Tag: statistics

Eur J Pediatr. 2025 Nov 8;184(12):740. doi: 10.1007/s00431-025-06578-8.

ABSTRACT

This study aimed to systematically identify the key characteristics of retracted articles in pediatric literature and explore the patterns and reasons of pediatric retraction from 1995 to 2024. We searched PubMed and Retraction Watch databases to identify all retracted publications in the field of pediatrics. After the screening process, data were extracted into Excel. Statistical analysis was conducted using Jamovi and Excel. A correlation matrix was used for the important retraction-related factors. After screening, 590 unique retracted pediatric articles were included, with most of them, 572 (96.9%), having retraction notices available; 516 (87.5%) published as open access; 433 (73.4%) from Asia-mostly China; 348 (59%) retracted by the publisher; 301 (51.0%) published by Hindawi; 275 (46.6%) observational studies; and 221 (37.5%) retracted due to misconduct. Articles with four authors showed the highest retraction rate, and the retraction rate generally decreased as the number of authors increased. Most retractions occurred in 2023. The most common pediatric age group included in the retracted papers was children. The median H-index of authors of retracted papers was 8 for first authors and 10 for senior authors. The median time from submission to acceptance of retracted papers was 50 days and that from publication to retraction was 15 months. Additionally, time to retraction was positively correlated with the journal’s impact factor (r = 0.106, p = 0.015) and the citation count (r = 0.213, p < 0.001) but showed no significant correlation with time to acceptance (r = – 0.019, p = 0.675).

CONCLUSION: The increasing number of retracted pediatric papers reflects a growing concern with a complex pattern and various determinants. Researchers and publishers should adopt strong regulations and guidelines to improve the integrity of scientific research, especially pediatric research.

WHAT IS KNOWN: • Retractions in biomedical research have been increasing over the past decades, often due to research misconduct, plagiarism, or data fabrication. • Previous studies have analyzed retraction patterns across several medical specialties, but pediatric research remains underexplored despite its ethical and clinical sensitivity.

WHAT IS NEW: • This is the most comprehensive analysis of retracted publications in pediatric literature, covering 590 articles from 1995 to 2024 and revealing distinct geographic, temporal, and publisher- and author-related patterns. • The study highlights a strong dominance of retractions from Asia-especially China-and shows that research misconduct and peer-review manipulation are the leading causes, underscoring the urgent need for stricter integrity measures in pediatric research.

PMID:41206416 | DOI:10.1007/s00431-025-06578-8

J Neurol. 2025 Nov 8;272(12):754. doi: 10.1007/s00415-025-13439-9.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is to present a report from the Big Multiple Sclerosis Data (BMSD) statistics workshop (Bari – Italy, June 2023) which focused on advanced statistical approaches for real-world data (RWD) analyses in multiple sclerosis (MS). The report emphasises the application of these approaches in predicting individual treatment response, assessing comparative effectiveness and safety of therapies and their sequences, and harmonizing data for large-scale federated analyses.

METHODS: The BMSD network, comprising five national registries and the international MSBase database (> 350,000 total patients), convened in June 2023 in Bari (Italy) to review methodological advances in RWD analysis. Experts discussed strengths, limitations, and regulatory implications of frequentist, Bayesian, and machine learning (ML) approaches, with case studies on treatment response modelling, comparative effectiveness, safety surveillance, and Common Data Model (CDM)-based federated learning.

RESULTS: Bayesian and ML techniques, integrated with causal inference frameworks, can improve personalized predictions of treatment benefit and risk by using high-dimensional longitudinal data. Propensity score-based methods and marginal structural models remain essential for minimizing confounding in comparative analyses, but require rigorous diagnostics and sensitivity analyses. Adoption of a CDM facilitates harmonization of heterogeneous datasets, while federated learning enables privacy-preserving, multi-jurisdictional collaboration. Together, these innovations address key challenges in studying treatment sequences, rare adverse events, and underrepresented patient groups.

CONCLUSIONS: This workshop report highlights how advanced statistical and computational methodologies enhance the robustness, interpretability, and regulatory relevance of MS RWD studies. By promoting the integration of complementary statistical and computational approaches within harmonized data infrastructures, the BMSD network is positioned to accelerate the translation of real-world evidence into precision medicine for MS.

