Correlation Test Research Articles

Analysis of Dominant Risk Factors for Stroke Incidence and Unhealthy Lifestyle at Sidomulyo Pekanbaru Health Center

The introduction of health in the community is not only seen in the health sector but also must be seen in all sectors that influence health problems. Generally, there are two kinds of causes of stroke. The first is a blockage of the arteries, called ischemic stroke, while the second cause is rupture of blood vessels, or stroke ischemic, while the second cause is a rupture of blood vessels called a hemorrhagic stroke. Other causes of stroke can be a temporary disruption of blood flow to the brain, commonly referred to as an ischemic attack (TIA). These three conditions have a series of potential factors that trigger stroke. Hemorrhagic. Other causes of stroke can be a temporary disruption of blood flow to the brain, commonly referred to as an ischemic attack (TIA). These three conditions have a series of potential factors that trigger stroke. The study employed the Spearman rank correlation test method to investigate the relationship between smoking habits, alcohol consumption, lack of physical activity, and the occurrence of stroke. It involved 41 respondents from the Sidomulyo Health Center's jurisdiction. The findings revealed a significant association between smoking habits and stroke, as indicated by a significance value of 0.007, which is less than the threshold of 0.05. Similarly, there was a significant relationship observed between alcohol consumption and stroke, with a significance value of 0.016. However, the analysis showed no significant correlation between lack of physical activity and stroke, as the significance value of 0.446 exceeded the threshold of 0.05.

Correlation between preoperative cardiopulmonary exercise testing and six-minute walk test, five-times sit to stand test and Short Form-36 physical component score in patients undergoing cytoreductive surgery

IntroductionAssessment of preoperative function is important for determining fitness for surgery, preoperative optimisation and predicting postoperative morbidity in patients undergoing cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (CRS-HIPEC). This study explored correlations between preoperative cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) variables, and six-minute walk test (6MWT), five-times sit to stand test (5STS) and Short Form-36 (SF-36) physical component score in patients scheduled for elective CRS-HIPEC. MethodsThis study included patients who underwent preoperative CPET, 6MWT, 5STS and responded to the SF-36 survey prior to elective CRS-HIPEC at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney. CPET was performed using a cycle ergometer and measured peak oxygen uptake (VO2 peak) and anaerobic threshold (AT). The associations between preoperative CPET variables and preoperative 6MWT, 5STS and SF-36 were assessed using correlation test. ResultsA total of 133 patients scheduled for elective CRS-HIPEC were included in this study. The median VO2, AT and VE/VCO2 were 20.3 [6.5] ml/kg/min, 13.1 [4.9] ml/kg/min and 29 [4.5], respectively. The median 6MWT, 5STS and SF-36 physical component score were 525 m, 9.2 s and 50.2, respectively. CPET variables were significantly correlated with 6MWT (VO2 r = 0.51; AT r = 0.35; VE/VCO2 r = −0.25; p < 0.01), 5STS (VO2 r = −0.32; AT r = −0.27; VE/VCO2 r = 0.24; p < 0.01) and SF-36 (VO2 r = 0.42; AT r = 0.38; VE/VCO2 r = −0.23; p < 0.01). Conclusions6MWT, 5STS and SF-36 are at best moderately correlated with CPET variables, which suggests that these tests may serve as adjuncts rather than a replacement to CPET in the clinical setting.

CONTEXTUAL CORRELATES OF A SUSTAINABLE SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT IN ROXAS, ISABELA, PHILIPPINES

The study investigates the contextual correlates of sustainable practices at Anao-Kiling Elementary School, emphasizing human values as dominant factors in environmental stewardship. Specifically, this study aims to assess the level of environmental awareness, identify environmental issues, explore practiced behaviors, and examine challenges faced by students. Using a descriptive-normative research design, data was collected from 36 Grade 6 pupils through structured questionnaires. Frequency count and percentage distribution, weighted mean, Pearson-r correlation, and Chi-Square test were used to analyze the data. Results show that most respondents had access to smartphones, indicating a certain level of economic stability. Environmental care programs were implemented in many schools, and pollution and overpopulation were considered moderately serious issues. Both technology-based and non-technology-based activities showed a slightly aware level of environmental awareness. The findings also revealed that the respondents demonstrated practiced behaviors and exhibited human values like respect and honesty. Challenges faced included miscommunication about waste segregation policies and a lack of enthusiasm for clean-up activities. The statistical analysis indicated no significant correlation between environmental issues and human values, nor between environmental awareness and confronting environmental problems. Moreover, socioeconomic factors do not relate to the level of environmental care practices. To foster sustainable behaviors among students, regardless of socioeconomic status, it is essential to integrate environmental values and practices into school curricula. It is recommended that schools prioritize environmental education and enhance communication regarding waste segregation policies to promote a culture of environmental stewardship.

