Tag: statistics

Int J Cardiol Congenit Heart Dis. 2024 Jul 26;17:100533. doi: 10.1016/j.ijcchd.2024.100533. eCollection 2024 Sep.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The Norwood operation (NO) for infants with univentricular physiology has high interstage mortality. This study evaluated outcomes and risk factors for mortality following NO.

METHODS: Retrospective single-center study of patients undergoing NO from 2010 to 2020. Analysis used appropriate statistics.

RESULTS: Of 269 patients undergoing NO, 213 (79.2 %) survived to discharge. Non-survivors had longer bypass times, delayed sternal closure, required nitric oxide, higher vasoactive scores, required post-operative catheterization, Extracorporeal Life Support (ECLS), and longer ventilation (p < 0.05). Logistic regression showed moderate-severe atrioventricular valve regurgitation on intraoperative TEE (OR 2.6), requiring nitric oxide (OR 2.63), delayed sternal closure (OR 2.94), post-operative catheterization (OR 10.48), and ECLS (OR 14.54) increased mortality odds (p < 0.05). Multivariable analysis confirmed catheterization (aOR 10.48) and ECLS (aOR 14.54) as significant predictors. Of survivors, 26 (12.3 %) developed new morbidity, 9 (4.2 %) had unfavorable outcomes. Functional status improved from 6.0 to 8.04, mainly in feeding and respiratory domains (p < 0.0001).

CONCLUSIONS: Norwood survival was 79.2 %. Requiring post-operative catheterization and ECLS significantly increased mortality risk. Multicenter evaluation of these modifiable risk factors is needed to improve outcomes in this high-risk population.

PMID:39711779 | PMC:PMC11658261 | DOI:10.1016/j.ijcchd.2024.100533

Brain Neurosci Adv. 2024 Dec 20;8:23982128241305890. doi: 10.1177/23982128241305890. eCollection 2024 Jan-Dec.

ABSTRACT

Humans feel visceral disgust when faced with potential contaminants like bodily effluvia. The emotion serves to reject potentially contaminated food and is paired with proto-nausea: alterations in gastric rhythm in response to disgust. Here, we offer a narrative synthesis of the existing literature on the effects of disgust on the stomach as measured through electrogastrography, a non-invasive technique that measures stomach activity with electrodes placed on the abdominal skin surface. After identifying and assessing 368 studies for eligibility and inclusion based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses process, we reviewed a final sample of only 10 articles that employed electrogastrography to assess gastric responses to unpleasant stimuli, including disgust elicitors. Reviewed findings illustrate that changes in gastric rhythm are associated with negatively valenced emotions, and most reliably with visceral disgust elicitors. This rhymes with recent evidence for a causal role of gastric state in reductions in visceral disgust avoidance. Because limitations in the reviewed body of work come from the low number of studies and relatively small sample sizes, we strongly encourage studies of proto-nausea in designs with higher statistical power, ideally paired with experimental manipulations of gastric state.

PMID:39711753 | PMC:PMC11662309 | DOI:10.1177/23982128241305890

medRxiv [Preprint]. 2024 Dec 12:2024.12.11.24318870. doi: 10.1101/2024.12.11.24318870.

ABSTRACT

Complex disease genetics is a key area of research for reducing disease and improving human health. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) help in this research by identifying regions of the genome that contribute to complex disease risk. However, GWAS are computationally intensive and require access to individual-level genetic and health information, which presents concerns about privacy and imposes costs on researchers seeking to study complex diseases. Publicly released pan-biobank GWAS summary statistics provide immediate access to results for a subset of phenotypes, but they do not inform about all phenotypes or hand-crafted phenotype definitions, which are often more relevant to study. Here, we present WebGWAS, a new tool that allows researchers to obtain GWAS summary statistics for a phenotype of interest without needing access to individual-level genetic and phenotypic data. Our public web app can be used to study custom phenotype definitions, including inclusion and exclusion criteria, and to produce approximate GWAS summary statistics for that phenotype. WebGWAS computes approximate GWAS summary statistics very quickly ( < 10 seconds), and it does not store private health information. We also show how the statistical approximation underlying WebGWAS can be used to accelerate the computation of multi-phenotype GWAS among correlated phenotypes. Our tool provides a faster approach to GWAS for researchers interested in complex disease, providing approximate summary statistics in short order, without the need to collect, process, and produce GWAS results. Overall, this method advances complex disease research by facilitating more accessible and cost-effective genetic studies using large observational data.

