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Background. As the field of transplantation has expanded, so have the quantity and variety of articles published on the topic. Evaluation of publications and journals is crucial to the expansion of transplant research. This study investigated the research output and journal metrics of the leading solid organ transplant journals published between 2011 and 2021 based on estimations of the trends in the category CiteScore from the Scopus database. Materials and Methods. We obtained data on the listed journals from the Scopus Source List. We then filtered the list for "Transplantation" journals. Only the top quartiles or quartile 1 (Q1) journals were placed in this category. This study focused specifically on transplantation journals and did not include other journals related to diseases of transplanted organs such as the kidney, liver, heart, and lungs. Results. The number of transplantation journals increased by 42.8% in the last ten years, from 28 in 2011 to 40 in 2021. Between 2011 and 2021, nine transplantation journals ranked in the highest quartile (Q1). The American Journal of Transplantation was the top journal in both years, with a 150% increase in citations and an 11.2% increase in articles published. Open access (OA) transplant journals rose from 3 in 2011 to 10 in 2021. In 2021, OA journals earned 8,555 citations, a 125% increase from 2011. Despite this increase, non-OA journals received more citations than OA in 2021 (p value 0.026). Conclusion. Solid organ transplantation advances lead to more publications and citations. Regular journals and publications evaluation benefits academics and policymakers by promoting the growth of research. This study examined solid organ transplantation journals and gave a global perspective on transplant journal rankings and compared their status in 2011 and 2021. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The structural engineering codes dictate the design criteria of the facility. Given that different countries use different parameters to design a facility, different codes are followed. Current code comparison focus on the clauses analysis in the code gives theoretical guideline. When the US facility design team needs to make a decision to follow which code to in China, the current study cannot provide a business decision input. This study evaluates the design process to illustrate when and where the codes will be applied and calculated through a design process where the loading and coefficient factors of different codes are analyzed. Software programs built-in codes are then used to design the structure to obtain the structure result in terms of volume of the concrete and weight of the rebar being calculated. The study also presents a case study and calculates that the United States code uses 8–10% more rebar compared to the Chinese code. The study result can be a reference for the project management team who has to make a business decision over which code to be followed at what cost. The paper also identifies the choice of the seismic coefficient factor has a significant impact on the usage of the rebar and might be justified for the future study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The low cost, simple, noninvasive, and continuous measurement of cerebral blood flow velocity (CBFV) by transcranial Doppler is becoming a common clinical tool for the assessment of cerebral hemodynamics. CBFV monitoring can also help with noninvasive estimation of intracranial pressure and evaluation of mild traumatic brain injury. Reliable CBFV waveform analysis depends heavily on its accurate beat-to-beat delineation. However, CBFV is inherently contaminated with various types of noise/artifacts and has a wide range of possible pathological waveform morphologies. Thus, pulse onset detection is in general a challenging task for CBFV signal. In this paper, we conducted a comprehensive comparative analysis of three popular pulse onset detection methods using a large annotated dataset of 92,794 CBFV pulses—collected from 108 subarachnoid hemorrhage patients admitted to UCLA Medical Center. We compared these methods not only in terms of their accuracy and computational complexity, but also for their sensitivity to the selection of their parameters' values. The results of this comprehensive study revealed that using optimal values of the parameters obtained from sensitivity analysis, one method can achieve the highest accuracy for CBFV pulse onset detection with true positive rate (TPR) of 97.06% and positive predictivity value (PPV) of 96.48%, when error threshold is set to just less than 10 ms. We conclude that the high accuracy and low computational complexity of this method (average running time of 4ms/pulse) makes it a reliable algorithm for CBFV pulse onset detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The results of a study examining differences between U.S. adolescent and adult abortion fund service recipients are presented in this paper. Using existing case data from 2010 to 2015 from the National Network of Abortion Funds (N = 3,288), a secondary data analysis was conducted to determine whether or not the experiences of adolescent (n = 481) and adult abortion patients (n = 2,807) who received financial assistance to help pay for an abortion differed. Fisher's exact tests examined differences in dichotomous variables, and regression examined differences in procedural costs, patient resources and expected travel distances to obtain an abortion. Results show that a greater proportion of adolescents in this data set identified as African American, and that adolescents were more likely to report seeking an abortion due to lack of contraception, and rape, while adult patients were more likely to be seeking an abortion due to contraceptive failure and partner violence. Results are discussed using a trauma‐informed framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper explores racial disparities and risk factors of adverse pregnancy outcomes in Black and White pregnant women in the US. The study uses a cross‐sectional approach to explore Black and White disparities using data from the 2012 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), which