Global trends of hand and wrist trauma: A systematic analysis of fracture and digit amputation using the Global Burden of Disease 2017 Study

Background: As global rates of mortality decrease, rates of non-fatal injury have increased, particularly in low Socio-demographic Index (SDI) nations. We hypothesised this global pattern of non-fatal injury would be demonstrated in regard to bony hand and wrist trauma over the 27-year study period. Methods: The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2017 was used to estimate prevalence, age-standardised incidence and years lived with disability for hand trauma in 195 countries from 1990 to 2017. Individual injuries included hand and wrist fractures, thumb amputations and non-thumb digit amputations. Results: The global incidence of hand trauma has only modestly decreased since 1990. In 2017, t

The global, regional, and national burden of pancreatic cancer and its attributable risk factors in 195 countries and territories, 1990-2017: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017

Background: Worldwide, both the incidence and death rates of pancreatic cancer are increasing. Evaluation of pancreatic cancer burden and its global, regional, and national patterns is crucial to policy making and better resource allocation for controlling pancreatic cancer risk factors, developing early detection methods, and providing faster and more effective treatments. Methods: Vital registration, vital registration sample, and cancer registry data were used to generate mortality, incidence, and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) estimates. We used the comparative risk assessment framework to estimate the proportion of deaths attributable to risk factors for pancreatic cancer: smoking, high fasting plasma glucose, and high body-mass index. All of the estimates were reported as counts and age-standardised rates per 100 000 person-years. 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs) were reported for all estimates. Findings: In 2017, there were 448 000 (95% UI 439 000\u2013456 000) incident cases of pancreatic cancer globally, of which 232 000 (210 000\u2013221 000; 51\ub79%) were in males. The age-standardised incidence rate was 5\ub70 (4\ub79\u20135\ub71) per 100 000 person-years in 1990 and increased to 5\ub77 (5\ub76\u20135\ub78) per 100 000 person-years in 2017. There was a 2\ub73 times increase in number of deaths for both sexes from 196 000 (193 000\u2013200 000) in 1990 to 441 000 (433 000\u2013449 000) in 2017. There was a 2\ub71 times increase in DALYs due to pancreatic cancer, increasing from 4\ub74 million (4\ub73\u20134\ub75) in 1990 to 9\ub71 million (8\ub79\u20139\ub73) in 2017. The age-standardised death rate of pancreatic cancer was highest in the high-income super-region across all years from 1990 to 2017. In 2017, the highest age-standardised death rates were observed in Greenland (17\ub74 [15\ub78\u201319\ub70] per 100 000 person-years) and Uruguay (12\ub71 [10\ub79\u201313\ub75] per 100 000 person-years). These countries also had the highest age-standardised death rates in 1990. Bangladesh (1\ub79 [1\ub75\u20132\ub73] per 100 000 person-years) had the lowest rate in 2017, and S\ue3o Tom\ue9 and Pr\uedncipe (1\ub73 [1\ub71\u20131\ub75] per 100 000 person-years) had the lowest rate in 1990. The numbers of incident cases and deaths peaked at the ages of 65\u201369 years for males and at 75\u201379 years for females. Age-standardised pancreatic cancer deaths worldwide were primarily attributable to smoking (21\ub71% [18\ub78\u201323\ub77]), high fasting plasma glucose (8\ub79% [2\ub71\u201319\ub74]), and high body-mass index (6\ub72% [2\ub75\u201311\ub74]) in 2017. Interpretation: Globally, the number of deaths, incident cases, and DALYs caused by pancreatic cancer has more than doubled from 1990 to 2017. The increase in incidence of pancreatic cancer is likely to continue as the population ages. Prevention strategies should focus on modifiable risk factors. Development of screening programmes for early detection and more effective treatment strategies for pancreatic cancer are needed. Funding: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Review of Dolomite as Precursor of Geopolymer Materials

Geopolymer is an environmentally friendly cementitious binder that does not require the existence of ordinary Portland cement (OPC). Geopolymer has many excellent advantages, including high early strength, low shrinkage, good thermal resistance and good chemical resistance. Previous commonly used materials include fly ash, clay and slag. The used of dolomite as precursor material in geopolymer field is still new and at the early stage of study. Only a few researchers have done studies on dolomite in geopolymer. Dolomite (CaMg(CO3)2) is abundant and generally inexpensive natural minerals. The possible use of these bulk calcium carbonate materials in improving the mechanical properties of geopolymers will therefore be of great interest. This paper summarizes some research outcomes on dolomite in geopolymer along with the potential of dolomite as geopolymer composites

