Cancer incidence and mortality in the Bucaramanga metropolitan area, 2003-2007.

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Uribe, Claudia; Osma, Sonia; Herrera, Víctor

2012-10-01

Cancer is an important cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Population-based cancer registries (PBCRs) make possible to estimate the burden of this condition. To estimate cancer incidence and mortality rates in the Bucaramanga Metropolitan Area (BMA) during 2003-2007. Incident cases of invasive cancer diagnosed during 2003-2007 were identified from the Bucaramanga Metropolitan Area PBCR (BMA-PBCR). Population counts and mortality were obtained from the Colombian National Administrative Department of Statistics (NADS). We estimated total and cancer-specific crude incidence and mortality rates by age group and sex, as well as age-standardized (Segi's world population) incidence (ASIR(W)) and mortality (ASMR(W)) rates. Statistical analyses were conducted using CanReg4 and Stata/IC 10.1. We identified 8,225 new cases of cancer excluding non-melanoma skin cancer (54.3% among women). Of all cases, 6,943 (84.4%) were verified by microscopy and 669 (8.1%) were detected only by death certificate. ASIR(W) for all invasive cancers was 162.8 per 100,000 women and 177.6 per 100,000 men. Breast, cervix, colorectal, stomach and thyroid were the most common types of cancer in women. In men, the corresponding malignancies were prostate, stomach, colorectal, lung and lymphoma. ASMR(W) was 84.5 per 100,000 person-years in women and 106.2 per 100,000 person-years in men. Breast and stomach cancer ranked first as causes of death in those groups, respectively. Overall, mortality rates in our region are higher than national estimates possibly due to limited effectiveness of secondary prevention strategies. Our work emphasizes the importance of maintaining high-quality, nationwide PBCRs.

Analysis of Leukemia incidence (1997-2007) in vicinity area of a nuclear installation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jin Rong; Sun Quanfu; Liu Fen; Zhang Xu; Xing Ru; Xu Xinmei; Li Xiaoliang; Su Xu

2012-01-01

Objective: To investigate the leukemia incidence among residents in the vicinity area of a nuclear installation. Methods: The data were collected by the retrospective survey. Diagnosis is based on the medical records in all the relevant hospitals. The study area was those residential areas within 10 km of radium surrounding the installation. All residents who had lived in the study area for six months and over were recruited into the study group. Results: The survey ascertained 643 newly diagnosed leukemia cases in the study area during 1997 to 2007. The crude rate was 2.51/100000, and its standardized rate to national population structure was 2.53/100000. The incidence rate in the study area was slightly lower than that in the whole city. No increase trend was detected during the period. Conclusions: No significant difference of the leukemia incidence rate was found between the vicinity area of the nuclear installation and the whole city. (authors)

Descriptive Study of the Environmental Epidemiology of High Lung Cancer 
Incidence Rate in Qujing, Yunnan, China

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Linlin ZHANG

2012-03-01

Full Text Available Background and objective Qujing, located in Southwest China, is an area with an extremely high lung cancer incidence. Combustion of coal has exposed local people to great health hazards. The aim of this study is to achieve a thorough understanding of the relationship between environmental pollution and the high incidence of lung cancer in Qujing, Yunnan Province, China. The results would provide a scientific basis and support for the etiology of lung cancer, as well as suggestions on improving the environmental conditions in the area. Methods A total of 280 rural villages were selected through stratified cluster random sampling. Environmental background and pollution were investigated, including details on fuel type, coking plant, metal smelting, and chemical plant, among others. Logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the investigated factors. Results Out of the total number of local villages studied, 78.1% of those with high incidence often use smoky coal and coking. On the other hand, 78.8% of the low-incidence areas use smokeless coal or wood. Logistic regression analysis indicated that the coal type used for everyday life was a main risk factor related to lung cancer (P<0.05. Using smoky and coking coals create an alarmingly high risk for developing lung cancer. Meanwhile, smokeless coals and wood seemed to have no significant relationship to the lung cancer incidence. Conclusion The fuel type used for everyday life is an important factor in the high incidence of lung cancer in Qujing. Evidently, the use of smoky coal and coke increased the incidence of lung cancer, whereas smokeless coal and wood seem to bring about the contrary.

Investigation and analysis of etiology of down's syndrome in children of high background radiation area

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zha Yongru

1985-01-01

In order to find out what caused the differences in incidences of Down's syndrome between the children in high background radiation area and those in control area, investigation and analysis were carried ou in 5 aspects based on the original data and the information from the previous survey. These are: the incidences of congenital malformations in normal areas, the age distribution of children examined, the maternal age, the dates of birth of afflicted children, and the radiation exposure of mothers. The results suggested that the higher incidence of Down's syndrome in high background area might be related to the materal age. Further studies are needed to arrive at a conclusion

Ochratoxin A Contamination of Red Chili Peppers from Chile, Bolivia and Peru, Countries with a High Incidence of Gallbladder Cancer.

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Ikoma, Toshikazu; Tsuchiya, Yasuo; Asai, Takao; Okano, Kiyoshi; Ito, Naoko; Endoh, Kazuo; Yamamoto, Masaharu; Nakamura, Kazutoshi

2015-01-01

Our previous study detected aflatoxins in red chili peppers from Chile, Bolivia, and Peru, each of which have a high incidence of gallbladder cancer (GBC). Since the aflatoxin B1 concentration was not so high in these peppers, it is important to clarify the presence of other mycotoxins. Here we attempted to determine any associations between the concentrations of aflatoxins and ochratoxin A (OTA) in red chili peppers, and the corresponding GBC incidences. We collected red chili peppers from three areas in Peru: Trujillo (a high GBC incidence area), Cusco (an intermediate GBC incidence area), and Lima (a low GBC incidence rate), and from Chile and Bolivia. Aflatoxins and OTA were extracted with organic solvents. The concentrations of aflatoxins B1, B2, G1, and G2, and OTA were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography. The values obtained were compared with the incidence of GBC in each area or country. All of the red chili peppers from the three areas showed contamination with aflatoxins below the Commission of the European Communities (EC) recommended limits (5 μg/kg), but the OTA contamination of two samples was above the EC recommended limit (15 μg/kg). The mean concentrations of OTA in the peppers from Chile (mean 355 μg/kg, range Bolivia (mean 207 μg/kg, range 0.8-628 μg/kg), which has a high incidence of GBC, were higher than that in Peru (14 μg/kg, range Bolivia, and Peru was stronger than that of aflatoxins. Our data suggest that OTA in red chili peppers may be associated with the development of GBC.

Pattern of Hepatitis A Incidence According to Area Characteristics Using National Health Insurance Data

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Seo, Joo Youn; Seo, Jae Hee; Kim, Myoung Hee; Ki, Moran; Park, Hee Suk

2012-01-01

Objectives Over the past several years, the incidence of hepatitis A infection has been increasing rapidly in the young-adult population in Korea. We examined the effects of area-level socioeconomic status and environmental hygiene on the incidence of hepatitis A. Methods This study is based on the registered national population of Korea and the national health insurance data from 2004 to 2008. A total of 73 459 individuals were confirmed to have had hepatitis A. The standardized incidences of hepatitis A in 232 districts adjusted for sex and age of people were calculated for each year, and the rate ratios of the incidence rates were estimated according to area-level socioeconomic status and environmental hygiene using multiple Poisson regression models. Results The incidence rates of hepatitis A infection were 15.6 (per 100 000) in 2004, 19.0 (per 100 000) in 2005, 27.2 (per 100 000) in 2006, 25.1 (per 100 000) in 2007, and 61.7 (per 100 000) in 2008. The analysis of the area-level effects showed that residential areas of the less deprived than other regions, areas with higher levels of education, and heavily populated areas were significantly associated with increased risk. Conclusions There is a very strong possibility that both area-level socioeconomic status and environmental hygiene play a role in increasing the risk of hepatitis A infection in Korea. Therefore, to reduce hepatitis A infection, we need a nationwide strategy that considers these area-level characteristics. PMID:22712043

[Municipal distribution of the incidence of the most common tumours in an area with high cancer mortality].

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Viñas Casasola, Manuel Jesús; Fernández Navarro, Pablo; Fajardo Rivas, María Luisa; Gurucelain Raposo, José Luis; Alguacil Ojeda, Juan

To describe the geographic distribution patterns of the municipal incidence of the most common tumours in the Huelva province (Spain) as compared to the estimated incidence for all of Spain. Relative risk (RR) was computed based on the conditional autoregressive model proposed by Besag, York and Mollié by applying the INLA tool to the cancer data for 2007-2011 for the following tumour locations: colon, rectum and anus (men and women); trachea, bronchia, and lungs, prostate and bladder in men; and breasts in women. The RR was presented in in choropleth and isopleth (with kriging interpolation) risk maps. RR for bladder cancer in men was greater than 1.0 in all municipalities, with confidence intervals over 1.0 in four municipalities; Madrid having a 1.56 RR (95%CI 1.30-1.67). For prostate cancer, a posteriori probabilities were below 0.1 in 68 of the 79 municipalities. For lung cancer, nine municipalities had confidence limits below 1.0, almost all of them in western Spain. For women, the RR for breast cancer was significantly higher in the capital of province area. The cancer incidence rates for the Huelva province were, in general, similar to those estimated for Spain, standing out bladder cancer in men (35% higher) and prostate cancer (30% lower). In the Huelva province, there is a geographical municipal distribution of cancer incidence with well-defined patterns for some specific tumour locations, with overall incidence rates very similar to those in the rest of Spain. Copyright © 2016 SESPAS. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

A Novel Low-Cost Approach to Estimate the Incidence of Japanese Encephalitis in the Catchment Area of Three Hospitals in Bangladesh

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Paul, Repon C.; Rahman, Mahmudur; Gurley, Emily S.; Hossain, M. Jahangir; Diorditsa, Serguei; Hasan, ASM Mainul; Banu, Sultana S.; Alamgir, ASM; Rahman, Muhammad Aziz; Sandhu, Hardeep; Fischer, Marc; Luby, Stephen P.

2011-01-01

Acute meningoencephalitis syndrome surveillance was initiated in three medical college hospitals in Bangladesh in October 2007 to identify Japanese encephalitis (JE) cases. We estimated the population-based incidence of JE in the three hospitals' catchment areas by adjusting the hospital-based crude incidence of JE by the proportion of catchment area meningoencephalitis cases who were admitted to surveillance hospitals. Instead of a traditional house-to-house survey, which is expensive for a disease with low frequency, we attempted a novel approach to identify meningoencephalitis cases in the hospital catchment area through social networks among the community residents. The estimated JE incidence was 2.7/100,000 population in Rajshahi (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.8–4.9), 1.4 in Khulna (95% CI = 0.9–4.1), and 0.6 in Chittagong (95% CI = 0.4–0.9). Bangladesh should consider a pilot project to introduce JE vaccine in high-incidence areas. PMID:21813862

Time trends in the association of ESRD incidence with area-level poverty in the US population.

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Garrity, Bridget H; Kramer, Holly; Vellanki, Kavitha; Leehey, David; Brown, Julia; Shoham, David A

2016-01-01

The objective of this study was to examine the temporal trends of the association between area-level poverty status and end-stage renal disease (ESRD) incidence. We hypothesized that the association between area-level poverty status and ESRD incidence has increased significantly over time. Patient data from the United States Renal Data System were linked with data from the 2000 and 2010 US census. Area-level poverty was defined as living in a zip code-defined area with ≥20% of households living below the federal poverty line. Negative binomial regression models were created to examine the association between area-level poverty status and ESRD incidence by time period in the US adult population while simultaneously adjusting for the distribution of age, sex, and race/ethnicity within a zip code. Time was categorized as January 1, 1995 through December 31, 2004 (Period 1) and January 1, 2005 through December 31, 2010 (Period 2). The percentage of adults initiating dialysis with area-level poverty increased from 27.4% during Period 1 to 34.0% in Period 2. After accounting for the distribution of age, sex, and race/ethnicity within a zip code, area-level poverty status was associated with a 1.24 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.22, 1.25)-fold higher ESRD incidence. However, this association differed by time period with 1.04-fold (95% CI 1.02, 1.05) higher ESRD incidence associated with poverty status for Period 2 compared with the association between ESRD and poverty status in Period 1. Area-level poverty and its association with ESRD incidence is not static over time. © 2015 International Society for Hemodialysis.

Video incident analysis of head injuries in high school girls' lacrosse.

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Caswell, Shane V; Lincoln, Andrew E; Almquist, Jon L; Dunn, Reginald E; Hinton, Richard Y

2012-04-01

Knowledge of injury mechanisms and game situations associated with head injuries in girls' high school lacrosse is necessary to target prevention efforts. To use video analysis and injury data to provide an objective and comprehensive visual record to identify mechanisms of injury, game characteristics, and penalties associated with head injury in girls' high school lacrosse. Descriptive epidemiology study. In the 25 public high schools of 1 school system, 529 varsity and junior varsity girls' lacrosse games were videotaped by trained videographers during the 2008 and 2009 seasons. Video of head injury incidents was examined to identify associated mechanisms and game characteristics using a lacrosse-specific coding instrument. Of the 25 head injuries (21 concussions and 4 contusions) recorded as game-related incidents by athletic trainers during the 2 seasons, 20 head injuries were captured on video, and 14 incidents had sufficient image quality for analysis. All 14 incidents of head injury (11 concussions, 3 contusions) involved varsity-level athletes. Most head injuries resulted from stick-to-head contact (n = 8), followed by body-to-head contact (n = 4). The most frequent player activities were defending a shot (n = 4) and competing for a loose ball (n = 4). Ten of the 14 head injuries occurred inside the 12-m arc and in front of the goal, and no penalty was called in 12 injury incidents. All injuries involved 2 players, and most resulted from unintentional actions. Turf versus grass did not appear to influence number of head injuries. Comprehensive video analysis suggests that play near the goal at the varsity high school level is associated with head injuries. Absence of penalty calls on most of these plays suggests an area for exploration, such as the extent to which current rules are enforced and the effectiveness of existing rules for the prevention of head injury.

Incidence of neural tube defects in the natural radiation coastal areas of Kerala

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jaikrishan, G.; Sudheer, K.R.; Andrews, V.J.; Koya, P.K.M.; Cheriyan, V.D.; Seshadri, M.

2010-01-01

All consecutive births in selected government hospitals in and around the high level natural background radiation areas (HLNRA) of Kerala were monitored for congenital malformations observable at birth since 1995. The HLNR area, a coastal strip of land about 55 km in length and 0.5 km in breadth from Purakkad in the north in Alleppey district to Sakthikulangara in the south of Quilon district, stands out among the most prominent background radiation areas of the world. Natural deposit of monazite sand, containing Thorium (8-10%), Uranium (0.3%) and corresponding decay products, is the source of elevated background radiation, ranging from < 1 to 45 mGy/year. Wide variation in dose, due to the patchy and non-uniform distribution of Monazite sand, enables in built controls. High population density, limited migration, ethnic diversity, good literacy, health awareness, institutionalized births and acceptance of small family norm are some of the key features of the population. Areas with a mean radiation dose of more than 1.5 mGy/year were treated as HLNR areas and areas with a dose level of 1.5 mGy/year or less were treated as normal level radiation (NLNR) areas. The study carried out since 1995 does not seem to implicate HLNR in the incidence of neural tube defects among newborns

Application of Poisson kriging to the mapping of cholera and dysentery incidence in an endemic area of Bangladesh

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Haq M Zahirul

2006-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Disease maps can serve to display incidence rates geographically, to inform on public health provision about the success or failure of interventions, and to make hypothesis or to provide evidences concerning disease etiology. Poisson kriging was recently introduced to filter the noise attached to rates recorded over sparsely populated administrative units. Its benefit over simple population-weighted averages and empirical Bayesian smoothers was demonstrated by simulation studies using county-level cancer mortality rates. This paper presents the first application of Poisson kriging to the spatial interpolation of local disease rates, resulting in continuous maps of disease rate estimates and the associated prediction variance. The methodology is illustrated using cholera and dysentery data collected in a cholera endemic area (Matlab of Bangladesh. Results The spatial analysis was confined to patrilineally-related clusters of households, known as baris, located within 9 kilometers from the Matlab hospital to avoid underestimating the risk of disease incidence, since patients far away from the medical facilities are less likely to travel. Semivariogram models reveal a range of autocorrelation of 1.1 km for dysentery and 0.37 km for cholera. This result translates into a cholera risk map that is patchier than the dysentery map that shows a large zone of high incidence in the south-central part of the study area, which is quasi-urban. On both maps, lower risk values are found in the Northern part of the study area, which is also the most distant from the Matlab hospital. The weaker spatial continuity of cholera versus dysentery incidence rates resulted in larger kriging variance across the study area. Conclusion The approach presented in this paper enables researchers to incorporate the pattern of spatial dependence of incidence rates into the mapping of risk values and the quantification of the associated uncertainty. Differences

TP53 mutations, human papilloma virus DNA and inflammation markers in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma from the Rift Valley, a high-incidence area in Kenya

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Martel-Planche Ghislaine

2011-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Esophagus is one of the most common malignancies in both men and women in eastern and south-eastern Africa. In Kenya, clinical observations suggest that this cancer is frequent in the Rift Valley area. However, so far, there has been no report on the molecular characteristics of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC in this area. Results We have analyzed TP53 mutations, the presence of human papilloma virus (HPV DNA and expression of inflammation markers Cyclooxygenase 2 (Cox-2 and Nitrotyrosine (NTyR in 28 cases (13 males and 15 females of archived ESCC tissues collected at the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret, Kenya. Eleven mutations were detected in TP53 exons 5 to 8 (39%. All ESCC samples were negative for HPV 16, 18, 26, 31, 33, 35, 39, 45, 51, 52, 53, 56, 58, 59, 66, 68, 70, 73 and 82. Immunohistochemical analysis of Cox-2 and NTyR showed a low proportion of positive cases (17.4% and 39.1%, respectively. No association between the above markers and suspected risk factors (alcohol or tobacco use, hot tea drinking, use of charcoal for cooking was found. Conclusion Our findings suggest that mechanisms of esophageal carcinogenesis in eastern Africa might be different from other parts of the world. Low prevalence of TP53 mutation compared with other intermediate or high incidence areas of the world highlights this hypothesis. Our data did not support a possible ole of HPV in this series of cases. Further studies are needed to assess and compare the molecular patterns of ESCC from Kenya with those of high-incidence areas such as China or Central Asia.

Low-Incidence, High-Consequence Pathogens

Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts

2014-02-21

Dr. Stephan Monroe, a deputy director at CDC, discusses the impact of low-incidence, high-consequence pathogens globally.  Created: 2/21/2014 by National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (NCEZID).   Date Released: 2/26/2014.

Municipal distribution and trends in bladder cancer incidence in health area of León, Spain (1996-2010).

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del Canto, M; García-Martínez, L; Fernández-Villa, T; Molina, A J; Campanario, F; García-Sanz, M; López-Abente, G; Honrado, E; Martín-Sánchez, V

2015-01-01

Spain is a country where bladder cancer incidence and mortality rates are some of the highest in the world. The aim of this study is to know the incidence, trends and geographical distribution of bladder cancer in the health area of León. the new cases of bladder cancer (CIE-188) in patients residing in the health area of León and registered in the Hospital Tumor Registry of the Centro Asistencial Universitario in León (Spain) between 1996-2010 were included in this study. Triennial crude incidence and adjusted incidence rates to the worldwide and European population were calculated. Population data of the municipalities of Leon (Spain) were obtained from National Institute of Statistic of Spain (INE, Instituto Nacional de Estadística). Data were disaggregated by sex-groups and five-year age groups. Spatial distribution of smoothed municipal relative risks (RR) of bladder cancer was carried out using a Besag, York and Mollié model. Bayesian model were used to calculate the posterior probability (PP) of RR greater than one. 1.573 cases were included. Incidence rates standardized to European population increased among men from 20,8/100.000 (1996-98) to 33,1/100.000 (2006-2008) and among women these rates increased from 1,9/100.000 to 5,9/100.000 for the same period of time. No relevant differences were found in the municipal distribution of the incidences. bladder cancer incidence rates are high in the European context. Rising trends in incidence in both sexs, particularly in women are observed. Copyright © 2014 AEU. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Testing the association between the incidence of schizophrenia and social capital in an urban area.

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Kirkbride, J B; Boydell, J; Ploubidis, G B; Morgan, C; Dazzan, P; McKenzie, K; Murray, R M; Jones, P B

2008-08-01

Social capital has been considered aetiologically important in schizophrenia but the empirical evidence to support this hypothesis is absent. We tested whether social capital, measured at the neighbourhood level, was associated with the incidence of schizophrenia (ICD-10 F20). MethodWe administered a cross-sectional questionnaire on social capital to 5% of the adult population in 33 neighbourhoods (wards) in South London (n=16 459). The questionnaire contained items relating to two social capital constructs: social cohesion and trust (SC&T) and social disorganization (SocD). Schizophrenia incidence rates, estimated using data from the Aetiology and Ethnicity in Schizophrenia and Other Psychoses (AESOP) study, provided the outcome. We used multi-level Poisson regression to test our hypothesis while controlling for individual- and neighbourhood-level characteristics. We identified 148 cases during 565 576 person-years at-risk. Twenty-six per cent of the variation in incidence rates was attributable to neighbourhood-level characteristics. Response from the social capital survey was 25.7%. The association between SC&T and schizophrenia was U-shaped. Compared with neighbourhoods with medial levels of SC&T, incidence rates were significantly higher in neighbourhoods with low [incidence rates ratio (IRR) 2.0, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.2-3.3] and high (IRR 2.5, 95% CI 1.3-4.8) levels of SC&T, independent of age, sex, ethnicity, ethnic density, ethnic fragmentation and socio-economic deprivation. ConclusionNeighbourhood variation in SC&T was non-linearly associated with the incidence of schizophrenia within an urban area. Neighbourhoods with low SC&T may fail to mediate social stress whereas high SC&T neighbourhoods may have greater informal social control or may increase the risk of schizophrenia for residents excluded from accessing available social capital.

Polarimetric Scattering Properties of Landslides in Forested Areas and the Dependence on the Local Incidence Angle

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Takashi Shibayama

2015-11-01

Full Text Available This paper addresses the local incidence angle dependence of several polarimetric indices corresponding to landslides in forested areas. Landslide is deeply related to the loss of human lives and their property. Various kinds of remote sensing techniques, including aerial photography, high-resolution optical satellite imagery, LiDAR and SAR interferometry (InSAR, have been available for landslide investigations. SAR polarimetry is potentially an effective measure to investigate landslides because fully-polarimetric SAR (PolSAR data contain more information compared to conventional single- or dual-polarization SAR data. However, research on landslide recognition utilizing polarimetric SAR (PolSAR is quite limited. Polarimetric properties of landslides have not been examined quantitatively so far. Accordingly, we examined the polarimetric scattering properties of landslides by an assessment of how the decomposed scattering power components and the polarimetric correlation coefficient change with the local incidence angle. In the assessment, PolSAR data acquired from different directions with both spaceborne and airborne SARs were utilized. It was found that the surface scattering power and the polarimetric correlation coefficient of landslides significantly decrease with the local incidence angle, while these indices of surrounding forest do not. This fact leads to establishing a method of effective detection of landslide area by polarimetric information.

Thyroid cancer incidence in the Ukraine after the Chernobyl accident: comparison with spontaneous incidences

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sobolev, B.; Kairo, I.; Likhtarev, I.; Heidenreich, W.F.; Jacob, P.; Goulko, G.

1997-01-01

The thyroid cancer incidence in the Ukraine among those born in the period 1968-1986 was analyzed with the aim to identify the enhancement due to the Chernobyl accident. Since any Ukrainian data referring to the time period before the accident are scarce and the variation of spontaneous incidences in other countries is immense, the Ukrainian incidences in the period 1986-1989 were used to estimate the baseline risk. Following 1990, the incidence in the southern part of the Ukraine increased by about 30%, independent of age. In the other parts the increase of the incidence depended on age at exposure. In the age group of 9-year-old children, the incidences in three regions defined as the 'high-dose area', the northern, and the middle oblasts, increased by factors of 50, 20, and 6, respectively. These rates (1991-1995) are well above spontaneous rates in other countries. In the age group of 17-year-old juveniles, the incidence increased by a factor of 6 for the 'high dose area' and in the three northern oblasts, whereas in the nine 'middle' oblasts it was similar to the incidence of the 'southern' Ukraine. These rates are within the range found in other countries. (orig.)

Cancer Incidence Trend in the Hebei Spirit Oil Spill Area, from 1999 to 2014: An Ecological Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Choi, Kyung-Hwa; Park, Myung-Sook; Ha, Mina; Hur, Jong-Il; Cheong, Hae-Kwan

2018-05-17

The Hebei Spirit oil spill (HSOS) occurred in the Republic of Korea on 7 December 2007. We aimed to describe the cancer incidence trend in Taean County before and after the oil spill. Five major cancers and leukemia were analyzed. Cancer incidence data were obtained from the Korean National Cancer Center. We compared the standardized incidence rates in Taean with those observed nationwide and selected three coastal areas. Joinpoint regression analysis was used to examine the trends in the average annual percent change and perform comparisons. The incidence rate of prostate cancer increased from 2007 to 2009 at an annual average of 39.3% (95% confidence interval (CI): -25.9, 161.8), 13.5% (95% CI: 11.7, 15.4), and 15.6% (95% CI: 11.9, 19.5), respectively, in Taean, nationwide, and in the coastal areas. The incidence of leukemia among women increased at an annual average of 9.5% (95% CI: -26.6, 63.4) in Taean and 0.6% (95% CI: 0.2, 0.9) nationwide; the rate decreased by 1.9% (95% CI: -12.8, 10.4) in the coastal areas. The trends between Taean County and the coastal areas differed only for prostate cancer ( p = 0.0004). The incidence of prostate cancer among Taean County residents has increased since the HSOS.

Thyroid cancer incidence in iodine deficient areas exposed to radiation after Chernobyl accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Szybinski, Z.; Mazurek-Przybylik, E.

1996-01-01

In two districts of Southern Poland; Krakow and Nowy Sacz (2 million people), standardized thyroid cancer incidence rate IR was evaluated from 1976 to 1992. This area was classified as a moderate iodine deficiency endemic goiter region and belonged to the most contaminated areas in Poland after Chernobyl accident. Recalculated - in terms of real iodine intake-thyroid commitment equivalent dose in the youngest age groups reached 100 mSv. The aim of the study was to evaluate, 6 years after Chernobyl accident, thyroid cancer incidence rate and histotype. Age and sex specific incidence rate in Krakow for male was 0.827 and for female 3.093 and 0.93 and 2.164 for Nowy Sacz respectively. There was no increase of IR in the group of age 0-19 yrs, however in the group over 44 yrs in females in the period of time 1989-1992 significant increase of follicular cancer was observed. In the histotype, the follicular cancerpredominated over the papillary one: 42,9% against 33,6%. Predominance of the follicular cancer is typical for iodine deficient area. Significant increase of the follicular cancer may be due to the increase of iodine deficiency. (author). 14 refs, 1 fig., 5 tabs

Thyroid cancer incidence in iodine deficient areas exposed to radiation after Chernobyl accident

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Szybinski, Z; Mazurek-Przybylik, E [Jagiellonian Univ., Cracow (Poland). Dept. of Endocrinology; Pawlega, J [Institute of Oncology, Cracow (Poland)

1996-08-01

In two districts of Southern Poland; Krakow and Nowy Sacz (2 million people), standardized thyroid cancer incidence rate IR was evaluated from 1976 to 1992. This area was classified as a moderate iodine deficiency endemic goiter region and belonged to the most contaminated areas in Poland after Chernobyl accident. Recalculated - in terms of real iodine intake-thyroid commitment equivalent dose in the youngest age groups reached 100 mSv. The aim of the study was to evaluate, 6 years after Chernobyl accident, thyroid cancer incidence rate and histotype. Age and sex specific incidence rate in Krakow for male was 0.827 and for female 3.093 and 0.93 and 2.164 for Nowy Sacz respectively. There was no increase of IR in the group of age 0-19 yrs, however in the group over 44 yrs in females in the period of time 1989-1992 significant increase of follicular cancer was observed. In the histotype, the follicular cancerpredominated over the papillary one: 42,9% against 33,6%. Predominance of the follicular cancer is typical for iodine deficient area. Significant increase of the follicular cancer may be due to the increase of iodine deficiency. (author). 14 refs, 1 fig., 5 tabs.

Incidence and prevalence of head lice in a district health authority area.

Science.gov (United States)

Harris, J; Crawshaw, J G; Millership, S

2003-09-01

There are very few recent studies of the incidence and prevalence of head lice in the UK. A population-based questionnaire survey was carried out in a district health authority area. Two hundred and four of 235 primary schools (87%) agreed to participate. A total of 21,556 of 43,889 (49%) questionnaires were returned by parents. Overall 438 children had head lice at the time of the survey, giving a prevalence of 2.03%; 8,059 had had lice at some time in the last year giving an annual incidence of 37.4%.

Incidence of multiple sclerosis among European Economic Area populations, 1985-2009: the framework for monitoring

Science.gov (United States)

2013-01-01

Background A debate surrounding multiple sclerosis epidemiology has centred on time-related incidence increases and the need of monitoring. The purpose of this study is to reassess multiple sclerosis incidence in the European Economic Area. Methods We conducted a systematic review of literature from 1965 onwards and integrated elements of original research, including requested or completed data by surveys authors and specific analyses. Results The review of 5323 documents yielded ten studies for age- and sex-specific analyses, and 21 studies for time-trend analysis of single data sets. After 1985, the incidence of multiple sclerosis ranged from 1.12 to 6.96 per 100,000 population, was higher in females, tripled with latitude, and doubled with study midpoint year. The north registered increasing trends from the 1960s and 1970s, with a historic drop in the Faroe Islands, and fairly stable data in the period 1980-2000; incidence rose in Italian and French populations in the period 1970-2000, in Evros (Greece) in the 1980s, and in the French West Indies in around 2000. Conclusions We conclude that the increase in multiple sclerosis incidence is only apparent, and that it is not specific to women. Monitoring of multiple sclerosis incidence might be appropriate for the European Economic Area. PMID:23758972

Impact of the buildings areas on the fire incidence.

Science.gov (United States)

Srekl, Jože; Golob, Janvit

2010-03-01

A survey of statistical studies shows that probability of fires is expressed by the equation P(A) = KAα, where A = total floor area of the building and K and  are constants for an individual group, or risk category. This equation, which is based on the statistical data on fires in Great Britain, does not include the impact factors such as the number of employees and the activities carried out in these buildings. In order to find out possible correlations between the activities carried out in buildings, the characteristics of buildings and number of fires, we used a random sample which included 134 buildings as industrial objects, hotels, restaurants, warehouses and shopping malls. Our study shows that the floor area of buildings has low impact on the incidence of fires. After analysing the sample of buildings by using multivariate analysis we proved a correlation between the number of fires, floor area of objects, work operation period (per day) and the number of employees in objects.

LANDSLIDES INCIDENCE IN THE PIEDMONT OF BAIA MARE URBAN AREA (CASE STUDIES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. ZAHARIA

2012-12-01

Full Text Available The landslides incidence in the piedmont of baia mare urbana area cae studies. The General Urban Plan (GUP of Baia Mare municipality requires the study of expected susceptibility for landslides in order to build infrastructure within sustainable development conditions. The complexity and diversity of local geographic area factors, strongly affected by the human pressure, favours the triggering and extension of slope processes in the municipality’s piedmont area. To prevent some major imbalances it is imperative to implement some adequate measures based on in-depth studies.

Population, Environmental, and Community Effects on Local Bank Vole (Myodes glareolus) Puumala Virus Infection in an Area with Low Human Incidence

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tersago, K; Schreurs, A; Linard, C

2008-01-01

In this study, the distribution of Puumala hantavirus (PUUV) infection in local bank vole Myodes glareolus populations in an area with low human PUUV infection (nephropathia epidemica [NE]) incidence in northern Belgium was monitored for 2 consecutive years. Bank voles were trapped in preferred h...... activity patterns, local environmental conditions and rodent community structure are also likely to play a role in determining PUUV infection risk for humans....... habitat and tested for anti-PUUV IgG. Infection data were related to individual bank vole features, population demography, and environmental variables. Rare occurrence of PUUV infection was found and PUUV prevalence was low compared with data from the high NE incidence area in southern Belgium. Small...

A time series analysis of environmental and metrological factors impact on cutaneous leishmaniasis incidence in an endemic area of Dehloran, Iran.

Science.gov (United States)

Nikonahad, Ali; Khorshidi, Ali; Ghaffari, Hamid Reza; Aval, Hamideh Ebrahimi; Miri, Mohammad; Amarloei, Ali; Nourmoradi, Heshmatollah; Mohammadi, Amir

2017-06-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the environmental and metrological variables and cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) transmission and its prediction in a region susceptible to this disease prevalence using a time series model. The accurate locations of 4437 CL diagnosed from 2011 to 2015 were obtained to be used in the time series model. Temperature, number of days with temperature over 30 °C, and number of earthquake were related to CL incidence using the Seasonal Auto-correlated Integrated Moving Average (SARIMA) model according to the Box-Jenkins method. In addition, the relationship between land use and surface soil type in 500- and 1000-m radius around the CL patients were investigated. The SARIMA models showed significant associations between environmental and meteorological variables and CL incidence adjusted for seasonality and auto-correlation. The result indicated that there are need more robust preventive programs in earthquake-prone areas with high temperature and inceptisol soil type than other areas. In addition, the region with these characteristics should be considered as high-risk areas for CL prevalence.

Measles incidence, vaccine efficacy, and mortality in two urban African areas with high vaccination coverage

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Aaby, Peter; Knudsen, K; Jensen, T G

1990-01-01

Measles incidence, vaccine efficacy, and mortality were examined prospectively in two districts in Bissau where vaccine coverage for children aged 12-23 months was 81% (Bandim 1) and 61% (Bandim 2). There was little difference in cumulative measles incidence before 9 months of age (6.1% and 7.......6%, respectively). Between 9 months and 2 years of age, however, 6.1% contracted measles in Bandim 1 and 13.7% in Bandim 2. Even adjusting for vaccination status, incidence was significantly higher in Bandim 2 (relative risk 1.6, P = .04). Even though 95% of the children had measles antibodies after vaccination......, vaccine efficacy was not more than 68% (95% confidence interval [CI] 39%-84%) and was unrelated to age at vaccination. Unvaccinated children had a mortality hazard ratio of 3.0 compared with vaccinated children (P = .002), indicating a protective efficacy against death of 66% (CI 32%-83%) of measles...

Studies on normal incidence backscattering in nodule areas using the multibeam-hydrosweep system

Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

Pathak, D.; Chakraborty, B.

The acoustic response from areas of varying nodule abundance and number densities in the Central Indian Ocean has been studied by using the echo peak amplitudes of the normal incidence beam in the Multibeam Hydrosweep system. It is observed...

Risk factors for breast cancer in a population with high incidence rates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wrensch, Margaret; Peskin-Mentzer, Roni; Quesenberry, Charles P Jr; Souders-Mason, Virginia; Spence, Linda; Suzuki, Marisa; Gould, Mary; Chew, Terri; Farren, Georgianna; Barlow, Janice; Belli, Flavia; Clarke, Christina; Erdmann, Christine A; Lee, Marion; Moghadassi, Michelle

2003-01-01

This report examines generally recognized breast cancer risk factors and years of residence in Marin County, California, an area with high breast cancer incidence and mortality rates. Eligible women who were residents of Marin County diagnosed with breast cancer in 1997–99 and women without breast cancer obtained through random digit dialing, frequency-matched by cases' age at diagnosis and ethnicity, participated in either full in-person or abbreviated telephone interviews. In multivariate analyses, 285 cases were statistically significantly more likely than 286 controls to report being premenopausal, never to have used birth control pills, a lower highest lifetime body mass index, four or more mammograms in 1990–94, beginning drinking after the age of 21, on average drinking two or more drinks per day, the highest quartile of pack-years of cigarette smoking and having been raised in an organized religion. Cases and controls did not significantly differ with regard to having a first-degree relative with breast cancer, a history of benign breast biopsy, previous radiation treatment, age at menarche, parity, use of hormone replacement therapy, age of first living in Marin County, or total years lived in Marin County. Results for several factors differed for women aged under 50 years or 50 years and over. Despite similar distributions of several known breast cancer risk factors, case-control differences in alcohol consumption suggest that risk in this high-risk population might be modifiable. Intensive study of this or other areas of similarly high incidence might reveal other important risk factors proximate to diagnosis

Small area-level variation in the incidence of psychotic disorders in an urban area in France: an ecological study.

Science.gov (United States)

Szoke, Andrei; Pignon, Baptiste; Baudin, Grégoire; Tortelli, Andrea; Richard, Jean-Romain; Leboyer, Marion; Schürhoff, Franck

2016-07-01

We sought to determine whether significant variation in the incidence of clinically relevant psychoses existed at an ecological level in an urban French setting, and to examine possible factors associated with this variation. We aimed to advance the literature by testing this hypothesis in a novel population setting and by comparing a variety of spatial models. We sought to identify all first episode cases of non-affective and affective psychotic disorders presenting in a defined urban catchment area over a 4 years period, over more than half a million person-years at-risk. Because data from geographic close neighbourhoods usually show spatial autocorrelation, we used for our analyses Bayesian modelling. We included small area neighbourhood measures of deprivation, migrants' density and social fragmentation as putative explanatory variables in the models. Incidence of broad psychotic disorders shows spatial patterning with the best fit for models that included both strong autocorrelation between neighbouring areas and weak autocorrelation between areas further apart. Affective psychotic disorders showed similar spatial patterning and were associated with the proportion of migrants/foreigners in the area (inverse correlation). In contrast, non-affective psychoses did not show spatial patterning. At ecological level, the variation in the number of cases and the factors that influence this variation are different for non-affective and affective psychotic disorders. Important differences in results-compared with previous studies in different settings-point to the importance of the context and the necessity of further studies to understand these differences.

Area-to-Area Poisson Kriging and Spatial Bayesian Analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Asmarian, Naeimehossadat; Jafari-Koshki, Tohid; Soleimani, Ali; Taghi Ayatollahi, Seyyed Mohammad

2016-10-01

Background: In many countries gastric cancer has the highest incidence among the gastrointestinal cancers and is the second most common cancer in Iran. The aim of this study was to identify and map high risk gastric cancer regions at the county-level in Iran. Methods: In this study we analyzed gastric cancer data for Iran in the years 2003-2010. Areato- area Poisson kriging and Besag, York and Mollie (BYM) spatial models were applied to smoothing the standardized incidence ratios of gastric cancer for the 373 counties surveyed in this study. The two methods were compared in term of accuracy and precision in identifying high risk regions. Result: The highest smoothed standardized incidence rate (SIR) according to area-to-area Poisson kriging was in Meshkinshahr county in Ardabil province in north-western Iran (2.4,SD=0.05), while the highest smoothed standardized incidence rate (SIR) according to the BYM model was in Ardabil, the capital of that province (2.9,SD=0.09). Conclusion: Both methods of mapping, ATA Poisson kriging and BYM, showed the gastric cancer incidence rate to be highest in north and north-west Iran. However, area-to-area Poisson kriging was more precise than the BYM model and required less smoothing. According to the results obtained, preventive measures and treatment programs should be focused on particular counties of Iran. Creative Commons Attribution License

Gallbladder cancer: incidence and survival in a high-risk area of Chile.

Science.gov (United States)

Bertran, Enriqueta; Heise, Katy; Andia, Marcelo E; Ferreccio, Catterina

2010-11-15

We assessed population incidence rates 1998-2002 and 5-year survival rates of 317 primary gallbladder cancer (GBC) entered in the population-based cancer registry in Valdivia. We analyzed GBC incidence (Poisson regression) and GBC survival (Cox regression). Cases were identified by histology (69.4%), clinical work-up (21.8%), or death certificate only (8.8%). Main symptoms were abdominal pain (82.8%), jaundice (53.6%) nausea (42.6%), and weight loss (38.2%); at diagnosis, 64% had Stage TNM IV. In the period, 4% of histopathological studies from presumptively benign cholecystectomies presented GBC. GBC cases were mainly females (76.0%), urban residents (70.3%), Hispanic (83.7%) of low schooling Mapuche 25.0, Hispanic 16.2 (p = 0.09). The highest SIRs were in Mapuche (269.2) and Hispanic women (199.6) with 8 years of schooling. Low schooling, female and urban residence were independent risk factors. By December 31, 2007, 6 (1.9%) cases were living, 280 (88.3%) died from GBC, 32 (10.1%) were lost of follow-up. Kaplan Meier Global 5-year survival was: 10.3%, 85% at stage I and 1.9% at stage IV; median survival: 3.4 months. Independent poor prognostic factors were TNM IV, jaundice and nonincidental diagnoses. Our results suggest that women of Mapuche ancestry with low schooling (>50 years) are at the highest risk of presenting and dying from GBC and should be the target for early detection programs.

Sun burn incidence and knowledge of greek elementary and high school children about sun protection.

Science.gov (United States)

Saridi, Maria Ioannis; Toska, Aikaterini George; Rekleiti, Maria Dimitrios; Tsironi, Maria; Geitona, Maria; Souliotis, Kyriakos

2015-01-01

Overexposure to sun radiation and particularly its accumulation during childhood and adolescence is a significant risk factor for skin cancer development. The sun burn is particularly important. To estimate sun burn incidence in young pupils in a coastal area of Greece. Two surveys were conducted in a school population in the same district in Greece, over different periods of time, in young people 9 to 18 years old (n=2 977). Anonymous questionnaires were completed. Levels of significance were two- tailed and statistical significance was set at p=0.05. SPSS 17.0 software was used for statistical analysis. From the individual characteristics of the participants it was shown that the majority of them had dark hair and fair skin, whereas a significant percentage reported the existence of moles on face and their body (83.4% vs 68.1%). The sun burn incidence was high in adolescents and the younger pupils (41.9% vs 55.6%). The younger aged children who were living in an urban area had significantly higher rates of sun burn than those living in semi-urban areas (33.8% vs 24.8%, p=0.020). As far as the knowledge of pupils about the risks of sun radiation it was shown that the elementary school pupils had better knowledge than those at high school. Finally, those with better knowledge had the fewer sun burns (Mean 2.83 SD 0.87, pknowledge to the decrease of sun burn incidence is important as long as this is continuous. Therefore, the education should concern not only children but also teachers and parents in the context of continuous and systematic programs of health education.

Regions of High Out-Of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest Incidence and Low Bystander CPR Rates in Victoria, Australia.

Science.gov (United States)

Straney, Lahn D; Bray, Janet E; Beck, Ben; Finn, Judith; Bernard, Stephen; Dyson, Kylie; Lijovic, Marijana; Smith, Karen

2015-01-01

Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) remains a major public health issue and research has shown that large regional variation in outcomes exists. Of the interventions associated with survival, the provision of bystander CPR is one of the most important modifiable factors. The aim of this study is to identify census areas with high incidence of OHCA and low rates of bystander CPR in Victoria, Australia. We conducted an observational study using prospectively collected population-based OHCA data from the state of Victoria in Australia. Using ArcGIS (ArcMap 10.0), we linked the location of the arrest using the dispatch coordinates (longitude and latitude) to Victorian Local Government Areas (LGAs). We used Bayesian hierarchical models with random effects on each LGA to provide shrunken estimates of the rates of bystander CPR and the incidence rates. Over the study period there were 31,019 adult OHCA attended, of which 21,436 (69.1%) cases were of presumed cardiac etiology. Significant variation in the incidence of OHCA among LGAs was observed. There was a 3 fold difference in the incidence rate between the lowest and highest LGAs, ranging from 38.5 to 115.1 cases per 100,000 person-years. The overall rate of bystander CPR for bystander witnessed OHCAs was 62.4%, with the rate increasing from 56.4% in 2008-2010 to 68.6% in 2010-2013. There was a 25.1% absolute difference in bystander CPR rates between the highest and lowest LGAs. Significant regional variation in OHCA incidence and bystander CPR rates exists throughout Victoria. Regions with high incidence and low bystander CPR participation can be identified and would make suitable targets for interventions to improve CPR participation rates.

Constellation-X to Generation-X: evolution of large collecting area moderate resolution grazing incidence x-ray telescopes to larger area high-resolution adjustable optics

Science.gov (United States)

Reid, Paul B.; Cameron, Robert A.; Cohen, Lester; Elvis, Martin; Gorenstein, Paul; Jerius, Diab; Petre, Robert; Podgorski, William A.; Schwartz, Daniel A.; Zhang, William W.

2004-10-01

Large collecting area x-ray telescopes are designed to study the early Universe, trace the evolution of black holes, stars and galaxies, study the chemical evolution of the Universe, and study matter in extreme environments. The Constellation-X mission (Con-X), planned for launch in 2016, will provide ~ 10^4 cm^2 collecting area with 15 arc-sec resolution, with a goal of 5 arc-sec. Future missions require larger collecting area and finer resolution. Generation-X (Gen-X), a NASA Visions Mission, will achieve 100 m^2 effective area at 1 keV and angular resolution of 0.1 arc-sec, half power diameter. We briefly describe the Con-X flowdown of imaging requirements to reflector figure error. To meet requirements beyond Con-X, Gen-X optics will be thinner and more accurately shaped than has ever been accomplished. To meet these challenging goals, we incorporate for the first time active figure control with grazing incidence optics. Piezoelectric material will be deposited in discrete cells directly on the back surface of the optical segments, with the strain directions oriented parallel to the surface. Differential strain between the two layers of the mirror causes localized bending in two directions, enabling local figure control. Adjusting figure on-orbit eases fabrication and metrology. The ability to make changes to mirror figure adds margin by mitigating risk due to launch-induced deformations and/or on-orbit degradation. We flowdown the Gen-X requirements to mirror figure and four telescope designs, and discuss various trades between the designs.

Leptospira spp. in Small Mammals from Areas with Low and High Human Hantavirus Incidences in South-West Germany.

Science.gov (United States)

Obiegala, Anna; Albrecht, Christoph; Dafalla, Maysaa; Drewes, Stephan; Oltersdorf, Carolin; Turni, Hendrik; Imholt, Christian; Jacob, Jens; Wagner-Wiening, Christiane; Ulrich, Rainer G; Pfeffer, Martin

2017-05-01

Leptospirosis is caused by Leptospira spp. and is considered the most widespread zoonotic disease worldwide. It mimics nephropathia epidemica in humans, a disease mainly caused by Puumala hantavirus (PUUV). Small mammals are reservoirs for Leptospira spp. and PUUV. Seewis virus (SWSV) is a shrew-borne hantavirus with unknown pathogenicity. The objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence for Leptospira spp. and the frequency of Leptospira-hantavirus co-infections in small mammals collected at locations with high and low incidences in humans. In 2012 and 2013, 736 small mammals belonging to seven species (Apodemus flavicollis, Microtus agrestis, Microtus arvalis, Myodes glareolus, Sorex araneus, S. coronatus, and S. minutus) were collected at four high incidence sites (H1-H4) and four low (L1-L4) incidence sites for PUUV infection in humans. Kidney-derived DNA samples were tested for Leptospira spp. by real-time PCR targeting the lipl 32 gene and further analyzed by duplex PCR targeting the flaB and the secY genes. For the detection of Seewis virus, lung-derived DNA was tested via RT-PCR targeting the nucleocapsid gene. Altogether, 42 of the 736 small mammals including 27 of 660 bank voles and 11 of 66 shrews, were positive for Leptospira spp., while Sorex spp. (14.7%) showed significantly higher prevalences compared to bank voles (4.1%). Detected Leptospira spp. were pathogenic species other than L. kirschneri. Significantly more Leptospira-positive bank voles were found at H sites than at L sites. Altogether 22.2% of positive bank voles were infected with PUUV. Double infection of PUUV and Leptospira spp. occurrence in bank voles is 1.86 times (OR = 1.86; 95% CI: 0.72-4.73) more likely than infections with each pathogen separately. Leptospira- positive bank voles are focally positively associated with PUUV infection in bank voles and with human hantavirus cases. It should be considered that shrews may serve as Leptospira spp. reservoirs.

The incidence of inflammatory bowel disease in Denmark 1980-2013

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lophaven, S. N.; Lynge, E.; Burisch, J.

2017-01-01

Background: Globally, the incidence rates of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are increasing; however, data from high-incidence areas are conflicting. Previous studies in Denmark have assessed incidence rates of Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) using short observation periods. Aim...

Dealing Collectively with Critical Incident Stress Reactions in High Risk Work Environments

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Müller-Leonhardt, Alice; Strøbæk, Pernille Solveig; Vogt, joachim

2015-01-01

organisations. Indeed, we found that the CISM programme once integrated within the socio-cultural patterns of this specific working environment enhanced not only individual feelings of being supported but also organisational safety culture. Keywords: coping; safety culture; critical incident stress management......aim of this paper is to shift the representation of coping patterns within high risk occupations to an existential part of cultural pattern and social structure, which characterises high reliability organisations. Drawing upon the specific peer model of critical incident stress management (CISM......), in which qualified operational peers support colleagues who experienced critical incident stress, the paper discusses critical incident stress management in air traffic control. Our study revealed coping patterns that co-vary with the culture that the CISM programme fostered within this specific high...

High incidence of pulmonary tuberculosis persists a decade after immigration, The Netherlands

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vos, Annelies M.; Meima, Abraham; Verver, Suzanne; Looman, Caspar W. N.; Bos, Vivian; Borgdorff, Martien W.; Habbema, J. Dik F.

2004-01-01

Incidence rates of pulmonary tuberculosis among immigrants from high incidence countries remain high for at least a decade after immigration into the Netherlands. Possible explanations are reactivation of old infections and infection transmitted after immigration. Control policies should be

A comparative examination of tuberculosis immigration medical screening programs from selected countries with high immigration and low tuberculosis incidence rates

Science.gov (United States)

2011-01-01

Background Tuberculosis (TB) in migrants is an ongoing challenge in several low TB incidence countries since a large proportion of TB in these countries occurs in migrants from high incidence countries. To meet these challenges, several countries utilize TB screening programs. The programs attempt to identify and treat those with active and/or infectious stages of the disease. In addition, screening is used to identify and manage those with latent or inactive disease after arrival. Between nations, considerable variation exists in the methods used in migration-associated TB screening. The present study aimed to compare the TB immigration medical examination requirements in selected countries of high immigration and low TB incidence rates. Methods Descriptive study of immigration TB screening programs Results 16 out of 18 eligible countries responded to the written standardized survey and phone interview. Comparisons in specific areas of TB immigration screening programs included authorities responsible for TB screening, the primary objectives of the TB screening program, the yield of detection of active TB disease, screening details and aspects of follow up for inactive pulmonary TB. No two countries had the same approach to TB screening among migrants. Important differences, common practices, common problems, evidence or lack of evidence for program specifics were noted. Conclusions In spite of common goals, there is great diversity in the processes and practices designed to mitigate the impact of migration-associated TB among nations that screen migrants for the disease. The long-term goal in decreasing migration-related introduction of TB from high to low incidence countries remains diminishing the prevalence of the disease in those high incidence locations. In the meantime, existing or planned migration screening programs for TB can be made more efficient and evidenced based. Cooperation among countries doing research in the areas outlined in this study should

Association of Cancer Incidence and Duration of Residence in Geothermal Heating Area in Iceland: An Extended Follow-Up.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Adalbjorg Kristbjornsdottir

Full Text Available Residents of geothermal areas have higher incidence of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, breast cancer, prostate cancer, and kidney cancers than others. These populations are exposed to chronic low-level ground gas emissions and various pollutants from geothermal water. The aim was to assess whether habitation in geothermal areas and utilisation of geothermal water is associated with risk of cancer according to duration of residence.The cohort obtained from the census 1981 was followed to the end of 2013. Personal identifier was used in record linkage with nation-wide emigration, death, and cancer registries. The exposed population, defined by community codes, was located on young bedrock and had utilised geothermal water supply systems since 1972. Two reference populations were located by community codes on older bedrock or had not utilised geothermal water supply systems for as long a period as had the exposed population. Adjusted hazard ratio (HR, 95% confidence intervals (CI non-stratified and stratified on cumulative years of residence were estimated in Cox-model.The HR for all cancer was 1.21 (95% CI 1.12-1.30 as compared with the first reference area. The HR for pancreatic cancer was 1.93 (1.22-3.06, breast cancer, 1.48 (1.23-1.80, prostate cancer 1.47 (1.22-1.77, kidney cancer 1.46 (1.03-2.05, lymphoid and haematopoietic tissue 1.54 (1.21-1.97, non-Hodgkin´s lymphoma 2.08 (1.38-3.15 and basal cell carcinoma of the skin 1.62 (1.35-1.94. Positive dose-response relationship was observed between incidence of cancers and duration of residence, and between incidence of cancer and degree of geothermal/volcanic activity in the comparison areas.The higher cancer incidence in geothermal areas than in reference areas is consistent with previous findings. As the dose-response relationships were positive between incidence of cancers and duration of residence, it is now more urgent than before to investigate the chemical and physical content of the geothermal

Association of Cancer Incidence and Duration of Residence in Geothermal Heating Area in Iceland: An Extended Follow-Up.

Science.gov (United States)

Kristbjornsdottir, Adalbjorg; Aspelund, Thor; Rafnsson, Vilhjalmur

2016-01-01

Residents of geothermal areas have higher incidence of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, breast cancer, prostate cancer, and kidney cancers than others. These populations are exposed to chronic low-level ground gas emissions and various pollutants from geothermal water. The aim was to assess whether habitation in geothermal areas and utilisation of geothermal water is associated with risk of cancer according to duration of residence. The cohort obtained from the census 1981 was followed to the end of 2013. Personal identifier was used in record linkage with nation-wide emigration, death, and cancer registries. The exposed population, defined by community codes, was located on young bedrock and had utilised geothermal water supply systems since 1972. Two reference populations were located by community codes on older bedrock or had not utilised geothermal water supply systems for as long a period as had the exposed population. Adjusted hazard ratio (HR), 95% confidence intervals (CI) non-stratified and stratified on cumulative years of residence were estimated in Cox-model. The HR for all cancer was 1.21 (95% CI 1.12-1.30) as compared with the first reference area. The HR for pancreatic cancer was 1.93 (1.22-3.06), breast cancer, 1.48 (1.23-1.80), prostate cancer 1.47 (1.22-1.77), kidney cancer 1.46 (1.03-2.05), lymphoid and haematopoietic tissue 1.54 (1.21-1.97), non-Hodgkin´s lymphoma 2.08 (1.38-3.15) and basal cell carcinoma of the skin 1.62 (1.35-1.94). Positive dose-response relationship was observed between incidence of cancers and duration of residence, and between incidence of cancer and degree of geothermal/volcanic activity in the comparison areas. The higher cancer incidence in geothermal areas than in reference areas is consistent with previous findings. As the dose-response relationships were positive between incidence of cancers and duration of residence, it is now more urgent than before to investigate the chemical and physical content of the geothermal water

Identifying aspects of neighbourhood deprivation associated with increased incidence of schizophrenia.

Science.gov (United States)

Bhavsar, Vishal; Boydell, Jane; Murray, Robin; Power, Paddy

2014-06-01

Several studies have found an association between area deprivation and incidence of schizophrenia. However, not all studies have concurred and definitions of deprivation have varied between studies. Relative deprivation and inequality seem to be particularly important, but which aspects of deprivation or how this effect might operate is not known. The Lambeth Early Onset case register is a database of all cases of first episode psychosis aged 16 to 35years from the London Borough of Lambeth, a highly urban area. We identified 405 people with first onset schizophrenia who presented between 2000 and 2007. We calculated the overall incidence of first onset schizophrenia and tested for an association with area-level deprivation, using a multi-domain index of deprivation (IMD 2004). Specific analyses into associations with individual sub-domains of deprivation were then undertaken. Incidence rates, directly standardized for age and gender, were calculated for Lambeth at two geographical levels (small and large neighbourhood level). The Poisson regression model predicting incidence rate ratios for schizophrenia using overall deprivation score was statistically significant at both levels after adjusting for ethnicity, ethnic density, population density and population turnover. The incidence rate ratio for electoral ward deprivation was 1.03 (95% CI=1.004-1.04) and for the super output area deprivation was 1.04 (95% CI=1.02-1.06). The individual domains of crime, employment deprivation and educational deprivation were statistically significant predictors of incidence but, after adjusting for the other domains as well as age, gender, ethnicity and population density, only crime and educational deprivation, remained statistically significant. Low income, poor housing and deprived living environment did not predict incidence. In a highly urban area, an association was found between area-level deprivation and incidence of schizophrenia, after controlling for age, gender

Epidemiological investigation of radiological effects in high background radiation areas of Yangjiang, China

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wei, Luxin; Zha, Yongru; Tao, Zufan; He, Weihui; Chen, Deqing; Yuan, Yongling

1990-01-01

The purpose of this investigation is to provide some information for providing whether any detrimental effects exist in a large population whose families have been continuously exposed to a low dose rate radiation. Two areas in Yangjiang Country, characterized by high background radiation (HBR) with environmental gamma exposure, large population size and long-term inhabitants, were selected for evaluation of late effects of HBR. The areas with normal radiation background close to the Yangjiang Country were selected as control areas. Up to 1986 approximately one million person-years in each area in both HBR and control areas have been observed. No increase of cancer mortality was found in the HBR areas; on the contrary, cancer mortality tended to be lower in the HBR areas than the control areas. The prevalence of hereditary diseases and congenital defects was similar in both HBR and control areas, but the frequency of Down's syndrome was higher in the HBR areas (through within the normal range) than the control areas. A possible explanation is the difference of age of maternity between the HBR and control areas, and the extremely low frequency in the control areas. Possible factors influencing the incidence of mutationbased diseases were comparable in the HBR and control groups. However, the cultural and educational levels were somewhat different, probably affecting health status and family planning. It is likely that there may be a dose threshold for cancer incidence, but this remains to be determined by further research. (N.K.)

76 FR 17022 - Special Conditions: Gulfstream Model GVI Airplane; High Incidence Protection

Science.gov (United States)

2011-03-28

... Special Conditions No. 25-423-SC] Special Conditions: Gulfstream Model GVI Airplane; High Incidence... for transport category airplanes associated with the use of high incidence protection. The applicable... with an executive cabin interior. The maximum takeoff weight will be 99,600 pounds, with a maximum...

Geographic epidemiology in a small area: cancer incidence in Baakline, Lebanon, 2000-2008.

Science.gov (United States)

Adib, S M; Tabbal, N; Hamadeh, R; Ammar, W

2013-04-01

Aggregate data of the National Clr cac gi s in Lebanon cannot discriminate cance r incidence i n small areas. Trained community members surveyed the permanent population of the Baakline municipality using the verbal autopsy approach. We surveyed 1042 households with at least 1 member living permanently in Baakline during 2000-2008. Data covered 4330 persons yielding 34,143 years of observation and 56 new cases of cancer were reported. Median age at diagnosis varied significantly between men (77 years) and women (56 years). The most common types were lung cancer (20%) followed by colorectal (12.5%) and breast (9%). Estimated crude cancer incidence rate was 164 cases/100,000 persons/year, significantly higher in men (194) than women (130), and much lower overall than the national figure (218). The permanent Baakline population is older than that of Lebanon itself, yet the cancer incidence rate is markedly lower than the national figure. This finding pleads for serious efforts to preserve the low environmental contamination and the healthy lifestyles in food and tobacco abstinence that have protected the population so far.

