Tag: pubmed

Early Interv Psychiatry. 2024 Oct 18. doi: 10.1111/eip.13624. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Multinational treatment guidelines support providing cognitive remediation to people recently diagnosed with schizophrenia, but the feasibility of implementing the treatment on a large scale is less well understood.

METHODS: This study took place between 2019 and 2023 at 14 clinics within a large network of programs providing early intervention services to people aged 16-30 experiencing nonaffective psychosis. Clinics were randomly assigned to deliver cognitive remediation as twice-weekly clinician-led groups (N = 5), cognitive remediation as once-weekly clinician-led groups with homework (N = 6), or treatment as usual (N = 3). All clinics screened for cognitive health need to guide treatment planning. Clinical teams (N = 11) received training to provide cognitive remediation. Program evaluation data were analysed for feasibility and acceptability.

RESULTS: Screening for cognitive health needs was completed on 77% of the 1193 participants enrolled at the 11 clinics offering cognitive remediation. Clinicians identified cognitive difficulties in 53.9% (n = 496) of screened participants and referred 27% (n = 134) of these participants to cognitive remediation. Of referred participants, 77.6% (n = 104) initiated treatment, and n = 41 completed the treatment. The rate of referral was nearly double, and treatment initiation was significantly higher at programs delivering once-weekly (84.3%) than twice-weekly (64.4%) treatment but the difference in the rate of treatment completion was statistically nonsignificant. Satisfaction among treatment completers was high.

CONCLUSIONS: Referrals to cognitive remediation required systemic support of a feasible cognitive health screening process. About a quarter of people with clinician-identified cognitive health needs were referred to cognitive remediation. Feasibility data suggest a flexible model of treatment delivery may facilitate implementation in this service setting.

PMID:39421910 | DOI:10.1111/eip.13624

Cardiol Young. 2024 Oct 18:1-7. doi: 10.1017/S1047951124026519. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Children with left aortic arch and aberrant right subclavian artery may present with either respiratory or swallowing symptoms beyond the classically described solid-food dysphagia. We describe the clinical features and outcomes of children undergoing surgical repair of an aberrant right subclavian artery.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a retrospective review of children undergoing repair of an aberrant right subclavian artery between 2017 and 2022. Primary outcome was symptom improvement. Pre- and post-operative questionnaires were used to assess dysphagia (PEDI-EAT-10) and respiratory symptoms (PEDI-TBM-7). Paired t-test and Fisher’s exact test were used to analyse symptom resolution. Secondary outcomes included perioperative outcomes, complications, and length of stay.

RESULTS: Twenty children, median age 2 years (IQR 1-11), were included. All presented with swallowing symptoms, and 14 (70%) also experienced respiratory symptoms. Statistically significant improvements in symptoms were reported for both respiratory and swallowing symptoms. Paired (pre- and post-op) PEDI-EAT-10 and PEDI-TBM-7 scores were obtained for nine patients, resulting in mean (± SD) scores decreasing (improvement in symptoms) from 19.9 (± 9.3) to 2.4 (± 2.5) p = 0.001, and 8.7 (± 4.7) to 2.8 (± 4.0) p = 0.006, respectively. Reoperation was required in one patient due to persistent dysphagia from an oesophageal stricture. Other complications included lymphatic drainage (n = 4) and transient left vocal cord hypomobility (n = 1).

CONCLUSION: Children with a left aortic arch with aberrant right subclavian artery can present with oesophageal and respiratory symptoms beyond solid food dysphagia. A thorough multidisciplinary evaluation is imperative to identify patients who can benefit from surgical repair, which appears to be safe and effective.

PMID:39421900 | DOI:10.1017/S1047951124026519

Cephalalgia. 2024 Oct;44(10):3331024241289930. doi: 10.1177/03331024241289930.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Migraine, a condition affecting 12% of the population, is a prevalent cause of disability, significantly impacts individuals during their most productive working years. Several studies have established that a migraine patient’s job performance is often limited by absenteeism and presenteeism. The present study aimed to investigate the impact of migraines on occupational burnout, which affects up to 40% of workers.

METHODS: A subset of participants from the Negev Migraine Cohort, including both migraine patients and non-migraine controls, were asked to complete the study questionnaire. The main exposures of interest were migraine diagnosis and severity. The primary outcome was occupational burnout. Migraine severity and associated disability were evaluated using the Migraine Disability Assessment (MIDAS) score, psychiatric comorbidities using the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale – 21 Items (DASS-21) scale and occupational burnout using the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI-GS version) scale. Statistical analyses included multivariable quantile regression models to identify associations and adjust for potential confounders.

