Category: Statistics

Ann Rheum Dis. 2021 Aug 23:annrheumdis-2021-220687. doi: 10.1136/annrheumdis-2021-220687. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: Alteration of the gut microbiome has been linked to the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). However, a comprehensive view of the gut microbiome in SLE and its interaction with the host remains to be revealed. This study aimed to reveal SLE-associated changes in the gut microbiome and its interaction with the host by a comprehensive metagenome-wide association study (MWAS) followed by integrative analysis.

METHODS: We performed a MWAS of SLE based on shotgun sequencing of the gut microbial DNA from Japanese individuals (N _case=47, N _control=203). We integrated the result of the MWAS with the genome-wide association study (GWAS) data and plasma metabolite data.

RESULTS: Via species level phylogenetic analysis, we identified and validated increases of Streptococcus intermedius and Streptococcus anginosus in the patients with SLE. Microbial gene analysis revealed increases of Streptococcus-derived genes including one involved in redox reaction. Additionally, microbial pathways related to sulfur metabolism and flagella assembly were altered in the patients with SLE. We identified an overlap in the enriched biological pathways between the metagenome and the germline genome by comparing the result of the MWAS and the GWAS of SLE (ie, MWAS-GWAS interaction). α-diversity and β-diversity analyses provided evidence of dysbiosis in the metagenome of the patients with SLE. Microbiome-metabolome association analysis identified positive dosage correlation of acylcarnitine with Streptococcus intermedius, an SLE-associated taxon.

CONCLUSION: Our MWAS followed by integrative analysis revealed SLE-associated changes in the gut microbiome and its interaction with the host, which contribute to our understanding of the relationship between the microbiome and SLE.

PMID:34426398 | DOI:10.1136/annrheumdis-2021-220687

Sci Total Environ. 2021 Aug 4;799:149446. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.149446. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

The wine industry has faced two significant environmental problems in recent years: productivity is challenged by environmental trends such as global warming, and buyers are becoming more environmentally conscious. From an environmental standpoint, the food industry is one of the most impacting sectors and wine results as one of the most studied agri-food products in the scientific literature. In general, comprehensive studies that consider an application of set of indicators to evaluate the overall sustainability of wine sector are lacking in literature. This paper aims to carry out a sustainable assessment using different indicators for fifteen Italian red wines: Water Footprint (WF), Carbon Footprint (CF), Vineyard Indicator (VI), and Territory Indicator (TI). VI is an indicator of the vineyard’s agronomic management’s sustainability at plot level with values ranging from 0 (fully sustainable) to 1 (fully not sustainable), while TI covers the socio-economical aspects of sustainability. Considering system boundaries from cradle to grave, at 90% confidence interval, CF results ranged between 0.97 kg CO₂ eq./functional unit and 1.97 kg CO₂ eq./functional unit, with an average estimated at 1.47 kg CO₂ eq./functional unit, while the WF of a 0.75 L bottle of wine from cradle to gate is 666.7 L/functional unit on average, out of which 86.75% is green, 1.92% is blue and 11.34% is grey water. Concerning the VI, at 90% confidence interval VI results were between 0.117 and 0.498 with an average estimated at 0.307. The results of the correlation analyses confirmed that each indicator is not statistically correlated with each other. Concerning the sub-indicators, a positive correlation has been found between the total CF and the sum of blue and grey WF. The application of a multi-criteria analysis for sustainability performances evaluation of the wine sector presented in this study can be used by wine companies’ experts to better assess sustainability performances.

