Tag: nevin manimala

PLoS One. 2021 Mar 4;16(3):e0247458. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0247458. eCollection 2021.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Recent theories argue that an interplay between (i.e., network of) experiences, thoughts and affect in daily life may underlie the development of psychopathology.

OBJECTIVE: To prospectively examine whether network dynamics of everyday affect states are associated with a future course of psychopathology in adolescents at an increased risk of mental disorders.

METHODS: 159 adolescents from the East-Flanders Prospective Twin Study cohort participated in the study. At baseline, their momentary affect states were assessed using the Experience Sampling Method (ESM). The course of psychopathology was operationalized as the change in the Symptom Checklist-90 sum score after 1 year. Two groups were defined: one with a stable level (n = 81) and one with an increasing level (n = 78) of SCL-symptom severity. Group-level network dynamics of momentary positive and negative affect states were compared between groups.

RESULTS: The group with increasing symptoms showed a stronger connections between negative affect states and their higher influence on positive states, as well as higher proneness to form ‘vicious cycles’, compared to the stable group. Based on permutation tests, these differences were not statistically significant.

CONCLUSION: Although not statistically significant, some qualitative differences were observed between the networks of the two groups. More studies are needed to determine the value of momentary affect networks for predicting the course of psychopathology.

PMID:33661971 | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0247458

PLoS One. 2021 Mar 4;16(3):e0247915. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0247915. eCollection 2021.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Elevated plantar pressures represent a significant risk factor for neuropathic diabetic foot (NDF) ulceration. Foot offloading, through custom-made insoles, is essential for prevention and healing of NDF ulcerations. Objective quantitative evaluation to design custom-made insoles is not a standard method. Aims: 1) to develop a novel quantitative-statistical framework (QSF) for the evaluation and design of the insoles’ offloading performance through in-shoe pressure measurement; 2) to compare the pressure-relieving efficiency of traditional shape-based total contact customised insoles (TCCI) with a novel CAD-CAM approach by the QSF.

METHODS: We recruited 30 neuropathic diabetic patients in cross-sectional study design. The risk-regions of interest (R-ROIs) and their areas with in-shoe peak pressure statistically ≥200kPa were identified for each patients’ foot as determined on the average of peak pressure maps ascertained per each stance phase. Repeated measures Friedman test compared R-ROIs’ areas in three different walking condition: flat insole (FI); TCCI and CAD-CAM insoles.

RESULTS: As compared with FI (20.6±12.9 cm2), both the TCCI (7±8.7 cm2) and the CAD-CAM (5.5±7.3 cm2) approaches provided a reduction of R-ROIs mean areas (p<0.0001). The CAD-CAM approach performed better than the TCCI with a mean pressure reduction of 37.3 kPa (15.6%) vs FI.

CONCLUSIONS: The CAD-CAM strategy achieves better offloading performance than the traditional shape-only based approach. The introduced QSF provides a more rigorous method to the direct 200kPa cut-off approach outlined in the literature. It provides a statistically sound methodology to evaluate the offloading insoles design and subsequent monitoring steps. QSF allows the analysis of the whole foot’s plantar surface, independently from a predetermined anatomical identification/masking. QSF can provide a detailed description about how and where custom-made insole redistributes the underfoot pressure respect to the FI. Thus, its usefulness extends to the design step, helping to guide the modifications necessary to achieve optimal offloading insole performances.

PMID:33661973 | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0247915

PLoS One. 2021 Mar 4;16(3):e0247947. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0247947. eCollection 2021.

ABSTRACT

This study aimed to evaluate the association of periodontitis with the organoleptic score (OLS)-defined oral malodor after validating OLS with odoriferous sulfur compounds in mouth air among Korean adults. A total of 330 adults aged 47-86 years were recruited from the Yangpyeong health cohort, South Korea, in 2015. Oral malodor was assessed using a 6-point OLS by a trained dentist and validated with the concentrations of hydrogen sulfide (HS) and methyl mercaptan (MM) using a gas chromatographer. Periodontitis was measured by assessing the radiographic alveolar bone loss on digital orthopantomography. Statistical analyses including descriptive statistics, partial correlation, ANOVA, and multivariable logistic regression with putative confounders were applied. OLS was significantly correlated with the concentrations of HS and MM (partial r = 0.401 and 0.392, respectively; both p<0.001) after controlling for confounders. Individuals with periodontitis had 1.8 times the risk of OLS-defined oral malodor in multivariable models (adjusted odds ratio = 1.77 in the model with the number of teeth and 1.82 in the model with denture wearing; p = 0.047 and 0.035, respectively). Periodontitis was associated with OLS-defined oral malodor among Korean adults independent of known confounders. Periodontal conditions should be considered for clinical practice and research of oral malodor.

PMID:33661974 | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0247947

PLoS One. 2021 Mar 4;16(3):e0247936. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0247936. eCollection 2021.

