Category: Statistics

Database (Oxford). 2023 Feb 3;2023:baac108. doi: 10.1093/database/baac108.

ABSTRACT

This study presents the outcomes of the shared task competition BioCreative VII (Task 3) focusing on the extraction of medication names from a Twitter user’s publicly available tweets (the user’s ‘timeline’). In general, detecting health-related tweets is notoriously challenging for natural language processing tools. The main challenge, aside from the informality of the language used, is that people tweet about any and all topics, and most of their tweets are not related to health. Thus, finding those tweets in a user’s timeline that mention specific health-related concepts such as medications requires addressing extreme imbalance. Task 3 called for detecting tweets in a user’s timeline that mentions a medication name and, for each detected mention, extracting its span. The organizers made available a corpus consisting of 182 049 tweets publicly posted by 212 Twitter users with all medication mentions manually annotated. The corpus exhibits the natural distribution of positive tweets, with only 442 tweets (0.2%) mentioning a medication. This task was an opportunity for participants to evaluate methods that are robust to class imbalance beyond the simple lexical match. A total of 65 teams registered, and 16 teams submitted a system run. This study summarizes the corpus created by the organizers and the approaches taken by the participating teams for this challenge. The corpus is freely available at https://biocreative.bioinformatics.udel.edu/tasks/biocreative-vii/track-3/. The methods and the results of the competing systems are analyzed with a focus on the approaches taken for learning from class-imbalanced data.

PMID:36734300 | DOI:10.1093/database/baac108

Psychophysiology. 2023 Feb 3:e14256. doi: 10.1111/psyp.14256. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Pupillometry has a rich history in the study of perception and cognition. One perennial challenge is that the magnitude of the task-evoked pupil response diminishes over the course of an experiment, a phenomenon we refer to as a fatigue effect. Reducing fatigue effects may improve sensitivity to task effects and reduce the likelihood of confounds due to systematic physiological changes over time. In this paper, we investigated the degree to which fatigue effects could be ameliorated by experimenter intervention. In Experiment 1, we assigned participants to one of three groups-no breaks, kinetic breaks (playing with toys, but no social interaction), or chatting with a research assistant-and compared the pupil response across conditions. In Experiment 2, we additionally tested the effect of researcher observation. Only breaks including social interaction significantly reduced the fatigue of the pupil response across trials. However, in all conditions we found robust evidence for fatigue effects: that is, regardless of protocol, the task-evoked pupil response was substantially diminished (at least 60%) over the duration of the experiment. We account for the variance of fatigue effects in our pupillometry data using multiple common statistical modeling approaches (e.g., linear mixed-effects models of peak, mean, and baseline pupil diameters, as well as growth curve models of time-course data). We conclude that pupil attenuation is a predictable phenomenon that should be accommodated in our experimental designs and statistical models.

PMID:36734299 | DOI:10.1111/psyp.14256

Hand (N Y). 2023 Feb 3:15589447221150510. doi: 10.1177/15589447221150510. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to examine the clinical outcomes of extensor tendon repairs based on zone of injury.

METHODS: A retrospective chart review was conducted on all patients who underwent primary extensor tendon repair at our institution. Extensor tendon repairs were performed using a multiple figure-of-8 suture technique for extensor zones 1-4 and a modified Kessler suture technique for extensor zones 5-8. Inclusion criteria included a minimum of 8 weeks of follow-up, complete data available for review, and extensor tendon injury requiring primary surgical repair.

RESULTS: A total of 132 digits were included for analysis: 46 digits in zones 1-4 and 86 digits in zones 5-8. The operative time for zone 1-4 injuries averaged 88.96 minutes, and the operative time for zone 5-8 injuries averaged 114.42 minutes. Final extension was found to be 2.33° for zones 1-4 and 6.66° for zones 5-8. Final flexion was found to be 141.4° for zones 1-4 and 195.3° for zones 5-8. There was 1 infection identified in zones 1-4 and 7 in zones 5-8.

CONCLUSIONS: Surgically repaired extensor tendons in zones 1-4 were found to have a statistically significant worse final flexion compared with surgically repaired extensor tendons in zones 5-8. No significant differences were found in final extension, complication rates, and time to full activity. Operative times for zone 5-8 tendon repairs were found to be significantly longer than operative times for zone 1-4 repairs, possibly due to more complex injury patterns seen in the more proximal zones.

PMID:36734256 | DOI:10.1177/15589447221150510

Physiother Theory Pract. 2023 Feb 3:1-7. doi: 10.1080/09593985.2023.2172703. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Previous studies reported inconsistent outcomes on elastic taping for three potential reasons: 1) poor control of placebo effect; 2) no consensus regarding the optimal tape tension; and 3) lack of investigation on muscle endurance, as the proposed tape recoiling force may not promote peak force generation but exert a consistently low force and improve submaximal contraction.

