Category: Statistics

Cancer Med. 2025 Sep;14(18):e71235. doi: 10.1002/cam4.71235.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Amplification of 11q13 (FGF3/4/19, CCND1) is frequently observed in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). However, there is a lack of research investigating 11q13 amplification as a prognostic marker for patients with locally advanced (LA) HNSCC who undergo postoperative radiotherapy (PORT).

MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective study included consecutive patients of LA-HNSCC who underwent radical surgical resection and PORT. The 11q13 amplification was tested by next-generation Sequencing (NGS) or fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH). Propensity score matching (PSM) was used to match the amplification and wild-type groups. Univariate and multivariate analyses were conducted using Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression. Recurrence patterns and phenotypes in the amplification group were also assessed. Statistical analyses were performed using R software, with a p-value of < 0.05 considered statistically significant.

RESULTS: A total of 70 patients were included (35 in the 11q13 amplification group and 35 in the wild-type group). Patients with 11q13 amplification exhibited significantly worse disease-free survival (DFS) (3-year DFS: 21.0% vs. 52.6%; p < 0.0019) and overall survival (OS) (3-year OS: 46.4% vs. 66.7%; p = 0.032) compared to wild-type patients. The recurrence pattern in the amplification group showed an approximately equal proportion of local-regional recurrence (LRR) and distant metastases (DM). The LRR predominantly occurred within the 60 Gy radiation field. Multivariate analyses revealed that 11q13 amplification significantly associated with worse DFS (p < 0.001) and OS (p = 0.007).

CONCLUSION: LA-HNSCC patients with 11q13 amplification exhibited significantly worse DFS and OS compared to wild-type patients. The recurrence pattern in the 11q13 amplification group was primarily characterized by in-field recurrences within the 60 Gy dose.

PMID:40974176 | DOI:10.1002/cam4.71235

J Psychiatr Ment Health Nurs. 2025 Sep 20. doi: 10.1111/jpm.70033. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Person-centred care can result in improved patient satisfaction and health outcomes; however, operationalisation has been challenging in mental health settings.

AIM: To describe person-centred mental health nursing practices and associated factors.

METHODS: The study was underpinned by The Person-Centred Practice Framework. All mental health and addictions registered nurses in one Canadian province were invited to complete the Person-centred Practice Inventory-Staff (PCPI-S) and a short demographic questionnaire. EQUATOR network recommendations for quantitative (STROBE) data were followed.

RESULTS: Nurses scored all three domains of the PCPI-S favourably, indicating strong evidence for person-centred practices; the practice environment domain was rated the lowest. There was a moderate, positive, statistically significant (r_s = 0.451, p < 0.001) association between the practice environment domain score and the person-centred process domain score, which was the measure of delivery of person-centred care. A regression model explained 76.1% of the variance in delivery of person-centred care. Significant predictors were: (1) the prerequisites domain score of the PCPI-S, (2) the environment domain score of the PCPI-S and (3) nurses’ relationship with their manager.

DISCUSSION: Findings from our study provide strong support for the use of the Person-centred Practice Framework in mental health nursing, particularly in the context of Canadian mental health and addictions services. Study results align with existing evidence that also reported generally favourable PCPI-S scores with comparatively lower scores in the practice environment domain.

RECOMMENDATIONS: To address practice environment concerns, future research should focus on the context within which care takes place and its impact on the delivery of person-centred care.

PMID:40974166 | DOI:10.1111/jpm.70033

Laryngoscope. 2025 Sep 20. doi: 10.1002/lary.70151. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: Pharyngeal surgical site pain is a significant concern following transoral robotic surgery (TORS). The use of stellate ganglion blockade (SGB) has been reported as a treatment adjunct for postoperative pain.

METHODS: Patients who underwent TORS and neck dissection for oropharyngeal carcinoma between November 2019 and May 2021 by a single surgeon (AHM) were included. Patients underwent either SGB via injection of bupivacaine or no SGB. Inpatient pain and total daily morphine milligram equivalent (MME) usage were calculated. A retrospective chart review was performed to identify time in the OR spent placing the SGB, length of hospitalization, and postoperative complications.

RESULTS: Seventy-three patients were included. Of these, 43 (58.9%) underwent SGB. On average, SGB placement of any kind added 13 min to OR time prior to surgical start time. Patients who underwent SGB had significantly lower average pain scores over the postoperative time course (mean difference 0.75, 95% CI: 0.09-1.41, p = 0.027) and lower opioid consumption over time (mean difference 16.37 MME, 95% CI: 6.98-25.77, p < 0.001) compared with those who did not undergo SGB.

CONCLUSION: SGB resulted in less narcotic pain medication use in the immediate postoperative period, without affecting length of hospitalization or rate of adverse events. SGB is a safe and effective adjunct to multimodal therapy for pain control in the postoperative period following TORS for laryngopharyngeal head and neck cancer.

PMID:40974152 | DOI:10.1002/lary.70151

Laryngoscope. 2025 Sep 20. doi: 10.1002/lary.70146. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESES: To compare symptom characteristics between benign vocal fold lesions for insight into pathophysiology.

STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional study.

METHODS: Adults who were diagnosed with a benign vocal fold lesion between June 2023 and June 2024 were included. Symptom features including acuity, duration, and inciting event were noted, along with prior history of voice problems, gender, and occupational voice load. Patients with cysts, polyps, and midfold lesions (fibrous mass, pseudocyst, non-specific midfold mass) were compared to those with lesions known to be acute (edema, hemorrhage) and lesions known to be chronic (sulcus vergeture, sulcus vocalis, scar, Reinke’s edema).

RESULTS: One hundred and fifty-one adults (44M:106F:1Other; mean age 39.1 ± 15.8 years) were included. Midfold lesions (49.3%) and cysts (53.3%) had similar rates of gradual onset to known chronic lesions (50.0%), whereas polyps (30.4%) and known acute lesions had lower rates (8.3%, Exact Test = 16.6, p = 0.002). Similarly, midfold masses (37.3%), cysts (13.3%), and known chronic lesions (42.9%) had lower associations with an inciting event compared to polyps (52.2%) and known acute lesions (87.5%, Exact Test = 26.8, p < 0.001). While not statistically significant (p = 0.054), cysts (46.7%), midfold lesions (57.3%), and known chronic lesions (78.6%) had a trend for more prior voice problems compared to polyps (30.4%) and known acute lesions (50.0%).

CONCLUSIONS: These findings are consistent with models of phonotraumatic lesion development that suggest midfold lesions develop as a result of chronic cumulative damage, whereas polyps are more likely to develop acutely. Cysts may be structural lesions, as demonstrated by their lack of association with occupational voice use and chronic nature.

PMID:40974133 | DOI:10.1002/lary.70146

Pediatr Blood Cancer. 2025 Sep 19:e32057. doi: 10.1002/pbc.32057. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Treatment of pediatric B-acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) impacts both patients and their caregivers. An understanding of family functioning during therapy can inform family-centered care. We aimed to prospectively identify negative and positive changes in family life as perceived by caregivers throughout ALL therapy.

METHODS: Caregivers of children aged ≥4 years with average-risk B-ALL enrolled on the Children’s Oncology Group trial AALL0932 who consented to an ancillary study were asked: “How has family life changed since your child’s diagnosis of leukemia for the better or for the worse?” Written free responses were collected at approximately 2, 8, 17, 26 (end of therapy for females), and 38 (end of therapy for males) months post-diagnosis. Inductive content analysis was used to create codes, subcategories, and categories. Descriptive statistics were used to characterize the sample and frequencies of reported codes.

RESULTS: Overall, 994 responses were collected from caregivers of 468 children across all timepoints. Twenty-seven individual codes were identified, categorized by negative changes (reported by 89% of caregivers) and positive changes (reported by 58% of caregivers). Subcategories of negative changes, including changes in daily routines, work and finance, patient health and care needs, effects on other family members, and emotional changes, were identified across all timepoints, but were most prevalent early in therapy. Importantly, positive changes were also identified, including family support, community support, and changes in outlook.

CONCLUSION: This study identifies negative and positive family changes perceived by caregivers of children undergoing B-ALL therapy that can inform future interventions to better support families.

PMID:40974099 | DOI:10.1002/pbc.32057

HGG Adv. 2025 Sep 19:100520. doi: 10.1016/j.xhgg.2025.100520. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Eye diseases, including cataracts, glaucoma, diabetes retinopathy, and age-related macular degeneration, are major global health challenges and leading causes of blindness. This study leveraged genome-wide association studies (GWAS) involving over 100,000 individuals, integrating data from the Taiwan Biobank and National Health Insurance Research Database, to identify genetic loci associated with disease onset. Our findings suggest that these conditions are influenced by multifactorial etiologies, as pleiotropic loci including rs10811660, rs4710941, rs2283228 and rs7646518 were identified, linking ocular diseases to metabolic conditions. Notably, a strong genetic correlation was observed between cataract and depression. Mendelian randomization analysis further demonstrated a causal effect of depression on cataract risk, implicating shared biological pathways, particularly oxytocin signaling, in disease pathophysiology. This finding revealed a functional genetic variant near the OXTR gene, highlighting its potential as a causal candidate for genetic diagnosis in precision health. By bridging the gap between genetic discovery and clinical application, this research offers critical insights into shared genetic mechanisms across diverse health domains, paving the way for innovative diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.

PMID:40974049 | DOI:10.1016/j.xhgg.2025.100520

J Biol Dyn. 2025 Dec;19(1):2553766. doi: 10.1080/17513758.2025.2553766. Epub 2025 Sep 19.

