Individual Characteristics Of Participants Research Articles

SARS-CoV-2 Viral Load in the Nasopharynx at Time of First Infection Among Unvaccinated Individuals

SARS-CoV-2 viral load (VL) in the nasopharynx is difficult to quantify and standardize across settings, but it may inform transmission potential and disease severity. To characterize VL at COVID-19 diagnosis among previously uninfected and unvaccinated individuals by evaluating the association of demographic and clinical characteristics, viral variant, and trial with VL, as well as the ability of VL to predict severe disease. This secondary cross-protocol analysis used individual-level data from placebo recipients from 4 harmonized, phase 3 COVID-19 vaccine efficacy trials sponsored by Moderna, AstraZeneca, Janssen, and Novavax. Participants were SARS-CoV-2 negative at baseline and acquired COVID-19 during the blinded phase of the trials. The setting included the US, Brazil, South Africa, Colombia, Argentina, Peru, Chile, and Mexico; start dates were July 27, 2020, to December 27, 2020; data cutoff dates were March 26, 2021, to July 30, 2021. Statistical analysis was performed from November 2022 to June 2023. Linear regression was used to assess the association of demographic and clinical characteristics, viral variant, and trial with polymerase chain reaction-measured log10 VL in nasal and/or nasopharyngeal swabs taken at the time of COVID-19 diagnosis. Among 1667 participants studied (886 [53.1%] male; 995 [59.7%] enrolled in the US; mean [SD] age, 46.7 [14.7] years; 204 [12.2%] aged 65 years or older; 196 [11.8%] American Indian or Alaska Native, 150 [9%] Black or African American, 1112 [66.7%] White; 762 [45.7%] Hispanic or Latino), median (IQR) log10 VL at diagnosis was 6.18 (4.66-7.12) log10 copies/mL. Participant characteristics and viral variant explained only 5.9% of the variability in VL. The independent factor with the highest observed differences was trial: Janssen participants had 0.54 log10 copies/mL lower mean VL vs Moderna participants (95% CI, 0.20 to 0.87 log10 copies/mL lower). In the Janssen study, which captured the largest number of COVID-19 events and variants and used the most intensive post-COVID surveillance, neither VL at diagnosis nor averaged over days 1 to 28 post diagnosis was associated with COVID-19 severity. In this study of placebo recipients from 4 randomized phase 3 trials, high variability was observed in SARS-CoV-2 VL at the time of COVID-19 diagnosis, and only a fraction was explained by individual participant characteristics or viral variant. These results suggest challenges for future studies of interventions seeking to influence VL and elevates the importance of standardized methods for specimen collection and viral load quantitation.

Estimating vaccine efficacy during open-label follow-up of COVID-19 vaccine trials based on population-level surveillance data

While rapid development and roll out of COVID-19 vaccines is necessary in a pandemic, the process limits the ability of clinical trials to assess longer-term vaccine efficacy. We leveraged COVID-19 surveillance data in the U.S. to evaluate vaccine efficacy in U.S. Government-funded COVID-19 vaccine efficacy trials with a three-step estimation process. First, we used a compartmental epidemiological model informed by county-level surveillance data, a “population model”, to estimate SARS-CoV-2 incidence among the unvaccinated. Second, a “cohort model” was used to adjust the population SARS-CoV-2 incidence to the vaccine trial cohort, taking into account individual participant characteristics and the difference between SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 disease. Third, we fit a regression model estimating the offset between the cohort-model-based COVID-19 incidence in the unvaccinated with the placebo-group COVID-19 incidence in the trial during blinded follow-up. Counterfactual placebo COVID-19 incidence was estimated during open-label follow-up by adjusting the cohort-model-based incidence rate by the estimated offset. Vaccine efficacy during open-label follow-up was estimated by contrasting the vaccine group COVID-19 incidence with the counterfactual placebo COVID-19 incidence. We documented good performance of the methodology in a simulation study. We also applied the methodology to estimate vaccine efficacy for the two-dose AZD1222 COVID-19 vaccine using data from the phase 3 U.S. trial (ClinicalTrials.gov # NCT04516746). We estimated AZD1222 vaccine efficacy of 59.1% (95% uncertainty interval (UI): 40.4%–74.3%) in April, 2021 (mean 106 days post-second dose), which reduced to 35.7% (95% UI: 15.0%–51.7%) in July, 2021 (mean 198 days post-second-dose). We developed and evaluated a methodology for estimating longer-term vaccine efficacy. This methodology could be applied to estimating counterfactual placebo incidence for future placebo-controlled vaccine efficacy trials of emerging pathogens with early termination of blinded follow-up, to active-controlled or uncontrolled COVID-19 vaccine efficacy trials, and to other clinical endpoints influenced by vaccination.

