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Nevin Manimala Statistics

Association between Serum Uric Acid and Hypertension in Han and Yugur of Gansu Province: The China National Health Survey

Kidney Blood Press Res. 2021 Sep 10:1-11. doi: 10.1159/000518768. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Serum uric acid (SUA) has been found correlated with an increased risk of hypertension, but evidence is sparse regarding the association in Gansu Province, especially in Yugur people. This study aimed to explore the nonlinear relationship between SUA levels and hypertension in Han and Yugur people in China.

METHODS: The cross-sectional study samples (n = 5,327) were from the China National Health Survey (CNHS) in Gansu Province. Participants were selected using a multistage stratified cluster sampling method. SUA was measured by enzymatic methods. The restricted cubic spline regression was performed to evaluate the shape of the association.

RESULTS: The overall prevalence of hypertension and hyperuricemia was 28.4% and 17.0%, respectively, in this study. Comparing the highest (>416.4 μmol/L) to the lowest (<254.1 μmol/L) SUA level groups, the multivariable adjusted differences and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) in blood pressure (BP) were 6.15 (4.22, 8.08) mm Hg and 4.87 (3.51, 6.23) mm Hg for SBP and DBP in Han, and 2.22 (-0.73, 5.18) mm Hg and 2.56 (0.38, 4.75) mm Hg for SBP and DBP in Yugur people, respectively. The corresponding odds ratios (95% CIs) for hypertension were 3.16 (2.26, 4.43) and 2.37 (1.46, 3.89) in Han and Yugur people, respectively. The restricted cubic spline regression models illustrated that both BP level and the risk of hypertension increased with elevated SUA levels in Han and Yugur people.

CONCLUSIONS: SUA was significantly and independently associated with an increased risk of hypertension in Han and Yugur people. Prospective studies are needed to confirm these findings.

PMID:34518473 | DOI:10.1159/000518768

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Nevin Manimala Statistics

Computed Tomography Analysis of the Anterosuperior Portion of the Bulla Lamella in Chinese Subjects and Its Surgical Significance in Endoscopic Frontal Sinusotomy

ORL J Otorhinolaryngol Relat Spec. 2021 Sep 10:1-7. doi: 10.1159/000518366. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: The anterosuperior portion of the bulla lamella can extend into the frontal sinus and form the supra bulla frontal cell (SBFC) and supraorbital ethmoid cell (SOEC). This can affect the frontal drainage pathway and make surgery more challenging.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to compare the anatomical characteristics of SBFC and SOEC in Chinese chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) patients and explore the relationship between the cells and frontal sinusitis (FS). The surgical skills in dealing with these cells were also studied.

METHODS: We prospectively identified SBFC and SOEC in 114 patients with CRS by computed tomography (CT). The sides of the patients were divided into groups A (with FS) and B (without FS). CT scans were analyzed to distinguish the SBFC, SOEC, and the drainage pathway. Statistical analysis was conducted to determine whether the cells were associated with the occurrence of FS.

RESULTS: The prevalence of frontal cells was as follows: SBFC: 9.65%, SOEC: 21.93%. There was an association between the presence of SBFC and FS (p < 0.05). The anterior drainage pathway was present in patients with SBFC and SOEC, anterolateral pathway in those with SBFC/SOEC coexisting with the frontal septal cell, and anteromedial pathway in those with SBFC/SOEC coexisting with the supra agger frontal cell.

CONCLUSIONS: There was an association between the presence of SBFC and the occurrence of FS. Extension of the anterosuperior portion of the bulla lamella into the frontal sinus obstructed the drainage pathway posteriorly. Understanding the anatomy may help surgeons thoroughly dissect the bulla lamella.

PMID:34518488 | DOI:10.1159/000518366

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Nevin Manimala Statistics

The Relationship between Mindful Eating and Body Mass Index and Body Compositions in Adults

Ann Nutr Metab. 2021 Sep 10:1-9. doi: 10.1159/000518675. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Obesity and overweight are important public health problems. Mindfulness can promote healthier living and dietary habits, which might support weight loss. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between eating awareness and body mass index (BMI) and body composition in adults.

