Tag: statistics

Eur J Med Res. 2025 May 19;30(1):397. doi: 10.1186/s40001-025-02653-w.

ABSTRACT

In this retrospective study, we investigated the changes in choroidal thickness (CT) using enhanced depth imaging spectral domain-optical coherence tomography (EDI-OCT) and intraocular pressure (IOP) following phacoemulsification. Twenty eyes of 18 patients who underwent phacoemulsification and intraocular lens implantation were included in this study. All patients underwent a detailed ophthalmologic examination. EDI-OCT was used to measure CT preoperatively, and postoperatively at days 3 and 10, and months 1, 3, and 6. CT was measured at the fovea and at points 1.5 mm and 3.0 mm nasal and temporal to the fovea. The data were compared using one-way analysis of variance. The correlation between the changes in the CT and IOP in all sectors was analyzed. There was statistically significant change in IOP after cataract surgery (P = 0.000). The IOP reached a minimum (10.43 ± 1.64 mmHg) at 6 months postoperatively. Postoperatively CT increased significantly at three sectors: the subfovea (P = 0.019), 1.5 mm nasal to the fovea (P = 0.003), and 3 mm nasal to the fovea (P = 0.000), and gradually thickened over time, reaching a peak (288.87 ± 67.70 µm) at 6 months postoperatively. The CT increase was negatively correlated with the decrease in IOP within 6 months after surgery (P < 0.05). This study demonstrated that after cataract surgery, the IOP decreased and the choroid thickened, lasting up to 6 months. Studying the changes in CT and IOP after cataract surgery will help deepen the understanding of fundus diseases associated with cataract surgery and will also play a guiding role in solving clinical complications.

PMID:40390014 | DOI:10.1186/s40001-025-02653-w

BMC Womens Health. 2025 May 19;25(1):235. doi: 10.1186/s12905-025-03760-w.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Intimate partner violence (IPV) remains a pervasive issue in Tanzania, impacting the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of women across the country. Despite the existence of legal frameworks aimed at protecting women’s rights, IPV persists in Tanzania. Understanding the magnitude and factors associated with IPV among women provides valuable insights that can be used to shape policies and interventions targeted at preventing and addressing IPV in the country. However, there is a paucity of evidence on the prevalence and factors associated with IPV nationwide. Therefore, this study is timely for addressing this gap in Tanzania.

METHODS: The study used a nationally representative secondary data that employed a cross-sectional design. Data for the current study were extracted from the 2022 Tanzania Demographic and Health Survey for women aged 15-49 years. A weighted sample of 4503 ever married or ever partnered women aged 15-49 years was used. The outcome variable was IPV status categorized into binary responses yes/no, while independent variables were socio-demographic and health related characteristics. Data were analysed using descriptive analysis, bivariable and multivariable logistic regression models. A threshold of p-value < 0.05 was used to determine statistically significant factor. The strength of the association was assessed using the adjusted odds ratio (aOR) along with its corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI).

RESULTS: The overall prevalence of IPV among women of reproductive age 15-49 years in Tanzania was 38.9%. The multivariable logistic regression results revealed that women who are working (aOR = 1.4,95%CI:1.2,1.7) and those whose husband/partner drinks alcohol (aOR = 2.9,95%CI: 2.4, 3.5) had higher odds of experiencing IPV compared to their counterparts. Conversely, protective factors include women’s secondary and higher education level (aOR = 0.7,95%CI:0.5,0.9) and residing in the Southern zones (aOR = 0.4,95%CI:1.5,3.9).

CONCLUSION: The prevalence of IPV among women in Tanzania remains high compared to the global average of 30%. This was mostly associated with women’s employment status, and women married/cohabiting with alcohol consumers. The government should implement community-based educational programs to raise awareness about IPV and dedicate more efforts like raising the tax on all alcoholic beverages to controlling alcohol consumption among men as a strategy to combat IPV in society.

PMID:40390013 | DOI:10.1186/s12905-025-03760-w

BMC Health Serv Res. 2025 May 19;25(1):718. doi: 10.1186/s12913-025-12903-6.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Sleep quality is a crucial aspect that can affect the health, job performance, and safety outcomes of operating room employees. However, the social and work-environmental factors that predict sleep quality remain unclear. This study aimed to determine the role of social relational quality and ethical climate as the predictors of sleep quality in employees of the operating room using hierarchical linear regression analysis.

METHODS: This cross-sectional and multi-center study was conducted on 232 operating room employees. Data were collected using the social relational quality scale, Hospital Ethical Climate Survey, and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Pearson’s correlation coefficient, ANOVA, t-test, and hierarchical multiple linear regression were used to analyze the data.

