Tag: pubmed

Dev Med Child Neurol. 2021 Aug 4. doi: 10.1111/dmcn.14996. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

AIM: To follow the functional development of a population-based cohort of children with cerebral palsy (CP) in rural Uganda and compare their development with the developmental trajectories of children from high-income countries (HIC).

METHOD: Eighty-one children (33 females, 48 males) aged 2 to 17 years (mean 8y 6mo, SD 4y 6mo) with CP were initially assessed in 2015 and then 4 years later using the 66-item Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM-66), Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory, Ugandan version (PEDI-UG), and functional classification systems. We calculated actual and reference scores (level of deviation from the developmental trajectories in HIC). A Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used for statistical analyses.

RESULTS: Children and young people with CP in Uganda exhibited no differences in scores between the first and second assessments for the GMFM-66 and PEDI-UG mobility skills, whereas they exhibited increased PEDI-UG social function (p<0.001) and self-care skills scores (p<0.001). Reference scores were more negative at the second assessment than at the first for the GMFM-66 (p=0.002) and PEDI-UG mobility (p=0.036) but not for PEDI-UG self-care. The increased difference in reference scores over the 4 years was primarily driven by younger children (2-5y) and children with milder impairments.

INTERPRETATION: The increased difference in reference scores between assessments suggests that children with CP in Uganda develop motor skills at a slower rate than peers in HIC. Limited access to health care and rehabilitation likely contributed to the lower scores and slower rate of development.

PMID:34346507 | DOI:10.1111/dmcn.14996

J Clin Pharm Ther. 2021 Aug 4. doi: 10.1111/jcpt.13505. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

WHAT IS KNOWN AND OBJECTIVE: MTX pharmacology and toxicity involve several metabolizing enzymes and transporters whose functions have been suggested to be altered by genetic polymorphisms. The current study is to investigate the relationship between the genetic variation and MTX-induced adverse drug effects.

METHODS: A total of 80 paediatric patients (aged 1-14 years) were enrolled in this study. Toxicity was assessed according to the National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events version 4.0 scoring system. Genotyping was performed by MassARRAY Assay method. Data were analysed using Spss statistical package version 17.0 and Plink v1.07 software. The HWE was tested by a chi-square test. The Fisher’s exact test (chi-squaretest) was used to compare the distributions of genotypes between cases and controls. OR and 95%CI were applied to evaluate the association of genetic variants with the presence of mucositis using unconditional logistic regression.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Mucosal inflammatory injuries were found in 28 children. SNPs of rs1128503 (p = 0.0022, OR = 3.04, 95%CI = 1.39-6.64) and rs1045642 (p = 0.0052, OR = 2.38, 95%CI = 1.15-5.00) located in the gene of ABCB1 and SNPs of rs1801133 (p = 0.040, OR = 2.50, 95%CI = 1.06-5.88) located in the gene of MTHFR show marked impacts on the risk of developing mucositis.

WHAT IS NEW AND CONCLUSION: SNPs of ABCB1 rs1128503, rs1045642 and MTHFR rs1801133 can be risk predictor for MTX-induced mucositis in Chinese paediatric patients diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, lymphoma or osteosarcoma.

PMID:34346513 | DOI:10.1111/jcpt.13505

Phys Chem Chem Phys. 2021 Aug 4. doi: 10.1039/d1cp01993g. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Hyperthermal oxidation of silicon is envisaged to be an alternative to silicon-on-insulator (SOI) waveguide fabrication for photonic integrated circuit (PIC) devices, and thus the local oxidation of silicon (LOCOS) technique has attracted attention. In this article, starting with the thermodynamic insights into the Deal-Grove model for defining the thermal oxidation, we model the Henry’s law constant in the silicon oxidation process with the ensemble contributions of thermodynamic and chemical energies, and extract an empirical model with the published statistical data. Then, the simulations show the dramatic temperature/time dependences of Henry’s constant, and the different effects of the thermodynamic and chemical energies. Systematic simulations of the temperature/time dependences of both the growth rate and thickness of oxide are carried out where the temperature dependence of the oxidant diffusivity is also considered. Consequently, the simulation results from the two models astonishingly agree with each other. Typically, at 1100 °C, with a 3 h oxidation time, 2.10 and 1.34 μm SiO2 layers can be grown with the thermodynamic model under two diffusivity models, while with the empirical one, the two extreme cases can grow 2.10 and 1.28 μm SiO2 layers, respectively.

