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Nevin Manimala Statistics

A self-attention model for inferring cooperativity between regulatory features

Nucleic Acids Res. 2021 May 5:gkab349. doi: 10.1093/nar/gkab349. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Deep learning has demonstrated its predictive power in modeling complex biological phenomena such as gene expression. The value of these models hinges not only on their accuracy, but also on the ability to extract biologically relevant information from the trained models. While there has been much recent work on developing feature attribution methods that discover the most important features for a given sequence, inferring cooperativity between regulatory elements, which is the hallmark of phenomena such as gene expression, remains an open problem. We present SATORI, a Self-ATtentiOn based model to detect Regulatory element Interactions. Our approach combines convolutional layers with a self-attention mechanism that helps us capture a global view of the landscape of interactions between regulatory elements in a sequence. A comprehensive evaluation demonstrates the ability of SATORI to identify numerous statistically significant TF-TF interactions, many of which have been previously reported. Our method is able to detect higher numbers of experimentally verified TF-TF interactions than existing methods, and has the advantage of not requiring a computationally expensive post-processing step. Finally, SATORI can be used for detection of any type of feature interaction in models that use a similar attention mechanism, and is not limited to the detection of TF-TF interactions.

PMID:33950192 | DOI:10.1093/nar/gkab349

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Influence of frenotomy on breastfeeding in newborns with ankyloglossia

Codas. 2021 May 3;33(1):e20190026. doi: 10.1590/2317-1782/20202019026. eCollection 2021.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: evaluate the influence of frenotomy on the breastfeeding of newborns diagnosed with ankyloglossia.

METHODS: this is an intervention study performed with 50 newborns diagnosed with ankyloglossia. It was conducted in three stages: diagnosis, intervention and reassessment. In the diagnostic phase, the Protocol for the Assessment of Speech Language with Scores for Babies was applied to diagnose ankyloglossia and a questionnaire assessing the symptoms and coordination of sucking, swallowing and breathing during breastfeeding. In the intervention, frenotomy was performed, and at reassessment, the diagnostic protocol and questionnaire in order to compare the post-surgical effects.

RESULTS: of the 50 babies participating in the study, 35 (70%) were boys and 15 (30%) girls. A total of 68% of ankyloglossia cases were reported in the family, a majority (38%) involving cousins. There was a statistically significant reduction in the average protocol score in the reassessment stage, from 8.38 (7-12 points) to 0.86 (0-5 points), as well as a statistically significant improvement in all variables related to the symptoms of breastfeeding.

CONCLUSION: surgical intervention, known as frenotomy, made it possible to improve the negative symptoms of breastfeeding in newborns diagnosed with ankyloglossia.

PMID:33950144 | DOI:10.1590/2317-1782/20202019026

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Nevin Manimala Statistics

Association of Childhood Adversities With Suicide Ideation and Attempts in Puerto Rican Young Adults

JAMA Psychiatry. 2021 May 5. doi: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2021.0480. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

IMPORTANCE: Racial/ethnic and sex disparities in suicide ideation and attempts are well established, with higher risk of suicide ideation and attempt among US racial/ethnic minority school-aged youths (than their White peers) and girls and women (than boys and men). The suicide-related risk of racial/ethnic minority young adults, especially young women, may be strongly influenced by adverse childhood experiences, known early determinants of suicide ideation and attempts.

OBJECTIVES: To assess lifetime and past-year prevalence estimates of suicide ideation and suicide attempt and to examine sex differences in the role of adverse childhood experiences as a prospective risk factor for Puerto Rican young adults from 2 sociocultural contexts.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Data in this longitudinal cohort study are from 4 waves of the Boricua Youth Study, a population-based cohort study of Puerto Rican children from San Juan and Caguas, Puerto Rico, and the South Bronx, New York, 5 to 17 years of age (N = 2491; waves 1-3: 2000-2004) and 15 to 29 years of age (wave 4: 2013-2017). Data analysis was performed from February 26, 2019, to October 16, 2020.

EXPOSURES: Adverse childhood experiences were assessed by interview in childhood and early adolescence (waves 1-3) and included child maltreatment (physical, sexual, and emotional abuse and neglect), exposure to violence, parental loss (separation, divorce, and death), and parental maladjustment (mental health problems, substance or alcohol abuse, intimate partner violence, and incarceration).

