Tag: pubmed

Acta Physiol (Oxf). 2021 Sep 15:e13729. doi: 10.1111/apha.13729. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

AIM: Slc26a9 is a member of the Slc26 multifunctional anion transporter family. Polymorphisms in Slc26a9 are associated with an increased incidence of meconium ileus and diabetes in cystic fibrosis patients. We investigated the expression of Slc26a9 in the murine pancreatic ducts, islets and parenchyma, and elucidated its role in pancreatic ductal electrolyte and fluid secretion and endocrine function.

METHODS: Pancreatic Slc26a9 and CFTR mRNA expression, fluid and bicarbonate secretion were assessed in slc26a9^-/- mice and their age- and sex-matched wild-type (wt) littermates. Glucose and insulin tolerance tests were performed.

RESULTS: Compared with stomach, the mRNA expression of Slc26a9 was low in pancreatic parenchyma, 20-fold higher in microdissected pancreatic ducts than parenchyma, and very low in islets. CFTR mRNA was ∼ 10fold higher than Slc26a9 mRNA expression in each pancreatic cell type. Significantly reduced pancreatic fluid secretory rates and impaired glucose tolerance were observed in female slc26a9^-/- mice, whereas alterations in male mice did not reach statistical significance. No significant difference was observed in peripheral insulin resistance in slc26a9^-/- compared to sex- and aged-matched wt controls. In contrast, isolated slc26a9^-/- islets in short term culture displayed no difference in insulin content, but a significantly reduced glucose-stimulated insulin secretion compared to age- and sex-matched wt islets, suggesting that the impaired glucose tolerance is a pancreatic defect.

CONCLUSIONS: Deletion of Slc26a9 is associated with a reduction in pancreatic fluid secretion and impaired glucose tolerance in female mice. The results underline the importance of Slc26a9 in pancreatic physiology.

PMID:34525257 | DOI:10.1111/apha.13729

Horm Mol Biol Clin Investig. 2021 Sep 16. doi: 10.1515/hmbci-2021-0021. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: The incidence of metabolic syndrome is increasing even at younger ages. Metabolic syndrome constitutes a group of cardiovascular risk factors that include high cholesterol, triacylglycerol, hyperglycemia, central obesity, etc., which increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus, may be even cancer. Indian students enter colleges just after crossing their adolescent age and will be exposed to greater academic stress. Psychological stress or depression is associated with transient change in thyroid hormones level or dysfunction. To explore an association among serum Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) levels, fT3:fT4 ratio, psychological stress scores, and selected known cardio-metabolic risk markers.

METHODS: Forty first year MBBS students were included. Their demographic, anthropometric variables, and the blood pressure were documented. Serum TSH, fT3, fT4, and salivary cortisol level was quantified. The stress level was assessed using Cohen Perceived Stress Scale Scoring. Data were expressed in mean ± standard deviation. Data (parametric/non-parametric) were compared by Independent unpaired ANOVA or Kruskal Wallis test whichever is appropriate. Spearmen correlation analysis was performed.

RESULTS: Serum TSH and Cohen stress score are negatively correlated (r=-0.152), but serum cortisol showed (r=0.763) a positive correlation. TSH levels and the marks obtained in the summative assessments were negatively correlated and the correlation was not statistically significant.

CONCLUSIONS: The psychological stress is associated with low serum TSH, high cortisol, and poor academic performance in first year MBBS students. Blood pressure, plasma glucose, and anthropometric measures were not associated with the psychological stress.

PMID:34525272 | DOI:10.1515/hmbci-2021-0021

Int J Clin Pract. 2021 Sep 15:e14873. doi: 10.1111/ijcp.14873. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

AIM: To assess functions of the lower urinary tract (LUT) in patients with myasthenia gravis (MG).

MATERIALS AND METHODS: 36 patients (18 males and 18 females) with MG and 29 healthy controls were enrolled. Participants completed a 3-day voiding diary and responded to questionnaires “Overactive Bladder Symptom Score” (OABSS) and “International Consultation on Incontinence-Short Form” (ICIQ-SF). All patients underwent uroflowmetry and ultrasonography (US). The data were compared based on the onset of disease and serological status.

