Tag: statistics

Comput Math Methods Med. 2021 Dec 8;2021:2689000. doi: 10.1155/2021/2689000. eCollection 2021.

ABSTRACT

We have studied one of the most common distributions, namely, Lindley distribution, which is an important continuous mixed distribution with great ability to represent different systems. We studied this distribution with three parameters because of its high flexibility in modelling life data. The parameters were estimated by five different methods, namely, maximum likelihood estimation, ordinary least squares, weighted least squares, maximum product of spacing, and Cramér-von Mises. Simulation experiments were performed with different sample sizes and different parameter values. The different methods were compared on the generated data by mean square error and mean absolute error. In addition, we compared the methods for real data, which represent COVID-19 data in Iraq/Anbar Province.

PMID:34925538 | PMC:PMC8674038 | DOI:10.1155/2021/2689000

Int J Pediatr. 2021 Dec 8;2021:7196749. doi: 10.1155/2021/7196749. eCollection 2021.

ABSTRACT

Chest-to-chest (CC) skin-to-skin contact (SSC) is a widely used method of SSC to prevent low birth weight (LBW) and/or premature babies with the risk of hypothermia. However, very recently, a study has also shown that the chest-to-back (CB) SSC is also useful for such a purpose. It is also evident that CC SSC enhances the cardiorespiratory performance of LBW and/or premature babies from the risk of cold stress. However, whether babies kept in CB SSC have the risk of clinically relevant decreases of oxygen saturation or critical changes of the baby heart rate comparing the two SSC methods has been studied hardly. Thus, we assessed the risk of oxygen desaturation and changes in babies’ heart rate among LBW and/or premature babies kept in CB SSC compared to the standard. In this study, we enrolled 46 LBW and/or premature babies born between 32 and 37 completed weeks of gestation. We used a parallel-group randomized controlled clinical trial. Peripheral arterial blood oxygen saturation (SpO₂) and heart rate (HR) were measured using an OxiMaxN-600X Pulse Oximeter. We transformed these measurements into stability of the cardiorespiratory system in premature infant (SCRIP) scores. We applied a generalized estimating equation model to analyze the data. No statistically significant difference was observed between babies kept in CB SSC compared to babies kept in CC SSC in either blood oxygen saturation or heart rate (P > 0.05). Thus, the CB SSC can be used as one possible way to care for LBW and preterm babies in the kangaroo mother care. We suggest more studies before scaling up the approach in routine care.

PMID:34925513 | PMC:PMC8674035 | DOI:10.1155/2021/7196749

Can J Dent Hyg. 2021 Oct 1;55(3):137-147. eCollection 2021 Oct.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: In 2017, the American Academy of Periodontology and the European Federation of Periodontology updated the classification of periodontal and peri-implant diseases and conditions. The goal of the present crossover study was to develop straightforward, illustrative flowcharts and determine their impact on the accuracy and speed of diagnosing periodontal conditions by predoctoral dental students (DS) and dental hygiene students (DHS).

METHODS: Two flowcharts (a decision-tree flowchart and one based on the periodontal disease/condition entity) were developed using updated diagnostic determinants proposed by the 2017 classification. A total of 26 second-, third-, and fourth-year DS (DS2, DS3, and DS4, respectively) and second-year DHS (DHS2) took a mock examination consisting of 10 periodontal clinical cases. The participants first diagnosed periodontal conditions using only their curricula-based knowledge (control) and then using the flowcharts (test). They also completed an optional post-examination questionnaire to provide feedback on the flowcharts. Statistical significance was detected at p ≤ 0.05.

RESULTS: Combined test groups had significantly higher accuracy in diagnosing periodontal conditions compared to controls (73.5% vs 50.0%, respectively), with the most substantial improvement in DS2 (66.3% vs 30%, respectively) and DHS2 (70.0% vs 41.4%, respectively). Combined test groups also completed the examination more quickly compared to controls (14.92 vs 20.85 minutes, respectively). The participants provided positive feedback and constructive criticism on the flowcharts, and also suggested converting them into application software.

CONCLUSION: The flowcharts significantly improved the accuracy of diagnosing periodontal conditions in academic settings, especially among junior, less experienced participants.

