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Constrained econometric techniques hamper investigations of disease prevalence and income risks in the shrimp industry. We employ an econometric model and machine learning (ML) to reduce model restrictions and improve understanding of the influence of diseases and climate on income and disease risks. An interview of 534 farmers with the models enables the discernment of factors influencing shrimp income and disease risks. ML complemented the Just-Pope production model, and the partial dependency plots show nonlinear relationships between income, disease prevalence, and risk factors. Econometric and ML models generated complementary information to understand income and disease prevalence risk factors.
Globally, mental disorders account for almost 20% of disease burden and there is growing evidence that mental disorders are associated with various social determinants. Tackling the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs), which address known social determinants of mental disorders, may be an effective way to reduce the global burden of mental disorders.
Objectives
To examine the evidence base for interventions that seek to improve mental health through targeting the social determinants of mental disorders.
Methods
We conducted a systematic review of reviews, using a five-domain conceptual framework which aligns with the UN SDGs (PROSPERO registration: CRD42022361534). PubMed, PsycInfo, and Scopus were searched from 01 January 2012 until 05 October 2022. Citation follow-up and expert consultation were used to identify additional studies. Systematic reviews including interventions seeking to change or improve a social determinant of mental disorders were eligible for inclusion. Study screening, selection, data extraction, and quality appraisal were conducted in accordance with PRISMA guidelines. The AMSTAR-2 was used to assess included reviews and results were narratively synthesised.
Results
Over 20,000 records were screened, and 101 eligible reviews were included. Most reviews were of low, or critically low, quality. Reviews included interventions which targeted sociocultural (n = 31), economic (n = 24), environmental (n = 19), demographic (n = 15), and neighbourhood (n = 8) determinants of mental disorders. Interventions demonstrating the greatest promise for improved mental health from high and moderate quality reviews (n = 37) included: digital and brief advocacy interventions for female survivors of intimate partner violence; cash transfers for people in low-middle-income countries; improved work schedules, parenting programs, and job clubs in the work environment; psychosocial support programs for vulnerable individuals following environmental events; and social and emotional learning programs for school students. Few effective neighbourhood-level interventions were identified.
Conclusions
This review presents interventions with the strongest evidence base for the prevention of mental disorders and highlights synergies where addressing the UN SDGs can be beneficial for mental health. A range of issues across the literature were identified, including barriers to conducting randomised controlled trials and lack of follow-up limiting the ability to measure long-term mental health outcomes. Interdisciplinary and novel approaches to intervention design, implementation, and evaluation are required to improve the social circumstances and mental health experienced by individuals, communities, and populations.
Background: Cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) is a rare cause of stroke, with 10–15% of patients experiencing dependence or death. The role of endovascular therapy (EVT) in the management of CVT remains controversial and practice patterns are not well-known. Methods: We distributed a comprehensive 53-question survey to neurologists, neuro-interventionalists, neurosurgeons and other relevant clinicians globally from May 2023 to October 2023. The survey asked about practice patterns and perspectives on EVT for CVT and assessed opinions regarding future clinical trials. Results: The overall response rate was 31% (863 respondents from 2744 invited participants) across 61 countries. A majority (74%) supported use of EVT for certain CVT cases. Key considerations for EVT included worsening level of consciousness (86%) and other clinical deficits (76%). Mechanical thrombectomy with aspiration (22%) and stent retriever (19%) were the most utilized techniques, with regional variations. Post-procedurally, low molecular weight heparin was the predominant anticoagulant administered (40%), although North American respondents favored unfractionated heparin. Most respondents supported future trials of EVT (90%). Conclusions: Our survey reveals significant heterogeneity in approaches to EVT for CVT, highlighting the necessity for adequately powered clinical trials to guide standard-of-care practices.
