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Acta Psychologica Apr 2023An important aspect of implicit self-esteem is the positivity of peoples spontaneous affective reactions to the self. In this study, we developed and validated a...
An important aspect of implicit self-esteem is the positivity of peoples spontaneous affective reactions to the self. In this study, we developed and validated a physiology-based measure that captures such positive reactions. We presented participants (N = 256) self-related stimuli (i.e., pictures of themselves) and used electromyography (EMG) to record changes in facial muscular activity that are indicative of subtle smiling. EMG responses were on average positive, which matches with previous research findings on positively biased self-evaluations. Individual differences in EMG responses were moderately reliable and positively associated with explicit self-esteem and self- and peer-rated likability (but not consistently with measures of well-being and agentic behavior). The relations between the EMG responses and likability indicators largely held when we controlled for explicit self-esteem, indicating that the novel measure possessed incremental validity over self-reports. The results thus indicated that the EMG approach might be fruitful for the assessment of implicit self-esteem.
Topics: Humans; Electromyography; Smiling; Self Report; Self Concept; Self-Assessment
PubMed: 36805189
DOI: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2023.103868 -
Archives of Razi Institute Feb 2023Brucellosis is endemic in Iraq, and annual surveys using advanced diagnostic assays are needed. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of human brucellosis in...
Brucellosis is endemic in Iraq, and annual surveys using advanced diagnostic assays are needed. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of human brucellosis in rural areas in Wasit province using ELISA and PCR. A total of 276 serum samples were randomly obtained from participants from rural areas in the Wasit province. The results showed that out of 276 serum samples tested by ELISA, 30.07% were positive. Significantly, mild infection was increased compared to moderate, severe and highly severe infections. To confirm the species of , seropositive samples were tested by PCR assay targeting the gene for spp. and the gene for and . Molecular findings confirmed 30.12% positive samples to spp., including 28% and 44% positives to and , respectively, whereas 28% positive samples to other undifferentiated species of . Association between seropositivity and demographic risk factors, age and gender, were reported to be significantly higher among individuals aged 21-40 (41.91%) and lowered among those aged ≤20 years (13.56%). For gender, a high nominal positivity rate was detected in females (36.07%) than in males (28.37%). Association between the degree of severity of the infection and demographic risk factors recorded that mild infection (75%) was increased among individuals of ≤20 years, while moderate and severe infections were elevated significantly in groups of 21-40 and 41-60 years. The highly severe infections appeared in those aged 21-40 years (15.91%). Regarding gender, mild and moderate infections were elevated significantly in males; whereas severe and highly severe infections were increased significantly in females. In conclusion, this study is the first random epidemiological study investigating the prevalence of human brucellosis in rural areas in Iraq. Undifferentiated species of were detected in PCR-positive results. The incorporation of molecular techniques for the diagnosis will help resolve the genus and detection the primary sources that play roles in the transmission of infection.
Topics: Female; Humans; Male; Brucellosis; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Iraq; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Young Adult; Adult
PubMed: 37312709
DOI: 10.22092/ARI.2022.359002.2352 -
Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland) May 2021We aimed to evaluate the LIAISON SARS-CoV-2 antigen assay (DiaSorin), comparing its performance to real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for the detection of...
We aimed to evaluate the LIAISON SARS-CoV-2 antigen assay (DiaSorin), comparing its performance to real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA. 182 (110 PCR-positive and 72 PCR-negative) nasopharyngeal swab samples were taken for the detection of SARS-CoV-2. RT-PCR and antigen assay were performed using the same material. The sensitivity and specificity of the antigen assay were calculated for different cut-offs, with RT-PCR serving as the reference method. Stored clinical samples that were positive for other respiratory viruses were tested to evaluate cross-reactivity. One third (33/110, 30%) were falsely classified as negative, while no false positives were found using the 200 TCID/mL cut-off for the SARS-CoV-2 antigen as proposed by the manufacturer. This corresponded to a sensitivity of 70% (60-78%) and a specificity of 100% (94-100%). Lowering the cut-off for positivity of the antigen assay to 22.79 or 57.68 TCID/mL increased the sensitivity of the method, reaching a sensitivity of 92% (85-96%) vs. 79% (70-86%) and a specificity of 81% (69-89%) vs. 99% (91-100%), respectively. The antigen assay reliably detected samples with high SARS-CoV-2 viral loads (≥10 copies SARS-CoV-2/mL), while it cannot differentiate between negative and low positive samples. Cross-reactivity toward other respiratory viruses was not detected.