RESULTS: In total, 675 migraine patients and 232 non-migraine participants participated in the study. Migraine patients exhibited higher rates of depression (mean DASS-21: 0.864 vs. 0.664, standardized mean difference (SMD) = 0.262), tended to work longer hours (median weekly hours: 40.0 vs. 36.0, SMD = 0.148) and expressed a preference for remote work (20.3% vs. 10.3%, SMD = 0.097). Migraine patients reported significantly higher levels of occupational burnout (mean burnout score: 3.46 vs. 2.82, SMD = 0.469). Controlling for depression, anxiety and stress, migraine diagnosis (25th percentile estimate = 0.67, p = 0.002, 75th percentile estimate = 0.92, p = 0.032) and migraine severity (estimates: 2.2-5.3, p < 0.001 for all) were associated with higher levels of occupational burnout.

CONCLUSIONS: Migraine diagnosis and severity is associated with an occupational burnout, after controlling for various psychological and work-related factors. The findings underscore the need for workplace adjustments to support migraine patients’ participation in the work market.

PMID:39421886 | DOI:10.1177/03331024241289930

J Anim Ecol. 2024 Oct 18. doi: 10.1111/1365-2656.14202. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Three-dimensional (3D) vegetation structure influences animal movements and, consequently, ecosystem functions. Animals disperse the seeds of 60%-90% of trees in tropical rainforests, which are among the most structurally complex ecosystems on Earth. Here, we investigated how 3D rainforest structure influences the movements of large, frugivorous birds and resulting spatial patterns of seed dispersal. We GPS-tracked white-thighed (Bycanistes albotibialis) and black-casqued hornbills (Ceratogymna atrata) in a study area surveyed by light detection and ranging (LiDAR) in southern Cameroon. We found that both species preferred areas of greater canopy height and white-thighed hornbill preferred areas of greater vertical complexity. In addition, 33% of the hornbills preferred areas close to canopy gaps, while 16.7% and 27.8% avoided large and small gaps, respectively. White-thighed hornbills avoided swamp habitats, while black-casqued increased their preference for swamps during the hottest temperatures. We mapped spatial probabilities of seed dispersal by hornbills, showing that 3D structural attributes shape this ecological process by influencing hornbill behaviour. These results provide evidence of a possible feedback loop between rainforest vegetation structure and seed dispersal by animals. Interactions between seed dispersers and vegetation structure described here are essential for understanding ecosystem functions in tropical rainforests and critical for predicting how rainforests respond to anthropogenic impacts.

PMID:39421883 | DOI:10.1111/1365-2656.14202

Front Med (Lausanne). 2024 Oct 3;11:1324939. doi: 10.3389/fmed.2024.1324939. eCollection 2024.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Social networks formed through social media platforms have facilitated knowledge sharing among primary health care professionals (PHCPs). However, the impact of these networks on PHCPs’ job performance and the mediating role of knowledge sharing remain underexplored. This study aimed to investigate the association between social networks formed via social media and the job performance of PHCPs, and to explore the mediating role of knowledge sharing in this association.

METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was carried out among PHCPs in Henan Province, China, involving 655 valid responses. Validated scales measured the key variables, and structural equation modeling (SEM) tested the proposed hypotheses, including the mediating effect of knowledge sharing through bootstrap method. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 24.0 and AMOS 24.0.

RESULTS: The degree centrality (β = 0.225; p = 0.001) and network heterogeneity (β = 0.093; p = 0.043) of the social network had a significant direct association with job performance, whereas the direct associations of betweenness centrality and network tie strength with job performance were not significant. Knowledge sharing mediated the relationship between degree centrality (β = 0.147; p = 0.001), network heterogeneity (β = 0.251; p = 0.043), and job performance.

CONCLUSION: The study revealed the internal mechanisms by which social network characteristics influence PHCPs’ job performance, highlighting the mediating role of knowledge sharing. Social networks formed within social media contexts have multifaceted effects on job performance, with knowledge sharing as a critical mediating variable. These findings underscore the importance of leveraging social media for professional networking and knowledge exchange to enhance PHCPs’ job performance.

