Category: Statistics

Acta Neurochir (Wien). 2024 Jul 15;166(1):297. doi: 10.1007/s00701-024-06178-9.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: The trigeminocardiac reflex (TCR) has traditionally been characterized by a sudden decrease in heart rate, asystole, or hypotension during the manipulation of the trigeminal nerve (MTN) or its branches. While this classical TCR is well-documented, there is limited literature on alternative forms of TCR, such as the development of intraoperative hypertension (HTN) or tachycardia, and the underlying pathogenesis. Furthermore, a gap exists in understanding the correlation between intraoperative blood pressure readings and postoperative outcomes, particularly regarding pain relief in patients with trigeminal neuralgia (TN). Our study aims to examine intraoperative blood pressure trends during microvascular decompression (MVD) for TN and assess their impact on postoperative outcomes.

METHODS: We selected 90 patients who underwent MVD for TN treatment. Blood pressure and heart rate were recorded both preoperatively and during the procedure, specifically during the MTN period, using an arterial line. The Barrow Neurological Institute (BNI) Pain Scale was calculated for all patients both pre- and post-operatively to evaluate pain relief after surgery.

RESULTS: The mean age of the patients was 61.0 ± 12.35 years, with 64.4% being females. Classical TCR (hypotension) was observed in only 2.2% of patients, whereas 80% of patients developed hypertension (≥ 140/90) during MTN. The mean preoperative systolic blood pressure was 128 ± 22.25, and the mean intraoperative systolic blood pressure during MTN was 153.1 ± 20.2. An analysis of covariance, utilizing either preoperative BNI or duration of symptoms as covariate variables, revealed a statistically significant association between intraoperative HTN and postoperative BNI. A linear regression model demonstrated that intraoperative HTN following MTN significantly predicted a lower postoperative BNI score (p = 0.006).

CONCLUSIONS: Intraoperative HTN during MTN, an observed yet underexplored phenomenon, demonstrated a correlation with improved postoperative outcomes. Furthermore, it is recommended to conduct additional investigations into potential neurovascular conflicts in patients not manifesting intraoperative HTN following MTN. A comprehensive understanding of TCR, encompassing its various forms, is vital for optimizing surgical management. This study underscores the imperative for further research to unravel the mechanisms linking intraoperative HTN to surgical outcomes in TN patients.

PMID:39004670 | DOI:10.1007/s00701-024-06178-9

Eur J Epidemiol. 2024 Jul 15. doi: 10.1007/s10654-024-01137-1. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

The human sex ratio at birth (SRB) undergoes temporary changes around a mean proportion of 0.51 male births. SRB has been well studied for historical, geographical, and secular trends, but until now not linked to health outcomes in the total population, e.g. for cardiovascular disease (CVD) or mortality during follow-up of birth cohorts. We used linkage analysis based on national registers in Sweden that cover all births from 1900 to 2016. SRB at birth was calculated by every 10-year birth cohort in all survivors living in 1997 for a follow-up analysis of risk of CVD and mortality with data from national registers. When the highest quartile of SRB was used as reference, a slightly increased risk of fatal CVD (HR 1.03 (95% confidence intervals, CI): 1.02-1.04), non-fatal CVD (HR 1.01; 95%CI: 1.01-1.02) and mortality (HR 1.02; 95%CI, 1.01-1.03) was found after full adjustments in men belonging to the lowest SRB quartile. A similar pattern was also found for fatal CHD in women. in the lowest SBR quartile compared to the highest, HR 1.03 (95%CI: 1.02-1.05). In conclusion, in birth cohorts with a relatively lower than expected number of males born, long-term adverse health effects were observed with slightly increased cardiovascular risk and total mortality at the population level. This could indicate that men belonging to so-called “culled cohorts” in a developed country during the 20th century are characterized by a slightly increased risk that could reflect negative early life influences and environmental exposures in pregnant women resulting in selective loss of male embryos or fetuses. In a public health perspective SRB could be of some importance to monitor as an aspect of birth statistics linked to relatively minor population health effects.

PMID:39004637 | DOI:10.1007/s10654-024-01137-1

Nutr Diabetes. 2024 Jul 14;14(1):53. doi: 10.1038/s41387-024-00308-z.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Limited studies have investigated the correlation between fat distribution and the risk of diabetic retinopathy (DR) in the general population with diabetes. The relationship between obesity and DR remains inconclusive, possibly due to using simple anthropometric measures to define obesity. This study investigates the relationships between the android-to-gynoid fat ratio (A/G ratio, measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry) and DR within the US population with diabetes.

METHODS: The study used a population-based, cross-sectional approach based on the 2003-2006 and 2011-2018 data of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed on participants with diabetes to evaluate the contribution of body mass index (BMI), waist-to-height ratio (WHtR), and A/G ratio to the prevalence of DR.

