Category: Statistics

Reprod Biol Endocrinol. 2024 Oct 21;22(1):129. doi: 10.1186/s12958-024-01300-z.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: At present, embryologists are attempting to use conventional in vitro fertilization (cIVF) as an alternative to intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) for preimplantation genetic testing (PGT). However, the potential parental contamination origin of sperm cells and cumulus cells is considered the main limiting factor in the inability of cIVF embryos to undergo PGT.

METHODS: In this study, we established an IVF-PGTA assay for parental contamination tests with a contamination prediction model based on allele frequencies and linkage disequilibrium (LD) to compute the log-likelihood ratio (LLR) under competing ploidy hypotheses, and then verified its sensitivity and accuracy. Finally, comparisons of the effectiveness of SNP-based analysis and LLR-based IVF-PGTA among 40 cIVF embryos was performed, based on both statistical analysis of the parental contamination rate and chromosomal ploidy concordance rate between TE biopsy and ICM isolations.

RESULTS: With IVF-PGTA assay, biopsies with 10% maternal contamination could be detected accurately, and contamination caused by sperm cells could be eliminated completely. Utilizing LLR-based or single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) -based analyses, our comprehensive examination of 40 clinically discarded fresh cIVF embryos revealed an absence of paternal contamination. Strikingly, the LLR-based analysis uniquely revealed a mere instance of 24% maternal contamination within the trophectoderm cell (TE) biopsy of 5* embryo. Furthermore, it was solely through this analysis that embryo (9-F) was identified as a triploid of paternal origin.

CONCLUSIONS: In this study, we developed a new bioinformatics analysis method for identifying parental contamination during IVF-PGT, especially for couples with nonmale factor infertility.

PMID:39434113 | DOI:10.1186/s12958-024-01300-z

World J Surg Oncol. 2024 Oct 21;22(1):276. doi: 10.1186/s12957-024-03562-8.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors such as olaparib and niraparib have shown promise in extending progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with platinum-sensitive recurrent (PSR) epithelial ovarian cancer. In this retrospective study, we aimed to present our own data on the effect of PARP inhibitors on PFS in recurrent epithelial ovarian cancer.

METHODS: 82 patients diagnosed with PSR epithelial ovarian, tubal, or primary peritoneal cancer between May 2017 and September 2023 were initially enrolled from our hospital. However, 16 patients had prior exposure to PARP inhibitors during primary treatment, and 11 were lost to follow-up. Consequently, the study focused on 55 eligible patients. PFS was compared between patients receiving PARP inhibitor maintenance therapy and those who did not.

RESULTS: Among the 55 patients with PSR epithelial ovarian cancer, 18 received olaparib as maintenance therapy, 19 received niraparib, and 18 opted for observation. PARP inhibitor therapy significantly extended PFS (mean 24.0 months) compared to observation (mean 9.0 months, p = 0.0005), regardless of BRCA mutation status (HR = 0.20, 95% CI: 0.08-0.50). Subgroup analysis showed no statistical difference between olaparib and niraparib. Additionally, there was no PFS difference based on BRCA mutation status within both PARP inhibitor groups.

CONCLUSION: Our retrospective study demonstrates that PARP inhibitor maintenance therapy, including olaparib and niraparib, significantly prolongs PFS in patients with PSR epithelial ovarian, tubal, or primary peritoneal cancer, These findings support the broad utilization of PARP inhibitors as a standard maintenance therapy for PSR epithelial ovarian cancer irrespective of BRCA mutation status.

PMID:39434111 | DOI:10.1186/s12957-024-03562-8

J Hematol Oncol. 2024 Oct 21;17(1):99. doi: 10.1186/s13045-024-01623-9.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Accurate and up-to-date estimates of the global cancer burden in adolescents and young adults (AYA) are scarce. This study aims to assess the global burden and trends of AYA cancer, with a focus on socioeconomic disparities, to inform global cancer control strategies.

