Category: Statistics

Clin Exp Nephrol. 2024 Nov 20. doi: 10.1007/s10157-024-02553-z. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Infection is a rare complication of percutaneous renal biopsy (RB). However, the questionnaire included in the Kidney Biopsy Guidebook 2020 in Japan revealed that antibiotic prophylaxis (AP) was administered at about 60% of hospitals. The objective of this study was to evaluate whether it is possible to omit AP for RB.

METHODS: Patients aged ≥ 15 years were eligible. Three hundred and sixty-four patients were recruited at 6 hospitals. The patients were randomly assigned to receive either a single dose of intravenous cefazolin or no antibiotic prophylaxis. The primary outcome was the percentage of patients that exhibited positive urine cultures 3 or 4 days after the RB. The secondary outcomes were the percentage of patients who were diagnosed with pyelonephritis, puncture site infections (PSI), or an infection other than pyelonephritis or PSI within 30 days, and cefazolin-induced side effects.

RESULTS: With regard to the primary outcome, there was no statistically significant difference between the cefazolin group and the no AP group (2.9% versus 5.1%, p = 0.416). With regard to the secondary outcomes, only one patient (who belonged to no AP group) developed pyelonephritis. This patient underwent urinary catheterization. No PSI occurred. There were no significant intergroup differences in any secondary outcomes.

CONCLUSION: This study revealed the incidence of post-percutaneous RB infections was minimal. Although the outcomes of this study did not lead to the conclusion that it is unnecessary to use AP for RB, the obtained data suggest that the effects of such AP may not be clinically significant.

PMID:39565468 | DOI:10.1007/s10157-024-02553-z

J Cell Physiol. 2024 Nov 20. doi: 10.1002/jcp.31491. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) is highly plastic with a programme where cells lose adhesion and become more motile. EMT heterogeneity is one of the factors for disease progression and chemoresistance in cancer. Omics characterisations are costly and challenging to use. We developed single cell phenomics with easy to use wide-field fluorescence microscopy. We analyse over 70,000 cells and combined 53 features. Our simplistic pipeline allows efficient tracking of EMT plasticity, with a single statistical metric. We discriminate four high EMT plasticity cancer cell lines along the EMT spectrum. We test two cytokines, inducing EMT in all cell lines, alone or in combination. The single cell EMT metrics demonstrate the additive effect of cytokines combination on EMT independently of cell line EMT spectrum. The effects of cytokines are also observed at the front of migration during wound healing assay. Single cell phenomics is uniquely suited to characterise the cellular heterogeneity in response to complex microenvironment and show potential for drug testing assays.

PMID:39565461 | DOI:10.1002/jcp.31491

Fam Cancer. 2024 Nov 20;24(1):8. doi: 10.1007/s10689-024-00434-8.

ABSTRACT

Hereditary cancer predisposition disorders account for up to 10% of all pediatric cancers. Genetic counseling for families of the proband includes risk assessment and recommendations for cascade genetic testing for parents and siblings, but there is no standardized method for cascade testing in place resulting in variability in how clinics approach cascade genetic testing. We explored the uptake and outcomes associated with a family-based approach to cascade testing, for non-syndromic cancer predisposition disorders, at a pediatric cancer genetics clinic serving an ethnically diverse patient population. A retrospective chart review was conducted to evaluate test uptake in the parents and siblings of 106 pediatric probands. The study included 99 mothers, 97 fathers, 116 full siblings, and 53 half siblings who were recommended testing due to genetic risk. Of these relatives, 156 (43%) had documentation of completed cascade testing within twenty-four months after the proband’s result disclosure. Completion of cascade testing varied by the type of family member and degree of relatedness. 41% of mothers (41/99) were tested in comparison to 26% of fathers (26/97) and 70.6% of full siblings (82/116) were tested compared to 13.2% of half siblings (7/53). Statistical analysis using chi-squared tests revealed that siblings were more likely to have completed testing than parents (p < 0.001). Furthermore, amongst parents, mothers were more likely to complete testing than fathers (p = 0.03) and amongst siblings, full siblings were more likely to complete testing than half siblings (< 0.001). The proband’s age (p = 0.008), parents’ preferred language (p = 0.002), and interpreter use during visit (p = 0.004) were the factors associated with differences in test uptake amongst siblings, whereas the proband’s race/ethnicity (p = 0.019) was the only factor associated with differences in test uptake amongst parents. The most common barriers noted in charts for lack of test completion included country of residence, lack of insurance, and loss to follow-up. In conclusion, we found that test uptake differed significantly among relatives of a proband with siblings being more likely to test than parents. We also found differences in the demographic and clinical factors associated with test uptake in parents and siblings. Future studies need to validate these differences and further explore the underlying cause of variation in test uptake among relatives.

