Categories
Nevin Manimala Statistics

Low back pain in pregnant women: A necessary or an avoidable evil?

Musculoskeletal Care. 2023 Apr 3. doi: 10.1002/msc.1763. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence, the main features and the potential risk factors of LBP in pregnant women.

METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 173 pregnant women in the third trimester. Non-inclusion criteria were severe mental disability and known previous history of musculoskeletal diseases. The participants were categorised into two groups: women with pregnancy-related LBP and pain-free women. Demographic, socio-professional, clinical and obstetrical data were compared between the two groups using the appropriate statistical tests.

RESULTS: The mean age was 32.2 ± 5.4 years [17-45]. Among them, 108 (62.4%) reported one or more episodes of LBP during at least 7 days, mostly in the third semester (n = 71). The presence of LBP was significantly associated with history of LBP in previous pregnancies and jobs requiring prolonged standing. Active jobs and the presence of gestational complications were significantly more common in pain-free women. In the multivariate analysis, LBP was independently predicted by the history of LBP in previous pregnancies and the absence of gestational complications.

CONCLUSIONS: The association of LBP with gestational complications as a protective factor has not yet been reported in previous studies. These complications are a common cause of hospitalisation, which represents a period of relative rest during pregnancy. Our results revealed that history of LBP in previous pregnancies, sedentary lifestyle prior to pregnancy and prolonged standing are the main risk factors of LBP. In contrast, rest and avoidance of physical overstrain during pregnancy may be protective factors.

PMID:37010863 | DOI:10.1002/msc.1763

Categories
Nevin Manimala Statistics

Differentiation of Bone Metastasis in Elderly Patients With Lung Adenocarcinoma Using Multiple Machine Learning Algorithms

Cancer Control. 2023 Jan-Dec;30:10732748231167958. doi: 10.1177/10732748231167958.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: We tested the performance of general machine learning and joint machine learning algorithms in the classification of bone metastasis, in patients with lung adenocarcinoma.

METHODS: We used R version 3.5.3 for statistical analysis of the general information, and Python to construct machine learning models.

RESULTS: We first used the average classifiers of the 4 machine learning algorithms to rank the features and the results showed that race, sex, whether they had surgery and marriage were the first 4 factors affecting bone metastasis. Machine learning results in the training group: for area under the curve (AUC), except for RF and LR, the AUC values of all machine learning classifiers were greater than .8, but the joint algorithm did not improve the AUC for any single machine learning algorithm. Among the results related to accuracy and precision, the accuracy of other machine learning classifiers except the RF algorithm was higher than 70%, and only the precision of the LGBM algorithm was higher than 70%. Machine learning results in the test group: Similarly, for areas under the curve (AUC), except RF and LR, the AUC values for all machine learning classifiers were greater than .8, but the joint algorithm did not improve the AUC value for any single machine learning algorithm. For accuracy, except for the RF algorithm, the accuracy of other machine learning classifiers was higher than 70%. The highest precision for the LGBM algorithm was .675.

CONCLUSION: The results of this concept verification study show that machine learning algorithm classifiers can distinguish the bone metastasis of patients with lung cancer. This will provide a new research idea for the future use of non-invasive technology to identify bone metastasis in lungcancer. However, more prospective multicenter cohort studies are needed.

PMID:37010850 | DOI:10.1177/10732748231167958

Categories
Nevin Manimala Statistics

Prevalence and description of disorders of gut-brain interaction in Spain according to the results of the Rome Foundation Global Epidemiology Study

Neurogastroenterol Motil. 2023 Apr 3:e14582. doi: 10.1111/nmo.14582. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Data for Spain from the Rome Foundation Global Epidemiology Study on the disorders of gut-brain interaction (DGBI) were used to assess the national and regional prevalence of all 22 DGBI, the percentage of respondents meeting diagnostic criteria for at least one DGBI, and the impact on burden of disease in our country.

METHODS: Data were collected through an anonymous, nationwide, and secure Internet survey with multiple built-in quality-assurance techniques that included the Rome IV diagnostic questionnaire and an in-depth supplemental questionnaire.