Process evaluation of a parent-child communication intervention for adolescent sexual and reproductive health in Uganda

BackgroundPrevious initiatives concerning adolescent sexual and reproductive health (SRH) education in Low-or-Middle Income Countries (LMICs) have been limited by cultural norms and misinformation perpetuated within families. Responding to the paucity of research on the implementation of SRH interventions in LMICs and limited knowledge regarding their mechanisms, this study undertakes a process evaluation of a parent-focused intervention to promote parent-adolescent communication about SRH in Uganda.MethodsThis paper explores the implementation, contextual factors and mechanisms of impact of the intervention, using the Medical Research Council (MRC) guidelines for process evaluations. Implementation was evaluated through indicators of dose, fidelity and adaptations, acceptability and feasibility. The contextual factors and mechanisms of impact were evaluated to refine the intervention’s causal assumptions. Data was collected during April - October 2021 in South-Western Uganda using a mixed-methods approach, including document analysis, intervention observations, interviews, focus group discussions and most significant change stories.ResultsThe acceptability of the intervention was related to its community engagement, the strong rapport with delivery agents, and individual characteristics of participants. Five contextual factors influencing implementation were highlighted; (i) cultural norms, (ii) perceptions about youth SRH, (iii) poverty, (iv) Covid-19 pandemic, and (v) prior research projects in the community. When considering the intervention’s mechanisms of impact, four causal pathways were identified; (i) Awareness of SRH needs helped parents overcome stigma, (ii) Parenting skills training improved SRH communication, (iii) Group learning stimulated shared parenting, and (iv) Group learning improved co-parenting.ConclusionThe paper presented three key learnings and corresponding recommendations for future research. Firstly, implementation success was credited to meaningful community engagement which improved acceptability and uptake. Secondly, the complex influences of contextual factors highlighted the need for contextual analysis in research studies to inform intervention design. Finally, this evaluation recognised the interplay between mechanisms of impact and suggested further research consider such combined impacts when designing intervention content.

Контекстуальные и индивидуально-личностные предикторы адаптации русских в Эстонии и Кыргызстане

Background. Acculturation strategy choice and success of adaptation to new cultural environment depend both on individual characteristics of participants of intercultural interaction and on characteristics of the context. In this regard, it is important to apply an integrated approach to study the mutual contribution of contextual and individual-personal predictors of acculturation. Objective. The study aims at identifying complex contextual and individual-personal predictors of adaptation of Russians in Estonia and Kyrgyzstan, and revealing relationship between these complex predictors, acculturation strategies, and psychological well-being of Russians in these republics. Study Participants. The sample consisted of 302 Russians in Estonia (Mage = 37.51; SD = 16.55; 52% females) and 300 Russians in Kyrgyzstan (Mage = 35.56; SD = 17.40; 64,8% females). Methods. We used scales from the MIRIPS questionnaire, instruments for measuring identities and intercultural attitudes developed in CSCR of HSE, and local identity scale by O. Droseltis and V.L. Vignoles. Results. The study revealed three complex predictors of adaptation in each country: perceived inclusiveness of context, ethnocultural identity and closeness to host country. These three complex factors in both countries were positively associated with life satisfaction, and in Estonia with self-esteem as well. Perceived inclusiveness of the context and closeness to host country negatively related to separation and positively related to integration, ethno-cultural identity positively related to separation. In Kyrgyzstan we also revealed culture-specific positive links between ethno-cultural identity and integration and between closeness to host society and assimilation. Conclusion. The study of the mutual contribution of personal and contextual characteristics to success in adaptation to new cultural environment contributes to a deeper understanding of acculturation as a complex dynamic process, the components of which are in constant interaction with each other.

