Tag: statistics

Aging Male. 2025 Dec 11;28(1):2568729. doi: 10.1080/13685538.2025.2568729. Epub 2025 Oct 29.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To systematically compare the efficacy and safety of medications in elderly with overactive bladder.

METHODS: Pubmed, Embase, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Register of Clinical Trials databases were systematically searched from database inception to July 25, 2023, and randomized, controlled, double-blind trials for overactive bladder in the elderly were screened according to the protocol. Data were analyzed using Stata17.0.

RESULTS: In terms of reducing Micturitions, the interventions were ranked: trospium chloride (TRO), fesoterodine (FES) 4/8 mg, vibegron (VIB), mirabegron (MIR) 25/50 mg, tolterodine ER (TOL) 4 mg, placebo (PBO), of which only TOL showed no significant difference compared to placebo; Forsafety, the TEAE of TOL 4/8 mg had the highest incidence and was significantly different from others; MIR, VIB, and FES 4mg were well-tolerated regarding dry mouth and constipation; TOL 4 mg, FES 4/8 mg, and VIB showed a statistically increase from placebo for headache and FES 4/8mg and MIR 25 mg showed a statistically increase for dizziness.

CONCLUSIONS: TRO 60 mg has the best efficacy in reducing micturitions, but increases the incidence of dry mouth and constipation; VIB and MIR are well tolerated in dry mouth and constipation, but may increase the risk of headache or dizziness.

PMID:41159930 | DOI:10.1080/13685538.2025.2568729

J Health Organ Manag. 2025 Oct 30:1-19. doi: 10.1108/JHOM-10-2024-0416. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: To determine the relationship between nursing care satisfaction levels and nursing image perceptions of patients hospitalized in inpatient units of a university hospital.

DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: This is a descriptive, correlational and cross-sectional study. The study data were collected from 610 patients hospitalized in the inpatient units of a university hospital with the Introductory Information Form, Patient Perception of Hospital Experience with Nursing Care and the Nursing Image Scale. Descriptive analyses, independent groups t-test, one-way analysis of variance, Mann-Whitney U test, Kruskal-Wallis test and Spearman correlation analysis were employed in the analysis of the data.

FINDINGS: It was determined that the Nursing Image Scale scores differed statistically significantly according to the participants’ age, education level, state of thinking that they received quality nursing care and nursing image perception of the participants. It can be stated that the satisfaction of the patients participating in the study with the nursing care provided is high, and the nursing image they perceive is at a high level and positive. A positive and significant relationship was found between the participants’ nursing care satisfaction levels and their perceptions of nursing image (r = 0.502, p < 0.01).

ORIGINALITY/VALUE: The results of the study are very important in terms of showing the effect of the image of nursing not only in terms of the development of the profession but also on the perception of the care provided. It is recommended that health institutions and managers determine more strategies in this regard because it affects the preferability of their institutions and the satisfaction of the care provided.

PMID:41159922 | DOI:10.1108/JHOM-10-2024-0416

Expert Rev Proteomics. 2025 Oct 29. doi: 10.1080/14789450.2025.2580647. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Recent advances in multi-omic technologies and computational tools have enabled comprehensive studies of cancer that integrate proteomics, genomics, transcriptomics, and metabolomics to improve disease understanding and outcomes.

AREAS COVERED: 1. Recent improvements in throughput and decreasing sample mass requirements have enabled deep analysis of hundreds of human samples in multi-omic studies, increasing the statistical rigor of these studies and facilitating comparisons across clinical and demographic categories.2. Despite advances in statistical modeling, machine learning, and pathway-aware analysis, the principal outcome from these observational studies remains correlational – strong statistical associations between omic features and clinical characteristics, including clinical outcomes.3. Demonstration of causal relationships requires multi-pronged mechanistic experiments involving techniques in molecular and cellular biology that are distinct from the analytical and computational skills needed to generate these datasets.Database used: National Library of Medicine PubMed database.

EXPERT OPINION: True clinical utility depends on the demonstration of causal relationships between candidate targets and the biomedical process of interest. Enhanced collaboration with molecular and cellular biologists skilled in the use of modern tools of genetic manipulation and engineered model systems is required to realize the full translational potential of even the most comprehensive multi-omic studies.