METHODS: This cross-sectional analytical study was conducted with 446 volunteers. The heights, weights, and waist circumferences of the participants were measured, and bioelectrical impedance analyses were performed. A sociodemographic information form prepared by the researchers and the Turkish version of the Mindful Eating Questionnaire (MEQ) were administered to the volunteers.

RESULTS: In this study, 31.2% (n = 139) of the participants were overweight and 46.9% (n = 209) were obese. There was no statistically significant relationship between gender and BMI. The total mean MEQ score was found to be 88.26 ± 13.3 (53-144). The awareness scores of women of normal weight were statistically significantly higher than those of women with obesity (p = 0.001). There was no difference between BMI categories and awareness scores among male participants. While participants with obesity had higher scores for eating disinhibition, their eating control, eating discipline, and interference scores were lower than those of participants with normal weight (p < 0.001). A weak statistically significant correlation was found between the awareness subdimension of the scale and the ages, BMIs, waist circumferences, and body fat rates of the participants.

CONCLUSION: It was observed that mindful eating was lower in women with overweight and obesity than that in women with normal weight. We believe that it is important to increase awareness of eating in order to protect against the diseases caused by obesity and for a healthy life.

PMID:34518446 | DOI:10.1159/000518675

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Nevin Manimala Statistics

Audiological Patterns in Patients with Autoimmune Hearing Loss

Audiol Neurootol. 2021 Sep 10:1-10. doi: 10.1159/000518694. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to illustrate clinical and audiological patterns of hearing impairment in patients with autoimmune hearing loss (AIHL).

METHODS: Fifty-three patients with AIHL were retrospectively recruited, and a tapering schema of steroid treatment was administered in all these patients. The diagnosis of AIHL was essentially based on clinical symptoms, such as recurrent, sudden (sensorineural hearing loss [SSHL]), fluctuating, or quickly progressing (<12 months) SSHL (uni-/bilateral), in association with the coexistence of autoimmune diseases, high antinuclear antibodies (ANA) and the presence of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) B27, B35, B51, C04, and C07. Logistic regression analysis was applied to correlate the clinical data and laboratory features of AIHL with final outcomes.

RESULTS: The onset of AIHL was mainly progressive (49%), followed by SSHL (39.6%) or fluctuating (11.3%). The pure-tone audiogram showed more commonly a downsloping pattern (42.6% of ears), but also an upsloping, flat, cookie-bite, or inverse cookie-bite shape. Bilateral progressive AIHL was more frequently simultaneous (23 patients) than heterochronous (4 patients). Nineteen patients (35.8%) showed a favorable response to steroid therapy. The presence of recurrent, bilateral SSHL versus recurrent, unilateral SSHL had statistically negative effect on hearing recovery (OR = 0.042, p < 0.05). The heterochronous bilateral SSHL may have better prognosis than simultaneous bilateral SSHL (OR = 10.000, p = 0.099). The gender, age, concomitant autoimmune disease, high ANA, HLA alleles, tinnitus, and vestibular symptoms had no statistical effect on a favorable outcome of AIHL.

CONCLUSIONS: A bilateral, simultaneous, and progressive hearing loss combined with downsloping audiogram occurred more often in patients with AIHL. Bilateral simultaneous SSHL with recurrences represents the worse prognostic form of AIHL.

PMID:34518471 | DOI:10.1159/000518694

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Nevin Manimala Statistics

Development and Validation of the Turkish Version of the Attitude Toward Professional Autonomy Scale for Nurses

