Tag: statistics

Mikrobiyol Bul. 2026 Jan;60(1):14-27. doi: 10.5578/mb.202601103.

ABSTRACT

Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE) are pathogens that cause difficult-to-treat infections and are identified as a priority threat by global health authorities. Increasing resistance rates limit the efficacy of existing antibiotics and increase the risk of mortality. Cefiderocol, an innovative siderophore cephalosporin, shows broad-spectrum in vitro activity against both serine and metallo-β-lactamases and remains largely stable against classical resistance mechanisms. This study aimed to evaluate the in vitro activity of cefiderocol, the concordance of susceptibility tests performed using three methods [broth microdilution (BMD) based commercial ComASP® panel , gradient strip and disk diffusion] and its association with major carbapenemase genes and the ceftazidime/avibactam (CZA) susceptibility. The study included 100 carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales isolates from a single center during 2023- 2024. Species identification was performed using the VITEK 2 system. Cefiderocol susceptibility was tested using the reference method (BMD) based commercial ComASP® panel, the gradient strip test and disk diffusion. Five major carbapenemase genes (blaOXA-48, blaKPC, blaNDM, blaVIM, blaIMP) were screened by real-time polymerase chain reaction for the molecular diagnosis. Quantitative and categorical agreement between susceptibility tests were assessed using Passing-Bablok and Deming regression analyses. Cohen’s kappa, McNemar’s test and error types (major and very major) were analyzed. Comparative analyses with CZA susceptibility and genetic findings were also performed. According to BMD, 99% of the isolates were susceptible to cefiderocol and 1% were resistant; the results of the gradient strip test were categorically identical to those of BMD. In the disk diffusion test, 92% of isolates were classified as susceptible and 8% as resistant. Compared with BMD, disk diffusion showed a major error rate of 7%, a very major error rate of 0%, 93% categorical agreement, poor concordance by the kappa test and statistically significant categorical discordance by McNemar’s test (p= 0.016). A moderate correlation was found between the gradient strip test and BMD, and gradient MICs were systematically lower than those obtained by BMD. For CZA, 47% of isolates were susceptible and 53% were resistant; of the 53 CZA-resistant isolates, 98% were still susceptible to cefiderocol (McNemar’s test, p< 0.001). In the molecular analysis, OXA-48 was positive in 64% of isolates, KPC in 25%, NDM in 48%, VIM in 7%, and IMP in 18%. No association was observed between cefiderocol resistance and the presence of specific genes. However, in multivariate models, the presence of OXA-48 was significantly associated with CZA resistance (p= 0.001). Cefiderocol demonstrated very high in vitro activity against CRE isolates and retained its activity against the majority of CZA-resistant strains. However, due to the risk of major errors-especially near breakpoint zones-disk diffusion results should be interpreted with caution, and confirmation with BMD is recommended in critical cases.

PMID:41609445 | DOI:10.5578/mb.202601103

J Sports Med Phys Fitness. 2026 Jan 29. doi: 10.23736/S0022-4707.25.17557-9. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Fireball Extreme Challenge^TM is a coeducational high-intensity intermittent-explosive sport that lacks normative performance data; this study aimed to create multidimensional athlete profiles and establish reference benchmarks to support talent identification and training prescription.

METHODS: Twenty-one national-level athletes (13 males and 8 females; mean age 26.2±5.8 years) completed countermovement jump, one-repetition maximum strength assessment, bilateral handgrip testing, and the 30-15 intermittent fitness test under standardized indoor (21 °C, 50% relative humidity) and outdoor (37 °C, 68% relative humidity) field conditions representative of the athletes’ typical training environment in coastal southern Mexico, recorded for ecological validity rather than thermal control. We calculated descriptive statistics and percentile distributions (25^th, 50^th, 75^th), performed sex-stratified analyses adjusted for age, and conducted exploratory principal component and cluster analyses to examine interdomain associations and emergent performance groupings.

RESULTS: Across all participants, the observed performance spectrum spanned a broad range of neuromuscular and metabolic capacities, with individual variability captured through percentile reference values (25^th, 50^th, 75^th). The highest jump heights (up to 48 cm) and peak power outputs (≈2100 W) coexisted with moderate endurance and balanced heart rate responses, defining the multidimensional nature of Fireball Extreme Challenge™ performance. Sex-stratified distributions are presented descriptively but were not the primary analytical outcome. Principal component analysis identified two dominant performance domains-neuromuscular power and metabolic strain-explaining 59% of total variance. Hierarchical clustering revealed three mixed profiles that integrated both male and female athletes, illustrating overlapping phenotypes rather than categorical differences.

