Category: Statistics

J Public Health Res. 2021 Aug 5. doi: 10.4081/jphr.2021.2307. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Firefighting is a hazardous occupation, and the firefighters’ fitness for duty is affected by their knowledge of and attitudes toward their health and their relationship in the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD). The aim of this study was to assess knowledge and attitude toward health and CVD risk factors among firefighters in South Africa.

DESIGN AND METHODS: The study used a cross-sectional research design. A sample of 110 firefighters, males and females, aged 18 to 65 years were conveniently sampled from the City of Cape Town Fire and Rescue Service. A researcher-generated self-administered questionnaire was completed online to obtain data from firefighters. A p-value of less than 0.05 indicated statistical significance.

RESULTS: The results showed that 52.8% of firefighters had a poor knowledge of health, and 47.2% had a good knowledge of health, while 10% reported a negative attitude towards health and 90.0% had a positive attitude towards health. There was a significant difference between firefighters’ knowledge of health and their attitudes toward health (p<0.05), particularly related to marital status, age, years of experience and in those with CVD risk factors (p<0.05). Significant correlations were found between knowledge of CVD and knowledge of health-risk behaviors (p<0.05).

CONCLUSION: Significant differences in health knowledge and attitudes toward health were present in married, aged and hypertensive firefighters. Overall health knowledge and health-risk behaviours were significant predictors of attitudes toward health.

PMID:34351095 | DOI:10.4081/jphr.2021.2307

J Public Health Res. 2021 Aug 4. doi: 10.4081/jphr.2021.2434. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) included Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) as a tentative diagnosis and inquires for additional research. The research on gaming is inconsistent regarding measurement approach and diagnostic cut-offs. Some scholars suggest the core approach, accentuating some of the diagnostic criteria to avoid pathologizing harmless behavior. Also, the co-occurrence of gaming and other addictions, gambling in specifically, is frequently reported but poorly understood. The present study aimed to explore gaming within a population of online gamblers in order to evaluate the core approach but also to investigate the possible co-occurrence of different addictions.

DESIGN AND METHODS: The present study is derived from material collected for a study on online gambling. The study addressed 1007 adult individuals from the general population who had gambled for money on an online casino site or an online betting site, on at least 10 occasions during the past 12 months.

RESULTS: Both the level of distress and problem gambling increased as the severity of gaming increased. The co-occurrence of problems with alcohol, illicit drug use/prescription sedatives/strong painkillers and gambling was roughly 50% among the addictive gamers.

CONCLUSION: The present study suggests that the core approach manages to distinguish in severity of gaming in regards to interference and comorbidity. We also brought light to the occurrence of gaming within a population of gamblers and our results indicate that this specific group of addicted gamers are particularly burdened by co-occurrent addictive behaviors and severe distress.

PMID:34351102 | DOI:10.4081/jphr.2021.2434

ESC Heart Fail. 2020 Dec;7(6):3383-3391. doi: 10.1002/ehf2.13125.

ABSTRACT

AIMS: Functional mitral regurgitation (MR) (FMR) is common in heart failure with reduced ejection fraction and worsens morbidity and mortality, even when mild. The CARILLON® mitral contour system (Cardiac Dimensions, Kirkland, WA, USA), a mitral annuloplasty device delivered percutaneously to the coronary sinus, is designed to reduce the mitral annular dimension by virtue of the close anatomic relationship between the coronary sinus and the posterior mitral annulus. We performed a comprehensive individual patient data meta-analysis of all studies that used CARILLON® device vs. control that have measured mitral regurgitation severity, left ventricular (LV) remodelling, functional status, and heart failure-related outcomes in heart failure with reduced ejection fraction patients.

METHODS AND RESULTS: The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, MEDLINE, and EMBASE were searched in July 2020. Primary outcomes of interest were measures of MR severity, LV remodelling, New York Heart Association functional class and heart failure-related outcomes [mortality and heart failure hospitalization (HFH) during follow up]. All data were received as individual patient and individual time point data-points. Mean differences and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated for continuous data using a fixed-effects model. Three studies (REDUCE FMR, TITAN and TITAN II) enrolling 209 participants were identified and included. Pooled analysis showed that, compared with control, CARILLON® device significantly improved both MR volume (mean difference MD -9.20, 95% C.I. -16.11 to -2.29 mL, P = 0.009) and MR grade (MD -1.12, 95% CI -1.36 to -0.88, P < 0.00001) and this was associated with a significant reduction in LA volume, MD -7.54 mL, 95% CI -14.90 to – 0.18, P = 0.04. Significant LV reverse remodelling was also seen in terms of EDV (MD -16.53, 95% CI -28.61 to -44.4 mL, P = 0.007), and a trend in ESV (MD -8.68, 95% CI -18.69 to -1.34 mL, P = 0.09) but no significant effect on LVEF (MD 0.88, 95% CI -1.52% to 2.38%, P = 0.47), due presumably to the greater residual MR in the control patients falsely elevating the LVEF. In addition, the CARILLON® device significantly improved New York Heart Association functional Class (MD -0.22, 95% CI -0.24 to -0.16, P < 0.00001), associated with a lower rate of HFH compared with controls (45.3% vs. 64%, respectively, P = 0.04). As a sensitivity analysis we also restricted the analyses to those patients with Class 3+/4+ MR at baseline. In this cohort, the echocardiographic results were similar, and the reduction in HFH rates was even more marked (43.9% vs. 82.9%, respectively, P = 0.04).

