Blood pressure and site-specific cancer mortality: evidence from the original Whitehall study

Studies relating blood pressure to cancer risk have some shortcomings and have revealed inconsistent findings. In 17498 middle-aged London-based government employees we related systolic and diastolic blood pressure recorded at baseline examination (1967-1970) to the risk of cancer mortality risk at 13 anatomical sites 25 years later. Following adjustment for potential confounding and mediating factors, inverse associations between blood pressure and mortality due to leukaemia and cancer of the pancreas (diastolic only) were seen. Blood pressure was also positively related to cancer of the liver and rectum (diastolic only). The statistically significant blood pressure-cancer associations seen in this large-scale prospective investigation offering high power were scarce and of sufficiently small magnitude as to be attributable to chance or confounding

Cost-effectiveness of nurse-led self-help for recurrent depression in the primary care setting: design of a pragmatic randomized trial

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Major Depressive Disorder is a leading cause of disability, tends to run a recurrent course and is associated with substantial economic costs due to increased healthcare utilization and productivity losses. Interventions aimed at the prevention of recurrences may reduce patients' suffering and costs. Besides antidepressants, several psychological treatments such as preventive cognitive therapy (PCT) are effective in the prevention of recurrences of depression. Yet, many patients find long-term use of antidepressants unattractive, do not want to engage in therapy sessions and in the primary care setting psychologists are often not available. Therefore, it is important to study whether PCT can be used in a nurse-led self-help format in primary care. This study sets out to test the hypothesis that usual care plus nurse-led self-help for recurrent depression in primary care is feasible, acceptable and cost-effective compared to usual care only.</p> <p>Design</p> <p>Patients are randomly assigned to ‘nurse-led self-help treatment plus usual care’ (134 participants) or ‘usual care’ (134 participants). Randomisation is stratified according to the number of previous episodes (2 or 3 previous episodes versus 4 or more). The primary clinical outcome is the cumulative recurrence rate of depression meeting DSM-IV criteria as assessed by the Structured-Clinical-Interview-for-DSM-IV- disorders at one year after completion of the intervention. Secondary clinical outcomes are quality of life, severity of depressive symptoms, co-morbid psychopathology and self-efficacy. As putative effect-moderators, demographic characteristics, number of previous episodes, type of treatment during previous episodes, age of onset, self-efficacy and symptoms of pain and fatigue are assessed. Cumulative recurrence rate ratios are obtained under a Poisson regression model. Number-needed-to-be-treated is calculated as the inverse of the risk-difference. The economic evaluation is conducted from a societal perspective, both as a cost-effectiveness analysis (costs per depression free survival year) and as a cost-utility analysis (costs per quality adjusted life-year).</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>The purpose of this paper is to outline the rationale and design of a nurse-led, cognitive therapy based self-help aimed at preventing recurrence of depression in a primary care setting. Only few studies have focused on psychological self-help interventions aimed at the prevention of recurrences in primary care patients.</p> <p>Trial registration</p> <p>NTR3001 (<url>http://www.trialregister.nl</url>)</p

Galaxy And Mass Assembly (GAMA): Panchromatic Data Release (far-UV --- far-IR) and the low-z energy budget

We present the GAMA Panchromatic Data Release (PDR) constituting over 230deg$^2$ of imaging with photometry in 21 bands extending from the far-UV to the far-IR. These data complement our spectroscopic campaign of over 300k galaxies, and are compiled from observations with a variety of facilities including: GALEX, SDSS, VISTA, WISE, and Herschel, with the GAMA regions currently being surveyed by VST and scheduled for observations by ASKAP. These data are processed to a common astrometric solution, from which photometry is derived for 221,373 galaxies with r<19.8 mag. Online tools are provided to access and download data cutouts, or the full mosaics of the GAMA regions in each band. We focus, in particular, on the reduction and analysis of the VISTA VIKING data, and compare to earlier datasets (i.e., 2MASS and UKIDSS) before combining the data and examining its integrity. Having derived the 21-band photometric catalogue we proceed to fit the data using the energy balance code MAGPHYS. These measurements are then used to obtain the first fully empirical measurement of the 0.1-500$\mu$m energy output of the Universe. Exploring the Cosmic Spectral Energy Distribution (CSED) across three time-intervals (0.3-1.1Gyr, 1.1-1.8~Gyr and 1.8---2.4~Gyr), we find that the Universe is currently generating $(1.5 \pm 0.3) \times 10^{35}$ h$_{70}$ W Mpc$^{-3}$, down from $(2.5 \pm 0.2) \times 10^{35}$ h$_{70}$ W Mpc$^{-3}$ 2.3~Gyr ago. More importantly, we identify significant and smooth evolution in the integrated photon escape fraction at all wavelengths, with the UV escape fraction increasing from 27(18)% at z=0.18 in NUV(FUV) to 34(23)% at z=0.06. The GAMA PDR will allow for detailed studies of the energy production and outputs of individual systems, sub-populations, and representative galaxy samples at $z<0.5$. The GAMA PDR can be found at: http://gama-psi.icrar.org

Galaxy And Mass Assembly (GAMA): Panchromatic Data Release (far-UV-far-IR) and the low-z energy budget

