Tag: pubmed

J Nerv Ment Dis. 2023 Oct 20. doi: 10.1097/NMD.0000000000001721. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

A Cultural Formulation Interview (CFI) field trial in India, widely reported racist violence in the United States, and casteist and religious communal conflicts in India highlighted inattention to structural issues affecting mental health problems in the Outline for Cultural Formulation (OCF) and the CFI in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (Fifth Edition). Consequently, we revised the OCF as a sociocultural formulation (SCF) to better consider structures of society and culture. We studied and compared clinicians’ ratings of SCF case formulations from a constructed assessment instrument (SCF Interview [SCFI]) and the CFI. Socio-cultural formulations from SCFI interviews were rated higher for details of societal structural impact, and overall interrater agreement was better. CFI interviews were rated higher for clinical rapport. Revision of the CFI should enhance consideration of structural issues and incorporate them in SCFs that better integrate assessment process and case formulation content. The need to acknowledge structural sources of mental health problems is clear, and our study indicates how a sociocultural framework may be used for that.

PMID:37874984 | DOI:10.1097/NMD.0000000000001721

Clin Exp Dermatol. 2023 Oct 24:llad359. doi: 10.1093/ced/llad359. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Psoriasis is associated with cardiometabolic comorbidities, including obesity, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, and hypertension. Many studies that established these associations originated from primarily White and/or relatively affluent populations. To evaluate whether there is differential risk for cardiometabolic comorbidities in racial/ethnic minorities, we performed a cross-sectional analysis comparing cardiometabolic comorbidities between those with and without psoriasis in a racially and ethnically diverse population of 56,987 low-income patients, stratified by race/ethnicity, and assessed whether race/ethnicity acts as an effect modifier for cardiometabolic comorbidities. We found that psoriasis was statistically significantly associated with obesity, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, and hypertension. The association of psoriasis with comorbidities did not differ significantly by race/ethnicity; thus, we did not find evidence of effect modification. However, our diverse, low-income population had an extremely high baseline prevalence of cardiometabolic comorbidities compared with previous populations studied. Our results suggest education and intervention regarding modifiable risk factors are particularly important among vulnerable populations.

PMID:37874979 | DOI:10.1093/ced/llad359

Menopause. 2023 Oct 24. doi: 10.1097/GME.0000000000002269. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to examine the effects of therapeutic touch (TT) and music on sleep quality, menopausal symptoms, and quality of life in menopausal women.

METHODS: This study was carried out in an experimental model with a pretest, a posttest, and a control group. The study was completed with a total of 108 menopausal women in the TT, music, and control groups. Data were collected using a Participant Information Form, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, the Menopause Rating Scale, and the Menopause-Specific Quality of Life Scale. TT was applied in the TT group once a week for 4 weeks, and the music group was asked to listen to music for 30 minutes before bedtime every day for 4 weeks. Posttest data were collected in all groups 4 weeks after the pretest. The χ2, analysis of covariance, post hoc tests, and partial η2 methods were used to analyze the collected data.

RESULTS: When the effect of the pretest scores was adjusted, compared with the control group, there were statistically significant differences in the posttest scores of the participants in both the TT and music groups in the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index dimensions of subjective sleep quality (P < 0.001), sleep latency (P ≤ 0.001), and sleep disturbances (P < 0.05). When the effect of the pretest scores was adjusted, compared with the control group, there were statistically significant differences in the posttest scores of the participants in both the TT and music groups in the Menopause Rating Scale and Menopause-Specific Quality of Life Scale (P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS: It was concluded that TT and music increased sleep quality (subjective sleep quality, sleep latency, and sleep disturbances) and quality of life and reduced menopausal symptoms.

PMID:37874963 | DOI:10.1097/GME.0000000000002269

J Occup Environ Hyg. 2023 Oct 24:1-11. doi: 10.1080/15459624.2023.2267098. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

The NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards is a trusted resource that displays key information for a collection of chemicals commonly encountered in the workplace. Entries contain chemical structures, occupational exposure limit information ranging from limits based on full-shift time-weighted averages to acute limits such as short-term exposure limits and immediately dangerous to life or health values, as well as a variety of other data such as chemical-physical properties and symptoms of exposure. The NIOSH Pocket Guide (NPG) is available as a printed, hardcopy book, a PDF version, an electronic database, and a downloadable application for mobile phones. All formats of the NIOSH Pocket Guide allow users to access the data for each chemical separately, however, the guide does not support data analytics or visualization across chemicals. This project reformatted existing data in the NPG to make it searchable and compatible with exploration and analysis using a web application. The resulting application allows users to investigate the relationships between occupational exposure limits, the range and distribution of occupational exposure limits, and specialized sorting of chemicals by health endpoint or to summarize information of particular interest. These tasks would have previously required manual extraction of the data and analysis. The usability of this application was evaluated among industrial hygienists and researchers and while the existing application seems most relevant to researchers, the open-source code and data are amenable to modification by users to increase customization.

