Tag: statistics

Acta Orthop. 2022 Oct 20;93:826-830. doi: 10.2340/17453674.2022.4879.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Proximal tibial fractures are infrequent injuries in children, and the literature on epidemiology, associated injuries, and management is limited. We calculated a population-based incidence and described the characteristics of proximal tibial fractures in children in terms of complications and management.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: This is a retrospective study over a 6-year-period during including 241 children with proximal tibial fractures who presented to our university hospital. Demographic and fracture-related data was collected from the Kids’ Fracture Tool. The number of children during the study period was collected from statistical yearbooks of the City of Helsinki to estimate annual incidence.

RESULTS: Extra-articular fractures (129/241) peaked at the age of 3 and tibial tubercle (42/241) and intra-articular fractures (70/241) peaked at the age of 15. Annual incidences were estimated to be 3.4/100,000 children and 22/100,000 children in the age group of 13-16 years for ACL avulsions, and 3.8/100,000 children and 21/100,000 children in the age group of 13-16 years for tibial tubercle fractures. The incidence of vascular compromise (0%) and compartment syndrome was low (0.4 %, 1/241).

CONCLUSION: Proximal tibial fractures present with a bimodal distribution, with extra-articular fractures peaking at the age of 3 years and fractures of the tibial tuberosity and intra-articular fractures peaking at the age of 15 years. Additionally, associated compartment syndrome and vascular compromise was not as common as previously reported.

PMID:36268729 | DOI:10.2340/17453674.2022.4879

Br J Nutr. 2022 Oct 21:1-56. doi: 10.1017/S000711452200349X. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

A high circulating cholesterol concentration is considered an important risk factor for the development of cardiovascular disease. Since lean fish intake and fish protein supplementation have been associated with lower cholesterol concentration in some but not all clinical studies, the main aim of this study was to investigate the effect of diets containing proteins from fish muscles and fish byproducts on the serum/plasma TC concentration in rodents. A systematic literature search was performed using the databases PubMed, Web of Science and Embase, structured around the population (rodents), intervention (type of fish and fraction, protein dose, duration), comparator (casein as control protein) and the primary outcome (circulating total cholesterol). Articles were assessed for risk of bias using the SYRCLE’s tool. A meta-analysis was conducted in Review Manager v. 5.4.1 (the Cochrane Collaboration) to determine the effectiveness of proteins from fish on the circulating TC concentration. Thirty-nine articles were included in the systematic review and meta-analysis, with data from 935 rodents. The risk of bias is unclear since few of the entries in the SYRCLE’s tool were addressed. Consumption of proteins from fish resulted in a significantly lower circulating TC concentration when compared to control groups (mean difference -0.24 mmol/l, 95% confidence interval -0.34, -0.15, P < 0.00001), with high statistical heterogeneity (I² = 71%). To conclude, proteins from fish muscles and byproducts show promise as a functional dietary ingredient or supplement by preventing high cholesterol concentration in rodents, thus reducing one of the most important risk factors for developing cardiovascular disease.

PMID:36268726 | DOI:10.1017/S000711452200349X

J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2022 Oct 21. doi: 10.1111/jdv.18680. Online ahead of print.

NO ABSTRACT

PMID:36268714 | DOI:10.1111/jdv.18680

Glob Chang Biol. 2022 Oct 21. doi: 10.1111/gcb.16491. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Changes in soil organic carbon (SOC) storage have the potential to affect global climate; hence identifying environments with a high capacity to gain or lose SOC is of broad interest. Many cross-site studies have found that SOC-poor soils tend to gain or retain carbon more readily than SOC-rich soils. While this pattern may partly reflect reality, here we argue that it can also be created by a pair of statistical artifacts. First, soils that appear SOC-poor purely due to random variation will tend to yield more moderate SOC estimates upon resampling, and hence will appear to accrue or retain more SOC than SOC-rich soils. This phenomenon is an example of regression to the mean. Second, normalized metrics of SOC change-such as relative rates and response ratios-will by definition show larger changes in SOC at lower initial SOC levels, even when the absolute change in SOC does not depend on initial SOC. These two artifacts create an exaggerated impression that initial SOC stocks are a major control on SOC dynamics. To address this problem, we recommend applying statistical corrections to eliminate the effect of regression to the mean, and avoiding normalized metrics when testing relationships between SOC change and initial SOC. Careful consideration of these issues in future cross-site studies will support clearer scientific inference that can better inform environmental management.

PMID:36268673 | DOI:10.1111/gcb.16491

Int J Eat Disord. 2022 Oct 21. doi: 10.1002/eat.23827. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to determine the evolution of Instagram use, body dissatisfaction and physical appearance comparisons throughout the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, and to explore whether there was a relationship between the changes in Instagram use throughout the pandemic and body dissatisfaction and physical appearance comparisons.

