Tag: statistics

Jpn J Ophthalmol. 2025 May 16. doi: 10.1007/s10384-025-01210-6. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: To investigate the usage status and evaluate the efficacy of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) for the acute treatment of optic neuritis (ON) in Japan.

STUDY DESIGN: Multicenter retrospective case series.

METHODS: The study subjects were patients with steroid-resistant acute ON in whom IVIG had been initiated between January 2020 and August 2022 at 30 facilities in Japan. The clinical characteristics, visual acuity, and adverse events following IVIG were compared among anti-aquaporin 4 antibody positive ON (AQP4-ON), anti-myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody positive ON (MOG-ON), and idiopathic ON (ION).

RESULTS: The study included sixty-five patients (76 eyes); the main clinical department administering IVIG was ophthalmology (50 cases, 77.0 %). 43 cases had their first ON attack and 22 cases had recurrent ON. Plasmapheresis (PP) was combined in 21 cases. The efficacy endpoint, changes in logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (logMAR) after IVIG compared with preIVIG, showed statistically significant improvement in the AQP4-ON group at one week, 4 weeks, and 12 weeks after IVIG (p=0.015, p<0.001, p<0.001, respectively). In the MOG-ON group, excluding cases with combined PP, logMAR post IVIG did not improve significantly compared with preIVIG. Among the ION group, compared with preIVIG, logMAR at 4weeks and 12 weeks post IVIG were statistically significant improved (p=0.019, p=0.023, respectively). Adverse events occurred in 7 patients with IVIG. 4 of the 7 patients continued the IVIG treatment, and 3 patients discontinued it within 5 days.

CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that IVIG may be an effective new option for acute treatment of steroid-resistant ON as an add-on to conventional therapy.

PMID:40377800 | DOI:10.1007/s10384-025-01210-6

Aging Clin Exp Res. 2025 May 16;37(1):152. doi: 10.1007/s40520-025-03054-z.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Atomic bomb survivors (ABSs) in Hiroshima are facing climate change-related natural disasters and emerging infectious diseases. The cognitive function of aging ABSs is vulnerable to the inevitable environmental changes caused by the 2018 Japan floods and COVID-19 pandemic.

AIMS: This study examined the effects of these two disastrous events on cognitive function.

METHODS: This retrospective cohort study included all verified individuals utilizing Long-Term Care Insurance services in Hiroshima Prefecture. The observation period was from January 2018 to December 2022. The participants were divided into three groups: ABSs, welfare recipients (WRs), and others. The objective variable was moderate or severe cognitive deterioration. We performed a difference-in-differences analysis using logistic regression models to investigate the effect of the two disastrous events on cognitive function compared with the effect of the other groups.

RESULTS: There were 184,252 participants, including 16,306 ABSs (8.8%) and 8,509 WRs (4.6%). The difference-in-differences analysis showed no statistically significant effect of the 2018 Japan floods. The analysis also revealed that moderate cognitive decline among ABSs and WRs decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020, 2021, and 2022). Moreover, severe cognitive decline among ABSs decreased after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic (2020 and 2021).

DISCUSSION: Although many older adults experienced cognitive exacerbations during the COVID-19 pandemic, ABSs had a lower risk of cognitive decline than those of non-WRs. However, no significant changes were observed during the 2018 Japan floods.

CONCLUSIONS: ABSs had a reduced risk of cognitive decline during the pandemic compared with that of the other groups.

PMID:40377779 | DOI:10.1007/s40520-025-03054-z

Environ Monit Assess. 2025 May 16;197(6):657. doi: 10.1007/s10661-025-14066-7.