PMID:34925514 | PMC:PMC8641549

Comput Intell Neurosci. 2021 Dec 17;2021:1916690. doi: 10.1155/2021/1916690. eCollection 2021.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: From Ebola, Zika, to the latest COVID-19 pandemic, outbreaks of highly infectious diseases continue to reveal severe consequences of social and health inequalities. People from low socioeconomic and educational backgrounds as well as low health literacy tend to be affected by the uncertainty, complexity, volatility, and progressiveness of public health crises and emergencies. A key lesson that governments have taken from the ongoing coronavirus pandemic is the importance of developing and disseminating highly accessible, actionable, inclusive, coherent public health advice, which represent a critical tool to help people with diverse cultural, educational backgrounds and varying abilities to effectively implement health policies at the grassroots level.

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to translate the best practices of accessible, inclusive public health advice (purposefully designed for people with low socioeconomic and educational background, health literacy levels, limited English proficiency, and cognitive/functional impairments) on COVID-19 from health authorities in English-speaking multicultural countries (USA, Australia, and UK) to adaptive tools for the evaluation of the accessibility of public health advice in other languages.

METHODS: We developed an optimised Bayesian classifier to produce probabilistic prediction of the accessibility of official health advice among vulnerable people including migrants and foreigners living in China. We developed an adaptive statistical formula for the rapid evaluation of the accessibility of health advice among vulnerable people in China.

RESULTS: Our study provides needed research tools to fill in a persistent gap in Chinese public health research on accessible, inclusive communication of infectious diseases’ prevention and management. For the probabilistic prediction, using the optimised Bayesian machine learning classifier (GNB), the largest positive likelihood ratio (LR+) 16.685 (95% confidence interval: 4.35, 64.04) was identified when the probability threshold was set at 0.2 (sensitivity: 0.98; specificity: 0.94).

CONCLUSION: Effective communication of health risks through accessible, inclusive, actionable public advice represents a powerful tool to reduce health inequalities amidst health crises and emergencies. Our study translated the best-practice public health advice developed during the pandemic into intuitive machine learning classifiers for health authorities to develop evidence-based guidelines of accessible health advice. In addition, we developed adaptive statistical tools for frontline health professionals to assess accessibility of public health advice for people from non-English speaking backgrounds.

PMID:34925484 | PMC:PMC8683224 | DOI:10.1155/2021/1916690

Front Genet. 2021 Dec 2;12:749415. doi: 10.3389/fgene.2021.749415. eCollection 2021.

ABSTRACT

Background: White blood cell (WBC) traits and their subtypes such as basophil count (Bas), eosinophil count (Eos), lymphocyte count (Lym), monocyte count (Mon), and neutrophil counts (Neu) are known to be associated with diseases such as stroke, peripheral arterial disease, and coronary heart disease. Methods: We meta-analyze summary statistics from genome-wide association studies in 17,802 participants from the African Partnership for Chronic Disease Research (APCDR) and African ancestry individuals from the Blood Cell Consortium (BCX2) using GWAMA. We further carried out a Bayesian fine mapping to identify causal variants driving the association with WBC subtypes. To access the causal relationship between WBC subtypes and asthma, we conducted a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis using summary statistics of the Consortium on Asthma among African Ancestry Populations (CAAPA: n _cases = 7,009, n _control = 7,645) as our outcome phenotype. Results: Our metanalysis identified 269 loci at a genome-wide significant value of (p = 5 × 10^-9) in a composite of the WBC subtypes while the Bayesian fine-mapping analysis identified genetic variants that are more causal than the sentinel single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP). We found for the first time five novel genes (LOC126987/MTCO3P14, LINC01525, GAPDHP32/HSD3BP3, FLG-AS1/HMGN3P1, and TRK-CTT13-1/MGST3) not previously reported to be associated with any WBC subtype. Our MR analysis showed that Mon (IVW estimate = 0.38, CI: 0.221, 0.539, p < 0.001), Neu (IVW estimate = 0.189, CI: 0.133, 0.245, p < 0.001), and WBCc (IVW estimate = 0.185, CI: 0.108, 0.262, p < 0.001) are associated with increased risk of asthma. However, there was no evidence of causal relationship between Lym and asthma risk. Conclusion: This study provides insight into the relationship between some WBC subtypes and asthma and potential route in the treatment of asthma and may further inform a new therapeutic approach.

PMID:34925446 | PMC:PMC8674726 | DOI:10.3389/fgene.2021.749415

Front Genet. 2021 Dec 1;12:796327. doi: 10.3389/fgene.2021.796327. eCollection 2021.