PMID:41159901 | DOI:10.1080/14789450.2025.2580647

J Periodontol. 2025 Oct 29. doi: 10.1002/JPER.24-0707. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: A self-reported questionnaire developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and American Academy of Periodontology (CDC/AAP) has demonstrated adequate reliability for evaluating periodontal status in national surveillance surveys–which has been translated and validated in multiple languages–but has not yet been tested in Thai. Therefore, this cross-sectional study evaluated the validity of the CDC/AAP self‑report questionnaire for periodontitis in a Thai population.

METHODS: The Thai version of CDC/AAP self-reported questionnaire was developed. Full-mouth periodontal examinations were performed, and periodontitis was diagnosed using CDC/AAP 2012 or European Federation of Periodontology (EFP)/AAP 2018 case definition. Association between questionnaire responses and a periodontitis diagnosis was assessed using multiple regression modeling. Several predictive models were constructed and their validity assessed using receiver operating characteristic curves.

RESULTS: The study included 250 participants resided in Chiang Mai, Thailand, aged 20-82 years, with 83.6% and 84.4% diagnosed with periodontitis based on CDC/AAP 2012 and EFP/AAP 2018 case definitions, respectively. CDC/AAP questions revealed a satisfactory performance in predicting CDC/AAP-defined severe periodontitis and EFP/AAP-defined stage III/IV periodontitis. Additional questions regarding demographic data and periodontal risk factors improved the performance. Reduced model constructed using stepwise regression yielded sensitivity versus specificity of 57.8% versus 84.0% and 79.4% versus 81.4% for predicting CDC/AAP-defined severe periodontitis and EFP/AAP-defined stage III/IV periodontitis, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS: The questionnaire in Thai version demonstrated better performance in predicting advanced stages of periodontitis when combined with demographic variables and periodontal risk factors. Our findings highlight the potential utility of this tool in diverse populations.

PLAIN LANGUAGE SUMMARY: Despite being one of the most common diseases in humans, periodontal disease diagnosis is not easy at the individual and surveillance levels. Efforts have been made to assemble tools to ease the process, and questionnaires are an auspicious tool. This study aimed to validate the self-reported questionnaire developed by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in collaboration with the American Academy of Periodontology for predicting periodontal disease in the Thai population. The validity of the questionnaires was assessed by comparing the self-reported responses to the data collected through a full-mouth examination by a third-year resident from the Periodontology Residency Training Program. In our study, questions related to signs of the disease showed promising validity as a predictive variable for periodontitis, especially its severe form, and the questionnaires performed better when used together with other questions, such as age and education level.

PMID:41159894 | DOI:10.1002/JPER.24-0707

J Infect Dis. 2025 Oct 29:jiaf544. doi: 10.1093/infdis/jiaf544. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Schistosomiasis and malaria are major poverty-related parasitic infectious diseases. They are often co-endemic and affect similar target populations. Mass drug administration and intermittent preventive treatment programs are commonly used for their control. From a programmatic perspective the conception of preventive treatment programs targeting both diseases simultaneously would be a great advantage. While there is preliminary evidence that certain anti-malarial drugs exert a clinically important effect on Schistosomes, little is known on whether praziquantel (PZQ), the only licensed drug to treat schistosomiasis, has activity against Plasmodium parasites. Therefore, the CORMA-MAL study was conducted to evaluate anti-malarial activity of PZQ.

METHODS: This double-blinded, randomized, placebo-controlled phase IIb trial was conducted in Lambaréné, Gabon and recruited semi-immune adults with an asymptomatic P. falciparum parasitemia. Participants were randomized (1:1) to receive placebo or 40mg/kg PZQ once daily for three days and followed up for a total of seven days.

RESULTS: 44 participants were recruited. Analytical models indicated a highly significant hourly reduction of microscopically-determined parasitemia in the PZQ arm and a non-significant decreasing trend in the placebo group (regression slopes of log10-transformed parasitemia: β=-0.006 [p<0.001] and β=-0.0013 [p=0.3], respectively). However, in total only 9/22 (41%) in the PZQ arm compared to 6/22 (27%) in the placebo arm reached parasite clearance by D7.

CONCLUSIONS: Findings demonstrate a statistically significant anti-malarial activity of PZQ; however, the observed effect is only moderate compared to current first-line anti-malarial treatments. Future research should investigate the synergistic potential of combining PZQ and antimalarial drugs in malaria and schistosomiasis control.

TRIAL REGISTRATION: The trial was registered in the Pan African Clinical Trials Registry (PACTR); Registration number: PACTR202206584817951; Date of Approval: 10/JUN/2022; URL: https://pactr.samrc.ac.za/TrialDisplay.aspx?TrialID=22586).

