Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Studies on stigma regarding hearing impairment and hearing aid use among adults of working age: a scoping review

Abstract Purpose Research on stigma has been criticized for centering on the perceptions of individuals and their effect on social interactions rather than studying stigma as a dynamic and relational phenomenon as originally defined by Goffman. This review investigates whether and how stigma has been evaluated as a social process in the context of hearing impairment and hearing aid use. Materials and methods Systematic literature searches were conducted within four major databases for peer-reviewed journal articles on hearing impairment and hearing aid rehabilitation. In these, 18 studies with stigma, shame or mental wellbeing as the primary research interest were identified. The reports were examined for their methodology, focus and results. Results The reviewed studies used both quantitative and qualitative methodologies, questionnaires and interviews being the most common methods. All studies concentrated on the participants’ experiences or views concerning stigma. Studies examining the social process of stigmatization were lacking. Most studies pointed out the negative effect of stigma on the use of hearing aids. Conclusions In order to understand the process of stigmatization, more studies using observational methods are needed. Moreover, additional research should also focus on how stigma as a social and relational phenomenon can be alleviated. IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATION Low adherence in hearing aid use is connected to fear of stigma related to hearing impairment and hearing aids. Hearing health services should include counseling to deal with individual’s experiences and fear of stigma. Stigmatization is a social process that concerns individuals with hearing impairment in contact with their social environment. Hearing health professionals should consider including close relatives and/or partners of hearing impaired individuals in discussions of starting hearing aid rehabilitation. In consulting patients with hearing impairment professionals should give advice about how to deal with questions of hearing aid, hearing impairment and fear of stigma at work.
Physical Activity and Mental Toughness as Antecedents of Academic Burnout among School Students: A Latent Profile Approach

Background: The purpose of the current survey-based study was to identify patterns of academic burnout and their antecedents among secondary school students. Methods: Secondary school students (n = 1209) completed a survey measuring academic burnout, physical activity, and mental toughness. Results: Using latent profile analyses, three burnout profiles were identified: a “moderately engaged group” (n = 699; 57.8%), a “burnout group” (n = 389; 32.2%), and a “well-functioning group” (n = 121; 10.0%). Group comparisons revealed that the “well-functioning group” reported significantly higher levels of physical activity and mental toughness than the other two groups. Conclusions: These findings suggest that lack of physical activity and mental toughness are potential risk factors for academic burnout. These findings may inform the development of intervention programs for academic burnout.
Analysis of Transcriptionally Active Bacteria Throughout the Gastrointestinal Tract of Healthy Individuals.

BACKGROUND & AIMS The microbiome varies along the human gastrointestinal (GI) tract with exposure to luminal and mucosal factors. We analyzed active bacterial communities at 8 locations along the GI tract using high-throughput sequencing techniques. METHODS We collected saliva, mucosal, and fecal samples from healthy adults (10 men and 11 women; mean age, 59±12.3 years) who underwent upper and lower GI tract endoscopy in Germany from December 2015 through September 2016. Biopsies were taken from stomach, antrum, corpus, duodenum, terminal ileum, ascending colon and descending colon. RNA was extracted from all samples and reverse transcribed into cDNA; V1-V2 regions of 16S rRNA genes were amplified and sequenced on an Illumina MiSeq platform. Abundances of taxonomic ranks in each sample type were used to construct sample-similarity matrices with the Bray-Curtis algorithm. Significant differences between a priori defined groups were evaluated using analysis of similarity. RESULTS After taxonomic annotation, 4045 phylotypes, belonging to 169 genera and 14 different phyla, were identified. Each subject had a different bacterial community. We identified distinct microbial consortia in saliva, upper GI tract, lower GI tract, and fecal samples. The predominant genera in the upper GI tract (Gemella, Veillonella, Neisseria, Fusobacterium, Streptococcus, Prevotella, Pseudomonas and Actinomyces) were almost absent from the lower GI tract, where the microbial communities mainly comprised Faecalibacterium, Ruminococcus, and Bacteroides. The bacterial communities in the upper GI tract were characterized by greater richness and heterogeneity (measured by the Shannon index) than those in the lower GI tract. We detected Helicobacter pylori in only the upper GI tract. CONCLUSIONS In an analysis of saliva, mucosal, and fecal samples from 21 healthy adults, we found each individual, and each GI region, to have a different bacterial community. The fecal microbiome is not representative of the mucosal microbiome. We propose a systematic method to analyze the bacterial communities of the GI tract.
BMI, Weight Change, and Dementia Risk in Patients With New-Onset Type 2 Diabetes: A Nationwide Cohort Study

