Category: Statistics

J Appl Biomater Funct Mater. 2022 Jan-Dec;20:22808000221114218. doi: 10.1177/22808000221114218.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: In order to optimize the properties of dental zirconia, the sintering process involves firing zirconia to elevated temperatures for an extended time that can take several hours. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of firing temperature and firing duration on the hardness of dental zirconia to indicate the optimum sintering conditions.

METHODS: Thirty-six zirconia specimens in shape of bars were randomly assigned to nine groups. The zirconia specimen groups were sintered using a sintering furnace with different firing temperatures (900°C, 1200°C, and 1800°C) and firing durations (6, 9, and 12 h). A total of 108 hardness measurements were conducted for all specimens (12 hardness readings per group). For each of the specimen groups, micro Vickers hardness test was performed using a load of 1 Kgf (9.807 N) and the Vickers hardness number was computed. Statistical analysis using Kruskal-Wallis test was conducted to examine the significant differences on Vickers hardness number HV among the specimen groups according to the firing parameters with 0.005 p-value used as an indicator.

RESULTS: Results suggest that there is an association between the increase in the hardness number and the increase in firing duration at a given firing temperature. The results also indicate that there is an association between the increase in the hardness number and increase in firing temperature at a given firing duration.

CONCLUSIONS: The greatest rate of hardness increase with time is associated with groups of firing temperature 1200°C. The highest rate of hardness increase with temperature happened during the first 6 h of sintering process. On the other hand, there is no significant increase in the hardness number when increasing the firing temperature beyond 1200°C.

PMID:35876066 | DOI:10.1177/22808000221114218

J Magn Reson Imaging. 2022 Jul 25. doi: 10.1002/jmri.28362. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Decreased cerebrovascular reactivity, measured as changes in blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) signal, is a potential new cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) severity marker. Before clinical application, the effect of aging on BOLD parameters, and reproducibility and test-retest reliability of these parameters should be assessed.

PURPOSE: Assess the effect of healthy aging on cerebrovascular reactivity (BOLD amplitude, time to peak, and time to baseline). And determine reproducibility and test-retest reliability of these parameters.

STUDY TYPE: Prospective-observational.

POPULATION: Eighty-six healthy adults (mean age 56 years, 55% female), 10 presymptomatic D-CAA mutation carriers (mean age 34 years, 70% female), and 10 symptomatic D-CAA mutation carriers (mean age 54 years, 70% female).

FIELD STRENGTH/SEQUENCE: 3-T, three-dimensional (3D) T1-weighted MRI and gradient echo BOLD fMRI.

ASSESSMENT: To assess test-retest reliability of BOLD parameters, i.e. BOLD amplitude, time to peak, and time to baseline, BOLD fMRI scans were repeated three times immediately after each other, in both controls and mutation carriers. To assess reproducibility, BOLD fMRI scans were repeated with a 3-week interval for each subject.

STATISTICAL TESTS: Linear regression analyses and two-way mixed absolute agreement intra-class correlation approach.

RESULTS: Healthy aging was associated with decreased BOLD amplitude (β = -0.711) and prolonged time to baseline (β = 0.236) in the visual cortex after visual stimulation Reproducibility of BOLD amplitude was excellent (ICC 0.940) in the subgroup of healthy adults. Test-retest reliability for BOLD amplitude was excellent in healthy adults (ICC 0.856-0.910) and presymptomatic D-CAA mutation carriers (ICC 0.959-0.981). In symptomatic D-CAA mutation carriers, test-retest reliability was poor for all parameters (ICCs < 0.5).

DATA CONCLUSION: Healthy aging is associated with decreased cerebrovascular reactivity, measured by changes in BOLD response to visual stimulation. The BOLD amplitude appears to be a robust measurement in healthy adults and presymptomatic D-CAA mutation carriers, but not in symptomatic D-CAA mutation carriers.

PMID:35876045 | DOI:10.1002/jmri.28362

Proc Inst Mech Eng H. 2022 Jul 23:9544119221112523. doi: 10.1177/09544119221112523. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Incidence and exacerbation of some of the cardiovascular diseases in the presence of the coronavirus will lead to an increase in the mortality rate among patients. Therefore, early diagnosis of such diseases is critical, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic (mild COVID-19 infection). Thus, for diagnosing the heart diseases related to the COVID-19, an automatic, non-invasive, and inexpensive method based on the heart sound processing approach is proposed. In the present study, a set of features related to the nature of heart signals is defined and extracted. The investigated features included morphological and statistical features in the heart sound frequencies. By extracting and selecting a set of effective features related to the mentioned diseases, and avoiding to use different segmentation and filtering techniques, dependence on a limited dataset and specific sampling procedures has been eliminated. Different classifiers with various kernels are applied for diagnosis in data unbalanced and balanced conditions. The results showed 93.15% accuracy and 93.72% F1-score using 60 effective features in data balanced conditions. The identification system using the extracted features from Azad dataset is able to achieve the desired results in a generalized dataset. In this way, in the shortest possible sampling time, the present system provided an effective and generalizable method and a practical model for diagnosing important cardiovascular diseases in the presence of coronavirus in the COVID-19 pandemic.

