The global, regional, and national burden of stomach cancer in 195 countries, 1990-2017 : a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease study 2017

Background: Stomach cancer is a major health problem in many countries. Understanding the current burden of stomach cancer and the differential trends across various locations is essential for formulating effective preventive strategies. We report on the incidence, mortality, and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) due to stomach cancer in 195 countries and territories from 21 regions between 1990 and 2017. Methods: Estimates from GBD 2017 were used to analyse the incidence, mortality, and DALYs due to stomach cancer at the global, regional, and national levels. The rates were standardised to the GBD world population and reported per 100 000 population as age-standardised incidence rates, age-standardised death rates, and age-standardised DALY rates. All estimates were generated with 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs). Findings: In 2017, more than 1·22 million (95% UI 1·19–1·25) incident cases of stomach cancer occurred worldwide, and nearly 865 000 people (848 000–885 000) died of stomach cancer, contributing to 19·1 million (18·7–19·6) DALYs. The highest age-standardised incidence rates in 2017 were seen in the high-income Asia Pacific (29·5, 28·2–31·0 per 100 000 population) and east Asia (28·6, 27·3–30·0 per 100 000 population) regions, with nearly half of the global incident cases occurring in China. Compared with 1990, in 2017 more than 356 000 more incident cases of stomach cancer were estimated, leading to nearly 96 000 more deaths. Despite the increase in absolute numbers, the worldwide age-standardised rates of stomach cancer (incidence, deaths, and DALYs) have declined since 1990. The drop in the disease burden was associated with improved Socio-demographic Index. Globally, 38·2% (21·1–57·8) of the age-standardised DALYs were attributable to high-sodium diet in both sexes combined, and 24·5% (20·0–28·9) of the age-standardised DALYs were attributable to smoking in males. Interpretation: Our findings provide insight into the changing burden of stomach cancer, which is useful in planning local strategies and monitoring their progress. To this end, specific local strategies should be tailored to each country's risk factor profile. Beyond the current decline in age-standardised incidence and death rates, a decrease in the absolute number of cases and deaths will be possible if the burden in east Asia, where currently almost half of the incident cases and deaths occur, is further reduced. Funding: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Development and analysis of the Soil Water Infiltration Global database

In this paper, we present and analyze a novel global database of soil infiltration measurements, the Soil Water Infiltration Global (SWIG) database. In total, 5023 infiltration curves were collected across all continents in the SWIG database. These data were either provided and quality checked by the scientists who performed the experiments or they were digitized from published articles. Data from 54 different countries were included in the database with major contributions from Iran, China, and the USA. In addition to its extensive geographical coverage, the collected infiltration curves cover research from 1976 to late 2017. Basic information on measurement location and method, soil properties, and land use was gathered along with the infiltration data, making the database valuable for the development of pedotransfer functions (PTFs) for estimating soil hydraulic properties, for the evaluation of infiltration measurement methods, and for developing and validating infiltration models. Soil textural information (clay, silt, and sand content) is available for 3842 out of 5023 infiltration measurements ( ∼ 76%) covering nearly all soil USDA textural classes except for the sandy clay and silt classes. Information on land use is available for 76% of the experimental sites with agricultural land use as the dominant type ( ∼ 40%). We are convinced that the SWIG database will allow for a better parameterization of the infiltration process in land surface models and for testing infiltration models. All collected data and related soil characteristics are provided online in *.xlsx and *.csv formats for reference, and we add a disclaimer that the database is for public domain use only and can be copied freely by referencing it. Supplementary data are available at https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.885492 (Rahmati et al., 2018). Data quality assessment is strongly advised prior to any use of this database. Finally, we would like to encourage scientists to extend and update the SWIG database by uploading new data to it

Global, regional, and national burden of disorders affecting the nervous system, 1990–2021: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021

