Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes among Adolescents in Northwest Russia: A Population Registry-Based Study

Published version licensed CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. Source at: http://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph15020261 This study aimed to assess whether adolescents have an increased risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes (APO) compared to adult women. We used data on 43,327 births from the population-based Arkhangelsk County Birth Registry, Northwest Russia, for 2012–2014. The perinatal outcomes included stillbirth, preterm birth (<37 and <32 weeks), low and very low birthweight, 5 min Apgar score <7 and <4, perinatal infections, and the need for neonatal transfer to a higher-level hospital. Multivariable logistic regression was applied to assess the associations between age and APO. Altogether, 4.7% of deliveries occurred in adolescents. Both folic acid intake and multivitamin intake during pregnancy were more prevalent in adults. Adolescents were more likely to be underweight, to smoke, and to have infections of the kidney and the genital tract compared to adult women. Compared to adults, adolescents were at lower risk of low birthweight, a 5 min Apgar score <7, and need for neonatal transfer. Adolescents had no increased risk of other APO studied in the adjusted analysis, suggesting that a constellation of other factors, but not young age per se, is associated with APO in the study setting

Створення автоматизованої навчальної програми тестування лексики C-test

Постоєв, І. І. Створення автоматизованої навчальної програми тестування лексики C-test = Creation of automated educational lexical program C-test : магістерська робота ; спец. 035 “Філологія“ / І. І. Постоєв ; наук. кер. Н. М. Філіппова. – Миколаїв : НУК, 2022. – 77 с.Дипломна робота присвячена розробці автоматизованої навчальної програми тестування лексики для студентів технічних спеціальностей. Мета нашої навчальної програми полягає у створені зручного та практичного тесту завдяки якому студент зможе отримати необхідну йому за його фахом спеціальну лексику англійської мови. В практичній частині представлена програма «C-test». Програма призначена для викладачів англійської мови та студентів (бакалаврів, магістрантів, аспірантів) спеціальності Двигуни внутрішнього згорання які вивчають англійську мову. Програму можна використовувати у різних умовах з практичною метою випробування студентів та метою покращення лексичної бази.The diploma thesis considers the development an automated system of special vocabulary testing for students of technical majorities. The main goal of our automated system is to comply comfortable and practical test which the student will be able to learn special English vocabulary which is require for his profession. In practical part presents the program «C-test». The program is designed for teachers of English language and students (bachelors, masters, postgraduates) majoring in Internal Combustion Engines who will use the program in different conditions, with different objectives in seeking the improving of lexical base

COVID-19: seroprevalence and adherence to preventive measures in Arkhangelsk, Northwest Russia

Background - The published estimates of SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence in Russia are few. The study aimed to assess the SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence in Arkhangelsk (Northwest Russia), in a year after the start of the pandemic, to evaluate the population adherence to non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs), and to investigate characteristics associated with COVID-19 seropositive status. Methods - We conducted a SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence study between 24 February and 30 June 2021 involving 1332 adults aged 40–74 years. Logistic regression models were fit to identify factors associated with seropositive status and with adherence to NPIs. Results - Less than half (48.9%) of study participants adhered all recommended NPIs. Male sex (odds ratio [OR] 1.7, 95% confidence intervals [CI] 1.3; 2.3), regular employment (OR 1.8, 95% CI 1.3; 2.5) and low confidence in the efficiency of the NPIs (OR 1.9, 95% CI 1.5; 2.5) were associated with low adherence to internationally recommended NPIs. The SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence rate was 65.1% (95% CI: 62.5; 67.6) and increased to 73.0% (95% CI: 67.1; 85.7) after adjustment for test performance. Regular employment (OR 2.0, 95% CI 1.5; 2.8) and current smoking (OR 0.4, 95% CI 0.2; 0.5) were associated with being seropositive due to the infection. Conclusions - Two third of the study population were seropositive in a year after the onset of the pandemic in Arkhangelsk. Individuals with infection-acquired immunity were more likely to have regular work and less likely to be smokers. The adherence to NPIs was not found associated with getting the virus during the first year of the pandemic

