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Educational and Psychological... Jun 2017Bayesian and classical statistical approaches are based on different types of logical principles. In order to avoid mistaken inferences and misguided interpretations,...
Bayesian and classical statistical approaches are based on different types of logical principles. In order to avoid mistaken inferences and misguided interpretations, the practitioner must respect the inference rules embedded into each statistical method. Ignoring these principles leads to the paradoxical conclusions that the hypothesis [Formula: see text] could be less supported by the data than a more restrictive hypothesis such as [Formula: see text], where [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] are two population means. This article intends to discuss and explicit some important assumptions inherent to classical statistical models and null statistical hypotheses. Furthermore, the definition of the -value and its limitations are analyzed. An alternative measure of evidence, the -value, is discussed. This article presents the steps to compute -values and, in order to illustrate the methods, some standard examples are analyzed and compared with -values. The examples denunciate that -values, as opposed to -values, fail to hold some logical relations.
PubMed: 29795926
DOI: 10.1177/0013164416667979 -
PloS One 2022Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV2) has imposed catastrophic impressions on the world. After all the focused researches conducted in the COVID-19...
INTRODUCTION
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV2) has imposed catastrophic impressions on the world. After all the focused researches conducted in the COVID-19 area, many features remain obscure. We have surveyed 1,363 outpatients with suspected COVID-19 in Tehran, Iran. The analysis emphasized on characteristics of patients with positive PCR or serology of SARS-CoV-2.
METHODS
The nasopharyngeal swabs were tested for SARS-CoV2 PCR. Serum specimens were tested for SARS-CoV2 IgG and IgM. Clinical presentations of the patients, history of chronic diseases or drug use, contact with a possible COVID-19 patient and previous infection with SARS-COV2 were investigated.
RESULTS
Of the total 1,363 investigated patients, 22% had positive SARS-CoV-2 PCRs, 82% had positive IgG, 38% had positive IgM, and 31% had both positive IgM and IgG values. Positive serologic tests were significantly associated with a positive PCR test obtained previously in the course of the current disease (P value<0.001). IgG and IgM antibody values were significantly associated with underlying disease, cough, fever, chills, fatigue, and myalgia (all P values <0.001). Dyspnea was significantly associated with IgG levels (P value = 0.01), yet it was not associated with IgM serology (P value = 0.2). Positive serology tests were not associated with symptoms of coryza. GI symptoms were not associated with positive IgG test (P value = 0.1), yet it did show an association with positive IgM test (P value = 0.02). Cough, fever, chills, myalgia fatigue, dyspnea, and GI symptoms were all significantly associated with positive PCR (all P values <0.001), and symptoms of coryza did not show a significant relationship (P value = 0.8).
CONCLUSION
Assessing antibody titers in outpatients is invaluable due to the epidemiological importance of investigations in mild or even asymptomatic cases. Since the number of such studies in non-hospitalized patients is not high, the current study can be used as a comparison model.
Topics: Antibodies, Viral; COVID-19; Chills; Cough; Cross-Sectional Studies; Dyspnea; Fatigue; Humans; Immunoglobulin G; Immunoglobulin M; Iran; Myalgia; RNA, Viral; SARS-CoV-2; Serologic Tests
PubMed: 35421183
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0266923 -
Iranian Journal of Otorhinolaryngology Sep 2023Considering the inconsistent results regarding the association between the severity and duration of olfactory dysfunction (OD), and the viral load in coronavirus disease...
INTRODUCTION
Considering the inconsistent results regarding the association between the severity and duration of olfactory dysfunction (OD), and the viral load in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients, we aimed to conduct this study.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
This is a prospective cohort study in which COVID-19 patients were evaluated for the initial cycle threshold value (Ct values) measured by the nasopharyngeal samples along with olfactory function measured by the University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test (UPSIT) within 2 months of COVID-19 onset.