METHODS: AYA cancer, defined as cancer occurring in individuals aged 15-39, was analyzed using data from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2021 study and the Global Cancer Observatory (GLOBOCAN) 2022 project. We examined the global burden by age, sex, geographic location, and Human Development Index (HDI), as well as its temporal trends. Primary outcomes included age-standardized incidence and mortality rates (ASIR, ASMR) and the average annual percent change (AAPC).

RESULTS: In 2022, an estimated 1,300,196 incidental cases and 377,621 cancer-related deaths occurred among AYAs worldwide, with an ASIR of 40.3 per 100,000 and an ASMR of 11.8 per 100,000. The most common cancers were breast, thyroid, and cervical, while the leading causes of death were breast, cervical, and leukemia. The incidence and mortality were disproportionately higher among females (ASIR: 52.9 for females vs. 28.3 for males; ASMR: 13.1 for females vs. 10.6 for males). Countries with higher HDI experienced a higher incidence of AYA cancers (ASIR: 32.0 [low HDI] vs. 54.8 [very high HDI]), while countries with lower HDI faced a disproportionately higher mortality burden (ASMR: 17.2 [low HDI] vs. 8.4 [very high HDI]) despite their relatively low incidence. Disproportionality and regression measures highlighted significant HDI-related inequalities. AYA cancer incidence was stable from 2000 to 2011 (AAPC: – 0.04) but increased from 2012 to 2021 (AAPC: 0.53), driven by growing gonadal and colorectal cancers. Mortality decreased substantially from 2000 to 2011 (AAPC: – 1.64), but the decline slowed from 2012 (AAPC: – 0.32) probably due to increased deaths from gonadal cancers. These trends varied by sex, cancer type, geography, and HDI.

CONCLUSION: AYA cancers present a significant and growing global burden, with marked disparities across sex, geographic locations, and HDI levels. Policymakers should prioritize equitable resource allocation and implement targeted interventions to reduce these inequalities, particularly in low-HDI regions and with regard to gonadal cancers.

PMID:39434099 | DOI:10.1186/s13045-024-01623-9

Environ Health. 2024 Oct 22;23(1):89. doi: 10.1186/s12940-024-01127-6.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Current evidence linking long-term exposure to fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) exposure and mortality is primarily based on persons that live in the same residence, city and/or country throughout the study, with few residential moves or relocations. We propose a novel method to quantify the health impacts of PM_2.5 for United States (US) diplomats who regularly relocate to international cities with different PM_2.5 levels.

METHODS: Life table methods were applied at an individual-level to US mortality statistics using the World Health Organization’s database of city-specific PM_2.5 annual mean concentrations. Global Burden of Disease concentration-response (C-R) functions were used to estimate cause-specific mortality and days of life lost (DLL) for a range of illustrative 20-year diplomatic assignments for three age groups. Time lags between exposure and exposure-related mortality risks were applied. Sensitivity analysis of baseline mortality, exposure level, C-R functions and lags was conducted. The effect of mitigation measures, including the addition of air purifiers, was examined.

RESULTS: DLL due to PM_2.5 exposure for a standard 20-year assignment ranged from 0.3 days for diplomats’ children to 84.1 days for older diplomats. DLL decreased when assignments in high PM_2.5 cities were followed by assignments in low PM_2.5 cities: 162.5 DLL when spending 20 years in high PM_2.5 cities compared to 62.6 DLL when spending one of every four years (5 years total) in a high PM_2.5 city for older male diplomats. Use of air purifiers and improved home tightness in polluted cities may halve DLL due to PM_2.5 exposure. The results were highly sensitive to lag assumptions: DLL increased by 68% without inception lags and decreased by 59% without cessation lags for older male diplomats.

CONCLUSION: We developed a model to quantify health impacts of changing PM_2.5 exposure for a population with frequent relocations. Our model suggests that alternating assignments in high and low PM_2.5 cities may help reduce PM_2.5-related mortality burdens. Adding exposure mitigation at home may help reduce PM_2.5 related mortality. Further research on outcome-specific lag structures is needed to improve the model.