ABSTRACT

Reasoning about graphs evolving over time is a challenging concept in many domains, such as bioinformatics, physics, and social networks. We consider a common case in which edges can be short term interactions (e.g., messaging) or long term structural connections (e.g., friendship). In practice, long term edges are often specified by humans. Human-specified edges can be both expensive to produce and suboptimal for the downstream task. To alleviate these issues, we propose a model based on temporal point processes and variational autoencoders that learns to infer temporal attention between nodes by observing node communication. As temporal attention drives between-node feature propagation, using the dynamics of node interactions to learn this key component provides more flexibility while simultaneously avoiding issues associated with human-specified edges. We also propose a bilinear transformation layer for pairs of node features instead of concatenation, typically used in prior work, and demonstrate its superior performance in all cases. In experiments on two datasets in the dynamic link prediction task, our model often outperforms the baseline model that requires a human-specified graph. Moreover, our learned attention is semantically interpretable and infers connections similar to actual graphs.

PMID:33661968 | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0247936

Hum Brain Mapp. 2021 Mar 4. doi: 10.1002/hbm.25374. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

The classical approach for testing statistical images using spatial extent inference (SEI) thresholds the statistical image based on the p-value. This approach has an unfortunate consequence on the replicability of neuroimaging findings because the targeted brain regions are affected by the sample size-larger studies have more power to detect smaller effects. Here, we use simulations based on the preprocessed Autism Brain Imaging Data Exchange (ABIDE) to show that thresholding statistical images by effect sizes has more consistent estimates of activated regions across studies than thresholding by p-values. Using a constant effect size threshold means that the p-value threshold naturally scales with the sample size to ensure that the target set is similar across repetitions of the study that use different sample sizes. As a consequence of thresholding by the effect size, the type 1 and type 2 error rates go to zero as the sample size gets larger. We use a newly proposed robust effect size index that is defined for an arbitrary statistical image so that effect size thresholding can be used regardless of the test statistic or model.

PMID:33660923 | DOI:10.1002/hbm.25374

Clin Transl Sci. 2021 Mar 4. doi: 10.1111/cts.12989. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Trandolapril, an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor prodrug, needs to be activated by carboxylesterase 1 (CES1) in the liver to exert its intended therapeutic effect. A previous in vitro study demonstrated that the CES1 genetic variant G143E (rs71647871) abolished CES1-mediated trandolapril activation in cells transfected with the variant. This study aimed to determine the effect of the G143E variant on trandolapril activation in human livers and the pharmacokinetics (PKs) and pharmacodynamics (PDs) in human subjects. We performed an in vitro incubation study to assess trandolapril activation in human livers (5 G143E heterozygotes and 97 noncarriers) and conducted a single-dose (1 mg) PK and PD study of trandolapril in healthy volunteers (8 G143E heterozygotes and 11 noncarriers). The incubation study revealed that the mean trandolapril activation rate in G143E heterozygous livers was 42% of those not carrying the variant (p = 0.0015). The clinical study showed that, relative to noncarriers, G143E carriers exhibited 20% and 15% decreases, respectively, in the peak concentration (C_max ) and area under the curve from 0 to 72 h (AUC_{0-72 h} ) of the active metabolite trandolaprilat, although the differences were not statistically significant. Additionally, the average maximum reductions of systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure in carriers were ~ 22% and 23% less than in noncarriers, respectively, but the differences did not reach a statistically significant level. In summary, the CES1 G143E variant markedly impaired trandolapril activation in the human liver under the in vitro incubation conditions; however, this variant had only a modest impact on the PK and PD of trandolapril in healthy human subjects.

PMID:33660934 | DOI:10.1111/cts.12989

ESC Heart Fail. 2021 Feb;8(1):605-614. doi: 10.1002/ehf2.13132. Epub 2020 Dec 5.

ABSTRACT

AIMS: There are only a few studies on novel biomarkers for incident heart failure (HF). We investigated the association of multiple circulating biomarkers with incident HF in a large prospective population-based study.

METHODS AND RESULTS: Conventional risk factors and inflammatory biomarkers were measured, and systemic metabolic measures determined by a high-throughput serum nuclear magnetic resonance platform in a population-based Metabolic Syndrome in Men study including 10 106 Finnish men without HF at baseline. During an 8.8 year follow-up, 172 (1.7%) participants developed HF. Adiponectin, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), glycoprotein acetyls, alanine, phenylalanine, glycerol, and pyruvate were associated with incident HF in unadjusted Cox regression analyses, in addition to age, systolic blood pressure, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, fasting plasma glucose and insulin, haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), and urinary albumin excretion rate (UAER). After adjustment for age, BMI, diabetes, and statin medication, only adiponectin [hazard ratio (HR) 1.18 (1.10-1.26, P = 4.1E-08)], pyruvate [HR 1.38 (1.28-1.50, P = 8.2E-05)], and UAER [HR 1.15 (1.11-1.18, P = 7.8E-06)] remained statistically significant. In principal component analysis of biomarkers associated with HF in univariate Cox regression analysis, we identified six components, explaining 61.7% of total variance. Four principal components, one with significant loadings on waist, BMI, fasting plasma insulin, interleukin 1 receptor antagonist, and hs-CRP; another on pyruvate, glycoprotein acetyls, alanine, glycerol and HbA1c; third on age and glomerular filtration rate; and fourth on systolic blood pressure, UAER, and adiponectin, significantly associated with incident HF.

