Tag: pubmed

Transbound Emerg Dis. 2021 May 13. doi: 10.1111/tbed.14133. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Surveillance data are key to informing decisions on the control and prevention of transboundary and emerging diseases. Here, we describe new methods for acquiring difficult to access, publicly available disease surveillance data. We use World Organisation for Animal Heath (OIE) data on African Swine Fever (ASF) outbreaks in European countries to showcase the importance of adequate disease surveillance data to inform decision-making. The data acquired using these methods allow for large scale, geospatial outbreak mapping and estimation of summary statistics for any listed terrestrial disease in the OIE World Animal Health Information System (WAHIS) database. These techniques will make valuable epidemiological data more accessible to the scientific community, aiding further insight into the occurrence and spread of transboundary and emerging diseases in a timely manner, fulfilling an important function of disease surveillance.

PMID:33982877 | DOI:10.1111/tbed.14133

Arthritis Rheumatol. 2021 May 13. doi: 10.1002/art.41799. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: A recent genome-wide association study (GWAS) reported a significant genetic association between rs34330 of cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 1B (CDKN1B) and risk of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in Han Chinese. This study aims to validate the reported association and elucidate the biochemical mechanisms underlying the variant’s effect.

METHODS: We performed allelic association with SLE followed by meta-analysis across 11 independent cohorts (n=28,872). We applied in silico bioinformatics and experimental validation in SLE-relevant cell lines to determine the functional consequences of rs34330.

RESULTS: We replicated genetic association between SLE and rs34330 (P_meta =5.29×10^-22 , OR (95% CI)=0.84 (0.81-0.87)). Follow-up bioinformatics and eQTL analysis suggest that rs34330 is located in active chromatin and potentially regulates several target genes. Using luciferase and ChIP-qPCR, we demonstrated substantial allele-specific promoter and enhancer activity, and allele-specific binding of three histone marks (H3K27ac, H3K4me3, H3K4me1), RNA pol II, CTCF, and a critical immune transcription factor (IRF-1). Chromosome conformation capture (3C) detected long-range chromatin interactions between rs34330 and the promoters of neighboring genes APOLD1 and DDX47, and effects on CDKN1B and the other target genes were directly validated by CRISPR-based genome editing. Finally, CRISPR-dCas9-based epigenetic activation/silencing confirmed these results. Gene-edited cell lines also showed higher levels of proliferation and apoptosis.

CONCLUSION: Collectively, these findings suggest a mechanism whereby the rs34330 risk allele (C) influences the presence of histone marks, RNA pol II, and the IRF-1 transcription factor to regulate expression of several target genes linked to proliferation and apoptosis, which potentially underlie the association of rs34330 with SLE.

PMID:33982894 | DOI:10.1002/art.41799

ACS Nano. 2021 May 13. doi: 10.1021/acsnano.1c02907. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

The surface of metal oxides is of technological importance and is extensively used as a substrate for various electronic and chemical applications. A real surface, however, is not a perfectly well-defined and clean surface, but rather contains a diverse class of atomistic defects. Here, we show the direct determination of the 3D surface atomic structure of SrTiO₃ (001) including termination layers and atomistic defects such as vacancies, adatoms, ledges, kinks, and their complex combinations, by using depth sectioning of atomic-resolution annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy (ADF STEM). To overcome the poor depth resolution in STEM, we statistically analyze the column by column depth profiles of ADF STEM images with a Bayesian framework fitting algorithm, and we achieve depth resolution at the entrance surface of ±0.9 Å for 1518 individual atomic columns. The present atomic-resolution 3D electron microscopy at the surface will provide fertile ground especially in surface science.

PMID:33983030 | DOI:10.1021/acsnano.1c02907

BJOG. 2021 May 13. doi: 10.1111/1471-0528.16739. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To assess whether folic acid supplementation ameliorates hot flushes.

DESIGN: Double-blind, placebo-controlled randomised trial.

SETTING: Nine hospitals in England.

POPULATION: Postmenopausal women experiencing ≥50 hot flushes weekly.

METHODS: Women (n=164) were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to receive folic acid 5mg tablet or placebo daily for 12 weeks. Participants recorded frequency and severity of hot flushes in Sloan Diary daily and completed Greene Climacteric and Utian Quality of Life (UQoL) Scales at 4-weekly intervals.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The change in daily Hot Flush Score at week-12 from randomisation based on Sloan Diary Composite Score B calculation.

RESULTS: Data of 143 (87%) women was available for the primary outcome. The mean change (SD) in Hot Flush Score at week-12 was -6.98 (10.30) and -4.57 (9.46) for folic acid and placebo group, respectively. The difference between groups in the mean change was -2.41 (95% CI: -5.68, 0.87), p=0.149 and in the adjusted mean change was -2.61 (95% CI: -5.72, 0.49), p=0.098. Analysis of secondary outcomes indicated an increased benefit in the folic acid group regarding changes in total and emotional UQoL scores at week-8 when compared with placebo. The difference in the mean change from baseline was 5.22 (95% CI: 1.16, 9.28) and 1.88 (95% CI: 0.23, 3.52) for total and emotional score, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS: The study was not able to demonstrate that folic acid had a statistically significant greater benefit in reducing Hot Flush Score over 12 weeks in postmenopausal women when compared with placebo.

