Category: Statistics

Cereb Cortex. 2025 Aug 1;35(8):bhaf245. doi: 10.1093/cercor/bhaf245.

ABSTRACT

This Editorial shares with the neuroscience community the signs of progress in making Cerebral Cortex more attractive. Furthermore, the journal commemorates the Statistical Parametric Mapping (SPM), introduced by Karl Friston and his collaborators three decades ago. Over time, SPM has had a profound impact on the way of thinking in neuroscience. The journal offers a magnificent fireworks display of reflections on the past, present and future of SPM. Yet, the debate extends far beyond SPM. It touches on crucial issues such as how to interpret the growing body of neuroimaging data and explain it in a biologically plausible way that echoes the nature of brain function.

PMID:40928750 | DOI:10.1093/cercor/bhaf245

Cereb Cortex. 2025 Aug 1;35(8):bhaf240. doi: 10.1093/cercor/bhaf240.

ABSTRACT

Statistical Parametric Mapping (SPM) adheres to rigorous methodological standards, including: spatial normalization, inter-subject averaging, voxel-wise contrasts, and coordinate reporting. This rigor ensures that a thematically diverse literature is amenable to meta-analysis. BrainMap is a community database (www.brainmap.org; www.portal.brainmap.org) launched contemporaneously with SPM with the goal of efficiently sharing the results and methods of the literature compliant with SPM standards. The SPM-BrainMap symbiosis has motivated the development of coordinate-based meta-analytic methods and a substantial literature of secondary analyses. Collectively this corpus constitutes system-level probabilistic maps and models of the human brain, which details its functional organization, network architecture, and alterations by disease.

PMID:40928749 | DOI:10.1093/cercor/bhaf240

Cereb Cortex. 2025 Aug 1;35(8):bhaf234. doi: 10.1093/cercor/bhaf234.

ABSTRACT

This paper marks the 30th anniversary of the Statistical Parametric Mapping (SPM) software and the journal Cerebral Cortex: two modest milestones that mark the inception of cognitive neuroscience. We take this opportunity to reflect on SPM, a generation after its introduction. Each of the authors of this paper-who represent a small selection of the many contributors to SPM-were asked to consider lessons learned, what has gone well, and where there is room for improvement in future development. We hope that this review of SPM-and its aspirations-will provide some context for current imaging neuroscience and foreground some potential directions for the future of the field.

PMID:40928747 | DOI:10.1093/cercor/bhaf234

Cereb Cortex. 2025 Aug 1;35(8):bhaf243. doi: 10.1093/cercor/bhaf243.

ABSTRACT

Statistical Parametric Mapping is a widely used package of software for brain image analysis. It has also been the vehicle for sustained theoretical innovation and global impact in cognitive neuroscience. What can we learn from its success as it reaches middle age?

PMID:40928746 | DOI:10.1093/cercor/bhaf243

Clin Anat. 2025 Sep 10. doi: 10.1002/ca.70025. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

This research sought to examine the prevalence and severity of hyperostosis frontalis interna (HFI) in the Chicagoland anatomical body donor population. The study further aimed to elucidate potential demographic risk factors for HFI, including sex, age at death, and structural vulnerability index (SVI), as well as any common comorbidities, as gleaned from death certificates. HFI is an irregular bony overgrowth of the endocranial surface of the frontal bone. It is most often observed in postmenopausal women or in individuals with growth hormone disorders. This work investigated the distribution of HFI in a predominantly geriatric anatomical body donor population (n_total = 235, n_female = 127 n_male = 108; 19-104 years), using a macroscopic classification system that considers both the morphological appearance and the size of the affected area. Relationships between HFI and variables of interest were assessed through various non-parametric statistical tests and binomial logistic regression. While HFI was not associated with age-at-death or SVI, results indicate that there were significant sex differences in both HFI prevalence and severity. Females demonstrated higher rates of HFI across all severity types, whereas in males, HFI lesions were much less common and mostly limited to the earliest stages of disease progression. HFI was also associated with neoplasms as a cause of death. Among cancer deaths, individuals with hormone-sensitive cancers had a higher prevalence of HFI, but this difference was not statistically significant. While the causal pathways of these relationships remain unclear, the association with cancer may potentially explain the reportedly higher HFI prevalence rates in modern compared to past populations. Moreover, this research has bioarcheological and forensic implications as HFI is sometimes used to infer age and sex, given its association with older-aged females.

