Publications by authors named "TODD J"

The Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS) is a widely used self-report measure of subjective well-being, but studies of its measurement invariance across a large number of nations remain limited. Here, we utilised the Body Image in Nature (BINS) dataset-with data collected between 2020 and 2022 -to assess measurement invariance of the SWLS across 65 nations, 40 languages, gender identities, and age groups (N = 56,968). All participants completed the SWLS under largely uniform conditions.

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Introduction: This study aimed to determine the relative efficacy of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) or cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) in comparison to a waitlist control (WLC) for people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Participants completed assessments before and after treatment and at 6-month follow-up.

Methods: Two hundred and sixty-nine participants with RA were recruited and randomised in a 2:2:1 ratio to MBSR:CBT:WLC.

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Objective: Describe experiences of, and responses to, 2022 infant formula shortages among households with infants aged up to 18 months by race/ethnicity using Household Pulse Survey data.

Methods: Outcomes included whether households were affected by shortages and, if so, 3 nonmutually exclusive response categories (increased breastmilk, obtained formula atypically, and disruptive coping [disruptions to breastmilk and/or formula]) and 1 mutually exclusive response category (solely disruptive coping). Unadjusted shares reporting each were compared using t tests.

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The framing of patients making decisions about their medical treatment and care as traditional legal decisions, thresholds and formalities is a means to avoid legal liabilities through a rationalisation of decision-making, autonomy and choice. A credible account for the actual place of patients posits the sovereign power (founded in the works of Carl Schmitt and Giorgio Agamben) of the health care professional deciding the state of exception - a discrete legal space where the authority of health care professionals is both lawful and beyond the law. This reveals that dealing with broadly conceived consent issues with more law, more process and procedure but without addressing the inherent legality assumptions that empower health care professionals will always be flawed.

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Deep-sea sediments contain a large number of Thaumarchaeota that are phylogenetically distinct from their pelagic counterparts. However, their ecology and evolutionary adaptations are not well understood. Metagenomic analyses were conducted on samples from various depths of a 750-cm sediment core collected from the Mariana Trench Challenger Deep.

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The increased burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) is fueled by lifestyle factors including diet. This cross-sectional study explored among Tanzanian adults whether unhealthy dietary patterns are associated with intestinal and systemic inflammation which could increase the risk of NCDs. The study included 574 participants, with both diet and inflammatory markers data.

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Biological datasets often consist of thousands or millions of variables, e.g. genetic variants or biomarkers, and when sample sizes are large it is common to find many associated with an outcome of interest, for example, disease risk in a GWAS, at high levels of statistical significance, but with very small effects.

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This is a secondary analysis of a trial comparing online mindfulness-based stress reduction with cognitive-behaviour therapy for people with rheumatoid arthritis. Both interventions were administered over eight weeks with five lessons and accompanied by weekly therapist contact. For the purposes of this study, we investigated the pain severity, fear of progression and functional ability as the outcome variables because the treatments had differential effects on these three outcomes but had equivalent effects on other variables.

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Genomic selection can enhance the rate of genetic gain of cane and sucrose yield in sugarcane (Saccharum L.), an important industrial crop worldwide. We assessed the predictive ability (PA) for six traits, such as theoretical recoverable sugar (TRS), number of stalks (NS), stalk weight (SW), cane yield (CY), sugar yield (SY), and fiber content (Fiber) using 20,451 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with 22 statistical models based on the genomic estimated breeding values of 567 genotypes within and across five stages of the Louisiana sugarcane breeding program.

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Simultaneous pancreas-kidney (SPK) transplantation is a recognized treatment for patients with insulin-dependent diabetes and advanced chronic kidney disease or end-stage renal disease (ESRD), offering significant survival benefits. However, it is associated with a higher risk of venous thrombosis, which can jeopardize the survival of the pancreaticoduodenal graft. This case report describes a patient with type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and ESRD who developed acute, occlusive deep vein thrombosis (DVT) involving the right common femoral, profunda femoral, and greater saphenous veins on postoperative day 1 (POD1) following a deceased donor SPK transplant, despite systemic prophylactic anticoagulation.

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Variety development of sugarcane ( spp. hybrids) is necessary to continue improving sugar yields and selecting photosynthetic traits can improve sugar production through increased carbon inputs. In this study, gas exchange and whole-plant measurements were made on 55 sugarcane genotypes in Louisiana.

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Background: Basiliximab induction immunosuppression is increasingly employed in lung transplant recipients despite limited prospective evidence to support its use in this population. We sought to determine the relationship between basiliximab induction and development of acute rejection, chronic lung allograft dysfunction, and other clinically relevant outcomes in a multicenter lung transplant cohort with variable induction practice patterns.

Methods: We applied propensity-based statistical methods to rigorous, prospectively collected longitudinal data from 768 newly transplanted adult lung recipients at 5 North American centers (368 who received basiliximab induction immunosuppression and 400 who received no induction immunosuppression).

