Analysis Of Categorical Data Research Articles

Evaluation of postoperative pain on Transversus Abdominis Plane block and Erector Spinae Plane block in patients undergoing gynecological surgery: a prospective, comparative study

INTRODUCTION: Moderate to severe pain after gynecological surgery has an impact on postoperative recovery and mobilization. Transversus Abdominis Plane (TAP) block and Erector Spinae Plane (ESP) block have been used as multimodal analgesia for abdominal surgery. OBJECTIVES: This study aims to compare postoperative pain in patients undergoing either ESP blocks or TAP blocks, and the need for postoperative morphine in patients undergoing gynecological surgery.MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a single-center, prospective, double-arm, comparative study. Forty subjects were enrolled in this study, and classified into two groups. One group of 20 subjects underwent ESP block, and the remaining 20 subjects underwent TAP block following a gynecologic surgical procedure. Patients were then assessed using with the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) pain score which will be observed at intervals of 0–1 hour, 1–6 hours, 6–12 hours, and 12–24 hours. Numerical data analysis was done using an unpaired T-test on normally distributed data and the Mann-Whitney test on non-normally distributed data. Categorical data analysis was done using Fisher's Exact Test. RESULTS: NRS score at rest was higher in the TAP block group at 1–6 hours and 6–12 hours (pain scale 3) than in the ESP block group (pain scale 1). Movement-evoked pain NRS score was higher in the TAP block groups significantly. CONCLUSION: ESP block results in a lower postoperative pain score NRS value and reduces the need for morphine in post-gynecological surgery patients with a median incision compared to the TAP block.

Transforming estimated breeding values from observed to probability scale: how to make categorical data analyses more efficient.

Threshold models are often used in genetic analysis of categorical data, such as calving ease. Solutions in the liability scale are easily transformed into probabilities; therefore, estimated breeding values are published as the probability of expressing the category of main interest and are the industry's gold standard because they are easy to interpret and use for selection. However, because threshold models involve non-linear equations and probability functions, implementing such a method is complex. Challenges include long computing time and convergence issues, intensified by including genomic data. Linear models are an alternative to overcome those challenges. Estimated breeding values computed using linear models are highly correlated (≥ 0.96) with those from threshold models; however, the lack of a transformation from the observed to the probability scale limits the use of linear models. The objective of this study was to propose transformations from observed to probability scale analogous to the transformation from liability to probability scale. We assessed computing time, peak memory use, correlations between estimated breeding values, and estimated genetic trends from linear and threshold models. With 11M animals in the pedigree and almost 965k genotyped animals, linear models were 5x faster to converge than threshold models (32 vs. 145h), and peak memory use was the same (189 GB). The transformations proposed provided highly correlated probabilities from linear and threshold models. Correlations between direct (maternal) estimated breeding values from linear and threshold models and transformed to probabilities were ≥ 0.99 (0.97) for all animals in the pedigree, sires with/without progeny records, or animals with phenotypic records; therefore, estimated genetic trends were analogous, suggesting no loss of genetic progress in breeding programs that would adopt linear instead of threshold models. Furthermore, linear models reduced computing time by five-fold compared to the threshold models; this enables weekly genetic evaluations and opens the possibility of using multi-trait models for categorical traits to improve selection effectiveness.

More negative sagittal tibial tuberosity-trochlear groove distances are correlated with larger patellofemoral chondral lesion size.

