Tag: statistics

Public Health Nurs. 2022 Jan 4. doi: 10.1111/phn.13043. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the impact of the foot health and health behavior and the characteristics of outdoor footwear among minority ethnic groups.

DESIGN AND MEASURES: A cross-sectional study design using the Foot Health Status Questionnaire: foot pain, foot function, shoe, general foot health, general health, physical activity, social capacity, and vigor. Outcomes included the self-reported type of outdoor footwear and clinical characteristics by sex were collected in 2019-2020.

SAMPLE: A total of 78 Roma participants self-identified as members of this ethnic minority and 72 participants non-Roma were assessed (n = 150).

RESULTS: The lower score values was recorded in the footwear and general foot health domains in Roma population. General population obtained higher scores in general health domains. The most common outdoor footwear types were running shoes and walking shoes in non-Roma population, versus flip flops and slippers in Roma population. Clinical characteristics did not show any statistically significant differences (p < .05).

CONCLUSION: Roma people wear flip flops and slippers and non-Roma people running shoes and walking shoes. These findings reveal cultural differences that make it easier for the Roma population to experience a greater burden of foot health problems. General foot health and foot pain dimensions show statistically significant differences among ethnicity.

PMID:34981857 | DOI:10.1111/phn.13043

Anal Methods. 2022 Jan 4. doi: 10.1039/d1ay01940f. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

An increasing amount of evidence has proven that serum metabolites can instantly reflect disease states. Therefore, sensitive and reproducible detection of serum metabolites in a high-throughput manner is urgently needed for clinical diagnosis. Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS) is a high-throughput platform for metabolite detection, but it is hindered by significant signal fluctuations because of the “sweet spot” effect of organic matrices. Here, by screening two transformation methods and four normalization techniques to reduce the significant signal fluctuations of the DHB matrix, an integrated MALDI-MS data processing approach combined with machine learning methods was established to reveal metabolic biomarkers of lung cancer. In our study, 13 distinctive features with statistically significant differences (p < 0.001) between 34 lung cancer patients and 26 healthy controls were selected as significant potential biomarkers of lung cancer. 6 out of the 13 distinctive features were identified as intact metabolites. Our results demonstrate the potential for clinical application of MALDI-MS in serum metabolomics for biomarker screening in lung cancer.

PMID:34981796 | DOI:10.1039/d1ay01940f

Prenat Diagn. 2022 Jan 4. doi: 10.1002/pd.6083. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To conduct a review of the literature on foetal volvulus with emphasis on prenatal imaging, pregnancy characteristics and clinical outcomes.

METHODS: A review of all published cases of foetal volvulus diagnosed prenatally and indexed in Medline, EBSCOhost, CINAHL, SOCIndex and Healthy Policy Reference Centre. Studies without antenatal sonographic signs of foetal volvulus and without a postpartum surgical diagnosis were excluded. Data were analysed for frequencies and distributions and tested for statistical significance.

RESULTS: Eighty-eight cases of foetal volvulus were identified from 58 published case reports/series. The most common ultrasound findings were dilated bowel/stomach (77.3%), polyhydramnios (30.7%) and whirlpool/snail sign (28.4%). Median gestation at diagnosis was 31.9 weeks (IQR 27-34) and mean gestation at delivery was 34.5 weeks (SD 2.8). Underlying aetiology included intestinal malrotation (15.9%), cystic fibrosis (14.8% of all cases, 32.5% of tested cases) and abnormal mesenteric fixation (12.5%). Complications included intestinal atresia (36.4%) and foetal anaemia (9.1%). The overall perinatal mortality rate was 14.5%.

CONCLUSION: Foetal volvulus is a rare condition with high rates of preterm birth and perinatal mortality. Intestinal malrotation and cystic fibrosis are common predisposing causes, although the majority are idiopathic. Bowel and/or gastric dilatation is by far the most common sonographic finding.

PMID:34981841 | DOI:10.1002/pd.6083

Biomed Environ Sci. 2021 Dec 20;34(12):952-962. doi: 10.3967/bes2021.131.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To our knowledge, no definitive conclusion has been reached regarding the relationship between glucocorticoids and hypertension. Here, we aimed to explore the characteristics of glucocorticoids in participants with dysglycemia and hypertension, and to analyze their association with blood pressure indicators.

METHODS: The participants of this study were from the Henan Rural Cohort study. A total of 1,688 patients 18-79 years of age were included in the matched case control study after application of the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Statistical methods were used to analyze the association between glucocorticoids and various indices of blood pressure, through approaches such as logistic regression analysis, trend tests, linear regression, and restricted cubic regression.

RESULTS: The study population consisted of 552 patients with dysglycemia and hypertension (32.7%). The patients with co-morbidities had higher levels of serum cortisol ( P = 0.009) and deoxycortisol ( P < 0.001). The adjusted odds ratios (and 95% confidence intervals) for dysglycemia with hypertension were 1.55 (1.18, 2.04) for the highest tertile of Ln-cortisol compared with the lowest tertile. Additionally, the highest Ln-deoxycortisol levels were associated with increased prevalence of dysglycemia with hypertension by 159% (95% confidence interval: 122%, 207%).

