Tag: statistics

Sci Rep. 2026 Jan 2. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-30983-6. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Prior research consistently reports differences in mental health outcomes among adolescents between intact and non-intact families, highlighting the need to address these disparities. This study aims to investigate the moderating effect of advisers (counselors, teachers, or friends) on the mental health of adolescents from non-intact families. We conducted a cross-sectional study using data from the 2017 Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-Based Survey, a large, representative nationwide sample of adolescents. We included 61,572 middle and high school students living with at least one parent, categorizing them into five groups: biological parents, single parent (only father or mother), stepfather-biological mother, and biological father-stepmother. We assessed mental health outcomes (poor self-rated health status, self-rated unhappiness, depressive mood, suicidal consideration, suicidal planning, and suicidal attempt) using self-reported measures and evaluated the presence of advisers providing emotional support. Multivariate-adjusted logistic regression analyses were performed to examine associations between family structure and mental health outcomes, and to assess the moderating effect of advisers. Compared to adolescents living with both biological parents, those from non-intact families exhibited significantly higher odds of poor mental health outcomes. While adviser presence was associated with lower odds of adverse outcomes across most family structures, formal tests of interaction were not statistically significant. Our findings suggest that family structure is associated with adolescent mental health, and that adviser presence is generally linked to more favorable outcomes. Although formal interaction tests did not demonstrate statistically significant moderation, the consistent patterns observed across groups highlight the potential value of adviser support. These findings should be interpreted with caution, yet they underscore the importance of promoting access to trusted advisers as a practical strategy to support adolescents, particularly those from non-intact families.

PMID:41484148 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-025-30983-6

Nat Commun. 2026 Jan 2. doi: 10.1038/s41467-025-67324-0. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Quantum Monte Carlo is one of the most promising approaches for dealing with large-scale quantum many-body systems. It has played an extremely important role in understanding strongly correlated physics. However, two fundamental problems, namely the sign problem and general measurement issues, have seriously hampered its scope of application. We propose a universal scheme to tackle the problems of general measurement. The target observables are expressed as the ratio of two types of partition functions $⟨O⟩=\overline{Z}/Z$, where $\overline{Z}=tr\left({Oe}^{–\beta H}\right)$ and $Z=tr\left(e^{–\beta H}\right)$. These two partition functions can be estimated separately within the reweight-annealing frame, and then be connected by an easily solvable reference point. We have successfully applied this scheme to XXZ model and transverse field Ising model, from 1D to 2D systems, from two-body to multi-body correlations and even non-local disorder operators, and from equal-time to imaginary-time correlations. The reweighting path is not limited to physical parameters, but also works for space and time. Essentially, this scheme solves the long-standing problem of calculating the overlap between different distribution functions in mathematical statistics, which can be widely used in statistical problems, such as quantum many-body computation, big data and machine learning.

PMID:41484118 | DOI:10.1038/s41467-025-67324-0

Nat Commun. 2026 Jan 2. doi: 10.1038/s41467-025-68101-9. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

The positive effect of exercise on the immune system is widely acknowledged, but the molecular response of immune cells to exercise remains largely unknown. Here, we perform mass-spectrometry-based proteomic analysis on peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) at a depth of >6000 proteins. Comparing high-intensity interval exercise (HIIE) and moderate-intensity continuous exercise (MICE), matched for time and workload, we identify versatile changes in the proteomic makeup of PBMCs and reveal profound alterations, related to effector function and immune cell activation pathways within one hour following exercise. These changes are more pronounced after HIIE compared to MICE and occur despite identical immune cell mobilization patterns between the two exercise conditions. We further identify an immunoproteomic signature that effectively predicts cardiorespiratory fitness, thus allowing insights into potential exercise-triggered adaptations and immunological health benefits that are mediated by exercise. This study provides a reliable data resource that expands our knowledge on how exercise modulates the immune system, and delivers biological evidence supporting the WHO 2020 guidelines, which highlight exercise intensity as a relevant factor to maintain health.

PMID:41484100 | DOI:10.1038/s41467-025-68101-9

J Formos Med Assoc. 2026 Jan 2:S0929-6646(25)00699-0. doi: 10.1016/j.jfma.2025.12.042. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: Studies exploring changes in fibrosis markers and their predictive performance for histological fibrosis staging after hepatitis C virus (HCV) eradication are limited. The aim of this study was to examine the predictive performance of and exclusionary and confirmatory thresholds for the ELF test, FIB-4 index, APRI, M2BPGi, liver stiffness measurement (LSM) through acoustic radiation force impulse elastography, and the collagen proportionate area (CPA) for each METAVIR fibrosis stage after treatment.