High incidence of meningioma among Hiroshima atomic bomb survivors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shintani, Takahiro; Hayakawa, Norihiko; Hoshi, Masaharu

1999-01-01

Since the atomic bomb explosions in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, high incidences of leukemia, thyroid cancer and other tumors have been reported as atomic bomb-induced tumors. We investigated the incidence of meningioma among Hiroshima atomic bomb survivors. Sixty-eight patients surgically treated for meningioma who had been within 2.0 km of the hypocenter of the explosion were identified. Six hundred and seven non-exposed patients with meningioma were also studied. Treatment dates were from 1975 to 1992. The incidences of meningioma among 68 subjects within 2.0 km and 607 non-exposed patients were 8.7 and 3.0 cases per 10 5 persons per year, respectively. The incidences of meningioma among the survivors of Hiroshima in 5-year intervals since 1975 were 5.3, 7.4, 10.1, and 14.9, respectively. The incidences of meningioma classified by distances from the hypocenter of 1.5-2.0 km, 1.0-1.5 km and less than 1.0 km were 6.3, 7.6 and 20.0, respectively. The incidences of meningioma classified by doses to the brain of 0-0.099 Sv, 0.1-0.99 Sv and more than 1.0 Sv were 7.7, 9.2 and 18.2, respectively. The incidence of meningioma among Hiroshima atomic bomb survivors has increased since 1975. There was a significant correlation between the incidence and the dose of radiation to the brain. The present findings strongly suggest that meningioma is one of the tumors induced by atomic bombing in Hiroshima. (author)

Lung Cancer in a Rural Area of China: Rapid Rise in Incidence and Poor Improvement in Survival.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Juan; Zhu, Jian; Zhang, Yong-Hui; Chen, Yong-Sheng; Ding, Lu-Lu; Kensler, Thomas W; Chen, Jian-Guo

2015-01-01

Lung cancer has been a major health problem in developed countries for several decades, and has emerged recently as the leading cause of cancer death in many developing countries. The incidence of lung cancer appears to be increasing more rapidly in rural than in urban areas of China. This paper presents the trends of lung cancer incidence and survival derived from a 40-year population-based cancer monitoring program in a rural area, Qidong, China. The Qidong cancer registration data of 1972- 2011 were used to calculate the crude rate, age-standardized rate by Chinese population (CASR) and by world population (WASR), birth cohort rates, and other descriptive features. Active and passive methods were used to construct the data set, with a deadline of the latest follow-up of April 30, 2012. The total number of lung cancer cases was 15,340, accounting for 16.5% of all sites combined. The crude incidence rate, CASR and WASR of this cancer were 34.1, 15.7 and 25.4 per 100,000, respectively. Males had higher crude rates than females (49.7 vs 19.0). Rapidly increasing trends were found in annual percent change resulting in lung cancer being a number one cancer site after year 2010 in Qidong. Birth cohort analysis showed incidence rates have increased for all age groups over 24 years old. The 5 year observed survival rates were 3.55% in 1973-1977, 3.92 in 1983-1987, 3.69% in 1993-1997, and 6.32% in 2003-2007. Males experienced poorer survival than did females. Lung cancer has become a major cancer-related health problem in this rural area. The rapid increases in incidence likely result from an increased cigarette smoking rate and evolving environmental risk factors. Lung cancer survival, while showing some improvement in prognosis, still remains well below that observed in the developed areas of the world.

75 FR 80735 - Special Conditions: Gulfstream Model GVI Airplane; High Incidence Protection

Science.gov (United States)

2010-12-23

... Special Conditions No. 25-10-03-SC] Special Conditions: Gulfstream Model GVI Airplane; High Incidence... airworthiness standards for transport category airplanes associated with the use of high incidence protection... transport airplane with an executive cabin interior. The maximum takeoff weight will be 99,600 pounds, with...

77 FR 32006 - Special Conditions: Gulfstream Model GVI Airplane; High Incidence Protection

Science.gov (United States)

2012-05-31

... Special Conditions No. 25-423-SC] Special Conditions: Gulfstream Model GVI Airplane; High Incidence... pertaining to a high incidence protection system that replaces the stall warning system during normal... the condition existing in the test or performance standard in which V SR is being used. (3) The weight...

[Cancer incidence and mortality in some health districts in Brescia area 1993--1995].

Science.gov (United States)

Simonati, C; Limina, R M; Gelatti, U; Indelicato, A; Scarcella, C; Donato, F; Nardi, G

2004-01-01

Cancer Registries are an essential part of any rational programme of cancer control, for assessing the impact of cancer in the community, for health care planning and monitoring screening programmes, according to local enviromental problems. The Brescia Cancer Registry started in 1994 producing prevalence, incidence and mortality data using only manual procedures of colletting and processing data from clinical and pathological sources in Brescia in 1993--1995. Data quality indicators such as the percentages of istologically or cytologically verified cases and that of cases registered on the basis of Death Certificate Only (DCO) are similar to those from the other Northern Italian Registries. Incidence rates for all causes and for various common sites are higher in Brescia than in other areas covered by Cancer Registries in North of Italy.

Pediatric tuberculosis immigration screening in high-immigration, low-incidence countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Alvarez, G G; Clark, M; Altpeter, E; Douglas, P; Jones, J; Paty, M-C; Posey, D L; Chemtob, D

2010-12-01

Tuberculosis (TB) screening in migrant children, including immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers, is an ongoing challenge in low TB incidence countries. Many children from high TB incidence countries harbor latent TB infection (LTBI), and some have active TB disease at the point of immigration into host nations. Young children who harbor LTBI have a high risk of progression to TB disease and are at a higher risk than adults of developing disseminated severe forms of TB with significant morbidity and mortality. Many countries have developed immigration TB screening programs to suit the needs of adults, but have not focused much attention on migrant children. To compare the TB immigration medical examination requirements in children in selected countries with high immigration and low TB incidence rates. Descriptive study of TB immigration screening programs for systematically selected countries. Of 18 eligible countries, 16 responded to the written survey and telephone interview. No two countries had the same approach to TB screening among migrant children. The optimal evidenced-based manner in which to screen migrant children requires further research.

Population-based incidence of typhoid fever in an urban informal settlement and a rural area in Kenya: implications for typhoid vaccine use in Africa.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Robert F Breiman

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: High rates of typhoid fever in children in urban settings in Asia have led to focus on childhood immunization in Asian cities, but not in Africa, where data, mostly from rural areas, have shown low disease incidence. We set out to compare incidence of typhoid fever in a densely populated urban slum and a rural community in Kenya, hypothesizing higher rates in the urban area, given crowding and suboptimal access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene. METHODS: During 2007-9, we conducted population-based surveillance in Kibera, an urban informal settlement in Nairobi, and in Lwak, a rural area in western Kenya. Participants had free access to study clinics; field workers visited their homes biweekly to collect information about acute illnesses. In clinic, blood cultures were processed from patients with fever or pneumonia. Crude and adjusted incidence rates were calculated. RESULTS: In the urban site, the overall crude incidence of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi (S. Typhi bacteremia was 247 cases per 100,000 person-years of observation (pyo with highest rates in children 5-9 years old (596 per 100,000 pyo and 2-4 years old (521 per 100,000 pyo. Crude overall incidence in Lwak was 29 cases per 100,000 pyo with low rates in children 2-4 and 5-9 years old (28 and 18 cases per 100,000 pyo, respectively. Adjusted incidence rates were highest in 2-4 year old urban children (2,243 per 100,000 pyo which were >15-fold higher than rates in the rural site for the same age group. Nearly 75% of S. Typhi isolates were multi-drug resistant. CONCLUSIONS: This systematic urban slum and rural comparison showed dramatically higher typhoid incidence among urban children <10 years old with rates similar to those from Asian urban slums. The findings have potential policy implications for use of typhoid vaccines in increasingly urban Africa.

Crippling Violence: Conflict and Incident Polio in Afghanistan.

Science.gov (United States)

Norris, Alison; Hachey, Kevin; Curtis, Andrew; Bourdeaux, Margaret

2016-01-01

Designing effective public health campaigns in areas of armed conflict requires a nuanced understanding of how violence impacts the epidemiology of the disease in question. We examine the geographical relationship between violence (represented by the location of detonated Improvised Explosive Devices) and polio incidence by generating maps of IEDs and polio incidence during 2010, and by comparing the mean number of IED detonations in polio high-risk districts with non polio high-risk districts during 2004-2009. We demonstrate a geographic relationship between IED violence and incident polio. Districts that have high-risk for polio have highly statistically significantly greater mean numbers of IEDs than non polio high-risk districts (p-values 0.0010-0.0404). The geographic relationship between armed conflict and polio incidence provides valuable insights as to how to plan a vaccination campaign in violent contexts, and allows us to anticipate incident polio in the regions of armed conflict. Such information permits vaccination planners to engage interested armed combatants to co-develop strategies to mitigate the effects of violence on polio.

Crippling Violence: Conflict and Incident Polio in Afghanistan.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alison Norris

Full Text Available Designing effective public health campaigns in areas of armed conflict requires a nuanced understanding of how violence impacts the epidemiology of the disease in question.We examine the geographical relationship between violence (represented by the location of detonated Improvised Explosive Devices and polio incidence by generating maps of IEDs and polio incidence during 2010, and by comparing the mean number of IED detonations in polio high-risk districts with non polio high-risk districts during 2004-2009.We demonstrate a geographic relationship between IED violence and incident polio. Districts that have high-risk for polio have highly statistically significantly greater mean numbers of IEDs than non polio high-risk districts (p-values 0.0010-0.0404.The geographic relationship between armed conflict and polio incidence provides valuable insights as to how to plan a vaccination campaign in violent contexts, and allows us to anticipate incident polio in the regions of armed conflict. Such information permits vaccination planners to engage interested armed combatants to co-develop strategies to mitigate the effects of violence on polio.

Schistosomiasis mansoni incidence data in Rwanda can improve prevalence assessments, by providing high-resolution hotspot and risk factors identification.

Science.gov (United States)

Nyandwi, E; Veldkamp, A; Amer, S; Karema, C; Umulisa, I

2017-10-25

Schistosomiasis mansoni constitutes a significant public health problem in Rwanda. The nationwide prevalence mapping conducted in 2007-2008 revealed that prevalence per district ranges from 0 to 69.5% among school children. In response, mass drug administration campaigns were initiated. However, a few years later some additional small-scale studies revealed the existence of areas of high transmission in districts formerly classified as low endemic suggesting the need for a more accurate methodology for identification of hotspots. This study investigated if confirmed cases of schistosomiasis recorded at health facility level can be used to, next to existing prevalence data, detect geographically more accurate hotspots of the disease and its associated risk factors. A GIS-based spatial and statistical analysis was carried out. Confirmed cases, recorded at primary health facilities level, were combined with demographic data to calculate incidence rates for each of 367 health facility service area. Empirical Bayesian smoothing was used to deal with rate instability. Incidence rates were compared with prevalence data to identify their level of agreement. Spatial autocorrelation of the incidence rates was analyzed using Moran's Index, to check if spatial clustering occurs. Finally, the spatial relationship between schistosomiasis distribution and potential risk factors was assessed using multiple regression. Incidence rates for 2007-2008 were highly correlated with prevalence values (R 2  = 0.79), indicating that in the case of Rwanda incidence data can be used as a proxy for prevalence data. We observed a focal distribution of schistosomiasis with a significant spatial autocorrelation (Moran's I > 0: 0,05-0.20 and p ≤ 0,05), indicating the occurrence of hotspots. Regarding risk factors, it was identified that the spatial pattern of schistosomiasis is significantly associated with wetland conditions and rice cultivation. In Rwanda the high density of health

Hepatitis B prevalence and incidence in Greenland

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Børresen, Malene Landbo; Andersson, Mikael; Wohlfahrt, Jan

2015-01-01

Greenland remains a highly endemic area for hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. This is in sharp contrast to other modern societies, such as Denmark. To address this discrepancy, we investigated the natural history of HBV infection in Greenland by estimating the age-specific incidence of HBV...... from all available HBV registries in Greenland to determine changes in HBV status over time. Incidence rates of HBV infection and hepatitis B surface antigen seroclearance were estimated after taking into account interval censoring. The incidence of HBV infection in 5-14-year-old subjects was less than...

Incidence of injuries in high school softball and baseball players.

Science.gov (United States)

Shanley, Ellen; Rauh, Mitchell J; Michener, Lori A; Ellenbecker, Todd S

2011-01-01

Participation in high school sports has grown 16.1% over the last decade, but few studies have compared the overall injury risks in girls' softball and boys' baseball. To examine the incidence of injury in high school softball and baseball players. Cohort study. Greenville, South Carolina, high schools. Softball and baseball players (n = 247) from 11 high schools. Injury rates, locations, types; initial or subsequent injury; practice or game setting; positions played; seasonal trends. The overall incidence injury rate was 4.5/1000 athlete-exposures (AEs), with more injuries overall in softball players (5.6/1000 AEs) than in baseball players (4.0/1000 AEs). Baseball players had a higher initial injury rate (75.9/1000 AEs) than softball players (66.4/1000 AEs): rate ratio (RR) = 0.88, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.4, 1.7. The initial injury rate was higher than the subsequent injury rate for the overall sample (P softball (P Softball players were more likely to be injured in a game than were baseball players (RR = 1.92, 95% CI = 0.8, 4.3). Most injuries (77%) were mild (3.5/1000 AEs). The upper extremity accounted for the highest proportion of injuries (63.3%). The incidence of injury for pitchers was 37.3% and for position players was 15.3%. The rate of injury was highest during the first month of the season (7.96/1000 AEs). The incidence of injury was low for both softball and baseball. Most injuries were minor and affected the upper extremity. The injury rates were highest in the first month of the season, so prevention strategies should be focused on minimizing injuries and monitoring players early in the season.

The operating experience and incident analysis for High Flux Engineering Test Reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhao Guang

1999-01-01

The paper describes the incidents analysis for High Flux Engineering test reactor (HFETR) and introduces operating experience. Some suggestion have been made to reduce the incidents of HFETR. It is necessary to adopt new improvements which enhance the safety and reliability of operation. (author)

Small area mapping of domestic radon, smoking prevalence and lung cancer incidence – A case study in Northamptonshire, UK

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Denman, Antony R.; Rogers, Stephen; Ali, Akeem; Sinclair, John; Phillips, Paul S.; Crockett, Robin G.M.; Groves-Kirkby, Christopher J.

2015-01-01

Smoking and radon both cause lung cancer, and together the risk is significantly higher. UK public health campaigns continue to reduce smoking prevalence, and other initiatives identify houses with raised radon (radon-222) levels and encourage remedial action. Smoking prevalence and radon levels in the UK have been mapped at Primary Care Trust level. This paper extends that work, using a commercial socio-demographic database to estimate smoking prevalence at the postcode sector level, and to predict the population characteristics at postcode sector level for 87 postcode sectors in Northamptonshire. Likely smoking prevalence in each postcode sector is then modelled from estimates of the smoking prevalence in the different socio-economic groups used by the database. Mapping estimated smoking prevalence, radon potential and average lung cancer incidence for each postcode sector suggested that there was little correlation between smoking prevalence and radon levels, as radon potential was generally lower in urban areas in Northamptonshire, where the estimates of smoking prevalence were highest. However, the analysis demonstrated some sectors where both radon potential and smoking prevalence were moderately raised. This study showed the potential of this methodology to map estimated smoking prevalence and radon levels to inform locally targeted public health campaigns to reduce lung cancer incidence. - Highlights: • We use a commercial socio-demographic database to estimate smoking prevalence in small areas in Northamptonshire, UK. • We map the estimated smoking prevalence and average domestic radon levels in these small areas. • We estimate annual average lung cancer incidence in these small areas. • The methodology is useful to evaluate and plan localised public health campaigns to reduce lung cancer incidence.

Identification and delineation of areas flood hazard using high accuracy of DEM data

Science.gov (United States)

Riadi, B.; Barus, B.; Widiatmaka; Yanuar, M. J. P.; Pramudya, B.

2018-05-01

Flood incidents that often occur in Karawang regency need to be mitigated. These expectations exist on technologies that can predict, anticipate and reduce disaster risks. Flood modeling techniques using Digital Elevation Model (DEM) data can be applied in mitigation activities. High accuracy DEM data used in modeling, will result in better flooding flood models. The result of high accuracy DEM data processing will yield information about surface morphology which can be used to identify indication of flood hazard area. The purpose of this study was to identify and describe flood hazard areas by identifying wetland areas using DEM data and Landsat-8 images. TerraSAR-X high-resolution data is used to detect wetlands from landscapes, while land cover is identified by Landsat image data. The Topography Wetness Index (TWI) method is used to detect and identify wetland areas with basic DEM data, while for land cover analysis using Tasseled Cap Transformation (TCT) method. The result of TWI modeling yields information about potential land of flood. Overlay TWI map with land cover map that produces information that in Karawang regency the most vulnerable areas occur flooding in rice fields. The spatial accuracy of the flood hazard area in this study was 87%.

Cytogenetic studies on newborns from high level natural background radiation areas of Kerala coast, South India

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cherian, V.D.; Kurien, C.J.; Das, Birajalaxmi

1997-01-01

The human population residing in the monazite bearing high level natural background radiation (HLNBR) areas of Kerala, along the South-West coast of India provides unique opportunities of assessing directly in man, the health effects of chronic low-level radiation exposure. The per capita dose received by this population is nearly four times the normal background radiation level. While this is the average dose, the radiation levels prevailing in these HLNBR areas are in the range of 1 to over 35 mGy per year. Chromosomal aberration studies in the lymphocytes of newborns and adults from these areas have been in progress for two decades. So far, 4156 newborn babies from HLNBR and 7321 from normal background radiation (NBR) areas have been screened for the incidence of chromosomal aberrations (dicentrics and rings). The mean frequency of dicentrics and rings did not show any significant difference between the newborns in the control and the HLNBRA population. Assessment of the frequency of micronuclei in cytochalasin-B blocked binucleated lymphocytes of 49 newborns from control areas and 131 newborns from radioactive areas also showed similar values. While an age-dependent increase in chromosome aberration frequency was observed in the adult samples from control and the study areas, the regression analysis of the data indicated a marginally higher slope for the samples from HLNBRA. Karyotype anomalies recorded so far among the newborns have not revealed any significant difference in the incidence of numerical (including Down syndrome) and structural alterations between the control and the exposed populations. A noteworthy observation, herein reported for the first time from any HLNBR area is that there is no discernible increase in the incidence of micronuclei and chromosomal aberrations in the peripheral lymphocytes of newborn babies hailing from HLNBR areas, where their ancestral generations have lived for several hundreds of years. (author)

Leukaemia and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma: incidence in children and young adults resident in the Dounreay area of Caithness, Scotland in 1968-91

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Black, R.J.; Sharp, L.; Harkness, E.F.; McKinney, P.A.; Leeds Univ.

1994-01-01

The study objective was to review the incidence of leukaemia and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in children and young adults in the area less than 25 km from the Dounreay nuclear installation and the remainder of the Kirkwall postcode area in the full time period for which data are now available (1968-91), and to determine whether the excess incidence reported in the period up to 1984 has continued in subsequent years. (author)

Frequency of CDH1 germline mutations in gastric carcinoma coming from high- and low-risk areas: metanalysis and systematic review of the literature

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Corso, Giovanni; Marrelli, Daniele; Pascale, Valeria; Vindigni, Carla; Roviello, Franco

2012-01-01

The frequency of E-cadherin germline mutations in countries with different incidence rates for gastric carcinoma has not been well established. The goal of this study was to assess the worldwide frequency of CDH1 germline mutations in gastric cancers coming from low- and high-risk areas. English articles using MEDLINE access (from 1998 to 2011). Search terms included CDH1, E-cadherin, germline mutation, gastric cancer, hereditary, familial and diffuse histotype. The study included all E-cadherin germline mutations identified in gastric cancer patients; somatic mutations and germline mutations reported in other tumors were excluded. The method of this study was scheduled in accordance with the 'PRISMA statement for reporting systematic reviews and meta-analyses'. Countries were classified as low- or middle/high risk-areas for gastric carcinoma incidence. Statistical analysis was performed to correlate the CDH1 mutation frequency with gastric cancer incidence areas. A total of 122 E-cadherin germline mutations have been identified; the majority (87.5%) occurred in gastric cancers coming from low-risk areas. In high-risk areas, we identified 16 mutations in which missense mutations were predominant. (68.8%). We verified a significant association between the mutation frequency and the gastric cancer risk area (p < 0.001: overall identified mutations in low- vs. middle/high-risk areas). E-cadherin genetic screenings performed in low-risk areas for gastric cancer identified a higher frequency of CDH1 germline mutations. This data could open new approaches in the gastric cancer prevention test; before proposing a proband candidate for the CDH1 genetic screening, geographic variability, alongside the family history should be considered

A Suitable Approach to Estimate Cancer Incidence in Area without Cancer Registry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mitton, N.; Colonna, M.; Colonna, M.

2011-01-01

Objective. Use of cancer cases from registries and PMSI claims database to estimate Department-specific incidence of four major cancers. Methods. Case extraction used principal diagnosis then surgery codes. PMSI cases/registry cases ratios for 2004 were modelled then Department-specific incidence for 2007 estimated using these ratios and 2007 PMSI cases. Results. For 2007, only colon-rectum and breast cancer estimations were satisfactorily validated for infra national incidence not ovary and kidney cancers. For breast, the estimated national incidence was 50,578 cases and the incidence rate 98.6 cases per 100,000 person per year. For colon-rectum, incidence was 21,172 in men versus 18,327 in women and the incidence rate 38 per 100,000 versus 24.8. For ovary, the estimated incidence was 4,637 and the rate 8.6 per 100,000. For kidney, incidence was 6,775 in men versus 3,273 in women and the rate 13.3 per 100.000 versus 5.2. Conclusion. Incidence estimation using PMSI patient identifiers proved encouraging though still dependent on the assumption of uniform cancer treatments and coding.

Large-area uniform periodic microstructures on fused silica induced by surface phonon polaritons and incident laser

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Chuanchao; Liao, Wei; Zhang, Lijuan; Jiang, Xiaolong; Chen, Jing; Wang, Haijun; Luan, Xiaoyu; Yuan, Xiaodong

2018-06-01

A simple and convenient means to self-organize large-area uniform periodic microstructures on fused silica by using multiple raster scans of microsecond CO2 laser pulses with beam spot overlapping at normal incidence is presented, which is based on laser-induced periodic surface structures (LIPSS) attributed to the interference between surface phonon polaritons and incident CO2 laser. The evolution of fused silica surface morphologies with increasing raster scans indicates that the period of microstructures changed from 10.6 μm to 9 μm and the profiles of microstructures changed from a sinusoidal curve to a half-sinusoidal shape. Numerical simulation results suggest that the formation of the half-sinusoidal profile is due to the exponential relationship between evaporation rate and surface temperature inducing by the intensive interference between surface phonon polaritons and incident laser. The fabricated uniform periodic microstructures show excellent structural color effect in both forward-diffraction and back-diffraction.

Spatiotemporal analysis of brucellosis incidence in Iran from 2011 to 2014 using GIS.

Science.gov (United States)

Pakzad, Reza; Pakzad, Iraj; Safiri, Saeid; Shirzadi, Mohammad Reza; Mohammadpour, Marzieh; Behroozi, Abbas; Sullman, Mark J M; Janati, Ali

2018-02-01

To investigate the distribution and trends associated with brucellosis incidence rates in Iran from 2011 to 2014. The reported incidence rates of brucellosis for the years 2011-2014 were collected and entered into GIS 10.1. The Cochran-Armitage test for linear trends, choropleth maps, hot-spot analysis, and high-low clustering analysis were used to investigate patterns of the disease over the study period and by season, and to identify high-risk areas and any clustering of the disease. The significance level was set at p<0.05. A total of 68493 cases of brucellosis were reported during the study period, giving an average brucellosis incidence rate for this period of 38.67/100000. In 2011, the highest rate of brucellosis was observed in Koohrang County of Chaharmahal-Bakhtiari Province, with 317/100 000. In the subsequent years, 2012-2014, Charuymaq County of East-Azerbaijan Province had incidence rates of 384, 534, and 583/100000, respectively. However, the incidence rate of the disease did not follow a linear trend (p<0.001). The maximum and minimum incidence rates of the disease occurred in mid-summer and mid-winter, respectively. The results of the hot-spot analysis showed that the distribution of the disease was highest in the mountainous areas of Iran, particularly along the Zagros mountain range and in most cities near the Zagros Mountains (p<0.01). In addition, the cluster analysis showed a clustering pattern in these high incidence areas (p<0.01). There were significant differences in the geographic distribution of brucellosis, with the incidence rates being highest in most of the cities in the west and north-west of the country. The incidence of this disease also increased during the summer. It is important to take these patterns into account when allocating resources to combat this disease and to ensure that health programs and other interventions focus on the areas of greatest need. Copyright © 2017 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights

Field assessment of a model tuberculosis outbreak response plan for low-incidence areas

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pascopella Lisa

2007-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background For a regional project in four low-incidence states, we designed a customizable tuberculosis outbreak response plan. Prior to dissemination of the plan, a tuberculosis outbreak occurred, presenting an opportunity to perform a field assessment of the plan. The purpose of the assessment was to ensure that the plan included essential elements to help public health professionals recognize and respond to outbreaks. Methods We designed a semi-structured questionnaire and interviewed all key stakeholders involved in the response. We used common themes to assess validity of and identify gaps in the plan. A subset of participants provided structured feedback on the plan. Results We interviewed 11 public health and six community stakeholders. The assessment demonstrated that (1 almost all of the main response activities were reflected in the plan; (2 the plan added value by providing a definition of a tuberculosis outbreak and guidelines for communication and evaluation. These were areas that lacked written protocols during the actual outbreak response; and (3 basic education about tuberculosis and the interpretation and use of genotyping data were important needs. Stakeholders also suggested adding to the plan questions for evaluation and a section for specific steps to take when an outbreak is suspected. Conclusion An interactive field assessment of a programmatic tool revealed the value of a systematic outbreak response plan with a standard definition of a tuberculosis outbreak, guidelines for communication and evaluation, and response steps. The assessment highlighted the importance of education and training for tuberculosis in low-incidence areas.

Risk Factors Associated with Incident Syphilis in a Cohort of High-Risk Men in Peru

Science.gov (United States)

Konda, Kelika A.; Roberts, Chelsea P.; Maguiña, Jorge L.; Leon, Segundo R.; Clark, Jesse L.; Coates, Thomas J.; Caceres, Carlos F.; Klausner, Jeffrey D.

2016-01-01

Background Syphilis is concentrated among high-risk groups, but the epidemiology of syphilis reinfection is poorly understood. We characterized factors associated with syphilis incidence, including reinfection, in a high-risk cohort in Peru. Methods Participants in the NIMH CPOL trial were assessed at baseline and 2 annual visits with HIV/STI testing and behavioral surveys. Participants diagnosed with syphilis also attended 4- and 9-month visits. All participants underwent syphilis testing with RPR screening and TPPA confirmation. Antibiotic treatment was provided according to CDC guidelines. Reinfection was defined as a 4-fold titer increase or recurrence of seroreactivity after successful treatment with subsequent negative RPR titers. The longitudinal analysis used a Possion generalized estimating equations model with backward selection of variables in the final model (criteria P <0.02). Results Of 2,709 participants, 191 (7.05%) were RPR-reactive (median 1:8, range 1:1–1:1024) with TPPA confirmation. There were 119 total cases of incident syphilis, which included both reinfection and first-time incident cases. In the bivariate analysis, the oldest 2 quartiles of age (incidence ratio (IR) 3.84; P <0.001 and IR 8.15; P <0.001) and being MSM/TW (IR 6.48; P <0.001) were associated with higher risk of incident syphilis infection. Of the sexual risk behaviors, older age of sexual debut (IR 12.53; P <0.001), not being in a stable partnership (IR 1.56, P = 0.035), higher number of sex partners (IR 3.01; P <0.001), unprotected sex in the past 3 months (IR 0.56; P = 0.003), HIV infection at baseline (IR 3.98; P <0.001) and incident HIV infection during the study period (IR 6.26; P = 0.003) were all associated with incident syphilis. In the multivariable analysis, older age group (adjusted incidence ratio (aIR) 6.18; P <0.001), men reporting having sex with a man (aIR 4.63; P <0.001), and incident HIV infection (aIR 4.48; P = 0.008) were significantly associated

Blood parameters in Swedish dairy herds with high or low incidence of displaced abomasum or ketosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Stengärde, Lena; Holtenius, Kjell; Emanuelson, Ulf; Hultgren, Jan; Niskanen, Rauni; Tråvén, Madeleine

2011-10-01

Sixty dairy herds were studied to investigate the association between long-term incidence of displaced abomasum and clinical ketosis and body condition score and blood profiles, including parameters estimating energy metabolism and hepatic lipidosis in the periparturient period and early lactation. Blood samples were taken around parturition and in early lactation from cows without apparent clinical symptoms of metabolic disorders. A difference in metabolism between high and low incidence herds was shown post-partum by a lower metabolic index (the revised Quantitative Insulin Sensitivity Check Index, RQUICKI), and tendencies for higher concentrations of glucose, insulin and non-esterified fatty acids in the high incidence herds. High incidence herds had more cows and produced on average 1400kg energy-corrected milk per cow per year more than the low incidence herds. No differences were found in parameters reflecting liver cell damage. In the first 3weeks post-partum the RQUICKI was a more sensitive marker of herds with a high incidence of displaced abomasum and clinical ketosis than any of the individual parameters, but further research is needed before practical applications of the RQUICKI can be foreseen. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Epidemiology of biological-exposure incidents among Spanish healthcare workers.

Science.gov (United States)

Monge, V; Mato, G; Mariano, A; Fernández, C; Fereres, J

2001-12-01

To determine the frequency and the epidemiological characteristics of biological-exposure incidents occurring among healthcare personnel. Prospective surveillance study. Participating Spanish primary-care and specialty centers from January 1994 to December 1997. 70 centers in 1994, 87 in 1995, 97 in 1996, and 104 in 1997. Absolute and relative frequencies were calculated for several variables (position held, area of care, type of injuring object, activity, etc) and for the different categories of each variable. There were 20,235 registered incidents. Annual incidence rates were as follows: 1994, 51 per 1,000; 1995, 58 per 1,000, 1996, 54 per 1,000; and 1997, 59 per 1,000. Mean age of accident victims was as follows: 1994, 35.68 (standard deviation [SD], 16.26); 1995, 33.6 (SD, 11.9); 1996,38.2 (SD, 17.27); and 1997, 36.7 (SD, 16.33) years. Of the 20,235 incidents, 15,860 (80.7%) occurred to women; 50% (9,833) accidents were among nursing staff. The type of incident most frequently reported was percutaneous injury (81.1%). The highest frequency of accidents was seen in medical and surgical areas (28% and 25.6%, respectively). Blood and blood products were the most commonly involved material (87.6%). Administration of intramuscular or intravenous medication was the activity associated with the highest accident rate (20.3%). The most frequent immediate action in response was rinsing and disinfecting (65.6%). The incident registry was highly stable in terms of incidence rates over the observation period and served to highlight the large number of incidents recorded each year. The potential implications of the results are the need to explore reasons for increased exposures in certain areas, with the aim of focusing prevention efforts, and, similarly, to establish the factors associated with diminished incidence rates to model successful measures.

Longitudinal variation in pressure injury incidence among long-term aged care facilities.

Science.gov (United States)

Jorgensen, Mikaela; Siette, Joyce; Georgiou, Andrew; Westbrook, Johanna I

2018-05-04

To examine variation in pressure injury (PI) incidence among long-term aged care facilities and identify resident- and facility-level factors that explain this variation. Longitudinal incidence study using routinely-collected electronic care management data. A large aged care service provider in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, Australia. About 6556 people aged 65 years and older who were permanent residents in 60 long-term care facilities between December 2014 and November 2016. Risk-adjusted PI incidence rates over eight study quarters. Incidence density over the study period was 1.33 pressure injuries per 1000 resident days (95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.29-1.37). Funnel plots were used to identify variation among facilities. On average, 14% of facilities had risk-adjusted PI rates that were higher than expected in each quarter (above 95% funnel plot control limits). Ten percent of facilities had persistently high rates in any three or more consecutive quarters (n = 6). The variation between facilities was only partly explained by resident characteristics in multilevel regression models. Residents were more likely to have higher-pressure injury rates in facilities in regional areas compared with major city areas (adjusted incidence rate ratio = 1.25, 95% CI = 1.04-1.51), and facilities with persistently high rates were more likely to be located in areas with low socioeconomic status (P = 0.038). There is considerable variation among facilities in PI incidence. This study demonstrates the potential of routinely-collected care management data to monitor PI incidence and to identify facilities that may benefit from targeted intervention.

The incidence and characteristics of supraventricular tachycardia in left atrial isomerism: a high incidence of atrial fibrillation in young patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Miyazaki, Aya; Sakaguchi, Heima; Ohuchi, Hideo; Yamamoto, Tetsuya; Igarashi, Takehiro; Negishi, Jun; Toyota, Naoki; Kagisaki, Koji; Yagihara, Toshikatsu; Yamada, Osamu

2013-06-20

In left atrial isomerism (LAI), both atria show left atrial morphology. Although bradyarrhythmias are frequent and highly complex in LAI patients, previous studies have reported a low incidence of supraventricular tachycardia (SVT). To evaluate the incidence and characteristics of SVT in LAI, we retrospectively evaluated the clinical characteristics of SVTs in 83 patients with LAI (age at last follow-up, 15.3±10.5 years). There were 27 SVTs in 19 patients (23%), including nine episodes of atrial fibrillation (AF) and eight non-reentrant SVTs. Sixteen of the 19 patients with SVT had histories of atriotomy, but the three patients with AF or non-reentrant tachycardia had no history of atriotomy. The rates of freedom from SVT were 66% and 59% at ages of 20 and 30 years, respectively; the corresponding rates for freedom from AF were 89% and 74%. In multivariate analysis, the predictors of SVT were age (OR, 1.14; 95% CI, 1.06-1.26; p=0.003) and sinus node dysfunction (SND) (OR, 3.88; 95% CI, 1.57-13.34; p=0.01). In patients with LAI, SVTs are common, and AF and non-reentrant SVTs are the major type of SVTs. The incidence of AF was high in young patients with LAI. The lack of anatomical barriers in the atria that allow the formation of macro-reentrant circuits may account for the higher incidence of AF and non-reentrant SVT than macro-reentrant tachycardia. Moreover, the increasing prevalence of SND with age should contribute to a higher incidence of SVT. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

HIV Incidence Remains High in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa: Evidence from Three Districts

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Nel, Annaléne; Mabude, Zonke; Smit, Jenni; Kotze, Philip; Arbuckle, Derek; Wu, Jian; van Niekerk, Neliëtte; van de Wijgert, Janneke

2012-01-01

Background: HIV prevalence and incidence among sexually active women in peri-urban areas of Ladysmith, Edendale, and Pinetown, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, were assessed between October 2007 and February 2010 in preparation for vaginal microbicide trials. Methodology/Principal Findings: Sexually

Video incident analysis of concussions in boys' high school lacrosse.

Science.gov (United States)

Lincoln, Andrew E; Caswell, Shane V; Almquist, Jon L; Dunn, Reginald E; Hinton, Richard Y

2013-04-01

Boys' lacrosse has one of the highest rates of concussion among boys' high school sports. A thorough understanding of injury mechanisms and game situations associated with concussions in boys' high school lacrosse is necessary to target injury prevention efforts. To characterize common game-play scenarios and mechanisms of injury associated with concussions in boys' high school lacrosse using game video. Descriptive epidemiological study. In 25 public high schools of a single school system, 518 boys' lacrosse games were videotaped by trained videographers during the 2008 and 2009 seasons. Video of concussion incidents was examined to identify game characteristics and injury mechanisms using a lacrosse-specific coding instrument. A total of 34 concussions were captured on video. All concussions resulted from player-to-player bodily contact. Players were most often injured when contact was unanticipated or players were defenseless (n = 19; 56%), attempting to pick up a loose ball (n = 16; 47%), and/or ball handling (n = 14; 41%). Most frequently, the striking player's head (n = 27; 79%) was involved in the collision, and the struck player's head was the initial point of impact in 20 incidents (59%). In 68% (n = 23) of cases, a subsequent impact with the playing surface occurred immediately after the initial impact. A penalty was called in 26% (n = 9) of collisions. Player-to-player contact was the mechanism for all concussions. Most commonly, injured players were unaware of the pending contact, and the striking player used his head to initiate contact. Further investigation of preventive measures such as education of coaches and officials and enforcement of rules designed to prevent intentional head-to-head contact is warranted to reduce the incidence of concussions in boys' lacrosse.

High incidence of GJB2 gene mutations among assortatively mating ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

High incidence of GJB2 gene mutations among assortatively mating hearing impaired families in Kerala: future implications. Amritkumar Pavithra, Justin Margret Jeffrey, Jayasankaran Chandru, Arabandi Ramesh and C. R. Srikumari Srisailapathy. J. Genet. 93, 207–213. Table 1. Consolidated table of GJB2 mutation status ...

Economic Disparities and Syphilis Incidence in Massachusetts, 2001-2013.

Science.gov (United States)

Smock, Laura; Caten, Evan; Hsu, Katherine; DeMaria, Alfred

We used area-level indicators of poverty to describe economic disparities in the incidence rate of infectious syphilis in Massachusetts to (1) determine whether methods developed in earlier AIDS analyses in Massachusetts could be applied to syphilis and (2) characterize syphilis trends during a time of increased rates of syphilis incidence. Using census tract data and population counts from the US Census Bureau and Massachusetts data on syphilis, we analyzed the incidence rate of syphilis infection from 2001 to 2013 by the poverty level of the census tract in which people with syphilis resided, stratified by age, sex, and race/ethnicity. The syphilis incidence rate increased in all census tract groups in Massachusetts from 2001 to 2013, and disparities in incidence rates by area poverty level persisted over time. The overall incidence rate of syphilis increased 6.9-fold from 2001 to 2013 in all census tract poverty-level groupings (from 1.5 to 10.3 per 100 000 population), but the rise in rate was especially high in the poorest census tracts (from 5.6 to 31.0 per 100 000 population) and among men (from 2.2 to 19.4 per 100 000 population). The highest syphilis incidence rate was among non-Hispanic black people. The largest changes in incidence rate occurred after 2010. One region had a disproportionate increase in incidence rates and a disproportionate impact on the statewide trend. Census tract poverty analyses can inform the targeting of interventions that make progress toward reducing disparities in rates of syphilis incidence possible.

Life-Style Habits in a High-Risk Area for Upper Gastrointestinal Cancers: a Population-Based Study from Shanxi, China.

Science.gov (United States)

Cheng, Yi-Kun; Yao, Shang-Man; Xu, Yi-Ran; Niu, Run-Gui

2016-01-01

Cancer is a burden on humanity and ranks as a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in China. Shanxi province has its unique cancer patterns and the burden is increasing. In this study, we aimed to assess the pattern of dietary habits and life-style in Shanxi, a high-risk area for upper gastrointestinal cancers in China and further evaluate the trends in cancer incidence and mortality based on registered data. Data on lifestyle, diet, physical activity were obtained from the household health survey at Zhongyang from 2013 to 2015. Cancer diagnoses were reported to Shanxi Center for Disease Control and Prevention (SCDCP). Population-based cancer incidence data and mortality data of 2012 were collected from the SCDCP. All incidence and death rates were expressed per 100,000 populations. Univariate analysis was performed using the Chi-squared test or Fisherandapos;s exact test. Overall, deficiencies in fresh fruits and vegetable food, and intake of hot food, salted food, or pickled food are serious problems in Shanxi, especially in rural areas. Upper gastrointestinal cancers were the most commonly diagnosed cancers, and the incidence in rural areas is higher than those in urban areas. Cervical cancer is the most common cancer for females. Moreover, the agespecific incidence exhibited an increased trend before 40 years old. Consistent with the previous literature, our epidemiological investigation results suggest that lifestyle, nutrition deficient, and infections were major risk factors for upper gastrointestinal cancers or cervical cancer in Shanxi. Facing a serious situation, we further explored defensible recommendations for the general public in order to promote changes in environments that support healthful eating and physical activity habits, to reduce cancer risk. Our results present the current cancer trends in Shanxi and its related etiologic risk factors and provide a theoretical basis to guide public health efforts to prevent and control cancers in the

Psychological Trauma in the Workplace: Variation of Incident Severity among Industry Settings and between Recurring vs Isolated Incidents.

Science.gov (United States)

DeFraia, G S

2015-07-01

Psychologically traumatic workplace events (known as critical incidents) occur within various work environments, with workgroups in certain industries vulnerable to multiple incidents. With the increasing prevalence of incidents in the USA, incident response is a growing practice area within occupational medicine, industrial psychology, occupational social work and other occupational health professions. To analyze a measure of incident severity based on level of disruption to the workplace and explore whether incident severity varied among different industry settings or between workgroups experiencing multiple vs single traumatic incidents. Administrative data mining was employed to examine practice data from a workplace trauma response unit in the USA. Bivariate analyses were conducted to test whether scores from an instrument measuring incident severity level varied among industry settings or between workgroups impacted by multiple vs isolated events. Incident severity level differed among various industry settings. Banks, retail stores and fast food restaurants accounted for the most severe incidents, while industrial and manufacturing sites reported less severe incidents. Workgroups experiencing multiple incidents reported more severe incidents than workgroups experiencing a single incident. Occupational health practitioners should be alert to industry differences in several areas: pre-incident resiliency training, the content of business recovery plans, assessing worker characteristics, strategies to assist continuous operations and assisting workgroups impacted by multiple or severe incidents.

High background radiation area: an important source of exploring the health effects of low dose ionizing radiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wei Luxin

1997-01-01

Objective: For obtaining more effective data from epidemiological investigation in high background radiation areas, it is necessary to analyze the advantages, disadvantages, weak points and problems of this kind of radiation research. Methods: For epidemiological investigation of population health effects of high background radiation, the author selected high background radiation areas of Yangjiang (HBRA) and a nearby control area (CA) as an instance for analysis. The investigation included classification of dose groups, comparison of the confounding factors in the incidence of mutation related diseases, cancer mortalities and the frequencies of chromosomal aberrations between HBRA and CA. This research program has become a China-Japan cooperative research since 1991. Results: The confounding factors above-mentioned were comparable between HBRA and CA, and within the dose groups in HBRA, based on a systematic study for many years. The frequencies of chromosomal aberrations increased with the increase of cumulative dose, but not for children around or below 10 years of age. The relative risks (RR) of total and site-specific cancer mortalities for HBRA were lower or around 1.00, compared with CA. The incidence of hereditary diseases and congenital deformities in HBRA were in normal range. The results were interpreted preliminarily by the modified 'dual radiation action' theory and the 'benefit-detriment competition' hypothesis. Conclusions: The author emphasizes the necessity for continuing epidemiological research in HBRA, especially for international cooperation. He also emphasizes the importance of combination of epidemiology and radiobiology

Is environmental radon gas associated with the incidence of neurodegenerative conditions? A retrospective study of multiple sclerosis in radon affected areas in England and Wales

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Groves-Kirkby, Christopher J.; Denman, Antony R.; Campbell, Jackie; Crockett, Robin G.M.; Phillips, Paul S.; Rogers, Stephen

2016-01-01

To test whether an association exists between radon gas concentration in the home and increased multiple sclerosis (MS) incidence, a retrospective study was undertaken of MS incidence in known areas of raised domestic radon concentration in England and Wales, using The Health Improvement Network (THIN) clinical research database. The study population comprised 20,140,498 person-years of clinical monitoring (males: 10,056,628: 49.93%; females: 10,083,870: 50.07%), representing a mean annual population of 2.5 million individuals. To allow for the possible latency of MS initiation following exposure, data extraction was limited to patients with at least five years registration history with the same GP practice before first diagnosis. Patient records were allocated to one of nine radon concentration bands depending on the average radon level in their postcode sector. MS incidence was analysed by searching for patients with first MS diagnosis over the eight calendar years 2005–2012 inclusive. 1512 new MS cases were diagnosed, 1070 females, 442 males, equivalent to raw incidence rates of 7.51, 10.61 and 4.40 per 10 5 person-years respectively, comparable to previously reported results. Of these new cases, 115 could be allocated to one of the radon bands representing high radon areas. Standardising to the UK 2010 population, excess relative risk (ERR) figures for MS were calculated for each radon band. Linear regression of ERR against mean band radon concentration shows a positive gradient of 0.22 per 100 Bq·m −3 (R 2  = 0.25, p = 0.0961) when forced through the origin to represent a linear-no-threshold response. The null hypothesis falls inside the 95% confidence interval for the linear fit and therefore this fit is not statistically significant. We conclude that, despite THIN sampling around 5% of the population, insufficient data was available to confirm or refute the hypothesised association between MS incidence and radon concentration. - Highlights: �

An opinion survey on the image of incidents or accidents at a final disposal site for high-level radioactive waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tanigaki, Toshihiko

2008-01-01

Previous studies show that a major psychological factor of attitudes toward final disposal sites for high-level radioactive waste (hereinafter referred to as 'disposal sites') is risk perception. On the basis of this finding, the present survey attempted to identify mental images of assumable incidents and accidents likely to occur at disposal sites. Specifically, 402 respondents in the Kansai Area were asked to describe their mental image of what kind/level of incident or accident could possibly occur at a Disposal Site by what cause and what size of damage was expectable from such incident/accident. The results showed that following: regarding assumable incidents/accidents (1) people are most afraid of a large-scale natural disaster including a major earthquake beyond an assumed level of intensity, that they feel would probably generate the heaviest damage, (2) people assume that no major accident leading to serious damage is likely to occur in the early days after the launch of operation, (3) people have an impression that the longer the passage of time, the higher the probability of incident/accident occurrence becomes, regardless of the size of resulting damage. Those who strongly feel that Disposal Sites are dangerous are, when compared to others who do not have such a strong impression, apt to overestimate the size of assumable damage regardless of the cause of damage and also to overestimate the growth rate of the probability of incident/accident occurrence over the course of time. (author)

Psychological Trauma in the Workplace: Variation of Incident Severity among Industry Settings and between Recurring vs Isolated Incidents

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GS DeFraia

2015-07-01

Full Text Available Background: Psychologically traumatic workplace events (known as critical incidents occur within various work environments, with workgroups in certain industries vulnerable to multiple incidents. With the increasing prevalence of incidents in the USA, incident response is a growing practice area within occupational medicine, industrial psychology, occupational social work and other occupational health professions. Objective: To analyze a measure of incident severity based on level of disruption to the workplace and explore whether incident severity varied among different industry settings or between workgroups experiencing multiple vs single traumatic incidents. Methods: Administrative data mining was employed to examine practice data from a workplace trauma response unit in the USA. Bivariate analyses were conducted to test whether scores from an instrument measuring incident severity level varied among industry settings or between workgroups impacted by multiple vs isolated events. Results: Incident severity level differed among various industry settings. Banks, retail stores and fast food restaurants accounted for the most severe incidents, while industrial and manufacturing sites reported less severe incidents. Workgroups experiencing multiple incidents reported more severe incidents than workgroups experiencing a single incident. Conclusion: Occupational health practitioners should be alert to industry differences in several areas: pre-incident resiliency training, the content of business recovery plans, assessing worker characteristics, strategies to assist continuous operations and assisting workgroups impacted by multiple or severe incidents.

Shared susceptibility loci at 2q33 region for lung and esophageal cancers in high-incidence areas of esophageal cancer in northern China.

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Xue Ke Zhao

Full Text Available Cancers from lung and esophagus are the leading causes of cancer-related deaths in China and share many similarities in terms of histological type, risk factors and genetic variants. Recent genome-wide association studies (GWAS in Chinese esophageal cancer patients have demonstrated six high-risk candidate single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs. Thus, the present study aimed to determine the risk of these SNPs predisposing to lung cancer in Chinese population.A total of 1170 lung cancer patients and 1530 normal subjects were enrolled in this study from high-incidence areas for esophageal cancer in Henan, northern China. Five milliliters of blood were collected from all subjects for genotyping. Genotyping of 20 high-risk SNP loci identified from genome-wide association studies (GWAS on esophageal, lung and gastric cancers was performed using TaqMan allelic discrimination assays. Polymorphisms were examined for deviation from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (HWE using Х2 test. Bonferroni correction was performed to correct the statistical significance of 20 SNPs with the risk of lung cancer. The Pearson's Х2 test was used to compare the distributions of gender, TNM stage, histopathological type, smoking and family history by lung susceptibility genotypes. Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression analyses were carried out to evaluate the associations between genetic variants and overall survival.Four of the 20 SNPs identified as high-risk SNPs in Chinese esophageal cancer showed increased risk for Chinese lung cancer, which included rs3769823 (OR = 1.26; 95% CI = 1.107-1.509; P = 0.02, rs10931936 (OR = 1.283; 95% CI = 1.100-1.495; P = 0.04, rs2244438 (OR = 1.294; 95% CI = 1.098-1.525; P = 0.04 and rs13016963 (OR = 1.268; 95% CI = 1.089-1.447; P = 0.04. All these SNPs were located at 2q33 region harboringgenes of CASP8, ALS2CR12 and TRAK2. However, none of these susceptibility SNPs was observed to be significantly associated with gender, TNM stage

Shared susceptibility loci at 2q33 region for lung and esophageal cancers in high-incidence areas of esophageal cancer in northern China.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Xue Ke; Mao, Yi Min; Meng, Hui; Song, Xin; Hu, Shou Jia; Lv, Shuang; Cheng, Rang; Zhang, Tang Juan; Han, Xue Na; Ren, Jing Li; Qi, Yi Jun; Wang, Li Dong

2017-01-01

Cancers from lung and esophagus are the leading causes of cancer-related deaths in China and share many similarities in terms of histological type, risk factors and genetic variants. Recent genome-wide association studies (GWAS) in Chinese esophageal cancer patients have demonstrated six high-risk candidate single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Thus, the present study aimed to determine the risk of these SNPs predisposing to lung cancer in Chinese population. A total of 1170 lung cancer patients and 1530 normal subjects were enrolled in this study from high-incidence areas for esophageal cancer in Henan, northern China. Five milliliters of blood were collected from all subjects for genotyping. Genotyping of 20 high-risk SNP loci identified from genome-wide association studies (GWAS) on esophageal, lung and gastric cancers was performed using TaqMan allelic discrimination assays. Polymorphisms were examined for deviation from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (HWE) using Х2 test. Bonferroni correction was performed to correct the statistical significance of 20 SNPs with the risk of lung cancer. The Pearson's Х2 test was used to compare the distributions of gender, TNM stage, histopathological type, smoking and family history by lung susceptibility genotypes. Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression analyses were carried out to evaluate the associations between genetic variants and overall survival. Four of the 20 SNPs identified as high-risk SNPs in Chinese esophageal cancer showed increased risk for Chinese lung cancer, which included rs3769823 (OR = 1.26; 95% CI = 1.107-1.509; P = 0.02), rs10931936 (OR = 1.283; 95% CI = 1.100-1.495; P = 0.04), rs2244438 (OR = 1.294; 95% CI = 1.098-1.525; P = 0.04) and rs13016963 (OR = 1.268; 95% CI = 1.089-1.447; P = 0.04). All these SNPs were located at 2q33 region harboringgenes of CASP8, ALS2CR12 and TRAK2. However, none of these susceptibility SNPs was observed to be significantly associated with gender, TNM stage, histopathological type

Clinical presentation, demographics and outcome of Tuberculosis (TB in a low incidence area: a 4-year study in Geneva, Switzerland

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Rochat Thierry

2009-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The incidence of tuberculosis (TB in developed countries has decreased since the 1990s, reflecting worldwide efforts to identify and treat TB according to WHO recommendations. However TB remains an important public health problem in industrialized countries with a high proportion of cases occurring among subjects originating from high prevalence countries. The aim of this study was to describe clinical and social characteristics of patients with TB and their outcome in a low incidence area with a high immigration rate. Methods Four-year retrospective study based on a computerized database and subsequent review of medical records of all patients with TB followed at the outpatient section of the Division of Pulmonary Diseases, Geneva University Hospital, Switzerland. Results 252 patients (84% foreigners, 25% asylum seekers aged 38 ± 19 yrs were studied (11% co-infected with HIV. TB was intrapulmonary (TBP in 158 cases (63%, extrapulmonary (TBE in 137 (54%, and both in 43 cases (17%. TBP was smear (S+/culture (C+ in 59%, S-/C+ in 37%, S-/C- in 4%. Smoking was significantly associated with cavitary disease. Time from onset of symptoms to diagnosis was 2.1 ± 3.1 months. Initially, 10% were asymptomatic; 35% had no general symptoms. Despite systematic sputum analysis (induced or spontaneous, TBP was confirmed only by bronchoscopy in 38 subjects (24% of TBP. Side effects requiring changes in treatment occurred in 38 cases (11%. Treatment was completed in 210 (83% patients. In 42 cases, follow up was unsuccessful; causes were: failure (n = 2; 0.8%, defaulters (n = 8; 3%, transfer out (n = 28; 11% and death (n = 4; 1.6%. Relapse rate was 0.24 per 100 patient-years. Considering S+ TBP only, success rate was 87%. Conclusion TB in our area is predominantly a disease of young foreign-born subjects. Smoking appears as a possible risk factor for cavitary TBP. Time to diagnosis remains long. Compliance to treatment is satisfactory. Success

Analysing malaria incidence at the small area level for developing a spatial decision support system: A case study in Kalaburagi, Karnataka, India.

Science.gov (United States)

Shekhar, S; Yoo, E-H; Ahmed, S A; Haining, R; Kadannolly, S

2017-02-01

Spatial decision support systems have already proved their value in helping to reduce infectious diseases but to be effective they need to be designed to reflect local circumstances and local data availability. We report the first stage of a project to develop a spatial decision support system for infectious diseases for Karnataka State in India. The focus of this paper is on malaria incidence and we draw on small area data on new cases of malaria analysed in two-monthly time intervals over the period February 2012 to January 2016 for Kalaburagi taluk, a small area in Karnataka. We report the results of data mapping and cluster detection (identifying areas of excess risk) including evaluating the temporal persistence of excess risk and the local conditions with which high counts are statistically associated. We comment on how this work might feed into a practical spatial decision support system. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Spatial analysis of land cover determinants of malaria incidence in the Ashanti Region, Ghana.

Science.gov (United States)

Krefis, Anne Caroline; Schwarz, Norbert Georg; Nkrumah, Bernard; Acquah, Samuel; Loag, Wibke; Oldeland, Jens; Sarpong, Nimako; Adu-Sarkodie, Yaw; Ranft, Ulrich; May, Jürgen

2011-03-23

Malaria belongs to the infectious diseases with the highest morbidity and mortality worldwide. As a vector-borne disease malaria distribution is strongly influenced by environmental factors. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between malaria risk and different land cover classes by using high-resolution multispectral Ikonos images and Poisson regression analyses. The association of malaria incidence with land cover around 12 villages in the Ashanti Region, Ghana, was assessed in 1,988 children <15 years of age. The median malaria incidence was 85.7 per 1,000 inhabitants and year (range 28.4-272.7). Swampy areas and banana/plantain production in the proximity of villages were strong predictors of a high malaria incidence. An increase of 10% of swampy area coverage in the 2 km radius around a village led to a 43% higher incidence (relative risk [RR] = 1.43, p<0.001). Each 10% increase of area with banana/plantain production around a village tripled the risk for malaria (RR = 3.25, p<0.001). An increase in forested area of 10% was associated with a 47% decrease of malaria incidence (RR = 0.53, p = 0.029). Distinct cultivation in the proximity of homesteads was associated with childhood malaria in a rural area in Ghana. The analyses demonstrate the usefulness of satellite images for the prediction of malaria endemicity. Thus, planning and monitoring of malaria control measures should be assisted by models based on geographic information systems.

Cancer incidence and mortality: A cohort study in China, 2008-2013.

Science.gov (United States)

Pan, Rui; Zhu, Meng; Yu, Canqing; Lv, Jun; Guo, Yu; Bian, Zheng; Yang, Ling; Chen, Yiping; Hu, Zhibin; Chen, Zhengming; Li, Liming; Shen, Hongbing

2017-10-01

The National Central Cancer Registry of China (NCCR) was the only available source of cancer monitoring in China, even though only about 70% of cancer registration sites were qualified by now. In this study, based on a national large prospective cohort-the China Kadoorie Biobank (CKB), we aimed to provide additional cancer statistics and compare the difference of cancer burden between urban and rural areas of China. A total of 497,693 cancer-free participants aged 35-74 years were recruited and successfully followed up from 2004 to 2013 in 5 urban and 5 rural areas across China. Except for traditional registration systems, the national health insurance system and active follow-up were used to determine new cancer incidents and related deaths. The mortality-to-incidence ratio (MIR) was used to compare the differences of cancer burden between urban and rural areas of China. We found that cancer mortality coincided well between our cohort and NCCR, while the incidence was much higher in our cohort. Based on CKB, we found the MIR of all cancers was 0.54 in rural areas, which was approximately one-third higher than that in urban areas with 0.39. Cancer profiles in urban areas were transiting to Western distributions, which were characterized with high incidences of breast cancer and colorectal cancer; while cancers of the esophagus, liver and cervix uteri were still common in rural areas of China. Our results provide additional cancer statistics of China and demonstrate the differences of cancer burden between urban and rural areas of China. © 2017 UICC.

Incidence and Antimicrobial Sensitivity Profiles of Normal Conjunctiva Bacterial Flora in the Central Area of China: A Hospital-Based Study

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Hua Tao

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Objective: To study the distribution and patterns of resistance to antimicrobial agents of normal conjunctival bacteria.Materials and Methods: Conjunctival specimens were collected from 8,224 patients and then cultured, which underwent antimicrobial susceptibility test following standard methods. Patients with infectious symptoms such as erythema or oedema and those using systemic or topical antibiotics within 1 month were excluded.Results: In this study, the incidence of isolated bacteria was 24.2%. The middle aged group of 41–65 years presented the lowest rate of bacterial isolation which was 19.4%, while the highest isolation rate (83.1% was found in patients in the age range of 0–6 years. In every age group, the incidence of bacterial isolation in men was higher than that in women. The top 3 most commonly isolated micro-organisms were Staphylococcus epidermidis (39.7%, Streptococcus pneumoniae (4.5%, and Staphylococcus aureus (2.7%, of which about 83.1% S. aureus were isolated in the group of 0-6 years. We found that coagulase-negative Staphylococcus (CONS were more resistant to penicillin, macrolides, clindamycin and sulfonamides with the rate ranging from 57.9 to 90.8%, which were highly susceptible to vancomycin, linezolid, rifampin, tetracyclines, and aminoglycosides. Contrasting to CONS, the general resistance rate of S. aureus was significantly lower. Additionally, Streptococcus was susceptible well to the majority of antimicrobial agents, while highly resistant to macrolides and tetracyclines with the rate >80%.Conclusions: In conclusion, our study revealed the incidence and antimicrobial sensitivity profiles of normal conjunctiva bacterial flora in the central area of China, which could be useful in the prevention of ocular infections. Importantly, our data could be used to guide the selection of appropriate prophylactic agents.

Differences in agricultural activities related to incidence of scrub typhus between Korea and Japan.

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Chang-Jin; Oh, Gyung-Jae; Kang, Gong-Unn; Lee, Jeong Mi; Lee, Da-Un; Nam, Hae-Sung; Ryu, So Yeon; Lee, Young-Hoon

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study was to establish a basis for improving or strengthening the preventive strategy against scrub typhus in Korea by comparing and analyzing the difference of prevention behaviors contributing to the occurrence of scrub typhus in Japan and Korea. The survey was carried out in Jeollabuk-do, which is a high risk and high incidence area, and Fukuoka Prefecture, which is a high risk and low incidence area. The study included 406 Korean farmers and 216 Japanese farmers. Data were collected through face-to-face surveys by interviewers who had completed standardized education. Korean farmers have a higher percentage of agricultural working posture that involved contact with weeds than Japanese farmers (pwork was more appropriate for Japanese farmers than for Korean farmers (pwork was lower in Korea than in Japan, lower in men than women, and lower in part-time farmers than full-time farmers (p<0.05). This study suggests that it is reasonable to develop and provide a program that can improve the level of preventive behavior taking into consideration the characteristics of the subject in order to reduce the incidence of diseases in high-risk areas for scrub typhus.

Incidence of human malaria infection in central areas of balochistan: mastung and khuzdar

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yasinzai, M.I.; Kakarsulemankhet, J.K.

2007-01-01

To determine the incidence of malarial parasites in human population of Mastung and Khuzdar areas of Pakistan. Malarial parasites were identified in the blood slides of suspected patients of the disease from July, 2004 to June, 2006 in 7852 subjects. Out of 7852 suspected cases of malaria, 2092 (26.64 %) were found to be positive for malarial parasite. In Mastung, out of 3644 suspected cases, 896 (24.58 %) were found to be positive for malarial parasites with 52.67 % (472/896) identified as P. vivax and 47.32 % (424/ 896) as P. falciparum infection. The highest rate of infections (73.13 %) was recorded in August while lowest rate of infection (24.27%) was noted in October. In Khuzdar, out of 4208 suspected cases, 1196 (28.42 %) were found to be positive for malarial parasites with 69.89 % (836/1196) identified as P. vivax. and 30.10 % (360/1196) as P. falciparum infection. The highest rate of infections (84.84%) was recorded in December while the lowest rate of infection (56.06%) was noted in October. There was no case of Plasmodium malaria and P. ovale infection observed in the present study. An over all prevalence rate of 62.52 % of P. vivax was seen. There is no association between types of infection and age of subjects. This high prevalence pose a serious public health threat. (author)

Geophysical variables and behavior: LIII. Epidemiological considerations for incidence of cancer and depression in areas of frequent UFO reports.

