bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Type 2 diabetes self-management: spirituality, coping and responsibility
Authors: Duke Natasha
Published: December 2021

Background

In England, although The National Institute of Health and Care Excellence recommends that patients’ religious beliefs should be incorporated into individual healthcare plans, these components are often neglected in diabetes management care plans. A literature review identified a paucity of research regarding how the spirituality of British people may influence their approach to their self-management of type 2 diabetes (T2D).

Aims

To explore how the spirituality of a small group of adults with T2D, living in England, influenced their coping strategies and self-management of diet and exercise.

Methods

Biographic Narrative Interpretive Method of two interviews per participant and thematic analysis for data interrogation ( n = 8). Data as glycated haemoglobin, living situation, age, length of time since T2D diagnosis, body mass index and diabetic medicines contextualised the interview data.

Results

Participants’ spirituality, health beliefs, coping and sense of responsibility for T2D self-management overlapped in complex layers. Three themes were generated: (a) spirituality influences expectations in life; (b) beliefs influence coping styles of diabetes self-management; and (c) responsibility influences diabetes self-management. A model was created to assist nurses in addressing these components.

Conclusion

Nurses should consider how patients’ self-management of T2D may be influenced by their spirituality, health beliefs, coping and sense of responsibility.
A short-form suggestion for the Turkish version of the European Health Literacy Survey Questionnaire: a development and validation study in university students
Authors: Sungur Mehmet Ali , Gamsizkan Zerrin , Sungur Demet Hanife
Published: December 2021

The European Health Literacy Survey Questionnaire was translated into Turkish following a validity and reliability study, but there is no comprehensive short form available. We aimed to suggest a short form of the 47-item Turkish version of European Health Literacy Survey Questionnaire in this study. Data were obtained from a cross-sectional study that included a total of 686 students, 345 male and 341 female, conducted in nine different faculties of a university using the Turkish version of European Health Literacy Survey Questionnaire. The development process of the short form was conducted using principal component analysis with exploratory factor analysis, and correlation and regression analyses. The validation process was done using confirmatory factor analysis and regression analysis. Based on the results, a 12-item short form was developed, retaining the conceptual framework of the European Health Literacy Survey Questionnaire. The short form was shown to have adequate psychometric properties with high reliability, good validity, a high and moderate level of correlation, and a good model fit with the independent dataset in this cross-sectional study. The short form developed in this study was demonstrated to be a valid and reliable tool to measure health literacy easily and rapidly in Turkey.
Citizens’ Expectations for Crisis Management and the Involvement of Civil Society Organisations in China
Authors: Hasmath Reza , Hildebrandt Timothy , Teets Jessica C. , Hsu Jennifer Y. J. , Hsu Carolyn L.
Published: December 2021

Chinese citizens are relatively happy with the state's management of national disasters and emergencies. However, they are increasingly concluding that the state alone cannot manage them. Leveraging the 2018 and 2020 Civic Participation in China Surveys, we find that more educated citizens conclude that the government has a leading role in crisis management, but there is ample room for civil society organisations (CSOs) to act in a complementary fashion. On a slightly diverging path, volunteers who have meaningfully interacted with CSOs are more skeptical than non-volunteers about CSOs’ organisational ability to fulfill this crisis management function. These findings imply that the political legitimacy of the Communist Party of China is not challenged by allowing CSOs a greater role in crisis management.
Linking individual and group motives for violent conflict
Authors: Nanes Matthew
Published: December 2021

Research on the role of grievances in civil conflict is surprisingly inconclusive, with well-cited studies disagreeing on the relationship between perceived deprivation and violence. I argue that the role of grievances depends on an interaction between individual and group-level incentives. Individuals who perceive themselves as personally deprived are more likely to support or participate in anti-regime violence, but only if a successful rebellion would enhance their group’s power relative to the status quo. I test this argument in the context of Iraq’s sectarian civil war using data from a 2016 survey of 800 Baghdad residents. Using a list experiment to measure individuals’ willingness to consider violence against a government they feel is ignoring their needs, I find that minority Sunnis who are economically dissatisfied are significantly more willing to consider violence than similarly aggrieved Shias. However, as economic satisfaction increases, Sunnis’ propensity for violence decreases until it becomes indistinguishable from Shias’ propensity. These results clarify the joint impacts of vertical and horizontal grievances. Group inequality and individual deprivation are each necessary but not sufficient to fully explain individuals’ propensities for anti-state violence.
When a conspiracy theory goes mainstream, people feel more positive toward conspiracy theorists
Authors: Bram Curtis
Published: December 2021

This paper uses an experiment and a follow-up survey immediately before and after the publicly revealed results of the Department of Defense’s 2021 report on unidentified flying object (UFO) origins to test how public opinion changes when government leaders across the political spectrum take an issue that had been on the margins of respectability seriously. In both studies, I find that when politicians acknowledge the possibility that UFOs are extraterrestrial visitors, people report more positive attitudes toward those who believe in conspiracies in general. Implications are that when government leaders publicly walk back a long-held consensus that a particular issue is not worth serious consideration, they may cause people to feel more favorable toward those perceived to hold other fringe views.
Precision medicine and digital phenotyping: Digital medicine's way from more data to better health
Authors: Baumgartner Renate
Published: December 2021