PMID:39711729 | PMC:PMC11661389 | DOI:10.1101/2024.12.11.24318870

medRxiv [Preprint]. 2024 Dec 11:2024.12.09.24318621. doi: 10.1101/2024.12.09.24318621.

ABSTRACT

Clinical, neuroimaging and genomics evidence have increasingly underscored a degree of overlap between autism and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This study explores the specific contribution of their core symptoms to shared biology in a sample of N=166 verbal children (6-12 years) with rigorously-established primary diagnoses of either autism or ADHD (without autism). We investigated the associations between inter-individual differences in clinician-based dimensional measures of autism and ADHD symptoms and whole-brain low motion intrinsic functional connectivity (iFC). Additionally, we explored their linked gene expression patterns in silico . Whole-brain multivariate distance matrix regression revealed a transdiagnostic association between autism severity and iFC of two nodes: the middle frontal gyrus of the frontoparietal network and posterior cingulate cortex of the default mode network. Across children, the greater the iFC between these nodes, the more severe the autism symptoms, even after controlling for ADHD symptoms. Results from segregation analyses were consistent with primary findings, underscoring the significance of internetwork iFC interactions for autism symptom severity across diagnoses. No statistically significant brain-behavior relationships were observed for ADHD symptoms. Genetic enrichment analyses of the iFC maps associated with autism symptoms implicated genes known to: (i) have greater rate of variance in autism and ADHD, and (ii) be involved in neuron projection, suggesting shared genetic mechanisms for this specific brain-clinical phenotype. Overall, these findings underscore the relevance of transdiagnostic dimensional approaches in linking clinically-defined phenomena to shared presentations at the macroscale circuit- and genomic-levels among children with diagnoses of autism and ADHD.

PMID:39711728 | PMC:PMC11661353 | DOI:10.1101/2024.12.09.24318621

medRxiv [Preprint]. 2024 Dec 14:2024.12.13.24319000. doi: 10.1101/2024.12.13.24319000.

ABSTRACT

IMPORTANCE: Persons with substance use disorders (SUD) often suffer from additional comorbidities, including psychiatric conditions and physical health problems. Researchers have explored this overlap in electronic health records (EHR) using phenome wide association studies (PheWAS) to characterize how different indicators are related to all conditions in an individual’s EHR. However, analyses have been largely cross-sectional in nature.

OBJECTIVE: To characterize whether various social and genetic risk factors are associated with time to comorbid diagnoses in electronic health records (EHR) after the first diagnosis of SUD.

DESIGN: Leveraging those with EHR and whole-genome sequencing data in All of Us (N = 287,012), we explored whether social determinants of health are associated with lifetime risk of SUD. Next, within those with a diagnosed SUD (N = 17,460), we examined whether polygenic scores (PGS) were associated with time to comorbid diagnoses performing a phenome-wide survival analysis.

SETTING: Participating health care organizations across the United States.

PARTICIPANTS: Participants in the All of Us Research Program with available EHR and genomic data.

EXPOSURES: Social determinants of health and polygenic scores (PGS) for psychiatric and substance use disorders.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Phecodes for diagnoses derived from International Statistical Classification of Diseases, Ninth and Tenth Revisions, Clinical Modification, codes from EHR.

RESULTS: Multiple social and demographic risk factors were associated with lifetime SUD diagnosis. Most strikingly, those reporting an annual income <$10K had 4.5 times the odds of having an SUD diagnosis compared to those reporting $100-$150K annually (OR = 4.48, 95% CI = 4.01, 5.01). PGSs for alcohol use disorders, schizophrenia, and post-traumatic stress disorder were associated with time to their respective diagnoses (HR _AUD = 1.10, 95% CI = 1.06, 1.14; HR _SCZ = 1.13, 95% CI = 1.06, 1.20; HR _PTSD = 1.15, 95% CI = 1.08, 1.22). A PGS for ever-smoking was associated with time to subsequent smoking related comorbidities and additional SUD diagnoses HR _SMOK = 1.6 to 1.16).

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Social determinants, especially those related to income have profound associations with lifetime SUD risk. Additionally, PGS may include information related to outcomes above and beyond lifetime risk, including timing and severity.