RESULTS: The most common urinary symptoms were nocturia (80.5%), incontinence (61%), and urgency (47%). OABSS was higher in patients than controls (p= 0.008). Duration of urinary symptoms was longer and nocturia was more common in late-onset MG (LOMG) than in early-onset MG (EOMG) (p= 0.029, p= 0.023). The duration of disease and urinary symptoms statistically increased in ACh-Ab (-) group compared to ACh-Ab (+) group (p= 0.003, p= 0.027). Nighttime urination frequency significantly increased while daytime voided volume (VV) decreased in LOMG compared to EOMG (p= 0.003 and p= 0.01). Residual volume on the US was significantly higher in LOMG than that in EOMG (p= 0.004). The duration of disease was positively correlated with tQmax and daytime urination frequency (p= 0.013, r= 0.48; p= 0.016, r= 0.398). A negative association was found between duration of disease and daytime VV (p= 0.04, r= -0.344).

CONCLUSION: LUT dysfunction may manifest disease in MG, particularly in late-onset forms. The lack of ACh-Ab seemed to prolong the duration of disease and urinary disturbances.

PMID:34525243 | DOI:10.1111/ijcp.14873

Int J Clin Pract. 2021 Sep 15:e14871. doi: 10.1111/ijcp.14871. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

AIM: Hemodiallysis (HD) commonly leads to post-dialysis fatigue (PDF), and thus worsens the quality of life and the clinical outcomes. The aim of this study was to translate, linguistically validate, and determine the psychometric properties of the “Post-Dialysis Fatigue” Scale for Turkish HD patients.

STUDY DESIGN: A methodological study.

METHODS: The standard lingual translation and validation methods for the initial translation of the PDF Scale and then assessed the psychometric properties of reliability and validity of the translated scale. Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and Piper Fatigue Scale were used to assess concurrent and construct validity. Also, post-dialysis recovery time was used it as an indirect measurement method for PDF.

RESULTS: A total of 93 patients participated in the study. The Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of PDF was 0.773. There was a statistically significant relationship between the test and retest scores (ICC: 0.973; p < 0.001). PDF Scale was acceptable with 11 items. There was a positive correlation with a statistically significant relationship was present between the PDF scores and Piper Fatigue Scale (r= 0.488; p < 0.001) and VAS score (r= 0.656; p < 0.001). There was a statistically significant positive correlation between the PDF scale and the post-dialysis recovery time (r= 0.270; p= 0.009), CONCLUSION: The study results have shown that the Turkish form of the PDF Scale is a valid and reliable tool in patients undergoing HD treatment. Post-dialysis recovery time may be used as an indirect measurement method to evaluate PDF.

PMID:34525246 | DOI:10.1111/ijcp.14871

Cytopathology. 2021 Sep 15. doi: 10.1111/cyt.13058. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Accurate and thorough data analysis and reporting are essential to ensure the interpretation of the findings is appropriate. A detailed methods section in a manuscript contains enough information to permit a researcher with access to the study components, including the data, to replicate the findings. This descriptive study of 2.5 years of Cytopathology articles uncovers opportunities to elevate the quality of methods and data reporting. The findings include approximately 4 out of 5 articles (79%) identified the calculations or statistical test, nearly 3 out of 4 articles (74%) that involved significance testing included the threshold for significance in the methods section, 7 out of 10 (70%) articles defined the abbreviations and/or symbols used, and roughly half (51%) of the articles documented the software used for analysis. Omission of any of these areas of reporting (calculations or statistics performed, significance level utilized, abbreviations and/or symbols applied, and software used) could lead to a misinterpretation in the reported study or the inability to replicate findings in similar research. This study identified that there is an opportunity to elevate the quality of data reporting in this journal.

