Category: Statistics

Int J Cosmet Sci. 2025 Jul 25. doi: 10.1111/ics.70010. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: Despite accumulating data supporting the effectiveness of colloidal oatmeal-based moisturizers in improving mild-to-moderate atopic dermatitis (AD), evidence in paediatric populations is limited. This study evaluated the tolerability and effectiveness of a colloidal oatmeal-containing baby wash formulation in babies prone to AD, based on clinical and parental assessments.

METHODS: In this 4-week, single-centre, nonrandomized study of babies (3-36 months) prone to AD (per an AD-prone skin recruiting questionnaire developed in-house), parents/legal guardians used the baby wash on their babies ≥3 times per week (no more than once daily), each bath lasting ≤20 min. The overall skin condition (scored from 0/excellent to 3/poor) and cutaneous tolerance scoring of dryness, redness/erythema, rash/irritation and tactile roughness on the baby’s face, arms, legs and torso (each scored from 0/none to 3/severe) were assessed clinically at baseline, Week 1 and Week 4. Cutaneous tolerance scoring of burning/stinging and itching on those body sites was evaluated by the parent per the latter scale at all visits. At study end, the parental questionnaire evaluated the level of agreement/disagreement with statements regarding the baby wash. Safety measures included adverse events and changes in health (per the parents or clinicians).

RESULTS: Of 29 infant-parent pairs enrolled, 24 (82.8%) completed the study. All 24 babies were White/Caucasian; 13 (54.2%) were male. The overall skin condition mean score showed no statistically significant change from baseline (0.54) at Weeks 1 (0.33) and 4 (0.29). Per the investigator-rated cutaneous tolerance scores, >87% of body sites exhibited no dryness, redness/erythema, rash/irritation or tactile roughness at Week 4. For each parameter, significant improvements from baseline were observed at Week 4 for the combined skin sites (p < 0.05). Per the parent-rated cutaneous tolerance scores, nearly all sites had no burning/stinging or itching at Week 4. Itching for the combined sites demonstrated significant improvements from baseline at Week 4 (p < 0.05). The parental questionnaire revealed statistically significantly more favourable experiences with the baby wash than unfavourable experiences. Four babies experienced five mild, treatment-unrelated adverse events.

CONCLUSION: The study findings indicate that the colloidal oatmeal-containing baby wash was well tolerated and effective when used in babies with AD-prone skin.

PMID:40709409 | DOI:10.1111/ics.70010

Eur J Orthod. 2025 Jun 12;47(4):cjaf057. doi: 10.1093/ejo/cjaf057.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Gingival recession results from the displacement of the gingival margin apically to the cementoenamel junction. There is unclear evidence regarding the impact of orthodontic treatment on the development of gingival recessions. The aim of this study was to investigate the changes in clinical crown length and the development of gingival recession on the labial aspect of the maxillary and mandibular incisors associated with orthodontic treatment and relate these changes to the observed variations in their sagittal inclination.

MATERIALS/METHODS: Eighty-two consecutive subjects treated with fixed orthodontic appliances in both dental arches, possessing high-quality pre- and post-treatment dental casts and lateral cephalometric radiographs, were selected from the archives of a private orthodontic clinic. Incisor clinical crown lengths before and after orthodontic treatment, as well as the presence or absence of recession, were measured using digitized study models. Changes in sagittal inclination were assessed from lateral cephalometric radiographs and categorized as proclination, retroclination, or no change (± 1°). Spearman’s correlation coefficient, one-way analysis of variance, and chi-square tests were utilized for analysis.

RESULTS: The mean change in clinical crown lengths for the maxillary incisors ranged from -0.24 to 0.01 mm, while for the mandibular incisors, it varied from 0.06 to 0.10 mm. The inclination changes were -1.78° and 1.03°, respectively, but no correlations were found between these inclination changes and the clinical crown length alterations. Overall, no statistically significant differences were observed in clinical crown length changes concerning the presence of gingival recession among the proclination, retroclination, and no change groups.

LIMITATIONS: The sample of this study was retrospective and assessments were carried out immediately post-treatment.

CONCLUSIONS/IMPLICATIONS: The alteration of incisor inclination during treatment did not appear to impact the changes in labial clinical crown length and the development of gingival recession in this specific sample.

