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Nevin Manimala Statistics

The promise and pitfalls of monitoring harmful algal blooms (HABs) with remote sensing in pond-sized waterbodies

Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2026 Jun 5. doi: 10.1007/s11356-026-37902-w. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Harmful algal blooms (HABs) pose water quality risks, including the depletion of dissolved oxygen and human health impacts. Remote sensing is a proven tool for monitoring HABs, yet knowledge is limited about its effectiveness in pond-sized waterbodies, whose size and shape may preclude multi-spectral platforms with large spatial resolutions and increase the probability of mixed pixels. This comparative limnology case study evaluates whether optical remote sensing is a viable tool to monitor HABs in pond-sized waterbodies. We use Sentinel-2 imagery with previously studied chlorophyll-a and cyanobacteria detection algorithms and performed targeted in situ sampling in four small waterbodies in Boulder, CO, USA, from June to August 2021 to validate the algorithms and better understand underlying biogeochemical processes. The chlorophyll-a algorithm indicated persistent algal growth occurred in all waterbodies, yet only Sombrero Marsh chlorophyll-a expressed a statistically significant relationship with the remote sensing output (p < 0.0005, r2 = 0.80). Meanwhile, the cyanobacteria algorithm resulted in false negatives, only showing potential cyanobacteria at Sombrero Marsh despite in situ samples from all waterbodies indicating cyanobacteria were present. Samples from Sombrero Marsh had the highest chlorophyll-a (average = 132.5 µg/L) and percent cyanobacteria (average = 43.5%). These findings suggest that there is uncertainty in relying on remote sensing for monitoring HABs in small waterbodies unless a high concentration of algae is present on the water surface. However, in a resource- and time-limited system, remote sensing can be a useful tool as an initial assessment for monitoring algal blooms.

PMID:42247175 | DOI:10.1007/s11356-026-37902-w

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Early glycaemic exposure and cancer risk in people with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes

Diabetologia. 2026 Jun 5. doi: 10.1007/s00125-026-06758-7. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: The aim of this study was to determine whether overall and time-specific patterns of hyperglycaemia, particularly soon after diagnosis, are associated with incident cancer in adults with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes.

METHODS: We retrospectively analysed a territory-wide cohort of 52,926 Hong Kong Chinese people with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes. We examined cancer risk across groups of individuals classified according to their time-weighted mean HbA1c over the entire follow-up period (n=49,978) or during specific early exposure periods (n=39,185). A weighted cumulative exposure model was used to determine the role of historical HbA1c exposures in cancer development (n=49,966).

RESULTS: Among 49,978 individuals with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes, 1758 cancer events occurred. Each 11 mmol/mol (1%) increase in time-weighted mean HbA1c was associated with a 27% relative higher risk of cancer at any site (HR 1.27; 95% CI 1.20, 1.33). Within the first 2 years after diagnosis, a time-weighted mean HbA1c ≥53 mmol/mol (≥7.0%) vs <53 mmol/mol (<7.0%) was associated with a 30-75% relative higher risk of cancer at any site, depending on the specific HbA1c category, even after adjusting for subsequent HbA1c. Longer durations of early exposure were associated with higher risk, reaching 51-213% in the first 5 years of exposure. Earlier high HbA1c exposures contributed more strongly to cancer risk than later exposures. A 11 mmol/mol (1%) HbA1c reduction at 1-2 years was associated with a 6% relative lower cancer risk over a hypothetical 10 year window (HR 0.94; 95% CI 0.91, 0.98), whereas reductions after 5 years showed no significant risk differences.

CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: Overall, hyperglycaemic exposure was associated with an elevated long-term cancer risk in type 2 diabetes. Notably, individuals who showed better glycaemic management soon after diagnosis exhibited a lower cancer risk than those whose glycaemic management improved later, despite comparable overall glycaemic burdens.

PMID:42247170 | DOI:10.1007/s00125-026-06758-7

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Comparative efficacy and safety of tofacitinib versus adalimumab in patients with Behçet’s uveitis: a real-world retrospective study

Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol. 2026 Jun 5. doi: 10.1007/s00417-026-07293-2. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: To conduct a comparative analysis of the efficacy and safety profiles of Tofacitinib (Tofa) and Adalimumab (ADA) in individuals diagnosed with refractory Behçet’s uveitis.

METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted on the medical records of 64 patients who received Tofa (n = 30) or ADA (n = 34) in routine clinical practice. Treatment allocation was not randomized. The analysis focused on drug response rate, central macular thickness, ocular inflammation parameters, and best-corrected visual acuity at 3, 6, 12, and 24 months after treatment initiation.

