Tag: pubmed

Parasit Vectors. 2021 Sep 21;14(1):484. doi: 10.1186/s13071-021-04996-9.

ABSTRACT

This letter responds to comments on our article (Yin YL et al., Parasit Vectors, 10.1186/s13071-021-04739-w) by Yuqing Wang and colleagues, who wrote a letter entitled “Microarray analysis of circular RNAs in HCT-8 cells infected with Cryptosporidium parvum” and discussed statistical procedures for microarray analysis during C. parvum infection. To further confirm our data, in this letter, a common R package for analyses of differentially expressed genes, namely DESeq2, with Benjamini-Hochberg correction, was used to analyze our microarray data and identified 26 significantly differentially expressed circRNAs using adjusted P value < 0.05 and | Log₂ (fold change [FC]) | ≥ 1.0, including our circRNA ciRS-7 of interest. Therefore, the protocol for selecting circRNAs of interest for further study in our article is acceptable and did not affect the subsequent scientific findings in our article.

PMID:34548103 | DOI:10.1186/s13071-021-04996-9

Parasit Vectors. 2021 Sep 21;14(1):485. doi: 10.1186/s13071-021-04957-2.

ABSTRACT

We read with great interest the article by Yin et al. (Parasit Vectors 14:238, 2021). The authors found that Cryptosporidium infection induced significantly aberrant expression of circular RNA profiles in HCT-8 cells, a finding which has far-reaching implications. However, due to the high number of false positives caused by multiple comparisons, statistical methods for microarray analysis should be carefully selected. Accurate analysis results will provide a convincing basis for subsequent experiments. In addition, we recommend several more appropriate methods in this article.

PMID:34548105 | DOI:10.1186/s13071-021-04957-2

World J Surg Oncol. 2021 Sep 21;19(1):285. doi: 10.1186/s12957-021-02343-x.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) eradication on the prognosis of postoperative early gastric cancer (EGC).

METHODS: This is a retrospective study based on data from 6 hospitals. We identified 429 patients with EGC who underwent curative gastrectomy from January 2010 to December 2016. All of the patients were tested for H. pylori. Patients were divided into two groups, the successful H. pylori eradication group (group A, 268 patients) and the non-H. pylori eradication group (group B, 161 patients), for calculating the disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) of each group.

RESULT: Positive node metastasis (hazard ratio (HR), 3.13; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.84-5.32; P < 0.001), undifferentiated type (HR, 2.54; 95% CI, 1.51-4.28; P < 0.001), and non-H. pylori eradication (HR, 1.73; 95% CI, 1.08-2.77; P = 0.023) were statistically significantly independent risk factors of recurrence. Patient’s age ≥60 years old (HR, 3.32; 95% CI, 2.00-5.53; P < 0.001), positive node metastasis (HR, 3.71; 95% CI, 2.25-6.12; P < 0.001), undifferentiated type (HR, 3.06; 95% CI, 1.79-5.23; P < 0.001), and non-H. pylori eradication (HR, 1.83; 95% CI, 1.11-3.02; P = 0.018) were statistically significantly independent risk factors of overall survival.

CONCLUSION: H. pylori eradication treatment could prevent the recurrence of postoperative EGC to prolong the overall survival of patients with EGC.

PMID:34548086 | DOI:10.1186/s12957-021-02343-x

Syst Rev. 2021 Sep 21;10(1):252. doi: 10.1186/s13643-021-01781-8.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Dementia prevalence is increasing globally and yet evidence suggest that gaps exist in dementia-specific knowledge among health and social care practitioners. Technological modes of educational delivery may be as effective as traditional education and can provide practitioners with increased accessibility to dementia training. Benefits of digitally based dementia education have been established including pedagogical strategies that influence dementia knowledge and care attitudes. This review aimed to appraise and synthesise contemporary experimental evidence that evaluated technology-enabled dementia education for health and social care practitioners. Outcomes based on Kirkpatrick’s Model were learner satisfaction; knowledge, skills, and attitudes; behaviours; and results.

