Category: Statistics

Dent Mater. 2024 Jun 28:S0109-5641(24)00183-0. doi: 10.1016/j.dental.2024.06.026. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To assess the influence of calcination process on the properties of minimally processed recycled 3Y-TZP, and to compare it with its commercial counterpart.

METHODS: Non-milled 3Y-TZP waste was collected, fragmented and ball-milled to a granulometric < 5 µm. Half of the recycled powder was calcined at 900 °C. Recycled 3Y-TZP disks were uniaxially pressed and sintered to create two recycled groups: 1) Calcined and 2) Non-calcined to be compared with a commercial CAD/CAM milled 3Y-TZP. The microstructure of experimental groups was assessed through density (n = 6), scanning electron microscopy (n = 3) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (n = 3); and the crystalline content was evaluated through X-ray diffraction (XRD) (n = 3). Optical and mechanical properties were investigated through reflectance tests (n = 10), and Vickers hardness, fracture toughness (n = 5), and biaxial flexural strength tests (n = 16), respectively. Fractographic analysis was performed to identify fracture origin and crack propagation. Statistical analyses were performed through ANOVA followed by Tukey´s test, and by Weibull statistics.

RESULTS: Particle size distribution of recycled powder revealed an average diameter of ∼1.60 µm. The relative density of all experimental groups was > 98.15 % and XRD analysis exhibited a predominance of tetragonal-phase in both recycled groups, which were similar to the crystallographic pattern of the control group. Cross-section micrographs presented flaws on the non-calcined group, and a more homogeneous microstructure for the calcined and commercial groups. Commercial samples showed lower contrast-ratio and higher translucency-parameter than the recycled groups, where non-calcined presented higher translucency-parameter and lower contrast-ratio than its calcined counterpart. The commercial group presented higher fracture toughness and characteristic strength than the recycled groups. Moreover, the calcined group exhibited higher hardness, characteristic strength, and probability of survival at higher loads than the non-calcined group. Fractographic analysis depicted the presence of microstructural flaws in the non-calcined group, which may have acted as stress-raisers and led to failures at lower flexural strengths values.

SIGNIFICANCE: The calcination process improved the microstructure, optical, and mechanical properties of the recycled 3Y-TZP.

PMID:38944559 | DOI:10.1016/j.dental.2024.06.026

J Voice. 2024 Jun 28:S0892-1997(24)00182-6. doi: 10.1016/j.jvoice.2024.06.010. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: To determine the efficacy of a hybrid group telepractice program in voice therapy for primary school teachers.

METHOD: The participants, consisting of 12 teachers with voice disorders (three males and nine females), participated in 11 sessions of the telepractice program, divided into one training session on vocal hygiene, five practice sessions by themselves, and five group practice sessions in 5weeks. Data on the vocal handicap index (VHI) measure was obtained pre- and post-intervention. The voice analysis included fundamental frequency (local), jitter (local), shimmer (local), harmonic-to-noise ratio (local), and maximum phonation time assessed by Praat software.

RESULT: The VHI assessment revealed a statistically significant difference (P < 0.05) in the emotional domain. There was no statistically significant difference (P > 0.05) in physical, functional, and total scores. Both males and females had no statistically significant difference (P > 0.05) in mean fundamental frequency. However, there was a statistically significant difference (P < 0.05) in jitter (local), shimmer (local), harmonics-to-noise ratio (local), and the maximum phonation time.

CONCLUSION: The group telepractice program in voice therapy for primary school teachers was effective. It could be utilized for voice therapy to prevent voice disorder problems in teachers.

PMID:38944541 | DOI:10.1016/j.jvoice.2024.06.010

Lancet. 2024 Jun 29;403(10446):2783-2784. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(24)01123-1.

NO ABSTRACT

PMID:38944522 | DOI:10.1016/S0140-6736(24)01123-1

Soins Gerontol. 2024 Jul-Aug;29(168):31-38. doi: 10.1016/j.sger.2024.04.010. Epub 2024 Jun 18.

