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Solid State Nucl Magn Reson 2021 Apr 7;113:101732. Epub 2021 Apr 7.

Cryogenic Ltd, London, UK.

Despite the obvious advantages of cryogen-free magnets for NMR such as independence of liquid helium supply and the possibility to use the same magnet at different fields, the practical application of those magnets remains limited because of temporal magnetic field distortions associated with cryogen-free cold head operation. A new experimental method for the simple and reliable detection of the temporal field distortions is described in this paper. The accuracy of the magnetic field measurements by this method is two orders of magnitude higher than by conventional MetroLab Tesla meter. Read More

Bone 2021 Apr 17:115964. Epub 2021 Apr 17.

Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.

Background: Rickets is a primary manifestation of pediatric X-linked hypophosphatemia (XLH) - a rare progressive hereditary phosphate-wasting disease. Severity is quantified from radiographs using the Rickets Severity Scale (RSS). The Radiographic Global Impression of Change (RGI-C) is a complementary assessment in which a change score is assigned based on differences in the appearance of rickets on pairs of radiographs compared side by side. Read More

PLoS One 2021 20;16(4):e0250149. Epub 2021 Apr 20.

Department of Applied Statistics and Econometrics, Faculty of Graduate Studies for Statistical Research, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt.

The novel coronavirus COVID-19 is spreading across the globe. By 30 Sep 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that the number of cases worldwide had reached 34 million with more than one million deaths. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) registered the first case of COVID-19 on 2 Mar 2020. Read More

Community Dent Oral Epidemiol 2021 Apr 19. Epub 2021 Apr 19.

College of Stomatology, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China.

Objectives: To establish and validate a short form of the self-management ability questionnaire (SMAQ) for chronic periodontitis patients.

Methods: A total of 480 chronic periodontitis patients were recruited and divided randomly in into two groups: development group and validation group. The item reduction process of the SMAQ was based on item response theory (IRT) and classical test theory (CTT). Read More

Sci Rep 2021 Apr 19;11(1):8423. Epub 2021 Apr 19.

Departament de Física, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Rambla St. Nebridi 22, 08222, Terrassa, Spain.

Identifying, from time series analysis, reliable indicators of causal relationships is essential for many disciplines. Main challenges are distinguishing correlation from causality and discriminating between direct and indirect interactions. Over the years many methods for data-driven causal inference have been proposed; however, their success largely depends on the characteristics of the system under investigation. Read More

Light Sci Appl 2020 Apr 20;9(1):66. Epub 2020 Apr 20.

Key Laboratory of Environmental Optics and Technology, Anhui Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, 230031, China.

The Environmental Trace Gases Monitoring Instrument (EMI) is the first Chinese satellite-borne UV-Vis spectrometer aiming to measure the distribution of atmospheric trace gases on a global scale. The EMI instrument onboard the GaoFen-5 satellite was launched on 9 May 2018. In this paper, we present the tropospheric nitrogen dioxide (NO) vertical column density (VCD) retrieval algorithm dedicated to EMI measurement. Read More

Artif Intell Med 2021 Apr 6;114:102048. Epub 2021 Mar 6.

Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Shiraz University of Technology, Shiraz, Iran. Electronic address:

The tumor proliferation, which is correlated with tumor grade, is a crucial biomarker indicative of breast cancer patients' prognosis. The most commonly used method in predicting tumor proliferation speed is the counting of mitotic figures in Hematoxylin and Eosin (H&E) histological slides. Manual mitosis counting is known to suffer from reproducibility problems. Read More

Clin Neurol Neurosurg 2021 Apr 1;205:106626. Epub 2021 Apr 1.

Department of Neuroradiology, University Hospital of Southampton, Tremona Rd, Southampton, UK.

Objective: A pragmatic tool for the early and reliable prediction of recovery in patients with acute ischemic stroke is needed. We aimed to test the addition of brain eloquent areas involvement in variables predicting poor outcome, using a simple scoring system.

