195 research outputs found
A Review of Social and Relational Aspects of Deep Brain Stimulation in Parkinson's Disease Informed by Healthcare Provider Experiences
Background. Although the clinical effectiveness of deep brain stimulation (DBS) in Parkinson's disease is established, there has been less examination of its social aspects. Methods and Results. Building on qualitative comments provided by healthcare providers, we present four different social and relational issues (need for social support, changes in relationships (with self and partner) and challenges with regards to occupation and the social system). We review the literature from multiple disciplines on each issue. We comment on their ethical implications and conclude by establishing the future prospects for research with the possible expansion of DBS for psychiatric indications. Conclusions. Our review demonstrates that there are varied social issues involved in DBS. These issues may have significant impacts on the perceived outcome of DBS by patients. Moreover, the fact that the social impact of DBS is still not well understood in emerging psychiatric indications presents an important area for future examination
Cigarette smoking and e-cigarette use among university students in Queensland, Australia and New Zealand: results of two cross-sectional surveys
Objectives: Examine the patterns of cigarette smoking and e-cigarette use (vaping), the perceived harm of e-cigarettes compared with tobacco cigarettes, and associations between smoking and vaping with student characteristics.
Design: Cross-sectional studies.
Setting: The University of Queensland (UQ), Australia and eight New Zealand (NZ) universities.
Participants: Students at UQ: 4957 (70.8% aged <25 years, 63.0% women) and NZ: 1854 (82.5% aged <25 years, 60.1% women).
Methods: Χ2 tests compared smoking by age and gender, and vaping by age, gender and smoking status. Two-sided p<0.05 was considered significant and 95% CIs reported where appropriate. Multinomial logistic regression examined associations between smoking and vaping (exclusive smoking, exclusive vaping, dual use and non-use) with age, gender and student type (domestic vs international).
Results: Smoking (UQ vs NZ, 95% CI): ever 45.2% (43.8% to 46.6%) vs 50.0% (47.7% to 52.3%), current 8.9% (8.1% to 9.7%) vs 10.4% (9.1% to 11.9%) and daily 5.2% (4.6% to 5.8%) vs 5.6% (4.6% to 6.7%), and not smoking in indoor 98.3% vs 87.7% or outdoor smoke-free spaces 83.8% vs 65.3%.
Vaping (UQ vs NZ, 95% CI): ever 20.9% (19.8% to 22.1%) vs 37.6% (35.4% to 39.9%), current 1.8% (1.5% to 2.2%) vs 6.5% (5.4% to 7.7%) and daily 0.7% (0.5% to 1.0%) vs 2.5% (1.9% to 3.4%), and not vaping in indoor 91.4% vs 79.6% or outdoor smoke-free spaces 84.4% vs 71.3%. Of respondents, 71.7% (70.3% to 73.2%) vs 75.3% (72.9% to 77.6%) perceived e-cigarettes as less harmful than tobacco cigarettes.
Men were more likely than women to smoke and vape, and to believe that e-cigarettes are less harmful. Regression models containing all predictors for smoking and vaping were significant and the effect of gender was significant for dual use, exclusive smoking and exclusive vaping (all p<0.01). Men had higher odds for smoking, vaping or dual use.
Conclusions: Results suggest significant differences in patterns of smoking and vaping of university students in Australia and NZ, and a strong influence of gender on smoking and vaping
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Will high-resolution global ocean models benefit coupled predictions on short-range to climate timescales?
