Search Our Scientific Publications & Authors

Seizure 2021 Mar 23;88:78-82. Epub 2021 Mar 23.

Department of Psychiatry, Hospital das Clínicas, University of São Paulo Medical School (IPq/HCFMUSP), Brazil.

Purpose: It is established that the severity of depressive and anxiety symptoms is associated with poorer quality of life (QOL) in persons with drug-resistant epilepsy. We aimed to verify the presence of subsyndromic depressive episodes (SDEs) and subsyndromic anxiety episodes (SAEs) in persons with temporal lobe epilepsy with hippocampal sclerosis (TLE-HS) compared to healthy controls and to determine the impact of depressive and anxiety symptoms on patients' QOL.

Methods: We prospectively evaluated 35 persons with TLE-HS and 90 healthy controls. Read More

J Community Health 2021 Apr 9. Epub 2021 Apr 9.

Orange County Health Care Agency, Santa Ana, CA, 92660, USA.

Willingness and reasons to be vaccinated against COVID-19 were examined among 26,324 respondents who completed a survey on willingness and questions related to Confidence in vaccine safety, Complacency about the disease, Convenience of vaccination, tendency to Calculate risks versus benefits, and Concern for protecting others. Willingness to be vaccinated differed by age (p < 0.001), by race and ethnicity (p < 0. Read More

Orthopade 2021 Apr 9. Epub 2021 Apr 9.

Orthopädische Klinik und Poliklinik, Universitätsmedizin Rostock, Doberaner Straße 142, 18057, Rostock, Deutschland.

The absolute number of total knee arthroplasties (TKA) continues to rise every year. About 10% of the patients are less than 55 years of age, although it is known that functional results and patient satisfaction are lower combined with an increased likelihood of revision compared to older patients. Higher physical activity and patient expectations are a major challenge in this age group. Read More

J Spine Surg 2021 Mar;7(1):8-18

Department of Neurosurgery, Henry Ford Health System, 2799 West Grand Boulevard, Detroit, MI, USA.

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the changes to spinopelvic sagittal alignment following minimally invasive (MIS) lumbar interbody fusion, and the influence of such changes on postoperative discharge disposition.

Methods: The Michigan Spine Surgery Improvement Collaborative was queried for all patients who underwent transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF)or lateral lumbar interbody fusion (LLIF) procedures for degenerative spine disease. Several spinopelvic sagittal alignment parameters were measured, including sagittal vertical axis (SVA), lumbar lordosis, pelvic tilt, pelvic incidence, and pelvic incidence-lumbar lordosis mismatch. Read More

BMC Public Health 2021 Apr 8;21(1):684. Epub 2021 Apr 8.

School of Psychological Science, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.

Background: We investigated if people's response to the official recommendations during the COVID-19 pandemic is associated with conspiracy beliefs related to COVID-19, a distrust in the sources providing information on COVID-19, and an endorsement of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM).

Methods: The sample consisted of 1325 Finnish adults who filled out an online survey marketed on Facebook. Structural regression analysis was used to investigate whether: 1) conspiracy beliefs, a distrust in information sources, and endorsement of CAM predict people's response to the non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) implemented by the government during the COVID-19 pandemic, and 2) conspiracy beliefs, a distrust in information sources, and endorsement of CAM are related to people's willingness to take a COVID-19 vaccine. Read More

J Speech Lang Hear Res 2021 Apr 8:1-17. Epub 2021 Apr 8.

Faculty of English, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland.

Purpose Former studies suggested that music perception can help produce certain accentual features in the first and second language (L2), such as intonational contours. What was missing in many of these studies was the identification of the exact relationship between specific music perception skills and the production of different accentual features in a foreign language. Our aim was to verify whether empirically tested musical hearing skills can be related to the acquisition of English vowels by learners of English as an L2 before and after a formal accent training course. Read More

Interact Cardiovasc Thorac Surg 2021 Apr;32(3):433-440

Department of Cardiac Surgery, Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Liverpool, UK.

Objectives: To compare patient-reported outcome measures of minimally invasive (MI) to sternotomy (ST) mitral valve repair.

