Tag: pubmed

JMIR Pediatr Parent. 2021 Dec 8;4(4):e27988. doi: 10.2196/27988.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: There is a 60% survival gap between children diagnosed with cancer in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and those in high-income countries. Low caregiver knowledge about childhood cancer and its treatment results in presentation delays and subsequent treatment abandonment in LMICs. However, in-person education to improve caregiver knowledge can be challenging due to health worker shortages and inadequate training. Due to the rapid expansion of mobile phone use worldwide, mobile health (mHealth) technologies offer an alternative to delivering in-person education.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to assess patterns of mobile phone ownership and use among Tanzanian caregivers of children diagnosed with cancer as well as their acceptability of an mHealth intervention for cancer education, patient communication, and care coordination.

METHODS: In July 2017, caregivers of children <18 years diagnosed with cancer and receiving treatment at Bugando Medical Centre (BMC) were surveyed to determine mobile phone ownership, use patterns, technology literacy, and acceptability of mobile phone use for cancer education, patient communication, and care coordination. Descriptive statistics were generated from the survey data by using mean and SD values for continuous variables and percentages for binary or categorical variables.

RESULTS: All eligible caregivers consented to participate and completed the survey. Of the 40 caregivers who enrolled in the study, most used a mobile phone (n=34, 85%) and expressed high acceptability in using these devices to communicate with a health care provider regarding treatment support (n=39, 98%), receiving laboratory results (n=37, 93%), receiving reminders for upcoming appointments (n=38, 95%), and receiving educational information on cancer (n=35, 88%). Although only 9% (3/34) of mobile phone owners owned phones with smartphone capabilities, about 74% (25/34) self-reported they could view and read SMS text messages.

CONCLUSIONS: To our knowledge, this is the first study to assess patterns of mobile phone ownership and use among caregivers of children with cancer in Tanzania. The high rate of mobile phone ownership and caregiver acceptability for a mobile phone-based education and communication strategy suggests that a mobile phone-based intervention, particularly one that utilizes SMS technology, could be feasible in this setting.

PMID:34889763 | DOI:10.2196/27988

J Med Internet Res. 2021 Nov 30;23(11):e34625. doi: 10.2196/34625.

ABSTRACT

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.2196/31400.].

PMID:34889759 | DOI:10.2196/34625

J Med Internet Res. 2021 Dec 9;23(12):e30323. doi: 10.2196/30323.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The rapidly evolving digital environment of the social media era has increased the reach of both quality health information and misinformation. Platforms such as YouTube enable easy sharing of attractive, if not always evidence-based, videos with large personal networks and the public. Although much research has focused on characterizing health misinformation on the internet, it has not sufficiently focused on describing and measuring individuals’ information competencies that build resilience.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to assess individuals’ willingness to share a non-evidence-based YouTube video about strengthening the immune system; to describe types of evidence that individuals view as supportive of the claim by the video; and to relate information-sharing behavior to several information competencies, namely, information literacy, science literacy, knowledge of the immune system, interpersonal trust, and trust in health authority.

METHODS: A web-based survey methodology with 150 individuals across the United States was used. Participants were asked to watch a YouTube excerpt from a morning TV show featuring a wellness pharmacy representative promoting an immunity-boosting dietary supplement produced by his company; answer questions about the video and report whether they would share it with a cousin who was frequently sick; and complete instruments pertaining to the information competencies outlined in the objectives.

RESULTS: Most participants (105/150, 70%) said that they would share the video with their cousins. Their confidence in the supplement would be further boosted by a friend’s recommendations, positive reviews on a crowdsourcing website, and statements of uncited effectiveness studies on the producer’s website. Although all information literacy competencies analyzed in this study had a statistically significant relationship with the outcome, each competency was also highly correlated with the others. Information literacy and interpersonal trust independently predicted the largest amount of variance in the intention to share the video (17% and 16%, respectively). Interpersonal trust was negatively related to the willingness to share the video. Science literacy explained 7% of the variance.

CONCLUSIONS: People are vulnerable to web-based misinformation and are likely to propagate it on the internet. Information literacy and science literacy are associated with less vulnerability to misinformation and a lower propensity to spread it. Of the two, information literacy holds a greater promise as an intervention target. Understanding the role of different kinds of trust in information sharing merits further research.

