Tag: statistics

Lin Chuang Er Bi Yan Hou Tou Jing Wai Ke Za Zhi. 2026 May;40(5):422-426;431. doi: 10.13201/j.issn.2096-7993.2026.05.002.

ABSTRACT

Objective:To identify reliable anatomical landmarks through endoscopic dissection of the palatovaginal canal（PVC） and to introduce a novel posterior nasal neurectomy（PNN） approach via this canal, while evaluating its clinical efficacy in allergic rhinitis（AR）. Methods:Surgical-route dissection was performed on 10 dry skulls and 2 fresh cadaveric heads to obtain high-definition images of the PVC region. A retrospective analysis was conducted on 30 AR patients who underwent PNN in which the PVC served as the key landmark. Symptom severity was assessed with a visual analogue scale（VAS） pre-operatively and 12 months post-operatively. Results:Critical landmarks for the new approach were identified, including the sphenoidal process of the palatine bone, posterior aperture of the PVC, posterior sulcus, PVC itself, vomerovaginal canal, vaginal process, and sphenopalatine foramen. One year after surgery, mean VAS scores for nasal obstruction, itching, sneezing, rhinorrhea, and overall discomfort were all lower than baseline with statistically significant differences. Aside from transient palatal numbness in five patients, no other complications occurred. Conclusion:Endoscopic PNN via the palatovaginal canal is a safe and effective surgical method for the treatment of allergic rhinitis.

PMID:42037428 | DOI:10.13201/j.issn.2096-7993.2026.05.002

Am J Epidemiol. 2026 Apr 27:kwag073. doi: 10.1093/aje/kwag073. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Unmeasured confounding bias threatens the validity of observational studies. Although sensitivity analyses and study designs have been proposed to address this problem, they often overlook the growing availability of auxiliary data. Using negative controls from these data is a promising new approach to reduce unmeasured confounding bias. In this article, we develop a Bayesian nonparametric method to estimate a causal exposureresponse function (CERF) using information from negative controls to adjust for unmeasured confounding for continuous exposures. We model the CERF as a mixture of linear models. This strategy captures the potential nonlinear shape of CERFs while maintaining computational efficiency, and it leverages closed-form results that hold under the linear model assumption. We assess the performance of our method through simulation studies. We find that the proposed method can recover the true shape of the CERF in the presence of unmeasured confounding under assumptions. To show the practical utility of our approach, we apply it to adjust for a possible unmeasured confounder when evaluating the relationship between long-term exposure to ambient PM2.5 and cardiovascular hospitalization rates among the elderly in the continental US. We implement our estimation procedure in open source software and have made the code publicly available to ensure reproducibility.

PMID:42037424 | DOI:10.1093/aje/kwag073

J Clin Microbiol. 2026 Apr 27:e0122325. doi: 10.1128/jcm.01223-25. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Antibiograms are challenging to construct in long-term care (LTC) homes in part due to low isolate counts and limited precision. Regional-local antibiograms offer a potential solution by using partial pooling, combining data from both the home and the broader LTC population. We developed regional-local urinary antibiograms and compared this approach to standard antibiograms. This cross-sectional study included urine cultures from LTC residents across Ontario. (i) Standard syndromic combined antibiograms were created for each LTC home with ≥30 total isolates. Homes with <30 isolates used the mean of susceptibility for each drug for the entire province. (ii) Partially pooled regional-local antibiograms were constructed using logistic mixed models with a random intercept for each home to ensure each LTC home could be provided a facility-specific antibiogram. We compared susceptibility and rank order of recommended antibiotics using each method. Among 627 LTC homes, 340 (54.2%) met the ≥30 isolate threshold. Regional-local methods allowed for the development of 627 LTC home-specific antibiograms. These methods narrowed susceptibility estimate ranges compared to standard methods (e.g., trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole [TMP-SMX]: 57%-77% vs 37%-90%, respectively). A total of 119 (19.0%) homes had at least one antibiotic with over 80% susceptibility using the standard approach; only 11 (1.8%) homes met this threshold with the regional-local antibiogram. The antibiotic with the highest susceptibility varied based on methodology (amoxicillin-clavulanate for standard vs TMP-SMX for regional-local antibiogram). Regional-local antibiograms allow for the creation of facility-specific antibiograms, even among facilities with small isolate counts. This approach may provide more precise antibiotic susceptibility estimates by reducing misleading inter-facility variation.IMPORTANCELocal antibiograms can help inform empiric antibiotic treatment for long-term care residents with urinary tract infections. However, many facilities have too few isolates to create precise susceptibility estimates. A regional-local antibiogram is a novel strategy that uses a weighted approach: it prioritizes local data where available, but increasingly uses regional population-level data for homes with smaller sample sizes to improve statistical precision and reduce misleading inter-facility variation. This regional-local approach allows for the development of facility-specific antibiograms for a greater number of homes compared to traditional methods of developing antibiograms.

