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A recent study conducted at Flinders Medical Centre in Adelaide, Australia, examined the effects of increased water intake on patients with idiopathic calcium stones. The study found that patients who increased their water intake to at least 2 liters per day had a reduced recurrence rate of kidney stones compared to those who did not increase their water intake. The findings suggest that kidney stone patients should aim for a fluid intake of at least 2.5 liters per day to prevent stone recurrence. This information can be valuable for clinical practice and guideline recommendations. [Extracted from the article]

• The new landscape in the longitudinal research of type-2 fuzzy sets (T2FS) domain are presented. • The multi-criteria decision making has gradually developed into moto theme. • The knowledge diffusion trajectory and thematic evolution of T2FS domain are presented. • The application of T2FSs in decision-making may the possible development directions. Nowadays, more scholars and practitioners are committed to improving and applying type-2 fuzzy sets (T2FSs) in various domains because of the stronger ability to handle the uncertainty of fuzzy complex systems. To explore the status and internal laws of development of this field, this paper presents the development overview based on the bibliometric analysis, then the dynamic evolution of main topics and the knowledge diffusion trajectory are also displayed on the basis of the strategy diagram and main path analysis (MPA). From 1997 to 2019, 1749 documents are retrieved from Web of Science (WoS) repository for the analysis. The results show that there are four stable collaborative communities existing in the countries/regions' collaborative network and the collaboration is affected by geographical factors to some degree. Three main evolution paths of hot topics are also presented in this paper and the multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) has gradually developed into the moto theme. Furthermore, articles appearing on the main path mainly focus on the research of basic concept and framework, self-optimization and applications in various domains of T2FSs. In general, this paper provides a new landscape in the longitudinal research based on the development overview, thematic evolution and the knowledge diffusion trajectory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. The aim of this initiative was to assess whether a novel training program - Understanding Stigma and Strengthening Cognitive Behavioral Interpersonal Skills - could improve primary health care providers' confidence in the quality of mental health care they provide in the Caribbean setting by using the Plan-Do-Study-Act rapid cycle for learning improvement. Methods. We conducted a prospective observational study of the impact of this training program. The training was refined during three cycles: first, the relevance of the program for practice improvement in the Caribbean was assessed. Second, pilot training of 15 local providers was conducted to adapt the program to the culture and context. Third, the course was launched in fall 2021 with 96 primary care providers. Pre- and post-program outcomes were assessed by surveys, including providers' confidence in the quality of the mental health care they provided, changes in stigma among the providers and their use of and comfort with the tools. This paper describes an evaluation of the results of cycle 3, the official launch. Results. A total of 81 participants completed the program. The program improved primary care providers' confidence in the quality of mental health care that they provided to people with lived experience of mental health disorders, and it reduced providers' stigmatization of people with mental health disorders. Conclusions. The program's quality improvement model achieved its goals in enhancing health care providers' confidence in the quality of the mental health care they provided in the Caribbean context; the program provides effective tools to support the work and it helped to empower and engage clients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. To determine the relative risk of a lethal outcome associated with chronic degenerative conditions in patients with COVID-19. Methods. A cohort study was conducted using electronic medical records belonging to patients who tested positive for COVID-19 on RT-PCR while receiving care as outpatients or inpatients in a social security system facility between March 2020 and March 2021. Two study groups were formed. The exposed group was divided into four subgroups, each of which was diagnosed with one and only one chronic condition (diabetes, hypertension, obesity, or chronic kidney disease); the unexposed group was obtained from the medical records of patients without comorbidities. A total of 1 114 medical records were examined using simple random sampling. Once the minimum sample size was reached, the relative risk was calculated for each chronic condition. Combinations of two, three, and four conditions were created, and each of them was included in the analysis. Results. In the absence of a chronic degenerative condition, the prevalence of a lethal outcome from COVID-19 is 3.8%; in the presence of type 2 diabetes mellitus, 15.8%; in the presence of arterial hypertension, 15.6%; and in the presence of obesity, 15.0%. For diabetes and hypertension combined, the prevalence of a lethal outcome is 54.1%; for diabetes and obesity combined, 36.8%, and for obesity and hypertension combined, 28.1%. Conclusion. In patients with COVID-19, the relative risk of a lethal outcome is 4.17 for those with diabetes, 4.13 for those with hypertension, and 3.96 for those with obesity. For two chronic conditions combined, the relative risk doubles or triples. The relative risk of a lethal outcome is 14.27 for diabetes plus hypertension; 9.73 for diabetes plus obesity, and 7.43 for obesity plus hypertension. Chronic conditions do not