Tag: pubmed

Epigenetics. 2023 Dec;18(1):2268834. doi: 10.1080/15592294.2023.2268834. Epub 2023 Oct 23.

ABSTRACT

The current study was designed to use an epigenome-wide association approach (EWAS) to identify potential systemic DNA methylation alterations that are associated with obesity using 22 discordant twin pairs. Buccal cells (from a cheek swab) were used as a non-obesity relevant purified marker cell for the epigenetic analysis. Analysis of differential DNA methylation regions (DMRs) was used to identify epigenetic associations with metabolic and dietary measures related to obesity with discordant twins. An edgeR analysis provided a DMR signature with p < 1e-04, but statistical significance was reduced due to low sample size and known multiple origins of obesity. A weighted gene coexpression network analysis (WGCNA) was performed and identified modules (p < 0.005) of epigenetic sites that correlated with different metabolic and dietary measures. The DMR and WGCNA epigenetic sites were near genes (e.g., CIDEC, SPP1, ZFPG9, and POMC) with previously identified obesity associated pathways (e.g., metabolism, cholesterol, and fat digestion). Observations demonstrate the feasibility of identifying systemic epigenetic biomarkers for obesity, which can be further investigated for clinical relevance in future research with larger sample sizes. The availability of a systemic epigenetic biomarker for obesity susceptibility may facilitate preventative medicine and clinical management of the disease early in life.

PMID:37871278 | DOI:10.1080/15592294.2023.2268834

ACS Sens. 2023 Oct 23. doi: 10.1021/acssensors.3c01316. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Breath analysis is emerging as a universal diagnostic method for clinical applications. The possibility of breath analysis is being explored vigorously using different analytical techniques. We have designed and assembled a multiwavelength UV photoacoustic spectroscopy (PAS) sensor for the said application. To optimize laser wavelength for sample excitation, photoacoustic signals from disease and normal conditions are recorded with different laser excitations (213, 266, 355, and 532 nm) on exhaled breath samples. Principal component analysis (PCA) of the PA signals has shown that 213, 266, and 355 nm laser excitations are suitable for breath analysis, with reliable descriptive statistics obtained for 266 nm laser. The study has, therefore, been extended for breath samples collected from asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and normal subjects, using 266 nm laser excitation. PCA of the PA data shows good classification among asthma, COPD, and normal subjects. Match/No-match study performed with asthma, COPD, and normal calibration set has demonstrated the potential of using this method for diagnostic application. Sensitivity and specificity are observed as 88 and 89%, respectively. The area under the curve of the ROC curve is found to be 0.948, which justifies the diagnostic capability of the device for lung diseases. The same samples were studied using a commercial E-Nose, and the measurement outcome strongly supports the PAS results.

PMID:37871260 | DOI:10.1021/acssensors.3c01316

Nano Lett. 2023 Oct 23. doi: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.3c02770. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Efficient Auger recombination (AR) presents a significant challenge for the advancement of colloidal quantum dot (QD)-based devices involving multiexcitons. Here, the AR dynamics of near-infrared Ag₂Se QDs were studied through transient absorption experiments. As the QD radius increases from 0.9 to 2.5 nm, the biexciton lifetime (τ₂) of Ag₂Se QDs increases from 35 to 736 ps, which is approximately 10 times longer than that of comparable-sized CdSe and PbSe QDs. A qualitative analysis based on observables indicates that the slow Auger rate is primarily attributed to the low density of the final states. The biexciton lifetime and triexciton lifetime (τ₃) of Ag₂Se QDs follow R³ and R^2.6 dependence, respectively. Moreover, the ratio of τ₂/τ₃ is ∼2.3-3.2, which is markedly lower than the value expected from statistical scaling (4.5). These findings suggest that environmentally friendly Ag₂Se QDs can serve as excellent candidates for low-threshold lasers and third-generation photovoltaics utilizing carrier multiplication.

PMID:37871258 | DOI:10.1021/acs.nanolett.3c02770

Braz J Cardiovasc Surg. 2023 Oct 23;38(5):e20230145. doi: 10.21470/1678-9741-2023-0145.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: In this study, it was aimed to compare the clinical results and complications of rigid titanium plate reinforcement and only conventional wire methods for sternum fixation in morbidly obese patients who underwent sternotomy for open-heart surgery.

METHODS: The study was planned as a retrospective case-control study. Morbidly obese patients who underwent open-heart surgery with median sternotomy between 2011 and 2021 were analyzed retrospectively.

RESULTS: There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in terms of characteristics of the patients (P≥0.05). Sternal dehiscence, sternum revision, wound drainage, and mediastinitis were significantly less common in the titanium plate group (P≤0.05). There was no statistically significant difference between the groups in terms of 30-day mortality (P≥0.05).

