Tag: pubmed

Ann Plast Surg. 2024 Dec 18. doi: 10.1097/SAP.0000000000004186. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: YouTube has become a popular source of health information, including plastic surgery. Given the platform’s wide reach and potential influence on patient decisions, this study aimed to assess the quality of information available on YouTube for African audiences seeking plastic surgery procedures.

METHODS: This cross-sectional study extracted data from YouTube videos on plastic surgery relevant to Africa. A search strategy identified videos in English using keywords. The first 50 results for each term were included, with duplicates removed. Next, the metadata of videos published from inception to June 9, 2024, were extracted. Two reviewers independently assessed videos using standardized tools to evaluate reliability (modified DISCERN and JAMA criteria) and engagement (likes-to-views ratio [LVR] and comments-to-views ratio [CVR]). The Mann-Whitney U test was used for unadjusted bivariable comparisons. Then ordinal logistic and beta regression analyses were used to evaluate the primary (modified DISCERN and JAMA scores) and secondary (LVR and CVR) outcomes, with a statistical significance level set at 0.05.

RESULTS: Eight hundred ninety-seven plastic surgery videos were analyzed, and 3.9% were published by African entities. Large subscriber count (coefficient = -6.9e-8, 95% confidence interval [CI] [-1.13e-7, -2.9e-8], P = 0.001), African-authored (coefficient = -0.85, 95% CI [-1.44, -0.25], P = 0.005), and advertising (coefficient = -1.01, 95% CI [-1.63, -0.57], P < 0.001) videos had lower modified DISCERN scores. Advertising videos equally had lower JAMA scores (coefficient = -1.29, 95% CI [-1.83, -0.74], P < 0.001). Academic videos had lower LVR (coefficient = -0.48, 95% CI [-0.66, -0.30], P < 0.001), whereas independent videos had higher LVR (coefficient = 0.40, 95% CI [0.26, 0.54], P < 0.001). Academic videos had lower CVR (coefficient = -0.40, 95% CI [-0.67, -0.13], P = 0.003), whereas videos with other purposes had higher CVR (coefficient = 0.37, 95% CI [0.10, 0.64], P = 0.007).

CONCLUSIONS: This study underscores a potential disparity in the quality of online plastic surgery information based on video sources and purposes.

PMID:39729548 | DOI:10.1097/SAP.0000000000004186

PLoS One. 2024 Dec 27;19(12):e0314940. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0314940. eCollection 2024.

ABSTRACT

AIM: This study evaluated the smear layer removal provided by conventional, sonic, and ultrasonic irrigation techniques.

METHODOLOGY: Forty extracted human mandibular first premolars were selected and instrumented using the ProTaper Next System files and 2.5% sodium hypochlorite. Afterward, they were divided into 4 groups (n. 10) according to the irrigation technique used to perform the final irrigation with a chelating solution (17% EDTA): conventional irrigation (CI), passive ultrasonic irrigation (PUI), EndoActivator System (EAS), and Perfect Clean System (PCS). The smear layer removal was determined through a score after evaluating scanning electron microscope images (1.000x) obtained at 1, 5, 8, and 12mm from the working length (WL). Statistical analyses were carried out by the Kruskal-Wallis and Dunn’s tests with a significance level of 5% (P < 0.05).

RESULTS: All irrigation techniques were unable to promote an effective smear layer removal at 1mm from the WL in comparison with the other locations (P < .05). At 5, 8, and 12mm from the WL, no statistically significant differences were observed among CI, PUI, EAS, and PCS (P > 0.05). At 12mm from the WL, statistically significant differences were only identified after comparing PCS and CI (P < .05).

CONCLUSION: The smear layer removal was only efficient at 5, 8, and 12 from the WL with no significant statistical differences among CI, PUI, EAS, and PCS (P > 0.05).

PMID:39729517 | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0314940

PLoS One. 2024 Dec 27;19(12):e0313340. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0313340. eCollection 2024.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Participants’ satisfaction is an important factor in securing competitiveness in clinical trials. In many industries, such as healthcare, customer service quality has been analyzed to increase customer satisfaction. However, no study so far has attempted to measure participants’ perceptions of service quality in the clinical trial area and identify its effect on participant satisfaction.

OBJECTIVE: This study examined the experiences and perceptions of clinical trial participants in terms of service quality and identified the factors that impact participant satisfaction in clinical trials.