present alone; they generally occur together, hence the significance of the relative risks for lethal outcomes presented in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. To evaluate, using semiparametric methodologies of survival analysis, the relationship between covariates and time to death of patients with breast cancer, as well as the determination discriminatory power in the conditional inference tree of patients who had cancer. Methods. A retrospective cohort study was conducted using data collected from medical records of women who had breast cancer and underwent treatment between 2005 and 2015 at the Hospital da Fundação de Assistencial da Paraíba in Campina Grande, State of Paraiba, Brazil. Survival curves were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method, Cox regression, and conditional decision tree. Results. Women with triple-negative molecular subtypes had a shorter survival time compared to women with positive hormone receptors. The addition of hormone therapy reduced the risk of a patient dying by 5.5%, and the risk of a HER2-positive patient dying was 34.5% lower compared to those who were negative for this gene. Patients undergoing hormone therapy had a median survival time of 4 753 days. Conclusions. This paper shows a favorable scenario for the use of immunotherapy for patients with HER2 overexpression. Further studies could assess the effectiveness of immunotherapy in patients with other conditions, to favor the prognosis and better quality of life for the patient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In a companion paper, [Neugebauer, R., van der Laan, M.J., 2006b. Causal effects in longitudinal studies: definition and maximum likelihood estimation. Comput. Stat. Data. Anal., this issue, doi:10.1016/j.csda.2006.06.013], we provided an overview of causal effect definition with marginal structural models (MSMs) in longitudinal studies. A parametric MSM (PMSM) and a non-parametric MSM (NPMSM) approach were described for the representation of causal effects in pooled or stratified analyses of treatment effects on time-dependent outcomes. Maximum likelihood estimation, also referred to as G-computation estimation, was detailed for these causal effects. In this paper, we develop new algorithms for the implementation of the G-computation estimators of both NPMSM and PMSM causal effects. Current algorithms rely on Monte Carlo simulation of all possible treatment-specific outcomes, also referred to as counterfactuals or potential outcomes. This task becomes computationally impracticable (a) in studies with a continuous treatment, and/or (b) in longitudinal studies with long follow-up with or without time-dependent outcomes. The proposed algorithms address this important computing limitation inherent to G-computation estimation in most longitudinal studies. Finally, practical considerations about the proposed algorithms lead to a further generalization of the definition of NPMSM causal effects in order to allow more reliable applications of these methodologies to a broader range of real-life studies. Results are illustrated with two simulation studies. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper is concerned with learning of mixture regression models for individuals that are measured repeatedly. The adjective “unsupervised” implies that the number of mixing components is unknown and has to be determined, ideally by data driven tools. For this purpose, a novel penalized method is proposed to simultaneously select the number of mixing components and to estimate the mixture proportions and unknown parameters in the models. The proposed method is capable of handling both continuous and discrete responses by only requiring the first two moment conditions of the model distribution. It is shown to be consistent in both selecting the number of components and estimating the mixture proportions and unknown regression parameters. Further, a modified EM algorithm is developed to seamlessly integrate model selection and estimation. Simulation studies are conducted to evaluate the finite sample performance of the proposed procedure. And it is further illustrated via an analysis of a primary biliary cirrhosis data set. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concordance correlation coefficient (CCC) is widely used to assess agreement between two observers for continuous responses. Further, the CCC is extended for measuring agreement with discrete data. This paper proposes a variance components (VC) approach that allows dependency between repeated measurements over time to assess intra-agreement for each observer and inter- and total agreement among multiple observers simultaneously under extended three-way generalized linear mixed-effects models (GLMMs) for longitudinal normal and Poisson data. Furthermore, we propose a weight matrix to compare with existing weight matrices. Simulation studies are conducted to compare the performance of the VC, generalized estimating equations and U -statistics approaches with different weight matrices for repeated measurements from longitudinal normal and Poisson data. Two applications, of myopia twin and of corticospinal diffusion tensor tractography studies, are used for illustration. In conclusion, the VC approach with consideration of the correlation structure of longitudinal repeated measurements gives satisfactory results with small mean square errors and nominal 95% coverage rates for all sample sizes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is concerned with the numerical simulation of the free longitudinal flight of a low Reynolds number flapping-wing flyer, modelled after the fruit-fly Drosophila melanogaster . In the numerical model, the computational fluid dynamics governed by the Navier–Stokes equations and 6-DoF Newtonian dynamics of the flyer in a gravity field are integrated with active adaption of its wing kinematics. The latter comprises sweeping, elevating and feathering related actions of insect wings during flight