Search

Background: We aimed to compare among patients with high-type anorectal malformations (ARM): (i) short- and long-term outcomes of laparoscopic-assisted anorectoplasty (LAARP) compared to classic posterior sagittal anorectoplasty (PSARP) and (ii) the results of single-stage versus staged PSARP. Methods: Using a defined search strategy, two independent investigators systematically reviewed the English literature. PRISMA guidelines were followed, and meta-analysis was performed using RevMan5.3. Results: Of 567 abstracts screened, 7 papers have been included (254 pts; 121 PSARP, 133 LAARP) in the first systematic review and meta-analysis. The length of hospitalization was shortened in LAARP versus PSARP (10.9 versus 14.4 days; p < 0.0001). PSARP and LAARP were comparable in terms of early postoperative complications (28.9% versus 24.7%; p = ns) and rectal prolapse (21.6% versus 17.5%; p = ns). At long-term follow-up, the presence of voluntary bowel movements (74.0% versus 83.5%; p = ns) and the incidence of soiling (45.5% versus 47.6%; p = ns) were similar in both PSARP and LAARP. Six papers (297 pts) were included in the second systematic review, with three comparative studies included in the meta-analysis (247 pts; 117 one-stage, 130 staged procedures). No significant difference in terms of presence of voluntary bowel movements after single-stage versus staged procedures (72.6% versus 67.3%; p = ns) has been detected. Conclusions: LAARP seems to be a safe and effective procedure, showing short- and long-term outcomes similar to PSARP. One-stage PSARP could be a safe alternative to the classic three-stage procedure, even for those infants with high-type ARM. Further and larger comparative studies would be needed to corroborate these partial existing data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is still a matter of controversy whether percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy(PEG) should be used prior to the operation for the purpose of feeding the patient with resectable oesophageal carcinoma (EC). Comparison was made between EC and preoperatively treated PEG and non‐preoperative PEG. An extensive literature review has been conducted to determine the results about PEG and No‐PEG trials. In this paper, we chose 4 papers out of 407 of them through a strict selection process. In this trial, there were 1027 surgical cases of oesophagus carcinoma, 152 with PEG pre‐surgery and 875 without PEG. The total sample size ranged from 14 to 657. Two studies showed that there was no statistically significant difference in the occurrence of postoperative wound infection among PEG and No‐PEG(OR, 1.03; 95% CI, 0.38, 2.80 p = 0.96), there was no statistical significance in the likelihood of anastomotic leak among PEG after surgery compared to No‐PEG in 4 trials (OR, 1.13; 95% CI, 0.62–2.07 p = 0.69), and there were no statistical differences between PEG and No‐PEG before operation on anastomotic stricture for esophagectomy(OR, 0.70; 95% CI, 0.31–1.56 p = 0.38). No wound or anastomosis complications were observed in the PEG group. Thus, PEG preoperatively is an effective and safe procedure without any harmful influence on gastrointestinal structure or anastomosing. It can be applied to patients with oesophagus carcinoma who have a high risk of undernutrition. Nevertheless, because of the limited number of randomized controlled trials in this meta‐analysis, caution should be exercised in their treatment. More high‐quality research involving a large sample is required to confirm the findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified hundreds of SNPs responsible for variation in human quantitative traits. However, genome-wide-significant associations often fail to replicate across independent cohorts, in apparent inconsistency with their apparent strong effects in discovery cohorts. This limited success of replication raises pervasive questions about the utility of the GWAS field. We identify all 332 studies of quantitative traits from the NHGRI-EBI GWAS Database with attempted replication. We find that the majority of studies provide insufficient data to evaluate replication rates. The remaining papers replicate significantly worse than expected (p < 10−14), even when adjusting for regression-to-the-mean of effect size between discovery- and replication-cohorts termed the Winner’s Curse (p < 10−16). We show this is due in part to misreporting replication cohort-size as a maximum number, rather than per-locus one. In 39 studies accurately reporting per-locus cohort-size for attempted replication of 707 loci in samples with similar ancestry, replication rate matched expectation (predicted 458, observed 457, p = 0.94). In contrast, ancestry differences between replication and discovery (13 studies, 385 loci) cause the most highly-powered decile of loci to replicate worse than expected, due to difference in linkage disequilibrium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A performance evaluation matrix (PEM) is an evaluation tool for assessing customer satisfaction and the importance of service items across various services. In addition, inferences based on point estimates of sample data can increase the risk of misjudgment due to sampling errors. Thus, this paper creates a decision-making model for a performance evaluation matrix based on upper confidence limits to provide various service operating systems for performance evaluation and decision making. The concept is that through the gap between customer satisfaction and the level of importance of each service item, we are able to identify critical-to-quality (CTQ) service items requiring improvement. Many studies have indicated that customer satisfaction and the importance of service items follow a beta distribution, and based on the two parameters of this distribution, the proposed indices for customer satisfaction and the importance of service items represent standardization. The vertical axis of a PEM represents the importance index; the horizontal axis represents the satisfaction index. Since these two indices have unknown parameters, this paper uses the upper confidence limit of the satisfaction index to find out the CTQ service items and the upper confidence limit of the importance index to determine the order of improvement priority for each service item. This paper then establishes a decision-making model for a PEM based on the above-mentioned decision-making rules. Since all decision-making rules proposed in this paper are established through upper confidence limits, the risk of misjudgment caused by sampling errors can be reduced. Finally, this article uses a practical example to illustrate how to use a PEM to find CTQ service items and determine the order of improvement priority for these service items that need to be improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) screening is an important procedure to determine the prevalence of hepatitis B (HBV) in a community However, it is difficult, time consuming and expensive. In this study we aim to investigate the efficacy and usefulness of fingerprint blood impregnated paper in HBsAg screening. To our knowledge, blood impregnated paper is a practical, useful method for HBsAg screening in the community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Changing the food environment is an important public health lever for encouraging sustainable food choices. Targeting the availability of vegetarian main meals served in cafeterias substantially affects food choice, but acceptability has never been assessed. We examined the effects of an availability intervention at a French university cafeteria on students' main meal choices, meal offer satisfaction and liking. Methods: A four-week controlled trial was conducted in a university cafeteria in Dijon, France. During the two-week control period, vegetarian main meals constituted 24% of the offer. In the subsequent two-week intervention period, this proportion increased to 48%, while all the other menu items remained unchanged. Students were not informed of the change. Student choices were tracked using production data, and daily paper ballots were used to assess student satisfaction with the meal offer and liking of the main meal they chose (score range [1;5]). Nutritional quality, environmental impact, and cost of production of meal choices were calculated for each lunchtime. Food waste was measured over 4 lunchtimes during control and intervention periods. An online questionnaire collected student feedback at the end of the study. Results: Doubling availability of vegetarian main meals significantly increased the likelihood of choosing vegetarian options (OR = 2.57, 95% CI = [2.41; 2.74]). Responses of the paper ballots (n = 18,342) indicated slight improvements in meal offer satisfaction from 4.05 ± 0.92 to 4.07 ± 0.93 (p = 0.028) and in liking from 4.09 ± 0.90 to 4.13 ± 0.92 (p < 0.001) during control and intervention periods, respectively. The end-of-study questionnaire (n = 510) revealed that only 6% of students noticed a change the availability of vegetarian main meals. The intervention led to a decrease in the environmental impact of the main meals chosen, a slight decrease in nutritional quality, a slight increase in meal costs and no change in food waste. Conclusions: Doubling availability of vegetarian main meals in a university cafeteria resulted in a twofold increase in their selection, with students reporting being more satisfied and liking the main meals more during the intervention period. These results suggest that serving an equal proportion of vegetarian and nonvegetarian main meals could be considered in French university cafeterias to tackle environmental issues. Trial registration: Study protocol and analysis plan were pre-registered on the Open Science Framework (https://osf.io/pf3x7/). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biostatistics plays a pivotal role in developing, interpreting and drawing conclusions from clinical, biological and epidemiological data. However, the improper application of statistical methods can lead to erroneous conclusions and misinterpretations. This paper provides a comprehensive examination of the most frequent mistakes encountered in the biostatistical analysis process. We identified and elucidated 10 common errors in biostatistical analysis. These include using the wrong metric to describe data, misinterpreting P -values, misinterpreting the 95% confidence interval, misinterpreting the hazard ratio as an index of prognostic accuracy, ignoring the sample size calculation, misinterpreting analysis by strata in randomized clinical trials, confusing correlation and causation, misunderstanding confounders and mediators, inadequately codifying variables during the data collection, and bias arising when group membership is attributed on the basis of future exposure in retrospective studies. We discuss the implications of these errors and propose some practical strategies to mitigate their impact. By raising awareness of these pitfalls, this paper aims to enhance the rigor and reproducibility of biostatistical analyses, thereby fostering more robust and reliable biomedical research findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the likelihood and Bayesian estimation of the stress–strength reliability parameter (R) based on a lower record ranked set sampling scheme from the generalized Rayleigh distribution. Maximum likelihood and Bayesian estimators as well as confidence intervals of R are derived and their properties are studied. Furthermore, two parametric bootstrap confidence intervals are introduced in the paper. A comparative simulation study is conducted to assess the effectiveness of these four confidence interval methodologies in estimating R. The application of the methods is demonstrated using real data on fiber strength to showcase their practicability and relevance in the industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: This position paper aims to address specific clinical questions regarding the use of cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 inhibitors in elderly patients with early or advanced breast cancer. Its objectives are to delineate the current state of knowledge regarding the efficacy of these treatments in the elderly population and their tolerance profile, including the impact on quality of life, with a particular focus on the frailest subgroups, and to attempt to define the optimal treatment strategy for elderly and fragile patients (dosage and therapeutic sequence). Background: Breast cancer (BC) incidence increases with age, particularly in HR-positive/HER2-negative subtypes. Cyclin-dependent kinase 4 and 6 inhibitors (CDK 4/6is) alongside endocrine therapy (ET) have emerged as promising treatments for HR-positive/HER2-negative advanced and early BC. However, their efficacy, safety, and impact on quality of life (QoL) in older and frail patients remain underexplored. Methods: This position paper assesses the existing literature from 2015 to 2024, focusing on CDK4/6is use in patients aged 65 years and older with HR-positive/HER2-negative BC. Results: Our analysis methodically addresses critical questions regarding the utilization of CDK4/6is in the elderly BC patient population, organizing findings from the metastatic and adjuvant settings. In the metastatic setting, CDK4/6is significantly improve progression-free survival (PFS), paralleling benefits observed in younger patients, and suggest potential overall survival (OS) benefits, warranting further investigation. Despite an increased incidence of grade ≥ 3 adverse events (AEs), such as neutropenia and asthenia, CDK4/6is present a markedly lower toxicity profile compared to traditional chemotherapy, with manageable side effects. QoL analysis indicates that integrating CDK4/6is into treatment regimens does not significantly impact elderly BC patients' daily life and symptom management. Special attention is given to frail subgroups, and personalized approaches are recommended to balance efficacy and adverse effects, such as starting with ET alone and introducing CDK4/6is upon progression in patients with a low disease burden. Transitioning to the adjuvant setting, early results, particularly with abemaciclib, indicate positive effects on disease-free survival (DFS), emphasizing the need for continued analysis to validate these findings and assess long-term implications. However, data on older patients are insufficient to conclude whether they truly benefit from this treatment. Conclusion: Overall, CDK4/6is present a favorable benefit-risk profile in older BC patients, at least in advanced BC; however, further research is warranted to optimize treatment strategies and improve outcomes in this population [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tricuspid valve repair (TVR) combined with mitral valve surgery (MVS) has been a controversial issue. It is not clear whether the combined surgery has any influence on the occurrence of postoperative complications. The aim of this study was to compare the occurrence of complications including wound infection, wound bleeding, and mortality after MVS combined with or without TVR. By meta‐analysis, a total of 1576 papers were collected from 3 databases, and 7 of them were included. We provided the necessary data of 7 included studies such as the authors, publication date, country, surgical approach and case number, patient age, and so on. Statistical analysis was carried out with RevMan 5.3 software. We found that patients with heart failure accepting MVS combined with or without TVR, performed no statistically significant difference in postoperative wound infection (OR: 0.88; 95% CI: 0.29, 2.62; P = 0.81), wound bleeding (OR: 0.74; 95% CI: 0.3, 1.48; P = 0.39), and mortality (OR: 1.05; 95% CI: 0.42, 2.61; P = 0.92). In conclusion, current evidence indicated that the combined surgery had no additional risk of postoperative complications, and might be an effective alternative surgical approach to mitral valve diseases accompany with tricuspid regurgitation. However, for the limited case size, it was required to support the findings with a large number of cases in further studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Breastfeeding provides many short- and long-term health benefits for mothers and their infants and is a particularly relevant strategy for women who experience Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) during pregnancy. However, breastfeeding rates are generally lower amongst this group of women than the general population. This review's objective is to identify the factors that influence breastfeeding by exploring the experiences and outcomes of women in in high-income health care contexts when there is a history of GDM in the corresponding pregnancy. Methods: A comprehensive search strategy explored the electronic databases Medline, CINAHL, Web of Science and Scopus for primary studies exploring breastfeeding practices for papers published between January 2011 and June 2023. All papers were screened independently by two researchers with included papers assessed using the Crowe Critical Appraisal tool. Findings were analysed using a narrative synthesis framework. Results: From an initial search result of 1037 papers, 16 papers representing five high-income nations were included in this review for analysis – the United States of America (n = 10), Australia (n = 3), Finland (n = 1), Norway (n = 1), and Israel (n = 1). Fifteen papers used a quantitative design, and one used a qualitative design. The total number of participants represented in the papers is 963,718 of which 812,052 had GDM and 151,666 did not. Women with an immediate history of GDM were as likely to initiate breastfeeding as those without it. However, they were more likely to have the first feed delayed, be offered supplementation, experience delayed lactogenesis II and or a perception of low supply. Women were less likely to exclusively breastfeed and more likely to completely wean earlier than the general population. Maternity care practices, maternal factors, family influences, and determinants of health were contextual and acted as either a facilitator or barrier for this group. Conclusion: Breastfeeding education and support need to be tailored to recognise the individual needs and challenges of women with a history of GDM. Interventions, including the introduction of commercial milk formula (CMF) may have an even greater impact and needs to be very carefully considered. Supportive strategies should encompass the immediate and extended family who are major sources of influence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Previous meta-analyses have indicated that aspirin could affect breast cancer outcomes, particularly when taken post-diagnostically. However, several recent studies appear to show little to no association between aspirin use and breast cancer mortality, all-cause mortality, or recurrence. Aims This study aims to conduct an updated systematic review and meta-analysis on the associations of pre-diagnostic and post-diagnostic aspirin use with the aforementioned breast cancer outcomes. It also looks, through subgroup analyses and meta-regressions, at a range of variables that could explain the associations between aspirin use and breast cancer outcomes. Results In total, 24 papers and 149 860 patients with breast cancer were included. Pre-diagnostic aspirin use was not associated with breast-cancer-specific mortality (HR 0.98, 95% CI, 0.80-1.20, P =.84) or recurrence (HR 0.94, 95% CI, 0.88-1.02, P =.13). Pre-diagnostic aspirin was associated with non-significantly higher all-cause mortality (HR 1.27, 95% CI, 0.95-1.72, P =.11). Post-diagnostic aspirin was not significantly associated with all-cause mortality (HR 0.87, 95% CI, 0.71-1.07, P =.18) or recurrence (HR 0.89, 95% CI, 0.67-1.16, P =.38). Post-diagnostic aspirin use was significantly associated with lower breast-cancer-specific mortality (HR 0.79, 95% CI, 0.64-0.98, P =.032). Conclusions The only significant association of aspirin with breast cancer outcomes is lower breast-cancer-specific mortality in patients who used aspirin post-diagnostically. However, factors such as selection bias and high inter-study heterogeneity mean that this result should not be treated as conclusive, and more substantial evidence such as that provided by RCTs is needed before any decisions on new clinical uses for aspirin should be made. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to present a methodology for the application of matching methods in industry to measure causal effect size. Matching methods allow us to obtain treatment and control samples with their covariates as similar as possible. The matching techniques used are nearest, optimal, full, coarsened exact matching (CEM), and genetic. These methods have been widely used in medical, psychological, and economic sciences. The proposed methodology provides two algorithms to execute these methods and to conduct an exhaustive search for the best models. It uses three conditions to ensure, as far as possible, the balance of all covariates, the maximum number of units in the treatment and control groups, and the most significant causal effect sizes. These techniques are applied in the carton board industry, where the causal variable is downtime, and the outcome variable is waste generated. A dataset from the carton board industry is used, and the results are contrasted with an expert in this process. Meta-analysis techniques are used to integrate the results of different comparative studies, which could help to determine and prioritize where to reduce waste. Two machines were found to generate more waste in terms of standardized measures whose values are 0.52 and 0.53, representing 48.60 and 36.79 linear meters (LM) on average for each production order with a total downtime of more than 3000 s. In general, for all machines, the maximum average wastage for each production order is 24.98 LM and its confidence interval is [13.40;36.23] LM. The main contribution of this work is the use of causal methodology to estimate the effect of downtime on waste in an industry. Particularly relevant is the contribution of an algorithm that aims to obtain the best matching model for this application. Its advantages and disadvantages are evaluated, and future areas of research are outlined. We believe that this methodology can be applied to other industries and fields of knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Since 1993, The Knee Society has presented three annual awards recognizing the best research papers presented at the annual meetings. To date, no quantitative evaluation has determined whether the selection process identifies the most meritorious papers based on subsequent citations. In the absence of validation of this process, it is unclear whether the journal readership should view the award-winning papers as those with potentially greater impact for the specialty.Questions/purposes: (1) Are award papers cited both more than nonaward papers published in the same Knee Society proceedings issue of CORR(®) and more than all other knee research papers published in all issues of CORR(®) during any given year? (2) Does the award selection process identify potentially highly influential knee research?Methods: Subsequent citations for each award and nonaward paper published in The Knee Society proceedings issue for 2002 to 2008 were determined using the SCOPUS citation index. The citations for all papers on knee surgery published in CORR(®) during the same years were also determined.Results: Mean citations for an award paper were statistically greater than for a nonaward paper: 86 (SD 95; median 55; 95% confidence interval [CI] of the mean, 44-128) versus 33 (SD 30; median 24; 95% CI of the mean, 28-37; p < 0.001). Mean number of citations for award papers was also higher than for all other knee research papers published in nonproceedings issues of CORR(®): 86 (SD 95; median 55; 95% CI of the mean, 44-128) versus 30 (SD 31; median 20; 95% CI for the mean, 25-35; p < 0.001). Twelve of the 22 (54.6%) award papers were in the top five cited papers from the proceedings issue for the respective year versus 24 of the 190 (12.6%) of the nonaward papers (difference in the percentages is 41.9% and the 95% CI for the risk difference is 20.6%-63.3%; p < 0.001). In 3 of 7 years, an award paper was the most cited knee paper published in CORR(®).Conclusions: The selection process for The Knee Society scientific awards identifies potentially influential papers that are likely to be highly cited in future research articles about the knee.Clinical Relevance: The selection process for Knee Society Award Papers appears to identify papers that are potentially influential in the field of knee surgery and are likely to be highly cited in future published articles. As such, these award papers deserve special attention from the readership. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Involvement in research activities is complex in pediatric nursing and allied health professionals (AHPs). It is important to understand which individual factors are associated with it to inform policy makers in promoting research. Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted to describe the level of participation in research activities over the last ten years of nurses and AHPs working in a tertiary pediatric hospital. A large sample of nurses and AHPs working in an Italian academic tertiary pediatric hospital completed an online self-report questionnaire between June and December 2018. Three multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to predict participation in research projects, speaking at conferences, and writing scientific articles. Results: Overall, data from 921 health professionals were analyzed (response rate = 66%), of which about 21% (n = 196) reported participating in a research project, while 33% (n = 297) had attended a scientific conference as a speaker, and 11% (n = 94) had written at least one scientific paper. Having a Master or a Regional Advanced Course, working as an AHP or a ward manager, as well as regularly reading scientific journals and participation in an internal hospital research group or attendance in a specific course about research in the hospital, significantly predicted participation in research projects, speaking at conferences and writing scientific papers. It is important to foster research interest and competencies among health professionals to improve participation in research projects, speaking at conferences, and writing scientific papers. Conclusions: Overall, we found a good level of attendance at conferences as speakers (33%), a moderate level of participation in research (21%), and low levels for writing scientific papers (11%). Our study highlighted the need to support participation in research activities among nurses and AHPs. Policymakers should identify strategies to promote research among nurses and AHPs, such as protected rewarded time for research, specific education, strengthened collaboration with academics, and financial support. Moreover, hospital managers should promote the development of research culture among health professionals, to improve their research competencies and evidence-based practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Data entry at the point of collection using mobile electronic devices may make data-handling processes more efficient and cost-effective, but there is little literature to document and quantify gains, especially for longitudinal surveillance systems. Objective: To examine the potential of mobile electronic devices compared with paper-based tools in health data collection. Methods: Using data from 961 households from the Rufiji Household and Demographic Survey in Tanzania, the quality and costs of data collected on paper forms and electronic devices were compared. We also documented, using qualitative approaches, field workers, whom we called ‘enumerators’, and households’ members on the use of both methods. Existing administrative records were combined with logistics expenditure measured directly from comparison households to approximate annual costs per 1,000 households surveyed. Results: Errors were detected in 17% (166) of households for the paper records and 2% (15) for the electronic records (p < 0.001). There were differences in the types of errors (p = 0.03). Of the errors occurring, a higher proportion were due to accuracy in paper surveys (79%, 95% CI: 72%, 86%) compared with electronic surveys (58%, 95% CI: 29%, 87%). Errors in electronic surveys were more likely to be related to completeness (32%, 95% CI 12%, 56%) than in paper surveys (11%, 95% CI: 7%, 17%).The median duration of the interviews (‘enumeration’), per household was 9.4 minutes (90% central range 6.4, 12.2) for paper and 8.3 (6.1, 12.0) for electronic surveys (p = 0.001). Surveys using electronic tools, compared with paper-based tools, were less costly by 28% for recurrent and 19% for total costs. Although there were technical problems with electronic devices, there was good acceptance of both methods by enumerators and members of the community. Conclusions: Our findings support the use of mobile electronic devices for large-scale longitudinal surveys in resource-limited settings. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Simple Summary: Among the various options for urinary diversion following radical cystectomy, the orthotopic neobladder most closely resembles the original bladder both in location and function. However, a significant number of patients with these reservoirs have dysfunctional voiding. Our objective here is to provide the first systematic review focusing on the urodynamic and continence outcomes of ileal orthotopic neobladders. By summarising these important outcomes, the current paper may represent the reference manuscript for outcome comparison in future papers. The manuscript also describes the methodology of the urodynamic evaluation of the neobladders, highlighting the frequent lack of precise indications, accurate guidelines (at the state of the art, the same parameters used for the native bladder are also used for the ileal neobladders), standardised definitions, and standard values for outcome comparison. By underlining these gaps, our systematic review may aid future studies in having more adequate designs and will allow for a more accurate functional evaluation of the patients harbouring an ileal neobladder. Introduction: The orthotopic neobladder is the type of urinary diversion (UD) that most closely resembles the original bladder. However, in the literature the urodynamic aspects are scarcely analysed. Objective: To provide the first systematic review (SR) on the urodynamic (UDS) outcomes of the ileal orthotopic neobladders (ONB). Continence outcomes are also presented. Methods: A PubMed, Embase and Cochrane CENTRAL search for peer-reviewed studies on ONB published between January 2001–December 2022 was performed according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-analysis (PRISMA) statement. Results and Conclusion: Fifty-nine manuscripts were eligible for inclusion in this SR. A great heterogeneity of data was encountered. Concerning UDS parameters, the pooled mean was 406.2 mL (95% CI: 378.9–433.4 mL) for maximal (entero)cystometric capacity (MCC) and 21.4 cmH2O (95% CI: 17.5–25.4 cmH2O) for Pressure ONB at MCC. Postvoid-residual ranged between 4.9 and 101.6 mL. The 12-mo rates of day and night-time continence were 84.2% (95% CI: 78.7–89.1%) and 61.7% (95% CI: 51.9–71.1%), respectively.Despite data heterogeneity, the ileal ONB seems to guarantee UDS parameters that resemble those of the native bladder. Although acceptable rates of daytime continence are reported the issue of high rates of night-time incontinence remains unsolved. Adequately designed prospective trials adopting standardised postoperative care, terminology and methods of outcome evaluation as well as of conduction of the UDS in the setting of ONB are necessary to obtain homogeneous follow-up data and to establish UDS guidelines for this setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Operative site wound infection is one of the most frequent infections in surgery. A variety of studies have shown that the results of laparoscopy might be superior to those of an open procedure. Nevertheless, there is still a lack of clarity as to whether there is a difference between open and laparoscopy with respect to the occurrence of wound infections in different paediatric operations. In this review, we looked at randomized, controlled studies that directly measured the rate of