Science.gov (United States)

Persinger, M A

1988-12-01

Luminous phenomena and anomalous physical forces have been hypothesized to be generated by focal tectonic strain fields that precede earthquakes. If these geophysical processes exist, then their spatial and temporal density should be greatest during periods of protracted, localized UFO reports; they might be used as dosimetric indicators. Contemporary epidemiological data concerning the health risks of power frequency electromagnetic fields and radon gas levels (expected correlates of certain tectonic strain fields), suggest that increased incidence (odds ratios greater 1:3) of brain tumors and leukemia should be evident within "flap" areas. In addition the frequency of variants of temporal lobe lability, psychological depression and posttraumatic stress should be significantly elevated. UFO field investigators, because they have repeated, intermittent close proximity to these fields, are considered to be a particularly high risk population for these disorders.

Cancer incidence in Bucaramanga Metropolitan Area, 2000-2004. First five years report from population based cancer registry of Metropolitan Area of Bucaramanga.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Erika Eliana Meza Durán

2007-11-01

Full Text Available Cancer is one of the most common chronic diseases that cause high morbidity and mortality. In the evaluation of all illnessand its impact on the community, a surveillance system becomes necessary to allows us to know its incidence. Cancersurveillance is achieved by the population-based cancer registry. Methodology: The Population Based Cancer Registry ofMetropolitan Area of Bucaramanga (RPC-AMB collected information from the years 2000 to 2004, in patients with anymalignant cancer the which include both invasive and in situ behavior in addition to reside within this geographical area . TheCancer Registry also collects data on brain and nervous system tumors classified as benign or those that have uncertainbehavior. Basal cell cancers of the skin were included during the two first years as well as all the intraepithelial neoplasm ofthe cervix. Active collections of information at all sources by registry staff were made (Hospitals, Health care institutions,especially oncology centers and Pathology and Hematology Laboratories and some specialist in oncology attention. Theinclusion approaches are verified and collects data on specific sociodemographic information (age, gender, residence, placeof birth, etc. and on the anatomic site of the tumor, the cell type of the cancer, behavior and extension on each individualdiagnosed with cancer. Each case was coded using the International Classification of Diseases Oncology Third Edition (ICDO-3, for topographical and morphological code. The data was entered into a computer with CanReg-4 software that is aconfigurable computer program designed for cancer registration in population-based registries and was provided as aservice by the Descriptive Epidemiology Unit to members of the International Association of Cancer Registries. This softwareprovides the number of cancer cases (frequency and the incidence rates. The quality control included exhaustiveness of thecases and information, verification of the

The incidence of S. aureus bacteraemia in acute hospitals of the Mid-Western Area, Ireland, 2002-2004.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Whyte, D

2005-05-01

Concerns about healthcare-associated infections and the global crisis in antimicrobial resistance has combined to accentuate the fears around so-called "superbugs". In Ireland there is no single agreed indicator regarded as a true measure of the level of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in hospitals. The objective of this study was to compare two crude measures of MRSA--the percentage of bacteraemia caused by MRSA and the incidence rate (per 1000 bed days used) of MRSA bacteraemia in six acute hospitals. We examined all blood cultures positive for S. aureus (methicillin sensitive and resistant) from 2002 to 2004 in the Health Service Executive (HSE) Mid-Western Area of Ireland. Hospital In-Patient Enquiry (HIPE) data was used to determine monthly in-patient bed days used. Of 245 patient episodes of bacteraemia, 119 were MRSA. The trends in the percentage of isolates that were MRSA and the incidence rate calculated were compared. The incidence rate appears to be a more reliable and robust indicator of MRSA in hospitals than the percentage. Despite many difficulties in interpreting indicators of MRSA they should not preclude the regular publication of data at least at regional level in Ireland.

Symmetry consideration in zero loop-area Sagnac interferometry at oblique incidence for detecting magneto-optic Kerr effects.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, X D

2017-08-01

I present a detailed account of a zero loop-area Sagnac interferometer operated at oblique incidence for detecting magneto-optic Kerr effects arising from a magnetized sample. In particular, I describe the symmetry consideration and various optical arrangements available to such an interferometer that enables measurements of magneto-optic effects due to both in-plane and out-of-plane magnetization of the sample with optimizable signal-to-noise ratios.

Magnesium-to-calcium ratio in tap water, and its relationship to geological features and the incidence of calcium-containing urinary stones.

Science.gov (United States)

Kohri, K; Kodama, M; Ishikawa, Y; Katayama, Y; Takada, M; Katoh, Y; Kataoka, K; Iguchi, M; Kurita, T

1989-11-01

We examined the relationship among magnesium and calcium content in tap water, the geological features and urinary stone incidence in Japan. The magnesium-to-calcium ratio in tap water correlated negatively with the incidence of urolithiasis. There was no correlation between calcium and magnesium concentration in tap water and urinary stone incidence. Geological features in Japan were classified into 5 groups. The magnesium-to-calcium ratio in the basalt areas was higher than in the other areas, while ratio in the granite areas was low. In the sedimentary rock areas calcium and magnesium concentrations were high; the magnesium-to-calcium ratio in these areas was between those of the basalt and granite areas. The limestone areas had a much higher calcium concentration. The incidence of urinary stones in the sedimentary rock and basalt areas was lower than that of the granite areas, while that in the limestone areas was the highest. Thus, the incidence of urinary stone is related to the magnesium-to-calcium ratio in tap water and the geological area.

Local level epidemiological analysis of TB in people from a high incidence country of birth

OpenAIRE

Massey Peter D; Durrheim David N; Stephens Nicola; Christensen Amanda

2013-01-01

Abstract Background The setting for this analysis is the low tuberculosis (TB) incidence state of New South Wales (NSW), Australia. Local level analysis of TB epidemiology in people from high incidence countries-of-birth (HIC) in a low incidence setting has not been conducted in Australia and has not been widely reported. Local level analysis could inform measures such as active case finding and targeted earlier diagnosis. The aim of this study was to use a novel approach to identify local ar...

A method of incident angle estimation for high resolution spectral recovery in filter-array-based spectrometers

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Cheolsun; Lee, Woong-Bi; Ju, Gun Wu; Cho, Jeonghoon; Kim, Seongmin; Oh, Jinkyung; Lim, Dongsung; Lee, Yong Tak; Lee, Heung-No

2017-02-01

In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in miniature spectrometers for research and development. Especially, filter-array-based spectrometers have advantages of low cost and portability, and can be applied in various fields such as biology, chemistry and food industry. Miniaturization in optical filters causes degradation of spectral resolution due to limitations on spectral responses and the number of filters. Nowadays, many studies have been reported that the filter-array-based spectrometers have achieved resolution improvements by using digital signal processing (DSP) techniques. The performance of the DSP-based spectral recovery highly depends on the prior information of transmission functions (TFs) of the filters. The TFs vary with respect to an incident angle of light onto the filter-array. Conventionally, it is assumed that the incident angle of light on the filters is fixed and the TFs are known to the DSP. However, the incident angle is inconstant according to various environments and applications, and thus TFs also vary, which leads to performance degradation of spectral recovery. In this paper, we propose a method of incident angle estimation (IAE) for high resolution spectral recovery in the filter-array-based spectrometers. By exploiting sparse signal reconstruction of the L1- norm minimization, IAE estimates an incident angle among all possible incident angles which minimizes the error of the reconstructed signal. Based on IAE, DSP effectively provides a high resolution spectral recovery in the filter-array-based spectrometers.

The high incidence of intestinal volvulus in Iran 1

Science.gov (United States)

Saidi, Farrokh

1969-01-01

The incidence of intestinal volvulus gleaned from the world's medical literature spread over the past seven decades supports the contention that this bowel disorder has distinct geographical predilections. Sigmoid volvulus, invariably superimposed upon a redundancy of this part of the bowel, probably results from a functional disturbance of the colon mediated perhaps by a high-residue vegetable diet. The same factors appear to hold for small bowel volvulus, though caecal volvulus occurs strictly on the basis of preexisting anatomical abnormalities. ImagesFIG. 1 PMID:5350109

Modelling malaria incidence with environmental dependency in a locality of Sudanese savannah area, Mali.

Science.gov (United States)

Gaudart, Jean; Touré, Ousmane; Dessay, Nadine; Dicko, A Lassane; Ranque, Stéphane; Forest, Loic; Demongeot, Jacques; Doumbo, Ogobara K

2009-04-10

The risk of Plasmodium falciparum infection is variable over space and time and this variability is related to environmental variability. Environmental factors affect the biological cycle of both vector and parasite. Despite this strong relationship, environmental effects have rarely been included in malaria transmission models.Remote sensing data on environment were incorporated into a temporal model of the transmission, to forecast the evolution of malaria epidemiology, in a locality of Sudanese savannah area. A dynamic cohort was constituted in June 1996 and followed up until June 2001 in the locality of Bancoumana, Mali. The 15-day composite vegetation index (NDVI), issued from satellite imagery series (NOAA) from July 1981 to December 2006, was used as remote sensing data.The statistical relationship between NDVI and incidence of P. falciparum infection was assessed by ARIMA analysis. ROC analysis provided an NDVI value for the prediction of an increase in incidence of parasitaemia.Malaria transmission was modelled using an SIRS-type model, adapted to Bancoumana's data. Environmental factors influenced vector mortality and aggressiveness, as well as length of the gonotrophic cycle. NDVI observations from 1981 to 2001 were used for the simulation of the extrinsic variable of a hidden Markov chain model. Observations from 2002 to 2006 served as external validation. The seasonal pattern of P. falciparum incidence was significantly explained by NDVI, with a delay of 15 days (p = 0.001). An NDVI threshold of 0.361 (p = 0.007) provided a Diagnostic Odd Ratio (DOR) of 2.64 (CI95% [1.26;5.52]).The deterministic transmission model, with stochastic environmental factor, predicted an endemo-epidemic pattern of malaria infection. The incidences of parasitaemia were adequately modelled, using the observed NDVI as well as the NDVI simulations. Transmission pattern have been modelled and observed values were adequately predicted. The error parameters have shown the smallest

Modelling malaria incidence with environmental dependency in a locality of Sudanese savannah area, Mali

Science.gov (United States)

Gaudart, Jean; Touré, Ousmane; Dessay, Nadine; Dicko, A lassane; Ranque, Stéphane; Forest, Loic; Demongeot, Jacques; Doumbo, Ogobara K

2009-01-01

Background The risk of Plasmodium falciparum infection is variable over space and time and this variability is related to environmental variability. Environmental factors affect the biological cycle of both vector and parasite. Despite this strong relationship, environmental effects have rarely been included in malaria transmission models. Remote sensing data on environment were incorporated into a temporal model of the transmission, to forecast the evolution of malaria epidemiology, in a locality of Sudanese savannah area. Methods A dynamic cohort was constituted in June 1996 and followed up until June 2001 in the locality of Bancoumana, Mali. The 15-day composite vegetation index (NDVI), issued from satellite imagery series (NOAA) from July 1981 to December 2006, was used as remote sensing data. The statistical relationship between NDVI and incidence of P. falciparum infection was assessed by ARIMA analysis. ROC analysis provided an NDVI value for the prediction of an increase in incidence of parasitaemia. Malaria transmission was modelled using an SIRS-type model, adapted to Bancoumana's data. Environmental factors influenced vector mortality and aggressiveness, as well as length of the gonotrophic cycle. NDVI observations from 1981 to 2001 were used for the simulation of the extrinsic variable of a hidden Markov chain model. Observations from 2002 to 2006 served as external validation. Results The seasonal pattern of P. falciparum incidence was significantly explained by NDVI, with a delay of 15 days (p = 0.001). An NDVI threshold of 0.361 (p = 0.007) provided a Diagnostic Odd Ratio (DOR) of 2.64 (CI95% [1.26;5.52]). The deterministic transmission model, with stochastic environmental factor, predicted an endemo-epidemic pattern of malaria infection. The incidences of parasitaemia were adequately modelled, using the observed NDVI as well as the NDVI simulations. Transmission pattern have been modelled and observed values were adequately predicted. The error

Geophysical variables and behavior: LIII. Epidemiological considerations for incidence of cancer and depression in areas of frequent UFO reports

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Persinger, M.A.

1988-01-01

Luminous phenomena and anomalous physical forces have been hypothesized to be generated by focal tectonic strain fields that precede earthquakes. If these geophysical processes exist, then their spatial and temporal density should be greatest during periods of protracted, localized UFO reports; they might be used as dosimetric indicators. Contemporary epidemiological data concerning the health risks of power frequency electromagnetic fields and radon gas levels (expected correlates of certain tectonic strain fields), suggest that increased incidence (odds ratios greater 1:3) of brain tumors and leukemia should be evident within flap areas. In addition the frequency of variants of temporal lobe lability, psychological depression and posttraumatic stress should be significantly elevated. UFO field investigators, because they have repeated, intermittent close proximity to these fields, are considered to be a particularly high risk population for these disorders. 22 references

Decrease of the incidence of human and canine visceral leishmaniasis after dog vaccination with Leishmune in Brazilian endemic areas.

Science.gov (United States)

Palatnik-de-Sousa, Clarisa B; Silva-Antunes, Ilce; Morgado, Adilson de Aguiar; Menz, Ingrid; Palatnik, Marcos; Lavor, Carlile

2009-06-02

Leishmune, the first prophylactic vaccine licensed against canine visceral leishmaniasis (CVL), has been used in Brazil since 2004, where seropositive dogs are sacrificed in order to control human visceral leishmaniasis (VL). We demonstrate here that vaccination with Leishmune does not interfere with the serological control campaign (110,000 dogs). Only 1.3% of positivity (76 among 5860) was detected among Leishmune uninfected vaccinees. We also analyzed the possible additive effect of Leishmune vaccination over dog culling, on the decrease of the incidence of CVL and VL in two Brazilian endemic areas, from 2004 to 2006. In Araçatuba, a 25% of decline was seen in CVL with a 61% decline in human cases, indicating the additive effect of Leishmune vaccination of 5.7% of the healthy dogs (1419 dogs), on regular dog culling. In Belo Horizonte (BH), rising curves of canine and human incidence were observed in the districts of Barreiro, Venda Nova and Noroeste, while the canine and human incidence of Centro Sul, Leste, Nordeste, Norte, Pampulha and Oeste, started to decrease or maintained a stabilized plateau after Leishmune vaccination. Among the districts showing a percent decrease of human incidence (-36.5%), Centro Sul and Pampulha showed the highest dog vaccination percents (63.27% and 27.27%, respectively) and the lowest dog incidence (-3.36% and 1.89%, respectively). They were followed by Oeste, that vaccinated 25.30% of the animals and experienced an increase of only 12.86% of dog incidence and by Leste and Nordeste, with lower proportions of vaccinees (11.72% and 10.76%, respectively) and probably because of that, slightly higher canine incidences (42.77% and 35.73%). The only exception was found in Norte district where the reduced human and canine incidence were not correlated to Leishmune vaccination. Much lower proportions of dogs were vaccinated in Venda Nova (4.35%), Noroeste (10.27%) and Barreiro (0.09%) districts, which according to that exhibited very

Relationship between the incidence infection stones and the magnesium-calcium ratio of tap water.

Science.gov (United States)

Kohri, K; Ishikawa, Y; Iguchi, M; Kurita, T; Okada, Y; Yoshida, O

1993-01-01

In a previous study we showed that the magnesium-calcium ratio of tap water is negatively correlated with the incidence of calcium-containing urinary stones. In this study we examined the relationship between the incidence of struvite stones, water hardness and the regional geological features on the basis of our previous study and an epidemiological study of urolithiasis performed in Japan. The magnesium-calcium ratio of tap water was found to correlate positively with the incidence of struvite stones. The tap water magnesium-calcium ratio was high in regions of basalt and sedimentary rock and was low in granite and limestone areas. The incidence of struvite stones in the regions of basalt and sedimentary rock was higher than that in the granite and limestone areas. Thus, this study suggested that the incidence of struvite stones is related to the magnesium-calcium ratio of tap water and to the regional geology, as is the case for calcium-containing stones.

Malaria prevalence and incidence in an isolated, meso-endemic area of Mozambique

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Charlwood, Jaques Derek; Tomás, Erzelia V E; Bragança, Mauro

2015-01-01

. Incidence peaked nine weeks after rainfall (r (2) = 0.34, p = 0.0002). From 2009 incidence was measured at a centrally based project clinic. The proportion of under nine-year-old resident attendees diagnosed with malaria decreased significantly from 48% in 2009, to 35% in 2010 and 25% in 2011. At the same...

Cancer incidence following long-term consumption of drinking water with high inorganic selenium content.

Science.gov (United States)

Vinceti, Marco; Vicentini, Massimo; Wise, Lauren A; Sacchettini, Claudio; Malagoli, Carlotta; Ballotari, Paola; Filippini, Tommaso; Malavolti, Marcella; Rossi, Paolo Giorgi

2018-04-16

Selenium, a trace element to which humans are exposed mainly through diet, has been involved in the etiology of human cancer. We investigated the long-term effects of selenium exposure on cancer incidence using data from a natural experiment in Northern Italy. During the 1970s-1980s, in a part of the Italian municipality of Reggio Emilia, residents were inadvertently exposed to unusually high levels of inorganic hexavalent selenium (selenate) through drinking water. We followed the exposed residents for 28years, generating data on incidence (when available) and mortality rates for selected cancer sites; the remaining municipal residents comprised the unexposed (reference) group. We observed no substantial difference in overall cancer incidence comparing exposed and unexposed cohorts. We detected, however, a higher incidence of cancer at some sites, and for a few of them, namely cancers of the buccal cavity and pharynx, melanoma, urinary tract and lymphoid tissue, the excess incidence was particularly evident in the first period of follow-up but decreased over time. Overall, these results suggest that consumption of water with levels of selenium in its inorganic hexavalent form close to the European standard, 10μg/L, may have unfavourable effects on cancer incidence. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Localised estimates and spatial mapping of poverty incidence in the state of Bihar in India-An application of small area estimation techniques.

Science.gov (United States)

Chandra, Hukum; Aditya, Kaustav; Sud, U C

2018-01-01

Poverty affects many people, but the ramifications and impacts affect all aspects of society. Information about the incidence of poverty is therefore an important parameter of the population for policy analysis and decision making. In order to provide specific, targeted solutions when addressing poverty disadvantage small area statistics are needed. Surveys are typically designed and planned to produce reliable estimates of population characteristics of interest mainly at higher geographic area such as national and state level. Sample sizes are usually not large enough to provide reliable estimates for disaggregated analysis. In many instances estimates are required for areas of the population for which the survey providing the data was unplanned. Then, for areas with small sample sizes, direct survey estimation of population characteristics based only on the data available from the particular area tends to be unreliable. This paper describes an application of small area estimation (SAE) approach to improve the precision of estimates of poverty incidence at district level in the State of Bihar in India by linking data from the Household Consumer Expenditure Survey 2011-12 of NSSO and the Population Census 2011. The results show that the district level estimates generated by SAE method are more precise and representative. In contrast, the direct survey estimates based on survey data alone are less stable.

Localised estimates and spatial mapping of poverty incidence in the state of Bihar in India—An application of small area estimation techniques

Science.gov (United States)

Aditya, Kaustav; Sud, U. C.

2018-01-01

Poverty affects many people, but the ramifications and impacts affect all aspects of society. Information about the incidence of poverty is therefore an important parameter of the population for policy analysis and decision making. In order to provide specific, targeted solutions when addressing poverty disadvantage small area statistics are needed. Surveys are typically designed and planned to produce reliable estimates of population characteristics of interest mainly at higher geographic area such as national and state level. Sample sizes are usually not large enough to provide reliable estimates for disaggregated analysis. In many instances estimates are required for areas of the population for which the survey providing the data was unplanned. Then, for areas with small sample sizes, direct survey estimation of population characteristics based only on the data available from the particular area tends to be unreliable. This paper describes an application of small area estimation (SAE) approach to improve the precision of estimates of poverty incidence at district level in the State of Bihar in India by linking data from the Household Consumer Expenditure Survey 2011–12 of NSSO and the Population Census 2011. The results show that the district level estimates generated by SAE method are more precise and representative. In contrast, the direct survey estimates based on survey data alone are less stable. PMID:29879202

Incidence of Clostridium difficile infection in patients receiving high-risk antibiotics with or without a proton pump inhibitor.

Science.gov (United States)

Gordon, D; Young, L R; Reddy, S; Bergman, C; Young, J D

2016-02-01

Considering the incidence and severity of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI), risk reduction strategies are crucial. Prior studies suggest that proton pump inhibitor (PPI) use can increase the risk of CDI over antibiotics alone; however, data and guidelines have been conflicting. The aim was to compare CDI incidence in patients receiving high-risk antibiotics, comparing rates in those prescribed a PPI versus those without overlapping PPI exposure. This retrospective cohort study assessed the incidence of CDI in veterans receiving high-risk antibiotics over an approximately three-year period. High-risk antibiotics were defined as: ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin, moxifloxacin, clindamycin, ceftriaxone, cefotaxime, ceftazidime, or cefixime. We identified subjects who were prescribed any high-risk antibiotic, finding 3513 on a concomitant PPI and 6149 not taking a PPI. Of these subjects, 111 were diagnosed with CDI and met inclusion criteria. Baseline characteristics, CDI severity, length of hospitalization and antibiotic therapy prior to infection were similar in both groups. The incidence of CDI was significantly higher in patients prescribed a PPI (odds ratio: 2.2; 95% confidence interval: 1.52-3.23; P=0.0001). A strong association was found between concurrent PPI use with fluoroquinolones (P=0.005) and clindamycin (P=0.045). The use of PPIs together with high-risk antibiotics was associated with a significantly higher incidence of CDI. Our study provides further support for the CDI prevention strategy of judicious PPI use, especially in patients receiving high-risk antibiotics. Prudent avoidance of PPIs may reduce the incidence of CDI, a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Copyright © 2015 The Healthcare Infection Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Analysis of Incidence and Mortality of Thyroid Cancer in China, 2013].

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, L; Zheng, R S; Wang, N; Zeng, H M; Yuan, Y N; Zhang, S W; Li, H C; Liu, S; Chen, W Q; He, J

2017-11-23

Objective: To evaluate the incidence and mortality status of thyroid cancer in China, 2013. Methods: Incidence and mortality data of thyroid cancer were derived from 255 population-based cancer registries in China. Age-specific and age standardized incidence and mortality rates of thyroid cancer in different areas (urban and rural) with different gender were calculated based on the stratification of area (urban and rural), gender, age and tumor position. Chinese census in 2000 and the world Segi's population were used for age-standardized incidence/mortality rates. The incident cases and deaths were estimated using age-specific rates and national population data in 2013. Results: The estimates of new cancer incident cases and deaths were 143.9 thousand and 6 500, respectively. The crude incidence rate was 10.58/100 000 (Male 5.12/100 000, Female 16.32/100 000). Age-standardized incidence rates by Chinese standard population (ASIRC, 2000) and by world standard population (ASIRW) were 8.82/100 000 and 7.67/100 000, respectively. Male to female ratio was 1∶3.2. The crude incidence rate in urban and rural areas were 15.03/100 000 and 5.41/100 000, respectively. After adjustment by China standard population, the rate in urban areas was 2.57 times higher than that of rural areas. The crude mortality rate of thyroid cancer was 0.48/100 000 (Male 0.33/100 000, Female 0.63/100 000). Age-standardized mortality rates by Chinese standard population (ASIRC, 2000) and by world standard population (ASIRW) were 0.33/100 000 and 0.32/100 000, respectively. The crude mortality rate in urban and rural areas were 0.57/100 000 and 0.38/100 000, respectively. After adjustment by China standard population, the rate in urban areas was 1.41 times higher than that of rural areas. The cumulative incidence and mortality rates (0-74 years old) were 0.74% and 0.03%, respectively. According to the data from 255 cancer registries, papillary carcinoma is the main pathology type, which accounted

Clinical and epidemiological features of extrapulmonary tuberculosis in a high incidence region.

Science.gov (United States)

Pérez-Guzmán, Carlos; Vargas, Mario H; Arellano-Macías, María del Rosario; Hernández-Cobos, Silvia; García-Ituarte, Aurea Zelindabeth; Serna-Vela, Francisco Javier

2014-04-01

To describe the clinical features of extrapulmonary tuberculosis (EXPTB) and to evaluate epidemiological data to search for potential explanations for its high frequency in the state of Aguascalientes, Mexico. Clinical records of all patients with tuberculosis seen in Aguascalientes in 2008 were reviewed, and official databases were analyzed. EXPTB comprised 60.5% of the 86 cases evaluated, being lymph nodes the main site affected. Patients with EXPTB were younger and more obese than subjects with pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB). One third of cases in either group had diabetes, a frequency much higher than expected. Epidemiological analysis showed that PTB incidence, but not EXPTB incidence, decreases as geographical altitude increases, and had a descendent trend from 1997 to 2011. The lower frequency of PTB (due to its inverse relationship with altitude and its descendent trend in last years) might explain the high frequency of EXPTB. Obesity appeared to protect against developing pulmonary involvement, and diabetes was more frequent than expected among PTB and EXPTB cases.

Contribution of Topography and Incident Solar Radiation to Variation of Soil and Plant Litter at an Area with Heterogeneous Terrain

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Felipe Cito Nettesheim

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Natural processes that determine soil and plant litter properties are controlled by multiple factors. However, little attention has been given to distinguishing the effects of environmental factors from the effects of spatial structure of the area on the distribution of soil and litter properties in tropical ecosystems covering heterogeneous topographies. The aim of this study was to assess patterns of soil and litter variation in a tropical area that intercepts different levels of solar radiation throughout the year since its topography has slopes predominantly facing opposing geographic directions. Soil data (pH, C, N, P, H+Al, Ca, Mg, K, Al, Na, sand, and silt and plant litter data (N, K, Ca, P, and Mg were gathered together with the geographic coordinates (to model the spatial structure of 40 sampling units established at two sites composed of slopes predominantly facing northwest and southeast (20 units each. Soil and litter chemical properties varied more among slopes within similar geographic orientations than between the slopes facing opposing directions. Both the incident solar radiation and the spatial structure of the area were relevant in explaining the patterns detected in variation of soil and plant litter. Individual contributions of incident solar radiation to explain the variation in the properties evaluated suggested that this and other environmental factors may play a particularly relevant role in determining soil and plant litter distribution in tropical areas with heterogeneous topography. Furthermore, this study corroborates that the spatial structure of the area also plays an important role in the distribution of soil and litter within this type of landscape, which appears to be consistent with the action of water movement mechanisms in such areas.

Mercury's radius change estimates revisited using high incidence angle MESSENGER data

Science.gov (United States)

Di Achille, G.; Popa, C.; Massironi, M.; Ferrari, S.; Mazzotta Epifani, E.; Zusi, M.; Cremonese, G.; Palumbo, P.

2012-04-01

Estimates of Mercury's radius decrease obtained using the amount of strain recorded by tectonics on the planet range from 0.5 km to 2 km. These latter figures appear too low with respect to the radius contraction (up to 5-6 km) predicted by the most accredited studies based on thermo-mechanical evolution models. For this reason, it has been suggested that there may be hidden strain accommodated by features yet unseen on Mercury. Indeed, as it has been already cautioned by previous studies, the identification of tectonic features on Mercury might be largely biased by the lighting geometry of the used basemaps. This limitation might have affected the results of the extrapolations for estimating the radius change. In this study, we mapped tectonic features at the terminator thus using images acquired at high sun incidence angle (>50°) that represents the optimal condition for their observation. In fact, images with long shadows enhance the topography and texture of the surface and are ideal to detect tectonic structures. This favorable illumination conditions allowed us to infer reliable measurements of spatial distribution (i.e. frequency, orientation, and areal density) of tectonic features which can be used to estimate the average contractional strain and planetary radius decrease. We digitized tectonic structures within a region extending for an area of about 12 million sq. km (~16% of planet's surface). More than 1300 tectonic lineaments were identified and interpreted to be compressional features (i.e. lobate scarps, wrinkle ridges, and high relief ridges) with a total length of more than 12300 km. Assuming that the extensional strain is negligible within the area, the average contractional strain calculated for the survey area is ~0.21-0.28% (~0.24% for θ=30°). This strain, extrapolated to the entire surface, corresponds to a contraction in radius of about 2.5-3.4 km (~2.9 km for θ=30°). Interestingly, the values of contractional strain and radius decrease

Completeness of tuberculosis reporting forms in five Brazilian capitals with a high incidence of the disease *

Science.gov (United States)

dos Santos, Normeide Pedreira; Lírio, Monique; Passos, Louran Andrade Reis; Dias, Juarez Pereira; Kritski, Afrânio Lineu; Galvão-Castro, Bernardo; Grassi, Maria Fernanda Rios

2013-01-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate the completeness of tuberculosis reporting forms in the greater metropolitan areas of five Brazilian capitals where the incidence of tuberculosis was high in 2010-Salvador, Rio de Janeiro, Cuiabá, Porto Alegre, and Belém-using tabulations obtained from the Sistema Nacional de Informação de Agravos de Notificação (National Case Registry Database). The degree of completeness was highest in Porto Alegre and Cuiabá, whereas it was lowest in Rio de Janeiro, where there are more reported cases of tuberculosis than in any other Brazilian capital. A low degree of completeness of these forms can affect the quality of the Brazilian National Tuberculosis Control Program, which will have negative consequences for health care and decision-making processes. PMID:23670508

A high throughput 2 m normal incidence monochromator for SURF-II

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ederer, D.L.; Cole, B.E.; West, J.B.

1980-01-01

The high intrinsic brightness of the circulating electron beam at SURF-II is used as the entrance slit for a two-meter normal incidence monochromator. A typical beam size for the electron beam is 100 μm high by 2 mm wide yielding an obserbed resolution of 0.4 Angstroem with a 200 μm exit slit and a 2400 lines/mm grating. The instrument accepts a beam with a 65 mrad horizontal divergence and a 10 mrad vertical divergence. A plane pre-mirror used near normal incidence reflects the incoming radiation onto the 2 m grating; this combination provides a horizontal exit beam, and enables the experiment to be located three meters from the orbit tangent point. With magnesium fluoride coated aluminium optics a flux of 2 x 10'' photon/s x Angstroem at 1200 Angstroem is observed with a 10 mA circulating current. A flux of 5 x 10 10 photon/s x Angstroem at 600 Angstroem is obserbed with an osmium coated grating and a 10 mA circulating current. Sample spectra of the angle-resolved photoelectron spectrum of CO are presented. (orig.)

Regional geographic variations in kidney cancer incidence rates in European countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Peng; Znaor, Ariana; Holcatova, Ivana; Fabianova, Eleonora; Mates, Dana; Wozniak, Magdalena B; Ferlay, Jacques; Scelo, Ghislaine

2015-06-01

Marked unexplained national variations in incidence rates of kidney cancer have been observed for decades in Europe. To investigate geographic variations at the regional level and identify European regions with high incidence rates of kidney cancer. Regional- and national-level incidence data were extracted from the Cancer Incidence in Five Continents databases, local cancer registry databases, and local published reports. World population age-standardised rates (ASRs) were calculated for the periods 2003-2007 and 1988-1992. Rates by period and sex were compared using map visualisation. During 2003-2007, the highest ASR was found in the Plzen region, Czech Republic (31.4/100,000 person-years in men). Other regions of the Czech Republic had ASRs of 18.6-27.5/100,000 in men, with a tendency for higher rates in regions south of Prague. Surrounding regions, including eastern Germany and regions of Slovakia and Austria, had medium-to-high incidence rates (13.0-16.8/100,000 in men). Three other areas in Europe showed higher incidence rates in men compared with the rest of the continent: Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, and Belarus (15.0-17.6/100,000); Iceland (13.5/100,000), and northern Italy (up to 16.0/100,000). Similar regional differences were observed among women, with rates approximately half of those observed in men in the same region. In general, these regional geographic variations remained stable over the periods 1988-1992 and 2003-2007, although higher incidence rates were detected in the Baltic countries in 2003-2007. Several European regions show particularly high rates of kidney cancer incidence. Large variations were observed within countries covered by national health-care systems, implying that overdetection is not the major factor. We present regional geographic variations in kidney cancer incidence rates in Europe. We highlight several regions with high incidence rates where further studies should be conducted for cancer control and prevention. Copyright �

Comparison of cancer incidence and mortality in three GDP per capita levels in China, 2013.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Zhixun; Zheng, Rongshou; Zhang, Siwei; Zeng, Hongmei; Xia, Changfa; Li, He; Wang, Li; Wang, Yanhong; Chen, Wanqing

2017-10-01

In this research, the patterns of cancer incidence and mortality in areas with different gross domestic product per capita (GDPPC) levels in China were explored, using data from population-based cancer registries in 2013, collected by the National Central Cancer Registry (NCCR). Data from 255 cancer registries were qualified and included in this analysis. Based on the GDPPC data of 2014, cities/counties were divided into 3 levels: high-, middle- and low-GDPPC areas, with 40,000 and 80,000 RMB per year as cut points. We calculated cancer incidences and mortalities in these three levels, stratified by gender and age group. The national population of the Fifth Census in 2000 and Segi's population were applied for age-standardized rates. The crude incidence and mortality rates as well as age-standardized incidence rate (ASIR) showed positive associations with GDPPC level. The age-standardized mortality rate (ASMR) nevertheless showed a negative association with GDPPC level. The ASMR in high-, middle- and low-GDPPC areas was 103.12/100,000, 112.49/100,000 and 117.43/100,000, respectively. Lung cancer was by far the most common cancer in all three GDPPC levels. It was also the leading cause of cancer death, regardless of gender and GDPPC level. Negative associations with GDPPC level were found for the ASIRs of lung, stomach, esophageal and liver cancer, whereas colorectal and breast cancer showed positive associations. Except for breast cancer, the ASMRs of the other five cancers were always higher in middle- and low-GDPPC areas than in high-GDPPC areas. The economic development is one of the main factors of the heavy cancer burden on Chinese population. It would be reasonable to implement cancer control strategies referring to the local GDPPC level.

Trends in the incidence of malignant melanoma in Denmark 1978-2007. Incidence on the island of Bornholm compared with the whole country incidence in Denmark

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Drejøe, Jennifer Berg; Drzewiecki, Krzysztof Tadeusz; Klit, Anders

2011-01-01

In Denmark, malignant melanoma is among the most rapidly increasing cancer types. Malignant melanoma accounts for the majority of skin cancer-related deaths. Sunshine is the main cause of the increase seen in melanoma incidence. Within Denmark, Bornholm is the area that receives most sunshine....... It is therefore relevant to compare incidence data between Denmark and Bornholm....

Direct Application of the INNO-LiPA Rif.TB Line-Probe Assay for Rapid Identification of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Complex Strains and Detection of Rifampin Resistance in 360 Smear-Positive Respiratory Specimens from an Area of High Incidence of Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis

Science.gov (United States)

Viveiros, Miguel; Leandro, Clara; Rodrigues, Liliana; Almeida, Josefina; Bettencourt, Rosário; Couto, Isabel; Carrilho, Lurdes; Diogo, José; Fonseca, Ana; Lito, Luís; Lopes, João; Pacheco, Teresa; Pessanha, Mariana; Quirim, Judite; Sancho, Luísa; Salfinger, Max; Amaral, Leonard

2005-01-01

The INNO-LiPA Rif.TB assay for the identification of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex strains and the detection of rifampin (RIF) resistance has been evaluated with 360 smear-positive respiratory specimens from an area of high incidence of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB). The sensitivity when compared to conventional identification/culture methods was 82.2%, and the specificity was 66.7%; the sensitivity and specificity were 100.0% and 96.9%, respectively, for the detection of RIF resistance. This assay has the potential to provide rapid information that is essential for the effective management of MDR-TB. PMID:16145166

Modelling malaria incidence with environmental dependency in a locality of Sudanese savannah area, Mali

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Demongeot Jacques

2009-04-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The risk of Plasmodium falciparum infection is variable over space and time and this variability is related to environmental variability. Environmental factors affect the biological cycle of both vector and parasite. Despite this strong relationship, environmental effects have rarely been included in malaria transmission models. Remote sensing data on environment were incorporated into a temporal model of the transmission, to forecast the evolution of malaria epidemiology, in a locality of Sudanese savannah area. Methods A dynamic cohort was constituted in June 1996 and followed up until June 2001 in the locality of Bancoumana, Mali. The 15-day composite vegetation index (NDVI, issued from satellite imagery series (NOAA from July 1981 to December 2006, was used as remote sensing data. The statistical relationship between NDVI and incidence of P. falciparum infection was assessed by ARIMA analysis. ROC analysis provided an NDVI value for the prediction of an increase in incidence of parasitaemia. Malaria transmission was modelled using an SIRS-type model, adapted to Bancoumana's data. Environmental factors influenced vector mortality and aggressiveness, as well as length of the gonotrophic cycle. NDVI observations from 1981 to 2001 were used for the simulation of the extrinsic variable of a hidden Markov chain model. Observations from 2002 to 2006 served as external validation. Results The seasonal pattern of P. falciparum incidence was significantly explained by NDVI, with a delay of 15 days (p = 0.001. An NDVI threshold of 0.361 (p = 0.007 provided a Diagnostic Odd Ratio (DOR of 2.64 (CI95% [1.26;5.52]. The deterministic transmission model, with stochastic environmental factor, predicted an endemo-epidemic pattern of malaria infection. The incidences of parasitaemia were adequately modelled, using the observed NDVI as well as the NDVI simulations. Transmission pattern have been modelled and observed values were adequately

Active Full-Shell Grazing-Incidence Optics

Science.gov (United States)

Davis, Jacqueline M.; Elsner, Ronald F.; Ramsey, Brian D.; O'Dell, Stephen L.; Kolodziejczak, Jeffery; Weisskopf, Martin C.; Gubarev, Mikhail V.

2016-01-01

MSFC has a long history of developing full-shell grazing-incidence x-ray optics for both narrow (pointed) and wide field (surveying) applications. The concept presented in this paper shows the potential to use active optics to switch between narrow and wide-field geometries, while maintaining large effective area and high angular resolution. In addition, active optics has the potential to reduce errors due to mounting and manufacturing lightweight optics. The design presented corrects low spatial frequency error and has significantly fewer actuators than other concepts presented thus far in the field of active x-ray optics. Using a finite element model, influence functions are calculated using active components on a full-shell grazing-incidence optic. Next, the ability of the active optic to effect a change of optical prescription and to correct for errors due to manufacturing and mounting is modeled.

Perceptions of Community HIV/ STI Risk Among U.S Women Living in Areas with High Poverty and HIV Prevalence Rates

OpenAIRE

Blackstock, Oni J.; Frew, Paula; Bota, Dorothy; Vo-Green, Linda; Parker, Kim; Franks, Julie; Hodder, Sally L.; Justman, Jessica; Golin, Carol E.; Haley, Danielle F.; Kuo, Irene; Adimora, Adaora A.; Rompalo, Anne; Soto-Torres, Lydia; Wang, Jing

2015-01-01

Although studies have consistently demonstrated that women at high risk for HIV and non-HIV sexually transmitted infections (STIs) tend to underestimate their individual risk, little is known about how women at risk perceive their community’s HIV/STI risk. We explored perceptions of community HIV/ STI risk among U.S. women living in areas with high poverty and HIV prevalence rates as part of a qualitative substudy of the Women’s HIV SeroIncidence Study. Semi-structured focus groups were condu...

A high incidence of polymorphic CYP2C19 variants in archival blood samples from Papua New Guinea

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Hsu Huai-Ling

2008-09-01

Full Text Available Abstract There is considerable inter-ethnic variability in the incidence of CYP2C19 genetic poor metabolisers (var/var. About 3 per cent of Caucasians are CYP2C19 var/var. By contrast, an extremely high incidence (70 per cent is observed in the Melanesian island of Vanuatu. The colonisation of the Pacific Islands is believed to have involved migration through Papua New Guinea (PNG, and hence a high incidence may also be expected in this population. The reported incidence in PNG was only 36 per cent, however. PNG is a country of extensive ethnic diversity, and the incidence of the CYP2C19 var/var in other regional populations of PNG is currently not established. In this study, restriction fragment length polymorphism-polymerase chain reaction analysis of archival blood serum samples was used to determine the prevalence of the CYP2C19*2 and *3 variant alleles in three different ethnic and geographically isolated populations of PNG. In the largest population studied (Iruna, the frequency of both variant CYP2C19 alleles was high (0.37 and 0.34, respectively. Specifically, the frequency of the CYP2C19*3 allele was significantly higher than in the PNG (East Sepik population reported previously (0.34 vs 0.16; p 0.0001. In the Iruna population, 48.9 per cent of the samples were homozygous variants for CYP2C19*2 or *3, which although higher was not statistically different from the East Sepik population (36 per cent. The results of this study indicated that other regional populations of PNG also have a relatively high incidence of the CYP2C19 genetic polymorphism compared with Caucasian populations. The high incidence reported in Vanuatu, however, may be due to genetic drift rather than a PNG founder population, as the Vanuatu population is dominated by the CYP2C19*2 allele, with a lower contribution from the *3 allelic variant.

Protective Equipment and Player Characteristics Associated With the Incidence of Sport-Related Concussion in High School Football Players

Science.gov (United States)

McGuine, Timothy A.; Hetzel, Scott; McCrea, Michael; Brooks, M. Alison

2015-01-01

Background The incidence of sport-related concussion (SRC) in high school football is well documented. However, limited prospective data are available regarding how player characteristics and protective equipment affect the incidence of SRC. Purpose To determine whether the type of protective equipment (helmet and mouth guard) and player characteristics affect the incidence of SRC in high school football players. Design Cohort study; Level of evidence, 2. Methods Certified athletic trainers (ATs) at each high school recorded the type of helmet worn (brand, model, purchase year, and recondition status) by each player as well as information regarding players’ demographics, type of mouth guard used, and history of SRC. The ATs also recorded the incidence and days lost from participation for each SRC. Incidence of SRC was compared for various helmets, type of mouth guard, history of SRC, and player demographics. Results A total of 2081 players (grades 9–12) enrolled during the 2012 and/or 2013 football seasons (2287 player-seasons) and participated in 134,437 football (practice or competition) exposures. Of these players, 206 (9%) sustained a total of 211 SRCs (1.56/1000 exposures). There was no difference in the incidence of SRC (number of helmets, % SRC [95% CI]) for players wearing Riddell (1171, 9.1% [7.6%–11.0%]), Schutt (680, 8.7% [6.7%–11.1%]), or Xenith (436, 9.2% [6.7%–12.4%]) helmets. Helmet age and recondition status did not affect the incidence of SRC. The rate of SRC (hazard ratio [HR]) was higher in players who wore a custom mouth guard (HR = 1.69 [95% CI, 1.20–2.37], P football players. Players who had sustained an SRC within the previous 12 months were more likely to sustain an SRC than were players without a history of SRC. Sports medicine providers who work with high school football players need to realize that factors other than the type of protective equipment worn affect the risk of SRC in high school players. PMID:25060072

Analysis of Chlorine Gas Incident Simulation and Dispersion Within a Complex and Populated Urban Area Via Computation Fluid Dynamics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eslam Kashi

2015-04-01

Full Text Available In some instances, it is inevitable that large amounts of potentially hazardous chemicals like chlorine gas are stored and used in facilities in densely populated areas. In such cases, all safety issues must be carefully considered. To reach this goal, it is important to have accurate information concerning chlorine gas behaviors and how it is dispersed in dense urban areas. Furthermore, maintaining adequate air movement and the ability to purge ambient from potential toxic and dangerous chemicals like chlorine gas could be helpful. These are among the most important actions to be taken toward the improvement of safety in a big metropolis like Tehran. This paper investigates and analyzes chlorine gas leakage scenarios, including its dispersion and natural air ventilation  effects on how it might be geographically spread in a city, using computational  fluid dynamic (CFD. Simulations of possible hazardous events and solutions for preventing or reducing their probability are presented to gain a better insight into the incidents. These investigations are done by considering hypothetical scenarios which consist of chlorine gas leakages from pipelines or storage tanks under different conditions. These CFD simulation results are used to investigate and analyze chlorine gas behaviors, dispersion, distribution, accumulation, and other possible hazards by means of a simplified CAD model of an urban area near a water-treatment facility. Possible hazards as well as some prevention and post incident solutions are also suggested.

Major incidents in rural areas: managing a pandemic A/H1N1/2009 cluster.

Science.gov (United States)

Stark, Cameron; Garman, Elaine; McMenamin, Jim; McCormick, Duncan; Oates, Ken

2010-01-01

Pandemic Influenza (A/H1N1/2009) caused worldwide concern because of its potential to spread rapidly in human populations. In Scotland, Government policy had been to seek to contain the spread of the virus for as long as possible in order to allow time for service preparations, and for vaccine development and supply. The first major Scottish outbreak of pandemic A/H1N1/2009 was in the rural area of Cowal and Bute. After two initial cases were identified, contact tracing found a cluster of cases associated with a football supporters' bus. Within 3 weeks, 130 cases had been identified in the area. Rapid provision of treatment doses of anti-viral medication to cases and prophylactic treatment of asymptomatic close contacts, advice on self-isolation and, where required, interruption of transmission by temporary school closure, were successful in containing the outbreak. Pre-existing Major Incident and Pandemic Flu plans were used and adapted to the particular circumstances of the outbreak and the area. Supporting operational decision-making as close to the cases as possible allowed for speed and flexibility of response. Contact tracing and tracking of cases and results was performed by specialist public health staff who were geographically removed from the cases. This was possible because of effective use of existing telephone conferencing facilities, clarity of roles, and frequent communication among staff working on all areas of the response. Basing the work on established plans, staff experience of rural areas and rural service provision was successful.

Targeting safety improvements through identification of incident origination and detection in a near-miss incident learning system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Novak, Avrey; Nyflot, Matthew J.; Ermoian, Ralph P.; Jordan, Loucille E.; Sponseller, Patricia A.; Kane, Gabrielle M.; Ford, Eric C.; Zeng, Jing

2016-01-01

Purpose: Radiation treatment planning involves a complex workflow that has multiple potential points of vulnerability. This study utilizes an incident reporting system to identify the origination and detection points of near-miss errors, in order to guide their departmental safety improvement efforts. Previous studies have examined where errors arise, but not where they are detected or applied a near-miss risk index (NMRI) to gauge severity. Methods: From 3/2012 to 3/2014, 1897 incidents were analyzed from a departmental incident learning system. All incidents were prospectively reviewed weekly by a multidisciplinary team and assigned a NMRI score ranging from 0 to 4 reflecting potential harm to the patient (no potential harm to potential critical harm). Incidents were classified by point of incident origination and detection based on a 103-step workflow. The individual steps were divided among nine broad workflow categories (patient assessment, imaging for radiation therapy (RT) planning, treatment planning, pretreatment plan review, treatment delivery, on-treatment quality management, post-treatment completion, equipment/software quality management, and other). The average NMRI scores of incidents originating or detected within each broad workflow area were calculated. Additionally, out of 103 individual process steps, 35 were classified as safety barriers, the process steps whose primary function is to catch errors. The safety barriers which most frequently detected incidents were identified and analyzed. Finally, the distance between event origination and detection was explored by grouping events by the number of broad workflow area events passed through before detection, and average NMRI scores were compared. Results: Near-miss incidents most commonly originated within treatment planning (33%). However, the incidents with the highest average NMRI scores originated during imaging for RT planning (NMRI = 2.0, average NMRI of all events = 1.5), specifically

Targeting safety improvements through identification of incident origination and detection in a near-miss incident learning system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Novak, Avrey; Nyflot, Matthew J.; Ermoian, Ralph P.; Jordan, Loucille E.; Sponseller, Patricia A.; Kane, Gabrielle M.; Ford, Eric C.; Zeng, Jing, E-mail: jzeng13@uw.edu [Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Washington Medical Center, 1959 NE Pacific Street, Campus Box 356043, Seattle, Washington 98195 (United States)

2016-05-15

Purpose: Radiation treatment planning involves a complex workflow that has multiple potential points of vulnerability. This study utilizes an incident reporting system to identify the origination and detection points of near-miss errors, in order to guide their departmental safety improvement efforts. Previous studies have examined where errors arise, but not where they are detected or applied a near-miss risk index (NMRI) to gauge severity. Methods: From 3/2012 to 3/2014, 1897 incidents were analyzed from a departmental incident learning system. All incidents were prospectively reviewed weekly by a multidisciplinary team and assigned a NMRI score ranging from 0 to 4 reflecting potential harm to the patient (no potential harm to potential critical harm). Incidents were classified by point of incident origination and detection based on a 103-step workflow. The individual steps were divided among nine broad workflow categories (patient assessment, imaging for radiation therapy (RT) planning, treatment planning, pretreatment plan review, treatment delivery, on-treatment quality management, post-treatment completion, equipment/software quality management, and other). The average NMRI scores of incidents originating or detected within each broad workflow area were calculated. Additionally, out of 103 individual process steps, 35 were classified as safety barriers, the process steps whose primary function is to catch errors. The safety barriers which most frequently detected incidents were identified and analyzed. Finally, the distance between event origination and detection was explored by grouping events by the number of broad workflow area events passed through before detection, and average NMRI scores were compared. Results: Near-miss incidents most commonly originated within treatment planning (33%). However, the incidents with the highest average NMRI scores originated during imaging for RT planning (NMRI = 2.0, average NMRI of all events = 1.5), specifically

NEA incident reporting system: Three years' experience

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Otsuka, Y.; Haeussermann, W.

1984-01-01

The paper presents an overview of the NEA Incident Reporting System (IRS) which was set up to collect, assess and disseminate on safety-related incidents in nuclear power plants. The IRS information exchange is significant in two senses. First, it enables regulatory authorities and utilities in participating countries to take appropriate action to prevent the reported mishaps occurring again elsewhere. Secondly, the continuous collection and systematic analysis of such information allows identification of areas of concern where safety research should be strengthened. There are two stages in the IRS information exchange. First, the national IRS Co-ordinator selects information on significant incidents, in accordance with a common reporting threshold, from the abnormal occurrences reported to the regulatory body, to be distributed through the NEA Secretariat. This screening is intended to exclude minor events, so that only significant information is sent to participating countries. Secondly, a group of experts periodically reviews the incidents reported during the preceding twelve months to identify major areas of concern. To assist this process, a computer-based data retrieval system is being developed for IRS incident reports. The paper gives some details of the IRS mechanism and discusses reporting criteria and the information included in a report. Areas of concern derived from reported incidents, an outline of the data retrieval system, and examples of feedback of lessons learned and possibilities for international co-operation are also discussed. (author)

Toward a better understanding of the comparatively high prostate cancer incidence rates in Utah.

Science.gov (United States)

Merrill, Ray M; Hilton, Sterling C; Wiggins, Charles L; Sturgeon, Jared D

2003-04-29

This study assesses whether comparatively high prostate cancer incidence rates among white men in Utah represent higher rates among members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS or Mormons), who comprise about 70% of the state's male population, and considers the potential influence screening has on these rates. Analyses are based on 14,693 histologically confirmed invasive prostate cancer cases among men aged 50 years and older identified through the Utah Cancer Registry between 1985 and 1999. Cancer records were linked to LDS Church membership records to determine LDS status. Poisson regression was used to derive rate ratios of LDS to nonLDS prostate cancer incidence, adjusted for age, disease stage, calendar time, and incidental detection. LDS men had a 31% (95% confidence interval, 26%-36%) higher incidence rate of prostate cancer than nonLDS men during the study period. Rates were consistently higher among LDS men over time (118% in 1985-88, 20% in 1989-92, 15% in 1993-1996, and 13% in 1997-99); age (13% in ages 50-59, 48% in ages 60-69, 28% in ages 70-79, and 16% in ages 80 and older); and stage (36% in local/regional and 17% in unstaged). An age- and stage-shift was observed for both LDS and nonLDS men, although more pronounced among LDS men. Comparatively high prostate cancer incidence rates among LDS men in Utah are explained, at least in part, by more aggressive screening among these men.

Clinical and epidemiological features of extrapulmonary tuberculosis in a high incidence region.

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Carlos Pérez-Guzmán

2014-03-01

Full Text Available Objective. To describe the clinical features of extrapulmonary tuberculosis (EXPTB and to evaluate epidemiological data to search for potential explanations for its high frequency in the state of Aguascalientes, Mexico. Materials and methods. Clinical records of all patients with tuberculosis seen in Aguascalientes in 2008 were reviewed, and official databases were analyzed. Results. EXPTB comprised 60.5% of the 86 cases evaluated, being lymph nodes the main site affected. Patients with EXPTB were younger and more obese than subjects with pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB. One third of cases in either group had diabetes, a frequency much higher than expected. Epidemiological analysis showed that PTB incidence, but not EXPTB incidence, decreases as geographical altitude increases, and had a descendent trend from 1997 to 2011. Conclusions. The lower frequency of PTB (due to its inverse relationship with altitude and its descendent trend in last years might explain the high frequency of EXPTB. Obesity appeared to protect against developing pulmonary involvement, and diabetes was more frequent than expected among PTB and EXPTB cases.

Dengue incidence in urban and rural Cambodia: results from population-based active fever surveillance, 2006-2008.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sirenda Vong

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Dengue vaccines are now in late-stage development, and evaluation and robust estimates of dengue disease burden are needed to facilitate further development and introduction. In Cambodia, the national dengue case-definition only allows reporting of children less than 16 years of age, and little is known about dengue burden in rural areas and among older persons. To estimate the true burden of dengue in the largest province of Cambodia, Kampong Cham, we conducted community-based active dengue fever surveillance among the 0-to-19-year age group in rural villages and urban areas during 2006-2008. METHODS AND FINDINGS: Active surveillance for febrile illness was conducted in 32 villages and 10 urban areas by mothers trained to use digital thermometers combined with weekly home visits to identify persons with fever. An investigation team visited families with febrile persons to obtain informed consent for participation in the follow-up study, which included collection of personal data and blood specimens. Dengue-related febrile illness was defined using molecular and serological testing of paired acute and convalescent blood samples. Over the three years of surveillance, 6,121 fever episodes were identified with 736 laboratory-confirmed dengue virus (DENV infections for incidences of 13.4-57.8/1,000 person-seasons. Average incidence was highest among children less than 7 years of age (41.1/1,000 person-seasons and lowest among the 16-to-19-year age group (11.3/1,000 person-seasons. The distribution of dengue was highly focal, with incidence rates in villages and urban areas ranging from 1.5-211.5/1,000 person-seasons (median 36.5. During a DENV-3 outbreak in 2007, rural areas were affected more than urban areas (incidence 71 vs. 17/1,000 person-seasons, p<0.001. CONCLUSION: The large-scale active surveillance study for dengue fever in Cambodia found a higher disease incidence than reported to the national surveillance system, particularly

High fall incidence and fracture rate in elderly dialysis patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Polinder-Bos, H A; Emmelot-Vonk, M H; Gansevoort, R T; Diepenbroek, A; Gaillard, C A J M

2014-12-01

Although it is recognised that the dialysis population is ageing rapidly, geriatric complications such as falls are poorly appreciated, despite the many risk factors for falls in this population. The objective of this study was to determine the incidence, complications and risk factors for falls in an elderly dialysis population. A one-year observational study of chronic dialysis patients aged ≥ 70 years. At baseline, patient characteristics were noted and during follow-up the vital parameters and laboratory values were recorded. Patients were questioned weekly about falls, fall circumstances and consequences by trained nurses. 49 patients were included with a median age of 79.3 years (70-89 years). During follow-up 40 fall accidents occurred in 27 (55%) patients. Falls resulted in fractures in 15% of cases and in hospital admissions in 15%. In haemodialysis (HD) patients, the mean systolic blood pressure (SBP) before HD was lower in fallers compared with non-fallers (130 vs. 143 mmHg). Several patients in the lower blood pressure category received antihypertensive medication. For every 5 mmHg lower SBP (before HD) the fall risk increased by 30% (hazard ratio (HR) 1.30, 95% CI 1.03-1.65, p = 0.03). Furthermore, fall risk increased by 22% for every 10 pmol/l rise of parathyroid hormone (HR 1.22, 95% CI 1.06-1.39, p = 0.004). Elderly dialysis patients have a high incidence of falls accompanied by a high fracture rate. Given the high complication rate, elderly patients at risk of falling should be identified and managed. Reduction of blood pressure-lowering medication might be a treatment strategy to reduce falls.

High cumulative incidence of urinary tract transitional cell carcinoma after kidney transplantation in Taiwan.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Ming-Ju; Lian, Jong-Da; Yang, Chi-Rei; Cheng, Chi-Hung; Chen, Cheng-Hsu; Lee, Wen-Chin; Shu, Kuo-Hsiung; Tang, Ming-Jer

2004-06-01

Cancer is a well-documented complication after kidney transplantation. Increased incidence of bladder cancer had been reported in long-term hemodialysis patients in Taiwan. Herein, the authors report a very high cumulative incidence of transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) of the urinary tract after kidney transplantation in Taiwan. The authors retrospectively reviewed the clinical data, medical records, and outcome of 730 kidney transplant (KT) recipients. The cumulative incidence of TCC was computed. The Cox regression method was used to analysis the role of potential risk factors. After a mean follow-up duration of 72.2 +/- 54.4 months, 69 cancers were diagnosed in 63 (8.6%) KT recipients. Of them, 30 cases (4.1%) were TCC. The cumulative incidence for TCC was 3.0% after 3 years of graft survival, increasing to 7.2% at 6 years and 17.5% at 10 years. Compared with the general population in Taiwan, the standardized mortality ratio was 398.4 (male, 192.6; female, 875.6). Painless gross hematuria was the cardinal initial symptom in 22 (73.3%) of the 30 KT recipients with TCC. Another 4 (13.3%) KT recipients with TCC presented with chronic urinary tract infection (UTI). Bilateral nephroureterectomy with removal of bladder cuffs was performed in 18 (60%) patients. Synchronous TCC in bilateral upper urinary tracts was confirmed in 11 (36.7%) of KT recipients with TCC. The age at the time of KT, female sex, compound analgesics usage, Chinese herb usage, and underground water intake had statistical significance as risk factors (P Taiwan, with an incidence of 4.1%. This study indicates that hematuria and chronic UTI are the initial presentation of TCC in KT recipients. Carefully urologic screening is indicated for patients with high risk for TCC, including those with older age, compound analgesics usage, Chinese herbs usage, and underground water intake as well as women.

Income inequality and schizophrenia: increased schizophrenia incidence in countries with high levels of income inequality.

Science.gov (United States)

Burns, Jonathan K; Tomita, Andrew; Kapadia, Amy S

2014-03-01

Income inequality is associated with numerous negative health outcomes. There is evidence that ecological-level socio-environmental factors may increase risk for schizophrenia. The aim was to investigate whether measures of income inequality are associated with incidence of schizophrenia at the country level. We conducted a systematic review of incidence rates for schizophrenia, reported between 1975 and 2011. For each country, national measures of income inequality (Gini coefficient) along with covariate risk factors for schizophrenia were obtained. Multi-level mixed-effects Poisson regression was performed to investigate the relationship between Gini coefficients and incidence rates of schizophrenia controlling for covariates. One hundred and seven incidence rates (from 26 countries) were included. Mean incidence of schizophrenia was 18.50 per 100,000 (SD = 11.9; range = 1.7-67). There was a significant positive relationship between incidence rate of schizophrenia and Gini coefficient (β = 1.02; Z = 2.28; p = .02; 95% CI = 1.00, 1.03). Countries characterized by a large rich-poor gap may be at increased risk of schizophrenia. We suggest that income inequality impacts negatively on social cohesion, eroding social capital, and that chronic stress associated with living in highly disparate societies places individuals at risk of schizophrenia.

The current status of grazing incidence optics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aschenbach, B.

