Category: Statistics

Biomed Eng Online. 2025 Jun 5;24(1):70. doi: 10.1186/s12938-025-01402-8.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Sedentary lifestyles can lead to musculoskeletal disorders, but proper sitting posture, particularly maintaining a slight anterior pelvic tilt, helps prevent issues like lower back pain and spinal misalignment. Samsung Electronics wearable robot ‘Bot Fit’ improves posture by enhancing core muscle tension, reducing trapezius muscle tension, and improving spinal alignment, which can alleviate pain and improve overall musculoskeletal health.

OBJECTIVE: This study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of Samsung’s wearable robot, ‘Bot Fit’, in promoting proper sitting posture.

METHODS: This study involved 37 participants, including healthy adults, elderly individuals. Participants were evaluated under two conditions, with and without the Bot Fit device, while seated on a Bobath table. Muscle tension, spinal angles, sitting height, and gluteal pressure distribution were measured under both conditions, and statistical analysis was conducted using paired t-tests with a significance level of p = 0.05.

RESULTS: Participants showed a significant increase in sitting height and rectus abdominis muscle tone, while upper trapezius muscle tone significantly decreased (p < 0.05). Additionally, hip pressure increased across all regions, and pressure differences between the left and right hips decreased significantly (p < 0.01).

CONCLUSION: Wearing the Bot Fit with its posture correction function improved muscle tone and sitting posture in adults and the elderly, potentially helping to prevent secondary musculoskeletal disorders from poor posture. Future research should explore the optimal torque settings of the Bot Fit based on individual factors like weight and gender.

PMID:40474262 | DOI:10.1186/s12938-025-01402-8

BMC Psychol. 2025 Jun 5;13(1):607. doi: 10.1186/s40359-025-02957-w.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Besides learning theoretical knowledge in class, participating in extracurricular activities is vital to students’ life development. Interpersonal trust is the basis for university students to establish a good social network. However, there is little discussion on the mechanism analysis that affects university students’ participation in the second classroom.

METHODS: To explore the impact of interpersonal trust on university students’ participation in extracurricular activities, this study uses self-acceptance and self-esteem as mediating variables to make it a complete chain mediation model. Through a sample survey of university students, the chain mediation model is used to analyze the data.

RESULTS: The results show that interpersonal trust, self-acceptance, and self-esteem significantly and positively impact university students’ participation in extracurricular activities. In the chain mediation model, interpersonal trust positively affects university students’ second-classroom participation through the sequential mediators of self-acceptance and self-esteem. This hypothesized pathway was statistically supported by robust model fit indices, including Akaike’s Information Criterion (AIC) and Bayesian Information Criterion (BIC), derived from structural equation modeling (SEM).

CONCLUSION: Universities should create an excellent interpersonal trust environment for students and cultivate their self-acceptance and self-esteem. Improving students’ participation in the second classroom is conducive to promoting university students’ physical and mental health and all-around development.

PMID:40474261 | DOI:10.1186/s40359-025-02957-w

Eur J Med Res. 2025 Jun 5;30(1):457. doi: 10.1186/s40001-025-02721-1.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: This study aims to investigate the application strategy of “single point-point pressure method” and multi-point injection techniques for carbon nanoparticle injection in laparoscopic radical resection of rectal cancer. The focus is on evaluating the efficacy and efficiency of both methods in sentinel lymph node mapping and tumor localization.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: A prospective analysis was conducted on a total of 119 rectal cancer cases treated our center from January 2020 to December 2021. The cases were divided into two groups: multi-point group and single-point group. In the multi-point group, multiple points of 1:1 diluted nano-carbon suspension were injected into the submucosa around the lesions. In the single-spot group, the tumor lesions were identified using electronic colonoscopy, followed by manual pressure applied to the corresponding abdominal wall. A single point of the stock solution of nano-carbon suspension was injected into the submucosa around the lesions upon observing the external pressure “bouncing sign” under the microscope.

RESULTS: No significant differences were observed between the multi-point group and the single-point group in terms of the number of detected lymph nodes, lesion location, distal resection margin (time to locate the tumor), carbon nanoparticles injection spatter event, operation time for middle and high rectal cancer, intraoperative blood loss, and postoperative exhaust time (P > 0.05). However, the injection time of nano-carbon and operation time for low rectal cancer were significantly shorter in the single point group, with statistically significant differences observed between the two groups (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS: Identifying the distal resection margin clinically contributes to reducing operation time, simplifying surgical procedures, and enhancing efficiency. Sentinel lymph node mapping is crucial in colorectal cancer as it helps in accurate staging and treatment planning. This study aligns with previous research highlighting the effectiveness of carbon nanoparticles in improving lymph node detection and reducing operative time. In addition, this study contributes to the literature by demonstrating the efficiency of the “single point-point pressure method” in laparoscopic radical resection of rectal cancer, offering a simpler and faster alternative to multi-point injection techniques.

