Tag: statistics

Sci Rep. 2023 Mar 4;13(1):3646. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-30606-y.

ABSTRACT

Adding hooked industrial steel fibers (ISF) to concrete boosts its tensile and flexural strength. However, the understanding of ISF’s influence on the compressive strength (CS) behavior of concrete is still questioned by the scientific society. The presented paper aims to use machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL) algorithms to predict the CS of steel fiber reinforced concrete (SFRC) incorporating hooked ISF based on the data collected from the open literature. Accordingly, 176 sets of data are collected from different journals and conference papers. Based upon the initial sensitivity analysis, the most influential parameters like water-to-cement (W/C) ratio and content of fine aggregates (FA) tend to decrease the CS of SFRC. Meanwhile, the CS of SFRC could be enhanced by increasing the amount of superplasticizer (SP), fly ash, and cement (C). The least contributing factors include the maximum size of aggregates (D_max) and the length-to-diameter ratio of hooked ISFs (L/D_ISF). Several statistical parameters are also used as metrics to evaluate the performance of implemented models, such as coefficient of determination (R²), mean absolute error (MAE), and mean of squared error (MSE). Among different ML algorithms, convolutional neural network (CNN) with R² = 0.928, RMSE = 5.043, and MAE = 3.833 shows higher accuracy. On the other hand, K-nearest neighbor (KNN) algorithm with R² = 0.881, RMSE = 6.477, and MAE = 4.648 results in the weakest performance.

PMID:36871074 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-023-30606-y

Br J Cancer. 2023 Mar 4. doi: 10.1038/s41416-023-02212-2. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: This open-label, multicentre, phase II/III trial assessed the noninferiority of trifluridine/tipiracil (FTD/TPI) plus bevacizumab vs. fluoropyrimidine and irinotecan plus bevacizumab (control) as second-line treatment for metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC).

METHODS: Patients were randomised (1:1) to receive FTD/TPI (35 mg/m² twice daily, days 1-5 and days 8-12, 28-day cycle) plus bevacizumab (5 mg/kg, days 1 and 15) or control. The primary endpoint was overall survival (OS). The noninferiority margin of the hazard ratio (HR) was set to 1.33.

RESULTS: Overall, 397 patients were enrolled. Baseline characteristics were similar between the groups. Median OS was 14.8 vs. 18.1 months (FTD/TPI plus bevacizumab vs. control; HR 1.38; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.99-1.93; P_{noninferiority} = 0.5920). In patients with a baseline sum of the diameter of target lesions of <60 mm (n = 216, post hoc analyses), the adjusted median OS was similar between groups (FTD/TPI plus bevacizumab vs. control, 21.4 vs. 20.7 months; HR 0.92; 95% CI 0.55-1.55). Grade ≥3 adverse events (FTD/TPI plus bevacizumab vs. control) included neutropenia (65.8% vs. 41.6%) and diarrhoea (1.5% vs. 7.1%).

CONCLUSIONS: FTD/TPI plus bevacizumab did not demonstrate noninferiority to fluoropyrimidine and irinotecan plus bevacizumab as second-line treatment for mCRC.

CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: JapicCTI-173618, jRCTs031180122.

PMID:36871043 | DOI:10.1038/s41416-023-02212-2

Sci Rep. 2023 Mar 4;13(1):3649. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-30729-2.

ABSTRACT

Island nations may have potential long-term survival value for humanity in global catastrophes such as sun-blocking catastrophes from nuclear winter and large magnitude volcanic eruptions. One way to explore this issue further is to understand the impact on islands after the largest historically observed volcanic eruption: that of Mt Tambora in 1815. For each of the 31 large, populated islands selected, we conducted literature searches for relevant historical and palaeoclimate studies. We also analysed results from a reconstruction (EKF400v2), which uses atmospheric-only general circulation model simulations with assimilated observational and proxy data. From the literature review, there was widespread evidence for weather/climate anomalies in 1815-1817 for these islands (29/29 for those with data). But missing data was an issue for other dimensions such as impaired food production (seen in 8 islands out of only 12 with data). Based on the EKF400v2 reconstruction for temperature anomalies (compared to the relatively “non-volcanic” reference period of 1779 to 1808), the islands had lower temperature anomalies in the 1815-1818 period than latitudinally equivalent continental sites (at 100 km and 1000 km inland). This was statistically significant for the great majority of the comparisons for group analyses by hemisphere, oceans, and temperate/tropical zone. When considering just the islands, all but four showed statistically anomalous temperature reductions in the 1816-1817 period (for most p < 0.00001). In the peak impact year of 1816, the lowest anomalies were seen for islands in the Southern Hemisphere (p < 0.0001), the Indian Ocean (p < 0.0001), and in the tropics and subtropics of the Southern Hemisphere (p = 0.0057). In conclusion, the findings of both the literature review and reconstruction simulations suggest climatic impacts of the Tambora eruption for nearly all these 31 large islands, albeit less than for continental sites. Islands with the smallest temperature anomalies were in the Southern Hemisphere, in particular the Indian Ocean and the tropics and subtropics of the Southern Hemisphere.