ABSTRACT

Remote sensing (RS) data is extensively used in the observation and management of surface water and the detection of water bodies for studying ecological and hydrological processes. Small waterbodies are often neglected because of their tiny presence in the image, but being very large in numbers, they significantly impact the ecosystem. However, the detection of small waterbodies in satellite images is challenging because of their varying sizes and tones. In this work, a geospatial artificial intelligence (GeoAI) approach is proposed to detect small water bodies in RS images and generate a spatial map of it along with area statistics. The proposed approach aims to detect waterbodies of different shapes and sizes including those with vegetation cover. For this purpose, a deep neural network (DNN) is trained using the Indian Space Research Organization’s (ISRO) Cartosat-3 multispectral satellite images, which effectively extracts the boundaries of small water bodies with a mean precision of 0.92 and overall accuracy over 96%. A comparative analysis with other popular existing methods using the same data demonstrates the superior performance of the proposed method. The proposed GeoAI approach efficiently generates a map of small water bodies automatically from the input satellite image which can be utilized for monitoring and management of these micro water resources.

PMID:40377752 | DOI:10.1007/s10661-025-14066-7

Mol Biol Rep. 2025 May 16;52(1):461. doi: 10.1007/s11033-025-10544-w.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) is one of the biggest health concerns of our time. T2D prevalence is expected to reach 1.9 million Jordanians by 2050. Owing to this sharp increase, Jordanians should understand genetic risk factors for this disease. One of the strongest reported single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with T2D is located in the transcription factor 7-like 2 (TCF7L2) gene, particularly rs12255372 and rs7903146. Despite this, contradictory results suggesting no association with T2D were found across ethnicities. Therefore, this study investigated the association of rs12255372 and rs7903146 with T2D in Jordanians.

METHODS AND RESULTS: For this case-control study, 301 non-diabetic healthy controls and 301 patients with T2D were genotyped for rs12255372 and rs7903146 using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). A significant development in T2D was demonstrated in rs12255372 and rs7903146. The risk allele for both single nucleotide polymorphisms is the T allele. The p-value ≤ 0.001 reflects a significant difference between the control group and the T2D group. Moreover, the combined effect of rs12255372 and rs7903146 showed statistical significance with a p-value ≤ 0.001.

CONCLUSION: Our study suggests that TCF7L2 gene polymorphisms (rs12255372 and rs7903146) are predisposing risk factors for T2D in the Jordanian population.

PMID:40377740 | DOI:10.1007/s11033-025-10544-w

World J Urol. 2025 May 16;43(1):307. doi: 10.1007/s00345-025-05599-0.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: Pembrolizumab has shown benefits as adjuvant therapy in the Keynote-564 trial, improving disease-free survival (DFS) across broad patient subgroups. However, it remains unclear if all patients, including those potentially cured by surgery alone, derive real benefits or are unnecessarily exposed to adverse effects and costs. This study aimed to evaluate DFS in Keynote-564-like patients who underwent nephrectomy without adjuvant pembrolizumab.

METHODS: We included nephrectomy patients meeting Keynote-564 criteria. Clinical and pathological features were analyzed, and Cox regression was used to identify predictors. DFS and overall survival (OS) were assessed.

RESULTS: Forty-three patients met Keynote-564 criteria (100% intermediate risk). Among them, 12 patients (28%) experienced recurrence. Significant differences between recurrent (Re+) and non-recurrent (Re-) patients were observed in ECOG ≥ 1 frequency (25% vs. 0%; p < 0.05), tumour size (9.4 vs. 6.9 cm; p = 0.02), and renal pelvis invasion (50% vs. 19%; p = 0.04). Cox regression identified ECOG ≥ 1 as a predictor of recurrence (HR = 17.97, 95% CI 1.76-187.16; p = 0.016). After a median follow-up of 59.5 months, 2-year DFS and OS were 86% and 93%, respectively. Treating only relapsed patients with pembrolizumab would have saved €1,254,167.

CONCLUSION: Our recurrence rate was lower than Keynote-564, whereby no strong predictors of recurrence were identified. Although ECOG ≥ 1 was statistically significant, its clinical utility remains limited. Further research is needed to determine if adjuvant pembrolizumab provides a true benefit in intermediate-risk patients.

PMID:40377723 | DOI:10.1007/s00345-025-05599-0

Arch Dermatol Res. 2025 May 16;317(1):761. doi: 10.1007/s00403-025-04259-y.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Congenital ichthyoses are a heterogeneous group of keratinization disorders. Though there are case reports describing skin cancer development in congenital ichthyosis patients, the risk of skin cancer in congenital ichthyosis patients compared to the general population is unknown.

