Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Dynamic relations between fast-food restaurant and body weight status: a longitudinal and multilevel analysis of Chinese adults

Background Mixed findings have been reported on the association between Western fast-food restaurants and body weight status. Results vary across study contexts and are sensitive to the samples, measures and methods used. Most studies have failed to examine the temporally dynamic associations between community exposure to fast-food restaurants and weight changes. Methods Bayesian hierarchical regressions are used to model changes in body mass index, waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) and waist-to-hip ratio (WHpR) as a function of changes in Western fast-food restaurants in 216 communities for more than 9000 Chinese adults followed up multiple times between 2000 and 2009. Results Number of Western fast-food restaurants is positively associated with subsequent increases in WHtR and WHpR among rural population. More fast-food restaurants are positively associated with a future increase in WHpR for urban women. Increased availability of fast food between two waves is related to increased WHtR for urban men over the same period. A past increase in number of fast-food restaurants is associated with subsequent increases in WHtR and WHpR for rural population. Conclusions The associations between community exposure to Western fast food and weight changes are temporally dynamic rather than static. Improved measures of exposure to community environment are needed to achieve more precise estimates and better understanding of these relationships. In light of the findings in this study and China's rapid economic growth, further investigation and increased public health monitoring is warranted since Western fast food is likely to be more accessible and affordable in the near future.
Are exercise programs effective for improving health-related quality of life among cancer survivors? A systematic review and meta-analysis.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES To evaluate the effectiveness of exercise interventions on overall health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and its domains among cancer survivors who have completed primary treatment. DATA SOURCES 11 electronic databases were searched from inception (dates varied) to October 2011. The authors also identified eligible trials through a search of additional sources. DATA SYNTHESIS 40 trials with 3,694 participants met the inclusion criteria. At 12 weeks, cancer survivors exposed to exercise interventions had greater positive improvement in overall HRQOL (standardized mean difference [SMD] 0.48; 95% confidence interval [CI] [0.16, 0.81]), emotional well-being (SMD 0.33; 95% CI [0.05, 0.61]), and social functioning (SMD 0.45; 95% CI [0.02, 0.87]); and had a significant reduction in anxiety (SMD -0.26; 95% CI [-0.44, -0.07]) and fatigue (SMD -0.82; 95% CI [-1.5, -0.14]). CONCLUSIONS Exercise programs have a beneficial effect on HRQOL and most of its domains and can be integrated into the management plans for cancer survivors who have completed treatment. Future research is needed to help understand specific attributes of exercise programs that are beneficial for improving HRQOL within and across cancer types. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING Evidence presented in this review supports the inclusion of exercise programs in clinical guidelines for the management of cancer survivors who have completed treatment, such as the Oncology Nursing Society's Putting Evidence Into Practice resource.
Air Pollution and Hospital Admissions for Pneumonia in a Subtropical City: Taipei, Taiwan

This study was undertaken to determine whether there was an association between air pollutant levels and hospital admissions for pneumonia in Taipei, Taiwan. Hospital admissions for pneumonia and ambient air pollution data for Taipei were obtained for the period from 1996–2004. The relative risk of hospital admission was estimated using a case-crossover approach, controlling for weather variables, day of the week, seasonality, and long-term time trends. In the single pollutant models, on warm days (>23°C) statistically significant positive associations were found in all pollutants. On cool days (<23°C), all pollutants were significantly associated with pneumonia admissions except SO2. For the two-pollutant model, O3 and NO2 were significant in combination with each of the other 4 pollutants on warm days. On cool days, PM1 0, CO, and O3 remained statistically significant in all the two-pollutant models. This study provides evidence that higher levels of ambient air pollutants increase the risk of hospital admissions for pneumonia.
Achieving high and equitable coverage of adolescent HPV vaccine in Scotland

