Category: Statistics

J Craniofac Surg. 2021 Jun 1;32(4):1409-1412. doi: 10.1097/SCS.0000000000007545.

ABSTRACT

Patients with equine-related injuries (ERI) have high rates of hospitalization and often require surgical treatment. This study aimed to clarify the injury profiles of patients sustaining ERI-related craniofacial fractures and their relationship with other severe head and neck injuries.This retrospective study included all patients with craniofacial fractures admitted to a tertiary trauma center during 2013 to 2018. Out of 3256 patients, a total of 39 patients were included in the study (1.2%). Demographic and clinically relevant variables were reported and statistically evaluated.Males represented only 7.7% of the study population. Isolated facial fractures were over-represented in this study population at 84.6% whereas only 7.7% of patients sustained isolated cranial fractures and 7.7% of patients sustained combined craniofacial fractures, respectively. Surgical intervention for craniofacial fractures was required in 48.7% of patients. In total, 17.9% of patients sustained severe head and neck injuries. Periods of unconsciousness and/or post-traumatic amnesia were seen in 41% of patients. Helmet use could only be confirmed in 17.9% of patients.As trauma mechanisms behind ERI are often multifactorial and patients are at a high risk of sustaining associated injuries, attentive examination, and exclusion of serious life-threatening injuries through a multi-disciplinary approach is imperative for this specific patient population.

PMID:34842402 | DOI:10.1097/SCS.0000000000007545

Trends Psychiatry Psychother. 2021 Nov 28. doi: 10.47626/2237-6089-2021-0348. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to examine the effect of group cognitive-behavioural therapy (GCBT) on pathological internet use.

METHOD: The study applied a group randomized controlled trial design to assign participants to intervention and control groups. A total of 40 college students aged 18 to 30 who were pathological internet users participated in this study and were randomly assigned to treatment and control groups. Participants completed a self-report scale titled Problematic Internet Use Scale (PIUS) at three time points. The intervention lasted for 8 weeks. The data collected were statistically analyzed using repeated-measures ANOVA.

RESULTS: The result showed that GCBT has significant effect in decreasing the symptoms of pathological internet use among the participants in GCBT compared to those in control group and that the improvements were maintained at follow-up. We also found a significant interaction effect by time for pathological internet use.

CONCLUSION: From the finding of the study, we can conclude that GCBT has significant benefit in mitigating severity of pathological internet use among the college students. Therefore, mental health professionals are encouraged to explore the benefits of GCBT in treating symptoms associated with pathological internet use in school setting and beyond.

PMID:34842397 | DOI:10.47626/2237-6089-2021-0348

Pak J Biol Sci. 2021 Jan;24(11):1144-1151. doi: 10.3923/pjbs.2021.1144.1151.

ABSTRACT

<b>Background and Objective:</b> Angiogenesis is a mechanism by which new blood vessels are developed in healing and tumour tissues, where it is necessary for regeneration growth, tumour cells survival and metastasis. This study aimed to assess the angiogenesis mechanism among Sudanese females with breast cancer using anti-CD34 and anti-CD105 markers. <b>Materials and Methods:</b> Three hundred female representative Formalin-Fixed Paraffin-Embedded (FFPE) breast tissue blocks were included in this study. Of the 300 representative tissue blocks, 200 were breast cancer patient’s tissues (confirmed cases) and 100 were normal breast tissues (controls). Their ages mean±SD, 47.3±12.9 years. <b>Results:</b> The results showed the MVD of CD34 significantly increased in malignant lesions as compared to normal breast tissues. The mean of MVD CD34 and MVD CD105 showed statistical differences among different histologic types of breast cancer. Also, a strong positive correlation was detected between the manual and automated MVD counting methods. Also, the current study revealed no significant differences were observed in mean MVD counting for both markers and menopausal status or the age groups of the study population. <b>Conclusion:</b> The MVD is a good tool for assessing prognostic markers. The CD105 marker has a high specificity to the new evolving tumour vessels and is a useful predictor for angiogenesis and breast cancer metastasis.

PMID:34842386 | DOI:10.3923/pjbs.2021.1144.1151

Pak J Biol Sci. 2021 Jan;24(11):1162-1168. doi: 10.3923/pjbs.2021.1162.1168.

