Category: Statistics

Dokl Biol Sci. 2026 Aug 3. doi: 10.1134/S0012496626600314. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Circadian rhythm disruption is a risk factor for metabolic and age-associated diseases. The liver is a key target of such desynchronosis. The effect of chronic continuous light exposure and the corrective effect of melatonin on the liver status were investigated in rats. Desynchronosis mediated by melatonin deficiency was shown to induce the formation of a pro-senescent and metabolically dysfunctional liver phenotype. Melatonin administration significantly reduced the severity of the identified disorders and prevented statistically significant deviations in most of the parameters under study. The results, together with previous data on ultrastructural damage to hepatocytes and a negative impact of desynchronosis on lifespan, indicate that chronic continuous light exposure is a significant pro-gerontological factor and that melatonin is an effective agent for correcting the associated disturbances of liver homeostasis.

PMID:42550425 | DOI:10.1134/S0012496626600314

Dokl Biol Sci. 2026 Aug 3. doi: 10.1134/S001249662660034X. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

The contents of total lipids (TL) and individual lipid classes were studied in the mantle, foot, and hepatopancreas of the freshwater pearl mussel Margaritifera margaritifera from eight northwestern Russian rivers belonging to the White and Barents Sea basins. Tissue specificity of the lipid composition was observed in the studied tissues; i.e., the hepatopancreas had several times higher contents of TL and dominant lipid classes. A predominance of triacylglycerols among energetic lipids in the hepatopancreas was a distinctive feature of pearl mussels from the Lotta, Sredniy Verman, Mashjoki, and Nautsiyoki rivers, whereas cholesterol esters predominated in mussels from the rivers of the Pyaozero water system, which is further south. Furthermore, the cholesterol/phospholipid ratio (an indicator of the structural and functional state of membranes and a marker of temperature adaptation) was the highest in pearl mussels from the Lotta, Sredniy Verman, Mashjoki, and Nautsiyoki rivers. This may be related to corresponding adaptive changes associated with preparation for the winter period, given a more northern location of the rivers. The results of lipid status analysis in pearl mussels from different habitats may be useful for monitoring studies aimed at preserving and restoring populations of the species in the wild.

PMID:42550423 | DOI:10.1134/S001249662660034X

Ophthalmic Physiol Opt. 2026 Aug 4. doi: 10.1007/s44402-026-00161-w. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: To evaluate accommodative amplitude (AA), accommodative lag (LAG) and defocus curve (DC) metrics in phakic adults aged 45-65 years, and investigate their relationships.

METHODS: Observational cross-sectional study including 77 subjects stratified into four age groups (G1-G4: 45-50, 51-55, 56-60 and 61-65 years, respectively). AA was measured using the push-up method and LAG at 40 cm and 66 cm using an open-field autorefractometer. Monocular DC were obtained and two summary metrics derived: area under the curve (AUC) and defocus cut-off at 0.20 logMAR. Differences among age groups were analysed using appropriate statistical tests, and regression models evaluated the predictive value of age and defocus cut-off for AA.

RESULTS: AA decreased significantly with age (G1-G4: 2.41 ± 0.53, 2.13 ± 0.63, 1.61 ± 0.44 and 1.75 ± 0.73 D; p < 0.001), with higher values in younger (45-55 years) compared with older subjects (56-65 years) and no significant differences within each age cluster. LAG remained stable at both 40 cm (p = 0.27) and 66 cm (p = 0.50). DC metrics showed significant age-related changes, with reduced AUC and less defocus cut-off values in older groups (p < 0.001). AUC differed significantly between G1 and G4 and between G2 and G4, whereas defocus cut-off differed only between G2 and G4. Age (R² = 0.22) and defocus cut-off (R² = 0.09) had limited predictive value for AA.

CONCLUSION: AA and DC metrics decline with age, whereas LAG remains stable. Their weak association suggests that they reflect partially distinct aspects of visual function. DC analysis captures aspects of functional near visual performance that are not fully reflected by accommodative measurements alone, which may be useful for a more comprehensive characterisation of presbyopic visual function and for the evaluation of presbyopia-correcting interventions.

PMID:42550417 | DOI:10.1007/s44402-026-00161-w

Clin Exp Nephrol. 2026 Aug 4. doi: 10.1007/s10157-026-02908-8. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Although depression is common among patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), its impact on the incidence of end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) and all-cause mortality remains unclear.

