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Nevin Manimala Statistics

Effectiveness of Usual-Care Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Adolescents with School Absenteeism

Z Kinder Jugendpsychiatr Psychother. 2022 Jun 15. doi: 10.1024/1422-4917/a000883. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Objective: Highly-controlled, randomized controlled trials have provided considerable evidence for the efficacy of outpatient cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for patients with school absenteeism and anxiety disorders. However, the effectiveness of outpatient CBT under routine-care conditions for youth with school absenteeism remains unproven. Methods: This observational study used file records to analyze the changes under routine CBT in a sample of n = 49 clinically referred adolescents aged 11 to 18 years with school absenteeism and mental disorders who were being treated in a university outpatient clinic. At the start and end of treatment, we assessed the severity of school absenteeism as well as mental health problems as rated by parents and by the adolescents themselves. Results: The analysis yielded a statistically highly significant decline in school absenteeism (large effect, Cohen’s r = 0.80) and in mental health problems (small-to-large effect, Cohen’s d = 0.33 to d = 0.82). However, a substantial proportion of the sample remained in the clinical range at the end of treatment. Conclusions: These findings suggest that CBT is effective for adolescents with school absenteeism when administered under routine-care conditions, though the results must be interpreted with caution because of the lack of a control condition.

PMID:35704288 | DOI:10.1024/1422-4917/a000883

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Nevin Manimala Statistics

Source of Prenatal Care and Nonreceipt of Postpartum Health Care in the United States

J Womens Health (Larchmt). 2022 Jun 14. doi: 10.1089/jwh.2021.0304. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Background: Prior work finds that receiving prenatal care is positively associated with receiving postpartum health care. However, less is known about whether postpartum health care receipt varies by the source of prenatal care. Materials and Methods: This study analyzed data from the 2011-2017 U.S. National Survey of Family Growth to examine associations between the source of prenatal care (private care facility, public/community health facility, other source, or no prenatal care) and nonreceipt of postpartum health care using weighted multivariable logistic regression models. This analysis did not require institutional review board approval. Results: Of the total estimation sample (N = 1,190), 10.8% of respondents reported not receiving postpartum health care. There were no statistically significant differences in nonreceipt of postpartum health care between women who received prenatal care from a public/community health facility or other source and those who attended a private facility. However, women who received no prenatal care had a higher likelihood of not receiving postpartum health care compared with those who attended a private facility (adjusted odds ratio 8.7, 95% confidence interval 4.3-17.5). Conclusions: Receiving prenatal care, regardless of the source, reduced the likelihood of a woman not receiving postpartum health care within a year after delivery. Interventions aimed at women who did not receive any prenatal care may be critical for improving postpartum health care use and subsequently preventing adverse maternal outcomes.

PMID:35704279 | DOI:10.1089/jwh.2021.0304

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Nevin Manimala Statistics

Identification of blood metabolites linked to the risk of cholelithiasis: a comprehensive Mendelian randomization study

Hepatol Int. 2022 Jun 15. doi: 10.1007/s12072-022-10360-5. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Observational and Mendelian randomization (MR) studies have identified several modifiable risk factors of cholelithiasis. However, there is limited evidence about the causal effect of blood metabolites on the cholelithiasis risk.

METHODS: To have a comprehensive understanding to causal relations between blood metabolites and cholelithiasis, for the primary discovery, we applied two MR methods to explore the associations between 249 circulating metabolites and cholelithiasis. For secondary validations, we replicated the examinations using another metabolic dataset with 123 metabolites. The summary statistics of cholelithiasis were retrieved from FinnGen Consortium Release 5 and UK Biobank. Inverse-variance weighted, weight median and MR-egger methods were used for calculating causal estimates. Furthermore, Bayesian model averaging MR (MR-BMA) method was employed to detect the dominant causal metabolic traits with adjustment for pleiotropy effects.

RESULTS: In the primary analysis, sphingomyelin showed consistent protective causal associations with cholelithiasis; while plasma cholesterol-associated traits showed generally inverse correlation with cholelithiasis risk. Notably, large numbers of traits within the (un)saturated fatty acid category demonstrated significant causal effects. Secondary analyses demonstrated similar results, with traits related to the levels of bisallylic groups in fatty acids showing protective effects. Lastly, MR-BMA analyses discovered that the degree of unsaturation plays a predominant role in reducing the risk of cholelithiasis.

