Ocena zależności między ciśnieniem centralnym w aorcie a zesztywniającym zapaleniem stawów kręgosłupa

Introduction. Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a chronic inflammatory disease with an unknown etiology that belongs to the group of spondyloarthropathies. Patients with AS have an increased cardiovascular mortality but the reason is controversial. Central aortic pressure (CAP) is defined as the blood pressure in the aortic root and can be measured non-invasively via arteriography. Inflammation in the aortic root, which also causes aortic regurgitation in late sta ges of AS, possibly causes increased levels of central aortic pressure and this may explain the increased mortality rates from cardiovascular events in patients with AS. We investigated the CAP levels in patients with AS compared to healthy age- and sex-matched control group in this novel study. Material and methods. This is an observational case-control study composed of 30 patients with ankylosing spondylitis without conventional cardiovascular risk factors (such as known diabetes, hypertension, and smoking) or heart failure, peripheral or coronary artery disease. The peripheral blood pressures and CAP measurements were obtained with ‘arteriograph’ (TensioMed, Budapest, Hungary).Pulse wave velocity (PWV), peripheral and central augmentation index (pAIx and cAIx) and systolic central aortic pressure (sCAP) of both the AS and control group were compared. Results. There was no statistically significant difference between the groups for pAIx, cAIx, PWV or PP. Patient with AS had higher sCAP values but there wasn’t any statistically significant difference for sCAP. Conclusion. Our objective was to investigate the relationship between the AS and sCAP. There was an increase in sCAP in AS group compared to controls. But this was not statistically significant. This result can be due to the small population size and should be verified in larger population.Wstęp. Zesztywniające zapalenie stawów kręgosłupa (AS) to przewlekła choroba zapalna o nieznanej etiologii należąca do spondyloartropatii. U chorych z AS obserwuje się zwiększoną śmiertelność sercowo-naczyniową, jednak przyczyny tego zjawiska nie są znane. Ciśnienie centralne w aorcie (CAP) jest definiowane jako ciśnienie krwi w korzeniu aorty. Możliwy jest nieinwazyjny pomiar CAP metodą arteriografii. Zapalenie w obrębie korzenia aorty, będące również przyczyną niedomykalności w późnym stadium AS, może powodować wzrost ciśnienia centralnego w aorcie, co może tłumaczyć zwiększoną śmiertelność z powodu zdarzeń sercowo-naczyniowych w grupie chorych z AS. Autorzy zbadali wartości CAP u chorych z AS w porównaniu z wartościami uzyskanymi w grupie kontrolnej złożonej ze zdrowych osób dobranych pod względem wieku i płci. Materiał i metody. Tym obserwacyjnym badaniem kliniczno-kontrolnym objęto 30 chorych z AS, u których nie występowały tradycyjne czynniki ryzyka sercowo-naczyniowego (rozpoznana cukrzyca, nadciśnienie tętnicze, palenie tytoniu), niewydolność serca, choroba tętnic obwodowych ani choroba wieńcowa. Wartości obwodowego ciśnienia tętniczego i pomiary CAP uzyskano metodą arteriografii (TensioMed, Budapeszt, Węgry). Porównano wartości następujących parametrów w grupie AS i grupie kontrolnej: szybkość fali tętna (PWV), wskaźnik wzmocnienia ciśnienia obwodowego i centralnego (pAIx, cAIx) i skurczowe ciśnienie centralne w aorcie (sCAP). Wyniki. Nie stwierdzono statystycznie istotnych różnic między grupami pod względem wartości pAIx, cAIx, PWV ani PP. U chorych z AS zaobserwowano wyższe wartości sCAP, jednak różnice nie osiągnęły poziomu istotności statystycznej. Wnioski. Badanie przeprowadzono w celu zbadania zależności między AS a sCAP. W grupie chorych na AS wartości sCAP były wyższe niż w grupie kontrolnej. Jednak różnice nie były istotne statystycznie. Wyniki te mogą być spowodowane niewielką liczebnością badanej populacji i powinny zostać zweryfikowane w badaniu z większą liczbą uczestników

