Tag: statistics

Adv Ther. 2021 Mar 19. doi: 10.1007/s12325-021-01695-w. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: This study was designed to understand the baseline salt intake of adult patients with hypertension in Shanxi Province, and to analyze the correlation between urinary sodium excretion and blood pressure.

METHODS: From June 2018 to December 2019, 16 hospitals with regional representativeness and experimental conditions in Shanxi Province were selected, and 643 eligible adult inpatients with primary hypertension were enrolled from these hospitals. The ages of patients ranged from 18 to 80 years. A 24-h ambulatory blood pressure monitoring was performed, and morning urine sodium concentration and 24-h urine sodium excretion were measured. The correlation between urinary sodium excretion and blood pressure in adult patients with hypertension was analyzed.

RESULTS: The baseline salt intake of the adult patient participants with hypertension in Shanxi Province was 11.51 g/day. The average 24-h urinary sodium excretion of all observed subjects was 191.90 ± 98.18 mmol. The 24-h urinary sodium excretion and morning urinary sodium concentration were significantly positively correlated with systolic and diastolic blood pressure following adjustment of confounding factors, including gender, age, body weight, and smoking.

CONCLUSION: The morning urine sodium concentration and 24-h urine sodium excretion were significantly positively correlated with blood pressure. High sodium excretion may be a risk factor for rhythm abnormalities in non-dipper pattern blood pressure. The control of urinary sodium concentration can thus be an important strategy for regulating abnormal blood pressure rhythm.

PMID:33740217 | DOI:10.1007/s12325-021-01695-w

J Surg Oncol. 2021 Mar 19. doi: 10.1002/jso.26333. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: To investigate the effects of different suture reinforcement methods for anastomotic leakage and other postoperative complications after the use of a laparoscopic double stapling technique (DST).

METHODS: We collected the data of 124 patients who underwent laparoscopic radical resection of colorectal cancer from July 2017 to September 2018 at our institution. Patients were divided into three groups according to the suture reinforcement methods: intermittent, continuous suture reinforcement, and non-reinforcement (n = 41, 41, and 42, respectively). One-way analysis of variance, χ² , Fisher’s exact, and nonparametric tests were used for statistical analysis.

RESULTS: Among the 124 patients, there were no statistically significant differences in operation times, intraoperative blood loss, postoperative hospital stays and recovery of bowel movement. Nine patients were diagnosed with anastomotic leakage (AL). The incidences of serious AL in the intermittent and continuous suture reinforcement groups were lower than that in the control group, with lower reoperation rate, shorter average lengths of stay and lower treatment costs of two experimental groups.

CONCLUSION: Intermittent and continuous sutures after laparoscopic DST is effective, safe, and feasible on anastomotic leakage prevention. These procedures could be popularized in rectal surgery on patients with high risk of AL.

PMID:33740257 | DOI:10.1002/jso.26333

Odontology. 2021 Mar 19. doi: 10.1007/s10266-021-00599-z. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Peri-implantitis is caused by microbial contamination and biofilm formation on the implant surface. To achieve re-osseointegration, the microbes must be completely removed from the surface. Adjunctive to mechanical cleaning, chemical treatment with enzymes or other substances could optimise the treatment outcome. Therefore, we investigated the efficacy of different enzymes, a surfactant, and a chelator in destabilising dental polymicrobial biofilm. The biofilm destabilising effect of the glycosidases α-amylase, dextranase, DispersinB^®, and lysozyme, as well as the proteinase subtilisin A, and the nuclease Benzonase^®, the chelator EDTA, and the surfactant cocamidopropyl betaine were investigated on biofilms, inoculated with plaque on rough titanium discs. The test and the control solutions were incubated for 15 min at 36 °C on biofilms, and loosened biofilm mass was removed by shear stress with a shaker. Fluorescence-stained biofilms were microscopically analysed. Acceptable cell tolerability concentrations of test substances were determined by the MTT (tetrazolium dye) assay on the MG-63 cell line. A statistically significant biofilm destabilising effect of 10% was shown with lysozyme (2500 µg/ml).

PMID:33740161 | DOI:10.1007/s10266-021-00599-z

Adm Policy Ment Health. 2021 Mar 19. doi: 10.1007/s10488-021-01128-4. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Funding is a major barrier to implementation of evidence-based practices (EBPs) in publicly-funded community mental health clinics (CMHCs). Understanding how best to deploy implementation strategies that address this barrier requires greater clarity on the financial context within agencies. We developed the Agency Financial Status Scales (AFSS) to assess employee perceptions of the level of three hypothesized and theoretical funding related constructs in organizations: (a) perceptions of financial health, (b) financial attitudes toward EBPs, and (c) strategic financial climate. This investigation serves as a preliminary evaluation of this measure. Participants were 239 therapists and 40 supervisors from 25 publicly-funded CMHCs providing outpatient mental health services for young people. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to investigate the latent trait structure of the items. Internal consistency, interrater agreement, concordance between therapists and supervisors, and convergent validity were also examined. A two-factor model measuring perceptions of financial health and strategic financial climate best fit the data. For both of these scales, alpha reliability was acceptable and agreement statistics provided moderate support for aggregation at the organizational level. Analyses supported the convergent validity of the scales. The development and preliminary evaluation of the AFSS is an important first step in understanding the financial context of publicly-funded CMHCs. Though findings from this investigation are promising, additional development and testing are needed to develop a more thorough understanding of the constructs and to improve the validity and reliability of this measure.

