVW = Beta: 0.034, P = 0.036). There was a low likelihood (statistically insignificant) of heterogeneity and pleiotropy, and the observed associations were not driven by single single-nucleotide polymorphisms. Furthermore, MR pleiotropy residual sum and outlier did not highlight any outliers. In conclusion, our results highlighted the causal and beneficial effect of serum 25(OH) D on right- and left-hand grip strengths.

PMID:35397158 | DOI:10.1093/ageing/afac079

J Neurooncol. 2022 Apr 9. doi: 10.1007/s11060-022-03991-z. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: This study aimed to: determine the supportive care available for Australian patients with High Grade Glioma (HGG) and their carers; identify service gaps; and inform changes needed to implement guidelines and Optimal Care Pathways.

METHODS: This cross-sectional online survey recruited multidisciplinary health professionals (HPs) who were members of the Cooperative Trials Group for Neuro-Oncology involved in management of patients diagnosed with HGG in Australian hospitals. Descriptive statistics were calculated. Fisher’s exact test was used to explore differences between groups.

RESULTS: 42 complete responses were received. A majority of MDT meetings were attended by a: neurosurgeon, radiation oncologist, medical oncologist, radiologist, and care coordinator. Less than 10% reported attendance by a palliative care nurse; physiotherapist; neuropsychologist; or speech therapist. Most could access referral pathways to a cancer care coordinator (76%), neuropsychologist (78%), radiation oncology nurse (77%), or psycho-oncologist (73%), palliative care (93-100%) and mental health professionals (60-85%). However, few routinely referred to an exercise physiologist (10%), rehabilitation physician (22%), dietitian (22%) or speech therapist (28%). Similarly, routine referrals to specialist mental health services were not standard practice. Nearly all HPs (94%) reported HGG patients were advised to present to their GP for pre-existing conditions/comorbidities; however, most HPs took responsibility (≤ 36% referred to GP) for social issues, mental health, symptoms, cancer complications, and treatment side-effects.

CONCLUSIONS: While certain services are accessible to HGG patients nationally, improvements are needed. Psychosocial support, specialist allied health, and primary care providers are not yet routinely integrated into the care of HGG patients and their carers despite these services being considered essential in clinical practice guidelines and optimal care pathways.

PMID:35397081 | DOI:10.1007/s11060-022-03991-z

Brain Imaging Behav. 2022 Apr 9. doi: 10.1007/s11682-022-00658-1. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Neuroimaging studies have identified alterations in functional connectivity between specific brain regions in patients with unilateral hearing loss (UHL) and different influence of the side of UHL on neural plasticity. However, little is known about changes of whole-brain functional networks in patients with UHL and whether differences exist in topological organization between right-sided UHL (RUHL) and left-sided UHL (LUHL). To address this issue, we employed resting-state fMRI (rs-fMRI) and graph-theoretical approaches to investigate the topological alterations of brain functional connectomes in patients with RUHL and LUHL. Data from 44 patients with UHL (including 22 RUHL patients and 22 LUHL patients) and 37 healthy control subjects (HCs) were collected. Functional brain networks were constructed for each participant, following by graph-theoretical network analyses at connectional and global (e.g., small-worldness) levels. The correlations between brain network topologies and clinical variables were further studied. Using network-based analysis, we found a subnetwork in the visual cortex which had significantly lower connectivity strength in patients with RUHL as compared to HCs. At global level, all participants showed small-world architecture in functional brain networks, however, significantly lower normalized clustering coefficient and small-worldness were observed in patients with RUHL than in HCs. Moreover, these abnormal network metrics were demonstrated to be correlated with the clinical variables and cognitive performance of patients with RUHL. Notably, no significant alterations in the functional brain networks were found in patients with LUHL. Our findings demonstrate that RUHL (rather than LUHL) is accompanied with aberrant topological organization of the functional brain connectome, indicating different pathophysiological mechanisms between RUHL and LUHL from a viewpoint of network topology.

PMID:35397062 | DOI:10.1007/s11682-022-00658-1