Category: Statistics

Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken). 2025 Nov 28. doi: 10.1002/acr.70002. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: Telehealth and shared decision-making (SDM) enhance the care of people with rheumatic diseases. Responding to calls for training on telehealth and SDM, we developed an educational intervention for rheumatology fellows-in-training (FITs).

METHODS: FITs conducted two patient care telehealth encounters (pre- and post-intervention). Following the first encounter, FITs completed an online module highlighting the nuances of SDM during telehealth and a simulated patient encounter to practice telehealth skills, especially SDM. After each observation, FITs received feedback on their “webside” manner, SDM, and visit coordination skills via feedback forms (FF). Wilcoxon-signed rank tests compared quantitative FF measures, while qualitative methods analyzed written comments. FITs completed a survey and self-reported their confidence in SDM during telehealth visits.

RESULTS: Nine and eleven FITs completed pre- and post-intervention encounters, respectively; Forty-seven FITs completed the simulation. Total points earned on the FF and points specific to the visit coordination subsection of the FF significantly increased from pre- to post-intervention (p=0.011 and p=0.049, respectively). “Webside” manner scores improved without reaching statistical significance (p=0.067). SDM scores remained unchanged, while confidence conducting SDM during telehealth improved significantly (p < 0.001). Qualitative analysis highlighted the apt use of technology as a skill FITs could further develop for enhancing SDM during telehealth.

CONCLUSIONS: Education dedicated to telehealth skills with an emphasis on SDM improves FITs’ confidence in practicing SDM during telehealth and advances general telehealth skills implemented during patient care. Our materials and approach to instruction prepare FITs for delivering telehealth care and enriching patient-centeredness as new entrants into the rheumatology workforce.

PMID:41312639 | DOI:10.1002/acr.70002

Disaster Med Public Health Prep. 2025 Nov 28;19:e317. doi: 10.1017/dmp.2025.10227.

ABSTRACT

AIM: To assess the iodine status of pregnant women from disadvantaged groups in Kahramanmaraş Province 1 year after the earthquake, including factors affecting iodine status.

METHODS: 510 healthy pregnant women were included in the study. A questionnaire was given to pregnant women after the earthquake to assess changes in diet and other social factors. Thyroid function, autoantibodies, thyroglobulin, urinary iodine concentration (UIC), creatinine (Cr) levels, and ultrasound were measured. Thyroid ultrasound was also performed to assess thyroid volume.

RESULTS: The median UIC of the participants was 91.27 μg/g Cr (Q1-Q3 = 62.53-142.86). The rate of low iodine status (<150 μg/g Cr) was 77.3% and the incidence of goiter was 19.2%. After the earthquake, 69% of pregnant women lived in urban areas and 31% in rural areas. 11.8% of the areas where they lived were moderately damaged, 11.4% severely damaged, and 5.9% completely destroyed. 15.1% were still living in temporary shelters 1 year after the earthquake. The risk of low UIC was 2.2 times higher for those living in temporary shelters after the earthquake.

CONCLUSIONS: Temporary shelters after the earthquake were the main risk factor for low iodine status. We need to support these groups after disasters and reduce the number of people living in temporary shelters.

PMID:41312633 | DOI:10.1017/dmp.2025.10227

J Gynecol Oncol. 2025 Nov 17. doi: 10.3802/jgo.2026.37.e34. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: Cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) grades 2 and 3 are precancerous lesions requiring timely treatment to prevent progression to invasive cancer. While conization is the standard therapy, it may negatively impact future fertility. This study evaluated the therapeutic efficacy of cervical laser vaporization compared with laser conization.

METHODS: This retrospective study included patients with CIN2-3 who underwent laser vaporization or conization at NTT East Sapporo Medical Center between January 2018 and December 2022. Treatment selection was based on colposcopic findings, lesion grade, age, and fertility desire. Human papillomavirus (HPV) testing and cytology were performed before treatment and at 3 months postoperatively. Cytologic follow-up continued biannually for 2 years. The primary outcome was absence of cytologic abnormalities throughout the follow-up period. Patients lost to follow-up were excluded. Fisher’s exact test was used for statistical comparisons.

RESULTS: Of 319 patients (93 conization; 226 vaporization), the mean age was 41 in the conization group and 33 in the vaporization group. Despite the age difference, no significant differences were observed in 2-year cytologic cure rates or 3-month HPV clearance in CIN3 cases. HPV16 was the most common genotype, followed by HPV52 and HPV58.

CONCLUSION: A Laser vaporization showed comparable efficacy to conization in appropriately selected CIN2-3 cases. It may be a fertility-preserving option for younger patients. Strengthening HPV vaccination programs remains essential for reducing high-risk HPV infections.

PMID:41312632 | DOI:10.3802/jgo.2026.37.e34

Pharm Stat. 2026 Jan-Feb;25(1):e70058. doi: 10.1002/pst.70058.

