Spearman Rank Correlation Research Articles

Innovative integration of lung ultrasound and wearable monitoring for predicting pulmonary complications in colorectal surgery: A prospective study.

Postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs) are common in patients who undergo colorectal surgery. Studies have focused on how to accurately diagnose and reduce the incidence of PPCs. Lung ultrasound has been proven to be useful in preoperative monitoring and postoperative care after cardiopulmonary surgery. However, lung ultrasound has not been studied in abdominal surgeries and has not been used with wearable devices to evaluate the influence of postoperative ambulation on the incidence of PPCs. To investigate the relationship between lung ultrasound scores, PPCs, and postoperative physical activity levels in patients who underwent colorectal surgery. In this prospective observational study conducted from November 1, 2019 to August 1, 2020, patients who underwent colorectal surgery underwent daily bedside ultrasonography from the day before surgery to postoperative day (POD) 5. Lung ultrasound scores and PPCs were recorded and analyzed to investigate their relationship. Pedometer bracelets measured the daily movement distance for 5 days post-surgery, and the correlation between postoperative activity levels and lung ultrasound scores was examined. Thirteen cases of PPCs was observed in the cohort of 101 patients. The mean (standard deviation) peak lung ultrasound score was 5.32 (2.52). Patients with a lung ultrasound score of ≥ 6 constituted the high-risk group. High-risk lung ultrasound scores were associated with an increased incidence of PPCs after colorectal surgery (logistic regression coefficient, 1.715; odds ratio, 5.556). Postoperative movement distance was negatively associated with the lung ultrasound scores [Spearman's rank correlation coefficient (r), -0.356, P < 0.05]. Lung ultrasound effectively evaluates pulmonary condition post-colorectal surgery. Early ambulation and respiratory exercises in the initial two PODs will reduce PPCs and optimize postoperative care in patients undergoing colorectal surgery.

Intelligent prediction of incipient fault in vinyl chloride production process based on deep learning

With the development of industrial information technology, deep learning (DL) has been successfully applied in chemical process fault detection. However, the features of incipient faults could not be more evident at the initial stage, which makes it difficult for deep learning to fully mine the feature probability information, resulting in poor performance of incipient fault monitoring. This paper proposes an intelligent predictive model based on mechanistic modeling to predict incipient faults and determine optimal response times for vinyl chloride production (VCP) processes. Firstly, a dynamic simulation of the VCP production process is performed to obtain datasets of early faults. Secondly, data dimensionality reduction is performed by cleverly combining spearman ranking correlation coefficient (SRCC) and slow feature analysis (SFA). Then, a long short-term memory network (LSTM) with attention mechanism (AM) is built to predict the future trends of key variables. Finally, the optimal response time for different types of incipient faults is determined by comparing the effectiveness of various control schemes. Compared with traditional methods, the R2 of the proposed prediction model corresponding to different step sizes can reach 99.7%, 99.5%, 99.2%, and 98.7%. In addition, the response times for single and parallel faults are 2 and 2.5 h, which helps to control and eliminate potential incidents in advance.

Components of dissolved organic carbon in relation to environmental factors in lakes along an altitudinal gradient in central China.

Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) is an important organic substance that affects biogeochemical processes and underwater light conditions in aquatic ecosystems. To explore altitudinal variations in DOC components and water quality, 66 surface water samples were collected along an altitudinal gradient (10-1857m) in three regions of central China, including a montane region (Enshi Prefecture) and two floodplain regions (Dongting Lake Basin and Wuhan City). DOC components were measured using a three-dimensional excitation-emission matrix (3D-EEM) fluorescence spectroscopy, in conjunction with fluorescence regional integration (FRI) and fluorescence indices. Generally, lakes at high elevations (Enshi Prefecture) had higher DOC concentrations (a mean value of 6.43mgL-1) than floodplain lakes in Dongting Basin (4.51mgL-1) and Wuhan City (3.89mgL-1). Fluorescence index (FI, a range of 1.37-1.92) and biological index (BIX, a range of 0.47-0.74) indicated that DOC mainly originated from allochthonous sources in the three regions. Enshi Prefecture had relatively lower FI and BIX values, suggestive of a larger contribution of allochthonous carbon in this montane region in comparison with the floodplain regions. Humic-like substances were more abundant than other four fluorescent components, including tyrosine-like, tryptophan-like, fulvic acid-like, microbial-like substances. Spearman rank correlation analyses showed that tryptophane-like substances were positively correlated with K+, Mg2+, and Na+, while humic-like substances were negatively correlated with these cations. Taken together, the results can improve our understanding on altitudinal variations in DOC components and potential driving forces.