PMID:39421871 | PMC:PMC11484415 | DOI:10.3389/fmed.2024.1324939

Front Med (Lausanne). 2024 Oct 3;11:1436866. doi: 10.3389/fmed.2024.1436866. eCollection 2024.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most incident and the second most lethal malignant tumor. Despite the recognized association between obesity and CRC, further clarification is necessary regarding the lipids that are overexpressed during the development of CRC. In this scenario, the combination of metabolomics and a three-dimensional (3D) co-culture model involving CRC tumor cells and lipids can enhance the knowledge of energy metabolism modifications at the cross-talk between colorectal cancer and adipocytes. This study aimed to screen potential metabolites in the three dimensional (3D) co-culture of CRC and adipocytes by investigating the metabolome composition of this co-culture released into the extracellular space, which is known as the secretome.

METHODS: Pre-adipocyte cells (3T3-L1), human colon carcinoma (HT-29), and the 3D co-culture (3T3-L1 + HT-29) were cultured for the secretome obtention. Then, ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS) was employed to analyze the metabolomics of each secretome.

RESULTS: Overall, 3.731 molecules were detected independent of the cell culture. When comparing the three cultures, 105 molecules presented a statistically significant difference in abundance between groups. Among these molecules, 16 were identified, with a particular emphasis on six lipids (PG 20:0, octadecenal, 3-Hydroxytetracosanoyl-CoA, 9,10-dihydroxy-octadecenoic acid, palmitoleic acid, and PA 18:4) and one amino acid derivative (acetylglutamic acid), which presented significant scores during the partial least-squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA).

DISCUSSION: Although it is too early to determine the possible impact of such molecules in a CRC microenvironment, these results open new avenues for further studies on the energy metabolism at the cross-talk of colorectal cancer adipocytes.

PMID:39421865 | PMC:PMC11484090 | DOI:10.3389/fmed.2024.1436866

Ann Appl Stat. 2024 Sep;18(3):1840-1857. doi: 10.1214/23-aoas1859. Epub 2024 Aug 5.

ABSTRACT

Understanding how genetic variation affects gene expression is essential for a complete picture of the functional pathways that give rise to complex traits. Although numerous studies have established that many genes are differentially expressed in distinct human tissues and cell types, no tools exist for identifying the genes whose expression is differentially regulated. Here we introduce DRAB (differential regulation analysis by bootstrapping), a gene-based method for testing whether patterns of genetic regulation are significantly different between tissues or other biological contexts. DRAB first leverages the elastic net to learn context-specific models of local genetic regulation and then applies a novel bootstrap-based model comparison test to check their equivalency. Unlike previous model comparison tests, our proposed approach can determine whether population-level models have equal predictive performance by accounting for the variability of feature selection and model training. We validated DRAB on mRNA expression data from a variety of human tissues in the Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) Project. DRAB yielded biologically reasonable results and had sufficient power to detect genes with tissue-specific regulatory profiles while effectively controlling false positives. By providing a framework that facilitates the prioritization of differentially regulated genes, our study enables future discoveries on the genetic architecture of molecular phenotypes.

PMID:39421855 | PMC:PMC11484521 | DOI:10.1214/23-aoas1859

Front Psychol. 2024 Oct 3;15:1407433. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1407433. eCollection 2024.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: The educational system in Costa Rica, as regulated by Law #7727, which governs Alternative Conflict Resolution and Promotion of Social Peace must consider the interplay of various factors influencing classroom conflicts and the management strategies employed by teachers. Consequently, it becomes imperative to identify the most effective conflict resolution practices applicable within this context. To achieve this, a thorough procedure based on mixed methods was employed to analyze and interpret both classroom conflict behaviors and teachers’ strategic responses.

METHOD: This study employed an indirect observational methodology, from a mixed methods approach. Data was collected through a focus group comprised of teachers. Following the connect framework, the procedure was conducted in three phases: QUAL-QUAN-QUAL. Two analytical techniques were implemented. A lag sequential analysis was used to explore potential behavioral patterns. The results of this analysis informed a polar coordinate analysis, which generated a visual representation of the relationships between codes.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: A focus group addressed four questions, yielding satisfactory data quality control results (kappa values: 0.80, 0.77, 0.76, 0.82). In polar coordinate analysis, the 37 observational instrument categories were designated as focal behaviors. Each of the 37 analyses treated all categories as conditioned behaviors. The analysis identified 342 activation/inhibition relationships between focal and conditioned behaviors. Of these, 195 were statistically highly significant, distributed across quadrants: Quadrant I (106), Quadrant II (36), Quadrant III (16), Quadrant IV (36). Significant gaps in understanding of conflict were identified, along with disparities in the resources and competencies necessary for successful conflict resolution among the observed educators. Specifically, teachers frequently employed techniques informed by intuition rather than deliberate strategy learned in their training. Consequently, the study advocates for enhancing teachers’ cognitive and emotional competencies to optimize conflict management within the classroom and bolster their adaptive coping mechanisms.

