Tag: pubmed

Health Promot J Austr. 2021 Mar 14. doi: 10.1002/hpja.479. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Childhood obesity is a significant public health issue. Sugar sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption contributes to this and adolescents are high consumers. This paper provides a descriptive overview of a school-based intervention to address this.

METHODS: 61 secondary schools in New South Wales were randomised to receive a behavioural intervention (BI), a chilled water station (CWS), both interventions or neither (control). The BI was delivered through classroom lessons, school-based promotion and vaccination clinic. The CWS intervention included the installation of one CWS per school. Intervention effectiveness over time was assessed via student surveys at baseline, post-intervention and follow-up (individual-level outcomes), feedback from teachers and vaccination nurses, a school information survey, and remotely monitored CWS water usage (school-level outcomes).

RESULTS: Teachers reported the BI was useful in teaching students about drinking water and negative consequences of SSBs. Nurses considered the post-vaccination waiting period a good opportunity to deliver health promotion messages. Students in this group showed statistically significant changes in knowledge about SSBs, dehydration effects and changes in daily SSB consumption (T1 23.18%; T3 18.20%). Positive feedback regarding CWSs was received with an increase in water consumption reported for students in this group (T1 86.15% to T3 89.66%) and a statistically significant increase in students carrying a water bottle to school and filling it observed.

CONCLUSIONS: Both interventions were readily implemented with high levels of acceptability and impact on students’ knowledge and SSB consumption. The study demonstrates how to promote water consumption in schools utilising two different interventions. SO WHAT?: Evidence regarding how to decrease SSB consumption among secondary school students has been strengthened.

PMID:33715238 | DOI:10.1002/hpja.479

Clin Oral Implants Res. 2021 Mar 13. doi: 10.1111/clr.13745. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: To analyze the long-term effect of plaque formation on implant abutments with an antibacterial coating and the ensuing host response in peri-implant tissues.

MATERIALS & METHODS: Four implants were installed in each mandibular premolar region following tooth extraction in 6 dogs. Three months later 2 test abutments with a Titanium-Bismuth-Gallium (Ti-Bi-Ga) coating and 2 control titanium abutments were connected to the implants on each side of the mandible. After 2 months ligatures were placed around the implants in one side of the mandible and plaque formation was allowed until the end of the experiment. The ligatures were removed after 4 weeks. Radiographs and microbiological samples were obtained from each implant site during the plaque formation period. Biopsies were obtained 8 months after abutment connection and prepared for histological analysis.

RESULTS: The analysis did not reveal any statistically significant differences in bone loss, bacterial growth and size of inflammatory lesions between implant units with and without the Ti-Bi-Ga coating. Implant sites exposed to the short period of ligature induced breakdown demonstrated more pronounced bone loss and bacterial growth than non-ligature sites.

CONCLUSIONS: It is suggested that a Ti-Bi-Ga coating does not prevent biofilm formation on the implant device and does not influence the ensuing host response in the adjacent peri-implant mucosa.

PMID:33715254 | DOI:10.1111/clr.13745

Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf. 2021 Mar 13. doi: 10.1002/pds.5227. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: Consensus is needed on conceptual foundations, terminology and relationships among the various self-controlled “trigger” study designs that control for time-invariant confounding factors and target the association between transient exposures (potential triggers) and abrupt outcomes. The International Society for Pharmacoepidemiology (ISPE) funded a working group of ISPE members to develop guidance material for the application and reporting of self-controlled study designs, similar to Standards of Reporting Observational Epidemiology (STROBE). This first paper focuses on navigation between the types of self-controlled designs to permit a foundational understanding with guiding principles.

METHODS: We leveraged a systematic review of applications of these designs, that we term Self-controlled Crossover Observational PharmacoEpidemiologic (SCOPE) studies. Starting from first principles and using case examples, we reviewed outcome-anchored (case-crossover [CCO], case-time control [CTC], case-case-time control [CCTC]) and exposure-anchored (self-controlled case-series [SCCS]) study designs.

