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Nevin Manimala Statistics

Enhancing Fracture Resistance by Customizing Glass Fiber Posts in Endodontically Treated Teeth: Protocol for a Systematic Review

JMIR Res Protoc. 2026 Feb 17;15:e76027. doi: 10.2196/76027.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The loss of tooth structure in endodontically treated teeth compromises their structural integrity and increases their vulnerability to fractures. To strengthen these teeth, post and core systems must be used. Among post materials, glass fiber has become more and more common because of it advantageous mechanical and aesthetic qualities. However, the effectiveness of customized glass fiber posts in enhancing fracture resistance compared to prefabricated posts remains a subject of ongoing debate.

OBJECTIVE: This systematic review primarily focuses on the fracture resistance of endodontically treated teeth reinforced with customized glass fiber posts. It aims to assess how well they function in terms of resilience, flexibility, and failure patterns in comparison to prefabricated fiber posts and other post materials.

METHODS: To locate relevant studies published up to 2025, a comprehensive literature search will be conducted through various materials available electronically on websites such as Google Scholar, Web of Science, PubMed, Semantic Scholar, and Scopus. The selection criteria will include randomized controlled clinical trials that evaluate fracture resistance of customized glass fiber posts in teeth that have had endodontic treatment. The research will be screened using predetermined standards for inclusion and exclusion. Quality assessment and collection of data will be performed strictly, in accordance with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines. To examine the results quantitatively, a meta-analysis will be conducted, if at all possible, with a random effects model for heterogeneity. Statistical methods will be used for evaluating the effectiveness of custom glass fiber posts, alternative post materials, and prefabricated posts.

RESULTS: By comparing the mean differences in fracture resistance of teeth treated endodontically using various post systems, the effectiveness of customized glass fiber posts will be assessed. Other aspects to be examined include general biomechanical performance, failure mechanisms, and stress distribution. This study will use a random effects model to estimate the combined effect size measurements and the corresponding 95% CIs. We anticipate that the data synthesis will be conducted between February and March 2026 for this systematic review and will be finished by April or July 2026.

CONCLUSIONS: Customized glass fiber posts may show promise in strengthening teeth that have undergone endodontic treatment by lowering the risk of failure and increasing fracture resistance. Even if there is current evidence that they are more effective than prefabricated posts, we need to synthesize the quality of the evidence. Therefore, this review aims to evaluate whether customized glass fiber posts effectively enhance fracture resistance in endodontically treated teeth.

PMID:41701956 | DOI:10.2196/76027

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Nevin Manimala Statistics

Barriers to the Adoption of Healthy Lifestyle Behaviors in Patients With Cancer: Results of a National Survey

JCO Oncol Pract. 2026 Feb 17:OP2501029. doi: 10.1200/OP-25-01029. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: Healthy lifestyle behaviors, including regular exercise and balanced nutrition, affect quality of life in cancer survivors. However, barriers to adopting these behaviors across the cancer continuum are poorly understood. We evaluated barriers to adopting healthy lifestyle behaviors in a national cohort of patients and survivors of cancer.

METHODS: ASCO distributed an online survey to adult patients with cancer in the United States from March to June 2020. In this secondary analysis, we evaluated the perceived barriers to incorporating healthy lifestyle behaviors after cancer diagnosis and how they differ by disease stage and treatment status. Descriptive statistics summarized barriers to lifestyle changes. Comparisons across disease stage and treatment status were assessed using Rao-Scott chi-square tests, and weighted multivariable logistic regression modeling identified associated factors.

RESULTS: Of 2,419 survey respondents, 1,987 were included in this analysis and grouped by disease stage: early stage on-treatment (n = 461), early stage post-treatment (n = 916), and metastatic on-treatment (n = 610). The most common barriers to healthy behaviors included lack of energy (58.7%) and physical limitations (52.0%), with significant differences (P < .05) in barriers related to time, logistics, cancer effects, and physical limitations across disease stages and treatment groups. Among those not meeting lifestyle guidelines, lack of motivation (51.3%-62.0%) and lack of energy (59.5%-77.0%) were major barriers, with barriers related to time, cancer effects, and physical limitations varying significantly by disease stage and treatment status.

