Category: Statistics

J Orthop Res. 2021 Nov 23. doi: 10.1002/jor.25227. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) is commonly described as reduced femoral head coverage due to anterolateral acetabular deficiency. Although reduced coverage is the defining trait of DDH, more subtle and localized anatomic features of the joint are also thought to contribute to symptom development and degeneration. These features are challenging to identify using conventional approaches. Herein, we assessed the morphology of the full femur and hemi-pelvis using an articulated statistical shape model (SSM). The model determined the morphological and pose-based variations associated with DDH in a population of Japanese females and established which of these variations predict coverage. Computed tomography images of 83 hips from 47 patients were segmented for input into a correspondence-based SSM. The dominant modes of variation in the model initially represented scale and pose. After removal of these factors through individual bone alignment, femoral version and neck-shaft angle, pelvic curvature, and acetabular version dominated the observed variation. Femoral head oblateness and prominence of the acetabular rim and various muscle attachment sites of the femur and hemi-pelvis were found to predict 3D CT-based coverage measurements (R² =0.5-0.7 for the full bones, R² =0.9 for the joint). STATEMENT OF CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Currently, clinical measurements of DDH only consider the morphology of the acetabulum. However, the results of this study demonstrated that variability in femoral head shape and several muscle attachment sites were predictive of femoral head coverage. These morphological differences may provide insight into improved clinical diagnosis and surgical planning based on functional adaptations of patients with DDH. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

PMID:34812545 | DOI:10.1002/jor.25227

J Dent Educ. 2021 Nov 23. doi: 10.1002/jdd.12826. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

ISSUE: Almost all dental educational research describes statistically significant changes using a one-time intervention at a single program. It is hoped that the most significant of these interventions will transfer to other schools.

APPROACH: But the research logic of context-specific investigations does not always generalize with the same impact to new situations. This is the transfer problem. There is virtually no systematic research exploring the extent to which transfer from the dental educational literature is attempted, how successful it is, and what factors improve transfer.

IMPACT: The paper discusses some of the more prominent issues in transferability such as (a) the meaning of “identical” conditions upon which inductive statistics are based, (b) isolation of causal factors, (c) generalizability, (d) reliability and validity, (e) measures of effect, (f) statistical versus practical significance, and (g) the need to build theory in discussion sections. Eight suggestions are offered for making dental educational research more transferable.

PMID:34812494 | DOI:10.1002/jdd.12826

J Adv Nurs. 2021 Nov 23. doi: 10.1111/jan.15093. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

AIMS: To (1) describe experiences of home from a well-being perspective, (2) describe participant characteristics and well-being measures in relation to housing type (3) and how the aforementioned aspects may affect well-being in very old persons.

DESIGN: Cross-sectional, convergent parallel-results mixed method design with semi-structured interviews analysed by qualitative content analysis, in relation to descriptive statistics and specific well-being outcome measures related to home.

METHODS: A total of 50 persons 80 years or older living in ordinary housing were interviewed (July 2017 to November 2018) about home in relation to well-being, along with collection of participant characteristics and well-being measures related to home.

RESULTS: Participants described how home had become increasingly important as it provided autonomy and acted as a social and occupational hub. However, autonomy was not unconditional, and home could also be perceived as a place of inactive solitude. Results were interpreted as relating to being in the margins of home and had a major impact on well-being. Housing type seemed of importance with higher measures of well-being for participants in single-living housing compared with those living in apartment.

CONCLUSION: Home is increasingly central to well-being in old age; however, very old persons also have to relate to being physically and mentally in the margins of being able to remain in the home. These aspects of home potentially have a major impact on well-being.

IMPACT: As very old persons living in ordinary housing will constitute a larger segment of society in coming years, aspects of home can potentially have a considerable impact on well-being for this age-group. This study describes aspects of home that contribute to, or has adverse impact on well-being. These aspects need thorough consideration in policy-making and planning of health care that can affect experiences of home.

PMID:34812517 | DOI:10.1111/jan.15093

J Emerg Manag. 2021 Sep-Oct;19(5):493-503. doi: 10.5055/jem.0544.

ABSTRACT

This study aims to assess the potential of urban agriculture (UA) to secure daily needs during the armed conflicts, in addition to assess the contribution of UA in alleviating poverty levels and unemployment rates for its practitioners. A combination of both quantitative and qualitative research methods were employed in this study. In the quantitative design, 129 randomly selected urban farmers from the area of the survey completed the self-administered close-ended questionnaires, whereas the statistical analysis presents the socio-demographic, economic, and other aspects of the households. The qualitative data collection included interviews with six governmental and nongovernmental officials. The results show that 89.2 percent of the UA practitioners are feeling food security. However, a small percentage of the households who practice UA are still experiencing difficulties with food security. In the meantime, the armed conflict forced most of the urban farmers to evacuate their homes or lands; thus, only 34.9 percent of urban farmers managed to gain food during the 2014 armed conflict. In a nutshell, UA significantly and positively contributes to alleviating household food insecurity in the study area. However, its role was very limited during the 2014 armed conflict.