Rare, but potentially risky, high individual increase of self-reported sexual arousal in men, who have committed sexual offenses against children, while being confronted with experimental sexual stimuli — a retrospective data analysis

AbstractThis data analysis was initiated to further understand the infrequent yet intense instances of sexual arousal and signs of decompensation that emerge after exposing men who have committed sexual offenses against children to experimental sexual stimuli. We analyzed retrospectively and exploratory data of a self-developed sexual arousal questionnaire (“Current-State-of-Emotions-Questionnaire”, CSEQ) with the following objectives: (i) examine subjective sexual arousal changes elicited during confrontation with experimental sexual stimuli, (ii) analyze these sexual arousal changes at an individual level to detect large responses, and (iii) ask for associations between large responses in sexual arousal and individual characteristics of participants, e.g., demographic, clinical, and criminological parameters. The sample consisted of 241 adult, male Germans, comprising four groups: Ten individuals who have committed sexual offenses against children and have been placed in forensic psychiatric facilities (ISOCFP), 31 non-hospitalized individuals with sexual interest in children (ISIC), eight individuals who have committed other offenses and have been placed in forensic psychiatric facilities (IOFP), and 192 individuals without sexual interest in children and offense histories (IWO). We found a significant increase in subjective sexual arousal after confrontation with sexual stimuli (three experiments: initial orientation: Z = −4.819, p < .001, sexual distractor task: Z = −2.954, p = .003, stimulus rating: Z = −6.899, p < .001). Up to 14.3% of participants indicated high sexual arousal values before, but mainly after the experiments, with 20.0% of ISOCFP, 12.9% of ISIC, 12.5% of IOFP, and 14.6% of IWO. ISOCFP and ISIC with high sexual arousal were more likely to be diagnosed with paraphilia (pedophilia) and/or affective disorders, and to receive anti-depressive treatment. We assume a higher emotional lability or/and reduced emotion regulation abilities in those individuals. A careful weighing up of anticipated scientific knowledge gain and a potentially, though rare, increased risk of recidivism or decompensation seems indispensable.

Demographic Characteristics Associated With Perceptions of Personal Utility in Genetic and Genomic Testing

The expansion of genetic and genomic testing in health care has led to recognition that these tests provide personal as well as clinical utility to patients and families. However, available systematic reviews on this topic have not reported the demographic backgrounds of participants in studies of personal utility, leaving generalizability unclear. To determine the demographic characteristics of participants in studies examining the personal utility of genetic and genomic testing in health care. For this systematic review, we utilized and updated the results of a highly cited 2017 systematic review on the personal utility of genetics and genomics, which identified relevant articles published between January 1, 2003, and August 4, 2016. We also used the original methods to update this bibliography with literature published subsequently up to January 1, 2022. Studies were screened for eligibility by 2 independent reviewers. Eligible studies reported empirical data on the perspectives of patients, family members, and/or the general public in the US on the personal utility of any type of health-related genetic or genomic test. We utilized a standardized codebook to extract study and participant characteristics. We summarized demographic characteristics descriptively across all studies and by subgroup based on study and participant characteristics. We included 52 studies with 13 251 eligible participants. Sex or gender was the most frequently reported demographic characteristic (48 studies [92.3%]), followed by race and ethnicity (40 studies [76.9%]), education (38 studies [73.1%]), and income (26 studies [50.0%]). Across studies, participants disproportionately were women or female (mean [SD], 70.8% [20.5%]), were White (mean [SD], 76.1% [22.0%]), had a college degree or higher (mean [SD], 64.5% [19.9%]), and reported income above the US median (mean [SD], 67.4% [19.2%]). Examination of subgroups of results by study and participant characteristics evidenced only small shifts in demographic characteristics. This systematic review examined the demographic characteristics of individual participants in studies of the personal utility of health-related genetic and genomic testing in the US. The results suggest that participants in these studies were disproportionately White, college-educated women with above-average income. Understanding the perspectives of more diverse individuals regarding the personal utility of genetic and genomic testing may inform barriers to research recruitment and uptake of clinical testing in currently underrepresented populations.

