Correction: Assessment of the Effectiveness of Identity-Based Public Health Announcements in Increasing the Likelihood of Complying With COVID-19 Guidelines: Randomized Controlled Cross-sectional Web-Based Study.

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Assessment of the Effectiveness of Identity-Based Public Health Announcements in Increasing the Likelihood of Complying With COVID-19 Guidelines: Randomized Controlled Cross-sectional Web-Based Study.

BACKGROUND: Public health campaigns aimed at curbing the spread of COVID-19 are important in reducing disease transmission, but traditional information-based campaigns have received unexpectedly extreme backlash. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate whether customizing of public service announcements (PSAs) providing health guidelines to match individuals' identities increases their compliance. METHODS: We conducted a within- and between-subjects, randomized controlled cross-sectional, web-based study in July 2020. Participants viewed two PSAs: one advocating wearing a mask in public settings and one advocating staying at home. The control PSA only provided information, and the treatment PSAs were designed to appeal to the identities held by individuals; that is, either a Christian identity or an economically motivated identity. Participants were asked about their identity and then provided a control PSA and treatment PSA matching their identity, in random order. The PSAs were of approximately 100 words. RESULTS: We recruited 300 social media users from Amazon Mechanical Turk in accordance with usual protocols to ensure data quality. In total, 8 failed the data quality checks, and the remaining 292 were included in the analysis. In the identity-based PSA, the source of the PSA was changed, and a phrase of approximately 12 words relevant to the individual's identity was inserted. A PSA tailored for Christians, when matched with a Christian identity, increased the likelihood of compliance by 12 percentage points. A PSA that focused on economic values, when shown to individuals who identified as economically motivated, increased the likelihood of compliance by 6 points. CONCLUSIONS: Using social media to deliver COVID-19 public health announcements customized to individuals' identities is a promising measure to increase compliance with public health guidelines. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ISRCTN Registry 22331899; https://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN22331899.

User reactions to COVID-19 screening chatbots from reputable providers.

OBJECTIVES: The objective was to understand how people respond to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) screening chatbots. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted an online experiment with 371 participants who viewed a COVID-19 screening session between a hotline agent (chatbot or human) and a user with mild or severe symptoms. RESULTS: The primary factor driving user response to screening hotlines (human or chatbot) is perceptions of the agent's ability. When ability is the same, users view chatbots no differently or more positively than human agents. The primary factor driving perceptions of ability is the user's trust in the hotline provider, with a slight negative bias against chatbots' ability. Asian individuals perceived higher ability and benevolence than did White individuals. CONCLUSIONS: Ensuring that COVID-19 screening chatbots provide high-quality service is critical but not sufficient for widespread adoption. The key is to emphasize the chatbot's ability and assure users that it delivers the same quality as human agents.

Enhanced First Trimester Aneuploidy Screening with Placental Growth Factor and Alpha Feto-Protein: Detection of Trisomies 18 and 13.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the performance of first trimester combined screening (FTS) when enhanced with placental growth factor and alpha feto-protein in the detection of trisomies 18 and 13. METHODS: A retrospective case-control study. Marker parameters were derived using frozen serum samples. Multivariate Gaussian modelling predicted the detection rate (DR) and false-positive rate (FPR) for trisomies 18 and 13 with FTS and enhanced first trimester screening (eFTS) using the risk of trisomy 21 alone and an additional risk cut-off for trisomy 18, or trisomies 18 or 13. RESULTS: There were 83 trisomy 18, 22 trisomy 13, and 588 controls. The median placental growth factor levels in trisomies 18 and 13 were 0.75 and 0.65 multiple of the median of controls, respectively (both P < 0.0001). There were no statistically significant differences in alpha feto-protein levels. Modelling predicts that using a trisomy 21 risk cut-off alone, at FPR of 3%, eFTS increases the DR for trisomies 18 and 13 by 0.6-0.8% compared with FTS. Additionally using a trisomy 18 risk cut-off, at an extra FPR of 0.2%, eFTS increased the DR by 0.6-0.9% over FTS; using a trisomy 18 or 13 risk cut-off did not further increase detection for FTS or eFTS. The increase in DR was greater at higher FPR. CONCLUSION: eFTS increases the detection of trisomies 18 and 13 to a small extent.

A prime a day keeps calories away: The effects of supraliminal priming on food consumption and the moderating role of gender and eating restraint.

The link between intentions and action in weight control is weaker than previously thought, so recent research has called for further investigation of ways to improve weight control that bypass conscious intentions. Priming has been shown to have effects on individual behavior in a variety of contexts by influencing subconscious cognition. This paper investigates the effects of semantic priming using healthy body image, goal-oriented words on food consumption. The moderating role of both restrained eating and gender is investigated. 161 participants were involved in an experiment using a novel version of a scrambled sentence priming game. The outcome measure was the number of kilocalories consumed, examined using a between subjects ANCOVA with priming, gender, restrained eating index, self-reported BMI, and two interaction terms (primingxgender, and primingxrestrained eating index). There was no main effect of priming but there was an interaction of priming with gender. Females consumed significantly fewer kilocalories after being exposed to priming words related to a healthy body image (i.e. "slim", "fit,") compared to females receiving the neutral prime, with a medium effect size (d = 0.58). The body image prime did not significantly affect food intake for males, nor did it have a differential effect on restrained eaters. This study shows that priming can be an effective method for influencing females to reduce food intake, regardless of whether they are restrained or unrestrained eaters. Future studies could investigate whether different priming words related to a male's healthy body image goal (i.e. "buff," "muscles," etc.) would similarly reduce food intake for males.