KEY RESULTS: The survey was completed by 2072 adult Spanish participants (50.2% female) with a mean age of 45.67 ± 15.44 years with a good representative national distribution. 43.6% (41.5%-45.8%) met diagnostic criteria for at least one DGBI, with 8.2% for any esophageal disorder, 12.1% for any gastroduodenal disorder, 30.1% for any bowel disorder, and 11.5% for any anorectal disorder. Functional constipation was the most prevalent DGBI in Spain (12.8%). We found that proctalgia fugax (9.3%), unspecified bowel disorders (10.8%), and functional dysphagia (5.6%) showed unexplained high rates in our country. DGBI rates were higher for women. Having any DGBI was negatively associated with psychosocial variables (including quality of life, somatization, and concern about digestive problems), and associated with increased healthcare utilization.

CONCLUSIONS & INFERENCES: We provide the first comprehensive data on the prevalence and burden of all DGBI in Spain using the Rome IV criteria. The enormous burden of DGBI in Spain highlights the need for specialized training and future research.

PMID:37010843 | DOI:10.1111/nmo.14582

Categories
Nevin Manimala Statistics

Association Between Estimated Geocoded Residential Maternal Exposure to Lithium in Drinking Water and Risk for Autism Spectrum Disorder in Offspring in Denmark

JAMA Pediatr. 2023 Apr 3. doi: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2023.0346. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

IMPORTANCE: Lithium is a naturally occurring and trace element that has mood-stabilizing effects. Maternal therapeutic use of lithium has been associated with adverse birth outcomes. In animal models, lithium modulates Wnt/β-catenin signaling that is important for neurodevelopment. It is unknown whether exposure to lithium in drinking water affects brain health in early life.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in offspring is associated with maternal exposure to lithium in drinking water during pregnancy.

DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: This nationwide population-based case-control study in Denmark identified 8842 children diagnosed with ASD born from 2000 through 2013 and 43 864 control participants matched by birth year and sex from the Danish Medical Birth Registry. These data were analyzed from March 2021 through November 2022.

EXPOSURES: Geocoded maternal residential addresses during pregnancy were linked to lithium level (range, 0.6 to 30.7 μg/L) in drinking water estimated using kriging interpolation based on 151 waterworks measurements of lithium across all regions in Denmark.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: ASD diagnoses were ascertained using International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, Tenth Revision codes recorded in the Danish Psychiatric Central Register. The study team estimated odds ratios (ORs) and 95% CIs for ASD according to estimated geocoded maternal exposure to natural source of lithium in drinking water as a continuous (per IQR) or a categorical (quartile) variable, adjusting for sociodemographic factors and ambient air pollutants levels. The study team also conducted stratified analyses by birth years, child’s sex, and urbanicity.

RESULTS: A total of 8842 participants with ASD (male, 7009 [79.3%]) and 43 864 control participants (male, 34 749 [79.2%]) were studied. Every IQR increase in estimated geocoded maternal exposure to natural source of lithium in drinking water was associated with higher odds for ASD in offspring (OR, 1.23; 95% CI, 1.17-1.29). Elevated odds among offspring for ASD were estimated starting from the second quartile (7.36 to 12.67 μg/L) of estimated maternal exposure to drinking water with lithium and the OR for the highest quartile (more than 16.78 μg/L) compared with the reference group (less than 7.39 μg/L) was 1.46 (95% CI, 1.35-1.59). The associations were unchanged when adjusting for air pollution exposures and no differences were apparent in stratified analyses.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Estimated maternal prenatal exposure to lithium from naturally occurring drinking water sources in Denmark was associated with an increased ASD risk in the offspring. This study suggests that naturally occurring lithium in drinking water may be a novel environmental risk factor for ASD development that requires further scrutiny.

PMID:37010840 | DOI:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2023.0346

Categories
Nevin Manimala Statistics

Introduction of mandatory masking in health care and community: experience from Jena, Germany

Infection. 2023 Apr 3. doi: 10.1007/s15010-023-02015-w. Online ahead of print.

NO ABSTRACT

PMID:37010806 | DOI:10.1007/s15010-023-02015-w

Categories
Nevin Manimala Statistics

Glycemic status and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in populations at risk of diabetes in two Latin American cities

Qual Life Res. 2023 Apr 3. doi: 10.1007/s11136-023-03398-x. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: To estimate the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) according to glycemic status, and its relationship with sociodemographic and clinical factors in a population at risk of developing type 2 diabetes (T2D).