PMID:36871039 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-023-30729-2

Pediatr Res. 2023 Mar 4. doi: 10.1038/s41390-023-02539-9. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Cow’s Milk-related Symptom Score (CoMiSS) is an awareness tool to recognize cow’s milk allergy (CMA) symptoms in infants. We aimed to assess the best cut-off point of CoMiSS in our country and investigate other parameters suggested to raise the strength of CoMiSS in CMA diagnosis.

METHODS: We enrolled 100 infants with CMA-suggestive symptoms with documentation of CoMiSS initially and 4 weeks after cow milk-free diet (CMFD) followed by an open food challenge (OFC) test. Infants with symptom recurrence upon challenge were diagnosed with confirmed CMA.

RESULTS: Initial mean CoMiSS was 15.76 ± 5.29, being higher in the confirmed CMA group (84% of infants). Following CMFD, median CoMiSS significantly reduced to 1.5 in the confirmed CMA group compared to 6.5 in the negative group. Receiver operation characteristic (ROC) curve identified a CoMiSS score of ≥12 as the best cut-off value with 76.19% sensitivity, 62.50% specificity and overall accuracy of 74.00%. Mucoid stool, bloody stool and faltering growth were reported in 80, 41 and 52% of confirmed CMA infants, respectively, with considerable improvement following CMFD.

CONCLUSIONS: Our study revealed a CoMiSS score of ≥12 to be the best cut-off point. However, CoMiSS cannot be used alone for accurate diagnosis of CMA.

IMPACT: CoMiSS ≥12 can predict a positive response to CMFD; nevertheless, CoMiSS is a good awareness tool and cannot be regarded as a stand-alone CMA diagnostic test. CoMiSS reduction following CMFD was predictive of a reaction to OFC to diagnose CMA as well as for monitoring symptom improvement. Symptoms commonly associated with CMA as mucoid stool, bloody stool, marked abdominal distention not responding to medical treatment and faltering growth, in addition to their improvements in response to CMA are suggested parameters to be added to CoMiSS to improve its accuracy.

PMID:36871030 | DOI:10.1038/s41390-023-02539-9

Sci Rep. 2023 Mar 4;13(1):3670. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-30634-8.

ABSTRACT

This study aimed to synthesize an amidoximated Luffa cylindrica (AO-LC) bioadsorbent, and evaluate its efficiency in the adsorption of heavy metals from the aqueous solutions. For this purpose, NaOH solution was used to alkaline treatment of Luffa cylindrica (LC) fibers. The silane modification of LC was performed using 3-(trimethoxysilyl)propyl methacrylate (MPS). Polyacrylonitrile (PAN)/LC biocomposite (PAN-LC) was synthesized by PAN grafting onto the MPS-modified LC (MPS-LC). Finally, the AO-LC was obtained by the amidoximation of PAN-LC. The chemical structures, morphology, and thermal properties of biocomposites were characterized by the infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, and field emission scanning electron microscopy. The results showed a successful grafting of MPS and PAN on the surface of LC. The order of heavy metals adsorption on AO-LC was: Pb²⁺ > Ag⁺ > Cu²⁺ > Cd²⁺ > Co²⁺ > Ni²⁺. The effects of operational parameters on the Pb²⁺ adsorption were studied using Taguchi experimental design method. Statistical analysis of the results showed that the initial Pb²⁺ concentration and the bioadsorbent dosage significantly affect the adsorption efficiency. The adsorption capacity and removal percentage of Pb²⁺ ions were obtained as 18.88 mg/g and 99.07%, respectively. The Langmuir isotherm and Pseudo-second order kinetics models were found to be better compatible with experimental data as a consequence of the isotherm and kinetics analysis.

PMID:36871018 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-023-30634-8

Lipids Health Dis. 2023 Mar 4;22(1):32. doi: 10.1186/s12944-023-01783-6.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The effect of body fat deposition on the kidney has received increasing attention. The Chinese visceral adiposity index (CVAI) is an important indicator of recent research. The purpose of this study was to explore the predictive value of CVAI and other organ obesity indicators in predicting CKD in Chinese residents.

