Tag: statistics

Oman Med J. 2024 Sep 30;39(5):e670. doi: 10.5001/omj.2024.100. eCollection 2024 Sep.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: We sought to estimate the impact of central precocious puberty (CPP) on psychosocial aspects in the cohort of children and to assess whether these aspects changed after treatment with gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) analogues.

METHODS: A case-control study enrolled 30 CPP children and 30 normal controls. The CPP group was assessed with emphasis on anthropometric measurements (Tanner staging for pubertal changes). The hormonal profile included gonadotropins, estradiol or testosterone, and GnRH stimulation test. The instruments used for neuropsychological assessment included the Arabic version of the pediatric quality of life inventory TM 4.0, the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), and IQ testing.

RESULTS: The mean study group age was 5.1 ± 2.3 years compared to 5.2 ± 2.2 years in the control group; 29 patients and 29 controls (96.7%) were females. CPP children had significantly lower scores than controls in health-related quality of life (QoL) domains except school functioning without significant changes in CBCL scores and cognitive function. There was a statistically significant improvement in these scores after they were treated with GnRH analogues for a year.

CONCLUSIONS: There are significant aberrations in CPP children’s QoL with no effect on behavior or cognition. After treatment with GnRH analogues for a year, QoL and CBCL T-scores showed a significant improvement.

PMID:40196800 | PMC:PMC11973446 | DOI:10.5001/omj.2024.100

Heliyon. 2024 Aug 30;11(3):e37166. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e37166. eCollection 2025 Feb 15.

ABSTRACT

Phraseological units in academic English texts have been a central focus in recent corpus linguistic research. This paper describes a special category of clause-level phraseological units, namely, Characteristic Sentence Stems (CSSs), with a view to describing their identifying criteria and their extraction method. CSSs are contiguous lexico-grammatical sequences which contain a subject-predicate structure and which are frame expressions characteristic of academic writing. The extraction method of a CSS consists of six steps: POS tagging, n-gram segmentation, structure identification, significance of occurrence calculation, text range calculation, and overlapping sequence reduction. The significance of occurrence calculation is the crux of this method. It includes the computing of both the internal association and the boundary independence of a CSS, and it tests the occurring significance of the CSS from both the inside and the outside perspectives. Our methods and results suggest that CSSs can be statistically defined and extracted from corpora and can employed in large-scale studies to more fully account for the phraseological features of non-native English academic writing.

PMID:40196792 | PMC:PMC11947701 | DOI:10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e37166

Cureus. 2025 Apr 7;17(4):e81823. doi: 10.7759/cureus.81823. eCollection 2025 Apr.

ABSTRACT

Objective The aim of this study is to examine whether the length of the proximal diaphyseal screws of volar locking plates used in distal radius fractures affects the clinical outcomes. Material and methods The study included patients who were over 18 years of age and underwent volar locking plate application due to distal radius fracture with a minimum follow-up period of 12 months. Demographic data, Quick Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (QDASH), grip strength, range of motion, and extensor tendon irritations were evaluated in patients. The prominence of the proximal cortical screws of the plates from the dorsal cortex was measured (in mm) on the lateral radiographs of the patients. Results The median follow-up time of the 73 patients in our study was 17 (14-26) months. The median age of the patients was 51 (44-58) years. Extensor tenosynovitis was detected in 22 patients due to proximal screw length. Proximal screw prominence over 1.2 mm was found to be statistically significant for extensor synovitis (p<0.05). Range of motion, radiological measurements, grip strength, QDASH, and other demographic data had no association with extensor tenosynovitis. Conclusion In the surgical treatment of distal radius fractures, dorsal cortex protrusion of proximal cortical screws of volar locking plates more than 1.2 mm plays a role in postoperative patient dissatisfaction.

PMID:40196763 | PMC:PMC11974232 | DOI:10.7759/cureus.81823

Front Reprod Health. 2025 Mar 24;7:1488707. doi: 10.3389/frph.2025.1488707. eCollection 2025.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Lack of access to effective contraception methods can lead to an increased prevalence of unintended pregnancies, as well as possible deleterious health consequences. Community pharmacies represent the most accessible gateway for population medicines’ and healthcare needs. Regarding contraceptives, they have also been identified as a platform for the provision of additional services, such as complementary counselling. This study aimed at assessing the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of community pharmacy staff towards contraception.

METHODS: A cross-sectional study was undertaken in the Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria. Data were collected from 315 community pharmacy staff using self-administered questionnaires. The participants’ knowledge and attitude scores were categorised using Bloom’s cut-off point. Analyses were undertaken using Statistical Package for Social Sciences. The data were analysed using frequency distribution, chi-square, and linear regression at a 5% level of significance.