CONCLUSION: Patients with cancer face multiple barriers to adopting healthy lifestyle behaviors after diagnosis. Targeted interventions based on disease stage and treatment status may help address these challenges.

PMID:41701954 | DOI:10.1200/OP-25-01029

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Application of AI Models for Preventing Surgical Complications: Scoping Review of Clinical Readiness and Barriers to Implementation

JMIR AI. 2026 Feb 17;5:e75064. doi: 10.2196/75064.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The impact of surgical complications is substantial and multifaceted, affecting patients and their families, surgeons, and health care systems. Despite the remarkable progress in artificial intelligence (AI), there remains a notable gap in the prospective implementation of AI models in surgery that use real-time data to support decision-making and enable proactive intervention to reduce the risk of surgical complications.

OBJECTIVE: This scoping review aims to assess and analyze the adoption and use of AI models for preventing surgical complications. Furthermore, this review aims to identify barriers and facilitators for implementation at the bedside.

METHODS: Following PRISMA-ScR (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews) guidelines, we conducted a literature search using IEEE Xplore, Scopus, Web of Science, MEDLINE, ProQuest, PubMed, ABI, Embase, Epistemonikos, CINAHL, and Cochrane registries. The inclusion criteria included empirical, peer-reviewed studies published in English between January 2013 and January 2025, involving AI models for preventing surgical complications (surgical site infections, and heart and lung complications or stroke) in real-world settings. Exclusions included retrospective algorithm-only validations, nonempirical research (eg, editorials or protocols), and non-English studies. Study characteristics and AI model development details were extracted, along with performance statistics (eg, sensitivity and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve). We then used thematic analysis to synthesize findings related to AI models, prediction outputs, and validation methods. Studies were grouped into three main themes: (1) duration of hypotension, (2) risk for complications, and (3) decision support tool.

RESULTS: Of the 275 identified records, 19 were included. The included models frequently demonstrated strong technical accuracy with high sensitivity and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, particularly among studies evaluating decision support tools. However, only a few models were adopted routinely in clinical practice. Two studies evaluated the clinicians’ perceptions regarding the use of AI models, reporting predominantly positive assessments of their usefulness.

CONCLUSIONS: Overall, AI models hold potential to predict and prevent surgical complications as the validation studies demonstrated high accuracy. However, implementation in routine practice remains limited by usability barriers, workflow misalignment, trust concerns, and financial and ethical constraints. The evidence included in this scoping review was limited by the heterogeneity in study design and the predominance of small-scale feasibility studies, particularly for hypotension prediction. Future research should prioritize prospectively validated models that use other physiologic features and address clinicians’ concerns regarding generalizability and adoption.

PMID:41701931 | DOI:10.2196/75064

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Nevin Manimala Statistics

COVID-19 Information Sources and Vaccination Status Among Californian Adults by Generation Using the 2022 California Health Interview Survey: Cross-Sectional Study

JMIR Public Health Surveill. 2026 Feb 17;12:e85904. doi: 10.2196/85904.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: As communication technology advances and the digital divide grows, a deeper understanding of the influence of different information sources on vaccine uptake by generations can inform targeted public health interventions in times of future crisis. While the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the role of media sources on the decision to receive vaccines, no studies have focused on the impact of the type and number of information sources in a population-based sample in California.

OBJECTIVE: In this study, we examined associations between Californians’ self-reported most relied upon COVID-19 information sources, categorized by type and measured as a count, and their COVID-19 vaccination status using data collected from the 2022 California Health Interview Survey. To address differences in information preferences and vaccine uptake by age, we also tested for potential effect modification of the relationship between relied upon COVID-19 information sources and vaccination status by generational membership (eg, Generation Z, millennials, Generation X, baby boomers, and Silent Generation).

