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Frontiers in Public Health 2024Increasing evidence supports chronic psychological stress as a risk factor for the development of type 2 diabetes. Much less is known, however, about the role of chronic...
INTRODUCTION
Increasing evidence supports chronic psychological stress as a risk factor for the development of type 2 diabetes. Much less is known, however, about the role of chronic stress in established diabetes.
METHODS
The aim of the current study was to comprehensively assess chronic stress in a sample of 73 patients with type 2 diabetes and 48 non-diabetic control participants, and to investigate associations with indicators of glycemic control (HbA1c), insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), β-cell functioning (C-peptide), illness duration, and the presence of microvascular complications. Chronic stress was measured using questionnaires [the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), the Screening Scale of the Trier Inventory of Chronic Stress (SSCS), the Perceived Health Questionnaire (PHQ) as well as the Questionnaire on Stress in Patients with Diabetes-Revised (QSD-R)]; hair cortisol was used as a biological indicator.
RESULTS
We found that patients with type 2 diabetes had higher levels of hair cortisol in comparison to the control group ((1,112) = 5.3; = 0.023). Within the diabetic group, higher hair cortisol was associated with a longer duration of the illness ( = 0.25, = 0.04). General perceived stress did not show significant associations with metabolic outcomes in type 2 diabetes patients. In contrast, higher diabetes-related distress, as measured with the QSD-R, was associated with lower glycemic control ( = 0.28, = 0.02), higher insulin resistance ( = 0.26, = 0.03) and a longer duration of the illness ( = 0.30, = 0.01).
DISCUSSION
Our results corroborate the importance of chronic psychological stress in type 2 diabetes. It appears, however, that once type 2 diabetes has developed, diabetes-specific distress gains in importance over general subjective stress. On a biological level, increased cortisol production could be linked to the course of the illness.
Topics: Humans; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2; Male; Female; Hydrocortisone; Middle Aged; Stress, Psychological; Cross-Sectional Studies; Hair; Aged; Surveys and Questionnaires; Insulin Resistance; Adult; Glycated Hemoglobin; Risk Factors
PubMed: 38813430
DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1289689 -
Frontiers in Big Data 2024plant is a complex system that is sensible to environmental factors such as water supply, pH, temperature, light, radiation, impurities, and nutrient availability. It...
plant is a complex system that is sensible to environmental factors such as water supply, pH, temperature, light, radiation, impurities, and nutrient availability. It can be used as a biomonitor for environmental changes; however, the bioassays are time-consuming and have a strong human interference factor that might change the result depending on who is performing the analysis. We have developed computer vision models to study color variations from clone 4430 plant stamen hair cells, which can be stressed due to air pollution and soil contamination. The study introduces a novel dataset, Trad-204, comprising single-cell images from clone 4430, captured during the stamen-hair mutation bioassay (Trad-SHM). The dataset contain images from two experiments, one focusing on air pollution by particulate matter and another based on soil contaminated by diesel oil. Both experiments were carried out in Curitiba, Brazil, between 2020 and 2023. The images represent single cells with different shapes, sizes, and colors, reflecting the plant's responses to environmental stressors. An automatic classification task was developed to distinguishing between blue and pink cells, and the study explores both a baseline model and three artificial neural network (ANN) architectures, namely, TinyVGG, VGG-16, and ResNet34. revealed sensibility to both air particulate matter concentration and diesel oil in soil. The results indicate that Residual Network architecture outperforms the other models in terms of accuracy on both training and testing sets. The dataset and findings contribute to the understanding of plant cell responses to environmental stress and provide valuable resources for further research in automated image analysis of plant cells. Discussion highlights the impact of turgor pressure on cell shape and the potential implications for plant physiology. The comparison between ANN architectures aligns with previous research, emphasizing the superior performance of ResNet models in image classification tasks. Artificial intelligence identification of pink cells improves the counting accuracy, thus avoiding human errors due to different color perceptions, fatigue, or inattention, in addition to facilitating and speeding up the analysis process. Overall, the study offers insights into plant cell dynamics and provides a foundation for future investigations like cells morphology change. This research corroborates that biomonitoring should be considered as an important tool for political actions, being a relevant issue in risk assessment and the development of new public policies relating to the environment.
PubMed: 38812700
DOI: 10.3389/fdata.2024.1384240 -
Dermatology Practical & Conceptual Apr 2024Scientific evidence supports dermoscopy as an essential tool in dermatological diagnosis.
INTRODUCTION
Scientific evidence supports dermoscopy as an essential tool in dermatological diagnosis.
OBJECTIVES
The objective is to know the factors that influence its use in Chilean dermatologists.
METHODS
Analytical cross-sectional study. An adapted version of the survey was submitted from the pan-European study by Forsea et al to members of the Chilean Society of Dermatology, between September and December 2020. Analysis using descriptive statistics and multivariate analysis with ordinal logistic regression looking for factors associated with greater use of.
