Category: Statistics

Sports Med Open. 2026 Apr 1;12(1):38. doi: 10.1186/s40798-026-01012-1.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Drop-set training (DROP) is a time-efficient resistance training method for hypertrophy and strength. Its long-term adaptations remain debated, particularly in relation to its acute physiological responses such as metabolic stress and fatigue. This meta-analysis examines both acute and chronic effects of DROP to provide a comprehensive evaluation of its efficacy.

METHODS: A systematic search was conducted across PubMed, Web of Science, SCOPUS, and SPORTDiscus up to January 20, 2026, following PRISMA guidelines. Studies comparing DROP and traditional resistance training (TRAD) on hypertrophy, strength, metabolic stress, fatigue, and perceived exertion were included. Data extraction and risk of bias assessment were performed using the PEDro scale. Meta-analyses were conducted using a random-effects model.

RESULTS: The meta-analysis, based on 12 studies (n = 274 participants), revealed significant increases in ratings of perceived exertion (SMD = 1.62, 95% CI [0.33 to 2.91]) and lactate levels (SMD = 0.67, 95% CI [0.20 to 1.14]) for DROP. A trend in favor of DROP was observed for heart rate, although this did not reach statistical significance (SMD = 0.45, 95% CI [- 0.12 to 1.02]). No significant differences were observed between DROP and TRAD for chronic hypertrophy (SMD = 0.04, 95% CI [- 0.29 to 0.36]), strength (SMD = – 0.04, 95% CI [- 0.34 to 0.26]), or muscle endurance adaptations (SMD = 0.53, 95% CI [- 0.20 to 1.26]).

CONCLUSION: DROP offers a time-efficient alternative to TRAD, yielding comparable long-term gains in muscle hypertrophy and strength. Based on current evidence, DROP acutely induces significantly higher perceived exertion and lactate responses, whereas heart rate shows no consistent differences between methods. Practitioners should consider these elevated perceptual demands and potential recovery needs when integrating DROP into long-term training periodization.

PMID:41920484 | DOI:10.1186/s40798-026-01012-1

Dig Dis Sci. 2026 Apr 1. doi: 10.1007/s10620-026-09880-z. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: Current biomarkers for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) often rely on invasive procedures and lack broad availability, limiting their utility in clinical practice. This study aims to investigate the association between handgrip strength (HGS) and crucial treatment endpoints in IBD, such as disease activity, endoscopic severity and nutritional status in patients with IBD.

METHODS: This double-center study enrolled patients with Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). The disease activity, endoscopic severity, health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and presence of depressive disorder were evaluated using validated scores. HGS was measured through a calibrated isokinetic dynamometer and the nutritional status of the participants was assessed. A statistical software was used to analyze the data.

RESULTS: A total of 144 patients were included in this study. A statistically significant correlation was found between HGS and disease activity (r_s = – 0.182, p = 0.035), HRQoL (r = 0.330, p < 0.001), depression (r = – 0.203, p = 0.03) but not endoscopic severity. In patients with CD, the correlations were more pronounced and HGS also correlated with the number of extraintestinal manifestations (r_s = – 0.218, p < 0.001). Receiver operating characteristics analysis indicated an acceptable diagnostic accuracy of HGS for malnutrition diagnosis (AUC: 0.733, 95% CI 0.643-0.824, p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION: HGS correlates with crucial endpoints in IBD, with an acceptable accuracy for malnutrition diagnosis. These findings support the value of HGS as an indicator of overall health and nutritional status in routine clinical practice. While normalization of HGS values could be considered a meaningful goal, further prospective studies are necessary to validate its prognostic role in IBD.

PMID:41920463 | DOI:10.1007/s10620-026-09880-z

Doc Ophthalmol. 2026 Apr 1. doi: 10.1007/s10633-026-10097-8. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: To evaluate variability observed in pupil light response with the EyeKinetix pupillometer in healthy non-dark-adapted individuals.

METHODS: We performed objective pupillometry in 440 non-dark-adapted patients with 20/20 corrected visual acuity, normal visual fields, and no ophthalmic disease who presented for routine exam. EyeKinetix was performed as part of the routine exam screening protocol. Metrics reviewed were RAPDx amplitude scores, latency scores, and quantitative metrics of pupil dynamics measured by the EyeKinetix. Sequential retesting was analyzed for repeatability. Statistical analyses included normality testing, confidence intervals, t-tests, and Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) calculations for repeated measures.