METHODS: We conducted a secondary analysis of cross-sectional data from the 2022 California Health Interview Survey. Vaccine status (any or none) was modeled as a function of information sources (or count) controlling for important sociodemographic and health confounding variables. Interaction terms of information sources (or count) by generational status were added to the models to test effect modification, and if significant, the models were stratified by generation. All analysis was survey-weighted to account for the complex survey sampling design.

RESULTS: Compared to relying on traditional news media for COVID-19 information, relying on word of mouth (odds ratio [OR] 0.6), social media (OR 0.62), and doctors (OR 0.41) for COVID-19 information was associated with lower odds of being vaccinated for COVID-19. A dose-response relationship was identified, with each additional information source associated with 9% higher odds of being vaccinated for COVID-19. In stratified models, social media, compared to traditional news media, was associated with lower odds of vaccination for Generation X, baby boomers, and the Silent Generation.

CONCLUSIONS: Health information preferences, especially for traditional news media, are associated with COVID-19 vaccine uptake, and the information sources differ by generation. These findings provide information for stakeholders interested in vaccine hesitancy, health informatics, messaging strategies, health literacy, and future health information outreach programs during epidemics or pandemics. Dissemination of public health information should include multiple information sources to reach all individual preferences across different generations.

PMID:41701926 | DOI:10.2196/85904

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Perinatal Health Care Among Climate Migrant Women: Protocol for a Scoping Review

JMIR Res Protoc. 2026 Feb 17;15:e84176. doi: 10.2196/84176.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Climate change-induced international migration has the potential to negatively impact the health and well-being of displaced populations. Pregnancy often serves as a point of entry into the health care system for migrant women; however, these women often face reduced access to maternal health care services compared to nonmigrants. In the context of climate-related international migration, these disparities may be further exacerbated, increasing the risk of maternal morbidity and adverse perinatal outcomes. While the intersections between climate change, migration, and health are increasingly acknowledged, literature specifically focused on international climate-related migrant women-particularly during the perinatal period-remains limited and dispersed. Thus, there is a growing need for research and synthesized data on climate change, population movements, and the perinatal health care needs of childbearing women.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to examine and describe the scope and nature of available evidence on maternal health and care for international climate-related migrant women, from pregnancy through the postpartum period.

METHODS: We will conduct a scoping review following the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology. A tailored search strategy using key terms related to climate change, migration, women, and perinatal health care will be applied to four databases-Embase, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and Ovid MEDLINE-without restriction on publication date. Relevant gray literature sources will also be searched and considered for inclusion. Only literature published in English, French, Portuguese, or Spanish will be included. Two reviewers will independently screen full-text records based on predefined inclusion criteria and extract the relevant data.

RESULTS: A total of 741 studies were screened from 1113 records. Results summarizing perinatal health outcomes and needs, care experiences, barriers faced by international climate-related migrant women, and recommendations will be reported using the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) 2020 flow diagram. We anticipate finalizing the manuscript for this work in 2026.

CONCLUSIONS: Considering vulnerability factors related to migration status is essential to improving access to integrated perinatal health care and reducing health inequities among immigrant women. This review will provide valuable insights to tailor interventions to the social and cultural needs of climate-affected migrant women during the perinatal period.

PMID:41701925 | DOI:10.2196/84176

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Nevin Manimala Statistics

Comparative clinical efficacy between bandage pressure therapy and elastic stocking treatment after endovenous radiofrequency ablation

Phlebology. 2026 Feb 17:2683555261424388. doi: 10.1177/02683555261424388. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

