Tag: statistics

Acta Paediatr. 2023 Feb 23. doi: 10.1111/apa.16723. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

AIM: To describe pulmonary important outcomes (PIO) reported by parents of children born extremely preterm.

METHODS: Over one-year, all parents of children aged 18 months-7-years born <29 weeks’ GA were asked regarding their perspectives. The proportion of parents who described PIO and the themes they invoked were examined. Results were analyzed using mixed methods.

RESULTS: Among parental responses (n=285, 98% participation rate), 44% spoke about PIO, invoking 24 themes pertaining to NICU hospitalization and/or long-term respiratory health. Some themes had an impact primarily on the child (eg: exercise limitation), while the majority had an impact on the whole family (eg: hospital readmissions). None mentioned oxygen at 36 weeks nor bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). The proportion of responses invoking PIO were statistically similar between parents of children with and without BPD, born before or after 25-weeks, or with birthweight < or ≥750g. PIO were more likely to be mentioned in males and among those readmitted for respiratory problems.

CONCLUSION: Parents describe many PIO, most related to the functional impact of lung disease on their child (and family), rather then the diagnosis of BPD itself. Most of these PIO are not primary outcomes in large neonatal trials, nor collected in neonatal databases.

PMID:36815277 | DOI:10.1111/apa.16723

Epilepsia. 2023 Feb 23. doi: 10.1111/epi.17558. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: Evaluating patients with drug-resistant epilepsy often requires inducing seizures by tapering anti-seizure medications (ASMs) in the Epilepsy Monitoring Unit (EMU). The relationship between ASM taper strategy, seizure timing and severity remains unclear. In this study, we developed and validated a pharmacokinetic model of total ASM load and tested its association with seizure occurrence and severity in the EMU.

METHODS: We studied 80 patients who underwent intracranial EEG recording for epilepsy surgery planning. We developed a first-order pharmacokinetic model of the ASMs administered in the EMU to generate a continuous metric of overall ASM load. We then related modeled ASM load to seizure likelihood and severity. We determined the association between the rate of ASM load reduction, the length of hospital stay and the probability of having a severe seizure. Finally, we used modeled ASM load to predict oncoming seizures.

RESULTS: Seizures occurred in the bottom 50^th -percentile of sampled ASM loads across the cohort (p < 0.0001, Wilcoxon sign-rank test), and seizures requiring rescue therapy occurred at lower ASM loads than seizures that did not require rescue therapy (logistic regression mixed effects model, odds ratio = 0.27, p = 0.01). Greater ASM decrease early in the EMU was not associated with an increased likelihood of having a severe seizure, nor with a shorter length of stay.

SIGNIFICANCE: A pharmacokinetic model can accurately estimate ASM levels for patients in the EMU. Lower modeled ASM levels are associated with increased seizure likelihood and seizure severity. We show that ASM load, rather than ASM taper speed, is associated with severe seizures. ASM modeling has the potential to help optimize taper strategy to minimize severe seizures while maximizing diagnostic yield.

PMID:36815252 | DOI:10.1111/epi.17558

Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. 2023 Feb 23:1-7. doi: 10.1017/ice.2023.19. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in acute-care settings affects patients, healthcare workers, and the healthcare system. We conducted an analysis of risk factors associated with outbreak severity to inform prevention strategies.

METHODS: This cross-sectional analysis of COVID-19 outbreaks was conducted at Fraser Health acute-care sites between March 2020 and March 2021. Outbreak severity measures included COVID-19 attack rate, outbreak duration, and 30-day case mortality. Generalized linear models with generalized estimating equations were used for all outcome measures. A P value of 0.05 indicated statistical significance. Analyses were performed using SAS version 3.8 software, R version 4.1.0 software, and Stata version 16.0 software.

