Category: Statistics

J Oral Maxillofac Pathol. 2024 Apr-Jun;28(2):240-246. doi: 10.4103/jomfp.jomfp_38_24. Epub 2024 Jul 11.

ABSTRACT

CONTEXT: The variance in the prevalence of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) around the world has been associated with a number of sociocultural traits, significant regional variations in risk factors, variations in data gathering, and the degree of health service development in different populations. Here, we undertake a 26 years institutional review and analysis of OSCC cases.

AIM: To evaluate and analyse 26 years Institutional Data of OSCC.

SETTINGS AND DESIGN: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology’s archives, Government Dental College and Hospital, Nagpur, Maharashtra, and observational cross-sectional study.

METHODS AND MATERIAL: This study examines instances of OSCC that were histologically diagnosed between 1997 and 2022. All information pertaining to cases of OSCC was obtained from the departmental archives.

STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: Data tabulated and then subjected to descriptive statistical analysis with the SPSS statistical software.

RESULTS: The total number of the patients included 1508 (69.6%) males and 660 (30.4%) females, whose age ranged from the second decade to the tenth decade of life with a mean age of 55.5 years with a range of 20-91 years. The incidence was the highest in the fifth and sixth decades (n = 603, 27.8% and n = 572, 26.4%), respectively. The left buccal mucosa recorded the maximum number of cases (left buccal mucosa 559, 25.8%). There were 1405 (64.8%) cases of well-differentiated SCC, 301 (13.9%) cases of moderately differentiated SCC, and 51 (2.4%) cases of poorly differentiated SCC.

CONCLUSIONS: The overall incidence and prevalence of OSCC can be estimated using baseline epidemiological data from our institution.

PMID:39157828 | PMC:PMC11329084 | DOI:10.4103/jomfp.jomfp_38_24

MethodsX. 2024 Jul 14;13:102863. doi: 10.1016/j.mex.2024.102863. eCollection 2024 Dec.

ABSTRACT

Purslane (Portulaca oleracea) and spinach (Spinacea oleracea) are species with elevated levels of oxalic acid, an antinutrient that interferes in the bioaccessibility of minerals such as calcium and iron. Evaluating methods to determine oxalic acid content with reduced matrix interference, such as employing Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (FAAS), can enhance the specificity of determinations. The different matrices of purslane (whole plant, leaves, and juice) and spinach (whole plant) were tested using three extraction methods (M1, M2, and M3). The oxalic acid content was evaluated by UV-vis spectrophotometry and FAAS (Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrometry). The absence of the precipitation step in M1 resulted in high levels of oxalic acid in the investigated matrices. The quantification of oxalic acid by FAAS for M2 (6M HCl for 1 hour at 100°C) and M3 (0.25N HCl for 15 minutes at 100°C) in the samples of purslane leaves and spinach whole plants yielded statistically similar results. However, the analysis by UV-vis spectrophotometry for M2 and M3 showed significant discrepancies in all evaluated samples, suggesting interference from colored compounds in the food matrix.•Comparison of methods of extraction•Comparison of UV-vis spectrophotometer and FAAS in the quantification of oxalic acid•Analysis of antinutrients in plant matrices.

PMID:39157815 | PMC:PMC11326941 | DOI:10.1016/j.mex.2024.102863

EClinicalMedicine. 2024 Jul 27;75:102758. doi: 10.1016/j.eclinm.2024.102758. eCollection 2024 Sep.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Ischemic stroke remains a major contributor to global mortality and morbidity. This study aims to provide an updated assessment of rates in ischemic stroke prevalence, incidence, mortality, and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) from 1990 to 2021, specifically focusing on including prevalence investigation alongside other measures. The analysis is stratified by sex, age, and socio-demographic index (SDI) at global, regional, and national levels.

METHODS: Data for this study was obtained from the 2021 Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD). To quantify temporal patterns and assess trends in age-standardized rates of ischemic stroke prevalence (ASPR), incidence (ASIR), mortality (ASDR), and DALYs, estimated annual percentage changes (EAPCs) were computed over the study period. The analyses were disaggregated by gender, 20 age categories, 21 GBD regions, 204 nations/territories, and 5 SDI quintiles. R statistical package V 4.4.2 was performed for statistical analyses and plot illustrations.

