Tag: pubmed

Psychiatr Danub. 2021 Feb;33(Suppl 1):29-32.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Use of EMDR in work with addicts is described mainly through case studies, and Hase, Schallmayer and Sack (2008) examined experimentally effect of EMDR in the treatment of alcohol addicts and found a significant decrease of cravings for addicts who had , next to the standard treatment, also EMDR therapy, compared to a group that had only standard treatment. To examine efficiency of EMDR therapy in the treatment of opiates addicts.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS: In research is applied group experimental scheme with a control group and measurement before and after treatment and six months after treatment. The control group had standard treatment, and the experimental group had a standard treatment plus EMDR treatment, ie, four sessions of EMDR treatment. The session lasts 60 minutes. In the research following instruments were applied: Pompidou, DUDIT-E, LDQ, OCDS, DASS 21 Rosenberg’s Self-Esteem Scale. In the processing of preliminary results, descriptive statistics is used.

RESULTS: The research began on September 8, 2017. Until October 2018, 24 participants were included. Results of measurements for 20 participants were presented (10 from the control and 10 from the experimental group). In abstract is used CravEx Michal Hase protocol. The results indicate a higher number of visits to the therapeutic community in the experimental group, increase of self-esteem in both groups but a larger range in the experimental group, a higher self-evaluation of addiction in an experimental group, decrease in PAS attractiveness for both groups but slightly better results in the experimental group, especially in the self-assessment of the negative effects of PAS, as well as a larger increase in the motivational index of the experimental group at another measurement.

CONCLUSION: Preliminary results indicate the effects of EMDR use, but since measures of descriptive statistics were used and as a small sample, there should be caution with the results.

PMID:33638954

Genome Biol Evol. 2021 Feb 26:evab039. doi: 10.1093/gbe/evab039. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Detecting natural selection signals in admixed populations can be problematic since the source of the signal typically dates back prior to the admixture event. On one hand, it is now possible to study various source populations before a particular admixture thanks to the developments in ancient DNA (aDNA) in the last decade. However, aDNA availability is limited to certain geographical regions and the sample sizes and quality of the data might not be sufficient for selection analysis in many cases. In this study, we explore possible ways to improve detection of pre-admixture signals in admixed populations using a local ancestry inference approach. We used masked haplotypes for population branch statistic (PBS) and full haplotypes constructed following our approach from Yelmen et al. 2019 for cross population extended haplotype homozygosity (XP-EHH), utilizing forward simulations to test the power of our analysis. The PBS results on simulated data showed that using masked haplotypes obtained from ancestry deconvolution instead of the admixed population might improve detection quality. On the other hand, XP-EHH results using the admixed population were better compared to the local ancestry method. We additionally report correlation for XP-EHH scores between source and admixed populations, suggesting that haplotype-based approaches must be used cautiously for recently admixed populations. Additionally, we performed PBS on real South Asian populations masked with local ancestry deconvolution and report here the first possible selection signals on the autochthonous South Asian component of contemporary South Asian populations.

PMID:33638983 | DOI:10.1093/gbe/evab039

G3 (Bethesda). 2021 Feb 26:jkab056. doi: 10.1093/g3journal/jkab056. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Quantitative trait loci (QTL) hotspots (genomic locations enriched in QTL) are a common and notable feature when collecting many QTL for various traits in many areas of biological studies. The QTL hotspots are important and attractive since they are highly informative and may harbor genes for the quantitative traits. So far, the current statistical methods for QTL hotspot detection use either the individual-level data from the genetical genomics experiments or the summarized data from public QTL databases to proceed with the detection analysis. These methods may suffer from the problems of ignoring the correlation structure among traits, neglecting the magnitude of LOD scores for the QTL, or paying a very high computational cost, which often lead to detection of excessive spurious hotspots, failure to discover biologically interesting hotspots composed of a small to moderate number of QTL with strong LOD scores, and computational intractability, respectively, during the detection process. In this article, we describe a statistical framework that can handle both types of data as well as address all the problems at a time for QTL hotspot detection. Our statistical framework directly operates on the QTL matrix and hence has a very cheap computational cost, and is deployed to take advantage of the QTL mapping results for assisting the detection analysis. Two special devices, trait grouping and top γn,α profile, are introduced into the framework. The trait grouping attempts to group the traits controlled by closely linked or pleiotropic QTL together into the same trait groups, and randomly allocate these QTL together across the genomic positions separately by trait group to account for the correlation structure among traits, so as to have the ability to obtain much stricter thresholds and dismiss spurious hotspots. The top γn,α profile is designed to outline the LOD-score pattern of QTL in a hotspot across the different hotspot architectures, so that it can serve to identify and characterize the types of QTL hotspots with varying sizes and LOD-score distributions. Real examples, numerical analysis and simulation study are performed to validate our statistical framework, investigate the detection properties, and also compare with the current methods in QTL hotspot detection. The results demonstrate that the proposed statistical framework can effectively accommodate the correlation structure among traits, identify the types of hotspots and still keep the notable features of easy implementation and fast computation for practical QTL hotspot detection.

