Category: Statistics

Aging Ment Health. 2021 Aug 19:1-9. doi: 10.1080/13607863.2021.1966746. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: In Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) research, choosing appropriate method for measuring change in cognitive function over time can be challenging. The aim for this study was to examine the sensitivity of four neuropsychological tests used to measure cognition during the transition from mild cognitive impairment (MCI) to AD, and the impacts of associated covariates.

METHODS: We enrolled 223 patients with MCI who progressed to AD and had completed multiple follow-up assessments in the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) database. We constructed nonlinear mixed model for multivariate longitudinal data assuming that multiple neuropsychological tests would exhibit nonlinear transformation of a common factor in the latent cognitive process underlying the progression from MCI to AD.

RESULTS: The Clinical Dementia Rating-Sum of the Boxes (CDR-SB) and Alzheimer’s Disease Assessment Scale (11 items; ADAS-11) were more sensitive to cognitive changes in individuals with higher cognitive function, the Functional Activities Questionnaire (FAQ) was more sensitive to cognitive changes in individuals with middle cognitive function, and the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) was more sensitive to cognitive changes in individuals with lower cognitive function. Gender (p = 0.0139) and educational level (p = 0.0094) had varying effects on different tests, such that men performed better on the FAQ and CDR-SB, and individuals with higher educational level tended to perform better on the FAQ and MMSE.

CONCLUSIONS: When choosing appropriate neuropsychological tests in cognitive measurements, the cognitive functional level of the patient as well as the impacts of covariates should be considered.

PMID:34409904 | DOI:10.1080/13607863.2021.1966746

Clin Nurs Res. 2021 Aug 19:10547738211036600. doi: 10.1177/10547738211036600. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

This study aims to compare the effectiveness of video and paper materials used for teach-back education on the first insulin injection for patients with diabetes. The study enrolled 110 patients hospitalized for diabetes who had received education on their first insulin injection in the endocrinology department. The patients were divided into an intervention group (n = 55) and a control group (n = 55) using convenience sampling. Video materials were employed for the teach-back education of the intervention group, while paper materials were employed for the teach-back education of the control group. We compared cases who answered correctly to the common parts (selection and management of injection devices, selection and rotation of injection sites, proper use of injection angles and pinching, insulin storage, injection-related complications and their prevention, selection of the correct needle length, and safe disposal of needles after use) for the first time, the number of educational sessions and total education duration between the two groups and employed the “My View on Insulin” questionnaire to survey the two groups before and 28 days after the intervention. The intervention group had a shorter total education duration than the control group, a difference that was statistically significant (p < .001). The intervention group had more advantages over the control group in terms of rotation education at the injection site (p < .05). There was no statistically significant difference in the questionnaire scores between the two groups after the intervention (p > .05); however, both groups scored significantly higher than before the intervention, a difference that was statistically significant (p < .001). The teach-back method combined with video materials applied for educating patients on their first insulin injection could reduce the education duration by healthcare providers and improve the patients’ psychological insulin resistance. The key to successfully teaching patients to self-administer insulin, and allowing them to master the steps involved, is to focus on “why” rather than “what” to do.

PMID:34409889 | DOI:10.1177/10547738211036600

Integr Cancer Ther. 2021 Jan-Dec;20:15347354211037917. doi: 10.1177/15347354211037917.

ABSTRACT

Afatinib is a target anticancer drug of the second-generation EGFR TKI type, showing an advantage in treatment effect compared to conventional chemotherapy. However, patients on EGFR-TKI drugs also usually progress after 9 to 13 months according to secondary resistance. HAD-B1 is composed of drugs that are effective against lung cancer. This study is an exploratory study to evaluate the efficacy and safety between dosage groups by conducting a clinical trial in subjects requiring afatinib drug treatment in non-small cell lung cancer with EGFR mutation positive to determine the optimal dosage for HAD-B1 administration. At the final visit compared to before administration, each change in the disease control rate was measured according to the HAD-B1 doses of the test group 1 (972 mg), the test group 2 (1944 mg), and the control group. The efficacy and safety of HAD-B1 were compared and evaluated through sub-evaluation variables. As a result of the study, there was no statistically significant difference in the disease control rate at 12 weeks after dosing, but complete and partial remission were evaluated as 1 patient each in the test group 1, and none in the other groups. There was no statistically significant difference between groups in the sub-evaluation variable. In addition, there was no problem of safety from taking the test drug. However, the initially planned number of subjects was 66, but the number of enrolled subjects was only 14, which may limit the results of this study.

