Tag: statistics

Virol J. 2025 May 30;22(1):171. doi: 10.1186/s12985-025-02809-4.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Accumulating evidence has hinted at a correlation between immune cells and post-viral fatigue syndrome (PVFS). However, it is still ambiguous whether these associations indicate a causal connection.

OBJECTIVE: To elucidate the potential causal link between immune cells and PVFS, we performed a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) study.

METHODS: We obtained summary data on PVFS cases (Ncase = 195) and controls (Ncontrol = 382,198) from the FinnGen consortium. Additionally, we retrieved comprehensive statistical information on 731 immune cell features. Our analysis encompassed both forward and reverse MR approaches. To ensure the reliability and validity of our findings, we conducted rigorous sensitivity analyses, addressing issues of robustness and heterogeneity.

RESULT: Our study presents compelling evidence of a probable causal link between immune cells and PVFS. Notably, we have pinpointed 28 distinct types of immune cell traits that potentially exhibit a causal association with PVFS. Among a pool of 7 31 immune cell traits, we identified 28 immune cell types that exhibited a potential causal association with PVFS. These included 9 B cells, 1 conventional dendritic cell (cDC), 1 maturation stage of T cell, 3 myeloid cells, 9 T, B, NK, and monocyte cells (TBNK), and 5 regulatory T cells (Treg).

CONCLUSION: Through genetic analyses, our study has unveiled profound causal connections between specific types of immune cells and PVFS, offering valuable guidance for forthcoming clinical investigations.

PMID:40448142 | DOI:10.1186/s12985-025-02809-4

J Neuroeng Rehabil. 2025 May 30;22(1):122. doi: 10.1186/s12984-025-01652-6.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Stroke-associated dysphagia significantly increases the risk of pneumonia in persons with acute ischemic stroke (AIS), yet effective early interventions remain limited. This pilot randomized controlled trial examined the feasibility and clinical effects of a nurse-delivered combined intervention involving neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) and comprehensive oral care-including toothbrushing using the Bass method, tongue cleaning, and moisturizing twice daily-during the acute stroke phase.

METHODS: This randomized, parallel group pilot trial assigned persons with AIS into three groups: (i) oral care only, (ii) oral care + NMES, and (iii) standard care (control). Interventions began within 48 h of stroke onset and continued twice daily for five days, starting within 48 h of stroke onset. Outcome measures, including the Revised Oral Assessment Guide (ROAG) and Gugging Swallowing Screening (GUSS), were assessed at baseline, day 4, and day 8 post-stroke. Statistical analysis employed one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), chi-square tests, and generalized estimating equations (GEE) to analyze group differences and longitudinal trends.

RESULTS: Among 35 participants (mean age 68.3 ± 12.5 years; 51.4% men), both intervention groups demonstrated significant improvements in swallowing and oral health outcomes over time, compared to standard care (p < 0.05). Although this pilot study was not powered to determine superiority between the two intervention groups, the oral care + NMES group demonstrated the greatest improvements in GUSS and ROAG scores.

CONCLUSION: Findings from this pilot trial support the feasibility of nursing staff implementing combined oral care and NMES within 48 h of AIS onset. The results highlight the potential for meaningful clinical benefits, particularly in settings with limited access to specialized rehabilitation. Larger, blinded, multi-center trials are warranted to further evaluate the efficacy and broader applicability of this early intervention strategy.

REGISTRATION: The study protocol was registered in the Protocol Registration and Results System (PRS) under ID N202108021 as a supplementary registration due to initial unfamiliarity with PRS registration requirements, with the registration date recorded as 11/14/2024.

PMID:40448132 | DOI:10.1186/s12984-025-01652-6

BMC Med Educ. 2025 May 30;25(1):807. doi: 10.1186/s12909-025-07397-z.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Traditional anatomy education relies on lectures, visual aids, and cadaver dissections. However, limited cadaver availability often necessitates the use of plastic models to aid 3D understanding. Virtual reality (VR) presents an immersive alternative that may enhance spatial learning without requiring cadavers. Despite its potential, few studies have directly compared VR with traditional methods in anatomy education.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to compare the learning outcomes of first-year anatomy students using either VR or plastic 3D models for anatomical instruction.

METHODS: First-year anatomy students were divided into two groups: one using VR and the other using plastic models. They participated in weekly anatomy sessions consisting of 2-hour lectures followed by 2-hour laboratory sessions covering various anatomical systems. After the lectures, students engaged in laboratory activities using either plastic models or immersive virtual reality (iVR) for 3D spatial anatomy learning, with iVR participants capturing screenshots of assigned targets for verification. Each session concluded with an online image-based multiple-choice quiz to assess anatomical identification and understanding.

