Tag: statistics

Microsc Res Tech. 2022 Jun 27. doi: 10.1002/jemt.24188. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

This study aimed to assess different approaches for bone healing evaluation on histological images and to introduce a new automatic evaluation method based on segmentation with distinct thresholds. We evaluated the hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBO) effects on bone repair in type 1 diabetes mellitus rats. Twelve animals were divided into four groups (n = 3): non-diabetic, non-diabetic + HBO, diabetic, and diabetic + HBO. Diabetes was induced by intravenous administration of streptozotocin (50 mg/kg). Bone defects were created in femurs and HBO was immediately started at one session/day. After 7 days, the animals were euthanized, femurs were removed, demineralized, and embedded in paraffin. Histological sections were stained with hematoxylin and eosin (HE) and Mallory’s trichrome (MT), and evaluated using three approaches: (1) conventional histomorphometric analysis (HE images) using a 144-point grid to quantify the bone matrix; (2) a semi-automatic method based on bone matrix segmentation to assess the bone matrix percentage (MT images); and (3) automatic approach, with the creation of a plug-in for ImageJ software. The time required to perform the analysis in each method was measured and subjected to Bland-Altman statistical analysis. All three methods were satisfactory for measuring bone formation and were not statistically different. The automatic approach reduced the working time compared to visual grid and semi-automated method (p < .01). Although histological evaluation of bone healing was performed successfully using all three methods, the novel automatic approach significantly shortened the time required for analysis and had high accuracy.

PMID:35758056 | DOI:10.1002/jemt.24188

Disabil Rehabil Assist Technol. 2022 Jun 26:1-20. doi: 10.1080/17483107.2022.2087772. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: The rapid technological advances, the traits of individuals with ASD and their interest in technology are promising for the instruction of social skills to individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) using various technological interventions. Robotic interventions are among these. However, although robotics is frequently used with individuals with ASD, there is a limited number of reviews on social skills instruction and methods. The present study aimed to conduct a comprehensive descriptive analysis on single-case experimental designs where social skills were instructed to individuals with ASD and social robots were included as independent variables.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirteen single-case experimental designs published in peer-reviewed journals in which social skills were taught to individuals with ASD using social robots were reviewed with a comprehensive descriptive analysis based on five categories: (a) key characteristics, (b) methodological characteristics, (c) findings, (d) data analysis, and (e) key parameters in single-case experimental designs.

RESULTS: Social robots are generally effective in the instruction of social skills. Several social skills (e.g., making eye contact, social interaction, simple greetings) were instructed in the studies. Humanoid robots and NAO were used generally. The study data were predominantly analyzed statistically. There were several problems in research based on the basic parameters in single-case experimental designs.

CONCLUSIONS: The researches in this study differ in several respects (e.g., results, data analysis, and dependent variable). Thus, there is still a need for several robotics studies in the instruction of social skills. IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATIONThis study will be a guide for teachers who currently use robots in their classrooms but do not know which skills to use in teaching and how to use them functionally, as it shows applied research with robots.The findings of this research will show implementers working with children with ASD that technological tools can be used in rehabilitation environments, and that teachers can take a place in their robots in interventions for children with ASD, giving them a different perspective.It will be seen that the education of children with ASD is not only 1:1 and with humans, but robots can also provide education. In this way, the power of technology in teaching will become clearer. Especially in rehabilitation.Finally, this research will offer new options in teaching especially for teachers who aim at teaching social skills and will give them the opportunity to comprehensively examine the processes of different studies on these subjects.

PMID:35758001 | DOI:10.1080/17483107.2022.2087772

Pharm Stat. 2022 Jun 27. doi: 10.1002/pst.2251. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Conventional analyses of a composite of multiple time-to-event outcomes use the time to the first event. However, the first event may not be the most important outcome. To address this limitation, generalized pairwise comparisons and win statistics (win ratio, win odds, and net benefit) have become popular and have been applied to clinical trial practice. However, win ratio, win odds, and net benefit have typically been used separately. In this article, we examine the use of these three win statistics jointly for time-to-event outcomes. First, we explain the relation of point estimates and variances among the three win statistics, and the relation between the net benefit and the Mann-Whitney U statistic. Then we explain that the three win statistics are based on the same win proportions, and they test the same null hypothesis of equal win probabilities in two groups. We show theoretically that the Z-values of the corresponding statistical tests are approximately equal; therefore, the three win statistics provide very similar p-values and statistical powers. Finally, using simulation studies and data from a clinical trial, we demonstrate that, when there is no (or little) censoring, the three win statistics can complement one another to show the strength of the treatment effect. However, when the amount of censoring is not small, and without adjustment for censoring, the win odds and the net benefit may have an advantage for interpreting the treatment effect; with adjustment (e.g., IPCW adjustment) for censoring, the three win statistics can complement one another to show the strength of the treatment effect. For calculations we use the R package WINS, available on the CRAN (Comprehensive R Archive Network).

