Category: Statistics

PLoS One. 2022 Feb 28;17(2):e0264698. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0264698. eCollection 2022.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: The disease burden and mortality related to Non-communicable Diseases (NCD) increased in the last couple of decades in Ethiopia. As a result, an estimated 300,000 deaths per annum were due to NCD. According to a World Health Organization report, 39% of the total deaths in Ethiopia were attributable to NCD. Rapid urbanization characterized by unhealthy lifestyles such as tobacco and/or alcohol use, physical inactivity, low fruits and vegetable consumption, and overweight drive the rising burden of NCD. However, studies on risk factors for NCD and associated variables are limited among working adults in Eastern Ethiopia. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the magnitude of the risk factors of NCD and associated factors among working adults in Eastern Ethiopia.

METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out among 1,200 working adults in Eastern Ethiopia that were selected using a simple random sampling technique from December 2018 to February 2019. Data were collected following the World Health Organization Stepwise Approach to NCD Risk Factor Surveillance (WHO STEP) instruments translated into the local language. A total of five risk factors were included in the study. The Negative Binomial Regression Model was used to determine the association between NCD risk factor scores and other independent variables. Adjusted incidence rate ratio (AIRR) with a 95% Confidence Interval (CI) was used to report the findings while the association was declared significant at a p-value of less than 0.05. STATA version 16.1 was used for data clearing, validating and statistical analysis.

RESULTS: Totally, 1,164 (97% response rate) participants were employed for analysis. Overall, 95.8% (95% CI: 94.4-96.7%) of the participants had at least one of the five risk factors of NCD. Furthermore, the proportion of participants that had all NCD risk factors was 0.3%. Among the participants, 47.5% were alcohol drinkers, 5.1% were current smokers, 35.5% were overweight, 49.1% exercise low physical activity, and 95% had less than five portions of fruits and vegetables intake per day. Higher risk factor scores were associated with those of advanced age (AIRR = 1.24; 95% CI: 1.01-1.53 in 35-44 age group and AIRR = 1.28; 95% CI: 1.01-1.62 in 45-54 age group), and the ones who are higher educational level (AIRR = 1.23; 95% CI: 1.07-1.43 for those who have completed secondary school and AIRR = 1.29; 95% CI: 1.11-1.50 for those who have completed college education).

CONCLUSION: The overwhelming majority (95.8%) of the participants had at least one risk factor for non-communicable diseases. The risk score of non-communicable diseases was higher among those with advanced age and who completed secondary and above levels of education. In a nutshell, the finding shows the need for lifestyle modification and comprehensive non-communicable diseases prevention programs for working adults in Eastern Ethiopia.

PMID:35226698 | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0264698

PLoS One. 2022 Feb 28;17(2):e0264512. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0264512. eCollection 2022.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Women with Severe Mental Illness (SMI) may have more complex pregnancies and pregnancy outcomes that require different care and management, but this has not been extensively studied. The aim of this study was to explore associations between SMI and adverse maternal and infant outcomes in the state of Victoria, Australia.

METHODS: Our sample included all reported live singleton births in Victoria 2009-2016 (N = 595 792). Associations between SMI and adverse pregnancy outcomes were explored using Odds Ratios (OR), adjusted for sociodemographic and lifestyle factors, and co-morbidities, including any other mental illness.

RESULTS: Of all singleton births, 2046 (0.34%) were to a mother diagnosed with a SMI. We found evidence of an association between SMI and a range of adverse maternal and infant outcomes. Compared to women without SMI, women with a SMI had higher adjusted odds of being admitted to a High Dependency Unit or Intensive Care Unit (aOR 1.83, 1.37-2.43), having gestational diabetes mellitus (1.57, 1.34-1.84), undergoing an unplanned caesarean section (1.17, 1.02-1.33), induction of labour (1.17, 1.05-1.30) and postpartum haemorrhage (1.15, 1.03-1.29). Newborns of women with SMI had higher adjusted odds of being admitted to Special Care Nursery (aOR 1.61, 1.43-1.80), a low Apgar score at 5 minutes (1.50, 1.19-1.90), preterm birth (1.40, 1.20-1.63), and low birthweight (1.26, 1.06-1.49).