ABSTRACT

Geriatric in-patient dermatoses are diverse. Few data in Morocco describe the epidemiological profile and factors associated with average length of stay (LOS). Our aim was to identify these dermatoses and determine the factors associated with LOS.

PMID:38944471 | DOI:10.1016/j.sger.2024.04.010

Thorac Surg Clin. 2024 Aug;34(3):239-247. doi: 10.1016/j.thorsurg.2024.04.001. Epub 2024 May 4.

ABSTRACT

Abuse, bullying, harassment, and discrimination are prominent workplace occurrences within cardiothoracic (CT) surgery that cause burnout and threaten the well-being of surgeons. Under-represented and marginalized groups experience higher incidences of these negative events, and CT surgery is one of the least diverse specialties. The CT surgery workforce and institutional leadership must prioritize mentorship, sponsorship, and allyship to promote a diverse and healthy specialty for surgeon recruitment, growth, and job satisfaction.

PMID:38944451 | DOI:10.1016/j.thorsurg.2024.04.001

J Appl Microbiol. 2024 Jun 29:lxae163. doi: 10.1093/jambio/lxae163. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

AIMS: Shellfish production areas are classified for suitability for human consumption using counts of E.coli in shellfish samples. Two alternative laboratory methods are approved in the EU and UK for measuring E. coli in shellfish samples; the MPN and pour plate methods. These methods have inherently different statistical uncertainty and may give different counts for the same sample. Using two approaches: simulated data and spiking experiments, we investigate the theoretical properties of the two methods to determine their reliability for shellfish waters classification.

METHODS AND RESULTS: Assuming a Poisson distribution of E. coli in shellfish samples, we simulate concentrations in 10,000 samples using the MPN and pour plate methods. We show that for higher concentrations of E. coli the pour plate method becomes increasingly more reliable than the MPN method. The MPN method has higher probabilities than pour plate of generating results exceeding shellfish classification thresholds, while conversely having higher probabilities of failing to detect counts that exceed regulatory thresholds. The theoretical analysis also demonstrates that the MPN method can produce genuine extreme outliers, even when E. coli are randomly distributed within the sampled material. A laboratory spiking experiment showed results consistent with the theoretical analysis, suggesting the Poisson assumption used in the theoretical analysis is reasonable.

CONCLUSION: The large differences in statistical properties between the pour plate and MPN methods should be taken into consideration in classifying shellfish beds, with the pour plate method being more reliable over the crucial range of E. coli concentrations used to determine class boundaries.

PMID:38944416 | DOI:10.1093/jambio/lxae163

J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2024 Jun 27:S0091-6749(24)00637-7. doi: 10.1016/j.jaci.2024.06.013. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) play important roles in therapeutic applications by regulating immune responses.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the safety and efficacy of allogenic human bone marrow-derived clonal MSCs (hcMSCs) in subjects with moderate to severe atopic dermatitis (AD).

METHODS: The study included a phase I open-label trial followed by a phase II randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial that involved 72 subjects with moderate to severe AD.

RESULTS: In phase I, intravenous (IV) administration of hcMSCs at two doses (1×10⁶ and 5×10⁵ cells/kg) was safe and well-tolerated in 20 subjects. Since there was no difference between the two dosage groups (P=0.9), it was decided to administer low-dose hcMSCs only for phase II. In phase II, subjects receiving three weekly IV infusions of hcMSCs at 5×10⁵ cells/kg showed a higher proportion of an eczema area and severity index (EASI)-50 response at week 12 compared to the placebo group (P=0.038). The differences between groups in the dermatology life quality index and pruritus numerical-rating scale scores were not statistically significant. Most adverse events were mild or moderate and resolved by the end of the study period.

CONCLUSIONS: Our findings demonstrate that hcMSCs treatment resulted in a significantly higher rate of achieving EASI-50 at 12 weeks compared to the control group in subjects with moderate to severe AD. The safety profile of hcMSCs treatment was acceptable. Further larger-scale studies are necessary to confirm these preliminary findings.

PMID:38944393 | DOI:10.1016/j.jaci.2024.06.013

Urology. 2024 Jun 27:S0090-4295(24)00512-0. doi: 10.1016/j.urology.2024.06.058. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To identify characteristics of published manuscripts following a regional American Urological Association (AUA) meeting and recognize trends of publication rates over a 13-year timeframe.

