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Modeling the Metabolic Costs of Heavy Military Backpacking

Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2021 Nov 29. doi: 10.1249/MSS.0000000000002833. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Existing predictive equations underestimate the metabolic costs of heavy military load carriage. Metabolic costs are specific to each type of military equipment and backpack loads often impose the most sustained burden on the dismounted warfighter.

PURPOSE: Develop and validate an equation for estimating metabolic rates during heavy backpacking for the US Army Load Carriage Decision Aid (LCDA); an integrated software mission planning tool.

METHODS: Thirty healthy, active military-age adults (3 women, 27 men; age, 25 ± 7 years old; height, 1.74 ± 0.07 m; body mass, 77 ± 15 kg) walked for 6-21 min while carrying backpacks loaded up to 66% body mass at speeds between 0.45 and 1.97 m·s-1. A new predictive model, the LCDA backpacking equation, was developed on metabolic rate data calculated from indirect calorimetry. Model estimation performance was evaluated internally by k-fold cross-validation and externally against seven historical reference datasets. We tested if the 90% confidence interval of the mean paired difference was within equivalence limits equal to 10% of the measured metabolic rate. Estimation accuracy and level of agreement were also evaluated by the bias and concordance correlation coefficient (CCC) respectively.

RESULTS: Estimates from the LCDA backpacking equation were statistically equivalent (p < 0.01) to metabolic rates measured in the current study (Bias, -0.01 ± 0.62; CCC, 0.965) as well as from the seven independent datasets (Bias, -0.08 ± 0.59 W·kg-1; CCC, 0.926).

CONCLUSION: The newly derived LCDA backpacking equation provides close estimates of steady-state metabolic energy expenditure during heavy load carriage. These advances enable further optimization of thermal-work strain monitoring, sports nutrition, and hydration strategies.

PMID:34856578 | DOI:10.1249/MSS.0000000000002833

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Celiac Disease: Risk of Hepatitis B Infection

J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr. 2021 Dec 1. doi: 10.1097/MPG.0000000000003362. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: The aim of our study was to assess the response to hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccination and risk of HBV infection in patients with celiac disease (CD).

PATIENTS AND METHODS: We performed a cross-sectional study using the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) database (2009-2014) to assess the rate of HBV vaccination, immune response, and HBV infection risk in patients with and without CD. We also determined the rate of HBV infection via retrospective analysis of 2 cohorts: 1) patients seen at Mayo Clinic (1998-2021), and 2) a stable longitudinally observed cohort, the Rochester Epidemiology Project (REP; 2010-2020).

RESULTS: Based on the NHANES data, the rate of HBV infection in the US was 0.33% (95% CI, 0.25%-0.41%). Of 93 patients with CD, 46 (49%) were vaccinated for HBV and of the remaining 19,422 without CD, 10,228 (53%) were vaccinated. Twenty-two (48%) vaccinated patients with CD had HBV immunity and 4,405 (43.07%) vaccinated patients without CD had HBV immunity, which was not statistically different. In NHANES data there were no cases of HBV infection in patients with CD. During the study period, 3,568 patients with CD were seen at Mayo Clinic and 3,918 patients with CD were identified using the REP database. Of those patients with CD, only 4 (0.11%) at Mayo Clinic and 9 (0.23%) of the REP patients had HBV infection.

CONCLUSION: The rate of HBV vaccination and immunity were similar in individuals with and without CD. Predictably, no increased risk of HBV infection was detected in CD patients. These results do not support screening and revaccination practice for HBV immunity in patients with CD within the US.

PMID:34856564 | DOI:10.1097/MPG.0000000000003362

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Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms 2 Months After Vaginal Delivery

Obstet Gynecol. 2021 Dec 2. doi: 10.1097/AOG.0000000000004611. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To assess the prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and identify characteristics associated with it 2 months after singleton vaginal delivery at or near term.

METHODS: We conducted an ancillary cohort study of the TRAAP (TRAnexamic Acid for Preventing postpartum hemorrhage after vaginal delivery) randomized controlled trial in 15 French hospitals in 2015-2016. Women who had singleton vaginal delivery after 35 weeks of gestation were enrolled. After randomization, characteristics of labor and delivery were prospectively collected and paid special attention to postpartum blood loss. Posttraumatic stress disorder profile and provisional diagnosis were assessed 2 months after childbirth by two self-administered questionnaires: the IES-R (Impact of Event Scale-Revised) and the TES (Traumatic Event Scale). Associations between potential risk factors and PTSD symptoms were analyzed by multivariable logistic or linear regression modeling, depending on the type of dependent variable.