Infrared spectra of 2-ethoxyethanol (ethylene glycol monoethyl ether, EGME) adsorbed on Camontmorillonite were obtained using diffuse-reflectance infrared-Fourier-transform (DRIFT) and attenuated total-reflectance (ATR) spectroscopy. The molecular conformation of adsorbed EGME shows predominantly a gauche configuration for the CH2-CH2 linkage as originally present in the liquid. The orientation of the adsorbed EGME molecule in the interlamellar region of the clay was deduced from measurements of the polarized ATR spectra. The planar zig-zag skeleton of the molecule appears to have its long axis tilted at an angle of 44° to the clay surface; the molecule is in van der Waals contact with both adjacent surfaces. Further, the plane of the skeleton of the molecule is tilted at an angle of 69° to the clay surface. This orientation leads to estimates of the d-value of the clay-EGME complex and of the surface area occupied by each molecule. These values are in excellent agreement with independent measurements of both parameters. The full surface coverage on montmorillonite is represented by a single layer of tilted EGME molecules shared by two adjacent clay sheets; each molecule occupies a total surface area consisting of one portion (25.4 Å2) on the lower surface of the interlayer plus another portion (14.8 Å2) on the upper surface. The implication of this model for materials such as kaolinite, where adsorption takes place on the external surface only, is that on these materials each EGME molecule occupies 20 Å2 at full surface coverage.
To determine whether poorer performance on the Boston Naming Test (BNT) in individuals with transactive response DNA-binding protein 43 pathology (TDP-43+) is due to greater loss of word knowledge compared to retrieval-based deficits.
Methods:
Retrospective clinical-pathologic study of 282 participants with Alzheimer’s disease neuropathologic changes (ADNC) and known TDP-43 status. We evaluated item-level performance on the 60-item BNT for first and last available assessment. We fit cross-sectional negative binomial count models that assessed total number of incorrect items, number correct of responses with phonemic cue (reflecting retrieval difficulties), and number of “I don’t know” (IDK) responses (suggestive of loss of word knowledge) at both assessments. Models included TDP-43 status and adjusted for sex, age, education, years from test to death, and ADNC severity. Models that evaluated the last assessment adjusted for number of prior BNT exposures.
Results:
43% were TDP-43+. The TDP-43+ group had worse performance on BNT total score at first (p = .01) and last assessments (p = .01). At first assessment, TDP-43+ individuals had an estimated 29% (CI: 7%–56%) higher mean number of incorrect items after adjusting for covariates, and a 51% (CI: 15%–98%) higher number of IDK responses compared to TDP-43−. At last assessment, compared to TDP-43−, the TDP-43+ group on average missed 31% (CI: 6%–62%; p = .01) more items and had 33% more IDK responses (CI: 1% fewer to 78% more; p = .06).
Conclusions:
An important component of poorer performance on the BNT in participants who are TDP-43+ is having loss of word knowledge versus retrieval difficulties.
We evaluated whether universal chlorhexidine bathing (decolonization) with or without COVID-19 intensive training impacted COVID-19 rates in 63 nursing homes (NHs) during the 2020–2021 Fall/Winter surge. Decolonization was associated with a 43% lesser rise in staff case-rates (P < .001) and a 52% lesser rise in resident case-rates (P < .001) versus control.
The 2022 SHEA/IDSA/APIC guidance for surgical site infection (SSI) prevention recommends reserving vancomycin prophylaxis to patients who are methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) colonized. Unfortunately, vancomycin prophylaxis remains common due to the overestimation of MRSA risk and the desire to cover MRSA in patients with certain healthcare-associated characteristics. To optimize vancomycin prophylaxis, we sought to identify risk factors for MRSA SSI.
Methods:
This was a single-center, case-control study of patients with a postoperative SSI after undergoing a National Healthcare Safety Network operative procedure over eight years. MRSA SSI cases were compared to non-MRSA SSI controls. Forty-two demographic, medical, and surgical characteristics were evaluated.
Results:
Of the 441 patients included, 23 developed MRSA SSIs (rate = 5.2 per 100 SSIs). In the multivariable model, we identified two independent risk factors for MRSA SSI: a history of MRSA colonization or infection (OR, 9.0 [95% CI, 1.9–29.6]) and hip or knee replacement surgery (OR, 3.8 [95% CI, 1.3–9.9]). Hemodialysis, previous hospitalization, and prolonged hospitalization prior to the procedure had no measurable association with odds of MRSA SSI.
Conclusions:
Patients with prior MRSA colonization or infection had 9–10 times greater odds of MRSA SSI and patients undergoing hip and knee replacement had 3–4 times greater odds of MRSA SSI. Healthcare-associated characteristics, such as previous hospitalization or hemodialysis, were not associated with MRSA SSI. Our findings support national recommendations to reserve vancomycin prophylaxis for patients who are MRSA colonized, as well as those undergoing hip and knee replacement, in the absence of routine MRSA colonization surveillance.