Methods: Retrospective study of patients with anterior circulation acute ischemic stroke treated with best medical treatment and/or endovascular reperfusion. Read More

Neuroimage Clin 2021 Mar 29;30:102652. Epub 2021 Mar 29.

Buffalo Neuroimaging Analysis Center, Department of Neurology, School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo, State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, USA; Jacobs MS Center, Department of Neurology, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo, State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, USA.

Background: Thalamic volume loss is a key marker of neurodegeneration in multiple sclerosis (MS). T2-FLAIR MRI is a common denominator in clinical routine MS imaging, but current methods for thalamic volumetry are not applicable to it.

Objective: To develop and validate a robust algorithm to measure thalamic volume using clinical routine T2-FLAIR MRI. Read More

Int J Cancer 2021 Apr 19. Epub 2021 Apr 19.

Nykøbing Falster Hospital, University of Copenhagen, Nykøbing Falster, Denmark.

Overdiagnosis is a harmful consequence of screening which is particularly challenging to estimate. An unbiased setting to measure overdiagnosis in breast cancer screening requires comparative data from a screened and an unscreened cohort for at least 30 years. Such randomized data will not become available, leaving us with observational data over shorter time periods and outcomes of modelling. Read More

Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2021 Apr 19;4:CD011535. Epub 2021 Apr 19.

Department of Dermatology, Hôpital Henri Mondor, Créteil, France.

Background: Psoriasis is an immune-mediated disease for which some people have a genetic predisposition. The condition manifests in inflammatory effects on either the skin or joints, or both, and it has a major impact on quality of life. Although there is currently no cure for psoriasis, various treatment strategies allow sustained control of disease signs and symptoms. Read More

Res Pract Thromb Haemost 2021 Mar 27;5(3):403-411. Epub 2021 Mar 27.

Child Health Evaluative Sciences The Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute Toronto ON Canada.

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to review and update the content of the Canadian Hemophilia Outcomes-Kids' Life Assessment Tool version 2.0 (CHO-KLAT), in the context of extended half-life (EHL) factor concentrates (FCs) and to establish the validity and reliability of the updated CHO-KLAT.

Methods: Focus groups were conducted with boys with hemophilia, their parents, and health care providers across Canada to review the CHO-KLAT v2. Read More

Laryngoscope Investig Otolaryngol 2021 Apr 18;6(2):244-251. Epub 2021 Feb 18.

Department of Otolaryngology, School of Medicine University of Colorado Aurora Colorado USA.

Objectives: Although jet ventilation is frequently used during surgery for airway stenosis, little is known about distal airway pressures during jet ventilation. The objective of the study is to determine how jet pressure, flow rate, and position of the ventilation needle relate to distal airway pressure magnitude and homogeneity.

Methods: Two 3D models of the first five generations of the human airway tree were created. Read More

PeerJ 2021 5;9:e11228. Epub 2021 Apr 5.

Department of Physiotherapy, University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain.

Background: Neck pain has a high annual incidence and decreases the cervical active range of motion (ROM). Clinicians use various methods to evaluate cervical range of motion (CROM) that some of them have also been proposed to give instant feedback. Accordingly, this study aimed to examine the validity and reliability of Veloflex (VF) to measure the CROM by comparison with the cervical range of motion (CROM) device, and to examine their test-retest reliability. Read More

Front Psychol 2021 31;12:636129. Epub 2021 Mar 31.

Unit of Psychology-Neuropsychology, Institute of Veruno, Maugeri Scientific Institutes for Research, Hospitalization and Health Care, Veruno, Italy.

Healthcare workers facing the threatening COVID-19 can experience severe difficulties. Despite the need to evaluate both the psychological distress and positive protective resources, brief and reliable assessment tools are lacking. Study 1 aimed at developing a new assessment tool to measure psychological distress and esteem in healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Read More

Neuroimage Clin 2021 Apr 7;30:102663. Epub 2021 Apr 7.

