Perceived COVID-19 susceptibility and preventive behaviors: moderating effects of social support in Italy and South Korea.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic hit Italy much harder than South Korea. As a way of explaining the different impact in the two countries, this study examines the moderating role of social support on the relationship between perceived susceptibility and preventive behaviors in the two countries. METHODS: Surveys were conducted in South Korea (n = 1396) and Italy (n = 487) of participants aged 50 to 89 years. RESULTS: South Koreans felt higher levels of perceived social support than their Italian counterparts. As would be expected, greater perceived susceptibility was associated with increased preventive behavior. Furthermore, a significant three-way interaction effect was found for perceived susceptibility, social support, and country. For Italians, a person who feels him/herself highly susceptible will increase preventive behaviors, if there is a lot of social support. On the other hand, for South Koreans, those with a low level of susceptibility perform more preventive measures than people with a high level of susceptibility if there is a lot of social support. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides insights into how cognitive factors, such as susceptibility and severity, as well as social and environmental factors can be taken into account, and the public be told the real risk and given behavioral guidelines when a pandemic is approaching. Given the critical role of social support as a coping mechanism in crisis situations, societies should mull over ways to increase emotional and instrumental support.

Invasive Grass Dominance over Native Forbs Is Linked to Shifts in the Bacterial Rhizosphere Microbiome.

Rhizosphere microbiomes have received growing attention in recent years for their role in plant health, stress tolerance, soil nutrition, and invasion. Still, relatively little is known about how these microbial communities are altered under plant competition, and even less about whether these shifts are tied to competitive outcomes between native and invasive plants. We investigated the structure and diversity of rhizosphere bacterial and fungal microbiomes of native annual forbs and invasive annual grasses grown in a shade-house both individually and in competition using high-throughput amplicon sequencing of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene and the fungal ITS region. We assessed how differentially abundant microbial families correlate to plant biomass under competition. We find that bacterial diversity and structure differ between native forbs and invasive grasses, but fungal diversity and structure do not. Furthermore, bacterial community structures under competition are distinct from individual bacterial community structures. We also identified five bacterial families that varied in normalized abundance between treatments and that were correlated with plant biomass under competition. We speculate that invasive grass dominance over these natives may be partially due to effects on the rhizosphere community, with changes in specific bacterial families potentially benefiting invaders at the expense of natives.

Immunomodulation of Acellular Dermal Matrix Through Interleukin 4 Enhances Vascular Infiltration.

BACKGROUND: Acellular dermal matrix (ADM) supported implant-based reconstruction remains the most commonly performed mode of reconstruction after breast cancer. Acellular dermal matrix clinical usage has reported benefits but requires rapid and efficient vascular and cellular incorporation into the recipient to have the best outcomes. Orderly transition from M1 to M2 macrophage phenotypic profile, coordinated in part by interleukin 4 (IL-4), is an important component of vascular stabilization and remodeling. Using the ADM substrate as a delivery device for immunomodulation of macrophage phenotype holds the potential to improve integration. METHODS: Interleukin 4 was adsorbed onto ADM samples and drug elution curves were measured. Next, experimental groups of 8 C57BL/6 mice had 5-mm ADM discs surgically placed in a dorsal window chamber with a vascularized skin flap on one side and a plastic cover slip on the other in a model of implant-based breast reconstruction. Group 1 consisted of IL-4 (5 µg) adsorbed into the ADM preoperatively and group 2 consisted of an untreated ADM control. Serial gross examinations were performed with histology at day 21 for markers of vascularization, mesenchymal cell infiltration, and macrophage lineage. RESULTS: Drug elution curves showed sustained IL-4 release for 10 days after adsorption. Serial gross examination showed similar rates of superficial vascular investment of the ADM beginning at the periphery by day 14 and increasing through day 21. Interleukin-4 treatment led to significantly increased CD31 staining of vascular endothelial cells within the ADM over the control group (P < 0.05) at 21 days. Although vimentin staining did not indicate a significant increase in fibroblasts overall, IL-4 did result in a significant increase in expression of α-smooth muscle actin. The expression of macrophage phenotype markers Arginase1 and iNOS present within the ADM were not significantly affected by IL-4 treatment at the day 21 time point. CONCLUSIONS: Acellular dermal matrix has the potential to be used for immunomodulatory cytokine delivery during the timeframe of healing. Using implanted ADM as a delivery vehicle to drive IL-4 mediated angiogenesis and vascular remodeling significantly enhanced vascularity within the ADM substrate.

