Category: Statistics

BMC Sports Sci Med Rehabil. 2025 Jul 10;17(1):191. doi: 10.1186/s13102-025-01248-6.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Instability core training (ICT) has been widely used in various sports as a training method to enhance athletes’ balance ability and athletic performance. The study aimed to examine the impact of ICT performed on unstable surfaces (BOSU balls, Swiss balls, and Wobble boards) versus traditional core training (TCT) performed on stable surfaces (floor and bench) on balance ability and paddling performance among young male Chinese kayakers.

METHOD: A randomized controlled trial (RCT) recruited 63 eligible kayakers aged 16-19 years from the Nanchang Yao Lake kayaking training base in Jiangxi province, China. Participants were randomly assigned to the ICT group and the TCT group. Both groups completed a 12-week core training program consisting of 1-h sessions, 3 times/week. Static balance ability was assessed using the Flamingo Balance Test (FBT), while dynamic balance ability was measured using the Star Excursion Balance Test (SEBT). Paddling parameters were evaluated using the average stroke power and stroke rate for the men’s K-1 200 m land dynamometer/ergometer sprint tests. Statistical analyses were conducted via multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA), with the significance level set at P < 0.05.

RESULTS: The analysis for within-group effects demonstrated statistically significant improvements in static balance ability, dynamic balance ability, average stroke power, and stroke rate variables between the pre-test and post-test in both the ICT and TCT groups (p < 0.05). No statistically significant differences were observed in the pre-test (p > 0.05) for between-group effects. In contrast, statistically significant differences were found between the ICT and TCT groups in the post-test for all balance ability and paddling parameter variables (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION: The findings suggest that while TCT significantly improves balance ability and paddling performance, ICT is more effective than TCT over a 12-week intervention among young male Chinese kayakers. Therefore, it can replace TCT, as it promotes better improvement in balance ability and paddling parameters for young male Chinese kayakers.

TRIAL REGISTRATION: The full name of the registry: Effect of instability resistance training on balance, core muscle strength, and athletic performance. The trial registration number is NCT06432595. The date of registration is 07/01/2024. The trial registration platform is ClinicalTrials.gov PRS ( https://clinicaltrials.gov/ ).

PMID:40640954 | DOI:10.1186/s13102-025-01248-6

J Eat Disord. 2025 Jul 10;13(1):135. doi: 10.1186/s40337-025-01290-2.

ABSTRACT

For over a decade, the mental health field has been interested in precision treatment using psychopharmacological interventions. More recently, this interest has expanded to include psychotherapy, which is the primary treatment modality for eating disorders. Personalised medicine and precision treatment are also seen as priorities for the eating disorder field by those with lived experience and carers, clinicians and researchers. However, precision treatment necessitates the collection of large amounts of clinical data. Three frameworks exist or have been proposed for the purpose of gathering large-scale routine clinical outcomes in eating disorder services: The International Consortium for Health Outcomes Measurement (ICHOM) eating disorder set, the Australia national minimum dataset, and the Eating Disorders Clinical Research Network. Despite the emergence of these frameworks, challenges exist with implementation. This paper outlines the rationale for the collection of routine outcome data in eating disorder treatment settings, the three existing frameworks proposed, and considerations for implementation and scaling. These include clinical and practice applications, technical aspects, statistics, and contextual factors. We invite attention to our recommendations and collaborative approaches to facilitate progress towards precision treatment in eating disorders.

PMID:40640949 | DOI:10.1186/s40337-025-01290-2

Child Adolesc Psychiatry Ment Health. 2025 Jul 10;19(1):74. doi: 10.1186/s13034-025-00926-0.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have established a link between Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and risky internet use (RIU); however, the processes underlying this association remain unclear. This study examines whether a proportion of the association between ADHD and RIU was shared with social skills.

METHODS: The sample included 142 children aged 6-12 years (65% female, M = 8.5, SD = 1.7), comprising 71 children diagnosed with ADHD and 71 controls without ADHD. Standardized assessments were administered to measure RIU and social skills. Path analysis was employed to evaluate the association among ADHD, social skills, and RIU. Key demographic variables, including gender, birth timing, age of speech onset, household income, parental education, and number of siblings, were controlled for in the analyses.

RESULTS: An ADHD diagnosis was significantly associated with reduced social skills (β = – 1.68, p < 0.001), and reduced social skills was strongly linked to higher levels of RIU (β = – 0.57, p = 0.004). The direct association between ADHD and RIU was not statistically significant (β = – 0.52, p = 0.169). However, a significant indirect effect was observed, indicating that ADHD-RIU link was shared with reduced social skills (β = 0.96, p = 0.004).