The purpose of this study is to assess the association between sagittal tibial tuberosity-trochlear groove (sTT-TG) distance and patellofemoral chondral lesion size in patients undergoing cartilage restoration procedures. A retrospective cohort analysis of patients who underwent an osteochondral allograft transplantation or matrix-induced autologous chondrocyte implantation in the patellofemoral compartment, from 2010 to 2020, were included if they had patellofemoral high-grade lesions, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and minimum 2-year follow-up. The preoperative sTT-TG distance was measured independently on axial T2-weighted MRI sequences by two authors, each at least two weeks apart. Intraoperative lesion size was reported according to operative report measurements by the attending surgeon. An interclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was calculated to assess intra- and inter-rater reliability, and categorical data analysis and linear regression models were used to assess the relationship between sTT-TG and lesion size. A total of 80 patients (50 females) with a mean age of 31.5 ± 10.4 years, body mass index of 27.0 ± 5.9 kg/m2 and follow-up of 61.5 ± 21.4 months were included. A total of 107 lesions were present: 63 patients with unipolar (patella = 41, trochlea = 22) and 22 with bipolar lesions. The mean MRI defect size was 1.6 ± 1.0 cm2 and the mean intraoperative defect size was 3.8 ± 2.4cm2. Intra- (ICC: 0.99,0.98) and inter-rater reliability (ICC: 0.96) were excellent for both MRI defect size and sTT-TG measurements. The mean sTT-TG was -4.8 ± 4.9 mm and was significantly inversely related to MRI defect size (-0.45, p < 0.01), intraoperative patellar lesion size (-0.32, p = 0.01), total lesion area (-0.22, p = 0.04), but not trochlear lesion size (-0.09, p = 0.56). Multivariable regression demonstrated a more negative sTT-TG remained an independent variable correlated with larger MRI-measured patellofemoral defect sizes and intraoperative patellar lesions. A more negative sTT-TG was an independent variable correlated with larger patellofemoral lesions in patients undergoing patellofemoral cartilage restoration. Level III, Diagnostic.

Ejaculatory-sparing transurethral prostatectomy: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is a prevalent urologic condition leading to lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS). Transurethral prostatectomy has been a cornerstone for surgical management of LUTS due to BPH. A growing interest has recently emerged to develop a surgical approach that can decrease the effect on sexual and ejaculatory functions while maintaining its efficacy in treating LUTS. The aim of this meta-analysis is to assess patient-reported outcomes of ejaculatory-sparing transurethral prostatectomy in management of BPH. Cochrane Library, Scopus, PubMed, and Web of Science databases were searched systematically until July 6, 2024. Randomized controlled trials reporting data on ejaculatory-sparing techniques during transurethral prostatectomy were included. The Cochrane risk-of-bias tool for randomized trials was used for quality assessment. The meta-analysis was conducted with Review Manager software. Numerical data were analyzed by standardized mean difference (SMD), while the risk ratio was used for analysis of categorical data. Fixed or random effects models were used according to heterogeneity. Five randomized controlled trials were included with 274 patients. No statistically significant differences were found between groups for International Prostate Symptom Score (SMD, 0.07; 95% CI, -0.45 to 0.59; P= .79), Qmax (SMD, -0.53; 95% CI, -1.11 to 0.06; P= .08), and International Index of Erectile Function (SMD, 0.89; 95% CI, -0.07 to 1.84; P = .07). Ejaculation was better preserved in ejaculatory-sparing techniques (risk ratio, 0.19; 95% CI, 0.12-0.30; P < .00001). Ejaculatory-sparing transurethral prostatectomy techniques are feasible to preserve ejaculation while improving outcomes without compromising functional voiding outcomes.

Outcomes of Colonic and Gastric Tube Transplants after Caustic Esophageal Burn in Children: A 33-Year Review.

