Category: Statistics

Birth Defects Res. 2026 Apr;118(4):e70032. doi: 10.1002/bdr2.70032.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Small intestinal atresia (SIA) consists of a congenital obstruction of the lumen of the duodenum, jejunum, or ileum with varying severity. The aim of the investigation was to analyze the prevalence and mortality of SIA, using data from the International Clearinghouse for Birth Defects Surveillance and Research (ICBDSR).

METHODS: Data on SIA cases were collected from 25 ICBDSR members’ surveillance programs in 17 countries over 1974-2015. All pregnancy outcomes were included, but terminations of pregnancy were not available for 11 programs. Statistical analysis is descriptive, and the prevalence is established by the total of SIA cases divided by the total of births. The survival time was calculated, and mortality was analyzed individually using the Kaplan-Meier method for comparison.

RESULTS: The total prevalence of SIA was 2.1 per 10,000 births. Iran had the highest prevalence with 11.5 per 10,000 total births (95% CI: 9-14.1); on the other hand, the lowest prevalence of SIA was in Mexico-Nuevo Leon with 0.5 per 10,000 births (95% CI: 0.3-0.8), and Cali-Colombia had zero cases. In South America, a higher prevalence of SIA was estimated compared to what was reported in 2000. Most deaths occurred between Day 2 and 6, except in Bogotá-Colombia, Spain, UK-Wales, and Mexico, where the deaths occurred on Day 1. The mortality in the first year was 4.3%, but the specific causes of death were not determined in this study.

CONCLUSION: The prevalence of SIA was about 2.1 per 10,000 births during a 41-year period in 25 centers, with variations in prevalence according to geographical locations. Future research is suggested to analyze changes in trends and the impact of early diagnosis and treatment in mortality.

PMID:42007667 | DOI:10.1002/bdr2.70032

Vet Radiol Ultrasound. 2026 May;67(3):e70175. doi: 10.1111/vru.70175.

ABSTRACT

Portal vein velocity (PVV) is a useful indirect indicator of portal pressure. Reference values for PVV have been previously established in healthy, non-sedated dogs with reported ranges of 14.7 ± 2.5 and 18.1 ± 7.6 cm/s. PVV may be influenced by physiological and pathological factors; for example, a correlation between body weight and PVV has been documented; however, the effect of other factors is unknown. The primary aims of this prospective comparative study were to investigate the effect of standardized intravenous sedation protocol of medetomidine (2-3 µg/kg) and butorphanol (0.3 mg/kg) on PVV and to determine whether post-sedation PVV results would fall below the portal hypertension threshold of 10 cm/s. Six triplex-Doppler PVV measurements were obtained pre- and post-sedation on 15 client-owned dogs undergoing abdominal ultrasonography for conditions unrelated to primary liver disease. The mean PVV pre-sedation was 14.9 ± 3.98 cm/s and 3-min post-sedation was 10.4 ± 3.73 cm/s, representing a statistically significant reduction in PVV (p < 0.001). The mean PVV was below 10 cm/s in 3/15 (20%) dogs pre-sedation and below 10 cm/s in 9/15 (60%) dogs post-sedation. There was no effect of age, sex, or weight on PVV before and/or after sedation. Sedation with medetomidine and butorphanol caused a significant reduction in PVV at 3-min post-administration. This finding should be considered when evaluating hepatic and portal hemodynamics in dogs, as 60% (9/15) of the sedated cases with presumed normal hepatic function exhibited post-sedation PVV at levels seen with portal hypertension.

PMID:42007642 | DOI:10.1111/vru.70175

Semin Cardiothorac Vasc Anesth. 2026 Apr 20:10892532261446150. doi: 10.1177/10892532261446150. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

The t-test is a mainstay statistical test that allows researchers to use the observed averages (arithmetic means) of data samples to draw evidence-supported conclusions about the corresponding averages in the populations they represent. This article serves as an introduction to this common and useful technique for clinicians with a limited statistical background, who seek to deepen their understanding of the t-test, its reasoning, and its implications in clinical research. We describe the three basic forms of the t-test, its applications and alternatives, and some related concepts while avoiding technical concepts and jargon as much as possible.