METHODS: MEDLINE, CINAHL, and Web of Science were among 8 bibliographic databases searched from January 2005 until February 2020. Keywords included dementia and education (and terms for technological modes of education, learning, or training). We included experimental and quasi-experimental studies. Medical Education Research Study Quality Instrument established the overall quality of included studies and pragmatic application of Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool established individual study quality and highlighted methodological features of educational research. Narrative synthesis was conducted as heterogeneous outcome data precluded meta-analysis.

RESULTS: We identified 21 relevant studies: 16 evaluated online dementia education and 5 evaluated computer-based approaches. Most studies used before-after designs and study quality was moderate overall. Most studies reported knowledge-based outcomes with statistically significant findings favouring the training interventions. Positive effects were also observed in studies measuring skills and attitudinal change. Fewer studies reported significant findings for behavioural change and results due to training. Case-based instruction was a frequently described instructional strategy in online dementia education and videos were common information delivery modes. CD-ROM training and simulation activities were described in computer-based dementia education.

DISCUSSION: Future emphasis must be placed on teaching and learning methods within technology-enabled dementia education which should be role relevant and incorporate active and interactive learning strategies. Future evaluations will require contextually relevant research methodologies with capacity to address challenges presented by these complex educational programmes and multi-component characteristics.

SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: This systematic review is based on a protocol registered with PROSPERO ( CRD42018115378 ).

PMID:34548101 | DOI:10.1186/s13643-021-01781-8

BMC Health Serv Res. 2021 Sep 21;21(1):995. doi: 10.1186/s12913-021-06935-x.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The demographic and social changes associated with population aging and the increasing incidence of chronic diseases underscore the importance of the role of informal carers. The number of informal carers is increasing and negative consequences associated with providing care, such as burnout, are known. However the influence of socioeconomic and psychological factors on the need for respite have not been well characterized to date. Informal care represents an essential component of health care systems and long-term care. The purpose of this study was to shed light on how the characteristics of informal carers affect the need for respite.

METHODS: We used data from a nationally representative survey, Capacités Aides et Resources des Seniors (CARE – ménage), collected in 2015 by the National Institute for Statistics and Economic Studies (INSEE) and the Directorate for Research, Studies, Assessment and Statistics (DREES). The determinants of the need for respite among the characteristics of informal caregivers were explored using a probit model. To handle missing data, sensitivity analyses were performed using multiple imputations.

RESULTS: Our study included N = 4033 dyads of informal carers and care recipients. The mean age was 61 for carers. The majority of carers were female, married, the child of the care recipient. Almost 27% reported a need for respite. A worse health status, feeling of loneliness, having a lack of time for oneself and needing to provide more than 30 h of care per month very significantly increased the need for respite irrespective of whether or not the carer lived with the care recipient (p < 0.01). Providing care to other persons was likely to induce a greater need for respite (p < 0.01). Cohabitation of the informal carer and the care recipient was likely to increase the need for respite (p < 0.05). Conversely, however, being closely acquainted with the care recipient showed a reduced need for respite in comparison with that of carers who are married to their care recipient (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS: These findings provide useful information for policymakers, physicians and other health professionals for reducing carers’ risk of exhaustion and burnout and for referring carers to the relevant service, e.g. psychological intervention, respite care support, training support and education support.

PMID:34548072 | DOI:10.1186/s12913-021-06935-x

BMC Biol. 2021 Sep 21;19(1):208. doi: 10.1186/s12915-021-01126-w.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Variability is a hallmark of animal behavior. It contributes to survival by endowing individuals and populations with the capacity to adapt to ever-changing environmental conditions. Intra-individual variability is thought to reflect both endogenous and exogenous modulations of the neural dynamics of the central nervous system. However, how variability is internally regulated and modulated by external cues remains elusive. Here, we address this question by analyzing the statistics of spontaneous exploration of freely swimming zebrafish larvae and by probing how these locomotor patterns are impacted when changing the water temperatures within an ethologically relevant range.