CONCLUSIONS: This comprehensive meta-analysis of individual patient data has shown that CARILLON® device provides statistically significant and clinically meaningful benefits on MR severity, LA and LV volumes, and remodelling and rates of subsequent heart failure hospitalization.

PMID:34351074 | DOI:10.1002/ehf2.13125

Pol Arch Intern Med. 2021 Aug 5. doi: 10.20452/pamw.16071. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Introduction Cardio-vascular mortality in end-stage renal disease patients remains high despite advancement in dialysis techniques. This can be attributed to a number of traditional and non-traditional risk factors. Overhydration seems to be one of the promising non-traditional cardio-vascular risk factors to target in order to improve the survival. Objectives The aim of this study was to assess the influence of chronic overhydration and its dynamic changes on cardio-vascular and all-cause morbidity and mortality in the group of hemodialyzed patients. Patients and methods The study has been conducted on a total number of 511 patients. Hydration was assessed with whole-body bioimpedance spectroscopy. The entire cohort has been divided into 4 subgroups according to initial hydration value. Additionally, patients with at least 2 observation visits (n = 277) have been assigned to 4 subgroups created with respect to hydration change-over-time. Results Statistical analysis showed that male gender (P <0.001), diabetes (P <0.001), heart insufficiency (P < 0.001), smoking (P = 0.049) and cerebrovascular incidents (P = 0.007) were significant risk factors for overhydration. Cardiovascular toxicity of overhydration was reflected with elevated levels of NT-proBNP (P <0.001) and cTnT (P <0.001). Albumin and total cholesterol values were the lowest in highly overhydrated subgroups (P <0.001) showing the prevalence of malnutrition. Mortality rate was significantly lower in groups of normal hydration and mild overhydration (P <0.001), as well as of patients with stable low or descending overhydration levels (P = 0.002). Conclusion We can state that the degree of overhydration of hemodialyzed patients is significantly associated with the incidence of cardiovascular complications and affects the prognosis in end-stage renal disease.

PMID:34351089 | DOI:10.20452/pamw.16071

Orthop Surg. 2021 Aug 5. doi: 10.1111/os.13039. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the predictive values of femoral proximal medullary morphology for the use of subtrochanteric osteotomy (STO) in unilateral Crowe IV developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH).

METHODS: Ninety four patients with unilateral Crowe type IV DDH (59 hips in STO group and 35 hips in the non-STO group) between April 2008 and June 2019 were enrolled. All patients underwent THA using the Pinnacle acetabular shell, ceramic liner and femoral head, the S-ROM stem with proximal sleeve. Three parameters on the standard anteroposterior hip radiographs were measured: the widths of medullary canals at 20 mm above the center of lesser trochanter (CLT)，20 mm below the CLT and the isthmus. Canal flare index (CFI), metaphyseal canal flare index (MCFI), diaphyseal canal flare index (DCFI) were calculated. A S-ROM femoral stem was used in all patients during total hip arthroplasty (THA).

RESULTS: The CFI and DCFI in the STO group were lower than those in the non-STO group. However, there was no statistical difference in MCFI between the two groups. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves shown that DCFI had the highest area under the curve (AUC), at 0.885. This was followed by the CFI, which had an AUC of 0.847. The AUC of MCFI was 0.579. The optimal threshold for DCFI was 1.44, which lead to a sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) of 0.771, 0.898, 0.869, and 0.818, respectively. For CFI, the optimal threshold was 3.28, resulting in a sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV of 0.829, 0.729, 0.878, and 0.644, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS: The DCFI and CFI may be potent indicators in predicting the use of STO in unilateral Crowe IV DDH. The optimal threshold for CFI and DCFI were 3.28 and 1.44 and had good sensitivity and specificity for predicting the use of STO during THA.

PMID:34351063 | DOI:10.1111/os.13039

Orthop Surg. 2021 Aug 5. doi: 10.1111/os.13132. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the midterm outcomes and the capsular healing in patients who had interportal capsulotomy versus periportal capsulotomy of hip arthroscopy.