Smoking cessation strategies for women: An analysis of smoking cessation determinants among Korean female smokers participating in a smoking cessation outreach program.

Background: Although there is strong evidence that behavioral counseling improves quit rates, limited data are available on individualized smoking cessation counseling provided to female smokers because they often are hesitant to identify as smokers. This study aimed to elucidate factors related to smoking cessation among Korean women who participated in the smoking cessation outreach program. Methods: This retrospective descriptive study used data retrieved from the Korea Health Promotion Institute. The data included individual participant characteristics, supportive services received, and self-reported smoking cessation outcomes from June 1, 2015, to December 31, 2017. Results: Data from 709 women were analyzed. We found cessation rates of 43.3% (confidence interval [CI]=0.40, 0.47) at four weeks, 28.6% (CI=0.25, 0.32) at 12 weeks, and 21.6% (CI=0.19, 0.25) at six months. Significant determinants of quitting at six months were regular exercise (odds ratio [OR]=3.02; 95% CI=1.28, 3.29; P=0.009) and the number of counseling sessions during the first four weeks of the program (OR=1.26; 95% CI=1.04, 1.82; P=0.041). Conclusion: Providing intensive counseling during initial phase of smoking cessation program and regular exercise would be effective strategies for smoking cessation programs for women smokers to promote their health.

Криминалистическое изучение личности в донаучный период: истоки и значение

The article examines the historical development of the criminalistics research of the person of subjects of criminal proceedings in the process of detecting, disclosing and investigating crimes. The author found that the issues of private criminalistics theory about the scientific theory of personal are still insufficiently developed and require in-depth scientific analysis. The main directions of practical implementation of the main provisions of scientific theory are determined. It was revealed that the pre-scientific period - from ancient times to the beginning of the 19th century - is the least studied, which does not reduce its significance for identifying and analyzing the patterns of criminal and search-cognitive activity. It has been established that, despite the relative youth of the criminalistics research of the person, its origins lie in the oldest sources of law analyzed in the article - customary law, the Criminal Judicial Code of the Holy Roman Empire of the German nation “Carolina”, as well as scientific and literary works and essays of specialists - experienced judge Huang Liuhun “The Complete Book of Happiness and Prosperity”, Piotr Radkevich “The mirror of Justice” and others. The criminalistics research of the somatic, social and psychological levels of the person of the offender in the treatise of the founder of criminalistics science Hans Gross “Guide for criminalistics investigators as a system of criminalistics science” is analyzed in detail. The conclusion is made about the actual existence by the beginning of the formation of criminalistics science as a science of disparate ideas and recommendations for the research of individual personal characteristics of participants in criminal proceedings (a criminal and a witness), and the formation of historical prerequisites that make it necessary to take into account criminalistics significant properties and states of a person in the process of investigating crimes.

Individuals with and without Visual Impairments Use a Force Feedback Device to Identify the Friction and Hardness of Haptic Surfaces

The general purpose of this study is to promote access to haptic virtual environments. Using a haptic device, people with and without visual impairments (VI) are able to feel different textures and compare these textures based on different surface properties, i.e., friction and hardness. The objectives of this study were to examine the following: (a) whether the variables of friction and hardness were identifiable through the Touch device (Phantom Omni) and could therefore function as 3D haptic variables; (b) if there were differences between people with VI and sighted individuals in terms of their performance; (c) the differences that should exist between the values of each variable so that the virtual surfaces could be identified as different to each other; and (d) if the individual characteristics of participants have an impact on their performance. The results showed that it is necessary to use surfaces which are differentiated based on the degree of friction and hardness because the haptic properties of a virtual object are then better perceived. Individuals with VI need more time and more effort to understand friction and hardness, respectively. With the motivation of increasing access to object perception for people with VI in a virtual environment, accessibility advisors and experts can extract useful information for the development of functional and efficient 3D objects for haptic perception.

Prevalence of HIV drug resistance in Nigeria: results from a cross-sectional, population-based survey of Nigerian adults with unsuppressed viral load.