PMID:40709396 | DOI:10.1093/ejo/cjaf057

Pflege. 2025 Jul 25. doi: 10.1024/1012-5302/a001045. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Experienced individual discrimination among nursing professionals with and without migration background: a cross-sectional study Abstract: Background and aims: In Germany only few, mostly qualitative, studies have been conducted on the experiences of discrimination among nursing professionals. Therefore, the aim of this study was to identify the types and reasons of discrimination experienced by nursing professionals on an individual level in their interactions with patients. Method: A quantitative cross-sectional study was conducted via an online survey in two hospitals and two nursing care facilities in Germany from July to October 2022. The Everyday Discrimination Scale (EDS) was used to assess discrimination. Data were analysed descriptively. Results: The study involved 302 nursing professionals with and without a migration background (NPwMB/NPwoMB), of whom 73 had a migration background. NPwMB experienced (almost) all of the experiences surveyed more frequently at least “once a week” or “(almost) daily” than NPwoMB. The differences were not statistically significant. Both NPwMB and NPwoMB attributed their experiences of discrimination to their gender and age. In addition, NPwMB experienced discrimination on the basis of ethnic origin. Conclusions: The results suggest that NPwMB and NPwoMB experience high levels of discrimination in their interactions with patients for a variety of reasons. To confirm and contextualize the results, further studies (including qualitative ones) are needed. This study can serve as a basis for future research.

PMID:40709380 | DOI:10.1024/1012-5302/a001045

PM R. 2025 Jul 25. doi: 10.1002/pmrj.13417. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the comparative clinical efficacy and acceptability of different intensity levels of extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) in adults with plantar heel pain (PHP). TYPE: Systematic review and network meta-analysis.

LITERATURE SURVEY: PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library electronic databases and Web of Science for randomized controlled trials from inception to March 2024.

METHODOLOGY: We included placebo-controlled and head-to-head trials of different intensity levels of ESWT used to treat adults with PHP. Data were extracted following a predefined hierarchy. We assessed the studies’ risk of bias in according to the Cochrane risk of bias tool, and the certainty of the evidence using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) framework. Primary outcomes were efficacy (success rate) and acceptability (all-course discontinuation rate). Secondary outcomes were pain and function scores changes. All interventions were ranked using the surface under the cumulative ranking curve to determine the hierarchy of treatment.

SYNTHESIS: 22 RCTs comprising 2299 participants met the inclusion criteria. In terms of efficacy, all intensity levels of ESWT were more effective than placebo, with ORs ranging from 2.29 (95% CI 1.39-3.76) for medium intensity M-ESWT (M-ESWT) to 5.50 (95% CI 1.00-30.29) for low intensity ESWT (L-ESWT). In terms of acceptability, there was no statistically significant difference between all intensity levels of ESWT and placebo, with ORs ranging from 0.83 (0.47-1.45) for M-ESWT to 1.42 (0.19-10.71) for L-ESWT. For pain relief, only M-ESWT and H-ESWT were superior to placebo (SMD -0.60, 95% CI -0.94 to -0.26; SMD -0.28, 95% CI -0.44 to -0.11), whereas there was no difference between them (p = .05). For function improved, there was no statistically significant difference between all intensity levels of ESWT and placebo (range of ORs 1.02-3.44). In contrast, there were no significant differences among the intensity levels in all outcomes. Of the 22 trials, 7 (32%) were assessed as high risk, and the rest (68%) were assessed as unclear risk. The certainty of evidence was low to very low.

CONCLUSION: Compared to the placebo, all intensity levels of ESWT were more favorable in terms of efficacy, but there was no difference in terms of acceptability. In addition, M-ESWT appeared to provide additional benefits in pain and function for patients with PHP compared to the other intensity levels. The results provide an evidence-based basis for considering ESWT as an alternative for patients with PHP for whom conservative treatment is not effective, and also highlight future research priorities to providing more decision-making for the clinical management of PHP.

PMID:40709373 | DOI:10.1002/pmrj.13417

SAR QSAR Environ Res. 2025 Jul 25:1-29. doi: 10.1080/1062936X.2025.2529866. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Leishmaniasis, caused by Leishmania spp. remains a major global health concern due to drug resistance, toxicity, non-specificity, and prolonged treatments. Addressing the need for new therapeutics, we investigated a range of bioactive compounds, including chalcones, pyrimidines, quinolines, azoles, sulphonamides, flavonoids, and quinazoline derivatives, targeting Leishmania donovani amastigotes. Key molecular descriptors influencing anti-leishmanial activity were identified using LASSO and multiple linear regression (MLR), yielding robust QSAR models (r² > 0.84) validated through rigorous statistical analysis. Virtual screening and scaffold-hopping strategies led to the design of 12 novel compounds, among which six; mainly benzothiazole and benzoxazole derivatives exhibited clear predicted pIC₅₀ values and promising ADMET profiles. Quinoline-based compounds showed moderate activity, consistent with prior experimental data. Structural analysis revealed the significance of quinoline rings linked to thiazole or benzoxazole moieties, with modifications like alkyl halides and methyl groups enhancing bioactivity. Further molecular docking against Leishmania donovani N-myristoyltransferase (Ld-NMT) and sterol 14-α demethylase CYP51 demonstrated strong binding affinities with compounds N8, N9, and N11. Structure-based similarity searches using ChEMBL confirmed selective bioactivity and low predicted cytotoxicity, supporting minimal off-target interactions. These findings present a computationally guided framework for developing effective, targeted anti-leishmanial agents.