collects interview data from approximately 70,000 randomly selected participants. We included several self‐reported conditions that we categorised as individual and social stressors (e.g. measures of institutionalised racism, individual health behaviours, access to quality care and social context factors). We used descriptive statistics, univariate and multivariate analyses in risk factors of adverse pregnancy outcomes between Black and White women. Black women who were pregnant had a lower socioeconomic status and experienced more measures of institutionalised racism compared to White women who were pregnant. More white women who were pregnant were married, had higher levels of educational attainment, higher income levels, and greater employment opportunities. White pregnant women also had higher levels of private health insurance and less dependency on government programmes for access to healthcare. Results from the regressions indicated that Black pregnant women were less likely to be married (OR = 0.01), less likely to have higher income levels (OR = 0.31) and less likely to be employed (OR = 0.52). However, Black pregnant women were more likely to be younger (OR = 1.82). For the health‐eroding behaviours, Black pregnant women were less likely to smoke (OR = 0.53) and use alcohol (0.52). After assessing the SES Household‐level stressors (access to healthcare), Black pregnant women were more likely to have Medicaid/CHIP (OR = 3.21) and health coverage through government assistant programmes (OR = 3.80); however, less likely to have private health insurance (OR = 0.38). There are differences in risk factors of adverse pregnancy outcomes between White and Black pregnant women based on measures of individual level/social stressors, institutionalised racism, health behaviours and access to care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper tries to identify one of the reasons for the poor land skin temperature simulated by a climate model over Greenland. It first compares ICEsat surface height measurements over Greenland with those used by the model and reveals that the surface height of Greenland prescribed in the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) Community Climate System Model/Community Land Model version 3 (CCSM/CLM3) differs greatly from the satellite measurements from National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) ICEsat at edges and central glacier regions. This deficiency, in part, leads to underestimated skin temperatures at coastal regions-the areas where significant ice sheet melt is observed. Furthermore, sensitivity studies reveal that surface skin temperature simulations of Greenland would be significantly improved if the more accurate surface height is used. The problem of the height used in current global climate model is mainly due to the fact that the model has to use coarse grid size, and within one grid, land surface height has high heterogeneity. How to assign a proper surface height for each model grid and meanwhile adequately present the high heterogeneity of land surface is a great challenge in current model development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In May-June of 2013 we visited several South African parks and reserves to learn about wildlife and natural areas management in that country. We focused our visit on parks and reserves that are of moderate size (5,000-100,00 ha), comprised of grassland/savanna habitats, located within agrarian landscapes, and enclosed with boundary fences, characteristics similar to several parks and reserves in the Northern Great Plains region of the United States. In this paper we compare the South African model of natural areas management to the United States model. We observed that South African parks and reserves with the aforementioned characteristics are more likely to (1) reintroduce and conserve small, nonviable wildlife populations, (2) reintroduce and conserve top-level predators, (3) have more intensive management of wildlife, (4) manage in partnership across multiple landowners, (5) engage local communities, (6) be self-funding, and (7) restrict visitor movement. The South African model is arguably more effective in conserving biodiversity as measured by conservation of apex predators and natural processes. The differences between the countries appear to be driven in large part by socioeconomic factors. Knowledge of natural areas management in other countries may lead to more innovative and creative models that could benefit biodiversity conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intimate partner violence (IPV) and food security are two leading public health issues that disproportionately impact women in the United States. Despite this connection, the relationship between IPV and food security has been relatively unexplored. While food security is a known factor in increased well‐being, it is not often explicitly included in care for survivors. As part of a larger study on survivors of domestic violence who are receiving services from a domestic violence and sexual assault agency in the Southern United States, we analysed participant responses (n = 26) to various scales (i.e. depression, anxiety, PTSD, disability, well‐being, hope, food security) to determine the relationships between mental health and food‐related variables. Importantly, findings from our study show that survivors experience low food security at higher rates (53.8%) than the U.S. national average (11.5%). Additionally, the proportion of survivors in our sample who are receiving some form of food aid and remain food insecure is high (26.9%), leading to questions about the adequacy of food aid. Finally, our results underpin the relationship between food security and mental health for survivors, as low food security is positively correlated with depression, PTSD, disability, trouble concentrating, lack of hope and decreased well‐being. These findings have implications for how we evaluate food security and the role it plays in well‐being for survivors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although Indigenous groups continue to experience extensive health disparities, little research explores the role of structural barriers in contributing to