Category: Statistics

Zool Stud. 2024 Nov 11;63:e31. doi: 10.6620/ZS.2024.63-31. eCollection 2024.

ABSTRACT

The isotopic discrimination between a mother and her hatchlings has been modelled in various vertebrates, including sea turtles. In addition to the linear relation between δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N isotope values of the mother – hatchling couple, there is missing data on the combined effects of both isotopes, which represent ecological niches of a species. The stable δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N isotope signatures of live hatchlings and their mother’s epidermis tissues were used in green turtles. The samples were taken from three main breeding beaches, Akyatan, Sugözü and Samandağ in Türkiye during the 2020 nesting season. δ¹⁵N and δ¹³C values of hatchlings were not significantly different from those of mothers. Significant relationships were found between hatchlings and their mothers in terms of δ¹³C value. Furthermore, when the hatchling isotopic niche size is known, the condition probabilities of estimating the mother’s isotopic niche size were 85.16% and 92.88% with the 0.95 and 0.99 alpha levels. In addition to showing a linear relationship between hatchlings and their mother’s single isotopic composition, the current study offers a novel insight that proposes a niche overlap concept using two isotopes to comprehend the mother-hatchling relationship of green turtles living in the eastern Mediterranean.

PMID:40704152 | PMC:PMC12284403 | DOI:10.6620/ZS.2024.63-31

Genome Med. 2025 Jul 23;17(1):82. doi: 10.1186/s13073-025-01511-y.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Monocytes are recruited to tumors and undergo transcriptional reprogramming resulting in tumor-promoting functions. Epigenomic features, such as post-translational modification of histones and chromatin accessibility, are key determinants of transcription factor binding and thereby play an important role in controlling transcriptional responses to the tissue environment. It remains unknown whether systemic tumor-associated signals could alter the epigenomic landscape of peripheral monocytes before they reach the tumor, thus shaping their subsequent response to the tumor microenvironment.

METHODS: We used a combination of genome-wide assays for chromatin accessibility and multiple histone modifications (H3K4me1, H3K4me3, H3K27ac) in a mouse tumor model to investigate changes in the epigenomic landscape of peripheral monocytes. We then integrated these epigenomic data with transcriptomic data to link altered regulatory elements to gene expression changes in monocytes occurring in the periphery or during tumor infiltration.

RESULTS: We found that tumor-induced systemic inflammation was associated with transcriptional and epigenomic preconditioning of peripheral monocytes. The distal tumor caused extensive remodeling of both H3K4me3⁺ promoters and H3K4me1⁺ enhancers. Specifically, this involved the repression of interferon-responsive regulatory elements as well as the establishment of enhancers harboring binding motifs for transcription factor families downstream of pro-inflammatory signaling, such as C/EBP, AP-1, and STAT. Reprogrammed enhancers in peripheral monocytes were linked to sustained gene expression changes that persisted after tumor infiltration. In addition, key pro-tumor genes upregulated in tumor-infiltrating monocytes showed epigenetic priming already in the circulation.

CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that cancer-associated remodeling of the epigenomic landscape in peripheral monocytes can shape the gene expression programs they acquire in the tumor, highlighting the role of the epigenome in redirecting monocyte function to support cancer progression.

PMID:40702585 | DOI:10.1186/s13073-025-01511-y

BMC Psychol. 2025 Jul 23;13(1):820. doi: 10.1186/s40359-025-03138-5.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The aggressiveness of college students has attracted widespread attention due to its significant negative impact. Studies had found that subjective socioeconomic status (SSS) can influence individual aggression. However, few studies have explored the essential mechanisms and influencing factors behind. Thus, this study explores the relationship between SSS and aggression, also the roles of attributions for wealth and poverty and social mobility beliefs within this context.