RESULTS: Key methodological features related to exposure, outcome and time-related concerns were clarified, and a common language and worksheet to facilitate the design of SCOPE studies is introduced.

CONCLUSIONS: Consensus on conceptual foundations, terminology and relationships among SCOPE designs will facilitate understanding and critical appraisal of published studies, as well as help in the design, analysis and review of new SCOPE studies. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

PMID:33715267 | DOI:10.1002/pds.5227

Med Phys. 2021 Mar 14. doi: 10.1002/mp.14837. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: Conical collimators, or cones, are tertiary collimators that attach to a radiotherapy linac and are suited for the stereotactic radiosurgery treatment of small brain lesions. The small diameter of the most used cones makes difficult the acquisition of the dosimetry data needed for the commissioning of treatment planning systems. Although many publications report dosimetric data of conical collimators for stereotactic radiosurgery, most of the works use different setups, which complicates comparisons. In other cases, the cone output factors reported do not take into account the effect of the small cone diameter on the detector response. Finally, few data exist on the dosimetry of cones with flattening-filter-free beams from modern linac models. This work aims at obtaining a dosimetric characterization of the conical collimators manufactured by Brainlab AG (Munich, Germany) in a 6 MV FFF beam from a TrueBeam STx linac (Varian Medical Systems).

METHODS: Percentage depth dose curves, lateral dose profiles and cone output factors were obtained using Monte Carlo simulations for the cones with diameters of 4, 5, 6, 7.5, 8, 10, 12.5, 15, 17.5, 20, 25, and 30 mm. The simulation of the linac head was carried out with the PRIMO Monte Carlo software, and the simulations of the cones and the water phantom were run with the general-purpose Monte Carlo code PENELOPE. The Monte Carlo model was validated by comparing the simulation results with measurements performed for the cones of 4 mm, 5 mm, and 7.5 mm of diameter using a stereotactic field diode, a microDiamond detector and EBT3 radiochromic film. In addition, for those cones, simulations and measurements were done for comparison purposes, by reproducing the experimental setups from the available publications.

RESULTS: The experimental data acquired for the cones of 4, 5, and 7.5 mm validated the developed Monte Carlo model. The simulations accurately reproduced the experimental depths of maximum dose and the dose ratio at 20 cm and 10 cm depth (PDD_20/10 ). A good agreement was obtained between simulated and experimental lateral dose profiles: the differences in the full-width at half maximum were smaller than 0.2 mm, and the differences in the penumbra 80%-20% were smaller than 0.25 mm. The difference between the simulated and the average of the experimental output factors for the cones of 4, 5, and 7.5 mm of diameter was 0.0%, 0.0% and 3.0%, respectively, well within the statistical uncertainty of the simulations (4.4% with coverage factor k = 2). It was also found that the simulated cone output factors agreed within 2% with the average of output factors reported in the literature for a variety of setup conditions, detectors, beam qualities, and cone manufacturers.

CONCLUSION: A Monte Carlo model of cones for stereotactic radiosurgery has been developed and validated. The cone dosimetry dataset obtained in this work, consisting of percentage depth doses, lateral dose profiles and output factors, is useful to benchmark data acquired for the commissioning of cone-based radiosurgery treatment planning systems.

PMID:33715167 | DOI:10.1002/mp.14837

Clin Endocrinol (Oxf). 2021 Mar 14. doi: 10.1111/cen.14459. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: Obesity and liver fat are associated with decreased levels of serum sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG). Laboratory studies suggest that hepatic de novo lipogenesis (DNL) is involved in the downregulation of SHBG synthesis. The aim of the present study was to address the role of DNL on serum SHBG in humans.

DESIGN: A cross-sectional study examining the association between DNL, measured by stable isotopes, and serum SHBG, stratified by sex.

PARTICIPANTS: Healthy men (n=34) and women (n=21) were combined from two cross-sectional studies. Forty-two percent of participants had hepatic steatosis, and the majority were overweight (62%) or obese (27%).

RESULTS: DNL was inversely associated with SHBG in women (β: -0.015, 95%CI: -0.030;0.000), but not in men (β: 0.007, 95%CI: -0.005;0.019) (p for interaction=0.068). Adjustment for study population, age and BMI did not materially change these results, although statistical significance was lost after adjustment for serum insulin.