PMID:34812484 | DOI:10.5055/jem.0544

J Emerg Manag. 2021 Sep-Oct;19(5):505-511. doi: 10.5055/jem.0586.

ABSTRACT

Many outdoor gardens are designed for plants to grow in soil. Few gardens are designed for plants to be hydroponically grown outside with energy and water capture technologies. The feasibility of a selfsufficient, adaptive hydroponic garden harnessing energy from multiple renewable energy (solar and wind) and rainwater collection techniques while producing food has been considered. This study’s primary objective is to conduct a comparative analysis between a traditional soil garden bed and an outdoor hydroponic system, called Pangea. The study findings suggest no significant statistical difference between the plants grown in traditional soil and a Pangea system. Additional objectives of this study include a comparative analysis of water and energy differentials between a standard garden and Pangea. This study’s energy findings suggest that the Pangea system produces 0.05 kWh of energy to 0 kWh of energy production in the classic soil over a month timespan. The water production findings indicate that a Pangea system produces 198.01 L of water and a classic soil of 69 L for a timespan of 1 month, concluding a positive water differential of 288.12 L and a negative water differential of 414 L after 6 months. The study findings suggest the combination of sustainable practices can limit the negative effects of weather-related events to create a positive differential for producing food, water, and energy.

PMID:34812485 | DOI:10.5055/jem.0586

J Emerg Manag. 2021 Sep-Oct;19(5):469-478. doi: 10.5055/jem.0550.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The emergency departments of the hospitals and emergency medical services (EMSs) centers have a critical role for providing urgent medical care for patients. The statistical data of the present study were provided by the EMS headquarters of the city of Isfahan, from August to November 2017.

RESULTS: The findings showed that on average, 210 missions were accomplished each day by the emergency call center, with an average duration of about 53 minutes, for each mission. In addition, the average time for response time (the time between a call and dispatch of the ambulance) was less than 3 minutes, and the average time for arrival time (the time between request of ambulance and the arrival to the scene) was 8.1 minutes. Adequacy of current number of ambulances and staff is evaluated.

CONCLUSION: Considering an average of 8.1 minutes for arrival time, we conclude that the EMS of Isfahan is within an acceptable range, compared to the international standards. In fact, it is shown that the infrastructures of EMS system including ambulance fleets, staff, and equipment are sufficient, and as an effective step for reducing the total time of the mission, the EMS has to operate seamlessly with the patient’s admission process in hospitals. Information such as workload hours, availability of resources and staff, etc. ought to be shared between the EMS and the hospital.

PMID:34812482 | DOI:10.5055/jem.0550

Genet Mol Biol. 2021 Nov 22;44(4):e20210058. doi: 10.1590/1678-4685-GMB-2021-0058. eCollection 2021.

ABSTRACT

Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma (OSCC) is the most common malignant cancer affecting oral cavity. Recent studies have demonstrated that Ubiquitin-specific protease 7 (USP7) was upregulated in several types of cancers. USP7 expression was associated with various proto-oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes. However, USP7 expression level and its functional role in OSCC is unclear. In the current study, we showed that USP7 expression in OSCC tissues was generally upregulated compared to normal adjacent tissues by using IHC. Furthermore, statistical analysis uncovered that USP7 expression was positively correlated with Ki-67, MMP2, VEGF in OSCC tissues. Importantly, high USP7 expression was significantly correlated with lymph node metastasis and histological differentiation in OSCC patients. So, our hypothesis is that USP7 plays a tumor-promoting role in OSCC. Knocking down of USP7 in tumor cells not only suppressed HSC3 cells proliferation, migration and invasion, but also promoted cell apoptosis. Moreover, USP7 siRNA blocked the activation of Akt/ERK signaling pathway. In conclusion, data presented here suggests that USP7 promotes the progression of OSCC. USP7 may be used as a new therapeutic target for OSCC diagnosis and treatment.

PMID:34812471 | DOI:10.1590/1678-4685-GMB-2021-0058

J Emerg Manag. 2021 Sep-Oct;19(5):451-460. doi: 10.5055/jem.0653.

