3,095 research outputs found
A systematic assessment of the association between frequently-prescribed medicines and the risk of common cancers : a series of nested case-control studies
Funding: This work was supported by Cancer Research UK (reference C37316/A25535). Acknowledgements: We wish to thank PCCIUR, University of Aberdeen, especially Artur Wozniak, for extracting the data and performing case-control matching.Peer reviewedPublisher PD
Bankruptcy Prediction In The Textile Industry
This paper extends the use of Altmanās Z-Score bankruptcy predictor to the textile industry. Generally, firms benefited from the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) but suffered financially after the Asian currency crisis. The study finds that Type I classification errors support prior research while Type II classification errors are much higher than previous literature findings. The results indicate a need for a modified bankruptcy predictor for the textile industry
Behavior of bulk high-temperature superconductors of finite thickness subjected to crossed magnetic fields
Crossed magnetic field effects on bulk high-temperature superconductors have
been studied both experimentally and numerically. The sample geometry
investigated involves finite-size effects along both (crossed) magnetic field
directions. The experiments were carried out on bulk melt-processed Y-Ba-Cu-O
(YBCO) single domains that had been pre-magnetized with the applied field
parallel to their shortest direction (i.e. the c-axis) and then subjected to
several cycles of the application of a transverse magnetic field parallel to
the sample ab plane. The magnetic properties were measured using orthogonal
pick-up coils, a Hall probe placed against the sample surface and
Magneto-Optical Imaging (MOI). We show that all principal features of the
experimental data can be reproduced qualitatively using a two-dimensional
finite-element numerical model based on an E-J power law and in which the
current density flows perpendicularly to the plane within which the two
components of magnetic field are varied. The results of this study suggest that
the suppression of the magnetic moment under the action of a transverse field
can be predicted successfully by ignoring the existence of flux-free
configurations or flux-cutting effects. These investigations show that the
observed decay in magnetization results from the intricate modification of
current distribution within the sample cross-section. It is also shown that the
model does not predict any saturation of the magnetic induction, even after a
large number (~ 100) of transverse field cycles. These features are shown to be
consistent with the experimental data.Comment: 41 pages, 9 figures, accepted in Phys. Rev. B Changes : 8 references
added, a few precisions added, some typos correcte
The effect of medications associated with drug-induced pancreatitis on pancreatic cancer risk : a nested case-control study of routine Scottish data
Funding: This work was supported by Cancer Research UK (reference C37316/A25535). Acknowledgements: We wish to thank PCCIUR, University of Aberdeen, especially Artur Wozniak, for extracting the data and performing case-control matching.Peer reviewedPublisher PD
Statin use and breast cancer survival: a nationwide cohort study in Scotland
BACKGROUND: Preclinical evidence suggests that statins could delay cancer progression. Previous epidemiological findings have been inconsistent and some have been limited by small sample sizes, as well as certain time-related biases. This study aimed to investigate whether breast cancer patients who were exposed to statins had reduced breast cancer-specific mortality. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 15,140 newly diagnosed invasive breast cancer patients diagnosed from 2009 to 2012 within the Scottish Cancer Registry. Dispensed medication usage was obtained from linkages to the Scottish Prescribing Information System and breast cancer-specific deaths were identified from National Records of Scotland Death Records. Using time-dependent Cox regression models, hazard ratios (HR) and 95Ā % confidence intervals (CI) were calculated for the association between post-diagnostic exposure to statins (including simvastatin) and breast cancer-specific mortality. Adjustments were made for a range of potential confounders including age at diagnosis, year of diagnosis, cancer stage, grade, cancer treatments received, comorbidities, socioeconomic status and use of aspirin. RESULTS: A total of 1,190 breast cancer-specific deaths occurred up to January 2015. Overall, after adjustment for potential confounders, there was no evidence of an association between statin use and breast cancer-specific death (adjusted HR 0.93, 95Ā % CI 0.77, 1.12). No significant associations were observed in doseāresponse analyses or in analysis of all-cause mortality. For simvastatin use specifically, a weak non-significant reduction in breast cancer-specific mortality was observed compared to non-users (adjusted HR 0.89, 95Ā % CI 0.73, 1.08). Statin use before diagnosis was weakly associated with a reduction in breast cancer-specific mortality (adjusted HR 0.85, 95Ā % CI 0.74, 0.98). CONCLUSION: Overall, we found little evidence of a protective association between post-diagnostic statin use and cancer-specific mortality in a large nation-wide cohort of breast cancer patients. These findings will help inform the decision whether to conduct randomised controlled trials of statins as an adjuvant treatment in breast cancer
Behaviour change techniques in home-based cardiac rehabilitation: A systematic review
Background Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) programmes offering secondary prevention for cardiovascular disease (CVD) advise healthy lifestyle behaviours, with the behaviour change techniques (BCTs) of goals and planning, feedback and monitoring, and social support recommended. More information is needed about BCT use in home-based CR to support these programmes in practice.
Aim To identify and describe the use of BCTs in home-based CR programmes.
Design and setting Randomised controlled trials of home-based CR between 2005 and 2015 were identified by searching MEDLINEĀ®, Embase, PsycINFO, Web of Science, and Cochrane Database.
Method Reviewers independently screened titles and abstracts for eligibility. Relevant data, including BCTs, were extracted from included studies. A meta-analysis studied risk factor change in home-based and comparator programmes.
Results From 2448 studies identified, 11 of good methodological quality (10 on post-myocardial infarction, one on heart failure, 1907 patients) were included. These reported the use of 20 different BCTs. Social support (unspecified) was used in all studies and goal setting (behaviour) in 10. Of the 11 studies, 10 reported effectiveness in reducing CVD risk factors, but one study showed no improvement compared to usual care. This study differed from effective programmes in that it didnāt include BCTs that had instructions on how to perform the behaviour and monitoring, or a credible source.
Conclusion Social support and goal setting were frequently used BCTs in home-based CR programmes, with the BCTs related to monitoring, instruction on how to perform the behaviour, and credible source being included in effective programmes. Further robust trials are needed to determine the relative value of different BCTs within CR programmes
Meteorological Data recorded at Armagh Observatory: Vol 6 - Daily, Monthly, Seasonal and Annual Air Temperatures at Armagh Observatory from Series I (1796-1882) including the Dunsink Patch (1825-1833) and Series III (1844-1964)
Investigation of grain orientations of melt-textured HTSC with addition of uranium oxide, Y2O3 and Y2BaCuO5
Local grain orientations were studied in melt-textured YBCO samples processed with various amounts of depleted uranuim oxide (DU) and Y 2O3 by means of electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) analysis. The addition of DU leads to the formation of Ucontaining nanoparticles (Y2Ba4CuUOx) with sizes of around 200 nm, embedded in the superconducting Y-123 matrix. The orientation of the Y 2BaCuO5 (Y-211) particles, which are also present in the YBCO bulk microstructure, is generally random as is the case in other melttextured Y-123 samples. The presence of Y-211 particles, however, also affects the orientation of the Y-123 matrix in these samples
- ā¦