Predictive Criterion Validity of the Parsley Symptom index against the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement information System-10 in a Chronic Disease Cohort: Retrospective Cohort Study

BACKGROUND: Approximately 60% of US adults live with chronic disease, imposing a significant burden on patients and the health care system. With the rise of telehealth, patient-reported outcomes measures (PROMs) have emerged as pivotal tools for managing chronic disease. While numerous PROMs exist, few have been designed explicitly for telehealth settings. The Parsley Symptom Index (PSI) is an electronic patient-reported outcome measure (ePROM) developed specifically for telehealth environments. OBJECTIVE: Our aim is to determine whether the PSI predicts changes in the established Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System-10 (PROMIS-10) Global Health, a 10-question short form. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study using data from 367 unique patients, amassing 1170 observations between August 30, 2017, and January 30, 2023. Patients completed the PSI and the PROMIS-10 multiple times throughout the study period. Using univariate regression models, we assess the predictive criterion validity of the PSI against PROMIS-10 scores. RESULTS: This study revealed significant relationships between the PSI and PROMIS-10 physical and mental health scores through comprehensive univariate analyses, thus establishing support for the criterion validity of the PSI. These analyses highlighted the PSI\u27s potential as an insightful tool for understanding and predicting both mental and physical health dimensions. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings emphasize the importance of the PSI in capturing the nuanced interactions between symptomatology and health outcomes. These insights reinforce the value of the PSI in clinical contexts and support its potential as a versatile tool in both research and practice

Examining outcome variability: Correlates of treatment response in a child and adolescent anxiety clinic

Examined correlates of treatment response in a clinic providing cognitive-behavioral therapy for children with anxiety disorders. Youth (ages 7 to 15) with a primary Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (3rd ed., rev., or 4th ed.; American Psychiatric Association, 198

Investigating the physical properties of transiting hot Jupiters with the 1.5-m Kuiper Telescope

We present new photometric data of 11 hot Jupiter transiting exoplanets (CoRoT-12b, HAT-P-5b, HAT-P-12b, HAT-P-33b, HAT-P-37b, WASP-2b, WASP-24b, WASP-60b, WASP-80b, WASP-103b, XO-3b) in order to update their planetary parameters and to constrain information about their atmospheres. These observations of CoRoT-12b, HAT-P-37b and WASP-60b are the first follow-up data since their discovery. Additionally, the first near-UV transits of WASP-80b and WASP-103b are presented. We compare the results of our analysis with previous work to search for transit timing variations (TTVs) and a wavelength dependence in the transit depth. TTVs may be evidence of a third body in the system and variations in planetary radius with wavelength can help constrain the properties of the exoplanet's atmosphere. For WASP-103b and XO-3b, we find a possible variation in the transit depths that may be evidence of scattering in their atmospheres. The B-band transit depth of HAT-P-37b is found to be smaller than its near-IR transit depth and such a variation may indicate TiO/VO absorption. These variations are detected from 2-4.6$\sigma$, so follow-up observations are needed to confirm these results. Additionally, a flat spectrum across optical wavelengths is found for 5 of the planets (HAT-P-5b, HAT-P-12b, WASP-2b, WASP-24b, WASP-80b), suggestive that clouds may be present in their atmospheres. We calculate a refined orbital period and ephemeris for all the targets, which will help with future observations. No TTVs are seen in our analysis with the exception of WASP-80b and follow-up observations are needed to confirm this possible detection.Comment: 18 pages, 7 figures, 9 Tables. Light Curves available online. Accepted to MNRAS (2017 August 25