Department of Health Informatics, School of Health Professions, Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences, Newark, NJ 07103, USA. Electronic address:

Prescription opioid use disorder (POUD) has reached epidemic proportions in the United States, raising an urgent need for diagnostic biological tools that can improve predictions of disease characteristics. The use of neuroimaging methods to develop such biomarkers have yielded promising results when applied to neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders, yet have not been extended to prescription opioid addiction. With this long-term goal in mind, we conducted a preliminary study in this understudied clinical group. Read More

J Orthop Sci 2021 Apr 14. Epub 2021 Apr 14.

Division of Radiology, Department of Medical Technology, Kyushu University, 3-1-1, Maidashi, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka 812-8582, Japan.

Background: The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the accuracy of the measurements associated with leg alignment on a teleoroentgenogram and an orthoroentgenogram.

Methods: The models being irradiated were manufactured and represented 10° varus and 15° varus leg alignment, in which the true values of hip-knee-ankle angle (HKAA), mechanical axis (MA) length, and percentage of MA (%MA) were already known. HKAA, MA length, and %MA were measured in various radiographic conditions of the teleoroentgenogram and orthoroentgenogram. Read More

Int J Psychophysiol 2021 Apr 15. Epub 2021 Apr 15.

Duke Global Health Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States of America.

The Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) is a widely used, reliable, and ecologically valid method for inducing acute stress under controlled conditions. Traditionally, the TSST is administered with staff physically present with participants, which limits the participant populations that can be exposed to the TSST. We describe an adaptation of the TSST to remote, online delivery over video-conferencing, which we call the internet-delivered Trier Social Stress Test (iTSST). Read More

BMC Endocr Disord 2021 Apr 17;21(1):72. Epub 2021 Apr 17.

Spiritual Health Research Center, Research Institute for Health Development, Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences, Sanandaj, Iran.

Background: Diabetic foot self-care refers to a group of self-management behaviors that can reduce the incidence of foot ulcers and amputations. It is necessary to have a valid and reliable standard tool to measure foot self-care in diabetic patients. This study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Persian version of the Diabetic Foot Self-Care Questionnaire of the University of Malaga, Spain (DFSQ-UMA) in Iran. Read More

J Pharm Biomed Anal 2021 Apr 10;200:114068. Epub 2021 Apr 10.

Bursa Uludag University, Faculty of Science and Arts, Department of Chemistry, 16059, Bursa, Turkey. Electronic address:

Oxidation of DNA due to exposure to reactive oxygen species (ROS) is a major source of DNA damage. ROS induced damage to DNA plays an important role in some diseases such as various cancers, aging and neurodegenerative diseases. The detection of DNA oxidation products plays a major role in assessing the mutagenicity potential of specific exposure. Read More

Eur Respir J 2021 Apr 16. Epub 2021 Apr 16.

Department of Neurology, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands

Respiratory muscle weakness is common in neuromuscular disorders and leads to significant respiratory difficulties. Therefore, reliable and easy assessment of respiratory muscle structure and function in neuromuscular disorders is crucial. In the last decade, ultrasound and MRI emerged as promising imaging techniques to assess respiratory muscle structure and function. Read More

Int J Oral Maxillofac Surg 2021 Apr 13. Epub 2021 Apr 13.

Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Faculty of Dentistry, Izmir Katip Celebi University, Izmir, Turkey. Electronic address:

The aim of this study was to analyse the vertical location of the posterior superior alveolar artery (PSAA) using a reliable new reference plane regardless of tooth and alveolar bone, and to measure the diameter in each posterior tooth region, which is of relevance to lateral sinus floor elevation surgery. A total of 270 sinuses in 139 patients were examined in this study. The A-plane was defined by A-point and the bilateral jugal points on reconstructed three-dimensional images. Read More

Disabil Rehabil 2021 Apr 16:1-13. Epub 2021 Apr 16.

School of Public Policy, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada.

