Tag: statistics

JMIR Infodemiology. 2025 Jun 16;5:e69321. doi: 10.2196/69321.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: As the global population ages, concerns about older drivers are intensifying. Although older drivers are not inherently more dangerous than other age groups, traditional surveys in Japan reveal persistent negative sentiments toward them. This discrepancy suggests the importance of analyzing discourse on social media, where public perceptions and societal attitudes toward older drivers are actively shaped.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to quantify long-term public discourse on older drivers in Japan through Twitter (subsequently rebranded X), a leading social media platform. The specific objectives were to (1) examine the sentiments toward older drivers in tweets, (2) identify the textual contents and topics discussed in the tweets, and (3) analyze how sentiments correlate with various variables.

METHODS: We collected Japanese tweets related to older drivers from 2010 to 2022. Each quarter, we (1) applied to the Japanese version of the Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count dictionary for sentiment analysis, (2) employed 2-layer nonnegative matrix factorization for dynamic topic modeling, and (3) applied correlation analyses to explore the relationships of sentiments with crash rates, data counts, and topics.

RESULTS: We obtained 2,625,807 tweets from 1,052,976 unique users discussing older drivers. The number of tweets has steadily increased, with significant peaks in 2016, 2019, and 2021, coinciding with high-profile traffic crashes. Sentiment analysis revealed a predominance of negative emotions (n=383,520, 62.42%), anger (n=106,767, 17.38%), anxiety (n=114,234, 18.59%), and risk (n=357,311, 58.15%). Topic modeling identified 29 dynamic topics, including those related to driving licenses, crash events, self-driving technology, and traffic safety. The crash events topic, which increased by 0.28% per year, showed a strong correlation with negative emotion (r=0.76, P<.001) and risk (r=0.72, P<.001).

CONCLUSIONS: This 13-year study quantified public discourse on older drivers using Twitter data, revealing a paradoxical increase in negative sentiment and perceived risk, despite a decline in the actual crash rate among older drivers. These findings underscore the importance of reconsidering licensing policies, promoting self-driving systems, and fostering a more balanced understanding to mitigate undue prejudice and support continued safe mobility for older adults.

PMID:40523233 | DOI:10.2196/69321

Interact J Med Res. 2025 Jun 16;14:e65311. doi: 10.2196/65311.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Virtual reality (VR) has become a powerful tool for enhancing the experiences of patients with critical illnesses, particularly hospitalized children with leukemia. Since traveling is nearly impossible for them, St Jude has teamed up with the travel company Expedia to launch “Dream Adventures,” a pilot program that offers immersive VR experiences, allowing children to explore new destinations from the comfort of the hospital.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the pleasurable experience of VR and its impact on healthy and hospitalized children’s travel expectations and hope by using electrocardiography (ECG) and questionnaires to enhance research objectivity.

METHODS: Participants were children aged 7-18 years, divided into 2 distinct groups: 30 healthy children and 18 hospitalized children with leukemia. Both groups received the same VR intervention and were assessed using a 1-group pretest-posttest design. The questionnaires were designed to assess differences in the children’s sense of hope and travel expectations, and their physiological data were collected through ECG.

RESULTS: The results indicated a statistically significant increase in hope levels from pre-VR to post-VR intervention in both healthy children (preintervention: mean 5.83, SD 0.87; postintervention: mean 6.36, SD 0.76; P=.002) and hospitalized children (preintervention: mean 5.51, SD 1.17; postintervention: mean 5.73, SD 1.15; P=.03), as determined by paired samples 2-tailed t tests. Furthermore, an independent samples 2-tailed t test revealed a significant difference in postintervention hope levels between the hospitalized children (mean 5.73, SD 1.15) and healthy children (mean 6.36, SD 0.76; P=.05). Then, we further compared the mean differences in hope scores from preintervention to postintervention. Healthy children demonstrated a greater increase (an increase of 0.53, from 5.83 to 6.36) than the hospitalized children (an increase of 0.22, from 5.51 to 5.73). In terms of physiological responses, ECG indicators such as SD of all normal-to-normal intervals and low-frequency power revealed significant differences in autonomic nervous system activity between the 2 groups. Healthy children exhibited higher sympathetic activation, suggesting greater emotional engagement during the VR experience, whereas hospitalized children demonstrated more attenuated responses. The consistency between physiological data and self-reported measures strengthens the construct validity of the instruments used and enhances the overall reliability of the study findings.

