A Review of Graphical Approaches to Common Statistical Analyses: The Omnipresence of Latent Variables in Statistics.

We provide a comprehensive review of simple and advanced statistical analyses using an intuitive visual approach explicitly modeling Latent Variables (LV). This method can better illuminate what is assumed in each analytical method and what is actually estimated, by translating the causal relationships embedded in the graphical models in equation form. We recommend the graphical display rooted in the century old path analysis, that details all parameters of each statistical model, and suggest labeling that clarifies what is given vs.

The use of surgical sealants in the repair of dural tears during non-instrumented spinal surgery.

Purpose: To compare the success in repair of dural tears (DTs) using two different surgical sealants in non-instrumented lumbar spinal surgery and evaluate the incidence of associated short- and long-term complications.

Methods: Twenty-three patients undergoing non-instrumented spinal surgery with intraoperative DTs were included both retrospectively and prospectively in this study. External signs of CSF leakage, neurological deficits, and infection-related complications were investigated postoperatively.

The impact of information about the female condom on female condom use among males and females from a US urban community.

This study investigates the impact of exposure to information about a relatively new prevention method, the female condom (FC), on actual FC use in a community of adults at risk of HIV/STI. A community-wide survey from a mid-size US city is used to estimate unbiased effects of information about the FC on FC use among sexually active men and women. To control for potential confounders we use propensity score matching (PSM) which matches the group exposed to FC information to participants who were not exposed, achieving a statistical quasi-randomization in terms of ten measured confounders.