CONSEQUENCES OF LAPSES IN TREATMENT WITH VASCULAR ENDOTHELIAL GROWTH FACTOR INHIBITORS IN NEOVASCULAR AGE-RELATED MACULAR DEGENERATION IN ROUTINE CLINICAL PRACTICE.

PURPOSE: Evaluating outcomes in patients receiving intravitreal antivascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) inhibitors for neovascular age-related macular degeneration whom experience a lapse in treatment. METHODS: A retrospective chart review evaluating 3,304 patients ≥18 years who experienced treatment lapses ≥3 months compared with control counterparts. Demographic information, macular thickness as measured by central subfield thickness, and visual acuity were collected at baseline, the first postlapse appointment, and at 3, 6, and 12 months after the lapse for the study group. RESULTS: Lapse (n = 241) and control patients (n = 241) had similar baseline visual acuity and central subfield thickness (Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study: 58.9 ± 20.2 [20/63] vs. 59.2 ± 20.1 [20/63]; central subfield thickness: 252.4 ± 63.2 µm vs. 259.8 ± 66.2 µm, P = 0.21). Analysis revealed that lapse patients experienced a significant increase in central subfield thickness after lapse when compared with controls (279.4 ± 86.9 µm vs. 253.7 ± 65.9 µm, P < 0.01), which normalized on resumption of treatment (259.1 ± 79 µm vs. 246.8 ± 57.6 µm, P = 0.06). Study patients also experienced loss in the visual acuity after lapse when compared with controls (52.9 ± 23.6 Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study [20/100] vs. 59.9 ± 20.8 [20/63] Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study, P < 0.01) that did not recover through 12 months of follow-up. CONCLUSION: Patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration who have lapses in care are at risk for poorer outcomes. Although macular thickness normalizes on resumption of treatment, their decline in the visual acuity does not recover.

Designing Anti-Binge Drinking Prevention Messages: Message Framing vs. Evidence Type.

We investigated whether presenting anti-binge drinking health campaign messages in different message framing and evidence types influences college students' intention to avoid binge drinking, based on prospect theory (PT) and exemplification theory. A 2 (message framing: loss-framed message/gain-framed message) X 2 (evidence type: statistical/narrative) between-subjects factorial design with a control group was conducted with 156 college students. College students who were exposed to the loss-framed message condition exhibited a higher level of intention to avoid binge drinking in the near future than those who did not see any messages (the control group). This finding was mainly among non-binge drinkers. Regardless of evidence type, those who were exposed to the messages exhibited a higher level of intention to avoid binge drinking than those in the control group. This is also mainly among non-binge drinkers. We also found the main effects of message framing and evidence type on attitude toward the message and the main effect of message framing on attitude toward drinking.

Long shelf-life streptavidin support-films suitable for electron microscopy of biological macromolecules.

We describe a rapid and convenient method of growing streptavidin (SA) monolayer crystals directly on holey-carbon EM grids. As expected, these SA monolayer crystals retain their biotin-binding function and crystalline order through a cycle of embedding in trehalose and, later, its removal. This fact allows one to prepare, and store for later use, EM grids on which SA monolayer crystals serve as an affinity substrate for preparing specimens of biological macromolecules. In addition, we report that coating the lipid-tail side of trehalose-embedded monolayer crystals with evaporated carbon appears to improve the consistency with which well-ordered, single crystals are observed to span over entire, 2µm holes of the support films. Randomly biotinylated 70S ribosomes are used as a test specimen to show that these support films can be used to obtain a high-resolution cryo-EM structure.

Locus of control and peer relationships among Caucasian, Hispanic, Asian, and African American adolescents.

Past research has shown that locus of control plays an important role in a wide range of behaviors, such as academic achievement and positive social behaviors. However, little is known about whether locus of control plays the same role in minority adolescents' peer relationships. The current study examined ethnic differences in the associations between locus of control and peer relationships in early adolescence using samples from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study (ECLS-K: 5,612 Caucasian, 1,562 Hispanic, 507 Asian, and 908 African-American adolescents) and the National Education Longitudinal Study (NELS: 8,484 Caucasian, 1,604 Hispanic, and 860 Asian, and 1,228 African American adolescents). Gender was approximately evenly split in both samples. The results from the two datasets were highly consistent. Significant interactions between ethnicity and locus of control indicated that having a more internal locus of control was particularly important for Caucasian students' peer relationships (ECLS-K) and social status (NELS), but less so for Asian, Hispanic, and African American students. Our findings suggest that the role of locus of control in peer relationship is contingent upon culture.