RESULTS
Among 309 COVID-19 patients who were included in this study, 108 (34.9%), 112 (36.2%) and 89 (28.8%) were normosmic, hyposmic, and anosmic, respectively based on the UPSIT. The severity of COVID-19 and the rate of hospitalization were higher in anosmic patients (p<0.0001, and p<0.0001, respectively). Moreover, significant associations between the initial Ct value and the severity of OD at admission and follow-ups were detected (p<0.0001 and p<0.0001, respectively). Anosmic patients had higher Ct values in comparison with hyposmic (approx. 3-fold) and normosmic (approx. 12-fold) patients. The recovery rate after one- and two-month follow-ups was 47% and 84%, respectively. At the follow-ups, OD-recovered patients significantly had lower Ct values (mean Ct value: 27.79 ± 2 and 28.21 ± 2.08) in comparison with those who have not recovered yet (mean Ct value: 30.19 ± 3.36, and 33.6 ± 3.37) (p<0.0001, and p<0.0001, respectively).
CONCLUSIONS
Ct value seems to be a significant factor not only in predicting OD severity in COVID-19 patients but also in the OD recovery duration. This finding may be helpful to investigate the underlying mechanisms of OD in COVID-19 patients.
PubMed: 38090619
DOI: 10.22038/IJORL.2023.71462.3429 -
Entropy (Basel, Switzerland) Apr 2023Minimum Bayes factors are commonly used to transform two-sided -values to lower bounds on the posterior probability of the null hypothesis, in particular the bound...
Minimum Bayes factors are commonly used to transform two-sided -values to lower bounds on the posterior probability of the null hypothesis, in particular the bound -e·p·log(p). This bound is easy to compute and explain; however, it does not behave as a Bayes factor. For example, it does not change with the sample size. This is a very serious defect, particularly for moderate to large sample sizes, which is precisely the situation in which -values are the most problematic. In this article, we propose adjusting this minimum Bayes factor with the information to approximate an exact Bayes factor, not only when is a -value but also when is a pseudo--value. Additionally, we develop a version of the adjustment for linear models using the recent refinement of the Prior-Based BIC.
PubMed: 37190406
DOI: 10.3390/e25040618 -
Dental Hypotheses 2016"Significance" has a specific meaning in science, especially in statistics. The p-value as a measure of statistical significance (evidence against a null hypothesis) has...
"Significance" has a specific meaning in science, especially in statistics. The p-value as a measure of statistical significance (evidence against a null hypothesis) has long been used in statistical inference and has served as a key player in science and research. Despite its clear mathematical definition and original purpose, and being just one of the many statistical measures/criteria, its role has been over-emphasized along with hypothesis testing. Observing and reflecting on this practice, some journals have attempted to ban reporting of p-values, and the American Statistical Association (for the first time in its 177 year old history) released a statement on p-values in 2016. In this article, we intend to review the correct definition of the p-value as well as its common misuses, in the hope that our article is useful to clinicians and researchers.
PubMed: 27695640
DOI: 10.4103/2155-8213.190481 -
Sisli Etfal Hastanesi Tip Bulteni 2021As the feasibility of obtaining health care has improved in the last decade, there is an increase in the number of performing unnecessary coronary angiogram. Red Cell...
OBJECTIVES
As the feasibility of obtaining health care has improved in the last decade, there is an increase in the number of performing unnecessary coronary angiogram. Red Cell Distribution Width (RDW), which shows erythrocyte dispersion volume, is associated with coronary artery disease. The present study aims to evaluate the relationship between RDW value and the severity of coronary artery disease in patients who undergo myocardial perfusion scintigraphy (MPS) as an evaluation for coronary ischemia and after which patients had a coronary angiography.
METHODS
This retrospective study included 452 patients diagnosed as stabile angina that had MPS to evaluate coronary ischemia and after which coronary angiography was performed. Complete blood count was obtained on the same day. Patients were first divided into two groups: patients with and without ischemia on MPS. Then, the group who had ischemia on the MPS where divided into another two groups: patients who had RDW values ≥13.5 and the others who had RDW value <13.5. Patients who had fixed perfusion defect, chronic kidney disease, thyroid dysfunction, hematological disease, those who use iron supplements, and those who had active infectious disease were excluded from this study.