CONCLUSIONS: The findings indicate that a significant proportion of the association between ADHD and RIU was shared with social skills, emphasizing the importance of social skills as a potential factor for RIU risk in children with ADHD. Interventions that focus on enhancing social skills may support efforts to address RIU in this population.

PMID:40640942 | DOI:10.1186/s13034-025-00926-0

J Health Popul Nutr. 2025 Jul 10;44(1):244. doi: 10.1186/s41043-025-00993-1.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Fruits and vegetables are crucial for children’s growth and provide essential nutrients for maintaining a healthy body. However, most Malaysian children consume inadequate fruits and vegetables. This study aims to determine the Effectiveness of urban gardening and nutrition education through a board game on the knowledge, attitudes and practices of fruit and vegetable consumption among primary school children in Malaysia.

METHODS: A quasi-experimental study was conducted on 10-year-old children at a selected Primary School in the Klang Valley, Malaysia. Seventy-two participants were recruited through the convenience sampling method. The intervention group received the intervention program within 2 months, which consisted of a talk about fruits and vegetables, educational gardening, cooking activities and playing an educational board game. While the control group only received a talk about fruits and vegetables from a dietitian. The height and weight of the participants were measured to obtain their Body Mass Index (BMI). The changes in knowledge, attitudes and practices of fruit and vegetable consumption were measured using a self-administered structured questionnaire.

RESULTS: This study successfully enhanced awareness and knowledge of fruit and vegetable consumption among girls (p = 0.010) but not among boys (p = 0.272) in the intervention group. In addition, knowledge related to fruit and vegetable consumption was significantly improved among overweight and obese participants (p = 0.033), but no significant improvement was observed among participants with normal BMI or underweight (p = 0.215) in the intervention group. The attitude (p = 0.980) and practice (p = 0.233) of fruit and vegetables showed no statistically significant improvement after the intervention.

CONCLUSION: Engaging in urban gardening activities and playing a nutrition-educational board game has the potential to be used as a strategy for enhancing knowledge about fruit and vegetable consumption among girls and children who are overweight and obese.

PMID:40640926 | DOI:10.1186/s41043-025-00993-1

J Pharm Health Care Sci. 2025 Jul 10;11(1):59. doi: 10.1186/s40780-025-00467-w.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The immediate post-diagnosis period is a critical phase for cancer patients, marked by significant informational and emotional distress. Although pharmacists are well-positioned to provide support during this time, limited research has investigated patients’ specific concerns and consultation needs immediately after diagnosis, particularly in differentiating between hospital and community pharmacists. This study aimed to clarify cancer patients’ concrete concerns and consultation preferences immediately following diagnosis, with a focus on the respective roles of hospital and community pharmacists.

METHODS: A nationwide cross-sectional web-based survey was conducted among 1,031 adult cancer patients in Japan. Participants selected relevant concerns from a 21-item structured questionnaire across four domains: Cancer and Cancer Treatment (CCT), Cancer Pain and Palliative Care (CPPC), Medications Other Than Cancer Treatment (MOCT), and Daily Life During Cancer Treatment (DLCT). For each concern, participants indicated whether they preferred to consult hospital pharmacists, community pharmacists, or both. McNemar tests were used to compare paired proportions (P < 0.001).

RESULTS: A total of 89.2% of participants reported at least one concern at diagnosis. The most frequently reported concerns were treatment-related, including side effects (49.2%), treatment costs (48.0%), psychological distress (41.6%), and mechanisms of anticancer drugs (38.8%). Patients expressed significantly stronger preferences for consulting hospital pharmacists over community pharmacists on treatment-specific topics such as side effects (34.7% vs. 13.8%), drug mechanisms (39.3% vs. 18.5%), and medications to relieve physical discomfort (36.1% vs. 17.0%) [all P < 0.001]. In contrast, MOCT-related concerns, such as drug interactions and medication management, elicited similarly high consultation preferences for both pharmacist types (> 40%). DLCT and CPPC-related concerns were associated with relatively lower consultation demands overall.

CONCLUSIONS: Cancer patients experience diverse and substantial informational and emotional needs immediately after diagnosis. Hospital pharmacists are particularly valued for treatment-specific support, while both hospital and community pharmacists are seen as essential resources for broader medication-related concerns. Enhancing cooperation between hospital and community pharmacists, and strengthening pharmacist-led support tailored to patients’ needs at diagnosis may significantly improve patient-centered care and quality of life.

PMID:40640924 | DOI:10.1186/s40780-025-00467-w

Nutr Metab (Lond). 2025 Jul 10;22(1):74. doi: 10.1186/s12986-025-00967-4.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Glaucoma is a leading cause of irreversible blindness, influenced by systemic and lifestyle factors. This study investigates the causal relationships between dietary habits, sleep traits, amino acids, metabolites, and inflammatory factors with glaucoma subtypes using Mendelian randomization (MR) and validates findings through cross-sectional analysis.

