Classic and Bayesian Tree-Based Methods

Tree-based methods are nonparametric techniques and machine-learning methods for data prediction and exploratory modeling. These models are one of valuable and powerful tools among data mining methods and can be used for predicting different types of outcome (dependent) variable: (e.g., quantitative, qualitative, and time until an event occurs (survival data)). Tree model is called classification tree/regression tree/survival tree based on the type of outcome variable. These methods have some advantages over against traditional statistical methods such as generalized linear models (GLMs), discriminant analysis, and survival analysis. Some of these advantages are: without requiring to determine assumptions about the functional form between outcome variable and predictor (independent) variables, invariant to monotone transformations of predictor variables, useful for dealing with nonlinear relationships and high-order interactions, deal with different types of predictor variable, ease of interpretation and understanding results without requiring to have statistical experience, robust to missing values, outliers, and multicollinearity. Several classic and Bayesian tree algorithms are proposed for classification and regression trees, and in this chapter, we provide a review of these algorithms and appropriate criteria for determining the predictive performance of them

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN UTERINE TEMPERAMENT AND VAGINITIS FROM IRANIAN TRADITIONAL MEDICINE POINT OF VIEW

Iranian traditional medicine is based on the concept of Mizaj (Temperament). Mizaj is the overall quality of body and any of its organs in terms of the amount and the proportion of combination of each of four elements, i.e. warmness, coldness, wetness, and dryness in it. If an organ or the whole body gets out of their natural temperament, a disease will be developed. Uterine infections are caused by the wet dys-temperament (Su'e Mizaj) of the uterus, from this perspective. This study was carried out to investigate the relationship between uterine temperament and vaginitis. This case-control study was conducted on 223 women aged 20-40 years living in Tehran who referred to two clinics affiliated with Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences by matching the age and contraceptive method. In the case group (n=112) one kind of vaginitis was detected and the control group (n=111) were healthy in this regard. The data were analyzed using chi-square test, independent t-test, or Mann-Whitney test and logistic regression. Uterine compound temperament was cold-wet in most patients (62.5%). Uterine singular temperament was cold in 73.7% of the patient in terms of coldness and hotness and was wet in 74.6% of the patients in terms of dryness and wetness. There was a significant relationship between uterine singular and compound temperament and risk of vaginitis. It can be said that uterine dis-temperament is a predisposing factor to develop vaginitis and this finding validates the theory claimed in traditional medicine literature. Keywords: Temperament; Vaginitis; Iranian traditional medicine; Uterin

Predicting the outcome of occupational accidents by CART and CHAID methods at a steel factory in Iran

Background: A large number of occupational accidents happen at steel industries in Iran. The information about these accidents is recorded by safety offices. Data mining methods are one of the suitable ways for using these databases to create useful information. Classification and regression trees (CART) and chisquare automatic interaction detection (CHAID) are two types of a decision tree which are used in data mining for creating predictions. These predictions could show characteristics of susceptible people exposed to occupational accidents. This study was aimed to predict the outcome of occupational accidents by CART and CHAID methods at a steel factory in Iran. Design and methods: In this study, the data of 12 variables for 2127 cases of occupational injuries (including three categories of minor, severe and fatal) from 2001 to 2014 were collected. CART and CHAID algorithms in IBM SPSS Modeler version 18 were used to create decision trees and predictions. Results: Five predictions for the outcome of occupational accidents were created for each method. The most important predictor variables for CART method included age, the cause of accident and level of education respectively. For CHAID method, age, place of accident and level of education were the most important predictor variables respectively. Furthermore the accuracy of CART and CHAID methods were 81.78% and 80.73%, respectively for predictions. Conclusions: CART and CHAID methods can be used to predict the outcome of occupational accidents in the steel industry. Thus the rate of injuries can be reduced by using the predictions for employing preventive measures and training in the steel industry

Which came first, the risk of migraine or the risk of asthma? A systematic review

Objectives We conducted this review to systematically assess the association and risk of the migraine in the patient with asthma and vice versa. Methods We systematically searched publishes articles indexed in PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane library, PsycINFO, CINAHL, ISI Web of Science, Science Direct from inception, and Embase databases until June 2017. The quality assessment of the involved studies was done using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS). Results Eight studies with 389,573 participants were reviewed and selected for data extraction. Among the selected studies, 5 were reported the association between migraine with asthma risk, and the rest three studies reported the risk of asthma in patient with migraine compared to non-moraine individuals. Odds ratio (OR) of migraine for patient with asthma as compared with non-asthmatic individuals was 1.62 (95% CI 1.43–1.82). Data pooling using a random-effect model showed that migraine was associated with a significant increased risk of asthma (relative risk (RR): 1.56; 95% CI: 1.51–1.60; p < .00001). Besides, sub-group and sensitivity analyses supported the positive association between asthma and migraine, and risk of asthma in migraine patients. Conclusion Now it is unknown if control of the asthma will impact the severity of migraines or vice versa, but it is necessary to perform more research to further explain the mechanisms through which asthma increases the frequency of migraine or vice versa. If two conditions linked, once an individual undergo better control of asthma symptoms, might the excruciating migraine ease, too

