Category: Statistics

J Clin Ultrasound. 2025 Sep 11. doi: 10.1002/jcu.70080. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: The trigger finger is one of the leading causes of finger pain and triggering. The flexor tendons are stabilized by a fibrous band called the annular pulley. The first annular pulley (A1 pulley) is located at the level of the metacarpophalangeal joint. Trigger finger is characterized by thickening of the A1 pulley. There is a lack of clinical and ultrasonographic risk factors that may help clinicians. The main purpose of the study was to measure the thickness of the flexor tendon and A1 pulley in patients with trigger finger compared to healthy volunteers and to reveal risk factors of trigger finger.

METHODS: The study included 30 healthy volunteers and 30 patients with trigger fingers. The thickness of the flexor tendon and A1 pulley were measured using ultrasound. Multiple regression analysis was also conducted.

RESULTS: In the healthy group, the mean thickness of the flexor tendon and A1 pulley were 3.21 ± 0.64 and 0.40 ± 0.09 mm, respectively. In the TF group, the mean thickness of the flexor tendon and A1 pulley were 3.78 ± 0.86 and 0.49 ± 0.16 mm, respectively. The differences were statistically significant (p = 0.010 and p = 0.009, respectively). The mean thickness of the flexor tendon and A1 pulley of trigger finger were significantly higher than adjacent and contralateral healthy digits of the patients with trigger finger (p = 0.001, p = 0.001, p = 0.019, p = 0.002, respectively). The risk of trigger finger was found to be 11.5 times higher in diabetic patients, 3.734 times higher in patients with a history of hand forcing, 2.912 times with a 1 mm increase in flexor tendon thickness, and 1.724 times with an increase of 0.1 mm in A1 pulley thickness.

CONCLUSIONS: In this study, the flexor tendon and A1 pulley were found to be more thickened in the trigger finger group compared to the controls. Diabetes mellitus, history of hand forcing, increased tendon, and A1 pulley thickness are among the risk factors associated with trigger finger.

TRIAL REGISTRATION: Ultrasound Features of Trigger Finger, Registry number: NCT05675488.

PMID:40934299 | DOI:10.1002/jcu.70080

PLoS One. 2025 Sep 11;20(9):e0332179. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0332179. eCollection 2025.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Road traffic injuries (RTIs) are a growing public health problem requiring urgent attention in Cameroon where emergency medical services (EMS) are underdeveloped. In other countries, training laypersons to provide prehospital care has been shown to improve injury outcomes, but requires buy-in from the persons being trained to provide care. To inform development of a lay first responder (LFR) program in Cameroon, this study aimed to assess the willingness of community members and associated factors to provide prehospital care for RTIs along the N3 highway, a road linking Cameroon’s two largest cities, known to have high incidence of RTIs.

METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional survey of community members living along the N3 highway, between June 18th and August 16th, 2024. Health district officials and community leaders identified N3 communities across 11 health districts with high rates of RTI. Purposeful sampling was performed in each community to assess exposure to injury and willingness to participate in prehospital care. Trained research assistants verbally administered a structured questionnaire to each consenting household representative; data collected included socio-demographic characteristics, injury exposure, first aid knowledge and attitudes, and willingness to provide prehospital care to victims of RTIs. Associations between demographic factors and willingness to provide prehospital care were assessed using multivariable logistic regression. Data were analyzed using IBM-SPSS version 26.0 and statistical significance was set at p < 0.05.

RESULTS: A total of 449 adult community members were surveyed. Most [268 (59.7%)) respondents were male with a median age of 33 years (interquartile range: 26-40). The majority, 333 (74.6%) community members were willing to provide care to injured victims. However, a third [167 (37.2%)] had adequate knowledge (scored ≥ 80%) of first aid and only 23 (5%) had been trained in first aid. Factors independently associated with willingness to provide prehospital care included having adequate first aid knowledge (adjusted odd ratio (aOR) = 1.69, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.01-2.81, p = 0.046), primary education (aOR=4.20, 95% CI: 1.19-4.81, p = 0.026) and secondary education (aOR=4.70, 95% CI: 1.34-16.53, p = 0.016) compared to respondents with no formal education, prior witness of RTI (aOR=1.68, 95% CI: 1.055-2.68, p = 0.028), being aged between 30 and 40 years (aOR=1.82, 95% CI: 1.06-3.14, p = 0.031) and community members being able to call dedicated phone numbers to report RTIs (aOR=3.11, 95% CI: 1.28-7.54, p = 0.012).