Methods: We included all patients undergoing isolated mitral valve surgery via either a right mini-thoracotomy (MI) or ST over a 36-month period. Patients were asked to complete a modified Composite Physical Function questionnaire. Read More

PLoS One 2021 8;16(4):e0250022. Epub 2021 Apr 8.

Department of Biology and Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States of America.

Populations of migratory waterbirds are facing dramatic declines worldwide due to illegal hunting, habitat loss and climate change. Conservation strategies to reverse these trends are imperative, especially in tropical developing countries, which almost invariably allocate insufficient levels of investment for environmental protection. Here, we compared the effectiveness of sustainable-use Protected Areas (PAs) and Community-based Conservation (CBC) arrangements for the conservation of migratory waterbirds that breed on seasonal riverine sandy beaches in Brazilian Amazonia. Read More

Alzheimers Res Ther 2021 Apr 7;13(1):75. Epub 2021 Apr 7.

Laboratory for Cognitive Neurology, Department of Neurosciences, Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.

Background: We examined in cognitively intact older adults the relative weight of cognitive, genetic, structural and amyloid brain imaging variables for predicting cognitive change over a 4-year time course.

Methods: One hundred-eighty community-recruited cognitively intact older adults (mean age 68 years, range 52-80 years, 81 women) belonging to the Flemish Prevent Alzheimer's Disease Cohort KU Leuven (F-PACK) longitudinal observational cohort underwent a baseline evaluation consisting of detailed cognitive assessment, structural MRI and F-flutemetamol PET. At inclusion, subjects were stratified based on Apolipoprotein E (APOE) ε4 and Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) val66met polymorphism according to a factorial design. Read More

J Environ Manage 2021 Mar 31;288:112466. Epub 2021 Mar 31.

Department of Agricultural Extension and Education, Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources University of Khuzestan, Mollasani, Iran. Electronic address:

Water security while facing a growing water demand and decreasing supply has become a vital issue in urban areas, especially in arid and semi-arid regions. Considering households' potential for significant water saving, residential water conservation has become the main component of the future sustainable water supply. To encourage households to engage in water conservation behaviors voluntarily, it is crucial to recognize and consider the socio-psychological factors influencing acceptance of such behaviors, including intention, normative aspects, and so on, because it can lead to the implementation of effective policies in urban water demand management. Read More

Proc Biol Sci 2021 Apr 7;288(1948):20203126. Epub 2021 Apr 7.

Great Lakes Laboratory for Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, 867 Lakeshore Road, Burlington, ON, Canada, L7S 1A1.

Many ecological systems are now exposed to multiple stressors, and ecosystem management increasingly requires consideration of the joint effects of multiple stressors on focal populations, communities and ecosystems. In the absence of empirical data, ecosystem managers could use null models based on the combination of independently acting stressors to estimate the joint effects of multiple stressors. Here, we used a simulation study and a meta-analysis to explore the consequences of null model selection for the prediction of mortality resulting from exposure to two stressors. Read More

J Thorac Oncol 2021 Apr 3. Epub 2021 Apr 3.

Department of oncology and pathology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden; Section of Head, Neck, Lung and Skin tumours, Theme Cancer, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.

Introduction: Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) of thoracic tumors close to the central airways implies risk of severe toxicity. We report a prospective multicenter phase II trial for tumors located ≤1cm from the proximal bronchial tree (PBT) with primary endpoint local control and secondary endpoint toxicity.

Methods: SBRT with 7 Gy x 8 was prescribed to the 67% isodose encompassing the planning target volume (PTV). Read More

Elife 2021 Apr 6;10. Epub 2021 Apr 6.

Evolutionary Anthropology, Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States.

Aging, for virtually all life, is inescapable. However, within populations, biological aging rates vary. Understanding sources of variation in this process is central to understanding the biodemography of natural populations. Read More

Pediatrics 2021 Apr 5. Epub 2021 Apr 5.

School of Public Health, The University of Queensland, Herston, Queensland, Australia.

Objectives: To examine the association between child maltreatment (abuse and neglect) in one sibling and that in another as well as associated risk factors.

Methods: The participants were 520 sibling pairs enrolled in a population-based birth cohort study in Brisbane, Australia ( = 1040). Exposure to suspected child maltreatment was measured by linkage with state child protection agency data. Read More

J Pain 2021 Apr 2. Epub 2021 Apr 2.

