Tag: statistics

J Mother Child. 2025 Feb 11;28(1):113-128. doi: 10.34763/jmotherandchild.20242801.d-24-00038. eCollection 2024 Feb 1.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Women with sensory disabilities, including deafness and blindness, face significant barriers to equitable healthcare in pregnancy, childbirth, and postnatal care. Representing over 5% of the global population-a number expected to rise-these women often encounter discrimination, limited information access, and inadequate childbirth support, increasing pregnancy-related risks.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: This systematic review examines childbirth methods for women with sensory disabilities and the healthcare barriers they face during prenatal, perinatal, and postnatal periods. Using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2020 methodology, searches were performed in PubMed, Scopus, BioMed Central, and Cochrane Library databases. From 270 relevant studies, 10 met the inclusion criteria, comprising 8 quantitative and 2 qualitative studies. All studies were critically appraised using the Caldwell framework.

RESULTS: The review identified that women with sensory disabilities, particularly those who are deaf or blind, experience higher rates of caesarean sections compared to women without disabilities. However, a significant proportion of women in this demographic group successfully deliver vaginally. The review also highlighted substantial healthcare barriers, including inadequate communication between patients and healthcare providers, limited information regarding childbirth options, and insufficient postnatal care. Discrimination and obstetric violence were reported in several studies, further exacerbating the healthcare experiences of these women.

CONCLUSIONS: This study highlights the urgent need for healthcare systems to enhance communication, accessibility, and support for women with sensory disabilities. An equity and inclusion framework in maternal care should ensure that these women receive adequate and respectful healthcare. Addressing these gaps will improve outcomes for mothers and newborns and reduce discrimination and inequitable treatment.

PMID:39938073 | DOI:10.34763/jmotherandchild.20242801.d-24-00038

Am J Phys Med Rehabil. 2025 Feb 12. doi: 10.1097/PHM.0000000000002715. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effects of neuromuscular electrical stimulation combined with lumbar stabilization exercises on lumbar multifidus muscle thickness, disability, pain, depression, anxiety, and fear-avoidance beliefs in patients with chronic low back pain; and to examine the correlation between ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging of the lumbar multifidus.

DESIGN: Forty patients aged 18-65 years were randomized into two groups: Group 1: exercise and Group 2: exercise + neuromuscular electrical stimulation. The participants underwent 15-session electrical stimulation and/or exercise (3 days/week). All outcome measures assessed at baseline, post-treatment, and 3 months after. Multifidus cross-sectional area on magnetic resonance imaging was measured only at baseline.

RESULTS: Multifidus thickness increased, and pain decreased significantly in both groups, more prominent in Group 2. Disability, depression, and fear-avoidance beliefs scores significantly decreased in both groups, while anxiety decreased only in Group 1. Both magnetic resonance and ultrasound measurements demonstrated excellent inter-rater reliability and statistically significant correlations.

CONCLUSION: Both groups improved in terms of pain, disability, psychological status and muscle thickness. Neuromuscular electrical stimulation adjunct to lumbar stabilization exercises demonstrated enhanced effectiveness in increasing lumbar multifidus thickness.

PMID:39938065 | DOI:10.1097/PHM.0000000000002715

Clin Exp Dermatol. 2025 Feb 12:llaf065. doi: 10.1093/ced/llaf065. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Psoriasis is a common autoimmune inflammatory disease. Vitamin B6 is crucial for the body’s inflammatory response, yet the relationship between pyridoxal 5′-phosphate (PLP), 4-pyridoxic acid (4-PA), and vitamin B6 turnover (4-PA/PLP) in psoriasis remains unexplored.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship of PLP, 4-PA and vitamin B6 catabolism with the risk of psoriasis.