To compare clinical outcomes associated with appropriate and inappropriate management of asymptomatic bacteriuria (ASB) and urinary tract infection (UTI) among inpatients with neurogenic bladder (NB).
Design:
Multicenter, retrospective cohort.
Setting:
The study was conducted across 4 Veterans’ Affairs hospitals.
Participants:
The study included veterans with NB due to spinal cord injury or disorder (SCI/D), multiple sclerosis (MS), or Parkinson’s disease (PD) hospitalized between January 1, 2017, and December 31, 2018, with diagnosis of ASB or UTI.
Interventions:
In a medical record review, we classified ASB and UTI diagnoses and treatments as appropriate or inappropriate based on national guidelines.
Main outcome measures:
Frequencies of Clostridioides difficile infection, acute kidney injury, 90-day hospital readmission, postculture length-of-stay (LOS), and multidrug-resistant organisms in subsequent urine cultures were compared between those who received appropriate and inappropriate management.
Results:
We included 170 encounters with ASB (30%) or UTI (70%) diagnoses occurring for 166 patients. Overall, 86.1% patients were male, 47.6% had SCI/D and 77.6% used bladder catheters. All ASB encounters had appropriate diagnoses, and 96.1% had appropriate treatment. In contrast, 37 UTI encounters (31.1%) had inappropriate diagnoses and 61 (51.3%) had inappropriate treatment, including 30 encounters with true ASB. Among patients with SCI/D or MS, appropriate ASB or UTI diagnosis was associated with a longer postculture LOS (median, 14 vs 7.5 days; P = .02). We did not detect any significant associations between appropriate versus inappropriate diagnosis and treatment and other outcomes.
Conclusions:
Almost one-third of UTI diagnoses and half of treatments in hospitalized patients with NB are inappropriate. Opportunities exist to improve ASB and UTI management in patients with NB to minimize inappropriate antibiotic use.
Phenomenological models are popular for describing the epidemic curve. We present how they can be used at different phases in the epidemic, by modelling the daily number of new hospitalisations (or cases). As real-time prediction of the hospital capacity is important, a joint model of the new hospitalisations, number of patients in hospital and in intensive care unit (ICU) is proposed. This model allows estimation of the length of stay in hospital and ICU, even if no (or limited) individual level information on length of stay is available. Estimation is done in a Bayesian framework. In this framework, real-time alarms, defined as the probability of exceeding hospital capacity, can be easily derived. The methods are illustrated using data from the COVID-19 pandemic in March–June 2020 in Belgium, but are widely applicable.
Declines in mental health among youth in the COVID-19 pandemic have been observed, yet longitudinal studies on how housing may impact these declines are lacking.
Objectives
Our aim was to determine whether changes in mental health among Danish youth were dependent on their housing conditions.
Methods
Young participants from the Danish National Birth Cohort, who had responded to an online questionnaire at 18 years of age, and later during the initial national Danish lockdown, were included. Associations between housing conditions (direct access to outdoor spaces, urbanicity, household density, and household composition) and changes in mental health (mental well-being, quality of life (QoL) and loneliness) were examined in multivariate linear and logistic regression analyses.
Results
We included 7455 participants. Greater decreases in mental well-being were observed for youth with no access to direct outdoor spaces and those living in denser households (mean difference -0.83 [95 % CI -1.19, -0.48], -0.30 [-0.43, -0.18], respectively). Onset of low mental well-being was associated with no access and living alone (odds ratios (OR) 1.68 [1.15, 2.47] and OR 1.47 [1.05, 2.07], respectively). Household density was negatively associated with QoL (mean difference -0.21 [-0.30, -0.12]). Youth living alone experienced more loneliness (OR 2.12 [95 % CI 1.59, 2.82]).
Conclusions
How youth’s mental health changed from before to during lockdown was associated with housing conditions. Among the Danish youth in our study, greater decreases in mental health during lockdown were observed among youth without access to outdoor spaces, living alone, or living in denser households.