Introduction: Accidental caustic burns of the esophagus in children represent a significant global health challenge, often necessitating esophageal reconstruction. The aim of this study is to compare the efficacy and morbidity related to esophagus replacement with colonic and gastric tube transplants in a pediatric population followed for caustic stenosis. Methods: This retrospective study was conducted at a tertiary pediatric surgery unit for children treated from January 1989 to December 2022. We compared colonic and gastric tube esophageal replacement. Short term (within 30 days) and mid-term outcomes and complications were reviewed. Statistical evaluation was considered using a Chi-square test for categorical data analysis. Results: A total of 124 children with caustic esophageal burns were included. Among them, 23 (18.5%) had a gastric tube transplant for esophagus replacement and 101 (81.5%) a colonic transplant. During surgical intervention, we found a significantly higher risk of complications when using a colonic transplant (34%, p < 0.001). There was no significant statistical difference in postoperative short term and mid-term complications between the two techniques. Twenty-six (26%) of the children required a reoperation, with a higher risk in the gastric tube transplant group (p < 0.001). Endoscopic dilatation after surgery was also performed on a higher number of children who had received a gastric tube transplant (p = 0.005). Overall, 97.6% recovered full normal oral feeding. Conclusions: We found that colonic and gastric tube replacement are both good options for pediatric esophageal replacement after a caustic injury and show effectiveness over time. Gastric tube transplants carried a slightly higher risk of reoperations and a higher number of dilatations post-surgery. However, our groups are not really comparable, due to the much higher number of colonic transplants. Both surgical options have to be considered during surgery, and the choice depends on the anatomy of the patient. Our future research will focus on assessing long term quality of life and the potential risk of neoplastic complications.

Work-related Road Traffic Crashes in Malaysia: A Comparison between Fatal and Temporary Injury Cases

Introduction: Work-related road traffic crashes have significant implications for both employers and employees, leading to devastating consequences such as fatalities, injuries, and property damage. Despite the increasing focus on road safety research, little attention has been given to identifying factors associated with work-related road crashes. This paper explores and compares the characteristics of fatal cases (FOT) with the characteristics of temporary injury cases (HUS) in work-related road traffic crashes. Materials and methods: Seven years of work-related road crash claim compensation data between 2014 and 2020 was obtained from the Social Security Organization (SOCSO). A total of 546 cases were involved, including 56 FOT and 490 HUS cases. Categorical data analysis techniques were employed to examine the distinctions between FOT and HUS cases. Results: The results indicate a lower representation of transportation sectors in FOT cases, with the corresponding odds approximately 84% lower. Conversely, small and middle enterprises exhibit an odds ratio of about 5.1 times higher in FOT compared to HUS cases. Conclusion: The findings from this study can serve as proactive measures for employers in addressing work-related road traffic crashes. This includes enhancing road safety awareness programs specifically focusing on groups engaged in nighttime shifts and those involved in sending and pickup duties. Considering the distinct risk profiles of large enterprises versus small and medium enterprises, future studies are necessary to clarify the effectiveness of the road safety initiatives undertaken by both types of enterprises.

Erlotinib or Gefitinib for Treating Advanced Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Mutation-Positive Lung Cancer in Aotearoa New Zealand: Protocol for a National Whole-of-Patient-Population Retrospective Cohort Study and Results of a Validation Substudy.

