Category: Statistics

Neuropsychopharmacol Rep. 2025 Mar;45(1):e70001. doi: 10.1002/npr2.70001.

ABSTRACT

AIMS: Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a leading cause of dementia, with increasing prevalence. Mutations in genes like MAPT, PSEN1, and PSEN2 are risk factors, leading to the development of several AD model mice. Recent hypotheses suggest AD brain pathology involves abnormal neurodevelopment, decreased pH, and neural hyperexcitation. However, it remains unclear to what extent these pathologies are reflected in the gene expression changes of AD models. This study aims to compare gene expression patterns in the brains of multiple AD model mice with those related to these three factors, evaluating the extent of overlap.

METHODS: We conducted a comprehensive search of public databases, collecting 20 gene expression datasets from the hippocampus of AD model mice. These datasets were compared with gene sets related to hippocampal maturation, brain pH, and neural hyperexcitation to statistically assess overlap. Pathway enrichment analysis explored the biological relevance of these gene expression changes.

RESULTS: The extent of overlap with maturity-, pH-, and hyperexcitation-associated genes varied across AD models, showing significant correlations between lower maturity, lower pH, and increased neural hyperexcitation. In MAPT mutant and APP+PSEN1 homozygous transgenic mice, these signatures became more pronounced with age. Pathway meta-analysis revealed that genes associated with maturity, pH, and hyperexcitation in AD models are involved in synaptic and channel functions, as well as inflammatory responses, consistent with previous studies.

CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that pathophysiological changes related to maturity, pH, and neural hyperexcitation play varying roles across individual AD model mice. Our recent study found a negative correlation between disease progression and actual pH levels in human AD patients. Considering the results presented in this study, maturity and neural hyperexcitation, which are correlated with pH, may also be linked to disease progression. Thus, gene expression changes in these factors could be useful markers for assessing the pathology in AD models.

PMID:39907034 | DOI:10.1002/npr2.70001

Afr J Reprod Health. 2025 Jan 31;29(1):153-159. doi: 10.29063/ajrh2025/v29i1.16.

ABSTRACT

This study investigates the safety of non-surgical periodontal treatment during long-term low-dose aspirin therapy in patients with chronic periodontitis and gynaecological conditions, focusing on bleeding risk and coagulation function. Patients received low-dose aspirin (100 mg/d) and were divided into a medication continuation group (observation) and a cessation group (control), with 41 patients each. Key periodontal parameters (plaque index, probing depth, attachment loss) and coagulation indices (activated partial thromboplastin time, prothrombin time, thrombin time, prothrombin activity) were assessed post-treatment. Results showed no significant difference in coagulation indices and bleeding scores between the groups (P > 0.05). Grade 3 bleeding incidents were slightly higher in the observation group but not statistically significant. The observation group’s maximum platelet aggregation rate was significantly lower (P < 0.0001), with no significant differences in activated partial thromboplastin time, prothrombin time, thrombin time, or prothrombin activity. The findings suggest that non-surgical periodontal treatment is safe for these patients under long-term low-dose aspirin therapy, with limited increased bleeding risk.

PMID:39907007 | DOI:10.29063/ajrh2025/v29i1.16

J Clin Sleep Med. 2025 Feb 5. doi: 10.5664/jcsm.11576. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

STUDY OBJECTIVES: We propose to identify different sleep phenotypes in infancy, relying on auto-videosomnography metrics.

METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, objective infant sleep metrics of six hundred twenty-three infants aged 9 to 13 months, recruited among users of Nanit baby-monitor in the United States, were obtained from Nanit auto-videosomnography (1 week of data averaged) in the child’s natural sleep environment. A cluster analysis was conducted to group infants based on sleep metrics.

RESULTS: Three reproducible and stable sleep phenotypes were identified: Long Sleepers (n.338), Interrupted Sleepers (n.130) and Short Sleepers (n.155). All sleep metrics were statistically significant different in the three groups. Long Sleepers had longer nighttime sleep duration than Interrupted and Short Sleepers. Interrupted Sleepers presented more awakenings than Short and Long Sleepers, and similarly more parental interventions. Short Sleepers presented later bedtimes and earlier wake up times when compared with Long and Interrupted Sleepers. Nighttime sleep efficiency was better in Long Sleepers than in Interrupted and Short Sleepers, but Short Sleepers presented better sleep efficiency than Interrupted Sleepers.

