Tag: pubmed

Sci Rep. 2023 Nov 28;13(1):20991. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-48378-w.

ABSTRACT

The aim of this research was to determine the impact of the architecture of digital technologies in university teacher training as a catalyst for change and educational innovation. Methodologically, it is framed in a quantitative approach with a pre-experimental design and an explanatory level, with a sample of 269 teachers out of a total population of 450 at the university. The results show a significant impact of the architecture of digital technologies as a catalyst for change in university teacher training, with an increase of 22.88% from pre-test to post-test. The statistical significance of the results is supported by a P-value of 0.000, which means that it is less than the established significance level (α = 0.05), leading to the acceptance of hypothesis H1: The architecture of digital technologies as a catalyst for change in university teacher education has an impact. In conclusion, the architecture of digital technologies, consisting of the two academic pillar systems: the academic management system and the virtual learning system, contribute to the development of digital skills in key areas such as digital literacy, communication and collaboration, digital content creation and problem solving in virtual environments.

PMID:38017148 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-023-48378-w

Leukemia. 2023 Nov 28. doi: 10.1038/s41375-023-02068-8. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Clinical outcome of patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is associated with demographic and genetic features. Although the associations of acquired genetic alterations with patients’ sex have been recently analyzed, their impact on outcome of female and male patients has not yet been comprehensively assessed. We performed mutational profiling, cytogenetic and outcome analyses in 1726 adults with AML (749 female and 977 male) treated on frontline Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology protocols. A validation cohort comprised 465 women and 489 men treated on frontline protocols of the German AML Cooperative Group. Compared with men, women more often had normal karyotype, FLT3-ITD, DNMT3A, NPM1 and WT1 mutations and less often complex karyotype, ASXL1, SRSF2, U2AF1, RUNX1, or KIT mutations. More women were in the 2022 European LeukemiaNet intermediate-risk group and more men in adverse-risk group. We found sex differences in co-occurring mutation patterns and prognostic impact of select genetic alterations. The mutation-associated splicing events and gene-expression profiles also differed between sexes. In patients aged <60 years, SF3B1 mutations were male-specific adverse outcome prognosticators. We conclude that sex differences in AML-associated genetic alterations and mutation-specific differential splicing events highlight the importance of patients’ sex in analyses of AML biology and prognostication.

PMID:38017103 | DOI:10.1038/s41375-023-02068-8

Sci Rep. 2023 Nov 28;13(1):20935. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-48296-x.

NO ABSTRACT

PMID:38017095 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-023-48296-x

Sci Rep. 2023 Nov 28;13(1):20970. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-48032-5.

ABSTRACT

Muscular strength represents a specific component of health-related fitness. Hand grip strength is used as a simple and dynamic marker of maximum voluntary force of the hand and to estimate overall strength. Today, little is known about the relationship between grip strength and health in forcibly displaced populations. In the present study, we examined whether grip strength is associated with various health outcomes in a sample of forcibly displaced people living in a Greek refugee camp. The present analyses are part of a larger pragmatic randomized controlled trial. In this paper, cross-sectional baseline data of 143 participants (71 men, 72 women) will be presented. In addition to grip strength, the following physical and mental health outcomes were assessed: body weight and body composition, blood pressure, total cholesterol, low- and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, blood glucose levels (HbA1c), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, depressive and anxiety symptoms, pain, and quality of life. Linear regression analyses were carried out to examine how grip strength is associated with the health outcomes, separately for absolute and normalized grip strength scores. Grip strength was positively and strongly associated with percentage muscle mass (normalized grip strength: Stand. B = 0.58, p < .001), whereas a negative association existed for percentage body fat (normalized grip strength: Stand. B = – 0.58, p < .001). No statistically significant associations occurred between grip strength and the other cardiovascular risk markers. In contrast, we found that participants with higher normalized grip strength reported higher levels of PTSD (normalized grip strength: Stand. B = 0.36, p < .05) and depressive symptoms (normalized grip strength: Stand. B = 0.29, p < .05). No significant association occurred between grip strength, anxiety, pain and quality of life. Measuring grip strength in forcibly displaced people can be a useful way to assess their overall muscle strength. Grip strength tests are easy to implement, and results can be used to assess the effects of specific intervention measures. Nevertheless, our results question the usefulness of grip strength as a marker of cardiovascular health and mental wellbeing in a refugee camp setting.

PMID:38017094 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-023-48032-5

Public Health. 2023 Nov 27;226:84-90. doi: 10.1016/j.puhe.2023.10.040. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: The association between asthma and COVID-19 mortality remains inconclusive. We examined the association between asthma and clinical outcomes of patients with COVID-19.

STUDY DESIGN: A case-control study based on a surveillance cohort in Harris County, Texas.