METHODS: Study 1 manipulated the SSS of 270 participants (130 in the high SSS group, 140 in the low SSS group) experimentally to explore the mediating role of attributions for wealth and poverty on the impact of SSS on aggression. Study 2 manipulated the social mobility beliefs of another 270 participants (139 in high social mobility beliefs group, 131 in the low social mobility beliefs group) to examine the moderating effects of these beliefs. This study conducted descriptive statistical analysis, Pearson correlation analysis, mediation model test, and moderated mediation analysis on the obtained data using SPSS 20.0 and PROCESS v4.0.

RESULTS: (1) SSS significantly negatively predicted aggression (β = -0.37, t(268) = -2.75, p < 0.01). Attributions for wealth and poverty plays a mediating role in it, with a mediating effect value of -0.10, and the mediating effect accounts for 27.03% of the total effect. (2) Social mobility beliefs in SSS and attributions for wealth and poverty (β = 0.30, t(268) = 2.72, p < 0.01) and between SSS and aggressive (β = -0.25, t(268) = -2.11, p < 0.05) were the significant adjustment.

CONCLUSION: SSS can directly affect college students’ aggression and can also indirectly affect aggression through the mediating effect of attributions for wealth and poverty. The improvement of social mobility beliefs promotes college students’ attributions for wealth and poverty internally, thereby reducing their aggressiveness. These findings not only enrich the research on SSS and aggression, providing new insights for understanding the relationship between socioeconomic status differences and aggression, but also suggest that policymakers, school psychological service providers and school teachers need to pay attention to the social mobility beliefs of college students, create a fairer social environment and encourage them to view personal development with a more positive perspective.

PMID:40702583 | DOI:10.1186/s40359-025-03138-5

Ital J Pediatr. 2025 Jul 23;51(1):241. doi: 10.1186/s13052-025-02065-w.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: We evaluated the effects of environmental factors on the occurrence and regression of coronary artery lesions (CAL) in patients with Kawasaki disease (KD), intending to provide a scientific basis for the prevention, treatment, and long-term management of KD.

METHODS: We enrolled pediatric patients with KD hospitalized in the Pediatric Cardiovascular Department of a tertiary comprehensive hospital between June 2015 and December 2020 as research subjects. The medical record information of the children during hospitalization and follow-up was obtained by reviewing the hospital’s electronic medical record system. The air pollutants including CO, NO₂, PM₁₀, PM_2.5, SO₂ and O₃ were collected from the National Urban Air Quality Real-time Release Platform of the China National Environmental Monitoring Centre. The meteorological data were sourced from the China Meteorological Data Network, including the daily average temperature and the daily average relative humidity. We assessed the individual and combined effects of air pollutants and meteorological factors on CAL by Unconditional logistic regression and Bayesian kernel regression, respectively, and to explore their dose-response relationships. We estimated the overall time to regression of CAL by Kaplan-Meier, assessed the effects of air pollutants and meteorological factors on the regression of CAL by Cox proportional risk regression model, and evaluated the dose-response relationship by restricted cubic spline.

RESULTS: The OR for CAL formation in children with KD was 1.267 (95% CI: 1.060-1.514) for every 10 µg/m³ increase in SO₂ concentration, and the risk of CAL formation gradually increased with increasing SO₂ concentration (P_overall=0.027, P_nonlinear=0.329). The HR for regression of CAL in KD children was 0.387 (95% CI: 0.174-0.861) for each 1mg/m³ increase in CO concentration, and the likelihood of CAL regression gradually decreased with increasing air CO concentration (P_overall=0.030, P_nonlinear=0.182).

CONCLUSION: Atmospheric SO₂ exposure was significantly associated with CAL occurrence in children with KD in this study, and there is a dose-response relationship. Atmospheric CO exposure was an independent risk factor preventing CAL regression in children with KD, and there was a dose-response relationship between atmospheric CO concentration and CAL regression. These findings indicate that relevant departments should take measures to strengthen the monitoring and control of environmental factors.

