Category: Statistics

Int Urol Nephrol. 2024 Jun 26. doi: 10.1007/s11255-024-04121-6. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: Mohs micrographic surgery (MMS) is a low-risk penile cancer management option. However, contemporary patients’ short-term oncologic control and preoperative characteristics predicting reconstruction needs are undefined. This study assesses MMS’s oncologic efficacy for low-risk penile cancer and identifies baseline predictors of post-resection reconstruction referral.

METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 73 adult males with 78 penile cutaneous malignancies treated with MMS from 2005 to 2019. Patients underwent MMS with or without surgical reconstruction. Demographic information, MMS operative details, lesion pathology, and short-term outcomes were recorded. Descriptive statistics for all variables were calculated, and logistic regression identified predictive factors for urologic referral for complex reconstruction.

RESULTS: Seventy-three men with 78 lesions, all staged ≤ cT1a prior to MMS, were identified. Twenty-one men were found to have invasive SCC. Median follow-up was 2.0 years (IQR 0.8-5.2 years). MMS was able to clear the disease in 90.4% of cases. One patient had disease related death following progression. Dermatology closed primarily in 68% of patients. Twenty percent of patients had a complication, most commonly poor wound healing. On univariate and multivariate linear regression analysis, lesion size > 3 cm and involvement of the glans independently predicted the need for referral to a reconstructive surgeon.

CONCLUSIONS: MMS for penile cancer appears to provide sound oncologic control in the properly selected patient. Involvement of a reconstructive surgeon may be needed for glandular and large lesions, necessitating early referral to a comprehensive multidisciplinary care team.

PMID:38922534 | DOI:10.1007/s11255-024-04121-6

Daru. 2024 Jun 26. doi: 10.1007/s40199-024-00523-0. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The focus on repurposing readily available, well-known drugs for new, creative uses has grown recently. One such medication is metformin, a drug commonly used to manage diabetes, which shows a favorable correlation between its use and lower cancer morbidity and death. Numerous investigations and clinical trials have been conducted to evaluate the possible application of metformin as an anticancer medication in light of this conclusion.

OBJECTIVE: This study used ‘pathway/gene-set analysis’ Gene2drug, a resource for Gene Ontology (GO), and DepMap to determine whether metformin would be potentially advantageous for treating cancer.

METHODS: A total of 1826 tumor cell lines were analyzed using the Drug Sensitivity (Primary Purposing Primary Screening) 19Q4 Tool.

RESULTS: 9 genes from 402 genes, SGPL1, CXCR6, ATXN2L, LAMP3, RTN3, BTN2A1, FOXM1, NQO1, and L1TD1 in 1826 cancer cell line showed statistical sensitivity to metformin.

CONCLUSION: This in-silico study showed the sensitivity of specific cancer cell lines to metformin. Therefore, holding promises for metformin and tumor-targeted treatment strategies. It is recommended, however, to conduct further research into its potential effectiveness and mechanism of action.

PMID:38922530 | DOI:10.1007/s40199-024-00523-0

Eur J Popul. 2024 Jun 26;40(1):22. doi: 10.1007/s10680-024-09708-4.

ABSTRACT

Recent demographic changes in Western countries have resulted in higher rates of partnership dissolution and serial partnering, and an increase in childbearing across multiple partnerships. This has given rise to more complex family dynamics including multi-partner fertility (MPF), defined as having biological children with two or more partners. Yet estimates of MPF in the UK have not previously been available. This paper describes an ‘indirect approach’ to estimate the prevalence of MPF in the UK, for men and women, given different assumptions. The paper additionally explores differences in MPF according to own and parental educational attainment. Amongst those born in Britain in 1970, 12-14% of men and 15-18% of women experienced MPF by age 42, depending on the assumptions made. For most of the cohort, MPF occurred with two different coresidential partners. We have established that MPF is a common family formation in the UK, but there are large educational disparities in MPF prevalence.

PMID:38922521 | DOI:10.1007/s10680-024-09708-4

Asian Spine J. 2024 Jun 25. doi: 10.31616/asj.2022.0451. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective study.

