Tag: pubmed

PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2022 Mar 28;16(3):e0010262. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0010262. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: American Samoa completed seven rounds of mass drug administration from 2000-2006 as part of the Global Programme to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis (LF). However, resurgence was confirmed in 2016 through WHO-recommended school-based transmission assessment survey and a community-based survey. This paper uses data from the 2016 community survey to compare different spatial and non-spatial methods to characterise clustering and hotspots of LF.

METHOD: Non-spatial clustering of infection markers (antigen [Ag], microfilaraemia [Mf], and antibodies (Ab [Wb123, Bm14, Bm33]) was assessed using intra-cluster correlation coefficients (ICC) at household and village levels. Spatial dependence, clustering and hotspots were examined using semivariograms, Kulldorf’s scan statistic and Getis-Ord Gi* statistics based on locations of surveyed households.

RESULTS: The survey included 2671 persons (750 households, 730 unique locations in 30 villages). ICCs were higher at household (0.20-0.69) than village levels (0.10-0.30) for all infection markers. Semivariograms identified significant spatial dependency for all markers (range 207-562 metres). Using Kuldorff’s scan statistic, significant spatial clustering was observed in two previously known locations of ongoing transmission: for all markers in Fagali’i and all Abs in Vaitogi. Getis-Ord Gi* statistic identified hotspots of all markers in Fagali’i, Vaitogi, and Pago Pago-Anua areas. A hotspot of Ag and Wb123 Ab was identified around the villages of Nua-Seetaga-Afao. Bm14 and Bm33 Ab hotspots were seen in Maleimi and Vaitogi-Ili’ili-Tafuna.

CONCLUSION: Our study demonstrated the utility of different non-spatial and spatial methods for investigating clustering and hotspots, the benefits of using multiple infection markers, and the value of triangulating results between methods.

PMID:35344542 | DOI:10.1371/journal.pntd.0010262

PLoS One. 2022 Mar 28;17(3):e0266021. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0266021. eCollection 2022.

ABSTRACT

The distortion measurement plays an important role in panoramic image processing. Most measurement algorithms judge the panoramic image quality by means of weighting the quality of the local areas. However, such a calculation fails to globally reflect the quality of the panoramic image. Therefore, the multi-region adjacent pixels correlation (MRAPC) is proposed as the efficient feature for no-reference panoramic images quality assessment in this paper. Specifically, from the perspective of the statistical characteristics, the differences of the adjacent pixels in panoramic image are proved to be highly related to the degree of distortion and independent of image content. Besides, the difference map has limited pixel value range, which can improve the efficiency of quality assessment. Based on these advantages, the proposed MRAPC feature collaborates with the support vector regression to globally predict the quality of panoramic images. Extensive experimental results show that the proposed no-reference panoramic image quality assessment algorithm achieves higher evaluation performance than the existing algorithms.

PMID:35344545 | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0266021

PLoS One. 2022 Mar 28;17(3):e0264513. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0264513. eCollection 2022.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Minimally invasive surgery is commonly used to treat patients with colorectal cancer, although it can cause surgical site infections (SSIs) that can affect the oncologic outcome. Use of a gentamicin-collagen sponge may help reduce the occurrence of SSIs. We aimed to determine the effectiveness of a gentamicin-collagen sponge in reducing SSIs in minimally invasive surgery for colorectal cancer.

METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the records of 310 patients who were diagnosed with colorectal cancer at our hospital and underwent minimally invasive surgery between December 1, 2018, and February 28, 2021. Propensity score matching was conducted with a 1:1 ratio using logistic regression. The primary outcome was the incidence of SSIs in the mini-laparotomy wound. The secondary endpoints were factors affecting the incidence of SSIs.

RESULTS: After propensity score matching, 130 patients were assigned to each group. There were no differences in clinical characteristics between the two groups. SSIs occurred in 2 (1.5%) and 3 (2.3%) patients in the gentamicin-collagen sponge and control groups, respectively (p<0.999). The following factors showed a statistically significant association with SSIs: body mass index >25 kg/m2 (odds ratio, 39.0; 95% confidence interval, 1.90-802.21; p = 0.018), liver disease (odds ratio, 254.8; 95% confidence interval, 10.43-6222.61; p = 0.001), and right hemicolectomy (odds ratio, 36.22; 95% confidence interval, 2.37-554.63; p = 0.010).

CONCLUSION: Applying a gentamicin-collagen sponge to the mini-laparotomy wound did not reduce the frequency of SSIs. Further studies should be conducted on whether the selective use of gentamicin-collagen sponges may help reduce SSIs in high-risk patients.

PMID:35344540 | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0264513

Retina. 2022 Mar 24. doi: 10.1097/IAE.0000000000003477. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: To investigate concordance in symptom onset, area of dark autofluorescence (DAF) and growth rate (GR) between Stargardt disease (STGD1) siblings at an age-matched time-point.