wound infection following an appendectomy with a laparoscope. We looked up four main databases for randomized, controlled studies that compare the treatment of paediatric appendicitis with laparoscopy. The surgeries included appendectomy. Through our search, we have determined 323 related papers and selected five qualified ones to be analysed according to the eligibility criteria. Five trials were also assessed for the quality of the documents. In the 5 trials, there were no statistically significant differences in the incidence of post‐operative wound infection among the paediatric appendectomy and the open‐access group (odds ratio [OR], 0.63; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.34–1.15, p = 0.13). The four trials did not show any statistically significant difference in abdominal abscesses among the laparoscopic and open‐access treatment groups (OR, 1.64; 95% CI, 0.90–3.01, p = 0.11). The four trials did not reveal any statistically significant difference in operating time (mean difference, −4.36; 95% CI, −17.31 to 8.59, p = 0.51). In light of these findings, the use of laparoscopy as compared with the open‐approach approach in paediatric appendectomies is not associated with a reduction in the risk of wound infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is a complex joint that facilitates mandibular movements during speech, chewing, and swallowing activities. The Axis I evaluation of the DC/TMD focuses on assessing physical diagnoses related to TMDs. It includes an assessment of pain and functional limitations, such as jaw opening range, joint sounds, and joint tenderness. The Axis II evaluation of the DC/TMD provides information on the patient's psychological status and quality of life. This Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis aimed to evaluate the accuracy of Temporomandibular Disorders diagnosis considered through the Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorder (DC/TDM) axis II compared to the Axis I evaluations. Methods: A search was made in PubMed, Web of Science and Lilacs for articles published from the inception until 20 January 2023. We applied the Population, Exposure, Comparator, and Outcomes (PECO) model [1] to assess document eligibility. Only studies that evaluated patients by DC/TMD Axis I and Axis II were considered. Review Manager version 5.2.8 (Cochrane Collaboration) was used for the pooled analysis. We measured the odds ratio (OR) between the two groups (Axis I and Axis II). Results: Fifty-one articles were selected because of the search. Four papers were excluded before the screening: 2 pieces were not in English, and two were reviewed. The remaining 47 articles were selected for the title and abstract screening to evaluate whether they met the PECO criteria. Among these, four papers were established; the overall effect showed that there was no difference in TMD diagnosis between Axis I and Axis II (RR 1.17; 95% CI: 0.80– 1.71; Z:0.82; P =.41), suggesting that there is no difference between Axis I and Axis II. Conclusion: In conclusion, DC/TMD is an effective tool for the diagnosis of TMD. It improves the accuracy of TMD diagnosis, allows for the classification of subtypes, and assesses psychosocial factors that may impact the development or maintenance of TMD symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Non-specific back pain is a global concern. Exercise and health education are crucial components in its management. The Back School is a theoretical practical program that integrates both elements. The objective of this study is to determine if Back School-based programs are effective in reducing pain, disability, and kinesiophobia in patients with non-specific back pain. Methods: A systematic review of research involving participants with non-specific back pain was carried out on databases such as PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Medline. Results: In total, 25 papers were chosen for review. All of these papers focused on the effects on the lumbar area, with the exception of one paper that specifically targeted the cervical region. The pain variable showed statistically significant results with standardized mean differences of −1.01 (950 confidence interval = −1.39 to −0.63; p < 0.001), and the disability variable had standardized mean differences of −0.98 (95% confidence interval = −1.38 to −0.58; p < 0.001), and only one study analysed the kinesiophobia variable and concluded that Back School programs have a positive effect on kinesiophobia between the baseline and post-intervention levels. Conclusions: Back School programs have shown effectiveness in reducing non-specific back pain and lowering disability rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large rivers without hydrological data from remote sensing observations have recently become a hot research topic. The Irrawaddy River is among the major tropical rivers worldwide; however, published hydrological data on this river have rarely been obtained in recent years. In this paper, based on the existing measured the total suspended matter flux (FTSM) and discharge data for the Irrawaddy River, an inversion model of the total suspended matter concentration (CTSM) is constructed for the Irrawaddy River, and the CTSM and FTSM from 1990 to 2020 are estimated using the L1 products of Landsat-8 OLI/TIRS and Landsat-5 TM. The results show that over the last 30 years, the FTSM of the Irrawaddy River decreased at a rate of 3.9 Mt/yr, which is significant at the 99% confidence interval. An increase in the vegetation density of the Irrawaddy Delta has increased the land conservation capacity of the region and reduced the inflow of land-based total suspended matter (TSM). The FTSM of the Irrawaddy River was estimated by fusing satellite data and data measured at hydrological stations. The research method employed in this paper provides a new supplement to the existing hydrological data for large rivers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we consider a compartmental model to fit the real data of confirmed active cases with COVID-19 in Portugal, from March 2, 2020 until September 10, 2021 in the Primary Care Cluster in Aveiro region, ACES BV, reported to the Public Health Unit. The model includes a deterministic component based on ordinary differential equations and a stochastic component based on bootstrap methods in regression. The main goal of this work is to take into account the variability underlying the data set and analyse the estimation accuracy of the model using a residual bootstrapped approach in order to compute confidence intervals for the prediction of COVID-19 confirmed active cases. All numerical simulations are performed in R environment (R version. 4.0.5). The proposed algorithm can be used, after a suitable adaptation, in other communicable diseases and outbreaks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Single‐port laparoscopy (SPL) has existed for several years. This meta‐analysis was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of SPL compared with conventional laparoscopy (CL) in the treatment of benign gynecologic adnexal lesions. The purpose of this meta‐analysis is to evaluate the superiority of SPL versus CL in the treatment of post‐operative wound pain. The study looked for English‐language publications from PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library and the Web of Science until June 2023. The main result was the visual analogue scale (VAS) after 2, 4, 6, 8, 12, 24 and 48 h after operation. The paper contains 10 related papers by means of e‐search. Of these, 4 were randomized controlled trials (RCTs), while 6 were non‐RCTs. The results indicated that SPL and CL were significantly different after 2, 24 and 48 h after operation. SPL had lower post‐operative pain after 2 h compared with CL (MD, −0.6; 95% CI, −0.98, −0.21; p = 0.002). After the operation, SPL also had a lower incidence of post‐operative pain after 24 h compared with CL (MD, −0.59; 95% CI, −1.12, −0.06; p = 0.03). And the difference in pain was at 48 h after the most significant (MD, −0.49; 95% CI, −0.75, −0.23; p = 0.0002). But after 6, 8 and 12 h after operation, there was no significant difference in the degree of pain. Thus, SPL operations may result in a lower degree of pain than CL in both the post‐operative and far post‐operative phase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As is known, cable plays a significant role in electric power transmission of the ship. From the safety perspective, this paper aims to predict the ship cable life more accurately and analyze its reliability under small sample conditions. To achieve this goal, based on the non-equidistant grey model (NEGM (1, 1)), an optimized equal-dimension dynamic NEGM (1, 1) is proposed in this paper. In the improved model, the raw data smoothness and the background value are optimized to apply to grey model parameters. Equal-dimension dynamic prediction algorithm (EDDPA) is adopted to predict the lifetime of ship CXF type cable. Compared with the aging model from literature and NEGM (1, 1), the prediction effectiveness and reliability of the proposed model are more considerable. Interestingly, with the increase of recurrence times, the numerical results show this model has higher prediction performance. Finally, the reliability and confidence interval of the life evaluation of ship CXF cable are given to provide more valuable information for the cable management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Input–output multipliers are typically calculated as point estimates of the Leontief quantity model. From the previous literature, they can also be estimated (and their confidence intervals) directly from establishments'/industries' inputs and outputs data by running an appropriate econometric regression. However, previous contributions relied on analyses carried out for 1 single year, one country/region and a reduced number of degrees of freedom. This paper tests the robustness of the previous literature by using instead a time series of large-scale inter-country supply, use and input–output database with more than one country and more than 1 year, as well as panel data econometrics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Work-related musculoskeletal disorders represent a major public health problem, contributing significantly to the global burden of disability-adjusted life years and affecting the quality of life of all population groups. The main problem in most musculoskeletal disorders is low back pain. Therefore, our study aims to identify the overall prevalence of work-related low back pain among the working population in sub-Saharan Africa. Methods: Research published between 2010 and 2023 in English, conducted in Sub-Saharan Africa was included in this systematic review and meta-analysis. Using Boolean logic operators and targeted keywords, we searched