RESULTS: Between March 2020 and March 2021, 54 COVID-19 outbreaks were declared in Fraser Health acute-care sites. Overall, a 10% increase in the hand hygiene rate during the outbreak resulted in an 18% decrease in the attack rate (P < .01), 1 fewer death (P = .03), and shorter outbreaks (P < .01). A 10-year increase in unit age was associated with 2.2 additional days of outbreak (P < 0.01) and increases in the attack rate (P < .05) and the number of deaths (P < .01).

DISCUSSION: We observed an inverse relationship between increased hand hygiene compliance during outbreaks and all 3 severity measures. Increased unit age was also associated with increases in each of the severity measures.

CONCLUSION: This study highlights the importance of hand hygiene practices during an outbreak and the difficulties faced by older facilities, many of which have infrastructural challenges. The latter reinforces the need to incorporate infection control standards into healthcare planning and construction.

PMID:36815248 | DOI:10.1017/ice.2023.19

J Psychosoc Oncol. 2023;41(2):235-241. doi: 10.1080/07347332.2022.2072792. Epub 2022 Jun 6.

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to explore whether patient-centered communication (PCC) would partially mediate the relationship between social support and mental health status among adult survivors of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL). Methods: Secondary analysis of self-administered questionnaires mailed to 682 adults with NHL who were assumed living and had completed the baseline 2005 study (83% response rate). Adult NHL survivors (n = 566) and data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and the Sobel test. Results: PCC partially mediated the relationship between social support and three measures of mental health outcomes (SF-36 Mental Component Summary [SF36-MCS], Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist-Civilian Version [PCL-C], Impact of Cancer – Negative Impact Summary [IOCv2 NIS]). Results of the conservative Sobel test were significant (p < .01) in three mediation models. Conclusions: Future research should focus on testing interventions that target PCC and identifying additional mediators and moderators between social support and mental health outcomes among cancer survivors.

PMID:36815246 | DOI:10.1080/07347332.2022.2072792

Zygote. 2023 Feb 23:1-6. doi: 10.1017/S0967199423000035. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the physiological and morphological parameters of pregnant does for early prediction of prenatal litter size. In total, 33 does were screened using ultrasonography and further categorized into three groups based on does bearing twins (n = 12), a single fetus (n = 12), or non-pregnant does (n = 9). The rectal temperature °F (RT) and respiration rate (RR) as physiological parameters, while abdominal girth in cm (AG) and udder circumference in cm (UC) as morphological parameters were recorded at different gestation times, i.e. 118, 125, 132 and 140 days. In addition to this, age (years) and weight at service (kg) were also used. The statistical analyses included analysis of variance (ANOVA) and linear discriminant analysis (LDA). The results indicated that groups had significant (P < 0.05) differences among morphological parameters at each gestation time, with higher AG and UC in does bearing twins followed by a single fetus and non-pregnant does. However, both physiological parameters were non-significantly (P > 0.05) associated with litter size groups. It was also revealed that the studied parameters showed increasing trends over gestation time in single and twin fetus categories, but they were on par among non-pregnant does. The results of the LDA revealed that estimated function based on age, weight at service, RR, RT, AG and UC had greater (ranging from 75.00 to 91.70%) accuracy, sensitivity and specificity at different gestation times. It was concluded that using an estimated function, future pregnant does may be identified in advance for single or twin litter size, with greater accuracy.

PMID:36815227 | DOI:10.1017/S0967199423000035

J Environ Public Health. 2023 Feb 13;2023:9738094. doi: 10.1155/2023/9738094. eCollection 2023.

