Search Our Scientific Publications & Authors

J Radiol Prot 2020 Jul 8. Epub 2020 Jul 8.

CESP - Unit 1018 INSERM, Institut Gustave-Roussy, Espace Maurice Tubiana, 39 rue Camile Desmoulins, 94805 Vilejuif Cedex, Villejuif, FRANCE.

Dosimetric monitoring is useful to requested limit exposures to ionizing radiation in medical occupational settings, and reduce subsequent health risks. Scientific literatures, such as UNSCEAR report, 2017 and International Atomic Energy Agency Report, 2014, updated informations on this subject, whereas, such a few African works were found. That's the reasons why we undertake this study, which consists in summarizing existing informations on monitoring external radiation exposure doses for whole body, from medical workers on this continent. Read More

Sci Total Environ 2020 Jul 1;742:140651. Epub 2020 Jul 1.

Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Faculty of Public Health, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand; Center of Excellence on Environmental Health and Toxicology (EHT), Bangkok, Thailand.

Short-term effects of ambient particulate matter (PM) on daily hospital admissions have been comprehensively elucidated, but very few studies evaluated the temporal variations of ambient PM associated with hospital admissions, especially in developing countries. This study aimed to explore the temporal changes of the short-term effects of PM on hospital admissions in Bangkok, Thailand from 2006 to 2014. The overdispersed Poisson regression model was applied to related daily PM concentrations to daily cardiovascular and respiratory hospital admissions by adjusting for temperature, humidity, long-term trend and seasonality, day of the week, public holiday, and population dynamics. Read More

J Paediatr Child Health 2020 Jul 8. Epub 2020 Jul 8.

Tropical Diseases Research Group, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

Aim: Acute rheumatic fever (ARF) most commonly presents in children aged 5-14 years old. Lifelong rheumatic heart disease (RHD) can result. This study investigated time trends in ARF and RHD using inpatient data from the Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne (RCH). Read More

Clin Infect Dis 2020 Jul 8. Epub 2020 Jul 8.

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, Northwell Health, Hempstead, NY.

Background: In March 2020, the greater New York metropolitan area became an epicenter for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. The initial evolution of case incidence has not been well characterized.

Methods: Northwell Health Laboratories tested 46,793 persons for SARS-CoV-2 from March 4 through April 10. Read More

J Neuroimaging 2020 Jul 8. Epub 2020 Jul 8.

UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, Department of Neurology, University of California San Francisco, CA.

Background And Purpose: Neurological and neurodegenerative diseases can affect the spinal cord (SC) of pediatric patients. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) allows for in vivo quantification of SC atrophy via cross-sectional area (CSA). The study of CSA values in the general population is important to disentangle disease-related changes from intersubject variability. Read More

JAMA Netw Open 2020 Jul 1;3(7):e209700. Epub 2020 Jul 1.

Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, California.

Importance: In the US, federal value-based incentive programs are more likely to penalize safety-net institutions than non-safety-net institutions. Whether these programs differentially change the rates of targeted health care-associated infections in safety-net vs non-safety-net hospitals is unknown.

Objective: To assess the association of Hospital-Acquired Condition Reduction Program (HACRP) and Hospital Value-Based Purchasing (HVBP) implementation with changes in rates of targeted health care-associated infections and disparities in rates among safety-net and non-safety-net hospitals. Read More

Biom J 2020 Jul 8. Epub 2020 Jul 8.

Centre for Statistics in Medicine, Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology & Musculoskeletal Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.

Doug Altman was a visionary leader and one of the most influential medical statisticians of the last 40 years. Based on a presentation in the "Invited session in memory of Doug Altman" at the 40th Annual Conference of the International Society for Clinical Biostatistics (ISCB) in Leuven, Belgium and our long-standing collaborations with Doug, we discuss his contributions to regression modeling, reporting, prognosis research, as well as some more general issues while acknowledging that we cannot cover the whole spectrum of Doug's considerable methodological output. His statement "To maximize the benefit to society, you need to not just do research but do it well" should be a driver for all researchers. Read More

An Acad Bras Cienc 2020 6;92(2):e20190388. Epub 2020 Jul 6.