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to evaluate the association of congenital ichthyosis with cutaneous malignancies using a large national database.

METHODS: A nested case-control study using the National Institutes of Health All of Us database was conducted analyzing participants ≥ 18 years with CI and controls matched 1:12 by age, sex, and race/ethnicity. Multivariate logistic regression assessed odds ratios for CI and skin cancer associations (P < 0.05).

KEY RESULTS: A total of 198 CI participants and 2,376 controls were included in the final analysis. Mean age of CI participants was 67.2 years, with 56.1% female and 67.7% white, similar to controls (P = 0.97, P = 1, P = 0.99, respectively). After controlling for smoking, alcohol, obesity, and mobility, congenital ichthyosis was associated with actinic keratosis (AK) (OR = 3.65; 95% CI 1.00-5.51; P < 0.001), melanoma (OR = 2.39; 95% CI 1.05-5.45; P = 0.04), and basal cell carcinoma (BCC) (OR = 1.90; 95% CI 1.03-3.39; P = 0.03), but not squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) (P = 0.50).

CONCLUSION: We found that CI was associated with cutaneous malignancies. Larger scale studies are needed to confirm these findings with narrower confidence intervals. We recommend routine skin cancer surveillance in CI patients pending additional studies clarifying risk of cutaneous malignancy.

PMID:40377722 | DOI:10.1007/s00403-025-04259-y

J Healthc Qual Res. 2025 May 14;40(5):101142. doi: 10.1016/j.jhqr.2025.101142. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: There are numerous studies examining the diagnostic accuracy of various supplementary tests; however, the literature focused on diagnostic accuracy derived from clinical reasoning and data is limited. Consequently, we conducted a study to assess the diagnostic accuracy of the professionals in the Internal Medicine Department at our hospital and to examine whether there are variations in accuracy related to specific pathologies and across different time periods, particularly before and after the emergence of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.

METHODS: This is a retrospective, longitudinal, and observational study conducted in the Internal Medicine Department of the Regional Hospital of Monforte de Lemos from 2016 to 2022, encompassing both pre- and post-SARS-CoV-2 pandemic periods. The initial diagnosis made upon patient admission was compared with the final diagnosis at discharge through an independent peer review process.

RESULTS: The diagnostic concordance at admission and discharge was 77.4%, with statistically significant differences observed between age groups (with higher concordance in patients under 55 years of age) and according to sex, with greater concordance in female patients. No differences were found regarding pathology type or temporal cohort.

CONCLUSIONS: The diagnostic accuracy of the healthcare professionals in the Internal Medicine Department at Monforte Public Hospital during the study periods was found to be high. Diagnostic concordance was greater in female patients and those under 55 years of age, with no significant differences observed across the most prevalent pathological conditions. Furthermore, the restrictive measures implemented during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic do not appear to have negative affected diagnostic accuracy when compared to previous periods.

PMID:40373358 | DOI:10.1016/j.jhqr.2025.101142

Gait Posture. 2025 May 10;121:135-138. doi: 10.1016/j.gaitpost.2025.04.034. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Falls in older adults frequently occur during obstacle crossing. Recent investigations have focused on age-related differences in foot trajectory patterns throughout the swing phase of obstacle crossing. However, a standardized method for comparing these differences has not been established. Statistical parametric mapping (SPM) is advantageous for comparing time-series data and may be applicable to foot trajectory data.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to elucidate age-related differences in foot trajectory patterns using SPM.

METHODS: We conducted a secondary analysis of data from Sakurai et al. (2021), involving 72 older (78.04 ± 5.74 years) and 76 younger (28.36 ± 7.84 years) adults. Participants were required to walk and cross a 15 cm-high obstacle four times. The foot trajectory pattern was calculated using the toe height throughout one step (i.e., the swing phase from toe-off to heel contact) when the leading limb crossed the obstacle. The patterns were normalized based on the time required for each step. Differences in foot trajectory patterns were compared between age groups using a non-paired t-test SPM.

