Category: Statistics

Clin Psychol Psychother. 2025 Mar-Apr;32(2):e70069. doi: 10.1002/cpp.70069.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: Although early maladaptive schemas (EMSs) have been linked to suicidal ideation, their heterogeneous nature has not been fully explored in this relationship. This study sought to identify distinct latent profiles based on 18 EMSs in a clinical sample and examine how these profiles differ in relation to suicidal ideation and suicide risk factors, such as perceived burdensomeness, thwarted belongingness and fearlessness about death.

METHOD: Data from routine clinical assessments of 799 outpatients with mood disorders (aged 18-49 years, 513 female, 286 male, M_age = 28.71) were analysed. Latent profile analysis was performed to identify distinct EMS profiles, and their associations with suicide risk factors were examined using the Bolck-Croon-Hagenaars method.

RESULTS: Five distinct EMS profiles emerged: Low, Below Average, Above Average, Specific Elevation and High Risk. The Specific Elevation profile demonstrated specifically elevated levels of social isolation/alienation, defectiveness/shame, failure, dependence/incompetence and insufficient self-control/self-discipline, while the levels of most other schemas were similar to the Above Average profile. The High Risk profile showed elevated levels across all schemas. Both the Specific Elevation profile and the High Risk profile exhibited the highest levels of perceived burdensomeness, thwarted belongingness and suicidal ideation, with no significant differences between them. Fearlessness about death did not differ among the profiles.

CONCLUSION: The identified EMS profiles offer unique utility in predicting perceived burdensomeness, thwarted belongingness and suicidal ideation. The specific schemas that showed elevation in the Specific Elevation profile may serve as promising targets for mitigating suicide risk in patients with mood disorders.

PMID:40156497 | DOI:10.1002/cpp.70069

Pain Pract. 2025 Apr;25(4):e70024. doi: 10.1111/papr.70024.

ABSTRACT

AIM: To assess the influence of contrast material distribution patterns on treatment success in patients with chronic coccygodynia undergoing ganglion impar block (GIB).

METHODS: An evaluation was conducted on 58 patients who underwent GIB from August 2021 to August 2023 at a university hospital’s interventional pain management center. Numeric rating scale (NRS) scores were recorded before the procedure and at 1-month post-procedure. The patients were categorized into two groups based on treatment success, defined as at least a 50% reduction in the NRS score at 1 month.

RESULTS: There were no significant differences between the two groups regarding age, gender, BMI, symptom duration, comorbidities, coccyx curvature type, presence of anterior/posterior subluxation, presence of posterior spicule, type of approach, contrast distribution direction, and contrast dye level. Patients with coccygodynia experienced statistically significant benefits from GIB treatment at the 1-month follow-up (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION: Although the use of contrast material in fluoroscopic procedures is the gold standard to prevent possible complications, the distribution pattern of contrast does not significantly affect the success of GIB treatment in patients with coccygodynia. Further prospective and long-term follow-up studies are required to validate these findings.

PMID:40156492 | DOI:10.1111/papr.70024

Acta Ophthalmol. 2025 Mar 29. doi: 10.1111/aos.17485. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: To use artificial intelligence (AI) for quantifying schisis volume (ASV) in X-linked retinoschisis (XLRS) for use as a structural endpoint in gene therapy clinical trials.

METHODS: We used data from Singapore, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and the United States. The AI model was developed on 250 optical coherence tomography (OCT) slices, with human annotation of schisis cavities (Dataset 1). ASV was quantified on Dataset 2 – 16 OCT scans from 8 eyes with XLRS at two time points, and Dataset 4 – 62 OCT scans from 31 eyes at two time points before and after carbonic anhydrase inhibitor (CAI) treatment. A clinical trial was simulated comparing CAI treatment against control. Changes in ASV, central subfield thickness (CST) and central foveal thickness (CFT) were compared. Effect size (Cohen’s d) of the three structural endpoints was determined and used in sample size calculations for a future XLRS gene therapy clinical trial, at a 0.05 significance level and 80% power.

