Category: Statistics

Arch Gerontol Geriatr. 2021 Oct 13;98:104558. doi: 10.1016/j.archger.2021.104558. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify the mental health problems and quality of life of family caregivers of people with dementia, depending on whether they live with people with dementia.

METHODS: The sample was divided into three groups: those without a family member with dementia, those with a family member with dementia but not living with them, and those living with a family member with dementia. Descriptive statistics, ANCOVA, and post-hoc tests were performed on key variables. We included a total of 324,078 people with at least one family member older than 60 years, whose data were extracted from the Korean Community Health Survey. Dependent variables: depressive symptoms, stress recognition, subjective health, happiness, and quality of life.

INDEPENDENT VARIABLES: family member with dementia (yes/no), cohabitation type. Control variables: Sex, age, region (urban/rural), household income, and education level.

RESULTS: Depressive symptoms and stress recognition were higher in people who live with a family member with dementia. Their subjective health, happiness, and quality of life were the lowest of the three groups. Overall, the indicators for people who lived with a family member with dementia were the most negative, followed by those who did not live with their family member with dementia, and then those who did not have such a family member.

CONCLUSIONS: Family caregivers living with people with dementia must be prioritized in policies regarding dementia; a program that can provide emotional support and reduce the burden of care is needed.

PMID:34717241 | DOI:10.1016/j.archger.2021.104558

Epilepsy Behav. 2021 Oct 27;124:108357. doi: 10.1016/j.yebeh.2021.108357. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

By assessing the cognitive capital, neuropsychological evaluation (NPE) plays a vital role in the perioperative workup of patients with refractory focal epilepsy. In this retrospective study, we used cutting-edge statistical approaches to examine a group of 47 patients with refractory temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), who underwent standard anterior temporal lobectomy (ATL). Our objective was to determine whether NPE may represent a robust predictor of the postoperative status, two years after surgery. Specifically, based on pre- and postsurgical neuropsychological data, we estimated the sensitivity of cognitive indicators to predict and to disentangle phenotypes associated with more or less favorable outcomes. Engel (ENG) scores were used to assess clinical outcome, and picture naming (NAM) performance to estimate naming status. Two methods were applied: (a) machine learning (ML) to explore cognitive sensitivity to postoperative outcomes; and (b) graph theory (GT) to assess network properties reflecting favorable vs. less favorable phenotypes after surgery. Specific neuropsychological indices assessing language, memory, and executive functions can globally predict outcomes. Interestingly, preoperative cognitive networks associated with poor postsurgical outcome already exhibit an atypical, highly modular and less densely interconnected configuration. We provide statistical and clinical tools to anticipate the condition after surgery and achieve a more personalized clinical management. Our results also shed light on possible mechanisms put in place for cognitive adaptation after acute injury of central nervous system in relation with surgery.

PMID:34717247 | DOI:10.1016/j.yebeh.2021.108357

J Stroke Cerebrovasc Dis. 2021 Oct 27;31(1):106183. doi: 10.1016/j.jstrokecerebrovasdis.2021.106183. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: Patients’ previous disability (PD) is a key factor when considering acute stroke therapy. PD’s exact impact on functional prognosis of patients with acute ischemic stroke remains not entirely clarified. We aimed to analyze PD’s influence on functional outcome three months after ischemic stroke.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data concerning patients with acute ischemic stroke admitted to Stroke Unit of a tertiary center who underwent acute phase therapy between 2017 and 2019. Modified Rankin Scale (mRS) was used to define PD (with previous mRS≥3). Patients with PD were selected for treatment based on similar baseline characteristics to patients without PD. Patients were classified into two groups according to previous mRS: mRS<3 and mRS≥3. We defined bad outcome at three months after stroke as mRS≥3 for patients with previous mRS<3, and as a higher score than baseline mRS for patients with previous mRS≥3.

RESULTS: We identified 1169 eligible patients – 1016 patients with previous mRS<3 and 153 patients with previous mRS≥3. Most baseline characteristics did not differ significantly between them. For patients ≤75 years old, PD was associated with worse outcome (odds ratio estimate [OR] 4.50, p < 0.001). For patients >75 years old, PD was protective against worse outcome (OR 0.42, p < 0.001). In patients with previous mRS≥3 and >75 years old, there was a higher proportion of women (p = 0.005).

CONCLUSIONS: PD might not be a relevant factor when considering acute stroke therapy in selected patients >75 years old, especially women. Further studies are needed to clarify these findings.