Division of Physiotherapy, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Huddinge, Sweden; School of Education, Health and Social Studies, Dalarna University, Falun, Sweden; Center for Clinical Research Dalarna - Uppsala University, Falun, Sweden.

Chronic pain-related sickness absence is an enormous socioeconomic burden globally. Optimized interventions are reliant on a lucid understanding of the distribution of social insurance benefits and their predictors. This register-based observational study analyzed data for a seven-year period from a population-based sample of 44,241 chronic pain patients eligible for interdisciplinary treatment (IDT) at specialist clinics. Read More

Aging Dis 2021 Apr 1;12(2):415-424. Epub 2021 Apr 1.

3Department of Neurosurgery, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, USA.

Although revascularization rates after endovascular thrombectomy for large vessel acute ischemic stroke (AIS) are high (71%), only 46% of patients achieve functional independence at 90 days. The present study was designed to explore a new method for predicting the functional prognosis of AIS patients after endovascular recanalization. A total of 200 anterior circulation stroke patients who received endovascular therapy were enrolled. Read More

Stroke 2021 Apr 5:STROKEAHA120031242. Epub 2021 Apr 5.

Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany. (M.E.M., C.B., G.B., H.L., R.M., J.F., F.F.).

Background And Purpose: Endovascular therapy is the standard of care in the treatment of acute ischemic stroke due to large-vessel occlusion. A direct association between the number of device passes and the occurrence of symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (SICH) has been suggested. This study represents an in-depth investigation of the hypothesis that >3 retrieval attempts is associated with an increased rate of SICH in a large multicenter patient cohort. Read More

Spine (Phila Pa 1976) 2021 Apr 2. Epub 2021 Apr 2.

Department of Neurological Rehabilitation, The Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel Israel National Centre for Trauma and Emergency Medicine Research, The Gertner institute for Epidemiology and Health Policy Research, The Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel The Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel School of Health Professions, Ono Academic College, Kiryat Ono, Israel.

Study Design: A retrospective cohort study.

Objective: This study aims to assess the potential value of very early trauma variables such as Abbreviated Injury Scale and the Injury Severity Score for predicting independent ambulation following a traumatic spinal cord injury (TSCI).

Summary Of Background Data: Several models for prediction of ambulation early after TSCI have been published and validated. Read More

Heart Lung Circ 2021 Mar 31. Epub 2021 Mar 31.

Department of Cardiology, National University Heart Centre, Singapore.

Background: The success rate of coronary angiography (CA) after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is variable. Our aim was to investigate CA difficulty, outcomes, and predictors of difficult CA after TAVI.

Method: This was an international multicentric retrospective cohort study that included patients with TAVI and subsequent CA between January 2010 and December 2019. Read More

Ann Neurol 2021 Apr 2. Epub 2021 Apr 2.

Language Research Laboratory, Faculty of Medicine, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal.

Objective: Knowing explicitly where we are is an interpretation of our spatial representations. Reduplicative paramnesia is a disrupting syndrome in which patients present a firm belief of spatial mislocation. Here, we studied the largest sample of patients with delusional misidentifications of space (i. Read More

Clin Pharmacol Ther 2021 Apr 2. Epub 2021 Apr 2.

Center for Translational Medicine, School of Pharmacy, University of Maryland, Baltimore.

Negative clinical outcomes after switching from brand to generic antidepressants have raised concerns regarding therapeutic equivalency. This research aims to estimate the prevalence of switching and to identify predictors for generic to brand switching for various antidepressants. This retrospective cohort study utilized data from a 10% random sample of enrollees in the IQVIA PharMetrics® Plus claims database from 2007-2015. Read More

Int J Environ Res Public Health 2021 Mar 23;18(6). Epub 2021 Mar 23.

College of Nursing, Seoul National University, Seoul 03080, Korea.

Teachers are not only subjects of school health efforts but also role models for students' health behaviors; teachers' health-promoting behaviors can induce students' healthy behaviors with their positive health outcomes. This study was an examination of personal factors, situational factors, and health literacy as influences on teachers' health-promoting behaviors. A hierarchical multiple regression analysis was implemented based on an integrated model of health literacy. Read More

Int J Environ Res Public Health 2021 Mar 1;18(5). Epub 2021 Mar 1.

