Tag: statistics

Clin Exp Med. 2022 Aug 17. doi: 10.1007/s10238-022-00870-9. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Numerous pieces of evidence have demonstrated the functional role of miR-548 in various cancers. The expression and function of miR-548 in gastric cancer were investigated in the present study. A total of 123 gastric cancer patients were included and provided paired gastric cancer tissues and matched normal tissues. RT-qPCR was used to detect the expression of miR-548. CCK8 assay was used to evaluate cell proliferation, and Transwell assay was applied to assess cell migration and invasion. The clinical significance of miR-548 was estimated by a series of statistical analyses. miR-548 was found to be upregulated in gastric cancer, which was associated with the lymph node metastasis and TNM stage of patients. Patients with relatively high miR-548 expression possessed bad survival. miR-548 was identified as a prognostic indicator of gastric cancer. miR-548 was also found to promote the proliferation, migration, and invasion of gastric cancer. Upregulated miR-548 was involved in the progression of gastric cancer and predicted the prognosis of patients. Inhibition of miR-548 might be a novel therapeutic strategy for gastric cancer.

PMID:35976514 | DOI:10.1007/s10238-022-00870-9

J Math Biol. 2022 Aug 17;85(3):22. doi: 10.1007/s00285-022-01786-4.

ABSTRACT

methods seek to infer a species tree from a set of gene trees. A desirable property of such methods is that of statistical consistency; that is, the probability of inferring the wrong species tree (the error probability) tends to 0 as the number of input gene trees becomes large. A popular paradigm is to infer a species tree that agrees with the maximum number of quartets from the input set of gene trees; this has been proved to be statistically consistent under several models of gene evolution. In this paper, we study the asymptotic behaviour of the error probability of such methods in this limit, and show that it decays exponentially. For a 4-taxon species tree, we derive a closed form for the asymptotic behaviour in terms of the probability that the gene evolution process produces the correct topology. We also derive bounds for the sample complexity (the number of gene trees required to infer the true species tree with a given probability), which outperform existing bounds. We then extend our results to bounds for the asymptotic behaviour of the error probability for any species tree, and compare these to the true error probability for some model species trees using simulations.

PMID:35976512 | DOI:10.1007/s00285-022-01786-4

Int Ophthalmol. 2022 Aug 17. doi: 10.1007/s10792-022-02449-5. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: To assess the preliminary outcomes of inferior oblique (IO) disinsertion-distal myectomy and tucking combined with superior oblique (SO) full tendon advancement in patients with Knapp II or III superior oblique palsy.

METHODS: This single-centered retrospective study included 16 eyes from 13 patients with Knapp Class II or III SO palsy. All patients underwent IO disinsertion-distal myectomy and tucking combined with SO full tendon advancement while under general anesthesia. Pre- and post-operative levels of vertical deviation in the primary position, abnormal head position, IO hyperfunction and SO hypofunction, torsion, as well as the presence of diplopia, were all measured, and the differences were statistically compared.

RESULTS: Pre-operatively, 12 patients had abnormal head positions, and two had diplopia. The pre-and post-operative levels of IO hyperfunction and SO hypofunction, as well as a vertical deviation in the primary position and torsion, all differed statistically significantly (p < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS: Inferior oblique disinsertion distal myectomy and tucking combined with SO full tendon advancement surgery appears to be an effective procedure in patients with congenital and acquired Knapp Class II or III SO palsy.

PMID:35976504 | DOI:10.1007/s10792-022-02449-5

Clin Oral Investig. 2022 Aug 17. doi: 10.1007/s00784-022-04678-5. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate bleaching efficacy and oral health-related quality of life (ORHQoL) of three bleaching systems with similar hydrogen peroxide (HP) concentration for up to 6 months post-treatment.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: A randomized controlled trial was designed with three parallel groups: group A – in-office 6% HP paint-on varnish; group B – at-home 6% HP with adaptable tray; group C – at-home 16% carbamide peroxide with custom tray. At three different stages (baseline, after bleaching, and 6-month follow-up), ORHQoL was evaluated by the OHIP-14 questionnaire and tooth color of the upper canines and central incisors were measured by two shade guides and a spectrophotometer (measuring CIE L*a*b* with respective color/whiteness differences – ΔE₀₀/ΔWI_D). Results were presented as mean and 95% confidence intervals and statistical tests were performed appropriately, considering a significance level of α = 0.05.

RESULTS: All groups presented significant color differences (P < 0.05) between all stages, with ΔE₀₀/ΔWI_D surpassing the perceptibility threshold in 98% cases, with group C’s results being significantly (P < 0.05) higher when compared to other groups, although with significantly (P < 0.05) higher values of color relapse. Significative ORHQoL improvements (P < 0.05) were detected after bleaching in a global analysis with no differences between techniques.

CONCLUSIONS: All techniques presented bleaching efficacy, color stability, and improvements in ORHQoL up to 6 months post-treatment.

CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Clinicians may consider both at-home and in-office bleaching techniques with 6% HP to attain long-lasting satisfactory clinical results while producing positive changes in ORHQoL.

PMID:35976497 | DOI:10.1007/s00784-022-04678-5

Drugs Aging. 2022 Aug 17. doi: 10.1007/s40266-022-00972-9. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Chronic non-cancer pain is common among older residents of long-term care (LTC) homes and often poorly recognized and treated. With heightened concerns regarding opioid prescribing in recent years, it is important to examine the current prevalence of opioid use and its association with resident characteristics to help identify those potentially at risk of medication harms as well as suboptimal pain management.

OBJECTIVES: The aims were to estimate the prevalence and correlates of opioid use among non-palliative LTC residents and explore variation in opioid prevalence and correlates across strata defined by pain frequency and intensity.

METHODS: We conducted a population-based cross-sectional study of all older (aged > 65 years) LTC residents (excluding those with cancer or receiving palliative care) in Ontario, Canada during 2018-2019. Health administrative databases were linked with standardized clinical assessment data to ascertain residents’ health and pain characteristics and their opioid and other medication use. Modified Poisson regression models estimated unadjusted and adjusted associations between residents’ characteristics and opioid use, overall and across strata capturing pain frequency and intensity.

RESULTS: Among 75,020 eligible residents (mean age 85.1 years; 70% female), the prevalence of opioid use was 18.5% and pain was 29.4%. Opioid use ranged from 12.2% for residents with no current pain to 55.7% for those with severe pain. In adjusted models, residents newly admitted to LTC (adjusted risk ratio [aRR] = 0.60, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.57-0.62) and with moderate to severe cognitive impairment (aRR = 0.69, 95% CI 0.66-0.72) or dementia (aRR = 0.76, 95% CI 0.74-0.79) were significantly less likely to receive an opioid, whereas residents with select conditions (e.g., arthritis, aRR = 1.37, 95% CI 1.32-1.41) and concurrently using gabapentinoids (aRR = 1.80, 95% CI 1.74-1.86), benzodiazepines (aRR = 1.33, 95% CI 1.28-1.38), or antidepressants (aRR = 1.31, 95% CI 1.27-1.35) were significantly more likely to receive an opioid. The associations observed for residents newly admitted, with dementia, and concurrently using gabapentinoids, benzodiazepines, or antidepressants were largely consistent across all pain strata.

CONCLUSIONS: Our findings describe resident sub-groups at potentially higher risk of adverse health outcomes in relation to both opioid use and non-use. LTC clinical and policy changes informed by research are required to ensure the appropriate recognition and management of non-cancer pain in this setting.

PMID:35976489 | DOI:10.1007/s40266-022-00972-9

Sleep Breath. 2022 Aug 17. doi: 10.1007/s11325-022-02691-2. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: The airway complex is modified by palatine expansion. Computer tomography has been used in the past to determine the change in volume, but there was a lack of a specific, reproducible method for this purpose. The present study sought to determine the accuracy, reproducibility, and repeatability of an innovative digital measurement technique for analyzing the volume of maxillary and nasal sinus airways following suture palatine expansion performed with the Hyrax disyuntor appliance.

METHODS: Patients underwent preoperative and postoperative cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) scans. The datasets were subsequently uploaded into a digital treatment planning software to record the volume of the right and left maxillary sinus, as well as the nasal and maxillary sinus airway complex. The Gage Repeatability & Reproducibility statistical analysis methodology was used to evaluate the repeatability and reproducibility of this measurement technique when measuring the volume of maxillary and nasal sinus airways following suture palatine expansion with the Hyrax disyuntor appliance. Additionally, comparative analysis between preoperative and postoperative measures was performed using Student’s t-test for statistical analysis.

RESULTS: In 5 patients, paired t-tests found statistically significant differences before and after treatment in the volumes of the left maxillary sinus (p = 0.002), right maxillary sinus (p = 0.001), and nasal and maxillary sinus airway complex (p = 0.005) after suture palatine expansion with the Hyrax disyuntor appliance.

CONCLUSION: The proposed digital technique is an accurate, repeatable, and reproducible measurement technique for analyzing the volume of maxillary and nasal sinus airways following suture palatine expansion using the Hyrax disyuntor.

PMID:35976481 | DOI:10.1007/s11325-022-02691-2

Environ Geochem Health. 2022 Aug 17. doi: 10.1007/s10653-022-01333-6. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