PMID:33638985 | DOI:10.1093/g3journal/jkab056

J Clin Pharm Ther. 2021 Feb 27. doi: 10.1111/jcpt.13392. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

WHAT IS KNOWN AND OBJECTIVE: Edaravone is a new antioxidant and hydroxyl radical scavenger. Although there is evidence that it improves clinical outcomes of patients with acute ischaemic stroke (AIS), it is not yet widely accepted for treatment of AIS in Western countries. We further investigated the efficacy and safety of edaravone through this meta-analysis of randomized controlled clinical trials (RCTs).

METHOD: Pubmed, Embase, Web of Science and Cochrane Library were screened up to December 2020 for original articles from SCI journals that published in English. RCTs that compared edaravone versus placebo or no intervention in adult patients and reported the efficacy or safety of edaravone were regarded as eligible. Mortality was regarded as the primary outcome and the improvement of neurological impairment was regarded as the secondary outcome. Safety evaluation was conducted according to the incidence of adverse events. Review Manager 5.3 was employed to perform the assessment of the risk of bias and data synthesis. The Cochrane risk of bias tool for randomized controlled trials was employed to assess the risk of bias.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Seven randomized controlled trials with 2069 patients were included. For the incidence of mortality, the pooled RR for studies that evaluated edaravone after three-month follow-up was 0.55 (95% Cl, 0.43-0.7, I² = 0, P < 0.01). The pooled RR for improvement of neurological impairment at the three months follow-up was 1.54 (95% CI, 1.27-1.87, I² = 0, P < 0.01) in four RCTs. On subgroup analysis of studies that were conducted in Asia, the RR was 1.56 (95% CI, 1.27-1.90, I² = 0%; P < 0.01); the pooled RR for studies that conducted in Europe was 1.32 (95% CI, 0.64-2.72; P = 0.45); the pooled RR for studies that used edaravone for two weeks was 1.42 (95% CI, 1.10 to 1.83, I² = 0%; P < 0.01); the pooled RR for studies that used edaravone for one week was 1.64 (95% CI, 1.24-2.16, I² = 0%; P < 0.01); the pooled RR for studies that conducted in patients with mean age equal to or over 60 years was 1.52 (95% CI, 1.24-1.87, I² = 0%; P < 0.01); and the pooled RR for studies that conducted in patients with mean age less than 60 was 1.80 (95% CI, 1.05-3.08, I² = 0%; P = 0.03). For the incidence of any treatment-related adverse events, the pooled RR for studies that evaluated edaravone during treatment was 0.83 (95% CI, 0.51-1.34, I² = 0, P = 0.43). The difference of the incidence of any treatment-related adverse events between two groups was not statistically significant.

WHAT IS NEW AND CONCLUSION: The limited studies indicate that edaravone can improve neurological impairment with a survival benefit at three-month follow-up, regardless of the mean age and course of treatment. It is worthy of promotion in the clinical treatment of AIS in Asian countries. More well-designed RCTs with larger sample sizes are needed to determine the benefits of edaravone in patients from Western countries.

PMID:33638896 | DOI:10.1111/jcpt.13392

FASEB J. 2021 Mar;35(3):e21307. doi: 10.1096/fj.202002017R.