PMID:40474254 | DOI:10.1186/s40001-025-02721-1

BMC Psychol. 2025 Jun 5;13(1):614. doi: 10.1186/s40359-025-02880-0.

ABSTRACT

Positive psychological attributes, such as mindfulness, grit, and adaptability, have been increasingly recognized for their role in promoting mental health and academic success among students. However, the extent to which these traits influence emotional stability and protect against academic burnout remains understudied, particularly in undergraduate populations. This cross-sectional study aimed to address a gap in literature by examining the impact of positive psychological attributes on emotional stability, and academic burnout among undergraduate students. A sample of 275 undergraduate students from various disciplines across two public and two private universities in Lahore, Pakistan, completed validated self-report questionnaire. Data were analyzed employing descriptive statistics and structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Study findings showed that positive psychological attributes has significant associations with higher emotional stability and lower levels of academic burnout. Specifically, mindfulness and grit emerged as the strongest predictors of reduced academic burnout. Additionally, emotional stability partially mediated the relationship between positive psychological traits and academic burnout, highlighting its critical role in student well-being. These findings not only enrich the theoretical understanding of psychological resilience in academic contexts but also offer practical implications. Specifically, they suggest that enhancing emotional stability could be an effective strategy to reduce academic burnout and improve students’ sense of personal accomplishment. These insights hold implications for educational policies and mental health promotion programs in higher education settings.

PMID:40474250 | DOI:10.1186/s40359-025-02880-0

J Health Popul Nutr. 2025 Jun 5;44(1):189. doi: 10.1186/s41043-025-00931-1.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Childhood cancer is a growing public health concern in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where over two-thirds of global pediatric cancer cases occur. Despite advances in diagnosis and treatment, malnutrition remains a major barrier to achieving better outcomes. This study aimed to assess the magnitude of undernutrition and identify barriers to optimal nutrition among pediatric patients with cancer receiving treatment at a major referral hospital in Tanzania.

METHODS: Two study populations were recruited: pediatric patients with cancer and their primary caregivers. Children were assessed for undernutrition using anthropometric indicators, including mid-upper arm circumference, weight-for-age, height-for-age, body mass index-for-age Z-score, and triceps skinfold thickness. Nutritional biomarkers, including serum albumin, total protein, hemoglobin, and mean corpuscular volume, were also evaluated. Caregivers completed structured questionnaires adapted from the Hunger Vital Sign™ and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization Nutrition-related Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices Questionnaire to assess the risk of food insecurity and caregiver nutrition knowledge and perceptions. Binary logistic regression was used to explore predictors of undernutrition.

RESULTS: A total of 65 pediatric patients were enrolled, of whom 41.54% were classified as undernourished based on at least one anthropometric indicator below age-specific thresholds. Although 44.62% had low serum albumin and 30.77% had low total protein, these biomarkers may reflect overall illness rather than nutritional deficiency alone. Anemia was observed in 53.85% of children under 5 and 38.46% of those aged 5 and older. Logistic regression showed that undernutrition was more likely among children aged 5-10 and > 10 years compared to those < 5 years (OR: 1.80; 95% CI: 0.88-3.68; p = 0.109), while anemia showed an inverse and unexpected association (OR: 0.15; 95% CI: 0.02-1.44; p = 0.100); however, neither was statistically significant. The risk of food insecurity was identified in 78.4% of households. Caregivers not at risk demonstrated significantly better nutrition knowledge and more positive perceptions than those at risk.

CONCLUSION: Undernutrition is common among pediatric patients with cancer and may be influenced by clinical and socioeconomic factors, including anemia, caregiver knowledge, and household food insecurity.

TRIAL REGISTRATION: This study is not a clinical trial and does not require registration.

CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER: not applicable.

PMID:40474244 | DOI:10.1186/s41043-025-00931-1

BMC Med Genomics. 2025 Jun 5;18(1):103. doi: 10.1186/s12920-025-02172-x.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: To investigate chromosomal instability (CIN) in tumor tissue from radical bladder resection and to evaluate whether it can be used as a biomarker for the molecular typing of (BC).