RESULTS: The prevalence of DR was 22.2, 21.2, and 17.6% among participants with A/G ratios <1.0, 1.0-1.2, and ≥1.2, respectively. After adjusting sex, age, ethnicity, diabetes duration, hemoglobin A1c level, blood pressure level, and non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level, a higher A/G ratio (≥1.2) was independently associated with decreased odds of DR (odds ratio [OR], 0.565; 95% CI: 0.372-0.858) compared with the A/G ratio of 1.0-1.2. Associations between a higher A/G ratio and DR remained statistically significant after adjusting for BMI (OR, 0.567; 95% CI: 0.373-0.861) and WHtR (OR, 0.586; 95% CI: 0.379-0.907). Moreover, these associations remained statistically significant in analyses using the ethnic-specific tertiles for the A/G ratio. In sex-stratified models, these correlations remained in males. There was a significant inverse association between the A/G ratio and diabetes duration in males, which persisted after multivariable adjustments (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS: A novel finding indicates that a higher A/G ratio is associated with a reduced likelihood of DR in males with diabetes. The results from NHANES underscore the importance of considering imaging-based fat distribution as a critical indicator in clinical practice.

PMID:39004614 | DOI:10.1038/s41387-024-00308-z

West Afr J Med. 2024 Apr 30;41(4):475-480.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Satisfied patients adhere more to counselling, prescribed treatment and referrals. Few studies reveal the sub-scales of satisfaction and predictors of satisfaction in north-western Nigeria.

OBJECTIVES: To determine patients’ overall satisfaction with healthcare provision and their predictors at a secondary hospital in Kaduna metropolis, Kaduna State, North-Western Nigeria.

METHODS: A descriptive, cross-sectional exit survey of 390 consenting patients selected by systematic sampling from outpatient clinics in June 2022. The data collection tool was a standardized, structured questionnaire electronically administered using the “Kobo Collect” app. Data were analysed using SPSS (version 23); the chi- square (x ) test was used for bivariate analysis (at P<0.05) and ordinal regression (using the generalized linear model method) was used to determine predictors of satisfaction.

RESULTS: The general satisfaction among respondents was 60.5%; age, sex, highest education attained and employment status were significantly associated with general satisfaction (p<0.05). Positive predictors of satisfaction were financial aspects, time spent with doctors, communication as well as accessibility and convenience.

CONCLUSION: Patients’ overall satisfaction was above average. Predictors of satisfaction included financial aspects, time spent with doctors, communication, accessibility and convenience. Careful attention to these domains will enhance patient satisfaction with care in our secondary hospitals.

PMID:39003770

J Esthet Restor Dent. 2024 Jul 14. doi: 10.1111/jerd.13279. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: The color matching of single-shade resin composites after in-office whitening was investigated.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Four single-shade resin composites were used. A total of 35% hydrogen peroxide was used as the whitening agent. The resin composite was placed in a cavity of an artificially discolored bovine tooth. The color differences between the restoration and surrounding enamel before and after whitening were determined based on ΔE*_ab, ΔE₀₀, and ΔWI_D. The color stability, surface roughness (Sa), and surface gloss (GU) of the resin composite alone were also evaluated. Statistical analyses were performed using repeated-measures analysis of variance with the Tukey-Kramer test.

RESULTS: Based on the 50:50% of perceptibility and acceptability thresholds of ΔE*_ab and ΔE₀₀, none of the resin composite restorations were clinically acceptable before or after whitening. Regarding ΔWI_D, although all resin composites showed “acceptable match” in the baseline, they showed “mismatch” after the third session of whitening. Most of the resin composites alone were stable in color against whitening.

CONCLUSIONS: Although the single-shade resin composites failed to achieve the expected color matching on discolored teeth either before or after the whitening, the impact of the whitening on the color of the resin composite alone may be negligible.

PMID:39003761 | DOI:10.1111/jerd.13279

Int J Environ Health Res. 2024 Jul 14:1-9. doi: 10.1080/09603123.2024.2377312. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Jointpoint Regression Software from the National Cancer Institute was used to model age-adjusted male and female pleural and peritoneal mesothelioma rates in the surveillance, epidemiology, and end results (SEER) 8, SEER 12, and SEER 22 cancer registries. Linear mixed models were then used to determine if there was a statistical association between U.S. cosmetic talc consumption and the 30-year lagged age-adjusted mesothelioma rates (1) over the reporting period for each registry and (2) for the periods of time identified by the jointpoint model where changes in the rate of mesothelioma occurred. Regardless of the SEER registry used, from the early-1980s through 2020, rates of peritoneal mesothelioma have remained steady or declined. Female pleural mesothelioma rates were unchanged from the early-1980s until 2017 when rates declined, while male rates peaked in the early 1990s and have since declined. Cosmetic talc consumption was not statistically associated with an increased rate of pleural or peritoneal mesothelioma in males or females, suggesting that the use of cosmetic talc products is not associated with the development of mesothelioma.