RESULTS: In the simulated clinical trial, all structural metrics showed greater reductions with intervention than with control, but only change in ASV reached statistical significance (p = 0.004). Cohen’s d for ASV, CST and CFT were 0.972, 0.685 and 0.521, respectively. For the future gene therapy clinical trial, sample sizes required in each arm for ASV, CST and CFT were 18, 35 and 59 participants, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS: ASV measurements can track changes in schisis volume in response to treatment. As an endpoint, ASV has a greater statistical effect size than CST/CFT, which reduces sample size requirements for future XLRS gene therapy clinical trials.

PMID:40156473 | DOI:10.1111/aos.17485

Health Promot Pract. 2025 Mar 29:15248399251327962. doi: 10.1177/15248399251327962. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Film documentaries are an important approach for capturing the public’s attention and elevating discussions about uncomfortable or hidden topics such as death and dying, yet little attention has been given to documenting the grief experience of bereaved parents. This article focuses on one specific Collaborative Filmmaking project, Visualizing Loss, and explores the impact of participant-created film from the perspective of the audience members who attended a premiere screening. Audience members were invited to complete a post-screening survey that included questions assessing their knowledge, attitudes and reflections about grief, bereavement, palliative care, and the film. The quantitative data was summarized using descriptive statistics, and the qualitative data was organized and indexed according to common themes, supported by illustrative quotes. Seventy-eight (29%) of the 270 audience members completed the post-screening survey. A majority reported that they were absorbed in the screening (81%) and that the film screening inspired or empowered them (76%). Qualitative comments illustrated that the film deeply resonated with audience members by evoking empathy for parents experiencing loss, offering comfort to those with personal connections, and raising awareness about a rarely discussed issue. These findings underscore the Visualizing Loss film’s impact in raising awareness and fostering empathy, making it an effective resource for educating and supporting those affected by grief and loss.

PMID:40156438 | DOI:10.1177/15248399251327962

Int J Cancer. 2025 Mar 29. doi: 10.1002/ijc.35420. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) Regional Hub in Mumbai provides technical support to population-based cancer registries (PBCRs) in South and South-East Asian (SSEA) countries. For data management and incidence rate table generation, the Hub recommends CanReg5, an open-source registry software developed by IARC, to all PBCRs seeking support from it. However, CanReg5 is limited in generating mortality and paediatric cancer incidence tables. Several SSEA cancer registries requested the Hub to develop practical solutions to facilitate the generation of cancer rates statistics. The IARC Regional Hub, in Mumbai, subsequently developed Nirmiti, an innovative web application which is capable of generating incidence, mortality, and paediatric cancer rates based on provided input data. The application accepts registry data in a specific format and generates required tables according to the selected options; users can input data from CanReg5 or other software into Nirmiti for processing. Nirmiti generates childhood cancer rates for age-groups 0-14 and 0-19, based on the 12 main groups and 47 subgroups of the International Incidence of Childhood Cancer, Volume 3, and is freely available to cancer registries upon request. The application has been successfully utilized by PBCRs in India, Sri Lanka, and Bhutan.

PMID:40156432 | DOI:10.1002/ijc.35420

Asian Pac J Cancer Prev. 2025 Mar 1;26(3):1089-1097. doi: 10.31557/APJCP.2025.26.3.1089.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Effective communication of critical radiological results is vital in oncology for timely interventions and preventing delays in patient care. Barriers such as radiologist workload, manual communication processes, and inconsistent protocols impede the timely reporting of critical findings.

AIM: This study aims to the Timely Reporting of Critical Radiological Results in Oncology to improve patient safety.

METHODS: A pre-and-post design approach was used to assess key performance indicators before and after interventions. The study was conducted in in the radiology department of Sultan Qaboos Comprehensive Cancer Care and Research Center (SQCCCRC), University Medical city, Muscat, Oman. The FOCUS-PDCA framework guided the quality improvement process, addressing system inefficiencies, inconsistent communication, and non-standardized reporting. The intervention team included radiologists, oncologists, administrative staff, and IT personnel. Key issues identified were system downtimes, training gaps, inconsistent escalation practices, and lack of standardized protocols. Interventions targeted system modifications, staff education, and policy updates. Monthly compliance rates were tracked from June 2023 to May 2024, with audits assessing adherence to reporting protocols. Key performance indicators included reporting timeliness, documentation accuracy, and adherence to new protocols.

