Tag: nevin manimala

Am J Health Promot. 2022 Jan 24:8901171211053450. doi: 10.1177/08901171211053450. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: To examine the feasibility and acceptability of a social network weight loss intervention delivered by lay health promoters (HPs) to immigrant populations.

DESIGN: Single-arm, non-randomized, pilot study of a social network weight loss intervention developed by a community-based participatory research partnership and delivered by HPs.

SETTING: Community-based setting in Southeastern Minnesota, United States.

SAMPLE: Somali and Hispanic immigrants to the United States: 4 social networks of adults (2 Hispanic and 2 Somali) with 39 network participants.

INTERVENTION: Twelve-week behavioral weight loss intervention delivered by HPs (4 weeks in-person and then 8 weeks virtual).

MEASURES: Feasibility was assessed by recruitment and retention rates. Acceptability was assessed by surveys and focus groups with HPs and participants. Behavioral measures included servings of fruits and vegetables, drinking soda, and physical activity. Physiologic measures included weight, blood pressure, glucose, cholesterol, and triglycerides.

ANALYSIS: Paired t-tests of pre- to post-intervention changes at the end of 12 weeks of treatment.

RESULTS: Recruitment was feasible and post-intervention was 100%. Participants highly rated the intervention on satisfaction, motivation, and confidence to eat a healthy diet, be physically active, and lose weight. Participants were motivated by group social support and cohesion of their social networks. On average, participants lost weight (91.6 ± 15.9 to 89.7 ± 16.6 kg, P < .0001), lowered their systolic blood pressure (133.9±16.9 to 127.2 ± 15.8 mm Hg; P < .001), lowered their diastolic blood pressure (81 ± 9.5 to 75.8 ± 9.6 mm Hg; P < .0001), had more servings of vegetables per day (1.9 ± 1.2 to 2.6 ± 1.4; P < .001), and increased their physical activity (2690 ± 3231 to 6595 ± 7322 MET-minutes per week; P = .02).

CONCLUSION: This pilot study of 2 immigrant communities who participated in a peer-led weight loss social network intervention delivered during the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated high feasibility and acceptability. Participants lost weight, improved their health status, and improved their health behaviors.

PMID:35073499 | DOI:10.1177/08901171211053450

J Speech Lang Hear Res. 2022 Jan 24:1-13. doi: 10.1044/2021_JSLHR-21-00210. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: Tinnitus retraining therapy (TRT) has been widely used for 30 years, but its efficacy and the component contributions from counseling and sound therapy remain controversial. The purpose of this secondary analysis from the Tinnitus Retraining Therapy Trial (TRTT) was to compare treatment response dynamics for TRT (counseling and conventional sound generators) with partial TRT (pTRT; counseling and placebo sound generators) and standard of care (SOC; a patient-centered counseling control).

METHOD: The TRTT randomized 151 participants with primary tinnitus (no significant hearing or sound tolerance problems) to TRT, pTRT, or SOC, each of which encouraged use of enriched environmental sound. The primary outcome, mean change in Tinnitus Questionnaire score assessed at baseline and follow-up across 18 months, was normalized for a common baseline and fitted with an exponential model. Time constants were estimated to quantify and compare the treatment response dynamics, which were evaluated for statistical significance using bootstrap analyses.

RESULTS: The change in response to TRT took less time to achieve than that for either pTRT or SOC, as demonstrated by time for normalized Tinnitus Questionnaire scores to decline to 63% and 99% of baseline TRT values: 1.2 months (95% CI [0.2, 1.9]) and 5.7 months (95% CI [0.9, 9.0]), respectively. Corresponding SOC values were 2.7 months (95% CI [1.5, 4.1]) and 12.4 months (95% CI [6.9, 19.0]), while those for pTRT were 2.2 months (95% CI [1.2, 3.4]) and 10.1 months (95% CI [5.7, 15.9]). The differences were significant for TRT versus SOC (p = .020), borderline significant for TRT versus pTRT (p = .057), but nonsignificant for pTRT versus SOC (p = .285). The magnitude of the asymptotic treatment response did not differ significantly among groups.

CONCLUSION: Sound generator use in TRT increases treatment efficiency (beyond any advantage from enriched environmental sound) without affecting treatment efficacy (determined by counseling).