CONCLUSIONS: Several novel metabolic and inflammatory biomarkers were associated with incident HF, suggesting early activation of respective pathways in the pathogenesis of HF.

PMID:33660951 | DOI:10.1002/ehf2.13132

BJOG. 2021 Mar 4. doi: 10.1111/1471-0528.16684. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To characterize medical, obstetric, and demographic risk factors associated with nulliparous, term, singleton, vertex (NTSV) cesarean birth.

STUDY DESIGN: Cross sectional study.

SETTING: United States delivery hospitalizations.

POPULATION: NTSV births in 2016-2018 US natality data.

METHODS: This study analyzed a national sample of natality data generated by the United States National Vital Statistics System. NTSV deliveries were identified. The primary outcome was cesarean birth. Risk factors including maternal age, body mass index (BMI), and pre-gestational diabetes were analyzed. Multivariable log-linear regression models analyzed factors associated with NTSV cesarean with adjusted risk ratios (aRR) as measures of effect.

RESULTS: Of 3,764,707 of 11,622,400 deliveries that met NTSV criteria the cesarean rate was 25.9%. Maternal age 35-39 (aRR 1.51, 95% CI 1.50-1.52) and 40-54 (aRR 2.03, 95% 2.00-2.05) compared to age 19-34, BMI 25 to <30 kg/m² (aRR 1.32, 95% CI 1.31-1.33), 30 to <35 kg/m² (aRR 1.57 95% CI 1.56-1.58), 35 to <40 kg/m² (aRR 1.82, 95% CI 1.80-1.83), and ≥40 kg/m² (aRR 2.17, 95% CI 2.15-2.19) compared to 18.5-24.9 kg/m² , and pre-gestational diabetes (aRR 1.54, 95% CI 1.51-1.57) were all associated with increased risk. Risk factors allowed stratification of patients into high versus low risk groups. The NTSV cesarean rate was 37.9% in women who had ≥1 of the following characteristics: age ≥35 years, BMI ≥30 kg/m² , or pregestational diabetes. In comparison, the NTSV cesarean rate was 20.8% among of women without any of these three risk factors (p<0.01) CONCLUSION: Among NTSV births, BMI, maternal age, and medical conditions are important risk factors for cesarean.

PMID:33660911 | DOI:10.1111/1471-0528.16684

Biochem Mol Biol Educ. 2021 Mar 4. doi: 10.1002/bmb.21500. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Objectively Structured Clinical/Practical Examination (OSCE/OSPE) has been the backbone of the assessment system of graduate medical education for over three decades. We have developed an electronic Objectively Structured Practical Examination (e-OSPE) in Medical Biochemistry using the freely available Google forms to mitigate the academic disruption posed by COVID-19 pandemic in our resource-poor setting. Ten e-OSPE stations created, interlinked, and time-restricted. Fifty undergraduate students appeared for the e-OSPE examination on a prefixed date and time. Learner feedback was collected immediately after the completion of the examination. Facilitator feedback was also collected. Students’ mean scores in e-OSPE and traditional OSPE were 78.15% and 74.56%, respectively. Their difference was not statistically significant (paired t-test two-tailed p-value 0.0979). Thus, the results of e-OSPE are reliable as compared to traditional OSPE. Bland Altman Plot revealed 92% of students had scores that were in the agreeable limit of both traditional OSPE and e-OSPE. Both the learners and facilitators were in consensus that the online format of e-OSPE is a good alternative for assessment (0.67 and 0.82); their experience was good (0.72 and 0.92) and conduction was well organized (0.73 and 0.86). Several suggestions were also received to make e-OSPE even more effective. In conclusion, this pilot study showed e-OSPE can be an effective alternative to traditional OSPE when “in-person” evaluation is not possible such as in the current era of COVID-19 even in resource-limited settings.

PMID:33660917 | DOI:10.1002/bmb.21500

Oral Dis. 2021 Mar 4. doi: 10.1111/odi.13815. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: The current study aimed to investigate the possible relationship between periodontal status and sexual dysfunction in perimenopausal women.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was conducted on 106 participants. After the evaluation of the sexual functioning of participants with the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI), their periodontal status and decayed-missing-filled teeth (DMFT) were assessed using appropriate indexes and obtained results were recorded for comparisons. Participants were divided into two groups by the periodontal status. Patients with periodontitis were grouped by the stage and the extent of the disease. Besides, participants were grouped according to the bleeding on probing (BOP) ratios for more detailed analyses.

RESULTS: A negative significant correlation was observed between total FSFI scores and each of the clinical periodontal parameters. Total FSFI scores and the scores of arousal, lubrication, orgasm, satisfaction, and pain domains were significantly lower in periodontitis patients (p<0.05). When the patients were grouped as having localized or generalized periodontitis or whether they had stage I, II, and III periodontitis; no statistically significant differences were observed in the distribution of general sexual dysfunction parameters across the groups (p>0.05).

CONCLUSION: Periodontal status in perimenopausal women may be associated with sexual dysfunction.

PMID:33660899 | DOI:10.1111/odi.13815