Statistical Co-relation Research Articles

Expression of Fibroblast Activation Protein-alpha in Odontogenic Lesions – A Retrospective Immunohistochemical Study

Abstract Background: The tumor microenvironment (TME) includes cellular and noncellular components that play important roles in tumor genesis, progression, and therapy response. While much study has been done on the TME in other types of cancer, our understanding of its involvement in odontogenic lesions is still restricted. Materials and Methods: The study group included total (171) odontogenic lesions, which were further divided into two categories. Odontogenic tumors (80) and (2) odontogenic cysts (91). There were 50 cases in the control group. Lymphoma was chosen as the negative control, whereas colorectal and breast carcinomas were chosen as the positive controls. All groups were immunohistochemically stained with the fibroblast activation protein (FAP)-alpha antibody. The samples from the study groups were compared to clinical parameters and statistically evaluated using the Chi-square and Kendall’s tau tests. Unpaired t-test was used to compare the final immune reactivity score (IRS) with the presence or absence of epithelium, radiographic locularity, and ramus involvement. Cronbach’s alpha was used to calculate inter-rater reliability. Results: The ameloblastoma tumor group and the odontogenic keratocysts in the cyst group showed a high mean IRS. When the final IRS was compared to a few clinical characteristics such as lesion extension and ramus involvement, showed statistical co-relation. Conclusion: With significant connections between the final IRS and a few clinical features, FAP-alpha appears to be a reliable marker for odontogenic lesions. It could be employed as a therapeutic and prognostic marker in future.

A fuzzy method for evaluating similar behavior between assets

In this paper, we propose a fuzzy method to investigate the interconnection between equity markets in the form of similar behavior. It has been proved before that the trend cycle of time series can be well estimated using the fuzzy transform. In the suggested method, first, we approximate the local behavior of stocks as a sequence of their trend cycles. Then we measure the distance between these local trend cycles conducting similar practices between different assets. Two experiments are performed to demonstrate the advantages of the suggested method. This method is easy to calculate, well interpretable, and in addition to statistical co-relation, the measure can assist investors in gaining more intuition about the behavior of their assets.

Effectiveness of intratympanic dexamethasone as salvage therapy in treating sudden sensorineural hearing loss

Introduction: The steroid is the drug of choice in patients with sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL). Thirty to fifty percent of cases, despite receiving steroids may have incomplete recovery. Furthermore, there are a significant number of patients in whom systemic steroids are contraindicated such as cases with uncontrolled diabetes, uncontrolled hypertension, and pregnancy. Intratympanic steroids can play a vital role as salvage therapy in these cases. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of intratympanic Dexamethasone as salvage therapy in cases who fail to respond with systemic steroids, who present late (>1 week) after the onset of symptoms and cases, in whom systemic steroids are contraindicated. Materials and Methods: This was a retrospective study conducted in the Department of ENT-Head and Neck Studies, T.U. Teaching Hospital, Kathmandu, Nepal. Approval from the Institutional Review Committee was taken. A prospectively set record data of cases with SSNHL receiving intratympanic Dexamethasone as a salvage therapy from April 2018 to April 2020 were analyzed for improvement in hearing outcome. We used SPSS version 25 for the statistical analysis. Chi-square test and Fisher's exact test were used to draw statistical co-relation. Value of P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: A total of 34 cases met the inclusion criteria. M: F was 3:1 with the majority of cases in the third–fifth decades of life. A total of 11 cases showed partial improvement and one case had complete improvement. There was no statistically significant co-relation between hearing outcome and time interval (from the onset of symptoms to intratympanic injection), level of hearing loss, comorbidities, and prior use of systemic steroid therapy (P > 0.05). Conclusion: Intratympanic Dexamethasone has audiological benefits as a salvage therapy in cases with SSNHL failing to respond with systemic steroid therapy.

