Category: Statistics

J Math Biol. 2025 Dec 3;92(1):5. doi: 10.1007/s00285-025-02322-w.

ABSTRACT

Cholera is an acute diarrheal disease caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. With the consideration of the transmission mechanism and heterogeneity of population, an age-structured cholera epidemic model is proposed, involving saturation incidence rates that describe direct and indirect transmission pathways and all class-ages with the susceptible age of susceptible individuals, infection age of infected individuals and biological age of Vibrio cholerae. The focus is to investigate the global dynamics of the model by using the basic reproduction number $R_0$ . After establishing the well-posedness of the initial-boundary value problem of the model, we study the existence of endemic steady state and local stability of the disease-free steady state in terms of $R_0$ . Next asymptotic smoothness of the semi-flow is discussed in order to obtain the existence of a global attractor. Finally, global stability of the disease-free and endemic steady states is obtained by combining Volterra-type Lyapunov functionals and existence of global attractors. Numerical simulations are given to demonstrate the effect of age structures and to illustrate the theoretical results.

PMID:41335303 | DOI:10.1007/s00285-025-02322-w

Brain Inform. 2025 Dec 3. doi: 10.1186/s40708-025-00281-y. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Brain-Computer Interfaces provide promising alternatives for detecting stress and enhancing emotional resilience. This study introduces a lightweight, subject-independent method for detecting stress during arithmetic tasks, designed for low computational cost and real-time use. Stress detection is performed through ElectroEncephaloGraphy (EEG) signal analysis using a simplified processing pipeline. The method begins with preprocessing the EEG recordings to eliminate artifacts and focus on relevant frequency bands (α, β, and γ). Features are extracted by calculating band power and its deviation from a baseline. A statistical thresholding mechanism classifies stress and no-stress epochs without the need for subject-specific calibration. The approach was validated on a publicly available dataset of 36 subjects and achieved an average accuracy of 88.89%. The method effectively identifies stress-related brainwave patterns while maintaining efficiency, making it suitable for embedded and wearable devices. Unlike many existing systems, it does not require subject-specific training, enhancing its applicability in real-world environments.

PMID:41335297 | DOI:10.1186/s40708-025-00281-y

Clin Rheumatol. 2025 Dec 3. doi: 10.1007/s10067-025-07799-w. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: METHODS: We used Mendelian randomization (MR) methods, including inverse-variance weighted (IVW), MR-Egger, and weighted median (WM) models, along with metabolic pathway analysis, meta-analysis, colocalization analysis, and genetic correlation studies to explore the relationship between plasma metabolites and SS.

RESULTS: Our analysis uncovered 53 metabolites with potential causal links to SS, among which nine demonstrated statistically significant associations. In the validation stage, two metabolites were found to play a role in SS pathogenesis: gluconate, which exhibited a protective effect, and 1,3,7-trimethylurate, which was associated with increased risk. The reliability of these results was further reinforced by sensitivity analyses and validation procedures. Additionally, metabolic pathway analysis identified four key pathways associated with SS risk: cysteine and methionine metabolism, glycine, serine, and threonine metabolism, alanine, aspartate, and glutamate metabolism, and oxaloacetate and dicarboxylate metabolism. Although no genetic correlations were identified, colocalization analysis suggested that the top single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the LINC01572 gene may contribute to increased SS risk.

CONCLUSION: These findings provide novel insights into the metabolic etiology of SS, highlighting both protective and harmful metabolites.

KEY POINTS: • Identified 53 metabolites linked to Sjögren’s syndrome (SS), with 9 showing significant associations. • Validated gluconate (protective) and 1,3,7-trimethylurate (risk-increasing) in SS pathogenesis. • Found four key metabolic pathways associated with SS risk. • First two-sample MR study to assess plasma metabolites and SS risk using the largest GWAS dataset.

PMID:41335288 | DOI:10.1007/s10067-025-07799-w

J Turk Ger Gynecol Assoc. 2025 Dec 3;26(4):276-283. doi: 10.4274/jtgga.galenos.2025.2025-7-2.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To assess the diagnostic performance of the ultrasound-based #Enzian classification in comparison with laparoscopic surgical findings in patients with endometriosis.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: This retrospective cohort study included patients who underwent laparoscopic excisional surgery for endometriosis between September 2023 and October 2024. Preoperative transvaginal ultrasound assessments were performed using the International Deep Endometriosis Analysis protocol, with findings recorded according to the updated #Enzian classification. Diagnostic performance was evaluated through sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and overall accuracy. Statistical analyses were conducted using SPSS version 26.0.0.0, with statistical significance set at p<0.05.

