Category: Statistics

J Hazard Mater. 2026 Jan 17;503:141192. doi: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2026.141192. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

The design and development of a universal detection system for toxic chemicals such as chemical warfare (CW) agents and pesticides offers a promising solution for safety and surveillance in defense, environment, and health sectors. The ability to detect a wide spectrum of these hazardous chemicals rapidly, simply, and cost-effectively through a visible color change provides a highly practical and impactful tool. This manuscript introduces a universal platform that enables the detection of nerve agents, blister agents, and organophosphorus (OP) pesticides using 5,5′-dithiobis-(2-nitrobenzoic acid) (DTNB) as a central probe through two distinct strategies. For nerve agent detection, 1-phenylbutane-1,2,3-trione-2-oxime (1) reacts with nerve agents to form an intermediate, phosphorylated oxime (5). This intermediate rapidly decomposes, releasing cyanide ions that subsequently react with DTNB to produce a ‘turn-on’ response. Blister agents are identified through their rapid reaction with sodium thiosulfate at room temperature, forming Bunte salts that do not interact with DTNB, resulting in a ‘turn-off’ response. Beyond nerve and blister agents, the applicability of this strategy was further expanded to detect OP pesticides, highlighting its broad-spectrum potential. The approach effectively overcomes the challenge of achieving high specificity amid potentially cross-reactive substances. Moreover, this platform also demonstrated a robust performance across diverse matrices, including soil, water, and fruit. Recovery experiments in soil showed acceptable precision, underscoring both the reliability of the method and its environmental relevance. To facilitate real-time field deployment for first responders, a portable sensor kit was fabricated to visually detect CW agents and OP pesticides. Smartphone-assisted colorimetric analysis of a detector paper delivered reliable analytical performance, exhibiting statistically validated sensitivity and reproducible responses.

PMID:41576450 | DOI:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2026.141192

J Public Health Manag Pract. 2026 Mar-Apr 01;32(2):260-267. doi: 10.1097/PHH.0000000000002284. Epub 2025 Nov 24.

ABSTRACT

CONTEXT: Public health organizations are increasingly recognizing the value and potential of data science. However, a gap remains in understanding how data science is being applied in public health.

OBJECTIVE: This article provides a comprehensive overview of data science applications in real-world public health settings. By describing the characteristics of projects supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Data Science Upskilling (DSU) program during 2019-2023, we seek to guide future efforts in public health data science workforce development and data modernization.

METHODS: We manually reviewed DSU applications and final presentations about the projects compiled during 2019-2023. We analyzed projects based on 7 characteristics, including public health domain and task, data science topic and method, data modality, tools, and programming languages used.

RESULTS: DSU supported 112 data science projects across 5 annual cohorts (2019-2023). Many projects addressed the COVID-19 pandemic (13%), infectious diseases (13%), and vaccines (11%). Approximately half the projects used data visualization (54%) and statistics (51%), with 42% employing artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML). Furthermore, 52% of projects were designed to support decision making, and 22% sought to improve processes and programs. Learners primarily used RStudio (50%), Jupyter Notebooks (41%), and Power BI (26%), along with Python (56%) and R (55%). AI and ML use increased from 33% of projects in 2019 to 56% in 2023, demonstrating an evolving focus on advanced methodologies.

CONCLUSIONS: Many teams prioritized data visualization, such as dashboards and visualization tools to support decision making, indicating opportunities for additional infrastructure and training in this area. We observed increasing use of AI and ML, suggesting a need for staff upskilling in these domains. Optimally leveraging data science technologies will require workforce development strategies and data modernization efforts to keep pace with the rapidly evolving field.

PMID:41576408 | DOI:10.1097/PHH.0000000000002284

J Public Health Manag Pract. 2026 Mar-Apr 01;32(2):179-190. doi: 10.1097/PHH.0000000000002290. Epub 2025 Nov 24.

ABSTRACT

CONTEXT: Vision Zero (VZ) is a road safety initiative that seeks to address the problem of road fatalities using a Safe System approach, a holistic endeavor embedded in public health principles that seeks to build layers of protection across transportation systems to eliminate road fatalities and serious injuries. Since 2020, a multidisciplinary research team established a statewide collaborative to support communities pursuing VZ initiatives across North Carolina.

PROGRAM: The North Carolina VZ collaborative “support model” was created to meet the need for community-based, multisector efforts using a Safe System approach. The support model aims to increase community capacity to more effectively build cross-disciplinary coalitions, pool needed resources, and strengthen adaptive leadership skills to reduce roadway fatalities.

IMPLEMENTATION: The support model approach is used to engage communities in building skills in cross-sector collaboration, adaptive leadership, and evidence-based safety procedures. This is accomplished through structured monthly touchpoint meetings with small groups of community partners for peer learning, quarterly “all-hands” meetings to coordinate efforts across the state and provide resources, and an annual team-based multiday Leadership Institute.