Estimating the total number of residential fire-related incidents and underreported residential fire incidents in New South Wales, Australia by using linked administrative data

The rate of fires, and particularly residential fires, is a serious concern in industrialized countries. However, there is considerable uncertainty regarding the reported numbers of residential fire incidents as official figures are based on fires reported to fire response agencies only. This population-based study aims to quantify the total number of residential fire incidents regardless of reporting status. The cohort comprised linked person-level data from Fire and Rescue New South Wales (FRNSW) and health system and death records. It included all persons residing at a residential address in New South Wales, Australia, that experienced a fire between 1 January 2005 and 31 December 2014. The capture-recapture method was used to estimate the underreporting number of residential fire-related incidents. Over the study period, 43,707 residential fire incidents were reported to FRNSW, and there were 2795 residential fire-related health service utilizations, of which 2380 were not reported. Using the capture-recapture method, the total number of residential fire incidents was estimated at 267,815 to 319,719, which is more than six times the official records. This study found that 15% of residential fire incidents that were identified in health administrative dataset were reported. The residential fire incidents that were not reported occurred mainly in socio-economically disadvantaged areas among males and adults

Simultaneity, Rationality and Price Determination in US Live Cattle

This paper develops a simultaneous rational expectations model of the US live cattle spot and futures markets. The issues addressed are first, the scarcity of such models of futures markets for non-storables, and second the semi-strong efficient markets hypothesis (EMH), on which recent research for this market has been inconclusive. The model contains functional relationships for short and long hedgers, net short speculators in futures and consumers. The results suggest first, that there is support for Working's hypotheses of selective and operational hedging, for short and long hedgers respectively, second that speculators may be noise traders or risk-loving, and third that beef is a normal good while corn is a complementary input. Timevarying volatility is represented as an EGARCH (p,q) process. Post-sample, this model does not significantly outperform the futures price in spot price forecasting, implying non-rejection of the EMH

The impact of reduced fire risk cigarettes regulation on residential fire incidents, mortality and health service utilisation in New South Wales, Australia

Smoking materials are a common ignition source for residential fires. In Australia, reduced fire risk (RFR) cigarettes regulation was implemented in 2010. However, the impact of this regulation on residential fires is unknown. This paper examines the impact of the RFR cigarettes regulation on the severity and health outcomes of fire incidents in New South Wales (NSW), Australia, from 2005 to 2014. Fire department data from 2005 to 2014 were linked with ambulance, emergency department, hospital, outpatient burns clinic and mortality datasets for NSW. Negative binomial regression analysis was performed to assess the changes to fire incidents’ severity pre- and post-RFR cigarettes regulation. There was an 8% reduction in total fire incidents caused by smokers’ materials post-RFR cigarettes regulation. Smokers’ materials fire incidents that damaged both contents and structure of the building, where fire flames extended beyond the room of fire origin, with over AUD 1000 monetary damage loss, decreased by 18, 22 and 12%, respectively. RFR cigarettes regulation as a fire risk mitigation has positively impacted the residential fire incident outcomes. This provides support for regulation of fire risk protective measures and bestows some direction for other fire safety policies and regulations

Comparison of causes, characteristics and consequences of residential fires in social and non-social housing dwellings in New South Wales, Australia

There are over 17,000 residential fire incidents in Australia annually, of which 6,500 occur in New South Wales (NSW). The number of state-provided accommodations for those on low incomes (social housing), is over 437,000 in Australia of which 34% are located in NSW. This study compared causes, characteristics and consequences of residential fires in social and non-social housing in NSW, Australia. This population-based study used linked fire brigade and health service data to identify those who experienced a residential fire incident from 2005 to 2014. Over the study period, 43,707 residential fires were reported, of which 5,073 (11.6%) occurred in social housing properties. Fires in social housing were more likely to occur in apartments (RR 1.85, 95%CI 1.75–1.96), caused by matches and lighters (RR 1.62, 95%CI 1.51–1.74) and smokers’ materials (RR 1.51, 95%CI 1.34 – 1.71). The risk of health service utilisation or hospital admission was 16% (RR 1.16, 95%CI 1.04–1.28) and 25% (RR 1.25, 95%CI 1.02–1.51) higher in social housing respectively. Those aged 25–65 were at 40% (RR 1.40, 95%CI 1.14 – 1.73) higher risk of using residential fire-related health services. Almost 88% of social housing properties did not have a functioning fire detector of any type, and 1.2% were equipped with sprinklers. Overall, the risk of residential fire incidents and associated injuries was higher for residents in social housing. Risk mitigation strategies beyond the current provision of smoke alarms are required to reduce the impact of residential fires in social and non-social housing