Association between tooth loss-related speech and psychosocial impairment with cognitive function: A pilot study in Hong Kong's older population.

Tooth loss has been associated with cognitive decline, but the underlying mechanisms involving speech and psychosocial impairment remain unclear. To investigate the impact of tooth loss-related speech and psychosocial impairment on cognitive function in Hong Kong's older population. Seventy-six Cantonese-speaking participants between the ages of 51-92 were classified into three groups: patients with complete dentures (CD), partially edentulous patients with less than 10 occluding tooth pairs (OU <10), and at least 10 occluding tooth pairs (OU ≥10). Cognitive function was assessed using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment Hong Kong Version, One-minute Verbal Fluency Task and Hayling Sentence Completion Test. Objective and subjective speech assessments were carried out using artificial intelligence speech recognition algorithm and a self-designed speech questionnaire. The impact of tooth loss on psychosocial condition was evaluated by the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test and a self-designed questionnaire. Statistical analyses (one-way ANOVA, ANCOVA, Kruskal-Wallis test, Spearman correlation test) were performed. Tooth loss was significantly associated with lower cognitive function (p = .008), speech accuracy (p = .018) and verbal fluency (p = .001). Correlations were found between cognitive function and speech accuracy (p < .0001). No significant difference in tooth loss-related psychosocial impact was found between the three groups. While warranting larger sample sizes, this pilot study highlights the need for further research on the role of speech in the association between tooth loss and cognitive function. The potential cognitive impact of tooth retention, together with its known biological and proprioceptive benefits, supports the preservation of the natural dentition.

THE INFLUENCE OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP LEARNING ON ENTREPRENEURIAL INTEREST OF CLASS XII STUDENTS IN PUBLIC SCHOOL 6 MAKASSAR

This study aims to determine the influence of entrepreneurship learning on entrepreneurial interest in class XII students at SMK Negeri 6 Makassar. The variables in this study are entrepreneurship learning as the independent variable and interest in entrepreneurship as the dependent variable. The population and this research are all class XII students at SMK Negeri 6 Makassar. The sampling technique used the Random Sampling technique, samples from the population were obtained and a portion of the population with a sample of 76 students. The data collection technique used was a questionnaire and technical documentation. The data analysis used was descriptive analysis of percentages, instrument reliability testing and hypothesis testing. Based on the results of the data analysis that has been done, the results of the descriptive analysis of entrepreneurship learning are 85.52 percent which are very high and the interest in entrepreneurship is 80.26 percent which is high. And the results of simple linear regression analysis are obtained entrepreneurship learning Y-27470-1.228X, which means that each addition of 1 value learning then the interest in entrepreneurship has increased 1.228 While the product moment correlation test obtained a correlation coefficient value of 0.555 and is in the medium category which means the effect of entrepreneurship learning on moderate entrepreneurship interest. The results of the analysis of the coefficient of determination (r) obtained (r) = 0.308 or 30.8%, which means that learning entrepreneurship has a contribution to interest in entrepreneurship by 30.8 percent and the remaining 69.2 percent is influenced by other factors. While the results of the t- test analysis obtained a significant value of 0.000 0.05, which means that entrepreneurship learning has a significant effect on interest in entrepreneurship, thus the hypothesis is acceptedKeywords: Entrepreneurship Learning, Interest in Entrepreneurship

Parental involvement in public school programs and activities in Omar District, Ministry of Basic, Higher and Technical Education – Sulu: Teacher’s perspective