FINDINGS: In 2021, the global burden of ischemic stroke remained substantial, with a total of 69,944,884.8 cases with an ASPR of 819.5 cases per 100,000 individuals (95% UI: 760.3-878.7). The ASIR was 92.4 per 100,000 people (95% UI: 79.8-105.8), while the ASDR was 44.2 per 100,000 persons (95% UI: 39.3-47.8). Additionally, the age-standardized DALY rate was 837.4 per 100,000 individuals (95% UI: 763.7-905). Regionally, areas with high-middle SDI exhibited the greatest ASPR, ASIR, ASDR, and age-standardized DALY rates, whereas high SDI regions had the lowest rates. Geospatially, Southern Sub-Saharan Africa had the highest ASPR, while Eastern Europe showed the highest ASIR. The greatest ASDR and age-standardized DALY rates were observed in Eastern Europe, Central Asia, as well as North Africa, and the Middle East. Among countries, Ghana had the highest ASPR, and North Macedonia had both the highest ASIR and ASDR. Furthermore, North Macedonia also exhibited the highest age-standardized DALY rate.

INTERPRETATION: Regions with high-middle and middle SDI continued to experience elevated ASPR, ASIR, ASDR and age-standardized DALY rates. The highest ischemic stroke burden was observed in Southern Sub-Saharan Africa, Central Asia, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East.

FUNDING: None.

PMID:39157811 | PMC:PMC11327951 | DOI:10.1016/j.eclinm.2024.102758

MicroPubl Biol. 2024 Aug 2;2024. doi: 10.17912/micropub.biology.001243. eCollection 2024.

ABSTRACT

Ormia ochracea is a parasitoid fly notable for its impressive hearing abilities relative to its small size. Here, we use it as a model organism to investigate if minor size differences in paired sensory organs may be beneficial or neutral to an organism’s perception abilities. We took high-resolution images of tympanal organs from 21 O. ochracea specimens and found a statistically significant surface area asymmetry (up to 6.88%) between the left and right membranes. Numerical experiments indicated that peak values of key sound localization variables increased with increasing tympanal asymmetry, which may explain features of the limited available physiological data.

PMID:39157807 | PMC:PMC11327869 | DOI:10.17912/micropub.biology.001243

Front Digit Health. 2024 Aug 2;6:1397557. doi: 10.3389/fdgth.2024.1397557. eCollection 2024.

ABSTRACT

Mental health professionals have relied primarily on clinical evaluations to identify in vivo pathology. As a result, mental health is largely reactive rather than proactive. In an effort to proactively assess mood, we collected continuous neurophysiologic data for ambulatory individuals 8-10 h a day at 1 Hz for 3 weeks (N = 24). Data were obtained using a commercial neuroscience platform (Immersion Neuroscience) that quantifies the neural value of social-emotional experiences. These data were related to self-reported mood and energy to assess their predictive accuracy. Statistical analyses quantified neurophysiologic troughs by the length and depth of social-emotional events with low values and neurophysiologic peaks as the complement. Participants in the study had an average of 2.25 (SD = 3.70, Min = 0, Max = 25) neurophysiologic troughs per day and 3.28 (SD = 3.97, Min = 0, Max = 25) peaks. The number of troughs and peaks predicted daily mood with 90% accuracy using least squares regressions and machine learning models. The analysis also showed that women were more prone to low mood compared to men. Our approach demonstrates that a simple count variable derived from a commercially-available platform is a viable way to assess low mood and low energy in populations vulnerable to mood disorders. In addition, peak Immersion events, which are mood-enhancing, may be an effective measure of thriving in adults.

PMID:39157805 | PMC:PMC11327156 | DOI:10.3389/fdgth.2024.1397557

J Reprod Infertil. 2024 Apr-Jun;25(2):140-147. doi: 10.18502/jri.v25i2.16008.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Trans-abdominal ultrasound (TAUS) and transvaginal ultrasound (TVUS) are used for embryo transfer. However, few studies were conducted to compare the methods and assess their effect on pregnancy outcomes.

METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was conducted at Mahdieh Hospital in Tehran, analyzing 506 ICSI cycles with fresh embryo transfer. The study period was from April 2019 to March 2022. Following the evaluation of patients’ profile, they were divided into two groups of TAUS (n=250) and TVUS (n=256). The pregnancy outcomes included positive test of β-HCG, history of miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy (EP), clinical pregnancy, and the duration of the embryo transfer were compared between two groups. Mann-Whitney U test, Pearson Chi-Square test, Fisher’s exact test, and logistic regression were used for data analysis.

RESULTS: The rate of chemical and clinical pregnancy in the TAUS group was higher compared to the TVUS group, which was statistically significant (p<0.05). The rate of live term birth and live preterm birth was higher in the TAUS group compared to the TVUS group, though the difference was insignificant. Moreover, EP and abortion rates were higher in TVUS group compared to the TAUS group, but the differences were not statistically significant. The odds ratio of achieving pregnancy was higher with TAUS compared to TVUS, but this was only statistically significant for the age variable.