PMID:35073492 | DOI:10.1044/2021_JSLHR-21-00210

Scand J Pain. 2022 Jan 24. doi: 10.1515/sjpain-2021-0063. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: There is scarce information on preventive psychological and behavioural methods applicable to sub-acute (4-12 weeks) back pain, a precursor to chronic back pain. We conducted a systematic literature review of the efficacy of psychological interventions in preventing chronicity of sub-acute back pain.

METHODS: A systematic literature search in CINAHL, CENTRAL, MEDLINE, PubMed^®, PsychINFO, Scopus and Web of Science databases.

RESULTS: From a total of 271 records, only three studies met the eligibility criteria. In two of the reviewed studies, the interventions had an insignificant preventive impact on the chronification of back pain. In one study the CBT intervention proved promising in preventing back pain related disability. None of the studies reported a significant impact on pain intensity at follow-up.

CONCLUSIONS: The psychological interventions did not impact pain outcomes. There is a disproportion between novel knowledge on psychological factors involved in the transition to chronic pain and corresponding preventive treatments. Additional studies on psychological interventions on sub-acute back pain prevention are highly warranted due to the enormous burden that back pain creates when it becomes chronic. The research project has the ethical approval of the Research Ethical Committee at Helsinki University Hospital, HUS/2435/2017.

PMID:35073473 | DOI:10.1515/sjpain-2021-0063

J Osteopath Med. 2022 Jan 21. doi: 10.1515/jom-2021-0157. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

CONTEXT: Transurethral resection (TUR) is the mainstay for diagnosis, staging, and treatment of both high-grade and low-grade nonmuscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC). It is reported that 51% of initial transurethral resection of bladder tumors (iTURBT) does not contain muscle, which results in higher rates of clinical upstaging on repeat transurethral resection (reTUR) and worse oncologic outcomes. Presence of muscle on iTURBT specimen and performing reTUR within 6 weeks in high-risk NMIBC aids in accurate staging and, therefore, guides proper treatment.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to assess and improve TURBT quality by making surgeons aware of their practice patterns and setting improvement goals.

METHODS: Patients who received TURBT for a newly diagnosed bladder mass were analyzed by retrospective chart review for 9 months prior to quality improvement (QI) intervention. Data were collected pertaining to muscle presence/absence on biopsy, pathology of the tumor, risk stratification, whether reTUR was indicated, and time to reTUR. The primary endpoints were the presence of muscle on initial TURBT, whether a reTUR was performed when clinically indicated, and time to reTUR. Tumors requiring reTUR were defined as being HGT1 or HGTa >3 cm. The QI intervention, physician education, was then implemented by presenting initial performance results to the physicians, and a second dataset was then collected by prospective analysis for another 9 months to assess for changes in practice patterns. A total of 101 patients receiving TURBT were reviewed, including 52 patients prior to and 49 patients following QI intervention. Patients with a history of, or treatment for, bladder cancer were excluded, along with those without assessment of muscle on pathological analysis. Fisher’s exact test was utilized to determine differences in categorical data by comparing each of the following groups prior to and following QI intervention: percent of muscle presence on iTURBT, percent reTUR performed when indicated, and mean time to reTUR in days. A p<0.05 was considered statistically significant.

RESULTS: After comparing the TURBT results before and after our QI intervention, we found a significant improvement in the number of patients receiving a reTUR when indicated, with 5/13 (38.5%) before compared to 15/19 (78.9%) after, p=0.03. The number of specimens on iTURBT with muscle present were not significantly different, with 38/52 (73.1%) before and 33/49 (67.3%) after, p=0.66. The average time to reTUR before (32.4 days; n=5; range, 21-50 days) and after (42.4 days; n=15; range, 11-77 days) QI intervention was also not significantly different, p=0.28.

CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that critical analysis of physician practice patterns followed by education and setting improvement goals can significantly impact clinical practices and improve quality of care. Future studies will be performed to determine the impact that these changes have on oncologic outcomes.

