Multivariate classification of cotton cultivars tolerant to salt stress

ABSTRACT Two multivariate methods were adopted to classify salt-tolerant cotton genotypes based on their growth and physiological traits. The genotypes were cultivated in a greenhouse and subjected to 45 days of irrigation with saline water from the V4 phase onwards. Irrigation was performed with saline water with electrical conductivity (ECw) of 6.0 dS m-1. A factorial-randomized block design was adopted with nine cultivars, two treatments of ECw (0.6 as the control, and 6.0 dS m-1), and four replicates. Plants were evaluated for growth, gas exchange, and photosynthesis. The data were statistically analyzed using univariate and multivariate methods. For the latter, non-hierarchical (principal component, PC) and hierarchical (UPGMA) models were used for the classification of cultivars. Significant differences were found between cultivars based on univariate analyses, and the traits that differed statistically were used for multivariate analyses. Four groups were identified with the same composition in both the PC and UPGMA methods. Among them, one contained the cultivars BRS Seridó, BRS 286, FMT 705, and BRS Rubi, which were tolerant to salt stress imposed on the plants. Photosynthesis, transpiration, and stomatal conductance data were the main contributors to the classification of cultivars using the principal component method.

Predictors of Life Expectancy in Autopsy-Confirmed Alzheimer’s Disease

Background: Life expectancy (LE) following Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is highly variable. The literature to date is limited by smaller sample sizes and clinical diagnoses. Objective: No study to date has evaluated predictors of AD LE in a retrospective large autopsy-confirmed sample, which was the primary objective of this study. Methods: Participants (≥50 years old) clinically and neuropathologically diagnosed with AD were evaluated using National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center (N = 1,401) data. Analyses focused on 21 demographic, medical, neuropsychiatric, neurological, functional, and global cognitive predictors of LE at AD dementia diagnosis. These 21 predictors were evaluated in univariate analyses. Variables found to be significant were then entered into a forward multiple regression. LE was defined as months between AD diagnosis and death. Results: Fourteen predictors were significant in univariate analyses and entered into the regression. Seven predictors explained 27% of LE variance in 764 total participants. Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score was the strongest predictor of LE, followed by sex, age, race/ethnicity, neuropsychiatric symptoms, abnormal neurological exam results, and functional impairment ratings. Post-hoc analyses revealed correlations of LE were strongest with MMSE ≤12. Conclusion: Global cognitive functioning was the strongest predictor of LE following diagnosis, and AD patients with severe impairment had the shortest LE. AD patients who are older, male, white, and have more motor symptoms, functional impairment, and neuropsychiatric symptoms were also more likely have shorter LE. While this model cannot provide individual prognoses, additional studies may focus on these variables to enhance predictions of LE in patients with AD.

A novel risk score for disease control prediction of Chronic rhinosinusitis

Objectives: To assess the impact of risk factors on the disease control among CRS patients, following 1 year of functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS), and combining the risk factors to formulate a convenient, visualized prediction model. Design: A retrospective and nonconcurrent cohort study Setting and Participants: A total of 325 patients with Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) from June 2018 to July 2020 at the First Affiliated Hospital, the Third Affiliated Hospital, and the Seventh Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University. Main Outcomes Measures: Outcomes were time to event measures: the disease control of CRS after surgery 1 year. The presence of nasal polyps, smoking habits, allergic rhinitis (AR), the ratio of tissue eosinophil (TER), and peripheral blood eosinophil count (PBEC)and asthma was assessed. The logistic regression models were used to conduct multivariate and univariate analyses. Asthma, TER, AR, PBEC were also included in the nomogram. The calibration curve and AUC (Area Under Curve) were used to evaluate the forecast performance of the model. Results: In univariate analyses, most of the covariates had significant associations with the endpoints, except for age, gender, and smoking. The nomogram showed the highest accuracy with an AUC of 0.760 (95% CI, 0.688-0.830) in the training cohort. Conclusions: In this cohort study that included the asthma, AR, TER, PBEC had significantly affected the disease control of CRS after surgery. The model provided relatively accurate prediction in the disease control of CRS after FESS and served as a visualized reference for daily diagnosis and treatment.

Physical and Mental Health Differences Reported by Three Age Groups of Older Adults With Diabetes

Most studies have classified older adults with diabetes into one group despite substantial variation in health status across different stages of late adulthood. In this study, we examined difference in self-reported physical and mental health among three age groups of older adults with diabetes. Using data from the 2016 National Social Life, Health and Aging Project, Wave 3, we classified 424 individuals diagnosed with diabetes into three age groups, young-old (YO): 50–64 years; middle-old (MO): 65–74; and oldest old (OO): 75+ years. A one-way multivariate analysis of covariance was used to assess group differences, followed by univariate analyses. The results indicate that the YO group reported significantly lower physical health and higher depression than the MO group and higher levels of loneliness than the MO and OO groups. These findings indicate that physical and mental health may differ among different age groups of older adults with diabetes and suggest that the YO might be more vulnerable to diminished physical and mental health than the other age groups.

