Category: Statistics

JMIR Res Protoc. 2024 Mar 13;13:e54251. doi: 10.2196/54251.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Social cognitive impairments are prevalent in schizophrenia spectrum disorder (SSD) and have detrimental effects on functioning. Cognitive remediation (CR) has shown its efficacy in improving social cognitive impairments, although the transfer of these skills to daily life and the personalization of these interventions remain challenging. RC2S (Remédiation Cognitive de la Cognition Sociale dans la Schizophrénie; Cognitive remediation of social cognition in Schizophrenia) is a French CR that combines the learning of strategies and practice using paper-and-pencil exercises and digital relational simulations. This French program was designed as an in-person intervention.

OBJECTIVE: This project aims to culturally adapt the RC2S program, in French-Canadian and North American English and to assess the feasibility, acceptability, safety, and implementation of a remote version in people with SSD. An exploratory objective is to assess the preliminary effect of remote RC2S on goal attainment, social cognition, and psychosocial outcomes.

METHODS: We will use a pre-post quasi-experimental design. First, the translation and cultural adaptation in North American English and French-Canadian of RC2S is presented. Then, 20 participants aged ≥18 years with a diagnosis of SSD, presenting with a subjective or an objective impairment in social cognition, will be included to receive RC2S. In addition, 5 therapists will be included as research participants to assess their perspective on RC2S. Participants with SSD will undergo a baseline remote assessment of their social cognition, clinical symptoms, and functioning. They will then start remote RC2S for 24 biweekly individual 1-hour sessions with a therapist. Following the case formulation and goal setting, participants will complete personalized paper-and-pencil exercises to develop strategies and integrative digital relational simulations, during which they will help an avatar navigate through a variety of social contexts and relationships. The last 2 sessions are dedicated to the transfer to daily life. All participants will complete in-session questionnaires assessing therapeutic alliance, motivation, acceptability, feasibility, and implementation. Following RC2S, the participants with SSD will repeat the same assessment as the baseline. Descriptive statistics will be used to summarize the data about acceptability, feasibility, safety, and implementation. To assess the preliminary effect of RC2S, an intention-to-treat approach will be used with linear mixed models for repeated measures with fixed effects of time.

RESULTS: So far, 45% (9/20) of participants with SSD (mean age 37.9, SD 9.3 years) have completed the project. They received a mean of 20.5 out of 24 (SD 3.5) sessions of RC2S. A total of 5 therapists also completed the project.

CONCLUSIONS: Improving social cognitive impairments is an important target in SSD to promote functional recovery. Using digital technologies to address these impairments and deliver the intervention is a promising approach to increase the ecological validity of CR and access to the intervention.

TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05017532; https://classic.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05017532.

INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): DERR1-10.2196/54251.

PMID:38477975 | DOI:10.2196/54251

JMIR Form Res. 2024 Mar 13;8:e49462. doi: 10.2196/49462.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: To safeguard the most vulnerable individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic, numerous governments enforced measures such as stay-at-home orders, social distancing, and self-isolation. These social restrictions had a particularly negative effect on older adults, as they are more vulnerable and experience increased loneliness, which has various adverse effects, including increasing the risk of mental health problems and mortality. Chatbots can potentially reduce loneliness and provide companionship during a pandemic. However, existing chatbots do not cater to the specific needs of older adult populations.

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to develop a user-friendly chatbot tailored to the specific needs of older adults with anxiety or depressive disorders during the COVID-19 pandemic and to examine their perspectives on mental health chatbot use. The primary research objective was to investigate whether chatbots can mitigate the psychological stress of older adults during COVID-19.

METHODS: Participants were older adults belonging to two age groups (≥65 years and <65 years) from a psychiatric outpatient department who had been diagnosed with depressive or anxiety disorders by certified psychiatrists according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (Fifth Edition) (DSM-5) criteria. The participants were required to use mobile phones, have internet access, and possess literacy skills. The chatbot’s content includes monitoring and tracking health data and providing health information. Participants had access to the chatbot for at least 4 weeks. Self-report questionnaires for loneliness, depression, and anxiety were administered before and after chatbot use. The participants also rated their attitudes toward the chatbot.

