Tag: nevin manimala

Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2021 Jul 27. doi: 10.1111/nyas.14673. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

We analyze the polar sea ice distribution and the global sea level pressure (SLP) and baroclinicity distributions over the “satellite” period of 1979-2020. In the Arctic, there are statistically significant sea ice extent (SIE) decreases in all calendar months, and the annual mean has lost 2.22 million km² over the four decades. The Antarctic SIE, in marked contrast, increased up to 2014, then commenced a remarkable retreat (the annual mean ice extent decreased by 2.03 million km² in the 3 years to 2017), and subsequently increased to near its long-term average value in 2020. The shifts in seasonal-mean SLP patterns are consistent with a warming planet. At the synoptic scale, we diagnose the changes in the baroclinicity, the mechanism by which cyclones, fronts, and other weather systems are generated. Through a novel presentation, we give an overview of the relative roles of changes in the vertical shear and static stability in influencing the global trends in baroclinicity. In both the Arctic and Antarctic regions, baroclinicity is shown to have increased in each season (with the sole exception of the Arctic in summer). This increase, coupled with midlatitude decreases in baroclinicity, results in poleward shifts of the storm tracks.

PMID:34313329 | DOI:10.1111/nyas.14673

J Clin Lab Anal. 2021 Jul 27:e23925. doi: 10.1002/jcla.23925. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the relationship of Apolipoprotein E (APOE) and solute carrier organic anion transporter family member 1B1 (SLCO1B1) gene polymorphisms with coronary artery disease (CAD).

METHODS: 1,129 CAD patients and 1,014 non-CAD controls were included in the study, and relevant information and medical records were collected. The single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were analyzed, including rs429358, rs7412 in APOE gene and rs2306283, rs4149056 in SLCO1B1 gene.

RESULTS: The CAD patients’ average age was 66.3 ± 10.7 years, while 65.5 ± 12.0 years in controls. The frequencies of APOE allele ɛ3, ɛ4, and ɛ2 were 83.01%, 10.08%, and 6.91% respectively. There were statistically significant differences in genotype ɛ3/ɛ4 (χ² = 8.077, p = 0.005) in CAD patients compared with the controls. The SLCO1B1 genotype *1b/*1b and haplotype *1b showed the highest frequency in the study sample. Moreover, ε4 carriers had significantly lower HDL-C, Apo-A1 levels than ε3 carriers among CAD patients, while ε2 carriers showed lower LDL-C, Apo-B level, and higher Apo-A1/Apo-B level than ε3 and ε4 carriers. In controls, ε2 carriers showed lower LDL-C and Apo-B level, higher Apo-A1, and Apo-A1/Apo-B level than ε4 carriers. Logistic regression analysis showed that high LDL-C and Apo-B level, low HDL-C level, smoking, and the ε4 allele were risks for the presence of CAD.

CONCLUSIONS: APOE ε4 allele may be associated with susceptibility to CAD in southern Chinese Hakka population. It indicated that the APOE SNPs rs429358 and rs7412 are associated with CAD, but not SNPs rs2306283 and rs4149056 of SLCO1B1 gene.

PMID:34313350 | DOI:10.1002/jcla.23925

Int Health. 2021 Jul 27:ihab042. doi: 10.1093/inthealth/ihab042. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Radiographers have used social media networks for education, research, professional development and other purposes. However, in Saudi Arabia, there are no studies on the use of social media by radiographers. Therefore, the objective of this research was to evaluate the use of social media for the improvement of radiation safety knowledge among Saudi Arabian radiographers.

METHODS: A questionnaire was designed to collect the data from Saudi Arabian radiographers. The questionnaire was created using Google Forms and was sent to 530 radiographers using WhatsApp. In total, 159 participants completed and returned the questionnaire through WhatsApp. The response rate was 30%. Basic descriptive statistics were employed to analyse the data.

RESULTS: Most of the participants (79.9%) thought that social media could be used as a tool for the improvement of radiation safety knowledge. Also, almost half of participants (49.7%) employed social media when they needed to obtain information about radiation protection. Similarly, a majority of respondents (69.2%) used social media when they required information related to radiation safety. In addition, 81.7% of participants observed on video the existing information on radiation safety. Also, 71.7% of them were disposed to expand the use of social media to obtain information for radiation protection in their professional activities.

