Wellcome Open Research最新文献

Background: Binary diagnostic tests are commonly used in medicine to answer a question about a patient's clinical status, most commonly, do they or do they not have some disease. Recent advances in statistical methodologies for performing inferential statistics to compare commonly used test metrics for two diagnostic tests have not yet been implemented in a statistical package.

Methods: Up-to-date statistical methods to compare the test metrics achieved by two binary diagnostic tests are implemented in the new R package testCompareR. The output and efficiency of testCompareR is compared to the only other available package which performs this function, DTComPair, as well as an open-source program, compbdt, using a motivating example.

Results: testCompareR achieves similar results to DTComPair using statistical methods with improved coverage and asymptotic performance. Further, testCompareR is faster than the currently available package and requires fewer pre-processing steps in order to produce accurate results.

Conclusions: testCompareR provides a new tool to compare the test metrics for two binary diagnostic tests compared with the gold standard. This tool allows flexible inputs, which minimises the need for data pre-processing, and operates in very few steps, so that it is easy to use even for those less experienced with R. testCompareR achieves results comparable to those computed by DTComPair, using optimised statistical methods and with improved computational efficiency.

Background: Periodontitis, one of the most common forms of periodontal disease, has been linked to several cardiovascular factors including metabolic syndrome and inflammatory processes. This study aimed to determine the association between type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and periodontitis in a representative sample of individuals in the north of Peru.

Materials and methods: Secondary data analysis using information of a population-based survey, enrolling subjects aged 35 to 69 years. The outcome was periodontitis, evaluated using a self-reported and validated 8-item questionnaire (≥5 points compatible with severe periodontitis), whereas the exposure was the presence of T2DM, evaluated using results of oral glucose tolerance test and categorized into two different forms: (a) normoglycemic, prediabetes, and T2DM, and (b) without T2DM, with T2DM and <5 years of diagnosis, and with T2DM and ≥5 years of diagnosis. Poisson regression models were utilized to report prevalence ratios (PR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI).

Results: Data from 1606 individuals were analyzed, with a mean age of 48.2 (SD: 10.6) years, and 50.3% were women. Of these, 272 (16.9%) had prediabetes and 176 (11.0%) had T2DM (71.6% with <5 years of disease). Overall, 97.0% presented at least one symptom compatible with periodontitis, 882 (55.0%) had mild, 643 (40.0%) had moderate, and 5% had severe periodontitis. In multivariable model, those with T2DM had a higher prevalence of severe periodontitis (PR = 1.99; 95% CI: 1.12 - 3.54). Similarly, those with <5 years of disease had a higher prevalence of severe periodontitis (PR = 2.48; 95% CI: 1.38 - 4.46).

Conclusions: Our research confirms the association between T2DM and severe periodontitis, especially among those with recent diagnosis (<5 years). Symptoms of periodontitis are quite common in our study population. Our results suggest a need to periodically assess oral health in patients with T2DM.

We present a genome assembly from an individual Bromus sterilis (the barren brome; Streptophyta; Magnoliopsida; Poales; Poaceae). The genome sequence has a total length of 2,677.90 megabases. Most of the assembly is scaffolded into 7 chromosomal pseudomolecules. The mitochondrial and plastid genome assemblies have lengths of 523.28 kilobases and 136.96 kilobases, respectively. Gene annotation of this assembly on Ensembl identified 29,147 protein-coding genes.

Background: To overcome the spread of high pyrethroid resistance in the main malaria vectors and malaria disease persistence, it is crucial to look for effective and better resistance management strategies. Understanding the phenotypic profile of Anopheles gambiae sl. against alternatives insecticides like organophosphates and carbamates is crucial.

Methods: Anopheles larvae and pupae were collected from the breeding sites in rice fields, pineapple crop areas, and peri-urban areas. WHO susceptibility tests were conducted on unfed female mosquitoes aged 3-5 days old. Mosquitoes were exposed to malathion 5%, pirimiphos-methyl 0.25%, and bendiocarb 0.1% using the standard WHO protocol. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) techniques were used to detect species, kdr and Ace-1 mutations.