METHODS: This cross-sectional study analyzed 7,540 participants from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Vitamin B6 catabolism was assessed via the serum 4-PA to PLP ratio (4-PA/PLP). The primary outcome was psoriasis, evaluated using weighted univariate and multivariate logistic regression to determine odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). Subgroup analyses were performed by age, gender, body mass index (BMI), hypertension, dyslipidemia, and cardiovascular disease (CVD).

RESULTS: Out of the participants, 208 had psoriasis. After adjusting for confounders, 4-PA levels in cutoff above group were positively associated with psoriasis (OR=1.51, 95% CI: 1.03-2.20). Additionally, 4-PA/PLP correlated with increased psoriasis risk (OR=1.82, 95% CI: 1.02-3.26). However, PLP levels did not show a significant association. The positive link between 4-PA/PLP and psoriasis was consistent in individuals with BMI ≥25 kg/m², hypertension, and those without dyslipidemia.

CONCLUSION: The results revealed significant association of 4-PA and 4-PA/PLP level with the presence of psoriasis. However, further extensive prospective studies are necessary to establish causality.

PMID:39938060 | DOI:10.1093/ced/llaf065

Am J Public Health. 2025 Mar;115(3):414-424. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2024.307921.

ABSTRACT

Objectives. To identify factors associated with persistent COVID-19 vaccine refusal among Nebraska residents 6 months after an initial COVID-19 diagnosis. Methods. Using case investigation surveillance data and vaccination records from the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, a cohort of 16 344 unvaccinated, COVID-19‒confirmed individuals (May 2021‒February 2023) were asked for their reason for nonvaccination (RNV), then followed for 6 months to assess subsequent vaccination status. We used a modified Poisson regression to estimate risk of unvaccinated status at follow-up against predictors, including RNV, demographic characteristics, adherence to mitigation measures, hospitalization, and rurality. Results. Compared with those whose RNV was missed opportunity/lack of convenience, individuals who cited religious exemption (adjusted incidence risk ratio [AIRR = 1.36; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.31, 1.41), philosophical objection (AIRR = 1.28; 95% CI = 1.24, 1.34), or institutional confidence/complacency concerns (AIRR = 1.26; 95% CI = 1.19, 1.33) showed greatest risk of nonvaccination. Older age, nonadherence to mitigation measures, and higher rurality are positively associated with nonvaccination. Minority status and hospitalization were correlated with vaccination. Conclusions. Ideology-centered objections held significant weight among previously infected individuals who displayed sustained reluctance toward COVID-19 vaccination. Distinguishing sources of misinformation among ideologically similar communities could instigate reconsideration for vaccination. (Am J Public Health. 2025;115(3):414-424. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2024.307921).

PMID:39938043 | DOI:10.2105/AJPH.2024.307921

Am J Public Health. 2025 Mar;115(3):397-402. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2024.307918.

ABSTRACT

Objectives. To measure the effect of the ROE Act on abortion timing for adolescents aged 16 to 17 years in Massachusetts. Methods. The primary outcome was gestational duration at abortion for individuals aged 16 to 19 years at Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts from 2017 to 2022. Our control group included individuals aged 18 to 19 years undergoing abortions. In our primary analysis, we used a comparative interrupted time series with a linear model to capture temporal trends, seasonality, whether an abortion was undergone during the acute phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, previous abortion, and race/ethnicity categories. Results. Minors aged 16 to 17 years underwent 749 abortions during the study. Individuals aged 18 to 19 years underwent 2773 abortions. The ROE Act resulted in a 5.46-day decrease in gestational duration at abortion among minors (95% confidence interval = -11.82, 0.91). Conclusions. Removal of the parental involvement requirement for adolescents aged 16 to 17 years in Massachusetts led to minors undergoing abortions at earlier gestational durations, highlighting the importance of potential impacts of similar legislation to decrease barriers to abortion access for minors. (Am J Public Health. 2025;115(3):397-402. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2024.307918).

PMID:39938038 | DOI:10.2105/AJPH.2024.307918

Am J Public Health. 2025 Mar;115(3):387-396. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2024.307917.