Starting in 2010, the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) kinase inhibitors erlotinib and gefitinib were introduced into routine use in Aotearoa New Zealand (NZ) for treating advanced lung cancer, but their impact in this setting is unknown. The study described in this protocol aims to understand the effectiveness and safety of these new personalized lung cancer treatments and the contributions made by concomitant medicines and other factors to adverse outcomes in the general NZ patient population. A substudy aimed to validate national electronic health databases as the data source and the methods for determining patient eligibility and identifying outcomes and variables. This study will include all NZ patients with advanced EGFR mutation-positive lung cancer who were first dispensed erlotinib or gefitinib before October 1, 2020, and followed until death or for at least 1 year. Routinely collected health administrative and clinical data will be collated from national electronic cancer registration, hospital discharge, mortality registration, and pharmaceutical dispensing databases by deterministic data linkage using National Health Index numbers. The primary effectiveness and safety outcomes will be time to treatment discontinuation and serious adverse events, respectively. The primary variable will be high-risk concomitant medicines use with erlotinib or gefitinib. For the validation substudy (n=100), data from clinical records were compared to those from national electronic health databases and analyzed by agreement analysis for categorical data and by paired 2-tailed t tests for numerical data. In the validation substudy, national electronic health databases and clinical records agreed in determining patient eligibility and for identifying serious adverse events, high-risk concomitant medicines use, and other categorical data with overall agreement and κ statistic of >90% and >0.8000, respectively; for example, for the determination of patient eligibility, the comparison of proxy and standard eligibility criteria applied to national electronic health databases and clinical records, respectively, showed overall agreement and κ statistic of 96% and 0.8936, respectively. Dates for estimating time to treatment discontinuation and other numerical variables and outcomes showed small differences, mostly with nonsignificant P values and 95% CIs overlapping with zero difference; for example, for the dates of the first dispensing of erlotinib or gefitinib, national electronic health databases and clinical records differed on average by approximately 4 days with a nonsignificant P value of .33 and 95% CIs overlapping with zero difference. As of May 2024, the main study is ongoing. A protocol is presented for a national whole-of-patient-population retrospective cohort study designed to describe the safety and effectiveness of erlotinib and gefitinib during their first decade of routine use in NZ for treating EGFR mutation-positive lung cancer. The validation substudy demonstrated the feasibility and validity of using national electronic health databases and the methods for determining patient eligibility and identifying the study outcomes and variables proposed in the study protocol. Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12615000998549; https://www.anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?id=368928. DERR1-10.2196/51381.

Categorical data analysis using discretization of continuous variables to investigate associations in marine ecosystems

AbstractUnderstanding and predicting interactions between predators and prey and their environment are fundamental for understanding food web structure, dynamics, and ecosystem function in both terrestrial and marine ecosystems. Thus, estimating the conditional associations between species and their environments is important for exploring connections or cooperative links in the ecosystem, which in turn can help to clarify such directional relationships. For this purpose, a relevant and practical statistical method is required to link presence/absence observations with biomass, abundance, and physical quantities obtained as continuous real values. These data are sometimes sparse in oceanic space and too short as time series data. To meet this challenge, we provide an approach based on applying categorical data analysis to present/absent observations and real‐number data. The real‐number data used as explanatory variables for the present/absent response variable are discretized based on the optimal detection of thresholds without any prior biological/ecological information. These discretized data express two different levels, such as large/small or high/low, which give experts a simple interpretation for investigating complicated associations in marine ecosystems. This approach is implemented in the previous statistical method called CATDAP developed by Sakamoto and Akaike in 1979. Our proposed approach consists of a two‐step procedure for categorical data analysis: (1) finding the appropriate threshold to discretize the real‐number data for applying an independent test; and (2) identifying the best conditional probability model to investigate the possible associations among the data based on a statistical information criterion. We perform a simulation study to validate our proposed approach and investigate whether the method's observation includes many zeros (zero‐inflated data), which can often occur in practical situations. Furthermore, the approach is applied to two datasets: (1) one collected during an international synoptic krill survey in the Scotia Sea west of the Antarctic Peninsula to investigate associations among krill, fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus), surface temperature, depth, slope in depth (flatter or steeper terrain), and temperature gradient (slope in temperature); (2) the other collected by ecosystem surveys conducted during August–September in 2014–2017 to investigate associations among common minke whales, the predatory fish Atlantic cod, and their main prey groups (zooplankton, 0‐group fish) in Arctic Ocean waters to the west and north of Svalbard, Norway. The R code summarizing our proposed numerical procedure is presented in S4S1.

Evaluation of Finger Prints in Relation to Academic Performance of Students in Anatomy at Islam Medical and Dental College, Sialkot