Background and methods The national immunisation records of over 220 000 girls offered vaccine in the routine or catch-up programme of the Human papillomavirus (HPV) programme in Scotland were analysed. Descriptive statistics and multilevel modelling were used to determine individual and organisational factors associated with uptake. Age, school year, school denomination, deprivation and, for school-leavers, mode of delivery were explored. Additional aggregate data were used to examine the effect of late uptake of missed doses in the routine vaccination programme. Results School-based delivery initially achieved over 80% uptake of complete courses in routine and catch-up age groups. Within this context of generally high coverage, there was an association between individual level deprivation and lower uptake, and a decline in in-year course completion over time. However, later uptake of missed doses in the following year substantially decreased these effects. There was no influence on uptake of the type of school (non-denominational/denominational). Vaccination of school-leavers in the catch-up campaign had lower coverage, with 50% starting and 30% completing the course in-year. There was no clear advantage of vaccination through general practice or through Board-run clinics in reaching this group. Conclusions School-based vaccination can achieve high and equitable uptake of a multidose vaccine in a routine immunisation programme. Sustained high coverage with HPV vaccine across Scotland provides a stable platform for planning future strategies for cervical screening and understanding the impact of the vaccination at a population level.
Treatment with oral anticancer agents: symptom severity and attribution, and interference with comorbidity management.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES To evaluate the prevalence, severity, and attribution of symptoms, as well as the interference with management of comorbidities, in patients who have been prescribed oral anticancer agents (OAs). DESIGN Descriptive exploratory study. SETTING A comprehensive cancer center and two community-based oncology programs in the midwestern United States. SAMPLE 30 adults undergoing OA treatment. METHODS Five phone interviews were conducted during eight weeks. Linear mixed effects and generalized estimating equations were used to examine symptoms and interference over time. MAIN RESEARCH VARIABLES Symptoms and comorbid conditions. FINDINGS The mean age of participants was 65.1 years. Fifteen participants were female, 25 were Caucasian, and 23 had comorbidities. Twenty-one patients had late-stage cancer, and rates of adherence were 90%. Fatigue, sleep disturbance, and numbness or tingling in hands and feet were highly prevalent symptoms. Younger age was associated with higher symptom severity (p < 0.01) and interference (p = 0.01). Patients with more comorbidities tended to report higher symptom severity. Simultaneous IV chemotherapy was not a predictor of symptom severity or interference over age and comorbidity. Symptoms were most frequently attributed to cancer and its treatment. Patients with a greater number of comorbidities were more likely to include comorbidities in symptom attribution and reported interference from the OA with managing comorbid conditions. CONCLUSIONS Symptoms may be more severe in patients prescribed OAs who are younger and have comorbid conditions. More comorbidities and absence of simultaneous IV chemotherapy increased the likelihood of inclusion of chronic conditions in symptom attribution. Patients reported that OA treatment interfered with comorbidity management. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING Nurses need to take comorbidities into account when caring for patients prescribed OAs because the chronic conditions may influence symptom severity and the ability to manage symptoms.
Alcohol intake and death from cancer in a prospective Chinese elderly cohort study in Hong Kong

Background In observational studies of Western populations, moderate alcohol use is usually associated with lower cancer mortality rates. However, moderate alcohol use (regular drinking of moderate amounts) is socially patterned. Evidence from other contexts can clarify such observations. We examined the association of moderate alcohol use with death from cancer in older Chinese adults from a developed non-Western setting, where occasional alcohol drinking (less than once per week of small amounts) is typical. Methods Multivariable Cox regression analysis was used to assess the adjusted associations of alcohol use with death from cancer using a population-based prospective cohort of 66 820 Chinese aged ≥65 years enrolled from July 1998 to December 2001 at all the 18 Elderly Health Centres of the Hong Kong Government Department of Health, and followed till 30 May 2012. Results After follow-up for about 10.5 years, 6335 cancer deaths were identified. Most current alcohol users were social drinkers (<1/week). Moderate drinkers had a similar risk of death from non-oesophageal cancer as never drinkers, but a higher risk of oesophageal cancer, adjusted for age, sex, socioeconomic position, lifestyle and health status. Social drinking (<1/week) was associated with a lower risk of death from non-oesophageal cancer, but not from oesophageal cancer. Conclusions In a non-Western setting, no association of moderate alcohol use with death from cancer was found. Occasional social drinking (<1/week) was associated with a lower risk of cancer, suggesting that moderate alcohol use is not protective, but in any setting the attributes of being a typical drinker may be.
OPTN/SRTR 2011 Annual Data Report: Liver

ABSTRACT The current liver allocation system, introduced in 2002, decreased the importance of waiting time for allocation priorities; the number of active wait‐listed candidates and median waiting times were immediately reduced. However, the total number of adult wait‐listed candidates has increased since 2002, and median waiting time has increased since 2006. Pretransplant mortality rates have been stable, but the number of candidates withdrawn from the list as being too sick to undergo transplant nearly doubled between 2009 and 2011. Deceased donation rates have remained stable, with an increasing proportion of expanded criteria donors. Living donation has decreased over the past 10 years. Transplant outcomes remain robust, with continuously improving graft survival rates for deceased donor, living donor, and donation after circulatory death livers. Numbers of new and prevalent pediatric candidates on the waiting list have decreased. Pediatric pretransplant mortality has decreased, most dramatically for candidates aged less than 1 year. The transplant rate has increased since 2002, and is highest in candidates aged less than 1 year. Graft survival continues to improve for pediatric recipients of deceased donor and living donor livers. Incidence of acute rejections increases with time after transplant. Posttransplant lymphoproliferative disorder remains an important concern in pediatric recipients.
Balancing Utility and Need by Means of Donor‐to‐Recipient Matching: A Challenging Problem