CONCLUSION: Rigid titanium plate reinforcement application produced more positive clinical results than only conventional wire application. In addition, it was determined that although the rigid titanium plate application prolonged the operation time, it did not make a significant difference in terms of mortality and morbidity compared to the conventional wire applied group.

PMID:37871255 | DOI:10.21470/1678-9741-2023-0145

Braz J Cardiovasc Surg. 2023 Oct 23;38(5):e2023144. doi: 10.21470/1678-9741-2023-0144.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the risk factors for predicting atrial high-rate episodes (AHREs) detected by cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs).

METHODS: A total of 140 patients with CIED in our hospital from June 2013 to June 2018 were included and were followed up to observe whether they had AHREs. AHRE are defined as atrial rate ≥ 175 times/minute, lasting > 5 minutes, and reviewed by an experienced electrophysiologist with unclear clinical diagnosis. The patients fasted for 12 hours after implantation, and blood samples were collected for biochemical, lipid, and whole blood count detection. Follow-up was regular after discharge to record follow-up data of each patient and conduct statistical analysis.

RESULTS: One hundred and forty patients were implanted with dual-chamber pacemakers, their median age was 70 years old, 44.29% were male, 27 patients had AHRE within one year, and AHRE incidence rate was 19.29%. The microcytic to hypochromic (M/H) ratio was calculated for all AHRE patients and compared with the patients without AHRE; the M/H value of AHRE patients was significantly higher. Throughout the entire follow-up period, a total of 44 patients developed AHRE; when adjusted by multivariate analysis, only M/H ratio ≥ 4.5 vs. < 4.5 had statistical significance, and the adjusted hazard ratio value was 4.313 (1.675-11.105).

CONCLUSION: As an indicator, M/H ratio may play an important role in the occurrence and development of atrial fibrillation and can be used as a predictor of AHRE in patients with CIED.

PMID:37871254 | DOI:10.21470/1678-9741-2023-0144

Food Addit Contam Part A Chem Anal Control Expo Risk Assess. 2023 Oct 23:1-11. doi: 10.1080/19440049.2023.2271978. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Food additives are ingredients added to food and beverages in order to modify physical, chemical, biological or sensory characteristics, contributing to the development of products that are safer and more convenient and attractive. Although they are widely used by food industries, little is known about the distribution of the food additives currently employed in products marketed in Brazil. Therefore, this study aimed to use labelling information of commercial food and beverages in order to identify the substances currently used by the Brazilian industry. For this, 3300 labels of 426 food items described in the Personal Food Consumption module of the Household Budget Survey (POF 2017/2018) of the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) were searched on websites of supermarket chains and food companies as well as by visits to commercial establishments. According to the ingredient lists of the evaluated samples, 186 distinct food additives were identified. The average number of declared substances per product was between 4 and 5, with most of the labels indicating the presence of 2 or 3 additives. Considering the identified substances, 93 had an Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) not specified or not limited and 89 were additives with a numerical ADI. Citric acid and lecithin were the most frequent substances with ADI not specified or not limited while potassium sorbate and pentasodium triphosphate were the most frequent food additives with numerical ADI. The most frequent combinations found in the evaluated samples were of potassium sorbate and citric acid, and also sodium nitrite, sodium erythorbate, and sodium diphosphate. This study demonstrates the distribution of food additives in products marketed in Brazil, allowing the creation of a comprehensive and unprecedented database, which will contribute to the evaluation of usage trends and future exposure studies for health risk assessment.

PMID:37871248 | DOI:10.1080/19440049.2023.2271978

Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2023 Oct 31;120(44):e2310708120. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2310708120. Epub 2023 Oct 23.

ABSTRACT

Analyses of genome sequence data have revealed pervasive interspecific gene flow and enriched our understanding of the role of gene flow in speciation and adaptation. Inference of gene flow using genomic data requires powerful statistical methods. Yet current likelihood-based methods involve heavy computation and are feasible for small datasets only. Here, we implement the multispecies-coalescent-with-migration model in the Bayesian program bpp, which can be used to test for gene flow and estimate migration rates, as well as species divergence times and population sizes. We develop Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithms for efficient sampling from the posterior, enabling the analysis of genome-scale datasets with thousands of loci. Implementation of both introgression and migration models in the same program allows us to test whether gene flow occurred continuously over time or in pulses. Analyses of genomic data from Anopheles mosquitoes demonstrate rich information in typical genomic datasets about the mode and rate of gene flow.