BackgroundDisorders affecting the nervous system are diverse and include neurodevelopmental disorders, late-life neurodegeneration, and newly emergent conditions, such as cognitive impairment following COVID-19. Previous publications from the Global Burden of Disease, Injuries, and Risk Factor Study estimated the burden of 15 neurological conditions in 2015 and 2016, but these analyses did not include neurodevelopmental disorders, as defined by the International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-11, or a subset of cases of congenital, neonatal, and infectious conditions that cause neurological damage. Here, we estimate nervous system health loss caused by 37 unique conditions and their associated risk factors globally, regionally, and nationally from 1990 to 2021.MethodsWe estimated mortality, prevalence, years lived with disability (YLDs), years of life lost (YLLs), and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs), with corresponding 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs), by age and sex in 204 countries and territories, from 1990 to 2021. We included morbidity and deaths due to neurological conditions, for which health loss is directly due to damage to the CNS or peripheral nervous system. We also isolated neurological health loss from conditions for which nervous system morbidity is a consequence, but not the primary feature, including a subset of congenital conditions (ie, chromosomal anomalies and congenital birth defects), neonatal conditions (ie, jaundice, preterm birth, and sepsis), infectious diseases (ie, COVID-19, cystic echinococcosis, malaria, syphilis, and Zika virus disease), and diabetic neuropathy. By conducting a sequela-level analysis of the health outcomes for these conditions, only cases where nervous system damage occurred were included, and YLDs were recalculated to isolate the non-fatal burden directly attributable to nervous system health loss. A comorbidity correction was used to calculate total prevalence of all conditions that affect the nervous system combined.FindingsGlobally, the 37 conditions affecting the nervous system were collectively ranked as the leading group cause of DALYs in 2021 (443 million, 95% UI 378–521), affecting 3·40 billion (3·20–3·62) individuals (43·1%, 40·5–45·9 of the global population); global DALY counts attributed to these conditions increased by 18·2% (8·7–26·7) between 1990 and 2021. Age-standardised rates of deaths per 100 000 people attributed to these conditions decreased from 1990 to 2021 by 33·6% (27·6–38·8), and age-standardised rates of DALYs attributed to these conditions decreased by 27·0% (21·5–32·4). Age-standardised prevalence was almost stable, with a change of 1·5% (0·7–2·4). The ten conditions with the highest age-standardised DALYs in 2021 were stroke, neonatal encephalopathy, migraine, Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, diabetic neuropathy, meningitis, epilepsy, neurological complications due to preterm birth, autism spectrum disorder, and nervous system cancer.InterpretationAs the leading cause of overall disease burden in the world, with increasing global DALY counts, effective prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation strategies for disorders affecting the nervous system are needed

ANP-based decision support system for selecting ERP systems in oil industry by using balanced scorecard

Using IT in Today's World gurantees the existence and survival of the activities of an organization and without using them, Not only the use of modern methods in the organization becomes impossible but the possibility of competence with other organizations will be eradicated. The ERP is one of the important usages of IT in the organizations that have got a special place. In the beginning, using the BSC, the Key performance indicators are determined. Using this indicators and standards of choosing, it was determined the best ERP system that is described in research literature in order to shopping the ERP software pack. In this research regarding to this fact that these indicators can have effects on each other and these mutual impacts can have an effect on the importance degree of indicators and best alternative selection; the ANP method has been used.The result of this research is to choose the best ERP software pack available among many in a way that it is suitable with the organizational strategies & goals

The dynamic of discriminatory reform: how does discretionary pricing neutralize the productivity gains of energy subsidy reform in Iran?