As the importance of the ocean in the weather and climate system is increasingly recognised, operational systems are now moving towards coupled prediction not only for seasonal to climate timescales but also for short-range forecasts. A three-way tension exists between the allocation of computing resources to refine model resolution, the expansion of model complexity/capability, and the increase of ensemble size. Here we review evidence for the benefits of increased ocean resolution in global coupled models, where the ocean component explicitly represents transient mesoscale eddies and narrow boundary currents. We consider lessons learned from forced ocean/sea-ice simulations; from studies concerning the SST resolution required to impact atmospheric simulations; and from coupled predictions. Impacts of the mesoscale ocean in western boundary current regions on the large-scale atmospheric state have been identified. Understanding of air-sea feedback in western boundary currents is modifying our view of the dynamics in these key regions. It remains unclear whether variability associated with open ocean mesoscale eddies is equally important to the large-scale atmospheric state. We include a discussion of what processes can presently be parameterised in coupled models with coarse resolution non-eddying ocean models, and where parameterizations may fall short. We discuss the benefits of resolution and identify gaps in the current literature that leave important questions unanswered
Dependence of Star Formation Activity On Stellar Mass and Environment From the Redshift One LDSS-3 Emission Line Survey (ROLES)
Using the sample from the \it Redshift One LDSS3 Emission line Survey \rm
(ROLES), we probe the dependence of star formation rate (SFR) and specific star
formation rate (sSFR) as a function of stellar mass and environment as
defined by local galaxy density, in the CDFS field. Our spectroscopic sample
consists of 312 galaxies with , corresponding to stellar mass
\log(M_*/M_{\sun})>8.5, and with [OII] derived star-formation rates
SFR>0.3M_{\sun}/yr, at . The results have been
compared directly with the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Stripe 82 sample at
. For star-forming galaxies, we confirm that there is
little correlation between SFR and density at . However, for the
lowest mass galaxies in our sample, those with
\log(M_*/M_{\sun})<10, we find that both the median SFR and specific SFR {\it
increase} significantly with increasing local density. The "downsizing" trend
for low mass galaxies to be quenched progressively later in time appears to be
more pronounced in moderately overdense environments. Overall we find that the
evolution of star-formation in galaxies is most strongly driven by their
stellar mass, with local galaxy density playing a role that becomes
increasingly important for lower mass galaxies.Comment: MNRAS accepte
Social support, educational, and behavioral modification interventions for improving household disaster preparedness in the general community-dwelling population: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Background: The efficacy of household emergency preparedness interventions for community-dwelling, non-institutionalized people is largely unknown.
Objective: To ascertain the state of the science on social support, educational, and behavioral modification interventions to improve all-hazard household disaster preparedness.
Design: Systematic review and meta-analysis.
Methods: Databases, trial registers, reports, and websites were searched, and citation trails followed utilizing replicable methods. Individual, cluster, and cross-over randomized controlled trials of non-institutionalized, community-dwelling populations and non-randomized controlled trials, controlled before-after, and program evaluation studies were included. At least two review authors independently screened each potentially relevant study for inclusion, extracted data, and assessed the risk of bias. Risk of bias was assessed using Cochrane’s RoB2 tool for randomized studies and ROBINS-I tool for nonrandomized studies. Meta-analyses were applied using a random-effects model. Where meta-analysis was not indicated, results were synthesized using summary statistics of intervention effect estimates and vote counting based on effect direction. The evidence was rated using GRADE.
Results: 17 studies were included with substantial methodological and clinical diversity. No intervention effect was observed for preparedness supplies (OR = 6.12, 95% 0.13 to 284.37) or knowledge (SMD = 0.96, 95% CI −0.15 to 2.08) outcomes. A small positive effect (SMD = 0.53, 95% CI 0.16 to 0.91) was observed for preparedness behaviors, with very low certainty of evidence. No studies reported adverse effects from the interventions.
Conclusion: Research designs elucidating the efficacy of practical yet complex and multi- faceted social support, educational, and behavioral modification interventions present substantial methodological challenges where rigorous study design elements may not match the contextual public health priority needs and resources where interventions were delivered. While the overall strength of the evidence was evaluated as low to very low, we acknowledge the valuable and informative work of the included studies. The research represents the seminal work in this field and provides an important foundation for the state of the science of household emergency preparedness intervention effectiveness and efficacy. The findings are relevant to disaster preparedness practice and research, and we encourage researchers to continue this line of research, using these studies and this review to inform ongoing improvements in study designs
Social support, educational, and behavioral modification interventions for improving household disaster preparedness in the general community-dwelling population
Objectives:
This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (intervention). The objectives are as follows:
To ascertain the state of the science on social support, educational, and behavioural modification interventions to improve all‐hazard household disaster preparedness
The PICO research question is as follows: in the general, non‐institutionalised, community‐dwelling population (P), do social support, educational, and behavioural modification interventions (I) compared to no intervention or usual mass public service messaging (C) improve all‐hazard household disaster preparedness behaviours, supplies, and/or knowledge (O)
To assess whether social support, educational, and behavioural modification interventions have effects on healthcare utilisation (emergency department utilisation, hospitalisation, morbidity), mortality, and mental health or physical functioning post disaster
Resolving and parameterising the ocean mesoscale in earth system models
Purpose of Review. Assessment of the impact of ocean resolution in Earth System models on the mean state, variability, and
future projections and discussion of prospects for improved parameterisations to represent the ocean mesoscale.
