Diabetes status and being up-to-date on colorectal cancer screening, 2012 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System

INTRODUCTION: Although screening rates for colorectal cancer are increasing, 22 million Americans are not up-to-date with recommendations. People with diabetes are an important and rapidly growing group at increased risk for colorectal cancer. Screening status and predictors of being up-to-date on screening are largely unknown in this population. METHODS: This study used logistic regression modeling and data from the 2012 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System to examine the association between diabetes and colorectal cancer screening predictors with being up-to-date on colorectal cancer screening according to criteria of the US Preventive Services Task Force for adults aged 50 or older. State prevalence rates of up-to-date colorectal cancer screening were also calculated and mapped. RESULTS: The prevalence of being up-to-date with colorectal cancer screening for all respondents aged 50 or older was 65.6%; for respondents with diabetes, the rate was 69.2%. Respondents with diabetes were 22% more likely to be up-to-date on colorectal cancer screening than those without diabetes. Among those with diabetes, having a routine checkup within the previous year significantly increased the odds of being up-to-date on colorectal cancer screening (odds ratio, 1.90). Other factors such as age, income, education, race/ethnicity, insurance status, and history of cancer were also associated with up-to-date status. CONCLUSION: Regardless of diabetes status, people who had a routine checkup within the past year were more likely to be up-to-date than people who had not. Among people with diabetes, the duration between routine checkups may be of greater importance than the frequency of diabetes-related doctor visits. Continued efforts should be made to ensure that routine care visits occur regularly to address the preventive health needs of patients with and patients without diabetes

Ambulatory care, insurance, and avoidable emergency department utilization in North Carolina

Objective: To examine whether and how avoidable emergency department (ED) utilization is associated with ambulatory or primary care (APC) utilization, insurance, and interaction effects. Design and sample: A cross-sectional analysis of electronic health records from 70,870 adults residing in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, who visited an ED within a large integrated healthcare system in 2017. Methods: APC utilization was measured as total visits, categorized as: 0, 1, and > 1. Insurance was defined as the method of payment for the ED visit as: Medicaid, Medicare, private, or uninsured. Avoidable ED utilization was quantified as a score (aED), calculated as the sum of New York University Algorithm probabilities multiplied by 100. Quantile regression models were used to predict the 25th, 50th, 75th, 95th, and 99th percentiles of avoidable ED scores with APC visits and insurance as predictors (Model 1) and with an interaction term (Model 2). Results: Having >1 APC visit was negatively associated with aED at the lower percentiles and positively associated at higher percentiles. A higher aED was associated with having Medicaid insurance and a lower aED was associated with having private insurance, compared to being uninsured. In stratified models, having >1 APC visit was negatively associated with aED at the 25th percentile for the uninsured and privately insured, but positively associated with aED at higher percentiles among the uninsured, Medicaid-insured, and privately insured. Conclusions: The association between APC utilization and avoidable ED utilization varied based on segments of the distribution of ED score and differed significantly by insurance type

The postcranial skeleton of monolophosaurus jiangi (dinosauria: Theropoda) from the Middle Jurassic of Xinjiang, China, and a review of Middle Jurassic Chinese theropods

The Middle Jurassic was a critical time in the evolution of theropod dinosaurs, highlighted by the origination and radiation of the large-bodied and morphologically diverse Tetanurae. Middle Jurassic tetanurans are rare but have been described from Europe, South America and China. In particular, China has yielded a number of potential basal tetanurans, but these have received little detailed treatment in the literature. Here we redescribe the postcranial skeleton of one of the most complete Chinese Middle Jurassic theropods, Monolophosaurus. Several features confirmthe tetanuran affinities of Monolophosaurus, but the possession of ‘primitive’ traits such as a double-faceted pubic peduncle of the ilium and a hood-like supracetabular crest suggest a basal position within Tetanurae. This conflicts with most published cladistic analyses that place Monolophosaurus in a more derived position within Allosauroidea.We review the Middle Jurassic record of Chinese theropods and compare Monolophosaurus to other Middle Jurassic theropods globally. These comparisons suggest that Monolophosaurus and Chuandongocoelurus formed an endemic theropod clade limited to the Middle Jurassic of Asia. Other Middle Jurassic Chinese theropods deserve further study

The utility of Google Trends data to examine interest in cancer screening

OBJECTIVES: We examined the utility of January 2004 to April 2014 Google Trends data from information searches for cancer screenings and preparations as a complement to population screening data, which are traditionally estimated through costly population-level surveys. SETTING: State-level data across the USA. PARTICIPANTS: Persons who searched for terms related to cancer screening using Google, and persons who participated in the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: (1) State-level Google Trends data, providing relative search volume (RSV) data scaled to the highest search proportion per week (RSV100) for search terms over time since 2004 and across different geographical locations. (2) RSV of new screening tests, free/low-cost screening for breast and colorectal cancer, and new preparations for colonoscopy (Prepopik). (3) State-level breast, cervical, colorectal and prostate cancer screening rates. RESULTS: Correlations between Google Trends and BRFSS data ranged from 0.55 for ever having had a colonoscopy to 0.14 for having a Pap smear within the past 3 years. Free/low-cost mammography and colonoscopy showed higher RSV during their respective cancer awareness months. RSV for Miralax remained stable, while interest in Prepopik increased over time. RSV for lung cancer screening, virtual colonoscopy and three-dimensional mammography was low. CONCLUSIONS: Google Trends data provides enormous scientific possibilities, but are not a suitable substitute for, but may complement, traditional data collection and analysis about cancer screening and related interests