RESULTS: Post-intervention, compliance with critical radiology result reporting improved significantly, reaching 100%. Compliance initially fluctuated but rebounded after system modifications and staff training. Cochran’s Q test showed a Q statistic of 7.6 with a p-value of 0.022, indicating a significant difference in compliance over the 12 months.

CONCLUSION: Multidisciplinary collaboration, technology integration, and standardized protocols are crucial to improving critical result reporting and enhancing patient outcomes in Oncology settings.

PMID:40156428 | DOI:10.31557/APJCP.2025.26.3.1089

Asian Pac J Cancer Prev. 2025 Mar 1;26(3):1053-1058. doi: 10.31557/APJCP.2025.26.3.1053.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: This work aimed to find the incidence of TERT promoter mutations in a specific patient population and to analyze their association with various tumor characteristics.

METHODS: This study, conducted from April to November 2023, involved collecting 67 formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue samples from patients undergoing transurethral bladder resection or radical cystectomy at the Urology Department of Almawaddah Private Hospital, Basra, Iraq. The extraction of DNA was achieved through the use of purification Promega kits. TERT gene promoter mutations, C228T AND C250T were determined by Sanger sequencing using an automated DNA sequencer, by Macrogen Corporation – Korea.

RESULT: Among 67 bladder cancer patients, valid pTERT molecular analysis was completed in 59 cases. Of these, 30 patients (50.85%) were found to have pTERT mutations. The most common mutation was C228T, identified in 70% (21/30) of cases, followed by C250T in 33.3% (10/30), with one patient exhibiting both mutations. No significant associations were found between TERT mutations and factors such as age, sex, or smoking status. However, these mutations were more frequently observed in low-grade tumors, occurring in 63.3% (19/30) of cases. Additionally, the prevalence of TERT mutations differed significantly between non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) and muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC), with mutations detected in 60.4% (26/42) of NMIBC cases and 23.5% (4/17) of MIBC cases (p = 0.027). Although a slight difference in mutation frequency was noted between newly diagnosed and recurrent tumors, it did not reach statistical significance.

CONCLUSION: this study demonstrates a substantial prevalence of TERT promoter mutations particularly the C228T variant in bladder cancer, which was more frequently found in NMIBC compared to MIBC. No correlations were identified between TERT mutations and demographic factors such as age, sex, or smoking history.

PMID:40156424 | DOI:10.31557/APJCP.2025.26.3.1053

Asian Pac J Cancer Prev. 2025 Mar 1;26(3):1043-1051. doi: 10.31557/APJCP.2025.26.3.1043.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: Dillenia serrata Thunb. an endemic plant from Sulawesi Island, has been used by the local community as medicine for some diseases. However, studies related to these plants are still limited to several diseases. This study intends to investigate the cytotoxic activity of Dillenia serrata Thunb. leaves extract as an anticancer.

METHODS: This study was preceded by gradual maceration and then subjected to phytochemical test to evaluate the contain of secondary metabolites such as alkaloid, flavonoid, tannin, steroid, terpenoid, and saponin, toxicity assay by BSLT method, cytotoxicity test against HeLa cell lines, further compound identification using GC-MS analysis and in silico analysis.

RESULTS: The phytochemical tests demonstrated the presence of tannins, steroids, alkaloids, flavonoids, and saponins. The toxicity test indicated that all three extracts were toxic for Artemia salina L. as the premier test before the cytotoxicity test using HeLa cell lines. The LC50 values for the n-hexane, ethyl acetate, and methanol extracts were 58.27±6.15, 11.06±1.70, and 9.30±1.13 μg/mL, respectively. After evaluating the extracts’ cytotoxicity activity, the ethyl acetate extract has the strongest activity with 91.08±0.23 μg/mL, then this extract was further identified using GC-MS analysis and reveals 51 chemicals which is Phytol as the main components in the extract with %area about 25.64%. Molecular docking analysis of Phytol against Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) showed a good binding energy of around -5.08 kcal/mol. The molecular dynamics simulation supports this result.

CONCLUSION: All extracts demonstrated intense toxicity levels. Out of all the extracts, ethyl acetate extract exhibited the strongest cytotoxic properties to HeLa cell lines with IC50 value 91.08±0.23 μg/mL. Ethyl acetate extract of D. serrata T. contains Phytol compounds which have a quite good affinity to the EGFR. According to this study, ethyl acetate extract has the potential to be used as an alternative to anticancer medication.

