Category: Statistics

J Oral Rehabil. 2023 Feb 24. doi: 10.1111/joor.13438. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

AIM: To evaluate the effectiveness of the GOHAI, the MNA, and the dental hygiene of older patients using dental prostheses.

METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study of people over 65 who used removable prostheses in at least one jaw (partial or complete denture) for a minimum of 6 months. The data were collected using questionnaires of a qualified examiner and oral clinical tests with interviewers in person. The subjects’ nutritional status was assessed by a Turkish version of the mini nutritional assessment (MNA). GOHAI questionnaire was used to evaluate those aspects considered to have an impact on the quality of life of the older population, such as functional limitation, aesthetic dissatisfaction, chewing discomfort, avoidance of particular food, out-of-social contacts, and self-medication administered for dental pain.

RESULTS: There was no statistically significant correlation between the GOHAI score and sociodemographic and intraoral data (p>0.050). A negative correlation was found between age and MNA. A statistically significant difference was found between the MNA score’s median values according to the participant’s education level, type of prosthesis, and marital status (p<0.050). Good was determined as the highest GOHAI category with 54%.

CONCLUSION: There is a negative correlation between age and MNA. The risk of malnutrition increases with age. Since the oral condition also affects the patient’s systemic condition, the team caring for geriatric patients must bring these people to the maximum level of life in a multidisciplinary manner.

PMID:36840350 | DOI:10.1111/joor.13438

Med Sci Monit. 2023 Feb 25;29:e939144. doi: 10.12659/MSM.939144.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND A fracture of the orbital floor can lead to complications such as enophthalmos, impaired eye motility, or diplopia, which is why it is necessary to reconstruct the bony walls of the orbit. This study from a single center in Niš, Serbia, included 58 patients with unilateral orbital floor fracture and aimed to use volumetric measurement to compare the fractured and non-fractured orbit before and after surgery using a titanium implant or a resorbable poly-d, l-lactic acid (PDLLA) implant. MATERIAL AND METHODS From 2018 to 2022, a total of 58 patients with unilateral orbital floor fractures were treated at the Clinic of Dental Medicine, Niš. Computed tomography examination was used for volumetric measurement of the fractured and non-fractured (contralateral) orbit before and after the surgical procedure. A titanium implant was used in 31 patients, and a PDLLA implant was used in 27 patients. RESULTS Orbital volume ratio did not differ statistically significantly in relation to the type of implant (P=0.591). The postoperative volume did not differ statistically significantly from the volume of the contralateral side (titanium, P=0.212; PDLLA, P=0.232). There was a significant correlation between orbital volume and enophthalmos both before and after surgery (P=0.012, P=0.018, respectively). CONCLUSIONS Measuring the preoperative volume of the injured orbit is sufficient data for an indication because reconstruction depends primarily on the correlation between the volume and enophthalmos. The findings from this study showed that preoperative orbital volumetry using computed tomography evaluated enophthalmos and provide data to assist orbital floor reconstruction.

PMID:36840343 | DOI:10.12659/MSM.939144

Plants (Basel). 2023 Feb 20;12(4):961. doi: 10.3390/plants12040961.