ABSTRACT

Airway exposure to eg particulate matter is associated with cardiovascular disease including atherosclerosis. Acute phase genes, especially Serum Amyloid A3 (Saa3), are highly expressed in the lung following pulmonary exposure to particles. We aimed to investigate whether the human acute phase protein SAA (a homolog to mouse SAA3) accelerated atherosclerotic plaque progression in Apolipoprotein E knockout (ApoE^-/- ) mice. Mice were intratracheally (i.t.) instilled with vehicle (phosphate buffered saline) or 2 µg human SAA once a week for 10 weeks. Plaque progression was assessed in the aorta using noninvasive ultrasound imaging of the aorta arch as well as by en face analysis. Additionally, lipid peroxidation, SAA3, and cholesterol were measured in plasma, inflammation was determined in lung, and mRNA levels of the acute phase genes Saa1 and Saa3 were measured in the liver and lung, respectively. Repeated i.t. instillation with SAA caused a significant progression in the atherosclerotic plaques in the aorta (1.5-fold). Concomitantly, SAA caused a statistically significant increase in neutrophils in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (625-fold), in pulmonary Saa3 (196-fold), in systemic SAA3 (1.8-fold) and malondialdehyde levels (1.14-fold), indicating acute phase response (APR), inflammation and oxidative stress. Finally, pulmonary exposure to SAA significantly decreased the plasma levels of very low-density lipoproteins – low-density lipoproteins and total cholesterol, possibly due to lipids being sequestered in macrophages or foam cells in the arterial wall. Combined these results indicate the importance of the pulmonary APR and SAA3 for plaque progression.

PMID:33638910 | DOI:10.1096/fj.202002017R

Scand J Med Sci Sports. 2021 Feb 27. doi: 10.1111/sms.13945. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

This study aimed to establish the association and differences in a diversity of cognitive domains according to cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), muscular fitness (MF), and speed-agility fitness (S-AF) level in a large sample of Chilean schoolchildren. 1,171 Chilean schoolchildren aged 10-14 years participated. CRF, MF, and S-AF were assessed through the ALPHA-fitness test battery. Cognition was evaluated through the NeuroCognitive Performance Test, which involved eight tests related to four main domains: cognitive flexibility (CF), working memory (WM), inhibitory control (IC), and intelligence (IN). Both global (multivariate) and individual (univariate) analyses were performed to determine the differences in cognitive functioning according to low, middle, and high fitness level. The global analyses showed a significant main effect for CRF (F_{(16, 940)} =3.08, p≤0.001) and MF groups (F_{(16, 953)} =2.30, p=0.002), but not for S-AF (F_{(16, 948)} =1.37, p=0.105). CRF shows a significant main effect in seven of eight tests, involving CF, WM, IC, and IN domains; whereas MF shows a significant main effect in five of eight tests without association with IN. SA-F shows a significant main effect only with IC. Statistical differences were found between the low- and middle/high-fitness groups but not between the middle- and high-fitness groups. At a global level, both CRF and MF seems to be associated with a higher cognitive profile in scholars; however, at an individual level, all fitness components show a favourable relationship to some cognitive domine. Then, future cognitive developing strategies should consider all fitness components, prioritizing those low-fitness schoolchildren.

PMID:33638920 | DOI:10.1111/sms.13945

J Cancer Educ. 2021 Feb 27. doi: 10.1007/s13187-021-01970-y. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Men, particularly those of underserved groups, bear a disproportionate cancer burden. Knowledge about cancer and screening is associated with adherence to screening guidelines. However it is possible that a correlation exists between an individual’s education attainment and ability to gain knowledge from health education. Men were recruited from Ohio counties with significant cancer disparities and asked to participate in three education sessions. Measures included a baseline survey collecting demographic information and pre- and post-intervention knowledge assessments about each of the topics. Paired t tests were used to determine whether there were statistically significant changes in mean scores after the intervention. Repeated measures of variance (ANOVA) conducted through generalized linear models (GLM) were used to determine if scores varied significantly by educational attainment. Appalachian men, regardless of level of educational attainment, had significant increases in knowledge for all topics. African American men with at least some college education demonstrated significant increases in knowledge for all three topics, while those with no college education had significant increases for only two topics. College education had a significant effect on scores for one topic among the Appalachian men and all three topics among the African American men. The interaction between change in score and higher educational attainment was significant for only one topic among Appalachian men and no topics among African American men. Higher educational attainment was associated with greater increases in knowledge scores for only one topic among Appalachian men and no topics among African American men. Culturally tailored health educational interventions are a promising approach to reducing disparities in cancer screening and outcomes among men of underserved groups. While all groups demonstrated increases in mean knowledge scores after participating in the educational intervention, there was not a significant association between educational attainment and increases in knowledge scores. Future research is needed to explore additional approaches to delivering health education and increasing the knowledge of men with lower levels of educational attainment.