RESULTS: Students from the Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences (NHS) and the Department of Medical Laboratory Science and Biotechnology (MLSB) at Taipei Medical University (TMU) participated in the study. Students in the VR group initially struggled due to the time required to adapt to the system, which was reflected in their significantly lower scores in week 2 for both NHS (80.35 ± 2.04 vs. 88.82 ± 1.64, p < 0.0019) and MLSB (72.23 ± 1.81 vs. 88.55 ± 1.67, p < 0.0001). However, in subsequent weeks, while iVR scores were slightly lower, the differences were not statistically significant, and by the later weeks, there was no significant difference in quiz performance between the two groups, with comparable scores observed in weeks 8 and 10 for NHS.

CONCLUSIONS: VR provides a viable alternative to plastic models for anatomy education. Although students require an adaptation period, their performance eventually matches that of students using traditional plastic models. This study is the first to quantitatively compare VR and plastic models in anatomy instruction.

PMID:40448126 | DOI:10.1186/s12909-025-07397-z

BMC Public Health. 2025 May 30;25(1):1999. doi: 10.1186/s12889-025-23108-1.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: This study aimed to develop a machine learning system to predict social isolation risk in older adults.

METHODS: Data from a sample of 6588 older adults in China were analyzed using information from China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study from 2015 to 2018. We employed the light gradient boosting machine (Lightgbm) algorithm to determine the most common predictors of social isolation among older adults. After identifying these predictors, we trained and optimized 7 models to predict the risk of social isolation among older adults: Lightgbm, logistic regression, decision tree, support vector machine, random forest, gradient boosting decision tree (Gbdt), and Xgboost. In addition, the Shapely additive explanation (SHAP) method was used to show the contribution of each social isolation predictor to the prediction. Statistical analysis was conducted from December 2023 to April 2024.

RESULTS: The Gbdt model had the best performance with an accuracy of 0.7247, sensitivity of 0.9207, specificity of 0.6273, F1 score of 0.6894, and Area Under Curve of 0.84. In addition, the SHAP method demonstrated that intergeneration financial support, child visits, age, left-hand grip strength, and loneliness were the most important characteristics.

CONCLUSIONS: The combination of Gbdt and SHAP provides a clear explanation of the factors contributing to predicting the personalized risk of social isolation for individuals and an intuitive understanding of the impact of key features.

PMID:40448115 | DOI:10.1186/s12889-025-23108-1

BMC Oral Health. 2025 May 30;25(1):853. doi: 10.1186/s12903-025-06228-3.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Occlusion plays a crucial role in the long-term success and prognosis of implant-supported overdentures. The method used to fabricate the overdenture base, whether conventional or CAD/CAM milled, could influence occlusal contact balance. However, definitive evidence on this matter remains lacking. Thus, this study aimed to compare two fabrication techniques, CAD/CAM milled and conventional, for four-implant-supported complete mandibular overdenture bases, with a specific focus on their impact on occlusal balance.

METHODS: Edentulous patients participated in this study received four-implant supported mandibular overdentures constructed using two different types of overdenture bases: CAD/CAM milled and conventional bases. A total of 21 patients, representing 42 overdentures, were enrolled in the study. Occlusal adjustments were made for each overdenture after picking up of attachments. The patients were classified randomly and equally into two groups: Group I: patients delivered maxillary complete dentures opposed to four implant-supported mandibular overdentures constructed with CAD/CAM milling followed by conventionally constructed dentures. Group II: patients delivered maxillary complete dentures opposed to four implant-supported mandibular overdentures constructed with conventional method followed by CAD/CAM milled dentures. According to the type of denture bases, dentures were classified into two equal groups: Group A: CAD/CAM constructed overdenture bases. Group B: conventionally constructed overdenture bases. For each overdenture group, occlusal analysis measurements were recorded at overdenture delivery (T₀) and after three months of denture wearing (T₃). Data was analyzed using the Statistical Package of Social Science (SPSS) program. Repeated measures ANOVA were used to test significant differences in occlusal force distribution between observation intervals, groups and locations followed by Bonferroni post hoc test for multiple comparisons. Independent samples t-test was used to compare occlusal force between groups. P is significant if < 0.05 at confidence interval 95%.