PMID:39565446 | DOI:10.1007/s10689-024-00434-8

Braz J Microbiol. 2024 Nov 19. doi: 10.1007/s42770-024-01564-y. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Xylitol is a highly demanded polyol in the food, pharmaceutical, and chemical industries. However, its current production methods are considered energy-intensive, require the use of hazardous chemical catalysts, and depend on complex and costly equipment. The biotechnological route of xylitol production is proposed as a sustainable alternative, but it still requires process improvements, such as enhanced fermentation capabilities, to be economically competitive. This study examined Candida tropicalis yeast to improve xylose-to-xylitol conversion via glucose: xylose ratio and pH modulation. Key parameters evaluated included xylose consumption rate (r_S), xylose-to-xylitol yield (Y_P/S), and xylitol volumetric productivity (Q_P). Conditions with 50 g/L xylose at pH 3.5 exhibited superior xylitol production: 29.81 g/L, Q_P of 0.52 g/L/h, and Y_P/S of 0.54 g/g at 48 h. The statistical model demonstrated that the maximum Y_P/S and Q_P values have not yet been achieved. This could present an opportunity to be explored through yeast genetic engineering approaches. Additionally, the quantitative expression of the xylose transporter genes (XUT1 and STL2) and the xylose reductase gene (XYL1), previously identified in C. tropicalis, was evaluated under all tested conditions. Upregulation of the XUT1 was correlated with higher xylose concentrations, while STL2 was favored at lower xylose concentrations. The expression of XYL1 showed upregulation over time with higher xylose ratios. The high transcription levels and expression profile suggest that Xut1p-mediated xylose transport occurs through a proton symport mechanism. The results indicate that the pH factor indirectly influences XUT1 gene transcription, possibly as a compensatory response to the reduced transporter efficiency under high pH conditions. The present work underscores the influence of glucose ratios and pH in xylitol production, as well as the gene expression of xylose transporters and the key enzyme xylose reductase. Leveraging these insights can significantly enhance xylitol production from hemicellulosic hydrolysates through biotechnological pathways.

PMID:39562490 | DOI:10.1007/s42770-024-01564-y

Int J Psychol. 2024 Nov 19:e13267. doi: 10.1002/ijop.13267. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

At the beginning of 2020, the entire world was shocked by a global health emergency. According to the literature, fear, high mortality and health restrictions had significant psychological consequences on the population. This study evaluates the French lockdown’s impact on the grieving process and how people worked through their grief. Two semi-structured interviews were conducted with 31 participants who had lost a loved one between March 2020, June, and September 2021 (T0) and 6 months later (T1). Subsequently, they were divided into two groups: those who lost someone during the first lockdown (Group 1) and those who lost someone outside the lockdown periods (Group 2). The interviews were analysed using the ALCESTE software, a statistical analysis tool for textual data based on word co-occurrences. This research significantly advances the understanding of bereavement during crises, providing new perspectives and practical insights for policymakers, healthcare professionals and support organisations. Its methodological innovation and detailed analysis contribute to the ongoing discussion on grief and resilience in challenging circumstances. Ultimately, this study lays the foundation for improved support and intervention strategies tailored to the needs of bereaved individuals during crises.