PubMed: 34073618
DOI: 10.3390/pathogens10060658 -
African Journal of Laboratory Medicine 2015In order to scale up access to HIV counselling and testing in Nigeria, an HIV diagnostic algorithm based on rapid testing was adopted. However, there was the need to...
BACKGROUND
In order to scale up access to HIV counselling and testing in Nigeria, an HIV diagnostic algorithm based on rapid testing was adopted. However, there was the need to further evaluate the testing strategy in order to better assess its performance, because of the potential for false positivity.
OBJECTIVES
The objective of this study was to compare positive HIV test results obtained from the approved rapid testing algorithm with results from western blot tests performed on samples from the same patient.
METHODOLOGY
A retrospective review was conducted of HIV screening and confirmatory results for patients seen between 2007 and 2008. Rapid test and western blot results were extracted and compared for concordance. Discordant results were further reviewed using a combination of HIV-1 RNA viral load and CD4+ cell count test results and clinical presentation from medical records.
RESULTS
Analysis of 2228 western blot results showed that 98.3% ( = 2191) were positive for HIV-1, 0.4% ( = 8) were positive for HIV-2 and 0.3% ( = 7) were dual infections (positive for both HIV-1 and HIV-2); 0.6% ( = 13) were indeterminate and 0.4% ( = 9) were negative. Further investigation of the 13 indeterminate results showed nine to be HIV-1 positive and four to be HIV-negative, for a total of 13 negative results. The positive predictive value of the HIV counselling and testing algorithm was 99.4%.
CONCLUSION
Using the rapid testing algorithm alone, false positives were detected. Therefore, effective measures such as training and retraining of staff should be prioritised in order to minimise false-positive diagnoses and the associated potential for long-term psychological and financial impact on the patients.
PubMed: 38440311
DOI: 10.4102/ajlm.v4i1.178 -
Immunity, Inflammation and Disease Dec 2023To investigate the frequency and clinical relevance of an extended autoantibody profile in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc).
BACKGROUND/AIM
To investigate the frequency and clinical relevance of an extended autoantibody profile in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc).
MATERIALS AND METHODS
In this cross-sectional study, serum from 100 consecutive patients was subjected to indirect immunofluorescence (IIF) (HEp-20-10/primate liver mosaic) and Systemic Sclerosis Profile by EUROIMMUN to evaluate anti-nuclear antibodies (ANA) and autoantibodies against 13 different autoantibodies in patients with SSc less than 3 years.
RESULTS
Ninety-three of 100 patients were positive for ANA by IIF. Fifty-three patients showed single positivity, 26 anti-topoisomerase antibodies (anti-Scl70 ab), 16 anticentromere antibodies (ACAs), six anti-RNA polymerase III antibodies (anti-RNAPIII ab), one anti-Ku antibody, one anti-PM/Scl100 antibody, two anti-PM/Scl75 antibodies, one anti-Ro52 antibody, whereas 32 patients had multiple autoantibody positivities. Among classic SSc-specific autoantibodies, anti-Scl70 and anti-RNAPIII abs showed the highest cooccurrence (n = 4). One patient was simultaneously positive for anti-RNAPIII ab and ACA, and one was positive for ACA and anti-Scl70 ab. The clinical features were not statistically different between single and multiple autoantibody-positivity for classic SSc-specific autoantibodies (ACA, anti-Scl70 ab, and anti-RNAPIII ab), except for digital ulcer in the multiantibody positive ACA group (p = .019).
CONCLUSION
Based on our results, coexpression of autoantibodies is not uncommon in SSc patients. Although autoantibodies specific to SSc in early disease show generally known clinical features, it remains to be investigated how the coexpression of autoantibodies will affect clinical presentation.
Topics: Humans; Autoantibodies; Cross-Sectional Studies; Scleroderma, Systemic; Phenotype
PubMed: 38134320
DOI: 10.1002/iid3.1089 -
Cellular and Molecular Biology... Nov 2023Oral lichen planus is a chronic inflammatory disease that affects the oral mucosa and may undergo malignant changes, which can be reflected in the expression of specific...
