Category: Statistics

J Contemp Dent Pract. 2021 Mar 1;22(3):231-236.

ABSTRACT

AIM AND OBJECTIVE: This study was conducted to compare debris removal from the mesial canal system with four different irrigation techniques: sonic activation with EDDY, passive ultrasonic irrigation (PUI), mechanical activation with the XP-endo Finisher (XPF), and manual dynamic irrigation (MDI) with gutta-percha.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty-six extracted mandibular molars with isthmus in the apical 5 mm in mesial roots were sectioned horizontally at 3 mm and 5 mm from the apex. The sections were reassembled, and the mesial canals were prepared chemomecahanically. Specimens were allocated randomly into four groups according to the final irrigation technique. Standardized images of the coronal aspect of cross sections were obtained using a digital stereomicroscope before and after final irrigation protocols to calculate the percentage of debris elimination from the canal system after final irrigation.

RESULTS: The use of EDDY, PUI, and XPF exhibited significant reductions in debris compared with MDI at 5 mm (p <0.00) and at 3 mm (p <0.00). Furthermore, no significant difference was noted among EDDY, PUI, and XPF. For intragroup analysis, no statistically significant difference in the percentage of debris elimination was noted between 3 mm and 5 mm in all four groups.

CONCLUSION: All groups showed a reduction in debris after the final irrigation protocol. However, the use of EDDY, PUI, and XPF after cleaning and shaping yielded a significant reduction in debris compared with MDI.

CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: The use of PUI, XPF, and EDDY as an adjunctive irrigation step presented similar results in improving canal cleanliness, which is hypothesized to affect the treatment outcome.

PMID:34210920

J Rheumatol. 2021 Jul 1:jrheum.210077. doi: 10.3899/jrheum.210077. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To standardize and improve the accuracy of detection of arthritis by thermal imaging.

METHODS: Children with clinically active arthritis in the knee or ankle, as well as healthy controls, were enrolled to the development cohort and another group of children with knee symptoms were enrolled to the validation cohort. Ultrasound was performed for the arthritis subgroup for the development cohort. Joint exam by certified rheumatologists was used as a reference for the validation cohort. Infrared thermal data were analyzed using a custom software. Temperature after within-limb calibration (TAWiC) was defined as the temperature differences between joint and ipsilateral midtibia. TAWiC of knees and ankles was evaluated using ANOVA across subgroups. Optimal thresholds were determined by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis using Youden index.

RESULTS: There were significant differences in mean and 95^th TAWiC of knee in anterior, medial, lateral views, and of ankles in anterior view, between inflamed and uninflamed counterparts (p<0.05). The area under the curve (AUC) was higher by 36% when using TAWiC_Knee than those when using absolute temperature. Within validation cohort, the sensitivity of accurate detection of arthritis in knee using both mean and 95^th TAWiC from individual views or combined all 3 views ranged from 0.60 to 0.70 and the specificity was greater than 0.90 in all views.

CONCLUSION: Children with active arthritis or tenosynovitis in knees or ankles exhibited higher TAWiC than healthy joints. Our validation cohort study showed promise of the clinical utility of infrared thermal imaging for arthritis detection.

PMID:34210832 | DOI:10.3899/jrheum.210077

Science. 2021 Jul 2;373(6550):107-111. doi: 10.1126/science.abe0290.

ABSTRACT

Plastic floating at the ocean surface, estimated at tens to hundreds of thousands of metric tons, represents only a small fraction of the estimated several million metric tons annually discharged by rivers. Such an imbalance promoted the search for a missing plastic sink that could explain the rapid removal of river-sourced plastics from the ocean surface. On the basis of an in-depth statistical reanalysis of updated data on microplastics-a size fraction for which both ocean and river sampling rely on equal techniques-we demonstrate that current river flux assessments are overestimated by two to three orders of magnitude. Accordingly, the average residence time of microplastics at the ocean surface rises from a few days to several years, strongly reducing the theoretical need for a missing sink.

PMID:34210886 | DOI:10.1126/science.abe0290

Heart. 2021 Jul 1:heartjnl-2021-319110. doi: 10.1136/heartjnl-2021-319110. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Ibrutinib is a tyrosine kinase inhibitor most commonly associated with atrial fibrillation. However, additional cardiotoxicities have been identified, including accelerated hypertension. The incidence and risk factors of new or worsening hypertension following ibrutinib treatment are not as well known.

METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study of 144 patients diagnosed with B cell malignancies treated with ibrutinib (n=93) versus conventional chemoimmunotherapy (n=51) and evaluated their effects on blood pressure at 1, 2, 3 and 6 months after treatment initiation. Descriptive statistics were used to compare baseline characteristics for each treatment group. Fisher’s exact test was used to identify covariates significantly associated with the development of hypertension. Repeated measures analyses were conducted to analyse longitudinal blood pressure changes.

RESULTS: Both treatments had similar prevalence of baseline hypertension at 63.4% and 66.7%, respectively. There were no differences between treatments by age, sex and baseline cardiac comorbidities. Both systolic and diastolic blood pressure significantly increased over time with ibrutinib compared with baseline, whereas conventional chemoimmunotherapy was not associated with significant changes in blood pressure. Baseline hypertensive status did not affect the degree of blood pressure change over time. A significant increase in systolic blood pressure (defined as more than 10 mm Hg) was noted for ibrutinib (36.6%) compared with conventional chemoimmunotherapy (7.9%) at 1 month after treatment initiation. Despite being hypertensive at follow-up, 61.2% of patients who were treated with ibrutinib did not receive adequate blood pressure management (increase or addition of blood pressure medications). Within the ibrutinib group, of patients who developed more than 20 mm Hg increase in systolic blood pressure, only 52.9% had hypertension management changes.

CONCLUSIONS: Ibrutinib is associated with the development of hypertension and worsening of blood pressure. Cardiologists and oncologists must be aware of this cardiotoxicity to allow timely management of blood pressure elevations.

PMID:34210750 | DOI:10.1136/heartjnl-2021-319110

Neurology. 2021 Jul 1:10.1212/WNL.0000000000012442. doi: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000012442. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The clinical impact of renal impairment on intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is unknown. This study sought to exploratory assess whether the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) affects clinical outcomes or modifies the efficacy of intensive systolic blood pressure (BP) control (target, 110-139 mmHg) against the standard (target, 140-179 mmHg) among patients with ICH.

METHODS: We conducted post-hoc analyses of ATACH-2, a randomized, two-group, open-label trial. The baseline eGFR of each eligible patient was calculated using the Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration equation. The outcome of interest was death or disability at 90 days. Multivariate logistic regression models were used for analysis.

RESULTS: Among the 1000 patients randomized, 974 were analyzed. The median baseline eGFR was 88 (interquartile range: 68, 99) ml/min/1.73 m²; 451 (46.3%), 363 (37.3%) and 160 (16.4%) patients had baseline eGFR values of ≥90, 60-89, and <60 ml/min/1.73 m², respectively. Compared with normal eGFR (≥90 ml/min/1.73 m²), higher odds of death or disability were noted among those with eGFR values of <60 ml/min/1.73 m² (adjusted odds ratio (OR) 2.02, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.25-3.26) but not among those with eGFR values of 60-89 ml/min/1.73 m² (OR 1.01, 95% CI 0.70-1.46). The odds of death or disability were significantly higher in the intensive arm among patients with decreased eGFR; the ORs were 0.89 (95% CI 0.55-1.44), 1.13 (0.68-1.89), and 3.60 (1.47-8.80) in patients with eGFR values of ≥90, 60-89, and <60 ml/min/1.73 m², respectively (p for interaction = 0.02).

DISCUSSION: Decreased eGFR is associated with unfavorable outcomes following ICH. The statistically significant interaction between the eGFR group and treatment assignment raised safety concerns for the intensive BP-lowering therapy among patients with renal impairment.

TRIAL REGISTRATION INFORMATION: Clinicaltrials.gov (NCT01176565), first submitted on August 6, 2010. The first patient enrolled on May 2011.

CLASSIFICATION OF EVIDENCE: This study provides Class II evidence that in spontaneous ICH, decreased eGFR identifies patients at risk of death or disability following intensive blood pressure control.

