Category: Statistics

Glob Health Res Policy. 2024 Apr 29;9(1):15. doi: 10.1186/s41256-024-00357-y.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The population of China is aging rapidly. However, the long-term trajectories of functionally dependent late middle-aged and older Chinese people are currently absent. The present study aimed to estimate the population size and proportion of late middle-aged and older adults with difficulties and dependence on activities of daily living (ADL) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) in China from 2018 to 2048.

METHODS: We constructed a dynamic microsimulation model to project the population size and proportions of late middle-aged and older Chinese people who have difficulty and dependence in ADL and IADL from 2018-2048. The model was populated with a representative sample of the target population and allowed individual-level interaction between risk factors, diseases, and health outcomes. Analyses by socioeconomic subgroups were also conducted.

RESULTS: Almost 25% and 38% of late middle-aged and older people in China will become ADL- and IADL-dependent by 2048, respectively. Also, 17% of the target population will be severely ADL-disabled by 2048. The inequity in functional status across subgroups by sex, educational level, and urban/rural residency will become substantial.

CONCLUSIONS: The numbers and percentages of China’s functionally difficult and dependent late middle-aged and older population will increase by magnitudes as of the mid-21st century, the pressure of which is compounded by its disproportionate distribution across subgroups. To alleviate the overwhelming challenge, efforts to improve the functional status of the underserved subpopulation should also be iterated.

PMID:38679749 | DOI:10.1186/s41256-024-00357-y

BMC Med. 2024 Apr 29;22(1):180. doi: 10.1186/s12916-024-03372-5.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: To prevent tobacco use in Korea, the national quitline number was added to tobacco packages in December 2012, tobacco prices were raised by 80% in January 2015, and graphic health warning labels were placed on tobacco packages in December 2016. This study evaluated the association of these tobacco packaging and pricing policies with suicide mortality in Korea.

METHODS: Monthly mortality from suicide was obtained from Cause-of-Death Statistics in Korea from December 2007 to December 2019. Interrupted time-series analysis was performed using segmented Poisson regression models. Relative risks (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated adjusted for suicide prevention strategies.

RESULTS: Suicide mortality was 20 per 1,000,000 in December 2007 and showed a downward trend over the study period. After the implementation of tobacco packaging and pricing policies, suicide mortality immediately declined by – 0.09 percent points (95% CI = – 0.19 to 0.01; P > 0.05) for the national quitline number, – 0.22 percent points (95% CI = – 0.35 to – 0.09; P < 0.01) for tobacco prices, and – 0.30 percent points (95% CI = – 0.49 to – 0.11; P < 0.01) for graphic health warning labels. The corresponding RRs for these post-implementation changes compared with the pre-implementation level were 0.91 (95% CI = 0.83 to 1.00), 0.80 (95% CI = 0.70 to 0.91), and 0.74 (95% CI = 0.61 to 0.90), respectively. Significant associations between tobacco control policies and suicide mortality were observed even when stratified by sex and region.

CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study provide new evidence for an association between tobacco control policies and deaths by suicide. An array of effective tobacco control policies should be considered for prevention programs targeting suicide.

PMID:38679738 | DOI:10.1186/s12916-024-03372-5

BMC Public Health. 2024 Apr 29;24(1):1174. doi: 10.1186/s12889-024-18650-3.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Vaccines are effective biological interventions that reduce health burdens. However, during the COVID-19 pandemic, there were concerns about varying levels of COVID-19 vaccination coverage in the Zimbabwean population. This study aimed to understand facilitators and barriers to COVID-19 vaccine uptake in the Zimbabwean population.

METHODS: In September-October 2023, key informant interviews (KIIs) and focus group discussions (FGDs) were conducted with a sample comprising health workers, village health workers, church leaders, traditional healers, teachers, youth leaders and the general population selected across the country. At each site, the participant sample was homogeneous. Data were collected using audiotapes, transcribed verbatim, and translated into English. Data were analysed manually using thematic analysis.

RESULTS: Ten FGDs and 30 KIIs were conducted across the country. Among the facilitators of COVID-19 vaccine uptake were the perceived benefits of COVID-19 vaccination, such as protection from infection, severe disease and death. People also complied with COVID-19 vaccination because of the government’s call for mandatory vaccination, travel restrictions, restrictions when entering some premises for services, visiting, working, learning and functions. Barriers to COVID-19 vaccine uptake included low-risk perception, negative attitudes emanating from concerns about the origins of the vaccines, COVID-19 cases or death of vaccinated people, negative peer influence, religious doctrines, cultural beliefs and misconceptions circulating through social media. Other barriers included knowledge gaps on COVID-19 vaccines, safety, effectiveness, side effects, access-related challenges to COVID-19 services and concerns over the changing policy on COVID-19 vaccination.

CONCLUSIONS: The study has shown the importance of community engagement and data-driven public health communication strategies to facilitate behaviour change for increased uptake of a vaccine. In future epidemics, public health campaigns should focus on the timely provision of information explaining the benefits of an intervention, addressing safety concerns more effectively. To build trust and hence improve vaccine uptake by the public, there is a need for continuous engagement with people and to provide platforms for dialogue to address issues contributing to low vaccine uptake.