health disparities for state‐recognised tribes, who do not receive healthcare services from the Indian Health Service. In addition, much research focuses on discrete physical health outcomes, without utilising community‐based approaches to allow participants to identify healthcare priorities and needs in their own voices. In partnership with a community advisory board, a qualitative descriptive methodology was used to conduct 31 life‐course interviews with participants of a state‐recognised tribe in the Gulf South region of the United States to explore healthcare experiences. Participants identified unmet healthcare needs and healthcare infrastructure barriers. Some of the most common barriers and unmet healthcare needs included: Long Distance to Healthcare Services and Difficulty in Accessing Specialists, Need for Increased Communication, Long Hospital or Appointment Wait Times, Unmet Mental Health Needs, Need for Substance Use or Abuse Prevention Programs and Need for Health Education. These findings highlight some of the structural barriers that exacerbate existing health disparities and suggest important areas of intervention, such as including a focus on mental health needs. Increased healthcare resources and recognition of sovereignty for this state‐recognised tribe are also needed to begin to address these barriers. In addition, because of the long history of exploitation of Indigenous communities, healthcare interventions should meaningfully include Indigenous tribes in the development and implementation of any healthcare programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sexual minority people in the United States are less likely to have access to health services when compared to their heterosexual counterparts. Less is known about the within‐group sociodemographic memberships among sexual minority people regarding access to health services. Using data from a nationally representative sample, a series of univariate and bivariate analyses were used to determine associations between sociodemographic group membership and access to health services. Results suggest there are significant differences in access to health services within the sexual minority population. Differences in access to health services when considering sex‐at‐birth, sexual identity, age, race/ethnicity, urbanicity, education level and income status were found. These findings offer insight into the role sociodemographic group membership has on the equity of access to health services. Specifically, results indicated that disproportionate access to health services among sexual minority people were more pronounced among those with group membership who experience social marginalisation. This was particularly true for sexual minority people who were bisexual, younger, Black and Latinx, lower‐income earners and sexual minority people with less education attainment. Results from this study may be used to inform policies and practices aimed at improving access to health services including, but not limited to, the expansion of the Affordable Care Act and continued development of Federally Qualified Health Centers, while acknowledging the role of within‐group differences among sexual minority people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The water pollution affecting human health is a crisis and big test, which tests the mainstream news media's ability and level of communication to respond to major public opinions and public emergencies. The contaminated water is a crisis and a major test, which tests the ability and level of communication of major news outlets to respond to important common views and emergencies. It aims to understand the perception and attitude of the international mainstream media towards China during the contaminated water. The work sorted out the mainstream media's reporting of China from the contaminated water to the present and selected the New York Times, The Times, and the Guardian as examples. We could understand the changes in China's international image during the water pollution through these mainstream media reports on China. The results show that these media reports on water pollution in China mainly focused on negative public opinion, which accounted for more than 70% of the total number of reports. Western developed countries such as the United Kingdom and the United States are out of consideration for their national interests. Using mainstream media to create public opinion that is not conducive to China, advocating "neo-colonialism", "China threat theory" and other false statements, trying to limit China's influence, due to the difference in cognitive habits and the influence of British and American media hegemony also affects the country The communication and understanding between the two have brought obstacles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Postpartum depression (PPD), a perinatal mood and anxiety disorder (PMAD), is a leading cause of complications of pregnancy and childbirth. In the United States, approximately 20 percent of women suffer from PMADs. In Houston, Texas, an estimation of 12,000 – 15,000 women experience PPD each year. Within the Texas Children's Paediatrics network, a large paediatric network located in Houston, Texas, mothers are screened during paediatric well‐child visits and those screening positive receive a referral to a psychiatrist with the network. However, there are not enough psychiatrists to meet the demand of services and Black, Latina, and women on Medicaid during pregnancy are less likely to attend a psychiatric visit compared to White, non‐Hispanic women. This study used a randomised control trial design to measure the effectiveness of an alternative treatment option for a racially diverse population of postpartum women with mild to moderate symptoms of PPD, a five‐session home visitation program using the Problem‐Solving Tools for PPD (PST4PPD) model delivered by master's level social workers. The control group was allocated to standard treatment with a psychiatrist. A total of 118 women gave consent and were randomised, 72 to home visiting and 46 to psychiatry. Results demonstrated that all participating mothers had significant decreases in PPD symptoms. The change in PPD symptoms among those