OBJECTIVE This study examined the association between baseline BMI, percentage weight change, and the risk of dementia in patients newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Using the South Korean National Health Insurance Service-National Health Screening Cohort database, we identified 167,876 subjects aged ≥40 years diagnosed with new-onset type 2 diabetes between 2007 and 2012. Their weight changes were monitored for ∼2 years after diagnosis, with follow-up assessments occurring for an average of 3.5 years. The hazard ratios (HRs) and Bonferroni-adjusted 95% CIs of all-cause dementia, Alzheimer disease (AD), and vascular dementia were estimated using multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression models. RESULTS We identified 2,563 incident dementia cases during follow-up. Baseline BMI among patients with new-onset type 2 diabetes was inversely associated with the risk of all-cause dementia and AD, independent of confounding variables (P for trend <0.001). The percentage weight change during the 2 years after a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes showed significant U-shaped associations with the risk of all-cause dementia development (P < 0.001); the HRs of the disease increased significantly when weight loss or gain was >10% (1.34 [95% CI 1.11–1.63] and 1.38 [1.08–1.76], respectively). Additionally, weight loss >10% was associated with an increased risk of AD (HR 1.26 [95% CI 1.01–1.59]). CONCLUSIONS A lower baseline BMI was associated with increased risks of all-cause dementia and AD in patients with new-onset type 2 diabetes. Weight loss or weight gain after the diagnosis of diabetes was associated with an increased risk of all-cause dementia. Weight loss was associated with an increased risk of AD.
Patient-Derived Cancer Organoid Cultures to Predict Sensitivity to Chemotherapy and Radiation

Purpose: Cancer treatment is limited by inaccurate predictors of patient-specific therapeutic response. Therefore, some patients are exposed to unnecessary side effects and delays in starting effective therapy. A clinical tool that predicts treatment sensitivity for individual patients is needed. Experimental Design: Patient-derived cancer organoids were derived across multiple histologies. The histologic characteristics, mutation profile, clonal structure, and response to chemotherapy and radiation were assessed using bright-field and optical metabolic imaging on spheroid and single-cell levels, respectively. Results: We demonstrate that patient-derived cancer organoids represent the cancers from which they were derived, including key histologic and molecular features. These cultures were generated from numerous cancers, various biopsy sample types, and in different clinical settings. Next-generation sequencing reveals the presence of subclonal populations within the organoid cultures. These cultures allow for the detection of clonal heterogeneity with a greater sensitivity than bulk tumor sequencing. Optical metabolic imaging of these organoids provides cell-level quantification of treatment response and tumor heterogeneity allowing for resolution of therapeutic differences between patient samples. Using this technology, we prospectively predict treatment response for a patient with metastatic colorectal cancer. Conclusions: These studies add to the literature demonstrating feasibility to grow clinical patient-derived organotypic cultures for treatment effectiveness testing. Together, these culture methods and response assessment techniques hold great promise to predict treatment sensitivity for patients with cancer undergoing chemotherapy and/or radiation.
Regression to Normal Glucose Regulation in American Indians and Alaska Natives of a Diabetes Prevention Program