The water contaminations with organophosphate triesters (tri-OPEs) and diesters (di-OPEs) have recently provoked concern. However, the distributions of these compounds in natural water sources and artificial water treatment facilities are poorly characterized. A comprehensive study was therefore performed to measure their concentrations in a water source, a long-distance water pipeline, and a drinking water treatment plant (DWTP). Eight tri-OPEs and 3 di-OPEs were found to be widely distributed, with total concentrations in source water and pipelines ranging from 290.6 to 843.9 ng/L. The most abundant pollutants were tris(1-chloro-2-propyl) phosphate (TCPP), triethyl phosphate, tri-n-butyl phosphate (TnBP), and diphenyl phosphate (DPhP). Di-OPEs appeared to be removed less efficiently in the DWTP than the parent tri-OPEs, and the elimination efficiencies of tri-OPEs were structure-dependent. Long-distance pipeline transportation had no significant effect on the distributions of tri- and di-OPEs. Statistical analysis suggested that the sources of di-OPEs and the corresponding tri-OPEs differed, as did those of DPhP and di-n-butyl phosphate. A risk analysis indicated that tri-OPEs present limited ecological risks that are mainly due to TnBP and TCPP, and that the human health risks of tri-OPEs are negligible. However, di-OPEs (especially DPhP) may increase these risks. Further studies on the risks posed by di-OPEs in aquatic environments are therefore needed.

PMID:35976479 | DOI:10.1007/s10653-022-01333-6

Electrophoresis. 2022 Aug 17. doi: 10.1002/elps.202100364. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Inorganic polyphosphates have been identified in eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells alike. Various extraction methods have been optimized as a necessary step before identification and measurement of these polymers. Three commercially available sodium polyphosphate glasses were either dissolved or dissolved and extracted by two commonly used polyphosphate extraction techniques – perchloric acid or buffered phenol-chloroform. The products were separated by PAGE, stained with toluidine blue O, and the migration results quantitatively compared. Both extraction processes reduced the relative migration distances of the peak and leading edges, and the stained band lengths, suggesting reduced polyphosphate migration and dispersion. ³¹ P DOSY NMR confirmed that polyphosphate extraction by perchloric acid or phenol-chloroform processes reduced polyphosphate diffusion coefficients and suggested hydrolytic degradation with stronger end-chain signals. Reduced polyphosphate diffusivity after extraction makes possible an overestimation of synthetic polyphosphate chain length assignment when compared to unextracted polyphosphate ladders with PAGE. The mechanism(s) for reduced synthetic polyphosphate diffusion after extraction, and intracellular chemical environment effects on migration are not known. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

PMID:35975714 | DOI:10.1002/elps.202100364

New Phytol. 2022 Aug 17. doi: 10.1111/nph.18432. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

All organisms emit odour, providing “open-access” olfactory information for any receiver with the right sensory apparatus. Characterising open-access information emitted by groups of organisms, such as plant species, provides the means to answer significant questions about ecological interactions and their evolution. We present a new conceptual framework defining information reliability; and a practical method to characterise and recover information from amongst olfactory noise. We quantified odour emissions from two tree species, one focal group and one outgroup, to demonstrate our approach using two new R statistical functions. We explore the consequences of relaxing or tightening criteria defining information and, from thousands of odour combinations, we identify and quantify those few likely to be informative. Our method uses core general principles characterising information while incorporating knowledge of how receivers detect and discriminate odours. We can now map information in consistency-precision reliability space; explore the concept of information; and test information-noise boundaries, and between cues and signals.

PMID:35975694 | DOI:10.1111/nph.18432

Stroke. 2022 Aug 17:STROKEAHA122038838. doi: 10.1161/STROKEAHA.122.038838. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study is to examine the associations of Life’s Simple 7 (LS7) with risks of cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) and its magnetic resonance imaging markers.

METHODS: Community-dwelling residents in Lishui city in China from the cross-sectional survey of the PRECISE study (Polyvascular Evaluation for Cognitive Impairment and Vascular Events) were included in this study from 2017 to 2019. LS7 was analyzed as the total score, medical score (derived from the 3 metrics based on medical history and testing), and behavioral score (based on 4 metrics based on behaviors), and categorized as poor, intermediate, or ideal. A CSVD score or a modified CSVD score was derived from 4 magnetic resonance imaging markers (lacunes, microbleeds, perivascular spaces, and white matter hyperintensity) at baseline. Binary logistic regression or ordinal logistic regression model was used to estimate the relationship of LS7 scores with CSVD and magnetic resonance imaging markers.

RESULTS: A total of 3061 participants were included in this study. Compared with poor total LS7 score, ideal LS7 total score was associated with reduced adjusted odds of higher CSVD score (common odds ratio [cOR], 0.73 [95% CI, 0.58-0.90]) and higher modified CSVD score (cOR, 0.78 [95% CI, 0.64-0.95]). Compared with poor LS7 medical score, ideal LS7 medical score was associated with reduced adjusted odds of higher CSVD score (cOR, 0.65 [95% CI, 0.53-0.80]) and higher modified CSVD score (cOR, 0.67 [95% CI, 0.56-0.81]). Higher total LS7 score and LS7 medical score were associated with a lower risk of white matter hyperintensities and lacunes. Higher LS7 behavioral score was associated with lower risk of lacunes.

CONCLUSIONS: Ideal LS7 score, indicating excellent cardiovascular health, was associated with lower total CSVD burden. Optimizing the risk factors captured by LS7 may reduce the progression of CSVD.

PMID:35975667 | DOI:10.1161/STROKEAHA.122.038838