METHODS: DNA was extracted from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded samples of 50 BC patients who were followed up to March 23 2023 using the Qiagen nucleic acid kits. We analyzed CIN in tumor of bladder by low-coverage whole genome sequencing (LC-WGS). Kaplan-Meier log-rank test was used to perform survival analysis. The association between variables and overall and progression-free survival was analyzed using the Cox proportional hazards model.

RESULTS: There were 44 genome segments with statistically significant changes in copy number. CIN was significantly correlated with tumor stage, lymph node metastasis, relapse and survival status. Patients with high CIN were found to have a worse survival, with a median overall survival (OS) of 15 months. In addition, patients with high CIN were more likely to relapse, with a median progression-free survival (PFS) of 7 months. Patients with low CIN showed better OS and PFS. However, there was no significant difference in OS and PFS between T2 and T3-T4 patients. Multivariate cox regression analysis showed that high CIN was an independent predictor of OS, and high CIN and muscle invasion were independent predictors of PFS. Furthermore, patients with abnormal copy number of a single chromosome also had a poor prognosis, with a median survival of 14-30 months for OS and 5-10 months for PFS, while negative patients had a better prognosis.

CONCLUSION: CIN was significantly correlated with tumor stage, lymph node metastasis, relapse and survival status of BC. Patients with high CIN or abnormal copy numbers of a single chromosome have a poor prognosis. CIN might be better than T stage in predicting the prognosis of patients with BC. Molecular typing of CIN can be used as an independent prognostic factor for BC.

PMID:40474232 | DOI:10.1186/s12920-025-02172-x

BMC Oral Health. 2025 Jun 5;25(1):925. doi: 10.1186/s12903-025-06318-2.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Marfan syndrome is a rare connective tissue disorder. This study was initiated to investigate the impact of Marfan syndrome on oral health.

METHODS: The person-reported perceived OHRQoL was determined using the German short version of the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-G5). In addition, all study participants took part in a clinical examination in which the objective oral health was measured using the Physical Oral Health Index (PhOX).

RESULTS: A total of 29 patients took part in the study. Of these, 20 were female and nine male and the median age was 54 years (interquartile range (IQR): 15). The median OHIP-G5 score was three (IQR: 5) (range: 0-15). The median PhOX score was 79 (IQR: 14.5). A statistically significant correlation between the OHIP-G5 and the PhOX could not be determined (r=-0.34, p = 0.074).

CONCLUSIONS: The study showed that OHRQoL in particular was reduced. The measured oral health was slightly reduced compared to the general population. Nevertheless, Marfan patients should pay great attention to oral hygiene which should be checked by dental professionals at regular intervals.

CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER: Not applicable.

PMID:40474214 | DOI:10.1186/s12903-025-06318-2

BMC Endocr Disord. 2025 Jun 5;25(1):138. doi: 10.1186/s12902-025-01960-x.

ABSTRACT

The role of genetic susceptibility in early warning and precise treatment of diabetic kidney disease (DKD) requires further investigation. A case-control study was conducted to evaluate the predictive effect of GSK3B genetic polymorphisms on the susceptibility to DKD, with the aim of providing a theoretical basis and laboratory rationale for the prediction of the risk of developing DKD in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The GSK3B genotyping was performed by SNaPshot method based on Genotype-Tissue Expression database and thousand genomes database to screen tag SNPs. The polymorphisms of GSK3B tag SNPs were statistically analyzed for their effects on DKD susceptibility and clinical indicators. Urinary exosomes from DKD patients were extracted, protein expression levels of GSK3β were detected by ELISA kits, and kinase activity of GSK3β was quantified by kinase activity spectrometry to evaluate the correlation between the gene polymorphisms of GSK3B and the expression levels and activities of GSK3β. A machine learning model was constructed for assessing the efficacy of GSK3B polymorphisms in predicting the risk of developing DKD in patients with T2DM. A total of 800 subjects who met the inclusion and exclusion criteria were included in the case-control study, including 200 healthy control subjects, 300 patients with T2DM and 300 patients with DKD. Genetic analysis identified five tag SNPs (rs60393216, rs3732361, rs2199503, rs1488766, and rs59669360) associated with the susceptibility to DKD. The protein level and activity of GSK3β were significantly elevated in DKD patients. On the other hand, the expression levels and kinase activity of GSK3β in exosomes differed significantly between patients with different genotypes of the GSK3B, suggesting that the effect of GSK3B gene polymorphisms on GSK3β expression and activity may be an important mechanism leading to individual differences in susceptibility to DKD. XG Boost algorithm model identified rs60393216 and rs1488766 as important biomarkers for clinical early warning of DKD.