CONCLUSIONS: Serum deoxycortisol was positively correlated with systolic blood pressure, pulse pressure, mean arterial pressure, mean blood pressure, and mean proportional arterial pressure. Glucocorticoids (deoxycortisol and cortisol) increase the risk of hypertension in people with dysglycemia, particularly in those with T2DM.

PMID:34981718 | DOI:10.3967/bes2021.131

Exp Clin Transplant. 2022 Jan 3. doi: 10.6002/ect.2021.0252. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: Kidney transplant recipients are among the high-risk groups for severe COVID-19. To date, no specific antiviral agent has proved uniformly effective against SARS-CoV-2. Favipiravir, the recommended drug by the Turkish Ministry of Health, was uniformly supplied to all patients diagnosed with COVID-19 by a positive nasopharyngeal swab polymerase chain reaction test. The aim of our study was to retrospectively compare our kidney transplant recipients treated with favipiravir who developed COVID-19 infection versus those not treated with favipiravir during the clinical course of the disease, with a special emphasis on the occurrence of side effects and adverse events.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: We included 37 consecutive kidney transplant recipients with a median age of 46 years (62.2% women). Recipients included 8 with deceased donors and 29 with living related donors; median posttransplant survival was 8.0 years (IQR, 5.5-12.5 years).

RESULTS: Twenty-six patients (70.3%) received favipiravir, and 11 (29.7%) did not. There were no statistically significant differences between the groups for baseline demographic characteristics and clinical and laboratory data, except that the favipiravir-treated patients were older and had a higher requirement of oxygen treatment. There were no statistically significant differences between the 2 groups for the course and outcome of COVID-19 infection with regard to adverse side effects/events associated with favipiravir. Laboratory data at baseline, day 7, and day 30 were also comparable between the groups.

CONCLUSIONS: Although the efficacy of favipiravir for treatment of COVID-19 infection remains controversial, favipiravir is safe for kidney transplant recipients.

PMID:34981711 | DOI:10.6002/ect.2021.0252

Exp Clin Transplant. 2022 Jan 3. doi: 10.6002/ect.2021.0360. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: In this study, we investigated dynamic thiol-disulfide homeostasis as a new indicator of oxidative stress in lung transplant recipients. In addition, we compared dynamic thiol-disulfide homeostasis parameters according to transplant indication and time after transplant.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study had a single-center, observational, randomized design. In terms of transplant indications, lung transplant recipients were grouped as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, interstitial lung disease, bronchiectasis, and other indications. To make comparisons based on time after transplant, lung transplant recipients were categorized into the following groups: >6 and ≤24 months, >24 and ≤48 months, >48 and ≤72 months, and >72 months. A fully automated spectrophotometric technique was used to measure dynamic thiol-disulfide homeostasis in fasting blood samples.

RESULTS: Our study included 34 lung transplant recipients and 36 healthy volunteers. Native thiol (P = .005) and total thiol levels (P = .06) were lower in lung transplant recipients. Disulfide levels were similar. Disulfide-to-native thiol (P = .027) and disulfide-to-total thiol ratios (P = .027) were significantly higher in lung transplant recipients. Native thiol-to-total thiol ratios were lower in lung transplant recipients (P = .027). When we examined patients according to transplant indication, no statistically significant differences were found in dynamic thiol-disulfide homeostasis parameters, except for total thiol and disulfide levels. We also found no significant differences when we examined dynamic thiol-disulfide homeostasis parameters according to time after transplant.

CONCLUSIONS: Thiol-related antioxidant activity is significantly reduced after lung transplant, regardless of indication and transplant time. Ensuring oxidative balance in lung transplant recipients with an antioxidant supplement regimen can prevent damage from oxidative stress.

PMID:34981712 | DOI:10.6002/ect.2021.0360

Int J Biostat. 2022 Jan 4. doi: 10.1515/ijb-2020-0073. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Effect modification occurs when the effect of a treatment on an outcome differsaccording to the level of some pre-treatment variable (the effect modifier). Assessing an effect modifier is not a straight-forward task even for a subject matter expert. In this paper, we propose a two-stageprocedure to automatically selecteffect modifying variables in a Marginal Structural Model (MSM) with a single time point exposure based on the two nuisance quantities (the conditionaloutcome expectation and propensity score). We highlight the performance of our proposal in a simulation study. Finally, to illustrate tractability of our proposed methods, we apply them to analyze a set of pregnancy data. We estimate the conditional expected difference in the counterfactual birth weight if all women were exposed to inhaled corticosteroids during pregnancy versus the counterfactual birthweight if all women were not, using data from asthma medications during pregnancy.

