Tag: statistics

Indian J Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2022 Dec 19:1-7. doi: 10.1007/s12070-022-03340-6. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

The main aim of the study was to assess various ENT symptoms in COVID 19 patients, also to investigate the severity of ENT symptoms among COVID 19 patients and find their relation on basis of scores among five discrete domains of SNOT 22 (Sino nasal Outcome Test). A prospective observational study was conducted among 135 patients between 18 to 75 years of age, in the month of September 2020 with COVID-19 infection having mild, moderate disease who were admitted to our hospital. Subjects were divided into groups according to their presenting ENT symptoms based on age, gender and other comorbidities and differences between the groups were examined. The sinonasal symptoms were assessed using the SNOT 22 questionnaire. A strong statistical significance with loss of smell and taste sensation was noted in patients above the age of 40 years. It was also noted that the patients who presented with cough above the age of 40 years were significantly more. Evaluation of sinonasal symptoms using SNOT 22 questionnaire showed that Extranasal rhinologic symptoms, Psychological dysfunction, Sleep dysfunction had significantly higher association among patients who were more than 40 years. We observed that, Extranasal rhinologic symptoms were significantly higher among males than females. There is thus an emergent need to develop a uniform tool to assess the various ENT symptoms. In our study we assessed the patients with COVID 19 using a standard questionnaire to observe the symptomatology, psychological and sleep dysfunctions due to sinonasal issues, and to closely understand the relationship of various symptoms in a meticulous manner.

PMID:36571091 | PMC:PMC9760531 | DOI:10.1007/s12070-022-03340-6

Educ Inf Technol (Dordr). 2022 Dec 20:1-21. doi: 10.1007/s10639-022-11528-0. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

This research was conducted to determine the perceptions of school administrators and teachers about Covid-19 and distance education. The research is a descriptive study conducted to reflect the specific characteristics of the participants. In this context, the research model is the scanning model. In the population of the study, 31 school administrators and 156 teachers voluntarily participated in a province of Turkey in the 2020-2021 academic year. An easily accessible situation sampling technique was used in determining the participants. Within the scope of the research, a distance education satisfaction questionnaire was developed based on the experiences of the researcher himself, and an information form containing the personal information of the participants was used to collect data. The data within the scope of the research were collected by sending the data collection tool prepared online to school administrators and teachers. The data collection tool was delivered to participants via WhatsApp groups via google forms. While analyzing the data obtained within the scope of the study, descriptive statistical analyzes were made in all questions and basic statistical values ​​such as frequency, percentage, standard deviation, mode, median was reported. At the end of the study, it was determined that half of the participants did not consider the distance education conducted in their schools during the epidemic period to be sufficient. Administrators and teachers; 49.7% of them stated that they could partially benefit from distance education while conducting the lessons, 40.1% stated that it is not appropriate to conduct the lessons with distance education, and 10.2% stated that all the lessons could be conducted by distance education.

PMID:36571085 | PMC:PMC9765351 | DOI:10.1007/s10639-022-11528-0

Allergy Rhinol (Providence). 2022 Dec 15;13:21526575221144950. doi: 10.1177/21526575221144950. eCollection 2022 Jan-Dec.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: To assess the frequency of loss of smell and taste in children during Covid-19 infection and their prevalence along with other symptoms, as well as the recovery of chemosensory function once healed.

METHODS: To evaluate symptoms during infection, we adapted the Scandinavian adaptation of the Multi-Clinic Smell and Taste Questionnaire and the modified Monel-Jefferson questionnaire. For smell analysis we used Odor Identification (OI) and two variants of the Odor Discrimination (OD) test, and we compared the results with those of a control group.

RESULTS: We enrolled nine patients in our experimental group and nine in our control group. Fever was the most frequent symptom (55% of cases), followed by anosmia and ageusia (44% of cases), muscle pain and asthenia (22% of cases) and diarrhea, abdominal pain, cough, and headache (11% of cases). In 11% of cases, olfactory symptoms were the only manifestation of the disease. There was no statistically significant difference in OI test and OD tests between the two groups (Children healed from Covid-19 and Control Group).