ABSTRACT

Objectives. To assess contraceptive service changes during the Family Planning Elevated (FPE) Contraceptive Access Program in Utah clinics from 2018 to 2023. Methods. We assessed de-identified electronic health record data on female clients aged 18 to 50 years from intervention and matched control sites. We used comparative interrupted time series analyses comparing total number of contraceptive services and their proportion relative to visits between intervention and control sites before, during, and after FPE. Results. Intervention sites provided on average 1.76 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.17, 2.66) times as many contraceptive services per month as controls during the 24-month intervention period, with no significant decreases in services noted in the postintervention period. The proportions of total visits related to family planning decreased by a factor of 0.70 (95% CI = 0.52, 0.94) during the intervention period. However, this effect was mitigated at intervention sites where proportions of contraceptive services were 1.44 (95% CI = 0.97, 2.14) times greater than control sites and did not significantly decrease after the intervention. Conclusions. Contraceptive access initiatives have capacity to make meaningful change in communities where they are employed, even after they end. (Am J Public Health. 2025;115(3):387-396. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2024.307917).

PMID:39938037 | DOI:10.2105/AJPH.2024.307917

JCO Precis Oncol. 2025 Feb;9:e2400675. doi: 10.1200/PO-24-00675. Epub 2025 Feb 12.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: CD276 (B7-H3) is an immunoregulatory protein that plays an important role in the inhibition of T-cell function. CD276 is overexpressed on a variety of human solid cancer cells with limited expression in normal tissues, making it an appealing target for innovative cancer immunotherapy approaches. Pleural mesothelioma (PM) is a highly aggressive disease with a need for new treatment options. Our objective was to investigate the expression of CD276 in the multicenter PM cohort of the European Thoracic Oncology Platform Mesoscape project and correlate the results with annotated clinical data.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Using tissue microarrays (TMAs), the expression of CD276, assessed using a semiquantitative aggregate H-score method on the membrane (and secondarily in the cytoplasm), was correlated with clinicopathologic characteristics and survival outcome.

RESULTS: CD276 immunohistochemistry results were available for 353 patients, with mostly epithelioid histology (71%). Membranous CD276 expression was present in 86%. High membranous CD276 expression (H-score ≥the median H-score of 120) was significantly more common in females (P = .0029; 71% v 47%) and in epithelioid histology (P < .001; 59% v 29%), whereas no significant association in clinical outcome (overall survival [OS]/progression-free survival) was found. Cross-validation of the TMA method using whole sections revealed a moderate agreement for membranous assessment (Cohen’s kappa = 0.47) and a lower agreement for cytoplasm assessment (Cohen’s kappa = 0.37). In an exploratory analysis, high cytoplasmic CD276 expression was associated with worse prognosis (OS, log-rank P = .043), but was not significant when adjusting for other clinical variables.

CONCLUSION: Although no prognostic value of CD276 expression was found, its high membranous expression (86%) in the PM samples of the study supports further research of its potential as a therapeutic target for this disease.

PMID:39938010 | DOI:10.1200/PO-24-00675

J Am Coll Health. 2025 Feb 12:1-13. doi: 10.1080/07448481.2025.2461606. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Objective: Campus sexual misconduct causes adverse physical, mental, behavioral, reproductive, and financial consequences. Informing prevention efforts at federal, state, and institution levels requires valid data. We assessed the appropriateness of Clery Act Campus Crime Statistics data for evaluating campus sexual misconduct. Participants: We sampled 40 institutions within the American Association of Universities (AAU) from 2014 to 2020. Methods: We determined annual differences between rates of sexual misconduct reported in public Clery Act data and those reported by institutional Title IX coordinator offices (which are not required to be public). Results: Clery Act data offer a considerable undercount relative to Title IX Office sexual misconduct data. The magnitude of the differences was similar in both the institutions that published Title IX data and those that did not. Conclusions: Clery Act data are not appropriate for evaluating campus sexual misconduct, necessitating policy steps that require standardization and publication of Title IX Office data.