PMID:34426322 | DOI:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.149446

Sci Total Environ. 2021 Aug 4;799:149472. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.149472. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

The systematic and scientific assessments on heavy metal pollutions and water quality characteristics are greatly important to protecting the river and coastal eco-environment. In this paper, sediment size, organic matter, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, and heavy metal contents were analyzed by collecting surface sediments and surface water in the reservoir control reach of the middle Han River. Besides, sediment enrichment factor and sediment pollution index were used to evaluate the heavy metal pollution, and enrichment analysis and redundancy analysis were applied to analyze the sources of heavy metals in sediments. The results show a low heavy metal content in the surface water, and the water quality is graded as a Good level. The average enrichment factor of Cd in surface sediments reached 4.63. Zn and Cu also showed significant enrichment in the tributary sediments, whose content far exceeded the background value of soil elements. Thus, the potential ecological risk of heavy metals was at a medium level. Statistical analysis and enrichment factors showed that the accumulation of heavy metals in sediments was affected by pollutant input and reservoir regulation, and it was urgent to conduct an integrated regulation of the heavy metals in river sediment. This study provided an insight into the understanding of feasible assessment for heavy metal contaminated sediment.

PMID:34426303 | DOI:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.149472

Chemosphere. 2021 Aug 20;286(Pt 3):131874. doi: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.131874. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Wastewater imposes a great threat to any ecosystem across the world, especially the aquatic one because of the different anthropogenic activities of human beings. The present study emphasizes the optimization of ecological parameters [pH, time (h) and temperature (°C)] employing Box-Behnken design (BBD) to achieve better bio-adsorption of a selected heavy metal [lead (Pb II)] from the wastewater through an extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) of a benthic fungus, Aspergillus penicillioides (F12) (MN210327). The relevant statistical analysis (ANOVA) has enabled to record of the optimized bio-adsorption (73.14 %) of lead (Pb II) by fungal EPS at pH (8.85) and temperature (32 °C) for a duration of 5.74 h. Besides that, at the concentration of 0.5 mg/L of EPS, the flocculating rate was noted to be highest (88.4 %) in kaolin clay and the 50 % emulsifying activity. This investigation has also opened up new vistas on the possibility of the development of an alternative method of eco-sustainable bioremediation of heavy metals by fungal EPS on an industrial scale.

PMID:34426280 | DOI:10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.131874

Chemosphere. 2021 Aug 19;286(Pt 3):131947. doi: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.131947. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

The occurrence of pnictogens, namely phosphorus, arsenic, and antimony, can be observed in soils, sediments and mining areas, and their coexistence requires a multifaceted approach to the design of adsorption systems to maximize their simultaneous removal efficiency. Therefore, this work aims to provide an extensive literature review of P, As, and Sb adsorption in multicomponent systems and the statistical treatment of the quantitative results. Binary As-P systems have been the most studied in the literature. The oxidation state did not significantly affect the P influence in As adsorbed amount (p = 0.955), but this influence was correlated with the As:P ratio (p < 0.05). A few works have explored As-Sb and Sb-P systems, demonstrating that effective treatments for As do not always reveal a good removal efficiency of the other pnictogens. The Sb adsorbed amount was significantly less affected in the trivalent than in the pentavalent state in both As-Sb and Sb-P systems (p < 0.05). Most of the interactions were competitive, with a few studies reporting synergistic effects for Sb due to the presence of the other elements. Many topics have been identified as lacking in-depth research: ternary As-Sb-P systems, the effect of concentration ratios, pH, and redox conditions (namely those that lead to trivalent species’ prevalence), the surface interactions with materials other than iron oxides, and the influence of other aqueous components. This review provides a first step in gathering the relevant literature and approaching the study of adsorption treatment methodology as a complex subject involving many factors.

PMID:34426298 | DOI:10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.131947