PMID:39562485 | DOI:10.1002/ijop.13267

J Forensic Sci. 2024 Nov 19. doi: 10.1111/1556-4029.15665. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Deepfake videos are growing progressively more competent because of the rapid advancements in artificial intelligence and deep learning technology. This has led to substantial problems around propaganda, privacy, and security. This research provides an analytically novel method for detecting deepfake videos using temporal discrepancies of the various statistical features of video at the pixel level, followed by a deep learning algorithm. To detect minute aberrations typical of deepfake manipulations, this study focuses on both spatial information inside individual frames and temporal correlations between subsequent frames. This study primarily provides a novel Euclidean distance variation probability score value for directly commenting on the authenticity of a deepfake video. Next, fine-tuning of InceptionResNetV2 with the addition of a dense layer is trained FaceForensics++ for deepfake detection. The proposed fine-tuned model outperforms the existing techniques as its testing accuracy on unseen data outperforms the existing methods. The propsd method achieved an accuracy of 99.80% for FF++ dataset and 97.60% accuracy for CelebDF dataset.

PMID:39562484 | DOI:10.1111/1556-4029.15665

Eur Geriatr Med. 2024 Nov 19. doi: 10.1007/s41999-024-01097-5. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: During the aging process, a decrease in irisin levels is associated with numerous bone and muscle diseases. This study aims to provide evidence of circulating irisin levels in patients with sarcopenia.

METHODS: This systematic review was conducted based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) standard and the recommendations of the Cochrane Collaboration. A comprehensive search was conducted in PubMed, Embase, Web of Science databases, and other sources from their establishment until August 2023. The Review Manager software version 5.4 was used to calculate the standard mean difference (SMD). I² statistics measured heterogeneity.

RESULTS: 12 studies involving 2133 participants who met the inclusion criteria were analyzed. We found that irisin levels were significantly lower in patients with sarcopenia (SMD: – 1.28; 95% CI – 1.65, – 0.90; I² = 92% P < 0.001). Sensitivity analysis confirmed the robustness of this result. The correlation results showed that there was a positive correlation between the levels of circulating irisin and muscle mass (r value 0.62, 95% CI 0.31, 0.81; P < 0.001) and strength (r value 0.47, 95% CI 0.23, 0.66; P < 0.001), but no statistical correlation between irisin and muscle function (The P-values for gait speed and chair test time are 0.5523 and 0.1467, respectively).

CONCLUSION: No matter the study area, study design, blood samples, or diagnostic criteria, the concentration of circulating irisin in patients with sarcopenia was lower than that in the control group.

PMID:39562482 | DOI:10.1007/s41999-024-01097-5

J Cancer Educ. 2024 Nov 20. doi: 10.1007/s13187-024-02541-7. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

In Morocco, cancer is a disease with a concerning incidence to the point that patients are diagnosed at advanced stages. As a result, patient care requires a holistic approach, integrating medical treatment and appropriate psychosocial support to improve their well-being. This study aimed to evaluate the psychosocial care competencies of oncology healthcare professionals at the Mohammed VI University Hospital Center (CHU) in Marrakech. This was a cross-sectional descriptive study of doctors and nurses in the oncology department of the Mohammed VI University Hospital Center, Marrakech. A questionnaire containing sociodemographic variables was drawn up, together with the Psychosocial Care Competency Self-Assessment Scale (PCCSAS), which measures psychosocial care competencies. A descriptive and analytical analysis was performed via SPSS software (V.26). The overall PCCSAS score was moderate (54.99 ± 13.96), with similar scores for the subscales of symptom diagnosis, intervention, information use and psychosocial care assessment. Professionals working in day hospitals scored significantly higher than those in inpatient settings did (p < 0.05), although the differences between nurses and oncologists were not statistically significant. Seniority showed no significant association with the PCCSAS score, although professionals with 15 or more years of experience obtained the highest scores (61.71 ± 11.22). A significant correlation was observed between the PCCSAS scale and its subscales (p < 0.005). This study revealed a moderate level of psychosocial care skills among healthcare professionals in oncology, compounded by a lack of specialized training. In the Moroccan context, developing a profile of nurses specializing in psychosocial care, introducing continuing education programs adapted to the specific needs of different departments, and promoting experience sharing between professionals to strengthen practical skills and improve the quality of patient care are recommended.