Mobile app as a tool to collect health data: a survey on vaccination against COVID-19

Objective. To evaluate the feasibility of using a mobile app to collect health-related data and the impact of this data collection method on the results obtained, using the COVID-19 vaccination attitude assessment as an example. Material and methods. A survey was conducted on attitudes towards COVID-19 vaccination using the «Know Your Heart» mobile app. A total of 1,770 Arkhangelsk region residents aged 35—74 years who participated in the ЭССЕ-РФ3 survey conducted in the Arkhangelsk region in 2021 were invited to install the application and take part in the survey. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate factors related to application installation and survey participation. Results. Of the total number of subjects invited to participate in the study, 611 (34.5%) installed the mobile app, and 150 (8.5%) participated in the survey. Subjects under 65 were more likely to install the application than those 65—74, as were subjects with a steady job versus those without one. Subjects under 65 years of age showed a higher responding rate to the invitation to participate in the mobile survey. Individuals who abused alcohol were less likely to agree to participate in the mobile survey. The majority of respondents are vaccinated against COVID-19 (81%). Vaccinated subjects and those confident in the effectiveness of nonspecific preventive measures were more likely to have positive attitudes towards vaccination. Conclusion. The low response rate to the survey resulting in an unrepresentative sample determined the low effectiveness of the survey using the mobile app. When overcoming these obstacles, mobile applications have the potential to be used in scientific research due to their high speed, accessibility, and ease of data collection

Do Cervical Cancer Patients Diagnosed with Opportunistic Screening Live Longer? An Arkhangelsk Cancer Registry Study

Source at https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph14121500 .The aim of the current study was to compare cervical cancer (СС) patients diagnosed with and without screening in terms of: (i) sociodemographic and clinical characteristics; (ii) factors associated with survival; and (iii), and levels of risk. A registry-based study was conducted using data from the Arkhangelsk Cancer Registry. It included women with newly diagnosed malignant neoplasm of the uterine cervix during the period of 1 January 2005 to 11 November 2016 (N = 1548). The Kaplan-Meier method, the log-rank test, and Cox regression were applied. Most participants who were diagnosed by screening were at stage I and died less frequently from CC than those diagnosed without screening. The latter group was also diagnosed with СС at a younger age and died younger. Younger individuals and urban residents diagnosed with stage I and II, squamous cell carcinoma had longer survival times. Cox regression modeling indicated that the hazard ratio for death among women with CC diagnosed without screening was 1.61 (unadjusted) and 1.37 (adjusted). CC diagnosed by screening, cancer stage, patient residence, histological tumor type, and age at diagnosis were independent prognostic variables of longer survival time with CC. Diagnosis of CC made within a screening program improved survival

An Improved Limit on Invisible Decays of Positronium

The results of a new search for positronium decays into invisible final states are reported. Convincing detection of this decay mode would be a strong evid ence for new physics beyond the Standard Model (SM): for example the existence of extra--dimensions, of milli-charged particles, of new light gauge bosons or of mirror particles. Mirror matter could be a relevant dark matter candidate. In this paper the setup and the results of a new experiment are presented. In a collected sample of about $(6.31\pm0.28) \times 10^6$ orthopositronium decay s, no evidence for invisible decays in an energy window [0,80] keV was found and an upper limit on the branching ratio of orthopositronium \invdecay could be set: \binvdecay<4.2\times 10^{-7} (90% C.L.) Our results provide a limit on the photon mirror-photon mixing strength $\epsilon \leq 1.55\times 10^{-7}$ (90% C.L.) and rule out particles lighter than the electron mass with a fraction $Q_x \leq 3.4 \times 10^{-5}$ of the electron charge. Furthermore, upper limits on the branching ratios for the decay of parapositronium $Br(p-Ps\to invisible)\leq 4.3 \times 10^{-7}$ (90% C.L.) and the direct annihilation $Br(e^+e^-\to invisible)\leq 2.1 \times 10^{-8}$ (90% C.L.) could be set.Comment: 17 pages, 7 figures, added references, fixed limit on millicharged particles and changed two plots accordingl

Prevalence assessment adjusted for laboratory test performance using an example of the COVID-19 serological tests