RESULTS: Amplitude and latency scores exhibited significant variability. The mean amplitude score was 0.0249 ± 0.247, with 5% of patients > = 2 standard deviations [> 0.51 log unit (LU)]. Latency scores showed low reliability (ICC = 0.165), whereas amplitude, constriction velocity, and release velocity demonstrated moderate to high reliability (ICC = 0.472-0.966).

CONCLUSION: Objective pupillometry without dark adaptation using the EyeKinetix device displays substantial variability and identifies a number of relative afferent pupil defects (RAPDs) in this cohort of healthy patients. These findings indicate that, in healthy populations, reliance on RAPDx scores alone could generate false positives. Establishing robust normative cutoffs and validating them in disease cohorts will be necessary before reliable use as a screener. Further optimization may be necessary for more clinical confidence in a primary care setting.

PMID:41920452 | DOI:10.1007/s10633-026-10097-8

Qual Life Res. 2026 Apr 1;35(5):116. doi: 10.1007/s11136-026-04233-9.

NO ABSTRACT

PMID:41920451 | DOI:10.1007/s11136-026-04233-9

Med Health Care Philos. 2026 Apr 1. doi: 10.1007/s11019-026-10346-2. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Artificial intelligence is increasingly integrated into medical decision-making, often framed as a supportive tool that enhances accuracy while leaving final judgment to clinicians. This paper argues that such framing obscures a deeper structural shift: medical action may proceed without any judgment ever occurring. AI systems do not judge; they generate outputs through statistical transduction. Clinicians, under institutional and legal pressures, may relay these outputs without regenerating them as their own reasons. When neither AI nor clinician generates judgment, decisions are enacted without a judging subject. While judgment without a judging subject may be sustainable elsewhere, medicine renders this absence unsustainable. Medical practice is characterized by irreversibility, case-specificity, meaning-demand, and relational accountability-features that presuppose judgment as a human act. Even clinically correct outcomes do not guarantee that patients will recognize a decision as right for them. When judgment disappears, informed consent persists only as a procedural ritual, simulating understanding without grounding it. To make this absence explicit, the paper introduces Metaqualia Theory (MTQ), distinguishing patient experience (Q), technical transduction (T), and judgment as meaning-generating endorsement (M). This leads to a prior ethical question: Is there an M here? This question precedes concerns about explainability and helps clarify the conditions under which consent and responsibility remain meaningful. The analysis suggests that when AI outputs are not regenerated as human judgment, their role in medical practice raises structural limits that cannot be addressed by transparency alone.

PMID:41920434 | DOI:10.1007/s11019-026-10346-2

Ther Innov Regul Sci. 2026 Apr 1. doi: 10.1007/s43441-026-00962-8. Online ahead of print.

NO ABSTRACT

PMID:41920433 | DOI:10.1007/s43441-026-00962-8

Qual Life Res. 2026 Apr 1;35(5):126. doi: 10.1007/s11136-026-04234-8.

NO ABSTRACT

PMID:41920430 | DOI:10.1007/s11136-026-04234-8

Clin J Pain. 2026 Apr 1. doi: 10.1097/AJP.0000000000001383. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: Given that liposomal bupivacaine (LB) is not currently approved for thoracic surgery, this study evaluated postoperative analgesia after thoracic procedures.

METHODS: This retrospective cohort study with propensity score matching yielded 99 matched pairs. Patients were grouped by receipt of a postoperative ultrasound-guided serratus anterior plane block with LB plus standard care versus standard care alone. The primary outcome was the area under the curve (AUC) for pain scores over the first 0-72 postoperative hours. Secondary endpoints included verbal response scale pain scores, opioid consumption, quality of recovery, and hospital length of stay. Statistical significance was defined as P < 0.05.

RESULTS: Baseline characteristics were well balanced after matching. The LB group had a lower 0-72 hour pain AUC (110 ± 48 vs. 185 ± 67; P < 0.01), exceeding the prespecified threshold for clinical relevance (at least a 10% reduction), and lower early postoperative pain scores. Opioid consumption was reduced at 24 and 48 hours (both P < 0.01). Quality of recovery scores were higher at 24, 48, and 72 hours, with the 24-hour difference meeting the minimal clinically important difference. Postoperative nausea and vomiting was less frequent from 6 to 24 hours; length of stay did not differ.