PMID:34346429 | DOI:10.1039/d1cp01993g

Int J Cancer. 2021 Aug 4. doi: 10.1002/ijc.33757. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Colorectal cancer is a leading cancer worldwide and in Vietnam. Adenomas (adenomatous polyps) is an important precursor of colorectal cancer. There is currently no study to determine the modifiable risk factors for colorectal adenomas, including body mass index (BMI) in Vietnam. We conducted an individually matched case-control study of 1,149 colorectal adenomas and 1,145 controls in a large-scale colorectal screening program involving 103,542 individuals aged 40-75 years old in Hanoi, Vietnam. Conditional logistic regression was used to evaluate the association between BMI and colorectal adenomas prevalence, after controlling for potential confounders. Overall, comparing to normal weight (i.e., 18.5-22.9 kg/m² ), underweight (i.e., BMI<18.5) was associated with a non-statistically significant increased prevalence of colorectal adenomas (odd ratio-OR=1.29 and 95% confident interval-CI: 0.88-1.87). This association became significant among male (OR=1.98, 95% CI: 1.20-3.27), male who were ever smokers (OR=2.59, 95% CI: 1.33-5.03), non-regular exercise (OR=2.44, 95% CI: 1.26-4.73) and individuals with cardiometabolic disorders (OR=3.46, 95% CI: 1.19-10.00). The association between underweight and colorectal adenomas did not vary by smoking status, drinking status, family history of cancer, adenomas types or cardiometabolic disorders. No association was observed among obese individuals (BMI≥25). In the population with low prevalence of obesity, we found that the association between BMI and colorectal adenomas followed a reversed J-shape that underweight was associated with increased prevalence. Further studies are, therefore, warranted to replicate our results and to investigate the biologic mechanism the effect of underweight on colorectal adenomas prevalence.

PMID:34346504 | DOI:10.1002/ijc.33757

Sci Total Environ. 2021 Jul 21;797:149199. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.149199. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: There is little work in assessing the impact of storm events combined with power outage (PO). In this study, we evaluated the individual and synergistic impacts of wind events and PO on overall and subtypes of injuries in New York State (NYS) and by demographics.

METHODS: The emergency department (ED) visit data were obtained from the NYS Department of Health from November-April 2005-2013 to identify injury cases, length of stay and care costs. Wind event was defined according to high wind, strong wind or thunderstorm wind defined by NOAA. PO occurrence was defined when PO coverage exceeded the 50th percentile of its distribution. By comparing non-event days, we used distributed lag nonlinear models to evaluate the impacts of wind events, PO, and their combined effect on injuries during the cold season over a 0-3-day lag period, while controlling for time-varying confounders. The differences in critical care indicators between event and non-event days were also evaluated.

RESULTS: Overall injuries ED visits (16,628,812) significantly increased during the wind events (highest Risk Ratio (RR): 1.05; 95% CI: 1.02-1.08), and were highest when wind events cooccurred with PO (highest RR: 1.14; 95% CI: 1.10-1.18), but not during PO alone (RR: 1.00; 95%CI: 0.96-1.04). The increase was also observed with all subgroups through Day 2 after the event. Greater risks exist for older adults (≥65 years) and those on Medicaid. After the joint occurrences of wind events and PO, average visits are 0.2 days longer, and cost 13% more, compared to no wind/no PO days.

CONCLUSION: There is a significant increase in ED visits, length of stay and cost of injuries during wind events, especially when they coupled with PO and especially among older cases and Medicaid holders. Our findings may be used for planning disaster preparedness and recovery efforts.

PMID:34346383 | DOI:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.149199

JMIR Form Res. 2021 Aug 1. doi: 10.2196/30761. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: HIV infection rates among sexual minority men and transgender individuals, particularly adolescents and young adults, remain elevated in the United States despite continued improvement in HIV public health response. However, there remains a knowledge gap in understanding what barriers this community faces in receiving HIV care and prevention resources. To address this, the Keeping it LITE study was conducted to assess HIV risk factors and barriers to preventive treatment in a large national cohort of young sexual minority men and transgender individuals at high risk of HIV infection.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this formative research manuscript is to evaluate the feasibility of enrolling a large remote cohort, challenges encountered in recruitment, and adjustments made to address these challenges.

METHODS: A large national cohort (n=3444) of young sexual minority men and transgender individuals was recruited. Participants were recruited via advertisements on social media, LGBTQ+ apps, print advertising, and word of mouth. Before enrolling, participants verified HIV status with an at-home HIV test or by providing their own testing documentation. Descriptive statistics were generated and a series of logistic regressions were conducted to evaluate demographic differences between recruitment methods, HIV testing methods, and enrollment status.

RESULTS: The Keeping it LITE study was particularly successful in recruiting participants via social media, with over half of participants recruited from advertisements on social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat. Participants were also recruited via word-of-mouth, LGBTQ+ apps (i.e. Grindr, Scruff), and print advertisements, and participants recruited from these sources tended to be older and have a higher risk profile. The study was and was also successful in recruiting a large sample of transgender youth, particularly transgender men and nonbinary individuals. At-home HIV testing was acceptable and more heavily utilized by younger participantsand even preferred by some participants, though several barriers were encountered and overcome in the implementation of this testing. The study had more limited success in recruiting 13-17-year-old participants due to lower enrollment rates and barriers to advertising on some social media platforms. Implications of these findings for future development of HIV research and intervention protocols among sexual minority and trans youth are discussed.

CONCLUSIONS: The methods utilized in the Keeping it LITE study, particularly recruitment via social media, were found to be feasible and acceptable to participants.