CONCLUSION: Women with SMI are at higher risk for a range of adverse maternal and infant outcomes and are a population that may benefit from targeted early identification and enhanced antenatal care.

PMID:35226688 | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0264512

PLoS One. 2022 Feb 28;17(2):e0264591. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0264591. eCollection 2022.

ABSTRACT

The prevalence and molecular characteristics of Bartonella infections in small rodents in the Zhongtiao Mountain, China have been explored. In this study, the liver, spleen and kidney tissues of captured rodents were used for Bartonella spp. detection and identification by combination of real-time PCR of transfer-mRNA (ssrA) gene and traditional PCR and sequencing of citrate synthase (gltA) gene. It was shown that 49.52% of the rodents (52/105) were positive for Bartonella spp.. The infection rate in different gender (χ2 = 0.079, P = 0.778) and tissues (χ2 = 0.233, P = 0.890) of small rodents did not have statistical difference, but that in different small rodents (Fisher’s exact test, P < 0.001) and habitats (χ2 = 5.483, P = 0.019) had statistical difference. And, the sequencing data suggests that Bartonella sequences (n = 31) were identified into three species, including 14 of B. grahamii, 3 of B. queenslandensis and 14 of unknown Bartonella species. Phylogenetic analysis showed that B. grahamii sequences were clustered with the isolates from South Korea and China, and B. queenslandensis sequences were mainly closely related to the isolates from China and Thailand. The genetic diversity analysis showed that B. grahamii and B. queenslandensis sequences exhibited noticeable intraspecies diversity. Taken together our data demonstrates the high prevalence and genetic diversity of Bartonella infections in small rodents in the Zhongtiao Mountain, especially a potential novel Bartonella specie was detected, which could benefit the prevention and control of rodent-Bartonella species in this area.

PMID:35226692 | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0264591

PLoS One. 2022 Feb 28;17(2):e0264022. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0264022. eCollection 2022.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The international use of and interest in veterinary naturopathy and complementary medicine are increasing. There are diverse modes of treatment, and owners seem to be well informed. However, there is a lack of data that describes the state of naturopathic or complementary veterinary medicine in Germany. This study aims to address the issue by mapping the currently used treatment modalities, indications, existing qualifications, and information pathways. In order to map the ongoing controversy, this study records the advantages and disadvantages of these medicines as experienced by veterinarians. Demographic influences are investigated to describe distributional impacts on using veterinary naturopathy and complementary medicine.

METHODS: A standardised questionnaire was used for the cross-sectional survey. It was distributed throughout Germany in a written and digital format from September 2016 to January 2018. Because of the open nature of data collection, the return rate of questionnaires could not be calculated. To establish a feasible timeframe, active data collection stopped when the previously calculated limit of 1061 questionnaires was reached. With the included incoming questionnaires of that day a total of 1087 questionnaires were collected. Completely blank questionnaires and those where participants did not meet the inclusion criteria (were not included, leaving 870 out of 1087 questionnaires to be evaluated. A literature review and the first test run of the questionnaire identified the following treatment modalities: homoeopathy, phytotherapy, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), biophysical treatments, manual treatments, Bach Flower Remedies, neural therapy, homotoxicology, organotherapy, and hirudotherapy which were included in the questionnaire. Categorical items were processed using descriptive statistics in absolute and relative numbers based on the population of completed answers provided for each item. Multiple choices were possible. Metric data were not normally distributed (Shapiro Wilk Test); hence the median, minimum, and maximum were used for description. The impact of demographic data on the implementation of veterinary naturopathy and complementary techniques was calculated using the Mann-Whitney-U-Test for metric data and the exact Fisher-Test for categorical data.

