Tag: statistics

Opt Lett. 2024 Jan 15;49(2):326-329. doi: 10.1364/OL.509166.

ABSTRACT

We present and experimentally demonstrate a new, to the best of our knowledge, technique to quantitatively measure coherence-polarization (BCP) matrix with correlations of only two Stokes fluctuations. The BCP matrix is a square matrix with four elements that involves two-point correlations among orthogonal polarization components. A theoretical framework of the technique is developed, and its viability is demonstrated by a proof of principle experiment. Experimental tests and measurement of the elements of the BCP matrix of statistically stationary beams are demonstrated.

PMID:38194560 | DOI:10.1364/OL.509166

Diabetes Care. 2024 Jan 9:dc231332. doi: 10.2337/dc23-1332. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: In Glycemia Reduction Approaches in Diabetes: A Comparative Effectiveness Study (GRADE) (5,047 participants, mean follow-up 5.0 years), differences in glycemic control were demonstrated over time among four randomized therapies added to metformin. Weight gain and hypoglycemia are also important outcomes for people with type 2 diabetes. We compared the effects of the four randomized GRADE medications on a composite outcome incorporating glycemic deterioration, weight gain, and hypoglycemia.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: The composite outcome was time to first occurrence of any of the following: HbA1c >7.5%, confirmed; ≥5% weight gain; or severe or recurrent nonsevere hypoglycemia. Secondary analyses included examination of individual components of the composite outcome, subgroup effects and potential mediators, and treatment satisfaction. Cumulative incidence was estimated with the Kaplan-Meier estimator. Cox proportional hazards models were used to assess pairwise group differences in risk of an outcome.

RESULTS: Risk of reaching the composite outcome (events per 100 participants per treatment year [PTYs]) was lowest with liraglutide (19 per 100 PTYs) followed by sitagliptin (26 per 100 PTYs), glargine (29 per 100 PTYs), and glimepiride (40 per 100 PTYs); all pairwise comparisons were statistically significant. The order was the same for risk of weight gain and hypoglycemia, but risk of glycemic deterioration was lowest with glargine, followed by liraglutide, glimepiride, and sitagliptin. No significant heterogeneity in risk of composite outcome was detected across prespecified covariates. Participants who reached the composite outcome had modestly but significantly lower treatment satisfaction.

CONCLUSIONS: Among participants treated with common second-line drug classes for type 2 diabetes, the liraglutide group had the lowest and glimepiride the highest risk of reaching a composite outcome encompassing glycemic deterioration, weight gain, and hypoglycemia. These findings may inform decision-making regarding type 2 diabetes therapy.

PMID:38194519 | DOI:10.2337/dc23-1332

ACS Chem Neurosci. 2024 Jan 9. doi: 10.1021/acschemneuro.3c00611. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Some pathological conditions affecting the human body can also disrupt metabolic pathways and thus alter the overall metabolic profile. Knowledge of metabolic disturbances in specific diseases could thus enable the differential diagnosis of otherwise similar conditions. This work therefore aimed to comprehensively characterize changes in tryptophan metabolism in selected neurodegenerative diseases. Levels of 18 tryptophan-related neuroactive substances were determined by high throughput and sensitive ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry in time-linked blood serum and cerebrospinal fluid samples from 100 age-matched participants belonging to five cohorts: healthy volunteers (n = 21) and patients with Lewy body disease (Parkinson’s disease and dementia with Lewy bodies; n = 31), four-repeat tauopathy (progressive supranuclear palsy and corticobasal syndrome; n = 10), multiple system atrophy (n = 13), and Alzheimer’s disease (n = 25). Although these conditions have different pathologies and clinical symptoms, the discovery of new biomarkers is still important. The most statistically significant differences (with p-values of ≤0.05 to ≤0.0001) between the study cohorts were observed for three tryptophan metabolites: l-kynurenine in cerebrospinal fluid and 3-hydroxy-l-kynurenine and 5-hydroxy-l-tryptophan in blood serum. This led to the discovery of distinctive correlation patterns between the profiled cerebrospinal fluid and serum metabolites that could provide a basis for the differential diagnosis of neurodegenerative tauopathies and synucleinopathies. However, further large-scale studies are needed to determine the direct involvement of these metabolites in the studied neuropathologies, their response to medication, and their potential therapeutic relevance.