PMID:34981702 | DOI:10.1515/ijb-2020-0073

Mol Genet Genomic Med. 2022 Jan 3:e1864. doi: 10.1002/mgg3.1864. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: In addition to patient-related systemic factors directing the immune response, the pathomechanisms of appendicitis (AP) might also include insufficient drainage leading to inflammation caused by decreased peristalsis. Genetic predisposition accounts for 30%-50% of AP. M. Hirschsprung (HSCR), also characterized by disturbed peristalsis, is associated with variants in the RET proto-oncogene. We thus hypothesized that RET variants contribute to the etiology of AP.

METHODS: DNA from paraffin-embedded appendices and clinical data of 264 children were analyzed for the RET c.135A>G variant (rs1800858, NC_000010.11:g.43100520A>G). In 46 patients with gangrenous or perforated AP (GAP), peripheral blood DNA was used for RET sequencing.

RESULTS: Germline mutations were found in 13% of GAP, whereas no RET mutations were found in controls besides the benign variant p.Tyr791Phe (NC_000010.11:g.43118460A>T). In GAP, the polymorphic G-allele in rs2435352 (NC_000010.11:g.43105241A>G) in intron 4 was underrepresented (p = 0.0317).

CONCLUSION: Our results suggest an impact of the RET proto-oncogene in the etiology of AP. Mutations were similar to patients with HSCR but no clinical features of HSCR were observed. The pathological phenotypes in both populations might thus represent a multigenic etiology including RET germline mutations with phenotypic heterogeneity and incomplete penetrance.

PMID:34981673 | DOI:10.1002/mgg3.1864

J Korean Med Sci. 2022 Jan 3;37(1):e1. doi: 10.3346/jkms.2022.37.e1.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to estimate the 8-year prevalence and mortality statistics of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) according to birth year (2002-2012).

METHODS: We used the National Health Insurance Service database with 4,989,351 children born from 2002 to 2012 including 35,529 children diagnosed with ASD until 8 years of age. The 8-year cumulative prevalence of ASD was calculated annually (2010-2020) with 8 years of follow-up. The 8-year mortality was estimated using Cox models adjusted for sex, household income, area of residence, and year of birth.

RESULTS: Of the 473,494 children born in 2002, 2,467 (5.2 per 1,000 births) were diagnosed with ASD until 2010. The ASD prevalence was 2.6 times higher among boys (1,839; 7.4 per 1,000 boy births) than girls (628; 2.8 per 1,000 girl births). Of the 467,360 children born in 2012, 4,378 (9.4 per 1,000 births) were diagnosed with ASD until 2020. The ASD prevalence was 2.7 times higher among boys (3,246; 13.5 per 1,000 boy births) than girls (1,132; 5.0 per 1,000 girl births). The risk of all-cause mortality was higher among children with ASD than those without (hazard ratio [HR], 2.340; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.063-2.654), which is substantially higher among girls (HR, 4.223; 95% CI, 3.472-5.135) than boys (HR, 1.774; 95% CI, 1.505-2.090).

CONCLUSION: The present study demonstrated that national-level prevalence and mortality statistics of ASD can be estimated effectively using claims data comprising newborns born each year and followed up for to the age of interest. Because this information is essential to establish evidence-based policies, health authorities need to consider producing epidemiological information of ASD continuously using the same methodology.

PMID:34981677 | DOI:10.3346/jkms.2022.37.e1

Clin Pharmacol Drug Dev. 2022 Jan 3. doi: 10.1002/cpdd.1064. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

This study aimed to evaluate the bioequivalence of 2 amlodipine besylate tablet formulations, a generic formulation and an original formulation, and to investigate their pharmacokinetic and safety profiles. This study was designed as a randomized, open-label, single-dose, crossover, dual-period study and was divided into fasting and postprandial human bioequivalence trials. In the first trial after overnight fasting, 28 subjects were given 5-mg amlodipine besylate tablets via oral administration, and blood specimens were obtained up to 144 hours after dosing; another 28 subjects had a high-fat meal 1 hour before drug administration and proceeded the same as the fasting trial. Bioequivalence was evaluated using 90%CIs for the ratio test/reference of log area under the concentration-time curve (AUC) from time 0 to the last quantifiable concentration, log AUC from time 0 to infinity, and log peak concentration. The plasma concentrations were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The safety was assessed throughout the study. The results show that no significant differences were observed between the pharmacokinetic profiles of the test and reference amlodipine besylate tablets in the fasting and postprandial trials. The 90%CIs of the peak concentration, AUC from time 0 to the last quantifiable concentration and AUC from time 0 to infinity of amlodipine in the 2 trials were within the commonly accepted bioequivalence criteria of 80% to 125%. Compared with the pharmacokinetic parameters of the fasting and postprandial trials, food had no significant effect on exposure of amlodipine besylate. There was no significant difference in safety statistical results between the 2 groups. The results suggest that generic and original amlodipine besylate tablets are bioequivalent with similar safety profiles.

PMID:34981666 | DOI:10.1002/cpdd.1064