PMID:34409891 | DOI:10.1177/15347354211037917

Antioxid Redox Signal. 2021 Aug 19. doi: 10.1089/ars.2021.0168. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

The pathogenesis and progression of Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy (HIE), a major cause of severe neurological disability and mortality in the perinatal period, is shaped by the interplay of multiple processes including inflammation, oxidative stress, and excitotoxicity. We conducted a longitudinal study determining biomarkers of oxidative stress and inflammation in non-invasive urine samples of newborns with moderate/severe HIE (N=51) employing Liquid Chromatography – Mass Spectrometry. We noted that levels of several biomarkers of oxidative stress increased over time demonstrating the ongoing propagation of oxidative injury. Prostaglandins, in contrast, showed a decreasing trend in their concentration profiles over time, which probably reflects their mediation on pathogenic mechanisms, including the inflammatory response. Statistically significant differences in the levels oxidative stress of neonates with distinct brain lesion patterns, as detected with Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), were observed, revealing an increase of lipid peroxidation biomarkers in newborns with cerebral lesions (MRI score 1) as compared to scores 0 and 2. Moreover, a gender-dependent study showed no statistically significant differences in biomarker concentrations between male and female infants. Our observation leads to the hypothesis that the monitoring of non-invasive lipid peroxidation biomarkers could aid diagnosis and predicting of long-term outcomes as complementary tool to standard explorations.

PMID:34409848 | DOI:10.1089/ars.2021.0168

Global Spine J. 2021 Aug 19:21925682211037265. doi: 10.1177/21925682211037265. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective study.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether opioid use disorder (OUD) patients undergoing 1- to 2-level anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (1-2ACDF) have higher rates of: 1) in-hospital lengths of stay (LOS); 2) readmissions; 3) complications; and 4) costs.

METHODS: OUD patients undergoing primary 1-2ACDF were identified within the Medicare database and matched to a control cohort in a 1:5 ratio by age, sex, and medical comorbidities. The query yielded 80,683 patients who underwent 1-2 ACDF with (n = 13,448) and without (n = 67,235) OUD. Outcomes analyzed included in-hospital LOS, 90-day readmission rates, 90-day medical complications, and costs. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to calculate odds-ratios (OR) for medical complications and readmissions. Welch’s t-test was used to test for significance for LOS and cost between the cohorts. An alpha value less than 0.002 was considered statistically significant.

RESULTS: OUD patients were found to have significantly longer in-hospital LOS compared to their counterparts (3.41 vs. 2.23-days, P < .0001), in addition to higher frequency and odds of requiring readmissions (21.62 vs. 11.57%; OR: 1.38, P < .0001). Study group patients were found to have higher frequency and odds of developing medical complications (0.88 vs. 0.19%, OR: 2.80, P < .0001) and incurred higher episode of care costs ($20,399.62 vs. $16,812.14, P < .0001).

CONCLUSION: The study can help to push orthopaedic surgeons in better managing OUD patients pre-operatively in terms of safe discontinuation and education of opioid drugs and their effects on complications, leading to more satisfactory outcomes.

PMID:34409880 | DOI:10.1177/21925682211037265

Clin Nurs Res. 2021 Aug 19:10547738211040636. doi: 10.1177/10547738211040636. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

This study aimed to explore the pre- and postoperative differences in quality of life and perceived social support of Female-to-Male transsexual patients who underwent mastectomy and complete hysterectomy. Sixty-three Female-to-Male female individuals who underwent complete hysterectomy and mastectomy between November 2019 and November 2020 were included in this study. Data were collected using the Personal Information Form, Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, and the World Health Organization Quality of Life Scale Short Form. The pre- and postoperative perceived social support mean scores of patients were 57.2 ± 9.0 and 74.9 ± 7.3, respectively. The pre- and postoperative quality of life mean scores of patients were 76.9 ± 8.3 and 107.8 ± 10.1, respectively. There were statistically significant differences between the measurements (p < .05). In addition, the patients whose education level was primary school, whose income was less than their expenditure, whose father was a primary school graduate, whose family had a strict family opinion on sexuality, whose family had a traditional view, and who had a high body mass index were found to have higher postoperative social support perceptions and quality of life. The patients’ postoperative quality of life and perceived social support improved after sex reassignment surgery.