Purpose: Reliable, valid, and pragmatic measures are essential for monitoring and evaluating employment readiness and comparing the effectiveness of alternative implementation strategies. The Work Readiness Inventory (WRI) and Ansell-Casey Life Skills Assessment (ACLSA) are valid measures of employment readiness in neurotypical populations; however, their acceptability (i.e. Read More

Phys Rev E 2021 Mar;103(3-1):032608

Laboratoire PMMH-ESPCI Paris, PSL Research University, Sorbonne Université and Denis Diderot, 7, quai Saint-Bernard, Paris, France.

We develop a maximum likelihood method to infer relevant physical properties of elongated active particles. Using individual trajectories of advected swimmers as input, we are able to accurately determine their rotational diffusion coefficients and an effective measure of their aspect ratio, also providing reliable estimators for the uncertainties of such quantities. We validate our theoretical construction using numerically generated active trajectories upon no flow, simple shear, and Poiseuille flow, with excellent results. Read More

Int J Sports Med 2021 Apr 16. Epub 2021 Apr 16.

Department of Human Movement Sciences, Faculty of Behavioural and Movement Sciences, Amsterdam Movement Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands.

Assessment of metabolic energy expenditure from indirect calorimetry is currently limited to sustained (>4 min) cyclic activities, because of steady-state requirements. This is problematic for patient populations who are unable to perform such sustained activities. Therefore, this study explores validity and reliability of a method estimating metabolic energy expenditure based on oxygen consumption (V̇O) during short walking bouts. Read More

J Anim Breed Genet 2021 Apr 16. Epub 2021 Apr 16.

Animal Sciences Department, Federal University of Ceará, Fortaleza, Brazil.

The study's objective was to compare the genomic prediction ability methods for the traits milk yield, milk composition and somatic cell count of Saanen Brazilian goats. Nine hundred forty goats, genotyped with an Axiom_OviCap (Caprine) panel, Affimetrix customized array with 62,557 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), were used for the genomic selection analyses. The genomic methods studied to estimate the effects of SNPs and direct genomic values (DGV) were as follows: (a) genomic BLUP (GBLUP), (b) Bayes Cπ and (c) Bayesian Lasso (BLASSO). Read More

Pediatr Pulmonol 2021 Apr 16. Epub 2021 Apr 16.

INSERM U934, Centre de Recherche Saint Antoine, Paris, France.

Nasal Nitric Oxide (nNO) measurement is recommended to screen for Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia (PCD) in subjects with suggestive history and symptoms. Clinical use of alternative methods (ie breath hold (BH), tidal breathing (TB)) in children unable to perform the gold standard slow Exhalation against a Resistance (ER) method has not been sufficiently evaluated. We extracted retrospectively (2013-2019) 454 files (374 subjects) containing nNO results. Read More

Eat Weight Disord 2021 Apr 15. Epub 2021 Apr 15.

Department of Psychological Science, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, 9201 University City Blvd., Charlotte, NC, 28223, USA.

Purpose: The study objective was to develop and validate a measure of parent perception of child weight-related risk, the Child Weight Risk Questionnaire (CWRQ), among a sample of US parents.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in a sample of 216 parents of 6- to 12-year-old children who were overweight. The CWRQ was used to assess parent beliefs about their child's susceptibility to physical, social-emotional, and behavioral health problems due to weight. Read More

Future Oncol 2021 Apr 16. Epub 2021 Apr 16.

Department of Health Sciences, Section of Clinical Pharmacology & Oncology, University of Florence, Viale Pieraccini, 6, Florence, 50139, Italy.

ALTERTASTE is a prospective study to evaluate changes in taste/flavor perception and food preferences in patients treated with adjuvant or neoadjuvant chemotherapy for breast or colorectal cancer. The study adopts a longitudinal approach. Taste and odor responsiveness, food preferences and habits, emotions elicited by foods, and quality of life will be measured at six-time points: before chemotherapy (T0), after two cycles (T1, after around 1 month), after four cycles (T2, after around 2 months), after six cycles (T3, after around 4 months), at the end of chemotherapy (T4, after around 6 months) and 3 months after the conclusion of the therapy (T5). Read More