Objective: To assess the relationship between the fingerprint patterns and academic performance of students in Anatomy.Methodology: This Cross-sectional study was conducted in the Anatomy department of Islam Medical and Dental College Sialkot. The duration of the study was from mid-November 2022 to mid-December 2022. A total of 300 healthy medical (1st and 2nd year MBBS) and dental (1st year BDS) students with no injury and deformity, voluntarily participated in this study. The student’s age were 20-22 years. Simple convenient sampling was used. Ethical clearance was obtained before study. Thumb prints were collected along with questionnaire. The study was done by categorizing the pattern into arches, loops and whorls. The academic performance was taken in percentage and classified as above 70 %, between 50 % and 70 % and below 50%. The statistical analysis of categorical data was done by using non-parametric test i.e. chi square test. A P value of &lt; 0.05 was considered statistically significant.Results: The most common pattern observed among students was loops. The students with loop pattern were in high scoring group while students with whorl and arch pattern scored less marks in Anatomy.Conclusion: The percentage of academic performance was higher in students with loops as compared to whorl and arch.

Categorical linkage-data analysis.

Analysis of integrated data often requires record linkage in order to join together the data residing in separate sources. In case linkage errors cannot be avoided, due to the lack a unique identity key that can be used to link the records unequivocally, standard statistical techniques may produce misleading inference if the linked data are treated as if they were true observations. In this paper, we propose methods for categorical data analysis based on linked data that are not prepared by the analyst, such that neither the match-key variables nor the unlinked records are available. The adjustment is based on the proportion of false links in the linked file and our approach allows the probabilities of correct linkage to vary across the records without requiring that one is able to estimate this probability for each individual record. It accommodates also the general situation where unmatched records that cannot possibly be correctly linked exist in all the sources. The proposed methods are studied by simulation and applied to real data.

Cross study analyses of SEND data: toxicity profile classification.

A SEND toxicology data transformation, harmonization, and analysis platform were created to improve the identification of unique findings related to the intended target, species, and duration of dosing using data from multiple studies. The lack of a standardized digital format for data analysis had impeded large-scale analysis of in vivo toxicology studies. The CDISC SEND standard enables the analysis of data from multiple studies performed by different laboratories. This work describes methods to analyze data and automate cross-study analysis of toxicology studies. Cross-study analysis can be used to understand a single compound's toxicity profile across all studies performed and/or to evaluate on-target versus off-target toxicity for multiple compounds intended for the same pharmacological target. This work involved development of data harmonization/transformation strategies to enable cross-study analysis of both numerical and categorical SEND data. Four de-identified SEND datasets from the BioCelerate database were used for the analyses. Toxicity profiles for key organ systems were developed for liver, kidney, male reproductive tract, endocrine system, and hematopoietic system using SEND domains. A cross-study analysis dashboard with a built-in user-defined scoring system was created for custom analyses, including visualizations to evaluate data at the organ system level and drill down into individual animal data. This data analysis provides the tools for scientists to compare toxicity profiles across multiple studies using SEND. A cross-study analysis of 2 different compounds intended for the same pharmacological target is described and the analyses indicate potential on-target effects to liver, kidney, and hematopoietic systems.

Finding mixed memberships in categorical data

Latent class analysis, a fundamental problem in categorical data analysis, often encounters overlapping latent classes that introduce further challenges. This paper presents a solution to this problem by focusing on finding latent mixed memberships of subjects in categorical data with polytomous responses. We employ the Grade of Membership (GoM) model, which assigns each subject a membership score in each latent class. To address this, we propose two efficient spectral algorithms for estimating these mixed memberships and other GoM parameters. Our algorithms are based on the singular value decomposition of a regularized Laplacian matrix. We establish their convergence rates under a mild condition on data sparsity. Additionally, we introduce a metric to evaluate the quality of estimated mixed memberships for real-world categorical data and determine the optimal number of latent classes based on this metric. Finally, we demonstrate the practicality of our methods through experiments on both computer-generated and real-world categorical datasets.

Traumatic Dental Injuries and their Association with Demographics and Other Predisposing Risk Factors in School Children Aged between 8-13 Years: A Descriptive, Cross-Sectional Study.