Review of Dolomite as Precursor of Geopolymer Materials

Geopolymer is an environmentally friendly cementitious binder that does not require the existence of ordinary Portland cement (OPC). Geopolymer has many excellent advantages, including high early strength, low shrinkage, good thermal resistance and good chemical resistance. Previous commonly used materials include fly ash, clay and slag. The used of dolomite as precursor material in geopolymer field is still new and at the early stage of study. Only a few researchers have done studies on dolomite in geopolymer. Dolomite (CaMg(CO3)2) is abundant and generally inexpensive natural minerals. The possible use of these bulk calcium carbonate materials in improving the mechanical properties of geopolymers will therefore be of great interest. This paper summarizes some research outcomes on dolomite in geopolymer along with the potential of dolomite as geopolymer composites

Hydrodynamics of DNA confined in nanoslits and nanochannels

Modeling the dynamics of a confined, semi exible polymer is a challenging problem, owing to the complicated interplay between the configurations of the chain, which are strongly affected by the length scale for the confinement relative to the persistence length of the chain, and the polymer-wall hydrodynamic interactions. At the same time, understanding these dynamics are crucial to the advancement of emerging genomic technologies that use confinement to stretch out DNA and “read” a genomic signature. In this mini-review, we begin by considering what is known experimentally and theoretically about the friction of a wormlike chain such as DNA confined in a slit or a channel. We then discuss how to estimate the friction coefficient of such a chain, either with dynamic simulations or via Monte Carlo sampling and the Kirk-wood pre-averaging approximation. We then review our recent work on computing the diffusivity of DNA in nanoslits and nanochannels, and conclude with some promising avenues for future work and caveats about our approach

The global, regional, and national burden of stomach cancer in 195 countries, 1990�2017: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease study 2017

Background: Stomach cancer is a major health problem in many countries. Understanding the current burden of stomach cancer and the differential trends across various locations is essential for formulating effective preventive strategies. We report on the incidence, mortality, and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) due to stomach cancer in 195 countries and territories from 21 regions between 1990 and 2017. Methods: Estimates from GBD 2017 were used to analyse the incidence, mortality, and DALYs due to stomach cancer at the global, regional, and national levels. The rates were standardised to the GBD world population and reported per 100 000 population as age-standardised incidence rates, age-standardised death rates, and age-standardised DALY rates. All estimates were generated with 95 uncertainty intervals (UIs). Findings: In 2017, more than 1·22 million (95 UI 1·19�1·25) incident cases of stomach cancer occurred worldwide, and nearly 865 000 people (848 000�885 000) died of stomach cancer, contributing to 19·1 million (18·7�19·6) DALYs. The highest age-standardised incidence rates in 2017 were seen in the high-income Asia Pacific (29·5, 28·2�31·0 per 100 000 population) and east Asia (28·6, 27·3�30·0 per 100 000 population) regions, with nearly half of the global incident cases occurring in China. Compared with 1990, in 2017 more than 356 000 more incident cases of stomach cancer were estimated, leading to nearly 96 000 more deaths. Despite the increase in absolute numbers, the worldwide age-standardised rates of stomach cancer (incidence, deaths, and DALYs) have declined since 1990. The drop in the disease burden was associated with improved Socio-demographic Index. Globally, 38·2 (21·1�57·8) of the age-standardised DALYs were attributable to high-sodium diet in both sexes combined, and 24·5 (20·0�28·9) of the age-standardised DALYs were attributable to smoking in males. Interpretation: Our findings provide insight into the changing burden of stomach cancer, which is useful in planning local strategies and monitoring their progress. To this end, specific local strategies should be tailored to each country's risk factor profile. Beyond the current decline in age-standardised incidence and death rates, a decrease in the absolute number of cases and deaths will be possible if the burden in east Asia, where currently almost half of the incident cases and deaths occur, is further reduced. Funding: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. © 2020 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY 4.0 licens