Background: While the population attributable fraction (PAF) provides potentially valuable information regarding the community-level effect of risk factors, significant limitations exist with current strategies for estimating a PAF in multiple risk factor models. These strategies can result in paradoxical or ambiguous measures of effect, or require unrealistic assumptions regarding variables in the model. A method is proposed in which an overall or total PAF across multiple risk factors is partitioned into components based upon a sequential ordering of effects. This method is applied to several hypothetical data sets in order to demonstrate its application and interpretation in diverse analytic situations.
Results: The proposed method is demonstrated to provide clear and interpretable measures of effect, even when risk factors are related/correlated and/or when risk factors interact. Furthermore, this strategy not only addresses, but also quantifies issues raised by other researchers who have noted the potential impact of population-shifts on population-level effects in multiple risk factor models.
Conclusion: Combined with simple, unadjusted PAF estimates and an aggregate PAF based on all risk factors under consideration, the sequentially partitioned PAF provides valuable additional information regarding the process through which population rates of a disorder may be impacted. In addition, the approach can also be used to statistically control for confounding by other variables, while avoiding the potential pitfalls of attempting to separately differentiate direct and indirect effects.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1742-5573-5-5 | DOI Listing |
J Med Internet Res
January 2025
Department of Anesthesiology, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.
Background: Patients undergoing liver transplantation (LT) are at risk of perioperative neurocognitive dysfunction (PND), which significantly affects the patients' prognosis.
Objective: This study used machine learning (ML) algorithms with an aim to extract critical predictors and develop an ML model to predict PND among LT recipients.
Methods: In this retrospective study, data from 958 patients who underwent LT between January 2015 and January 2020 were extracted from the Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University.
J Eval Clin Pract
February 2025
Department of Biopharmaceutics and Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan.
Background: Chronic respiratory disorders such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) may deteriorate into acute exacerbations requiring hospitalization. Assessing the predictors of prolonged hospital stays could help identify potential interventions to reduce the burden on patients and healthcare systems.
Aim: This study aimed to identify the risk factors attributed to prolonged hospital stays among patients admitted with acute exacerbations of chronic respiratory disorders in Jordan.
Neurosurgery
February 2025
Global Neurosciences Institute, Philadelphia , Pennsylvania , USA.
Background And Objectives: Despite growing interest in how patient frailty affects outcomes (eg, in neuro-oncology), its role after transsphenoidal surgery for Cushing disease (CD) remains unclear. We evaluated the effect of frailty on CD outcomes using the Registry of Adenomas of the Pituitary and Related Disorders (RAPID) data set from a collaboration of US academic pituitary centers.
Methods: Data on consecutive surgically treated patients with CD (2011-2023) were compiled using the 11-factor modified frailty index.
JAMA Surg
January 2025
Center for Surgery and Public Health, Department of Surgery, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.
Importance: Surgeon stress can influence technical and nontechnical skills, but the consequences for patient outcomes remain unknown.
Objective: To investigate whether surgeon physiological stress, as assessed by sympathovagal balance, is associated with postoperative complications.
Design, Setting, And Participants: This multicenter prospective cohort study included 14 surgical departments involving 7 specialties within 4 university hospitals in Lyon, France.
JAMA Dermatol
January 2025
Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.
Importance: Isotretinoin is the only medical acne treatment capable of inducing acne remission; however, some patients experience acne relapse and require retrials of isotretinoin. There is a need to understand who is most at risk and how daily dose and cumulative dosage can influence outcomes.
Objective: To assess rates of acne relapse and isotretinoin retrial and to identify associated factors among patients with acne who received an isotretinoin treatment course.
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