Oral lichen planus is a chronic inflammatory disease that affects the oral mucosa and may undergo malignant changes, which can be reflected in the expression of specific proteins that are responsible for maintaining cellular mitosis and apoptosis. The study aimed to investigate the expression of p53, ki67, and COX-2 in erosive lichen planus using immunohistochemistry to correlate these findings with the histological aspects of the disease. Thirty-three biopsies of erosive lichen planus were collected and diagnosed based on histological and clinical criteria. The blocks were processed for immunohistochemistry to assess p53, ki67, and COX-2 expression in the basal layer, suprabasal, and inflammatory infiltrate respectively. The histological analysis of the samples showed no dysplasia or metastasis. P53 stained positively in 80% of the samples, while ki67 was positive in all the cases, ranging from 5% to 85% positivity. COX-2 expression ranged from 0-50% positivity. The highest expression of p53 was observed in 8 cases (24.2%), with a maximum of 5%, and ki67 exhibited the highest expression of 90% in 3 cases (9.1%). COX-2 was negative in 27 cases (81.8%) and positive in 6 cases (18.1%), with the highest expression at 50% in 1 case and 10 % positivity in 4 cases (12.1%). In our study, the markers p53, ki67, and COX-2 proved to be useful for detecting the proliferative, inflammatory, and physiologic states of the keratinocytes. However, they did not demonstrate utility in detecting any malignant transformation.
Topics: Humans; Cyclooxygenase 2; Ki-67 Antigen; Lichen Planus; Lichen Planus, Oral; Tumor Suppressor Protein p53
PubMed: 38063088
DOI: 10.14715/cmb/2023.69.12.38 -
Annales de Cardiologie Et D'angeiologie Nov 2018Is the stress test still part of the useful examinations in the detection of risk heart disease in sports subjects? Should we continue to use it as a surveillance... (Review)
Review
Is the stress test still part of the useful examinations in the detection of risk heart disease in sports subjects? Should we continue to use it as a surveillance examination in coronary sports patients? Meta-analysis, considering a ST subshift of more than 1mm as a criterion for positivity, underline the low prevalence of abnormal examinations and a significant rate of false-positives. But for the diagnosis of coronary artery disease, it is mainly the evolution of the ST segment to effort or recovery and the occurrence of stress arrhythmias that detect true positivity. When coronary risk is more important (presence of risk factors, resumption of sport, intense and prolonged efforts), it seems lawful to recommend such a review on a regular basis among men over 40 years of age with two risk factors but Also among veterans taking up sport after a period of prolonged inactivity. For the asymptomatic coronary athlete the stress test remains at the centre of the final decision for the resumption of a sport in competition irrespective of the method of revascularization. Of course the stress test, even inevitable, remains flawed in the detection of coronary artery disease in the asymptomatic athlete. However, it provides additional information on the condition of being maximal, and attaching importance to arrhythmias, the tensional profile and the maximum power developed in addition to the ST segment's only study.
Topics: Athletes; Death, Sudden, Cardiac; Exercise Test; Heart Diseases; Humans
PubMed: 30301545
DOI: 10.1016/j.ancard.2018.08.013 -
European Radiology Dec 2021To analyze the association between radiologists' performance and image position within a batch in screen reading of mammograms in Norway.
OBJECTIVE
To analyze the association between radiologists' performance and image position within a batch in screen reading of mammograms in Norway.
METHOD
We described true and false positives and true and false negatives by groups of image positions and batch sizes for 2,937,312 screen readings performed from 2012 to 2018. Mixed-effects models were used to obtain adjusted proportions of true and false positive, true and false negative, sensitivity, and specificity for different image positions. We adjusted for time of day and weekday and included the individual variation between the radiologists as random effects. Time spent reading was included in an additional model to explore a possible mediation effect.
RESULT
True and false positives were negatively associated with image position within the batch, while the rates of true and false negatives were positively associated. In the adjusted analyses, the rate of true positives was 4.0 per 1000 (95% CI: 3.8-4.2) readings for image position 10 and 3.9 (95% CI: 3.7-4.1) for image position 60. The rate of true negatives was 94.4% (95% CI: 94.0-94.8) for image position 10 and 94.8% (95% CI: 94.4-95.2) for image position 60. Per 1000 readings, the rate of false negative was 0.60 (95% CI: 0.53-0.67) for image position 10 and 0.62 (95% CI: 0.55-0.69) for image position 60.