PMID:40702574 | DOI:10.1186/s13052-025-02065-w

Nutr Metab (Lond). 2025 Jul 23;22(1):80. doi: 10.1186/s12986-025-00977-2.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Hyperuricemia and gout have garnered increasing attention as significant health concerns in recent years, often associated with damage to multiple bodily systems. Consequently, the reduction of uric acid levels has become particularly crucial. The utilization of dietary supplements presents potential adjunctive treatment options for individuals with gout. Certain dietary supplements are purported to aid in the reduction of uric acid levels and are highly preferred by patients due to their affordability, ease of use, and accessibility. The aim of this article was to compare the efficacy and safety of dietary supplements in modulating uric acid, oxidative stress, and lipid metabolism in patients with hyperuricemia or gout, using a comprehensive network meta-analysis (NMA) approach.

METHODOLOGY: A comprehensive search was performed across both Chinese and English databases to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) examining the efficacy of dietary supplements in reducing uric acid levels. Network meta-analysis was conducted using Stata 16.0 software, while RevMan 5.3 software was employed to assess the quality of the literature and evaluate the risk of bias.

RESULT: A total of 30 RCTs, encompassing 44,972 patients, were conducted. The findings of the study indicated that folic acid (mean difference [MD] = -57.62 μmol/L, 95% confidence interval [CI] [-107.14, -8.1]) and probiotics (MD = -42.52 μmol/L, 95% CI [-81.95, -3.09]) significantly reduced uric acid levels compared to conventional therapy. Furthermore, Vitamin C (MD = -0.92 nmmol/ml, 95% CI [-1.54, -0.31]) and Vitamin E (MD = -1.05 nmmol/ml, 95% CI [-2.01, -0.1]) were effective in reducing oxidative stress-related malondialdehyde (MDA) levels. In terms of lipid metabolism improvement, DKB114 (MD = -0.45 mmol/L, 95% CI [-0.9, -0.001]) and curcumin (MD = -0.54 mmol/L, 95% CI [-0.89, -0.18]) demonstrated statistically significant reductions in low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels. Analysis of subgroups revealed that administration of 500 mg of vitamin C resulted in a significant reduce in uric acid levels when compared to conventional treatment (MD = – 21.67 μmol/L, 95% CI [- 43.01, – 0.33]), indicating statistically significant differences. The safety profile of all dietary supplements has generally been demonstrated to be favorable.

CONCLUSION: Dietary supplements hold significant potential for managing gout and hyperuricemia, as well as improving patients’ metabolic status. Future research should focus on larger-scale studies to further explore these findings.

PMID:40702568 | DOI:10.1186/s12986-025-00977-2

Anim Microbiome. 2025 Jul 23;7(1):78. doi: 10.1186/s42523-025-00447-3.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The combination of meglumine antimoniate and allopurinol is considered one of the most effective treatments for canine leishmaniosis caused by Leishmania infantum. This study investigated the effects of this treatment on the gut microbiome of 10 dogs from Spain, Portugal, and Italy via fecal shotgun metagenomic sequencing over six months.

METHODS: Dogs were sampled at baseline (BL), after one month of combined treatment with meglumine antimoniate and allopurinol (M1) and after six months of allopurinol treatment (M6). Fecal samples had their total DNA extracted and sequenced by Illumina sequencing. Posteriorly, a microbiome analysis was conducted to analyze bacterial abundance, diversity and enrichment.

RESULTS: The gut microbiome of Leishmania-infected dogs (BL) is dominated by Prevotella, Collinsella, Bacteroides, and Blautia, with individual variability being the primary determinant of microbiome composition. No significant changes in alpha diversity (Shannon index, gene number) or beta diversity (Bray-Curtis dissimilarity, UniFrac distance) were detected between pre- and post-treatment time points, suggesting that treatment with meglumine antimoniate and allopurinol does not disrupt the gut microbiota. Minor trends in taxonomic shifts were noted, with slight increases in Bifidobacterium pseudocantenulatum, Collinsella tanakaei, and Slackia piriformis after treatment, but these changes were not statistically significant after correction for multiple testing. Linear discriminant analysis and multivariable modeling confirmed that the microbial community structure was resilient to treatment effects. Individual-specific microbiome differences in diversity accounted for 52% of the observed variability, underscoring the personalized nature of the gut microbiota in dogs. Importantly, no adverse microbiome disruptions were detected, even with prolonged allopurinol use.