CONCLUSION: Most community members living in injury exposed-communities reported willingness to participate in prehospital care. However, first-aid knowledge is currently lacking in these communities. LFR training is needed in these communities to enable willing community members to contribute to prehospital efforts for RTIs along this road network.

PMID:40934280 | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0332179

PLoS One. 2025 Sep 11;20(9):e0331023. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0331023. eCollection 2025.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Sepsis is a severe systemic infection that can result in organ dysfunction and mortality. Dyslipidemia emerges as a key player in the intricate web of sepsis pathogenesis. Yet, the causal relationship between blood lipid profiles and sepsis risk remains uncertain. This study aims to investigate the association between genetically predicted lipid traits, drug targets, and sepsis.

METHODS: The UK Biobank’s Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) produced data on lipid and apolipoprotein characteristics. Four independent GWAS datasets were used to generate the sepsis statistics. The study utilized the two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) approach, which incorporates multivariable (MVMR) models, to assess the correlations between sepsis risk and lipid-related parameters. To gain further insight, expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) data were used to investigate the significant drug targets for lipid-lowering.

RESULTS: Increasing ApoA-1 levels was associated with a diminished risk of sepsis (under 75) (OR 0.927, 95% CI 0.861-0.999; p = 0.047). This inverse correlation persevered even after performing multivariable MR. Elevated levels of HDL-C were associated with a decreased risk of sepsis (under 75) (OR 0.897, 95% CI 0.838-0.960; P = 0.002) and incidence of sepsis (OR 0.883, 95% CI 0.820-0.951; P = 0.001), which was consistent across sensitivity analyses. Furthermore, a decrease in total cholesterol exhibited a causal effect on sepsis in multivariable MR (OR 0.779, 95% CI 0.642-0.944; P = 0.01). The genetic variants related to lowering LDL-C, located near the HMGCR and LDLR genes, were predicted to elevate the risk of sepsis. Moreover, genetic mimicry near the ANGPTL3 and LPL gene suggested that reducing the activity of ANGPTL3 and LPL (mimicking antisense anti-ANGPTL3 and LPL agents) was forecasted to decrease sepsis risk.

CONCLUSION: Genetically inferred elevated ApoA-1, total cholesterol, and HDL-C manifest a protective effect against sepsis. Within the 9 lipid-lowering drug targets investigated ANGPTL3 and LPL exhibit potential as candidate drug targets for sepsis.

PMID:40934270 | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0331023

PLoS Genet. 2025 Sep 11;21(9):e1011819. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1011819. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Interactions between risk factors and covariate-defined groups are commonly observed in complex diseases. Existing methods for detecting interactions typically require individual-level data. The data availability and the measurements of risk exposures and covariates often limit the power and applicability in assessing interactions. To address these limitations, we propose int2MR, an integrative Mendelian randomization (MR) method that leverages GWAS summary statistics on exposure traits and group-separated and/or combined GWAS statistics on outcome traits. The int2MR can assess a broad range of risk exposure effects on diseases and traits, revealing interactions unattainable with incomplete or limited individual-level data. Simulation studies demonstrate that int2MR effectively controls type I error rates under various settings while achieving considerable power gains with the integration of additional group-combined GWAS data. We applied int2MR to two data analyses. First, we identified risk exposures with sex-interaction effects on ADHD, and our results suggested potentially elevated inflammation in males. Second, we detected age-group-specific risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease pathologies in the oldest-old (age 95+); many of these factors were related to immune and inflammatory processes. Our findings suggest that reduced chronic inflammation may underlie the distinct pathological mechanisms observed in this age group. The int2MR is a robust and flexible tool for assessing group-specific or interaction effects, providing insights into disease mechanisms.

PMID:40934263 | DOI:10.1371/journal.pgen.1011819

Am J Health Promot. 2025 Sep 11:8901171251378722. doi: 10.1177/08901171251378722. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PurposePatient satisfaction is a key principle of high-quality care, important to all health systems. While evidenced-based guidelines recommend tobacco use counseling to all hospitalized patients who use tobacco, scant knowledge exists about patient satisfaction with these services. The Satisfaction with Inpatient Tobacco Treatment Study (1) proposes a novel survey tool to measure patient satisfaction with inpatient tobacco treatment and (2) provides survey results from our hospital’s Tobacco Treatment Program.DesignCreation and administration of an 8-item Likert scale survey to assess inpatient tobacco use counseling.Setting/SubjectsA random sample of inpatients who received remote inpatient tobacco use treatment at UNC Health’s Tobacco Treatment Program were selected for participation. The survey was administered by telephone and email.MeasuresSurvey items assessed constructs of patient satisfaction, resource availability pre- and post-discharge, the perceived benefits of inpatient tobacco treatment counseling, and patient-reported smoking cessation.AnalysisSurvey responses were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Fisher’s Exact Tests.ResultsThe majority of respondents reported satisfaction with tobacco use counseling. 92% strongly agreed or agreed that the consultations improved their overall hospital experience and 90% said they quit or cut down on their tobacco use after discharge. Results did not vary significantly by race, insurance status, or gender.ConclusionPatient satisfaction with inpatient tobacco cessation treatment was high across multiple domains, as was patient-reported smoking cessation. The survey instrument can be further validated and adapted for program assessment and quality improvement in other tobacco treatment programs.

