Tag: statistics

Alzheimers Dement. 2022 Feb 10. doi: 10.1002/alz.12573. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The apolipoprotein E (APOE) ε4 allele confers higher risk of neurodegeneration and Alzheimer’s disease (AD), but differs by race/ethnicity. We examined this association in American Indians.

METHODS: The Strong Heart Study is a population-based cohort of American Indians who were 64 to 95 years of age in 2010 to 2013. APOE ε4 status, brain imaging, and neuropsychological testing was collected in N = 811 individuals. Summary statistics, graphics, and generalized linear regressions-adjusted for sociodemographics, clinical features, and intracranial volume with bootstrap variance estimator-compared APOE ε4 carriers with non-carriers.

RESULTS: APOE ε4 carriers comprised 22% of the population (0.7% homozygotes). Participants were mean 73 years, 67% female, and 54% had some college education. The majority were obese (>50%), hypertensive (>80%), and diabetic (>50%). Neither imaging findings nor multidomain cognitive testing showed any substantive differences between APOE ε4 carriers and non-carriers.

CONCLUSION: We found no evidence of neurodegenerative risk from APOE ε4 in American Indians. Additional studies are needed to examine potential protective features.

PMID:35142437 | DOI:10.1002/alz.12573

Wound Repair Regen. 2022 Feb 10. doi: 10.1111/wrr.12995. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Healing time is protracted and ulcer recurrence is common in patients with venous leg ulcers. Although compression is the mainstay treatment, many patients do not heal timely. Physical activity may be a clinically effective adjunct treatment to compression to improve healing outcomes. This scoping review provides a broad overview of the effect of physical activity as an adjunct treatment to compression on wound healing and recurrence. We followed the six-step framework developed by Arksey and O’Malley. We searched electronic databases and trial registration websites for relevant studies and ongoing trials. Two authors independently screened and selected articles. Findings were presented in a descriptive statistical narrative summary. We consulted and presented our findings to the wound consumer group to ensure the relevance of our study. Physical activity interventions in 12 out of the 16 eligible studies consisted of only one component, eight studies were resistance exercises, three studies reported ankle and/or foot range of motion exercises, and one study reported aerobic/walking exercises. The remaining four studies involved multicomponent exercise interventions. Resistance exercise combined with ankle and/or foot range of motion exercise minimised ulcer size on day 12 (intervention group: 4.55 ± 1.14 cm² vs. control group: 7.43 ± 0.56 cm² ) and improved calf muscle pump performance on day 8 (ejection fraction: 40%-65%; residual volume fraction: 56%-40%). We identified one study that reported ulcer recurrence rate with no clinical difference in the intervention group versus the control group (i.e., 12% in intervention vs. 5% in control). Our review identified that resistance exercise was the most common type of physical activity intervention trialled in the published literature. Resistance exercise combined with ankle and/or foot range of motion exercise appears to be effective adjunct treatments; however, the overall evidence is still relatively weak as most programmes had a short intervention period which limited clinical outcomes.

PMID:35142412 | DOI:10.1111/wrr.12995

J Esthet Restor Dent. 2022 Feb 10. doi: 10.1111/jerd.12884. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the accuracy and repeatability of intraoral instruments used for shade determination compared to visual shade selection (VSS).

MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 20 subjects and 10 observers, balanced by gender, participated in the study. Observers performed VSS of the upper right central incisor from each subject. Instrumental shade determination of the same teeth was performed using a spectrophotometer (Easyshade V) and intraoral scanners (CEREC Omnicam, Primescan, Trios 3 and Trios 4). Vita Classical shade nomenclature was used to record the shade designation for all instruments and VSS. The accuracy of the instruments was determined by comparing the instrument readings with the most frequent visual shade selected. The percentage of accuracy was obtained by comparing the number of agreements with the number of comparisons. The percentage of repeatability was obtained by comparing the number of repeated shades with the number of shade measurements in each group. Accuracy was compared using Cochran Q test followed by pairwise comparisons using multiple McNemar’s tests with Bonferroni correction. Repeatability of the instruments was evaluated using Cronbach’s alpha.