PMID:42007607 | DOI:10.1177/10892532261446150

Mutagenesis. 2026 Apr 20:geag017. doi: 10.1093/mutage/geag017. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are the leading cause of death globally, posing a major public health challenge due to their increasing prevalence and complex etiology. Natural products from medicinal mushrooms have gained attention for their cardioprotective properties. To evaluate whether the aqueous extract of Lenzites betulinus can protect mononuclear cells of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and heart failure (HF) patients from therapy-induced DNA damage and to determine its polyphenolic composition. The study included 30 healthy controls, 30 ACS and 30 HF patients. The genoprotective potential of aqueous mushroom extract at concentrations of 50, 100, 150, and 200 mg/mL was examined in vitro using the comet assay on human blood mononuclear cells. Total phenolic and flavonoid contents were determined spectrophotometrically, while polyphenolic profiling was performed using UHPLC-DAD-MS/MS. The mean level of DNA damage in treated cell cultures from healthy donors increased in a concentration-dependent manner compared with the negative control, but without statistical significance. The extract significantly reduced therapy-induced level of DNA damage in mononuclear cells of ACS and HF patients (p < 0.0005). DNA damage level was significantly higher in HF patients. In ACS patients, %DNA damage was significantly reduced at the three highest concentrations, while genetic damage index (GDI) decreased at all concentrations. In HF patients, %DNA damage decreased at the two highest concentrations, and GDI at all except the lowest. Phytochemical analysis revealed high levels of phenolics and flavonoids, with chlorogenic acid and quercetin as dominant compounds. L. betulinus possesses significant nutritional and functional value. Its rich phytochemical profile likely underlies its chemoprotective effects against therapy-induced DNA damage, suggesting potential as a natural agent for genome stability support in CVD patients.

PMID:42007559 | DOI:10.1093/mutage/geag017

J Chem Theory Comput. 2026 Apr 20. doi: 10.1021/acs.jctc.6c00418. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

While recent advances in AI have transformed protein structure prediction, protein function is also strongly influenced by the thermodynamic and kinetic features encoded in its underlying free-energy surface. Here, we propose a framework to rationally reshape this landscape in order to control conformational transition rates, built on the Collective Variables for Free Energy Surface Tailoring (CV-FEST) framework, and validate it on point mutations of the miniprotein Chignolin. The framework relies on Harmonic Linear Discriminant Analysis (HLDA)-based collective variables (CVs) constructed from short molecular dynamics trajectories confined to metastable basins, requiring only limited sampling within each basin. Notably, the HLDA CV derived solely from the wild-type system already provides residue-level scores that predict whether mutations at specific positions are likely to accelerate or slow unfolding transitions. Furthermore, we find that the leading HLDA eigenvalue associated with the derived CV, a quantitative measure of the one-dimensional statistical separation between folded and unfolded ensembles, is significantly correlated with transition rates across mutations. Together, these results suggest that kinetic effects of point mutations can be inferred from minimal local sampling, providing a practical route for guiding the engineering of transition rates without exhaustive simulations or large training data sets.

PMID:42007551 | DOI:10.1021/acs.jctc.6c00418

Clin Oral Implants Res. 2026 Apr 20. doi: 10.1111/clr.70130. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: This laboratory study investigated the effect of two different retentive heights of Ti-base abutments (3.5 and 5.5 mm) and crown heights (13 and 16 mm) on the load at failure and survival of monolithic zirconia implant-supported crowns replacing a maxillary central incisor.

MATERIALS AND METHOD: Forty implant-supported crowns were divided into four groups (n = 10 each): short crown/long abutment (SCLA), short crown/short abutment (SCSA), long crown/long abutment (LCLA), and long crown/short abutment (LCSA). Specimens underwent thermal cycling and incremental mechanical cyclic loading starting at 450 N increasing by 50 N until failure. Load and cycles at failure, Weibull analysis, mode of failure, and fractographic assessments were performed.