HIV drug resistance (HIVDR) surveillance is an important tool to monitor threats to progress towards epidemic control. The characterization of HIVDR in Nigeria at the national level is needed to inform both clinical decisions and population-level HIV policy strategies. This study uses data obtained from the Nigeria HIV/AIDS Indicator and Impact Survey (NAIIS) to describe the prevalence and distribution of HIVDR in Nigeria. NAIIS was a cross-sectional, population-based survey of households throughout Nigeria in 2018. NAIIS was designed to provide estimates of HIV prevalence and related health indicators from a nationally representative sample. The study population included participants aged 15-64 years who tested positive for HIV, had a viral load at least 1000 copies/ml, and had available HIV drug resistance genotypes. HIV isolates were genotyped to detect drug resistance mutations. Individual characteristics of study participants associated with HIVDR were identified using a weighted multivariable logistic regression model. Of 1355 respondents with available HIV genotypes, 293 (19%) had evidence of drug-resistant mutations (DRMs) that conferred resistance to at least one antiretroviral drug. The majority of DRMs observed conferred resistance to NNRTIs (17.6%) and NRTIs (11.2%). HIVDR was associated with being ART-experienced, longer duration on ART, and lower CD4+ count but not sociodemographic characteristics. The population level DRM prevalence in Nigeria was consistent with what would be expected in a mature HIV treatment landscape. The continued roll out of dolutegravir-anchored regimens should mitigate the impact of NNRTI resistance on population viral load suppression and progress towards epidemic control.

Effect of age, sex, and morbidity count on trial attrition: meta-analysis of individual participant level data from phase 3/4 industry funded clinical trials

ObjectivesTo estimate the association between individual participant characteristics and attrition from randomised controlled trials.DesignMeta-analysis of individual participant level data (IPD).Data sourcesClinical trial repositories (Clinical Study Data Request and Yale University...

Changing eating practices after midlife: ageing and food consumption in the French Gazel cohort

Understanding not only differences in consumption but differences in how consumption changes presents a theoretical and empirical challenge. In this article, we draw on theories of practice, a life-course perspective and approaches in terms of tastes or dispositions to examine how food consumption changed after midlife in a large cohort of French adults aged from 50 to 75 years. We have been able to present a bird’s eye view of these practices, thanks to multiple correspondence analysis and a micro-level analysis of how individuals changed their food consumption as they aged, thanks to regression models. The first step summarised food consumption data into three modes of engagement with eating, related to prescriptions from the food market (eating as convenience), nutrition (health) and French cuisine (tradition). The second allowed us to examine how modes of engagement with eating were associated with individual characteristics (being a woman, having higher education), ageing and characteristics of participants’ living arrangements (living with children and/or a partner). In conclusion, the sociology of consumption may benefit from taking stock of both dispositional and contextual perspectives on the differences and dynamics of practice. Developing adequate methods, as we do here, is a promising way forward.

The role of temperament in the process of learning foreign language communication

This article discusses the role of temperament in the process of learning foreign language communication of foreign students.
 It is noted the need to use active teaching methods, which are characterized by a high degree of involvement in the learning process and the activation of cognitive and creative activities in solving problems. When using such methods, each participant gets opportunities to express themselves in a situation as close as possible to living conditions. It is believed that in the process of modeling active methods, as well as in the distribution of roles in them, it is necessary to take into account the individual characteristics of participants, ie different types of temperament, which will help most effectively involve foreign students in learning foreign language communication.
 People with the type of temperament "choleric" are offered leading roles, because the choleric is always ready to get involved in important and interesting work.
 People with the "sanguine" temperament type can not only be offered leading roles but also act as moderators in certain situations, because they are a lively, mobile person, quick to respond to environmental events, relatively easily experiencing failures and troubles.
 People with a phlegmatic temperament can be given secondary roles, because they have a strong desire and more or less constant mood, weak external expression of mental state.
 Melancholics, who are easily vulnerable, prone to deeply experience even minor setbacks, who seem sluggishly react to the environment, are offered secondary roles.
 It is concluded that in the process of choosing active teaching methods the teacher must take into account the peculiarities of all types of temperament, which allows not only to create a more comfortable atmosphere in the classroom, but also to ensure a high degree of speech and effectively prepare for foreign language communication.

