Dissecting the Shared Genetic Architecture of Suicide Attempt, Psychiatric Disorders, and Known Risk Factors

Background Suicide is a leading cause of death worldwide, and nonfatal suicide attempts, which occur far more frequently, are a major source of disability and social and economic burden. Both have substantial genetic etiology, which is partially shared and partially distinct from that of related psychiatric disorders. Methods We conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of 29,782 suicide attempt (SA) cases and 519,961 controls in the International Suicide Genetics Consortium (ISGC). The GWAS of SA was conditioned on psychiatric disorders using GWAS summary statistics via multitrait-based conditional and joint analysis, to remove genetic effects on SA mediated by psychiatric disorders. We investigated the shared and divergent genetic architectures of SA, psychiatric disorders, and other known risk factors. Results Two loci reached genome-wide significance for SA: the major histocompatibility complex and an intergenic locus on chromosome 7, the latter of which remained associated with SA after conditioning on psychiatric disorders and replicated in an independent cohort from the Million Veteran Program. This locus has been implicated in risk-taking behavior, smoking, and insomnia. SA showed strong genetic correlation with psychiatric disorders, particularly major depression, and also with smoking, pain, risk-taking behavior, sleep disturbances, lower educational attainment, reproductive traits, lower socioeconomic status, and poorer general health. After conditioning on psychiatric disorders, the genetic correlations between SA and psychiatric disorders decreased, whereas those with nonpsychiatric traits remained largely unchanged. Conclusions Our results identify a risk locus that contributes more strongly to SA than other phenotypes and suggest a shared underlying biology between SA and known risk factors that is not mediated by psychiatric disorders.Peer reviewe

Estimating the economic lifetime of roads using road replacement data

This paper analyses the economic lifetime of roads in Sweden using a data over kilometres of new roads together with a "centrality" index constructed from population statistics. The relation between economic lifetime and centrality is performed by poisson regression. It is shown that roads in more central parts of the country and in parts more affected by population changes (increase) generally have shorter economic lifetimes. The analysis shows economic lifetimes of Swedish roads to be between 25 and 111 years, with the majority of the economic lifetimes in the upper part of this range (above 70 years)

Estimating the economic lifetime of roads using road replacement data

This paper analyses the economic lifetime of roads in Sweden using a data over kilometres of new roads together with road network data and a centrality index constructed from population statistics. The relation between economic lifetime and centrality is performed by poisson regression. It is shown that roads in more central parts of the country and in parts more affected by population changes (increase) generally have shorter economic lifetimes. The analysis shows economic lifetimes of Swedish roads to be between 25 and 111 years, with the majority of the economic lifetimes in the upper part of this range (above 70 years).Economic lifetime; road; cost benefit analysis

What factors are decisive for the home care staff to choose to remain within their profession

Omvårdnadspersonalen, såsom undersköterskor och vårdbiträden inom hemtjänsten utför ett viktigt uppdrag ändå debatteras det på sociala medier att samma yrkesgrupp flyr sina uppdrag på grund av låg lön, obekväma arbetstider samt dålig status. Det är därför av intresse att belysa faktorer som omvårdnadspersonal finner vara av vikt för att vilja stanna kvar och utvecklas inom hemtjänsten. Syftet med uppsatsen är att finna de nyckelfaktorer som får hemtjänstens omvårdnadspersonal i kommunal verksamhet att välja stanna kvar inom sin yrkesprofession. Författarna valde att använda sig av semistrukturerade intervjuer för att finna faktorer som omvårdnadspersonalen uppger främja ett hållbart yrkesliv. Tio omvårdnadspersonal inom kommunal hemtjänst intervjuades. Materialet analyserades genom kvalitativ innehållsanalys. Resultatet gav fyra kategorier, arbetsmiljö, kommunikation, organisatoriska faktorer och status. Arbetsmiljön omfattar fysiska och psykosociala aspekter. Kommunikation handlar om interaktion och samspel mellan verksamhetens professioner samt omsorgstagaren. Organisatoriska faktorer innefattar arbetsverktyg, ekonomi och kompetens. Sista kategorin är status och handlar om medias påverkan och värderingar. Samverkan, delaktighet, kommunikation mellan professionerna inom verksamheten samt möjligheten att påverka utförandet av sina arbetsuppgifter och arbetstider likväl att det sker en kontinuerlig kompetensutveckling inom ramen för yrkesutövningen är positiva faktorer för att stanna kvar i sin yrkesutövning

Marginalkostnadsskattningar för buss och lätt lastbil : buller, trafiksäkerhet och vägslitage

