Tag: statistics

Rom J Morphol Embryol. 2022 Jan-Mar;63(1):161-168. doi: 10.47162/RJME.63.1.17.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The mental foramen (MnF) is the anatomic landmark where the mental neurovascular bundle exits the mandible. Precisely determining the position of the MnF is necessary before all dentoalveolar therapeutic procedures performed in the mandibular premolar area.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: For the study, we performed two ex vivo direct morphometric determinations on dry human dentate and edentate mandibles, and two in vivo imaging morphometric determinations through cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) and orthopantomography (OPG) in dentate human patients. The following landmarks were used to locate the MnF: the distance between the MnF and the superior border of the mandible (MnF-SB), the distance between the MnF and the inferior border of the mandible (MnF-IB), and the position of the MnF in relation to the root apices of the posterior teeth. The results obtained from these data were processed statistically using the analysis of variance (ANOVA).

RESULTS: By direct morphometry on dentate mandibles, the MnF was situated closer to the IB and by direct morphometry on completely edentulous mandibles, the MnF was located closer to the SB. In both direct morphometry studies, the MnF transverse diameter was larger than the vertical one, with the MnF having an oval shape. ANOVA for both direct morphometry studies showed that the distances MnF-IB and MnF-SB significantly vary statistically with interactions and depending on age (p<0.00001). The vertical diameter of the MnF significantly varies statistically depending on age, interactions and between studies, and its transverse diameter varies statistically significantly with interactions and depending on age (p<0.00001). According to OPG and CBCT imaging studies, the MnF was located closer to the IB, and the transverse diameter of the MnF was larger than the vertical diameter; such results are similar to the direct morphometry study performed on dry dentate human mandibles. Regarding the position of the MnF in relation to the root apices, it was most frequently located inferior to the root apices in 79.45% of cases, in 19.23% of cases it was located at the root apices level and in 1.31% of cases it was located superior (coronal) to the root apices. ANOVA for both imaging morphometry studies showed that the MnF-IB distance varies statistically significantly with the interactions, the study, the sex of the patients and their age, the MnF-SB distance varies statistically significantly with the interactions, the study and the patients’ age (p<0.05), and the MnF diameters vary statistically significantly with interactions and patient age (p<0.05).

CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study can help dental practitioners in improving dentoalveolar surgery procedures in the posterior mandible.

PMID:36074680 | DOI:10.47162/RJME.63.1.17

Rom J Morphol Embryol. 2022 Jan-Mar;63(1):145-151. doi: 10.47162/RJME.63.1.15.

ABSTRACT

Alteration of the intercellular adhesion system plays an essential role in the initiation and progression of bladder carcinomas. We followed the immunoexpression of adhesion molecules, E-cadherin, β-catenin and Claudin-1, in relation to the histopathological grade and the pT category in a number of 50 urothelial carcinomas of the bladder, based on a final staining score (FSS), calculated on the basis of reaction intensity and labeled cells number. E-cadherin immunoexpression was identified in the membrane of tumor cells, low FSS being associated with invasive high-grade carcinomas. β-catenin reactions were membranous in the case of low-grade noninvasive carcinomas and predominantly cytoplasmic and nuclear in the case of high-grade invasive ones, for which high FSS were associated. Claudin-1 was identified at the membrane level, the high FSS values being more frequent in the case of high-grade invasive carcinomas, although there were no significant statistical associations. Loss of E-cadherin expression and the associated positive linear relation of β-catenin and Claudin-1 indicate the usefulness of the analyzed markers in identifying the invasive aggressive phenotype of urothelial bladder carcinomas.

PMID:36074678 | DOI:10.47162/RJME.63.1.15

Rom J Morphol Embryol. 2022 Jan-Mar;63(1):113-120. doi: 10.47162/RJME.63.1.11.