EVALUATION: From 2020 to 2025, there was notable growth in community participation, from 7 to 33 communities. Of communities with more than 1 year of participation (n = 19), more than half advanced VZ implementation with communities moving from an exploration stage to an installation (n = 8) or initial implementation (n = 2) stage. In 2023, interviews with partner community leads (n = 15) indicated that partners utilized resources provided, applied skills they learned at the Leadership Institute, benefited from the peer network, and identified opportunities for increasing the benefits of the support model.

DISCUSSION: The support model demonstrates a promising practice for increasing capacity building and cross-sector collaboration for road safety initiatives requiring complex systems change such as VZ.

PMID:41576406 | DOI:10.1097/PHH.0000000000002290

J Public Health Manag Pract. 2026 Mar-Apr 01;32(2):175-178. doi: 10.1097/PHH.0000000000002301. Epub 2025 Nov 24.

ABSTRACT

Developing a skilled governmental public health workforce requires intentional training opportunities that extend beyond foundational skills. Field placement programs, offered through the Public Health Training Center Network, provide students with practical experience while supporting agency capacity. This Practice Brief Report examines governmental public health field placements sponsored by the Region IV Public Health Training Center between 2019 and 2024 (n = 75). Student evaluations showed frequent practice in data analytics and assessment, policy development and program planning, and communication skills, areas reflecting organizational strengths. However, the findings of Public Health Workforce Interest and Needs Survey highlighted critical workforce gaps in higher-level skills such as budget and financial management, policy engagement, and leadership and systems thinking. Field placement experiences offer an opportunity to introduce students to these complex competencies early in their careers. Intentionally integrating higher-level skills into placement design can strengthen student preparation and help ensure a future workforce ready to address evolving public health challenges.

PMID:41576405 | DOI:10.1097/PHH.0000000000002301

J Neurosurg Pediatr. 2026 Jan 23:1-6. doi: 10.3171/2025.9.PEDS258. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: Electrode placement using robot-assisted stereoelectroencephalography (SEEG) has been proven a safe and accurate technique in children. As its use increases, understanding the impact of registration methods and patient-specific factors on placement accuracy is crucial. The aim of this study was to compare 4 registration methods and to evaluate factors associated with lead placement error.

METHODS: This retrospective case series included pediatric patients who underwent robot-assisted SEEG from January 2019 to April 2022 at a single institution. Placement accuracy was assessed at both the inner skull table and the prespecified target using 4 registration techniques: 1) laser-based registration with a Mayfield skull clamp (laser), 2) a Leksell frame with bone fiducials (bone fiducials), 3) a Leksell frame with pins plus one bone fiducial (pins+fiducial), and 4) a frame-based registration with etched frame (frame-based). Accuracy differences were analyzed using Kruskal-Wallis and Wilcoxon tests. A stepwise multivariate linear regression model was used to evaluate predictors of error.

RESULTS: Overall, 231 electrodes were placed in 22 patients (median age 15 years). The median error at the inner skull table was lowest with the pins+fiducial (0.6 mm) technique and highest with the laser (1.7 mm) technique. The target error was also lowest with pins+fiducial (1.1 mm) technique and highest with the laser (2.04 mm) technique. All group differences were statistically significant (p < 0.0001). Younger age (p = 0.0161) and increased bone thickness (p = 0.0304) were independently associated with error at the target and inner skull table, respectively. No clinical complications occurred, including hemorrhage, infection, or electrode malposition.

CONCLUSIONS: The registration technique used significantly affects robot-assisted SEEG accuracy in children. The use of frame-based approaches, especially using pins and a single fiducial, yielded the highest accuracy. Additional caution should be exercised in younger patients and with trajectories through thicker bone.

PMID:41576396 | DOI:10.3171/2025.9.PEDS258

J Neurosurg. 2026 Jan 23:1-7. doi: 10.3171/2025.9.JNS251249. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: The minimal important difference (MID) and minimal important change (MIC) are two metrics that bridge the gap between statistical significance and clinical relevance and are critical to managing clinical decisions and conducting clinical research. The objective of this study was to define MIDs to evaluate cross-sectional differences among groups and to define MICs to evaluate longitudinal within-patient changes for the Mayo Clinic Vestibular Schwannoma Quality of Life (VSQOL) Index.

METHODS: Anchor-based methods were used to define MIDs and MICs for the VSQOL Index domain scores, which range from 0 to 100 points, for a national cohort of 1050 patients with sporadic vestibular schwannoma, 644 of whom completed the VSQOL Index twice approximately 1 year apart.

