Tag: statistics

Ann Hum Biol. 2023 Feb;50(1):247-257. doi: 10.1080/03014460.2023.2190619.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Conventional growth charts offer limited guidance to track individual growth.

AIM: To explore new approaches to improve the evaluation and prediction of individual growth trajectories.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS: We generalise the conditional SDS gain to multiple historical measurements, using the Cole correlation model to find correlations at exact ages, the sweep operator to find regression weights and a specified longitudinal reference. We explain the various steps of the methodology and validate and demonstrate the method using empirical data from the SMOCC study with 1985 children measured during ten visits at ages 0-2 years.

RESULTS: The method performs according to statistical theory. We apply the method to estimate the referral rates for a given screening policy. We visualise the child’s trajectory as an adaptive growth chart featuring two new graphical elements: amplitude (for evaluation) and flag (for prediction). The relevant calculations take about 1 millisecond per child.

CONCLUSION: Longitudinal references capture the dynamic nature of child growth. The adaptive growth chart for individual monitoring works with exact ages, corrects for regression to the mean, has a known distribution at any pair of ages and is fast. We recommend the method for evaluating and predicting individual child growth.

PMID:37394524 | DOI:10.1080/03014460.2023.2190619

Pediatrics. 2023 Jul 1;152(Suppl 1):e2022060352F. doi: 10.1542/peds.2022-060352F.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: Equitable access to coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) screening is important to reduce transmission and maintain in-person learning for middle school communities, particularly in disadvantaged schools. Rapid antigen testing, and at-home testing in particular, could offer substantial advantages over onsite testing from a school district’s perspective, but it is unknown if engagement in at-home testing can be initiated and sustained. We hypothesized that an at-home COVID-19 school testing program would be noninferior to an onsite school COVID-19 testing program with regard to school participation rates and adherence to a weekly screening testing schedule.

METHODS: We enrolled 3 middle schools within a large, predominantly Latinx-serving, independent school district into a noninferiority trial from October 2021 to March 2022. Two schools were randomized to onsite and 1 school to at-home COVID-19 testing programs. All students and staff were eligible to participate.

RESULTS: Over the 21-week trial, at-home weekly screening testing participation rates were not inferior to onsite testing. Similarly, adherence to the weekly testing schedule was not inferior in the at-home arm. Participants in the at-home testing arm were able to test more consistently during and before returning from school breaks than those in the onsite arm.

CONCLUSIONS: Results support the noninferiority of at-home testing versus onsite testing both in terms of participation in testing and adherence to weekly testing. Implementation of at-home COVID-19 screening testing should be part of schools’ routine COVID-19 prevention efforts nationwide; however, adequate support is essential to ensure participation and persistence in regular at-home testing.

PMID:37394511 | DOI:10.1542/peds.2022-060352F

Ann Clin Microbiol Antimicrob. 2023 Jul 2;22(1):53. doi: 10.1186/s12941-023-00597-9.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa (CRPA) represents an escalating healthcare hazard with high mortality worldwide, especially in presence of biofilm. The current study aimed to evaluate the anti-biofilm potentials of ceftazidime, colistin, gentamicin, and meropenem alone and in combinations against biofilm-forming CRPA.

METHODS: Biofilm killing and checkerboard assay were performed to detect the effectiveness of combined antibiotics against biofilms and planktonic cells, respectively. The bacterial bioburden retrieved from the established biofilms following treatment with combined antibiotics was utilized to construct a three-dimensional response surface plot. A sigmoidal maximum effect model was applied to determine the pharmacodynamic parameters (maximal effect, median effective concentration, and Hill factor) of each antibiotic to create a mathematical three-dimensional response surface plot.

RESULTS: Data revealed statistically significant (p < 0.05) superior anti-biofilm potential in the case of colistin followed by a lower effect in the case of gentamicin and meropenem, while ceftazidime exhibited the least anti-biofilm activity. The fractional inhibitory concentration index (FICI ≤ 0.5) indicated synergism following treatment with the combined antibiotics. An elevated anti-biofilm activity was recorded in the case of gentamicin/meropenem compared to ceftazidime/colistin. Synergistic anti-biofilm potentials were also detected via the simulated pharmacodynamic modeling, with higher anti-biofilm activity in the case of the in vitro observation compared to the simulated anti-biofilm profile.

