Category: Statistics

PLoS Med. 2022 Apr 22;19(4):e1003967. doi: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1003967. eCollection 2022 Apr.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Taller adult height is associated with lower risks of ischemic heart disease in mendelian randomization (MR) studies, but little is known about the causal relevance of height for different subtypes of ischemic stroke. The present study examined the causal relevance of height for different subtypes of ischemic stroke.

METHODS AND FINDINGS: Height-associated genetic variants (up to 2,337) from previous genome-wide association studies (GWASs) were used to construct genetic instruments in different ancestral populations. Two-sample MR approaches were used to examine the associations of genetically determined height with ischemic stroke and its subtypes (cardioembolic stroke, large-artery stroke, and small-vessel stroke) in multiple ancestries (the MEGASTROKE consortium, which included genome-wide studies of stroke and stroke subtypes: 60,341 ischemic stroke cases) supported by additional cases in individuals of white British ancestry (UK Biobank [UKB]: 4,055 cases) and Chinese ancestry (China Kadoorie Biobank [CKB]: 10,297 cases). The associations of genetically determined height with established cardiovascular and other risk factors were examined in 336,750 participants from UKB and 58,277 participants from CKB. In MEGASTROKE, genetically determined height was associated with a 4% lower risk (odds ratio [OR] 0.96; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.94, 0.99; p = 0.007) of ischemic stroke per 1 standard deviation (SD) taller height, but this masked a much stronger positive association of height with cardioembolic stroke (13% higher risk, OR 1.13 [95% CI 1.07, 1.19], p < 0.001) and stronger inverse associations with large-artery stroke (11% lower risk, OR 0.89 [0.84, 0.95], p < 0.001) and small-vessel stroke (13% lower risk, OR 0.87 [0.83, 0.92], p < 0.001). The findings in both UKB and CKB were directionally concordant with those observed in MEGASTROKE, but did not reach statistical significance: For presumed cardioembolic stroke, the ORs were 1.08 (95% CI 0.86, 1.35; p = 0.53) in UKB and 1.20 (0.77, 1.85; p = 0.43) in CKB; for other subtypes of ischemic stroke in UKB, the OR was 0.97 (95% CI 0.90, 1.05; p = 0.49); and for other nonlacunar stroke and lacunar stroke in CKB, the ORs were 0.89 (0.80, 1.00; p = 0.06) and 0.99 (0.88, 1.12; p = 0.85), respectively. In addition, genetically determined height was also positively associated with atrial fibrillation (available only in UKB), and with lean body mass and lung function, and inversely associated with low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol in both British and Chinese ancestries. Limitations of this study include potential bias from assortative mating or pleiotropic effects of genetic variants and incomplete generalizability of genetic instruments to different populations.

CONCLUSIONS: The findings provide support for a causal association of taller adult height with higher risk of cardioembolic stroke and lower risk of other ischemic stroke subtypes in diverse ancestries. Further research is needed to understand the shared biological and physical pathways underlying the associations between height and stroke risks, which could identify potential targets for treatments to prevent stroke.

PMID:35452448 | DOI:10.1371/journal.pmed.1003967

Aging (Albany NY). 2022 Apr 22;14(undefined). doi: 10.18632/aging.204022. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Lymphoma is accompanied by the impairment of multiple immune functions. Cytokines play an important role in a variety of immune-related functions and affect the tumor microenvironment. However, the exact regulatory mechanisms between them remain unclear. This study aimed to explore the cytokines expression and function in Hodgkin’s lymphoma (HL), diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), and mantle cell lymphoma (MCL). We performed a transcriptome integration analysis of 14 lymphoma datasets including 240 Hodgkin’s lymphoma, 891 diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, 216 mantle cell lymphoma, and 64 health samples. The results showed that multiple immune functions and signal pathway damage were shared by all three types of lymphoma, and these functions were related to cytokines. Furthermore, through co-expression network and functional interaction network analysis, we identified CXCL14 as a key regulator and it affects cell chemotaxis and migration functions. The functional experiment showed that CXCL14 knockdown inhibited cell migration in MCL cell lines. This study suggested that high expression of CXCL14 may aggravate MCL via promoting cell migration. Our findings provide novel insights into the biology of this disease and would be helpful for the pathogenesis study and drug discovery of lymphomas.