Syftet med denna rapport är att beräkna marginalkostnader för buller, trafiksäkerhet och vägslitage för bussar och lätta lastbilar. Bullerkostnaderna beräknas med modellen Nord 2000 tillsammans med kalkylvärden från ASEK 5. Marginalkostnaden för trafiksäkerhet beräknas utifrån olycksstatistik i STRADA, en fördelning av trafikarbete mellan landsbygd och tätort samt kalkylvärden från ASEK 5. Marginalkostnaden för vägslitage beräknas genom att justera de värden för genomsnittliga tunga fordon som finns i ASEK 5. Justeringen görs utifrån antalet standardaxlar. För bussar beräknas antalet standardaxlar med hjälp av statistik från fordonsregistret, medan antalet standardaxlar hos lätta lastbilar beräknas utifrån fordonstypens maximala totalvikt. Marginalkostnaden för buller har differentierats på vägar med olika ÅDT och omgivning med olika tät befolkning.The purpose of this report is to estimate marginal costs for noise, traffic safety and road wear and tear for buses and light trucks. The noise costs are computed using the Nord 2000 model together with values from ASEK 5. Marginal costs for traffic safety are estimated using accident information from STRADA, together with a distribution showing the shares of traffic in urban and non-urban areas and values from ASEK 5. The marginal costs for road wear and tear are computed by an adjustment of costs for average weighted vehicles from ASEK 5. The adjustment is based on the number of equivalent standard axle loadings. For buses the number of standard axles is computed using information from the road traffic registry. The number of standard axles on light trucks is computed using the maximum total weight of that vehicle category. The marginal cost for noise is differentiated between roads with various traffic load and roads with differently populated surroundings

Cost benefit analysis of round wood transports using 90-tonne vehicles

Syftet med denna rapport är att göra en samhällsekonomisk analys som visar hur de kostnader som rundvirkestransporter med lastbil ger upphov till, skulle påverkas om fordonens totalvikt tilläts öka från 60 till 90 ton och samtidigt få en tillåten maxlängd på 30 meter. Analysen görs på två sätt. Först redovisas genomsnittliga kostnader per fordonskilometer för olika fordonsstorlekar. Dessutom görs en kalkyl, som utgår från scenarier om hur mycket trafikarbetet skulle påverkas om större fordon tilläts. För att analysera hur transporterna av rundvirke genomförs i olika scenarier används den svenska godstransportmodellen Samgods. Flödesberäkningar från denna används därefter tillsammans med uppgifter från Nationella vägdatabasen (NVDB) för att beräkna samhällsekonomiska kostnader. Dessa beräkningar tar hänsyn till vägtyp och andra lokala förutsättningar och fångar därmed upp den variation i samhällsekonomiska kostnader som finns. Beräkningarna sammanfattas med den totala kostnaden för att transportera rundvirke med lastbil i Sverige under ett år. Enligt simuleringarna minskar trafikarbetet med 21 procent om 60-tonsfordon ersätts med 90-tonsfordon, om man inte tar hänsyn till brorestriktionerna. Detta ger en total samhällsekonomisk kostnadssänkning med 4 procent eller 163 miljoner kronor årligen. Då ska man dock komma ihåg att kostnaden för bärighetsåtgärder på broar, vilket är en förutsättning för att scenariot ska kunna realiseras, inte är inkluderade i analysen. Om vissa broar är spärrade för trafik med 90-tonsfordon är det inte generellt lönsamt att ersätta 60-tonsfordon, eftersom den samhällsekonomiska kostnaden då ökar med 15 procent. Redan idag är det dock möjligt att använda 90-tonsfordon på ett antal stråk som är viktiga för rundvirkestransporter.The purpose of this report is to make a cost benefit analysis, showing how costs for truck transports of round wood would change if vehicles with a total weight of 90 tonnes were used instead of the 60-tonne vehicles that are currently in use. The analysis has two parts. First, costs per vehicle kilometre are presented for both vehicle sizes. This gives a good general view but does not take into account the various conditions with regard to road type, etcetera, that affect costs. Neither does it take into account that the amount of vehicle kilometres associated with round wood transports changes if larger vehicles are allowed. Therefore a scenario analysis is also performed. The basis for this analysis is simulations using the Swedish transport and logistics system Samgods. Flow estimates from Samgods are combined with road attribute data from the national road database (NVDB) to compute the total transport cost, including externalities. In these computations road type and other situation specific factors are taken into account. The scenario analysis is summarized by the total annual cost for road transports of round wood in Sweden. Due to the simulations the amount of vehicle kilometres are reduced by 21 percent if 60-tonne vehicles are replace by 90-tonne vehicles, given that the capacity of bridges is left without regard. In socioeconomic terms this equals cost reduction of 4 per cent of 163 million Swedish crowns annually. It should be kept in mind, though, that costs for improving bridge capacity, which is required for this scenario to be realized, are not included in the analysis. When 90-tonne vehicles are not allowed to pass bridges with limited bearing capacity, larger vehicles do not generally improve efficiency. There are however some important round wood transport routes where larger vehicles are possible to use without any measures to improve bridges