This study is descriptive-exploratory research determining the extent of parental involvement in public school programs and activities as perceived by teachers at Omar District, Ministry of Basic, Higher, and Technical Education, Sulu. Employing weighted mean, standard deviation, t-test for independent samples, one-way ANOVA, and Pearson’s r test of correlation. The following are the findings of this study: 1) Out of 100 teacher-respondents, the great majority are within 31 years old and above age brackets, are female, and most have 6–10 years of service and a bachelor’s degree. All the sub-categories subsumed under the extent of parental involvement in public school programs and activities, as perceived by teachers at Omar District, Ministry of Basic, Higher, and Technical Education—Sulu, are all rated as “highest extent,” with a total weighted mean score of 4.67, 4.61, 4.59, and 4.52 with a standard deviation of .15786,.20728,.19589, and .28588, respectively, by the teacher-respondents at Omar District, Ministry of Basic, Higher, and Technical Education—Sulu. 3) Generally, there is no significant difference in the extent of parental involvement in public school programs and activities, as perceived by teachers at Omar District, Ministry of Basic, Higher, and Technical Education—Sulu, when data are grouped according to their demographic profile. 4) Generally, the sub-categories subsuming the extent of parental involvement in public school programs and activities, as perceived by teachers at Omar District, Ministry of Basic, Higher, and Technical Education—Sulu, are moderately correlated, which means there is but not strong interdependency among the subcategories subsumed.

Influence of musculoskeletal injury history on countermovement jump performance in rugby players

ObjectiveTo examine whether musculoskeletal injury history is a factor that influences countermovement jump (CMJ) performance in rugby players and to compare CMJ performance between player's position (forwards or backs). MethodsThirty rugby players (15 with an injury history and 15 without an injury history) performed the CMJ using an inertial sensor (Baiobit®) to evaluate kinematic (Jump Height, Velocity and Phase duration) and kinetic data (rate of force development [RFD], impact peak [IP], take-off force and Stiffness]. The group comparison was performed with an independent t-test, and the association between CMJ performance, sociodemographic variables and injury history was investigated with Pearson's correlation test. ResultsRugby players with and without history of musculoskeletal injury differed in age and playing experience, but there was no difference in CMJ performance between groups. Jump height of uninjured players was positively correlated with take-off force and RFD and negatively correlated with concentric phase duration and RFD. Injured players demonstrated a negative correlation between take-off force and IP. Compared to backs, forwards were heavier and taller, showed greater IPs and were more likely to have an injury history. ConclusionsThere were no differences in CMJ performance between rugby players with and without an injury history. Forwards showed greater IPs and were more likelier to have an injury history than backs.

Motivation and self-efficacy are pivotal in driving science learning outcomes

This study explores how self-efficacy and learning motivation impact science cognitive learning outcomes among eighth-grade students. Using a correlational quantitative approach, the research identifies self-efficacy (X1) and learning motivation (X2) as independent variables and cognitive learning outcomes (Y) as the dependent variable. Sampling involves simple random sampling, with data collected through questionnaires and documentation. Analysis stages include normality and linearity tests, followed by correlation tests using SPSS Version 26. Results show a positive and significant influence of self-efficacy and learning motivation on cognitive learning outcomes, highlighting the importance of these factors in shaping science education outcomes for eighth-grade students. Highlight: Performance Dynamics: Self-efficacy and motivation influence science learning outcomes. Quantitative Rigor: Correlational research with SPSS ensures data validity. Educational Enhancement: Insights guide curriculum adjustments for improved science education outcomes. Keyword: Self-Efficacy, Learning Motivation, Science Education, Eighth Grade Students, Correlational Research

The HWAM-EMD-GRU Forecasting Model for Short-Term Passenger Flow in an Airport Light Rail Transit Line

Accurate forecasting of airport light rail transit line (ALRTL) outbound passenger flow is critical to the optimal operations of both light rail and airport systems. Considering the nonlinearity, non-stationarity, uncertainty, and periodicity of outbound passenger flow in the ALRTL, we propose a combined forecasting model that integrates the Holt and Winters additive model (HWAM), empirical mode decomposition (EMD) and gated recurrent unit (GRU). Firstly, the edge effect of EMD will greatly affect the performance of the forecasting model. To overcome this, we extend the passenger flow by HWAM. After that, the decomposition method, EMD, can be applied to passenger flow, and several intrinsic mode function (IMF) components can be extracted. After extracting all the IMFs, the remaining part is referred to as the residual (Res) component. Then, a correlation test is performed on all the components, followed by their aggregation. Finally, the GRU is used to predict each of the aggregated components, and the prediction of aggregated components requires reconstruction. To verify the performance of the HWAM-EMD-GRU, we conducted a comparative study on the hourly passenger flow data for Beijing Daxing International Airport Express and set the autoregressive integrated moving average model, HWAM, Prophet, and GRU as the baseline. Predictions of the HWAM-EMD-GRU combined model demonstrated higher accuracy than baseline models, with a root mean square error of 83.52 (Prophet is 110.21) and mean absolute percentage error of 8.32% (Prophet is 12.48 %). The experimental result shows that the HWAM-EMD-GRU forecasting model offers more accurate predictions.

