生信网-文献期刊

PLoS One

2021 Oct 8

Kim BJ, Lee KJ, Park EL

BACKGROUND: There is currently no validated risk prediction model for recurrent events among patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) and atrial fibrillation (AF). Considering that the application of conventional risk scores has contextual limitations, new strategies are needed to develop such a model. Here, we set out to develop and validate a comprehensive risk prediction model for stroke recurrence in AIS patients with AF. METHODS: AIS patients with AF were collected from multicenter registries in South Korea and Japan. A developmental dataset was constructed with 5648 registered cases from both countries for the period 2011‒2014. An external validation dataset was also created, consisting of Korean AIS subjects with AF registered between 2015 and 2018. Event outcomes were collected during 1 year after the index stroke. A multivariable prediction model was developed using the Fine-Gray subdistribution hazard model with non-stroke mortality as a competing risk. The model incorporated 21 clinical variables and was further validated, calibrated, and revised using the external validation dataset. RESULTS: The developmental dataset consisted of 4483 Korean and 1165 Japanese patients (mean age, 74.3 ± 10.2 years; male 53%); 338 patients (6%) had recurrent stroke and 903 (16%) died. The clinical profiles of the external validation set (n = 3668) were comparable to those of the developmental dataset. The c-statistics of the final model was 0.68 (95% confidence interval, 0.66 ‒0.71). The developed prediction model did not show better discriminative ability for predicting stroke recurrence than the conventional risk prediction tools (CHADS2, CHA2DS2-VASc, and ATRIA). CONCLUSIONS: Neither conventional risk stratification tools nor our newly developed comprehensive prediction model using available clinical factors seemed to be suitable for identifying patients at high risk of recurrent ischemic stroke among AIS patients with AF in this modern direct oral anticoagulant era. Detailed individual information, including imaging, may be warranted to build a more robust and precise risk prediction model for stroke survivors with AF.

2. Toward a methodology for evaluating DNA variants in nuclear families.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 8

Miller DB, Robison R, Piccolo SR.

The genetic underpinnings of most pediatric-cancer cases are unknown. Population-based studies use large sample sizes but have accounted for only a small proportion of the estimated heritability of pediatric cancers. Pedigree-based studies are infeasible for most human populations. One alternative is to collect genetic data from a single nuclear family and use inheritance patterns within the family to filter candidate variants. This approach can be applied to common and rare variants, including those that are private to a given family or to an affected individual. We evaluated this approach using genetic data from three nuclear families with 5, 4, and 7 children, respectively. Only one child in each nuclear family had been diagnosed with cancer, and neither parent had been affected. Diagnoses for the affected children were benign low-grade astrocytoma, Wilms tumor (stage 2), and Burkitt's lymphoma, respectively. We used whole-genome sequencing to profile normal cells from each family member and a linked-read technology for genomic phasing. For initial variant filtering, we used global minor allele frequencies, deleteriousness scores, and functional-impact annotations. Next, we used genetic variation in the unaffected siblings as a guide to filter the remaining variants. As a way to evaluate our ability to detect variant(s) that may be relevant to disease status, the corresponding author blinded the primary author to affected status; the primary author then assigned a risk score to each child. Based on this evidence, the primary author predicted which child had been affected in each family. The primary author's prediction was correct for the child who had been diagnosed with a Wilms tumor; the child with Burkitt's lymphoma had the second-highest risk score among the seven children in that family. This study demonstrates a methodology for filtering and evaluating candidate genomic variants and genes within nuclear families that may merit further exploration.

3. Potential bias of preoperative intravitreal anti-VEGF injection for complications of proliferative diabetic retinopathy.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 8

Takayama K, Someya H, Yokoyama H

PURPOSE: Intravitreal anti-VEGF injection (IVI) is administered before vitrectomy to assist management of proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR)-related complications. In the clinical setting, retinal surgeons determine the use of preoperative IVI based on individual criteria. In this study, we investigated factors related to the potential bias of retinal surgeons in using IVI prior to vitrectomy for PDR-related complications, and evaluated the real-world outcomes of surgeon-determined preoperative IVI. METHODS: Medical records of 409 eyes of 409 patients who underwent 25-gauge vitrectomy for PDR complications at seven Japanese centers (22 surgeons) were retrospectively reviewed. Ocular factors, demographic and general clinical factors, surgical procedures, and postoperative complications were compared between IVI group (patients who received preoperative IVI; 87 eyes, 21.3%) and non-IVI group (patients who did not receive preoperative IVI; 322 eyes, 78.7%). In addition, baseline HbA1c in IVI group and non-IVI group was compared between eyes with and without postoperative complications. RESULTS: At baseline, IVI group was younger (P<0.001), had shorter duration of diabetes treatment (P = 0.045), and higher frequencies of neovascular glaucoma [NVG] (P<0.001) and tractional retinal detachment [TRD] (P<0.001) compared to non-IVI group. Although IVI group had higher frequencies of intraoperative retinal break and tamponade procedure, there were no significant differences in postoperative complications and additional treatments between two groups. Baseline HbA1c levels were also not correlated with postoperative complications of VH, NVG, and RD both in IVI group and non-IVI group. Logistic regression analysis identified age (P<0.001, odds ratio [OR] 0.95), presence of NVG (P<0.001, OR 20.2), and presence of TRD (P = 0.0014, OR 2.44) as preoperative factors in favor of IVI. CONCLUSIONS: In this multicenter real-world clinical study, younger age and presence of NVG and TRD were identified as potential biases in using IVI before vitrectomy for PDR complications. Eyes that received preoperative IVI had more intraoperative retinal breaks requiring tamponade than eyes not receiving IVI, but postoperative outcome was not different between the two groups.

4. The regional differences and influencing factors of tourism development on Hainan Island, China.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 8

Zhang S, Ju H.

Exploring the spatial pattern of tourism resources and tourism economy is vital to improve the utilization efficiency of tourism resources and promote sustainable tourism development. This research investigated the quantity and types of tourism resources and analyzed the spatial patterns of tourism resources on Hainan Island from the perspectives of spatial variation and spatial association. The spatial and temporal pattern of the number of tourists and tourism revenue during 2010-2019 were further analyzed. The influencing factors of tourism development were explored based on the geographic detector. The results showed that 10425 tourism resources exist on Hainan Island, and the type of buildings and facilities had the largest number of tourism resources. The geological landscape, astronomical phenomena and meteorological landscapes, buildings and facilities, ruins and remains, tourism commodities, and human activities showed significant spatial agglomeration. Domestic tourism was far more developed than inbound tourism in terms of the number of tourists and tourism revenue. However, the spatial difference of tourism resources and tourism economy was apparent on Hainan Island. Factor analysis showed that the quantity of hotels, the proportion of tertiary industry in the GDP, and the regional population were the most influential factors for the distribution of tourism resources, while the density of the road network, the quantity of hotels, the per capita GDP, the proportion of tertiary industry in GDP, the regional population, and the quantity of tourism resources showed obvious influences on the tourism economy of Hainan Island. Interactions of the factors mainly fell into three types: synergistic increases, single factor weakening, and nonlinear weakening. It is suggested that the local government should fully exploit diversity types of tourism resources on Hainan Island to attract more tourists and improve the tourism revenue; improving the inbound tourism, and to strengthen the construction of road network on Hainan Island.

5. Parathyroid hormone in Sri Lankan pregnant women: Vitamin D and other determinants.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 8

Kaneshapillai A, Hettiaratchi U, Prathapan S

6. Aggression on the psychiatric ward: Prevalence and risk factors. A systematic review of the literature.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 8

Weltens I, Bak M, Verhagen S

INTRODUCTION: On psychiatric wards, aggressive behaviour displayed by patients is common and problematic. Understanding factors associated with the development of aggression offers possibilities for prevention and targeted interventions. This review discusses factors that contribute to the development of aggression on psychiatric wards. METHOD: In Pubmed and Embase, a search was performed aimed at: prevalence data, ward characteristics, patient and staff factors that are associated with aggressive behaviour and from this search 146 studies were included. RESULTS: The prevalence of aggressive behaviour on psychiatric wards varied (8-76%). Explanatory factors of aggressive behaviour were subdivided into patient, staff and ward factors. Patient risk factors were diagnosis of psychotic disorder or bipolar disorder, substance abuse, a history of aggression, younger age. Staff risk factors included male gender, unqualified or temporary staff, job strain, dissatisfaction with the job or management, burn-out and quality of the interaction between patients and staff. Staff protective factors were a good functioning team, good leadership and being involved in treatment decisions. Significant ward risk factors were a higher bed occupancy, busy places on the ward, walking rounds, an unsafe environment, a restrictive environment, lack of structure in the day, smoking and lack of privacy. CONCLUSION: Despite a lack of prospective quantitative data, results did show that aggression arises from a combination of patient factors, staff factors and ward factors. Patient factors were studied most often, however, besides treatment, offering the least possibilities in prevention of aggression development. Future studies should focus more on the earlier stages of aggression such as agitation and on factors that are better suited for preventing aggression such as ward and staff factors. Management and clinicians could adapt staffing and ward in line with these results.

7. Detailing the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia in Portugal-Results from a population-based cancer registry cohort study.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 8

Cardoso Borges F, Ramos A, Lourenço A

BACKGROUND: Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) is the most common leukaemia among adults in western countries. Considering the increasing incidence and prevalence of this condition, it is highly relevant to better characterise these patients in Portugal, where data is still scarce. METHODS: To determine incidence, clinical presentation, survival and second malignancies, a population-based historical cohort study was conducted. Cases of interest were identified through the South Region Cancer Registry database and additional data sources. Patients aged ≥18 years, with a confirmed diagnosis of CLL or small lymphocytic lymphoma between January 1st, 2013 and December 31st, 2014 were included. Patients were followed-up until death or cut-off date (December 31st, 2019). RESULTS: A total of 496 patients were included and median follow-up time was 5.46 years. Crude incidence rates were 5.03 and 5.22 per 100,000 inhabitants for 2013 and 2014, respectively, and age-adjusted incidence rates were 3.18:100,000 European population for 2013 and 3.35:100,000 European population for 2014. Median age at diagnosis was 71 years and the male/female ratio was 1.40. The majority of patients had leukemic presentation of the disease (86.09%), was diagnosed in Binet stage A (75.58%) and did not present B symptoms (84.01%), anaemia (haemoglobin ≤10g/dL; 90.63%) nor thrombocytopenia (platelet count ≤100 000/μL; 91.73%). Five-year overall survival (OS) rate was 70.53% (95%CI 66.31-74.34) and age, lactate dehydrogenase, Binet stage and a ≥5 Charlson comorbidity index score were independently associated with OS. Standardised-incidence ratios for any second malignancy and cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma were 1.59 (95%CI 1.19-2.08) and 10.15 (95%CI 6.28-15.51), respectively. CONCLUSION: Incidence, clinical presentation and survival of CLL Portuguese patients are similar to those reported for other western countries. The increased risk of second malignancies raises concerns and needs adequate clinical watchfulness.

8. The effect of age on the heart rate variability of healthy subjects.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 8

Garavaglia L, Gulich D, Defeo MM

9. Group theoretical analysis for unsteady magnetohydrodynamics flow and radiative heat transfer of power-law nanofluid subject to Navier's slip conditions.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 8

Javaid S, Aziz A, Aziz T.

10. Binocular treatment for amblyopia: A meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 8

Roda M, Pellegrini M, Di Geronimo N

11. Self-help and mutual assistance in the aftermath of a tsunami: How individual factors contribute to resolving difficulties.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 7

Sugiura M, Ishibashi R, Abe T

Self-aid and mutual assistance among victims are critical for resolving difficulties in the immediate aftermath of a disaster, but individual facilitative factors for such resolution processes are poorly understood. To identify such individual factors in the background (i.e., disaster damage and demographic) and personality domains considering different types of difficulty and resolution, we analyzed survey data collected in the 3-year aftermath of the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami. We first identified major types of difficulty using a cluster analysis of 18 difficulty domains and then explored individual factors that facilitated six types of resolution (self-help, request for help, help from family, help from an acquaintance, help through cooperation, and public assistance) of these difficulty types. We identified general life difficulties and medico-psychological difficulties as two broad types of difficulty; disaster damage contributed to both types, while some personality factors (e.g., neuroticism) exacerbated the latter. Disaster damage hampered self-resolution and forced a reliance on resolution through cooperation or public assistance. On the other hand, some demographic factors, such as being young and living in a three-generation household, facilitated resolution thorough the family. Several personality factors facilitated different types of resolution, primarily of general life difficulties; the problem-solving factor facilitated self-resolution, altruism, or stubbornness resolutions through requests, leadership resolution through acquaintance, and emotion-regulation resolution through public assistance. Our findings are the first to demonstrate the involvement of different individual, particularly personality, factors in survival in the complex social dynamics of this disaster stage. They may contribute to disaster risk mitigation, allowing sophisticated risk evaluation and community resilience building.

12. No, you should not beat our child because he will become aggressive:' Applying a multi-method approach to explore intergenerational transmission of parenting practices.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 7

Chandra Sekaran V, Bailey A, Kamath VG

13. Considering equity in global health collaborations: A qualitative study on experiences of equity.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 7

Faure MC, Munung NS, Ntusi NAB

International collaborations have become the standard model for global health research and often include researchers and institutions from high income countries (HICs) and low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). While such collaborations are important for generating new knowledge that will help address global health inequities, there is evidence to suggest that current forms of collaboration may reproduce unequal power relations. Therefore, we conducted a qualitative study with scientists, researchers and those involved in research management, working in international health collaborations. Interviews were conducted between October 2019 and March 2020. We conducted 13 interviews with 15 participants. From our findings, we derive three major themes. First, our results reflect characteristics of equitable, collaborative research relationships. Here we find both relational features, specifically trust and belonging, and structural features, including clear contractual agreements, capacity building, inclusive divisions of labour, and the involvement of local communities. Second, we discuss obstacles to develop equitable collaborations. These include exclusionary labour practices, donor-driven research agendas, overall research culture, lack of accountability and finally, the inadequate financing of indirect costs for LMIC institutions. Third, we discuss the responsibilities for promoting science equity of funders, LMIC researchers, LMIC institutions, and LMIC governments. While other empirical studies have suggested similar features of equity, our findings extend these features to include local communities as collaborators in research projects and not only as beneficiaries. We also suggest the importance of funders paying for indirect costs, without which the capacity of LMIC institutions will continually erode. And finally, our study shows the responsibilities of LMIC actors in developing equitable collaborations, which have largely been absent from the literature.

14. Detecting critical nodes in forest landscape networks to reduce wildfire spread.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 7

Yemshanov D, Liu N, Thompson DK

15. Risk factors for microbiologic failure in children with Enterobacter species bacteremia.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 7

Boguniewicz J, Revell PA, Scheurer ME

16. Mathematics teachers' reflective thinking: Level of understanding and implementation in their professional practices.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 7

Aldahmash AH, Alshalhoub SA, Naji MA.

17. Antimicrobial activity of hemodialysis catheter lock solutions in relation to other compounds with antiseptic properties.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 7

Piątkowska E, Paleczny J, Dydak K

Proper protection of vascular access after haemodialysis is one of the key measures for the prevention of catheter-related infections. Various substances with bactericidal and anticoagulant properties are used to fill catheters, but due to the unsatisfactory clinical effects and occurrence of adverse reactions, the search for new substances is still ongoing. In the present paper, we compared the in vitro antimicrobial activity of solutions used for tunnelled catheter locking (taurolidine, trisodium citrate) and solutions of substances that could potentially be used for this purpose (sodium bicarbonate, polyhexanide-betaine). The studies have been conducted on bacteria that most commonly cause catheter-related infections. The values of both minimum inhibitory concentration and minimum biofilm eradication concentration of the substances were determined. The ability of the tested substances to eradicate biofilm from the dialysis catheter surface was also evaluated. The results showed that polyhexanide-betaine inhibited the growth of all microbes comparably to taurolidine, even after ≥ 32-fold dilution. The activity of trisodium citrate and sodium bicarbonate was significantly lower. Polyhexanide exhibited the highest activity in the eradication of bacterial biofilm on polystyrene plates. The biofilm formed on a polyurethane dialysis catheter was resistant to complete eradication by the test substances. Polyhexanide-betaine and taurolidine showed the highest activity. Inhibition of bacterial growth regardless of species was observed not only at the highest concentration of these compounds but also after dilution 32-128x (taurolidine) and 32-1024x (polyhexanide-betaine). Therefore, it can be assumed that taurolidine application as a locking solution prevents catheter colonization and systemic infection development. Taurolidine displays high antimicrobial efficacy against Gram-positive cocci as well as Gram-negative bacilli. On the contrary, the lowest antibacterial effect displayed product contained sodium bicarbonate. The inhibitions of bacterial growth were not satisfactory to consider it as a substance for colonization prevention. Polyhexanidine-betaine possessed potent inhibitory and biofilm eradication properties comparing to all tested products. PHMB is applied as a wound irrigation solution worldwide. However, based on our results, we assume that the PHMB is a promising substance for catheter locking solutions thanks to its safety and high antimicrobial properties.

18. Do automatic push notifications improve patient flow in the emergency department? analysis of an ED in a large medical center in Israel.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 7

Trotzky D, Posner L, Mosery J

19. Can the design of the instruments used for undersized osteotomies influence the initial stability of implants installed in low-density bone? An in vitro pilot study.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 7

de Carvalho Formiga M, Gehrke AF, De Bortoli JP

20. Correspondence of aCGH and long-read genome assembly for detection of copy number differences: A proof-of-concept with cichlid genomes.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 7

Preising GA, Faber-Hammond JJ, Renn SCP.

21. Differential expression profile of gluten-specific T cells identified by single-cell RNA-seq.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 7

Yao Y, Wyrozżemski Ł, Lundin KEA

22. HSP105 expression in cutaneous malignant melanoma: Correlation with clinicopathological characteristics.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 7

Chen KJ, Li FZ, Ye Q

23. Association of EDARV370A with breast density and metabolic syndrome in Latinos.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 7

Coletta DK, Hlusko LJ, Scott GR

24. Could the 2010 HIV outbreak in Athens, Greece have been prevented? A mathematical modeling study.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 7

Gountas I, Nikolopoulos G, Touloumi G

25. Genotype distribution of cervical HPV among Caribbean women in a population-based study in Martinique: The DEPIPAPUFR study.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 7

Najioullah F, Dorival MJ, Joachim C

26. Hospital-level factors associated with death during pneumonia-associated hospitalization among adults-New York City, 2010-2014.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 7

Whittemore K, Garcia KM, Huang CC

27. An improved firefly algorithm with dynamic self-adaptive adjustment.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 7

Li Y, Zhao Y, Shang Y

28. Magnitude of metabolic syndrome in Gondar town, Northwest Ethiopia: A community-based cross-sectional study.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 7

Abebe SM, Demisse AG, Alemu S

BACKGROUND: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is becoming a major public health problem globally; it is clear that the burden of MetS is rapidly increasing the rates of non-communicable diseases (NCD). In Ethiopia studies done so far have shown a large disparity in magnitude of the prevalence of MetS and were mainly institution-based studies. Therefore, this study assess the prevalence of MetS among adults who are residing in Gondar city using Adult Treatment Panel III (ATP III) and the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) assessment tool. The findings are imperative to developing and strengthening national NCD prevention and control programs. METHODS: This study was conducted in Gondar city Northwest Ethiopia in 2018. It employs a community-based cross-sectional study design among 3,227 individuals 18 years of age or older. Data was collected using the WHO stepwise tool, lipid profile, blood pressure (BP), waist circumference (WC) body mass index (BMI), fasting blood glucose levels (FG), and anthropometric measurements. The prevalence estimation was made along with a 95% confidence interval (CI). The Kappa statistic was used to analyze the statistical agreement between ATP III and IDF definitions of the MetS. Stratified analysis was also performed for description and analysis components using ATP III and IDF as an outcome. RESULT: Of the total study participants (3227), 3059 (94.8%) were included in the final analysis and 52.5% were female. The mean (±SD) age of the study participant was 40.8 years (16.2 ±SD). The overall prevalence of MetS using ATP III was 11.2% [95%CI: 10.1, 12.3] and using IDF was 11.9% [95%CI: 10.8, 13.2]. The sex-specific proportion was high in females rather than males irrespective of the criteria. The overall level of agreement between ATP III and IDF prevalence was 91.7% and the Kappa statistics was 0.594. Older age, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, body mass index, being female, born in an urban area, consumption of an alcoholic drink in the preceding 30 days, and non-fasting practice was significantly associated with MetS. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION: There was a higher prevalence of metabolic syndrome among females than males irrespective of metabolic syndrome diagnostic criteria. This also shows good agreement between ATP III and IDF. Being female, urban birthplace, frequent alcohol consumption in the last 30 days, and non-fasting practice are factors associated with higher rates of metabolic syndrome. Hence, awareness campaigns, physical exercise, and nutrition education intervention should be undertaken to promote health behavioral practice.

29. Molecular characteristics and risk factor analysis of Staphylococcus aureus colonization put insight into CC1 colonization in three nursing homes in Shanghai.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 7

He WP, Gu FF, Zhang J

30. Biomarkers of neurodegeneration and glial activation validated in Alzheimer's disease assessed in longitudinal cerebrospinal fluid samples of Parkinson's disease.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 7

Bartl M, Dakna M, Galasko D

31. An ethnographic study of how health system, socio-cultural and individual factors influence uptake of intermittent preventive treatment of malaria in pregnancy with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine in a Ghanaian context.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 7

Aberese-Ako M, Magnussen P, Ampofo GD

BACKGROUND: Intermittent preventive treatment of malaria among pregnant women with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (IPTp-SP), is one of the three recommended interventions for the prevention of malaria in pregnancy (MiP) in sub-Sahara Africa. The World Health Organisation recommended in 2012 that SP be given at each scheduled ANC visit except during the first trimester and can be given a dose every month until the time of delivery, to ensure that a high proportion of women receive at least three doses of SP during pregnancy. Despite implementation of this policy, Ghana did not attain the target of 100% access to IPTp-SP by 2015. Additionally, negative outcomes of malaria infection in pregnancy are still recurring. This ethnographic study explored how health system, individual and socio-cultural factors influence IPTp-SP uptake in two Ghanaian regions. METHODS: The study design was ethnographic, employing non-participant observation, case studies and in depth interviews in 8 health facilities and 8 communities, from April 2018 to March 2019, in two Ghanaian regions. Recommended ethical procedures were observed. RESULTS: Health system factors such as organization of antenatal care (ANC) services and strategies employed by health workers to administer SP contributed to initial uptake. Women's trust in the health care system contributed to continued uptake. Inadequate information provided to women accessing ANC, stock-outs and fees charged for ANC services reduced access to IPTp-SP. Socio-cultural factor such as encouragement from social networks influenced utilization of ANC services and IPTp-SP uptake. Individual factors such as refusing to take SP, skipping ANC appointments and initiating ANC attendance late affected uptake. CONCLUSION: Health system, socio-cultural and individual factors influence uptake of optimum doses of IPTp-SP. Consequently, interventions that aim at addressing IPTp-SP uptake should focus on regular and sufficient supply of SP to health facilities, effective implementation of free ANC, provision of appropriate and adequate information to women and community outreach programmes to encourage early and regular ANC visits.

32. Visualising household air pollution: Colorimetric sensor arrays for monitoring volatile organic compounds indoors.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 6

Duffy E, Huttunen K, Lahnavik R

33. Pilot study to investigate differences in middle molecules, oxidative stress and markers of peripheral vascular disease in patients treated by high flux haemodialysis and haemodiafiltration.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 6

Nongnuch A, Kitiyakara C, Sappadungsuk S

34. Effects of prebiotic oligofructose-enriched inulin on gut-derived uremic toxins and disease progression in rats with adenine-induced chronic kidney disease.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 6

Melekoglu E, Cetinkaya MA, Kepekci-Tekkeli SE

35. The major worldwide stress of healthcare professionals during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic - the international COVISTRESS survey.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 6

Couarraze S, Delamarre L, Marhar F

INTRODUCTION: The COVID-19 pandemic has initiated an upheaval in society and has been the cause of considerable stress during this period. Healthcare professionals have been on the front line during this health crisis, particularly paramedical staff. The aim of this study was to assess the high level of stress of healthcare workers during the first wave of the pandemic. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The COVISTRESS international study is a questionnaire disseminated online collecting demographic and stress-related data over the globe, during the pandemic. Stress levels were evaluated using non-calibrated visual analog scale, from 0 (no stress) to 100 (maximal stress). RESULTS: Among the 13,537 individuals from 44 countries who completed the survey from January to June 2020, we included 10,051 workers (including 1379 healthcare workers, 631 medical doctors and 748 paramedical staff). The stress levels during the first wave of the pandemic were 57.8 ± 33 in the whole cohort, 65.3 ± 29.1 in medical doctors, and 73.6 ± 27.7 in paramedical staff. Healthcare professionals and especially paramedical staff had the highest levels of stress (p < 0.001 vs non-healthcare workers). Across all occupational categories, women had systematically significantly higher levels of work-related stress than men (p < 0.001). There was a negative correlation between age and stress level (r = -0.098, p < 0.001). Healthcare professionals demonstrated an increased risk of very-high stress levels (>80) compared to other workers (OR = 2.13, 95% CI 1.87-2.41). Paramedical staff risk for very-high levels of stress was higher than doctors' (1.88, 1.50-2.34). The risk of high levels of stress also increased in women (1.83, 1.61-2.09; p < 0.001 vs. men) and in people aged <50 (1.45, 1.26-1.66; p < 0.001 vs. aged >50). CONCLUSIONS: The first wave of the pandemic was a major stressful event for healthcare workers, especially paramedical staff. Among individuals, women were the most at risk while age was a protective factor.

36. The influence that Spanish Labour Reform represents on Madrid Stock Market: An empirical analysis.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 6

Sabater Marcos AM, Duarte Atoche T, Laffarga Briones J.