PMID:40934259 | DOI:10.1177/08901171251378722

PLoS One. 2025 Sep 11;20(9):e0313943. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0313943. eCollection 2025.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are a leading cause of global death and disability, affecting one-third of adult population. Often overlooked in school-going adolescents, behavioural risk factors are crucial contributors to CVD risk which begin early and accelerate during adolescent period. This study aims to assess the behavioural risk factors and their associated determinants among adolescents of Tulsipur Sub-Metropolitan City, Nepal.

METHODS: A school-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 361 adolescents aged 16-19 years studying in grade 11 and 12 from public and private schools. Schools were selected using a stratified proportionate sampling method. Data were collected through a self-administered, structured, and validated questionnaire covering socio-demographic characteristics, behavioural risk factors of CVDs, and parental information. Descriptive and analytical statistics were used to analyse the data.

RESULTS: The most prevalent behavioural risk factor was the consumption of calorie drinks (99%), followed by sedentary behaviour (60%), insufficient fruit and vegetable intake (57%), physical inactivity (35%), and consumption of processed food high in salt (33%). The prevalence of current smoking, alcohol consumption, and smokeless tobacco use was 12%, 10%, and 9% respectively. Key factors associated with the behavioural risk include maternal education, ethnicity, and education system. Parental tobacco and alcohol use were also associated with adolescent smoking and alcohol consumption.

CONCLUSIONS: The high prevalence of CVD risk factors among adolescents in Nepal highlights the urgent need for targeted interventions in both household and school settings. These interventions should aim to reduce behavioural risk factors to prevent the future burden of CVDs in resource-limited areas like Nepal.

PMID:40934233 | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0313943

Emotion. 2025 Sep 11. doi: 10.1037/emo0001580. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Self-organizing systems can shift between stability and flexibility in response to perturbation, a potential adaptive mechanism for understanding biopsychosocial resilience. Inverse power law (IPL) structure, a frequency distribution that describes fractal patterns commonly produced by self-organization, produces measurements of stability and flexibility. This study applies these measures to emotional resilience at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Ratings of frequency over the past week (1-5 Likert scale) across 12 emotions (six positive and six negative) were gathered in mid-April 2020 as part of a survey of adults’ (N = 4,094) pandemic experiences and health in the United States. The distributions of everyone’s emotion ratings were tested for IPL fit, resulting in a mean R² = .75. A steeper IPL shape parameter, reflecting greater emotional stability, was associated with better mental (anxiety, depression, and stress) and physical (fatigue, headache, and diarrhea) health overall. However, when total scores for positive and negative emotion were controlled, the reverse effect was found. Finally, a significant interaction effect was found between a measure of COVID-19 impact and IPL shape on each of the six health outcomes, suggesting that greater emotional flexibility may provide buffering against large-scale and unexpected challenges. Altogether, these results suggest that emotional stability may be most beneficial against illness when life is relatively stable, while emotional flexibility may be more adaptive when life is unstable. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).

PMID:40932787 | DOI:10.1037/emo0001580

Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2025 Sep 16;122(37):e2420621122. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2420621122. Epub 2025 Sep 11.

ABSTRACT

Inferring dynamical models from data continues to be a significant challenge in computational biology, especially given the stochastic nature of many biological processes. We explore a common scenario in omics, where statistically independent cross-sectional samples are available at a few time points, and the goal is to infer the underlying diffusion process that generated the data. Existing inference approaches often simplify or ignore noise intrinsic to the system, compromising accuracy for the sake of optimization ease. We circumvent this compromise by inferring the phase-space probability flow that shares the same time-dependent marginal distributions as the underlying stochastic process. Our approach, probability flow inference (PFI), disentangles force from intrinsic stochasticity while retaining the algorithmic ease of ordinary differential equation (ODE) inference. Analytically, we prove that for Ornstein-Uhlenbeck processes the regularized PFI formalism yields a unique solution in the limit of well-sampled distributions. In practical applications, we show that PFI enables accurate parameter and force estimation in high-dimensional stochastic reaction networks, and that it allows inference of cell differentiation dynamics with molecular noise, outperforming state-of-the-art approaches.