Hubungan Rotasi dengan Kinerja Perawat di RS Martha Friska Multatuli

Job rotation is a move from one room to another but still within the same scope of work. Rotation is carried out as a way to improve the quality of nursing services, to refresh and prevent boredom, to meet the needs of nursing staff in the room, and to improve nursing skills. At Martha Friska Multatuli Hospital, rotation has been implemented since 2020. This research aims to determine the relationship between rotation and the performance of nurses at Martha Friska Multatuli Hospital. This research method uses descriptive correlation with a cross sectional design. The sample size in this study was 71 respondents with a sampling technique using total sampling. Data analysis in this study used the Spearman's Rank correlation coefficient test. The research results showed that the majority of nurses stated that the rotation at Martha Friska Multatuli Hospital was a fairly good rotation, 42 respondents (59.2%) and it was also known that the majority of nurses' performance was in the good category, 58 respondents (81.7%). The results of statistical tests using the Spearman rank test obtained an r-value of 0.255 with a ρ-value of 0.032. This shows that there is a correlation or positive relationship between rotation and the performance of nurses at Martha Friska Multatuli Hospital with a low level of relationship. Keywords: Peformance, Rotation

HUBUNGAN ANTARA TINGKAT PENGETAHUAN ORANG TUA DENGAN PERILAKU MAKAN ANAK STUNTING USIA BALITA DI SIDOARJO, JAWA TIMUR

Stunting is a form of growth failure due to malnutrition over a long period. Poor eating behavior is one of the causes of lack of nutrition in children. If there is no good control over the child's eating behavior during the golden period of growth and development, the child may fall into a stunting condition. The phenomenon found in toddlers in Sidoarjo, East Java is eating behavior problems such as picky eaters and feeling full quickly. The purpose of this study was to analyze the relationship between the level of knowledge and the eating behavior of toddler who experienced stunting in Sidoarjo, East Java. The design of this research is a correlation study with a cross sectional approach. The number of samples in this study amounted to 30 respondents, the sampling technique used is total sampling. The variable in this study were the level knowledge of parents and eating behavior of stunting toddler. The instrument in this research the knowledge and the toddler Eating Behavior Questionnaire. The analysis used is Proportional Percentage Descriptive Statistical Analysis. The results showed that 18 (53%) of parents had enough knowledge about eating behavior of stunting toddler. The results showed that 18 (60%) children had a tendency to eat a food approach (like to eat). The relationship between the level of knowledge and eating behavior of stunting toddler of the Spearman Rank correlation test with a value of p = 0.358 and r + 0.174. The results showed there is no relationship level was very low and the direction of the relationship was negative, It is hoped that the head of the Posyandu Kader will be able to increase parental knowledge regarding the need for intake and the importance of providing food according to the child's developmental stage, creativity in serving, quantity and quality of food, as well as factors that affect child growth and development, especially in the incidence of stunting.

Plasma Livestock Participation Level in Patterns of Broiler Partnership in West Lombok District

This research aims to determine the characteristics of plasma farmers, the level of participation of plasma farmers, and the correlation between the characteristics and the level of participation of plasma farmers in partnership pattern broiler chicken farming businesses in West Lombok Regency. Three sub-districts in West Lombok Regency, namely, Gerung Sub-district, Lingsar Sub-district and Sheet Sub-district were chosen as sample locations purposively, taking into account that there were breeders who had at least two years of experience as plasma breeders in the partnership pattern broiler chicken farming business. All plasma breeders who met these requirements, namely 18 people, were taken as respondents. Primary data collection was carried out using interviews and direct observation at the location of the farmer's farm. The collected data was analyzed using a scoring system and the Spearman Rank correlation statistical test. The results of the research show that the level of farmer participation in the partnership pattern broiler chicken farming business is classified as moderate, and the correlation of characteristics with the level of farmer participation, only the number of family dependents and the experience factor as a plasma farmer are significant (p&lt;0.05) with a correlation coefficient (rs) -0.656 and 0.567 respectively.

