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Copyright of Population & Economics / Renkou yu Jingji is the property of Capital University of Economics & Business and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Abstract Objective Examining the distribution of breast cancer (BC) stage and molecular subtype among women aged below ( 65 years) the recommended screening age range helps to understand the screening program's characteristics and contributes to enhancing the effectiveness of BC screening programs. Methods In this retrospective study, female patients with newly diagnosed BC from 2010 to 2020 were identified. The distribution of cases in terms of TNM stages, severity classes, and subtypes was analysed according to age groups. Results A total of 3282 women diagnosed with BC were included in the analysis. Among these cases 51.4% were detected outside the screening age group, and these were characterized by a higher TNM stage compared to those diagnosed within the screening age band. We observed significantly higher relative frequency of advanced BC in the older age group compared to both the screening age population and women younger than 45 years (14.9% vs. 8.7% and 7.7%, P

Objective: Examining the distribution of breast cancer (BC) stage and molecular subtype among women aged below (< 45 years), within (45–65 years), and above (> 65 years) the recommended screening age range helps to understand the screening program's characteristics and contributes to enhancing the effectiveness of BC screening programs. Methods: In this retrospective study, female patients with newly diagnosed BC from 2010 to 2020 were identified. The distribution of cases in terms of TNM stages, severity classes, and subtypes was analysed according to age groups. Results: A total of 3282 women diagnosed with BC were included in the analysis. Among these cases 51.4% were detected outside the screening age group, and these were characterized by a higher TNM stage compared to those diagnosed within the screening age band. We observed significantly higher relative frequency of advanced BC in the older age group compared to both the screening age population and women younger than 45 years (14.9% vs. 8.7% and 7.7%, P < 0.001). HR−/HER2− and HER+ tumours were relatively more frequent among women under age 45 years (HR−/HER2−: 23.6%, HER2+: 20.5%) compared to those within the screening age range (HR−/HER2−: 13.4%, HER2+: 13.9%) and the older age group (HR−/HER2−: 10.4%, HER2+: 11.5%). Conclusions: The findings of our study shed light on potential areas for the improvement of BC screening programs (e.g., extending screening age group, adjusting screening frequency based on molecular subtype risk status) in Hungary and internationally, as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Birth cohorts are valuable resources for studying early life, the determinants of health, disease, and development. They are essential for studying life course. Dynamic longitudinal electronic cohorts use routinely collected data, are live, and can reduce selection bias specifically associated with direct recruitment in traditional birth cohorts. However, they are limited to health and administrative data and may lack contextual information. The MIREDA (Mother and Infant Research Electronic Data Analysis) partnership creates a UK-wide birth cohort by aligning existing electronic birth cohorts to have the same structure, content, and vocabularies, enabling UK-wide federated analyses. Objectives 1) Create a core dynamic, live UK-wide electronic birth cohort with approximately 500,000 new births per year using a common data model (CDM). 2) Provide data linkage and automation for long-term follow up of births from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD), MuM-PreDiCT and the `Born in' initiatives of Bradford, Wales, Scotland, and South London for comparable analyses. Methods We will establish core data content and collate linkable data. A suite of extraction, transformation, and load (ETL) tools will be used to transform data for each birth cohort into the CDM. Transformed datasets will remain within each cohort's trusted research environment (TRE). Metadata will be uploaded for the public to the Health Data Research (HDRUK) Innovation Gateway. We will develop a single online data access request for researchers. A cohort profile will be developed for researchers to reference the resource. Ethics Each cohort has approval from their TRE through compliance with their project application processes and information governance. Dissemination We will engage with researchers in the field to promote our resource through partnership networking, publication, research collaborations, conferences, social media, and marketing communications strategies.

