Tag: statistics

Anticancer Res. 2023 Nov;43(11):5089-5097. doi: 10.21873/anticanres.16709.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND/AIM: Texture analysis can provide quantitative imaging markers from computed tomography (CT) images. The Node-RADS classification was recently published as a classification system to better characterize lymph nodes in oncological imaging. The present analysis investigated the diagnostic benefit of CT texture analysis and the Node-RADS classification to categorize and stage lymph nodes in patients with perihilar cholangiocarcinoma.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: Overall, 25 patients (n=9 females, 36%) with a mean age of 72.4±8.1 years were included. All patients were surgically resected and the lymph nodes were histopathologically analyzed. CT-texture analysis was performed with the Mazda package. All investigated lymph nodes were scored in accordance with the Node-RADS classification.

RESULTS: Regarding lymph node discrimination (N- versus N+), Node-RADS classification achieved an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.86 resulting in a sensitivity of 78% and a specificity of 86%. Multiple investigated texture features were different between negative and positive lymph nodes. The “S(0,1)SumVarnc” achieved the best AUC of 0.75 resulting in a sensitivity of 0.91 and a specificity of 0.67. Correlation analysis showed various statistically significant associations between CT texture features and Node-RADS score.

CONCLUSION: Several CT texture features and the Node-RADS score derived from preoperative staging CT were associated with the malignancy of the hilar lymph nodes and might aid for preoperative staging. This could change surgical treatment planning in hilar cholangiocarcinoma.

PMID:37909955 | DOI:10.21873/anticanres.16709

Andes Pediatr. 2023 Jun;94(3):392-400. doi: 10.32641/andespediatr.v94i3.4494.

ABSTRACT

Several studies have supported the positive effect of respiratory rehabilitation (RR) in children and adolescents (CRA) with chronic respiratory diseases (CRD); however, qualitative aspects related to the experiences and perceptions about RR have been scarcely studied.

OBJECTIVE: to analyze the qualitative evidence regarding the perceptions and experiences of patients, families and professionals related to the RR of children and adolescents with CKD.

METHODS: Review of qualitative studies in 5 databases. We used MeSH terms and free English-language terms grouped into three dimensions: patients, intervention, and research design. The study subjects had to be patients, their families, teachers or treating health teams. No restrictions were placed on language or year of publication. The search strategy was configured as follows: ((Cystic fibrosis) OR (Asthma) OR (Neuromuscular diseases)) AND ((Respiratory rehabilitation) OR (Exercise)) AND ((Qualitative research) OR (Phenomenology) OR (Grounded theory) OR (Ethnography)). Two independent authors analyzed atingent titles, abstracts and long texts. Finally, a qualitative description of the results was made.

RESULTS: Twenty-one qualitative studies were selected, all on patients, family members, teachers or professionals treating patients with cystic fibrosis (CF), asthma or neuromuscular diseases (NMD). Perception of benefits, parental influence, enjoyment of the protocols, and time required to engage in physical activity were categories identified in all three groups. Aspects such as perceived safety on school grounds and parental stress were specific categories, highlighted in the context of asthma and CF respectively.

CONCLUSION: Several general and specific factors of a qualitative nature influence the experience of children with CRD during RR. Future studies conducted in our cultural context should be conducted to confirm these results.

PMID:37909943 | DOI:10.32641/andespediatr.v94i3.4494

Andes Pediatr. 2023 Jun;94(3):339-349. doi: 10.32641/andespediatr.v94i3.4395.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the frequency of vitamin D (VD) deficiency in adolescents with different degrees of obesity and its association with alterations in the metabolic profile.

PATIENTS AND METHOD: Cross-sectional, descriptive, and analytical study in 250 adolescents with different degrees of obesity, treated at the nutrition polyclinic of the Hospital Dr. Sotero del Río. Data on age, sex, weight, height, Tanner stage, 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels, total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, basal insulin, and glycemia were collected. The following were used for statistical analysis: Student’s test, chi-square, multiple linear regression analysis, and Pearson’s correlation coefficient.

RESULTS: 58% of the adolescents presented non-severe obesity and 42% severe obesity, the mean age was 12.4 ± 2.1 years, and 54% were male. 91% of the total sample presented VD deficiency, being more frequent among adolescents with severe obesity, reaching 95%. VD levels were significantly lower in winter. HOMA (homeostatic model assessment) values were higher among patients with severe obesity (6.3/4.2). Low HDL-c was more frequent in adolescents with severe obesity (78%/62%). An inverse correlation was found between VD and triglyceride levels (r = -0.20; p = 0.00) and total cholesterol (r = -0.15; p = 0.03).

CONCLUSION: The VD deficiency among obese adolescents is worrying, reaching more than 90% of the study sample. Our results highlight the importance of timely prevention, detection, and treatment of VD deficiency in obese adolescents to prevent bone health deterioration and cardiometabolic risk in adulthood.