PMID:34525237 | DOI:10.1111/cyt.13058

Head Neck. 2021 Sep 15. doi: 10.1002/hed.26868. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: This systematic review and meta-analysis sought to assess the extent to which pretreatment depression or depressive symptoms are related to prognosis in patients with head and neck cancer (HNC).

METHODS: Medline, EMbase, Scopus, and The Cochrane Library databases were searched. A meta-analysis was done to generate a forest plot and pooled hazard ratio (HR) with 95% CI for overall survival (OS). RevMan 5.3 and Meta Essentials were used for statistical analysis.

RESULTS: Based on seven studies involving 1743 patients, the results showed that HNC patients with pretreatment depression or depressive symptoms had worse OS than patients without depression or depressive symptoms, with an HR of 1.33, 95% CI 1.16-1.52, p = <0.0001. There is heterogeneity in the pooled summary effect (I² = 80%, p < 0.0001).

CONCLUSIONS: Pretreatment depression or depressive symptoms may indicate worse OS in patients with HNC. The pooled analysis demonstrated a statistically significant effect. These results were limited by mild heterogeneity.

PMID:34525238 | DOI:10.1002/hed.26868

J Food Prot. 2021 Sep 15. doi: 10.4315/JFP-21-287. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Salmonella spp. is one of the primary pathogens that cause foodborne diseases worldwide. In the present study, we deeply characterized Salmonella spp. originated from foods related to human salmonellosis outbreaks in Minas Gerais – Brazil, from 2003 to 2017. In this regard, the serotyping, antimicrobial susceptibility, virulence genes and genetic polymorphism determined by rep-PCR were performed in 70 Salmonella spp. isolates. Thirteen serotypes of Salmonella spp. were identified, and S. Enteritidis and S. Typhimurium were the most prevalent, both corresponding to 74.3% (52/70) of all isolates. Sixty-five (92.8%) isolates demonstrated to be resistant to at least one of the 15 antimicrobials tested. Ten isolates (14.2%) showed a multidrug-resistant phenotype. Sixteen virulence genes were screened and detection ranged from 75.7 to 100% of all isolates. There was a statistical difference among Salmonella spp. serotypes in detecting the sipB , sopE , lfpA , sefA and spvC genes. Forty isolates of S. Enteritidis from 16 outbreaks were grouped into 14 fingerprints, while 12 S. Typhimurium retrieved six fingerprints. The bacteria presented a serological pattern like those reported by main public health centers worldwide. One major concern of our findings is the high levels of both detection of virulence genes and resistance to antimicrobials, especially to critically important drugs. In this concern, especial attention should be given to the serotype S. Enteritidis. Although the isolates of Salmonella spp. have presented a relatively variable genome, high genetic similarity was observed among them, with some of them sharing identical fingerprints. These results corroborate the hypothesis of clonal circulation of Salmonella spp. in human infections in Minas Gerais.

PMID:34525206 | DOI:10.4315/JFP-21-287

Crim Behav Ment Health. 2021 Sep 15. doi: 10.1002/cbm.2216. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: While the presence or absence of previous healthcare and criminal justice system (CJS) contacts in the histories of mentally ill offenders has been well-studied, the frequency of these contacts and when they occur in the period leading up to an index criminal event has received less research attention.

AIMS: To explore patterns of healthcare and CJS use in the year prior to a criminal act leading to a Not Criminally Responsible on Account of Mental Disorder (NCRMD) finding in Canada.

METHODS: In this 3-year retrospective records study, the case files of all patients newly admitted to the British Columbia forensic psychiatric system after a finding of NCRMD between 1st July 2012 and 31st July 2015 were reviewed. Data were extracted on healthcare and CJS use for the 12 months before the act leading to the NCRMD finding. Time-based descriptive statistics and two-step cluster analysis were used to investigate service use patterns.

RESULTS: Among 94 eligible patients, only four had no service contacts in the year leading up to the index event, leaving 90 in the cohort for further analysis. On average, these 90 patients had seven contacts with health or criminal justice services in the year prior to the index offence. Cluster analysis revealed a high healthcare pathway group who had had many healthcare and few CJS contacts; a limited service user group who had had few contacts of any kind and a heavy service user group who had had a high volume of contacts with both types of service providers.