PMID:39937991 | DOI:10.1080/07448481.2025.2461606

ACS Nano. 2025 Feb 12. doi: 10.1021/acsnano.4c16468. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Glycerol electrolysis is a promising strategy for generating hydrogen at the cathode and value-added products at the anode. However, the effect of the atomic distribution within catalysts on their catalytic performance remains largely unexplored, primarily because of the inherent complexity of the glycerol oxidation reaction (GOR). Herein, an ordered Pt₃Mn (O-Pt₃Mn) intermetallic compound and a disordered Pt₃Mn (D-Pt₃Mn) alloy are used as model catalysts, and their performance in the GOR and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is studied. O-Pt₃Mn consistently outperforms D-Pt₃Mn and commercial Pt/C catalysts. It can generate high-value glycerate at a notable production rate of 17 mM h^-1 while achieving an impressively low cell voltage of 0.76 V for glycerol electrolysis, which is ∼0.98 V lower than that required for water electrolysis. Statistical analysis using theoretical calculations reveals that Pt-Pt-Pt hollow sites are crucial for the catalytic GOR and HER. The averaged adsorption energies of key intermediates (simplified as C*, O*, and H*) on diverse catalysts closely correlate with their experimentally observed activity. Our proposed linear models accurately predict these adsorption energies, exhibiting high correlation coefficients ranging from 0.97 to 0.99 and highlighting the significance of the distribution of the topmost and subsurface-corner Mn atoms in determining these adsorption energies. By sampling all possible Mn configurations within the fitted linear models, we confirm that O-Pt₃Mn establishes the maximum activity threshold for the GOR and HER compared with any disordered variant. This study presents an innovative framework for exploring the effect of the atomic distribution within catalysts on their catalytic performance and designing high-performance catalysts for complex reactions.

PMID:39937986 | DOI:10.1021/acsnano.4c16468

J Refract Surg. 2025 Feb;41(2):e102-e113. doi: 10.3928/1081597X-20241113-01. Epub 2025 Feb 1.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: To compare clinical outcomes for patients implanted with either FineVision HP or FineVision Triumf intraocular lenses (IOL) (Beaver-Visitec International, Inc) following cataract surgery.

METHODS: Twenty-six patients bilaterally implanted with the HP IOL and 27 patients with the Triumf IOL were followed up for 6 months in a prospective randomized study. Refraction, uncorrected and corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA), uncorrected and distance-corrected intermediate visual acuity (DCIVA), and uncorrected and distance-corrected near visual acuity (DCNVA) were evaluated. Defocus curves and contrast sensitivity were also measured. Patient-reported outcomes were assessed using the National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire 25, and adverse events were registered.

RESULTS: Ninety-four percent of the eyes in both groups were within ±1.00 diopter (D) of spherical equivalent. All of the patients had 20/20 or better binocular CDVA in both groups and 96% and 100% had 20/25 or better binocular CDIVA in the Triumf and HP IOL groups, respectively, being reduced to 32% and 91.7% for DCNVA, respectively. Differences between groups were statistically significant from -2.00 to -4.50 D with better visual acuity outcomes for the HP IOL group (P < .01). Better monocular photopic contrast sensitivity was found for the Triumf IOL group at 12 and 18 cycles per degree (P < .01). There was a statistically significant increase of the overall composite score in both groups before and after surgery (P < .001). Spectacle independence was similar between groups for distance and intermediate vision but higher for the HP IOL for near vision (96% versus 75%). There were no adverse events related to the IOLs.

CONCLUSIONS: Both IOLs showed good and comparable distance and intermediate visual acuities but near vision was better for the HP IOL. This model provided higher spectacle independence for near vision. [J Refract Surg. 2025;41(3):e102-e113.].

PMID:39937980 | DOI:10.3928/1081597X-20241113-01