PMID:39711727 | PMC:PMC11661425 | DOI:10.1101/2024.12.13.24319000

J Pediatr Endocrinol Metab. 2024 Dec 24. doi: 10.1515/jpem-2024-0314. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency has been demonstrated in type 1 diabetes (T1D); lower concentrations of pancreatic enzymes have been associated with metabolic risk (MR). Influence of puberty and MR factors on serum concentrations of amylase and lipase remain unexplored in Indian youth with T1D. 1) To characterize and predict determinants of serum amylase and lipase concentrations in adolescents/youth with T1D. 2) To assess relationship between amylase, lipase, and prevalence of MR.

METHODS: Cross sectional, observational study on 291 (155 girls) adolescents/youth (10-24 years) with T1D. History, examination, body composition, biochemistry (glycated hemoglobin [HbA1c], thyroid stimulating hormone [TSH], lipids).

RESULTS: Mean age, diabetes duration and HbA1c were 15.3, 7.0 years and 10.0 ± 2.1, respectively. Relative risk of lower amylase/higher lipase concentrations (<median) in participants with poor glycemic control (HbA1c>9.5 %) was 1.42 and 1.34, respectively, though these did not reach statistical significance. In pubertal participants, amylase was lower and lipase higher; association was not found with MR. Higher TSH and lower serum calcium were significantly associated with higher lipase (p<0.001).

CONCLUSIONS: We have characterized amylase and lipase concentrations across puberty; poor glycemic control tended to be associated with lower amylase and higher lipase, though these findings did not reach statistical significance. Amylase and lipase concentrations should be monitored in Indian adolescents with T1D, particularly in those with poor metabolic control, puberty, uncontrolled hypothyroidism, or reduced calcium intake, while further longitudinal and larger studies are needed to generalize these findings.

PMID:39710861 | DOI:10.1515/jpem-2024-0314

Biol Trace Elem Res. 2024 Dec 22. doi: 10.1007/s12011-024-04495-9. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Previous studies have proved trace mineral disorders to be related to changes in oxidative stress, inflammatory state, and immune response in asthmatics. However, there is a scarcity of studies that examine the correlation between copper intake with mortality in asthmatic people. The aim of this research was to investigate the effect of copper intake on the asthmatic population’s mortality. This investigation included 3175 individuals from the NHANES. Multiple statistical models were used in this investigation to discuss the correlation between copper intake and the asthmatic population’s mortality. These models included Cox proportional hazards models, trend tests, restricted cubic splines (RCS), threshold effect model, and CoxBoost model. Three Cox hazard models showed an inverse relationship between copper intake and the risk of death in asthmatics. Statistical tests, such as trend tests, RCS models, and threshold effect models, proved an inverse and linear link between dietary copper and the risk of death. Through Kaplan-Meier analysis, asthmatic adults who had higher copper intake had a higher survival rate compared to asthmatics with lower copper intake. The CoxBoost model indicated that the intake of copper, selenium, and zinc had a protective effect on mortality, whereas iron was associated with an increased risk of death. The research proved an inverse and linear correlation between dietary copper intake and the risk of death among asthmatic people. Improving copper intake may have a positive impact on the long-term survival of individuals with asthma.

PMID:39710816 | DOI:10.1007/s12011-024-04495-9

Exp Brain Res. 2024 Dec 23;243(1):32. doi: 10.1007/s00221-024-06983-9.

ABSTRACT

We examined the impact of auditory stimuli and their methods on a dynamic balance task performance. Twenty-four young adults wore an HTC Vive headset and dodged a virtual ball to the right or left based on its color (blue to the left, red to the right, and vice versa). We manipulated the environment by introducing congruent (auditory stimuli from the correct direction) or incongruent (auditory stimuli played randomly from either side) and comparing a multimodal (visual and congruent auditory stimuli) to unimodal (visual or auditory stimuli) presentation. We tested four apparatuses: loudspeakers, headphones, passthrough, (wearing headphones while auditory stimuli come from loudspeakers) and room simulation (externalization via headphones). We quantified reaction time (RT) and accuracy (choosing the correct direction to dodge) from the head movement. We hypothesized that the weight of the headset will slow RT, and that externalization of the auditory stimuli will make it more usable when no visual cues are provided. Interestingly, both hypotheses were refuted. In silent conditions, RT was faster with headphones compared to loudspeakers, but this difference disappeared when auditory stimuli were introduced. Participants used congruent auditory stimuli to improve accuracy but disregarded incongruent auditory stimuli across all apparatuses except for room simulation. In conclusion, this study confirmed that healthy young adults can use congruent auditory stimuli to enhance accuracy and disregard incongruent auditory stimuli such that accuracy is not harmed. RT was either faster or the same with headphones compared to loudspeakers. Notably, this specific room simulation did not enhance performance.