in the home visitation program was not significantly different from the change in the control condition, indicating that the home visitation program was as effective as psychiatric treatment in significantly reducing PPD symptoms. Additionally, a high proportion of women in the home visitation program completed visits and demonstrated increased maternal self‐efficacy. Based on these results, a short‐term home visitation program by a social worker (PST4PPD) appears to be a promising treatment option for postpartum women with mild to moderate PPD symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Motherhood increases women's use of health and social services, presenting opportunities to identify and refer women with substance use disorder (SUD) to treatment. We pooled 4 years (2015–2018) of cross‐sectional data from National Survey on Drug Use and Health on women of child‐bearing age (18–44) in the United States (n = 64,346). (1) We compared the use of services (health, social and criminal justice involvement) by SUD and 'motherhood' (pregnant or has one or more children under 18). We used multivariable logistic regression models to estimate the association between motherhood, SUD and their interaction with the use of services. (2) We estimated the association between the use of different services and SUD treatment use among women with SUD. Among women of child‐bearing age, 9.7% had SUD. Mothers who had SUD were more likely to use social services (AOR = 1.48 [95% CI: 1.22, 1.79]) and mental health services compared with non‐mothers who did not have SUD (AOR = 1.40 [95% CI: 1.19, 1.65]). The following factors were associated with increased odds of receiving SUD treatment among mothers: mental health treatment utilisation (AOR = 1.94 [95% CI: 1.29, 2.93]); Medicaid coverage (AOR = 2.48 [95% CI: 1.64, 3.76]); and criminal justice involvement (AOR = 3.38 [95% CI: 1.97, 5.80]). To increase treatment access, it is important to address women's different stages in life, including how to best engage women in SUD care across different settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Scientific meetings provide a forum to disseminate new research and advance patient care. The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS), Connective Tissue Oncology Society (CTOS), and Musculoskeletal Tumor Society (MSTS) annual meetings are examples of such gatherings in the field of musculoskeletal oncology. After a review of select MSTS abstracts from 1991 to 1999 revealed a 41% publication rate in scientific journals, previous authors cautioned meeting attendees that the majority of abstracts may not survive rigorous peer review and may not be scientifically valid. Since two decades have passed, this study reexamined publication rates and characteristics in a contemporary and expanded cohort of oncology abstracts presented at the AAOS, CTOS, and MSTS annual meetings. Methods. 1408 podium and poster abstracts from the AAOS (oncology-focused from 2013 to 2015), CTOS (2012 to 2014), and MSTS (2012 to 2014) annual meetings were reviewed to allow for a four-year publication window. Searches were performed with PubMed and Google Scholar databases to identify full-text publications using abstract keywords. Characteristics of each abstract and resulting publication were collected. Statistical analysis was performed using the chi-square and Kruskal-Wallis tests for time-independent comparisons, and the log-rank test after reverse Kaplan-Meier analysis for time-dependent comparisons. Results. Abstract publication rates overall were higher for podium presentations (67%, 280 of 415) compared to poster presentations (53%, 530 of 993; p < 0.001). When both abstract types were combined, differences between meetings did not meet statistical significance (AAOS: 65%, 106 of 162; CTOS: 57%, 521 of 909; MSTS: 54%, 183 of 337, p = 0.06). Abstracts from AAOS meetings were more often published prior to the first day of the meeting (AAOS: 24%, 25 of 106; CTOS: 10%, 52 of 521; MSTS: 14%, 25 of 183; p < 0.01). After excluding previously published abstracts, AAOS abstracts had the shortest time to publication (median: 10.8 months, interquartile range (IQR): 4.4 to 18.8 months), compared to those from CTOS (16.0 months, 8.4 to 25.9 months, p < 0.01) and MSTS (15 months, 7.9 to 25.0 months, p < 0.01) meetings. CTOS abstracts were published in higher impact journals (median: 3.7, IQR: 2.9 to 5.9), compared to those from AAOS (2.9, 1.9 to 3.2, p < 0.01) and MSTS (3.1, 2.3 to 3.1, p < 0.01) meetings. Finally, 7.7% (62 of 810) of published abstracts were presented at more than one meeting. Conclusions. Publication rates in this study were higher than previous reports in musculoskeletal oncology and comparable or better than recent reports for other orthopedic meetings. Comparisons across the AAOS, CTOS, and MSTS annual meetings highlight notable differences but suggest similarity overall in the quality of evidence presented with little overlap between meetings. Taken together, this study points to progress in the review processes used by the program committees, reaffirms the importance of critical appraisal when considering abstract findings, and supports the continued organization of multiple scientific meetings in musculoskeletal oncology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Incidence of youth‐onset diabetes in India has not been well described. Comparison of incidence, across diabetes registries, has the potential to inform hypotheses for risk factors. We sought to compare the incidence of diabetes in the U.S.