RESULTS: Mean load at failure was highest for the SCSA group (536.9 N ± 78.4 N), then SCLA (493.4 ± 53.2 N) and LCLA (491.3 ± 40.7 N), and lowest for the LCSA group (453.7 N ± 2.8 N). The differences were statistically significant (p = 0.035). Cycles at failure showed significant differences among groups (p < 0.001), with SCSA demonstrating the greatest cycles at failure (72,492 ± 44,551 cycles), then SCLA (43,630 ± 27,579 cycles) and LCLA (37,706 ± 18,826 cycles), and LCSA the lowest (8399 ± 7308 cycles). Short crowns showed abutment/screw fractures, while longer crowns had more crown fractures.

CONCLUSION: Crown height significantly influenced load at failure and survival, with shorter crowns performing better. The retentive height of the Ti-base abutment had less impact; however, shorter abutments provided better mechanical performance when paired with shorter crowns, suggesting careful consideration for anterior restorations.

PMID:42007538 | DOI:10.1111/clr.70130

J Comput Chem. 2026 Apr 30;47(11):e70380. doi: 10.1002/jcc.70380.

ABSTRACT

In molecular research, comprehending the microscopic source of the macroscopic characteristics of polar aprotic solvents continues to be a significant difficulty. In order to bridge the gap between cluster-scale interactions and liquid acetone properties, we present a thorough quantum-chemical and statistical modeling of neutral acetone clusters in this work. The ABCluster algorithm was used to thoroughly explore the potential energy surface. High-level density functional theory calculations at the MN12SX-D3/def2-TZVP level were then performed, benchmarked against DLPNO-CCSD(T)/CBS reference energies. A thorough Quantum Theory of Atoms in Molecules (QTAIM) analysis of the nature and hierarchy of intermolecular interactions revealed a cooperative network dominated by dipole-dipole O⋯C and O⋯O interactions, supplemented by numerous weak C-H⋯O, H⋯C, and H⋯H dispersive contacts. The application of the QCE theory predicts a distribution dominated by trimers at low temperatures (T< 200 K), leading to a predominance of monomers above 260-280 K, reflecting the subtle equilibrium between electrostatic stabilization and entropic effects. The model reproduces experimental thermodynamic properties, such as the thermal capacity (Cp) between 200 and 375 K and infrared spectra at 300 K, with the calculated band of elongation C=O (1710 cm^-1) being just 5 cm^-1 from the experimental value (1715 cm^-1). The thermodynamic properties and infrared spectrum of liquid acetone predicted by QCE show excellent agreement with experimental data, thus validating the integrated DFT-QTAIM-QCE approach. This work provides the first complete QCE characterization of pure liquid acetone, demonstrating that its macroscopic properties emerge from a dynamic equilibrium of small, weakly-bound clusters rather than extended hydrogen-bonded networks, and establishes a validated computational framework for predicting liquid-phase properties from ab initio cluster data.

PMID:42007531 | DOI:10.1002/jcc.70380

Phys Occup Ther Pediatr. 2026 Apr 20:1-14. doi: 10.1080/01942638.2026.2660349. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

AIMS: This study aims to evaluate the immediate clinical effect of kinesiotaping in treatment of children with Legg-Calvé-Perthes Disease (LCPD).

METHODS: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial was conducted with 30 participants, ages 6 to 15, who were randomly assigned to either the kinesiotaping or sham taping group. All participants were assessed before and 30 min after the intervention. Primary outcomes included activity-related hip pain measured by a visual analogue scale, pain-limited goniometric range of motion of the affected hip, and maximal isometric force of gluteus medius muscle. Secondary outcomes encompassed functional performance (10-meter walking test and 10-step climbing test durations) and balance (one-leg stance and tandem walk test durations).

RESULTS: Both groups demonstrated significant within-group improvements in activity-related pain, pain-limited range of motion, maximal isometric force, tandem walking test, and 10-meter walking performance (p < 0.05). Improvement in the 10-step climbing test was observed only in the kinesiotaping group. However, no statistically significant between-group differences were detected for any outcome (p > 0.05).