Прогнозирование девиантного поведения несовершеннолетних правонарушителей

Introduction. The relevance of the research problem is confirmed by statistics on juvenile delinquency, as well as by legal acts. The problem of predicting the deviant behavior of juvenile offenders is reviewed through description of static and dynamic risk factors for repeated offenses. One of the findings of the study is that it is the personal features that determine deviant behavior, whereas the situational factors play the role of modulators. 
 A review of the literature sources allows us to conclude that personality traits are related to criminal behavior, which makes it possible to predict the deviant behavior of juvenile offenders.
 Aim of the study is to identify the personal characteristics that determine the deviant behavior of juvenile offenders.
 Methodology, methods and techniques. The methodological basis of the research is a dispositional approach to the study of personality, which assumes their readiness for a certain behavior, repeated in various situations, formed as a result of the interaction of objective and subjective factors.
 Research methods: The following methods were used to conduct the study: the personal questionnaire of G. Eysenck EPQ; the questionnaire of the level of aggressiveness of A. Bass and A. Darkee; the individual typological questionnaire of L. N. Sobchik (ITQ); the personal questionnaire «Mini-cartoon» (abbreviated version of MMPI) in the adaptation of F. B. Berezin and M. P. Miroshnikov; the Freiburg multifactorial personality questionnaire FPI (form B).
 Findings of the study: A comparative analysis of the individual psychological characteristics of juvenile offenders and participants of the control group with normative behavior showed multiple statistically significant differences in assessments for 36 variables out of 55 (65.5 %). Discriminant analysis allowed us to determine 8 common features of “deviance-law-abidance”: aggression, hostility, irritability, guilt, psychopathy, neuroticism, introversion, open attitude.
 They act as prognostic criteria for deviant behavior of adolescents and discriminate against subjects with a prediction accuracy of 97%.
 Scientific novelty of the research consists in enhancing and clarifying awareness of personality traits of deviant adolescents who have committed crimes, as well as predicting deviant behavior.
 Practical significance: The patterns and recommendations obtained can be useful in preventive, educational, correctional work, and family counseling. The identified personality traits of deviant behavior can be used as prognostic criteria for identifying deviations at the early stages of socialization of children and adolescents.

Work And Individual Participant Characteristics Associated With Daily Physical Activity Patterns

PURPOSE: To identify factors associated with directly-measured daily physical activity intensity patterns. METHODS: Nineteen participants currently employed at a manufacturing company were recruited to wear Fitbit activity monitoring devices for at least 24 hours including a work shift. Minute-by-minute recordings of intensity (0 = sedentary, 1 = lightly active, 2 = fairly active, 3 = very active) were recorded. Participants also filled out a survey with information on work and individual factors including gender (male/female), job type (hourly/salaried), workplace physical demands (high/low), race (White/non-White), caretaker status (yes/no), leisure time physical activity (none/any), and arthritis (yes/no). T-tests were used to test for differences in average hourly intensities by work and individual factors. RESULTS: We observed significant (p < 0.05) differences in daily physical activity intensity patterns by the following factors: job type (mean intensity hourly = 0.34 (SD = 0.23), salaried = 0.28 (SD = 0.21)); workplace physical demands (mean intensity high = 0.43 (SD = 0.22), low = 0.30 (SD = 0.20)); race (mean intensity White = 0.32 (SD = 0.21), non-White = 0.34 (SD = 0.26)); caretaker status (mean intensity yes = 0.33 (SD = 0.24), no = 0.32 (SD = 0.22)); and arthritis (mean intensity yes = 0.36 (SD = 0.24), no = 0.30 (SD = 0.21)). We observed no significant differences in daily physical activity intensity patterns by gender or leisure time physical activity. CONCLUSIONS: We observed differences in directly-measured daily physical activity intensity patterns by both work and individual factors. Participants in hourly jobs, with high workplace physical demands, of non-White race, who are caretakers, and without arthritis had higher physical activity intensities. Our results suggest the need to consider these factors in targeted interventions to promote healthy physical activity patterns in working adults.

