No Association between Fish Intake and Depression in over 15,000 Older Adults from Seven Low and Middle Income Countries–The 10/66 Study

Background: Evidence on the association between fish consumption and depression is inconsistent and virtually nonexistent from low-and middle-income countries. Using a standard protocol, we aim to assess the association of fish consumption and late-life depression in seven low-and middle-income countries. Methodology/Findings: We used cross-sectional data from the 10/66 cohort study and applied two diagnostic criteria for late-life depression to assess the association between categories of weekly fish consumption and depression according to ICD-10 and the EURO-D depression symptoms scale scores, adjusting for relevant confounders. All-catchment area surveys were carried out in Cuba, Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Peru, Mexico, China, and India, and over 15,000 community-dwelling older adults (65+) were sampled. Using Poisson models the adjusted association between categories of fish consumption and ICD-10 depression was positive in India (p for trend = 0.001), inverse in Peru (p = 0.025), and not significant in all other countries. We found a linear inverse association between fish consumption categories and EURO-D scores only in Cuba (p for trend = 0.039) and China (p<0.001); associations were not significant in all other countries. Between-country heterogeneity was marked for both ICD-10 (I-2>61%) and EURO-D criteria (I-2>66%). Conclusions: The associations of fish consumption with depression in large samples of older adults varied markedly across countries and by depression diagnosis and were explained by socio-demographic and lifestyle variables. Experimental studies in these settings are needed to confirm our findings.Multidisciplinary SciencesSCI(E)SSCI0ARTICLE6null

Texas’ 2021 Ban on Abortion in Early Pregnancy Was Associated with a Decrease in Abortions in Texas, an Increase in Abortions Out of State, and a Decrease in Overall Abortions

Texas Senate Bill 8 (SB 8) made abortions illegal once embryonic cardiac activity (sometimes incorrectly referred to as a “fetal heartbeat”) can be detected (at about 5-6 weeks of pregnancy), with very limited exceptions. Before SB 8, abortions could be provided in Texas up to 22 weeks of pregnancy. SB 8 was the most restrictive abortion law in the US until June 2022 when the US Supreme Court overturned the Roe v. Wade decision, which allowed Texas to enforce a law that prohibits almost all abortions. In this study, Kari White, PRC faculty scholar and principal investigator of the Texas Policy Evaluation Project (TxPEP), along with PRC and TxPEP researchers Gracia Sierra, Klaira Lerma, Vinita Goyal, and professor emeritus Joseph Potter, and colleagues, compared the abortions Texas residents had in the month before and month after SB 8 went into effect. They also calculated the proportion of abortions that were done out of state for people who were 12 or more weeks pregnant in the six months after the law went into effect, compared to the same six-month period the year before. They found that SB 8 was associated with a decrease in abortions in Texas, an increase in abortions out of state, a decrease in overall abortions, and an increase in abortions after 12 weeks of pregnancy.Population Research Cente

Association of Texas’ 2021 Ban on Abortion in Early Pregnancy With the Number of Facility-Based Abortions in Texas and Surrounding States