RESULTS: Comparing different occlusal contact locations in each group at (T₀) showed a significant difference between anterior and posterior locations whereas comparing different occlusal contact locations in each group at (T₃) showed a significant difference between molar and premolar locations for group B while insignificant between molar and premolar locations for group A. The comparison between different intervals within group A revealed insignificant differences while significant occlusal changes at premolar and molar regions were presented within group B.

CONCLUSIONS: The four implant-supported CAD/CAM milled overdenture bases offer greater advantages over conventional ones in terms of occlusal contact stability.

CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRY NUMBER: (NCT06080815))08/10/2023).

PMID:40448094 | DOI:10.1186/s12903-025-06228-3

BMC Public Health. 2025 May 30;25(1):1997. doi: 10.1186/s12889-025-22997-6.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Contaminated sites are among the main worldwide environmental health priorities. The health impact on population living in Italian contaminated sites of national concern for remediation (CSs) with petrochemical/refineries (P&R) and steel plants (S) was estimated. Since these CSs include the major Italian facilities located widespread on the territory are representative of the national reality. Furthermore, the population exposed in P&R and S is significant since it represents about 3% of the national population.

METHODS: Two groups of CSs were defined: twelve CSs with P&R and eight with S. Cause-specific mortality (2013-2017) and hospitalization (2014-2018) in both groups were analysed. Pooled Standardized Mortality/Hospitalization Ratios (SMR_pooled/SHR_pooled) were estimated through random-effect meta-regression of individual site SMR/SHR (reference: CS regional rate). The main groups of diseases and those for which the evidence of an association with the residential exposure to P&R and S was defined limited were analysed in adult while only the main groups of diseases were analysed in paediatric-adolescent and juvenile ages subgroups (0-1, 0-19, 20-29 years). All the analyses were performed separately for the two groups of CSs, and by sex.

RESULTS: In the two CSs groups, the overall and the main causes mortality and hospitalization, including all cancers, exceeded in both sexes. Specifically, for lung cancer in the P&R group, among males SMR_pooled=1.11 (CI90% 1.00-1.23) and SHR_pooled=1.18 (0.99-1.40) and among females SMR_pooled=1.13 (1.03-1.25) and SHR_pooled=1.20 (1.05-1.38), while in the S group, SMR_pooled=1.17 (1.02-1.34) and SHR_pooled=1.27 (0.87-1.86) among males and SMR_pooled=1.21 (0.93-1.59) and SHR_pooled=1.19 (0.91-1.57) among females. The mortality and hospitalization exceeded also for breast cancer in the P&R group. Hospitalization for leukaemia and respiratory diseases increased in the S group. In both CSs groups, among 20-29 years old sub-population, mortality for all tumours and hospitalization for respiratory diseases was worthy of note and hospitalization for all tumours exceeded among 0-1-year age-subgroup.

CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that living in petrochemical/refineries and steel plants CSs is associated with increased risk for specific diseases. The meta-analytical estimates could contribute to assess the order of magnitude of health impacts of contaminated sites and to perform integrated evaluation of health and environmental impact.

PMID:40448093 | DOI:10.1186/s12889-025-22997-6

BMC Public Health. 2025 May 30;25(1):2003. doi: 10.1186/s12889-025-23218-w.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Perinatal mortality, which includes stillbirths and early neonatal deaths, is a critical indicator of maternal and newborn health, especially in developing countries. It highlights the effectiveness of healthcare systems and socioeconomic inequalities. Despite global efforts, such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), to reduce perinatal mortality, developing countries continue to experience high rates due to factors like inadequate access to quality healthcare, maternal health issues, and socioeconomic disparities. Since, there is limited evidence in the region, this study investigates perinatal mortality in East Africa, using data from Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) to identify key determinants and inform policy interventions aimed at improving health outcomes.

METHODS: This study utilized data from the DHS conducted in East Africa. A weighted sample of 101,728 children was included in the analysis using R-4.4.0 software. Descriptive data, including frequencies and texts, were performed. A multilevel modeling analysis was employed to analyze perinatal mortality, considering both individual-level factors and contextual factors. The multilevel model accounts for clustering within countries and allows for the examination of both fixed and random effects that influence perinatal mortality. For the multivariable analysis, variables with a p-value ≤ 0.2 in the univariate analysis were considered. The Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) with a 95% Confidence Interval (CI) and a p-value < 0.05 was reported to indicate statistical significance and degree of association in the final model.