METHODS: Cross-sectional study, using cluster sampling. Data were collected from 1135 participants over 30 years of age, at risk of developing T2D from the PREDICOL project. Participants’ glycemic status was defined using an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). Participants were divided into normoglycemic subjects (NGT), prediabetes and diabetics do not know they have diabetes (UT2D). HRQOL was assessed using the EQ-5D-3L questionnaire of the EuroQol group. Logistic regression and Tobit models were used to examine factors associated with EQ-5D scores for each glycemic group.

RESULTS: The mean age of participants was 55.6 ± 12.1 years, 76.4% were female, and one in four participants had prediabetes or unknown diabetes. Participants reported problems most frequently on the dimensions of Pain/Discomfort and Anxiety/Depression in the different glycemic groups. The mean EQ-5D score in NGT was 0.80 (95% CI 0.79-0.81), in prediabetes, 0.81 (95% CI 0.79-0.83), and in participants with UT2D of 0.79 (95% CI 0.76-0.82), respectively. Female sex, older age, city of residence, lower education, receiving treatment for hypertension, and marital status were significantly associated with lower levels of HRQOL in the Tobit regression analysis.

CONCLUSIONS: HRQOL of NGT, prediabetes, and UT2D participants was statistically similar. However, factors such as gender, age. and place of residence were found to be significant predictors of HRQOL for each glycemic group.

PMID:37010804 | DOI:10.1007/s11136-023-03398-x

Categories
Nevin Manimala Statistics

Distressing symptoms after major surgery among community-living older persons

J Am Geriatr Soc. 2023 Apr 3. doi: 10.1111/jgs.18357. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Relatively little is known about how distressing symptoms change among older persons in the setting of major surgery. Our objective was to evaluate changes in distressing symptoms after major surgery and determine whether these changes differ according to the timing of surgery (nonelective vs. elective), sex, multimorbidity, and socioeconomic disadvantage.

METHODS: From a prospective longitudinal study of 754 nondisabled community-living persons, 70 years of age or older, 368 admissions for major surgery were identified from 274 participants who were discharged from the hospital from March 1998 to December 2017. The occurrence of 15 distressing symptoms was ascertained in the month before and 6 months after major surgery. Multimorbidity was defined as more than two chronic conditions. Socioeconomic disadvantage was assessed at the individual level, based on Medicaid eligibility, and neighborhood level, based on an area deprivation index (ADI) score above the 80th state percentile.

RESULTS: In the month before major surgery, the occurrence and mean number of distressing symptoms were 19.6% and 0.75, respectively. In multivariable analyses, the rate ratios, denoting proportional increases in the 6 months after major surgery relative to presurgery values, were 2.56 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.91-3.44) and 2.90 (95% CI, 2.01-4.18) for the occurrence and number of distressing symptoms, respectively. The corresponding values were 3.54 (95% CI, 2.06-6.08) and 4.51 for nonelective surgery (95% CI, 2.32-8.76) and 2.12 (95% CI, 1.53-2.92) and 2.20 (95% CI, 1.48-3.29) for elective surgery; p-values for interaction were 0.030 and 0.009. None of the other subgroup differences were statistically significant, although men had a greater proportional increase in the occurrence and number of distressing symptoms than women.

CONCLUSIONS: Among community-living older persons, the burden of distressing symptoms increases substantially after major surgery, especially in those having nonelective procedures. Reducing symptom burden has the potential to improve quality of life and enhance functional outcomes after major surgery.

PMID:37010784 | DOI:10.1111/jgs.18357

Categories
Nevin Manimala Statistics

Multi-regulator of EZH2-PPARs Therapeutic Targets: A Hallmark for Prospective Restoration of Pancreatic Insulin Production and Cancer Dysregulation

Appl Biochem Biotechnol. 2023 Apr 3. doi: 10.1007/s12010-023-04433-w. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

The unexpected rise in cancer and diabetes statistics has been a significant global threat, inciting ongoing research into various biomarkers that can act as innovative therapeutic targets for their management. The recent discovery of how EZH2-PPARs’ regulatory function affects the metabolic and signalling pathways contributing to this disease has posed a significant breakthrough, with the synergistic combination of inhibitors like GSK-126 and bezafibrate for treating these diseases. Nonetheless, no findings on other protein biomarkers involved in the associated side effects have been reported. As a result of this virtual study, we identified the gene-disease association, protein interaction networks between EZH2-PPARs and other protein biomarkers regulating pancreatic cancer and diabetes pathology, ADME/Toxicity profiling, docking simulation and density functional theory of some natural products. The results indicated a correlation between obesity and hypertensive disease for the investigated biomarkers. At the same time, the predicted protein network validates the link to cancer and diabetes, and nine natural products were screened to have versatile binding capacity against the targets. Among all natural products, phytocassane A outperforms the standard drugs’ (GSK-126 and bezafibrate) in silico validation for drug-likeness profiles. Hence, these natural products were conclusively proposed for additional experimental screening to complement the results on their utility in drug development for diabetes and cancer therapy against the EZH2-PPARs’ new target.