CONCLUSION: Our MR study provides a complete atlas of associations between plasma metabolites on cholelithiasis risk. It highlighted that genetically predicted sphingomyelin and degree of unsaturation of fatty acid were causally associated with the reduced risk of cholelithiasis.

PMID:35704268 | DOI:10.1007/s12072-022-10360-5

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Nevin Manimala Statistics

Comparison of Two Laparoscopic Techniques in Management of Pediatric Inguinal Hernias

J Laparoendosc Adv Surg Tech A. 2022 Jun 14. doi: 10.1089/lap.2022.0102. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Many studies focus on comparing outcomes of the open method for inguinal hernia repair (IHR) and the laparoscopic method. However, few studies compare different laparoscopic techniques. With over a dozen different techniques described in the literature for laparoscopic IHR, significant opportunities exist to study the efficacy of each technique. We investigated outcomes of a subcutaneous endoscopically assisted transfixion ligation (SEATL) technique and a percutaneous internal ring suturing (PIRS). Materials and Methods: After receiving institutional review board approval, we completed a retrospective chart review of IHR performed at our pediatric tertiary care center between September 2015 and May 2020. We included all patients under the age of 18 years. We separated laparoscopic repairs from total repairs. Laparoscopic repairs were further divided into their respective techniques. Factors involving patient demographics, operative details, and postoperative complications were statistically analyzed using SPSS. Results: There was a total of 131 IHRs performed with SEATL and 124 IHRs performed with PIRS. Median operative time (minutes) differed significantly (P = .001) with SEATL at 49 (28-66) and PIRS at 55 (37-76)] minutes. Significantly more incarcerated hernias were repaired with PIRS (n = 13) than with SEATL (n = 3, P = .006). SEATL had a higher number of postoperative complications; the most significant were granulomas (n = 3, P = .09) and recurrent hernias (n = 12, P < .001). Conclusion: SEATL had a significantly higher number of postoperative complications. This may be a result of multiple factors including but not limited to the absence of electrocautery, a shorter median operative time, and utilization of absorbable suture. Modifications have been made to this technique to reduce risk of postoperative complications.

PMID:35704276 | DOI:10.1089/lap.2022.0102

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Nevin Manimala Statistics

The Influence of Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy on Pregnancy, Delivery, and Infant: Does Timing of Pregnancy Following Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy Affect Outcomes?

Obes Surg. 2022 Jun 15. doi: 10.1007/s11695-022-06134-5. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: Maternal obesity is associated with newborn morbidity and mortality; however, the literature discussing bariatric surgical effects on women’s fertility and pregnancy has reached diverse conclusions. We examined the effect of laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) on pregnancy, birth, and newborn outcomes regarding the time of conception.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a retrospective review of women who had LSG and conceived between 2007 and 2017. Data included maternal parameters, pregnancy progression, delivery, and newborn status. Pregnancies were divided into subgroups according to surgery to conception interval (≤ 12, 12-24, ≥ 24 months).

RESULTS: We reviewed 68 patients: 48 (70%) conceived once, 13 (19%) conceived twice, 7 women (10%) conceived three times. There were 95 pregnancies and 80 live births. The group sizes were 18 (18.9%), 29 (30.5%), and 48 (50.5%) pregnancies for ≤ 12, 12-24, and 24 months after surgery, respectively. No difference was found between the subgroups regarding basic characteristics at time of surgery (age (p = 0.100), weight (p = 0.180), BMI (p = 0.616); and at beginning of pregnancy weight (p = 0.309), BMI (p = 0.707), %EBMIL (p = 0.321)). No significant differences were found concerning pregnancy progression, complications, and the newborns’ weight (p = 0.41), GCT (p > 0.99), preeclampsia (p = 0.492), eclampsia (p > 0.99), Pre-term (p = 0.428), live birth (p = 0.432), LGA (p > 0.99), SGA (p = 0.732). A statistically significant trend of increased rates of caesarean section in subject with longer surgery-to-conception intervals was detected (P = 0.022).

CONCLUSIONS: Our results did not show that the interval between LSG and conception affects the pregnancy and newborn outcomes. Therefore, we believe that early conception following LSG does not increase the risk of maternal or neonatal morbidity or mortality.

PMID:35704258 | DOI:10.1007/s11695-022-06134-5

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Nevin Manimala Statistics

Transmission Dynamics of Tuberculosis with Age-specific Disease Progression

Bull Math Biol. 2022 Jun 15;84(7):73. doi: 10.1007/s11538-022-01032-4.