1983-01-01

The developments in the area of grazing incidence optics with emphasis on telescopes for use in X-ray astronomy are reviewed. The performance of existing high-resolution telescopes is outlined and compared with those expected from future missions like ROSAT and AXAF. Starting from the basic principles of X-ray reflection and scattering, an attempt is made to highlight the current understanding of X-ray mirror physics using new theoretical ideas as well as experimental laboratory results. (author)

Knowledge about Cervical Cancer and Barriers of Screening Program among Women in Wufeng County, a High-Incidence Region of Cervical Cancer in China

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Hang; Xiang, Qunying; Hu, Ting; Zhang, Qinghua; Chen, Zhilan; Ma, Ding; Feng, Ling

2013-01-01

Purpose Cervical cancer screening is an effective method for reducing the incidence and mortality of cervical cancer, but the screening attendance rate in developing countries is far from satisfactory, especially in rural areas. Wufeng is a region of high cervical cancer incidence in China. This study aimed to investigate the issues that concern cervical cancer and screening and the factors that affect women’s willingness to undergo cervical cancer screening in the Wufeng area. Participants and Methods A cross-sectional survey of women was conducted to determine their knowledge about cervical cancer and screening, demographic characteristics and the barriers to screening. Results Women who were willing to undergo screenings had higher knowledge levels. “Anxious feeling once the disease was diagnosed” (47.6%), “No symptoms/discomfort” (34.1%) and “Do not know the benefits of cervical cancer screening” (13.4%) were the top three reasons for refusing cervical cancer screening. Women who were younger than 45 years old or who had lower incomes, positive family histories of cancer, secondary or higher levels of education, higher levels of knowledge and fewer barriers to screening were more willing to participate in cervical cancer screenings than women without these characteristics. Conclusion Efforts are needed to increase women’s knowledge about cervical cancer, especially the screening methods, and to improve their perceptions of the screening process for early detection to reduce cervical cancer incidence and mortality rates. PMID:23843976

Comparing population and incident data for optimal air ambulance base locations in Norway.

Science.gov (United States)

Røislien, Jo; van den Berg, Pieter L; Lindner, Thomas; Zakariassen, Erik; Uleberg, Oddvar; Aardal, Karen; van Essen, J Theresia

2018-05-24

Helicopter emergency medical services are important in many health care systems. Norway has a nationwide physician manned air ambulance service servicing a country with large geographical variations in population density and incident frequencies. The aim of the study was to compare optimal air ambulance base locations using both population and incident data. We used municipality population and incident data for Norway from 2015. The 428 municipalities had a median (5-95 percentile) of 4675 (940-36,264) inhabitants and 10 (2-38) incidents. Optimal helicopter base locations were estimated using the Maximal Covering Location Problem (MCLP) optimization model, exploring the number and location of bases needed to cover various fractions of the population for time thresholds 30 and 45 min, in green field scenarios and conditioned on the existing base structure. The existing bases covered 96.90% of the population and 91.86% of the incidents for time threshold 45 min. Correlation between municipality population and incident frequencies was -0.0027, and optimal base locations varied markedly between the two data types, particularly when lowering the target time. The optimal solution using population density data put focus on the greater Oslo area, where one third of Norwegians live, while using incident data put focus on low population high incident areas, such as northern Norway and winter sport resorts. Using population density data as a proxy for incident frequency is not recommended, as the two data types lead to different optimal base locations. Lowering the target time increases the sensitivity to choice of data.

Metabolic parameters and blood leukocyte profiles in cows from herds with high or low mastitis incidence.

Science.gov (United States)

Holtenius, K; Persson Waller, K; Essén-Gustavsson, B; Holtenius, P; Hallén Sandgren, C

2004-07-01

The objective of this study was to determine whether there were differences in metabolic parameters and blood leukocyte profiles between cows in herds with high or low yearly mastitis incidence. In this study, 271 cows from 20 high yielding dairy herds were examined. According to the selection criteria, all herds had low somatic cell counts. Ten of the selected herds represented low mastitis treatment incidence (LMI) and ten herds had high mastitis treatment incidence (HMI). The farms were visited once and blood samples were taken from each cow that was in the interval from three weeks before to 15 weeks after parturition. The eosinophil count was significantly lower among cows from the HMI herds in the period from four weeks to 15 weeks after parturition. The plasma concentrations of beta-hydroxybutyrate, glucose, insulin and urea did not differ between groups, but the concentration of nonesterified fatty acids was significantly higher among HMI cows during the period three weeks after parturition. The concentration of the amino acid tryptophan in plasma was significantly lower among the HMI cows prior to parturition. Glutamine was significantly lower in cows from HMI herds during the first three weeks after parturition. Arginine was consistently lower in HMI cows, although the decrease was only significant during the period from four to fifteen weeks after parturition. The results suggest that there were differences in the metabolism and immune status between herds with high or low yearly mastitis treatment incidence indicating an increased metabolic stress in HMI cows.

Simple heuristic derivation of some charge-transfer probabilities at asymptotically high incident velocities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Spruch, L.; Shakeshaft, R.

1984-01-01

For asymptotically high incident velocities we provide simple, heuristic, almost classical, derivations of the cross section for forward charge transfer, and of the ratio of the cross section for capture to the elastic-scattering cross section for the projectile scattered through an angle close to π/3

Characteristics of Fluency and Speech in Two Families with High Incidences of Stuttering

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Stager, Sheila V.; Freeman, Frances J.; Braun, Allen

2015-01-01

Purpose: This study presents data from 2 families with high incidence of stuttering, comparing methods of phenotype assignment and exploring the presence of other fluency disorders and corresponding speech characteristics. Method: Three methods for assigning phenotype of stuttering were used: self-identification, family identification, and expert…

Incidence of epilepsy in Ferrara, Italy.

Science.gov (United States)

Cesnik, Edward; Pedelini, Francesco; Faggioli, Raffaella; Monetti, Vincenza Cinzia; Granieri, Enrico; Casetta, Ilaria

2013-12-01

Few studies have been carried out in the same area at different times, allowing an assessment of the incidence of epilepsy (E.), including all ages, over time. The available data on temporal trend show a decrease in E. incidence in childhood and an increase in the elderly. We sought to update the incidence of E. in the province of Ferrara, where a previous study estimated an incidence rate of 33.1 per 100,000, 35.8, if standardized to the European population. Newly diagnosed patients aged up to 14 years were drawn from a community-based prospective multi-source registry, and adult onset E. cases were collected through multiple overlapping sources of case collection. Cases were included and classified according to ILAE recommendations. During the study period (2007-2008), 141 newly diagnosed cases (66 men and 75 women) living in the study area were identified. The crude incidence rate was 46.1 per 100,000 person-years (95 % CI 39.0-54.5), 35.5 (95 % CI 28.0-43.0) if adjusted to the European population. The incidence of childhood and adolescence epilepsy was 57.0 per 100,000 person-years (95 % CI 33.8-90.0), lower than that reported in our previous study, and it was 44.8 (95 % CI 37.4-53.6) for adult onset E., which is significantly higher as compared to our previous study. The overall incidence of E. in northern Italy is stable over time. We detected a significant decrease in incidence of childhood and adolescence E. and an increase in adult-onset E. The burden of epilepsy will increase as the population continues to age.

Tax incidence on services rendered on the high seas; Incidencia de ISS sobre servicos prestados em aguas maritimas

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Paco, Daniel Hora do; Giamattey, Ricardo Henrique Dionisio; Miranda, Thales Ribamar [PETROBRAS S.A., Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil)

2008-07-01

This paper analyze the legal aspects of the incidence of ISSQN tax (Tax on Services of any Nature), on the services provide on the high seas. Also comment the controversy surrounding the active tax competency (municipality who may be due to the tax) for the charging of the incident ISSQN on the services provided on the high seas, if overcome the arguments in favor of non-levy of the tax.

Estimating the incidence of connective tissue diseases and vasculitides in a defined population in Northern Savo area in 2010.

Science.gov (United States)

Elfving, P; Marjoniemi, O; Niinisalo, H; Kononoff, A; Arstila, L; Savolainen, E; Rutanen, J; Kaipiainen-Seppänen, O

2016-07-01

Objective of the study was to evaluate the annual incidence and distribution of autoimmune connective tissue diseases and vasculitides during 2010. All units practicing rheumatology in the Northern Savo area, Finland, participated in the study by collecting data on newly diagnosed adult patients with autoimmune connective tissue disease or vasculitis over 1-year period. Seventy-two cases with autoimmune connective tissue disease were identified. The annual incidence rates were as follows: systemic lupus erythematosus 3.4/100,000 (95 % CI 1.4-7.0), idiopathic inflammatory myopathies 1.9 (0.5-5.0), systemic sclerosis 4.4 (2.0-8.3), mixed connective tissue disease 1.0 (0.1-3.5), Sjögren's syndrome 10.7 (6.7-16.1) and undifferentiated connective tissue disease 13.6 (9.0-19.6). The annual incidence rates among vasculitis category were as follows: antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis 1.5/100,000 (95 % CI 0.3-4.3), central nervous system vasculitis 0.5 (0-2.7) and Henoch-Schönlein purpura 1.5 (0.3-4.3). The annual incidence of giant cell arteritis in the age group of 50 years or older was 7.5/100,000 (95 % CI 3.2-14.8). The longest delay from symptom onset to diagnosis occurred in systemic sclerosis. The incidences of autoimmune connective tissue diseases and vasculitides were comparable with those in published literature. The present study showed female predominance in all connective tissue diseases, excluding idiopathic inflammatory muscle diseases and mean age at onset of disease around 50 years of age. Despite improved diagnostic tools, diagnostic delay is long especially among patients with systemic sclerosis.

The Very High Background Radiation Area in Ramsar, Iran: Public Health Risk or Signal for a Regulatory Paradigm Shift?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Karam, P. Andrew [Univ. of Rochester, Rochester, NY (United States); Mortazavi, S.M. Javad [Rafsanjan Univ. of Medical Sciences (Iran, Islamic Republic of). Medical Physics Dept.

2001-07-01

Ramsar, a city on the Caspian Sea in northern Iran hosts the highest measured natural background radiation levels in the world. These are due to the local geology and hydrogeology and, in some places, deliver radiation doses far in excess of those recommended for radiation workers. A population of about 2000 is exposed to average annual radiation levels of 10.2 mGy/yr and the highest recorded doses are about 260 mGy/yr. These high radiation levels are due to the deposition of {sup 226}Ra in local rocks and, because these rocks are used in the construction of many local houses, interior radiation levels are often similar to those found outside. The presence of areas such as Ramsar raises an interesting public health policy question: Is it necessary to relocate the inhabitants to areas of lower natural background radiation levels in the interests of public health? According to the linear, no-threshold (LNT) hypothesis, there is no doubt that relocating the population of Ramsar will result in a reduction in cancer incidence. Therefore, under any reasonable policy based on the LNT hypothesis, the public health is best served by relocating many of Ramsar's inhabitants to other areas along the Caspian Sea. At present, there is no reliable epidemiological data on cancer incidence among the inhabitants of Ramsar's high background radiation areas (HBRAs), but local physicians feel that local cancer incidence rates are lower than in neighboring cities. Furthermore, preliminary results indicate that there is a statistically significant radio adaptation in the inhabitants of Ramsar. Interestingly, it seems that the frequency of chromosome aberrations in the lymphocytes of the inhabitants of Ramsar is no higher than the control areas. This important finding suggests that the cancer rate in Ramsar should be no higher than in other comparable parts of Iran. In other HBRAs such as Yangjiang, China it has been reported that mortality from all cancers and those from

The Very High Background Radiation Area in Ramsar, Iran: Public Health Risk or Signal for a Regulatory Paradigm Shift?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Karam, P. Andrew; Mortazavi, S.M. Javad

2001-01-01

Ramsar, a city on the Caspian Sea in northern Iran hosts the highest measured natural background radiation levels in the world. These are due to the local geology and hydrogeology and, in some places, deliver radiation doses far in excess of those recommended for radiation workers. A population of about 2000 is exposed to average annual radiation levels of 10.2 mGy/yr and the highest recorded doses are about 260 mGy/yr. These high radiation levels are due to the deposition of 226 Ra in local rocks and, because these rocks are used in the construction of many local houses, interior radiation levels are often similar to those found outside. The presence of areas such as Ramsar raises an interesting public health policy question: Is it necessary to relocate the inhabitants to areas of lower natural background radiation levels in the interests of public health? According to the linear, no-threshold (LNT) hypothesis, there is no doubt that relocating the population of Ramsar will result in a reduction in cancer incidence. Therefore, under any reasonable policy based on the LNT hypothesis, the public health is best served by relocating many of Ramsar's inhabitants to other areas along the Caspian Sea. At present, there is no reliable epidemiological data on cancer incidence among the inhabitants of Ramsar's high background radiation areas (HBRAs), but local physicians feel that local cancer incidence rates are lower than in neighboring cities. Furthermore, preliminary results indicate that there is a statistically significant radio adaptation in the inhabitants of Ramsar. Interestingly, it seems that the frequency of chromosome aberrations in the lymphocytes of the inhabitants of Ramsar is no higher than the control areas. This important finding suggests that the cancer rate in Ramsar should be no higher than in other comparable parts of Iran. In other HBRAs such as Yangjiang, China it has been reported that mortality from all cancers and those from leukemia, breast and

Oblique-incidence reflectivity difference application for morphology detection.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhan, Honglei; Zhao, Kun; Lü, Huibin; Jin, Kuijuan; Yang, Guozhen; Chen, Xiaohong

2017-10-20

Analogous with scanning electron microscopy, we use an oblique-incidence reflectivity difference (OIRD) approach for morphology detection. By scanning the active carbon clusters in a one-dimensional way and the reservoir rocks in a two-dimensional way, the morphology of the samples' surface can be revealed in OIRD signal images. High OIRD signals of active carbon samples refer to the centralized distribution areas of carbon, and the fluctuations are caused by the uneven distribution of carbon pellets. OIRD intensity is proportional to the thickness of materials. In terms of rocks, the trough areas with smaller values refer to the low-lying fields. The areas with relatively large OIRD intensities correspond to the protuberance areas of rocks. Consequently, OIRD is a sensitive yet rapid measure of surface detection in material and petrogeology science.

Ovary cancer incidence and mortality in China, 2011.

Science.gov (United States)

Wei, Kuangrong; Li, Yuanming; Zheng, Rongshou; Zhang, Siwei; Liang, Zhiheng; Cen, Huishan; Chen, Wanqing

2015-02-01

To evaluate and analyze ovary cancer incidence and mortality in China in 2011 using ovary cancer data from population-based cancer registration in China, and to provide scientific information for its control and prevention. Invasive cases of ovary cancer were extracted and analyzed from the overall Chinese cancer database in 2011, which were based on data from 177 population-based cancer registries distributing in 28 provinces. The crude, standardized, and truncated incidences and mortalities et al. were calculated and new and deaths cases from ovary cancer throughout China and in different regions in 2011 were estimated using Chinese practical population. The estimates of new ovary cancer cases and deaths were 45,223 and 18,430, respectively, in China in 2011. The crude incidence rate, age-standardized rate by Chinese standard population (ASR-C) and age-standardized rate by world standard population (ASR-W) incidence were 6.89/100,000, 5.35/100,000 and 5.08/100,000, respectively; the crude, ASR-C and ASR-W mortalities were 2.81/100,000, 2.01/100,000 and 1.99/100,000, respectively. The incidence and mortality in urban areas were higher than those in rural areas. The age-specific incidence and mortality increased rapidly from age 35-39 and peaked at age 60-64 or 75-79 years. After age 45 or 55, the age-specific incidence and death rates in urban were much higher than those in rural areas. Compared with GLOBOCAN 2012 data, the ovary cancer incidence in China in 2011 was at middle level, but its mortality was at low level worldwide.

Has the income of the residential area impact on the use of intensive care?

Science.gov (United States)

Liisanantti, J H; Käkelä, R; Raatiniemi, L V; Ohtonen, P; Hietanen, S; Ala-Kokko, T I

2017-08-01

The socioeconomic factors have an impact on case mix and outcome in critical illness, but how these factors affect the use of intensive care is not studied. The aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence of intensive care unit (ICU) admissions in patients from residential areas with different annual incomes. Single-center, retrospective study in Northern Finland. All the non-trauma-related emergency admissions from the hospital district area were included. The postal codes were used to categorize the residential areas according to each area's annual median income: the low-income area, €18,979 to €28,841 per year; the middle-income area, €28,879 to €33,856 per year; and the high-income area, €34,221 to €53,864 per year. A total of 735 non-trauma-related admissions were included. The unemployment or retirement, psychiatric comorbidities and chronic alcohol abuse were common in this population. The highest incidence, 5.5 (4.6-6.7)/1000/year, was in population aged more than 65 years living in high-income areas. In working-aged population, the incidence was lowest in high-income areas (1.5 (1.3-1.8/1000/year) compared to middle-income areas (2.2 (1.9-2.6)/1000/year, P = 0.001) and low-income areas (2.0 (1.7-2.4)/1000/, P = 0.009). Poisonings were more common in low-income areas. There were no differences in outcome. The incidence of ICU admission in working-aged population was 25% higher in those areas where the annual median income was below the median annual income of €38,775 per inhabitant per year in Finland. © 2017 The Acta Anaesthesiologica Scandinavica Foundation. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Appraisal of snakebite incidence and mortality in Bolivia.

Science.gov (United States)

Chippaux, Jean-Philippe; Postigo, Jorge R

2014-06-01

No information has been yet published on snakebite in Bolivia. The country includes very different ecological situations leading to various epidemiological risks. A study has been carried out to evaluate the incidence and location of snakebite, particularly in relation with altitude, in order to improve management. Investigations on snakebite epidemiology were based on a) cases treated in health facilities as reported by health authorities and b) household surveys carried out in areas with high variations of altitude, in various regions of Bolivia. An average of 700 bites was treated each year in Bolivia (national annual incidence = 8 bites per 100,000 people) with a great disparity between districts. Household surveys showed annual incidences ranged from 30 to 110 bites per 100,000 inhabitants depending on location. Annual mortality ranged 0.1-3.9 per 100,000 people. A significant and constant inverse correlation was shown between snakebite incidence and altitude, which may be explained by both snake and human distributions and activities. Notification of snakebite is useful for improving patient management and informing antivenom distribution. It should also involve the report of deaths and clinical details of envenomation. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Smooth incidence maps give valuable insight into Q fever outbreaks in The Netherlands

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wim van der Hoek

2012-11-01

Full Text Available From 2007 through 2009, The Netherlands faced large outbreaks of human Q fever. Control measures focused primarily on dairy goat farms because these were implicated as the main source of infection for the surrounding population. However, in other countries, outbreaks have mainly been associated with non-dairy sheep and The Netherlands has many more sheep than goats. Therefore, a public discussion arose about the possible role of non-dairy (meat sheep in the outbreaks. To inform decision makers about the relative importance of different infection sources, we developed accurate and high-resolution incidence maps for detection of Q fever hot spots. In the high incidence area in the south of the country, full postal codes of notified Q fever patients with onset of illness in 2009, were georeferenced. Q fever cases (n = 1,740 were treated as a spatial point process. A 500 x 500 m grid was imposed over the area of interest. The number of cases and the population number were counted in each cell. The number of cases was modelled as an inhomogeneous Poisson process where the underlying incidence was estimated by 2-dimensional P-spline smoothing. Modelling of numbers of Q fever cases based on residential addresses and population size produced smooth incidence maps that clearly showed Q fever hotspots around infected dairy goat farms. No such increased incidence was noted around infected meat sheep farms. We conclude that smooth incidence maps of human notifications give valuable information about the Q fever epidemic and are a promising method to provide decision support for the control of other infectious diseases with an environmental source.

An information value based analysis of physical and climatic factors affecting dengue fever and dengue haemorrhagic fever incidence

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tripathi Nitin

2005-06-01

the forecast expected number of dengue cases. The results have shown significantly high coefficient of determination if applied only for the rainy season using empirical relation-2 (ER-2. These results have shown further improvement once a concept of time lag of one month was applied using the ER-3 empirical relation. ER-3 model is most suitable for the Sukhothai province in predicting possible dengue incidence with 0.81 coefficient of determination. The spatial statistical relationship of various land use/land cover classes with dengue-affected areas was quantified in the form of information value received from GIS analysis. The highest information value was obtained for the Built-up area. This indicated that Built-up area has the maximum influence on the incidence of dengue. The other classes showing negative values indicate lesser influence on dengue epidemics. Agricultural areas have yielded moderate risk areas based on their medium high information values. Water bodies have shown significant information value for DF/ DHF only in one district. Interestingly, forest had shown no influence on DF/DHF. Conclusion This paper explores the potential of remotely sensed data and GIS technology to analyze the spatial factors affecting DF/DHF epidemic. Three empirical models were evaluated. It was found that Empirical Relatrion-3 (ER-3 has yielded very high coefficient of determination to forecast the number of DF/DHF incidence. An analysis of physio-environmental factors such as land use/ land cover types with dengue incidence was carried out. Influence of these factors was obtained in quantitative terms using Information Value method in the GIS environment. It was found that built-up areas have highest influence and constitute the highest risk zones. Forest areas have no influence on DF/DHF epidemic. Agricultural areas have moderate risk in DF/DHF incidences. Finally the dengue risk map of the Sukhothai province was developed using Information Value method. Dengue risk map

Characteristics of off-waist incident anomalous vortex beams in highly nonlocal media

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhen-Feng Yang

Full Text Available In this paper, we focus on the effect of the off-waist incident condition on the propagation characteristics of anomalous vortex beams (AVBs in nonlocal media. An expression is derived mathematically in order to describe the propagation dynamics of AVBs in nonlocal media under the off-waist incident condition. Typical propagation characteristics induced by the off-waist incident condition are illustrated numerically. It is found that the propagation characteristics under the off-waist incident condition are much different from those under the on-waist incident condition. Keywords: Off-waist incidence, Anomalous vortex beam, Nonlocal media

[Incidence and mortality of cervical cancer in China, 2014].

Science.gov (United States)

Gu, X Y; Zheng, R S; Sun, K X; Zhang, S W; Zeng, H M; Zou, X N; Chen, W Q; He, J

2018-04-23

Objective: To estimate the incidence and mortality of cervical cancer in China based on the cancer registry data in 2014, collected by the National Central Cancer Registry (NCCR). Methods: There were 449 cancer registries submitted cervical cancer incidence and deaths in 2014 to NCCR. After evaluating the data quality, 339 registries' data were accepted for analysis and stratified by areas (urban/rural) and age group. Combined with data on national population in 2014, the nationwide incidence and mortality of cervical cancer were estimated. Chinese population census in 2000 and Segi's population were used for age-standardized incidence/mortality rates. Results: Qualified 339 cancer registries covered a total of 288 243 347 populations (144 061 915 in urban and 144 181 432 in rural areas). The percentage of morphologically verified cases and death certificate-only cases were 86.07% and 1.01%, respectively. The mortality to incidence ratio was 0.30. The estimates of new cases were about 102 000 in China in 2014, with a crude incidence rate of 15.30/100 000. The age-standardized incidence rates by China standard population (ASR China) and world standard population (ASR world) of cervical cancer were 11.57/100 000 and 10.61/100 000, respectively. Cumulative incidence rate of cervical cancer in China was 1.11%. The crude and ASR China incidence rates in urban areas were 15.27/100 000 and 11.16/100 000, respectively, whereas those were 15.34/100 000 and 12.14/100 000 in rural areas. The estimates of cervical cancer deaths were about 30 400 in China in 2014, with a crude mortality rate of 4.57/100 000. The ASR China and ASR world mortality rates were 3.12/100 000 and 2.98/100 000, respectively, with a cumulative mortality rate (0-74 years old) of 0.33%. The crude and ASR China mortality rates were 4.44/100 000 and 2.92/100 000 in urban areas, respectively, whereas those were 4.72/100 000 and 3.39/100 000 in rural areas. Conclusions: There is still a heavy burden of

High incidence of hydrocephalus following prenatal exposure to X-irradiation at early gestational stage in mice

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aolad, H.; Inouye, Minoru; Hayasaka, Shizu; Darmanto, W.; Murata, Yoshiharu

1998-01-01

Hydrocephalus is one of the severe brain anomalies. Several causes of congenital hydrocephalus have been reported and, it is known that radiation is one of those. The current study was designed to obtain postnatally viable hydrocephalic offspring at a high incidence following X-radiation. This finding will be helpful to elucidate the mechanism of congenital hydrocephalus caused by X-radiation. Twenty pregnant Slc:ICR mice, 5 in each group, were exposed to X-irradiation at a dose of 1.0 Gy on gestational days 7 (G7), G8, G9 or G10. The incidence of hydrocephalus was high in the group exposed on G7. An additional 21 pregnant mice were then exposed to a dose of 1.2 Gy, 1.3 Gy, 1.4 Gy or 1.5 Gy X-radiation on G7. The highest incidence of hydrocephalic offspring was found following exposure to 1.4 Gy X-radiation. (author)

Mortality and cancer incident among residents in an area with a geological occurrence of uranium: the municipality of Monte Alegre, PA, Brazil

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Melo, Leticia Rodrigues

2009-04-01

in Monte Alegre and at the control counties remained stable, but the high proportion of unascertained causes of death at the mortality database does not allow a conclusive ascertainment. SMR for all causes of death in Monte Alegre was similar to that observed at the control counties, respectively, SMR=72.9, 95% CI 70,5-75,3 and SMR=75.2 , 95% CI 76,2-77,3. No excess of cancer deaths was observed in Monte Alegre or at the control populations, and cancer mortality by gender also did not reveal statistically significant differences at the different tumor sites. Despite the use of three different approaches to estimate cancer incidence in Monte Alegre and the control counties, similar patterns were observed in the studied areas. To conclude, no evidence supporting an increase of cancer deaths in Monte Alegre was observed. (author)

Diagnosis and high incidence of hyperornithinemia-hyperammonemia-homocitrullinemia (HHH) syndrome in northern Saskatchewan.

Science.gov (United States)

Sokoro, AbdulRazaq A H; Lepage, Joyce; Antonishyn, Nick; McDonald, Ryan; Rockman-Greenberg, Cheryl; Irvine, James; Lehotay, Denis C

2010-12-01

Mutations in the SLC25A15 gene, encoding the human inner mitochondrial membrane ornithine transporter, are thought to be responsible for hyperornithinemia-hyperammonemia-homocitrullinemia (HHH) syndrome, a rare autosomal recessive condition. HHH syndrome has been detected in several small, isolated communities in northern Saskatchewan (SK). To determine the incidence of HHH syndrome in these communities, a PCR method was set up to detect F188Δ, the common French-Canadian mutation. Neonatal blood spots collected from all newborns from the high risk area were genotyped for the F188Δ mutation for seven consecutive years. Using DNA analysis, we estimated that the heterozygote frequency for the mutant allele for HHH syndrome to be about 1 in 19 individuals, predicting one affected child with HHH syndrome for approximately every 1,500 individuals (1 in 1,550 live births; 1 child every 12 years) in this isolated population. The frequency for the mutant allele for HHH syndrome in this isolated community is probably the highest in the world for this rare disorder. We determined that ornithine levels, by tandem mass spectrometry, were not abnormal in newborns with F188Δ mutation, carriers and normals. Ornithine rises to abnormally high levels at some time after birth well past the time that the newborn screening blood spot is collected. The timing or the reasons for the delayed rise of ornithine in affected children with HHH syndrome have not been determined. Newborn screening for HHH Syndrome in this high risk population is only possible by detection of the mutant allele using DNA analysis.

Differences in agricultural activities related to incidence of scrub typhus between Korea and Japan

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Chang-Jin Ma

2017-11-01

Full Text Available OBJECTIVES The purpose of this study was to establish a basis for improving or strengthening the preventive strategy against scrub typhus in Korea by comparing and analyzing the difference of prevention behaviors contributing to the occurrence of scrub typhus in Japan and Korea. METHODS The survey was carried out in Jeollabuk-do, which is a high risk and high incidence area, and Fukuoka Prefecture, which is a high risk and low incidence area. The study included 406 Korean farmers and 216 Japanese farmers. Data were collected through face-to-face surveys by interviewers who had completed standardized education. RESULTS Korean farmers have a higher percentage of agricultural working posture that involved contact with weeds than Japanese farmers (p<0.05. The frequency and proportion of weeding were lower in Korean farmers than in Japanese farmers (p<0.05. The level of knowledge about scrub typhus was significantly higher among Korean farmers than among Japanese farmers (p<0.05. Mostly, the behavior of agriculture work was more appropriate for Japanese farmers than for Korean farmers (p<0.05. The total average level of agricultural work was lower in Korea than in Japan, lower in men than women, and lower in part-time farmers than full-time farmers (p<0.05. CONCLUSIONS This study suggests that it is reasonable to develop and provide a program that can improve the level of preventive behavior taking into consideration the characteristics of the subject in order to reduce the incidence of diseases in high-risk areas for scrub typhus.

[Incidence and mortality of female breast cancer in China, 2014].

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Li, H; Zheng, R S; Zhang, S W; Zeng, H M; Sun, K X; Xia, C F; Yang, Z X; Chen, W Q; He, J

2018-03-23

Objective: To estimate the incidence and mortality of female breast cancer in China based on the cancer registration data in 2014, collected by the National Central Cancer Registry (NCCR), and to provide support data for breast cancer prevention and control in China. Methods: There were 449 cancer registries submitting female breast cancer incidence and deaths data occurred in 2014 to NCCR. After evaluating the data quality, 339 registries' data were accepted for analysis and stratified by areas (urban/rural) and age group. Combined with data on national population in 2014, the nationwide incidence and mortality of female breast cancer were estimated. Chinese population census in 2000 and Segi's population were used for age-standardized incidence/mortality rates. Results: Qualified 339 cancer registries covered a total of 288 243 347 populations (144 061 915 in urban and 144 181 432 in rural areas) in 2014. The morphology verified cases (MV%) accounted for 87.42% and 0.59% of incident cases were identified through death certifications only (DCO%), with mortality to incidence ratio of 0.24. The estimates of new breast cancer cases were about 278 900 in China in 2014, accounting for 16.51% of all new cases in female. The crude incidence rate, age-standardized rate of incidence by Chinese standard population (ASRIC), and age-standardized rate of incidence by world standard population (ASRIW) of breast cancer were 41.82/100 000, 30.69/100 000, and 28.77/100 000, respectively, with a cumulative incidence rate (0-74 age years old) of 3.12%. The crude incidence rates and ASRIC in urban areas were 49.94 per 100 000 and 34.85 per 100 000, respectively, whereas those were 31.72 per 100 000 and 24.89 per 100 000 in rural areas. The estimates of breast cancer deaths were about 66 000 in China in 2014, accounting for 7.82% of all the cancer-related deaths in female. The crude mortality rate, age-standardized rate of mortality by Chinese standard population(ASRMC) and age

Coordinated Traffic Incident and Congestion Management (TIM-CM) : Mitigating Regional Impacts of Major Traffic Incidents in the Seattle I-5 Corridor

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2018-02-02

Within the Seattle metropolitan area, traffic incident management (TIM) operations provide a multi-jurisdictional and coordinated strategy to detect, respond to, and clear traffic incidents so that traffic flow can be restored quickly and safely. The...

Linux Incident Response Volatile Data Analysis Framework

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McFadden, Matthew

2013-01-01

Cyber incident response is an emphasized subject area in cybersecurity in information technology with increased need for the protection of data. Due to ongoing threats, cybersecurity imposes many challenges and requires new investigative response techniques. In this study a Linux Incident Response Framework is designed for collecting volatile data…

Tuberculosis and pregnancy--Results of a study in a high prevalence area in London.

Science.gov (United States)

Kothari, Anjali; Mahadevan, Neila; Girling, Joanna

2006-05-01

The aim of the study was to characterise the incidence, type and presentation of tuberculosis in pregnancy over a 5-year period in women booked for antenatal care in a District General Hospital located in a high prevalence area in London. We also aimed to identify any problems and difficulties in the diagnosis and management of tuberculosis associated with pregnancy. Retrospective review of computer records and hospital notes over a period of 5 years from January 1997 to December 2001. Demographic and clinical data were collected for all the cases identified. All women with tuberculosis who conceived on antituberculous treatment, or had onset of symptoms or diagnosis made in pregnancy or the immediate postpartum period (6 weeks), and booked for antenatal care at a District General Hospital located in an area of high prevalence for tuberculosis (52.2 per 100,000 population in Ealing, Hammersmith and Hounslow Health authority according to the National Tuberculosis Survey of England and Wales in 1998). Thirty-two women were identified over the 5-year period, giving an incidence of 252/100,000 deliveries. The number of cases increased from 3 in 1997 to 10 in each of 2000 and 2001. All of these women were from ethnic minorities and 88% of them were immigrants with the median interval from arrival in UK being 2 years. Fifty-three percent were diagnosed with extrapulmonary tuberculosis, 38% with pulmonary tuberculosis and 9% had both. The median duration of symptoms prior to presentation was 31 days (being longer in women with extrapulmonary tuberculosis); the longest was 10 years. The median interval from presentation of symptoms to diagnosis was 32 days and the majority of women started treatment immediately. The commonest reason for a delay in diagnosis was late presentation (52%), followed by non-specific symptoms (in 38%). There was a trend towards late presentation among recent immigrants (odds ratio 2.14, 95% confidence interval 0.44-10.53) and those having

A biological evaluation of DNA damage detected by comet assay in healthy populations residing in areas that differ in lung cancer incidence.

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Heepchantree, Worapa; Paratasilpin, Thipmani; Kangwanpong, Daoroong

2006-06-01

The comet assay was performed to evaluate the effect of environmental exposure between human populations residing in two areas that differ in lung cancer incidence, Saraphi (n = 91) and Chom Thong (n = 94). Three parameters, the tail length, tail intensity, and tail moment, were used to detect DNA damage in peripheral blood and stimulated lymphocytes with and without the DNA repair inhibitor, aphidicolin. Internal standards, cryopreserved isolated lymphocytes, and isolated lymphocytes irradiated with 2 Gy gamma rays, were used to correct the interexperimental variability. Results revealed a significant difference between two populations only when the tail length was used to measure DNA damage. The evaluation of various potential confounding factors, such as gender, pesticide exposure, smoking, alcohol drinking, and fermented tea leaf or betel nut chewing, indicated no significant influence in DNA damage. In conclusion, significant difference in DNA damage, detected only by tail length between the two populations residing in the areas with different incidence of lung cancer, may reflect a nonhazardous level of exposure to toxic substances.

Lesson learned from two radiological incidents in industrial radiography in Iran

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Samimi, Bijan; Deevband Mohammad, Reza; Kardan Mohammad, Reza; Eshraghi, Ahmad

2006-01-01

This paper discussed two incidents occurred in Iran, follow-up investigations as well as lessons learned. Two Industrial Gamma Radiography Projectors (I.G.R.P.) included Ir-192 source with activities 24 and 30 Curies respectively were stolen. One of them was stolen in an industrial area with high security provision and the other one has been stolen at the home town without any security provision. The lessons learned from these incidents are discussed and the results are proposed as recommendations. Investigations show that the reasons for these incidents are as follows: 1. Insufficient training programs for radiographers. 2. Lack of specific emergency procedure for this type of incident in the company. 3. Not efficient National Emergency Plan for this type of threat. 4. Lack of technical and administrative measures to separate radioactive sources from unauthorized persons. 5. Lack of security plan in the company. 6. Insufficient supervision of Radiation Protection Officer (R.P.O.) or responsible person at the site. (authors)

Lesson learned from two radiological incidents in industrial radiography in Iran

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Samimi, Bijan; Deevband Mohammad, Reza; Kardan Mohammad, Reza; Eshraghi, Ahmad [National Radiation Protection Department (NRPD) Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

2006-07-01

This paper discussed two incidents occurred in Iran, follow-up investigations as well as lessons learned. Two Industrial Gamma Radiography Projectors (I.G.R.P.) included Ir-192 source with activities 24 and 30 Curies respectively were stolen. One of them was stolen in an industrial area with high security provision and the other one has been stolen at the home town without any security provision. The lessons learned from these incidents are discussed and the results are proposed as recommendations. Investigations show that the reasons for these incidents are as follows: 1. Insufficient training programs for radiographers. 2. Lack of specific emergency procedure for this type of incident in the company. 3. Not efficient National Emergency Plan for this type of threat. 4. Lack of technical and administrative measures to separate radioactive sources from unauthorized persons. 5. Lack of security plan in the company. 6. Insufficient supervision of Radiation Protection Officer (R.P.O.) or responsible person at the site. (authors)

Ethnic and socioeconomic variation in incidence of congenital heart defects.

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Knowles, Rachel L; Ridout, Deborah; Crowe, Sonya; Bull, Catherine; Wray, Jo; Tregay, Jenifer; Franklin, Rodney C; Barron, David J; Cunningham, David; Parslow, Roger C; Brown, Katherine L

2017-06-01

Ethnic differences in the birth prevalence of congenital heart defects (CHDs) have been reported; however, studies of the contemporary UK population are lacking. We investigated ethnic variations in incidence of serious CHDs requiring cardiac intervention before 1 year of age. All infants who had a cardiac intervention in England and Wales between 1 January 2005 and 31 December 2010 were identified in the national congenital heart disease surgical audit and matched with paediatric intensive care admission records to create linked individual child records. Agreement in reporting of ethnic group by each audit was evaluated. For infants born 1 January 2006 to 31 December 2009, we calculated incidence rate ratios (IRRs) for CHDs by ethnicity and investigated age at intervention, antenatal diagnosis and area deprivation. We identified 5350 infants (2940 (55.0%) boys). Overall CHD incidence was significantly higher in Asian and Black ethnic groups compared with the White reference population (incidence rate ratios (IRR) (95% CIs): Asian 1.5 (1.4 to 1.7); Black 1.4 (1.3 to 1.6)); incidence of specific CHDs varied by ethnicity. No significant differences in age at intervention or antenatal diagnosis rates were identified but affected children from non-White ethnic groups were more likely to be living in deprived areas than White children. Significant ethnic variations exist in the incidence of CHDs, including for specific defects with high infant mortality. It is essential that healthcare provision mitigates ethnic disparity, including through timely identification of CHDs at screening, supporting parental choice and effective interventions. Future research should explore the factors underlying ethnic variation and impact on longer-term outcomes. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

The long-term spatial-temporal trends and burden of esophageal cancer in one high-risk area: A population-registered study in Feicheng, China.

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Xiubin Sun

Full Text Available Feicheng County is a high-risk area for esophageal cancer in Shandong province, China. It is important to determine the long-term spatio-temporal trends in epidemiological characteristics and the burden of esophageal cancer, especially since the implementation of the national esophageal cancer screening program for early detection and treatment in 2005.The data collected in Feicheng County from 2001 to 2012 was extracted from the whole-population cancer registry system. The incidence, mortality, disability-adjusted life years (DALY and changing trends in esophageal cancer according to age and sex were calculated and described.The incidence rate of esophageal cancer in Feicheng was consistently high, and increased significantly for male, but not for female from 2001 to 2012, according to the joinpoint regression analysis. The highest and lowest yearly crude incidence rates were 160.78 and 95.97 per 100000 for males, and 81.36 and 52.17 per 100000 for females. The highest and lowest crude yearly mortality rates were 122.26 and 94.40 per 100000 for males, and 60.75 and 49.35 per 100000for females. Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma was the main pathology type and the tumor location changed significantly from 2001 to 2012. Overall, the DALY remained roughly stable and was estimated as 11.50 for males and 4.90 for females per 1000 people. The burden was mainly caused by premature death. There is an obvious spatial pattern in the distribution of incidence density and burden.Esophageal cancer remains a public health issue in Feicheng County with a high incidence, mortality and disease burden. The incidence and burden have obvious spatial heterogeneity, and further studies should be conducted to identify geographical risk factors for precise local prevention and control measures.

Prevalence of Weight Problems among Youth with High-Incidence Disabilities in Residential Care

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Trout, Alexandra L.; Lambert, Matthew C.; Nelson, Timothy D.; Thompson, Ronald W.

2014-01-01

The prevalence of weight problems among youth in general and youth in out-of-home care has been well documented; however, the prevalence of obesity/overweight among youth with high-incidence disabilities in more restrictive settings, such as residential care, has not been assessed. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the prevalence of…

Regional livestock grazing, human demography and fire incidence in the Portuguese landscape

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Filipa Torres-Manso

2014-04-01

Full Text Available Aim of study:Wildfire incidence in Portugal is high in comparison with other Mediterranean Europe countries. Wildfire problems have been worsened by complex interactions between land use, livestock grazing and human population during the 20th century. In this study we try to understand these interactions and relationships.Area of study: Portugal country. Material and Methods: For the mainland Portuguese territory we present a statistical temporal analysis (1930-2001 based on the densities of livestock grazing and human inhabitants at the smallest administrative unit level, the parish. We compare these data with fire incidence descriptors (average area burned and average fire density between 1990 and 2007. Research highlights: We have identified clusters of parishes sharing common trends in the evolution of livestock and human inhabitant densities. A cause-effect relationship was not detected between livestock grazing density and fire incidence. However, the results point out clusters of parishes where conflicts between forest, fire and livestock grazing are important in the North, Centre and South regions of Portugal.Key Words: Livestock grazing; inhabitants; forest; fire; vegetation.

Public transportation and tuberculosis transmission in a high incidence setting.

Science.gov (United States)

Zamudio, Carlos; Krapp, Fiorella; Choi, Howard W; Shah, Lena; Ciampi, Antonio; Gotuzzo, Eduardo; Heymann, Jody; Seas, Carlos; Brewer, Timothy F

2015-01-01

Tuberculosis (TB) transmission may occur with exposure to an infectious contact often in the setting of household environments, but extra-domiciliary transmission also may happen. We evaluated if using buses and/or minibuses as public transportation was associated with acquiring TB in a high incidence urban district in Lima, Peru. Newly diagnosed TB cases with no history of previous treatment and community controls were recruited from August to December 2008 for a case-control study. Crude and adjusted odd ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated using logistic regression to study the association between bus/minibus use and TB risk. One hundred forty TB cases and 80 controls were included. The overall use of buses/minibuses was 44.9%; 53.3% (72/135) among cases and 30.4% (24/79) among controls [OR: 3.50, (95% CI: 1.60-7.64)]. In the TB group, 25.7% (36/140) of subjects reported having had a recent household TB contact, and 13% (18/139) reported having had a workplace TB contact; corresponding figures for controls were 3.8% (3/80) and 4.1% (3/73), respectively[OR: 8.88 (95% CI: 2.64-29.92), and OR: 3.89 (95% CI: 1.10-13.70)]. In multivariate analyses, age, household income, household contact and using buses/minibuses to commute to work were independently associated with TB [OR for bus/minibus use: 11.8 (95% CI: 1.45-96.07)]. Bus/minibus use to commute to work is associated with TB risk in this high-incidence, urban population in Lima, Peru. Measures should be implemented to prevent TB transmission through this exposure.

Large area high-speed metrology SPM system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Klapetek, P; Valtr, M; Martinek, J; Picco, L; Payton, O D; Miles, M; Yacoot, A

2015-01-01

We present a large area high-speed measuring system capable of rapidly generating nanometre resolution scanning probe microscopy data over mm 2 regions. The system combines a slow moving but accurate large area XYZ scanner with a very fast but less accurate small area XY scanner. This arrangement enables very large areas to be scanned by stitching together the small, rapidly acquired, images from the fast XY scanner while simultaneously moving the slow XYZ scanner across the region of interest. In order to successfully merge the image sequences together two software approaches for calibrating the data from the fast scanner are described. The first utilizes the low uncertainty interferometric sensors of the XYZ scanner while the second implements a genetic algorithm with multiple parameter fitting during the data merging step of the image stitching process. The basic uncertainty components related to these high-speed measurements are also discussed. Both techniques are shown to successfully enable high-resolution, large area images to be generated at least an order of magnitude faster than with a conventional atomic force microscope. (paper)

Large area high-speed metrology SPM system

Science.gov (United States)

Klapetek, P.; Valtr, M.; Picco, L.; Payton, O. D.; Martinek, J.; Yacoot, A.; Miles, M.

2015-02-01

We present a large area high-speed measuring system capable of rapidly generating nanometre resolution scanning probe microscopy data over mm2 regions. The system combines a slow moving but accurate large area XYZ scanner with a very fast but less accurate small area XY scanner. This arrangement enables very large areas to be scanned by stitching together the small, rapidly acquired, images from the fast XY scanner while simultaneously moving the slow XYZ scanner across the region of interest. In order to successfully merge the image sequences together two software approaches for calibrating the data from the fast scanner are described. The first utilizes the low uncertainty interferometric sensors of the XYZ scanner while the second implements a genetic algorithm with multiple parameter fitting during the data merging step of the image stitching process. The basic uncertainty components related to these high-speed measurements are also discussed. Both techniques are shown to successfully enable high-resolution, large area images to be generated at least an order of magnitude faster than with a conventional atomic force microscope.

Effect of forage supplements on the incidence of bloat in dairy cows grazing high clover pastures.

Science.gov (United States)

Phillips, C J; James, N L; Murray-Evans, J P

1996-08-17

The effect of offering forage supplements of different compositions was examined in two experiments with cows grazing high clover swards. In the first experiment strawmix supplements of high or low energy content (11 and 9 MJ metabolisable energy/kg dry matter [DM]) and high or low crude protein content (17 and 4 g/kg DM) were offered for periods of three weeks. The energy and protein contents were varied by the content of molasses and soyabean meal, respectively. The high energy, high protein supplement increased the incidence of bloat, and the low energy, high protein supplement reduced it, compared with grazing alone. Bloat was most evident in the first two weeks of each feeding period, suggesting that the cows partially adapted to the diets within three weeks. In the second experiment silage supplements reduced the incidence of bloat among cows grazing both tall and short swards. The most suitable forages to feed when there is a risk of bloat are those that are slowly fermented in the rumen but are eaten in sufficient quantity to reduce periods of rapid herbage intake.

Beef carcasses with larger eye muscle areas, lower ossification scores and improved nutrition have a lower incidence of dark cutting.

Science.gov (United States)

McGilchrist, P; Alston, C L; Gardner, G E; Thomson, K L; Pethick, D W

2012-12-01

This study evaluated the effect of eye muscle area (EMA), ossification, carcass weight, marbling and rib fat depth on the incidence of dark cutting (pH(u)>5.7) using routinely collected Meat Standards Australia (MSA) data. Data was obtained from 204,072 carcasses at a Western Australian processor between 2002 and 2008. Binomial data of pH(u) compliance was analysed using a logit model in a Bayesian framework. Increasing eye muscle area from 40 to 80 cm², increased pH(u) compliance by around 14% (Pcutting. Increasing musculature and growth combined with good nutrition will minimise dark cutting beef in Australia. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A Prospective Cohort Study of Absconsion Incidents in Forensic Psychiatric Settings: Can We Identify Those at High-Risk?

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Alexis E Cullen

Full Text Available Incidents of absconsion in forensic psychiatric units can have potentially serious consequences, yet surprisingly little is known about the characteristics of patients who abscond from these settings. The few previous studies conducted to date have employed retrospective designs, and no attempt has been made to develop an empirically-derived risk assessment scale. In this prospective study, we aimed to identify predictors of absconsion over a two-year period and investigate the feasibility of developing a brief risk assessment scale.The study examined a representative sample of 135 patients treated in forensic medium- and low-secure wards. At baseline, demographic, clinical, treatment-related, and offending/behavioural factors were ascertained from electronic medical records and the treating teams. Incidents of absconsion (i.e., failure to return from leave, incidents of escape, and absconding whilst on escorted leave were assessed at a two-year follow-up. Logistic regression analyses were used to determine the strongest predictors of absconsion which were then weighted according to their ability to discriminate absconders and non-absconders. The predictive utility of a brief risk assessment scale based on these weighted items was evaluated using receiver operator characteristics (ROC.During the two-year follow-up period, 27 patients (20% absconded, accounting for 56 separate incidents. In multivariate analyses, four factors relating to offending and behaviour emerged as the strongest predictors of absconsion: history of sexual offending, previous absconsion, recent inpatient verbal aggression, and recent inpatient substance use. The weighted risk scale derived from these factors had moderate-to-good predictive accuracy (ROC area under the curve: 0.80; sensitivity: 067; specificity: 0.71, a high negative predictive value (0.91, but a low positive predictive value (0.34.Potentially-targetable recent behaviours, such as inpatient verbal aggression

Prostate cancer incidence in Australia correlates inversely with solar radiation.

Science.gov (United States)

Loke, Tim W; Seyfi, Doruk; Sevfi, Doruk; Khadra, Mohamed

2011-11-01

What's known on the subject? and What does the study add? Increased sun exposure and blood levels of vitamin D have been postulated to be protective against prostate cancer. This is controversial. We investigated the relationship between prostate cancer incidence and solar radiation in non-urban Australia, and found a lower incidence in regions receiving more sunlight. In landmark ecological studies, prostate cancer mortality rates have been shown to be inversely related to ultraviolet radiation exposure. Investigators have hypothesised that ultraviolet radiation acts by increasing production of vitamin D, which inhibits prostate cancer cells in vitro. However, analyses of serum levels of vitamin D in men with prostate cancer have failed to support this hypothesis. This study has found an inverse correlation between solar radiation and prostate cancer incidence in Australia. Our population (previously unstudied) represents the third group to exhibit this correlation. Significantly, the demographics and climate of Australia differ markedly from those of previous studies conducted on men in the United Kingdom and the United States. • To ascertain if prostate cancer incidence rates correlate with solar radiation among non-urban populations of men in Australia. • Local government areas from each state and territory were selected using explicit criteria. Urban areas were excluded from analysis. • For each local government area, prostate cancer incidence rates and averaged long-term solar radiation were obtained. • The strength of the association between prostate cancer incidence and solar radiation was determined. • Among 70 local government areas of Australia, age-standardized prostate cancer incidence rates for the period 1998-2007 correlated inversely with daily solar radiation averaged over the last two decades. •  There exists an association between less solar radiation and higher prostate cancer incidence in Australia. © 2011 THE AUTHORS. BJU

The incidence, aetiology and outcome of acute seizures in children admitted to a rural Kenyan district hospital

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Maitland Kathryn

2008-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Acute seizures are a common cause of paediatric admissions to hospitals in resource poor countries and a risk factor for neurological and cognitive impairment and epilepsy. We determined the incidence, aetiological factors and the immediate outcome of seizures in a rural malaria endemic area in coastal Kenya. Methods We recruited all children with and without seizures, aged 0–13 years and admitted to Kilifi District hospital over 2 years from 1st December 2004 to 30th November 2006. Only incident admissions from a defined area were included. Patients with epilepsy were excluded. The population denominator, the number of children in the community on 30th November 2005 (study midpoint, was modelled from a census data. Results Seizures were reported in 900/4,921(18.3% incident admissions and at least 98 had status epilepticus. The incidence of acute seizures in children 0–13 years was 425 (95%CI 386, 466 per 100,000/year and was 879 (95%CI 795, 968 per 100,000/year in children Conclusion There is a high incidence of acute seizures in children living in this malaria endemic area of Kenya. The most important causes are diseases that are preventable with available public health programs.

Incidencia del cáncer de vejiga urinaria en un área industrializada de España Incidence of urinary bladder cancer in an industrialized area of Spain

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G. Urrutia

2002-08-01

Full Text Available Objetivo: Determinar la incidencia del cáncer de vejiga en la comarca del Vallès Occidental (Barcelona, describir sus características histopatológicas y comparar su incidencia con la de otras áreas españolas y europeas. Método: Se incluyeron los casos nuevos de cáncer de vejiga diagnosticados entre 1992 y 1994 en el Vallès Occidental, área muy industrializada de Cataluña (España. Se ajustaron por edad las tasas de incidencia y se compararon con las de los datos publicados en los registros de otras áreas españolas y europeas. Resultados: Se identificaron 485 casos de cáncer de vejiga, el 95,5% de los cuales eran carcinomas de células transicionales. La mayoría de los tumores (75,9% eran superficiales y tenían un grado de diferenciacón I o II (62,6%. El cáncer de vejiga fue más frecuente en los varones. Las mujeres presentaron tumores de peor pronóstico y una edad media en el momento del diagnóstico significativamente superior a la de los varones (71 frente a 66 años; p = 0,03. La tasa de incidencia ajustada para los varones (52,2 casos/100.000 fue de las más altas, mientras que en las mujeres (5,4 casos/100.000 fue relativamente baja. Conclusiones: La incidencia de cáncer de vejiga en la población del Vallès Occidental se encuentra para los varones entre las más altas de Europa, y en cambio para las mujeres ocupa un lugar bajo. La elevada razón varón/mujer observada podría ser debida a que las mujeres españolas han estado menos expuestas a los factores de riesgo, o bien lo han hecho más recientemente.Aim: To identify all incident cases of bladder cancer in the county of Vallès Occidental (Spain, describe their histopathological characteristics, and make comparisons with other Spanish and European areas. Method: The study was carried out from the Corporació Parc Taulí (Sabadell. All new cases of bladder cancer in residents of the county Vallès Occidental, a highly industrialised area of Catalonia (Spain, were

The most serious incident in the history of UCTE

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hanzel, A.

2007-01-01

On 4 November 2006, the most serious incident in the history of UCTE occurred (the largest synchronically connected area in the world - serving ca. 450 million people). Main reasons of this incident are analysed. (author)

Highly efficient removal of arsenic metal ions with high superficial area hollow magnetite nanoparticles synthetized by AACVD method

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Monárrez-Cordero, B.; Amézaga-Madrid, P.; Antúnez-Flores, W.; Leyva-Porras, C.; Pizá-Ruiz, P. [Centro de Investigación en Materiales Avanzados S.C., and Laboratorio Nacional de Nanotecnología, Miguel de Cervantes 120, Chihuahua, Chih. C.P. 31109 (Mexico); Miki-Yoshida, M., E-mail: mario.miki@cimav.edu.mx [Centro de Investigación en Materiales Avanzados S.C., and Laboratorio Nacional de Nanotecnología, Miguel de Cervantes 120, Chihuahua, Chih. C.P. 31109 (Mexico)

2014-02-15

Highlights: ► Fast and high arsenic removal efficiency, almost 100% in one minute. ► Successful synthesis of high purity magnetite hollow nanoparticles is reported. ► They were synthesized by one step aerosol assisted CVD technique. ► Detailed microstructural characterization by electron microscopy was performed. -- Abstract: New nanotechnology alternatives and methodologies have been developed in order to overcome the limitations of conventional techniques for metal ions removal from water. Currently, the removal of heavy metals requires multiple steps which include the separation and post-treatment of the generated sludge. Usually, this sludge is composed of dangerous environmental pollutants mixed with the material used for removing the metal ion. Thus, the removal of these metals becomes a challenging task. Herein we report the synthesis of magnetite nanoparticles with high specific area by the aerosol assisted chemical vapour deposition method. Deposition temperature were fixed at 450 °C and a mixture of Ar–air were used as a carrier gas, a flow of 1.0 and 0.015 L min{sup −1} were used for Ar and air, respectively. The precursor solution was a dilution of Fe (II) chloride in methanol, with different concentration 0.01, 0.05 and 0.1 mol dm{sup −3}. The crystalline structure of the nanoparticles was characterized by grazing incidence X-ray diffraction. Morphology and microstructure were analyzed by field emission scanning electron microscopy, scanning probe microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. Magnetic properties were evaluated with a vibrating sample magnetometer and specific area was measured by the Brunauer–Emmett–Teller method. To determine the removal efficiency of arsenic ion from water, several tests were carried out at six exposition times 1, 3, 5, 10, 20 and 30 min. Results showed high removal efficiency, more than 99%, in less than 1 min.

Causal Effects of Career-Technical Education on Postsecondary Work Outcomes of Individuals with High-Incidence Disabilities

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Heok In; Rojewski, Jay W.; Gregg, Noel

2016-01-01

Using data from the National Longitudinal Transition Study-2, a propensity score analysis revealed significant causal effects for a secondary career and technical education (CTE) concentration on the postsecondary work outcomes of adolescents with high-incidence disabilities. High school students identified as CTE concentrators (three or more high…

Risk - hazardous incident - communication 2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gerling, R.; Obermeier, O.P.

1995-01-01

It is difficult to develop an objective approach to risks and effects of a hazardous incident that would be acceptable to the community at large. It is a matter of fact that there is great dissimilarity in the way various social groups perceive and define the risks of a particular technology, or the effects of hazardous incidents, sometimes they have even contrary opinions. Hence, open communication is seriously hampered, which in turn aggravates the problems encountered in this context. This second volume of the publication dealing with the problem area of 'risk - hazardous incident - communication' is intended to reveal patterns of the recurrent process which impedes communication, and to bridge the gaps between the various 'styles' of risk perception and definition. (orig./CB) [de

Regional comparison of cancer incidence

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Obralic, N.; Gavrankapetanovic, F.; Dizdarevic, Z.; Duric, O.; Sisic, F.; Selak, I.; Balta, S.; Nakas, B.

2004-01-01

Background. Due to specific war and post-war situation in Balkan region, differences in the number, type, development, biological course, treatment of malignant tumours and its outcome are possible. In order to perceive the situation realistically, it is necessary to gather continuously exact data about malignant tumours and compare them with the data from other European and world countries.The aim of the study was to collect and analyse the data on cancer incidence in the region of Sarajevo city, which represents a symbol of difficult times in the recent past, and to compare it to the incidence in the neighbouring countries. Patients and methods. Data on all newly diagnosed cancer cases, permanent residents of Sarajevo Canton, in the years 1999 and 2000 were collected. Crude incidence rate has been calculated according to the years observed, gender and localizations of the disease The data were compared to the cancer registries of Slovenia and Croatia and were observed in the light of specific local situation. Results. The crude cancer incidence of all sites but skin was the highest in both years and by both genders in Croatia. The incidence of the most common tumours (lung and breast cancer) was similar in all three countries. The differences in the incidence between both genders in the Sarajevo canton were registered in laryngeal and urinary bladder cancer, as well as in bone and cartilage sarcoma. Cervical cancer had extremely high incidence and was high up on the incidence list in the Sarajevo canton, which correlates with the data in developing countries. The incidence of other tumours in the post-war period is reaching expected numbers. Conclusions. It is difficult to identify whether the war and post-war stress, irregular and insufficient nutrition during and after the siege of the city of Sarajevo or some other factor influenced the cancer incidence among exposed population. The prevalence of smoking in the whole region is extremely high, in Bosnia and

Incidents Associated with Gas Operation

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Szer J.

2017-06-01

Full Text Available This article shows incidents associated with the use of gas as an energy carrier. It presents selected incidents which have occurred in Poland and around the world in recent decades. Based on this, consequences of gas and air mixture explosions were analysed as well. The article presents the main causes of gas incidents which have taken place, as per instances which are similar worldwide. Incidents associated with the use of gas are not frequent, but at the same time very tragic as they often lead to illness or even death. In Poland, in the last twenty years, construction area disasters caused by gas explosions account for only 5% of all which have occurred, but the number of fatalities resulting from these cases is approximately 14%. The number of individuals injured reached 39% of all construction disaster victims. Considering all these facts, it is necessary to undertake wide preventive measures in order to increase safety in the use of gaseous fuels.

Study of the incidence and etiology of congenital hypothyroidism in an endemic goiter area after treatment with iodine enriched salt

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Shizhen

1992-01-01

A screening program for congenital hypothyroidism (CH) was performed in a severe endemic goiter area, Chengde district including 7 counties, after treatment with Iodine enriched salt, and Beijing city as a control area. From May 1985 to Sep. 1991, 26570 newborns in Beijing city and 16227 in Chengde were screened. The incidence of primary hypothyroidism in Beijing city was 1/8800 and that in Chengde 1/8100. Of all the 5 Ch detected, 3 from Beijing city and 2 from Chengde, were thyroid dysgenesis. Not a single case of endemic goiter cretinism (including both myxedematous and neurological cretinism) was found in our study. We conclude that Iodine deficiency is the only cause of endemic cretinism and this problem can be solved by Iodine enriched salt treatment

High Incidence of Mammalian Orthoreovirus Identified by Environmental Surveillance in Taiwan.

