Tag: statistics

Clin Oral Investig. 2023 Jan 6. doi: 10.1007/s00784-022-04785-3. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: The development of new bleaching agents with minimum concentration of hydrogen peroxide (HP), without adverse effects, and with bleaching effectiveness, has great clinical relevance. The aim of this study was to evaluate the bleaching efficacy and cytotoxicity of a new niobium-based bleaching gel, compared to already available HP-based gels.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: For the bleaching efficacy analysis, 40 bovine incisors were randomly divided into 4 groups according to the established bleaching protocol: control, untreated; 35HP, 35% HP bleaching gel; 6HP, 6% HP bleaching gel; NbHP, niobium gel associated with 3% HP gel. The color variation was measured in a spectrophotometer and the values of ΔL, Δa, Δb, and ΔE obtained. For the cell viability assay by MTT, MC3T3 cells were exposed to bleaching gel extracts (1:500, 1:250, 1:125 dilutions; immediately and 24 h). Statistical tests were performed (P < 0.05).

RESULTS: The color alteration for all bleaching gels was significant compared to control (P < 0.05), but the NbHP gel showed a significant ΔE than other gels, with expressive color alteration at 14 days (P < 0.05). The 35HP showed high cytotoxicity regarding control and the most groups in all periods and extracts analyzed (P < 0.05), while the NbHP showed greater cell viability than control in the immediate period, dilution of the 1:500 and superior to 6HP in the most extracts at 24 h.

CONCLUSION: The new experimental niobium-based gel has bleaching efficacy similar to that of gels with a high concentration of HP, and it has high cytocompatibility.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The use of this new generation of niobium-based whitening gel associated with a low concentration of hydrogen peroxide represents the possibility of a tooth whitening with lower dentin sensitivity.

PMID:36607491 | DOI:10.1007/s00784-022-04785-3

Int J Clin Oncol. 2023 Jan 6. doi: 10.1007/s10147-022-02285-8. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: Here, we investigated expression modules reflecting the reciprocal expression of the cancer microenvironment and immune response-related genes associated with poor prognosis in primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL).

METHODS: Weighted gene coexpression network analysis revealed representative modules, including neurogenesis, immune response, anti-virus, microenvironment, gene expression and translation, extracellular matrix, morphogenesis, and cell adhesion in the transcriptome data of 31 PCNSL samples. RESULTS : Gene expression networks were also reflected by protein-protein interaction networks. In particular, some of the hub genes were highly expressed in patients with PCNSL with prognoses as follows: AQP4, SLC1A3, GFAP, CXCL9, CXCL10, GBP2, IFI6, OAS2, IFIT3, DCN, LRP1, and LUM with good prognosis; and STAT1, IFITM3, GZMB, ISG15, LY6E, TGFB1, PLAUR, MMP4, FTH1, PLAU, CSF3R, FGR, POSTN, CCR7, TAS1R3, small ribosomal subunit genes, and collagen type 1/3/4/6 genes with poor prognosis. Furthermore, prognosis prediction formulae were constructed using the Cox proportional-hazards regression model, which demonstrated that the IP-10 receptor gene CXCR3 and type I interferon-induced protein gene IFI44L could predict patient survival in PCNSL.

CONCLUSION: These results indicate that the differential expression and balance of immune response and microenvironment genes may be required for PCNSL tumor growth or prognosis prediction, which would help understanding the mechanism of tumorigenesis and potential therapeutic targets in PCNSL.

PMID:36607476 | DOI:10.1007/s10147-022-02285-8

Neurosurg Rev. 2023 Jan 6;46(1):33. doi: 10.1007/s10143-022-01932-y.