Stem cells give rise to the entirety of cells within an organ. Maintaining stem cell identity and coordinately regulating stem cell divisions is crucial for proper development. In plants, mobile proteins, such as WUSCHEL-RELATED HOMEOBOX 5 (WOX5) and SHORTROOT (SHR), regulate divisions in the root stem cell niche. However, how these proteins coordinately function to establish systemic behaviour is not well understood. We propose a non-cell autonomous role for WOX5 in the cortex endodermis initial (CEI) and identify a regulator, ANGUSTIFOLIA (AN3)/GRF-INTERACTING FACTOR 1, that coordinates CEI divisions. Here, we show with a multi-scale hybrid model integrating ordinary differential equations (ODEs) and agent-based modeling that quiescent center (QC) and CEI divisions have different dynamics. Specifically, by combining continuous models to describe regulatory networks and agent-based rules, we model systemic behaviour, which led us to predict cell-type-specific expression dynamics of SHR, SCARECROW, WOX5, AN3 and CYCLIND6;1, and experimentally validate CEI cell divisions. Conclusively, our results show an interdependency between CEI and QC divisions.
Surgical site infection (SSI) is a common postprocedure complication that may be prevented by adhering to established recommendations, including administration of preoperative antibiotic prophylaxis. Patients with a β-lactam allergy (BLA) label have an increased risk of SSI. We sought to evaluate the appropriateness of preoperative antibiotic prophylaxis in patients labeled with a BLA compared those without a BLA.
Methods:
This was a single-center, retrospective, matched cohort study of adult patients who underwent a clean or clean-contaminated knee replacement, abdominal hysterectomy, colorectal surgery, or coronary artery bypass graft (CABG). Patients with a BLA label were matched to patients without a BLA label based on procedure, age, and body mass index (BMI). The primary end point was the rate of appropriate preoperative antibiotic prophylaxis, including antibiotic selection and timing prior to incision.
Results:
In total, 260 patients were included. Knee replacement (38%) was the most common procedure, followed by abdominal hysterectomy (25%), colorectal surgery (18%), and CABG (18%). Appropriate preoperative antibiotic prophylaxis was higher among patients without a BLA (76% vs 37%; P < .001). Among patients with a mild-to-moderate reaction or intolerance, 29 (53%) received antibiotics that would have been appropriate only if the patient had had a severe BLA. Patients with a BLA were more likely to have had an antibiotic omitted from the prophylactic regimen (44% vs 4%; P < .001).
Conclusion:
Patients with a BLA were more likely to receive inappropriate preoperative antibiotic prophylaxis, attributed to misinterpretation of BLA labels and antibiotic omissions. Optimizing antibiotic prophylaxis among patients with BLAs remains an area of opportunity to prevent SSIs.
Alcohol and cannabis remain the substances most widely used by adolescents. Better understanding of the dynamic relationship between trajectories of substance use in relation to neuropsychological functioning is needed. The aim of this study was to examine the different impacts of within- and between-person changes in alcohol and cannabis use on neuropsychological functioning over multiple time points.
Methods:
Hierarchical linear modeling examined the effects of alcohol and cannabis use on neuropsychological functioning over the course of 14 years in a sample of 175 adolescents (aged 12–15 years at baseline).
Results:
Time-specific fluctuations in alcohol use (within-person effect) predicted worse performance across time on the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence Block Design subtest (B = −.05, SE = .02, p = .01). Greater mean levels of percent days of cannabis use across time (between-person effect) were associated with an increased contrast score between Delis–Kaplan Executive Function System Color Word Inhibition and Color Naming conditions (B = .52, SE = .14, p < .0001) and poorer performance over time on Block Design (B = −.08, SE = .04, p = .03). Neither alcohol and/nor cannabis use over time was associated with performance in the verbal memory and processing speed domains.
Conclusions:
Greater cumulative cannabis use over adolescence may be linked to poorer inhibitory control and visuospatial functioning performance, whereas more proximal increases in alcohol consumption during adolescence may drive alcohol-related performance decrements in visuospatial functioning. Results from this prospective study add to the growing body of literature on the impact of alcohol and cannabis use on cognition from adolescent to young adulthood.