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Matthew C Y Lim

Full Text Available Wild poliovirus (WPV persists in diverse locales worldwide, spreading outward from endemic areas. In response to the international threat of WPV transmission and changes in the national vaccination policy, we established an environmental surveillance system to monitor the circulation of wild and vaccine-related poliovirus in Taiwan. From July 2012 to December 2013, we collected sewage specimens every month from 10 sewage treatment plants located throughout Taiwan. The specimens were concentrated by the two-phase separation method and then inoculated into L20B, RD, and A549 cells for virus isolation. Viral isolates were identified and serotyped by immunofluorescence assay or molecular analysis. A total of 300 sewage samples were collected, and the results showed 163 samples (54.3% were positive for virus, and 268 isolates were identified. Among these, 75 samples (25% were positive for enterovirus (EV, but no poliovirus was found. In addition, 92 isolates were identified as enteroviruses and the most common serotypes were coxsackievirus B4, coxsackievirus B3, and coxsackievirus B2. Interestingly, 102 (34% and 82 (27.3% specimens were positive for mammalian orthoreovirus (MRV and adenovirus, respectively. This study confirmed that sewage surveillance can be a useful additional modality for monitoring the possible presence of wild-type or vaccine-derived poliovirus in wastewater, and can indicate the current types of viruses circulating in the population. Furthermore, since MRV was found in children with acute necrotizing encephalopathy and meningitis, the high incidence of MRV detected by environmental surveillance warrants further investigation.

Development of a highway incident management operational and training guide for incident responders in Illinois.

Science.gov (United States)

2011-08-01

Each year highway traffic incidents, such as crashes, place responders on and beside roadways with : dangerous high-speed traffic. The unexpected conditions of an incident scene have the potential to surprise : unsuspecting or inattentive drivers, po...

Incidence and survival of stomach cancer in a high-risk population of Chile

Science.gov (United States)

Heise, Katy; Bertran, Enriqueta; Andia, Marcelo E; Ferreccio, Catterina

2009-01-01

AIM: To study the incidence and survival rate of stomach cancer (SC) and its associated factors in a high risk population in Chile. METHODS: The population-based cancer registry of Valdivia, included in the International Agency for Research on Cancer system, covers 356 396 residents of Valdivia Province, Southern Chile. We studied all SC cases entered in this Registry during 1998-2002 (529 cases). Population data came from the Chilean census (2002). Standardized incidence rates per 100 000 inhabitants (SIR) using the world population, cumulative risk of developing cancer before age 75, and rate ratios by sex, age, ethnicity and social factors were estimated. Relative survival (Ederer II method) and age-standardized estimates (Brenner method) were calculated. Specific survival rates (Kaplan-Meier) were measured at 3 and 5 years and survival curves were analyzed with the Logrank and Breslow tests. Survival was studied in relation to demographics, clinical presentation, laboratory results and medical management of the cases. Those variables significantly associated with survival were later included in a Cox multivariate model. RESULTS: Between 1998 and 2002, 529 primary gastric cancers occurred in Valdivia (crude incidence rate 29.2 per 100 000 inhabitants). Most cases were male (69.0%), residents of urban areas (57.5%) and Hispanic (83.2%), with a low education level (84.5% Mapuche ethnicity only significant for women (RR 2.2, 95% CI: 1.2-3.7). Of all cases, 76.4% were histologically confirmed, 11.5% had a death certificate only (DCO), 56.1% were TNM stage IV; 445 cases (84.1%) were eligible for survival analysis, all completed five years follow-up; 42 remained alive, 392 died of SC and 11 died from other causes. Specific 5-year survival, excluding cases with DCO, was 10.6% (95% CI: 7.7-13.5); 5-year relative survival rate was 12.3% (95% CI: 9.1-16.1), men 10.9% (95% CI: 7.4-15.2) and women 16.1% (95% CI: 9.5-24.5). Five-year specific survival was higher for patients

Adjustable Grazing-Incidence X-Ray Optics

Science.gov (United States)

O'Dell, Stephen L.; Reid, Paul B.

2015-01-01

With its unique subarcsecond imaging performance, NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory illustrates the importance of fine angular resolution for x-ray astronomy. Indeed, the future of x-ray astronomy relies upon x-ray telescopes with comparable angular resolution but larger aperture areas. Combined with the special requirements of nested grazing-incidence optics, mass, and envelope constraints of space-borne telescopes render such advances technologically and programmatically challenging. The goal of this technology research is to enable the cost-effective fabrication of large-area, lightweight grazing-incidence x-ray optics with subarcsecond resolution. Toward this end, the project is developing active x-ray optics using slumped-glass mirrors with thin-film piezoelectric arrays for correction of intrinsic or mount-induced distortions.

Environmental impact of the nuclear incident occurring in the middle Asia of the former Soviet Union on Beijing area

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Su Qiong

1995-10-01

The results of a nuclear incident occurred in the Middle Asia of the former Soviet Union was monitored and reported. Its impact on Beijing area was estimated under some assumptions. The concentration of 7 Be in the rain water was increased by two times or more compared with the annual average of the normal conditions and the one in the atmospheric dust was about two times during the monitoring period. The concentration of the 7 Be in the same samples is much higher than the one in the rainy season of the same period of the year. This will cause about 0.41 μSv/a additional dose load to the residents in Beijing area, which is about 1/10,000 to 1/1,000 of the dose level limitation set in the national standard 'GB4792-84'. (3 figs., 1 tab.)

International variations and trends in renal cell carcinoma incidence and mortality.

Science.gov (United States)

Znaor, Ariana; Lortet-Tieulent, Joannie; Laversanne, Mathieu; Jemal, Ahmedin; Bray, Freddie

2015-03-01

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) incidence rates are higher in developed countries, where up to half of the cases are discovered incidentally. Declining mortality trends have been reported in highly developed countries since the 1990s. To compare and interpret geographic variations and trends in the incidence and mortality of RCC worldwide in the context of controlling the future disease burden. We used data from GLOBOCAN, the Cancer Incidence in Five Continents series, and the World Health Organisation mortality database to compare incidence and mortality rates in more than 40 countries worldwide. We analysed incidence and mortality trends in the last 10 yr using joinpoint analyses of the age-standardised rates (ASRs). RCC incidence in men varied in ASRs (World standard population) from approximately 1/100,000 in African countries to >15/100,000 in several Northern and Eastern European countries and among US blacks. Similar patterns were observed for women, although incidence rates were commonly half of those for men. Incidence rates are increasing in most countries, most prominently in Latin America. Although recent mortality trends are stable in many countries, significant declines were observed in Western and Northern Europe, the USA, and Australia. Southern European men appear to have the least favourable RCC mortality trends. Although RCC incidence is still increasing in most countries, stabilisation of mortality trends has been achieved in many highly developed countries. There are marked absolute differences and opposing RCC mortality trends in countries categorised as areas of higher versus lower human development, and these gaps appear to be widening. Renal cell cancer is becoming more commonly diagnosed worldwide in both men and women. Mortality is decreasing in the most developed settings, but not in low- and middle-income countries, where access to and the availability of optimal therapies are likely to be limited. Copyright © 2014 European Association of

Bayesian geostatistical modeling of leishmaniasis incidence in Brazil.

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Dimitrios-Alexios Karagiannis-Voules

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Leishmaniasis is endemic in 98 countries with an estimated 350 million people at risk and approximately 2 million cases annually. Brazil is one of the most severely affected countries. METHODOLOGY: We applied Bayesian geostatistical negative binomial models to analyze reported incidence data of cutaneous and visceral leishmaniasis in Brazil covering a 10-year period (2001-2010. Particular emphasis was placed on spatial and temporal patterns. The models were fitted using integrated nested Laplace approximations to perform fast approximate Bayesian inference. Bayesian variable selection was employed to determine the most important climatic, environmental, and socioeconomic predictors of cutaneous and visceral leishmaniasis. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: For both types of leishmaniasis, precipitation and socioeconomic proxies were identified as important risk factors. The predicted number of cases in 2010 were 30,189 (standard deviation [SD]: 7,676 for cutaneous leishmaniasis and 4,889 (SD: 288 for visceral leishmaniasis. Our risk maps predicted the highest numbers of infected people in the states of Minas Gerais and Pará for visceral and cutaneous leishmaniasis, respectively. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Our spatially explicit, high-resolution incidence maps identified priority areas where leishmaniasis control efforts should be targeted with the ultimate goal to reduce disease incidence.

Predicting fuel poverty at a small-area level in England

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fahmy, Eldin; Gordon, David; Patsios, Demi

2011-01-01

This paper describes the development of a series of models for predicting the incidence of fuel poverty in England at a small-area level and examines the adequacy of the modelled results in informing our understanding of the geography of fuel poverty. This paper summarises the development of alternative approaches to model specification based upon different approaches to the treatment of household income. Since 2003 small-area fuel poverty estimates have been widely used to inform affordable warmth policies and local targeting of fuel poverty programs. Whilst improvements in data sources and methods in recent years provide an opportunity to better understand the spatial distribution of fuel poverty, these analyses suggest that our understanding of the incidence and spatial distribution of fuel poverty is highly sensitive to the way in which household incomes are measured. - Highlights: → The proposed models estimate fuel poverty incidence at a small-area level. → This is necessary in order to accurately target local fuel poverty interventions. → Fuel poverty estimates are highly sensitive to differences in income measurement. → Fewer children and more pensioners are fuel poor using EHCS income measures. → More children and fewer pensioners are fuel poor using HBAI income measures.

High-flux normal incidence monochromator for circularly polarized synchrotron radiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schaefers, F.; Peatman, W.; Eyers, A.; Heckenkamp, C.; Schoenhense, G.; Heinzmann, U.

1986-01-01

A 6.5-m normal incidence monochromator installed at the storage ring BESSY, which is optimized for a high throughput of circularly polarized off-plane radiation at moderate resolution is described. The monochromator employs two exit slits and is specially designed and used for low-signal experiments such as spin- and angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy on solids, adsorbates, free atoms, and molecules. The Monk--Gillieson mounting (plane grating in a convergent light beam) allows for large apertures with relatively little astigmatism. With two gratings, a flux of more than 10 11 photons s -1 bandwidth -1 (0.2--0.5 nm) with a circular polarization of more than 90% in the wavelength range from 35 to 675 nm is achieved

CYP1A1 gene polymorphisms increase lung cancer risk in a high-incidence region of Spain: a case control study

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San Jose Carmen

2010-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background A rural region in south-west Spain has one of the highest lung cancer incidence rates of the country, as revealed by a previous epidemiological 10-year follow-up study. The present work was undertaken to ascertain the role of CYP1A1 gene polymorphisms and their interaction with tobacco smoking in the development of the disease in this location. Methods One-hundred-and-three cases of lung cancer and 265 controls participated in the study. The participants were screened for the presence of four CYP1A1 polymorphisms, namely MspI, Ile462Val, T3205C, and Thr461Asn. Lung cancer risk was estimated as odds ratios (OR and 95% confidence intervals (CI using unconditional logistic regression models adjusting for age, sex, and smoking. Results The distribution of the variant CYP1A1 alleles was different from that described for other Caucasian populations, with CYP1A1*2A showing an uncommonly high frequency (p CYP1A1*2B allele (carrying MspI and Ile462Val mutations was strongly associated with high lung cancer risk (OR = 4.59, CI:1.4-12.6, p p p = 0.04. Moreover, the Thr461Asn polymorphism was found to be associated with SCLC in a Caucasian population for the first time to our knowledge (OR = 8.33, CI: 1.3-15.2, p = 0.04. Conclusion The results suggest that CYP1A1 polymorphisms contribute to increase lung cancer susceptibility in an area with an uncommon high incidence rate.

The incidence of acute myeloid leukemia in Calgary, Alberta, Canada: a retrospective cohort study

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Andrea Christine Shysh

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The incidence rate of acute myeloid leukemia (AML was determined in the Calgary Metropolitan Area, a major Canadian city. Methods Data from all patients diagnosed with AML between January 1, 2011 and December 31, 2015 were retrieved from a single, centralized cancer cytogenetics laboratory for bone marrow samples, the sole diagnostic facility of its kind in Southern Alberta. Results The calculated incidence rate was 2.79 cases per 100,000 person-years with a median age of 60, slightly lower than previously published data. The age-standardized incidence rate for Canada was 3.46 cases per 100,000 person-years. The higher value is reflective of Calgary’s younger population compared to the rest of Canada. Higher male incidence and greatest incidence occurring at approximately the age of 85 is similar to data from other developed countries. The lower incidence rates and median age of diagnosis, in comparison with that of other high-income nations, may be due to differences in the proportion of aging citizens in the population. Conclusion This is the first published incidence rate of acute myeloid leukemia (AML in Canada across all age groups.

High incidence of acute and recurrent patellar dislocations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gravesen, Kasper Skriver; Kallemose, Thomas; Blønd, Lars

2017-01-01

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the Danish population as a whole from 1994 to 2013 to find the incidence of acute and recurrent patellar dislocation. METHODS: The study was performed as a descriptive epidemiological study. The Danish National Patient Registry was retrospecti...

The paradox of high apolipoprotein A-I levels independently predicting incident type-2 diabetes among Turks.

Science.gov (United States)

Onat, A; Hergenç, G; Bulur, S; Uğur, M; Küçükdurmaz, Z; Can, G

2010-06-25

Predictive value of apolipoprotein (apo) A-I for incident hypertension, metabolic syndrome (MetS), type 2 diabetes (DM) and coronary heart disease (CHD) needs further exploration. A representative sample of Turkish adults was studied with this purpose prospectively. Sex-specific apoA-I tertiles were examined regarding cardiometabolic risk. A total of 1044 men and 1067 women (aged 49+/-12 years at baseline) were followed up over 7.4 years. High serum apoA-I levels were significantly associated in multivariable analysis with female sex, aging, alcohol intake, (inversely) cigarette smoking and, in women, with systolic blood pressure. Risk of diabetes was predicted in logistic regression in both genders by top versus bottom apoA-I tertile (RR 1.98; [95%CI 1.31; 3.0]), additive to age, body mass index (BMI), C-reactive protein (CRP), HDL-cholesterol and lipid lowering drugs. By adding sex hormone-binding globulin to the model in a subset of the sample, the association between high apoA-I and incident diabetes was attenuated only in women. ApoA-I tertiles tended to be positively associated also with hypertension and CHD only in women but this did not reach significance. High compared with low serum apoA-I levels nearly double the risk for incident diabetes, additively to age, BMI, CRP, HDL-cholesterol among Turks. Systemic inflammation concomitant with prevailing MetS might turn apoA-I into proinflammatory particles. Copyright 2008 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Geographic Variation in Cancer Incidence among Children and Adolescents in Taiwan (1995–2009)

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Hung, Giun-Yi; Horng, Jiun-Lin; Yen, Hsiu-Ju; Lee, Chih-Ying; Lee, Yu-Sheng

2015-01-01

Background Evidence from our recent study suggested that the overall trend for cancer incidence in children and adolescents has been increasing in Taiwan. Methods To analyze geographic variations in this trend, cancer frequencies and incidence rates of disease groups were quantified according to geographic areas among 12,633 patients aged Taiwan Cancer Registry. Three geographic levels were defined, namely county or city, region (Northern, Central, Southern, and Eastern Taiwan), and local administrative area (special municipality, provincial city, county-administered city, township, and aboriginal area). Results Of the regions, Northern Taiwan had the highest incidence rate at 139.6 per million person-years, followed by Central (132.8), Southern (131.8), and Eastern (128.4) Taiwan. Significantly higher standardized rate ratios (SRRs) were observed in Northern Taiwan (SRR = 1.06, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.02–1.10) and at the township level (SRR = 1.07, 95% CI = 1.03–1.11). Of the cities or counties, New Taipei City yielded the highest SRR (1.08), followed by Taipei City (SRR = 1.07). A comparison of the rates in the four regions and the remainder of Taiwan according to cancer type revealed that only the rate of neuroblastomas in Eastern Taiwan was significantly low. Trend analysis showed that the most significant increase in incidence rate was observed at the township level, with an annual percent change of 1.8% during the 15-year study period. Conclusions The high rate of childhood cancer in Northern Taiwan and at the township level deserves further attention. The potential impacts of environmental factors on the upward trend of childhood cancer incidence rate in townships warrant further investigation. PMID:26192415

Grazing-incident PIXE Analysis Technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Hongri; Wang Guangpu; Liang Kun; Yang Ru; Han Dejun

2009-01-01

In the article, the grazing incidence technology is first applied to the PIXE (proton induced X-ray emission) analysis. Three pieces of samples were investigated, including the contaminated aluminium substrate, the SIMOX (separated by oxygen implantation) SOI (Silicon on Insulator) sample and the silicon wafer implanted with Fe + . The results reveal that the grazing-incident proton can improve the sensitivity of PIXE in trace analysis, especially for samples contaminated on surface. With the penetration depth of the proton bean decreased, the ratio of the peak area to the detection limit raised observably and the sensitivity near the sample surface increased. (authors)

Isolated elliptically polarized attosecond soft X-ray with high-brilliance using polarization gating of harmonics from relativistic plasmas at oblique incidence.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Zi-Yu; Li, Xiao-Ya; Li, Bo-Yuan; Chen, Min; Liu, Feng

2018-02-19

The production of intense isolated attosecond pulse is a major goal in ultrafast research. Recent advances in high harmonic generation from relativistic plasma mirrors under oblique incidence interactions gave rise to photon-rich attosecond pulses with circular or elliptical polarization. However, to achieve an isolated elliptical attosecond pulse via polarization gating using currently available long driving pulses remains a challenge, because polarization gating of high harmonics from relativistic plasmas is assumed only possible at normal or near-normal incidence. Here we numerically demonstrate a scheme around this problem. We show that via control of plasma dynamics by managing laser polarization, it is possible to gate an intense single attosecond pulse with high ellipticity extending to the soft X-ray regime at oblique incidence. This approach thus paves the way towards a powerful tool enabling high-time-resolution probe of dynamics of chiral systems and magnetic materials with current laser technology.

Factoring attitudes towards armed conflict risk into selection of protected areas for conservation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hammill, E.; Tulloch, A.I.T.; Possingham, H.P.

2016-01-01

The high incidence of armed conflicts in biodiverse regions poses significant challenges in achieving international conservation targets. Because attitudes towards risk vary, we assessed different strategies for protected area planning that reflected alternative attitudes towards the risk of arme...... that achieving biodiversity targets in volatile regions will require greater initial investment and benefit from fine-resolution estimates of conflict risk.......The high incidence of armed conflicts in biodiverse regions poses significant challenges in achieving international conservation targets. Because attitudes towards risk vary, we assessed different strategies for protected area planning that reflected alternative attitudes towards the risk of armed...... conflicts. We find that ignoring conflict risk will deliver the lowest return on investment. Opting to completely avoid conflict-prone areas offers limited improvements and could lead to species receiving no protection. Accounting for conflict by protecting additional areas to offset the impacts of armed...

Modelling the incidence of Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium falciparum malaria in Afghanistan 2006-2009.

Science.gov (United States)

Alegana, Victor A; Wright, Jim A; Nahzat, Sami M; Butt, Waqar; Sediqi, Amad W; Habib, Naeem; Snow, Robert W; Atkinson, Peter M; Noor, Abdisalan M

2014-01-01

Identifying areas that support high malaria risks and where populations lack access to health care is central to reducing the burden in Afghanistan. This study investigated the incidence of Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium falciparum using routine data to help focus malaria interventions. To estimate incidence, the study modelled utilisation of the public health sector using fever treatment data from the 2012 national Malaria Indicator Survey. A probabilistic measure of attendance was applied to population density metrics to define the proportion of the population within catchment of a public health facility. Malaria data were used in a Bayesian spatio-temporal conditional-autoregressive model with ecological or environmental covariates, to examine the spatial and temporal variation of incidence. From the analysis of healthcare utilisation, over 80% of the population was within 2 hours' travel of the nearest public health facility, while 64.4% were within 30 minutes' travel. The mean incidence of P. vivax in 2009 was 5.4 (95% Crl 3.2-9.2) cases per 1000 population compared to 1.2 (95% Crl 0.4-2.9) cases per 1000 population for P. falciparum. P. vivax peaked in August while P. falciparum peaked in November. 32% of the estimated 30.5 million people lived in regions where annual incidence was at least 1 case per 1,000 population of P. vivax; 23.7% of the population lived in areas where annual P. falciparum case incidence was at least 1 per 1000. This study showed how routine data can be combined with household survey data to model malaria incidence. The incidence of both P. vivax and P. falciparum in Afghanistan remain low but the co-distribution of both parasites and the lag in their peak season provides challenges to malaria control in Afghanistan. Future improved case definition to determine levels of imported risks may be useful for the elimination ambitions in Afghanistan.

Determinations of silicon and phosphorus in rice planted on a district of high incidence of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis by neutron activation and X-ray fluorescence analyses

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mizumoto, Yoshihiko; Ishikawa, Teruumi; Kusakabe, Toshio; Katsurayama, Kousuke (Kinki Univ., Higashi-Osaka, Osaka (Japan)); Iwata, Shiro

1989-12-01

Silicon and phosphorus contents in polished and unpolished rice planted on a district of high incidence of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) have been determined by neutron activation and X-ray fluorescence methods, and compared with those from control areas. In the neutron activation analysis, {beta}-ray spectra of {sup 32}P produced by the {sup 31}P(n, {gamma}){sup 32}P reaction on polished and unpolished rice were measured with a low background {beta}-ray spectrometer. In the X-ray fluorescence analysis, characteristic X-ray were analyzed with a wavelength dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometer. Silicon contents in polished and unpolished rice from the ALS area are 42 {mu}g.g{sup -1} and 370 {mu}g.g{sup -1}, respectively, and the corresponding phosphorus contents are 1210 {mu}g.g{sup -1}, and 3370 {mu}g.g{sup -1}, respectively. The data for ALS area are equal to those for the control area within atandard deviation. (author).

Determinations of silicon and phosphorus in rice planted on a district of high incidence of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis by neutron activation and X-ray fluorescence analyses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mizumoto, Yoshihiko; Ishikawa, Teruumi; Kusakabe, Toshio; Katsurayama, Kousuke; Iwata, Shiro.

1989-01-01

Silicon and phosphorus contents in polished and unpolished rice planted on a district of high incidence of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) have been determined by neutron activation and X-ray fluorescence methods, and compared with those from control areas. In the neutron activation analysis, β-ray spectra of 32 P produced by the 31 P(n, γ) 32 P reaction on polished and unpolished rice were measured with a low background β-ray spectrometer. In the X-ray fluorescence analysis, characteristic X-ray were analyzed with a wavelength dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometer. Silicon contents in polished and unpolished rice from the ALS area are 42 μg.g -1 and 370 μg.g -1 , respectively, and the corresponding phosphorus contents are 1210 μg.g -1 , and 3370 μg.g -1 , respectively. The data for ALS area are equal to those for the control area within atandard deviation. (author)

A prospective cohort study to assess seroprevalence, incidence, knowledge, attitudes and practices, willingness to pay for vaccine and related risk factors in dengue in a high incidence setting

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Ruth Aralí Martínez-Vega

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Dengue is one of the most important vector-borne diseases in the world, causing significant morbidity and economic impact. In Colombia, dengue is a major public health problem. Departments of La Guajira, Cesar and Magdalena are dengue endemic areas. The objective of this research is to determine the seroprevalence and the incidence of dengue virus infection in the participating municipalities from these Departments, and also establish the association between individual and housing factors and vector indices with seroprevalence and incidence. We will also assess knowledge, attitudes and practices, and willingness-to-pay for dengue vaccine. Methods A cohort study will be assembled with a clustered multistage sampling in 11 endemic municipalities. Approximately 1000 homes will be visited to enroll people older than one year who living in these areas, who will be followed for 1 year. Dengue virus infections will be evaluated using IgG indirect ELISA and IgM and IgG capture ELISA. Additionally, vector indices will be measured, and adult mosquitoes will be captured with aspirators. Ovitraps will be used for continuous estimation of vector density. Discussion This research will generate necessary knowledge to design and implement strategies with a multidimensional approach that reduce dengue morbidity and mortality in La Guajira and other departments from Colombian Caribbean.

Assessment of the incidence of squamous cell papilloma of the esophagus and the presence of high-risk human papilloma virus.

Science.gov (United States)

Pantham, Ganesh; Ganesan, Santhi; Einstadter, Douglas; Jin, Ge; Weinberg, Aaron; Fass, Ronnie

2017-01-01

There has been a recent increase in the incidence of oropharyngeal cancer (OPC) associated with high-risk human papilloma virus (HPV) infection. We investigated the incidence of esophageal papilloma and the presence of high-risk HPV infection. This is a cross-sectional study conducted at a County teaching hospital. Patients with esophageal papilloma between January 2000 and December 2013 were identified. Patients with sufficient specimens were tested for the HPV virus. Sixty patients with esophageal papilloma lesions were identified from 2000 to 2013. (31 males, age 51 ± 13 years). The incidence was 0.13% in 2000 and increased to 0.57% in 2013 (P papilloma that was more than 5 mm in size, and 20% had multiple lesions. The papilloma was located in the distal esophagus in 35 (58.3%) patients, mid esophagus in 17 (28.3%) patients, and proximal in 8 (13.3%) patients. Three (5%) patients had associated OPC, and 9 (47.4%) of the 19 patients tested were positive for high-risk HPV serotype 16. The incidence of esophageal papilloma has increased by fourfolds over the past 14 years. About half of the tested patients demonstrated high risk HPV. This may suggest a potential growing risk for esophageal squamous cell cancer in the future. © 2016 International Society for Diseases of the Esophagus.

Increasing Incidence in Relapsing-Remitting MS and High Rates among Young Women in Finland: A Thirty-Year Follow-Up

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Marja-Liisa Sumelahti

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Object. Gender and disease course specific incidences were studied in high- and medium-risk regions of MS in Finland. Methods. Age- and gender-specific incidences with 95% CIs were calculated in 10-year periods from 1981 to 2010. Poser diagnostic criteria were used and compared with the McDonald criteria from 2001 to 2010. Association between age and diagnostic delay over time was assessed by using the Kruskal-Wallis test. Results. 1419 (89% RRMS and 198 (11% PPMS cases were included. RRMS incidence increased with the female to male ratio (F/M from 4,2/105 (F/M 1.9 to 9,7 (2.3, while that of PPMS decreased from 1,2 (1.6 to 0,7 (1.2. The use of McDonald criteria did not change the conclusion. The decreasing diagnostic delay and age at diagnosis in RRMS were associated within the 10-year periods and contrasted those in PPMS. Increasing female risk in RRMS was observed in the high-risk region. Conclusion. Increasing RRMS incidence and high female ratios shown in each age group indicate gender-specific influences acting already from childhood. A more precise definition of the risk factors and their action in MS is needed to provide a better understanding of underlying pathological processes and a rationale for the development of new preventive and treatment strategies.

Incidence, disease phenotype at diagnosis, and early disease course in inflammatory bowel diseases in Western Hungary, 2002-2006.

Science.gov (United States)

Lakatos, Laszlo; Kiss, Lajos S; David, Gyula; Pandur, Tunde; Erdelyi, Zsuzsanna; Mester, Gabor; Balogh, Mihaly; Szipocs, Istvan; Molnar, Csaba; Komaromi, Erzsebet; Lakatos, Peter Laszlo

2011-12-01

Recent trends indicate a change in the epidemiology of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), with previously low incidence areas now reporting a progressive rise in the incidence. Our aim was to analyze the incidence and disease phenotype at diagnosis in IBD in the population-based Veszprem Province database, which included incident patients diagnosed between January 1, 2002 and December 31, 2006. Data of 393 incident patients were analyzed (ulcerative colitis [UC]: 220, age-at-diagnosis: 40.5 years; Crohn's disease [CD]: 163, age-at-diagnosis: 32.5 years; and indeterminate colitis [IC]: 10). Both hospital and outpatient records were collected and comprehensively reviewed. Adjusted mean incidence rates were 8.9/10(5) person-years for CD and 11.9/10(5) person-years in UC. Peak onset age in both CD and UC patients was 21-30 years old. Location at diagnosis in UC was proctitis in 26.8%, left-sided colitis in 50.9%, and pancolitis in 22.3%. The probability of proximal extension and colectomy after 5 years was 12.7% and 2.8%. The disease location in CD was ileal in 20.2%, colonic in 35.6%, ileocolonic in 44.2%, and upper gastrointestinal in four patients. Behavior at diagnosis was stenosing/penetrating in 35.6% and perianal in 11.1%. Patients with colonic disease were older at diagnosis compared to patients with ileal or ileocolonic disease. In a Kaplan-Meier analysis, probability of surgical resection was 9.8%, 18.5%, and 21.3% after 1, 3, and 5 years of disease duration, respectively. The incidence of IBD in Veszprem Province in the last decade was high, equal to that in high-incidence areas in Western European countries. Early disease course is milder compared to data reported in the literature. Copyright © 2011 Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America, Inc.

Socioeconomic Disadvantage Is Associated with a Higher Incidence of Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage.

Science.gov (United States)

Nichols, Linda; Stirling, Christine; Otahal, Petr; Stankovich, Jim; Gall, Seana

2018-03-01

Aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) incidence is not well studied. Varied definitions of "subarachnoid hemorrhage" have led to a lack of clarity regarding aSAH incidence. The impact of area-level socioeconomic disadvantage and geographical location on the incidence of aSAH also remains unclear. Using a population-based statewide study, we examined the incidence of aSAH in relation to socioeconomic disadvantage and geographical location. A retrospective cohort study of nontraumatic subarachnoid hemorrhages from 2010 to 2014 was undertaken. Researchers manually collected data from multiple overlapping sources including statewide administrative databases, individual digital medical records, and death registers. Age-standardized rates (ASRs) per 100,000 person years were calculated using the 2001 Australian population. Differences in incidence rate ratios were calculated by age, sex, area-level socioeconomic status, and geographical location using Poisson regression. The cohort of 237 cases (mean age, 61.0 years) with a female predominance of 166 (70.04%) included 159 confirmed aSAH, 52 community-based deaths, and 26 probable cases. The ASR for aSAH was 9.99 (95% confidence interval [CI], 8.69-11.29). A significant association between area-level socioeconomic disadvantage and incidence was observed, with the rate of aSAH in disadvantaged geographical areas being 1.40 times higher than that in advantaged areas (95% CI, 1.11-1.82; P = .012). This study uses a comprehensive search of multiple data sources to define a new baseline of aSAH within an Australian population. This study presents a higher incidence rate of aSAH with socioeconomic variations. As a key risk factor that may explain this paradox, addressing socioeconomic inequalities is important for effective prevention and management interventions. Copyright © 2018 National Stroke Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Simulation of high consequence areas for gas pipelines

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Orlando Díaz-Parra

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The gas pipeline is used for the transport of natural gas at a great distance. Risks derived from the handling of a combustible material transported under high pressure, by pipelines that pass close to where people live, makes it necessary to adopt prevention, mitigation and control measures to reduce the effect in case of ignition of a gas leak. This work shows the development of a new mathematical model to determine areas of high consequence and their application, using widely available and easy to use software, such as Google Earth and Excel, to determine and visualize the area up to which the level of radiation can affect the integrity of people and buildings. The model takes into account the pressure drop into the gas pipeline from the compression station, the gas leakage rate and possible forms of gas ignition. This development is an alternative to the use of specialized software and highly trained personnel. The simulation is applied to a traced of the Miraflores-Tunja gas pipeline, using a macro developed in Excel to determine the impact area and compare it with the coordinates of the vulnerable areas. The zones where these areas intersect are constituted in high consequence areas and are identified along with the sections of the pipeline that affect them, to provide the operator with a risk analysis tool for the determination and visualization of the gas pipeline and its environment.

Incidence of dengue virus infection among Japanese travellers, 2006 to 2010

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yuki Tada

2012-06-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Dengue continues to be a global public health concern. In Japan, although dengue cases are currently seen only among travellers returning from endemic areas, the number of reported cases is rising according to the national case-based surveillance system. We evaluated the characteristics of dengue cases imported into Japan and the relationship between the incidence of infection and season of travel to popular destinations.Methods: Dengue cases reported to the national surveillance system were retrospectively examined. The number of reported cases per number of Japanese travellers to a dengue-endemic country was calculated to estimate the country-specific incidence of imported dengue virus infection. The incidence of dengue infection among Japanese travellers was compared between dengue high season and low season in each country using relative risk (RR and associated 95% confidence intervals (CI.Results: Among 540 Japanese residents who were reported as dengue cases from 2006 to 2010, the majority had travelled to Indonesia, India, the Philippines and Thailand. The RR of dengue infection among Japanese travellers during dengue high season versus low season was 4.92 (95% CI: 3.01–8.04 for the Philippines, 2.76 (95% CI: 1.67–4.54 for Thailand and 0.37 (95% CI: 0.15–0.92 for Indonesia.Discussion: Overall, higher incidence of imported cases appeared to be related to historic dengue high seasons. Travellers planning to visit dengue-endemic countries should be aware of historic dengue seasonality and the current dengue situation.

Protective equipment and player characteristics associated with the incidence of sport-related concussion in high school football players: a multifactorial prospective study.

Science.gov (United States)

McGuine, Timothy A; Hetzel, Scott; McCrea, Michael; Brooks, M Alison

2014-10-01

The incidence of sport-related concussion (SRC) in high school football is well documented. However, limited prospective data are available regarding how player characteristics and protective equipment affect the incidence of SRC. To determine whether the type of protective equipment (helmet and mouth guard) and player characteristics affect the incidence of SRC in high school football players. Cohort study; Level of evidence, 2. Certified athletic trainers (ATs) at each high school recorded the type of helmet worn (brand, model, purchase year, and recondition status) by each player as well as information regarding players' demographics, type of mouth guard used, and history of SRC. The ATs also recorded the incidence and days lost from participation for each SRC. Incidence of SRC was compared for various helmets, type of mouth guard, history of SRC, and player demographics. A total of 2081 players (grades 9-12) enrolled during the 2012 and/or 2013 football seasons (2287 player-seasons) and participated in 134,437 football (practice or competition) exposures. Of these players, 206 (9%) sustained a total of 211 SRCs (1.56/1000 exposures). There was no difference in the incidence of SRC (number of helmets, % SRC [95% CI]) for players wearing Riddell (1171, 9.1% [7.6%-11.0%]), Schutt (680, 8.7% [6.7%-11.1%]), or Xenith (436, 9.2% [6.7%-12.4%]) helmets. Helmet age and recondition status did not affect the incidence of SRC. The rate of SRC (hazard ratio [HR]) was higher in players who wore a custom mouth guard (HR = 1.69 [95% CI, 1.20-2.37], P football players. Players who had sustained an SRC within the previous 12 months were more likely to sustain an SRC than were players without a history of SRC. Sports medicine providers who work with high school football players need to realize that factors other than the type of protective equipment worn affect the risk of SRC in high school players. © 2014 The Author(s).

Heat transfer measurements on an incidence-tolerant low pressure turbine blade in a high speed linear cascade at low to moderate Reynolds numbers

Science.gov (United States)

Moualeu, Leolein Patrick Gouemeni

Runway-independent aircraft are expected to be the future for short-haul flights by improving air transportation and reducing area congestion encountered in airports. The Vehicle Systems Program of NASA identified a Large Civil Tilt-Rotor, equipped with variable-speed power-turbine engines, as the best concept. At cruise altitude, the engine rotor-speed will be reduced by as much as the 50% of take-off speed. The large incidence variation in the low pressure turbine associated with the change in speed can be detrimental to the engine performance. Low pressure turbine blades in cruise altitude are more predisposed to develop regions of boundary layer separation. Typical phenomenon such as impinging wakes on downstream blades and mainstream turbulences enhance the complexity of the flow in low pressure turbines. It is therefore important to be able to understand the flow behavior to accurately predict the losses. Research facilities are seldom able to experimentally reproduce low Reynolds numbers at relevant engine Mach number. Having large incidence swing as an additional parameter in the investigation of the boundary layer development, on a low pressure turbine blade, makes this topic unique and as a consequence requires a unique facility to conduct the experimental research. The compressible flow wind tunnel facility at the University of North Dakota had been updated to perform steady state experiments on a modular-cascade, designed to replicate a large variation of the incidence angles. The high speed and low Reynolds number facility maintained a sealed and closed loop configuration for each incidence angle. The updated facility is capable to produce experimental Reynolds numbers as low as 45,000 and as high as 570,000 at an exit Mach number of 0.72. Pressure and surface temperature measurements were performed at these low pressure turbine conditions. The present thesis investigates the boundary layer development on the surface of an Incidence-tolerant blade. The

High-surface-area active carbon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

O'Grady, T.M.; Wennerberg, A.N.

1986-01-01

This paper describes the preparation and properties of a unique active carbon having exceptionally high surface areas, over 2500 m 2 /gm, and extraordinary adsorptive capacities. The carbon is made by a direct chemical activation route in which petroleum coke or other carbonaceous sources are reacted with excess potassium hydroxide at 400 0 to 500 0 C to an intermediate product that is subsequently pyrolyzed at 800 0 to 900 0 C to active carbon containing potassium salts. These are removed by water washing and the carbon is dried to produce a powdered product. A granular carbon can also be made by further processing the powdered carbon by using specialized granulation techniques. Typical properties of the carbon include Iodine Numbers of 3000 to 3600, methylene blue adsorption of 650 to 750 mg/gm, pore volumes of 2.0 to 2.6 cc/gm and less than 3.0% ash. This carbon's high adsorption capacities make it uniquely suited for numerous demanding applications in the medical area, purifications, removal of toxic substances, as catalyst carriers, etc

Trends in incidence of anal cancer and high-grade anal intraepithelial neoplasia in Denmark, 1978-2008

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Ann; Plum, Christian Edinger Munk; Kjaer, Susanne K

2012-01-01

The aim of the study was to determine the incidences of anal cancer and high-grade anal intraepithelial neoplasia (AIN2/3) over time in Danish women and men. Describing the burden of anal cancer and AIN may be valuable in future evaluations of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine. We included all...... anal cancers in the Danish Cancer Register in the period 1978-2008 and all cases of AIN2/3 in the Danish Registry of Pathology. Overall and age-, period- and histology-specific incidence rates were estimated. During the 30-year period, 2187 anal cancers were identified, two thirds of which were...... in women. Between 1978-1982 and 2003-2008, the age-standardized incidence rate of anal cancer increased from 0.68 to 1.48 per 100 000 person-years in women and from 0.45 to 0.80 per 100 000 person-years in men. Although there is no systematic screening for AIN in Denmark, we nevertheless identified 608...

Fix It with TAPE: Repurposing Technology to Be Assistive Technology for Students with High-Incidence Disabilities

Science.gov (United States)

Bouck, Emily C.; Shurr, Jordan C.; Tom, Kinsey; Jasper, Andrea D.; Bassette, Laura; Miller, Bridget; Flanagan, Sara M.

2012-01-01

This article discusses how practitioners can repurpose technology--common and socially desirable technology in particular--to be assistive technology for students with high-incidence disabilities. The authors provide a framework for practitioners to consider technology for repurposing: TAPE (Transportable, Available, Practical, Engaging) and…

Accomplish the Application Area in Cloud Computing

OpenAIRE

Bansal, Nidhi; Awasthi, Amit

2012-01-01

In the cloud computing application area of accomplish, we find the fact that cloud computing covers a lot of areas are its main asset. At a top level, it is an approach to IT where many users, some even from different companies get access to shared IT resources such as servers, routers and various file extensions, instead of each having their own dedicated servers. This offers many advantages like lower costs and higher efficiency. Unfortunately there have been some high profile incidents whe...

Variations in the Incidence of Schizophrenia: Data Versus Dogma

Science.gov (United States)

McGrath, John J

2006-01-01

The schizophrenia research community has shared a belief that the incidence of schizophrenia shows little variation. This belief is related to the dogma that schizophrenia affects all individuals equally, regardless of sex, race, or nationality. However, there is now robust evidence that the incidence of schizophrenia is characterized by substantial variability. There is prominent variation in the incidence of schizophrenia between sites. The incidence of schizophrenia is significantly higher in males than in females (male:female ratio = 1.4). Migrants and those living in urban areas have a higher incidence of schizophrenia. The incidence of schizophrenia has fluctuations across time. In addition, the prevalence of schizophrenia is also characterized by prominent variation. The realization that schizophrenia is characterized by rich and informative gradients will serve as a catalyst for future research. PMID:16135560

[Report of Cancer Incidence and Mortality in China, 2014].

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, W Q; Li, H; Sun, K X; Zheng, R S; Zhang, S W; Zeng, H M; Zou, X N; Gu, X Y; He, J

2018-01-23

Objective: The registration data of local cancer registries in 2014 were collected by National Central Cancer Registry (NCCR)in 2017 to estimate the cancer incidence and mortality in China. Methods: The data submitted from 449 registries were checked and evaluated, and the data of 339 registries out of them were qualified and selected for the final analysis. Cancer incidence and mortality were stratified by area, gender, age group and cancer type, and combined with the population data of 2014 to estimate cancer incidence and mortality in China. The age composition of standard population of Chinese census in 2000 and Segi's population were used for age-standardized incidence and mortality in China and worldwide, respectively. Results: Total covered population of 339 cancer registries (129 in urban and 210 in rural) in 2014 were 288 243 347 (144 061 915 in urban and 144 181 432 in rural areas). The mortality verified cases (MV%) were 68.01%. Among them, 2.19% cases were identified through death certifications only (DCO%), and the mortality to incidence ratio was 0.61. There were about 3, 804, 000 new cases diagnosed as malignant cancer and 2, 296, 000 cases dead in 2014 in the whole country. The incidence rate was 278.07/100, 000 (males 301.67/100, 000, females 253.29/100, 000) in China, age-standardized incidence rates by Chinese standard population (ASIRC) and by world standard population were 190.63/100, 000 and 186.53/100, 000, respectively, and the cumulative incidence rate (0-74 age years old) was 21.58%. The cancer incidence and ASIRC in urban areas were 302.13/100, 000 and 196.58/100, 000, respectively, whereas in rural areas, those were 248.94/100, 000 and 182.64/100, 000, respectively. The cancer mortality in China was 167.89/100, 000 (207.24/100, 000 in males and 126.54/100, 000 in females), age-standardized mortality rates by Chinese standard population (ASMRC) and by world standard population were 106.98/100, 000 and 106.09/100, 000, respectively. And

Association of Parkinson's disease with industry sectors: a French nationwide incidence study.

Science.gov (United States)

Vlaar, Tim; Kab, Sofiane; Schwaab, Yannick; Fréry, Nadine; Elbaz, Alexis; Moisan, Frédéric

2018-05-05

In order to identify working environments at risk for Parkinson's disease (PD), we investigated the relation between the importance of industry sectors, used as a surrogate for occupational exposures, and PD incidence in French cantons. The number of incident PD cases (2010-2014) in 3689 cantons of metropolitan France was determined using drug claims from French National Health Insurance databases. The proportions of workers in 38 industry sectors in 2006 were calculated for each canton. Associations between the proportions of workers in industry sectors and PD age/sex-standardized incidence ratios were examined using incidence rate ratios (IRR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) estimated with multilevel negative binomial regressions with a random intercept at the canton-level and adjusted for smoking, deprivation index, and density of neurologists. We then used two-step semi-Bayes hierarchical regression (HR) to include prior information about exposure to pesticides, metals, and solvents in each industry sector. We identified 112,625 incident cases. PD incidence was higher in areas characterized by high proportions of workers in "Agriculture, forestry and fishing" (IRR HR  = 1.042; CI 95% = 1.014-1.070; p-Trend HR  = 0.004), "Manufacture of textiles, wearing apparel, leather and related products" (IRR HR  = 1.024; CI 95% = 1.005-1.044; p-Trend HR  = 0.010), and "Manufacture of basic metals and fabricated metal products, except machinery and equipment" (IRR HR  = 1.024; CI 95% = 1.003-1.046; p-Trend HR  = 0.071). This nationwide study, based on a comprehensive analysis of industry sectors, shows significant associations between high proportions of workers in specific industry sectors (agriculture, metallurgy, textile) and PD incidence that may be targeted in further epidemiological studies to replicate and better understand these associations.

[Statistical analysis of the incidence of some cancers in the province of Taranto 1999-2001].

Science.gov (United States)

Graziano, Giusi; Bilancia, Massimo; Bisceglia, Lucia; de Nichilo, Gigliola; Pollice, Alessio; Assennato, Giorgio

2009-01-01

to estimate the spatial distribution of risk, in order to assess its correlation to environmental pollution exposure around the large production facilities located in the Taranto area, and to identify high risk areas not previously reported. Italy, Taranto province (581,508 inhabitants). incidence data in 29 municipalities of the Taranto province were extracted from the Jonico Salentino Cancer Registry (RTJS) for the following cancer sites: lung (ICDX C33-C34); pleura, pleuric mesothelioma (ICDX C45.0); bladder, malignancies only (ICDX C67); brain (ICDX C70-72); non-Hodgkin lymphoma (ICDX C82-85, C96); leukaemia (ICDX C91-5). Age standardized incidence rates for the whole province were computed. High-level risk areas were classified using a Poisson model, computing area-specific p-values associated to the null hypothesis of no increased risk (i.e. relative risk equal to 1). A hierarchical spatial Bayesian model was estimated to strengthen results: specifically two additional variance components, accounting for relative risk spatial autocorrelation and excess heterogeneity respectively, were considered in the model specification. Bayesian mapping of disease incidence allows for the drawing of regularized (smoothed) maps. To adjust for the effect of socio-economic deprivation, a five-variable index was introduced into the model as an ecological covariate. an increased risk of lung, pleura and bladder cancer was observed among male residents in the city of Taranto (respectively: SIR 1.24, p-value sexe risk (especially among males) of lung, pleura and bladder cancer is likely related to the chemical pollutants and asbestos, due to the presence of many industries and shipyards in the city of Taranto.

Risk - hazardous incident - communication 1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gerling, R.; Obermeier, O.P.

1994-01-01

Terms such as 'risk', 'hazardous incident', and 'communication' have become major catchwords in discussions about present-day problems, and may be reduced to a common denominator: disaster. Such an association, however, is inappropriate, as the concept indicated by the term 'risk' for instance covers a wide scale of possible danger. Even the term 'hazardous incident' describes events or conditions that are very different in terms of possible danger, let alone disastrous effects. The discrepancy to be observed between the facts and the public perception usually is due to the fact that people have little insight into the complex of problems involved, and to insufficient communication between the world of experts and the general public. The contributions to this publication present information and discuss a variety of solution sets to improve the communication problems in the context of the problem area of 'risk - hazardous incident - communication'. (orig./CB) [de

Incidence of dementia and major subtypes in Europe

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fratiglioni, L; Launer, L J; Andersen, K

2000-01-01

The authors examined the association of incident dementia and subtypes with age, sex, and geographic area in Europe. Incidence data from eight population-based studies carried out in seven European countries were compared and pooled. The pooled data included 835 mild to severe dementia cases and 42......,996 person-years of follow-up. In all studies a higher proportion of cases were diagnosed with AD (60 to 70% of all demented cases) than vascular dementia (VaD). The incidence of dementia and AD continued to increase with age up to age 85 years, after which rates increased in women but not men....... There was a large variation in VaD incidence across studies. In the pooled analysis, the incidence rates increased with age without any substantial difference between men and women. Surprisingly, higher incidence rates of dementia and AD were found in the very old in northwest countries than in southern countries...

EAP-based critical incident stress management: utilization of a practice-based assessment of incident severity level in responding to workplace trauma.

Science.gov (United States)

DeFraia, Gary S

2013-01-01

Central to the field of trauma psychology is assessment of the impact of critical incidents on individuals, as measured by individual symptoms of stress. Accordingly, the trauma literature reflects a proliferation of clinical impact of event scales. Workplace incidents however, affect not only individual employees, but also work organizations, requiring a multi-level response. Critical incident stress management (CISM) is the most prevalent multi-level incident response strategy utilized by organizations, often through specialized CISM units operating within their employee assistance programs (EAPs). While EAP-based CISM units seeks to support both individuals and organizations, studies focused on individual stress dominate the literature, mirroring assessment scales that tend to emphasize clinical as opposed to organizational practice. This research contributes to less-prevalent studies exploring incident characteristics as disruptive to organizations, rather than clinical symptoms as disruptive to individuals. To measure incident disruption, an EAP-based CISM unit developed a critical incident severity scale. By analyzing this unit's extensive practice database, this exploratory study examines how critical incident severity level varies among various types of incidents. Employing the methodology of clinical data mining, this practice-based research generates evidence-informed practice recommendations in the areas of EAP-based CISM intake assessment, organizational consultation and incident response planning.

Spatial Distribution of Black Bear Incident Reports in Michigan.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jamie E McFadden-Hiller

Full Text Available Interactions between humans and carnivores have existed for centuries due to competition for food and space. American black bears are increasing in abundance and populations are expanding geographically in many portions of its range, including areas that are also increasing in human density, often resulting in associated increases in human-bear conflict (hereafter, bear incidents. We used public reports of bear incidents in Michigan, USA, from 2003-2011 to assess the relative contributions of ecological and anthropogenic variables in explaining the spatial distribution of bear incidents and estimated the potential risk of bear incidents. We used weighted Normalized Difference Vegetation Index mean as an index of primary productivity, region (i.e., Upper Peninsula or Lower Peninsula, primary and secondary road densities, and percentage land cover type within 6.5-km2 circular buffers around bear incidents and random points. We developed 22 a priori models and used generalized linear models and Akaike's Information Criterion (AIC to rank models. The global model was the best compromise between model complexity and model fit (w = 0.99, with a ΔAIC 8.99 units from the second best performing model. We found that as deciduous forest cover increased, the probability of bear incident occurrence increased. Among the measured anthropogenic variables, cultivated crops and primary roads were the most important in our AIC-best model and were both positively related to the probability of bear incident occurrence. The spatial distribution of relative bear incident risk varied markedly throughout Michigan. Forest cover fragmented with agriculture and other anthropogenic activities presents an environment that likely facilitates bear incidents. Our map can help wildlife managers identify areas of bear incident occurrence, which in turn can be used to help develop strategies aimed at reducing incidents. Researchers and wildlife managers can use similar mapping

Spatial Distribution of Black Bear Incident Reports in Michigan.

Science.gov (United States)

McFadden-Hiller, Jamie E; Beyer, Dean E; Belant, Jerrold L

2016-01-01

Interactions between humans and carnivores have existed for centuries due to competition for food and space. American black bears are increasing in abundance and populations are expanding geographically in many portions of its range, including areas that are also increasing in human density, often resulting in associated increases in human-bear conflict (hereafter, bear incidents). We used public reports of bear incidents in Michigan, USA, from 2003-2011 to assess the relative contributions of ecological and anthropogenic variables in explaining the spatial distribution of bear incidents and estimated the potential risk of bear incidents. We used weighted Normalized Difference Vegetation Index mean as an index of primary productivity, region (i.e., Upper Peninsula or Lower Peninsula), primary and secondary road densities, and percentage land cover type within 6.5-km2 circular buffers around bear incidents and random points. We developed 22 a priori models and used generalized linear models and Akaike's Information Criterion (AIC) to rank models. The global model was the best compromise between model complexity and model fit (w = 0.99), with a ΔAIC 8.99 units from the second best performing model. We found that as deciduous forest cover increased, the probability of bear incident occurrence increased. Among the measured anthropogenic variables, cultivated crops and primary roads were the most important in our AIC-best model and were both positively related to the probability of bear incident occurrence. The spatial distribution of relative bear incident risk varied markedly throughout Michigan. Forest cover fragmented with agriculture and other anthropogenic activities presents an environment that likely facilitates bear incidents. Our map can help wildlife managers identify areas of bear incident occurrence, which in turn can be used to help develop strategies aimed at reducing incidents. Researchers and wildlife managers can use similar mapping techniques to

[Spatio-temporal distribution of scrub typhus and related influencing factors in coastal beach area of Yancheng, China].

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Y Z; Li, F; Xu, H; Huang, L C; Gu, Z G; Sun, Z Y; Yan, G J; Zhu, Y J; Tang, C

2016-02-01

In order to provide better programs on monitoring, early warning and prevention of Scrub Typhus in the coastal beach area, temporal-spatial distribution characteristics of scrub typhus were summarized. Relationships between temporal-spatial clustering of Scrub Typhus, meteorological factors, rodent distribution and the biological characteristics in coastal beach area of Yancheng city, were studied. Reports on network-based Scrub Typhus epidemics and information on population, weather situation through monitoring those stations, from 2005 to 2014 were collected and processed, in the coastal beach area of Yancheng city. Distribution, density of the population concerned and seasonal fluctuation on rodents were monitored in coastal beach area, from April 2011 to December, 2013. METHODS as descriptive statistics, space-time permutation scantistics, autocorrelation and Cross-correlation analysis etc, were used to analyze the temporal-spatial distribution of Scrub Typhus and correlation with rodent distribution, density fluctuation and meteorological indexes. Zero-inflated Pearson (ZIP) regression model was contributed according to the distribution of related data. All methods were calculated under Excel 2003, SPSS 16.0, Mapinfo 11.0, Satscan 9.0 and Stata/SE 10.0 softwares. (1) The incidence of Scrub Typhus was gradually increasing and the highest incidence of the year was seen in 2014, as 5.81/10 million. There was an autumn peak of Scrub typhus, with the highest incidence rate as 12.02/10 million in November. The incidence rate of Scrub typhus appeared high in Binhai, Dafeng and Xiangshui, with the average incidence rates appeared as 3.30/10 million, 3.21/10 million and 2.79/10 million, respectively. There were 12 towns with high incidence rates in the coastal beach area, with incidence rate showed between 4.41/10 and 10.03/10 million. (2) There were three incidence clusters of Scrub typhus seen in 25 towns, between October 2012 and November 2012 in Dongtai, Dafeng

Female breast cancer incidence and mortality in China, 2013

Science.gov (United States)

Zuo, Ting‐Ting; Zheng, Rong‐Shou; Zeng, Hong‐Mei; Zhang, Si‐Wei

2017-01-01

Background Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women. Population‐based cancer registration data from the National Central Cancer Registry were used to analyze and evaluate the incidence and mortality rates in China in 2013, providing scientific information for cancer prevention and control. Methods Pooled data were stratified by area (urban/rural), gender, and age group. National new cases and deaths were estimated using age‐specific rates and the corresponding population in 2013. The Chinese population in 2000 and Segi's world population were used to calculate age‐standardized rates. Results The estimated number of new breast cancer cases was about 278 800 in China in 2013. The crude incidence, age‐standardized rate of incidence by Chinese standard population, and age‐standardized rate of incidence by world standard population were 42.02/100 000, 30.41/100 000, and 28.42/100 000, respectively. The estimated number of breast cancer deaths was about 64 600 in China in 2013. The crude mortality, age‐standardized rate of mortality by Chinese standard population, and age‐standardized rate of mortality by world standard population were 9.74/100 000, 6.54/100 000, and 6.34/100 000, respectively. Both incidence and mortality were higher in urban than in rural areas. Age‐specific breast cancer incidence significantly increased with age, particularly after age 20, and peaked at 50–55 years, while age‐specific mortality increased rapidly after 25 years, peaking at 85+ years. Conclusions Breast cancer is the most common cancer in Chinese women, especially women in urban areas. Comprehensive measures are needed to reduce the heavy burden of breast cancer. PMID:28296260

Erythema nodosum and the risk of tuberculosis in a high incidence setting

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bjorn-Mortensen, Karen; Ladefoged, Karin; Simonsen, Jacob

2016-01-01

OBJECTIVE: This study estimates the erythema nodosum (EN) incidence in a tuberculosis (TB) endemic setting and evaluates the likelihood of a subsequent TB diagnosis among individuals with Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection (MTI) with or without EN. DESIGN: We estimated EN incidence rates (IRs...

High incidence of acute myeloid leukemia in SJL/J mice after X-irradiation and corticosteroids

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Resnitzky, P.; Estrov, Z.; Hebrew Univ., Jerusalem; Haran-Ghera, N.

1985-01-01

SJL/J mice which developed a high incidence of spontaneous reticulum cell neoplasms, developed a low rate incidence (20-25%) of myeloid leukemia (ML) after X-irradiation. The possible effect of adrenal steroid imbalance to radiation-induced ML in SJL/J mice was tested. Intact and thymectomized animals were exposed to a single dose of 300 r whole body irradiation and treated with either hydrocortisone acetate, prednisone, metyrapone and adrenocorticotropin as coleukemogenic agents. Hydrocortisone and prednisone exerted a marked coleukemogenic effect, increasing the ML incidence to a similar rate of about 50-70%, at a mean latent period of 300 days. Prominent leukemic infiltration were observed in the bone marrow, spleen, lymph nodes and liver of the leukemic animals. Results of cytological and histological studies, including cytochemistry and ultrastructure, were all consistent with the diagnosis of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Since AML is the type of human secondary leukemia which appears increasingly in patients treat with alkylating drugs and/or irradiation and corticosteroids for Hodgkin's disease or other neoplastic diseases, the experimental model of AML induced in SJL/J mice could be used for elucidation of mechanisms of leukemogenesis in secondary leukemia. (author)

High incidence of acute myeloid leukemia in SJL/J mice after X-irradiation and corticosteroids

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Resnitzky, P; Estrov, Z; Haran-Ghera, N

1985-01-01

SJL/J mice which developed a high incidence of spontaneous reticulum cell neoplasms, developed a low rate incidence (20-25%) of myeloid leukemia (ML) after X-irradiation. The possible effect of adrenal steroid imbalance to radiation-induced ML in SJL/J mice was tested. Intact and thymectomized animals were exposed to a single dose of 300 r whole body irradiation and treated with either hydrocortisone acetate, prednisone, metyrapone and adrenocorticotropin as coleukemogenic agents. Hydrocortisone and prednisone exerted a marked coleukemogenic effect, increasing the ML incidence to a similar rate of about 50-70%, at a mean latent period of 300 days. Prominent leukemic infiltration were observed in the bone marrow, spleen, lymph nodes and liver of the leukemic animals. Results of cytological and histological studies, including cytochemistry and ultrastructure, were all consistent with the diagnosis of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Since AML is the type of human secondary leukemia which appears increasingly in patients treat with alkylating drugs and/or irradiation and corticosteroids for Hodgkin's disease or other neoplastic diseases, the experimental model of AML induced in SJL/J mice could be used for elucidation of mechanisms of leukemogenesis in secondary leukemia.

Lightning incidents in Mongolia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Myagmar Doljinsuren

2015-11-01

Full Text Available This is one of the first studies that has been conducted in Mongolia on the distribution of lightning incidents. The study covers a 10-year period from 2004 to 2013. The country records a human death rate of 15.4 deaths per 10 million people per year, which is much higher than that of many countries with similar isokeraunic level. The reason may be the low-grown vegetation observed in most rural areas of Mongolia, a surface topography, typical to steppe climate. We suggest modifications to Gomes–Kadir equation for such countries, as it predicts a much lower annual death rate for Mongolia. The lightning incidents spread over the period from May to August with the peak of the number of incidents occurring in July. The worst lightning affected region in the country is the central part. Compared with impacts of other convective disasters such as squalls, thunderstorms and hail, lightning stands as the second highest in the number of incidents, human deaths and animal deaths. Economic losses due to lightning is only about 1% of the total losses due to the four extreme weather phenomena. However, unless precautionary measures are not promoted among the public, this figure of losses may significantly increase with time as the country is undergoing rapid industrialization at present.

A grey incidence algorithm to detect high-Z material using cosmic ray muons

Science.gov (United States)

He, W.; Xiao, S.; Shuai, M.; Chen, Y.; Lan, M.; Wei, M.; An, Q.; Lai, X.

2017-10-01

Muon scattering tomography (MST) is a method for using cosmic muons to scan cargo containers and vehicles for special nuclear materials. However, the flux of cosmic ray muons is low, in the real life application, the detection has to be done a short timescale with small numbers of muons. In this paper, we present a novel approach to detection of special nuclear material by using cosmic ray muons. We use the degree of grey incidence to distinguish typical waste fuel material, uranium, from low-Z material, medium-Z material and other high-Z materials of tungsten and lead. The result shows that using this algorithm, it is possible to detect high-Z materials with an acceptable timescale.

Sports injuries: population based representative data on incidence, diagnosis, sequelae, and high risk groups.

