Circadian rhythm of hot flashes and activity levels among prostate cancer patients on androgen deprivation therapy

Abstract

Background: Modifiable risk factors contribute to the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and erectile dysfunction (ED). We aimed to compare the knowledge about the contribution of modifiable risk factors to the pathogenesis of CVD and ED. The impact of patients’ having modifiable risk factors on the awareness of their negative influence on the development of CVD and ED was examined.

Methods: To this multicenter cohort study, we included 417 patients with CHD who had been hospitalized in the cardiology or cardiac surgery department during the previous six weeks and underwent cardiac rehabilitation in one of the five centers. Knowledge about modifiable risk factors was collected. ED was assessed by an abridged IIEF-5 questionnaire. Comparisons between groups were conducted using the Student’s t-test, Mann–Whitney U test, and Kruskal–Wallis test. Relationships were analyzed with Spearman's rank correlation coefficient.

Results: The mean number of correctly identified risk factors for CVD was significantly higher than those for ED (3.71?±?1.87 vs. 2.00?±?1.94; p?<?.0001). Smoking was the most recognized risk factor both for CVD and ED. Dyslipidemia was least frequently identified as a risk factor for CVD. Sedentary lifestyle was the only risk factor whose incidence did not affect the level of patient knowledge.

Conclusions: Cardiac patients with ED know more about risk factors for CVD than ED. It is necessary to include information about the negative impact of modifiable risk factors on sexual health into education programs promoting healthy lifestyles in men with cardiovascular diseases.     

Relationship between vitamin D receptor BsmI and FokI polymorphisms and anthropometric and biochemical parameters describing metabolic syndrome

Introduction.?It was found that vitamin D may have a direct effect on adipocyte differentiation and metabolism and might be involved in the glucose regulation of insulin secretion, as suggested from the discovery of a nuclear localization of 1,25-(OH)₂D₃ in pancreatic islets. In recent years, several polymorphisms in the VDR gene which are able to alter the activity of VDR protein have been described. The BsmI and FokI polymorphisms were described in relation to obesity and type 2 diabetes.

The aim of the study was to find whether there are associations between BsmI and FokI polymorphisms and anthropometric (BMI, WHR, BP) and biochemical parameters describing metabolic syndrome.

Materials and methods.?Studied were 176 randomly selected men aged 25–65 years (mean: 51.99 years) with a mean BMI of 28.06 kg/m². Two polymorphisms of the VDR gene (FokI and BsmI) were explored using the PCR-RFLP method. Serum glucose, insulin, total cholesterol, LDL, HDL, and TG were measured using commercially available kits.

Results.?It was found that BB carriers tend to have higher BMI (29.00 ± 3.74 versus 26.81 ± 3.76, p = 0.024) and waist circumference (101.79 ± 10.59 versus 96.23 ± 10.35, p = 0.014) compared with the bb genotypes. Similarly, FF and Ff carriers had higher fasting insulin levels than the ff genotypes (12.30 ± 10.26 versus 9.76 ± 5.88, p = 0.001 and 9.76 ± 5.88 vs. 6.35 ± 2.64, p = 0.008), and lover cHDL levels in comparison to ff genotypes (52.28 ± 10.02 versus 60.63 ± 16.58, p = 0.015 and 53.70 ± 12.03 versus 60.63 ± 16.58, p = 0.032. Besides these, no significant differences were found.

Conclusions.?The BsmI VDR polymorphism seems to influence BMI, while the FokI VDR polymorphism appears to affect insulin sensitivity and serum cHDL level.     

Data-driven smooth tests for the extreme value distribution

In this paper we present data-driven smooth tests for the extreme value distribution. These tests are based on a general idea of construction of data-driven smooth tests for composite hypotheses introduced by Inglot, T., Kallenberg, W. C. M. and Ledwina, T. [(1997). Data-driven smooth tests for composite hypotheses. Ann. Statist., 25, 1222–1250] and its modification for location-scale family proposed in Janic-Wróblewska, A. [(2004). Data-driven smooth test for a location-scale family. Statistics, in press]. Results of power simulations show that the newly introduced test performs very well for a wide range of alternatives and is competitive with other commonly used tests for the extreme value distribution.     

