Tag: statistics

Ecotoxicology. 2025 May 14. doi: 10.1007/s10646-025-02886-9. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

The European perch (Perca fluviatilis) is a fish species that can be a planktivorous, benthivorous and carnivorous at different life stages. Using the example of the perch population from White Lake (Northwest Russia) the connection between ontogenetic change of diet and mercury accumulation in fish muscle tissue is shown. Analysis of the gut contents of 223 perch indicated that the main food item of perch aged 4-6+ years is the lake form of European smelt (80-100%). Also, the lowest THg concentrations were observed in perch aged 4-5+ and 6+ years – 160 ± 47 and 172 ± 51 ng/g (wet weight), respectively. Starting from age 6+ pikeperch and ruff appear in the diet of perch. In fish aged 9+ the proportion of lake smelt in the diet is 25-33%, and the mercury content in muscles is 447 ± 44 and 462 ± 109 ng/g (wet weight) in individuals aged 9+ and 10-12+ years, respectively. An increased proportion of pikeperch and ruff in the diet, whose average mercury content is 2.5 times higher than that of smelt, lead to increased mercury concentrations in perch muscle. There was also a statistically significant linear regression between mercury content and δ¹⁵N in perch older than 7+ years (p = 0.002; r² = 0.38) and no correlation between mercury content and δ¹³C in fish of different ages. Concentrations exceeding the U.S. EPA recommended values (330 ng/g ww) were found in perch aged 9+ years and older, with body length greater than 25 cm. Therefore, the local people should not consume perch with body length greater than 25 cm from White Lake. Further measurements are needed to determine the mercury concentration in perch in nearby lakes and their suitability for human consumption. It is recommended that a similar study be conducted in a number of reservoirs within the study region in order to determine the factors influencing the intensive accumulation of mercury in fish.

PMID:40366607 | DOI:10.1007/s10646-025-02886-9

Andrology. 2025 May 14. doi: 10.1111/andr.70063. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the risk of priapism in patients undergoing Dynamic-Penile duplex ultrasound (D-PDU) who were referred to our Unit between January 2022 and December 2023.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: We enrolled 292 patients, of whom 268 underwent Dynamic-Penile duplex ultrasound for erectile dysfunction and 24 for Peyronie’s disease. The mean age of the patients was 56 ± 12 years, the mean alprostadil dose administered was 9.17 ± 5.59 mcg and the mean erection response was 79.55 ± 19.95%. To evaluate the occurrence of priapism, we considered i) patients who called our phone number within the first hours following the exam; ii) patients who were referred to our Emergency Department within the 24 h following Dynamic-Penile duplex ultrasound; iii) patients who reported to us the occurrence of priapism at subsequent follow-up visit; iv) patients who e-mailed us to report this side effect.

RESULTS: We found no cases of priapism (0/292 patients, 0%). Therefore, statistical analysis with correlation and regression analysis was not conducted.

CONCLUSIONS: In our opinion, the risk of priapism following Dynamic-Penile duplex ultrasound with alprostadil injection might be re-evaluated, as it appears to be a rare and preventable condition.

PMID:40366605 | DOI:10.1111/andr.70063

Ophthalmol Ther. 2025 May 14. doi: 10.1007/s40123-025-01153-8. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: The retropupillary iris-claw intraocular lens (RP-IOL) offers a sutureless solution to complications like aphakia, intraocular lens (IOL) dislocation, and opacification post-cataract surgery. Unlike time-consuming, complication-prone traditional methods, RP-IOL potentially reduces surgical time and complications. This study evaluates RP-IOL’s clinical outcomes to assess its efficacy and safety.

METHODS: This single-center retrospective case series reviewed medical records of 68 eyes from 68 patients who underwent RP-IOL implantation between January 2017 and May 2023. Preoperative and postoperative data, including visual acuity (VA), intraocular pressure (IOP), and spherical equivalent (SE), were analyzed.

RESULTS: The mean uncorrected VA improved significantly from 1.25 ± 0.73 (logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution) preoperatively to 0.42 ± 0.47 at 1 month postoperatively (P < 0.001). The mean IOP decreased significantly from 17.69 ± 5.01 mmHg preoperatively to 16.09 ± 4.23 mmHg 1 month postoperatively (P = 0.041). Postoperative complications occurred in 35.3% of cases, with the most common being IOP elevation (13.2%), cystoid macular edema (11.8%), and disenclavation of IOL (7.4%). Most complications were successfully managed. The study also included a subanalysis of seven patients with IOL opacification, showing improved VA postoperatively, although without statistical significance due to the small sample size.