Science.gov (United States)

Schneider, S; Seither, B; Tönges, S; Schmitt, H

2006-04-01

To generate national representative data on the incidence, diagnosis, severity, and nature of medically treated sports injuries and to identify high risk groups. The first national health survey for the Federal Republic of Germany, conducted in the format of a standardised, written, cross sectional survey in the period October 1997 to March 1999, gathered data on the incidence of accident and injury and information on social demographics, injury related disability/time off work, and injury location/setting. The net sample comprised 7124 people aged 18-79. 3.1% of adult Germans said they sustained a sports injury during the previous year, corresponding to an annual injury rate of 5.6% among those engaging in regular recreational physical activity and ranking sports injuries as the second most common type of accident. About 62% of all sports injuries result in time taken off work. The period of occupational disability is 14 days or less in around two thirds of these cases. The occupational disability rate after occupational and traffic accidents is much higher by comparison. Dislocations, distortions, and/or torn ligaments make up 60% of all sports injuries, followed by fractures (18%), contusions, surface wounds, or open wounds (12%). Three out of four sports injury casualties are male. The incidence declines noticeably in higher age groups. Future injury prevention measures should focus on the high risk group of young male recreational athletes. The data indicate that the fear of damage to health and injury, believed to be significant internal psychological barriers to participation in sports, is largely unwarranted for the female population and/or older age groups. Sporting injuries are a marginal phenomenon among the female population and mobile seniors actively engaged in sports.

High Surface Area Tunnels in Hexagonal WO₃.

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Wanmei; Yeung, Michael T; Lech, Andrew T; Lin, Cheng-Wei; Lee, Chain; Li, Tianqi; Duan, Xiangfeng; Zhou, Jun; Kaner, Richard B

2015-07-08

High surface area in h-WO3 has been verified from the intracrystalline tunnels. This bottom-up approach differs from conventional templating-type methods. The 3.67 Å diameter tunnels are characterized by low-pressure CO2 adsorption isotherms with nonlocal density functional theory fitting, transmission electron microscopy, and thermal gravimetric analysis. These open and rigid tunnels absorb H(+) and Li(+), but not Na(+) in aqueous electrolytes without inducing a phase transformation, accessing both internal and external active sites. Moreover, these tunnel structures demonstrate high specific pseudocapacitance and good stability in an H2SO4 aqueous electrolyte. Thus, the high surface area created from 3.67 Å diameter tunnels in h-WO3 shows potential applications in electrochemical energy storage, selective ion transfer, and selective gas adsorption.

High Incidences of Invasive Fungal Infections in Acute Myeloid Leukemia Patients Receiving Induction Chemotherapy without Systemic Antifungal Prophylaxis: A Prospective Observational Study in Taiwan.

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Jih-Luh Tang

Full Text Available Invasive fungal infections (IFIs is an important complication for acute myeloid leukemia (AML patients receiving induction chemotherapy. However, the epidemiological information is not clear in Southeastern Asia, an area of potential high incidences of IFIs. To clarify it, we enrolled 298 non-M3 adult AML patients receiving induction chemotherapy without systemic anti-fungal prophylaxis from Jan 2004 to Dec 2009, when we applied a prospective diagnostic and treatment algorithm for IFIs. Their demographic parameters, IFI characters, and treatment outcome were collected for analysis. The median age of these patients was 51 years. Standard induction chemotherapy was used for 246 (82.6% patients, and 66.8% of patients achieved complete remission (CR or partial remission. The incidence of all-category IFIs was 34.6% (5.7% proven IFIs, 5.0% probable IFIs and 23.8% possible IFIs. Candida tropicalis was the leading pathogen among yeast, and lower respiratory tract was the most common site for IFIs (75.4%, 80/106. Standard induction chemotherapy and failure to CR were identified as risk factors for IFIs. The presence of IFI in induction independently predicted worse survival (hazard ratio 1.536 (1.100-2.141, p value = 0.012. Even in those who survived from the initial IFI insults after 3 months, the presence of IFIs in induction still predicted a poor long-term survival. This study confirms high incidences of IFIs in Southeastern Asia, and illustrates potential risk factors; poor short-term and long-term outcomes are also demonstrated. This epidemiological information will provide useful perspectives for anti-fungal prophylaxis and treatment for AML patients during induction, so that best chances of cure and survival can be provided.

Measles vaccination coverage in high-incidence areas of the ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Background. Despite significant advances in measles control, large epidemics occurred in many African countries in 2009 - 2011, including. South Africa. South Africa's control strategy includes mass vaccination campaigns about every 4 years, the last of which was conducted nationally in April 2010 and coincided with the ...

Exploring spatial patterns in the associations between local AIDS incidence and socioeconomic and demographic variables in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Science.gov (United States)

Alves, André T J; Nobre, Flavio F; Waller, Lance A

2016-05-01

Access to antiretroviral therapy (ART), universally provided in Brazil since 1996, resulted in a reduction in overall morbidity and mortality due to AIDS or AIDS-related complications, but in some municipalities of Rio de Janeiro, AIDS incidence remains high. Public health surveillance remains an invaluable tool for understanding current AIDS epidemiologic patterns and local socioeconomic and demographic factors associated with increased incidence. Geographically Weighted Poisson Regression (GWPR) explores spatial varying impacts of these factors across the study area focusing attention on local variations in ecological associations. The set of sociodemographic variables under consideration revealed significant associations with local AIDS incidence and these associations varied geographically across the study area. We find the effects of predictors on AIDS incidence are not constant across the state, contrary to assumptions in the global models. We observe and quantify different local factors driving AIDS incidence in different parts of the state. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

High plasma cholesteryl ester transfer protein levels may favour reduced incidence of cardiovascular events in men with low triglycerides

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Borggreve, Susanna E.; Hillege, Hans L.; Dallinga-Thie, Geesje M.; de Jong, Paul E.; Wolffenbuttel, Bruce H. R.; Grobbee, Diederik E.; van Tol, Arie; Dullaart, Robin P. F.

Aims High cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) concentrations are associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in subjects with high triglycerides. We determined the relationship of plasma CETP with incident CVD in a population with relatively low triglycerides. Methods and

High plasma cholesteryl ester transfer protein levels may favour reduced incidence of cardiovascular events in men with low triglycerides

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Borggreve, Susanna E.; Hillege, Hans L.; Dallinga-Thie, Geesje M.; de Jong, Paul E.; Wolffenbuttel, Bruce H. R.; Grobbee, Diederik E.; van Tol, Arie; Dullaart, Robin P. F.

2007-01-01

High cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) concentrations are associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in subjects with high triglycerides. We determined the relationship of plasma CETP with incident CVD in a population with relatively low triglycerides. A nested

49 CFR 195.452 - Pipeline integrity management in high consequence areas.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 49 Transportation 3 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Pipeline integrity management in high consequence... Management § 195.452 Pipeline integrity management in high consequence areas. (a) Which pipelines are covered... that could affect a high consequence area, including any pipeline located in a high consequence area...

Pressure-sensitive paint on a truncated cone in hypersonic flow at incidences

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, L.; Erdem, E.; Zare-Behtash, H.; Kontis, K.; Saravanan, S.

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► Global pressure map over the truncated cone is obtained at various incidence angles in Mach 5 flow. ► Successful application of AA-PSP in hypersonic flow expands operation area of this technique. ► AA-PSP reveals complex three-dimensional pattern which is difficult for transducer to obtain. ► Quantitative data provides strong correlation with colour Schlieren and oil flow results. ► High spatial resolution pressure mappings identify small scale vortices and flow separation. - Abstract: The flow over a truncated cone is a classical and fundamental problem for aerodynamic research due to its three-dimensional and complicated characteristics. The flow is made more complex when examining high angles of incidence. Recently these types of flows have drawn more attention for the purposes of drag reduction in supersonic/hypersonic flows. In the present study the flow over a truncated cone at various incidences was experimentally investigated in a Mach 5 flow with a unit Reynolds number of 13.5 × 10 6 m −1 . The cone semi-apex angle is 15° and the truncation ratio (truncated length/cone length) is 0.5. The incidence of the model varied from −12° to 12° with 3° intervals relative to the freestream direction. The external flow around the truncated cone was visualised by colour Schlieren photography, while the surface flow pattern was revealed using the oil flow method. The surface pressure distribution was measured using the anodized aluminium pressure-sensitive paint (AA-PSP) technique. Both top and sideviews of the pressure distribution on the model surface were acquired at various incidences. AA-PSP showed high pressure sensitivity and captured the complicated flow structures which correlated well with the colour Schlieren and oil flow visualisation results.

Incidence, Risk Factors, and the Protective Effect of High Body Mass Index against Sarcopenia in Suburb-Dwelling Elderly Chinese Populations.

Science.gov (United States)

Han, P; Zhao, J; Guo, Q; Wang, J; Zhang, W; Shen, S; Wang, X; Dong, R; Ma, Y; Kang, L; Fu, L; Jia, L; Han, X; He, Z; Bao, Y; Wang, L; Niu, K

2016-01-01

Few studies have explored the risk factors of sarcopenia in certain cohorts. The objective of this study was to examine the incidence of sarcopenia and associated factors over a 1-year period in an elderly Chinese suburban population. This study was conducted on 356 Chinese suburb-dwelling participants aged ≥60 years, for whom detailed information regarding sociodemographics, behavioral characteristics, and medical conditions had been documented. Sarcopenia was defined according to the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia (AWGS) criteria. Sarcopenia incidence was documented after one year of follow-up, and correlated with several possible factors. At baseline, 64 (9.7%) of the initial 657 participants had sarcopenia. The prevalence of sarcopenia was 10.4% after one year. Between baseline and 1-year follow-up, 13 of the participants without sarcopenia at baseline had developed sarcopenia. After multivariate adjustments, it was found that the incidence of sarcopenia increased with age and high body mass index (BMI) is associated with less incidence of sarcopenia. Incidence was also higher among women. We found sarcopenia incidence increased with age, and women were more likely to have sarcopenia. A higher BMI is also associated with a lower incidence of sarcopenia. Maintaining a healthy weight could be beneficial in the prevention of sarcopenia.

Very high incidence of syphilis in HIV-infected men who have sex with men in Buenos Aires city: a retrospective cohort study.

Science.gov (United States)

Bissio, E; Cisneros, V; Lopardo, G D; Cassetti, L I

2017-08-01

The incidence of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), particularly syphilis, is high and continues to rise among some populations, especially among men who have sex with men (MSM). Furthermore, a higher incidence of STIs has been reported in HIV-positive than in HIV-negative MSM. To determine the incidence of syphilis in a cohort of men with HIV in Buenos Aires city. Retrospective cohort study. We examined the records and visits made by men with HIV aged >18 years in our institution during a 1-year period. Venereal Disease Reference Laboratory (VDRL) results for all the men in our cohort during the study period were analysed. We considered a case of syphilis as incident if a person had a VDRL result of ≥16 DILS, provided that this was increased at least fourfold compared with a previous determination. All VDRL results ≤8 were investigated, and analysed together with the medical records, to determine if they were new cases. We analysed the VDRL results and the clinical records of 1150 men followed up in our centre during the study period. Mean age was 40.9 years. According to the definition used, we registered 171 new cases of syphilis-that is, an incidence of 14.9/100 patients/year (95% CI 12.9 to 17.0). No significant differences in incidence according to age group were found, but there was a trend towards a lower incidence in older men. Ten men had two new episodes during the study. The incidence of syphilis in this cohort of men with HIV (predominantly MSM) was very high. In addition to maintaining high surveillance for early diagnosis and treatment, it is necessary to implement newer and more effective measures to prevent syphilis and other STIs in this population. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

Workplace Disruption following Psychological Trauma: Influence of Incident Severity Level on Organizations' Post-Incident Response Planning and Execution

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GS DeFraia

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Background: Psychologically traumatic workplace events (known as critical incidents, which occur globally, are increasing in prevalence within the USA. Assisting employers in their response is a growing practice area for occupational medicine, occupational social work, industrial psychology and other occupational health professions. Traumatic workplace events vary greatly in their level of organizational disruption. Objective: To explore whether extent of workplace disruption influences organizations' decisions for post-incident response planning and plan execution. Methods: Administrative data mining was employed to examine practice data from a workplace trauma response unit in the USA. Bivariate analyses were conducted to test whether scores from an instrument measuring extent of workplace disruption associated with organizational decisions regarding post-incident response. Results: The more severe and disruptive the incident, the more likely organizations planned for and followed through to deliver on-site interventions. Following more severe incidents, organizations were also more likely to deliver group sessions and to complete follow-up consultations to ensure ongoing worker recovery. Conclusion: Increasing occupational health practitioners' knowledge of varying levels of organizational disruption and familiarity with a range of organizational response strategies improves incident assessment, consultation and planning, and ensures interventions delivered are consistent with the level of assistance needed on both worker and organizational levels.

Workplace Disruption following Psychological Trauma: Influence of Incident Severity Level on Organizations' Post-Incident Response Planning and Execution.

Science.gov (United States)

DeFraia, G S

2016-04-01

Psychologically traumatic workplace events (known as critical incidents), which occur globally, are increasing in prevalence within the USA. Assisting employers in their response is a growing practice area for occupational medicine, occupational social work, industrial psychology and other occupational health professions. Traumatic workplace events vary greatly in their level of organizational disruption. To explore whether extent of workplace disruption influences organizations' decisions for post-incident response planning and plan execution. Administrative data mining was employed to examine practice data from a workplace trauma response unit in the USA. Bivariate analyses were conducted to test whether scores from an instrument measuring extent of workplace disruption associated with organizational decisions regarding post-incident response. The more severe and disruptive the incident, the more likely organizations planned for and followed through to deliver on-site interventions. Following more severe incidents, organizations were also more likely to deliver group sessions and to complete follow-up consultations to ensure ongoing worker recovery. Increasing occupational health practitioners' knowledge of varying levels of organizational disruption and familiarity with a range of organizational response strategies improves incident assessment, consultation and planning, and ensures interventions delivered are consistent with the level of assistance needed on both worker and organizational levels.

Measurable improvement in patient safety culture: A departmental experience with incident learning.

Science.gov (United States)

Kusano, Aaron S; Nyflot, Matthew J; Zeng, Jing; Sponseller, Patricia A; Ermoian, Ralph; Jordan, Loucille; Carlson, Joshua; Novak, Avrey; Kane, Gabrielle; Ford, Eric C

2015-01-01

Rigorous use of departmental incident learning is integral to improving patient safety and quality of care. The goal of this study was to quantify the impact of a high-volume, departmental incident learning system on patient safety culture. A prospective, voluntary, electronic incident learning system was implemented in February 2012 with the intent of tracking near-miss/no-harm incidents. All incident reports were reviewed weekly by a multiprofessional team with regular department-wide feedback. Patient safety culture was measured at baseline with validated patient safety culture survey questions. A repeat survey was conducted after 1 and 2 years of departmental incident learning. Proportional changes were compared by χ(2) or Fisher exact test, where appropriate. Between 2012 and 2014, a total of 1897 error/near-miss incidents were reported, representing an average of 1 near-miss report per patient treated. Reports were filed by a cross section of staff, with the majority of incidents reported by therapists, dosimetrists, and physicists. Survey response rates at baseline and 1 and 2 years were 78%, 80%, and 80%, respectively. Statistically significant and sustained improvements were noted in several safety metrics, including belief that the department was openly discussing ways to improve safety, the sense that reports were being used for safety improvement, and the sense that changes were being evaluated for effectiveness. None of the surveyed dimensions of patient safety culture worsened. Fewer punitive concerns were noted, with statistically significant decreases in the worry of embarrassment in front of colleagues and fear of getting colleagues in trouble. A comprehensive incident learning system can identify many areas for improvement and is associated with significant and sustained improvements in patient safety culture. These data provide valuable guidance as incident learning systems become more widely used in radiation oncology. Copyright © 2015

Radioactivity in food crops from high background radiation area in southwest area

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shanthi, G.; Maniyan, C.G.; Allan Gnana Raj, G.; Thampi Thanka Kumaran, J.

2009-01-01

The study was carried out to evaluate radioactive concentration in food crops grown in naturally high-background radiation areas in southwest India. Seventeen varieties of food crops were collected from different parts of Kanyakumari district. The gross alpha and beta activities of the collected samples were measured using alpha scintillation counter and low beta counter respectively. The alpha activity was maximum in tapioca (497± 72 Bq kg -1 ) and the beta activity was maximum in paddy grain (10,946±583 Bq kg -1 ). The gamma activity of the food samples was studied by measuring the activity concentration of the radionuclides ( 226 Ra, 228 Th, 238 U, 40 K) in the food crops. The radioactivity content of the food crops from high-background radiation area was higher when compared to similar samples collected from low-background radiation area. The daily radionuclide intake from the food crops grown and consumed by the public was 127.696 Bq and daily internal dose resulting from ingestion of radionuclides in food was 2.34 μSv. (author)

Prevalence and incidence of multiple sclerosis in central Poland, 2010-2014.

Science.gov (United States)

Brola, Waldemar; Sobolewski, Piotr; Flaga, Stanisław; Fudala, Małgorzata; Szczuchniak, Wiktor; Stoiński, Jan; Rosołowska, Anita; Wójcik, Jacek; Kapica-Topczewska, Katarzyna; Ryglewicz, Danuta

2016-08-11

Comprehensive epidemiologic data for multiple sclerosis (MS) in Poland are limited. The aim of this cross-sectional population-based study was to determine the incidence and prevalence of MS in the Swietokrzyskie Region (central Poland). This study identified MS cases every year between 1 January 2010 and 31 December 2014. The study area population on the prevalence day (December 31, 2014) was 1,263,176 (646,506 women and 616,670 men). A total of 1462 patients with a clinically definite diagnosis of MS according to McDonald's criteria (2005), recorded in the Polish Multiple Sclerosis Registry, were considered for estimation of crude, age- and sex-specific prevalence, and incidence. The overall crude prevalence rate of confirmed MS patients was 115.7/100,000 (95 % confidence interval (CI), 111.2-121.4). A significantly higher prevalence was recorded in females (159.6/100,000; 95 % CI, 151.1-165.3) than in males (69.7/100,000; 95 % CI, 62.4-77.3) (P < 0.001). Age-adjusted rates for the Polish and European Standard Population were 109.8/100,000 (95 % CI, 105.4-114.8) and 106.6/100,000 (95 % CI, 101.1-111.2), respectively. The female/male ratio was 2.4. The mean annual incidence was 4.2/100,000 (95 % CI. 3.7-4.4). The incidence and prevalence of MS in the Swietokrzyskie region confirm that central Poland is a high risk area for MS. Compared with previous epidemiologic studies from Poland, the prevalence of MS has increased during recent years.

Snakebites in Two Rural Districts in Lao PDR: Community-Based Surveys Disclose High Incidence of an Invisible Public Health Problem.

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Inthanomchanh Vongphoumy

Full Text Available The Lao PDR (Laos is one of the least developed countries in Asia with an estimated 25% of the population living in poverty. It is the habitat of some highly venomous snakes and the majority of the population earns their living from agricultural activities. Under these circumstances the incidence of snakebites is expected to be high.Two cross-sectional, community-based surveys were performed in Champone and Phin district, Savannakhet province, Lao PDR to estimate snakebite incidence. Multistage random sampling was used. In the first stage approximately 40% of all villages in each district were randomly selected. In the second stage 33% of all households in each village were randomly chosen. Members of the selected households were interviewed about snakebites during the previous 12 months.Thirty-five of 9856 interviewees reported a snakebite in a 12 month period in Champone district and 79 of 7150 interviewees in Phin district. The estimated incidence is 355 snakebites per 100,000 persons per year and 1105 per 100,000 in Champone and Phin district respectively. All snakebite victims received treatment by traditional healers or self-treatment at home and nobody went to a hospital. Incidence of snakebites, calculated on the basis of hospital records of 14 district hospitals and Savannakhet provincial hospital, ranged from 3 to 14 cases per 100,000 persons per year between 2012 and 2014.Incidence of snakebites is high in rural communities in Laos with significant regional differences. Poverty most likely contributes significantly to the higher number of snakebites in Phin district. Hospital statistics profoundly underestimates snakebite incidence, because the majority of snakebite victims receive only treatment by traditional healers or self-treatment in their village. There is an urgent need to train medical staff and students in management of snakebite patients and make snake antivenom available to cope effectively with this important public

Snakebites in Two Rural Districts in Lao PDR: Community-Based Surveys Disclose High Incidence of an Invisible Public Health Problem.

Science.gov (United States)

Vongphoumy, Inthanomchanh; Phongmany, Panom; Sydala, Sengdao; Prasith, Nouda; Reintjes, Ralf; Blessmann, Joerg

2015-01-01

The Lao PDR (Laos) is one of the least developed countries in Asia with an estimated 25% of the population living in poverty. It is the habitat of some highly venomous snakes and the majority of the population earns their living from agricultural activities. Under these circumstances the incidence of snakebites is expected to be high. Two cross-sectional, community-based surveys were performed in Champone and Phin district, Savannakhet province, Lao PDR to estimate snakebite incidence. Multistage random sampling was used. In the first stage approximately 40% of all villages in each district were randomly selected. In the second stage 33% of all households in each village were randomly chosen. Members of the selected households were interviewed about snakebites during the previous 12 months. Thirty-five of 9856 interviewees reported a snakebite in a 12 month period in Champone district and 79 of 7150 interviewees in Phin district. The estimated incidence is 355 snakebites per 100,000 persons per year and 1105 per 100,000 in Champone and Phin district respectively. All snakebite victims received treatment by traditional healers or self-treatment at home and nobody went to a hospital. Incidence of snakebites, calculated on the basis of hospital records of 14 district hospitals and Savannakhet provincial hospital, ranged from 3 to 14 cases per 100,000 persons per year between 2012 and 2014. Incidence of snakebites is high in rural communities in Laos with significant regional differences. Poverty most likely contributes significantly to the higher number of snakebites in Phin district. Hospital statistics profoundly underestimates snakebite incidence, because the majority of snakebite victims receive only treatment by traditional healers or self-treatment in their village. There is an urgent need to train medical staff and students in management of snakebite patients and make snake antivenom available to cope effectively with this important public health problem in

Incidence of hyperthyroidism in Slovenia since improved iodine supply

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zaletel, K.; Gaberscek, S.; Pirnat, E.; Hojker, S.

2002-01-01

Full text: Since the year 1953, when iodine prophylaxis was introduced in Slovenia, several epidemiological studies confirmed the existence of mild iodine deficiency on the whole territory of Slovenia. In January 1999 the implementation of higher iodine content (25 mg of KI or 32 mg of KIO 3 ) was recommended and since then the increased incidence of thyrotoxicosis was observed. Here we present 5-year follow-up data of the incidence of hyperthyroidism due to thyroid autonomy and Graves' disease. We estimated incidence rates from 1997 to 2001 for hyperthyroidism due to thyroid autonomy and Graves' disease among 1000000 people, living in the area of Ljubljana. We assumed that most cases were seen and treated in the Outpatient Department for thyroid diseases of Department for Nuclear Medicine of University Medical Centre Ljubljana. Immediately after correction of iodine deficiency, the incidence of hyperthyroidism due to thyroid autonomy rose almost twice in 1999 (320 cases in 1999 compared to 173 cases in 1997), but afterwards the incidence slightly decreased (240 cases in 2000). Similarly, the incidence of Graves' disease rose in 1999 (267 cases in 1999 compared to 237 in 1997) and in contrast to thyroid autonomy the incidence further increased in the following years (337 in 2000 and 246 in the first half of 2001). The increased incidence of hyperthyroidism due to thyroid autonomy and Graves' disease after elevation of iodine prophylaxis in Slovenia is comparable with data in some other endemic areas. Those data indicate that stepwise supplementation is preferable to immediate corrections. However, we believe that iodine prophylaxis is reasonable and justified and to reassess the iodine nutrition status we plan a follow up evaluation in year 2002. (author)

Medication incidents reported to an online incident reporting system.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Alrwisan, Adel

2011-01-15

AIMS: Approximately 20% of deaths from adverse events are related to medication incidents, costing the NHS an additional £500 million annually. Less than 5% of adverse events are reported. This study aims to assess the reporting rate of medication incidents in NHS facilities in the north east of Scotland, and to describe the types and outcomes of reported incidents among different services. Furthermore, we wished to quantify the proportion of reported incidents according to the reporters\\' profession. METHODS: A retrospective description was made of medication incidents reported to an online reporting system (DATIX) over a 46-month-period (July 2005 to April 2009). Reports originated from acute and community hospitals, mental health, and primary care facilities. RESULTS: Over the study period there were 2,666 incidents reported with a mean monthly reporting rate of 78.2\\/month (SD±16.9). 6.1% of all incidents resulted in harm, with insulin being the most commonly implicated medication. Nearly three-quarters (74.2%, n=1,978) of total incidents originated from acute hospitals. Administration incidents were implicated in the majority of the reported medication incidents (59%), followed by prescribing (10.8%) and dispensing (9.9%), while the nondescript "other medication incidents" accounted for 20.3% of total incidents. The majority of reports were made by nursing and midwifery staff (80%), with medical and dental professionals reporting the lowest number of incidents (n=56, 2%). CONCLUSIONS: The majority of medication incidents in this study were reported by nursing and midwifery staff, and were due to administration incidents. There is a clear need to elucidate the reasons for the limited contribution of the medical and dental professionals to reporting medication incidents.

Association between Childhood Diarrhoeal Incidence and Climatic Factors in Urban and Rural Settings in the Health District of Mbour, Senegal

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sokhna Thiam

2017-09-01

Full Text Available We assessed the association between childhood diarrhoeal incidence and climatic factors in rural and urban settings in the health district of Mbour in western Senegal. We used monthly diarrhoeal case records among children under five years registered in 24 health facilities over a four-year period (2011–2014. Climatic data (i.e., daily temperature, night temperature and rainfall for the same four-year period were obtained. We performed a negative binomial regression model to establish the relationship between monthly diarrhoeal incidence and climatic factors of the same and the previous month. There were two annual peaks in diarrhoeal incidence: one during the cold dry season and one during the rainy season. We observed a positive association between diarrhoeal incidence and high average temperature of 36 °C and above and high cumulative monthly rainfall at 57 mm and above. The association between diarrhoeal incidence and temperature was stronger in rural compared to urban settings, while higher rainfall was associated with higher diarrhoeal incidence in the urban settings. Concluding, this study identified significant health–climate interactions and calls for effective preventive measures in the health district of Mbour. Particular attention should be paid to urban settings where diarrhoea was most common in order to reduce the high incidence in the context of climatic variability, which is expected to increase in urban areas in the face of global warming.

Association between Childhood Diarrhoeal Incidence and Climatic Factors in Urban and Rural Settings in the Health District of Mbour, Senegal.

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Thiam, Sokhna; Diène, Aminata N; Sy, Ibrahima; Winkler, Mirko S; Schindler, Christian; Ndione, Jacques A; Faye, Ousmane; Vounatsou, Penelope; Utzinger, Jürg; Cissé, Guéladio

2017-09-12

We assessed the association between childhood diarrhoeal incidence and climatic factors in rural and urban settings in the health district of Mbour in western Senegal. We used monthly diarrhoeal case records among children under five years registered in 24 health facilities over a four-year period (2011-2014). Climatic data (i.e., daily temperature, night temperature and rainfall) for the same four-year period were obtained. We performed a negative binomial regression model to establish the relationship between monthly diarrhoeal incidence and climatic factors of the same and the previous month. There were two annual peaks in diarrhoeal incidence: one during the cold dry season and one during the rainy season. We observed a positive association between diarrhoeal incidence and high average temperature of 36 °C and above and high cumulative monthly rainfall at 57 mm and above. The association between diarrhoeal incidence and temperature was stronger in rural compared to urban settings, while higher rainfall was associated with higher diarrhoeal incidence in the urban settings. Concluding, this study identified significant health-climate interactions and calls for effective preventive measures in the health district of Mbour. Particular attention should be paid to urban settings where diarrhoea was most common in order to reduce the high incidence in the context of climatic variability, which is expected to increase in urban areas in the face of global warming.

Ecological study and risk mapping of leishmaniasis in an endemic area of Brazil based on a geographical information systems approach

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Alba Valéria Machado da Silva

2011-11-01

Full Text Available Visceral leishmaniasis is a vector-borne disease highly influenced by eco-epidemiological factors. Geographical information systems (GIS have proved to be a suitable approach for the analysis of environmental components that affect the spatial distribution of diseases. Exploiting this methodology, a model was developed for the mapping of the distribution and incidence of canine leishmaniasis in an endemic area of Brazil. Local variations were observed with respect to infection incidence and distribution of serological titers, i.e. high titers were noted close to areas with preserved vegetation, while low titers were more frequent in areas where people kept chickens. Based on these results, we conclude that the environment plays an important role in generating relatively protected areas within larger endemic regions, but that it can also contribute to the creation of hotspots with clusters of comparatively high serological titers indicating a high level of transmission compared with neighbouring areas.

[Obstetric hysterectomy. Incidence, indications and complications].

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Vázquez, Juan A Reveles; Rivera, Geannyne Villegas; Higareda, Salvador Hernández; Páez, Fernando Grover; Vega, Carmen C Hernández; Segura, Agustin Patiño

2008-03-01

Obstetric hysterectomy is indicated when patient's life is at risk, and it is a procedure that requires a highly experienced and skilled medical team to solve any complication. To identify incidence, indications, and complications of obstetric hysterectomy within a high-risk population. Transversal, retrospective study from July 1st 2004 to June 30 2006 at Unidad Medica de Alta Especialidad, Hospital de Ginecoobstetricia, Centro Medico Nacional de Occidente, IMSS. There were reviewed 103 patient' files with obstetric hysterectomy. Incidence was calculated, and clinical and socio-demographic characteristics, indications, and complications of obstetric hysterectomy identified and expressed in frequency, percentages, and central tendency measurements. Incidence of obstetric hysterectomy was 8 cases within every 1,000 obstetric consultation. Age average was 31.1 +/- 5.1 years. 72.8% had cesarean surgery history. Main indication was placenta previa associated with placenta accreta (33%), followed by uterine hypotony (22.3%). Complications were hypovolemic shock (56.3%), and vesical injuries (5.8%). There were no maternal deaths. Cesarean history induces higher obstetric hysterectomy incidence in women with high-risk pregnancy, due to its relation to placentation disorders, as placenta previa that increases hemorrhage possibility, and thus, maternal morbidity and mortality.

Asymmetric-cut variable-incident-angle monochromator.

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Smither, R K; Graber, T J; Fernandez, P B; Mills, D M

2012-03-01

A novel asymmetric-cut variable-incident-angle monochromator was constructed and tested in 1997 at the Advanced Photon Source of Argonne National Laboratory. The monochromator was originally designed as a high heat load monochromator capable of handling 5-10 kW beams from a wiggler source. This was accomplished by spreading the x-ray beam out on the surface an asymmetric-cut crystal and by using liquid metal cooling of the first crystal. The monochromator turned out to be a highly versatile monochromator that could perform many different types of experiments. The monochromator consisted of two 18° asymmetrically cut Si crystals that could be rotated about 3 independent axes. The first stage (Φ) rotates the crystal around an axis perpendicular to the diffraction plane. This rotation changes the angle of the incident beam with the surface of the crystal without changing the Bragg angle. The second rotation (Ψ) is perpendicular to the first and is used to control the shape of the beam footprint on the crystal. The third rotation (Θ) controls the Bragg angle. Besides the high heat load application, the use of asymmetrically cut crystals allows one to increase or decrease the acceptance angle for crystal diffraction of a monochromatic x-ray beam and allows one to increase or decrease the wavelength bandwidth of the diffraction of a continuum source like a bending-magnet beam or a normal x-ray-tube source. When the monochromator is used in the doubly expanding mode, it is possible to expand the vertical size of the double-diffracted beam by a factor of 10-15. When this was combined with a bending magnet source, it was possible to generate an 8 keV area beam, 16 mm wide by 26 mm high with a uniform intensity and parallel to 1.2 arc sec that could be applied in imaging experiments.

Incidence of high-level evernimicin resistance in Enterococcus faecium among food animals and humans

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Aarestrup, Frank Møller; McNicholas, P. M.

2002-01-01

Six high-level evernimicin-resistant Enterococcus faecium isolates were identified among 304 avilarnycin-resistant E. faecium isolates from animals and 404 stool samples from humans with diarrhea. All four animal isolates, and one of the human isolates, were able to transfer resistance...... to a susceptible E. faecium strain. The resulting transconjugants all tested positive for the presence of emtA, a gene encoding a methyltransferase previously linked with high-level evernimicin resistance. The four transconjugants derived from animal isolates all carried the same plasmid, while a differently sized...... plasmid was found in the isolate from humans. This study demonstrated a low incidence of high-level evernimicin resistance mediated by the emtA gene in different E. faecium isolates of animal and human origin....

HIV incidence in Asia: a review of available data and assessment of the epidemic.

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Dokubo, E Kainne; Kim, Andrea A; Le, Linh-Vi; Nadol, Patrick J; Prybylski, Dimitri; Wolfe, Mitchell I

2013-01-01

Rates of new HIV infections in Asia are poorly characterized, likely resulting in knowledge gaps about infection trends and the most important areas to target for interventions. We conducted a systematic review of peer-reviewed English language publications and conference abstracts on HIV incidence in thirteen countries - Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam. We obtained data on HIV incidence rate, incidence estimation method, population, and risk factors for incident infection. Our search yielded 338 unique incidence estimates from 70 published articles and 41 conference abstracts for eight countries. A total of 138 (41%) were obtained from prospective cohort studies and 106 (31%) were from antibody-based tests for recent infection. High HIV incidence rates were observed among commercial sex workers (0.4-27.8 per 100 person-years), people who inject drugs (0.0-43.6 per 100 person-years) and men who have sex with men (0.7-15.0 per 100 person-years). Risk factors for incident HIV infection include brothel-based sex work and cervicitis among commercial sex workers; young age, frequent injection use and sharing needles or syringes among people who inject drugs; multiple male sexual partners, receptive anal intercourse and syphilis infection among men who have sex with men. In the countries with available data, incidence rates were highest in key populations and varied widely by incidence estimation method. Established surveillance systems that routinely monitor trends in HIV incidence are needed to inform prevention planning, prioritize resources, measure impact, and improve the HIV response in Asia.

Quartz in ash, and air in a high lung cancer incidence area in China

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Downward, George S; Hu, Wei; Rothman, Nat; Reiss, Boris; Tromp, Peter; Wu, Guoping; Wei, Fusheng; Xu, Jun; Seow, Wei Jie; Chapman, Robert S.; Lan, Qing; Vermeulen, Roel

Exposure to crystalline silica (quartz) has been implicated as a potential cause of the high lung cancer rates in the neighbouring counties of Xuanwei and Fuyuan, China, where the domestic combustion of locally sourced "smoky" coal (a bituminous coal) is responsible for some of the highest lung

Risk of tuberculosis during pregnancy in Mongolia, a high incidence setting with low HIV prevalence.

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Rendell, N L; Batjargal, N; Jadambaa, N; Dobler, C C

2016-12-01

To investigate the epidemiology and the relative risk of tuberculosis (TB) in pregnant women in Mongolia, a high TB incidence setting with a low rate of human immunodeficiency virus co-infection, where active case finding for TB in pregnancy is implemented. We retrospectively collected data on pregnant women diagnosed with TB during 2013. Data were collected through doctors at central TB dispensaries who extracted the relevant information from patients' clinical records. The overall incidence of TB among pregnant women was 228 (95%CI 187276) per 100000 person-years, resulting in an incidence rate ratio of 1.31 (95%CI 1.081.59) in pregnant women compared to the general population. Twelve per cent of the pregnant women with TB chose to have an abortion. In this study, pregnant women had a 1.3-fold higher risk of developing TB than the general population. Based on a moderately increased risk of TB during pregnancy in our study and the potential for adverse health outcomes, TB screening among pregnant women can currently be justified, but the cost-effectiveness of this intervention remains unclear. Patients and doctors need to be educated about the safety of standard TB treatment in pregnancy to reduce the rate of abortions.

Increasing prevalence and high incidence of celiac disease in elderly people: a population-based study.

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Vilppula, Anitta; Kaukinen, Katri; Luostarinen, Liisa; Krekelä, Ilkka; Patrikainen, Heikki; Valve, Raisa; Mäki, Markku; Collin, Pekka

2009-06-29

Celiac disease may emerge at any age, but little is known of its appearance in elderly people. We evaluated the prevalence of the condition in individuals over 55 years of age, and determined the incidence of biopsy-proven celiac disease (CDb) and celiac disease including seropositive subjects for anti-tissue transglutaminase antibodies (CDb+s). The study based on prevalence figures in 2815 randomly selected subjects who had undergone a clinical examination and serologic screening for celiac disease in 2002. A second screening in the same population was carried out in 2005, comprising now 2216 individuals. Positive tissue transglutaminase antibodies were confirmed with small bowel biopsy. Within three years the prevalence of CDb increased from 2.13 to 2.34%, and that of CDb+s from 2.45 to 2.70%. Five new cases were found among patients previously seronegative; two had minor abdominal symptoms and three were asymptomatic. The incidence of celiac disease in 2002-2005 was 0.23%, giving an annual incidence of 0.08% in this population. The prevalence of celiac disease was high in elderly people, but the symptoms were subtle. Repeated screening detected five biopsy-proven cases in three years, indicating that the disorder may develop even in the elderly. Increased alertness to the disorder is therefore warranted.

Recruiting and retaining high-quality teachers in rural areas.

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Monk, David H

2007-01-01

In examining recruitment and retention of teachers in rural areas, David Monk begins by noting the numerous possible characteristics of rural communities--small size, sparse settlement, distance from population concentrations, and an economic reliance on agricultural industries that are increasingly using seasonal and immigrant workers to minimize labor costs. Many, though not all, rural areas, he says, are seriously impoverished. Classes in rural schools are relatively small, and teachers tend to report satisfaction with their work environments and relatively few problems with discipline. But teacher turnover is often high, and hiring can be difficult. Monk observes that rural schools have a below-average share of highly trained teachers. Compensation in rural schools tends to be low, perhaps because of a lower fiscal capacity in rural areas, thus complicating efforts to attract and retain teachers. Several student characteristics, including relatively large shares of students with special needs and with limited English skills and lower shares of students attending college, can also make it difficult to recruit and retain high-quality teachers. Other challenges include meeting the needs of highly mobile children of low-income migrant farm workers. With respect to public policy, Monk asserts a need to focus on a subcategory of what might be called hard-to-staff rural schools rather than to develop a blanket set of policies for all rural schools. In particular, he recommends a focus on such indicators as low teacher qualifications, teaching in fields far removed from the area of training, difficulty in hiring, high turnover, a lack of diversity among teachers in the school, and the presence of migrant farm workers' children. Successful efforts to stimulate economic growth in these areas would be highly beneficial. He also calls attention to the potential for modern telecommunication and computing technologies to offset some of the drawbacks associated with teaching

Rural-Urban Differences in Cancer Incidence and Trends in the United States.

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Zahnd, Whitney E; James, Aimee S; Jenkins, Wiley D; Izadi, Sonya R; Fogleman, Amanda J; Steward, David E; Colditz, Graham A; Brard, Laurent

2017-07-27

Cancer incidence and mortality rates in the US are declining, but this decrease may not be observed in rural areas where residents are more likely to live in poverty, smoke, and forego cancer screening. However, there is limited research exploring national rural-urban differences in cancer incidence and trends. We analyzed data from the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries' public use dataset, which includes population-based cancer incidence data from 46 states. We calculated age-adjusted incidence rates, rate ratios, and annual percentage change (APC) for: all cancers combined; selected individual cancers; and cancers associated with tobacco use and human papillomavirus (HPV). Rural-urban comparisons were made by demographic, geographic, and socioeconomic characteristics for 2009 to 2013. Trends were analyzed for 1995 to 2013. Combined cancers incidence rates were generally higher in urban populations, except for the South, though the urban decline in incidence rate was greater than in rural populations (10.2% vs. 4.8%, respectively). Rural cancer disparities included higher rates of tobacco associated, HPV associated, lung and bronchus, cervical , and colorectal cancers across most population groups. Further, HPV-associated cancer incidence rates increased in rural areas (APC=0.724, purban areas. Cancer rates associated with modifiable risks - tobacco, HPV, and some preventive screening modalities (e.g. colorectal and cervical cancers) - were higher in rural compared to urban populations. Population-based, clinical, and/or policy strategies and interventions that address these modifiable risk factors could help reduce cancer disparities experienced in rural populations. Copyright ©2017, American Association for Cancer Research.

Economic burden of gastrointestinal cancer under the protection of the New Rural Cooperative Medical Scheme in a region of rural China with high incidence of oesophageal cancer: cross-sectional survey.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Xiang; Cai, Hong; Wang, Chaoyi; Guo, Chuanhai; He, Zhonghu; Ke, Yang

2016-07-01

To evaluate the financial burden of oesophageal cancer under the protection of the new Rural Cooperative Medical Scheme (NCMS) and to provide evidence and suggestions to policymakers in a high-incidence region in China. We analysed inpatient claim data for oesophageal cancer, gastric cancer and colorectal cancer from 1 January to 31 December 2013. The data were extracted from the NCMS management system of Hua County, Henan Province, a typical high-risk region for oesophageal cancer in China. Cancer-specific health economic indicators were calculated to evaluate the financial burden under the protection of the local NCMS. The total cost of oesophageal cancer was 2.7-3.6 times higher than that of gastric cancer and colorectal cancer, respectively, due to high incidence of oesophageal cancer. For each hospitalisation to treat oesophageal cancer, the average total cost and out-of-pocket expenses after reimbursement equalled an entire year's gross domestic product per capita and per capita disposable income, respectively, for the local area. The average total cost per hospitalisation for oesophageal cancer increased monotonically with hospital level for surgical hospitalisations, and it increased more rapidly for non-surgical hospitalisations (from $301 to $2589, 860%) than for gastric cancer (from $289 to $1453, 503%) and colorectal cancer (from $359 to $1610, 448%). Vulnerable groups with less access to high-level hospitals were found in different gender and age groups. Oesophageal cancer imposes serious financial burdens on communities and patients' households in this high-incidence region, and no preferential policy from the local NCMS has been designed to address this issue. A special supportive policy should be developed on the basis of local disease profiles and population characteristics to alleviate the financial burden of populations at high risk for certain high-cost diseases. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Second malignancies in high-dose areas of previous tumor radiotherapy

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Welte, Birgitta; Suhr, Peter; Bottke, Dirk; Bartkowiak, Detlef; Wiegel, Thomas [Dept. of Radiotherapy and Radiation Oncology, Univ. of Ulm (Germany); Doerr, Wolfgang [Dept. of Radiotherapy and Radiation Oncology, Radiobiology Lab., Univ. of Technology Dresden (Germany); Trott, Klaus Ruediger [UCL Cancer Centre, Univ. Coll. London (United Kingdom)

2010-03-15

Purpose: To characterize second tumors that developed in or near the high-dose areas of a previous radiotherapy, regarding their frequency, entities, latency, and dose dependence. Patients and Methods: 9,995/15,449 tumor patients of the Radiation Oncology Department in Ulm, Germany, treated between 1981 and 2003, survived at least 1 year after radiotherapy. By long-term follow-up and review of treatment documentation, 100 of them were identified who developed an independent second cancer in or near the irradiated first tumor site. Results: Major primary malignancies were breast cancer (27%), lymphoma (24%), and pelvic gynecologic tumors (17%). Main second tumors were carcinomas of the upper (18%) and lower (12%) gastrointestinal tract, head and neck tumors (10%), lymphoma (10%), breast cancer (9%), sarcoma (9%), and lung cancer (8%). Overall median second tumor latency was 7.4 years (1-42 years). For colorectal cancer it was 3.5 and for leukemia 4.3 years, but for sarcoma 11.7 and for breast cancer 17.1 years. The relatively frequent second tumors of the upper gastrointestinal tract were associated with median radiation doses of 24 Gy. By contrast, second colorectal cancer and sarcoma developed after median doses of 50 Gy. Conclusion: The 5- and 15-year probability to develop a histopathologically independent second tumor in or near the irradiated first tumor site, i.e., after intermediate or high radiation doses, was 0.5% and 2.2%, respectively. To identify potentially radiogenic second malignancies, a follow-up far beyond 5 years is mandatory. The incidence and potential dose-response relationship intermediate will be analyzed by a case-case and a case-control study of the Ulm data. (orig.)

Malaria in pregnant women in an area with sustained high coverage of insecticide-treated bed nets

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Mshinda Hassan

2008-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Since 2000, the World Health Organization has recommended a package of interventions to prevent malaria during pregnancy and its sequelae that includes the promotion of insecticide-treated bed nets (ITNs, intermittent preventive treatment in pregnancy (IPTp, and effective case management of malarial illness. It is recommended that pregnant women in malaria-endemic areas receive at least two doses of sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy. This study assessed the prevalence of placental malaria at delivery in women during 1st or 2nd pregnancy, who did not receive intermittent preventive treatment for malaria (IPTp in a malaria-endemic area with high bed net coverage. Methods A hospital-based cross-sectional study was done in Ifakara, Tanzania, where bed net coverage is high. Primi- and secundigravid women, who presented to the labour ward and who reported not using IPTp were included in the study. Self-report data were collected by questionnaire; whereas neonatal birth weight and placenta parasitaemia were measured directly at the time of delivery. Results Overall, 413 pregnant women were enrolled of which 91% reported to have slept under a bed net at home the previous night, 43% reported history of fever and 62% were primigravid. Malaria parasites were detected in 8% of the placenta samples; the geometric mean (95%CI placental parasite density was 3,457 (1,060–11,271 parasites/μl in primigravid women and 2,178 (881–5,383 parasites/μl in secundigravid women. Fifteen percent of newborns weighed Conclusion The observed incidence of LBW and prevalence of placental parasitaemia at delivery suggests that malaria remains a problem in pregnancy in this area with high bed net coverage when eligible women do not receive IPTp. Delivery of IPTp should be emphasized at all levels of implementation to achieve maximum community coverage.

Poisson cluster analysis of cardiac arrest incidence in Columbus, Ohio.

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Warden, Craig; Cudnik, Michael T; Sasson, Comilla; Schwartz, Greg; Semple, Hugh

2012-01-01

Scarce resources in disease prevention and emergency medical services (EMS) need to be focused on high-risk areas of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). Cluster analysis using geographic information systems (GISs) was used to find these high-risk areas and test potential predictive variables. This was a retrospective cohort analysis of EMS-treated adults with OHCAs occurring in Columbus, Ohio, from April 1, 2004, through March 31, 2009. The OHCAs were aggregated to census tracts and incidence rates were calculated based on their adult populations. Poisson cluster analysis determined significant clusters of high-risk census tracts. Both census tract-level and case-level characteristics were tested for association with high-risk areas by multivariate logistic regression. A total of 2,037 eligible OHCAs occurred within the city limits during the study period. The mean incidence rate was 0.85 OHCAs/1,000 population/year. There were five significant geographic clusters with 76 high-risk census tracts out of the total of 245 census tracts. In the case-level analysis, being in a high-risk cluster was associated with a slightly younger age (-3 years, adjusted odds ratio [OR] 0.99, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.99-1.00), not being white, non-Hispanic (OR 0.54, 95% CI 0.45-0.64), cardiac arrest occurring at home (OR 1.53, 95% CI 1.23-1.71), and not receiving bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) (OR 0.77, 95% CI 0.62-0.96), but with higher survival to hospital discharge (OR 1.78, 95% CI 1.30-2.46). In the census tract-level analysis, high-risk census tracts were also associated with a slightly lower average age (-0.1 years, OR 1.14, 95% CI 1.06-1.22) and a lower proportion of white, non-Hispanic patients (-0.298, OR 0.04, 95% CI 0.01-0.19), but also a lower proportion of high-school graduates (-0.184, OR 0.00, 95% CI 0.00-0.00). This analysis identified high-risk census tracts and associated census tract-level and case-level characteristics that can be used to

Socioeconomic Inequalities in Stroke Incidence Among Migrant Groups

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Agyemang, Charles; van Oeffelen, AA; Nørredam, Marie Louise

2014-01-01

Background and Purpose—Low socioeconomic status has been linked to high incidence of stroke in industrialized countries; therefore, reducing socioeconomic disparities is an important goal of health policy. The evidence on migrant groups is, however, limited and inconsistent. We assessed socioecon......Background and Purpose—Low socioeconomic status has been linked to high incidence of stroke in industrialized countries; therefore, reducing socioeconomic disparities is an important goal of health policy. The evidence on migrant groups is, however, limited and inconsistent. We assessed...... socioeconomic inequalities in relation to stroke incidence among major ethnic groups in the Netherlands. Methods—A nationwide register-based cohort study was conducted (n=2 397 446) between January 1, 1998, and December 31, 2010, among ethnic Dutch and ethnic minority groups. Standardized disposable household...... income was used as a measure of socioeconomic position. Results—Among ethnic Dutch, the incidence of stroke was higher in the low-income group than in the high-income group (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.18; 95% confidence interval, 1.16–1.20). Similar socioeconomic inequalities in stroke incidence were found...

Nature of Blame in Patient Safety Incident Reports: Mixed Methods Analysis of a National Database.

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Cooper, Jennifer; Edwards, Adrian; Williams, Huw; Sheikh, Aziz; Parry, Gareth; Hibbert, Peter; Butlin, Amy; Donaldson, Liam; Carson-Stevens, Andrew

2017-09-01

A culture of blame and fear of retribution are recognized barriers to reporting patient safety incidents. The extent of blame attribution in safety incident reports, which may reflect the underlying safety culture of health care systems, is unknown. This study set out to explore the nature of blame in family practice safety incident reports. We characterized a random sample of family practice patient safety incident reports from the England and Wales National Reporting and Learning System. Reports were analyzed according to prespecified classification systems to describe the incident type, contributory factors, outcomes, and severity of harm. We developed a taxonomy of blame attribution, and we then used descriptive statistical analyses to identify the proportions of blame types and to explore associations between incident characteristics and one type of blame. Health care professionals making family practice incident reports attributed blame to a person in 45% of cases (n = 975 of 2,148; 95% CI, 43%-47%). In 36% of cases, those who reported the incidents attributed fault to another person, whereas 2% of those reporting acknowledged personal responsibility. Blame was commonly associated with incidents where a complaint was anticipated. The high frequency of blame in these safety, incident reports may reflect a health care culture that leads to blame and retribution, rather than to identifying areas for learning and improvement, and a failure to appreciate the contribution of system factors in others' behavior. Successful improvement in patient safety through the analysis of incident reports is unlikely without achieving a blame-free culture. © 2017 Annals of Family Medicine, Inc.

THE HIGH BACKGROUND RADIATION AREA IN RAMSAR IRAN: GEOLOGY, NORM, BIOLOGY, LNT, AND POSSIBLE REGULATORY FUN

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Karam, P. A.

2002-02-25

The city of Ramsar Iran hosts some of the highest natural radiation levels on earth, and over 2000 people are exposed to radiation doses ranging from 1 to 26 rem per year. Curiously, inhabitants of this region seem to have no greater incidence of cancer than those in neighboring areas of normal background radiation levels, and preliminary studies suggest their blood cells experience fewer induced chromosomal abnormalities when exposed to 150 rem ''challenge'' doses of radiation than do the blood cells of their neighbors. This paper will briefly describe the unique geology that gives Ramsar its extraordinarily high background radiation levels. It will then summarize the studies performed to date and will conclude by suggesting ways to incorporate these findings (if they are borne out by further testing) into future radiation protection standards.

Plasma alkylresorcinols, biomarkers of whole-grain wheat and rye intake, and incidence of colorectal cancer

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kyrø, Cecilie; Olsen, Anja; Landberg, Rikard

2014-01-01

differences (Scandinavia, the Mediterranean, Central Europe) were also explored. RESULTS: High plasma total alkylresorcinol concentration was associated with lower incidence of distal colon cancer; the adjusted incidence rate ratio of distal colon cancer for the highest vs lowest quartile of plasma total...... alkylresorcinols was 0.48 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.28 to 0.83). An inverse association between plasma total alkylresorcinol concentrations and colon cancer was found for Scandinavian participants (IRR per doubling = 0.83; 95% CI = 0.70 to 0.98). However, plasma total alkylresorcinol concentrations were...... not associated with overall colorectal cancer, proximal colon cancer, or rectal cancer. Plasma alkylresorcinols concentrations were associated with colon and distal colon cancer only in Central Europe and Scandinavia (ie, areas where alkylresorcinol levels were higher). CONCLUSIONS: High concentrations of plasma...

Stem cell transplantation in children with infantile osteopetrosis is associated with a high incidence of VOD, which could be prevented with defibrotide.

Science.gov (United States)

Corbacioglu, S; Hönig, M; Lahr, G; Stöhr, S; Berry, G; Friedrich, W; Schulz, A S

2006-10-01

Malignant infantile osteopetrosis (MIOP) is a rare hereditary disorder of osteoclast function, which can be reversed by hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (SCT). We observed a high incidence of hepatic veno-occlusive disease (VOD) in transplanted patients and explored the prevention of this complication by using defibrotide (DF) as a prophylaxis. Twenty children with MIOP were consecutively transplanted in our center between 1996 and 2005. Eleven of these patients were transplanted between 1996 and 2001 and experienced an overall incidence of VOD of 63.6% (7/11). VOD was severe in three patients and one patient succumbed to VOD-related multi-organ failure. Owing to this very high incidence of VOD, DF prophylaxis was initiated in nine patients consecutively transplanted between 2001 and 2005. In this group, only one patient (11.1%) was diagnosed with moderate VOD. We report here a very high risk in patients with MIOP to develop VOD after transplantation. Prophylactic DF was implemented in our current transplant protocol and reduced the VOD rate significantly in this high-risk population.

Less efficient oculomotor performance is associated with increased incidence of head impacts in high school ice hockey.

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Kiefer, Adam W; DiCesare, Christopher; Nalepka, Patrick; Foss, Kim Barber; Thomas, Staci; Myer, Gregory D

2018-01-01

To evaluate associations between pre-season oculomotor performance on visual tracking tasks and in-season head impact incidence during high school boys ice hockey. Prospective observational study design. Fifteen healthy high school aged male hockey athletes (M=16.50±1.17years) performed two 30s blocks each of a prosaccade and self-paced saccade task, and two trials each of a slow, medium, and fast smooth pursuit task (90°s -1 ; 180°s -1 ; 360°s -1 ) during the pre-season. Regular season in-game collision data were collected via helmet-mounted accelerometers. Simple linear regressions were used to examine relations between oculomotor performance measures and collision incidence at various impact thresholds. The variability of prosaccade latency was positively related to total collisions for the 20g force cutoff (p=0.046, adjusted R 2 =0.28). The average self-paced saccade velocity (p=0.020, adjusted R 2 =0.37) and variability of smooth pursuit gaze velocity (p=0.012, adjusted R 2 =0.47) were also positively associated with total collisions for the 50g force cutoff. These results provide preliminary evidence that less efficient oculomotor performance on three different oculomotor tasks is associated with increased incidence of head impacts during a competitive ice hockey season. The variability of prosaccade latency, the average self-paced saccade velocity and the variability of gaze velocity during predictable smooth pursuit all related to increased head impacts. Future work is needed to further understand player initiated collisions, but this is an important first step toward understanding strategies to reduce incidence of injury risk in ice hockey, and potentially contact sports more generally. Copyright © 2017 Sports Medicine Australia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

SPS Machine Protection Incident in 2009

CERN Document Server

Wenninger, J

2009-01-01

During the 008 SPS run a single machine operation incident happened on June 27th when a high intensity CNGS beam was lost in a dipole of sextant 1 following a time system ‘freeze’. The vacuum chamber was punctured over a length of over 10 cm, and the vacuum in the affected sector rose to atmospheric pressure. The dipole was exchanged June 30th. This note describes the incident in detail and presents the measures taken to avoid a similar incident in the future.

Use of a geographic information system to identify differences in automated external defibrillator installation in urban areas with similar incidence of public out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: a retrospective registry-based study.

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Fredman, David; Haas, Jan; Ban, Yifang; Jonsson, Martin; Svensson, Leif; Djarv, Therese; Hollenberg, Jacob; Nordberg, Per; Ringh, Mattias; Claesson, Andreas

2017-06-02

Early defibrillation in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is of importance to improve survival. In many countries the number of automated external defibrillators (AEDs) is increasing, but the use is low. Guidelines suggest that AEDs should be installed in densely populated areas and in locations with many visitors. Attempts have been made to identify optimal AED locations based on the incidence of OHCA using geographical information systems (GIS), but often on small datasets and the studies are seldom reproduced. The aim of this paper is to investigate if the distribution of public AEDs follows the incident locations of public OHCAs in urban areas of Stockholm County, Sweden. OHCA data were obtained from the Swedish Register for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and AED data were obtained from the Swedish AED Register. Urban areas in Stockholm County were objectively classified according to the pan-European digital mapping tool, Urban Atlas (UA). Furthermore, we reclassified and divided the UA land cover data into three classes (residential, non-residential and other areas). GIS software was used to spatially join and relate public AED and OHCA data and perform computations on relations and distance. Between 1 January 2012 and 31 December 2014 a total of 804 OHCAs occurred in public locations in Stockholm County and by December 2013 there were 1828 AEDs available. The incidence of public OHCAs was similar in residential (47.3%) and non-residential areas (43.4%). Fewer AEDs were present in residential areas than in non-residential areas (29.4% vs 68.8%). In residential areas the median distance between OHCAs and AEDs was significantly greater than in non-residential areas (288 m vs 188 m, p<0.001). The majority of public OHCAs occurred in areas classified in UA as 'residential areas' with limited AED accessibility. These areas need to be targeted for AED installation and international guidelines need to take geographical location into account when suggesting

Studies of leukaemia incidence in Scotland

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Urquhart, J.

1989-01-01

Scottish Cancer Registration Data and the Small Area Population Data provided by the General Register Office for Scotland offer unique opportunities for carrying out analyses of the incidence of cancer in precisely defined areas. The paper will explore some of the problems of drawing conclusions about the distribution of a rare disease such as childhood cancer and of interpreting results relating to specific sites. Scottish Cancer Registration Data will be used to provide specific examples to illuminate these problems. (author)

A diversity of cancer incidence and mortality in West Asian populations.

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Roshandel, Gholamreza; Boreiri, Majid; Sadjadi, Alireza; Malekzadeh, Reza

2014-01-01

Western Asia comprises a large proportion of the world population with different ethnicities and religions inhabiting areas of diverse geographic features. The countries of this region have experienced rapid economic growth over the latter half of the 20th century, which continues to this day, resulting in major changes in lifestyle of the population. The aim of this study was to compare the incidence and mortality of cancer in West Asia using the estimates reported by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) in Globocan-2012. Countries with high-quality data or national data (based on the definition of the Globocan-2012) were included in the analysis. These included Bahrain, Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey. We also found high-quality cancer data from regional cancer registries in 3 Iranian and 3 Turkish provinces. Data on cancer incidence and mortality were collected and described in tables and graphs. Spearman's correlation test was used to assess the correlation between geographic coordinates and the incidence age-standardized rate (ASR; per 100,000 person-years) of cancers. Nine countries and 6 regional registries were included. Cancers of the lung (ASR, 33.3), prostate (24.9), bladder (19.1), stomach (16.5), and colorectal (15.9) were the most common malignancies in men. The most common cancers in women were those of the breast (35.4), colorectal (12.1), thyroid (10.3), stomach (9.2), and lung (6.7). The incidence rates of upper gastrointestinal and lung cancers were considerably higher in the northern part of this region, including Turkey and northern Iran compared with southern countries. High incidences of breast, colorectal, prostate, and bladder cancers were found in countries located in the northwest including Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey. The most common cancers differed by country. Consequently, cancer control programs must be tailored to the most common types of cancers in each country. Lack of high

[Analysis of cancer incidence and mortality in elderly population in China, 2013].

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, W Q; Zheng, R S; Zhang, S W; Zeng, H M; Zou, X N; He, J

2017-01-23

Objective: To estimate the cancer incidence and mortality in elderly Chinese population in 2013 based on the data from local cancer registries submitted to National Central Cancer Registry (NCCR). Methods: Data from 255 cancer registries submitted to NCCR with qualified data after checked and evaluated, were selected for this estimation. Cancer incidence and mortality were stratified by areas, sex, age groups and cancer site, combined with population data of the year 2013 to estimate cancer epidemiology in older people in China. Chinese population census in 2000 and Segi's population were used for the estimation of age-standardized incidence/mortality rates. Results: All the 255 cancer registries (88 in urban and 167 in rural areas) were selected for this estimation, covered 37 407 728 elderly subjects, accounting for 17.73% of the entire national elderly population. It was estimated about 2 171.0 thousand new cancer cases in older people in China, accounting for 58.96% of all cancer incidence, with the crude incidence rate of 1 029.16/100 000 (1 297.96 per 100 000 in male, 777.18 per 100 000 in female), and the age-standardized incidence rate by Chinese standard population (ASIRC, 2000) was 1 019.25 per 100 000. It was estimated about 1 600.5 thousand deaths in older people in China, accounting for 67.70% of all cancer deaths, with the crude mortality of 758.72/100 000 (988.37 per 100 000 in males, 543.44 per 100 000 in females), and the age-standardized incidence rate by Chinese standard population (ASIRC, 2000) was 730.78 per 100 000. Lung cancer, stomach cancer, colorectal cancer, liver cancer and esophageal cancer were the most common cancers, accounting for about 67.70% of all cancer cases in China. Those cancers are also the most common cancers in China, accounting for about 73.45% of all cancer deaths. Conclusions: The cancer burden of elderly population in China is very serious. The major cancer incidence and mortality in urban and rural areas are similar

Perceptions of Community HIV/STI Risk Among U.S Women Living in Areas with High Poverty and HIV Prevalence Rates.