ABSTRACTA distortion caused by previous policies could distort the results of reforms. This may explain why policies to reduce industrial fuel subsidies have not necessarily resulted in increases in aggregate productivity in countries with mandated pricing. To identify and measure these distortions’ effects, we estimate a structural dynamic firm model with endogenous technology adaptation using data from the manufacturing firms in Iran. By connecting two price distortions and their results on the real sector, results suggest significant room for a distributional policy. We estimated dispersion elasticity comparable to the price elasticity of energy consumption in the manufacturing sector. Results suggest that the intensive margin is the primary driver of energy price elasticity, whereas the other channels mostly offset it. Moreover, total factor productivity slightly improves in light of a reduction in energy consumption if, at the same time, the redistribution policy boosts the aggregate demands

Adaptation of Poplar clones in Safrabasteh, Guilan province

For impelementing this research, 20 superior Poplar clones were selected from the experimental nurseries at Safrabasteh Research Station in Guilan province. From each clone, 75 seedlings were planted within a randomized complete block design in 3 replications in February of 1994. During the growing season, resistance of clones to pests and deiseases was studied. At the end of every growing season, diameter, and tree height were measured and the mean annual diameter and height growth as well as the current diameter, height and volume increment were calculated. Results showed that P. deltoides 63/51 and        P. euramericana triplo had the maximum mean dbh with 20.9 cm and 19.8 cm, respectively. The maximum mean height was calculated for P. deltoides 63/51 and P.x. 63/5 (natural hybrid) with 21.9 m and 20.1 m, respectively. The maximum mean volume increment of 21.33 m3/ha/y was computed for P. deltoides 63/51. P. euramericana I-214 showed the lowest, whereas P. caspica showed the highest resistance against pests

Development of a novel hybrid multi-boosting neural network model for spatial prediction of urban flood

In this study, a new hybridized machine learning algorithm for urban flood susceptibility mapping, named MultiB-MLPNN, was developed using a multi-boosting technique and MLPNN. The model was tested in Amol City, Iran, a data-scarce city in an ungauged area which is prone to severe flood inundation events and currently lacks flood prevention infrastructure. Performance of the hybridized model was compared with that of a standalone MLPNN model, random forest and boosted regression trees. Area under the curve, efficiency, true skill statistic, Matthews correlation coefficient, misclassification rate, sensitivity and specificity were used to evaluate model performance. In validation, the MultiB-MLPNN model showed the best predictive performance. The hybridized MultiB-MLPNN model is thus useful for generating realistic flood susceptibility maps for data-scarce urban areas. The maps can be used to develop risk-reduction measures to protect urban areas from devastating floods, particularly where available data are insufficient to support physically based hydrological or hydraulic models

Relationship between neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio and diabetic peripheral neuropathy: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: The present study aims to review the existing scientific literature on the role of neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) to perform a meta-analysis on the available data. Methods: The electronic repositories Web of Science, PubMed, and Scopus were systematically explored starting from their establishment up until June 9, 2022. Results: Fifteen articles were included in the meta‐analysis after multiple screening according to the PRISMA guidelines. The combined findings indicated that individuals with DPN had higher levels of NLR in comparison to those without DPN (SMD = 0.61; CI 95% = 0.40–0.81, p < 0.001). In the subgroup assessment based on ethnicity, it was observed that diabetic patients with DPN exhibited increased NLR levels in contrast to those without DPN in studies conducted in India (SMD = 1.30; CI 95% = 0.37–2.24, p = 0.006) and East Asia (SMD = 0.53; CI 95% = 0.34–0.73, p < 0.001) but not in studies conducted in Turkey (SMD = 0.30; CI 95% = − 0.06–0.67, p = 0.104) and Egypt (SMD = 0.34; CI 95% = -0.14–0.82, p = 0.165). The pooled sensitivity of NLR was 0.67 (95% CI = 0.49–0.81), and the pooled specificity was 0.70 (95% CI, 0.56–0.81). The pooled positive likelihood ratio, negative likelihood ratio, diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) of NLR were 2.30 (95% CI = 1.71–3.09), 0.45 (95%CI = 0.30–0.67), and 5.06 (95% CI = 3.16–8.12), respectively. Conclusion: NLR serves as a distinct marker of inflammation, and its rise in cases of DPN suggests an immune system imbalance playing a role in the development of the disease