37. Comprehensive evaluation of COVID-19 patient short- and long-term outcomes: Disparities in healthcare utilization and post-hospitalization outcomes.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 6

Salerno S, Sun Y, Morris EL

38. Impact of COVID-19 on residency choice: A survey of New York City medical students.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 6

Lee KE, Lim F, Silver ER

OBJECTIVES: The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic disrupted medical student education, particularly in New York City (NYC). We aimed to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on medical students' residency choices. METHODS: The authors conducted a cross-sectional survey of medical students in all years of study at four NYC medical schools (Columbia, Cornell, NYU, and SUNY Downstate). The survey was fielded from 19 Aug 2020 to 21 Sep 2020. Survey questions included items assessing COVID-19 impact on residency choices, personal impact of COVID-19, residency/specialty choices, and factors influencing these choices. RESULTS: A total of 2310 students received the survey, with 547 (23.7%) providing partial responses and 212 (9.2%) providing valid responses for our primary analysis. 59.0% of participants thought that COVID-19 influenced their choice of residency/specialty, with 0.9% saying the influence was to a great extent, 22.2% to some extent, and 35.8% very little. On multivariable analysis, factors that were independently associated with COVID-19 impacting residency choice included low debt ($1 to $99,999: adjOR 2.23, 95%CI 1.02-5.03) compared with no debt and Other race/ethnicity (adjOR 0.26, 95%CI 0.10-0.63) compared with White race/ethnicity. On secondary analysis of all participants answering survey items for logistic regression regardless of survey completion, direct personal impact of COVID-19 was significantly associated with COVID-19 impacting specialty choice (adjOR 1.90, 95%CI 1.04-3.52). Moreover, 24 students (11.6%) reported a change in their top residency choice from before to during/after COVID-19, citing concerns about frontline work, work-life balance, and risk of harm. CONCLUSIONS: Our study found that 3 in 5 (59.0%) participants felt that COVID-19 impacted their residency choice, with 11.6% of respondents explicitly changing their top specialty choice. Investigating the impact of the pandemic on medical student residency considerations is crucial to understand how medical career outlooks may change in the future.

39. Bird nests as botanical time capsules: DNA barcoding identifies the contents of contemporary and historical nests.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 6

Rinkert A, Misiewicz TM, Carter BE

40. Beyond words: From jaguar population trends to conservation and public policy in Mexico.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 6

Ceballos G, Zarza H, González-Maya JF

The jaguar (Panthera onca) is one of the most threatened carnivores in the Americas. Despite a long history of research on this charismatic species, to date there have been few systematic efforts to assess its population size and status in most countries across its distribution range. We present here the results of the two National Jaguar Surveys for Mexico, the first national censuses in any country within the species distribution. We estimated jaguar densities from field data collected at 13 localities in 2008-2010 (2010 hereafter) and 11 localities in 2016-2018 (2018 hereafter). We used the 2010 census results as the basis to develop a National Jaguar Conservation Strategy that identified critical issues for jaguar conservation in Mexico. We worked with the Mexican government to implement the conservation strategy and then evaluated its effectivity. To compare the 2010 and 2018 results, we estimated the amount of jaguar-suitable habitat in the entire country based on an ecological niche model for both periods. Suitable jaguar habitat covered ~267,063 km2 (13.9% of the country's territory) in 2010 and ~ 288,890 km2 (~14.8% of the country's territory) in 2018. Using the most conservative density values for each priority region, we estimated jaguar densities for both the high and low suitable habitats. The total jaguar population was estimated in ~4,000 individuals for 2010 census and ~4,800 for the 2018 census. The Yucatan Peninsula was the region with the largest population, around 2000 jaguars, in both censuses. Our promising results indicate that the actions we proposed in the National Jaguar Conservation Strategy, some of which have been implemented working together with the Federal Government, other NGO's, and land owners, are improving jaguar conservation in Mexico. The continuation of surveys and monitoring programs of the jaguar populations in Mexico will provide accurate information to design and implement effective, science-based conservation measures to try to ensure that robust jaguar populations remain a permanent fixture of Mexico's natural heritage.

41. Evaluation of albumin use in a community hospital setting: A retrospective study looking at appropriate use and prescribing patterns.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 6

Coyle T, John SM.

PURPOSE: Albumin has been shown to be safe and effective in clinical practice for a wide variety of indications. The purpose of this medication use evaluation is to quantify the use of albumin in the community hospital setting based on indication and prescribing department. METHODS: This study is a retrospective, single-center, chart review over a 6-month period of 186 patients aged 18 and older who were treated with IV human albumin 5% or 25% at a single 202-bed community hospital setting from February 1, 2020, to August 1, 2020. A chart review was completed for each patient and the data collected included date of albumin administration, the ordering provider, the specialty of the provider, the indication for albumin as stated in the order, patient notes, crystalloid therapy use prior to albumin, albumin strength, the presence of acute or chronic renal, hepatic or respiratory disorders, and lab values denoting renal and hepatic function. Appropriate albumin use was determined utilizing criteria which included FDA labeled indications, the Surviving Sepsis Campaign, and existing literature. RESULTS: A total of 186 patients received albumin 5% or 25% IV solution at least once during the study period. The study population was 52.2% female, and the average age was 68 years. Of the patients selected for the study, 23 (11.6%) had chronic hepatic disease, and 37 (18.7%) had chronic renal disease. The top indications for which albumin was administered were sepsis or septic shock (25.3%), hypotension or hypovolemia (19.4%), intra-dialytic hypotension (13.4%), fluid support in surgery (10.8%), and nephrosis or nephropathy (10.8%). The departments with highest albumin use during this study period were critical care (41%), nephrology (28%), and surgery (17%). Overall, albumin was used for an appropriate indication in 126 out of 186 patients (67.7%). CONCLUSION: We found that albumin was most utilized for sepsis and septic shock, hypovolemia and hypotension, and intradialytic hypotension in our community hospital setting and it was most frequently ordered by critical care, nephrology, and surgical departments. Further research could determine if this trend is seen in other community hospital settings.

42. Interoceptive sensibility predicts the ability to infer others' emotional states.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 6

Hübner AM, Trempler I, Gietmann C

43. No effect of 'watching eyes': An attempted replication and extension investigating individual differences.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 6

Rotella A, Sparks AM, Mishra S

44. Louisiana Medicaid access for treatment and care for hepatitis C virus (LA-MATCH) project: A cross-sectional study protocol.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 6

Afaneh H, Straif-Bourgeois S, Oral E

45. Disease progression of 213 patients hospitalized with Covid-19 in the Czech Republic in March-October 2020: An exploratory analysis.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 6

Modrák M, Bürkner PC, Sieger T

46. Quantum-Inspired Magnetic Hamiltonian Monte Carlo.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 5

Mongwe WT, Mbuvha R, Marwala T.

47. Surgical complications after caesarean section: A population-based cohort study.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 5

Larsson C, Djuvfelt E, Lindam A

48. Association between common polymorphisms in IL-1 and TNFα and risk of peri-implant disease: A meta-analysis.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 5

Jin Q, Teng F, Cheng Z.

BACKGROUND: Pro-inflammatory cytokines interleukin-1 (IL-1) and tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα) play important roles in host immune response and bone metabolism during dental implant osseointegration. Whether the functional polymorphisms in IL-1α, IL-1β and TNFα were associated with peri-implant disease was unclear, and we performed the present meta-analysis for this purpose. METHODS: Eligible studies investigating IL-1α C-889T, IL-1β C+3954T and C-511T, TNFα G-308A, composite genotype of IL-1α C-889T and IL-1β C+3954T for association with peri-implant disease, including peri-implantitis (PI), marginal bone loss (MBL) and implant failure/loss (IF/IL), were searched on several literature databases prior to April 30, 2021. Odds ratio (OR) and corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated for each polymorphism in different genetic models and for composite genotype comparing carriers to non-carriers. RESULTS: Twenty-seven studies (1324 cases with peri-implant disease and 1808 controls with healthy implants) were included. There was significant correlation between IL-1α C-889T and peri-implant disease in all genetic models. IL-1β C+3954T was associated with peri-implant disease risk in allelic (OR = 1.66, 95%CI 1.17-2.35, p = 0.004) and dominant model (OR = 1.74, 95%CI 1.19-2.53, p = 0.004), and in subgroups of Asians, Caucasians, non-smokers, IF/IL and PI. TT genotype of IL-1β C-511T increased the risk of peri-implant disease (OR = 1.68, 95%CI 1.15-2.43, p = 0.007) and MBL (OR = 4.33, 95%CI 1.72-10.9, p = 0.002) compared to CC+CT genotypes. We did not observed a significant association between TNFα G-308A and peri-implant diseases in overall or subgroups analysis. Carriers of positive composite genotype of IL-1α C-889T and IL-1β C+3954T had 1.95-fold (95%CI 1.35-2.80, p<0.001) risk of peri-implant disease and 1.76-fold (95%CI 1.05-2.95, p = 0.032) risk of IF/IL than non-carriers. CONCLUSION: Functional polymorphisms of IL-1α (C-889T), IL-1β (C+3954T, C-511T) and composite genotype of IL-1 can be used as predictive markers for peri-implant disease, whereas TNFα G-308A polymorphism was not associated with peri-implant disease.

49. The effect of white and green LED-lights on the catch efficiency of the Barents Sea snow crab (Chionoecetes opilio) pot fishery.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 5

Cerbule K, Herrmann B, Grimaldo E

50. Humoral response after SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccines in dialysis patients: Integrating anti-SARS-CoV-2 Spike-Protein-RBD antibody monitoring to manage dialysis centers in pandemic times.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 5

Bachelet T, Bourdenx JP, Martinez C

51. Fine tuning of the side-to-side tenorrhaphy: A biomechanical study assessing different side-to-side suture techniques in a porcine tendon model.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 5

Wilhelm CJ, Englbrecht MA, Burgkart R

52. Estimating the effect of a scanner upgrade on measures of grey matter structure for longitudinal designs.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 5

Medawar E, Thieleking R, Manuilova I

53. Prevalence of bacteriologically confirmed pulmonary tuberculosis and associated risk factors: A community survey in Thirvallur District, south India.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 5

Dolla CK, Dhanaraj B, Chandrasekaran P

54. Acute gastroenteritis and the usage pattern of antibiotics and traditional herbal medications for its management in a Nigerian community.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 4

Adeyemi OO, Alabi AS, Adeyemi OA

55. Evaluation of spatial spreading of phyto-available sulphur and micronutrients in cultivated coastal soils.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 4

Shukla AK, Behera SK, Tripathi R

Understanding the spatial spreading patterns of plant-available sulphur (S) (AS) and plant-available micronutrients (available zinc (AZn), available iron (AFe), available copper (ACu), available manganese (AMn) and available boron (AB)) in soils, especially in coastal agricultural soils subjected to various natural and anthropogenic activities, is vital for sustainable crop production by adopting site-specific nutrient management (SSNM) strategies. We studied the spatial distribution patterns of AS, AZn, AFe, ACu, AMn, and AB in cultivated soils of coastal districts of India using geostatistical approaches. Altogether 39,097 soil samples from surface (0 to 15 cm depth) layers were gathered from farm lands of 68 coastal districts. The analysis of soil samples was carried out for soil pH, electrical conductivity (EC), soil organic carbon (SOC) and AS, AZn, AFe, ACu, AMn, and AB. Soil pH, EC and SOC varied from 3.70 to 9.90, 0.01 to 7.45 dS m-1 and 0.02 to 3.74%, respectively. The concentrations of AS, AZn, AFe, ACu, AMn, and AB varied widely in the study area with their corresponding mean values were 37.4±29.4, 1.50±1.53, 27.9±35.1, 2.14±1.74, 16.9±18.4 and 1.34±1.52 mg kg-1, respectively. The coefficient of variation values of analyzed soil parameters varied from 14.6 to 126%. The concentrations of AS, AZn, AFe, ACu, AMn, and AB were negatively and significantly correlated with soil pH and positively and significantly correlated with SOC. The geostatistical analysis indicated stable, Gaussian and exponential best-fit semivariogram models with moderate to strong spatial dependence for available nutrients. The generated spatial spreading maps revealed different distribution patterns for AS, AZn, AFe, ACu, AMn, and AB. There were variations in spatial spreading patterns of AS, AZn, AFe, ACu, AMn, and AB in east- and west-coastal area. About 62, 35, 12, 0.4, 23 and 45% of the study area had deficiency of AS, AZn, AFe, ACu, AMn, and AB, respectively. The spatial spreading maps will be highly useful for SSNM in the cultivated coastal soils of the country. This study could also be used as a base for assessing spatial spreading patterns of soil parameters in cultivated coastal areas of other parts of the world.

56. Cigarette smoking patterns among U.S. military service members before and after separation from the military.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 4

Nieh C, Mancuso JD, Powell TM

57. Association of prenatal sex steroid exposure estimated by the digit ratio (2D:4D) with birth weight, BMI and muscle strength in 6- to 13-year-old Polish children.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 4

Kobus M, Sitek A, Rosset I

58. Screening of key biomarkers of tendinopathy based on bioinformatics and machine learning algorithms.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 29

Zhu YX, Huang JQ, Ming YY

59. Estimating human leishmaniasis burden in Spain using the capture-recapture method, 2016-2017.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 29

Humanes-Navarro AM, Herrador Z, Redondo L

60. Cases of replacing diffractive bifocal intraocular lens with extended depth of focus intraocular lens due to waxy vision.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 29

Takabatake R, Takahashi M, Yoshimoto T

61. Prevalence and associated factors of Tunga penetrans infestation among 5-14-year-olds in rural Ethiopia.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 29

Tamene A.

62. Prevalence of toxigenic fungi and mycotoxins in Arabic coffee (Coffea arabica): Protective role of traditional coffee roasting, brewing and bacterial volatiles.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 29

Al Attiya W, Hassan ZU, Al-Thani R

Fungal infection and synthesis of mycotoxins in coffee leads to significant economic losses. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of toxigenic fungi, their metabolites, and the effect of traditional roasting and brewing on ochratoxin A (OTA) and aflatoxins (AFs) contents of naturally contaminated coffee samples. In addition, in vivo biocontrol assays were performed to explore the antagonistic activities of Bacillus simplex 350-3 (BS350-3) on the growth and mycotoxins synthesis of Aspergillus ochraceus and A. flavus. The relative density of A. niger, A. flavus, Penicillium verrucosum and A. carbonarius on green coffee bean was 60.82%, 7.21%, 3.09% and 1.03%, respectively. OTA contents were lowest in green coffee beans (2.15 μg/kg), followed by roasted (2.76 μg/kg) and soluble coffee (8.95 μg/kg). Likewise, AFs levels were highest in soluble coffee (90.58 μg/kg) followed by roasted (33.61 μg/kg) and green coffee (9.07 μg/kg). Roasting naturally contaminated coffee beans at three traditional methods; low, medium and high, followed by brewing resulted in reduction of 58.74% (3.50 μg/kg), 60.88% (3.72 μg/kg) and 64.70% (4.11 μg/kg) in OTA and 40.18% (34.65 μg/kg), 47.86% (41.17 μg/kg) and 62.38% (53.73 μg/kg) AFs contents, respectively. Significant inhibitions of AFs and OTA synthesis by A. flavus and A. carbonarius, respectively, on infected coffee beans were observed in presence of Bacillus simplex BS350-3 volatiles. Gas chromatography mass spectrochemistry (GC-MS/MS) analysis of head-space BS350-3 volatiles showed quinoline, benzenemethanamine and 1-Octadecene as bioactive antifungal molecules. These findings suggest that marketed coffee samples are generally contaminated with OTA and AFs, with a significant level of roasted and soluble coffee contaminated above EU permissible limits for OTA. Further, along with coffee roasting and brewing; microbial volatiles can be optimized to minimize the dietary exposure to mycotoxins.

63. Age effects in autobiographical memory depend on the measure.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 29

Mair A, Poirier M, Conway MA.

64. ERBB3-dependent AKT and ERK pathways are essential for atrioventricular cushion development in mouse embryos.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 29

Kim K, Lee D.

65. A way to break bones? The weight of intuitiveness.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 29

Vettese D, Stavrova T, Borel A

During the Paleolithic period, bone marrow extraction was an essential source of fat nutrients for hunter-gatherers especially throughout cold and dry seasons. This is attested by the recurrent findings of percussion marks in osteological material from anthropized archaeological levels. Among them some showed indicators that the marrow extraction process was part of a butchery cultural practice, meaning that the inflicted fracturing gestures and techniques were recurrent, standardized and counter-intuitive. In order to assess the weight of the counter-intuitive factor in the percussion mark pattern distribution, we carried out an experiment that by contrast focuses on the intuitive approach of fracturing bones to extract marrow, involving individual without experience in this activity. We wanted to evaluate the influence of bone morphology and the individuals' behaviour on the distribution of percussion marks. Twelve experimenters broke 120 limb bones, a series of 10 bones per individual. During the experiment, information concerning the fracture of the bones as well as individual behaviour was collected and was subsequently compared to data from the laboratory study of the remains. Then, we applied an innovative GIS (Geographic Information System) method to analyze the distribution of percussion marks to highlight recurrent patterns. Results show that in spite of all the variables there is a high similarity in the distribution of percussion marks which we consider as intuitive patterns. The factor influenced the distribution for the humerus, radius-ulna and tibia series is the bone morphology, while for the femur series individual behaviour seems to have more weight in the distribution. To go further in the subject we need to compare the intuitive models with the distributions of percussion marks registered in fossil assemblages. Thus, it would be possible to propose new hypotheses on butchering practices based on the results presented in this work.

66. Foliar herbivory increases sucrose concentration in bracteal extrafloral nectar of cotton.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 29

Gale CC, Lesne P, Wilson C

67. Construction of ceRNA network to identify the lncRNA and mRNA related to non-small cell lung cancer.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 29

Xiao K, Wang Y, Zhou L

68. Molecular characterization of porcine epidemic diarrhoea virus (PEDV) in Poland reveals the presence of swine enteric coronavirus (SeCoV) sequence in S gene.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 29

Antas M, Olech M, Szczotka-Bochniarz A.

69. Nothing but the truth? Effects of faking on the validity of the crosswise model.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 29

Hoffmann A, Meisters J, Musch J.

70. Take a seed! Revealing Neolithic landscape and agricultural development in the Carpathian Basin through multivariate statistics and environmental modelling.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 29

Kempf M.

71. Sex-based differences in the manifestations and complications of sickle cell disease: Report from the Sickle Cell Disease Implementation Consortium.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 29

Masese RV, Bulgin D, Knisely MR

72. Design of effective value calculation model for dynamic dataflow of infrared gas online monitoring.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 28

Xiao D, Huang L, Keita M

73. Phylogenetic analyses of Norwegian Tenacibaculum strains confirm high bacterial diversity and suggest circulation of ubiquitous virulent strains.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 28

Lagadec E, Småge SB, Trösse C

74. Is BMI associated with anemia and hemoglobin level of women and children in Bangladesh: A study with multiple statistical approaches.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 28

Kamruzzaman M.

BACKGROUND: The coexistence of undernutrition and obesity is an emerging problem for developing countries like Bangladesh. Anemia is another critical public health threat, prevalent predominantly among women and children. Undernutrition is linked with a higher risk of anemia, and lower dietary iron intake might be the possible reason. However, the risk of anemia among obese/overweight individuals is controversial. The study explores the relation of BMI with anemia and blood hemoglobin level among women and children in Bangladesh. METHODS: Multiple statistical approaches were employed to nationally representative secondary data (BDHS 2011) on women (n = 5680) age 15-49 years and children (n = 2373) age 6-59 months to illuminate the relation between BMI and anemia. BMI was categorized according to the WHO recommended BMI category for Asian people. Descriptive statistics were used to measure mean hemoglobin level. Chi-square test, Pearson correlation, Two-way ANOVA, binary, ordinal, and restricted cubic splines (RCS) regression were used to study the association of BMI with anemia and hemoglobin level. RESULTS: Chi-square test reveals significant association, though not intense, among BMI and anemia categories of women (15-49 years) (χ2 ≥99, p<2.2e-16 and Cramér's V = 0.0799-0.1357). From ANOVA analysis, a significant difference in blood hemoglobin level was found among women (total sample and nonpregnant) with different BMI categories (p≤0.05). Binary (Severely Underweight: OR 1.2680, 95% CI 0.755-2.161; Obese: OR 0.4038, 95% CI 0.120-1.177), Ordinal logistic regression (Severely Underweight: OR 1.337, 95% CI 0.842-2.115; Obese: OR 0.504, 95% CI 0.153-1.411) and restricted cubic spline regression (Severely Underweight: OR >1.5; Obese: OR ~0.5) reveal that the risk of anemia was higher among underweight and lower among obese/overweight women compared to normal women. Lower anemia risk among richest women indicates probable higher dietary iron intake among obese/overweight women. CONCLUSION: In the current study, women with overweight/obesity from Bangladesh were shown to have lower likelihood of being anemic, while underweight women more likely to be anemic. However, no relation between BMI and anemia was found among children.

75. Multivariate genome-wide association study of leaf shape in a Populus deltoides and P. simonii F1 pedigree.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 28

Yang W, Yao D, Wu H

Leaf morphology exhibits tremendous diversity between and within species, and is likely related to adaptation to environmental factors. Most poplar species are of great economic and ecological values and their leaf morphology can be a good predictor for wood productivity and environment adaptation. It is important to understand the genetic mechanism behind variation in leaf shape. Although some initial efforts have been made to identify quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for poplar leaf traits, more effort needs to be expended to unravel the polygenic architecture of the complex traits of leaf shape. Here, we performed a genome-wide association analysis (GWAS) of poplar leaf shape traits in a randomized complete block design with clones from F1 hybrids of Populus deltoides and Populus simonii. A total of 35 SNPs were identified as significantly associated with the multiple traits of a moderate number of regular polar radii between the leaf centroid and its edge points, which could represent the leaf shape, based on a multivariate linear mixed model. In contrast, the univariate linear mixed model was applied as single leaf traits for GWAS, leading to genomic inflation; thus, no significant SNPs were detected for leaf length, measures of leaf width, leaf area, or the ratio of leaf length to leaf width under genomic control. Investigation of the candidate genes showed that most flanking regions of the significant leaf shape-associated SNPs harbored genes that were related to leaf growth and development and to the regulation of leaf morphology. The combined use of the traditional experimental design and the multivariate linear mixed model could greatly improve the power in GWAS because the multiple trait data from a large number of individuals with replicates of clones were incorporated into the statistical model. The results of this study will enhance the understanding of the genetic mechanism of leaf shape variation in Populus. In addition, a moderate number of regular leaf polar radii can largely represent the leaf shape and can be used for GWAS of such a complicated trait in Populus, instead of the higher-dimensional regular radius data that were previously considered to well represent leaf shape.

76. I will rather be killed by corona than by him…': Experiences of abused women seeking shelter during South Africa's COVID-19 lockdown.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 28

Dekel B, Abrahams N.

BACKGROUND: In April 2020, the United Nations predicted that the COVID-19 pandemic will have a 'calamitous' impact on the lives of women. This was based on concerns about an upsurge in Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) arising from increased opportunities for relational conflict due to forced co-existence and therefore additional time spent with abusive partners. AIM: Research has shown an increase in IPV during times of crisis. The COVID-19 pandemic has generated unprecedented circumstances and stress, and opportunities to do research to understand whether the COVID-19 pandemic impacted on IPV experiences were limited. Thus, the present study aimed to understand women's experiences of being in and leaving an abusive relationship during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: Individual, telephonic interviews were conducted with 16 women living in domestic violence shelters within three Provinces during South Africa's lockdown period. RESULTS: Findings reveal that the public health measures implemented by the South African Government to curb the spread of the virus, may have placed vulnerable groups at increased risk of violence. Specifically, lockdown likely magnified the risk for escalation of abuse in families already experiencing IPV prior to COVID-19. The study highlights an IPV and COVID-19 relationship, showing that the gender insensitive pandemic control measures, such as stay at home orders and travel restrictions, likely placed women at risk of increased abuse. Given the recurrency of COVID-19 epidemic waves, attention must be given to gender disparities or many South African women may experience worse outcomes. CONCLUSION: This study reminds us that being ordered to stay at home is not always the safest option for women and thus, in a country with one of the highest levels of GBV, it becomes imperative to ensure that IPV safeguards are integrated into COVID-19 measures. It also becomes evident that COVID-19 requires enhanced ways of responding by paying attention to gender disparities.

77. Clinical usefulness of brief screening tool for activating weight management discussions in primary cARE (AWARE): A nationwide mixed methods pilot study.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 28

Atlantis E, John JR, Fahey PP

OBJECTIVE: The Edmonton Obesity Staging System (EOSS) is based on weight related health complications among individuals with overweight and obesity requiring clinical intervention. We aimed to assess the clinical usefulness of a new screening tool based on the EOSS for activating weight management discussions in general practice. METHODS: We enrolled five General Practitioners (GPs) and 25 of their patients located nationwide in metropolitan areas of Australia to test the feasibility, acceptability, and accuracy of the new 'EOSS-2 Risk Tool', using cross-sectional and qualitative study designs. Diagnostic accuracy of the tool for the presence of EOSS ≥2 criteria was based on clinical information collected prospectively. To assess feasibility and applicability, we explored the views of GP and patient participants by thematic analysis of transcribed verbatim and de-identified data collected by semi-structured telephone interviews. RESULTS: Nineteen (76%) patients were aged ≥45 years, five (20%) were male, and 20 (80%) were classified with obesity. All 25 patients screened positive for EOSS ≥2 criteria by the tool. Interviews with patients continued until data saturation was reached resulting in a total of 23 interviews. Our thematic analysis revealed five themes: GP recognition of obesity as a health priority (GPs expressed strong interest in and understanding of its importance as a health priority); obesity stigma (GPs reported the tool helped them initiate health based and non-judgmental conversations with their patients); patient health literacy (GPs and patients reported increased awareness and understanding of weight related health risks), patient motivation for self-management (GPs and patients reported the tool helped focus on self-management of weight related complications), and applicability and scalability (GPs stated it was easy to use, relevant to a range of their patient groups, and scalable if integrated into existing patient management systems). CONCLUSION: The EOSS-2 Risk Tool is potentially clinically useful for activating weight management discussions in general practice. Further research is required to assess feasibility and applicability.

78. Association between relative handgrip strength and hypertension in Chinese adults: An analysis of four successive national surveys with 712,442 individuals (2000-2014).