Reliability and validity of the ratings of perceived stability scale as a measure of balance exercise intensity in persons with multiple sclerosis

Purpose The study aimed to determine the test-retest reliability and concurrent validity of the Ratings of Perceived Stability (RPS) scale as a measure of balance exercise intensity in persons with multiple sclerosis (MS). Methods Twenty participants with MS (mean age: 58.1 ± 15.29; 60% female) performed 14 balance tasks on two separate occasions wearing body-worn inertial sensors and rated their perceived stability for each task. Sensor data included sway velocity and angle, gait speed, turn velocity, and lean angle. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) and Spearman rank correlations (r s) were employed to assess reliability and validity, respectively. Results The RPS showed good to excellent test-retest reliability (ICC> 0.75) on 12 out of the 14 tasks. The stability ratings revealed moderate relationships with postural sway outcomes in static balance tasks (r s: 0.49 to 0.77) and weak to moderate associations with gait speed (r s: −0.69 to −0.14). Ratings of stability were also strongly related to turn velocity (r s= −0.77) and moderately related to lean angle (r s= 0.58). Conclusions The RPS scale offers a promising clinical tool to measure balance exercise intensity for persons with MS. This standardized scale allows for tailored balance training with a novel means for exercise monitoring and progression in this population.

Elongated morphology of osteoid osteoma is associated with radiofrequency ablation failure in children.

To compare the frequency of elongated morphology of osteoid osteoma (OO) in children compared to adolescents and to determine if this elongated morphology is associated with radiofrequency ablation treatment failure. Retrospective review of first-time CT-guided radiofrequency ablation performed for presumed OO in patients < 21years old between 1990 and 2023. Children were considered 0 to 10years old, and adolescents were considered 11 to 20years old. Treatment failure was considered symptomatic recurrence requiring follow-up intervention. The largest tumor dimensions in three orthogonal planes were measured using multiplanar reformatted technology. Maximum tumor dimension, tumor volume, and eccentricity index were calculated. Elongated morphology criteria were (a) largest dimension > 10mm and (b) eccentricity index ≥ 3. Lesion locations were recorded. Statistical analyses included the chi-square test, Fisher's exact test, nonparametric Wilcoxon rank-sum test, receiver operating characteristic analysis, and Spearman's nonparametric rank correlation. Of 366 included patients (median 15years, IQR 11-18years, 254 male), there were 86 (23.5%) children, 280 (76.5%) adolescents, and 24 (6.6%) cases of treatment failure. Elongated morphology was more common in children (19.7%) than adolescents (8.6%) (p = 0.004) and associated with younger age (p = 0.009). Elongated morphology was associated with treatment failure in children (p = 0.045) but not adolescents (p > .99) or all patients (p = 0.17). Treatment failure was not associated with age, largest dimension, eccentricity index, volume, or location. Elongated morphology of OO is associated with younger age and radiofrequency ablation treatment failure in children. Identifying this morphology may assist with counseling and treatment planning.

Prevalence of social frailty in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: data from a multicenter observational study (T-FLAG study).

This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of social frailty and associated factors. A total of 655 consecutive patients who were able to complete the Kihon Checklist (KCL) and the Questionnaire on Social Frailty between June and August 2022 were enrolled. Social frailty was assessed using the Makizako Social Frailty Index. Patient characteristics were analyzed by analysis of variance. Factors associated with social frailty were analyzed using multivariate logistic analysis. Spearman's rank correlation coefficients were used to examine correlations between each KCL domain and social frailty. Mean age was 68 years, and disease duration was 12 years; 73% of patients were female. Social frailty was present in 30.8% of patients, with 36.5% classified as social pre-frailty. Multivariate analysis revealed age and HAQ-DI to be independent factors associated with social frailty. The proportion of social frailty increased with increasing age and worsening HAQ-DI scores. The KCL domain "Isolation" was the most strongly associated with social frailty (r = 0.601, P < 0.001), with higher scores associated with a higher proportion of social frailty. Social frailty in RA patients is associated with age and physical impairment (HAQ-DI). Moreover, the KCL domain "Isolation" was strongly associated with social frailty.

Anterior Chamber Flare as a Non-Invasive Assessment of Intraocular Immune Status and Ocular Complications in Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy.

Proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) is a vision-threatening complication of diabetes mellitus (DM). Anterior chamber (AC) flare and intraocular cytokines are potent biomarkers reflecting the intraocular immune status in PDR. This study aimed to elucidate the complex interrelationship between AC flare and intraocular cytokines in PDR eyes. A retrospective observational study was conducted on 19 PDR eyes of 19 patients with type 2 DM, and on 19 eyes of 19 patients with idiopathic macular hole or epiretinal membrane as controls. AC flare was measured before pars plana vitrectomy (PPV). Aqueous humor (AH) and vitreous fluid (VF) samples were collected at the time of PPV, and the quantities of 27 cytokines in both intraocular fluids were analyzed. In the PDR and control groups, Spearman's rank correlation analysis revealed a positive correlation between AC flare and IL-8 level in both AH and VF. Additionally, IL-8 levels in AH correlated positively with IL-8 levels in VF. In the PDR group, receiver operating characteristic curve analysis identified IL-8 level in AH as a significant predictor for both diabetic macular edema (DME) and vitreous hemorrhage (VH) complications. The cut-off values of IL-8 were established at ≥26.6 pg/mL for DME and ≥7.96 pg/mL for VH. Given the positive correlation between AC flare and AH IL-8 level, the present findings suggest that AC flare value may potentially be a non-invasive biomarker for predicting DME.

The risk factors for burnout among nurses: An investigation study.

The objective of this investigation study is to examine the levels of burnout and work engagement among nurses working on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, we aim to analyze the risk factors associated with nurse burnout. This investigation study included a sample of 1764 registered nurses from 6 tertiary comprehensive hospitals in Wuhan. A total of 1800 questionnaires were distributed via email between January 2021 and July 2021, and 1764 completed questionnaires were returned. Nurses who had been on the front lines of the COVID-19 fight for more than six months were included in the study. The Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey (MBI-GS) scale was utilized to assess burnout levels among all nurses. Work engagement was measured using the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES). The general health of the nurses was evaluated using the General Health Questionnaire-12 (GHQ-12) score. Demographic and clinical data, including age, sex, hospital, department, education, years of experience, daily overtime, weekly rest time, number of night shifts per month, smoking or drinking habits, marital status, etc, were also collected. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS 25.0. The GHQ-12 scores in the FC group were significantly higher than those in the non-frontline COVID-19 (NFC) group. Compared to the average value of the 2 groups, we found that the dimension 2 average value of UWES in NFC group (3.52 ± 1.07) were remarkably higher than that in FC group (3.40 ± 1.08, P < .05). Furthermore, the dimension 1 (emotional exhaustion) average value and dimension 2 (depersonalization) average value of MBI-GS in NFC group were remarkably declined than that in FC group. Spearman rank correlation showed that negative correlation among the average value of each dimension and the overall average values between MBI-GS and UWES. Logistic regression analysis showed that daily Overtime, fight against COVID-19, GHQ-12 score and dimension 2 of UWES were the risk factors for nurse burnout. In summary, this study showed that the dimension 1 (emotional exhaustion) average value and dimension 2 (depersonalization) average value of MBI-GS in NFC group were remarkably declined than that in FC group. This study may provide some basis for addressing nurse burnout.

An insightful multicriteria model for the selection of drilling technique for heat extraction from geothermal reservoirs using a fuzzy-rough approach

Geothermal energy stands out as an exceptional renewable resource for power generation, offering a consistent power production without the intermittency issues. Despite its potential to deliver a consistent supply of electricity on demand, geothermal adoption is hindered due to substantial costs. Utilising the most effective drilling method can alleviate this challenge by boosting efficiency and reducing operational costs. The primary goal of this study is to identify the best drilling method for extracting heat from geothermal reservoirs. This optimised approach facilitates better access to geothermal reservoirs, leading to increased heat recovery rates and improved project viability. Traditional methods often fall short in evaluating optimal drilling alternatives due to uncertainties. To address this, our research introduces an innovative paradigm that integrates novel T-Spherical Hesitant Fuzzy Rough (T−SHFR) set, method for the removal effects of criteria with a geometric mean and ranking alternatives with weights of criterion hybrid Multiple Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) techniques. By leveraging the novel T−SHFR concept, our approach allows for a comprehensive assessment of various factors. This holistic evaluation ensures an exhaustive comprehension of the decision-making environment. The study reveals that reservoir characteristics play a significant role in selecting a sustainable drilling alternative. Furthermore, directional drilling appears as the most promising method with higher energy yields followed by slim hole drilling. The robustness and credibility of these findings are established through sensitivity and comparative analyses, indicating the potential applicability of this MCDM method to analogous challenges in different contexts. The findings of the ranking techniques were validated using Spearman's rank correlation coefficient, which revealed a positive and notable correlation. This research will empower stakeholders to make informed decisions, thereby enhancing the overall efficiency and sustainability of geothermal energy projects.

