42,063 research outputs found
Comparison of physical fitness between healthy and mildâtoâmoderate asthmatic children with exercise symptoms: A crossâsectional study
.Objective
Asthma is a chronic disease that may affect physical fitness, although its primary effects on exercise capacity, muscle strength, functionality and lifestyle, in children and adolescents, are still poorly understood. This study aimed to evaluate the differences in cardiorespiratory fitness, muscle strength, lifestyle, lung function, and functionality between asthmatics with exercise symptoms and healthy children. In addition, we have analyzed the association between clinical history and the presence of asthma.
Study Design
Cross-sectional study including 71 patients with a diagnosis of asthma and 71 healthy children and adolescents (7â17 years of age). Anthropometric data, clinical history, disease control, lifestyle (KIDMED and physical activity questionnaires), lung function (spirometry), exercise-induced bronchoconstriction test, aerobic fitness (cardiopulmonary exercise test), muscle strength and functionality (timed up and go; timed up and down stairs) were evaluated.
Results
Seventy-one patients with asthma (mean age 11.5â±â2.7) and 71 healthy subjects (mean age 10.7â±â2.5) were included. All asthmatic children had mild to moderate and stable asthma. EIB occurred in 56.3% of asthmatic children. Lung function was significantly (pâ<â.05) lower in the asthmatic group when compared to healthy peers, as well as the cardiorespiratory fitness, muscle strength, lifestyle and functionality. Moreover, asthmatic children were more likely to have atopic dermatitis, allergic reactions, food allergies, and a family history of asthma when compared to healthy children.
Conclusions
Children with mild-to-moderate asthma presenting exercise symptoms show a reduction in cardiorespiratory fitness, muscle strength, lung function, functionality, and lifestyle when compared to healthy peers. The study provides data for pediatricians to support exercise practice aiming to improve prognosis and quality of life in asthmatic children.S
Accuracy of the Logistic EuroSCORE in Predicting Long-Term Survival Following Isolated Aortic Valve Replacement
Objective: To assess the ability of the logistic EuroSCORE to predict long- term mortality of patients undergoing isolated Surgical Aortic Valve Replacement (SAVR). Methods: A retrospective review of all patients undergoing SAVR between September 1999, and March 2018 was done. Results: 2018 patients were eligible for inclusion in the study. Patients were grouped according to risk: low (n = 506), intermediate (n = 609), and high-risk (n = 903) depending on their logistic EuroSCORE values. The 30-day mortality of the low- risk group was 0.47%. The one-, five-, 10-, 15-, and 20-year mortality was 1.66%, 4.9%, 14.9%, 24.3%, and 43.8%, respectively. Intermediate-risk group 30-day mortality was 0.66%. The one-, five-, 10-, 15-, and 20-year mortality was 3.28%, 11.9%, 32%, 54.8%, and 82.6%, respectively. The 30-day mortality of the high- risk group was 3.99%. The one-, five-, 10-, 15-, and 20-year mortality was 8.2%, 27%, 55.4%, 78.6%, and 87%, respectively. Conclusion: Our results confirm that the lES is accurate in predicting long-term mortality outcomes of SAVR. This real-world data provides evidence of the potential usefulness of the EuroSCORE to help the heart team and patients decide on appropriate interventions for aortic stenosis
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The Epidemiology and Genetic Architecture of Vitamin D Deficiency in African Children
Vitamin D deficiency is a common public health problem worldwide. However, little is known about the epidemiology of vitamin D deficiency in Africa. In this thesis, I aimed to determine: 1) the prevalence of and risk factors associated with vitamin D deficiency in studies conducted in Africa; 2) the prevalence and predictors of vitamin D deficiency in African children; 3) the association between vitamin D and iron deficiency in African children; and 4) genetic variants that influence vitamin D status in Africans.
In a systematic review and meta-analyses of previous vitamin D studies in Africa, the average prevalence of low vitamin D status was 18.5%, 34.2% and 59.5% using cut-offs of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) levels of <30 nmol/L, <50 nmol/L and <75 nmol/L, respectively. Populations at risk of vitamin D deficiency included newborns, women, and people living in high latitudes or urban areas.