Traumatic dental injuries are most commonly seen in school age children. This not only affects physical, but, also, the psychological and social well-being of a child. The aim of the present study was to assess the prevalence of traumatic dental injuries in school children aged between 8 and 13 years and their association with the demographics and other predisposing risk factors. The present study was conducted as a cross-sectional study design on 1500 school children aged between 8 and 13 years. Apart from clinical examination, all the participants were asked to complete a questionnaire related to the injuries sustained. Statistical analysis was conducted using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21.0 (IBM, Chicago). Pearson's Chi-square (Χ²) test was used for categorical data analysis and distribution to determine the association between categorical variables, while P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. The prevalence of traumatic dental injuries in the present study was calculated at 9.7%. Also, the occurrence of such injuries was found to be higher in the age group of 8-11 years with 10 years being the peak age of incidence for sustaining such injuries. Again, crown fracture involving enamel was found to be the most common type of injury sustained, while proclination observed in relation to upper anterior teeth, and incompetent lips were found to be the independent, significant risk predictors associated with the frequency and severity of such injuries. The results obtained in the present study suggested a high prevalence of traumatic dental injuries in school children aged between 8 and 13 years highlighting the need for conducting educational programs, for increasing knowledge and awareness of parents, school children and school faculty in this regard to save the affected child patients from the more dreaded sequelae including complete loss of tooth structure, and social and emotional trauma.

Comparison of PFNA vs Hip Arthroplasty in Patients with Intertrochanteric Fractures

Aims: Intertrochanteric fractures are common types of hip fractures in the elderly population. Different types of surgical treatment options are available for intertrochanteric fractures such as Closed Reduction and Inter Fixation with Proximal Femoral Nail Anti-rotation (PFNA), Open Reduction and internal fixation with Dynamic Hip Screw (DHS), and Hip Arthroplasty. The main purpose of this study is to compare the clinical outcomes of PFNA with Hip arthroplasty in patients with Intertrochanteric Fractures. Materials and Methods: A retrospective cohort study method was used in the current study. The medical record of 101 patients with intertrochanteric fractures was collected. These 101 patients were divided into two groups according to the type of surgical treatment they received, PFNA (n=52) or THA (n=49). The outcome of Hip function was assessed according to the Harris Hip Score (HHS). A simple t-test was performed for statistical analysis. χ2 test used for the analysis of categorical data. P-values &lt;0.05 was considered as significant. Results: Hip Arthroplasty patients had longer surgery duration, length of incision was longer and intraoperative blood loss was more than in those patients who were treated with PFNA (P &lt;0.05). Hip arthroplasty patients could start early weight bearing than those in the PFNA group (P &lt;0.05). There was no any statistical difference between hospital stays in both groups (P &gt;0.05). HHS assessed at those 3 points showed that Hip function in Hip Arthroplasty patients was higher than with those who were treated with PFNA (P &lt;0.05). There was no statistically significant difference between the post-operative complication of both groups, as the P value is &gt;0.05. Conclusion: we concluded that treatment of intertrochanteric fracture with PFNA and Hip Arthroplasty is safe and effective. Each treatment has its advantages and disadvantages but with no significant difference in postoperative complications. Orthopaedic surgeons can choose ........

Effectiveness of the Integrated Dengue Education and Learning (iDEAL) module in improving the knowledge, attitude, practice, environmental cleanliness index, and dengue index among schoolchildren: A randomised controlled trial protocol.