Results: Anopheles gambiae sl. from Sèdjè-Dénou rice field population was resistant to bendiocarb (0.1%) with a mortality rate of 72.2% whereas Anopheles gambiae sl. populations from Zinvié-Dokomey (rice field), Zè-Tozounmè (pineapple field), and Adjagbo (peri-urban area) were suspected to be resistant with mortality rates of 90%, 93.5%, 95.4% respectively. However, all of them were susceptible to organophosphates (malathion and pirimiphos-methyl) with a mortality rate of 100%. PCR assay revealed that 100% of the mosquitoes tested were Anopheles coluzzii. The frequencies of Ace-1R mutation in all Anopheles coluzzii populations tested were low (3-27%).

Conclusions: Organophosphates (malathion and pirimiphos-methyl) have maintained their efficacy against Anopheles coluzzii populations from Sèdjè-Dénou (rice field), Zè Tozounmè (pineapple field), Zinvié Dokomey (rice field), or Adjagbo (peri-urban area). The good efficacy of these organophosphates against Anopheles coluzzii populations from the southern part of Benin are observed in the current study. The use of pirimiphos-methyl for IRS in this part of the country would be a successful alternative for malaria control in this area.

Background: Transgender women face stigma that adversely impacts their mental wellbeing. The stigma can be self-directed (internal), discrimination, violence and hatred directed towards them by others, mostly cis-gender persons (interpersonal stigma) and discrimination faced at the level of institutional arrangements (structural stigma).

Methods: This was an exploratory study that used qualitative methods of data collection (focused group discussions and in-depth interviews) to gather data from consenting adult trans women who lived in the city of Kolkata situated in the eastern state of West Bengal in India.

Results: The findings showed that trans women faced the trauma of non-acceptance and even rejection by their families when they began to express their chosen gender. Their gender non-conforming behaviour made them the butt of ridicule and harassment in school, resulting in many of them not finishing school. This made finding employment difficult. The trans women study participants also faced harassment at the hands of the police and from hospital staff, making them reluctant to approach the police for help and seek treatment from health providers for their physical as well as mental health concerns.

Conclusions: It is important for researchers to be cognizant of the challenges faced by trans women/transgender people while designing and conducting research. It is also important for policymakers to make gender affirming policies to mitigate and eliminate the stigma that transgender people are subject to thereby promoting their wellbeing.

Longitudinal population studies (LPS) have a long history of providing insights into how individual consumption patterns and other lifestyle choices affect health and socio-economic outcomes. LPS typically operate as research databanks, integrating rich and deep phenotypic data - covering diverse aspects of individual, family and household status - with genomic data and linked records on health and socio-economic outcomes. However, individual consumption and behavioural choices are traditionally studied solely using self-report methods which are prone to known biases. We propose to enrich LPS databanks with a new form of digital footprint data - individual shopping history records. These are collected by supermarkets through "loyalty" card schemes and can provide a new perspective on real world behaviours and history of consumption. However, as a novel class of data in the context of longitudinal research, our ability to assess the quality and completeness of the data is unknown, as is our ability to effectively triangulate between self-reported and linked data. This paper describes a protocol for linking individual level shopping history data into a LPS using Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) as a testbed. The protocol covers the process of establishing participant fair processing, an ethical and legal basis for the linkage framework itself, and how these data will be integrated into the ALSPAC databank. It does not cover the subsequent research use of these data. The protocol was built on an extensive participant engagement and acceptability work and has been approved by the ALSPAC Law and Ethics committee.

Background: There is significant evidence on the benefits of comprehensive assessment in older adults. But this evidence is primarily from western countries and in secondary care settings. National policies in India recognize this need and envision community-based screening and facility-based assessment programs integrated into the care pathways for the elderly. However, this is yet to translate into specific interventions, primarily due to lack of complex interventions necessary and evidence of their effectiveness. This study aims to design and pilot an integrated (Community + Facility) Elderly Health Status Assessment and Screening (EHSAS) intervention to improve health outcomes of older adults and assess its feasibility for implementation in Indian rural settings.

Methods: We propose a hybrid design where we will build the complex intervention, develop and validate the tools needed, pilot it using an exploratory cluster randomized trial and evaluate its implementatbility using the Exploration-Preparation-Implementation-Sustainment (EPIS) framework.

Conclusions: This study will fill critical gaps in evidence regarding the effectiveness of geriatric screening and assessment in community and primary care settings in low-middle income countries and provide validated tools and implementation models for adoption into national programs.

Registration: CTRI/2023/07/055661.

Objective: This scoping review will map the extent and type of evidence in relation to the association between maternal long term health conditions (LTCs), including multimorbidity, and child oral health.