METHODS: Retrospectively reviewed 33 patients with labral tear received hip arthroscopy, with an average age of 41 (27-67) years, including 13 cases of Cam deformity and three cases of Pincer deformity. All patients had positive sign of flexion adduction internal rotation or flexion abduction external rotation. With MRI and radiographic (CT, X plain) imageological examination. MRI showed that all patients had labral tear. Radiographic finding (CT, X plain) showed the pathological changes of acetabular and femoral neck osteophyte. One group with 23 patients were treated with periportal capsulotomy. Another group with 10 patients were treated with interportal capsulotomy. All patients did not close the capsule. Clinical outcomes were measured with the Hip Outcome Score Activities of Daily Living (HOS-ADL) and the modified Harris Hip Score (mHHS), patient satisfaction measured with visual analogue scale (VAS). The healing of the capsule was evaluated by MRI. MRI showed continuous capsular indicated healing, discontinuous capsular indicated unhealing. Postoperatively 6 months, mHHS and HOS-ADL were obtained. Randomized controlled trials were used in this study for analysis.

RESULTS: All patients were followed up with average time of 9.3 months(3-29 months). The postoperative symptoms were obviously relieved, the VAS decreased from (4.9 ± 0.6) to (1.2 ± 0.2) after 3 months postoperative. Follow up 6 months post-operation, patients in the interportal group, the mHHS and HOS-ADL scores improvement were respectively 69.4 ± 9.3 & 70 ± 8.8 pre-operation, and 92.5 ± 5.0 & 86.6 ± 5.4 post-operation (P < 0.05); Patients in the periportal group, the mHHS and HOS-ADL scores improvement were respectively 69.9 ± 15.8, 68.1 ± 15.0 pre-operation, and 90.1 ± 9.3 & 86.7 ± 7.9 post-operation (P < 0.05).The differences were statistically significant. Six months after operation, MRI showed that 23 patients with periportal capsulotomy, the capsule have healed, without other complications. Three of the ten patients with interportal capsulotomy were healed and seven were not.

CONCLUSION: Interportal and periportal capsulotomy had good outcomes. The technique of periportal capsulotomy had little damage to the joint capsule. Although the capsule did not close, the capsule healed well in postoperative follow-up. The nonunion rate of the joint capsule was high in the interportal capsulotomy without close the capsule.

PMID:34351066 | DOI:10.1111/os.13132

Orthop Surg. 2021 Aug 5. doi: 10.1111/os.13098. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To compare early clinical effects of the femoral neck system (FNS) and three cannulated screws for the treatment of patients with unstable femoral neck fractures.

METHODS: A retrospective analysis with pair matching of 81 patients who received FNS or cannulated screw internal fixation for Pauwels type-3 femoral neck fracture in our hospital from January 2019 to December 2019 was conducted. Patients who received FNS were the test group, and those who received cannulated screws comprised the control group. Matching requirements were as follows: same sex, similar age, and similar body mass index (BMI). A total of 30 pairs were successfully matched at a 1:1 ratio, including 12 males and 18 females. The average age of the patients in the FNS group was 54.53 ± 6.71 years. In the cannulated screw group, the average age of the patients was 53.14 ± 7.19 years. The operation time, intraoperative blood loss, hospital stay, hospitalization cost, postoperative visual analog scale (VAS) score, time to walking without crutches, Harris score, femoral head necrosis rate, and complication rate were compared between the groups.

RESULTS: Postoperative re-examination of radiographs showed satisfactory reduction in all patients, and all patients were followed up for 10-22 months. Those in the FNS group had lower postoperative VAS scores, earlier times to walking without crutches, higher Harris scores at the last follow-up, and lower complication rates (P < 0.05). VAS scores were lower in the FNS group (3.13 ± 1.07 scores) than in the cannulated screw group (3.77 ± 1.04 scores) (P = 0.018). Patients in the FNS group (5.23 ± 1.33 months) recovered to walking without crutches earlier than did those in the cannulated screw group (6.03 ± 1.45 months) (P<0.001). In addition, a statistically higher postoperative Harris score was detected in the FNS group (86.16 ± 7.26) than in the cannulated screw group (82.37 ± 7.52) (P = 0.039). Overall, a higher incidence of complications was observed in the cannulated screw group (9/30) than in the FNS group (2/30) (P = 0.042). However, intraoperative blood loss and hospitalization costs were greater in the FNS group (P < 0.05). Intraoperative blood loss was greater in the FNS group (99.73 ± 4.69) than in the cannulated screw group (30.27 ± 9.04) (P<0.001). In addition, patients in the FNS group (46976 ± 2270 ¥) spent more on hospitalization costs than did those in the cannulated screw group (15626 ± 1732 ¥) (P<0.001). No statistically significant difference in operation time, hospital stay, or femoral head necrosis rate was observed between the two groups (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSION: For patients with unstable femoral neck fractures, FNS has better clinical efficacy than cannulated screws, though it is also more expensive.