ABSTRACT

Endometrioid endometrial carcinomas (EECs) are the most common malignancies of the uterus. Hormonal dependence of EEC, in relation to biomolecular mechanisms involved in tumor progression, such as angiogenesis and cell proliferation, are aspects that can contribute to improving the prognosis of patients. We analyzed the immunoexpression of markers addressed to steroid hormone receptors [estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR)], angiogenesis [cluster of differentiation (CD)105∕endoglin] and cell proliferation (Ki-67) in 50 EECs related to the histopathological prognostic criteria of the lesions. In this study, the ER and PR scores were higher in low grade and early stages EEC, the statistical aspects being variable. The CD105 microvessel density and the Ki-67 proliferation index were superior in high grade and advanced stages EEC, the statistical aspects being significant or at the limit of significance. The ER∕PR and CD105∕Ki-67 immunomarker groups indicated a positive linear intragroup relation and a negative linear intergroup relation, suggesting the presence of synergistic and antagonistic molecular mechanisms of tumor endometrial control that can be used to stratify patients for targeted therapy.

PMID:36074674 | DOI:10.47162/RJME.63.1.11

Rom J Morphol Embryol. 2022 Jan-Mar;63(1):39-48. doi: 10.47162/RJME.63.1.03.

ABSTRACT

Cortisol is a key element in acute stress including a severe infection. However, in coronavirus-associated disease, 20% of subjects experience hypocortisolemia due to direct or immune damage of pituitary and adrenal glands. One extreme form of adrenal insufficiency is found in 2∕3 of cases with viral and post-viral adrenal infarction (AI) (with∕without adrenal hemorrhage) that is mostly associated with a severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection; it requires prompt glucocorticoid intervention. Some reports are incidental findings at computed tomography (CT)∕magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans for non-adrenal complications like pulmonary spreading and others are seen on post-mortem analysis. This is a review of PubMed-accessible, English papers focusing on AI in addition to the infection, between March 1, 2020 and November 1, 2021. Exclusion criteria were acute adrenal insufficiency without the histopathological (HP) and∕or imaging report of adrenal enlargement, necrosis, etc., respective adrenal failure due to pituitary causes, or non-COVID-19-related adrenal events. We identified a total of 84 patients (different levels of statistical evidence), as follows: a retrospective study on 51 individuals, two post-mortem studies comprising nine, respectively 12 patients, a case series of five subjects, seven single-case reports. HP aspects include necrosis associated with ischemia, cortical lipid degeneration (+/- focal adrenalitis), and infarcts at the level of adrenal cortex, blood clot into vessels, acute fibrinoid necrosis in arterioles and capsules, as well as subendothelial vacuolization. Collateral potential contributors to adrenal damage are thrombotic events, coagulation anomalies, antiphospholipid syndrome, endothelial dysfunction, severe COVID-19 infection with multiorgan failure, etc. Clinical picture is variable from acute primary adrenal insufficiency to asymptomatic or mild evolution, even a retrospective diagnostic; it may be a part of long COVID-19 syndrome; glucocorticoid therapy for non-adrenal considerations might mask cortisol deficient status due to AI∕hemorrhage. Despite its rarity, the COVID-19-associated AI/hemorrhage represents a challenging new chapter, a condition that is essential to be recognized due to its gravity since prompt intervention with glucocorticoid replacement is lifesaving.

PMID:36074666 | DOI:10.47162/RJME.63.1.03

Health Educ Res. 2022 Sep 8:cyac020. doi: 10.1093/her/cyac020. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

This study investigates the effect of public health education (PHE) on migrant workers’ health status in China, using the data collected from the China Migrants Dynamic Survey project. The analysis employs a probit model, whose results suggest that, in general, PHE has a statistically significant and positive impact on migrant workers’ self-rated health status and exerts a negative impact on their incidence rate of daily diseases. We also utilize the conditional mixed process method to address the potential endogenous issue. Further analyses reveal that there are significant differences in the impacts of different modes of PHE on migrant workers’ health status, among which the mode of health knowledge lectures plays the most prominent role. Nonetheless, an additional analysis indicates that in addition to PHE, other public health services, such as the establishment of health records, also have a significant effect on the promotion of migrant workers’ health status. A disaggregated analysis reveals that this impact is heterogeneous among different generations, genders as well as those with different income levels. The findings shed light on the importance of promoting equal access to public health services.