‐based registry of youth onset diabetes (SEARCH) to the Registry of Diabetes with Young Age at Onset (YDR—Chennai and New Delhi regions) in India. Methods: We harmonized data from both SEARCH and YDR to the Observational Medical Outcomes Partnership (OMOP) Common Data Model. Data were from youth registered with incident diabetes (2006‐2012). Denominators were from census and membership data. We calculated diabetes incidence by averaging the total cases across the entire follow‐up period and dividing this by the estimated census population corresponding to the source population for case ascertainment. Incidence was calculated for each of the registries and compared by type and within age and sex categories using a 2‐sided, skew‐corrected inverted score test. Results: Incidence of type 1 was higher in SEARCH (21.2 cases/100 000 [95% CI: 19.9, 22.5]) than YDR (4.9 cases/100 000 [95% CI: 4.3, 5.6]). Incidence of type 2 diabetes was also higher in SEARCH (5.9 cases/100 000 [95% CI: 5.3, 6.6] in SEARCH vs 0.5/cases/100 000 [95% CI: 0.3, 0.7] in YDR). The age distribution of incident type 1 diabetes cases was similar across registries, whereas type 2 diabetes incidence was higher at an earlier age in SEARCH. Sex differences existed in SEARCH only, with a higher rate of type 2 diabetes among females. Conclusion: The incidence of youth‐onset type 1 and 2 diabetes was significantly different between registries. Additional data are needed to elucidate whether the differences observed represent diagnostic delay, differences in genetic susceptibility, or differences in distribution of risk factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To compare treatment regimens and glycosylated hemoglobin (A1c) levels in Type 1 (T1D) and Type 2 diabetes (T2D) using diabetes registries from two countries—U.S. SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth (SEARCH) and Indian Registry of youth onset diabetes in India (YDR). Methods: The SEARCH and YDR data were harmonized to the structure and terminology in the Observational Medical Outcomes Partnership Common Data Model. Data used were from T1D and T2D youth diagnosed <20 years between 2006‐2012 for YDR, and 2006, 2008, and 2012 for SEARCH. We compared treatment regimens and A1c levels across the two registries. Results: There were 4003 T1D (SEARCH = 1899; YDR = 2104) and 611 T2D (SEARCH = 384; YDR = 227) youth. The mean A1c was higher in YDR compared to SEARCH (T1D:11.0% ± 2.9% vs 7.8% ± 1.7%, P <.001; T2D:9.9% ± 2.8% vs 7.2% ± 2.1%, P <.001). Among T1D youth in SEARCH, 65.1% were on a basal/bolus regimen, whereas in YDR, 52.8% were on once/twice daily insulin regimen. Pumps were used by 16.2% of SEARCH and 1.5% of YDR youth with T1D. Among T2D youth, in SEARCH and YDR, a majority were on metformin only (43.0% vs 30.0%), followed by insulin + any oral hypoglycemic agents (26.3% vs 13.7%) and insulin only (12.8% vs 18.9%), respectively. Conclusion: We found significant differences between SEARCH and YDR in treatment patterns in T1D and T2D. A1c levels were higher in YDR than SEARCH youth, for both T1D and T2D, irrespective of the regimens used. Efforts to achieve better glycemic control for youth are urgently needed to reduce the risk of long‐term complications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The authors compared proportions and associations of depression screening, major depression, and follow-up care of Arab Americans compared to non-Hispanic whites, non-Hispanic blacks, Asians, and Hispanics.Methods: Administrative data was electronically abstracted from a large health system in metropolitan Detroit among 97,918 adult patients in 2014 and 2015. A valid and reliable surname list was used to identify Arab Americans. Using chi-squares, we examined the relationship between race/ethnicity and depression screening, major depression, and follow-up care. We calculated odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) to examine the relationship between the main independent variable of race/ethnicity and the dependent variables of depression screening and major depression while controlling for confounders.Results: Arab American women were 23% less likely to be screened for depression compared to non-Hispanic white women (OR = 0.77; 95% CI = 0.70, 0.86). The age- and sex-adjusted proportions of major depression were 5.5% for Arab Americans compared to 7.0% for Hispanics, 6.0% for non-Hispanic blacks, 5.9% for non-Hispanic whites, and 1.5% for Asians. Arab Americans with major depression were less likely to follow up with a behavioral specialist and more likely to follow up with a primary care physician compared to other racial and ethnic groups.Conclusions: Our study adds to the discourse on depression care among Arab Americans by highlighting the existing disparities related to adequate screening and appropriate management of depression. Future studies should include information about the influences of acculturation, culture, stigma, family, and religion on depression care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To examine and compare the clinical characteristics and treatment of youth with type 2 diabetes (T2D) in two registries: one in Europe and one in the United States. Methods: Youth with onset of T2D at 10 to 18 years of age with current age <20 years and an office visit after diabetes duration >1 year were identified in the European (Prospective Diabetes Follow‐up, DPV) and the United States (Pediatric Diabetes Consortium, PDC) databases. Demographic, physical and clinical characteristics and treatment at diagnosis as well as physical characteristics, treatment, laboratory data, and diabetes adverse events at most recent visit were analyzed from both registries. Results: At diagnosis, the majority were female and obese; 70% of DPV vs 34% of PDC youth were diagnosed by targeted diabetes testing. PDC youth were younger, 12 vs 13 years (P < 0.001), had a greater body mass index‐SDS, 3.07 vs 2.74 (P < 0.001), a higher hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), 9.9% vs 7.1% (P < 0.001), were more likely to present in DKA, 7.5% vs 1.3% (P < 0.001) and more likely to be treated with insulin, 62% vs 32% (P < 0.001); insulin treatment difference was not significant when adjusted for HbA1c. At follow‐up, DPV youth had shorter diabetes duration, 2.1 vs 3.2 years (P < 0.001), lower HbA1c, 6.5% vs 7.8% (P < 0.001), were less likely to be treated with insulin, 36% vs 56%, (P < 0.001), and were more likely to have dyslipidemia and hypertension than PDC youth. PDC youth had a higher rate of microalbuminuria. Conclusions: Both DPV and PDC youth have multiple risks for diabetes complications. Understanding reasons for persistently higher HbA1c in PDC youth requires further study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To assess the change in rates of pediatric real‐time or intermittent scanning continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) use