Category: Statistics

Brief Bioinform. 2026 Jul 3;27(4):bbag383. doi: 10.1093/bib/bbag383.

ABSTRACT

Modern bioinformatics faces escalating challenges stemming from both the inherent computational hardness of many fundamental problems and the rapidly growing scale and complexity of biological data, increasingly limiting the effectiveness of classical computational approaches. Quantum computing has emerged as a promising paradigm for addressing these challenges by enabling alternative problem representations and novel search strategies for exploring complex solution spaces. This systematic review provides a structured overview of the emerging field of quantum bioinformatics and aims to supplement recent reviews on this topic in the journal by providing an updated and structured synthesis of current research. We systematically collect and organize existing studies across 10 bioinformatics domains to identify research trends, dominant themes, and recurring methodological patterns. The review examines quantum and hybrid quantum-classical approaches, problem formulations, and encoding strategies, with particular attention to the constraints of noisy intermediate-scale quantum devices, including noise, limited scalability, and the need for error mitigation. We further synthesize reported limitations, open challenges, and prospective research directions.

PMID:42467988 | DOI:10.1093/bib/bbag383

Plast Reconstr Surg. 2026 Jul 3. doi: 10.1097/PRS.0000000000013310. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Plastic and reconstructive surgery is among the most socially engaged surgical fields, with widespread use of digital platforms to share research. As a result, assessing scholarly impact now extends beyond traditional metrics such as journal impact factor (IF). The Altmetric Attention Score (AAS) provides real-time insight into online engagement, but its ability to predict academic impact in plastic surgery literature remains unclear. This study aims to determine whether AAS can serve as a reliable predictor of citation impact within the field.

METHODS: A total of 5,418 original research articles published between January 2022 and December 2023 in ten leading plastic surgery journals were analyzed. A mixed linear model was used to evaluate how well AAS, 5-year journal IF, and time since publication (a key factor in citation accrual) predicted Dimensions citation counts. Journal identity was incorporated as a random effect. Predictor strength was assessed using permutation-based relative importance testing.

RESULTS: Time since publication was the strongest predictor of citation count, accounting for 82% of the model’s explanatory power (p < 0.001). AAS was the second most influential predictor, contributing 16% (p < 0.001). In contrast, the 5-year journal impact factor accounted for only 1.6% and was not a statistically significant predictor (p = 0.119).

CONCLUSION: AAS is a valuable early predictor of academic impact in plastic surgery literature and outperforms journal IF. Altmetrics provide timely insight into research visibility and should be used alongside established metrics to more effectively evaluate scholarly reach in the digital era.

PMID:42467981 | DOI:10.1097/PRS.0000000000013310

Comput Inform Nurs. 2026 Jul 17. doi: 10.1097/CIN.0000000000001594. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Social determinants of health (SDOH) may influence hospital readmissions. The purpose of this project was to apply provider-assigned International Classification of Diseases-10-CM codes to the Healthy People 2030 SDOH Framework for use in future research focused on hospital readmissions using the 2018 Nationwide Readmissions Database (NRD). We classified all subcodes codes ranging from Z55 to Z65 that were captured within the 2018 NRD. Three researchers independently categorized 80 unique codes into the 5 Healthy People 2030 domains. Inter-rater reliability was 0.664 and the Kappa statistic was 0.54 for initial classifications. The Kappa statistic shows moderate agreement between the raters. After robust discussion, we adjusted 33 classifications to reach classification consensus. Among the 80 codes classified, 8 (10%) were classified into Economic Stability, 6 (7.5%) into Education Access and Quality, 0 into Healthcare Access and Quality, and 13 (16.3%) into Neighborhood and Built Environment, and 53 (66.3%) into Social and Community Context. Classification challenges were due to overlapping and related features of the descriptions that could be applied to more than one domain. Clear coding practice will support researchers, case managers, social workers, and providers in partnering with patients and their family to negotiate a safe evidence-based discharge transition plan.

PMID:42467977 | DOI:10.1097/CIN.0000000000001594

Eur J Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2026 Jul 17. doi: 10.1097/MEG.0000000000003227. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: Gluten-free diet (GFD) is, to date, the only effective therapeutic intervention for coeliac disease (CeD). Evaluation of dietary adherence is of the utmost importance in the management of CeD. However, in the paediatric population, there is limited data concerning the adherence to the GFD in patients diagnosed via bioptic confirmation compared to those diagnosed through the biopsy-sparing method, according to the ESPGHAN 2012 guidelines. In this multicentric study, we investigated dietary adherence in a group of adolescents with CeD, comparing patients diagnosed with the two different diagnostic modalities, and we proposed the validation of an evaluation tool for the GFD compliance in this population.