PLoS One

2021 Oct 28

Feng Q, Jiang C, Wang M

79. Messages that increase COVID-19 vaccine acceptance: Evidence from online experiments in six Latin American countries.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 28

Argote Tironi P, Barham E, Zuckerman Daly S

80. Long-read sequencing to interrogate strain-level variation among adherent-invasive Escherichia coli isolated from human intestinal tissue.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 28

Wang J, Bleich RM, Zarmer S

81. Incidence, risk factors, and feto-maternal outcomes of inappropriate birth weight for gestational age among singleton live births in Qatar: A population-based study.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 28

Younes S, Samara M, Salama N

82. Growth failure of very low birth weight infants during the first 3 years: A Korean neonatal network.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 28

Lim J, Yoon SJ, Shin JE

83. The assessment of physical risk taking: Preliminary construct validation of a new behavioral measure.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 28

Smith EA, Benning SD.

84. Injurious information propagation and its global stability considering activity and normalized recovering rate.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 28

Wang C, Wang Z, Pan Q.

85. The mobile emergency recovery intervention trial (MERIT): Protocol for a 3-year mixed methods observational study of mobile recovery outreach teams in Nevada's emergency departments.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 28

Smith KP, Oman RF, Lu M

BACKGROUND: The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration awarded State Targeted Response grants to support states' efforts to address the opioid epidemic. In Nevada, one component of this grant was mobile recovery outreach teams (MROTs) that utilized peer recovery support specialists to provide care for qualifying patients in emergency departments (EDs). The Mobile Emergency Recovery Intervention Trial (MERIT) is a mixed methods study to assess the feasibility/acceptability and effectiveness of the MROT intervention. This protocol mainly describes the R33 research activities and outcomes. The full protocol can be found protocols.io. METHODS: Data will be derived from state-level data sets containing de-identified emergency department visits, substance use disorder treatment records, and mortality files; in-person mixed methods interviews; participant observation; and self-report process evaluation forms. Primary outcomes include Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) initiation and non-fatal overdose; secondary outcomes include MAT retention and fatal overdose. Quantitative hypotheses will be tested using generalized linear mixed effects models, Bayesian hierarchical models, and marginal Cox models. Qualitative interview data will be analyzed using an inductive thematic analysis procedure. DISCUSSION: It is impossible to conduct a randomized controlled trial of the effectiveness of the MROTs, given the ethical and logistical considerations of this intervention.This study's innovative design employs a mixed methods formative phase to examine feasibility and acceptability, and a quasi-experimental outcomes evaluation phase employing advanced statistical methods to mitigate bias and suggest causal inference regarding the effectiveness of the MROTs.Innovative interventions have been deployed in many states; evidence regarding their effectiveness is lacking, but critical to informing an effective public health response to the opioid epidemic.

86. Extent of compliance with COVID-19 prevention and control guidelines among supermarkets in Kampala Capital City and Mukono Municipality, Uganda.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 28

Mugambe RK, Ssekamatte T, Kisaka S

BACKGROUND: Despite the development and enforcement of preventive guidelines by governments, COVID-19 continues to spread across nations, causing unprecedented economic losses and mortality. Public places remain hotspots for COVID-19 transmission due to large numbers of people present; however preventive measures are poorly enforced. Supermarkets are among the high-risk establishments due to the high interactions involved, which makes compliance with the COVID-19 preventive guidelines of paramount importance. However, until now, there has been limited evidence on compliance with the set COVID-19 prevention guidelines. Therefore, this study aimed to measure compliance with the COVID-19 prevention guidelines among supermarkets in Kampala Capital City and Mukono Municipality Uganda. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among selected supermarkets in Kampala Capital City and Mukono Municipality in September 2020. A total of 229 supermarkets (195 in Kampala City and 34 in Mukono Municipality) were randomly selected for the study. Data were collected through structured observations on the status of compliance with COVID-19 prevention guidelines, and entered using the KoboCollect software, which was preinstalled on mobile devices (smart phones and tablets). Descriptive statistics were generated to measure compliance to the set COVID-19 Ministry of Health prevention guidelines using Stata 14 software. RESULTS: Only 16.6% (38/229) of the supermarkets complied with the COVID-19 prevention and control guidelines. In line with the specific measures, almost all supermarkets 95.2% (218/229) had hand washing facilities placed at strategic points such as the entrance, and 59.8% (137/229) of the supermarkets surveyed regularly disinfected commonly touched surfaces. Only 40.6% and 30.6% of the supermarkets enforced mandatory hand washing and use of face masks respectively for all customers accessing the premises. Slightly more than half, 52.4% (120/229) of the supermarkets had someone or a team in charge of enforcing compliance to COVID-19 measures and more than half, 55.5% (127/229) of the supermarkets had not provided their staff with job-specific training/mentorship on infection prevention and control for COVID-19. Less than a third, 26.2% (60/229) of the supermarkets had an infrared temperature gun for screening every customer, and only 5.7% (13/229) of the supermarkets captured details of clients accessing the supermarket as a measure to ease follow-up. CONCLUSION: This study revealed low compliance with COVID-19 guidelines, which required mandatory preventive measures such as face masking, regular disinfection, social distancing, and hand hygiene. This study suggests the need for health authorities to strengthen enforcement of these guidelines, and to sensitise the supermarket managers on COVID-19 in order to increase the uptake of the different measures.

87. Public perceptions of non-adherence to pandemic protection measures by self and others: A study of COVID-19 in the United Kingdom.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 28

Williams SN, Armitage CJ, Tampe T

BACKGROUND: Novel viral pandemics present significant challenges to global public health. Non-pharmaceutical interventions (e.g. social distancing) are an important means through which to control the transmission of such viruses. One of the key factors determining the effectiveness of such measures is the level of public adherence to them. Research to date has focused on quantitative exploration of adherence and non-adherence, with a relative lack of qualitative exploration of the reasons for non-adherence. OBJECTIVE: To explore participants' perceptions of non-adherence to COVID-19 policy measures by self and others in the UK, focusing on perceived reasons for non-adherence. METHODS: Qualitative study comprising 12 focus groups conducted via video-conferencing between 25th September and 13th November 2020. Participants were 51 UK residents aged 18 and above, reflecting a range of ages, genders and race/ethnicities. Data were analysed using a thematic approach. RESULTS: Participants reported seeing an increase in non-adherence in others over the course of the pandemic. Reports of non-adherence in self were lower than reports of non-adherence in others. Analysis revealed six main themes related to participants' reported reasons for non-adherence in self and others: (1) 'Alert fatigue' (where people find it difficult to follow, or switch off from, information about frequently changing rules or advice) (2) Inconsistent rules (3) Lack of trust in government (4) Learned Helplessness (5) Resistance and rebelliousness (6)The impact of vaccines on risk perception. Participants perceived a number of systemic failures (e.g. unclear policy, untrustworthy policymakers) to strongly contribute to two forms non-adherence-violations and errors. CONCLUSION: Findings suggest that latent and systemic failures-in the form of policy decisions that are commonly experienced as too changeable, inconsistent and confusing, and policy makers that are commonly perceived as untrustworthy-may play a significant role in creating the conditions that enable or encourage non-adherence.

88. Mitochondrial respiratory chain and Krebs cycle enzyme function in human donor livers subjected to end-ischaemic hypothermic machine perfusion.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 28

Abudhaise H, Taanman JW, DeMuylder P

INTRODUCTION: Marginal human donor livers are highly susceptible to ischaemia reperfusion injury and mitochondrial dysfunction. Oxygenation during hypothermic machine perfusion (HMP) was proposed to protect the mitochondria but the mechanism is unclear. Additionally, the distribution and uptake of perfusate oxygen during HMP are unknown. This study aimed to examine the feasibility of mitochondrial function analysis during end-ischaemic HMP, assess potential mitochondrial viability biomarkers, and record oxygenation kinetics. METHODS: This was a randomised pilot study using human livers retrieved for transplant but not utilised. Livers (n = 38) were randomised at stage 1 into static cold storage (n = 6), hepatic artery HMP (n = 7), and non-oxygen supplemented portal vein HMP (n = 7) and at stage 2 into oxygen supplemented and non-oxygen supplemented portal vein HMP (n = 11 and 7, respectively). Mitochondrial parameters were compared between the groups and between low- and high-risk marginal livers based on donor history, organ steatosis and preservation period. The oxygen delivery efficiency was assessed in additional 6 livers using real-time measurements of perfusate and parenchymal oxygen. RESULTS: The change in mitochondrial respiratory chain (complex I, II, III, IV) and Krebs cycle enzyme activity (aconitase, citrate synthase) before and after 4-hour preservation was not different between groups in both study stages (p > 0.05). Low-risk livers that could have been used clinically (n = 8) had lower complex II-III activities after 4-hour perfusion, compared with high-risk livers (73 nmol/mg/min vs. 113 nmol/mg/min, p = 0.01). Parenchymal pO2 was consistently lower than perfusate pO2 (p ≤ 0.001), stabilised in 28 minutes compared to 3 minutes in perfusate (p = 0.003), and decreased faster upon oxygen cessation (75 vs. 36 minutes, p = 0.003). CONCLUSIONS: Actively oxygenated and air-equilibrated end-ischaemic HMP did not induce oxidative damage of aconitase, and respiratory chain complexes remained intact. Mitochondria likely respond to variable perfusate oxygen levels by adapting their respiratory function during end-ischaemic HMP. Complex II-III activities should be further investigated as viability biomarkers.

89. Wikipedia, friend or foe regarding information on diabetic retinopathy? A content analysis in the world's leading 19 languages.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 28

Aguilar-Morales K, Aguirre-Suarez G, Bowles B

90. The contributions of social comparison to social network site addiction.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 28

Kim H, Schlicht R, Schardt M

91. How faculty define quality, prestige, and impact of academic journals.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 28

Morales E, McKiernan EC, Niles MT

92. Analysis of COVID-19 vaccine non-intent by essential vs non-essential worker, demographic, and socioeconomic status among 101,048 US adults.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 28

Elliott T, Yehia BR, Winegar AL

93. Impact of persistent D-dimer elevation following recovery from COVID-19.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 28

Lehmann A, Prosch H, Zehetmayer S

94. Low-energy Ar+ and N+ ion beam induced chemical vapor deposition using hexamethyldisilazane for the formation of nitrogen containing SiC and carbon containing SiN films.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 27

Yoshimura S, Sugimoto S, Takeuchi T

95. Impact of staffing model conversion from a mandatory critical care consultation model to a closed unit model in the medical intensive care unit.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 27

Ko SJ, Cho J, Choi SM

96. Phenoloxidase activity and organic carbon dynamics in historic Anthrosols in Scotland, UK.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 27

Esiana BOI, Coates CJ, Adderley WP

97. Automated color detection in orchids using color labels and deep learning.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 27

Apriyanti DH, Spreeuwers LJ, Lucas PJF

98. Validity and reliability of the Serbian COVID Stress Scales.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 27

Milic M, Dotlic J, Rachor GS

99. Ecosystem impacts by the Ancestral Puebloans of Chaco Canyon, New Mexico, USA.

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2021 Oct 27

Lentz DL, Slotten V, Dunning NP

100. Effects of statins and steroids on coronary artery disease and stroke in patients with interstitial lung disease and pulmonary fibrosis: A general population study.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 27

Yeh JJ, Lin CL, Hsu NH

101. Comparison of service tactic formation on players' movements and point outcome between national and beginner level padel.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 27

Ramón-Llin J, Guzmán J, Martínez-Gallego R

102. Inconsistent and incomplete retraction of published research: A cross-sectional study on Covid-19 retractions and recommendations to mitigate risks for research, policy and practice.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 27

Frampton G, Woods L, Scott DA.

BACKGROUND: Retraction of published research can reduce the dissemination of incorrect or misleading information, but concerns have been raised about the clarity and rigor of the retraction process. Failure to clearly and consistently retract research has several risks, for example discredited or erroneous research may inform health research studies (e.g. clinical trials), policies and practices, potentially rendering these unreliable. OBJECTIVE: To investigate consistency and clarity of research retraction, based on a case study of retracted Covid-19 research. STUDY DESIGN: A cross-sectional study of retracted Covid-19 articles reporting empirical research findings, based on searches of Medline, Embase and Scopus on 10th July and 19th December 2020. KEY RESULTS: We included 46 retracted Covid-19 articles. The number eligible for inclusion nearly doubled, from 26 to 46, in five months. Most articles (67%) were retracted from scientific journals and the remainder from preprint servers. Key findings: (1) reasons for retraction were not reported in 33% (15/46) of cases; (2) time from publication to retraction could not be determined in 43% (20/46) of cases; (3) More than half (59%) of retracted Covid-19 articles (27/46) remained available as original unmarked electronic documents after retraction (33% as full text and 26% as an abstract only). Sources of articles post-retraction were preprint servers, ResearchGate and, less commonly, websites including PubMed Central and the World Health Organization. A retracted journal article which controversially claimed a link between 5G technology and Covid-19 remains available in its original full text from at least 60 different websites. CONCLUSIONS: The retraction process is inconsistent and often ambiguous, with more than half of retracted Covid-19 research articles remaining available, unmarked, from a wide range of online sources. There is an urgent need to improve guidance on the retraction process and to extend this to cover preprint servers. We provide structured recommendations to address these concerns and to reduce the risks that arise when retracted research is inappropriately cited.

103. Differential expression of transposable elements in the medaka melanoma model.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 27

Helmprobst F, Kneitz S, Klotz B

104. Rational design of chimeric Multiepitope Based Vaccine (MEBV) against human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1: An integrated vaccine informatics and molecular docking based approach.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 27

Tariq MH, Bhatti R, Ali NF

Human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) is an infectious virus that has been linked to adult T cell leukemia /lymphoma, aggressive CD4-T cell malignancy and many other immune-related medical illnesses. So far, no effective vaccine is known to combat HTLV-1, hence, the current research work was performed to design a potential multi-epitope-based subunit vaccine (MEBV) by adopting the latest methodology of reverse vaccinology. Briefly, three highly antigenic proteins (Glycoprotein, Accessory protein, and Tax protein) with no or minimal (<37%) similarity with human proteome were sorted out and potential B- and T-cell epitopes were forecasted from them. Highly antigenic, immunogenic, non-toxic, non-allergenic and overlapping epitopes were short-listed for vaccine development. The chosen T-cell epitopes displayed a strong binding affinity with their corresponding Human Leukocyte Antigen alleles and demonstrated 95.8% coverage of the world's population. Finally, nine Cytotoxic T Lymphocytes, six Helper T Lymphocytes and five Linear B Lymphocytes epitopes, joint through linkers and adjuvant, were exploited to design the final MEBV construct, comprising of 382 amino acids. The developed MEBV structure showed highly antigenic properties while being non-toxic, soluble, non-allergenic, and stable in nature. Moreover, disulphide engineering further enhanced the stability of the final vaccine protein. Additionally, Molecular docking analysis and Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations confirmed the strong association between MEBV construct and human pathogenic immune receptor TLR-3. Repeated-exposure simulations and Immune simulations ensured the rapid antigen clearance and higher levels of cell-mediated immunity, respectively. Furthermore, MEBV codon optimization and in-silico cloning was carried out to confirm its augmented expression. Results of our experiments suggested that the proposed MEBV could be a potential immunogenic against HTLV-1; nevertheless, additional wet lab experiments are needed to elucidate our conclusion.

105. Our unknown neighbor: A new species of rain frog of the genus Pristimantis (Amphibia: Anura: Strabomantidae) from the city of Loja, southern Ecuador.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 27

Székely P, Székely D, Ordóñez-Delgado L

106. A weighted network analysis framework for the hourglass effect-And its application in the C. elegans connectome.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 27

Batta I, Yao Q, Sabrin KM

107. Reopening California: Seeking robust, non-dominated COVID-19 exit strategies.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 26

Nascimento de Lima P, Lempert R, Vardavas R

108. Plutonium in Manhattan Project workers: Using autopsy data to evaluate organ content and dose estimates based on urine bioassay with implications for radiation epidemiology.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 26

Šefl M, Zhou JY, Avtandilashvili M

109. Risk factors assessment for radiographically guided port implantations with forearm access.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 26

Nadjiri J, Geith T, Waggershauser T

110. Sub-elite sprinters and rugby players possess different morphological characteristics of the individual hamstrings and quadriceps muscles.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 26

Kawama R, Okudaira M, Shimasaki T

Numerous studies have clarified that sprinters possess unique morphological characteristics of the thigh muscles compared with non-athletes. However, little evidence is available regarding the morphological differences between sprinters and rugby players. This study aimed to examine the morphological differences in the individual hamstrings and quadriceps femoris muscles between sub-elite sprinters and rugby players. Ultrasound images were acquired from the proximal, middle, and distal regions of the thigh. From the images, the anatomical cross-sectional areas were calculated for 14 sub-elite sprinters, 14 rugby players, and 14 non-athletes. The calculated anatomical cross-sectional areas were normalized to two-thirds power of the body mass, and the normalized values of all regions were averaged as those of the individual muscles. In the hamstrings, the sizes of the biceps femoris short head and semitendinosus were greater in the sprinters than in the rugby players and/or non-athletes (all p < 0.05). In contrast, in the quadriceps femoris, the sizes of the rectus femoris, vastus lateralis, and vastus intermedius were the greatest in the rugby players (all p < 0.05). In the middle region of the biceps femoris short head and the proximal-middle regions of the semitendinosus, the muscle sizes were greater in the sprinters than in the rugby players (all p < 0.05), and vice versa in the middle-distal regions of the rectus femoris (all p < 0.05). These results suggest that 1) sub-elite sprinters possess larger sizes of the biceps femoris short head and semitendinosus, whereas rugby players have larger sizes of the rectus femoris, vastus lateralis, and vastus intermedius, and 2) each of the athletes has different size distributions, especially along the lengths of BFsh, ST, and RF. The findings of the present study would be helpful for rugby players in designing training regimens aimed at enhancing sprint performance.

111. Exogenous proanthocyanidins improve tolerance of Cu-toxicity by amelioration of oxidative damage and re-programming of gene expression in Medicago sativa.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 26

Zhao S, Zhu Y, Liu W

112. Exploring gender differences in knowledge and practices related to antibiotic use in Southeast Asia: A scoping review.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 26

Pham-Duc P, Sriparamananthan K.

Inappropriate use of antibiotics has been one of the main contributors to antimicrobial resistance, particularly in Southeast Asia. Different genders are prone to different antibiotic use practices. The objective of this scoping review is to understand the extent and type of evidence available on gender differences in antibiotic use across Southeast Asia. The search strategy for this scoping review involved PubMed, Semantic Scholar, BioMed Central and ProQuest. Two-level screening was applied to identify the final sample of relevant sources. Thematic content analysis was then conducted on the selected final sources to identify recurring themes related to gender differences in antibiotic use and a narrative account was developed based on the themes. Recommendations for next steps regarding reducing inappropriate antibiotic use and gender considerations that need to be made when developing future interventions were also identified. Research on gender and antibiotic use remains scarce. Studies that discuss gender within the context of antibiotic use often mention differences between males and females in knowledge, attitudes and/or behaviour, however, do not explore reasons for these differences. Gender differences in antibiotic use were generally examined in terms of: (i) knowledge of antibiotic use and antimicrobial resistance and (ii) practices related to antibiotic use. Evidence indicated that differences between males and females in knowledge and practices of antibiotic use varied greatly based on setting. This indicates that gender differences in antibiotic use are greatly contextual and intersect with other sociodemographic factors, particularly education and socioeconomic status. Educational interventions that are targeted to meet the specific needs of males and females and delivered through pharmacists and healthcare professionals were the most common recommendations for reducing inappropriate use of antibiotics in the community. Such targeted interventions require further qualitative research on factors influencing differences in knowledge and practices related to antibiotic use among males and females. In addition, there is also a need to strengthen monitoring and regulation practices to ensure accessibility to affordable, quality antibiotics through trusted sources.

113. Behavioural synchronization in a multilevel society of feral horses.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 26

Maeda T, Sueur C, Hirata S

114. Nest survival of Seaside Sparrows (Ammospiza maritima) in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 26

Hart ME, Perez-Umphrey A, Stouffer PC

115. Dpp/TGFβ-superfamily play a dual conserved role in mediating the damage response in the retina.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 26

Kramer J, Neves J, Koniikusic M

116. Reperfusion After Fibrinolytic Therapy (RAFT): An open-label, multi-centre, randomised controlled trial of bivalirudin versus heparin in rescue percutaneous coronary intervention.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 26

Faour A, Collins N, Williams T

BACKGROUND: The safety and efficacy profile of bivalirudin has not been examined in a randomised controlled trial of patients undergoing rescue PCI. OBJECTIVES: We conducted an open-label, multi-centre, randomised controlled trial to compare bivalirudin with heparin ± glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors (GPIs) in patients undergoing rescue PCI. METHODS: Between 2010-2015, we randomly assigned 83 patients undergoing rescue PCI to bivalirudin (n = 42) or heparin ± GPIs (n = 41). The primary safety endpoint was any ACUITY (Acute Catheterization and Urgent Intervention Triage Strategy) bleeding at 90 days. The primary efficacy endpoint was infarct size measured by peak troponin levels as a multiple of the local upper reference limit (Tn/URL). Secondary endpoints included periprocedural change in haemoglobin adjusted for red cells transfused, TIMI (Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction) bleeding, ST-segment recovery and infarct size determined by the Selvester QRS score. RESULTS: The trial was terminated due to slow recruitment and futility after an interim analysis of 83 patients. The primary safety endpoint occurred in 6 (14%) patients in the bivalirudin group (4.8% GPIs) and 3 (7.3%) in the heparin ± GPIs group (54% GPIs) (risk ratio, 1.95, 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.52-7.3, P = 0.48). Infarct size was similar between the two groups (mean Tn/URL, 730 [±675] for bivalirudin, versus 984 [±1585] for heparin ± GPIs, difference, 254, 95% CI, -283-794, P = 0.86). There was a smaller decrease in the periprocedural haemoglobin level with bivalirudin than heparin ± GPIs (-7.5% [±15] versus -14% [±17], difference, -6.5%, 95% CI, -0.83-14, P = 0.0067). The rate of complete (≥70%) ST-segment recovery post-PCI was higher in patients randomised to heparin ± GPIs compared with bivalirudin. CONCLUSIONS: Whether bivalirudin compared with heparin ± GPI reduces bleeding in rescue PCI could not be determined. Slow recruitment and futility in the context of lower-than-expected bleeding event rates led to the termination of this trial (ANZCTR.org.au, ACTRN12610000152022).

117. Clinical profile, treatment and outcome of pediatric brain tumors in Serbia in a 10-year period: A national referral institution experience.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 26

Stanić D, Grujičić D, Pekmezović T

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the characteristics of children with primary brain tumors, the effectiveness of treatment modalities, and to detect factors related to the outcome. METHODS: A detailed analysis was performed on a series of 173 pediatric patients treated in a Serbian referral oncology institution between 2007 and 2016, based on their clinical, histological, treatment, and follow-up data. RESULTS: Mean survival time of all children was 94.5months. 2-, 5- and 10-year overall survival probabilities were 68.8%, 59.4%, and 52.8%, respectively. Patients with supratentorial tumors had longer survival than patients with infratentorial tumors and patients with tumors in both compartments (p = 0.011). Children with the unknown histopathology (brainstem glioma) and high-grade glioma had a shorter life than embryonal tumors, ependymoma, and low-grade glioma (p<0.001). Survival of the children who underwent gross total resection was longer than the children in whom lesser degrees of resection were achieved (p = 0.015). The extent of the disease is a very important parameter found to be associated with survival. Patients with no evidence of disease after surgery had a mean survival of 123 months, compared with 82 months in patients with local residual disease and 55 months in patients with disseminated disease (p<0.001). By the univariate analysis, factors predicting poor outcome in our series were the presentation of disease with hormonal abnormalities, tumor location, and the extent of the disease, while the factors predicting a better outcome were age at the time of diagnosis, presentation of the disease with neurological deficit, and type of resection. By the multivariate analysis, the extent of the disease remained as the only strong adverse risk factor for survival (HR 2.06; 95% CI = 1.38-3.07; p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: With an organized and dedicated multidisciplinary team, the adequate outcomes can be achieved in a middle-income country setting. The presence of local residual disease after surgery and disseminated disease has a strong negative effect on survival.

118. A signature based on 11 autophagy genes for prognosis prediction of colorectal cancer.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 26

Chen S, Wang Y, Wang B

AIM: To develop an autophagy-gene-based signature that could help to anticipate the therapeutic effects of Colorectal Cancer (CRC). METHODS: We downloaded the gene expression profiles of CRC samples from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) datasets. Genes with significant prognostic value in CRC were screened through univariate Cox regression analysis, while the LASSO Cox regression method was applied to screen optimal genes to construct the autophagy-related prognostic signature. RESULTS: 11 autophagy genes were identified and selected for the establishment of prognosis prediction model for CRC patients. The CRC patients were classified into the low- and high-risk groups according to the optimal cutoff value. The time-dependent ROC curves indicated the good performance of this model in prognosis prediction, with AUC values of 0.66, 0.66, and 0.67 at 1, 3 and 5 years for TCGA samples, as well as AUC values of 0.63, 0.65 and 0.64 for GEO samples, respectively. The multivariate Cox regression analysis results confirmed risk score as the independent marker for prognosis prediction in CRC. Besides, the constructed nomogram also had high predictive value. The results analysis on the tumor infiltrating immune cells (TIICs) relative ratios and mRNA levels of key immune checkpoint receptors indicated the signature was closely related to immune microenvironment of CRC in the context of TIICs and immune checkpoint receptors' mRNA level. The proportion of MSI-L + MSI-H in the high-risk group was higher than that in the low-risk group. Moreover, the tumor purity was evaluated by estimate function package suggested that lower tumor purity in CRC might lead to a poorer prognosis. CONCLUSION: The autophagy-related features obtained in this study were able to divide the CRC patients into low- and high-risk groups, which should be contribute to the decision-making of CRC treatment.