Precision medicine and digital phenotyping are two prominent data-based approaches within digital medicine. While precision medicine historically used primarily genetic data to find targeted treatment options, digital phenotyping relies on the usage of big data deriving from digital devices such as smartphones, wearables and other connected devices. This paper first focusses on the aspect of data type to explore differences and similarities between precision medicine and digital phenotyping. It outlines different ways of data collection and production and the consequences thereof. Second, it shows how these sorts of data influence dominant beliefs in the field: The field of precision medicine relying on the dominant understanding of ‘genetic determinism’ imported from genetics, digital phenotyping building on the logic of ‘data fundamentalism’. In the end, the analysis shows how digital data informs potentials as well as challenges of precision medicine and digital phenotyping: a better health care for (some) individuals connected with individualisation and responsibilisation for all, with a prognosed shift from reactive to preventive medicine. Additionally, data-based approaches might facilitate epistemological and ontological redirections for the whole field of medicine that will also affect knowledge production and a reassessment of the value of different types of knowledge (quantifiable vs. non-quantifiable) with all its consequences. Institutionally, it might lead to shifts in distribution of power to experts in big data related technologies, i.e. private companies.
Data Equity to Advance Health and Health Equity in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Scoping Review
Authors: O‘Neil So , Taylor Sydney , Sivasankaran Anitha
Published: December 2021

Objective

To assess a common hypothesis that data serve as a mechanism to improve health and health equity in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs), we conducted a synthesis of the evidence about the linkage between data capabilities in LMICs and health outcomes.

Methods

We searched and reviewed peer-reviewed and grey literature published in the past decade that focused on at least one aspect of health data or health equity or provided insights on the relationship between data use and improved health outcomes, decision-making, or both. We supplemented this with expert interviews and convenience-sampled literature.

Results

Of the 50 included articles, 33 discussed data collection, with 23 stating that poor accuracy, reliability, and completeness hindered data-informed decision-making. Of 27 articles discussing data access, 18 described how lack of interoperability between data systems hampered governments’ and other organizations’ ability to leverage the full value of data available. Of 19 articles discussing data use, 13 discussed how data were not getting to those doing work on the ground. Although key informants postulated a virtuous cycle between data and improved health outcomes, evidence did not support this connection.

Conclusions

Findings indicate better data might improve health service delivery. However, more work is needed to examine whether improvements in data yield improvements in health outcomes in LMICs. Our conceptual framework of data equity for health and health equity developed through this scoping review helps identify the key components along which to assess improvements in LMICs’ data capabilities.
Combined Surgical and Medical Treatment for Vancouver B1 and C Periprosthetic Femoral Fractures: A Proposal of a Therapeutic Algorithm While Retaining the Original Stable Stem
Authors: Mondanelli Nicola , Troiano Elisa , Facchini Andrea , Cesari Martina , Colasanti Giovanni Battista , Bottai Vanna , Muratori Francesco , Caffarelli Carla , Gonnelli Stefano , Giannotti Stefano
Published: December 2021

Introduction

There is lack of consensus regarding best operative fixation strategy for periprosthetic femoral fractures (PFFs) around a stable stem. Evidence exists that some patterns of fracture around a stable stem are better treated with revision surgery than with standard fixation. Anyway, a more aggressive surgical procedure together with medical treatment could allow for stem retention, and reduced risk of nonunion/hardware failure, even in these cases.

Significance

This paper is placed in a broader context of lack of studies on the matter, and its aim is to shed some light on the management of PFFs around a stable stem, when peculiar mechanical and biological aspects are present.

Results

Based on our casuistry in the treatment of nonunions after PFF successfully treated with original stem retention, and on review of Literature about risk factors for fixation failure, an algorithm is proposed that can guide in choosing the ideal surgical technique even for first-time PFFs with a stable stem, without resorting to revision. Mechanical (major and minor) and biological (local and systemic) factors that may influence fracture healing, leading to nonunion and hardware failure, and subsequent need for re-operation, are considered. The proposed surgical technique consists of rigid fixation with absolute stability (using a plate and structural allograft) plus local biological support (structural allograft and autologous bone marrow concentrate over a platelet-rich plasma-based scaffold) at fracture site. Systemic anabolic treatment (Teriparatide) is also administered in the post-operative period.