PURPOSE: To compare and correlate technetium-99m methylene diphosphonate uptake between benign and metastatic bone lesions using semiquantitative analysis of maximum standard uptake value (SUVmax) and mean Hounsfield unit (HU) in single-photon emission computed tomography-computed tomography (SPECT-CT).

OVERVIEW OF LITERATURE: Qualitative interpretation of metastatic bone lesions in breast cancer on bone scintigraphy is often complicated by coexisting benign lesions.

METHODS: In total, 185 lesions were identified on bone and SPECT-CT scans from 32 patients. Lesions were classified as metastatic (109 sclerotic lesions) and benign (76 lesions) morphologically on low-dose CT. Semiquantitative analysis using SUVmax and mean HU was performed on the lesions and compared. To discriminate benign and metastatic lesions, the correlation between SUVmax and mean HU was determined using the intraclass correlation coefficients.

RESULTS: The SUVmax was higher in metastatic lesions (20.66±14.36) but lower in benign lesions (10.18±12.79) (p<0.001). The mean HU was lower in metastatic lesions (166.62±202.02) but higher in benign lesions (517.65±192.8) (p<0.001). A weak negative correlation was found between the SUVmax and the mean HU for benign lesions, and a weak positive correlation was noted between the SUVmax and the mean HU on malignant lesions with no statistical significance (p=0.394 and 0.312, respectively). The cutoff values obtained were 10.8 for SUVmax (82.6% sensitivity and 84.2% specificity) and 240.86 for the mean HU (98.7% sensitivity and 88.1% specificity) in differentiating benign from malignant bone lesions.

CONCLUSIONS: Semiquantitative assessment using SUVmax and HU can complement qualitative analysis. Metastatic lesions had higher SUVmax but lower mean HU than benign lesions, whereas benign lesions demonstrated higher mean HU but lower SUVmax. A weak correlation was found between the SUVmax and the mean HU on malignant and benign lesions. Cutoff values of 10.8 for the SUVmax and 240.86 for the mean HU may differentiate bone metastases from benign lesions.

PMID:38917860 | DOI:10.31616/asj.2022.0451

Asian Spine J. 2024 Jun 25. doi: 10.31616/asj.2023.0447. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective cohort study.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to assess the reliability of quantitative computed tomography (QCT) in measuring bone mineral density (BMD) of instrumented vertebrae and investigate the effect of less paraspinal muscle damage on BMD changes after lumbar interbody fusion.

OVERVIEW OF LITERATURE: Patients always experience a decrease in vertebral BMD after lumbar interbody fusion. However, to the best of our knowledge, no study has analyzed the effect of paraspinal muscles on BMD changes.

METHODS: This retrospective analysis included a total of 155 patients who underwent single-level lumbar fusion, with 81 patients in the traditional group and 74 patients in the Wiltse group (less paraspinal muscle damage). QCT was used to measure the volumetric BMD (vBMD), Hounsfield unit value, and cross-sectional area of the paraspinal muscles at the upper instrumented vertebrae (UIV), vertebrae one segment above the UIV (UIV+1), and the vertebrae one segment above the UIV+1 (UIV+2). Statistical analyses were performed.

RESULTS: No significant differences in general data were observed between the two groups (p>0.05). Strong correlations were noted between the preoperative and 1-week postoperative vBMD of each segment (p<0.01), with no significant difference between the two time points in both groups (p>0.05). Vertebral BMD loss was significantly higher in UIV+1 and UIV+2 in the traditional group than in the Wiltse group (-13.6%±19.1% vs. -4.2%±16.5%, -10.8%±20.3% vs. -0.9%±37.0%; p<0.05). However, no statistically significant difference was observed in the percent vBMD changes in the UIV segment between the two groups (37.7%±70.1% vs. 36.1%±78.7%, p>0.05).

CONCLUSIONS: QCT can reliably determine BMD in the instrumented spine after lumbar interbody fusion. With QCT, we found that reducing paraspinal muscle destruction through the Wiltse approach during surgery can help preserve the adjacent vertebral BMD; however, it does not help increase the BMD in the instrumented vertebrae.