METHODS: A total of 206 patients aged 14-18 years, diagnosed between 2012 and 2019, all with CeD and on a GFD for at least 2 years, were included. Adherence was assessed using the Leffler questionnaire [Celiac Dietary Adherence Test (CDAT)] and the Biagi score.

RESULTS: Among participants, 81.1% had been diagnosed through biopsy. No significant difference in Biagi scores was observed between the two groups (P = 0.057). Regarding the CDAT, poor or suboptimal adherence (score: ≥13) was identified in 66 patients diagnosed by biopsy and 12 patients diagnosed by the biopsy-sparing approach (P = 0.362). A multivariate analysis exploring the influence of diagnostic method, age at diagnosis, and education level on CDAT scores did not reach statistical significance (P = 0.1, R2 = 0.031).

CONCLUSION: Adherence to a GFD does not differ between adolescents diagnosed by biopsy and those diagnosed through the biopsy-sparing approach, irrespective of age at diagnosis or educational level.

PMID:42467974 | DOI:10.1097/MEG.0000000000003227

JMIR Hum Factors. 2026 Jul 17;13:e81439. doi: 10.2196/81439.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Web-based and mobile phone-based apps have become widely available for dietary self-monitoring; however, their use may increase the risk of disordered eating. College students frequently demonstrate poor nutrient intake despite consumption of sufficient calories. One way to improve diet quality may be via the use of a smartphone app that encourages intuitive eating.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to improve diet quality among college students through the use of a novel smartphone app that promotes intuitive eating rather than calorie counting and weight loss.

METHODS: The In2Eat iOS mobile app was developed in SwiftUI and stored user data in a Firebase database. A total of 45 college students completed assessments of intuitive eating, diet quality, and disordered eating before and after 4 weeks of using the In2Eat app. Users evaluated the usability of the app with the System Usability Scale (SUS). Engagement with the app was recorded as the total number of days a meal was logged, the total number of meals logged, and the average number of meals logged per day.

RESULTS: After our 4-week intervention, dietary qualities that protect against chronic disease increased by 28%, fruit consumption increased by 63%, and skin antioxidant levels increased by 6.1% (Hedges g=0.16; mean difference 0.33, 95% bias corrected and accelerated [BCa] CI 0.04-0.61; P=.03). Global intuitive eating did not change during the user study; however, the unconditional permission to eat subscale increased (Hedges g=-0.28; mean difference 0.28, 95% BCa CI 0.07-0.49; P=.01, adjusted P=.07). Overall, disordered eating also did not change with app use, although dietary restraint decreased (Hedges g=-0.23; mean difference 0.30, 95% BCa CI -0.61 to -0.04; P=.04, adjusted P=.22). The average SUS score for the In2Eat app was 67.2 (SD 15.5). The number of days a meal was logged was positively correlated with SUS scores (r=0.28; P=.06), and the total number of meals logged had a monotonic association with app usability (ρ=0.31; P=.04). When divided according to the low (mean 10.2, SD 5.3), medium (mean 26.3, SD 2.8), and high (mean 33.6, SD 3.8) number of days logging meals, participants with higher days of logging reported the app as more usable (H=6.75; P=.03). A regression analysis showed that 8% of the variance in system usability (R²=0.080; P=.31) was explained by app use; however, none of the individual predictors contributed substantially to the variance.

CONCLUSIONS: An intuitive eating smartphone app can improve diet quality without increasing disordered eating. Results suggest that participants who logged more meals tended to rate the app as more usable. Further research is needed with a greater sample size after incorporating features to improve the app’s usability.

PMID:42467965 | DOI:10.2196/81439

JMIR Form Res. 2026 Jul 17;10:e85788. doi: 10.2196/85788.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Social media is an increasingly prominent channel for communicating menopause information and experiences, yet the affective and behavioral consequences of different narrative framings remain unclear.

OBJECTIVE: We examined how distress, normalizing, and transformative narratives influenced women’s immediate responses to menopause content online, drawing on established narrative framings of menopause as normality, distress, and transformation.

METHODS: In an online experiment, UK women aged 40 to 83 years who were perimenopausal or postmenopausal were recruited via Prolific, a widely used online recruitment platform for behavioral and social science research. A total of 737 women were randomly assigned to view 4 anonymized and standardized social media posts from a pool of 12 reflecting 1 of 3 narratives: normal (n=248, 33.6%), distress (n=241, 32.7%), or transformative (n=248, 33.6%). Participants then reported affective reactions, expected behavioral responses, and perceptions of the posts using 5-point ordered response scales. Ordinal logistic regression models tested demographic predictors and condition effects controlling for demographic factors.