ABSTRACT

Giant lateral ventricular meningiomas (LVMs), with the largest diameter of at least 5 cm, form a distinct subset. The incidence of giant LVMs is considered to be relatively low. Here, we evaluated clinical characteristics, and clinical outcomes after microsurgical resection, especially functional outcomes and morbidity of giant LVMs. We retrospectively reviewed 49 patients with LVMs, including 18 giant LVMs from 2012 to 2020. And we analyzed clinical, histopathological, surgical, and outcome data at our institution. Giant LVMs were most commonly present in the fourth decade of patients with the male-to-female ratio of 1:2. The most common subtypes were transitional and fibrous. Most lesions were resected via the temporal or parieto-occipital approach in our series. The median volume of blood loss was higher in the giant group (900 vs. 600 ml, p = 0.02). Meanwhile, the median length of hospital stay was prolonged for giant LVMs (20.5 vs. 16.0 days, p < 0.01). The proportion of discharged functional deterioration was higher in giant LVMs (38.9% vs. 6.5%, p = 0.02). However, there was no statistical significance between functional deterioration and tumor size at long-term follow-up (p = 0.28). Giant LVMs patients suffered from neurological and regional complications more commonly, particularly from a postoperative hematoma (4/18 vs. 1/31), and hydrocephalus (2/18 vs. 0/31). Patients with giant LVMs had a high incidence of immediate functional deterioration after microsurgery, and there was no difference in functional deterioration between the giant and non-giant LVMS during long-term follow-up. Microsurgery entails a higher complication rate in giant LVMs. We need to pay special attention to preventing postoperative hematoma and hydrocephalus.

PMID:36607461 | DOI:10.1007/s10143-022-01932-y

Hernia. 2023 Jan 6. doi: 10.1007/s10029-022-02733-4. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Patient-Reported Outcome Measures (PROM’s) are increasingly used to assess surgical outcomes in low-risk surgeries such as minimally invasive primary ventral and incisional hernia repair. The purpose of this meta-analysis was to systematically summarize the available evidence for the effect of laparoscopic versus robotic primary ventral and incisional hernia repair on PROM’s.

METHODS: A systematic review and meta-analysis were performed in accordance with PRISMA guidelines. Randomised control trials, retrospective and prospective studies were included. Medline, Embase, SCOPUS, Web of Science, and Cochrane CENTRAL, and two trial registers were searched. Pooled effect sizes and 95% confidence intervals were calculated using the Mantel-Haenszel method. The overall quality of evidence was assessed using GRADE.

RESULTS: Of the 2728 titles screened, eight studies involving 41,205 participants were included. Return to activities of daily living, return to work day and recurrence rate were statistically better in the robotic group. Length of stay, readmission, postoperative pain, quality of life, body image, and patient satisfaction were similar in both groups. The GRADE rating of the quality of evidence was moderate for postoperative pain and low to very low for the quality of life, length of stay, recurrence and readmission.

CONCLUSION: The available data of PROM’s of laparoscopic and robotic primary ventral and incisional hernia repair is scarce and highly heterogeneous, thus making it difficult to assess the superiority of the laparoscopic technique over the robotic technique. Further studies with uniform reporting of PROM’s in laparoscopic and robotic primary ventral and incisional hernia repair are needed.

PMID:36607459 | DOI:10.1007/s10029-022-02733-4

Environ Monit Assess. 2023 Jan 6;195(2):271. doi: 10.1007/s10661-022-10879-y.

ABSTRACT

Concerning water resources, several ordinances and legislation determine standards and conditions for the discharge of effluents into water bodies. However, several contaminants are not covered by these guidelines due to little knowledge of their long-term effects and because they are found in low concentrations. These contaminants are called emergent and this category includes drugs, such as anti-inflammatory drugs. The electrocoagulation process associated with advanced oxidation comes up as an alternative to conventional effluent treatment processes, and the objective of this study was to evaluate this process using scrap iron as sacrificial electrodes in the treatment of synthetic effluents containing ibuprofen. High-performance liquid chromatography was used to quantify the drug in synthetic effluents. The Central Rotational Composite Design 2⁴ was used in an experimental design, considering independent variables the concentration of contaminants, applied current, the concentration of the primary oxidizing agent H₂O₂, and the reaction time. The optimized conditions determined by statistical analysis were drug concentration of 5 mg L^-1, H₂O₂ concentration of 200 mg L^-1, current of 5 A, and 150 min. The removals obtained under these conditions were higher than 92% in the aqueous phase, showing that electrocoagulation peroxidation technique has the potential to treat contaminants such as drugs present in effluents and waters.

PMID:36607457 | DOI:10.1007/s10661-022-10879-y

World J Microbiol Biotechnol. 2023 Jan 6;39(3):68. doi: 10.1007/s11274-022-03503-1.