RESULTS: The mean scores of social relational quality and standardized ethical climate were 54.80(SD = 6.35) and 3.40(SD = 0.68) in the operating room employees. The mean score of sleep quality was 6.70(SD = 3.66) which was in the poor range. The last step of regression analysis showed that profession (β=-0.22, p = .02) and social relational quality (β=-0.20, p = .03) had a significant proportion of the variance of sleep quality. Based on the model, work experience, profession, social relational quality, and ethical climate accounted for 15% of the changes in sleep quality in the operating room employees.

DISCUSSION: This study indicated that more than half of the operating room employees reported poor sleep quality. Moreover, profession and social relational quality were the predictors of sleep quality. Conducting interventions to improve social relational quality might enhance the sleep quality of operating room employees.

PMID:40390009 | DOI:10.1186/s12913-025-12903-6

BMC Public Health. 2025 May 19;25(1):1850. doi: 10.1186/s12889-025-23064-w.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: School bullying is a widespread phenomenon affecting a considerable proportion of adolescents worldwide, yet the relationship between school bullying and loneliness has received little attention. The aim of the present study was to understand the relationship between experiencing school bullying and loneliness among adolescents and to explore the role of social connectedness and parental support in this dynamic.

METHODS: We used cluster sampling to select 1277 students between grades 7 and 12 in four middle schools across two cities in Sichuan Province, China. Data were collected via questionnaires and analysis was conducted using descriptive statistics, chain mediation model tests, and moderation model tests.

RESULTS: We found that bullying was significantly positively correlated with adolescent loneliness (r = 0.55, P < 0.001). Additionally, social connectedness played a mediating role between bullying and adolescent loneliness (effect size 51.57%). After controlling for gender, age, and household registration type, parental support moderated the relationship between bullying and loneliness among adolescents (β=-0.05, P < 0.01). As the level of parental support increased, the positive predictive effect of bullying on loneliness weakened significantly, although this moderating effect was not significant among participants who were not “left-behind” children.

CONCLUSION: The study findings confirmed the relationship between school bullying and loneliness and revealed the internal logical relationship among social connectedness, parental support, loneliness, and school bullying. Our findings are valuable in preventing the negative effects of school bullying on left-behind children.

PMID:40389998 | DOI:10.1186/s12889-025-23064-w

BMC Nurs. 2025 May 19;24(1):561. doi: 10.1186/s12912-025-03209-3.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Organizational citizenship behavior and quality of work life of nurses are influential factors in improving health care services provided by nurses. The leadership style of head nurses is a key factor in enhancing nurses’ performance. This study aimed to explore the relationship between head nurses’ servant leadership style and both the quality of work-life and organizational citizenship behaviors among nursing staff.

METHODS: This cross-sectional and correlational study encompassed 344 nurses from five hospitals affiliated with Hamadan University of Medical Sciences in Iran. These nurses were chosen through stratified proportional random sampling between December 2021 and April 2022. Data were collected using questionnaires assessing demographics, servant leadership, quality of work-life, and organizational citizenship behaviors. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS v.20, employing descriptive statistics and inferential methods, specifically independent sample t-test, Pearson correlation coefficient and multiple regression analysis.

RESULTS: The majority of nurses indicated a moderate level of quality of work life (64.5%) as well as organizational citizenship behavior (65.4%). The findings demonstrated a strong and statistically significant correlation between servant leadership style and both quality of work-life (r = 0.680, p = 0.001) and organizational citizenship behavior (r = 0.727, p = 0.001). Furthermore, a positive and moderate to strong correlation was found between organizational citizenship behavior and quality of work-life (r = 0.583, p = 0.001). Servant leadership style (β = 0.663, P < 0.001), quality of working life (β = 0.160, P = 0.001), gender (β = 0.126, P = 0.011), and work shift (β = 0.112, P = 0.041) all positively and significantly influenced nurses’ organizational citizenship behavior, accounting for approximately 55% of its variability.

CONCLUSIONS: This study confirmed the relationship between head nurses’ servant leadership style and both quality of nurses’ work-life and the organizational citizenship behavior. It is recommended that healthcare system managers prioritize training head nurses in the servant leadership style and encourage them to use this leadership style to enhance the quality of work life and organizational citizenship behavior of nurses.

PMID:40389996 | DOI:10.1186/s12912-025-03209-3

BMC Womens Health. 2025 May 19;25(1):234. doi: 10.1186/s12905-025-03777-1.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Dysmenorrhea is a common gynecological complaint, affecting a significant percentage of menstruating women. The mainstay for the treatment of dysmenorrhea is NSAIDs and hormonal contraceptives while complementary and alternative therapies (CATs) are adjunct to it. This study investigates the perception of female medical students with dysmenorrhea towards the use of painkillers and CATs.