RESULTS: A total of 23 patients in the Tofa group (76.6%) and 24 patients in the ADA group (70.5%) achieved remission. Both groups exhibited improvements in mean best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA, Snellen chart, from baseline 0.33 ± 0.31 to 0.54 ± 0.27 in the ADA group, and from baseline 0.31 ± 0.27 to 0.57 ± 0.31 in the Tofa group), central macular thickness (CMT, from baseline 354.53 ± 101 μm to 199.71 ± 57 μm in the ADA group and from baseline 366.77 ± 120 μm to 203.67 ± 71 μm in the Tofa group), anterior chamber cell counts, and vitreous haze. No statistically significant differences were observed between the two groups in these overall outcomes. In an exploratory subgroup analysis, Tofa showed a lower response rate in patients with central occlusive retinal vasculitis, with 1/7 patients responding, whereas 6/8 patients responded in the ADA group (P = 0.041).

CONCLUSIONS: Both ADA and Tofa demonstrated favorable efficacy in treating refractory Behçet’s uveitis in this retrospective real-world study. The observed differences according to vasculitis phenotype should be interpreted cautiously and require confirmation in larger prospective studies.

PMID:42247158 | DOI:10.1007/s00417-026-07293-2

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Nevin Manimala Statistics

A Progressive Mobilization Protocol for Surgically Implanted Temporary Ventricular Assist Devices: A Retrospective Cohort Study

ASAIO J. 2026 Jun 4. doi: 10.1097/MAT.0000000000002759. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Axillary percutaneous ventricular assist devices (pVADs) are increasingly utilized for refractory cardiogenic shock, yet standardized mobilization protocols are lacking. This study describes a structured mobilization protocol and evaluates its implementation in 196 patients supported with an axillary pVAD from December 2020 to June 2025. Of this cohort, 131 (67%) were mobilized per a progressive multidisciplinary exercise protocol. Mobilized patients achieved significantly higher functional status by intensive care unit (ICU) discharge via Johns-Hopkins Highest Level of Mobility (JH-HLM) scoring (p < 0.001) and hospital discharge (p = 0.002). Longitudinal analysis demonstrated significant stepwise improvement in JH-HLM scores across sessions (p < 0.001) with statistical gains appearing as early as the third session (p < 0.001). Stratified analysis confirmed feasibility across all clinical outcomes, including recovery (p = 0.002), durable left ventricular assist device (LVAD) (p < 0.001), and heart transplant (p = 0.023). Regarding clinical outcomes, the mobilized cohort had a lower mortality rate (12% vs. 58%), higher rates of myocardial recovery (46% vs. 25%), durable LVAD implantation (21% vs. 9%), and heart transplantation (20% vs. 8%) (p < 0.001). This technical report details a safe, reproducible framework for patients with axillary pVAD support, showing that a structured mobilization protocol is feasible and associated with progressive improvement in functional status.

PMID:42247139 | DOI:10.1097/MAT.0000000000002759

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Genetic variations in medical versus surgical patients with GERD: beyond PPIs and fundoplications

Surg Endosc. 2026 Jun 5. doi: 10.1007/s00464-026-12904-4. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) is treated primarily with proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), with surgery reserved for patients refractory to PPIs or with symptomatic hiatal hernias. PPI efficacy depends on metabolism by cytochrome P450 2C19 (CYP2C19) in the liver, which varies with genetic polymorphisms. Rapid (RM) and ultra-rapid (UM) metabolizers may require higher PPI doses for efficacy, while poor (PM) and intermediate (IM) metabolizers respond to lower doses but have higher risk of side effects. This study assesses CYP2C19 phenotype prevalence in medically versus surgically managed GERD. We hypothesized a higher RM/UM rate among surgical patients, suggesting PPI resistance.

METHODS: This was a multi-site retrospective cohort study of adult patients with GERD and CYP2C19 genotyping from 2012 to 2023. Medical patients included those with Barrett’s esophagus, LA grade C/D esophagitis, or abnormal pH testing. Surgical patients included those who underwent anti-reflux surgery. CYP2C19 phenotypes were grouped as PM/IM, normal metabolizer (NM), and RM/UM based on the anticipated need for PPI dose adjustment. Descriptive statistics were used for analysis.

RESULTS: A total of 261 patients were included in this study: 187 medical (female: 59%, mean age: 57 (SD 15), 77% White) and 74 surgical (female: 69%, mean age: 58 (SD 13), 89% White). Medical patients included the following esophageal pathologies: 52% Barrett’s esophagus, 31% abnormal pH testing, and 17% LA grade C/D esophagitis. Surgical patients had a significantly higher proportion of RM/UM phenotypes compared to medical patients (p = 0.018). There was also a significant difference in hiatal hernia size between medical and surgical patients (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION: Surgical patients have a higher prevalence of hypermetabolizing (RM/UM) CYP2C19 phenotypes compared to medical patients. Dose escalation of PPI should be considered in medical patients with these phenotypes, and if ineffective, a timely referral for anti-reflux surgery should be made.

