Category: Statistics

Front Cardiovasc Med. 2025 Jul 14;12:1608655. doi: 10.3389/fcvm.2025.1608655. eCollection 2025.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: This study aims to systematically investigate the association between the triglyceride-glucose index multiplied by waist circumference (TyG-WC) and the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and further explore how this relationship varies across different glycemic statuses, including normal glucose regulation (NGR), prediabetes (Pre-DM), and diabetes mellitus (DM).

METHODS: Data were obtained from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), including a total of 7,812 middle-aged and older adults. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis, multivariable Cox proportional hazards models, and restricted cubic spline (RCS) regression were employed to assess the association between baseline TyG-WC and incident CVD risk. Subgroup analyses were conducted based on glucose metabolism status to evaluate potential heterogeneity in the associations.

RESULT: During an average follow-up period of 8.25 years, a total of 1,638 incident CVD events were recorded, corresponding to a cumulative incidence of 20.97%. Kaplan-Meier curves showed that individuals in higher TyG-WC strata had significantly greater cumulative CVD incidence compared to those in lower strata across all glucose metabolism categories (log-rank test, P < 0.05). After adjusting for potential confounders, the hazard ratios (HRs) [95% confidence intervals (CIs)] for CVD in the second, third, and fourth TyG-WC quartiles (Q2-Q4) were 1.20 (1.05-1.37), 1.30 (1.14-1.49), and 1.54 (1.34-1.77), respectively, compared to Q1. In the NGR and Pre-DM groups, TyG-WC was positively and linearly associated with CVD risk. In contrast, a significant non-linear association was observed in the DM group (P for non-linear = 0.046). Specifically, TyG-WC was positively associated with CVD risk when values were below 816.16, whereas above this threshold the increased risk plateaued and was no longer statistically significant.

CONCLUSION: TyG-WC is a practical and effective metabolic indicator for evaluating CVD risk among middle-aged and older Chinese adults. Its clinical application may facilitate early identification and precise stratification of high-risk individuals, thereby providing strong support for CVD prevention and targeted intervention strategies.

PMID:40727573 | PMC:PMC12301363 | DOI:10.3389/fcvm.2025.1608655

Ann Pancreat Cancer. 2025 Mar 30;8:1. doi: 10.21037/apc-24-22. Epub 2025 Mar 7.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Bibliometric review offers a comprehensive and quantitative evaluation of pancreatic cancer research, focusing on journal and author productivity. Despite significant efforts to improve pancreatic cancer outcomes and expand the literature on the topic, there is still insufficient data on influential journals and article impact measures to guide researchers through journal submissions. This article aims to evaluate research productivity and identify influential journals and authors within the field. Utilizing bibliometric indices like impact factor, h-index, and eigenfactor will facilitate the assessment process.

METHODS: A comprehensive search on July 1, 2023 in the Scopus database to identify articles related to pancreatic cancer. The search criteria included the keyword “Pancreatic Cancer” in the subject area of “Medicine”, limited to English language articles published between January 1989 and December 2022. We calculated publication and citation counts at the article, journal, and first author levels, employing various measures of centrality. Statistical analysis was conducted using the Student t-test.

RESULTS: The search yielded 52,154 articles from 3,155 journals with total citations of 1,903,916. The journal with the largest median citations dealing solely with pancreatic cancer was the Annals of Surgery. The journal with the highest number of publications is Pancreas. Six of the top twenty most cited articles were treatment-related articles. Of the top 30 journals by article count, JAMA had the highest median citation count, 340 of 33 articles. The most cited authors list was not associated with high productivity, similarly, the most productive authors were not associated with a high rate of citations.

CONCLUSIONS: This study offers valuable insights for researchers and institutions in guiding journal selections and themes identified as popular among the research community. It positively impacts the selection of appropriate journals to submit articles on the topic by easily identifying the most impactful and cited journals. The findings emphasize the growing interest in the field, the emergence of specialized journals, and a focus on treatment-related investigations. Overall, this analysis underscores the relevance of bibliometric approaches in advancing pancreatic cancer research.

PMID:40727572 | PMC:PMC12302548 | DOI:10.21037/apc-24-22

Ther Adv Drug Saf. 2025 Jul 24;16:20420986251360888. doi: 10.1177/20420986251360888. eCollection 2025.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Valproate (valproic acid, sodium valproate) is authorised in Montenegro for epilepsy and bipolar disorder treatment. Due to known teratogenicity, risk minimisation measures were introduced in 2014 and further reinforced in 2018 by the implementation of the Pregnancy Prevention Programme (PPP). Despite these measures, consumption of valproate in Montenegro increased in the period 2016-2022.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the effects of risk minimisation measures on valproate prescription in Montenegro.

DESIGN: A retrospective, observational, 7-year, nationwide study.