RESULTS: Omnicam showed a significant lower accuracy than the other instruments (p < 0.05). No statistical difference on repeatability was found among the different instruments (p > 0.05). It was not found any statistical differences for VSS accuracy among the observers (p = 0.437) and between genders (p = 0.867).

CONCLUSION: Instrumental repeatability (≥75%) and similar accuracy between the best performed instruments (69%-77.5%) and the observers performance (65%-90%) supports the use of high-performance instruments for dental shade determination.

CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Most instruments (Easyshade V, Primescan, Trios 3, and Trios 4) showed similar accuracy performance to observers in the VSS.

PMID:35142422 | DOI:10.1111/jerd.12884

J Magn Reson Imaging. 2022 Feb 10. doi: 10.1002/jmri.28114. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Pointwise encoding time reduction with radial acquisition (PETRA) magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) is useful for evaluating intracranial aneurysm recurrence, but the problem of severe background noise and low peripheral signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) remain. Deep learning could reduce noise using high- and low-quality images.

PURPOSE: To develop a cycle-consistent generative adversarial network (cycleGAN)-based deep learning model to generate synthetic TOF (synTOF) using PETRA.

STUDY TYPE: Retrospective.

POPULATION: A total of 377 patients (mean age: 60 ± 11; 293 females) with treated intracranial aneurysms who underwent both PETRA and TOF from October 2017 to January 2021. Data were randomly divided into training (49.9%, 188/377) and validation (50.1%, 189/377) groups.

FIELD STRENGTH/SEQUENCE: Ultra-short echo time and TOF-MRA on a 3-T MR system.

ASSESSMENT: For the cycleGAN model, the peak SNR (PSNR) and structural similarity (SSIM) were evaluated. Image quality was compared qualitatively (5-point Likert scale) and quantitatively (SNR). A multireader diagnostic optimality evaluation was performed with 17 radiologists (experience of 1-18 years).

STATISTICAL TESTS: Generalized estimating equation analysis, Friedman’s test, McNemar test, and Spearman’s rank correlation. P < 0.05 indicated statistical significance.

RESULTS: The PSNR and SSIM between synTOF and TOF were 17.51 [16.76; 18.31] dB and 0.71 ± 0.02. The median values of overall image quality, noise, sharpness, and vascular conspicuity were significantly higher for synTOF than for PETRA (4.00 [4.00; 5.00] vs. 4.00 [3.00; 4.00]; 5.00 [4.00; 5.00] vs. 3.00 [2.00; 4.00]; 4.00 [4.00; 4.00] vs. 4.00 [3.00; 4.00]; 3.00 [3.00; 4.00] vs. 3.00 [2.00; 3.00]). The SNRs of the middle cerebral arteries were the highest for synTOF (synTOF vs. TOF vs. PETRA; 63.67 [43.25; 105.00] vs. 52.42 [32.88; 74.67] vs. 21.05 [12.34; 37.88]). In the multireader evaluation, there was no significant difference in diagnostic optimality or preference between synTOF and TOF (19.00 [18.00; 19.00] vs. 20.00 [18.00; 20.00], P = 0.510; 8.00 [6.00; 11.00] vs. 11.00 [9.00, 14.00], P = 1.000).

DATA CONCLUSION: The cycleGAN-based deep learning model provided synTOF free from background artifact. The synTOF could be a versatile alternative to TOF in patients who have undergone PETRA for evaluating treated aneurysms.

EVIDENCE LEVEL: 4 TECHNICAL EFFICACY: Stage 1.

PMID:35142407 | DOI:10.1002/jmri.28114

J Community Psychol. 2022 Feb 10. doi: 10.1002/jcop.22817. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

The aim of our study was to understand more about how college students have been impacted by the pandemic and how their universities can better support them by emphasizing protective factors that build resilience. The protective factors we explored were sense of community, perceived adequacy of resources, and perceived social support.We conducted an online survey, which was administered to 296 (70.4% female and M_age = 20.34) students from a private Northeastern University in the United States. There were gender and class year differences found after analysis. In addition, sense of community and perceived adequacy were found to be statistically significant. There were gender and class year differences found after analysis. In addition, sense of community and perceived adequacy were found to be statistically significant. Overall, our findings highlight the importance of sense of community and access to resources as protective factors in mitigating stress and coronavirus disease 2019-related disruptions to daily life among college students, particularly for female students who report more adverse outcomes.