METHODS: We examined 280 and 207 patients (3.1 ± 0.3 years) before and after HCV eradication, respectively, of whom 197 underwent paired liver biopsies. Statistical analysis assessed fibrosis markers’ predictive performance using AUROC and ROC curves, and their optimal thresholds.

RESULTS: The median ELF, FIB-4, APRI, M2BPGi, LSM, and CPA values for each METAVIR stage and the exclusionary and confirmatory thresholds for dichotomized METAVIR stages decreased after HCV eradication. The areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROCs) derived for ELF, FIB-4, APRI, M2BPGi, LSM, and CPA for predicting advanced fibrosis (F3-F4) were 0.803, 0.826, 0.784, 0.750, 0.863, and 0.920, respectively, before viral eradication and 0.710, 0.791, 0.766, 0.699, 0.810, and 0.901, respectively, after viral eradication. CPA had the highest AUROCs for predicting significant (F2-F4) and advanced fibrosis (F3-F4) before and after HCV eradication. Most of the fibrosis markers decreased significantly after viral eradication, regardless of METAVIR fibrosis stage changes.

CONCLUSIONS: Noninvasive fibrosis markers can be used at a low threshold to determine the stage of liver fibrosis, although their predictive performance decreases after HCV eradication.

PMID:41484047 | DOI:10.1016/j.jfma.2025.12.042

Dig Liver Dis. 2026 Jan 2:S1590-8658(25)01228-9. doi: 10.1016/j.dld.2025.12.002. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Autoimmune atrophic gastritis (AAG) is an immune-mediated disorder affecting the gastric oxyntic mucosa. Two pathogenetic models are proposed: a pure autoimmune disorder or gastric autoimmunity triggered by Helicobacter pylori (Hp)-infection. In AAG, histological diagnosis of Hp may be challenging and serology can help assess exposure to Hp-infection. This study aimed to determine seroreactivity to Hp-antigens in AAG patients by using Hp-multiplex serology assay.

METHODS: A single-centre case-control study on 178 adults: 75 patients with serological and histological AAG diagnosis, 25 controls with histologically Hp-positive-non-atrophic gastritis (Ctr-NAG-Hp+) and 78 subjects with a healthy stomach (Ctr-HS). Sera were analysed using Hp-multiplex serology assay allowing simultaneous detection of antibodies to 13 Hp-proteins. Overall positivity cutoff: seroreactivity to more than 3 Hp-antigens.

RESULTS: The number of seroreactive Hp-antigens was higher in AAG than in Ctr-HS(mean±SEM 2.2±0.3 vs 1.4±0.22,p=0.02) and lower than in Ctr-NAG-Hp+ patients (mean±SEM 5.4±0.5,p<0.001).Overall Hp-seropositivity in AAG was two-fold higher than in Ctr-HS but not statistically significant (21.1% vs 10.3%,p=0.06) and lower than in Ctr-NAG-Hp+(80%,p<0.0001). Complete absence of seroreactivity was similar in AAG and Ctr-HS (29.3% vs 38.5%, p=0.23) and significantly higher than in Ctr-NAG-Hp+ (4%, p=0.009). Main immunogenic Hp-proteins were HP0010(GroEL),HP1098(HcpC),HP0695(HyuA),HP0875(Catalase),HP1564,HP0547(CagA) and HP0243(NapA) with seroreactivity in >50% of AAG patients.

CONCLUSIONS: By Hp-multiplex serology, 30% of histologically Hp-negative AAG pts had no seroreactivity, likely belonging to the pure AAG type. Conversely, 20% of AAG pts showed Hp exposure, indicating that infection might have triggered gastric autoimmunity. The remaining AAG patients showed seroreactivity below cut-off for seropositivity and thus not definitively categorisable by this approach.

PMID:41484031 | DOI:10.1016/j.dld.2025.12.002

Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis. 2025 Dec 2:104483. doi: 10.1016/j.numecd.2025.104483. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Combined therapy, sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i), and glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP1ra) reduce all-cause mortality in patients with diabetes. We aimed to analyse the differential behaviour of combined therapy between women and men regarding all-cause mortality.

