Explanatory factors for health inequalities across different ethnic and gender groups: data from a national survey in England

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to examine the relative contribution of factors explaining ethnic health inequalities (EHI) in poor self-reported health (pSRH) and limiting long-standing illness (LLI) between Health Survey for England (HSE) participants. METHOD: Using HSE 2003-2006 data, the odds of reporting pSRH or of LLI in 8573 Bangladeshi, Black African, Black Caribbean, Chinese, Indian, Irish and Pakistani participants was compared with 28,470 White British participants. The effects of demographics, socioeconomic position (SEP), psychosocial variables, community characteristics and health behaviours were assessed using separate regression models. RESULTS: Compared with White British men, age-adjusted odds (OR, 95% CI) of pSRH were higher among Bangladeshi (2.05, 1.34 to 3.14), Pakistani (1.77, 1.34 to 2.33) and Black Caribbean (1.60, 1.18 to 2.18) men, but these became non-significant following adjustment for SEP and health behaviours. Unlike Black Caribbean men, Black African men exhibited a lower risk of age-adjusted pSRH (0.66, 0.43 to 1.00 (p=0.048)) and LLI (0.45, 0.28 to 0.72), which were significant in every model. Likewise, Chinese men had a lower risk of age-adjusted pSRH (0.51, 0.26 to 1.00 (p=0.048)) and LLI (0.22, 0.10 to 0.48). Except in Black Caribbean women, adjustment for SEP rendered raised age-adjusted associations for pSRH among Pakistani (2.51, 1.99 to 3.17), Bangladeshi (1.85, 1.08 to 3.16), Black Caribbean (1.78, 1.44 to 2.21) and Indian women (1.37, 1.13 to 1.66) insignificant. Adjustment for health behaviours had the largest effect for South Asian women. By contrast, Irish women reported better age-adjusted SRH (0.70, 1.51 to 0.96). CONCLUSIONS: SEP and health behaviours were major contributors explaining EHI. Policies to improve health equity need to monitor these pathways and be informed by them

On supersymmetric quantum mechanics

This paper constitutes a review on N=2 fractional supersymmetric Quantum Mechanics of order k. The presentation is based on the introduction of a generalized Weyl-Heisenberg algebra W_k. It is shown how a general Hamiltonian can be associated with the algebra W_k. This general Hamiltonian covers various supersymmetrical versions of dynamical systems (Morse system, Poschl-Teller system, fractional supersymmetric oscillator of order k, etc.). The case of ordinary supersymmetric Quantum Mechanics corresponds to k=2. A connection between fractional supersymmetric Quantum Mechanics and ordinary supersymmetric Quantum Mechanics is briefly described. A realization of the algebra W_k, of the N=2 supercharges and of the corresponding Hamiltonian is given in terms of deformed-bosons and k-fermions as well as in terms of differential operators.Comment: Review paper (31 pages) to be published in: Fundamental World of Quantum Chemistry, A Tribute to the Memory of Per-Olov Lowdin, Volume 3, E. Brandas and E.S. Kryachko (Eds.), Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 200

Ethnic inequalities in health between Arabs and Jews in Israel: the relative contribution of individual-level factors and the living environment

OBJECTIVES: Ethnic inequalities in health (EIH) are unjust public health problem that emerge across societies. In Israel, despite uniform healthcare coverage, marked EIH persist between Arabs and Jews. METHODS: We draw on the ecosocial approach to examine the relative contributions of individual socioeconomic status (SES), psychosocial and health behavioral factors, and the living environment (neighborhood problems, social capital, and social participation) to explaining ethnic differences in self-rated health (SRH). Data were derived from two nationwide studies conducted in 2004-2005 of stratified samples of Arabs (N = 902) and Jews (N = 1087). RESULTS: Poor SRH was significantly higher among Arabs after adjustment for age and gender [odds ratio and 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.94 (1.57-2.40)]. This association was reversed following adjustment for all possible mediators: OR (95% CI) = 0.70(0.53-0.92). The relative contribution of SES and the living environment was sizable, each attenuating the EIH by 40%, psychosocial factors by 25%, and health behaviors by 16%. CONCLUSIONS: Arabs in Israel have poorer SRH than Jews. Polices to reduce this inequality should mainly focus on improving the SES and the living conditions of the Arabs, which might enhance health behaviors and well-being

MycoBank gearing up for new horizons.