Study of thyroid function in pregnancy, its feto-maternal outcome; a prospective observational study

BackgroundPregnancy is a stress test of maternal thyroid function. The prevalence of thyroid dysfunction in pregnant women is high. Subclinical hypothyroidism occurs in 10% of all pregnancies. Effects of hypothyroidism in pregnancy are anemia, low birth weight and mental retardation in neonate. This study is aimed to evaluate maternal and fetal outcomes in pregnant women with deranged thyroid profile. The relevance of this study is to document the association of hypothyroidism and its adverse effects on mother and fetus.MethodsThis prospective observational study was carried out at R.D. Gardi Medical College, Ujjain, India. Subjects of this study were 198 antenatal women in third trimester with singleton pregnancy admitted in the obstetric ward, and informed consent was obtained. Women were chosen irrespective of age, parity, residence and socioeconomic status. Women with multiple pregnancy, a known case of thyroid disorder, or any pre-existing medical disorder were excluded. Routine hematological parameters and estimation of T3, T4 and TSH was conducted. Patients with deranged thyroid profile were subsequently assessed for maternal and fetal complications. History of infertility, family history of thyroid disease, menstrual pattern, recurrent abortion, hemoglobin level and fetal outcome were the main study variables. Data was analysed in SPSS software for statistical co-relation.ResultsPrevalence of thyroid disorder is 11%; with subclinical hypothyroidism, overt hypothyroidism and subclinical hyperthyroidism occurring in 5.6, 3.5 and 1.5% of subjects respectively. In women with subclinical and overt hypothyroidism, anemia was present in 26.3% being significantly associated with hypothyroidism (p = 0.008). With respect to fetal outcome, LBW 31.6% (p = 0.001), NICU admission 42.1%, (p = 0.000) and low APGAR Score (21.1%, p = 0.042) were statistically associated with hypothyroidism. Risk of anemia, Low Birth weight, NICU admissions, and low APGAR score was 4.8, 6.3, 0.14 and 3.64 times higher respectively in women with hypothyroidism than in women who are euthyroid.ConclusionPrevalence of subclinical hypothyroidism is 5.6% in 3rd trimester of pregnancy. Anemia, pre-eclampsia, high caesarean rates and neonatal morbidities is significantly associated with hypothyroidism.

A Prospective Observational Study of the Correlation between Hormone Receptor Status and Other Prognostic Factors in Carcinoma Breast in a Rural Set Up in Central India

Breast cancer is a major concern in modern India. The growing population of the patients and the increased death toll require immediate attention from the scientific and medical community. Patients’ age, socio-economic condition, and disease awareness play vital roles in the disease onset and progression. In this study, we have conducted a rigorous survey between 2012 and 2014 and investigated all possible contexts in relevance to the disease. From socio-economic to clinical and histopathological relevance were explored. Detail analysis was done for 112 patients. Our data shows Indian scenario having differences not only in stage at presentation with poorer survival but also that the age at presentation is almost a decade earlier than western studies. Only 8% of the participant patients were found to be nulliparous. Very few patients (11.60%) were found to be linked with the disease hereditarily. Statistical co-relation was found between ER status, PR status, lymph nodes, and age of the patients. Our study has shown similarity with the earlier studies as well as dissimilarity in certain facts. We expect this study will increase the present understanding of breast cancer in India.

Prevalence and prognostic value of microalbuminuria in critically ill patients: A hospital based study from north east India

Abstract Background There is lack of simple inexpensive tests to accurately predict clinical outcomes in critically ill patients. Objective To assess prognostic value of microalbuminuria in critically ill patients and its comparison with APACHE II, SOFA scores in predicting in-hospital mortality. Method and material Prospective observational study in 50 critically ill patients admitted to ICU. Severity of illness was assessed by APACHE-II, SOFA scores. Microalbuminuria was measured at 0, 8, 24, 48, 72, 96, 120 hours and trend compared with APACHE-II, SOFA scores. Statistical analyses were done using SPSS and STATA software. p Results Mean age was 48.18 ± 17.34 years with male:female ratio of 2.6:1. Cerebrovascular accidents (22%), chronic liver disease (16%), sepsis (16%) were common aetiologies. Majority (70%) of patients had microalbuminuria. In-hospital mortality was higher in patients having microalbuminuria at admission than those without (48.6% vs. 40.0%). Microalbuminuria levels showed rising trend in non-survivors. Linear regression and correlation between microalbuminuria and APACHE-II, SOFA scores showed significant statistical co-relation (p = 0.0011, p = 0.002 respectively). Conclusion The degree as well as increasing trend in microalbuminuria has significant co-relation with scoring systems (APACHE II and SOFA) in predicting mortality and may serve as an important prognostic tool in critically ill patients.