RESULTS: Male participants in the study (165/315, 52.4%) were slightly higher than the female respondents (150/315, 47.6%), and about two-thirds of the study cohort were pharmacists (200/315, 63.5%). The majority of the participants (183/315, 58.1%) had poor knowledge of contraceptive use. A quarter of them (81/315, 25.7%) reported moderate attitudes. Almost all the participants (279/298, 93.6%) indicated recommending contraceptives for married adults, and a significant proportion of them (136/292, 45.5%) were opposed to recommending contraceptives for unmarried adolescents. Study respondents’ professional role was also identified as a significant influence on their knowledge of contraceptives and contraception (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION: Findings from this study revealed poor knowledge and negative attitudes of community pharmacy staff towards contraception. Government and relevant stakeholders can build on these novel findings to reform pertinent contextual policies and practices. This can significantly improve access to contraceptives amongst the populace, and consequently reduce unintended pregnancies alongside possible health and societal implications.

PMID:40196741 | PMC:PMC11973348 | DOI:10.3389/frph.2025.1488707

Can J Urol. 2025 Mar 18;32(1):63-70. doi: 10.32604/cju.2025.064711.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: With the aging population, more females will suffer from pelvic organ prolapse. Both urologists and gynecologists perform sacrocolpopexy, but there is no comparative study analyzing differences in provision of care, outcomes, or patient population. We aimed to elucidate potential differences in demographics, outcomes, and minimally invasive surgery utilization for SCP performed by urology and gynecology.

METHODS: In our retrospective analysis, sacrocolpopexies were identified using the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Project database from 2006-2020. Pearson’s chi-square test was performed to test trends in the utilization of MIS in five-year blocks. Frailty was calculated using the NSQIP modified frailty index and the revised surgical Risk Analysis Index. Univariate analysis was performed using Student’s t-test and Pearson’s chi-square to compare operative parameters, frailty, demographics, and outcomes.

RESULTS: We identified 8944 sacrocolpopexies. Gynecology performed 81% of cases while urology performed the remaining 19% (p < 0.001). Between the specialties, there were no significant differences in outcomes, minor or major complications, or 30-day reoperations/hospital readmissions/mortality. However, urologists tended to care for patients who were older (65 vs. 61 years, p < 0.001) and frailer by both frailty indices (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION: Case distributions have remained stable, with gynecologists four-fold more sacrocolpopexies, in keeping with the larger number of practicing gynecologists vs. urologists. There was no difference in 30-day outcomes between both specialties. However, urologists operated on older, more frail patients.

PMID:40194938 | DOI:10.32604/cju.2025.064711

Can J Urol. 2025 Mar 18;32(1):29-36. doi: 10.32604/cju.2025.064710.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) is a common malignancy worldwide. While Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) is standard of care for treatment for most patients with high-risk NMIBC, many will either not respond to BCG initially or will eventually develop BCG-unresponsive disease. A treatment option in BCG-unresponsive disease is nadofaragene firadenovec-vncg (Adstiladrin), a nonreplicating adenoviral vector-based gene therapy approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of adults with high-risk BCG-unresponsive NMIBC with carcinoma in situ with or without papillary tumors.

OBJECTIVE: To review safety outcomes of participants who received the FDA-approved dose of nadofaragene firadenovec (3 × 10¹¹ vp/mL) across phase 2 (NCT01687244) and phase 3 (NCT02773849) studies.

METHODS: Data from the phase 2 and phase 3 studies were collected and analyzed. The findings were reported using descriptive statistics to summarize the key outcomes observed across studies.

RESULTS: Common adverse events (AEs) among nadofaragene firadenovec recipients were leakage of fluid around the urinary catheter, fatigue, bladder spasm, chills, dysuria, and micturition urgency. Most study drug-related AEs were mild and localized, with no grade 4 or 5 study drug-related AEs observed in either study. Study drug-related AEs were generally transient, with most study drug-related AEs having a median duration of ≤2.0 days in the phase 3 study. Discontinuation rates due to study drug-related AEs were low, with none (0%) in the phase 2 study and three (1.9%) in the phase 3 study. No specific postmarketing surveillance was required by the FDA besides routine pharmacovigilance monitoring; no new real-world safety signals have been observed.

CONCLUSION: Nadofaragene firadenovec demonstrated a favorable and tolerable safety profile across its clinical study program, allowing for broad patient selection among those with high-risk BCG-unresponsive NMIBC.

PMID:40194933 | DOI:10.32604/cju.2025.064710

Can J Urol. 2025 Mar 18;32(1):21-27. doi: 10.32604/cju.2025.064705.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: While the mental health impact of a prostate cancer diagnosis, including low-risk prostate cancer, is well-documented, the effect of pre-existing anxiety and/or depression on adherence to active surveillance protocols in low-risk prostate cancer patients remains unclear. This study assessed the association between prior anxiety and/or depression and active surveillance adherence in men with low-risk prostate cancer.