PMID:35876034 | DOI:10.1177/09544119221112523

J Interpers Violence. 2022 Jul 23:8862605221109915. doi: 10.1177/08862605221109915. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

This study was conducted to determine the effect of intimate partner violence on childbirth fear of pregnant women. This descriptive and cross-sectional study included 335 pregnant women who applied to pregnant outpatient clinics. The data of the study were collected with Questionnaire Form and Wijma Birth Expectation/Experience Scale A Version (W-DEQ-A). Descriptive statistical methods, t-test, one-way ANOVA, Mann-Whitney U-test, and Kruskal-Wallis test were used in the analysis of the data. W-DEQ-A scale score of pregnant women was found to be 69.34 ± 29.37. It was found that 15.2% of pregnant women experienced “mild level” childbirth fear, 28.4% had “moderate level” childbirth fear, 26.6% had “severe level” childbirth fear, and 29.9% had “clinical level” childbirth fear. It was determined that 49.3% of pregnant women were exposed to any type of violence by their partners. It was found that pregnant women were exposed to 46% verbal violence, 23.9% emotional violence, 13.7% economic violence, 8.7% physical violence, and 2.1% sexual violence. When pregnant women experiencing any type of violence (p = .000), verbal violence (p = .000), emotional violence (p = .000), and economic violence (p = .000) were compared with pregnant women who did not experience violence, W-DEQ-A scores were higher and differences were statistically significant. It was determined to be statistically significant differences of W-DEQ-A scores according to the age of the pregnant women (p = .044), family type (p = .004), place of residence (p = .026), and psychological problems before pregnancy (p = .026). As a result, the rate of violence exerted by their intimate partners against pregnant women was high. In addition, intimate partner violence during pregnancy had negative effects on the fear of childbirth of pregnant women.

PMID:35876023 | DOI:10.1177/08862605221109915

Stroke. 2022 Jul 25:101161STROKEAHA121038390. doi: 10.1161/STROKEAHA.121.038390. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: We aimed to assess whether the effect of intravenous alteplase treatment (IVT) before endovascular treatment (EVT) on outcome is modified by first-line technique during EVT in IVT eligible patients.

METHODS: This was a post hoc analysis from MR CLEAN-NO IV (Multicenter Randomized Clinical Trial of Endovascular Treatment for Acute Ischemic Stroke in the Netherlands – Intravenous Treatment Followed by Intra-Arterial Treatment Versus Direct Intra-Arterial Treatment for Acute Ischemic Stroke Caused by a Proximal Intracranial Occlusion), a randomized trial of IVT followed by EVT versus EVT alone in patients presenting directly to EVT-capable centers. We included data from all patients who underwent EVT with a thrombectomy attempt. We compared patients treated with stent retriever (with or without aspiration) to aspiration alone as first-line EVT technique and assessed the interaction of first-line EVT technique with IVT treatment. Primary outcome was the 90-day modified Rankin Scale score, analyzed with mixed model ordinal regression for a shift towards better outcome. Secondary outcomes included successful reperfusion (extended Thrombolysis in Cerebral Infarction score 2b-3).

RESULTS: Of 473 included patients, 102 (21.6%) were treated with aspiration alone as first-line technique. In the full population, functional outcome was similar for patients treated with stent retriever versus aspiration only (adjusted common odds ratio [acOR]’ 1.07 [95% CI, 0.69-1.66]). We observed a significant interaction between IVT and first-line EVT technique (P=0.03). In the aspiration-only group, patients treated with EVT alone had worse functional outcome compared to those treated with IVT and EVT (acOR, 0.44 [95% CI, 0.21-0.90]). In the stent retriever group, functional outcome did not differ between patients treated with or without IVT (acOR, 1.08 [95% CI, 0.74-1.57]). There was no statistically significant interaction for successful reperfusion.

CONCLUSIONS: In MR CLEAN-NO IV, the treatment effect of IVT was modified by first-line EVT technique. Patients treated with aspiration only as first-line technique had worse clinical outcomes if they did not receive IVT. No such difference was observed in patients treated with stent retrievers. Confirmation by pooling with results from other trials is needed to confirm these findings.

PMID:35876018 | DOI:10.1161/STROKEAHA.121.038390

J Diet Suppl. 2022 Jul 25:1-11. doi: 10.1080/19390211.2022.2100550. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

The burden of disease associated with acne vulgaris has continued to increase over time in the world population. This continued growth suggests that there is an unmet dermatologic need for this condition worldwide. Potential sequelae of acne, such as scarring, depigmentation, and marked emotional and psychological problems (e.g., low self-esteem), can lead to significant morbidity. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether dietary supplementation with magnesium, phosphate, omega 6 (linoleic acid calcium salt – C18:2 fatty acid Ca salt), and omega 7 (palmitoleic acid calcium salt – C16:1 fatty acid Ca salt) would help patients with acne vulgaris, and to compare with isotretinoin (13-cis retinoic acid). Magnesium has anti-inflammatory properties. Linoleic and palmitoleic acids have bactericidal activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Cutibacterium acnes (formerly known as Propionibacterium acnes). A single-blind randomized study was conducted in which 257 patients were treated with the above dietary supplementation (group A) and 275 patients with isotretinoin (group B) for 6 months. All patients in group A (100%) reported complete regression of symptoms after 6 months of treatment. On the other hand, 187 subjects (68%) in group B reported complete resolution of symptoms during the same period. The difference between the groups (p < 0.05) was statistically significant. The study was approved by the CEP/CONEP. This natural formulation promotes regression and/or cure of acne vulgaris symptoms and has better results than drugs (such as isotretinoin), without significant side effects.