Prediction in trend-renewal processes for repairable systems

Some problems of point and interval prediction in a trend-renewal process (TRP) are considered. TRP’s, whose realizations depend on a renewal distribution as well as on a trend function, comprise the non-homogeneous Poisson and renewal processes and serve as useful reliability models for repairable systems. For these processes, some possible ideas and methods for constructing the predicted next failure time and the prediction interval for the next failure time are presented. A method of constructing the predictors is also presented in the case when the renewal distribution of a TRP is unknown (and consequently, the likelihood function of this process is unknown). Using the prediction methods proposed, simulations are conducted to compare the predicted times and prediction intervals for a TRP with completely unknown renewal distribution with the corresponding results for the TRP with a Weibull renewal distribution and power law type trend function. The prediction methods are also applied to some real data.     

Data Driven Rank Test for Two-Sample Problem

Traditional linear rank tests are known to possess low power for large spectrum of alternatives. In this paper we introduce a new rank test possessing a considerably larger range of sensitivity than linear rank tests. The new test statistic is a sum of squares of some linear rank statistics while the number of summands is chosen via a data-based selection rule. Simulations show that the new test possesses high and stable power in situations when linear rank tests completely break down, while simultaneously it has almost the same power under alternatives which can be detected by standard linear rank tests. Our approach is illustrated by some practical examples. Theoretical support is given by deriving asymptotic null distribution of the test statistic and proving consistency of the new test under essentially any alternative.     

Polish queer lesbianism: sexual identity without a lesbian community

The article investigates the state of Polish lesbianism. It presents the history of lesbian groups, lesbian culture, and community in Poland. It puts social and political activism of lesbians in the context of the growing feminist movement and strong nationalism in Poland. Showing the important role of the Internet communication and the way in which queer philosophy is understood in this country, it investigates sexual identity formation and the process through which lesbian communities develop in Poland. The analysis of Polish lesbianism confirms the constructionists' theory that sexual identity formation highly depends on cultural and political circumstances.     

Data-driven smooth test for a location-scale family

A combination of a smooth test statistic and (an approximate) Schwarz's selection rule has been proposed by Inglot, T., Kallenberg, W. C. M. and Ledwina, T. ((1997). Data-driven smooth tests for composite hypotheses. Ann. Statist. 25, 1222–1250) as a solution of a standard goodness-of-fit problem when nuisance parameters are present. In the present paper we modify the above solution in the sense that we propose another analogue of Schwarz's rule and rederive properties of it and the resulting test statistic. To avoid technicalities we restrict our attention to location-scale family and method of moments estimators of its parameters. In a parallel paper [Janic-Wróblewska, A. (2004). Data-driven smooth tests for the extreme value distribution. Statistics, in press] we illustrate an application of our solution and advantages of modification when testing of fit to extreme value distribution.     

The effect of job rotation intervals on muscle fatigue--lactic acid

This study is a job rotation comparative that aims to define the properly scheme to be in use at the time it is performed. As fatigue plays directly against the work results this comprehensive study about the action of lactic acid over workers at different jobs and strength demand was realized to find the best methodology to maximize those rotations.     

Sequential estimation of a location parameter from delayed observations

The problem of sequentially estimating a location parameter is considered in the special case when the data arrive at random times. Certain classes of sequential estimation procedures are derived under a location invariant loss function and with the observation cost determined by a function of the moment of stopping and the number of observations up to this moment.     

Electronic Health Record Breaches as Social Indicators

Social Indicators Research - This study presents compelling social indicators of such magnitude that they cannot be ignored. The statistical evidence shows that data breaches of electronic health...