METHOD: A total of 272 Spanish women (16-70 years old) were followed-up across four waves of assessment between November 2019 (before the pandemic started) and July 2021. Body dissatisfaction, social appearance comparisons, and Instagram use were assessed using the Eating Disorders Inventory-3, the Physical Appearance Comparison Scale-Revised, and an ad hoc questionnaire for Instagram use, respectively.

RESULTS: No statistically significant changes were found in the frequency of Instagram use, nor on the proportion of women following appearance-focused accounts on Instagram, among the data collection periods. Body dissatisfaction significantly increased from T1 to T4, and physical appearance comparisons significantly increased from T1 to T2, T3, and T4. These increases were not found to be significant for those with eating disorder risk. No significant differences were found in body dissatisfaction and physical appearance comparisons depending on whether participants’ frequency of Instagram use had changed or remained the same, or whether they had started/stopped/continued following appearance-focused accounts on Instagram during the pandemic.

DISCUSSION: Women’s body dissatisfaction and physical appearance comparisons seem to have increased throughout the pandemic. The experiences of individuals with eating disorder risk throughout the pandemic, and the relationship between the pandemic and Instagram use, might be complex and need further research.

PUBLIC SIGNIFICANCE: This study suggests that women’s body dissatisfaction and physical appearance comparisons have increased throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. However, this increase might not be as clear for those who had eating disorder risk before the pandemic. Instagram frequency of use, and the percentage of women following appearance-focused accounts on Instagram, do not seem to have significantly increased. More research is needed to explore the impact of the pandemic.

PMID:36268646 | DOI:10.1002/eat.23827

J Obstet Gynaecol Res. 2022 Oct 21. doi: 10.1111/jog.15449. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

AIM: To report single-center outcomes of laparoscopic management of patients with ureteral endometriosis and perform a meta-analysis in order to select the best approach for these patients.

METHODS: The cross-sectional study was conducted during a 6-year period (2015-2021) in the referral endometriosis center on 353 patients with ureteral endometriosis. For the meta-analysis, 10 articles, including 505 patients, were found to be eligible. In our meta-analysis, as well as our study, all endometriosis-related pain symptoms and complications of surgery were evaluated, analyzed, and reported.

RESULTS: Of the 326 patients whose ureteral involvement was confirmed in pathology, hydronephrosis and intrinsic ureteral lesions were detected in only 10.76% and 3.1% of the patients. Mean operating time and hospitalization were 3.25 ± 1.83 h and 86 ± 2.58 days, respectively. The most common site of concomitant involvement with endometriosis was uterosacral ligament (92.9%) and rectosigmoid (70.53%). Type II and III of Cliven-Dindo complications were seen in 5.66% and 1.13% of patients, respectively. During a follow-up period, no evidence of bladder or ureteral re-involvement was observed. Similar to our meta-analysis, all endometriosis-related pain decreased significantly following operation (p ≤ 0.001). In our meta-analysis, the rate of ureteral endometriosis recurrence, stenosis/stricture, bladder atonia, urinary tract infection, hematuria, and fistula formation after surgery were: 2.0% (I² : 50.42%), 15.0% (I² : 0.00%), 14.0% (I² : 8.76%), 6.0% (I² : 0.00%), 7.0% (I² : 79.28%), and 2.0% (I² : 0.0%), respectively.

CONCLUSION: The laparoscopic resection of the UE could be suggested as a feasible and safe method associated with favorable functional outcomes.

PMID:36268633 | DOI:10.1111/jog.15449

Microsc Microanal. 2022 Oct 21:1-16. doi: 10.1017/S1431927622012442. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

The three-dimensional characterization of internal features, via metrics such as orientation, porosity, and connectivity, is important to a wide variety of scientific questions. Many spatial and morphological metrics only can be measured accurately through direct in situ three-dimensional observations of large (i.e., big enough to be statistically representative) volumes. For samples that lack material contrast between phases, serial grinding and imaging—which relies solely on color and textural characteristics to differentiate features—is a viable option for extracting such information. Here, we present the Grinding, Imaging, Reconstruction Instrument (GIRI), which automatically serially grinds and photographs centimeter-scale samples at micron resolution. Although the technique is destructive, GIRI produces an archival digital image stack. This digital image stack is run through a supervised machine-learning-based image processing technique that quickly and accurately segments data into predefined classes. These classified data then can be loaded into three-dimensional visualization software for measurement. We share three case studies to illustrate how GIRI can address questions with a significant morphological component for which two-dimensional or small-volume three-dimensional measurements are inadequate. The analyzed metrics include: the morphologies of objects and pores in a granular material, the bulk mineralogy of polyminerallic solids, and measurements of the internal angles and symmetry of crystals.