Assessment of the prevalence of the disease or condition should consider the accuracy of the diagnostic tests. In the context of the new coronavirus infection (COVID-19) pandemic, laboratory testing has been one of the most important components of the overall strategy for the control and prevention of this infection. Seroprevalence studies have been used to assess and monitor the level of population immunity to the virus. In this paper we provide detailed description of the methods to calculate and interpret the accuracy of laboratory tests as well as their sensitivity, specificity, positive- and negative prognostic values of laboratory tests using seroprevalence of COVID-19 studies as an example for better understanding of the methodological issues. The use of the laboratory tests accuracy in prevalence studies has been demonstrated. A sample syntax to calculate confidence intervals for the prevalence estimates using the bootstrap procedure with known absolute values of true positive and true negative results, false positive and false negative results for R software is also provided. Presentation of the prevalence estimates adjusted for test performance indicators with confidence intervals improves comparability of the findings obtained using different serological tests. The article is intended for undergraduate-, postgraduate-, and doctoral students in health sciences working with the assessment of the prevalence (seroprevalence) of diseases or conditions through population-based serological surveys

Search for an exotic three-body decay of orthopositronium

We report on a direct search for a three-body decay of the orthopositronium into a photon and two penetrating particles, o-Ps -> gamma + X1 + X2. The existence of this decay could explain the discrepancy between the measured and the predicted values of the orthopositronium decay rate. From the analysis of the collected data a single candidate event is found, consistent with the expected background. This allows to set an upper limit on the branching ratio < 4.4 \times 10^{-5} (at the 90% confidence level), for the photon energy in the range from 40 keV < E_gamma< 400 keV and for mass values in the kinematical range 0 gamma + X1 + X2 decay mode as the origin of the discrepancy.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figure

Prevalence of metabolic phenotypes among citizens of Arctic area of the Russian Federation (in Arkhangelsk city setting)

BACKGROUND: Influence of obesity on the body at whole and with regard to metabolic changes is still unclear. In Russia there are a few data about prevalence of metabolic phenotypes among population based on epidemiological data.AIM: to assess the prevalence of metabolic phenotypes among citizens of Arctic area of the Russian Federation (in the Arkhangelsk city setting).MATERIALS AND METHODS: a cross-sectional study was conducted using a random sample of Arkhangelsk citizens (n=2380) 35–69 years old, which was obtained within a population study of cardiovascular diseases («Know your heart» (KYH)). The participants were divided into metabolic phenotypes according to the presence of obesity (BMI≥30 kg/m2) and metabolic syndrome (AHA/NHBLI): phenotype 1 — metabolically healthy normal weight, phenotype 2 — metabolically unhealthy normal weight, phenotype 3 — metabolically healthy obesity, phenotype 4 — metabolically unhealthy obesity.RESULTS: 2352 participants of KYH were included in the study, 982 (41,8%) men and 1370 (58,3%) women. Mean age was 53,9 (SD 9,7) years. The distribution of participants by metabolic phenotypes was as follows: 1167 (49,6%) persons had phenotype 1, 489 (20,8%) — phenotype 2, 248 (10,5%) — phenotype 3, 448 (19,1%) — phenotype 4. In men, the second common after the first phenotype was phenotype 2, while in women, the second position was shared by the 2nd and 4th phenotypes, which had approximately the same frequency. «Arterial hypertension» was the most prevalent component of metabolic syndrome and seen in 68–96% men and 38–94% women in the study with different phenotypes. The proportions of phenotypes with metabolic disorders increased with age.CONCLUSION: in a study of a random population sample within the framework of the concept of metabolic phenotypes, a half of the participants had no obesity and metabolic syndrome. Proportions of participants with metabolic disorders with and without obesity was 20% each. Only 10% of participants had «metabolically healthy» obesity. If excluding individuals without obesity and metabolic syndrome, the phenotype characterized by metabolic disorders in the absence of obesity was the most common among men. Phenotypes with metabolic disorders on the background of obesity or without obesity were equally common among women. The most common component of metabolic syndrome was «arterial hypertension». There was a tendency of accumulation of metabolic disturbances with age