over the past 5 years, and how it impacts glycemic control, data from two registries were compared: the US‐based type 1 diabetes Exchange Registry (T1DX) and the German/Austrian DPV (Prospective Diabetes Follow‐Up Registry). Methods: Registry participants aged <18 years with T1D duration ≥1 year encompassed 29 007 individuals in 2011 and 29 150 participants in 2016. Demographic data, CGM use and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) were obtained from medical records. Results: CGM use increased from 2011 to 2016 in both registries across all age groups, regardless of gender, ethnic minority status or insulin delivery method. The increase in CGM use was most pronounced in the youngest patients, and usage rates remain lowest for adolescent patients in 2016. For both registries in 2016, mean HbA1c was lower among CGM users regardless of insulin delivery method compared to pump only (P < 0.001) and injection only (P < 0.001), and CGM users were more likely to achieve glycemic target of HbA1c <7.5% (56% vs 43% for DPV and 30% vs 15% for T1DX, P < 0.001). T1DX participants had a higher mean HbA1c compared with DPV despite whether they were CGM users or non‐users; however, the difference was less pronounced in CGM users (P < 0.001). Conclusions: Pediatric CGM use increased in both registries and was associated with lower mean HbA1c regardless of insulin delivery modality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Approximately half of US service members are married, equating to 1.1 million military spouses, yet the prevalence of psychiatric morbidity among military spouses remains understudied. We assessed the prevalence and correlates of eight mental health conditions in spouses of service members with 2-5 years of service.Method: We employed baseline data from the Millennium Cohort Family Study, a 21-year longitudinal survey following 9,872 military-affiliated married couples representing all US service branches and active duty, Reserve, and National Guard components. Couples were surveyed between 2011 and 2013, a period of high military operational activity associated with Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. Primary outcomes included depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), panic, alcohol misuse, insomnia, somatization, and binge eating, all assessed with validated self-report questionnaires.Results: A total of 35.90% of military spouses met criteria for at least one psychiatric condition. The most commonly endorsed conditions were moderate-to-severe somatization symptoms (17.63%) and moderate-to-severe insomnia (15.65%). PTSD, anxiety, depression, panic, alcohol misuse, and binge eating were endorsed by 9.20%, 6.65%, 6.05%, 7.07%, 8.16%, and 5.23% of spouses, respectively. Having a partner who deployed with combat resulted in higher prevalence of anxiety, insomnia, and somatization. Spouses had lower prevalence of PTSD, alcohol misuse, and insomnia but higher rates of panic and binge eating than service members. Both members of a couple rarely endorsed having the same psychiatric problem.Conclusions: One third of junior military spouses screened positive for one or more psychiatric conditions, underscoring the need for high-quality prevention and treatment services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Suicide rates among veterans have increased markedly since the onset of Operations Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Iraqi Freedom (OIF; LeardMann et al., 2013). Identification of factors with the greatest contribution to suicide risk among veterans is needed to inform risk assessment and to identify intervention targets.Methods: This study examined predictors of suicide attempts among participants in the Veterans After-Discharge Longitudinal Registry; a nationwide cohort of OEF/OIF veterans enrolled in Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) services. Veterans with and without probable posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) were sampled at a 3:1 ratio, and male and female veterans were sampled at a 1:1 ratio. Participants (N = 1,649) were assessed at two time points, roughly 2 years apart (M = 28.74 months, SD = 8.72).Results: Seventy-four participants (4.49%) attempted suicide during the follow-up period. The strongest predictors of suicide attempts among the full sample were suicidal intent, attempt history, suicide ideation, PTSD symptoms, alcohol use disorder (AUD) symptoms, and depression. Veterans with multiple risk factors were particularly vulnerable; of veterans with 0, ≥1, ≥2, ≥3, or ≥ 4 of these risk factors, 0%, 7.81%, 10.31%, 18.45%, and 20.51% made a suicide attempt, respectively.Conclusions: This prospective study identified several strong predictors of suicide attempts among OEF/OIF veterans which may be important targets for suicide prevention efforts. Further, co-occurrence of multiple risk factors was associated with markedly greater risk for suicide attempts; veterans with multiple risk factors appear to be at the highest risk among OEF/OIF veterans enrolled in VA care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Limited data are available about the real-world safety of non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs).Objectives: To compare the major bleeding risk among newly anticoagulated non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) patients initiating apixaban, warfarin, dabigatran or rivaroxaban in the United States.Methods and Results: A retrospective cohort study was conducted to compare the major bleeding risk among newly anticoagulated NVAF patients initiating warfarin, apixaban, dabigatran or rivaroxaban. The study used the Truven MarketScan(®) Commercial & Medicare supplemental US database from 1 January 2013 through 31 December 2013. Major bleeding was defined as bleeding requiring hospitalisation. Cox model estimated hazard ratios (HRs) of major bleeding were adjusted for age, gender, baseline comorbidities and co-medications. Among 29 338 newly anticoagulated NVAF patients, 2402 (8.19%) were on apixaban; 4173 (14.22%) on dabigatran; 10 050 (34.26%) on rivaroxaban; and 12 713 (43.33%) on warfarin. After adjusting for baseline characteristics, initiation on warfarin [adjusted