Conclusion

Mechanical factors are not the only issues to be considered when choosing the surgical approach to PFFs over a stable stem. Systemic and local biological conditions should be taken into account, as well. A therapeutic algorithm is proposed, given the prosthetic stem to be stable, considering mechanical and biological criteria.
Association of Maternal Confidence and Breastfeeding Practices in Hispanic Women Compared to Non-Hispanic White Women
Authors: Hoyt-Austin Adrienne , Hazrati Sahel , Berlin Shruti , Hourigan Suchitra , Bodnar Karen
Published: December 2021

Understanding modifiable factors related to breastfeeding initiation and duration is critical to increase breastfeeding rates. Maternal parenting confidence is a modifiable factor whose association with breastfeeding duration has not previously been investigated. In a retrospective cohort of 1023 mother-infant dyads, the association between maternal confidence and breastmilk feeding at 6 and 12 months of age were analyzed. The association of breastmilk frequency categories and maternal confidence score at 6 and 12 months was examined using multinomial logistic regression stratified by race, ethnicity, and adjusted for gestational age. We found that breastmilk feeding frequency at 6 months was negatively associated with the maternal confidence score. After stratification by ethnicity, the association was no longer significant. There was no association between human milk feeding frequency at 12 months and maternal confidence score at 12 months. Our results demonstrate the need for additional research to identify modifiable factors to increase breastfeeding rates.
Who Needs Diabetes Education? A Qualitative Analysis of Emerging Adults With Type 1 Diabetes
Authors: Porter Margot E. , Litchman Michelle L. , Grigorian Ernest G. , Blanchette Julia E. , Allen Nancy A.
Published: December 2021

Background

The purpose of this study is to explore the diabetes self-management education (DSME) needs of emerging adults with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) because addressing these needs may facilitate optimal glycemic management during this challenging transitional period.

Methods

A hybrid qualitative design was utilized. Emerging adults and parents of emerging adults were recruited from endocrinology and primary care clinics and through a Utah-specific T1DM online community. Interviews were conducted to asses needs to achieve target A1C. Data were interpreted thematically.

Results

Emerging adults with T1DM (N = 33) and parents of emerging adults with T1DM (N = 17) were interviewed. Three main themes emerged: (1) mixed desire for personal DSME; (2) I don’t need the education, others do; and (3) health care provider (HCP) attributes that make a difference. Associated subthemes were reported.

Conclusions

Emerging adults reported that further education for themselves was not needed, although newly diagnosed individuals would benefit from increased training in diabetes management. Although many emerging adults had a supportive social network, they endorsed the need for greater public education to avoid diabetes misinformation. Emerging adults felt more connected with HCPs that had diabetes-specific training (ie, endocrinologist) or those who personally live with T1DM.
Epigenetic marker of telomeric age is associated with exacerbations and hospitalizations in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Authors: Hernández Cordero Ana I. , Yang Chen Xi , Li Xuan , Milne Stephen , Chen Virginia , Hollander Zsuzsanna , Ng Raymond , Criner Gerard J. , Woodruff Prescott G. , Lazarus Stephen C. , Connett John E. , Han MeiLan K. , Martinez Fernando J. , Reed Robert M. , Man S. F. Paul , Leung Janice M. , Sin Don D.
Published: December 2021

Background

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is an age-related condition that has been associated with early telomere attrition; the clinical implications of telomere shortening in COPD are not well known. In this study we aimed to determine the relationship of the epigenetic regulation of telomeric length in peripheral blood with the risk of exacerbations and hospitalization in patients with COPD.

Methods

Blood DNA methylation profiles were obtained from 292 patients with COPD enrolled in the placebo arm of the Macrolide Azithromycin to Prevent Rapid Worsening of Symptoms Associated with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (MACRO) Study and who were followed for 1-year. We calculated telomere length based on DNA methylation markers (DNAmTL) and related this biomarker to the risk of exacerbation and hospitalization and health status (St. George Respiratory Questionnaire [SGRQ]) score over time using a Cox proportional hazards model. We also used linear models to investigate the associations of DNAmTL with the rates of exacerbation and hospitalization (adjusted for chronological age, lung function, race, sex, smoking, body mass index and cell composition).

Results

Participants with short DNAmTL demonstrated increased risk of exacerbation (P = 0.02) and hospitalization (P = 0.03) compared to those with longer DNAmTL. DNAmTL age acceleration was associated with higher rates of exacerbation (P = 1.35 × 10–04) and hospitalization (P = 5.21 × 10–03) and poor health status (lower SGRQ scores) independent of chronological age (P = 0.03).

Conclusion

Telomeric age based on blood DNA methylation is associated with COPD exacerbation and hospitalization and thus a promising biomarker for poor outcomes in COPD.
Prognostic biomarker SMARCC1 and its association with immune infiltrates in hepatocellular carcinoma
Authors: Cai Xiaopeng , Zhou Jiaming , Deng Jingwen , Chen Zhi
Published: December 2021

Background

Epigenetic alterations contribute greatly to metastasis and dissemination in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). SMARCC1, as a SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling factor, has been reported to play important roles in many cancers. For the first time, with the bioinformatics analysis and wet-bench experiments, we explored the biological significance of SMARCC1 and its potential as putative therapeutic target in HCC.