Dengue is a mosquito-borne disease caused by four distinct, closely related dengue viruses (DENV). Global dengue incidence has markedly increased in the past decades. The World Health Organization reported that cases increased from 505,430 in 2000 to 5.2 million in 2019. Similarly, the total dengue cases in Malaysia increased from 7,103 in 2000 to a peak of 130,101 in 2019. Knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) remain the most effective dengue prevention and control tools. Furthermore, school-based health education is key to enhancing knowledge and raising awareness of the seriousness of dengue among schoolchildren and transferring knowledge and practice from classrooms to homes. Thus, it is necessary to plan an integrated module for the primary prevention of dengue infection, specifically among schoolchildren. The present study intends to develop, implement, and evaluate the effectiveness of a theory-based integrated dengue education and learning (iDEAL) module in improving the KAP, environmental cleanliness index, and dengue index among schoolchildren in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur. This study is a single-blinded, cluster randomised controlled trial to be conducted from 1 September 2023 to 31 August 2025. The study will involve 20 primary and 20 secondary schools in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur. The 1600 participants will be randomly allocated to intervention and control groups based on selected clusters to avoid contamination. A cluster is a comparable school that fulfils the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The intervention group will receive the iDEAL module, while the control group will receive standard education. The iDEAL module will be developed following a systematic procedure and delivered in-person by trained researchers to the participants. The outcome will be measured using validated, self-administered questionnaires at baseline (T0), immediately (T1), one month (T2), and three months (T3) post-intervention to measure the intervention module effectiveness. The data will be analysed using IBM Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 28 and descriptive and inferential statistics. Within-group changes over time will be compared using one-way repeated measure analysis of variance for continuous and normally distributed variables. Within-group analysis of categorical data will use Cochran's Q test. The main effect and interaction between and within the intervention and control groups at T0, T1, T2, and T3 will be tested using the generalised linear mixed model (GLMM). Hypothetically, the KAP, environmental cleanliness index, and dengue index among the intervention group will be significantly improved compared to the control group. The hypothesis will be tested using a significance level with a p-value of 0.05 and a confidence interval of 95%. The study protocol outlines developing and testing an iDEAL module for schoolchildren in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur, with no socio-demographic differences expected. The intervention aims to improve KAP, environmental cleanliness index, and dengue index, potentially reducing dengue risk. Results could inform public health policies, emphasizing school-based interventions' importance in combating diseases like dengue.

Prevalence of Refractive Errors Among School-Going Children in Urban Versus Rural Areas.

The most common cause of visual impairment globally is refractive error. The prevalence of refractive error has been on the rise since the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, possibly due to increased indoor activities and excessive use of electronic devices. Impaired vision during childhood can affect the overall development of a child adversely, and it often remains unreported due to the inability of children to complain about impaired vision. The main aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of refractive errors among school-going children in urban and rural areas. This was a cross-sectional study that included 2024 children going to schools situated in urban and rural areas. All study subjects were tested for visual acuity for distance using Snellen's chart with and without glasses after taking a brief history regarding visual complaints. All children who had visual acuity less than 6/6 on Snellen's chart underwent refraction check-ups. Retinoscopy was performed in all study subjects. Analysis of the collected data was done using SPSS for Windows, Version 16.0 (Released 2007; SPSS Inc., Chicago, United States). The analysis of numerical data was done by an unpaired t-test, and the analysis of categorical data was done by a chi-square test. A P-value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. The mean age of the children was 10.92 ± 2.73 years, with 10.93 ± 2.73 years in urban and 10.91 ± 2.73 years in rural groups. Females (n=1031; 50.93%) were more in number than males (n=993; 49.06%). The overall prevalence of refractive error was 17.43%. The prevalence was higher in urban areas (22.14%) than in rural areas (12.71%). The age group below 10 years comprised 886 (43.77%) study subjects, and 218 (62.1%) children with refractive error had no ocular complaints. The most common refractive error found in this study was simple myopia in both groups, and the least common was astigmatism. The prevalence of uncorrected refractive error was higher in urban school-going children as compared to rural children. Theprevalence of refractive error was 17.43% in our study. The prevalence was highin urban areas (22.67%) as compared to rural areas (13.12%). Regular screening of school-going children for refractive errors should be done. Also, awareness regarding the use of electronic gadgets must be raised, especially among urban children.

Likelihood Ratio Test and the Evidential Approach for 2 × 2 Tables.