119. Long-term prognostic value of computed tomography-based attenuation correction on thallium-201 myocardial perfusion imaging: A cohort study.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 26

Huang JY, Yen RF, Huang CK

120. The psychological distress of parents is associated with reduced linear growth of children: Evidence from a nationwide population survey.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 26

Susiloretni KA, Smith ER, Suparmi

BACKGROUND: Stunting, an indicator of restricted linear growth, has become a primary measure of childhood undernutrition due to its persistent high prevalence globally, and importance for health and development. Although the etiology is recognized as complex, most analyses have focused on social and biomedical determinants, with limited attention on psychological factors affecting care and nurturing in the home. We assessed whether the psychological distress of parents is related to child linear growth and stunting, and documented the associated risk factors, and examined the relationship between parental distress and behavioral and other risk factors for stunting. METHODS: We used data from the Indonesia National Health Survey 2013, including 46,315 children 6-59 months of age. Multivariate linear, logistic, and multilevel multinomial logistic regression, using survey weights, were used to assess the relationship between parental distress, as assessed by the WHO Self Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ20), with height-for-age z score (HAZ), stunting, and behavioral and other risk factors for stunting. RESULTS: Maternal, paternal and parental distress (i.e. both maternal and paternal distress) were associated with reduced linear growth of the children by 0.086 (95% CI -0.17, -0.00), 0.11 (95% CI -0.24, -0.02) and 0.19 (95% CI -0.37, -0.00) HAZ-scores, respectively. Maternal and paternal distress increased the risk of mild stunting (HAZ <-1) by 33% (95% CI 1.17,1.50) and 37% (95% CI 1.18,1.60), and the risk of moderate stunting (HAZ <-2) by 25% (95% CI 1.10,1.43) and 28% (95% CI 1.08,1.51]), respectively. Parental stress increased the risk of moderate stunting by 40% (95% CI 1.06,1.85). Amongst specific groups of risk factors, the proportion of HAZ-score lost was associated with socioeconomic factors (30.3%) including, low wealth, low maternal occupational status, low maternal education, rural residence, and low paternal occupational status; physiological factors (15.5%) including low maternal height, low maternal mid-upper arm circumference, being male, low paternal height; behavioral factors (8.9%) including open garbage disposal, paternal smoking, not using iodized salt; and experiencing at least one infectious diseases episode (1.1%). CONCLUSIONS: Maternal, paternal and parental stress were associated with reduced linear growth of children. These findings highlight the complex etiology of stunting and suggest nutritional and other biomedical interventions are insufficient, and that promotion of mental and behavioral health programs for parents must be pursued as part of a comprehensive strategy to enhance child growth and development, i.e. improved caretaker capacity, integrated community development, improved parenting skills, as well as reduced gender discrimination, and domestic violence.

121. The prevalence of suicidal behavior and its associated factors among wives with polygamy marriage living in Gedeo zone, southern Ethiopia, 2020.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 25

Kassaw C, Shumye S.

122. Memory for medicinal plants remains in ancient and modern environments suggesting an evolved adaptedness.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 25

Moura JMB, Henriques da Silva R, Soares Ferreira Júnior W

123. SARS-CoV-2 infection in central North Carolina: Protocol for a population-based longitudinal cohort study and preliminary participant results.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 25

Miller EM, Law EA, Ajeen R

124. Developing a logic model of change for the determinants of parental nurturance in the first 1000 days: A mixed-method study protocol.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 25

Goldschmidt T, Adebiyi BO, Roman NV.

BACKGROUND: Parents play a key role in providing nurturance and nurturing care to their child during the first 1000 days which is important for optimal child development. Various factors have been found to influence parenting but the contribution of these factors toward parental nurturance within the first 1000 days is not yet known in the South African context. This paper describes a protocol for a project that aims to develop a logic model of change for the determinants of parental nurturance in the first 1000 days in the South African context. METHOD: This study will apply a mixed methods approach with a sequential design within an intervention mapping framework. The study will occur in two phases. The first phase will identify the problem, which will be done via a scoping review, a policy review and a needs assessment for parents and stakeholders. This phase will recruit approximately 35 participants (20 parents and 15 stakeholders) for the qualitative component and then approximately 398 participants for the quantitative component. Data will be collected via semi-structured interviews and with questionnaires (Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment Inventory, the Depression and Anxiety Scale, and the Multidimensional Perceived Social Support Scale). Data will be thematically analysed, and the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) will be used to determine descriptive statistics, both of which will inform the development of the model in phase 2. The second phase will be the development of a logic model of change for determinants for parental nurturance in the first thousand days. This phase will consist of one stage- a consensus workshop which will be attended by approximately 20 participants (5 parents, 5 pregnant woman/new mothers, and 10 stakeholders). The data collected in this stage will be thematically analysed and will contribute to the refinement of the model. DISCUSSION: The first thousand days (FTD) is a period in which rapid growth occurs in all domains of development. If children do not receive sensitive and responsive care in an environment that is conducive for their optimal development, children may not reach their full developmental potential.

125. Characterizations of the viability and gene expression of dispersal cells from Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms released by alginate lyase and tobramycin.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 25

Daboor SM, Raudonis R, Cheng Z.

Biofilm infections are hard to manage using conventional antibiotic treatment regimens because biofilm structures discourage antibiotics from reaching the entire bacterial community and allow pathogen cells to persistently colonize and develop a plethora of tolerance mechanisms towards antibiotics. Moreover, the dispersed cells from biofilms can cause further complications by colonizing different sites and establishing new cycles of biofilms. Previously, we showed that alginate lyase enzyme (AlyP1400), purified from a marine Pseudoalteromonas bacterium, reduced Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilm biomass and boosted bactericidal activity of tobramycin by degrading alginate within the biofilm extracellular polymeric substances matrix. In this work, we used a flow cytometry-based assay to analyze collected dispersal cells and demonstrated the synergy between tobramycin with AlyP1400 in enhancing the release of both live and dead biofilm cells from a mucoid P. aeruginosa strain CF27, which is a clinical isolate from cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. Interestingly, this enhanced dispersal was only observed when AlyP1400 was combined with tobramycin and administered simultaneously but not when AlyP1400 was added in advance of tobramycin in a sequential manner. Moreover, neither the combined nor sequential treatment altered the dispersal of the biofilms from a non-mucoid P. aeruginosa laboratory strain PAK. We then carried out the gene expression and tobramycin survival analyses to further characterize the impacts of the combined treatment on the CF27 dispersal cells. Gene expression analysis indicated that CF27 dispersal cells had increased expression in virulence- and antibiotic resistance-related genes, including algR, bdlA, lasB, mexF, mexY, and ndvB. In the CF27 dispersal cell population, the combinational treatment of AlyP1400 with tobramycin further induced bdlA, mexF, mexY, and ndvB genes more than non-treated and tobramycin-treated dispersal cells, suggesting an exacerbated bacterial stress response to the combinational treatment. Simultaneous to the gene expression analysis, the survival ability of the same batch of biofilm dispersal cells to a subsequent tobramycin challenge displayed a significantly higher tobramycin tolerant fraction of cells (~60%) upon the combinational treatment of AlyP1400 and tobramycin than non-treated and tobramycin-treated dispersal cells, as well as the planktonic cells (all below 10%). These results generate new knowledge about the gene expression and antibiotic resistance profiles of dispersed cells from biofilm. This information can guide the design of safer and more efficient therapeutic strategies for the combinational use of alginate lyase and tobramycin to treat P. aeruginosa biofilm-related infections in CF lungs.

126. Epidemiology of Nosema spp. and the effect of indoor and outdoor wintering on honey bee colony population and survival in the Canadian Prairies.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 25

Punko RN, Currie RW, Nasr ME

127. Does ±3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (ecstasy) induce subjective feelings of social connection in humans? A multilevel meta-analysis.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 25

Regan A, Margolis S, de Wit H

128. Reduced utilitarian willingness to violate personal rights during the COVID-19 pandemic.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 22

Antoniou R, Romero-Kornblum H, Young JC

129. Upregulation of a nuclear factor-kappa B-interacting immune gene network in mice cochleae with age-related hearing loss.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 22

Uraguchi K, Maeda Y, Takahara J

130. The private versus public contribution to the biomedical literature during the COVID-19, Ebola, H1N1, and Zika public health emergencies.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 22

Beall RF, Moradpour J, Hollis A.

BACKGROUND: The private versus public contribution to developing new health knowledge and interventions is deeply contentious. Proponents of commercial innovation highlight its role in late-stage clinical trials, regulatory approval, and widespread distribution. Proponents of public innovation point out the role of public institutions in forming the foundational knowledge undergirding downstream innovation. The rapidly evolving COVID-19 situation has brought with it uniquely proactive public involvement to characterize, treat, and prevent this novel health treat. How has this affected the share of research by industry and public institutions, particularly compared to the experience of previous pandemics, Ebola, H1N1 and Zika? METHODS: Using Embase, we categorized all publications for COVID-19, Ebola, H1N1 and Zika as having any author identified as affiliated with industry or not. We placed all disease areas on a common timeline of the number of days since the WHO had declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern with a six-month lookback window. We plotted the number and proportion of publications over time using a smoothing function and plotted a rolling 30-day cumulative sum to illustrate the variability in publication outputs over time. RESULTS: Industry-affiliated articles represented 2% (1,773 articles) of publications over the 14 months observed for COVID-19, 7% (278 articles) over 7.1 years observed for Ebola, 5% (350 articles) over 12.4 years observed for H1N1, and 3% (160 articles) over the 5.7 years observed for Zika. The proportion of industry-affiliated publications built steadily over the time observed, eventually plateauing around 7.5% for Ebola, 5.5% for H1H1, and 3.5% for Zika. In contrast, COVID-19's proportion oscillated from 1.4% to above 2.7% and then declined again to 1.7%. At this point in the pandemic (i.e., 14 months since the PHEIC), the proportion of industry-affiliated articles had been higher for the other three disease areas; for example, the proportion for H1N1 was twice as high. CONCLUSIONS: While the industry-affiliated contribution to the biomedical literature for COVID is extraordinary in its absolute number, its proportional share is unprecedentedly low currently. Nevertheless, the world has witnessed one of the most remarkable mobilizations of the biomedical innovation ecosystem in history.

131. Racial and ethnic differences in foveal avascular zone in diabetic and nondiabetic eyes revealed by optical coherence tomography angiography.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 22

Laotaweerungsawat S, Psaras C, Haq Z

132. Prevalence and factors associated with suicidal behavior among trans women in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 22

Rafael RMR, Jalil EM, Luz PM

133. A flipped classroom, same-level peer-assisted learning approach to clinical skill teaching for medical students.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 22

Chan E, Botelho MG, Wong GTC.

BACKGROUND: Clinical procedural skills are vital components of medical education. Increased student intake and limited capacity of medical schools necessitate more efficient ways to deliver clinical skill teaching. This study employed a flipped classroom, peer-assisted learning approach to deliver clinical skill teaching. It aimed to determine the influence of pre-class demonstration video watching and in-class student-student interactions on clinical skill acquisition. METHODS: In 2017, a cohort of 205 medical students in their penultimate year of undergraduate medical study were recruited, and they learned bag mask ventilation and intravenous cannulation during this study. The participants watched a demonstration video before class, and then underwent self-directed practice as triads. Afterwards, each participant video-recorded their skill performance and completed post-class questionnaires. The videos were evaluated by two blinded assessors. RESULTS: A hundred and thirty-one participants (63.9%) completed the questionnaire. For bag mask ventilation, participants who claimed to have watched the corresponding demonstration video before class achieved higher performance scores (those who watched before class: 7.8 ± 1.0; those who did not: 6.3 ± 1.7; p < 0.01). For intravenous cannulation, while there is no significant difference in performance scores (those who watched before class: 14.3 ± 1.3; those who did not: 14.1 ± 1.4; p = 0.295), those who watched the video before class received less interventions from their peers during triad practice (those who watched before class: 2.9 ± 1.8; those who did not: 4.3 ± 2.9; p < 0.05). The questionnaire results showed that most participants preferred the new approach of clinical skill teaching and perceived it to be useful for skill acquisition. CONCLUSION: The flipped classroom, same-level peer-assisted learning model is potentially an effective way to address the current challenges and improve the efficiency of clinical procedural skill teaching in medical schools.

134. Impact of image averaging on vessel detection using optical coherence tomography angiography in eyes with macular oedema and in healthy eyes.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 22

Le Boité H, Chetrit M, Erginay A

PURPOSE: To assess the repeatability of multiple automatic vessel density (VD) measurements and the effect of image averaging on vessel detection by optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA). METHODS: An observational study was conducted in a series of healthy volunteers and patients with macular oedema. Five sequential OCTA images were acquired for each eye using the OptoVue HD device. The effect of the averaging of the 5 acquisitions on vessel detection was analysed quantitatively using a pixel-by-pixel automated analysis. In addition, two independent retina experts qualitatively assessed the change in vessel detection in averaged images segmented in 9 boxes and compared to the first non-averaged image. RESULTS: The automatic VD measurement in OCTA images showed a good repeatability with an overall mean intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) of 0.924. The mean ICC was higher in healthy eyes compared to eyes with macular oedema (0.877 versus 0.960; p < 0.001) and in the superficial vascular plexus versus the deep vascular complex (0.967 versus 0.888; p = 0.001). The quantitative analysis of the effect of the averaging showed that averaged images had a mean gain of 790.4 pixels/box, located around or completing interruptions in the vessel walls, and a mean loss of 727.2 pixels/box. The qualitative analysis of the averaged images showed that 99.6% of boxes in the averaged images had a gain in vessel detection (i.e., vessels detected in the averaged image but not in the non-averaged image). The loss of pixels was due to a reduction in background noise and motion artifacts in all cases and no case of loss of vessel detection was observed. CONCLUSION: The automatic VD measurement using the OptoVue HD device showed a good repeatability in 5 acquisitions in a row setting. Averaging images increased vessel detection, and in about a third of boxes, decreased the background noise, both in healthy eyes and, in a greater proportion, in eyes with macular oedema.

135. Bioinformatics analysis identifies DYNC1I1 as prognosis marker in male patients with liver hepatocellular carcinoma.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 22

Zhou J, Zhu Y, Ma S

136. Carnivorous Nepenthes x ventrata plants use a naphthoquinone as phytoanticipin against herbivory.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 22

Dávila-Lara A, Rahman-Soad A, Reichelt M

137. Protective and proliferative effect of Aesculus indica extract on stressed human adipose stem cells via downregulation of NF-κB pathway.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 22

Khawaja H, Fazal N, Yaqub F

138. Hypoxically cultured cells of oral squamous cell carcinoma increased their glucose metabolic activity under normoxic conditions.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 22

Shinohara Y, Washio J, Kobayashi Y

139. Infection…what else? The usefulness of procalcitonin in children after cardiac surgery.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 22

Bobillo-Perez S, Girona-Alarcon M, Sole-Ribalta A

140. Identification and predictability of soil quality indicators from conventional soil and vegetation classifications.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 22

Simfukwe P, Hill PW, Emmett BA

141. Towards novel osteoarthritis biomarkers: Multi-criteria evaluation of 46,996 segmented knee MRI data from the Osteoarthritis Initiative.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 21

Tack A, Ambellan F, Zachow S.

Convolutional neural networks (CNNs) are the state-of-the-art for automated assessment of knee osteoarthritis (KOA) from medical image data. However, these methods lack interpretability, mainly focus on image texture, and cannot completely grasp the analyzed anatomies' shapes. In this study we assess the informative value of quantitative features derived from segmentations in order to assess their potential as an alternative or extension to CNN-based approaches regarding multiple aspects of KOA. Six anatomical structures around the knee (femoral and tibial bones, femoral and tibial cartilages, and both menisci) are segmented in 46,996 MRI scans. Based on these segmentations, quantitative features are computed, i.e., measurements such as cartilage volume, meniscal extrusion and tibial coverage, as well as geometric features based on a statistical shape encoding of the anatomies. The feature quality is assessed by investigating their association to the Kellgren-Lawrence grade (KLG), joint space narrowing (JSN), incident KOA, and total knee replacement (TKR). Using gold standard labels from the Osteoarthritis Initiative database the balanced accuracy (BA), the area under the Receiver Operating Characteristic curve (AUC), and weighted kappa statistics are evaluated. Features based on shape encodings of femur, tibia, and menisci plus the performed measurements showed most potential as KOA biomarkers. Differentiation between non-arthritic and severely arthritic knees yielded BAs of up to 99%, 84% were achieved for diagnosis of early KOA. Weighted kappa values of 0.73, 0.72, and 0.78 were achieved for classification of the grade of medial JSN, lateral JSN, and KLG, respectively. The AUC was 0.61 and 0.76 for prediction of incident KOA and TKR within one year, respectively. Quantitative features from automated segmentations provide novel biomarkers for KLG and JSN classification and show potential for incident KOA and TKR prediction. The validity of these features should be further evaluated, especially as extensions of CNN-based approaches. To foster such developments we make all segmentations publicly available together with this publication.

142. Gastric bypass prevents diabetes in genetically modified mice and chemically induced diabetic mice.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 21

Zhu C, Xu R, Li Y

143. TRPV4 is activated by mechanical stimulation to induce prostaglandins release in trabecular meshwork, lowering intraocular pressure.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 21

Uchida T, Shimizu S, Yamagishi R

144. Handgrip strength cutoff value predicting successful extubation in mechanically ventilated patients.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 21

Saiphoklang N, Mokkongphai N.

145. The influence of maternal blood glucose during pregnancy on weight outcomes at birth and preschool age in offspring exposed to hyperglycemia first detected during pregnancy, in a South African cohort.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 21

Chivese T, Haynes MC, van Zyl H

INTRODUCTION: Little is known about the influence of hyperglycemia first detected in pregnancy (HFDP) on weight outcomes in exposed offspring in Africa. We investigated the influence of maternal blood glucose concentrations during pregnancy on offspring weight outcomes at birth and preschool age, in offspring exposed to HFDP, in South Africa. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Women diagnosed with HFDP had data routinely collected during the pregnancy and at delivery, at a referral hospital, and the offspring followed up at preschool age. Maternal fasting, oral glucose tolerance test 1 and 2-hour blood glucose were measured at diagnosis of HFDP and 2-hour postprandial blood glucose during the third trimester. Offspring were classified as either those exposed to diabetes first recognized in pregnancy (DIP) or gestational diabetes (GDM). At birth, neonates were classified into macrosomia, low birth weight (LBW), large for gestational age (LGA), appropriate (AGA) and small for gestational age (SGA)groups. At preschool age, offspring had height and weight measured and Z-scores for weight, height and BMI calculated. RESULTS: Four hundred and forty-three neonates were included in the study at birth, with 165 exposed to DIP and 278 exposed to GDM. At birth, the prevalence of LGA, macrosomia and LBW were 29.6%, 12.2% and 7.5%, respectively, with a higher prevalence of LGA and macrosomia in neonates exposed to DIP. At pre-school age, the combined prevalence of overweight and obesity was 26.5%. Maternal third trimester 2-hour postprandial blood glucose was significantly associated with z-scores for weight at birth and preschool age, and both SGA and LGA at birth. CONCLUSION: In offspring exposed to HFDP, there is a high prevalence of LGA and macrosomia at birth, and overweight and obesity at preschool age, with higher prevalence in those exposed to DIP, compared to GDM. Maternal blood glucose control during the pregnancy influences offspring weight at birth and preschool age.

146. Clinical characteristics and viral load dynamics of COVID-19 in a mildly or moderately symptomatic outpatient sample.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 21

Caplan A, Bates KW, Brioni C

147. Convergence in voice fundamental frequency during synchronous speech.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 21

Bradshaw AR, McGettigan C.

148. Role of the choroidal vascularity index in branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO) with macular edema.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 21

Hwang BE, Kim M, Park YH.

149. Evaluation of clinical outcomes of patients with mild symptoms of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) discharged from the emergency department.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 21

Bagi HM, Soleimanpour M, Abdollahi F

INTRODUCTION: This study was performed to determine the clinical outcomes of patients with mild symptoms of COVID-19 discharged from the emergency department. METHODS: The present descriptive-analytical cross-sectional study was performed on 400 patients discharged with a diagnosis of COVID-19 from the emergency departments of hospitals affiliated to Tabriz University of Medical Sciences in the time period of 21 March-21 June, 2020. The disease characteristics and demographic data were collected by phone calls during the first, third, and fourth weeks using a researcher-made questionnaire. Finally, the data were analyzed by univariate logistic regression and cross-tabulation using the IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, version 20. RESULTS: In the first week of follow-up, 23(5.8%) patients died, of whom seven patients were female and 16 were male (mean age of death: 70.73±3.27). Out of 41 (10.3%) patients with underlying diseases, 7 (17.1%) died; but out of 359 (89.8%) cases with no history of disease only 16 (4.5%) died. The risk of death in subjects with a history of underlying diseases was 3.27 times higher than those without a history of disease (P = 0.02) (OR = 3.27, 95% CI, 1.20-8.87); and this risk was 1.41 times higher in patients with more family members (P = 0.04) (OR = 1.41, 95% CI, 1.01-1.97). Furthermore, 81 (20.3%) patients had spread the virus to others in their households and disregarded hygiene guidelines such as washing hands, keeping social distancing, and wearing face masks after discharge. In addition, family members of these patients were 16.37 times more likely to be infected than patients who followed the protocols (P ≤ 0.001) (OR = 16.37, 95% CI, 9.10-29.45). CONCLUSION: Since our findings showed that mortality rate is high in the first week after patients' referral to the emergency departments, the health status of infected people should be carefully monitored daily in this period.

150. Accuracy of BIS monitoring using a novel interface device connecting conventional needle-electrodes and BIS sensors during frontal neurosurgical procedures.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 21

Harada H, Muta S, Kakuma T

151. Structural and spectral properties of generative models for synthetic multilayer air transportation networks.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 21

Fügenschuh M, Gera R, Méndez-Bermúdez JA

152. A new inertial navigation system for guiding implant placement. An in-vitro proof-of-concept study.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 21

Esteve-Pardo G, Esteve-Colomina L, Fernández E.

153. Differentiating severe and non-severe lower respiratory tract illness in patients hospitalized with influenza: Development of the Influenza Disease Evaluation and Assessment of Severity (IDEAS) scale.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 21

Chow EJ, Tenforde MW, Rolfes MA

BACKGROUND: Experimental studies have shown that vaccination can reduce viral replication to attenuate progression of influenza-associated lower respiratory tract illness (LRTI). However, clinical studies are conflicting, possibly due to use of non-specific outcomes reflecting a mix of large and small airway LRTI lacking specificity for acute lung or organ injury. METHODS: We developed a global ordinal scale to differentiate large and small airway LRTI in hospitalized adults with influenza using physiologic features and interventions (PFIs): vital signs, laboratory and radiographic findings, and clinical interventions. We reviewed the literature to identify common PFIs across 9 existing scales of pneumonia and sepsis severity. To characterize patients using this scale, we applied the scale to an antiviral clinical trial dataset where these PFIs were measured through routine clinical care in adults hospitalized with influenza-associated LRTI during the 2010-2013 seasons. RESULTS: We evaluated 12 clinical parameters among 1020 adults; 210 (21%) had laboratory-confirmed influenza, with a median severity score of 4.5 (interquartile range, 2-8). Among influenza cases, median age was 63 years, 20% were hospitalized in the prior 90 days, 50% had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and 22% had congestive heart failure. Primary influencers of higher score included pulmonary infiltrates on imaging (48.1%), heart rate ≥110 beats/minute (41.4%), oxygen saturation <93% (47.6%) and respiratory rate >24 breaths/minute (21.0%). Key PFIs distinguishing patients with severity < or ≥8 (upper quartile) included infiltrates (27.1% vs 90.0%), temperature ≥ 39.1°C or <36.0°C (7.1% vs 27.1%), respiratory rate >24 breaths/minute (7.9% vs 47.1%), heart rate ≥110 beats/minute (29.3% vs 65.7%), oxygen saturation <90% (14.3% vs 31.4%), white blood cell count >15,000 (5.0% vs 27.2%), and need for invasive or non-invasive mechanical ventilation (2.1% vs 15.7%). CONCLUSION: We developed a scale in adults hospitalized with influenza-associated LRTI demonstrating a broad distribution of physiologic severity which may be useful for future studies evaluating the disease attenuating effects of influenza vaccination or other therapeutics.

154. Clinical efficacy of prebiotics and glycosaminoglycans versus placebo In dogs with food responsive enteropathy receiving a hydrolyzed diet: A pilot study.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 21

Glanemann B, Seo YJ, Priestnall SL

Induction of remission is easily achieved with dietary treatment in dogs diagnosed with Food Responsive Chronic Diarrhea (FRD). Administration of prebiotics and glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) may improve epithelial cell integrity and therefore be useful as adjunct treatment. This study evaluated whether the relapse rate of FRD dogs that are switched back to a normal diet can be influenced using supplemental treatment with prebiotics and GAGs. A randomized, controlled clinical trial (RCCT) was performed in dogs diagnosed with FRD. Dogs were diagnosed based on clinical exclusion diagnosis, endoscopic biopsies showing predominantly lymphoplasmacytic infiltration, and response to dietary treatment. Dogs were randomized to be fed a combination of prebiotics and GAGs (group 1) or placebo (group 2) in addition to a hydrolyzed diet. At week 10, a second endoscopy was performed and dogs were switched back to normal diet. Relapse rate was monitored every 2 weeks after that until week 18. Statistical analysis was performed for each outcome (Canine Chronic Enteropathy Clinical Activity Index (CCECAI), clinicopathological data, endoscopic scoring, mWSAVA histological scoring index (mWSAVA), and number of relapses following switch to normal diet) using a linear mixed effects model for group comparison. Time, group, and their interactions were included as a fixed effect, whereas each dog was treated as a random effect. Of the 35 dogs enrolled into the clinical trial, 10 in each group reached the point of second endoscopy. A total of 13 dogs (n = 8 in group 1 and n = 5 in group 2) reached the trial endpoint of 18 weeks. After switching back to normal diet, none of the dogs in either group relapsed. No significant differences were found over time or between groups for CCECAI, endoscopy scoring and histological scoring. Although there was a clinical worsening in the placebo group after switching back to the original diet, this was not statistically significant (CCECAI p = 0.58). Post-hoc power calculation revealed that 63 dogs per group would have been needed to detect statistically significant differences in CIBDAI between treatment groups. Standard dietary treatment induced rapid clinical response in all cases, however, additional supplementation with prebiotics and GAGs did not significantly improve clinical outcome within 4 months after switching back to normal diet. Since there are very few RCCT published in CE in dogs, this pilot study provides important power analyses for planning of further studies.

