Tag: statistics

Am J Clin Pathol. 2023 Aug 20:aqad104. doi: 10.1093/ajcp/aqad104. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: To quantitatively measure liver biopsy adequacy requirements and the effect of a teaching intervention that uses a virtual biopsy platform.

METHODS: A library of virtual liver biopsies was created using digital whole-slide, trichrome-stained tissue sections from liver resection material and QuPath image analysis software. Blinded participants staged fibrosis on the virtual biopsies before and after a teaching intervention.

RESULTS: This platform both modeled adequacy requirements for cirrhosis diagnosis on biopsy material and measured the effect of a teaching intervention on participant performance. Using this platform, diagnostic accuracy for cirrhosis could be modeled according to the function y = λ(1 ‒ e‒x/γ). The platform demonstrated that the relationship between biopsy size and diagnostic accuracy was statistically significant and that biopsies smaller than 6 mm long and 0.8 mm wide were insufficient to diagnosis cirrhosis. The platform also measured improvement in fibrosis staging accuracy among participants following a teaching intervention.

CONCLUSIONS: These results provide proof of concept for a virtual biopsy method by which outstanding questions in anatomic pathology can be addressed quantitatively using open source software. Future work is needed to validate these findings in clinical practice.

PMID:37598345 | DOI:10.1093/ajcp/aqad104

J Cancer Res Clin Oncol. 2023 Aug 20. doi: 10.1007/s00432-023-05146-7. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: This study was conducted to develop nomograms and validate them by assessing risk factors for the development of central lymph node metastasis (CLNM) in patients with solitary papillary thyroid carcinoma of the isthmus (PTCI) for predicting the probability of CLNM.

METHODS: Demographic and clinicopathological variables of patients with solitary papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) from May 2018 to May 2023 at the First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University were retrospectively analyzed, and the lobar group and the isthmus group were divided according to tumor location. Patients with the same sex, age difference of less than 3 years, and equal gross tumor diameter were selected from the lobar group and compared with the paraisthmic tumor group. Independent risk factors were determined using univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis. On this basis, clinical predictive nomograms were developed and validated.

RESULTS: Clinical data from 326 patients with solitary PTCI and 660 cases of solitary lobar PTC were used for analysis in our study. The incidence of solitary tumors CLNM located in the median isthmus, paracentral isthmus, and lobes was 69.8%, 40.9%, and 33.6%, respectively. Statistical analysis revealed that gender, age, isthmus location, maximum nodal diameter, the presence of possible CLNM in advance on preoperative ultrasound, chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis, and the lymphocyte/monocyte ratio were independent risk factors for preoperative CLNM in patients with solitary PTCI. Age, isthmus location, chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis, gross tumor diameter, presence of intraoperative extrathyroidal extension, and presence of metastasis in the Delphian lymph node on frozen section were independent risk factors for intraoperative CLNM. The concordance indices of nomograms for preoperative and intraoperative are 0.871 and 0.894 in the training set and 0.796 and 0.851 in the validation set, calibration curve and decision curve analysis also demonstrated the strong reliability and clinical applicability of this clinical prediction model.

CONCLUSION: In this study, we concluded that solitary PTCI is more aggressive compared to solitary lobar PTC, and we constructed nomograms and risk stratification to accurately identify patients with solitary PTCI who are at high risk of developing CLNM, which will help clinicians in personalized decision making.

PMID:37598343 | DOI:10.1007/s00432-023-05146-7

J Am Dent Assoc. 2023 Aug 19:S0002-8177(23)00403-8. doi: 10.1016/j.adaj.2023.06.017. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Identifying the presence of teeth in newborns is important as it may require immediate care. This study aimed to determine the worldwide prevalence of natal and neonatal teeth.

TYPE OF STUDIES REVIEWED: Six electronic databases and the gray literature were searched on February 23, 2023 to identify observational studies reporting the prevalence of natal or neonatal teeth. Studies assuming natal and neonatal teeth as identical terms or not reporting prevalence indicators were excluded. The methodological quality of the studies was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute checklist for studies reporting prevalence data. The worldwide prevalence of natal and neonatal teeth was estimated via proportion meta-analysis using a β-binomial model. Heterogeneity across studies was explored via subgroup analyses and meta-regression.

RESULTS: None of the 23 included studies fulfilled all items of the methodological quality checklist. The worldwide prevalence of natal teeth was 34.55 (95% CI, 20.12 to 59.26) per 10,000, and the prevalence of neonatal teeth was 4.52 (95% CI, 2.59 to 17.91) per 10,000. Subgroup analysis by continent showed that the prevalence of natal teeth ranged from 11.26 (95% CI, 7.58 to 16.61) per 10,000 in Asia through 75.32 (95% CI, 51.11 to 99.86) per 10,000 in North America, and the prevalence of neonatal teeth ranged from 3.52 (95% CI, 1.73 to 7.06) per 10,000 in Europe through 6.01 (95% CI, 2.25 to 16.60) per 10,000 in South America. Meta-regression did not find a statistically significant association between prevalence rates and year of publication or sample size.

PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: Approximately 1 in 289 newborns had natal teeth and 1 in 2,212 had neonatal teeth. Although this is not a high prevalence, professionals must be alert to identify these conditions, which often require immediate care.

PMID:37598330 | DOI:10.1016/j.adaj.2023.06.017

Physiother Res Int. 2023 Aug 20:e2047. doi: 10.1002/pri.2047. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Low back pain (LBP) with clinical lumbar instability (CLI) is considered a subgroup of back pain. Poor core stability function and/or lack of motor controls are thought to play a role in inappropriate inter-segmental movements and pain. There is no study investigating the changes in the lumbar multifidus muscle (LMM) morphology and motor control in this subgroup of patients.

OBJECTIVE: To assess motor control components and morphological changes of LMM in the patients suffering from chronic nonspecific low back pain (CNSLBP) with CLI.

DESIGN: Observational case-control study.

METHODS: Thirty-two patients suffering from (CNSLBP) with CLI and 32 healthy individuals were included. The muscle force element of lumbar motor control was assessed by using (the active straight-leg raise test, leg lowering test, and Trendelenburg test). Ultrasonography was used to assess changes in the LMM morphology.

RESULTS: There was a significant decrease in motor control (p = 0.0001), an increase in LMM fatty infiltration (p = 0.002), and a decrease in the thickness of LMM in patients suffering from CNSLBP during contraction (p = 0.006), during rest (p = 0.018). The cross-section area of the LMM showed no statistically significant differences during rest on the right and left sides (p = 0.827, 0.220 respectively) and contraction (p = 0.160, 0.278 respectively) between patients and healthy subjects.

CONCLUSION: Motor control and the morphology of LMM in patients with CNSLBP with CLI may provide insight into the mechanisms of underlying pain and their effect on muscle function and structure.

PMID:37598310 | DOI:10.1002/pri.2047

J Inj Violence Res. 2023 Aug 20;15(2). doi: 10.5249/jivr.v15i2.1824. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Emotional sadness caused by the experience of the loss of a romantic relationship can lead to love trauma syndrome, which includes a set of psychopathology symptoms. The present study was also conducted to investigate the effectiveness of cognitive emotion regulation training based on the Gross model in improving the love trauma syndrome, hoping and positive affect negative affect among female students with love trauma.

METHODS: The research method was experimental (pre-test and post-test with the control group). The statistical population was all the female students with love trauma at the University of Mohaghegh Ardabili and 34 participants (17 participants in each group) were selected by purposive sampling. Also, in order to determine the target sample from the Love Trauma Syndromes Inventory (LTSI-10), to implement the intervention of the cognitive emotion regulation program based on the Gross model, and to measure dependent variables in addition to the LTSI, Positive Affect Negative Affect Scale (PANAS-20) and Miller Hope Scale (MHS-48) were used. Multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) was also used for data analysis.

RESULTS: The results showed that the assumptions (homogeneity of covariances and variances) are maintained. Also, the effect of group membership shows the significant impact of the intervention on the love trauma syndrome (p less than 0.01), negative affect (p less than 0.01), hope (p less than 0.01), and no effect on positive affect (p greater than 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS: Therefore, after identifying individuals with love trauma, the intervention of cognitive emotion regulation can be done on them in a group to reduce the symptoms of psychological harms in them and also to cognitive strategies, and to equip them for problem solving or compatibility.

PMID:37598300 | DOI:10.5249/jivr.v15i2.1824

Med Sci Monit. 2023 Aug 20;29:e940539. doi: 10.12659/MSM.940539.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND Midpalatal suture ossification varies in patients of different ages, which can lead to making inaccurate presumptions when considering effective treatment timing based on chronological age. Chronological age provides only general information, whereas dental development correlates with skeletal growth, which suggests that tooth mineralization could be considered to be a precise criterion for determining the midpalatal suture’s maturity. The present study was conducted to investigate the association between third-molar mineralization and midpalatal suture’s maturation stages using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) images. MATERIAL AND METHODS The study involved 97 CBCT images of patients aged 8-37 years with normal growth and development. Subjects with cleft lip and palate, caries treatment, or present cavities in the third molars were not included in the study. The stages of midpalatal suture ossification were evaluated according to the protocol suggested by Angelieri et al, and the third-molar mineralization degree was measured by the Demirjian index. Statistical analysis was performed to evaluate correlations between the variables. RESULTS Patients with advanced third-molar mineralization stages were found to have greater midpalatal suture maturity. A statistically significant positive correlation was found between the stages of third-molar mineralization and midpalatal suture maturation (R=0.814, P<0.01). Third-molar development was also found to be associated with chronological age (R=0.883, P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS A measure of third-molar mineralization does not allow for accurate determination of the midpalatal suture maturation stage.

PMID:37598290 | DOI:10.12659/MSM.940539

Sci Rep. 2023 Aug 19;13(1):13504. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-40744-y.