PMID:42247133 | DOI:10.1007/s00464-026-12904-4

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Risk of periprosthetic joint infection within 1 year following robotic-assisted versus conventional primary total knee arthroplasty: a propensity-score-matched cohort study

J Orthop Traumatol. 2026 Jun 5. doi: 10.1186/s10195-026-00937-3. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Robotic-assisted total knee arthroplasty (RA-TKA) is increasingly being adopted for its ability to enhance bone-resection accuracy and component alignment. However, whether these technical gains influence the risk of periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) remains uncertain, especially in the context of prolonged operative duration. This study aimed to compare the 1-year rate of PJI following conventional total knee arthroplasty (cTKA) and RA-TKA in a propensity-score-matched cohort.

METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 1284 consecutive patients who underwent primary TKAs at a single centre between 2021 and 2023. The patients were stratified according to surgical technique (cTKA versus RA-TKA) and subsequently matched 1:1 using propensity score analysis (age, sex, body mass index [BMI], American Society of Anesthesiologists [ASA] score, Charlson Comorbidity Index [CCI] score, CCI components and smoking), resulting in 522 pairs (1044 patients) for the final comparative analysis. Operative time and 1-year PJI were assessed using multivariable logistic regression. Infections were stratified according to timing: ≤ 90 days and from 90 days to 1 year after surgery.

RESULTS: The 1-year rate of PJI was 0.77% (4/522) after RA-TKA and 0.96% (5/522) after cTKA (P = 1.000). All PJIs in patients who underwent RA-TKA occurred within 90 days, whereas PJIs in patients who underwent cTKA occurred in both time windows. Multivariable logistic regression analysis did not identify surgical modality as an independent predictor of PJI (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 0.75, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.22-2.90; P = 0.57). The median operative time was longer in the RA-TKA group than in the cTKA group (115 (range, 90-145) versus 85 (range, 60-105) min; P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS: RA-TKA was associated with a longer operative time, while no statistically significant difference in 1-year PJI rates was detected compared with cTKA. Nevertheless, these findings should be interpreted cautiously given the limited number of infection events.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level 3, non-randomised observational study.

PMID:42247101 | DOI:10.1186/s10195-026-00937-3

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Variable selection in causal semiparametric transformation models with all-or-nothing treatment compliance

Lifetime Data Anal. 2026 Jun 5;32(3):38. doi: 10.1007/s10985-026-09696-z.

ABSTRACT

Assessing causal treatment effect on a time-to-event outcome and identifying important risk factors that contribute to the outcome of interest are crucial in many scientific studies. Although existing instrumental variable (IV) methods can address the endogenous treatment selection and yield an unbiased causal treatment effect estimate in the presence of censoring, the corresponding variable selection technique has not been investigated. In this paper, we propose a variable selection method for a wide class of causal semiparametric transformation models with all-or-nothing treatment compliance and right-censored data. Specifically, the minimum information criterion is embedded in the optimization step of the proposed expectation-maximization algorithm, rendering sparse estimators of the complier causal treatment effect and other regression parameters. The asymptotic properties of our method are established, including consistency and oracle property. Extensive simulation studies are conducted to evaluate the finite sample performance of the proposed method. An application to a colorectal cancer screening dataset is provided.

PMID:42247097 | DOI:10.1007/s10985-026-09696-z

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Glioblastoma treatment patterns and outcomes over 18 years in an Irish cancer centre

Ir J Med Sci. 2026 Jun 5. doi: 10.1007/s11845-026-04449-1. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Glioblastoma is the most common malignant brain tumour in adults and carries a poor prognosis despite advances in molecular characterisation and therapy. The 2021 World Health Organisation classification redefined glioblastoma as an IDH-wildtype diffuse astrocytic tumour with aggressive histological or molecular features. Standard of care therapy has changed little over the last two decades, and outcomes remain suboptimal, with considerable heterogeneity in survival influenced by clinical, molecular, and treatment-related factors.

AIMS: This study evaluates the clinical and molecular characteristics, treatment strategies, and survival outcomes for glioblastoma patients at Cork University Hospital from 2006-2023 to assess changes in management and outcomes.

METHODS: 494 patients were diagnosed with glioblastoma between 1st of January 2006 and 31st of December 2023. IDH mutant cases were excluded. Data was extracted from medical records, with survival analyses using the Kaplan-Meier method and COX proportional hazards model.