PMID:35452413 | DOI:10.18632/aging.204022

Hum Vaccin Immunother. 2022 Apr 22:1-7. doi: 10.1080/21645515.2022.2064134. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Mass vaccination is critical to control the pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Fear of adverse events (AEs) after COVID-19 vaccination is a main factor associated with vaccination hesitancy. We aimed to analyze AEs in healthcare workers (HCWs) vaccinated with COVID-19 vaccines (Aikewei or CoronaVac) composed of inactivated virus. We used a structured self-administered questionnaire to conduct two surveys on COVID-19 vaccination among HCWs in perinatal medicine and obstetrics/gynecology from April 5 to April 21, 2021. In total, 1392 HCWs who had received at least one vaccine dose were included. Of them, 1264 (90.8%) were females and 1047 (75.2%) received two doses. The overall incidence of any AEs after the first and second dose was 38.2% (532/1392) and 31.0% (325/1047) respectively (χ2 = 13.506, P = .0002). Female and HCWs aged 18-30 y were more likely to report AEs. The most common AEs were local reaction, accounting for 48.1% and 67.4% of all AEs after the first and second dose respectively. The systemic AEs were mainly neurological (9.8% and 4.8% after the first and second injection respectively) and flu-like symptoms (6.3% and 3.2%). Overall, most of AEs were mild, only 5.1% (after the first dose) and 2.8% (after the second dose) of individuals with AEs received symptomatic treatment or sick leaves, and none of them required hospitalization. Our data added more evidence that inactivated COVID-19 vaccines are highly safe. The data are valuable to overcome vaccine hesitancy associated with concerns about the safety of COVID-19 vaccines.

PMID:35452357 | DOI:10.1080/21645515.2022.2064134

Wounds. 2022 Apr;34(4):106-115.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: This study compared outcomes of soft tissue reconstruction using biodegradable temporizing matrix (BTM) and collagen-chondroitin silicone (CCS) skin substitutes.

OBJECTIVE: In this study, the authors compared wound healing rates and complication rates between BTM and CCS.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective study reviewed outcomes for adult patients who underwent soft tissue reconstruction with either BTM or CCS skin substitutes between 2015 and 2020. Demographics, wound characteristics, surgical details, and complications were recorded.

RESULTS: Ninety-seven patients were included, of whom 51 (52.6%) were treated with BTM graft and 46 (47.4%) with CCS bilayer graft. The mean patient age was 48.2 years (range, 18-93 years). Wound etiologies included burn, trauma, iatrogenic, compartment syndrome, skin cancer, and osteomyelitis. The median template size was 147 cm2 and 100 cm2 for BTM and CCS, respectively (P =.337). Skin grafts were applied to 39 patients (84.8%) treated with CCS compared with 28 (54.9%) treated with BTM (P =.006); the remaining wounds healing secondarily. The template-related and skin graft-related complications of infection, dehiscence, and hematoma or seroma were comparable between groups. The rate of skin graft failure was significantly higher in the CCS cohort (n = 9 [23.1%]) compared with the BTM group (n = 1 [3.6%]) (P =.006). More secondary procedures were required after CCS placement (mean ± standard deviation, 1.9 ± 1.8; range, 0-9) than after BTM (mean, 1.0 ± 0.9; range 0-4) (P =.002). There was no statistical significance in the frequency of definitive closure between BTM and CCS (n = 31 [60.8%] vs n = 28 [60.9%], respectively; P =.655).

CONCLUSIONS: Compared with CCS, BTM had comparable closure and complication rates and required fewer secondary procedures and/or subsequent skin grafting.

