Category: Statistics

AIDS Res Hum Retroviruses. 2025 Dec 18. doi: 10.1177/08892229251405793. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

The collection, storage, and transport of plasma, the ideal specimen for HIV-1 genotyping, is plagued by technical difficulties in resource-limited settings. We aimed to compare corresponding bio-samples for HIV-1 genotypic drug resistance testing. A total of 87 matched specimens of plasma, dried blood spots (DBS), and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) collected from 29 persons living with HIV (PLWH) in clinical, immunological, and/or virological failure were included. Drug resistance genotyping was done by nested PCR amplification and Sanger sequencing of the HIV-1 pol gene. The clinical reporting was based on the Stanford University HIV Drug Resistance Database. Amplification and genotyping success rates from the three sample types were compared. The level of agreement between the sample types was assessed using Cohen’s kappa coefficient. In total, 89.7% (n = 26) of samples were amplified in plasma, 69% (n = 20) in DBS, and 100% (n = 29) in PBMC. In samples with plasma viral load >1,000 copies/mL, 96.2% were amplified in plasma, 73.1% in DBS, and 100% in PBMCs. The median number of mutations detected in plasma, DBS, and PBMCs was 6.5 (interquartile range [IQR]: 2-8.25), 5 (IQR: 0-6), and 5 (IQR: 2-7), respectively. The difference in the number of mutations across the three sample types was not statistically significant (p = 0.221). The agreement between the sample types was calculated based on susceptibility and resistance to different antivirals. The kappa values for nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors and non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors ranged from 0.70 to 0.88 and 0.75 to 0.87, respectively. Six samples showed discordance in HIV-1 drug resistance profiles when compared across the three compartments. DBS is a promising alternative to plasma for HIV-1 genotypic testing in resource-limited settings owing to the ease of sampling, storage, transportation, human resource efficiency, and cost-effectiveness. However, no single specimen type can satisfy all requirements and purposes. Selecting an appropriate specimen for a setting requires careful consideration of the practical constraints, logistical capacity, and application needs.

PMID:41467909 | DOI:10.1177/08892229251405793

Dev Sci. 2026 Mar;29(2):e70117. doi: 10.1111/desc.70117.

ABSTRACT

It has been suggested that bilinguals take greater advantage of visual speech cues than monolinguals. Therefore, in a sample of 474 (47.3% females) monolingual and 101 (48.5% females) bilingual infants at 5 months of age, we examined the tendency to look at the eyes versus the mouth of dynamic faces, as well as the latency and ratio of looking at a static face interspersed with non-social objects. No significant differences were found for these measures, suggesting that monolingual and bilingual infants orient to and scan faces in a similar way. Although no association was found between the tendency to look at eyes versus mouth at 5 months and vocabulary at 24 and 36 months, a higher tendency to look at the eyes was related to a larger receptive vocabulary at 14 months, but only in the monolingual group (β = 0.15, 95% CI: 0.04; 0.27, p = 0.011). However, the difference in beta values of this association between mono- and bilinguals was not statistically significant. In conclusion, we did not find support for the hypothesis that bilingual infants rely on visual speech cues from the mouth more than monolinguals do, and there was no association between the tendency to look at eyes versus mouth and later language development in the bilingual group. SUMMARY: It has been suggested that bilinguals take greater advantage of visual speech cues than monolinguals. Here, no differences between bilingual and monolingual 5-month-olds were found regarding any measures of face scanning. The findings suggest similar visual attention patterns in mono- and bilingual infants, with no impact on bilingual language development.

PMID:41467446 | DOI:10.1111/desc.70117

Appl Immunohistochem Mol Morphol. 2025 Dec 31. doi: 10.1097/PAI.0000000000001298. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