CONCLUSIONS: This study provides the first multidimensional performance profile of Fireball Extreme Challenge™ athletes, establishing normative reference percentiles and identifying key physical domains-neuromuscular power and metabolic capacity-that characterize success in this coeducational, high-intensity team sport. The derived phenotypic clusters highlight overlapping attributes between male and female athletes, reflecting the integrated dynamics of mixed-team performance. These findings offer a foundational framework for evidence-based training design, athlete monitoring, and future validation in larger international cohorts.

PMID:41609441 | DOI:10.23736/S0022-4707.25.17557-9

J Sports Med Phys Fitness. 2026 Jan 29. doi: 10.23736/S0022-4707.25.17463-X. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Artistic gymnastics (AG) is a sport that requires high percentages of muscle strength and power for successful execution of the exercises in various apparatus. However, studies investigating their relationship with rate of force development (RFD) as well as AG performance are limited. The purpose of the present research was to investigate the relationship between muscle strength, muscle power and RFD of lower extremities in isometric and dynamic measurement condition with performance on balance beam. A partial objective was to examine the relationship of lean mass with RFD and AG performance.

METHODS: Thirteen competitive level female gymnasts, with an average age of 11.6 years participated in the research and were evaluated in terms of body composition, isometric leg press strength and RFD and countermovement jump (CMJ). In addition, balance beam routines were evaluated by four international judges. Pearson’s r coefficient was used to investigate the correlation of the variables under consideration.

RESULTS: There was no statistically significant correlation between force-time characteristics during isometric and dynamic assessment with balance beam performance (P>0.05). However, a strong correlation was found between total lean body mass (TLM) and power (r=0.985), relative power (RP) (r=0.933), max strength (MS) (r=0.727), and RFD 100 ms (r=643) and RFD 150 ms (r=0.896) during the CMJ. Furthermore, there was a strong correlation of bone density (BD) with power (r=0.903), MS (r=0.74), RFD 100 ms (r=0.735) and RFD 150 ms (r=0.883) time intervals in CMJ.

CONCLUSIONS: Balance beam performance is influenced by other physical factors and technical execution of exercises rather than lower limb strength characteristics.

PMID:41609440 | DOI:10.23736/S0022-4707.25.17463-X

Int J Cancer. 2026 Jan 29. doi: 10.1002/ijc.70349. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

This study provides an update on global patterns and trends in kidney cancer incidence and mortality. We used the most recent GLOBOCAN estimates, based on the best available data sources, including population-based cancer registries (PBCRs), to compare incidence and mortality in 185 countries or territories in 2022 and to assess time trends based on recorded PBCR and vital statistics data in 71 countries. Incidence age-standardised rates (ASRs) varied 10-fold across UN regions and 20-fold at the country level in 2022. Kidney cancer ASRs were consistently higher in males than females and ranged from 1.6 per 100,000 in low Human Development Index (HDI) countries to 12.6 in very high HDI countries among men and from 1.1 to 5.9 among women. The highest ASRs in males were in Belarus (22.9), Uruguay (20.5), and Latvia (19.2), and in females in Latvia (9.5), Uruguay (8.7), USA (8.7). While the patterns were similar for mortality, variations were less pronounced. The mortality-to-incidence ratio was lowest in Oceania (0.2) and highest in Africa (0.7). Over the past 15 years, incidence ASRs have tended to increase or stabilise in most European countries, Northern America and Oceania, but increased in Asia and Latin America. Mortality ASRs decreased in most countries, but increased in Portugal, Romania, Moldova, the Philippines, Malaysia and in 9 of 14 countries in Latin America. Regional variations in incidence call for a greater focus on risk factors amenable to prevention, coupled with an assessment of the role of diagnostics. The varied mortality patterns indicate present treatment inequalities.