CONCLUSION: Loss of smell and taste are the second most common symptoms of pediatric Covid-19, and they should always be tested because they can be the only manifestations of infection. Olfactory function in Covid-19 children decreases with increasing age and improves with the passage of time after illness.

PMID:36571076 | PMC:PMC9768832 | DOI:10.1177/21526575221144950

HIV AIDS (Auckl). 2022 Dec 19;14:565-575. doi: 10.2147/HIV.S387380. eCollection 2022.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) remains the leading cause of years of life lost among adolescent boys in eastern and southern Africa. Medical male circumcision (MMC) is a cost-effective one-time intervention that can reduce the risk of heterosexual HIV acquisition in men by approximately 60%. Despite its importance in HIV prevention, the uptake of MMC remains suboptimal among adolescent boys. This study aimed to identify factors associated with low MMC uptake among adolescent boys in Tanzania.

METHODS: This study was a secondary analysis of the 2016-17 Tanzania HIV Impact Survey. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the participants’ characteristics. Unadjusted and adjusted multinomial logistic regression models were fitted to identify factors associated with low MMC uptake among adolescent boys.

RESULTS: A total of 2605 older adolescents (15-19 years) and 1296 young adolescents (10-14 years) were analyzed. The MMC uptake rates among older and young adolescents were 56.5% and 45.1%, respectively. Lower MMC uptake was found among respondents in rural areas (adjusted relative risk ratio [aRRR] = 0.40, 95% CI: 0.28-0.57), in the traditionally non-circumcising zone (aRRR = 0.30, 95% CI: 0.23-0.41), participants with no formal education (aRRR = 0.32, 95% CI: 0.23-0.41), and those living in lower wealth quintile households (aRRR = 0.20, 95% CI: 0.11-0.36). Respondents who were not covered by health insurance (aRRR = 0.67, 95% CI: 0.48-0.94) and those who had no comprehensive HIV knowledge (aRRR = 0.55, 95% CI: 0.44-0.70) were also found to have lower uptake of MMC.

CONCLUSION: To achieve and maintain high MMC coverage, MMC interventions for HIV prevention should focus on uncircumcised adolescent boys who are rural residents, of lower socioeconomic status, and residing in traditionally non-circumcising communities. Furthermore, dissemination of HIV knowledge and increasing health insurance coverage may encourage more adolescent boys to undergo MMC.

PMID:36571074 | PMC:PMC9785118 | DOI:10.2147/HIV.S387380

Int J Dent. 2022 Dec 16;2022:5952643. doi: 10.1155/2022/5952643. eCollection 2022.

ABSTRACT

This study determined the effect of lip thickness, lipstick color, and tooth shade on the smile attractiveness perceptions of dentists, laypersons, dental students, and other faculty students. A set of 27 smile photographs was prepared with different lip thicknesses (Tk, thick; M, medium; and Tn, thin), lipstick shade (R, red; P, pink; and O, orange), and tooth shades (0M1, 0M3, and A1). A total of 212 Thai participants in four rater groups (dentists, laypersons, dental students, and other faculty students) rated smile attractiveness using a visual analog scale (VAS). Statistical analyses were performed using the Kruskal-Wallis test and pairwise analysis at a 0.05% level of significance. Tk or M lip thickness was associated with more smile attractiveness than Th lip thickness. The R lipstick is more attractive than the P and O lipsticks. The 0M1 tooth shade appeared to be the most attractive for laypersons and other faculty students, whereas tooth shades (0M1, 0M3, or A1) did not influence the smile attractiveness perception of dentists and dental students. The smile attractiveness perception was influenced by the lip appearance and tooth shade for each rater group, which are essential for an attractive smile design.

PMID:36571069 | PMC:PMC9788899 | DOI:10.1155/2022/5952643

Front Psychol. 2022 Dec 7;13:909928. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.909928. eCollection 2022.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: The spillover effect is the psychological overflow due to daily stress in one context and the transfer of its consequences to another close environment. The aim is to explore the spillover effect in conflicts within the family, on the one hand, and school with peers on the other hand, as an inferred measure of daily stress according to the literature.

