Category: Statistics

J Environ Radioact. 2021 Aug 20;237:106722. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2021.106722. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

The paper presents the monitoring results of the temporal variability of daily ⁷Be activity concentration in the atmospheric surface layer at Sevastopol in 2011-2020. The ⁷Be activity concentration in individual samples of atmospheric aerosols varies from 0.1 to 13.3 mBq m^-3 and averages 4.0 ± 2.0 Bq m^-3. Higher ⁷Be activity concentrations have been observed during the period from May to August while lower concentrations have been measured from December to January. Quantitative estimates of the influence of precipitation (amount, duration, intensity) on the temporal variability of ⁷Be activity concentration have been obtained. It has been found that daily ⁷Be activity concentration decrease by 2-82% on the first day with precipitation. It has been shown that an increase in precipitation duration and a decrease in its intensity lead to a more significant decrease in the daily ⁷Be activity concentration. The estimates of the scavenging coefficient have been obtained; the average value is 0.6 ± 1.0 h^-1. An increase in the precipitation intensity or amount is accompanied by a decrease in the ⁷Be scavenging coefficient. Mean 0.5-folding and residence times of ⁷Be activity concentration in the atmosphere during a moderate rain event are 2.9 ± 2.2 and 15.4 ± 13.6 h, respectively. The recovery of ⁷Be activity concentration in the atmosphere after precipitation has been investigated. It has been found that this process takes 1-2 days. The mean value of the reload coefficient is 0.94 ± 0.34 d^-1. The relationship between the value of the reload coefficient and local meteorological parameters (air temperature, relative humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind speed, surface net solar radiation flux) has been investigated. No statistically significant correlations at a 95% confidence level between the reload coefficient and the considered meteorological parameters have been revealed. Parameterization describing a decrease in the daily ⁷Be activity concentration in the atmosphere due to precipitation and its recovery during the precipitation-free period has been introduced.

PMID:34425548 | DOI:10.1016/j.jenvrad.2021.106722

Oncology. 2021 Aug 23:1-4. doi: 10.1159/000517843. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The Oncotype DX Recurrence Score (ODx RS) is the most widely adopted genomic assay used to guide treatment for patients with early-stage, hormone-positive (HR+) breast cancer (BC), with higher scores predicting greater risk of recurrence and benefit from chemotherapy. Patients with ODx RS >25 typically recieve adjuvant chemotherapy; however, data regarding efficacy of chemotherapy for reducing recurrence in this population have been mixed.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to evaluate outcomes of patients with early-stage HR+ BC with high-risk ODx RS (26-30 and ≥31) in order to assess treatment patterns and outcomes. We hypothesized that the benefit of chemotherapy in these groups may be minimal and that select patients may forgo chemotherapy in favor of more aggressive endocrine therapy and ovarian suppression.

METHODS: We performed a retrospective analysis of 515 patients with early-stage, HR+ BC with high-risk ODx RS 26-30 and ≥31 treated between 2006 and 2018. Patients were stratified by RS: low-risk (≤10), intermediate-risk (11-25), and high-risk (≥26). The Kaplan-Meier method was used to estimate the time to secondary invasive breast events (SIBE) or distributions overall and among different RS groups with the log rank test used to compare distributions between groups.

RESULTS: Rates of chemotherapy administration were 7% among the low-risk group, 18% among the intermediate-risk group, and 83% among high-risk patients with 41 SIBE (8%) reported. When stratified by ODx RS, 5-year rates of SIBE were 4%, 6%, and 16% for low-risk, intermediate-risk, and high-risk RS, respectively. Among the 27 lymph node (LN)-negative patients with ODx RS 26-30, 74% received chemotherapy. The 5-year rate of SIBE was 25% among patients who received chemotherapy and 33% among those who did not (p = 0.5489). Among the 23 LN-negative patients with ODx RS ≥31, 91% of patients received chemotherapy. The 5-year rate of SIBE was 0% both with and without chemotherapy.

CONCLUSIONS: There was no statistically significant difference in SIBE for patients with high-risk ODx RS based on chemotherapy treatment. More aggressive endocrine therapy with ovarian suppression has become an alternative to chemotherapy among patients with intermediate-risk ODx RS (16-25). This approach may be useful among patients with high-risk ODx RS, with additional studies needed in this patient population.