PMID:34717228 | DOI:10.1016/j.jstrokecerebrovasdis.2021.106183

Comput Biol Med. 2021 Oct 25;139:104973. doi: 10.1016/j.compbiomed.2021.104973. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

The automatic identification of mosquito genus, if used together with effective strategies of suppression and control may help reduce the spread of mosquito-borne diseases. In this study, we explored and developed a simple and yet very effective algorithm for processing audio files to determine the presence (or absence) of a mosquito and then identify the correct genus for those involving a mosquito. A dataset of sound recordings from the Humbug Project of Zooniverse, collected by researchers from Oxford University, and actual recordings of mosquitoes in the Philippines were used in this study. Our developed technique involves extracting filter bank values from corresponding spectrograms of the audio files, and we built a classification model based only on three simple statistics from said collected values — maximum, first quartile and third quartile. Specifically, the maximum values were used in defining thresholds for the candidate-elimination phase of the algorithm, and then the first and third quartile values were used in the succeeding nearest centroid computation phase. The proposed algorithm yielded an impressive 97.2% average classification accuracy from a 5-fold stratified cross validation. This is competitive with the 75.55-97.65% accuracy results reported in literature for different mosquito classification tasks run on different datasets. Moreover, the achieved accuracy is significantly higher than the 86.6% that we gathered from applying a CNN architecture from literature to our same dataset. Aside from being more accurate, the proposed algorithm is also significantly more efficient than the CNN model, requiring much less time (in both training and predicting phases) and memory space. The results offer a promising technique that may also simplify the process of solving other sound-based classification problems.

PMID:34717231 | DOI:10.1016/j.compbiomed.2021.104973

Ecotoxicol Environ Saf. 2021 Oct 27;227:112937. doi: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2021.112937. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The impact of heavy metals on pulmonary function among young adults has been scarcely studied, especially by a longitudinal cohort study.

METHODS: We prospectively enrolled 974 young adults (aged 20-45 years) during 2017-2019 and measured pulmonary function and urinary heavy metals, including manganese, copper, chromium, iron, nickel, zinc, cadmium, and lead. Among them, 461 participants had examination of the same urinary heavy metals during 2006-2008, which could be used as a cohort for long-term effect of urinary metals on pulmonary function.

RESULTS: In the 974 enrolled participants, urinary heavy metals were within normal range. The urinary manganese level was the only significant factor for the observed/predicted ratios of forced vital capacity (FVC %)(β coefficient: -1.217, p = 0.030), forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1%)(β: -1.664, p < 0.001), and FEV1/FVC% of predicted (β: -0.598, p = 0.047) in multivariable linear regression under cross sectional design. In cohort analysis, the urinary manganese level was also negatively associated with the FEV1% (β: -1.920, p = 0.021). There was no significance between other urinary heavy metals and pulmonary function for all participants. The urinary manganese significantly negatively correlated with FVC%, FEV1% and FEV1/FVC% in female subgroup whereas copper and iron were significantly negatively correlated with FVC% in male subgroup.

CONCLUSIONS: Among urinary heavy metals, urinary manganese level was associated with pulmonary function negatively, even the level was within normal range. In addition, women might be more susceptible to manganese. There is emergent need to conduct further investigation to confirm the respiratory hazardous effects of manganese.

PMID:34717218 | DOI:10.1016/j.ecoenv.2021.112937

Ecotoxicol Environ Saf. 2021 Oct 27;227:112875. doi: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2021.112875. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Fuzzy time series (FTS) forecasting models show a great performance in predicting time series, such as air pollution time series. However, they have caused major issues by utilizing random partitioning of the universe of discourse and ignoring repeated fuzzy sets. In this study, a novel hybrid forecasting model by integrating fuzzy time series to Markov chain and C-Means clustering techniques with an optimal number of clusters is presented. This hybridization contributes to generating effective lengths of intervals and thus, improving the model accuracy. The proposed model was verified and validated with real time series data sets, which are the benchmark data of actual trading of Taiwan Stock Exchange Capitalization Weighted Stock Index (TAIEX) and PM₁₀ concentration data from Melaka, Malaysia. In addition, a comparison was made with some existing fuzzy time series models. Furthermore, the mean absolute percentage error, mean squared error and Theil’s U statistic were calculated as evaluation criteria to illustrate the performance of the proposed model. The empirical analysis shows that the proposed model handles the time series data sets more efficiently and provides better overall forecasting results than existing FTS models. The results prove that the proposed model has greatly improved the prediction accuracy, for which it outperforms several fuzzy time series models. Therefore, it can be concluded that the proposed model is a better option for forecasting air pollution parameters and any kind of random parameters.

PMID:34717219 | DOI:10.1016/j.ecoenv.2021.112875

Accid Anal Prev. 2021 Oct 27;163:106448. doi: 10.1016/j.aap.2021.106448. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

This paper aims to assess the effects of snow and ice control operations by investigating the interdependency between weather variables, maintenance operations, pavement friction, and collisions. Using a disaggregated event-based and location-specific framework, and employing the statistical techniques of Structural Equation Modeling and Path Analysis, all the significant direct and indirect effects of weather variables and maintenance operations on pavement friction and collision occurrence during snowstorms have been identified. It was revealed that precipitation, extremely low temperatures, and the potential of black ice formation all had significant negative direct effects on pavement friction and significant indirect negative effects on traffic safety. Moreover, the application of anti-icing agents and plowing operations have been shown to significantly improve pavement friction and in return improve traffic safety indirectly. To illustrate how the maintenance operations improve traffic safety, a hypothetical snowstorm example was considered. According to the model, anti-icing application was associated with a 14% reduction in collisions, plowing operations resulted in a 33% reduction in collisions, and combining the two tools reduced collisions per snowstorm by 42%. The findings of this paper can help transportation agencies make more informed decisions to promote an efficient mobilization of the existing winter road maintenance services and resources while improving the safety of the traveling public during the winter months.