that have been observed and identified by biologists. These actions are modulated during flight by a generic control algorithm to produce sustained stable quasi-steady free flight for speeds of up to 80 cm/s ( J  = 0.28) in forward and −20 cm/s in reverse flight. The dynamics of longitudinal flight elicited in the present study are consistent the observations and analyses of biologists, but provide detailed information and access to a more complete picture of the coupled constituent dynamics of fluid and flyer in free flight condition than is currently available in the literature. The present free flight model offers a prospective line of inquiry that could complement existing experiments with live insect subjects in a wider study of ‘real-time’ dynamics of insect flight and manoeuvres. The work may also be relevant to the development of biomimetic mechanical flapping-wing flyers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a new efficient and robust smooth-threshold generalized estimating equations for generalized linear models (GLMs) with longitudinal data. The proposed method is based on a bounded exponential score function and leverage-based weights to achieve robustness against outliers both in the response and the covariate domain. Our motivation for the new variable selection procedure is that it enables us to achieve better robustness and efficiency by introducing an additional tuning parameter γ which can be automatically selected using the observed data. Moreover, its performance is near optimal and superior to some recently developed variable selection methods. Under some regularity conditions, the resulting estimator possesses the consistency in variable selection and the oracle property in estimation. Finally, simulation studies and a detailed real data analysis are carried out to assess and illustrate the finite sample performance, which show that the proposed method works better than other existing methods, in particular, when many outliers are included. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Random effects in generalized linear mixed models (GLMM) are used to explain the serial correlation of the longitudinal categorical data. Because the covariance matrix is high dimensional and should be positive definite, its structure is assumed to be constant over subjects and to be restricted such as AR(1) structure. However, these assumptions are too strong and can result in biased estimates of the fixed effects. In this paper we propose a Bayesian modeling for the GLMM with regression models for parameters of the random effects covariance matrix using a moving average Cholesky decomposition which factors the covariance matrix into moving average (MA) parameters and IVs. We analyze lung cancer data using our proposed model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Studies in epidemiology and social sciences are often longitudinal and outcome measures are frequently obtained by questionnaires in ordinal scales. To understand the relationship between explanatory variables and outcome measures, generalized estimating equations can be applied to provide a population-averaged interpretation and address the correlation between outcome measures. It can be performed by different software packages, but a motivating example showed differences in the output. This paper investigated the performance of GEE in R (version 3.0.2), SAS (version 9.4), and SPSS (version 22.0.0) using simulated data under default settings. Multivariate logistic distributions were used in the simulation to generate correlated ordinal data. The simulation study demonstrated substantial bias in the parameter estimates and numerical issues for data sets with relative small number of subjects. The unstructured working association matrix requires larger numbers of subjects than the independence and exchangeable working association matrices to reduce the bias and diminish numerical issues. The coverage probabilities of the confidence intervals for fixed parameters were satisfactory for the independence and exchangeable working association matrix, but they were frequently liberal for the unstructured option. Based on the performance and the available options, SPSS and multgee, and repolr in R all perform quite well for relatively large sample sizes (e.g. 300 subjects), but multgee seems to do a little better than SPSS and repolr in most settings. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The small-sample performance of alternatives to the usual likelihood ratio test in mixed linear models is investigated. Specifically, the following tests for fixed effects are considered: (i) a bootstrap-based test, (ii) the Bartlett-corrected usual test, and (iii) an adjusted profile likelihood ratio test. The last test is derived using an approximation to the modified profile likelihood proposed by Barndorff-Nielsen, based on the work of Severini. Bootstrap resampling is performed to numerically construct a Bartlett correction factor for the usual test statistic, and also to obtain a critical value that does not rely on first-order asymptotics. The numerical evidence presented in the paper slightly favors the Bartlett-corrected usual test. An application to real longitudinal data is presented. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This document provides information about a clinical trial for a medical procedure called the Serratus Posterior Superior Intercostal Plane Block. The trial aims to compare the effectiveness of this procedure with intravenous patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) in managing pain after shoulder arthroscopy surgery. The trial will involve 52 participants and is expected to be completed by December 2024. The eligibility criteria for participants are outlined, and the responsible party for the trial is the Kanuni Sultan Suleyman Training and Research Hospital in Turkey. The document also includes keywords related to opioids, surgery, and clinical research. [Extracted from the article]