OBJECTIVE This study evaluated whether regression from impaired glucose regulation (IGR) to normal glucose regulation (NGR) after 1 year of a lifestyle intervention reduces diabetes risk in American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/ANs). In addition, we sought to identify predictors for regression to NGR and understand possible mechanisms for the association between NGR and future diabetes risk. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Data from participants enrolled from 2006 to 2009 in the Special Diabetes Program for Indians Diabetes Prevention Program with IGR at baseline and an oral glucose tolerance test at year 1 were analyzed (N = 1,443). Cox regression models were used to estimate the subsequent diabetes risk (year 1 to year 3) by year 1 glucose status. Mediation analysis was used to estimate the proportions of the association between year 1 glycemic status and diabetes risk explained by specific factors. RESULTS Those who reverted to NGR at year 1 (38%) had lower diabetes risk than those with sustained IGR (adjusted hazard ratio 0.28, 95% CI 0.12–0.67). The lower risk associated with regression to NGR was explained by both baseline risk factors and differences in weight loss. Metformin use, weight loss, and an increase in exercise were modifiable risk factors associated with higher odds of regression to NGR. CONCLUSIONS Patients with prediabetes who reverted to NGR had a reduced risk of developing type 2 diabetes over the next 2 years. Both baseline and modifiable risk factors explained the risk reduction associated with NGR.
The Multispecies Coalescent Over-splits Species in the Case of Geographically Widespread Taxa.

Many recent species delimitation studies rely exclusively on limited analyses of genetic data analyzed under the multispecies coalescent (MSC) model, and results from these studies often are regarded as conclusive support for taxonomic changes. However, most MSC-based species delimitation methods have well-known and often unmet assumptions. Uncritical application of these genetic-based approaches (without due consideration of sampling design, the effects of a priori group designations, isolation by distance, cytoplasmic-nuclear mismatch, and population structure) can lead to over-splitting of species. Here, we argue that in many common biological scenarios, researchers must be particularly cautious regarding these limitations, especially in cases of well-studied, geographically variable, and parapatrically-distributed species complexes. We consider these points with respect to a historically controversial species group, the American milksnakes (Lampropeltis triangulum complex), using genetic data from a recent analysis (Ruane et al. 2014; Syst. Biol. 63:231-250). We show that over-reliance on the program BPP, without adequate consideration of its assumptions and of sampling limitations, resulted in over-splitting of species in this study. Several of the hypothesized species of milksnakes instead appear to represent arbitrary slices of continuous geographic clines. We conclude that the best available evidence supports three, rather than seven, species within this complex. More generally, we recommend that coalescent-based species delimitation studies incorporate thorough analyses of geographic variation and carefully examine putative contact zones among delimited species before making taxonomic changes.
Psychosocial Distress in Follow-up Care – Results of a Tablet-based Routine Screening in 202 Patients With Sarcoma

Background: Patients with sarcoma are particularly vulnerable to psychosocial distress. The aim of this study was to collect preliminary data on the prevalence of psychosocial distress in such patients during follow-up care and identify risk factors associated with higher psycho-oncological stress levels. Patients and Methods: The study retrospectively enrolled 202 patients with bone or soft-tissue sarcomas who underwent routine psychosocial distress screening during their follow-up care. All patients were screened using an electronic cancer-specific questionnaire. Results: Females and patients who underwent radiotherapy were more distressed. Psychosocial distress levels were markedly higher in the early postoperative phase, but approximately one-third of patients showed high psychosocial distress levels even more than 2 years postoperatively. Conclusion: The results underscore the importance of routine psychosocial distress screenings in patients with sarcoma, which should be performed throughout the follow-up period.
The Association Between Primary Care Physician Compensation and Patterns of Care Delivery, 2012-2015