Abstract Tandem repeat genetic profiles used in forensic applications varies between populations. Despite the diversity and security issues in the Sahel that require the identification of victims (soldiers and civilians), Burkina Faso (BF) remains understudied. To fill this information gap, 396 unrelated individuals from BF were genotyped using a MICROREADER 21 ID System kit. All 20 short tandem repeat (STR) loci tested passed the Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium (HWE) test. The combined powers of exclusion for duos (CPE duos) and trios (CPE trios) for the 20 tested loci were 0.9999998 and 0.9999307, respectively. The probability that two individuals would share the same DNA profiles among the BF population was 9.80898 × 10–26. For the X-chromosome STR analysis, 292 individuals were included in this study using a MICROREADER 19X Direct ID System kit. Among the 19 loci, no significant deviations from HWE test were observed in female samples after Bonferroni correction (p

This study draw evidence from the distribution of COVID-19 palliatives in Nigeria to examine the vitality of population data in resource allocation in Nigeria. The social ecological model of Bronfenbrenner was adopted in this study on the tenets that an individual’s development is influenced by a series of interconnected environmental systems. In-depth interview was adopted to collect data from sixty respondents: Academic staff [N = 15] from three federal Universities in the South-Eastern Nigeria, Palliative Distribution Officials [N = 15], and Residents of the Southeast Region [N = 30]. Thematic analytic method was employed. The findings of the study show that population data in Nigeria is problematic. Most population data in Nigeria are not complete and reliable. This results from the negative attitude of the people and the manipulation of population data for political gains. It was found that it was difficult for the government to utilise the available population data in the distribution of Covid-19 palliatives. Thus, Nigerians did not feel the desired impact of Covid-19 palliatives as most of the people that were supposed to get the palliatives were systematically omitted. We recommend that distribution of social welfare packages can only make a reasonable impact when there is reliable population data.

The Results Analysis Base of Navarre (BARDENA) is a population data warehouse in Spain that provides access to health care decision makers and researchers. It integrates individual-level information from 97% of the Navarre population, including administrative, sociodemographic, geographical, clinical, and other data. BARDENA is a comprehensive resource that includes modules such as the Population Information System, primary care information, pharmaceutical data, hospital medical records, laboratory data, and vaccination information. It has been used for various research projects and studies, and is interoperable with national and international databases. However, access to BARDENA requires approval from an ethical research committee, and there are limitations related to data completeness and accuracy. Data visualization and mining tools are available for analysis. [Extracted from the article]

The development of complete mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) reference data for inclusion in publicly available population databases is currently underway, and the generation of more high-quality mitogenomes will only enhance the statistical power of this forensically useful locus. To characterize mitogenome variation in Sweden, the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) reads from the SweGen whole genome sequencing (WGS) dataset were analyzed. To overcome the interference from low-frequency nuclear mtDNA segments (NUMTs), a 10% variant frequency threshold was applied for the analysis. In total, 934 forensic-quality mitogenome haplotypes were characterized. Almost 45% of the SweGen haplotypes belonged to haplogroup H. Nearly all mitogenome haplotypes (99.1%) were assigned to European haplogroups, which was expected based on previous mtDNA studies of the Swedish population. There were signature northern Swedish and Finnish haplogroups observed in the dataset (e.g., U5b1, W1a), consistent with the nuclear DNA analyses of the SweGen data. The complete mitogenome analysis resulted in high haplotype diversity (0.9996) with a random match probability of 0.15%. Overall, the SweGen mitogenomes provide a large mtDNA reference dataset for the Swedish population and also contribute to the effort to estimate global mitogenome haplotype frequencies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For Pacific children in Aotearoa New Zealand under 20 years of age, this study investigates whether parental education is protective in terms of hospitalisations. For 139,686 Pacific and 659,055 other (non-Māori/non-Pacific) children, a