METHODS AND RESULTS: This is a retrospective observational cohort study. Using “Big data” according to electronic medical records in the Santiago-Barbanza health area, which covers 450,000 patients. Out of 15,118 patients, 41 % were women. The median follow-up was 33 months. Women were older (71 [62-78] vs. 67 [59-75], p: <0.001) and with a higher incidence of obesity (53 % vs. 41 %, p: <0.001), meanwhile, men presented more coronary artery disease (CAD) (19 % vs. 9 %, p: <0.001). The multinomial propensity score and multivariate Cox regression were used for statistical analysis. All-cause mortality was compared between combined vs. monotherapy in women or men. Men had a higher risk of all-cause mortality than women in this population (HR [95 % CI] 1.50 [1.28-1.75]). Combined regarding monotherapy (GLP1ra (HR [95 % CI] 0.19 [0.14-0.27]), or SGLT2i (HR [95 % CI] 0.30 [0.23-0.40]), and treatment duration (HR [95 % CI] 0.95 [0.94-0.96] were associated with lower risk of all-cause mortality; with higher benefit in women (GLP1ra (HR [95 % CI] 0.14 [0.08-0.27]), or SGLT2i (HR [95 % CI] 0.18 [0.11-0.30]) regarding men (HR [95 % CI] 0.25 [0.16-0.40] for GLP1ra, and HR [95 % CI] 0.41 [0.29-0.58] for SGLT2i).

CONCLUSIONS: Combined therapy vs. monotherapy was associated with a lower risk of all-cause mortality in patients regardless of sex. Nevertheless, a higher benefit was observed in women regarding men.

PMID:41484025 | DOI:10.1016/j.numecd.2025.104483

Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis. 2025 Dec 2:104487. doi: 10.1016/j.numecd.2025.104487. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The Mediterranean diet (MD) has been associated with better glycaemic control in children with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) and favourable microbiome profiles in healthy individuals. However, it remains unclear whether MD adherence is associated with glycaemic control via microbiome. This study examined the relationships among MD adherence, gut microbiome, and glycaemic control in adults with T1DM and assessed the microbiome’s ability to predict clinical and dietary outcomes.

METHODS AND RESULTS: In a cross-sectional study of 253 adults with T1DM, dietary intake was assessed using the EPIC food frequency questionnaire, and MD adherence was measured using the rMED score. Participants were stratified by adherence level (low, medium, high). Glycaemic control was evaluated using HbA1c and CGM metrics. Shotgun metagenomic sequencing of stool samples (n = 103) assessed the gut microbiome. Statistical analyses included ANOVA, PERMANOVA, LEfSe, and machine learning modeling. Higher MD adherence was associated with lower HbA1c levels (7.1 % vs 7.7 %; p < 0.001), greater time in range (67.0 % vs 59.4 %; p-trend = 0.03), and higher HDL cholesterol (1.62 vs 1.39 mmol/L; p = 0.01). High MD adherence was linked to a greater abundance of bacterial species such as Faecalibacterium prausnitzii. Both high MD adherence and lower HbA1c were associated with distinct microbiome functional pathways. Microbiome-based machine learning models predicted dietary patterns and clinical metrics.

CONCLUSIONS: In adults with T1DM, greater MD adherence is associated with better glycaemic control and a favourable gut microbiome. Specific microbial pathways may underlie these associations. Integrating diet and microbiome data supports personalized care. The study was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov with the identifier NCT05936242.

PMID:41484024 | DOI:10.1016/j.numecd.2025.104487

Acad Radiol. 2026 Jan 2:S1076-6332(25)01133-X. doi: 10.1016/j.acra.2025.11.047. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Deep learning image reconstruction (DLIR) has gained recognition as a promising technique to improve image quality in low-dose CT imaging. However, its performance in dual-energy CT portal venography (DE-CTPV), particularly under reduced contrast medium volume and radiation dose (dual-low dose) conditions, remains underexplored.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to compare the performance of DLIR and adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASIR-V) in DE-CTPV, with a focus on image quality across multiple vascular segments of the portal venous (PV) system under dual-low dose protocols.

METHODS: Patients undergoing DE-CTPV were reconstructed using DLIR medium (DLIR-M) and high strength (DLIR-H) and ASIR-V (50%). Image quality was assessed both subjectively and objectively in the main portal vein (MPV), left and right portal veins (LPV, RPV), splenic vein (SV), and superior mesenteric vein (SMV). Objective metrics, including image noise, contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR), and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), were calculated. Additionally, radiation dose parameters (CTDI_vol, DLP, ED) and contrast medium volume were compared with data from previous studies.