METHODS: We conducted this cross-sectional study among female medical students of Lahore by circulating the Google Forms-based questionnaire. Correlation analysis and logistic regression were applied using SPSS and descriptive statistics were given in frequencies and percentages.

RESULTS: Out of 202 participants, 76.7%(n = 155) experienced dysmenorrhea. 46%(n = 93) of the respondents reported using painkillers; paracetamol being the most common. 68.8% (n = 139) used CATs; bed rest and hot compresses were most used. The most common reason for using painkillers was their effectiveness (61.6%), followed by availability (42.5%). For CATs, the reason of choice included to reduce the need for analgesic (58%) and safety (38.3%). About 40.1% of respondents believed CATs were less effective than painkillers. 84.1% agreed that long-term consumption of painkillers causes stomach ulcers or kidney damage. The factors that led to CATs not being preferred over painkillers included less information about them (33.7%), time-consuming (25.7%), and the concept of non-effectiveness (20.3%). Uni-variate logistic regression analysis showed that students with severe dysmenorrhea had higher odds of using painkillers as compared to the students who had mild dysmenorrhea. (OR: 6.319, 95% CI: 3.244-12.309, P = 0.000).

CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of the use of CATs is high among female students as compared to painkillers and hormonal contraceptives (first-line). The reason for choosing CATs included reducing the need for analgesics, safety, and availability. Females should be encouraged to use the first-line therapies after consultation with doctors; for the effective management of dysmenorrhea and improvement of their quality of life.

PMID:40389991 | DOI:10.1186/s12905-025-03777-1

BMC Med Inform Decis Mak. 2025 May 19;25(1):194. doi: 10.1186/s12911-025-03023-6.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Worldwide, involving patients in healthcare has become a focus point. Shared decision-making (SDM) is one element of patient involvement and, in many countries, including Denmark, requires culturally adapted and validated questionnaires to measure diverse patient populations’ perceptions of this concept. SDM-Q-9, a widely used nine-item generic questionnaire, assesses patients’ perception of nine elements during decision-making in consultations. The primary aim of this study is to assess the psychometric performance of the Danish version of the SDM-Q-9 through item response theory (IRT). Additionally, to assess the questionnaire’s generic applicability among patients with pelvic floor disorders or low back pain.

METHODS: After treatment decisions, Danish patients with pelvic floor disorders or low back pain rated the level of SDM by completing the SDM-Q-9 questionnaire. Iitem response theory (the Graded Response Model by Samejima) was applied to assess each item’s psychometric performance and the questionnaire’s generic applicability (among others discriminative ability, precision and item differential functioning).

RESULTS: The study invited 825 patients for participation and comprised 758 patients for analysis;73% were women, with a mean age of 52 years and a mean SDM score of 3.87. Discrimination parameters (a-scores) for the model ranged from 2.39 (item 1) to 4.48 (item 8). Analysis of the item-information function curves reflected that item 8 demonstrated the highest maximum, indicating higher precision, while items 1, 2 and 9 showed the lowest maxima. Chi²-test statistics showed no significant differential item functioning at the 0.01-significance level for any item between the two patient groups. A ceiling effect was observed as most patients selected the highest score, while a low information load was identified in the SDM’s upper load for each item and the overall instrument.

CONCLUSIONS: The Danish SDM-Q-9 demonstrates strong overall performance, with the ability to differentiate between the distinct levels of the underlying construct of SDM. However, the high ceiling effect is a critical limitation. While the SDM-Q-9 could serve as a generic questionnaire across samples with varying demographic composition, further exploration of these findings is warranted, particularly across patient samples encompassing more diverse decisions, e.g. patients with life-threatening diseases.

PMID:40389982 | DOI:10.1186/s12911-025-03023-6

Clin Imaging. 2025 May 11;123:110495. doi: 10.1016/j.clinimag.2025.110495. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Vestibular schwannomas (VS) are benign tumors that can lead to hearing loss, balance issues, and tinnitus. Gamma Knife Radiosurgery (GKS) is a common treatment for VS, aimed at halting tumor growth and preserving neurological function. Accurate monitoring of VS volume before and after GKS is essential for assessing treatment efficacy.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the accuracy of an artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm, originally developed to identify NF2-SWN-related VS, in segmenting non-NF2-SWN-related VS and detecting volume changes pre- and post-GKS. We hypothesize this AI algorithm, trained on NF2-SWN-related VS data, will accurately apply to non-NF2-SWN VS and VS treated with GKS.

METHODS: In this retrospective cohort study, we reviewed data from an established Gamma Knife database, identifying 16 patients who underwent GKS for VS and had pre- and post-GKS scans. Contrast-enhanced T1-weighted MRI scans were analyzed with both manual segmentation and the AI algorithm. DICE similarity coefficients were computed to compare AI and manual segmentations, and a paired t-test was used to assess statistical significance. Volume changes for pre- and post-GKS scans were calculated for both segmentation methods.