PMID:34425579 | DOI:10.1159/000517843

Atherosclerosis. 2021 Aug 12;333:48-55. doi: 10.1016/j.atherosclerosis.2021.08.020. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Coronary artery disease (CAD) is a complex disease with a strong genetic basis. While previous studies have combined common single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) into a polygenic risk score (PRS) to predict CAD risk, this association is poorly characterised. We performed a meta-analysis to estimate the effect of PRS on the risk of CAD.

METHODS: Online databases were searched for studies reporting PRS and CAD. PRS computation was based on log-odds (PRS_LN), pruning or clumping and thresholding (PRS_{P/C + T}), Lassosum regression (PRS_Lassosum), LDpred (PRS_LDpred), or metaGRS (PRS_metaGRS). The reported odds ratio (OR), hazard ratio (HR), C-indexes and their corresponding 95% confidence interval (95% CI) were pooled in a random-effects meta-analysis.

RESULTS: Forty-nine studies were included (979,286 individuals). There was a significant association between 1-standard deviation [SD] increment in PRS and adjusted risks of both incident and prevalent CAD (OR [95% CI]: 1.67 [1.57-1.77] for PRS_metaGRS, 1.46 [1.26-1.68] for PRS_LDpred). The risk of incident CAD was highest for PRS_{P/C + T} (HR [95% CI]: 1.49 [1.26-1.78]), PRS_metaGRS (1.37 [1.27-1.47]), and PRS_LDpred (1.36 [1.31-1.42]). Analysis of model performance demonstrated that PRS predicted incident CAD with C-index of up to 0.71. Importantly, addition of PRS to clinical risk scores resulted in modest but statistically significant improvements in CAD risk prediction, with 1.5% observed for PRS_{P/C + T} (p < 0.001) and 1.6% for PRS_LDpred (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS: Polygenic risk score is strongly associated with increased risks of CAD. Future prospective studies should explore the usefulness of polygenic risk scores for identifying individuals at a high risk of developing CAD.

PMID:34425527 | DOI:10.1016/j.atherosclerosis.2021.08.020

Oral Oncol. 2021 Aug 20;121:105494. doi: 10.1016/j.oraloncology.2021.105494. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Our previous trial confirmed that induction chemotherapy (IC) improved long-term survival outcomes in patients with locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). In this study, we investigated the impact of IC on long-term quality of life (QoL) in this cohort.

METHODS: Our trial was a randomised, open-label phase 3 trial comparing IC followed by concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) versus CCRT alone in patients with stage III-IVB (except T3N0-1) NPC. All participants completed two self-administered questionnaires, the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Quality of Life Questionnaire C30 (QLQ-C30) and the EORTC QLQ Head and Neck Cancer-Specific Module (H&N35). As per protocol, the questionnaires had to be completed before knowledge of treatment allocation by the patient (baseline). Patients were then approached to enroll at the time of the present study period.

RESULTS: Ultimately, QoL data from 228 patients were included in the analysis. Most scales were both statistically and clinically decreased in both groups between baseline and the latest follow-up. The IC followed by CCRT group had significantly better outcome in role functioning, cognitive functioning, social functioning, fatigue, pain, and constipation in QLQ-C30 scales at the last follow-up. Similarly, in H&N35 scales, a significantly better result was observed in pain, sexuality, sticky saliva, pain killers use, nutritional supplements, and weight loss, but a poorer result in senses problems, for those treated by IC followed by CCRT.

CONCLUSION: IC followed by CCRT seemed to have better long-term QoL outcomes compared with CCRT alone in patients with locoregionally advanced NPC.

PMID:34425533 | DOI:10.1016/j.oraloncology.2021.105494

J Psychiatr Res. 2021 Aug 20;142:361-368. doi: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2021.08.031. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

AIM: Delirium is a common presenting symptom among older patients. Patients who presented with delirium may have a higher morbidity and mortality rate due to older age, other comorbidities, and atypical COVID-19 presentation. Currently, the evidence supporting delirium as one of the predictors of poor outcome of COVID-19 is still insufficient. This study aims to explore the potential association between delirium and poor outcomes from COVID-19.

METHODS: We systematically searched the PubMed and Google Scholar databases using specific keywords related to our aims until January 30th, 2021. All articles published on COVID-19 and delirium were retrieved. The quality of the study was assessed using the Newcastle Ottawa Scale (NOS) tool for observational studies and Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) Critical Appraisal Tools for case-series studies. Statistical analysis was done using Review Manager 5.4 software.