155. The impact of combined age-related vision loss and dementia on the participation of older adults: A scoping review.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 20

McGrath C, Karsan I, Corrado AM

INTRODUCTION: There are a growing number of older adults with combined age-related vision loss (ARVL) and dementia. Existing literature shows the pervasive impact that both diagnoses have separately on the participation of older adults, however, little is known about the societal participation of older adults with both conditions. As such, the aim of this scoping review was to explore the combined impact of ARVL and dementia on the participation of older adults, with a specific focus on highlighting strategies that help mitigate the impact of ARVL and dementia on participation. METHODS: This study utilized a scoping review, informed by the framework by Arksey and O'Malley [1]. Two researchers independently ran a total of 62 search terms across four categories in six databases (PubMed, CINAHL, Scopus, Embase, Medline, PsycINFO), with an initial yield of 2,053 articles. Grey literature was also included in this scoping review and was retrieved from organizational websites, brochures, conference proceedings, and a Google Scholar search. The application of study inclusion criteria resulted in a final yield of 13 empirical studies and 10 grey literature sources. RESULTS: Following detailed thematic analysis of the empirical and grey literature sources, four themes emerged regarding the impact of combined ARVL and dementia on the participation of older adults including: 1) Managing the pragmatic aspects of a dual diagnosis; 2) Diverse approaches to risk assessment and management; 3) Adopting a multi-disciplinary approach to facilitate care and; 4) Using compensatory strategies to facilitate participation. CONCLUSIONS: The four themes highlight the challenges older adults with these combined diagnoses experience, which limit their opportunities for meaningful participation. Given the scarcity of research on this topic, future research should identify the type of ARVL and dementia diagnoses of study participants, conduct qualitative research about the lived experiences of older adults with a dual diagnosis, and broaden the geographic scope of research.

156. Study protocol for WHO and UNICEF estimates of global, regional, and national preterm birth rates for 2010 to 2019.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 20

De Costa A, Moller AB, Blencowe H

BACKGROUND: Preterm birth is a leading cause of death among children under five years. Previous estimates indicated global preterm birth rate of 10.6% (14.8 million neonates) in 2014. We aim to update preterm birth estimates at global, regional, and national levels for the period 2010 to 2019. METHODS: Preterm birth is defined as a live birth occurring before 37 completed gestational weeks, or <259 days since a woman's last menstrual period. National administrative data sources for WHO Member States with facility birth rates of ≥80% in the most recent year for which data is available will be searched. Administrative data identified for these countries will be considered if ≥80% of UN estimated live births include gestational age information to define preterm birth. For countries without eligible administrative data, a systematic review of studies will be conducted. Research studies will be eligible if the reported outcome is derived from an observational or intervention study conducted at national or sub-national level in population- or facility-based settings. Risk of bias assessments will focus on gestational age measurement method and coverage, and inclusion of special subgroups in published estimates. Covariates for inclusion will be selected a priori based on a conceptual framework of plausible associations with preterm birth, data availability, and quality of covariate data across many countries and years. Global, regional and national preterm birth rates will be estimated using a Bayesian multilevel-mixed regression model. DISCUSSION: Accurate measurement of preterm birth is challenging in many countries given incomplete or unavailable data from national administrative sources, compounded by limited gestational age assessment during pregnancy to define preterm birth. Up-to-date modelled estimates will be an important resource to measure the global burden of preterm birth and to inform policies and programs especially in settings with a high burden of neonatal mortality. TRIAL REGISTRATION: PROSPERO registration: CRD42021237861.

157. Impact of entrepreneur's gender on innovation activities. The perspective of small businesses.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 20

Zastempowski M, Cyfert S.

158. Grip power test: A new valid and reliable method for assessing muscle power in healthy adolescents.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 20

Huerta Ojeda Á, Fontecilla Díaz B, Yeomans Cabrera MM

159. Evaluating the impact of female community health volunteer involvement in a postpartum family planning intervention in Nepal: A mixed-methods study at one-year post-intervention.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 20

Dhital R, Silwal RC, Pokhrel KN

INTRODUCTION: This is a one-year post-intervention study following an initiative to provide orientation to female community health volunteers (FCHVs) on postpartum family planning in Nepal. In light of positive results in the earlier post-intervention study, this study was designed to provide a more long-term perspective on sustainability by assessing the effect at one-year post-intervention. METHODS: This mixed-methods study was conducted in January 2020 in Morang district, Nepal. We collected quantitative data from a knowledge assessment of FCHVs who had participated in the intervention on postpartum family planning, data on their community-based counseling coverage and through interviews with postpartum mothers in two selected hospitals. Qualitative data were collected through six key informant interviews with health providers and four focus group discussions with FCHVs involved in the intervention. We performed descriptive and multivariate analyses for quantitative data and thematic analysis for qualitative data. RESULTS: In total, 206 FCHVs participated in the one-year post-intervention study with significant improvement in knowledge of postpartum family planning as compared to pre-intervention period. The adjusted odds ratios (AOR) for knowledge of the 5 key messages on postpartum family planning as compared to the pre-intervention period included 1) knowledge on postpartum family planning can be used immediately after birth (AOR = 18.1, P<0.001), 2) postpartum intra-uterine device (PPIUD) can provide protection up to 12 years (AOR = 2.9, P = 0.011), 3) mothers who undergo cesarean section can use PPIUD (AOR = 2.3, P<0.001), 4) PPIUD can be inserted immediately after birth (AOR = 6.2, P <0.001), and 5) women should go for follow-up immediately if the IUD strings are seen outside vulva (AOR = 2.0, P = 0.08). The FCHVs answering 4 or more questions correctly was 10 times higher (AOR = 10.1, P<0.001) at one-year post-intervention, whereas it was 25 times higher at immediate-post-test (AOR = 25.1, p<0.001) as compared to pre-intervention phase. The FCHVs had counseled 71% of the pregnant women (n = 538) within their communities at one-year post-intervention. The postpartum mothers in hospitals had a 2 times higher odds of being counseled by FCHVs during their pregnancy at one-year post-intervention (AOR = 1.8, P = 0.039) than in pre-intervention phase. The qualitative findings suggested a positive impression regarding the FCHV's involvement in postpartum family planning counseling in the communities, however, supervision and monitoring over a longer term was identified as a key challenge and that may influence sustainability of community-based and hospital-based postpartum family planning services. CONCLUSION: The FCHVs' knowledge and community-based activities on postpartum family planning remained higher than in the pre-intervention. However, it declined when compared to the immediate post-intervention period. We propose regular supervision and monitoring of the work of the FCHVs to sustain progress.

160. The cariogenic effect of starch on oral microcosm grown within the dual constant depth film fermenter.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 20

Roberts JM, Bradshaw DJ, Lynch RJM

161. Capacity to provide care for common childhood infections at low-level private health facilities in Western, Uganda.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 20

Mwanga-Amumpaire J, Ndeezi G, Källander K

BACKGROUND: Low-level private health facilities (LLPHFs) handle a considerable magnitude of sick children in low-resource countries. We assessed capacity of LLPHFs to manage malaria, pneumonia, diarrhea, and, possible severe bacterial infections (PSBIs) in under-five-year-olds. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional survey in 110 LLPHFs and 129 health workers in Mbarara District, Uganda between May and December 2019. Structured questionnaires and observation forms were used to collect data on availability of treatment guidelines, vital medicines, diagnostics, and equipment; health worker qualifications; and knowledge of management of common childhood infections. RESULTS: Amoxicillin was available in 97%, parental ampicillin and gentamicin in 77%, zinc tablets and oral rehydration salts in >90% while artemether-lumefantrine was available in 96% of LLPHF. About 66% of facilities stocked loperamide, a drug contraindicated in the management of diarrhoea in children. Malaria rapid diagnostic tests and microscopes were available in 86% of the facilities, timers/clocks in 57% but only 19% of the facilities had weighing scales and 6% stocked oxygen. Only 4% of the LLPHF had integrated management of childhood illness (IMCI) booklets and algorithm charts for management of common childhood illnesses. Of the 129 health workers, 52% were certificate nurses/midwives and (26% diploma nurses/clinical officers; 57% scored averagely for knowledge on management of common childhood illnesses. More than a quarter (38%) of nursing assistants had low knowledge scores. No notable significant differences existed between rural and urban LLPHFs in most parameters assessed. CONCLUSION: Vital first-line medicines for treatment of common childhood illnesses were available in most of the LLPHFs but majority lacked clinical guidelines and very few had oxygen. Majority of health workers had low to average knowledge on management of the common childhood illnesses. There is need for innovative knowledge raising interventions in LLPHFs including refresher trainings, peer support supervision and provision of job aides.

162. Inclusive finance, industrial structure upgrading and farmers' income: Empirical analysis based on provincial panel data in China.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 20

Liu G, Fang H, Gong X

163. Rise of the war machines: Charting the evolution of military technologies from the Neolithic to the Industrial Revolution.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 20

Turchin P, Hoyer D, Korotayev A

164. Working in labor and delivery unit increases the odds of work place violence in Amhara region referral hospitals: Cross-sectional study.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 20

Dagnaw EH, Bayabil AW, Yimer TS

BACKGROUND: Workplace violence is any act of negative behavior that causes, physically and psychologically harm to health professionals face in the workplace. The prevalence of workplace violence becomes a challenging occupational issue with increasing nature worldwide. In spite of the seriousness and the impact of the problem, little is known about its magnitude and determinants in the study area and even in Ethiopia. OBJECTIVE: The study aimed to assess the magnitude of workplace violence and its associated factors among health care providers working for the last one year at Obstetrics and gynecology department in Amhara Regional State Referral Hospitals, Ethiopia 2019. METHODS: Institutional based cross-sectional study was conducted from October 1st to 30th, 2019. 503 study participants were incorporated in the study. A pre-tested structured questionnaire was used to collect the data. Data were entered into EPI info version 7.2.3.1 and analyzed using SPSS version 23. Binary Logistic regression model was fitted to identify factors associated with workplace violence considering the association to be significant p- value <0.05. RESULT: This study revealed that 44.5%of the health care providers had reported workplace violence (95% CI: 40.2-48.7). Of this majority of the Victims were experienced a verbal type of violence 200 (88.1%), followed by physical 14 (6.2%), sexual 11 (4.8%), and racial two (0.8%). Factors of workplace violence in this research with statically significant, were: working in labor ward (AOR = 7.4,95% CI: 2.9-18.7), Female sex of participant (AOR = 2.4, 95% CI:1.4-4), work experience less than 5 years(AOR 8.5, 95%CI:7.3-33.3) and numbers of staff less than5 in a shift (AOR = 5.3 95% CI:3.8-39.8) and 5-10 staff in a shift (AOR = 3.3, 95% CI:2.7-25). CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS: The prevalence of workplace violence among obstetrics and gynecology department health professionals in Amhara regional state referral hospitals was high. Developing an incident resolution protocol and legislations to encourage health professionals to prompt report violent acts and judicial punishment of perpetrators will be useful to combat workplace violence at obstetrics and gynecology department.

165. Temperature increase drives critical slowing down of fish ecosystems.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 20

Li J, Convertino M.

Fish ecosystems perform ecological functions that are critically important for the sustainability of marine ecosystems, such as global food security and carbon stock. During the 21st century, significant global warming caused by climate change has created pressing challenges for fish ecosystems that threaten species existence and global ecosystem health. Here, we study a coastal fish community in Maizuru Bay, Japan, and investigate the relationships between fluctuations of ST, abundance-based species interactions and salient fish biodiversity. Observations show that a local 20% increase in temperature from 2002 to 2014 underpins a long-term reduction in fish diversity (∼25%) played out by some native and invasive species (e.g. Chinese wrasse) becoming exceedingly abundant; this causes a large decay in commercially valuable species (e.g. Japanese anchovy) coupled to an increase in ecological productivity. The fish community is analyzed considering five temperature ranges to understand its atemporal seasonal sensitivity to ST changes, and long-term trends. An optimal information flow model is used to reconstruct species interaction networks that emerge as topologically different for distinct temperature ranges and species dynamics. Networks for low temperatures are more scale-free compared to ones for intermediate (15-20°C) temperatures in which the fish ecosystem experiences a first-order phase transition in interactions from locally stable to metastable and globally unstable for high temperatures states as suggested by abundance-spectrum transitions. The dynamic dominant eigenvalue of species interactions shows increasing instability for competitive species (spiking in summer due to intermediate-season critical transitions) leading to enhanced community variability and critical slowing down despite higher time-point resilience. Native competitive species whose abundance is distributed more exponentially have the highest total directed interactions and are keystone species (e.g. Wrasse and Horse mackerel) for the most salient links with cooperative decaying species. Competitive species, with higher eco-climatic memory and synchronization, are the most affected by temperature and play an important role in maintaining fish ecosystem stability via multitrophic cascades (via cooperative-competitive species imbalance), and as bioindicators of change. More climate-fitted species follow temperature increase causing larger divergence divergence between competitive and cooperative species. Decreasing dominant eigenvalues and lower relative network optimality for warmer oceans indicate fishery more attracted toward persistent oscillatory states, yet unpredictable, with lower cooperation, diversity and fish stock despite the increase in community abundance due to non-commercial and venomous species. We emphasize how changes in species interaction organization, primarily affected by temperature fluctuations, are the backbone of biodiversity dynamics and yet for functional diversity in contrast to taxonomic richness. Abundance and richness manifest gradual shifts while interactions show sudden shift. The work provides data-driven tools for analyzing and monitoring fish ecosystems under the pressure of global warming or other stressors. Abundance and interaction patterns derived by network-based analyses proved useful to assess ecosystem susceptibility and effective change, and formulate predictive dynamic information for science-based fishery policy aimed to maintain marine ecosystems stable and sustainable.

166. Case Study Using Recommended Reference Genes Actin and 18S for Reverse-Transcription Quantitative Real-Time PCR Analysis in Myzus persicae.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 20

Rahman S, Zhao Z, Umair Sial M

167. Effect of disclosure of HIV status on patient representation and adherence to clinic visits in eastern Uganda: A propensity-score matched analysis.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 19

Izudi J, Okoboi S, Lwevola P

168. Molecular species delimitation of shrub frogs of the genus Pseudophilautus (Anura, Rhacophoridae).

PLoS One

2021 Oct 19

Ellepola G, Herath J, Manamendra-Arachchi K

Sri Lanka is an amphibian hotspot of global significance. Its anuran fauna is dominated by the shrub frogs of the genus Pseudophilautus. Except for one small clade of four species in Peninsular India, these cool-wet adapted frogs, numbering some 59 extant species, are distributed mainly across the montane and lowland rain forests of the island. With species described primarily by morphological means, the diversification has never yet been subjected to a molecular species delimitation analysis, a procedure now routinely applied in taxonomy. Here we test the species boundaries of Pseudophilautus in the context of the phylogenetic species concept (PSC). We use all the putative species for which credible molecular data are available (nDNA-Rag-1; mt-DNA- 12S rRNA, 16S rRNA) to build a well resolved phylogeny, which is subjected to species delimitation analyses. The ABGD, bPTP, mPTP and bGMYC species delimitation methods applied to the 16S rRNA frog barcoding gene (for all species), 12S rRNA and Rag-1 nDNA grouped P. procax and P. abundus; P. hallidayi and P. fergusonianus; P. reticulatus and P. pappilosus; P. pleurotaenia and P. hoipolloi; P. hoffmani and P. asankai; P. silvaticus and P. limbus; P. dilmah and P. hankeni; P. fulvus and P. silus.. Surprisingly, all analyses recovered 14 unidentified potential new species as well. The geophylogeny affirms a distribution across the island's aseasonal 'wet zone' and its three principal hill ranges, suggestive of allopatric speciation playing a dominant role, especially between mountain masses. Among the species that are merged by the delimitation analyses, a pattern leading towards a model of parapatric speciation emerges-ongoing speciation in the presence of gene flow. This delimitation analysis reinforces the species hypotheses, paving the way to a reasonable understanding of Sri Lankan Pseudophilautus, enabling both deeper analyses and conservation efforts of this remarkable diversification. http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:DA869B6B-870A-4ED3-BF5D-5AA3F69DDD27.

169. Quantitative assessment and localization of the hollowing of the temple after craniectomy and cranioplasty-The frontozygomatic shadow.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 19

Kosterhon M, Ruegg E, Ottenhausen M

170. Impact of PET/CT among patients with suspected mycotic aortic aneurysms.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 19

Husmann L, Huellner MW, Gruenig H

171. Increasing Black, Indigenous and People of Color participation in clinical trials through community engagement and recruitment goal establishment.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 19

Andrasik MP, Broder GB, Wallace SE

172. Morphological variability within the indigenous sheep population of Benin.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 19

Whannou HRV, Afatondji CU, Ahozonlin MC

Knowledge of both the genetic diversity and geographical distribution of animal genetic resources is a prerequisite for their sustainable utilization, improvement and conservation. The present study was undertaken to explore the current morphological variability within the sheep population in Benin as a prelude for their molecular characterization. From November 2018 to February 2020, 25 quantitative linear body measurements and 5 qualitative physical traits were recorded on 1240 adult ewes from the 10 phytogeographic zones that comprise the three vegetation zones of Benin. Fourteen morphological indices were calculated based on the linear body measurements. The collected data were first analyzed using multiple comparisons of least-square means (LSmeans), followed by generalized linear model (GLM) procedures, to explore the relationships among the measured morphometric traits and the 10 phytogeographic zones. Next, the presence of any genetic sub-populations was examined using multivariate analytical methods, including canonical discriminant analysis (CDA) and ascending hierarchical clustering (AHC). Univariate analyses indicated that all quantitative linear body measurements varied significantly (P<0.05) across the phytogeographic zones. The highest values (LSmean± standard error) of withers height (68.3±0.47 cm), sternum height (46.0±0.35 cm), and rump height (68.8±0.47 cm) were recorded in the Mekrou-Pendjari zone, the drier phytogeographic zone in the North, whereas the lowest values, 49.2±0.34, 25.9±0.26, and 52.0±0.35 cm, respectively, were recorded in the Pobe zone in the South. Multivariate analyses revealed the prevalence of four distinct sheep sub-populations in Benin. The sub-population from the South could be assimilated to the short-legged and that from the North to the West African long-legged sheep. The two other sub-populations were intermediate and closer to the crossbreeds or another short-legged sub-breed. The proportion of individuals correctly classified in their group of origin was approximately 74%. These results uncovered a spatial morphological variation in the Beninese sheep population along a South-North phytogeographic gradient.

173. Effect of flaxseed on systemic inflammation and oxidative stress in diabetic rats with or without chronic kidney disease.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 19

Al Za'abi M, Ali H, Ali BH.

174. Rapid estimation of photosynthetic leaf traits of tropical plants in diverse environmental conditions using reflectance spectroscopy.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 19

Lamour J, Davidson KJ, Ely KS

Tropical forests are one of the main carbon sinks on Earth, but the magnitude of CO2 absorbed by tropical vegetation remains uncertain. Terrestrial biosphere models (TBMs) are commonly used to estimate the CO2 absorbed by forests, but their performance is highly sensitive to the parameterization of processes that control leaf-level CO2 exchange. Direct measurements of leaf respiratory and photosynthetic traits that determine vegetation CO2 fluxes are critical, but traditional approaches are time-consuming. Reflectance spectroscopy can be a viable alternative for the estimation of these traits and, because data collection is markedly quicker than traditional gas exchange, the approach can enable the rapid assembly of large datasets. However, the application of spectroscopy to estimate photosynthetic traits across a wide range of tropical species, leaf ages and light environments has not been extensively studied. Here, we used leaf reflectance spectroscopy together with partial least-squares regression (PLSR) modeling to estimate leaf respiration (Rdark25), the maximum rate of carboxylation by the enzyme Rubisco (Vcmax25), the maximum rate of electron transport (Jmax25), and the triose phosphate utilization rate (Tp25), all normalized to 25°C. We collected data from three tropical forest sites and included leaves from fifty-three species sampled at different leaf phenological stages and different leaf light environments. Our resulting spectra-trait models validated on randomly sampled data showed good predictive performance for Vcmax25, Jmax25, Tp25 and Rdark25 (RMSE of 13, 20, 1.5 and 0.3 μmol m-2 s-1, and R2 of 0.74, 0.73, 0.64 and 0.58, respectively). The models showed similar performance when applied to leaves of species not included in the training dataset, illustrating that the approach is robust for capturing the main axes of trait variation in tropical species. We discuss the utility of the spectra-trait and traditional gas exchange approaches for enhancing tropical plant trait studies and improving the parameterization of TBMs.

175. Implementation and perceived effectiveness of gun violence restraining orders in California: A qualitative evaluation.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 19

Pear VA, Schleimer JP, Tomsich E

BACKGROUND: Uptake of gun violence restraining orders (GVROs), which temporarily prohibit the possession and purchase of firearms and ammunition from individuals at particularly high risk of harming themselves or others with a firearm, has been slow and heterogenous across California. Insights into the implementation process and perceived effectiveness of the law could guide implementation in California and the many states that have enacted or are considering enacting such a law. METHODS: We conducted 21 semi-structured interviews with 27 key informants, including judges, law enforcement officers, city and district attorneys, policy experts, and firearm violence researchers. Analysis of transcripts was guided by grounded theory and the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR). FINDINGS: The following constructs emerged within 4 CFIR domains as salient features of implementation: 1) implementation characteristics: risk of violence, cost, and adaptability; 2) outer setting: interagency coordination and local firearm ideology; 3) inner setting: readiness for implementation and law enforcement firearm culture; and 4) implementation process: planning and engaging with those involved in implementation. Key informants perceived the law to be effective, particularly for preventing firearm suicide, but agreed that more research was needed. While most indicated that the law resulted in positive outcomes, concerns about the potential for class- and race-based inequities were also raised. CONCLUSIONS: Implementation of the GVRO law in California was hampered by a lack of funding to support local proactive implementation efforts. This resulted in ad hoc policies and procedures, leading to inconsistent practices and widespread confusion among those responsible for implementation. In states that have not begun implementation, we recommend dedicating funding for implementation and creating local procedures statewide prior to the law's rollout. In California, recommendations include providing training on the GVRO law-including an explication of agency-specific roles, responsibilities, and procedures-to officers, city attorneys, and civil court judges.

176. Propensity to intentional and unintentional mind-wandering differs in arousal and executive vigilance tasks.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 19

Martínez-Pérez V, Baños D, Andreu A

177. Newborn infant skin gene expression: Remarkable differences versus adults.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 19

Visscher MO, Hu P, Carr AN

At birth, human infants are poised to survive in harsh, hostile conditions. An understanding of the state of newborn skin development and maturation is key to the maintenance of health, optimum response to injury, healing and disease. The observational study collected full-thickness newborn skin samples from 27 infants at surgery and compared them to skin samples from 43 adult sites protected from ultraviolet radiation exposure, as the standard for stable, mature skin. Transcriptomics profiling and gene set enrichment analysis were performed. Statistical analysis established over 25,000 differentially regulated probe sets, representing 10,647 distinct genes, in infant skin compared to adult skin. Gene set enrichment analysis showed a significant increase in 143 biological processes (adjusted p < 0.01) in infant skin, versus adult skin samples, including extracellular matrix (ECM) organization, cell adhesion, collagen fibril organization and fatty acid metabolic process. ECM organization and ECM structure organization were the biological processes in infant skin with the lowest adjusted P-value. Genes involving epidermal development, immune function, cell differentiation, and hair cycle were overexpressed in adults, representing 101 significantly enriched biological processes (adjusted p < 0.01). The processes with the highest significant difference were skin and epidermal development, e.g., keratinocyte differentiation, keratinization and cornification intermediate filament cytoskeleton organization and hair cycle. Enriched Gene Ontology (GO) biological processes also involved immune function, including antigen processing and presentation. When compared to ultraviolet radiation-protected adult skin, our results provide essential insight into infant skin and its ability to support the newborn's preparedness to survive and flourish, despite the infant's new environment laden with microbes, high oxygen tension and potential irritants. This fundamental knowledge is expected to guide strategies to protect and preserve the features of unperturbed, young skin.

178. Prediction of municipality-level winter wheat yield based on meteorological data using machine learning in Hokkaido, Japan.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 18

Murakami K, Shimoda S, Kominami Y

This study analyzed meteorological constraints on winter wheat yield in the northern Japanese island, Hokkaido, and developed a machine learning model to predict municipality-level yields from meteorological data. Compared to most wheat producing areas, this island is characterized by wet climate owing to greater annual precipitation and abundant snowmelt water supply in spring. Based on yield statistics collected from 119 municipalities for 14 years (N = 1,516) and high-resolution surface meteorological data, correlation analyses showed that precipitation, daily minimum air temperature, and irradiance during the grain-filling period had significant effects on the yield throughout the island while the effect of snow depth in early winter and spring was dependent on sites. Using 10-d mean meteorological data within a certain period between seeding and harvest as predictor variables and one-year-leave-out cross-validation procedure, performance of machine learning models based on neural network (NN), random forest (RF), support vector machine regression (SVR), partial least squares regression (PLS), and cubist regression (CB) were compared to a multiple linear regression model (MLR) and a null model that returns an average yield of the municipality. The root mean square errors of PLS, SVR, and RF were 872, 982, and 1,024 kg ha-1 and were smaller than those of MLR (1,068 kg ha-1) and null model (1,035 kg ha-1). These models outperformed the controls in other metrics including Pearson's correlation coefficient and Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency. Variable importance analysis on PLS indicated that minimum air temperature and precipitation during the grain-filling period had major roles in the prediction and excluding predictors in this period (i.e. yield forecast with a longer lead-time) decreased forecast performance of the models. These results were consistent with our understanding of meteorological impacts on wheat yield, suggesting usefulness of explainable machine learning in meteorological crop yield prediction under wet climate.

179. Puerto Ricans and Mexican immigrants differ in their psychological responses to patterns of lifetime adversity.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 18

Cooper DK, Bámaca-Colbert M, Layland EK

BACKGROUND: Puerto Ricans and Mexican immigrants are often exposed to multiple types of adversity across their lifetime (e.g., maltreatment, household dysfunction, discrimination) and this exposure can increase the risk for adult mental health problems. PURPOSE: The objective of this study was to (a) identify subgroups of individuals exposed to unique combinations of childhood adversity and lifetime discrimination among Puerto Ricans and Mexican immigrants, and (b) compare the prevalence of mental health problems across different risk profiles. METHOD: We used existing data from the HCHS/SOL Sociocultural Ancillary Study. Participants included Puerto Rican (N = 402) and Mexican adults (N = 1351) born outside but living in the continental U.S. FINDINGS: Through latent profile analysis, we selected a three-profile solution for Puerto Ricans: (a) Low Exposure (low on all adversity items; 58% of sample), (b) Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) Only (high on ACEs items, average or lower than average on discrimination items; 32%), and (c) Dual Exposure (high on all adversity items; 10%). For Mexicans, we selected a four-profile solution: (a) Low Exposure (52%), (b) ACEs Only (24%), (c) Maltreatment and Discrimination (15%), and (d) Dual Exposure (9%). For Mexicans, we found that the Dual Exposure and the Maltreatment and Discrimination profiles had the highest levels of mental health problems. For Puerto Ricans, the Dual Exposure and ACEs Only profiles had the highest levels of mental health problems, suggesting that Puerto Ricans may be more vulnerable to the effects of childhood adversities as compared to Mexican immigrants. Results from our study indicate that different patterns of adversity exposure are linked to different levels of mental health outcomes, and therefore, may require different intervention dosage. Understanding which groups of individuals are at highest and lowest risk for mental health problems is critical for developing effective, tailored interventions to prevent the negative effects of childhood adversity and discrimination for Latinxs.