RESULTS: The study included 66 patients. The #Enzian classification demonstrated the highest diagnostic accuracy in compartments FA and FB (98.82% and 98.59%, respectively), both with perfect sensitivity and minimal false positives. The left ovary (O left) also showed strong performance (92.87% accuracy). In contrast, compartment A had low sensitivity (12.12%) despite a low false-positive rate. Compartments B left and C exhibited good accuracy (86.82% and 91.88%), with minimal false positives and moderate sensitivity. Variable results were observed in compartments O right and T. Although sensitivity was incomplete for FU, FI, and FO, specificity remained high across these subgroups.

CONCLUSION: The #Enzian ultrasound classification provides a reliable diagnostic framework, demonstrating high accuracy across multiple compartments. It is recommended that future studies include larger sample sizes and longitudinal design to further validate these findings.

PMID:41334622 | DOI:10.4274/jtgga.galenos.2025.2025-7-2

Int J Gynaecol Obstet. 2025 Dec 3. doi: 10.1002/ijgo.70696. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: This study identifies and describes global caesarean section (CS) training practices, comparing high-income countries (HIC) and low- and middle-income countries (LMIC).

METHODS: A convergent parallel mixed-methods study was conducted with a cross-sectional survey. The survey was distributed through professional networks and social media. Participation was voluntary and anonymous.

RESULTS: A total of 411 participants from 42 countries were included, with 42% (172) representing HIC and 58% (239) LMIC. Most participants were working in obstetrics and gynecology as specialists (52%, 214) or trainees (26%, 107). Participants from LMIC performed more CS annually, with a mean of 138 (±221) cases, compared to those from HIC with 44 (±64) cases (P < 0.001). Most were taught by an apprenticeship model (75%, 310). Feedback practices were predominantly informal, reported by 64% (263), while formal competence assessment was reported by 22% (38/172) of HIC participants and 9% (21/239) from LMIC (P < 0.001). Participants from LMIC completed fewer supervised cases compared to their HIC counterparts, with a median of 10 (interquartile range 5-20) compared to 50 (interquartile range 30-100) (P < 0.001). LMIC participants reported a higher incidence of major complications or mortality during training: 11% (24/202) versus 3% (3/120). Seventy percent (174/250) of the participants advocated for a formal training program for CS, suggesting that it could improve the quality and safety of CS.

CONCLUSION: The study highlights current practices and differences in CS training in LMIC and HIC. The outcomes associated with CS are influenced by multiple patient- and system-level factors, including access to care, patient risk profiles, and resources. However, training remains an essential and modifiable component, which, according to participants in this study, could be strengthened by incorporating evidence-based educational practices.

PMID:41334611 | DOI:10.1002/ijgo.70696

Int J Dent. 2025 Nov 23;2025:1485407. doi: 10.1155/ijod/1485407. eCollection 2025.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND/AIM: This study aimed to conduct a retrospective epidemiological investigation of patients treated in an extension project at a Brazilian dental school over the past 13 years.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: Clinical records of patients treated at a university hospital in Brazil as part of a specialized dental trauma care project were reviewed. The study included both primary and permanent teeth and covered the period from 2011 to 2024. Statistical analysis was conducted using the Pearson chi-square, with a significance level set at 5%.

RESULTS: Of the 460 records evaluated, 375 met the inclusion criteria, encompassing a total of 833 affected teeth (220 primary and 613 permanent teeth). Males (n = 248) represented the majority of individuals treated and exhibited a higher prevalence of hard tissue injuries (n = 208) compared with females (n = 93). The most common type of hard tissue injury was enamel and dentin fractures without pulp exposure (n = 139). Patients with hard tissue injuries generally sought care promptly after the traumatic event (p < 0.0001) and showed a significantly higher incidence of endodontic treatment needs (p < 0.0001) than those soft tissue fractures. Falls were identified as the leading cause of all types of hard tissue fractures (p < 0.0001).

CONCLUSIONS: The study identifies a high-risk profile for hard issue injuries, predominantly affecting children from infancy to early adolescence (ages 0-14 years), with falls being the most frequent cause. Additionally, hard tissue injuries were associated with faster care-seeking behavior and a higher likelihood of requiring endodontic treatment.

PMID:41334568 | PMC:PMC12665489 | DOI:10.1155/ijod/1485407

Front Physiol. 2025 Nov 17;16:1668129. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2025.1668129. eCollection 2025.