To Determine how the Severity of Pain Relates to the Quality of Sleep Following Tube Thoracostomy

Background: Tube thoracostomy (TT) is a prevalent procedure in the management of various thoracic conditions, including pneumothorax, pleural effusion, and chest trauma. Despite its widespread use, TT is associated with significant complications such as pain and impaired sleep quality, which can affect patient recovery and overall health outcomes. Objective: This study aims to explore the relationship between pain severity and sleep quality following tube thoracostomy and to assess the impact of pain management on postoperative recovery. Methods: A descriptive, prospective, cross-sectional study was conducted at Dr. Ruth K. M. Pfau Civil Hospital Karachi and Dow University of Health Sciences from September 28, 2022, to March 27, 2023. The study included adults aged 18 to 70 who underwent TT for any indication. Patients were excluded if they withheld consent, had a history of substance use, psychological disorders, or were victims of poly-trauma. Pain severity was assessed using a visual analogue scale (VAS) and sleep quality was evaluated using the Richards-Campbell Sleep Questionnaire (RCSQ). Data were analyzed using SPSS version 25, employing descriptive statistics and Spearman correlation tests. Results: The study involved 77 participants with a mean age of 28.33 ± 10.50 years. The mean pain scores on postoperative days 1, 2, and 3 were 8.08 ± 0.66, 6.92 ± 0.99, and 4.92 ± 1.37, respectively. Corresponding sleep quality scores were 17.50 ± 7.53, 36.67 ± 9.84, and 57.50 ± 10.55. A significant negative correlation was found between pain scores and sleep quality scores on day 3 (r = -0.744, p &lt; 0.001). Conclusion: The findings suggest a significant association between lower pain scores and improved sleep quality among patients undergoing tube thoracostomy. Effective pain management may enhance sleep quality and facilitate recovery, highlighting the need for comprehensive postoperative care strategies in these patients.

Postoperative myopic shift and visual acuity rehabilitation in patients with bilateral congenital cataracts.

This study aimed to explore the postoperative myopic shift and its relationship to visual acuity rehabilitation in patients with bilateral congenital cataracts (CCs). Bilateral CC patients who underwent cataract extraction and primary intraocular lens implantations before 6 years old were included and divided into five groups according to surgical ages (<2, 2-3, 3-4, 4-5, and 5-6 years). The postoperative myopic shift rates, spherical equivalents (SEs), and the best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) were measured and analyzed. A total of 1,137 refractive measurements from 234 patients were included, with a mean follow-up period of 34 months. The postoperative mean SEs at each follow-up in the five groups were linearly fitted with a mean R2 = 0.93 ± 0.03, which showed a downtrend of SE with age (linear regression). Among patients with a follow-up of 4 years, the mean postoperative myopic shift rate was 0.84, 0.81, 0.68, 0.24, and 0.28 diopters per year (D/y) in the five age groups (from young to old), respectively. The BCVA of those with a surgical age of <2 years at the 4-year visit was 0.26 (LogMAR), and the mean postoperative myopic shift rate was 0.84 D/y. For patients with a surgical age of 2-6 years, a poorer BCVA at the 4-year visit was found in those with higher postoperative myopic shift rates (r = 0.974, p = 0.026, Pearson's correlation test). Performing cataract surgery for patients before 2 years old and decreasing the postoperative myopic shift rates for those with a surgical age of 2-6 years may benefit visual acuity rehabilitation.

Knowledge and practice of health workers towards maternal and child health in the Democratic Republic of the Congo: a cross-sectional study

