Tag: statistics

Sci Rep. 2023 Dec 21;13(1):22891. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-49784-w.

ABSTRACT

The Escherichia coli chemotaxis network, by which bacteria modulate their random run/tumble swimming pattern to navigate their environment, must cope with unavoidable number fluctuations (“noise”) in its molecular constituents like other signaling networks. The probability of clockwise (CW) flagellar rotation, or CW bias, is a measure of the chemotaxis network’s output, and its temporal fluctuations provide a proxy for network noise. Here we quantify fluctuations in the chemotaxis signaling network from the switching statistics of flagella, observed using time-resolved fluorescence microscopy of individual optically trapped E. coli cells. This approach allows noise to be quantified across the dynamic range of the network. Large CW bias fluctuations are revealed at steady state, which may play a critical role in driving flagellar switching and cell tumbling. When the network is stimulated chemically to higher activity, fluctuations dramatically decrease. A stochastic theoretical model, inspired by work on gene expression noise, points to CheY activation occurring in bursts, driving CW bias fluctuations. This model also shows that an intrinsic kinetic ceiling on network activity places an upper limit on activated CheY and CW bias, which when encountered suppresses network fluctuations. This limit may also prevent cells from tumbling unproductively in steep gradients.

PMID:38129516 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-023-49784-w

Commun Med (Lond). 2023 Dec 21;3(1):193. doi: 10.1038/s43856-023-00377-8.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Public perception of the seriousness of the COVID-19 pandemic compared to six other major public health problems (alcoholism and drug use, HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis, lung cancer and respiratory diseases caused by air pollution and smoking, and water-borne diseases like diarrhea) is unclear. We designed a survey to examine this issue using YouGov’s internet panels in seven middle-income countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America in early 2022.

METHODS: Respondents rank ordered the seriousness of the seven health problems using a repeated best-worst question format. Rank-ordered logit models allow comparisons within and across countries and assessment of covariates.

RESULTS: In six of the seven countries, respondents perceived other respiratory illnesses to be a more serious problem than COVID-19. Only in Vietnam was COVID-19 ranked above other respiratory illnesses. Alcoholism and drug use was ranked the second most serious problem in the African countries. HIV/AIDS ranked relatively high in all countries. Covariates, particularly a COVID-19 knowledge scale, explained differences within countries; statistics about the pandemic were highly correlated with differences in COVID-19’s perceived seriousness.

CONCLUSIONS: People in the seven middle-income countries perceived COVID-19 to be serious (on par with HIV/AIDS) but not as serious as other respiratory illnesses. In the African countries, respondents perceived alcoholism and drug use as more serious than COVID-19. Our survey-based approach can be used to quickly understand how the threat of a newly emergent disease, like COVID-19, fits into the larger context of public perceptions of the seriousness of health problems.

PMID:38129511 | DOI:10.1038/s43856-023-00377-8

Sci Rep. 2023 Dec 21;13(1):22888. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-49782-y.

ABSTRACT

The aim is to study the intraocular pressure (IOP)-lowering effects of additional administration of ripasudil in open-angle glaucoma (OAG) patients including high myopia (HM) and pathological myopia (PM). Study design is retrospective cohort study. We assessed the changes in the mean IOP between the HM eyes (axial length ≧ 26.5 mm 33 eyes) and the non-HM eyes (axial length < 26.5 mm 29 eyes) at 4 and 12 weeks from baseline. We also assessed the IOP changes between the PM eyes (21 eyes) and the non-PM eyes (41 eyes). The significant IOP reduction by the ripasudil administration was observed at 4 weeks in the non-HM eyes and at 12 weeks in HM and non-HM eyes. And the IOP reduction in the HM eyes was significantly less than the non-HM eyes at 4 and 12 weeks. IOP reduction by ripasudil had statistically significant association with the baseline IOP and presence of PM. Furthermore, significant IOP reduction by the ripasudil administration was observed at 4 and 12 weeks in the non-PM eyes, but not in the PM eyes. The additional administration of ripasudil was effective in the HM eyes, but less than non-HM eyes. And the PM may negatively contribute to reducing the IOP by ripasudil.

PMID:38129467 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-023-49782-y

Sci Rep. 2023 Dec 21;13(1):22859. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-50101-8.