PMID:34351048 | DOI:10.1111/os.13098

Chem Biodivers. 2021 Aug 5. doi: 10.1002/cbdv.202100432. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

The genus Dichocarpum is endemic to East Asia, and many species were used in the folk to treat various diseases. However, phytochemical researches of this genus are limited so far. In the present study, metabolomic approach based on UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS was used to explore the phytochemical profiles of ten Chinese Dichocarpum species, and cannabinoid receptor (CB1/CB2) agonistic activities evaluation of these plants were performed. A total of 128 features were putatively annotated, belonging to alkaloids, flavonoids, triterpenes saponins, phenolic acids, and others. Semi-quantitative statistics demonstrated that alkaloids and flavonoids were widely distributed, and the former is the most abundant, while triterpenes saponins were mainly distributed in D. fargesii and D. wuchuanense . The phylogenetic results obtained from DNA sequencing assigned the ten species to three groups. Further results of in silico annotation revealed the existence of three chemical families, and helped intuitive exhibition of characteristic features distribution in three groups. In addition, the plant extracts of nine species from this genus showed agonistic activity on CB2 receptors. This comprehensive analysis revealed the chemotype distribution and provide clues for the prospective resource utilization of the medicinal plants from the genus Dichocarpum .

PMID:34351062 | DOI:10.1002/cbdv.202100432

Vet Dermatol. 2021 Aug 5. doi: 10.1111/vde.13009. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Micro-organisms associated with canine otitis externa (OE) may cause biofilm-associated infections (BAI). A key component of biofilm is microbial aggregate and extracellular polymeric substance (EPS). Periodic acid Schiff (PAS) can stain polysaccharide EPS in human otitis media with effusion, but this has not been tested in canine OE. There is no cytological definition for microbial aggregate, and definitive methods for identifying BAI in a clinical setting in canine OE have not been defined.

OBJECTIVES: To establish whether PAS stain can identify polysaccharide matrix on cytological smears; and to determine the reproducibility of identification of microbial aggregates within a discrete area of stained matrix, using paired modified Wright’s and PAS-stained smears.

ANIMALS: Forty privately-owned dogs presenting to a dermatological referral practice.

METHODS AND MATERIALS: In this prospective, cross-sectional study, three investigators independently and blindly classified 40 paired modified Wright’s-PAS slide sets into groups: aggregate-associated infection (AAI) and non-AAI (n = 27); and control (n = 13). Agreement between investigators for presence of AAI was measured using Fleiss’ kappa statistic (FK). Agreement between investigators and dermatologists for presence of AAI upon cytological evaluation, and suspected BAI based on clinical examination, was measured using Cohen’s kappa statistic.

RESULTS: The matrix was confirmed to stain PAS-positive. Interinvestigator agreement for AAI was very good using PAS (0.82 FK) and fair using modified-Wright’s (MW) (0.33 FK). Reproducible cytological features associated with AAI were the presence of: three or more distinct aggregates (0.76 FK); discrete areas of PAS-positive matrix (0.70 FK); and the presence of high-density material (0.70 FK) using PAS stain.

CONCLUSION: PAS can stain the extracellular matrix on otic smears, and a novel protocol for reproducible identification of cytological features such as microbial aggregates has been established.

PMID:34351013 | DOI:10.1111/vde.13009

J Nurs Manag. 2021 Aug 5. doi: 10.1111/jonm.13446. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

AIMS: To determine the effects of sleep parameters and fatigue on the decline in alertness of nurses across shifts.

BACKGROUND: Shift work can lead to nurse fatigue owing to insufficient sleep and inadequate recovery time between shifts. Nurse fatigue has adverse effects on alertness and can affect provision of quality care.

METHODS: An observational study using wrist actigraphs was conducted from 2019-2020. Participants were 82 rotating-shift nurses who provided direct nursing care in acute hospitals in South Korea. They wore actigraphs for 14 days to measure sleep parameters and predict hourly alertness and reported subjective fatigue before and after every shift.

RESULTS: Nurses demonstrated shorter sleep hours, lower sleep efficiency, and longer sleep latency before night shifts compared to other shifts. Fatigue was the highest before day shifts. Sleep parameters and fatigue significantly affected the steep decline in alertness in participants with alertness scores below 70.

CONCLUSIONS: Sleep parameters and fatigue level contributed to the differences in decline in alertness across shifts.

IMPLICATION FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: Findings inform nurse managers, administrators, and intervention development to reduce fatigue, improve sleep quantity and quality, and increase alertness among rotating-shift nurses. Management, institutional, and individual factors should be considered when developing interventions.

PMID:34351017 | DOI:10.1111/jonm.13446