ABSTRACT

The production of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) [P(3HB)] from untreated raw palm oil mill effluent (urPOME), the first wastewater discharge from crude palm oil extraction, is discussed. The mutant strain Azotobacter vinelandii ΔAvin_16040, which lacks the S-layer protein but has a better P(3HB) synthesis capability than the wild type strain ATCC 12,837, was chosen for this study. UrPOME substrate, with high biological oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD) and suspended solids, was used without pre-treatment. DSMZ-Azotobacter medium which was devoid of laboratory sugar(s) was used as the basal medium (BaM). Initially, Azotobacter vinelandii ΔAvin_16040 generated 325.5, 1496.3, and 1465.7 mg L^-1 of P(3HB) from BaM with 20% urPOME, 2BaM with 20% urPOME and 20 g L^-1 sucrose, and 2BaM with 20% urPOME and 2 mL L^-1 glycerol, respectively. P(3HB) generation was enhanced by nearly tenfold using statistical optimization, resulting in 13.9 g L^-1. Moreover, the optimization reduced the compositions of mineral salts and sugar in the medium by 48 and 97%, respectively. The urPOME-based P(3HB) product developed a yellow coloration most possibly attributed to the aromatic phenolics content in urPOME. Despite the fact that both were synthesised by ΔAvin_16040, thin films of urPOME-based P(3HB) had superior crystallinity and tensile strength than P(3HB) produced only on sucrose. When treated with 10 and 50 kGy of electron beam irradiation, these P(3HB) scissioned to half and one-tenth of their original molecular weights, respectively, and these cleavaged products could serve as useful base units for specific polymer structure construction.

PMID:36607449 | DOI:10.1007/s11274-022-03503-1

Int J Retina Vitreous. 2023 Jan 5;9(1):1. doi: 10.1186/s40942-022-00437-6.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: To determine the safety and efficacy of intravitreal sirolimus and adjunct aflibercept in subjects with persistent, exudative age-related macular degeneration despite previous intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) treatment.

METHODS: This institutional review board approved, registered (NCT02732899), prospective, subject-masked, single center, randomized controlled trial in subjects with persistent, exudative age-related macular degeneration compared alternating monthly intravitreal sirolimus and aflibercept (combination) versus aflibercept monotherapy (control) every 2 months over the course of 36 weeks. The primary measure of efficacy in the study was the mean change in central subfield thickness.

RESULTS: 20 subjects were enrolled in the study, with 10 subjects assigned to each treatment group. Subjects had an average of 38 previous anti-VEGF injections. Mean central subfield thickness decreased in the combination group by 54.0 μm compared to 0.1 μm in the control group (p = 0.28). Mean visual acuity improved in the combination group by 2.5 ETDRS letters versus 0.8 ETDRS letters in the control group (p = 0.42). There were no serious ocular adverse events in either group; however, there were three serious systemic events in the combination group, including hospitalizations due to pancreatitis, pneumonia, and worsening hypertension.

CONCLUSION: There was no statistically significant difference in the mean central subfield thickness change between the combination and control groups. However, intravitreal sirolimus with adjunct aflibercept did appear to have potential anatomical benefits as a treatment for persistent, exudative age-related macular degeneration and requires further investigation with a larger cohort to better understand the potential risks and benefits.

TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02732899. Registered 11 March 2016, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02732899 . This trial was approved by the institutional review board at Advarra. Funding was provided by an investigator-initiated grant from Santen. Santen played no role in the design or implementation of this study.

PMID:36604756 | DOI:10.1186/s40942-022-00437-6

BMC Public Health. 2023 Jan 6;23(1):33. doi: 10.1186/s12889-022-14942-8.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Menstrual hygiene has not received adequate attention in Sub-Saharan Africa, and there is a lack of regional representative data. Therefore, this study aimed to estimate the pooled prevalence of good menstrual hygiene practices and associated factors among adolescent girls in sub-Saharan Africa.

METHODS: In this study, the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis guidelines were used to develop the review manuscript. Online electronic databases, such as PubMed/Medline, Google Scholar, and CINAHL, were searched to retrieve available studies. The database search was conducted from January 1 to May 17, 2022. The selection, quality assessment, and data extraction of the studies were performed. Quality assessment of the studies was performed using the Joanna Briggs Institute Meta-Analysis of Statistics Assessment and Review Instrument. Subgroup analysis and meta-regression were performed based on country, study area, and sample size. Publication bias was examined by funnel plots and Egger’s test. The statistical analysis was conducted using STATA version 14 software and RevMan software, and statistical significance was declared at a p value of less than 0.05.

PROTOCOL REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42020165628.