ABSTRACT

Cancer immunotherapy trials often present unique challenges for time-to-event data modeling and analysis due to heterogeneous treatment effects across time or subgroups. A few known scenarios are delayed treatment effects and cure rates, where survival and hazard functions often take complex shapes. Sophisticated survival models like piecewise model are commonly used to capture the shapes of the functions. However, the time of hazard transition for individual patients varies, making it necessary to model it as a latent random variable. In this study, we propose a smoothed piecewise model to account for the random hazard transition time, based on the linear relationship between hazard function and the distribution function of the individual transition time within the smoothing window. We then develop the weighted geometric average hazard ratio (wgAHR) to estimate sample size and power based on the non-centrality parameter of the weighted log-rank statistics under non-proportional hazard (non-PH). We demonstrate that the wgAHR is not only directly linked to the sample size formula, but can also be interpreted as a measure of treatment effect, even when the proportional hazard assumption is violated. Additionally, we provide maxCombo, a combination of weighted log-rank statistics, for robust testing across different non-proportional hazard scenarios. Simulation studies and real trial examples illustrate the performance and robustness of the wgAHR based method in power and sample size estimation in cancer immunotherapy trials.

PMID:41312579 | DOI:10.1002/pst.70058

J Cosmet Dermatol. 2025 Dec;24(12):e70544. doi: 10.1111/jocd.70544.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Beef tallow, or “tallow”, is a solid fat derived from animals with a high content of triglycerides and essential fatty acids. Tallow has gained popularity as a skincare product on social media in recent years, driven by the increasing demand for natural and sustainable beauty solutions. There are few studies investigating tallow as a skincare ingredient and its effects on dermatological conditions.

AIMS: To promote responsible use of tallow by characterizing information about tallow on social media platforms, examining the quality of claims made in the context of available evidence, and evaluating areas of financial bias.

METHODS: Social media posts from various platforms (YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok) were evaluated in a cross-sectional analysis to assess claims about tallow-related skin care, the quality of information provided, and potential financial biases.

RESULTS: Claims of efficacy for acne, atopic dermatitis, and psoriasis were prevalent but largely lacked cited evidence. The majority of the posts promoting beef tallow across platforms demonstrated financial bias and were uploaded by individuals lacking credentials in healthcare. Additionally, most existing evidence for tallow use is based on studies examining its ingredients.

CONCLUSION: Despite growing anecdotal claims that beef tallow benefits skincare and dermatologic conditions, evidence remains insufficient to support these claims. Many promotions of beef tallow for skin care are associated with financial bias. Further research is needed to evaluate its long-term effects, ideal formulations, and suitability for different skin conditions.

PMID:41312576 | DOI:10.1111/jocd.70544

Dent Traumatol. 2025 Nov 28. doi: 10.1111/edt.70039. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Use of artificial intelligence chatbots in dental traumatology has increased. However, concerns regarding their reliability are yet to be addressed. This study aims to evaluate the accuracy of a new AI chatbot Dental Trauma Evo in responding to queries on dental fractures and luxations.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 45 questions, including multiple-choice questions (MCQs), true/false, and yes/no types of questions were created and validated in accordance with the International Association of Dental Traumatology’s position statement on fractures and luxations. Over the course of nine consecutive days in incognito mode, they were simultaneously exposed to four chatbots: ChatGPT-4o, DeepSeek R1, Google Gemini 2.5, and Dental Trauma Evo. The obtained answers were verified for accuracy and consistency. The Fisher’s exact test was used for statistical analysis.

RESULTS: The best overall accuracy was shown by Dental Trauma Evo (85.43%), which was followed by Google Gemini (81.72%), DeepSeek (80.24%), and ChatGPT-4o (79.75%). Regarding question type, ChatGPT-4o, Google Gemini, and Dental Trauma Evo recorded the best responses to Yes/No, True/False, and MCQs respectively. There was an insignificant difference between the question type and the different chatbots (p > 0.05).

CONCLUSION: The Dental Trauma Evo chatbot developed using the International Association of Dental Traumatology guidelines exhibited a favorable preliminary performance in the current study. Further research, clinical validation, and model enhancements are necessary to ensure the effective implementation of the same in practice.

PMID:41312575 | DOI:10.1111/edt.70039

Can Liver J. 2025 Sep 11;8(3):448-459. doi: 10.3138/canlivj-2025-0010. eCollection 2025 Sep.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Liver transplantation is a life-saving treatment for end-stage liver disease, significantly improving survival. In Canada, the number of liver transplants has increased, with British Columbia performing 107 transplants in 2023. One-year survival rates have risen from 74.8% in 1990 to 93.2% in 2021 due to advancements in surgical and immunosuppressive methods. However, long-term survival remains suboptimal, with malignancy, graft failure, and cardiovascular disease being key contributors to mortality. This study analyzed causes of mortality among liver transplant recipients in British Columbia to identify strategies for improving outcomes.