PMID:40709372 | DOI:10.1080/1062936X.2025.2529866

Cell Transplant. 2025 Jan-Dec;34:9636897251359786. doi: 10.1177/09636897251359786. Epub 2025 Jul 25.

ABSTRACT

Haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (Haplo-HSCT) provides cure opportunity for patients requiring prompt allogeneic HSCT but failing to identify well-matched donor, but its outcomes are potentially impaired by increased transplant-related mortality (TRM). We performed haplo-HSCT using granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF)-primed peripheral blood stem cells (PBSCs), umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (UC-MSCs) and third-party unrelated umbilical cord blood (UCB) stem cells. Modified “Beijing protocol” were performed in this study. All of the patients were transplanted by Busulfan or TBI-based regimen. Anti-thymocyte globulin were used to T-cell depletion in vivo. Cyclosporine, mycophenolate mofetil, and short course methotrexate were used to prevent graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). One hundred and sixty-five patients with hematological disorders undergoing haplo-HSCT from Jan 2021 to Nov 2023 were included in this study. The median time of neutrophil engraftment were 12 days (range: 9-25 days), and the median time of platelet engraftment were 13 days (range: 6-50 days). Full haploidentical donor chimerism were obtained within 30 days. No evidence of UCB chimerism was found. Twenty-five patients developed acute GVHD. The incidence of grade II-IV and grade III-IV acute GVHD was 12.73% and 6.67%, respectively. Twenty-eight patients developed chronic GVHD, 10 were limited (6.06%) and 18 were extensive (10.91%). The TRM is total of 26 deaths (15.8%) and the cumulative incidence of relapse (CIR) is total of 17 deaths (11.8%) occurred as of the statistical period. The 2 years overall survival (OS) rate is 72.96%. The median overall survival rate was not reached. Haplo-HSCT performed by PBSCs, UC-MSCs and UCB “triple-infusion” achieved excellent outcomes, and need to explored in a larger cohort.

PMID:40709367 | DOI:10.1177/09636897251359786

ArXiv [Preprint]. 2025 Jul 18:arXiv:2507.09754v2.

ABSTRACT

Transcription Factor Binding Site (TFBS) prediction is crucial for understanding gene regulation and various biological processes. This study introduces a novel Mixture of Experts (MoE) approach for TFBS prediction, integrating multiple pre-trained Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) models, each specializing in different TFBS patterns. We evaluate the performance of our MoE model against individual expert models on both in-distribution and out-of-distribution (OOD) datasets, using six randomly selected transcription factors (TFs) for OOD testing. Our results demonstrate that the MoE model achieves competitive or superior performance across diverse TF binding sites, particularly excelling in OOD scenarios. The Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) statistical test confirms the significance of these performance differences. Additionally, we introduce ShiftSmooth, a novel attribution mapping technique that provides more robust model interpretability by considering small shifts in input sequences. Through comprehensive explainability analysis, we show that ShiftSmooth offers superior attribution for motif discovery and localization compared to traditional Vanilla Gradient methods. Our work presents an efficient, generalizable, and interpretable solution for TFBS prediction, potentially enabling new discoveries in genome biology and advancing our understanding of transcriptional regulation.

PMID:40709306 | PMC:PMC12288655

Front Glob Womens Health. 2025 Jul 10;6:1506481. doi: 10.3389/fgwh.2025.1506481. eCollection 2025.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Subfecundity is defined by a time to pregnancy of more than 12 months with unprotected sexual intercourse. Despite many couples experiencing psychological, social, and economic effects as a consequence of subfecundity, it has been inadequately explored in Ethiopia.

OBJECTIVE: Since there is limited information available in Ethiopia on subfecundity and no further studies have been conducted in the study area, this study will serve as input. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the magnitude of subfecundity and associated factors in Ambo town.

METHODS: A cross-sectional study was employed using systematic sampling to select 368 pregnant mothers. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews using a pre-tested structured questionnaire supplemented with a review of medical records. Bivariate and multivariable logistic regression were performed to identify factors associated with subfecundity. The statistical significance was declared using 95% CI, with a p-value <0.05.

RESULT: A total of 361 mothers (21.3%, 95% CI: 17.20-25.50) were interviewed, resulting in a response rate of 98%. Subfecundity was more likely among mothers aged >35 years (AOR = 3.74, 95% CI: 1.38-10.18), menstrual cycle irregularities (AOR = 3.15, 95% CI: 1.66-5.98), those whose coital frequency was 1 day per week (AOR = 4.77 95% CI: 2.22-10.23), mothers with primigravida (AOR = 2.29, 95% CI: 1.18-4.41), those who used contraceptives (AOR = 1.87, 95% CI: 1.02-3.50), and those who were stressed before conceiving (AOR = 1.95, 95% CI: 1.03-3.70).