METHODS: The Primary Health Care Information System (PHCIS) was used as a data source. The health records of women of childbearing potential (12-55 years) for the period 2016-2022 were analysed. Additionally, unstructured data were reviewed to determine the number and characteristics of valproate-exposed pregnancies. The software PASW, version 25.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA) was used for the statistical analysis.

RESULTS: A total of 2247 women of childbearing potential using valproate were identified during the observed period. The number of patients using valproate for epilepsy treatment decreased by 24% while the use of valproate in psychiatry increased by 45% over the observed period. The age of the patient was the only predictive factor for successful PPP implementation (chi-square = 35.811, df = 4 and p < 0.001). The odds ratio (OR) for the age category was 1.22 (95% CI: 1.10-1.35). Contraception prescription was recorded in only 1.5% of patients following the PPP implementation. A total of 11 cases of exposed pregnancies were identified, while epilepsy was the indication in 5 (45%) cases.

CONCLUSION: Regulatory risk minimisation measures had a limited impact on reducing the risk of valproate teratogenicity in Montenegro, with the most success in the group of youngest patients. Measures were more effective in the epilepsy indication. The rising use of valproate for psychiatric indications is concerning. Targeted education, better preconception care and improved coordination among healthcare professionals are necessary.

PMID:40727569 | PMC:PMC12301610 | DOI:10.1177/20420986251360888

Endocrines. 2025 Sep;6(3):32. doi: 10.3390/endocrines6030032. Epub 2025 Jul 2.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Endocrine hormones play critical roles in regulating physiological processes, and previous studies have reported their associations with psychiatric disorders. Levels of endocrine hormones and the risk of developing psychiatric disorders are influenced by both genetic and non-genetic factors. However, the shared genetic basis underlying these associations remains largely unexplored. This study aims to dually evaluate the genetic correlations among endocrine hormones, including thyroid and sex hormones, as well as between endocrine hormone metrics and psychiatric disorders to identify potential shared genetic architectures.

METHODS: We obtained genome-wide association study summary statistics for six thyroid hormone metrics, three sex hormone metrics, and ten psychiatric disorders from predominantly European-ancestry populations. Genetic correlations were computed using linkage disequilibrium score regression after harmonizing variant data to ensure consistency across studies.

RESULTS: Significant genetic correlations were observed among thyroid and sex hormone metrics, indicating a strong shared genetic basis. Sex hormones exhibited multiple genetic correlations with psychiatric disorders, including negative correlations between sex hormone-binding globulin and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) (p = 3.95 × 10^-12) and major depressive disorder (p = 4.67 × 10^-5), and positive genetic correlations with anorexia nervosa (p = 2.86 × 10^-12) and schizophrenia (p = 2.00 × 10^-4). Testosterone and estradiol had negative genetic correlations with ADHD and major depressive disorder, while testosterone had positive genetic correlations with anorexia nervosa and schizophrenia. Although thyroid hormone metrics did not exhibit Bonferroni-significant genetic correlations, nominal associations were observed, such as a negative genetic correlation between thyroid-stimulating hormone and major depressive disorder (p = 2.33 × 10^-2).

CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest a shared genetic basis between endocrine hormones and psychiatric disorders, particularly for sex hormones. Future studies leveraging larger, more diverse populations are warranted to validate and extend the genetic correlations observed in this study.

PMID:40727568 | PMC:PMC12290917 | DOI:10.3390/endocrines6030032

Front Med (Lausanne). 2025 Jul 14;12:1619729. doi: 10.3389/fmed.2025.1619729. eCollection 2025.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of traditional Chinese Fitness qigong exercises (TFQs) in enhancing outcomes such as frailty status, physical function, psychological well-being, cognitive function, negative emotions, and sleep quality for older adults with frailty or pre-frailty.

METHODS: We conducted searches in Embase, Cochrane Library, PubMed, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang, Chinese Technical Periodicals (VIP), and Google Scholar from their inception to 30th July 2024. Two reviewers independently selected and screened the papers, extracted the data, and assessed the bias risk. We used Review Manager 5.4 for data analysis, pooling the mean difference (MD) or standardized mean difference (SMD) through either random-effects or fixed-effects meta-analysis, depending on the level of heterogeneity.