CONCLUSIONS: An inverse association between DNL and SHBG may explain the decreased SHBG levels that are observed in obesity, at least in women.

PMID:33715205 | DOI:10.1111/cen.14459

Acta Neurol Belg. 2021 Mar 13. doi: 10.1007/s13760-021-01644-y. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is an inflammatory rheumatic disorder associated with cutaneous psoriasis. Neurological manifestations are not uncommon in rheumatic diseases and recent studies point to a possible underestimation of cognitive impairment in this group of diseases. Our aim was to assess the cognitive impairment in patients with PsA.

METHODS: We carried out a cross-sectional case-control study with consecutive patients with PsA. Trained interviewers conducted structured and standardized in-person assessments. At baseline, functional limitations were characterized using the Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ). Cognitive function was evaluated with the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) and neuropsychiatric symptoms were investigated with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Using a proper statistical analysis, we compared the differences in the neurological outcomes between cases and controls.

RESULTS: A total of 37 patients with PsA and 36 healthy controls were included in our study. Patients with PsA had a worse MoCA score when compared to controls (p = 0.01). The proportion of patients with cognitive impairment according to MoCA between cases and controls was also statistically significant (91.9% vs 58.3%, p = 0.002). Executive skills, naming, language, and abstraction were the most affected domains. There was no statistical difference between the prevalence of neuropsychiatric symptoms between the two groups. Patients with increased functional limitations are associated with poor cognitive performance (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION: Cognitive impairment might be a neurological manifestation of PsA.

PMID:33715103 | DOI:10.1007/s13760-021-01644-y

Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2021 Mar 13. doi: 10.1007/s11356-021-13319-5. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

The impact of high concentrations of air pollution on COVID-19 has been a major air quality and life safety issue in recent studies. This study aimed to assess the contribution of different air pollution indicators in different spaces on the newly confirmed cases of coronavirus. According to causality’s results between air pollution (AP) and COVID-19 infection in 9 countries, first, we examined the non-linear relationship from AP to COVID-19 with PM_2.5 as the rating variable (the cut point is 35 μg/m³) at the national level. It is concluded that the effects of PM_2.5 and PM₁₀ on COVID-19 are more sensitive in Russia, England, Germany, and France, while O₃ and PM_2.5 are more sensitive in America and Canada from 21 Jan to 20 May. Second, we examined the threshold effects from AP to COVID-19 with PM_2.5, PM₁₀, SO₂, CO, NO₂, and O₃ as the threshold variables, respectively, at the municipal level in China during the period 28 Jan to 31 May. It is concluded that except CO, the remaining 5 indicators are very sensitive to the increase of newly confirmed cases, and the spread of COVID-19 can be prevented and controlled by the determination of thresholds. In addition, the 9 countries and 27 provinces show that PM_2.5 in high concentrations is the more sensitive pollutant on the spread of COVID-19 infection.

PMID:33715120 | DOI:10.1007/s11356-021-13319-5

Ir J Med Sci. 2021 Mar 13. doi: 10.1007/s11845-021-02567-6. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Appendicitis is the most common abdominal emergency in England accounting for 40,000 admissions per year. The Good Surgical Practice guideline by Royal College of Surgeons England (RCSEng) defines criteria detailing what constitutes a safe and comprehensive operation note. High-quality operation notes enable continuity of care and safe post-operative management.

AIMS: (1) Assess whether laparoscopic appendicectomy operation notes are adherent to RCSEng criteria. (2) Implement an operation note proforma to improve adherence. (3) Re-audit to assess effectiveness of operation note proforma.

METHODS: A retrospective audit was performed measuring compliance of laparoscopic appendicectomy notes to RCSEng criteria over a 4-month period at a central London tertiary care centre. A laparoscopic appendicectomy operation note proforma was designed and implemented. Compliance to RCSEng criteria was then re-audited against RCSEng criteria, and statistical analysis performed to assess the significance of changes to compliance.

