Comparison of efficacy and safety of open and laparoscopic proximal ureterolithotomy for ureteral stone management: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Despite advances in non-invasive and minimally invasive techniques, some proximal ureteral stones with impaction require open or laparoscopic surgery. No systematic reviews or meta-analyses have compared the efficacy and safety of open proximal ureterolithotomy and laparoscopic approaches. The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy and safety between open and laparoscopic proximal ureterolithotomy for ureteral stone management. Following the PRISMA guidelines, systematic searches were conducted in five databases (PubMed, Scopus, ScienceDirect, Web of Science, and ProQuest) to identify articles comparing those two surgical approaches. Operative time, blood loss, pain score, hospital stay, recovery time, and complications were collected and compared. Heterogeneity-based meta-analysis with random-effects or fixed-effects models were conducted. Two randomized controlled trials and four observational cohort studies with 386 participants met the criteria. Open surgery had significantly less time than laparoscopic ureterolithotomy (mean difference (MD): 26.63 minutes, 95%CI: 14.32, 38.94; p<0.0001). Intraoperative blood loss (MD: -1.27 ml; 95%CI: -6.64, 4.09; p=0.64) and overall complications (OR: 0.68; 95%CI: 0.41, 1.15; p=0.16) were not significantly different between two approaches. Laparoscopic ureterolithotomy reduced visual analogue scale (VAS) pain scores (MD: -2.53; 95%CI: -3.47, -2.03; p<0.00001), hospital stays (MD: -2.40 days; 95%CI: -3.42 to -1.38 days; p=0.03), and recovery time (MD: -9.67 days; 95%CI: -10.81 to -8.53 days; p<0.00001). In conclusion, open proximal ureterolithotomy had less time, but laparoscopic surgery reduced postoperative pain, hospital stay, and recovery time. Both methods had comparable intraoperative bleeding and complications.

Physical fitness and motor ability parameters as predictors for skateboarding performance: A logistic regression modelling analysis.

The identification and prediction of athletic talent are pivotal in the development of successful sporting careers. Traditional subjective assessment methods have proven unreliable due to their inherent subjectivity, prompting the rise of data-driven techniques favoured for their objectivity. This evolution in statistical analysis facilitates the extraction of pertinent athlete information, enabling the recognition of their potential for excellence in their respective sporting careers. In the current study, we applied a logistic regression-based machine learning pipeline (LR) to identify potential skateboarding athletes from a combination of fitness and motor skills performance variables. Forty-five skateboarders recruited from a variety of skateboarding parks were evaluated on various skateboarding tricks while their fitness and motor skills abilities that consist of stork stance test, dynamic balance, sit ups, plank test, standing broad jump, as well as vertical jump, were evaluated. The performances of the skateboarders were clustered and the LR model was developed to classify the classes of the skateboarders. The cluster analysis identified two groups of skateboarders: high and low potential skateboarders. The LR model achieved 90% of mean accuracy specifying excellent prediction of the skateboarder classes. Further sensitivity analysis revealed that static and dynamic balance, lower body strength, and endurance were the most important factors that contributed to the model's performance. These factors are therefore essential for successful performance in skateboarding. The application of machine learning in talent prediction can greatly assist coaches and other relevant stakeholders in making informed decisions regarding athlete performance.

Patterns in assignment submission times: Analysis of factors contributing to undergraduate students' commitment to core-curriculum related course.