ABSTRACT

Phages have seriously affected the biochemical systems of the world, and not only are phages related to our health, but medical treatments for many cancers and skin infections are related to phages; therefore, this paper sought to identify phage proteins. In this paper, a Pseudo-188D model was established. The digital features of the phage were extracted by PseudoKNC, an appropriate vector was selected by the AdaBoost tool, and features were extracted by 188D. Then, the extracted digital features were combined together, and finally, the viral proteins of the phage were predicted by a stochastic gradient descent algorithm. Our model effect reached 93.4853%. To verify the stability of our model, we randomly selected 80% of the downloaded data to train the model and used the remaining 20% of the data to verify the robustness of our model.

PMID:34925468 | PMC:PMC8672092 | DOI:10.3389/fgene.2021.796327

Front Genet. 2021 Dec 2;12:734529. doi: 10.3389/fgene.2021.734529. eCollection 2021.

ABSTRACT

The Navajo Nation placed a moratorium on genetic research studies in 2002, in part due to concerns about historical distrust, exploitation, limited expertise and resources, and the lack of a genetics policy. Navajo tribal leaders, scientists, and policy experts are exploring the possibility of lifting the moratorium, developing a genetic research policy, and discussing its potential health implications. This study aimed to identify the key concerns, needs, and desires of Navajo people regarding genetic research. We conducted a survey of Navajo individuals to assess knowledge of the moratorium and research, gauge interest in genetic research, and quantify appropriate genetic research topics to understand broad views and concerns. We performed descriptive statistics and tested associations between relevant categorical variables using Chi-square tests. We hypothesized that individuals with more knowledge about the moratorium and health research increased the likelihood of supporting and participating in genetic research. A total of 690 surveys from Navajo respondents were analyzed. Of these, 63% of respondents reported being unaware of the Navajo Nation’s moratorium on genetic research. There were positive associations between those who knew about the moratorium and willingness to donate biospecimens for research under certain conditions, such as community involvement, review and approval by community leaders, research on diseases affecting the community, and support for lifting the moratorium (p-values < 0.001). We found no significant differences between age, gender, religious/spiritual beliefs, or agency affiliation with knowledge levels of genetics and related topics, participation in relation to beliefs, and donation of biospecimens. Interestingly, respondents who resided off the Navajo Nation were positively associated with having knowledge of the moratorium, having heard of discussions of genetics on the Navajo Nation, and the lawsuit filed by the Havasupai Tribe. Most respondents agreed that it was very important to develop a policy that incorporates cultural knowledge (56%), is beneficial (56%), and has data sharing protections (59%) before allowing genetic research on the Navajo Nation. Overall, a large proportion of respondents (46%) were unsure about lifting the moratorium and instead wanted more genetics education to assess its potential implications. The study results can inform the direction of future guidelines and policies.

PMID:34925442 | PMC:PMC8675633 | DOI:10.3389/fgene.2021.734529

Front Immunol. 2021 Dec 2;12:780594. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.780594. eCollection 2021.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Dialysis patients are at high risk for a severe clinical course after infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Safety and early immune responses after mRNA-based vaccination have been reported mostly in patients on hemodialysis (HD), whereas reports of peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients remain rare.

METHODS: In this retrospective observational study, 39 PD patients had received two doses of the mRNA-1273 Moderna^® vaccine. We analyzed SARS-CoV-2 Spike (S) antibody titers 4 weeks after each dose of mRNA-1273 and report local and systemic side effects in PD patients that occurred within one week after each mRNA-1273 dose. Using a quantile regression model we examined factors that might influence SARS-CoV-2 S antibody levels in PD patients.

RESULTS: Four weeks after the first dose of mRNA-1273 vaccine 33 of 39 (84.6%) PD patients seroconverted and presented with 6.62 U/mL (median; IQR 1.57-22.5) anti-SARS-CoV-2 S antibody titers. After the second dose, 38 of 39 (97.4%) PD patients developed anti-SARS-CoV-2 S antibodies and titers increased significantly (median 968 U/mL; IQR 422.5-2500). Pain at the injection site was the most common local adverse event (AE) (71%). Systemic AEs occurring after the first dose were mostly fatigue (33%) and headache (20%). No severe systemic AEs were reported after the first injection. After the second dose the incidence and the severity of the systemic AEs increased. The most common systemic AEs were: fatigue (40.5%), headache (22.5%), joint pain (20%), myalgia (17.5%) and fever (13%). Lower Davies Comorbidity Score (p=0.04) and shorter dialysis vintage (p=0.017) were associated with higher antibody titers after the first dose. Patients with higher antibody titers after the first dose tended to have higher antibody titers after the second dose (p=1.53×10^-05).