PMID:35073474 | DOI:10.1515/jom-2021-0157

Asia Pac J Clin Oncol. 2022 Jan 24. doi: 10.1111/ajco.13654. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

In spite of decreasing the overall incidence of gastric cancer (GC), it remains one of the most common and deadly cancers worldwide. The incidence and mortality rate of GC is very different in the world. Geographical differentiation is one of the most distinctive characteristics of GC. Effective prevention and early diagnostic strategies are the most important public health interventions in GC, as a common malignancy worldwide. Notably, the preventive strategies require understanding the risk factors associated with GC for identifying high-risk groups that may require screening for prevention. Therefore, up-to-date statistics on GC occurrence and outcome are essential for the primary prevention of the disease. We conducted this review based on the current epidemiology knowledge of GC to provide an update perspective of GC in Asia-Pacific region. Based on the findings of this study, incidence and mortality rate of GC in Asia-Pacific region shows a great heterogeneity. Gastric carcinogenesis arises as a consequence of a complex interaction between host and environmental factors. In addition to screening and eradication of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection, it seems that the main cause of GC is an undesirable lifestyle in this region. Therefore, it is necessary to improve the lifestyle and the community awareness about GC risk factors and healthy lifestyle education.

PMID:35073453 | DOI:10.1111/ajco.13654

Colorectal Dis. 2022 Jan 24. doi: 10.1111/codi.16064. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

AIM: To evaluate surgical strategies for conversion of failed ileo-pouch-anal anastomosis (IPAA) to continent ileostomy (CI), taking morbidity and overall outcome into account. The hypothesis is that complex conversions are equivalent to the primary construction of a CI at the time of proctocolectomy.

METHOD: Retrospective analysis of IPAA conversions acknowledging the underlying disease (inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and non-IBD) and extent of pouch-reconstruction (PR). Type 1 (without PR): n=13, Type 2 (partial PR): n=7, and Type 3 (complete PR): n=6.

RESULTS: 26 patients (IBD: n=16; non-IBD: n=10) were converted (type 1: n=13; type 2: n=7 and type 3: n=6).12/26 patients (46.2%) presented postoperative complications directly related to the conversion with scarification of 2 pouches. In a mean follow-up time of 7.5 ± 6.6 years, 5/24 patients required revisional surgery. Of these, 3 required pouch excision. The cumulative probability of reoperation at the end of the second year increased to 21.7% and remained constant thereafter until the maximum follow-up time of 26 years. The total pouch loss rate was 19.2% (5/26) of which all occurred in the first 3 years. No statistically significant differences were found between the conversion types, complications or pouch survival. For all parameters, IBD patients performed slightly unfavourably. Due to the overall small number of respective patients, a differentiated investigation of IBD was not performed.

CONCLUSION: Complex conversion procedures (types 1 and 2) deliver comparable long-term results to new constructions (type 3), thereby limiting the loss of small bowel. IBD compromises outcome versus non-IBD.

PMID:35073447 | DOI:10.1111/codi.16064

Mol Ecol. 2022 Jan 24. doi: 10.1111/mec.16361. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Invasive alien species continue to threaten global biodiversity. CRISPR-based gene drives, which can theoretically spread through populations despite imparting a fitness cost, could be used to suppress or eradicate pest populations. We develop an individual-based, spatially explicit, stochastic model to simulate the ability of CRISPR-based homing and X-chromosome shredding drives to eradicate populations of invasive house mice (Mus muculus) from islands. Using the model, we explore the interactive effect of the efficiency of the drive constructs and the spatial ecology of the target population on the outcome of a gene-drive release. We also consider the impact of polyandrous mating and sperm competition, which could compromise the efficacy of some gene-drive strategies. Our results show that both drive strategies could be used to eradicate large populations of mice. Whereas parameters related to drive efficiency and demography strongly influence drive performance, we find that sperm competition following polyandrous mating is unlikely to impact the outcome of an eradication effort substantially. Assumptions regarding the spatial ecology of mice influenced the probability of and time required for eradication, with short-range dispersal capacities and limited mate-search areas producing `chase’ dynamics across the island characterised by cycles of local extinction and recolonization by mice. We also show that highly efficient drives are not always optimal, when dispersal and mate-search capabilities are low. Rapid local population suppression around the introduction sites can cause loss of the gene drive before it can spread to the entire island. We conclude that, although the design of efficient gene drives is undoubtedly critical, accurate data on the spatial ecology of target species is critical for predicting the result of a gene-drive release.

PMID:35073448 | DOI:10.1111/mec.16361

Int J Dermatol. 2022 Jan 24. doi: 10.1111/ijd.16042. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The dermoscopic features of glomus tumors have only been described in a few case reports. The aim of this research was to define the clinical and dermoscopic features of subungual glomus tumors.

METHODS: Thirty-two patients with subungual glomus tumors were evaluated retrospectively.