This document provides information about a planned observational study in Russia that aims to assess the prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in patients with arterial hypertension (AH) and without prior diagnoses of diabetes mellitus (DM) or chronic heart failure (CHF). The study will enroll 10,000 adult outpatients with AH and one or more CKD markers, and will collect demographic and clinical characteristics retrospectively. The study does not involve any interventions and will last for approximately 18 months or until the required number of patients is enrolled. The goal of the study is to improve early detection of CKD and reduce complications and mortality associated with the disease. [Extracted from the article]

A clinical trial, NCT06379932, is being conducted to investigate pain perception during and after open muscle biopsy. The trial aims to understand the characteristics and intensity of pain experienced by patients during and after the procedure by using a questionnaire. It also aims to identify factors that may influence pain perception and gather patient feedback to improve the quality of care. The trial will follow 100 patients for 30 days and is expected to provide valuable insights for improving pain management and personalized care for patients undergoing muscle biopsy. Additionally, this document provides information about a study on the assessment of depressive symptoms and other data collection methods for patients with neuromuscular diseases. The study will collect data through self-report questionnaires, telephone interviews, and medical records, which will be analyzed using statistical methods. The results will be interpreted in the context of the research question and existing literature. The study is not yet recruiting participants and is anticipated to be completed by December 2024. The responsible party for the study is Assistance Publique - Hopitaux de Paris. [Extracted from the article]

A clinical trial, NCT06333106, is being conducted to assess the accuracy of point-of-care ultrasound (PoCUS) in diagnosing fecal impaction in elderly patients. Fecal impaction is a common issue among the elderly, particularly in nursing homes. The current method of diagnosis involves using abdominal x-rays, but PoCUS is a non-irradiating alternative that may improve diagnostic accuracy. The trial aims to compare the effectiveness of PoCUS with abdominal x-rays or CT scans as a diagnostic tool. The study will collect data from elderly patients aged 75 years or older who present to the emergency department with suspected fecal impaction. The data will be recorded and analyzed using statistical methods, while adhering to ethical guidelines and ensuring patient confidentiality. The study is not yet recruiting participants and is estimated to be completed by December 31, 2024. It will be conducted in collaboration with medical institutions in Belgium. [Extracted from the article]

A recent report from Geisinger discusses the challenges of recruiting large cohorts efficiently for research studies in health services. Factors such as financial barriers, logistical concerns, and lack of resources for patients and clinicians can hinder recruitment and lead to underrepresentation of certain groups. The researchers at Geisinger implemented various strategies to address these barriers, including offering multiple recruitment options, improving visit convenience, and integrating the disclosure of study results into routine clinical care. By continuously assessing and revising implementation strategies, they were able to maintain high protocol adherence and positive participant experience. This research highlights the importance of a nimble and creative approach to recruitment in order to facilitate clinical translation. [Extracted from the article]