Methods

The mRNA expression profiles and prognostic value of SMARCC1 were analyzed in the Oncomine, UALCAN and Kaplan–Meier Plotter databases. The expression of SMARCC1 and associated clinicopathological factors were further evaluated using a tissue microarray. Differentially expressed genes associated with SMARCC1 in HCC were obtained and analyzed via the LinkedOmics and GEPIA databases and Cytoscape software. To verify the important role of SMARCC1 in HCC, we knocked down and overexpressed SMARCC1 in different hepatic cell lines and conducted several functional experiments. Then, we evaluated the mutation profiles and transcriptional regulators of SMARCC1 using the cBioPortal, COSMIC, CistromeDB and TCGA databases. Finally, we addressed the relationship of SMARCC1 expression with immune cell infiltration via TIMER database analysis.

Results

Through data mining and tissue microarray verification, we found that the protein and mRNA levels of SMARCC1 are high in tumor tissues, which has remarkable diagnostic value in HCC patients. SMARCC1 and its hub genes showed prognostic value in HCC. Furthermore, we confirmed that SMARCC1 influenced the proliferation, migration, and invasion of HCC cells. Moreover, correlation analyses revealed that SMARCC1 expression was positively correlated with ZBTB40 transcription factors and negatively correlated with the DNA methylation level. Overall, we found that SMARCC1 affects immune infiltration and plays a tumor-promoting role in HCC.

Conclusions

SMARCC1 is overexpressed and is a putative prognostic predictor in HCC. Due to the tumor-promoting role of SMARCC1, treatments inhibiting DNA methyltransferases and transcription factors or weakening the role of SMARCC1 in immune infiltration might improve the survival of HCC patients.
Reasons for admission and variance of body weight at referral in female inpatients with anorexia nervosa in Germany
Authors: Peters Triinu , Kolar David , Föcker Manuel , Bühren Katharina , Dahmen Brigitte , Becker Katja , Weber Linda , Correll Christoph U. , Jaite Charlotte , Egberts Karin M. , Romanos Marcel , Ehrlich Stefan , Seidel Maria , Roessner Veit , Fleischhaker Christian , von Gontard Alexander , Hahn Freia , Huss Michael , Kaess Michael , Legenbauer Tanja , Renner Tobias J. , Schulze Ulrike M. E. , Sinzig Judith , Wessing Ida , Antony Gisela , Herpertz-Dahlmann Beate , Gradl-Dietsch Gertraud , Hebebrand Johannes
Published: December 2021

Background

Body mass index (BMI) at hospital admission in patients with anorexia nervosa (AN) represents a prognostic marker for mortality, chronicity and future body weight. The current study focused on the associations between BMI standard deviation score (BMI-SDS) at admission and reasons for seeking inpatient treatment. Further interest was given to the relationship between premorbid weight and weight at admission, as well as the effect of both weight at referral and reasons for admission on treatment outcome.

Methods

Data ascertained in the German Register of Children and Adolescents with AN were analysed to assess the parental and patient overlap for 23 predefined reasons for admission, using factor analyses and regressions models.

Results

Complete parent-patient data sets were available for 360 patients out of 769. The highest consensus rates between parents and patients were obtained for weight and eating behavior related reasons and hyperactivity. Based on factor analysis, four factors emerged. Premorbid BMI-SDS, age and ‘low body weight’ as stated by patients or parents explained almost 40% of the variance of the BMI-SDS at admission.

Conclusions

Results underscore the relevance of age and premorbid BMI for BMI at admission. Only single reasons for admission explained further variance, with ‘low body weight’ having the largest effect. Approximately 40% of the variance of BMI-SDS was explained. For the first time, the effect of premorbid BMI for BMI at admission was robustly demonstrated in a multicenter study. Of the variance in BMI-SDS at discharge, our model could explain 37%, with reasons for admission having a small effect. Further investigation of the reasons for admission would be worthwhile to improve treatment and prognosis.
Animal carcass burial management: implications for sustainable biochar use
Authors: Vithanage Meththika , Mayakaduwage S. S. , Gunarathne Viraj , Rajapaksha Anushka Upamali , Ahmad Mahtab , Abduljabbar Adel , Usman Adel , Al-Wabel Mohammad I. , Ippolito James A. , Ok Yong Sik
Published: December 2021

This review focuses on existing technologies for carcass and corpse disposal and potential alternative treatment strategies. Furthermore, key issues related to these treatments (e.g., carcass and corpse disposal events, available methods, performances, and limitations) are addressed in conjunction with associated environmental impacts. Simultaneously, various treatment technologies have been evaluated to provide insights into the adsorptive removal of specific pollutants derived from carcass disposal and management. In this regard, it has been proposed that a low-cost pollutant sorbent may be utilized, namely, biochar. Biochar has demonstrated the ability to remove (in)organic pollutants and excess nutrients from soils and waters; thus, we identify possible biochar uses for soil and water remediation at carcass and corpse disposal sites. To date, however, little emphasis has been placed on potential biochar use to manage such disposal sites. We highlight the need for strategic efforts to accurately assess biochar effectiveness when applied towards the remediation of complex pollutants produced and circulated within carcass and corpse burial systems.