PMID:39434094 | DOI:10.1186/s12940-024-01127-6

J Inflamm (Lond). 2024 Oct 21;21(1):40. doi: 10.1186/s12950-024-00414-w.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Trauma and infection induce emergency granulopoiesis. Counts of immature granulocytes and transcriptional pathways of terminal granulocytic differentiation in blood are elevated in sepsis but correlate with disease severity. This limits their performance as sepsis biomarkers in critically ill patients. We hypothesized that activation of these pathways in sepsis is attributable to immature low-density (LD) rather than mature high-density (HD) granulocytes.

METHODS: We included patients with sepsis and systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) of comparable disease severity, and additionally septic shock, on intensive or intermediate care unit admission. Blood granulocyte isolation by CD15 MicroBeads was followed by density-gradient centrifugation. Flow cytometry was used to determine counts of developmental stages (precursors) and their relative abundancies in total, HD, and LD granulocytes. Five degranulation markers were quantified in plasma by multiplex immunoassays. A set of 135 genes mapping granulocyte differentiation was assayed by QuantiGene™ Plex. CEACAM4, PLAC8, and CD63 were analyzed by qRT-PCR. Nonparametric statistical tests were applied.

RESULTS: Precursor counts appeared higher in sepsis than SIRS but did not correlate with disease severity for early immature and mature granulocytes. Precursor subpopulations were enriched at least ten-fold in LD over HD granulocytes without sepsis-SIRS differences. Degranulation markers in blood were comparable in sepsis and SIRS. Higher expression of early developmental genes in sepsis than SIRS was more pronounced in LD and less in HD than total granulocytes. Only the cell membrane protein encoding genes CXCR2 and CEACAM4 were more highly expressed in SIRS than sepsis. By qRT-PCR, the azurophilic granule genes CD63 and PLAC8 showed higher sepsis than SIRS levels in LD granulocytes and PLAC8 also in total granulocytes where its discriminatory performance resembled C-reactive protein (CRP).

CONCLUSIONS: Transcriptional programs of early terminal granulocytic differentiation distinguish sepsis from SIRS due to both higher counts of immature granulocytes and elevated expression of early developmental genes in sepsis. The sustained expression of PLAC8 in mature granulocytes likely accounts for its selection in the whole blood SeptiCyte™ LAB test. Total granulocyte PLAC8 rivals CRP as sepsis biomarker. However, infection-specific transcriptional pathways, that differentiate sepsis from sterile stress-induced granulocytosis more reliably than CRP, remain to be identified.

PMID:39434093 | DOI:10.1186/s12950-024-00414-w

BMC Oral Health. 2024 Oct 21;24(1):1260. doi: 10.1186/s12903-024-05029-4.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The materials used in root canal filling and radiotherapy (RT) application can affect the load-to-failure of the teeth. This study aimed to compare the load-to-failure of the teeth filled with AH Plus (AHP) or AH Plus bioceramic (AHPB) before or after 60 Gy- and 70 Gy-dose radiotherapy.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: One hundred and ten maxillary incisors were endodontically prepared up to ProTaper Next X4 instruments. The teeth were randomly divided into 5 main groups as: non-irradiated, root canal treatment (RCT) before 60 Gy radiotherapy, RCT before 70 Gy radiotherapy, RCT after 60 Gy radiotherapy, RCT after 70 Gy radiotherapy. These groups were divided into 2 subgroups for filling material: AHP ve AHPB. After filling and radiotherapy procedures, the teeth were fixed on the thermoplastic mask plane. The plane were placed in the middle of a rectangular prism shaped glass phantom, and irradiated via a linear accelerator device. The teeth were then embedded in cylindrical acrylic blocks and the force (N) that caused the fracture was recorded under the Universal testing device. Student t-test was used for statistical comparisons. Statistical significance level was determined as p < 0.05.

