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Nevin Manimala Statistics

Knowledge, skills, and attitudes of nursing students on evidence-based practice

Rev Esc Enferm USP. 2021 Sep 1;55:e20200428. doi: 10.1590/1980-220X-REEUSP-2020-0428. eCollection 2021.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To identify knowledge, skills, and attitudes on Evidence-Based Practice of nursing students in the School of Nursing of Universidade de São Paulo and to explore the relationship between knowledge, skills, and attitudes and associated variables.

METHOD: This is an exploratory, descriptive, analytical study conducted with 125 nursing undergraduate students. The data were obtained through application of the Evidence-Based Practice Questionnaire.

RESULTS: The mean score for the questionnaire was 4.73 (SD = 0.79), with a higher score in the Attitudes domain. There was a significant statistical correlation between questionnaire score and course year (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION: There is a gap in the knowledge and skills associated to Evidence-Based Practice among nursing students. Effective strategies for teaching this subject in the nursing undergraduate course must be developed.

PMID:34477197 | DOI:10.1590/1980-220X-REEUSP-2020-0428

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Nevin Manimala Statistics

A meta-analysis of the association of atrial septal abnormalities and atrial vulnerability

Medicine (Baltimore). 2021 Sep 3;100(35):e27165. doi: 10.1097/MD.0000000000027165.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The mechanism of cryptogenic stroke (CS) in patients with atrial septal abnormalities remains unclear, and the increased incidence of atrial vulnerability may be one of the reasons. We performed this meta-analysis to clarify the association between atrial septal abnormalities and atrial vulnerability, and to provide evidence-based basis for the prevention and mechanism of CS.

METHODS: We systematically searched for studies on the association between atrial septal abnormalities and atrial vulnerability, and pooled available data on types of atrial septal abnormalities, types of atrial vulnerability, and methods of atrial vulnerability detection. The primary endpoints were the occurrence of atrial arrhythmias or P wave abnormalities. Random-effects models were used to calculate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI).

RESULTS: Twelve case-control studies were eligible. Compared with the control group, patients with atrial septal abnormalities had a higher risk of atrial vulnerability (OR: 1.93; 95% CI: 1.13-3.30, P = .02). Data based on stroke patients showed that the group with atrial septal abnormalities had a higher risk of atrial vulnerability than the control group (OR: 2.00; 95% CI: 1.13-3.53, P = .02). However, there was no significant difference in the incidence of atrial vulnerability between the 2 groups of nonstroke patients. Subgroup analysis showed that although atrial septal abnormality increased the risk of atrial vulnerability in the subgroup of atrial septal aneurysm (OR: 1.68; 95% CI: 0.47-5.95, P = .42), the subgroup of atrial fibrillation (AF)/atrial fluster (OR: 1.81; 95% CI: 0.94-3.46, P = .07) and the subgroup of subcutaneous recording system (OR: 1.33; 95% CI: 0.68-2.61, P = .41), the difference was not statistically significant.

CONCLUSIONS: Atrial septal abnormalities can increase the risk of atrial vulnerability, and atrial arrhythmia caused by atrial septal abnormalities may be one of the mechanisms of CS.

PMID:34477173 | DOI:10.1097/MD.0000000000027165

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Nevin Manimala Statistics

Incidence and computed tomography findings of lenvatinib-induced pancreatobiliary inflammation: A single-center, retrospective study

Medicine (Baltimore). 2021 Sep 3;100(35):e27182. doi: 10.1097/MD.0000000000027182.

ABSTRACT

In this single-center retrospective study, we intended to evaluate the frequencies and characteristics of computed tomography findings of pancreatobiliary inflammation (PBI) in patients treated with lenvatinib and the relationship of these findings with treatment-planning changes.We included 78 patients (mean ± standard deviation, 69.8 ± 9.4 years, range: 39-84 years, 62 men) with hepatocellular carcinoma (n = 62) or thyroid carcinoma (n = 16) who received lenvatinib (June 2016-September 2020). Two radiologists interpreted the posttreatment computed tomography images and assessed the radiological findings of PBI (symptomatic pancreatitis, cholecystitis, or cholangitis). The PBI effect on treatment was statistically evaluated.PBI (pancreatitis, n = 1; cholecystitis, n = 7; and cholangitis, n = 2) was diagnosed in 11.5% (9/78) of the patients at a median of 35 days after treatment initiation; 6 of 9 patients discontinued treatment because of PBI. Three cases of cholecystitis and 1 of cholangitis were accompanied by gallstones, while the other 5 were acalculous. The treatment duration was significantly shorter in patients with PBI than in those without (median: 44 days vs. 201 days, P = .02). Overall, 9 of 69 patients without PBI showed asymptomatic gallbladder subserosal edema.Lenvatinib-induced PBI developed in 11.5% of patients, leading to a significantly shorter treatment duration. Approximately 55.6% of the PBI cases were acalculous. The recognition of this phenomenon would aid physicians during treatment planning in the future.