population data extract for them and their parents was used from linked 2013 Census, health and demographic data. Binary indicators of incidence of hospitalisations between 1 March 2013 and 28 February 2018 were analysed using modified Poisson regression models with robust standard errors. The highest parental educational level of either parent ranged from 0 indicating no qualification and increased incrementally to 10 signifying a PhD. Over the study period, 1% of Pacific children were hospitalised in private hospitals and 24% with a potentially avoidable hospitalisation. Highest parental education level was protective for Pacific children, with a single level in parental qualification associated with a small but significantly lower risk of potentially avoidable hospitalisation (RR = 0.97, p < 0.0001), but a higher risk of private hospitalisation (RR = 1.25, p < 0.0001). This finding remained significant, independent from the contribution of increased socioeconomic benefits that accompanied improved education. These findings support ongoing Pacific focused initiatives for promoting continuing education as an investment for the future health of Pacific families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Tibetan people are ancient and populous, constituting the seventh-largest of the fifty-five ethnic minority groups in China. The Ngawa Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture (NTQAP), situated on the border of northwest and southwest China, has its distinct group relationships. Short tandem repeat (STR) is extremely polymorphic and extensively used in the application of forensic medicine and population genetics. However, it is not clear the genetic information including linkage disequilibrium (LD) by 36 autosomal STR (A-STR) markers in the Tibetan group from NTQAP. The Tibetan population from NTQAP of southwest China was examined for 36 A-STR loci in the research. Every marker across the 36 A-STR loci was consistent with Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium (HWE). The results of the calculation revealed that the total discrimination power (TDP) is 1–2.2552 × 10−42 and the cumulative probability of exclusion (CPE) is 1–1.3031 × 10−16. Subsequently, a total of 345 alleles with allelic frequencies ranging from 0.00382 to 0.55343 were identified, and the allelic numbers varied from 5 in both the TH01 and TPOX markers to 28 in the SE33 locus. The Ngawa Tibetan population, along with other Chinese populations, exhibited influences from historical factors and regional distribution, as indicated by the results of population genetics analysis. We thus first explored the genetic characteristics and correlated forensic parameters of the 36 A-STR markers in NTQAP to fill the gap in the Tibetan population. It was discovered that these 36 autosomal STR markers supplemented forensic STR databases and offered extremely valuable polymorphisms for Chinese forensic applications, such as parentage testing and personal identification. Moreover, the study would contribute additional information regarding the substructure and diversity in the Chinese population.

Short tandem repeat (STR) markers are commonly used in forensic investigations and kinship testing due to their cost-effectiveness and high discriminatory power. In the United Kingdom, STR allele frequency databases are available for different population groups, including the White group, which includes individuals of both English and Irish ethnicity. However, considering differences in historical migrations and influences between England and Ireland, distinct genetic differences might exist between these populations. This study aimed to generate allele frequency data for English and Irish populations using the VeriFiler Express PCR Amplification Kit, which contains loci utilised in national databases. Buccal swabs were collected from 577 English and 500 Irish volunteers with self-proclaimed English and Irish ethnicity respectively. DNA profiling and statistical analyses were performed to assess allele frequencies and forensic parameters, and to perform population comparisons. The results showed minimal genetic differentiation (Fst = 0.0013) between the English and Irish populations. Comparison with other European populations revealed close genetic relationships between the English population and Scandinavian countries, while the Irish population displayed closer genetic links to Western European countries. These findings support historical influences such as Viking migrations and highlight the need for further research using additional markers to explore the genetic makeup and history of the English and Irish populations. Although a single allele frequency database may be suitable due to the observed genetic similarity, the establishment of separate databases should be considered to ensure maximum population representation.