ABSTRACT

Demographic structure and latent phenomenon are two essential factors determining the rate of tuberculosis transmission. However, only a few mathematical models considered age structure coupling with disease stages of infectious individuals. This paper develops a system of delay partial differential equations to model tuberculosis transmission in a heterogeneous population. The system considers demographic structure coupling with the continuous development of disease stage, which is crucial for studying how aging affects tuberculosis dynamics and disease progression. Here, we determine the basic reproduction number, and several numerical simulations are used to investigate the influence of various progression rates on tuberculosis dynamics. Our results support that the aging effect on the disease progression rate contributes to tuberculosis permanence.

PMID:35704248 | DOI:10.1007/s11538-022-01032-4

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Nevin Manimala Statistics

Effect of sodium fluoride varnish, Gluma, and Er,Cr:YSGG laser in dentin hypersensitivity treatment: a 6-month clinical trial

Lasers Med Sci. 2022 Jun 15. doi: 10.1007/s10103-022-03583-3. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Dentinal hypersensitivity (DH) is a common clinical condition usually associated with exposed dentinal surfaces. The aim of this study was to study the effect of sodium fluoride varnish, Gluma, and Er,Cr:YSGG laser, in the dentin hypersensitivity treatment. One hundred sixty-five teeth with dentin hypersensitivity in 55 patients were involved in this study. Teeth are divided into five groups based on the received treatment (n = 33): G group: Gluma; F group: sodium fluoride varnish (5%); L group: Er,Cr:YSGG laser (wavelength 2780 nm, frequency 20 Hz, power 0.25 W, energy density 44.3 J/cm2, and pulse width of 150 µs at distance of 1 mm for 30 s) which was followed by Er,Cr:YSGG laser; GL group: Gluma + laser; VL group: both sodium fluoride varnish and Gluma, which are common treatments for hypersensitivity, were selected as control groups. The treatment was performed in one session, and the sensitivity to air spray conditioning was recorded after the treatment, at 15 min, 1 week, 1 month, and 6 months as the VAS. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS Ver. 21 software. One-way ANOVA was used to compare the VAS between all treatment groups at each time-point. One-way repeated measurements ANOVA (RM-ANOVA) and two-way-repeated measurements ANOVA (RM-ANOVA) were used to compare the hypersensitivity of each group and sensitivity of all treatment groups, respectively. Tukey post hoc test was used to compare the groups pairwise. The hypersensitivity between different groups at before and 15 min after the treatment was not significantly different (P = 0.063). The hypersensitivity of all studied groups was decreased after the treatment. The Er,Cr:YSGG laser, alone or in combination with Gluma, in 1 week, 1 month, and 6 month follow-ups, had significantly reduced the hypersensitivity instead of sodium fluoride varnish. All treatments significantly reduced the dentin hypersensitivity up to 6 months. Er,Cr:YSGG laser alone or in combination with Gluma was more effective than sodium fluoride varnish; however, it was not significantly different from other treatments. In a 6-month follow-up of dentine hypersensitivity treatment, Gluma had a significantly higher effect than sodium fluoride. Trial registration: IRCT20190422043343N1. Registered 19 July 2019.

PMID:35704219 | DOI:10.1007/s10103-022-03583-3

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Nevin Manimala Statistics

Association of serum Krebs von den Lungen-6 and chest CT as potential prognostic factors in severe acute respiratory syndrome SARS-CoV-2: a preliminary experience

Radiol Med. 2022 Jun 15. doi: 10.1007/s11547-022-01504-6. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: To correlate in COVID-19 pneumonia CT-based semi-quantitative score of pulmonary involvement with high serum levels of KL-6, a biomarker of disease severity.

METHODS: Between March 28 to May 21, 2020, 196 patients with strong suspicion of SARS-CoV-2 were evaluated with RT-PCR for SARS-CoV-2, chest CT scan and blood test, including KL-6 serum protein, in our Emergency Unit. The final population included only patients who underwent blood sampling for KL-6 within 5 days from CT scan (n = 63), including n = 37 COVID-19-positive patients and n = 26 with negative RT-PCR testing for SARS-CoV-2 (control group). A semi-quantitative CT score was calculated based on the extent of lobar involvement (0:0%; 1, < 5%; 2:5-25%; 3:26-50%; 4:51-75%; 5, > 75%; range 0-5; global score 0-25).