RESULTS: On the photographs, longitudinal erythronychia, longitudinal leukonychia, punctate leukonychia, splinter hemorrhage, isolated capillaries, distal notching, distal subungual hyperkeratosis, onycholysis, and onychoschizia were found. There was no statistical difference between the rates of detection of these findings by evaluation from clinical photographs alone and from both clinical and dermoscopic photographs. While ramified vessels with bluish spots could be detected in only five of 26 cases with bluish spots in their clinical photographs, these ramified vessels were seen in 14 cases in bluish spots in dermoscopic photographs (P = 0.004). Compared to clinical examination, dermoscopy was able to detect blue spots in three more cases. Lesion duration was higher in the cases with ramified vessels (P = 0.018).

CONCLUSIONS: Dermoscopy seems to contribute to the clinical examination in displaying only ramified vessels located in bluish spots and in determining the localization of the subungual tumors. The presence of ramified vessel in the bluish spots is strongly related to lesion duration.

PMID:35073425 | DOI:10.1111/ijd.16042

PLoS One. 2022 Jan 24;17(1):e0262918. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0262918. eCollection 2022.

ABSTRACT

Although regression models play a central role in the analysis of medical research projects, there still exist many misconceptions on various aspects of modeling leading to faulty analyses. Indeed, the rapidly developing statistical methodology and its recent advances in regression modeling do not seem to be adequately reflected in many medical publications. This problem of knowledge transfer from statistical research to application was identified by some medical journals, which have published series of statistical tutorials and (shorter) papers mainly addressing medical researchers. The aim of this review was to assess the current level of knowledge with regard to regression modeling contained in such statistical papers. We searched for target series by a request to international statistical experts. We identified 23 series including 57 topic-relevant articles. Within each article, two independent raters analyzed the content by investigating 44 predefined aspects on regression modeling. We assessed to what extent the aspects were explained and if examples, software advices, and recommendations for or against specific methods were given. Most series (21/23) included at least one article on multivariable regression. Logistic regression was the most frequently described regression type (19/23), followed by linear regression (18/23), Cox regression and survival models (12/23) and Poisson regression (3/23). Most general aspects on regression modeling, e.g. model assumptions, reporting and interpretation of regression results, were covered. We did not find many misconceptions or misleading recommendations, but we identified relevant gaps, in particular with respect to addressing nonlinear effects of continuous predictors, model specification and variable selection. Specific recommendations on software were rarely given. Statistical guidance should be developed for nonlinear effects, model specification and variable selection to better support medical researchers who perform or interpret regression analyses.

PMID:35073384 | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0262918

PLoS One. 2022 Jan 24;17(1):e0263032. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0263032. eCollection 2022.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Undernutrition is one of the serious health problems among adolescents in India where 253 million adolescents are in the age group of 10-19 years. Since adolescents represent the next generation of adults, it is important to understand the nutritional status of adolescents. Even though several studies have been carried out in different states in India on adolescent undernutrition (stunting, wasting /underweight), there is no study or review that estimated the national pooled prevalence of adolescent undernutrition and its determinants. Therefore, this review aims to determine the pooled prevalence and determinants of undernutrition (stunting, underweight/wasting) among Indian adolescents.

METHODS: A systematic review of eligible articles will be conducted using preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analysis (PRISMA) guidelines. A comprehensive searching of the literature will be made in Pub Med, EMBASE, SCOPUS, Google, Google Scholar, and Cochrane databases. The quality of the articles included in the review will be evaluated using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) for observational studies in meta-analyses. The pooled prevalence and odds ratio of the associated risk factors or determinants with their 95% confidence interval will be computed using STATA version 16 software. The existence of heterogeneity among studies will be assessed by computing p-values of Higgins’s I2 test statistics and Cochran’s Q-statistics based on chi-square with a 5% level of significance among reported prevalence. Sensitivity analysis and subgroup analysis will be conducted based on study quality to investigate the possible sources of heterogeneity. Publication bias will be assessed through visual examination of funnel plots and objectively by Egger’s regression test. This review protocol has been registered at PROSPERO (CRD42021286814).

DISCUSSION: By collecting and summarizing information on adolescent undernutrition can be a step towards a better understanding of the prevalence of nutritional status of Indian adolescents and how the associated factors influence the prevalence of undernutrition. This review will provide directions for further research and healthcare practitioners. This summarized finding at the national level will provide impetus to build nutritional strategies and proper healthcare services to fight against undernutrition among the most ignored population.

PMID:35073386 | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0263032