CONCLUSION: The results indicate that social media can help to improve radiation safety knowledge among Saudi Arabian radiographers. Consequently, participants were willing to increase the use of these tools in their professional work.

PMID:34313321 | DOI:10.1093/inthealth/ihab042

Diagn Interv Radiol. 2021 Jul;27(4):580-586. doi: 10.5152/dir.2021.20438.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: We aimed to retrospectively correlate 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) metabolic activity with lumbar spine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings and epidural steroid injection sites in patients with symptomatic degenerative disease of the lumbar spine.

METHODS: A database search was conducted for patients receiving epidural injections <12 months after a positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT). Maximum standard uptake values (SUVmax) were measured at the facet joints, neural foramina, and spinal canal. Severity of facet arthrosis, disc degeneration, neuroforaminal, and canal stenosis was determined on MRI using previously described grading scales. Spearman rank coefficient assessed association between PET/CT FDG uptake and severity of MRI findings. The SUVmax was also compared with injection sites.

RESULTS: Twenty-five patients were included, comprising MRI (n=19) and injection (n=22 patients; 18 interlaminar, 8 transforaminal) groups. Injections were performed an average of 2.6 months after PET/CT. The greatest SUVmax occurred at the L5-S1 spinal canal (mean SUVmax = 2.25). A statistically significant, positive correlation between uptake and grade of spinal canal stenosis was seen only at L4-L5 (r=0.60, p = 0.007). No other significant association was found with spinal canal or neuroforaminal stenosis, or grade of facet joint or disc degeneration. All patients reported symptomatic improvement after injections with mean pain score improvement of 4.4 on a 10-point scale (SD, 2.9). There was moderate agreement between sites of epidural injection and highest SUVmax (κ= 0.591, p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION: 18F-FDG metabolic activity on PET/CT corresponds with MRI findings about the lumbar spinal column, but there is no significant correlation between severity of MRI findings and radiotracer uptake. Given the moderate agreement between metabolic activity and levels of symptomatic spinal stenosis, further studies are warranted to fully evaluate the diagnostic potential of FDG PET/CT as a surrogate for guiding epidural injections.

PMID:34313246 | DOI:10.5152/dir.2021.20438

Shock. 2021 Jul 26. doi: 10.1097/SHK.0000000000001839. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Crush syndrome (CS) is the most common cause of deaths following earthquakes and other disasters. The pathogenesis of CS has yet to be fully elucidated. Thus, clinical choice of ideal drug treatments for CS remains deficient.

METHODS AND RESULTS: In this study, we first evaluated the relation between extrusion force and the severities of CS. Rats were exposed to different extrusion forces: 1, 3, 5, and 8 kg, respectively. Survival rates, crushed muscle tissue edema, serum biochemical parameters, and histopathological staining were used to assess severity. Our results showed that there were no statistical differences in survival rate or changes in thigh circumference among the different extrusion forces groups. However, serum levels of potassium (K+), creatine kinase (CK), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine (Cr), and myoglobin (Mb) were elevated at 12- and 24-hours post-decompression in 5 and 8 kg groups, compared with 1 and 3 kg groups. Histopathological staining demonstrated that the degree of organ damage to kidney, muscle, and lung tissues correlated with increasing extrusion force. We next analyzed changes in serum protein profiles in 3 or 5 kg extrusion pressure groups. A total of 76 proteins (20 upregulated, 56 downregulated) were found to be altered at all three time points (0, 12, and 72 hours) post-decompression, compared to the control group. Three common upregulated proteins alpha-1-acid glycoprotein (α1-AGP), neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) and Haptoglobin were selected for validation of increased expression. α1-AGP was explored as a treatment for CS-induced acute kidney injury (AKI). Intraperitoneal injection of α1-AGP protected kidneys from CS-induced AKI by regulating TNF-α and IL-6 production, attenuating neutrophil recruitment and reducing renal cell apoptosis.

CONCLUSION: Our findings demonstrated that the severity of crush injury is causally related to extrusion pressure and increase in blood serum markers. Our identification of the biomarker and treatment candidate, α1-AGP, suggests its implication in predicting the severity of CS and its use as mediator of CS-induced AKI, respectively.