This article has been accepted for publication in MNRAS ©: 2016: the authors. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.This work is supported by resources provided by the Pawsey Supercomputing Centre with funding from the Australian Government and the Government of Western Australi

Galaxy And Mass Assembly (GAMA): Data Release 4 and the z < 0.1 total and z < 0.08 morphological galaxy stellar mass functions

In Galaxy And Mass Assembly Data Release 4 (GAMA DR4), we make available our full spectroscopic redshift sample. This includes 248 682 galaxy spectra, and, in combination with earlier surveys, results in 330 542 redshifts across five sky regions covering similar to 250 deg(2). The redshift density, is the highest available over such a sustained area, has exceptionally high completeness (95 per cent to r(KiDS) = 19.65 mag), and is well-suited for the study of galaxy mergers, galaxy groups, and the low redshift (z < 0.25) galaxy population. DR4 includes 32 value-added tables or Data Management Units (DMUs) that provide a number of measured and derived data products including GALEX, ESO KiDS, ESO VIKING, WISE, and HerschelSpace Observatory imaging. Within this release, we provide visual morphologies for 15 330 galaxies to z < 0.08, photometric redshift estimates for all 18 million objects to r(KiDS) similar to 25 mag, and stellar velocity dispersions for 111 830 galaxies. We conclude by deriving the total galaxy stellar mass function (GSMF) and its sub-division by morphological class (elliptical, compact-bulge and disc, diffuse-bulge and disc, and disc only). This extends our previous measurement of the total GSMF down to 10(6.75) M-circle dot h(70)(-2) and we find a total stellar mass density of rho(*) = (2.97 +/- 0.04) x 10(8) M-circle dot h(70) Mpc(-3) or Omega(*)=(2.17 +/- 0.03) x 10(-3) h(70)(-1). We conclude that at z < 0.1, the Universe has converted 4.9 +/- 0.1 per cent of the baryonic mass implied by big bang Nucleosynthesis into stars that are gravitationally bound within the galaxy population

Primjena i kompozicija individualiziranih zaštitnih elemenata linijske grafike u projektiranju novčanica

Proces stvaranja novčanica je dugotrajan i složen, što rezultira kompleksnim rješenjima koja predstavljaju pravo remek djelo grafike. Novčanice su prožete brojnim detaljima i prenose različite informacije koje se analiziraju u teorijskom dijelu rada. Prvotno se postavljaju kriteriji po kojima se izrađuje detaljna analiza velikog broja zaštitnih i konceptualnih elemenata na primjerima novčanica. Time je prikazan okvirni povijesni pregled razvoja novčanica i utjecaji kojima je bio izložen. Analizira se međuovisnost dizajna o sigurnosnim značajkama, te se ispituje razina informiranosti javnosti o zaštitama na novčanicama. Zaključuje se koje metode zaštite su najučinkovitije, te kako šira javnost najčešće provjerava autentičnost novčanica. U eksperimentalnom dijelu rada se na temelju donesenih zaključaka iz teorijskog dijela izrađuje prototip novčanice koja je u najvećoj mjeri prožeta individualiziranim PostScript programskim rješenjima elemenata linijske grafike (rozete, mikrotekst, zaštitne linije, brojevi apoena), a od ostalih zaštita modeliran je individualizirani raster transformacijom matematičkog izraza u PostScript programski kod. Sve ostale zaštite tipične za novčanice simulirane su alatima za rastersku i vektorsku grafiku. U radu se ispituje utjecaj kompozicije zaštitnih elemenata na prepoznavanje autentičnosti novčanica, te efikasnost samih individualiziranih programskih rješenja

Galaxy And Mass Assembly (GAMA): Data Release 4 and the z < 0.1 total and z < 0.08 morphological galaxy stellar mass functions

In Galaxy And Mass Assembly Data Release 4 (GAMA DR4), we make available our full spectroscopic redshift sample. This includes 248 682 galaxy spectra, and, in combination with earlier surveys, results in 330 542 redshifts across five sky regions covering ∼250 deg2. The redshift density, is the highest available over such a sustained area, has exceptionally high completeness (95 per cent to rKiDS = 19.65 mag), and is well-suited for the study of galaxy mergers, galaxy groups, and the low redshift (z < 0.25) galaxy population. DR4 includes 32 value-added tables or Data Management Units (DMUs) that provide a number of measured and derived data products including GALEX, ESO KiDS, ESO VIKING, WISE, and HerschelSpace Observatory imaging. Within this release, we provide visual morphologies for 15 330 galaxies to z < 0.08, photometric redshift estimates for all 18 million objects to rKiDS ∼ 25 mag, and stellar velocity dispersions for 111 830 galaxies. We conclude by deriving the total galaxy stellar mass function (GSMF) and its sub-division by morphological class (elliptical, compact-bulge and disc, diffuse-bulge and disc, and disc only). This extends our previous measurement of the total GSMF down to 106.75 M⊙h−270 and we find a total stellar mass density of ρ* = (2.97 ± 0.04) × 108 M⊙h70 Mpc−3 or Ω∗=(2.17±0.03)×10−3h−170⁠. We conclude that at z < 0.1, the Universe has converted 4.9 ± 0.1 per cent of the baryonic mass implied by big bang Nucleosynthesis into stars that are gravitationally bound within the galaxy population