PMID:33982872 | DOI:10.1111/1471-0528.16739

Transpl Infect Dis. 2021 May 13:e13634. doi: 10.1111/tid.13634. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Neutropenia is a serious complication following heart transplantation (OHT) however risk factors for its development and its association with outcomes is not well described. We sought to study the prevalence of neutropenia, risk factors associated with its development and its impact on infection, rejection and survival.

METHODS: A retrospective single center analysis of adult OHT recipients from July 2004 to December 2017 was performed. Demographic, laboratory, medication, infection, rejection and survival data were collected for 1 year post-OHT. Baseline lab measurements were collected within the 24 hours before OHT. Neutropenia was defined as absolute neutrophil count ≤1000 cells/mm3. Cox proportional hazards models explored associations with time to first neutropenia. Associations between neutropenia, analyzed as a time-dependent covariate, with secondary outcomes of time to infection, rejection or death were also examined.

RESULTS: Of 278 OHT recipients, 84 (30%) developed neutropenia at a median of 142 days (range 81-228) after transplant. Factors independently associated with increased risk of neutropenia included lower baseline WBC (HR 1.12; 95% CI 1.11 – 1.24), pre-OHT ventricular assist device (1.63; 1.00 – 2.66), high risk CMV serostatus [donor positive, recipient negative] (1.86; 1.19 – 2.88), and having a previous CMV infection (4.07; 3.92 – 13.7).

CONCLUSIONS: Neutropenia is a fairly common occurrence after adult OHT. CMV infection was associated with subsequent neutropenia, however no statistically significant differences in outcomes were found between neutropenic and non-neutropenic patients in this small study. It remains to be determined in future studies if medication changes in response to neutropenia would impact patient outcomes.

PMID:33982834 | DOI:10.1111/tid.13634

Luminescence. 2021 May 13. doi: 10.1002/bio.4083. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

A water-soluble and highly stable N,S-doped CQDs (N,S-CQDs) have been synthesized by a low-cost strategy using citric acid (CA) and thiosemicarbazide (TSC) in one-step as a fluorescent nanosensor. The achieved N, S-CQDs have strong emission at 446 nm upon excitation at 370 nm and a high quantum yield of 58.5%. The quenching effect on the prepared N,S-CQDs has been utilized for determination of Trimetazidine (TMZ) spectrofluorimetrically in a wide linear range of 0.04-0.5μM (0.0106-0.133 μg mL^-1 ) and low limit of detection of 0.01μM (0.002 μg mL^-1 ). Furtherer, CDs was used to determine TMZ in its pharmaceutical formulations as well as in human plasma as a simple and rapid fluorescent probe. The method was tested in compliance with the ICH guidelines. The results obtained were statistically compared to those given by a reported method showing no significant variations regards accuracy and precision.

PMID:33982840 | DOI:10.1002/bio.4083

Aust J Rural Health. 2021 Apr;29(2):211-225. doi: 10.1111/ajr.12740.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Psychology workforce shortages in geographically rural or remote contexts have highlighted the need to understand the supervisory experiences of psychologists practising in these locations, and the models of supervision employed to support their practice and improve client safety.

OBJECTIVE: To review the models of remote professional supervision and the supervisory experiences of psychologists practising in rural and remote locations.

DESIGN: Using the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology for mixed-methods systematic review, 8 health and education databases were searched using keyword and subject heading searches.

FINDINGS: The initial search identified 413 studies. A full-text review identified 4 papers that met the inclusion criteria and were subjected to a methodological appraisal by 2 reviewers. Three studies included qualitative data, with 2 using transcribed interviews. Two studies reported quantitative data, with only one study including a statistical analysis of the outcomes.

DISCUSSION: The results for the efficacy of the current models of remote supervision being used within the allied health and psychology professions are limited, with methodological limitations cautioning generalisability of results. The experiences of psychologists engaged in remote supervision do not appear to have changed over the past decade despite technological advances.

CONCLUSIONS: Quality professional supervision is critical for the sustainability of the psychology workforce in rural and remote locations, reducing professional isolation, and for improved patient outcomes. This review identified a need for improved evidence for remote supervision models for psychologists working in geographically rural and remote locations. Lessons can be learned from other health professions’ models of remote supervision.

PMID:33982844 | DOI:10.1111/ajr.12740

Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg. 2021 May 13:trab072. doi: 10.1093/trstmh/trab072. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Mycetoma is a neglected tropical disease that attracts little attention in regard to research and publications and hence this study was undertaken to determine the trends and global scientific research output in mycetoma-related fields.

METHODS: Mycetoma data were retrieved from the Web of Science (WoS) and Scopus databases. The MeSH Browser was used to extract relevant keywords. Biblioshiny software (R-studio cloud), VOSviewer v. 1.6.6 and SPSS software were used for data management.