PURPOSE: This study compared the effects of elastic tape and its tension on muscle activity and endurance in people with extremely positive and negative personal belief on elastic tape.

METHODS: Using a validated instrument, we identified 20 participants with extremely positive personal belief on elastic tape (+ belief), and 20 with extremely negative personal belief (- belief). They performed wrist isometric endurance tests under three taping conditions (i.e. no tape, 50%, and 100% tension). We measured isometric wrist extensor muscle endurance, electromyography muscle activity, and self-perceived performance for each condition.

RESULTS: The differences between the two groups in isometric muscle endurance (p = .85) and muscle activity (p = .53) were not statistically significant, regardless of tape conditions. However, participants with + belief reported better perceived performance than those with – belief (p < .001, partial eta squared = 0.70). Specifically, 100% tape tension yielded stronger self-perceived performance than 50% tension (Cohen’s d = 0.91) and no tape (Cohen’s d = 1.86). On the other hand, participants with – belief perceived similar performance across tape tensions (p = .55).

CONCLUSION: Elastic tape does not modulate muscle activity and enhance muscle endurance. People with a strong positive personal belief on elastic tape may perceive a better performance with a greater tape tension.

PMID:36734244 | DOI:10.1080/09593985.2023.2172703

Int J Soc Psychiatry. 2023 Feb 3:207640231152208. doi: 10.1177/00207640231152208. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: There are growing concerns about the homeless and mental health issues globally. This study aims to examine the mental health situation of homelessness and the determinants of anxiety and depression of them in Hong Kong.

METHOD: The data from the largest territory-wide study of the homeless population in 2021 was analyzed. Descriptive statistics and logistic regressions were used to investigate the association between mental health and socioeconomic variables, including demographic background, economic indicators, COVID-19 worries, government measures, and respect by others. The symptoms of depression and anxiety were assessed using Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ) and General Anxiety Disorder (GAD).

RESULTS: The results showed that being female, food insecurity, and chronic diseases were the risk factors for anxiety and depression. A high level of respect by others was the protective factor for depression (adjusted OR 0.37, 95% CI [0.23, 0.61]) and anxiety (adjusted OR 0.40, 95% CI [0.24, 0.68]), compared to a low level of respect in the multivariate model.

CONCLUSIONS: Providing medical outreach services, additional resources for social services, implementation of homeless-friendly policies, and a progressive supply of public and transitional housing would help enhance the well-being of the homeless population.

PMID:36734241 | DOI:10.1177/00207640231152208

Stroke. 2023 Feb 3. doi: 10.1161/STROKEAHA.122.039900. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The effectiveness of long-term dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) to prevent recurrent strokes in patients with lacunar stroke remains unclarified. Therefore, this study aimed to compare and to elucidate the safety and effectiveness of DAPT and single antiplatelet therapy (SAPT) in preventing recurrence in chronic lacunar stroke.

METHODS: CSPS.com (Cilostazol Stroke Prevention Study for Antiplatelet Combination) was a prospective, multicenter, randomized controlled trial. In this prespecified subanalysis, 925 patients (mean age, 69.5 years; 69.4% men) with lacunar stroke were selected from 1884 patients with high-risk noncardioembolic stroke, enrolled in the CSPS.com trial after 8 to 180 days following stroke. Patients were randomly assigned to receive either SAPT or DAPT using cilostazol and were followed for 0.5 to 3.5 years. The primary efficacy outcome was the first recurrence of ischemic stroke. The safety outcomes were severe or life-threatening bleeding.

RESULTS: The DAPT group receiving cilostazol and either aspirin or clopidogrel and SAPT group receiving aspirin or clopidogrel alone comprised 464 (50.2%) and 461 (49.8%) patients, respectively. Ischemic stroke occurred in 12 of 464 patients (1.84 per 100 patient-years) in the DAPT group and 31 of 461 patients (4.42 per 100 patient-years) in the SAPT group, during follow-up. After adjusting for multiple potential confounding factors, ischemic stroke risk was significantly lower in the DAPT group than in the SAPT group (hazard ratio, 0.43 [95% CI, 0.22-0.84]). The rate of severe or life-threatening hemorrhage did not differ significantly between the groups (2 patients [0.31 per 100 patient-years] versus 6 patients [0.86 per 100 patient-years] in the DAPT and SAPT groups, respectively; hazard ratio, 0.36 [95% CI, 0.07-1.81]).