CONCLUSIONS: RP-IOL implantation is an effective and safe option for secondary IOL implantation or exchange in cases of aphakia, IOL dislocation, and IOL opacification. The procedure offers significant improvements in visual acuity and a reduction in intraocular pressure, with manageable postoperative complications. While the study supports the use of RP-IOL as a viable option, further research with larger sample sizes and prospective designs is recommended to establish its long-term efficacy and safety compared to traditional methods.

PMID:40366604 | DOI:10.1007/s40123-025-01153-8

Methods Mol Biol. 2025;2916:77-84. doi: 10.1007/978-1-0716-4470-6_8.

ABSTRACT

Fruitlet abscission is a bottleneck of the Areca catechu industry. A series of physiological and biochemical changes, such as morphological variations, cell architecture reconstruction, and increasing or decreasing enzymatic activity, occur during fruitlet abscission. There are species specificities among various plants concerning methods applied in abscission study. In this chapter, we describe the main methods adopted in the study focused on A. catechu fruitlet abscission, including microscopic observation, biochemical analysis, and abscission statistics. These methods are used to explore the physiological process and regulatory mechanism of fruitlet abscission in this industrial species.

PMID:40366588 | DOI:10.1007/978-1-0716-4470-6_8

Int J Bipolar Disord. 2025 May 14;13(1):17. doi: 10.1186/s40345-025-00378-7.

ABSTRACT

This prospective observational study aimed to investigate the effects of Ramadan fasting on serum lithium levels, renal function, and electrolyte balance in patients with bipolar disorder undergoing lithium maintenance therapy. Conducted in Saudi Arabia, a region characterized by hot and arid climates (30-36 °C, 25% humidity during Ramadan 2024), the study included 250 participants divided into fasting (n = 131) and non-fasting (n = 119) groups. Serum lithium levels, renal function parameters (serum creatinine and estimated glomerular filtration rate), and electrolyte levels (sodium and potassium) were assessed at baseline, mid-Ramadan, one month post-Ramadan, and three months post-Ramadan. Statistical analyses included mixed-effects models, linear regression, and Wilcoxon rank-sum tests. The results indicate that Ramadan fasting did not significantly alter serum lithium levels, renal function, or electrolyte balance across all time points. These findings suggest that fasting during Ramadan can be safely practiced by patients with bipolar disorder receiving lithium therapy, provided they maintain adequate hydration and adhere to their prescribed medication regimen.

PMID:40366534 | DOI:10.1186/s40345-025-00378-7

Emerg Radiol. 2025 May 14. doi: 10.1007/s10140-025-02347-0. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: Headache is common at emergency services and neuroimaging can help in timely diagnosis of life-threatening pathologies. We evaluated clinical indicators associated with abnormal neuroimaging in patients with acute headache, aiming to develop a scoring system with reliable diagnostic performance.

METHODS: This analytical and retrospective study was conducted at a teaching tertiary care hospital in Cali, Colombia, from January 2011 to December 2019. Patients aged 18 years or older with non-traumatic headaches who attended the emergency department and underwent neuroimaging were included. Demographic and clinical data were recorded, including headache associated signs and symptoms, imaging diagnosis and disposition. Statistically significant variables and clinically relevant variables were selected. Data was analyzed using a combination of logistic regression and Receiver Operator Characteristic (ROC) curves, leading to the derivation of three models.

RESULTS: 626 patients were included, 15.5% with abnormal neuroimaging. The variables with the highest odds ratio (OR) were: age > 40 years (OR 3.2 CI 1.86-5.56), motor deficit (OR 5.4 CI 2.62-11.18), visual deficit (OR 3.2 CI 1.56-6.63) and gait disturbance (OR 2.27 CI 0.87-5.96). Three abnormal neuroimaging prediction logistic regression models have been derived. The better scale is performed with model 1, which is validated internally and a cut-off point of 0.179, the Area Under the Curve (AUC) of 0.757 is obtained with a diagnostic accuracy of 0.79 (0.73-0.85).

CONCLUSION: Our straightforward scale incorporates clinical factors associated with abnormal neuroimaging, with the aim of improving diagnostic performance and predictive capacity to distinguish patients who require neuroimaging.

PMID:40366499 | DOI:10.1007/s10140-025-02347-0

Gynecol Oncol. 2025 May 12;197:171-178. doi: 10.1016/j.ygyno.2025.05.004. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: Molecular classification of endometrial carcinoma(EC) provides relevant prognostication and is now being utilized to determine adjuvant therapy. It is currently unclear how molecular classification relates to disease dissemination and recurrence patterns in EC. The objective of this study was to characterize patterns of disease in mismatch repair-deficient (MMRd) and p53 abnormal (p53abn) carcinomas.

