Plos One
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Confounding by disease severity is an issue in pharmacoepidemiology studies of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), due to channeling of sicker patients to certain therapies. To address the issue of limited clinical data for confounder adjustment, a patient-level prediction model to differentiate between patients prescribed and not prescribed advanced therapies was developed as a surrogate for disease severity, using all available data from a US claims database. ⋯ A prediction model demonstrated good discrimination across multiple claims databases to identify RA patients with a prescription claim for advanced therapies during different time-at-risk periods as proxy for current and future moderate-to-severe disease. This work provides a robust model-derived risk score that can be used as a potential covariate and proxy measure to adjust for confounding by severity in multivariable models in the RA population. An R package to develop the prediction model and risk score are available in an open source platform for researchers.
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It has been reported that lateral gene transfer (LGT) events among Mycobacteroides abscessus strains are prevalent. The hsp65 gene, a chronometer gene for bacterial phylogenetic analysis, is resistant to LGT events, particularly among mycobacterial strains, rendering the hsp65-targeting method the most widely used method for mycobacterial detection. To determine the prevalence of M. abscessus strains that are subject to hsp65 LGT, we applied rpoB typing to 100 clinically isolated Korean strains of M. abscessus that had been identified by hsp65 sequence analysis. ⋯ In conclusion, we identified two M. abscessus subsp. massiliense rough strains from Korean patients with hsp65 genes that might be laterally transferred from M. abscessus subsp. abscessus. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of possible LGT events associated with the hsp65 gene in mycobacteria. Our results also suggest that there is the potential for misidentification when the hsp65-based protocol is used for mycobacterial identification.
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Resilience has been highlighted as a pivotal factor in overcoming the detrimental impact of trauma. The present study tests a resilience model of trauma using risk (rumination, emotion regulation, and entrapment) and protective (perceived social support) factors in a sample of firefighters who are at heightened risk for post-traumatic stress disorder, using a cross-sectional design. Specifically, the present study focuses on perceived social support as a resilience factor against PTSD symptoms, in response to trauma exposure. ⋯ That is, firefighters with high levels of perceived social support reported lower severity of rumination and PTSD symptoms. These findings suggest that perceptions of social support may operate as a resilience factor in buffering the effects of trauma on PTSD symptoms. Perceived social support interacts with intrusive rumination and perceptions of entrapment, thereby resisting the development of PTSD symptoms.
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The open access availability of publications by Catalonia's CERCA research centres was analysed to determine the extent to which authors use open access journals, repositories, social networks and other websites to disseminate their research results. A sample of 3,730 journal articles published by authors from CERCA research centres between 2011 and 2015 and available on Web of Science (out of a total output of 44,423) was analysed to identify how many were available in open access, full-text format. The results revealed that 75,8% of the total (2,828 articles) had at least one version available in open access, but just 52% (1,940 articles) had at least one version available in either journals (whether pure or hybrid open access journals or those with embargo periods) or repositories, a finding that highlights the powerful role played by academic social networks in the sharp increase in open access availability. ⋯ Only 40,4% of the articles in the sample were located in repositories, being the subject repositories the heaviest used. Fifty percent of the articles (1,881 publications) were posted on academic social networks, the most popular of which were ResearchGate and Academia. According to thematic areas, all six areas (science, life sciences, medical and health sciences, engineering and architecture and humanities) exceeded 70% of articles in open access.
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Early detection of postoperative increase in C-reactive protein (CRP) correlates with postoperative complications. The present study examined the association between preoperative / intraoperative factors and postoperative CRP levels, with development and validation of a prediction model of early postoperative CRP level, for prophylactic management of postoperative complications in patients undergoing surgery under general anesthesia. ⋯ Increases in duration of surgery, intraoperative nociceptive level and preoperative CRP level were selected to predict early increases in CRP level after non-cardiac surgery under general anesthesia. Predicted CRP levels on POD1 were likely associated with severity of postoperative complications.