RESULTS: The median age was 63 years (range: 17-86). Increased availability of molecular markers was observed between the time periods. Median overall survival remained stable over time (2006-2010: 9.9 months; 2011-2014: 11.9 months; 2015-2019: 10.9 months; 2020-2023: 11.1 months), with no statistical significance between periods. On multivariate analysis, key prognostic factors included age at diagnosis, ECOG performance status, glucocorticoid use at baseline, MGMT methylation status, and completion of the adjuvant chemo-radiation.

CONCLUSIONS: Despite advances in our understanding of the pathogenesis of glioblastoma, the mOS median overall survival in our real-world patient cohort did not improve over time. The findings emphasise the need for ongoing research efforts to improve outcomes in this lethal disease.

PMID:42247092 | DOI:10.1007/s11845-026-04449-1

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Association between albumin-bilirubin score and gallstones: exploring the potential mediating role of body mass index based on NHANES 2017-2020

Intern Emerg Med. 2026 Jun 5. doi: 10.1007/s11739-026-04419-6. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Gallstones are a common digestive disorder whose development is influenced by abnormal liver function, metabolic disorders, and inflammatory states. The albumin-bilirubin (ALBI) score is a comprehensive indicator for assessing liver function and has been widely applied in liver cancer and chronic liver diseases; however, its association with gallstones remains unclear. This study analyzed NHANES data from 2017 to 2020, including 6332 adult participants. Survey-weighted multivariable logistic regression was performed to assess the association between ALBI and gallstone prevalence. Furthermore, the dose-response relationship was examined using restricted cubic spline (RCS) modeling. Subgroup analyses were conducted to assess the robustness of this association across different demographic and clinical strata. In addition, an exploratory mediation analysis was performed to examine whether body mass index (BMI) statistically accounted for part of the observed association between ALBI and gallstone prevalence. Multivariable logistic regression indicated that higher ALBI was associated with higher odds of gallstone prevalence (OR = 2.670, 95% CI: 1.778 – 4.008, P = 0.001). RCS analysis indicated that the relationship between ALBI and gallstones is approximately linear (P-overall < 0.0001, P-nonlinearity = 0.7779). The results of the subgroup analyses were consistent and robust. Exploratory mediation analysis suggested that BMI statistically accounted for 23.95% of the observed association between ALBI and gallstone prevalence in the mediation model. Higher ALBI levels were associated with a higher prevalence of gallstones, showing an approximately linear dose-response pattern. BMI statistically accounted for part of this association in exploratory mediation models, but this finding should not be interpreted as evidence of causal mediation given the cross-sectional design. Because gallstone status was self-reported, these findings should be interpreted with caution. Prospective studies are warranted to clarify temporal relationships, validate these associations, and determine whether ALBI provides clinically meaningful information beyond established gallstone risk factors.

PMID:42247086 | DOI:10.1007/s11739-026-04419-6

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White matter microstructural abnormalities in children with Tourette syndrome using tract-based spatial statistics analysis

Jpn J Radiol. 2026 Jun 5. doi: 10.1007/s11604-026-02024-3. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to investigate alterations in white matter microstructure in children with Tourette syndrome (TS) and to explore its potential role in pathophysiology.

METHODS: Diffusion tensor imaging data were collected from 53 children with TS and 91 typically developing controls. White matter integrity was assessed and analyzed using fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD), axial diffusivity (AD), and radial diffusivity (RD). Correlations with tic severity and quality of life (QOL) were examined, followed by mediation analysis to assess whether motor tic severity mediated the relationship between FA values in the right anterior corona radiata (ACR_R) and QOL.

RESULTS: Children with TS exhibited widespread white matter alterations, lower FA in ACR_R and left anterior limb of the internal capsule, lower MD in the inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus, and lower AD in ACR_R, alongside higher MD in the genu of the corpus callosum, higher AD in the inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus, and higher RD in ACR_R. The FA values in ACR_R showed a significant negative correlation with motor tic severity (r = – 0.302, P = 0.031) and a significant negative correlation with physical/activities of daily living (ADL) subscale of QOL (r = – 0.468, P < 0.001). Motor tic severity was positively correlated with physical/ADL subscale of QOL (r = 0.430, P = 0.008). Motor tic severity partially mediated the relationship between FA values in ACR_R and physical/ADL scores (β = – 0.091, 95% CI [- 0.208, – 0.016]).

CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that impaired white matter microstructure may be associated with the pathophysiology of TS, and that future interventions may benefit from simultaneously addressing neural circuit integrity and symptom management.

PMID:42247083 | DOI:10.1007/s11604-026-02024-3