In an epidemiological study of young children living in Africa, the prevalence of low vitamin D status was 0.6%, 7.8% and 44.5% using cut-offs of 25(OH)D levels of GC2 variant of the group-specific component (GC) gene, which encodes vitamin D binding protein.
Vitamin D deficiency was also associated with 80% higher odds of iron deficiency in these children. Adjusted regression models revealed that vitamin D deficiency was associated with higher ferritin and hepcidin levels suggesting lower iron status, and reduced sTfR and transferrin levels and increased TSAT and serum iron levels suggesting improved iron status.
Genome-wide association study (GWAS) in Africans revealed genetic variants that influence vitamin D status in vitamin D metabolism genes: DHCR7/NADSYN1, CYP2R1 and GC. However, the majority of SNPs from previous European GWASs did not replicate in the current GWAS.
Findings from this thesis indicate that vitamin D deficiency is prevalent in many African populations and should be considered in public health strategies in Africa
Exploring environmental concerns on digital platforms through big data: the effect of online consumersâ environmental discourse on online review ratings
By deploying big data analytical techniques to retrieve and analyze a large volume of more than 2.7 million reviews, this work sheds light on how environmental concerns expressed by tourists on digital platforms, in the guise of online reviews, influence their satisfaction with tourism and hospitality services. More specifically, we conduct a multi-platform study of Tripadvisor.com and Booking.com online reviews (ORs) pertaining to hotel services across eight leading tourism destination cities in America and Europe over the period 2017â2018. By adopting multivariate regression analyses, we show that OR ratings are positively influenced by both the presence and depth of environmental discourse on these platforms. Theoretical and managerial contributions, and implications for digital platforms, big data analytics (BDA), electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) and environmental research within the tourism and hospitality domain are examined, with a view to capturing, empirically, the effect of environmental discourse presence and depth on customer satisfaction proxied through online ratings
Predicting limit-setting behavior of gamblers using machine learning algorithms: a real-world study of Norwegian gamblers using account data
Player protection and harm minimization have become increasingly important in the gambling industry along with the promotion of responsible gambling (RG). Among the most widespread RG tools that gaming operators provide are limit-setting tools that help players limit the amount of time and/or money they spend gambling. Research suggests that limit-setting significantly reduces the amount of money that players spend. If limit-setting is to be encouraged as a way of facilitating responsible gambling, it is important to know what variables are important in getting individuals to set and change limits in the first place. In the present study, 33 variables assessing the player behavior among Norsk Tipping clientele (N = 70,789) from January to March 2017 were computed. The 33 variables which reflect the playersâ behavior were then used to predict the likelihood of gamblers changing their monetary limit between April and June 2017. The 70,789 players were randomly split into a training dataset of 56,532 and an evaluation set of 14,157 players (corresponding to an 80/20 split). The results demonstrated that it is possible to predict future limit-setting based on player behavior. The random forest algorithm appeared to predict limit-changing behavior much better than the other algorithms. However, on the independent test data, the random forest algorithmâs accuracy dropped significantly. The best performance on the test data along with a small decrease in accuracy in comparison to the training data was delivered by the gradient boost machine learning algorithm. The most important variables predicting future limit-setting using the gradient boost machine algorithm were players receiving feedback that they had reached 80% of their personal monthly global loss limit, personal monthly loss limit, the amount bet, theoretical loss, and whether the players had increased their limits in the past. With the help of predictive analytics, players with a high likelihood of changing their limits can be proactively approached
Comparative study of classification algorithms for quality assessment of resistance spot welding joints from preand post-welding inputs
Resistance spot welding (RSW) is a widespread manufacturing process in the automotive industry. There are different approaches for assessing the quality level of RSW joints. Multi-input-single-output methods, which take as inputs either the intrinsic parameters of the welding process or ultrasonic nondestructive testing variables, are commonly used. This work demonstrates that the combined use of both types of inputs can significantly improve the already competitive approach based exclusively on ultrasonic analyses. The use of stacking of tree ensemble models as classifiers dominates the classification results in terms of accuracy, F-measure and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve metrics. Through variable importance analyses, the results show that although the welding process parameters are less relevant than the ultrasonic testing variables, some of the former provide marginal information not fully captured by the latter