ABSTRACT

STUDY OBJECTIVE: Acute sleep deprivation significantly impacts cognitive function, contributes to accidents, and increases the risk of chronic illnesses, underscoring the need for reliable and objective diagnosis. Our work aims to develop a machine learning-based approach to discriminate between EEG recordings from acutely sleep-deprived individuals and those that are well-rested, facilitating the objective detection of acute sleep deprivation and enabling timely intervention to mitigate its adverse effects.

METHODS: Sixty-one-channel eyes-open resting-state electroencephalography (EEG) data from a publicly available dataset of 71 participants were analyzed. Following preprocessing, EEG recordings were segmented into contiguous, non-overlapping 20-second epochs. For each epoch, a comprehensive set of features was extracted, including statistical descriptors, spectral measures, functional connectivity indices, and graph-theoretic metrics. Four machine learning classifiers – Light Gradient-Boosting Machine (LightGBM), eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost), Random Forest (RF), and Support Vector Classifier (SVC) – were trained on these features using nested stratified cross-validation to ensure unbiased performance evaluation. In parallel, three deep learning models-a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN), Long Short-Term Memory network (LSTM), and Transformer-were trained directly on the raw multi-channel EEG time-series data. All models were evaluated under two conditions: (i) without subject-level separation, allowing the same participant to contribute to both training and test sets, and (ii) with subject-level separation, where models were tested exclusively on unseen participants. Model performance was assessed using accuracy, F1-score, and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC).

RESULTS: Without subject-level separation, CNN achieved the highest accuracy (95.72%), followed by XGBoost (95.42%), LightGBM (94.83%), RF (94.53%), and SVC (85.25%), with the Transformer (77.39%) and LSTM (66.75%) models achieving lower accuracies. Under subject-level separation, RF achieved the highest accuracy (68.23%), followed by XGBoost (66.36%), LightGBM (66.21%), CNN (65.35%), and SVC (65.08%), while the Transformer (63.35%) and LSTM (61.70%) models achieved the lowest accuracies.

CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates the potential of EEG-based machine learning for detecting acute sleep deprivation, while underscoring the challenges of achieving robust subject-level generalization. Despite reduced accuracy under cross-subject evaluation, these findings support the feasibility of developing scalable, non-invasive tools for sleep deprivation detection using EEG and advanced ML techniques.

PMID:41334558 | PMC:PMC12665582 | DOI:10.3389/fphys.2025.1668129

Front Physiol. 2025 Nov 17;16:1703742. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2025.1703742. eCollection 2025.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Fertility decline in aging turkey breeder hens is associated with reduced sperm storage in the uterovaginal junction (UVJ), inflammation, oxidative stress, and tissue aging. The mucosal microbiome is an important contributor to subfertility, with shifts in immune function, inflammation, and oxidative stress linked to microbial changes. Bardoxolone methyl, a potent activator of the nuclear erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF2) pathway, enhances antioxidant defenses and reduces inflammation. This study investigated if bardoxolone methyl treatment alters the microbial composition and diversity of the UVJ and vagina in turkey hens.

METHODS: Forty turkey hens (59 weeks old) were randomly assigned to a bardoxolone methyl group (n = 20) or a control group (n = 20). Birds received intramuscular tail injections of bardoxolone methyl or vehicle, every other day for two weeks. Swabs from the UVJ and vagina (VAG) were collected for 16S rRNA sequencing. Microbial diversity, differential taxonomic composition, and predicted functional pathways were assessed using QIIME2, PICRUSt2, and R-based statistical packages. Microbiome profiles revealed significant differences between UVJ and VAG communities.

RESULTS: The VAG showed higher bacterial richness, while both sites were dominated by Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, Thermoproteota, and Actinobacteriota phyla, indicator species analyses identified enrichment of Staphylococcus and Escherichia in UVJ, and Lactobacillaceae in VAG. Bardoxolone methyl did not significantly alter global alpha diversity but selectively modulated unweighted beta diversity and low-abundance taxa, enriching Corynebacterium in UVJ and rare taxa like Armatimonadota and Omnitrophota in the VAG. Functional predictions indicated bardoxolone methyl’s association with enrichment of pathways including energy metabolism, nucleotide biosynthesis, protein quality control, and redox balance, particularly in the UVJ.

DISCUSSION: This study provides the first characterization of the turkey lower reproductive tract microbiome, revealing tissue-specific communities and functional profiles between the UVJ and vagina. Bardoxolone methyl treatment did not alter overall microbial diversity, but selectively enriched low-abundance taxa and metabolic pathways related to energy metabolism, nucleotide biosynthesis, and stress resilience, particularly in the UVJ. These findings indicate that bardoxolone methyl treatment can finetune microbial functional capacity without destabilizing overall community structure. The results also highlight the importance of considering tissue-specific differences and functional potential when investigating reproductive function.