PMID:34889750 | DOI:10.2196/30323

JMIR Med Inform. 2021 Dec 8;9(12):e29212. doi: 10.2196/29212.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Pulse transit time and pulse wave velocity (PWV) are related to blood pressure (BP), and there were continuous attempts to use these to predict BP through wearable devices. However, previous studies were conducted on a small scale and could not confirm the relative importance of each variable in predicting BP.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to predict systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure based on PWV and to evaluate the relative importance of each clinical variable used in BP prediction models.

METHODS: This study was conducted on 1362 healthy men older than 18 years who visited the Samsung Medical Center. The systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure were estimated using the multiple linear regression method. Models were divided into two groups based on age: younger than 60 years and 60 years or older; 200 seeds were repeated in consideration of partition bias. Mean of error, absolute error, and root mean square error were used as performance metrics.

RESULTS: The model divided into two age groups (younger than 60 years and 60 years and older) performed better than the model without division. The performance difference between the model using only three variables (PWV, BMI, age) and the model using 17 variables was not significant. Our final model using PWV, BMI, and age met the criteria presented by the American Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation. The prediction errors were within the range of about 9 to 12 mmHg that can occur with a gold standard mercury sphygmomanometer.

CONCLUSIONS: Dividing age based on the age of 60 years showed better BP prediction performance, and it could show good performance even if only PWV, BMI, and age variables were included. Our final model with the minimal number of variables (PWB, BMI, age) would be efficient and feasible for predicting BP.

PMID:34889753 | DOI:10.2196/29212

Disabil Rehabil. 2021 Dec 10:1-37. doi: 10.1080/09638288.2021.2012844. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Purpose: We aimed to synthesize the literature that considered frailty in the evaluation of rehabilitation interventions for adults (aged ≥ 18) by answering: (1) how is frailty defined in rehabilitation intervention research?; (2) how is frailty operationalized in rehabilitation intervention research?; (3) what are the characteristics of rehabilitation interventions for frail adults and what frailty related outcomes are assessed?Materials and methods: A scoping review was conducted. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and qualitative content analysis.Results: 53 articles met the inclusion criteria. Most studies were conducted in Europe and involved randomized control trials. The included studies reported on rehabilitation interventions that only included individuals aged 50 or older. Thirteen studies used Fried’s definition of frailty, but most (n = 27) did not use any definition. Many studies did not differentiate between the conceptualization (e.g., definition) and operationalization (e.g., use of inclusion/exclusion criteria, outcome measures) of frailty. Most interventions focused on exercise. Instrumental activities of daily living reported most frequently as outcomes (n = 11).Conclusions: There is an absence of consistent definitions of frailty in rehabilitation interventions and current definitions tend to focus on physical functioning. The authors suggest rehabilitation researchers consider an expanded definition of frailty informed by the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health framework.IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATIONRehabilitation professionals should use an expanded definition of frailty, informed by the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health framework, should include physical, mental, personal, environmental, and social factors to decrease, delay, or prevent frailty in adults.Rehabilitation professionals should consider a broader operationalization of frailty that is not dependent on age and physical functioning.Rehabilitation professionals that consider a broader conceptualization of frailty should tailor interventions to the specific needs of frail adults.

PMID:34889703 | DOI:10.1080/09638288.2021.2012844

J Med Internet Res. 2021 Dec 8;23(12):e17185. doi: 10.2196/17185.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Previous research has confirmed that symptoms of postnatal depression (PND) can be ameliorated through internet-delivered psychological interventions. Advantages of internet-delivered treatment include anonymity, convenience, and catering to women who are unable to access face-to-face (FTF) treatments. To date, no research has examined the efficacy of such interventions compared directly with FTF treatments in women clinically diagnosed with PND.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to compare the efficacy of one of the first web-based cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) interventions (internet CBT+coach calls) for PND (MumMoodBooster [MMB]) with FTF-CBT in a randomized controlled trial (RCT).

METHODS: In this study, 116 postnatal women with a Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) diagnosis of major or minor depression were randomized to MMB (39/116, 33.6%), FTF-CBT (39/116, 33.6%), or a treatment-as-usual (TAU) control condition (38/116, 32.8%). Diagnostic status was determined at baseline and at 21-week follow-up using the Structured Clinical Interview for the DSM-IV. Severity of anxiety and depressive symptoms was evaluated using the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales and the revised Beck Depression Inventory at baseline, 12-week follow-up (after treatment), and 21-week follow-up.