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Lifetime and past-year suicide ideation and attempt were assessed in young adulthood (wave 4) using the World Health Organization Composite International Diagnostic Interview.

RESULTS: Among 2004 Puerto Rican young adults (80.4% of the original cohort; mean [SD] age, 22.9 [2.8] years; 1019 [50.8%] male), young women compared with young men had a higher prevalence of lifetime suicide attempt (9.5% vs 3.6%) and lifetime suicide ideation (16.4% vs 11.5%), whereas past-year suicide ideation (4.4% vs 2.4%) was not statistically different. Logistic regression models, adjusting for demographics and lifetime psychiatric disorders, found that young women but not young men with more adverse childhood experiences had higher odds of suicide ideation (lifetime; odds ratio [OR], 2.44; 95% CI, 1.54-3.87; past year: OR, 2.56; 95% CI, 1.18-5.55). More adverse childhood experiences were also prospectively associated with lifetime suicide attempt (OR, 1.16; 95% CI, 1.04-1.29), irrespective of sex.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: The findings of this cohort study suggest that, among Puerto Rican young adults from 2 different sociocultural contexts, adverse childhood experiences were relevant to understanding suicide attempt and suicide ideation, the latter specifically among young women. The prevention of cumulative adverse childhood experiences could reduce later risk of suicide attempts and, among young women, for suicide ideation.

PMID:33950163 | DOI:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2021.0480

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Dynamic α-Fetoprotein Response and Outcomes After Liver Transplant for Hepatocellular Carcinoma

JAMA Surg. 2021 May 5. doi: 10.1001/jamasurg.2021.0954. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

IMPORTANCE: Accurate preoperative prediction of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) recurrence after liver transplant is the mainstay of selection tools used by transplant-governing bodies to discern candidacy for patients with HCC. Although progress has been made, few tools incorporate objective measures of tumor biological characteristics, resulting in inclusion of patients with high recurrence rates and exclusion of others who could otherwise be cured.

OBJECTIVE: To externally validate the New York/California (NYCA) score, a recently published multi-institutional US HCC selection tool that was the first model incorporating a dynamic α-fetoprotein response (AFP-R) and compare the validated score with currently accepted HCC selection tools, namely, the Milan Criteria (MC), the French-AFP (F-AFP), and Metroticket 2.0 models.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: A retrospective, multicenter prognostic analysis of prospectively collected databases of 2236 adults undergoing liver transplant for HCC was conducted at 3 US, 1 Canadian, and 4 European centers from January 1, 2001, to December 31, 2013. The AFP-R was measured as the difference between maximum and final pre-liver transplant AFP level. Cox proportional hazards regression and competing risk regression analyses examined recurrence-free and overall survival. Receiver operating characteristic analyses and net reclassification index were used to compare NYCA with MC, F-AFP, and Metroticket 2.0. Data analysis was performed from June 2019 to April 2020.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: The primary study outcome was 5-year recurrence-free survival; overall survival was the secondary outcome.

RESULTS: Of 2236 patients, 1808 (80.9%) were men; mean (SD) age was 58.3 (7.96) years. A total of 545 patients (24.4%) did not meet the MC. The NYCA score proved valid on competing risk regression analysis, accurately predicting recurrence-free and overall survival (5-year cumulative incidence of recurrence risk in NYCA risk categories was 9.5% for low-, 20.5%, for acceptable-, and 40.5% for high-risk categories; P < .001 for all). The NYCA also predicted recurrence-free survival on a center-specific level: 453 of 545 patients (83.1%) who did not meet MC, 213 of 308 (69.2%) who did not meet the French-AFP, 292 of 384 (76.1%) who did not meet Metroticket 2.0 would be recategorized into NYCA low- and acceptable-risk groups (>75% 5-year recurrence-free survival). The Harrell C statistic for the validated NYCA score was 0.66 compared with 0.59 for the MC and 0.57 for the F-AFP models (P < .001). The net reclassification index for NYCA was 8.1 vs MC, 12.9 vs F-AFP, and 10.1 vs Metroticket 2.0.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: This study appears to externally validate the importance of AFP-R in the selection of patients with HCC for liver transplant. The AFP-R represents one of the truly objective measures of biological characteristics available before transplantation. Incorporation of AFP-R into selection criteria allows safe expansion of MC and other models, offering liver transplant to patients with acceptable tumor biological characteristics who would otherwise be denied potential cure.