RESULTS: Participants who viewed distress-framed posts reported greater levels of worry (β=.910; P<.001), confusion (β=.818; P<.001), and anxiety (β=.817; P<.001) and lower levels of reassurance (β=-.970; P<.001), optimism (β=-.708; P<.001), and empowerment (β=-.540; P<.001). Distress framing also increased perceived knowledge of menopause (β=.564; P<.001) despite participants feeling more negatively toward the posts. Neither distress nor transformative narratives influenced expected behavioral intentions to like, share, save, comment on, search for, or discuss social media posts compared with normalizing narratives. Postmenopausal status (β=-.630; P<.001) and older age (β=-.492; P<.001) were independently associated with less worry and anxiety. Participants rated distress (β=-.806; P<.001) and transformative posts (β=-.968; P<.001) as less representative of health professionals than normalizing posts; transformative posts were also judged to be less representative of newspapers or television (β=-.687; P<.001).

CONCLUSIONS: Narrative framing shaped immediate affect but not intended engagement with menopause content. Because this study assessed short-term responses to controlled, standardized posts, future research should examine whether these effects persist over time and how they operate in more ecologically valid social media environments. As public discussion expands, diverse, balanced narratives may help reduce stigma and temper the disproportionate salience of negative framing. This study advances understanding of how narrative framing shapes responses to health content online.

PMID:42467962 | DOI:10.2196/85788

Eur J Cancer Prev. 2026 Jul 17. doi: 10.1097/CEJ.0000000000001030. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are environmental and occupational risk factors for some cancers. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis on the risk of upper gastrointestinal cancers, including esophageal and gastric cancers, among workers exposed to PAHs. We searched PubMed, EMBASE, and SCOPUS through December 2024, as well as International Agency for Research on Cancer Monographs and reference lists, for cohort and nested case-control studies. Relative risks (RRs) and odds ratios were pooled using random-effects models. Heterogeneity was assessed with the I2 statistic. Subgroup analyses were conducted by sex, region, industry type, study quality, and publication year. Duration of exposure-response was evaluated using meta-regression. Twenty-seven studies met the inclusion criteria, comprising diverse high-exposure occupations including coke production, aluminum production, metalworking, and chimney sweeping. Overall, occupational PAH exposure was associated with an increased risk of upper gastrointestinal cancers [relative risk (RR) = 1.23, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.10-1.38]. For esophageal cancer, the pooled RR was 1.31 (95% CI: 1.05-1.63), with higher risk estimates observed in high-exposure occupations. Gastric cancer showed a modestly elevated risk (RR = 1.19, 95% CI: 1.05-1.35). Meta-regression indicated a positive association between duration of exposure and esophageal cancer risk (RR per year = 1.03, 95% CI: 1.01-1.06), but not for gastric cancer. No evidence of publication bias was detected (P = 0.66 for esophageal and P = 0.33 for gastric cancer). Occupational PAH exposure is modestly associated with upper gastrointestinal cancer risk, particularly esophageal cancer. Residual confounding and other sources of bias cannot be excluded, preventing conclusions in terms of causality.

PMID:42467956 | DOI:10.1097/CEJ.0000000000001030

JMIR Res Protoc. 2026 Jul 17;15:e90331. doi: 10.2196/90331.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Emergency referral systems in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are characterized by systemic inefficiencies, including prolonged transfer delays, interfacility miscommunication, and inadequate receiving-end preparation. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), a province of Pakistan with a population exceeding 40 million, referral pathways remain predominantly paper-based and operationally fragmented. Tertiary medical institutions, including Lady Reading Hospital (LRH), Khyber Teaching Hospital (KTH), and Hayatabad Medical Complex (HMC), sustain a disproportionate burden of medically unnecessary referrals from peripheral facilities, culminating in institutional overcrowding, resource depletion, and attenuation of specialist neurosurgical and emergency care delivery.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to design, implement, and evaluate a neurosurgery-led digital emergency referral platform-the KP Medical Teaching Institution (MTI) Referral Application-across primary, secondary, and tertiary tiers of health care delivery in KP, with the primary intent of reducing unnecessary referral rates, abbreviating referral response intervals, optimizing inpatient bed utilization, and strengthening bidirectional inter-facility communication.