ABSTRACT

For the study of the ionomic parameters of Juniperus communis needles, fourteen sites covering most of the territory of Lithuania and belonging to distinct habitats (coastal brown dunes covered with natural Scots pine forests (G), Juniperus communis scrubs (F), transition mires and quaking bogs (D), subcontinental moss Scots pine forests (G), and xero-thermophile fringes) were selected. Concentrations of macro-, micro-, and non-essential elements were analyzed in current-year needles, sampled in September. According to the concentrations of elements in J. communis needles, the differences between the most contrasting populations were as follows: up to 2-fold for Mg, N, K, Ca, and Zn; 2- to 7-fold for P, Na, Fe, Cu, Al, Cr, Ni, and Pb; and 26- to 31-fold for Mn and Cd. The concentrations of Cd, Cr, and Ni in needles of J. communis did not reach levels harmful for conifers. When compared to all other habitats (B, F, G, and E), the populations from transition mires and quaking bogs (D) had significantly lower concentrations of main nutritional elements N (12176 µg/g d. m.), P (1054 µg/g d. m.), and K (2916 µg/g d. m.). In Juniperus communis scrubs (F), a habitat protected by EUNIS, the concentration of K in the needles was highest, while Zn and Cu concentrations were the lowest. Principal component (PC) analyses using concentrations of 15 elements as variables for the discrimination of populations or habitats allowed authors to distinguish F and B habitats from the E habitat (PC1) and F and D habitats from the G habitat (PC2). Discriminating between populations, the most important variables were concentrations of P, N, Mg, Ca, Cu, and K. Discriminating between habitats, the important variables were concentrations of N and P.

PMID:36840309 | DOI:10.3390/plants12040961

Plants (Basel). 2023 Feb 16;12(4):903. doi: 10.3390/plants12040903.

ABSTRACT

Apple breeding is a laborious and long-lasting process that requires qualified resources, land, time, and funds. In this study, more than 5000 F₁ apple hybrids from direct and testcrosses were analyzed. The results revealed how the phenotypic expression of the main quantitative traits of interest assessed in five half-sib families was controlled by the additive genetic effects and by non-additive effects of dominance and epistasis. The statistical number of hybrids required to ensure efficient selection increased exponentially with the number of desirable traits. The minimum number of progenies required to obtain a hybrid with associated quantitative traits of agronomic interest was highly variable. For two independent traits essential in selection (fruit size and quality), but incorporated together in the same hybrid, the statistical number was between about 30 and 300. If three more cumulative traits were added (a large number of fruits per tree, resistance/tolerance to apple scab, and powdery mildew attack), the limits increased to between 1500 and 18,000. The study highlighted the need for new apple varieties due to the narrowing of the genetic diversity of the cultivated species and how the choice of parents used in hybridizations (as well as the objectives pursued in the selection) can increase the efficiency of apple breeding.

PMID:36840249 | DOI:10.3390/plants12040903

Plants (Basel). 2023 Feb 16;12(4):892. doi: 10.3390/plants12040892.

ABSTRACT

Quantitative trait loci (QTLs) and HQTL (heterosis QTLs) for grain shape are two major genetic factors of grain yield and quality in rice (Oryza sativa L.). Although many QTLs for grain shape have been reported, only a few are applied in production. In this study, 54 QTLs for grain shape were detected on 10 chromosomes using 33 SSSLs (single-segment substitution lines) and methods of statistical genetics. Among these, 23 exhibited significant positive additive genetic effects, including some novel QTLs, among which qTGW4-(1,2), qTGW10-2, and qTGW10-3 were three QTLs newly found in this study and should be paid more attention. Moreover, 26 HQTLs for grain shape were probed. Eighteen of these exhibited significant positive dominant genetic effects. Thirty-three QTLs for grain shape were further mapped using linkage analysis. Most of the QTLs for grain shape produced pleiotropic effects, which simultaneously controlled multiple appearance traits of grain shape. Linkage mapping of the F₂ population derived from sub-single-segment substitution lines further narrowed the interval harbouring qTGW10-3 to 75.124 kb between PSM169 and RM25753. The candidate gene was identified and could be applied to breeding applications by molecular marker-assisted selection. These identified QTLs for grain shape will offer additional insights for improving grain yield and quality in rice breeding.

PMID:36840239 | DOI:10.3390/plants12040892

Plants (Basel). 2023 Feb 16;12(4):887. doi: 10.3390/plants12040887.