EchoAGE: Echocardiography-based Neural Network Model Forecasting Heart Biological Age.

Biological age is a personalized measure of the health status of an organism, organ, or system, as opposed to simply accounting for chronological age. To date, there have been known attempts to create estimators of biological age based on various biomedical data. In this work, we focused on developing an approach for assessing heart biological age using echocardiographic data. The current study included echocardiographic data from more than 5,000 different cases. As a result, we created EchoAGE - neural network model to determine heart biological age, that was tested on echocardiographic data from patients with age-related diseases, patients with multimorbidity, children with progeria syndrome, and diachronic data series. The model estimates biological age with a Mean Absolute Error of approximately 3.5 years, an R-squared value of around 0.88, and a Spearman's rank correlation coefficient greater than 0.9 in men and women. EchoAGE uses indicators such as E/A ratio of maximum flow rates in the first and second phases, thicknesses of the interventricular septum and the posterior left ventricular wall, cardiac output, and relative wall thickness. In addition, we have applied an AI explanation algorithm to improve understanding of how the model performs an assessment.

Comparative Evaluation of Pre-Trained Language Models for Biomedical Information Retrieval.

Finding relevant information in the biomedical literature increasingly depends on efficient information retrieval (IR) algorithms. Cross-Encoders, SentenceBERT, and ColBERT are algorithms based on pre-trained language models that use nuanced but computable vector representations of search queries and documents for IR applications. Here we investigate how well these vectorization algorithms estimate relevance labels of biomedical documents for search queries using the OHSUMED dataset. For our evaluation, we compared computed scores to provided labels by using boxplots and Spearman's rank correlations. According to these metrics, we found that Sentence-BERT moderately outperformed the alternative vectorization algorithms and that additional fine-tuning based on a subset of OHSUMED labels yielded little additional benefit. Future research might aim to develop a larger dedicated dataset in order to optimize such methods more systematically, and to evaluate the corresponding functions in IR tools with end-users.

Diffusion- and Perfusion-Weighted Imaging to Detect Neurological Deficits in Acute Focal Cerebral Ischemia in Rabbits.

To investigate the relationship of diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and perfusion-weighted imaging (PWI) parameters with dysfunction in acute focal cerebral ischemia (ACI) rabbits. The model of ACI in the middle cerebral artery was made using 30 adult male New Zealand rabbits. The dysfunction severities of the ACI rabbits were assessed using Purdy's score. A paired-sample rank sum test was adopted to compare the abnormal signal zone (ASZ) volumes from T2 weighted imaging (T2WI), dynamic susceptibility contrast-enhanced (DSC) imaging, and DWI with a relative cerebral blood flow (rCBF) map; correlations were analyzed between the volume of each ASZ and Purdy's score by Spearman's rank correlation coefficient. The degree of necrotic and apoptotic cells was evaluated in the ASZ from DWI and DSC PWI-DWI mismatch (PDM) zone. Correlations were analyzed between the index of cellular damage and Purdy's score, the volume of ASZs by Spearman's rank correlation coefficient. The ASZ volumes from DSC-PWI and the rCBF maps were larger than those from DWI (p < 0.001 and p < 0.001, respectively); those from the rCBF map (Z = 0.959, p < 0.001) and DSC-PWI (Z = 0.970, p < 0.001) were positively correlated with DWI; a positive correlation was found between Purdy's score and the ASZ volumes from DSC-PWI (Z = 0.889, p < 0.001), DWI (Z = 0.921, p < 0.001), and rCBF (Z = 0.891, p < 0.001). A significant difference was observed between the ASZ from DWI and the PDM zone in terms of the degree of necrotic (p < 0.001) and apoptotic cells (p < 0.001). The degree of cellular damage in the ASZ of DWI and PDM zone had no relationship with Purdy's score and the volumes of ASZs. The ASZ volumes from DSC-PWI, rCBF, and particularly DWI reflected the level of dysfunction in rabbits with ACI.

Comparing sleep measures in cancer survivors: self-reported sleep diary versus objective wearable sleep tracker.