PMID:35757986 | DOI:10.1002/pst.2251

J Lesbian Stud. 2022 Jun 25:1-15. doi: 10.1080/10894160.2022.2091731. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Young sexual minority Filipinos have been found to have a higher level of mental health problems compared to peers. It was also reported that Filipino sexual minority women had twice the odds of ill mental health such as depression compared to sexual minority men. Thus, this study compared the rates and social factors of depression, anxiety, and stress among young adult Filipino heterosexual and sexual minority women. Particularly, this quantitative study utilized a cross-sectional survey design. The Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale 21 (DASS-21), Daily Discrimination Subscale of the Perceived Discrimination Scale, and sociodemographic questionnaire were completed by 622 heterosexual and 177 sexual minority women. Afterward, descriptive statistics, chi-square, and logistic regression were done. Depression, anxiety, and stress rates were higher among sexual minority women compared to their peers. The possible risk factor for these mental health issues among heterosexual women was discrimination, while a possible protective factor was living with peers (p <.05). Among sexual minority women, it was found that discrimination is a risk factor, albeit with higher effects compared to their heterosexual counterparts. These may be explained by the reported high level of negative attitudes and discrimination that sexual minorities in the Philippines face daily in their social environment. Thus, anti-discrimination policies, gender-responsive healthcare for sexual minorities, and gender mainstreaming must be instituted and strengthened.

PMID:35757983 | DOI:10.1080/10894160.2022.2091731

Pediatrics. 2022 Jun 27:e2021052369. doi: 10.1542/peds.2021-052369. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effect of grandmother and mother educational attainment on low birth weight (LBW) in children and grandchildren.

METHODS: The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health is a multigenerational study that collected survey data from 1994 to 2018. Using this database, we constructed a cohort of 2867 non-Hispanic Black (NHB) and non-Hispanic White (NHW) grandmother-mother-grandchild triads to evaluate how education affects the likelihood of having LBW children and grandchildren, while adjusting for socioeconomic and maternal health factors using multivariable logistic regression.

RESULTS: Similar to previous studies, NHB women were more likely to have LBW descendants compared with NHW women in unadjusted and adjusted analyses. The prevalence of LBW descendants was lower in women with college education, regardless of race. Irrespective of race, mother and grandmother college education was associated with decreased odds of LBW children and grandchildren after adjusting for individual variables. When mother and grandmother education were examined together, and after adjusting for all individual, community, and health variables together, mother college education remained associated with lower odds of LBW (adjusted odds ratio, 0.58; 95% confidence interval, 0.44-0.77). There were no statistically significant differences in these effects between NHW and NHB populations.

CONCLUSIONS: Educational attainment in mothers is associated with decreased odds of LBW descendants after adjusting for multiple individual, community, and health covariates, regardless of race. Targeting improvements in education may ameliorate adverse pregnancy outcomes that disproportionately affect minority communities and cause significant lifelong consequences.

PMID:35757969 | DOI:10.1542/peds.2021-052369

World J Pediatr Congenit Heart Surg. 2022 Jul;13(4):485-494. doi: 10.1177/21501351221095424.

ABSTRACT

We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of the literature to assess the outcomes of surgery for the anomalous aortic origin of a coronary artery in children and young adults (<30 years). Thirteen publications were selected, including a total of 384 patients. Unroofing of the intramural segment was adopted in 92% (95% CI: 81%-98%) of cases, with pooled early and late mortality of 0% (95% CI: 0%-0.3%) and 0.1% (95% CI: 0%-1%), respectively. Reoperation for aortic regurgitation was anecdotal. Surgical management of anomalous aortic origin of coronary arteries can be achieved with excellent results in pediatric patients, but concerns remain about the durability of surgery.

PMID:35757950 | DOI:10.1177/21501351221095424

Psychol Health. 2022 Jun 27:1-19. doi: 10.1080/08870446.2022.2089885. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Objective: Despite the usefulness of social norms for changing behaviour, injunctive norms (i.e., perceptions of what others approve) from significant others tend to be a weak predictor of physical activity (PA) engagement. A potential explanation is that injunctive norms encompass pressuring social influence that undermines autonomous PA engagement. This study examined whether injunctive norms from significant others undermine individuals’ autonomy satisfaction during the pursuit of PA engagement, and whether this effect is moderated by the degree to which significant others offer concurrent autonomy support. Design: Online questionnaires. Measures: Participants’ perceptions of injunctive norms and autonomy support from significant others, autonomy satisfaction, behaviour regulation, PA intentions, and weekly PA frequency were assessed at baseline (N = 497) and after two weeks (N = 351). Results: Autonomy support positively related to autonomy satisfaction, whereas injunctive norms were negatively related to autonomy satisfaction. Though the statistical significance of interaction effects was inconsistent across results, simple slopes suggested that the negative relationship between injunctive norms and autonomy satisfaction was attenuated at higher levels of autonomy support in models focusing on influence from parents and friends. Conclusion: When promoting others’ PA, communicating direct social expectations/pressures may be ineffective.