ABSTRACT

Native strains of Trichoderma in vineyard soil represent an opportunity for reducing the incidence of grapevine trunk diseases (GTDs) in vineyards. Moreover, its relationship with the environment (physicochemical soil characteristics and farming management practices) remains unclear. In the current study, a survey was carried out on farming management used by viticulturists, and soil samples were studied to analyze their physicochemical properties and to isolate Trichoderma strains. Later, statistical analyses were performed to identify possible correlations between Trichoderma populations, soil management and soil characteristics. In addition, in vitro tests, including antibiosis and mycoparasitism, were performed to select those Trichoderma strains able to antagonize Phaeoacremonium minimum. In this study a positive correlation was found between the iron content and pH in the soil, and a lower pH increases Trichoderma populations in soils. Vineyard management also affects Trichoderma populations in the soil, negatively in the case of fertilization and tillage and positively in the case of herbicide spraying. Two Trichoderma native strains were selected as potential biocontrol agents (Trichoderma gamsii T065 and Trichoderma harzianum T087) using antibiosis and mycoparasitism as mechanisms of action. These results led to the conclusion that native Trichoderma strains hold great potential as biological control agents and as producers of secondary metabolites.

PMID:36840235 | DOI:10.3390/plants12040887

Plants (Basel). 2023 Feb 10;12(4):810. doi: 10.3390/plants12040810.

ABSTRACT

Sugarcane smut is a worldwide fungal disease. Disease resistance breeding is the most economical and effective measure to prevent and control sugarcane smut. The cytogenetic characteristics and metabolomic differences of sugarcane F₁s are closely related to disease resistance. Zhongzhe 1 and G160 sugarcane from the same parents (ROC25 and Yunzhe89-7) were used; the plants were grown in accordance with the barrel method. When the seedlings had 4-5 leaves, genomic in situ hybridization (GISH) was performed; digoxigenin (DIG)-labeled female parental (ROC25)DNA and biotin-labeled male parental (Yunzhe89-7) DNA were used as probes, and the karyotypes of two hybrids were analyzed. The new sugarcane smut-resistant variety (Zhongzhe 1) and the susceptible variety (G160) derived from the same parent were analyzed via gas chromatography-mass spectrometry technology (GC-MS) to compare the metabolomic differences between them. GISH analysis revealed that the chromosome ploidy number of Zhongzhe 1 sugarcane and G160 sugarcane were 114 and 110, respectively. However, the two contain different numbers of chromosomes from the female (ROC25) and male (Yunzhe89-7) parents. Moreover, 258 significantly changed metabolites were identified in smut-resistant Zhongzhe 1, as compared with the smut-susceptible G160 sugarcane: 56 flavonoids, 52 phenolic acids, 30 lipids, 26 organic acids, 26 amino acids and derivatives, 19 nucleotides and derivatives, 5 alkaloids, 9 terpenoids, and 35 others. Multivariate statistical analysis revealed a distinct difference in metabolic pathways between Zhongzhe 1 sugarcane and G160, and both of these varieties had unique functional metabolites. Differences in chromosome composition may constitute the genetic basis for the difference in resistance to smut disease between Zhongzhe 1 sugarcane and G160 sugarcane, and a high accumulation of flavonoids, lipids, terpenoids and tannins may constitute the basis of resistance to smut disease for the Zhongzhe 1 variety.

PMID:36840158 | DOI:10.3390/plants12040810

Plants (Basel). 2023 Feb 6;12(4):720. doi: 10.3390/plants12040720.