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Blackstock, Oni J; Frew, Paula; Bota, Dorothy; Vo-Green, Linda; Parker, Kim; Franks, Julie; Hodder, Sally L; Justman, Jessica; Golin, Carol E; Haley, Danielle F; Kuo, Irene; Adimora, Adaora A; Rompalo, Anne; Soto-Torres, Lydia; Wang, Jing; Mannheimer, Sharon B

2015-08-01

Although studies have consistently demonstrated that women at high risk for HIV and non-HIV sexually transmitted infections (STIs) tend to underestimate their individual risk, little is known about how women at risk perceive their community's HIV/STI risk. We explored perceptions of community HIV/STI risk among U.S. women living in areas with high poverty and HIV prevalence rates as part of a qualitative substudy of the Women's HIV SeroIncidence Study. Semi-structured focus groups were conducted. Data were coded and analyzed using the constant comparative method. Participants expressed the perception that their communities were at elevated HIV/STI risk, mostly due to contextual and structural factors such as lack of access to health care and education. Findings suggest that HIV prevention messages that target U.S. women at high risk for HIV may be strengthened by addressing the high perceived community HIV/STI risk driven by structural factors.

Modelling the Incidence of Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium falciparum Malaria in Afghanistan 2006–2009

Science.gov (United States)

Alegana, Victor A.; Wright, Jim A.; Nahzat, Sami M.; Butt, Waqar; Sediqi, Amad W.; Habib, Naeem; Snow, Robert W.; Atkinson, Peter M.; Noor, Abdisalan M.

2014-01-01

Background Identifying areas that support high malaria risks and where populations lack access to health care is central to reducing the burden in Afghanistan. This study investigated the incidence of Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium falciparum using routine data to help focus malaria interventions. Methods To estimate incidence, the study modelled utilisation of the public health sector using fever treatment data from the 2012 national Malaria Indicator Survey. A probabilistic measure of attendance was applied to population density metrics to define the proportion of the population within catchment of a public health facility. Malaria data were used in a Bayesian spatio-temporal conditional-autoregressive model with ecological or environmental covariates, to examine the spatial and temporal variation of incidence. Findings From the analysis of healthcare utilisation, over 80% of the population was within 2 hours’ travel of the nearest public health facility, while 64.4% were within 30 minutes’ travel. The mean incidence of P. vivax in 2009 was 5.4 (95% Crl 3.2–9.2) cases per 1000 population compared to 1.2 (95% Crl 0.4–2.9) cases per 1000 population for P. falciparum. P. vivax peaked in August while P. falciparum peaked in November. 32% of the estimated 30.5 million people lived in regions where annual incidence was at least 1 case per 1,000 population of P. vivax; 23.7% of the population lived in areas where annual P. falciparum case incidence was at least 1 per 1000. Conclusion This study showed how routine data can be combined with household survey data to model malaria incidence. The incidence of both P. vivax and P. falciparum in Afghanistan remain low but the co-distribution of both parasites and the lag in their peak season provides challenges to malaria control in Afghanistan. Future improved case definition to determine levels of imported risks may be useful for the elimination ambitions in Afghanistan. PMID:25033452

Acute incidents during anaesthesia

African Journals Online (AJOL)

management of acute incidents and the prevention of ... High or total (complete) spinal blocks in obstetric .... Pain and opioid analgesics lead to delayed ... Step up postoperative care and use ... recognise suprasternal and supraclavicular.

High pregnancy incidence and low contraceptive use among a prospective cohort of female entertainment and sex workers in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

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Duff, Putu; Evans, Jennifer L; Stein, Ellen S; Page, Kimberly; Maher, Lisa

2018-05-03

While HIV and unintended pregnancies are both occupational risks faced by female sex workers, the epidemiology of pregnancy and its drivers in this population remains understudied. This includes Cambodia, where the drivers of pregnancy among female entertainment and sex workers (FESW) remain unknown. The current study aimed to examine factors associated with incident pregnancy, as well as describe contraceptive use among FESW in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. This analysis drew from the Young Women's Health Study (YWHS)-2, a 12-month observational cohort of 220 FESW aged 15-29 years, conducted between August 2009 and August 2010. Interviewer-administered questionnaires were conducted at baseline and quarterly thereafter, alongside HIV and pregnancy testing. Bivariate and multivariable extended Cox regression analysis was used to examine correlates of incident pregnancy. At baseline, 6.8% of participants were pregnant, and only 10.8% reported using hormonal contraceptives, with 11.3% reporting an abortion in the past 3 months. Pregnancy incidence was high, at 22/100 person-years (95% CI: 16.3-30.1). In multivariable analysis, younger age (19-24 years versus 25-29 years) (Adjusted Hazards Ratio (AHR): 2.28; 95% Confidence Interval (CI) 1.22-4.27), lower income (400,000-600,000 Riel (≤150$USD) versus > 600,000 Riel (> 150$USD)) (AHR 2.63; 95% CI 1.02-6.77) positively predicted pregnancy, while higher self-reported condom self-efficacy were associated with reduced pregnancy incidence (AHR 0.89; 95% CI 0.81-0.98). Results document high incidence of pregnancy and unmet reproductive health needs among FESWs in Cambodia. Findings point to an urgent need for multi-level interventions, including venue-based HIV/STI and violence prevention interventions, in the context of legal and policy reform. High pregnancy incidence in this population may also undermine recruitment and retention into HIV prevention intervention trials. The exploration of innovative and comprehensive sex

Incidence of and risk factors for traumatic anterior shoulder dislocation: an epidemiologic study in high-school rugby players.

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Kawasaki, Takayuki; Ota, Chihiro; Urayama, Shingo; Maki, Nobukazu; Nagayama, Masataka; Kaketa, Takefumi; Takazawa, Yuji; Kaneko, Kazuo

2014-11-01

The incidence of reinjuries due to glenohumeral instability and the major risk factors for primary anterior shoulder dislocation in youth rugby players have been unclear. The purpose of this study was to investigate the incidence, mechanisms, and intrinsic risk factors of shoulder dislocation in elite high-school rugby union teams during the 2012 season. A total of 378 male rugby players from 7 high-school teams were investigated by use of self-administered preseason and postseason questionnaires. The prevalence of a history of shoulder dislocation was 14.8%, and there were 21 events of primary shoulder dislocation of the 74 overall shoulder injuries that were sustained during the season (3.2 events per 1000 player-hours of match exposure). During the season, 54.3% of the shoulders with at least one episode of shoulder dislocation had reinjury. This study also indicated that the persistence of glenohumeral instability might affect the player's self-assessed condition, regardless of the incidence during the current season. By a multivariate logistic regression method, a history of shoulder dislocation on the opposite side before the season was found to be a risk factor for contralateral primary shoulder dislocation (odds ratio, 3.56; 95% confidence interval, 1.27-9.97; P = .02). High-school rugby players with a history of shoulder dislocation are not playing at full capacity and also have a significant rate of reinjury as well as a high risk of dislocating the other shoulder. These findings may be helpful in deciding on the proper treatment of primary anterior shoulder dislocation in young rugby players. Copyright © 2014 Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery Board of Trustees. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

High-Temperature-Short-Time Annealing Process for High-Performance Large-Area Perovskite Solar Cells.

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Kim, Minjin; Kim, Gi-Hwan; Oh, Kyoung Suk; Jo, Yimhyun; Yoon, Hyun; Kim, Ka-Hyun; Lee, Heon; Kim, Jin Young; Kim, Dong Suk

2017-06-27

Organic-inorganic hybrid metal halide perovskite solar cells (PSCs) are attracting tremendous research interest due to their high solar-to-electric power conversion efficiency with a high possibility of cost-effective fabrication and certified power conversion efficiency now exceeding 22%. Although many effective methods for their application have been developed over the past decade, their practical transition to large-size devices has been restricted by difficulties in achieving high performance. Here we report on the development of a simple and cost-effective production method with high-temperature and short-time annealing processing to obtain uniform, smooth, and large-size grain domains of perovskite films over large areas. With high-temperature short-time annealing at 400 °C for 4 s, the perovskite film with an average domain size of 1 μm was obtained, which resulted in fast solvent evaporation. Solar cells fabricated using this processing technique had a maximum power conversion efficiency exceeding 20% over a 0.1 cm 2 active area and 18% over a 1 cm 2 active area. We believe our approach will enable the realization of highly efficient large-area PCSs for practical development with a very simple and short-time procedure. This simple method should lead the field toward the fabrication of uniform large-scale perovskite films, which are necessary for the production of high-efficiency solar cells that may also be applicable to several other material systems for more widespread practical deployment.

Increasing prevalence and high incidence of celiac disease in elderly people: A population-based study

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Vilppula Anitta

2009-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Celiac disease may emerge at any age, but little is known of its appearance in elderly people. We evaluated the prevalence of the condition in individuals over 55 years of age, and determined the incidence of biopsy-proven celiac disease (CDb and celiac disease including seropositive subjects for anti-tissue transglutaminase antibodies (CDb+s. Methods The study based on prevalence figures in 2815 randomly selected subjects who had undergone a clinical examination and serologic screening for celiac disease in 2002. A second screening in the same population was carried out in 2005, comprising now 2216 individuals. Positive tissue transglutaminase antibodies were confirmed with small bowel biopsy. Results Within three years the prevalence of CDb increased from 2.13 to 2.34%, and that of CDb+s from 2.45 to 2.70%. Five new cases were found among patients previously seronegative; two had minor abdominal symptoms and three were asymptomatic. The incidence of celiac disease in 2002–2005 was 0.23%, giving an annual incidence of 0.08% in this population. Conclusion The prevalence of celiac disease was high in elderly people, but the symptoms were subtle. Repeated screening detected five biopsy-proven cases in three years, indicating that the disorder may develop even in the elderly. Increased alertness to the disorder is therefore warranted.

Incidence and impact of prosthesis-patient mismatch after transcatheter aortic valve implantation.

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Bleiziffer, Sabine; Hettich, Ina; Hutter, Andrea; Wagner, Anke; Deutsch, Marcus-André; Piazza, Nicolo; Lange, Rüdiger

2013-05-01

The study aim was to investigate the incidence of patient-prosthesis mismatch (PPM) with new catheter valves, and its influence on the patients' clinical state. At present, few echocardiographic data are available on the incidence and impact of PPM with the CoreValve and Sapien prostheses for transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). The reliability of effective orifice area (EOA) measurements was assured by awaiting an interval of six months after TAVI. Of 256 survivors after TAVI, 149 complete echocardiographic data sets were available for the assessment of the indexed EOA (iEOA). In total, 106 CoreValve prostheses and 43 Sapien prostheses were implanted in this high-risk cohort (mean age 81 +/- 6 years, mean logistic EuroSCORE 20 +/- 13%). The overall incidence of PPM (iEOA body surface area were more likely to develop PPM (p = 0.001), while the prosthesis type, native annulus diameter, preoperative EOA, gender and prosthesis size had no influence. The mean aortic gradient was significantly higher in patients with PPM. A reduction in the left ventricular end-diastolic diameter was seen in all patients, without significant differences between groups. There were no differences in postoperative NYHA class or self-assessed health state between patients with or without PPM. PPM was common after TAVI in the presented cohort, presumably because the native calcium masses narrow the outflow area available for blood flow. As expected for low gradients, there was no impairment of left ventricular dimension regression or clinical state of the patients, even if severe PPM was present. Based on the presented data, it is assumed that PPM might be less relevant in TAVI patients.

Gut microbiota among children living in areas contaminated by radiation and having the cardiac connective tissues dysplasia syndrome

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kondrashova, V.G.; Vdovenko, V.Yu.; Kolpakov, Yi.Je.; And Others

2014-01-01

In the absence of any specific complaints the abnormal gut microbiota was revealed in children living in contaminated areas with a high incidence of 96.36 % featuring both quantitative and qualitative abnormalities that can be considered a dysadaptation phenomenon of both digestive system and body as a whole. Under the concomitant CCTDS these disorders are more expressive, being characterized by a significant decrease in the number of obligate gut flora and failure of its protective capabilities. Incidence of dysbacteriosis grade III in children having the CCTDS is significantly higher vs. children of the control group and comparison subgroup. Under CCTDS the gut microbiota abnormalities were represented with a severe bowel contamination by E. coli with altered enzymatic properties, various types of opportunistic microorganisms, and a high identification incidence of genus Candida fungi at the background of a significant depression of normal colonic flora. Presence of 3-5-component associations of opportunistic pathogens in the colon was found with high incidence. According to received results the examination of intestinal bacterial flora is expedient in children living in areas contaminated by radiation. Application of health care arrangements aimed at normalization of gut microbiota is obligate

Incidence and survival for Merkel cell carcinoma in Queensland, Australia, 1993-2010.

Science.gov (United States)

Youlden, Danny R; Soyer, H Peter; Youl, Philippa H; Fritschi, Lin; Baade, Peter D

2014-08-01

Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is an uncommon but highly invasive form of skin cancer. The mechanisms that cause MCC are yet to be fully determined. To compare the incidence and survival rates of MCC in Queensland, Australia, known to be a high-risk area, with MCC incidence and survival elsewhere in the world. We also analyzed incidence trends and differences in survival by key demographic and clinical characteristics. Retrospective cohort study of population-based administrative data for MCC collected by the Queensland Cancer Registry and supplemented with detailed histopathologic data. Deidentified records were obtained of all Queensland residents diagnosed as having MCC during the period from 1993 to 2010. A subsample of histopathologic records were reviewed by a senior dermatopathologist to determine the potential for misclassification. A total of 879 eligible cases of MCC were included in the study. Incidence rates were directly age standardized to the 2000 United States Standard Population. Trends were examined using Joinpoint software with results expressed in terms of the annual percentage change. The period method was used to calculate 5-year relative survival, and adjusted hazard ratios were obtained from multivariate Poisson models. There were 340 cases of MCC diagnosed in Queensland between 2006 and 2010, corresponding to an incidence rate of 1.6 per 100,000 population. Men (2.5 per 100,000) had higher incidence than women (0.9 per 100,000), and rates peaked at 20.7 per 100,000 for persons 80 years or older. The overall incidence of MCC increased by an average of 2.6% per year from 1993 onwards. Relative survival was 41% after 5 years, with significantly better survival found for those younger than 70 years at diagnosis (56%-60%), those with tumors on the face or ears (51%), and those with stage I lesions (49%). Incidence rates for MCC in Queensland are at least double those of any that have been previously published elsewhere in the world. It is likely

Possible etiologies of increased incidence of gastroschisis.

Science.gov (United States)

Souther, Christina; Puapong, Devin P; Woo, Russell; Johnson, Sidney M

2017-11-01

Gastroschisis incidence has increased over the past decade nationally and in Hawaii. Pesticides have been implicated as potential causative factors for gastroschisis, and use of restricted use pesticides (RUPs) is widespread in Hawaii. This study was conducted to characterize gastroschisis cases in Hawaii and determine whether RUP application correlates with gastroschisis incidence. Gastroschisis patients treated in Hawaii between September, 2008 and August, 2015 were mapped by zip code along with RUP use. Spatial analysis software was used to identify patients' homes located within the pesticide application zone and agricultural land use areas. 71 gastroschisis cases were identified. 2.8% of patients were from Kauai, 64.8% from Oahu, 16.9% from Hawaii, 14.1% from Maui, and 1.4% from Molokai. RUPs have been used on all of these islands. 78.9% of patients lived in zip codes overlapping agricultural land use areas. 85.9% of patients shared zip codes with RUP-use areas. The majority of gastroschisis patients were from RUP-use areas, supporting the idea that pesticides may contribute to the development of gastroschisis, although limited data on specific releases make it difficult to apply these findings. As more RUP-use data become available to the public, these important research questions can be investigated further.

High incidence of rickets in extremely low birth weight infants with severe parenteral nutrition-associated cholestasis and bronchopulmonary dysplasia.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Soon Min; Namgung, Ran; Park, Min Soo; Eun, Ho Sun; Park, Kook In; Lee, Chul

2012-12-01

Risk factors for rickets of prematurity have not been re-examined since introduction of high mineral formula, particularly in ELBW infants. We analyzed the incidence and the risk factors of rickets in extremely low birth weight (ELBW) infants. As a retrospective case-control study from 2004 to 2008, risk factors were analyzed in 24 patients with rickets versus 31 patients without. The frequency of rickets in ELBW infants was 24/55 (44%). Infants with rickets were diagnosed at 48.2 ± 16.1 days of age, and improved by 85.3 ± 25.3 days. By radiologic evaluation, 29% were grade 1 rickets, 58% grade 2 and 13% grade 3. In univariate analysis, infants with rickets had significantly higher incidence of patent ductus arteriosus, parenteral nutrition associated cholestasis (PNAC), severe PNAC and moderate/severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). In multiple regression analysis, after adjustment for gestation and birth weight, rickets significantly correlated with severe PNAC and with moderate/severe BPD. Serum peak alkaline phosphatase levels were significantly elevated in rickets (P rickets of prematurity remains high and the incidence of severe PNAC and moderate/severe BPD was significantly increased 18 and 3 times, respectively.

Large-area high-efficiency flexible PHOLED lighting panels

Science.gov (United States)

Pang, Huiqing; Mandlik, Prashant; Levermore, Peter A.; Silvernail, Jeff; Ma, Ruiqing; Brown, Julie J.

2012-09-01

Organic Light Emitting Diodes (OLEDs) provide various attractive features for next generation illumination systems, including high efficiency, low power, thin and flexible form factor. In this work, we incorporated phosphorescent emitters and demonstrated highly efficient white phosphorescent OLED (PHOLED) devices on flexible plastic substrates. The 0.94 cm2 small-area device has total thickness of approximately 0.25 mm and achieved 63 lm/W at 1,000 cd/m2 with CRI = 85 and CCT = 2920 K. We further designed and fabricated a 15 cm x 15 cm large-area flexible white OLED lighting panels, finished with a hybrid single-layer ultra-low permeability single layer barrier (SLB) encapsulation film. The flexible panel has an active area of 116.4 cm2, and achieved a power efficacy of 47 lm/W at 1,000 cd/m2 with CRI = 83 and CCT = 3470 K. The efficacy of the panel at 3,000 cd/m2 is 43 lm/W. The large-area flexible PHOLED lighting panel is to bring out enormous possibilities to the future general lighting applications.

Developing a hazmat incident evaluation program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Williams, D.L.; Kaikumba, F.

1991-01-01

This paper reports that all communities are at risk of experiencing a hazardous materials incident, whether in transportation or at a fixed facility (such as petroleum refineries, oil fields, processing plants, etc.). However, many communities are unprepared to cope with this emergency. Administrators of state agencies and local response organizations often face fierce competition for tax dollars in support of their hazardous materials emergency response programs. Historically, little statistical information has been available to support their call for additional budget dollars in the areas of personnel, training, and equipment. It is difficult to plan for an emergency when you have little understanding of the risks, the frequency of incidents, the type of chemicals generally involved, and other vital information. The Illinois Hazardous Materials Incident Evaluation Program was designed to address the state and local needs, and position government and industry in a more responsive and proactive mode. The result is a program that works

Exploring a potential impact of a social marketing campaign on reducing oral cancer incidences in Michigan: an ecological study.

Science.gov (United States)

Lim, Sungwoo; Spavik, Georgia; Ismail, Amid I

2015-01-01

The social marketing campaign was launched in 2005-2007 to address excess risk of oral cancer in Detroit tri-county area, Michigan. We assessed the extent to which the campaign might have contributed to decreasing risk of oral cancer using the modified interrupted time-series design. Oral cancer incidence and mortality data came from Michigan Department of Community Health, and trends of age-adjusted rates during 1990-2009 were compared between intervention and comparison counties via joinpoint regression. Although mortality rates in both areas decreased in parallel manner, incidence rates decreased during and after the campaign only in the intervention counties. A similar trend was observed in the race-specific analysis. Alternative explanations, including population profiles, health-care access and pre-existing trends, were examined, and these characteristics were comparable between two areas in 1990s and 2000s. These results suggested that the campaign was more likely to be associated with the decreasing trend of oral cancer incidence in the intervention counties than alternative explanations. Although oral cancer is a deadly disease, its awareness has been relatively low. This study highlights a potential impact of concerted efforts to improve the oral cancer awareness in the high-risk communities.

Incidência da tuberculose em indígenas do município de São Gabriel da Cachoeira, AM Incidence of tuberculosis among indigenous people in the municipality of São Gabriel Cachoeira, AM

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Amantino Camilo Machado Filho

2008-06-01

Full Text Available A partir de 1999, no município de São Gabriel da Cachoeira, Amazonas, foi implementado pelo Ministério da Saúde o Programa de Controle de Tuberculose. Com o objetivo de verificar se a estratégia promoveu mudanças na incidência da tuberculose entre indígenas daquela região, foram estudados, retrospectivamente, os registros médicos de 768 pacientes, divididos em dois grupos. Constituíram o Grupo I os casos tratados entre 1994 e 1998 e o Grupo II os pacientes tratados entre 1999 e 2003. A taxa anual média de incidência foi de 239 e 284 casos de todas as formas de tuberculose por 100.000 habitantes, houve predomínio da forma pulmonar, com 88,2% e 85,9% dos casos e índices de cura elevados, representando 97,2% e 91,5%, respectivamente nos Grupos I e II. Não houve impacto na redução da taxa de incidência da doença, na comparação entre os dois períodos citados, evidenciando que persiste alto risco de aquisição de tuberculose entre indígenas daquela região.Starting in 1999, the Ministry of Health implemented its Tuberculosis Control Program in the municipality of São Gabriel da Cachoeira, State of Amazonas. With the aim of investigating whether this strategy had promoted changes in tuberculosis incidence among indigenous people in that area, the medical records of 768 patients were studied retrospectively, divided in two groups. Group I consisted of cases treated between 1994 and 1998 and Group II consisted of cases treated between 1999 and 2003. The mean annual incidence rates were, respectively, 239 and 284 cases of all tuberculosis forms per 100,000 inhabitants. The pulmonary form predominated, accounting for 88.2% and 85.9% of the cases, and the cure rate was high (97.2% and 91.5%, respectively in Groups I and II. There was no impact with regard to reducing the incidence rate of this disease, thus showing that a high risk of contracting tuberculosis persists among indigenous people in that area.

Colorectal cancer incidence in 5 Asian countries by subsite: An analysis of Cancer Incidence in Five Continents (1998-2007).

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Hye-Min; Woo, Hyeongtaek; Jung, Sun Jae; Jung, Kyu-Won; Shin, Hai-Rim; Shin, Aesun

2016-12-01

Colorectal cancer is the fourth most common cancer in Asia. However, the trends in colorectal cancer incidence by subsite have not been analyzed across Asian countries. We used the most recent, high quality data from 6 cancer registries for two 5-year periods, 1998-2002 and 2003-2007, from Cancer Incidence in Five Continents to estimate colorectal cancer incidence by subsite in 5 Asian countries. Cases with overlapping lesions or otherwise unspecified colon cancer were re-distributed as proximal or distal colon cancer. Age-standardized incidence rates (ASRs) per 100,000 population and incidence rate ratios from 1998 to 2002 to 2003-2007 were calculated for each subsite. For 2003-2007, men in Miyagi, Japan, had the highest ASR for cancer in the proximal colon, distal colon and rectum. Men of Jewish ancestry in Israel had a high ASR for proximal and distal colon cancer, but the lowest ASR for rectal cancer. The proportion of rectal cancer was highest among Korean men (51.39%) and lowest among Israeli women (26.6%). From 1998-2002 to 2003-2007, rectal cancer incidence did not significantly change in most registries, except for men in Miyagi, Japan, and both sexes in Korea. However, during the same period cancer incidence in the proximal and distal colon increased in most registries. In conclusion, there was substantial variation in subsite distributions of colorectal cancer in Asian registries and increases in overall incidence of colorectal cancer could be attributed to increases in colon cancer. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The role of antiretroviral therapy in reducing TB incidence and mortality in high HIV-TB burden countries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anthony D Harries

2016-03-01

Full Text Available With the adoption of the new Sustainable Development Goals in 2016, all countries have committed to end the tuberculosis (TB epidemic by 2030, defined as dramatic reductions in TB incidence and mortality combined with zero TB-induced catastrophic costs for families. This paper explores how antiretroviral therapy (ART in high HIV-TB burden countries may help in reducing TB incidence and mortality and thus contribute to the ambitious goal of ending TB. ART in people living with HIV has a potent TB preventive effect, with this being most apparent in those with the most advanced immunodeficiency. Early ART also significantly reduces the risk of TB, and with new World Health Organization guidance released in 2015 about initiating ART in all persons living with HIV irrespective of CD4 count, there is the potential for enormous benefit at the population level. Already, several countries with high HIVTB burdens have seen dramatic declines in TB case notification rates since ART scale up started in 2004. In patients already diagnosed with HIV-associated TB, mortality can be significantly decreased by ART, especially if started within 2–8 weeks of anti-TB treatment. The benefits of ART on TB incidence and TB mortality can be further augmented respectively by the addition of isoniazid preventive therapy and cotrimoxazole preventive therapy. These interventions must be effectively implemented and scaled up in order to end the TB epidemic by 2030.

The effect of smoking by family members and friends on the incidence of smoking among high school students.

Science.gov (United States)

Rezaeetalab, Fariba; Rezaeitalab, Fariborz; Soltaneefa, Atefeh; Ghaznavi, Mahsoomeh; Bakhshandeh, Tahereh; Saberi, Soheila

2012-01-01

Smoking is the most important preventable cause of death. According to the global youth tobacco survey (GYTS) presented by WHO, 25% of smokers smoked their first cigarette before the age of 10; hence, it is of great importance to investigate the effect of smoking of family members and friends on smoking incidence of adolescents. This analytic cross-sectional study was conducted on the basis of GYTS questionnaire. The studied population consisted of 3000 high school students who were selected randomly. Data was collected by applying the questionnaires which were fulfilled by students anonymously without supervision of school authorities. The results were analyzed with SPSS 11.5 software employing chi-square test. The studied population included 1842 boys (61.4%) and 1158 girls (38.6%) with the mean age of 16.1 years. In terms of smoking habit, 827 students (27.6%) were occasional smokers, 122 students (4.2%) were regular smokers, 518 students (17.3%) used another type of tobacco, and 1533 students (51.1%) were non-smokers. In terms of gender, 77.6% of occasional smokers were males and 22.4% of them were females. At the same time, males and females made up 80.3% and 19.7% of regular smokers, respectively. Also, males and females made up 71.1% and 28.9% of students using another type of tobacco, respectively. In terms of smoker family members and friends, 1860 students (85.6%) of non-smoker students had no smoker in their families and only 313 (14.4%) had at least one smoker in family, while 61.5% of smoker students had at least one smoker family member (p pocket money. This study showed that the incidence of smoking among high school students significantly correlated with the incidence of smoking among their friendsandfamilymembers (p pocket money) has little orno effect on the incidence of smoking among high school students (p value: 0.863).

Safety and Health Standard 110: Incident/accident reporting and investigation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sones, K. [West Kootenay Power, BC (Canada)

1999-10-01

Incident/accident reporting requirements in effect at West Kootenay Power are discussed. Details provided include definitions of low risk, high risk, and critical events, the incidents to be reported, the nature of the reports, the timelines, the investigation to be undertaken for each type of incident/accident, counselling services available to employees involved in serious incidents, and the procedures to be followed in accidents involving serious injury to non-employees. The emphasis is on the `critical five` high risk events and the procedures relating to them.

Incidence of interval cancers in faecal immunochemical test colorectal screening programmes in Italy.

Science.gov (United States)

Giorgi Rossi, Paolo; Carretta, Elisa; Mangone, Lucia; Baracco, Susanna; Serraino, Diego; Zorzi, Manuel

2018-03-01

Objective In Italy, colorectal screening programmes using the faecal immunochemical test from ages 50 to 69 every two years have been in place since 2005. We aimed to measure the incidence of interval cancers in the two years after a negative faecal immunochemical test, and compare this with the pre-screening incidence of colorectal cancer. Methods Using data on colorectal cancers diagnosed in Italy from 2000 to 2008 collected by cancer registries in areas with active screening programmes, we identified cases that occurred within 24 months of negative screening tests. We used the number of tests with a negative result as a denominator, grouped by age and sex. Proportional incidence was calculated for the first and second year after screening. Results Among 579,176 and 226,738 persons with negative test results followed up at 12 and 24 months, respectively, we identified 100 interval cancers in the first year and 70 in the second year. The proportional incidence was 13% (95% confidence interval 10-15) and 23% (95% confidence interval 18-25), respectively. The estimate for the two-year incidence is 18%, which was slightly higher in females (22%; 95% confidence interval 17-26), and for proximal colon (22%; 95% confidence interval 16-28). Conclusion The incidence of interval cancers in the two years after a negative faecal immunochemical test in routine population-based colorectal cancer screening was less than one-fifth of the expected incidence. This is direct evidence that the faecal immunochemical test-based screening programme protocol has high sensitivity for cancers that will become symptomatic.

Impact of Incidents on Traffic Congestion in Dar es Salaam City

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

David Mfinanga

2013-06-01

Full Text Available Poorly managed traffic incidents have largely contributed to congestion and delay in the city of Dar es Salaam. A thorough understanding of travel delays caused by incidents is therefore essential for effective countermeasures against the increasing congestion. The method used to determine delays in this research is based on the deterministic queuing theory. Information on incidents was obtained from traffic surveys, traffic police and road users. Counting of the number of vehicles passing the incident location was done on incident and incident-free days. The cumulative traffic counts on incident and incident-free days were then calculated and used to plot the queuing diagram used to determine incident induced delay. This method turned out to be a useful tool for estimating incident induced delay in areas with less sophisticated equipment i.e. where there are no sensors, CCTV cameras, etc. The method provided good estimates of incident induced delay which may help planners and transportation officials in better understanding incident related congestion and in selecting more effective countermeasures against incident related traffic congestion in the city. It was found out that the effects of incidents were different for the different zones, types of incidents and the periods the incident occurred. In addition to the incident duration and the number of vehicles affected, the impact of incidents also depended on availability of alternative routes, number of lanes on the road, discipline of the driver in manoeuvring at incident location and traffic control at the scene.

Reflections on Developing Secondary Vocational Education in High-Poverty Areas

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Jiang; Chen, Guofeng

2013-01-01

Developing vocational education is a necessity for the economic and social development of high-poverty areas in China. But vocational education in impoverished areas lacks social recognition and faces funding shortages, along with difficulties in recruiting students. Vocational high schools themselves also have shortcomings. This article considers…

Incidence of stroke in young adults in the Reggio Emilia area, northern Italy.

Science.gov (United States)

Guidetti, D; Baratti, M; Zucco, R G; Greco, G; Terenziani, S; Vescovini, E; Sabadini, R; Bondavalli, M; Masini, L; Salvarani, C

1993-01-01

A retrospective epidemiological study on the first episode of stroke in young adults aged 15-44 years was carried out in the territory of the Local Health Unit No. 9 in Reggio Emilia (46,491 km2), Italy, from 1987 to 1989. 29 patients were identified: 17 were affected with cerebral infarction and 12 with hemorrhage. All young patients were discharged with diagnostic codes 430-438 according to the International Classification of Disease, i.e. the criteria of the World Health Organisation for stroke definition. All patients had computed tomography or necropsy. The average annual incidence rate per 100,000 population aged 15-44 for all strokes was 13.6 and the 95% confidence interval (CI 95%) was 9.1-19.6. The general population of the same age on January 1, 1987, was 69,845 and 71,920 on December 31, 1989; the incidence rate of stroke was 14.0 for males (CI 95% 7.9-2.3) and 13.2 (CI 95% 7.1-22.2) for females. The average annual incidence rates were 8.0 (CI 95% 4.7-12.2) for cerebral infarction (8.4, CI 95% 3.9-16 for males, 7.6, CI 95% 3.3-14.9 for females), 5.6 (CI 95% 2.9-9.9) for cerebral hemorrhage and 2.8 (CI 95% 1.0-6.1) for both subarachnoid (SAH) and intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). Based on angiography or necropsy findings, aneurysms or arteriovenous malformations were present in 83% of the patients with SAH and in 66% of the patients with ICH. The 1-month fatality ratio was 0 for cerebral infarction, 50% for SAH and 33% for ICH.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Resources planning for radiological incidents management

Science.gov (United States)

Hamid, Amy Hamijah binti Ab.; Rozan, Mohd Zaidi Abd; Ibrahim, Roliana; Deris, Safaai; Yunus, Muhd. Noor Muhd.

2017-01-01

Disastrous radiation and nuclear meltdown require an intricate scale of emergency health and social care capacity planning framework. In Malaysia, multiple agencies are responsible for implementing radiological and nuclear safety and security. This research project focused on the Radiological Trauma Triage (RTT) System. This system applies patient's classification based on their injury and level of radiation sickness. This classification prioritizes on the diagnostic and treatment of the casualties which include resources estimation of the medical delivery system supply and demand. Also, this system consists of the leading rescue agency organization and disaster coordinator, as well as the technical support and radiological medical response teams. This research implemented and developed the resources planning simulator for radiological incidents management. The objective of the simulator is to assist the authorities in planning their resources while managing the radiological incidents within the Internal Treatment Area (ITA), Reception Area Treatment (RAT) and Hospital Care Treatment (HCT) phases. The majority (75%) of the stakeholders and experts, who had been interviewed, witnessed and accepted that the simulator would be effective to resolve various types of disaster and resources management issues.

Triglyceride-to-high-density-lipoprotein-cholesterol ratio is an index of heart disease mortality and of incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus in men.

Science.gov (United States)

Vega, Gloria Lena; Barlow, Carolyn E; Grundy, Scott M; Leonard, David; DeFina, Laura F

2014-02-01

High triglyceride (TG) and low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) impart risk for heart disease. This study examines the relationships of TG/HDL-C ratio to mortality from all causes, coronary heart disease (CHD), or cardiovascular disease (CVD). Survival analysis was done in 39,447 men grouped by TG/HDL-C ratio cut point of 3.5 and for metabolic syndrome. National Death Index International Classification of Diseases (ICD-9 and ICD-10) codes were used for CVD and CHD deaths occurring from 1970 to 2008. Incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) according to ratio was estimated in 22,215 men. Triglyceride/HDL-C ratio and cross-product of TG and fasting blood glucose (TyG index) were used in analysis. Men were followed up for 581,194 person-years. Triglyceride/HDL-C ratio predicted CHD, CVD, and all-cause mortality after adjustment for established risk factors and non-HDL-C. Mortality rates were higher in individuals with a high ratio than in those with a low ratio. Fifty-five percent of men had metabolic syndrome that was also predictive of CHD, CVD, and all-cause mortality. Annual incidence of DM was 2 times higher in men with high TG/HDL-C ratio than in those with a low ratio. Individuals with high TG/HDL-C ratio had a higher incidence of DM than those with a low ratio. The TyG index was not equally predictive of causes of mortality to TG/HDL-C, but both were equally predictive of diabetes incidence. Triglyceride/HDL-C ratio predicts CHD and CVD mortality as well as or better than do metabolic syndrome in men. Also, a high ratio predisposes to DM. The TyG index does not predict CHD, CVD, or all-cause mortality equally well, but like TG/HDL-C ratio, it predicts DM incidence.

Adaptive grazing incidence optics for the next generation of x-ray observatories

Science.gov (United States)

Lillie, C.; Pearson, D.; Plinta, A.; Metro, B.; Lintz, E.; Shropshire, D.; Danner, R.

2010-09-01

Advances in X-ray astronomy require high spatial resolution and large collecting area. Unfortunately, X-ray telescopes with grazing incidence mirrors require hundreds of concentric mirror pairs to obtain the necessary collecting area, and these mirrors must be thin shells packed tightly together... They must also be light enough to be placed in orbit with existing launch vehicles, and able to be fabricated by the thousands for an affordable cost. The current state of the art in X-ray observatories is represented by NASA's Chandra X-ray observatory with 0.5 arc-second resolution, but only 400 cm2 of collecting area, and by ESA's XMM-Newton observatory with 4,300 cm2 of collecting area but only 15 arc-second resolution. The joint NASA/ESA/JAXA International X-ray Observatory (IXO), with {15,000 cm2 of collecting area and 5 arc-second resolution which is currently in the early study phase, is pushing the limits of passive mirror technology. The Generation-X mission is one of the Advanced Strategic Mission Concepts that NASA is considering for development in the post-2020 period. As currently conceived, Gen-X would be a follow-on to IXO with a collecting area >= 50 m2, a 60-m focal length and 0.1 arc-second spatial resolution. Gen-X would be launched in {2030 with a heavy lift Launch Vehicle to an L2 orbit. Active figure control will be necessary to meet the challenging requirements of the Gen-X optics. In this paper we present our adaptive grazing incidence mirror design and the results from laboratory tests of a prototype mirror.

[Idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus: High incidence in people over 80 years of age].

Science.gov (United States)

Aragonès, Josep Maria; Altimiras, Jacint; Alonso, Francisco; Roura, Pere; Alfonso, Sebastián; Bajo, Lorena

Idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus is usually observed in adults over 60 years of age. The highest incidence of cases is between 70 and 80 years-old, and it could be under-diagnosed in over 80 year-olds. A description is presented on the overall incidence and age group incidence, the delay in the diagnosis, and main outcomes. A descriptive study was performed on patients with idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus, in the population of Osona County during the years 2010-2015. The annual incidence rate was 4.43 per 100,000 inhabitants. The incidence increased with age; from 8.09 per 100,000 in the 60 to 69 years age group, to 23.61 per 100,000 in the 70-79 years age group of, and to 37.02 per 100,000 in the 80-89 years age. The delay in the diagnosis was 15.01 ± 10.35 months. All the patients improved after surgery, but only 73.3% of the patients maintained the improvement after one year. Idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus is an age related disease and probably underdiagnosed in the elderly. An early diagnosis and a clinical suspicion are essential in patients over 80 years old. Copyright © 2017 SEGG. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Research in high speed fiber optics local area networks

Science.gov (United States)

Tobagi, F. A.

1986-01-01

The design of high speed local area networks (HSLAN) for communication among distributed devices requires solving problems in three areas: the network medium and its topology, the medium access control, and the network interface. Considerable progress was already made in the first two areas. Accomplishments are divided into two groups according to their theoretical or experimental nature. A brief summary is given.

ORGANIZATIONAL AND LEGAL RESEARCH OF INDICATORS OF INCIDENCE AND PREVALENCE OF DIABETES MELLITUS IN COUNTRYSIDE AREAS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zbrozhek SI

2017-03-01

legal framework for the organization of pharmacy of the healthcare system in countryside areas; forensic and pharmaceutical practice concerning the complaints on countryside accessibility for their antidiabetic drugs; regional statistics of incidence and prevalence of diabetes mellitus. In conducting the research used the following methods: legal, documentary, bibliography, comparative, forensic and pharmaceutical, graphical analysis. Results and discussion. In the limited funding of the healthcare system and low pharmaceutical ensuring of patients with diabetes mellitus in countryside areas, the question of the optimal use of funds to avoid negative consequences, as evidenced presented in the article on an example of forensic and pharmaceutical practice. Among the possible reasons for such organizations to ensure pharmaceutical provision for privileged categories of citizens can point to the constant rise in prices for antidiabetic drugs and delay in timely registration of wholesale prices for these drugs. Also during the study was a comparative analysis of incidence and prevalence of diabetes at the regional level by the example of Kharkov region. The increase in the prevalence of diabetes is due to various factors, including stress, obesity, aging population, quality of food and life. The increase in the prevalence of the disease may indicate a lack of financing health systems, insufficient qualifications and training of medical personnel, the remoteness of rural health facilities and inadequate organization providing pharmaceutical rural antidiabetic drugs passivity farmers regarding preventive examinations, treatment their health, compliance with recommendations and a low level in the chain of relations "doctor - patient with diabetes mellitus - pharmacist." Conclusions. Diabetes mellitus treatment should be based on the principles of pharmaceutical law provided in Art. 4 of the Law of Ukraine "On the basis of legislation of Ukraine on healthcare" from the state

Lung cancer incidence and risk factors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bairakova, A.

1993-01-01

The possibility of developing lung cancer (lc) as a consequence of inhaling hot particles from the Chernobyl accident is discussed. The risk from various factors is reviewed in order to assess the rate of contribution for any of them to carcinogenic process. The conclusions are based on data reported by National Centre of Oncology, Sofia (BG). A total of 2873 new cases have been recorded in 1990. The data for the period 1970-1990 show a crude increase for males and tend to stabilization for females. The similar pattern is obtained in other countries and geographic areas with steady rise of lc cases with about 0.5% per year. The contribution of particular risk factor and its interaction with other factors is assessed on the basis of large number of epidemiologic and experimental studies. The risk of cigarette smoking, as the principal cause for lc, is discussed in various aspects - age, duration, possible dropping the habit. The assessment of another risk factor - exposure to relatively high doses of natural radon daughter products - is more complicated. As an occupational hazard in uranium mines radon and its progeny reveals an increase in excess lc incidence. Regarding radon and its daughters as an environmental risk factor in dwellings, no clear positive relationship between exposure and lc incidence has been observed. In this case the assessment for population living in areas with higher concentration of radon products have to rely on data from uranium mines. Non radiation factors as asbestos, ethers, chromates, metallic iron, nickel, beryllium and arsenic, are also considered. The combined effect of all these factors, as well as of pathological cell processes, viruses, malfunctions of immune system, is mentioned as well. The possibility of interpreting the findings from epidemiological studies within the framework of theoretical multistage models of carcinogenic process is pointed out. (author)

Incidence of Echinococcus granulosus in Domestic Dogs in Palestine as Revealed by Copro-PCR

Science.gov (United States)

Al-Jawabreh, Amer; Dumaidi, Kamal; Ereqat, Suheir; Nasereddin, Abedelmajeed; Al-Jawabreh, Hanan; Azmi, Kifaya; Al-Laham, Nahed; Abdeen, Ziad

2015-01-01

Hydatidosis or echinococcosisis considered a neglected zoonotic disease despite its high burden in the livestock industry and the high risk of infection by humans in endemic areas. In a cross-sectional study we estimated the copro-Incidence and also genotyped Echinococcus granulosus isolates from domestic dogs using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Medical archives in nine major hospitals in Palestine were reviewed to determine incidence of E. granulosus infection detected in humans during surgery. Faecal samples were collected from 93 domestic dogs in three districts with the highest number of human cases: Al-Khalil (Hebron), Tubas and Jenin. Genomic DNA was extracted from dog faecal samples and amplified by PCR targeting the repeat DNA sequence (EgG1 Hae III) followed by sequencing of five positive samples. Genotyping was determined by sequencing and BLAST searching of mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit (CO1). The incidence of E. granulosus infection detected in humans at surgery was 1.2 per 100,000 in the West Bank and 1.0 per 100,000 in Gaza Strip. Seventeen of 93 domestic dogs (18%) were positive, based upon comparison with the Echinococcus DNA control. The five sequenced samples were confirmed to be E. granulosus. Successfully genotyped sample belonged to E.granulosus sensu stricto (formerly G1-G3 complex, sheep strain). For domestic dogs, age group (13-24 months) and sex were identified as two risk factors for contracting E. granulosus. The study identified the high incidence of E. granulosus sensu stricto in dogs in Palestine. PMID:26181591

Incidence of Echinococcus granulosus in Domestic Dogs in Palestine as Revealed by Copro-PCR.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Amer Al-Jawabreh

Full Text Available Hydatidosis or echinococcosisis considered a neglected zoonotic disease despite its high burden in the livestock industry and the high risk of infection by humans in endemic areas. In a cross-sectional study we estimated the copro-Incidence and also genotyped Echinococcus granulosus isolates from domestic dogs using polymerase chain reaction (PCR. Medical archives in nine major hospitals in Palestine were reviewed to determine incidence of E. granulosus infection detected in humans during surgery. Faecal samples were collected from 93 domestic dogs in three districts with the highest number of human cases: Al-Khalil (Hebron, Tubas and Jenin. Genomic DNA was extracted from dog faecal samples and amplified by PCR targeting the repeat DNA sequence (EgG1 Hae III followed by sequencing of five positive samples. Genotyping was determined by sequencing and BLAST searching of mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit (CO1. The incidence of E. granulosus infection detected in humans at surgery was 1.2 per 100,000 in the West Bank and 1.0 per 100,000 in Gaza Strip. Seventeen of 93 domestic dogs (18% were positive, based upon comparison with the Echinococcus DNA control. The five sequenced samples were confirmed to be E. granulosus. Successfully genotyped sample belonged to E.granulosus sensu stricto (formerly G1-G3 complex, sheep strain. For domestic dogs, age group (13-24 months and sex were identified as two risk factors for contracting E. granulosus. The study identified the high incidence of E. granulosus sensu stricto in dogs in Palestine.

Biological effects of low-dose radiation on human population living in high-background radiation areas of Kerala coast

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Das, Birajalaxmi

2016-01-01

High-level natural radiation areas (HLNRA) of Kerala coast is densely populated and known for its wide variation in background radiation dose levels due to uneven distribution of monazite in the beach sand. The background radiation dose varies from 1 to 45 mGv/y. The areas with >1.5mGy/y is considered as HLNRA. Human population inhabiting in this area are exposed to low-dose chronic radiation since generations. Hence, this population provides an ideal situation to study dose response and adaptive response, if any, due to natural chronic low-dose exposure. It has been investigated extensively to study the biological and health effects of long-term low-dose/low-dose radiation exposure. So far over 150, 000 newborns monitored from hospital-based study did not reveal any significant difference in the incidence of any of the malformations and stillbirth between HLNRA and adjacent control areas. A case-control study on cleft lip/palate and mental retardation did not show any association with background radiation dose. Cytogenetic investigation of over 27,000 newborns did not show any significant increase in the frequency of chromosome aberrations and karyotype anomalies. DNA damage endpoints, such as micronuclei, telomere length and DNA strand breaks, did not reveal any significant difference between control and exposed population. Studies on DNA damage and repair revealed efficient repair of DNA strand breaks in HLNRA individuals. Molecular studies using high throughput microarray analysis indicated a large number of genes involved in various molecular and cellular pathways. Indications of in vivo radioadaptive response due to natural chronic low-dose exposure in this population have important implications to human health. (author)

Highly Flexible and High-Performance Complementary Inverters of Large-Area Transition Metal Dichalcogenide Monolayers

KAUST Repository

Pu, Jiang

2016-03-23

Complementary inverters constructed from large-area monolayers of WSe2 and MoS2 achieve excellent logic swings and yield an extremely high gain, large total noise margin, low power consumption, and good switching speed. Moreover, the WSe2 complementary-like inverters built on plastic substrates exhibit high mechanical stability. The results provide a path toward large-area flexible electronics. © 2016 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Decoding incident-to and provider-based billing: ensuring payment and avoiding liability.

Science.gov (United States)

Hofstra, Patricia S; Hart, Elinor L

2012-01-01

In this increasingly complex world of Medicare reimbursement, physicians must constantly review their billing practices to ensure compliance with all Medicare requirements. "Incident-to" billing and provider-based billing are two areas that present unique challenges for providers, especially those practicing in hospital-owned practices such as hospital outpatient departments. Both incident-to and provider-based billing limit providers' abilities to bill for and receive reimbursement in those practice settings. The Office of Inspector General's 2012 Work Plan Report identified both incident-to billing and place-of-service errors as two of the many areas for investigation and compliance efforts in 2012. This article focuses on identifying the unique point-of-service challenges presented by physicians practicing in hospital outpatient departments or hospital-owned clinics.

Predicting incident size from limited information

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Englehardt, J.D.

1995-01-01

Predicting the size of low-probability, high-consequence natural disasters, industrial accidents, and pollutant releases is often difficult due to limitations in the availability of data on rare events and future circumstances. When incident data are available, they may be difficult to fit with a lognormal distribution. Two Bayesian probability distributions for inferring future incident-size probabilities from limited, indirect, and subjective information are proposed in this paper. The distributions are derived from Pareto distributions that are shown to fit data on different incident types and are justified theoretically. The derived distributions incorporate both inherent variability and uncertainty due to information limitations. Results were analyzed to determine the amount of data needed to predict incident-size probabilities in various situations. Information requirements for incident-size prediction using the methods were low, particularly when the population distribution had a thick tail. Use of the distributions to predict accumulated oil-spill consequences was demonstrated

Urbanisation and the incidence of eating disorders.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Son, G.E. van; Hoeken, D. van; Bartelds, A.I.M.; Furth, E.F. van; Hoek, H.W.

2006-01-01

The link between degree of urbanisation and a number of mental disorders is well established. Schizophrenia, psychosis and depression are known to occur more frequently in urban areas. In our primary care-based study of eating disorders, the incidence of bulimia nervosa showed a dose response

Urbanisation and the incidence of eating disorders

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Van Son, Gabrielle E.; Van Hoeken, Daphne; Bartelds, Aad I. M.; Van Furth, Eric F.; Hoek, Hans W.

2006-01-01

The link between degree of urbanisation and a number of mental disorders is well established. Schizophrenia, psychosis and depression are known to occur more frequently in urban areas. In our primary care-based study of eating disorders, the incidence of bulimia nervosa showed a dose-response

[Based on the incidence of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in the Lanzarote healthcare area. Description of two definitive cases].

Science.gov (United States)

Hernández-Ramos, F J; Martínez Martín, M; Esteban Robayna, M; Jensen Toll, F; Palacios Llopis, S

2005-01-01

We present two cases who have been diagnosed of definitive Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in the health area of Lanzarote in the period January 2002 to January 2004. The two cases are presented with clinical description, complementary tests -- including electroencephalogram, 14-3-3 protein determination -- study of the prionic protein gene, and histopathologic findings. In this article, we try to show the importance of trying to reach a definitive diagnosis with the histopathologic study once there is clinical suspicion (a diagnosis that is probable or possible). In addition our cases show that communication between the clinical and the epidemiological coordinator of the regional community and the National Center of Epidemiology is very important. We refer to the clear growth in the incidence of the disease in the population of Lanzarote in the period above mentioned. Finally, we discuss whether this growth is or is not an isolated event.

A new spectrometer for grazing incidence X-ray fluorescence for the characterization of Arsenic implants and Hf based high-k layers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ingerle, D.; Meirer, F.; Zoeger, N.; Pepponi, G.; Giubertoni, D.; Steinhauser, G.; Wobrauschek, P.; Streli, C.

2010-01-01

Grazing Incidence X-ray Fluorescence Analysis (GIXRF) is a powerful technique for depth-profiling and characterization of thin layers in depths up to a few hundred nanometers. By measurement of fluorescence signals at various incidence angles Grazing Incidence X-ray Fluorescence Analysis provides information on depth distribution and total dose of the elements in the layers. The technique is very sensitive even in depths of a few nanometers. As Grazing Incidence X-ray Fluorescence Analysis does not provide unambigous depth profile information and needs a realistic input depth profile for fitting, in the context of the EC funded European Integrated Activity of Excellence and Networking for Nano and Micro-Electronics Analysis (ANNA) Grazing Incidence X-ray Fluorescence Analysis is used as a complementary technique to Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS) for the characterization of Ultra Shallow Junctions (USJ). A measuring chamber was designed, constructed and tested to meet the requirements of Grazing Incidence X-ray Fluorescence Analysis. A measurement protocol was developed and tested. Some results for As implants as well as Hf based high k layers on Silicon are shown. For the determination of the bulk As content of the wafers, Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis has also been applied for comparison.

Incidence of 'Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus'-Infected Plants Among Citrandarins as Rootstock and Scion Under Field Conditions.

Science.gov (United States)

Boava, Leonardo Pires; Sagawa, Cíntia Helena Duarte; Cristofani-Yaly, Mariângela; Machado, Marcos Antonio

2015-04-01

Huanglongbing (HLB), caused by the bacterium 'Candidatus Liberibacter' spp., is currently one of the most serious diseases of citrus plants and has caused substantial economic losses. Thus far, there is no source of genetic resistance to HLB in the genus Citrus or its relatives. However, several studies have reported Poncirus trifoliata and some of its hybrids to be more tolerant to the disease. The main objective of this study was to report differences in the incidence of 'Ca. L. asiaticus' infection in citrandarin plants, hybrids from Sunki mandarin (Citrus sunki (Hayata) hort. ex Tanaka), and trifoliate orange Rubidoux (P. trifoliata (L.) Raf.)), after conducting an extensive survey under field conditions. These hybrid plants were established for approximately 7 years in an area with a high incidence of 'Ca. L. asiaticus'-infected plants. We selected two experimental areas (area A and area B), located approximately 10 m apart. Area A consists of Pera sweet orange (C. sinensis (L.) Osb.) grafted onto 56 different citrandarin rootstocks. Area B consists of citrandarin scions grafted onto Rangpur lime (C. limonia Osb.) rootstock. Bacteria in the leaves and roots were detected using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. The incidence of 'Ca. L. asiaticus'-infected plants was 92% in area A and 14% in area B. Because infected plants occurred in both areas, we examined whether the P. trifoliata hybrid rootstock influenced HLB development and also determined the distribution of 'Ca. L. asiaticus' in Citrus tree tissues. Although this survey does not present evidence regarding the resistance of P. trifoliata and its hybrids in relation to bacteria or psyllids, future investigation, mainly using the most promising hybrids for response to 'Ca. L. asiaticus', will help us to understand the probable mechanism of defense or identifying compounds in P. trifoliata and its hybrids that are very important as strategy to combat HLB. Details of these results are

High-surface-area silica nanospheres (KCC-1) with a fibrous morphology

KAUST Repository

Polshettiwar, Vivek; Cha, Dong Kyu; Zhang, Xixiang; Basset, Jean-Marie

2010-01-01

Fibrous nanosilica: A new family of high-surface-area silica nanospheres (KCC-1) have been prepared (see picture). KCC-1 features excellent physical properties, including high surface area, unprecedented fibrous surface morphology, high thermal (up to 950 °C) and hydrothermal stabilities, and high mechanical stability. Copyright © 2010 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

High-surface-area silica nanospheres (KCC-1) with a fibrous morphology

KAUST Repository

Polshettiwar, Vivek

2010-08-02

Fibrous nanosilica: A new family of high-surface-area silica nanospheres (KCC-1) have been prepared (see picture). KCC-1 features excellent physical properties, including high surface area, unprecedented fibrous surface morphology, high thermal (up to 950 °C) and hydrothermal stabilities, and high mechanical stability. Copyright © 2010 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

High surface area fibrous silica nanoparticles

KAUST Repository

Polshettiwar, Vivek; Basset, Jean-Marie

2014-01-01

Disclosed are high surface area nanoparticles that have a fibrous morphology. The nanoparticles have a plurality of fibers, wherein each fiber is in contact with one other fiber and each fiber has a length of between about 1 nm and about 5000 nm. Also disclosed are applications of the nanoparticles of the present invention, and methods of fabrication of the nanoparticles of the present invention.

High surface area fibrous silica nanoparticles

KAUST Repository

Polshettiwar, Vivek

2014-11-11

Disclosed are high surface area nanoparticles that have a fibrous morphology. The nanoparticles have a plurality of fibers, wherein each fiber is in contact with one other fiber and each fiber has a length of between about 1 nm and about 5000 nm. Also disclosed are applications of the nanoparticles of the present invention, and methods of fabrication of the nanoparticles of the present invention.

Monitoring of high-radiation areas for the assessment of operational and body doses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, T.J.; Tung, C.J.; Yeh, W.W.; Liao, R.Y.

2004-01-01

protection quantities should be applied. For significant exposures that are deemed abnormal, according to the recommendations in ICRP Publication 28, actual doses in the body, from an assessment of the accident, should be used.' In order to assess radiation protection quantities and actual absorbed doses in the body stated above, information on the energy and irradiation geometry of the incident radiation is required. ICRP in its Publication 35 recommended that: 'In minor accidents, when the deep dose equivalent index is only slightly above the limit, the organ and tissue dose equivalents themselves may still comply with the annual limit for effective dose equivalent. Information on the energy spectrum and orientation of the incident radiation may then allow more realistic estimates of these dose equivalents to be made.' In this work, we surveyed high radiation areas in the nuclear power plants in Taiwan. We measured energy and angular distributions of photons in these areas by a portable Nal detector. We then analyzed the irradiation geometries using the ICRU classifications. Applying these results, the Taiwan Power Company should be able to evaluate actual body doses more accurately for workers exposed to high-levels of radiation

Measurements of diamond-turned copper mirrors at glancing incidence

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kimura, W.D.; Saito, T.T.

1987-01-01

The results of glancing incidence absorptance measurements performed on diamond-turned copper mirrors are presented. A photoacoustic calorimetry technique is used in which the output from a low power, chopped cw Nd:YAG laser (1.06 μm) is incident upon the mirror at angles of incidence from 0 to 87 0 , for both s and p-polarizations. Measurements are obtained as a function of the diamond turning groove orientation with respect to the plane of incidence. Minimum absorptance, at high angles of incidence, is achieved with s-polarized light and with the grooves aligned parallel to the plane of incidence. The affects on the absorptance of a large scratch at glancing incidence are also described

Measurements of diamond turned copper mirrors at glancing incidence

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kimura, W.D.; Saito, T.T.

1987-01-01

The results of glancing incidence absorptance measurements performed on diamond turned copper mirrors are presented. A photoacoustic calorimetry technique is used in which the output from a low power, chopped cw Nd:YAG laser (1.06 μm) is incident upon the mirror at angles of incidence from 0 to 87 0 , for both s and p-polarizations. Measurements are obtained as a function of the diamond turning groove orientation with respect to the plane of incidence. Minimum absorptance at high angles of incidence is achieved with s-polarized light and with the grooves aligned parallel to the plane of incidence. The effects on the absorptance of a large scratch at glancing incidence are also described

Field trial of efficacy of the Leish-tec® vaccine against canine leishmaniasis caused by Leishmania infantum in an endemic area with high transmission rates.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gabriel Grimaldi

Full Text Available Because domestic dogs are reservoir hosts for visceral leishmaniasis (VL in Brazil, one of the approaches used to reduce human disease incidence is to cull infected dogs. However, the results of controlled intervention trials based on serological screening of dogs and killing of seropositive animals are equivocal. A prophylactic vaccine to protect dogs from being infectious to the sand fly vector could be an effective strategy to provide sustained control. Here, we investigated whether a currently licensed commercial subunit rA2 protein-saponin vaccine (Leish-tec® had an additional effect to dog culling on reducing the canine infectious populations.This prospective study was conducted in an L. infantum highly endemic area of southeast Brazil. At the onset of the intervention, all of the eligible dogs received through subcutaneous route a three-dose vaccine course at 21-day intervals and a booster on month 12. For the purpose of comparison, newly recruited healthy dogs were included as the exposed control group. To ascertain vaccine-induced protection, dogs were screened on clinical and serological criteria every 6 months for a 2-year follow-up period. Antibody-based tests and histopathological examination of post-mortem tissue specimens from euthanized animals were used as a marker of infection. The standardized vaccine regime, apart from being safe, was immunogenic as immunized animals responded with a pronounced production of anti-A2-specific IgG antibodies. It should be noted the mean seroconversion time for infection obtained among immunized exposed dogs (~ 18 months, which was twice as high as that for unvaccinated ones (~ 9 months. After two transmission cycles completed, the cumulative incidence of infection did differ significantly (P = 0.016 between the vaccinated (27% and unvaccinated (42% dogs. However, the expected efficacy for the vaccine in inducing clinical protection was not evident since 43% of vaccine recipients developed

Tissue characteristics of high- and low-incidence plutonium-induced osteogenic sarcoma sites in life-span beagles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miller, S.C.; Jee, W.S.S.; Smith, J.M.; Wronski, T.J.

