Category: Statistics

Abdom Radiol (NY). 2022 Apr 18. doi: 10.1007/s00261-022-03519-z. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: To evaluate the shear wave elastography (SWE) values of the spleen in healthy children using Elastography Point Quantification (ElastPQ).

METHODS: In this IRB approved prospective study, spleen stiffness was measured in 146 healthy children (2-15 years) using ElastPQ. SWE values were recorded in upper pole, mid pole, and lower pole of the spleen in all the children.

RESULTS: The mean (± SD) SWE values of the spleen in children in ≤ 5 years age group, > 5-10 years age group, and > 10-15 years age group were 5.6 (± 4.2) kPa, 6.5 (± 3.2) kPa, and 5.9 (± 3.6) kPa, respectively. No statistically significant difference was seen in SWE values of the spleen between these three groups (p > 0.5). The mean (± SD) SWE values in ≤ 10 years and > 10 years age group were 6.1 (± 3.6) kPa and 5.9 (± 2.6) kPa, respectively. No statistically significant difference was seen in SWE values of the spleen between these two groups (p > 0.5). There was no significant difference in the SWE values for boys and girls. Statistically significant difference was seen between the mean SWE values in the two groups based on the median splenic length, which was 5.5 (± 3.8) kPa in the group with a length of ≤ 7.6 cm and 6.7 (± 2.8) kPa in the group with a length of > 7.6 cm.

CONCLUSION: SWE values of the spleen in healthy children do not correlate with age, and no significant difference is there in the SWE values for boys and girls. There was a statistically significant difference in the SWE values of the spleen while comparing the groups based on the median splenic length.

PMID:35437707 | DOI:10.1007/s00261-022-03519-z

Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2022 Apr 18. doi: 10.1007/s11356-022-19489-0. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

In recent years, biomass energy tends to be one of the important sources of renewable energy in the world. The main objective of current research is to evaluate the impact of biomass energy on the economic growth of NEXT-11 economies. The data used in “the study is based on panel data of NEXT-11 covering the period 1990 to 2019. The included variables are GDP, biomass energy (BE) school enrollment gross ratio (SEGR; trade openness (TO; population growth (PG; and CO2 emission (CO2).” For estimation, this study applied the fully modified ordinary least square (FMOLS) and dynamic ordinary least square (DOLS) approaches. The results of FMOLS and DOLS analysis indicate a statistically significant and positive relationship among all the variables in our sample of nations. According to the findings, an increase in biomass energy use tends to positively affect economic growth. To meet the challenge of global warming, these countries need to increase their technical development and inventions as well as they need to improve biomass energy use.

PMID:35437652 | DOI:10.1007/s11356-022-19489-0

J Relig Health. 2022 Apr 18. doi: 10.1007/s10943-022-01558-w. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

The belief-as-benefit effect (BABE) is a broad term for the positive association between religion/spirituality (R/S) and health outcomes. Functionally, religious variables and religious identities predict greater wellness, which implies that atheists should report worse health relative to religious groups. Using Cycle 29 of the cross-sectional General Social Survey from Statistics Canada (N > 15,900), I explored health differences in stress, life satisfaction, subjective physical wellbeing, and subjective mental wellbeing across R/S identities (atheists, agnostics, Nones, Catholics, Protestants, Eastern Religions). Results indicated that (1). religious attendance, prayer, and religiosity were generally unrelated to all health outcomes for all R/S identities, (2). averagely religious atheists reported health parity with averagely religious members of all other R/S identities, and (3). when comparing a maximally nonreligious atheist group against several maximally religiously affiliated groups, atheists largely showed health parity. If both low R/S and high R/S are associated with comparable wellness, researchers should actively question whether R/S is genuinely salutary.

