Tag: pubmed

Mult Scler Relat Disord. 2021 Aug 19;55:103219. doi: 10.1016/j.msard.2021.103219. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Background Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune and neurodegenerative disease of the central nervous system in which disease activity can be monitored with some biomarkers. The aim of our study was to investigate serum Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein (GFAP) and Neurofilament Light Chain (NFL) in relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) patients after the aerobic exercise. Methods A total of 38 participants with RRMS (Expanded Disability Status Scale: 1.0 – 4.5) were randomized to a study group (3 × /week for 8 weeks at 60 – 70 % of maximal aerobic capacity (VO_2max) + home exercises) and a control group (were given home exercises programme 3 times a week for 8 week). Serum NFL and GFAP levels were analyzed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent analysis method before and at the end of 8 weeks. Results: NFL and GFAP levels were statistically lower in the study group at the end of the study than before the study. In the control group, no significant changes were observed in serum NFL and GFAP levels. ΔNFL levels were significantly higher in the study group than control group. Conclusion It was shown, for the first time that serum GFAP and NFL levels (%10 and % 32, respectively) in RRMS patients decreased after aerobic exercise. Our study is important in terms of investigating the effects of aerobic exercise in individuals with RRMS and elucidating the underlying measurable biomarkers. The significant reduction of NFL and GFAP, which have an important role in the pathology associated with nervous system damage in MS, with aerobic exercise may be promising in understanding the regulation of disease activity in MS patients.

PMID:34433118 | DOI:10.1016/j.msard.2021.103219

Water Res. 2021 Aug 12;203:117543. doi: 10.1016/j.watres.2021.117543. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

According to the European Directives (UE) 2020/2184 and 2009/54/EC, which establishes the sanitary criteria for water intended for human consumption in Europe, water suitable for human consumption must be free of the bacterial indicators Escherichia coli, Clostridium perfringens and Enterococcus spp. Drinking water is also monitored for heterotrophic bacteria, which are not a human health risk, but can serve as an index of bacteriological water quality. Therefore, a rapid, accurate, and cost-effective method for the identification of these colonies would improve our understanding of the culturable bacteria of drinking water and facilitate the task of water management by treatment facilities. Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) is potentially such a method, although most of the currently available mass spectral libraries have been developed in a clinical setting and have limited environmental applicability. In this work, a MALDI-TOF MS drinking water library (DWL) was defined and developed by targeting bacteria present in water intended for human consumption. This database, made up of 319 different bacterial strains, can contribute to the routine microbiological control of either treated drinking water or mineral bottled water carried out by water treatment and distribution operators, offering a faster identification rate compared to a clinical sample-based library. The DWL, made up of 96 bacterial genera, 44 of which are not represented in the MALDI-TOF MS bacterial Bruker Daltonics (BDAL) database, was found to significantly improve the identification of bacteria present in drinking water.

PMID:34433109 | DOI:10.1016/j.watres.2021.117543

Behav Res Ther. 2021 Aug 15;145:103947. doi: 10.1016/j.brat.2021.103947. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Preliminary evidence suggests mental imagery-based episodic simulation of planned reward activities may amplify motivation and promote greater behavioural engagement, particularly for activities with high motivational barriers (Renner, Murphy, Ji, Manly, & Holmes, 2019). This study conducted a conceptual replication and extension of Renner et al. (2019). N = 81 first-year university students self-selected and scheduled two reward activities (one hedonic, one mastery) for the following week before being randomly allocated to either an Imagery-Experiential elaboration condition (n = 27), a Verbal-Reasoning elaboration condition (n = 28), or a Scheduling-only Control condition (n = 26). Following the lab session, all participants received standardized daily prompts to complete daily activity diaries online for seven days. The Imagery-Experiential condition reported greater increases in anticipatory pleasure (state mood), anticipated pleasure, and self-reported motivation compared to the Scheduling-only Control condition, and greater increases in anticipatory pleasure (state mood), but not anticipated pleasure or motivation, relative to the Verbal-Reasoning condition. Consistent with Renner et al. (2019), the Imagery-Experiential condition, but not the Verbal-Reasoning condition, reported more frequent engagement in high motivational barrier activities than the Scheduling-only Control condition. Exploratory mediational analyses suggested that mental imagery may exert unique motivational impacts via its impact on anticipatory pleasure (state mood), although indirect effects were only observed for self-reported motivation change in the lab, with real world behavioural effects falling short of statistical significance.