Sun-care product advertising in parenting magazines: what information does it provide about sun protection?

This study analyzed the content of sun-care product advertisements in five major U.S. parenting magazines with high circulation: Family Circle, Parents, Family Fun, Parenting (Early Years), and Parenting (School Years). The study examined what information sun-care product advertisements tell parents about skin cancer prevention and about sunscreen use for themselves or for their children based on the Health Belief Model concepts of perceived benefits and perceived barriers. Results showed that the most commonly mentioned benefit of the product was that it blocks ultraviolet A (UVA) and ultraviolet B (UVB) rays. One-third of the ads promoted the product's effectiveness in overcoming four of the barriers that prevent people from using sunscreens: eye irritation, skin irritation, an unpleasant smell, and the need to reapply sunscreen too often or after physical activity. However, only a few of the ads provided information about the consequences of unprotected sun exposure or mentioned methods of sun protection or skin cancer prevention other than sunscreen use. We discuss the implications of these messages for parents' ability to understand correctly how to protect their children from damaging sun exposure.

Deep learning-based algorithm for the detection of idiopathic full thickness macular holes in spectral domain optical coherence tomography.

BACKGROUND: Automated identification of spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) features can improve retina clinic workflow efficiency as they are able to detect pathologic findings. The purpose of this study was to test a deep learning (DL)-based algorithm for the identification of Idiopathic Full Thickness Macular Hole (IFTMH) features and stages of severity in SD-OCT B-scans. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, subjects solely diagnosed with either IFTMH or Posterior Vitreous Detachment (PVD) were identified excluding secondary causes of macular holes, any concurrent maculopathies, or incomplete records. SD-OCT scans (512 × 128) from all subjects were acquired with CIRRUS™ HD-OCT (ZEISS, Dublin, CA) and reviewed for quality. In order to establish a ground truth classification, each SD-OCT B-scan was labeled by two trained graders and adjudicated by a retina specialist when applicable. Two test sets were built based on different gold-standard classification methods. The sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of the algorithm to identify IFTMH features in SD-OCT B-scans were determined. Spearman's correlation was run to examine if the algorithm's probability score was associated with the severity stages of IFTMH. RESULTS: Six hundred and one SD-OCT cube scans from 601 subjects (299 with IFTMH and 302 with PVD) were used. A total of 76,928 individual SD-OCT B-scans were labeled gradable by the algorithm and yielded an accuracy of 88.5% (test set 1, 33,024 B-scans) and 91.4% (test set 2, 43,904 B-scans) in identifying SD-OCT features of IFTMHs. A Spearman's correlation coefficient of 0.15 was achieved between the algorithm's probability score and the stages of the 299 (47 [15.7%] stage 2, 56 [18.7%] stage 3 and 196 [65.6%] stage 4) IFTMHs cubes studied. CONCLUSIONS: The DL-based algorithm was able to accurately detect IFTMHs features on individual SD-OCT B-scans in both test sets. However, there was a low correlation between the algorithm's probability score and IFTMH severity stages. The algorithm may serve as a clinical decision support tool that assists with the identification of IFTMHs. Further training is necessary for the algorithm to identify stages of IFTMHs.

How direct-to-consumer drug websites convey disease information: analysis of stigma-reducing components.

Given the growing trend of the Internet as a source of health information, this study evaluated whether direct-to-consumer prescription drug websites for stigmatized illnesses contained stigma-reducing components: onset controllability, offset controllability, and recategorization. The authors examined the contents of the first-level homepages and the second-level pages in 88 stand-alone websites for 15 different stigmatized conditions. Overall, about a third of the websites did not provide a direct link to detailed disease information on the homepage. On the homepages, three stigma-reducing components were rarely offered either through textual or visual cues. On the second level, in terms of textual cues, onset controllability and recategorization were the most prevalent, while offset controllability was relatively less frequent. There were no visual cues on the second level. Results point out the limited and insufficient stigma-reducing components of direct-to-consumer prescription drug websites.

A SNOMED CT Mapping Guideline for the Local Terms Used to Document Clinical Findings and Procedures in Electronic Medical Records in South Korea: Methodological Study.