RESULTS: Our meta-analysis of 20 studies showed that delirium symptoms on admission was associated with poor outcomes from COVID-19 [OR 2.36 (95% CI 1.80-3.09), p < 0.00001, I² = 76%, random-effect models] and its subgroup which consist of severe COVID-19 [OR 3.89 (95% CI 1.72-8.75), p = 0.001, I² = 91%, random-effect models], and mortality from COVID-19 [OR 1.90 (95% CI 1.55-2.33), p < 0.00001, I² = 36%, random-effect models]. Meta-regression showed that the association was influenced by age (p = 0.005).

CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggests delirium as an important marker to identify patients at higher risk for developing poor COVID-19 outcomes. The physicians should add delirium as one of the common presenting symptoms of COVID-19 in older populations.

PMID:34425488 | DOI:10.1016/j.jpsychires.2021.08.031

Comput Biol Chem. 2021 Aug 16;94:107563. doi: 10.1016/j.compbiolchem.2021.107563. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

The Multiple Sequence Alignment (MSA) is a key task in bioinformatics, because it is used in different important biological analysis, such as function and structure prediction of unknown proteins. There are several approaches to perform MSA and the use of metaheuristics stands out because of the search ability of these methods, which generally leads to good results in a reasonable amount of time. This paper presents a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) on metaheuristics for MSA, compiling relevant works published between 2014 and 2019. The results of our SLR show the constant interest in this subject, due to the several recent publications that use different metaheuristics to obtain more accurate alignments. Moreover, the final results of our SLR show a multi-objective and hybrid approaches trends, which generally leads these methods to achieve even better results. Thus, we show in this work how the use of metaheuristics to perform MSA still remains an important and promising open research field.

PMID:34425495 | DOI:10.1016/j.compbiolchem.2021.107563

Cancer Treat Res Commun. 2021 Jul 15;28:100437. doi: 10.1016/j.ctarc.2021.100437. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: PAX5 haploinsufficiency promoting tumorigenesis is related to immune escape. But the mechanisms of PAX5 mutations inducing tumor immune escape have not been clarified. Our aim was to study how PAX5 haploinsufficiency influences effector CD8 + T cells in tumor microenvironment.

METHODS: We estimated the proportions of 22 immune cell types and the expressions of immune inhibitory-related molecules based on gene expression profiles (GEPs) from children’s B- acute lymphoblastic leukemia(B-ALL) with PAX5 mutations by CIBERSORT, an established algorithm. We constructed the PAX5 haplodeletion A20 cell lines, built allografted A20 tumor models and evaluated the effect of PAX5 haplodeletion on immune inhibitory-related molecules in the tumor microenvironment (TME).

RESULTS: Our results indicated the percentages of T cells in bone marrow of children’s B-ALL with PAX5 mutations were not statistically different from that in bone marrow of B-ALL without PAX5 mutations, except for T follicular helper (Tfh) cells. But a variety of up-regulated immune inhibitory-related molecules in bone marrow of children’s B- ALL with PAX5 mutations were identified. By different approaches, we found that several immune inhibitory-related molecules of CD8+ T cells in TME of PAX5 haplodeletion clones such as TIM3, NR4A1 and BATF, were increased significantly compared with that of PAX5 wild type control. The IFN-ɤ of CD8+ T cells in TME of PAX5 haplodeletion tumors was decreased significantly compared with that of PAX5 wild type control.

CONCLUSION: Our study showed that PAX5 haploinsufficiency induced CD8+ T cells dysfunction or exhaustion by high expression of TIM3, NR4A1 and BATF in the CD8+ T cells of TME.

PMID:34425470 | DOI:10.1016/j.ctarc.2021.100437

Phytomedicine. 2021 Jul 17;91:153671. doi: 10.1016/j.phymed.2021.153671. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of Hua Shi Bai Du Granule (Q-14) plus standard care compared with standard care alone in adults with coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

STUDY DESIGN: A single-center, open-label, randomized controlled trial.

SETTING: Wuhan Jinyintan Hospital, Wuhan, China, February 27 to March 27, 2020.

PARTICIPANTS: A total of 204 patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 were randomized into the treatment group and control group, consisting of 102 patients in each group.