METHODS: A retrospective cross-sectional study of 5355 subjects was performed. First, the study utilized locally estimated scatterplot smoothing to describe the dose-response relationship between the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and CVAI. The L1-penalized least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression algorithm was used for covariation screening, and the correlation between CVAI and eGFR was quantified using multiple logistic regression. At the same time, the diagnostic efficiency of CVAI and other obesity indicators was evaluated by ROC curve analysis.

RESULTS: CVAI and eGFR were negatively correlated. Using group one as the control, an odds ratio (OR) was calculated to quantify CVAI quartiles (ORs of Q2, Q3, and Q4 were 2.21, 2.99, and 4.42, respectively; P for trend < 0.001). CVAI had the maximum area under the ROC curve compared with other obesity indicators, especially in the female population (AUC: 0.74, 95% CI: 0.71-0.76).

CONCLUSIONS: CVAI is closely linked to renal function decline and has certain reference value for the screening of CKD patients, particularly in women.

PMID:36871015 | DOI:10.1186/s12944-023-01783-6

Malar J. 2023 Mar 4;22(1):75. doi: 10.1186/s12936-023-04515-4.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Over the last decades, enormous successes have been achieved in reducing malaria burden globally. In Latin America, South East Asia, and the Western Pacific, many countries now pursue the goal of malaria elimination by 2030. It is widely acknowledged that Plasmodium spp. infections cluster spatially so that interventions need to be spatially informed, e.g. spatially targeted reactive case detection strategies. Here, the spatial signature method is introduced as a tool to quantify the distance around an index infection within which other infections significantly cluster.

METHODS: Data were considered from cross-sectional surveys from Brazil, Thailand, Cambodia, and Solomon Islands, conducted between 2012 and 2018. Household locations were recorded by GPS and finger-prick blood samples from participants were tested for Plasmodium infection by PCR. Cohort studies from Brazil and Thailand with monthly sampling over a year from 2013 until 2014 were also included. The prevalence of PCR-confirmed infections was calculated at increasing distance around index infections (and growing time intervals in the cohort studies). Statistical significance was defined as prevalence outside of a 95%-quantile interval of a bootstrap null distribution after random re-allocation of locations of infections.

RESULTS: Prevalence of Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium falciparum infections was elevated in close proximity around index infections and decreased with distance in most study sites, e.g. from 21.3% at 0 km to the global study prevalence of 6.4% for P. vivax in the Cambodian survey. In the cohort studies, the clustering decreased with longer time windows. The distance from index infections to a 50% reduction of prevalence ranged from 25 m to 3175 m, tending to shorter distances at lower global study prevalence.

CONCLUSIONS: The spatial signatures of P. vivax and P. falciparum infections demonstrate spatial clustering across a diverse set of study sites, quantifying the distance within which the clustering occurs. The method offers a novel tool in malaria epidemiology, potentially informing reactive intervention strategies regarding radius choices of operations around detected infections and thus strengthening malaria elimination endeavours.

PMID:36870976 | DOI:10.1186/s12936-023-04515-4

J Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2023 Mar 4;52(1):21. doi: 10.1186/s40463-023-00634-9.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: There is a lack of robust evidence in regards to whether the intra and post-operative safety and efficacy of conventional curettage adenoidectomy is better than those of other available surgical techniques. Therefore, this study was conducted as a systematic review and network meta-analysis of published randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with the aim of comparing the safety and efficacy of conventional curettage adenoidectomy with all other available adenoidectomy techniques.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: A systematic search of published articles was performed in 2021 using databases such as PubMed/Medline, EMBASE, EBSCO, and the Cochrane Library. All RCTs that compared conventional curettage adenoidectomy with other surgical techniques and were published in English between 1965 and 2021 were included. The quality of the included RCTs have been assessed using Cochrane Collaboration Risk of Bias Tool.

RESULTS: After screening 1494 articles, 17 were identified for comparing several adenoidectomy techniques and were eligible for quantitative analysis. Of those, 9 RCTs were analyzed for intraoperative blood loss, and 6 articles were included for post-operative bleeding. Furthermore; 14, 10, and 7 studies were included for surgical time, residual adenoid tissue, and postoperative complications respectively. Endoscopic-assisted microdebrider adenoidectomy yielded a statistically significantly greater estimate of intraoperative blood loss compared with conventional curettage adenoidectomy (mean difference [MD], 92.7; 95% confidence interval [CI] 28.3-157.1), suction diathermy (MD, 117.1; 95% CI 37.2-197.1). Suction diathermy had the highest cumulative probability of being the preferred technique because it was estimated to result in the least intraoperative blood loss. Electronic molecular resonance adenoidectomy was estimated to be more likely to result in the shortest surgical time (mean rank, 2.2). Participants in the intervention group were 97% less likely to have residual adenoid tissue than children in the conventional curettage group (odds ratio 0.03; 95% CI 0.01-0.15); therefore, conventional curettage was not considered an appropriate technique for complete removal of adenoid tissue.