RESULTS
One hundred and ninety-eight responses, mean age 46.3 years and 14.6 years on average practicing as dermatologists. 61.6% trained in dermoscopy during their residency. 98% use a dermatoscope. More than 80% consider dermoscopy useful for the diagnosis of melanomas, follow-up of melanocytic lesions, and diagnosis of pigmented and non-pigmented tumors. Between 50% and 70% consider it useful for monitoring non-melanocytic lesions, nail and hair pathologies. Greater confidence when evaluating pigmented and non-pigmented tumors and capillary pathology. Adjusting for age, sex, confidence, and education, participation in teaching was associated with greater use of dermoscopy in non-pigmented and pigmented tumors, and capillary pathology.
CONCLUSIONS
Percentage of participation in the survey and training in dermoscopy higher than in the reference study, recognizing the usefulness of dermoscopy for the diagnosis and follow-up of tumor pathologies. Participating in teaching is a strong independent factor that is associated with a greater use of dermoscopy in Chile. Dermoscopy is positioned as a tool widely used by Chilean dermatologists in their daily practice.
PubMed: 38810061
DOI: 10.5826/dpc.1402a71 -
Dermatology Practical & Conceptual Apr 2024
PubMed: 38810057
DOI: 10.5826/dpc.1402a134 -
Dermatology Practical & Conceptual Apr 2024Pilomatricoma is a benign adnexal dermal or subcutaneous tumor derived from immature hair matrix cells. (Review)
Review
INTRODUCTION
Pilomatricoma is a benign adnexal dermal or subcutaneous tumor derived from immature hair matrix cells.
OBJECTIVES
The aim of our study is to evaluate clinical and dermoscopic features of pilomatricomas, with a specific focus on pediatric lesions, and to provide a concise review of the existing literature.
METHODS
A single-center retrospective study was undertaken on 55 patients with a histopathological diagnosis of pilomatricoma referred to the Dermatology Unit, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy, between 2005 and 2023. Pilomatricomas were retrospectively evaluated relying on clinical and dermoscopic images. A PubMed search was conducted. All the relevant research up to July 31, 2023, was reviewed. We classified the cases as "typical" or "atypical" based on whether they were suspected of being pilomatricomas or not.
RESULTS
A total of 55 children with pilomatricomas were observed and studied. Two patients presented with 2 pilomatricomas, leading to the identification of 58 pilomatricomas. 'Typical' pilomatricomas were observed in 79% of cases as nodular and pigmented lesions with one or more colors, ranging from blue-gray to red to yellow/white, evident on clinical examination and even better on dermoscopy. In 21% of cases, pilomatricomas presented in an 'atypical' form, which did not allow for a well-founded suspicion, placing them in differential diagnosis with other lesions and therefore requiring histological examination.
CONCLUSIONS
According to our case series and systematic review of the literature, clinical appearance and dermoscopy may be sufficient to diagnose or suspect pilomatricoma in around 80% of cases, while histological examination is necessary to confirm the diagnosis in the remaining 20% of cases.
PubMed: 38810027
DOI: 10.5826/dpc.1402a140 -
Science Advances May 2024Nanomechanical measurements, especially the detection of weak contact forces, play a vital role in many fields, such as material science, micromanipulation, and...
Nanomechanical measurements, especially the detection of weak contact forces, play a vital role in many fields, such as material science, micromanipulation, and mechanobiology. However, it remains a challenging task to realize the measurement of ultraweak force levels as low as nanonewtons with a simple sensing configuration. In this work, an ultrasensitive all-fiber nanonewton force sensor structure based on a single-mode-tapered U-shape multimode-single-mode fiber probe is proposed and experimentally demonstrated with a limit of detection of ~5.4 nanonewtons. The use of the sensor is demonstrated by force measurement on a human hair sample to determine the spring constant of the hair. The results agree well with measurements using an atomic force microscope for the spring constant of the hair. Compared with other force sensors based on optical fiber in the literature, the proposed all-fiber force sensor provides a substantial advancement in the minimum detectable force possible, with the advantages of a simple configuration, ease of fabrication, and low cost.
PubMed: 38809971
DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adk8357 -
Otolaryngologia Polska = the Polish... Jun 2024<b><br>Introduction:</b> Idiopathic sensorineural hearing loss of 30 decibels (dB) or more over at least three contiguous audiometric frequencies with... (Comparative Study)
Comparative Study
Management of Idiopathic Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss (ISSNHL) Intratympanic Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) Versus Intratympanic Steroid Injections: A Cross-Sectional Study.