CONCLUSIONS: The present study highlighted the synergistic potentials of the tested antibiotic combinations against P. aeruginosa biofilms and the importance of the mathematical pharmacodynamic modeling in investigating the efficacy of antibiotics in combination as an effective strategy for successful antibiotic therapy to tackle the extensively growing resistance to the currently available antibiotics.

PMID:37394468 | DOI:10.1186/s12941-023-00597-9

Thyroid Res. 2023 Jul 3;16(1):21. doi: 10.1186/s13044-023-00161-9.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is the most common malignant lesion of the thyroid characterized by unique histological features like nuclear grooving, nuclear clearing, and intra-nuclear inclusions. However, nuclear grooves are observed even in benign thyroid lesions (BTL) like nodular goiter (NG), Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (HT), and follicular adenoma (FA) resulting in diagnostic dilemma of the presence of PTC in such BTL. RET/PTC gene translocation is one of the most common oncogenic rearrangements seen in PTC, known to be associated with nuclear grooving. Among different types of RET/PTC translocations, RET/PTC1 and RET/PTC3 gene translocations are the most common types. These translocations have also been identified in many BTL like hyperplastic nodules and HT. Our study aimed to determine the frequency of nuclear grooving in BTL and evaluate their association with RET/PTC1 and RET/PTC3 gene translocation.

METHODS: Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue blocks of NG, HT, and FA were included in the study. The hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) stained sections were evaluated for the presence of nuclear grooving/high power field (hpf) and a scoring of 0 to 3 was used for the number of grooves. Sections of 10 μ thickness were cut and the cells containing the nuclear grooves were picked using Laser-Capture microdissection. About 20 to 50 such cells were microdissected in each of the cases followed by RNA extraction, cDNA conversion, realtime-polymerase chain reaction (RQ-PCR) for RET/PTC1 and RET/PTC3 gene translocation, and the findings were analyzed for statistical significance.

RESULTS: Out of 87 BTL included in the study, 67 (77.0%) were NG, 12 (13.7%) were HT, and 8 (9.2%) were FA. Thirty-two cases (36.8%) had nuclear grooving with 18 out of 67 NG, 6 out of 12 HT, and all 8 cases of FA showing a varying number of nuclear grooves. A significant association between the number of nuclear grooves with RET/PTC gene translocation (p-value of 0.001) was obtained. A significant association of HT with RET/PTC gene translocation (p-value of 0.038) was observed. RET/PTC1 and RET/PTC3 translocation were seen in 5 out of 87 cases, with HT showing positivity in 2 and FA in 1 case for RET/PTC1 and HT in 1 and FA in 2 cases for RET/PTC3 gene translocation with 1 case of FA being positive for both RET/PTC1 and RET/PTC3 gene translocation.

CONCLUSIONS: The frequency of nuclear grooving among BTLs in our study was 36.8%. Our study shows, that when BTLs, show nuclear grooves, with an increase in the nuclear size, oval and elongated shape, favors the possibility of an underlying genetic aberration like RET/PTC gene translocation, which in turn supports the reporting pathologist to suggest a close follow up of the patients on seeing such nuclear features on cytology or histopathology sample, particularly in HT.

PMID:37394464 | DOI:10.1186/s13044-023-00161-9

Jpn J Infect Dis. 2023 Jun 30. doi: 10.7883/yoken.JJID.2023.123. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR)-confirmed Enterovirus (EV) meningitis without pleocytosis has reported in only children. We examined the frequency of EV meningitis without pleocytosis and compared clinical features in adults. We retrospectively analyzed the data of adult patients with EV meningitis confirmed by cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) RT-PCR. Among 17 patients finally included, 58.8% showed no pleocytosis. The median age and clinical symptoms were not different between the pleocytosis and the non-pleocytosis group. There were no statistically significant differences in terms of seasonal variation or time from the onset of meningitis symptoms to undergoing lumbar puncture. The peripheral white blood cell (WBC) count of the pleocytosis was significantly higher than in patients without pleocytosis. The median CSF pressure showed higher trend in the non-pleocytosis group. Patients with higher CSF pressure than the normal level were more common in the non-pleocytosis group. The median CSF protein values were higher than the normal values in both groups. We confirmed a high frequency of EV meningitis without pleocytosis in adults. An accurate diagnosis using RT-PCR is necessary when meningitis symptoms are prominent during an EV epidemic and CSF protein levels and pressure are high, even if the CSF WBC count is normal.