Categorical data analysis of 2 × 2 contingency tables is extremely common, not least because they provide risk difference, risk ratio, odds ratio, and log odds statistics in medical research. A χ2 test analysis is most often used, although some researchers use likelihood ratio test (LRT) analysis. Does it matter which test is used? A review of the literature, examination of the theoretical foundations, and analyses of simulations and empirical data are used by this paper to argue that only the LRT should be used when we are interested in testing whether the binomial proportions are equal. This so-called test of independence is by far the most popular, meaning the χ2 test is widely misused. By contrast, the χ2 test should be reserved for where the data appear to match too closely a particular hypothesis (e.g., the null hypothesis), where the variance is of interest, and is less than expected. Low variance can be of interest in various scenarios, particularly in investigations of data integrity. Finally, it is argued that the evidential approach provides a consistent and coherent method that avoids the difficulties posed by significance testing. The approach facilitates the calculation of appropriate log likelihood ratios to suit our research aims, whether this is to test the proportions or to test the variance. The conclusions from this paper apply to larger contingency tables, including multi-way tables.

Pairwise stochastic approximation for confirmatory factor analysis of categorical data.

Pairwise likelihood is a limited-information method widely used to estimate latent variable models, including factor analysis of categorical data. It can often avoid evaluating high-dimensional integrals and, thus, is computationally more efficient than relying on the full likelihood. Despite its computational advantage, the pairwise likelihood approach can still be demanding for large-scale problems that involve many observed variables. We tackle this challenge by employing an approximation of the pairwise likelihood estimator, which is derived from an optimization procedure relying on stochastic gradients. The stochastic gradients are constructed by subsampling the pairwise log-likelihood contributions, for which the subsampling scheme controls the per-iteration computational complexity. The stochastic estimator is shown to be asymptotically equivalent to the pairwise likelihood one. However, finite-sample performance can be improved by compounding the sampling variability of the data with the uncertainty introduced by the subsampling scheme. We demonstrate the performance of the proposed method using simulation studies and two real data applications.

The Added Value of Prostate Magnetic Resonance Imaging to Patient Selection.

There has been a rapid increase in the utilization of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for prostate cancer detection. The objective of this study was to measure the increase in utilization of MRI before prostate biopsy and the effects on the distribution of Prostate Imaging Reporting and Data System (PI-RAD) scores and Gleason grades over a 5-year interval in an integrated health system. The authors conducted a retrospective analysis of prostate MRI studies prior to biopsy in the calendar years of 2017 and 2022. Peak PI-RADS score, peak Gleason grade of suspected prostatic lesions, and the number of biopsy cores were collected from radiology reports and pathology reports from patients' electronic health records, respectively. All statistical tests were 2-tailed with a significance level set at p < 0.05. Categorical data analyses were performed using Mann-Whitney tests. Continuous data analyses were performed using t-tests. The total number of prostate MRIs and the number of MRIs with subsequent biopsy respectively increased by 178% and 215% over a 5-year interval (2017-2022). There was a higher proportion of MRI studies with an associated biopsy given a PI-RADS score of ≥ 3 (91%) and a Gleason grade of ≥ 7 (61%) in 2022 than in 2017 (PI-RADS: 75%; Gleason: 28%). Increased utilization of prostate MRI has been associated with a higher proportion of biopsies with high PI-RADS and Gleason scores consistent with improved patient selection in this integrated health system.

Analisis Perangkat Pembelajaran Daring Berdasarkan Survei Siswa Akibat Pandemi Covid-19

The Covid-19 pandemic situation in 2021 resulted in various changes in various sectors, including education. Various methods were used to maintain learning activities by reducing physical contact to prevent the spread of the virus. The shift from face-to-face learning to online quickly led to new problems that reduced the effectiveness of student learning. These issues are caused by suboptimal internet network quality, difficulty in adapting to online learning methods, and differences in understanding material through video conferencing applications. This research aims to provide a comprehensive explanation of the effectiveness of online learning in the short and long term using non-parametric statistics and categorical data analysis through Chi-Square tests. The research sample consists of 150 students from universities in Jakarta and Bandung