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As the number and needs of cancer survivors grow, innovative ways to enhance survivorship expertise are needed. This pilot study evaluated a 12-week cancer survivorship curriculum delivered to two cohorts of providers at affiliated sites within the Mercy Health System, utilising the Project ECHO® model, on provider self-efficacy (SE), knowledge (KN), and professional improvement (PI). Providers received six 1-hour sessions, informed by provider needs assessment, over 12 weeks.

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Article Synopsis
  • PfRh5 has shown promise as a malaria vaccine candidate due to its key role in merozoite invasion and overall stability, with recent trials indicating its safety and effectiveness.
  • A study was conducted in Tanzanian regions known for high malaria transmission to assess genetic variation and immune responses to PfRh5 in asymptomatic carriers, revealing some new mutations but overall genetic conservation.
  • Results indicated variable immune response sensitivity tied to age, with the findings highlighting the importance of ongoing monitoring of vaccine efficacy and antigenic variation to improve malaria vaccine development.
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As an accessible and low-risk mode of transportation and recreational activity, walking both produces and is produced by socio-spatial urban features. The health benefits of walking transcend physical fitness, remaining integral to mental health and to fostering social connectedness in urban communities. Understanding what drives walking behaviour, therefore, warrants attention from a public health perspective.

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  • Reconstructing ancient hydrological conditions, like those in the Eocene period, helps compare real data with modern climate models.
  • Using fresh water dynamics from marginal seas, researchers analyze barium and strontium levels in river waters to track historical changes in river runoff.
  • The study reveals that barium to calcium and strontium isotopes in fossil bivalve shells can effectively indicate riverine input variations, showing steady fresh water influx in western Europe during the Eocene with significant regional differences.
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  • Mismatch negativity (MMN) is a response in the brain to unexpected sounds, showing reduced activity in individuals with schizophrenia, prompting research into factors influencing MMN amplitude.
  • This study focuses on how these mismatch responses (MMRs) work in rats and whether they show "order effects" when exposed to changing sound patterns.
  • Results indicate that while rats displayed strong MMRs to changing sounds, they did not show order effects, suggesting their auditory prediction systems have different adaptive mechanisms compared to humans.
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Rationale: While exposure to air pollution is a known risk factor for adverse pulmonary outcomes, its impact in individuals with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is less well understood.

Objective: To investigate the effects of long-term exposure to air pollution on disease severity and progression in patients with IPF and to determine whether genomic factors, such as MUC5B promoter polymorphism or telomere length, modify these associations.

Methods: We performed analyses at enrollment and after one year of follow-up in the IPF-PRO Registry, a prospective observational registry that enrolled individuals with IPF at 46 US sites from June 2014 to October 2018.

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Background: Population data on mortality and causes of death among 5-19-year-olds are limited.

Objectives: To assess levels, trends, and risk factors of cause-specific mortality and place at death among 5-19-year-olds in Tanzania (1995-2022).

Methods: Using longitudinal data from the Magu Health and Demographic Surveillance System in northwest Tanzania, we identified leading causes of death among 5-19-year-olds from verbal autopsy interviews, using physician review and a Bayesian probabilistic model (InSilicoVA).

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  • * Among 17,183 participants, 91% were prescribed ETI, with a median time to prescription of 121 days; factors such as age, lung function, and prior modulator prescriptions influenced the timing of the first prescription.
  • * The findings suggest that, despite high prescription rates, demographic and health-related factors contributed to delays in starting ETI, emphasizing the need for further research to better understand and address these barriers.
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An antibody-based HIV-1 vaccine will require the induction of potent cross-reactive HIV-1-neutralizing responses. To demonstrate feasibility toward this goal, we combined vaccination targeting the fusion-peptide site of vulnerability with infection by simian-human immunodeficiency virus (SHIV). In four macaques with vaccine-induced neutralizing responses, SHIV infection boosted plasma neutralization to 45%-77% breadth (geometric mean 50% inhibitory dilution [ID] ∼100) on a 208-strain panel.

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Rationale: Chronic lung allograft dysfunction (CLAD) hinders lung transplant success. A 2019 consensus refined CLAD diagnosis, introducing probable or definite CLAD based on persistence of lung function decline. Outcomes and risks for probable CLAD remain uncertain.

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Background: Longitudinal studies are essential for understanding the progression of mental health disorders over time, but combining data collected through different methods to assess conditions like depression, anxiety, and psychosis presents significant challenges. This study presents a mapping technique allowing for the conversion of diverse longitudinal data into a standardized staging database, leveraging the Data Documentation Initiative (DDI) Lifecycle and the Observational Medical Outcomes Partnership (OMOP) Common Data Model (CDM) standards to ensure consistency and compatibility across datasets.

Methods: The "INSPIRE" project integrates longitudinal data from African studies into a staging database using metadata documentation standards structured with a snowflake schema.

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Nocebo effects in pain (nocebo hyperalgesia) have received significant attention recently, with negative expectancies and anxiety proposed to be explanatory factors. While both expectancy and anxiety can bias attention, attention has been rarely explored as a potential mechanism involved in nocebo hyperalgesia. The present study aimed to explore whether attention bias modification (ABM) using an immersive, ecologically valid VR paradigm successfully induced attention biases (AB) and subsequently influenced nocebo hyperalgesia.

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