PMID:35142379 | DOI:10.1002/jcop.22817

J Exp Anal Behav. 2022 Feb 10. doi: 10.1002/jeab.741. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Polysubstance use makes up a majority of drug use, yet relatively few studies investigate the abuse-related effects of drug mixtures. Dose-addition analyses provide a rigorous and quantitative method to determine the nature of the interaction (i.e., supraadditive, additive, or subadditive) between two or more drugs. As briefly reviewed here, studies in rhesus monkeys have applied dose-addition analyses to group level data to characterize the nature of the interaction between the reinforcing effects of stimulants and opioids (e.g., mixtures of cocaine + heroin). Building upon these foundational studies, more recent work has applied dose-addition analyses to better understand the nature of the interaction between caffeine and illicit stimulants such as MDPV and methamphetamine in rats. In addition to utilizing a variety of operant procedures, including drug discrimination, drug self-administration, and drug-primed reinstatement, these studies have incorporated potency and effectiveness ratios as a method for both statistical analysis and visualization of departures from additivity at both the group and individual subject level. As such, dose-addition analyses represent a powerful and underutilized approach to quantify the nature of drug-drug interactions that can be applied to a variety of abuse-related endpoints in order to better understand the behavioral pharmacology of polysubstance use.

PMID:35142382 | DOI:10.1002/jeab.741

J Food Biochem. 2022 Feb 10:e14051. doi: 10.1111/jfbc.14051. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

To investigate and compare the chemical features and antioxidant activities of Auricularia auricula polysaccharides (AAPs), three different AAPs (AAP-M, AAP-D, and AAP-C) were prepared by mannanase, β-dextranase, and cellulase. Their chemical features were determined using high-performance liquid chromatography and infrared spectroscopy. The antioxidant properties were performed both in vitro and in vivo. Results showed that the surface morphology of the A. auricula cell wall treated with three enzymes was slightly different under scanning electron microscopy. The extraction yields of AAP-M, AAP-D, and AAP-C were 18.33% ± 1.93%, 26.42% ± 0.87%, and 17.17% ± 0.08% under optimal conditions, respectively. The monosaccharide composition, molecular weight (AAP-M, AAP-D, and AAP-C were 1.03E+03 kDa, 1.76E+03 kDa, and 1.15E+03 kDa, respectively), and antioxidant activities of the three AAPs were different. AAP-C composed of mannose, glucuronic acid, glucose, and galactose, exhibiting the remarkable ability of scavenging ABTS⁺ , DPPH, and H₂ O₂ (IC₅₀ was 0.065, 0.081, and 0.293 mg/ml, respectively). Moreover, AAP-C could significantly prolonged the lifespan of Caenorhabditis elegans under oxidative stress (p < .05). The results showed that cellulase could be served as an efficient enzyme to prepare AAPs with higher antioxidant capacity. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: According to the statistics of China Edible Fungi Association in 2019, the output of Auricularia auricula was accounting for 17.54% of the total output of edible fungi. AAPs account for more than 60% of the fruiting bodies and have various biological activities. Cell wall breaking is an important process of extracting AAPs which has always been the bottleneck restricting the production of AAPs. The traditional chemical acid-base method will pollute the environment, and the yield of hot water extraction is low. In contrast, the bioenzyme method widely used because of its mild conditions and environmental friendly. In this paper, three common bioenzymes which have been widely used in food industry were used to extract AAPs, and Box-Behnken design to improve the yield of AAPs. The results show that AAP-C had high yield and strong antioxidant activity. This study could provide a reference for the industrial production of AAPs.