ABSTRACT

Trauma is the leading cause of mortality in persons under 45 and a significant public health issue. Trauma is the most frequent cause of perioperative mortality among all surgical patients. Little is known about perioperative outcomes among trauma patients in low-income countries. This study aimed to assess the incidence and identify predictors of perioperative mortality among adult trauma victims at Tibebe Ghion Specialised Hospital. From June 1, 2019, to June 30, 2021, a prospective cohort study was conducted at Tibebe Ghion Specialized Hospital. Demographic, pre-hospital and perioperative clinical data were collected using an electronic data collection tool, Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap). Cox proportional hazard model regression was used to assess the association between predictors and perioperative mortality among trauma victims. Crude and adjusted hazard ratio (HR) with a 95% confidence interval (CI) was computed; a p-value < 0.05 was a cutoff value to declare statistical significance. One thousand sixty-nine trauma patients were enrolled in this study. The overall incidence of perioperative mortality among trauma patients was 5.89%, with an incidence rate of 2.23 (95% CI 1.74 to 2.86) deaths per 1000 person-day observation. Age ≥ 65 years (AHR = 2.51, 95% CI: 1.04, 6.08), patients sustained blunt trauma (AHR = 3.28, 95% CI: 1.30, 8.29) and MVA (AHR = 2.96, 95% CI: 1.18, 7.43), trauma occurred at night time (AHR = 2.29, 95% CI: 1.15, 4.56), ASA physical status ≥ III (AHR = 3.84, 95% CI: 1.88, 7.82), and blood transfusion (AHR = 2.01, 95% CI: 1.08, 3.74) were identified as a significant predictor for perioperative mortality among trauma patients. In this trauma cohort, it was demonstrated that perioperative mortality is a healthcare burden. Risk factors for perioperative mortality among trauma patients were old age, patients sustaining blunt trauma and motor vehicle accidents, injuries at night, higher ASA physical status, and blood transfusion. Trauma care services need improvement in pre-hospital and perioperative care.

PMID:38129464 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-023-50101-8

Sci Rep. 2023 Dec 21;13(1):22927. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-48723-z.

ABSTRACT

The assessment of psoriatic arthritis is complex and multidimensional. It is increasingly common to include the patient perspective using patient-reported outcomes. Although some research has explored sleep quality in patients with psoriatic arthritis, most studies have had small sample sizes, failed to assess sleep quality considering the inflammatory process together with the psychological well-being of patients, and have not described any use of sleep medication. Further, research to date has not provided data on the relationship of sleep quality with axial forms. In this context, the objective of this study was to assess sleep quality in patients with psoriatic arthritis and its relationship with clinical characteristics, disease activity, functioning, disease impact, fatigue and psychological status. A cross-sectional study was conducted including 247 consecutive patients with PsA recruited during 2021. Sleep quality was measured using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. We assessed correlations of Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index score with peripheral disease activity (Disease Activity Index for PSoriatic Arthritis), axial disease activity (Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Score-C-reactive protein and Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index), functioning (Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index and Health Assessment Questionnaire), impact (Psoriatic Arthritis Impact of Disease questionnaire), anxiety, depression (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale) and fatigue (Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Fatigue) scores. A multiple linear regression model was constructed with PSQI as the dependent variable and as independent variables those that could influence sleep quality. Nearly two-thirds (63.15%) of patients had poor sleep quality. Poorer sleep quality was associated with being female, higher joint counts, greater peripheral and axial disease activity, fatigue, anxiety and depression, functioning and disease impact (p < 0.001). Multiple linear regression analysis found that pain (β: 0.3; p < 0.007) and fatigue β: – 0.1; p < 0.001 contributed 40% to the sleep quality model. Poor sleep quality was common among patients with psoriatic arthritis. Emotional factors (fatigue, anxiety) seemed more important than inflammatory factors in sleep quality.

PMID:38129461 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-023-48723-z

Sci Rep. 2023 Dec 20;13(1):22796. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-49135-9.

ABSTRACT

Functional enrichment analysis of genome-wide association study (GWAS)-summary statistics has suggested that CD4⁺ T-cells play an important role in asthma pathogenesis. Despite this, CD4⁺ T-cells are under-represented in asthma transcriptome studies. To fill the gap, 3′-RNA-Seq was used to generate gene expression data on CD4⁺ T-cells (isolated within 2 h from collection) from peripheral blood from participants with well-controlled asthma (n = 32) and healthy controls (n = 11). Weighted Gene Co-expression Network Analysis (WGCNA) was used to identify sets of co-expressed genes (modules) associated with the asthma phenotype. We identified three modules associated with asthma, which are strongly enriched for GWAS-identified asthma genes, antigen processing/presentation and immune response to viral infections. Through integration of publicly available eQTL and GWAS summary statistics (colocalisation), and protein-protein interaction (PPI) data, we identified PTPRC, a potential druggable target, as a putative master regulator of the asthma gene-expression profiles. Using a co-expression network approach, with integration of external genetic and PPI data, we showed that CD4⁺ T-cells from peripheral blood from asthmatics have different expression profiles, albeit small in magnitude, compared to healthy controls, for sets of genes involved in immune response to viral infections (upregulated) and antigen processing/presentation (downregulated).

PMID:38129444 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-023-49135-9

Sci Rep. 2023 Dec 21;13(1):22842. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-48810-1.