METHODS: Abstract submissions to the Mid-Atlantic AUA (MA-AUA) conference from 2008 to 2020 were collected. Manuscripts were searched using abstract titles and authors in a standard fashion using PubMed, Google Scholar, and Google. Characteristic data was collected, including abstract type (podium or poster), abstract category, first author gender, manuscript publication date, and journal of publication. Univariate and multivariate analysis determined association of these variables with manuscript publication.

RESULTS: 1257 abstracts were presented between 2008 and 2020, of which 458 (36%) were published as manuscripts and 799 (64%) were not published. Of the published manuscripts, 55 (12%) were published prior to the conference date and 403 (88%) were published after. Our analysis was limited to the 403 manuscripts published post-meeting and the 799 abstracts that were not published, with N=1202. Amongst the 403 published post-meeting, the mean time to publication was 14.8 months ± 13.2 months. Podium presentations had a higher proportion of publications than those of posters (39.4% vs 30.5%, p=0.002). There was a statistically significant difference in proportion of publications between years (p=0.002). No association was noted between abstract first author gender and publication (38.7% male vs. 39.2% female, p=0.899).

CONCLUSIONS: Approximately one-third of presented abstracts from a major urologic conference were published with an average time to publication of 15 months. Publication percentage varied significantly between different years. Podium presentations had a higher publication rate compared to non-podium abstracts.

PMID:38944386 | DOI:10.1016/j.urology.2024.06.058

J Infect Chemother. 2024 Jun 27:S1341-321X(24)00171-5. doi: 10.1016/j.jiac.2024.06.015. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection occurs in immunosuppressed individuals and is known to increase mortality. Patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are often treated with steroids, require intensive care unit (ICU) treatment, and may therefore be at risk for HCMV infection. However, which factors predispose severely ill patients with COVID-19 to HCMV infection and the prognostic value of such infections remain largely unexplored. This study aimed to examine the incidence and potential risk factors of HCMV infection in patients with severe or critical COVID-19 and evaluate the relationship between HCMV infection and mortality.

METHODS AND FINDINGS: We used administrative claims data from advanced treatment hospitals in Japan to identify and analyze patients with severe or critical COVID-19. We explored potential risk factors for HCMV infection using multivariable regression models and their contribution to mortality in patients with COVID-19. Overall, 33,151 patients who progressed to severe or critical COVID-19 illness were identified. The incidence of HCMV infection was 0.3-1.7% depending on the definition of HCMV infection. Steroids, immunosuppressants, ICU admission, and blood transfusion were strongly associated with HCMV infection. Furthermore, HCMV infection was associated with patient mortality independent of the observed risk factors for death.

CONCLUSIONS: HCMV infection is a notable complication in patients with severe or critical COVID-19 who are admitted to the ICU or receive steroids, immunosuppressants, and blood transfusion and can significantly increase mortality risk.

PMID:38944381 | DOI:10.1016/j.jiac.2024.06.015

Int J Biostat. 2024 Jul 1. doi: 10.1515/ijb-2023-0050. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Traditional methods for Sample Size Determination (SSD) based on power analysis exploit relevant fixed values or preliminary estimates for the unknown parameters. A hybrid classical-Bayesian approach can be used to formally incorporate information or model uncertainty on unknown quantities by using prior distributions according to the Bayesian approach, while still analysing the data in a frequentist framework. In this paper, we propose a hybrid procedure for SSD in two-arm superiority trials, that takes into account the different role played by the unknown parameters involved in the statistical power. Thus, different prior distributions are used to formalize design expectations and to model information or uncertainty on preliminary estimates involved at the analysis stage. To illustrate the method, we consider binary data and derive the proposed hybrid criteria using three possible parameters of interest, i.e. the difference between proportions of successes, the logarithm of the relative risk and the logarithm of the odds ratio. Numerical examples taken from the literature are presented to show how to implement the proposed procedure.

PMID:38943460 | DOI:10.1515/ijb-2023-0050