AGATA, Technical Proposal for an Advanced Gamma Tracking Array for the European Gamma Spectroscopy Community

International audienceAn Advanced GAmma-ray Tracking Array, AGATA, is proposed for high-resolution γ-ray spectroscopy with exotic beams. AGATA will employ highly segmented Ge detectors as well as fully digital electronics and relies on newly developed pulse-shape analysis and tracking methods. The array is being designed in a way that it provides optimal properties for nuclear structure experiments in a wide range of beam velocities (from stopped to v/c ≈ 50%), almost independent of beam quality and background conditions. Selectivity and sensitivity of AGATA will be superior to any existing γ-array by several orders of magnitude. Hence, it will be for a long time a rich source for nuclear structure physics providing the means for new discoveries and opening challenging new perspectives. This document is the initial proposal sent to the European Commission to obtain the necessary funds for the project

Very high rotational frequencies and band termination in 73Br

Rotational bands in 73Br have been investigated up to spins of 65/2 using the EUROBALL III spectrometer. One of the negative-parity bands displays the highest rotational frequency 1.85 MeV reported to date in nuclei with mass number greater than 25. At high frequencies, the experimental dynamic moment of inertia for all bands decrease to very low values, indicating a loss of collectivity. The bands are described in the configuration-dependent cranked Nilsson-Strutinsky model. The calculations indicate that one of the negative-parity bands is observed up to its terminating single-particle state at spin 63/2. This result establishes the first band termination case in the A = 70 mass region.Comment: 6 pages, 6 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev. C as a Rapid Communicatio

Coulomb excitation of 68^{68}Ni at safe energies

The $B(E2;0^+\to2^+)$ value in $^{68}$Ni has been measured using Coulomb excitation at safe energies. The $^{68}$Ni radioactive beam was post-accelerated at the ISOLDE facility (CERN) to 2.9 MeV/u. The emitted $\gamma$ rays were detected by the MINIBALL detector array. A kinematic particle reconstruction was performed in order to increase the measured c.m. angular range of the excitation cross section. The obtained value of 2.8$^{+1.2}_{-1.0}$ 10$^2$ e$^2$fm$^4$ is in good agreement with the value measured at intermediate energy Coulomb excitation, confirming the low $0^+\to2^+$ transition probability.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure

Performance of HPGe Detectors in High Magnetic Fields

A new generation of high-resolution hypernuclear gamma$-spectroscopy experiments with high-purity germanium detectors (HPGe) are presently designed at the FINUDA spectrometer at DAPhiNE, the Frascati phi-factory, and at PANDA, the antiproton proton hadron spectrometer at the future FAIR facility. Both, the FINUDA and PANDA spectrometers are built around the target region covering a large solid angle. To maximise the detection efficiency the HPGe detectors have to be located near the target, and therefore they have to be operated in strong magnetic fields B ~ 1 T. The performance of HPGe detectors in such an environment has not been well investigated so far. In the present work VEGA and EUROBALL Cluster HPGe detectors were tested in the field provided by the ALADiN magnet at GSI. No significant degradation of the energy resolution was found, and a change in the rise time distribution of the pulses from preamplifiers was observed. A correlation between rise time and pulse height was observed and is used to correct the measured energy, recovering the energy resolution almost completely. Moreover, no problems in the electronics due to the magnetic field were observed.Comment: submitted to Nucl. Instrum. Meth. Phys. Res. A, LaTeX, 19 pages, 9 figure

Mindfulness-based interventions for people diagnosed with a current episode of an anxiety or depressive disorder: a meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials

Objective Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) can reduce risk of depressive relapse for people with a history of recurrent depression who are currently well. However, the cognitive, affective and motivational features of depression and anxiety might render MBIs ineffective for people experiencing current symptoms. This paper presents a meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of MBIs where participants met diagnostic criteria for a current episode of an anxiety or depressive disorder. Method Post-intervention between-group Hedges g effect sizes were calculated using a random effects model. Moderator analyses of primary diagnosis, intervention type and control condition were conducted and publication bias was assessed. Results Twelve studies met inclusion criteria (n = 578). There were significant post-intervention between-group benefits of MBIs relative to control conditions on primary symptom severity (Hedges g = −0.59, 95% CI = −0.12 to −1.06). Effects were demonstrated for depressive symptom severity (Hedges g = −0.73, 95% CI = −0.09 to −1.36), but not for anxiety symptom severity (Hedges g = −0.55, 95% CI = 0.09 to −1.18), for RCTs with an inactive control (Hedges g = −1.03, 95% CI = −0.40 to −1.66), but not where there was an active control (Hedges g = 0.03, 95% CI = 0.54 to −0.48) and effects were found for MBCT (Hedges g = −0.39, 95% CI = −0.15 to −0.63) but not for MBSR (Hedges g = −0.75, 95% CI = 0.31 to −1.81). Conclusions This is the first meta-analysis of RCTs of MBIs where all studies included only participants who were diagnosed with a current episode of a depressive or anxiety disorder. Effects of MBIs on primary symptom severity were found for people with a current depressive disorder and it is recommended that MBIs might be considered as an intervention for this population