BackgroundThe burden of maternal and child mortality is high in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). While health workers (HWs) with adequate knowledge and practice of maternal and child health (MCH) are crucial to reduce this burden, the skill level of HWs in charge of MCH in the DRC is currently insufficient. This study aimed to assess the knowledge and practice of HWs towards MCH in Kasai and Maniema, two DRC provinces with very high maternal mortality ratios and under-5 mortality rates.MethodsThis cross-sectional study was conducted in 96 health facilities of Kasai and Maniema provinces in 2019. All HWs in charge of MCH were eligible for the study. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire containing 76 questions on knowledge and practice of MCH. Analyses were performed using the Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney test, Kendall’s correlation test, and a multivariate linear mixed regression model.ResultsAmong participating HWs, 42.6% were A2 nurses (lowest qualification), 81.9% had no up-to-date training in MCH, and 48.4% had only 1-5 years of experience in MCH. In the two provinces combined, about half of HWs had poor knowledge (50.6%) and poor practice (53.3%) of MCH. Knowledge and practice scores were higher in Maniema than in Kasai (P < 0.001). Good knowledge and practice scores were significantly associated with high qualification (P = 0.001), continuing up-to-date training in MCH (P = 0.009), and 6 years of experience or more in MCH (P = 0.01).ConclusionIn Maniema and Kasai provinces, about half of HWs had poor knowledge and poor practice of MCH. The conversion of A1 nurses into midwives as well as the provision of up-to-date training in MCH, supervision, and mentorship could improve the skill level of HWs and could thus reduce the burden of MCH in the DRC.

Reference values of skeletal muscle mass for children in Nanjing area

Objective: To establish the reference values and growth curves of skeletal muscle mass among children in the Nanjing area. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with children who underwent physical examination at the Department of Child Health Care, Children's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University from 2020 January to 2022 September. Their height, weight, body fat mass and skeletal muscle mass were measured. Body mass index, percentage of body fat mass, percentage of skeletal muscle mass, relative skeletal muscle mass index and the ratio of skeletal muscle to body fat were calculated. The associations between skeletal muscle mass indices and physical measurements index were analyzed through the Spearman correlation test. The Mann-Kendall test was used to assess the trend for skeletal muscle mass. Generalized additive models for location, scale and shape were used to construct percentile reference values and growth curves of male and female skeletal muscle mass indices at different ages. Results: A total of 32 690 children aged 4-14 years were enrolled in this study, including 19 912 boys (60.91%). Skeletal muscle mass, percentage of skeletal muscle mass, relative skeletal muscle mass index and the ratio of skeletal muscle to body fat of boys and girls was 11.10 (8.40, 14.90) and 10.30 (7.90, 13.20) kg, 40.36% (37.01%, 43.13%) and 39.38% (36.43%, 41.88%), 6.70 (6.07, 7.52) and 6.33 (5.79, 7.00), 2.39 (1.46, 3.47) and 2.14 (1.45, 3.00) kg/m2, respectively. Skeletal muscle mass of both boys and girls was all positively associated with weight (r=0.97, 0.96), body mass index (r=0.68, 0.63) and percentage of body fat mass (r=0.40, 0.43) (all P<0.01). The reference values and growth curves showed that the percentage of skeletal muscle mass P50 ranged from 37.75%-44.61% in boys and from 36.22%-40.55% in girls. The relative skeletal muscle mass index P50 ranged from 5.80-9.68 kg/m2 in boys and from 5.57-7.98 kg/m2 in girls. The ratio of skeletal muscle to body fat P50 ranged from 1.86-2.67 in boys and from 1.29-2.41 in girls. There was an increasing trend with age for both boys and girls in the growth of skeletal muscle mass (Z=4.20, 3.75, both Ptrend<0.01), and increased slightly before 9 years of age and then increased rapidly until 14 years of age in both boys and girls. Conclusions: The skeletal muscle mass indices change with age and gender during childhood. Percentile reference values for pediatric skeletal muscle mass indices can be used to evaluate the muscular growth and development in children in the Nanjing area.

Effect of an Optimistic Approach on Individual Life Satisfaction

The study explores the impact of an optimistic approach on an individual’s life satisfaction. The study aims to understand the relationships between variables and determine whether they align with previous research findings showing that an optimistic approach benefits greater life satisfaction. The study was conducted in Pakistan. Two hundred participants were taken through purposive sampling, belonging to different socio-economic backgrounds. They were administered The Life Orientation Test (LOT) and Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS). To establish inter-item consistency, Cronbach alpha value was found for LOT as (α = .69-.72) and for SWLS as (α = .83-.92). Results showed a positive &amp; relatively strong correlation (r=.473, n=200, p=.000) between the two variables through Pearson correlation test. Further, Regression was applied, resulting in a highly significant relationship f (1, 98) = p&lt;0.05, R2=.552. Despite low optimism scores, a high level of life satisfaction was determined, and when optimism increases by 1 point, the life satisfaction score increases by 2,141 points. Based on the results of the study, the influence of optimism on life satisfaction in the context of Pakistan is discussed.