RESULTS: Research trends on mycetoma increased globally from 1999 to 2020. The results were 404 documents (4444 citations) in WoS and 513 documents (5709 citations) in Scopus, and the average number of citations per article was 11 in WoS and 11.13 in Scopus. There was a significant association between the total number of citations and the total citations per year in both WoS (r=0.833, p<0.0001) and Scopus (r=0.926, p<0.0001). Sudan, India, the Netherlands and Mexico were the top-ranking productive countries for mycetoma publications in WoS, while India, the USA and Mexico were the top-ranking countries in Scopus. Articles on mycetoma were mainly published in PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, the International Journal of Dermatology and the Journal of Clinical Microbiology. A. H. Fahal from the Mycetoma Research Centre, University of Khartoum, Sudan, had the highest number of citations in mycetoma research during 1999-2020, followed by W. W. J. van de Sande from the Erasmus Medical Centre, University of Rotterdam, the Netherlands, during 2003-2020.

CONCLUSION: The analysis provides insight into a global overview of Mycetoma research. In addition, the analysis holds a better understanding of the development trends that have emerged in Mycetoma over the past 21 years, which can also offer a scientific reference for future research.

PMID:33982760 | DOI:10.1093/trstmh/trab072

J Ultrasound Med. 2021 May 13. doi: 10.1002/jum.15746. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: To assess adequacy of transvaginal ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration biopsy (TVUS-FNAB) for pathologic diagnosis of pelvic masses performed using onsite cytopathology consultation.

METHODS: In this Institutional Review Board approved, Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) compliant study, radiology records were retrospectively queried to identify patients who underwent TVUS-FNAB of a pelvic mass over a 11-year duration. TVUS-FNAB adequacy was determined by correlating cytopathology results with transvaginal ultrasound-guided core-needle biopsy (TVUS-CNB) or surgical pathology results when available, and with clinical diagnostic confidence when additional pathology confirmation was not available. Secondary analysis included patient age, history of hysterectomy, or pelvic malignancy. Target-specific features analyzed included mass size, depth, location, and final pathologic diagnosis.

RESULTS: Sixty patients underwent TVUS-FNAB of pelvic masses, 43 of which underwent FNAB only and 17 underwent both TVUS-FNAB and TVUS-CNB during the same procedure. TVUS-FNAB alone was adequate for diagnosis in 51 (85%) cases and addition of core-needle biopsy (CNB) achieved a diagnosis in additional 4 patients, increasing overall diagnostic accuracy to 92% (55/60). FNAB inadequacy had statistically significant association with increasing mass depth, occurrence of a minor intraprocedural complication, and decision to perform a CNB (P <.05). Number of FNAB passes, mass size, history of hysterectomy, and final diagnosis were not statistically significant predictors of FNAB adequacy.

CONCLUSION: TVUS-FNAB has a high specimen adequacy rate when performed with an onsite cytopathologist and can be considered first-line approach for image-guided sampling of pelvic lesions with option to add CNB if preliminary cytopathologic review does not confirm sample adequacy.

PMID:33982794 | DOI:10.1002/jum.15746

Br J Clin Pharmacol. 2021 May 13. doi: 10.1111/bcp.14897. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

AIM: To test if 6 months’ intervention with dietary nitrate and spironolactone could affect carotid subclinical atherosclerosis and stiffness, respectively, versus placebo/doxazosin, to control for blood pressure (BP).

METHODS: A subgroup of participants in our double-blind, randomized-controlled, factorial VaSera trial had carotid imaging. Patients with hypertension and with/at risk of type 2 diabetes were randomized to active nitrate-containing beetroot juice or placebo nitrate-depleted juice, and spironolactone or doxazosin. Vascular ultrasound for carotid diameter (CD, mm) and intima-media thickness (CIMT, mm) was performed at baseline, 3- and 6-months. Carotid local stiffness (CS, m/s) was estimated from aortic pulse pressure (Arteriograph®) and carotid lumen area. Data was analysed by modified intention to treat and using mixed-model effect, adjusted for confounders.

RESULTS: 93 subjects had a baseline evaluation and 86% had follow-up data. No statistical interactions occurred between the juice and drug arms and BP was similar between the juices and between the drugs. Nitrate-containing versus placebo juice significantly lowered CIMT [-0.06 (95% Confidence Interval -0.12, -0.01), p=0.034], an overall difference of ~8% relative to baseline; but had no effect on carotid diameter (CD) or carotid stiffness (CS). Doxazosin appeared to reduce CS from baseline [-0.34 (-0.62, -0.06)] however, no difference was detected versus spironolactone [-0.15 (-0.46, 0.16)]. No differences were detected between spironolactone or doxazosin on CIMT and CD.

CONCLUSION: Our results show that 6 months’ intervention with dietary nitrate influences vascular remodelling, but not carotid stiffness or diameter. Neither spironolactone nor doxazosin had a BP-independent effect on carotid structure and function.

PMID:33982797 | DOI:10.1111/bcp.14897