RESULTS: After 70 Gy dose radiotherapy, the group filled with AHPB showed statistically significantly lower fracture strength than the group filled with AHP (p < 0.05). In the control group, before 60 Gy RT group, after 60 Gy RT group, and before 70 Gy RT group, the sealers had statistically significantly similar load-to-failure. (p > 0.05).

CONCLUSION: The group filled with AHPB caused a lower fracture strength than the group filled with AHP following a 70 Gy dose of RT. The sealers in the control group, before 60 Gy RT group, after 60 Gy RT group, and before 70 Gy RT group exhibited comparable load-to-failure values.

PMID:39434091 | DOI:10.1186/s12903-024-05029-4

BMC Public Health. 2024 Oct 21;24(1):2895. doi: 10.1186/s12889-024-20399-8.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Air quality health index (AQHI), as a developed air quality risk communication tool, has been proved to be more accurate in predicting air quality related health risks than air quality index (AQI) by previous studies. However, the standard method to construct AQHI is summing the excess risks of single-pollutant models directly, which may ignore the joint effect of air pollutant mixtures.

METHODS: In this study, a new method which could solve the aforementioned problem, Analytic hierarchy process (AHP), was introduced. Based on this method, we constructed the respiratory health related AQHI using years of life lost (YLL) as indicator of health outcome and compared its validity with AQI.

RESULTS: There was a correlation between daily AQI and AQHI in 2019 (R² = 0.830, P < 0.01), and the chi-square test between the two excellent rates showed a statistically significant difference (χ² = 4.156, P < 0.05). Both AQI and AQHI were correlated with the daily respiratory YLL (P < 0.01), however, the coefficient of AQHI was larger than those of AQI.

CONCLUSIONS: This study indicated that compared with AQI, the constructed AQHI based on AHP may predict the health risk of air pollution more effectively. AHP may become a new method to construct AQHI which needs to be proved by taking into consideration by more studies.

PMID:39434079 | DOI:10.1186/s12889-024-20399-8

BMC Oral Health. 2024 Oct 21;24(1):1261. doi: 10.1186/s12903-024-04996-y.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Radiotherapy is a treatment modality used for head and neck cancer patients. It has a negative influence on bonding strength of adhesives. Little information is available about the effect of radiotherapy on bonding strength of adhesives in primary teeth. Therefore, this in vitro study aimed to detect the best adhesive system and ideal time to apply restorations in primary irradiated teeth regarding adhesive shear bond strength.

METHODS: Dentin samples from primary teeth were randomly assigned to four groups based on restoration application time and radiation exposure, (G1: control, G2: preradiation, G3: 24 h postradiation, and G4: 6 months postradiation) with 20 samples per group. These groups were further divided into 2 subgroups according to the adhesive system used, with 10 samples per subgroup. (1) 3M™ Single Bond Universal Adhesive (SB), (2) 3M AdperSingle Bond 2 (AS). Samples were exposed to gamma radiation from a cobalt-60 machine. One shot of 60 Gy of radiation was delivered. Then samples were subjected to a shear bond strength test. The load was applied until failure and the maximum load was recorded. Numerical data are presented as mean and standard deviation values, then distributed according to Shapiro-Wilk test or Levene’s test and analyzed via two-way ANOVA. The significance level was set at p < 0.05 for all tests. Statistical analysis was performed with R statistical analysis software version 4.4.1 for Windows (Team RC, R: A language and environment for statistical computing. R foundation for statistical computing, 2023).

RESULTS: Compared with the AS subgroup, the SB subgroup presented significantly greater values (p < 0.001). For SB, there was no significant difference among the G1 and G4 groups (p > 0.001). However, there was a significant difference between G1, G2, and G3 (p < 0.001, P = 0.025, P = 0.265 ns respectively), and G3 presented the lowest values. For AS, there was no significant difference between groups G1 and G4 (p = < 0.001). Compared with the other groups, G3 presented a significant difference (p = 0.265 ns) and the lowest results.