First trimester screening for Down syndrome using nuchal translucency, maternal serum pregnancy-associated plasma protein A, free-ß human chorionic gonadotrophin, placental growth factor, and α-fetoprotein.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess the screening performance for Down syndrome using first trimester combined screening (FTS) and two additional markers, serum placental growth factor (PlGF) and α-fetoprotein (AFP). METHODS: This is a retrospective case-control study of 137 pregnancies affected by Down syndrome and 684 individually matched unaffected pregnancies. Stored serum samples were tested for all four markers, and results were expressed as multiples of the gestation-specific median (MoM). Multivariate Gaussian modeling was used to calculate risks for different combinations of markers and to predict the detection rate (DR) and false positive rate (FPR). The predicted performance of enhanced FTS (FTS plus PlGF and AFP) was compared with FTS; the performance without nuchal translucency (first trimester quad) was assessed. RESULTS: For affected pregnancies, the median PlGF level was 0.622 MoM and median AFP 0.764 MoM. Adding PlGF and AFP improved the screening performance. At 3% FPR, DR increased by 4.4% from 83.8% to 88.2% using enhanced FTS; at 95% DR, FPR decreased by 8.3%, from 19.3% to 11.0%. At 3% FPR, DR using first trimester quad test was 76.4%. CONCLUSIONS: The performance of FTS can be enhanced by adding PlGF and AFP. Even without nuchal translucency, the test would perform well.

The impact of maternal weight discrepancies on prenatal screening results for Down syndrome.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess the quantitative impact of maternal weight discrepancy on the screen result for Down syndrome when using Integrated Prenatal Screening and First Trimester Combined Screening. METHODS: The study population consisted of 78,165 women undergoing prenatal screening in Ontario, Canada, and 158 pregnancies affected with Down syndrome at one Ontario center. The study assessed quantitative alterations of the multiple of the median values of first and second-trimester serum markers and the risks of Down syndrome at a set of theoretical weight discrepancies. RESULTS: Weight discrepancies have the greatest impact on screening results when the initial risk is close to the risk cut-off. When the weight discrepancy is 5 lb or greater and the denominator of the initial risk is within 50 of the risk cut-off, the chance that a screen result will change from positive to negative or from negative to positive is 47-55% for women undertaking Integrated Prenatal Screening. This chance is 33-43% for women undertaking First Trimester Combined Screening. CONCLUSION: A weight discrepancy of five or more pounds has a significant impact on the risk of Down syndrome; correction of maternal weight would improve the accuracy of the screening test.

Standardized Procedural Practices of the Ontario Prenatal Screening Program for aneuploidies and open neural tube defects.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: The Ontario Prenatal Screening Program (OPSP) follows internationally recognized standardized procedures for laboratories and genetics clinics. However, it has been found that some procedures are subject to interpretation, so the current procedures are designed to facilitate a unified approach in the interpretation of literature recommendations. In Ontario, the OPSP offers multiple screening modalities with integrated prenatal screening (including both first and second trimester markers) being the most commonly chosen option. Other screening modalities include first trimester screening, second trimester quad screening, serum integrated screening, and NT-Quad. METHODS: The standardization was based on a literature review and on current practices in Ontario. RESULTS/DISCUSSION: The main finding of the review was a paucity of published data relating to the procedures and the decision-making processes involved in prenatal screening. The purpose of this publication is to provide the most up-to-date and pertinent information for clinical laboratory professionals involved with prenatal screening for Down syndrome, trisomy 18 and open neural tube defects.

Effect of short-term proton pump inhibitor treatment and its discontinuation on chromogranin A in healthy subjects.

CONTEXT: Chromogranin A (CgA) is used as a generic tumor marker for neuroendocrine tumors. Proton pump inhibitors (PPI) are known to increase CgA, but it is not clear to what extent, and there is little information on how long PPI need to be discontinued before the effect of PPI has disappeared. Furthermore, is it not known whether this PPI effect is dependent on the CgA assay used. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to determine the effect of 7-d treatment with a PPI and its discontinuation on CgA in serum and plasma comparing four CgA assays. DESIGN AND PARTICIPANTS: Seventeen healthy subjects took lansoprazole 30 mg at bedtime for 7 d, and blood samples for CgA were obtained at baseline, d 7 of PPI use, and 1, 2, 4, and 7 d after discontinuation of the PPI. In all samples, CgA was measured using the following assays: Alpco (serum and plasma), Cis-Bio (serum and plasma), DAKO, and Cis-Bio radioisotope assay. RESULTS: When using the same assay, CgA was higher in plasma than in serum. Treatment with a PPI for 1 wk resulted in a significant (about 2.5-fold) increase in CgA with significant interindividual variation. After discontinuation of PPI, serum CgA gradually declined, with a half-life of 4-5 d. CONCLUSION: Short-term PPI use results in a significant increase of CgA in serum and plasma, an effect that is largely independent of the assay used. PPI need to be discontinued for 2 wk to fully eliminate their effect on CgA. This effect of PPI needs to be considered when interpreting results of CgA measurements.