J Nurs Meas. 2021 Sep 13:JNM-D-20-00115. doi: 10.1891/JNM-D-20-00115. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Autonomy in nursing practice is one of the recurring fields in literature of research. For nurses to be autonomous is considered to have a great importance on the quality of healthcare services. This study aimed to examine the validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the Attitude Toward Professional Autonomy Scale for Nurses. This methodological study adopted a descriptive cross-sectional design. The study was done in a secondary care hospital. Sample group includes 199 nurses that work at a secondary care hospitals. It was carried out while culturally adjusted and it also included two-way translations of English version of the Attitude Toward Professional Autonomy Scale for Nurses. To evaluate its validity, LISREL statistics software was used to make confirmatory factor analysis. Internal consistency was evaluated by using Cronbach’s α and total-item correlations. Average age of the sample group was found 28.35 ± 6.16. Confirmatory factor analysis yielded t-scores, which were significant for all the 18 items (p < .05). Fit indices of the model, resemblance rate chi-square statistics were identified as 𝜒 2/df = 198.01/132 = 1.50. The Cronbach’s alpha of the scale (.918) was indicative of strong internal consistency. The scale demonstrated strong validity and internal consistency. This scale can be used to assess perceptions of nursing practices that enhance the quality of nursing care.

PMID:34518429 | DOI:10.1891/JNM-D-20-00115

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Nevin Manimala Statistics

The Psychometric Properties of the Turkish Version of Individual Workload Perception Scale for Medical and Surgical Nurses

J Nurs Meas. 2021 Sep 13:JNM-D-21-00035. doi: 10.1891/JNM-D-21-00035. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: This study is aimed to analyze the validity and reliability of the Individual Workload Perception Scale in Turkish (IWPSTR).

METHODS: Exploratory factor analysis (EFA), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), reliability analysis, test-retest, and descriptive statistics were used to analyze data. The sample group of the study consisted of 569 medical and surgical clinic nurses working in hospitals.

RESULTS: The content validity index was .983. The factor loadings of the IWPSTR were between .359 and .875, the variance accounted for in this study was 62.86%. Cronbach’s alpha value was found to be .923 for the IWPSTR, and between .721 and .937 for its subscales. Test-retest reliability correlation was found .826.

CONCLUSIONS: It was concluded that the Turkish version of IWPSTR, which includes 29 items and 5 subscales, could also be applied to nurses in Turkey.

PMID:34518439 | DOI:10.1891/JNM-D-21-00035

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Nevin Manimala Statistics

Cognitive maps of social features enable flexible inference in social networks

Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2021 Sep 28;118(39):e2021699118. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2021699118.

ABSTRACT

In order to navigate a complex web of relationships, an individual must learn and represent the connections between people in a social network. However, the sheer size and complexity of the social world makes it impossible to acquire firsthand knowledge of all relations within a network, suggesting that people must make inferences about unobserved relationships to fill in the gaps. Across three studies (n = 328), we show that people can encode information about social features (e.g., hobbies, clubs) and subsequently deploy this knowledge to infer the existence of unobserved friendships in the network. Using computational models, we test various feature-based mechanisms that could support such inferences. We find that people’s ability to successfully generalize depends on two representational strategies: a simple but inflexible similarity heuristic that leverages homophily, and a complex but flexible cognitive map that encodes the statistical relationships between social features and friendships. Together, our studies reveal that people can build cognitive maps encoding arbitrary patterns of latent relations in many abstract feature spaces, allowing social networks to be represented in a flexible format. Moreover, these findings shed light on open questions across disciplines about how people learn and represent social networks and may have implications for generating more human-like link prediction in machine learning algorithms.

PMID:34518372 | DOI:10.1073/pnas.2021699118

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Nevin Manimala Statistics

Translation and Validation of the Comprehensive Score of Financial Toxicity for Cancer Patients Into Arabic

J Nurs Meas. 2021 Sep 13:JNM-D-20-00140. doi: 10.1891/JNM-D-20-00140. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: We aimed to translate the Comprehensive Score of Financial Toxicity (COST) questionnaire into Arabic and to evaluate its reliability and validity.

METHODS: We applied the four-step translation method and conducted a pilot validation study over 179 medical oncology patients. Reliability was tested using the Cronbach alpha coefficient and test-retest stability. Validity was tested using the correlation with Functional assessment of Cancer Therapy-General score (FACT-G), factorial analysis and the content validity index.