CONCLUSION
There was a decrease in the radiologists' sensitivity throughout the batch, and although this effect was small, our results may be clinically relevant at a population level or when multiplying the differences with the number of screen readings for the individual radiologists.
KEY POINTS
• True and false positive reading scores were negatively associated with image position within a batch. • A decreasing trend of positive scores indicated a beneficial effect of a certain number of screen readings within a batch. • False negative scores increased throughout the batch but the association was not statistically significant.
Topics: Breast Neoplasms; Early Detection of Cancer; Female; Humans; Mammography; Mass Screening; Norway; Radiologists; Sensitivity and Specificity
PubMed: 34110427
DOI: 10.1007/s00330-021-08010-9 -
China CDC Weekly Feb 2022Repeat positive severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) following COVID-19 initial viral clearance (re-positivity) poses a public health management...
INTRODUCTION
Repeat positive severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) following COVID-19 initial viral clearance (re-positivity) poses a public health management challenge. The objective was to determine factors associated with neutralizing antibody (Nab) level and re-positivity among patients infected with a single strain SARS-CoV-2.
METHODS
During a single strain SARS-CoV-2 cluster in Beijing, China, longitudinal individual clinical, virological, and immunological data were collected from 368 infections from June 13 to September 22, 2020. Factors associated with Nab level and re-positivity were analyzed using generalized estimating equations.
RESULTS
A total of 353 (96%) SARS-CoV-2 infections had demographic, clinical, and laboratory data available. Among the 353 infections, 55 (15.5%) were re-positive, and blood draws were taken from 346 individuals (98.0%) during hospitalization and/or during the follow-up period. Symptoms were milder for the second-time admission for the re-positives, although 36.4% of re-positives presented with radiographic appearance of pneumonia manifestation. Compared to non-re-positive patients, NAb titers were lower among re-positives; NAb was positively associated with clinical severity. Samples from the lower respiratory tract manifested higher viral load than that from the upper respiratory tract. Multivariable analysis showed re-positivity was positively associated with being female [odd ratio (OR)=1.7, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.1-2.8] and being aged <18 years (OR=5.2, 95% CI 1.5-18.1); having initially asymptomatic infection (OR=13.7, 95% CI 1.6-116.3); and negatively associated with a higher NAb level (OR=0.9, 95% CI 0.5-1.7).
CONCLUSIONS
NAb may be important for sustained viral clearance. Lower respiratory tract infection was associated with higher viral load among all infections when compared to upper respiratory tract infection. Continuous lower respiratory and intermittent upper respiratory viral shedding among COVID-19 infections may occur.
PubMed: 35186376
DOI: 10.46234/ccdcw2022.017 -
BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine 2022Provide a robust framework to provide a safe environment for return to training and competition of the US national soccer teams following domestic and international...
OBJECTIVES
Provide a robust framework to provide a safe environment for return to training and competition of the US national soccer teams following domestic and international travel.
METHODS
US Soccer COVID-19 working group created a return to play manual for its national teams, prescribing discrete phases to return to training and competition. This was underpinned by strict health and safety and travel protocols for specific venues and persons. This was complemented by an aggressive testing cadence and isolation policies for delegations (players, internal and external support staff). Between September 2020 and April 2021, there were nine events for males and females at the youth, senior and Paralympic level, with international opponents hosted domestically.
RESULTS
In total, 6590 point of care (POC) (n=1810) and PCR (n=4780) tests combined were run. Overall positivity rate for players and staff in male events of 0.10% (n=2) and 0.00% (n=0) for females were recorded. Staff positivity rate was 0.14% overall, and external vendors 0.10%. Total POC and PCR positives in male events (n=2) occurred either the day of arrival or the following day.
CONCLUSION
The implementation of strictly adhered to protocols and testing cadences yielded low positivity rates within team delegations. By comparison, initial league-wide COVID-19 testing in mid-2020 in other sports reported league-wide positivity rates of 2.9% (National Football League), 2.7% (Major League Soccer) and 5.3% (National Basketball Association). The English Premier League reported an increase in positivity rate in early 2021 from 1.22% to 1.74%.With the implementation of regimented protocols and stringent testing, it is possible to hold elite-level international sporting competitions involving long-haul travel while ensuring continued safety during a global pandemic.
PubMed: 35441037
DOI: 10.1136/bmjsem-2021-001295