PMID:34346403 | DOI:10.2196/30761

Chemosphere. 2021 Jul 21;286(Pt 1):131540. doi: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.131540. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

In discovering the potential antagonist of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ), the structure-activity relationship (SAR) is a useful in silico method. However, it is difficult for conventional SAR approaches to predict the activities of antagonists owing to the large structural diversity of antagonistic compounds. This study provides evidence that multi-step SAR screening is applicable for predicting PPARγ antagonists by combining different complementary methodologies. We constructed three models: read-across-like SAR, docking-simulation-interpreting SAR, and deep-learning-based SAR. To provide user-customized prediction results, our multi-step SAR screening model combined the three SAR models in a stepwise manner, which subdivided them according to potential levels of the PPARγ antagonist. The read-across-like SAR, which considered specific antagonist scaffolds, revealed the highest positive predictive value (PPV). The docking-simulation-interpreting SAR, which considered the molecular surface features, revealed high statistics for the PPV and the true-positive rate (TPR). The deep-learning-based SAR showed the highest TPR at the last classification step. This multi-step SAR screening covered the antagonists of high reliability provided by a read-across-like SAR, as well as the antagonists of diverse scaffolds provided by docking-simulation-interpreting SAR and deep-learning-based SAR. Therefore, to predict PPARγ antagonists, multi-step SAR screening could be as a useful tool.

PMID:34346341 | DOI:10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.131540

Sci Total Environ. 2021 Jul 16;797:149095. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.149095. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

The appropriate implementation of the concept of Water-related Ecosystem Services (WES) in water resources planning can support the development of productive activities and, at the same time, sustain local ecosystems. However, such implementation it is only possible when both WES supply and demand are evaluated, eventually with a spatially explicit method, for gaining insights into the ecohydrological behavior of a basin and the anthropogenic pressures on the available water resources. Based on the integration of hydrological modelling and Water Footprint (WF) analysis, this study aims at developing a methodology to analyze both the supply and demand of WES, evaluating a Water Ecosystem Services Footprint (WESF) associated with the agricultural sector. The proposed methodology is based on a 3-tiered approach: 1) evaluating the WES demand determined by the agricultural sector using the WF Assessment methodology; 2) quantifying the WES supply by applying the Soil Water Assessment Tool (SWAT); 3) estimating the green, blue, and gray WESF through dedicated indicators in order to identify the main hotspots. The methodology is applied to a specific case study in the upstream part of the Arno river basin (Central Italy). By means of subnational WF statistics the green, blue, and gray WF of the agricultural sector is calculated, determining the spatial distribution of WES demand in the catchment. SWAT results quantify the available water resources, pointing out the blue/green surface water partitioning, where precipitation is divided into 25% runoff and 46% evapotranspiration, and the associated WES supply. Merging the results, the WESF spatial pattern is evaluated, properly identifying the most critical areas in the catchment. WESF represents an operative tool to look at agricultural water management from an ecosystem-based perspective, supporting the identification of the strategies to explore the sustainable coupling of biosphere and anthroposphere.

PMID:34346365 | DOI:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.149095

Sci Total Environ. 2021 Jul 20;797:149156. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.149156. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

A national wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) monitoring campaign has been initiated to determine the trends in drug consumption in Turkey since 2019. This study aimed to present the wastewater monitoring results for four periods in 2019 for six major cities with 17 wastewater treatment plants. The study investigated heroin (HER), amphetamine (AMP), methamphetamine (METH), cocaine (COC), 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), cannabis, alcohol, and tobacco to understand the temporal and geographical drug consumption trends. The results indicated a trend of regular cannabis use in all the cities. Considering geographical variations, the drug usage trends were not homogeneous within the country for any of the investigated drugs, except cannabis. HER consumption was predominant in Denizli (1042.48 mg/1000 inh/day), while İzmir and Antalya (154.10 and 79.56 mg/1000 inh/day, respectively) topped for COC consumption. Aydın had the highest consumption levels of AMP (90.03 mg/1000 inh/day) and METH (358.13 mg/1000 inh/day), while MDMA consumption was the highest in Samsun (157.64 mg/1000 inh/day). Tobacco consumption was high in Aydın (8791.69 mg/1000 inh/day) and Antalya (5375.17 mg/1000 inh/day), whereas alcohol consumption was higher in Bursa than in the other cities (53434.61 mL/1000 inh/day). There were no statistically significant differences in the weekend consumption levels of the investigated drugs among these six cities. Although this study included the results of 1 year of consumption monitoring, the data confirms internationally published information on the drug trafficking routes of conventional drugs in this region, especially the Heroin-Balkan route. Results from further sampling will enable accurate evaluation of global drug consumption and trafficking, in addition to alcohol and tobacco use.

PMID:34346379 | DOI:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.149156

Int J Inj Contr Saf Promot. 2021 Aug 4:1-11. doi: 10.1080/17457300.2021.1957583. Online ahead of print.

NO ABSTRACT

PMID:34346284 | DOI:10.1080/17457300.2021.1957583