Graphical Abstract
Air-pollution prediction in smart city, deep learning approach
Authors: Bekkar Abdellatif , Hssina Badr , Douzi Samira , Douzi Khadija
Published: December 2021

Over the past few decades, due to human activities, industrialization, and urbanization, air pollution has become a life-threatening factor in many countries around the world. Among air pollutants, Particulate Matter with a diameter of less than $$2.5 \mu m$$

2.5
μ
m

($$PM_{2.5}$$

P

M

2.5

) is a serious health problem. It causes various illnesses such as respiratory tract and cardiovascular diseases. Hence, it is necessary to accurately predict the $$PM_{2.5}$$

P

M

2.5

concentrations in order to prevent the citizens from the dangerous impact of air pollution beforehand. The variation of $$PM_{2.5}$$

P

M

2.5

depends on a variety of factors, such as meteorology and the concentration of other pollutants in urban areas. In this paper, we implemented a deep learning solution to predict the hourly forecast of $$PM_{2.5}$$

P

M

2.5

concentration in Beijing, China, based on CNN-LSTM, with a spatial-temporal feature by combining historical data of pollutants, meteorological data, and $$PM_{2.5}$$

P

M

2.5

concentration in the adjacent stations. We examined the difference in performances among Deep learning algorithms such as LSTM, Bi-LSTM, GRU, Bi-GRU, CNN, and a hybrid CNN-LSTM model. Experimental results indicate that our method “hybrid CNN-LSTM multivariate” enables more accurate predictions than all the listed traditional models and performs better in predictive performance.
Barriers and Facilitators to Integrating Clinical Breast Examinations With Cervical Cancer Screening Programs in Outpatient Clinics in Western Kenya
Authors: Diala Prisca C. , Randa Magdalene , Odhiambo Jackline , Ganda Gregory , Cohen Craig R. , Mungo Chemtai
Published: December 2021

PURPOSE

Nearly half of Kenyan women with breast cancer present with advanced disease—owing partially to limited patient education and screening limitations in low- and middle-income countries. With increasing access to nurse-led cervical cancer screening (CCS) in government clinics in Kenya, we investigated provider-perceived barriers and facilitators to integrating clinical breast examinations (CBEs) with ongoing CCS programs in Kisumu County, Kenya.

METHODS

CCS providers within the Ministry of Health Clinics in Kisumu County, Kenya, were recruited to participate in a two-phase, sequential, mixed methods study. Knowledge of CBE guidelines was assessed with a questionnaire. Providers with significant CCS and CBE experience then completed a one-on-one interview discussing barriers and facilitators to integration.

RESULTS

Sixty-nine providers from 20 randomly selected facilities participated in the survey. Providers all agreed that breast cancer screening was very important. Although 93% said that they routinely offered CBEs, only 22% of these providers screened at least eight of their last 10 patients. Forty-four percent identified four or more of five signs and symptoms of breast cancer, and 33% identified four to five risk factors. Although providers showed enthusiasm for integration of CBEs into their practices, barriers were identified and grouped into four themes: (1) fragmentation of services, (2) staffing shortage and inadequate on-the-job training, (3) limited space and referral system challenges, and (4) limited patient awareness on need for cancer screening.

CONCLUSION

Addressing providers' concerns by providing routine on-the-job clinical training, improving staffing shortages, strengthening the diagnostic and treatment referral pathway, and increasing patient education are some of the first steps in facilitating integration of CBEs with CCS services in primary care clinics in Kenya.
Association of Family Cancer History With Pathogenic Variants in Specific Breast Cancer Susceptibility Genes
Authors: Kurian Allison W. , Abrahamse Paul , Ward Kevin C. , Hamilton Ann S. , Deapen Dennis , Berek Jonathan S. , Hoang Lily , Yussuf Amal , Dolinsky Jill , Brown Krystal , Slavin Thomas , Hofer Timothy P. , Katz Steven J.
Published: December 2021

PURPOSE

Family cancer history is an important component of genetic testing guidelines that estimate which patients with breast cancer are most likely to carry a germline pathogenic variant (PV). However, we do not know whether more extensive family history is differentially associated with PVs in specific genes.

METHODS

All women diagnosed with breast cancer in 2013-2017 and reported to statewide SEER registries of Georgia and California were linked to clinical genetic testing results and family history from two laboratories. Family history was defined as strong (suggestive of PVs in high-penetrance genes such as BRCA1/2 or TP53, including male breast, ovarian, pancreatic, sarcoma, or multiple female breast cancers), moderate (any other cancer history), or none. Among established breast cancer susceptibility genes ( ATM, BARD1, BRCA1, BRCA2, CDH1, CHEK2, NF1, PALB2, PTEN, RAD51C, RAD51D, and TP53), we evaluated PV prevalence according to family history extent and breast cancer subtype. We used a multivariable model to test for interaction between affected gene and family history extent for ATM, BRCA1/2, CHEK2, and PALB2.

RESULTS

A total of 34,865 women linked to genetic results. Higher PV prevalence with increasing family history extent ( P < .001) was observed only with BRCA1 (3.04% with none, 3.22% with moderate, and 4.06% with strong history) and in triple-negative breast cancer with PALB2 (0.75% with none, 2.23% with moderate, and 2.63% with strong history). In a multivariable model adjusted for age and subtype, there was no interaction between family history extent and PV prevalence for any gene except PALB2 ( P = .037).