METHODS: This study used a cross-sectional descriptive and explanatory research design. Data were collected from March 29 to May 26, 2023, via a survey. The survey was conducted with 206 adults participating in clinical trials at two hospitals in Korea. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, independent t-tests, one-way ANOVA, Pearson’s correlation, and multiple linear regression analysis.

RESULTS: Participants’ perceptions of the service quality and their satisfaction in clinical trials were generally positive. The variables that significantly predicted participant satisfaction in clinical trials included quality of interaction with researchers, physical environment, performance results in clinical trials, changes in health status after participating in the trial, and consideration of discontinuing the trial.

CONCLUSIONS: Participants’ perception of the service quality significantly affected their satisfaction in clinical trials. Thus, all components of service quality should be considered in the overall clinical trial process to increase participants’ satisfaction.

PMID:39729511 | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0313340

PLoS One. 2024 Dec 27;19(12):e0315121. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0315121. eCollection 2024.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: A minimum acceptable diet for children aged 6-23 months is limited globally, with Ethiopia’s proportion reducing to one in nine. This study was aimed to assess the prevalence of the minimum acceptable diet and associated factors among children aged 6-23 months in Dera town, Oromia, Ethiopia.

METHODS: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted. Systematic random sampling techniques were used to select the study subjects. The data was coded, entered into Epi-Info version 7, and then exported to SPSS version 24 for analysis. The variance inflation factor and tolerance test are used to check multicollinearity. Descriptive statistics of frequency (%) were used. Hosmer and Lemeshow’s goodness-of-fit test at a P-value > 0.05 is considered the model fit. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were computed with a 95% confidence interval, and a P-value < 0.05 was, considered statistically significant.

RESULTS: A total of 430 study subjects were included in this study. The prevalence of a minimum acceptable diet was 36.5% (95% confidence interval (CI): 32, 41%). In the adjusted model, mothers attaining a primary school (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 2.7, 95%CI: 1.3, 4.8), college and above education (AOR = 4.3, 95%CI: 1.4, 13), child age between 12-17 months (AOR = 6.2, 95%CI: 2.80, 13.50) and 18-23 months (AOR = 4.61, 95%CI: 2.04, 10.40), ANC visit four or more (AOR = 2.0, 95%CI: 1.2, 3.4), and not feeding breast (AOR = 0.15, 95% CI: 0.07, 0.31) were significantly associated with meeting the minimum acceptable diet.

CONCLUSION: This study showed that the practice of a minimum acceptable diet was low, according to the World Food Program target. Mothers’ educational status, antenatal care visits, age of the child, and breastfeeding were the predictors of the minimum acceptable diet.

PMID:39729498 | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0315121

PLoS One. 2024 Dec 27;19(12):e0316071. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0316071. eCollection 2024.

ABSTRACT

In the business context, effectively responding to negative reviews is critical for a hotel to maintain reputation and customer relations. To explore the linguistic devices employed in addressing guest complaints, a corpus-based study is conducted on the use of interactional metadiscourse and identity construction in responses to negative online reviews of Chinese and British Hotels. Drawing upon the statistical results of the usage of interactional metadiscourse and the analysis of discourse examples, this study delves into the frequency and similarities/differences in the employment of five subcategories of interactional metadiscourse across the respective corpora of 100 responses to negative reviews from hotels in Beijing and hotels in London. Furthermore, the study examines the characteristics and similarities/ differences of the identity construction of manager, communicator, doer and advisor with the use of interactional metadiscourse. The findings reveal that there are significant differences between the two sides in the use of self-mentions, boosters, hedges and positive attitude markers, while there is little difference in the use of engagement markers and negative attitude markers. The most constructed identity by both sides is the communicator, and the least is the adviser, with little difference. The identity of manager is significantly more prevalent in responses from hotels in Beijing, whereas hotel responders in London exhibit a notably greater tendency to construct the identity of doer. The similarities and variances of interactional metadiscourse use and identity construction indicate the two sides’ distinctive priorities in interactions with guests and different cultural values, which provide valuable insights for hotels on the effective use of metadiscourse to construct multiple identities, revealing that the strategically crafted responses play a pivotal role in shaping favorable images, fostering harmonious relationships with customers and promoting sustainable development of the hotels.