<b><br>Introduction:</b> Idiopathic sensorineural hearing loss of 30 decibels (dB) or more over at least three contiguous audiometric frequencies with an onset of less than 3 days is referred to as sudden sensorineural hearing loss (ISSNHL) and is known as an ENT (ear, nose, and throat) emergency. When a patient's hearing suddenly deteriorates, they become confused, anxious, and worried. One of the primary therapies for sudden sensorineural hearing loss is intratympanic steroids. Intratympanic injections of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) improve inner ear hair cells, which enhances hearing.</br> <b><br>Aim:</b> To show the safety and efficacy of intratympanic PRP injection in the management of ISSNHL in comparison with intratympanic steroid injection.</br> <b><br>Methods:</b> The study group was comprised of 100 patients who had experienced ISSNHL within 30 days with no retrocochlear pathology, as demonstrated by a negative MRI scan. 50 patients received 6 intratympanic steroid injections, while the remaining 50 patients received 2 intratympanic injections of PRP at a 1-week interval.</br> <b><br>Results:</b> A total of 39 patients with PRP injection noted an improvement in their hearing of 25 db after 2 weeks and of 30 db after 2 months, with improved speech discrimination of 26% after 2 weeks and of 28% after 2 months. 31 patients with intratympanic steroid injection noted an improvement in their hearing of 18 db after 2 weeks and of 22 db after 2 months, with improved speech discrimination of 21% after 2 weeks and of 24% after 2 months.</br> <b><br>Conclusions:</b> PRP appears safe and efficient for the treatment of ISSNHL, with a low cost and no systemic side effects, as with oral steroids. Therefore, such research should be continued.</br>.
Topics: Humans; Platelet-Rich Plasma; Male; Female; Injection, Intratympanic; Middle Aged; Adult; Hearing Loss, Sensorineural; Cross-Sectional Studies; Hearing Loss, Sudden; Treatment Outcome; Aged
PubMed: 38808642
DOI: No ID Found -
Open Veterinary Journal Apr 2024Dermatophytosis is a contagious fungal infection that affects mainly cats. It poses significant challenges in veterinary medicine due to its zoonotic potential and...
BACKGROUND
Dermatophytosis is a contagious fungal infection that affects mainly cats. It poses significant challenges in veterinary medicine due to its zoonotic potential and impact on animal and public health. Rapid and reliable diagnosis is crucial for preventing the spread of the disease, guiding treatment decisions, and monitoring disease control efforts. Although there are several studies on diagnostic methods in feline dermatophytosis, the comparison between them from the same sample lacks data. The absence of a universally accepted gold standard diagnostic method highlights the need for a multifaceted approach to diagnosing feline dermatophytosis.
AIM
This study aims to assess the accuracy and efficacy of different diagnostic techniques comprehensively.
METHODS
For this, 48 samples of cats were analyzed by dermoscopy, direct hair examination, fungal culture using various media (Mycosel, Sabouraud, and Dermatophyte Test Medium), and polymerase chain reaction (PCR).
RESULTS
Direct examination and dermoscopy yielded unsatisfactory results. Mycosel and Sabouraud were suboptimal. DTM demonstrated superior selectivity, making it the most reliable among traditional methods. PCR was the top performer, exhibiting singular sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy.
CONCLUSION
The study suggests that PCR may be the preferred choice for diagnosing feline dermatophytosis in clinical practice, especially when rapid and accurate results are essential.
Topics: Cats; Animals; Cat Diseases; Tinea; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Sensitivity and Specificity; Dermoscopy; Dermatomycoses
PubMed: 38808284
DOI: 10.5455/OVJ.2024.v14.i4.14 -
Frontiers in Neuroscience 2024
PubMed: 38808027
DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2024.1412981 -
Heliyon May 2024Accurate segmentation is crucial in diagnosing and analyzing skin lesions. However, automatic segmentation of skin lesions is extremely challenging because of their...
Accurate segmentation is crucial in diagnosing and analyzing skin lesions. However, automatic segmentation of skin lesions is extremely challenging because of their variable sizes, uneven color distributions, irregular shapes, hair occlusions, and blurred boundaries. Owing to the limited range of convolutional networks receptive fields, shallow convolution cannot extract the global features of images and thus has limited segmentation performance. Because medical image datasets are small in scale, the use of excessively deep networks could cause overfitting and increase computational complexity. Although transformer networks can focus on extracting global information, they cannot extract sufficient local information and accurately segment detailed lesion features. In this study, we designed a dual-branch encoder that combines a convolution neural network (CNN) and a transformer. The CNN branch of the encoder comprises four layers, which learn the local features of images through layer-wise downsampling. The transformer branch also comprises four layers, enabling the learning of global image information through attention mechanisms. The feature fusion module in the network integrates local features and global information, emphasizes important channel features through the channel attention mechanism, and filters irrelevant feature expressions. The information exchange between the decoder and encoder is finally achieved through skip connections to supplement the information lost during the sampling process, thereby enhancing segmentation accuracy. The data used in this paper are from four public datasets, including images of melanoma, basal cell tumor, fibroma, and benign nevus. Because of the limited size of the image data, we enhanced them using methods such as random horizontal flipping, random vertical flipping, random brightness enhancement, random contrast enhancement, and rotation. The segmentation accuracy is evaluated through intersection over union and duration, integrity, commitment, and effort indicators, reaching 87.7 % and 93.21 %, 82.05 % and 89.19 %, 86.81 % and 92.72 %, and 92.79 % and 96.21 %, respectively, on the ISIC 2016, ISIC 2017, ISIC 2018, and PH2 datasets, respectively (code: https://github.com/hyjane/CCT-Net).
PubMed: 38807881
DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e31395