Abstract: In longitudinal cluster randomized clinical trials (cluster-RCT), subjects are nested within a higher level unit such as clinics and are evaluated for outcome repeatedly over the study period. This study design results in a three level hierarchical data structure. When the primary goal is to test the hypothesis that an intervention has an effect on the rate of change in the outcome over time and the between-subject variation in slopes is substantial, the subject-specific slopes are often modeled as random coefficients in a mixed-effects linear model. In this paper, we propose approaches for determining the samples size for each level of a 3-level hierarchical trial design based on ordinary least squares (OLS) estimates for detecting a difference in mean slopes between two intervention groups when the slopes are modeled as random. Notably, the sample size is not a function of the variances of either the second or the third level random intercepts and depends on the number of second and third level data units only through their product. Simulation results indicate that the OLS-based power and sample sizes are virtually identical to the empirical maximum likelihood based estimates even with varying cluster sizes. Sample sizes for random versus fixed slope models are also compared. The effects of the variance of the random slope on the sample size determinations are shown to be enormous. Therefore, when between-subject variations in outcome trends are anticipated to be significant, sample size determinations based on a fixed slope model can result in a seriously underpowered study. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In this paper, we develop a new variable selection procedure for quantile varying coefficient models with longitudinal data. The proposed method is based on basis function approximation and a class of group versions of the adaptive LASSO penalty, which penalizes the norm of the within-group coefficients with . We show that with properly chosen adaptive group weights in the penalization, the resulting penalized estimators are consistent in variable selection, and the estimated functional coefficients retain the optimal convergence rate of nonparametric estimators under the true model. We assess the finite sample performance of the proposed procedure by an extensive simulation study, and the analysis of an AIDS data set and a yeast cell-cycle gene expression data set. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper proposes a linear quantile regression analysis method for longitudinal data that combines the between- and within-subject estimating functions, which incorporates the correlations between repeated measurements. Therefore, the proposed method results in more efficient parameter estimation relative to the estimating functions based on an independence working model. To reduce computational burdens, the induced smoothing method is introduced to obtain parameter estimates and their variances. Under some regularity conditions, the estimators derived by the induced smoothing method are consistent and have asymptotically normal distributions. A number of simulation studies are carried out to evaluate the performance of the proposed method. The results indicate that the efficiency gain for the proposed method is substantial especially when strong within correlations exist. Finally, a dataset from the audiology growth research is used to illustrate the proposed methodology. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Generalized linear mixed models (GLMMs) are commonly used to analyze longitudinal categorical data. In these models, we typically assume that the random effects covariance matrix is constant across the subject and is restricted because of its high dimensionality and its positive definiteness. However, the covariance matrix may differ by measured covariates in many situations, and ignoring this heterogeneity can result in biased estimates of the fixed effects. In this paper, we propose a heterogenous random effects covariance matrix, which depends on covariates, obtained using the modified Cholesky decomposition. This decomposition results in parameters that can be easily modeled without concern that the resulting estimator will not be positive definite. The parameters have a sensible interpretation. We analyze metabolic syndrome data from a Korean Genomic Epidemiology Study using our proposed model. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In this paper, we consider the use of the latent growth curve model to analyze longitudinal ordinal categorical data that involve measurements at different time points. By operating on the assumption that the ordinal response variables at different time points are related to normally distributed underlying continuous variables, and by further modeling these underlying continuous variables for different time points with the latent growth curve model, we achieve a comprehensive and flexible model with straightforward interpretations and a variety of applications. We discuss the applications of the model in treatment comparisons and in the analysis of the covariate effects. Moreover, one prominent advantage of the model lies in its ability to address possible differences in the initial conditions for the subjects who take part in different treatments. Making use of this property, we also develop a new method to test the equivalence of two treatments that involve ordinal responses obtained at two different time points. A real data set is used to illustrate the applicability and practicality of the proposed approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Mis-specification of the covariance structure in longitudinal data can result in loss of regression estimation efficiency and in misleading influence diagnostics. Therefore, a rule-of-thumb, even one that is rough, for detecting covariance mis-specification would prove valuable to data analysts. In this paper, we examine two indices for detecting the mis-specification of the covariance structure of longitudinal normal, Poisson or binary responses. Our work shows that the suggested indices prove to be worthwhile when there are no missing time observations; they, however, should be used with caution when there are MAR drop-outs. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Recently, marginalized transition models have become popular for the analysis of longitudinal data. and proposed marginalized transition models for the analysis of longitudinal binary data and ordinal data, respectively. In this paper, we extend their work to accommodate longitudinal nominal data using a Markovian dependence structure. A Fisher-scoring algorithm is developed for estimation. Methods are illustrated with a real dataset and are compared with other standard methods. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper is concerned with developing rules for assignment of tooth prognosis based on actual tooth loss in the VA Dental Longitudinal Study. It is also of interest to rank the relative importance of various clinical factors for tooth loss. A multivariate survival tree procedure is proposed. The procedure is built on a parametric exponential frailty model, which leads to greater computational efficiency. We adopted the goodness-of-split pruning algorithm of [LeBlanc, M., Crowley, J., 1993. Survival trees by goodness of split. Journal of the American Statistical Association 88, 457–467] to determine the best tree size. In addition, the variable importance method is extended to trees grown by goodness-of-fit using an algorithm similar to the random forest procedure in [Breiman, L., 2001. Random forests. Machine Learning 45, 5–32]. Simulation studies for assessing the proposed tree and variable importance methods are presented. To limit the final number of meaningful prognostic groups, an amalgamation algorithm is employed to merge terminal nodes that are homogeneous in tooth survival. The resulting prognosis rules and variable importance rankings seem to offer simple yet clear and insightful interpretations. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The aim of this paper is to derive local influence curvatures under various perturbation schemes for elliptical linear models with longitudinal structure. The elliptical class provides a useful generalization of the normal model since it covers both light- and heavy-tailed distributions for the errors, such as Student-t, power exponential, contaminated normal, among others. It is well known that elliptical models with longer-than-normal tails may present robust parameter estimates against outlying observations. However, little has been investigated on the robustness aspects of the parameter estimates against perturbation schemes. We use appropriate derivative operators to express the normal curvatures in tractable forms for any correlation structure. Estimation procedures for the position and variance–covariance parameters are also presented. A data set previously analyzed under a normal linear mixed model is reanalyzed under elliptical models. Local influence graphics are used to select less sensitive models with respect to some perturbation schemes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Recently, a nonparametric marginal structural model (NPMSM) approach to Causal Inference has been proposed [Neugebauer, R., van der Laan, M., 2006. Nonparametric causal effects based on marginal structural models. J. Statist. Plann. Inference (in press), www http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/03783758 .] as an appealing practical alternative to the original parametric MSM (PMSM) approach introduced by Robins [Robins, J., 1998a. Marginal structural models. In: 1997 Proceedings of the American Statistical Association, American Statistical Association, Alexandria, VA, pp. 1–10]. The new MSM-based causal inference methodology generalizes the concept of causal effects: the proposed nonparametric causal effects are interpreted as summary measures of the causal effects defined with PMSMs. In addition, causal inference with NPMSM does not rely on the assumed correct specification of a parametric MSM but instead defines causal effects based on a user-specified working causal model which can be willingly misspecified. The NPMSM approach was developed for studies with point treatment data or with longitudinal data where the outcome is not time-dependent (typically collected at the end of data collection). In this paper, we generalize this approach to longitudinal studies where the outcome is time-dependent, i.e. collected throughout the span of the studies, and address the subsequent estimation inconsistency which could easily arise from a hasty generalization of the algorithm for maximum likelihood estimation. More generally, we provide an overview of the multiple causal effect representations which have been developed based on MSMs in longitudinal studies. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper reports on an analysis of the relationship between living alone and risk of death or limiting long-term illness (LLTI) for men who were present in the Office for National Statistics Longitudinal Study (LS) in both 1971 and 1981. Recent research has suggested that middle-aged men living alone are in worse health than others. Analysis of LS data confirms this. Men aged 45 years and over who lived alone in 1981 had higher mortality rates than men who lived with others, in the following 18 years, and were also more likely to report a LLTI in 1991, after controlling for age. However, analyses of the determinants of mortality and LLTI suggested that living alone was not independently associated with higher mortality or morbidity after taking account of marital status in 81, and change in marital status between 1971 and 1981, for most marital status situations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A great deal of literature has been established for regression analysis of longitudinal data but most of the existing methods assume that covariates can be observed completely or at the same observation times for the response variable, and the observation process is independent of the response variable completely or given covariates. As pointed out by many authors, in practice, one may face the situation where the response variable and covariates are observed intermittently at different time points, leading to sparse asynchronous longitudinal data, or the observation process may be related to the response variable even given covariates. It is apparent that sometimes both issues can occur in the same time and although some literature has been developed to address each of the two issues, it does not seem to exist an established approach that can deal with both together. To address this, in this paper, a flexible semiparametric transformation conditional model is presented and for estimation, a kernel-weighted estimating equation-based approach is proposed. The proposed estimators of regression parameters are shown to be consistent and asymptotically follow the normal distribution. For the assessment of the finite sample performance of the method, an extensive simulation study is carried out and suggests that it performs well for practical situations. The approach is applied to a prospective HIV study that motivated this investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new study conducted by Tianjin University in China, called the CHemical Exposure and Children's Health (CHECH) study, aims to investigate the impact of early life exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) on the health of Chinese children. The study collected urine samples from pregnant women and children, as well as air and dust samples from their home environment. Information on children's health was gathered through physical examinations and questionnaires. The study's findings will contribute to the understanding of prenatal exposure to EDCs and help develop risk assessments to reduce exposure and associated health risks. [Extracted from the article]

