The U.S. versus international ethics codes for accountants: A computerized content analysis

Abstract. This study applies computerized content analysis techniques, including term frequency analysis, readability index, and cosine similarity, to compare the U.S. versus international ethics codes for professional accountants. It reveals and compares new characteristics of these ethics codes. The U.S. ethics code is found to be less readable but more reflective of moral values concerning social order. The international ethics code emphasizes the independence and confidentiality principles, while the U.S. ethics code emphasizes independence and responsibilities. There are more similarities within the U.S. ethics code and within the international ethics code than between these ethics code

Effectiveness of a technology-based injury prevention program for enhancing mothers’ knowledge of child safety: protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Background: Provision of anticipatory guidance for parents is recommended as an effective strategy to prevent injuries among young children. Technology-based anticipatory guidance has been suggested to reinforce the effectiveness of injury prevention and improve parents’ knowledge of child safety. Objective: This study aims to examine the effectiveness of a technology-based injury prevention program with parental anticipatory guidance for enhancing mothers’ knowledge of child safety. Methods: In this randomized controlled trial, 308 mothers will be recruited from the antenatal clinics and postnatal wards of two major public hospitals in Hong Kong. Participating mothers will be randomly assigned into intervention and control groups. Mothers in the intervention group will be given free access to a technology-based injury prevention program with anticipatory guidance, whereas mothers in the control group will be given a relevant booklet on parenting. The injury prevention program, available as a website or on a mobile app, includes behavioral components based on the Theory of Planned Behavior. The primary outcome measure will be the change in the mother’s knowledge of child safety. The secondary outcome measures will be age-appropriate domestic safety knowledge, attitudes, intentions, perceived behavioral control, and self-reported behavior related to home safety practice. We will also determine dose-response relationships between the outcome measures and the website and mobile app usage. Results: Enrolment of participants will begin in October 2016. Results are expected by June 2018. Conclusions: Parents will be able to easily access the domestic injury prevention website to find information regarding child injury prevention. It is anticipated that the technology-based intervention will help parents improve their knowledge of child safety and raise their awareness about the consequences of domestic injuries and the importance of prevention. Trial Registration: Clinicaltrials.gov Clinicaltrials.gov NCT02835768; http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02835768 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation/6lbXYM6b9)

The association between intimate partner violence against women and newborn telomere length

Intimate partner violence (IPV) against women negatively impacts infant health. However, its impact on infant’s biology, in particular on telomere length (TL) is unknown. The aim of this study was to examine the association between IPV against women before childbirth and cord blood TL in their newborn. A total of 774 pregnant women in the 20th–24th week of gestation were recruited at a public hospital in Hong Kong. The mothers’ exposure to IPV before childbirth, demographic characteristics, obstetric outcomes, health and mental health were measured at the time of recruitment and 4 weeks after childbirth. Umbilical cord blood was collected by midwives at the time of delivery. The newborn TL was quantified using quantitative PCR method and expressed in T/S ratio (the ratio of telomere repeat copy numbers to single-copy gene numbers). After adjusting for a number of confounding variables, the mothers’ exposure to any IPV before childbirth (β = −0.08, 95% CI = −0.14, −0.01) was associated with shorter TL. Specifically, psychological abuse against women before childbirth (β = −0.08, 95% CI = −0.15, −0.02) and sexual abuse against women before childbirth (β = −0.22, 95% CI = −0.43 to −0.01) were significantly associated with reduced newborn TL. This study is the first to provide evidence of an association between IPV against women before childbirth and TL shortening in their newborns. Through TL- dependent transcription and epigenetic mechanisms, our finding suggests maternal exposure to IPV may exert a life-long impact on the offspring’s health

Changing patterns of intimate partner violence against pregnant women: a three-year longitudinal study

Intimate partner violence (IPV) against pregnant women adversely impacts women’s and infants’ health. This study aims to provide longitudinal evidence regarding how pregnant women’s exposure to IPV changes over time. Additionally, we examine the risk and protective factors associated with these changes. In total, 340 pregnant women were recruited from an antenatal clinic in Hong Kong. IPV experiences and health conditions were assessed at pregnancy and at both 4 weeks and 3 years after childbirth. The women also reported adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), their family support, and perceived partner involvement. We found IPV prevalence among the study sample decreased from 22.9% before pregnancy to 13.5% during pregnancy, 14.7% at 4 weeks after childbirth, and 11.8% at 3 years after childbirth. We further found three types of IPV: 11.8% of women had a violent relationship (VR) persistently over time from pregnancy to 3 years after childbirth, 20.6% experienced decreased IPV (DVR), and 67.6% reported a nonviolent relationship (NVR) throughout the study period. VRs were associated with more severe mental health problems and higher ACEs. Family support and partner involvement may be protective factors for decreased IPV. Our present findings highlight the importance of identifying different IPV types over time to provide targeted intervention to the most vulnerable groups

