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Nevin Manimala Statistics

The Impact of Trusted Community Navigators in Improving Care Utilization Patterns for a Population With Chronic Kidney Disease Enrolled in Medicare Advantage: A Longitudinal Claims Based Study

J Prim Care Community Health. 2025 Jan-Dec;16:21501319251347133. doi: 10.1177/21501319251347133. Epub 2025 Jun 17.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Chronic Kidney disease (CKD) accounts for approximately 82 billion dollars of Medicare spend. Implementing culturally competent, community-based programs may be a strategy for changing utilization behaviors and lowering cost while maintaining quality in this population.

METHODS: A longitudinal claims based study was carried out from April 2023 to August 2024 in the state of CA to assess the impact of the program on cost, utilization, and quality metrics. A propensity matched approach was leveraged yielding of 203 pairs of CKD Medicare Advantage (MA) enrollees. A comparison of the difference of differences was performed between utilization, and available claims-based quality metrics.

RESULTS: Enrollees in the peer support program, Connect For Life (CFL) generated significantly lower costs of $461 pmpm (95% CI = -1037 to -10 037; P = .016) significantly lower inpatient utilization of 172 per 1000 (95% CI = -10 to -330; P = .037) and significantly higher outpatient utilization of 1212 per 1000 (95% CI = 90 to 2340; P = .035). No differences were found in available quality metrics.

CONCLUSIONS: For CKD MA enrollees in the intervention population, more efficient utilization patterns and lower costs while maintaining quality were observed. The tight propensity match left the study underpowered to detect significant changes for other care settings or individual stages of CKD.

PMID:40525376 | DOI:10.1177/21501319251347133

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Nevin Manimala Statistics

A Survey on Twenty Years of Robotic Surgery in Italy: Evaluating Distribution, Bioetic Impact, and Future Directions

Clin Ter. 2025 May_Jun;176(3):376-385. doi: 10.7417/CT.2025.5237.

ABSTRACT

AIM: The Italian Society of Urology conducted a comprehensive survey across Italy’s urology specialists to assess the prevalence and integration of robotic surgery in the country’s medical landscape. The survey aimed to examine the diffusion and acceptance of robotic surgical platforms and to ascertain surgeons’ preferences regarding the most frequently performed urological procedures.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: The Italian Society of Urology surveyed Italian urologists via SURVEYMONKEY. Emails were sent to society members and clinic heads, covering geographic location, robotic practices, and procedures. The 44-question survey, open from March to June 2023, gathered data on clinic location, equipment, cases, and techniques. Descriptive statistics were used, reporting median and inter-quartile range for continuous variables, and rates for categorical ones. Analysis included respondent characteristics, robotic surgery availability, applications, and technical modifications. Stata 16 conducted statistical analyses (StataCorp LP, College Station, TX, USA).

RESULTS: The study included 339 urologists with varied institutional and professional backgrounds, investigating aspects like the availability of robotic technology, preferences in procedures, surgical methodologies, and training programs. Participants included 50% affiliated with university hospitals, 25% with non-university hospitals, and 25% with IRCCS institutions and accredited private hospitals. The survey showcased significant geographic diversity, receiving responses from urologists across all regions of Italy, with Lombardy being the most represented (19.7%), followed by Lazio (12.9%) and Veneto (11.2%). Notably, 93.7% of respondents associated robotic surgery with economic benefits, attributing to reduced hospital stays and increased facility attractiveness. Among urological procedures, robotic-assisted techniques were preferred for Radical Prostatectomies (88%), partial nephrectomy (87%), and pyeloplasty (79%), while cystectomies and radical nephrectomy were commonly performed using open or lap-aroscopic approaches.

CONCLUSION: The survey findings highlight the widespread use and influence of robotic surgery in Italian urology, showcasing enhanced patient care but also indicating technique discrepancies and restricted access in certain facilities. Standardization, accessibility, and ongoing training are vital for maximizing robotic surgery’s potential across specialties.

PMID:40525372 | DOI:10.7417/CT.2025.5237

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Nevin Manimala Statistics

Could AI understand emotions better than we do?

Is artificial intelligence (AI) capable of suggesting appropriate behavior in emotionally charged situations? A team put six generative AIs — including ChatGPT — to the test using emotional intelligence (EI) assessments typically designed for humans. The outcome: these AIs outperformed average human performance and were even able to generate new tests in record time. These findings open up new possibilities for AI in education, coaching, and conflict management.
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Nevin Manimala Statistics

Nano-engineered thermoelectrics enable scalable, compressor-free cooling

Researchers have unveiled a breakthrough in solid-state cooling technology, doubling the efficiency of today’s commercial systems. Driven by the Lab’s patented nano-engineered thin-film thermoelectric materials and devices, this innovation paves the way for compact, reliable and scalable cooling solutions that could potentially replace traditional compressors across a range of industries.
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Nevin Manimala Statistics

Cyberbullying in any form can be traumatizing for kids

New research shows that cyberbullying should be classified as an adverse childhood experience due to its strong link to trauma. Even subtle forms — like exclusion from group chats — can trigger PTSD-level distress. Nearly 90% of teens experienced some form of cyberbullying, accounting for 32% of the variation in trauma symptoms. Indirect harassment was most common, with more than half reporting hurtful comments, rumors or deliberate exclusion. What mattered most was the overall amount of cyberbullying: the more often a student was targeted, the more trauma symptoms they showed.
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Nevin Manimala Statistics

Superconductors: Amazingly orderly disorder

A surprising connection has been found, between two seemingly very different classes of superconductors. In a new material, atoms are distributed irregularly, but still manage to create long-range magnetic order.
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Nevin Manimala Statistics

Digital lab for data- and robot-driven materials science

Researchers have developed a digital laboratory (dLab) system that fully automates the material synthesis and structural, physical property evaluation of thin-film samples. With dLab, the team can autonomously synthesize thin-film samples and measure their material properties. The team’s dLab system demonstrates advanced automatic and autonomous material synthesis for data- and robot-driven materials science.
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Nevin Manimala Statistics

New survey shows privacy and safety tops list of parental concerns about screen time

As kids spend more time on screens, a new national survey conducted by Ipsos on behalf of The Kids Mental Health Foundation, founded by Nationwide Children’s Hospital, identifies parents’ greatest fears for their children around screen time.
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Nevin Manimala Statistics

A Big Data approach for battery electrolytes

A new article puts artificial intelligence and machine learning on the task of finding new, powerful electrolytes for designing next-generation batteries for electric vehicles, phones, laptops and grid-scale energy storage. The paper outlines a new framework for finding molecules that maximize three components that make an ideal battery electrolyte — ionic conductivity, oxidative stability and Coulombic efficiency.
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Nevin Manimala Statistics

Making AI models more trustworthy for high-stakes settings

Researchers made a technique that improves the trustworthiness of machine-learning models, which could help improve the accuracy and reliability of AI predictions for high-stakes settings such health care.