RESULTS: In this study, the mean CTDI_vol, DLP, and ED were 9.79 ± 2.13 mGy, 326.26 ± 84.58 mGy·cm, and 4.89 ± 1.27 mSv, respectively. The mean contrast medium volume was 79.5 ± 11.4 mL. DLIR-H significantly enhanced image quality across all vascular segments, achieving substantial reductions in image noise and notable increases in CNR and SNR (P < 0.05). It also received the highest subjective ratings for overall image quality, image noise, vascular edge sharpness, and diagnostic confidence compared to ASIR-V 50%. The use of 55 keV virtual monoenergetic imaging (VMI) further enhanced iodine contrast effectiveness, while DLIR effectively reduced noise, ensuring clearer and more consistent vascular delineation across all assessed vascular segments.

CONCLUSION: DLIR substantially improves image quality in DE-CTPV compared with ASIR-V 50%, even when utilizing dual-low dose protocol. By providing consistent, high-quality imaging across multiple portal venous segments, DLIR may offers a safer and more reliable approach for preoperative evaluation and postoperative monitoring in liver transplantation.

PMID:41484021 | DOI:10.1016/j.acra.2025.11.047

Pain Manag Nurs. 2026 Jan 2:S1524-9042(25)00345-5. doi: 10.1016/j.pmn.2025.12.007. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Chronic overlapping pain conditions (COPCs) are a group of pain conditions that often co-occur and present with challenging nociplastic pain. Individuals with COPCs describe clinician skepticism and prolonged diagnosis, leading to periods of inadequate pain treatment. The lack of methods to identify nociplastic pain in electronic health records (EHRs) limits large-scale studies of nociplastic pain trajectories and phenotyping that could improve treatment.

OBJECTIVE: To develop and validate the Centralized Pain Score (CPS) as a method for identifying nociplastic pain in EHR data.

METHODS: In a large deidentified EHR database, the CPS, which sums central sensitization-weighted COPC ICD codes across individual records, was examined. Descriptive statistics were calculated for three groups: a General Population Group (N = 55,340), a group clinically determined to have nociplastic pain (Nociplastic Pain Group, N = 100), and an Age- and Sex-Matched Group (N = 500). T-tests were used to compare differences in CPS between pairs of these three groups. A post hoc content analysis of clinical documentation was conducted to examine the nomenclature of nociplastic pain.

RESULTS: The Nociplastic Pain Group demonstrated a CPS 8.6-fold higher (mean = 3.7, standard deviation [SD] = 2.9) than the General Population (mean = 0.43, SD = 1.0, p < .001) and 7.9-fold higher than the Age- and Sex-Matched Group (CPS mean = 0.47, SD = 1.1, p < .001). Nociplastic pain was most commonly documented as “central pain syndrome.”

DISCUSSION: Clinicians are documenting nociplastic pain and recommending interventions targeting centralized mechanisms. The CPS appears to capture nociplastic pain. The term central pain syndrome was not intended for nociplastic pain, but it is frequently used.

CONCLUSION: Using the CPS to examine nociplastic pain could improve early detection of nociplastic pain conditions.

PMID:41484019 | DOI:10.1016/j.pmn.2025.12.007

Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol. 2025 Dec 9:S2212-4403(25)01349-5. doi: 10.1016/j.oooo.2025.11.016. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate oral clinical and cytological changes in patients on HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP).

STUDY DESIGN: Clinical evaluations and epithelial cell smears were done on ventral tongue, buccal, and labial mucosa before treatment (T0), after 30 (T30), and 120 days (T120) of PrEP use. Clinical changes were assessed using questionnaires and oral examinations, and a descriptive analysis was performed. Cellular changes were observed through liquid-based exfoliative cytology, and the Wilcoxon and McNemar tests were applied.

RESULTS: Sixty-three patients (60 males, 3 females; mean age 29.65) were included; 36 returned at T30 and 20 at T120. Most frequent complaints were dry mouth and increased fluid intake. Wilcoxon test showed no systematic observer error (P > .05). Karyomegaly increased significantly in all sites at T30 and in ventral tongue and buccal mucosa at T30 and T120 (P < .05). Keratinization increased significantly in buccal mucosa at T30 and ventral tongue at T30 and T120 (P < .05).

CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate an increase in oral epithelial changes during the first 30 and 120 days of PrEP use. Although these changes are nonspecific, continuous oral health monitoring may support early detection of alterations and adherence among patients on HIV PrEP.

PMID:41484006 | DOI:10.1016/j.oooo.2025.11.016