Departamento de Engenharia Agrícola, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, MG, Brazil.

Extreme climatic events and their hazards have strong impact on society. Urban areas in Brazil are especially vulnerable to the impact of such events due to their rapid growth and inappropriate infrastructure. Viçosa is a mid-sized city in Southeastern Brazil that has been experiencing issues associated with urban expansion and population growth since the 1960s. Read More

CJEM 2020 Jun 23:1-7. Epub 2020 Jun 23.

Division of Emergency Medicine, Department of Medicine, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, London, ON.

Objectives: We sought to conduct a major objective of the Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians (CAEP) Wellness Committee, an environmental scan of the academic emergency medicine programs across the 17 Canadian medical schools.

Methods: An 89-question questionnaire was distributed to academic heads or wellness leads. The responses were verified by the lead author to ensure that the questions were answered completely and consistently. Read More

Allergy Asthma Immunol Res 2020 Sep;12(5):885-893

Immunoallergology Unit, Careggi University Hospital, Florence, Italy.

Eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA) is a vasculitis characterized by multisystemic manifestations including asthma. Mepolizumab (300 mg/4 weeks) has recently been approved for EGPA. However, real-life data are scarce and report experiences with high doses of mepolizumab intravenously administered (750 mg/4 weeks). Read More

Colorectal Dis 2020 Jul 7. Epub 2020 Jul 7.

Department of Surgery, SSORG - Scandinavian Surgical Outcomes Research Group, Institute of Clinical Sciences, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.

Aim: The goal of this European Society of Coloproctology (ESCP) guideline project is to give an overview of the existing evidence on the management of diverticular disease, primarily as a guidance to surgeons.

Methods: The guideline was developed during several working phases including three voting rounds and one consensus meeting. The two project leads (JKS and EA) appointed by the ESCP guideline committee together with one member of the guideline committee (WB) agreed on the methodology, decided on six themes for working groups (WGs) and drafted a list of research questions. Read More

Pest Manag Sci 2020 Jul 8. Epub 2020 Jul 8.

Australian Herbicide Resistance Initiative, School of Agriculture and Environment, University of Western Australia, WA, Australia.

Background: Resistance to the dinitroaniline herbicide trifluralin in Lolium rigidum (annual ryegrass) is often mediated by the enhanced capacity to metabolise the herbicide to less toxic polar conjugates and/or by functionally recessive target-site mutations in α-tubulin.

Results: In two L. rigidum populations possessing enhanced trifluralin metabolism, resistance was largely reversed by recurrent selection with the thiocarbamate herbicide prosulfocarb (i. Read More

Environ Monit Assess 2020 Jul 7;192(8):489. Epub 2020 Jul 7.

Civil Engineering Department, Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology Allahabad, Prayagraj, 211004, India.

Glaciers and snow cover area (SCA) plays an important role in river runoff in Himalayan region. There is a need to monitor SCA on spatio-temporal basis for better and efficient utilization of water resources. Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) provides less cloudy data due to high temporal resolution as compared to other optical sensors for high elevation regions, and its 8-day snow cover product is globally used for snow cover estimation. Read More

Environ Monit Assess 2020 Jul 7;192(8):491. Epub 2020 Jul 7.

Faculty of Architecture, Landscape Architecture Department, Cukurova University, 01330, Adana, Turkey.

The impacts of climate change on soil erosion are mainly caused by the changes in the amount and intensity of rainfall and rising temperature. The combination of rainfall and temperature change is likely to be accompanied by negative or positive variations in agricultural and forest management. Turkey contains vast fertile plains, high mountain chains and semi-arid lands, with a climate that ranges from marine to continental and therefore is susceptible to soil erosion under climate change, particularly on high gradients and in semi-arid areas. Read More

Eur Stroke J 2020 Jun 13;5(2):155-168. Epub 2020 Jan 13.