CONCLUSIONS: The VR intervention significantly increased hope levels in both healthy children and hospitalized children with leukemia, with a greater improvement observed among healthy participants. Therefore, this study suggests that when designing interventions for hospitalized children, more targeted emotional support strategies should be considered. Future studies are recommended to explore different types of VR content and the medical conditions of hospitalized children.

PMID:40523232 | DOI:10.2196/65311

Photobiomodul Photomed Laser Surg. 2025 Jun 16. doi: 10.1089/photob.2024.0150. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of neoadjuvant radiotherapy combined with transurethral photoselective vaporization of bladder tumors (PVBT), followed by postoperative adjuvant radiotherapy and chemotherapy, in the treatment of T3 muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC). Background: Transurethral resection of bladder tumors combined with radiotherapy and chemotherapy, also known as trimodal therapy (TMT), is the recommended bladder-preserving approach for MIBC and has demonstrated favorable outcomes in T2 MIBC. However, T3 MIBC remains a challenging candidate for TMT due to its relatively poor prognosis. Therefore, optimizing the “triple therapy” strategy for T3 MIBC is essential. Methods: This was a retrospective case series. Patients with T3 MIBC who underwent preoperative neoadjuvant radiotherapy combined with PVBT, followed by postoperative adjuvant radiotherapy and chemotherapy, between January 2018 and December 2020 were included. Tumor response after neoadjuvant radiotherapy, the incidence of PVBT-related complications, and adverse effects of radiotherapy and chemotherapy were assessed. Tumor recurrence and survival outcomes were monitored through outpatient follow-ups and telephone consultations. Risk factors for recurrence were analyzed using statistical methods. Results: A total of 48 patients were included. Four weeks after neoadjuvant radiotherapy, complete response, partial response, stable disease, and disease progression were observed in 3 (6.3%), 23 (47.9%), 20 (41.7%), and 2 (4.2%) patients, respectively. The objective response rate and disease control rate were 54.2% and 95.8%, respectively. Radiation- or chemotherapy-related toxicity occurred in 23 patients (47.9%), all of whom experienced only grade I-II adverse effects, with no grade III-IV toxicity reported. During a follow-up period of 14-58 months, 22 patients (45.83%) experienced recurrence, and 3 patients died due to distant organ metastases. Multi-variate Cox regression analysis identified tumor diameter (≤3.0 cm vs. >3.0 cm) and tumor multiplicity (single vs. multiple) as significant risk factors for recurrence. Conclusions: Preoperative neoadjuvant radiotherapy combined with PVBT, followed by postoperative adjuvant radiotherapy and chemotherapy, is an effective and well-tolerated treatment for T3 MIBC.

PMID:40523218 | DOI:10.1089/photob.2024.0150

JMIR Nurs. 2025 Jun 16;8:e72230. doi: 10.2196/72230.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Diabetes has become a significant global health issue, particularly imposing a deep economic burden on low-income countries. Innovative and integrated digital solutions can reduce the impact of diabetes and enhance the quality of care. However, digital solutions have not been utilized before in Myanmar.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to demonstrate the novel integrated effect of diabetes knowledge and registry tools on the performance of front-line health workers in primary health care settings.

METHODS: A quasi-experimental study with an intervention and a control group was conducted in two townships from October 2022 to April 2023. For the first time, researchers trained the intervention group to use digital tools for diabetes control and performed monthly follow-ups. The study employed multiple linear regression models to explore the novel impact of digital tools on knowledge and performance scores, their correlations, and their association with covariates. Additionally, it assessed the cost-effectiveness of the intervention by using self-administered questionnaires as measurement tools formulated based on the National Diabetes Guidelines.