CONCLUSION

Extent of family cancer history is not differentially associated with PVs across established breast cancer susceptibility genes and cannot be used to personalize genes selected for testing.
Endogenous DHEAS Is Causally Linked With Lumbar Spine Bone Mineral Density and Forearm Fractures in Women
Authors: Quester Johan , Nethander Maria , Eriksson Anna , Ohlsson Claes
Published: December 2021

Context

A recent pooled analysis of four clinical trials demonstrated that treatment with dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) increases lumbar spine bone mineral density (LS-BMD) in women. The causal effect of endogenous adrenal-derived DHEA sulphate (DHEAS) on LS-BMD and fracture risk in women is unknown.

Objective

To determine whether circulating DHEAS is causally associated with LS-BMD and fracture risk in women.

Methods

A 2-sample Mendelian randomization study using genetic predictors of serum DHEAS derived from the largest available female-specific genome wide association study (GWAS) meta-analysis (n = 8565). Genetic associations with dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry–derived BMD (n = 22 900) were obtained from female-specific GWAS summary statistics available from the Genetic Factors for Osteoporosis consortium while individual-level data of 238 565 women of white ancestry from the UK Biobank were used for associations with fractures (11 564 forearm fractures, 2604 hip fractures) and estimated heel BMD by ultrasound (eBMD).

Results

A 1 SD genetically instrumented increase in log serum DHEAS levels was associated with a 0.21 SD increase in LS-BMD (P = 0.01) and a 0.08 SD increase in eBMD (P < 0.001). Genetically predicted DHEAS decreased forearm fracture risk (odds ratio 0.70, 95% CI 0.55-0.88 per SD increase in DHEAS) while no significant causal association with hip fractures was observed.

Conclusions

Genetically predicted serum DHEAS increases LS-BMD and decreases forearm fracture risk in women. Based on the results of the present study and previous randomized controlled trials of DHEA treatment, we propose that both endogenous adrenal-derived DHEA(S) and pharmacological DHEA treatment improve bone health in women.
Change in Objectively Measured Activity Levels Resulting from the EMPOWER Study Lifestyle Intervention
Authors: Rockette-Wagner Bonny , Cheng Jessica , Bizhanova Zhadyra , Kriska Andrea , Sereika Susan , Kline Chris , Imes Chris , Kariuki Jacob , Mendez Dara , Burke Lora
Published: December 2021

This study aimed to examine changes in physical activity (PA) during a behavioral weight loss intervention and to determine baseline factors associated with PA goal achievement. Overweight/obese community-dwelling adults with valid PA accelerometer data (n = 116; mean age, 51.7 yr; 89% female; 83% non-Hispanic White) were recruited into a single-arm prospective cohort study examining the effects of a 12-month intervention that included 24 in-person group sessions, weight loss, calorie, fat gram, and PA goals, self-monitoring, and feedback. Minutes of moderate to vigorous PA (MVPA) and steps were measured using a waist-worn accelerometer (ActiGraph GT3x) at baseline, 6 months, and 12 months. Achievement of the 150-min·wk−1 MVPA goal was examined using total minutes and bout minutes (i.e., counting only PA occurring in bouts ≥10 min in length). Change in PA was analyzed using nonparametric tests for multiple comparisons. Associations of factors with meeting the PA goal were modeled using binary logistic regression. At 6 months, there were increases from baseline in MVPA (median [p25, p75] = 5.3 [−0.9, 17.6] min·d−1) and steps (863 [−145, 2790] steps per day), both P < 0.001. At 12 months, improvements were attenuated (MVPA = 2.4 [−2.0, 11.4] min·d−1, P = 0.047; steps = 374 [−570, 1804], P = 0.14). At 6 months, 33.6% of individuals met the PA goal (using total or bout minutes). At 12 months, the percent meeting the goal using total MVPA (31%) differed from bout MVPA (22.4%). Male gender (odds ratios = 4.14, P = 0.027) and an autumn program start (vs winter; odds ratios = 3.39, P = 0.011) were associated with greater odds of goal achievement at 6 months. The intervention increased PA goal achievement at 6 and 12 months with many making clinically meaningful improvements. Our results suggest that female participants may require extra support toward improving PA levels.
Sabri Ülgener and Ahmed Güner Sayar: A Line in Turkish Economic Thought
Authors: Dinçaslan Mehmet
Published: December 2021