PMID:35452408

J Binocul Vis Ocul Motil. 2022 Apr 22:1-8. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: To compare non-absorbable and absorbable sutures for medial rectus advancement in consecutive exotropia.

METHODS: In a pilot randomized clinical trial, 40 subjects with consecutive exotropia >15 PD that underwent unilateral medial rectus advancement with or without resection were randomly assigned to two groups: using non-absorbable (polyester) suture in the non-absorbable group and absorbable (vicryl) suture in the absorbable group. The success rate was defined as the final postoperative angle of deviation <10 PD.

RESULTS: Thirty-three patients (18 in the non-absorbable and 15 in the absorbable group) had completed the study. At last follow-up, the distance deviation improved from 29.2 ± 15.5 to 7.6 ± 7.9 in the non-absorbable group and from 25.9 ± 8.4 to 8.1 ± 10.7 in the absorbable group. The near deviation improved from 31.4 ± 15.9 to 7.2 ± 8.0 in the non-absorbable and from 29.0 ± 7.6 to 6.8 ± 11.9 in the absorbable group. The amount of the final correction of the distance and near deviation was not statistically different between the groups (P = .80 and P = .99, respectively). At the final examination, the exoshifts for distance and near were not statistically different between 2 groups (p = .61 and 0.54, respectively). At the final examination, the success was obtained in 12 patients (66.7%) and 8 patients (53.3%) in the non-absorbable and absorbable group, respectively (p = .73).

CONCLUSION: In our study, there was no statistical difference in success rate or exoshift between non-absorbable and absorbable sutures. So, considering local inflammation induced by non-absorbable sutures in some cases, the absorbable sutures can be an appropriate option for the treatment of consecutive exotropia.

PMID:35452354

Neurocase. 2022 Apr 22:1-9. doi: 10.1080/13554794.2021.1978502. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Two service members were diagnosed with PTSD due to military trauma exposure. One presented with the classical manifestation; the other presented with the dissociative subtype. A statistical map revealed anterior localization of insula connectivity in the classical PTSD patient and posterior localization in the dissociative PTSD patient. These differences suggest that dissociative PTSD may be identified, understood, and treated as a disorder related to increased posterior insula connectivity. This double case study provides preliminary evidence for a concrete neuroanatomical discrepancy between insula function in classical and dissociative PTSD that may help explain the emergence of different coping strategies.

PMID:35452340 | DOI:10.1080/13554794.2021.1978502

Omega (Westport). 2022 Apr 22:302228221093461. doi: 10.1177/00302228221093461. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

The study was conducted to determine the death anxiety experienced by heart patients and the affecting factors in the COVID-19 pandemic. The study was conducted with 148 patients hospitalized in the cardiology clinic of a university hospital between April and August 2021 in the southeast in Turkey. The data were collected with the personal information form, death anxiety scale, coronavirus anxiety scale and Covid-19 fear scale developed by the researchers. Data analysis was performed by using IBM SPSS Statistics 25. Descriptive statistics were used in the analysis of the data. Correlation and regression analysis were performed to determine the relationship between scales. The mean age of the patients was 64.99+15.56 years and 56.1% were male. 57.4% of them were hospitalized with a diagnosis of coronary artery disease. During the pandemic, it was determined that 74.3% of the patients followed social distance, 71.6% wore masks, 58.8% used disinfectants. The patients had moderate death anxiety, low coronavirus anxiety, and high covid 19 fear. A positive linear correlation was found between anxiety and fear scale and death anxiety total and sub-dimensions. As a result, the fear of COVID-19 may increase the fear of death in individuals with heart disease. Patients who are worried about being infected with Covid 19 during the pandemic process have more fear of death.