CONCLUSION: There is no single technique that can be considered best for all possible outcomes. Therefore, otolaryngologists should make an appropriate choice after critically reviewing the clinical characteristics of children requiring adenoidectomy. Findings of this systematic review and meta-analysis may guide otolaryngologists when making evidence-based decisions regarding the treatment of enlarged and symptomatic adenoids in children.

PMID:36870974 | DOI:10.1186/s40463-023-00634-9

BMC Cancer. 2023 Mar 4;23(1):210. doi: 10.1186/s12885-023-10673-0.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The clinical application of anthracycline chemotherapy is hindered due to the cumulative dose-dependent cardiotoxicity followed by the oxidative stress initiated during the mechanism of action of anthracyclines. Due to a lack of prevalence data regarding anthracycline-induced cardiotoxicity in Sri Lanka, this study was conducted to determine the prevalence of cardiotoxicity among breast cancer patients in Southern Sri Lanka in terms of electrocardiographic and cardiac biomarker investigations.

METHODS: A cross-sectional study with longitudinal follow-up was conducted among 196 cancer patients at the Teaching Hospital, Karapitiya, Sri Lanka to determine the incidence of acute and early-onset chronic cardiotoxicity. Data on electrocardiography and cardiac biomarkers were collected from each patient, one day before anthracycline (doxorubicin and epirubicin) chemotherapy, one day after the first dose, one day and six months after the last dose of anthracycline chemotherapy.

RESULTS: Prevalence of sub-clinical anthracycline-induced cardiotoxicity six months after the completion of anthracycline chemotherapy was significantly higher (p < 0.05) and there were strong, significant (p < 0.05) associations among echocardiography, electrocardiography measurements and cardiac biomarkers including troponin I and N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptides. The cumulative anthracycline dose, > 350 mg/m² was the most significant risk factor associated with the sub-clinical cardiotoxicity in breast cancer patients under study.

CONCLUSION: Since these results confirmed the unavoidable cardiotoxic changes following anthracycline chemotherapy, it is recommended to carry out long-term follow-ups in all patients who were treated with anthracycline therapy to increase their quality of life as cancer survivors.

PMID:36870959 | DOI:10.1186/s12885-023-10673-0

BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2023 Mar 4;23(1):145. doi: 10.1186/s12884-023-05457-0.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has led to unprecedented mental stress to women after childbirth. In this study, we assessed the association of disrespectful care after childbirth and COVID-19 exposure before/during labour with postpartum depression symptoms assessed at 7 and 45 days in Nepal.

METHODS: A longitudinal cohort study was conducted in 9 hospitals of Nepal among 898 women. The independent data collection system was established in each hospital to collection information on disrespectful care after birth via observation, exposure to COVID-19 infection before/during labour and other socio-demographic via interview. The information on depressive symptoms at 7 and 45 days was collected using the validated Edinburg Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) tool. Multi-level regression was performed to assess the association of disrespectful care after birth and COVID-19 exposure with postpartum depression.

RESULT: In the study, 16.5% were exposed to COVID-19 before/during labour and 41.8% of them received disrespectful care after childbirth. At 7 and 45 days postpartum, 21.3% and 22.4% of women reported depressive symptoms respectively. In the multi-level analysis, at the 7th postpartum day, women who had disrespectful care and no COVID-19 exposure still had 1.78 higher odds of having depressive symptom (aOR, 1.78; 95% CI; 1.16, 2.72). In the multi-level analysis, at 45^th postpartum day, women who had disrespectful care and no COVID-19 exposure had 1.37 higher odds of having depressive symptoms (aOR, 1.37; 95% CI; 0.82, 2.30), but not statistically significant.

CONCLUSION: Disrespectful care after childbirth was strongly associated with postpartum depression symptoms irrespective of COVID-19 exposure during pregnancy. Caregivers, even during the global pandemic, should continue to focus their attention for immediate breast feeding and skin-to-skin contact, as this might reduce the risk for depressive symptoms postpartum.

PMID:36870950 | DOI:10.1186/s12884-023-05457-0