RESULTS
The basic characteristics were the same between study groups. We found that severe coronary vessel disease, single vessel, two vessels and three vessels diseases were higher in patients who had ischemia on the MPS and RDW values ≥13.5 (p-value were 0.032, 0.004, 0.042 respectively). RDW values ≥13.5 was found to be an independent predictor for the presence of severe coronary artery disease (p<0.001 OR: 3.55).
CONCLUSION
Patients who have MPS for ischemic evaluation and RDW values of ≥ 13.5 were more severe coronary heart diseases. As a result, the findings suggest that using of RDW value is a cheap and feasible parameter that may prevent performing unnecessary coronary angiography for patients after MPS.
PubMed: 33935539
DOI: 10.14744/SEMB.2019.58159 -
Translational Vision Science &... Jun 2021The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between perfusion of the choriocapillaris (CC) and retinal sensitivity in eyes with intermediate...
PURPOSE
The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between perfusion of the choriocapillaris (CC) and retinal sensitivity in eyes with intermediate age-related macular degeneration (iAMD).
METHODS
This prospective study included patients with iAMD and healthy controls. All enrolled subjects underwent optical coherence tomography angiography (OCT-A) in order to compute the percent perfused choriocapillaris area (PPCA). In patients with iAMD, microperimetry (MP) testing was performed in order to quantify: mean retinal sensitivity (MRS), over an area of 10 degrees; mean macular sensitivity (MMS), over the macular area scanned with OCT-A; and retinal sensitivity (RS) in each macular point.
RESULTS
Eighteen eyes of 13 patients were included in the analysis. In addition, 18 eyes of 12 healthy subjects were enrolled as controls. No statistically significant difference (P value > 0.2) was observed in age between patients (73.9 ± 2.0 years) and controls (70.1 ± 2.8 years). We observed significantly lower values of PPCA between patients with iAMD and healthy controls (42.0% ± 3.8% vs. 66.4% ± 3.0%; -β = 23.8%; P value < 0.001). Among iAMD eyes, higher values of PPCA were significantly associated with higher values of MRS (P value = 0.002) and MMS (P value = 0.013). Finally, higher values of RS in each macular point analyzed with MP were significantly (P value < 0.001) associated with higher values of PPCA computed in circular regions of interest (ROIs) centered in each analyzed MP point with radii of 0.5 degrees and 1.0 degree.
CONCLUSIONS
Using OCT-A, we demonstrated a significant association between CC impairment and macular dysfunction, quantified by MP, in iAMD eyes.
TRANSLATIONAL RELEVANCE
OCT-A could be a useful tool for detecting CC alterations and to monitor disease progression.
Topics: Aged; Choroid; Fluorescein Angiography; Humans; Macular Degeneration; Prospective Studies; Retina
PubMed: 34061948
DOI: 10.1167/tvst.10.7.2 -
PloS One 2018Although determining the quality of life among glaucoma patients has important clinical and public health implications, the utility value of glaucoma patients has not...
OBJECTIVES
Although determining the quality of life among glaucoma patients has important clinical and public health implications, the utility value of glaucoma patients has not yet been determined in Korea.
METHODS
The Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey database was used to identify 833 glaucoma patients based on ophthalmologic examinations. The adjusted mean utility values, calculated by EuroQol-5D (EQ-5D-3L), of glaucoma patients according to patient demographics and measures of glaucoma severity were determined using multivariate linear regression analysis.
RESULTS
The mean utility value of glaucoma patients was 0.8968. Patients aged 70 years or more had significantly lower utility value (0.86, p value 0.005) compared to those aged less than 50 years (0.96). Patients within the lowest quartile of income had a utility value of 0.87, compared to a utility value of 0.96 for those within the highest quartile (p value 0.001). Patients who were not married had lower utility value (0.87) compared to married patients (0.93). Patients within the lowest quartile of worse eye frequency doubling technology (FDT) score had lower utility value (0.88) compared to those within the highest quartile (0.94). Finally, bilateral vision loss patients had significantly lower utility value (0.83, p value 0.013) compared to patients without vision loss (0.92).
CONCLUSION
The present study assessed utility values of Korean glaucoma patients. The quality of life determined by EQ-5D-3L in Korean glaucoma patients was higher compared to those in other countries. Patient demographics as well as measures of disease severity were important factors in determining the quality of life within glaucoma patients.