PMID:40932777 | DOI:10.1073/pnas.2420621122

J Pers Soc Psychol. 2025 Oct;129(4):758. doi: 10.1037/pspi0000505.

ABSTRACT

Reports the notice of retraction of “Here one time, gone the next: Fluctuations in support received and provided predict changes in relationship satisfaction across the transition to parenthood” by Jami Eller, Yuthika U. Girme, Brian P. Don, W. Steven Rholes, Kristin D. Mickelson and Jeffry A. Simpson (Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 2023[May], Vol 124[5], 971-1000; see record 2023-15847-001). The first author, Jami Eller, was unable to be reached. In the process of replicating analyses, these authors found that while the descriptive statistics for both studies reported in this paper replicated, overtime dyadic analyses testing focal hypotheses were not statistically significant at p < .05. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2023-15847-001.) Extant research has demonstrated that higher mean (average) levels of social support often produce robust relational benefits. However, partners may not maintain the same level of support across time, resulting in potential fluctuations (i.e., within-person variations across time) in support. Despite the theorizing and initial research on fluctuations in relationship-relevant thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, little is known about (a) who is most likely to fluctuate in support and (b) the degree to which fluctuations, in combination with and beyond mean levels, impact relationships across time. The current preregistered research examined two dyadic longitudinal samples of first-time parents undergoing the transition to parenthood, a chronically stressful time that often entails the provision and receipt of support involving one’s partner. Across both studies, we found that individuals who reported greater mental health problems, more situational stress, and more destructive dispositional attributes tended to report lower mean levels and higher fluctuations in provided and received support at subsequent assessments. Moreover, we found that greater fluctuations in perceptions and observations of support predicted decreases in relationship satisfaction over time, above and beyond the effect of mean levels. Implications for theory and studying nonlinear effects in relationships are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).

PMID:40932763 | DOI:10.1037/pspi0000505

Prehosp Emerg Care. 2025 Sep 11:1-35. doi: 10.1080/10903127.2025.2558865. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: The adverse role of accidental hypothermia in trauma patients has been studied for decades while patients undergoing prehospital tracheal intubation are at particular risk due to impaired temperature autoregulation. The primary objective of the study was to determine the prevalence and risk factors associated with admission hypothermia (body temperature <35 °C) at the emergency department. Secondary objectives included the assessment of the association of hypothermia with all-cause mortality, transfusion requirement, intensive care unit length of stay (ICU LOS), and duration of mechanical ventilation.

METHODS: In a single-center retrospective analysis, trauma patients aged ≥16 years undergoing prehospital tracheal intubation were analyzed for admission temperature between 2008 and 2022. Multivariable logistic regression analyses and linear regression analyses were used to examine the association between risk factors, hypothermia, and outcomes.

RESULTS: A total of 851 patients (72% male) with a median age of 50 years, a median injury severity score (ISS) of 27 points, and a 30-day mortality of 30% were included. The median admission body temperature was 35.1 °C, and 366 patients (43%) were hypothermic. Independent risk factors for hypothermia were outside temperature (OR 1.03 per one degree Celsius decrease, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.05), helicopter transport (OR 2.36, 95% CI 1.68 to 3.33), ISS score (OR 1.03, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.04), admission shock (OR 3.48, 95% CI 2.27 to 5.34), admission acidosis (OR 1.69, 95% CI 1.04 to 2.73), and admission coagulopathy (OR 1.85, 95% CI 1.25 to 2.76). Multivariable outcome analyses revealed significant associations of hypothermia with 24-hour mortality (OR 6.6, 95% CI 3.2 to 13.64), 30-day mortality (OR 3.81, 95% CI 2.35 to 6.18), massive transfusion (OR 2.94, 95% CI 1.78 to 4.86), ICU LOS in survivors (beta weight 3.15, 95% CI 0.73 to 5.58) and duration of mechanical ventilation in survivors (beta weight 2.65, 95% CI 0.89 to 4.41).

CONCLUSIONS: The present findings suggest that a significant proportion of trauma patients who require prehospital tracheal intubation experience hypothermia, which is associated with critical injury severity and high mortality rates. These associations suggest the potential for implementing preventive measures and rewarming strategies until arrival at the emergency department, necessitating further investigation.

PMID:40932762 | DOI:10.1080/10903127.2025.2558865