METHODS: MR analysis assessed the causal effects of 226 dietary factors, 11 sleep traits, 20 amino acids, 1400 metabolites, and 91 inflammatory factors on five glaucoma subtypes (NTG, POAG, PACG, NVG, XFG). Mediation MR analysis explored the role of amino acids and inflammatory factors in these relationships. Validation was conducted using NHANES cross-sectional data.

RESULTS: High-fat, high-calorie diets increased glaucoma risk, while antioxidant-rich foods and better sleep quality reduced it. Key mediators included proline, tyrosine, IL-1 A, and PDL1. NHANES data confirmed lower intake of vitamins A and C, higher water consumption among glaucoma patients, and significant sleep-related associations.

CONCLUSION: Our findings highlight the role of balanced diets and optimized sleep patterns in glaucoma prevention and management. This study provides evidence for targeted lifestyle interventions focusing on metabolic and inflammatory pathways to mitigate glaucoma risk.

PMID:40640923 | DOI:10.1186/s12986-025-00967-4

Porcine Health Manag. 2025 Jul 10;11(1):38. doi: 10.1186/s40813-025-00452-7.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Porcine Circovirus 2 (PCV2) vaccination plays a crucial role in preventing porcine circovirus-associated disease (PCVAD). Nevertheless, pig farms face significant challenges in evaluating vaccination efficacy due to the inability of PCV2 vaccines to achieve sterilizing immunity and the variability among vaccine manufacturers. These challenges are further compounded by the limitations of conventional antibody detection methods, which fail to distinguish between maternally-derived antibodies (MDAs) and vaccine-induced antibodies. The accurate evaluation and selection of PCV2 vaccines is critical for the swine industry. The present study aimed to develop an Enzyme-linked immunospot (ELISpot) assay for directly detecting PCV2-specific memory B cells. This approach was used to assess the presence of PCV2-specific memory B cells in piglets with high levels of MDA vaccinated with different PCV2 vaccines, thus enabling the evaluation of vaccine immunogenicity at the cellular level. Furthermore, antibody levels and the viremia status were analyzed using Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) respectively to provide a comprehensive assessment of the ELISpot assay potential for evaluating the vaccine immunogenicity of PCV2 vaccines.

RESULTS: The findings revealed that the optimal conditions for the developed ELISpot assay included stimulation with R848 at a final concentration of 1 µg·mL⁻¹ for three days, a PCV2 Cap protein coating concentration of 1.25 µg·mL⁻¹, a biotinylated goat anti-pig IgG antibody concentration of 5 µg·mL⁻¹, and an HRP-streptavidin concentration of 0.25 µg·mL⁻¹. In high MDA piglets immunized with different vaccines, serum antibody detection showed that PCV2 antibody levels declined continuously over time in all vaccinated and saline-injected control groups, demonstrating similar trends. In contrast, ELISpot analysis demonstrated a significant increase in PCV2-specific memory B cell levels in all three vaccinated groups compared to the saline-injected group. Among the vaccines tested, Vaccine A induced the highest levels of specific memory B cells, followed by Vaccine B. This was consistent with the lower PCV2 infection rates and viremia levels observed in Vaccine A and Vaccine B groups, compared to Vaccine C and saline-injected control groups.

CONCLUSIONS: We established an ELISpot assay to quantify PCV2-specific memory B cells, revealing that vaccinated piglets with high MDA levels developed robust memory B cell responses. However, levels of PCV2 IgG antibodies in vaccinated piglets remained statistically indistinguishable from control piglets. These findings demonstrate that ELISpot-based profiling of PCV2-specific memory B cells overcomes the confounding effects of MDA in vaccine efficacy assessments. This approach reliably reflects the humoral immune response induced by vaccination and its relevance in combating natural PCV2 infection, providing valuable guidance for preventing and controlling PCVAD.

PMID:40640918 | DOI:10.1186/s40813-025-00452-7

BMC Psychol. 2025 Jul 10;13(1):768. doi: 10.1186/s40359-025-03100-5.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) survivors demonstrate heightened vulnerability to depression and anxiety, while posttraumatic growth (PTG) and resilience have been reported as important protective factors for mental health. This study examined the mediating role of resilience in the associations between PTG and both depression and anxiety among NPC survivors.

METHODS: A total of 773 NPC survivors were recruited through convenience sampling at Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center (Guangzhou, China). Participants completed a self-administered structured questionnaire measuring sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, depression (PHQ-9), anxiety (GAD-7), posttraumatic growth (PTGI), and resilience (CD-RISC10). Mediation analyses were performed using structural equation modeling.