METHOD: The study consisted of a sample of 208 6-year-old students and their families. A methodology based on daily report records was used, by means of two ad hoc checklists with simultaneous measurements, for 2 consecutive weeks and 3 academic years, for both family and school contexts. A repeated measures design, together with a nonparametric statistical data analysis with Friedman’s test and contrast measures, was used.

RESULTS: Daily stress shows significant differences in the family setting throughout the week (χ ² = 32.44; p = 0.000) and at different times of the day (χ ² = 29.65; p = 0.000). In the school setting, differences were found across the different days of the week (χ ² = 36.96; p = 0.000). Spillover effect has been discovered between conflicts at home in the evening and conflicts at school. At the same time, conflicts at school are related to conflicts at home from Wednesday onward.

DISCUSSION: The results suggest further research on daily stress through the interrelation of the different contexts, as well as the impact that moments of conflict may have on the psychological and emotional development of the child.

PMID:36571012 | PMC:PMC9768336 | DOI:10.3389/fpsyg.2022.909928

Front Psychol. 2022 Dec 9;13:995981. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.995981. eCollection 2022.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to assess the association between meaning in life (MiL), meaning-making and posttraumatic growth (PTG) in the context of cancer.

METHODS: A systematic search was conducted in eighteen electronic databases. The screening and selection process followed the PRISMA guidelines. For the purpose of the meta-analysis, the correlation coefficients between meaning in life and posttraumatic growth were extracted from the included studies. The effect size (r) was calculated using the restricted maximum-likelihood estimator, a random-effects model. Heterogeneity was assessed through the Q statistic, I² index and forest plot, while publication bias was analyzed with the use of the funnel plot and Egger’s test.

RESULTS: 889 records were considered according to the inclusion criteria. A total of nine articles, published between 2006 and 2021, were included in the systematic review. More than half were published in the last five years. The sample was mostly diagnosed with breast cancer. The meta-analysis included five articles (N = 844) and the results indicate a significant moderate correlation between meaning in life and posttraumatic growth (r = 0.43, 95% IC [0.36, 0.50]).

DISCUSSION: In conclusion, there is a clear association between meaning in life and posttraumatic growth in cancer patients. Future research should explore this relationship further, in order to better assist and guide meaning centered interventions that can potentiate a positive adjustment and possibly growth from the cancer experience.

PMID:36570997 | PMC:PMC9784472 | DOI:10.3389/fpsyg.2022.995981

Front Psychol. 2022 Dec 7;13:1025555. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1025555. eCollection 2022.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Using survey data to calculate composite financial literacy (CFL), existed studies do not consider the geographical difference of the means of objectively-measured financial literacy and subjectively-perceived financial literacy, i.e., comparative benchmark.

METHODS: Taking the survey data of National Financial Capability Study (NFCS) for example, we explain why it is more reasonable to use the within-state average rather than the national average of financial literacy as the comparative benchmark to measure CFL. Then we use NFCS 2009, 2012, 2015 and 2018 dataset to comparatively analyze the difference between CFL measured with the two benchmarks.

RESULTS: The results of statistical analysis show that there is a great difference among the four groups of CFL measured with the two benchmarks, and 10.7% of respondents are categorized as a particular group of CFL incorrectly for all datasets. Additionally, the findings of spatial distribution analysis unveils that 36, 19, 15, and 6 states have respondents miscategorized in the four groups of CFL for 2009, 2012, 2015, and 2018 respectively, in which the highest proportion of the population miscategorized in a state is up to 49.91%. Finally, we find that several groups of CFL measured with the two benchmarks have significantly different effects on stock market participation behavior.

DISCUSSION: Using the national average as a benchmark to determine all the respondents’ relative financial literacy levels for different states is not meaningful, and will lose the practical appeal to tackle the regional inequalities of financial literacy among the households. Therefore, we suggest that the within-state average of financial literacy, not the national average, should be taken as the comparative benchmark for identifying the more precise groups of CFL in survey.

PMID:36570987 | PMC:PMC9768186 | DOI:10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1025555

Front Psychol. 2022 Dec 8;13:1042891. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1042891. eCollection 2022.