In this study, we analyzed and characterized differentially expressed proteins in differentiated gastric adenocarcinoma with low-grade atypia for screening potential protein markers. We collected gastric tissue specimens from 90 patients treated at the Pathology Department of the First People’s Hospital of Yunnan Province, China, between January 2019 and December 2022. These specimens had been fixed in 10% neutral-buffered formalin and embedded in paraffin. We classified these samples into 3 groups: the control group (normal gastric mucosa), the low-grade atypia group (differentiated gastric adenocarcinoma with low-grade atypia), and the high-grade atypia group (differentiated gastric adenocarcinoma with high-grade atypia), consisting of 30 cases in each group. We analyzed differential proteomes with the data-independent acquisition-mass spectrometry (DIA-MS) methodology and selected 4 differentially expressed proteins that were subjected to immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining for validation. A total of 4406 proteins were identified, among which 598 and 357 proteins were statistically different in the low-grade atypia group as compared with the control group and the high-grade atypia group, respectively. IHC staining showed that the expression of FHL3, CSRP2, and FCGR3A was significantly higher in the low-grade atypia group than in the control group (P <0.05) and significantly higher in the high-grade atypia group than in the low-grade atypia group (P <0.05). FHL2 expression was negative to weakly positive in the control and low-grade atypia groups and not significantly different between the 2 groups, whereas FHL2 expression in the high-grade atypia group was significantly higher than in the control and low-grade atypia groups (P <0.05). Proteomic analysis is helpful for discovering new protein markers. Using a combination of FHL3, CSRP2, and FCGR3A can increase the accuracy of the pathologic diagnosis of differentiated gastric adenocarcinoma with low-grade atypia.

PMID:41467433 | DOI:10.1097/PAI.0000000000001298

J Adolesc. 2025 Dec 30. doi: 10.1002/jad.70101. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Adolescent sexting has been associated with a range of sexual behaviours, yet prior reviews have primarily focused on its relationship with sexual intercourse or sexual risks. This review examined associations of adolescent sexting and specific sexual behaviours.

METHODS: PubMed, PsycInfo, Web of Science, CMMC, and MEDLINE were searched in December 2023, February 2024, and September 2025 yielding 5310 references. Eligible studies examined associations between sexting and sexual behaviours among adolescents (10-19 years), published in English. Two reviewers independently screened and extracted data per PRISMA guidelines. Quality was assessed using the JBI Critical Appraisal Checklist. Meta-analyses used a random-effects model, with heterogeneity assessed via I² statistics.

RESULTS: Seventeen studies from the EU, Australia and USA, comprising 54,373 adolescents were included in this review; nine contributed to the meta-analysis. Most studies framed sexting as a risk behaviour, fewer adopted normative or dual perspectives. Sexting was associated with multiple sexual behaviours, particularly among older adolescents, LGBTQ+ teenagers, and those in romantic relationships. Meta-analysis found sexting was significantly associated with sexual intercourse (OR = 5.69), oral sex (OR = 12.50), vaginal intercourse (OR = 9.50), anal intercourse (OR = 12.30), and multiple sexual partners (OR = 2.10). Subgroup analysis found specific measures of vaginal intercourse yielded more consistent estimates than unspecified sexual intercourse.

CONCLUSION: These associations highlight the need for multisystem interventions that address both the risks of adolescent sexting and its role in adolescent sexual development in the digital era. Effective responses to sexting should integrate both its risks and its role in adolescent development into policy, education, and health strategies.

PMID:41467417 | DOI:10.1002/jad.70101

Vasc Endovascular Surg. 2025 Dec 30:15385744251409962. doi: 10.1177/15385744251409962. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

ObjectivesThoracic Endovascular Aortic Repair (TEVAR) is now the standard of care for management of aortic injury from trauma. Long term outcomes stratified by the severity of the aortic injury are limited.MethodsThis is a single center retrospective analysis of all patients undergoing TEVAR for trauma between January 2008-November 2023. Long term outcomes of mortality and re-intervention were stratified and compared based on the blunt thoracic aortic injury score. Kaplan Meier analysis was used to compute one year and 5-year survival.ResultsA total of 104 patients (age 42 ± 15 years; 72 males; 69%) underwent TEVAR for trauma. Most repairs were for grade 3 (59 patients, 57%) or grade 4 (30 patients, 29%) blunt aortic injuries. The remaining patients included grade 1 (1 patient, 1%), grade 2 (14 patients; 13%). Grade 4 injuries were not associated with higher rate of concomitant neurologic injuries (P = 0.33) or death (P = 0.74). Eighty-seven percent patients had a mean follow up of 4.2 ± 3.3 years. Two patients died due to aortic related causes within 30 days (intra-operative hemorrhage in one patient, graft collapse in one patient who had an unsuccessful exploratory thoracotomy). Overall, one year survival was 92%, and 5-year survival was 88% by Kaplan Meier analysis. Patients with neurologic injury trended toward higher mortality in Kaplan Meier analysis but this was not statistically significant (log rank = 0.22). The grade of injury was not significant for long term survival (log rank = 0.81). Early reintervention was required in 2% patients with none required in long-term. Age>40 (P = 0.17), female sex (P = 0.34) and graft diameter>26 mm (P = 0.41) were not significant for re-intervention. None of the patients experienced endoleaks or spinal cord ischemia.ConclusionsTEVAR is a durable repair for patients with BTAI requiring no re-intervention after one year follow-up. CT surveillance of TEVAR in setting of trauma should be limited to 1 and 5 years after surgery. Long term survival is not related to severity of BTAI.