METHODS: This retrospective cohort study used Cox proportional hazards (CPH) models and CPH models with penalized splines to assess the association between depression severity and the incidence of ESKD and mortality in patients with CKD, drawing on data from the Chronic Kidney Disease Japan Cohort (CKD-JAC) Study.

RESULTS: This study included 1,694 patients with CKD (median age 61 years; mean eGFR 29.0 ± 12.2 mL/min/1.73 m²; median Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) score 8). Depression severity was classified into four categories: normal (0-13), mild (14-19), moderate (20-28), and severe (≥ 29). In Multivariable CPH models, ESKD risk showed a stepwise elevation in hazard ratios (HRs) without reaching statistical significance, whereas, mortality risk increased significantly in the moderate and severe group: HR 3.11 (95%CI 1.61-6.03) and 3.51 (1.40-8.80). Additionally, CPH models demonstrated a dose-dependent association between BDI-II categories and the incidence of both ESKD and mortality. CPH Models with penalized splines further revealed a gradual increase in ESKD risk, and a J-shaped association in mortality risk.

CONCLUSION: Depression severity showed dose-dependent associations with increased the incidence of ESKD and mortality in patients with CKD. Although mortality risk was significantly higher in the moderate and severe groups (BDI-II score ≥ 20), the stepwise elevation in ESKD risk did not reach statistical significance, and an optimal threshold for ESKD risk could not be identified.

PMID:42550412 | DOI:10.1007/s10157-026-02908-8

Front Surg. 2026 Jul 20;13:1888316. doi: 10.3389/fsurg.2026.1888316. eCollection 2026.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Degenerative lumbar disease surgery is associated with perioperative blood loss, tissue injury, postoperative immobility, and activation of hemostatic pathways. Although venous thromboembolism after spine surgery has been investigated extensively, less attention has been given to the integrated perioperative shift of routine hematologic and coagulation markers in degenerative lumbar surgery.

METHODS: This single-center retrospective observational study consecutively included patients undergoing surgery for degenerative lumbar disease at Beijing Luhe Hospital, Capital Medical University, between January 1, 2021 and December 31, 2022. After source verification and construction of the locked patient-level analytic cohort, 143 patients were included. Paired preoperative and postoperative day 1 hematologic and coagulation markers were analyzed. Postoperative lower-limb venous thrombosis status was available for 142 patients and was ascertained by clinical records and routine bilateral lower-limb venous ultrasonography, usually performed after drainage tube removal on postoperative day 2 or 3. Thrombosis-stratified comparisons, descriptive ROC analyses, and limited Firth logistic regression were performed only as exploratory and hypothesis-generating analyses.

RESULTS: Ten asymptomatic calf muscular vein thromboses were recorded among 142 patients with available thrombosis status, corresponding to an event rate of 7.0%, and no pulmonary embolism was recorded. Core paired laboratory analyses included 143 preoperative and postoperative day 1 pairs. Hb decreased from 141.00 to 115.00 g/L, HCT from 0.42 to 0.34, and PLT from 216.00 to 201.00 × 10^9/L. APTT shortened from 29.40 to 25.90 s, whereas FIB increased from 2.85 to 3.45 g/L and D-dimer from 0.08 to 0.53 μg/mL DDU; all paired comparisons were statistically significant. In exploratory thrombosis-stratified analyses, patients with ultrasound-detected asymptomatic calf muscular vein thrombosis had higher postoperative D-dimer than those without thrombosis, 1.16 vs. 0.51 μg/mL DDU, lower postoperative APTT, 24.35 vs. 26.00 s, and lower postoperative AT-III, 88.50% vs. 99.00%. In a descriptive ROC analysis, postoperative D-dimer yielded an AUC of 0.715 with bootstrap 95% CI 0.533-0.905.

CONCLUSIONS: Routine laboratory markers demonstrated expected perioperative hematologic and coagulation shifts after surgery for degenerative lumbar disease. Exploratory differences in postoperative D-dimer, APTT, and AT-III among patients with ultrasound-detected asymptomatic calf muscular vein thrombosis require prospective validation and are not sufficient for screening, risk stratification, threshold derivation, or prophylaxis decisions.