RESULTS: Of the 116 participants, 107 (92.2%) had a diagnosis of major depression at baseline. Rates of remission from a major or minor depressive episode at 21 weeks in both the FTF-CBT and MMB groups were superior to that of the TAU group (56.6% and 47.7% less likely to be depressed, respectively) and they were not significantly different from each other. Although remission rates differed between TAU and FTF-CBT, growth models showed that, in terms of symptom reduction across time, the FTF-CBT treatment was not significantly better than TAU. By comparison, MMB was statistically superior to both TAU and FTF-CBT in reducing symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress from baseline to the 21-week follow-up (large and moderate effect sizes). Thus, after 21 weeks, the average symptom scores for depression and anxiety of women receiving MMB were approximately half those of women in both the TAU and FTF-CBT groups.

CONCLUSIONS: In this RCT, MMB was at least as effective as FTF-CBT in achieving remission from a diagnosed PND episode. MMB was superior to TAU and FTF-CBT in encouraging and maintaining reduction of symptom severity over the 21-week follow-up for depressed postnatal women. These findings replicate results of prior studies on MMB that showed clinically significant improvements in depressive symptoms, and they provide direct empirical support that internet-delivered treatment for depressed postnatal women is a viable alternative to FTF treatment. The generalizability of the results needs to be examined in future research, as RCTs of internet-based versus FTF treatments necessarily involve a subset of people who are willing to undertake either modality of treatment.

TRIAL REGISTRATION: Australia and New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR) ACTRN12613000881730; https://anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?id=364683&isReview=true.

PMID:34889742 | DOI:10.2196/17185

Br J Radiol. 2022 Jan 1;95(1129):20210269. doi: 10.1259/bjr.20210269.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: To audit whether using magnification of images by use of a large viewing screen using digital matrix magnification which enlarges the image by 33% without using the X-ray machine zoom magnification protocols on a Siemens Artis Zee X-ray machine in a cardiac catheter laboratory results in a reduction of kerma-area product (KAP) for both diagnostic and interventional procedures. This reduction was predicted in an in vitro study in our laboratory, which has previously shown a 20.4% reduction in KAP.

METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted of the radiation exposure to compare the measured KAP recorded during the period when conventional magnification with automatic brightness and dose control was used on a Siemens Artis Zee X-ray machine with a flat panel detector and when magnification settings were avoided by using a large screen to enlarge and project a non-magnified image by digital magnification. The analysis was carried out for patients having a diagnostic coronary angiogram and those having an interventional coronary procedure.

RESULTS: For diagnostic coronary angiograms the median KAP per procedure in the period using conventional magnification was 2124.5 µGy.m² compared to 1401 µGy.m² when image matrix magnification was used, a 34% reduction (p < 0.0001). For interventional coronary procedures, the median KAP per procedure in the period using conventional magnification was 3791 µGy.m² compared to 2568.5 µGy.m² when image matrix magnification was used, a 32% reduction (p < 0.0001).

CONCLUSION: Avoiding using conventional magnification in the cardiac catheter laboratory and using a large screen to magnify images was associated with a statistically significant greater than 30% reduction in KAP.

ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE: This paper is the proof in clinical practice of a theoretical conclusion that radiation dose (KAP) is reduced by use of Image matrix magnification using a large viewing screen without the need to use X-ray tube magnification without significant loss of image resolution in interventional cardiology. The same approach will be useful in interventional radiology.

PMID:34889648 | DOI:10.1259/bjr.20210269

Nucl Med Commun. 2022 Jan 1;43(1):78-85. doi: 10.1097/MNM.0000000000001487.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: An earlier study demonstrated comparable lesion detection between attenuation-corrected (AC) and nonattenuation-corrected (NAC) 18F-sodium fluoride (NaF) PET images, which is relevant for computed tomography (CT) radiation dose-saving. However, this finding may not be applicable to newer systems. The aim was to compare lesion detection between AC and NAC NaF PET images on modern PET-CT systems.

METHODS: One expert and one nonexpert observer retrospectively surveyed NaF PET data in 25 breast cancer patients. At both lesion and patient level, each observer classified bone abnormalities as malignant, equivocal or benign, from NAC and AC PET images in the absence of CT. Expert interpretation of NaF PET-CT with the review of all diagnostic imaging/pathology reports for at least the subsequent 12 months provided reference standard metastases status at the patient level. Two-tailed Wilcoxon signed-rank tests measured statistically significant differences in total lesion detection between AC and NAC PET. Quadratic-weighted kappa score measured agreement in patient metastases status between observers.