Flexural Fatigue-Life Assessment and Strength Prediction of Glass Fibre Reinforced Polymer Concrete Composites

The paper presents the results of an investigation conducted to assess the fatigue-life and prediction of flexural fatigue strength of polymer concrete composites based on epoxy resin as binder material. Three point flexural fatigue tests were conducted on polymer concrete specimens using MTS servo controlled actuator, to obtain the fatigue lives of the composites at different stress levels. One hundred and thirty-seven specimens of size 40×40×160 mm were tested in flexural fatigue. Forty-three static flexural tests were also conducted to facilitate fatigue testing. It has been observed that the probabilistic distribution of fatigue-life of polymer concrete composite (PCC) and glass fibre reinforced polymer concrete composite (GFRPCC), at a particular stress level, approximately follows the two-parameter Weibull distribution, with statistical corelation coefficient values exceeding 0.90. The fatigue strength prediction model, representing S-N relationship, has been examined and the material coefficients have been obtained for GFRPCC containing 0.5% and 1.0% glass fibres. Design fatigue lives for GFRPCC containing different contents of glass fibres have been estimated for acceptable probabilities of failure and compared with those of PCC.

Fatigue-life distributions and failure probability for glass-fiber reinforced polymeric composites

There has been an upsurge in the application of composite materials in the last few decades, due to high demands on material performance placed by advanced technologies. Most of these applications include the situations where degradation of strength and life by fatigue process is most likely. In this investigation, rotating bending fatigue tests have been conducted on two types of unidirectional glass-fiber reinforced polymeric composites, having vinylester and Epoxy as matrix materials. It has been observed that the probabilistic distribution of fatigue-life of these glass-fiber reinforced composites, at a particular stress level, can be modeled by two-parameter Weibull distribution, with statistical co-relation coefficient values exceeding 0.90. Various methods have been used to obtain the parameters of Weibull distribution. Kolmogorov–Smirnov goodness-of-fit test has also been used to reinforce the above findings. The two-parameter Weibull distribution has also been employed to incorporate failure probability into S–N relationships.

Significance of serum Fas-ligand levels in patients with primary biliary cirrhosis and its relationship to histological Fas-ligand expression

The mechanism of bile duct destruction observed in primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) is still not clear. Recent study regarding cell death suggests the contribution of perforinor Fas-related apoptosis in the pathogenesis of immune-mediated cholangiopathy. The measurement of Fas-ligand (Fas-L) has been available recently and serum Fas-L level is reportedly related to the various inflammatory processes. However, its importance in immunemediated cholangiopathy is not known. Also, the usefulness of measuring Fas-L for evaluation of the clinical stage or activity is not known. Thus the Aims of this study are; (1) to measure the Fas-L in the serum from patients with PBC and compare their Fas-L levels to clinical parameters, (2) to compare Fas-L levels in PBC patients with those in other autoimmune liver disease patients (autoimmune hepatitis (AIH), primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC)), and (3) to examine the relationship between serum Fas-L levels and histological Fas-L expression of the liver-infiltrating lymphocytes. [Methods] Histologically diagnosed 43 PBC cases, 5 AIH cases, and 2 PSC cases were enrolled in this study. The clinical parameters analyzed included serum ALT, ALP, IgG, IgM levels and histological staging of PBC by Scheuer. Serum Fas-L level was measured by ELISA. The Fas-L expression in liver specimens from PBC patients was evaluated by indirect immunohistochemistry using anti-Fas-L antibody. The density of Fas-L positive cells in the portal tract were calculated using NIH image, and evaluated in accordance with the degree of cholangitis and fibrosis in routine HE PBC 0.55 1.01, AIH 0.84 + 0.62, PSC 2.20--. 2.54, and the difference was not significant. (2) There was no statistical corelation between serum Fas-L levels and other clinical parameters (serum ALT, ALP, IgG, IgM levels). (3) In PBC, scattered Fas-L-positive cells were observed. The number of Fas-L positive cells per portal tract (mean_+ SD) was 2.79 +-1.21 (range 1.29 to 5.14). However, there was no statistical corelation of those positivities of histological Fas-L expression with serum Fas-L levels or degree of fiborsis/cholangitis. [Conclusions] Measurement of serum Fas-L levels were possible in human cholangiopathies including PBC. However, its relationship to other clinical factors and histological Fas-L expression was not proved. This research was funded by the grant from the Ministry of Education of Japan #07670555 and #09770339.