RESULTS: A total of 96 participants were enrolled in the study, divided evenly into the two groups. The intervention group exhibited a significant increase in the mean knowledge scores from 85.81 to 99.25 (P<.001) and performance scores from 71.22 to 107.16 (P<.001). The intervention accounted for 43.2% of the variance in knowledge scores and 62.5% in performance scores (P<.001). A positive correlation was found between knowledge and performance scores (r=0.45, P<.001). The intervention was also cost-effective, with a cost-effectiveness analysis value of 0.711 and an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of 10127.04 Kyats (US$ 4.83).

CONCLUSIONS: As the new integrated intervention yields significant economic gains and positive effects, researchers suggest policy makers replicate this intervention as a nationwide program and recommend scaling up the use of digital tools to improve knowledge and performance for diabetes control in frontline health workers.

PMID:40523215 | DOI:10.2196/72230

JCO Oncol Pract. 2025 Jun 16:OP2401075. doi: 10.1200/OP-24-01075. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: To explore long-term young adult (YA) cancer survivors’ experience with health insurance in a post-Affordable Care Act (ACA) era.

METHODS: This was a mixed-methods analysis of insurance-related data collected from a cohort of English-speaking YA (currently age 18-39 years) blood cancer survivors, ≥3 years from diagnosis, recruited from six US hospitals as part of a financial navigation interventional study (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT05620979). Participants completed baseline questionnaires, with a subset participating in semistructured interviews after the 6-month study period. Summary statistics were reported for survey responses. Qualitative interviews were coded using directed content analysis.

RESULTS: A total of 130 long-term (median, 10 [IQR, 6-16] years from diagnosis) YA survivors were enrolled, and 45 participated in interviews. Among the total cohort, most (63%) had employer-based private insurance; 22% had public insurance through Medicaid. Eighteen percent reported seeking a new health insurance plan in the past year to afford survivorship care. Over a fifth (23%) reported not knowing how to seek help navigating insurance, while 30% reported delaying or forgoing survivorship care because of not understanding their insurance plan. Four themes emerged from the interviews: (1) Many YA survivors experience insurance churn (ie, moving between plans or between insured and uninsured status); (2) learning to navigate the insurance system is confusing and not straightforward; (3) interactions related to insurance coverage are time-consuming and stressful; and (4) insurance churn and/or out-of-pocket costs affect YAs’ ability to receive optimal medical care.

CONCLUSION: Ongoing insurance-related challenges persist for YA cancer survivors in a contemporary post-ACA era. Although the ACA has provided essential coverage for many patients, ongoing issues include excessive insurance churn, lack of navigation resources, and the continued financial burden of out-of-pocket costs.

PMID:40523211 | DOI:10.1200/OP-24-01075

Clin Neuropharmacol. 2025 Jun 13. doi: 10.1097/WNF.0000000000000642. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: Currently, there is a paucity of optimal treatment method for ischemic stroke. This study conducted a meta-analysis of the application value of indobufen combined with clopidogrel in the field of ischemic stroke.

METHODS: The randomized controlled trials of indobufen combined with/without clopidogrel for the treatment of ischemic stroke were retrieved in Cochrane Library, PubMed, and CNKI from the establishment time of database to November 28, 2023. Cochrane risk-of-bias tool and Review Manager software were used for study quality evaluation and meta-analysis, respectively.