Association of maternal levothyroxine use during pregnancy with offspring birth and neurodevelopmental outcomes: a population-based cohort study

BACKGROUND: The influence of maternal levothyroxine treatment during pregnancy remains unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the associations of maternal levothyroxine treatment during pregnancy with the birth and neurodevelopmental outcomes in offspring. METHODS: This population-based cohort study was conducted among pregnant women using the Hong Kong Clinical Data Analysis and Reporting System. Mother-child pairs in Hong Kong from 2001 to 2015 were included and children were followed up till 2020. We defined the exposure group as mothers who were exposed to levothyroxine during pregnancy. Preterm birth and small for gestational age (SGA) were included as birth outcomes. Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) were included as neurodevelopmental outcomes. Odds ratios (OR) or hazard ratios (HRs) with a 95% confidence interval (CI) were evaluated to assess the association of gestational levothyroxine use with offspring birth and neurodevelopmental outcomes respectively, using propensity score fine-stratification weighting and a Cox proportional hazards regression model. RESULTS: Among 422,156 mother-child pairs, 2125 children were born from mothers exposed to levothyroxine during pregnancy. A significantly increased risk of preterm birth was observed in children with maternal levothyroxine exposure during pregnancy, when compared to mothers who had no history of thyroid-related diagnoses or prescriptions (weighted OR [wOR]: 1.22, 95% CI: 1.07, 1.39). Similarly, an increased risk of preterm birth was found among children of gestational levothyroxine users, when compared to children of mothers who had used levothyroxine before but stopped during pregnancy (wOR: 2.16, 95% CI: 1.09, 4.25). Sensitivity analysis, by excluding mothers exposed to psychotropic or antiepileptic medications before or during pregnancy, also indicated a similar increased risk of preterm birth regarding the gestational use of levothyroxine (wOR: 1.26, 95% CI: 1.10, 1.45). No significant association was observed for the risk of SGA, ADHD, and ASD. CONCLUSIONS: There is no evidence that gestational use of levothyroxine is associated with SGA, ADHD, or ASD in offspring. Gestational levothyroxine treatment is associated with a higher risk of preterm birth. Such risk might be confounded by the underlying maternal thyroid disease itself, however, we cannot completely exclude the possible effect of gestational L-T4 treatment on offspring preterm birth. Our findings provided support to the current guidelines on the cautious use of levothyroxine treatment during pregnancy. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12916-022-02586-9

Pharmacogenomics and the Yin/Yang actions of ginseng: anti-tumor, angiomodulating and steroid-like activities of ginsenosides.

In Chinese medicine, ginseng (Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer) has long been used as a general tonic or an adaptogen to promote longevity and enhance bodily functions. It has also been claimed to be effective in combating stress, fatigue, oxidants, cancer and diabetes mellitus. Most of the pharmacological actions of ginseng are attributed to one type of its constituents, namely the ginsenosides. In this review, we focus on the recent advances in the study of ginsenosides on angiogenesis which is related to many pathological conditions including tumor progression and cardiovascular dysfunctions. Angiogenesis in the human body is regulated by two sets of counteracting factors, angiogenic stimulators and inhibitors. The 'Yin and Yang' action of ginseng on angiomodulation was paralleled by the experimental data showing angiogenesis was indeed related to the compositional ratio between ginsenosides Rg1 and Rb1. Rg1 was later found to stimulate angiogenesis through augmenting the production of nitric oxide (NO) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Mechanistic studies revealed that such responses were mediated through the PI3K-->Akt pathway. By means of DNA microarray, a group of genes related to cell adhesion, migration and cytoskeleton were found to be up-regulated in endothelial cells. These gene products may interact in a hierarchical cascade pattern to modulate cell architectural dynamics which is concomitant to the observed phenomena in angiogenesis. By contrast, the anti-tumor and anti-angiogenic effects of ginsenosides (e.g. Rg3 and Rh2) have been demonstrated in various models of tumor and endothelial cells, indicating that ginsenosides with opposing activities are present in ginseng. Ginsenosides and Panax ginseng extracts have been shown to exert protective effects on vascular dysfunctions, such as hypertension, atherosclerotic disorders and ischemic injury. Recent work has demonstrates the target molecules of ginsenosides to be a group of nuclear steroid hormone receptors. These lines of evidence support that the interaction between ginsenosides and various nuclear steroid hormone receptors may explain the diverse pharmacological activities of ginseng. These findings may also lead to development of more efficacious ginseng-derived therapeutics for angiogenesis-related diseases

