Tag: statistics

West Afr J Med. 2022 Oct 20;39(10):1007-1012.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a novel viral infection, now a pandemic, caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). Diabetes mellitus (DM) has been associated with severe COVID-19 and poor glycaemic control is reportedly the link between these conditions. This study aimed to determine the association between DM and the severity of COVID-19.

METHODS: This was a retrospective study involving 86 patients with COVID-19 admitted to a tertiary hospital in South-Western Nigeria. Socio-demographic, clinical and laboratory data were extracted from their medical records. Ethical approval was obtained and descriptive and inferential statistics computed.

RESULTS: The mean age of the patients was 61 ± 16.1 years and 61.6% were males. Fever was noted in 67.4% of patients and, similarly, 67.4% of the patients had an SpO2<94% in ambient air when admitted. Thirty-six percent (36%) of the study patients had DM. Amongst patients with DM and those without DM, 72.2% and 62%, respectively, had severe or critical COVID-19 (p=0.323). Patients with DM were older than those without DM (65.8 years vs 57.3 years; p=0.015). The frequency of oxygen desaturation, respiratory failure, acute kidney injury (AKI) and multi-organ failure were significantly higher in COVID-19 patients with DM (p=0.037, 0.043, 0.004 and 0.016, respectively). Mortality was higher in COVID-19 patients with DM but this was not statistically significant (p=0.214). The odds of a patient with diabetes and COVID-19 developing respiratory failure and acute kidney injury were 1.395 (95%CI 1.154-6.913) and 1.125 (95%CI 1.025-1.621), respectively.

CONCLUSION: Diabetes mellitus was recorded in older patients with COVID-19 and associated with suboptimal oxygen saturation at presentation, respiratory failure, and acute kidney injury. There was no association found between DM and COVID-19 severity and mortality.

PMID:36260053

Epidemiol Rev. 2022 Oct 19:mxac010. doi: 10.1093/epirev/mxac010. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Randomized trials are often designed to collect outcomes at fixed points in time after randomization. In practice, the number and timing of outcome assessments can vary among participants. (i.e., irregular). In fact, the timing of assessments may be associated with the outcome of interest (i.e., informative). For example, in a trial evaluating the effectiveness of treatments for major depressive disorder, not only did the timings of outcome assessments vary among participants, but symptom scores were associated with assessment frequency. This type of informative observation requires appropriate statistical analysis. While analytic methods have been developed, they are rarely used. The purpose of this paper is to review the literature on irregular assessments with a view toward developing recommendations for analyzing trials with irregular and potentially informative assessment times. We show how the choice of analytic approach hinges on assumptions about the relationship between the assessment and outcome processes. We argue that irregular assessment should be treated with the same care as missing data, and propose that trialists: adopt strategies to minimize the extent of irregularity; describe the extent of irregularity in assessment times; make their assumptions about the relationships between assessment times and outcomes explicit; adopt analytic techniques that are appropriate to their assumptions; assess sensitivity of trial results to their assumptions.

PMID:36259969 | DOI:10.1093/epirev/mxac010

Waste Manag Res. 2022 Oct 19:734242X221126376. doi: 10.1177/0734242X221126376. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

This study uses material flow analysis to investigate the amounts and pathways of municipal plastic waste (MPW) in Thailand. The aim is to understand the country’s situation and investigate the effects of Thailand’s Roadmap on Plastic Waste Management 2018-2030, which sets a goal for recycling ‘target plastic waste’ at 100% by 2027. The analysis was conducted using waste statistics between 2008 and 2020 and waste forecasts. Two scenarios of plastic waste management, the business-as-usual, and the national roadmap, were constructed for 2025 and 2030. In 2030, the annual MPW generation is projected to reach 2.19 Mt. Under the business-as-usual (BAU) scenario, the recycling and utilisation rate will be 32.3% of waste generated. About 30.3% of waste generated will not be treated properly and possibly leaked into the open environment. Under the roadmap scenario, the recycling and utilisation rate will increase to 98.4%, while 1.6% of waste generated will not be treated properly. The recycling rate for target plastic waste in 2027 could only reach 67.1% because plastic waste is required as fuel for waste incinerators and industries. With the roadmap fully implemented, certain effects can be foreseen for waste-to-energy and plastic industries. Findings from this study stress on the importance of holistic policy planning, efficient prioritising and allocating of waste as a resource, and cooperation from all sectors for sustainable plastic waste management.

