Search results for "Mathematical and statistical techniques"
showing 10 items of 136 documents
Performance of a Predictive Model for Long-Term Hemoglobin Response to Darbepoetin and Iron Administration in a Large Cohort of Hemodialysis Patients
2016
International audience; Anemia management, based on erythropoiesis stimulating agents (ESA) and iron supplementation, has become an increasingly challenging problem in hemodialysis patients. Maintaining hemodialysis patients within narrow hemoglobin targets, preventing cycling outside target, and reducing ESA dosing to prevent adverse outcomes requires considerable attention from caregivers. Anticipation of the long-term response (i.e. at 3 months) to the ESA/iron therapy would be of fundamental importance for planning a successful treatment strategy. To this end, we developed a predictive model designed to support decision-making regarding anemia management in hemodialysis (HD) patients tr…
Validation of two portable bioelectrical impedance analyses for the assessment of body composition in school age children
2017
Background Bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) is a convenient and child-friendly method for longitudinal analysis of changes in body composition. However, most validation studies of BIA have been performed on adult Caucasians. The present cross-sectional study investigated the validity of two portable BIA devices, the Inbody 230 (BIA8MF) and the Tanita BC-418 (BIA8SF), in healthy Taiwanese children. Methods Children aged 7–12 years (72 boys and 78 girls) were recruited. Body composition was measured by the BIA8SF and the BIA8MF. Dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) was used as the reference method. Results There were strong linear correlations in body composition measurements between the BIA…
Force-velocity profiling in athletes: Reliability and agreement across methods
2021
The aim of the study was to examine the test-retest reliability and agreement across methods for assessing individual force-velocity (FV) profiles of the lower limbs in athletes. Using a multicenter approach, 27 male athletes completed all measurements for the main analysis, with up to 82 male and female athletes on some measurements. The athletes were tested twice before and twice after a 2- to 6-month period of regular training and sport participation. The double testing sessions were separated by ~1 week. Individual FV-profiles were acquired from incremental loading protocols in squat jump (SJ), countermovement jump (CMJ) and leg press. A force plate, linear encoder and a flight time cal…
The effects of age at menarche and first sexual intercourse on reproductive and behavioural outcomes:A Mendelian randomization study
2020
SummaryThere is substantial variation in the timing of significant reproductive life events such as menarche and first sexual intercourse. Life history theory explains this variation as an adaptive response to the developmental environment. In environments characterized by harsh conditions, adopting a fast life history strategy may increase fitness. In line with this, there is evidence demonstrating that greater childhood adversity is associated with earlier age at menarche. Here we applied Mendelian randomization (MR) methods to investigate whether there is a causal effect of variation in age at menarche and age at first sexual intercourse on outcomes related to reproduction, education and…
Discover cervical disc arthroplasty versus anterior cervical discectomy and fusion in symptomatic cervical disc diseases: A meta-analysis.
2016
OBJECTIVE:Symptomatic cervical disc disease (SCDD) is a common degenerative disease, and Discover artificial cervical disc, a new-generation nonconstrained artificial disk, has been developed and performed gradually to treat it. We performed this meta-analysis to compare the efficacy and safety between Discover cervical disc arthroplasty (DCDA) and anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) for SCDD. METHODS:An exhaustive literature search of PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library was conducted to identify randomized controlled trials that compared DCDA with ACDF for patients suffering SCDD. A random-effect model was used. Results were reported as standardized mean difference or risk …
Psychometric properties of the German version of the Self-Image Scale (SIS-D)
2020
Background The Self-Image Scale is a self-report measure originally developed for use in women with cancer. Two subscales assess appearance satisfaction (self-acceptance) and perceptions of partners’ acceptance of their appearance (partner-acceptance). This study aimed to increase the Self-Image Scale’s utility by 1) confirming the two-factor structure of the German version of the Self-Image Scale, 2) testing measurement invariance across sex and age groups and validity, and 3) gathering general population normative data. Methods Confirmatory factor analysis methods were used to examine the proposed two-factor model in a random sample of adults from the general German population (N = 1367).…
Orthorexia nervosa and healthy orthorexia as new eating styles
2019
It was recently proposed that healthy orthorexia (HeOr) and orthorexia nervosa (OrNe) should be differentiated. The aim of the present study was to analyze whether the two dimensions of orthorexia can be considered new eating styles or basically equivalent to restrained eating behavior. Two samples of university students (sample 1, n = 460; sample 2, n = 509) completed the Teruel Orthorexia Scale (TOS), the Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire (DEBQ), and the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS). Factor analysis with the TOS and DEBQ items together revealed an adequate fit for the preexisting five-factor solution (TOS: OrNe and HeOr; DEBQ: Restrained Eating, Emotional Eating, and Ex…
Long-term variations of arterial stiffness in patients with obesity and obstructive sleep apnea treated with continuous positive airway pressure
2020
BackgroundObstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is associated with cardiovascular co-morbidities and mortality. Arterial stiffness is an independent predictor of cardiovascular risk and mortality, and is influenced by the presence of OSA and related comorbidities. There is a paucity of data regarding long-term evolution of arterial stiffness in CPAP-treated OSA patients. We aimed to prospectively study long term PWV variations and determinants of PWV deterioration.MethodsIn a prospective obese OSA cohort, at time of diagnosis and after several years of follow-up we collected arterial stiffness measured by carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (PWV), clinical and metabolic parameters, and CPAP adheren…
The COPD multi-dimensional phenotype: A new classification from the STORICO Italian observational study.
2019
BackgroundThis paper is aimed to (i) develop an innovative classification of COPD, multi-dimensional phenotype, based on a multidimensional assessment; (ii) describe the identified multi-dimensional phenotypes.MethodsAn exploratory factor analysis to identify the main classificatory variables and, then, a cluster analysis based on these variables were run to classify the COPD-diagnosed 514 patients enrolled in the STORICO (trial registration number: NCT03105999) study into multi-dimensional phenotypes.ResultsThe circadian rhythm of symptoms and health-related quality of life, but neither comorbidity nor respiratory function, qualified as primary classificatory variables. Five multidimension…
Adherence to immunomodulatory drugs in patients with multiple myeloma
2018
Background Immunomodulatory drugs (thalidomide, lenalidomide and pomalidomide; IMID) are widely used in the treatment of multiple myeloma patients. To date, few data are available on IMID adherence in multiple myeloma patients. The aim of our study was to evaluate IMID adherence and to compare two indirect methods to measure IMID adherence in multiple myeloma patients: a specific questionnaire and the medication possession ratio (MPR). Another aim was to explore this specific questionnaire for the assessment of IMID adherence in multiple myeloma patients. Methods All consecutive multiple myeloma patients, with at least two consecutive dispensations of thalidomide, lenalidomide or pomalidomi…