Proportional Analysis Research Articles

High-resolution vessel wall MRI in Moyamoya disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis of diagnostic and prognostic applications.

Moyamoya disease (MMD) is a rare cerebrovascular disorder characterized by the narrowing of arteries at the brain's base. While cerebral angiography is the gold standard for diagnosis, high-resolution vessel wall magnetic resonance imaging (VW-MRI) has recently emerged as a non-invasive diagnostic tool. This systematic review aims to provide insights into the role of VW-MRI in enhancing the diagnosis and management of MMD. A systematic search was conducted in PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and Web of Science for relevant articles on December 5, 2023. Demographic data, the outer diameter of the vessel, vessel wall contrast enhancement (VW-CE) and its pattern, vessel wall thickening and its pattern, remodeling index, and vessel area were extracted. In the analysis proportions were pooled using a random-effects model with logit transformation where applicable. Quality assessment was conducted using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale. Of the 6035 identified studies in the primary search, 19 met the inclusion criteria. Among the reviewed studies, the most commonly reported variations in patients with MMD using VW-MRI was VW-CE (84.21%) and its pattern (52.63%). The pooled prevalence of enhanced lesions in MMD was 0.55 (95% CI: 0.29-0.79), with ratio of concentric lesions being 0.98 (95% CI: 0.72-1.00, I²: 37%). The remodeling index across three studies showed a pooled estimate of 0.41 (95% CI: 0.11-0.72, I²: 99%). VW-MRI emerges as a promising non-invasive tool for enhancing diagnosis of MMD, potentially aiding in disease differentiation and predicting complications. However, standardization and further research are essential to solidify VW-MRI's role.

Lack of observed tolerance to diazepam nasal spray (Valtoco®) after long-term rescue therapy in patients with epilepsy: Interim results from a phase 3, open-label, repeat-dose safety study

ObjectiveTolerance is a known consideration for maintenance use of benzodiazepines and other antiseizure drugs; however, clinical experience suggests that tolerance may not be anticipated with long-term intermittent use of benzodiazepines as rescue therapy. Diazepam nasal spray (Valtoco®) is a proprietary intranasal formulation approved for the acute treatment of intermittent, stereotypic episodes of frequent seizure activity (ie, seizure clusters, acute repetitive seizures) in patients with epilepsy aged ≥6 years. Reported here are exploratory analyses investigating whether there was evidence of development of tolerance in an interim analysis of a long-term, phase 3, open-label safety study of diazepam nasal spray. MethodsPatients and care partners were trained to administer 5, 10, 15, or 20 mg of diazepam nasal spray (age- and weight-based dosing), with a second dose administered 4–12 hours later if needed. A series of analyses were performed to assess evidence of tolerance using 2 equal, adjacent time periods and data for each patient to compare the proportion of events for which second doses of diazepam nasal spray (as a proxy for effectiveness) were administered in period 1 compared with period 2. ResultsA total of 175 patients were enrolled at interim cutoff, and 158 were treated with diazepam nasal spray for 3370 seizure-cluster events. For 73.4% of patients, duration of exposure to diazepam nasal spray was ≥12 months. A total of 191 analyses were conducted; the proportion of analyses in which second doses in period 2 were lower than in period 1 was 72.8%. Only 5 analyses showed nominally statistically significant changes (P < 0.05); this is fewer than expected by chance, and these differences were not directionally consistent. There was no safety signal with continued use. ConclusionsThese analyses found no statistical evidence of tolerance with the use of diazepam nasal spray over time based on use of a second dose in an initial period of the study compared with a subsequent period for each patient. These results are in agreement with prior studies of benzodiazepine rescue therapy.

Characterization of immunization secondary analyses using demographic and health surveys (DHS) and multiple indicator cluster surveys (MICS), 2006\u20132018

BackgroundInfant immunization coverage worldwide has plateaued at about 85%. Using existing survey data to conduct analyses beyond estimating coverage may help immunization programmes better tailor strategies to reach un- and under-immunized children. The Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) and the Multiple Indicators Cluster Survey (MICS), routinely conducted in low and middle-income countries (LMICs), collect immunization data, yet vaccination coverage is often the only indicator reported and used. We conducted a review of published immunization-related analyses to characterize and quantify immunization secondary analyses done using DHS and MICS databases.MethodsWe conducted a systematic search of the literature, of immunization-related secondary analyses from DHS or MICS published between 2006 and August 2018. We searched 15 electronic databases without language restrictions. For the articles included, relevant information was extracted and analyzed to summarize the characteristics of immunization-related secondary analyses. Results are presented following the PRISMA guidelines.ResultsAmong 1411 papers identified, 115 met our eligibility criteria; additionally, one article was supplemented by the Pan American Health Organization. The majority were published since 2012 (77.6%), and most (68.9%) had a first or corresponding author affiliated with institutions in high-income countries (as opposed to LMICs where these surveys are conducted). The median delay between survey implementation and publication of the secondary analysis was 5.4 years, with papers with authors affiliated to institutions in LMIC having a longer median publication delay (p < 0.001). Over 80% of the published analyses looked at factors associated with a specific vaccine or with full immunization. Quality proxies, such as reporting percent of immunization data from cards vs recall; occurrence and handling of missing data; whether survey analyses were weighted; and listing of potential biases or limitations of the original survey or analyses, were infrequently mentioned.ConclusionOur review suggests that more needs to be done to increase the increase the utilization of existing DHS and MICS datasets and improve the quality of the analyses to inform immunization programmes. This would include increasing the proportion of analyses done in LMICs, reducing the time lag between survey implementation and publication of additional analyses, and including more qualitative information about the survey in the publications to better interpret the results.