RESULTS: A total of 35 participants (mean age 65.21, SD 7.51 years) were enrolled in the trial, comprising 74% (n=26) female and 26% (n=9) male participants. The participants demonstrated a high utilization rate during the intervention, with over 82% engaging with the chatbot daily. Loneliness significantly improved in the older group ≥65 years. This group also responded positively to the chatbot, as evidenced by changes in University of California Los Angeles Loneliness Scale scores, suggesting that this demographic can derive benefits from chatbot interaction. Conversely, the younger group, <65 years, exhibited no significant changes in loneliness after the intervention. Both the older and younger age groups provided good scores in relation to chatbot design with respect to usability (mean scores of 6.33 and 6.05, respectively) and satisfaction (mean scores of 5.33 and 5.15, respectively), rated on a 7-point Likert scale.

CONCLUSIONS: The chatbot interface was found to be user-friendly and demonstrated promising results among participants 65 years and older who were receiving care at psychiatric outpatient clinics and experiencing relatively stable symptoms of depression and anxiety. The chatbot not only provided caring companionship but also showed the potential to alleviate loneliness during the challenging circumstances of a pandemic.

PMID:38477965 | DOI:10.2196/49462

Iran J Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2023 Dec 28;22(6):536-550. doi: 10.18502/ijaai.v22i6.14643.

ABSTRACT

MicroRNAs (miRs) play a role in several diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The purpose of this study was to discover new microRNAs and investigate their involvement in RA, examining their connections with inflammation and metabolic markers. New microRNAs related to RA were predicted using Mirbase and TargetScan databases based on RA target genes. The relationships between miRNAs and targets were visualized with Cytoscape software. Real-time polymerase chain reaction confirmed detectable miRNAs and metabolic factors were assessed using immunoassay and spectrometry methods in RA patients and healthy subjects. Four microRNAs (hsa-miR-153-5p, hsa-miR-4270, hsa-miR-4441, and hsa-miR-6754-5p) showed the highest correlation with RA target genes among millions of microRNAs. The expression of miR-146b (fold change=1.8) and miR-4441 (fold change=1.7) was notably reduced, while miR-4270 showed upregulation (fold change=1.8) in plasma from RA patients compared to healthy individuals. MiR-6754 exhibited a decrease (fold change=1.3) but was statistically insignificant. MiR-153-5p expression was undetectable in plasma. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis indicated that miR-4441, with an area under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.7728, and miR-4270 (AUC=0.7353) were promising biomarkers for RA. The expression of these studied miRNAs significantly correlated with essential clinical characteristics, including liver enzymes, cholesterol, phosphorus, and vitamin D3. Our findings suggest that miR-4270 and miR-4441, present in the circulation, exhibit distinct expression patterns in RA. These microRNAs may serve as links between inflammation and metabolism and represent promising new biomarkers for this disease.

PMID:38477951 | DOI:10.18502/ijaai.v22i6.14643

Iran J Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2023 Dec 28;22(6):527-535. doi: 10.18502/ijaai.v22i6.14642.

ABSTRACT

The aim of asthma treatment is to reduce airway inflammation by avoiding environmental triggers and using daily anti-inflammatory medications. This study aimed to compare the effects of fluticasone propionate (FP) and budesonide (Bud) on the clinical symptoms and control of asthma in children with moderate to severe asthma. In this open-label study, children with moderate to severe asthma were randomly selected to receive either FP 250 mcg or Bud 400 mcg for 3 months. Asthma control test scores were measured in both groups monthly. The clinical symptoms, drug adherence, and rescue medication were also evaluated. A total of 50 patients with ages between 4 and 7 years old were included in the study (25 cases received Bud and 25 cases received FP). Asthma control test scores, daily and nocturnal symptoms, and cough rates were significantly improved in both groups. The average asthma control scores for the fluticasone group were 21.68±3.32 in the second month and 24.84±2.67 in the third month, whereas the budesonide group had scores of 18.52±3.32 and 22.48±4.12 during the same periods. These variances were statistically significant. Additionally, the requirement for salbutamol use was notably reduced in the fluticasone group compared to the budesonide group throughout all three months. The efficacy of fluticasone propionate in decreasing the need for rescue medication and enhancing asthma control test scores was markedly superior to that of budesonide.