A recent study conducted at the University of Liege examined the psychoneurological symptom cluster in patients with breast or digestive cancer. The study found that a cluster of symptoms including cancer-related fatigue, emotional distress, sleep difficulties, pain, and cognitive difficulties is common among cancer patients. The researchers plan to assess these symptoms over a two-year period in two cohorts of breast cancer survivors and digestive cancer survivors. The goal of the study is to gain a better understanding of the relationships between these symptoms and develop more effective interventions to improve the quality of life for patients with breast or digestive cancer. [Extracted from the article]

This document provides information about a clinical trial, NCT06124742, that is being conducted in Saudi Arabia. The trial aims to assess the alteration of taste perception in orthodontic patients who undergo treatment with clear aligners or fixed orthodontics. Participants will complete a questionnaire and undergo taste strip assessments before and after treatment to evaluate taste perception. The study aims to determine if clear aligners have an impact on taste perception. The recruitment status is active, not recruiting, and the estimated completion date is February 1, 2024. [Extracted from the article]

The pooled data set included 114,762 women, and 25,531 (22%) reported at least 1 pregnancy of more than 20 weeks' gestation during the study period. The index pregnancy was defined as the first postbaseline pregnancy lasting more than 20 weeks. Keywords: New Orleans; State:Louisiana; United States; North and Central America; Clinical Research; Clinical Trials and Studies; Epidemiology; Health and Medicine; Risk and Prevention EN New Orleans State:Louisiana United States North and Central America Clinical Research Clinical Trials and Studies Epidemiology Health and Medicine Risk and Prevention 2230 2230 1 11/06/23 20231106 NES 231106 2023 NOV 6 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Clinical Trials Week -- New research on Health and Medicine - Epidemiology is the subject of a report. [Extracted from the article]

For more information on this research see: Health and well-being of serving and ex-serving UK Armed Forces personnel: protocol for the fourth phase of a longitudinal cohort study. Keywords: Clinical Research; Clinical Trials and Studies; Health and Medicine; Military; Military and Defense EN Clinical Research Clinical Trials and Studies Health and Medicine Military Military and Defense 1260 1260 1 10/24/23 20231023 NES 231023 2023 OCT 23 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Clinical Trials Week -- Data detailed on military and defense have been presented. [Extracted from the article]