Personalised Accelerometer Cut-point Prediction for Older Adults’ Movement Behaviours using a Machine Learning approach

Background and ObjectivesBody-worn accelerometers are the most popular method for objectively assessing physical activity in older adults. Many studies have developed generic accelerometer cut-points for defining activity intensity in metabolic equivalents for older adults. However, methodological diversity in current studies has led to a great deal of variation in the resulting cut-points, even when using data from the same accelerometer. In addition, the generic cut-point approach assumes that ‘one size fits all’ which is rarely the case in real life. This study proposes a machine learning method for personalising activity intensity cut-points for older adults. MethodsFirstly, raw accelerometry data was collected from 33 older adults who performed set activities whilst wearing two accelerometer devices: GENEActive (wrist worn) and ActiGraph (hip worn). ROC analysis was applied to generate personalised cut-point for each data sample based on a device. Four cut-points have been considered: Sensitivity optimised Sedentary Behaviour; Specificity optimised Moderate to Vigorous Physical Activity; Youden optimised Sedentary Behaviour; and Youden optimised Moderate to Vigorous Physical Activity. Then, an additive regression algorithm trained on biodata features, that concern the individual characteristics of participants, was used to predict the cut-points. As the model output is a numeric cut-point value (and not discrete), evaluation was based on two error metrics, Mean Absolute Error and Root Mean Square Error. Standard Error of estimation was also calculated to measure the accuracy of prediction (goodness of fit) and this was used for performance comparison between our approach and the state-of-the-art. Hold-out and 10-Fold cross validation methods were used for performance validation and comparison. ResultsThe results show that our personalised approach performed consistently better than the state-of-the-art with 10-Fold cross validation on all four cut-points considered for both devices. For the ActiGraph device, the Standard Error of estimation from our approach was lower by 0.33 (Youden optimised Sedentary Behaviour), 9.50 (Sensitivity optimised Sedentary Behaviour), 0.64 (Youden optimised Moderate to Vigorous Physical Activity) and 22.11 (Specificity optimised Moderate to Vigorous Physical Activity). Likewise, the Standard Error of estimation from our approach was lower for the GENEActiv device by 2.29 (Youden optimised Sedentary Behaviour), 41.65 (Sensitivity optimised Sedentary Behaviour), 4.31 (Youden optimised Moderate to Vigorous Physical Activity) and 347.15 (Specificity optimised Moderate to Vigorous Physical Activity). Conclusionspersonalised cut-point can be predicted without prior knowledge of accelerometry data. The results are very promising especially when we consider that our method predicts cut-points without prior knowledge of accelerometry data, unlike the state-of-the-art. More data is required to expand the scope of the experiments presented in this paper.

Patient experiences of alcohol specialist nurse interventions in a general hospital, and onwards care pathways.

To provide insight into patient experiences of a general hospital-based alcohol specialist nurse intervention during alcohol detoxification, experiences of alcohol specialist nurse hospital-based follow-up appointments (Pathway A) as well as the experiences of patients who did not have access to this additional help post detoxification (Pathway B). A longitudinal qualitative study. A thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews (2016-2017) with 24 patient participants (N=12 in each pathway; purposive selection) 1-4weeks post-detoxification and at 3 and 6months, to identify patient experiences of these interventions. Participants gave accounts of how 'empathic' and 'straight talking' interactions with alcohol specialist nurses during detoxification helped them to 'open up' and orient towards change. After detoxification follow-up, outpatient appointments in the hospital setting were seen as supporting change in early recovery and engagement with a wider range of services. Those with no access to nurse follow-up described experiencing a 'void' in available help. Participants in both groups described barriers to engagement with community alcohol services, peer groups and access to help for mild-moderate mental health problems. Patient accounts indicate alcohol specialist nurse interventions during and after unplanned detoxification in a hospital setting can help orient patients towards change and support early recovery. Providing alcohol specialist nurse interventions in general hospitals offers one route to initiating recovery in alcohol-dependent patients. This has potential to improve the lives of those affected and to reduce related demands on hospital services, but further research is needed.

Lifetime depressive and current social anxiety are associated with problematic internet use in adolescents with ADHD: a cross-sectional study.