PMID:38477950 | DOI:10.18502/ijaai.v22i6.14642

JAMA Netw Open. 2024 Mar 4;7(3):e241784. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.1784.

ABSTRACT

IMPORTANCE: Although the cognitive components of behavioral therapy for overactive bladder (OAB) are widely recognized, there is a lack of studies evaluating the effectiveness of multicomponent interventions that include cognitive components as a treatment for OAB.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the efficacy of a multicomponent intervention in improving health-related quality of life (HRQOL) for women with moderate to severe OAB.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This multicenter, open-label, randomized clinical trial was conducted in Japan among women aged 20 to 80 years who had moderate to severe OAB. Participants were recruited from 4 institutions between January 16, 2020, and December 31, 2022, through self-referral via advertisement or referral from the participating institutions.

INTERVENTIONS: Participants were randomized 1:1 by minimization algorithm using an internet-based central cloud system to four 30-minute weekly sessions of a multicomponent intervention or waiting list. Both groups continued to receive baseline treatment throughout the study period.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: The primary outcome was the least-squares mean changes from baseline through week 13 in HRQOL total scores of the OAB questionnaire between 2 groups. Secondary outcomes included OAB symptom score and frequency volume chart.

RESULTS: A total of 79 women were randomized to either the intervention group (39 participants; mean [SD] age, 63.5 [14.6] years) or the waiting list control group (40 participants; mean [SD] age, 63.5 [12.9] years). One participant from each group dropped out from the allocated intervention, while 5 participants in the intervention group and 2 in the control group dropped out from the primary outcome assessment at week 13. Thirty-six participants (92.3%) in the intervention group and 35 (87.5%) in the control group had moderate OAB. The change in HRQOL total score from baseline to week 13 was 23.9 points (95% CI, 18.4-29.5 points) in the intervention group and 11.3 points (95% CI, 6.2-16.4 points) in the waiting list group, a significant difference of 12.6 points (95% CI, 6.6-18.6 points; P < .001). Similar superiority of the intervention was confirmed for frequency of micturition and urgency but not for OAB symptom score.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: These findings demonstrate that a multicomponent intervention improves HRQOL for women with moderate to severe OAB and suggest that the cognitive component may be an effective treatment option for women with OAB.

TRIAL REGISTRATION: UMIN Clinical Trials Registry Identifier: UMIN000038513.

PMID:38477920 | DOI:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.1784

Int J Speech Lang Pathol. 2024 Mar 13:1-11. doi: 10.1080/17549507.2024.2311931. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: Early intervention based on principles of cross-situational statistical learning (CSSL) for late-talking children has shown promise. This study explored whether parents could be trained to deliver this intervention protocol with fidelity and if they found the intervention to be acceptable.

METHOD: Mothers of four English-speaking children aged 18-30 months who scored <10th centile for expressive vocabulary were recruited to an 8-week group training program. Parents were taught principles of CSSL and asked to perform 16 home treatment sessions (30 minutes each) in total, providing auditory bombardment of target words in full sentences at high dose number and syntactic variability, using a range of physical exemplars. Home diaries and two videotaped sessions measured treatment fidelity. Pre- and post-treatment questionnaires measured acceptability.

RESULT: One parent discontinued the study after the second group training session. Three parents completed 15/16 group training sessions and reported completing 87% of home sessions. Two parents demonstrated implementing the intervention as per the target dose number by the first fidelity session (Weeks 2/3), and the third parent was very close to meeting target dose number by the second fidelity session (Weeks 7/8).

CONCLUSION: Parents can be trained to deliver an intervention based on cross-situational statistical learning principles.

