Background: In multiple sclerosis (MS) studies, the most appropriate model for the distribution of the number of relapses was shown to be the negative binomial (NB) distribution.
Objective: To determine whether the sample-size estimation (SSE) and the analysis of annualized relapse rates (ARRs) in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were aligned and compare the SSE between normal and NB distributions.
Methods: Systematic review of phase 3 and 4 RCTs for which the primary endpoint was ARR in relapsing remitting MS published since 2008 in pre-selected major medical journals. A PubMed search was performed on 30 November 2020. We checked whether the SSE and ARR analyses were congruent. We also performed standardized (fixed α/β, number of arms and overdispersion) SSEs using data collected from the studies.
Results: Twenty articles (22 studies) were selected. NB distribution (or quasi-Poisson) was used for SSE in only 7/22 studies, whereas 21/22 used it for ARR analyses. SSE relying on NB regression necessitated a smaller sample size in 21/22 of our calculations.
Conclusion: SSE was rarely performed using the most appropriate model. However, the use of an NB model is recommended to optimize the number of included patients and to be congruent with the final analysis.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/13524585211052400 | DOI Listing |
Cad Saude Publica
January 2025
Universidade Federal de Alagoas, Maceió, Brasil.
This study aimed to investigate the presence of mental illness in victims of soil instability in neighborhoods affected by rock salt extraction from a mining company located in the city of Maceió, Alagoas, Brazil. It is a quantitative, descriptive-analytical, and cross-sectional study. The sample was intentional and non-probabilistic and consisted of 158 participants, with a 0.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPLoS One
January 2025
Division of Biological Sciences, US Fish and Wildlife Southwest Regional Office, Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States of America.
There is growing interest in using deep learning models to automate wildlife detection in aerial imaging surveys to increase efficiency, but human-generated annotations remain necessary for model training. However, even skilled observers may diverge in interpreting aerial imagery of complex environments, which may result in downstream instability of models. In this study, we present a framework for assessing annotation reliability by calculating agreement metrics for individual observers against an aggregated set of annotations generated by clustering multiple observers' observations and selecting the mode classification.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLeadersh Health Serv (Bradf Engl)
January 2025
Department of Management and Marketing, Notre Dame University Louaize, Zouk Mosbeh, Lebanon.
Purpose: This study aims to examine the relationships between organizational culture, employee loyalty, trust and job satisfaction within the Lebanese health-care sector. It addresses the critical need to improve employee retention and organizational performance in a context marked by economic instability and political uncertainty. By analyzing data from 270 health-care professionals, the study aims to explore how different aspects of organizational culture - such as transparency, supportiveness and ethical leadership - affect employee trust and satisfaction.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArch Toxicol
January 2025
STARTNETICS - Department of Chemical Science and Technologies, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Via della Ricerca Scientifica 1, 00133, Rome, Italy.
Femtosecond lasers represent a novel tool for tattoo removal as sources that can be operated at high power, potentially leading to different removal pathways and products. Consequently, the potential toxicity of its application also needs to be evaluated. In this framework, we present a comparative study of Ti:Sapphire femtosecond laser irradiation, as a function of laser power and exposure time, on water dispersions of Pigment Green 7 (PG7) and the green tattoo ink Green Concentrate (GC), which contains PG7 as its coloring agent.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Acoust Soc Am
January 2025
Audio Communication Group, Technische Universität Berlin, Einsteinufer 17c, Berlin, 10587 Germany.
Soundscape studies vary considerably in study design, statistical methods, and model fit metrics used. Due to this confounding of data and methods, it is difficult to assess the suitability of statistical modelling techniques used in the literature. Therefore, five different methods and two performance metrics were applied to three existing soundscape datasets to model soundscape Pleasantness and Eventfulness based on seven acoustic and three sociodemographic predictors.
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