Oculomotor Behavior Predict Professional Cricket Batting and Bowling Performance

Importance: A new, shorter version of cricket was introduced recently (Twenty20; T20). Since its inception, T20 cricket has rapidly become a popular and exciting format of cricket. However, there is little understanding of factors such as visual-motor control that influence expert performance.Objective: The purpose of this project is to determine if a series of oculomotor measures can predict batting and bowling performance in professional cricket players.Design: This study used a cross-sectional design. Each participant took part in a suite of eye-tracking tests to measure oculomotor behavior compared to their performance data.Participants: This study used a sample of 59 male T20 league professional cricket players (30 Bowlers and 29 Batsman).Results: One-way univariate analyses of variance examined the differences in oculomotor behavior between batsman and bowlers. A series of multiple regression analyses was conducted to evaluate how well the visual variables predict bowling and batting performance variables. Results demonstrate that several oculomotor eye tracking measures were good predictors of run performance and strike rate, including sports total score, sports on-field score, and sports functional score. Likewise, several of the same metrics predicted Runs and Wicket performance for bowlers. Overall, results provided further validation to a growing body of literature supporting the use of eye-tracking technology in performance evaluation.

Risk Factor for Retreatment Episode on Admission Among TB Patients With Schizophrenia

Background: The clinical characteristics of patients with tuberculosis (TB) and schizophrenia remain largely unknown. Furthermore, TB retreatment is associated with a poor outcome. Hence, we aimed to address the risk factors of TB retreatment in schizophrenia patients in this retrospective cohort.Methods: Between March 2005 and August 2020, patients diagnosed with schizophrenia and TB were included in the study. Patient characteristics, such as demographics, medical history, underlying diseases, symptoms, outcome, and lab examinations, were collected from medical records using a structured questionnaire. TB retreatment was defined as treatment failures and relapses. Subsequently, multivariate logistic regression was performed using variables selected based on prior findings as well as factors found to be associated with a retreatment episode in univariate analyses (p < 0.1).Results: A total of 113 TB patients with schizophrenia were included. Of them, 94 (83.2%) patients were classified as initial treatment group, and 19 (16.8%) were classified as retreatment group. The mean age was 53.0 ± 23.2 years, and males accounted for 61.9% of all cases. Multivariate analysis revealed that continuous antipsychotics treatment (OR = 0.226, 95% CI: 0.074, 0.693; p = 0.009) and extra-pulmonary TB (OR = 0.249, 95% CI: 0.080, 0.783; p = 0.017) were associated with the retreatment in TB patients with schizophrenia.Conclusion: Retreatment is a significant concern for TB patients with schizophrenia. To improve the current dilemma, continuous antipsychotics treatment is required, and increasing awareness of schizophrenia would reduce the disease burden.

Loss of SATB2 Occurs More Frequently Than CDX2 Loss in Colorectal Carcinoma and Identifies Particularly Aggressive Cancers in High-Risk Subgroups

Background: Special AT-rich sequence-binding protein 2 (SATB2) has emerged as an alternative immunohistochemical marker to CDX2 for colorectal differentiation. However, the distribution and prognostic relevance of SATB2 expression in colorectal carcinoma (CRC) have to be further elucidated. Methods: SATB2 expression was analysed in 1039 CRCs and correlated with clinicopathological and morphological factors, CDX2 expression as well as survival parameters within the overall cohort and in clinicopathological subgroups. Results: SATB2 loss was a strong prognosticator in univariate analyses of the overall cohort (p < 0.001 for all survival comparisons) and in numerous subcohorts including high-risk scenarios (UICC stage III/high tumour budding). SATB2 retained its prognostic relevance in multivariate analyses of these high-risk scenarios (e.g., UICC stage III: DSS: p = 0.007, HR: 1.95), but not in the overall cohort (DSS: p = 0.1, HR: 1.25). SATB2 loss was more frequent than CDX2 loss (22.2% vs. 10.2%, p < 0.001) and of higher prognostic relevance with only moderate overlap between SATB2/CDX2 expression groups. Conclusions: SATB2 loss is able to identify especially aggressive CRCs in high-risk subgroups. While SATB2 is the prognostically superior immunohistochemical parameter compared to CDX2 in univariate analyses, it appears to be the less sensitive marker for colorectal differentiation as it is lost more frequently.