Institute of Neuroscience and Psychology, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK.

Introduction: There is conflicting evidence on the impact of atrial fibrillation (AF) type, i.e. non-paroxysmal AF or paroxysmal AF, on thromboembolic recurrence. Read More

Int J Cardiol Heart Vasc 2020 Aug 28;29:100567. Epub 2020 Jun 28.

Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.

Objective: It remains unknown whether catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation (AF) reduces future acute coronary syndrome (ACS) risk or whether the CHADS-VASc score has a role in predicting this risk. We aimed to compare very long-term risk of ACS between patients who received catheter ablation to AF or antiarrhythmic medications and controls without AF.

Methods: Propensity scores were calculated for each patient and used to assemble a cohort of 787 patients undergoing AF ablation in 2003-2012. Read More

Data Brief 2020 Aug 8;31:105842. Epub 2020 Jun 8.

Faculty of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Alberta, Canada.

The dataset covers the equations and procedure used for the estimation of an older adult's total annual medication costs, across Canadian provinces and territories; detailed to report pharmacy margin, government share, and patient share. We presented a case of an older adult using 10 different medications commonly used, according to Canadian Institute for Health Information. Eight different deprescribing scenarios were created, based on recommendations from Beers Criteria and the Canadian Deprescribing Network, for the purpose of comparing the cost difference before and after each intervention on pharmacies, patients, and governments. Read More

Eur J Radiol Open 2020 25;7:100235. Epub 2020 Jun 25.

Department of Radiology, Charité University Hospital, Chariteplatz 1, 10117, Berlin, Germany.

Purpose: In this methodology paper we describe the development of a lung nodule management algorithm specifically for patients undergoing cardiac CT.

Methods: We modified the Lung-RADS algorithm specifically to manage lung nodules incidentally detected on cardiac CT (Lung-RADS for cardiac CT). We will evaluate the modified algorithm as part of the DISCHARGE trial (www. Read More

J Geophys Res Atmos 2019 Jul 12;124(14):7975-7996. Epub 2019 Jul 12.

Laboratoire deMeteorologie Dynamique, Palaiseau, France.

Deposition of mineral dust into ocean fertilizes ecosystems and influences biogeochemical cycles and climate. In-situ observations of dust deposition are scarce, and model simulations depend on the highly parameterized representations of dust processes with few constraints. By taking advantage of satellites' routine sampling on global and decadal scales, we estimate African dust deposition flux and loss frequency (LF, a ratio of deposition flux to mass loading) along the trans-Atlantic transit using the three-dimensional distributions of aerosol retrieved by spaceborne lidar (CALIOP) and radiometers (MODIS, MISR, and IASI). Read More

Atmosphere (Basel) 2020 Jan;11(103)

Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards, Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711, USA.

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has implemented a Bayesian spatial data fusion model called the Downscaler (DS) model to generate daily air quality surfaces for PM across the contiguous U.S. Previous implementations of DS relied on monitoring data from EPA's Air Quality System (AQS) network, which is largely concentrated in urban areas. Read More

Front Plant Sci 2020 19;11:818. Epub 2020 Jun 19.

School of Biological Sciences, School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia.

Global demand for protein is predicted to increase by 50% by 2050. To meet the increasing demand whilst ensuring sustainability, protein sources that generate low-greenhouse gas emissions are required, and protein-rich legume seeds have the potential to make a significant contribution. Legumes like common vetch () that grow in marginal cropping zones and are drought tolerant and resilient to changeable annual weather patterns, will be in high demand as the climate changes. Read More

Sci Rep 2020 Jul 7;10(1):11142. Epub 2020 Jul 7.

College of Grassland and Environment Sciences, Xinjiang Agricultural University, Urümqi, China.