PMID:36259956 | DOI:10.1177/0734242X221126376

Nursing. 2022 Nov 1;52(11):57-61. doi: 10.1097/01.NURSE.0000889816.36819.74.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: To explore the stress, experience, and unmet needs of parents whose child has attempted suicide.

METHODS: A 23-question survey and a 53-item Family Management Measurement questionnaire were distributed to the parents of children admitted to an acute care facility for a suicide attempt (SA). Quantitative data were analyzed using Statistical Analysis System. Responses to the open-ended questions were sorted, synthesized, and clustered into tentative categories.

RESULTS: Eleven parents enrolled, but only 10 completed the qualitative questions. Three themes emerged: feelings of helplessness, uncertainty, and life management difficulty. Parents rated their stress as moderate (6.6 out of 10). Internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha) was questionable (0.69); however, three of six subscales were good to excellent (0.81-0.95).

CONCLUSION: Families experience stress, feelings of hopelessness, and uncertainty after an SA. More research is needed to better understand and quantify parental experiences.

PMID:36259910 | DOI:10.1097/01.NURSE.0000889816.36819.74

Rev Bras Epidemiol. 2022 Oct 17;25:e220027. doi: 10.1590/1980-549720220027. eCollection 2022.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To investigate if the diet quality and its components are associated with breast cancer risk.

METHODS: A case-control study was conducted with 332 women, 114 who were diagnosed with breast cancer, and 218 control individuals. Groups were matched for age, body mass index, and menopausal status. The quality of diet was assessed using Brazilian Healthy Eating Index Revised (BHEI-R) and its components. Food consumption was measured through three 24-h dietary recalls and assessed using the NDS-R software. For statistical analyses, it was performed an adjusted logistic regression, estimation of the Odds Ratio (OR), and 95% confidence interval (95%CI), with a p-value <0.05.

RESULTS: The BHEI-R score, classified into quartiles, did not differ between groups in the lowest quartile of diet quality (p=0.853). The components total cereals (p=0.038), saturated fat (p=0.039) and Gord_AA (fat, alcohol, and added sugar) (p=0.023) had higher scores among the case group. The scores for total fruits (p=0.010) and milk and dairy products (p=0.039) were higher among the control group. The BHEI-R components and the quality of diet were not associated with the outcome.

CONCLUSION: Diet quality, assessed by the BHEI-R and its components, was not associated with breast cancer.

PMID:36259887 | DOI:10.1590/1980-549720220027

Rev Bras Epidemiol. 2022 Oct 17;25:e220025. doi: 10.1590/1980-549720220025. eCollection 2022.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to analyze the relationship between adolescent and young adult homicide mortality rates in Brazilian municipalities according to gender, race, and contextual characteristics at the municipal and federation unit levels.

METHODS: This is an ecological study that used secondary data available from the death records of the Mortality Information System and socioeconomic data from the Brazilian Census. The dependent variables were homicide mortality rates among people aged 15-29 years by sex and race from 2015 to 2017. The contextual variables were related to education, income, schooling, and vulnerability. Multilevel linear regression was applied in an ecological model to verify the first- and second-level variables’ effect. Each variable’s effect was estimated using β and its respective confidence intervals (95%CI) and statistical significance.

RESULTS: There was a direct and significant relationship between the adolescent and young adult mortality rates and the homicide mortality rates among adults, regardless of sex and race/skin color. However, this relationship was more pronounced among black adolescents and young adults. At the federative unit level, the human development index was significantly related to the mortality rates of black men, white men, and white women.

CONCLUSION: There is racial inequality in adolescent and young adult mortality from violence in Brazil; the rates are related to municipal characteristics, such as violence in the adult population and inequalities in education and social protection.

PMID:36259885 | DOI:10.1590/1980-549720220025

Rev Bras Enferm. 2022 Oct 17;75Suppl 2(Suppl 2):e20210878. doi: 10.1590/0034-7167-2021-0878. eCollection 2022.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: to verify the association between sociodemographic and reproductive characteristics with rural workers’ reproductive autonomy.

METHODS: a cross-sectional study, with a sample of 346 women and application of the Reproductive Autonomy Scale. Multinomial regression was performed to analyze associations between independent variables and outcomes.

RESULTS: in the analysis of subscales “Decision-making”, “My sexual partner or someone else such as a parent”, “Both me and my partner” and “Me”, women experienced greater reproductive autonomy in relation to their partners. For outcomes “Decision about which method to use”, “When to have a baby” or “About unplanned pregnancy”, the highest prevalence was for category “Me”, with statistically significant associations.