ObjectiveTo compare the clinical efficacy of two postoperative compression methods at 48 h after endovenous radiofrequency ablation (RFA) of the great saphenous vein on complications, quality of life, return-to-work time, and patient satisfaction.MethodsIn this prospective, single-center randomized controlled trial, 210 patients with duplex ultrasound-confirmed great saphenous vein incompetence (C2-C5) underwent RFA and were randomized to receive either elastic stockings (study group) or multilayer bandage compression (control group) for 48 h postoperatively. Primary outcomes included postoperative complications assessed at 2 h, 1 day, 2 days, 7 days, and 1 month. Secondary outcomes included pain (VAS), quality of life (CIVIQ-14), venous clinical severity score (VCSS), satisfaction (10-point scale), and time to return to normal work. Follow-up rates were 98% at 7 days and 96% at 1 month.ResultsMinor but statistically significant differences were observed in complications such as pain, ecchymosis, edema, and itching between groups. The study group returned to work sooner (2.11 ± 1.19 days) than the control group (4.39 ± 2.55 days, p < 0.01). Patient satisfaction at 1 month and changes in CIVIQ-14 and VCSS scores showed no significant between-group differences.ConclusionElastic stockings worn for 48 h after RFA provided certain advantages over multilayer bandage compression, particularly in reducing early postoperative complications and shortening time to return to work.

PMID:41701921 | DOI:10.1177/02683555261424388

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An Open-Source Platform for Reference Data-Driven Analysis of Untargeted Metabolomics

J Am Soc Mass Spectrom. 2026 Feb 17. doi: 10.1021/jasms.5c00372. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Untargeted tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS)-based metabolomics enable broad characterization of small molecules in complex samples, yet the majority of spectra in a typical experiment remain unannotated, limiting biological interpretation. Reference data-driven (RDD) metabolomics addresses this gap by contextualizing spectra through comparison to curated, metadata-annotated reference data sets, allowing inference of spectrum origins without requiring exact structural identification. Here, we present an open-source RDD metabolomics platform comprising a user-friendly web application and a Python software package that performs RDD analyses directly from molecular networking outputs generated by GNPS. The tools support visualization and statistical analysis of RDD results, including interactive bar plots, heat maps, principal component analysis, and Sankey diagrams. We illustrate the approach using a hierarchical reference data set of 3500 food items to derive dietary patterns from stool metabolomics data of omnivore and vegan participants. The analysis reveals clear dietary group separation, demonstrating how RDD metabolomics can extract biologically meaningful patterns from otherwise unannotated spectra. Thus, the RDD metabolomics platform removes technical barriers for the metabolomics community to adopting RDD analysis, with the functionality freely available at https://github.com/bittremieuxlab/gnps-rdd and https://gnps-rdd.bittremieuxlab.org/.

PMID:41701920 | DOI:10.1021/jasms.5c00372

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Comparison of Parent and Teen Reports of Teen Healthcare Use: United States, July 2021-December 2023

Natl Health Stat Report. 2025 Sep 30;(219):1. doi: 10.15620/cdc/174622.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: This report examines selected measures of healthcare use among teenagers ages 12-17 by parent- or self-report. Agreement between parent-reported and teen self-reported data is also evaluated.

METHODS: The percentage of teenagers with doctor visits, wellness visits, having a usual place of care, having a personal doctor or nurse, and having time alone with a doctor were estimated using teen-reported data from the National Health Interview Survey-Teen collected from July 2021 through December 2023. These estimates were compared with parent-reported estimates from the same time period using data from the National Health Interview Survey. Cohen’s kappa and prevalence-adjusted, bias-adjusted kappa (PABAK) values were used to evaluate agreement between parent and teen responses.

RESULTS: Across all measures, parents reported higher healthcare use for their teenagers than teenagers reported for themselves (for example, 91.4% of parents reported a doctor’s visit in the last 12 months compared with 83.0% of teenagers). Cohen’s kappa values across measures showed fair to slight agreement, with PABAK values showing slightly higher agreement, ranging from slight to substantial. Percentage agreement patterns were most often driven by both parent and teenager affirming healthcare use indicators, except for having time alone with a doctor, which was driven slightly more by the parent and teenager both reporting the teenager had not received this service. Disagreement patterns were driven by parents affirming services the teenager did not; disagreement was highest for having a personal doctor or nurse and time alone with a doctor.