Being a Cancer Patient during the Time of COVID-19: Impact of the Pandemic on the Anxiety and the Sleeping Quality of Oncology Patients

<b><i>Objective:</i></b> In this study, we aimed to assess anxiety and sleep quality in cancer patients treated or followed up at our clinic at the time of the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> Seven hundred and sixty-one patients who were either treated or followed up at our oncology clinic between April 2020 and May 2020 were included. Patients were assessed with the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). <b><i>Results:</i></b> Mean scores of the 761 participants were STAI, 43.45 ± 9.34 (range, 23–75), and PSQI, 5.67 ± 4.24 (range, 0–19). Quality of sleep was found bad in 447 (58.7%) (global score ≥5). Univariate analyses demonstrated statistical differences by stage of cancer, status of treatment, subgroup of treatment, monthly income, and levels of education in anxiety and sleep quality levels. Multivariate analyses showed active treatment (OR: 21.4; 95% CI: 9.08–50.4; <i>p</i> &#x3c; 0.001) as the major independent variable that affected sleep quality; the major independent variable associated with anxiety was low income (OR: 4.43; 95% CI: 1.69–11.5; <i>p</i> = 0.002). <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> Anxiety and sleep quality levels were found comparable to pre-pandemic reports, and the pandemic was not observed to have additional negative impact on cancer patients. Also, universal basal anxiety and sleep disorder that accompany cancer or active treatment were observed in our study. The accurate effects of the pandemic can be analyzed in further studies using repeated data obtained from the same patient group.

Intention to Communicate End-of-Life Wishes among Rural African Americans: Is Awareness of Hospice Care Important?

The intention to communicate end-of-life wishes and its related factors among adults in the southern rural region of the US has not been studied. This study aims to: (1) assess the intention to communicate end-of-life wishes among rural residents living in the Black Belt Region; (2) controlling for demographics and social determinants of health (SDH), examine the relationship between awareness of hospice care and the intention to communicate end-of-life wishes. A convenient sample living in rural Alabama was collected to complete a cross-sectional survey (N=182, age=18-91). Univariate analyses were conducted to assess participants’ intention to communicate end-of-life wishes, demographic characteristics, and SDH. Binary logistic regressions were used to examine the relationship between awareness of hospice care and the intention to communicate end-of-life wishes while controlling for demographics and SDH. The majority of participants were willing to communicate end-of-life wishes to their family (77.5%) or doctors (72.5%). Participants who were aware of hospice care were more likely to be willing to communicate end-of-life wishes to both their families (OR=10.08, p&lt;0.01) and doctors (OR=7.20, p&lt;0.05). Moreover, participants who were older were less likely to communicate end-of-life wishes to their doctors while participants with higher social isolation scores had lower intention to communicate end-of-life wishes to their families (OR=0.53, p&lt;0.05). This is the first study assessing the intention of communicating end-of-life wishes among residents living in the Black Belt Region. This study demonstrated that awareness of hospice care is positively associated with the intention to communicate end-of-life wishes to both families and doctors.

Intraoperative hypotension, oliguria and operation time are associated with pulmonary embolism after radical resection of head and neck cancers: a case control study

Background Postoperative pulmonary embolism (PE) is a serious thrombotic complication in the patients with otolaryngologic cancers. We investigated the risk factors associated with postoperative PE after radical resection of head and neck cancers. Methods A total of 3512 patients underwent head and neck cancers radical resection from 2013 to 2019. A one-to-three control group without postoperative PE was selected matched by age, gender, and type of cancer. Univariate analyses were performed for the perioperative patient data including hemodynamic management factors. Conditional logistic regression was used to analyze the factors and their odds ratios. Results Postoperative PE was prevalent in 0.85% (95%CI = 0.56–1.14). Univariate analyses showed that a high ASA grade, high BMI, and smoking history may be related to postoperative PE. There was significantly difference in operation time between the two groups, especially for> 4 h [22(78.6%) vs 43(51.2%), P = .011]. The urine output was lower [1.37(0.73–2.21) ml·kg− 1·h− 1 vs 2.14(1.32–3.46) ml·kg− 1·h− 1, P = .006] and the incidence of oliguria was significantly increased (14.3% vs 1.2%, P = .004) in the PE group. Multivariable conditional logistic regression showed postoperative PE were associated with the cumulative duration for intraoperative hypotension (OR = 2.330, 95%CI = 1.428–3.801, P = .001), oliguria (OR = 14.844, 95%CI = 1.089–202.249, P = .043), and operation time > 4 h (OR = 4.801, 95%CI = 1.054–21.866, P = .043). Conclusions The intraoperative hypotension, oliguria, and operation time > 4 h are risk factors associated with postoperative PE after radical resection of head and neck cancers. Improving intraoperative hemodynamics management to ensure adequate blood pressure and urine output may reduce the occurrence of such complications.