Abstract PO5-25-09: rs2242652 POLYMORPHISM OF THE hTERT GENE IN WOMEN WITH BREAST CANCER

Abstract Introduction: Breast cancer is the most common neoplasm in women around the world. There are several risk factors for this cancer: sex, age, body mass index (BMI), hormone therapy, family history, genetic mutations, among several others. The vast majority of breast tumors are characterized as carcinomas and may originate from ducts or lobules. Immunohistochemistry is related to the expressions of the estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR), as well as the expression of the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), cell proliferation or the absence of any expression from receptors on the tumor membrane. The telomeres protect the chromosomes natural endings from suffering DNA loss. Telomerase is a ribonuclear protein complex (RNA and protein) that neutralizes telomeres' shortening. Recurrent point mutations in the TERT telomerase promoter have been identified in several cancers, and the rs2242652 polymorphism is a single nucleotide change, and has been described as associated with breast cancer risk. Objective: The objective of this study is to analyze the TERT rs2242652 polymorphism in breast cancer women and to test the correlation of such data with the prognosis and various clinical variables. Methods: The study was conducted as an observational clinical study of women with breast cancer. A blood sample was collected from the patient and PCR was performed to extract the DNA and to analyze the telomerase polymorphisms in this population. To ensure a more descriptive analysis, the data was used in the construction of tables and graphs, that were then studied in a qualitative manner. The associations were analyzed through direct correlation tests and were followed by comparisons of categorization groups. Results and discussion: Fifty-four women presented polymorphism of the telomerase hTERT gene rs2242652. They were divided into two groups according to the A or G allele that confer the GA/AA and GG gene variants. It was found that the GA/AA group had a trend towards more aggressive tumors, presenting 33% triple negative and 22% of tumors with HER2 overexpression, different from the GG group: 19% triple negative and 10% HER2 overexpression. More aggressive T4 tumors, were more expressive in the GA/AA gene variant group representing 20% of the patients, whereas in the GG group they represented only 8%. Conclusion: The data found in this study on the telomerase TERT gene polymorphism rs2242652 with breast cancer refers to a tendency found in tumors that have a more severe prognosis, to associate with the gene variant linked to the A allele of this gene, however a larger sample number is required for statistical confirmation. Citation Format: Miriam Alvares, Elisa Mascarenhas, Joao Matos. rs2242652 POLYMORPHISM OF THE hTERT GENE IN WOMEN WITH BREAST CANCER [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2023 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2023 Dec 5-9; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(9 Suppl):Abstract nr PO5-25-09.