BACKGROUND: South Korea joined SNOMED International as the 39th member country. To ensure semantic interoperability, South Korea introduced SNOMED CT (Systemized Nomenclature of Medicine-Clinical Terms) in 2020. However, there is no methodology to map local Korean terms to SNOMED CT. Instead, this is performed sporadically and independently at each local medical institution. The quality of the mapping, therefore, cannot be guaranteed. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to develop and introduce a guideline to map local Korean terms to the SNOMED CT used to document clinical findings and procedures in electronic health records at health care institutions in South Korea. METHODS: The guidelines were developed from December 2020 to December 2022. An extensive literature review was conducted. The overall structures and contents of the guidelines with diverse use cases were developed by referencing the existing SNOMED CT mapping guidelines, previous studies related to SNOMED CT mapping, and the experiences of the committee members. The developed guidelines were validated by a guideline review panel. RESULTS: The SNOMED CT mapping guidelines developed in this study recommended the following 9 steps: define the purpose and scope of the map, extract terms, preprocess source terms, preprocess source terms using clinical context, select a search term, use search strategies to find SNOMED CT concepts using a browser, classify mapping correlations, validate the map, and build the final map format. CONCLUSIONS: The guidelines developed in this study can support the standardized mapping of local Korean terms into SNOMED CT. Mapping specialists can use this guideline to improve the mapping quality performed at individual local medical institutions.

Mapping Korean National Health Insurance Claim Codes for Laboratory Test to SNOMED CT.

The aim of this study was to map Korean national health insurance claims codes for laboratory tests to SNOMED CT. The mapping source codes were 4,111 claims codes for laboratory test and mapping target codes were the International Edition of SNOMED CT released on July 31, 2020. We used rule-based automated and manual mapping methods. The mapping results were validated by two experts. Out of 4,111 codes, 90.5% were mapped to the concepts of procedure hierarchy in SNOMED CT. Of them, 51.4% of the codes were exactly mapped to SNOMED CT concepts, and 34.8% of the codes were mapped to SNOMED CT concepts as one-to-one mapping.

Systematic Review and Meta-analysis: Real-World Accuracy of Children's Developmental Screening Tests.

OBJECTIVE: This review presents a list of developmental screening tests used in clinical settings worldwide and provides a broad estimate of their accuracy (PROSPERO: CRD42021236474). METHOD: Following the PRISMA Diagnostic Test Accuracy (DTA) guidelines, this review involved searching PubMed, PsycINFO, Cochrane, EMBASE, CINAHL, and Google Scholar (for manual searching). Inclusion criteria included studies published in English through 2020 that compared the accuracy of developmental screening tests against developmental diagnostic tests among children under 13 years of age. Six researchers, in pairs, independently selected the studies and extracted the data. A hierarchical model was applied to meta-analyze the diagnostic accuracy of the tests, and meta-regression was used to identify the moderators using R 4.1.3 software. RESULTS: The meta-analysis included 56 studies (17 screening tests and 61 outcomes). The most frequently used screening tests were the Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ), Denver Developmental Screening Test (DDST), and Parent's Evaluation of Developmental Status (PEDS). The pooled sensitivity and specificity were 0.75 (95% CI = 0.69-0.80) and 0.76 (95% CI = 0.71-0.80), and the overall diagnostic accuracy of the total outcomes (area under the curve) was 0.80. High heterogeneity was observed between the included studies with various thresholds of the tests. Participants' developmental concerns at the baseline significantly moderated the accuracy of the screening tests, resulting in double the positive predictive value and prevalence compared to those without the concerns. CONCLUSION: We recommend a standardized process of validation studies for diagnostic accuracy, to ensure the effectiveness of developmental screening tests in clinical settings. STUDY PREREGISTRATION INFORMATION: Accuracy of Developmental Screening Tools among Children in Real World: a Systematic Review and Meta Analysis; https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/; CRD42021236474.

Remembering the silver lining: reappraisal and positive bias in memory for emotion.

Reappraisal and distraction, unlike suppression, are known to decrease the intensity of negative emotion in the short term. Little is known about long-term characteristics associated with emotion regulation strategies, however. In a longitudinal study, we examined the relation between the strategies people reported using to regulate emotions during a stressful situation and their later memory for their emotions. Students in Italy rated the intensity of positive and negative emotions they were experiencing as they prepared for their high school exit exam. They also rated the extent to which they were regulating emotion using reappraisal, distraction, and suppression. Six weeks later, students recalled their pre-exam emotions. The more students reported engaging in reappraisal before the exam, the more they overestimated positive emotion and underestimated negative emotion when recalling their experience. The association between reported reappraisal and memory bias was partially mediated by positive changes over time in students' appraisals of the exam preparation experience. Reports of engaging in distraction and suppression were not associated with memory bias. Because remembered emotion guides future choices, these findings suggest that reappraisal is a highly adaptive strategy for coping with stressful situations, not only in the short run, but also in the long run.