PMID:35437695 | DOI:10.1007/s10943-022-01558-w

Surg Endosc. 2022 Apr 18. doi: 10.1007/s00464-022-09201-1. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: It has been previously demonstrated that the rise of intra-abdominal pressures and prolonged exposure to such pressures can produce changes in the cardiovascular and pulmonary dynamic which, though potentially well tolerated in the majority of healthy patients with adequate cardiopulmonary reserve, may be less well tolerated when cardiopulmonary reserve is poor. Nevertheless, theoretically lowering intra-abdominal pressure could reduce the impact of pneumoperitoneum on the blood circulation of intra-abdominal organs as well as cardiopulmonary function. However, the evidence remains weak, and as such, the debate remains unresolved. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to demonstrate the current knowledge around the effect of pneumoperitoneum at different pressures levels during laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: This systematic review and meta-analysis were reported according to the recommendations of the 2020 updated Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, and the Cochrane handbook for systematic reviews of interventions.

RESULTS: This systematic review and meta-analysis included 44 randomized controlled trials that compared different pressures of pneumoperitoneum in the setting of elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Length of hospital, conversion rate, and complications rate were not significantly different, whereas statistically significant differences were observed in post-operative pain and analgesic consumption. According to the GRADE criteria, overall quality of evidence was high for intra-operative bile spillage (critical outcome), overall complications (critical outcome), shoulder pain (critical outcome), and overall post-operative pain (critical outcome). Overall quality of evidence was moderate for conversion to open surgery (critical outcome), post-operative pain at 1 day (critical outcome), post-operative pain at 3 days (important outcome), and bleeding (critical outcome). Overall quality of evidence was low for operative time (important outcome), length of hospital stay (important outcome), post-operative pain at 12 h (critical outcome), and was very low for post-operative pain at 1 h (critical outcome), post-operative pain at 4 h (critical outcome), post-operative pain at 8 h (critical outcome), and post-operative pain at 2 days (critical outcome).

CONCLUSIONS: This review allowed us to draw conclusive results from the use of low-pressure pneumoperitoneum with an adequate quality of evidence.

PMID:35437642 | DOI:10.1007/s00464-022-09201-1

Neuroradiology. 2022 Apr 18. doi: 10.1007/s00234-022-02960-7. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: This study investigates the feasibility of ultrafast fluid sensitive techniques for evaluation of pediatric spinal cord syrinx. Rapid imaging could obviate the need for sedation, which is often required for children undergoing lengthier standard spine imaging.

METHODS: Children undergoing standard spine imaging for Chiari malformation, suspected Chiari malformation, or syrinx were included. Patients who provided informed consent were imaged with rapid acquisition sagittal and axial T2 HASTE spine sequences in addition to standard spine imaging. Standard and rapid spine imaging were then reviewed separately by a pediatric neuroradiologist. The presence or absence of syrinx, syrinx diameter, and length were assessed. The degree of cerebellar tonsillar ectopia, conus position, and evaluation of the filum were also recorded.

RESULTS: Seventy-six patients aged 1 month to 18 years (mean 7 years) met the inclusion criteria. The sensitivity and specificity of rapid spine imaging for syrinx was 87.8% and 94.7% respectively. All syrinxes > 2.3 mm in diameter were identified with the rapid spine sequences. There was no statistically significant difference between rapid and standard spine imaging in assessment of syrinx diameter or length. Compared with standard spine imaging, rapid spine sequences demonstrated a 100% sensitivity for low-lying conus and a 98.2% sensitivity for cerebellar tonsillar ectopia. The filum was identified on only 31.6% of the rapid spine studies.

CONCLUSION: Rapid T2 imaging demonstrated a high sensitivity for the presence and extent of spinal cord syrinx and may provide an alternative to traditional, lengthier standard spine imaging in selected patients.