PMID:39729493 | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0316071

PLoS One. 2024 Dec 27;19(12):e0316045. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0316045. eCollection 2024.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Further evidence is required regarding the influence of metal mixture exposure on mortality. Therefore, we employed diverse statistical models to evaluate the associations between eight urinary metals and the risks of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality.

METHODS: We measured the levels of 8 metals in the urine of adults who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 1999 to 2018. Based on follow-up data, we determined whether they died and the reasons for their deaths. We estimated the association between urine metal exposure and all-cause mortality using Cox regression, weighted quantile sum (WQS) regression, and Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) models. Additionally, we used a competing risk model to estimate the relationship between metal exposure and cardiovascular mortality.

RESULTS: Among the 14,305 individuals included in our final analysis, there were 2,066 deaths, with 1,429 being cardiovascular-related. Cox regression analysis showed that cobalt (Co) (HR: 1.21; 95% CI: 1.13, 1.30) and antimony (Sb) (HR: 1.26; 95% CI: 1.12, 1.40) were positively associated with all-cause mortality (all P for trend <0.001). In the competing risk model, Co (HR: 1.29; 95% CI: 1.12, 1.48), lead (Pb) (HR: 1.18; 95% CI: 1.03, 1.37), and Sb (HR: 1.44; 95% CI: 1.18, 1.75) were significantly associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular mortality (all P for trend <0.001). Sb, Pb, cadmium (Cd), and molybdenum (Mo) had the highest weight rankings in the final WQS model. All metals showed a complex non-linear relationship with all-cause mortality, with high posterior inclusion probabilities (PIPs) in the final BKMR models.

CONCLUSIONS: Combining all models, it is possible that Sb may have a more stable impact on all-cause and cardiovascular mortality. Meaningful metal effects in individual statistical models still require careful attention.

PMID:39729492 | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0316045

PLoS One. 2024 Dec 27;19(12):e0313042. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0313042. eCollection 2024.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The SARS-CoV-2 virus’s frequent mutations have made disease control with vaccines and antiviral drugs difficult; as a result, there is a need for more effective coronavirus drugs. Therefore, detecting the expression of various diagnostic biomarkers, including ncRNA in SARS-CoV2, implies new therapeutic strategies for the disease.

AIM: Our study aimed to measure NEAT-1, miR-374b-5p, and IL6 in the serum of COVID-19 patients, demonstrating the correlation between target genes to explore the possible relationship between them. Also, the association between target genes and patients’ clinical findings and radiological severity indices will be explored.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: The current study included 48 COVID-19-infected individuals and 40 controls. Quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) was performed to detect lncRNA NEAT-1 and miRNA374b-5p fold change (FC) in the participants’ sera. Enzyme-Linked Immune Sorbent Assay (ELISA) is used to detect IL6.

RESULTS: Our results showed statistical significance with lower levels of (NEAT-1) [ median (range) = 0.08 (0.001-0.602)], and (miR374b-5p) [ median (range) = 0.14 (.01-7.16)] while higher IL-6 levels [ median (range) = 41.3 (7.2-654) pg/ml] when compared to controls with p-value <0.001. Serum level of NEAT-1 correlates negatively with IL-6 level (r = -.317, P = .008). ROC curve analysis revealed that sensitivity and specificity tests for NEAT-1 and IL-6 levels in the diagnosis of cases illustrated a sensitivity of (100% and 97.9%) and a specificity of (85% and 100%) at cut-off values (0.985 and 12.55), respectively. In comparison, miR374b-5p showed sensitivity and specificity of around 85% in distinguishing COVID-19 patients from controls. No significant association was detected between target genes and radiological severity indices.

CONCLUSIONS: Our study is the first to detect decreased NEAT-1 and miR374b-5p expression in COVID-19 patients’ serum. There was also an increase in IL6 levels. There is a negative correlation between NEAT-1 and IL6 in COVID-19 patients.

PMID:39729489 | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0313042

PLoS One. 2024 Dec 27;19(12):e0316261. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0316261. eCollection 2024.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Lung cancer, one of the leading causes of death due to neoplasms, requires prompt diagnosis and immediate treatment. The COVID-19 pandemic affected healthcare systems worldwide, having adverse effects on all aspects, particularly on the fate of patients with suspected neoplastic diseases. Limited access to healthcare, disruptions in regular operations (reassigning roles to some wards), postponed hospital admissions, prolonged diagnostic processes, and other factors have collectively led to the phenomenon known as COVID-19 debt.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: A retrospective analysis covered statistical data concerning the diagnosis of lung cancer obtained from three centres in northern Poland (Olsztyn, Bydgoszcz, Gdansk) and concerning years 2016 to 2022. Relative risks (RR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) for cancer event were calculated. Before the pandemic, these centers prioritized the diagnosis of suspected lung cancer cases, which was subsequently disrupted during the pandemic due to various factors.