PMID:38917852 | DOI:10.31616/asj.2023.0447

Physiol Meas. 2024 Jun 25. doi: 10.1088/1361-6579/ad5bbb. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

The cerebral vasculature is formed of an intricate network of blood vessels over many different length scales. Changes in their structure and connection are implicated in multiple cerebrovascular and neurological disorders. In this study, we present a novel approach to the quantitative analysis of the cerebral macrovasculature using computational and mathematical tools in a large dataset. &#xD;Approach. We analysed a publicly available vessel dataset from a cohort of 56 (32/24 F/M) healthy subjects. This dataset includes digital reconstructions of human brain macrovasculatures. We then propose a new mathematical model to compute blood flow dynamics and pressure distributions within these 56-representative cerebral macrovasculatures and quantify the results across this cohort.&#xD;Main results. Statistical analysis showed that the steady state level of cerebrovascular resistance (CVR) gradually increases with age in both men and women. These age-related changes in CVR are in good agreement with previously reported values. All subjects were found to have only small phase angles (< 6°) between blood pressure and blood flow at the cardiac frequency.&#xD;Significance. These results showed that the dynamic component of blood flow adds very little phase shift at the cardiac frequency, which implies that the cerebral macrocirculation can be regarded as close to steady state in its behaviour, at least in healthy populations, irrespective of age or sex. This implies that the phase shift observed in measurements of blood flow in cerebral vessels is caused by behaviour further down the vascular bed. This behaviour is important for future statistical models of the dynamic maintenance of oxygen and nutrient supply to the brain.

PMID:38917841 | DOI:10.1088/1361-6579/ad5bbb

J Phys Condens Matter. 2024 Jun 25. doi: 10.1088/1361-648X/ad5baf. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

In this manuscript, we undertake an examination of a classical plasma deployed on two finite co-planar surfaces: a circular region $Omega_{in}$ into an annular region $Omega_{out}$ with a gap in between. It is studied both from the point of view of statistical mechanics and the electrostatics of continua media. We employ a dual perspective: the first one is by using Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations to find the system’s positional correlation functions and velocity distributions. That by modeling the system as a classical two-dimensional Coulomb plasma of point-like charged particles $q_1$ and $q_2$ on the layers $Omega_{in}$ and $Omega_{out}$ respectively with no background density. The second one corresponds to a finite surface electrode composed of planar metallic layers displayed on the regions $Omega_{in}$, $Omega_{out}$ at constant voltages $V_{in}$, $V_{out}$ considering axial symmetry. The surface charge density is calculated by the Method of Moments (MoM) under the electrostatic approximation. Point-like and differential charges elements interact via a $1/r$ – electric potential in both cases. The thermodynamic averages of the number density, and electric potential due to the plasma depend on the coupling and the charge ratio $xi=q_1/q_2$ once the geometry of the layers is fixed. On the other hand, the fields due to the Surface Electrode (SE) depend on the layer’s geometry and their voltage. In the document, is defined a protocol to properly compare the systems. We show that there are values of the coupling parameter, where the thermodynamic averages computed via MD agree with the results of MoM for attractive $xi=-1$ and repulsive layers $xi=1$.

PMID:38917836 | DOI:10.1088/1361-648X/ad5baf

Biomed Mater. 2024 Jun 25. doi: 10.1088/1748-605X/ad5bac. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