PMID:35437634 | DOI:10.1007/s00234-022-02960-7

J Cardiovasc Transl Res. 2022 Apr 18. doi: 10.1007/s12265-022-10255-8. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

The ABCD-GENE score was constructed to identify patients with high platelet reactivity (HPR) after 30 days of clopidogrel treatment. In our study, 1297 eligible patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) were included, and 44 (3.4%) major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) occurred during the 12-month clopidogrel treatment. The score with a cutoff of ≥ 10 was independently associated with the risk of 5-day HPR (adjusted HR: 1.73, 95% CI: 1.09-2.74, P = 0.020) and MACEs (adjusted HR: 2.25, 95% CI: 1.19-4.25, P = 0.013). The risk of MACEs increased when the multivariable model with the score (≥ 10) plus 5-day HPR was used (adjusted HR: 4.37, 95% CI: 1.90-10.10, P = 0.001). The c-statistic for MACEs was 0.60 when using the score threshold of ≥ 10 and 0.63 when using the model with the score plus 5-day HPR. As a simple tool, the ABCD-GENE score could identify clopidogrel-treated Chinese patients with ACS who are at increased risk of MACEs. The addition of 5-day HPR could slightly improve the diagnostic ability of the score.

PMID:35437618 | DOI:10.1007/s12265-022-10255-8

J Microbiol. 2022 Apr 18. doi: 10.1007/s12275-022-1661-7. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Adjuvants are substances added to vaccines to enhance antigen-specific immune responses or to protect antigens from rapid elimination. As pattern recognition receptors, Toll-like receptors 7 (TLR7) and 8 (TLR8) activate the innate immune system by sensing endosomal single-stranded RNA of RNA viruses. Here, we investigated if a 2,4-diaminoquinazoline-based TLR7/8 agonist, (S)-3-((2-amino-8-fluoroquinazolin-4-yl)amino)hexan-1-ol (named compound 31), could be used as an adjuvant to enhance the serological and mucosal immunity of an inactivated influenza A virus vaccine. The compound induced the production of proinflammatory cytokines in macrophages. In a dose-response analysis, intranasal administration of 1 µg compound 31 together with an inactivated vaccine (0.5 µg) to mice not only enhanced virus-specific IgG and IgA production but also neutralized influenza A virus with statistical significance. Notably, in a virus-challenge model, the combination of the vaccine and compound 31 alleviated viral infection-mediated loss of body weight and increased survival rates by 40% compared with vaccine only-treated mice. We suggest that compound 31 is a promising lead compound for developing mucosal vaccine adjuvants to protect against respiratory RNA viruses such as influenza viruses and potentially coronaviruses.

PMID:35437625 | DOI:10.1007/s12275-022-1661-7

Eur Radiol. 2022 Apr 18. doi: 10.1007/s00330-022-08750-2. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: To determine the role of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) histogram analysis in the identification of MYCN-amplification status in neuroblastomas.

METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated imaging records from 62 patients with neuroblastomas (median age: 15 months (interquartile range (IQR): 7-24 months); 38 females) who underwent magnetic resonance imaging at our institution before the initiation of any therapy or biopsy. Fourteen patients had MYCN-amplified (MYCNA) neuroblastoma. Histogram parameters of ADC maps from the entire tumour was obtained from the baseline images and the normalised images. The Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare the absolute and normalised histogram parameters amongst neuroblastomas with and without MYCN-amplification. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and area under the curves (AUC) were generated for the statistically significant histogram parameters. Cut-offs obtained from the ROC curves were evaluated on an external validation set (n-15, MYCNA-6, F-7, age 24 months (10-60)). A logistic regression model was trained to predict MYCNA by combining statistically significant histogram parameters and was evaluated on the validation set.

RESULTS: MYCN-amplified neuroblastomas had statistically significant higher maximum ADC and lower minimum ADC than non-amplified neuroblastomas. They also demonstrated higher entropy, variance, energy, and lower uniformity than non-amplified neoplasms (p > 0.05). Energy, entropy, and maximum ADC had AUC of 0.85, 0.79, and 0.82, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS: Whole tumour ADC histogram analysis of neuroblastomas can differentiate between tumours with and without MYCN-amplification. These parameters can help identify areas for targeted biopsies or can be used to predict subtypes of these high-risk tumours before biopsy results are available.

KEY POINTS: • MYCN-amplification significantly affects treatment decisions in neuroblastomas. • MYCN-amplified neuroblastomas had significantly different ADC histogram metrics as compared to tumours without amplification. • ADC histogram metrics can be used to predict MYCN-amplification status based on imaging.