Phenotypic plasticity has been studied in diaspore-dimorphic species, but no such study has been done on a diaspore-polymorphic species. Our aim was to determine the effects of abiotic and biotic factors on phenotypic plasticity of the diaspore-polymorphic cold desert annual Ceratocarpus arenarius. Plants produced from dispersal units near the soil surface (a, basicarps) and at the middle (c) and upper (f) parts of the plant canopy were subjected to different levels of soil moisture, nutrient supply and intramorph and intermorph densities. Read More

mBio 2020 Jul 7;11(4). Epub 2020 Jul 7.

The Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh, Midlothian, United Kingdom

Influenza A virus (IAV) causes annual epidemics of respiratory disease in humans, often complicated by secondary coinfection with bacterial pathogens such as Here, we report that the secreted protein lipase 1 enhances IAV replication in primary cells, including human lung fibroblasts. The proviral activity of lipase 1 is dependent on its enzymatic function, acts late in the viral life cycle, and results in increased infectivity through positive modulation of virus budding. Furthermore, the proviral effect of lipase 1 on IAV is exhibited during infection of embryonated hen's eggs and, importantly, increases the yield of a vaccine strain of IAV by approximately 5-fold. Read More

J Transl Med 2020 Jul 8;18(Suppl 2):263. Epub 2020 Jul 8.

Proc Biol Sci 2020 Jul 8;287(1930):20200722. Epub 2020 Jul 8.

School of Biological Sciences, and Center for Reproductive Biology, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA.

Many animals differentially express behaviours across the annual cycle as life stages are coordinated with seasonal environmental conditions. Understanding of the mechanistic basis of such seasonal changes in behaviour has traditionally focused on the role of changes in circulating hormone levels. However, it is increasingly apparent that other endocrine regulation mechanisms such as changes in local hormone synthesis and receptor abundance also play a role. Read More

Ann Rev Mar Sci 2020 Jul 7. Epub 2020 Jul 7.

School of Oceanography, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA; email:

Sediment transfer from land to ocean begins in coastal settings and, for large rivers such as the Amazon, has dramatic impacts over thousands of kilometers covering diverse environmental conditions. In the relatively natural Amazon tidal river, combinations of fluvial and marine processes transition toward the ocean, affecting the transport and accumulation of sediment in floodplains and tributary mouths. The enormous discharge of Amazon fresh water causes estuarine processes to occur on the continental shelf, where much sediment accumulation creates a large clinoform structure and where additional sediment accumulates along its shoreward boundary in tidal flats and mangrove forests. Read More

Materials (Basel) 2020 Jul 5;13(13). Epub 2020 Jul 5.

Faculty of Mechanical Science and Engineering, Institute of Textile Machinery and High Performance Material Technology (ITM), Technische Universität Dresden, 01062 Dresden, Germany.

Failure and deformation behavior of veneer laminates of ring porous wood species vary with the individual arrangement of early- and latewood zones over a veneer sheet. Therefore, a method is presented, where local failure and damage modes are considered for finite element models with respect to forming simulations, during the development process of automotive interior trim parts. Within the mapping tool Envyo, a routine has been realized for the discretization of early- and latewood zones from ash wood veneer surfaces to finite element meshes. Read More

Nanomaterials (Basel) 2020 Jul 5;10(7). Epub 2020 Jul 5.

Department of Chemical Engineering, Granada University, 18071 Granada, Spain.

Zinc Oxide is widely used in many industrial sectors, ranging from photocatalysis, rubber, ceramic, medicine, and pigment, to food and cream additive. The global market is estimated to be USD 3600M yearly, with a global production of 10 Mt. In novel applications, size and shape may sensibly increase the efficiency and a new nano-ZnO market is taking the lead (USD 2000M yearly with a capacity of 1 Mt and an expected Compound Annual Growth Rate of 20%/year). Read More

Molecules 2020 Jul 3;25(13). Epub 2020 Jul 3.

Laboratorio de Ecología Química, Facultad de Química, Universidad de la República, Gral. Flores 2124 CP 11800, Montevideo 11800, Uruguay.

