Tag: statistics

Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol. 2022 Jun 10. doi: 10.1007/s00405-022-07449-w. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: This study is to compare the hearing outcomes and complications of stapes surgery and cochlear implantation (CI) in patients with far-advanced otosclerosis (FAO).

DATA SOURCES: A comprehensive electronic search of PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, Web of science and Cochrane Library was conducted in June 2021 for articles in the literature till this year.

STUDY SELECTION: Studies are published in English language, conducted on human subjects, concerned with comparison of CI and stapes surgery in the management of FAO, not Laboratory study and not Opinion study. The current review followed the guidelines of preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analysis statement 2009 (PRISMA).

DATA EXTRACTION: Twenty-six studies were included with 334 patients in CI group and 241 patients in stapes surgery group. Comparison between both groups was done in terms of postoperative complications, audiological outcomes, rete of revision surgery and patients’ satisfaction rate.

RESULTS: Postoperative complications rate was significantly lower in CI (13.6%) than stapes surgery (18.6%). CI had a significantly lower rate of revision surgery (8.1%) than stapes surgery (16.4%). CI had a better mean for pure tone average (29.1 dB) than stapedectomy (52.3 dB) while stapes surgery had a higher mean for recognition of monosyllables and disyllables than CI. CI had significantly higher satisfaction rate than stapes surgery.

CONCLUSION: Both Stapes surgery and CI are reliable treatment options for FAO with close success rates. Statistics of CI are greater than stapes surgery and CI has a consistent improvement in audiometric outcomes in comparison to stapes surgery.

PMID:35687184 | DOI:10.1007/s00405-022-07449-w

Med Klin Intensivmed Notfmed. 2022 Jun 10. doi: 10.1007/s00063-022-00929-1. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Agency nursing is used as a form of labour to counter vacant staff positions in hospitals. Stakeholders and nurses might view this critically for different reasons.

AIM: The aim of this study was to evaluate what individual net income nurses in German intensive care units and intermediate care units consider “fair and acceptable” for their work. Furthermore, what influence does salary have on the willingness to change to agency nursing or back to a permanent position.

METHODS: From September-October 2020, an anonymous online survey was performed among nurses of intermediate care units, intensive care units and special care units in German-speaking countries. The results were evaluated using descriptive statistics.

RESULT: Of 1203 participants, 1036 (86%) of those working in Germany could be evaluated. The question about the individual net income was answered by 1032 (99%) participants. The majority of respondents (n = 522) stated that they had an individual net income of 2000-2999 €/month. The higher the level of the net income, the lower the willingness to switch to agency work. The participants in permanent employment only perceive a net income of 3200 €/month (median 3200 €; interquartile range [IQR] 2800-3800 €) as acceptable and fair for their work. In all, 142 agency nurses stated that an individual net income of 3200 €/month (median 3200 €; IQR 3000-3950 €) would be sufficient to move from agency nursing back into permanent employment.

CONCLUSION: The intensive care nurses in this survey consider a salary of 3200 €/month as acceptable and fair for their work. The salary level can be a parameter for the decision to go into agency work, but also to move back to permanent employment. Regardless of the salary, better working conditions were indicated as an essential element in terms of job satisfaction for all respondent groups.

PMID:35687181 | DOI:10.1007/s00063-022-00929-1

Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc. 2022 Jun 10. doi: 10.1007/s00167-022-07022-2. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: To investigate the thickness and intra-substance change of anterior capsule of the hip joint, and compare the difference of the capsular features in patients with different statuses of hip stability.

METHODS: A retrospective study was performed to review a hip preservation database. Using the lateral center edge angle(LCEA), patients with borderline dysplasia of the hip (BDH) of 20° ≤ LCEA ≤ 25°, femoracetabular impingement(FAI) with LCEA > 30° and dysplasia of the hip (DH) of LCEA < 20° were enrolled and stratified into different treatment groups. The patients’ imaging was reviewed by two experienced musculoskeletal radiologists who were blinded to clinical outcomes. Thickness and intra-substance change of the anterior hip capsule was measured on the sagittal oblique sequences of MRI. A surgeon measured the thickness of the anterior hip capsule during arthroscopy. The capsular thickness and intra-substance change were compared among different groups.