Topics: Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Female; Glaucoma; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Nutrition Surveys; Quality of Life; Republic of Korea; Severity of Illness Index; Vision Disorders
PubMed: 29847608
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0197581 -
Food Chemistry Dec 2017Acrylamide is a well-known potentially carcinogen compound formed during thermal processing as an intermediate of Maillard reactions. Three objectives were addressed:...
Acrylamide is a well-known potentially carcinogen compound formed during thermal processing as an intermediate of Maillard reactions. Three objectives were addressed: the impact of gastric digestion on acrylamide content of French Fries, chips, chicken nuggets, onions rings, breakfast cereals, biscuits, crackers, instant coffee and coffee substitute; the acrylamide content evolution during gastrointestinal digestion of French fries and chips; and the effectiveness of blanching and air-frying on acrylamide mitigation after gastrointestinal digestion. A significant increase (p-value <0.05) in acrylamide content was observed for most of the products after gastric digestion (maximum registered for sweet biscuits, from 30±8 to 150±48µg/kg). However, at the end of the intestinal stage, acrylamide values were statistically similar (p-value=0.132) for French fries and lower than the initial values (before digestion) in potato chips (p-value=0.027). Finally, the low acrylamide content found in blanched and air-fried samples, remained still lower than for deep fried samples even after gastrointestinal digestion.
Topics: Acrylamide; Digestion; Food Handling; Hot Temperature; Maillard Reaction; Solanum tuberosum
PubMed: 28764038
DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2017.05.104 -
Disease Markers 2022Aim of this bioinformatics study based on transcriptomic analysis was to reveal the cross-talk between periodontitis (PD) and hypothyroidism (HT).
BACKGROUND
Aim of this bioinformatics study based on transcriptomic analysis was to reveal the cross-talk between periodontitis (PD) and hypothyroidism (HT).
METHODS
The gene expression datasets GSE18152 and GSE176153 of HT and GSE10334, GSE16134, and GSE173078 of PD were downloaded through the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. Differential Expression Genes (DEG) between cases and controls in each microarray were assessed by using the "limma" (linear models for microarray data) R package (|log2 fold change (FC)| >0 and -value <0.05). To analyze the cross-talk effect between HT and PD, the intersection of DEG of HT and PD was selected. To investigate the biological function of cross-talk genes, the gene ontology (GO) functional enrichment analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis were applied. Protein-Protein Interaction (PPI) network was constructed using Cytoscape software. Top 10 cross-talk genes were screened, and the expression values of these 10 genes were extracted. ROC analysis was performed by using the pROC package and GGplot2 package of R language to predict the classification accuracy.
RESULTS
The overlapping DEG between HT and PD were 107 cross-talk genes. The results revealed that developmental process (-value =1.06E-21) was the most significantly enriched biological process, followed by cell differentiation (-value =8.49E-18) and immune system process (-value =6.78E-11). KEGG analysis showed that Complement and coagulation cascades (-value =2.29E-05), Hematopoietic cell lineage (-value =2.66E-05), Phospholipase D signaling pathway (-value =0.034367878) and Chemokine signaling pathway (-value =0.04946333) were significantly enriched. The top 10 genes with most connections were LCE1B, LCE2B, LCE2A, LCE2C, LCE1C, LCE1F, ITGAM, C1QB, TREM2, and CD19. The AUC values of the two datasets of HT were both greater than 65% (GSE18152 = 81.42%, GSE176153 = 68.75%). AUC values of three datasets of PD were all greater than 60% (GSE10334 = 69.23%, GSE16134 = 73.72%, GSE173078 = 81.6%).
CONCLUSIONS
A genetic cross-talk between HT and PD was detected, whereby LCE family genes appeared to play the most important role.
Topics: Crosses, Genetic; Gene Expression Profiling; Gene Regulatory Networks; Humans; Hypothyroidism; Periodontitis; Protein Interaction Maps; Transcriptome
PubMed: 35450027
DOI: 10.1155/2022/5736394