RESULTS: The median of the MID estimates for the VSQOL Index domains were: hearing problems (17, IQR 12.5-21); dizziness and imbalance (21, IQR 18-23); pain, discomfort, and tinnitus (19.5, IQR 15-23.5); problems with face or eyes (18, IQR 17-28); impact on physical, emotional, and social well-being (19.5, IQR 14.5-23.5); difficulty with thinking and memory (23.5, IQR 18.5-28.5); global quality of life (12, IQR 8-16); and satisfaction or regret (13.5, IQR 7-17). MIC estimates for the hearing problems and satisfaction and regret domains were not obtained because the correlations between these domain scores and their associated anchors were not sufficiently strong. The MIC estimates (minimum and maximum) for the remaining domains were: dizziness and imbalance (7.2 and 8.3); pain, discomfort, and tinnitus (8.3 and 8.5); problems with face or eyes (7.0 and 7.4); impact on physical, emotional, and social well-being (2.1 and 8.0); and difficulty with thinking and memory (12.9 and 15.0). The median of the MIC estimates for global quality of life was 5.2 (IQR 3.7-5.6).

CONCLUSIONS: The MIDs and MICs reported herein provide a framework to interpret quality-of-life benefit or harm cross-sectionally among groups and longitudinally within patients. Moving forward, these values should be considered when interpreting studies using the VSQOL Index to assess disease-specific quality of life in patients with sporadic vestibular schwannoma.

PMID:41576374 | DOI:10.3171/2025.9.JNS251249

J Neurosurg. 2026 Jan 23:1-12. doi: 10.3171/2025.8.JNS25496. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: Epilepsy affects nearly 50 million individuals worldwide, with one-third of cases resistant to antiseizure medications. For these patients, surgical intervention offers a potential path to seizure freedom. While resective surgery has been the gold standard, laser interstitial thermal therapy (LITT) has emerged as a minimally invasive alternative. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of LITT versus resective surgery in patients with nontumoral epilepsy.

METHODS: A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted using PubMed, Embase, and Scopus, including studies comparing seizure freedom rates, complications, and procedural outcomes between LITT and open surgery in nontumoral epilepsy. Eleven studies met the inclusion criteria, comprising 389 LITT and 557 open surgery patients with varying epilepsy etiologies, including temporal lobe epilepsy, focal cortical dysplasia, and tuberous sclerosis. Statistical analysis was performed using a random-effects model to assess seizure freedom, complications, and reoperation rates.

RESULTS: Open surgery demonstrated higher rates of complete seizure freedom, although not reaching significance (68.1% vs 53.7%, RR 0.81, p = 0.07). This outcome was sensitive to influential analysis and reached significance in the epileptogenic zone-directed resection subgroup analysis. Although adequate seizure freedom was comparable between the groups (LITT: 63.0% vs open: 74.0%, RR 0.90, p = 0.11), the open surgery group had higher rates of control in the pediatric and non-temporal lobe epilepsy subgroups. Complication rates were significantly higher in the open surgery group (30.0% vs 18.3%, RR 0.55, p < 0.01). LITT patients had significantly shorter hospital stays (3.4 vs 6.8 days, standardized mean difference -0.93, p < 0.01). Reoperation rates were comparable between groups (13.1% for LITT vs 13.4%, RR 1.59, p = 0.26).

CONCLUSIONS: While LITT offers a less invasive approach with reduced hospitalization and morbidity, open surgery remains slightly superior in achieving long-term seizure freedom. Patient selection remains critical, and further studies are needed to refine decision-making criteria based on epilepsy subtype and lesion characteristics.

PMID:41576371 | DOI:10.3171/2025.8.JNS25496

JMIR Res Protoc. 2026 Jan 23;15:e76815. doi: 10.2196/76815.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Cytisinicline has proven to be an effective, efficient, and safe molecule in smoking cessation. However, the established 25-day regimen could be insufficient in a high percentage of smokers, so it is necessary to study maintained therapies of this drug.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to compare the efficacy of the cytisinicline regimen used in routine clinical practice versus 2 maintained regimens of 50 and 75 days, respectively. In addition, the safety and economic impact of each regime will be determined.

METHODS: A prospective, multicenter, open-label, controlled, parallel, phase IV clinical trial of 402 smoker patients prepared to quit smoking. The study was conducted in 10 hospitals in Spain. A control group is compared to 2 intervention groups in which the duration of the drug is increased without increasing its dose, administering half and all, respectively, of an additional marketed container that includes 100 tablets. Thus, participants will be randomized to three groups in a 1:1:1 ratio to receive cytisinicline: (1) a control group treated with cytisinicline according to the usual clinical guidelines and product information (25 days); (2) a group with a 50-day cytisinicline regimen (an additional 25 days at a dose of 1.5 mg every 12 hours), seeking to increase its efficacy while minimally impacting adherence; and (3) a group with a 75-day regimen (an additional 50 days at a dose of 1.5 mg every 12 hours), attempting to increase its efficacy, although the longer duration of the drug may threaten adherence. Efficacy in the 3 arms will be analyzed through sustained abstinence at 6 and 12 months, point abstinence rate assessed every 7 days, and abstinence rate from Day 25 to Day 50 and from Day 25 to Day 75 in the 3 study arms. (1) The variation in withdrawal and craving symptoms in the 3 groups, (2) safety through the percentage of adverse events in the 3 treatment arms, and (3) economic impact by evaluating the cost-effectiveness and cost-utility ratios of the 2 prolonged regimens versus the usual clinical cytisinicline regimen. To calculate the differences between the 3 groups for each outcome variable, a univariate analysis will be performed. Statistically significant variables will be included in a multivariate model.

