Plos One
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Research in applied ecology provides scientific evidence to guide conservation policy and management. Applied ecology is becoming increasingly quantitative and model selection via information criteria has become a common statistical modeling approach. Unfortunately, parameters that contain little to no useful information are commonly presented and interpreted as important in applied ecology. ⋯ Given the prevalence of studies likely to have uninformative parameters or with insufficient information to assess parameter status (71.5%), I surmise that much of the policy recommendations based on applied ecology research may not be supported by the data analysis. I provide four warning signals and a decision tree to assist authors, reviewers, and editors to screen for uninformative parameters in studies applying model selection with information criteria. In the end, careful thinking at every step of the scientific process and greater reporting standards are required to detect uninformative parameters in studies adopting an information criteria approach.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Associations between adverse childhood experiences and health outcomes in adults aged 18-59 years.
Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have been associated with poor health status later in life. The objective of the present study was to examine the relationship between ACEs and health-related behaviors, chronic diseases, and mental health in adults. ⋯ ACEs during childhood were significantly associated with risk behaviors and poor health outcomes in adulthood, and different ACE components had different long-term effects on health outcomes in adulthood.
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The evidence supporting the benefit of femoral nerve block (FNB) for positioning before spinal anesthesia (SA) in patients suffering from a femur fracture remains inconclusive. In the present study, the authors intended to determine the efficacy and safety of FNB versus an intravenous analgesic (IVA) for positioning before SA in patients with a femur fracture. ⋯ Compared to IVA, FNB was an effective and safe strategy for the positioning of femur fracture patients for a spinal block, particularly patients who received SA in the sitting position.
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Case Reports Comparative Study
Conventional plate fixation versus minimally invasive modified pedicle screw-rod fixation for anterior pelvic ring fractures.
There are various methods of fixation for anterior pelvic ring fractures. We report our experience with modified pedicle screw-rod fixation (MPSRF) via a minimally invasive method. Fourteen patients with anterior pelvic ring fracture were treated by internal fixation (conventional plate fixation, n = 7; MPSRF, n = 7). ⋯ Postoperative radiological evaluations were similar between the groups (P > 0.05). The complication rate was lower in the MPSRF group (1/7 patients) than in the plate fixation group (2/7 patients). Modified pedicle screw-rod fixation is a viable treatment for anterior pelvic ring fixation and can reduce blood loss.
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The International Classification of Diseases (ICD) is the standard diagnostic tool for classifying and coding diseases and injuries. The Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) is the most widely used injury severity scoring system. Although manual coding is considered the gold standard, it is sometimes unavailable or impractical. There have been many prior attempts to develop programs for the automated conversion of ICD rubrics into AIS codes. ⋯ The process used in this study has proven to be a useful tool for selecting patients who meet the ISS>15 criterion for "major trauma". Further research is needed to improve the conversion process.