PMID:35437614 | DOI:10.1007/s00330-022-08750-2

Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc. 2022 Apr 18. doi: 10.1007/s00167-022-06979-4. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: To evaluate the intra/inter-rater and diagnostic reliability of the sagittal plane adjusted patellar instability ratios (PIRs) compared to tibial tubercle-trochlear groove (TT-TG) distance alone while employing a matched case-control analysis for age and sex to minimize a potential confounding effect.

METHODS: A retrospective case-control study was performed of all knee MRI studies of patients diagnosed with patellar instability, between 2005 and 2020 at a regional tertiary medical centre. Using a 1:1 case-control matching of sex and age at the time of the diagnosis, one control subject was assigned to each case of patellar instability. Measurements of TT-TG distance, sagittal patellar length (PL), sagittal patellar tendon length (PTL), TT-TG/PL ratio, and TT-TG/PTL ratio were conducted. Two orthopaedic surgery residents and a senior musculoskeletal radiologist were assigned to assess the intra- and inter-rater reliability. Inter-class coefficients were calculated (ICC). The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and area under curve (AUC) for each parameter were compared to evaluate for diagnostic reliability. Odds ratios (OR) and their 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated and a multivariable logistic regression model was performed to control for possible confounders.

RESULTS: The study included 324 individuals (162 case-control matched pairs). In terms of intra- and inter-rater reliability, TT-TG/PL and TT-TG/PTL ratios showed an excellent correlation within and between readers (TT-TG/PL; intra-rater ICC 0.94 and inter-rater ICC 0.92, TT-TG/PTL; intra-rater ICC 0.91 and inter-rater ICC 0.88). The ROC curve showed a slightly greater AUC of the TT-TG/PL ratio compared to TT-TG distance alone (0.75 vs 0.73, p < 0.001). When applying the pathologic cutoff of TT-TG ≥ 20 mm and TT-TG/PL ≥ 0.5; the calculated odds ratios for the above cutoff were as follows; TT-TG distance alone had an OR of 14 (95% CI 1.8-106.5, p = 0.011) and OR for TT-TG/PL ratio was 23 (95% CI 3.1-170.3, p = 0.002). In the multivariable analysis, while controlling for height and weight, only the association between TT-TG/PL ratio and patellar dislocation remained statistically significant with an adjusted OR of 2.7 (CI 1.3-5.4, p = 0.006), compared to TTTG distance alone (OR = 1.9, n.s.).

CONCLUSIONS: Patellar instability ratios are significantly more reliable compared to TT-TG distance alone for the evaluation of patellar instability. Patellar instability ratios present superior diagnostic reliability, sensitivity and specificity, and intrainter rater reliability. Thus, patellar instability ratios could function as a valuable diagnostic tool for the evaluation of patellar instability.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: III.

PMID:35437608 | DOI:10.1007/s00167-022-06979-4

Brief Bioinform. 2022 Apr 18:bbac132. doi: 10.1093/bib/bbac132. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Each type of cancer usually has several subtypes with distinct clinical implications, and therefore the discovery of cancer subtypes is an important and urgent task in disease diagnosis and therapy. Using single-omics data to predict cancer subtypes is difficult because genomes are dysregulated and complicated by multiple molecular mechanisms, and therefore linking cancer genomes to cancer phenotypes is not an easy task. Using multi-omics data to effectively predict cancer subtypes is an area of much interest; however, integrating multi-omics data is challenging. Here, we propose a novel method of multi-omics data integration for clustering to identify cancer subtypes (MDICC) that integrates new affinity matrix and network fusion methods. Our experimental results show the effectiveness and generalization of the proposed MDICC model in identifying cancer subtypes, and its performance was better than those of currently available state-of-the-art clustering methods. Furthermore, the survival analysis demonstrates that MDICC delivered comparable or even better results than many typical integrative methods.

PMID:35437603 | DOI:10.1093/bib/bbac132