METHODS: A convergent mixed methods design will be employed, incorporating a quantitative prospective cohort study alongside a qualitative exploratory component. The quantitative arm will adopt a census-based methodology, enumerating all emergency referrals processed through the digital platform over a 6-month pilot period commencing June 2026, with preimplementation historical referral data serving as the comparator. An estimated 5000-7000 referral episodes are anticipated. Primary outcomes include reduction in unnecessary referral rates and referral-to-response time. Secondary outcomes encompass inpatient bed occupancy rates, unanswered referral proportions, case acceptance and declination rates, remotely managed cases precluding physical transfer, patient mortality indices where ascertainable, and health care provider satisfaction scores. Statistical analysis will be performed using IBM SPSS, incorporating descriptive statistics, chi-square, or Fisher exact tests, paired comparisons, and multivariate logistic regression. The qualitative component will comprise structured surveys, semistructured interviews, and focus group discussions among purposively sampled health care professionals and patients, with thematic analysis conducted independently by 2 coders and findings integrated via a convergent mixed methods framework.

RESULTS: System development, stakeholder engagement, user-centered iterative design, beta testing, and platform validation have been completed. Participant recruitment is pending pilot deployment in June 2026. Data collection is projected to conclude by November 2026, followed by analysis from December 2026 through February 2027. Peer-reviewed dissemination is anticipated in spring 2027. No external funding was received.

CONCLUSIONS: This protocol outlines an integrated, multimodal assessment of a neurosurgery-based digital emergency referral system in a resource-constrained low- to middle-income country. In case the expected gains in referral efficiency and communication are realized, the results can be valuable evidence to justify the wider implementation of digital referral platforms in KP and other similar environments.

INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): PRR1-10.2196/90331.

PMID:42467936 | DOI:10.2196/90331

IET Syst Biol. 2026 Jan-Dec;20(1):e70081. doi: 10.1049/syb2.70081.

ABSTRACT

To explore the hub genes and pathways associated with sarcopenia progression from the perspective of mitochondrial dysfunction and macrophage activation. The GEO datasets GSE8479, GSE1428 and GSE136344 were obtained from the GEO database. Mitochondria-related genes (MRGs) and macrophage activation-related genes (MARGs) were identified. Functional enrichment analyses, PPI analysis, diagnostic model construction, molecular subtyping and ssGSEA-based immune enrichment analysis were performed. Key genes were further validated by RT-qPCR. A total of 62 mitochondria- and macrophage activation-related differentially expressed genes (M&MARDEGs) were identified. Nine key genes (IGF1, FTL, MAPK8, MAPK9, TF, CREB1, FAS, VEGFA and NFKB1) were retained in the final diagnostic model. Immune enrichment analysis suggested distinct immune-related transcriptional characteristics among different risk groups and molecular subtypes. RT-qPCR validation demonstrated that IGF1, FAS and MAPK9 were significantly downregulated, whereas FTL, TF, CREB1 and NFKB1 were significantly upregulated in the sarcopenia model group. MAPK8 and VEGFA showed decreasing trends without statistical significance. Integrated transcriptomic analysis identified key genes potentially associated with sarcopenia through the intersection of mitochondrial dysfunction and macrophage activation. These findings provide insights into the molecular characteristics of sarcopenia and may offer candidate targets for future mechanistic and translational studies.

PMID:42467925 | DOI:10.1049/syb2.70081

Eur J Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2026 Jun 12. doi: 10.1097/MEG.0000000000003234. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Prophylactic clip closure after endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) may be beneficial in the prevention of adverse events. In this meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials, we have evaluated the role of prophylactic clipping after ESD. We reviewed multiple databases from inception to 24 January 2026. Outcomes of interest included post-ESD bleeding, perforation, and post-ESD coagulation syndrome. Risk ratios with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated. Data were analyzed using a random-effects model. Heterogeneity was assessed using the I2 statistic. Five randomized controlled trials with 772 patients were included. Prophylactic clipping was associated with a lower risk of post-ESD bleeding (risk ratio: 0.35, 95% CI: 0.18, 0.65). There was no significant difference in risk of post-ESD coagulation syndrome (risk ratio: 1.06, 95% CI: 0.73, 1.53), and perforation (risk ratio: 0.72, 95% CI: 0.23, 2.30) between the groups. In conclusion, this meta-analysis demonstrates the benefits of prophylactic clipping after colorectal ESD in the prevention of post-ESD bleeding.

PMID:42467919 | DOI:10.1097/MEG.0000000000003234