METHODS: Immunohistochemistry molecular classification was performed to relate patterns of disease spread among EC patients undergoing surgical staging/cytoreduction. Dissemination patterns were assigned according to the most distant site of disease and subdivided as carcinomatosis, visceral organ, or lymphatic locations. Standard statistical methods were employed for comparisons, including multivariate logistic regression.

RESULTS: Of 380 cases, 127 had advanced disease at presentation: 43.4 % pelvic, 44.8 % lower abdominal, 7.1 % upper abdominal and 4.7 % extra-abdominal. P53abn carcinomas were more likely to present with peritoneal-based disease compared to MMRd and p53wt tumors(30.8 %, 11.7 %, and 9.7 %, p < 0.0001). Among 128 patients with recurrence, upper abdominal spread and carcinomatosis were more common with p53abn than MMRd or p53wt tumors(49.2 %, 10 %, 8.2 %, p < 0.0001 and 60.8 %, 7.5 %, 18.9 %, p < 0.0001). MMRd tumors were associated with lymphatic recurrences compared to p53abn or p53wt(55 %, 19.6 %, 35.1 %, p = 0.001). These associations remained significant in multivariate analysis.

CONCLUSIONS: EC recurrence patterns differ based on molecular classification. Patients with p53abn cancers are more likely to present with peritoneal-based disease and experience peritoneal recurrence. Patients with MMRd cancers are more likely to experience lymphatic-based recurrences. This information provides a model of biologic behavior of molecular subtypes that can inform prospective surgical and therapeutic trials.

PMID:40359597 | DOI:10.1016/j.ygyno.2025.05.004

Biologicals. 2025 May 12;91:101840. doi: 10.1016/j.biologicals.2025.101840. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

The International Alliance for Biological Standardization (IABS), in collaboration with the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) convened a hybrid meeting on 22-23 October 2024 at the WOAH Headquarters (HQ) in Paris, France to discuss the global state of vaccination and surveillance for high pathogenicity avian influenza (HPAI) in poultry. The primary objective of the meeting was to advance vaccination acceptance to both control virus spread and reduce disease. Vaccination is increasingly recognized as a tool to complement biosecurity, movement controls and stamping-out of infected flocks. However, concerns persist regarding the risk of undetected, sustained transmission (silent infection) in vaccinated flocks as a result of inadequate surveillance. This has contributed to both vaccination hesitancy and trade barriers. The meeting aimed to assess the current state of the art regarding HPAI surveillance programs in vaccinated populations and their effectiveness. Representatives of multiple stakeholders were invited to share their experiences and perspectives on the use of vaccination and accompanying surveillance to control the growing H5N1 panzootic and its global impact. Several conclusions and recommendations emerged as essential to advancing the acceptance of vaccination strategies. These included (1) the utility of quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) as a sensitive, specific and economical tool to detect virus in vaccinated populations, (2) regular testing of dead birds within a flock as a highly effective method for early detection of outbreaks in vaccinated flocks and demonstrating freedom from infection and, (3) the importance of collecting information on circulating field strains in the selection of candidate vaccine antigens to ensure adequate efficacy. Testing sentinel birds was deemed less effective for surveillance and serological testing of vaccinated birds was considered more useful for assessing immunity levels than for determining the infection status of a flock. There was broad agreement on the need to standardize surveillance outcomes in terms of accepted confidence levels to promote safe and fair trade. However, it was acknowledged that context and pragmatic considerations will shape the development of situation specific plans, which must be statistically valid, scientifically sound, economically feasible and operationally sustainable for both governments and industry. Concomitantly, it was recommended that trade policies tied to vaccination and surveillance should be based solely on science and risks. To this end, enforcement of existing international rules and resolution of disputes are considered a shared responsibility. Peer reviewed publications were proposed as a central mechanism for developing the stronger guidelines needed to facilitate fair trade agreements and enable implementation of global vaccination programs. Rapid dissemination of information, consistent messaging and exchange of virus isolates were also seen as critical for coordinating an effective global response to controlling HPAI.