METHODS: This retrospective study included 314 deceased liver transplant recipients (age ≥18 years) in British Columbia between 2013 and 2023, using the BC Transplant database. Statistical analyses included descriptive statistics, Kruskal-Wallis survival analysis, and linear regression, with significance set at p < 0.05.

RESULTS: Malignancy was the leading cause of death (24.8%), followed by unknown causes (19.4%) and multi-organ failure (13.1%). One-year survival rates varied significantly by cause of death (p = 0.018), with malignancy having the highest 1-year survival (94.9%) and septicemia the lowest (73.5%). Younger recipients had longer survival times (r = -0.321, p < 0.001), while multiple transplants were associated with poorer outcomes (ρ = -0.252, p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS: Malignancy remains the most frequent cause of death post-transplant, requiring enhanced surveillance. The significant variability in 1-year survival by cause of death highlights the need for tailored interventions, particularly to reduce sepsis-related mortality. Improved documentation of unknown causes is critical to optimizing long-term strategies.

PMID:41312559 | PMC:PMC12657010 | DOI:10.3138/canlivj-2025-0010

Cytojournal. 2025 Oct 30;22:89. doi: 10.25259/Cytojournal_107_2025. eCollection 2025.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: Breast fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) is a rapid, cost-effective, and minimally invasive diagnostic procedure. The diagnosis of a proliferative breast disease with atypia (PBDA) is established based on the presence of areas with disordered cellular arrangement and mildly discerned cytological features. We have aimed to explore the cytohistological correlation of PBDA on FNAC.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: A review of the hospital database was undertaken to retrieve cases of breast FNAC diagnosed as PBDA between January 2011 and September 2020.

RESULTS: A total of 3125 breast FNAC specimens were examined, and 107 (3.4%) of them received the diagnosis of PBDA. A total of 68 PBDA cases were included in this cytohistological evaluation. The risk of malignancy was 44%. Except for one case, all of the invasive or microinvasive carcinomas were grade 1 or 2 malignancies according to the Nottingham grading system of breast cancers. The result of a repeat FNAC of the case with a poorly differentiated invasive breast cancer was reported as a high-grade malignancy. A statistically significant correlation was observed between older age and malignant outcome (P < 0.001).

CONCLUSION: This is one of the largest datasets of cases with PBDA. Based on the advanced age of the patient, and relevant clinical and radiological information, cytopathological diagnosis of PBDA may prompt the clinician to take further action.

PMID:41312541 | PMC:PMC12653988 | DOI:10.25259/Cytojournal_107_2025

Struct Dyn. 2025 Nov 24;12(6):064101. doi: 10.1063/4.0000781. eCollection 2025 Nov.

ABSTRACT

Given proteins’ fundamental importance in human health and catalysis, the relationships between protein sequence, structure, dynamics, and function have become a topic of great interest. One way to extract information from proteins is to compute the local energetic frustration of their native state. Traditionally, energetic frustration calculations require protein structures as a starting point. However, using a single protein structure to evaluate the energetic frustration for a given amino acid sequence does not always fully represent the protein’s structural ensemble. Therefore, we have developed a sequence-based method to evaluate energetic frustration in proteins using direct coupling analysis and statistical potentials. Our approach exhibits significant agreement with established structure-based frustration methods in terms of their mutual agreement with crystallographic B-factor. Moreover, our sequence-based method shows elevated precision in classifying high B-factor residues, suggesting that it has some robustness to unstructured regions of proteins.

PMID:41312536 | PMC:PMC12657058 | DOI:10.1063/4.0000781

JID Innov. 2025 Oct 17;6(1):100423. doi: 10.1016/j.xjidi.2025.100423. eCollection 2026 Jan.

ABSTRACT

Neighborhood factors may impact hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) severity. Neighborhood environment influences obesity and smoking, which may affect HS severity. Longer time to diagnosis is correlated with worse HS severity at diagnosis, and dermatologists are not evenly distributed geographically. Two studies investigating the relationship between neighborhood socioeconomic status (SES) and HS severity reported contrasting results. We examine whether neighborhood SES is associated with HS severity at diagnosis within a health system using a census tract-level measure of neighborhood SES, adjusting for individual-level confounders and accounting for census tract clustering. In our cross-sectional study of 462 patients with a new HS diagnosis, patients residing in lower SES neighborhoods had greater odds of Hurley stage 2-3 disease in age- and sex-adjusted models (OR = 1.69, 95% confidence interval = 1.15-2.50, P = .008). Additional adjustment for race and ethnicity revealed a positive association that was not statistically significant (adjusted OR = 1.37, 95% confidence interval = 0.88-2.14, P = .16). Further adjustment for insurance type did not attenuate effect size. We observed evidence of a multiplicative interaction between neighborhood SES and race and ethnicity (P = .02). Residing in lower SES neighborhoods was associated with greater odds of moderate-severe HS at diagnosis. The relationship between neighborhood SES and race and ethnicity is complex, warranting further investigation.

PMID:41312529 | PMC:PMC12651420 | DOI:10.1016/j.xjidi.2025.100423