PMID:33950167 | DOI:10.1001/jamasurg.2021.0954

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Nevin Manimala Statistics

Actions for early detection of breast cancer in two municipalities in the Western Amazon

Rev Bras Enferm. 2021 May 3;74(2):e20200165. doi: 10.1590/0034-7167-2020-0165. eCollection 2021.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: to assess the implementation of actions for early detection of breast cancer in Primary Care and to verify the adequacy of these actions with the Ministry of Health recommendations.

METHOD: a cross-sectional study conducted from September 2017 to March 2018 with 736 women registered in Basic Health Units in two municipalities in Acre. For data collection, a validated questionnaire was used. In statistical analysis, the chi-square test or Fisher’s exact test was applied.

RESULTS: the frequency of mammography was 42%. Of the women at standard risk for breast cancer, only 5,8% underwent mammography properly.

CONCLUSION: there was a low compliance of early detection actions to the Ministry of Health recommendations; thus, the need to adopt measures to increase professionals’ adherence to government proposals is highlighted, as well as continuous actions assessments.

PMID:33950117 | DOI:10.1590/0034-7167-2020-0165

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Nevin Manimala Statistics

Bundle for the prevention and management of complications of neutropenia in cancer patients

Rev Bras Enferm. 2021 May 3;74(2):e20200195. doi: 10.1590/0034-7167-2020-0195. eCollection 2021.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: to construct and assess bundle content for the prevention and management of complications in neutropenia in cancer patients.

METHODS: a methodological study developed in four stages: scoping review; bundle construction; material assessment by experts (developed according to Pasquali’s psychometry); pilot test in a High Complexity Assistance Unit in Oncology. For content assessment, the Delphi technique was applied in two rounds and those items with Content Validation Coefficient (CVC)> 0.78 and agreement> 80.0% were considered valid. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics.

RESULTS: all bundle requirements reached agreement between judges above 80.0%, in addition to statistically significant levels of assessment. At the end of the Delphi technique, bundle was significantly valid with CVC = 0.92 and CVC = 0.93, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS: bundle content proved to be valid and highly credible.

PMID:33950119 | DOI:10.1590/0034-7167-2020-0195

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Nevin Manimala Statistics

Nutritional status and metabolic risk in adults: association with diet quality as assessed with ESQUADA

Rev Bras Epidemiol. 2021 May 3;24:e210019. doi: 10.1590/1980-549720210019. eCollection 2021.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the association between diet quality assessed with the Diet Quality Scale (ESQUADA) and the nutritional status and metabolic risk in adults.

METHODS: The data included 1,147 adults aged 20 to 59, from the population-based study with complex sampling. Weight, height, tricipital (TSF) and subscapular (SSF) skinfolds, and waist (WC) and mid-arm (MAC) circumferences were measured. Body mass index (BMI) and mid-arm muscle circumference (MAMC) were calculated. Nutritional status and metabolic risk were classified considering BMI and WC values, respectively. Diet quality was assessed with ESQUADA. Data were collected at household using the Epicollect5 application. Diet quality (in scores) was analyzed as continuous data and later categorized. The confidence interval was used for comparison between groups, Fisher’s exact test for an association study. Adjusted multiple linear regression models were also estimated. P < 0.05 was adopted for statistical significance.

RESULTS: Overweight prevailed in 60.33% of individuals, especially among women (60.73%). High or very high metabolic risk was more frequent among women with “very good or excellent” diet quality. Higher diet quality score was associated with a reduction in TSF (β = -0.07; 95%CI -0.13 – -0.01) and an increase in MAMC (β = 0.09; 95%CI 0.00 – 0,18) in men and the reduction in weight (β = -0.04; 95%CI -0.07 – -0.01), SSF (β = -0.07; 95%CI -0.13 – -0,00) and WC in women (β = -0.06; 95%CI -0.09 – -0.02).

CONCLUSION: A better diet quality is positively associated with lean mass in men, and negatively with fat mass in men and women.