METHODS: In this retrospective longitudinal study of sibling pairs with identical biallelic ABCA4 variants, age at symptom onset, best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), atrophy area and effective radius of DAF on ultra-widefield fundus autofluorescence were recorded. Absolute intersibling differences for both eyes were compared to absolute interocular differences using the Mann-Whitney test.

RESULTS: We recruited 39 patients from 19 families. In 16 families, age-matched BCVA and DAF were compared between siblings. In 8 families, DAF GR was compared. The median (range) absolute difference in age at symptom onset between siblings was 3 (0-35) years. Absolute intersibling differences in age-matched BCVA were greater than interocular differences (p=0.01). Similarly, absolute intersibling differences in DAF area and radius were greater than interocular differences (p=0.04 for area and p=0.001 for radius). Differences between absolute interocular and intersibling GR were not statistically significant (p=0.44 for area GR and p=0.61 for radius GR).

CONCLUSIONS: There was significant discordance in age-matched BCVA and DAF beyond the expected limits of interocular asymmetry. Lack of significant intersibling differences in GR warrants further investigation.

PMID:35344533 | DOI:10.1097/IAE.0000000000003477

Clin Spine Surg. 2022 Mar 29. doi: 10.1097/BSD.0000000000001327. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

STUDY DESIGN: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to compare the safety of microscopic anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (MI-ACDF) and posterior percutaneous endoscopic keyhole foraminotomy (PPEKF) in patients diagnosed with single-level unilateral cervical radiculopathy.

SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: After conservative treatment, the symptoms will be relieved in about 90% of cervical radiculopathy patients. For the other one tenth of patients, surgical treatment is needed. The overall complication rate of MI-ACDF and PPEKF ranges from 0% to 25%, and the reoperation rate ranges from 0% to 20%.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Electronic retrieval of studies from PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library was performed to identify comparative or single-arm studies on MI-ACDF and PPEKF. A total of 24 studies were included in our meta-analysis by screening according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. After data extraction and quality assessment of the included studies, a meta-analysis was performed by using the R software. The pooled incidences of efficient rate, total complication rate, and reoperation rate were calculated.

RESULTS: A total of 24 studies with 1345 patients (MI-ACDF: 644, PPEKF: 701) were identified. There was no significantly statistical difference in pooled patient effective rate (MI-ACDF: 94.3% vs. PPEKF: 93.3%, P=0.625), total complication rate (MI-ACDF: 7.1% vs. PPEKF: 4.7%, P=0.198), and reoperation rate (MI-ACDF: 1.8% vs. PPEKF: 1.1%, P=0.312). However, the common complications of the 2 procedures were different. The most common complications of MI-ACDF were dysphagia and vertebral body sinking, whereas the most common complication of PPEKF was nerve root palsy.

CONCLUSIONS: Both MI-ACDF and PPEKF can provide a relatively safe and reliable treatment for single-level unilateral cervical radiculopathy. The 2 techniques are not significantly different in terms of effective rate, total complication rate, and reoperation rate.

PMID:35344521 | DOI:10.1097/BSD.0000000000001327

Hematology. 2022 Dec;27(1):384-395. doi: 10.1080/16078454.2022.2051863.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: Chemotherapy, including bendamustine, usually causes lymphocytopaenia and hypogammaglobulinaemia as side effects in patients with haematological malignancies. Therefore, the possibility has been considered that these immunological adverse events induced by bendamustine may lead to infectious diseases. However, lymphocytopaenia and/or hypogammaglobulinaemia have not yet been shown to have a statistically significant association with infection in cancer patients who receive bendamustine.

METHODS: We retrospectively studied 27 patients with relapsed or refractory indolent follicular lymphoma who were treated with bendamustine and rituximab (BR). In order to elucidate relationships between immune-related laboratory parameters (i.e. peripheral blood leukocyte, neutrophil, lymphocyte and immunoglobulin G [IgG]) and infectious events, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed.

RESULTS: Infectious diseases occurred in 11 patients (11/27, 41%), including 3 (3/27, 11%) with severe diseases. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) showed that the lowest IgG level during and after BR discriminated infectious events (cut-off value, 603 mg/dL) with 81.8% sensitivity and 68.8% specificity (AUC, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.52-0.90). Furthermore, a multivariate regression analysis revealed that the minimal serum IgG value during and after BR therapy was the only variable that was significantly associated with infection (odds ratio, 8.29; 95% CI, 1.19-57.62; p value, 0.03).

CONCLUSION: Serum IgG ≤603 mg/dL during and after BR therapy was independently associated with an increased risk of infection. The monitoring of serum IgG during chemotherapy may help to predict the development of infection in blood cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy with bendamustine in combination with rituximab.

PMID:35344477 | DOI:10.1080/16078454.2022.2051863

Wound Manag Prev. 2022 Mar;68(3):12-18.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Skin conditions and dermatological diseases (eg, intertrigo) in older patients are common in clinical practice. In addition to the negative impact on the patient’s health, diseases such as intertrigo place a financial burden on the health care system.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this secondary data analysis was to compare the prevalence, anatomical locations, and applied interventions of intertrigo in patients in hospitals and geriatric institutions.