Predicted loss of function (pLoF) variants are often highly deleterious and play an important role in disease biology, but many pLoF variants may not result in loss of function (LoF). Here we present a framework that advances interpretation of pLoF variants in research and clinical settings by considering three categories of LoF evasion: (1) predicted rescue by secondary sequence properties, (2) uncertain biological relevance, and (3) potential technical artifacts. We also provide recommendations on adjustments to ACMG/AMP guidelines' PVS1 criterion. Applying this framework to all high-confidence pLoF variants in 22 genes associated with autosomal-recessive disease from the Genome Aggregation Database (gnomAD v.2.1.1) revealed predicted LoF evasion or potential artifacts in 27.3% (304/1,113) of variants. The major reasons were location in the last exon, in a homopolymer repeat, in a low proportion expressed across transcripts (pext) scored region, or the presence of cryptic in-frame splice rescues. Variants predicted to evade LoF or to be potential artifacts were enriched for ClinVar benign variants. PVS1 was downgraded in 99.4% (162/163) of pLoF variants predicted as likely not LoF/not LoF, with 17.2% (28/163) downgraded as a result of our framework, adding to previous guidelines. Variant pathogenicity was affected (mostly from likely pathogenic to VUS) in 20 (71.4%) of these 28 variants. This framework guides assessment of pLoF variants beyond standard annotation pipelines and substantially reduces false positive rates, which is key to ensure accurate LoF variant prediction in both a research and clinical setting. [Display omitted] Our study demonstrates that 27.3% of heterozygous predicted loss-of-function (pLoF) gnomAD variants, in genes associated with autosomal-recessive disease, might not undergo nonsense-mediated decay due to suspected evasion. We provide guidance on how to advance pLoF interpretation in both research and clinical settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Environmental & Social Management Journal / Revista de Gestão Social e Ambiental is the property of Environmental & Social Management Journal and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The Han nationality is an ancient and populous people, and different places in China may have their distinct group relationships. Luzhou area, as a crossroads of several provinces in Southwest China, lacks autosomal short tandem repeat (STR) research and population genetics research. In this study, 21 autosomal STR loci were evaluated in 1959 Han-Chinese individuals from Luzhou area. There was no substantial linkage disequilibrium (LD) among the 21 autosomal STR markers, and all markers were in Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium (HWE). The total discrimination power (TDP) and cumulative probability of exclusion (CPE) of the 21 autosomal STR loci were calculated to be 1–9.8505 × 10−16 and 1–1.9406 × 10−9, respectively. There were 333 alleles for 21 STRs with allelic frequencies ranging from 0.00026 to 0.51302, and the number of alleles ranged from 7 in locus TPOX to 29 in locus Penta E. According to the results of population comparison and population differentiation, historical influences, geographical distribution, cultural integration, and economic development may have an impact on the Luzhou Han population and other Chinese populations. These 21 STR loci were found to enrich autosomal STR information in forensic databases and provide highly informative polymorphisms for our forensic practice in China, including personal identification and parentage testing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OpenStreetMap (OSM) is an essential source for acquiring building data, although such data may suffer from quality issues. Many studies have focused on assessing OSM building data quality but few have been carried out on a global scale. This study aims to assess OSM building completeness (a quality measure) for 12,975 cities across the globe. This was achieved by employing population grid data as a proxy for reference building data. Not only the completeness of each city but also that of the grids within that city was assessed. The assessment results were evaluated based on calculating the overall accuracy and the r-square value between estimated and reference OSM building completeness values. Results showed that for 75% of cities, the completeness is lower than 20%; no more than 9% of cities have an estimated completeness higher than 80%. The overall accuracies of most countries were higher than 80%. The estimated completeness was also highly correlated with the reference completeness, which verifies the effectiveness of our approach. These results may be useful for acquiring and updating building data in OSM. A global and open dataset related to OSM building completeness has been made available for public use.

Background The Va (also called “Wa”) people are an ethnic minority living mainly in the southwest of Yunnan Province Aim This study was conducted to obtain the genetic information and forensic statistical parameters of 15 autosomal short tandem repeat (STR) loci included in the AmpFlSTR®Identifiler™ kit (Applied Biosystems, Foster City, CA) in the Yunnan Va population, with a view to enriching the genetic databases of the Chinese Va population. Subjects and methods A total of 508 unrelated Chinese Va individuals were genotyped with this 15 STR kit, the genetic polymorphisms and associated forensic parameters were calculated. The genetic relationships between Chinese Va and 26 other Chinese populations were also evaluated. Results All of the STR loci reached the Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium after Bonferroni correction. A total of 159 alleles were observed with allele frequencies ranging from 0.000984 to 0.606299. The combined discrimination power (CDP) and the cumulative probability of excluding (CPE) of the 15 STR loci were 0.999 999 999 999 999 988 126 and 0.999 995 734, respectively. Our results indicated that the geographically adjacent or ethnically close populations showed a higher genetic affinity. Conclusions The results of this study will enrich the forensic databases of the Chinese Va population and could be applied in forensic analysis.