CONCLUSIONS: Peritoneal dialysis patients in this cohort had a high seroconversion rate of 97.4%, showed high antibody titers after full vaccination and tolerated the anti-SARS-CoV-2 mRNA-1273 vaccine well without serious adverse events.

PMID:34925359 | PMC:PMC8674530 | DOI:10.3389/fimmu.2021.780594

Front Plant Sci. 2021 Dec 3;12:779122. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2021.779122. eCollection 2021.

ABSTRACT

Accelerating genetic gain in crop improvement is required to ensure improved yield and yield stability under increasingly challenging climatic conditions. This case study demonstrates the effective confluence of innovative breeding technologies within a collaborative breeding framework to develop and rapidly introgress imidazolinone Group 2 herbicide tolerance into an adapted Australian chickpea genetic background. A well-adapted, high-yielding desi cultivar PBA HatTrick was treated with ethyl methanesulfonate to generate mutations in the ACETOHYDROXYACID SYNTHASE 1 (CaAHAS1) gene. After 2 years of field screening with imidazolinone herbicide across >20 ha and controlled environment progeny screening, two selections were identified which exhibited putative herbicide tolerance. Both selections contained the same single amino acid substitution, from alanine to valine at position 205 (A₂₀₅V) in the AHAS1 protein, and KASP™ markers were developed to discriminate between tolerant and intolerant genotypes. A pipeline combining conventional crossing and F₂ production with accelerated single seed descent from F_2:4 and marker-assisted selection at F₂ rapidly introgressed the herbicide tolerance trait from one of the mutant selections, D15PAHI002, into PBA Seamer, a desi cultivar adapted to Australian cropping areas. Field evaluation of the derivatives of the D15PAHI002 × PBA Seamer cross was analyzed using a factor analytic mixed model statistical approach designed to accommodate low seed numbers resulting from accelerated single seed descent. To further accelerate trait introgression, field evaluation trials were undertaken concurrent with crop safety testing trials. In 2020, 4 years after the initial cross, an advanced line selection CBA2061, bearing acetohydroxyacid synthase (AHAS) inhibitor tolerance and agronomic and disease resistance traits comparable to parent PBA Seamer, was entered into Australian National Variety Trials as a precursor to cultivar registration. The combination of cross-institutional collaboration and the application of novel pre-breeding platforms and statistical technologies facilitated a 3-year saving compared to a traditional breeding approach. This breeding pipeline can be used as a model to accelerate genetic gain in other self-pollinating species, particularly food legumes.

PMID:34925421 | PMC:PMC8678039 | DOI:10.3389/fpls.2021.779122

Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2021 Dec 1;12:782050. doi: 10.3389/fendo.2021.782050. eCollection 2021.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To assess the efficacy and safety of ultrasound-guided microwave ablation (MWA) in the treatment of primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT), and to investigate whether MWA can improve the bone turnover and renal function.

METHODS: A total of 20 consecutive PHPT patients with 21 parathyroid lesions treated with MWA in our center from May 2019 to March 2021 were recruited in this study. Serum parathyroid hormone (PTH), calcium and phosphorus levels before MWA and at 20 minutes, 4 hours, 1 day, 3 months, 6 months and 12 months after MWA were measured. Bone turnover biomarkers, renal function and lesion volume with volume reduction rate (VRR) before MWA and at the last follow-up were compared. Any complication related with MWA was evaluated. The technical and clinical success rates of MWA in the treatment of PHPT were calculated. Clinical success was defined as normal serum PTH and calcium without PHPT-associated manifestations at more than 6 months after ablation. Technical success was defined as complete ablation indicated by immediate postoperative contrast-enhanced ultrasound.

RESULTS: The serum PTH, calcium and phosphorus levels at their respective follow-up time points dropped significantly after MWA (P <0.05). The volume of parathyroid lesions at the final examination was significantly reduced, compared with pre-ablation volume (P <0.001), with a median VRR reaching 89%. The technical and clinical success rates were 100% and 63.6%, respectively. Substantial changes of bone turnover biomarkers were observed before and after MWA (P <0.05), but the differences in renal function were not statistically significant. No major complications were reported in all cases. Pre-MWA serum PTH, lesion volume, maximum diameter of lesion and ablation time were significantly different between patients with successful and failed MWA.

CONCLUSIONS: PHPT can be effectively and safely treated by ultrasound-guided MWA, as proven by drop in serum PTH and reduction in the volume of parathyroid adenomas. Besides, MWA can impede bone remodeling to suppress hyperparathyroidism in the condition of PHPT.

PMID:34925241 | PMC:PMC8672162 | DOI:10.3389/fendo.2021.782050