MycoBank, a registration system for fungi established in 2004 to capture all taxonomic novelties, acts as a coordination hub between repositories such as Index Fungorum and Fungal Names. Since January 2013, registration of fungal names is a mandatory requirement for valid publication under the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi and plants (ICN). This review explains the database innovations that have been implemented over the past few years, and discusses new features such as advanced queries, registration of typification events (MBT numbers for lecto, epi- and neotypes), the multi-lingual database interface, the nomenclature discussion forum, annotation system, and web services with links to third parties. MycoBank has also introduced novel identification services, linking DNA sequence data to numerous related databases to enable intelligent search queries. Although MycoBank fills an important void for taxon registration, challenges for the future remain to improve links between taxonomic names and DNA data, and to also introduce a formal system for naming fungi known from DNA sequence data only. To further improve the quality of MycoBank data, remote access will now allow registered mycologists to act as MycoBank curators, using Citrix software

Frustration-Induced Two Dimensional Quantum Disordered Phase in Piperazinium Hexachlorodicuprate

Piperazinium Hexachlorodicuprate (PHCC) is shown to be a frustrated quasi-two-dimensional quantum Heisenberg antiferromagnet with a gapped spectrum. Zero-field inelastic neutron scattering and susceptibility and specific heat measurements as a function of applied magnetic field are presented. At T = 1.5 K, the magnetic excitation spectrum is dominated by a single propagating mode with a gap, Delta = 1 meV, and bandwidth of approximately 1.8 meV in the (h0l) plane. The mode has no dispersion along the b* direction indicating that neighboring a-c planes of the triclinic structure are magnetically decoupled. The heat capacity shows a reduction of the gap as a function of applied magnetic field in agreement with a singlet-triplet excitation spectrum. A field-induced ordered phase is observed in heat capacity and magnetic susceptibility measurements for magnetic fields greater than H_c1 approximately equal to 7.5 Tesla. Analysis of the neutron scattering data reveals the important exchange interactions and indicates that some of these are highly frustrated.Comment: 13 pages with 14 figures, 7 pages of text, 6 pages of figures. Submitted to Phys. Rev. B 4/7/2001. email comments to [email protected] or [email protected]

Prediction of sinus rhythm maintenance following DC-cardioversion of persistent atrial fibrillation – the role of atrial cycle length

BACKGROUND: Atrial electrical remodeling has been shown to influence the outcome the outcome following cardioversion of atrial fibrillation (AF) in experimental studies. The aim of the present study was to find out whether a non-invasively measured atrial fibrillatory cycle length, alone or in combination with other non-invasive parameters, could predict sinus rhythm maintenance after cardioversion of AF. METHODS: Dominant atrial cycle length (DACL), a previously validated non-invasive index of atrial refractoriness, was measured from lead V1 and a unipolar oesophageal lead prior to cardioversion in 37 patients with persistent AF undergoing their first cardioversion. RESULTS: 32 patients were successfully cardioverted to sinus rhythm. The mean DACL in the 22 patients who suffered recurrence of AF within 6 weeks was 152 ± 15 ms (V1) and 147 ± 14 ms (oesophagus) compared to 155 ± 17 ms (V1) and 151 ± 18 ms (oesophagus) in those maintaining sinus rhythm (NS). Left atrial diameter was 48 ± 4 mm and 44 ± 7 mm respectively (NS). The optimal parameter predicting maintenance of sinus rhythm after 6 weeks appeared to be the ratio of the lowest dominant atrial cycle length (oesophageal lead or V1) to left atrial diameter. This ratio was significantly higher in patients remaining in sinus rhythm (3.4 ± 0.6 vs. 3.1 ± 0.4 ms/mm respectively, p = 0.04). CONCLUSION: In this study neither an index of atrial refractory period nor left atrial diameter alone were predictors of AF recurrence within the 6 weeks of follow-up. The ratio of the two (combining electrophysiological and anatomical measurements) only slightly improve the identification of patients at high risk of recurrence of persistent AF. Consequently, other ways to asses electrical remodeling and / or other variables besides electrical remodeling are involved in determining the outcome following cardioversion

Microarray analysis of peripheral blood lymphocytes from ALS patients and the SAFE detection of the KEGG ALS pathway