RESULTS: A total of 229 studies were retrieved, and 14 studies were included in the final meta-analysis. The pooled prevalence of good menstrual hygiene practices was 45% (95% CI, (37, 53). Adolescents from urban residences (OR = 3.03, 95% CI (2.3, 3.97)), able to afford menstrual sanitary products (OR = 2.17, 95% CI (1.42, 3.3)), and from educated mothers (OR = 2.33, 95% CI (1.32, 4.12)) were associated with increased odds of good menstrual hygiene practice.

CONCLUSION: The pooled prevalence of menstrual hygiene practices was low compared to the SDG 6.2 target by 2030. “Achieve access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all, paying special attention to the needs of women and girls and those in vulnerable situations”. Therefore, improving the accessibility of a safe water supply, hygiene, sanitation facilities and affordability of menstrual products and promoting maternal education are mandatory and should be part of government-level public health policy to prevent related health issues, loss of economic output and education opportunities.

PMID:36604734 | DOI:10.1186/s12889-022-14942-8

BMC Public Health. 2023 Jan 5;23(1):29. doi: 10.1186/s12889-022-14797-z.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Measles is a contagious viral disease that seriously affects children. The measles vaccine is widely recommended in Brazil and in the world; however, the disease remains relevant for the health authorities. The aim of the present study was to evaluate first and second dose of measles vaccine coverage (VC) in the cities of São Paulo and its spatial dynamics between 2015 and 2020.

METHOD: In this mixed-type ecological study, we used secondary, public domain data from 2015 to 2020, extracted from the Digital Information System of the National Immunization Program, Mortality Information System and the National Live Birth Information System. After calculating the VC, the following four categories were created: very low, low, adequate, and high, and the spatial autocorrelation of VC was analyzed using the Global and Local Moran’s statistics.

RESULTS: A steady decline in adherence to the vaccination was observed, which dynamically worsened until 2020, with a high number of cities fitting the classification of ineffective coverage and being potentially harmful to the effectiveness of the immunization activities of their neighbors.

CONCLUSION: A direct neighborhood pattern was observed between the units with low vaccination coverage, which implied that the reduction in measles VC was somehow related to and negatively influenced by the geographic location and social culture of these areas.

PMID:36604709 | DOI:10.1186/s12889-022-14797-z

Nutr Metab (Lond). 2023 Jan 5;20(1):3. doi: 10.1186/s12986-022-00721-0.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Animal and human studies suggest the gut microbiome is linked to diabetes but additional data are needed on the associations of the gut microbiome to specific diabetes characteristics. The aim of this study was to examine the associations of gut microbiome composition to insulin resistance [Homeostatic Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR)], duration of diabetes, and 4 stages of diabetes [normoglycemia, pre-diabetes, and diabetes with (+) and without (-) medication for diabetes].

METHODS: Data are from a sub-sample (n = 605) of Black and White participants from the 30-year follow-up exam of the prospectively followed community-based Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults cohort (2015-2016; aged 48-60 years). Stool samples were collected and sequenced using the 16S ribosomal RNA method. Microbial measures included: α diversity (within-person), β diversity (between-person), and taxonomies. All analyses were adjusted for demographic, clinical, lifestyle factors, and use of relevant medications (full adjustment). Multivariate linear regression models were used to assess the association of diabetes characteristics with α diversity and genera abundance, while the association with β diversity was analyzed using permutational multivariate analysis of variance. Statistical significance was set to p-value < 0.05 for α and β diversity analyses and to q-value < 0.1 for genera abundance analyses.

RESULTS: There were 16.7% of participants with pre-diabetes, and 14.4% with diabetes (9% diabetes+) with median (interquartile range) diabetes duration of 5 (5-10) years. In the fully adjusted models, compared to those with no diabetes, longer diabetes duration and the diabetes + group had a lower α diversity. There were significant differences in β diversity across diabetes-related characteristics. A significantly reduced abundance of butyrate-producing genera was associated with higher HOMA-IR (ex., Anaerostipes and Lachnospiraceae_UCG.004), longer diabetes duration (ex., Agathobacter and Ruminococcus), and diabetes + (ex., Faecalibacterium and Romboutsia).

CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that an adverse alteration of gut microbiome composition is related to higher insulin resistance, longer diabetes duration, and is present in those persons with diabetes using medications. These diabetes-related characteristics were also associated with lower levels of certain butyrate-producing bacteria that produce health-promoting short-chain fatty acids. Understanding the role of gut microbiota in glucose regulation may provide new strategies to reduce the burden of diabetes.

PMID:36604708 | DOI:10.1186/s12986-022-00721-0