PMID:37909937 | DOI:10.32641/andespediatr.v94i3.4395

Acta Oncol. 2023 Nov 1:1-7. doi: 10.1080/0284186X.2023.2275288. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: Gastric dose parameters comparison for deep inspiration breath-hold (DIBH) or free breathing (FB) mode during radiotherapy (RT) for left-sided breast cancer patients (LSBCPs) has not been investigated before. This study aimed to analyze the impact of Active Breath Coordinator (ABC)-DIBH technique on the dose received by the stomach during RT for LSBCPs and to provide organ-specific dosimetric parameters.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study included 73 LSBCPs. The dosimetric parameters of the stomach were compared between FB and DIBH mode. The correlation between the stomach volume and dosimetric parameters was analyzed.

RESULTS: Compared to FB mode, statistically significant reductions were observed in gastric dose parameters in ABC-DIBH mode, including Dmax (46.60 vs 17.25, p < 0.001), D1cc (38.42 vs 9.60, p < 0.001), Dmean (4.10 vs 0.80, p < 0.001), V40Gy (0.50 vs 0.00, p < 0.001), V30Gy (6.30 vs 0.00, p < 0.001), V20Gy (20.80 vs 0.00, p < 0.001), V10Gy (51.10 vs 0.77, p < 0.001), and V5Gy (93.20 vs 9.60, p < 0.001). ABC-DIBH increased the distance between the stomach and the breast PTV when compared to FB, from 1.3 cm to 2.8 cm (p < 0.001). Physiologic decrease in stomach volume was not found from FB to ABC-DIBH (415.54 cm³ vs 411.61 cm³, p = 0.260). The stomach volume showed a positive correlation with V40Gy (r² = 0.289; p < 0.05), V30Gy (r² = 0.287; p < 0.05), V20Gy (r² = 0.343; p < 0.05), V10Gy (r² = 0.039; p < 0.001), V5Gy (r² = 0.439; p < 0.001), Dmax (r² = 0.269; p < 0.05) and D1cc (r² = 0.278; p < 0.05) in FB mode. While in ABC-DIBH mode, most stomach dosimetric parameters were not correlated with gastric volume.

CONCLUSIONS: The implementation of ABC-DIBH in LSBCPs radiotherapy resulted in lower irradiation of the stomach. Larger stomach volume was associated with statistically significantly higher dose irradiation in FB mode. To reduce radiotherapy related side effects in FB mode, patients should be fast for at least 2 hours before the CT simulation and treatment.

PMID:37909907 | DOI:10.1080/0284186X.2023.2275288

Chaos. 2023 Nov 1;33(11):113108. doi: 10.1063/5.0171508.

ABSTRACT

Ordinal patterns serve as a robust symbolic transformation technique, enabling the unveiling of latent dynamics within time series data. This methodology involves constructing histograms of patterns, followed by the calculation of both entropy and statistical complexity-an avenue yet to be fully understood in terms of its statistical properties. While asymptotic results can be derived by assuming a multinomial distribution for histogram proportions, the challenge emerges from the non-independence present in the sequence of ordinal patterns. Consequently, the direct application of the multinomial assumption is questionable. This study focuses on the computation of the asymptotic distribution of permutation entropy, considering the inherent patterns’ correlation structure. Furthermore, the research delves into a comparative analysis, pitting this distribution against the entropy derived from a multinomial law. We present simulation algorithms for sampling time series with prescribed histograms of patterns and transition probabilities between them. Through this analysis, we better understand the intricacies of ordinal patterns and their statistical attributes.

PMID:37909906 | DOI:10.1063/5.0171508

Chaos. 2023 Nov 1;33(11):110401. doi: 10.1063/5.0181336.

NO ABSTRACT

PMID:37909905 | DOI:10.1063/5.0181336

Chaos. 2023 Nov 1;33(11):113106. doi: 10.1063/5.0170121.

ABSTRACT

The membrane potential of a neuron is mainly controlled by the gradient distribution of electromagnetic field and concentration diversity between intracellular and extracellular ions. Without considering the thickness and material property, the electric characteristic of cell membrane is described by a capacitive variable and output voltage in an equivalent neural circuit. The flexible property of cell membrane enables controllability of endomembrane and outer membrane, and the capacitive properties and gradient field can be approached by double membranes connected by a memristor in an equivalent neural circuit. In this work, two capacitors connected by a memristor are used to mimic the physical property of two-layer membranes, and an inductive channel is added to the neural circuit. A biophysical neuron is obtained and the energy characteristic, dynamics, self-adaption is discussed, respectively. Coherence resonance and mode selection in adaptive way are detected under noisy excitation. The distribution of average energy function is effective to predict the appearance of coherence resonance. An adaptive law is proposed to control the capacitive parameters, and the controllability of cell membrane under external stimulus can be explained in theoretical way. The neuron with memristive membranes explains the self-adaptive mechanism of parameter changes and mode transition from energy viewpoint.