Background: The Life-Space Assessment (LSA) can compliment traditional physical performance measures of mobility by accounting for the interaction between individuals and their environment. However, there are no studies that have generated percentile curves showing sex-stratified reference values in a large population-based sample of community-dwelling adults, making its interpretation difficult. Therefore, this study aimed to establish sex-stratified reference values for the LSA in middle-aged and older Canadians. Methods: Baseline data for participants aged 45–84 years old from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA) were used (n = 22,154). Quantile regression was used to estimate specific percentiles, with age as the independent variable and LSA scores as the dependent variable. Models were run for the whole sample, then separately for males and females. The models were cross-validated to assess their reliability. CLSA inflation and analytic weights were applied. Results: On average, the sample was 62.5 ± 10.0 y.o. (51.1% males), with a weighted mean LSA score of 89.2 ± 17.0. There was also a decrease in LSA scores with age, where scores were lower for older age groups compared to younger groups, and LSA scores were lower for females relative to males. Discussion and conclusions: Reference data will aid in interpreting, comparing, and making inferences related to LSA scores obtained in clinical and research settings for Canadian adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most advanced technologies for the treatment of type 1 diabetes, such as sensor-pump integrated systems or the artificial pancreas, require accurate glucose predictions on a given future time-horizon as a basis for decision-making support systems. Seasonal stochastic models are data-driven algebraic models that use recent history data and periodic trends to accurately estimate time series data, such as glucose concentration in diabetes. These models have been proven to be a good option to provide accurate blood glucose predictions under free-living conditions. These models can cope with patient variability under variable-length time-stamped daily events in supervision and control applications. However, the seasonal-models-based framework usually needs of several months of data per patient to be fed into the system to adequately train a personalized glucose predictor for each patient. In this work, an in silico analysis of the accuracy of prediction is presented, considering the effect of training a glucose predictor with data from a cohort of patients (population) instead of data from a single patient (individual). Feasibility of population data as an input to the model is asserted, and the effect of the dataset size in the determination of the minimum amount of data for a valid training of the models is studied. Results show that glucose predictors trained with population data can provide predictions of similar magnitude as those trained with individualized data. Overall median root mean squared error (RMSE) (including 25% and 75% percentiles) for the predictor trained with population data are { 6.96 [ 4.87 , 8.67 ] , 12.49 [ 7.96 , 14.23 ] , 19.52 [ 10.62 , 23.37 ] , 28.79 [ 12.96 , 34.57 ] , 32.3 [ 16.20 , 41.59 ] , 28.8 [ 15.13 , 37.18 ] } mg/dL, for prediction horizons (PH) of { 15 , 30 , 60 , 120 , 180 , 240 } min, respectively, while the baseline of the individually trained RMSE results are { 6.37 [ 5.07 , 6.70 ] , 11.27 [ 8.35 , 12.65 ] , 17.44 [ 11.08 , 20.93 ] , 22.72 [ 14.29 , 28.19 ] , 28.45 [ 14.79 , 34.38 ] , 25.58 [ 13.10 , 36.60 ] } mg/dL, both training with 16 weeks of data. Results also show that the use of the population approach reduces the required training data by half, without losing any prediction capability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: This paper states that although numerous new drugs are available for breast cancer, no population benefit is shown from the year 2000 on. It urges the oncological community to revise the "drug approach strategy" in daily practice and pay more attention to early detection and prevention. Background: Breast cancer treatment has seen tremendous progress since the early 1980s, with the first findings of new chemotherapy and hormone therapies. Screening started in the same period. Methods: A review of population data (SEER and the literature) shows an increase in recurrence-free survival until 2000 and it stagnates afterwards. Results: Over the period 1980-2000, the 15% survival gain was presented by pharma as a contribution of new molecules. The contribution of screening during that same period was not implemented by them, although screening has been accepted as a routine procedure in the States since the 1980s and everywhere else since 2000. Conclusions: Interpretation of breast cancer outcome has largely focused on drugs, whereas other factors, such as screening, prevention, biologics, and genetics, were largely neglected. More attention should