for publications on a number of electronic databases (Web of Science, PubMed, Google Scholar, African Journals Online (AJOL), and Science Direct). The Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal techniques were utilized to conduct a quality assessment of the papers and ascertain their relevance to the study. The degree of heterogeneity among the included studies, the 95% confidence interval, and the pooled prevalence were estimated using a random effects model. Sensitivity studies were carried out to determine the causes of heterogeneity and the impact of outliers. Results: In this study, a total of 970 articles were retrieved, and 35 studies were included in the systematic review and meta-analysis. The overall estimated pooled prevalence of low back pain among the working population in sub-Saharan Africa was (55.05% [95% CI: 49.34, 60.76]). Based on a sub-group analysis by countries, the higher pooled prevalence of low back pain was found in Uganda at (61.48% [95% CI: 40.39, 82.57]), while the lower pooled prevalence of low back pain was in Ghana at (34.48% [95% CI: 17.96, 51.01]). Conclusions: This systematic review and meta-analysis found that 55.05% of the included study participants experienced low back pain in the previous years. Therefore, it is recommended that policymakers incorporate and enhance strategies for the prevention and management of low back pain within the health system management guidelines of each country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A health-related (HR) profile is a set of multiple health-related items recording the status of the patient at different follow-up times post-stroke. In order to support clinicians in designing rehabilitation treatment programs, we propose a novel multi-task learning (MTL) strategy for predicting post-stroke patient HR profiles. The HR profile in this study is measured by the Barthel index (BI) assessment or by the EQ-5D-3L questionnaire. Three datasets are used in this work and for each dataset six neural network architectures are developed and tested. Results indicate that an MTL architecture combining a pre-trained network for all tasks with a concatenation strategy conditioned by a task grouping method is a promising approach for predicting the HR profile of a patient with stroke at different phases of the patient journey. These models obtained a mean F1-score of 0.434 (standard deviation 0.022, confidence interval at 95% [0.428, 0.44]) calculated across all the items when predicting BI at 3 months after stroke (MaS), 0.388 (standard deviation 0.029, confidence interval at 95% [0.38, 0.397]) when predicting EQ-5D-3L at 6MaS, and 0.462 (standard deviation 0.029, confidence interval at 95% [0.454, 0.47]) when predicting the EQ-5D-3L at 18MaS. Furthermore, our MTL architecture outperforms the reference single-task learning models and the classic MTL of all tasks in 8 out of 10 tasks when predicting BI at 3MaS and has better prediction performance than the reference models on all tasks when predicting EQ-5D-3L at 6 and 18MaS. The models we present in this paper are the first models to predict the components of the BI or the EQ-5D-3L, and our results demonstrate the potential benefits of using MTL in a health context to predict patient profiles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low back pain (LBP) is a prevalent and costly condition globally, prompting the need to identify risk factors for effective management. Lower extremity misalignment plays a crucial role in the incidence of LBP. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the current evidence on a link between lower limb alignment and LBP, enhancing the understanding of this relationship. We searched four databases, including PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Scopus, up to September 2024. Inclusion criteria encompassed studies related to LBP and lower limb alignment, with eligible study types including case-control, cohort, and cross-sectional studies, all written in English. Two authors independently screened and assessed the methodological quality of the retrieved papers using the Downs and Black quality assessment checklist. Data of interest including study design, age, sample size, cases, association, and P-value were extracted from the included studies. Mean differences and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated with random effects model in RevMan version 5.4. Thirteen articles evaluating lower limb alignment in individuals with LBP were included (102,359 participants in total). The meta-analysis results demonstrated that increased pronation with strong evidence(p = 0.02), increased hip internal rotation with moderate evidence, and increased knee internal rotation with limited evidence are associated with an increased risk of LBP. Overall, while some studies supported a relationship between lower limb alignment and LBP, the heterogeneity of study designs and methodological limitations hindered drawing a definitive conclusion. Future research should emphasize prospective cohort studies, incorporating objective measures of lower extremity alignment and standardized outcome measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, reservoir computing (RC) has emerged as one of the most effective algorithms to model and forecast volatile and chaotic time series. In this paper, we aim to contribute to the understanding of the uncertainty associated with the predictions made by RC models and to propose a methodology to generate RC prediction intervals. As an illustration, we analyze the error distribution for the RC model when predicting the price time series of several agri-commodities. Results show that the error distributions are best modeled using a Normal Inverse Gaussian (NIG). In fact, NIG outperforms the Gaussian distribution, as the latter tends to overestimate the width of the confidence intervals. Hence, we propose a methodology where, in the first step, the RC generates a forecast for the time series and, in the second step, the confidence intervals are generated by combining the prediction and the fitted NIG distribution of the RC forecasting errors. Thus, by providing confidence intervals rather than single-point estimates, our approach offers a more comprehensive understanding of forecast uncertainty, enabling better risk assessment and more informed decision-making in business planning based on forecasted prices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: As the number of large-scale outbreaks continues to rise worldwide, clinical trials are increasingly engaging disease-affected peoples within the Minority World (nations with over 80% poverty rates). Yet global health research inadequately addresses potential ethical issues of including impoverished, disease-affected populations and their contextual vulnerabilities in medical research. Objective: This paper presents a mixed-method analysis from our 2022 semi-structured survey capturing the experiences of Liberian Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) survivors serving as study participants in the Partnership for Research on Ebola Virus in Liberia (PREVAIL) clinical trials. Methods: Firstly, we conducted an extensive literature review of the scholarship related to biomedical research and ethical standards protecting study participants to inform our survey method and design. Applying a theoretical framework on vulnerability, we then qualitatively explored the survey responses of 19 EVD survivors' perceptions and experiences taking part in PREVAIL, including their expectations, treatment, delivered benefits, and quality of care. We further quantitatively codified their statements for underlying themes of reported negative experiences against standard ethical regulations in biomedical research, conducting a statistical analysis to inform generalizability. Most of the 19 survivors reported facing extreme ongoing vulnerabilities related to their disease status, including physical impairments, psychosocial stress, and socio-economic inequity. Results: Initially, the survivors tended to experience a sense of hope and pride in volunteering for PREVAIL. One in five participants reported benefiting from PREVAIL's regular medical diagnoses. However, most of their survey responses indicated prevalent negative shared experiences, including continually being confused or misinformed of their study participant rights, roles, and benefits; being burdened by heavy participation transaction costs; and repeated incidents of poor treatment and discrimination by PREVAIL staff after initial recruitment. PREVAIL participant satisfaction ranking is negatively correlated with receiving insufficient financial compensation (r = −0.51), extensive time requirements for each medical visit (−0.40), and being poorly treated by clinical staff (−0.67). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Antiretroviral treatment failure is a global issue, particularly in developing countries such as Sub-Saharan Africa. Prior research findings were highly variable and inconsistent across areas. As a result, the goal of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to determine the pooled prevalence of treatment failure among children receiving antiretroviral medication in Sub-Saharan Africa. Methods: To find qualifying papers, we searched databases (such as PubMed, Google Scholar, African Journals Online, Scopus, and the Cochrane Library). The data were retrieved using Microsoft Excel and exported to STATA Version 14 for analysis. To check for publication bias, we employed Egger and Begg's regression tests. A random-effects model was used to assess the pooled prevalence of treatment failure due to high levels of variability. Results: Following the removal of duplicated articles and quality screening, a total of 33 primary articles were determined to be appropriate for inclusion in the final analysis for this study. Overall, the pooled prevalence of treatment failure among HIV-infected children was 25.86% (95% CI: 21.46, 30.26). There is great variety across the included studies, with the majority of them being conducted in Ethiopia. Cameroon had the greatest pooled prevalence of treatment failure among HIV-infected children, at 39.41% (95% CI: 21.54, 57.28), while Ethiopia had the lowest, at 13.77% (95% CI: 10.08, 17.47). Conclusions: The pooled estimate prevalence of treatment failure among HIV-infected children in Sub-Saharan Africa was high. The implementation of national and international policies and strategies on ART clinic care services should be given special focus in order to reduce treatment failure in children living with HIV/AIDS. Trial registration: The protocol has been registered in the PROSPERO database under the registration number CRD-429011. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a hybrid model to improve Information Content (IC) related metrics of semantic similarity between words, named IC+SP, based on the essential hypothesis that IC and the shortest path are two relatively independent semantic evidences and have approximately equal influences to the semantic similarity metric. The paradigm of IC+SP is to linearly combine the IC-related metric and the shortest path. Meanwhile, a transformation from the semantic similarity of the concepts to that of the words is presented by maximizing every component of IC+SP. 13 improved IC-related metrics based on IC+SP are formed and implemented on the experimental platform HESML Lastra-Díaz (Inf Syst 66:97–118, 2017). Pearson's and Spearman's correlation coefficients on well-accepted benchmarks for the improved metrics compare to those for the original ones to evaluate IC+SP. I introduce the Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test needing no standard distribution hypothesis, while, this hypothesis is required by T-Test on the sample of small size. T-Test, as well as the Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test, conduct on the differences of the correlative coefficients for improved and original metrics. It is expected that the improved IC-related metrics could significantly outperform their corresponding original ones, and the experimental results, including the comparisons of mean and maximum of correlation coefficients as well as the p-value and confidence interval of both tests, accomplish the anticipation in the vast majority of cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: NUP98 gene fusions in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) have recently attracted much interest. Despite substantial research illuminating the roles of NUP98 fusions in the course of AML, their impacts on the outcome of patients with AML should be explored in more detail. As a result, this meta-analysis was designed to provide further light on the prognostic implications of NUP98 fusions in AML. Methods: We completed an extensive search in PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science to identify papers evaluating the prognostic effects of NUP98 rearrangements in patients with AML until August 22, 2022. In total, 15 publications with 6142 participants fulfilled the requirements for the current meta-analysis. All the qualified studies were examined for information regarding HRs and 95% confidence interval (95%CI) for overall survival (OS) and event-free survival (EFS). In addition, we utilized Comprehensive Meta-analysis software version 2 (CMA2) for calculating pooled HRs and 95% CI. Results: Our analyses for NUP98-NSD1 indicated that this fusion could significantly impact the outcome of patients with AML (pooled HR: 2.84; 95% CI: 2.49-3.24, P=0.000). Additionally, we observed a strong correlation between NUP98-KDM5A rearrangement and poor prognosis in AML (pooled HR: 2.65; 95% CI: 2.5-2.81; P=0.000). A subgroup analysis also showed that the NUP98-NSD1 and FLT3-ITD together confer a poor prognostic effect (pooled HR: 2.60, 95% CI: 1.61-4.18; P=0.000). Conclusions: NUP98 fusions could significantly impact the outcome of patients with AML. The use of these fusions as prognostic indicators in AML seems rational. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the excess mortality P-score has gained prominence as a measure of pandemic burden. The P-score indicates the percentage by which observed deaths deviate from expected deaths. As the P-score is regularly used to compare excess mortality between countries, questions arise regarding the age dependency of the measure. In this paper we present formal and empirical results on the population structure bias of the P-score with a special focus on cross-country comparisons during the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe. Methods: P-scores were calculated for European countries for 2021, 2022, and 2023 using data from the 2024 revision of the United Nations' World Population Prospects and the HMDs Short Term Mortality Fluctuations data series. The expected deaths for 2021, 2022, and 2023 were estimated using a Lee–Carter forecast model assuming pre-pandemic conditions. P-score differences between countries were decomposed using a Kitagawa-type decomposition into excess-mortality and structural components. To investigate the sensitivity of P-score cross-country rankings to differences in population structure we calculated the rank-correlation between age-standardized and classical P-scores. Results: The P-score is an average of age-specific percent excess deaths weighted by the age-distribution of expected deaths. It can be shown that the effect of differences in the distribution of deaths only plays a marginal role in a European comparison. In most cases, the excess mortality effect is the dominant effect. P-score rankings among European countries during the COVID-19 pandemic are similar under both age-standardized and classical P-scores. Conclusions: Although the P-score formally depends on the age-distribution of expected deaths, this structural component only plays a minor role in a European comparison, as the distribution of deaths across the continent is similar. Thus, the P-score is suitable as a measure of excess mortality in a European comparison, as it mainly reflects the differences in excess mortality. However, this finding should not be extrapolated to global comparisons, where countries could have very different death distributions. In situations were P-score comparisons are biased age-standardization can be applied as a solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Social and organisational changes in businesses have led to the appearance of "emergent risks" which affect workers but are less evident and hard to quantify such as psychosocial risks. Linked to psychosocial risks, issues such as work‐related stress and workplace violence are major challenges to occupational health and safety. This paper analyses the trends in the concerns expressed by wage‐earners in Spain regarding psychosocial factors that may affect them in the workplace. Methods. A causal analysis based on the application of binary logistic regression is presented, covering certain social and occupational characteristics of survey respondents and the psychosocial factors included in the Spanish National Surveys of Working Conditions for 2007 and for 2011‐2012. Binary logistic regression is a multivariate statistical tool that serves as a classification technique, identifying the variables that affect the probability of the event to be studied (dichotomous variable). This technique has the advantage that it does not require that the explanatory variables follow a normal distribution. The aim is to estimate the influence of the explanatory variables on the probability of the occurrence of the event under study, represented by the explained variable. Results. During the economic crisis of 2008, workers became more concerned about losing their jobs and about factors related to personnel cutbacks and decreases in investment in the prevention of occupational risks. Downsizing due to the crisis led to increased workloads for many of those still in work. Thus, in 2011, the likelihood of workers being concerned about working hours was greater, especially among respondents aged 25–34 and those working in commerce and transport. Workload was found to be a particular concern among respondents aged 25–34 and among workers in transport, communication, financial, professional, and administrative activities; health‐related activities; and industry. Conclusions. Policy should also be directed towards improving the structural aspects of psychosocial variations, in terms of work conditions, employment protection, and employment security to protect workers against income fluctuations as a result of job loss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

E-mental health (EMH) interventions gain increasing importance in the treatment of mental health disorders. Their outpatient efficacy is well-established. However, research on EMH in inpatient settings remains sparse and lacks a meta-analytic synthesis. This paper presents a meta-analysis on the efficacy of EMH in inpatient settings. Searching multiple databases (PubMed, ScienceGov, PsycInfo, CENTRAL, references), 26 randomized controlled trial (RCT) EMH inpatient studies (n = 6112) with low or medium assessed risk of bias were included. A small significant total effect of EMH treatment was found (g = 0.3). The effect was significant both for blended interventions (g = 0.42) and post-treatment EMH-based aftercare (g = 0.29). EMH treatment yielded significant effects across different patient groups and types of therapy, and the effects remained stable post-treatment. The results show the efficacy of EMH treatment in inpatient settings. The meta-analysis is limited by the small number of included studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inflammation contributes to the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes (T2DM). This study sought to document how the systemic biomarkers of inflammation varied based on food choices among patients with T2DM. This cross-sectional study enrolled ambulatory patients with T2DM. Demographic and clinical information was collected. Five drops of fingerstick blood were collected using an absorbent paper device (HemaSpot HFR). C-reactive protein (CRP), serum amyloid A protein (SAA), and fibrinogen were measured using a Luminex assay. Patient-generated 7-day food diaries were analyzed using a validated food processor software. Data were analyzed by Pearson's correlation tests, linear regression and logistic regression with the significance level set at 0.05. Among the 71 participants, 43 (60.6%) were females. The average age and duration of T2DM were 64.1 ± 10.3 and 15.8 ± 9.1 years, respectively. In a simple linear regression run with selected micronutrients, iron [F (1, 53) = 5.319, p < 0.05, adj. R2 = 0.074] significantly predicted plasma CRP. This significance was lost with multiple linear regressions including age, gender, BMI, T2DM duration, T2DM complications, glycohemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) and other micronutrients. The average intake of most micronutrients by the participants was below the recommended daily intake. A higher intake of iron-rich foods was associated with higher levels of systemic inflammation in a simple linear regression model, but the association was not present after adjusting for patient factors like age, gender, BMI and T2DM-related variables. This relationship needs to be explored further given the key role of inflammation in the pathogenesis of T2DM and its associated complications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports the results of a hybrid effectiveness-implementation randomized trial that systematically varied levels of human oversight required to support the implementation of a digital medicine intervention for persons with mild-to-moderate alcohol use disorder (AUD). Participants were randomly assigned to three groups representing possible digital health support models within a health system: self-monitored use (SM; n = 185), peer-supported use (PS; n = 186), or a clinically integrated model CI; (n = 187). Across all three groups, the percentage of self-reported heavy drinking days dropped from 38.4% at baseline (95% CI [35.8%, 41%]) to 22.5% (19.5%, 25.5%) at 12 months. The clinically integrated group showed significant improvements in mental health and quality of life compared to the self-monitoring group (p = 0.011). However, higher attrition rates in the clinically integrated group warrant consideration in interpreting this result. Results suggest that making a self-guided digital intervention available to patients may be a viable option for health systems looking to promote alcohol risk reduction. This study was prospectively registered at clinicaltrials.gov on 7/03/2019 (NCT04011644). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: As a novel and time-efficient exercise form, high-intensity interval training (HIIT) has shown great potential in improving health-related physical fitness among diverse populations. However, empirical evidence on its efficacy among the elderly has not been well summarized. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to determine the effect of HIIT interventions on the parameters related to physical fitness and health of older adults, including resting heart rate (HR), systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), body mass index (BMI), body fat percent (BF%), waist circumference (WC), muscular endurance (ME), muscular strength (MS), muscular power (MP), balance and flexibility, compared to non-exercise and other-exercise (e.g., moderate-intensity continuous training, resistance training) conditions. Methods: Literature published from January 2000 to May 2023 was collected through extensive searches across eight databases and relevant review papers. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) featuring a minimum 2-week exercise intervention for older adults (≥ 60 years) were included. The pooled effect size of Hedges'g was estimated using random-effects models in R. Meta-regression was performed for both categorical (health status, duration of training programme, and frequency) and continuous moderators (mean age, male rate, and attrition rate). Results: Forty-four eligible RCTs with 1863 participants (52.1% female; 60.5–81.2 years) were included in the quantitative analysis. Compared to non-exercise condition, HIIT significantly improved resting HR (g = -0.36, 95%CI = [-0.67, -0.05], P = 0.032), SBP (g = -0.29, 95%CI = [-0.54, -0.03], P = 0.008), CRF (g = 0.77, 95%CI = [0.51, 1.04], P < 0.001), BF% (g = -0.26, 95%CI = [-0.41, -0.11], P = 0.006), MS (g = 0.47, 95%CI = [0.23, 0.71], P = 0.004), ME (g = 0.65, 95%CI = [0.10, 1.19], P = 0.036), and balance (e.g., timed-up-and-go) (g = -0.79, 95%CI = [-1.19, -0.40], P = 0.035). Compared to other-exercise condition, HIIT significantly improved resting HR (g = -0.11, 95%CI = [-0.21, -0.01], P = 0.029), SBP (g = -0.14, 95%CI = [-0.28, -0.01], P = 0.038), and CRF (g = 0.23, 95%CI = [0.07, 0.38], P = 0.008). No significant difference was found between HIIT and non-exercise condition for DBP, BMI and WC, as well as between HIIT and other-exercise condition for DBP, BMI, BF%, WC, ME, and balance (all P > 0.05). Meta-regression indicated that mean age moderated the HIIT effect on resting HR (b = -0.02, P = 0.014; HIIT vs. other-exercise condition) and SBP (b = 0.03, P = 0.048; HIIT vs. non-exercise), and attrition rate moderated the effect on CRF (b = 0.03, P = 0.007; HIIT vs. non-exercise). Conclusion: This study supports the efficacy of HIIT in improving resting HR, SBP, CRF, BF%, MS, ME and balance among older adults. More empirical evidence is needed to determine the efficacy of HIIT for MP and flexibility in this population. Trial Registration: PROSPERO CRD42022316246. Key Points: • HIIT is an effective approach for improving older adults' resting heart rate (HR), systolic blood pressure (SBP), cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), body fat percent (BF%), muscular strength (MS), and balance, compared with non-exercise condition. • HIIT outperformed the other exercise interventions in improving older adults' resting HR, SBP, CRF, and muscular endurance (ME). • Mean age and attrition rate were identified as potential moderators for the HIIT effects on resting HR, SBP and CRF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Motivation The functions of genes in networks are typically correlated due to their functional connectivity. Variable selection methods have been developed to select important genes associated with a trait while incorporating network graphical information. However, no method has been proposed to quantify the uncertainty of individual genes under such settings. Results In this paper, we construct confidence intervals (CIs) and provide P -values for parameters of a high-dimensional linear model incorporating graphical structures where the number of variables p diverges with the number of observations. For combining the graphical information, we propose a graph-constrained desparsified LASSO (least absolute shrinkage and selection operator) (GCDL) estimator, which reduces dramatically the influence of high correlation of predictors and enjoys the advantage of faster computation and higher accuracy compared with the desparsified LASSO. Theoretical results show that the GCDL estimator achieves asymptotic normality. The asymptotic property of the uniform convergence is established, with which an explicit expression of the uniform CI can be derived. Extensive numerical results indicate that the GCDL estimator and its (uniform) CI perform well even when predictors are highly correlated. Availability and implementation An R package implementing the proposed method is available at https://github.com/XiaoZhangryy/gcdl. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The COVID‐19 pandemic, caused by the SARS‐CoV‐2 virus, has resulted in illness, deaths and societal disruption on a global scale. Societies have implemented various control measures to reduce transmission of the virus and mitigate its impact. Individual behavioural changes are crucial to the successful implementation of these measures. One commonly recommended measure to limit risk of infection is face covering. It is important to identify those factors that can predict the uptake and maintenance of face covering. Objectives: We aimed to identify and synthesise the evidence on malleable psychological and psychosocial factors that determine uptake and adherence to face covering aimed at reducing the risk of infection or transmission of COVID‐19. Search Methods: We searched various literature sources including electronic databases (Medline ALL, Child Development & Adolescent Studies, ERIC, PsycInfo, CINAHL & Web of Science), web searches, conference proceedings, government reports, other repositories of literature and grey literature. The search strategy was built around three concepts of interest including (1) context (terms relating to COVID19), (2) behaviour of interest and (3) terms related to psychological and psychosocial determinants of COVID Health‐Related Behaviours and adherence or compliance with face covering, to capture malleable determines. Searches capture studies up until October 2021. Selection Criteria: Eligibility criteria included observational studies (both retrospective and prospective) and experimental studies that measure and report malleable psychological and psychosocial determinants and handwashing at an individual level, amongst the general public. Screening was supported by the Cochrane Crowd. Studies titles and abstracts were screened against the eligibility criteria by three independent screeners. Following this, all potentially relevant studies were screened at full‐text level by the research team. All conflicts between screeners were resolved by discussion between the core research team. Data Collection and Analysis: All data extraction was managed in EPPI‐Reviewer software. All eligible studies, identified through full‐text screening were extracted by one author. We extracted data on study information, population, determinant, behaviour and effects. A second author checked data extraction on 20% of all included papers. All conflicts were discussed by the two authors until consensus was reached. We assessed methodological quality of all included studies using an adapted version of the Joanna Briggs Institute Quality appraisal tool for cross‐sectional studies. Main Results: Our initial searches yielded 23,587 results, of which 23 were included in this review. The included studies were cross‐sectional in design, came from nine countries and had a combined sample of 54,401 participants. The vast majority of studies had samples from the general public, with five of the studies focusing on specific samples. All included studies considered people over the age of 18. The quality of 10 of the studies was rated as unclear, 10 were rated as low, and 3 rated high risk of bias, predominately due to lack of reporting of recruitment, sample characteristics and methodology. Ten studies were included in the meta‐analysis and 16 in the narrative synthesis. Findings from the meta‐analysis indicated that knowledge of COVID‐19 (0.341, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.06, 0.530, I2 = 100%) was the malleable determinant most associated with face covering behaviour. Perceived susceptibility of COVID‐19 (r = 0.088, 95% CI = −0.004, 0.180, I2 = 80%) and COVID‐related worry and anxiety (r = 0.064, 95% CI = −0.066, 0.191, I2 = 93% had little to no effect on face covering behaviour. In the narrative synthesis, the strongest association was found between perceived benefits and effectiveness of behaviours and mask wearing behaviour. Authors' Conclusions: Understanding the effects of various malleable determinants on COVID‐related face covering can aid in the development and implementation of interventions and public health campaigns to promote face covering behaviour in potential new waves of COVID‐19 or other respiratory infections. Knowledge of COVID and perceived benefits of face coverings warrant further consideration in future research and policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. The volume and quality of online health information requires consumers to be discerning. Aim. This study aimed to explore consumer Internet use for health information, preferred format and what factors helped them to trust the source. Methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2016–2017 with adults attending three cardiology outpatient clinic sites using a short paper-based survey. The survey included questions regarding online