PMID:33950140 | DOI:10.1590/1980-549720210019

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Changes in the prevalence of physical inactivity and sedentary behavior during COVID-19 pandemic: a survey with 39,693 Brazilian adults

Cad Saude Publica. 2021 Apr 30;37(3):e00221920. doi: 10.1590/0102-311X00221920. eCollection 2021.

ABSTRACT

This study analyzed changes in the prevalence of physical inactivity and sedentary behaviors according to correlates during the COVID-19 pandemic among Brazilian adults. A national retrospective online survey was conducted with 39,693 Brazilian adults. Physical activity (weekly frequency and daily duration; cut-off point of 150 minutes/week), TV-viewing time and computer/tablet use (daily duration; cut-off point of 4 hours/day) before and during the pandemic period were reported. Sex, age group, schooling level, skin color, per capita income, country region, working status during the quarantine, and adherence to the quarantine were the correlates. Descriptive statistics were used. The prevalence of physical inactivity, high TV-viewing time and computer/tablet use increased, respectively, 26%, 266%, and 38% during the pandemic. While increases in physical inactivity and computer/tablet were more widespread, higher increases in the prevalence of high TV viewing tiem were observed among younger adults (660%), with higher schooling level (437%) and those who were at home office (331%). The prevalence of physical inactivity and sedentary behaviors increased in all population sub-groups during the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil.

PMID:33950077 | DOI:10.1590/0102-311X00221920

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Nevin Manimala Statistics

Psychometric properties of the Jefferson Empathy Scale in four nursing student faculties

Rev Esc Enferm USP. 2021 Apr 30;55:e03741. doi: 10.1590/S1980-220X2020023903741. eCollection 2021.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the psychometric properties of the Jefferson Medical Empathy Scale, Spanish version (JSE-S), its factorial structure, reliability, and the presence of invariance between genders in the behavior of empathy levels among Chilean nursing students.

METHOD: Instrumental research design. The JSE-S was applied to 1,320 nursing students. A confirmatory factor analysis was used. An invariance study between genders was carried out. Descriptive statistics were estimated. Between genders, Student’s T distribution was applied alongside a homoscedasticity analysis. The level of significance was α ≤ 0.05.

RESULTS: The confirmatory factor analysis determined the existence of three dimensions in the matrix. The statistical results of the invariance tests were significant, and allowed comparison between genders. Differences were found between mean empathy values, as well as in some of its dimensions between genders.

CONCLUSION: The factor structure of empathy data and its dimensions is in correspondence with the underlying three-dimensional model. There are differences in empathy levels and their dimensions between genders, with the exception of the compassionate care dimension, which was distributed similarly. Women were more empathetic than men.

PMID:33950108 | DOI:10.1590/S1980-220X2020023903741

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Nevin Manimala Statistics

Factors affecting Brazilians’ self-rated health during the COVID-19 pandemic

Cad Saude Publica. 2021 Apr 30;37(3):e00182720. doi: 10.1590/0102-311X00182720. eCollection 2021.

ABSTRACT

This is a cross-sectional study investigating the factors affecting brazilians’ self-rated health during the COVID-19 pandemic, based on data from the web-based behavior survey. Carried out from April 24 to May 24, 2020, the survey recruited participants by a chain sampling procedure. Its outcome was the worsening of self-rated health during the pandemic. Statistical analysis was based on a hierarchical model of determination. Logistic regression models were used to test the associations between sociodemographic characteristics, pre-existing health conditions, lifestyle indicators and intensity of social restraint measures, and biological and psychological issues during the pandemic. From the total sample of 45,161 participants, 29.4% reported worsening of health state during this period. After adjusting for hierarchical distal factors, the health problems mostly associated with worsening health state were: bad self-rated health (adjusted OR = 4.35, p < 0.001), health care seeking for mental health problem (adjusted OR = 3.95, p < 0.001), and for COVID-19 (adjusted OR = 3.60, p < 0.001). People who experienced sleep problems, worsening of back pain, depression and at least one flu symptom during the pandemic were twice as likely to report worsening of health status. Sedentary and eating behaviors and adherence to social distancing measures showed significant correlation with the outcome. There exists a relation between social, biological, and psychological factors, mediated by lifestyles and variables pertaining to confinement. Altogether, these factors have negatively affected self-rated health during the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil.

PMID:33950075 | DOI:10.1590/0102-311X00182720