PMID:37874933 | DOI:10.1080/15459624.2023.2267098

Int J Climatol. 2023 Jul 12. doi: 10.1002/joc.8160. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Combined heat and humidity is frequently described as the main driver of human heat-related mortality, more so than dry-bulb temperature alone. While based on physiological thinking, this assumption has not been robustly supported by epidemiological evidence. By performing the first systematic comparison of eight heat stress metrics (i.e., temperature combined with humidity and other climate variables) with warm-season mortality, in 604 locations over 39 countries, we find that the optimal metric for modelling mortality varies from country to country. Temperature metrics with no or little humidity modification associates best with mortality in ~40% of the studied countries. Apparent temperature (combined temperature, humidity and wind speed) dominates in another 40% of countries. There is no obvious climate grouping in these results. We recommend, where possible, that researchers use the optimal metric for each country. However, dry-bulb temperature performs similarly to humidity-based heat stress metrics in estimating heat-related mortality in present-day climate.

PMID:37874919 | PMC:PMC10410159 | DOI:10.1002/joc.8160

Blood Adv. 2023 Oct 24:bloodadvances.2023011389. doi: 10.1182/bloodadvances.2023011389. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Deleterious germline variants in DDX41 are a common cause of genetic predisposition to hematological malignancies, particularly myelodysplastic neoplasms (MDS) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Targeted next generation sequencing (NGS) was performed on large cohort of sequential patients with myeloid malignancy covering DDX41 as well as 30 other genes frequently mutated in myeloid malignancy. Whole genome transcriptome sequencing data was analyzed on a separate cohort of patients with a range of hematological malignancies to investigate the spectrum of cancer predisposition. 5737 patients with myeloid malignancies were studied with 152 different DDX41 variants detected. Multiple novel variants were detected, including synonymous variants affecting splicing as demonstrated by RNA-sequencing. The presence of a somatic DDX41 variant was highly associated with DDX41 germline variants in MDS and AML patients and we developed a statistical approach to incorporate the co-occurrence of a somatic DDX41 variant into germline variant classification at a “very strong” level (ACMG). Using this approach, the MDS cohort contained 3.8% (108/2865) patients with germline likely pathogenic/pathogenic (LP/P) variants and the AML cohort 4.9% (106/2157). DDX41 LP/P variants were markedly enriched in patients with AML and MDS compared to patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN), B-cell neoplasm and T- or B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. In summary we have developed a framework to enhance DDX41 variant curation as well as highlighted the importance of assessment of all types of genomic variants (including synonymous and multi-exon deletions) in order to fully detect the landscape of possible clinically relevant DDX41 variants.

PMID:37874914 | DOI:10.1182/bloodadvances.2023011389

Chaos. 2023 Oct 1;33(10):103135. doi: 10.1063/5.0166846.

ABSTRACT

A variety of nonlinear models of biological systems generate complex chaotic behaviors that contrast with biological homeostasis, the observation that many biological systems prove remarkably robust in the face of changing external or internal conditions. Motivated by the subtle dynamics of cell activity in a crustacean central pattern generator (CPG), this paper proposes a refinement of the notion of chaos that reconciles homeostasis and chaos in systems with multiple timescales. We show that systems displaying relaxation cycles while going through chaotic attractors generate chaotic dynamics that are regular at macroscopic timescales and are, thus, consistent with physiological function. We further show that this relative regularity may break down through global bifurcations of chaotic attractors such as crises, beyond which the system may also generate erratic activity at slow timescales. We analyze these phenomena in detail in the chaotic Rulkov map, a classical neuron model known to exhibit a variety of chaotic spike patterns. This leads us to propose that the passage of slow relaxation cycles through a chaotic attractor crisis is a robust, general mechanism for the transition between such dynamics. We validate this numerically in three other models: a simple model of the crustacean CPG neural network, a discrete cubic map, and a continuous flow.

PMID:37874881 | DOI:10.1063/5.0166846

PLoS One. 2023 Oct 24;18(10):e0275374. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0275374. eCollection 2023.