PMID:34210824 | DOI:10.1212/WNL.0000000000012442

BMJ Open. 2021 Jul 1;11(7):e047377. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2020-047377.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Pregnancy is a vulnerable period that affects long-term health of pregnant women and their unborn infants. Health literacy plays a crucial role in promoting healthy behaviour and thereby maintaining good health. This study explores the role of health literacy in the GeMuKi (acronym for ‘Gemeinsam Gesund: Vorsorge plus für Mutter und Kind’-Strengthening health promotion: enhanced check-up visits for mother and child) Project. It will assess the ability of the GeMuKi lifestyle intervention to positively affect health literacy levels through active participation in preventive counselling. The study also explores associations between health literacy, health outcomes, health service use and effectiveness of the intervention.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS: The GeMuKi trial has a hybrid effectiveness-implementation design and is carried out in routine prenatal health service settings in Germany. Women (n=1860) are recruited by their gynaecologist during routine check-up visits before 12 weeks of gestation. Trained healthcare providers carry out counselling using motivational interviewing techniques to positively affect health literacy and lifestyle-related risk factors. Healthcare providers (gynaecologists and midwives) and women jointly agree on Specific, Measurable, Achievable Reasonable, Time-Bound goals. Women will be invited to fill in questionnaires at two time points (at recruitment and 37th-40th week of gestation) using an app. Health literacy is measured using the German version of the Health Literacy Survey-16 and the Brief Health Literacy Screener. Lifestyle is measured with questions on physical activity, nutrition, alcohol and drug use. Health outcomes of both mother and child, including gestational weight gain (GWG) will be documented at each routine visit. Health service use will be assessed using social health insurance claims data. Data analyses will be conducted using IBM SPSS Statistics, version 26.0. These include descriptive statistics, tests and regression models. A mediation model will be conducted to answer the question whether health behaviour mediates the association between health literacy and GWG.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The study was approved by the University Hospital of Cologne Research Ethics Committee (ID: 18-163) and the State Chamber of Physicians in Baden-Wuerttemberg (ID: B-F-2018-100). Study results will be disseminated through (poster) presentations at conferences, publications in peer-reviewed journals and press releases.

TRAIL REGISTRATION: German Clinical Trials Register (DRKS00013173). Registered pre-results, 3rd of January 2019, https://www.drks.de.

PMID:34210730 | DOI:10.1136/bmjopen-2020-047377

BMJ Open. 2021 Jul 1;11(7):e048931. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2021-048931.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to compare depressive symptoms among people with HIV/AIDS and the general population sample. We also assessed the factors associated with depressive symptoms.

DESIGN: A comparative cross-sectional study was conducted.

SETTINGS: Antiretroviral therapy clinics in three primary healthcare facilities and semi-urban area in Northwest Ethiopia.

PARTICIPANTS: A total of 1115 participants (558 people with HIV/AIDS and 557 comparison group) aged 18 years and above were recruited. A total of 1026 participants (530 people with HIV/AIDS and 496 comparison group) completed the interview. We excluded people with known HIV-positive status from the comparison group.

OUTCOME MEASURE: Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) was used to assess depressive symptoms. The proportion of depressive symptoms was compared between samples of the general population and people with HIV/AIDS using χ² statistics. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was done to examine the associated factors.

RESULTS: The overall prevalence of depressive symptoms was 13.3% (11.2%-15.4%). The prevalence was significantly higher in people with HIV/AIDS compared with the community sample (16.6% vs 12.3%), p=0.001. The difference was also significant in the multivariable logistic regression (OR 1.7). For the overall sample, depressive symptoms were significantly associated with older age, being single, divorced/widowed marital status, and poor social support.

CONCLUSIONS: Depressive symptoms were higher in people with HIV/AIDS compared with the general population. It is necessary to include mental healthcare and screening for depression in routine HIV/AIDS care.

PMID:34210733 | DOI:10.1136/bmjopen-2021-048931

Dent Traumatol. 2021 Jul 1. doi: 10.1111/edt.12698. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND/AIM: The high rate of root resorption resulting from tooth replantation represents a serious clinical problem. In order to prevent ankylosis and replacement resorption, the contemporary literature highlights the importance of using a flexible stabilization for traumatized teeth. For this purpose, orthodontic devices may be promising for obtaining a better prognosis and periodontal repair. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of an active splinting protocol with controlled force in dog’s teeth following replantation.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: Sixty premolar roots from three dogs were used. They were submitted to endodontic treatment, hemisected, atraumatically extracted and subsequently replanted. They were divided into four groups: Passive Stabilization (n = 20)-after 20 min in a dry medium; Active Stabilization (n = 20)-after 20 min in a dry medium; Negative control (n = 10)-immediate replantation and passive Stabilization; and Positive control (n = 10)-90 min of extra-alveolar time and passive Stabilization. The samples were collected and submitted to histologic processing. They were then evaluated for the count of inflammatory cells, expression of neurotrophin 4, osteoclasts, apoptotic cells and collagen fibres. The results were submitted to ANOVA or Kruskal-Wallis statistical tests followed by Tukey or Dunn post-tests (α = 5%).

