Real-time unobtrusive sleep monitoring of in-patients with affective disorders: a feasibility study

Sleep and mental health are highly related concepts, and it is an important research and clinical priority to understand their interactions. In-bed sensors using ballistocardiography provide the possibility of unobtrusive measurements of sleep. In this study, we examined the feasibility of ballistocardiography in measuring key aspects of sleep in psychiatric in-patients. Specifically, we examined a sample of patients diagnosed with depression and bipolar disorder. The subjective experiences of the researchers conducting the study are explored and descriptive analyses of patient sleep are subsequently presented. The practicalities of using the ballistocardiography device seem to be favourable. There were no apparent issues regarding data quality or data integrity. Of clinical interest, we found no link between length of stay and reduced time in bed (b = -0.06, SE = 0.03, t = -1.76, p = .08). Using ballistocardiography for measurements on in-patients with affective disorders seems to be a feasible approach.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figure

Attitude of Medical Students toward Third-party Reproductive Techniques

Background: Pregnancy with the help of a third party, including the use of sperm, oocyte, embryo, and uterus, can be considered as an option for some infertile couples. Due to the important role of health professionals in infertility treatments, their attitudes are of particular importance in the acceptance or rejection of fertility suggestions involving the help of a third party. This study aimed to determine the attitudes of medical students at medical universities in Tehran toward third-party reproduction. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out at the Medical University of Tehran in 2018. Medical students (n=187) filled out the questionnaire, which consisted of two parts: the demographic characteristics of the research subjects and the questionnaire consisted of 76 questions about attitudes toward third-party reproduction. The content and face validity of the questionnaire were determined, and test-retest reliability of the questionnaire was established (0.89). Results: According to gender, participants’ attitudes toward childbearing, the importance of genetic dependency between parents and children, law issues, anonymity in donation programs, parental affection, the importance of the recipient's and donor's characteristics, surrogacy, gamete, and embryo donation were all statistically non-significant (Pvalue>0.05). According to age and also to year of entering the university, participants’ attitude only toward childbearing was statistically significant (Pvalue= 0.018 and 0.01, respectively). Conclusion: Since medical school students may set on the road to a specialty associated with infertility and its ramifications, it’s better to educate our soon-to-be health system professionals on all necessary aspects of infertility and third-party reproduction. Key Words: Attitude; Donor Conception; Infertility; Medical Students; Assisted Reproductive Technique

Attitude of Medical Students toward Third-party Reproductive Techniques

Background: Pregnancy with the help of a third party, including the use of sperm, oocyte, embryo, and uterus, can be considered as an option for some infertile couples. Due to the important role of health professionals in infertility treatments, their attitudes are of particular importance in the acceptance or rejection of fertility suggestions involving the help of a third party. This study aimed to determine the attitudes of medical students at medical universities in Tehran toward third-party reproduction. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out at the Medical University of Tehran in 2018. Medical students (n=187) filled out the questionnaire, which consisted of two parts: the demographic characteristics of the research subjects and the questionnaire consisted of 76 questions about attitudes toward third-party reproduction. The content and face validity of the questionnaire were determined, and test-retest reliability of the questionnaire was established (0.89). Results: According to gender, participants’ attitudes toward childbearing, the importance of genetic dependency between parents and children, law issues, anonymity in donation programs, parental affection, the importance of the recipient's and donor's characteristics, surrogacy, gamete, and embryo donation were all statistically non-significant (Pvalue>0.05). According to age and also to year of entering the university, participants’ attitude only toward childbearing was statistically significant (Pvalue= 0.018 and 0.01, respectively). Conclusion: Since medical school students may set on the road to a specialty associated with infertility and its ramifications, it’s better to educate our soon-to-be health system professionals on all necessary aspects of infertility and third-party reproduction. Key Words: Attitude; Donor Conception; Infertility; Medical Students; Assisted Reproductive Technique

Impact of endoscopic versus open saphenous vein harvest technique on late coronary artery bypass grafting patient outcomes in the ROOBY (Randomized On/Off Bypass) Trial

ObjectiveIn the Randomized On/Off Bypass (ROOBY) Trial, the efficacy of on-pump versus off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting was evaluated. This ROOBY Trial planned subanalysis compared the effects on postbypass patient clinical outcomes and graft patency of endoscopic vein harvesting and open vein harvesting.MethodsFrom April 2003 to April 2007, the technique used for saphenous vein graft harvesting was recorded in 1471 cases. Of these, 894 patients (341 endoscopic harvest and 553 open harvest) also underwent coronary angiography 1 year after coronary artery bypass grafting. Univariate and multivariable analyses were used to compare patient outcomes in the endoscopic and open groups.ResultsPreoperative patient characteristics were statistically similar between the endoscopic and open groups. Endoscopic vein harvest was used in 38% of the cases. There were no significant differences in both short-term and 1-year composite outcomes between the endoscopic and open groups. For patients with 1-year catheterization follow-up (n = 894), the saphenous vein graft patency rate for the endoscopic group was lower than that in the open harvest group (74.5% vs 85.2%, P < .0001), and the repeat revascularization rate was significantly higher (6.7% vs 3.4%, P < .05). Multivariable regression documented no interaction effect between endoscopic approach and off-pump treatment.ConclusionsIn the ROOBY Trial, endoscopic vein harvest was associated with lower 1-year saphenous vein graft patency and higher 1-year revascularization rates, independent of the use of off-pump or on-pump cardiac surgical approach