(Polygonaceae) (known as lady's thumb) is an annual morphologically variable weed that is widely distributed in Chile. The purpose of this study was to investigate the antifeedant potential of methanolic (MeOH), ethanolic (EtOH), and dichloromethane (DCM) extracts from the aerial parts of this plant collected in the Valparaíso and Curicó provinces (Chile) and relate this activity to the antioxidant capacity and the presence of phenolic compounds in the extracts. A phenolic profile based on HPLC-ESI-MS/MS allowed the identification of 26 phenolic compounds, most of them glycosyl derivatives of isorhamnetin, quercetin, and kaempferol. Read More

Int J Environ Res Public Health 2020 Jul 3;17(13). Epub 2020 Jul 3.

School of Economics and Business Administration, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400030, China.

Scientific determination of energy and environmental efficiency and productivity is the key foundation of green development policy-making. The hyperbolic distance function (HDF) model can deal with both desirable output and undesirable output asymmetrically, and measure efficiency from the perspective of "increasing production and reducing pollution". In this paper, a nonparametric linear estimation method of an HDF model including uncontrollable index and undesirable output is proposed. Read More

Neuromodulation 2018 Apr;21(3):e1-e149

Kathmandu Univ Med J (KUMJ) 2019 Apr-Jun;17(66):101-106

Department of Ophthalmology, Hospital Melaka, Jalan Mufti Haji Khalil, 75400 Melaka, Malaysia.

Background Since cataract is the leading cause of blindness and no study has been done on the surgical incidence trends, we conducted this research in Melaka. Objective To describe incidences of cataract surgery according to basic demographic variables and types of surgery performed. Method Using the National Eye Database (NED), we performed descriptive statistics calculating incidence rates per 1,000 population by demographic features and types of cataract operations to look at the trends of surgeries in the population. Read More

J Natl Compr Canc Netw 2020 Jul;18(7):825-831

3Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, University of Washington Children's Hospital, Seattle, Washington.

Background: Financial distress from medical treatment is an increasing concern. Healthcare organizations may have different levels of organizational commitment, existing programs, and expected outcomes of screening and management of patient financial distress.

Patients And Methods: In November 2018, representatives from 17 (63%) of the 27 existing NCCN Member Institutions completed an online survey. Read More

Int J Cardiol 2020 Jul 4. Epub 2020 Jul 4.

Interventional Cardiology Unit, Cardiology Department, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain. Electronic address:

Background: Left atrial appendage occlusion (LAAO) is an accepted strategy for cardioembolic events prevention in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (AF) unsuitable for anticoagulation. However, uncertainties persist regarding the benefit of LAAO in highly-comorbid patients. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of the CHADS-VASc score beyond thromboembolic risk in predicting clinical outcomes in patients undergoing LAAO. Read More

Annu Rev Nutr 2020 Jul 7. Epub 2020 Jul 7.

Equipe Labellisée par la Ligue Contre le Cancer, Université de Paris, Sorbonne Université, INSERM U1138, Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers, 75006 Paris, France; email:

Natural polyamines (spermidine and spermine) are small, positively charged molecules that are ubiquitously found within organisms and cells. They exert numerous (intra)cellular functions and have been implicated to protect against several age-related diseases. Although polyamine levels decline in a complex age-dependent, tissue-, and cell type-specific manner, they are maintained in healthy nonagenarians and centenarians. Read More

Annu Rev Cell Dev Biol 2020 Jul 7. Epub 2020 Jul 7.

Paediatric Allergy Research Group, Department of Women and Children's Health, School of Life Course Sciences, King's College London, SE1 7EH, United Kingdom; email:

Pediatric allergic disease is a significant health concern worldwide, and the prevalence of childhood eczema, asthma, allergic rhinitis, and food allergy continues to increase. Evidence to support specific interventions for the prevention of eczema, asthma, and allergic rhinitis is limited, and no consensus on prevention strategies has been reached. Randomized controlled trials investigating the prevention of food allergy via oral tolerance induction and the early introduction of allergenic foods have been successful in reducing peanut and egg allergy prevalence. Read More

Med Phys 2020 Jun;47(6):e255-2720

PLoS One 2020 7;15(7):e0235839. Epub 2020 Jul 7.

Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, United States of America.

Given recent slowing of declines in national all-cause, heart disease, and stroke mortality, examining spatiotemporal distributions of coronary heart disease (CHD) death rates and trends can provide data critical to improving the cardiovascular health of populations. This paper documents county-level CHD death rates and trends by age group, race, and gender from 1979 through 2017. Using data from the National Vital Statistics System and a Bayesian multivariate space-time conditional autoregressive model, we estimated county-level age-standardized annual CHD death rates for 1979 through 2017 by age group (35-64 years, 65 years and older), race (white, black, other), and gender (men, women). Read More

PLoS One 2020 7;15(7):e0234784. Epub 2020 Jul 7.

Department of Ecology and Diseases of Zoo Animals, Game, Fish and Bees, University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences Brno, Brno, Czech Republic.

The greater mouse-eared bat (Myotis myotis) is a flagship species for the protection of hibernation and summer maternity roosts in the Western Palearctic region. A range of pathogenic agents is known to put pressure on populations, including the white-nose syndrome fungus, for which the species shows the highest prevalence and infection intensity of all European bat species. Here, we perform analysis of blood parameters characteristic for the species during its natural annual life cycle in order to establish reference values. Read More

Afr J Prim Health Care Fam Med 2020 Jun 22;12(1):e1-e8. Epub 2020 Jun 22.

Department of Family and Emergency Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Stellenbosch, Cape Town.

Background: The workplace is an ideal setting for the implementation of a health promotion programmes to prevent non-communicable diseases (NCD). There are limited resources assigned to workplace health promotion programmes in low-and middle-income countries (LMIC).

Aim: This study aimed to conduct a cost and consequence analysis of the Healthy Choices at Work programme. Read More

JAMA Netw Open 2020 Jul 1;3(7):e209504. Epub 2020 Jul 1.

Department of Epidemiology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston.

Importance: In 2006, a US district court judge ordered tobacco companies to sponsor nationwide antismoking advertising campaigns. This landmark ruling and its subsequent execution represent an unprecedented tobacco control event; however, the association of this campaign with intentions and/or attempts to quit smoking is unknown.

Objectives: To assess the reach of the expanded court-ordered tobacco industry antismoking advertisements (via television, newspapers, tobacco company websites, and/or cigarette packages), to examine associations between exposure to industry antismoking advertisements and intentions and/or attempts to quit smoking among cigarette smokers, and to calculate the numbers of US smokers who would have quit intentions associated with exposure to multiple advertisements. Read More

Environ Sci Technol 2020 Jul 7. Epub 2020 Jul 7.

This study derives methane emission rates from 92 airborne observations collected over 23 facilities including 5 refineries, 10 landfills, 4 wastewater treatment plants (POTWs), 2 composting operations and 2 dairies in the San Francisco Bay Area. Emission rates are measured using an airborne mass balance technique from a low-flying aircraft. Annual measurement-based sector-wide methane emissions are 19,000 ±2,300 Mg for refineries, 136,700 ±25,900 Mg for landfills, 11,900 ±1,500 Mg for POTWs, and 11,100 ±3,400 Mg for composting. Read More

New Phytol 2020 Jul 6. Epub 2020 Jul 6.

Institute of Botany of the Czech Academy of Science, Dukelská 135, CZ-379 01, Třeboň, Czech Republic.

Climate warming may stimulate growth and reproduction in cold-adapted plants, but also reduce their performance due to warming-induced drought limitation. We tested this theory using a unique experiment with the alpine forb Rumex alpinus. We examined how climate warming over the past four decades affected its annual rhizome growth, leaf production and flowering, and whether responses varied between alpine, subalpine and montane populations. Read More

Adv Ther 2020 Jul 6. Epub 2020 Jul 6.

Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.