PMID:34313253 | DOI:10.1097/SHK.0000000000001839

Dalton Trans. 2021 Jul 27. doi: 10.1039/d1dt01766g. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Emerging Bi2Se3-based anode materials are attracting great interest for lithium storage because of their high theoretical capacity. Although quite attractive, Bi2Se3 still faces the problem of large volume expansion during lithiation/delithiation, leading to poor cycling stability. Herein, a multi-core yolk-shell Bi2Se3@C nanocomposite was designed and synthesized via a solvothermal method followed by heat treatment. The as-prepared yolk-shell nanocomposite consists of two parts: several Bi2Se3 nanospheres (diameter of approximately 100 nm) as a core, and carbon (thickness of approximately 16 nm) as the shell. Owing to its unique structural features, multi-core yolk-shell Bi2Se3@C nanocomposite demonstrates excellent cycling stability with a capacity of 392.2 mA h g-1 at 0.2 A g-1 after 100 cycles for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). A reversible capacity of 416.9 mA h g-1 can be maintained even at a higher current density of 1 A g-1 after 1200 cycles. The reason for the superior electrochemical performance was further explored through electrochemical kinetic analysis and theoretical calculations. This work provides an effective strategy for the preparation of multi-core yolk-shell anode materials, and also affords a new method by which to prepare high-performance LIBs.

PMID:34313287 | DOI:10.1039/d1dt01766g

Diagn Interv Radiol. 2021 Jul;27(4):529-533. doi: 10.5152/dir.2021.20059.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: We aimed to assess the association between complication rate and time to feeding in a cohort of patients undergoing radiologically guided placement of gastrostomy tubes.

METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted of all patients receiving pull-type and push-type gastrostomy tubes placed by interventional radiologists between January 1st, 2017 and December 31st, 2018 at a single institution. Primary outcomes included procedural and tube-related complications per medical chart review with a follow-up interval of 30 days. Exclusion criteria were enteral nutrition delayed more than 48 hours, no feeding information, and tubes placed for venting (n=20). Overall, 303 gastrostomy tubes (pull-type, n=184; push-type, n=119) were included. The most common indications for placement included head and neck carcinoma for push-type tubes (n=76, 63.9%) and cerebral vascular accident for pull-type tubes (n=78, 42.4%).

RESULTS: In a multiple regression analysis, there was no statistically significant association between complications and time to feeding (p = 0.096), age (p = 0.758), gender (p = 0.127), indication for tube placement (p = 0.206), or type of tube placed (p = 0.437). Average time to initiation of enteral nutrition was 12.3 hours for the pull-type and 21.7 hours for the push-type cohort (p < 0.001). Additional multiple regression analyses of pull-type tubes and push-type tubes separately also did not find any significant association between complications and the above factors (p > 0.05).

CONCLUSION: There was no statistically significant correlation between time to feed and complications, suggesting that there is no clinical difference between early and late feeding following gastrostomy tube placement.

PMID:34313239 | DOI:10.5152/dir.2021.20059

Diagn Interv Radiol. 2021 Jul;27(4):534-541. doi: 10.5152/dir.2021.20042.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: We aimed to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy and safety profile of computed tomography (CT)-guided percutaneous transthoracic needle biopsy (PTNB) in patients with primary malignancy suspected of lung metastasis and assess possible factors associated with nondiagnostic results.

METHODS: All PTNBs with core needle performed in our hospital from January 2014 to January 2019 were retrospectively reviewed. Overall, 108 cases were found to have a history of primary malignancy with suspected lung metastasis. Patient demographics, lesion characteristics, procedure techniques and complications were evaluated as predictors of overall diagnosis, final diagnosis of lung metastasis, and nondiagnostic results. Statistical analysis was performed using univariate analysis.

RESULTS: The overall diagnostic accuracy of PTNB was 83.3%. Lung metastasis was found in 52.8% of PTNBs (57 of 108) and nondiagnostic results were present in 27.6% (18 of 108). Of the 18 cases with nondiagnostic results, 11 cases had a final diagnosis of lung metastasis (61.1%), yielding PTNB a sensitivity of 83.8% and specificity of 100% for the detection of lung metastasis. Smaller lesion size (p = 0.014), pneumothorax (p = 0.026), and hemoptysis (p = 0.014) were significantly associated with overall nondiagnostic results. Similarly, smaller lesion size (p = 0.047), pneumothorax (p = 0.019), high-grade pulmonary hemorrhage (p = 0.019), and hemoptysis (p = 0.012) were significantly correlated with unsuccessful biopsies in the diagnosis of lung metastasis.