PMID:38679733 | DOI:10.1186/s12889-024-18650-3

BMC Emerg Med. 2024 Apr 29;24(1):73. doi: 10.1186/s12873-024-00991-2.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: As part of the Federal Government of Nigeria’s desire to increase medical coverage among the citizenry, the National Emergency Medical Service and Ambulance Scheme (NEMSAS) was set up and piloted in the FCT in 2022. To gauge the progress so far, this study sought to assess the level and determinants of public awareness and utilization of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) among residents of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in June 2023 among 1177 respondents residing in FCT Abuja at the time of the survey. Data was collected by trained research assistants using an interviewer-administered questionnaire and purposive sampling was adopted. The level of awareness and the socio-demographic determinants of the level of awareness in the FCT were assessed. Logistic regression was used to find predictors of EMS awareness and utilization.

RESULTS: 57.8% of respondents are aware of EMS, while 42.2% are not. 62.7% are uncertain about the source of information for EMS with only a minority relying on word of mouth (17.7%), traditional media (11.1%), or social media (8.5%). 91.4% have not accessed or utilized EMS via the toll-free emergency line, while only 8.6% reported doing so. There are median EMS awareness and utilization differences across gender, age, location, and employment status of the respondents. Additionally, the multivariate logistic regression showed that age, location, and employment status are significant predictors of EMS awareness and utilization. Males have lower odds of awareness and utilization of EMS compared to females. Furthermore, there was a significant relationship between EMS access and utilization (Chi-square = 80.748, p < 0.001). However, awareness did not necessarily translate to utilization.

CONCLUSION: The relationship between EMS awareness and utilization and the unmasked predictors in this paper should be factored into the design of interventions to increase access and utilization of EMS in Nigeria.

PMID:38679722 | DOI:10.1186/s12873-024-00991-2

BMC Public Health. 2024 Apr 29;24(1):1193. doi: 10.1186/s12889-024-18253-y.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Residents’ adoption of preventive behaviours proved beneficial in preventing the large-scale transmission of the virus during the early stages of the COVID-19 outbreak. It is critical to investigate how social media triggers residents’ preventive behaviour decisions during the COVID-19 outbreak.

METHODS: This paper selected online shopping as a specific preventive behaviour for empirical investigation. An online cross-sectional survey was conducted through the Sojump website from 1 to 15 March 2020, and a total of 1,289 valid questionnaires were collected from China. This paper uses multiple regression analysis to investigate the heterogeneous impacts of different information sources on residents’ online shopping willingness and online shopping behaviour and the heterogeneous impacts of different information content in social media on the transformation of residents’ online shopping willingness and online shopping behaviour.

RESULTS: The findings indicate that both official-media and self-media positively promote residents’ online shopping willingness and behaviour, with official-media having a stronger promotional effect than self-media. Furthermore, official-media and self-media can collaboratively promote residents’ online shopping willingness and online shopping behaviour. The ease-of-use and usefulness of information significantly promoted the transformation of residents’ online shopping willingness.

CONCLUSIONS: This study analyses the heterogeneous impacts of social media on residents’ preventive behaviours from the perspectives of information source differentiation and information content differentiation, which enriches related studies and provides feasible paths for promoting residents’ preventive behaviours.

PMID:38679720 | DOI:10.1186/s12889-024-18253-y

Biotechnol Bioeng. 2024 Apr 28. doi: 10.1002/bit.28724. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Process in-line monitoring and control are crucial to optimize the productivity of bioprocesses. A frequently applied Process Analytical Technology (PAT) tool for bioprocess in-line monitoring is Raman spectroscopy. However, evaluating bioprocess Raman spectra is complex and calibrating state-of-the-art statistical evaluation models is effortful. To overcome this challenge, we developed an Indirect Hard Modeling (IHM) prediction model in a previous study. The combination of Raman spectroscopy and the IHM prediction model enables non-invasive in-line monitoring of glucose and ethanol mass fractions during yeast fermentations with significantly less calibration effort than comparable approaches based on statistical models. In this study, we advance this IHM-based approach and successfully demonstrate that the combination of Raman spectroscopy and IHM is capable of not only bioprocess monitoring but also bioprocess control. For this purpose, we used this combination’s in-line information as input of a simple on-off glucose controller to control the glucose mass fraction in Saccharomyces cerevisiae fermentations. When we performed two of these fermentations with different predefined glucose set points, we achieved similar process control quality as approaches using statistical models, despite considerably smaller calibration effort. Therefore, this study reaffirms that the combination of Raman spectroscopy and IHM is a powerful PAT tool for bioprocesses.

PMID:38678541 | DOI:10.1002/bit.28724

Hernia. 2024 Apr 28. doi: 10.1007/s10029-024-03053-5. Online ahead of print.