RESULTS: Thirty patients (17 women and 13 men) enrolled in each group (FAI, BDH, and DH) matched by sex and ages were evaluated. There were no significant differences in terms of age, sex, BMI, Alpha angle, and Tönnis grade among all three groups. The mean thickness of the anterior capsule in the DH group was 3.2 ± 0.5 mm, which was significantly thinner than that in the BDH and FAI groups (4.5 ± 0.8 mm and 4.7 ± 0.6 mm), and there was no significant difference in capsular thickness between the BDH and FAI groups. The Median of anterior capsule thickness via arthroscopic measuring was 6 mm and 7 mm in the BDH and FAI groups respectively, which has no statistical difference. The intra-substance change of the anterior capsule shows a significant difference among the three groups, and a higher incidence of delamination of the capsule was found in DH groups (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS: Patients with hip dysplasia have a significantly reduced capsular thickness on MRI and delaminated anterior joint capsule, which could be a sequence of instability. The clinical relevance of this study is that capsular thickness and intra-substance changes of the anterior capsule vary which could alter capsular management strategies.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III of evidence, DIAGNOSTIC STUDIES, No consistently applied reference standard.

PMID:35687148 | DOI:10.1007/s00167-022-07022-2

Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol. 2022 Jun 10. doi: 10.1007/s00417-022-05721-7. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: Aim of this study was to evaluate the frequencies, trends, and antibiotic resistance of bacteria collected from ocular surface or contact lens material in a German tertiary referral center from 2009 to 2019.

METHODS: Microbiological data from 2009 to 2019 was analyzed. Culture-dependent microbial identification and analysis of antibiotic sensitivity was completed by the Institute of Microbiology. Statistical analysis of age- and sex-specific differences as well as changes in the microbial spectrum and resistance over the study period was performed with GraphPad Prism 9.0 applying nonparametric tests (level of significance: p ≦ 0.05).

RESULTS: A total of 6361 specimens were analyzed. Positivity rate was 18.6%. Sixty-three percent (n = 680) of the bacterial isolates were derived from ocular surface and 37% (n = 399) from contact lens material. The ratio of gram-negative bacteria was significantly higher in contact lens material. Multiresistant bacteria showed a significant increase with patient age (p < 0.0001). An overall increase in resistance to levofloxacin (p = 0.0239) was detected. Only 2.4% and 3.1% isolates were resistant to a combination of moxifloxacin and gentamicin, respectively, levofloxacin and gentamicin.

CONCLUSIONS: The reported bacterial spectrum is similar to comparable centers. Our data show that it should not be assumed that the newest classes of antibiotics have the best efficacy or lowest resistance levels. In suspected bacterial conjunctivitis, we propose using gentamicin as first-line therapy. In therapy refractive cases and in involvement of the cornea, we recommend a combination of gentamicin and ofloxacin or moxifloxacin. Overall, the evaluated organisms showed good sensitivity to the regularly used antibiotics.

PMID:35687174 | DOI:10.1007/s00417-022-05721-7

Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2022 Jun 10. doi: 10.1164/rccm.202112-2745OC. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

RATIONALE: The role of obesity-associated insulin resistance (IR) in airflow limitation in asthma is uncertain.

OBJECTIVES: Using data in the Severe Asthma Research Program 3 (SARP-3), we evaluated relationships between homeostatic measure of IR (HOMA-IR), lung function (cross sectional and longitudinal analyses) and treatment responses to bronchodilators and corticosteroids.

METHODS: HOMA-IR values was categorized as without (< 3.0), moderate (3.0-5.0), or severe (>5.0). Lung function included forced expired volume in one second (FEV1) and forced vital capacity (FVC) measured before and after treatment with inhaled albuterol and intramuscular triamcinolone acetonide (TA) and yearly for 5 years.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Among 307 participants in SARP-3, 170 (55%) were obese and 140 (46%) had IR. Compared to patients without IR, those with IR had significantly lower values for forced expired volume in one second (FEV1) and forced vital capacity (FVC), and these lower values were not attributable to obesity effects. Compared to patients without IR, those with IR had lower FEV1 responses to beta adrenergic agonists and systemic corticosteroids. The annualized decline in FEV1 was significantly greater in patients with moderate IR (-41 mLs/year) and severe IR (-32 mLs/year,) than in patients without IR (-13mLs/year, p< 0.001 for both comparisons).