ABSTRACT

Educational research has shown that teachers’ knowledge and beliefs are two important variables that significantly affect their pedagogical practice and decisions. Relying on the premise that knowledge is superior to beliefs in a pure epistemic dimension and rooted in the previous empirical studies, we examined the hypothesis that teachers’ knowledge of neuroplasticity affects their epistemological belief system mediated by mindset. Using a survey consisting of established scales about these variables, we collected data from a sample of 345 teachers. Structural equation modeling was performed to test the hypothesis. Results showed that the path coefficients (direct effects) from teachers’ knowledge of neuroplasticity to their mindset and epistemological belief system were statistically significant. In other words, we found that teachers with a higher score in the knowledge of neuroplasticity had a growth mindset and a sophisticated epistemological belief system. Teachers’ knowledge of neuroplasticity also had an indirect effect on their epistemological belief system mediated by mindset. This result has a conceptual contribution to the literature because it suggests that teachers’ knowledge of neuroplasticity is a predicting variable for mindset and epistemological belief system. In practice, it provides us with a tool for developing teachers’ growth mindset and sophisticated epistemological beliefs.

PMID:36570980 | PMC:PMC9773884 | DOI:10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1042891

Front Plant Sci. 2022 Dec 7;13:1058867. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2022.1058867. eCollection 2022.

ABSTRACT

Endophytic actinobacteria aid in plant development and disease resistance by boosting nutrient uptake or producing secondary metabolites. For the first time, we investigated the culturable endophytic actinobacteria associated with ten epiphytic orchid species of Assam, India. 51 morphologically distinct actinobacteria were recovered from surface sterilized roots and leaves of orchids and characterized based on different PGP and antifungal traits. According to the 16S rRNA gene sequence, these isolates were divided into six families and eight genera, where Streptomyces was most abundant (n=29, 56.86%), followed by Actinomadura, Nocardia, Nocardiopsis, Nocardioides, Pseudonocardia, Microbacterium, and Mycolicibacterium. Regarding PGP characteristics, 25 (49.01%) isolates demonstrated phosphate solubilization in the range of 61.1±4.4 – 289.7±11.9 µg/ml, whereas 27 (52.94%) isolates biosynthesized IAA in the range of 4.0 ± 0.08 – 43.8 ± 0.2 µg/ml, and 35 (68.62%) isolates generated ammonia in the range of 0.9 ± 0.1 – 5.9 ± 0.2 µmol/ml. These isolates also produced extracellular enzymes, viz. protease (43.13%), cellulase (23.52%), pectinase (21.56%), ACC deaminase (27.45%), and chitinase (37.25%). Out of 51 isolates, 27 (52.94%) showed antagonism against at least one test phytopathogen. In molecular screening, most isolates with antifungal and chitinase producing traits revealed the presence of 18 family chitinase genes. Two actinobacterial endophytes, Streptomyces sp. VCLA3 and Streptomyces sp. RVRA7 were ranked as the best strains based on PGP and antifungal activity on bonitur scale. GC-MS examination of ethyl acetate extract of these potent strains displayed antimicrobial compound phenol, 2,4-bis-(1,1-dimethylethyl) as the major metabolite along with other antifungal and plant growth beneficial bioactive chemicals. SEM analysis of fungal pathogen F. oxysporum (MTCC 4633) affected by Streptomyces sp. VCLA3 revealed significant destruction in the spore structure. An in vivo plant growth promotion experiment with VCLA3 and RVRA7 on chili plants exhibited statistically significant (p<0.05) improvements in all of the evaluated vegetative parameters compared to the control. Our research thus gives insight into the diversity, composition, and functional significance of endophytic actinobacteria associated with orchids. This research demonstrates that isolates with multiple plant development and broad-spectrum antifungal properties are beneficial for plant growth. They may provide a viable alternative to chemical fertilizers and pesticides and a sustainable solution for chemical inputs in agriculture.

PMID:36570961 | PMC:PMC9769409 | DOI:10.3389/fpls.2022.1058867