Importance Texas’ 2021 ban on abortion in early pregnancy may demonstrate how patterns of abortion might change following the US Supreme Court’s June 2022 decision overturning Roe v Wade. Objective To assess changes in the number of abortions and changes in the percentage of out-of-state abortions among Texas residents performed at 12 or more weeks of gestation in the first 6 months following implementation of Texas Senate Bill 8 (SB 8), which prohibited abortions after detection of embryonic cardiac activity. Design, Setting, and Participants Retrospective study of a sample of 50 Texas and out-of-state abortion facilities using an interrupted time series analysis to assess changes in the number of abortions, and Poisson regression to assess changes in abortions at 12 or more weeks of gestation. Data included 68 820 Texas facility–based abortions and 11 287 out-of-state abortions among Texas residents during the study period from September 1, 2020, to February 28, 2022. Exposures Abortion care obtained after (September 2021–February 2022) vs before (September 2020–August 2021) implementation of SB 8. Main Outcomes and Measures Primary outcomes were changes in the number of facility-based abortions for Texas residents, in Texas and out of state, in the month after implementation of SB 8 compared with the month before. The secondary outcome was the change in the percentage of out-of-state abortions among Texas residents obtained at 12 or more weeks of gestation during the 6-month period after the law’s implementation. Results Between September 2020 and August 2021, there were 55 018 abortions in Texas and 2547 out-of-state abortions among Texas residents. During the 6 months after SB 8, there were 13 802 abortions in Texas and 8740 out-of-state abortions among Texas residents. Compared with the month before implementation of SB 8, the number of Texas facility–based abortions significantly decreased from 5451 to 2169 (difference, −3282 [95% CI, −3171 to −3396]; incidence rate ratio [IRR], 0.43 [95% CI, 0.36-0.51]) in the month after SB 8 was implemented. The number of out-of-state abortions among Texas residents significantly increased from 222 to 1332 (difference, 1110 [95% CI, 1047-1177]; IRR, 5.38 [95% CI, 4.19-6.91]). Overall, the total documented number of Texas facility–based and out-of-state abortions among Texas residents significantly decreased from 5673 to 3501 (absolute change, −2172 [95% CI, −2083 to −2265]; IRR, 0.67 [95% CI, 0.56-0.79]) in the first month after SB 8 was implemented compared with the previous month. Out-of-state abortions among Texas residents obtained at 12 or more weeks of gestation increased from 17.1% (221/1291) to 31.0% (399/1289) (difference, 178 [95% CI, 153-206]) during the period between September 2021 and February 2022 (P \u3c .001 for trend). Conclusions and Relevance Among a sample of abortion facilities, the 2021 Texas law banning abortion in early pregnancy (SB 8) was significantly associated with a decrease in the documented total of facility-based abortions in Texas and obtained by Texas residents in surrounding states in the first month after implementation compared with the previous month. Over the 6 months following SB 8 implementation, the percentage of out-of-state abortions among Texas residents obtained at 12 or more weeks of gestation significantly increased

Concept of a Polarized Positron Source for CEBAF

International audiencePositron beams would provide new and meaningful probes for the experimental program at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (JLab), including but not limited to future hadronic physics and dark matter experiments. Critical requirements involve generating positron beams with a high degree of spin polarization, sufficient intensity and a continuous-wave (CW) bunch train compatible with acceleration to 12 GeV at the Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility (CEBAF). To address these requirements, a polarized positron injector based upon the bremsstrahlung of an intense CW spin polarized electron beam is considered*. First a polarized electron beam line provides >1 mA of polarized electrons at ~120 MeV to a high-power target for positron production. Next, a second beam line collects, shapes and aligns the spin of positrons for users. Finally, the positron beam is matched into the CEBAF acceptance for acceleration and transport to the end stations with energies up to 12 GeV. An optimized layout to provide positrons beams with intensity >100 nA (polarized) or intensity >3 µA (unpolarized) will be discussed in this poster

How reliable are hospital efficiency estimates? Exploiting the dual to homothetic production

For scientific use, stochastic frontier estimates of hospital efficiency must be robust to plausible departures from the assumptions made by the investigator. Comparisons of alternative study designs, each well within the 'accepted' range according to current practice, generate similar mean inefficiencies but substantially different hospital rankings. The three alternative study contrasts feature (1) pooling vs partitioned estimates, (2) a cost function dual to a homothetic production process vs the translog, and (3) two conceptually valid but empirically different cost-of-capital measures. The results suggest caution regarding the use of frontier methods to rank individual hospitals, a use that seems to be required for reimbursement incentives, but they are robust when generating comparisons of hospital group mean inefficiencies, such as testing models that compare non-profits and for-profits by economic inefficiency. Demonstrations find little or no efficiency differences between these paired groups: non-profit vs for-profit; teaching vs non-teaching; urban vs rural; high percent of Medicare reliant vs low percent; and chain vs independent hospitals. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.