RESULTS: Eighteen randomised controlled trials were included. A total of 15 studies, with 899 participants and versatile assessment tools (Fried Phenotype, Frailty Index, Tilburg Frailty Indicator), demonstrated the effectiveness of TFQs in reducing frailty. Subgroup analysis revealed significant improvements using FP scores (MD = -1.83, 95% CI: -2.09, -1.5), TFI (MD = -1.08, 95% CI: -1.22, -0.94), and FI (MD = -0.04, 95% CI: -0.08, -0.0). Physical performance improved significantly (MD = -0.72, 95% CI: -0.88, -0.57), while daily living activities showed no statistically significant changes (SMD = -0.20, 95% CI: -0.52, 0.11). Balance ability, including dynamic (MD = -2.55, 95% CI: -2.88, -2.22) and static balance (MD = 3.51, 95% CI: 3.00, 4.02), demonstrated notable enhancements. Grip strength increased significantly (SMD = 0.76, 95% CI: 0.51, 1.02), while gait speed improvements were more consistent in shorter walking distances (4.5 m: MD = – 1.44, 95% CI: -1.66, -1.22) than longer ones. Cognitive function (MD = 2.34, 95% CI: 0.35, 4.33) and sleep quality (SMD = 1.28, 95% CI: -1.69, -0.87) also exhibited substantial improvements. Quality of life (SMD = 1.17, 95% CI: 0.92, 1.42) and reductions in negative emotions (SMD = -0.79, 95% CI: -1.36, -0.22) were statistically significant.

CONCLUSION: Traditional Chinese Fitness qigong exercises (TFQs) significantly improved multiple outcomes for frail or pre-frail older adults, including frailty levels, physical performance, grip strength, balance ability, cognitive function, sleep quality, and quality of life. These results suggest that TFQs protect frailty or prefrail older adults.

SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/view/CRD42024555719; Identifier: CRD42024555719.

PMID:40727533 | PMC:PMC12301368 | DOI:10.3389/fmed.2025.1619729

Sci Rep. 2025 Jul 28;15(1):27380. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-13256-0.

ABSTRACT

Understanding the rheological behavior and thermal stability of hybrid polymer-nanoparticle solutions is crucial for designing enhanced oil recovery (EOR) processes under reservoir conditions. The graphene oxide (GO)-hydrolyzed polyacrylamide (HPAM) hybrid has recently emerged as a promising approach, drawing significant attention for its potential to improve EOR efficiency. This study evaluates the impact of polymer concentration, content of GO nanoparticles and ionic strength on the hybrid solution’s performance through rheological measurements, long-term thermal stability tests, and ANOVA statistical analyses. Using a 2k factorial design and ANOVA, polymer concentration in the range of 1000-1500 ppm was identified as the primary factor, accounting for 58.34% contribution on the viscosity of hybrid solution, followed by divalent ion (18%), salinity (9%), and GO (5%). Accordingly, the Carreau rheological model was used to fit the rheological behavior of the hybrid solution. The hybrid formulation with 300 ppm GO retained 78% of its initial viscosity after 28 days at 80 °C, compared to lower retention for other formulations, highlighting the role of GO nanoparticles in improving polymer thermal stability. These findings advance the understanding of hybrid polymer-nanoparticle systems, highlight the specific role of GO nanoparticles to increase polymer performance, and provide valuable insights for designing the GO-polymer hybrid method for EOR purposes.

PMID:40721943 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-025-13256-0

Sci Rep. 2025 Jul 28;15(1):27487. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-12182-5.

ABSTRACT

Transarterial radioembolization (TARE) is an increasingly important technique for treating liver-based malignancies. Personalized treatment planning and dosimetry are not yet possible due to poor imageability of existing TARE agents. This study presents the design and development of a cohort of imageable glass microspheres that are compatible with readily available imaging equipment, including single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and computed tomography (CT). A statistical modelling approach was used to investigate how the addition of holmium (Ho), a high atomic number and high k-edge element, to a Y₂O₃-Al₂O₃-SiO₂ (YAS) glass matrix impacts material properties such as density, CT imageability, and glass transition temperature (T_g). The microspheres demonstrated excellent radiopacity, with Hounsfield Unit (HU) values ranging up to ~ 19,800 at 70 kVp, high thermal stability, exhibiting T_g values up to 895 °C, no cytotoxic potential, and negligible ion leaching pre- and post-irradiation to 2600 GBq/g Ho-166, supporting their safety and efficacy for locoregional therapies. Statistical modelling elucidated how the fraction of holmium oxide content within the glass matrix impacts density, CT imageability, and T_g. The ability to visualize the microspheres intra- and post-operatively via CT and SPECT imaging, combined with stable radionuclide incorporation and high achievable specific activity, marks a significant advancement in TARE, and represents an opportunity to expand applicability to cancers beyond the liver.

PMID:40721936 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-025-12182-5

Sci Rep. 2025 Jul 29;15(1):27531. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-11326-x.