PMID:40927897 | DOI:10.1002/ca.70025

Am J Biol Anthropol. 2025 Sep;188(1):e70121. doi: 10.1002/ajpa.70121.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: This study explores cranial morphological variation and population continuity in the Carpathian Basin from the 1st to 13th centuries CE. It focuses on assessing biological differences and similarities across major archaeological periods, with particular emphasis on the Avar, Hungarian Conquest, and Árpádian Age populations.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 1,597 adult crania (864 males, 733 females) were analyzed using six neurocranial measurements. Morphological distances between populations were calculated using Canberra distance. Canonical Variate Analysis (CVA), Multidimensional Scaling (MDS), and multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) were applied to evaluate intergroup differentiation.

RESULTS: The analyses revealed significant morphological variation between most archaeological groups. Avars-especially the Late Avar population-formed distinct morphological patterns, primarily along the first canonical axis influenced by cranial breadth and height. Males showed statistically significant differences between Early and Late Avar groups, whereas the corresponding comparison among females did not reach significance. The strongest separations occurred between Avars and the Gepidic, Sarmatian, and Transition groups, consistent with CVA and MDS findings.

DISCUSSION: The results suggest population continuity in some cases (e.g., Early-Late Avar, Conquest-Árpádian Age), but also highlight evidence of population restructuring, particularly among males. Recent genetic research supports these findings, indicating patrilineal descent and local kinship cohesion within Avar communities. This study underscores the value of the integration of cranial morphometrics with multivariate statistical approaches to reconstruct complex demographic histories in early medieval Central Europe.

PMID:40927894 | DOI:10.1002/ajpa.70121

Health Inf Manag. 2025 Sep 10:18333583251362536. doi: 10.1177/18333583251362536. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The success of disease registry systems (DRSs) depends on developing software that aligns with the registry’s specific needs.

OBJECTIVE: This study focuses on localising the Checklist with Items for Patient Registry sOftware Systems (CIPROS) to facilitate the DRS assessment.

METHOD: This applied and cross-sectional study was carried out in 2023 in six phases. The first phase involved translating the CIPROS checklist. In the second phase, experts validated the face validity of the checklist. The third phase focused on calculating the content validity ratio (CVR) and content validity index (CVI) for each item. In the fourth phase, the items removed earlier were reassessed. In the fifth phase, definitions for each item were proposed. The sixth phase encompassed calculating the reliability of the localised checklist. For the data analysis, descriptive statistics were computed using SPSS software.

RESULTS: The original checklist included 12 aspects and 72 items. After evaluating the CVR and CVI indicators, 40 items were validated. By reassessing the deleted items, the localised checklist was created, composed of 56 items categorised into 11 aspects.

CONCLUSION: The localised tool would support the authorities responsible for DRSs when making software purchasing decisions. Additionally, it would be advantageous for policymakers by helping them establish the criteria for DRS assessment.Implications for health information management practice:Localising the registry assessment tool will facilitate its use; providing descriptions of assessment tool items leads to a uniform understanding and ease of use of the tool.

PMID:40927886 | DOI:10.1177/18333583251362536

Alzheimers Dement. 2025 Sep;21(9):e70675. doi: 10.1002/alz.70675.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: We developed and validated age-related amyloid beta (Aβ) positron emission tomography (PET) trajectories using a statistical model in cognitively unimpaired (CU) individuals.

METHODS: We analyzed 849 CU Korean and 521 CU non-Hispanic White (NHW) participants after propensity score matching. Aβ PET trajectories were modeled using the generalized additive model for location, scale, and shape (GAMLSS) based on baseline data and validated with longitudinal data. Subgroup analyses examined apolipoprotein E (APOE) ε4 and sex effects.

RESULTS: Age-related centile curves of Aβ PET Centiloid values showed stable distributions in the lower percentiles, increasing with age in the upper percentiles. NHWs exhibited steeper Aβ accumulation trajectories, particularly among APOE ε4 carriers. Calibration with longitudinal data confirmed the reliability of this cross-sectional method.

DISCUSSION: We developed a statistical model of age-related Aβ PET trajectories using baseline data, validated with longitudinal data. NHWs exhibited steeper trajectories than Koreans, suggesting population-specific differences in Aβ accumulation.

HIGHLIGHTS: A generalized additive model for location, scale, and shape model was applied to examine age-related amyloid beta (Aβ) trajectories with baseline data. Trajectories were validated using longitudinal data, confirming model reliability. Non-Hispanic Whites exhibited steeper trajectories than Koreans, especially in apolipoprotein E ε4 carriers. Our approach enables scalable modeling of Aβ dynamics for Alzheimer’s disease prevention strategies. Findings highlight the importance of multi-ethnic research in Aβ accumulation.