CONCLUSIONS: The different patterns of patient contact prior to the index event imply that each practitioner-type has distinct and temporally relevant opportunities to provide preventative interventions to their patients or user groups.

PMID:34525231 | DOI:10.1002/cbm.2216

Soft Matter. 2021 Sep 15;17(35):8068-8077. doi: 10.1039/d1sm00941a.

ABSTRACT

The encapsulation of particles in droplets using microfluidic devices finds application across several fields ranging from biomedical engineering to materials science. The encapsulation process, however, is often affected by poor single encapsulation efficiency, quantified by the Poisson statistics, with droplets containing more than one particle or with several empty droplets. We here demonstrate that viscoelastic aqueous solutions of xanthan gum enable controlled single particle encapsulation in microfluidic devices with a single encapsulation efficiency up to 2-fold larger than the one predicted by the Poisson statistics. We achieved such a result by identifying viscoelastic xanthan gum aqueous solutions that could drive particle ordering before approaching the encapsulation area and simultaneously form uniform droplets. This is the first experimental evidence of viscoelastic encapsulation in microfluidic devices, the existing literature on the subject being focused on Newtonian suspending liquids. We first studied the process of viscoelastic droplet formation, and found that the droplet length normalised by the channel diameter scaled as predicted for Newtonian solutions. At variance with Newtonian solutions, we observed that the droplet formation mechanism became unstable above critical values of the Weissenberg number, which quantifies the elasticity of the xanthan gum solutions carrying the particles. In terms of controlled encapsulation, we discovered that the single encapsulation efficiency was larger than the Poisson values in a specific range of xanthan gum mass concentrations. Finally, we introduced an empirical formula that can help the design of controlled viscoelastic encapsulation systems.

PMID:34525163 | DOI:10.1039/d1sm00941a

Anesthesiology. 2021 Sep 15. doi: 10.1097/ALN.0000000000003962. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: There is need to identify perioperative interventions that decrease chronic opioid use. The authors hypothesized that receipt of a peripheral nerve block would be associated with a lower incidence of persistent postoperative opioid prescription fulfillment.

METHODS: This was a retrospective population-based cohort study examining ambulatory shoulder surgery patients in Ontario, Canada. The main outcome measure was persistent postoperative opioid prescription fulfillment. In opioid-naive patients (no opioid prescription fulfillment in 90 days preoperatively), this was present if an individual fulfilled an opioid prescription of at least a 60-day supply during postoperative days 90 to 365. In opioid-exposed (less than 60 mg oral morphine equivalent dose per day within 90 days preoperatively) or opioid-tolerant (60 mg oral morphine equivalent dose per day or above within 90 days preoperatively) patients, this was classified as present if an individual experienced any increase in opioid prescription fulfillment from postoperative day 90 to 365 relative to their baseline use before surgery. The authors’ exposure was the receipt of a peripheral nerve block.

RESULTS: The authors identified 48,523 people who underwent elective shoulder surgery from July 1, 2012, to December 31, 2017, at one of 118 Ontario hospitals. There were 8,229 (17%) patients who had persistent postoperative opioid prescription fulfillment. Of those who received a peripheral nerve block, 5,008 (16%) went on to persistent postoperative opioid prescription fulfillment compared to 3,221 (18%) patients who did not (adjusted odds ratio, 0.90; 95% CI, 0.83 to 0.97; P = 0.007). This statistically significant observation was not reproduced in a coarsened exact matching sensitivity analysis (adjusted odds ratio, 0.85; 95% CI, 0.71 to 1.02; P = 0.087) or several other subgroup and sensitivity analyses.

CONCLUSIONS: This retrospective analysis found no association between receipt of a peripheral nerve block and a lower incidence of persistent postoperative opioid prescription fulfillment in ambulatory shoulder surgery patients.

PMID:34525173 | DOI:10.1097/ALN.0000000000003962