Association of dietary total antioxidant capacity, alternative healthy eating index, and dietary inflammatory index with semen quality in men seeking infertility treatment

BackgroundSince the association between dietary quality scores and semen quality remains unclear, we carried out a hospital-based cross-sectional study to investigate the association of Dietary Total Antioxidant Capacity (dTAC), Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII), and Alternative Healthy Eating Index (AHEI) scores with semen quality in men seeking infertility treatment.MethodsThis study enrolled 210 men with unexplained or idiopathic infertility. Semen samples were collected and analyzed according to the WHO 2010 criteria. Dietary data was collected using a 168-item semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) developed for Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to estimate the relationship between dTAC, AHEI, and DII scores with abnormal semen in crude and adjusted models.ResultsThere were no significant differences across quartile categories of the dTAC, AHEI, and DII scores regarding semen parameters. There was a trend toward a significant direct association between DII and abnormal semen risk (p = 0.01). Infertile men in the highest quartile of DII had a 2.84 times higher risk of abnormal semen in the crude model (OR: 3.84; 95% CI: 1.64–8.95); such that remained after adjusting for several potential confounders. There was no significant association between dTAC or AHEI and the risk of abnormal semen in infertile men, either before or after adjusting for potential confounders. Total energy (p = 0.05), fat (p = 0.02), saturated fat (p = 0.02), mono-saturated fat (p = 0.009), Thiamine (Vitamin B1) (p = 0.02), Niacin (Vitamin B3) (p = 0.03), Calcium (p = 0.01), and Selenium (p = 0.01) were inversely associated with semen normality.DiscussionThe study suggests that certain dietary factors may affect semen quality, and the mechanisms underlying the observed associations are likely multifactorial, involving complex interactions between diet, oxidative stress, inflammation, and hormone levels. Further research is required to confirm the results, fully elucidate the mechanisms underlying the associations, and identify specific dietary interventions that may improve male fertility outcomes

Cognitive Abilities in the Wild: Population-scale game-based cognitive assessment

Psychology and the social sciences are undergoing a revolution: It has become increasingly clear that traditional lab-based experiments fail to capture the full range of differences in cognitive abilities and behaviours across the general population. Some progress has been made toward devising measures that can be applied at scale across individuals and populations. What has been missing is a broad battery of validated tasks that can be easily deployed, used across different age ranges and social backgrounds, and employed in practical, clinical, and research contexts. Here, we present Skill Lab, a game-based approach allowing the efficient assessment of a suite of cognitive abilities. Skill Lab has been validated outside the lab in a crowdsourced population-size sample recruited in collaboration with the Danish Broadcast Company (Danmarks Radio, DR). Our game-based measures are five times faster to complete than the equivalent traditional measures and replicate previous findings on the decline of cognitive abilities with age in a large population sample. Furthermore, by combining the game data with an in-game survey, we demonstrate that this unique dataset has implication for key questions in social science, challenging the Jack-of-all-Trades theory of entrepreneurship and provide evidence for risk preference being independent of executive functioning.Comment: 11 pages, 4 figures, and 2 table

Geographic proximity, trade and economic growth: a spatial econometrics approach

International audienc

Growth spillover: a spatial dynamic panel data and spatial cross section data approaches in selected Asian countries

International audienceAbstract One of the most fundamental issues worldwide is the economic interdependence of countries which affects their economic growth. Some new growth theorists such as Mankiw et al., Islam, Ertur and Koch, Lee, Yu and Yu Ho et al. consider geographical proximity and trade as spatial variables. This study aims to investigate the spatial effects of geographical distance on economic growth using the spatial dynamic panel data model and the spatial cross section data model for the period 1992–2016 in selected Asian countries. The findings demonstrate that the effect of spatial spillover or spatial dependency is one of the main causes of economic growth spillovers. In the spatial dynamic panel data model, log of gross domestic product (GDP), gross fixed capital formation and growth rate of labor force had negative, positive and negative impacts on economic growth, respectively. In the spatial cross-sectional data models including human capital, log of GDP, gross fixed capital formation and growth rate of labor force had negative impacts on economic growth, while in a model without human capital log of GDP, gross fixed capital formation and growth rate of labor force, respectively, had positive and negative effects on economic growth