CONCLUSIONS: In patients with lacunar stroke, DAPT using cilostazol had significant benefits in reducing recurrent ischemic stroke incidence compared with SAPT without increasing the risk of severe or life-threatening bleeding.

REGISTRATION: URL: https://www.

CLINICALTRIALS: gov; Unique identifier: NCT01995370. URL: https://www.umin.ac.jp/ctr; Unique identifier: UMIN000012180.

PMID:36734235 | DOI:10.1161/STROKEAHA.122.039900

J Clin Sleep Med. 2023 Feb 3. doi: 10.5664/jcsm.10464. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

STUDY OBJECTIVES: Pharmacotherapy for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) regained consideration after the discovery that atomoxetine and oxybutynin (Ato-Oxy) greatly reduced OSA severity. However, Ato-Oxy reduced the arousal threshold and may therefore be poorly tolerated in patients with OSA and disturbed sleep. As a result, we tested the combination of atomoxetine plus two hypnotics in patients with OSA. The effects of atomoxetine plus: 1) trazodone (Ato-Trazo), and 2) lemborexant (Ato-Lembo) versus placebo on AHI, hypoxic burden (HB), arousal threshold and total sleep time (TST) were assessed. Drug safety was also ascertained, together with the effect of the combinations on other OSA traits, subjective sleep quality, and next-day alertness.

METHODS: Following a baseline study, 15 mild-to-severe OSA patients with moderate upper airway collapsibility were administered Ato-Trazo, Ato-Lembo and matching placebo according to a double-blind, randomized, crossover design. AHI and other objective outcomes were calculated from three clinical, in-laboratory polysomnograms.

RESULTS: Ato-Trazo significantly reduced AHI from a median [IQR] of 18.2 [11.8 to 31.3] on placebo to 7.4 [5.4 to 16.1] events/h, p=0.024 and HB from 46.3 [25.1 to 88.3] on placebo to 18.7 [14.9 to 43.5], p=0.003. This effect was likely driven by an increase in polysomnography-estimated pharyngeal muscle activity during the events (P=0.029). Ato-Lembo had smaller statistically insignificant effects. Contrary to Ato-Oxy, Ato-Trazo and Ato-Lembo did not reduce the arousal threshold. Both combinations had no effect on TST, but worsened subjective sleep quality.

CONCLUSIONS: Ato-Trazo has the potential to become a useful drug combination, however longer trials are needed to determine the best dosage and the subgroup of patients who may benefit most from this combination.

CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: Registry: ClinicalTrials.gov; Identifier: NCT04645524; Name: Crossover Trial of AD182 and AD504 in Obstructive Sleep Apnea; URL: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04645524.

PMID:36734173 | DOI:10.5664/jcsm.10464

Mil Med. 2023 Feb 3:usad015. doi: 10.1093/milmed/usad015. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: This prospective intervention study was designed to determine the efficacy of a standardized Preflight/Postflight Stretches (PPS) protocol to reduce subjective neck and back pain scores in helicopter aircrew. Aircrew transient back and neck pain is well documented, and there is currently no standardized preflight and postflight stretching protocol for Naval Aviation.

METHODS: Subjects were recruited from two carrier air wing MH-60R squadrons at Naval Air Station Jacksonville. These carrier air wing squadrons were selected to control for size (number of aircrew), age, and operational tempo (number of flight hours). Subjects consisted of both pilots and enlisted aircrew. One squadron was designated as the control group, although the second squadron served as the intervention group. Subjects from both groups filled out the questionnaire. Only the intervention group completed the PPS protocol immediately after completing the questionnaire and before departing the squadron spaces for the aircraft outside. Upon landing, the aircrew completed a postflight debrief. Only the intervention group completed the PPS protocol after debrief. Both the intervention and control groups once again completed the questionnaire. Questionnaires were matched by using a generated anonymous subject ID. The amounts of change and pain levels were then compared using the Mann-Whitney test and the Fisher’s exact test, respectively.

RESULTS: The Kolmogorov-Smirnov test found the data to be nonparametric. The preflight and postflight overall (P ≤ .001), cervical (P ≤ .001), thoracic (P = .006), and lumbar (P = .004) differences between the control and intervention groups were found to be statistically significant when using the Mann-Whitney test. Preflight and postflight pain differences in the sacral region and “other” section were not found to be statistically significant (sacral, P = .618; others, P = .182). When evaluating the worsening of the pain level, 50 (92%) of the control flights in which PPS was not performed reported worse pain, compared to 21 (61.8%) in the intervention group where PPS was performed. The Fisher’s exact test found the association between performing PPS and the worsening in pain to be statistically significant (P = .001) in the overall, cervical, thoracic, and lumbar regions. Therefore, the hypothesis was accepted in regard to overall pain, as well as in the cervical, thoracic, and lumbar regions.