ABSTRACT

Protein solubility problems arise in a wide range of applications, from antibody development to enzyme production, and are linked to several major disorders, including cataracts and Alzheimer’s diseases. To assist scientists in designing proteins with improved solubility and better understand solubility-related diseases, we introduce SOuLMuSiC, a computational tool for the fast and accurate prediction of the impact of single-site mutations on protein solubility. Our model is based on a simple artificial neural network that takes as input a series of features, including biophysical properties of wild-type and mutated residues, energetic values computed using various statistical potentials, and mutational scores derived from protein language models. SOuLMuSiC has been trained on a curated dataset of about 700 single-site mutations with known solubility values, collected and manually verified from original literature. It significantly outperforms current state-of-the-art predictors in strict cross validation: the Spearman correlation reaches 0.5 when solubility changes are represented categorically; for the subset with quantitative values, it increases to 0.7. SOuLMuSiC also shows good performance on external datasets containing high-throughput enzyme solubility-related data as well as protein aggregation propensities. In summary, SOuLMuSiC is a valuable tool for identifying mutations that impact protein solubility, and can play a major role in the rational design of proteins with improved solubility and in understanding genetic variants’ effect. It is freely available for academic use at http://babylone.ulb.ac.be/SoulMuSiC/.

PMID:40721931 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-025-11326-x

Neurocrit Care. 2025 Jul 28. doi: 10.1007/s12028-025-02327-9. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Low-field portable magnetic resonance imaging (pMRI) systems have been approved for clinical use, but their feasibility, efficacy, and most appropriate clinical application in children are unknown. The objective of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of pMRI in detecting acute brain injury (ABI) in critically ill children compared to conventional MRI (cMRI) and or computed tomography (CT).

METHODS: This prospective diagnostic accuracy study included children (1 month to < 18 years) admitted between May 2021 and June 2022 who underwent pMRI scans within a 24-h window of standard neuroimaging (CT or cMRI). pMRI images were assessed for quality of images and interpreted for findings by two independent pediatric radiologists blinded to the findings of the standard imaging modalities. Diagnostic accuracy was assessed using sensitivity, specificity, and agreement statistics.

RESULTS: pMRI scans were successfully completed in 83% of the cases (73 of 88 patients) with a median scan time of 48 min (interquartile range 43-54 min), with no patient- or machine-related adverse event. Neuroimaging indications were seizures in 38 (52.1%), unexplained encephalopathy in 29 (39.7%), and focal neurologic deficits in 19 (26%) patients. Radiological findings of pMRI included edema in 28 (38.4%), hydrocephalus in 12 (16.4%), infarction in 13 (17.8%), midline shift in 12 (16.4%), and intraparenchymal hemorrhage in 7 (9.6%). The pMRI demonstrated good agreement with cMRI and CT scans for detecting edema (87% agreement, κ = 0.7), hydrocephalus (94% agreement, κ = 0.8) and intraparenchymal hemorrhage (87% agreement, κ = 0.6). Compared to cMRI, pMRI showed 72% agreement (κ = 0.41, P = 0.0002), with 98% specificity and 73% sensitivity for hydrocephalus. Overall agreement between the two observers for pMRI was 90% (κ = 0.81, P < 0.001). Image quality was adequate for T1-weighted (n = 58, 79.5%), T2-weighted (n = 61, 83.6%), diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) (n = 49, 67.1%), and apparent diffusion coefficient (n = 48, 65.8%) sequences. The highest number of uninterpretable images were for the DWI sequence (n = 9, 12.3%).

CONCLUSIONS: pMRI is a safe and feasible bedside imaging modality that shows promising results in diagnosing ABI in children.

PMID:40721912 | DOI:10.1007/s12028-025-02327-9

Am Surg. 2025 Jul 28:31348251363533. doi: 10.1177/00031348251363533. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BackgroundTube thoracostomy (TT) is a life-saving intervention that has a high complication rate. While many institutions continue drainage until <200 mL/day, there is little data on removal with higher output. This study aimed to determine whether TT removal with higher output on the day of removal is associated with complication of tube thoracostomy (CTT).Materials and MethodsThis was a retrospective study of patients who underwent TT due to traumatic hemothorax/pneumothorax. Data on demographics, admission vital signs, injury details, treatment course, and output on day of removal was collected. Output was classified as HIGH (200-299 mL at removal) or LOW (<200 mL). The primary outcome variable was development of CTT, which was defined as re-accumulation of HTX/PTX, development of an empyema, subsequent TT, or need for thoracic surgery following tube removal.ResultsAfter applying exclusion criteria, we identified 315 patients for analysis. The average age was 41 years old, and 74% (233) were male. The mean duration of treatment with TT was 5 days. The mean output on the day of removal was 80 mL, with 10% having a volume between 200-299 mL on day of removal. Overall, 16% developed CTT. There was no difference in the rate of CTT after removal between HIGH and LOW groups. Multiple variable logistic regression showed only chest AIS was statistically significantly associated with CTT.DiscussionComplications after tube thoracostomy are common (16%), but patients with higher output were not more likely to develop a complication. Chest tubes can be safely removed with an output <300 mL/day.

PMID:40721901 | DOI:10.1177/00031348251363533