PMID:37010741 | DOI:10.1007/s12010-023-04433-w

Categories
Nevin Manimala Statistics

The number of valvular insufficiency is a strong predictor of cardiovascular and all-cause mortality in hemodialysis patients

Int Urol Nephrol. 2023 Apr 3. doi: 10.1007/s11255-023-03576-3. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the relationship between the number of valvular insufficiency (VI) and emergency hospitalization or mortality in maintenance hemodialysis (HD) patients.

METHODS: The maintenance HD patients with cardiac ultrasonography were included. According to the number of VI ≥ 2 or not, the patients were divided into two groups. The difference of emergency hospitalized for acute heart failure, arrhythmia, acute coronary syndrome (ACS) or stroke, cardiovascular mortality, and all-cause mortality between the two groups were compared.

RESULTS: Among 217 maintenance HD patients, 81.57% had VI. 121 (55.76%) patients had two or more VI, and 96 (44.24%) with one VI or not. The study subjects were followed up for a median of 47 (3-107) months. At the end of the follow up, 95 patients died (43.78%), of whom 47 (21.66%) patients died because of cardiovascular disease. Age (HR 1.033, 95% CI 1.007-1.061, P = 0.013), number of VI ≥ 2 (HR 2.035, 95% CI 1.083-3.821, P = 0.027) and albumin (HR 0.935, 95% CI 0.881-0.992, P = 0.027) were independent risk factors for cardiovascular mortality. The three parameters were also independent risk factors for all-cause mortality. The patients with number of VI ≥ 2 were more likely to be emergency hospitalized for acute heart failure (56 [46.28%] vs 11 [11.46%], P = 0.001). On the contrary, the number of VI was not associated with emergency hospitalized for arrhythmia, ACS or stroke. Survival analysis results showed that probability of survival was statistically different in the two groups (P < 0.05), no matter based on cardiovascular mortality or all-cause mortality. Based on age, number of VI ≥ 2 and albumin, nomogram models for 5-year cardiovascular and all-cause mortality were built.

CONCLUSIONS: In maintenance HD patients, the prevalence of VI is prominently high. The number of VI ≥ 2 is associated with emergency hospitalized for acute heart failure, cardiovascular and all-cause mortality. Combining age, number of VI ≥ 2, and albumin can predict cardiovascular and all-cause mortality.

PMID:37010736 | DOI:10.1007/s11255-023-03576-3

Categories
Nevin Manimala Statistics

Potential unreliability of ALK variant allele frequency in the efficacy prediction of targeted therapy in NSCLC

Front Med. 2023 Apr 3. doi: 10.1007/s11684-022-0946-x. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) is the most common fusion gene involved in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and remarkable response has been achieved with the use of ALK tyrosine kinase inhibitors (ALK-TKIs). However, the clinical efficacy is highly variable. Pre-existing intratumoral heterogeneity (ITH) has been proven to contribute to the poor treatment response and the resistance to targeted therapies. In this work, we investigated whether the variant allele frequencies (VAFs) of ALK fusions can help assess ITH and predict targeted therapy efficacy. Through the application of next-generation sequencing (NGS), 7.2% (326/4548) of patients were detected to be ALK positive. On the basis of the adjusted VAF (adjVAF, VAF normalization for tumor purity) of four different threshold values (adjVAF < 50%, 40%, 30%, or 20%), the association of ALK subclonality with crizotinib efficacy was assessed. Nonetheless, no statistical association was observed between median progression-free survival (PFS) and ALK subclonality assessed by adjVAF, and a poor correlation of adjVAF with PFS was found among the 85 patients who received first-line crizotinib. Results suggest that the ALK VAF determined by hybrid capture-based NGS is probably unreliable for ITH assessment and targeted therapy efficacy prediction in NSCLC.

PMID:37010729 | DOI:10.1007/s11684-022-0946-x