PMID:39003755 | DOI:10.1080/09603123.2024.2377312

Brief Bioinform. 2024 May 23;25(4):bbae341. doi: 10.1093/bib/bbae341.

ABSTRACT

Recent advances in chromatin conformation capture technologies, such as SPRITE and Pore-C, have enabled the detection of simultaneous contacts among multiple chromatin loci. This has made it possible to investigate the cooperative transcriptional regulation involving multiple genes and regulatory elements at the resolution of a single molecule. However, these technologies are unavoidably subject to the random polymer looping effect and technical biases, making it challenging to distinguish genuine regulatory relationships directly from random polymer interactions. Here, we present HyperloopFinder, a method for identifying regulatory multi-way chromatin contacts (hyperloops) by jointly modeling the random polymer looping effect and technical biases to estimate the statistical significance of multi-way contacts. The results show that our model can accurately estimate the expected interaction frequency of multi-way contacts based on the distance distribution of pairwise contacts, revealing that most multi-way contacts can be formed by randomly linking the pairwise contacts adjacent to each other. Moreover, we observed the spatial colocalization of the interaction sites of hyperloops from image-based data. Our results also revealed that hyperloops can function as scaffolds for the cooperation among multiple genes and regulatory elements. In summary, our work contributes novel insights into higher-order chromatin structures and functions and has the potential to enhance our understanding of transcriptional regulation and other cellular processes.

PMID:39003726 | DOI:10.1093/bib/bbae341

Probl Sotsialnoi Gig Zdravookhranenniiai Istor Med. 2024 Jun;32(Special Issue 1):659-663. doi: 10.32687/0869-866X-2024-32-s1-659-663.

ABSTRACT

Currently, one of the most important health and social problems in the world is the constant increase in injuries and deaths at work. Statistics show that timely provision of first aid to victims has a positive effect on further medical support and a reduction in the number of deaths. First aid for crew members of sea vessels is a set of simple medical actions performed by seafarers directly on board the ship, as soon as possible after an injury or illness. As a rule, it is associated with emergency resuscitation of the victim. The lack of necessary skills and training among current ship crew members to carry out first aid operations shows an objective need to develop recommendatory measures to revise the current training system.

PMID:39003717 | DOI:10.32687/0869-866X-2024-32-s1-659-663

Probl Sotsialnoi Gig Zdravookhranenniiai Istor Med. 2024 Jun;32(Special Issue 1):628-632. doi: 10.32687/0869-866X-2024-32-s1-628-632.

ABSTRACT

Chronic non-communicable diseases (CNCDs) are the main most common causes of death both in the Russian Federation and in the Republic of Tatarstan. Thus, in the traditional structure of mortality in the Republic of Tatarstan in 2022, a “classical triad” is defined: diseases of the circulatory system are in first place (46% of all deaths), neoplasms are in second place (15%), and external causes are in third place. (7.3%). As throughout the world, during the coronavirus infection there was an increase in population mortality from all causes, mainly from diseases of the circulatory system (hereinafter referred to as CVD), as well as directly from coronavirus infection, which is the cause of almost every fifth death in the Republic of Tatarstan in 2021. The peak of coronavirus infection reduced the average age of death from cardiovascular causes by 4.5 years in men and by 4 years in women. It was revealed that in the Republic of Tatarstan the probability of death from diseases of the circulatory system and endocrine system in women is higher than in men; In men, on the contrary, there is a higher probability of death from respiratory diseases, cancer and external causes.

PMID:39003712 | DOI:10.32687/0869-866X-2024-32-s1-628-632

Probl Sotsialnoi Gig Zdravookhranenniiai Istor Med. 2024 Jun;32(Special Issue 1):577-581. doi: 10.32687/0869-866X-2024-32-s1-577-581.

ABSTRACT

In the information 21st century, almost everyone interacts with technical devices, including gadgets. A gadget is a small device designed to make life easier and better. Gadgets most often include smartphones, computers, tablets, headphones, smartphone speakers, smart watches and much more. In this article, we will focus on the most common gadgets – a smartphone and a computer, and also consider their effect on the student’s body. The results of a social survey of students of the Admiral F. F. Ushakov State Maritime University on the indicator of smartphone screen time used and their well-being from this are presented. The authors show that the abuse of time spent in gadgets negatively affects the state of both physical and mental health of students. The article provides recommendations for a painless interaction.

PMID:39003703 | DOI:10.32687/0869-866X-2024-32-s1-577-581