METHODS: We conducted a retrospective, multicenter study involving 426 men diagnosed with low-risk prostate cancer who were recommended active surveillance as the primary management strategy. Active surveillance adherence was defined by completion of both a prostate-specific antigen test and a prostate biopsy within 18 months of diagnosis. Premature treatment was identified as definitive treatment, either through radiation therapy or radical prostatectomy.

RESULTS: Men with a prior mental health diagnosis were significantly less likely to adhere to active surveillance than those without such a diagnosis (27.6% vs. 49.5%, p = 0.006). These individuals had lower adherence rates for prostate-specific testing (58.6% vs. 73.4%) and biopsy (27.6% vs. 50.0%) and were more likely to abandon active surveillance in favor of immediate treatment (39.7% vs. 25.0%, p = 0.005). No significant differences were observed between patients with both anxiety and depression versus those with a single diagnosis.

CONCLUSIONS: Pre-existing anxiety and/or depression is associated with reduced active surveillance adherence and a greater likelihood of premature treatment in men with low-risk prostate cancer. These findings highlight the importance of addressing psychiatric factors in low-risk prostate cancer management and suggest avenues for future research.

PMID:40194932 | DOI:10.32604/cju.2025.064705

Can J Urol. 2025 Mar 18;32(1):15-19. doi: 10.32604/cju.2025.064708.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Holmium Laser Enucleation of the Prostate (HoLEP) is a size-independent, endoscopic management option for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). HoLEP offers a distinct advantage for patients who are at high-risk for bleeding whilst preserving prostatic tissue for pathology analysis, unlike photoselective vaporization. Further, HoLEP avoids the need for cystotomy, unlike simple open and robotic prostatectomy, by using intravesical morcellation. We report our experience with the first 1000 HoLEP procedures at our institution.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: We performed a retrospective review of all HoLEP procedures performed at our institution from 2013-2021 to capture patient demographics, procedure details, and outcomes. Unpaired two sample t-tests were used to compare outcomes, p < 0.05 considered statistically significant.

RESULTS: The average patient age and BMI were 71.1 y (±8.1 y) and 27.9 kg/m² (±4.9 kg/m²), respectively. 69.4% of patients were on an alpha blocker and 33.3% of patients were on a 5-alpha reductase inhibitor preoperatively. 11.2% of cases were redo outlet procedures including after prior Urolift®. Average prostate volume was 108.0 mL (±66.5 mL) and average enucleation time was 119.7 min (±56 min). On average, 65 g (±53.2 g) prostate tissue was resected. Pre-operative and post-operative flow, post-void residual (PVR), AUA symptom score (AUA-SS), and quality of life (QoL) score showed notable improvement. Complication rates remained low, with the most common including blood transfusion (2.8%), urethral stricture (1.9%), and persistent stress urinary incontinence (1.3%).

CONCLUSIONS: HoLEP is emerging as the new surgical gold standard for BPH. A steep learning curve remains for urologists. Nonetheless, this procedure holds great promise in improving patient experiences with BPH.

PMID:40194931 | DOI:10.32604/cju.2025.064708

Int J Psychol. 2025 Jun;60(3):e70045. doi: 10.1002/ijop.70045.

ABSTRACT

The aim of this meta-analysis was to assess the effectiveness of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) in reducing negative symptoms in patients with schizophrenia. The search period was from the beginning of the database creation to 30 September 2022. An initial search of 169 articles was conducted through database searches and other means. After applying inclusion and exclusion criteria, seven randomised controlled studies were included in the final analysis. The intervention group included a total of 293 patients with schizophrenia, and the control group included 291 patients with schizophrenia. Meta-analysis showed that there was a statistically significant difference in negative symptom reduction between the CBT intervention group [SMD = -0.26,95% CI (-0.45, -0.07), p = 0.006] and the control group. We analysed the effectiveness of CBT based on previous studies and found that CBT was effective in improving negative symptoms in patients with schizophrenia.

PMID:40194927 | DOI:10.1002/ijop.70045

BMJ Paediatr Open. 2025 Apr 7;9(1):e003143. doi: 10.1136/bmjpo-2024-003143.

ABSTRACT

Ease of access to primary care may be inversely related to non-emergency access to emergency room services (ERS). We assessed whether patients of general paediatricians working in networks have reduced the use of ERS in an Italian province. In 9 months, overall rates of visits and repeated ER visits were numerically higher for patients of solo paediatricians than for those of paediatricians working in networks. However, in our sample, the reduction of the corresponding adjusted risks was not statistically significant most of the time. Further research should assess whether organisational factors are associated with the risk of using ERS inappropriately.

PMID:40194920 | DOI:10.1136/bmjpo-2024-003143