PMID:34477177 | DOI:10.1097/MD.0000000000027182

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Nevin Manimala Statistics

Integration of quantitative diffusion kurtosis imaging and prostate specific antigen in differential diagnostic of prostate cancer

Medicine (Baltimore). 2021 Sep 3;100(35):e27144. doi: 10.1097/MD.0000000000027144.

ABSTRACT

This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic performance of diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI) and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) biomarkers in differentiating prostate cancer (PCa) and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).A total of 43 cases of prostate diseases verified by pathology were enrolled in the present study. These cases were assigned to the BPH group (n = 20, 68.85±10.81 years old) and PCa group (n = 23, 74.13 ± 7.37 years old). All patients underwent routine prostate magnetic resonance imaging and DKI examinations, and the mean diffusivity (MD), mean kurtosis (MK), and fractional anisotropy (FA) values were calculated. Three serum indicators (PSA, free PSA [fPSA], and f/t PSA) were collected. We used univariate logistic regression to analyze the above quantitative parameters between the 2 groups, and the independent factors were further incorporated into the multivariate logistic regression model. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was used to evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of the single indicator and combined model.The difference in PSA, f/t PSA, MK, and FA between PCa and BPH was statistically significant (P < .05). The AUC for the combined model (f/t PSA, MK, and FA) of 0.972 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.928, 1.000) was higher than the AUC of 0.902 (95% CI: 0.801, 1.000) for f/t PSA, 0.833 (95% CI: 0.707, 0.958) for MK, and 0.807 (95% CI: 0.679, 0.934) for FA.The MK and FA values for DKI and f/t PSA effectively identify PCa and BPH, compared to the PSA indicators. Combining DKI and PSA derivatives can further improve the diagnosis efficiency and might help in the clinical setting.

PMID:34477170 | DOI:10.1097/MD.0000000000027144

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Nevin Manimala Statistics

Role of whole-body diffusion-weighted imaging in evaluation of multiple myeloma

Medicine (Baltimore). 2021 Sep 3;100(35):e27131. doi: 10.1097/MD.0000000000027131.

ABSTRACT

The evaluation of bone disease in multiple myeloma (MM) is an important topic in imaging. This study retrospectively investigated whole-body diffusion-weighted imaging (WB-DWI) in the evaluation of bone marrow infiltration and treatment response in MM.A total of 126 patients with MM who underwent WB-DWI between January 2016 and December 2020 were enrolled. All the patients received 4-course induction chemotherapy. WB-DWI was performed before and after chemotherapy to measure the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values. According to gender and Revised International Staging System (RISS) staging groups, the relationship between ADC value and bone marrow plasma cell infiltration ratio before treatment were explored using Spearman and Pearson correlation coefficients. Comparison of ADC values before and after treatment according to different chemotherapy regimens and treatment response was performed by 2-independent samples non-parametric tests and t test.There was a negative correlation between the ADC value and the degree of bone marrow infiltration and this was statistically significant (r = -0.843, P < .001). In different gender and RISS groups, ADC value before treatment was negatively correlated with the proportion of plasma cell infiltration (male, r = -0.849; female, r = -0.836; Stage I, r = -0.659; Stage II, r = -0.870; Stage III, r = -0.745; all P < .001). The ADC values of all subjects increased to varying degrees after 4-course induction chemotherapy, including different chemotherapy regimens and treatment responses (all P < .05 except for progressive disease group).The ADC value was negatively correlated with the degree of bone marrow infiltration in different gender and RISS stages. The ADC value increased after treatment, but it was not consistent with progressive disease group. The increase of ADC value may indicate the disease burden and outcome of MM induced chemotherapy.

PMID:34477159 | DOI:10.1097/MD.0000000000027131

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Nevin Manimala Statistics

Cut points identification of continuous biomarkers: A challenge that goes beyond statistical aspects

J Nucl Med. 2021 Sep 2:jnumed.121.262905. doi: 10.2967/jnumed.121.262905. Online ahead of print.

NO ABSTRACT

PMID:34475238 | DOI:10.2967/jnumed.121.262905

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Nevin Manimala Statistics

Predictors of futile recanalization in patients undergoing endovascular treatment in the DIRECT-MT trial

J Neurointerv Surg. 2021 Sep 2:neurintsurg-2021-017765. doi: 10.1136/neurintsurg-2021-017765. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Futile recanalization-when patients have a successful recanalization but fail to achieve a satisfactory functional outcome- is a common phenomenon of endovascular treatment of acute ischemic stroke (AIS). The present study aimed to identify the predictors of futile recanalization in AIS patients who received endovascular treatment.

METHODS: This is a post-hoc analysis of the DIRECT-MT trial. Demographics, clinical characteristics, acute stroke workflow interval times, biochemical parameters, and imaging characteristics were compared between futile and meaningful recanalization groups. Multivariate analysis was performed to identify the predictors of futile recanalization.

RESULTS: Futile recanalization was observed in 277 patients. In multivariable logistic regression analysis, older age (p<0.001), higher baseline systolic blood pressure (SBP) (p=0.032), incomplete reperfusion defined by extended Thrombolysis In Cerebral Infarction (eTICI) grades (p=0.020), and larger final infarct volume (FIV) (p<0.001) were independent predictors of futile recanalization.