CONCLUSIONS: This study highlights the robustness of the canine gut microbiome during antileishmanial therapy and highlights the use of meglumine antimoniate and allopurinol without compromising gut microbial diversity or health. Further studies with larger cohorts are recommended to confirm these findings and explore the functional roles of the gut microbiota in modulating immune responses in Leishmania-infected dogs.

PMID:40702553 | DOI:10.1186/s42523-025-00447-3

Genome Biol. 2025 Jul 23;26(1):219. doi: 10.1186/s13059-025-03682-8.

ABSTRACT

Biological insights often depend on comparing conditions such as disease and health. Yet, we lack effective computational tools for integrating single-cell genomics data across conditions or characterizing transitions from normal to deviant cell states. Here, we present Decipher, a deep generative model that characterizes derailed cell-state trajectories. Decipher jointly models and visualizes gene expression and cell state from normal and perturbed single-cell RNA-seq data, revealing shared and disrupted dynamics. We demonstrate its superior performance across diverse contexts, including in pancreatitis with oncogene mutation, acute myeloid leukemia, and gastric cancer.

PMID:40702544 | DOI:10.1186/s13059-025-03682-8

BMC Med Educ. 2025 Jul 23;25(1):1100. doi: 10.1186/s12909-025-07485-0.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Pelvic Anatomy is an integral part of the educational objectives in Obstetrics and Gynecology (OBGYN) residency. As a surgical subspecialty, mastering pelvic anatomy is imperative in performing successful surgical procedures, reducing surgical complications, and improving surgical outcomes. The objective of this study was to conduct a national survey to examine the OBGYN resident perspective on their residency’s pelvic anatomy curriculum.

METHODS: After Institutional Review Board at the Mount Sinai Hospital approval, an 18-question survey was distributed to all 241 ACGME program coordinators to distribute to their residents. The survey was circulated electronically using SurveyMonkey tool and on four different dates including: 11/18/2021, 2/24/2022, 4/11/22, and 5/2/22. All demographic information, training environment and perspective on pelvic anatomy was collected anonymous through the survey. All statistical analysis was done using SPSS 2.0.

RESULTS: Out of 241 programs, we received responses from 28 programs with a total of 582 possible residents in their respective programs. A total of 180 residents responded to our survey which is a 31.0% response rate. Out of all the residents, 46 (25.84%) were PGY1, 40 (22.47%) were PGY2, 43 (24.16%) were PGY3 and 49 (27.53%) were PGY4. The majority of residents, 172 (95.5%), were between the ages 25-34, and 155 (86.1%) identified as female. The majority, 125 (69.4%), of residency programs were considered academic and 99 (55.0%) of the respondents considered the location of their residency as urban. All ACOG districts were represented in our survey. Throughout their residency training, 104 (58.10%) residents experienced formal education on pelvic anatomy in their residency and 75 (41.90%) did not. In terms of surgical curriculum, 138 (77.53%) participated in a formal surgical simulation curriculum and 40 (22.47%) did not. There were 159 (88.83%) who had protected lecture time that focused on pelvic surgical anatomy, but only 100 (62.9%) residents felt that these lectures were helpful for their education. When residents were asked if they felt that their OBGYN program should have formal time in an anatomy lab from a scale of 1-10, the average answer was 7.5. When the residents were asked if they felt that formal training in anatomy lab would help them become a better surgeon, the average answer was 9.0. For our primary outcome, when ranking their own program from a scale of 1-10, residents felt that their program trained them in all aspects of OBGYN on average of an 8. On multivariable analysis, residents who had formal education on pelvic anatomy as well as those residents who had a surgical simulation curriculum as part of their OBGYN residency felt that their residency program was more likely to adequately train them in all aspects of OBGYN (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS: Pelvic anatomy education is an important topic for residents during their OBGYN training. Only 60% of programs have a formal pelvic anatomy curriculum and 89% had formal lectures on pelvic anatomy, with majority of residents finding pelvic anatomy lectures to be unhelpful for their education. Residency programs should consider adding hands-on, formal anatomy education to their curriculum to adequately train their residents in the field of OBGYN.