ABSTRACT

<b>Background and Objective:</b> <i>Justicia gendarussa </i>(family <i>Acanthaceae</i>) is regarded as a medicinal plant valued for its beneficial pharmacological activities. A polybag experiment has been conducted at Bogor (Indonesia) to determine the effects on growth, photosynthetic and yield of various NPK ratios and manure fertilizer application in <i>J. gendarussa</i>. <b>Materials and Methods:</b> Six treatments (control: 50 g/plant manure, NPK (1.1 g/plant N:0.7 g/plant P<sub>2</sub>O<sub>5</sub> and 0.6 g/plant K), 50+50%/plant (manure+NPK), 10+50%/plant (manure+NPK) and 50+10%/plant (manure+NPK) were performed in a randomized complete block design. Data of individual plants were extracted from various treatments: plant height, number of leaves, number of branches, chlorophyll content, photosynthetic parameters, yield and sugar content were collected. <b>Results:</b> The plant treated with 10+50%/plant (manure+NPK) demonstrated a statistically significant increase in plant height, number of leaves and number of branches with the value of 59.00 cm, 85.00 per plant and 9.50 per plant, respectively. Chlorophyll a (0.538 mg g<sup>1</sup> FW), chlorophyll b (0.192 mg g<sup>1</sup> FW) and total chlorophyll (0.730 mg g<sup>1</sup> FW) were significantly improved by the treatment of NPK fertilizer. The application of manure and NPK at (50+50%) and (50+10%) was significantly increased stomatal conductance and transpiration rate, respectively. Leaves yield (9 g/plant DW) was improved by the application of 10+50%/plant (manure+NPK) fertilizer. The highest sugar content was obtained from <i>J. gendarussa</i> growth with 50+50%/plant (manure+NPK) followed by 10+50% plant (manure+NPK) fertilizer. <b>Conclusion:</b> The <i>J. gendarussa</i> plants could benefit from combined manure and NPK fertilizer application in growth, stomatal conductance, intercellular CO<sub>2</sub> concentration, transpiration rate, leaves yield and sugar content.

PMID:34842388 | DOI:10.3923/pjbs.2021.1162.1168

Pak J Biol Sci. 2021 Jan;24(10):1067-1076. doi: 10.3923/pjbs.2021.1067.1076.

ABSTRACT

<b>Background and Objective:</b> Natural and Synthetic Zeolite (SZ) is potentially useful for biopharmaceuticals and bio tools due to its unique and outstanding physical and chemical properties. Thus, the present study aimed to evaluate the possible effect of synthetic zeolite in (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. <b>Materials and Methods:</b> About 4 groups of rats were used, (I) normal control, (II) SZ group, (300 mg/kg/day), (III) STZ group, diabetic rats acted as positive control and (IV) STZ+SZ group, included diabetic rats treated with synthetic zeolite (300 mg/kg/day), statistical analysis comparisons between means were carried out using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) followed by a post hock (Tukey) multiple comparisons test at p<u>></u>0.05. <b>Results:</b> After six weeks, treatment of diabetic animals with synthetic zeolite markedly exhibited a significant reduction in glucose, lipids, DNA fragmentation, Alanine Aminotransferase (ALAT), Aspartate Aminotransferase (ASAT), urea, creatinine, Malondialdehyde (MDA) and Nitric Oxide (NO) levels concomitant with a significant rise in insulin, Glutathione (GSH), Superoxide Dismutase (SOD) and Catalase (CAT) values close to the corresponding values of healthy ones. <b>Conclusion:</b> In conclusion, synthetic zeolite exhibits multi-health benefits with promising potentials against STZ-induced diabetes, this behaviour may be attributed to its antioxidant and free radical scavenging mechanisms.

PMID:34842377 | DOI:10.3923/pjbs.2021.1067.1076

Pak J Biol Sci. 2021 Jan;24(10):1077-1083. doi: 10.3923/pjbs.2021.1077.1083.