RESULTS: We show that, for this simple animal model, five short-term kinematic parameters – interbout interval, turn amplitude, travelled distance, turn probability, and orientational flipping rate – together control the long-term exploratory dynamics. We establish that the bath temperature consistently impacts the means of these parameters, but leave their pairwise covariance unchanged. These results indicate that the temperature merely controls the sampling statistics within a well-defined kinematic space delineated by this robust statistical structure. At a given temperature, individual animals explore the behavioral space over a timescale of tens of minutes, suggestive of a slow internal state modulation that could be externally biased through the bath temperature. By combining these various observations into a minimal stochastic model of navigation, we show that this thermal modulation of locomotor kinematics results in a thermophobic behavior, complementing direct gradient-sensing mechanisms.

CONCLUSIONS: This study establishes the existence of a well-defined locomotor space accessible to zebrafish larvae during spontaneous exploration, and quantifies self-generated modulation of locomotor patterns. Intra-individual variability reflects a slow diffusive-like probing of this space by the animal. The bath temperature in turn restricts the sampling statistics to sub-regions, endowing the animal with basic thermophobicity. This study suggests that in zebrafish, as well as in other ectothermic animals, ambient temperature could be used to efficiently manipulate internal states in a simple and ethological way.

PMID:34548084 | DOI:10.1186/s12915-021-01126-w

BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2021 Sep 21;21(1):641. doi: 10.1186/s12884-021-04025-8.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Ethiopia is a Sub-Saharan country that has made significant improvements in maternal mortality and under-five mortality over the past 15 years. However, the nation continues to have one of the highest rates of perinatal mortality in the entire world with current estimates at 33 deaths per 1000 live births.

METHODS: This case-control study was conducted between October 2016 and May 2017 at Tikur Anbessa Hospital and Gandhi Memorial Hospital. All women who had a stillbirth or early neonatal death (i.e. death within 7 days) during this period willing to participate were included as cases. A systematic random sample of women delivering at the hospital were approached for recruitment as controls to generate a 2:1 ratio of controls to cases. Data on risk factors were retrieved from medical records including delivery records, and treatment charts. Statistical differences in background and social characteristics of cases and controls were determined by t-test and chi-squared (or fisher’s exact test) for quantitative and categorical variables respectively. Binary logistic regression analysis was completed to determine any associations between risk factors and stillbirth/early neonatal death.

RESULTS: During the study period, 366 women delivering at the hospitals were enrolled as cases and 711 women delivering at the hospitals were enrolled as controls. Records from both hospitals indicated that the estimated stillbirth and neonatal mortality rates were 30.7 per 1000. Neonatal causes (43.4%) were the most common, followed by antepartum (32.5%) and intrapartum (24.5%). Risk factors for stillbirths and early neonatal death were low maternal education (aOR 1.747, 95%CI 1.098-2.780), previous stillbirth (aOR 9.447, 95%CI 6.245-14.289), previous preterm birth (aOR 3.620, 95%CI 2.363-5.546), and previous child with congenital abnormality (aOR 2.190, 95% 1.228-3.905), and antepartum hemorrhage during pregnancy (aOR 3.273, 95% 1.523-7.031).

CONCLUSION: Antepartum hemorrhaging is the only risk factor in our study amenable for direct intervention. Efforts should be maximized to improve patient education and antenatal and obstetric services. Moreover, the most significant cause of mortality was asphyxia-related causes. It is imperative that obstetric capacity in rehabilitation services are strengthened and for further studies to investigate the high burden of asphyxia at these tertiary hospitals to better tailor interventions.

PMID:34548064 | DOI:10.1186/s12884-021-04025-8

BMC Med Inform Decis Mak. 2021 Sep 21;21(1):269. doi: 10.1186/s12911-021-01628-1.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Evidenced-based practice is a key component of quality care. This study aims to explore users’ expectations concerning paediatric local clinical practice guidelines.

METHODS: A mixed method approach was applied, including material from quantitative questionnaire and semi-structured interviews. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and qualitative content analysis. Data were analysed with constant comparative method. Qualitative data were parsed and categorized to identify themes related to decision-making.

RESULTS: A total of 83 physicians answered the survey (response rate 83%). 98% of the participants wanted protocols based on international guidelines, 80% expected a therapeutic content. 24 semi-structured interviews were conducted to understand implementation processes, barriers and facilitators. Qualitative analysis revealed 5 emerging themes: improvement of local clinical practice guidelines, patterns of usage, reasons for non-implementation, alternative sources and perspectives.