PMID:42549008 | PMC:PMC13430305 | DOI:10.3389/fsurg.2026.1888316

Pulm Circ. 2026 Aug 3;16(3):e70376. doi: 10.1002/pul2.70376. eCollection 2026 Jul.

ABSTRACT

The gut microbiota has been implicated in pulmonary vascular diseases, yet a direct causal link to pulmonary embolism (PE) remains unestablished. This study aimed to investigate the causal effects of gut microbiota on PE and to explore the mediating role of circulating metabolites in this relationship. We performed a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis using summary statistics from large-scale genome-wide association studies. The gut microbiota data were sourced from the MiBioGen consortium, PE data from the FinnGen consortium (R10), and metabolite data from a meta-analysis of 136,016 participants. The inverse variance weighting method was used as the primary analytical approach, supplemented by sensitivity analyzes to ensure robustness. At the nominal level (p < 0.05), 12 gut microbial taxa showed suggestive associations with PE. Among these, genera LachnospiraceaeUCG010 and Defluviitaleaceae showed protective effects, while Subdoligranulum, Lentisphaerae, and Erysipelatoclostridium were associated with increased risk. In contrast, 26 circulating metabolites exhibited robust causal associations with PE, with several surviving Bonferroni correction. Mediation analyzes further revealed that specific metabolites, including histidine, triglycerides in small HDL, and docosahexaenoic acid ratio, significantly mediated the suggestive effects of nominal microbial taxa on PE risk, identifying potential metabolic pathways in the gut-vascular axis. This study generates hypothesis-generating evidence for the gut-pulmonary vascular axis, with identified metabolic mediators warranting further experimental validation. The potential effects of gut microbiota on PE provide exploratory leads for future mechanistic studies. These findings highlight the gut-pulmonary vascular axis as a potential target for novel preventive and therapeutic strategies against PE.

PMID:42549004 | PMC:PMC13430573 | DOI:10.1002/pul2.70376

Curr Res Parasitol Vector Borne Dis. 2026 Jul 22;10:100418. doi: 10.1016/j.crpvbd.2026.100418. eCollection 2026.

ABSTRACT

Canine leishmaniasis (CanL) is a zoonotic vector-borne disease caused by Leishmania infantum, with dogs acting as the main reservoir for human infection. Reliable serological assessment is essential for disease surveillance and control. This study describes the development and validation of LeishmaCHECK Ab ELISA, a new rapid qualitative and semi-quantitative assay for the detection of anti-L. infantum antibodies in canine serum. Cut-off values were established using multiple statistical approaches, including Youden’s index and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. The assay was evaluated on 552 canine samples (313 positives, 206 negatives, 33 borderline), using IFAT as the reference serological method. LeishmaCHECK Ab ELISA showed excellent agreement with IFAT (Cohen’s kappa of 0.93), achieving a relative sensitivity of 95.2% and a relative specificity of up to 99.5%. Comparative analyses also demonstrated superior diagnostic performance compared with other commercially available ELISA tests. These findings indicate that LeishmaCHECK Ab ELISA represents a reliable alternative tool for the serological screening of canine leishmaniasis.

PMID:42548988 | PMC:PMC13430192 | DOI:10.1016/j.crpvbd.2026.100418

J Plast Reconstr Surg. 2025 Nov 21;5(4):257-264. doi: 10.53045/jprs.2025-0054. eCollection 2026 Jul 27.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: The nose is the most prominent part of the face. The postoperative evaluation of the nose is vital to check if the desired surgical result was achieved. The scarcity of standardized scales/scores for nasal assessment inspired us to develop an entirely new scoring system (Surendrakumar and Sukhen Nasal After Rhinoplasty Evaluation Score [SSNARES]), which is universally applicable to people of all ethnic groups, ages, and genders, and yields a valid, reliable result.

METHODS: SSNARES consists of a questionnaire of 10 parameters that assesses the nose aesthetically, functionally, and psychologically. Patient’s responses are graded between 0-4 scores per parameter. The addition of all scores yields the final score, which is correlated with a satisfaction grade (a quantitative measure of patient satisfaction after surgery). SSNARES was thoroughly analyzed by an interdisciplinary panel of experts and underwent stringent statistical analysis to prove its validity and reliability upon pilot testing on 20 patients.