ABSTRACT

&lt;b&gt;Background and Objective:&lt;/b&gt; Environment pollution and resistance of many pests to the most frequently used chemical insecticides gave the rationale of altering to replace them with natural herbal extracts for pests and vector control. This study investigated the effect of methanolic extract of &lt;i&gt;Annona reticulata&lt;/i&gt; on the mortality and development of larvae of &lt;i&gt;Culex quinquefasciatus&lt;/i&gt;. &lt;b&gt;Materials and Methods:&lt;/b&gt; Methanolic herbal extracts were analyzed using Reverse-Phase High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (RP-HPLC) to identify the phytochemical compounds in them. Ten mosquito larvae were used as replicates and exposed to each of the five concentrations of the plant extract (30, 100, 150, 200 and 250 mg mL&lt;sup&gt;1&lt;/sup&gt;) and ten larvae were exposed to double distilled water and considered as control. &lt;b&gt;Results:&lt;/b&gt; Phytochemical analysis revealed the presence of phenols, steroids, quinones, tannins and saponins. Statistical analysis showed a significant strong correlation and regression between exposure to the different concentrations of the extract and mortality of &lt;i&gt;Culex quinquefasciatus&lt;/i&gt; larvae where R&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt; = 0.982, the Correlation value is 0.991099 (p<0.05). Results also showed that the extracts affect the development of larvae more than mortality. The effect of the extracts on the early larval stages was significantly high compared to the late stages of larvae. &lt;b&gt;Conclusion:&lt;/b&gt; According to our knowledge results of this study has been reported for the first time in Saudi Arabia where &lt;i&gt;Annona reticulata&lt;/i&gt; is neglected regionally and no study approved its efficacy as a botanical herbal extract against mosquitoes.

PMID:34842378 | DOI:10.3923/pjbs.2021.1077.1083

Pediatr Pulmonol. 2021 Nov 29. doi: 10.1002/ppul.25778. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Newborn screening (NBS) for cystic fibrosis (CF) was implemented in our country on January 1st, 2015, based on immunoreactive trypsinogen tests (IRT/IRT). Here, we aimed to evaluate the diagnoses of patients and follow-up process within the first 5 years of NBS from a tertiary care center.

METHODS: This retrospective cohort study was conducted on patients who were admitted to our pediatric pulmonology department for sweat test (ST) via NBS. Patients with CF with negative NBS results and those with CF with positive NBS and joined our follow-up were also investigated. Clinical outcome measures were compared between patients with CF with positive and negative NBS.

RESULTS: Six hundred sixty infants who were referred for ST via NBS were included. Across the entire study population(n=683), 11.4% of patients had CF (14.1% of had negative NBS in this CF group). The sensitivity of NBS was found as 84.9% and the positive predictive value (PPV) was 9.4%. The median age at diagnosis was older (p<0.001), reluctance for feeding and Pseudobartter syndrome (PBS) were significantly higher at presentation in the negative NBS group. There was no statistically significant difference between the groups regarding weight-for-age (p=0.899) and height-for-age (p=0.491) in the first two years’ follow-ups.

CONCLUSIONS: Our findings showed the low sensitivity and PPV of NBS; therefore, further studies based on all patients in our country are necessary for new cut-off values. PBS and reluctance for feeding should be alarm symptoms for CF even if the infants had negative NBS. Additionally, later diagnosis of patients who had negative NBS did not affect the nutritional outcomes; we need large-scale prospective studies to optimize nutritional benefits for all infants diagnosed via NBS. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

PMID:34842364 | DOI:10.1002/ppul.25778

Pediatr Pulmonol. 2021 Nov 29. doi: 10.1002/ppul.25777. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Impaired health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is a common problem in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), but there is limited data on HRQoL in children with PAH. We aimed to investigate the quality of life, determine the potential risk factors for poor HRQoL in children with PAH, and to assess the depression and anxiety of their families.

METHODS: We performed a prospective cross-sectional study of children with PAH, healthy peers, and their parents. HRQoL was measured by the self-reported and age adapted KINDL questionnaire. Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) were used to assess depression and anxiety of parents.