PMID:38477891 | DOI:10.1080/17549507.2024.2311931

JAMA Psychiatry. 2024 Mar 13. doi: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2024.0047. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

IMPORTANCE: While psychedelic-assisted therapy has shown promise in the treatment of certain psychiatric disorders, little is known about the potential risk of psychotic or manic symptoms following naturalistic psychedelic use, especially among adolescents.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate associations between naturalistic psychedelic use and self-reported psychotic or manic symptoms in adolescents using a genetically informative design.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This study included a large sample of adolescent twins (assessed at age 15, 18, and 24 years) born between July 1992 and December 2005 from the Swedish Twin Registry and cross-sectionally evaluated the associations between past psychedelic use and psychotic or manic symptoms at age 15 years. Individuals were included if they answered questions related to past use of psychedelics. Data were analyzed from October 2022 to November 2023.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Primary outcome measures were self-reported psychotic and manic symptoms at age 15 years. Lifetime use of psychedelics and other drugs was also assessed at the same time point.

RESULTS: Among the 16 255 participants included in the analyses, 8889 were female and 7366 were male. Among them, 541 participants reported past use of psychedelics, most of whom (535 of 541 [99%]) also reported past use of other drugs (ie, cannabis, stimulants, sedatives, opioids, inhalants, or performance enhancers). When adjusting for substance-specific and substance-aggregated drug use, psychedelic use was associated with reduced psychotic symptoms in both linear regression analyses (β, -0.79; 95% CI, -1.18 to -0.41 and β, -0.39; 95% CI, -0.50 to -0.27, respectively) and co-twin control analyses (β, -0.89; 95% CI, -1.61 to -0.16 and β, -0.24; 95% CI, -0.48 to -0.01, respectively). In relation to manic symptoms, likewise adjusting for substance-specific and substance-aggregated drug use, statistically significant interactions were found between psychedelic use and genetic vulnerability to schizophrenia (β, 0.17; 95% CI, 0.01 to 0.32 and β, 0.17; 95% CI, 0.02 to 0.32, respectively) or bipolar I disorder (β, 0.20; 95% CI, 0.04 to 0.36 and β, 0.17; 95% CI, 0.01 to 0.33, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: The findings in this study suggest that, after adjusting for other drug use, naturalistic use of psychedelic may be associated with lower rates of psychotic symptoms among adolescents. At the same time, the association between psychedelic use and manic symptoms seems to be associated with genetic vulnerability to schizophrenia or bipolar I disorder. These findings should be considered in light of the study’s limitations and should therefore be interpreted with caution.

PMID:38477889 | DOI:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2024.0047

Eur J Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2024 Mar 4. doi: 10.1097/MEG.0000000000002736. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: Liver cancer is the third most common cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Hepatitis B and C infections are the main factors affecting mortality. During recent years, Montenegro conducted activities on eradication of viral hepatitis according to the global strategy for the primary prevention of liver cancer mortality. The objective of this study was to assess the liver cancer mortality trend in Montenegro for the period of 1990-2018 using regression techniques.

METHODS: liver cancer mortality data in Montenegro from 1990 to 2018 were collected. Mortality rates were age standardized to the World Standard Population. The joinpoint, linear and Poisson regressions were used to assess liver cancer mortality trends both overall and gender specific.

RESULTS: The mortality trend was constant, with no significant increase or decrease in mortality rates both at the overall level and by gender. The number of cases, however, increases significantly at the overall level by an average of 1.4% per year [average annual percentage change (AAPC) (95% confidence interval, CI): 1.4 (0.5-2.3); P = 0.004] and in women by 1.9% per year [AAPC (95% CI): 1.9 (0.8-3.1); P = 0.002]. In men, there was no change in the number of cases. The three age groups most burdened by mortality from liver cancer were 65-74 (34.9%), 75-84 (26.6%) and 55-64 (25.8%).