Prevalence and correlates of physical dating violence among North American Indigenous adolescents
This study examined the lifetime prevalence of physical dating violence, including victimization, perpetration, and the overlap between the two (mutual violence), among a population sample of 551 reservation/reserve residing Indigenous (i.e., American Indian and Canadian First Nations) adolescents in the upper-Midwest of the United States and Canada. Potential correlates of four dating violence profiles (i.e., no dating violence, perpetration only, victimization only, and mutual violence) relevant to this population also were considered. The clearest pattern to emerge from multinomial logistic regression analyses suggested that adolescents who engage in problem behaviors, exhibit high levels of anger, and perceive high levels of discrimination have increased odds of lifetime mutual dating violence relative to those reporting no dating violence. Furthermore, gender comparisons indicated that females were more likely to report being perpetrators only, whereas males were more likely to report being victims only. Considerations of dating violence profiles and culturally relevant prevention strategies are discussed.Peer reviewedSociolog
Onset, comorbidity, and predictors of nicotine, alcohol, and marijuana use disorders among North American Indigenous adolescents
North American Indigenous (i.e., American Indian and Canadian First Nations) youth experience inequities in rates of substance abuse and dependence. Despite this, few longitudinal studies examine the developmental course of substance use disorders (SUD) among community-based samples of Indigenous youth. The purpose of the study was to examine onset and predictors of nicotine dependence, alcohol use disorders, marijuana use disorders, any SUD, and multiple SUDs across the entire span of adolescence among a longitudinal sample (N = 744) of reservation/reserve Indigenous youth in the upper-Midwest of the United States and Ontario, Canada. Using discrete time survival analysis, the results show that rates of meeting criteria for SUDs by late adolescence were 22% for nicotine, 43% for alcohol, and 35% for marijuana. Peak periods of risk for new nicotine dependence and marijuana use disorder cases occurred around 14Â years of age, whereas peak periods of risk for new alcohol use disorder cases emerged slightly later around 16Â years of age. We found high rates of SUD comorbidity, and the cumulative probability of developing two or more SUDs during adolescence was 31%. Internalizing disorders increased the odds of nicotine dependence and multiple SUDs, while externalizing disorders increased the odds of all outcomes except nicotine dependence. Gender, age, and per capita family income were inconsistently associated with SUD onset. The findings are embedded within broader substance use patterns identified among Indigenous youth, and prevention, intervention, and treatment implications are discussed.Peer reviewedSociolog
Measuring the impacts of maternal child marriage and maternal intimate partner violence and the moderating effects of proximity to conflict on stunting among children under 5 in post-conflict Sri Lanka
This study aimed to understand whether maternal child marriage and past year intimate partner violence (IPV) impact stunting among Sri Lankan children under 5 years old, and, secondarily, whether proximity to conflict is associated with stunting. Additionally, we assessed whether proximity to conflict moderates the relationships between maternal child marriage and past year IPV (sexual, physical, and emotional). We tested these questions using logistic regression analyses of the 2016 Sri Lankan Demographic and Health Survey (n = 4941 mother-child dyads). In country-wide adjusted analyses, we did not find associations between maternal child marriage or IPV and stunting (p \u3e 0.05). Children in districts proximal and central to conflict were significantly less likely to be stunted compared to children in districts distal to conflict (proximal adjusted odds ratio/aOR: 0.43, 95% confidence interval/CI: 0.22â0.82; central aOR: 0.53, CI: 0.29â0.98). We found significant interaction effects on stunting between proximity to conflict and both sexual and emotional IPV, which we further explored in stratified analyses. In districts distal to conflict, maternal sexual IPV was significantly associated with increased odds of stunting (aOR: 2.71, CI: 1.16â6.35), and in districts central to conflict, maternal emotional IPV was significantly associated with increased odds of stunting (aOR: 1.80, CI: 1.13â2.89). Maternal emotional IPV was significantly associated with decreased odds of stunting in districts proximal to conflict (aOR: 0.42, CI: 0.18â0.96). Maternal child marriage and physical IPV were not associated with stunting in Sri Lanka. Variations in associations between maternal IPV and stunting across Sri Lanka may reflect the lasting and differential impact of conflict, as well as differential humanitarian responses which may have improved child nutrition practices and resources in districts central and proximal to conflict. Policies and programs addressing stunting in Sri Lanka should consider the role of maternal IPV as well as community-level variations based on proximity to conflict
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