RESULTS: A total of 5 studies were ultimately included, published from 2021 to 2023, with a total of 408 patients. The meta-analysis results showed that the intervention group had a higher effective rate in treating stroke than the control group, with statistically significant difference (94.25% vs 75.29%, relative risk = 1.25, 95% confidence interval [CI] [1.14, 1.37], P < 0.00001), and there was no significant heterogeneity among the studies (P = 0.64, I2 = 0%). In addition, the meta-analysis results indicated that indobufen combined with clopidogrel decreased National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score (mean difference [MD] = -3.52, 95% CI [-5.7, -1.35], P = 0.001), fibrinogen (MD = -0.65, 95% CI [-1.1, -0.2], P = 0.004), platelet aggregation (MD = -5.84, 95% CI [-6.96, -4.73], P < 0.00001), whole blood low shear viscosity (MD = -4.38, 95% CI [-4.81, -3.94], P < 0.00001), and whole blood high shear viscosity (MD = -0.96, 95% CI [-1.19, -0.73], P < 0.00001) and elevated thrombin time (MD = 0.42, 95% CI [0.09, 0.74], P = 0.01), but had no statistical effects on activated partial thromboplastin time and adverse reactions.

CONCLUSION: The dual antiplatelet therapy regimen using indobufen and clopidogrel is suitable for the treatment of ischemic stroke, which can effectively alleviate neurological damage and inhibit cerebral thrombogenesis.

PMID:40523207 | DOI:10.1097/WNF.0000000000000642

Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2025 Jun 24;122(25):e2319933121. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2319933121. Epub 2025 Jun 16.

ABSTRACT

Choosing social partners is a potentially demanding task which involves paying attention to the right information while disregarding salient but possibly irrelevant features. The resultant trade-off between cost of evaluation and quality of decisions can lead to undesired bias. Information-processing abilities mediate this trade-off, where individuals with higher ability choose better partners leading to higher performance. By altering the salience of features, technology can modulate the effect of information-processing limits, potentially increasing or decreasing undesired biases. Here, we use game theory and multiagent reinforcement learning to investigate how undesired biases emerge, and how a technological layer (in the form of a perceptual intervention) between individuals and their environment can ameliorate such biases. Our results show that a perceptual intervention designed to increase the salience of outcome-relevant features can reduce bias in agents making partner choice decisions. Individuals learning with a perceptual intervention showed less bias due to decreased reliance on features that only spuriously correlate with behavior. Mechanistically, the perceptual intervention effectively increased the information-processing abilities of the individuals. Our results highlight the benefit of using multiagent reinforcement learning to model theoretically grounded social behaviors, particularly when real-world complexity prohibits fully analytical approaches.

PMID:40523185 | DOI:10.1073/pnas.2319933121

Langmuir. 2025 Jun 16. doi: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.5c01673. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Plasma Electrolytic Oxidation (PEO) coatings enhance the physical and chemical properties of metallic substrates, including corrosion resistance, wear resistance, and thermal stability. These enhancements are strongly influenced by the porous surface morphology of the coatings, which affects the ion transport, stress distribution, and permeability. Accurate quantification of pore structures is essential for understanding interfacial structure-property relationships, yet traditional image segmentation methods often fail to capture the complexity of PEO surfaces in SEM images. This study presents a deep learning-based segmentation framework using U-Net architectures integrated with Atrous Spatial Pyramid Pooling (ASPP) to improve multiscale feature extraction. The performance impact of ASPP placement within different parts of U-Net was systematically evaluated. Results show that modifications to the bridge and decoder paths have the greatest impact on segmentation performance, with a combined modification applying ASPP in both achieving the highest F1 score (0.9360) and the highest IoU (0.8798). Statistical analysis using 5-fold cross-validation, bootstrap confidence intervals, and paired t-tests confirmed that only the bridge-modified model (B_1×1) significantly outperformed the baseline (p < 0.05). The proposed approach enables high-fidelity pore segmentation and supports advanced microstructural analysis of PEO coatings. By facilitating accurate morphological quantification, it contributes to the understanding of structure-property relationships in interfacial materials and offers a robust tool for future materials characterization workflows.