HR (aHR): 1.93, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.12-3.33, P=.018] or rivaroxaban (aHR: 2.19, 95% CI: 1.26-3.79, P=.005) had significantly greater risk of major bleeding vs apixaban. Dabigatran initiation (aHR: 1.71, 95% CI: 0.94-3.10, P=.079) had a non-significant major bleeding risk vs apixaban. When compared with warfarin, apixaban (aHR: 0.52, 95% CI: 0.30-0.89, P=.018) had significantly lower major bleeding risk. Patients initiating rivaroxaban (aHR: 1.13, 95% CI: 0.91-1.41, P=.262) or dabigatran (aHR: 0.88, 95% CI: 0.64-1.21, P=.446) had a non-significant major bleeding risk vs warfarin.Conclusion: Among newly anticoagulated NVAF patients in the real-world setting, initiation with rivaroxaban or warfarin was associated with a significantly greater risk of major bleeding compared with initiation on apixaban. When compared with warfarin, initiation with apixaban was associated with significantly lower risk of major bleeding. Additional observational studies are required to confirm these findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Heightened startle response is a symptom of PTSD, but evidence for exaggerated startle in PTSD is inconsistent. This prospective study aimed to clarify whether altered startle reactivity represents a trait risk-factor for developing PTSD or a marker of current PTSD symptoms.Methods: Marines and Navy Corpsmen were assessed before (n = 2,571) and after (n = 1,632) deployments to Iraq or Afghanistan with the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS). A predeployment startle-threshold task was completed with startle probes presented over 80-114 dB[A] levels. Latent class mixture modeling identified three growth classes of startle performance: "high," "low," and "moderate" threshold classes. Zero-inflated negative binomial regression was used to assess relationships between predeployment startle threshold and pre- and postdeployment psychiatric symptoms.Results: At predeployment, the low-threshold class had higher PTSD symptom scores. Relative to the moderate-threshold class, low-threshold class membership was associated with decreased likelihood of being symptom-free at predeployment, based on CAPS, with particular associations with numbing and hyperarousal subscales, whereas high-threshold class membership was associated with more severe predeployment PTSD symptoms, in particular avoidance. Associations between low-threshold membership and CAPS symptoms were independent from measures of trauma burden, whereas associations between high-threshold membership and CAPS were not. Predeployment startle threshold did not predict postdeployment symptoms.Conclusions: This study found that both low startle threshold (heightened reactivity) and high startle threshold (blunted reactivity) were associated with greater current PTSD symptomatology, suggesting that startle reactivity is associated with current PTSD rather than a risk marker for developing PTSD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: Hyponatraemia (HN) is the most common electrolyte balance disorder in clinical practice. Since the 1970s, demeclocycline has been used in some countries to treat chronic HN secondary to syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion (SIADH). The precise mechanism of action of demeclocycline is unclear, but has been linked to the induction of nephrogenic diabetes insipidus. Furthermore, the safety profile of demeclocycline is variable with an inconsistent time to onset, and a potential for complications. There has been no systematic evaluation of the use of demeclocycline for the treatment of HN secondary to SIADH to date. A systematic literature review was performed to obtain an insight into the clinical safety and efficacy of demeclocycline for this condition.Methods: Embase(™) , MEDLINE(®) , MEDLINE(®) In-Process, and The Cochrane Library were searched on two occasions using MeSH terms combined with free-text terms. References were screened by two independent reviewers. Relevant publications were then extracted by two independent reviewers, with a third reviewer collating and finalising extractions.Results: The searches returned a total of 705 hits. 632 abstracts were screened after the removal of duplicates. Following screening, 35 full-length publications were reviewed. Of these, 17 were excluded, resulting in 18 studies deemed relevant for data extraction. Two were randomised controlled trials (RCTs), 16 were non-RCTs, and 10 were case reports.Discussion: Although most reports suggest that demeclocycline can address serum sodium levels in specific patients with HN, efficacy is variable, and may depend upon the underlying aetiology. Demeclocycline dose adjustments can be complex, and as its use in clinical practice is not well defined, it can differ between healthcare professionals.Conclusion: There is a lack of clinical and economic evidence supporting the use of demeclocycline for HN secondary to SIADH. Patients receiving demeclocycline for HN secondary to SIADH must be closely monitored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Both antenatal and postpartum depression have adverse, lasting effects on maternal and child well-being. Socioeconomically disadvantaged women are at increased risk for perinatal depression and have experienced difficulty accessing evidence-based depression care. The authors evaluated whether "MOMCare,"a culturally relevant, collaborative care intervention, providing a choice of brief interpersonal psychotherapy and/or antidepressants, is associated with improved quality of care and depressive outcomes compared to intensive public health Maternity Support Services (MSS-Plus).Methods: A randomized multisite controlled trial with blinded outcome assessment was conducted in the Seattle-King County Public Health System. From January 2010 to July 2012, pregnant women were recruited who met criteria for probable major depression and/or dysthymia, English-speaking, had telephone access, and ≥18 years old. The primary outcome was depression severity at 3-, 6-, 12-, 18-month postbaseline assessments; secondary outcomes included functional improvement, PTSD severity, depression response and remission, and quality of depression care.Results: All participants