PMID:40927871 | DOI:10.1002/alz.70675

Nanotoxicology. 2025 Sep 10:1-14. doi: 10.1080/17435390.2025.2556865. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

The effect of non-functionalized polystyrene nanoparticles (PS-NPs) with diameters of 29, 44, and 72 nm on plasmid DNA integrity and the expression of genes involved in the architecture of chromatin was investigated in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). The cells were incubated with PS-NPs at concentrations ranging from 0.001 to 100 µg/mL for 24 hours. Gene expression profiling was carried out using quantitative real-time PCR for the following genes: those involved in DNA methylation (DNMT1, DNMT3A), DNA demethylation (TET2, TET3), and chromatin remodeling, including histone methylation (EHMT1, EHMT2) and histone deacetylation (HDAC3, HDAC5). Furthermore, the expression of selected epigenetic markers related to histone acetylation and methylation (H3ac, H3K4me3, H3K9me3) at the protein level was examined using Western blotting. To assess the potential direct interaction of PS-NPs with DNA, a plasmid relaxation assay was performed in an extracellular system. The results demonstrated that PS-NPs do not cleave plasmid DNA directly. The gene expression analysis indicated that PS-NPs did not alter the expression of DNMT1, TET2, TET3, EHMT1, EHMT2, HDAC3, or HDAC5 in PBMCs. However, statistically significant changes in the expression of the DNMT3A gene were observed after exposure to 29 nm nanoparticles (p = 0.016, Kruskal-Wallis test), although post hoc comparisons did not reveal significant differences between individual treatment groups, and no clear dose-dependent trend was evident. PS-NPs induced a statistically significant decrease in post-translational histone modifications, specifically H3ac and H3K4me3. These findings suggest that PS-NPs may influence the epigenetic mechanisms involved in the regulation of chromatin architecture.

PMID:40927865 | DOI:10.1080/17435390.2025.2556865

Circulation. 2025 Sep 10. doi: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.125.075080. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Limited treatment options exist for infrapopliteal disease in patients with chronic limb-threatening ischemia (CLTI), a condition associated with a high risk of limb loss. Interventional management of diseased infrapopliteal vessels with percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) is associated with high rates of restenosis and reintervention. In the LIFE-BTK trial, the drug-eluting resorbable scaffold (DRS) demonstrated superior 12-month efficacy compared with PTA in a selected CLTI population with predominantly noncomplex, mildly to moderately calcified lesions. This report presents the 2-year safety and efficacy outcomes of the Esprit below-the-knee (BTK) DRS system in the LIFE-BTK randomized trial comparing DRS with PTA for treatment of infrapopliteal vessels and CLTI.

METHODS: The LIFE-BTK trial was a multicenter, subject-blinded, randomized controlled trial enrolling 261 patients with CLTI who were randomized 2:1 to receive either DRS or PTA. The revised primary efficacy end point was freedom from target limb amputation, target vessel occlusion, clinically driven target lesion revascularization, or binary restenosis. The primary safety end point was freedom from major adverse limb events and perioperative death. Predictors of efficacy and clinically driven target lesion revascularization were analyzed along with subgroup assessments.

RESULTS: At 2 years, the primary efficacy end point was observed in 68.8% of the DRS group versus 45.4% of the PTA group (P=0.0004). Limb salvage rates were 94.7% for DRS and 97.3% for PTA (P=0.34). Binary restenosis occurred in 28.5% of DRS patients versus 48.2% of PTA patients (P=0.005), and clinically driven target lesion revascularization rates were 9.7% versus 18.6%, respectively (P=0.034). The primary safety end point was observed in 91.6% of the DRS group versus 95.6% of the PTA group (P=0.16). Scaffold treatment was an independent predictor of efficacy (odds ratio, 0.27; P=0.0003) and showed a trend toward reduced risk of clinically driven target lesion revascularization, though this did not reach statistical significance. Other predictors included lesion length, Rutherford-Becker class 5, total occlusion, previous amputation, preintervention stenosis, and number of wounds. Subgroup analyses demonstrated consistent efficacy across various patient populations.

CONCLUSIONS: At 2 years, the Esprit BTK DRS demonstrated improved efficacy compared with PTA in maintaining arterial patency, preventing restenosis, and reducing revascularization rates while maintaining a comparable safety profile. These findings support the Esprit BTK scaffold as a promising treatment option for appropriately selected patients with infrapopliteal artery disease and CLTI.

REGISTRATION: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov; Unique identifier: NCT04227899.

PMID:40927852 | DOI:10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.125.075080