PMID:39562468 | DOI:10.1007/s13187-024-02541-7

Can J Anaesth. 2024 Nov 19. doi: 10.1007/s12630-024-02878-z. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: Family members of critically ill patients spend significant periods of time in the intensive care unit (ICU) and hospital environment. We aimed to identify what services, resources, and conveniences are important to adult ICU visitors.

METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study including visitors in four adult ICUs in the province of Ontario, Canada. In the survey, we asked visitors to rate the importance of 58 items relating to the environment of patient rooms, the waiting room, and hospital facilities. For each item, we gave respondents five categorical response options, from “not at all important” to “extremely important.” We used descriptive statistics to analyze the survey results.

RESULTS: We analyzed 224 surveys completed by ICU visitors (60% female, ages 14-87 yr). Respondents were predominantly children (41%) or the spouse/partner (23%) of adult ICU patients. Nearly half (51%) lived more than 30 km from the hospital, and 30% spent at least one night in the ICU waiting room, with a median of 2 nights (range, 1-20) spent in hospital. Within the hospital environment, the top four items rated as “extremely important” or “very important” were directional signage (82%), convenient parking (80%), discounted parking (80%), and healthy and affordable food (78%). Regarding ICU waiting rooms, 24/7 visitation (92%), convenient restrooms (87%), a water dispenser (83%), and Wi-Fi (80%) were priorities. Features of ICU patient rooms identified as most important included seating for visitors (92%), access to natural light (78%), and access to fresh air (74%).

CONCLUSIONS: Intensive care unit visitors prioritized pragmatic environmental elements. Many of these modifications are simple and inexpensive but may significantly improve visitors’ comfort and experience.

PMID:39562429 | DOI:10.1007/s12630-024-02878-z

J Assist Reprod Genet. 2024 Nov 19. doi: 10.1007/s10815-024-03329-w. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: To investigate any correlation between the outcomes of the first euploid frozen-thawed blastocyst embryo transfer (FBT) and the subsequent euploid FBT derived from sibling oocytes.

METHODS: This retrospective study analyzed data from 1051 women who underwent preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy and had a euploid FBT. Of these patients, 159 underwent a second transfer. The primary outcome was the live birth rate.

RESULTS: Overall, 159 women who underwent a second euploid FBT were categorized into two subgroups depending on the implantation success of the first FBT. Of these patients, 94 (59.1%) belonged to the nonclinical group, signifying a negative result or a biochemical pregnancy. The remaining 65 (40.9%) patients belonged to the clinical group, indicating either a miscarriage or a live birth. In the binary logistic regression analysis, the live birth outcome during the first euploid FBT was a statistically significant and independent predictor of live birth in the subsequent FBT [odds ratio 4.14, 95% confidence interval (1.184-14.531), p < 0.026). Miscarriages, including those that occurred before intracytoplasmic sperm injection and in the first euploid FBT, reduced the live birth rate by approximately 34% (p < 0.027). No significant difference in the miscarriage rate was found between the two subgroups (19.2% (10/52) vs. 25.4% (14/55), p = 0.38).

CONCLUSION: The live birth outcome of the second euploid FBT is mainly determined by the live birth outcome of the first. Miscarriages that occurred before in vitro fertilization negatively affect the live birth outcome.

PMID:39562396 | DOI:10.1007/s10815-024-03329-w