were on Medicaid and 27 years old on average; 58% were non-White; 71% were unmarried; and 65% had probable PTSD. From before birth to 18 months postbaseline, MOMCare (n = 83) compared to MSS-Plus participants (n = 85) attained significantly lower levels of depression severity (Wald's χ(2) = 6.09, df = 1, P = .01) and PTSD severity (Wald's χ(2) = 4.61, df = 1, P = .04), higher rates of depression remission (Wald's χ(2) = 3.67, df = 1, P = .05), and had a greater likelihood of receiving ≥4 mental health visits (Wald's χ(2) = 58.23, df = 1, P < .0001) and of adhering to antidepressants in the prior month (Wald's χ(2) = 10.00, df = 1, P < .01).Conclusion: Compared to MSS-Plus, MOMCare showed significant improvement in quality of care, depression severity, and remission rates from before birth to 18 months postbaseline for socioeconomically disadvantaged women. Findings suggest that evidence-based perinatal depression care can be integrated into the services of a county public health system in the United States.Clinical Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.govNCT01045655. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To evaluate the impact of robotic-assisted percutaneous coronary intervention (RA-PCI) versus manual PCI (M-PCI) on the incidence of Longitudinal Geographic Miss (LGM).Background: The safety and feasibility of RA-PCI has been established in preclinical animal trials and human clinical trials. Patients with LGM have been shown to have worse clinical outcomes including significantly increased incidences of MACE.Methods: Patients with significant coronary artery disease underwent RA-PCI in the PRECISE study (n=164) and standard M-PCI in the STLLR trial (n = 1,509). Longitudinal geographic miss was defined as cases where the entire length of the injured or stenotic segment was not fully covered by the total length of the stent. The incidence of LGM was compared between RA-PCI and M-PCI cohorts.Results: The RA-PCI cohort had a significantly greater prevalence of previous MI, previous coronary revascularization, and unstable angina. The robotic cohort exhibited a lower incidence of LGM when compared to the M-PCI patients, 12.2% to 43.1%, respectively (P < 0.0001). To account for the differences in baseline characteristics between the two studies, a propensity score analysis was conducted. The propensity modeling showed similar rates of LGM in both a larger group of patients that met key PRECISE study inclusion/exclusion criteria adjusted for propensity score (9.3% vs 55.0%; P < 0.0001) and in a smaller, matched on propensity score, subset of patients (10.3% vs 64.1%; P < 0.0001).Conclusion: Robotic-assisted PCI had significantly lower incidence of LGM compared to standard M-PCI. Reducing LGM potentially improves long-term clinical outcomes through reduction in MACE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the past decade, many community task forces have formed to address hoarding problems that come to public attention. Such task forces provide a societal-level intervention to assist people with the most severe cases of hoarding, who do not voluntarily seek or want help for their hoarding behaviour. This qualitative study of five U.S. hoarding task forces included sites selected for their diversity of purpose, approaches to hoarding intervention and community geography, composition and resources. Data were collected during the period of September 2007-March 2008. The case study methodology used multiple forms of data, including semi-structured interviews, analysis of documents, small group interviews and investigator observation. This study captured the perspectives of public and private sector service providers such as mental health, housing, social service, public health agencies and community enforcement organisations (fire, police, legal, animal control) to examine how task forces organise and operate and the emerging practice and policy changes. Study findings suggest that structural factors (e.g. leadership, purpose, funding and membership) impact hoarding task force viability, that participation on a task force influences practice and policy decisions about hoarding, and that social work can expand its role in task force leadership. Task forces may be a mechanism for improving community policies about hoarding and mechanisms for addressing other social problems across multiple sectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Papastavrou E., Efstathiou G., Acaroglu R., da Luz M.D.A., Berg A., Idvall E., Kalafati M., Kanan N., Katajisto J., Leino-Kilpi H., Lemonidou C., Sendir M., Sousa V.D. & Suhonen R. (2012) Journal of Nursing Management 20, 236-248 A seven country comparison of nurses' perceptions of their professional practice environment Aims To describe and compare nurses' perceptions of their professional practice environment in seven countries. Background There is evidence of variation in the nursing professional practice environments internationally. These different work environments affect nurses' ability to perform and are linked to differing nurse and patient outcomes. Methods A descriptive, comparative survey was used to collect data from orthopaedic and trauma nurses ( n = 1156) in Finland, Cyprus, Greece, Portugal, Sweden, Turkey and Kansas, USA using the 39-item Revised Professional Practice Environment instrument. Results Differences were found between participants from the northern countries of Europe, Kansas, USA, and the Mediterranean countries regarding perceptions about control over practice. No between-country differences were reported in the internal work motivation among the nurses from any of the participating countries. Conclusions Although between-country differences in nurses' professional practice environment were found, difficulties related to demographic, cultural and health system differences and the way in which nursing is defined in each country need to be considered in the interpretation of the results. Implications for Nursing Management The results support investment to improve nurse's work environment, which is important for improving the quality of patient care, optimizing patient outcomes and developing the nursing workforce. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]