CONCLUSIONS: Cluster analysis based on objective sleep metrics offers a novel multidimensional approach for the early identification of infants’ sleep patterns. Phenotyping sleep patterns is extremely important in identifying the risk for developing neurobehavioral disorders since night wakings and reduced sleep duration in infancy might be predictive of the development of emotional and behavioral problems later in childhood.

PMID:39906982 | DOI:10.5664/jcsm.11576

Afr J Reprod Health. 2025 Jan 31;29(1):144-152. doi: 10.29063/ajrh2025/v29i1.15.

ABSTRACT

This study aims to determine the Turkish validity and reliability of the questionnaire for the detection of invisible violence against women. This methodological study was conducted online with 221 single women with an intimate partner and 277 married women. The scale was confirmed that the 23-item scale had 5 sub-scales. Fit indices were found χ2/sd=2.202, TLI=.900, RMSEA=.074, SRMR =.0571, AGFI=.800, GFI=.850, IFI=.903, CFI=.902 and df= 214 in single women who had an intimate partner. Fit indices were found χ2/sd=2.212, TLI=.901, RMSEA=.066, SRMR=.0582, AGFI=.827, GFI=.864, IFI=.916, CFI=.915 and df=216 in married women. The scale Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was found to be 0.93 for the whole scale. And also the reliability of scale showed that it has excellent Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of 0.84, 0.83, 0.86, 0.74 and 0.72 for the subscales of crisis, utilitarian, coercive, ambivalent and benevolent sexist behaviors respectively. The Turkish version of the questionnaire for the detection of invisible violence against women is a valid and reliable measurement tool for married/single women who have an intimate partner.

PMID:39906976 | DOI:10.29063/ajrh2025/v29i1.15

Hum Vaccin Immunother. 2025 Dec;21(1):2459459. doi: 10.1080/21645515.2025.2459459. Epub 2025 Feb 5.

ABSTRACT

Vaccination is the most effective measure to prevent Chlamydia infection. However, to date, no vaccine has successfully completed the rigorous clinical trial process and gained regulatory approval for use in clinical practice. Scholars have been working on a safe and effective Chlamydia vaccine. In order to better grasp, the global frontiers and development trends in this field, a comprehensive bibliometric analysis was carried out. A total of 234 publications closely regarding Chlamydia vaccines were culled from the Web of Science Core Collection database, and the bibliometric information was then extracted with CiteSpace and VOSviewer software. After measurement analysis, the most influential papers were identified in this area, including highly cited papers, references with strong citation burst, and high co-citated papers. Vaccine has published the most literature on Chlamydia vaccines. Only scholars from 39 countries/regions have been engaged in studying Chlamydia vaccines. The USA is the most prolific country and has the highest collaborative strength. The current research area has focused on protective immunity and immunopathological response. Major outer membrane protein (MOMP) is the most common target vaccine antigen. This study reveals the status of literature and highlights emerging trends in this field, which helps researchers seek insights into this area and serve as a reference guide for further investigations.

PMID:39906958 | DOI:10.1080/21645515.2025.2459459

CPT Pharmacometrics Syst Pharmacol. 2025 Feb 5. doi: 10.1002/psp4.13310. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

IMscin001 is a two-part dose-finding (Phase Ib) and -confirmation (Phase III) study to evaluate atezolizumab pharmacokinetics of subcutaneous (SC) compared with intravenous (IV) administration in patients with locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The objectives of the current analyses were to characterize the population pharmacokinetics (popPK) of atezolizumab and to determine the relationship between atezolizumab exposure and safety and efficacy endpoints in IMscin001. A previously validated IV popPK model was extended to add SC absorption parameters using SC and IV data from Phase Ib and Phase III of IMscin001 (N = 435), and covariate effects were investigated on the SC absorption parameters. The exposure-response (ER) investigation was performed using SC data following 1875 mg every three weeks (q3w) administration in the Phase III portion of IMscin001 (N = 246). The clinical endpoints were objective response rate, progression-free survival, or overall survival for efficacy, serious adverse events, special interest adverse events, Grades 3-5 adverse events, infusion-related reaction, or injection site reactions for safety. Atezolizumab SC absorption was characterized by a first-order absorption with a bioavailability of 71.8% and an absorption rate constant of 0.304 day^-1. The extended popPK model was adequate to predict atezolizumab PK after IV and SC administrations and to predict individual exposure metrics. For all efficacy and safety endpoints, atezolizumab exposure was not statistically significant (p-value > 0.05) in the ER models. The non-inferior popPK exposure and flat ER results supported atezolizumab SC dose at 1875 mg q3w.