PMID:37394460 | DOI:10.7883/yoken.JJID.2023.123

Jpn J Infect Dis. 2023 Jun 30. doi: 10.7883/yoken.JJID.2023.144. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Hepatitis E infection is an important problem in developing countries. Hepatitis E vaccination is important for prevention but it influenced by the resident’s knowledge. The Qingdao residents’ knowledge of hepatitis E is still unknown. This study used online survey on the Wechat platform for investigation. Chi-square test was used to compare the hepatitis E influencing factors between subgroups. Binary logistic regression was used for multiple factor analysis to explore the hepatitis E influencing factors. We have found the total awareness rate of hepatitis E was 60.51%. Females, aged between 51 and 60, aged 61 and above, worked in government-affiliated departments were found to have higher awareness rate than other subgroups. The participants who have family members infected with hepatitis E were found to have lower awareness rate. The government and relevant departments should focus on the education of the hepatitis E vaccination and the disease process.

PMID:37394458 | DOI:10.7883/yoken.JJID.2023.144

J Headache Pain. 2023 Jul 2;24(1):80. doi: 10.1186/s10194-023-01620-2.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: New daily persistent headache (NDPH) is a rare primary headache disorder characterized by daily and persistent sudden onset headaches. The pathogenesis of NDPH remains unclear, and there are few white matter imaging studies related to NDPH. The purpose of this study was to investigate the micro-structural abnormalities of white matter in NDPH and provided insights into the pathogenesis of this disease based on tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS).

METHODS: Twenty-one patients with NDPH and 25 healthy controls (HCs) were included in this study. T1 structural and diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were acquired from all participants. Differences in the fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD), axial diffusivity (AD), and radial diffusivity (RD) between patients with NDPH and HCs were investigated using TBSS analysis.

RESULTS: Significantly decreased FA, increased MD and RD were found in patients with NDPH compared to HCs. White matter regions overlaid with decreased FA, increased MD and RD were found in 16 white matter tracts from the Johns Hopkins University ICBM-DTI-81 White-Matter Atlas and Johns Hopkins University White-Matter Tractography Atlas. Specifically, these white matter regions included the right anterior thalamic radiation (ATR), body of the corpus callosum (BCC), bilateral cingulum, left hippocampal cingulum (CGH), left corticospinal tract (CST), forceps major, fornix, left inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus (IFOF), bilateral inferior longitudinal fasciculus (ILF), left posterior limb of the internal capsule (PLIC), right retrolenticular part of the internal capsule (RPIC), splenium of the corpus callosum (SCC), right superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF) and left uncinate fasciculus (UF). After Bonferroni correction, there were no correlations between the FA, MD, AD and RD values and the clinical characteristics of patients with NDPH (p > 0.05/96).

CONCLUSION: The results of our research indicated that patients with NDPH might have widespread abnormalities in the white matter of the brain.

PMID:37394419 | DOI:10.1186/s10194-023-01620-2

Acad Radiol. 2023 Jun 30:S1076-6332(23)00294-5. doi: 10.1016/j.acra.2023.05.039. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to investigate the reliability and accuracy of high-resolution ultrasonography (US) for diagnosing periapical lesions and differentiating radicular cysts from granulomas.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study included 109 teeth with periapical lesions of endodontic origin from 109 patients scheduled for apical microsurgery. Ultrasonic outcomes were analyzed and categorized after thorough clinical and radiographic examinations using US. B-mode US images reflected the echotexture, echogenicity, and lesion margin, while color Doppler US assessed the presence and features of blood flow of interested areas. Pathological tissue samples were obtained during apical microsurgery and subjected to histopathological examination. Fleiss’ κ was used to measure interobserver reliability. Statistical analyses were performed to assess the diagnostic validity and the overall agreement between US and histological findings. The reliability of US compared to histopathological examinations was assessed based on Cohen’s κ.

RESULTS: The percent accuracy of US for diagnosing cysts, granulomas, and cysts with infection based on histopathological findings was 89.9%, 89.0%, and 97.2%, respectively. The sensitivity of US diagnoses was 95.1% for cysts, 84.1% for granulomas, and 80.0% for cysts with infection. The specificity of US diagnoses was 86.8% for cysts, 95.7% for granulomas, and 98.1% for cysts with infection. The reliability for US compared to histopathological examinations was good (κ = 0.779).