PMID:34717203 | DOI:10.1016/j.aap.2021.106448

Waste Manag. 2021 Oct 27;136:266-272. doi: 10.1016/j.wasman.2021.10.014. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

The recovery of high added value compound from waste stream is fundamental to keep biotechnological processes sustainable. In this study, anaerobic digestion of two highly produced organic waste was integrated with microalgae-based processes both to treat liquid digestate and recover high value compounds. Chlorella vulgaris growth was assessed for lipids accumulation and subsequent recovery, using two types of digestate: organic waste and sewage sludge digestate (DIG-OFMSW) and wine lees digestate (DIG-WL). Growth tests were carried out in batch mode and results showed a slightly higher final biomass concentration from DIG-WL (1.36 ± 0.09 g l^-1) compared to DIG-OFMSW (1.05 ± 0.13 g l^-1) and a clearly different lipids accumulation yield (28.86 ± 0.05% in DIG-WL compared to 6.1 ± 0.2% of DIG-OFMSW, on total solids). Lipid characterization showed a high oleic acid accumulation (69.52 ± 0.50%w/w in DIG-WL) that positively influence biodiesel properties and a low linolenic acids content (below 0.30%w/w) that comply with European law EN14214 for biodiesel (linolenic acid content lower than 12%w/w). In addition, due to the high concentration of palmitic and stearic acids detected at the end of test, this oil can be used as new substrate to produce stearin, normally produced from palm oil.

PMID:34717214 | DOI:10.1016/j.wasman.2021.10.014

Eur J Radiol. 2021 Oct 26;144:110006. doi: 10.1016/j.ejrad.2021.110006. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The combination treatment regimen of thermal ablation (TA) and transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) has gained a place in treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) lesions > 3 cm unsuitable for surgery. Despite a high heterogeneity in the currently used treatment protocols, the pooled results of combined treatments seem to outperform those of TA or TACE alone. TACE preceding TA has been studied extensively, while results of the reverse treatment sequence are lacking. In this retrospective cohort study we compared the two treatment sequences.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: 38 patients (median age: 68.5 yrs (range 40-84), male: 34, liver cirrhosis: 33, early stage HCC: 21, intermediate stage HCC: 17) were included in two tertiary referral centers, of whom 27 were treated with TA and adjuvant TACE (TA + TACE). The other 11 patients received TA with neoadjuvant TACE (TACE + TA). Overall survival (OS), time to progression (TTP) and local tumor progression (LTP) free survival were determined for the entire cohort and compared between the two treatment sequences.

RESULTS: The median OS of all patients was 52.7 months and the median time to LTP was 11.5 months (censored for liver transplantation). No differences were found with respect to OS between the two treatment sequences. Median time to LTP for TACE + TA was 23.6 months and 8.1 months for TA + TACE (p = 0.19).

DISCUSSION: No statistical differences were found for OS, TTP and time to LTP between patients treated with TA combined with neoadjuvant or adjuvant TACE.

PMID:34717187 | DOI:10.1016/j.ejrad.2021.110006

Nurse Educ Pract. 2021 Oct 16;57:103243. doi: 10.1016/j.nepr.2021.103243. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

AIM: The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of an empowerment program on the moral sensitivity and caring behaviors of nurses in emergency departments in Iran.

BACKGROUND: Emergency department is often a high stress environment. Nurses who worked in the emergency departments are expected to work under pressure to many standards, guidelines and protocols related to patient care. It will expose emergency department nurses to psychological pressures and moral conflicts. A nurse’s sensitivity to ethical issues is necessary to provide humane care; it is considered to be a professional competence for nurses.

METHODS: This study had a controlled quasi-experimental design. Data were collected before, immediately after, and 1 month after the intervention using a moral sensitivity questionnaire and a caring behavior questionnaire. A total of 131 emergency department nurses from 4 teaching hospitals were divided into an intervention group and a control group. The intervention group received six 60-minute training sessions; the control group did not receive the training.

RESULTS: The mean moral sensitivity and caring behavior scores for both groups increased significantly immediately and 1 month after the intervention. However, the significance was higher in the intervention group than in the control group. A comparison of the mean moral sensitivity and caring behavior scores between the groups immediately and 1 month after the intervention did not show a statistically significant difference.

CONCLUSIONS: Implementing a training program on ethical issues could thus have a significant impact on the clinical performance of nurses, which could be maintained through follow-up.

PMID:34717168 | DOI:10.1016/j.nepr.2021.103243