ABSTRACT

The aim of the work is to analyze the socio-economic and healthcare aspects that arise in the contemporary COVID-19 situation from Bangladesh perspective. We elaborately discuss the successive COVID-19 occurrences in Bangladesh with consequential information. The components associated with the COVID-19 commencement and treatment policy with corresponding features and their consequences are patently delineated. The effect of troublesome issues related to the treatment is detailed with supporting real-time data. We elucidate the applications of modern technologies advancement in epidemiological aspects and their existent compatibility in Bangladesh. We statistically analyze the real-time data through figurative and tabular approaches. Some relevant measures of central tendency and dispersion are utilized to explore the data structure and its observable specifications. For a clear manifestation, Z– scores of the COVID-19 components are analyzed through the Box-Whisker plot. We have discovered that the gathered data exhibit features that are unsatisfactory for the normal distribution, are highly positively skewed, and are predominated by the earliest occurrences. Infections and deaths were initially lower than the global average, but they drastically rose in the first quarter of 2021 and persisted for the remainder of the year. Substantial preventive results were produced by the region-wisetime-worthy moves. In the fourth quarter of 2021, the infections and deaths noticeably decreased, and the number of recoveries was highly significant. In the middle of 2022, a lethal rise in infections was observed in Bangladesh and that was quickly stabilized, and the pandemic ingredients were under control. According to our assessment, some concluding remarks are made at the end of this work.

PMID:36815185 | PMC:PMC9940984 | DOI:10.1155/2023/9738094

Front Behav Neurosci. 2023 Feb 6;17:1089631. doi: 10.3389/fnbeh.2023.1089631. eCollection 2023.

ABSTRACT

Rats produce ultrasonic vocalisation (USVs) that are classified into different types, based on their average frequency. In pups 40 kHz USVs are produced upon social isolation, and in adults USVs can be associated with affective states and specific behavioural patterns (i.e., appetitive 50 kHz vocalisations of frequency range 30-100 kHz, or aversive 20 kHz vocalisations of frequency range 18-30 kHz). Generally, USVs of frequency around 50 kHz are linked to activation of brain reward pathways, during anticipation or experience of rewarding stimuli. Previous studies have described several subtypes of 50 kHz USVs, according to their acoustic properties. We asked whether USV production might be relevant to feeding behaviour. We recorded USVs from 14-week old adult rats during the satisfaction of a physiological need: refeeding following mild food deprivation (17 h overnight fast). We analysed a 10 min consummatory phase, preceded by a 10 min anticipatory phase, as a control for the experimental meal. Following identification of USV subtypes, we applied frequentist and Bayesian (Monte Carlo shuffling) statistical analyses to investigate the relationship between USV emission and rat behaviour. We found that it was not total USV quantity that varied in response to food consumption, but the subtype of USV produced. Most importantly we found that rats who feed tend to produce flat USVs of a frequency around 40 kHz. Beyond the previous reports of circumstantial association feeding-flat USVs, our observation directly correlate vocalisation and ingestive behaviour. Our study highlights that, in addition to quantification of the production rate, study of USV subtypes might inform us further on rat consummatory behaviour. Since this vocalisation behaviour can have a communicative purpose, those findings also illustrate nutrition studies might benefit from considering the possible social dimension of feeding behaviour.

PMID:36815182 | PMC:PMC9939450 | DOI:10.3389/fnbeh.2023.1089631

Front Public Health. 2023 Feb 6;11:1097485. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1097485. eCollection 2023.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: Social robot interventions are being implemented to reduce cognitive decline, depression, and loneliness among older adults. However, the types, functions, and programs of effective social robots have not yet been confirmed. This study investigated whether a social robot intervention is effective in improving cognitive function, depression, loneliness, and quality of life in older adults living alone.

METHODS: This study used a non-equivalent control group pre-test-post-test design. It was conducted twice a week, with each session lasting 50 mi; twelve sessions were conducted over 6 weeks. This study was conducted at three senior welfare centers in Korea. In each group, 10 or fewer participants used the PIO social robot. The total participants included 64 people in the experimental (n = 31) and control groups (n = 33), and consisted of older people over 65 years of age living alone.

RESULTS: There was a statistically significant difference in the pre-post values for cognitive function (z = 5.21, p < 0.001), depression (z = -2.99, p = 0.003), and loneliness (t = -4.27, p < 0.001) in the experimental and control groups. However, there was no statistically significant difference for quality of life (z = 1.84, p = 0.066).