PMID:35757927 | DOI:10.1080/08870446.2022.2089885

Crisis. 2022 Jun 27. doi: 10.1027/0227-5910/a000870. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Background: A four-level community-based intervention aiming simultaneously to improve the care for depression and to prevent suicidal behavior has been implemented in the German city Munich. Aims: Changes in suicide rates in Munich during 2009-2014 were analyzed with respect to a 10-year baseline. The same was true for a control region (Cologne) and Germany minus Munich. Method: The interventions included training of primary care providers, a public awareness campaign, training of community facilitators, and support for patients and relatives. Analyses included repeated-measures, generalized linear models. Results: In Munich, the suicide rate significantly decreased during the intervention period compared to baseline (percentage change = -15.0%; p < .001, 198 compared to 222 suicides per year). Differences in the change for Munich and the change for the control locations (Cologne; -1.7%; p = .71) and Germany minus Munich (-6.2%; p = .09) were not significant. Limitations: Data on suicide attempts were unavailable. Conclusion: In Munich, a clinically and statistically significant decrease in suicide rate was found. This change was numerically but not significantly larger than in the control regions. The results are promising, however. Because of low suicide base rates and limited power, no strong conclusions can be drawn concerning suicide preventive effects of the intervention.

PMID:35757934 | DOI:10.1027/0227-5910/a000870

Palliat Support Care. 2022 Jun 27:1-9. doi: 10.1017/S1478951522000682. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: It has been suggested that psychosocial factors are related to survival time of inpatients with cancer. However, there are not many studies examining the relationship between spiritual well-being (SWB) and survival time among countries. This study investigated the relationship between SWB and survival time among three East Asian countries.

METHODS: This international multicenter cohort study is a secondary analysis involving newly admitted inpatients with advanced cancer in palliative care units in Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan. SWB was measured using the Integrated Palliative Outcome Scale (IPOS) at admission. We performed multivariate analysis using the Cox proportional hazards model to identify independent prognostic factors.

RESULTS: A total of 2,638 patients treated at 37 palliative care units from January 2017 to September 2018 were analyzed. The median survival time was 18.0 days (95% confidence interval [CI] 16.5-19.5) in Japan, 23.0 days (95% CI 19.9-26.1) in Korea, and 15.0 days (95% CI 13.0-17.0) in Taiwan. SWB was a significant factor correlated with survival in Taiwan (hazard ratio [HR] 1.27; 95% CI 1.01-1.59; p = 0.04), while it was insignificant in Japan (HR 1.10; 95% CI 1.00-1.22; p = 0.06), and Korea (HR 1.02; 95% CI 0.77-1.35; p = 0.89).

SIGNIFICANCE OF RESULTS: SWB on admission was associated with survival in patients with advanced cancer in Taiwan but not Japan or Korea. The findings suggest the possibility of a positive relationship between spiritual care and survival time in patients with far advanced cancer.

PMID:35757916 | DOI:10.1017/S1478951522000682

Hip Int. 2022 Jun 26:11207000221099580. doi: 10.1177/11207000221099580. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: DDH with coxarthrosis causes significant deformity and bone deficiency. Various reconstructive techniques have been proposed to treat developmental dysplasia of the hip. However, the existing literature has not yet reached a consensus on the best technique regarding long-term survival.

OBJECTIVES: This study aims to evaluate the long-term survival of uncemented hydroxyapatite (HA) coated acetabular components augmented with a femoral head autograft.

METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the cases of 31 hips in 29 patients (24 female, 5 male, mean age 45.06 years) treated with HA-coated cementless components and femoral head autograft between 2000-2008 with a minimum follow-up of 10 years. Graft resorption, cup loosening and the anatomical hip centre were determined. Functional outcomes were calculated using the Harris Hip Scoring system. The survival of the acetabular component was evaluated using the Kaplan-Meier method.

RESULTS: In 24 hips (77,4%), we reconstructed the hip centre anatomically. The remaining cups had variable deviations from the anatomical rotation centre. Only one patient required revision due to loosening. Survival analysis revealed 96.8% survival at 10 years. The mean Harris Hip Score was 39.23 preoperatively and 84.77 at final follow-up. There was no statistical correlation between revision and any of the measured parameters.

DISCUSSION: Acetabular reconstruction with a femoral head autograft allows for anatomical cup positioning, early structural support and increases bone stock for future revisions. Although our prior cemented cup study showed that anatomical cup orientation is critical, this study demonstrated the absence of a correlation between implant failure and cup positioning, suggesting that HA-coated cementless cups are more stable and forgiving.

CONCLUSIONS: HA-coated acetabular cups augmented with femoral head autograft provided long-term, reliable and durable cup fixation in dysplastic hips of young adults.

PMID:35757909 | DOI:10.1177/11207000221099580