CONCLUSIONS: the sociodemographic and reproductive characteristics among the most vulnerable women, in terms of the social, economic and cultural context in which they are inserted, may be associated with greater difficulties in exercising reproductive autonomy.

PMID:36259879 | DOI:10.1590/0034-7167-2021-0878

Int J Neurosci. 2022 Oct 19:1-11. doi: 10.1080/00207454.2022.2138381. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Purpose: To observe the effect of ultrasound-guided platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection in the treatment of herpes zoster neuralgia (HZN).Methods: Eighty patients with HZN were randomly divided into observation group and control group, with 40 cases in each group. The observation group was treated with ultrasound-guided PRP injection of target nerves combined with drugs. The control group was treated with drugs alone. The pain scores of before treatment (T0), and 1 week (T1), 1 month (T2), 3 months (T3) and 6 months (T4) after treatment were recorded with Numerical Rating Scale (NRS). The sleep quality of patients was assessed with the Athens Insomnia Scale, and the dosage used at each time point, skin lesions, adverse reactions, and the occurrence of postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) were recorded.Results: The NRS score of the two groups after treatment showed a downward trend. Compared with T0 at each time point, the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). And the NRS score of the observation group was lower than control group (P < 0.05). The sleep quality of the observation group was better. The dosage of the observation group was less, and the time of herpes dry-up, scab crusting and shedding in the observation group was significantly shorter (P < 0.05). The incidence of dizziness, lethargy, ataxia and PHN in the observation group was significantly reduced (P < 0.05).Conclusion: Compared with traditional drug treatment alone, the ultrasound-guided PRP injection has the advantages of better analgesia and fewer side effects, which provides a new idea for the treatment of HZN.

PMID:36259487 | DOI:10.1080/00207454.2022.2138381

Anat Sci Educ. 2022 Oct 19. doi: 10.1002/ase.2230. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Visuospatial skills are considered important attributes when learning anatomy and there is evidence suggesting that this ability can be improved with training techniques including drawing. The Mental Rotations Test (MRT) has been routinely used to assess visuospatial ability. This study aimed to introduce students to drawing as a learning strategy for anatomy. Undergraduate speech science anatomy students took part in a drawing tutorial (n = 92), completed an MRT test, pre- and post-tutorial tests and surveys regarding their use and attitudes towards drawing as a study tool. The impact on their examination performance was then assessed. Regardless of MRT score or attitude to drawing, students who participated in the drawing tutorial demonstrated immediate improvement in post-tutorial test scores. Students in the drawing group performed better in most anatomy components of the examination, but the result did not reach statistical significance. There was only a positive correlation between MRT score and one type of anatomy question (non-image-based) and speech physics questions (r = 0.315, P = 0.002). The unexpected finding may relate to the MRT which assesses spatial rather than object visualization skills. Students who liked drawing also performed significantly better in word-based and speech physics questions. It is likely that the style of identification question did not require the mental manipulation ability assessed in the MRT. This study demonstrated that students with lower MRT scores are not outperformed in all aspects of anatomy assessment. The study highlights the importance of a more nuanced understanding of visuospatial skills required in anatomy.

PMID:36259486 | DOI:10.1002/ase.2230

Br J Nutr. 2022 Oct 19:1-27. doi: 10.1017/S0007114522003373. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Sepsis is a clinical syndrome characterized by a severe disorder of pathophysiology caused by infection of pathogenic microorganisms. The addition of antioxidant micronutrient therapies such as thiamine to sepsis treatment remains controversial. This study explored the effect of thiamine on the prognosis of patients with sepsis. This study was a retrospective study involving patients with sepsis from the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care IV. Patients were divided into two groups, the thiamine received group (TR) and the thiamine unreceived group (TUR), according to whether they were supplemented with thiamin via intravenous while in the intensive care unit (ICU). The primary outcome was ICU mortality. The association between thiamine and outcome was analyzed using the Cox proportional hazard regression model, propensity score matching (PSM), generalized boosted model-based inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW), and doubly robust estimation. A total of 11,553 sepsis patients were enrolled in this study. After controlling for potential confounders using Cox regression models, the TR group had a statistically significantly lower ICU mortality risk than the TUR group. The hazard ratio (95% confidence interval) of ICU mortality for the TR group was 0.80 (0.70, 0.93). We obtained the same results after using PSM, IPTW, and doubly robust estimation. Supplementation with thiamine has a beneficial effect on the prognosis of patients with sepsis. More randomized controlled trials are needed to confirm the effectiveness of thiamine supplementation in the treatment of sepsis.

PMID:36259460 | DOI:10.1017/S0007114522003373