Tag: pubmed

Biomed Phys Eng Express. 2021 Sep 22. doi: 10.1088/2057-1976/ac2935. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Objective Extraction of temporal features of neuronal activity from electrophysiological data can be used for accurate classification of neural networks in healthy and pathologically perturbed conditions. In this study, we provide an extensive approach for the classification of humanin vitroneural networks with and without an underlying pathology, from electrophysiological recordings obtained using a microelectrode array (MEA) platform. Approach We developed a Dirichlet mixture (DM) Point Process statistical model able to extract temporal features related to neurons. We then applied a machine learning algorithm to discriminate between healthy control and pathologically perturbedin vitroneural networks. Main Results We found a high degree of separability between the classes using DM point process features (p-value <0.001 for all the features, paired t-test), which reaches 93.10 of accuracy (92.37 of ROC AUC) with the Random Forest classifier. In particular, results show a higher latency in firing for pathologically perturbed neurons (43 ± 16 ms vs 67 ± 31 ms,μ_IGfeature distribution). Significance Our approach has been successful in extracting temporal features related to the neurons’ behaviour, as well as distinguishing healthy from pathologically perturbed networks, including classification of responses to a transient induced perturbation.

PMID:34551397 | DOI:10.1088/2057-1976/ac2935

Cerebrovasc Dis Extra. 2021 Sep 22;11(3):87-91. doi: 10.1159/000519121. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Recent reports have suggested that atrial fibrillation (AF) is more prevalent in the large vessel occlusion (LVO) subgroup of acute ischaemic stroke patients. Given the association between left atrial enlargement (LAE) and AF, we sought to evaluate the feasibility of assessing LAE on non-gated CT and its association with LVO in the hyperacute stroke setting.

METHODS: We analysed our prospectively collected database that included all stroke patients referred for consideration of endovascular treatment between April 14, 2020, and May 21, 2020. During this period, a CT chest was included in our regional stroke protocol to aid triage of patients suspected for COVID-19 from which cardiac measurements were obtained. Patients were dichotomized into LVO and no-LVO groups, and LA measurements were trichotomized into normal, borderline, and enlarged. Univariate analyses were performed between groups.

RESULTS: Of the included 38 patients, 21 were categorized as LVO and 17 as no LVO. There was a statistically significant association between LAE and LVO (p = 0.028). No significant difference was demonstrated between groups for the baseline AF and other clinical characteristics, except for baseline NIHSS (p = 0.0005). There was excellent inter- and intra-rater reliability (ICC = 0.969) for LA measurements.

CONCLUSION: Our study provides preliminary data to suggest LAE is more prevalent in the LVO stroke subgroup at presentation and can be reliably assessed on non-gated CT in the hyperacute setting. These findings have potential implications for stratifying secondary management and may prompt a more rigorous pursuit of occult AF or other cardiac causes of stroke.

PMID:34551410 | DOI:10.1159/000519121

Comput Methods Programs Biomed. 2021 Sep 19;211:106400. doi: 10.1016/j.cmpb.2021.106400. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Hepatic fibrosis is the prominent characteristic of biliary atresia (BA), may even progress continually after Kasai procedure (KP). BA, as a devastating pediatric hepatic disease, mainly leads to newborn cholestasis, even liver cirrhosis, eventually hepatic failure. Earlier diagnosis of hepatic fibrosis, which used to be detected by liver biopsy commonly, is consistent with better outcomes of KP. Due to potential risks and uncertainty of liver biopsy, it is an urge to seek a safer and more precise evaluation method as alternative. The purpose of this study is to investigate the hemodynamics of hepatic artery (HA) in hepatic fibrosis of early BA based on computational fluid dynamics (CFD) for evaluating the value of CFD for hepatic fibrosis diagnosis.

METHODS: 40 patients were divided into three groups, including the control group, the abnormal liver function group and the mild to moderate hepatic fibrosis group. CFD was applied to quantify primary hemodynamic parameters of HA and related arteries, including blood flow distribution ratio (FDR), pressure, wall shear stress (WSS) and energy loss (EL). Statistical analyses were also performed to compare the differences amongst these above groups.

RESULTS: With the progression of hepatic fibrosis, the increasing tendency of hemodynamic parameters values of HA and related arteries were observed. Values of FDR, pressure, WSS and EL of the mild to moderate group was higher than those of the control group and the abnormal liver function group. There were significant differences on FDR_AA, FDR_HA and EL between the control group and the mild to moderate hepatic fibrosis group (t = 0.037, 0.030 and <0.001, P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION: Significant variations of HA hemodynamics acquired by CFD between the control group and the mild to moderate hepatic fibrosis group demonstrated the relationship between the progression of hepatic fibrosis and the hemodynamic disorder, and suggested that CFD had the potential to assist the diagnosis of hepatic fibrosis in early BA.