PMID:41159886 | DOI:10.1093/infdis/jiaf544

Dent Med Probl. 2025 Oct 28. doi: 10.17219/dmp/210478. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Cohen has emphasized that the recommended thresholds for effect sizes should only be used in the absence of detailed information about effect size distributions within specific fields.

OBJECTIVES: The study aimed to establish updated effect size thresholds (Cohen’s d, Hedges’ g and Pearson’s r) tailored for research in dentistry.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: Following methodologies from prior research on effect sizes, the data was extracted from meta-analyses published in the top 10 ranked dentistry journals. The 25th, 50th and 75th percentiles were calculated for Pearson’s r values, as well as for Cohen’s d or Hedges’ g. A total of 4,250 studies were analyzed, with statistical analyses conducted using the R programming language.

RESULTS: The 25th, 50th and 75th percentiles for Pearson’s r in individual differences research were 0.16, 0.40 and 0.67, respectively. For Hedges’ g, the percentiles corresponding to small, medium and large effect sizes were 0.10, 0.35 and 0.86, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS: In light of these findings, researchers in the field of dentistry are encouraged to adopt the following thresholds: for Pearson’s r, 0.20 for small effects, 0.40 for medium effects and 0.70 for large effects; and for Cohen’s d or Hedges’ g, 0.10 for small effects, 0.40 for medium effects and 0.90 for large effects. These updated thresholds can improve the rigor and quality of dental research, ultimately benefiting patients through enhanced diagnostics and treatment strategies.

PMID:41159861 | DOI:10.17219/dmp/210478

J Clin Psychiatry. 2025 Oct 27;86(4):25m15881. doi: 10.4088/JCP.25m15881.

ABSTRACT

Objective: Brief social contact-based video interventions are effective in decreasing self-stigma and increasing treatment-seeking intentions. The present study is the first to target essential workers with self-reported anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic. We hypothesized that viewers of the intervention would show greater increases in treatment-seeking intentions than nonviewers and that those without prior mental health diagnoses or care would have larger increases than those with past mental health care engagement. Additionally, participants who were more emotionally engaged with the intervention would experience greater treatment-seeking intention increases.

Methods: This randomized controlled trial recruited 1,309 essential workers via crowdsourcing who self-reported threshold levels of anxiety, depression, or PTSD symptoms to view either a brief social contact-based video intervention or a control video. Participants’ treatment-seeking intentions were assessed using 3 items from the Attitudes Toward Seeking Professional Psychological Help-Short Form at baseline, immediately postintervention, and 30 days afterward.

Results: Generalized estimating equation (GEE) analyses revealed an immediate group-by-time effect of increased treatment-seeking intentions in the intervention group (P = .006, Cohen d = 0.22). Further GEE analyses revealed significant effects among individuals in the intervention group without prior psychiatric diagnoses (P < .001, Cohen d = 0.41), as compared to those with psychiatric diagnoses, and among those without prior treatment experience (P < .001, Cohen d = 0.40) compared to those who had. Participants who were more emotionally engaged experienced significantly greater increases in treatment-seeking intentions (P < .001).

Conclusion: All hypotheses were supported, indicating the efficacy of a brief video intervention in increasing treatment-seeking intentions among essential workers with clinical needs. These results highlight the ability of brief, easily disseminated interventions to reach those most in need of care and effectively increase treatment-seeking intentions.

Trial Registration: Trial identifier: NCT05826132.

PMID:41159853 | DOI:10.4088/JCP.25m15881

Arch Iran Med. 2025 Sep 1;28(9):506-513. doi: 10.34172/aim.34624. Epub 2025 Sep 1.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Surgical site infections (SSIs), particularly after spinal procedures, remain a major concern despite advances in infection control. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and associated risk factors of postoperative spinal infections in northwestern Iran.

METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 500 adult patients (≥18 years) who underwent spinal surgery in two referral hospitals in Tabriz (Imam Reza and Shohada) between March 2019 and February 2024. Postoperative infections were confirmed by infectious disease specialists. Data on demographics and surgical variables (including surgical site, approach, duration, blood loss, and transfusion) were collected using a standardized checklist. Statistical analyses were conducted in SPSS version 23.0 using Chi-squared and independent samples t-tests. Logistic regression was performed to estimate adjusted odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

RESULTS: The prevalence of postoperative spinal infections was 6%. Staphylococcus aureus was the most common pathogen (66.7%). Significant risk factors included female sex, older age, corticosteroid use, diabetes mellitus, longer surgery duration (>4 hours), blood loss (>1 liter), and blood transfusion (P<0.05). Diabetes (OR=5.90, 95% CI: 2.30-15.20) and prolonged surgery (OR=6.90, 95% CI: 2.50-19.00) showed the strongest associations. No significant associations were found for BMI, smoking, hypertension, CRP, ESR, surgical site, or technique.

CONCLUSION: A 6% infection rate was identified, with several clinical and demographic factors increasing risk. Recognizing these predictors is essential for prevention. Broader, multi-center studies are recommended to validate findings and inform national surgical infection control policies.

PMID:41159353 | DOI:10.34172/aim.34624

Arch Iran Med. 2025 Aug 1;28(8):443-451. doi: 10.34172/aim.34506. Epub 2025 Aug 1.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Chronic low-grade inflammation is implicated in diabetic microvascular complications, but the relationship between circulating high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and diabetic retinopathy (DR) in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) remains incompletely defined. We evaluated whether plasma hs-CRP levels are independently associated with DR presence and severity in a cohort of T2DM patients.

METHODS: In this analytical cross-sectional study, 149 T2DM patients referring to endocrinology and ophthalmology clinics at Babol University of Medical Sciences (April 2022-June 2023) were categorized into no DR (n=50), non-proliferative DR (NPDR; n=49), and proliferative DR (PDR; n=50) groups. Comprehensive ophthalmic examination classified DR stage. We measured hs-CRP (low: 0-1 mg/L, moderate: 1-3 mg/mL, high:>3 mg/mL), HbA1c, fasting blood sugar (FBS), and total cholesterol in fasting blood samples. Statistical analysis was performed with SPSS v.22.

RESULTS: Mean hs-CRP concentrations rose progressively with DR severity: 2.71±1.14 mg/L (no DR), 4.89±5.31 mg/L (NPDR), and 10.60±9.24 mg/L (PDR; P=0.023). After adjusting for age, sex, diabetes duration, HbA1c, BMI, hypertension, smoking, cholesterol, and treatment, each 1 mg/L increase in hs-CRP was associated with 1.40-fold higher odds of DR (OR 1.40; 95% CI 1.08-1.94; P=0.011). Other independent predictors included longer diabetes duration (OR 1.19 per year; 95% CI 1.10-1.29; P<0.001), higher HbA1c (OR 1.62 per %; 95% CI 1.06-2.48; P=0.023), and female sex (OR 3.25; 95% CI 1.11-9.52; P=0.031).

CONCLUSION: High hs-CRP levels correlate with DR severity in T2DM, highlighting inflammation’s role and potential for early detection strategies.

PMID:41159344 | DOI:10.34172/aim.34506

Phys Chem Chem Phys. 2025 Oct 29. doi: 10.1039/d5cp02522b. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

It has been demonstrated that quantum effects play an important role in nitrogen adatom diffusion over partially Ga-covered GaN(0001) surfaces. This is partially related to the bonding in both the initial and activated complex states. It is shown that wurtzite gallium nitride is bonded differently from standard semiconductors having two separate valence subbands: upper by gallium 4sp³ hybridized orbitals and nitrogen resonant 2p states, and lower by gallium 3d and nitrogen 2s orbitals. Second, the diffusion energy barrier may be changed owing to the quantum statistics of electrons governed by the Fermi energy, as shown in the case of nitrogen diffusion over a clean and gallium-covered Ga-terminated GaN(0001) surface. Under fractional Ga coverage of the GaN(0001) surface, the nitrogen diffusion energy barrier is at the saddle point. The barrier affects the electron redistribution between the surface quantum states at both the initial and saddle points. In the case of full GaN coverage, the diffusion path is from the top N adatom configuration to the H3 site, which corresponds to the maximal energy. Therefore the diffusion barrier is ΔE_bar = 1.18 eV for clean and ΔE_bar = 0.92 eV for (1/6) ML to finally ΔE_bar = 1.23 eV for full Ga coverage. Thus, the overall barrier was ΔE_bar = 0.92 eV. The identified stable N-on-top configuration for Ga coverage is essential for the GaN growth mechanism.

PMID:41159340 | DOI:10.1039/d5cp02522b