CONCLUSION: Restorations performed 24 h after radiation had lower bond strength than those performed six months after radiation. Regardless of the adhesive system used, SB performed better than AS in terms of the shear bond strength.

PMID:39434076 | DOI:10.1186/s12903-024-04996-y

BMC Public Health. 2024 Oct 21;24(1):2896. doi: 10.1186/s12889-024-20419-7.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Dementia-related stigma is a prominent barrier for people living with dementia, leading to poor well-being and social isolation. Adolescents are an under-researched group in society that may already have experience of dementia and are more susceptible to attitudinal change which makes them ideal targets for anti-stigma initiatives outlined by public health policy. For the development of evidence-based anti-stigma initiatives in adolescents, it is important to understand which socio-demographic groups are most likely to develop stigmatising attitudes and why. This study aims to identify factors of dementia-related stigma in adolescents.

METHODS: A total of 1,044 adolescents (aged 11-18 years) from across six regions of England were included in the analysis of this cross-sectional, survey-based study. Descriptive statistics and multiple regressions were employed to explore the association between demographic variables, modifiable factors of dementia-related stigma and the outcome of dementia-related stigma. A path analysis via a structural equation model was employed to test for direct and mediatory effects.

RESULTS: Multiple regression models revealed that younger adolescents, those with higher levels of contact with dementia, higher levels of empathy, higher levels of dementia knowledge, and higher affinity to older adults, are associated with more positive dementia attitudes in adolescents (p < 0.05). Within the accepted structural equation model, empathy, level of contact and dementia knowledge were key mediators of dementia-related stigma (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION: This study highlights that modifiable factors such as level of contact, ageism, and empathy have a potentially important role in how dementia-related stigma may start to form in the adolescent years. Developing contact-based strategies that stimulate empathetic responses may be useful targets for stigma reduction initiatives for adolescents.

PMID:39434071 | DOI:10.1186/s12889-024-20419-7

BMC Public Health. 2024 Oct 21;24(1):2902. doi: 10.1186/s12889-024-20377-0.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Psychosocial factors such as maternal stress in lactating women were shown to be related to an increased risk of infantile colic because the infants can be affected through breast milk. Therefore, domestic violence against lactating mothers can be effective on the infants’ health. It is also demonstrated that domestic violence against women has increased following the COVID-19 pandemic and quarantine. Therefore, this study aims to assess the relationship between domestic violence against breastfeeding women during COVID-19 and the incidence of infantile colic.

METHODS: This was a case-control study that was conducted on 356 lactating mothers who attended Bentolhoda Hospital in Bojnoord-Iran from November 2021 to August 2022. The participants were exclusively breastfeeding mothers who were under 6 months infants. Mothers with and without infantile colic infants were considered the case and control groups, respectively. Two questionnaires were used for data collection including a demographic questionnaire, and a questionnaire to assess domestic violence against women during the quarantine period of Corona pandemic. The data was analyzed using SPSS-V22 and Pearson Spearman correlation and linear regression tests.

RESULTS: The results showed that women in the case group had a significantly higher score for “sexual violence and restraint” than women in the control group [0.59 ± 0.34 versus 0.62 ± 0.25 (Mean ± SD), respectively] (P < 0.05). The chance of infantile colic was higher among the infants of mothers who experienced domestic violence, but it was not statistically significant (OR = 1.236, P = 0.573). Significant relationships were found between the infantile colic and the history of abortion (OR = 1.430, P = 0.028) and cesarean section (OR = 1.723, P = 0.044).

CONCLUSION: Domestic violence during pregnancy can potentially increase infant colic through breast milk. Although our findings need more investigation, it can be recommended to plan the direction of screening for domestic violence and providing the necessary care and counseling to the parents in perinatal care services to prevent infantile colic and improve the infant’s health.

PMID:39434069 | DOI:10.1186/s12889-024-20377-0