RESULTS: Passive Stabilization with orthodontic brackets without traction used after replantation had the highest number of inflammatory cells (p = .0122), osteoclasts (p = .0013) and percentage of collagen fibres in the periodontal ligament (p < .0001) when compared to Active Stabilization with orthodontic brackets applying amild tensile force. Neurotrophin 4 had no statistically significant difference (p = .05), regardless of the treatment. The apoptotic cells count revealed statistical differences (p < .0001) between Active Stabilization (189.70 ± 47.99) and Positive Control (198.90 ± 88.92) when compared to Passive Stabilization (21.19 ± 32.94).

CONCLUSION: The active splinting protocol using orthodontic appliances generating a light and controlled force favoured periodontal ligament repair of replanted teeth.

PMID:34198370 | DOI:10.1111/edt.12698

Med J Aust. 2021 Jul 1. doi: 10.5694/mja2.51153. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To examine relationships between changing general practitioner after entering residential aged care and overall medicines prescribing (including polypharmacy) and that of psychotropic medicines in particular.

DESIGN: Retrospective data linkage study.

SETTING, PARTICIPANTS: 45 and Up Study participants in New South Wales with dementia who were PBS concession card holders and entered permanent residential aged care during January 2010 – June 2014 and were alive six months after entry.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Inverse probability of treatment-weighted numbers of medicines dispensed to residents and proportions of residents dispensed antipsychotics, benzodiazepines, and antidepressants in the six months after residential care entry, by most frequent residential care GP category: usual (same as during two years preceding entry), known (another GP, but known to the resident), or new GP.

RESULTS: Of 2250 new residents with dementia (mean age, 84.1 years; SD, 7.0 years; 1236 women [55%]), 625 most frequently saw their usual GPs (28%), 645 saw known GPs (29%), and 980 saw new GPs (44%). The increase in mean number of dispensed medicines after residential care entry was larger for residents with new GPs (+1.6 medicines; 95% CI, 1.4-1.9 medicines) than for those attended by their usual GPs (+0.7 medicines; 95% CI, 0.4-1.1 medicines; adjusted rate ratio, 2.42; 95% CI, 1.59-3.70). The odds of being dispensed antipsychotics (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.59; 95% CI, 1.18-2.12) or benzodiazepines (aOR, 1.69; 95% CI, 1.25-2.30), but not antidepressants (aOR, 1.32; 95% CI, 0.98-1.77), were also higher for the new GP group. Differences between the known and usual GP groups were not statistically significant.

CONCLUSIONS: Increases in medicine use and rates of psychotropic dispensing were higher for people with dementia who changed GP when they entered residential care. Facilitating continuity of GP care for new residents and more structured transfer of GP care may prevent potentially inappropriate initiation of psychotropic medicines.

PMID:34198357 | DOI:10.5694/mja2.51153

Br J Clin Pharmacol. 2021 Jul 1. doi: 10.1111/bcp.14970. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

AIM: To compare the risks of all-cause mortality, hepatic outcomes, major adverse cardiovascular events between metformin users and non-users for patients with diabetes and cirrhosis.

METHODS: From the Taiwan’s National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD), we selected propensity-score matched metformin users and non-users from the cohorts of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) with compensated (n = 26164) or decompensated liver cirrhosis (n = 15056) between January 1, 2000, and December 31, 2009, and followed them through until December 31, 2010. Cox proportional hazards models with robust sandwich standard error estimates were used to assess risk of investigated outcomes for metformin users.

RESULTS: The incidence rates of mortality during follow-up were 3.8 and 3.3 per 100 patient-years (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] 1.13, 95% CI 1.01-1.25) for metformin users and non-users, respectively. The incidence rates of cirrhotic decompensation during follow-up were 5.9 and 4.9 per 100 patient-years (aHR 1.15, 95% CI 1.04-1.27) for metformin users and non-users. The risk of death (p for trend<0.01) and cirrhotic decompensation (p for trend <0.0001) associated with metformin use was significant for those taking metformin for > 40 defined daily dose (DDD) in 90 days or >1000 mg/day. The outcomes of metformin use vs nonuse for T2DM with decompensated liver cirrhosis were not statistically different, except that metformin users had higher risk of mortality (aHR 1.15).

CONCLUSION: Metformin use was associated with higher risks of mortality and cirrhotic decompensation in patients with compensated liver cirrhosis. Prospective studies are required to confirm our results.

PMID:34198358 | DOI:10.1111/bcp.14970