Sabri Fehmi Ülgener and Ahmed Güner Sayar are two of the most eminent figures to be recognized through their economic and cultural studies in modern Turkish thought. They have generated remarkable ideas about relative economic underdevelopment in Ottoman-Turkish society, controversial economic policies within capitalism, and the existence of two principal veins in the methodology of economics. This paper aims to ascertain Ülgener and Sayar’s approaches toward the different dimensions of economics and to review the points upon which they agree and disagree in this regard. On the problem of economic underdevelopment, they can be said to generally focus on cultural elements and to have asserted the essence of Sufism to be distorted. They can also be said to have not fallen into any sharp differences over capitalism’s liberal or interventionist policies. On the methodology of economics, they agreed about the need to have an a posteriori character within the scope of the explanatory nature of economic theories. Additionally, they focused on the sociology of economics using the verstehen [German: to understand] method to comprehend human typology in economics through its various aspects. The research findings indicate these two men to have been the architects of an original line in Turkish economic thought by showing consensus on principles and method, despite disagreements on the details.
https://www.insanvetoplum.org/sayilar/11-4/m0637
Authors: Aksöz Yılmaz Hande , İncekara Ahmet
Published: December 2021

This study analyzes how bilateral trade between Turkey and Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries has been affected by the immigrant flows from Turkey to OECD countries. The main objective is to unveil which channels of foreign trade are affected by immigrant flows from Turkey to OECD countries. Most empirical studies examining the static relationship between international migration and bilateral foreign trade take advantage of panel gravity models. This paper outlines a new approach on using a dynamic panel gravity model to analyze the dynamic relationship between international migration and bilateral foreign trade. This study tests the impact of immigrant flows from Turkey to OECD countries on bilateral foreign trade between countries from 2000-2016 for the first time using the system GMM estimation method. The evidence from this study indicates the relationship between bilateral foreign trade and immigrant flows from Turkey to OECD countries from Turkey to have complementarity. In addition, this study’s findings indicate immigration flows from Turkey to OECD countries to contribute to the exports from immigrants’ host countries and to increase Turkey’s imports. The results show these immigrant flows to be effective by means of networking channels in terms of foreign trade.
Formation of the Concept of Assessing the Educational Potential of Labor Resources As a Factor of Increasing Human Capital
Authors: Bykova M. , Savina Irina , Shishkin Andrey
Published: December 2021

Within the framework of the study, issues related to the importance of human capital in the process of improving the efficiency of enterprises and organizations were considered. The necessity to link the processes taking place in the education system with the processes of accumulation and formation of human capital is substantiated. The analysis of the possibility of using education as one of the significant factors for the development of human capital and its actualization according to the constantly changing external environment is carried out. The concept is developed within the framework of the approach resulting from the economic equilibrium in the short term, and assuming the immutability of cash flows in this period. The study defines the essence of higher education and forms assumptions that characterize the construction of a model of individual assessment of the quality of education. The results obtained in the course of the study can serve as a basis for optimizing the methodology for establishing a link between the individual trajectory of the formation of educational programs.
Assessment of the Economic Efficiency of Training Complex System Operators
Authors: Logvinov Syergyey , Logvinov S.
Published: December 2021

The possible ways of economic evaluation of the effectiveness of training operators to manage complex technical systems are analyzed. The variants of evaluation are considered, taking into account the achievement of a given level of reliability when performing management tasks, the professional suitability of operators for this type of activity based on their individual characteristics and the characteristics of the tasks being solved.
Anopheline species (Diptera: Culicidae) from the Maracá Ecological Station, Roraima State, Brazil
Authors: Scarpassa Vera Margarete , Saraiva José Ferreira
Published: December 2021

Anopheline species were sampled in different ecotones at Maracá Ecological Station and in Cantá municipality, both in Roraima State, Brazil, in June 2016.  Nine species were recorded. Six species belong to the subgenus Nyssorhynchus and three species to the subgenus Anopheles. The most abundant species collected were Anopheles triannulatus s.l., Anopheles nuneztovari s.l. and Anopheles oswaldoi species B. The remaining species had frequencies lower than 10%. While A. triannulatus s.l. was the most frequent and the most widely distributed species in the studied area, Anopheles darlingi Root, the main malaria vector in the Brazilian Amazon region, was captured in two different ecotones and in low frequency. Our findings suggest that the risk of malaria outbreaks at Maracá Ecological Station may be low. This study also describes the first record of Anopheles costai Fonseca & Ramos in Maracá Ecological Station, Roraima State, increasing the distribution range of this taxon.
Presence of native trees in rural tribal homegardens doesn’t necessarily mean conservation: A case study from Mishmi belt of Arunachal Pradesh, India
Authors: Mihu Inda , Borah Dipankar , Tangjang Sumpam
Published: December 2021