RESULTS: Questionnaire showed high internal consistency and test retest reliability; Cronbach alpha coefficient was 0.77 and Pearson stability coefficient was 0.8. Convergent validity evaluation showed a statistically significant moderate correlation with the FACT-G (r = .42, p = .047). Content validly index was 0.93.

CONCLUSIONS: The Arabic version of COST questionnaire, was a valid and reliable tool that could be used in clinical practice by healthcare providers to evaluate financial toxicity in Arab speaking cancer patients.

PMID:34518422 | DOI:10.1891/JNM-D-20-00140

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Nevin Manimala Statistics

Septic arthritis in the end-stage renal disease population

J Investig Med. 2021 Sep 13:jim-2021-001869. doi: 10.1136/jim-2021-001869. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Septic arthritis is important to consider in any patient who presents with joint pain because it is a medical emergency with an 11% fatality rate. Diagnosis and treatment may improve prognosis; however, many patients do not regain full joint function. In patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD), immune dysfunction due to uremia and chronic vascular access leads to increased risk of infection. We examined the incidence, risk factors and sequelae of septic arthritis in a cohort of hemodialysis patients. The US Renal Data System was queried for diagnoses of septic arthritis and selected sequelae using International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems-9 and Current Procedural Terminology-4 codes in patients who initiated hemodialysis between 2005 and 2010. Multivariable logistic regression was used to determine potential risk factors for septic arthritis and its sequelae. 7009 cases of septic arthritis were identified, an incidence of 514.8 per 100,000 persons per year. Of these patients, 2179 were diagnosed with a documented organism within 30 days prior to or 14 days after the septic arthritis diagnosis, with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections (57.4%) being the most common. Significant risk factors for septic arthritis included history of joint disease, immune compromise (diabetes, HIV, cirrhosis), bacteremia and urinary tract infection. One of the four sequelae examined (joint replacement, amputation, osteomyelitis, Clostridioides difficile infection) occurred in 25% of septic arthritis cases. The high incidence of septic arthritis and the potential for serious sequelae in patients with ESRD suggest that physicians treating individuals with ESRD and joint pain/inflammation should maintain a high clinical suspicion for septic arthritis.

PMID:34518317 | DOI:10.1136/jim-2021-001869

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Nevin Manimala Statistics

Factors Affecting Cancer Prevention Behaviors and Cancer Screening in First-Degree Relatives of Breast and Colorectal Cancer Patients in Korea: A Cross-Sectional Study

Res Theory Nurs Pract. 2021 Sep 13:RTNP-D-20-00113. doi: 10.1891/RTNP-D-20-00113. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: First-degree relatives (FDRs) of cancer patients have a high risk of cancer due to a similar lifestyle and genetic predisposition. However, previous studies rarely examined the level of cancer prevention behaviors and screening and affecting factors in cancer patients’ FDRs.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to describe the levels of cancer knowledge, attitudes toward cancer, cancer worry, perceived cancer risk, and cancer prevention behaviors and cancer screening in FDRs of breast and colorectal cancer patients. Moreover, it sought to identify factors affecting cancer prevention behavior and cancer screening.

METHODS: A cross-sectional, descriptive correlational design was used. The study enrolled 138 FDRs of breast and colorectal cancer patients. Participants completed self-administered questionnaires at a tertiary hospital in Seoul, Korea. Descriptive statistics, frequencies, chi-square test, independent t test, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), Pearson’s correlation, multiple regression, and logistic regression were performed for data analysis.

RESULTS: The levels of perceived cancer risk, cancer knowledge, attitude toward cancer, and cancer prevention behaviors were moderate, while the level of cancer worry was high. Ninety-two participants reported having undergone cancer screenings, but the types of screening were not associated with their family history. Age, gender, and attitude toward cancer affected cancer prevention behaviors. The cancer screening rate was higher in older participants, in women, and in patients’ FDRs with a longer cancer diagnosis.

IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Attitude was the modifiable factor for cancer prevention behaviors. Nurse-led educational and counseling interventions should be developed to improve attitude toward cancer among FDRs of cancer patients.

PMID:34518358 | DOI:10.1891/RTNP-D-20-00113