METHODS: Using the data of 21,765 patients who reported having at least one chronic health condition, we investigated the association between asthma and COVID-19 severity, characterized primarily by hospitalization and death. Unconditional logistic regression models were used to estimate the multivariable odds ratio (mOR) and its 95 % confidence interval (CI) of COVID-19 severity associated with asthma and other chronic lung diseases, adjusting for demographic and other comorbidities. A P-value < 0.005 was considered statistically significant after correcting multiple testing.

RESULTS: In total, 3034 patients (13.9 %) had asthma, and 774 (3.56 %) had other chronic lung diseases. The case death rate among patients with asthma and other chronic lung diseases was 0.75 % and 19.0 %, respectively. Compared to patients without the respective conditions, patients with asthma had lower odds of death (mOR = 0.44, 95 % CI: 0.27-0.69), while patients with other chronic lung diseases had higher odds of hospitalization (mOR = 2.02, 95 % CI: 1.68-2.42) and death (mOR = 1.95, 95 % CI: 1.52-2.49) (P-values < 0.005). Risk factors for COVID-19 mortality included older age, male gender, diabetes, obesity, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, active cancer, and chronic kidney disease.

CONCLUSIONS: The public health surveillance data suggested that preexisting asthma was inversely associated with COVID-19 mortality.

PMID:38016200 | DOI:10.1016/j.puhe.2023.10.040

Drug Alcohol Depend. 2023 Nov 23;254:111037. doi: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2023.111037. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have highlighted the association between cannabis use and diabetes and its complications; however, the causality remains ambiguous.

METHODS: Univariate Mendelian randomization (MR), multivariate MR, mediation MR, and linkage disequilibrium score (LDSC) analysis to assess the causal relationship between cannabis use and 12 diabetic phenotypes. Summary statistics for lifetime cannabis use (N = 184,765) and cannabis use disorder (CUD) (N = 374,287) from genome-wide association studies. The primary method used was inverse-variance-weighted (IVW). A range of sensitivity analyses ensured the robustness of the results.

RESULTS: LDSC analysis revealed a significant genetic correlation between CUD and T2DM, as well as between lifetime cannabis use and four diabetic phenotypes (P < 0.05). After correction by false discovery rate (FDR), the primary IVW analysis indicates that the genetically predicted CUD is positively associated with the risk of diabetic hypoglycemia (OR = 1.11, 95% CI 1.04-1.20, P = 0.003, P_FDR = 0.04) and proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) (OR = 1.12, 95% CI 1.04-1.19, P = 4.89×10^-4, P_FDR =0.01). Additionally, suggestive evidence links CUD with increased risks of diabetic nephropathy, type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM), diabetic retinopathy, and T1DM associated with diabetic ketoacidosis (P < 0.05 & P_FDR > 0.05). No causal relationship was detected between lifetime cannabis use and diabetic phenotypes (P > 0.05 & P_FDR > 0.05). Multivariable and mediation MR analyses revealed that glycated hemoglobin A1c partially mediates the causal effect of CUD on PDR and diabetic hypoglycemia.

CONCLUSION: This MR study suggests that CUD may have a causal role in several diabetic disease phenotypes.

PMID:38016197 | DOI:10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2023.111037

Rev Med Inst Mex Seguro Soc. 2023 Sep 18;61(Suppl 2):S295-S300.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Patients with thoracolumbar fractures with TLICS 4 classification are at the limit of surgical fixation with regards to conservative treatment; however, results in our environment are not known, which is why this study has innovative characteristics.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the quality of life in patients with TLICS 4 thoracolumbar fractures using traditional fixation with regards to no fixation in a third level hospital.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: A cohort prospective study was carried out in patients with TLICS 4 classification thoracolumbar fractures using traditional fixation with regards to no fixation in beneficiaries from the Mexican Institute for Social Security. The SF-12 instrument, which assessed quality of life, was administered; age, sex, days of hospitalization, time of spinal cord injury were searched in the patients’ medical history. It was used descriptive and inferential statistics using Student’s t or Mann-Whitney U.

RESULTS: 20 patients participated and 9 had traditional fixation (45%). All patients had type E spinal cord injuries according to the International Standards for Neurological Classification of Spinal Cord Injury. Mean age of non-fixation was 42.2 ± 12.9 and of fixation 44.9 ± 10.2; in non-fixation 6 (67%) were male. The quality of life score was 29.1 ± 0.9 in the conservative treatment and 28.7 ± 1.3 in the surgical treatment, p < 0.462.

CONCLUSIONS: No differences in quality of life were observed in patients with TLICS 4 thoracolumbar fractures using traditional fixation with regards to no fixation.

PMID:38016177

Am J Audiol. 2023 Nov 28:1-9. doi: 10.1044/2023_AJA-22-00237. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: Persons with cystic fibrosis (PwCF) are at high risk for ototoxicity due to the routine use of intravenous aminoglycoside (IV-AG) antibiotics in respiratory infection management. Additionally, factors that contribute to ototoxicity-related symptom development and severity in PwCF are unknown. Given the increased risk of ototoxicity in people with diabetes, we explored the association between cystic fibrosis-related diabetes (CFRD) and self-reported ototoxicity symptoms (tinnitus and vestibular problems) in PwCF treated with aminoglycosides.