PMID:33740163 | DOI:10.1007/s10488-021-01128-4

Ann Surg Oncol. 2021 Mar 19. doi: 10.1245/s10434-021-09774-6. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Few studies have focused on patient-related factors in analyzing long-term functional outcome and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients with postoperative lower extremity soft tissue sarcoma (STS).

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate factors associated with postoperative functional outcome and HRQoL in patients with lower extremity STS.

METHODS: This cross-sectional study was performed in a tertiary referral center using the Toronto Extremity Salvage Score (TESS), Quality-of-Life Questionnaire (QLQ)-C30 and 15 Dimension (15D) measures. Functional outcome and HRQoL data were collected prospectively. All patients were treated by a multidisciplinary team according to a written treatment protocol.

RESULTS: A total of 141 patients who had undergone limb-salvage surgery were included. Depending on the outcome measure used, 19-51% of patients were completely asymptomatic and 13-14% of patients had an unimpaired HRQoL. The mean score for TESS, 15D mobility score, and QLQ-C30 Physical Functioning scale were 86, 0.83, and 75, respectively, while the mean score for 15D was 0.88, and 73 for QLQ-C30 QoL. Lower functional outcome was statistically significantly associated with higher age, higher body mass index (BMI), and the need for reconstructive surgery and radiotherapy, while lower HRQoL was statistically significantly associated with higher age, higher BMI, and reconstructive surgery.

CONCLUSION: Functional outcome and HRQoL were generally high in this cross-sectional study of patients with STS in the lower extremity. Both tumor- and treatment-related factors had an impact but patient-related factors such as age and BMI were the major determinants of both functional outcome and HRQoL.

PMID:33740199 | DOI:10.1245/s10434-021-09774-6

Eur Spine J. 2021 Mar 19. doi: 10.1007/s00586-021-06810-7. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: Factors influencing paraspinal muscle degeneration are still not well understood. Fatty infiltration is known to be one main feature of the degeneration cascade. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to illustrate the 3D cluster of paraspinal lumbar muscle degeneration on T2-weighted MRI images using our newly developed software application ‘iSix’.

METHODS: Mono- (Mm. rotatores), multi- (Mm. multifidus) and pluri-segmental (M. erector spinae) lumbar muscles groups were segmented on T2-weighted MR sequences using a novel computer-assisted technique for quantitative muscle/fat discrimination. The degree of fatty infiltration of the three predefined muscle groups was compared on a 3-dimensional basis, with regard to segment involvement and age. General linear models were utilized for statistical comparison.

RESULTS: N = 120 segments (age: 52.7; range 16-87 years) could be included. The overall relative fatty infiltration of the mono-segmental muscles was higher (21.1 14.5%) compared to the multi-segmental (16.0 8.8% p = 0.049) and pluri-segmental muscles (8.5 8.0%; p = 0.03). Mono-segmental muscles on the levels L4/5 (22.9 ± 10.2 [CI 17.6-28.2] %) and L5/S1 (27.01 ± 15.1 [CI 21.4-32.7] %) showed a significant higher amount of fat compared to the levels L2/3 (8.2 ± 6.8 [CI 2.2-14.2] %; L4/5 vs. L2/3, p = 0.03; L5/S1 vs. L2/3, p = 0.02) and L3/4 (13.2 ± 5.4 [CI 8.6-17.7]%; L4/5 vs. L3/4, p = 0.02; L5/S1 vs. L3/4, p < 0.01). Multivariate linear regression analyses revealed age and Pfirrmann grade as independent factors for fatty muscle degeneration.

CONCLUSIONS: 3D analysis of fatty infiltration is an innovative tool to study lumbar muscle degeneration. Mono-segmental muscles are more severely affected by degeneration compared to multi-/pluri-segmental muscles, especially at the L4/5 and L5/S1 level. Age and disc degeneration independently correlate with muscle degeneration.

PMID:33740146 | DOI:10.1007/s00586-021-06810-7

Eur J Health Econ. 2021 Mar 19. doi: 10.1007/s10198-021-01277-1. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Following the publication of reports from landmark international consensuses (Louisville 2008 and Morioka 2014), minimally invasive hepatectomy became widely accepted as a legitimate alternative to open surgery. We aimed to compare the operative, hospitalization, and total economic costs of open (OLR) vs. laparoscopic (LLR) vs. robotic liver resection (RLR).