PMID:35876008 | DOI:10.1080/19390211.2022.2100550

J Dermatolog Treat. 2022 Jul 25:1-9. doi: 10.1080/09546634.2022.2095330. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Once-daily, fixed-combination calcipotriol 50 μg/g (Cal) plus betamethasone dipropionate 0.5 mg/g (BD) is available in aerosol foam and cream formulations. As no head-to-head data are available, we use a matching-adjusted indirect comparison (MAIC) approach to compare Cal/BD foam and cream.

METHODS: Anchored and unanchored MAIC analyses were conducted using individual patient data (IPD) from five Cal/BD foam trials and two trials of Cal/BD cream. Outcomes of interest were the proportion of patients with Physician’s Global Assessment (PGA) success and the mean reduction in modified Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (mPASI).

RESULTS: In the anchored MAIC, patients were more likely to achieve PGA success after 4 weeks of Cal/BD foam than after 8 weeks of Cal/BD cream and had larger mean improvements in mPASI (p < .01 in EU mPASI analysis). In unanchored analyses, 4 weeks of Cal/BD foam treatment was statistically significantly more efficacious in inducing PGA success than 8 weeks of Cal/BD cream (p < .01 in five of six comparisons). Mean reductions in mPASI were consistently statistically significantly greater with Cal/BD foam than with Cal/BD cream.

CONCLUSIONS: Use of Cal/BD foam consistently shows significantly greater improvements in PGA and mPASI outcomes, compared with Cal/BD cream.

PMID:35875991 | DOI:10.1080/09546634.2022.2095330

Behav Brain Sci. 2022 Jul 25;45:e129. doi: 10.1017/S0140525X22000577.

ABSTRACT

Extended staying alive theory (SAT) raises the issue of the extent to which its various attributes are linked or whether they provide alternative means to the same adaptive ends. Theories such as SAT that consider an array of sex differences may benefit from the application of the multivariate D statistic, rather than using a series of d values, as is common at present.

PMID:35875974 | DOI:10.1017/S0140525X22000577

Head Neck. 2022 Jul 25. doi: 10.1002/hed.27153. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: To analyze outcomes of patients treated with curative reirradiation (reRT), with intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) or proton therapy (PT) for recurrent head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC).

MATERIALS: Among the 55 patients reirradiated for head and neck cancer from 30/08/2012 to 08/04/2019, 23 had HNSCC and received IMRT (52.2%) or PT (47.8%) at a median maximum dose to the CTV of 66 Gy.

RESULTS: After a median follow-up of 41.3 months, 18 patients developed a locoregional recurrence (LR), of which eight (44.4%) occurred within the previously reirradiated volume. Two-year locoregional failure-free survival and overall survival were 18.3%[95%CI:7.1%-47.1%] and 42.5%[95%CI:26.2%-69.1%], respectively. Disease-free survival was significantly longer in the PT group (p = 0.031). Main late grade ≥2 toxicities were dysphagia and trismus.

CONCLUSION: Curative reRT in HNSCC is possible for selected cases, but the LR rate in the irradiated field and the risk of toxicity grade ≥2 remain high.

PMID:35875934 | DOI:10.1002/hed.27153

Clin Exp Dermatol. 2022 Jul 25. doi: 10.1111/ced.15342. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is an autoimmune chronic rheumatic disease with notable mortality that continues to be a challenge for clinicians today.

OBJECTIVE: To assess changes in mortality trends in the Spanish SSc population between 1980 and 2019, considering the independent effect of sex, age, period and birth cohort.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: SSc death records and mid-year population data were collected from the National Statistics Institute. Age-standardized mortality rates were calculated for the overall population and for each sex and age group. Significant changes in mortality trends were identified by Joinpoint regressions. Similarly, an age-period-cohort (APC) and potential years of life lost (PYLL) analysis were performed to know the burden of SSc.

RESULTS: Age-standardized mortality rates due to SSc increased from 1.87 (95% CI: 1.00; 3.02) per 1,000,000 inhabitants between 1980 and 1984, to 2.47 (95% CI: 1.74; 3.02) per 1,000,000 inhabitants between 2015 and 2019. The relative risk of mortality fell in cohorts born after 1990 in all groups. The PYLL rates registered a gradual rise in both sexes.

CONCLUSIONS: Mortality due to SSc in Spain Spain experienced a rise in overall mortality trend during the 39 years of study evaluated, although the male group showed a progressive drop.

PMID:35875897 | DOI:10.1111/ced.15342