Increasing human population and various developmental activities in the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh, which lies in one of the most bio-diverse regions of the world, has caused large-scale deforestation, pushing a large number of native tree species to the serious verge of elimination from their native forest. In such tribal-dominated landscapes around the world, myriads of studies have emphasized the potential of homegardens as a site for local biodiversity conservation as they are known to have a huge Indigenous Knowledge System (IKS) on the use of diverse native floras. The present study was, therefore, undertaken to investigate if the native communities of the Mishmi tribe conserved native indigenous tree species in their homegardens and if they are grown then what is the future of these tree species? It was hypothesized that harbouring greater indigenous knowledge implies greater domestication of tree species in their homegardens. Altogether, 103 species of trees were recorded from 243 homegardens in the present study. Although the native species constituted more than half of the species diversity, they, however, greatly lagged in all other aspects of the study such as population share, frequency distribution and regeneration potential. Native tree species constituted just 37% of the total tree population. Only two species, Bauhinia variegata L. and Alnus nepalensis D. Don, made up the major bulk of the native population. In terms of frequency distribution, only a handful of native species maintained a decent presence in the homegardens. Most of the native species grew naturally in unmanaged homegardens. The regeneration potential of all native species was very poor, including B. variegata. The study demonstrates that out of the 76 native species recorded from the region, only 7 species can rightfully be regarded as being domesticated by virtue of IKS of the Mishmi community. Our study concludes that the native species do exist in large number in homegardens of the rural tribal areas, but most of the native wild species exist in the rural homegardens not because they are planted/preferred but because they just happen to randomly grow there since most of the homegardens of tribal household are unmanaged or poorly managed, thereby giving way to wild species to germinate, at least until the owner decides to weed them out.
Social Consequences of Vehicle Exhaust: A Case Study in Poltava, Ukraine
Authors: Stepova Olena , Hanoshenko Olena , Serha Tetyana , Yesina Natalia , Strelnikova Olena
Published: December 2021

Intensive urbanization processes, an increase in the number of urban population and transport have led to an increase in the technogenic load on the environment, in particular on the atmospheric air. Among a significant number of sources of environmental pollution, roads and vehicles pose a significant threat. Motor vehicles cause irreparable harm to human health and the environment. Regular assessment of the quality of atmospheric air in residential areas of cities with heavy traffic to establish the level of potential risk to public health is an urgent task. The study purpose is the social consequences of transport emissions; determination of the anthropogenic load on the air and of the indicator of public health risk from the vehicle exhaust impact. The study was carried out on the example of the residential and the most loaded transport area of Poltava (Ukraine). The study demonstrates that the overwhelming majority of the urban population lives in areas where health risk indicators exceed permissible norms. Since the elderly, children and students are most often present on the street and near houses, they are at the greatest risk. The same applies to vehicle drivers who are often idle in "traffic jams". In turn, such high levels of air pollution pose even greater risks to public health, in particular to the development of respiratory diseases. In the study of the peculiarities of Ukrainian legislation in this area, it was established that the mechanism for collecting information about the quality of the environment, however, there is no requirement to inform the population about it.
Educational Support of a Student with ADHD. An Analysis of Parents’ Biographical Experiences
Authors: Myśliwczyk Iwona
Published: December 2021

The aim of this paper is to present the results of a study on the subjective interpretation and the construction of biographies by parents of children with ADHD. The research was driven by insufficient knowledge regarding the definition of the support offered at school to a child with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder among parents and to determine what is important and unique from a parental perspective.
The presented studies were constructivist, interpretative studies using the biographical method. Narrative interviews were conducted with parents of children with ADHD living in Poland. Reconstruction of their parental experiences allowed an understanding of their individual feelings and experiences, which showed “the truth” about the educational support provided to a child. The aim of the studies was a reconstruction of the narrative and an analysis of the subjective meanings which parents give to the educational support that is offered to their children at school. The central thesis took the form of a question: How did parents interpret their own experiences related to educational support given at school to a child with ADHD? The analysis of the narration shows different parental experiences regarding the educational support received. The reality reconstructed by examined parents is complex and consists of hope and expectations, but also doubts, powerlessness and helplessness. Some parts of the narration are poignant, sorrowful and rife with feelings of loneliness, which is a consequence of misunderstanding a specific child’s needs. The other parts of the narrative are dominated by happiness and joy caused by the support that a student received and its effects. By speaking about the help which was received at school, the parents expose their personal feelings towards that event, and they show their individual interpretation of the reality that they experienced. They give subjective meaning to a narrative that they feel is significant.
Biography of Things – A Ball
Authors: Zalewska-Meler Agnieszka Anita
Published: December 2021

The presented text is a study of interest in ball as an element of formation and perception of childhood. The research project was embedded in the paradigm of qualitative, interpretative research, where the focus was on the language of the preschooler, which becomes a reflection of the world of physical culture present in the mind of the child – the narrator. The problem of research is focused on the question: To what extent is the ball and its meanings an element of material culture located in the area of physical culture, and in what circumstances is it a determinant of child-specific pre-school folklore? The resulting space of the presented analyzes is an element of the phenomenographic method, where the use of a partially structured interview with preschool children (N = 80) provided the basis for the analysis of the perception and use of a ball in the cognitive theory of a child’s language space. The main conclusions from the research are: 1) for younger children, the ball is more often an attribute of spontaneous play than conventional actions (governed by rules and patterns), 2) for 5- and 6-year-olds, the ball is an artifact of attractive motor activity, training complex motor skills and competition. In middle childhood, the ball is a domain of spontaneous emotionality and an attribute of children’s play, which becomes a material for perceiving, interpreting and situating oneself in a specific culture of movement. The research was conducted in ten municipal kindergartens in the city of Slupsk, Poland in 2016–2019.