ABSTRACT

Canola plants suffer severe crop yield and oil content reductions when exposed to water-deficit conditions, especially during the reproductive stages of plant development. There is a pressing need to develop canola cultivars that can perform better under increased water-deficit conditions with changing weather patterns. In this study, we analysed genetic determinants for the main effects of quantitative trait loci (QTL), (Q), and the interaction effects of QTL and Environment (QE) underlying seed yield and related traits utilising 223 doubled haploid (DH) lines of canola in well-watered and water-deficit conditions under a rainout shelter. Moderate water-deficit at the pre-flowering stage reduced the seed yield to 40.8%. Multi-environmental QTL analysis revealed 23 genomic regions associated with days to flower (DTF), plant height (PH) and seed yield (SY) under well-watered and water-deficit conditions. Three seed yield QTL for main effects were identified on chromosomes A09, C03, and C09, while two were related to QE interactions on A02 and C09. Two QTL regions were co-localised to similar genomic regions for flowering time and seed yield (A09) and the second for plant height and chlorophyll content. The A09 QTL was co-located with a previously mapped QTL for carbon isotope discrimination (Δ¹³C) that showed a positive relationship with seed yield in the same population. Opposite allelic effects for plasticity in seed yield were identified due to QE interactions in response to water stress on chromosomes A02 and C09. Our results showed that QTL’s allelic effects for DTF, PH, and SY and their correlation with Δ¹³C are stable across environments (field conditions, previous study) and contrasting water regimes (this study). The QTL and DH lines that showed high yield under well-watered and water-deficit conditions could be used to manipulate water-use efficiency for breeding improved canola cultivars.

PMID:36840067 | DOI:10.3390/plants12040720

Plants (Basel). 2023 Feb 5;12(4):703. doi: 10.3390/plants12040703.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Catasetum Rich. ex Kunth is a genus of Neotropical orchids distributed in Central and South American regions. In the Brazilian Amazon, there are more than 60 species of Catasetum. The floral aromas of orchids are little known, particularly of Catasetum species. This work aimed to analyze the chemical constituents of the volatile concentrates of eight Catasetum specimens from the Amazon: C. alatum (1), C. albovirens (2), C. barbatum (1), C. ciliatum (2), C. galeritum (1), and C. gnomus (1).

METHODS: Gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analyzed and identified the constituents of the volatile concentrates, and principal component analysis (PCA) and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) were used in the multivariate statistical analysis.

RESULTS: The Catasetum main constituents in descending order and above 10% were trans-geranylgeraniol, 1,4-dimethoxybenzene, linalool, 2-phenylethyl acetate, geraniol, 7-epi-1,2-dehydro-sesquicineole, 1,8-cineole, benzyl acetate, limonene, methyl salicylate, (E)-β-farnesene, anisyl butyrate, cis-carvone oxide, cadin-4-en-10-ol, indole, α-pinene, and δ-cadinene.

CONCLUSIONS: Multivariate statistical analysis of Catasetum species showed that C. barbatum, C. albovirens, and C. gnomus are distinct from the other studied species, while C. alatum, C. ciliatum, and C. galeritum presented the same primary classes of compounds. These results contribute to a better understanding of the genus Catasetum chemotaxonomy.

PMID:36840051 | DOI:10.3390/plants12040703

Pharmaceutics. 2023 Feb 20;15(2):701. doi: 10.3390/pharmaceutics15020701.

ABSTRACT

This single-centre, open-label, randomised, parallel-group study assessed the acceptability, swallowability, palatability, and safety of film-coated, 3 mm diameter mini-tablets in children aged ≥2-<7 years. In total, 300 participants were randomised (2:2:1:1) to receive a single oral administration of 16 (group A) or 32 (group B) mini-tablets with soft food or 16 (group C) or 32 (group D) mini-tablets with water. Children in each group were stratified by age group (2-<3 years; 3-<4 years; 4-<5 years; 5-<6 years; and 6-<7 years). Groups C and D were pooled for statistical analyses. The rates of acceptability (swallowed ≥80% of the mini-tablets with or without chewing), swallowability (swallowed all mini-tablets without chewing or any leftover), and palatability (positive/neutral responses) were ≥80.0%, ≥42.0%, and ≥82.0%, respectively, across the study groups. No marked differences were observed between groups or across age groups. No adverse events or issues of clinical relevance with deglutition were reported. Mini-tablets taken with soft food or water provide a suitable method for administering medicines to children aged ≥2-<7 years. This study was registered in the German Clinical Trial Register (No. DRKS00024617).

PMID:36840023 | DOI:10.3390/pharmaceutics15020701