ABSTRACT

There has been a growing interest in studying the usefulness of chirp stimuli in recording cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potential (cVEMP) waveforms. Nevertheless, the study outcomes are debatable and require verification. In view of this, the aim of the present study was to compare cVEMP results when elicited by 500 Hz tone burst and narrowband (NB) CE-Chirp stimuli in adults with sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL). Fifty adults with bilateral SNHL (aged 20-65 years) underwent the cVEMP testing based on the established protocol. The 500 Hz tone burst and NB CE-Chirp (centred at 500 Hz) stimuli were presented to each ear at an intensity level of 120.5 dB peSPL. P1 latency, N1 latency, and P1-N1 amplitude values were analysed accordingly. The NB CE-Chirp stimulus produced significantly shorter P1 and N1 latencies (p < 0.001) with large effect sizes (d > 0.80). In contrast, both stimuli elicited cVEMP responses with P1-N1 amplitude values that were not statistically different from one another (p = 0.157, d = 0.15). Additionally, age and hearing level were found to be significantly correlated (r = 0.56, p < 0.001), as were age and cVEMP amplitude for each stimulus (p < 0.001). To conclude, since both stimuli were presented at an equivalent intensity level (in dB peSPL), the shorter P1 and N1 latencies of cVEMP produced by the NB CE-Chirp stimulus (centred at 500 Hz) were unlikely due to enhanced saccular stimulation. Another more sensible reason is the temporal adjustment of the chirp stimulus.

PMID:38129442 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-023-48810-1

Sci Rep. 2023 Dec 18;13(1):22880. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-49360-2.

ABSTRACT

Biomechanics analysis of human movement has been proven useful for maintenance of health, injury prevention, and rehabilitation in both sports and clinical populations. A marker-based motion capture system is considered the gold standard method of measurement for three dimensional kinematics measurements. However, the application of markers to anatomical bony points is a time consuming process and constrained by inter-, intra-tester and session reliability issues. The emergence of novel markerless motion capture systems without the use of reflective markers is a rapidly growing field in motion analysis. However an assessment of the level of agreement of a markerless system with an established gold standard marker-based system is needed to ensure the applicability of a markerless system. An extra layer of complexity is involved as the kinematics measurements are functional responses. In this paper a new approach is proposed to generate 95% functional limits of agreement (fLoA) using the linear mixed-effects modelling framework for hierarchical study designs. This approach is attractive as it will allow practitioners to extend their use of linear mixed models to assess agreement in method comparison studies in all domains where functional responses are recorded.

PMID:38129434 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-023-49360-2

Sci Rep. 2023 Dec 18;13(1):22874. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-48486-7.

ABSTRACT

Heart failure (HF) is a leading cause of mortality worldwide. Machine learning (ML) approaches have shown potential as an early detection tool for improving patient outcomes. Enhancing the effectiveness and clinical applicability of the ML model necessitates training an efficient classifier with a diverse set of high-quality datasets. Hence, we proposed two novel hybrid ML methods ((a) consisting of Boosting, SMOTE, and Tomek links (BOO-ST); (b) combining the best-performing conventional classifier with ensemble classifiers (CBCEC)) to serve as an efficient early warning system for HF mortality. The BOO-ST was introduced to tackle the challenge of class imbalance, while CBCEC was responsible for training the processed and selected features derived from the Feature Importance (FI) and Information Gain (IG) feature selection techniques. We also conducted an explicit and intuitive comprehension to explore the impact of potential characteristics correlating with the fatality cases of HF. The experimental results demonstrated the proposed classifier CBCEC showcases a significant accuracy of 93.67% in terms of providing the early forecasting of HF mortality. Therefore, we can reveal that our proposed aspects (BOO-ST and CBCEC) can be able to play a crucial role in preventing the death rate of HF and reducing stress in the healthcare sector.

PMID:38129433 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-023-48486-7

Sci Rep. 2023 Dec 20;13(1):22783. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-49518-y.

ABSTRACT

Phosphomannomutase deficiency (PMM2-CDG) leads to cerebellar atrophy with ataxia, dysmetria, and intellectual deficits. Despite advances in therapy, the cognitive and adaptive profile remains unknown. Our study explores the adaptive profile of 37 PMM2-CDG patients, examining its association with parental stress and medical characteristics. Assessment tools included ICARS for the cerebellar syndrome and NPCRS for global disease severity. Behavioral and adaptive evaluation consisted of the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale and the Health of the Nation Outcome Scales. Psychopathological screening involved the Child Behavior Checklist and the Symptom Check-List-90-R. Parental stress was evaluated using Parental Stress Index. Results were correlated with clinical features. No significant age or sex differences were found. ‘Daily living skills’ were notably affected. Patients severely affected exhibited lower adaptive skill values, as did those with lipodystrophy and inverted nipples. Greater severity in motor cerebellar syndrome, behavioral disturbances and the presence of comorbidities such as hyperactivity, autistic features and moderate-to-severe intellectual disability correlated with greater parental stress. Our study found no decline in adaptive abilities. We provide tools to assess adaptive deficits in PMM2-CDG patients, emphasizing the importance of addressing communication, daily living skills, and autonomy, and their impact on parental stress in clinical monitoring and future therapies.

PMID:38129426 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-023-49518-y