CONCLUSION: IR is common in asthma and is associated with lower lung function, accelerated loss of lung function, and suboptimal lung function responses to bronchodilator and corticosteroid treatments. Clinical trials in patients with asthma and IR are needed to determine if improving IR might also improve lung function.

PMID:35687105 | DOI:10.1164/rccm.202112-2745OC

Chin J Dent Res. 2022 Jun 10;25(2):131-137. doi: 10.3290/j.cjdr.b3086349.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between chewing sugar-free gum (SFG) and dental caries status in China.

METHODS: A total of 860 teenagers (aged 12 to 15 years) and 490 adults (aged ≥ 18 years) were recruited using a multistage stratified cluster method from economically developed areas (Beijing, Guangdong) and less economically developed areas (Hubei, Xinjiang). Each participant completed a questionnaire including oral health-related knowledge of SFG and chewing habits of SFG and agreed to undertake a clinical assessment. Potential factors associated with chewing conditions were analysed through a chi-square statistical test. A negative binominal regression analysis was performed to quantify the relationship between dental caries and consumption of SFG.

RESULTS: The overall percentage of the survey population who consumed SFG was 43.4%, and SFG-related knowledge and awareness was only 19.4%. For decayed, missing and filled permanent teeth (DMFT), the mean value was 1.63 ± 2.41 and 2.29 ± 3.65 in the chewing group and non-chewing group, respectively. According to the negative binominal regression analysis, the caries status in the SFG chewing group was better than in the non-chewing group (adjusted prevalence rate ratio [PRR] 0.73; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.62-0.87).

CONCLUSION: The chewing condition and oral health-related knowledge and awareness of SFG is low. Chewing SFG is related to a better dental caries status, so regular consumption of SFG should be recommended when promoting oral health.

PMID:35686593 | DOI:10.3290/j.cjdr.b3086349

Chin J Dent Res. 2022 Jun 10;25(2):125-130. doi: 10.3290/j.cjdr.b3086347.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the change in demineralisation depth (DD)and mineral density (MD) over time in primary teeth exposed to a demineralisation protocol with microcomputed tomography (microCT).

METHODS: Caries lesions were artificially induced on the labial surfaces of 9 primary incisors by way of a demineralisation protocol using 0.1 M lactic acid with 10% methylcellulose gel for 7 and 14 days. The specimens were scanned with microCT and CTAn software (Bruker, Billerica, MA, USA) was used to analyse the changes in DD and MD. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS software (IBM, Armonk, NY, USA). Repeated analysis of variance (ANOVA) test and Pearson bivariate correlation were used and the level of significance was set at P < 0.05.

RESULTS: The DD ranged from 0.00 to 0.99 μm (mean ± standard deviation [SD] 0.70 ± 0.43 μm) at baseline, 11.18 to 29.5 μm (18.15 ± 5.23 μm) at 7 days and 18.00 to 55.30 μm (34.20 ± 8.70 μm) at 14 days. The MD for all specimens (n = 9) ranged from 1.48 to 1.76 g/cm3 (1.65 ± 0.08 g/cm3) at baseline, from 1.47 to 1.74 g/cm3 (1.62 ± 0.08 g/cm3) at 7 days demineralisation and 1.33 to 1.72 g/cm3 (1.54 ± 0.13 g/cm3) at 14 days. There were statistically significant differences in DD (P < 0.001) and MD (P = 0.016) between different durations of demineralisation.

CONCLUSION: DD and MD change with time after being exposed to demineralising solution. MicroCT is a nondestructive method that allows repeated MD evaluations of the same sample.