In Canada, recreational use of cannabis was legalized in October 2018. This policy change along with recent publications evaluating the efficacy of cannabis for the medical treatment of epilepsy and media awareness about its use have increased the public interest about this agent. The Canadian League Against Epilepsy Medical Therapeutics Committee, along with a multidisciplinary group of experts and Canadian Epilepsy Alliance representatives, has developed a position statement about the use of medical cannabis for epilepsy. This article addresses the current Canadian legal framework, recent publications about its efficacy and safety profile, and our understanding of the clinical issues that should be considered when contemplating cannabis use for medical purposes.
Introduction: Endotracheal intubation (ETI) is a lifesaving procedure commonly performed by emergency department (ED) physicians that may lead to patient discomfort or adverse events (e.g., unintended extubation) if sedation is inadequate. No ED-based sedation guidelines currently exist, so individual practice varies widely. This study's objective was to describe the self-reported post-ETI sedation practice of Canadian adult ED physicians. Methods: An anonymous, cross-sectional, web-based survey featuring 7 common ED scenarios requiring ETI was distributed to adult ED physician members of the Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians (CAEP). Scenarios included post-cardiac arrest, hypercapnic and hypoxic respiratory failure, status epilepticus, polytrauma, traumatic brain injury, and toxicology. Participants indicated first and second choice of sedative medication following ETI, as well as bolus vs. infusion administration in each scenario. Data was presented by descriptive statistics. Results: 207 (response rate 16.8%) ED physicians responded to the survey. Emergency medicine training of respondents included CCFP-EM (47.0%), FRCPC (35.8%), and CCFP (13.9%). 51.0% of respondents work primarily in academic/teaching hospitals and 40.4% work in community teaching hospitals. On average, responding physicians report providing care for 4.9 ± 6.8 (mean ± SD) intubated adult patients per month for varying durations (39.2% for 1–2 hours, 27.8% for 2–4 hours, and 22.7% for ≤1 hour). Combining all clinical scenarios, propofol was the most frequently used medication for post-ETI sedation (38.0% of all responses) and was the most frequently used agent except for the post-cardiac arrest, polytrauma, and hypercapnic respiratory failure scenarios. Ketamine was used second most frequently (28.2%), with midazolam being third most common (14.5%). Post-ETI sedation was provided by > 98% of physicians in all situations except the post-cardiac arrest (26.1% indicating no sedation) and toxicology (15.5% indicating no sedation) scenarios. Sedation was provided by infusion in 74.6% of cases and bolus in 25.4%. Conclusion: Significant practice variability with respect to post-ETI sedation exists amongst Canadian emergency physicians. Future quality improvement studies should examine sedation provided in real clinical scenarios with a goal of establishing best sedation practices to improve patient safety and quality of care.
Prenatal sex steroid exposure plays an important role in determining child development. Yet, measurement of prenatal hormonal exposure has been limited by the paucity of newborn/infant data and the invasiveness of fetal hormonal sampling. Here we provide descriptive data from the MIREC-ID study (n=173 girls; 162 boys) on a range of minimally invasive physical indices thought to reflect prenatal exposure to androgens [anogenital distances (AGDs); penile length/width, scrotal/vulvar pigmentation], to estrogens [vaginal maturation index (VMI) – the degree of maturation of vaginal wall cells] or to both androgens/estrogens [2nd-to-4th digit ratio (2D:4D); areolar pigmentation, triceps/sub-scapular skinfold thickness, arm circumference]. VMI was found to be associated with triceps skinfold thickness (β=0.265, P=0.005), suggesting that this marker may be sensitive to estrogen levels produced by adipose tissue in girls. Both estrogenic and androgenic markers (VMI: β=0.338, P=0.031; 2D:4D – right: β=−0.207, P=0.040; left: β=−0.276, P=0.006; AGD-fourchette − β=0.253, P=0.036) were associated with areolar pigmentation in girls, supporting a role for the latter as an index of both androgen and estrogen exposure. We also found AGD-penis (distance from the anus to the penis) to be associated with scrotal pigmentation (β=0.290, P=0.048), as well as right arm circumference (β=0.462, P<0.0001), supporting the notion that these indices may be used together as markers of androgen exposure in boys. In sum, these findings support the use of several physical indices at birth to convey a more comprehensive picture of prenatal exposure to sex hormones.