This study was designed to deposit nanodiamonds on 3D-printed PCL scaffolds and evaluate their effect on the surface topography, hydrophilicity, degradation, and in-vitro cell adhesion compared to untreated PCL scaffolds. The PCL scaffold specimens were 3D-printed by fused deposition molding (FDM) technique with specific porosity parameters. The 3D-printed specimens’ surfaces were modified by nanodiamonds deposition followed by oxygen plasma post-treatment using a plasma focus (PF) device and a non-thermal atmospheric plasma jet (NTAPJ), respectively. Specimens were evaluated through morphological characterization by field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM), microstructure characterization by Raman spectroscopy, chemical characterization by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, hydrophilicity degree by contact angle and water uptake measurements, and in-vitro degradation measurements (n=6). In addition, in-vitro bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) adhesion was evaluated quantitatively by Confocal microscopy and qualitatively by FESEM at different time intervals after cell seeding (n=6). The statistical significance level was set at p ≤0.05. The FESEM micrographs, the Raman, and FTIR spectra confirmed the successful surface deposition of nanodiamonds on scaffold specimens. The nanodiamonds treated specimens showed nano-scale features distributed homogeneously across the surface compared to the untreated ones. Also, the nanodiamonds treated specimens revealed a statistically significant smaller contact angle (17.45 ±1.34 degrees), higher water uptake percentage after 24 h immersion in phosphate buffer saline (PBS) (21.56% ±1.73), and higher degradation rate after six months of immersion in PBS (43.92% ±0.77). Moreover, enhanced cell adhesion at all different time intervals was observed in nanodiamonds treated specimens with higher nuclei area fraction percentage (69.87% ±3.97) compared to the untreated specimens (11.46% ±1.34). Surface deposition of nanodiamonds with oxygen-containing functional groups on 3D-printed PCL scaffolds increased their hydrophilicity and degradation rate with significant enhancement of the in-vitro cell adhesion compared to untreated PCL scaffolds.

PMID:38917826 | DOI:10.1088/1748-605X/ad5bac

Ultraschall Med. 2024 Jun 25. doi: 10.1055/a-2296-3484. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: Post-stroke depression (PSD) is a common complication after stroke and has a substantial effect on the quality of life of patients. Nevertheless, reliable individual prediction of PSD is not possible. As depressive symptoms have been associated with brainstem raphe (BR) hypoechogenicity on transcranial sonography (TCS), we aimed to explore the association of BR hypoechogenicity and the occurrence of PSD.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: The Prognostic Markers of Post-Stroke Depression (PROMoSD) study is a prospective, observational, single-center, investigator-initiated study that included patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) to investigate the presence of BR hypoechogenicity by TCS early after symptom onset. The primary outcome was the presence of PSD assessed at the three-month follow-up investigation by a blinded psychiatrist and defined according to the fifth version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V criteria).

RESULTS: From 105 included AIS patients, 99 patients completed the study. AIS patients with a hypoechogenic BR developed a PSD at three months more frequently compared to patients with normal echogenicity (48.0% versus 4.1%, P <0.001). After adjustment for confounders (sex, mRS at follow-up, previous depressive episode), a hypoechogenic BR remained independently associated with a substantial increase in the appearance of PSD (adjusted OR: 6.371, 95%-CI: 1.181-34.362).

CONCLUSION: A hypoechogenic BR is a strong and independent predictor of PSD at three months after AIS. TCS could be a routine tool to assess PSD risk in clinical practice, thereby streamlining diagnostic and therapeutic algorithms.

PMID:38917825 | DOI:10.1055/a-2296-3484

Bioinformatics. 2024 Jun 25:btae419. doi: 10.1093/bioinformatics/btae419. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

MOTIVATION: Genetic variants present differential effects on humans according to various environmental exposures, the so-called “gene-environment interactions” (GxE). Many diseases can be diagnosed with multiple traits, such as obesity, diabetes, and dyslipidemia. I developed a multivariate scale test (MST) for detecting the GxE of a disease with several continuous traits. Given a significant MST result, I continued to search for which trait and which E enriched the GxE signals. Simulation studies were performed to compare MST with the univariate scale test (UST).

RESULTS: MST can gain more power than UST because of (1) integrating more traits with GxE information and (2) the less harsh penalty on multiple testing. However, if only few traits account for GxE, MST may lose power due to aggregating non-informative traits into the test statistic. As an example, MST was applied to a discovery set of 93,708 Taiwan Biobank (TWB) individuals and a replication set of 25,200 TWB individuals. From among 2,570,487 SNPs with minor allele frequencies ≥ 5%, MST identified 18 independent variance quantitative trait loci (p < 2.4E-9 in the discovery cohort and p < 2.8E-5 in the replication cohort) and 41 GxE signals (p < 0.00027) based on eight trait domains (including 29 traits).

AVAILABILITY: https://github.com/WanYuLin/Multivariate-scale-test-MST.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

PMID:38917408 | DOI:10.1093/bioinformatics/btae419