CONCLUSION: The use of TAUS method appears to be associated with improved pregnancy outcome, including higher rates of chemical and clinical pregnancy, compared to TVUS. Yet, further research is needed to confirm these findings and elucidate underlying mechanisms.

PMID:39157802 | PMC:PMC11327424 | DOI:10.18502/jri.v25i2.16008

Proc Data Compress Conf. 2024 Mar;2024:123-132. doi: 10.1109/dcc58796.2024.00020. Epub 2024 May 21.

ABSTRACT

MONI (Rossi et al., JCB 2022) is a BWT-based compressed index for computing the matching statistics and maximal exact matches (MEMs) of a pattern (usually a DNA read) with respect to a highly repetitive text (usually a database of genomes) using two operations: LF-steps and longest common extension (LCE) queries on a grammar-compressed representation of the text. In practice, most of the operations are constant-time LF-steps but most of the time is spent evaluating LCE queries. In this paper we show how (a variant of) the latter can be evaluated lazily, so as to bound the total time MONI needs to process the pattern in terms of the number of MEMs between the pattern and the text, while maintaining logarithmic latency.

PMID:39157794 | PMC:PMC11328106 | DOI:10.1109/dcc58796.2024.00020

JACC Adv. 2024 Jul 27;3(9):101130. doi: 10.1016/j.jacadv.2024.101130. eCollection 2024 Sep.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The adult congenital heart disease (ACHD) population is growing and risk prediction is important to predict adverse outcome and consult patients during their lifecourse.

OBJECTIVES: This study aims to describe the long-term prognostic value of blood biomarkers in ACHD.

METHODS: In this prospective observational cohort study, 602 patients with moderate or complex ACHD were included (median age 32.5 years [IQR: 24.7-41.2], 42% female, 90% New York Heart Association I). N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), high-sensitive-troponin T, growth differentiation factor 15, high-sensitive-C-reactive protein, suppression of tumorigenicity-2 and galectin-3, as well as full blood count, renal function, LDL, and HDL were measured. Cox models were applied to relate the selected biomarkers with the primary end point of all-cause mortality and secondary end point of mortality or heart failure. Standardized HRs adjusted for relevant prognostic factors, including age, sex, and complexity of diagnosis, were reported.

RESULTS: Abnormal biomarker levels were present in 424 (70.4%) patients. During a median follow-up of 10.1 years, 41 (6.8%) patients died and 81 (13.5%) developed heart failure. Associations were observed between the primary and secondary end point and red cell distribution width, NT-proBNP, and growth differentiation factor 15. In a multibiomarker model, only NT-proBNP remained associated with mortality (HR: 2.74; 95% CI: 2.01-3.74). NT-proBNP significantly improved the C-statistic of the clinical prediction model (0.85-0.92). Based on NT-proBNP alone, low-risk patients could be identified. Patients with NT-proBNP <76 ng/L showed a 10-year heart failure-free survival of 98.5%.

CONCLUSIONS: Blood biomarkers have prognostic value in ACHD. NT-proBNP improves risk prediction and is able to identify low-risk patients. Its routine use should be implemented in ACHD.

PMID:39157753 | PMC:PMC11327932 | DOI:10.1016/j.jacadv.2024.101130

Res Pract Thromb Haemost. 2024 Jun 21;8(4):102483. doi: 10.1016/j.rpth.2024.102483. eCollection 2024 May.

NO ABSTRACT

PMID:39157749 | PMC:PMC11328051 | DOI:10.1016/j.rpth.2024.102483

Women Health. 2024 Aug 18:1-9. doi: 10.1080/03630242.2024.2392132. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Labor is a complex, subjective experience, and all factors that influence pain should be considered to ensure a comprehensive evaluation. This study aimed to determine whether gender roles were predictive of labor pain. The study has a descriptive and cross-sectional design. It was carried out in a delivery room of a city hospital in Turkey between September 2019 and September 2020. The study sample consisted of 231 primiparous women presenting for labor and delivery. Data were gathered with a descriptive characteristics form, Visual Analogue Scale and The Bem Sex-Role Inventory. Descriptive statistics and simple regression analysis were employed to analyze the obtained data. Regression analysis demonstrated that gender roles were predictive of labor pain in the latent, active, and transitional stages, but not in the second stage. Gender roles were most responsible for labor pain in the latent phase. Results of the study revealed that gender roles may be useful variables to predict women’s labor pain, and contributed to the relevant literature. Nurses and midwives offering care for labor pain should consider gender roles as a factor affecting labor pain. It is also necessary to individualize the supporting care given during labor.

PMID:39155140 | DOI:10.1080/03630242.2024.2392132