RESULTS: Recruitment for the trial and patient enrollment were completed in November 2026. Follow-up of all participants will extend to December 2027.

CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, this study evaluates the optimization of cytisinicline in daily clinical practice, increasing the benefits of its pharmaceutical properties without affecting patient safety. All of this will improve the effectiveness of smoking cessation by reducing the number of smokers, which implies lower morbidity and mortality and lower costs associated with smoking.

TRIAL REGISTRATION: European Clinical Trials Register 2024-518936-36-00; https://euclinicaltrials.eu/ctis-public/view/2024-518936-36-00.

INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): PRR1-10.2196/76815.

PMID:41576369 | DOI:10.2196/76815

JMIR Ment Health. 2026 Jan 23;13:e76051. doi: 10.2196/76051.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: This study aims to detect self-harm or suicide (SH-S) ideation language used by youth (aged 13-21 y) in their private Instagram (Meta) conversations. While automated mental health tools have shown promise, there remains a gap in understanding how nuanced youth language around SH-S can be effectively identified.

OBJECTIVE: Our work aimed to develop interpretable models that go beyond binary classification to recognize the spectrum of SH-S expressions.

METHODS: We analyzed a dataset of Instagram private conversations donated by youth. A range of traditional machine learning models (support vector machine, random forest, Naive Bayes, and extreme gradient boosting) and transformer-based architectures (Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers and Distilled Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers) were trained and evaluated. In addition to raw text, we incorporated contextual, psycholinguistic (linguistic injury word count), sentiment (Valence Aware Dictionary and Sentiment Reasoner), and lexical (term frequency-inverse document frequency) features to improve detection accuracy. We further explored how increasing conversational context-from message-level to subconversation level-affected model performance.

RESULTS: Distilled Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers demonstrated a good performance in identifying the presence of SH-S behaviors within individual messages, achieving an accuracy of 99%. However, when tasked with a more fine-grained classification-differentiating among “self” (personal accounts of SH-S), “other” (references to SH-S experiences involving others), and “hyperbole” (sarcastic, humorous, or exaggerated mentions not indicative of genuine risk)-the model’s accuracy declined to 89%. Notably, by expanding the input window to include a broader conversational context, the model’s performance on these granular categories improved to 91%, highlighting the importance of contextual understanding when distinguishing between subtle variations in SH-S discourse.

CONCLUSIONS: Our findings underscore the importance of designing SH-S automatic detection systems sensitive to the dynamic language of youth and social media. Contextual and sentiment-aware models improve detection and provide a nuanced understanding of SH-S risk expression. This research lays the foundation for developing inclusive and ethically grounded interventions, while also calling for future work to validate these models across platforms and populations.

PMID:41576367 | DOI:10.2196/76051

Can J Microbiol. 2026 Jan 23. doi: 10.1139/cjm-2025-0248. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Candida albicans is a common commensal yeast and an opportunistic pathogen of global health importance. However, its global geographic and temporal patterns of genetic variation remain poorly understood. Here we analyzed sequence data on seven housekeeping loci from >5000 isolates in the C. albicans PubMLST database representing >60 countries and spanning >70 years. Diploid sequences at each locus were phased into haplotypes to provide higher-resolution insights into diversity, differentiation, and recombination. Our analyses revealed high allelic and genotypic diversities within most geographic and temporal populations. Pairwise FST estimates revealed low but statistically significant differentiation among both geographic and temporal populations, with AMOVA revealing that most genetic variation resides within rather than among subpopulations. STRUCTURE analysis identified two genetic clusters but with extensive admixture within most geographic populations, consistent with frequent gene flow. Phylogenetic and haplotype network analyses revealed evidence of clonal expansion, with globally distributed haplotypes being genetically closer to one another than among more localized haplotypes. Finally, recombination analyses revealed evidence of non-random recombination within populations, including an overall deficiency of heterozygosity, suggesting the importance of parasexuality and/or mitotic recombination in C. albicans populations. Together, these results highlight the global evolutionary dynamics and population structure of C. albicans.

PMID:41576362 | DOI:10.1139/cjm-2025-0248