PMID:37909904 | DOI:10.1063/5.0170121

J Proteome Res. 2023 Nov 1. doi: 10.1021/acs.jproteome.3c00526. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Understanding the pathogenesis and finding diagnostic markers for colorectal cancer (CRC) are the key to its diagnosis and treatment. Integrated transcriptomics and proteomics analysis can be used to characterize alterations of molecular phenotypes and reveal the hidden pathogenesis of CRC. This study employed a novel strategy integrating transcriptomics and proteomics to identify pathological molecular pathways and diagnostic biomarkers of CRC. First, differentially expressed proteins and coexpressed genes generated from weighted gene coexpression network analysis (WGCNA) were intersected to obtain key genes of the CRC phenotype. In total, 63 key genes were identified, and pathway enrichment analysis showed that the process of coagulation and peptidase regulator activity could both play important roles in the development of CRC. Second, protein-protein interaction analysis was then conducted on these key genes to find the central genes involved in the metabolic pathways underpinning CRC. Finally, Itih3 and Lrg1 were further screened out as diagnostic biomarkers of CRC by applying statistical analysis on central genes combining transcriptomics and proteomics data. The deep involvement of central genes in tumorigenesis demonstrates the accuracy and reliability of this novel transcriptomics-proteomics integration strategy in biomarker discovery. The identified candidate biomarkers and enriched metabolic pathways provide insights for CRC diagnosis and treatment.

PMID:37909265 | DOI:10.1021/acs.jproteome.3c00526

Cancer Med. 2023 Nov 1. doi: 10.1002/cam4.6653. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer in California and second among Hispanic/Latinx (H/L) males. Data from the California Cancer Registry were utilized to investigate the differential impact on CRC outcomes from demographic and clinical characteristics among non-Hispanic white (NHW), non-Hispanic Black (NHB), U.S. born (USB), and non-U.S. born (NUSB) H/L patients diagnosed during 1995-2020.

METHODS: We identified 248,238 NHW, 28,433 NHB, and 62,747 H/L cases (32,402 NUSB and 30,345 USB). Disparities across groups were evaluated through case frequencies, odds ratios (OR) from logistic regression, and hazard ratios (HR) from Cox regression models. All statistical tests were two-sided.

RESULTS: NHB patients showed a higher proportion of colon tumors (75.8%) than NHW (71.5%), whereas both NUSB (65.9%) and USB (66.9%) H/L cases had less (p < 0.001). In multivariate models, NUSB H/L cases were 15% more likely than NHW to have rectal cancer. Compared to NHW, NHB cases had the greatest proportion of Stage IV diagnoses (26.0%) and were more likely to die of CRC (multivariate HR = 1.12; 95% CI = 1.10-1.15). Instead, NUSB H/L patients were less likely to die of CRC (multivariate HR = 0.87; 95% CI = 0.85-0.89) whereas USB H/L did not differ from NHW.

CONCLUSIONS: NHB and H/L cases have more adverse characteristics at diagnosis compared to NHW cases, with NHB cases being more likely to die from CRC. However, NUSB H/Ls cases showed better survival than NHW and US born H/L patients. These findings highlight the importance of considering nativity among H/L populations to understand cancer disparities.

PMID:37909220 | DOI:10.1002/cam4.6653

Eurasian J Med. 2023 Oct;55(3):243-248. doi: 10.5152/eurasianjmed.2023.23102.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: The Children’s Saving Inventory (CSI) is a measurement tool developed to assess hoarding behavior in children. This study aims to investigate the psychometric properties of the Turkish version of the CSI in a clinical sample of children and adolescents.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study sample consisted of 52 children and adolescents diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder in the 8-17 age group and their families. As a structured diagnostic interview, the Development and Well-Being Assessment (DAWBA) was applied to all participants included in the research. Hoarding disorder (HD) diagnosis was made clinically by considering the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) diagnostic criteria. The Children’s Yale-Brown Obsessive- Compulsive Scale Symptom Checklist (CY-BOCS) was administered by an experienced clinician. The parents and children filled out the Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory-Child Version (OCI-CV) and CSI scales independently.

RESULTS: The 20-item CSI Turkish version demonstrated good internal consistency. This 4-factor structure of the scale was confirmed by confirmatory factor analysis. Children’s Saving Inventory showed convergent and discriminant validity with the OCI-CV and CY-BOCS subscales, and the higher CSI total scores in children and adolescents diagnosed with HD confirmed the construct validity.

CONCLUSION: These findings support the use of the CSI Turkish version as a valid and reliable scale to investigate the hoarding behavior of children and adolescents in a clinical sample. In addition, the CSI Turkish version is currently the only validated instrument to evaluate hoarding behavior in children and adolescents, as rated by parents in Türkiye.

PMID:37909198 | DOI:10.5152/eurasianjmed.2023.23102