PMID:41206399 | DOI:10.1007/s00415-025-13439-9

J Hum Genet. 2025 Nov 8. doi: 10.1038/s10038-025-01430-1. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Whole-genome sequence information currently available for large-scale sequencing studies is biased toward European descent populations. Such bias causes difficulties in identifying disease-associated genetic variations in non-European populations, including the Japanese. Here, to comprehensively identify genetic variants, we sequenced 3135 individuals representing the genetic diversity of the Japanese population. Of the 44,757,785 identified variants, 31.0% exhibiting a minor allele frequency of <1% were novel. Using these variants, we constructed a reference haplotype and graph-structured reference sequence to facilitate accurate imputation and variant characterization. Our findings suggest that integrating genetic variations from ethnically diverse populations into the prevailing catalogs is essential to achieve precision medicine for all populations.

PMID:41206389 | DOI:10.1038/s10038-025-01430-1

Environ Monit Assess. 2025 Nov 9;197(12):1317. doi: 10.1007/s10661-025-14710-2.

ABSTRACT

This study investigates the geochronology, distribution, and environmental fate of chemical stressors in a tropical estuarine ecosystem using sediment core analysis. Sediment cores were sampled from two distinct locations in Sepetiba Bay, Brazil, separated by approximately 12 km. The cores revealed differential contamination profiles over time (1990-2016), with low levels of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), but slight higher concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) exhibited the highest concentrations among the analyzed compounds, with signatures indicating both pyrolytic sources and degraded petrogenic inputs, particularly during the mid-2000s, coinciding with regional industrial expansion. The core located in the coastal area, displayed higher continental inputs, while the core situated in the bay center, reflected average estuarine contamination levels. Fuzzy K-means statistical analysis highlighted distinct contamination processes for each core during overlapping periods, underscoring the complexity of pollutant behavior in tropical coastal systems influenced by multiple drainage basins. These findings emphasize the need for spatially comprehensive sampling strategies to accurately assess environmental risks in complex estuarine ecosystems. The study provides critical insights into the behavior and fate of anthropogenic pollutants in marine and estuarine environments, supporting the development of effective monitoring programs and pollution management strategies in tropical regions impacted by industrial and urban pressures.

PMID:41206388 | DOI:10.1007/s10661-025-14710-2

Dig Dis Sci. 2025 Nov 8. doi: 10.1007/s10620-025-09539-1. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) is a leading cause of cirrhosis. Vibration Controlled Transient Elastography (VCTE) measurements are often captured in text-based reports and not readily accessible for clinical research. Large language models (LLMs) show promise for curating information from unstructured documentation, but their efficiency for MASH and VCTE extraction are unclear.

METHODS: We used a cohort of 493 patients with compensated MASH cirrhosis. We compared the abilities of GPT-4o and Claude 3.5 Sonnet for identifying the presence of MASH and extracting maximum VCTE stiffness and Controlled Attenuation Parameter (CAP) measurements from clinical documentation. We ran a cost analysis of the LLMs. As exploratory analysis, we used LASSO-Cox to associate LLM-extracted features with death or decompensation.

RESULTS: For identifying MASH in clinical notes, GPT-4o and Claude 3.5 achieved F1-scores of 90.5% and 80.0%. For identifying peak VCTE measurements, GPT-4o achieved 99.3% and 99.1% accuracies for stiffness and CAP, while Claude 3.5 achieved 93.3% and 94.1% accuracies. LLM extraction of one variable required ~ 2000 tokens per note, with a cost of ~ $0.012/note for GPT-4o and ~ $0.014/note for Claude 3.5. In LASSO-Cox regressions, VCTE stiffness (HR 1.03, 95% CI 1.01-1.05, p = 0.016) and CAP score (HR 0.99, 95% CI 0.99-1.00, p = 0.029) were statistically significant predictive variables for death or decompensation.

CONCLUSIONS: LLMs can extract MASH presence and VCTE parameters from documentation with high accuracy and low cost. When incorporated into survival analyses, LLM-extracted variables are associated with important clinical outcomes. Given the growing availability of LLMs, liver diseases researchers should incorporate these methods to facilitate real-world studies.