PMID:42037421 | DOI:10.1128/jcm.01223-25

J Virol. 2026 Apr 27:e0022526. doi: 10.1128/jvi.00225-26. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

The ongoing adaptive evolution of Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is characterized by the continued emergence of variants with increased transmissibility and the ability to escape infection- and/or vaccine-induced immunity. This sustained antigenic evolution has necessitated updates to COVID-19 vaccine compositions to better match circulating viral variants. To optimize protection against emerging variants, a reliable means of predicting the immune escape of novel variants is needed to enable at-risk preparation of new vaccine strain compositions. Herein, we describe the development and applications of a quantitative risk calculator that predicts relative immune escape of SARS-CoV-2 variants using a statistical modeling framework. The approach integrates large-scale, experimentally derived spike-antibody epitope and escape maps with serum neutralization data generated using pseudotyped viruses and clinical sera. By aggregating site-level escape information into a strain-level metric, the calculator enables the grouping of antigenically related SARS-CoV-2 variants to guide strain selection for at-risk vaccine design and preparation, in anticipation of seasonal strain change recommendations by global public health agencies and the WHO. Here, we demonstrate the utility of this framework through retrospective and prospective strain selection exercises for the XBB.1.5-, JN.1/KP.2-, and LP.8.1-adapted mRNA-1273 COVID-19 vaccines during the 2023-2026 seasons, respectively. In all cases, model predictions were largely supported by clinical immunogenicity data and aligned with subsequent recommendations by global public health agencies.IMPORTANCEWe present a framework to estimate the relative immune escape potential of emerging variants by integrating previously published experimental epitope-level escape data with serum neutralization measurements. By consolidating mutation-level effects into a strain-level metric, this approach enables classification of antigenically similar variants. Retrospective and prospective applications demonstrate that model-based assessments are consistent with observed immunogenicity data. This framework provides a practical tool to support preparedness efforts by informing at-risk vaccine development activities in advance of seasonal strain selection guidance.

PMID:42037411 | DOI:10.1128/jvi.00225-26

Biol Open. 2026 Apr 15;15(4):bio062411. doi: 10.1242/bio.062411. Epub 2026 Apr 27.

ABSTRACT

Over the last 15 years, an optical density (OD-based) technique to quantify bacterial killing assays (BKAs) has been steadily gaining in popularity. This technique uses spectrophotometry to quantify bacterial growth, rather than the colony counts (CFUs) used previously, and reduces the time, resources, and variability inherent to the assay. However, we argue that the OD-based method relies on assumptions that are not true of all immune components, such as leukocytes, and that methods may not be interchangeable. We performed a targeted literature review focused on the methodology of BKAs across vertebrate taxa in ecoimmunology. We then compared the CFU and OD-based methods using leukocytes isolated from Mojave desert tortoises (Gopherus agassizii) and analyzed the quantification method and bactericidal ability using correlation and agreement statistics. Our results suggest poor agreement between techniques, and that immunological processes in cell-based BKAs are likely changing the optical properties of the cultures.

PMID:42037363 | DOI:10.1242/bio.062411

Sheng Wu Yi Xue Gong Cheng Xue Za Zhi. 2026 Apr 25;43(2):421-427. doi: 10.7507/1001-5515.202504010.

ABSTRACT

With the increasing aging worldwide, the age-related neurodegenerative diseases are becoming more and more prevalent. Brain age, as a critical biological marker for assessing normal brain aging and indicating disease progression, has been widely applied in the early diagnosis and evaluation of neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s disease (PD). This paper systematically elaborates on three types of methods for PD brain age prediction: statistical methods, traditional Machine learning (ML), and Deep learning (DL), from the perspectives of methodological overview and clinical application of PD brain age predication. For the first aspect, the PD brain age prediction workflow, statistical methods, ML methods, and DL methods are sequentially outlined; in the second aspect, the current clinical application status of the three types of PD brain age prediction methods is introduced. Finally, a summary and outlook are provided. This review not only provides important references for research on PD brain age prediction, but also offers novel approaches for evaluating human brain health, thus holding significant scientific and clinical value.

PMID:42037347 | DOI:10.7507/1001-5515.202504010

Sheng Wu Yi Xue Gong Cheng Xue Za Zhi. 2026 Apr 25;43(2):221-226. doi: 10.7507/1001-5515.202511040.