180. Association of hospital nursing and postsurgical sepsis.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 18

Dierkes AM, Aiken LH, Sloane DM

181. Timely surveillance and temporal calibration of disease response against human infectious diseases.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 18

Najeebullah K, Liebig J, Darbro J

BACKGROUND: Disease surveillance and response are critical components of epidemic preparedness. The disease response, in most cases, is a set of reactive measures that follow the outcomes of the disease surveillance. Hence, timely surveillance is a prerequisite for an effective response. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We apply epidemiological soundness criteria in combination with the Latent Influence Point Process and time-to-event models to construct a disease spread network. The network implicitly quantifies the fertility (whether a case leads to secondary cases) and reproduction (number of secondary cases per infectious case) of the cases as well as the size and generations (of the infection chain) of the outbreaks. We test our approach by applying it to historic dengue case data from Australia. Using the data, we empirically confirm that high morbidity relates positively with delay in disease response. Moreover, we identify what constitutes timely surveillance by applying various thresholds of disease response delay to the network and report their impact on case fertility, reproduction, number of generations and ultimately, outbreak size. We observe that enforcing a response delay threshold of 5 days leads to a large average reduction across all parameters (occurrence 87%, reproduction 83%, outbreak size 80% and outbreak generations 47%), whereas extending the threshold to 10 days, in comparison, significantly limits the effectiveness of the response actions. Lastly, we identify the components of the disease surveillance system that can be calibrated to achieve the identified thresholds. CONCLUSION: We identify practically achievable, timely surveillance thresholds (on temporal scale) that lead to an effective response and identify how they can be satisfied. Our approach can be utilized to provide guidelines on spatially and demographically targeted resource allocation for public awareness campaigns as well as to improve diagnostic abilities and turn-around times for the doctors and laboratories involved.

182. Psychometric evaluation of the Danish language version of the field practice experiences questionnaire for students in teacher education (FPE-DK) using item analysis according to the Rasch model.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 18

Nielsen T.

The aim of the study was to conduct a first validation of three field practice experience scales intended to measure students' opportunities to learn through observation of other teachers, own practice and feedback on own practice of 12 key teaching activities while in field practice placement as part of teacher education programs. The scales were translated and adapted from the elementary teaching candidate survey from the Development of Ambitious Instruction project. Items were adapted to refer to the teaching subject students were training in, and the response scale was modified. A four-step translation-back-translation strategy was used, and subsequently the Danish and a Norwegian and Icelandic translations were mutually adjusted for meaning to facilitate later cross-Nordic studies. Participants were 345 Danish students in the teacher education program from one university college, who had been in at least one field practice placement. Data were collected using a targeted online survey during one month immediately following field placement. Data was analysed using the Rasch model. Each of the three field experience scales fitted a Rasch model, with no evidence against overall homogeneity of scores for low versus high scoring students, local dependence between items, or DIF in relation to level of field practice, campus, type of teacher education program, gender or age. Reliability of each scale was excellent for most subgroups, while the targeting of the scales to the study sample was not very good, as there were too few teaching activities occurring rarely during field practice (i.e. too few difficult items). For all three scales there were significant differences in mean scores dependent on level of field practice placement. Thus, while the scales should be expanded to get better coverage of students' opportunities to learn in relation to all the core teaching activities present in that are to be trained in the field practice placement, the very good psychometric properties of the three scales, shows promise for future research.

183. Natural language processing for cognitive therapy: Extracting schemas from thought records.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 18

Burger F, Neerincx MA, Brinkman WP.

The cognitive approach to psychotherapy aims to change patients' maladaptive schemas, that is, overly negative views on themselves, the world, or the future. To obtain awareness of these views, they record their thought processes in situations that caused pathogenic emotional responses. The schemas underlying such thought records have, thus far, been largely manually identified. Using recent advances in natural language processing, we take this one step further by automatically extracting schemas from thought records. To this end, we asked 320 healthy participants on Amazon Mechanical Turk to each complete five thought records consisting of several utterances reflecting cognitive processes. Agreement between two raters on manually scoring the utterances with respect to how much they reflect each schema was substantial (Cohen's κ = 0.79). Natural language processing software pretrained on all English Wikipedia articles from 2014 (GLoVE embeddings) was used to represent words and utterances, which were then mapped to schemas using k-nearest neighbors algorithms, support vector machines, and recurrent neural networks. For the more frequently occurring schemas, all algorithms were able to leverage linguistic patterns. For example, the scores assigned to the Competence schema by the algorithms correlated with the manually assigned scores with Spearman correlations ranging between 0.64 and 0.76. For six of the nine schemas, a set of recurrent neural networks trained separately for each of the schemas outperformed the other algorithms. We present our results here as a benchmark solution, since we conducted this research to explore the possibility of automatically processing qualitative mental health data and did not aim to achieve optimal performance with any of the explored models. The dataset of 1600 thought records comprising 5747 utterances is published together with this article for researchers and machine learning enthusiasts to improve upon our outcomes. Based on our promising results, we see further opportunities for using free-text input and subsequent natural language processing in other common therapeutic tools, such as ecological momentary assessments, automated case conceptualizations, and, more generally, as an alternative to mental health scales.

184. Stigma as a barrier to addressing childhood trauma in conversation with trauma survivors: A study in the general population.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 18

Schomerus G, Schindler S, Rechenberg T

Victims of childhood trauma report shame and anticipation of stigma, leading to non-disclosure and avoidance of help. Stigma is potentially aggravating the mental health consequences of childhood trauma. So far there is no comprehensive study examining stigma toward adult survivors of various forms of childhood trauma, and it is unclear whether stigma interferes with reaching out to affected individuals. In a vignette study based on a representative sample of the German general population (N = 1320; 47.7% male) we randomly allocated participants to brief case vignettes pertaining to past childhood sexual/physical abuse or accidents, and adult physical abuse. Stigma was elicited by applying the Social Distance Scale, assessing respondents' attitudes/stereotypes toward the persons in the vignette and their reluctance to address the specific trauma in conversation. While one aim was to establish the prevalence of stigma toward persons with CT, we hypothesized that attitudes differ according to type of trauma. Of the respondents, 45% indicated they were unlikely to reach out to a victim of childhood sexual abuse, 38% to a victim of childhood physical abuse, 31% to someone reporting a childhood accident and 25% to someone reporting adult physical abuse. Contrary to our expectations, childhood sexual abuse did not consistently elicit more stigma than childhood physical abuse in Krukall-Wallis tests. Equally, childhood interpersonal trauma did not consistently elicit more stigma than childhood accidental trauma. Structural equation modeling revealed social distance as mediator of the relationship between negative stereotypes and reluctance to address childhood trauma in conversation. Our analyses further revealed an ambiguous role of negative stereotypes in addressing childhood trauma in conversation with trauma victims, which has yet to be examined. There is evidence for stigma associated with having survived childhood trauma, which is interfering with offering help.

185. The importance of age in compositional and functional profiling of the human intestinal microbiome.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 18

Herzog EL, Wäfler M, Keller I

186. A new framework based on features modeling and ensemble learning to predict query performance.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 18

Zaghloul M, Salem M, Ali-Eldin A.

187. Does information structuring improve recall of discharge information? A cluster randomized clinical trial.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 18

Siegrist V, Mata R, Langewitz W

OBJECTIVES: The impact of the quality of discharge communication between physicians and their patients is critical on patients' health outcomes. Nevertheless, low recall of information given to patients at discharge from emergency departments (EDs) is a well-documented problem. Therefore, we investigated the outcomes and related benefits of two different communication strategies: Physicians were instructed to either use empathy (E) or information structuring (S) skills hypothesizing superior recall by patients in the S group. METHODS: For the direct comparison of two communication strategies at discharge, physicians were cluster-randomized to an E or a S skills training. Feasibility was measured by training completion rates. Outcomes were measured in patients immediately after discharge, after 7, and 30 days. Primary outcome was patients' immediate recall of discharge information. Secondary outcomes were feasibility of training implementation, patients' adherence to recommendations and satisfaction, as well as the patient-physician relationship. RESULTS: Of 117 eligible physicians, 80 (68.4%) completed the training. Out of 256 patients randomized to one of the two training groups (E: 146 and S: 119) 196 completed the post-discharge assessment. Patients' immediate recall of discharge information was superior in patients in the S-group vs. E-group. Patients in the S-group adhered to more recommendations within 30 days (p = .002), and were more likely to recommend the physician to family and friends (p = .021). No differences were found on other assessed outcome domains. CONCLUSIONS AND PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Immediate recall and subsequent adherence to recommendations were higher in the S group. Feasibility was shown by a 69.6% completion rate of trainings. Thus, trainings of discharge information structuring are feasible and improve patients' recall, and may therefore improve quality of care in the ED.

188. Tau fibril with membrane lipids: Insight from computational modeling and simulations.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 15

Barredo PA, Fernandez MJF, Ambe CE

189. New genes involved in Angelman syndrome-like: Expanding the genetic spectrum.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 15

Aguilera C, Gabau E, Ramirez-Mallafré A

190. Variation of tuberculosis prevalence across diagnostic approaches and geographical areas of Indonesia.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 15

Noviyani A, Nopsopon T, Pongpirul K.

BACKGROUND: Tuberculosis (TB) has contributed to a significant disease burden and economic loss worldwide. Given no gold standard for diagnosis, early identification of TB infection has been challenging. This study aimed to comparatively investigate the prevalence of TB across diagnostic approaches (sputum AFB, sputum culture, sputum genetic test, and chest x-ray) and geographical areas of Indonesia. METHODS: Participant demographic variables and TB screening test results were obtained from the Tuberculosis Unit, Health Research and Development Agency, Ministry of Health (HRDA-MoH). The prevalence of pulmonary TB in populations aged 15 years and over was calculated using TB cases as a numerator and populations aged 15 years and over as a denominator. Variations across geographical areas and diagnostic approaches were expressed as prevalence and 95% confidence interval (CI). RESULTS: A total of 67,944 records were reviewed. Based on bacteriological evidence, the prevalence of TB per 100,000 in Indonesia was 759 (95% CI: 589.7-960.8) with variations across areas: 913 (95% CI 696.7-1,176.7; Sumatra), 593 (95% CI 447.2-770.6; Java-Bali), and 842 (95% CI 634.7-1,091.8; other islands). Also, the prevalence of TB varied across diagnostic approaches: 256.5 (sputum AFB), 545 (sputum culture), 752.2 (chest x-ray), and 894.9 (sputum genetic test). Based on sputum AFB, the TB prevalence varied from 216.6 (95% CI 146.5-286.8; Java-Bali), 259.9 (95% CI 184.2-335.6; other islands) to 307.4 (95% CI 208.3-406.5; Sumatra). Based on sputum culture, the TB prevalence ranged from 487.9 (95% CI 433.6-548.6; Java-Bali), 635.9 (95% CI 564.9-715.1; Sumatra), to 2,129.8 (95% CI 1,664.0-2,735.6; other islands). Based on chest x-ray, the TB prevalence varied from 152.1 (95% CI 147.9-156.3; Java-Bali), 159.2 (95% CI 154.1-164.3; Sumatra), to 864 (95% CI 809-921.4; other islands). Based on sputum genetic test, the TB prevalence ranged from 838.7 (95% CI 748.4-900.8; Java-Bali), 875 (95% CI 775.4-934.2; Sumatra), to 941.2 (95% CI 663.6-992.3; other islands). CONCLUSIONS: The variation of TB prevalence across geographical regions could be confounded by the diagnostic approaches. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of Chulalongkorn University (IRB No. 684/63).

191. Invariance of the WHO violence against women instrument among Kenyan adolescent girls and young women: Bayesian psychometric modeling.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 15

Orindi BO, Ziraba A, Bruyneel L

INTRODUCTION: To make valid comparisons across groups, a measurement instrument needs to be measurement invariant across those groups. The present study evaluates measurement invariance for experience of violence among adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) in two informal settlements in Nairobi, Kenya. METHODS: We used survey data collected from 1,081 AGYW aged 15-22 years from two Nairobi's informal settlements of Korogocho (n = 617) and Viwandani (n = 464) in 2017 through DREAMS (an initiative aimed at reducing HIV incidence among AGYW with a core package of evidence-based interventions) impact evaluation project. Experience of violence was measured using the 15-item WHO's violence against women instrument, and factorial (non)invariance assessed within exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM) framework. Cross-group measurement invariance was assessed using Bayesian Multiple Indicator Multiple Causes (MIMIC) model across site, age groups, self-reported invitation to participate in DREAMS, marital status, currently in school, education level, religion, ethnic groups, ever had sex, slept hungry at night past 4 weeks, and wealth index. RESULTS: The mean and median ages of the AGYW were 17.9 years and 17 years, respectively. About 59% reported having had sex and 58% of AGYW were in school. The percentage reporting each act of violence varied from 1.6% ("attacked you with a weapon") to 26.5% ("insult you or make you feel bad about yourself"). About 44% (n = 474) of participants experienced ≥1 acts of violence, and 2.7% (n = 29) experienced at least half of the 15 acts. The structure underlying the 15 items was configurally similar to that proposed by WHO, with three factors reflecting either psychological, physical, or sexual violence. Noninvariance was detected for five items-spread across the three domains. Three of five items showed noninvariance only for sleeping hungry at night in the past 4 weeks. As the majority of items did not show evidence of noninvariance, differences in latent mean scores likely reflect actual differences and may not be attributable to measurement artifacts. CONCLUSIONS: Using state-of-the-art statistical techniques on a widely used instrument for measuring exposure to violence among women, this study provides support for the subscales of psychological, physical and sexual violence in a Kenyan AGYW population. The instrument supports comparisons across groups within this population. This is crucial when comparing violence against girls/women prevalence rates and to understand challenges and exchange strategies to reduce abuse or violence experienced by AGYW, or women in general.

192. Treatment-seeking behaviour among people with opioid use disorder in the high-income countries: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 15

Hall N, Le L, Majmudar I

OBJECTIVES: To determine treatment seeking behaviour in those with opioid use disorder (OUD) in the high-income countries. METHODS: Five databases were searched in November 2019 for quantitative studies that reported OUD treatment seeking behaviour. Data analysis involved determining an overall pooled proportion estimate of treatment seeking behaviour for the two base groups, lifetime treatment and past 12-month or less treatment using the IVhet effect model. Subgroup analysis included heroin OUD, prescription OUD and general OUD. The sensitivity analysis included removal of outliers, separating adults and adolescents and the metaXL sensitivity analysis (studies are excluded if outside the pooled proportion confidence interval of the base case). Systematic review Prospero database registration number [CRD42020159531]. RESULTS: There were 13 quantitative studies included in the systematic review, with all studies being from the United States of America (USA). IVhet models showed that 40% (95% CI: 23%, 58%) and 21% (95% CI: 16%, 26%) sought treatment in their lifetime and past 12 months respectively. Sub-group analysis found that lifetime treatment seeking for prescription OUD, 29% (95% CI: 27%, 31%), was less than for heroin plus combined OUD, 54% (95% CI: 26%, 82%). Most of the pooled results had high heterogeneity statistics except for results of lifetime treatment seeking for prescription OUD and past 12-month treatment seeking for prescription OUD. CONCLUSION: All included studies in this meta-analysis were from the USA and indicate modest levels of treatment seeking for those with OUD. In particular, this review found that in the USA one in five people with OUD sought OUD treatment in the previous 12 months and two in five people with OUD sought OUD treatment in their lifetime. Further research is urgently required to explore the barriers and facilitators that can improve this low treatment seeking in those with OUD.

193. Hospital work environments affect the patient safety climate: A longitudinal follow-up using a logistic regression analysis model.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 15

Brubakk K, Svendsen MV, Deilkås ET

194. Learning to see colours: Biologically relevant virtual staining for adipocyte cell images.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 15

Wieslander H, Gupta A, Bergman E

195. Ambient temperature as a factor contributing to the developmental divergence in sympatric salmonids.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 15

Esin EV, Markevich GN, Melnik NO

Factors and mechanisms promoting resource-based radiation in animals still represent a main challenge to evolutionary biology. The modifications of phenotype tied with adaptive diversification may result from an environmentally related shift having occurred at the early stage of development. Here, we study the role of temperature dynamics on the reproductive sites in the early-life divergence and adaptive radiation of the salmonid fish Salvelinus malma dwelling in the Lake Kronotskoe basin (North-East Asia). Local sympatric charr ecomorphs demonstrate strict homing behaviour guiding the preordained distribution along tributaries and, hence, further development under different temperatures. We thoroughly assessed the annual temperature dynamics at the spawning grounds of each morph as compared to an ancestral anadromous morph. Then we carried out an experimental rearing of both under naturally diverging and uniformed temperatures. To compare the morphs' development under the dynamically changing temperatures, we have designed a method based on calculating the accumulated heat by the Arrhenius equation. The proposed equation shows a strong predictive power and, at the same time, is not bias-susceptible when the developmental temperature approximates 0°C. The temperature was found to significantly affect the charrs' early ontogeny, which underlies the divergence of developmental and growth rates between the morphs, as well as morph-specific ontogenetic adaptations to the spawning site's temperatures. As opposed to the endemic morphs from Lake Kronotskoe, the anadromous S. malma, being unexposed to selection оn highly specific reproduction conditions, showed a wide temperature tolerance, Our findings demonstrate that the hatch, onset timing of external feeding, and size dissimilarities between the sympatric morphs reveal themselves during the development under contrast temperatures. As a result of the observed developmental disparities, the morphs occupy specific definitive foraging niches in the lake.

196. The structure of nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae SapA in a closed conformation reveals a constricted ligand-binding cavity and a novel RNA binding motif.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 15

Lukacik P, Owen CD, Harris G

197. A national snapshot of the impact of clinical depression on post-surgical pain and adverse outcomes after anterior cervical discectomy and fusion for cervical myelopathy and radiculopathy: 10-year results from the US Nationwide Inpatient Sample.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 15

Chen J, Li JY, Tian GH

Depression is associated with poorer outcomes in a wide spectrum of surgeries but the specific effects of depression in patients undergoing cervical spine surgery are unknown. This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence and impact of pre-surgical clinical depression on pain and other outcomes after surgery for cervical degenerative disc disease using a national representative database. Data of patients with cervical myelopathy and radiculopathy were extracted from the 2005-2014 US Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) database. Included patients underwent anterior discectomy and fusion (ACDF). Acute or chronic post-surgical pain, postoperative complications, unfavorable discharge, length of stay (LOS) and hospital costs were evaluated. Totally 215,684 patients were included. Pre-surgical depression was found in 29,889 (13.86%) patients, with a prevalence nearly doubled during 2005-2014 in the US. Depression was independently associated with acute or chronic post-surgical pain (aOR: 1.432), unfavorable discharge (aOR: 1.311), prolonged LOS (aOR: 1.152), any complication (aOR: 1.232), respiratory complications/pneumonia (aOR: 1.153), dysphagia (aOR: 1.105), bleeding (aOR: 1.085), infection/sepsis (aOR: 1.529), and higher hospital costs (beta: 1080.640) compared to non-depression. No significant risk of delirium or venous thrombotic events was observed in patients with depression as compared to non-depression. Among patients receiving primary surgery, depression was independently associated with prolonged LOS (aOR: 1.150), any complication (aOR:1.233) and postoperative pain (aOR:1.927). In revision surgery, no significant associations were found for prolonged LOS, any complication or pain. In conclusion, in the US patients undergoing ACDF, pre-surgical clinical depression predicts post-surgical acute or chronic pain, a slightly prolonged LOS and the presence of any complication. Awareness of these associations may help clinicians stratify risk preoperatively and optimize patient care.

198. Cost-effectiveness of patient navigation programs for stroke patients-A systematic review.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 15

Kass B, Dornquast C, Meisel A

OBJECTIVE: Stroke remains a leading cause of premature death, impairment and reduced quality of life. Its aftercare is performed by numerous different health care service providers, resulting in a high need for coordination. Personally delivered patient navigation (PN) is a promising approach for managing pathways through health care systems and for improving patient outcomes. Although PN in stroke care is evolving, no summarized information on its cost-effectiveness in stroke survivors is available. Hence, the aim of this systematic review is to analyze the level of evidence on the cost-effectiveness of PN for stroke survivors. METHODS: A systematic literature search without time limitations was carried out in PubMed, EMBASE, CENTRAL, CINAHL as well as PsycINFO and supplemented by a manual search. Randomized controlled trials published prior to April 2020 in English or German were considered eligible if any results regarding the cost-effectiveness of PN for stroke survivors were reported. The review was conducted according to PRISMA guidelines. Quality of included studies was assessed with the RoB2 tool. Main study characteristics and cost-effectiveness results were summarized and discussed. RESULTS: The search identified 1442 records, and two studies met the inclusion criteria. Quality of included studies was rated moderate and high. Programs, settings and cost-effectiveness results were heterogeneous, with one study showing a 90% probability of being cost-effective at a willingness to pay of $25600 per QALY (health/social care perspective) and the other showing similar QALYs and higher costs. CONCLUSIONS: Since only two studies were eligible, this review reveals a large gap in knowledge regarding the cost-effectiveness of PN for stroke survivors. Furthermore, no conclusive statement about the cost-effectiveness can be made. Future attempts to evaluate PN for stroke survivors are necessary and should also involve cost-effectiveness issues.

199. A novel computational strategy to predict the value of the evidence in the SNP-based forensic mixtures.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 15

Pascali VL.

This study introduces a methodology for inferring the weight of the evidence (WoE) in the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)-typed DNA mixtures of forensic interest. First, we redefined some algebraic formulae to approach the semi-continuous calculation of likelihoods and likelihood ratios (LRs). To address the allelic dropouts, a peak height ratio index ("h," an index of heterozygous state plausibility) was incorporated into semi-continuous formulae to act as a proxy for the "split-drop" model of calculation. Second, the original ratio at which a person of interest (POI) has entered into the mixture was inferred by evaluating the DNA amounts conferred by unique genotypes to any possible permutation of any locus of the typing protocol (unique genotypes are genotypes that appear just once in the relevant permutation). We compared this expected ratio (MRex) to all the mixing ratios emerging at all other permutations of the mixture (MRobs) using several (1 - χ2) tests to evaluate the probability of each permutation to exist in the mixture according to quantitative criteria. At the level of each permutation state, we multiplied the (1 - χ2) value to the genotype frequencies and the h index. All the products of all the permutation states were finally summed to give a likelihood value that accounts for three independent properties of the mixtures. Owing to the (1 - χ2) index and the h index, this approach qualifies as a fully continuous methodology of LR calculation. We compared the MRs and LRs emerging from our methodology to those generated by the EuroForMix software ver. 3.0.3. When the true contributors were tested as POIs, our procedure generated highly discriminant LRs that, unlike EuroForMix, never overcame the corresponding single-source LRs. When false contributors were tested as POIs, we obtained a much lower LR value than that from EuroForMix. These two findings indicate that our computational method is more reliable and realistic than EuroForMix.

200. Resistance to post-emergent herbicides is becoming common for grass weeds on New Zealand wheat and barley farms.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 14

Buddenhagen CE, James TK, Ngow Z

To estimate the prevalence of herbicide-resistant weeds, 87 wheat and barley farms were randomly surveyed in the Canterbury region of New Zealand. Over 600 weed seed samples from up to 10 mother plants per taxon depending on abundance, were collected immediately prior to harvest (two fields per farm). Some samples provided by agronomists were tested on an ad-hoc basis. Over 40,000 seedlings were grown to the 2-4 leaf stage in glasshouse conditions and sprayed with high priority herbicides for grasses from the three modes-of-action acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACCase)-inhibitors haloxyfop, fenoxaprop, clodinafop, pinoxaden, clethodim, acetolactate synthase (ALS)-inhibitors iodosulfuron, pyroxsulam, nicosulfuron, and the 5-enolpyruvyl shikimate 3-phosphate synthase (EPSPS)-inhibitor glyphosate. The highest manufacturer recommended label rates were applied for the products registered for use in New Zealand, often higher than the discriminatory rates used in studies elsewhere. Published studies of resistance were rare in New Zealand but we found weeds survived herbicide applications on 42 of the 87 (48%) randomly surveyed farms, while susceptible reference populations died. Resistance was found for ALS-inhibitors on 35 farms (40%) and to ACCase-inhibitors on 20 (23%) farms. The number of farms with resistant weeds (denominator is 87 farms) are reported for ACCase-inhibitors, ALS-inhibitors, and glyphosate respectively as: Avena fatua (9%, 1%, 0% of farms), Bromus catharticus (0%, 2%, 0%), Lolium spp. (17%, 28%, 0%), Phalaris minor (1%, 6%, 0%), and Vulpia bromoides (0%, not tested, 0%). Not all farms had the weeds present, five had no obvious weeds prior to harvest. This survey revealed New Zealand's first documented cases of resistance in P. minor (fenoxaprop, clodinafop, iodosulfuron) and B. catharticus (pyroxsulam). Twelve of the 87 randomly sampled farms (14%) had ALS-inhibitor chlorsulfuron-resistant sow thistles, mostly Sonchus asper but also S. oleraceus. Resistance was confirmed in industry-supplied samples of the grasses Digitaria sanguinalis (nicosulfuron, two maize farms), P. minor (iodosulfuron, one farm), and Lolium spp. (cases included glyphosate, haloxyfop, pinoxaden, iodosulfuron, and pyroxsulam, 9 farms). Industry also supplied Stellaria media samples that were resistant to chlorsulfuron and flumetsulam (ALS-inhibitors) sourced from clover and ryegrass fields from the North and South Island.