PMID:35686592 | DOI:10.3290/j.cjdr.b3086347

Asia Pac J Clin Oncol. 2022 Jun 10. doi: 10.1111/ajco.13803. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

AIMS: Durvalumab (Durva) administration after chemoradiation therapy (CRT) in locally advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the standard of care, associated with relatively prolonged progression-free (PFS) and overall survival. However, pneumonitis occurs in 73.6% of Japanese patients. This retrospective study aimed to identify factors associated with Durva efficacy and safety, specifically, the risk of pneumonitis.

METHODS: This study included data from 26 consecutive patients with locally advanced NSCLC who underwent CRT followed by Durva. The rates of adverse events and PFS were examined.

RESULTS: The median PFS time was 15.6 months (95% confidence interval [CI]: 8.7-not available). Patients developed pneumonitis of grade 1, 2, 3, and 4 at the rate of 62%, 27%, 12%, and 0%, respectively. The median PFS time was 6.4 months for patients with programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression level of <50% and not reached for patients with PD-L1 expression level of ≥50% (hazard ratio [HR], 0.19; 95% CI: 0.04-0.89), which was significantly prolonged. The cumulative incidence of pneumonitis grade 2 or above was significantly higher when the time between the last day of thoracic radiotherapy (TRT) and the start of Durva therapy was within 14 days compared to >14 days (HR: 0.19; 95% CI: 0.06-0.59). This association was statistically significant in multivariate analysis.

CONCLUSIONS: The initiation of Durva therapy within 14 days after TRT may increase the risk of pneumonitis grade 2 or above. Careful observation and suitable treatment are recommended.

PMID:35686586 | DOI:10.1111/ajco.13803

Nanoscale. 2022 Jun 10. doi: 10.1039/d2nr01277d. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Bacterial endotoxin, a major component of the Gram-negative bacterial outer membrane leaflet, is a lipopolysaccharide shed from bacteria during their growth and infection and can be utilized as a biomarker for bacterial detection. Here, the surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectra of eleven bacterial endotoxins with an average detection amount of 8.75 pg per measurement have been obtained based on silver nanorod array substrates, and the characteristic SERS peaks have been identified. With appropriate spectral pre-processing procedures, different classical machine learning algorithms, including support vector machine, k-nearest neighbor, random forest, etc., and a modified deep learning algorithm, RamanNet, have been applied to differentiate and classify these endotoxins. It has been found that most conventional machine learning algorithms can attain a differentiation accuracy of >99%, while RamanNet can achieve 100% accuracy. Such an approach has the potential for precise classification of endotoxins and could be used for rapid medical diagnoses and therapeutic decisions for pathogenic infections.

PMID:35686584 | DOI:10.1039/d2nr01277d

Clin J Pain. 2022 Jul 1;38(7):492-501. doi: 10.1097/AJP.0000000000001046.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate if somatosensory profiles can differentiate pain and psychophysiological symptoms among young adults with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

METHODS: We performed a cluster analysis of data collected from a randomized clinical trial of 80 IBS patients and 21 age-matched healthy controls (HCs) to stratify pain and symptoms among young adults with IBS by their peripheral sensory profiles. Data of quantitative sensory testing and IBS-related pain and symptoms were collected at baseline and 6-week and 12-week follow-ups.

RESULTS: Using the K-means method, IBS patients were classified into 2 clusters, the “IBS normal threshold” (IBS-NT) and the “IBS increased threshold” (IBS-IT). The IBS-NT cluster had a similar pain threshold as the HCs, and the IBS-IT cluster had an increased threshold of somatic pain perception (lower cold pain threshold, higher heat pain threshold, and higher pressure pain threshold, all P<0.001) than HCs. Compared with the IBS-NT cluster, the IBS-IT cluster reported higher levels of IBS-related pain intensity, anxiety, fatigue, and sleep disturbance over the 3 visits (all P<0.05).

DISCUSSION: Young adults with IBS fell into 2 clusters, one with a similar sensory threshold as the HCs and another with an increased pain threshold, who reported higher pain intensity and more severe symptoms. Somatic sensory profiles should be integrated into further personalized self-management intervention among patients with IBS.

PMID:35686579 | DOI:10.1097/AJP.0000000000001046