PMID:34551379 | DOI:10.1016/j.cmpb.2021.106400

Forensic Sci Int. 2021 Sep 14;328:110998. doi: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2021.110998. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Near Infrared (NIR) is a type of vibrational spectroscopy widely used in different areas to characterize substances. NIR datasets are comprised of absorbance measures on a range of wavelengths (λ). Typically noisy and correlated, the use of such datasets tend to compromise the performance of several statistical techniques; one way to overcome that is to select portions of the spectra in which wavelengths are more informative. In this paper we investigate the performance of the Random Forest (RF) classifier associated with several wavelength importance ranking approaches on the task of classifying product samples into categories, such as quality levels or authenticity. Our propositions are tested using six NIR datasets comprised of two or more classes of food and pharmaceutical products, as well as illegal drugs. Our proposed classification model, an integration of the χ² ranking score and the RF classifier, substantially reduced the number of wavelengths in the dataset, while increasing the classification accuracy when compared to the use of complete datasets. Our propositions also presented good performance when compared to competing methods available in the literature.

PMID:34551367 | DOI:10.1016/j.forsciint.2021.110998

Int J Nurs Stud. 2021 Sep 5;124:104084. doi: 10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2021.104084. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Nurses play a vitally important role in promoting equitable and essential care. China undertook bold reforms in its education and healthcare systems since 1990s. The effect of these reforms on the nursing workforce has not been assessed systematically.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to assess the changing trends and the underlying challenges of the nursing workforce in Mainland China in the period of 1998-2018.

DESIGN: Retrospective data analysis.

METHODS: Data were acquired from the National Health Statistics Yearbook from 1999 to 2019. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the nature of the nursing workforce in terms of quantity, quality, and structure. Non-parametric tests were used to compare doctors and nurses in terms of number and work experiences. Global Moran’s I index and hotspot analysis were applied to compare the equity in distribution of nurses at national and provincial levels.

RESULTS: From 1998 to 2018, the number of nurses increased from 1.22 to 4.10 million with an average rate of increase of 6.3% per annum. The ratio of doctors to nurses changed from 1: 0.61 to 1: 1.14, reaching 1: 1 in 2013. The main educational level of registered nurses elevated to associated degree (48.9%), and nurses with advanced titles increased at the most rapid rate. In 2018, 60.3% of nurses were younger than 35 years old. The Global Moran’s I index ranged from 0.211 to 0.198 (Z > 1.96, P < 0.05). Hotspot analysis showed the distribution of nurses was unequally concentrated in the northern region and with the highest distribution in Beijing.

CONCLUSIONS: Great improvement on the scale and the quality of nursing workforce over the past 20 years has been witnessed in China. However, the shortage of nurses, outflow of younger nurses and the imbalance distribution of nursing workforce among the country are emerging challenges. Plans should not be ignored on continuously cultivating more qualified nurses, retaining younger nurses, attracting nurses to work in rural areas and the northeast region. Tweetable abstract: The number of nurses in Mainland China increased greatly in the period of 1998-2018, with its improvement in quality, structure, and distribution. However, the shortage of nurses, nurse outflow and the imbalance in the distribution are underlying risks that influence nurse development.

PMID:34551370 | DOI:10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2021.104084

Am J Med Sci. 2021 Sep 19:S0002-9629(21)00318-9. doi: 10.1016/j.amjms.2021.06.021. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Dysregulation of the circadian rhythm is linked to immune response deficiencies. Diurnal temperature variation-a surrogate for the circadian rhythm, exists in humans, yet its preservation during illness is not well understood.

METHODS: Temperatures measured within one-half hour of 8 am, 12 pm, 4 pm, 8 pm, 12 am, and 4 am from 16,245 hospitalized patients were statistically analyzed.

RESULTS: Although we found a diurnal pattern when analyzing the ensemble of temperatures from all patients, stratified by measurement site, the trough-to-peak difference was only 0.2°F, while that for healthy volunteers had been in the 0.5°F to 1.9°F range. The peaks occurred at 8 pm for all patients, regardless of age or sex, which is similar to healthy people. However, the troughs were shifted to later times compared with the 6 am in healthy people-for young patients (age 20-30 years) the trough was at 8 am and for elderly patients (age 70-80 years), at 12 pm, again regardless of patients’ sex. Analysis of individual patients showed that less than 20% of patients exhibited diurnal variation and among those showing variation, the trend was present only on the minority of hospitalization days. The presence or absence of an infectious process or fever did not influence the proportion of patients showing diurnal variation.

CONCLUSIONS: Hospitalization is associated with disruption in the circadian rhythm as reflected by patients’ body temperature. Since abnormality in body temperature is known to affect patient outcomes, an understanding of the diurnal cycle during hospitalization is the first step towards devising approaches to re-establish the circadian rhythm.

PMID:34551353 | DOI:10.1016/j.amjms.2021.06.021

Seizure. 2021 Sep 14;92:195-199. doi: 10.1016/j.seizure.2021.09.003. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: Results of observational investigations have demonstrated that the risk of a traffic accident is independent of use of AEDs. However, no reports of driving tests conducted with patients administered AEDs have been presented. This study examined this scenario in a simulated driving setting.