CONCLUSIONS: Old age, high baseline SBP, incomplete reperfusion defined by eTICI, and large FIV were independent predictors of futile recanalization after endovascular therapy for AIS.

PMID:34475255 | DOI:10.1136/neurintsurg-2021-017765

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Nevin Manimala Statistics

90Y radioembolization in the treatment of neuroendocrine neoplasms: Results of an international multicenter retrospective study

J Nucl Med. 2021 Sep 2:jnumed.121.262561. doi: 10.2967/jnumed.121.262561. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

In neuroendocrine neoplasms (NEN), the presence of distant metastases has a severe impact on survival leading to a relevant decrease of the 5-year survival rate. Here, 90Y radioembolization (RE) might be an important treatment option, however, data to support clinical benefits for RE are scarce. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to analyze the use of RE in NEN patients with hepatic metastases in an international, multi-center retrospective analysis and assess the potential role of RE in a multimodal treatment concept. Methods: 297 angiographic evaluations in NEN patients prior to RE were analyzed. Baseline characteristics and parameters derived from imaging evaluation and RE were analyzed. Tumor response was assessed using RECIST 1.1 and survival data were collected. Mean overall survival (OS) between different groups was compared using Kaplan Meier curves and the log rank test. p<0.05 indicated statistical significance. Results: After RE, disease control rate according to RECIST 1.1 was 83.5% after three and 50.9% after twelve months. OS in the entire population was 38.9±33.0 months. High tumor grade (p<0.006) and high tumor burden (P = 0.001) were both associated with a significant decrease of OS. The presence of extrahepatic metastases (P = 0.335) and the type of metastatic vascularization pattern (P = 0.460) had no influence on OS. Patients who received RE as second-line therapy had a slightly longer but not statistically significant OS than patients who had RE in a salvage setting (44.8 vs. 30.6 months, P = 0.078). Hepatic and global progression-free survival after RE was significantly decreased in heavily pretreated patients than patients with second-line therapy (P = 0.011 and P = 0.010, respectively). Conclusion: RE could be an important alternative to peptide receptor radionuclide therapy as second-line treatment in patients with progressive liver-dominant disease pretreated with somatostatin analogs.

PMID:34475236 | DOI:10.2967/jnumed.121.262561

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Nevin Manimala Statistics

The neural basis for violations of Weber’s law in self-motion perception

Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2021 Sep 7;118(36):e2025061118. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2025061118.

ABSTRACT

A prevailing view is that Weber’s law constitutes a fundamental principle of perception. This widely accepted psychophysical law states that the minimal change in a given stimulus that can be perceived increases proportionally with amplitude and has been observed across systems and species in hundreds of studies. Importantly, however, Weber’s law is actually an oversimplification. Notably, there exist violations of Weber’s law that have been consistently observed across sensory modalities. Specifically, perceptual performance is better than that predicted from Weber’s law for the higher stimulus amplitudes commonly found in natural sensory stimuli. To date, the neural mechanisms mediating such violations of Weber’s law in the form of improved perceptual performance remain unknown. Here, we recorded from vestibular thalamocortical neurons in rhesus monkeys during self-motion stimulation. Strikingly, we found that neural discrimination thresholds initially increased but saturated for higher stimulus amplitudes, thereby causing the improved neural discrimination performance required to explain perception. Theory predicts that stimulus-dependent neural variability and/or response nonlinearities will determine discrimination threshold values. Using computational methods, we thus investigated the mechanisms mediating this improved performance. We found that the structure of neural variability, which initially increased but saturated for higher amplitudes, caused improved discrimination performance rather than response nonlinearities. Taken together, our results reveal the neural basis for violations of Weber’s law and further provide insight as to how variability contributes to the adaptive encoding of natural stimuli with continually varying statistics.

PMID:34475203 | DOI:10.1073/pnas.2025061118

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Nevin Manimala Statistics

Patient participation in Delphi surveys to develop core outcome sets: systematic review

BMJ Open. 2021 Sep 2;11(9):e051066. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2021-051066.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: To describe the design and conduct of core outcome set (COS) studies that have included patients as participants, exploring how study characteristics might impact their response rates.

DESIGN: Systematic review of COS studies published between 2015 and 2019 that included more than one patient, carer or representative as participants (hereafter referred to as patients for brevity) in scoring outcomes in a Delphi.

RESULTS: There were variations in the design and conduct of COS studies that included patients in the Delphi process, including differing: scoring and feedback systems, approaches to recruiting patients, length of time between rounds, use of reminders, incentives, patient and public involvement, and piloting. Minimal reporting of participant characteristics and a lack of translation of Delphi surveys into local languages were found. Additionally, there were indications that studies that recruited patients through treatment centres had higher round two response rates than studies recruiting through patient organisations.

CONCLUSIONS: Variability was striking in how COS Delphi surveys were designed and conducted to include patient participants and other stakeholders. Future research is needed to explore what motivates patients to take part in COS studies and what factors influence COS developer recruitment strategies. Improved reporting would increase knowledge of how methods affect patient participation in COS Delphi studies.

PMID:34475183 | DOI:10.1136/bmjopen-2021-051066