Democracy, courts and proportionality analysis in Asia

AbstractWhile proportionality analysis (PA) may have originated from Germany, it has not remained a European product. PA has been locally transplanted across Anglophone nations, found in mixed legal systems that are rooted in the common law and even adapted in parts of Latin America and Asia. This article explains why PA is flourishing in parts of Asia – for example, South Korea and Taiwan – and why it is faltering in other countries, such as Singapore and China, where the absence of PA can be attributed to the non-fulfilment of Kant’s first prerequisite for perpetual peace: a republican government (liberal democracy).

The Decision Architecture of Proportionality Analysis: Cognitive Biases and Heuristics

Proportionality analysis (PA) is ever more widely used by national and international courts to balance public goals and/or private rights. Proportionality itself is a frame within which we often think as lawyers. Hitherto, it mostly seen as a rational process of decision-making. But is it? How far does the frame of the PA itself frame the decision-making of (judicial) actors? Do biases and heuristics influence the decision qua the way PA is set up; qua its decision-architecture? The paper aims to shed light on certain features of PA which might, depending how the analysis is conducted, influence the outcome of the decision due to biases and heuristics of the relevant decision-makers. This helps to understand the psychology of different decision architectures in order to better understand outcomes. This is not only relevant for designing law, including constitutions and international law; it also provides a background for the understanding of comparative (constitutional) law.

Изменение микрофлоры мочи у пациентов с мочекаменной болезнью

Since the results of treatment of chronic pyelonephritis (CP) depend on timely and rationally selected targeted antibiotic therapy, when choosing a treatment regimen, it is necessary to rely on the local data obtained by monitoring the state of microflora in a particular hospital. to monitor the changes in urine microflora in patients with urinary stone disease. A total of 598 isolated bacteria and yeast-like fungi from patients with urinary stone disease who were treated in the Department of Urology during different time periods (1997-1999, 2010-2014 and 2015-2017 yy) were analyzed. A comparison of the urine microbiota in patients with single kidney stone (n=154) and staghorn stone (n=147) for the period 2015-2017 yy. was carried out. The significant changes of gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria were found with a tendency to decrease in the proportion of the latter (from 80.6% to 50.6%, p<0.05) due to a decrease in the proportion of P. mirabilis and complete absence of Enterobacter spp, Serraciae spp and Citrobacter spp. as well as an increase in the number of gram-positive bacteria (from 18 to 48.7%, p<0.05) owing to increase in the proportion of E. faecium + E. faecalis. During observation period, E. Coli has remained the leading pathogen (26.4+/-0.32%). During observation period, a permanent fourfold prevalence of gram-negative bacteria in clinically significant concentrations (>104 CFU/ml) was found: E. coli (36.8+/-4.1%). The proportion of K. Pneumonia increased from 8.5% to 17.4%, and proportion of P. mirabilis decreased from 20.3 to 10.4%. Despite a significant increase in the proportion of Enterococcus spp. (from 4.6 to 26.6%) in the general population, the incidence of microorganisms in clinically significant concentrations during analyzed period remained unchanged and did not exceed 8.46+/-4.76%. In patients with single stones and patients with staghorn stones there was no significant difference in the proportion of analyses with clinically significant concentrations of bacteria fer (p>0.05). The percentage of analyses with clinically significant concentration was 70.06%, while in all patients with urolithiasis it was 59.7%. In patients under and over 60 years old, the largest number of bacterial pathogens were represented by E. coli. (29.7% and 32.1%, respectively). E. Coli remains the leading bacterial causative agent of calculous pyelonephritis, both in the general population and in analyses with clinically significant concentrations of bacteria. There were no significant differences in urine microflora in patients with staghorn and single stones.

DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF APBD (INDONESIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT DISTRICT ANNUAL BUDGET) INFORMATION SYSTEMS ANALYSIS APPLICATION

A fundamental problem when conducting an analysis to determinedimension of local budget proportion allocations prioritized for public servicesimprovement and economicfulfillment, people’ssocial, and cultural rights in the city’s/regency’s APBD document is amount of data and information to be processed,budget complexity,data structure as well as presentation format of information allocation andlimited budget distribution. Therefore, it is necessary to have a support from information technology as its solution, in which this information technology has been tested its capability and reliability in processing and utilizing available data in large quantity, fast, and various. This research aims to make ERD (entity relationship diagram)design, Data Flow Diagram (DFD) and APBD analysis information system application creation, that this application able to facilitate documentation process of APBD budget data which then processed into information or knowledge and produce output in the form of clustering analysis visualization or comparison analysis proportion of budget allocation based on fiscal year, city / regency, organizational code, income account code, shopping account code, finance account code, program account code, activity account code, bill account code and nominal budget. That visualization of this cluster will be become valuable information and knowledge for strengthening literacy capacity and analysis in the process of deliberation and stipulation of transparent and accountable APBD

Serum Vitamin D Status and Breast Cancer Risk by Receptor Status: A Systematic Review

ABSTRACTBackground: The association between vitamin D status and breast cancer risk is equivocal. No systematic reviews or meta-analyses have examined this association stratified by receptor status. Our objective is to conduct a systematic review to answer the question, “Is there a relationship between lower serum/plasma vitamin D levels and increased risk of triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) specifically?” Methods: We systematically searched Embase and PubMed databases for published original research studies examining the risk of a breast cancer diagnosis according to vitamin D status. We excluded studies that did not provide risk estimates stratified by receptor status. Results: Fourteen studies met our criteria, including case-control, nested case-control, and case-series studies, reflecting the cumulative results of 13,135 breast cancer cases. When grouped by relevancy to TNBC, the proportion of analyses across all study types showing a significant association between vitamin D status and breast cancer diagnosis was 37% for non-TNBC analyses, 48% for analyses that included some TNBC cases, and 88% for TNBC analyses. Conclusions: Our results suggest that low vitamin D status may particularly increase the risk of TNBC, although more research is needed to determine if this association is causative. Women should be routinely screened for 25(OH)D deficiency.

Principio de proporcionalidad, colisión de principios y el nuevo discurso de la Suprema Corte

En el contexto del neoconstitucionalismo, el uso del principio de proporcionalidad (el “PP”) se ha convertido en la herramienta de adjudicación más dominante. Si bien el PP ha demostrado su utilidad debido, principalmente, a su flexibilidad y a su capacidad para incrementar la transparencia de las decisiones jurisdiccionales, también ha contribuido a generar una imagen de neutralidad que oscurece por el hecho de que los jueces, al resolver casos, toman decisiones políticas y no sólo aplican el derecho sino que también lo crean. El ejemplo de esta tensión se puede encontrar en diversos casos que la Suprema Corte de Justicia de la Nación (la “Corte”) ha resuelto. Este trabajo busca analizar la manera en que la Corte utiliza el PP y sus implicaciones en nuestra vida constitucional.

All Things in Proportion? American Rights Doctrine and the Problem of Balancing

This paper describes and evaluates the evolution of rights doctrines in the United States, focusing on the problem of balancing as a mode of rights adjudication. In the current Supreme Court, deep conflict over whether, when, and how courts balance is omnipresent. Elsewhere, we find that the world’s most powerful constitutional courts have embraced a stable, analytical procedure for balancing, known as proportionality. Today, proportionality analysis (PA) constitutes the defining doctrinal core of a transnational, rights-based constitutionalism. This Article critically examines alleged American exceptionalism, from the standpoint of comparative constitutional law and practice. Part II provides an overview of how constitutional judges in other systems use PA, assesses the costs and benefits of adopting it, and contrasts proportionality with American strict scrutiny. Part III recovers the foundations of proportionality in American rights review, focusing on two critical junctures: (1) the emergence of a version of PA in Dormant Commerce Clause doctrine in the late nineteenth century, the core of which persists today; and (2) the consolidation of the strict scrutiny framework in the mid-twentieth century. Part IV demonstrates that the “tiered review” regime chronically produces pathologies that have weakened rights protection in the United States, and undermined the coherence of the Supreme Court’s rights jurisprudence. PA, while not a cure-all for the challenges facing rights-protecting courts, avoids these pathologies by providing a relatively systematic, transparent, and trans-substantive doctrinal structure for balancing. We also show that all three levels of review - rational basis, intermediate review, and strict scrutiny - have, at various points in their evolution, contained core elements of proportionality. In Part V, we argue Supreme Court can and should develop a home-grown version of PA, based on its existing case law and American constitutional traditions and values, and we respond to objections to the argument.

Antropología litúrgico-sacramental en el catecismo de la Iglesia Católica

We have studied the «liturgical sacramental anthropology of the Catechism of the Catholic Church in general » in another place (cf. Phase, April 2002), analysing those aspects we believed to be most relevant: 1. Liturgy and the human condition; 2. Liturgy and the dialogic encounter in faith; 3. Liturgy and culture; 4. Liturgy and historical mystagogical pedagogy; 5. Liturgy and life. Now we seek to study and analyse the anthropology of the sacraments «in particular », as applied and explained in each of the cases in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The differentiated development given in each sacrament also implies a different proportion of analysis in our commentary. The anthropological sensitivity of the Catechism is shown and its limitations manifested.