As health systems seek to incentivize physicians to deliver high-value care, the relationship between physician compensation and health care delivery is an important knowledge gap. To examine physician compensation nationally and its relationship with care delivery, we examined 2012-2015 cross-sectional data on ambulatory primary care physician visits from the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey. Among 175 762 office visits with 3826 primary care physicians, 15.4% of primary care physicians reported salary-based, 4.5% productivity-based, and 12.9% “mixed” compensation, while 61.4% were practice owners. After adjustment, delivery of out-of-visit/office care was more common for practice owners and “mixed” compensation primary care physicians, while there was little association between compensation type and rates of high- or low-value care delivery. Despite early health reform efforts, the overall landscape of physician compensation has remained strongly tethered to fee-for-service. The lack of consistent association between compensation and care delivery raises questions about the potential impact of payment reform on individual physicians’ behavior.
Association between time to colonoscopy after a positive guaiac fecal test result and risk of colorectal cancer and advanced stage disease at diagnosis

We evaluated time to colonoscopy after a positive guaiac‐based fecal occult blood test (gFOBT) result and its association with the risk of overall colorectal cancer (CRC) and advanced‐stage disease at diagnosis. We conducted a retrospective cohort study (2011–2013) within the Clalit Health Services, Israel. Participants were patients between 50 and 74 years old with a positive gFOBT result who had follow‐up colonoscopies within 24 months. The exposure was time to colonoscopy, and the main outcome measure was a risk for overall and advanced CRC (defined as Stages III–IV). Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were adjusted for patient demographics and baseline risk factors. Of the 17,958 patients with positive gFOBT results (median age, 61 years [interquartile range, 56–67 years]; women, 52.2%), there were 685 cases of CRC and 156 cases of an advanced‐stage disease diagnosed. The rate of cancer diagnosis at 0–3, 4–6, 7–9, 10–12 and 13–24 months was 3.9%, 2.5%, 3.5%, 4.2% and 7.3%, respectively (p < 0.001). Compared to colonoscopy follow‐up within 0–3 months, risks for any CRC and advanced stage disease were higher for a follow‐up of 12–24 months: OR, 1.97 (95% CI, 1.51–2.56) and 1.88 (95% CI, 1.43–2.46), respectively. For right‐sided cancer (n = 194), an increased risk starts at 10 months, OR, 1.91 (95% CI 1.03–3.56). A result of 3–6 positive fields was significantly associated diagnosis of cancer (OR, 5.52; 95% CI, 4.71–6.46) and advanced stage disease (OR, 8.07; 95% CI, 5.74–11.36). Encouraging an early uptake of colonoscopy and targeting those with 10–24 months delay and a 3–6 positive fields is warranted.
Combined analysis of keratinocyte cancers identifies novel genome-wide loci

Abstract The keratinocyte cancers (KC), basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) are the most common cancers in fair-skinned people. KC treatment represents the second highest cancer healthcare expenditure in Australia. Increasing our understanding of the genetic architecture of KC may provide new avenues for prevention and treatment. We first conducted a series of genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of KC across three European ancestry datasets from Australia, Europe and USA, and used linkage disequilibrium (LD) Score regression (LDSC) to estimate their pairwise genetic correlations. We employed a multiple-trait approach to map genes across the combined set of KC GWAS (total N = 47 742 cases, 634 413 controls). We also performed meta-analyses of BCC and SCC separately to identify trait specific loci. We found substantial genetic correlations (generally 0.5–1) between BCC and SCC suggesting overlapping genetic risk variants. The multiple trait combined KC GWAS identified 63 independent genome-wide significant loci, 29 of which were novel. Individual separate meta-analyses of BCC and SCC identified an additional 13 novel loci not found in the combined KC analysis. Three new loci were implicated using gene-based tests. New loci included common variants in BRCA2 (distinct to known rare high penetrance cancer risk variants), and in CTLA4, a target of immunotherapy in melanoma. We found shared and trait specific genetic contributions to BCC and SCC. Considering both, we identified a total of 79 independent risk loci, 45 of which are novel.
Drug survival of apremilast in a real‐world setting