METHODS: We performed a systematic literature review (end-of-search date: July 3, 2020) according to the PRISMA statement. Random-effects meta-analyses were conducted. Quality assessment was performed with the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool for randomized controlled trials, and the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale for non-randomized studies.

RESULTS: Thirty-eight studies reporting on 3847 patients (1783 OLR; 1674 LLR; 390 RLR) were included. The operative costs of LLR were significantly higher than those of OLR, while subgroup analysis also showed higher operative costs in the LLR group for major hepatectomy, but no statistically significant difference for minor hepatectomy. Hospitalization costs were significantly lower in the LLR group, with subgroup analyses indicating lower costs for LLR in both major and minor hepatectomy series. No statistically significant difference was observed regarding total costs between LLR and OLR both overall and on subgroup analyses in either major or minor hepatectomy series. Meta-analyses showed higher operative, hospitalization, and total costs for RLR vs. LLR, but no statistically significant difference regarding total costs for RLR vs. OLR.

CONCLUSION: LLR’s higher operative costs are offset by lower hospitalization costs compared to OLR leading to no statistically significant difference in total costs, while RLR appears to be a more expensive alternative approach.

PMID:33740153 | DOI:10.1007/s10198-021-01277-1

J Med Syst. 2021 Mar 10;45(4):52. doi: 10.1007/s10916-021-01728-5.

NO ABSTRACT

PMID:33740133 | DOI:10.1007/s10916-021-01728-5

Lasers Med Sci. 2021 Mar 19. doi: 10.1007/s10103-021-03282-5. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Photobiomodulation (PBM) is an acceptable method of stimulating stem cells through its non-invasive absorption by the cell photoreceptors and the induction of cellular response. The current research was aimed at evaluating the effect of near-infrared PBM on proliferation and osteogenic differentiation in inflamed periodontal ligament stem cells (I-PDLSCs). I-PDLSCs were isolated and characterized. Third passage cells were irradiated with 940-nm laser at an output power of 100 mW in a continuous wave. A fluence of 4 J/cm² in three sessions at 48-h intervals was applied and compared with non-irradiated controls. Cell viability and proliferation were evaluated by MTT assay. Alkaline phosphatase activity, quantitative Alizarin red staining test, and q-RT-PCR were used to evaluate the osteogenic properties of the I-PDLSCs in four groups of (a) osteogenic differentiation medium + laser (ODM + L), (b) osteogenic differentiation medium without laser (ODM), (c) non-osteogenic differentiation medium + laser (L), and (d) non-osteogenic differentiation medium (control). There was a non-significant increase in the viability of cells at 48- and 72-h post last laser irradiation. Alizarin red staining revealed no significant stimulatory effect of PBM at 14 and 21 days. However, alkaline phosphatase activity was significantly higher in the L + ODM group. Expression of osteogenic-related genes had a statistically significant increase at 21-day post irradiation. The irradiation used in the present study showed no significant increase in the proliferation of I-PDLSCs by PBM. However, expression levels of osteogenic-related genes and alkaline phosphatase activity were significantly increased in irradiated groups.

PMID:33740139 | DOI:10.1007/s10103-021-03282-5

Calcif Tissue Int. 2021 Mar 19. doi: 10.1007/s00223-021-00817-4. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have identified hundreds of genetic loci for osteoporosis (OP) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA), individually, however, a large proportion of the total trait heritability remains unexplained. Previous studies demonstrated that these two diseases may share some common genetic determination and risk factors, but they were generally focused on individual trait and failed to identify the common variants that play key functional roles in the etiology of these two diseases. Here, we performed a conditional false discovery rate (cFDR) analysis to identify novel pleiotropic variants shared between them by integrating two independent GWASs with summary statistics for total body bone mineral density (TB-BMD, a major risk factor for osteoporosis) (n = 66,628) and RA (n = 58,284). A fine-mapping approach was also applied to identify the most probable causal variants with biological effects on both TB-BMD and RA. As a result, we found 47 independent pleiotropic SNPs shared between TB-BMD and RA, and 40 of them were validated in heel ultrasound estimated BMD (eBMD), femoral neck BMD (FN-BMD) or lumbar spine (LS-BMD). We detected one SNP (rs13299616) was novel and not identified by previous BMD or RA-related studies. Combined with fine-mapping and GWAS-eQTL colocalization analyses, our results suggested that locus 1p13.2 (including PTPN22, MAGI3, PHTF1, and RSBN1) was an important region to regulate TB-BMD and RA simultaneously. These findings provide new insights into the shared biological mechanisms and functional genetic determinants between OP and RA, and novel potential targets for treatment development.

PMID:33740106 | DOI:10.1007/s00223-021-00817-4