We read with interest the article of Braat et al. (1) Theauthors developed, using the Euro-Transplant database, anoveldonorriskindex(ET-DRI)inordertopredictandstrat-ify the outcome after liver transplantation. Like Feng andcoauthors did for to the American DRI (2), the authorspostulated that donor quality is the strongest determinantof recipient outcome. However, while DRI and ET-DRI arehelpfulinrecognizinggraftswithexpectedhigherrisk,bothfail to provide information whether to accept or not a liverfor a certain recipient. We feel that such a suggestion re-quires deeper investigation and discussion. The authorssuggest that ET-DRI should be used in the allocation.
Suicide rates among working-age adults in South Korea before and after the 2008 economic crisis

Background Multiple studies have shown that macroeconomic factors are associated with changes in suicide rates. We investigated how changes in economic conditions associated with the recent economic crisis in South Korea influenced suicide rates among working-age adults. Methods Time-series analyses were performed to examine the temporal associations of national unemployment rates and sex-employment-specific suicide rates in South Korea from 2003 to 2011, with particular attention to the increases of suicides that occurred during the recessionary period that began in 2008. We also compared the relative risk of suicide among different occupations. Results National unemployment rates were positively associated with suicide rates among employed and unemployed men and women, with a 2-month to 3 month lagged period. Significant increases of suicide rates among working-age adults during the recession were detected in most of the subgroups stratified by age, sex and employment status. Forty-three per cent of the increase of suicides was derived from the employed population. Compared with workers in elementary occupations, the relative risk of suicide for mangers increased by threefold during the recessionary period. Among those who were employed, half of the increases in suicides occurred among clerks and workers involved in sales and services. Conclusions Changes in macroeconomic conditions are tied to population-level suicide risks for employed and unemployed persons. However, these associations vary depending on sex, employment status and occupational roles. In advance of future economic crises, it is important to develop prevention initiatives intended to reach the diverse populations potentially exposed to the adverse effects of sudden economic disruptions.
Allograft Outcomes in Outbred Mice

Inbreeding depression and lack of genetic diversity in inbred mice could mask unappreciated causes of graft failure or remove barriers to tolerance induction. To test these possibilities, we performed heart transplantation between outbred or inbred mice. Unlike untreated inbred mice in which all allografts were rejected acutely (6–16 days posttransplantation), untreated outbred mice had heterogeneous outcomes, with grafts failing early (<4 days posttransplantation), acutely (6–24 days) or undergoing chronic rejection (>75 days). Blocking T cell costimulation induced long‐term graft acceptance in both inbred and outbred mice, but did not prevent the early graft failure observed in the latter. Further investigation of this early phenotype established that it is dependent on the donor, and not the recipient, being outbred and that it is characterized by hemorrhagic necrosis and neutrophilic vasculitis in the graft without preformed, high titer antidonor antibodies in the recipient. Complement or neutrophil depletion prevented early failure of outbred grafts, whereas transplanting CD73‐deficient inbred hearts, which are highly susceptible to ischemia‐reperfusion injury, recapitulated the early phenotype. Therefore, outbred mice could provide broader insight into donor and recipient determinants of allograft outcomes but their hybrid vigor and genetic diversity do not constitute a uniform barrier to tolerance induction.
Findings on Family Issues During Relocation for Hematology Care.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES To present the findings from recent research on the experience of relocation for specialist treatment for patients in the hematology/oncology population. RESEARCH APPROACH Descriptive, qualitative study based on exploratory, in-depth interviews that were recorded, transcribed, coded, and thematically analyzed. SETTING Leukaemia Foundation of Queensland, Australia. PARTICIPANTS A purposive sample of 45 individuals with hematologic cancer who had to relocate for specialist treatment. METHODOLOGIC APPROACH A descriptive, qualitative methodology actioned through open-ended, in-depth interviews with 45 participants who relocated for specialist treatment. FINDINGS The findings indicate that relocation happens at a time when patients are particularly emotionally vulnerable from the shock of their diagnosis or relapse and the confrontation with a potentially life-threatening condition. During this time, when the need for the comfort and support of home and family is heightened, patients have to separate from their family and travel to metropolitan specialist centers. For patients from regional, rural, and remote locations, which are lengthy distances from metropolitan hospitals, the choice to return home during treatment is not a realistic option. Distance also can be a barrier that prevents family from visiting the hospital to provide support. CONCLUSIONS Individuals who have to relocate require psychosocial support. Because of the stresses associated with relocation for specialist care, many patients from regional, rural, and remote areas would prefer to be treated locally. INTERPRETATION Understanding and responding to family issues associated with relocation for specialist treatment is an important aspect of oncology nursing care for patients who have to relocate from regional, rural, and remote areas. Because centralization of specialist hematology treatment is a worldwide trend, the findings have relevance to an international nursing audience.
The effects of an urban renewal project on health and health inequalities: a quasi-experimental study in Barcelona