Co-curricular activities equip students with essential skills and knowledge for personal and professional growth. Despite their importance, many students exert minimal effort to complete the assigned tasks. Instructors perceive that the lack of emphasis on final exams in co-curricular subjects reduces student effort and commitment. Moreover, poor time management and lack of effort in completing tasks have increased across various subjects in recent years. Therefore, it is important to investigate the factors that contribute to student commitment towards co-curricular subjects. In this study, the submission status of 339 tasks was retrieved from the student learning system to measure student commitment based on whether tasks were submitted on time, delayed, or not submitted. A chi-square test f was used to investigate the relationship between students' demographic characteristics and their commitment. The findings revealed a significant association between student commitment and the type of task given (p < 0.001). Students were more likely to submit presentations on time compared to written assignments. Projects were more likely to be delayed, while written assignments had a high frequency of no submission. Age was a significant predictor of commitment (p < 0.05), with students over 20 more likely to submit on time and students under 20 more likely to ignore submission. Gender was also a significant predictor of commitment (p < 0.001), with female students having a higher percentage and frequency of on-time submissions while male students having a higher number of no submissions. However, no significant association was found between the study year and commitment (p > 0.05), indicating that the year of the study could not determine the level of commitment to the course. Overall, these findings could be used to guide the preparation of tasks and assignments in co-curricular subjects to enhance student commitment and holistic development.

Disciplinary measures defining referee activity in top-European football leagues: A cross-sectional investigation.

The success and enjoyment of a football match depend heavily on referees and their ability to ensure fair play and uphold the rules of the game. However, there is limited research investigating the disciplinary measures and booking activities of referees in top European football leagues. In the current investigation, we explored the disciplinary measures and booking activities of top-European football league referees. The dataset of the referee activities concerning 15 indicators containing 602 matches from five consecutive seasons across the five top European leagues, namely, the English Premier League, Spanish Laliga, Italian Serie A, French Ligue1, and German Bundesliga were utilized for this study. K-means cluster analysis was used to define the activity levels of the referees. The Mann-Whitney U test was employed to determine the differences in the levels of the referees' activity with respect to the disciplinary measures, while binary regression analysis was applied to examine the association between the disciplinary measures and the activity levels of the referees. Two groups of activities were defined by k-means, that is, high and low activity. The Mann-Whitney U test revealed statistically significant differences in all 15 indicators examined between high and low activity. However, the regression model demonstrated that only fouls, yellow cards, and air challenges could significantly describe referees' activity levels. These indicators appear to be predictors of high referee activity in elite European Football. Specific training on dealing with increased aggression and foul behaviour coupled with improved game organisational management could be further incorporated into referees' training programmes amongst other measures.

Parameatal urethral cyst: A case series of three rare cases and literature review.

INTRODUCTION AND IMPORTANCE: Parameatal urethral cyst is a rare benign congenital urethral disorder with limited reports in the literature. The formation of the cyst is believed due to the obstruction of the paraurethral duct. This disorder usually does not produce symptoms even though, in an advanced case, urinary retention and flow disturbance may occur. CASE PRESENTATION: Herewith, we report case series of parameatal urethral cysts in 5, 11, and 17 years old boys treated with complete surgical cyst excision. The first was 11 years-old-boy with asymptomatic 7 mm swelling in his urethral meatus. The second case was a 5 years-old-boy with 5 mm swelling in his urethral meatus with the complaint of urinary stream distortion. The third case involved a 17-year-old adolescent with a 4 mm cystic bulge in his urethral meatus that caused urinary distortion. CLINICAL DISCUSSIONS: In these cases, the cysts were completely removed with surgical excision and the patients underwent circumcision. Histological examination revealed a cyst wall lined with squamous and columnar epithelium. Good cosmetic result without any recurrent mass and voiding difficulties was reported after 2 weeks of follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: This study reported three cases of parameatal urethral cysts late presentation at an older age due to no prior symptoms. The patients were managed with surgical excision of the cyst resulting in good cosmesis outcome and without recurrence.

Kids motor performances datasets.

These datasets described the data of the Motor Performance Index for 7 years old kids in Malaysia based on Malaysia's physical fitness test SEGAK. This database has been designed and created with data analysis to create the index from the factor and variable of the test and the test was conducted in the majority of the national primary school in Malaysia. Gender, state of origin, and residential location of the school were the factors used to categorize the participant of the test. The factor of age, weight, height, body mass index (BMI), power, flexibility, coordination, and speed were used for the measurement to relate with the participant's physical fitness. Kids Motor Performances Index data can be reused for talent identification in sport talent scout and to create a baseline for kid's biology growth specifically in gross motor skills and cognitive growth measurement.