PMID:40156423 | DOI:10.31557/APJCP.2025.26.3.1043

Asian Pac J Cancer Prev. 2025 Mar 1;26(3):1001-1007. doi: 10.31557/APJCP.2025.26.3.1001.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: Colorectal cancer is the third malignant tumor and the second cause of death in the world. There are several prognostic factors in colorectal adenocarcinoma, one of which is the TNM stage. The T stage is determined based on the depth of tumor invasion. Various proteins can be involved in the invasion process. EMMPRIN is expressed and functions on the surface of cancerous cells. as a mediator of tumor cell invasion. Increased β-Catenin accelerates the process of tumor cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. We aimed to analyze the correlation between EMMPRIN and β-Catenin expression in the T stages of colorectal adenocarcinoma.

METHODS: An observational analytic study was conducted using a cross-sectional approach on 47 paraffin blocks of colorectal adenocarcinoma at the Anatomic Pathology Laboratory of Dr. Soetomo Hospital Surabaya from January 2018 to December 2022. An immunohistochemical examination was performed using EMMPRIN and β-Catenin antibodies, and then the expression of both antibodies will be analyzed using statistical tests.

RESULT: There was a significant correlation between the expression of β-Catenin with various T stages of colorectal adenocarcinoma (p-value 0.0201). There was a significant correlation between the expression of EMMPRIN and β-Catenin in various T-stages of colorectal adenocarcinoma (p-value: 0.0209).

CONCLUSION: There is a positive correlation between EMMPRIN and β-Catenin expression and various T-stages of colorectal adenocarcinoma with weak strength. The existence of EMMPRIN and β-Catenin stimulates colorectal cancer cells to continue invasion.

PMID:40156418 | DOI:10.31557/APJCP.2025.26.3.1001

Asian Pac J Cancer Prev. 2025 Mar 1;26(3):969-975. doi: 10.31557/APJCP.2025.26.3.969.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Cardiac mortality and coronary events associated with left breast radiotherapy are correlated with the mean radiation dose to the heart.

METHODS: This prospective phase II study included left breast cancer patients receiving adjuvant locoregional radiotherapy with intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) following surgery. Patients were treated using the respiratory gating (RPM) technique (Varian Medical Systems, USA). Dosimetric outcomes were compared between deep inspiration breath-hold (DIBH) and the inspiratory phase of free breathing (FB) in the same patients, focusing on target volume coverage and sparing of critical organs (lungs, heart, and coronary arteries). The prescribed dose was 50 Gy in 25 fractions over five weeks to the chest wall or breast and/or lymph nodes, with an additional boost of 10 Gy in five fractions over one week to the tumor bed in breast-conserving surgery (BCS) cases. Two treatment plans were generated per patient: one for DIBH and another for the inspiratory phase of FB.

RESULTS: Between February 2020 and August 2022, 60 patients with a mean age of 50 years were enrolled in the study. The dosimetric analysis showed that the mean heart dose was lower in the DIBH group (4.8 Gy) compared to the FB group (6.4 Gy) with a statistically significant difference (p < 0.0001). Similarly, the mean dose to the left anterior descending artery (LAD) was significantly reduced in DIBH (14 Gy) compared to FB (20.5 Gy) (p < 0.0001). Regarding target volume coverage, the mean planning target volume (PTV) V95% was slightly higher in DIBH (97.3%) than in FB (96.5%) (p = 0.0062). The mean left lung V20 was comparable between the two techniques, with values of 14.4% in DIBH and 14.35% in FB (p = 0.85), indicating no significant difference in lung dose sparing. However, the mean left ventricular dose was significantly lower in DIBH (6 Gy) compared to FB (8.1 Gy) (p < 0.0001), further supporting the advantage of DIBH in reducing cardiac radiation exposure.

CONCLUSION: DIBH plans demonstrated superior target coverage and significantly improved cardiac and coronary sparing compared to FB inspiratory phase plans. However, FB plans remained within acceptable dose constraints. No significant differences were observed in lung dose sparing or beam-on time.

PMID:40156414 | DOI:10.31557/APJCP.2025.26.3.969