PMID:41206385 | DOI:10.1007/s10620-025-09539-1

J Thromb Thrombolysis. 2025 Nov 8. doi: 10.1007/s11239-025-03193-0. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) is the standard of care in acute ischemic stroke (AIS), yet functional outcomes remain suboptimal. Normobaric hyperoxia (NBHO) is a potential neuroprotective strategy. This study is the first systematic review and meta-analysis to assess NBHO as a potential neuroprotective adjunctive to improve outcomes in EVT-treated patients. A comprehensive search of electronic databases, including PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane, and Web of Science, was performed in February 2025. The inclusion criteria targeted randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing NBHO and EVT to EVT alone or with sham oxygen therapy. Statistical analyses were performed using RevMan software. Four RCTs comprising 648 patients with AIS due to large vessel occlusion in the anterior circulation were included in the study. For the primary efficacy endpoint of excellent functional outcome, defined as the number of patients who had a Modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score of ≤ 1 at 90 days, the overall odds ratio with a subgroup based on the oxygen delivery duration at 2, 4, and 6 h was in favor of the NBHO group compared to the control (OR = 1.66, 95% CI [1.13, 2.45], P = 0.01, I2 = 0%). The subgroup of 4-hour oxygen delivery duration was the only significant subgroup (OR = 1.6, 95% CI [1.01, 2.51], P = 0.04). Safety outcomes showed no significant differences between the NBHO group and the control group across all reported measures. NBHO as an adjunct to EVT appears to be effective and safe. A 4-hour duration was found to be the most effective. Further RCTs are needed to confirm our results and establish the optimal treatment protocol.

PMID:41206375 | DOI:10.1007/s11239-025-03193-0

Med Phys. 2025 Nov;52(11):e70131. doi: 10.1002/mp.70131.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) are two major global health challenges, both associated with increased incidence and mortality. Although their pathologies differ, mounting evidence points to a shared vascular dysfunction that may drive the onset and progression of both conditions. Ultrasound localization microscopy (ULM) offers a promising approach for high-resolution imaging and quantification of cerebral microvasculature.

PURPOSE: To investigate changes in cerebral micro-vessels induced by T2DM, AD, and their coexistence, aiming to uncover the underlying interactions between the two diseases.

METHODS: Twenty-four Sprague Dawley (SD) rats were randomly assigned into four groups: (1) normal, (2) DM combined with AD, (3) DM, and (4) AD. Cerebral vascular density in the caudate putamen (CPu), thalamus (TH), and hippocampus (HIP) was quantified using ULM. Statistical analysis was conducted using one-way ANOVA followed by Tukey’s honestly significant difference (HSD) post-hoc test, after confirming normality and homogeneity of variance (Shapiro-Wilk and Levene’s tests). A p-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. To validate the model and examine the relationship between T2DM and AD, pathological staining was performed to assess cellular and neuronal changes, as well as Aβ deposition.

RESULTS: Both single diseases and their combination led to a reduction in cerebral vascular density across all three brain regions. The blood glucose-vessel density distributions in the DM and DM&AD groups showed substantial overlap, indicating similar patterns of cerebrovascular changes. In the CPu region, vascular density in diabetic rats decreased by 34.13% compared to controls (p = 0.003), while in the HIP of the DM&AD group, vascular density was reduced by 29.98% (p = 0.002).

CONCLUSION: T2DM triggers an increased risk of AD. ULM provides the possibility to be used as an emerging technological tool to detect early cerebral microangiopathy.

PMID:41206345 | DOI:10.1002/mp.70131

J Prosthet Dent. 2025 Nov 7:S0022-3913(25)00851-0. doi: 10.1016/j.prosdent.2025.10.039. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM: The accuracy of dental implant placement influences prosthetic outcomes, biological complications, and long-term success. While guided surgery aims to improve precision, its advantages over conventional freehand techniques regarding survival, marginal bone stability, and complications remain unclear.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this umbrella review was to synthesize evidence from systematic reviews comparing clinical outcomes of guided versus freehand dental implant placement, focusing on accuracy, marginal bone loss, survival, and complications.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines and PROSPERO registration, the PubMed, Scopus, Embase, Google scholar, and Cochrane Library databases were searched for studies published between January 2000 and July 2025. Eligible studies were systematic reviews and meta-analyses comparing guided (static or dynamic) and freehand implant placement. Methodological quality was assessed using a measurement tool to assess systematic reviews 2 (AMSTAR-2). Extracted data included implant placement accuracy, marginal bone loss, survival, and complications. Effect sizes and statistical outcomes were extracted directly from the included meta-analyses, and results were synthesized descriptively without conducting a new meta-analysis.

RESULTS: Thirteen systematic reviews were included. Guided and computer-assisted placement showed better accuracy than freehand methods (Standardized mean difference [SMD] for coronal deviation -0.97; 95% Confidence Interval [CI] -2.27 to -0.32; P<.01). Marginal bone loss and implant survival were comparable across techniques (Risk ratio [RR]1.02; 95% CI 0.98-1.06; P=.28), both remaining high. Complication rates were low, with guided techniques potentially reducing iatrogenic risk (RR 0.88; 95% CI 0.74-1.04; P=.11).