PMID:33638816 | DOI:10.1007/s13187-021-01970-y

Water Environ Res. 2021 Feb 27. doi: 10.1002/wer.1544. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) can recover significant quantities of wastewater phosphorus. However, this resource recovery process realizes limited use largely due to process stability concerns. Research evaluated effects of anaerobic HRT (τ_AN ) and VFA concentration – critical operational parameters that can be externally controlled – on EBPR performance. Evaluated alone, τ_AN (1-4 hours) exhibited no statistical effect on effluent phosphorus. However, PHA increased with VFA loading and biomass accumulated more phosphorus. Regarding resiliency, under increasing VFA loads PAOs hydrolyzed more phosphorus to uptake/catabolize VFAs; moreover, PHA synthesis normalized to VFA loading increased with τ_AN , suggesting fermentation. Kinetically, PAOs exhibited Monod-like relationships for qPHA_AN and qVFA_AN as a function of anaerobic P release; additionally, qP_AE exhibited a Monod-like relationship with end-anaerobic PHA concentration. A culminating analysis affirmed the relationship between enhanced aerobic P uptake, and net P removal, with a parameter (Phosphorus Removal Propensity Factor) that combines influent VFA concentration with τ_AN .

PMID:33638876 | DOI:10.1002/wer.1544

BJOG. 2021 Feb 27. doi: 10.1111/1471-0528.16683. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Preeclampsia (PE) is a pregnancy-associated condition with complex disease mechanisms and a risk factor for various long-term health outcomes for the mother and infant.

OBJECTIVE: To summarize evidence on the association of PE with long-term health outcomes arising in women and/or infants.

SEARCH STRATEGY: PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus and ISI Web of Science were searched from inception to July 2020.

SELECTION CRITERIA: Systematic reviews and meta-analyses examining associations between PE and long-term health outcomes in women and their infants.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Data were extracted by two independent reviewers. We re-estimated the summary effect size by random-effects and fixed-effects models, the 95% confidence interval, the 95% prediction interval, the between-study heterogeneity, any evidence of small-study effects and excess significance bias.

RESULTS: Twenty-one articles included (90 associations). Seventy-nine associations had nominally statistically significant findings (P<0.05). Sixty-five associations had large or very large heterogeneity. Evidence for small-study effects and excess-significance bias was found in 7 and 2 associations, respectively. Nine associations: Cerebrovascular disease (cohort studies), Cerebrovascular disease (overall), Cardiac disease (cohort studies), dyslipidaemia (all studies), Risk of death (late-onset PE), Fatal and non-fatal ischaemic heart disease, Cardiovascular mortality (cohort studies), Any diabetes or use of diabetic medication (unadjusted), Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) (adjusted) were supported with robust evidence.

CONCLUSION: Many of meta-analyses in this research field have caveats casting doubts on their validity. Current evidence suggests an increased risk for women to develop cardiovascular-related diseases, diabetes, and dyslipidaemia after PE, while offspring exposed to PE are at higher risk for ADHD.

PMID:33638891 | DOI:10.1111/1471-0528.16683

Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2021 Feb 27. doi: 10.1007/s11356-021-13086-3. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

The performance comparison studies of the autoregressive integrated moving average model (ARIMA) and the artificial neural network (ANN) were mostly carried out between the selected model structures through trial-and-error, strongly influenced by model structure uncertainty. This research aims to make up for this inadequacy. First, a surface water quality prediction case study including eight monitoring sites in China was introduced. Second, the ARIMA and ANN’s performance was compared statistically between 6912 Seasonal ARIMA (SARIMA) and 110,592 feedforward ANN with different model structures, based on the mean square error (MSE) distributions depicted by boxplots. In a statistical view, the ANN models obtained a significantly lower median value and a more concentrated distribution of validation MSEs, which indicated lighter overfitting and better generalization ability. Furthermore, the optimal SARIMA models’ performance is inferior to even the median of the ANN models in the case study. In contrast with the previous comparisons among selected models, the statistical comparison in this study shows lower uncertainty.

PMID:33638784 | DOI:10.1007/s11356-021-13086-3