METHOD: PwCF (N = 39; 25 females, 14 males; M_age = 30.1 years, SD = 10.3) were recruited from the Cystic Fibrosis Care Center at Oregon Health & Science University. Patients completed the validated questionnaires to ascertain their experiences with ototoxicity-related symptoms of tinnitus and balance function. The diagnosis of CFRD, including oral glucose tolerance testing (OGTT), insulin treatment, hemoglobin A1c, and cumulative IV-AG treatment history, was obtained through a medical chart review. Participants were classified into three groups based on their medical diagnoses via OGTT: normal glucose tolerance (NGT; control; n = 16), abnormal glucose tolerance (AGT; n = 9), and CFRD (n = 14). Participants in each group were further classified based on survey outcomes for ototoxicity-related symptoms.

RESULTS: There was a trend toward a higher proportion of patients with CFRD reporting tinnitus compared to the AGT and NGT groups, but did not meet statistical significance (X² = 2.24, p = .13). Approximately, 43% of patients with CFRD reported experiencing clinically significant tinnitus lasting > 3 min compared to 11% in the AGT group and 13% in the NGT group (X² = 3.751, p = .05). Cumulative IV-AG exposure tended to be higher in CFRD compared to other groups. High balance function was generally reported in all groups.

CONCLUSIONS: Patients with CFRD have greater ototoxicity-related symptoms. Further investigation of the relationship between CF-related comorbidities and the risk of developing ototoxicity-related symptoms is warranted to improve the detection and management of ototoxicity in PwCF.

PMID:38016170 | DOI:10.1044/2023_AJA-22-00237

Rev Med Inst Mex Seguro Soc. 2023 Sep 18;61(Suppl 2):S289-S294.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Patients with thoracolumbar fractures with TLICS 4 classification are at the limit of surgical fixation with regards to conservative treatment; however, results in our environment are not known, which is why this study has innovative characteristics.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the quality of life in patients with TLICS 4 thoracolumbar fractures using traditional fixation with regards to no fixation in a third level hospital.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: A cohort prospective study was carried out in patients with TLICS 4 classification thoracolumbar fractures using traditional fixation with regards to no fixation in beneficiaries from the Mexican Institute for Social Security. The SF-12 instrument, which assessed quality of life, was administered; age, sex, days of hospitalization, time of spinal cord injury were searched in the patients’ medical history. It was used descriptive and inferential statistics using Student’s t or Mann-Whitney U.

RESULTS: 20 patients participated and 9 had traditional fixation (45%). All patients had type E spinal cord injuries according to the International Standards for Neurological Classification of Spinal Cord Injury. Mean age of non-fixation was 42.2 ± 12.9 and of fixation 44.9 ± 10.2; in non-fixation 6 (67%) were male. The quality of life score was 29.1 ± 0.9 in the conservative treatment and 28.7 ± 1.3 in the surgical treatment, p < 0.462.

CONCLUSIONS: No differences in quality of life were observed in patients with TLICS 4 thoracolumbar fractures using traditional fixation with regards to no fixation.

PMID:38016168

Menopause. 2023 Nov 28. doi: 10.1097/GME.0000000000002283. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: Menarche and menopause are associated with muscle loss and strength in women. Handgrip strength (HGS) is a reliable measurement method of muscle strength. However, it is unclear whether the entire reproductive period, which encompasses both menarche and menopause, is associated with HGS in postmenopausal women.

METHODS: A total of 2,354 postmenopausal women aged 45-75 years were included for statistical analysis. The reproductive period was divided into tertiles, and HGS was divided into four quartiles. HGS was measured to evaluate muscle strength. Binary logistic regression analysis was used to identify significant predictors with the first quartile HGS, derived from quartile data. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to assess the relationship between the reproductive period (exposure) and low HGS (outcome).

RESULTS: We found that the more extended the reproductive period, the lower the risk of low absolute HGS. This trend persisted even after controlling for other variables. Specifically, the odds ratio for low absolute HGS was 0.752 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.563-1.000) for the second tertile reproductive period and 0.683 (95% CI, 0.513-0.900) for the third tertile reproductive period, with the first tertile reproductive period as the reference. The odds ratio for low relative HGS was 0.761 (95% CI, 0.551-1.052) for the second tertile reproductive period and 0.732 (95% CI, 0.533-0.972) for the third tertile reproductive period, using first tertile reproductive period as the reference, after covariate adjustment.

CONCLUSIONS: A longer reproductive period is associated with a decreased risk of low HGS in postmenopausal women.

PMID:38016167 | DOI:10.1097/GME.0000000000002283