RESULTS: Questionnaires were returned by 2,740 of 3,891 women for the IES-R and 2,785 of 3,891 women for the TES (70.4% and 71.6% response rate). The prevalence of PTSD symptoms was 4.9% (95% CI 4.1-5.8%; 137/2,785) with the TES, and the prevalence of PTSD provisional diagnosis was 1.6% (95% CI 1.2-2.1%; 44/2,740), with the IES-R and 0.4% (95% CI 0.2-0.8%; 9/2,080) with the TES. Characteristics associated with a higher risk of PTSD in multivariable analysis were vulnerability factors – notably migrant status and history of psychiatric disorder (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 2.7 95% CI 1.4-5.2) – and obstetric factors – notably induced labor (aOR 1.5 95% CI 1.0-2.2), being labor longer than 6 hours (aOR 1.7 95% CI 1.1-2.5), postpartum hemorrhage of 1,000 mL or more (aOR 2.0 95% CI 1.0-4.2), and bad memories of delivery at day 2 postpartum (aOR 4.5 95% CI 2.4-8.3) as assessed with the IES-R. Results were similar with the TES.

CONCLUSION: Approximately 1 of 20 women with vaginal delivery have PTSD symptoms at 2 months postpartum. History of psychiatric disorder, postpartum hemorrhage, and bad memories of deliveries at day 2 were the main factors associated with a PTSD profile.

PMID:34856568 | DOI:10.1097/AOG.0000000000004611

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Risk of Recurrent Stillbirth in Subsequent Pregnancies

Obstet Gynecol. 2021 Dec 2. doi: 10.1097/AOG.0000000000004626. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To compare the prospective risk of stillbirth between women with and without a stillbirth in their first pregnancy.

METHODS: We conducted a cohort study using perinatal data from Finland, Malta, and Scotland. Women who had at least two singleton deliveries were included. The exposed and unexposed cohorts comprised women with a stillbirth and live birth in their first pregnancy, respectively. The risk of stillbirth in any subsequent pregnancy was assessed using a Cox proportional hazards model. Time-to-event analyses were conducted to investigate whether first pregnancy outcome had an effect on time to or the number of pregnancies preceding subsequent stillbirth.

RESULTS: The pooled data set included 1,064,564 women, 6,288 (0.59%) with a stillbirth and 1,058,276 with a live birth in a first pregnancy. Compared with women with a live birth, women with a stillbirth in the first pregnancy were more likely to have a subsequent stillbirth (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] 2.25, 95% CI 1.86-2.72). For women with more than two pregnancies, the difference in risk of subsequent stillbirth between the two groups increased with the number of subsequent pregnancies. Maternal age younger than 25 years or 40 years and older, smoking, low socioeconomic status, not having a partner, pre-existing diabetes, preeclampsia, placental abruption, or delivery of a growth-restricted neonate in a first pregnancy were independently associated with subsequent stillbirth. Compared with women with a live birth in the first pregnancy, women with a stillbirth were more likely to have another pregnancy within 1 year. The absolute risk of stillbirth in a subsequent pregnancy for women with stillbirth and live birth in a first pregnancy were 2.5% and 0.5%, respectively.

CONCLUSION: Compared with women with a live birth in a first pregnancy, women with a stillbirth have a higher risk of subsequent stillbirth irrespective of the number and sequence of the pregnancies. Despite high relative risk, the absolute risk of recurrence was low.

PMID:34856561 | DOI:10.1097/AOG.0000000000004626

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Lower Serum Potassium Levels at Admission are Associated with the Risk of Recurrent Stroke in Patients with Acute Ischemic Stroke or Transient Ischemic Attack

Cerebrovasc Dis. 2021 Dec 2:1-9. doi: 10.1159/000520052. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Serum potassium abnormality is a risk factor of incident stroke, but whether it is associated with recurrent stroke in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) or transient ischemic attack (TIA) remains unknown. This study aimed to investigate the association of serum potassium with the risk of recurrent stroke in patients with AIS or TIA.

METHODS: We included 12,425 patients from the China National Stroke Registry III. Patients were classified into 3 groups according to tertiles of potassium. The outcomes were recurrence of stroke and combined vascular events at 1 year. Cox proportional hazards regression was adopted to explore the associations by calculating hazard ratios (HRs) and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

RESULTS: Among 12,425 enrolled patients, the median (interquartile range) of potassium was 3.92 (3.68-4.19) mmol/L. Compared with the highest tertile, after adjusted for confounding factors, the lowest tertile potassium was associated with increased risk of recurrent stroke at 1 year. The adjusted HR with 95% CI was 1.21 (1.04-1.41). There was an independent, linear association between serum potassium and stroke recurrence. Per 1 mmol/L decrease of potassium was associated with 19% higher risk of recurrent stroke (HR, 1.19; 95% CI, 1.04-1.37). Similar trends were found in ischemic stroke and combined vascular events.

CONCLUSIONS: Lower serum potassium level was independently associated with elevated risk of recurrent stroke in patients with AIS or TIA. The finding suggested that monitoring serum potassium may help physicians to identify patients at high risk of recurrent stroke and to stratify risk for optimal management.