1986-01-01

On the basis of information gathered from the 239 Pu life-span study in beagles at the University of Utah, the tissue features were found to be characteristic of high-incidence bone-tumor sites compared to low-incidence sites included more hematopoietic tissues in the bone marrow; greater trabecular bone mass; greater bone remodeling rates; greater mineral apposition rates; greater density and activity of bone surface cells; greater density of putative bone-cell precursors; greater initial uptake of plutonium on bone surfaces; and greater marrow vascular volumes and a venous sinusoidal bed. Although most of these studies are not yet complete, the information being collected should contribute to our understanding of the mechanisms of radiation-induced osteogenic sarcomas. This should aid in predicting the types and characteristics of osseous tissues where radiation-induced osteogenic sarcomas may arise in humans. 25 refs., 4 figs., 3 tabs

High incidence of Kaposi sarcoma-associated herpesvirus infection in HIV-related solid immunoblastic/plasmablastic diffuse large B-cell lymphoma

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Deloose, S. T. P.; Smit, L. A.; Pals, F. T.; Kersten, M.-J.; van Noesel, C. J. M.; Pals, S. T.

2005-01-01

Kaposi sarcoma-associated herpesvirus ( KSHV) is known to be associated with two distinct lymphoproliferative disorders: primary effusion lymphoma (PEL) and multicentric Castleman disease (MCD)/MCD-associated plasmablastic lymphoma. We here report a high incidence of KSHV infection in solid

High fall incidence and fracture rate in elderly dialysis patients

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Polinder-Bos, H. A.; Emmelot-Vonk, M. H.; Gansevoort, R. T.; Diepenbroek, A.; Gaillard, C. A. J. M.

2014-01-01

Background: Although it is recognised that the dialysis population is ageing rapidly, geriatric complications such as falls are poorly appreciated, despite the many risk factors for falls in this population. The objective of this study was to determine the incidence, complications and risk factors

Incidence and prevalence of epilepsy in Denmark

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Christensen, Jakob; Vestergaard, Mogens; Pedersen, Marianne G

2007-01-01

registered with epilepsy between 1977 and 2002. RESULTS: Between 1977 and 2002 the average incidence of epilepsy was 68.8 new epilepsy patients per 100,000 person-years at risk. However, the incidence changed with calendar time and increased steeply from 1990 to 1995, probably due to changes in diagnostic...... system and inclusion of outpatients. From 1995 to 2002 the incidence rate was reasonable constant with an average of 83.3 new cases per 100,000 person-years at risk, except for patients over 60 years of age where we observed an increase in incidence with calendar time. The age-specific incidence rates...... declined from a high level in children to a low level between 20 and 40 years of age, and thereafter a gradual increase was seen. The incidence rate was slightly higher in men than in women except for the age range 10-20 years. About 2% of the population was diagnosed with epilepsy at some point during...

Identification and prioritization of effective factors in fire incidents preparation programs

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M. Arvan

2016-04-01

Full Text Available One of the major challenges in mega cities is the degree of the preparedness of organizations, institutions and people in facing with critical conditions and their immediate reaction according to pre-defined instructions. Identification of priorities and acting accordingly is an undeniable factor in urban crisis management. The purpose of this research was to identify the priorities of preparedness and readiness to immediate responses in case of large fire incident occurrence in the urban areas. District 9 of Tehran municipality was selected as a case study. Considering the Specific regional conditions of this area such as high population, old unstable housing constructions, presence of Mehr-abad air port at the heart of the district, and the gas transmission pipeline mark this district as a vulnerable area to fire incidents. According to the crisis management readiness index, 2 types of questionnaires were distributed among members of the crisis department and fire rescue forces of the district 9. The results reviled that the most important priorities were basic training to residents, equipping the gas valves with automatic cut off switches in an emergency situation, training the responsible personnel to act efficiently in the early hours of accident and performing maneuvers. SPSS software was used for statistical analysis and Cranach’s alpha coefficient was used to test the reliability of the questionnaire and to test the hypotheses single-sample T -test was used.

Incidence and Risk of Cytomegalovirus Infection during Pregnancy in an Urban Area of Northern Italy

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Massimo De Paschale

2009-01-01

Full Text Available The fetal consequences of CMV infection make it one of the most serious infections contracted during pregnancy, but the scientific community is divided over the proposed implementation of preventive screening for anti-CMV antibodies. The aim of this study was to assess the incidence and risk of infection during pregnancy in 2817 women who underwent anti-CMV IgG and IgM antibody screening during the period 2005–2007. The prevalence of anti-CMV IgG antibodies was 68.3% (95% CI: 66.6–70.0; the seroconversion rate in the 892 seronegative women was 0.32%; the results of IgG avidity testing revealed an cumulative incidence of 1.4% (95% CI: 0.97–1.83, density incidence of 0.8% (as cases/pregnant woman-trimester (95% CI: 0.47–1.13, and a risk of infection of 0.5% (95% CI: 0.24–0.76. The screening identified 13 cases of primary infection (84.6% of which occurred in the first trimester of pregnancy. The possibility to identify these cases and consequently to plan appropriate interventions, supports the use of screening during pregnancy, especially in the first trimester when the risk of infection is greater.

Effects of incident cluster size, substrate temperature, and incident energy on bombardment of Ni clusters onto Cu (0 0 1) surface studied using molecular dynamics simulation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lin, Shiang-Jiun; Wu, Cheng-Da; Fang, Te-Hua; Chen, Guan-Hung

2012-01-01

The bombardment process of a Ni cluster onto a Cu (0 0 1) surface is studied using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations based on the tight-binding second-moment approximation (TB-SMA) many-body potential. The effects of incident cluster size, substrate temperature, and incident energy are evaluated in terms of molecular trajectories, kinetic energy, stress, self-diffusion coefficient, and sputtering yield. The simulation results clearly show that the penetration depth and Cu surface damage increase with increasing incident cluster size for a given incident energy per atom. The self-diffusion coefficient and the penetration depth of a cluster significantly increase with increasing substrate temperature. An incident cluster can be scattered into molecules or atoms that become embedded in the surface after incidence. When the incident energy is increased, the number of volcano-like defects and the penetration depth increase. A high sputtering yield can be obtained by increasing the incident energy at high temperature. The sputtering yield significantly increases with cluster size when the incident energy is above 5 eV/atom.

Incidence of CNS Injury for a Cohort of 111 Patients Treated With Proton Therapy for Medulloblastoma: LET and RBE Associations for Areas of Injury

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Giantsoudi, Drosoula; Sethi, Roshan V. [Department of Radiation Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts (United States); Yeap, Beow Y. [Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts (United States); Eaton, Bree R. [Department of Radiation Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts (United States); Ebb, David H. [Department of Pediatrics, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts (United States); Caruso, Paul A.; Rapalino, Otto [Department of Radiology (O.R.) at the Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts (United States); Chen, Yen-Lin E.; Adams, Judith A.; Yock, Torunn I.; Tarbell, Nancy J.; Paganetti, Harald [Department of Radiation Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts (United States); MacDonald, Shannon M., E-mail: smacdonald@mgh.harvard.edu [Department of Radiation Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts (United States)

2016-05-01

Background: Central nervous system (CNS) injury is a rare complication of radiation therapy for pediatric brain tumors, but its incidence with proton radiation therapy (PRT) is less well defined. Increased linear energy transfer (LET) and relative biological effectiveness (RBE) at the distal end of proton beams may influence this risk. We report the incidence of CNS injury in medulloblastoma patients treated with PRT and investigate correlations with LET and RBE values. Methods and Materials: We reviewed 111 consecutive patients treated with PRT for medulloblastoma between 2002 and 2011 and selected patients with clinical symptoms of CNS injury. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings for all patients were contoured on original planning scans (treatment change areas [TCA]). Dose and LET distributions were calculated for the treated plans using Monte Carlo system. RBE values were estimated based on LET-based published models. Results: At a median follow-up of 4.2 years, the 5-year cumulative incidence of CNS injury was 3.6% for any grade and 2.7% for grade 3+. Three of 4 symptomatic patients were treated with a whole posterior fossa boost. Eight of 10 defined TCAs had higher LET values than the target but statistically nonsignificant differences in RBE values (P=.12). Conclusions: Central nervous system and brainstem injury incidence for PRT in this series is similar to that reported for photon radiation therapy. The risk of CNS injury was higher for whole posterior fossa boost than for involved field. Although no clear correlation with RBE values was found, numbers were small and additional investigation is warranted to better determine the relationship between injury and LET.

Incidence of CNS Injury for a Cohort of 111 Patients Treated With Proton Therapy for Medulloblastoma: LET and RBE Associations for Areas of Injury

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Giantsoudi, Drosoula; Sethi, Roshan V.; Yeap, Beow Y.; Eaton, Bree R.; Ebb, David H.; Caruso, Paul A.; Rapalino, Otto; Chen, Yen-Lin E.; Adams, Judith A.; Yock, Torunn I.; Tarbell, Nancy J.; Paganetti, Harald; MacDonald, Shannon M.

2016-01-01

Background: Central nervous system (CNS) injury is a rare complication of radiation therapy for pediatric brain tumors, but its incidence with proton radiation therapy (PRT) is less well defined. Increased linear energy transfer (LET) and relative biological effectiveness (RBE) at the distal end of proton beams may influence this risk. We report the incidence of CNS injury in medulloblastoma patients treated with PRT and investigate correlations with LET and RBE values. Methods and Materials: We reviewed 111 consecutive patients treated with PRT for medulloblastoma between 2002 and 2011 and selected patients with clinical symptoms of CNS injury. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings for all patients were contoured on original planning scans (treatment change areas [TCA]). Dose and LET distributions were calculated for the treated plans using Monte Carlo system. RBE values were estimated based on LET-based published models. Results: At a median follow-up of 4.2 years, the 5-year cumulative incidence of CNS injury was 3.6% for any grade and 2.7% for grade 3+. Three of 4 symptomatic patients were treated with a whole posterior fossa boost. Eight of 10 defined TCAs had higher LET values than the target but statistically nonsignificant differences in RBE values (P=.12). Conclusions: Central nervous system and brainstem injury incidence for PRT in this series is similar to that reported for photon radiation therapy. The risk of CNS injury was higher for whole posterior fossa boost than for involved field. Although no clear correlation with RBE values was found, numbers were small and additional investigation is warranted to better determine the relationship between injury and LET.

Incidence of CNS Injury for a Cohort of 111 Patients Treated With Proton Therapy for Medulloblastoma: LET and RBE Associations for Areas of Injury.

Science.gov (United States)

Giantsoudi, Drosoula; Sethi, Roshan V; Yeap, Beow Y; Eaton, Bree R; Ebb, David H; Caruso, Paul A; Rapalino, Otto; Chen, Yen-Lin E; Adams, Judith A; Yock, Torunn I; Tarbell, Nancy J; Paganetti, Harald; MacDonald, Shannon M

2016-05-01

Central nervous system (CNS) injury is a rare complication of radiation therapy for pediatric brain tumors, but its incidence with proton radiation therapy (PRT) is less well defined. Increased linear energy transfer (LET) and relative biological effectiveness (RBE) at the distal end of proton beams may influence this risk. We report the incidence of CNS injury in medulloblastoma patients treated with PRT and investigate correlations with LET and RBE values. We reviewed 111 consecutive patients treated with PRT for medulloblastoma between 2002 and 2011 and selected patients with clinical symptoms of CNS injury. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings for all patients were contoured on original planning scans (treatment change areas [TCA]). Dose and LET distributions were calculated for the treated plans using Monte Carlo system. RBE values were estimated based on LET-based published models. At a median follow-up of 4.2 years, the 5-year cumulative incidence of CNS injury was 3.6% for any grade and 2.7% for grade 3+. Three of 4 symptomatic patients were treated with a whole posterior fossa boost. Eight of 10 defined TCAs had higher LET values than the target but statistically nonsignificant differences in RBE values (P=.12). Central nervous system and brainstem injury incidence for PRT in this series is similar to that reported for photon radiation therapy. The risk of CNS injury was higher for whole posterior fossa boost than for involved field. Although no clear correlation with RBE values was found, numbers were small and additional investigation is warranted to better determine the relationship between injury and LET. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Estimating HIV incidence among adults in Kenya and Uganda: a systematic comparison of multiple methods.

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Andrea A Kim

2011-03-01

Full Text Available Several approaches have been used for measuring HIV incidence in large areas, yet each presents specific challenges in incidence estimation.We present a comparison of incidence estimates for Kenya and Uganda using multiple methods: 1 Epidemic Projections Package (EPP and Spectrum models fitted to HIV prevalence from antenatal clinics (ANC and national population-based surveys (NPS in Kenya (2003, 2007 and Uganda (2004/2005; 2 a survey-derived model to infer age-specific incidence between two sequential NPS; 3 an assay-derived measurement in NPS using the BED IgG capture enzyme immunoassay, adjusted for misclassification using a locally derived false-recent rate (FRR for the assay; (4 community cohorts in Uganda; (5 prevalence trends in young ANC attendees. EPP/Spectrum-derived and survey-derived modeled estimates were similar: 0.67 [uncertainty range: 0.60, 0.74] and 0.6 [confidence interval: (CI 0.4, 0.9], respectively, for Uganda (2005 and 0.72 [uncertainty range: 0.70, 0.74] and 0.7 [CI 0.3, 1.1], respectively, for Kenya (2007. Using a local FRR, assay-derived incidence estimates were 0.3 [CI 0.0, 0.9] for Uganda (2004/2005 and 0.6 [CI 0, 1.3] for Kenya (2007. Incidence trends were similar for all methods for both Uganda and Kenya.Triangulation of methods is recommended to determine best-supported estimates of incidence to guide programs. Assay-derived incidence estimates are sensitive to the level of the assay's FRR, and uncertainty around high FRRs can significantly impact the validity of the estimate. Systematic evaluations of new and existing incidence assays are needed to the study the level, distribution, and determinants of the FRR to guide whether incidence assays can produce reliable estimates of national HIV incidence.

Critical incidents related to cardiac arrests reported to the Danish Patient Safety Database

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Peter Oluf; Maaløe, Rikke; Andersen, Henning Boje

2010-01-01

Background Critical incident reports can identify areas for improvement in resuscitation practice. The Danish Patient Safety Database is a mandatory reporting system and receives critical incident reports submitted by hospital personnel. The aim of this study is to identify, analyse and categorize...... critical incidents related to cardiac arrests reported to the Danish Patient Safety Database. Methods The search terms “cardiac arrest” and “resuscitation” were used to identify reports in the Danish Patient Safety Database. Identified critical incidents were then classified into categories. Results One...

High incidence of recurrent copy number variants in patients with isolated and syndromic Müllerian aplasia.

Science.gov (United States)

Nik-Zainal, Serena; Strick, Reiner; Storer, Mekayla; Huang, Ni; Rad, Roland; Willatt, Lionel; Fitzgerald, Tomas; Martin, Vicki; Sandford, Richard; Carter, Nigel P; Janecke, Andreas R; Renner, Stefan P; Oppelt, Patricia G; Oppelt, Peter; Schulze, Christine; Brucker, Sara; Hurles, Matthew; Beckmann, Matthias W; Strissel, Pamela L; Shaw-Smith, Charles

2011-03-01

Congenital malformations involving the Müllerian ducts are observed in around 5% of infertile women. Complete aplasia of the uterus, cervix, and upper vagina, also termed Müllerian aplasia or Mayer-Rokitansky-Kuster-Hauser (MRKH) syndrome, occurs with an incidence of around 1 in 4500 female births, and occurs in both isolated and syndromic forms. Previous reports have suggested that a proportion of cases, especially syndromic cases, are caused by variation in copy number at different genomic loci. In order to obtain an overview of the contribution of copy number variation to both isolated and syndromic forms of Müllerian aplasia, copy number assays were performed in a series of 63 cases, of which 25 were syndromic and 38 isolated. A high incidence (9/63, 14%) of recurrent copy number variants in this cohort is reported here. These comprised four cases of microdeletion at 16p11.2, an autism susceptibility locus not previously associated with Müllerian aplasia, four cases of microdeletion at 17q12, and one case of a distal 22q11.2 microdeletion. Microdeletions at 16p11.2 and 17q12 were found in 4/38 (10.5%) cases with isolated Müllerian aplasia, and at 16p11.2, 17q12 and 22q11.2 (distal) in 5/25 cases (20%) with syndromic Müllerian aplasia. The finding of microdeletion at 16p11.2 in 2/38 (5%) of isolated and 2/25 (8%) of syndromic cases suggests a significant contribution of this copy number variant alone to the pathogenesis of Müllerian aplasia. Overall, the high incidence of recurrent copy number variants in all forms of Müllerian aplasia has implications for the understanding of the aetiopathogenesis of the condition, and for genetic counselling in families affected by it.

Psychological impact of the Three Mile Island incident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cleary, P.D.; Houts, P.S.

1984-01-01

This study examines the psychological impact of the Three Mile Island incident. The results are based on data from a panel study of 403 persons living within five miles of Three Mile Island (TMI), and a telephone survey of 1,506 people living within 55 miles of that area. Active coping strategies were associated with continued high levels of distress. Having more friends was related to reduced distress, but introspection, taking protective actions, being active in organizations, and seeking out others were all related to higher levels of distress. High self-esteem was related to a decrease in symptoms and psychotropic drug use, and avoidance behaviors were related to higher than expected numbers of symptoms. Efforts to profile those who used different coping strategies were relatively unsuccessful. The results emphasize the need to consider the nature of the stressor when developing models of coping and response to stressful situations

HIV incidence from the first population-based cohort study in India.

Science.gov (United States)

Dandona, Lalit; Kumar, G Anil; Lakshmi, Vemu; Ahmed, G Md Mushtaq; Akbar, Mohammed; Ramgopal, Sri P; Sudha, Talasila; Alary, Michel; Dandona, Rakhi

2013-07-17

Understanding about who acquires new HIV infection and the determinants of why some persons get infected and others do not is fundamental to controlling HIV in the population. We assess HIV incidence and its associations in the population of a high HIV burden district in Andhra Pradesh state in southern India by a population-based longitudinal cohort study. We re-surveyed a population-based cohort of 12,617 adults in Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh for which we had reported a baseline HIV prevalence of 1.72% (rural 1.64%, urban 1.89%) among the 15-49 years age group in 2004-2005. We conducted interviews to assess risk behaviour and performed HIV testing again in 2010-2011. We assessed the rate of new HIV infection and its associations using multiple logistic regression. The participation rate in the follow-up was 74.9% and 63.9% of the baseline rural and urban samples, respectively. Over a mean follow-up of 5.63 years, the incidence of HIV was 1.26 per 1000 person-years (95% CI 0.83-1.69), after adjusting for slight compositional bias in the follow-up sample. The incidence per 1000 person-years was higher among rural men (1.68) than urban men (0.85), and among rural women (1.28) than urban women (0.54). The strongest association with incidence was a HIV positive spouse in the baseline for both men (odds ratio 266, 95% CI 62-1137) and women (odds ratio 28, 95% CI 9-88). Among men the other significant associations with HIV incidence were frequent use of condom for sex over the past 6 months, non-circumcision, more than one lifetime woman sex partner or ever visited sex worker, and transport-related occupation; for women the other significant associations were having had HIV testing other than antenatal check-up, previously married but currently not, and tobacco use. These first population-based cohort incidence data from India suggest that rural areas of high HIV burden states would need more attention to prevent new HIV infections, and that spouses of HIV

High HIV prevalence and incidence among women in Southern Mozambique: Evidence from the MDP microbicide feasibility study.

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Sibone Mocumbi

was 4.3 per 100 person years at Mavalane and 9.2 per 100 person years at Manhiça.We demonstrated the ability to recruit a cohort of women at risk of HIV who were willing to participate in clinical research. The high HIV incidence necessitates additional action around HIV prevention for women and offers opportunities to evaluate the impact of available prevention options, such as treatment as prevention and oral PrEP. The high HIV incidence and STI prevalence also offers opportunities to evaluate the added benefit of potential prevention options such as new formulations of oral PrEP, vaginal microbicides (also called topical PrEP, vaccines, and multi-purpose technologies for HIV, STIs and contraception.

The Incidence of Intravascular Needle Entrance during Inferior Alveolar Nerve Block Injection.

Science.gov (United States)

Taghavi Zenouz, Ali; Ebrahimi, Hooman; Mahdipour, Masoumeh; Pourshahidi, Sara; Amini, Parisa; Vatankhah, Mahdi

2008-01-01

Dentists administer thousands of local anesthetic injections every day. Injection to a highly vascular area such as pterygomandibular space during an inferior alveolar nerve block has a high risk of intravascular needle entrance. Accidental intravascular injection of local anesthetic agent with vasoconstrictor may result in cardiovascular and central nervous system toxicity, as well as tachycardia and hypertension. There are reports that indicate aspiration is not performed in every injection. The aim of the present study was to assess the incidence of intravascular needle entrance in inferior alveolar nerve block injections. Three experienced oral and maxillofacial surgeons performed 359 inferior alveolar nerve block injections using direct or indirect techniques, and reported the results of aspiration. Aspirable syringes and 27 gauge long needles were used, and the method of aspiration was similar in all cases. Data were analyzed using t-test. 15.3% of inferior alveolar nerve block injections were aspiration positive. Intravascular needle entrance was seen in 14.2% of cases using direct and 23.3% of cases using indirect block injection techniques. Of all injections, 15.8% were intravascular on the right side and 14.8% were intravascular on the left. There were no statistically significant differences between direct or indirect block injection techniques (P = 0.127) and between right and left injection sites (P = 0.778). According to our findings, the incidence of intravascular needle entrance during inferior alveolar nerve block injection was relatively high. It seems that technique and maneuver of injection have no considerable effect in incidence of intravascular needle entrance.

Incidence Rates of Clinical Mastitis among Canadian Holsteins Classified as High, Average, or Low Immune Responders

Science.gov (United States)

Miglior, Filippo; Mallard, Bonnie A.

2013-01-01

The objective of this study was to compare the incidence rate of clinical mastitis (IRCM) between cows classified as high, average, or low for antibody-mediated immune responses (AMIR) and cell-mediated immune responses (CMIR). In collaboration with the Canadian Bovine Mastitis Research Network, 458 lactating Holsteins from 41 herds were immunized with a type 1 and a type 2 test antigen to stimulate adaptive immune responses. A delayed-type hypersensitivity test to the type 1 test antigen was used as an indicator of CMIR, and serum antibody of the IgG1 isotype to the type 2 test antigen was used for AMIR determination. By using estimated breeding values for these traits, cows were classified as high, average, or low responders. The IRCM was calculated as the number of cases of mastitis experienced over the total time at risk throughout the 2-year study period. High-AMIR cows had an IRCM of 17.1 cases per 100 cow-years, which was significantly lower than average and low responders, with 27.9 and 30.7 cases per 100 cow-years, respectively. Low-AMIR cows tended to have the most severe mastitis. No differences in the IRCM were noted when cows were classified based on CMIR, likely due to the extracellular nature of mastitis-causing pathogens. The results of this study demonstrate the desirability of breeding dairy cattle for enhanced immune responses to decrease the incidence and severity of mastitis in the Canadian dairy industry. PMID:23175290

Incidents Prediction in Road Junctions Using Artificial Neural Networks

Science.gov (United States)

Hajji, Tarik; Alami Hassani, Aicha; Ouazzani Jamil, Mohammed

2018-05-01

The implementation of an incident detection system (IDS) is an indispensable operation in the analysis of the road traffics. However the IDS may, in no case, represent an alternative to the classical monitoring system controlled by the human eye. The aim of this work is to increase detection and prediction probability of incidents in camera-monitored areas. Knowing that, these areas are monitored by multiple cameras and few supervisors. Our solution is to use Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) to analyze moving objects trajectories on captured images. We first propose a modelling of the trajectories and their characteristics, after we develop a learning database for valid and invalid trajectories, and then we carry out a comparative study to find the artificial neural network architecture that maximizes the rate of valid and invalid trajectories recognition.

Human Papillomavirus Cervical Infection and Associated Risk Factors in a Region of Argentina With a High Incidence of Cervical Carcinoma

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S. A. Tonon

1999-01-01

Full Text Available Objective: To assess the prevalence and potential risk factors associated with human papillomavirus (HPV cervical infection among women residing in a region of northeastern Argentina with a high incidence of cervical cancer.

Physical activity and incidence of sarcopenia: the population-based AGES—Reykjavik Study

Science.gov (United States)

Mijnarends, Donja M.; Koster, Annemarie; Schols, Jos M. G. A.; Meijers, Judith M. M.; Halfens, Ruud J. G.; Gudnason, Vilmundur; Eiriksdottir, Gudny; Siggeirsdottir, Kristin; Sigurdsson, Sigurdur; Jónsson, Pálmi V.; Meirelles, Osorio; Harris, Tamara

2016-01-01

Background: the prevalence of sarcopenia increases with age. Physical activity might slow the rate of muscle loss and therewith the incidence of sarcopenia. Objective: to examine the association of physical activity with incident sarcopenia over a 5-year period. Design: data from the population-based Age, Gene/Environment, Susceptibility–Reykjavik Study were used. Setting: people residing in the Reykjavik area at the start of the study. Subjects: the study included people aged 66–93 years (n = 2309). Methods: the amount of moderate–vigorous physical activity (MVPA) was assessed by a self-reported questionnaire. Sarcopenia was identified using the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People algorithm, including muscle mass (computed tomography imaging), grip strength (computerised dynamometer) and gait speed (6 m). Results: mean age of the participants was 74.9 ± 4.7 years. The prevalence of sarcopenia was 7.3% at baseline and 16.8% at follow-up. The incidence proportion of sarcopenia over 5 years was 14.8% in the least-active individuals and 9.0% in the most-active individuals. Compared with the least-active participants, those reporting a moderate–high amount of MVPA had a significantly lower likelihood of incident sarcopenia (OR = 0.64, 95% CI 0.45–0.91). Participants with a high amount of MVPA had higher baseline levels of muscle mass, strength and walking speed, but baseline MVPA was not associated with the rate of muscle loss. Conclusion: a higher amount of MVPA seems to contribute to counteracting the development of sarcopenia. To delay the onset of sarcopenia and its potential adverse outcomes, attention should be paid to increasing physical activity levels in older adults. PMID:27189729

Aflatoxin contamination of red chili pepper from Bolivia and Peru, countries with high gallbladder cancer incidence rates.

Science.gov (United States)

Asai, Takao; Tsuchiya, Yasuo; Okano, Kiyoshi; Piscoya, Alejandro; Nishi, Carlos Yoshito; Ikoma, Toshikazu; Oyama, Tomizo; Ikegami, Kikuo; Yamamoto, Masaharu

2012-01-01

Chilean red chili peppers contaminated with aflatoxins were reported in a previous study. If the development of gallbladder cancer (GBC) in Chile is associated with a high level of consumption of aflatoxin-contaminated red chili peppers, such peppers from other countries having a high GBC incidence rate may also be contaminated with aflatoxins. We aimed to determine whether this might be the case for red chili peppers from Bolivia and Peru. A total of 7 samples (3 from Bolivia, 4 from Peru) and 3 controls (2 from China, 1 from Japan) were evaluated. Aflatoxins were extracted with acetonitrile:water (9:1, v/v) and eluted through an immuno-affinity column. The concentrations of aflatoxins B1, B2, G1, and G2 were measured using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and then the detected aflatoxins were identified using HPLC-mass spectrometry. In some but not all of the samples from Bolivia and Peru, aflatoxin B1 or aflatoxins B1 and B2 were detected. In particular, aflatoxin B1 or total aflatoxin concentrations in a Bolivian samples were above the maximum levels for aflatoxins in spices proposed by the European Commission. Red chili peppers from Bolivia and Peru consumed by populations having high GBC incidence rates would appear to be contaminated with aflatoxins. These data suggest the possibility that a high level of consumption of aflatoxin-contaminated red chili peppers is related to the development of GBC, and the association between the two should be confirmed by a case-control study.

Incidence of ascariasis in gastric carcinoma

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Jong Woo; Rhee, Hak Song; Bahk, Yong Whee [St Mary' s Hospital Catholic Medical College, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

1972-09-15

Prompted by the finding that the radiological incidence of small bowel ascariasis in the patient with gastric carcinoma was unexpectedly lower than the incidence in the normal population, a clinical study was performed to investigate possible relationship between gastric carcinoma and intestinal ascariasis. As a preliminary survey, we reviewed the radiological incidence of ascariasis in a total of 2,446 cases of upper GI series performed at the Department of Radiology, St Mary's Hospital Catholic Medical College. These included 1,573 normal subjects, 146 gastric carcinoma patients, 100 benign gastric ulcer and 249 duodenal ulcer patients and 378 other upper GI diseases. Following the preliminary study, a more accurate parasitologic study was conducted in another 578 normal subjects and 51 gastric carcinoma patients. The radiological incidences of ascaiasis in normal subjects and gastric carcinoma patients were 15.1% and 28.1%, respectively. The incidence of overall helminthiasis including ascaris lumbricoides, trichocephalus trichiurus and trichostrongyloides orientalis in normal subjects of the present series was 73.5%. This figure is virtually the same with 69.1% of the general population incidence reported by Kim, et al. (1971), but the incidence in gastric carcinoma patients was 94.1%. The high incidence pattern of overall helminthiasis in gastric carcinoma patients is, however, reversed as for as ascariasis is concerned. Thus, the incidence of ascariasis of gastric carcinoma patients was much lower than that of normal subjects (9.8% vs 19.4%). From the present observation, it is postulated that there can be some possible antagonistic relationship between evolution of gastric carcinoma and small bowel infestation of ascaris lumbricoides.

Incidence of ascariasis in gastric carcinoma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Jong Woo; Rhee, Hak Song; Bahk, Yong Whee

1972-01-01

Prompted by the finding that the radiological incidence of small bowel ascariasis in the patient with gastric carcinoma was unexpectedly lower than the incidence in the normal population, a clinical study was performed to investigate possible relationship between gastric carcinoma and intestinal ascariasis. As a preliminary survey, we reviewed the radiological incidence of ascariasis in a total of 2,446 cases of upper GI series performed at the Department of Radiology, St Mary's Hospital Catholic Medical College. These included 1,573 normal subjects, 146 gastric carcinoma patients, 100 benign gastric ulcer and 249 duodenal ulcer patients and 378 other upper GI diseases. Following the preliminary study, a more accurate parasitologic study was conducted in another 578 normal subjects and 51 gastric carcinoma patients. The radiological incidences of ascaiasis in normal subjects and gastric carcinoma patients were 15.1% and 28.1%, respectively. The incidence of overall helminthiasis including ascaris lumbricoides, trichocephalus trichiurus and trichostrongyloides orientalis in normal subjects of the present series was 73.5%. This figure is virtually the same with 69.1% of the general population incidence reported by Kim, et al. (1971), but the incidence in gastric carcinoma patients was 94.1%. The high incidence pattern of overall helminthiasis in gastric carcinoma patients is, however, reversed as for as ascariasis is concerned. Thus, the incidence of ascariasis of gastric carcinoma patients was much lower than that of normal subjects (9.8% vs 19.4%). From the present observation, it is postulated that there can be some possible antagonistic relationship between evolution of gastric carcinoma and small bowel infestation of ascaris lumbricoides

Cancer incidence in eastern Morocco: cancer patterns and incidence trends, 2005-2012.

Science.gov (United States)

Elidrissi Errahhali, Manal; Elidrissi Errahhali, Mounia; Ouarzane, Meryem; Boulouiz, Redouane; Bellaoui, Mohammed

2017-08-29

Cancer is one of the major health problems worldwide. In this article, we present for the first time the cancer incidence trends, the distribution and the socioeconomic profile of incident cancer cases in Eastern Morocco over a period of eight years. Retrospective descriptive study of patients diagnosed with cancer at the Hassan II Regional Oncology Center (ROC) since it was created in October 2005 until December 2012. During the study period, the ROC was the only hospital specialized in cancer care in Eastern Morocco. A total of 7872 incident cases of cancer were registered in Eastern Morocco. Among these incident cases 5220 cases were women and 2652 were men, with a female to male ratio of 1.97. The mean age at diagnosis was 58 years for males and 52 for females and 94% of the patients aged over 30 years. For both sexes combined and for all cancer sites, breast cancer was the commonest followed by cervix uteri, colon-rectum, lung, nasopharynx, and stomach cancers. The most common cancer in women was breast cancer, followed respectively by cervix uteri cancer, colon-rectum cancer, ovary cancer, and stomach cancer. In men, the lung cancer ranked first, followed respectively by colon-rectum cancer, nasopharynx cancer, prostate cancer, and stomach cancer. For most cancers, crude incidence rates (CR) have increased significantly. The CR for all cancers combined has increased from 56.6 to 80.3 per 100,000 females and from 32.3 to 42.6 per 100,000 males during the study period. Patients profile analysis showed that 79% of cancer patients were from urban areas, 83% were unemployed and 85% had no health insurance. The distribution of cancers in Eastern Morocco is different from those observed in other regions of Morocco. Unlike most countries, women were much more affected with cancer than men in Eastern Morocco. More importantly, the rates of many cancers are rising. Therefore, our data justify the need to develop effective programs for cancer control and prevention in

High injury incidence in adolescent female soccer

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Clausen, Mikkel Bek; Zebis, Mette Kreutzfeldt; Møller, Merete

2014-01-01

BACKGROUND: Previous studies report varying rates of time-loss injuries in adolescent female soccer, ranging from 2.4 to 5.3 per 1000 athlete-exposures or 2.5 to 3.7 per 1000 hours of exposure. However, these studies collected data using traditional injury reports from coaches or medical staff......, with methods that significantly underestimate injury rates compared with players' self-reports. PURPOSE: The primary aim was to investigate the injury incidence in adolescent female soccer using self-reports via mobile telephone text messaging. The secondary aim was to explore the association between soccer...... exposure, playing level, and injury risk. STUDY DESIGN: Descriptive epidemiology study and cohort study; Level of evidence, 2 and 3. METHODS: During a full adolescent female soccer season in Denmark (February-June 2012), a population-based sample of 498 girls aged 15 to 18 years was included...

Trade liberalization and tuberculosis incidence: a longitudinal multi-level analysis in 22 high burden countries between 1990 and 2010.

Science.gov (United States)

Bozorgmehr, Kayvan; San Sebastian, Miguel

2014-05-01

Trade liberalization is promoted by the World Trade Organization (WTO) through a complex architecture of binding trade agreements. This type of trade, however, has the potential to modify the upstream and proximate determinants of tuberculosis (TB) infection. We aimed to analyse the association between trade liberalization and TB incidence in 22 high-burden TB countries between 1990 and 2010. and findings A longitudinal multi-level linear regression analysis was performed using five different measures of trade liberalization as exposure [WTO membership, duration of membership, trade as % of gross domestic product, and components of both the Economic Freedom of the World Index (EFI4) and the KOF Index of Globalization (KOF1)]. We adjusted for a wide range of factors, including differences in human development index (HDI), income inequality, debts, polity patterns, conflict, overcrowding, population stage transition, health system financing, case detection rates and HIV prevalence. None of the five trade indicators was significantly associated with TB incidence in the crude analysis. Any positive effect of EFI4 on (Log-) TB incidence over time was confounded by differences in socio-economic development (HDI), HIV prevalence and health financing indicators. The adjusted TB incidence rate ratio of WTO member countries was significantly higher [RR: 1.60; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.12-2.29] when compared with non-member countries. We found no association between specific aggregate indicators of trade liberalization and TB incidence. Our analyses provide evidence of a significant association between WTO membership and higher TB incidence, which suggests a possible conflict between the architecture of WTO agreements and TB-related Millennium Development Goals. Further research is needed, particularly on the relation between the aggregate trade indices used in this study and the hypothesized mediators and also on sector-specific indices, specific trade agreements and

Sexting behaviors among young Hispanic women: incidence and association with other high-risk sexual behaviors.

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Ferguson, Christopher J

2011-09-01

Several legal cases in the United States in which adolescents were charged with child pornography distribution after sharing nude photographs of themselves with romantic partners or others have highlighted the issue of sexting behaviors among youth. Although policy makers, mental health workers, educators and parents have all expressed concern regarding the potential harm of sexting behaviors, little to no research has examined this phenomenon empirically. The current study presents some preliminary data on the incidence of sexting behavior and associated high risk sexual behaviors in a sample of 207 predominantly Hispanic young women age 16-25. Approximately 20% of young women reported engaging in sexting behavior. Sexting behaviors were not associated with most other high-risk sexual behaviors, but were slightly more common in women who found sex to be highly pleasurable or who displayed histrionic personality traits.

High-capacity transport, floor area ratio and its relationship with urbanization of metropolitan areas

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Carvalho da Costa, B.L. de; Carvalho da Costa, F.B. de

2016-07-01

Most of the world’s population lives in urban areas (54%). Near 42% of the global urban population live in cities with more than 1 million inhabitants, where problems associated with urban sprawl such as informal settlement, social-economic changes, environmental degradation and deficient high-capacity transport (HCT) systems are common. Meanwhile, urbanization and its associated transportation infrastructure define the relationship between city and countryside, between the city’s inner core and the periphery, between the citizen and his right to move. This article discusses and presents an overview about the relationship between the planning and extension of HCT systems and urban planning, (in the figure of the floor-area ratio - FAR- prescribed in regulations). The methodological approach consists of drawing a conceptual framework and studying 33 different cities of metropolitan areas on five continents. It’s noticed that areas in cities with a high construction potential but with an insufficient HCT negatively influence in urban mobility and hence the right to the city. We consider right to the city the various social and fundamental rights that, among others, includes the right to public transportation. Therefore there’s a real need of an integrated approach of community participation, FAR distribution, urban planning and transportation planning and so that urbanization, inevitable these days, takes place in a fair and harmonious way. (Author)

Truck transport of RAM: Risk effects of avoiding metropolitan areas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mills, G.S.; Neuhauser, K.S.

1997-11-01

In the transport of radioactive material (RAM), e.g., spent nuclear fuel (SNF), stakeholders are generally most concerned about risks in high population density areas along transportation routes because of the perceived high consequences of potential accidents. The most significant portions of a transcontinental route and an alternative examined previously were evaluated again using population density data derived from US Census Block data. This method of characterizing population that adjoins route segments offers improved resolution of population density variations, especially in high population density areas along typical transport routes. Calculated incident free doses and accident dose risks for these routes, and the rural, suburban and urban segments are presented for comparison of their relative magnitudes. The results indicate that modification of this route to avoid major metropolitan areas through use of non-Interstate highways increases total risk yet does not eliminate a relatively small urban component of the accident dose risk. This conclusion is not altered by improved resolution of route segments adjoining high density populations

Incidence and Outcomes of Patients With Oral Cavity Squamous Cell Carcinoma and Fourth Primary Tumors: A Long-term Follow-up Study in a Betel Quid Chewing Endemic Area.

Science.gov (United States)

Adel, Mohamad; Liao, Chun-Ta; Lee, Li-Yu; Hsueh, Chuen; Lin, Chien-Yu; Fan, Kang-Hsing; Wang, Hung-Ming; Ng, Shu-Hang; Lin, Chih-Hung; Tsao, Chung-Kan; Huang, Shiang-Fu; Kang, Chung-Jan; Fang, Ku-Hao; Wang, Yu-Chien; Chang, Kai-Ping; Fang, Tuan-Jen; Yang, Lan Yan; Yen, Tzu-Chen

2016-03-01

The aim of this study was to explore the incidence and outcomes of patients with oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and fourth primary tumors (PTs) in a betel-chewing endemic area.We retrospectively examined the records of 1836 OSCC patients who underwent radical tumor resection between 1996 and 2014. The outcome measures included the incidence and number of multiple PTs, the main risk factors, and their associations with overall survival (OS).Of the 1836 patients, 1400 (76.3%) had a single PT, 344 (18.7%) a second PT, 67 (3.6%) a third PT, and 25 (1.4%) a fourth PT. Univariate analyses (log-rank test) identified the following factors as significantly associated with a fourth PT: simultaneous first and second PTs, betel quid chewing, buccal subsite, and pT3-4 status. After allowance for the potential confounding effect of other risk factors, all of these factors retained their independent prognostic significance in stepwise multivariate analyses, the only exception being betel chewing. The incidences of second, third, and fourth PTs at 5 and 10 years were 20.2%/34.6%, 4.0%/8.6%, and 1.0%/2.3%, respectively. The 5 and 10-year OS rates (calculated from the diagnosis of each PTs) for patients with a single, second, third, and fourth PTs were 68%/61%, 43%/37%, 45%/39%%, and 30%/30%, respectively (P betel quid-chewing endemic area. Long-term survival rates of patients treated with radical surgery seems acceptable, being 4-fold higher than their counterparts.

The influence of several changes in atmospheric states over semi-arid areas on the incidence of mental health disorders

Science.gov (United States)

Yackerson, Naomy S.; Zilberman, Arkadi; Todder, Doron; Kaplan, Zeev

2011-05-01

The incidence of suicide attempts [Deliberate Self Harm (DSH); ICD-10: X60-X84] and psychotic attacks (PsA; ICD-10, F20-F29) in association with atmospheric states, typical for areas close to big deserts, was analyzed. A retrospective study is based on the 4,325 cases of DSH and PsA registered in the Mental Health Center (MHC) of Ben-Gurion University (Be'er-Sheva, Israel) during 2001-2003. Pearson and Spearman test correlations were used; the statistical significance was tested at p 0.1). Correlation coefficients between N SU and N PS and speed WS of westerly wind reaches 0.3 ( p 0.09). Variations in easterly wind direction WD influence N SU and N PS values ( p 0.3). Obviously ,in transition areas located between different regions ,the main role of air streams in meteorological-biological impact can scarcely be exaggerated. An unstable balance in the internal state of a weather-sensitive person is disturbed when the atmospheric state is changed by specific desert winds, which can provoke significant perturbations in meteorological parameters. Results indicate the importance of wind direction, defining mainly the atmospheric situation in semi-arid areas: changes in direction of the easterly wind influence N SU and N PS , while changes in WS are important for mental health under westerly air streams. Obviously, N SU and N PS are more affected by the disturbance of weather from its normal state, for a given season, to which the local population is accustomed, than by absolute values of meteorological parameters.

Tuberculosis Lymphadenitis, A Diagnostic Problem in Areas of High ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Introduction. Malawi has high human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection rates. In 1993, 32% of mothers visiting the antenatal cI inic in an urban area, and 12% in rural areas, were sero-positive for HIV (1). The HIV epidemic is associated with a marked increase in the number of cases of tuberculosis in general (2) and ...

Incidence of sexually transmitted infections during pregnancy.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chloe A Teasdale

Full Text Available Prevalence of sexually transmitted infections (STI is high among pregnant women in certain settings. We estimated STI incidence and compared STI risk in pregnant and non-pregnant women. Data came from the Methods for Improving Reproductive Health in Africa (MIRA study conducted in South Africa and Zimbabwe 2003-2006. Women aged 18-50 years with at least one follow-up visit within 6 months of enrollment were included. Follow-up visits included laboratory testing for pregnancy, chlamydia, gonorrhea, trichomoniasis, and HIV, as well as self-report of hormonal contraceptive (HC use, sexual behaviors and intravaginal practices. All visits were classified according to pregnancy status. Incidence of each STI was calculated using follow-up time. Cox proportional hazards models were fitted using pregnancy as a time-varying exposure and sexual behaviors and intravaginal practices as time-varying covariates. Among 4,549 women, 766 (16.8% had a positive pregnancy test. Median follow-up time was 18 months [IQR: 12-24]. The overall incidence rate of chlamydia was 6.7 per 100 person years (py and 9.9/100py during pregnancy; gonorrhea incidence was 2.7/100py and 4.9/100py during pregnancy; trichomoniasis incidence was 7.1/100py overall and 9.2/100py during pregnancy. Overall HIV incidence was 3.9/100py and 3.8/100py during pregnancy. In crude models, pregnancy increased risk for chlamydia (hazard ratio (HR 1.5, 95%CI: 1.1-1.2, however there was no increased risk of any measured STI in adjusted models. STI Incidence was high during pregnancy however pregnancy did not increase STI risk after adjustment for sexual behaviors. Greater efforts are needed to help pregnant women avoid STIs.

Relationship between incident radiation, leaf area and dry-matter yield in wheat

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Saini, A.D.; Nanda, R.

1986-01-01

Light-utilization efficiency was evaluated between 20 and 50 days of crop growth period in 'Kalyansona', 'Sonalika' (semi-dwarf), 'Hindi 62' (tall) varieties of bread-wheat (Triticum aestivum Linn. emend., Fiori and Paol.) and semi-dwarf 'HD 4502' variety of macaroni wheat (T. durum Desf.). In the first model, the relationship between absorbed photosynthetic radiation and crop growth rates showed above-ground dry matter of 2.9 g in 'Sonalika', 2.5 g each in 'Kalyansona' and 'HD 4502' and 1.8 g in 'Hindi 62' were produced for each megajoule of absorbed photosynthetic radiation corresponding to the growth efficiency of 5.1, 4.4 and 3.1% respectively. In the second model of partial regression analysis, the rate of change in dry matter due to mean green area index as well as photosynthetic radiation was low in 'Hindi 62'. However, the dry matter changes due to mean green area index were similar in 'Kalyansona', 'HD4502' and 'Sonalika', but was high due to photosynthetic radiation in 'Sonalika' only. Both models gave similar conclusion

A nationwide registry-based cohort study of incidence of tonsillectomy in Denmark, 1991-2012

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Juul, Marie Louise; Rasmussen, Eva Rye; Rasmussen, Stig Hebbelstrup Rye

2018-01-01

OBJECTIVE: To update tonsillectomy incidence rates in Denmark and identify whether the incidence rates vary between geographical areas in the country during the period 1991-2012. DESIGN: This was a retrospective nationwide cohort study using data from the comprehensive Danish patient registries. ...

Incidence of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in the province of Novara, Italy, and possible role of environmental pollution.

Science.gov (United States)

Tesauro, Marina; Consonni, Michela; Filippini, Tommaso; Mazzini, Letizia; Pisano, Fabrizio; Chiò, Adriano; Esposito, Aniello; Vinceti, Marco

2017-05-01

Based on nationwide death certificates, a cluster of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) has been reported in the area of Briga (Novara province, northern Italy), known for its severe environmental contamination. We further investigated this finding, by following up with the collection of recent incidence ALS data in 2002-2012 of Novara province, also to assess the possible long-term effects of environmental pollution in that area. In the whole Novara province we identified 106 ALS cases, of which 35 were from the Briga area. Incidence rates of Novara province were 3.98, 5.14 and 2.97 for the total population, males and females, respectively, compared with the Briga area where they were 4.65, 4.27 and 4.98, respectively. The ratio of observed-to-expected ALS cases in the Briga area, using incidence of the rest of Novara province as a reference, was 1.17 (95% CI 0.81-1.62), with a value of 0.83 (95% CI 0.47-1.37) in males and 1.68 (95% CI 1.03-2.60) in females. Overall, our study did not confirm previous findings of an excess ALS incidence in an area characterised by severe environmental heavy metal pollution, and it suggests the need to interpret with caution clusters identified through mortality data.

Review article: the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori and the incidence of gastric cancer across Europe.

Science.gov (United States)

Roberts, S E; Morrison-Rees, S; Samuel, D G; Thorne, K; Akbari, A; Williams, J G

2016-02-01

There is little up-to-date review evidence on the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori across Europe. To establish regional and national patterns in H. pylori prevalence across Europe. Secondly, to establish trends over time in H. pylori prevalence and gastric cancer incidence and, thirdly, to report on the relationship between H. pylori prevalence and age group across Europe. A review of H. pylori prevalence from unselected surveys of adult or general populations across 35 European countries and four European regions since 1990. Secondly, an analysis of trends over time in H. pylori prevalence and in gastric cancer incidence from cancer registry data. Helicobacter pylori prevalence was lower in northern and western Europe than in eastern and southern Europe (P Europe from 1993 to 2007 was 2.1% with little variation regionally across Europe (north 2.2%, west 2.3%, east 1.9% and south 2.0%). Sharp increases in age-related prevalence of H. pylori often levelled off for middle age groups of about 50 years onwards, especially in areas with high prevalence. This review shows that H. pylori prevalence is much higher in less affluent regions of Europe and that age-related increases in prevalence are confined to younger age groups in some areas. There were sharp reductions in both H. pylori prevalence and gastric cancer incidence throughout Europe. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Rising incidence of thyroid cancer in Singapore not solely due to micropapillary subtype.

Science.gov (United States)

Shulin, J H; Aizhen, J; Kuo, S M; Tan, W B; Ngiam, K Y; Parameswaran, R

2018-04-01

Introduction The annual incidence of thyroid cancer is known to vary with geographic area, age and gender. The increasing incidence of thyroid cancer has been attributed to increase in detection of micropapillary subtype, among other factors. The aim of the study was to investigate time trends in the incidence of thyroid cancer in Singapore, an iodine-sufficient area. Materials and methods Data retrieved from the Singapore National Cancer Registry on all thyroid cancers that were diagnosed from 1974 to 2013 were reviewed. We studied the time trends of thyroid cancer based on gender, race, pathology and treatment modalities where available. Results The age-standardised incidence rate of thyroid cancer increased to 5.6/100,000 in 2013 from 2.5/100,000 in 1974. Thyroid cancer appeared to be more common in women, with a higher incidence in Chinese and Malays compared with Indians. Papillary carcinoma is the most common subtype. The percentage of papillary microcarcinoma has remained relatively stable at around 38% of all papillary cancers between 2007 and 2013. Although the incidence of thyroid cancer has increased since 1974, the mortality rate has remained stable. Conclusion This trend of increase in incidence of thyroid cancer in Singapore compares with other published series; however, the rise seen was not solely due to micropapillary type. Thyroid cancer was also more common in Chinese and Malays compared with Indians for reasons that needs to be studied further.

Seroprevalence of Human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8 and incidence of Kaposi's sarcoma in Iran

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nategh Rakhshandeh

2011-04-01

Full Text Available Abstract Seroepidemiological surveys show that the prevalence of human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8 infection mostly varies in various geographical areas and reflects the local incidence of classic and endemic KS, being widespread in sub-Saharan Africa and Mediterranean countries and uncommon in the USA and Northern Europe. In the Middle East only few populations, such as Ashkenazi and Sephardic groups in Israel, have been adequately evaluated for HHV-8 seroprevalence. Among Iranian population a striking higher seroprevalence of HHV8 has been reported among haemodialysis (16.9%, renal transplant recipients (25% and HIV (45.7% patients compared to blood donors (2%. Kaposi's sarcoma (KS is the rarest cancer in Iran, with an annual age-standardized incidence varying from 0.10 to 0.17 per 100,000 in males and from 0.06 to 0.08 per 100,000 in females. KS, however, is one of the most important malignancies in Iranian renal transplanted patients affecting up to 2.4% of organ recipients. The epidemiology of HHV8 and KS in Iran needs further evaluation. While the high prevalence of HHV-8 antibodies in HIV positive and haemodialysis individuals may be attributed to high-risk sexual behavior and polytransfusions, respectively, unknown determinants may be responsible for high seroprevalence of HHV8 and high incidence of KS in solid organ recipients. A global survey on HHV8 seroprevalence in Iran is mandatory to define co-factors associated with HHV8 infection and KS risk in the general Iranian population and in specific patient groups.

Wild ungulates as disseminators of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli in urban areas.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alan B Franklin

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: In 2008, children playing on a soccer field in Colorado were sickened with a strain of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC O157:H7, which was ultimately linked to feces from wild Rocky Mountain elk. We addressed whether wild cervids were a potential source of STEC infections in humans and whether STEC was ubiquitous throughout wild cervid populations in Colorado. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We collected 483 fecal samples from Rocky Mountain elk and mule deer in urban and non-urban areas. Samples testing positive for STEC were higher in urban (11.0% than non-urban (1.6% areas. Elk fecal samples in urban areas had a much higher probability of containing STEC, which increased in both urban and non-urban areas as maximum daily temperature increased. Of the STEC-positive samples, 25% contained stx1 strains, 34.3% contained stx2, and 13% contained both stx1 and stx2. Additionally, eaeA genes were detected in 54.1% of the positive samples. Serotypes O103, and O146 were found in elk and deer feces, which also have the potential to cause human illness. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The high incidence of stx2 strains combined with eaeA and E-hyl genes that we found in wild cervid feces is associated with severe human disease, such as hemolytic uremic syndrome. This is of concern because there is a very close physical interface between elk and humans in urban areas that we sampled. In addition, we found a strong relationship between ambient temperature and incidence of STEC in elk feces, suggesting a higher incidence of STEC in elk feces in public areas on warmer days, which in turn may increase the likelihood that people will come in contact with infected feces. These concerns also have implications to other urban areas where high densities of coexisting wild cervids and humans interact on a regular basis.

Hydrology and human behavior: two key factors of diarrhea incidence in montane tropical humid areas

Science.gov (United States)

Boithias, Laurie; Choisy, Marc; Souliyaseng, Noy; Jourdren, Marine; Quet, Fabrice; Buisson, Yves; Thammahacksa, Chanthamousone; Silvera, Norbert; Latsachack, Keooudone; Sengtaheuanghoung, Oloth; Pierret, Alain; Rochelle-Newall, Emma; Becerra, Sylvia; Ribolzi, Olivier

2017-04-01

The global burden of diarrhea is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. In montane areas of South-East Asia such as northern Laos, recent changes in land use have induced increased runoff, soil erosion and in-stream suspended sediment loads, and potential pathogen dissemination. In this study we hypothesized that climate factors combined with human behavior control diarrhea incidence, either because higher rainfall, leading to higher stream discharges, suspended sediment loads and Fecal Indicator Bacteria (FIB) counts, are associated with higher numbers of reported diarrhea cases during the rainy season, or because water shortage leads to the use of less safe water sources during the dry season. For this mixed methods approach, we conducted a retrospective time series analysis of meteorological variables (rainfall, air temperature), hydrological variables (discharge, suspended sediments, FIB counts, water temperature) at the outlet of 2 catchments in Northern Lao PDR, and the number of diarrheal disease cases reported in 6 health centers located in the Luang Prabang Province. We also examined the socio-behavioral factors potentially affecting vulnerability to the effect of the climate factors, such as drinking water sources and hygiene habits. We found the FIB Escherichia coli to be present all year long (100-1,000 MPN 100 mL-1) indicating that fecal contamination is ubiquitous and constant. We found that populations switch their water supply from wells to surface water during drought periods, the latter of which appear to be at higher risk of bacterial contamination than municipal water fountains. We thus found that water shortage in the Luang Prabang area triggers diarrhea peaks during the dry and hot season and that rainfall and aquifer refill ends the epidemic during the wet season. We thus found that anthropogenic drivers, such as hygiene practices, were at least as important as environmental drivers in determining the seasonal pattern of a

Improvement in operating incident experience at the Savannah River Burial Ground

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cornman, W.R.

1979-01-01

Low-level radioactive wastes generated at the Savannah River Plant and Laboratory are stored at the Savannah River burial ground. These wastes have accumulated from >20 years of reprocessing nuclear fuels and materials for defense programs at the Savannah River Plant. Burial in earthen trenches and aboveground storage for transuranic materials are the principal modes of storage. The infrequent operating incidents that have occurred during the 20-year period have been analyzed. The incidents can be categorized as those causing airborne contamination, waterborne contamination, or vegetation contamination through penetration of plant roots into contaminated soil. Contamination was generally confined to the immediate area of the burial ground. Several incidents occurred because of unintentional burial or exhumation of material. The frequency of operating incidents decreased with operating experience of the burial ground, averaging only about two incidents per year during the last six years of operation

Incidence, clinical presentation, and outcome of HIV-1-associated cryptococcal meningitis during the highly active antiretroviral therapy era

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Touma, Madeleine; Rasmussen, Line D.; Martin-Iguacel, Raquel

2017-01-01

: A nationwide, population-based cohort of HIV-infected individuals was used to estimate incidence and mortality of CM including risk factors. A description of neurological symptoms of CM at presentation and follow-up in the study period 1995-2014 was included in this study. RESULTS: Among 6,351 HIV......BACKGROUND: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection with advanced immunosuppression predisposes to cryptococcal meningitis (CM). We describe the incidence, clinical presentation, and outcome of CM in HIV-infected individuals during the highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) era. METHODS...... was associated with increased risk of CM [IRR, 2.05 (95% CI, 1.00-4.20)]. The main signs and symptoms at presentation were headache, cognitive deficits, fever, neck stiffness, nausea, and vomiting. All individuals diagnosed with CM had a CD4(+) cell count

Incidence, clinical presentation, and outcome of HIV-1-associated cryptococcal meningitis during the highly active antiretroviral therapy era

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Touma, Madeleine; Rasmussen, Line D.; Martin-Iguacel, Raquel

2017-01-01

Background: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection with advanced immunosup-pression predisposes to cryptococcal meningitis (CM). We describe the incidence, clinical presentation, and outcome of CM in HIV-infected individuals during the highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) era. Methods......: A nationwide, population-based cohort of HIV-infected individuals was used to estimate incidence and mortality of CM including risk factors. A description of neurological symptoms of CM at presentation and follow-up in the study period 1995–2014 was included in this study. Results: Among 6,351 HIV...... was associated with increased risk of CM [IRR, 2.05 (95% CI, 1.00–4.20)]. The main signs and symptoms at presentation were headache, cognitive deficits, fever, neck stiffness, nausea, and vomiting. All individuals diagnosed with CM had a CD4 + cell count

Increase of Prostate Cancer Incidence in Martinique

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dominique Belpomme

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Prostate cancer incidence is steadily increasing in many developed countries. Because insular populations present unique ethnic, geographical, and environmental characteristics, we analyzed the evolution of prostate cancer age-adjusted world standardized incidence rates in Martinique in comparison with that of metropolitan France. We also compared prostate cancer incidence rates, and lifestyle-related and socioeconomic markers such as life expectancy, dietary energy, and fat supply and consumption, with those in other Caribbean islands, France, UK, Sweden, and USA. The incidence rate of prostate cancer in Martinique is one of the highest reported worldwide; it is continuously growing since 1985 in an exponential mode, and despite a similar screening detection process and lifestyle-related behaviour, it is constantly at a higher level than in metropolitan France. However, Caribbean populations that are genetically close to that of Martinique have generally much lower incidence of prostate cancer. We found no correlation between prostate cancer incidence rates, life expectancy, and diet westernization. Since the Caribbean African descent-associated genetic susceptibility factor would have remained constant during the 1980–2005, we suggest that in Martinique some environmental change including the intensive use of carcinogenic organochlorine pesticides might have occurred as key determinant of the persisting highly growing incidence of prostate cancer.

Why the tuberculosis incidence rate is not falling in New Zealand.

Science.gov (United States)

Das, Dilip; Baker, Michael; Venugopal, Kamalesh; McAllister, Susan

2006-10-13

To assess the role of migration from high-incidence countries, HIV/AIDS infection, and prevalence of multi-drug resistant organisms as contributors to tuberculosis (TB) incidence in New Zealand (NZ) relative to ongoing local transmission and reactivation of disease. TB notification data and laboratory data for the period 1995 to 2004 and population data from the 1996 and 2001 Census were used to calculate incidence rates of TB by age and ethnicity, country of birth (distinguishing high and low -incidence countries), and interval between migration and onset of disease. Published reports of multi-drug-resistant TB for the period 1995 to 2004 were reviewed. Anonymous HIV surveillance data held by AIDS Epidemiology Group were matched with coded and anonymised TB surveillance data to measure the extent of HIV/AIDS coinfection in notified TB cases. Migration of people from high-TB incidence countries is the main source of TB in NZ. Of those who develop TB, a quarter does so within a year of migration, and a quarter of this group (mainly refugees) probably enter the country with pre-existing disease. Rates of local TB transmission and reactivation of old disease are declining steadily for NZ-born populations, except for NZ-born Maori and Pacific people under 40. HIV/AIDS and multi-drug-resistant organisms are not significant contributors to TB incidence in NZ and there is no indication that their role is increasing. TB incidence is not decreasing in NZ mainly due to migration of TB infected people from high-incidence countries and subsequent development of active disease in some of them in NZ. This finding emphasises the importance of regional and global TB control initiatives. Refugees and migrants are not acting as an important source of TB for most NZ-born populations. Those caring for them should have a high level of clinical suspicion for TB.