Introduction: Newer theories are emerging that detail the many factors that can influence child oral health at child, family and community levels. More recently, the association between maternal general health and child oral health has been explored, with preliminary evidence suggesting a link between shared environmental factors and diet/substance use during pregnancy causing childhood caries.

Inclusion criteria: All published studies that describe the relationship between maternal LTCs (including multimorbidity) and child oral health. There will be no limitation on the date of publication due to the limited number of studies available from the initial search of PubMed. The review will exclude case studies, abstracts, and grey literature. Literature must be in English language.

Methods: The following databases will be searched; CINAHL, Cochrane Library, Maternity and Infant Care, Medline via PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science. The search will include sources in English only and will be undertaken between April and July 2024. Studies to be included will be of any type of study design that describe a relationship between maternal long term health conditions, including maternal long term oral health conditions, and child oral health. Data extraction will be undertaken using tabulation of results by at least two independent reviewers. Narrative analysis of the evidence will be undertaken, and results will be presented in a narrative and tabular manner due to the heterogenous and limited evidence base found in the test search. This review has been registered prospectively on Open Science Framework, ( https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/ECSWJ). The review will also inform an Evidence Gap Map (EGM) to illustrate the current evidence base regarding maternal health factors that influence child oral health.

Background: Depression during pregnancy is associated with pre-term labor, low birthweight, post-partum depression and adverse child outcomes. There are concerns about the safety of anti-depressant medications during pregnancy. Many pregnant women with antenatal depression are neither aware about their depression nor do they have access to non-pharmacological interventions for depression. Evidence suggests that pre-natal yoga can improve antenatal depression. Yoga is native to the Indian culture and women can practice yoga as a 'self-care' intervention with minimal training. There is no study till date on the efficacy of yoga on antenatal depression in pregnant women in a low resource (rural) setting in India. This pilot randomized controlled trial aims to study the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of a YOGA-based lifestyle intervention for Antenatal Depression (YOGA-D) in Maharashtra, India.

Methods: We will undertake a single-blind individual randomized parallel group-controlled pilot trial with 1:1 allocation ratio. Adult women with 12-26 weeks of pregnancy, without any obstetric or medical complications will be randomly allocated to either the active intervention group (Yoga-Sanskar (YS)) or the Enhanced Usual Care (EUC) group. Trained yoga instructors will teach a pre-defined yoga sequence to the participants in the YS arm. In the EUC arm, participants will receive a single session of health education. We will assess trial feasibility using the recruitment, retention, and study completion rates. The primary outcome of depression will be measured using the translated Marathi version of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9. Assessments will be at the baseline, three-months post-randomization, and post-delivery.

Discussion: This study will help us to understand the barriers in implementation of a yoga-based intervention for antenatal depression in a low-resource/rural setting in Maharashtra, India. Based on the learnings of this pilot trial, we plan to undertake an explanatory randomized controlled trial in the next few months.

Registration: CTRI ( CTRI/2024/05/067176; 10/05/2024).

The aim of this data note is to describe the sexual experiences, functioning and behaviour data collected from the parent cohorts of the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) occurring during their childhoods and up to 19 years after the birth of the index child. ALSPAC is an ongoing birth cohort which enrolled 14,541 pregnant women living in Avon, an area of southwest England, with expected dates of delivery between April 1991 and December 1992 inclusive. It continues collecting data on these mothers (age range at delivery <16-41 years), their partners (age range at delivery <16-65), and their offspring, so far resulting in 100,000+ phenotype variables. During the index pregnancy the mothers were asked (and at 8 months post-delivery for partners) about their early sexual experiences to identify sexual abuse, the age at which an event first occurred, along with the type of perpetrator (e.g. stranger, relatives, boy/girlfriend). There are also data on these parents' experiences of sexual assault as adults. Both parents were asked also about sexual abuse within a battery of questions identifying Adverse Childhood Events (ACEs). Further longitudinal data described here includes satisfaction with sexual and non-sexual sides of their relationship; sexual functioning; and at seven years post-delivery, both parents were asked to describe their sexual orientation as well as the sex of their partners. These data provide the ability to compare generational differences between parental sexual experiences and behaviours with those of their offspring, as well as allowing comparisons with other longitudinal surveys where similar (or identical) information has been collected such as the National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles (NATSAL-3). This paper forms a companion to a further data note describing similar data collected on the offspring cohort.