PMID:34856549 | DOI:10.1159/000520052

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Perioperative supplemental oxygen and oxidative stress in patients undergoing moderate- to high-risk major abdominal surgery – A subanalysis of randomized clinical trial

J Clin Anesth. 2021 Nov 29;77:110614. doi: 10.1016/j.jclinane.2021.110614. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

STUDY OBJECTIVE: Oxidative stress plays a pivotal role in the development and aggravation of cardiovascular diseases. The influence of intraoperative inspired oxygen concentrations on oxidative stress is still not entirely known. Therefore, we evaluated in this sub-study if supplemental oxygen affects the oxidation-reduction potential in patients at-risk for cardiovascular complications undergoing moderate- to high-risk major abdominal surgery.

DESIGN: Sub-study of a prospective parallel-arm double-blinded single-center superiority randomized trial.

SETTING: Operating room and postoperative recovery area.

INTERVENTION: Administration of 0.8 FiO2 versus 0.3 FiO2 throughout surgery and for the first two postoperative hours.

MEASUREMENTS: The primary outcome was the static oxidation-reduction potential (sORP) and the oxidation-reduction potential capacity (cORP) between both groups. The secondary outcome was the trend of sORP and cORP in the overall study population. We assessed sORP and cORP before induction of anesthesia, 2 h after induction of anesthesia, within 2 h after surgery and on the first and third postoperative day.

MAIN RESULTS: 258 patients were analyzed. 128 patients were randomly assigned to the 80% oxygen group and 130 patients were randomly assigned to the 30% oxygen group. Postoperative sORP values did not differ significantly between the 80% and 30% oxygen group (effect estimate: -1.162 mV,95% CI: -2.584 to 0.260; p = 0.109). On average, we observed a change in sORP of 5.288 mV (95% CI:4.633 to 5.913, p < 0.001) per day. cORP values did not differ significantly between the 80% and 30% oxygen group (effect estimate: -0.015μC, (95%CI: -0.062 to 0.032; p = 0.524). On average, we observed a change in cORP values of -0.170μC (95%CI: -0.194 to -0.147, p < 0.001) per day.

CONCLUSION: In contrast to previous reports, we could not find any evidence of an association between intraoperative supplemental oxygen and perioperative oxidative stress assessed by sORP and cORP.

TRIAL REGISTRATION: clinicaltrials.gov: NCT03366857https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03366857?term=vienna&cond=oxygen&draw=2&rank=1.

PMID:34856530 | DOI:10.1016/j.jclinane.2021.110614

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Combination of IDO1high and CCL19low expression in the tumor tissue reduces survival in HPV positive cervical cancer

J Reprod Immunol. 2021 Nov 23;149:103454. doi: 10.1016/j.jri.2021.103454. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

The over expression of Indoleamine 2, 3-Dioxygenase (IDO1), an immune checkpoint inhibitor, is well known in cervical cancer. However, its association with chemokine signals promoting cellular infiltration in the cervical tumor microenvironment, is unknown. In the current study, we evaluated the expression and enzymatic activity of IDO1. We also profiled the expression of chemokine ligand-receptors- CCR4-CCL22, CXCR3-CXCL10, CXCR4-CXCL12, and CCR7-CCL19 using immunohistochemistry (IHC), and studied their association with IDO1, statistically. After getting an informed consent, punch biopsy samples were obtained from 105 patients diagnosed with cervical cancer. HPV typing by Sanger sequencing, realtime PCR for quantifying IDO1 mRNA expression, HPLC for determining the K/T ratio and IHC for all the above chemokine receptor-ligand pairs along with IDO1 were performed. We found a significant increase in the expression of IDO1 and K/T levels in early and locally advanced stages when compared to Stage IV disease. Among the chemokine ligand -receptor pairs profiled, we found that high CCL19 marker expression was a good prognostic indicator of patients’ disease-free (p = 0.013) and overall survival (p = 0.043). Although we could not identify IDO1 as an independent prognostic factor, we found that high levels of IDO1 expression may further reduce survival outcomes in patients with low CCL19 expression. This could be vital for designing immuno therapeutic interventions targeting IDO1.