PMID:41467402 | DOI:10.1177/15385744251409962

J Am Heart Assoc. 2025 Dec 30:e045433. doi: 10.1161/JAHA.125.045433. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Data on associations between genetic predisposition to high blood pressure (BP) and hypertension and its complications in non-European populations are limited. The current study investigated associations between polygenic risk scores (PRSs) for BP and risks of hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and chronic kidney disease in Northeast Asian populations.

METHODS: A genome-wide association study of systolic BP (SBP) and diastolic BP (DBP) was conducted using data from the KoGES (Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study). Results were meta-analyzed using summary statistics from Biobank Japan to construct PRSs.

RESULTS: Compared with a PRS in the lowest 5 percentiles, a PRS in the highest 5 percentiles was associated with an increased risk of hypertension (hazard ratio [HR], 2.44 [95% CI, 1.67-3.56] for PRS for SBP; and HR, 1.77 [95% CI, 1.20-2.62] for PRS for DBP) and earlier onset of hypertension (by a median of 8.5 years for PRS for SBP and 8.0 years for PRS for DBP). These associations remained significant when continuous PRS was analyzed. The genetic risk of hypertension incidence was attenuated by moderate to vigorous physical activity. Adding the PRS for BP to the clinical risk factors improved the predictive value for hypertension (both area under the curve values, 0.787 [95% CI, 0.771-0.803]; P=0.063 for PRS for SBP and [95% CI, 0.771-0.804]; P=0.031 for PRS for DBP). However, neither PRS for SBP nor PRS for DBP was associated with the incidence of cardiovascular or chronic kidney disease.

CONCLUSIONS: The PRS for BP was associated with a higher risk of incident hypertension and earlier-onset hypertension in a Northeast Asian population. PRS may facilitate early identification and targeted management of individuals at high risk of developing hypertension.

PMID:41467372 | DOI:10.1161/JAHA.125.045433

Biom J. 2026 Feb;68(1):e70105. doi: 10.1002/bimj.70105.

ABSTRACT

High-dimensional data often arise from clinical genomics research to infer relevant predictors of a particular trait. A way to improve the predictive performance is by incorporating information about the predictors obtained from existing from prior knowledge or previous studies. Such information is also referred to as “co-data.” To this aim, we develop a novel Bayesian model for including co-data in a high-dimensional regression framework, termed informative Horseshoe regression (infHS). The proposed approach regresses the prior variances of the regression parameters on the co-data variables, improving variable selection and prediction. We implement both a Gibbs sampler and a Variational approximation algorithm. The former is suited for applications of moderate dimensions which, besides prediction, target posterior inference, whereas the latter’s computational efficiency allows handling a very large number of variables. We show the benefits of including co-data through a simulation study. Lastly, we demonstrate that infHS outperforms competing approaches in two genomics applications.