PMID:39710768 | DOI:10.1007/s00221-024-06983-9

Arch Public Health. 2024 Dec 23;82(1):239. doi: 10.1186/s13690-024-01470-7.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: At present, China’s elderly population is facing several difficulties. The implementation of active aging is an important initiative in the face of the rapidly developing situation of population aging, among which improving elderly expectations regarding the aging level is the key link to achieving active aging. Improving the quality of life of the majority of elderly individuals is the main goal of active aging. Moreover, increasing the level of expectations regarding the aging of the elderly depends to a large extent on psychological resilience. However, most of the current research related to expectations regarding aging focuses on urban elderly individuals and pays less attention to the expectations regarding the aging level of rural elderly individuals. It is not yet known how quality of life, psychological resilience, and expectations regarding aging are related among rural elderly individuals. This study focused on the state of expectations regarding aging, psychological resilience, and quality of life among senior citizens living in rural areas, as well as the relationships among these three factors. The goal is to provide a theoretical basis for further targeted interventions and promote active aging in China.

METHODS: A cross-sectional descriptive design was conducted via convenience sampling of 320 elderly individuals living in four rural areas of Panzhihua, China, from January to May 2024. Questionnaires were used to collect data on the participants’ demographic information, the aging expectancy scale (ERA-21), the 10-item Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC-10), and a 12-item short-form health survey (SF-12). The data were analysed via SPSS version 26.0 software for descriptive statistics, one-way ANOVA, and Pearson’s correlation coefficient. In addition, AMOS version 24.0 software was employed for path analysis.

RESULTS: The results revealed that Chinese rural elderly individuals have low expectations regarding aging, moderate levels of psychological resilience, and moderate levels of quality of life. There were positive relationships between expectations regarding aging and quality of life (r = 0.631, p < 0.01), positive relationships between expectations regarding aging and psychological resilience (r = 0.261, p < 0.01), and psychological resilience in terms of quality of life (r = 0.334, p < 0.01). Expectations regarding aging play a partial mediating role between psychological resilience and quality of life (β = 0.273, 95% CI, 0.185 ~ 0.381), with an indirect effect accounting for 45.81% of the total effect.

CONCLUSIONS: Expectations regarding aging play a partial mediating role in the relationship between psychological resilience and quality of life. These findings suggest that grassroots health workers should take an active role in providing health education and psychological counselling, as well as actively working to improve the psychological resilience and health of elderly individuals. They should also be encouraged to actively approach aging and to raise expectations regarding aging. Finally, they should help elderly people maintain a healthy lifestyle and improve their quality of life.

PMID:39710728 | DOI:10.1186/s13690-024-01470-7

Psychol Res. 2024 Dec 23;89(1):38. doi: 10.1007/s00426-024-02067-z.

ABSTRACT

Previous research highlights impairments in the recognition of facial expression of emotion in individuals diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Relatives of people with ASD may exhibit similar, albeit subtler, impairments, referred to as the Broad Autism Phenotype (BAP). Recently, the Differential outcomes procedure (DOP) has been shown to enhance this ability in young adults using dynamic stimuli, with fewer intensity levels required to identify fear and surprise. The present study aimed to extend these findings to adults diagnosed with ASD (ASD group), and relatives of people diagnosed with ASD (BAP group). A Bayesian Generalized Linear Model was employed for statistical inference. The results indicated that the ASD DOP group performed worse than the BAP DOP group in fear trials. The social dimension of autism negatively impacted performance in some conditions, while positive relationships were found between the repetitive behavior dimension and performance for the ASD group. The opposite pattern was observed in the BAP group. These results suggest the importance of considering different dimensions of autism when conducting research on its relationship with other variables. Finally, participants in both ASD and BAP groups required less intensity to identify certain emotions when the DOP was applied, highlighting its potential utility for improving dynamic facial emotion recognition.

PMID:39710715 | DOI:10.1007/s00426-024-02067-z