CONCLUSION: The consistent implementation of prevention measures and hepatitis virus infection treatment has played a role in partially favorable liver cancer mortality trends in Montenegro. It is crucial to closely monitor guidelines for this cancer and give particular attention to the elderly population as the most affected.

PMID:38477857 | DOI:10.1097/MEG.0000000000002736

Int J Prosthodont. 2024 Mar 13;0(0):1-21. doi: 10.11607/ijp.8816. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: To compare the fracture load of two framework materials, zirconia and a new fiber-reinforced composite (FRC), for full-arch implant-supported rehabilitations using various cross- sections.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: A cobalt-chromium metal model simulating the all-on-four concept and including 2 anterior straight and 2 posterior 45- degree angled multi-unit digital implant analogs was manufactured. 4 straight multi-unit abutments were screwed onto the implant analogs. The metallic model was scanned, and 18 frameworks were fabricated, consisting of 9 made of zirconia and 9 made of fiber-reinforced composite (FRC). The frameworks were then divided into 6 groups, with each group consisting of 3 frameworks (n=3). Group division was based on material type (Zirconia or FRC Trilor) and framework cross-section: 3.5 x 6 mm2, 5.5 x 6 mm2, or 7.5 x 6 mm2. All specimens underwent thermocycling in 2 baths (5 ͦ c- 55 ͦ c for 2350 cycles). Subsequently, the frameworks were cemented to the abutments of the metal model and subjected to a load-to-failure bending test at 3 different points using a universal testing machine (crosshead speed: 1 mm/min) until complete fracture occurred (according to ISO/TS 11405:2015). Descriptive statistics were used to present quantitative variables as means ± standard deviations. To compare two means, Student’s t-test or Mann-Whitney test was utilized, and for three means, ANOVA test was used.

RESULTS: The FRC group with a 7.5 x 6 mm2 cross-section exhibited the highest load-to-failure values (ranging from 1020 N to 2994N) , while the zirconia group with a 3.5 x 6 mm2 cross-section recorded the lowest values (ranging from 212 N to 1287 N). The material type and framework cross-section significantly affected the mean load-to-fracture values (p< 0.05). Regardless of the framework cross-section, the FRC group exhibited higher fracture loads than the zirconia group. In both materials, fracture load values were increased with larger framework cross-sectional areas, with the highest values observed at the inter-implant midpoint.

CONCLUSION: The FRC Trilor demonstrated a fracture load that make it a suitable alternative to zirconia for all-on-four implant prosthetic frameworks.

PMID:38477846 | DOI:10.11607/ijp.8816

Int J Prosthodont. 2024 Mar 13;0(0):1-19. doi: 10.11607/ijp.8906. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of restoration bonding and type of preparation on load bearing capacity of a tooth restored with indirect glass ceramic or hybrid ceramic occlusal veneer restoration.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Occlusal surfaces of extracted human molar teeth were prepared for indirect occlusal veneers with or without circumferential chamfer. The occlusal veneers were milled either from CAD/CAM hybrid ceramic (HC) Cerasmart (GC), or lithium-disilicate glass ceramic (LDGC) IPS e.max CAD (Ivoclar Vivadent) blocks. Finalized veneers were bonded to teeth following manufacturers’ instructions or according to the technique for the intended deteriorated bonding using n-hexane wax solution preconditioning on restorations (n=8/group). The ultimate fracture load was recorded, and fracture types were analyzed and classified visually. Statistical analysis was performed using one-way ANOVA.

RESULTS: The highest fracture load was recorded in teeth with bonded LDGC veneer (p≤0.0007). The bonded HC veneers had only marginally higher fracture load compared to non-bonded veneers. In all groups with deteriorated bonding, veneers loosened without tooth fracture whereas in the bonded veneer groups tooth fractures were observed, especially in teeth restored with LDGC material.

CONCLUSIONS: Bonded LDGC occlusal veneers have high load bearing capacity which exceeds the fracture resistance of tooth structure. Circumferential chamfer preparation for an occlusal veneer has no influence on fracture load of a restored tooth.

PMID:38477845 | DOI:10.11607/ijp.8906