RESULTS: Children with PAH had statistically lower total HRQoL scores than healthy peers (p<0.001). There was no correlation between HRQoL and duration of disease, World Health Organization functional class, pro-b-type natriuretic peptide, 6-minute walk test, combined or single treatment. BDI and HADS scores were significantly higher in the parents of patients (p<0.001, p=0.023, p<0.001, respectively). There was a negative correlation between HRQoL and BDI in patients (p=0.016), while there was no significant correlation between HRQoL and HADS (p>0.05).

CONCLUSION: We demonstrated impairment of HRQoL of children with PAH. In addition, there was a correlation between the depression of the families and the quality of life of the children. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

PMID:34842358 | DOI:10.1002/ppul.25777

Matern Child Nutr. 2021 Nov 29:e13286. doi: 10.1111/mcn.13286. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to assess the robustness of designs and tools used in nutrition social behaviour change communication (NSBCC) interventions and establish their effectiveness. EBSCOhost as an umbrella database including Medline (Ovid) and CINAHL, EMBASE, and ProQUEST databases were searched for peer-reviewed articles from January 1960 to October 2018. Additional sources were searched to identify all relevant studies including grey literature. Studies’ biases were assessed according to Cochrane handbook. Pooled estimate of effectiveness of interventions on infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices and child nutritional status with 95% confidence intervals were measured using random-effects models. Eighty studies were included in this review: Fifty-one (64%) were cluster randomised controlled trials (RCTs), 13 (16%) were RCTs and 16 (20%) quasi-experimental. Of the included studies, 22 (27%) measured early initiation of breastfeeding, 38 (47%) measured exclusive breastfeeding, 29 (36%) measured minimum dietary diversity, 21 (26%) measured minimum meal frequency, 26 (32%) measured height for age z-scores (HAZ), 23 (29%) measured weight for height z-scores (WHZ), 27 (34%) measured weight for age z-scores (WAZ), 20 (25%) measured stunting, 14 (17%) measured wasting, and 11 (14%) measured underweight. The overall intervention’s effect was significant for exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) (odds ratio = 1.73; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.35-2.11, p < 0.001), HAZ (standardized mean differences [SMD] = 0.19; 95% CI: 0.17-0.21; p < 0.001), WHZ (SMD = 0.02; 95% CI: 0.004-0.04; p < 0.001), and WAZ (SMD = 0.04; 95% CI: 0.02-0.06; p < 0.001). Evidence shows the effectiveness of NSBCC in improving EBF and child anthropometric outcomes. Further research should test the impact on child nutritional status with clearly specified and detailed NSBCC interventions.

PMID:34842341 | DOI:10.1111/mcn.13286

Orthod Craniofac Res. 2021 Nov 29. doi: 10.1111/ocr.12542. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To compare the accuracy of cephalometric landmark identification between artificial intelligence (AI) deep learning convolutional neural networks (CNN) You Only Look Once, Version 3 (YOLOv3) algorithm and the manually traced (MT) group.

SETTING AND SAMPLE POPULATION: The American Association of Orthodontists Federation (AAOF) Legacy Denver collection was used to obtain 110 cephalometric images for this study.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Lateral cephalograms were digitized and traced by a calibrated senior orthodontic resident using Dolphin Imaging. The same images were uploaded to AI software Ceppro DDH Inc The Cartesian system of coordinates with Sella as the reference landmark was used to extract x- and y-coordinates for 16 cephalometric points: Nasion (Na), A point, B point, Menton (Me), Gonion (Go), Upper incisor tip, Lower incisor tip, Upper incisor apex, Lower incisor apex, Anterior Nasal Spine (ANS), Posterior Nasal Spine (PNS), Pogonion (Pg), Pterigomaxillary fissure point (Pt), Basion (Ba), Articulare (Art) and Orbitale (Or). The mean distances were assessed relative to the reference value of 2 mm. Student paired t-tests at significance level of P < .05 were used to compare the mean differences in each of the x- and y-components. SPSS (IBM-vs. 27.0) software was used for the data analysis.

RESULTS: There was no statistical difference for 12 out of 16 points when analysing absolute differences between MT and AI groups.

CONCLUSION: AI may increase efficiency without compromising accuracy with cephalometric tracings in routine clinical practice and in research settings.

PMID:34842346 | DOI:10.1111/ocr.12542