RESULTS: Overall 85.4% (n = 679 of total 795 non-blank data sets) of all the questionnaire participants used naturopathy and complementary medicine. The treatments most commonly used were complex homoeopathy (70.4%, n = 478), phytotherapy (60.2%, n = 409), classic homoeopathy (44.3%, n = 301) and biophysical treatments (40.1%, n = 272). The most common indications were orthopedic (n = 1798), geriatric (n = 1428) and metabolic diseases (n = 1124). Over the last five years, owner demand for naturopathy and complementary treatments was rated as growing by 57.9% of respondents (n = 457 of total 789). Veterinarians most commonly used scientific journals and publications as sources for information about naturopathic and complementary contents (60.8%, n = 479 of total 788). These were followed by advanced training acknowledged by the ATF (Academy for Veterinary Continuing Education, an organisation that certifies independent veterinary continuing education in Germany) (48.6%, n = 383). The current information about naturopathy and complementary medicine was rated as adequate or nearly adequate by a plurality (39.5%, n = 308) of the respondents of this question. Further, 27.7% (n = 216) of participants chose the option that they were not confident to answer this question and 91 answers were left blank. The most commonly named advantages in using veterinary naturopathy and complementary medicine were the expansion of treatment modalities (73.5%, n = 566 of total 770), customer satisfaction (70.8%, n = 545) and lower side effects (63.2%, n = 487). The ambiguity of studies, as well as the unclear evidence of mode of action and effectiveness (62.1%, n = 483) and high expectations of owners (50.5%, n = 393) were the disadvantages mentioned most frequently. Classic homoeopathy, in particular, has been named in this context (78.4%, n = 333 of total 425). Age, gender, and type of employment showed a statistically significant impact on the use of naturopathy and complementary medicine by veterinarians (p < 0.001). The university of final graduation showed a weaker but still statistically significant impact (p = 0.027). Users of veterinary naturopathy and complementary medicine tended to be older, female, self-employed and a higher percentage of them completed their studies at the University of Berlin. The working environment (rural or urban space) showed no statistical impact on the veterinary naturopathy or complementary medicine profession.

CONCLUSION: This is the first study to provide German data on the actual use of naturopathy and complementary medicine in small animal science. Despite a potential bias due to voluntary participation, it shows a large number of applications for various indications. Homoeopathy was mentioned most frequently as the treatment option with the most potential disadvantages. However, it is also the most frequently used treatment option in this study. The presented study, despite its restrictions, supports the need for a discussion about evidence, official regulations, and the need for acknowledged qualifications because of the widespread application of veterinary naturopathy and complementary medicine. More data regarding the effectiveness and the mode of action is needed to enable veterinarians to provide evidence-based advice to pet owners.

PMID:35226679 | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0264022

PLoS One. 2022 Feb 28;17(2):e0264112. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0264112. eCollection 2022.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are becoming a public health problem in Ethiopia, especially among those who have limited physical activity. Although bank workers are at an increased risk of contracting CVD, their participation in CVD preventive activities is not studied in Ethiopia. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the perception of bank workers towards CVD preventive behaviors and associated factors in Hossana town.

METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted on a sample of 258 participants from February 11 to 30/2020. A simple random sampling method was used to select study participants from the enumerated list of staff. Data was collected using a self-administered structured questionnaire and the collected data was entered and analyzed using SPSS version 20 software. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression analysis were done. A p-value less than 0.05 with 95% CI was considered to declare an association between independent and dependent variables.

RESULTS: A total of 253 respondents with response rate of 98.0% were participated. The study revealed that the likelihood of performing CVD preventive behaviors is 62.0%. Moreover, the study found that bank workers’ exposure to passive smoking [AOR = 0.5; 95% CI: 0.23-0.98], level of alcohol consumed [AOR = 0.5; 95% CI: 0.01-0.54], regularly consuming fruit and vegetable in daily meal [AOR = 0.16; 95% CI: 0.03-0.80], perceived severity[AOR = 0.1;95% CI: 0.01-0.68], and cues to take action [AOR = 0.12;95% CI: 0.02-0.73] were identified as predictors of perception to engage in CVD preventive behaviors.