PMID:35452277 | DOI:10.1177/00302228221093461

Am J Hosp Palliat Care. 2022 Apr 22:10499091221092699. doi: 10.1177/10499091221092699. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Objective: We aim to explore patterns of inpatient code status during the COVID-19 pandemic compared with a similar timeframe the previous year, as well as utilization of palliative care services.Methods: This is a retrospective cohort study using data from the Montefiore Health system of all inpatient admissions between March 15-May 31, 2019 and March 15-May 31, 2020. Univariate logistic regression was performed with full code status as the outcome. All statistically significant variables were included in the multivariable logistic regression.Results: The total number of admissions declined during the pandemic (16844 vs 11637). A lower proportion of patients had full code status during the pandemic (85.1% vs 94%, P < .001) at the time of discharge/death. There was a 20% relative increase in the number of palliative care consultations during the pandemic (12.2% vs 10.5%, P < .001). Intubated patients were less often full code (66.5% vs 82.2%, P < .001) during the pandemic. Although a lower portion of COVID-19 positive patients had a full code status compared with non-COVID patients (77.6% vs 92.4%, P<.001), there was no statistically significant difference in code status at death (38.3% vs 38.3%, P = .96).Conclusions: The proportion of full code patients was significantly lower during the pandemic. Age and COVID status were the key determinants of code status during the pandemic. There was a higher demand for palliative care services during the pandemic.

PMID:35452316 | DOI:10.1177/10499091221092699

Am J Speech Lang Pathol. 2022 Apr 22:1-14. doi: 10.1044/2022_AJSLP-21-00313. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: The purpose of this pilot study was to determine the impact of including peers with typically developing language (TDL) in language intervention sessions for preschool children with diagnosed developmental language disorder (DLD).

METHOD: To measure peer effects, participants received 8 weeks of group language intervention in their neighborhood head start. Twenty children with DLD were randomly assigned to one of two conditions. Children in the experimental condition received language intervention with a peer with TDL; children in the control condition received language intervention with another peer with DLD. Pre- and posttest measures of language (semantics, syntax, morphology, and narrative) were collected. Teachers, speech-language pathologists, and assessors were blind to study condition.

RESULTS: All children in the study showed gains from pre- to posttest; there were no statistically significant differences between conditions. However, effect size estimates (Cohen’s d) indicated that the children in the experimental condition showed an advantage over the control condition in syntax, morphology, and narrative.

CONCLUSIONS: This study provides preliminary evidence that children with DLD show increased gains in language when paired with peers with TDL. This finding supports previous research in educational literature, suggesting that children’s development is influenced by the skills of their peers. Additional research is warranted to further explore and understand the role of peers for children with DLD.

PMID:35452261 | DOI:10.1044/2022_AJSLP-21-00313

J Phys Chem A. 2022 Apr 22. doi: 10.1021/acs.jpca.2c01050. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

The rate coefficients for 52 hydrogen shift reactions for silicon nitrides containing up to 6 atoms of silicon and nitrogen have been calculated using the G3//B3LYP composite method and statistical thermodynamics. The overall reaction of substituted acyclic and cyclic silylenes to their respective silene and imine species by a 1,2-hydrogen shift reaction was sorted by three different types of H shift reactions using overall reaction thermodynamics: (1) endothermic H shift between N and Si:, (2) endothermic H shift between Si and Si:, and (3) exothermic H shift between Si and Si:. Endothermic H shift reactions between Si atoms have one dominant activation barrier where the exothermic H shift reaction between Si atoms has two barriers and a stable intermediate. The rate-determining step was determined to be from the intermediate to the substituted silene, and then kinetic parameters for the overall reaction were calculated for the two-step pathway. The single event pre-exponential factors, Ã, and activation energies, E_a, for the three different classes of hydrogen shift reactions of silicon nitrides were computed. The hydrogen shift reaction was explored for acyclic and cyclic monofunctional silicon nitrides, and the type of hydrogen shift reaction gives the most significant influence on the kinetic parameters. Using a supervised machine learning approach, the models for predicting the energy barrier of three different hydrogen shift reactions were generalized and suggested based on selected descriptors.

PMID:35452242 | DOI:10.1021/acs.jpca.2c01050