PMID:39906948 | DOI:10.1002/psp4.13310

Histol Histopathol. 2025 Jan 28:18880. doi: 10.14670/HH-18-880. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer is the most prominent cancer among women worldwide, with a two-fold incidence in China compared to the worldwide incidence. ALDH1A1, catalyzing the oxidation of intracellular aldehydes and converting retinol into retinoic acid, serves as a biomarker of early stem cell differentiation. Ki67 levels are prognostic or residual risk biomarkers after primary therapy and can predict the effects of systemic therapies or monitor patients for sustained response or resistance to the administered therapies. This study aimed to investigate the correlation between ALDH1A1 and Ki67 expression and clinicopathological parameters among women with breast cancer.

METHODS: Breast cancer tissue specimens were obtained from the Department of Pathology at the First Hospital of Qiqihar. Indirect fluorescent immunostaining was used to assess the expression of ALDH1A1 and Ki67 in breast cancer and healthy tissues. Associations between ALDH1A1 and Ki67 expression and clinicopathological parameters of breast cancer were evaluated using the chi-square test. A p-value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. The correlation between ALDH1A1 and Ki67 expression was assessed using Spearman’s rank correlation analysis.

RESULTS: ALDH1A1 and Ki67 were upregulated in breast cancer tissue compared with normal breast tissue (p<0.05). Furthermore, ALDH1A1 expression was further upregulated with an advancement in breast cancer grade, i.e., ALDH1A1 expression levels were higher in patients with stage III/IV breast cancer than in those with stage I/II breast cancer. Furthermore, ALDH1A1 and Ki67 were upregulated in the presence of lymphatic metastasis.

CONCLUSION: ALDH1A1 may be considered a pathognomonic marker for breast cancer. ALDH1A1 and Ki67 expression are significantly positively correlated in women with breast cancer.

PMID:39906934 | DOI:10.14670/HH-18-880

Plant Genome. 2025 Mar;18(1):e20556. doi: 10.1002/tpg2.20556.

ABSTRACT

Plant varieties must satisfy distinctness, uniformity, and stability (DUS) requirements for registration. Morphophysiological trait-based distinctness may be challenging for cultivars of major perennial forages. Our study focused on alfalfa (Medicago sativa L. subsp. sativa) with the aims of (a) comparing morphophysiological distinctness with molecular distinctness based on genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) or the alfalfa DArTag panel, envisaging different statistical criteria for molecular distinctness, and (b) assessing the consistency of morphophysiological and molecular cultivar diversity. The 18 most grown Italian varieties were jointly reevaluated morphophysiologically and were characterized molecularly using three bulked DNA samples of 200 independent genotypes per cultivar. Morphophysiological distinctness was limited by correlations between traits and resulted in 39 non-distinct cultivars in 153 paired comparisons and three cultivars distinct from any other. Best configurations for molecular distinctness featured about 10-fold more polymorphic markers and 10-fold lower average read depth per marker for GBS compared to DArTag. DArTag markers allowed for somewhat better variety distinction than GBS. They reduced to 11 the non-distinct cultivars in paired comparisons and increased to 11 the completely distinct cultivars, based on a principal components analysis of allele frequencies followed by analyses of variance on cultivar principal component scores. This criterion achieved greater variety distinctness than cluster analysis with bootstrap values, discriminant analysis, or analysis of molecular variance. Morphophysiologically distinct cultivars were generally distinct molecularly, but not the reverse. Mantel’s test revealed a modest consistency across morphophysiological and DArTag (r = 0.39) or GBS-based (r = 0.46) measures of cultivar Euclidean distance. Our results and other considerations strongly encourage the adoption of molecular distinctness for alfalfa DUS.