Mapping Korean National Health Insurance Reimbursement Claim Codes for Therapeutic and Surgical Procedures to SNOMED-CT to Facilitate Data Reuse.

South Korea has a public and single-payer system for healthcare services based on fee-for-service payments. The National Health Insurance (NHI) reimbursement claim codes are used by all healthcare providers for reimbursement. This study mapped NHI reimbursement claim codes for therapeutic and surgical procedures to the Systematized Nomenclature of Medicine Clinical Terms (SNOMED-CT) to facilitate semantic interoperability and data reuse for research. The Source codes for mapping were 2,500 reimbursement claim codes for therapeutic and surgical procedures such as surgery, endoscopic procedures, and interventional radiology. The target terminology for mapping was the 'Procedure' hierarchy of the international edition of SNOMED-CT released in July 2019. We translated Korean terms into English, clarified their meaning, extracted characteristics of the source codes, and mapped them to pre-coordinated concepts. If a source concept was not mapped to a pre-coordinated concept, we mapped it to a post-coordinated expression. The mapping results were validated internally using dual independent mapping and group discussion by trained terminologists, and by two physicians with experience of SNOMED-CT mapping. Out of 2,500 source codes, 1,298 (51.9%) codes were mapped to pre-coordinated concepts, and 1,202 (48.1%) codes were mapped to post-coordinated expressions. The mapping of the NHI reimbursement claim codes for therapeutic and surgical procedures to SNOMED-CT is expected to support clinical research by facilitating the utilization of health insurance claim data.

Mapping Korean National Health Insurance Pharmaceutical Claim Codes to SNOMED CT.

The objective of this study was to map pharmaceutical claim codes to SNOMED CT and thereby facilitate multicenter collaborative research and improve semantic interoperability. The claim codes were mapped to SNOMED CT using rule-based automated and manual methods. The maps were internally validated by terminologists and a pharmacist. Finally, 80% of all claim codes were mapped to the concepts of Pharmaceutical/biologic product hierarchy in SNOMED CT. Of them, 50.6% of the codes were exactly mapped to one clinical drug branch concept.

Stigma-reducing components in direct-to-consumer prescription ads: onset controllability, offset controllability, and recategorization.

This study analyzed direct-to-consumer (DTC) print ads for stigmatized illnesses from 1998 to 2008. Attribution theory and recategorization theory were used as theoretical frames to assess whether those DTC ads contained message components to reduce stigma. DTC ads for 10 stigmatized illnesses in National Geographic, Better Homes and Gardens, Ladies' Home Journal, and Time were analyzed for the presence of onset controllability, offset controllability, and recategorization. Results showed that only 3.7% of ads offered the three message components together and, in fact, 21% of the ads did not contain any of the stigma-reducing message elements. Recategorization cue was the most prevalent component, while cues for onset and offset controllability were relatively less frequent, indicating the lack of educational components.

The genus Lycianthes (Solanaceae, Capsiceae) in Mexico and Guatemala.

Lycianthes, the third most species-rich genus in the Solanaceae, is distributed in both the New and Old Worlds and is especially diverse in Mexico. Here we provide an identification key, taxonomic descriptions, distribution maps, and illustrations of specimens, trichomes, flowers, and fruits for the 53 known Lycianthes taxa of Mexico and Guatemala. The new combination Lycianthes scandens (Mill.) M.Nee is made and replaces the name Lycianthes lenta (Cav.) Bitter, which is placed in synonymy. Within L. scandens, two varieties are recognized (Lycianthes scandens var. scandens and Lycianthes scandens var. flavicans (Bitter) J.Poore & E.Dean, comb. nov.). In addition, one new species (Lycianthes rafatorresii E.Dean, sp. nov.) is described from eastern Mexico, and 10 names (either recognized taxa or synonyms of recognized taxa) are lectotypified, including the names Solanum heteroclitum Sendtn., S. rantonnetii Carrière, and S. synantherum Sendtn. The species L. multiflora Bitter and L. synanthera (Sendtn.) Bitter are excluded from the treatment, as research indicates that they do not occur in Mexico and Guatemala, however full synonymy for both names is given.