The Great Barrier Reef: Vulnerabilities and solutions in the face of ocean acidification

As living carbonate-based structures, coral reefs are highly vulnerable to ocean acidification. The Great Barrier Reef (GBR) is the largest continuous coral reef system in the world. Its economic, social, and icon assets are valued at AU$56 billion (Deloitte Access Economics, 2017), owing to its vast biodiversity and services related to commercial and recreational fisheries, shoreline protection, and reef-related tourism and recreation. Ocean acidification poses a significant risk to these ecological and socioeconomic services, threatening not only the structural foundation of the GBR but the livelihoods of reef-dependent sectors of society. To assess the vulnerabilities of the GBR to ocean acidification, we review the characteristics of the GBR and the current valuation and factors affecting potential losses across three major areas of socioeconomic concern: fisheries, shoreline protection, and reef-related tourism and recreation. We then discuss potential solutions, both conventional and unconventional, for mitigating ocean acidification impacts on the GBR and propose a suite of actions that would help assess and increase the region’s preparedness for the effects of ocean acidification

Are we ready for ocean acidification? A framework for assessing and advancing policy readiness

Effective climate policy that addresses carbon dioxide emissions is essential to minimizing and addressing the impacts of ocean acidification (OA). Here we present a framework to assess the readiness of OA policy, using coral reefs as a focal system. Six dimensions encompass comprehensive preparation by ecosystems and societies for the impacts of OA and other anthropogenic hazards: (1) climate protection measures, (2) OA literacy, (3) area-based management, (4) research and development, (5) adaptive capacity of dependent sectors, and (6) policy coherence. We define standardized indicators, identify leading countries, and evaluate the case study of Australia, the country with the largest coral reef system. The framework provides a rubric for a government unit to self- assess strengths and weaknesses in policy preparedness and to prioritize future endeavors

Psychological care, patient education, orthotics, ergonomics and prevention for neck pain: a systematic overview update as part of the ICON Project

OBJECTIVES: To conduct an overview on psychological interventions, orthoses, patient education, ergonomics, and 1⁰/2⁰ neck pain prevention for adults with acute-chronic neck pain. SEARCH STRATEGY: Computerized databases and grey literature were searched (2006-2012). SELECTION CRITERIA: Systematic reviews of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on pain, function/disability, global perceived effect, quality-of-life and patient satisfaction were retrieved. DATA COLLECTION & ANALYSIS: Two independent authors selected articles, assessed risk of bias using AMSTAR tool and extracted data. The GRADE tool was used to evaluate the body of evidence and an external panel to provide critical review. MAIN RESULTS: We retrieved 30 reviews (5-9 AMSTAR score) reporting on 75 RCTs with the following moderate GRADE evidence. For acute whiplash associated disorder (WAD), an education video in emergency rooms (1RCT, 405participants] favoured pain reduction at long-term follow-up thus helping 1 in 23 people [Standard Mean Difference: -0.44(95%CI: -0.66 to -0.23)). Use of a soft collar (2RCTs, 1278participants) was not beneficial in the long-term. For chronic neck pain, a mind-body intervention (2RCTs, 1 meta-analysis, 191participants) improved short-term pain/function in 1 of 4 or 6 participants. In workers, 2-minutes of daily scapula-thoracic endurance training (1RCT, 127participants) over 10 weeks was beneficial in 1 of 4 participants. A number of psychosocial interventions, workplace interventions, collar use and self-management educational strategies were not beneficial. REVIEWERS' CONCLUSIONS: Moderate evidence exists for quantifying beneficial and non-beneficial effects of a limited number of interventions for acute WAD and chronic neck pain. Larger trials with more rigorous controls need to target promising intervention

Genome-wide association study of over 40,000 bipolar disorder cases provides novel biological insights

Bipolar disorder (BD) is a heritable mental illness with complex etiology. We performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of 41,917 BD cases and 371,549 controls of European ancestry, which identified 64 associated genomic loci. BD risk alleles were enriched in genes in synaptic signaling pathways and brain-expressed genes, particularly those with high specificity of expression in neurons of the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus. Significant signal enrichment was found in genes encoding targets of antipsychotics, calcium channel blockers, antiepileptics and anesthetics. Integrating eQTL data implicated 15 genes robustly linked to BD via gene expression, including druggable genes such as HTR6, MCHR1, DCLK3 and FURIN. This GWAS provides the best-powered BD polygenic scores to date, when applied in both European and diverse ancestry samples. Analyses of BD subtypes indicated high but imperfect genetic correlation between BD type I and II and identified additional associated loci. Together, these results advance our understanding of the biological etiology of BD, identify novel therapeutic leads and prioritize genes for functional follow-up studies