CONCLUSION: The level of bank workers’ perception of engaging in CVD preventive behavior was in a considerable state to design and implement intervention strategies. Behavior change communication should be strengthened to improve their knowledge and perception of the severity of CVD and barriers so as to improve the likelihood of taking action.

PMID:35226671 | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0264112

PLoS Comput Biol. 2022 Feb 28;18(2):e1009868. doi: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1009868. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Assessment of differential gene expression by qPCR is heavily influenced by the choice of reference genes. Although numerous statistical approaches have been proposed to determine the best reference genes, they can give rise to conflicting results depending on experimental conditions. Hence, recent studies propose the use of RNA-Seq to identify stable genes followed by the application of different statistical approaches to determine the best set of reference genes for qPCR data normalization. In this study, however, we demonstrate that the statistical approach to determine the best reference genes from commonly used conventional candidates is more important than the preselection of ‘stable’ candidates from RNA-Seq data. Using a qPCR data normalization workflow that we have previously established; we show that qPCR data normalization using conventional reference genes render the same results as stable reference genes selected from RNA-Seq data. We validated these observations in two distinct cross-sectional experimental conditions involving human iPSC derived microglial cells and mouse sciatic nerves. These results taken together show that given a robust statistical approach for reference gene selection, stable genes selected from RNA-Seq data do not offer any significant advantage over commonly used reference genes for normalizing qPCR assays.

PMID:35226660 | DOI:10.1371/journal.pcbi.1009868

J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr. 2022 Mar 1;74(3):361-367. doi: 10.1097/MPG.0000000000003358.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs) in children of Mediterranean area using Rome IV criteria and to compare the prevalence of FGIDs using Rome IV and Rome III criteria.

METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study enrolling children and adolescents living in Croatia, Greece, Israel, Italy, Macedonia, and Serbia. Subjects were examined in relation to the presence of FGIDs, using the Rome IV criteria. Data were compared with the results of a previous study using Rome III data.

RESULTS: We analyzed 1972 children ages 4 to 9 years (group A), and 2450 adolescents 10 to 18 years old (group B). The overall prevalence of FGIDs was 16% in group A and 26% in group B, with statistical differences among countries in both groups (P < 0.001). In group A, the prevalence of FGIDs and of functional constipation (FC) was significantly lower than in the previous study (P < 0.001), whereas in group B no significant difference was found. In both groups of age, the prevalence of abdominal migraine and irritable bowel syndrome decreased significantly (P < 0.001 and P < 0.001, respectively) using Rome IV versus Rome III criteria, conversely functional dyspepsia increased (P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS: FGIDs are common in children and adolescents, their frequency increases with age, and there is a significant variation in the prevalence of some FGIDs among different European countries. The application of the Rome IV criteria resulted in a significantly lower prevalence of FGIDs in children compared with Rome III criteria.

PMID:35226645 | DOI:10.1097/MPG.0000000000003358

Pediatr Emerg Care. 2022 Mar 1;38(3):97-103. doi: 10.1097/PEC.0000000000002612.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: Many adolescents use the emergency department as their sole resource for primary care and sexual health care. This provides an opportunity to prevent sexually transmitted infections and unintended pregnancy as well as to educate teenagers about their bodies and sexual health. There is no standard curriculum on sexual health as part of pediatric emergency medicine (PEM) fellowship education. Our goal is to evaluate what is taught in PEM fellowship about adolescent sexual health.

METHODS: We administered an anonymous questionnaire to both PEM fellows and program directors (PDs). The questionnaire was distributed through the PEM Program Director Survey Committee. The questionnaire was sent to 88 PDs and 305 fellows total. An introductory email explaining the purpose of the study and a link to the online questionnaire was sent. The questionnaire was created using SurveyMonkey (www.surveymonkey.com). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics.