METHODS: The authors report the outcome of a secondary data analysis of data collected from 2012 to 2016 from the Nursing Quality Measurement 2.0. This is an annually conducted cross-sectional multicenter study. Descriptive statistics and statistical tests were used to analyze the data.

RESULTS: Of patients in the hospital, 2.4% (n = 15,152) had intertrigo compared with 3.4% (n = 3743) of patients in geriatric institutions. In general, expert consultation was the least used intervention for the treatment of intertrigo in hospitals (6.1%, n = 359) and geriatric institutions (9.8%, n = 122).

CONCLUSION: Independent of the setting, considering the worldwide climate change, the authors expect that the number of patients with intertrigo will be increasing. Therefore, they highly recommend implementing standardized skin assessments for moisture-associated skin damage to identify intertrigo as early as possible. Moreover, as the consultation of experts was seldom used in both settings, advances in the interdisciplinary and interprofessional management of moisture-associated skin damages are needed.

PMID:35344504

Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2022 Apr 5;119(14):e2111372119. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2111372119. Epub 2022 Mar 28.

ABSTRACT

SignificanceRecord-setting fires in the western United States over the last decade caused severe air pollution, loss of human life, and property damage. Enhanced drought and increased biomass in a warmer climate may fuel larger and more frequent wildfires in the coming decades. Applying an empirical statistical model to fires projected by Earth System Models including climate-ecosystem-socioeconomic interactions, we show that fine particulate pollution over the US Pacific Northwest could double to triple during late summer to fall by the late 21st century under intermediate- and low-mitigation scenarios. The historic fires and resulting pollution extremes of 2017-2020 could occur every 3 to 5 y under 21st-century climate change, posing challenges for air quality management and threatening public health.

PMID:35344431 | DOI:10.1073/pnas.2111372119

Global Spine J. 2022 Mar 28:21925682221083913. doi: 10.1177/21925682221083913. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

STUDY DESIGN: Prospective observational study.

OBJECTIVE: The population of patients with advanced stages of cancer, including metastatic spinal disease, is growing because of better treatment options allowing for longer control of disease. The main goal of treatment for these patients is to improve or maintain their health-related quality of life (HRQOL). A spine oncology-specific outcome measure has been developed by the Spine Oncology Study Group and validated through international studies. We proposed to translate and validate the questionnaire in Italian language.

METHODS: The cross-cultural adaptation of the questionnaire has been performed according to guidelines previously proposed. After this process, an observational prospective study has been conducted to validate the efficacy of SOSGOQ in Italian language. SOSGOQ has been compared to SF-36 (Short Form Health Survey-36), a generic validated questionnaire to assess HRQOL. Starting from January 2020, SOSGOQ and SF-36 questionnaires were auto-administered to 150 patients affected by spinal metastases who provided written informed consent for study participation.

RESULTS: The confirmatory factor analysis on the 4 domains examined showed a good model fit (comparative fit index, .95; RMSEA .07 (90% CI, .05-.09) and SRMR, .05), endorsing construct validity. The analysis of concurrent validity demonstrated strong correlation for physical function, pain and mental health domains with the corresponding domain scores of SF-36. The reliability across item was high with a Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of .91.

CONCLUSIONS: The statistical analysis of the results will allow to accept the Italian version of SOSGOQ as a specific and efficient tool to measure HRQOL in Italian-speaking patients affected by spinal metastases.

PMID:35344384 | DOI:10.1177/21925682221083913

Am J Speech Lang Pathol. 2022 Mar 28:1-7. doi: 10.1044/2022_AJSLP-21-00269. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: The external validity of aphasia treatment research relies on diverse and representative participants. The purposes of this study were (a) to examine whether reporting of patient-reported age, sex, and race/ethnicity has improved since Ellis (2009) and (b) to evaluate whether these demographic variables were consistent with population-level estimates of stroke survivor demographics in the United States.

METHOD: A scoping review examined U.S.-based aphasia treatment studies published between 2009 and 2019 and characterized the percentage of studies reporting age, sex, and race/ethnicity. Summary statistics for these variables were calculated and compared statistically with a population-based study of stroke survivors.

RESULTS: It was found out that 97.1% of studies reported age, 93.5% reported sex, and 28.1% reported race and/or ethnicity. Within reporting studies, participant mean age was 58.04 years, 61.6% of participants were men, and 38.4% were women; 86.5% of participants were White, 11.0% were Black, 2.0% were Hispanic/Latino, and 0.5% fell in other racial categories. All three variables were statistically different from the study of Kissela et al. (2012).

DISCUSSION: Despite being highlighted as an issue by Ellis (2009), less than 30% of recent aphasia treatment studies reported race or ethnicity, and participants do not appear to be demographically representative compared with estimates of stroke survivors living in the United States. These issues may negatively impact the ecological validity of aphasia treatment research. Aphasia researchers should more consistently report participant race and ethnicity and follow current guidelines for increasing the demographic representation of women and minorities.

PMID:35344392 | DOI:10.1044/2022_AJSLP-21-00269