Background In the last decade, the Neighbourhoods Law in Catalonia (Spain) funded municipalities that presented urban renewal projects within disadvantaged neighbourhoods focusing on physical, social and economic improvements. The objective of the study was to evaluate the effects of this law on the health and health inequalities of residents in the intervened neighbourhoods in the city of Barcelona. Methods A quasi-experimental predesign and postdesign was used to compare adult residents in five intervened neighbourhoods with eight non-intervened comparison neighbourhoods with similar socioeconomic characteristics. The Barcelona Health Survey was used for studying self-rated and mental health in pre (2001, 2006) and post (2011) years. Poisson regression models stratified by sex were used to compute prevalence ratios comparing 2011 with 2006, and later stratified by social class, to study health inequalities. Results The intervened neighbourhoods had a significant decrease in poor self-rated health in both sexes while no significant changes occurred in the comparison group. When stratified by social class, a significant improvement was observed in poor self-rated health in the manual group of the intervened neighbourhoods in both sexes, resulting in a decrease in self-rated health inequalities. Similar results were observed in poor mental health of women, while in men, poor mental health worsens in both neighbourhood groups but mostly in the comparison group. Conclusions The Neighbourhoods Law had a positive effect on self-rated health and seems to prevent poor mental health increases in both sexes and especially among manual social classes.
A Self-Administered Sleep Intervention for Patients With Cancer Experiencing Insomnia.

BACKGROUND Sleep-wake disturbances are experienced by as many as 75% of patients with cancer and are associated with poor symptom management, lower functionality, and decreased quality of life. Although promising sleep interventions exist, they require extensive resources and time. OBJECTIVES The objectives of this study were to develop a brief, self-administered sleep intervention and to evaluate the feasibility and potential efficacy of its implementation with adult patients with cancer who were about to receive, were receiving, or had received radiation therapy in an ambulatory cancer care setting. METHODS Pre- and postintervention surveys and qualitative interviews were conducted with patients with cancer experiencing insomnia (N = 28) and receiving radiation treatment within the past six months. Patients received instruction on breathing, visualization, and intonation. Adherence and sleep quality were primary study outcomes. Analyses included descriptive statistics and repeated measure regression analysis. Thematic analysis was conducted on qualitative data. FINDINGS Adherence to the sleep intervention was high (75%), and significant improvement was found in global sleep quality (p < 0.0001) regardless of level of adherence. Sleep onset latency (p = 0.0005), sleep duration (p = 0.0016), and sleep quality (p < 0.0001) were significantly improved. Age was significantly correlated with sleep quality (p = 0.0094), with older participants reporting greater benefit from the intervention. Participants reported that the intervention was easy to learn and implement and that it "calmed the mind. "
Long-Term Efficacy of an Inpatient Rehabilitation with Integrated Patient Education Program for Children and Adolescents with Psoriasis

Background: Despite the rarity of psoriasis in childhood, the affected patients suffer not only from the skin disease and the resulting stigmatization, but also from severe psychosocial impairments. Those impairments cause a vicious circle with possible exacerbation of the disease. In order to break through this circle, a structured inpatient rehabilitation with an integrated patient education program was developed. Methods: The program consists of 10 lessons and focuses on mediation of knowledge, stress management, and promotion of social skills. Results: The evaluation in a treatment group (34 children and adolescents), in comparison with a control group (21 children and adolescents with former inpatient rehabilitation, but without education), showed a significant improvement in self-estimated skin condition, self-estimated attractiveness, self-efficacy, and specific social impairment. Anxiety improved in both groups but not significantly. Conclusion: A structured inpatient rehabilitation with an integrated patient education is able to improve skills of disease management, long-term skin condition, and psychosocial impairment.