Economic costs of residential fires : a systematic review

Globally, most fire-related deaths and injuries occur in residential areas. The aim of this systematic review is to report on the economic costs of residential fires from a societal perspective. Five databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, EconLit, CINAHL, and Scopus) and grey literature were searched to identify studies that report economic or societal costs of residential fires with data from 1978 to 2021. There were no restrictions on study design. A narrative synthesis was undertaken based on the societal and economic costs reported for each included study. Seven studies from the United States, Canada, Australia, and Kuwait reported costs of residential fires. The costs of injuries and deaths were between USD 12 million and USD 5 billion, and between USD 75 million and USD 26 billion, respectively. The costs of treatment ranged from USD 0.3 million to USD 551 million, lost productivity from USD 12 million to USD 4 billion, and property damage from USD 8 million to USD 10 billion. This systematic review provides the most comprehensive evidence to date on the economic costs of residential fires. This study would offer insights into the effects of residential fires on diverse economic agents and aid in community fire prevention messaging and incentives

Modelling Gender Differences in the Economic and Social Influences of Obesity in Australian Young People

In Australia, as in many other developed economies, the prevalence of obesity has risen significantly in all age groups and especially in young males and females over the past decade. Using data from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey, this paper investigates the influence of economic, personality and social factor demographics on the incidence of obesity in Australian youths. The study uses two random parameters logit models, including one that allows for gender-specific differences in the conditioning variables. The models reveal notable differences between the most important variables affecting the incidence of obesity amongst females compared to males. These differences are notable to consider for policy and intervention programs aimed at reducing the problem of obesity

Factors Influencing the Incidence of Obesity in Australia: A Generalized Ordered Probit Model

The increasing health costs of and the risks factors associated with obesity are well documented. From this perspective, it is important that the propensity of individuals towards obesity is analyzed. This paper uses longitudinal data from the Household Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey for 2005 to 2010 to model those variables which condition the probability of being obese. The model estimated is a random effects generalized ordered probit, which exploits two sources of heterogeneity; the individual heterogeneity of panel data models and heterogeneity across body mass index (BMI) categories. The latter is associated with non-parallel thresholds in the generalized ordered model, where the thresholds are functions of the conditioning variables, which comprise economic, social, and demographic and lifestyle variables. To control for potential predisposition to obesity, personality traits augment the empirical model. The results support the view that the probability of obesity is significantly determined by the conditioning variables. Particularly, personality is found to be important and these outcomes reinforce other work examining personality and obesity

Liquidity and volatility in 90 day bank accepted bills futures in crisis year 2008

The literature on derivative securities evidently does not contain any empirical studies of liquidity and volatility with high frequency data for leading Australian financial futures contracts, during the general financial crisis. In addressing this deficiency, this paper studies the impact of liquidity events on the cost of liquidity, and estimates the liquidity-volatility relationship for Australian 90 Day Bank Accepted Bills futures, with round-the-clock data for the crisis year 2008. In this paper volatility is represented by realized volatility, which removes the latent variable characteristic from volatility. While the extant literature has studied the liquidity interdependence between spot markets for bonds and equities, the liquidity interdependence between the futures markets for these securities has received little attention, and none at all for Australian futures markets during the crisis. This paper addresses that shortcoming, and studies the effect with intraday data of changes in the cost of liquidity for S&P200 futures on the liquidity of 90 Day Bank Accepted Bills futures in 2008