RESULTS: CT score was significantly correlated with serum value of KL-6 (r = 27, p = 0.035). This correlation was also present in COVID-19 positive patients (r = 0.423, p = 0.009) and CT score median value was significantly higher in patients with high KL-6 value (> 400 U/mL; 12.00, IQR 5.00-18.00, p-value 0.027). In control group, no statistically significant correlation was found between CT score and KL-6 value and CT score was higher in patients with high KL-6, although this difference was not statistically significant (5.00, IQR:1.75-8.00 versus 3.50, IQR:2.00-6.50). “Crazy paving” at the right upper (n = 8; 61.5%) and middle lobe (n = 4; 30.8%) and “consolidation” at the middle lobe (n=5; 38.5%) were observed in COVID-19 group with a significant difference between patients with high KL-6 value.

CONCLUSION: CT score is highly correlated with KL-6 value in COVID-19 patients and might be beneficial to speed-up diagnostic workflow in symptomatic cases.

PMID:35704156 | DOI:10.1007/s11547-022-01504-6

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Nevin Manimala Statistics

Estimating suitability of groundwater for drinking and irrigation, in Odisha (India) by statistical and WQI methods

Environ Monit Assess. 2022 Jun 15;194(7):502. doi: 10.1007/s10661-022-10099-4.

ABSTRACT

Twelve major hydro-geochemical parameters derived from about 1134 water samples were studied to understand spatial variation of groundwater quality in the coastal state of Odisha. Multivariate statistical analysis techniques, i.e., cluster analysis and principal component analysis (PCA), and varimax rotation were used to classify various types of groundwater, and plausible sources that control the quality of water in the region. The concentration of major ions varies in the order of Na+ > Ca2+ > Mg2+ > K+ and HCO3 > Cl > SO42- > F. Out of the three clusters identified, the 2nd cluster is having more mineralization and relatively poor quality of groundwater as compared to the first and the third cluster. Furthermore, estimates of the Water Quality Index (WQI) indicate that the groundwater in the area can be classified from excellent to medium quality. Furthermore, the sodium absorption ratio (SAR) and Kelly’s ratio (KR) suggest that about 70% of groundwater samples are of low to medium salinity, whereas about 30% show higher salinity. The Wilcox diagram reveals that almost 90% of the groundwater is suitable for irrigation. The mining activity appears less likely to be affecting the quality of subsurface water. Water-rock interactions and evaporation-crystallization may be the two dominant factors that appear to control the groundwater away from the coastal areas. Results of this study may be useful to identify the suitable sites for groundwater extraction for drinking and irrigation purposes, besides being useful to the policy-makers in formulating effective plans for preventing further contamination of groundwater aquifers.

PMID:35704104 | DOI:10.1007/s10661-022-10099-4

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Nevin Manimala Statistics

Quantifying the potential of morphological parameters for human dental identification: part 1-proof of concept

Int J Legal Med. 2022 Jun 15. doi: 10.1007/s00414-022-02853-7. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

In forensic identification, lack of eccentric characteristics of intact dentitions hinders correct ante-mortem/post-mortem (AM/PM) matching. It remains unclear which morphological dental parameters hold strong potential as identifiers. This study aimed to establish a method to quantify and rank the identifying potential of one (or a combination of) continuous morphological parameter(s), and to provide a proof of concept. First, a statistic was defined that quantifies the identifying potential: the mean potential set (MPS). The MPS is derived from inter-observer agreement data and it indicates the percentage of subjects in the AM reference dataset who at least need to be considered to detect the correct PM subject. This was calculated in a univariate and a multivariate setting. Second, the method was validated on maxillary first molar crowns of 82 3D-digitally scanned cast models. Standardized measurements were registered using 3D modeling software (3-Matic Medical 12.0, Materialise N.V., Leuven, Belgium): tooth depth, angles between cusps, distances between cusps, distances between the cusps, and the mesial pit. A random sample of 40 first molars was measured by a second examiner. Quantifying and ranking the parameters allowed selecting those with the strongest identifying potential. This was found for the tooth depth (1 measurement, MPS = 17.1%, ICC = 0.879) in the univariate setting, and the angles between cusps (4 measurements, MPS = 3.9%) in the multivariate setting. As expected, the multivariate approach held significantly stronger identifying potential, but more measurements were needed (i.e., more time-consuming). Our method allows quantifying and ranking the potential of dental morphological parameters as identifiers using a clear-cut statistic.

PMID:35704093 | DOI:10.1007/s00414-022-02853-7