RESULTS: We achieved a 43% survey response rate from PDs (38 of 88) and a 24% survey response rate from fellows (73 of 305). The PD respondents included 61% females, and almost all (86%) are between ages 35 and 54 years. Seventy-three percent of the fellows are female, and they are all between 25 to 44 years old. There was a great deal of variability in the amount of adolescent sexual health education PDs provide their fellows in the form of lectures and bedside teaching cases. A majority of survey respondents (86% of fellows and 66% of the PDs) agreed that there should be a standard PEM curriculum to teach about adolescent sexual health. More than half (53% of PDs and 56% of fellows) are not satisfied with the number of training opportunities for adolescent sexual health.

CONCLUSIONS: We found variability in adolescent sexual health training during PEM fellowship, although fellows and PDs agree that there should be a standardized curriculum. We recommend that the American Board of Pediatrics form a committee to decrease variability in the training of PEM fellows on adolescent sexual health.

PMID:35226617 | DOI:10.1097/PEC.0000000000002612

Pediatr Emerg Care. 2022 Mar 1;38(3):104-107. doi: 10.1097/PEC.0000000000002619.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: Carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning remains the foremost cause of poisoning worldwide. This study aimed to investigate the effects of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) and normobaric oxygen therapy (NBOT) on thiol/disulfide homeostasis in children with CO intoxication.

METHODS: Eighty-one children aged 0 to 18 years with CO intoxication were included in this cross-sectional study. No changes were made in the routine clinical evaluation and treatment practices of the patients. Thirty-two children who received HBOT and 49 children who received NBOT were compared for serum native thiol, disulfide, and total thiol levels, as well as for the changes in disulfide/native thiol, disulfide/total thiol, and native thiol/total thiol ratios before and after treatment.

RESULTS: Antioxidant levels, such as native thiol and total thiol, were significantly decreased in patients who received HBOT and increased in those who received NBOT (P = 0.02 and P = 0.01, respectively). There was no statistically significant difference between the 2 groups concerning the change of native thiol/total thiol ratios (P = 0.07). In addition, there was no significant difference regarding changes in disulfide, disulfide/native thiol, and disulfide/total thiol levels before and after treatment (P = 0.39, P = 0.07, and P = 0.07, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS: Although thiol-disulfide balance is maintained in patients treated with HBOT, antioxidant levels decrease significantly compared with NBOT. Despite efficiency of HBOT in CO intoxication, oxidative stress and reperfusion injury due to hyperoxygenation should be considered in the treatment of HBOT.

PMID:35226618 | DOI:10.1097/PEC.0000000000002619

IEEE J Biomed Health Inform. 2022 Feb 28;PP. doi: 10.1109/JBHI.2022.3154759. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Methamphetamine use disorder (MUD) is a brain disease that leads to altered regional neuronal activity. Virtual reality (VR) is used to induce the drug cue reactivity. Previous studies reported significant frequency-specific abnormalities in patients with MUD during VR induction of drug craving. However, whether those patients exhibit neuronal abnormalities after VR induction that could serve as the treatment target remains unclear. Here, we developed an integrated VR system for inducing drug related changes and investigated the neuronal abnormalities after VR exposure in patients. Fifteen patients with MUD and ten healthy subjects were recruited and exposed to drug-related VR environments. Resting-state EEG were recorded for 5 minutes twice-before and after VR and transformed to obtain the frequency-specific data. Three self-reported scales for measurement of the anxiety levels and impulsivity of participants were obtained after VR task. Statistical tests and machine learning methods were employed to reveal the differences between patients and healthy subjects. The result showed that patients with MUD and healthy subjects significantly differed in, and power changes after VR. These neuronal abnormalities in patients were associated with the self-reported behavioral scales, indicating impaired impulse control. Our findings of resting-state EEG abnormalities in patients with MUD after VR exposure have the translation value and can be used to develop the treatment strategies for methamphetamine use disorder.

PMID:35226611 | DOI:10.1109/JBHI.2022.3154759