PMID:36074656 | DOI:10.1093/her/cyac020

ANZ J Surg. 2022 Sep 8. doi: 10.1111/ans.18032. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Groin hernia repair is a common surgical procedure and includes both open and laparoscopic techniques. Studies comparing outcomes of laparoscopic versus open groin hernia repair specifically in the geriatric population are lacking. This study compares the outcomes of laparoscopic versus open groin hernia repair techniques in older adults.

METHODS: A literature search was conducted in each of the five selected databases up till June 2021: PubMed (MEDLINE), EMBASE, CINAHL, Cochrane and PsychInfo (OVID). Outcomes measured included but were not limited to total length of hospital stay, mean total operative time, intraoperative complications, post-operative complications such as wound infection, seroma formation, chronic pain, mesh infection and recurrence of inguinal hernia.

RESULTS: A total of five articles were included in the final analysis. The length of postoperative hospitalization stay was shorter in patients who underwent laparoscopic hernia repair (95% CI: -1.50 to -0.72; P < 0.01, I² = 79%). The laparoscopic repair group had a significantly smaller number of patients who sustained postoperative wound infections (95% CI: 0.02 to 0.47; P = 0.003, I² = 0%), and lower incidence of chronic pain (95% CI: 0.14 to 0.37, P < 0.01, I² = 46%). Analysis of the remaining outcomes did not reveal any statistically significant differences between open and laparoscopic hernia repair.

CONCLUSIONS: The results of this analysis showed a shorter length of stay, lower wound infection rates and lower chronic pain with laparoscopic groin hernia repair as compared to open repair in older adults. Future prospective studies examining the impact of age on the relationship between surgical approach (open versus laparoscopic) and surgical outcomes are needed.

PMID:36074652 | DOI:10.1111/ans.18032

Psychol Trauma. 2022 Sep 8. doi: 10.1037/tra0001354. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: This paper explored the factor structure of the PCL-5 within a sample of U.K. primary and secondary care mental health service users. Much of the previous investigations into the PCL-5 have been conducted on military or emergency service personnel; therefore, it is important to understand the validity of this tool within a broader sample. In addition to this concerns have been raised over the statistical validity of much of the previous research.

METHOD: An exploratory factor analysis was used to determine the factor structure of the PCL-5 within this population.

RESULTS: The results of this study suggest that several items of the PCL-5 should be removed, and this presents a 3-factor structure whereby the factors are Anhedonia, Intrusion and Negative alterations in Mood and Cognition.

CONCLUSIONS: This challenges much of the previous literature, which suggested 4, 6, and 7 factor models. The implications of this are discussed in detail in this paper. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

PMID:36074632 | DOI:10.1037/tra0001354

Exp Clin Psychopharmacol. 2022 Sep 8. doi: 10.1037/pha0000594. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Research has shown that behavioral economic demand curve indices can be characterized by a two-factor latent structure and that these factors can predict dimensions of substance use. No study to date has examined the latent factor structure of heroin and cocaine demand curves. The objective of this study was to use exploratory factor analysis to examine the underlying factor structure of the facets of heroin and cocaine reinforcement derived from heroin and cocaine demand curves. Participants were 143 patients from two samples that met the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5; American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2013) criteria for opioid dependance and were undergoing medication-assisted treatment (methadone or buprenorphine). Heroin and cocaine demand curves were generated via hypothetical purchase tasks (HPT) that assessed consumption at 9 or 17 levels of prices from $0 to $500. Five facets of demand were generated from the tasks (Q0, 1/α, P_max, O_max, and break point). Principal components analysis was used to examine the latent structure among the variables. The results revealed a two-factor solution for both heroin and cocaine demand. These factors were interpreted as persistence, consisting of 1/α, P_max, O_max, and break point, and amplitude, consisting of Q₀ and O_max, and in one case, 1/α. Heroin factors had some predictive power for future substance use, but cocaine factors did not. These findings suggest that heroin and cocaine demand indices can be reduced to two factors indicating sensitivity and volume of consumption, and that these factors may be able to predict substance use for heroin. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

PMID:36074626 | DOI:10.1037/pha0000594

Am Psychol. 2022 Sep;77(6):786-788. doi: 10.1037/amp0001013.