PMID:37871206 | DOI:10.1073/pnas.2310708120

Nano Lett. 2023 Oct 23. doi: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.3c02318. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Spectral diffusion (SD) represents a substantial obstacle toward implementation of solid-state quantum emitters as a source of indistinguishable photons. By performing high-resolution emission spectroscopy for individual colloidal quantum dots at cryogenic temperatures, we prove the causal link between the quantum-confined Stark effect and SD. Statistically analyzing the wavelength of emitted photons, we show that increasing the sensitivity of the transition energy to an applied electric field results in amplified spectral fluctuations. This relation is quantitatively fit to a straightforward model, indicating the presence of a stochastic electric field on a microscopic scale, whose standard deviation is 9 kV/cm, on average. The current method will enable the study of SD in multiple types of quantum emitters such as solid-state defects or organic lead halide perovskite quantum dots, for which spectral instability is a critical barrier for applications in quantum sensing.

PMID:37871158 | DOI:10.1021/acs.nanolett.3c02318

JBJS Rev. 2023 Oct 23;11(10). doi: 10.2106/JBJS.RVW.22.00187. eCollection 2023 Oct 1.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to systematically review the literature to evaluate the effect of pre-existing mood disorders on patient-reported outcomes after arthroscopic rotator cuff repair (ARCR).

METHODS: Two independent reviewers performed a literature search using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines using PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Scopus databases. Only studies which grouped as either having a pre-existing mood disorder (namely anxiety and/or depression) or not and evaluated patient-reported outcomes following ARCR procedures were considered for inclusion. Meta-analysis was performed on outcomes using RevMan, with a p-value <0.05 being deemed statistically significant.

RESULTS: Our search found 8 studies including 1,166 shoulders (58.9% males), with an average age of 57.7 ± 3.2 years (21-81) and mean follow-up of 20.8 ± 16.7 months (3-77) which met our inclusion criteria. There were a total of 262 patients (22.5%; mean age 59.9 ± 1.4 years) with pre-existing anxiety and/or depression and 904 patients (77.5%; mean age 59.7 ± 1.7 years) in the control group who underwent ARCR, respectively. Meta-analysis found significantly lower American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons scores as well as Simple Shoulder Test scores in patients with pre-existing anxiety and/or depression when compared with a control (mean difference [MD] -7.92 [-9.45, -6.40], p < 0.0001, I2 = 0%; MD -1.56 [-2.54, -0.59], p = 0.002, I2 = 80%, respectively) In addition, meta-analysis demonstrated significantly higher Visual Analog Scale scores for pain in patients with pre-existing anxiety and/or depression when compared with a control (MD 0.70 [0.02, 1.38], p = 0.04, I2 = 71%). Furthermore, meta-analysis performed found that ARCR resulted in significant changes in the rates of reported anxiety and/or depression in patients with pre-existing anxiety and/or depression (MD 4.06[-2.47, 6.68], p < 0.0001, I2 = 0%).

CONCLUSION: Our review found that patients with pre-existing mood disorders were significantly more likely to report higher rates of postoperative pain and poorer functional outcomes following ARCR procedures, when compared with controls without mood disorders. Therefore, the presence of pre-existing anxiety and/or depression warrants consideration in the management paradigm for patients with rotator cuff tears. More optimistically, however, ARCR resulted in significant improvements in anxiety and/or depressive symptoms postoperatively.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III; systematic review of retrospective comparative studies. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

PMID:37871152 | DOI:10.2106/JBJS.RVW.22.00187

Am J Speech Lang Pathol. 2023 Oct 23:1-18. doi: 10.1044/2023_AJSLP-23-00004. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: The purpose of the current study was to investigate the effect of vocabulary instruction embedded in the narrative intervention on the immediate and retained definitional knowledge of taught words for first graders at risk for language-related reading difficulties.

METHOD: We employed a repeated acquisition design with innovative quality features and supplemental statistics with 11 treatment students and three control students. In the context of the school’s multitiered system of supports, treatment students received 30-min small group interventions, 4 days a week for 12 weeks. Intervention involved story retelling and personal story generation lessons, both of which emphasized the learning and practicing of target vocabulary words in each story. Pre- and postprobes of the taught definitions were conducted every week.

RESULTS: According to visual analysis conventions of single-case research, there was a consistent pattern of improvement from pre- to postprobes for all treatment participants, but for none of the control participants. Retention was also consistently observed, when measured at Week 13. Supplemental statistics confirmed that large effects were associated with the intervention.

CONCLUSION: Vocabulary instruction embedded in narrative intervention led to meaningful acquisition and retention of taught vocabulary for students at risk of language-based reading difficulty.

PMID:37870906 | DOI:10.1044/2023_AJSLP-23-00004