201. Adolescent girls and young women's PrEP-user journey during an implementation science study in South Africa and Kenya.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 14

Rousseau E, Katz AWK, O'Rourke S

202. Embryogenic callus induction from immature zygotic embryos and genetic transformation of Larix kaempferi 3x Larix gmelinii 9.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 14

Zhang S, Yan S, An P

203. Genetic diversity analysis of the invasive gall pest Leptocybe invasa (Hymenoptera: Apodemidae) from China.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 14

Peng X, Wang H, Guo C

Leptocybe invasa Fisher et LaSalle is a global invasive pest that seriously damages Eucalyptus plants. Studying the genetic diversity, genetic structure and introgression hybridization of L. invasa in China is of great significance for clarifying the breeding strategy, future invasion and diffusion trends of L. invasa in China and developing scientific prevention and control measures. Genetic diversity and phylogenetic analyses of 320 L. invasa female adults from 14 geographic populations in China were conducted using 10 polymorphic microsatellite loci (SSRs) and mitochondrial DNA cytochrome oxidase I gene sequences (COIs). (1) The Bayesian phylogenetic tree and haplotype network diagram showed that only haplotype Hap3 existed in L. invasa lineage B in China, while haplotypes Hap1 and Hap2 existed in lineage A, among which haplotype Hap2 was found for the first time. The nucleotide and haplotype diversities of lineage A were higher than those of lineage B. (2) The SSR genetic diversity of the Wuzhou Guangxi, Ganzhou Jiangxi and Panzhihua Sichuan populations was higher than that of the other 11 populations, and the SSR genetic diversity of lineage A was higher than that of lineage B. (3) The AMOVA analysis of mitochondrial COI data showed that 75.55% of the variation was among populations, and 99.86% of the variation was between lineages, while the AMOVA analysis of nuclear SSR data showed that 35.26% of the variation was among populations, and 47.04% of the variation was between lineages. There were obvious differences in the sources of variation between the COI and SSR data. (4) The optimal K value of COI and SSR data in structure analysis was 2, and PCoA analysis also divided the dataset into two obvious categories. The UPMGA phylogenetic tree based on SSR data clustered 14 geographic species into two groups. The results of genetic structure analysis supported the existence of two lineages, A and B, in China. (5) Structural analysis showed that there was obvious introgressive hybridization in Wuzhou Guangxi, Ganzhou Jiangxi, Panzhihua Sichuan and other populations. These results suggest that lineage introgressive hybridization has occurred in the L. invasa population in China. The introgressive hybridization degree and genetic diversity of lineage A are obviously higher than those of lineage B. Lineage introgressive hybridization may be the driving force for further L. invasa invasion and diffusion in China in the future.

204. Effect of chewing betel nut on the gut microbiota of Hainanese.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 14

Ying L, Yang Y, Zhou J

205. Do medical students and residents impact the quality of patient care? An assessment from different stakeholders in an Italian academic hospital, 2019.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 14

Perri G, d'Angelo M, Smaniotto C

206. Estimated glomerular filtration rate may be an independent predictor for clinical outcomes regardless of acute kidney injury complication in the emergency department.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 14

Horie R, Endo Y, Doi K.

207. Exploring the factors associated with the mental health of frontline healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Cyprus.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 14

Kapetanos K, Mazeri S, Constantinou D

INTRODUCTION: The spread of COVID-19 into a global pandemic has negatively affected the mental health of frontline healthcare-workers. This study is a multi-centre, cross-sectional epidemiological study that uses nationwide data to assess the prevalence of stress, anxiety, depression and burnout among health care workers managing COVID-19 patients in Cyprus. The study also investigates the mechanism behind the manifestation of these pathologies, as to allow for the design of more effective protective measures. METHODS: Data on the mental health status of the healthcare workers were collected from healthcare professionals from all over the nation, who worked directly with Covid patients. This was done via the use of 64-item, self-administered questionnaire, which was comprised of the DASS21 questionnaire, the Maslach Burnout Inventory and a number of original questions. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to investigate factors associated with each of the mental health measures. RESULTS: The sample population was comprised of 381 healthcare professionals, out of which 72.7% were nursing staff, 12.9% were medical doctors and 14.4% belonged to other occupations. The prevalence of anxiety, stress and depression among the sample population were 28.6%, 18.11% and 15% respectively. The prevalence of burnout was 12.3%. This was in parallel with several changes in the lives of the healthcare professionals, including; working longer hours, spending time in isolation and being separated from family. DISCUSSION: This study indicates that the mental health of a significant portion of the nation's workforce is compromised and, therefore, highlights the need for an urgent intervention particularly since many countries, including Cyprus, are suffering a second wave of the pandemic. The identified risk factors should offer guidance for employers aiming to protect their frontline healthcare workers from the negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

208. Sociodemographic and clinical features predictive of SARS-CoV-2 test positivity across healthcare visit-types.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 14

Phuong J, Hyland SL, Mooney SJ

BACKGROUND: Despite increased testing efforts and the deployment of vaccines, COVID-19 cases and death toll continue to rise at record rates. Health systems routinely collect clinical and non-clinical information in electronic health records (EHR), yet little is known about how the minimal or intermediate spectra of EHR data can be leveraged to characterize patient SARS-CoV-2 pretest probability in support of interventional strategies. METHODS AND FINDINGS: We modeled patient pretest probability for SARS-CoV-2 test positivity and determined which features were contributing to the prediction and relative to patients triaged in inpatient, outpatient, and telehealth/drive-up visit-types. Data from the University of Washington (UW) Medicine Health System, which excluded UW Medicine care providers, included patients predominately residing in the Seattle Puget Sound area, were used to develop a gradient-boosting decision tree (GBDT) model. Patients were included if they had at least one visit prior to initial SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR testing between January 01, 2020 through August 7, 2020. Model performance assessments used area-under-the-receiver-operating-characteristic (AUROC) and area-under-the-precision-recall (AUPR) curves. Feature performance assessments used SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) values. The generalized pretest probability model using all available features achieved high overall discriminative performance (AUROC, 0.82). Performance among inpatients (AUROC, 0.86) was higher than telehealth/drive-up testing (AUROC, 0.81) or outpatient testing (AUROC, 0.76). The two-week test positivity rate in patient ZIP code was the most informative feature towards test positivity across visit-types. Geographic and sociodemographic factors were more important predictors of SARS-CoV-2 positivity than individual clinical characteristics. CONCLUSIONS: Recent geographic and sociodemographic factors, routinely collected in EHR though not routinely considered in clinical care, are the strongest predictors of initial SARS-CoV-2 test result. These findings were consistent across visit types, informing our understanding of individual SARS-CoV-2 risk factors with implications for deployment of testing, outreach, and population-level prevention efforts.

209. Predicting drug targets by homology modelling of Pseudomonas aeruginosa proteins of unknown function.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 14

Babic N, Kovacic F.

The efficacy of antibiotics to treat bacterial infections declines rapidly due to antibiotic resistance. This problem has stimulated the development of novel antibiotics, but most attempts have failed. Consequently, the idea of mining uncharacterized genes of pathogens to identify potential targets for entirely new classes of antibiotics was proposed. Without knowing the biochemical function of a protein, it is difficult to validate its potential for drug targeting; therefore, the functional characterization of bacterial proteins of unknown function must be accelerated. Here, we present a paradigm for comprehensively predicting the biochemical functions of a large set of proteins encoded by hypothetical genes in human pathogens to identify candidate drug targets. A high-throughput approach based on homology modelling with ten templates per target protein was applied to the set of 2103 P. aeruginosa proteins encoded by hypothetical genes. The >21000 homology modelling results obtained and available biological and biochemical information about several thousand templates were scrutinized to predict the function of reliably modelled proteins of unknown function. This approach resulted in assigning one or often multiple putative functions to hundreds of enzymes, ligand-binding proteins and transporters. New biochemical functions were predicted for 41 proteins whose essential or virulence-related roles in P. aeruginosa were already experimentally demonstrated. Eleven of them were shortlisted as promising drug targets that participate in essential pathways (maintaining genome and cell wall integrity), virulence-related processes (adhesion, cell motility, host recognition) or antibiotic resistance, which are general drug targets. These proteins are conserved in other WHO priority pathogens but not in humans; therefore, they represent high-potential targets for preclinical studies. These and many more biochemical functions assigned to uncharacterized proteins of P. aeruginosa, made available as PaPUF database, may guide the design of experimental screening of inhibitors, which is a crucial step towards the validation of the highest-potential targets for the development of novel drugs against P. aeruginosa and other high-priority pathogens.

210. Soil fungal community structure and seasonal diversity following application of organic amendments of different quality under maize cropping in Zimbabwe.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 14

Tauro TP, Mtambanengwe F, Mpepereki S

Recent advocacy for Integrated Soil Fertility Management (ISFM) in smallholder farming systems in east and southern Africa show substantial evidence of increased and sustained crop yields associated with enhanced soil productivity. However, the impact ISFM on soil fungi has received limited attention, yet fungi play key roles in crop growth. Following total soil DNA extraction with ZR soil microbe miniprep kit, illumina sequencing was used to, examine the fungal communities (ITS1F) under a maize crop following co-application of organic nutrient resources including Crotalaria juncea, cattle manure and maize stover with inorganic fertilizers at three-time periods (T1-December, T2-January, and T3-February) in Zimbabwe. Ninety-five fungal species were identified that were assigned to Ascomycota (>90%), Basidiomycota (7%) and Zygomycota (1%). At T1, Ascomycota and Basidiomycota were identified across treatments, with Ascomycota attaining > 93% frequency. Fungal succession was noted and involved reduction of Ascomycota coupled by increase in Basidiomycota under the different treatments. For example at T3, Basidiomycota increased to 34% while Ascomycota declined to 66% under manure but remained unchanged in other two organics. Pre-season mineral nitrogen (N) associated with the 'Birch effect' apparently influenced the fungal community structure at T1 while readily available fertilizer N was critical at T2 and T3. The low-quality maize stover promoted the presence of Exophiala sp SST 2011 and this was linked to N immobilization. The impact of N addition was more pronounced under medium (manure) to low-quality (maize stover) resources. Fungi required phosphorus (P) and N for survival while their proliferation was dependent on substrate availability linked to resource quality. Interactive-forward test indicated that soil available P and N were most influential (P < 0.05) factors shaping fungal communities. Co-application of medium to high quality organic and inorganic resources show promise as a sustainable entry point towards enhancing belowground fungal diversity critical in driving nutrient supply.

211. Research on 3D crack segmentation of CT images of oil rock core.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 14

Zou Y, Yao G, Wang J.

212. Impact of ultraviolet germicidal irradiation on new silicone half-piece elastometric respirator (VJR-NMU) performance, structural integrity and sterility during the COVID-19 pandemic.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 14

Trakarnvanich T, Phumisantiphong U, Pupipatpab S

213. Electrophysiological correlates of interference control in the modified emotional Stroop task with emotional stimuli differing in valence, arousal, and subjective significance.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 14

Imbir KK, Pastwa M, Duda-Goławska J

The role of emotional factors in maintaining cognitive control is one of the most intriguing issues in understanding emotion-cognition interactions. In the current experiment, we assessed the role of emotional factors (valence, arousal, and subjective significance) in perceptual and conceptual inhibition processes. We operationalised both processes with the classical cognitive paradigms, i.e., the flanker task and the emotional Stroop task merged into a single experimental procedure. The procedure was based on the presentation of emotional words displayed in four different font colours flanked by the same emotional word printed with the same or different font colour. We expected to find distinct effects of both types of interference: earlier for perceptual and later for emotional interference. We also predicted an increased arousal level to disturb inhibitory control effectiveness, while increasing the subjective significance level should improve this process. As we used orthogonal manipulations of emotional factors, our study allowed us for the first time to assess interactions within emotional factors and between types of interference. We found on the behavioural level the main effects of flanker congruency as well as effects of emotionality. On the electrophysiological level, we found effects for EPN, P2, and N450 components of ERPs. The exploratory analysis revealed that effects due to perceptual interference appeared earlier than the effects of emotional interference, but they lasted for an extended period of processing, causing perceptual and emotional interference to partially overlap. Finally, in terms of emotional interference, we showed the effect of subjective significance: the reduction of interference cost in N450 for highly subjective significant stimuli. This study is the first one allowing for the investigation of two different types of interference in a single experiment, and provides insight into the role of emotion in cognitive control.

214. Plasma electrophoresis profiles of Blanding's turtles (Emydoidea blandingii) and influences of month, age, sex, health status, and location.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 14

Andersson KE, Adamovicz L, Mumm LE

215. Influence of an increased number of physical education lessons on the motor performance of adolescents-A non-interventional cohort study.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 14

Reif A, Triska C, Nader M

Increasing the amount of regular physical education lessons in school is currently discussed in many countries in order to increase physical activity in youth. The purpose of this study was to compare the motor performance of pupils from an observation group participating in a school trial of two additional physical education lessons (5 lessons of each 50 min/week) without a specific intervention program to a control group with a regular amount of three physical education lessons (3 lessons of each 50 min/week) as indicated by the standard Austrian school curriculum. In this cohort study motor performance of 140 adolescents (12.7±0.5 years) was assessed by means of the German Motor Performance Test 6-18 over a period of 1.5 years with measurement time points before (T1), after eight months (T2) and at the end of the observation period (T3). Two- and three-way mixed analysis of variance were used to detect time, group and interaction effects. Although the observation group demonstrated a higher total motor performance score at all time points (P = 0.005), the improvement over time in total motor performance (P < 0.001) was more pronounced in the control group. Girls and boys developed differently over time (time*gender interaction: P = 0.001), whereby group allocation did not affect this interaction (time*gender*group: P = 0.167). Anyway, girls of control group tend to benefit most of additional physical education lessons. Sports club members scored significantly higher in motor performance across the observation period (P = 0.018) irrespective of group allocation. These findings indicate that there could be a ceiling effect in what the pupils could achieve in terms of motor performance as the pupils of the observation group might have reached this point earlier than their counterparts in the control group. Nevertheless, sports club membership seems to reveal some benefits. Whether improving quality and specificity of the single physical lessons might be superior to merely adding additional ones needs to be confirmed in future studies.

216. Bayesian analysis of static light scattering data for globular proteins.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 14

Yin F, Khago D, Martin RW

217. Risk factors and prognosis in very low birth weight infants treated for hypotension during the first postnatal week from the Korean Neonatal Network.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 14

Song YH, Lee JA, Choi BM

Hypotension in the early stages of life appears in 20% of very low birth weight (VLBW) infants. The gestational age and birth weight are the risk factors highly related to the postnatal hypotension. Other risk factors slightly differ between different studies. So, we evaluated the risk factors and prognosis that are associated with infants treated with hypotension in the early stages of life, after excluding the influences of gestational age and small for gestational age (SGA). VLBW infants registered in the Korean Neonatal Network between 2013 and 2015 treated for hypotension within a week after their birth were selected as study subjects. The rest were used as a control group. Risk factors and the prevalence of severe complications, including mortality, were investigated and compared after matching for gestational age and SGA. The treatment rate for hypotension within the first postnatal week was inversely related to decreasing gestational ages and birth weights. In particular, 63.4% of preterm infants born at ≤ 24 weeks' gestation and 66.9% of those with a birth weight < 500 g were treated for hypotension within a week of birth. Regression analysis after matching showed that 1-minute Apgar score, neonatal cardiac massage or epinephrine administration, symptomatic patent ductus arteriosus, early onset sepsis, and chorioamnionitis were significantly associated with hypotension. In the hypotension group, mortality, grade 3 or higher intraventricular hemorrhage, periventricular leukomalacia, and moderate to severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia rates were significantly higher after the matching for gestational age and SGA. Hypotension during the first postnatal week is very closely related to the prematurity and the condition of the infant shortly after birth. Regular prenatal care including careful monitoring and appropriate neonatal resuscitation are very crucial to decrease the risk of hypotension in the early stages of life.

218. The impact of the COVID-19 response on the provision of other public health services in the U.S.: A cross sectional study.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 14

Kintziger KW, Stone KW, Jagger MA

INTRODUCTION: Funding and staff formerly dedicated to routine public health tasks (e.g., responding to communicable and non-communicable diseases, investigating foodborne outbreaks, conducting routine surveillance) and services (e.g., environmental health, substance abuse, maternal-child health) may no longer be available in many public health departments due to the COVID-19 response. The objective of this study was to assess the extent to which staffing for essential public health services has been redirected to the COVID-19 response. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study using a survey distributed through the Qualtrics platform. Individuals (N = 298) working in public health across governmental and academic public health departments in the U.S. during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic response were surveyed. Survey items measured multiple domains including professional experience (i.e., training, years of experience, content expertise, job functions, hours worked), mental and physical health status (i.e., generalized anxiety, depression, burnout), and career plans (i.e., pre-pandemic vs. current career plans). RESULTS: The total number of content expertise areas and programmatic functions covered by individual public health workers increased between January and September of 2020, with 26% (73 of 282) of respondents reporting an increase in both. The total number of respondents working in infectious disease and preparedness remained constant, while declines were reported in program evaluation (-36%) and health education (-27%) and increases were reported in disease investigation (+35%). CONCLUSIONS: The provision of many essential public health functions and tasks have been limited or eliminated while the U.S. public health workforce responds to the COVID-19 pandemic. These findings highlight opportunities for funding and professional development of public health systems, both during and after the COVID-19 response, to help ensure the continuity of essential public health services, staffing sustainability, and preparedness for future public health emergencies in the U.S.

219. A survey of U.S. public perspectives on facial recognition technology and facial imaging data practices in health and research contexts.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 14

Katsanis SH, Claes P, Doerr M

220. Population-based identification and temporal trend of children with primary nephrotic syndrome: The Kaiser Permanente nephrotic syndrome study.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 14

Parikh RV, Tan TC, Fan D

221. Investigating the association of CD36 gene polymorphisms (rs1761667 and rs1527483) with T2DM and dyslipidemia: Statistical analysis, machine learning based prediction, and meta-analysis.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 14

Hatmal MM, Alshaer W, Mahmoud IS

222. Prediction of viral symptoms using wearable technology and artificial intelligence: A pilot study in healthcare workers.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 14

D'Haese PF, Finomore V, Lesnik D

223. The effect of COVID-19 pandemic on final year dental students' self-confidence level in performing clinical procedures.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 14

Ilić J, Radović K, Savić-Stanković T

224. Safety and efficacy of very low carbohydrate diet in patients with diabetic kidney disease-A randomized controlled trial.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 13

Zainordin NA, Eddy Warman NA, Mohamad AF

INTRODUCTION: There is limited data on the effects of low carbohydrate diets on renal outcomes particularly in patients with underlying diabetic kidney disease. Therefore, this study determined the safety and effects of very low carbohydrate (VLCBD) in addition to low protein diet (LPD) on renal outcomes, anthropometric, metabolic and inflammatory parameters in patients with T2DM and underlying mild to moderate kidney disease (DKD). MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was an investigator-initiated, single-center, randomized, controlled, clinical trial in patients with T2DM and DKD, comparing 12-weeks of low carbohydrate diet (<20g daily intake) versus standard low protein (0.8g/kg/day) and low salt diet. Patients in the VLCBD group underwent 2-weekly monitoring including their 3-day food diaries. In addition, Dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) was performed to estimate body fat percentages. RESULTS: The study population (n = 30) had a median age of 57 years old and a BMI of 30.68kg/m2. Both groups showed similar total calorie intake, i.e. 739.33 (IQR288.48) vs 789.92 (IQR522.4) kcal, by the end of the study. The VLCBD group showed significantly lower daily carbohydrate intake 27 (IQR25) g vs 89.33 (IQR77.4) g, p<0.001, significantly higher protein intake per day 44.08 (IQR21.98) g vs 29.63 (IQR16.35) g, p<0.05 and no difference in in daily fat intake. Both groups showed no worsening of serum creatinine at study end, with consistent declines in HbA1c (1.3(1.1) vs 0.7(1.25) %) and fasting blood glucose (1.5(3.37) vs 1.3(5.7) mmol/L). The VLCBD group showed significant reductions in total daily insulin dose (39(22) vs 0 IU, p<0.001), increased LDL-C and HDL-C, decline in IL-6 levels; with contrasting results in the control group. This was associated with significant weight reduction (-4.0(3.9) vs 0.2(4.2) kg, p = <0.001) and improvements in body fat percentages. WC was significantly reduced in the VLCBD group, even after adjustments to age, HbA1c, weight and creatinine changes. Both dietary interventions were well received with no reported adverse events. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated that dietary intervention of very low carbohydrate diet in patients with underlying diabetic kidney disease was safe and associated with significant improvements in glycemic control, anthropometric measurements including weight, abdominal adiposity and IL-6. Renal outcomes remained unchanged. These findings would strengthen the importance of this dietary intervention as part of the management of patients with diabetic kidney disease.

225. Effect of hearing aids on body balance function in non-reverberant condition: A posturographic study.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 13

Ninomiya C, Hiraumi H, Yonemoto K

226. Longitudinal associations between hearing aid usage and cognition in community-dwelling Japanese older adults with moderate hearing loss.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 13

Sugiura S, Nishita Y, Uchida Y

We investigated the associations between hearing aids (HA) and the maintenance of cognitive function among community-dwelling older adults with moderate hearing loss. A total of 407 participants aged 60 years or older with moderate hearing loss were recruited from the National Institute for Longevity Sciences, Longitudinal Study for Aging (NILS-LSA). Moderate hearing loss was defined as a pure-tone average of 40-69 dB at 500, 1000, 2000, and 4000 Hz of the better ear, according to the definition proposed by the Japan Audiological Society. Cognitive function was evaluated using the four subtests of the Japanese version of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised Short Forms (WAIS-R-SF): Information, Similarities, Picture completion, and Digit Symbol Substitution (DSST). A longitudinal analysis of 1192 observations with a mean follow-up period of 4.5 ± 3.9 years was performed. The HA use rate at any time during the follow-up period was 31.4%, and HA users were significantly younger (t-test, p = 0.001), had worse hearing (p < .0001) and higher education (p = 0.001), participated more frequently in the survey (p < .0001), and were less depressed (χ2 test, p = 0.003) than the older adults not using HA. General linear mixed models consisted of the fixed effects of HA use, follow-up time, and an HA use × time interaction term adjusted for age and pure-tone average thresholds at baseline, sex, education, and other possible confounders. HA use showed significant main effects on the scores for Picture completion and DSST after adjustment; scores were better in the HA use group than in the no HA use group. The HA use × time interaction was significant for the Information score (p = 0.040). The model-predicted 12-year slope with centralizing age indicated that the no HA use group showed greater decline over time on Information scores than did HA use group. The slopes did not differ between HA users and non-users for the Similarities, Picture completion and DSST. In conclusion, HA use may have a protective effect on the decline in general knowledge in older adults with moderate hearing loss.

227. Impact of the TEAM Wheels eHealth manual wheelchair training program: Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 13

Giesbrecht E, Faieta J, Best K

228. Development of algorithms for identifying patients with Crohn's disease in the Japanese health insurance claims database.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 13

Morikubo H, Kobayashi T, Fukuda T

229. Remanufacturing end-of-life passenger car waste sheet steel into mesh sheet: A sustainability assessment.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 13

Abdullah ZT.

230. Myopia-correcting lenses decrease eye fatigue in a visual search task for both adolescents and adults.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 13

Ryu H, Ju U, Wallraven C.

231. Quality of life of COVID-19 recovered patients in Bangladesh.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 13

Hawlader MDH, Rashid MU, Khan MAS

Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) quickly surged the whole world and affected people's physical, mental, and social health thereby upsetting their quality of life. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the quality of life (QoL) of COVID-19 positive patients after recovery in Bangladesh. This was a study of adult (aged ≥18 years) COVID-19 individuals from eight divisions of Bangladesh diagnosed and confirmed by Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) from June 2020 to November 2020. Given a response rate of 60% in a pilot study, a random list of 6400 COVID-19 patients was generated to recruit approximately 3200 patients from eight divisions of Bangladesh and finally a total of 3244 participants could be recruited for the current study. The validated Bangla version of the World Health Organization Quality of Life Brief (WHOQOL-BREF) questionnaire was used to assess the QoL. Data were analyzed by STATA (Version 16.1) and R (Version 4.0.0). All the procedures were conducted following ethical approval and in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki. The mean scores of QoL were highest for the physical domain (68.25±14.45) followed by social (65.10±15.78), psychological (63.28±15.48), and environmental domain (62.77±13.07). Psychological and physical domain scores among females were significantly lower than the males (p<0.001). The overall quality of life was lower in persons having a chronic disease. Participants over 45 years of age were 52% less likely to enjoy good physical health than the participants aged below 26 years (AOR: 0.48, CI: 0.28-0.82). The quality of life of employed participants was found 1.8 times higher than the unemployed (AOR: 1.80, CI: 1.11-2.91). Those who were admitted to hospitals during infection had a low QoL score in physical, psychological, and socials domains. However, QoL improved in all aspect except the psychological domain for each day passed after the diagnosis. These findings call for a focus on the quality of life of the COVID-19 affected population, with special emphasis given to females, older adults, unemployed, and people with comorbidities.

232. Relationship between metabolic syndrome and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity among adults 18 years old and over.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 13

Cho JH, Ko J, Lim ST.

233. The benefits and harms of open notes in mental health: A Delphi survey of international experts.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 13

Blease C, Kharko A, Hägglund M

IMPORTANCE: As of April 5, 2021, as part of the 21st Century Cures Act, new federal rules in the U.S. mandate that providers offer patients access to their online clinical records. OBJECTIVE: To solicit the view of an international panel of experts on the effects on mental health patients, including possible benefits and harms, of accessing their clinical notes. DESIGN: An online 3-round Delphi poll. SETTING: Online. PARTICIPANTS: International experts identified as clinicians, chief medical information officers, patient advocates, and informaticians with extensive experience and/or research knowledge about patient access to mental health notes. MAIN OUTCOMES, AND MEASURES: An expert-generated consensus on the benefits and risks of sharing mental health notes with patients. RESULTS: A total of 70 of 92 (76%) experts from 6 countries responded to Round 1. A qualitative review of responses yielded 88 distinct items: 42 potential benefits, and 48 potential harms. A total of 56 of 70 (80%) experts responded to Round 2, and 52 of 56 (93%) responded to Round 3. Consensus was reached on 65 of 88 (74%) of survey items. There was consensus that offering online access to mental health notes could enhance patients' understanding about their diagnosis, care plan, and rationale for treatments, and that access could enhance patient recall and sense of empowerment. Experts also agreed that blocking mental health notes could lead to greater harms including increased feelings of stigmatization. However, panelists predicted there could be an increase in patients demanding changes to their clinical notes, and that mental health clinicians would be less detailed/accurate in documentation. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: This iterative process of survey responses and ratings yielded consensus that there would be multiple benefits and few harms to patients from accessing their mental health notes. Questions remain about the impact of open notes on professional autonomy, and further empirical work into this practice innovation is warranted.