Recent Findings. The majority of centres participating in CMIP6 employ ocean components with resolutions of about 1 degree in
their full Earth Systemmodels (eddy-parameterising models). In contrast, there are alsomodels submitted toCMIP6 (both DECK
and HighResMIP) that employ ocean components of approximately 1/4 degree and 1/10 degree (eddy-present and eddy-rich
models). Evidence to date suggests that whether the ocean mesoscale is explicitly represented or parameterised affects not only
the mean state of the ocean but also the climate variability and the future climate response, particularly in terms of the Atlantic
meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) and the Southern Ocean. Recent developments in scale-aware parameterisations of
the mesoscale are being developed and will be included in future Earth System models.
Summary. Although the choice of ocean resolution in Earth System models will always be limited by computational considerations,
for the foreseeable future, this choice is likely to affect projections of climate variability and change as well as other
aspects of the Earth System. Future Earth System models will be able to choose increased ocean resolution and/or improved
parameterisation of processes to capture physical processes with greater fidelity
Pan-Cancer Analysis of lncRNA Regulation Supports Their Targeting of Cancer Genes in Each Tumor Context
Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are commonly dys-regulated in tumors, but only a handful are known toplay pathophysiological roles in cancer. We inferredlncRNAs that dysregulate cancer pathways, onco-genes, and tumor suppressors (cancer genes) bymodeling their effects on the activity of transcriptionfactors, RNA-binding proteins, and microRNAs in5,185 TCGA tumors and 1,019 ENCODE assays.Our predictions included hundreds of candidateonco- and tumor-suppressor lncRNAs (cancerlncRNAs) whose somatic alterations account for thedysregulation of dozens of cancer genes and path-ways in each of 14 tumor contexts. To demonstrateproof of concept, we showed that perturbations tar-geting OIP5-AS1 (an inferred tumor suppressor) andTUG1 and WT1-AS (inferred onco-lncRNAs) dysre-gulated cancer genes and altered proliferation ofbreast and gynecologic cancer cells. Our analysis in-dicates that, although most lncRNAs are dysregu-lated in a tumor-specific manner, some, includingOIP5-AS1, TUG1, NEAT1, MEG3, and TSIX, synergis-tically dysregulate cancer pathways in multiple tumorcontexts
Effects of antiplatelet therapy on stroke risk by brain imaging features of intracerebral haemorrhage and cerebral small vessel diseases: subgroup analyses of the RESTART randomised, open-label trial
Background
Findings from the RESTART trial suggest that starting antiplatelet therapy might reduce the risk of recurrent symptomatic intracerebral haemorrhage compared with avoiding antiplatelet therapy. Brain imaging features of intracerebral haemorrhage and cerebral small vessel diseases (such as cerebral microbleeds) are associated with greater risks of recurrent intracerebral haemorrhage. We did subgroup analyses of the RESTART trial to explore whether these brain imaging features modify the effects of antiplatelet therapy
Pan-cancer Alterations of the MYC Oncogene and Its Proximal Network across the Cancer Genome Atlas
Although theMYConcogene has been implicated incancer, a systematic assessment of alterations ofMYC, related transcription factors, and co-regulatoryproteins, forming the proximal MYC network (PMN),across human cancers is lacking. Using computa-tional approaches, we define genomic and proteo-mic features associated with MYC and the PMNacross the 33 cancers of The Cancer Genome Atlas.Pan-cancer, 28% of all samples had at least one ofthe MYC paralogs amplified. In contrast, the MYCantagonists MGA and MNT were the most frequentlymutated or deleted members, proposing a roleas tumor suppressors.MYCalterations were mutu-ally exclusive withPIK3CA,PTEN,APC,orBRAFalterations, suggesting that MYC is a distinct onco-genic driver. Expression analysis revealed MYC-associated pathways in tumor subtypes, such asimmune response and growth factor signaling; chro-matin, translation, and DNA replication/repair wereconserved pan-cancer. This analysis reveals insightsinto MYC biology and is a reference for biomarkersand therapeutics for cancers with alterations ofMYC or the PMN
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