RESULTS: The average time since cancer diagnosis was 2.68 (SD = 1.80) years, with 55.0% diagnosed for over 2 years. Among the participants, 44.2% reported mild to severe depressive symptoms, and 35.3% reported mild to severe anxiety. Higher PTG was significantly associated with lower symptoms of depression (β = -0.23, p < 0.001) and anxiety (β = -0.19, p < 0.001). Additionally, greater resilience was associated with reduced symptoms of depression (β = -0.37, p < 0.001) and anxiety (β = -0.33, p < 0.001). Further, resilience fully mediated the relationship between PTG and both anxiety (86.50%) and depression (74.13%).

CONCLUSION: PTG and resilience are negatively associated with depression and anxiety in NPC survivors, with resilience acting as a complete mediator in these relationships.

PMID:40640902 | DOI:10.1186/s40359-025-03100-5

Syst Rev. 2025 Jul 10;14(1):144. doi: 10.1186/s13643-025-02894-0.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: While the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) is the gold standard for diagnosing gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), hemoglobin A1c (A1C), glycated albumin (GA), and fructosamine (Fruc) have the potential to conveniently classify pregnant women as having or not having GDM because two or more measurements are not necessary, unlike with OGTT. Compared with A1C, GA or Fruc, which reflects more recent glycemic indices, may more accurately detect GDM. This meta-analysis compared the diagnostic ability of GDM between GA or Fruc and A1C.

METHOD: Comprehensive literature searches were performed for studies published up to Sep.11, 2023. Selected studies were limited to those that attempted to identify GDM using both GA and/or Fruc and A1C to compare these indicators. Two authors extracted the data. Disagreements were resolved by a third author. Study quality was assessed by a revised tool for quality assessment of diagnostic accuracy in studies (QUADUS-2). The dataset consisting of true-positives, false-positives, false-negatives, and true-negatives was pooled with a bivariate between-study model and hierarchical summary receiver operating characteristic model. Pooled relative sensitivity and specificity based on a random-effects model were calculated to compare the diagnostic ability of A1C and GA and/or Fruc for GDM.

RESULT: There were 20 eligible studies. Pooled positive and negative likelihood ratios with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were 5.11 (2.30-11.37) and 0.53 (0.40-0.71), respectively, if GA or Fruc was used and 3.75 (2.61-11.39) and 0.53 (0.42-0.66), respectively, if A1C was used. Relative sensitivity and specificity (95% CI) for GA or Fruc compared with A1C was 1.00 (0.94-1.07) and 0.99 (0.97-1.01), respectively.

CONCLUSION: The insufficiently low value of the negative likelihood ratio did not support the single use of GA/Fruc or A1C in screening for GDM suggesting the necessity of combining other risk factors with glycemic indicators. Although there was no statistically significant difference in diagnostic ability between GA or Fruc and A1C, the value of the positive likelihood ratio indicated that GA or Fruc was somewhat more useful than A1C as a rule-in test for the diagnosis of GDM.

SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: PROSPERO CRD42023461975.

PMID:40640901 | DOI:10.1186/s13643-025-02894-0

J Orthop Surg Res. 2025 Jul 10;20(1):637. doi: 10.1186/s13018-025-06091-6.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Vitamin D deficiency is a global public health concern, particularly among adolescents. While its skeletal effects are well-established, evidence on its extraskeletal roles in muscle and adipose tissue during this critical developmental period remains limited, especially using direct body composition measures.

METHODS: We analyzed 3,648 participants aged 12-19 years from NHANES data (2011-2018), stratifying vitamin D status as deficiency, insufficiency, or sufficiency. Multivariable linear regression models evaluated associations with appendicular lean mass index (ALMI), visceral adipose tissue area (VATA), and total bone mineral density (BMD). Subgroup analyses explored age, sex, and racial/ethnic variations.

RESULTS: Vitamin D deficiency/insufficiency affected 40.1% of participants. Higher serum vitamin D status correlated with positive body composition: lower VATA (β = -0.092, 95% CI: -0.124 to -0.061), and higher ALMI (β = 0.005, 95% CI: 0.004 to 0.006) and BMD (β = 0.0008, 95% CI: 0.0006 to 0.0010). Subgroup analyses revealed stronger ALMI associations in older boys and Mexican Americans, while VATA reductions were most pronounced in younger girls. BMD benefits were consistent across subgroups.

CONCLUSIONS: Vitamin D deficiency is prevalent among adolescents and independently associated with unfavorable body composition, modulated by demographic factors. These findings highlight the need for targeted interventions to optimize musculoskeletal and metabolic health during this developmental window.

PMID:40640884 | DOI:10.1186/s13018-025-06091-6