To evaluate the relationships between problematic internet use (PIU) and psychiatric comorbid disorders and internet use habits in a clinical sample of adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This cross-sectional study included 95 adolescents with ADHD. Problematic behaviors and symptoms related to internet use were evaluated via Young's Internet Addiction Scale (YIAS), and subjects with a YIAS score of ≥50 were categorized as PIU while those with a score of <50 were defined as normal internet use (NIU). The two groups were compared with respect to demographics and psychometric tests. While psychiatric disorders were examined by a semistructured instrument, self-report and parent-report scales were used to assess other individual and clinical characteristics of participants. 33.7% (n=32) of the participants were determined to have PIU. There was no gender (p=.058) or age (p=.426) difference between the PIU and NIU groups. Current presence of social phobia (p=.035) and history of major depressive disorder (p=.006) were more frequent in the PIU group than the NIU group. Multivariable regression analysis revealed that PIU was independently associated with online gaming (OR: 2.375, 95% CI: 1.532-3.681), e-mail use (OR: 1.864, 95% CI: 1.170-2.971), social networking (OR: 1.834, 95% CI: 1.156-2.910), and Social Phobia Scale for Children and Adolescents (SPSCA) score (OR: 1.058, 95% CI: 1.020-1.098). PIU may be common among adolescents with ADHD. The severity of social phobia and particular online activities (playing online games, e-mailing, social networking) may be associated with a higher risk of PIU in adolescents with ADHD.

Profiling Clinical Research Activity at an Academic Medical Center by Using Institutional Databases: Content Analysis

BackgroundIt is important to monitor the scope of clinical research of all types, to involve participants of all ages and subgroups in studies that are appropriate to their condition, and to ensure equal access and broad validity of the findings.ObjectiveWe conducted a review of clinical research performed at New York University with the following objectives: (1) to determine the utility of institutional administrative data to characterize clinical research activity; (2) to assess the inclusion of special populations; and (3) to determine if the type, initiation, and completion of the study differed by age.MethodsData for all studies that were institutional review board–approved between January 1, 2014, and November 2, 2016, were obtained from the research navigator system, which was launched in November 2013. One module provided details about the study protocol, and another module provided the characteristics of individual participants. Research studies were classified as observational or interventional. Descriptive statistics were used to assess the characteristics of clinical studies across the lifespan, by type, and over time.ResultsA total of 22%-24% of studies included children (minimum age <18 years) and 4%-5% focused exclusively on pediatrics. Similarly, 64%-72% of studies included older patients (maximum age >65 years) but only 5%-12% focused exclusively on geriatrics. Approximately 85% of the studies included both male and female participants. Of the remaining studies, those open only to girls or women were approximately 3 times as common as those confined to boys or men. A total of 56%-58% of projects focused on nonvulnerable patients. Among the special populations studied, children (12%-15%) were the most common. Noninterventional trial types included research on human data sets (24%), observational research (22%), survey research (16%), and biospecimen research (8%). The percentage of projects designed to test an intervention in a vulnerable population increased from 17% in 2014 to 21% in 2015.ConclusionsPediatric participants were the special population that was most often studied based on the number of registered projects that included children and adolescents. However, they were much less likely to be successfully enrolled in research studies compared with adults older than 65 years. Only 20% of the studies were interventional, and 20%-35% of participants in this category were from vulnerable populations. More studies are exclusively devoted to women’s health issues compared with men’s health issues.

Visual speech cues speed processing and reduce effort for children listening in quiet and noise

AbstractProcessing speech can be slow and effortful for children, especially in adverse listening conditions, such as the classroom. This can have detrimental effects on children’s academic achievement. We therefore asked whether primary school children’s speech processing could be made faster and less effortful via the presentation of visual speech cues (speaker’s facial movements), and whether any audio-visual benefit would be modulated by the presence of noise or by characteristics of individual participants. A phoneme monitoring task with concurrent pupillometry was used to measure 7- to 11-year-old children’s speech processing speed and effort, with and without visual cues, in both quiet and noise. Results demonstrated that visual cues to speech can facilitate children’s speech processing, but that these benefits may also be subject to variability according to children’s motivation. Children showed faster processing and reduced effort when visual cues were available, regardless of listening condition. However, examination of individual variability revealed that the reduction in effort was driven by the children who performed better on a measure of phoneme isolation (used to quantify how difficult they found the phoneme monitoring task).