RESULTS: On a lesion-basis, AC PET images showed significantly more lesions than NAC for both the expert (122 versus 96; P = 0.002) and nonexpert (146 versus 132; P = 0.036) observers, with a large number of patients demonstrating disparity between AC and NAC images. For metastases status at the patient level without CT, NAC PET showed slightly better diagnostic accuracy than AC due to fewer false-positive results, as fewer lesions were identified.

CONCLUSION: AC PET data provided superior lesion detection to NAC in NaF bone examinations and are thus required for clinical interpretation.

PMID:34887371 | DOI:10.1097/MNM.0000000000001487

Thorax. 2021 Dec 9:thoraxjnl-2021-216948. doi: 10.1136/thoraxjnl-2021-216948. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Dynamic contrast-enhanced CT (DCE-CT) and positron emission tomography/CT (PET/CT) have a high reported accuracy for the diagnosis of malignancy in solitary pulmonary nodules (SPNs). The aim of this study was to compare the accuracy and cost-effectiveness of these.

METHODS: In this prospective multicentre trial, 380 participants with an SPN (8-30 mm) and no recent history of malignancy underwent DCE-CT and PET/CT. All patients underwent either biopsy with histological diagnosis or completed CT follow-up. Primary outcome measures were sensitivity, specificity and overall diagnostic accuracy for PET/CT and DCE-CT. Costs and cost-effectiveness were estimated from a healthcare provider perspective using a decision-model.

RESULTS: 312 participants (47% female, 68.1±9.0 years) completed the study, with 61% rate of malignancy at 2 years. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive values for DCE-CT were 95.3% (95% CI 91.3 to 97.5), 29.8% (95% CI 22.3 to 38.4), 68.2% (95% CI 62.4% to 73.5%) and 80.0% (95% CI 66.2 to 89.1), respectively, and for PET/CT were 79.1% (95% CI 72.7 to 84.2), 81.8% (95% CI 74.0 to 87.7), 87.3% (95% CI 81.5 to 91.5) and 71.2% (95% CI 63.2 to 78.1). The area under the receiver operator characteristic curve (AUROC) for DCE-CT and PET/CT was 0.62 (95% CI 0.58 to 0.67) and 0.80 (95% CI 0.76 to 0.85), respectively (p<0.001). Combined results significantly increased diagnostic accuracy over PET/CT alone (AUROC=0.90 (95% CI 0.86 to 0.93), p<0.001). DCE-CT was preferred when the willingness to pay per incremental cost per correctly treated malignancy was below £9000. Above £15 500 a combined approach was preferred.

CONCLUSIONS: PET/CT has a superior diagnostic accuracy to DCE-CT for the diagnosis of SPNs. Combining both techniques improves the diagnostic accuracy over either test alone and could be cost-effective.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT02013063.

PMID:34887348 | DOI:10.1136/thoraxjnl-2021-216948

J Nucl Med. 2021 Dec 9:jnumed.121.262891. doi: 10.2967/jnumed.121.262891. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Rationale: The aims of this multicenter study were to identify clinical and preoperative PET/CT parameters predicting Overall Survival (OS) and Distant Metastasis Free Survival(DMFS) from a cohort of Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma (HNSCC) patients treated with surgery, to generate a prognostic model of OS and DMFS and to validate this prognostic model with an independent cohort. Materials and Methods: A total of 382 consecutive HNSCC patients divided into training (n = 318) and validation cohorts (n = 64) were retrospectively included. The following PET/CT parameters were analyzed: clinical parameters, SUV_max, SUVMean, Metabolic Tumor Volume (MTV), Total Lesion Glycolysis (TLG) and distance parameters for the primary tumor and lymph nodes defined by two segmentation methods (relative SUV_max threshold and absolute SUV threshold). Cox analyses were performed for OS and DMFS in the training cohort. The c-index was used to identify highly prognostic parameters. These prognostic parameters were externally tested in the validation cohort. Results: In multivariable analysis, the significant parameters for OS were T stage and Nodal-MTV, achieving a c-index of 0.64 (p<0.001). For DMFS, the significant parameters were T stage, Nodal-MTV and maximal tumor-node distance, with a c-index of 0.76 (p<0.001). These combinations of parameters were externally validated, achieving c-indices of 0.63 (p<0.001) and 0.71 (p<0.001) for OS and DMFS, respectively. Conclusion: The Nodal MTV associated with maximal distance between the primary tumor and the lymph node was significantly correlated with the risk of DMFS. Moreover, this parameter in addition to clinical parameters was associated with higher risk of death. These prognostic factors may be used to tailor individualized treatment.

PMID:34887336 | DOI:10.2967/jnumed.121.262891