ABSTRACT

By examining the changes in the conceptual associations between individualism-collectivism and 10 other concepts based on the Google Ngram Chinese Corpus from the 1950s to the 1990s, Hamamura et al. (2021) inferred (a) no rise in individualism; (b) continuing collectivism; and (c) no effect of modernization on individualism in contemporary China. We question the validity of these conclusions given the following issues in their research: (a) misinterpretation of statistical results; (b) improper calculation of cultural associations; and (c) inappropriate generalization of specific findings. Contrary to their original findings, our reanalysis of their data suggests that individualism has been increasingly accepted and associated with some positive (vs. negative) aspects of life (e.g., income vs. loss, richness vs. poverty) over recent decades in China. Future research should use more rigorous methods and diverse corpora to clarify and explain changes in individualism and collectivism in China. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

PMID:36074572 | DOI:10.1037/amp0001013

JMIR Res Protoc. 2022 Sep 8;11(9):e37544. doi: 10.2196/37544.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Surgical innovation can lead to important improvements in patient outcomes. Currently, information and knowledge about novel procedures and devices are disseminated informally and in an unstandardized way (eg, through social media). This can lead to ineffective and inefficient knowledge sharing among surgeons, which can result in the harmful repetition of mistakes and delay in the uptake of promising innovation. Improvements are needed in the way that learning in surgical innovation is shared through the development of novel, real-time methods, informed by a contemporary and comprehensive investigation of existing methods.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this scoping review is to explore the application of existing digital methods for training/education and feedback to surgeons in the context of performing invasive surgical procedures. This work will (1) summarize existing methods for shared learning in surgery and how they are characterized and operationalized, (2) examine the impact of their application, and (3) explore their benefits and barriers to implementation. The findings of this scoping review will inform the development of novel, real-time methods to optimize shared learning in surgical innovation.

METHODS: This study will adhere to the recommended guidelines for conducting scoping reviews. A total of 6 different searches will be conducted within multiple sources (2 electronic databases, journals, social media, gray literature, commercial websites, and snowball searches) to comprehensively identify relevant articles and data. Searches will be limited to articles published in the English language within the last 5 years. Wherever possible, a 2-stage study selection process will be followed whereby the eligibility of articles will be assessed through the title, abstract, and full-text screening independently by 2 reviewers. Inclusion criteria will be articles providing data on (1) fully qualified theater staff involved in performing invasive procedures, (2) one or more methods for shared learning (ie, digital means for training/education and feedback), and (3) qualitative or quantitative evaluations of this method. Data will be extracted (10% double data extraction by an independent reviewer) into a piloted proforma and analyzed using descriptive statistics, narrative summaries, and principles of thematic analysis.

RESULTS: The study commenced in October 2021 and is planned to be completed in 2023. To date, systematic searches were applied to 2 electronic databases (MEDLINE and Web of Science) and returned a total of 10,093 records. The results of this scoping review will be published as open access in a peer-reviewed journal.

CONCLUSIONS: This scoping review of methods for shared learning in surgery is, to our knowledge, the most comprehensive and up-to-date investigation that maps current information on this topic. Ultimately, efficient and effective sharing of information and knowledge of novel procedures and devices has the potential to optimize the evaluation of early-phase surgical research and reduce harmful innovation.

INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): PRR1-10.2196/37544.

PMID:36074555 | DOI:10.2196/37544