CONCLUSIONS: Guided implant surgery was found to improve placement accuracy and may reduce surgical risk in complex treatments. Freehand placement remained reliable with comparable long-term outcomes when performed by experienced clinicians. Selection should consider treatment complexity, clinician expertise, and available resources.

PMID:41206337 | DOI:10.1016/j.prosdent.2025.10.039

J Prosthet Dent. 2025 Nov 7:S0022-3913(25)00847-9. doi: 10.1016/j.prosdent.2025.10.041. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM: Understanding the determinants of willingness to pay (WTP) for missing tooth replacement is essential for promoting oral health.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to examine the factors associated with both the WTP and WTP amount for replacing missing anterior and posterior teeth among older Japanese adults.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study used data from the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study (JAGES) conducted in 2022, which targeted independent adults aged ≥65 years. Thirty-two explanatory variables were used, including demographic, socioeconomic, oral health-related, and general health indicators, and 2 primary outcome variables for both anterior and posterior teeth: whether participants were willing to pay for missing tooth replacement and the amount they were willing to pay. Dominance analysis was used to determine the relative importance of all candidate variables.

RESULTS: A total of 4616 participants were included (men: 57.9%). The mean ±standard deviation age was 71.9 ±4.8 years. Of the participants, 95.6% and 94.9% expressed WTP to replace missing anterior and posterior teeth. The mean WTP amounts for anterior and posterior teeth were 71 300 Japanese Yen (JPY) and 61 100 JPY (544 and 466 USD). Dominance analysis showed that the absence of depressive symptoms was the strongest positive predictor of WTP (18.3% of the total explained variance for anterior teeth and 22.4% for posterior teeth). Wealth was the most influential factor in WTP amount (21.3% for anterior teeth and 19.2% for posterior teeth). Other key predictors included educational level, preventive dental visit, income, population density, and frequency of meeting friends.

CONCLUSIONS: While the absence of depressive symptoms emerged as the strongest predictor of whether individuals expressed WTP to replace missing teeth among older adults, wealth emerged as the most influential factor in determining the amount they were willing to pay for both anterior and posterior teeth. WTP is largely explained by economic, psychological, and social factors. These findings suggest that promoting oral health may require integrated strategies addressing financial barriers, mental health support, and social engagement.

PMID:41206333 | DOI:10.1016/j.prosdent.2025.10.041

Curr Probl Diagn Radiol. 2025 Oct 31:S0363-0188(25)00200-2. doi: 10.1067/j.cpradiol.2025.10.021. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: To compare the diagnostic accuracy and longitudinal outcomes of PI-RADS 3 lesions assessed with biparametric (bpMRI) versus multiparametric MRI (mpMRI), in a multi-reader setting.

METHODS: This retrospective single-center study included 196 patients, of whom 49 presented with at least one PI-RADS 3 lesion. Three radiologists with varying levels of experience independently reviewed both biparametric (bpMRI) and multiparametric (mpMRI) datasets. Diagnostic performance, inter-reader agreement, lesion evolution over time, and detection rates were analyzed in relation to lesion location and MRI protocol. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, Cohen’s kappa and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) were used for statistical evaluation.

RESULTS: Reader 1 showed the highest diagnostic accuracy (AUC = 0.767), followed by Reader 2 (AUC = 0.637) and Reader 3 (AUC = 0.504). There were no significant differences between bpMRI and mpMRI for any reader and intra-reader concordance was excellent for all readers (κ > 0.8). Detection was significantly lower in the peripheral zone across all readers. Inter-reader agreement was substantial between Readers 1 and 2 (ICC = 0.704), and poor between the other pairs (ICC < 0.4). During follow-up, 84-92 % of PI-RADS 3 lesions remained stable, 6-8 % decreased, and 8-16 % increased in size. Seven lesions were biopsied based on PSA progression or dimensional growth, all of which were confirmed as clinically significant cancer.

CONCLUSION: BpMRI provided comparable diagnostic performance to mpMRI for PI-RADS 3 lesions. Reader experience and lesion location significantly affected detection. Most lesions remained stable over time, supporting surveillance strategies in selected cases.

PMID:41206329 | DOI:10.1067/j.cpradiol.2025.10.021