Effect of the Walking Exercise Program on Cancer-Related Fatigue in Patients with Acute Myeloid Leukemia Undergoing Chemotherapy

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Effect of education based on Pender`s health promotion model on nutrition behavior of adolescent girls

Poor eating habits are formed and stabilized from childhood and adolescence, so, if there is no intervention to correct it, the dietary habits can be the source of health problems in the future. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of education based on Pender`s health promotion model on nutritional behavior of high school girls. This study was performed on 128 adolescents (two groups of 64 students). The data collection tool was a questionnaire designed based on the Pender`s health promotion model. Educational intervention consisted of four 45 to 60 minute training session for students and a training session for mothers with teaching methods of lecture, questioning and answering and group discussion. The two groups before the intervention were not significantly different in terms of demographic variables and the mean score of behavior and model constructs. But after the intervention, the mean score of healthy nutrition behaviors increased from 14.12 to 15.29 in the experimental group. The mean score of some model structures such as self-efficacy, perceived benefits and interpersonal norms in the test group significantly increased and the mean score of perceived barriers decreased significantly. But modeling structure didn’t show significant changes. The results of this study focuses on the effectiveness of health promotion model in changing nutrition behaviors. An increase in the perceived benefits and self-efficacy as well as a reduction in the perceived barriers to healthy eating are the strategies that can be the basis of the programs that are designed to promote healthy behaviors in adolescents especially in the school environment

The pattern of inherited microcephaly and role of the consanguineous marriage: A study from Southwestern Iran

Background: Microcephaly is a congenital disorder characterized by a head circumference falling more than two standard deviations below the mean with respect to age- and gender-matched population sample, which is divided into isolated and syndromic types. This study aimed to show the inheritance pattern of microcephaly and role of the consanguineous marriage in Southwestern Iran.Patients and Methods: In this study, medical records of 1202 people (out of 3951 families, 30.4%) with autosomal recessive pattern inherited disorder who attended the centers of Khuzestan state welfare organization, southwestern Iran during 2011 to 2016 for genetic counseling, were reviewed.Results: Overall, out of 1202 cases of microcephaly, 114 (9.48%, 2.3/100,000 live births) people were detected. The results showed that most patients were female (66.7%), from Arab ethnicity (63%). Most of the patient‘s fathers were at the level of primary school education (63%) and self-employed (63%), while patient‘s mothers completed primary school education (37%) or illiterate (37%) and housewife (100%). Income distribution showed that the majority of families were below the poverty line (63%), and lived in the urban area (37%). The study showed that the frequency of consanguineous marriage was much higher (81.5% vs. 18.5%, P= 0.0013).Conclusion: In as much as lack of access to early medical attention, poor socio-economic state and harsh environmental factors affect mental health response, these factors are believed play crucial role in reducing the incidence of mental health and associated abnormalities. Considering the relatively high prevalence of inherited microcephaly, it is important to set up clinical guidelines for early detection and management of these conditions to decrease the associated morbidity and mortality. [Ethiop. J. Health Dev. 2017;31(2):119-123]Keywords: Inherited microcephaly; consanguineous marriage; Southwestern Ira

Predicting falls among patients with multiple sclerosis:Comparison of patient-reported outcomes and performance-based measures of lower extremity functions

Background Accurate fall screening tools are needed to identify those multiple sclerosis (MS) patients at high risk of falling. The present study aimed at determining the validity of a series of performance-based measures (PBMs) of lower extremity functions and patient-reported outcomes (PROs) in predicting falls in a sample of MS patients (n = 84), who were ambulatory independent. Methods Patients were assessed using the following PBMs: timed up and go (TUG), timed 25-foot walk (T25FW), cognitive T25FW, 2-min walk (2MW), and cognitive 2MW. Moreover, a series of valid and reliable PROs were filled in by participants including the activities-specific balance confidence (ABC), 12-item multiple sclerosis walking scale (MSWS-12), fall efficacy scale international (FES-I), and modified fatigue impact scale (MFIS). The dual task cost (DTC) of 2MW and T25FW tests were calculated as a percentage of change in parameters from single to dual task conditions. Participants were classified as none-fallers and fallers (⩾1) based on their prospective fall occurrence. Results In the present study, 41(49%) participants recorded ≥ 1 fall and were classified as fallers. The results of logistic regression analysis revealed that each individual test, except DTC of 2MW and T25FW, significantly predicted future falls. However, considering the area under the curves (AUCs), PROs were more accurate compared to PBMs. In addition, the results of multiple logistic regression with the first two factors extracted from principal component analysis revealed that both factor 1 (PROs) and factor 2 (PBMs) significantly predicted falls with a greater odds ratio (OR) for factor 1 (factor 1: P = <0.0001, OR = 63.41 (6.72–597.90)) than factor 2 (P <0.05, OR = 5.03 (1.33–18.99)). Conclusions The results of this study can be used by clinicians to identify and monitor potential fallers in MS patients