PMID:40702535 | DOI:10.1186/s12909-025-07485-0

BMC Psychol. 2025 Jul 23;13(1):821. doi: 10.1186/s40359-025-03173-2.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to explore the mediating role of sport commitment in the relationships between basic psychological needs, exercise motivation, social support, and college students’ sports participation, providing both theoretical and practical empirical support for enhancing sports participation among college students.

METHODS: This study employed a random sampling method to conduct an online survey with 653 students from three universities in Anhui province, assessing the factors that influence their sports participation. The questionnaire included the Basic Needs Satisfaction Scale, Sports Motivation Scale, Perceived Social Support Scale, Sport Commitment Scale, and Sports Participation Scale. Data analysis was performed using SPSS Statistics 27 software and Model 4 in the PROCESS 4.0 plugin to explore the mediating role of sport commitment in the relationships between basic psychological needs, exercise motivation, social support, and sports participation.

RESULTS: Basic psychological needs, exercise motivation, and social support all significantly and positively influence sports participation, and indirectly promote the level of sports participation among college students by enhancing their sport commitment.

CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS: This study reveals the positive impact of basic psychological needs, exercise motivation, and social support on college students’ sports participation and clarifies the mediating role of sport commitment in this process. The findings suggest that enhancing sport commitment can effectively increase college students’ level of sports participation. Therefore, universities should focus on fulfilling students’ basic psychological needs, stimulating exercise motivation, and providing social support to strengthen their sport commitment, thereby promoting sports participation.

PMID:40702522 | DOI:10.1186/s40359-025-03173-2

J Health Popul Nutr. 2025 Jul 23;44(1):264. doi: 10.1186/s41043-025-00873-8.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Food insecurity is a global public health problem characterised by the inability of individuals and households to regularly access sufficient, safe and nutritious food. The objective of this study was to investigate the reliability and validity and reliability of the Turkish adaptation of Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES) in the adult population.

METHODS: A total of 536 individuals (357 females, 179 males) with an average age of 30.1 ± 10.2 years were involved. Questionnaire consisted of two sections including socio-demographic characteristics and FIES. For the adaptation of the scale to Turkish, the translation-back translation method was employed, involving expert translators for both English-to-Turkish and Turkish-to-English translations. The validation process included confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to assess the model fit. Data were analyzed using fit indices, descriptive statistics, and CFA for model validation.

RESULTS: The Cronbach’s alpha for the FIES was 0.85, indicating good reliability. In the fit index results, excellent fit was obtained for all indices ​​except the SRMR value, which showed a good fit. The outcomes of the excellence of fit indices were as follows: CMIN/df = 1.261, AFGI = 0.985, GFI = 0.991, IFI = 0.995, CFI = 0.995, RMSEA = 0.031, SRMR = 0.069.

CONCLUSIONS: These results show that Turkish version of FIES has structural validity and reliability, internal consistency, and construct validity and reliability in assessing food insecurity in Turkish adult population. The strong psychometric properties of the scale suggest that it can be used in research and policy development processes related to food insecurity. Future studies can further strengthen the findings by evaluating the applicability of the FIES across different socioeconomic groups.

CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER: Not applicable.

PMID:40702520 | DOI:10.1186/s41043-025-00873-8