ABSTRACT

This paper proposes an immunosuppressive infection model with time delay and stochastic perturbation. A stochastic threshold $R_0^s$ is constructed, and the sufficient conditions for virus extinction and weak persistence are given. Subsequently, we respectively fit the SDDE and ODE models to the real data, and conduct a sensitivity analysis of the equilibrium. The greater the noise intensity, the more obvious the oscillation amplitude of the solution curve around the immune-free equilibrium, the larger noise intensity can cause the originally persistent virus in ODE to go extinct in the SDDE model. The greater the time delay, the longer it takes for the virus and immune cells to reach their first peaks. The viral replication rate significantly affects the virus-immune system, and the reproduction of HIV-1 can be inhibited by modulating it. A relatively high viral inhibition rate will lead to the extinction of immune cells while the virus persists.

PMID:40974040 | DOI:10.1080/17513758.2025.2553766

Am J Med Genet A. 2025 Sep 19:e64269. doi: 10.1002/ajmg.a.64269. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Trisomy 13, the third most common autosomal trisomy after trisomy 21 and trisomy 18, is associated with a significantly high infant mortality rate. However, large-scale studies examining causes of death in trisomy 13 remain scarce. Therefore, we aimed to better understand the mortality patterns. To this end, a population-based study was conducted using Japanese population-based mortality data from the Vital Statistics Database (n = 4,230,092 death records); we examined early mortality and identified phenotypic subgroups based on combinations of co-occurring causes of death. We identified 150 individuals with trisomy 13 who died between 2019 and 2021. Cardiovascular disease was significantly associated with early mortality. Using K-means clustering based on principal components of cause-of-death categories, we identified three distinct subgroups: respiratory-dominant (19%), cardiovascular-dominant (64%), and multi-organ involvement (17%). The cardiovascular-dominant cluster showed the highest rate of death before age 1 (83%; p = 0.001), while surgical intervention rates did not significantly differ across clusters. These findings highlight phenotypic heterogeneity and may support individualized care planning for trisomy 13 and provide insights that may support future care and decision-making.

PMID:40974038 | DOI:10.1002/ajmg.a.64269

Med Sci Monit. 2025 Sep 20;31:e949298. doi: 10.12659/MSM.949298.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND Many methods are used to increase the osseointegration of dental implants. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of injectable platelet-rich fibrin (i-PRF) on the osseointegration of dental implants in 20 patients, as measured by resonance frequency analysis. MATERIAL AND METHODS The study included 20 patients, with each patient receiving 2 SLA implants. After preparing the 2 implant sockets in each patient, one socket was randomly selected and irrigated with i-PRF before implant placement, while the other socket was left untreated. Implant stability was evaluated using a frequency analysis device at a 3-month evaluation. RESULTS The initial implant stability quotient (ISQ) values of the implants in the the test group (i-PRF+) averaged 68.875±9.571, increasing to 74.237±8.283 after 3 months. In the control group (i-PRF-), the initial ISQ values averaged 73.275±7.699 and measured 73.662±8.089 after 3 months. The ISQ values of women in the i-PRF+ group were significantly higher than those of men (P=0.004), whereas no statistically significant difference was found between male and female patients in the i-PRF- group (P=0.399). No statistically significant difference was found in ISQ values based on bone density in either the test or control groups (test group, P=0.109; control group, P=0.430). CONCLUSIONS Implants treated with i-PRF demonstrated significantly higher stability values in resonance frequency evaluations compared to untreated implants. Additionally, while i-PRF application resulted in a significantly greater increase in stability in women than in men, bone density did not have an effect on stability.

PMID:40974036 | DOI:10.12659/MSM.949298

Am J Med Genet A. 2025 Sep 19:e64258. doi: 10.1002/ajmg.a.64258. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Acid sphingomyelinase deficiency (ASMD), or Niemann-Pick disease types A, B, and A/B, is a rare lysosomal storage disorder caused by SMPD1 mutations. Clinical forms range from severe neurovisceral (type A) to chronic visceral (type B), mainly affecting the liver, spleen, and lungs. Until 2022, treatment was limited to supportive care. The approval of olipudase alfa for the non-central nervous system (CNS) manifestations of ASMD marked a major advance, with trials showing improvements in organ volumes and lung function. This meta-analysis evaluates the broader clinical impact of olipudase alfa in ASMD. A systematic search of Cochrane, PubMed, and Embase identified RCTs and cohort studies on olipudase alfa in patients with ASMD. Primary outcomes included mean change in %DLco, %Liver volume, and %Spleen volume; other secondary outcomes were also assessed. Study selection followed PRISMA guidelines, and statistical analyses were conducted using R software. The study was registered in PROSPERO CRD420251032281. Three studies (One RCT) encompassing 46 patients were included. Follow-up duration ranged from 1 to 6.5 years. All patients received olipudase alfa; only one study included a placebo group. Pooled results showed a mean DLco increase of 34.63% (95% CI: 26.09-43.18), a liver volume reduction of -37.76% (95% CI: -49.78 to -25.75), and a spleen volume reduction of -49.46% (95% CI: -57.39 to -41.53) after 2 years. The olipudase alfa demonstrates substantial clinical benefits in ASMD, significantly improving lung function and reducing organomegaly. Further studies are needed to confirm long-term safety and efficacy.

PMID:40974024 | DOI:10.1002/ajmg.a.64258