CONCLUSION: CT-guided core needle biopsy of the lung in patients with primary malignancy suspected of lung metastasis has a high diagnostic accuracy with acceptable complication rates. Small lesion size, pneumothorax, high-grade pulmonary hemorrhage, and hemoptysis are significantly associated with nondiagnostic results in the final diagnosis of lung metastasis. Repeat biopsy and clinical/radiological follow-up should be considered in cancer patients with nondiagnostic results due to the high probability of lung metastasis.

PMID:34313240 | DOI:10.5152/dir.2021.20042

Curr Rheumatol Rev. 2021 Jul 26. doi: 10.2174/1573397117666210726125632. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Previous studies demonstrated that MicroRNA-146a (miR-146a) plays an important role in the regulation of autoinflammatory diseases including primary gout. The G/C polymorphism (rs2910164) in the precursor sequence of miR-146a caused its stem region to change from G: U to C: U，which can contribute to the susceptibility of human diseases. however, no genetic relevance studies of miR-146a gene polymorphisms to gout have been reported by now.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to analyze the association between the miR-146a rs2910164 genetic polymorphism and the susceptibility of Chinese Han population to primary gout. Method：1130 Chinese Han participants (including 606 primary gout patients and 524 gender and age-matched healthy control subjects) were recruited and the 5’exonuclease TaqMan® technology was used to perform miR-146a rs2910164 genotyping.

RESULT: After statistical analysis, no significant differences were observed between gout patients and healthy controls in genotype and allele frequency.

CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that there is no evidence for the involvement of the miR-146a rs2910164 polymorphisms in susceptibility to primary gout in the Chinese Han population.

PMID:34313201 | DOI:10.2174/1573397117666210726125632

Curr Rheumatol Rev. 2021 Jul 26. doi: 10.2174/1573397117666210726143757. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: GPA is a necrotizing inflammation of the small vessels with granulomas. Kidney involvement deteriorated its prognosis.

OBJECTIVE: Comparison of GPA patients with kidney (KI) and without kidney involvement (nKI).

MATERIAL AND METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study of 50 consecutive adult GPA patients, 25 KI from Nephrology and 25 nKI from Rheumatology Department of Central Clinical Hospital Ministry of Interior in Warsaw. We analyzed clinical features, organ involvement, laboratory, serological, imaging, histopathological data, BVAS, treatment.

RESULTS: The mean age of KI patients was statistically older then nKI (67.3±9.5 vs 55.1±15.9, p=0.002). Generalized, severe, resistance disease was observed respectively in 92% vs 44%, p<0.001. The number of red blood cells (3.47 vs 4.41T/l, p<0.001), hemoglobin (10.0 vs 12.9g/dl, p<0.001) was lower in KI, higher mean serum creatinine (3.95 vs. 0.89mg/dl, p<0.001), lower GFR (20.1 vs. 79.3, p<0.001), higher CRP (median: 43.4 vs 2.0mg/l, p<0.001), BVAS (16.6±4.4 vs 10.1±6.2, p<0.001), c-ANCA (median: 119.0 vs 15.2CU, p=0.017). Nodules in 28% KI, in 4% nKI (p=0.048) in chest X-ray, infiltration in 43.5% KI, in 15% nKI (p=0.042) in HRCT were observed. Skin granulomas were found in 61.5% nKI vs 18.2% KI, (p=0.047). Renal biopsy revealed in KI patients focal segmental glomerulonephritis in 11.8%, crescentic glomerulonephritis in 17.6%, pauci-immune crescentic glomerulonephritis in 70.6%.

CONCLUSIONS: In patients with KI more frequently we found generalized, severe, resistant GPA, higher BVAS in comparison in patients without KI. The results of laboratory parameters, were worse in patients with KI. Aggressive immunosuppressive treatment is often used in KI group.

PMID:34313202 | DOI:10.2174/1573397117666210726143757