Keywords: Clinical Research; Clinical Trials and Studies; Epidemiology; Health and Medicine; Mathematics EN Clinical Research Clinical Trials and Studies Epidemiology Health and Medicine Mathematics 652 652 1 10/16/23 20231016 NES 231016 2023 OCT 16 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Clinical Trials Week -- New research on mathematics is the subject of a new report. Clinical Research, Clinical Trials and Studies, Epidemiology, Health and Medicine, Mathematics. [Extracted from the article]

Keywords for this news article include: Ottawa Hospital, Ottawa, Canada, North and Central America, Gastroenterology, Colorectal Research, Health and Medicine. For more information on this research see: Protocol for the CoNoR Study: A prospective multi-step study of the potential added benefit of two novel assessment tools in colorectal liver metastases technical resectability decision-making. Keywords: Colorectal Research; Gastroenterology; Health and Medicine EN Colorectal Research Gastroenterology Health and Medicine 624 624 1 04/17/23 20230418 NES 230418 2023 APR 17 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Gastroenterology Week -- Data detailed on gastroenterology have been presented. [Extracted from the article]

The article presents information on research into loneliness, conducted in Framingham, Massachusetts. An analysis of data collected between 1983 and 2001, published in the "Journal of Personality and Social Psychology" by John Cacioppo and colleagues, is described. The paper indicates that patterns of loneliness in populations tend to resemble patterns of transmissible disease.

The article focuses on research concerning the role geography plays in unemployment. It states that the use of cross-sectional research made it difficult to separate cause and effect and talks about small samples in research. It mentions a paper using longitudinal data published by the National Bureau of Economic Research that examined job searches of 250,000 poor Americans who had lost their jobs during mass lay-offs living in nine Midwestern cities over six years and their employment options.

The article discusses the methodology and results of the longitudinal Harvard Study of Adult Development and the work of its chief investigator, psychiatrist George Vaillant. The study was begun in 1937 and has studied the lives of a cohort of Harvard students since that period. Vaillant characterizes adaptations to adversity as mature and immature. Mature adaptations, along with stable marriages, not smoking, exercise and healthy weight were found by the study to be predictors of long life.

The article critically evaluates a study related to techniques of teaching reading which was conducted in Denver, Colorado from 1960-66. According to the findings of the study, gains made in the kindergarten could be maintained through Grade Five with a program using appropriate materials; gains made in reading tended to be accompanied by gains made in some other academic areas; and that greater achievement was made by students who started the experimental program in the first grade. However, the results must be considered with caution. The study violated some of the most basic rules of good research design and good research reporting. Though a random sample of students was selected for the study, at the end there was a 39 percent loss in the experimental group and a 70 percent loss in the control group. There are doubts whether groups of subjects who completed the study could actually be considered random samples.

The article presents information on several researches related to curriculum development. A committee of the Utah Legislative Council reported that 23 percent of the boys and 18 percent of the girls who entered tenth grade did not stay to graduate. Two factors of particular interest were listed by the young people as influential in their decision to quit: first, they wanted more individual attention and consideration and, second, 28 percent said that they did not get along with school officials. Robert Peck and Robert Havighurst with others have reported a longitudinal study of adolescents under the title, "The Psychology of Character Development." Social psychologists have long pointed out that the democratic life, which gives man an opportunity to walk with dignity, to use his own capacity in shaping the nature of his life and the society of which he is a part, calls for a man highly trained and one who is master of himself, with ethical principles that embody concern for the welfare of all. Such a vision of man does not appear impossible of attainment. However, he will not develop by wishful thinking and chance.

The article offers information on several articles related to language teaching. It mentions that content and language integrated learning (CLIL) course was designed as part of education courses in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. It states that a qualitative longitudinal study was conducted to know the effect of eight week in-service teacher training in Great Britain. Furthermore, one study found that shared dilemmas on Turkish context is the main problem of teachers in Israel and Netherlands.

Abstract Both scholars and practitioners agree that constructing a shared organizational identity is necessary for successful outcomes in mergers and acquisitions. Yet the process of constructing shared identity is not [...]