RESULTS: The item content validity index and score content validity index of SSNARES were both 1 (excellent). Bartlett’s Test of Sphericity showed a p-value of <0.001, indicating a highly significant test. The Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin test value for the overall score is >0.9 (marvelous category). The construct validity of SSNARES was tested by exploratory factor analysis, and questions with loadings >0.4 were considered significant to represent a specific factor. The confirmatory factor analysis of SSNARES showed a p-value of <0.001, indicating a high significance level and strong correlation. The Cronbach’s α coefficient of SSNARES is 0.9646, which highlights excellent reliability.

CONCLUSIONS: This cost-effective, efficient, easy-to-use, patient-oriented new score will be of prime significance for patients, clinicians, and researchers for score computation, decision-making for reintervention, and research purposes.

PMID:42548981 | PMC:PMC13430236 | DOI:10.53045/jprs.2025-0054

Vet Med Int. 2026 Aug 2;2026:7539360. doi: 10.1155/vmi/7539360. eCollection 2026.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND AND AIM: The respiratory system, particularly the lungs, is highly vulnerable to various diseases due to the inhalation of contaminated air and the aspiration of drenches. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of gross lung abnormalities and their economic impact in cattle slaughtered at the Gondar ELFORA abattoir.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was used in the study period between December 2023 and June 2024. Systematic random sampling was used to examine every fourth lung hung on the rail. A total of 382 lung samples were examined by visual inspection, palpation, and incision and analysed using descriptive statistical analysis, including calculation of prevalence and the χ² test.

RESULT: The study showed that 231 (60.45%) of the lungs examined had one or more lesions. The prevalence of specific lung conditions was as follows: emphysema (18.06%; p value < 0.001), hydatid cyst (13.87%; p value < 0.001), atelectasis (7.33%; p value < 0.001), pulmonary abscess (6.54%; p value < 0.001), haemorrhage (5.75%; p value < 0.001), fibrosis (3.14%; p value = 0.004), calcification (2.87%; p value = 0.036), oedema (2.6%) and lung worm infestation (0%). Hydatidosis and emphysema were significantly influenced both by body condition and age (p < 0.05). Cattle with thin body conditions showed significant associations with both atelectasis (p = 0.029) and abscess (p = 0.001). In contrast, there was no significant association between age and atelectasis (X ² = 1.4595; p = 0.227) and abscess (X ² = 2.6145; p = 0.106). Of the affected lungs, 176 were condemned due to aesthetic concerns and suspected zoonotic risks, representing a total rejection rate of 46%. The estimated annual economic loss due to lung rejection was approximately $11,836.95 (1,850,115.30 ETB) per year.

CONCLUSION: During the study period, nearly half of the lungs of slaughtered cattle were rejected due to zoonotic concerns and aesthetic values. The substantial rate of pulmonary lesions with a predominant rate of hydatidosis and emphysema resulted in a considerable rejection rate, implicating a critical public health concern. The significant rate of economic loss from this abattoir with low slaughter volume could indicate huge economic loss at the country level and the urgency of improving herd health management.

PMID:42548979 | PMC:PMC13430042 | DOI:10.1155/vmi/7539360

Food Chem X. 2026 Jul 22;38:104242. doi: 10.1016/j.fochx.2026.104242. eCollection 2026 Aug.

ABSTRACT

China’s Four Famous Vinegars are recognized as industrial benchmarks and have been broadly studied. In contrast, the systematic quality characterization of Pingshan multistep fermented vinegar, a regional traditional Chinese vinegar, remains largely unexplored. We herein established a systematic comparative quality evaluation strategy by integrating high-performance liquid chromatography, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, in vitro antioxidant assays, and multivariate statistical analysis. The results demonstrated that Pingshan multistep fermented vinegar exhibits the highest total phenolic content, with chlorogenic acid and vanillic acid as the main differential phenolics among the nine targeted analytes, and showed comparable DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging activities to benchmark vinegars. Furfural was the top differentiating volatile with characteristic abundance in PMFV, and ethyl butyrate along with 18 other odor-active compounds (odor activity value >1) are the main contributors to its aroma profile. The coordinated composition of organic acids and free amino acids forms its relatively balanced taste-related chemical profile.

PMID:42548964 | PMC:PMC13429922 | DOI:10.1016/j.fochx.2026.104242