PMID:34856521 | DOI:10.1016/j.jri.2021.103454

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Laser scanner and drone photogrammetry: A statistical comparison between 3-dimensional models and its impacts on outdoor crime scene registration

Forensic Sci Int. 2021 Nov 12;330:111100. doi: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2021.111100. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

This work evaluated the accuracy of 3D models generated by a DJI Mavic Pro drone with 3DF Zephyr software photogrammetry. The models were compared to models generated by a Trimble X7 laser scanner. The tests were performed in the outdoor area of a vehicle parking inbound to simulate the characteristics of a crime scene. Ground control points (GCPs) were distributed in ten positions within the surroundings. In manual flight, the drone performed nadiral photographs from one side to the other side and with an elliptical 45° center pointed. Three altitudes where tested: 10 m, 20 m and 40 m. The Trimble X7 laser scanner performed six scans and generated one set of point clouds. Drone photogrammetry returned eligible data for distances of 20 m and 40 m with errors of ~0.25 mm. To increase the overlay in the photogrammetry procedure, all photographs from distances of 10-40 m were processed, returning an error of ~0.53 mm. The results of the measured distances, which were manually picked from the GCPs, from the 3D-scanned model and photogrammetric 3D models were then statistically analyzed. The Trimble X7 laser scanner showed an average error of 3 cm, which was approximately equivalent to the results obtained with all images or when using a known scale value for the drone photographs, presenting no significant differences among the evaluated methods.

PMID:34856522 | DOI:10.1016/j.forsciint.2021.111100

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A deep-leaning reconstruction algorithm that improves the image quality of low-tube-voltage coronary CT angiography

Eur J Radiol. 2021 Nov 24;146:110070. doi: 10.1016/j.ejrad.2021.110070. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: To assess the image quality (IQ) of low tube voltage coronary CT angiography (CCTA) images reconstructed with deep learning image reconstruction (DLIR).

METHODS: According to body mass index (BMI), eighty patients who underwent 70kVp CCTA (Group A, N = 40, BMI ≤ 26 kg/m2) or 80kVp CCTA (Group B, N = 40, BMI > 26 kg/m2) were prospectively included. All images were reconstructed with four algorithms, including filtered back-projection (FBP), adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction-Veo at a level of 50% (ASiR-V50%), and DLIR at medium (DLIR-M) and high (DLIR-H) levels. Image noise, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) and edge rise distance (ERD) within aorta root and coronary arteries were calculated. The IQ was subjectively evaluated by using a 5-point scale.

RESULTS: Compared with FBP, ASiR-V50% and DLIR-M, DLIR-H led to the lowest noise (Group A: 24.7 ± 5.0HU; Group B, 21.6 ± 2.8 HU), highest SNR (Group A, 24.9 ± 5.0; Group B, 28.0 ± 5.8), CNR (Group A, 42.2 ± 15.2; Group B, 43.6 ± 10.5) and lowest ERD (Group A, 1.49 ± 0.30 mm; Group B, 1.50 ± 0.22 mm) with statistical significance (all P < 0.05). For the objective assessment, the percentages of 4 and 5 IQ scores were significantly higher for DLIR-H (Group A, 93.8%; Group B,90.0%) and DLIR-M (Group A, 85.6%; Group B,86.9 %) compared to ASiR-V50% (Group A, 58.8%; Group B, 58.8%) and FBP (Group A, 34.4%; Group B, 33.1%) algorithms (all P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION: The application of DLIR significantly improves both objective and subjective IQ in low tube voltage CCTA compared with ASiR-V and FBP, which may promote a further radiation dose reduction in CCTA.

PMID:34856519 | DOI:10.1016/j.ejrad.2021.110070

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Failure to fail – Factors affecting faculty decisions to pass underperforming nursing students in the clinical setting: A quantitative study

Nurse Educ Pract. 2021 Nov 25;58:103259. doi: 10.1016/j.nepr.2021.103259. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

AIM: The purpose of the study was to explore the relationship between face-implicating factors and faculty’s likelihood of failing students in the clinical setting who do not meet passing criteria.

BACKGROUND: Clinical nursing faculty members struggle to assign failing grades to underperforming students in the clinical setting; this is known as failure to fail. Qualitative literature has revealed common factors for failure to fail; however, quantitative studies are required to determine the extent to which those factors affect faculty’s decision-making process.

DESIGN: A quantitative, descriptive design was used.

METHODS: Snowball sampling was used to recruit participants from CCNE- and ACEN-accredited nursing programs to complete an online survey. There were 353 responses to the survey (a 30% return rate) and 327 usable responses. Eligibility criteria included pre-licensure nursing faculty members who had taught in the clinical setting within the past three years. The tool used for the study was adapted from Dibble’s (2014) tool, which explored face-implicating factors’ impact on the transmission of bad news.

RESULTS: Respondents who did not commit failure to fail (F2FN) disagreed more strongly with every survey item than those who committed failure to fail (F2FY). The differences in mean scores were compared and 64% of those differences were statistically significant (p < 0.05). Respondents who did not commit failure to fail were less affected by the face-implicating factors than those who committed failure to fail.

CONCLUSIONS: the null hypothesis was rejected; a direct connection was found between face-implicating factors and faculty’s likelihood of passing students in the clinical setting who do not meet passing criteria.

PMID:34856470 | DOI:10.1016/j.nepr.2021.103259