PMID:41467341 | DOI:10.1002/bimj.70105

J Trauma Dissociation. 2025 Dec 30:1-22. doi: 10.1080/15299732.2025.2606986. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Despite decades of primary research investigating the nature of dissociation through its relationship with broad personality constructs, the nature of these relationships has remained unclear. Sampling errors, variations in sample size, the measures used, and methodological design have precluded the possibility of obtaining precise estimates of these relationships and, consequently, drawing accurate conclusions. To bring clarity to the dissociation-personality literature, we conducted the first (to our knowledge) systematic review and meta-analyses of relationships between dissociation (including dissociation factors) and personality domains contained within the five-factor model. We included 23 primary studies that provided between 11 and 25 independent effect sizes, depending on the analysis. We coded effect size data, extraneous information for moderator analyses and methodological quality for the included studies. We conducted 20 meta-analyses and found 19 statistically significant dissociation-personality relationships. The five higher-level meta-analyses of dissociation total scores and personality domains contained within the five-factor model indicated the following statistically significant relationships: neuroticism-dissociation total (r = .24), extraversion-dissociation total (r = -.07), openness-dissociation total (r = .10), agreeableness-dissociation total (r = -.15), and conscientiousness-dissociation total (r = -.21). For some variables, participants’ clinical status and gender and the dissociation and personality measure used were significant moderators of the dissociation-personality relationship. Findings indicate that dissociation is relatively independent of trait-model personality.

PMID:41467300 | DOI:10.1080/15299732.2025.2606986

Plant Genome. 2026 Mar;19(1):e70171. doi: 10.1002/tpg2.70171.

ABSTRACT

Genomic selection (GS) is transforming plant breeding by enabling more accurate and efficient identification of superior genotypes. However, its practical implementation remains challenging, as achieving high prediction accuracy is critical for its success. Several factors-including sample size, the degree of relatedness among individuals, and the complexity of target traits-significantly affect the predictive performance of GS models. To address these limitations, recent studies have explored the integration of genomic and phenomic information to enhance prediction accuracy. This integrated approach has shown promising results and continues to gain empirical support. In this study, we propose an alternative strategy to improve the efficiency and accuracy of GS by constructing hybrid kernels that combine genomic and phenomic information. Specifically, we generate two new kernels by combining the original genomic and phenomic kernels, aiming to capture complementary and previously unexploited sources of variation. We applied this approach to multi-year data from the winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) breeding program at Washington State University, using phenomic data collected via unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Our results provide empirical evidence that integrating genomic and UAV-derived phenomic data through hybrid kernel modeling enhances the prediction accuracy of GS models. This approach achieved average improvements of 17.52%, 30.36%, 28.94%, and 16.73% in terms of Pearson’s correlation, normalized root mean square error, and the percentage of correctly identified lines within the top 10% and 20%, respectively, compared with the conventional integration of genomic and phenomic information (M4 and M5). These findings highlight the potential of this method as a valuable and scalable tool for modern plant breeding programs.

PMID:41467268 | DOI:10.1002/tpg2.70171

Pediatr Blood Cancer. 2025 Dec 30:e70085. doi: 10.1002/1545-5017.70085. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The pediatric hematology-oncology (PHO) workforce has substantial variability in countries across the Eastern Mediterranean (EM) and South Asian (SA) regions, with variable certification requirements to ensure competency for safe and effective practice. To date, the quality of the training provided has not been evaluated across these regions. To assess this, we conducted a survey of PHO training by comparing the programs against international standards.

METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted between January and May 2024. The survey was based on the American Council of Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) requirements and implemented through RedCap^R. Descriptive statistics were generated, and p values <0.05 were considered statistically significant.

FINDINGS: Ninety-eight institutions from 21 countries across the EM and SA regions responded to our survey. Of these, 59.1% reported PHO training programs. A core pediatric residency was present within the proximity of the fellowship program in 63.7%. Public sector institutions were more likely to have a training program than private centers. A median of two fellows [1-20] were recruited annually, with a median faculty:fellow ratio of 2. While most programs provided exposure to the entire breadth of hematologic and oncologic diseases, 17% of programs did not offer care to patients with high-risk/advanced malignancies, identifying an experiential deficiency. Across all domains, programs were deficient in the availability of molecular and genetic diagnostics, impacting trainee learning. Accreditation oversight was provided to 87.5% programs. Only a minority of programs facilitated program directors to oversee training.

INTERPRETATION: Our survey provides a baseline overview of the capabilities of training programs in the EM and SA regions. While a majority of programs fulfilled standard requirements necessary for optimal training of PHO fellows, the quality of the exposure could not be ascertained.

PMID:41467257 | DOI:10.1002/1545-5017.70085