PMID:34409884 | DOI:10.1177/10547738211040636

Adv Gerontol. 2021;34(3):454-460.

ABSTRACT

A system of indicators is proposed to assess the relationship between quality of life from the point of view of realization of resource potential of elderly people in conditions of demographic aging of the population and to analyze various aspects of socio-economic development of the Russian regions. The statistical evaluation of these indicators and the level of inequality in the context of research topic in context of the regions of Russia is carried out.

PMID:34409826

Adv Gerontol. 2021;34(3):461-465.

ABSTRACT

The work is based on the results of a retrospective analysis of the medical records of 56 patients with traumatic brain injury complicated by acute subdural hematoma with a volume of 60-100 cm3. The patients were divided into 2 groups according to their age: the 1st group included 29 patients aged 22-29 years, the 2nd group consisted of 27 patients aged 61-69 years. The degree of impaired consciousness in the victims at admission to the clinic was evaluated on the Glasgow scale, the effectiveness of the treatment at discharge from the hospital was performed on the Rankin scale, assessing the degree of independence and disability. Elderly patients were found to have a more severe condition upon admission to the clinic. Upon discharge from the hospital, the assessment of the degree of independence and disability on the Rankin scale revealed a statistically significant predominance of scores in the group of elderly patients (p<0,01), which indicates less effective treatment in comparison with young patients. The results of this study can serve as a basis for the development of additional recommendations in outpatient practice for the care and care of patients in the older age group and a personalized approach to neurosurgical patients taking into account their age.

PMID:34409827

Nat Commun. 2021 Aug 18;12(1):5026. doi: 10.1038/s41467-021-25120-6.

ABSTRACT

Nationwide prospective surveillance of all-age patients with acute respiratory infections was conducted in China between 2009‒2019. Here we report the etiological and epidemiological features of the 231,107 eligible patients enrolled in this analysis. Children <5 years old and school-age children have the highest viral positivity rate (46.9%) and bacterial positivity rate (30.9%). Influenza virus, respiratory syncytial virus and human rhinovirus are the three leading viral pathogens with proportions of 28.5%, 16.8% and 16.7%, and Streptococcus pneumoniae, Mycoplasma pneumoniae and Klebsiella pneumoniae are the three leading bacterial pathogens (29.9%, 18.6% and 15.8%). Negative interactions between viruses and positive interactions between viral and bacterial pathogens are common. A Join-Point analysis reveals the age-specific positivity rate and how this varied for individual pathogens. These data indicate that differential priorities for diagnosis, prevention and control should be highlighted in terms of acute respiratory tract infection patients’ demography, geographic locations and season of illness in China.

PMID:34408158 | DOI:10.1038/s41467-021-25120-6

J Oral Sci. 2021 Aug 17. doi: 10.2334/josnusd.21-0196. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: This study compared the removability of AH Plus and EndoSequence BC sealers using in vitro micro-computed tomography.

METHODS: Ten single-canal, extracted human teeth were cleaned and shaped with ProTaper NEXT rotary files to size X5 (50/0.06) (Dentsply-Sirona). Canals were obturated with a single cone gutta-percha and either AH Plus (Dentsply-Sirona) (Group A) or EndoSequence BC (Brasseler) (Group B). ProTaper Universal Retreatment files (Dentsply-Sirona) were used to remove obturation materials after 90 days at 37^oC/100% humidity. Each tooth was scanned using micro-computed tomography (SkyScan 1272; Bruker) at an isotropic resolution of 6 μm from which the percent of material removed was calculated. Two-sample t-tests and one-way ANOVA were used for analysis.

RESULTS: The percent removal of materials in the coronal third was 92.9% ± 7.3% (Group A) and 93.2% ± 6.1% (Group B). Removal in the middle third was 94.9% ± 8.5% (Group A) and 96.5% ± 6.1% (Group B). Apical third removal was 76.2% ± 27.9% (Group A) and 70.1% ± 30.8% (Group B). No statistically significant differences were determined between the two sealers or among the sectional thirds within each group (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSION: AH Plus and EndoSequence BC sealers exhibit the same removability at all canal levels of 70% to 96%, with better removal coronally.

PMID:34408113 | DOI:10.2334/josnusd.21-0196