RESULTS: The overall pooled effect size of perinatal mortality is 3.67 (2.92, 4.59), with Tanzania having the highest rate and Comoros having the lowest rate. Women aged 25-34 years (AOR = 0.86, 95% CI: 0.81, 0.95), 35-49 years (AOR = 0.89, 95% CI: 0.79, 0.97), and 35-49 years (AOR = 0.89, 95% CI: 0.79, 0.97) compared to women aged 15-24 years, gave birth the first before the age of 20 (AOR = 1.09, 95% CI: 1.03, 1.28), have secondary or higher education (AOR = 0.76, 95% CI: 0.69, 0.81), not being married (AOR = 1.11, 95% CI: 1.05, 1.21), poorer (AOR = 0.94, 95% CI: 0.89, 0.98), and richest women (AOR = 0.95, 95% CI: 0.91, 0.97) compared to the poorest women, mass media exposure (AOR = 1.09, 95% CI: 1.03, 1.15), women with 3-5 children (AOR = 1.16, 95% CI: 1.08, 1.21), and with more than 5 children had even greater odds (AOR = 1.36, 95% CI: 1.29, 1.44), twin births (AOR = 3.62, 95% CI: 3.41, 3.79), modern contraceptive (AOR = 0.82, 95% CI: 0.81, 0.91), had history of abortion (AOR = 8.53, 95% CI: 8.29, 8.79), birth interval of 24-36 (AOR = 0.68, 95% CI: 0.65, 0.73), and 37-59 months (AOR = 0.61, 95% CI: 0.55, 0.67) compared to intervals of < 24 months respectively, having health insurance (AOR = 0.87, 95% CI: 0.82, 0.92), rural residence (AOR = 1.05, 95% CI: 1.02, 1.18), residing in low-income (AOR = 1.33, 95% CI: 1.28, 1.49), and higher literacy rates (AOR = 0.81, 95% CI: 0.79, 0.89) were statistically associated with perinatal mortality respectively.

CONCLUSIONS: The study reveals several significant factors associated with perinatal mortality in East Africa. Factors such as women who gave birth before the age of 20, not married, mass media exposure, having more children, twin births, history of abortion, residing in rural areas, and in low-income countries were linked to higher odds of perinatal mortality, however, being older age, better education, better wealth, modern contraception, longer birth intervals, have health insurance, and high literacy rate countries were linked to lower odds of perinatal mortality. To reduce perinatal mortality in East Africa, targeted interventions should focus on improving educational attainment for women, enhancing access to health insurance, and promoting the use of modern contraceptive methods. Additionally, policies aimed at supporting unmarried mothers, managing multiple births, and addressing rural healthcare disparities are essential.

PMID:40448089 | DOI:10.1186/s12889-025-23218-w

BMC Psychiatry. 2025 May 30;25(1):556. doi: 10.1186/s12888-025-06987-x.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Given the changes in global environmental conditions and dietary patterns, understanding the potential impact of dietary factors on the risk of depression is crucial. The Planetary Health Diet Index (PHDI) is a dietary scoring system that integrates human health and environmental sustainability. This study aims to evaluate the association between the PHDI, the risk of depression, and mortality.

METHODS: Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2005-2018. Depression was assessed using Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), with a score ≥ 10 indicating depression. PHDI calculated from 14 self-reported dietary groups, ranges from 0 to 140. Multivariable weight logistic and linear regression explored the association of PHDI with depression and total PHQ-9 score. Cox proportional hazards regression examined PHDI associations with mortality. Additional analyses included restricted cubic spline (RCS), threshold analyses, subgroup analyses, and multiple imputation.

RESULTS: Adjusting for confounding variables, each 10-point increase in PHDI was associated with an 11% lower risk of depression (OR = 0.89, 95% CI = 0.84, 0.94), 0.13 score of total PHQ (β=-0.13, 95% CI=-0.18, -0.08), and 17% of all-cause mortality (HR = 0.83, 95% CI = 0.73, 0.95). RCS indicated an inverse L-shaped association between PHDI and depression, and threshold effects analyses showed that the above associations were more significant in those with PHDI ≥ 76.01.

CONCLUSIONS: Adherence to the PHDI dietary pattern is associated with a reduced risk of both depression and all-cause mortality. PHDI may provide dietary guidance for the early prevention and intervention of depression.