PMID:38194490 | DOI:10.1021/acschemneuro.3c00611

Clin Exp Optom. 2024 Jan 9:1-6. doi: 10.1080/08164622.2024.2301983. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Due to the long-time that wind musicians spend playing their instruments, it is important to investigate if intraocular pressure could be affected by this activity.

BACKGROUND: To assess the intraocular pressure fluctuations and fluctuations affecting factors in professional wind musicians while playing different tones.

METHODS: Thirty professional wind musicians (23.0 ± 3.20 years) were recruited from the Professional Music College of A Coruña. A questionnaire about environmental/demographic factors was given to participants. Intraocular pressure was measured four times by ICare IC100 tonometer: before, during low and high-pitched tones, and immediately after stopping playing the wind instrument.

RESULTS: Pairwise comparison revealed statistical differences between measurement points (Sidak, all p ≤ 0.019), except between before playing and while playing low-pitched tones (Sidak, p = 1.000). Intraocular pressure increases during high pitch playing and decreases after stopping playing. No significant differences in intraocular pressure fluctuation were reported between physically active (>2 days/week) and non-physically active participants (Unpaired t-test, p = 0.680). All intraocular pressure values were positively correlated (Pearson’s correlation, all r ≥ 0.505, p ≤ 0.004). Intraocular pressure fluctuations were negatively correlated with musical playing years (Pearson’s correlation, r = – 0.396, p = 0.030). There were no significant correlations among intraocular pressure fluctuation and gender, age, weight, height, or daily time playing (Pearson’s correlation, all p ≥ 0.058).

CONCLUSION: Professional wind musicians suffer intraocular pressure peaks while playing high-pitched tones; therefore, ocular fundus evaluation and visual campimetry should be performed as routine tests in the visual exam of this population.

PMID:38194485 | DOI:10.1080/08164622.2024.2301983

PLoS One. 2024 Jan 9;19(1):e0292669. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0292669. eCollection 2024.

ABSTRACT

Although CO2 field-flooding was first used during cardiac surgery more than 60 years ago, its efficacy is still disputed. The invisible nature of the gas and the difficulty in determining the “safe” quantity to protect the patient are two of the main obstacles to overcome for its validation. Moreover, CO2 concentration in the chest cavity is highly sensitive to procedural aspects, such suction and hand movements. Based on our review of the existing literature, we identified four major factors that influence the intra-cavity CO2 concentration during open-heart surgery: type of delivery device (diffuser), delivery CO2 flow rate, diffuser position around the wound cavity, and its orientation inside the cavity. In this initial study, only steady state conditions were considered to establish a basic understanding on the effect of the four above-mentioned factors. Transient factors, such as suction or hand movements, will be reported separately.

PMID:38194426 | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0292669

Pak J Biol Sci. 2023 Oct;26(11):576-585. doi: 10.3923/pjbs.2023.576.585.

ABSTRACT

<b>Background and Objective:</b> Indonesia boasts a variety of delicious tropical fruits, including pomelo, mainly grown in Pangkep Regency, South Sulawesi Province. However, in this region, some challenges hinder such as inadequate care, aging trees and limited seed supply hinder productivity in this region. <i>In vitro</i> culture methods present a solution by rapidly producing high quality, disease-free pomelo seeds. This study aims to determine the optimal concentration of the BAP added to the culture medium to induce shoots from pomelo seeds. <b>Materials and Methods:</b> The seeds were planted on MS media with the addition of BAP hormone (0.5, 1, 1.5, 2 and 2.5 ppm) and 0 ppm as the control. The experimental units were arranged in a CRD and analyzed using SPSS 20.0 software, employing the Shapiro-Wilk normality test and Levene’s Statistic for homogeneity. If the data met the normality and homogeneity assumptions, ANOVA was applied, followed by the DMRT for a parametric test. Otherwise, a non-parametric test namely the Kruskal-Wallis was conducted and differences were further analyzed using the Mann-Whitney test at a 5% significance level. <b>Results:</b> The application of the BAP accelerated shoot emergence, with the most rapid development occurring on the 10th day after planting (DAP), at a BAP concentration of 2.5 ppm for red pomelo. For white pomelo and sweet pomelo, shoots appeared on the 19th and 20th days, respectively at a 2 ppm BAP. Interestingly, root development was fastest between the 4th and 6th DAP in 0 ppm BAP (control). <b>Conclusion:</b> The addition of the BAP at a concentration of 1.5 ppm in the culture medium promotes faster shoot emergence and has a significant impact on the number of shoots in red pomelo.