NO ABSTRACT

PMID:38678530 | DOI:10.1007/s10029-024-03053-5

Clin Transl Oncol. 2024 Apr 28. doi: 10.1007/s12094-024-03459-8. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The survival advantage of neoadjuvant systemic therapy (NST) for breast cancer patients remains controversial, especially when considering the heterogeneous characteristics of individual patients.

OBJECTIVE: To discern the variability in responses to breast cancer treatment at the individual level and propose personalized treatment recommendations utilizing deep learning (DL).

METHODS: Six models were developed to offer individualized treatment suggestions. Outcomes for patients whose actual treatments aligned with model recommendations were compared to those whose did not. The influence of certain baseline features of patients on NST selection was visualized and quantified by multivariate logistic regression and Poisson regression analyses.

RESULTS: Our study included 94,487 female breast cancer patients. The Balanced Individual Treatment Effect for Survival data (BITES) model outperformed other models in performance, showing a statistically significant protective effect with inverse probability treatment weighting (IPTW)-adjusted baseline features [IPTW-adjusted hazard ratio: 0.51, 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.41-0.64; IPTW-adjusted risk difference: 21.46, 95% CI 18.90-24.01; IPTW-adjusted difference in restricted mean survival time: 21.51, 95% CI 19.37-23.80]. Adherence to BITES recommendations is associated with reduced breast cancer mortality and fewer adverse effects. BITES suggests that patients with TNM stage IIB, IIIB, triple-negative subtype, a higher number of positive axillary lymph nodes, and larger tumors are most likely to benefit from NST.

CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrated the potential of BITES to aid in clinical treatment decisions and offer quantitative treatment insights. In our further research, these models should be validated in clinical settings and additional patient features as well as outcome measures should be studied in depth.

PMID:38678522 | DOI:10.1007/s12094-024-03459-8

Lasers Med Sci. 2024 Apr 28;39(1):117. doi: 10.1007/s10103-024-04065-4.

ABSTRACT

The skin contraction phenomenon occurs due to the energy emitted by the surgical CO₂ LASER affecting the collagen architecture and intracellular water content in tissues. The study aimed to assess how gender, age, breed, body-weight, CO₂ LASER emission mode, and potency influence skin contraction following the incision. The study involved 80 dogs (N = 80) of both genders, multiple breeds, undergoing major surgery with CO₂ LASER. Subjects were grouped based on LASER potency (12 or 15 Watts) and emission mode (Superpulse-SP or Continuous-CT): GSP12, GSP15, GCT12, and GCT15. A 10 mm incision was performed using the surgical CO₂ LASER beam, consistently employing a focal point of 0.4 mm, positioned at a distance of 1 mm from the skin surface, and always maintained perpendicular to it, and resulting lengths measured with a digital caliper. Results were considered significant for p-value < 0.05. GSP12 showed minimal contraction, while GCT15 exhibited the most significant. Male subjects in GCT12, GCT15, and GSP12 experienced less contraction than females. Purebred dogs had greater contraction than mixed breeds. GSP12 individuals showed age-related contraction decrease (p < 0.01), with skin contracting by 0.09 mm per year. Weight and skin contraction trended towards significance (p = 0.06), with a 0.02 mm increase per unit weight. For a constant power of 12 W, the analysis of the relationship between the emission mode of the LASER beam and the final skin contraction (GSP12 vs. GCT12) revealed statistically significant differences (p < 0.01). This study suggests that the use of the Continuous mode of LASER emission, regardless of the power used, is associated with a higher level of final skin contraction. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER AND DATE OF REGISTRATION FOR PROSPECTIVELY REGISTERED TRIALS: Project approval registration number by the Research and Teaching Ethics Committee (CEIE),Faculty of Veterinary Medicine-University of Lisbon (FMV_ULisboa), Lisboa-Portugal, N/Refª 015/2022.

PMID:38678503 | DOI:10.1007/s10103-024-04065-4

J Psycholinguist Res. 2024 Apr 28;53(3):41. doi: 10.1007/s10936-024-10081-w.

ABSTRACT

The outbreak of Covid-19 has led to the need for institutions to provide online learning to their students. In this context, it is important to understand the views of both students and teachers regarding online classes. This study aims to explore the opinions of English teachers and students in vocational colleges in China about online English learning. A convenience sampling technique was used in the study. Data was collected using a questionnaire survey from the respondents. Data were analyzed using SPSS statistical software. Focused on the perceptions of English teachers and students in vocational colleges about online English learning. The results of the study revealed negative perceptions of both students and teachers about vocational English education in an online learning environment. This study highlights the importance of addressing both teachers’ and students’ negative feelings about online learning. The findings of this study are useful for educators and academic departments in improving the online learning experience for vocational students. It also emphasizes the need for effective implementation of ICT modules to improve the quality of online education. The study suggested that ICT modules should be implemented in various media platforms and applications to improve the quality of online learning by academic departments. Overall, this study emphasizes the importance of understanding stakeholder perceptions in online learning environments and provides insights for improving the quality of online education.

PMID:38678498 | DOI:10.1007/s10936-024-10081-w