RESULTS: The mean DICE score between AI and manual segmentations was 0.91 (range 0.79-0.97). Pre- and post-GKS DICE scores were 0.91 (range 0.79-0.97) and 0.92 (range 0.81-0.97), indicating high spatial overlap.

CONCLUSION: AI-segmented VS volumes pre- and post-GKS were consistent with manual measurements, with high DICE scores indicating strong spatial overlap. The AI algorithm processed scans within 5 min, suggesting it offers a reliable, efficient alternative for clinical monitoring.

CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: DICE scores showed high similarity between manual and AI segmentations. The pre- and post-GKS VS volume percentage changes were also similar between manual and AI-segmented VS volumes, indicating that our AI algorithm can accurately detect changes in tumor growth.

PMID:40388858 | DOI:10.1016/j.clinimag.2025.110495

Eur J Surg Oncol. 2025 May 13;51(9):110109. doi: 10.1016/j.ejso.2025.110109. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Therapeutic mammoplasty (TM) is a Level 2 oncoplastic procedure that improves cosmetic outcome in patients undergoing breast conserving surgery (BCS) for breast cancer. The contralateral reduction may be performed at the same time as the index procedure (synchronous) or later (metachronous); commonly cited reasons for the latter include fewer complications, reduced need for revisional surgery and less delay to adjuvant therapies. This study aims to compare synchronous and metachronous approaches to therapeutic mammoplasty.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: A database between 2010 and 2019 was hand searched. The primary outcome measure was the trend of synchronous vs unilateral operating by year. Secondary outcome measures included demographic variables, type of mammoplasty, tumour biology, revisional surgery rate, type and timing of planned revisional surgery, complications, type and time to adjuvant therapy, type of axillary surgery, and tumour trends by year.

RESULTS: 155 patients had synchronous mammoplasties and 107 patients had unilateral procedures, of which 26 had delayed contralateral symmetrising surgery. There was a significant increase in the total number of TMs (p < 0.03) and synchronous TMs (p < 0.02) over time. There were no differences in time to chemotherapy (p > 0.05), time to radiotherapy (p > 0.05) or time till re-excision of margins/revision mastectomies (p > 0.05). In the unilateral group, mean time to contralateral symmetrising surgery was 14 months.

CONCLUSIONS: Synchronous TMs are increasingly popular and appear safe for patients undergoing BCS for breast cancer. Further work is necessary to establish patient preferences between the two groups.

PMID:40388851 | DOI:10.1016/j.ejso.2025.110109

Ann Plast Surg. 2025 Apr 28. doi: 10.1097/SAP.0000000000004361. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: The use of a concomitant panniculectomy (PAN) during a ventral hernia repair (VHR) has been debated because of concerns of higher wound complications and longer operative times. However, PAN offers significant advantages including increased intraoperative exposure, improved patient quality of life, and offering an aesthetic benefit. In the treatment of large hernia defects the senior author utilizes the component separation technique with onlay placement of acellular dermal matrix (ADM). Additionally, the ADM is secured using progressive quilting suturing. This study aimed to evaluate the outcomes of patients who underwent VHR + PAN utilizing the component separation technique alongside onlay placement of ADM.

METHODS: A single-center retrospective analysis was conducted on the senior author’s technique in treating VHR + PAN over 10 years. The patients were identified utilizing Current Procedural Codes for ventral hernia repairs and myofascial muscle flaps. Following identification of patients, they were further stratified for undergoing a panniculectomy. Patients treated without the use of onlay acellular dermal matrix placement or with fewer than 6 months of follow-up time were excluded from the study. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the findings.

RESULTS: A total of 29 patients met the inclusion criteria, with the majority being obese (79.3%) and female (93.1%). Most patients (82.8%) had a history of previous hernia repair, with majority undergoing previous mesh placement. No hernia recurrences were observed during an average follow-up period of 21.3 months. Seromas were the most common postoperative complication (34.4%, all managed in clinic), followed by wound necrosis (20.7%) and infection (6.9%).

CONCLUSIONS: Combining VHR with panniculectomy offers potential functional, aesthetic, and quality-of-life benefits while reducing the need for multiple surgeries, particularly in patient populations with large hernia defects and prior hernia repairs. The absence of recurrences and acceptable complication rates in this study highlights the safety and efficacy of utilizing the component separation technique with onlay placement of ADM secured by progressive quilting sutures. Further research with larger, multicenter cohorts is warranted to validate these outcomes and explore strategies for optimizing complication management.

PMID:40388842 | DOI:10.1097/SAP.0000000000004361