PMID:41701917 | DOI:10.15620/cdc/174622

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Comparing Low-density Lipoprotein Cholesterol Population Estimates Using Different Predictive Equations: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2015-2018

Natl Health Stat Report. 2025 Dec 16;(220):1. doi: 10.15620/cdc/174626.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Since 1972, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) has been calculated by the Friedewald equation, which estimates very low-density lipoprotein cholesterol as triglycerides divided by 5 and is accurate only for triglycerides <400 mg/dL. The Martin equation, published in 2013 (for triglycerides <400 mg/dL), replaced 5 with a factor varying over an array of non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglyceride levels. This array was extended in 2021 for triglycerides 400-<800 mg/dL. In 2020, the Sampson equation, accurate for triglycerides <800 mg/dL, was developed using multiple least squares regression. This report compares LDL-C as calculated by the Friedewald, Martin, and Sampson equations in a nationally representative sample of adults with triglycerides <400 mg/dL across the distribution of clinical cut points for LDL-C (<70 mg/dL, 70-<100 mg/dL, 100-<160 mg/dL, 160-<190 mg/dL, and ≥190 mg/dL) to assess the impact of equation choice on national estimates.

METHODS: Using data on 4,461 adults in the 2015-2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, classification agreement into the LDL-C categories used for clinical management across the three equations was assessed using kappa statistics for men and women overall and by demographic subgroups. A sensitivity analysis assessed classification agreement between the Martin and Sampson equations for adults with triglycerides <800 mg/dL.

RESULTS: During 2015-2018, 9.8%-10.0% of adults age 20 and older had LDL-C levels <70 mg/dL (Friedewald: 10.0%, Martin: 9.8%, Sampson: 9.8%). Less than 3% had LDL-C >190 mg/dL (Friedewald: 2.3%, Martin: 2.4%, Sampson: 2.6%). Very good agreement between the equations was seen in all subgroups (kappa >0.8).

CONCLUSIONS: The three equations for LDL-C produce similar U.S. population-level percent distributions for adults age 20 and older across LDL-C categories.

PMID:41701902 | DOI:10.15620/cdc/174626

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Automated vs. manual segmentation for small renal mass imaging

Can Urol Assoc J. 2026 Feb 13. doi: 10.5489/cuaj.9476. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Automated segmentation using artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to rapidly perform three-dimensional (3-D) segmentation of small renal masses (SRM). The objective of this study was to test for clinically and statistically significant differences in time spent segmenting, accuracy, and reliability when comparing manual and automated segmentation of computed tomography (CT) scans with SRM.

METHODS: Patients with a CT scan, SRM <4 cm, and renal neoplasm were identified through an institutional database. Of the 854 patients identified, 184 were excluded. Forty test cases were randomly selected. There were 630 cases for training (using nnU-Net) to which 488 cases from the KiTS23 open-source data set were added. Each of the test cases was segmented by a radiologist, a urologist, and the AI model. Time to segment and Dice coefficients were compared. Deidentified segmented CTs were provided to two independent radiologists who attempted to identify the segmentor and rated the acceptability of the segmented images on a five-point Likert scale.

RESULTS: There were 39 cases with complete timing data. The median time for the AI model to segment was one third of the radiologist’s (152.4 s, interquartile range [IQR] 120.9-177.8 vs. 450 s, IQR 318.8-551.2) and about one-fifth of the urologist’s (800.0 s, IQR 492.0-1538.0) (p<0.001). There was a high degree of inter-rater reliability (median Dice coefficients 0.86-0.90, p=0.09). The scoring radiologists were able to correctly identify the true segmentor in 61.6% of cases (p <0.001). The AI segmentations were scored highest among the three segmentors (median score 4.1/5, standard deviation [SD] 1.0) compared to 3.8 (SD 0.7) for the radiologist, and 3.3 (SD 0.7) for the urologist.

CONCLUSIONS: Automated segmentation of CT scans for patients with SRM was efficient, accurate, and acceptable in this study. This approach has the potential to greatly improve the clinical use of radiomics to assess medical images for these patients.

PMID:41701890 | DOI:10.5489/cuaj.9476