ABSTRACT

Firefighting is an essential occupation that is hazardous and stressful. While researchers have established that firefighters are likely to experience burnout, compassion fatigue (CF), and vicarious trauma (VT), no studies to date have focused on these variables in a context specific to wildfire response. As wildfires and their intensity continue to be a growing concern in the Western United States, there is a need to understand the extent of burnout, CF, and VT among firefighters, particularly those who respond to wildfires. This study was conducted at a large metropolitan fire department located in Colorado (n = 186). There were three scales used for this study: the Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey, the Vicarious Trauma Scale, and the Compassion Fatigue Self-Test. Survey results indicated that the firefighters experienced emotional exhaustion (μ = 16.99), moderate depersonalization (μ = 11.12), low reduced personal accomplishment (μ = 29.29), extremely high CF (μ = 22.60), and moderate VT (μ = 29.15). There were no significant differences between wildfire responders and nonwildfire responders. However, firefighters who were midcareer (11-15 years of service) and those who were between the ages of 35 and 55 were statistically more likely to experience emotional exhaustion and depersonalization than their younger and older peers, thus suggesting that further research is warranted to understand midcareer and midlife stressors among firefighters.

PMID:34812480 | DOI:10.5055/jem.0653

Anal Methods. 2021 Nov 23. doi: 10.1039/d1ay01756j. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

In this paper, the electrochemical response of chloramphenicol (CHL) was investigated on a bare glassy carbon electrode (GCE) and after modification with reduced graphene oxide (GCE/rGO). Preliminary studies by cyclic voltammetry demonstrated an adsorption-controlled mass transport regime of CHL species and a pH-dependent behavior on both electrode surfaces. An adsorptive stripping differential pulse voltammetry (AdSDPV) method was proposed and under optimized instrumental conditions, a comparison of the analytical characteristics of both sensors was performed. The GCE/rGO sensor showed an increase in sensitivity (10-fold), and an anticipation of the reduction potential (200 mV), compared to the bare electrode, due to the adsorptive character (pre-concentration of the CHL species) and the electrocatalytic effect of the nanomaterial. The method was applied to skimmed and whole milk samples, which were simply diluted (50-fold) in supporting electrolyte. The results by AdSDPV using GCE/rGO showed adequate detectability (0.22 μmol L^-1), good precision with a 6% relative standard deviation (RSD) and satisfactory recovery ranging from 93 to 108%. The obtained results were statistically similar (95% confidence level) with those performed through ultra-fast liquid chromatography (UFLC). Furthermore, the sensor showed an improvement in the analytical performance for CHL detection, when compared to other sensors reported in the literature. Therefore, the developed method is reliable and promising for implementation in monitoring CHL residues in milk samples.

PMID:34812438 | DOI:10.1039/d1ay01756j

Food Funct. 2021 Nov 23. doi: 10.1039/d1fo01555a. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Postmenopausal women experience an increase in bone remodeling with the rate of bone resorption superseding the rate of bone formation. This results in a net bone loss with a subsequent increased risk for osteoporosis and fractures. High blood pressure (BP) has been associated with loss of bone mineral density and increased propensity to fractures. Strawberries are rich in polyphenols, which have been shown to have anti-hypertensive and bone-protective properties. Thus, we examined whether daily intake of strawberries would positively affect biomarkers of bone metabolism in postmenopausal women with pre- and stage 1-hypertension. Participants (age: 59 ± 6 years; body mass index: 31.5 ± 4.1 kg m^-2; systolic BP: 140 ± 13 mmHg) were randomly assigned to consume (1) 50 g of freeze-dried strawberry powder (FDSP), (2) 25 g FDSP + 25 g of placebo powder, or (3) 50 g placebo powder for eight weeks. Results indicate a significant time-by-treatment interaction (P = 0.04) for serum insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1, a hormone that plays a major role in bone formation. Serum concentrations of bone-specific alkaline phosphatase, a marker of bone formation, and tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase-5b, a specific marker of bone resorption, were not affected by FDSP compared to placebo. Although not statistically significant, after eight weeks, osteocalcin increased in the 50 g FDSP group with a large effect size (d = 0.6) when compared to the placebo-control group. Adiponectin increased by 5% and 6% in the 25 g and 50 g FDSP groups, respectively, while it declined in the placebo-control group by 25% (P = 0.03 for time-by-treatment interaction). Our findings suggest that consumption of 25 g FDSP increases IGF-1 in postmenopausal women with pre- and stage 1-hypertension. However, further studies are needed to assert the effectiveness of a strawberry intervention for bone health.

PMID:34812466 | DOI:10.1039/d1fo01555a