A 50-Year-Old Woman with Recurrent Generalised Seizures

Ronald Ma and colleagues discuss the differential diagnosis, investigation, and management of this patient

A Precisely Regulated Gene Expression Cassette Potently Modulates Metastasis and Survival in Multiple Solid Cancers

Successful tumor development and progression involves the complex interplay of both pro- and anti-oncogenic signaling pathways. Genetic components balancing these opposing activities are likely to require tight regulation, because even subtle alterations in their expression may disrupt this balance with major consequences for various cancer-associated phenotypes. Here, we describe a cassette of cancer-specific genes exhibiting precise transcriptional control in solid tumors. Mining a database of tumor gene expression profiles from six different tissues, we identified 48 genes exhibiting highly restricted levels of gene expression variation in tumors (n = 270) compared to nonmalignant tissues (n = 71). Comprising genes linked to multiple cancer-related pathways, the restricted expression of this “Poised Gene Cassette” (PGC) was robustly validated across 11 independent cohorts of ∼1,300 samples from multiple cancer types. In three separate experimental models, subtle alterations in PGC expression were consistently associated with significant differences in metastatic and invasive potential. We functionally confirmed this association in siRNA knockdown experiments of five PGC genes (p53CSV, MAP3K11, MTCH2, CPSF6, and SKIP), which either directly enhanced the invasive capacities or inhibited the proliferation of AGS cancer cells. In primary tumors, similar subtle alterations in PGC expression were also repeatedly associated with clinical outcome in multiple cohorts. Taken collectively, these findings support the existence of a common set of precisely controlled genes in solid tumors. Since inducing small activity changes in these genes may prove sufficient to potently influence various tumor phenotypes such as metastasis, targeting such precisely regulated genes may represent a promising avenue for novel anti-cancer therapies

Association between intimate partner violence and leukocyte telomere length: a retrospective cohort study of 144 049 UK Biobank participants

Abstract Aims Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a public health challenge negatively affecting victims’ health. Telomere length (TL), a marker for biological ageing, might be reflective of the mechanisms through which IPV leads to adverse health outcomes. The objective of the current study was to explore the association between IPV and leucocyte TL. Methods We conducted an analysis using a subset of the UK Biobank (N = 144 049). Physical, sexual and emotional IPV were reported by the participants. DNA was extracted from peripheral blood leukocytes. TL was assayed by quantitative polymerase chain reaction. We used multivariable linear regressions to test the associations between IPV and TL adjusted for age, sex, ethnicity, deprivation, education, as well as symptoms of depression and post-traumatic stress disorder in a sensitivity analysis. Results After adjusting for sociodemographic factors, any IPV was associated with 0.02-s.d. shorter TL (β = −0.02, 95% CI −0.04 to −0.01). Of the three types of IPV, physical violence had a marginally stronger association (β = −0.05, 95% CI −0.07 to −0.02) than the other two types. The associations of numbers of IPV and TL showed a dose–response pattern whereby those who experienced all three types of IPV types had the shortest TL (β = −0.07, 95% CI −0.12 to −0.03), followed by those who experienced two types (β = −0.04, 95% CI −0.07 to −0.01). Following additional adjustment for symptoms of depression and PTSD, the associations were slightly attenuated but the general trend by number of IPVs remained. Conclusions Victims of IPV, particularly those exposed to multiple types of IPVs, had shorter TL indicative of accelerated biological ageing. Given that all three types of IPV are linked to TL, clinical practitioners need to comprehensively identify all types of IPV and those who received multiple types. Further studies should explore the association of violence with changes in TL over time, as well as to which extent biological ageing is a mechanistic factor