ABSTRACT

Compared to non-absorbable medical devices, the design and evaluation of repeated exposure systemic toxicity tests for absorbable medical devices present unique challenges. This article discusses the special considerations for conducting such tests on absorbable medical devices. Based on regulatory documentation, scientific literature and practical experience, and focusing on the degradation and metabolic characteristics of absorbable medical devices, the analysis summarizes personalized test design strategies from key aspects such as test duration and data collection points, exposure routes, dose design, sample preparation, and pathological examination. This article proposes the following points: ① the test duration should cover the in vivo degradation and absorption process of the medical device material, with multiple data collection points established according to the product’s degradation kinetics to reveal the time-effect relationship of toxic responses; ② the exposure route must closely simulate clinical use, as it directly affects the metabolic pathways and toxicological manifestations of degradation products; ③ dose group design should move beyond the traditional “limit test” approach by employing multiple dose groups to uncover potential dose-response relationships; and ④ result evaluation requires appropriate statistical methods to integrate pathological data from different dose groups, determine the relationship between toxic responses and the test samples, and analyze the relevance of toxic responses to clinical applications to guide clinical practice. This article provides a specific and practical reference for the accurate and objective assessment of repeated exposure systemic toxicity risks associated with absorbable medical devices.

PMID:42037323 | DOI:10.7507/1001-5515.202511040

Elife. 2026 Apr 27;15:e111163. doi: 10.7554/eLife.111163.

ABSTRACT

Apparent neural encoding of future words may arise from the statistical structure of language itself, rather than from predictive computations in the brain.

PMID:42037295 | DOI:10.7554/eLife.111163

Cell Physiol Biochem. 2026 Apr 24;60(2):199-212. doi: 10.33594/000000862.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND/AIMS: This study aimed to apply ultra-broadband micromechanical ultrasound (UMUS) for correction of myelosuppression caused by the cytotoxic effects of cyclophosphamide without limiting its antitumor efficacy.

METHODS: The study included animals bearing transplanted Ehrlich carcinoma. Cyclophosphamide (CP) was administered once daily for three consecutive days starting on day 8 of tumor growth at a cumulative dose of 330 mg/kg per mouse. After completion of CP administration, a subset of animals was exposed to UMUS irradiation once daily for five days. Control groups included mice without tumors and tumor-bearing mice not exposed to CP or UMUS. Tumor growth kinetics were analyzed, and quantitative parameters of peripheral blood, bone marrow, and spleen were determined.

RESULTS: The obtained data indicate that UMUS exposure does not reduce the antitumor efficacy of CP but is associated with enhanced recovery of the hematopoietic system and exerts a positive effect on bone marrow regeneration. This is confirmed by a statistically significant increase in the number of cells in specific bone marrow hematopoietic pools, including myelokaryocytes, blast cells, erythroid, lymphoid, and megakaryocytic cells.

CONCLUSION: UMUS exposure was associated with accelerated recovery of multiple hematopoietic lineages in the bone marrow following cyclophosphamide-induced injury, without compromising antitumor efficacy.

PMID:42037274 | DOI:10.33594/000000862

Turk J Ophthalmol. 2026 Apr 27;56(2):74-80. doi: 10.4274/tjo.galenos.2026.53912.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the visual, refractive, tomographic, and aberrometric outcomes of epithelial-island corneal collagen crosslinking (CXL) treatment in halting progression in keratoconic eyes with thin corneas.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the charts of consecutive patients with advanced keratoconus who had a thinnest corneal thickness (TCT) of <380 μm as measured by anterior segment optic coherence tomography and underwent epithelial-island CXL. The procedure involved tomography-guided customized epithelial debridement, followed by corneal saturation with iso-osmolar and hypo-osmolar riboflavin solutions and ultraviolet-A irradiation (30 min, 3.0 mW/cm²). Best spectacle-corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA), manifest refraction (MR), slit lamp biomicroscopy, corneal tomography, corneal aberrometry, and endothelial cell count (ECC) were evaluated before CXL and at postoperative months 12 and 24.

RESULTS: The study included 10 eyes of 9 patients with a median age of 29.5 (range, 17-51) years. The median postoperative follow-up time was 24.0 (12.0-108.0) months. The median preoperative TCT was 324.0 (232.0-380.0) μm. Preoperatively, the median CDVA was 1.00 (0.70-1.80) logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution, MR spherical equivalent was -18.00 (-25.00 to -6.00) diopters (D), maximum keratometry value was 84.75 (59.80-99.00) D, vertical coma was -1.068 (-6.428 to 0.613) D, and ECC was 2568 (2021-2750) cells/mm². At postoperative year 1 and year 2, there were no statistically significant changes in any of these parameters (all p>0.05). No significant haze, endothelial cell loss, or any other clinically significant adverse event was encountered in any of the eyes.

CONCLUSION: Epithelial-island CXL seems to be an effective alternative treatment modality in halting progression in keratoconic eyes with thin corneas. Further studies with a longer follow-up and a larger sample size would help to establish the long-term safety and efficacy of this treatment modality.

PMID:42037249 | DOI:10.4274/tjo.galenos.2026.53912