Environ Pollut. 2021 Aug 13;289:117972. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2021.117972. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Rare earth elements have been increasingly used in modern societies and soils are likely to be the final destination of several REE-containing (by)products. This study reports REE contents for topsoils (0-20 cm) of 175 locations in reference (n = 68) and cultivated (n = 107) areas in Brazil. Benchmark soil samples were selected accomplishing a variety of environmental conditions, aiming to: i) establishing natural background and anthropogenic concentrations for REE in soils; ii) assessing potential contamination of soils – via application of phosphate fertilizers – with REE; and, iii) predicting soil-REE contents using biomes, soil type, parent material, land use, sand content, and biomes-land use interaction as forecaster variables through generalized least squares multiple regression. Our hypotheses were that the variability of soil-REE contents is influenced by parent material, pedogenic processes, land use, and biomes, as well as that cultivated soils may have been potentially contaminated with REE via input of phosphate fertilizers. The semi-total concentrations of REE were assessed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) succeeding a microwave-assisted aqua regia digestion. Analytical procedures followed a rigorous QA/QC protocol. Soil physicochemical composition and total oxides were also determined. Natural background and anthropogenic concentrations for REE were established statistically from the dataset by the median plus two median absolute deviations method. Contamination aspects were assessed by REE-normalized patterns, REE fractionation indices, and Ce and Eu anomalies ratios, as well as enrichment factors. The results indicate that differences in the amounts of REE in cultivated soils can be attributed to land use and agricultural sources (e.g., phosphate-fertilizer inputs), while those in reference soils can be attributed to parent materials, biomes, and pedogenic processes. The biomes, land use, and sand content helped to predict concentrations of light REE in Brazilian soils, with parent material being also of special relevance to predict heavy REE contents in particular.

PMID:34426210 | DOI:10.1016/j.envpol.2021.117972

J Environ Manage. 2021 Aug 17;298:113504. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.113504. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Understanding local stakeholders’ perceptions of co-management institutional activities serves a significant role in the proper functioning of the co-management institutions for the Sundarban mangrove forest conservation effort, but this currently remains unexplored. This study aimed to identify the current co-management institutions, co-management activities, and local people’s understanding of these activities in the implementation of the co-management approach. The study was conducted in four villages in the Chandpai range of the Sundarban mangrove forest. Thematic content analysis was conducted on the qualitative data, which had been collected through key informant interviews at the local, regional and national levels, followed by focus group discussions in the study villages. The key forest co-management activities and practices identified were: forest protection and monitoring; meetings; local livelihood initiatives; and organisational supports. These co-management activities were implemented through institutions largely situated at the local level, through Village Conservation Forum, People’s Forum and Community Patrol Group; higher-level institutions included the Co-management Committee, where local, district and national stakeholders were represented. Local people with forest dependency were participating in forest co-management activities and their awareness of forest conservation and social network had increased. In addition, people who had received training from government and non-government organisations reported benefits such as improved resource harvesting techniques, organisational skills and practical knowledge, which would be useful in times of natural disasters. However, local people also reported a range of issues affecting their full participation, which included top down decision-making, insignificant financial support, absence of alternate income sources, lack of meeting places for VCF members, gender inequality in participation, corruption and lack of skill-based training. A key governance issue for the local-level forest co-management institutions was limited access to the government organisations who oversaw policy and institutional control. In contrast, non-government organisations provided important institutional capacity-building support to local communities, and acted as a conduit to higher level committees. Broader impact could be achieved by fostering local participation, especially that of women, through genuine collaboration with other stakeholders, and extending the lessons learned from the study villages through exchange visits and sharing of ideas with other VCF villages in the area.

PMID:34426227 | DOI:10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.113504

Environ Pollut. 2021 Aug 4;289:117914. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2021.117914. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Chronic arsenic exposure can induce cardiovascular diseases through oxidative stress injury, inflammation and endothelial dysfunction. However, evidence for hypertension related to chronic arsenic exposure remains limited and inconclusive. To investigate the association of arsenic exposure with hypertension, we reviewed cross-sectional, case-control and longitudinal studies among general population (only excluded pregnant woman and children). Compared with non-exposure (or low exposure) group, we assessed relationship between the exposure (or high exposure) of arsenic and hypertension or blood pressure. We also examined the dose-response relationship to provide a theoretical basis for precision interventions in the population by conducting a two-stage random-effects dose-response meta-analysis. The weighted mean difference (WMD) was calculated to compare the blood pressure of exposed and reference arsenic exposure groups. Twenty-seven studies comprising 117,769 participants were included. The pooled OR and RR for hypertension compared the highest with lowest arsenic exposure categories were 1.14 [95 % confidence interval (CI): 1.06-1.23] and 1.30 [95 % CI: 0.91-1.84], respectively. A dose-response assessment of six studies with the necessary data available demonstrated that the OR of hypertension increased with an increasement of arsenic exposure. The differences in systolic blood pressure levels between the exposed and reference groups were 4.03 mmHg (95 % CI: 1.24-6.82). The meta-analysis further revealed the significant association of chronic arsenic exposure with hypertension among cross-sectional studies and the marginal significance in cohort studies. Besides, arsenic was mainly associated with increasing systolic blood pressure but not significantly related to diastolic blood pressure. We also demonstrated statistical evidence of a nonlinear dose-response association. Details on mechanisms and cohort studies are required to elucidate population-wide health influence of chronic arsenic exposure.