PMID:38193372 | DOI:10.3923/pjbs.2023.576.585

Pak J Biol Sci. 2023 Oct;26(11):549-556. doi: 10.3923/pjbs.2023.549.556.

ABSTRACT

<b>Background and Objective:</b> Fixed oils used in traditional therapies also called volatile oils are generally aromatic oils obtained by the steam or hydrodistillation of plants. Different parts of plants have been used to obtain fixed oils. This study estimates the chemical constituents and <i>in vitro</i> antibacterial activity of fixed oils extracted by petroleum ether from the leaves, roots, stems and fruit part of <i>Bridelia stipularis</i> (L.). <b>Materials and Methods:</b> The natural fatty acids were extracted from different parts of <i>B. stipularis</i> by using petroleum ether. The fixed oils were studied by gas chromatography-mass spectrophotometry. The antibacterial test was carried out by the agar disc diffusion method. A Student’s t-test was computed for the statistical significance of the results. <b>Results:</b> It showed 10 compounds from the leaf and 5 compounds from the stem. In both cases, the major components were methyl decanoate 93.56 and 74.98%, respectively. From the root parts, 6 compounds were identified in which the major compound was methyl linolelaidate (36.86%). Two compounds were identified from the fruit part and the major portion was methyl pentadecanoate (98.20%). The <i>in vitro</i> antibacterial potentials of the oils were tested against four pathogenic bacteria. Among the four fixed oils, the stem, leaf and root showed the strongest activity against <i>E. coli</i> (30, 21 and 15 mm). On the other hand, fruit fixed oil showed the highest zone of inhibition against <i>Bacillus cereus</i> (25 mm). <b>Conclusion:</b> The fixed oils of <i>B. stipularis</i> plant have the potential to be applied as an antibacterial agent, which can be selected for further analysis and can be used to discover bioactive natural products that may serve as leads in the development of new pharmaceuticals that address unmet therapeutic needs.

PMID:38193369 | DOI:10.3923/pjbs.2023.549.556

Magn Reson Med. 2024 Jan 9. doi: 10.1002/mrm.29994. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: The determination of blood-brain barrier (BBB) integrity and partial pressure of oxygen (pO₂ ) in the brain is of substantial interest in several neurological applications. This study aimed to assess the feasibility of using trityl OX071-based pulse electron paramagnetic resonance imaging (pEPRI) to provide a quantitative estimate of BBB integrity and pO₂ maps in mouse brains as a function of neuroinflammatory disease progression.

METHODS: Five Connexin-32 (Cx32)-knockout (KO) mice were injected with lipopolysaccharide to induce neuroinflammation for imaging. Three wild-type mice were also used to optimize the imaging procedure and as control animals. An additional seven Cx32-KO mice were used to establish the BBB leakage of trityl using the colorimetric assay. All pEPRI experiments were performed using a preclinical instrument, JIVA-25 (25 mT/720 MHz), at times t = 0, 4, and 6 h following lipopolysaccharide injection. Two pEPRI imaging techniques were used: (a) single-point imaging for obtaining spatial maps to outline the brain and calculate BBB leakage using the signal amplitude, and (b) inversion-recovery electron spin echo for obtaining pO₂ maps.

RESULTS: A statistically significant change in BBB leakage was found using pEPRI with the progression of inflammation in Cx32 KO animals. However, the change in pO₂ values with the progression of inflammation for these animals was not statistically significant.