Clinical characteristics of children with severe SARS-CoV-2 infection in Yunnan

Objective: To investigate the clinical characteristics of 130 children with severe SARS-CoV-2 infection in Yunnan province after the relaxation of non-pharmaceutical interventions, and analyze the risk factors for mortality. Methods: This study is a retrospective case summary that analyzed the demographic data, underlying diseases, clinical diagnoses, disease outcomes, and laboratory results of 130 children with severe COVID-19 infections admitted to nine top-tier hospitals in Yunnan Province from December 2022 to March 2023. According to the prognosis, the patients were divided into survival group and death group. The clinical and laboratory data between the two groups were compared, and the risk factors of death were evaluated. The χ2 test and Mann-Whitney U test were employed to compare between groups, while Spearman correlation test and multiple Logistic regression were used to analyze the risk factors for death. The predictive value of independent risk factors was evaluated by receiver operating characteristic curve. Results: The 130 severe patients included 80 males and 50 females with an onset age of 28.0 (4.5, 79.5) months. There were 97 cases in the survival group and 33 cases in the death group with no significant differences in gender and age between the two groups (P>0.05). Twenty-five cases (19.2%) out of the 130 patients had underlying diseases, and the number with underlying diseases was significantly higher in death group than in survival group (36.4% (12/33) vs. 13.4%(13/97), χ2=8.36, P=0.004). The vaccination rate in the survival group was significantly higher than that in the death group (86.1% (31/36) vs. 7/17, χ2=9.38, P=0.002). A total of 42 cases (32.3%) of the 130 patients were detected to be infected with other pathogens, but there was no significant difference in the incidence of co-infection between the death group and the survival group (39.3%(13/33) vs. 29.9% (29/97), χ2=1.02, P>0.05). Among the 130 cases, severe respiratory cases were the most common 66 cases (50.8%), followed by neurological severe illnesses 34 cases (26.2%) and circulatory severe 13 cases (10%). Compared to the survival group, patients in the death group had a significantly higher levels of neutrophil, ferritin, procalcitonin, alanine aminotransferase, lactate dehydrogenase, creatine kinase isoenzyme, B-type natriuretic peptide, interleukin-6 and 10 (6.7 (4.0, 14.0) vs. 3.0 (1.6, 7.0)×109/L, 479 (298, 594) vs. 268 (124, 424) μg/L, 4.8 (1.7, 10.6) vs. 2.0 (1.1, 3.1) μg/L, 66 (20, 258) vs. 23 (15, 49) U/L, 464 (311, 815) vs. 304 (252, 388) g/L, 71(52, 110) vs. 24(15, 48) U/L, 484 (160, 804) vs. 154 (26, 440) ng/L, 43 (23, 102) vs. 19 (13, 27) ng/L, 216 (114, 318) vs. 86 (45, 128) ng/L, Z=-4.21, -3.67, -3.76, -3.31, -3.75, -5.74, -3.55, -4.65, -5.86, all P<0.05). The correlated indexes were performed by multivariate Logistic regression and the results showed that vaccination was a protective factor from death in severe cases (OR=0.01, 95%CI 0-0.97, P=0.049) while pediatric sequential organ failure assessment (PSOFA) (OR=3.31, 95%CI 1.47-7.47, P=0.004), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) (OR=1.56, 95%CI 1.05-2.32, P=0.029) and D dimer (OR=1.49, 95%CI 1.00-1.02, P=0.033) were independent risk factors for death (all P<0.05). The area under the curve of the three independent risk factors for predicting death were 0.86 (95%CI 0.79-0.94), 0.89 (95%CI 0.84-0.95) and 0.87 (95%CI 0.80-0.94), all P<0.001, and the cut-off values were 4.50, 3.66 and 4.69 mg/L, respectively. Conclusions: Severe SARS-CoV-2 infection can occur in children of all ages, primarily affecting the respiratory system, but can also infect the nervous system, circulatory system or other systems. Children who died had more severe inflammation, tissue damage and coagulation disorders. The elevations of PSOFA, NLR and D dimer were independent risk factors for death in severe children.

Abstract PO4-03-06: Body mass index and response to neoadjuvant chemo-immunotherapy among women with primary triple negative breast cancer

Abstract Background: Elevated body mass index (BMI) is associated with lower rates of pathologic complete response (pCR) after neoadjuvant chemotherapy in patients with breast cancer. The addition of PD-1 receptor inhibition with pembrolizumab to neoadjuvant chemotherapy is now considered the standard of care for patients with stage II or III triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) based on results from the KEYNOTE-522 (KN-522) trial. In other cancer types such as melanoma and lung cancer, patients with overweight/obesity have better survival outcomes following treatment with immunotherapy compared to patients with normal weight, despite a higher incidence of any-grade immune-related adverse events (irAEs). Whether BMI is associated with differential response and toxicity in patients with TNBC treated with neoadjuvant chemo-immunotherapy is unknown. Methods: Patients with stage II-III TNBC treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy plus pembrolizumab per the KN-522 regimen from 8/2021 – 9/2022 at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center were included in this retrospective study. Patient characteristics, tumor characteristics, treatments, surgical pathology information, and irAEs were abstracted from medical records. pCR was defined as absence of invasive or in situ carcinoma in breast and axillary node tissue surgical specimens. BMI was categorized per standard definitions: underweight/normal weight &amp;lt; 25 kg/m2, overweight 25-29.9 kg/m2, and obese &amp;gt;=30 kg/m2. Wilcoxon rank sum tests, Pearson’s chi-squared tests, and Kendall rank correlation tests were used to test associations between variables. Results: 143 patients were included in this study. 57 patients (39.8%) were underweight/normal weight, 46 (32.2%) were overweight, and 40 (28.0%) were obese. Overall, 79/143 patients (55.2%) experienced a pCR. Among patients with a pCR, median BMI was 26.3 kg/m2 (interquartile range [IQR] 23.1-30.5 kg/m2); among patients without a pCR, median BMI was 26.1 kg/m2 (IQR 23.6-30.0 kg/m2; p &amp;gt;0.9). There was no significant association between BMI category and pCR (p=0.9). Overall, 63/143 (44%) of patients experienced an irAE; 42 (29.4%) required treatment for an irAE. There were no associations between BMI and the incidence (p=0.5) or frequency (p=0.7) of irAEs. Conclusions: In this TNBC cohort treated with neoadjuvant chemo-immunotherapy, BMI was not associated with rates of pCR or irAEs. These findings highlight the divergent impact of BMI on immunotherapy response across cancer types. Confirmatory studies in independent cohorts are needed. Citation Format: Sherry Shen, Sara Myers, Yuan Chen, Stephanie Downs-Canner, Nour Abuhadra, Tiffany Traina, Mark Robson, Neil Iyengar. Body mass index and response to neoadjuvant chemo-immunotherapy among women with primary triple negative breast cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2023 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2023 Dec 5-9; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(9 Suppl):Abstract nr PO4-03-06.