PMID:39906928 | DOI:10.1002/tpg2.20556

Comput Struct Biotechnol J. 2025 Jan 17;29:29-40. doi: 10.1016/j.csbj.2025.01.005. eCollection 2025.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: The oral healthcare sector is witnessing a significant increase in the creation of eco-friendly biomaterials intended to inflict minimal damage to humans and the environment, primarily due to the inadequacies of conventional synthetic restorative materials which have a short shelf life and are prone to instability. The main objective of this study was to synthesise cost-effective titania nanoparticles (TiO₂ NPs) from biowaste corn silky hair fibre.

METHODS: The titania nanoparticles (TiO₂ NPs) were characterised through x-ray diffraction; scanning electron microscopy; energy-dispersive spectroscopy; Fourier transform spectroscopy, and atomic force microscopy, as well as dynamic light-scattering to identify their phases, morphologies, dimensions, and chemical compositions. The nanoparticles were subsequently integrated into standard glass ionomer cement (GIC) to create innovative smart titania-enriched glass ionomer cement at multiple concentrations in the form of 4 × 4 × 1 mm blocks, which were evaluated for enamel shear bond strength, spectral mapping, and surface topography.

RESULTS: Confirmation was obtained that the newly synthesised TiO₂ nanoparticles, with a particle diameter of 24.17 nm and a pure rutile phase, displayed a spherical morphology and a smooth surface. Adding 5 % of these smart titania nanoparticles to GIC resulted in a substantial increase in its shear bond strength to enamel, which rose to 4.93 + 0.74 MPa, with a standard error of 0.23, and this change was statistically significant at p < 0.05. The material’s sustainable surface characteristics were confirmed by the presence of increased Fluorine (6.46 %) and Titanium (0.79 %) alongside a decrease in the amounts of Aluminium (23.51 %), Silicon (20.01 %), Phosphorus (0.33 %), and Sulphur (0.09 %), as indicated by spectral mapping.

CONCLUSION: This study developed eco-friendly and sustainable titanium dioxide nanoparticles from silky corn hair fibres. The addition of titania nanoparticles to conventional glass-ionomer cement resuledt in increased enamel shear bond strength and altered surface texture with higher titanium and fluorine content, making it a promising smart restorative material for dentistry.

CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: A new smart material containing titania-enriched glass ionomer cement showed its ability to significantly improve enamel shear bond strength and extend its storage life. These eco-friendly biomaterials have considerable clinical potential to provide enhanced stability and performance in the oral environment.

PMID:39906909 | PMC:PMC11791324 | DOI:10.1016/j.csbj.2025.01.005

Front Nutr. 2025 Jan 21;11:1521567. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2024.1521567. eCollection 2024.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: High body mass index (BMI) is a crucial determinant in low back pain (LBP) incidence and progression. However, the effect of increased BMI on LBP has been largely overlooked at the global, regional, and national levels. This research aimed to use data from the 2021 global burden of disease (GBD) study to determine trends associated with LBP due to high BMI from 1990 to 2021, thereby providing evidence for developing targeted policies.

METHODS: Epidemiological data on the association between high BMI and LBP is obtained from the GBD 2021. Disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) attributable to high BMI-related LBP are stratified by year, age, country, and socio-demographic index (SDI). The estimated annual percentage change (EAPC) was calculated to evaluate the trends from 1990 to 2021. A Bayesian age-period cohort (BAPC) model was used to assess the corresponding trends from 2022 to 2036. Additionally, statistical models, such as decomposition analysis and frontier analysis, were used.

RESULTS: According to the GBD 2021, the number of DALYs caused by LBP attributed to high BMI reached 8,363,759 in 2021, which is an increase of 170.97% since 1990. The age-standardized rate of disability-adjusted life years (ASDR) for LBP caused by high BMI has been increasing from 1990 to 2021, with an EAPC of 1.14%. Among the five SDI regions, ASDR has increased. High-income North Americans exhibited the highest risk of LBP caused by high BMI, with Hungary being the most affected. Frontier analysis highlights the urgent need for intervention in countries such as the Netherlands, Germany, and Canada. Finally, the burden of LBP related to high BMI will continue to rise from 2022 to 2036.

CONCLUSION: Between 1990 and 2021, there was a global increase in lower back pain due to high BMI, with a projected continuation of this trend. Monitoring BMI is crucial for developing region-specific and national strategies, and research emphasizes the urgency of reducing the health burden of high BMI and improving the quality of life for the global population.

PMID:39906897 | PMC:PMC11790459 | DOI:10.3389/fnut.2024.1521567