RESULTS: The COVID-19 pandemic led to a decrease in diagnosed lung cancer cases, especially in hospitals repurposed for COVID-19 care. A statistically significant trend in lung cancer incidence per 100,000 inhabitants was observed specifically in healthcare centers that maintained normal operations without disruption.

CONCLUSION: The concept of the COVID debt helps explain changes in lung cancer diagnosis during and post-pandemic, highlighting the need for increased public awareness and intensified diagnostic efforts to facilitate earlier disease detection.

PMID:39729487 | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0316261

Schizophr Bull. 2024 Dec 27:sbae176. doi: 10.1093/schbul/sbae176. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND AND HYPOTHESIS: Respective abnormal structural connectivity (SC) and functional connectivity (FC) have been reported in individuals with schizophrenia. However, transmodal associations between SC and FC following antipsychotic treatment, especially in female schizophrenia, remain unclear. We hypothesized that increased SC-FC coupling may be found in female schizophrenia, and could be normalized after antipsychotic treatment.

STUDY DESIGN: Sixty-four female drug-naïve patients with first-diagnosed schizophrenia treated with antipsychotic drugs for 8 weeks, and 55 female healthy controls (HCs) were enrolled. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data were collected from HCs at baseline and from patients at baseline and after treatment. SC and FC were analyzed by network-based statistics, calculating nonzero SC-FC coupling of the whole brain and altered connectivity following treatment. Finally, an Elastic-net logistic regression analysis was employed to establish a predictive model for evaluating the clinical efficacy treatment.

STUDY RESULTS: At baseline, female schizophrenia patients exhibited abnormal SC in cortico-cortical, frontal-limbic, frontal-striatal, limbic-striatal, and limbic-cerebellar connectivity compared to HCs, while FC showed no abnormalities. Following treatment, cortico-cortical, frontal-limbic, frontal-striatal, limbic-striatal, temporal-cerebellar, and limbic-cerebellar connectivity were altered in both SC and FC. Additionally, SC-FC coupling of altered connectivity was higher in patients at baseline than in HC, trending toward normalization after treatment. Furthermore, identified FC or/and SC predicted changes in psychopathological symptoms and cognitive impairment among female schizophrenia following treatment.

CONCLUSIONS: SC-FC coupling may be a potential predictive biomarker of treatment response. Cortico-cortical, frontal-limbic, frontal-striatal, limbic-striatal, temporal-cerebellar, and limbic-cerebellar could represent major targets for antipsychotic drugs in female schizophrenia.

PMID:39729483 | DOI:10.1093/schbul/sbae176

Int J Methods Psychiatr Res. 2025 Mar;34(1):e70011. doi: 10.1002/mpr.70011.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: Heterogeneity of treatment effect (HTE) is a concern in substance use disorder (SUD) treatments but has not been rigorously examined. This exploratory study applied a causal forest approach to examine HTE in psychosocial SUD treatments, considering multiple covariates simultaneously.

METHODS: Data from 12 randomized controlled trials of nine psychosocial treatments were obtained from the National Institute on Drug Abuse Clinical Trials Network. Using causal forests, we estimated the conditional average treatment effect (CATE) on drug abstinence. To assess HTE, we compared CATE variance against total outcome variability, conducted an omnibus test, and applied the Rank-Weighted Average Treatment Effect (RATE).

RESULTS: Across nine interventions, CATE variance was lower than total outcome variability, indicating lack of strong evidence of HTE with respect to the baseline covariates considered. The omnibus test and RATE analysis generally support this finding. However, the RATE analysis identified potential HTE in a motivational interviewing trial; this could be a false positive given the multiple analyses; replication is needed to confirm this.

CONCLUSIONS: While causal forests show utility in exploring HTE in SUD interventions, limited baseline assessments in most trials suggest a cautious interpretation. The RATE findings for motivational interviewing highlight potential subgroup-specific treatment benefits, warranting further research.

PMID:39729473 | DOI:10.1002/mpr.70011