CONCLUSION: The echotexture characteristics of lesions in US images correlated with their histopathological features. US can provide accurate information on the nature of periapical lesions based on the echotexture of their contents and the presence of vascularity. It can help improve clinical diagnosis and avoid overtreatment of patients with apical periodontitis.

PMID:37394410 | DOI:10.1016/j.acra.2023.05.039

Enferm Infecc Microbiol Clin (Engl Ed). 2023 Jun 30:S2529-993X(23)00187-9. doi: 10.1016/j.eimce.2023.04.021. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Group A Streptococcus (GAS) causes mild diseases, and unfrequently invasive infections (iGAS). Following the December 2022 alert from the United Kingdom regarding the unusual increase in GAS and iGAS infections, we analyzed the incidence of GAS infections in 2018-2022 in our hospital.

METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study of patients seen in a pediatric emergency department (ED) diagnosed with streptococcal pharyngitis and scarlet fever and patients admitted for iGAS during last 5 years.

RESULTS: The incidence of GAS infections was 6.43 and 12.38/1000 ED visits in 2018 and 2019, respectively. During the COVID-19 pandemic the figures were 5.33 and 2.14/1000 ED visits in 2020 and 2021, respectively, and increased to 10.2/1000 ED visits in 2022. The differences observed were not statistically significant (p=0.352).

CONCLUSIONS: In our series, as in other countries, GAS infections decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic, and mild and severe cases increased considerably in 2022, but did not reach similar levels to those detected in other countries.

PMID:37394399 | DOI:10.1016/j.eimce.2023.04.021

Eur Urol Focus. 2023 Jun 30:S2405-4569(23)00144-X. doi: 10.1016/j.euf.2023.06.004. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: In the surgical management of kidney tumors, such as in multiport technology, single-port (SP) robotic-assisted partial nephrectomy (RAPN) can be performed using the transperitoneal (TP) or retroperitoneal (RP) approach. However, there is a dearth of literature on the efficacy and safety of either approach for SP RAPN.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the peri- and postoperative outcomes of the TP and RP approaches for SP RAPN.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This is a retrospective cohort study using data from the Single Port Advanced Research Consortium (SPARC) database of five institutions. All patients underwent SP RAPN for a renal mass between 2019 and 2022.

INTERVENTION: TP versus RP SP RAPN.

OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Baseline characteristics, and peri- and postoperative outcomes were compared between both the approaches using χ² test, Fisher exact test, Mann-Whitney U test, and Student t test.

RESULTS AND LIMITATIONS: A total of 219 patients (121 [55.25%] TP, 98 [44.75%] RP) were included in the study. Of them, 115 (51.51%) were male, and the mean age was 60 ± 11 yr. RP had a significantly higher proportion of posterior tumors (54 [55.10%] RP vs 28 [23.14%] TP, p < 0.001), while other baseline characteristics were comparable between both the approaches. There was no statistically significant difference in ischemia time (18 ± 9 vs 18 ± 11 min, p = 0.898), operative time (147 ± 67 vs 146 ± 70 min, p = 0.925), estimated blood loss (p = 0.167), length of stay (1.06 ± 2.25 vs 1.33 ± 1.05 d, p = 0.270), overall complications (5 [5.10%] vs 7 [5.79%]), and major complication rate (2 [2.04%] vs 2 [1.65%], p = 1.000). No difference was observed in positive surgical margin rate (p = 0.472) or delta eGFR at median 6-mo follow-up (p = 0.273). Limitations include retrospective design and no long-term follow-up.

CONCLUSIONS: With proper patient selection based on patient and tumor characteristics, surgeons can opt for either the TP or the RP approach for SP RAPN, and maintain satisfactory outcomes.

PATIENT SUMMARY: The use of a single port (SP) is a novel technology for performing robotic surgery. Robotic-assisted partial nephrectomy (RAPN) is a surgery to remove a portion of the kidney due to kidney cancer. Depending on patient characteristics and surgeons’ preference, SP can be performed via two approaches for RAPN: through the abdomen or through the space behind the abdominal cavity. We compared outcomes between these two approaches for patients receiving SP RAPN, finding that they were comparable. We conclude that with proper patient selection based on patient and tumor characteristics, surgeons can opt for either the TP or the RP approach for SP RAPN, and maintain satisfactory outcomes.

PMID:37394396 | DOI:10.1016/j.euf.2023.06.004