Apremilast is a novel oral phosphodiesterase‐4 inhibitor approved for treatment of plaque psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis in Japan in December 2016. We have treated a substantial number of patients with psoriasis with apremilast and investigated the length of the treatment period with apremilast (drug survival of apremilast) in 138 patients with psoriasis who were treated at the Department of Dermatology in Jichi Medical University Hospital from 1 March 2017 to 31 August 2018 using the Kaplan–Meier survival curve. The drug survival rate of apremilast at 1 year was 53.4%. The median length of the drug survival period was 453 days. There were no statistical differences in the drug survival rate in terms of the type of psoriasis, previous systemic treatment or presence of one or more adverse events. Drug efficacy was investigated in 115 patients who were followed for more than 16 weeks. There was no correlation between drug efficacy and sex, previous systemic treatment or presence of one or more adverse events; however, there was a correlation between drug efficacy and plaque size (P < 0.01, rs = −0.29). The result of our study indicates that apremilast is effective regardless of the history of prior systemic treatment, and it supports our previous finding that small plaque‐type psoriasis is more sensitive to treatment with apremilast.
Investigating the Robustness of the Illusory Truth Effect Across Individual Differences in Cognitive Ability, Need for Cognitive Closure, and Cognitive Style

People are more inclined to believe that information is true if they have encountered it before. Little is known about whether this illusory truth effect is influenced by individual differences in cognition. In seven studies (combined N = 2,196), using both trivia statements (Studies 1-6) and partisan news headlines (Study 7), we investigate moderation by three factors that have been shown to play a critical role in epistemic processes: cognitive ability (Studies 1, 2, 5), need for cognitive closure (Study 1), and cognitive style, that is, reliance on intuitive versus analytic thinking (Studies 1, 3-7). All studies showed a significant illusory truth effect, but there was no evidence for moderation by any of the cognitive measures across studies. These results indicate that the illusory truth effect is robust to individual differences in cognitive ability, need for cognitive closure, and cognitive style.
Out of Sight, Out of Mind? Geographic and Social Predictors of Flood Risk Awareness

The persistent gap in flood risk awareness in Canada, and elsewhere in North America, is a continual source of worry for researchers and emergency managers; many people living in at‐risk places are simply unaware of risks and of their proximity to hazards. This study seeks to understand which residents were aware of flood risk, using unique representative survey data of Calgary residents living in the city's flood‐prone neighborhoods collected after the devastating and costly 2013 Southern Alberta Flood. The article uses logistic regression models to analyze which residents were aware of risk to their homes. Findings indicate that, in addition to various demographic predictors, many of the geographic predictors (including the elevation of one's home relative to the river) are significant predictors of awareness. Having a direct sight line to one of Calgary's two rivers is also a significant predictor in some of the models, suggesting that the visibility of hazards matters for flood risk perception, although this effect fades when many of the geographic predictors are added. Finally, the models indicate that several variables related to local, neighborhood‐based social networks are significant as well. These findings reveal that both physical surroundings and social context are important for understanding risk awareness. The article concludes by discussing the relevance for social science research on disasters and hazards, as well as for planners and emergency managers.
Maternal odor shapes rapid face categorization in the infant brain.

To successfully interact with a rich and ambiguous visual environment, the human brain learns to differentiate visual stimuli and to produce the same response to subsets of these stimuli despite their physical difference. Although this visual categorization function is traditionally investigated from a unisensory perspective, its early development is inherently constrained by multisensory inputs. In particular, an early-maturing sensory system such as olfaction is ideally suited to support the immature visual system in infancy by providing stability and familiarity to a rapidly changing visual environment. Here we test the hypothesis that rapid visual categorization of salient visual signals for the young infant brain, human faces, is shaped by another highly relevant human-related input from the olfactory system, the mother's body odor. We observe that a right-hemispheric neural signature of single-glance face categorization from natural images is significantly enhanced in the maternal vs. a control odor context in individual 4-month-old infant brains. A lack of difference between odor conditions for the common brain response elicited by both face and non-face images rules out a mere enhancement of arousal or visual attention in the maternal odor context. These observations show that face-selective neural activity in infancy is mediated by the presence of a (maternal) body odor, providing strong support for multisensory inputs driving category acquisition in the developing human brain and having important implications for our understanding of human perceptual development. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.