PMID:34433114 | DOI:10.1016/j.brat.2021.103947

Ann Vasc Surg. 2021 Aug 22:S0890-5096(21)00527-6. doi: 10.1016/j.avsg.2021.05.049. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Complications following vascular procedures involving the groin can lead to significant morbidity. Achieving stable soft tissue coverage over sites of revascularization can help mitigate complications. Prior evidence supports the use of muscle flaps in reoperative groins and in high risk patient populations to reduce postoperative complications. Data regarding the use of prophylactic muscle flap coverage of the groin is lacking. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of immediate prophylactic muscle flap coverage of vascular wounds involving the groin.

METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was performed on all patients undergoing primary open vascular procedures involving the groin for occlusive, aneurysmal, or oncologic disease between 2014 and 2020 at a single institution where plastic surgery was involved in closure. Patient demographics, comorbidities, surgical details, and postoperative complications were compared between patients who had sartorius muscle flap coverage of the vascular repair versus layered closure alone.

RESULTS: A total of 133 consecutive groins were included in our analysis. A sartorius flap was used in 115 groins (86.5%) and a layered closure was used in 18 (13.5%). Wound breakdown was similar between groups (25.2% sartorius vs. 38.9% layered closure, p=0.26). However, the rate of reoperation was significantly higher in the layered closure group (50.0% vs. 12.2%, p<0.01). Among patients who experienced wound breakdown (N = 36), a larger proportion of layered closure patients required operative intervention (71.4% vs. 20.7%, p=0.02). Other rates of complications were not statistically different between groups.

CONCLUSIONS: In patients undergoing primary open vascular procedures involving the groin, patients who underwent prophylactic sartorius muscle flap closure had lower rates of reoperation. Although incisional breakdown was similar between the groups overall, the presence of a vascularized muscle flap overlying the vascular repair was associated with reduced need for reoperation and allowed more wounds to be managed with local wound care alone. Consideration should be given to this low morbidity local muscle flap in patients undergoing vascular procedures involving the groin.

PMID:34433093 | DOI:10.1016/j.avsg.2021.05.049

Ann Epidemiol. 2021 Aug 22:S1047-2797(21)00265-9. doi: 10.1016/j.annepidem.2021.08.015. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Estimates of HIV prevalence, and how it changes over time, are needed to inform action (e.g., resource allocation) to improve HIV-related public health. However, creating adequate estimates of (diagnosed and undiagnosed) HIV prevalence is challenging due to biases in samples receiving HIV testing and due to difficulties enumerating key risk populations. To our knowledge, estimates of HIV prevalence among high risk heterosexuals in the United States produced for geographic areas smaller than the entire nation have to date been only for single years and/or for single cities (or other single geographic locations). The present study addresses these gaps by using multilevel modeling on multiple data series, in combination with previous estimates of HIV prevalence among heterosexuals from the extant literature, to produce annual estimates of HIV prevalence among high risk heterosexuals for each of 89 metropolitan statistical areas, from 1992-2013. It also produces estimates for these MSAs and years by racial/ethnic subgroup to allow for an examination of change over time in racial/ethnic disparities in HIV prevalence among high risk heterosexuals. The resulting estimates suggest that HIV prevalence among high risk heterosexuals has decreased steadily, on average, from 1992-2013. Examination of these estimates by racial/ethnic subgroup suggests that this trend is primarily due to decreases among Black and Hispanic/Latino high risk heterosexuals. HIV prevalence among white high risk heterosexuals remained steady over time at around 1 percent during the study period. Although HIV prevalence among Black and Hispanic/Latino high risk heterosexuals was much higher (approximately 3.5% and 3.3%, respectively) than that among whites in 1992, over time these differences decreased as HIV prevalence decreased over time among these subgroups. By 2013, HIV prevalence among Hispanic/Latino high risk heterosexuals was estimated to be very similar to that among white high risk heterosexuals (approximately 1 percent), with prevalence among Black high risk heterosexuals still estimated to be almost twice as high. It is likely that as HIV incidence has decreased among heterosexuals from 1992-2013, mortality due to all causes has remained disparately high among racial/ethnic minorities, thereby outpacing new HIV cases. Future research should aim to empirically examine this by comparing changes over time in estimated HIV incidence among heterosexuals to changes over time in mortality and causes of death among HIV-positive heterosexuals, by racial/ethnic subgroup.

PMID:34433105 | DOI:10.1016/j.annepidem.2021.08.015

Cell Rep. 2021 Aug 24;36(8):109599. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2021.109599.