INTERVENTIONS: In the treatment group, Q-14 was administered at 10 g (granules) twice daily for 14 days, plus standard care. In the control group, patients were provided standard care alone for 14 days.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: The primary outcome was the conversion time for the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) viral assay. Adverse events were analyzed in the safety population.

RESULTS: Among the 204 patients, 195 were analyzed according to the intention-to-treat principle. A total of 149 patients (71 vs. 78 in the treatment and control groups, respectively) tested negative via the SARS-CoV-2 viral assay. There was no statistical significance in the conversion time between the treatment group and control group (Full analysis set: Median [interquartile range]: 10.00 [9.00-11.00] vs. 10.00 [9.00-11.00]; Mean rank: 67.92 vs. 81.44; P = 0.051). The recovery time for fever was shorter in the treatment group than in the control group. The disappearance rate of symptoms like cough, fatigue, and chest discomfort was significantly higher in the treatment group. In chest computed tomography (CT) examinations, the overall evaluation of chest CT examination after treatment compared with baseline showed that more patients improved in the treatment group. There were no significant differences in the other outcomes.

CONCLUSION: The combination of Q-14 and standard care for COVID-19 was useful for the improvement of symptoms (such as fever, cough, fatigue, and chest discomfort), but did not result in a significantly higher probability of negative conversion in the SARS-CoV-2 viral assay. No serious adverse events were observed.

TRIAL REGISTRATION: ChiCTR2000030288.

PMID:34425471 | DOI:10.1016/j.phymed.2021.153671

Conscious Cogn. 2021 Aug 20;95:103195. doi: 10.1016/j.concog.2021.103195. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Research examining the effects of group-based mindfulness interventions on executive functioning have yielded inconsistent findings, with some reports of enhanced performance and other reports of null findings. Inconsistencies in the literature may be due to methodological differences across studies, including the type of control group employed and sample characteristics (e.g., clinical vs. non-clinical samples). The current systematic review and meta-analysis examined the effect of group-based mindfulness programs on executive functioning in persons 18+ years of age. Following the standards for systematic review, a total of 29 studies were included in the meta-analysis, of which 21 comparisons contributed to the analysis of inhibition; nine to working memory; nine to attention shifting; and four to the analysis of verbal fluency. After removing outliers, random effects models suggested a small but significant synthesized effect of group-mindfulness training on overall executive functioning (95% CI = 0.256, 0.725). Examination of executive subdomains after removing outliers suggested a small, statistically significant effect for inhibition (95% CI = 0.055, 0.387), working memory (95% CI = 0.010, 0.437), and verbal fluency (95% CI = 0.071, 1.931). No significant pooled effects were found for attention shifting. A priori subgroup analysis by randomization, type of control group, and sample cohort revealed inconsistent results. Overall, the current review suggests that the effect of group-based mindfulness training on executive functioning is not robust.

PMID:34425456 | DOI:10.1016/j.concog.2021.103195

Eat Behav. 2021 Aug 11;43:101548. doi: 10.1016/j.eatbeh.2021.101548. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

The stereotype that eating disorders (ED) primarily present among individuals of higher socioeconomic status (SES) has long persisted in popular and professional perception. This belief has likely contributed to disparities in ED identification and treatment, particularly among those of lower SES backgrounds. The objective of this article was to systematically review the literature investigating socioeconomic diversity in distinct ED diagnoses. A PRISMA search was conducted to identify studies that empirically assessed the association between ED pathology and indicators of SES via PubMed and PsycINFO. This search generated 13,538 articles, of which 62 articles published between 1973 and August 2020 met criteria for inclusion in the review. Included studies were primarily cross-sectional and covered diagnoses of anorexia nervosa (AN), bulimia nervosa (BN), and binge eating disorder (BED), with quality ratings of poor, fair, and good. Results are examined in the context of studies’ sampling methods, operationalization of SES, and statistical analyses. There is no consistent pattern of evidence to suggest a relationship between high SES and ED. Instead, all ED present across a wide range of socioeconomic backgrounds. Limitations included the predominance of cross-sectional study designs and poor to fair quality ratings. Future research should include adequately powered, community-based longitudinal studies that examine how sociocultural factors, including SES, intersect to influence ED risk and treatment outcome. The existing data suggest an urgent need to prioritize affordable and accessible ED treatment.

PMID:34425457 | DOI:10.1016/j.eatbeh.2021.101548