Department of Physical Education, College of Education, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Korea.

Previous studies have identified that a behavior can occur through the strongest predictor intention, but there is a gap between intention and behavior. Dopamine receptor D2 (DRD2) is known to account for a variance in sporting behaviors in human and animal subjects. However, the relationship between DRD2 and sport participation has been poorly studied, and the limited available reports are inconsistent. Read More

Diagnostics (Basel) 2021 Mar 17;11(3). Epub 2021 Mar 17.

Clinical Medicine Division, Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine (KIOM), 1672, Yuseong-daero, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34054, Korea.

This study aims to investigate the association between hypertension and facial complexion and determine whether facial complexion is a predictor for hypertension. Using the Commission internationale de l'éclairage L*a*b* (CIELAB) color space, the facial complexion variables of 1099 subjects were extracted in three regions (forehead, cheek, and nose) and the total face. Logistic regression was performed to analyze the association between hypertension and individual color variables. Read More

J Spinal Cord Med 2021 Apr 2:1-7. Epub 2021 Apr 2.

Regis University School of Physical Therapy, Denver, Colorado, USA.

Context/objective: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) indices of spinal cord damage are predictive of future motor function after spinal cord injury (SCI): hyperintensity length, midsagittal tissue bridges, and Brain and Spinal Injury Center (BASIC) scores. Whether these indices are predictive of outdoor walking after SCI is unknown. The primary purpose was to see if these MRI indices predict the ability to walk outdoors one-year after SCI. Read More

Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 2021 Apr 1. Epub 2021 Apr 1.

Department of Environmental Biology, State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, NY, 13210, USA.

The northeastern United States receives elevated mercury (Hg) deposition from United States and global emissions, making it critical to understand the fate of Hg in watersheds with a variety of aquatic habitats and land use types, such as the Finger Lakes region of New York State. Bats are valuable and important organisms to study chronic Hg exposure, because they are at risk of sublethal effects from elevated Hg exposure. The objectives of this study were to: (1) determine total Hg (THg) and methylmercury (MeHg) concentrations in big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus) of the Finger Lakes region; (2) assess whether morphometric, temporal, or spatial factors predict bat Hg concentrations; and (3) investigate the role of trophic position and diet represented by stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen in explaining variations in bat Hg concentrations. Read More

Dermatol Surg 2021 Apr;47(4):445-451

Department of Dermatology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT.

Background: Perineural invasion (PNI) is a known risk factor for recurrence, metastasis, and death in cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC). Current staging systems include PNI, but none define its extent or severity.

Objective: To identify histopathologic features of cSCC with PNI that may be associated with adverse outcomes. Read More

Respir Res 2021 Apr 1;22(1):98. Epub 2021 Apr 1.

Respiratory Disease Unit, Department of Cardiac, Thoracic, Vascular Sciences and Public Health, University of Padova, Via Giustiniani 2, 35128, Padova, Italy.

Background: A common variant located in the promoter region of MUC5B (rs35705950) is the strongest risk factor for sporadic and familiar IPF, as well as a predictor of outcome. However, there are no data on the effect of MUC5B rs35705950 genotype on the prognosis of IPF patients on antifibrotic treatment. The aim of this study is to determine, in a phenotypically well-characterized population of patients with IPF treated with antifibrotics, the impact of MUC5B rs35705950 genotype on disease progression and survival. Read More

BMC Geriatr 2021 Apr 1;21(1):221. Epub 2021 Apr 1.

Department of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.

Background: People with Parkinson's disease (PD) have described their walking difficulties as linked to activity avoidance, social isolation, reduced independence and quality of life. There is a knowledge gap regarding predictive factors of perceived walking difficulties in people with PD. Such knowledge could be useful when designing intervention studies. Read More

Int J Gen Med 2021 25;14:1023-1032. Epub 2021 Mar 25.

College of Nursing, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada.

Background: Globally, hypertension is the leading non-communicable disease and strongest predictor of cardiovascular diseases. To mitigate and prevent hypertension-related complications, self-care behavior adaptation has proven to be vital. In this study, we examined the six clinically prescribed levels of self-care as prescribed by the Seventh Report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation and Treatment of High Blood Pressure and its predictors among a select sample of hypertensive individuals in Karachi, Pakistan. Read More