CONCLUSION: This study found that the prevalence of subfecundity was 77% (21.3%, 95% CI: 17.2-25.5), which is slightly higher than previous findings in Ethiopia. Subfecundity was more likely among mothers age >35, those with primigravida, mothers who experienced menstruation irregularities, those whose coital frequency was less than twice per week, mothers using an injectable contraceptive method, and those who were stressed before the current pregnancy. Thus, health professionals should provide information for women at preconception care clinics, sexual and reproductive health clinics, and family planning clinics to those who wish to become pregnant before the age of 35 years to increase the frequency of coital practice, decrease stress, and encourage treatment for menstruation irregularities.

PMID:40709289 | PMC:PMC12287065 | DOI:10.3389/fgwh.2025.1506481

Alzheimers Dement (N Y). 2025 Jul 24;11(3):e70125. doi: 10.1002/trc2.70125. eCollection 2025 Jul-Sep.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Age-related cognitive decline occurs, in part, due to diminishing white matter integrity. Higher cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) is associated with better cognitive performance, but the neurobiological mechanisms underlying this association remain uncertain. Previous magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies have suggested that CRF-related changes in white matter microstructure might prevent or slow age-related cognitive decline, but have been limited by small sample sizes and methodological limitations. Specifically, most prior studies used tensor-based diffusion-weighted MRI metrics, which are insensitive to complex white matter architectures, including crossing fibers.

METHODS: Here, we leveraged a novel analysis framework capable of resolving individual fiber populations at the within-voxel level-fixel-based analysis (FBA)-to analyze three metrics of white matter organization from diffusion-weighted MRI scans: fiber density (FD), fiber cross-section (FC), and their combined measure (FDC). Using a cross-sectional sample of 636 cognitively unimpaired older adults aged 65 to 80 years (mean age = 69.8 years; 71% female), we hypothesized that FBA metrics would be associated with CRF and that this variation in FBA metrics would mediate associations between CRF and cognitive performance.

RESULTS: In whole-brain analyses, higher CRF was associated with greater FD, FC, and FDC. Furthermore, these FBA-derived metrics statistically mediated the relationship between CRF and cognitive performance in the domains of visuospatial abilities, processing speed, working memory, and executive function/attentional control, but not episodic memory.

DISCUSSION: These findings highlight the potential for CRF in the preservation of multiple aspects of cognition as a function of white matter micro- and macro-structural properties. Our results provide novel insights into the neurobiological mechanisms of fitness-related cognitive resilience.

HIGHLIGHTS: Higher cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) is linked to better white matter integrity in older adults.Fixel-based analysis reveals CRF associations with fiber density and cross-section.White matter properties mediate CRF effects on cognition, excluding episodic memory.Findings suggest CRF supports cognitive resilience via white matter organization.

PMID:40709285 | PMC:PMC12287842 | DOI:10.1002/trc2.70125

Res Sq [Preprint]. 2025 Jul 15:rs.3.rs-6967034. doi: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6967034/v1.

ABSTRACT

Whereas attention-deficit/hyperactive disorder (ADHD) is correlated with later risk of depression, anxiety, and substance misuse, the relationship with other health endpoints is uncertain. In a full-nation birth cohort study, we used a phenotype-wide approach to explore the influence of an ADHD diagnosis in childhood/adolescence with later disease and injury. Comprising 53147 (25731 female) children born in a single year, the 1987 Finnish Birth Cohort was generated from linkage of routinely collected data. Using international classification disease codes, ADHD diagnosis was captured from in- and out-patient hospital records up to age 18 years and study members continued to be surveilled for other diagnoses until 2020 (aged 33 years). In logistic regression analyses, effect estimates were adjusted for education achievement, family socioeconomic status, and multiple comparisons. Pre-adulthood, 0.43% (N = 228) of study members were diagnosed with ADHD. In people with ADHD relative to population controls, there was a heightened risk of developing all 17 specific health endpoints examined. Of these, only 5 reached statistical significance after correction for socioeconomic status, education, and multiple comparison (odds ratio; 99.7%): substance abuse disorders (2.27; 1.28, 3.81), mood disorders (2.46; 1.50, 3.90), neurotic disorders (2.12; 1.25, 3.43), epilepsy (4.65; 1.86, 9.75), and poisoning (2.30; 1.02, 4.51). In the present study, children and adolescents with ADHD had an increased future burden of psychological and neurological conditions but not somatic disorders.

PMID:40709270 | PMC:PMC12288527 | DOI:10.21203/rs.3.rs-6967034/v1