PMID:35142368 | DOI:10.1111/jfbc.14051

Dis Model Mech. 2022 Feb 10:dmm.049218. doi: 10.1242/dmm.049218. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Candida infections constitute a blind spot in global public health as very few new anti-fungal drugs are being developed. Genetic surveys of host susceptibilities to such infections using mammalian models have certain disadvantages in that obtaining results is time-consuming owing to relatively long lifespans and these results have low statistical resolution because sample sizes are usually small. Here we report a targeted genetic screening of 5698 RNAi lines encompassing 4135 Drosophila genes with human homologues, several of which we identify as important for host survival after Candida albicans infection. These include genes in a variety of functional classes encompassing gene expression, intracellular signalling, metabolism, and enzymatic regulation. Analysis of one of the screen hits, the infection-induced α-(1,3)-fucosylase FucTA, showed that N-glycan fucosylation has several targets among proteins involved in host defence supplying multiple avenues of investigation for the mechanistic analysis of host survival to systemic C. albicans infection.

PMID:35142345 | DOI:10.1242/dmm.049218

Eur J Public Health. 2022 Feb 10:ckab223. doi: 10.1093/eurpub/ckab223. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Teaching has been found to be one of the most stressful occupations. Hence, current interest in reducing stress and enhancing the well-being of teachers is strong. Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) is documented to be effective in reducing stress and increasing well-being. This study investigated the effectiveness of delivering MBSR to lower secondary school teachers as a part of a teacher-training programme.

METHODS: This study was a nested trial within the parallel cluster-randomized controlled trial, Stress-free Everyday LiFe for Children and Adolescents REsearch (SELFCARE). Schools were recruited from all five geographical regions in Denmark between May 2018 and May 2019. One to three teachers from each school were allowed to participate. At baseline, 110 schools, representing 191 lower secondary school teachers, were cluster-randomized to intervention or a wait-list control group. The intervention group received MBSR during 2019 and the wait-list control group during 2020. Data were collected at baseline and after 3 and 6 months. The primary outcome was measured by Cohen’s Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). Data were analyzed using a mixed-effect linear regression model and bootstrapped for cluster effects.

RESULTS: At 3 months, the intervention group statistically significantly reduced their PSS score 1.7 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.04-3.3] points more than did the wait-list control group. At 6 months, the intervention group had statistically significantly reduced their mean PSS score 2.1 (95% CI: 0.5-3.8) points more than the wait-list control group.

CONCLUSION: It is possible to reduce perceived stress among lower secondary school teachers by delivering MBSR as part of a teacher-training programme.

PMID:35142355 | DOI:10.1093/eurpub/ckab223

Am J Epidemiol. 2022 Feb 8:kwab290. doi: 10.1093/aje/kwab290. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

In the United States, combined stimulant/opioid overdose mortality has risen dramatically over the last decade. These increases may particularly affect non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic populations. We used death certificate data from the US National Center for Health Statistics (2007-2019) to compare state-level trends in overdose mortality due to opioids in combination with 1) cocaine and 2) methamphetamine and other stimulants (MOS) across racial/ethnic groups (non-Hispanic White, non-Hispanic Black, Hispanic, and non-Hispanic Asian American/Pacific Islander). To avoid unstable estimates from small samples, we employed principles of small area estimation and a Bayesian hierarchical model, enabling information-sharing across groups. Black Americans experienced severe and worsening mortality due to opioids in combination with both cocaine and MOS, particularly in eastern states. Cocaine/opioid mortality increased 575% among Black people versus 184% in White people (Black, 0.60 to 4.05 per 100,000; White, 0.49 to 1.39 per 100,000). MOS/opioid mortality rose 16,200% in Black people versus 3,200% in White people (Black, 0.01 to 1.63 per 100,000; White, 0.09 to 2.97 per 100,000). Cocaine/opioid overdose mortality rose sharply among Hispanic and Asian Americans. State-group heterogeneity highlighted the importance of data disaggregation and methods to address small sample sizes. Research to understand the drivers of these trends and expanded efforts to address them are needed, particularly in minoritized groups.

PMID:35142341 | DOI:10.1093/aje/kwab290