234. Butterfly declines in protected areas of Illinois: Assessing the influence of two decades of climate and landscape change.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 13

Kucherov NB, Minor ES, Johnson PP

Despite increasing concern regarding broad-scale declines in insects, there are few published long-term, systematic butterfly surveys in North America, and fewer still that have incorporated the influence of changing climate and landscape variables. In this study, we analyzed 20 years of citizen science data at seven consistently monitored protected areas in Illinois, U.S.A. We used mixed models and PERMANOVA to evaluate trends in butterfly abundance, richness, and composition while also evaluating the effects of temperature and land use. Overall butterfly richness, but not abundance, increased in warmer years. Surprisingly, richness also was positively related to percent impervious surface (at the 2 km radius scale), highlighting the conservation value of protected areas in urban landscapes (or alternately, the potential negative aspects of agriculture). Precipitation had a significant and variable influence through time on overall butterfly abundance and abundance of resident species, larval host plant specialists, and univoltine species. Importantly, models incorporating the influence of changing temperature, precipitation, and impervious surface indicated a significant overall decline in both butterfly abundance and species richness, with an estimated abundance decrease of 3.8%/year and richness decrease of 1.6%/year (52.5% and 27.1% cumulatively from 1999 to 2018). Abundance and richness declines were also noted across all investigated functional groups except non-resident (migratory) species. Butterfly community composition changed through time, but we did not find evidence of systematic biotic homogenization, perhaps because declines were occurring in nearly all functional groups. Finally, at the site-level, declines in either richness or abundance occurred at five of seven locations, with only the two largest locations (>300 Ha) not exhibiting declines. Our results mirror those of other long-term butterfly studies predominantly in Europe and North America that have found associations of butterflies with climate variables and general declines in butterfly richness and abundance.

235. Efficient spline regression for neural spiking data.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 13

Sarmashghi M, Jadhav SP, Eden U.

236. Effects of the utilization of intellectual property by scientific researchers on economic growth in Mexico.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 13

Beltrán-Morales LF, Almendarez-Hernández MA, Avilés-Polanco G

237. A retrospective observational study of the impact of 16s and 18s ribosomal RNA PCR on antimicrobial treatment over seven years: A tertiary hospital experience.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 12

Teoh T, McNamara R, Powell J

BACKGROUND: Although culture-based methods remain a staple element of microbiology analysis, advanced molecular methods increasingly supplement the testing repertoire. Since the advent of 16s and 18s ribosomal RNA PCR in the 2000s, there has been interest in its utility for pathogen detection. Nonetheless, studies assessing the impact on antimicrobial prescribing are limited. We report a single-centre experience of the influence of 16s and 18s PCR testing on antimicrobial treatment, including a cost-analysis. METHODS: Data were collected retrospectively for all samples sent for 16s and 18s PCR testing between January 2014 and December 2020. Results were compared to any culture-based result. Assessment focused on any change of antimicrobial treatment based on PCR result, or use of the result as supportive evidence for microbiological diagnosis. RESULTS: 310 samples relevant to 268 patients were referred for 16s/18s rRNA PCR testing during the period. Culture was performed for 234 samples. Enrichment culture was performed for 83 samples. 82 of 300 samples sent for 16s PCR had positive results (20.8%). When culture was performed, enrichment reduced the outcome of 16s PCR only positive results (4/36 [11.1%] versus 14/35 [40.0%], p = 0.030 where a pathogen found). 18s PCR yielded 9 positive results from 67 samples. The 16s PCR result influenced antimicrobial change for 6 patients (2.2%). We estimated the cost for 16s PCR testing to result in one significant change in antimicrobial therapy to be €3,340. 18s PCR did not alter antimicrobial treatment. CONCLUSION: There was limited impact of 16s PCR results on antimicrobial treatments. Relevance to practice was affected by relatively long turn-around-time for results. Utility may be increased in specialised surgical centres, or by reducing turn-around-time. Enrichment culture should be considered on samples where 16s PCR is requested. There remains limited evidence for use of 18s PCR in clinical management, and further studies in this area are likely warranted.

238. Palm springs on the Rio Grande: Insight into Archaic forager plant use from phytoliths recovered from a Late Holocene alluvial section in northern New Mexico.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 12

Damick A, Rosen A, Ortman S.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 12

Flores G, Giza CC, Bates-Jensen B

Soccer participation in the United States (U.S.) has increased over time, and injuries as well as interest to prevent injuries has become more common. This study described Emergency Department (ED) visits related to concussions, intracranial injuries (ICI), and all-other injuries attributed to soccer play; described healthcare cost and length of hospital stay of soccer-related injuries; and determined independent predictors of concussions, ICI, and all-other soccer injuries leading to ED visits. The study examined soccer-related weighted discharge data from the Nationwide Emergency Department Sample, Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Weighted tabular analysis of univariate and bivariate analyses and weighted and adjusted logistic regression models were conducted. A total of 480,580 of U.S. ED visits related to soccer injuries were available for analysis between 2010 to 2013. Generally, 98% of soccer-related ED visits resulted in routine (treat-and-release) visits. However, the odds of transfer to a short-term hospital following ED evaluation and treatment was more than 37-fold higher for soccer-injured youth and adults diagnosed with ICI when compared to all-other soccer injuries; additionally, these patients showed 28-fold higher odds of being admitted for inpatient care at the ED-affiliated hospital. For concussion, soccer-injured patients with concussion showed nearly 1.5-fold higher odds of being transferred to a short-term hospital than did those with any other soccer injury. Soccer-related ED visits cost more than 700 million in U.S. dollars from 2010 to 2013. Notable differences were noted between concussions, ICI, and all-other soccer injuries presenting to U.S. ED. Albeit underestimated given that this study excludes other forms of health care and treatment for injuries, such as outpatient clinics, over the counter medications and treatment, and rehabilitation, healthcare cost associated with soccer-related injuries presenting to ED is high, and remarkably costly in those with an ICI diagnosis.

240. Psychological, social and cognitive resources and the mental wellbeing of the poor.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 12

Cobb-Clark DA, Kettlewell N.

241. The psychometric properties of the Bidimensional Acculturation Scale for Marriage-Based Immigrant Women in Taiwan.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 12

Chen HH, Lai JC, Chien LY.

INTRODUCTION: Marriage-based immigrant women are increasing around the world. Although bi-dimensional acculturation is important for immigrant women's health, the existing scales have mainly been developed for immigrant women in Western countries and hence some items may not be suitable for Asian contexts. Thus, we developed and evaluated the Bidimensional Acculturation Scale for Marriage-Based Immigrant Women (BAS-MBIW) in Taiwan. METHODS: The BAS-MBIW was developed based on a literature review and clinical observations. Bi-dimensional acculturation involves "adaptation to host culture (acculturation)" and "maintenance of heritage culture (enculturation)." The initial scale included two 24-item subscales. The validation samples were 310 marriage-based immigrant women who were pregnant for at least twelve weeks in Taiwan. The BAS-MBIW was assessed and modified by experts. Data analyses included factor analysis, Pearson's correlation, and Cronbach's alpha coefficient. RESULTS: Expert reviews and factor analysis indicated that the scale had acceptable content and construct validity. The validated scale includes two 19-item subscales, encompassing six domains: language, media, food preference, cultural heritage, social interaction, and shopping and merchandise preference, with good internal consistencies (Cronbach's alpha coefficient is 0.88 for acculturation and 0.83 for enculturation). Acculturation was positively related to local language ability and duration of immigration but negatively related to age at immigration, stress, and depression; whereas enculturation was positively related to age at immigration, stress, and depression but negatively related to duration of immigration, indicating convergent validity. CONCLUSIONS: The BAS-MBIW offers reliable and valid assessments of pregnant immigrant women's level of acculturation and enculturation in Taiwan. The BAS-MBIW could be used to assess bi-dimensional acculturation among marriage-based immigrant women.

242. Structural features of the streetscape of Macau across four different spatial scales based on historical maps.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 12

Teng Y, Yang S, Huang Y.

243. Pathophysiology and inflammatory biomarkers of sulfur mustard-induced corneal injury in rabbits.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 12

Goswami DG, Mishra N, Kant R

244. miRbiom: Machine-learning on Bayesian causal nets of RBP-miRNA interactions successfully predicts miRNA profiles.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 12

Pradhan UK, Sharma NK, Kumar P

Formation of mature miRNAs and their expression is a highly controlled process. It is very much dependent upon the post-transcriptional regulatory events. Recent findings suggest that several RNA binding proteins beyond Drosha/Dicer are involved in the processing of miRNAs. Deciphering of conditional networks for these RBP-miRNA interactions may help to reason the spatio-temporal nature of miRNAs which can also be used to predict miRNA profiles. In this direction, >25TB of data from different platforms were studied (CLIP-seq/RNA-seq/miRNA-seq) to develop Bayesian causal networks capable of reasoning miRNA biogenesis. The networks ably explained the miRNA formation when tested across a large number of conditions and experimentally validated data. The networks were modeled into an XGBoost machine learning system where expression information of the network components was found capable to quantitatively explain the miRNAs formation levels and their profiles. The models were developed for 1,204 human miRNAs whose accurate expression level could be detected directly from the RNA-seq data alone without any need of doing separate miRNA profiling experiments like miRNA-seq or arrays. A first of its kind, miRbiom performed consistently well with high average accuracy (91%) when tested across a large number of experimentally established data from several conditions. It has been implemented as an interactive open access web-server where besides finding the profiles of miRNAs, their downstream functional analysis can also be done. miRbiom will help to get an accurate prediction of human miRNAs profiles in the absence of profiling experiments and will be an asset for regulatory research areas. The study also shows the importance of having RBP interaction information in better understanding the miRNAs and their functional projectiles where it also lays the foundation of such studies and software in future.

245. Predicting PY motif-mediated protein-protein interactions in the Nedd4 family of ubiquitin ligases.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 12

Hatstat AK, Pupi MD, McCafferty DG.

246. Atrial proarrhythmic effect of lead as one of the PM10 metal components of air pollution. An in-silico study.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 12

Palacio LC, Pachajoa DC, Durango-Giraldo G

247. Analysis of antenatal care, intranatal care and postnatal care utilization: Findings from the 2017 Indonesian Demographic and Health Survey.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 12

Istifa MN, Efendi F, Wahyuni ED

248. Comparative sphingolipidomic analysis reveals significant differences between doxorubicin-sensitive and -resistance MCF-7 cells.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 12

Shammout ODA, Ashmawy NS, Shakartalla SB

249. Mask exposure during COVID-19 changes emotional face processing.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 12

Barrick EM, Thornton MA, Tamir DI.

250. RNAseq and RNA molecular barcoding reveal differential gene expression in cortical bone following hindlimb unloading in female mice.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 12

Spatz JM, Ko FC, Ayturk UM

251. Does improved interpreter uptake reduce self-discharge rates in hospitalised patients? A successful hospital intervention explained.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 12

O'Connor E, Kerrigan V, Aitken R

BACKGROUND: Aboriginal language interpreters are under-utilised in healthcare in northern Australia. Self-discharge from hospital is an adverse outcome occurring at high rates among Aboriginal people, with poor communication thought to be a contributor. We previously reported increased Aboriginal interpreter uptake and decreased rates of self-discharge during implementation of a 12-month hospital-based intervention. Interrupted time-series analysis showed sudden increase and up-trending improvement in interpreter use, and a corresponding decrease in self-discharge rates, during a 12-month intervention period (April 2018-March 2019) compared with a 24-month baseline period (April 2016 -March 2018). This paper aims to investigate reasons for these outcomes and explore a potential causal association between study activities and outcomes. METHODS: The study was implemented at the tertiary referral hospital in northern Australia. We used the Template for Intervention Description and Replication (TIDieR) as a framework to describe intervention components according to what, how, where, when, how much, tailoring, modifications and reach. Components of the study intervention were: employment of an Aboriginal Interpreter Coordinator, 'Working with Interpreters' training for healthcare providers, and championing of interpreter use by doctors. We evaluated the relative importance of intervention components according to TIDieR descriptors in relation to outcomes. Activities independent of the study that may have affected study findings were reviewed. The relationship between proportion of hospital separations among Aboriginal people ending in self-discharge and numbers of Aboriginal interpreter bookings made during April 2016-March 2019 was tested using linear regression. 'Working with Interpreters' training sessions were undertaken at a regional hospital as well as the tertiary hospital. Training evaluation comprised an anonymous online survey before the training, immediately after and then at six to eight months. Survey data from the sites were pooled for analysis. RESULTS: Employment of the Aboriginal Interpreter Coordinator was deemed the most important component of the intervention, based on reach compared to the other components, and timing of the changes in outcomes in relation to the employment period of the coordinator. There was an inverse association between interpreter bookings and self-discharge rate among Aboriginal inpatients throughout the baseline and intervention period (p = 0.02). This association, the timing of changes and assessment of intercurrent activities at the hospital indicated that the study intervention was likely to be casually related to the measured outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Communication in healthcare can be improved through targeted strategies, with associated improvements in patient outcomes. Health services with high interpreter needs would benefit from employing an interpreter coordinator.

252. autopsych: An R Shiny tool for the reproducible Rasch analysis, differential item functioning, equating, and examination of group effects.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 11

Courtney MGR, Chang KCT, Mei B

253. Assessing the role of the pelvic canal in supporting the gut in humans.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 11

Uy J, Laudicina NM.

254. Neuroinductive properties of mGDNF depend on the producer, E. Coli or human cells.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 11

Shamadykova DV, Panteleev DY, Kust NN

255. Increased risk of hospitalisation and intensive care admission associated with reported cases of SARS-CoV-2 variants B.1.1.7 and B.1.351 in Norway, December 2020 -May 2021.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 11

Veneti L, Seppälä E, Larsdatter Storm M

INTRODUCTION: Since their emergence, SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOC) B.1.1.7 and B.1.351 have spread worldwide. We estimated the risk of hospitalisation and admission to an intensive care unit (ICU) for infections with B.1.1.7 and B.1.351 in Norway, compared to infections with non-VOC. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Using linked individual-level data from national registries, we conducted a cohort study on laboratory-confirmed cases of SARS-CoV-2 in Norway diagnosed between 28 December 2020 and 2 May 2021. Variants were identified based on whole genome sequencing, partial sequencing by Sanger sequencing or PCR screening for selected targets. The outcome was hospitalisation or ICU admission. We calculated adjusted risk ratios (aRR) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) using multivariable binomial regression to examine the association between SARS-CoV-2 variants B.1.1.7 and B.1.351 with i) hospital admission and ii) ICU admission compared to non-VOC. RESULTS: We included 23,169 cases of B.1.1.7, 548 B.1.351 and 4,584 non-VOC. Overall, 1,017 cases were hospitalised (3.6%) and 206 admitted to ICU (0.7%). B.1.1.7 was associated with a 1.9-fold increased risk of hospitalisation (aRR 95%CI 1.6-2.3) and a 1.8-fold increased risk of ICU admission (aRR 95%CI 1.2-2.8) compared to non-VOC. Among hospitalised cases, no difference was found in the risk of ICU admission between B.1.1.7 and non-VOC. B.1.351 was associated with a 2.4-fold increased risk of hospitalisation (aRR 95%CI 1.7-3.3) and a 2.7-fold increased risk of ICU admission (aRR 95%CI 1.2-6.5) compared to non-VOC. DISCUSSION: Our findings add to the growing evidence of a higher risk of severe disease among persons infected with B.1.1.7 or B.1.351. This highlights the importance of prevention and control measures to reduce transmission of these VOC in society, particularly ongoing vaccination programmes, and preparedness plans for hospital surge capacity.

256. The challenges arising from the COVID-19 pandemic and the way people deal with them. A qualitative longitudinal study.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 11

Maison D, Jaworska D, Adamczyk D

257. Prevalence and associated factors of malaria in children under the age of five years in Wogera district, northwest Ethiopia: A cross-sectional study.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 11

Tsegaye AT, Ayele A, Birhanu S.

258. Perceived-stigma level of COVID-19 patients in China in the early stage of the epidemic: A cross-sectional research.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 1

Lin B, Zhong G, Liang Z

259. The availability of psychological support following road travel injuries in Namibia: A qualitative study.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 1

Chatukuta M, Groce N, Mindell J

260. Evaluation of aquaporins in the cerebrospinal fluid in patients with idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 1

Hiraldo-González L, Trillo-Contreras JL, García-Miranda P

261. A new phenothiazine derivate is active against Clostridioides difficile and shows low cytotoxicity.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 1

Ronco T, Aragao FM, Saaby L

262. Multisite verification of the accuracy of a multi-gene next generation sequencing panel for detection of mutations and copy number alterations in solid tumours.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 1

Bartlett J, Amemiya Y, Arts H

263. Online college English education in Wuhan against the COVID-19 pandemic: Student and teacher readiness, challenges and implications.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 1

Zou C, Li P, Jin L.

Online education, including college English education, has been developing rapidly in the recent decade in China. Such aspects as e-readiness, benefits and challenges of online education were well-researched under normal situations, but fully online language teaching on a large-scale in emergencies may tell a different story. A survey of 2310 non-English-major college students and 149 English teachers from three types of twelve higher education institutions in Wuhan was conducted to evaluate their readiness for online English education during the COVID-19 pandemic, to figure out challenges encountered by them and to draw implications for future online college English education. Quantitative statistics gathered using two readiness scales adapted from previous studies showed that both cohorts were slightly below the ready level for the unexpected online transition of college English education. The overall level of readiness for students was 3.68 out of a score of 5, and that for teachers was 3.70. Individual differences were explored and reported. An analysis of qualitative results summarized six categories of challenges encountered by the students, i.e. technical challenges, challenges concerning learning process, learning environment, self-control, efficiency and effectiveness, and health concern. Though the students reported the highest level of readiness in technology access, they were most troubled by technical problems during online study. For teachers, among three types of challenges, they were most frustrated by pedagogical ones, especially students' disengagement in online class. The survey brought insights for online college English education development. Institutions should take the initiative and continue promoting the development of online college English education, because a majority of the respondents reported their willingness and intention to continue learning/teaching English in online or blended courses in the post-pandemic period. They are supposed to remove technical barriers for teachers and students, and assess the readiness levels of both cohorts before launching English courses online. Institutions should also arrange proper training for instructors involved, especially about pedagogical issues. Language teachers are suggested to pay special attention to students' engagement and communication in online courses.

264. Effect of a hospital-wide campaign on COVID-19 vaccination uptake among healthcare workers in the context of raised concerns for life-threatening side effects.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 1

Kim MH, Son NH, Park YS

265. Fungal community characteristics and driving factors during the decaying process of Salix psammophila sand barriers in the desert.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 1

Liang Y, Gao Y, Wang R

266. High prevalence of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae fecal carriage among children under five years in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 1

Tola MA, Abera NA, Gebeyehu YM

BACKGROUND: Extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) producing bacteria present an ever-growing burden in the hospital and community settings. Data on the prevalence of ESBL fecal carriage remain scarce in Ethiopia. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the prevalence of ESBL producing Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae fecal carriage among children under five years in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. METHODS: A facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted from April to May 2017. A total of 269 fecal/rectal swab samples were cultured on MacConkey agar. All positive cultures were characterized by colony morphology, Gram stain, and standard biochemical tests. Further, bacteria identification, antimicrobial susceptibility testing, and phenotypic detection of ESBL production were performed using VITEK 2 Compact as per the instruction of the manufacturer. Socio-demographic and risk factors data were collected using questionnaires. Data were entered by EPI INFO version 7.2.1.0 and analyzed by SPSS version 20. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of ESBL-producing E. coli and K. pneumoniae was 17.1% (46/269; 95% CI: 12.9%-22.7%). A total of 47 isolates were ESBL-positive, of which, 83.0% were E. coli and 17.0% were K. pneumoniae. ESBL producing E. coli and K. pneumoniae isolates were also showed high levels of MDR (93.6%) and high rates of co-resistance to aminoglycosides, fluoroquinolones, and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. However, all isolates were carbapenem susceptible. In the risk factors analysis, Children's mothers who had lower educational level (primary school) (OR: 2.472, 95% CI: 1.323-4.618, P = 0.0062) and children who used tap water for drinking (OR: 1.714, 95% CI: 1.001-3.659, P = 0.048) were found to be significantly associated with higher ESBL fecal carriage. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, the high prevalence rate of ESBL producing E. coli and K. pneumoniae fecal carriage and high level of multidrug resistance among ESBL producing E. coli and K. pneumoniae were demonstrated. This suggested that the necessity of routine screening of ESBL is crucial for the early detection and appropriate antibiotics selection for infection caused by ESBL producing pathogens.

267. Continuous positive airway pressure to reduce the risk of early peripheral oxygen desaturation after onset of apnoea in children: A double-blind randomised controlled trial.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 1

Dos Santos Neto JM, de Carvalho CC, de Andrade LB

268. Hyperendemicity of cysticercosis in Madagascar: Novel insights from school children population-based antigen prevalence study.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 1

Carod JF, Mauny F, Parmentier AL

269. Assay for dual cargo sorting into endoplasmic reticulum exit sites imaged by 3D Super-resolution Confocal Live Imaging Microscopy (SCLIM).

PLoS One

2021 Oct 1

Rodriguez-Gallardo S, Kurokawa K, Sabido-Bozo S

270. Nitrogen fertilization impact on soil carbon pools and their stratification and lability in subtropical wheat-mungbean-rice agroecosystems.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 1

Begum R, Jahangir MMR, Jahiruddin M

271. Is duration of passive second stage associated with a risk of hysterotomy extension during cesarean?

PLoS One

2021 Oct 1

Merrer J, Dreyfus C, Girault A

OBJECTIVE: To assess obstetric factors associated with hysterotomy extension among women undergoing a second-stage cesarean. STUDY DESIGN: This 5-year retrospective cohort study (2013-2017) included all women with second-stage cesarean deliveries of live-born singleton fetuses in cephalic presentation at term. It took place at a tertiary center that practices delayed pushing. We performed univariable and multivariable logistic regression to assess the maternal, obstetric, and neonatal factors associated with hysterotomy extension mentioned in the surgical report. Operative time, postpartum hemorrhage, and maternal complications were also studied. RESULTS: Of the 3350 intrapartum cesareans, 2637 were performed at term for singleton fetuses in cephalic presentation: 747 (28.3%) during the second stage of labor, 83 (11.1%) of which were complicated by a hysterotomy extension. The median duration of the passive phase of the second stage did not differ between women with and without an extension (164 min versus 160 min, P = 0.85). No other second-stage obstetric characteristics, i.e., duration of the active phase, fetal head station, or fetal malposition, were associated with the risk of extension. Factors significantly associated with extension were the surgeon's experience and forceps use during the cesarean. Women with an extension, compared to women without one, had a longer median operative time (49 min versus 32 min, P<0.001) and higher rates of postpartum hemorrhage and blood transfusion (respectively, 30.1% versus 15.1%, p = 0.002 and 7.2% versus 2.4%, P = 0.03). CONCLUSION: The risk of a hysterotomy extension does not appear to be associated with second-stage obstetric characteristics, including the duration of the passive phase of this stage. In our center, which practices delayed pushing, prolonging this passive phase beyond 2 hours does not increase the risk of hysterotomy extension in second-stage cesareans.

272. An improved reduced-order model for pressure drop across arterial stenoses.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 1

Lyras KG, Lee J.

273. Deciphering the change in root system architectural traits under limiting and non-limiting phosphorus in Indian bread wheat germplasm.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 1

Dharmateja P, Kumar M, Pandey R

The root system architectures (RSAs) largely decide the phosphorus use efficiency (PUE) of plants by influencing the phosphorus uptake. Very limited information is available on wheat's RSAs and their deciding factors affecting phosphorus uptake efficiency (PupE) due to difficulties in adopting scoring values used for evaluating root traits. Based on our earlier research experience on nitrogen uptake efficiency screening under, hydroponics and soil-filled pot conditions, a comprehensive study on 182 Indian bread wheat genotypes was carried out under hydroponics with limited P (LP) and non-limiting P (NLP) conditions. The findings revealed a significant genetic variation, root traits correlation, and moderate to high heritability for RSAs traits namely primary root length (PRL), total root length (TRL), total root surface area (TSA), root average diameter (RAD), total root volume (TRV), total root tips (TRT) and total root forks (TRF). In LP, the expressions of TRL, TRV, TSA, TRT and TRF were enhanced while PRL and RAD were diminished. An almost similar pattern of correlations among the RSAs was also observed in both conditions except for RAD. RAD exhibited significant negative correlations with PRL, TRL, TSA, TRT and TRF under LP (r = -0.45, r = -0.35, r = -0.16, r = -0.30, and r = -0.28 respectively). The subclass of TRL, TSA, TRV and TRT representing the 0-0.5 mm diameter had a higher root distribution percentage in LP than NLP. Comparatively wide range of H' value i.e. 0.43 to 0.97 in LP than NLP indicates that expression pattern of these traits are highly influenced by the level of P. In which, RAD (0.43) expression was reduced in LP, and expressions of TRF (0.91) and TSA (0.97) were significantly enhanced. The principal component analysis for grouping of traits and genotypes over LP and NLP revealed a high PC1 score indicating the presence of non-crossover interactions. Based on the comprehensive P response index value (CPRI value), the top five highly P efficient wheat genotypes namely BW 181, BW 103, BW 104, BW 143 and BW 66, were identified. Considering the future need for developing resource-efficient wheat varieties, these genotypes would serve as valuable genetic sources for improving P efficiency in wheat cultivars. This set of genotypes would also help in understanding the genetic architecture of a complex trait like P use efficiency.

274. Supply chain coordination strategy for NEVs based on supplier alliance under dual-credit policy.

PLoS One

2021 Oct 1

Ma M, Meng W, Li Y

275. Interleukin-22 mitigates acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).

PLoS One

2021 Oct 1

Taghavi S, Jackson-Weaver O, Abdullah S

Newmer生物

Newmer生物