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (sALS) is a motor neuron disease with poorly understood etiology. Results of gene expression profiling studies of whole blood from ALS patients have not been validated and are difficult to relate to ALS pathogenesis because gene expression profiles depend on the relative abundance of the different cell types present in whole blood. We conducted microarray analyses using Agilent Human Whole Genome 4 × 44k Arrays on a more homogeneous cell population, namely purified peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs), from ALS patients and healthy controls to identify molecular signatures possibly relevant to ALS pathogenesis.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Differentially expressed genes were determined by LIMMA (Linear Models for MicroArray) and SAM (Significance Analysis of Microarrays) analyses. The SAFE (Significance Analysis of Function and Expression) procedure was used to identify molecular pathway perturbations. Proteasome inhibition assays were conducted on cultured peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from ALS patients to confirm alteration of the Ubiquitin/Proteasome System (UPS).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>For the first time, using SAFE in a global gene ontology analysis (gene set size 5-100), we show significant perturbation of the KEGG (Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes) ALS pathway of motor neuron degeneration in PBLs from ALS patients. This was the only KEGG disease pathway significantly upregulated among 25, and contributing genes, including <it>SOD1</it>, represented 54% of the encoded proteins or protein complexes of the KEGG ALS pathway. Further SAFE analysis, including gene set sizes >100, showed that only neurodegenerative diseases (4 out of 34 disease pathways) including ALS were significantly upregulated. Changes in <it>UBR2 </it>expression correlated inversely with time since onset of disease and directly with ALSFRS-R, implying that <it>UBR2 </it>was increased early in the course of ALS. Cultured PBMCs from ALS patients accumulated more ubiquitinated proteins than PBMCs from healthy controls in a serum-dependent manner confirming changes in this pathway.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our study indicates that PBLs from sALS patients are strong responders to systemic signals or local signals acquired by cell trafficking, representing changes in gene expression similar to those present in brain and spinal cord of sALS patients. PBLs may provide a useful means to study ALS pathogenesis.</p

Predictors of Bacterial Meningitis in Resource-Limited Contexts: An Angolan Case

BACKGROUND: Despite the great morbidity and mortality that childhood bacterial meningitis (BM) is experiencing in Africa, diagnosis of BM in resource-limited contexts is still a challenge. Several algorithms and clinical predictors have been proposed to help physicians in decision-making but a lot of these markers used variables that are calculable only in well-equipped laboratories. Predictors or algorithm based on parameters that can be easily performed in basic laboratories can help significantly in BM diagnosis, even in resource-limited settings, rural hospitals or health centers. RESULTS: This retrospective study examined 145 cerebral-spinal fluid (CSF) specimens from children from 2 months to 14 years. CSF specimens were divided into two groups, according to the presence or not of a clinical diagnosis of BM. For each specimen, CSF aspect, CSF white blood cells (WBC) count, CSF glucose and protein concentration were analyzed and statistical analysis were performed. CSF WBC count ≥10/µl is no more a valuable predictor of BM. CSF protein concentration ≥50 mg/dl has a better sensitivity for BM diagnosis and when used with CSF glucose concentration ≤40 mg/dl, can help to diagnose correctly almost all the BM cases. An algorithm including CSF protein concentration, glucose concentration and WBC count has been proposed to rule out BM and to correctly diagnose it. CONCLUSIONS: In resource-limited health centers, the availability of a combination of easy-to-obtain parameters can significantly help physicians in BM diagnosis. The prompt identification of a BM case can be rapid treated or transferred to adequate structures and can modify the outcome in the patient

iAggregator: Multidimensional Relevance Aggregation Based on a Fuzzy Operator

International audienceRecently, an increasing number of information retrieval studies have triggered a resurgence of interest in redefining the algorithmic estimation of relevance, which implies a shift from topical to multidimensional relevance assessment. A key underlying aspect that emerged when addressing this concept is the aggregation of the relevance assessments related to each of the considered dimensions. The most commonly adopted forms of aggregation are based on classical weighted means and linear combination schemes to address this issue. Although some initiatives were recently proposed, none was concerned with considering the inherent dependencies and interactions existing among the relevance criteria, as is the case in many real-life applications. In this article, we present a new fuzzy-based operator, called iAggregator, for multidimensional relevance aggregation. Its main originality, beyond its ability to model interactions between different relevance criteria, lies in its generalization of many classical aggregation functions. To validate our proposal, we apply our operator within a tweet search task. Experiments using a standard benchmark, namely, Text REtrieval Conference Microblog,1 emphasize the relevance of our contribution when compared with traditional aggregation schemes. In addition, it outperforms state-of-the-art aggregation operators such as the Scoring and the And prioritized operators as well as some representative learning-to-rank algorithms