PMID:40523154 | DOI:10.1021/acs.langmuir.5c01673

J Extra Corpor Technol. 2025 Jun;57(2):89-95. doi: 10.1051/ject/2025013. Epub 2025 Jun 16.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The use of cell salvage reduces homologous blood transfusions during operations and avoids associated complications. Therefore, autotransfusion is an integral part of Patient Blood Management (PBM). The quality control of cell salvage in Germany is performed by checking the target values of a hematocrit in the autotransfusion blood (target: over 50%) and a total protein elimination (target: over 90%). The aim of this study was to identify intraoperative circumstances leading to deviations from the target values.

METHODS: This retrospective data analysis includes the use of the cell saver at the Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Campus Charité Mitte and Campus Benjamin Franklin from 01.01.2019 to 29.03.2022, in which autotransfusion occurred. In addition to the hematocrit and total protein elimination, the age and gender of the patients, as well as the surgical diagnosis, were included to investigate possible factors influencing compliance with the target values. The data were statistically analyzed using SPSS.

RESULTS: A total patient collective of 238 cell salvage applications (154 men, 84 women) was examined. The target values for quality control were achieved on average. The target value for hematocrit was not achieved in about 22% and for total protein elimination in about 8% of cell salvage applications. The age and gender of the patient, as well as the surgical diagnosis, had very little to no influence on compliance with the target values. The target values were not met primarily when the emergency option of the cell saver was used, when the collection volume was too low or when the collection volume was heavily diluted with rinsing fluid.

CONCLUSION: The target values for quality control were achieved in most of the cell salvage applications examined and are suitable for ensuring the quality of autotransfusion. Special clinical circumstances may lead to the treating anesthetist having to accept deviating collection volumes or washing processes.

PMID:40523136 | DOI:10.1051/ject/2025013

J Periodontol. 2025 Jun 16. doi: 10.1002/jper.11362. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: This prospective cohort trial examines the effects of heavy smoking on peri-implant marginal bone loss (MBL) and implant survival rates over 15 months.

METHODS: Thirty subjects, categorized as either smokers (more than 20 cigarettes daily for over 5 years) or non-smokers, were initially recruited with pocket depths ≤ 5 mm and at least one missing tooth. Urine cotinine assay was used to confirm smoking status. Implants were placed and restored after 4 months. Clinical, radiographic and stability variables were assessed at placement, 15, 24, and 67 weeks. Measurements included marginal bone height, peri-implant pocket depth, implant stability, bleeding on probing, and plaque index. Statistical analyses included Mann-Whitney tests for continuous variables, Fisher exact tests for categorical variables, and generalized estimating equations for longitudinal changes.

RESULTS: Thirteen implants were installed in the smoker group (11 subjects) and 18 in the non-smoker group (18 subjects). Survival rates were lower in smokers (84.6%) compared with non-smokers (94.4%). Smokers experienced significantly greater marginal bone loss 12 months after final reconstruction (1.5 ± 0.3 mm versus 0.7 ± 0.6 mm; p = 0.008). Pocket depth was slightly greater in smokers but this did not reach statistical significance.

CONCLUSIONS: Heavy smoking significantly increases marginal bone loss and decreases implant survival. Further research is needed to corroborate these findings and develop intervention programs.

PLAIN LANGUAGE SUMMARY: Heavy smoking is a well-known risk factor for poor dental health, yet its effects on dental implants are less frequently examined. This study investigated how heavy smoking (more than 20 cigarettes daily for at least 5 years) impacts the success of dental implants. We monitored 29 patients, including both heavy smokers and non-smokers, over 15 months after implant placement and restoration. We evaluated bone loss, implant stability, and success rates. Our results showed that heavy smokers experienced significantly more bone loss-twice as much as non-smokers-along with slightly reduced implant stability and survival. These adverse outcomes likely relate to smoking’s negative effects on bone healing and immune function. Our findings underscore the importance of addressing smoking before implant procedures and suggest that quitting smoking could greatly improve long-term outcomes. Further research is needed to develop strategies for mitigating the risks of smoking in implant dentistry.

PMID:40522719 | DOI:10.1002/jper.11362