ABSTRACT

The durability of dental restorations is highly determined by an accurate marginal fit, which is in turn affected by the high temperature of porcelain firing. Information is inadequate about the marginal adaptation of metal-ceramic restorations fabricated by soft metal milling technologies after repeated firings. This study aimed to compare the effect of repeated ceramic firings on the marginal fit of copings fabricated from cobalt-chromium through soft metal milling and a conventional nickel-chromium casting alloy. A single standard brass die was designed, machined, and scanned, based on which, 20 frameworks were designed and fabricated through either soft metal milling or conventional casting (n = 10 per group) and porcelain veneered. The vertical marginal fit of the metal copings was measured after 3, 5, and 7 firing cycles by using a digital microscope on 16 points around the finish line of the metal die at ×80 magnification. The data were analyzed through repeated measures ANOVA and independent t-test (α = 0.05). The marginal fit of neither metal group was significantly affected by the number of firing cycles (P = 0.747). However, the marginal discrepancy was statistically lower in the soft metal milling group than that in the casting group (P<0.001). Repeated porcelain firings did not significantly affect the marginal fit of either alloy and remained within the clinically acceptable range after firings. However, the milled alloy had superior marginal fit regardless of the number of firing cycles.

PMID:37874843 | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0275374

PLoS One. 2023 Oct 24;18(10):e0293251. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0293251. eCollection 2023.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: To inform preparedness and population health action, we need to understand the effects of COVID-19 on health inequities. In this study, we assess the impact of COVID-19 on opioid toxicity deaths among people who experience incarceration compared to others in the general population in Ontario, Canada.

METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study for the period of January 1, 2015 to December 31, 2020. We accessed and linked coronial data on all opioid toxicity deaths in Ontario with correctional data for people aged 18 years and older who were incarcerated in a provincial correctional facility. We used data from the Statistics Canada Census to calculate whole population rates. We used an interrupted time series design and segmented regression to assess for change in the level or rate of increase in deaths due to opioid toxicity coinciding with the COVID-19 pandemic. We compared the impact of COVID-19 on the opioid toxicity death rates for people exposed and not exposed to incarceration.

RESULTS: Rates of opioid toxicity death increased with a linear positive slope in both persons exposed to incarceration and those not exposed over the study period. The start of COVID-19 measures coincided with a marked upward shift in the trend lines with modification of the effect of COVID-19 by both sex and exposure to incarceration. For persons exposed to incarceration, the risk ratio (RR) was 1.50 (95%CI 1.35-1.69) for males and 1.21 (95%CI 1.06-1.42) for females, and for persons not exposed to incarceration, the RR was 1.25 (95%CI 1.13-1.38) for males and not significant for females.

CONCLUSIONS: COVID-19 substantially exacerbated the risk of opioid toxicity death, impacting males and females who experienced incarceration more than those who had not, with an immediate stepwise increase in risk but no change in the rate of increase of risk over time. Public health work, including pandemic preparedness, should consider the specific needs and circumstances of people who experience incarceration.

PMID:37874825 | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0293251

PLoS One. 2023 Oct 24;18(10):e0288543. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0288543. eCollection 2023.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Early maladaptive schemas (EMSs) have been theorised to contribute to reoccurring interpersonal problems. This study developed a novel experimental paradigm that aimed to assess if EMSs moderate the impact of interpersonal situations on interpersonal responses by manipulating the degree of rejection in a series of interpersonal vignettes depicting acceptance, ambiguous rejection and rejection.

METHOD: In a sample of 158 first-year psychology students (27.2% male; 72.2% female; 0.6% other) participant responses to interpersonal scenarios were measured including degree of perceived rejection, emotional distress, conviction in varying cognitive appraisals consistent with attribution theory and behavioural responses to scenarios. Qualitative data was analysed using inductive content analysis and statistical analyses were conducted using multi-level mixed effect linear and logistic regression models using the software Jamovi.

RESULTS: People reporting higher EMSs reported increased emotional distress (F(1, 156) = 24.85, p < .001), perceptions of rejection (F(1, 156) = 34.33, p < .001), self-blame (F(1, 156) = 53.25, p < .001), other-blame (F(1, 156) = 13.16, p < .001) and more intentional (F(1, 156) = 9.24, p = .003), stable (F(1, 156) = 25.22, p < .001) and global (F(1, 156) = 19.55, p < .001) attributions but no differences in reported behavioural responses. The results also supported that EMSs moderate the relationship between interpersonal rejection and perceptions of rejection (F(2, 1252) = 18.43, p < .001), emotional distress (F(2, 1252) = 12.64, p < .001) and self-blame (F(2, 1252) = 14.00, p < .001).

CONCLUSION: Together these findings suggest that people with EMSs experience increased distress and select negative cognitions in situations where there are higher levels of rejection but that distress and negative cognitions are generally higher in people with EMSs irrespective of the situation.

PMID:37874818 | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0288543