PMID:40448075 | DOI:10.1186/s12888-025-06987-x

Reprod Health. 2025 May 31;22(Suppl 1):79. doi: 10.1186/s12978-025-01985-4.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Malaria, acute respiratory infections (ARIs), and diarrhoea are primary causes of morbidity and mortality among children under five years old in Ghana. Despite the implementation of various interventions, the nation struggles to meet relevant health and policy targets. While the potential of mobile health interventions to enhance child health outcomes has been recognized, their impact on prevalent childhood illnesses remains insufficiently explored. This implementation research study aimed to evaluate the effect of a mobile health information system (mHIS) intervention on common childhood illnesses among under-five children residing in rural health districts of Ghana.

METHODS: In this quasi-experimental study, we enrolled all children under five years old from randomly selected clusters within the rural intervention and control health districts in the Ashanti region, Ghana between November 2018 and December 2021. The Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption Implementation and Maintenance (RE-AIM) framework was used to design and implement the intervention. The intervention involved a mobile phone-based information system to monitor childhood conditions, offer telemedicine consultations, and deliver child health promotion messages on nutrition and management of common childhood illnesses to caregivers. By employing the average treatment effect (ATET) and difference-in-difference (DiD) analyses, we assessed outcome disparities in diarrhoea, cough, and presumptive malaria.

RESULTS: The incidence of diarrhoea and malaria decreased in the intervention group. The ATET analysis indicated pre-intervention disparities in presumptive malaria with a post-intervention difference between the groups for diarrhoea and presumptive malaria. Results related to cough, used as a proxy for ARIs, did not provide conclusive results across the intervention and control sites based on this intervention. However, the DiD model highlighted an overall statistically significant reduction in diarrhoea and presumptive malaria.

CONCLUSION: This study underscores the effectiveness of a mobile phone-based health information system intervention in curbing common childhood morbidities, particularly diarrhoea and presumptive malaria, among under-five children in rural Ghana. This approach demonstrates promise in advancing child health outcomes and contributing to the reduction of prevalent illnesses in resource-constrained settings.

PMID:40448074 | DOI:10.1186/s12978-025-01985-4

JMIR Med Educ. 2025 May 30;11:e69521. doi: 10.2196/69521.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Programmatic assessment supports flexible learning and individual progression but challenges educators to develop frequent assessments reflecting different competencies. The continuous creation of large volumes of assessment items, in a consistent format and comparatively restricted time, is laborious. The application of technological innovations, including artificial intelligence (AI), has been tried to address this challenge. A major concern raised is the validity of the information produced by AI tools, and if not properly verified, it can produce inaccurate and therefore inappropriate assessments.

OBJECTIVE: This study was designed to examine the content validity and consistency of different AI chatbots in creating single best answer (SBA) questions, a refined format of multiple choice questions better suited to assess higher levels of knowledge, for undergraduate medical students.

METHODS: This study followed 3 steps. First, 3 researchers used a unified prompt script to generate 10 SBA questions across 4 chatbot platforms. Second, assessors evaluated the chatbot outputs for consistency by identifying similarities and differences between users and across chatbots. With 3 assessors and 10 learning objectives, the maximum possible score for any individual chatbot was 30. Third, 7 assessors internally moderated the questions using a rating scale developed by the research team to evaluate scientific accuracy and educational quality.

RESULTS: In response to the prompts, all chatbots generated 10 questions each, except Bing, which failed to respond to 1 prompt. ChatGPT-4 exhibited the highest variation in question generation but did not fully satisfy the “cover test.” Gemini performed well across most evaluation criteria, except for item balance, and relied heavily on the vignette for answers but showed a preference for one answer option. Bing scored low in most evaluation areas but generated appropriately structured lead-in questions. SBA questions from GPT-3.5, Gemini, and ChatGPT-4 had similar Item Content Validity Index and Scale Level Content Validity Index values, while the Krippendorff alpha coefficient was low (0.016). Bing performed poorly in content clarity, overall validity, and item construction accuracy. A 2-way ANOVA without replication revealed statistically significant differences among chatbots and domains (P<.05). However, the Tukey-Kramer HSD (honestly significant difference) post hoc test showed no significant pairwise differences between individual chatbots, as all comparisons had P values >.05 and overlapping CIs.

CONCLUSIONS: AI chatbots can aid the production of questions aligned with learning objectives, and individual chatbots have their own strengths and weaknesses. Nevertheless, all require expert evaluation to ensure their suitability for use. Using AI to generate SBA prompts us to reconsider Bloom’s taxonomy of the cognitive domain, which traditionally positions creation as the highest level of cognition.

PMID:40446330 | DOI:10.2196/69521