PMID:41609424 | DOI:10.1002/ijc.70349

Bioinformatics. 2026 Jan 29:btag041. doi: 10.1093/bioinformatics/btag041. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

SUMMARY: DNAvi is a Python-based tool for rapid grouped analysis and visualization of cell-free DNA fragment size profiles directly from electrophoresis data, overcoming the need for sequencing in basic fragmentomic screenings. It enables normalization, statistical comparison, and publication-ready plotting of multiple samples, supporting quality control and exploratory fragmentomics in clinical and research workflows.

AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION: DNAvi is implemented in Python and freely available on GitHub at https://github.com/anjahess/DNAvi under a GNU General Public License v3.0, along with source code, documentation, and examples. An archived version is available under https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18097730.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

PMID:41609423 | DOI:10.1093/bioinformatics/btag041

J Appl Microbiol. 2026 Jan 29:lxag032. doi: 10.1093/jambio/lxag032. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

AIMS: This work aims (i) to evaluate in vitro the antibacterial and antibiofilm activities of an extract collected from a hazelnut by-product (skins) against spoilage bacteria and foodborne pathogens and (ii) to assess its effects on the microbiological quality and sensory/technological characteristics of beef burgers.

METHODS AND RESULTS: The antibacterial properties of hazelnut skin extract (HSE) at concentrations ranging from 2.5 to 20 mg mL-1 were evaluated using a modified protocol based on the method described by the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute. In parallel, the biofilm-eradicating potential was assessed according to the Innovotech guidelines, which describe a standardized method for biofilm disruption studies. In vivo experiments were also conducted on beef burgers containing 2% and 4% HSE, along with untreated controls. Each sample underwent microbiological and physicochemical analyses at 0, 3 and 6 days of refrigerated storage.During in vitro assays, HSE exhibited greater antibacterial activity against Gram-positive bacteria, with growth inhibition occurring at lower concentrations. Conversely, in vivo tests revealed no statistically significant differences in microbiological parameters between control and HSE-treated burgers. Furthermore, adding different concentrations of HSE to the treated samples did not significantly affect the pH, although it altered the acidification dynamics, which occurred earlier on day 3 in burgers containing 4% HSE. Finally, both concentrations of HSE resulted in significant differences in weight loss and colour.

CONCLUSIONS: In light of these findings, further studies are required to enhance HSE bioavailability in food matrices and to minimize its impact on their sensory/technological properties.

PMID:41609420 | DOI:10.1093/jambio/lxag032

Gigascience. 2026 Jan 29:giag011. doi: 10.1093/gigascience/giag011. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Cancer cells are heterogeneous, each harboring distinct molecular aberrations and being dependent on different genes for their survival and proliferation. While targeted therapies based on driver DNA mutations have shown success, many tumors lack druggable mutations, limiting treatment options. We hypothesize that new precision oncology targets may be identified through “expression-driven dependency,” where cancer cells with high expression of specific genes are more vulnerable to the knockout of those same genes.

RESULTS: We developed BEACON, a Bayesian approach to identify expression-driven dependency targets by analyzing global transcriptomic and proteomic profiles alongside genetic dependency data from cancer cell lines across 17 tissue lineages. BEACON successfully identified known druggable genes, including BCL2, ERBB2, EGFR, ESR1, and MYC, while revealing novel targets confirmed by both mRNA and protein-expression driven dependency. The identified genes showed a 3.8-fold enrichment for approved drug targets and a 7 to 10-fold enrichment for druggable oncology targets. Experimental validation demonstrated that depletion of GRHL2, TP63, and PAX5 effectively reduced tumor cell growth and survival in their dependent cells.

CONCLUSIONS: Our approach provides a systematic method to identify precision oncology targets based on expression-driven dependency patterns. By integrating multi-omics data with genetic dependency screens, we’ve created a comprehensive catalog of potential therapeutic targets that may expand treatment options for cancer patients lacking druggable mutations. This resource offers new opportunities for precision oncology target discovery beyond mutation-based approaches.

PMID:41609417 | DOI:10.1093/gigascience/giag011

Pain Med. 2026 Jan 29:pnag017. doi: 10.1093/pm/pnag017. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Intra-articular injection of the lateral atlantoaxial joint is used for occipital pain; however, limited literature exists on technique demonstration, adverse event reporting, and real-world clinical outcomes. This study was designed to characterize procedural technique, describe clinical outcomes, and report subsequent cervical fusion rates following lateral atlantoaxial joint injections.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective cohort analysis was conducted on all lateral atlantoaxial joint injections performed at our institution from January 1, 2002, through August 1, 2024. Descriptive statistics characterized the cohort, procedural features, pain score changes, and cervical fusion rates during follow-up.