METHODS: Driving performance of 43 patients with epilepsy (PWE) and prescribed an AED, who were licensed to drive and drove regularly (subject group), was assessed, with the results compared to 40 age- and gender-matched healthy volunteers (control group). Daily driving skills associated with a traffic accident were examined using two different tests provided by a driving simulator software package, road-tracking and car-following. Standard deviation of lateral position (SDLP) and distance coefficient of variation (DCV) were determined as primary and exploratory outcomes, respectively.

RESULTS: There was no statistically significant difference for primary outcome shown by SDLP between the subject and control groups (p = 0.906), nor for exploratory outcome shown by DCV (p = 0.063). Multiple regression analysis revealed that age (ß=0.967, p = 0.001), female gender (ß=0.469, p<0.001), and duration of driving experience (ß=-0.583, p = 0.038) were correlated with SDLP.

SIGNIFICANCE: The present results demonstrated that the driving performance of PWE taking AEDs was not different from that of healthy volunteers.

PMID:34551366 | DOI:10.1016/j.seizure.2021.09.003

Cell Rep. 2021 Sep 21;36(12):109748. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2021.109748.

ABSTRACT

Obesity-induced inflammation is a major driving force in the development of insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes (T2D), and related metabolic disorders. During obesity, macrophages accumulate in the visceral adipose tissue, creating a low-grade inflammatory environment. Nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) signaling is a central coordinator of inflammatory responses and is tightly regulated by the anti-inflammatory protein A20. Here, we find that myeloid-specific A20-deficient mice are protected from diet-induced obesity and insulin resistance despite an inflammatory environment in their metabolic tissues. Macrophages lacking A20 show impaired mitochondrial respiratory function and metabolize more palmitate both in vitro and in vivo. We hypothesize that A20-deficient macrophages rely more on palmitate oxidation and metabolize the fat present in the diet, resulting in a lean phenotype and protection from metabolic disease. These findings reveal a role for A20 in regulating macrophage immunometabolism.

PMID:34551300 | DOI:10.1016/j.celrep.2021.109748

Spine J. 2021 Sep 19:S1529-9430(21)00906-2. doi: 10.1016/j.spinee.2021.09.007. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUD CONTEXT: Low back pain can be difficult to diagnose, leaving patients frustrated and confused after medical visits.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the importance of reasons for seeking care in patients with back pain, and to compare this to physicians’ assumptions about these patients’ reasons.

STUDY DESIGN/SETTING: Prospective survey study carried out at two Academic Spine Centers.

PATIENT SAMPLE: 419 patients with back pain upon initial presentation to a spine clinic, and 198 physicians; all volunteered to complete a survey.

OUTCOME MEASURES: Variance in mean values between patient and physician responders with significance determined by non-overlapping 95% confidence intervals.

METHODS: Patients were asked to “rate each of the following with regard to their importance to you” (answering between 0 “not important” to 4 “extremely important”): improvement in level of pain, improvement in ability to perform daily tasks, explanation of what is causing your problem, thorough physical examination, diagnostic testing, medication, physical therapy, surgery. Physicians were asked to rate each of these “with regard to their importance to your patients.”

RESULTS: Patients indicated the following items were the most important (mean values): explanation of what is causing your problem (3.27), improvement in level of pain (3.48) and improvement in ability to perform daily tasks (3.31). Patients attributed the least importance and lowest scores to: surgery (1.07) and medication (1.89). Comparing the mean values to each item by patient and physician responders revealed statistically significant differences in certain items. Specifically, physicians underestimated the importance of an explanation of what is causing the problem (2.78 ± 0.119 vs. 3.28 ± 0.098, 95% CI) and overvalued diagnostic tests (2.64 ± 0.120 vs. 2.30 ± 0.147, 95% CI), medications (2.38 ± 0.118 vs. 1.89 ± 0.143, 95% CI) and surgery (1.60 ± 0.126 vs 1.07 ± 0.140, 95% CI).

CONCLUSION: Patients did not place as much importance on diagnostic tests, medications and surgery as the physicians assumed. Physicians understand that back pain patients want improvement in both pain and function, but they underestimate the importance of an explanation for the pain.

PMID:34551322 | DOI:10.1016/j.spinee.2021.09.007

Cell Rep. 2021 Sep 21;36(12):109722. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2021.109722.

ABSTRACT

DNA replication timing and three-dimensional (3D) genome organization are associated with distinct epigenome patterns across large domains. However, whether alterations in the epigenome, in particular cancer-related DNA hypomethylation, affects higher-order levels of genome architecture is still unclear. Here, using Repli-Seq, single-cell Repli-Seq, and Hi-C, we show that genome-wide methylation loss is associated with both concordant loss of replication timing precision and deregulation of 3D genome organization. Notably, we find distinct disruption in 3D genome compartmentalization, striking gains in cell-to-cell replication timing heterogeneity and loss of allelic replication timing in cancer hypomethylation models, potentially through the gene deregulation of DNA replication and genome organization pathways. Finally, we identify ectopic H3K4me3-H3K9me3 domains from across large hypomethylated domains, where late replication is maintained, which we purport serves to protect against catastrophic genome reorganization and aberrant gene transcription. Our results highlight a potential role for the methylome in the maintenance of 3D genome regulation.

PMID:34551299 | DOI:10.1016/j.celrep.2021.109722