CONCLUSION: Some criteria should be considered for the redaction of local clinical practice guidelines: focus on therapeutic, ease of access, establish local clinical practice guidelines based on international guidelines adapted to the local setting, document references and include trainees such as residents in the redaction.

PMID:34548068 | DOI:10.1186/s12911-021-01628-1

BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2021 Sep 21;21(1):642. doi: 10.1186/s12884-021-04114-8.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to compare fear of childbirth, state and trait anxiety, and childbirth self-efficacy among primiparous and multiparous women in Ahvaz, southwest of Iran.

METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted with 200 pregnant women (100 primiparous and 100 multiparous women) who had been admitted to the maternity ward of hospitals affiliated to Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran. The instruments used for data collection in this study included a demographic questionnaire, Delivery Fear Scale (DFS), Spielberger’s State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), and Childbirth Self-Efficacy Inventory (CBSEI). The data were analyzed by chi-square test and independent t-test. Also, the univariate general linear model was used by adjusting for the socio-demographic and obstetric characteristics that were considered as possible confounding variables.

RESULTS: The mean score of DFS in primiparous women was significantly higher than that of multiparous women. The mean of the overall score of childbirth self-efficacy of primiparous women was significantly lower than that of multiparous women. The mean score of the outcome expectancies and self-efficacy expectancies was significantly lower in primiparous women compared with multiparous women. There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in terms of the mean score of STAI. After adjusting for possible confounding variables, the differences between the two groups in terms of fear of childbirth scores, overall childbirth self-efficacy score and self-efficacy expectancies remained significant.

CONCLUSION: Given the high fear of childbirth and low childbirth self-efficacy in primiparous women compared to the multiparous women, appropriate interventions should be adopted by health care providers in order to reduce fear and improve childbirth self-efficacy in primiparous women.

PMID:34548055 | DOI:10.1186/s12884-021-04114-8

BMC Public Health. 2021 Sep 21;21(1):1715. doi: 10.1186/s12889-021-11750-4.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Caesarean section delivery is a major life-saving obstetric surgical intervention for mothers and babies from pregnancy and childbirth related complications. This paper attempts to investigate the geographical variations and correlating factors of caesarean section delivery in India, particularly focusing on the states of Bihar and Tamil Nadu, accounting for one of the lowest and highest prevalence states of caesarean section delivery respectively.

METHODS: This study is based on secondary data, collected from the fourth round of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-4), 2015-16. We utilized 190,898 women aged 15-49 years who had a living child during the past 5 years preceding the survey. In this study, caesarean section delivery was the outcome variable. A variety of demographic, socio-economic, and pregnancy- and delivery-related variables were considered as explanatory variables. Descriptive statistics, bivariate percentage distribution, Pearson’s Chi-square test, and multivariate binary logistic regression models were employed to draw the inferences from data.

RESULTS: Of participants, about 19% of women had undergone caesarean section delivery in the country. The state-wise distribution shows that Telangana (60%) followed by Andhra Pradesh (42%) and Tamil Nadu (36%) represented the topmost states in caesarean delivery, while Bihar (7%), Madhya Pradesh (10%), and Jharkhand (11%) placed at the bottom end. Multivariate logistic models show that the likelihood of caesarean delivery was higher among older women (35-49 years), women with higher levels of education, Muslims, women belonging to the upper quintiles of the household wealth, and those who received antenatal care (ANC), experienced pregnancy loss and delivery complications. Moreover, the odds of caesarean section delivery were remarkably greater for the private health sector than the public health sector in both focused states: Bihar (odds ratio [OR] = 12.84; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 10.90, 15.13) and Tamil Nadu (OR = 2.90; 95% CI: 2.54, 3.31).

CONCLUSION: Findings of this study suggest that improvement in female education, providing economic incentives, and spreading awareness through mass media could raise the caesarean section delivery among women whose vaginal delivery could be unsafe for them as well as for their babies. Moreover, providing adequate ANC and well-equipped public healthcare services would facilitate caesarean delivery among needy women.

PMID:34548059 | DOI:10.1186/s12889-021-11750-4