ABSTRACT

Both tumors and aging alter the immune landscape of tissues. These interactions may play an important role in tumor progression among elderly patients and may suggest considerations for patient care. We leverage large-scale genomic and clinical databases to perform comprehensive comparative analysis of molecular and cellular markers of immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) response with patient age. These analyses demonstrate that aging is associated with increased tumor mutational burden, increased expression and decreased promoter methylation of immune checkpoint genes, and increased interferon gamma signaling in older patients in many cancer types studied, all of which are expected to promote ICB efficacy. Concurrently, we observe age-related alterations that might be expected to reduce ICB efficacy, such as decreases in T cell receptor diversity. Altogether, these changes suggest the capacity for robust ICB response in many older patients, which may warrant large-scale prospective study on ICB therapies among patients of advanced age.

PMID:34433020 | DOI:10.1016/j.celrep.2021.109599

J Infect. 2021 Aug 22:S0163-4453(21)00419-9. doi: 10.1016/j.jinf.2021.08.030. Online ahead of print.

NO ABSTRACT

PMID:34433071 | DOI:10.1016/j.jinf.2021.08.030

J Neurophysiol. 2021 Aug 25. doi: 10.1152/jn.00172.2021. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Analysis of electrophysiological data from Purkinje cells (P-cells) of the cerebellum presents unique challenges to spike sorting. Complex spikes have waveforms that vary significantly from one event to the next, raising the problem of misidentification. Even when complex spikes are detected correctly, the simple spikes may belong to a different P-cell, raising the danger of misattribution. To address these identification and attribution problems, we wrote an open-source, semi-automated software called P-sort, and then tested it by analyzing data from P-cells recorded in three species: marmosets, macaques, and mice. Like other sorting software, P-sort relies on nonlinear dimensionality reduction to cluster spikes. However, it also uses the statistical relationship between simple and complex spikes to merge disparate clusters and split a single cluster. In comparison with expert manual curation, occasionally P-sort identified significantly more complex spikes, as well as prevented misattribution of clusters. Three existing automatic sorters performed less well, particularly for identification of complex spikes. To improve development of analysis tools for the cerebellum, we provide labeled data for 313 recording sessions, as well as statistical characteristics of waveforms and firing patterns of P-cells in three species.

PMID:34432996 | DOI:10.1152/jn.00172.2021

Rural Remote Health. 2021 Aug;21(3):6348. doi: 10.22605/RRH6348. Epub 2021 Aug 25.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Immunization is one of the most cost-effective methods for reducing mortality and morbidity rates in children. Children being fully vaccinated helps prevent diseases that would have great societal costs otherwise. Incomplete vaccination poses public health risks and challenges. This study examines the issue of incomplete vaccination in Indonesia. The objectives were to quantify the association between child level, parent level and community level determinants and child immunization coverage in Indonesia.

METHODS: Data were from the 2017 Indonesian Demographic Health Survey; this study included 4753 children aged 12-24 months. The survey implemented multistage random sampling. The data were examined using descriptive statistics and multilevel logistic regression analysis.

RESULTS: The survey found that in Indonesia, country-wide, 58.22% of children were fully vaccinated. A multilevel logistic regression model after adjusting for household wealth and proportion of public healthcare centers (PHCs) showed that children of first birth order had significantly lower likelihood of being fully immunized than children of second order and higher. The parent level factors, such as age of mother at delivery, mother’s education, father’s occupation, antenatal care (ANC) and region, significantly influenced the completeness of child immunization. At the community level, the presence of a PHC significantly improved immunization coverage.

CONCLUSION: The findings indicate that there is a wide range of inequality in immunization throughout the region due to socioeconomic and demographic factors. Findings revealed that complete immunization status was significantly associated with birth order, age of mother at delivery, mother’s education, father’s occupation, ANC, region, and proportion of PHCs. This study emphasizes the need to increase healthcare centers in each community with the objective to reduce disparities in maternal and child health services.

PMID:34432982 | DOI:10.22605/RRH6348

Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 2021 Aug 25. doi: 10.1139/apnm-2021-0390. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

This study examined associations between child food involvement and food fussiness. Analyses used survey data from 62 children ages 1.5 to 5.9 years who participated in the Guelph Family Health Study Pilot. Overall involvement (β = -0.51, p = 0.02), involvement in meal preparation (β = -0.42, p = 0.009), and involvement in grocery shopping (β = -0.29, p = 0.04) were inversely associated with food fussiness. Experimental research including larger, more diverse samples is needed to test whether food involvement reduces food fussiness among young children. Novelty: • Our study identified significant, inverse associations between child food involvement and food fussiness.

PMID:34432990 | DOI:10.1139/apnm-2021-0390