Cancer survivors are increasingly using wearable fitness trackers, but it is unclear if they match traditional self-reported sleep diaries. We aimed to compare sleep data from Fitbit and the Consensus Sleep Diary (CSD) in this group. We analyzed data from two randomized clinical trials, using both CSD and Fitbit to collect sleep outcomes: total sleep time (TST), wake time after sleep onset (WASO), number of awakenings (NWAK), time in bed (TIB), and sleep efficiency (SE). Insomnia severity was measured by Insomnia Severity Index (ISI). We used the Wilcoxon signed rank test, Spearman's rank correlation coefficients, and the Mann-Whitney test to compare sleep outcomes and assess their ability to distinguish insomnia severity levels between CSD and Fitbit data. Among 62 participants, compared to CSD, Fitbit recorded longer TST by an average of 14.6 (SD = 84.9) minutes, longer WASO by an average of 28.7 (SD = 40.5) minutes, more NWAK by an average of 16.7 (SD = 6.6) times per night, and higher SE by an average of 7.1% (SD = 14.4); but shorter TIB by an average of 24.4 (SD = 71.5) minutes. All the differences were statistically significant (all p < 0.05), except for TST (p = 0.38). Moderate correlations were found for TST (r = 0.41, p = 0.001) and TIB (r = 0.44, p < 0.001). Compared to no/mild insomnia group, participants with clinical insomnia reported more NWAK (p = 0.009) and lower SE (p = 0.029) as measured by CSD, but there were no differences measured byFitbit. TST was the only similar outcome between Fitbit and CSD. Our study highlights the advantages, disadvantages, and clinical utilization of sleep trackers in oncology.

Quantification of Cardiac Iron Overload at 3 T MRI in a Rabbit Model Utilizing ME-GRE T2* Sequence.

Myocardial iron overload can lead to myocardial dysfunction, muscle cell injury, and end-stage heart failure. The enhanced signal-to-noise ratio and technical advancements have made 3 T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) more accessible in clinical settings. However, 3 T assessments for early diagnosis of myocardial iron overload are scarce. To evaluate the feasibility of myocardial iron quantification using 3 T MRI in a rabbit model of iron overload. Animal model. Overall, 40 male New Zealand white rabbits were categorized into control (N = 8; no treatment) and experimental (N = 32; weekly 200 mg/kg iron dextran injections) groups. 3 T MRI with multi-echo gradient echo (ME-GRE) T2* sequence. Each week, two experimental rabbits were randomly selected for blood collection to determine serum iron (SI) levels; their tissue was harvested to assess myocardial and hepatic iron deposition. Spearman's rank correlation tests were used to evaluate the correlations among R2*, cardiac iron concentration (CIC), liver iron concentration (LIC), total amount of iron injected, and SI levels. P ≤ 0.05 was considered statistically significant. The myocardial T2* value in the experimental group was significantly lower than that of the control group. An excellent correlation was observed between R2* values and CIC (r = 0.854). CIC moderately correlated with LIC (r = 0.712) and the total amount of iron injected (r = 0.698). A strong correlation was observed between the total amount of iron injected and LIC (r = 0.866). SI levels poorly correlated with the total amount of iron injected (r = 0.205, P = 0.277) and LIC (r = 0.170, P = 0.370) but fairly correlated with CIC (r = 0.415, P = 0.022). A 3 T MRI with an ME-GRE sequence may serve as a noninvasive method for evaluating cardiac iron content. N/A TECHNICAL EFFICACY: Stage 1.

The Significance of von Willebrand Factor Antigen Levels in Predicting the Severity of Coronary Artery Disease in Patients with ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction

Background When the endothelium of the coronary artery is damaged, it exposes the underlying structure to a series of events that can cause complete blockage and a myocardial infarction with ST-segment elevation (STEMI). One of the key factors in this process is a protein called von Willebrand factor (vWF) that helps platelets adhere to the damaged area. Our objective was to investigate the importance of measuring vWF levels in patients with STEMI to determine the severity of their coronary artery disease (CAD) on angiography. Methods The study included 30 patients who experienced their first STEMI. Patients with a history of CAD, cardiomyopathies, valvular heart disease, atrial fibrillation, anticoagulants, coagulation disorders, and pregnancy were not included in the study. After informed consent, all patients were subjected to routine blood investigations, electrocardiography, echocardiography, and coronary angiography. Blood samples were collected for vWF Ag within 24 hours of the patients’ arrival at the hospital. After the angiography, the coronary arteries were evaluated for stenosis and quantified using the modified Gensini score (mGS). The score was then correlated with vWF Ag levels using the Spearman rank correlation. Additionally, the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was plotted for the value of vWF Ag levels to detect significant CAD. Results The average age of the group was (49.77 ± 10.79) years. The average levels of vWF Ag were (204.17% ± 51.99%). Patients with an mGS score of over 150 had higher levels of vWF Ag than those with a score of under 100 ( P &lt; .001). There was a positive correlation ( r2: 0.67) between the parameters. On the ROC curve, vWF Ag levels higher than 186% predicted the presence of CAD, with an area under curve indicating sensitivity and specificity. Conclusion: In patients with STEMI, higher levels of vWF Ag were found to be associated with a greater severity of CAD.

Risk Index of Regional Infection Expansion of COVID-19: Moving Direction Entropy Study Using Mobility Data and Its Application to Tokyo.

Policies, such as stay home, bubbling, and stay with your community, recommending that individuals reduce contact with diverse communities, including families and schools, have been introduced to mitigate the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, these policies are violated if individuals from various communities gather, which is a latent risk in a real society where people move among various unreported communities. We aimed to create a physical index to assess the possibility of contact between individuals from diverse communities, which serves as an indicator of the potential risk of SARS-CoV-2 spread when considered and combined with existing indices. Moving direction entropy (MDE), which quantifies the diversity of moving directions of individuals in each local region, is proposed as an index to evaluate a region's risk of contact of individuals from diverse communities. MDE was computed for each inland municipality in Tokyo using mobility data collected from smartphones before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. To validate the hypothesis that the impact of intercommunity contact on infection expansion becomes larger for a virus with larger infectivity, we compared the correlations of the expansion of infectious diseases with indices, including MDE and the densities of supermarkets, restaurants, etc. In addition, we analyzed the temporal changes in MDE in municipalities. This study had 4 important findings. First, the MDE values for local regions showed significant invariance between different periods according to the Spearman rank correlation coefficient (>0.9). Second, MDE was found to correlate with the rate of infection cases of COVID-19 among local populations in 53 inland regions (average of 0.76 during the period of expansion). The density of restaurants had a similar correlation with COVID-19. The correlation between MDE and the rate of infection was smaller for influenza than for COVID-19, and tended to be even smaller for sexually transmitted diseases (order of infectivity). These findings support the hypothesis. Third, the spread of COVID-19 was accelerated in regions with high-rank MDE values compared to those with high-rank restaurant densities during and after the period of the governmental declaration of emergency (P<.001). Fourth, the MDE values tended to be high and increased during the pandemic period in regions where influx or daytime movement was present. A possible explanation for the third and fourth findings is that policymakers and living people have been overlooking MDE. We recommend monitoring the regional values of MDE to reduce the risk of infection spread. To aid in this monitoring, we present a method to create a heatmap of MDE values, thereby drawing public attention to behaviors that facilitate contact between communities during a highly infectious disease pandemic.

Efficiency in Municipal Management: Participatory Budgeting and its Relationship with Public Projects in Rural Areas in Peru

The Participatory Budget is a key tool in public management that seeks to improve transparency and efficiency in local projects. The objective of the study was to analyze the relationship between the Participatory Budget (PP) and the Public Investment Projects (PIP) in the Municipality of Anco Churcampa, Huancavelica, during the year 2020, to evaluate how citizen participation influences the effectiveness and efficiency of publicly funded projects. For this purpose, a quantitative correlational approach with a cross-sectional design was used. A structured questionnaire was applied to 42 participants, among whom were municipal authorities and representatives of civil society. The collected data were analyzed using Spearman's rank correlation coefficient, which allowed the association between the PP and PIP variables to be evaluated. The results showed a positive and significant correlation between the dimensions of the PP, such as preparation, consultation, coordination and formalization, and the perception of success in the PIP. It was observed that the average levels of perception in the PP corresponded with average levels in the perceived effectiveness of the PIPs, which underlines the importance of well-structured participatory management. In conclusion, the study highlights that the PP is a fundamental tool to improve the transparency and effectiveness of the PIPs, highlighting the need to strengthen citizen participation in decision-making to promote more equitable and sustainable local development.