CONCLUSION: Kinesiotaping did not demonstrate superiority over sham taping in children with LCPD. The observed improvements are therefore likely attributable to placebo or nonspecific contextual effects rather than to the taping itself.

PMID:42007529 | DOI:10.1080/01942638.2026.2660349

Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2026 Apr 2;16:1639188. doi: 10.3389/fendo.2025.1639188. eCollection 2025.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To compare the cycle of initial twin pregnancy with vanishing twin syndrome (VTS), the cycle of initial twin pregnancy after surgical reduction, and the live birth outcome of initial singleton pregnancy. To provide clinical evidence for confirming that vanishing twin syndrome (VTS) and surgical reduction may affect obstetric and perinatal outcomes.

METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted on patients diagnosed with MFPR and VTS at the Reproductive Medicine Hospital of the First Hospital of Lanzhou University from January 2017 to December 2021. A total of 1,796 singleton patients were ultimately included, comprising 271 patients with naturally reduced twin pregnancies, 84 patients with surgically reduced twin pregnancies, and 1,441 patients with singleton pregnancies after IVF/ICSI-assisted conception. A comparison was made on the clinical characteristics and pregnancy outcomes of the three groups.

RESULTS: The rates of preterm birth and low birth weight in the MFPR group were significantly higher than those in the VTS group and the control group (P < 0.05). The miscarriage rate in the MFPR group was significantly higher than that in the VTS group (P < 0.05), but there was no statistically significant difference compared with the control group (P > 0.05). In contrast, the VTS group showed comparable gestational age and birth weight to the control group, with an even lower miscarriage rate. Within the MFPR cohort, Monochorionic diamniotic twin pregnancy (MDT) pregnancies had a higher risk of miscarriage than Dichorionic diamniotic twin pregnancy (DDT) pregnancies (P<0.05). ROC analysis indicated that serum β-hCG levels on day 14 post-transfer had value in distinguishing VTS from initial singletons (AUC = 0.75), with a cutoff of 837 mIU/ml.

CONCLUSIONS: The VTS population may have better pregnancy outcomes than the MFPR population and the β-hCG level has certain clinical application value. At the same time, the MFPR in DDT pregnancy is more challenging than that in MDT pregnancy.

PMID:42007464 | PMC:PMC13082931 | DOI:10.3389/fendo.2025.1639188

Vet Evid. 2023 Sep 15;8(3):vetevid-8-3-666. doi: 10.18849/ve.v8i3.666. eCollection 2023 Jul-Sep.

ABSTRACT

PICO QUESTION: In symptomatic cats with feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV), does high-dose subcutaneous recombinant feline interferon-omega (rFeIFN-ω) administration lead to reduced clinical signs compared to cats who were not administered rFeIFN-ω?

CATEGORY OF RESEARCH: Treatment.

NUMBER AND TYPE OF STUDY DESIGNS REVIEWED: Three studies were critically reviewed, including one randomised controlled trial, one non-randomised controlled trial, and one uncontrolled clinical trial.

STRENGTH OF EVIDENCE: Weak.

OUTCOMES REPORTED: Each of the studies reported that rFeIFN-ω administration significantly reduced clinical signs in FIV infected cats. However, all three papers have limitations in their study design and statistical analysis which lower the strength of the evidence they provide.

CONCLUSION: There is only weak evidence demonstrating that rFeIFN-ω administration leads to reduced clinical signs in FIV positive cats. Currently, there is a lack of well-designed, double-blinded, randomised, placebo-controlled clinical trials which have an adequate sample size and specifically focus on FIV positive cats. As a result, more robust evidence is needed to prove the definitive therapeutic benefit of rFeIFN-ω in symptomatic FIV patients. Treatment with rFeIFN-ω may still be considered by clinicians for cats with clinical signs potentially associated with retroviral infection, such as oral lesions and stomatitis, particularly if they are not responding well to supportive therapy alone.

PMID:42007441 | PMC:PMC13011114 | DOI:10.18849/ve.v8i3.666