Introduction: To date, no study has reported the prevalence of cannabis use in chronic pain patients. The aim of this study is to investigate the trends in cannabis use among chronic pain in-patients from 2011 to 2015 in the USA.

Methods: Patients were identified from the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) database using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth and Tenth Revision, diagnosis codes for chronic pain and cannabis use. Read More

Environ Sci Pollut Res Int 2020 Jul 6. Epub 2020 Jul 6.

School of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Xi'an Polytechnic University, Xi'an, 710048, China.

As the most sensitive and typical oasis city in the arid region of China, Jiayuguan, the role of land use change and urbanization in this region is prominent, which is an important epitome of China's urbanization process, and has certain special characteristics. Based on RS and GIS technology, this study interpreted the land use data from 1992 to 2012 and analyzed its dynamic change process according to the land use change model. Meanwhile, this study established an indicator system that included demographic, economic, and urbanization data. Read More

Carbon Balance Manag 2020 Jul 6;15(1):13. Epub 2020 Jul 6.

USDA-ARS Hydrology and Remote Sensing Laboratory, Beltsville, MD, 20705-2350, USA.

Background: Despite the widely recognized importance of aquatic processes for bridging gaps in the global carbon cycle, there is still a lack of understanding of the role of riverbed processes for carbon flows and stocks in aquatic environments. Here, we added a sediment diagenesis and sediment carbon (C) resuspension module into the SWAT-C model and tested it for simulating both particulate organic C (POC) and dissolved organic C (DOC) fluxes using 4 years of monthly observations (2014-2017) in the Tuckahoe watershed (TW) in the U.S. Read More

Diabetologia 2020 Jul 6. Epub 2020 Jul 6.

Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute, 75 Commercial Road, Melbourne, VIC, 3004, Australia.

Aims/hypothesis: We examined all-cause mortality trends in people with diabetes and compared them with trends among people without diabetes.

Methods: MEDLINE, EMBASE and CINAHL databases were searched for observational studies published from 1980 to 2019 reporting all-cause mortality rates across ≥2 time periods in people with diabetes. Mortality trends were examined by ethnicity, age and sex within comparable calendar periods. Read More

Data Brief 2020 Aug 19;31:105881. Epub 2020 Jun 19.

Department of Quantitative Methods, Faculty of Business and Economics, University of Pannonia, Egyetem utca 10., H-8200 Veszprém, Hungary.

The presented cross-sectional dataset can be employed to analyze the governmental, trade, and competitiveness relationships of official COVID-19 reports. It contains 18 COVID-19 variables generated based on the official reports of 138 countries (European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, 2020 [1] and Beltekian et al. [2]), as well as an additional 2203 governance, trade, and competitiveness indicators from the World Bank Group (World Bank Group, 2020 [3]) and (World Bank Group, 2020 [4]) platforms. Read More

Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020 Jul 6. Epub 2020 Jul 6.

Instituto Argentino de Nivología, Glaciología y Cs. Ambientales, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), 5500 Mendoza, Argentina.

South American (SA) societies are highly vulnerable to droughts and pluvials, but lack of long-term climate observations severely limits our understanding of the global processes driving climatic variability in the region. The number and quality of SA climate-sensitive tree ring chronologies have significantly increased in recent decades, now providing a robust network of 286 records for characterizing hydroclimate variability since 1400 CE. We combine this network with a self-calibrated Palmer Drought Severity Index (scPDSI) dataset to derive the South American Drought Atlas (SADA) over the continent south of 12°S. Read More

Thorax 2020 Jul 6. Epub 2020 Jul 6.

Division of Infection, Immunity and Respiratory Medicine, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK

Introduction: Low-dose CT (LDCT) screening of high-risk smokers reduces lung cancer (LC) specific mortality. Determining screening eligibility using individualised risk may improve screening effectiveness and reduce harm. Here, we compare the performance of two risk prediction models (PLCO and Liverpool Lung Project model (LLP)) and National Lung Screening Trial (NLST) eligibility criteria in a community-based screening programme. Read More