Alcohol, Hospital Discharge, and Socioeconomic Risk Factors for Default from Multidrug Resistant Tuberculosis Treatment in Rural South Africa: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Background: Default from multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) treatment remains a major barrier to cure and epidemic control. We sought to identify patient risk factors for default from MDR-TB treatment and high-risk time periods for default in relation to hospitalization and transition to outpatient care. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed a cohort of 225 patients who initiated MDR-TB treatment between 2007 through 2010 at a rural TB hospital in the Western Cape Province, South Africa. Results: Fifty percent of patients were cured or completed treatment, 27% defaulted, 14% died, 4% failed treatment, and 5% transferred out. Recent alcohol use was common (63% of patients). In multivariable proportional hazards regression, older age (hazard ratio [HR]= 0.97 [95% confidence interval 0.94-0.99] per year of greater age), formal housing (HR=0.38 [0.19-0.78]), and steady employment (HR=0.41 [0.19-0.90]) were associated with decreased risk of default, while recent alcohol use (HR=2.1 [1.1-4.0]), recent drug use (HR=2.0 [1.0-3.6]), and Coloured (mixed ancestry) ethnicity (HR=2.3 [1.1-5.0]) were associated with increased risk of default (P<0.05). Defaults occurred throughout the first 18 months of the two-year treatment course but were especially frequent among alcohol users after discharge from the initial four-to-five-month in-hospital phase of treatment, with the highest default rates occurring among alcohol users within two months of discharge. Default rates during the first two months after discharge were also elevated for patients who received care from mobile clinics. Conclusions: Among patients who were not cured or did not complete MDR-TB treatment, the majority defaulted from treatment. Younger, economically-unstable patients and alcohol and drug users were particularly at risk. For alcohol users as well as mobile-clinic patients, the early outpatient treatment phase is a high-risk period for default that could be targeted in efforts to increase treatment completion rates

Photochemical oxidative addition of germane and diphenylgermane to ruthenium dihydride complexes

Photochemical reactions of germane and diphenylgermane with Ru(PP) 2 H 2 (PP = R 2 PCH 2 CH 2 PR 2 or DuPhos, R = Ph dppe, R = Et depe, R = Me dmpe) are reported. Reaction with GeH 4 generates a mixture of cis and trans isomers of Ru(PP) 2 (GeH 3 )H except for the DuPhos complex which yields the product only in the cis form. In situ laser photolysis (355 nm) demonstrates that the initial product is the cis isomer that undergoes thermal isomerization to the trans isomer. The complex cis-[Ru(dppe) 2 (GeH 3 )H] crystallizes selectively, allowing determination of its X-ray structure as a germyl hydride with a long Ru-H···Ge separation of 2.64(3) Å indicating that no residual interaction between the RuH and Ge is present. DFT calculations are also consistent with full oxidative addition. The structure of cis-[Ru(DuPhos) 2 (GeH 3 )H] reveals significant distortion from an octahedral geometry. The major species in the crystal (95%) exhibits a structure with a Ru-H···Ge distance of 2.42(5) Å suggesting negligible interaction between these centers. DFT calculations of the structure are consistent with the experimental determination. The reactions of Ru(PP) 2 H 2 with diphenylgermane yield cis-[Ru(PP) 2 (GePh 2 H)H] exclusively for PP = dmpe and depe, while the cis isomer is dominant in the case of dppe. A photochemical competition reaction between Ru(dppe) 2 (H) 2 and the two substrates Ph 2 SiH 2 and Ph 2 GeH 2 results in both Si-H and Ge-H oxidative addition activation with a kinetic preference (0.18:1) for the germyl hydride product. Thermal conversion of Ru(dppe) 2 (SiPh 2 H)H to Ru(dppe) 2 (GePh 2 H)H is observed on heating

Stellar populations in the CFHTLS. I. New constraints on the IMF at low mass

We present a stellar populations analysis of the first release of the CFHTLS (Canada-France-Hawai Telescope Legacy Survey) data. A detailed comparison between the Besan\c{c}on model of the Galaxy and the first data release of the CFHTLS-Deep survey is performed by implementing the MEGACAM photometric system in this model using stellar atmosphere model libraries. The reliability of the theoretical libraries to reproduce the observed colours in the MEGACAM system is investigated. The locations of various stellar species like subdwarfs, white dwarfs, late-type and brown dwarfs, binary systems are identified. The contamination of the stellar sample by quasars and compact galaxies is quantified using spectroscopic data from the VIMOS-VLT Deep Survey (VVDS) as a function of $i'$ magnitude and $r'-i'$ colour. A comparison between simulated counts using the standard IMF at low masses show that the number of very low mass dwarfs may have been underestimated in previous studies. These observations favour a power law IMF following $d(n)/dm \propto m^{-\alpha}$ with $\alpha=2.5$ for $m <$ 0.25 \Msun or $\alpha=3.0$ for $m <$ 0.2 \Msun for single stars. The resulting LF is in agreement with the local LF as measured from the 5 or 25 pc samples. It is in strong disagreement with the Zheng et al (2001) LF measured from deep HST data. We show that this discrepancy can be understood as an indication of a different IMF at low masses at early epochs of the Galaxy compared to the local thin disc IMF.Comment: 15 pages The original paper with the figures at high resolution can be found under the anonymous ftp (ftp.iap.fr: pub/from_users/schulthe/cfhtls.pdf