CONCLUSIONS: It was confirmed that a cognitive intervention program using the social robot PIO can improve cognitive function and reduce depression and loneliness in older adults living alone.

PMID:36815168 | PMC:PMC9939746 | DOI:10.3389/fpubh.2023.1097485

Front Public Health. 2023 Feb 6;11:1120567. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1120567. eCollection 2023.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Whilst acupuncture is widely used for treating psychosomatic diseases, there is little high-quality evidence supporting its application in comorbid perimenopausal depression (PMD) and insomnia (PMI) which are common complaints during climacteric. This feasibility, patient-assessor-blinded, randomized, sham-controlled clinical trial addresses this gap by investigating the efficacy and safety of acupuncture on depressed mood and poor sleep in women with comorbid PMD and PMI.

METHODS: Seventy eligible participants were randomly assigned to either real-acupuncture (RA) or sham-acupuncture (SA) groups. Either RA or SA treatment were delivered in 17 sessions over 8 weeks. The primary outcomes for mood and sleep were changes on 17-items Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D₁₇) and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) scores, from baseline to 16-week follow-up. Secondary outcome measures involved anxiety symptoms, perimenopausal symptoms, quality of life, participants’ experience of and satisfaction with the acupuncture treatment. Blood samples were taken to measure reproductive hormone levels. Intention-To-Treat and Per-Protocol analyses were conducted with linear mixed-effects models. The James’ and Bang’s blinding indices were used to assess the adequacy of blinding.

RESULTS: Sixty-five participants completed all treatment sessions, and 54 and 41 participants completed the eight- and 16-week follow-ups, respectively. At post-treatment and 8-week follow-up, the RA group showed a significantly greater reduction in PSQI scores than the SA group did; although the reduction of HAM-D₁₇ scores in RA group was significant, the change was not statistically different from that of SA. There were no significant mean differences between baseline and 16-week follow-up in either HAM-D₁₇ or PSQI in either group. There were no significant between-group differences in serum reproductive hormone levels. All treatments were tolerable and no serious adverse events were reported, and the blinding was successful.

CONCLUSION: Acupuncture is safe and can contribute to clinically relevant improvements in comorbid PMD and PMI, with satisfactory short-and medium-term effects. Whether the anti-depressive benefit of acupuncture is specific or non-specific remains to be determined. No evidence was found for any longer-term benefit of acupuncture compared to sham at 16 weeks. Further research is required to elucidate mechanisms underlying the short to medium term effects of acupuncture.

PMID:36815166 | PMC:PMC9939459 | DOI:10.3389/fpubh.2023.1120567

Front Public Health. 2023 Feb 6;11:1100984. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1100984. eCollection 2023.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Pupils spend a significant portion of their time at school. As a result, the school serves as an important setting for both learning and the formation of healthy behaviors. Many children, and even fewer young people, do not fulfill the (inter)national health recommendations of 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) per day. The aim of this study was to examine pupils’ MVPA during schooltime in a longitudinal perspective, including the transition from primary to secondary school.

METHODS: The MVPA of 234 pupils’ was measured objectively using accelerometer monitors for seven consecutive days, in the spring of 2017, 2018, and 2019. Statistical analyses by Friedman, Wilcoxon and Mann-Whitney U-test were used to answer the research questions.

RESULTS: The results showed a significant decrease in the pupils’ MVPA and fulfilment of health recommendations during schooltime, from 7^th to 8^th grade. The analyses also showed that MVPA during schooltime was higher among boys than girls, and also contributed more to boys’ fulfilment of the health recommendations at all three time periods.

DISCUSSION: The results indicate that the transition between primary and secondary school is vulnerable concerning pupils’ MVPA during schooltime. As schooltime accounted for significantly more MVPA for boys than for girls at all three time periods, we question whether physical activity is sufficiently facilitated for girls in school.

PMID:36815164 | PMC:PMC9939469 | DOI:10.3389/fpubh.2023.1100984