A BWM-TOPSIS Linear Programming Model for Evaluating the Performance of Health-Promoting Hospitals with McKinsey 7s Framework in Organizational Management

This research addresses the critical aspect of evaluating operational performance in health promotion hospitals, which play a vital role in providing medical services to local communities. The research proposes an integrated method for performance assessment, utilizing the Best-Worst Method (BWM) and the Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) linear programming model. Taking the case of health promotion hospitals in Maha Sarakham province, Thailand, and considering the McKinsey 7s framework's seven criteria, BWM is employed to determine the criteria weights. Subsequently, the TOPSIS linear programming model selects the ideal health promotion hospital based on these weights. The BWM analysis reveals criteria weights in the following order: system, staff, skill, style, structure, strategy, and shared value. The TOPSIS linear programming model identifies SH12 as the top-performing health promotion hospital with a closeness coefficient value of 0.8821. Additionally, a Spearman's rank correlation test validates this proposed method against the original TOPSIS approach, yielding a correlation value of 1.0. These findings provide valuable guidance for organizations, particularly in shaping strategic policies and resource allocation within medical service units, medical equipment, and personnel management in organizational settings. This study offers that the proposed method is simpler and will aid in the ongoing analysis of strengths and weaknesses in the improvement of organizations and development, helping organizations adapt to changes.

The effectiveness of intervention in hepatitis C patients and improvement in their referral rate

Background To investigate the effectiveness of the intervention with critical value management and push short messaging service (SMS), and to determine improvement in the referral rate of patients with positive hepatitis C antibody (anti-HCV). Methods No intervention was done for patients with positive anti-HCV screening results from 1 January 2015 to 31 October 2021. Patients with positive anti-HCV results at our hospital from 1 November 2021 to 31 July 2022 were informed vide critical value management and push SMS. For inpatients, a competent physician was requested to liaise with the infectious disease physician for consultation, and patients seen in the OPD (outpatient department) were asked to visit the liver disease clinic. The Chi-square correlation test, one-sided two-ratio test and linear regression were used to test the relationship between intervention and referral rate. Results A total of 638,308 cases were tested for anti-hepatitis C virus (HCV) in our hospital and 5983 of them were positive. 51.8% of the referred patients were aged 18–59 years and 10.8% were aged ≥75 years. The result of Chi-square correlation test between intervention and referral was p = .0000, p < .05. One-sided two-ratio test was performed for statistics of pre-intervention referral rate (p1) and post-intervention referral rate (p2). Normal approximation and Fisher’s exact test for the results obtained were 0.000, p < .05, and the alternative hypothesis p1 − p 2 < 0 was accepted. The linear regression equation was referral = 0.1396 × intervention + 0.3743, and the result model p = 8.79e − 09, p < .05. The model was significant, and the coefficient of intervention was 0.1396. Conclusions The interventions of critical value management and push SMS were correlated with the referral rate of patients with positive anti-HCV.

Regularizing stock return covariance matrices via multiple testing of correlations

This paper develops a large-scale inference approach for the regularization of stock return covariance matrices. The framework allows for the presence of heavy tails and multivariate GARCH-type effects of unknown form among the stock returns. The approach involves simultaneous testing of all pairwise correlations, followed by setting non-statistically significant elements to zero. This adaptive thresholding is achieved through sign-based Monte Carlo resampling within multiple testing procedures, controlling either the traditional familywise error rate, a generalized familywise error rate, or the false discovery proportion. Subsequent shrinkage ensures that the final covariance matrix estimate is positive definite and well-conditioned while preserving the achieved sparsity. Compared to alternative estimators, this new regularization method demonstrates strong performance in simulation experiments and real portfolio optimization.