PMID:39421838 | PMC:PMC11483860 | DOI:10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1407433

Front Psychol. 2024 Oct 3;15:1420834. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1420834. eCollection 2024.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: The mental health of populations is usually affected after a disaster event. However, it is not known what the level of mental health of Chinese population 1 year after COVID-19, nor what factors influence it.

AIM: This study aimed to examine the mental health status of general population in Chengdu 1 year after COVID-19, and then analyse influencing factors.

METHOD: This study is a cross-sectional survey based on the SCL-90 questionnaire. Continuous data were described as M and SD, and counting data were described as frequencies(n) and percentages (%). Chi-square test or Fisher’s exact test were used for statistical inference, and significance variables were included in the binary logistic regression equation for multivariate analysis.

RESULTS: There were 172 participants with positive screening results. Age, marital status, number of kids, self-perceived health and the presence of chronic disease had an effect on screening results. Logistic regression analysis showed that age and self-perceived health were the main influencing factors.

DISCUSSION: Young people aged 18-19 and those who consider themselves not very healthy were at higher risk of poor mental health 1 year after the COVID-19 outbreak.

IMPACT STATEMENT: Community institutions and community workers should focus on the mental health status of people 1 year after COVID-19, with a focus on people with poor self-perceived health and younger age groups, and take early preventive measures.

PMID:39421837 | PMC:PMC11484628 | DOI:10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1420834

Front Public Health. 2024 Oct 3;12:1425904. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1425904. eCollection 2024.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: In the sanitation sector, occupational injuries among sanitary workers (SWs) are prevalent due to hazardous working conditions and poor environmental surroundings. Despite the significant risks faced by these workers, the issue has received limited attention, and no comprehensive global meta-analysis on occupational injuries among sanitary workers has been conducted to date.

OBJECTIVE: In this study, we aimed to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of occupational injuries among sanitary workers globally from 2000 to 2023.

METHODS: The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines were followed for the screening process, and the Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome and Study (PICOS) framework was to formulate search questions. Published articles from 2000 to 2023 were retrieved using various search engines. The keywords used were as follows: “Occupation Job Injuries” *OR “Work Injuries” *OR “Occupational Injuries” AND “Sanitary workers” (“Street sweepers” [SS] *OR “health facilities cleaners” [HCFC]) *OR “Solid waste collectors” [SWCs] *OR “Sewage workers” [STW] were used. Data analysis was performed using Stata Version 17MP. The overall effect size was calculated using the random-effects model combined with the restricted maximum likelihood (REML) approach, known as the Random-Effect REML Model. A 95% confidence interval (CI: 95%) was applied, and a p-value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

RESULTS: Studies were sourced from PubMed (n = 34), Medline (n = 39), Embase (n = 23), Global Health (n = 37), other databases (n = 54), and review studies (n = 10), resulting in a total of 197 studies. Of these, only 23 studies fully met the inclusion criteria. Among 8,138 sanitary workers (SWs), 4,469 (55%) were solid waste collectors (SWCs), 2,317 (28%) were street sweepers (SS), 1,144 (14%) were health facility cleaners (HCFC), and 208 (3%) were a combination of SS and SWCs. Globally, the pooled prevalence of occupational injuries among SWs was 36.49% (95%CI: 0.29-0.45). Specifically, 39.14% (95%CI: 0.24-0.53) prevalence was observed in high-income countries, while 35.22% (95%CI: 0.36-0.44) was reported in low-income countries. Year-by-year analysis showed a prevalence of 36.70% (95%CI:0.28-0.46) from 2001 to 2015 and 36.45% (95% CI:0.25-0.48) from 2016 to 2022. The overall heterogeneity of the studies was substantial, with an I-squared value of 90.03% and a heterogeneity index of 214.43 (p < 0.05), indicating statistically significant heterogeneity among the eligible studies.

CONCLUSION: This systematic review and meta-analysis revealed that sanitation and hygiene workers face an increased risk of occupational injuries, largely due to insufficient attention to occupational safety and health services in their work environments. To mitigate these risks, the review recommends policy amendments, national regulations, and international initiatives aimed at improving occupational health and safety (OHS) services for these workers. These measures are crucial for reducing the prevalence of work-related injuries in the sanitation sector.

PMID:39421826 | PMC:PMC11483865 | DOI:10.3389/fpubh.2024.1425904