CONCLUSIONS: For the first time, we show the ability of pEPRI to provide pO₂ maps in mouse brains noninvasively, along with a quantitative assessment of BBB leakage. We expect this study to open new queries from the field to explore the pathology of many neurological diseases and provide a path to new treatments.

PMID:38193348 | DOI:10.1002/mrm.29994

J Am Heart Assoc. 2024 Jan 9:e029827. doi: 10.1161/JAHA.123.029827. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Soluble suppression of tumorigenicity-2 (sST2) predicts mortality in patients with heart failure. The predictive value of sST2 in patients with a left ventricular assist device remains unknown. Therefore, we studied the relationship between sST2 and outcome after left ventricular assist device implantation.

METHODS AND RESULTS: sST2 levels of patients with a left ventricular assist device implanted between January 2015 and December 2022 were included in this observational study. The median follow-up was 25 months, during which 1573 postoperative sST2 levels were measured in 199 patients, with a median of 29 ng/mL. Survival of patients with normal and elevated preoperative levels was compared using Kaplan-Meier analysis, which did not differ significantly (P=0.22) between both groups. The relationship between postoperative sST2, survival, and right heart failure was evaluated using a joint model, which showed a significant relationship between the absolute sST2 level and mortality, with a hazard ratio (HR) of 1.20 (95% CI, 1.10-1.130; P<0.01) and an HR of 1.22 (95% CI, 1.07-1.39; P=0.01) for right heart failure, both per 10-unit sST2 increase. The sST2 instantaneous change was not predictive for survival or right heart failure (P=0.99 and P=0.94, respectively). Multivariate joint model analysis showed a significant relationship between sST2 with mortality adjusted for NT-proBNP (N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide), with an HR of 1.19 (95% CI, 1.00-1.42; P=0.05), whereas the HR of right heart failure was not significant (1.22 [95% CI, 0.94-1.59]; P=0.14), both per 10-unit sST2 increase.

CONCLUSIONS: Time-dependent postoperative sST2 predicts all-cause mortality after left ventricular assist device implantation after adjustment for NT-proBNP. Future research is warranted into possible target interventions and the optimal monitoring frequency.

PMID:38193339 | DOI:10.1161/JAHA.123.029827

J Korean Med Sci. 2024 Jan 8;39(1):e25. doi: 10.3346/jkms.2024.39.e25.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Shift work, including night shift work, during pregnancy has been associated with adverse birth outcomes such as small for gestational age (SGA) infants and preterm births. This study, conducted in South Korea using the Korean CHildren’s ENvironmental health Study (Ko-CHENS) cohort, aimed to investigate the association between shift work and night shift status during pregnancy and adverse birth outcomes.

METHODS: The Korean Ko-CHENS is a nationwide prospective birth cohort study of children’s environmental diseases, conducted by the Ministry of Environment and the National Institute of Environmental Research. This study included pregnant women recruited from 2015 to 2020 for Ko-CHENS Core Cohorts, and 4,944 out of a total of 5,213 pregnant women were selected as final subjects. A logistic regression model was used to identify the risk factors affecting SGA births, preterm births, and low-birth-weight infants, and the odds ratio (OR) was adjusted. This was confirmed by calculating ORs. Maternal age, infant sex, maternal educational status, body mass index, smoking status, alcohol consumption status, parity, gestational diabetes mellitus, preeclampsia, and abortion history were used as adjusted variables.

RESULTS: No statistically significant differences were observed in the birth outcomes or maternal working patterns. There were no significant differences in the adjusted odds ratios (aORs) of SGA and preterm births between the non-worker, day worker, and shift worker. However, there was a significant difference in the aORs of SGA between non-workers and night shift workers. (aORs [95% confidence interval], 2.643 [1.193-5.859]).

CONCLUSION: Working during pregnancy did not increase the risk of SGA or preterm birth, and night shift work did not increase the risk of preterm birth. However, night-shift work increases the risk of SGA.

PMID:38193332 | DOI:10.3346/jkms.2024.39.e25