CONCLUSIONS: Perioperative regional block with LB was associated with reduced pain burden and opioid use after thoracic surgery. Prospective, multicenter randomized trials with longer follow-up and health economic evaluations are needed.

PMID:41919481 | DOI:10.1097/AJP.0000000000001383

J Chem Inf Model. 2026 Apr 1. doi: 10.1021/acs.jcim.6c00453. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Metal ions play a crucial role in the function, regulation, and stability of proteins. Therefore, accurate prediction of metal ions’ binding sites is valuable to reveal the molecular mechanism of related biological processes. Here, we propose MetalKB, a novel knowledge-based framework for predicting the binding sites of metal ions on proteins by using atomic-level statistical potentials and graph-theoretical strategies. Specifically, possible donor atom clusters are first identified using a clique detection algorithm, from which initial metal ion coordinates are generated. These candidate coordinates are then evaluated and locally refined using knowledge-based statistical potentials derived from a protein-metal ion binding database. Redundant predictions are subsequently removed by applying spatial distance thresholds. Evaluations on diverse benchmark data sets provided by Metal3D and TEMSP show that MetalKB demonstrates competitive performance compared with seven representative methods in terms of precision, recall, and F1 score, while exhibiting strong robustness and parameter stability. MetalKB is capable of identifying complex coordination environments, including multinuclear and bridging metal-binding sites, as illustrated in representative structural examples. In addition, it also provides prediction of both metal ion 3D coordinates and residue-level coordinating ligands.

PMID:41919470 | DOI:10.1021/acs.jcim.6c00453

Neurol Neurochir Pol. 2026 Apr 1. doi: 10.5603/pjnns.109338. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

AIM OF THE STUDY: Evaluate and compare F‑wave and cutaneous silent period (CSP) parameters in caput‑pattern idiopathic cervical dystonia (CD) in the waning phase of botulinum toxin therapy vs. healthy controls to identify alterations in segmental excitability and spinal inhibition.

CLINICAL RATIONALE FOR THE STUDY: Cervical dystonia likely reflects sensorimotor network dysfunction. Objective neurophysiological markers of spinal and supraspinal inhibition could clarify pathophysiology, improve diagnostic accuracy versus pseudodystonia and offer candidate biomarkers for monitoring and therapeutic studies.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: A control study enrolled 21 patients with focal caput‑pattern CD (18 female, 3 male, mean age 53.5 ± ± 7.9 years) and 21 matched healthy volunteers (18 female, 3 male, mean age 51.6 ± 9.2 years). The standard F‑wave protocol, including F‑wave minimal latency (Fmin), chronodispersion (Fchronosp), persistence (Fpersistence), amplitude (Fampl), F/M amplitude ratio (F/Mampl), F‑wave maximal latency (Fmax), mean latency (Fmean), F/M latency ratio (F/Mlat ratio) and conduction velocities (CV1, CV2). Similarly, the CSP measurement protocol, which typically includes CSP onset latency (CSPo), CSP end latency (CSPe), CSP duration (CSPd), was expanded with CSP onset minimal latency (CSPom) and velocities CV3, CV4 and CV5. Because conduction velocity depends on anatomical distance and CSP latencies, incorporating precise distances enables a more reliable and accurate evaluation of both afferent and efferent overall neural pathway efficiency than latency measures alone.

RESULTS: Compared with controls, patients with caput‑pattern CD demonstrated prolonged Fmax and Fmean (p = 0.012 and p = = 0.019 respectively), increased Fchronosp (p = 0.004) and Fampl (p = 0.043), increased F/Mlat ratio (p = 0.037), shortened CSPd and CSPe (p < 0.0001 and p = 0.0001), and altered (generally increased) CSP‑related conduction velocities: CV4 (p < 0.0001) and CV5 (p = 0.007). The most sensitive measures were CSPd, CSPe and CV4.

CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Cervical dystonia is associated with impaired inhibition and altered conduction velocities (CV4, CV5). CSPd, CSPe and CV4 are candidate markers to aid diagnosis, differentiate pseudodystonia, and monitor disease or treatment effects. These measures may also inform studies of other motor‑control disorders.

PMID:41919456 | DOI:10.5603/pjnns.109338