RESULTS: The average compliance with the RCSEng guidelines after the first cycle retrospectively was 56.1%. The average compliance after implementation of the proforma was 98.2%, with above 80% of operation notes satisfying all RSCEng criteria. This was a significant 42.1% (p < 0.0001) increase in average compliance. The implementation of the proforma reduced the amount of hand-written information, saving time and improving legibility of the operation notes.

CONCLUSION: The implementation of an operation note proforma has the ability to significantly improve operation note quality. This simple and effective intervention to improve operation note quality has the potential to improve post-operative safety and continuity of care post laparoscopic appendicectomy.

PMID:33715070 | DOI:10.1007/s11845-021-02567-6

Biol Trace Elem Res. 2021 Mar 14. doi: 10.1007/s12011-021-02626-0. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Osteoporosis is a systemic metabolic disease defined by a decreased bone mineral density, microarchitectural deterioration, and an increased incidence of fragility fractures that may lead to morbidity and mortality. Boron may stimulate new bone formation and regeneration, when combined with nano-hydroxyapatite. We questioned whether injecting boron-containing nano-hydroxyapatite composites with hyaluronan increased the bone mineral density and new bone formation in osteoporotic rabbit femurs. The regenerative effects of injectable boron-containing nano-hydroxyapatite composites from 6 to 12 weeks, which may prevent osteoporotic femoral fractures, were assessed. Boron-containing (10 μg/ml) nano-hydroxyapatite composites were injected into the intramedullary femoral cavity with hyaluronan. These significantly increased the histomorphometric new bone surface to the total bone surface ratio at 6 and 9 weeks. The micro-tomographic bone volume to the total volume ratio and bone mineral density in osteoporotic rabbit femurs increased when compared to the hyaluronan (p = 0.004, p = 0.004, p = 0.004, p = 0.01, respectively) and the sham-control (p = 0.01, p = 0.004, p = 0.01, p = 0.037, respectively) groups. The boron-containing group had a higher bone mineralization and new bone formation compared to the nano-hydroxyapatite group, although the difference was not statistically significant. These findings reveal that intramedullary injection of boron-containing nano-hydroxyapatite with hyaluronan increases new bone formation and mineralization in ovariectomized rabbit femurs. Boron-containing nano-hydroxyapatite composites are promising tissue engineering biomaterials that may have regenerative potential in preventing primary and/or secondary femoral fractures in osteoporosis patients.

PMID:33715074 | DOI:10.1007/s12011-021-02626-0

Radiol Med. 2021 Mar 14. doi: 10.1007/s11547-021-01341-z. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: Fractional extracellular space has been validated as a marker of hepatic fibrotic in cirrhotic patients at CT-scan as well as on dual-energy CT, which takes advantage from iodine uptake. Since no consensus still exists between equilibrium phases performed at 3 or 10 min, the first aim of this work is to evaluate performances at the two different time points. Moreover, correlation between fractional extracellular space and oesophageal varices, directly related to liver fibrosis, has been assessed.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Dual-Energy equilibrium phases at 3 and 10 min were performed within a follow-up CT-protocol scan in cirrhotic patients. Oesophageal varices were endoscopically assessed according to their size. At the two different time points, correlation between iodine density of the right and left liver lobes and correlation between the fractional extracellular space values were assessed. Correlation between fractional extracellular space and endoscopic grade of oesophageal varices was calculated.

RESULTS: No statistical differences were found between the iodine density values from the two liver lobes at the two time points (p = 0.8 at 3′; p = 0.5 at 10′). No statistical difference about fractional extracellular space estimation was found between the two time points (p = 0.17). Correlation between fractional extracellular space values and oesophageal varices was moderate (ρ = 0.45, IC 0.08-0.71, p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION: Fractional extracellular space assessed on dual-energy CT at equilibrium phases with different timing was substantially similar. The moderate correlation found between fractional extracellular space and endoscopic grade of oesophageal varices confirms that CT-scan is not currently reliable as endoscopy.

PMID:33715036 | DOI:10.1007/s11547-021-01341-z