RESULTS: Older adults exhibited higher toe heights preceding obstacle crossing and lower toe heights before landing compared to younger adults. This indicates that age-related differences in the foot trajectory patterns occurred both before obstacle crossing and landing.

CONCLUSION: Our novel approach demonstrates the utility of SPM in capturing foot trajectory patterns during obstacle crossing and provides evidence that age-related characteristics may be overlooked by confining analysis solely to the moment of obstacle crossing.

PMID:40373352 | DOI:10.1016/j.gaitpost.2025.04.034

Arch Cardiol Mex. 2025 May 15. doi: 10.24875/ACM.24000260. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

In this article we aim to evaluate the impact of the microaxial flow pump on mortality in patients with cardiogenic shock associated with acute myocardial infarction through a systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical trials and cohort studies. Patients with acute myocardial infarction, both with and without ST-segment elevation, associated with cardiogenic shock and treated with a microaxial flow pump, were included. Mortality data and implantation time of the device were reported. Patients with more than 24 hours of shock progression, those with other shock etiologies, patients with mechanical complications from acute myocardial infarction, and other comorbidity, were excluded. The search was conducted in PubMed and Web of Science databases for articles published from 2019 until November 10, 2024. Risk of bias was evaluated using the RoB 2 tool and the ROBINS-E, while statistical analysis was performed using Review Manager 5.4.1 software. A total of 1000 patients from five studies were included. The use of the microaxial flow pump was associated with a reduction in mortality compared to placebo (OR: 0.6; 95%CI: 0.42-0.85; p = 0.005). However, there were no significant differences in mortality related to the timing of the microaxial flow pump implantation (before, during, or after percutaneous coronary intervention) (OR: 0.85; 95%CI: 0.59-1.22; p = 0.37). Patients with cardiogenic shock have gained access to various treatment opportunities that were not available until recently. The results suggest that the microaxial flow pump is a therapeutic option in these patients with significant effects on mortality.

PMID:40373343 | DOI:10.24875/ACM.24000260

J Speech Lang Hear Res. 2025 May 15:1-14. doi: 10.1044/2025_JSLHR-24-00306. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: Listening difficulty (LiD), often classified as auditory processing disorder (APD), has been studied in both research and clinic settings. The aim of this study was to examine the predictive relation between these two settings. In our SICLiD (Sensitive Indicators of Childhood Listening Difficulties) research study, children with normal audiometry, but caregiver-reported LiD, performed poorly on both listening and cognitive tests. Here, we examined results of clinical assessments and interventions for these children in relation to research performance.

METHOD: Study setting was a tertiary pediatric hospital. Electronic medical records were reviewed for 64 children aged 6-13 years recruited into a SICLiD LiD group based on a caregiver report (Evaluation of Children’s Listening and Processing Skill [ECLiPS]). The review focused on clinical assessments and interventions provided by audiology, occupational therapy, psychology (developmental and behavioral pediatrics), and speech-language pathology services, prior to study participation. Descriptive statistics on clinical encounters, identified conditions, and interventions were compared with quantitative, standardized performance on research tests. z scores were compared for participants with and without each clinical condition using univariate and logistic prediction analyses.

RESULTS: Overall, 24 clinical categories related to LiD, including APD, were identified. Common conditions were Attention (32%), Language (28%), Hearing (18%), Anxiety (16%), and Autism Spectrum Disorder (6%). Performance on research tests varied significantly between providers, conditions, and interventions. Quantitative research data combined with caregiver reports provided reliable predictions of all clinical conditions except APD. Significant correlations in individual tests were scarce but included the SCAN Composite score, which predicted clinical language and attention difficulties, but not APD diagnoses.

CONCLUSIONS: The variety of disciplines, assessments, conditions, and interventions revealed here supports previous studies showing that LiD is a multifaceted problem of neurodevelopment. Comparisons between clinical- and research-based assessments suggest a path that prioritizes caregiver reports and selected psychometric tests for screening and diagnostic purposes.

SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIAL: https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.28907780.

PMID:40373331 | DOI:10.1044/2025_JSLHR-24-00306