health information use and perceived trustworthiness with opportunities for free text responses. Survey data were summarised with key questions adjusted by age group, gender and ethnicity using logistic regression. Results. Of the 708 respondents (51% women, 66% aged 45–74 years, 16% Māori, 12% Pacific), 73% had sought health information online (64% in the previous 12 months), commonly for medication side effects, their health condition and self-help. Most (65%) were successful, although Pacific respondents reported a lower likelihood of search success compared to Europeans. Younger age groups were more concerned about information quality. Fact sheets (80%) were the most popular format and for all ethnic groups, followed by short videos (31%) and discussion groups (23%). Trusting online information required many strategies with 72% wanting health professionals to recommend websites. Discussion. Online health information seeking is a norm for consumers, with simple fact sheets being the preferred format to build knowledge and skills. With the rising tide of misinformation, health portal providers need to offer accurate and easy-to-read fact sheets in their suite of formats and health professionals need to support consumers guiding them to trusted websites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. Globally, yoga has gained popularity as a health-promoting and disease-prevention discipline. The common health conditions prompting yoga use include musculoskeletal disorders, mental health conditions, asthma, fibromyalgia, arthritis, diabetes, and cancers. Although the therapeutic benefits of using yoga are well documented, little is known about the characteristics of yoga instructors (YIs) and yoga users (YUs) in New Zealand (NZ). Aim. This paper seeks to profile the characteristics of NZ YIs and YUs and explore reasons for yoga use. Methods. Online surveys for YIs and YUs were conducted to collect the sociodemographic characteristics of 84 YIs and 267 YUs. Descriptive statistics were used to determine trends. Results. The surveys were conducted between September 2020 and February 2021. The YIs were predominantly female (87.1%) with mean ± s.d. years of practice of 9.8 ± 0.8 (95% CI: 8.2, 11.4). YUs were most commonly female (86%), of NZ European descent (63%), aged 45–64 years (56%), not married (52.5%), and with a university or higher education qualification (61.5%). They use yoga to alleviate chronic health conditions like back pain (18%), menopausal symptoms (14.5%), anxiety (13.5%) and depression (11.5%). Discussion. Most YIs in NZ are females facilitating moderatesized yoga classes. YUs in NZ are disproportionately NZ European, female, middle-aged and tertiary educated. They use yoga to help manage long-term conditions, including mental ill-health and musculoskeletal disorders. The study findings could inform health professionals regarding the utilisation of yoga in NZ. Further research is required to gain insights into yoga use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Objectives: Rett syndrome is a rare neurodevelopmental disorder that can severely affect motor functioning, particularly walking. Previous training programs proposed treadmills as tools to increase walking endurance of patients with Rett syndrome, but these trainings did not include virtual reality (VR). The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility of a short treadmill training coupled to VR in girls with Rett syndrome. Methods: Nine patients with Rett syndrome underwent a 3-day treadmill walking program performed in semi-immersive VR. During the training, the happiness index and performance metrics were collected. At the end of the training parents filled out the Suitability Evaluation Questionnaire (SEQ) and, when feasible, patients underwent a gait assessment. Results: All the subjects recruited performed the three GRAIL sessions and parents showed a good satisfaction and considered the integration of treadmill and VR a good possibility for future rehabilitative programs. Participants showed greater satisfaction in environments requiring walking and their attention increased during training sessions, hypothesizing the feasibility of longer trainings with treadmill and VR. Data collected from gait analysis provided insights, although preliminary, concerning differences in gait pattern amongst the recruited subjects. Conclusions: Despite the small sample size and limited training duration, the paper suggests that a walking training with a treadmill combined with VR can represent a new strategy for Rett rehabilitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global warming has led to the continuous deterioration of the living environment, in which air quality directly affects human health. In addition, the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic has further increased the attention to indoor air quality. Indoor clean air quality is not only related to human health but also related to the quality of the manufacturing environment of clean rooms for numerous high-tech processes, such as semiconductors and packaging. This paper proposes a comprehensive model for evaluating, analyzing, and improving the operational performance of air cleaning equipment. Firstly, three operational performance evaluation indexes, such as the number of dust particles, the number of colonies, and microorganisms, were established. Secondly, the 100(1 −   α)% upper confidence limits of these three operational performance evaluation indexes were deduced to construct a fuzzy testing model. Meanwhile, the accumulated value of ϕ was used to derive the evaluation decision-making value. The proposed model can help companies identify the key quality characteristics that need to be improved. Furthermore, the competitiveness of cooperative enterprises towards smart manufacturing can be strengthened, so that enterprises can not only fulfill their social responsibilities while developing the economy but also take into account the sustainable development of enterprises and the environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This review and meta‐analysis aimed to describe the current rugby‐7s injury epidemiological literature by examining injury data from both sexes, all levels of play, and their associated risk factors. Studies published up until March 2024 were included. These studies were retrieved from six databases using search terms related to rugby‐7s or sevens, tackle, collision, collision sport, injury, athlete, incidence rate, mechanism, and risk factor. Only peer‐reviewed original studies using prospective or retrospective cohort designs with a clearly defined rugby‐7s sample were considered. Included studies needed to report one injury outcome variable. Non‐English and qualitative studies; reviews, conference papers, and abstracts were excluded. Twenty studies were included. The meta‐analysis used the DerSimonian–Laird continuous random‐effects method to calculate the pooled estimated means and 95% confidence interval. The estimated mean injury incidence rate for men was 108.5/1000 player‐hours (95% CI: 85.9–131.0) and 76.1/1000 player‐hours (95% CI: 48.7–103.5) for women. The estimated mean severity for men was 33.9 days (95% CI: 20.7–47.0) and 44.2 days (95% CI: 32.1–56.3) for women. Significantly more match injuries occurred in the second half of matches, were acute, located at the lower limb, diagnosed as joint/ligament, and resulted from being tackled. Fatigue, player fitness, and previous injuries were associated with an increased risk of injury. There were no statistically significant differences between women's and men's injury profiles. However, the inherent cultural and gendered factors which divide the two sports should not be ignored. The findings from this review will help pave the way forward beyond the foundational stages of injury prevention research in rugby‐7s. Highlights: Rugby‐7s injury prevention research has not moved past the early stages of injury prevention research frameworks, such as the TRIPP model, because the injury epidemiological profile has not been comprehensively summarised.Significantly, more match injuries occurred in the second half, were acute, located at the lower limb, diagnosed as joint/ligament and resulted from being tackled. Fatigue, player fitness, and previous injuries were associated with an increased risk of injury. However, there were no differences across sex.These findings will help pave the way forward beyond the foundational stages of injury prevention research in rugby‐7s and will form the basis from which future injury prevention strategies can be developed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the emergence of social networking platforms, a large number of users around the world are being part and partial of this platform. At a fraction of the time users on social media are communicating digital files in the form of text, video, images, voice and music which ultimately generates big data. The matter of interest is to estimate precisely the average file size at time duration (occasion). The time may hours or days or months. This paper presents a sample-based methodology to deal with mean size estimation of digital communication content spreading on a social media platform. An estimator is suggested using a random sample from big data and its properties are derived. A simulation method is suggested that computes the confidence interval (CI) for the prediction of précised range of digital file size. The proposed method produces an optimal confidence interval at the suitable choice of constant. These estimated confidence intervals can be used for developing α-control charts for constant monitoring of the growth in file size in social media storage at the data centre. If the growth of mean digital file size crosses the upper limit then additional storage infrastructure is needed at the administration level of the social media site. One can generate machine learning algorithms proposed method for monitoring the growth of average digital file size over time duration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we investigate the inferential procedures within both classical and Bayesian frameworks for the generalized logistic distribution under a random censoring model. For randomly censored data, our main goals were to develop maximum likelihood estimators and construct confidence intervals using the Fisher information matrix for the unknown parameters. Additionally, we developed Bayes estimators with gamma priors, addressing both squared error and general entropy loss functions. We also calculated Bayesian credible intervals for the parameters. These methods were applied to two real datasets with random censoring to provide valuable insights. Finally, we conducted a simulation analysis to assess the effectiveness of the estimated values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]