PMID:41334554 | PMC:PMC12665593 | DOI:10.3389/fphys.2025.1703742

Eur Urol Open Sci. 2025 Nov 18;83:9-14. doi: 10.1016/j.euros.2025.11.002. eCollection 2026 Jan.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Incising or breaking a tumor during surgery for renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is considered an adverse event. The aim of our study was to examine oncological outcomes for patients with accidental tumor incision (ATI) during partial nephrectomy (PN) for cT1 RCC.

METHODS: We conducted a retrospective single-center study of patients who underwent open, laparoscopic, or robot-assisted PN for cT1a-b RCC. The cohort was divided into groups with and without ATI during PN. The Kaplan-Meier method and a log-rank test were used to estimate and compare recurrence-free survival (RFS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS) for the two groups.

KEY FINDINGS AND LIMITATIONS: Among 813 patients, ATI was recorded for 103 cases (13%). Disease recurrence during follow-up occurred in 15 patients in the ATI group and 15 in the group without ATI. RFS differed significantly between the groups according to Kaplan-Meier analysis (p < 0.001) during median follow-up of 52 mo. ATI was associated with larger tumor diameter and higher RENAL score. The difference in CSS between the groups was not statistically significant (p = 0.8). Limitations of the study include the possibility of ATI cases being missed if not reported by the surgeon.

CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Our results demonstrate that ATI during PN is associated with greater risk of disease recurrence in T1 RCC, even though there was no significant difference in CSS over intermediate follow-up. Clinicians should take intraoperative precautions to minimize ATI and consider extended surveillance for patients in whom ATI occurs. Further research is warranted to explore preventative strategies and the long-term impact of ATI on survival.

PATIENT SUMMARY: We looked at cancer control outcomes after accidental incision into a tumor (ATI for short) during partial kidney removal for kidney cancer. The rate of cancer recurrence was higher in the group with ATI than in the group without ATI.

PMID:41334534 | PMC:PMC12666582 | DOI:10.1016/j.euros.2025.11.002

Eur Urol Open Sci. 2025 Nov 18;83:1-8. doi: 10.1016/j.euros.2025.10.019. eCollection 2026 Jan.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: In-hospital infectious complications after cystectomy are understudied, with no reliable predictive tools. The aim of our study was to (1) comprehensively and prospectively evaluate these complications, (2) compare results between ileal conduit (IC) and ileal neobladder (NB) groups, and (3) evaluate the suitability of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and procalcitonin (PCT) levels and culture results for wound drainage fluid (WDF) as early indicators of infection.

METHODS: We monitored in-hospital complications among patients undergoing cystectomy and analyzed IL-6 and PCT levels and WDF cultures on the first postoperative day. Statistical analysis included logistic regression and Spearman correlation analysis. The trial was registered on ClinicalTrials.gov as NCT05153694.

KEY FINDINGS AND LIMITATIONS: From December 2021 to October 2024, 205 patients underwent open cystectomy in our department, of whom 186 consented to participate (66% IC, 34% NB). The median patient age was 71.6 yr and 80% were male. During their inpatient stay, 47% of patients developed fever and 44% received additional intravenous antibiotics. We found no significant differences between the IC and NB groups regarding postoperative fever, additional antibiotic use, positive blood cultures, the incidence of complications by Clavien-Dindo grade, Comprehensive Complication Index scores, or the incidence of wound infection or other infections. Microbial growth was detected in 13% of WDF samples; Escherichia coli and Enterococcus spp. were the most prevalent bacteria. We observed little to no correlations between IL-6 or PCT levels or WDF culture results and infectious complications.

CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Our prospective study revealed unexpectedly high incidence of in-hospital infections among cystectomy patients, with no significant differences between IC and NB groups. IL-6 and PCT levels and WDF culture results on the first postoperative day were not suitable as early indicators of infectious complications after open cystectomy.

PATIENT SUMMARY: We looked at infectious complications during their hospital stay for patients undergoing surgical removal of their bladder. We found no difference in the rate of infectious complications between two common surgical procedures that create a new pathway for urine to leave the body. We also found that levels of the markers interleukin-6 and procalcitonin, and bacterial culture results for wound drainage fluid were not helpful in predicting infectious complications for these patients.

PMID:41334533 | PMC:PMC12666572 | DOI:10.1016/j.euros.2025.10.019