Experimental evidence that livestock grazing intensity affects cyclic vole population regulation processes

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Genetic diversity of Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolated from tuberculosis patients in the Serengeti ecosystem in Tanzania

SummaryThis study was part of a larger cross-sectional survey that was evaluating tuberculosis (TB) infection in humans, livestock and wildlife in the Serengeti ecosystem in Tanzania. The study aimed at evaluating the genetic diversity of Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates from TB patients attending health facilities in the Serengeti ecosystem. DNA was extracted from 214 sputum cultures obtained from consecutively enrolled newly diagnosed untreated TB patients aged ≥18 years. Spacer oligonucleotide typing (spoligotyping) and Mycobacterium Interspersed Repetitive Units and Variable Number Tandem Repeat (MIRU-VNTR) were used to genotype M. tuberculosis to establish the circulating lineages. Of the214 M. tuberculosis isolates genotyped, 55 (25.7%) belonged to the Central Asian (CAS) family, 52 (24.3%) were T family (an ill-defined family), 38 (17.8%) belonged to the Latin American Mediterranean (LAM) family, 25 (11.7%) to the East-African Indian (EAI) family, 25 (11.7%) comprised of different unassigned (‘Serengeti’) strain families, while 8 (3.7%) belonged to the Beijing family. A minority group that included Haarlem, X, U and S altogether accounted for 11 (5.2%) of all genotypes. MIRU-VNTR typing produced diverse patterns within and between families indicative of unlinked transmission chains. We conclude that, in the Serengeti ecosystem only a few successful families predominate namely CAS, T, LAM and EAI families. Other types found in lower prevalence are Beijing, Haarlem, X, S and MANU. The Haarlem, EAI_Somalia, LAM3 and S/convergent and X2 subfamilies found in this study were not reported in previous studies in Tanzania

Circulating miRNAs in Pediatric Pulmonary Hypertension Show Promise as Biomarkers of Vascular Function

Background/Objectives. The objective of this study was to evaluate the utility of circulating miRNAs as biomarkers of vascular function in pediatric pulmonary hypertension. Method. Fourteen pediatric pulmonary arterial hypertension patients underwent simultaneous right heart catheterization (RHC) and blood biochemical analysis. Univariate and stepwise multivariate linear regression was used to identify and correlate measures of reactive and resistive afterload with circulating miRNA levels. Furthermore, circulating miRNA candidates that classified patients according to a 20% decrease in resistive afterload in response to oxygen (O2) or inhaled nitric oxide (iNO) were identified using receiver-operating curves. Results. Thirty-two circulating miRNAs correlated with the pulmonary vascular resistance index (PVRi), pulmonary arterial distensibility, and PVRi decrease in response to O2 and/or iNO. Multivariate models, combining the predictive capability of multiple promising miRNA candidates, revealed a good correlation with resistive (r=0.97, P2−tailed<0.0001) and reactive (r=0.86, P2−tailed<0.005) afterloads. Bland-Altman plots showed that 95% of the differences between multivariate models and RHC would fall within 0.13 (mmHg−min/L)m2 and 0.0085/mmHg for resistive and reactive afterloads, respectively. Circulating miR-663 proved to be a good classifier for vascular responsiveness to acute O2 and iNO challenges. Conclusion. This study suggests that circulating miRNAs may be biomarkers to phenotype vascular function in pediatric PAH