ABSTRACT

COVID-19 is associated with higher inflammatory markers, illness severity and mortality in males compared to females. Differences in immune responses to COVID-19 may underpin sex- specific outcome differences. We hypothesised that anti-IL-6 receptor monoclonal antibodies are associated with heterogenous treatment effects between male and female patients. We conducted a retrospective cohort study assessing the interaction between biological sex and anti-IL-6 receptor antibody treatment with respect to hospital mortality or progression of respiratory failure. We used a Cox proportional hazards regression model to adjust for age, ethnicity, steroid use, baseline C-reactive protein, and COVID-19 variant. We included 1274 patients, of which 58% were male and 15% received anti-IL-6 receptor antibodies. There was a significant interaction between sex and anti-IL-6 receptor antibody use on progression to respiratory failure or death (p = 0.05). For patients who did not receive anti-IL-6 receptor antibodies, the risk of death was slightly higher in males (HR = 1.13 (0.72-1.79)), whereas in patients who did receive anti-IL-6 receptor antibodies, the risk was lower in males (HR = 0.65 (0.32-1.33)). There was a heterogenous treatment effect with anti-IL-6 receptor antibodies between males and females; with anti-IL-6 receptor antibody use having a greater benefit in preventing progression to respiratory failure or death in males (p = 0.05).

PMID:37598275 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-023-40744-y

Sci Rep. 2023 Aug 19;13(1):13510. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-40564-0.

ABSTRACT

Accurate spatial information on Land use and land cover (LULC) plays a crucial role in city planning. A widely used method of obtaining accurate LULC maps is a classification of the categories, which is one of the challenging problems. Attempts have been made considering spectral (Sp), statistical (St), and index-based (Ind) features in developing LULC maps for city planning. However, no work has been reported to automate LULC performance modeling for their robustness with machine learning (ML) algorithms. In this paper, we design seven schemes and automate the LULC performance modeling with six ML algorithms-Random Forest, Support Vector Machine with Linear kernel, Support Vector Machine with Radial basis function kernel, Artificial Neural Network, Naïve Bayes, and Generalised Linear Model for the city of Melbourne, Australia on Sentinel-2A images. Experimental results show that the Random Forest outperforms remaining ML algorithms in the classification accuracy (0.99) on all schemes. The robustness and statistical analysis of the ML algorithms (for example, Random Forest imparts over 0.99 F1-score for all five categories and p value [Formula: see text] 0.05 from Wilcoxon ranked test over accuracy measures) against varying training splits demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed schemes. Thus, providing a robust measure of LULC maps in city planning.

PMID:37598272 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-023-40564-0

Eye (Lond). 2023 Aug 19. doi: 10.1038/s41433-023-02699-2. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: To evaluate the association between age-related macular degeneration (AMD) with or without visual disability (VD) and the risk of fracture using the National Health Insurance data in South Korea.

METHODS: In total, 3,894,702 individuals who had taken part in health-screening programs between January 1, 2009, and December 31, 2009, were included in the cohort and followed until December 31, 2019. The participants with VD, which could be related to the severity of AMD, were defined as those with a loss of vision or visual field defect as certified by the Korean government’s Ministry of Health and Welfare. The hazard ratio was calculated for groups (control and AMD with/without VD) using the multivariable-adjusted cox regression analysis.

RESULTS: In total, 466,890 participants (11.99%) were diagnosed with fractures during the study period. An increased risk of fracture was observed in individuals with AMD compared with the control (adjusted hazard ratio (aHR), 1.09, 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.06-1.11). Furthermore, among the AMD individuals, an increased risk of fracture was prominent in individuals with VD (aHR 1.17, 95% CI 1.08-1.27) than those without VD (aHR 1.08, 95% CI 1.06-1.11) compared with the reference group (control).

CONCLUSIONS: AMD was associated with an increased risk of fracture even without VD. Prevention for fracture should be considered in AMD patients, especially when accompanied by VD.

PMID:37598260 | DOI:10.1038/s41433-023-02699-2

Sci Rep. 2023 Aug 19;13(1):13543. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-40584-w.

ABSTRACT

The adoption of strategies for monitoring water consumption is essential for water resources management, contributing to the promotion of the sustainability in the water sector. Statistical process control (SPC) charts, which are widely used in the industrial sector, are statistical methods developed to improve the quality of products and processes. The application of this method has reached other areas over the last decades and has recently been identified as an option for environmental monitoring. In this context, the application of SPC charts emerges as an option for water consumption monitoring, whether in a building or an urban scale. Thus, this article aims to analyze the application of statistical process control charts in the monitoring of water consumption of two housing compounds in Joinville, southern Brazil. The methodological procedures include the use of the Shewhart and the EWMA control charts in addition to the non-parametric alternative, the EWMA-SN, assessing the effectiveness of these techniques in detecting water leaks in residential apartment buildings. The data sets, obtained through a telemetry metering system from the water utility, represent a period of 243 days. The results show that control charts are a powerful tool in identifying changes in water consumption patterns, with the EWMA chart flagging the leaks sooner.

PMID:37598231 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-023-40584-w