PMID:40474205 | DOI:10.1186/s12902-025-01960-x

BMC Oral Health. 2025 Jun 5;25(1):922. doi: 10.1186/s12903-025-06294-7.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Recent advancements in Artificial Intelligence (AI) have transformed the healthcare field, particularly through chatbots like ChatGPT, OpenEvidence, and MediSearch. These tools analyze complex data to aid clinical decision-making, enhancing efficiency in diagnosis, treatment planning, and patient management. When applied in the “All-on-Four” dental implant concept, AI facilitates immediate prosthetic restorations and meets the demand for expert guidance. This integration boosts the long-term success of surgical outcomes by providing real-time support and improving patient education and postoperative satisfaction. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of three AI-powered chatbots-ChatGPT 4.0, OpenEvidence, and MediSearch-in answering frequently asked questions regarding the All-on-Four dental implant concept.

METHOD: This study investigated the response accuracy of three AI-powered chatbots to common queries about the All-on-Four dental implant concept. Using alsoasked.com, twenty pertinent questions-ten patient-focused and ten technical-were identified. Oral and maxillofacial surgeons evaluated the chatbot responses using a 5-point Likert scale. Statistical analysis was performed with the Kruskal-Wallis test, supplemented by pairwise Mann-Whitney U tests with Bonferroni correction, to assess the significance of differences among the chatbots’ performances.

RESULTS: The Kruskal-Wallis test showed statistically significant differences between the three chatbots for both patient and technical questions (p < 0.01). Pairwise comparisons were evaluated using the Mann-Whitney U test. While significant differences were found among each chatbot for patient questions, no significant difference was observed between ChatGPT and MediSearch for technical questions (p = 0.158). When comparing responses of the same chatbot to patient and technical questions, it was found that MediSearch performed better in technical questions (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION: Advancements in technology have made AI-powered chatbots an inevitable influence in specialized medical fields such as Oral, Maxillofacial Surgery. Our findings indicate that these chatbots can provide valuable information for patients undergoing medical procedures and serve as a resource for healthcare professionals.

PMID:40474203 | DOI:10.1186/s12903-025-06294-7

BMC Oral Health. 2025 Jun 5;25(1):918. doi: 10.1186/s12903-025-06134-8.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Polymer infiltrated ceramic network (PICN) is a hybrid dental ceramic that mimics the properties of tooth structures. Unfortunately, commercially available PICN still present limitations such as low strength. Thus, the current study was conducted to prepare polymer infiltrated lithium disilicate ceramic network (PILN) and compare it with commercially available PICN regarding microstructure and biaxial flexural strength.

METHODOLOGY: A fine powder of lithium disilicate was produced by grounding ^IPSe.max CAD/CAM blocks. A porous lithium disilicate ceramic networks containing 25% (PILN-25) and 20% (PILN-20) porosity were produced by firing at 820^OC and 830^OC respectively. Polymer was infiltrated and polymerized to form a dense PILN. A total of 69 specimens were prepared and assigned into three groups (n = 23) according to the type of ceramic used in fabrication of the ceramic network. The comparable group was Enamic, while the intervention groups were (PILN-25) and (PILN-20). For two intervention groups, porosity and density were measured before and after polymer infiltration using helium pycnometer (n = 3 at each stage). SEM was used for microstructure analysis (n = 9) and One specimen was examined under FESEM for better visualization of the crystalline phases. Additionally, three specimens (n = 3) from each group were assigned for XRD testing and, finally, ten specimens for each group (n = 10) were subjected to biaxial flexural strength test. The statistical significance level was set at p ≤ 0.005.

RESULTS: There was a statistically significant difference in biaxial flexural strength, PILN-20 recording the highest significant strength followed by PILN-25 and Enamic. PILN-25 showed higher porosity% than PILN-20 and the porosity decreased after polymer infiltration. PILN-20 showed higher density than PILN-25 and density increased after polymer infiltration. XRD revealed the presence of lithium disilicate crystals in both PILN-25 and PILN-20. SEM revealed highly interlocked ceramic and polymeric networks. FESEM revealed the presence of spherical lithium disilicate crystals.

CONCLUSION: PILN is a new type of hybrid ceramic material with enhanced mechanical properties.

CLINICAL IMPLICATION: PILN can be used as a promising CAD/CAM block for creating high strength high esthetics dental restorations.

PMID:40474199 | DOI:10.1186/s12903-025-06134-8