RESULTS: 140 lateral atlantoaxial joint injections were performed on 104 patients (mean age 72.6 ± 12.4 years, 68.3% female), primarily by fluoroscopy (77.1%). Mean pre-injection pain was 5.99 ± 1.96, with immediate post-injection pain at 1.84 ± 2.33 and 1-month clinic visit pain at 4.28 ± 2.68. Significant reductions in pain from pre-injection were observed immediately post-injection (p < 0.0001) and at 1-month (p < 0.0001). Most injections were successful on first attempt (97.1%), with no serious adverse events identified throughout follow-up documentation. Overall, 26.9% of patients underwent cervical fusion involving the C1-C2 level during available follow-up.

CONCLUSION: This study comprises the largest cohort of patients with image-guided lateral atlantoaxial joint injections and provides descriptive data on technique, clinical outcomes, adverse events, and observed subsequent cervical fusion rates. Short-term reductions in pain were common 1-month from injections with no serious adverse events identified throughout follow-up and only one-quarter of patients undergoing eventual cervical fusion. This study adds valuable data to an uncommonly performed procedure.

PMID:41609398 | DOI:10.1093/pm/pnag017

Int J Surg. 2026 Jan 29. doi: 10.1097/JS9.0000000000004356. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Laparoscopic surgery offers clear benefits but remains scarce in Sudan and sub-Saharan Africa due to limited infrastructure, training, and policy support. A structured narrative approach (SANRA-guided; SWiM reporting) was used. We pre-specified eligibility criteria, searched seven databases and repositories (PubMed, Scopus, AJOL, African Index Medicus, HINARI, Google Scholar, organizational repositories) for 2018-30 June 2025, dual-screened records, and appraised included sources with JBI/AXIS/CASP/AACODS. Owing to heterogeneity, we used thematic Synthesis Without Meta-Analysis to examine the barriers, innovations, and policy pathways for expanding minimally invasive surgery (MIS) in the region. Key obstacles include equipment shortages, maintenance gaps, financing deficits, and gender inequities in training. While laparoscopy reduces relative surgical site infection (SSI) risk, absolute SSI rates remain driven by system deficits in sterility, antibiotics, and staffing. Emerging solutions – such as gasless laparoscopy, tele-mentoring, and simulation – are feasible but require financial planning and ethical safeguards for diaspora-led initiatives. Integrating MIS within National Surgical, Obstetric, and Anesthesia Plans (NSOAPs), ensuring 2%-5% annual maintenance funding, and expanding simulation-based training can enable equitable, sustainable scale-up. The review emphasizes practical implementation lessons rather than pooled statistical effects to inform regional policy and training reforms.

PMID:41609391 | DOI:10.1097/JS9.0000000000004356

Clin Exp Dent Res. 2026 Feb;12(1):e70302. doi: 10.1002/cre2.70302.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: There is no current evidence in the literature that clearly guides clinicians in selecting the most effective polishing protocol in lingual orthodontics. This study aimed to compare the reduction of adhesive remnants after polishing customized lingual composite brackets using tungsten carbide, fine diamond, and Arkansas burs.

METHODS: A total of 504 extracted teeth were included and randomly assigned to three groups according to bur type (n = 168). Brackets were bonded and debonded following a standardized protocol, and digital scans were obtained before and after polishing. Each bur was tested at both low speed (contra-angle) and high speed (turbine).

RESULTS: Tungsten carbide burs produced the greatest reduction in cement thickness under both rotary conditions. At low speed, the mean Pre-Post thickness differences were 0.64 mm (TUN), 0.31 mm (ARK), and 0.37 mm (DIA). At high speed, differences were 0.45 mm (TUN), 0.39 mm (ARK), and 0.41 mm (DIA). Statistically significant differences were found between the tungsten carbide group and both the Arkansas and diamond groups (p < 0.005), with no differences between the latter two.

CONCLUSION: Tungsten carbide burs removed significantly more adhesive than Arkansas and diamond burs, regardless of rotary speed. These findings support clinical decision-making by helping optimize polishing protocols in lingual orthodontics.

PMID:41609388 | DOI:10.1002/cre2.70302