PMID:36268627 | DOI:10.1017/S1431927622012442

Infant Ment Health J. 2022 Oct 21. doi: 10.1002/imhj.22021. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Maternal mental health disorders and the adverse consequences for infant neurodevelopment have received substantial research attention in high-income countries over the past five decades. In Africa, where relatively little work has been done on this topic, researchers have largely focused on infant physical health outcomes. This longitudinal study investigated the neurodevelopment of infants at 6 months post-term with exposure to mothers with a clinical diagnosis of persistent mental health disorders residing in low-income communities in Cape Town, South Africa. Adjusted models revealed no significant differences on the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development (BSID-III) domains (cognitive, motor, language, socio-emotional, and adaptive behavior) between infants exposed to maternal mental health disorders (n = 62) and the comparison group (n = 35) at 3 and 6 months. Subgroup analyses found no significant differences on the BSID-III domains between infants with exposure to mood disorders (n = 31), as well as infants with exposure to comorbid (i.e., a combination of two or three) mental health disorders (n = 14) and the comparison group. However, infants with exposure to psychotic disorders (n = 14) scored significantly lower on the cognitive and the motor domains and the fine motor subscale. These novel data provide an important contribution to the scientific literature especially in the field of maternal psychotic disorders in Africa.

PMID:36268625 | DOI:10.1002/imhj.22021

J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2022 Oct 21:dgac615. doi: 10.1210/clinem/dgac615. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

CONTEXT: Isolated hypogonadotropic hypogonadism (IHH) is phenotypically and genetically heterogeneous.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the correlation between genotypic severity with pubertal and neuroendocrine phenotypes in IHH men.

DESIGN: Retrospective study (1980-2020) examining olfaction (Kallmann syndrome [KS] vs. normosmic IHH [nIHH]), baseline testicular volume (absent vs. partial puberty), neuroendocrine profiling (pulsatile vs. apulsatile LH secretion), and genetic variants in 62 IHH-associated genes through exome sequencing (ES).

RESULTS: In total, 242 men (KS: n = 131 [54%], nIHH: n = 111 [46%]) were included. Men with absent puberty had significantly lower gonadotropin levels (p < 0.001) and were more likely to have undetectable LH (p < 0.001). Logistic regression showed partial puberty as a significant predictor of pulsatile LH secretion (R2 = 0.71, p < 0.001, OR: 10.8 [95%CI: 3.6, 38.6]). Serum LH of 2.10 IU/L had a 95% true positive rate for predicting LH pulsatility. Genetic analyses in 204/242 IHH men with ES data available revealed 36/204 (18%) men carried protein truncating variants (PTVs) in 12 IHH genes. Men with absent puberty and apulsatile LH were enriched for oligogenic PTVs (p < 0.001), with variants in ANOS1 being the predominant PTV in this genotype-phenotype association. Men with absent puberty were enriched for ANOS1 PTVs compared to partial puberty counterparts (p = 0.002). PTVs in other IHH genes imparted more variable reproductive phenotypic severity.

CONCLUSIONS: Partial puberty and LH ≥ 2.10 IU/L are proxies for pulsatile LH secretion. ANOS1 PTVs confer severe reproductive phenotypes. Variable phenotypic severity in the face of severe genetic variants in other IHH genes point to significant neuroendocrine plasticity of the HPG axis in IHH men.

PMID:36268624 | DOI:10.1210/clinem/dgac615

J Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2022 Oct 21. doi: 10.1111/jgh.16035. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND & AIMS: The majority of patients with decompensated cirrhosis suffer from malnutrition, a potentially modifiable contributor to frailty and sarcopenia. The present study investigated the impact of a six-month dietician-supported home-based intensive nutrition therapy (HINT) intervention on objective frailty and sarcopenia metrics in patients with decompensated cirrhosis.

METHODS: One hundred adult patients with decompensated cirrhosis, frailty, and sarcopenia at baseline were randomized 1:1 to receive standard medical therapy (SMT) plus HINT (intervention) versus SMT (control) alone. The primary outcome was an improvement in frailty as measured by the Liver Frailty Index (LFI). Secondary outcome measures included sarcopenia metrics, liver disease severity scores, hospitalization and death.

RESULTS: The LFI improved more in the intervention arm as compared to controls (0.8 versus 0.4;p<0.001). Baseline and end-of-study Skeletal Muscle Index (SMI) was available in a subset of thirty two male patients, with greater improvements seen in the intervention arm compared to controls(6.36 versus 0.80;p=0.02). Patients in the intervention arm had less hospitalizations over the 6-month follow-up(19(38%) vs. 29(58%)(p=0.04)). On subgroup analysis, in the 64% of patients who were adherent to calorie and protein intake targets at six months, significant improvement was seen in liver disease severity scores and survival (p<0.05).

CONCLUSION: In patients with decompensated cirrhosis, frailty and sarcopenia, a 6-month dietitian supported home-based intensive outpatient nutrition therapy was associated with statistically and clinically relevant improvement in frailty. The subgroup of adherent patients showed improvement in their liver disease scores and reduction in mortality. These findings support the key role of food as medicine in the management of cirrhosis.

PMID:36268614 | DOI:10.1111/jgh.16035