CONCLUSION: Aircrew back and neck pain because of flying is well documented. However, there is no standardized stretching protocol for aircrew to perform immediately preflight or postflight in U.S. Naval Aviation. This study demonstrated that PPS, a simple 5- to 7-min stretching routine, gives aircrew structure and can reduce postflight cervical, thoracic, lumbar, and overall pain. This phase proved to be safe as no adverse events were reported. The prehabilitation aspect could reduce conventional medical intervention, costly pharmacological management of neck and back pain, and be applied to other aviation populations in military and civilian communities.

PMID:36734163 | DOI:10.1093/milmed/usad015

Int J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2023 Feb;38(2):e5877. doi: 10.1002/gps.5877.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: To determine the relationship between alcohol consumption and cognitive decline, and to further explore the potential regulatory role of education, socio-economic status (SES), and social or intellectual activity in this relationship.

METHODS: 6197 participants aged 45-75 years with four repeated measures data from 2011 to 2018 were included. A mixed-effect model was used to explore the relationship between alcohol consumption and the rate of change in cognitive decline, a latent class growth mixed model (LCGMM) was applied to determine the potential trajectory of cognitive decline, and finally, the mediating and moderating analyses were used to determine the regulatory effect of all four variables on the relationship between alcohol consumption and potential trajectory.

RESULTS: Compared to never-drinkers, moderate alcohol consumption was a protective factor for overall cognitive function (β = 0.13, 95% CI: 0.04-0.20, p < 0.001), but there was no statistical correlation with the decline rate of cognitive function. And this protective effect was no longer significant after additional adjustments for education, SES, social and intellectual activity. The LCGMM model divided participants into two trajectories, a high-level-to-decline group including 79.75% of participants (quadratic: β [SE]: -0.90 [0.07], p < 0.001), and a low-level-to-decline group including 20.25% participants (linear: β [SE]: -3.05 [0.49], p < 0.001). With the latter as the reference, SES played a reverse regulation role in the harmful effect of heavy drinking on cognitive trajectories (odd ratio [OR] = 0.46, 95% CI: 0.23-0.93, p < 0.05). Social and intellectual activities played a negative mediating role in the harmful effect of alcohol consumption on cognitive trajectories (light: OR = 0.96, p < 0.001; moderate: OR = 0.96, p < 0.001; heavy: OR = 0.97, p < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS: Alcohol itself has no protective effect on the decline of longitudinal cognitive trajectory. But the regulatory effect of SES, social and intellectual activities slows down the harm of alcohol consumption on the decline of cognitive function.

CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: The data used in this study are from publicly available databases. They are retrospective cohort studies without any intervention. Therefore, no clinical trial registration has been conducted.

PMID:36734162 | DOI:10.1002/gps.5877

Basic Clin Pharmacol Toxicol. 2023 Feb 3. doi: 10.1111/bcpt.13840. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

The present study evaluates the influence of type 2 diabetes (T2D) on important CYP450 (CYP) isoforms and P-glycoprotein (Pgp) transporter activities before and three months after an intensifying treatment regimen involving 40 patients. Results have been compared with 21 non-T2D healthy participants (the control group). CYPs and Pgp activities were assessed after administering the Geneva cocktail. The mean metabolic ratios (MR) for CYP2B6 (1.81±0.93 vs. 2.68±0.87), CYP2C19 (0.420 ± 0.360 vs. 0.687 ± 0.558), and CYP3A4/5 (0.487 ± 0.226 vs. 0.633 ± 0.254) significantly decreased in T2D subjects compared to the control group (p<0.05). CYP2C9 (0.089±0.037 vs. 0.069±0.017) activities slightly increased in diabetic subjects, and no difference was observed regarding CYP1A2 (0.154±0.085 vs. 0.136±0.065), CYP2D6 (1.17 ± 0.56 vs. 1.24 ± 0.83), and Pgp activities in comparison to the control group. Three months after the intensifying treatment regimen, MRs of CYP2C9 (0.080 ± 0.030) and CYP3A4/5 (0.592 ± 0.268) improved significantly and were not statistically different compared to the control group (P>0.05). Several covariables, such as inflammatory markers (IL-1β and IL-6), genotypes, diabetes, and demographic-related factors, were considered in the analyses. The results indicate that chronic inflammatory status associated with T2D modulates CYP450 activities in an isoform-specific manner.

PMID:36734157 | DOI:10.1111/bcpt.13840