PMID:40359590 | DOI:10.1016/j.biologicals.2025.101840

Prev Vet Med. 2025 May 4;241:106556. doi: 10.1016/j.prevetmed.2025.106556. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

This study evaluates the performance of a computer vision system (CVS) for measuring pig carcass contamination using latent class modelling, a statistical approach that does not depend on a gold standard. Developed by the Danish Technological Institute, the CVS integrates output from various cameras to inspect pig carcasses for presence of faecal contamination. Data from a 16-day period involving 69,215 carcasses were analysed, comparing CVS results with those from official auxiliaries. Descriptive analyses identified four meat inspection findings that were statistically associated with an increased relative risk of positives from the CVS, particularly oil contamination (RR = 4.1, P < 0.001), which the CVS could not differentiate from faecal contamination. Agreement between the CVS and official auxiliary was assessed using Cohen’s kappa and prevalence- and bias-adjusted kappa (PABAK), with Cohen’s Kappa indicating minimal agreement (κ = 0.17) and PABAK indicating moderate agreement (κ = 0.79). Sensitivity and specificity were estimated using a latent class model fit within a Bayesian framework, without assuming that either the CVS or official auxiliaries were perfect tests. The latent class model showed that the CVS had a median sensitivity of 31.6 % (95 % CI: 27.6 %-39.1 %) and specificity of 97.9 % (95 % CI: 96.1-99.9 %), compared to 22 % (95 % CI: 17.6 %-28.9 %) sensitivity and 99 % (95 % CI: 98.2 %-100 %) specificity for the official auxiliaries. These findings underscore the CVS’s strength in detecting true contaminations and official auxiliaries’ ability to rule out non-contaminations. This study demonstrates the applicability of latent class modelling for evaluating CVS, offering a flexible and reliable framework that addresses the limitations of traditional gold standard methods. The findings support the use CVS technology alongside traditional inspections to enhance food safety, paving the way for future integration of CVS in meat inspection, pending legislative adjustments.

PMID:40359587 | DOI:10.1016/j.prevetmed.2025.106556

JMIR Ment Health. 2025 May 13;12:e67210. doi: 10.2196/67210.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Shame and stigma often prevent individuals with social anxiety disorder (SAD) from seeking and attending costly and time-intensive psychotherapies, highlighting the importance of brief, low-cost, and scalable treatments. Creating prescriptive outcome prediction models is thus crucial for identifying which clients with SAD might gain the most from a unique scalable treatment option. Nevertheless, widely used classical regression methods might not optimally capture complex nonlinear associations and interactions.

OBJECTIVE: Precision medicine approaches were thus harnessed to examine prescriptive predictors of optimization to a 14-day fully self-guided mindfulness ecological momentary intervention (MEMI) over a self-monitoring app (SM).

METHODS: This study involved 191 participants who had probable SAD. Participants were randomly assigned to MEMI (n=96) or SM (n=95). They completed self-reports of symptoms, risk factors, treatment, and sociodemographics at baseline, posttreatment, and 1-month follow-up (1MFU). Machine learning (ML) models with 17 predictors of optimization to MEMI over SM, defined as a higher probability of SAD remission from MEMI at posttreatment and 1MFU, were evaluated. The Social Phobia Diagnostic Questionnaire, structurally equivalent to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual SAD criteria, was used to define remission. These ML models included random forest and support vector machines (radial basis function kernel) and 10-fold nested cross-validation that separated model training, minimal tuning in inner folds, and model testing in outer folds.

RESULTS: ML models outperformed logistic regression. The multivariable ML models using the 10 most important predictors achieved good performance, with the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AU-ROC) values ranging from .71 to .72 at posttreatment and 1MFU. These prerandomization and early-stage prescriptive predictors consistently identified which participants had the highest probability of optimization of MEMI over SM after 14 days and 6 weeks from baseline. Significant predictors included 4 strengths (higher trait mindfulness, lower SAD severity, presence of university education, no current psychotropic medication use), 2 weaknesses (higher generalized anxiety severity and clinician-diagnosed depression or anxiety disorder), and 1 sociodemographic variable (Chinese ethnicity). Emotion dysregulation and current psychotherapy predicted remission with inconsistent signs across time points.

CONCLUSIONS: The AU-ROC values indicated moderately meaningful effect sizes in identifying prescriptive predictors within multivariable models for clients with SAD. Focusing on the identified notable client strengths, weaknesses, and Chinese ethnicity may enhance our ability to predict future responses to scalable treatments. Estimating the likelihood of SAD remission with a “prescriptive predictor calculator” for each client may help clinicians and policymakers allocate scarce treatment resources effectively. Clients with high remission probability may benefit from receiving the MEMI as a vigilant waitlist strategy before intensive therapist-led psychotherapy. These efforts may aid in creating actionable treatment selection tools to optimize care for clients with SAD in routine health care settings that use stratified care principles.

TRIAL REGISTRATION: OSF Registries 10.17605/OSF.IO/M3KXZ; https://osf.io/m3kxz.

PMID:40359509 | DOI:10.2196/67210