PMID:34426185 | DOI:10.1016/j.envpol.2021.117914

Stat Med. 2021 Aug 23. doi: 10.1002/sim.9173. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

We abstract the concept of a randomized controlled trial as a triple (β,b,s) , where β is the primary efficacy parameter, b the estimate, and s the standard error ( s>0 ). If the parameter β is either a difference of means, a log odds ratio or a log hazard ratio, then it is reasonable to assume that b is unbiased and normally distributed. This then allows us to estimate the joint distribution of the z-value z=b/s and the signal-to-noise ratio SNR=β/s from a sample of pairs (bi,si) . We have collected 23 551 such pairs from the Cochrane database. We note that there are many statistical quantities that depend on (β,b,s) only through the pair (z,SNR) . We start by determining the estimated distribution of the achieved power. In particular, we estimate the median achieved power to be only 13%. We also consider the exaggeration ratio which is the factor by which the magnitude of β is overestimated. We find that if the estimate is just significant at the 5% level, we would expect it to overestimate the true effect by a factor of 1.7. This exaggeration is sometimes referred to as the winner’s curse and it is undoubtedly to a considerable extent responsible for disappointing replication results. For this reason, we believe it is important to shrink the unbiased estimator, and we propose a method for doing so. We show that our shrinkage estimator successfully addresses the exaggeration. As an example, we re-analyze the ANDROMEDA-SHOCK trial.

PMID:34425632 | DOI:10.1002/sim.9173

Oper Dent. 2021 Aug 23. doi: 10.2341/20-045-L. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The strength of some bioactive materials can be compromised by cariogenic challenges. This may impact the clinical longevity of restorations, especially in stress-bearing areas.

SUMMARY: This study determined the mechanical performance of bioactive restoratives in cariogenic environments and compared the flexural properties of various bioactive materials. The materials evaluated included a conventional resin-based composite (Filtek Z350 [FZ]) and 3 bioactive restoratives, namely an alkasite (Cention N [CN]), a giomer (Beautifil-bulk Restorative [BB]), and an enhanced resin-modified glass ionomer (Activa Bioactive Restorative [AV]). Beam-shaped specimens (12 x 2 x 2 mm) were produced, randomly allocated to 4 groups (n=10), and conditioned in deionized solution, remineralizing solution, demineralizing solution (DE), or pH cycled for 14 days at 37°C. After conditioning/pH cycling, the specimens were subjected to 3-point flexural testing. Flexural data were subjected to statistical analysis using analysis of variance or Tukey’s test (α=0.05). Mean flexural modulus and strength ranged from 3.54 ± 0.33 to 7.44 ± 0.28 GPa, and 87.07 ± 8.99 to 123.54 ± 12.37 MPa, respectively. While the flexural modulus of the bioactive restoratives was not affected by cariogenic/acidic conditions, flexural strength usually decreased, with the exception of CN. The strength of BB was significantly reduced by DE and pH cycling, while that of AV was lowered by DE. For all conditioning mediums, AV had a significantly lower modulus than the other materials. Apart from conditioning in DE, where differences in flexural strength was insignificant, FZ and AV were generally significantly stronger than BB and CN. The effect of cariogenic environments on flexural strength was found to be material dependent, and aside from the alkasite material (CN), cariogenic conditions were observed to significantly decrease the strength of bioactive restoratives.

PMID:34425586 | DOI:10.2341/20-045-L