now be paid to examining the strategy based on realistic global data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Targeted interventions for suicide prevention rely on adequate identification of groups at elevated risk. Several risk factors for suicide are known, but little is known about the interactions between risk factors. Interactions between risk factors may aid in detecting more specific sub-populations at higher risk. Methods: Here, we use a novel machine learning heuristic to detect sub-populations at ultra high-risk for suicide based on interacting risk factors. The data-driven and hypothesis-free model is applied to investigate data covering the entire population of the Netherlands. Findings: We found three sub-populations with extremely high suicide rates (i.e. >50 suicides per 100,000 person years, compared to 12/100,000 in the general population), namely: (1) people on unfit for work benefits that were never married, (2) males on unfit for work benefits, and (3) those aged 55–69 who live alone, were never married and have a relatively low household income. Additionally, we found two sub-populations where the rate was higher than expected based on individual risk factors alone: widowed males, and people aged 25–39 with a low level of education. Interpretation: Our model is effective at finding ultra-high risk groups which can be targeted using sub-population level interventions. Additionally, it is effective at identifying high-risk groups that would not be considered risk groups based on conventional risk factor analysis.

Simple Summary: Ovarian cancer survival in the UK is poorer than other similar countries. Results from the National Ovarian Cancer Audit Feasibility Pilot (OCAFP) showed that approximately 1 in 4 women with advanced stage ovarian cancer (greater than Stage 2) do not receive any anti-cancer treatment and that only 51% will receive both surgery and chemotherapy in England. The audit also showed that the proportions of women receiving treatment varies a lot across different areas in England. In response, a multidisciplinary team from the British Gynaecological cancer society has established Quality performance indicators that can be evaluated regularly using routinely collected data and will help improve cancer outcomes. Ovarian cancer survival in the UK lags behind comparable countries. Results from the ongoing National Ovarian Cancer Audit feasibility pilot (OCAFP) show that approximately 1 in 4 women with advanced ovarian cancer (Stage 2, 3, 4 and unstaged cancer) do not receive any anticancer treatment and only 51% in England receive international standard of care treatment, i.e., the combination of surgery and chemotherapy. The audit has also demonstrated wide variation in the percentage of women receiving anticancer treatment for advanced ovarian cancer, be it surgery or chemotherapy across the 19 geographical regions for organisation of cancer delivery (Cancer Alliances). Receipt of treatment also correlates with survival: 5 year Cancer survival varies from 28.6% to 49.6% across England. Here, we take a systems wide approach encompassing both diagnostic pathways and cancer treatment, derived from the whole cohort of women with ovarian cancer to set out recommendations and quality performance indicators (QPI). A multidisciplinary panel established by the British Gynaecological Cancer Society carefully identified QPI against criteria: metrics selected were those easily evaluable nationally using routinely available data and where there was a clear evidence base to support interventions. These QPI will be valuable to other taxpayer funded systems with national data collection mechanisms and are to our knowledge the only population level data derived standards in ovarian cancer. We also identify interventions for Best practice and Research recommendations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid progress of digital transformation underscores the critical need for robust personal data protection as a guarantee of individual rights, particularly to address the prevalent issues of data leakage and misuse, including population data. This need aligns with Article 28 G of the 1945 Constitution, which is actualized through the provision of access to population data for verification purposes to both state and private institutions. Additionally, data users are mandated to adhere to a Zero Data Sharing Policy that strictly prohibits the dissemination or sharing of population data with third parties. However, challenges persist due to limited legal protections concerning personal data classifications and the delineation of authority between data owners and users, highlighting the urgent need for comprehensive personal data protection legislation. Furthermore, the establishment of an Independent Surveillance Authority is essential to ensure effective regulation enforcement. This Authority's roles and powers would align with government efforts to protect population data and be guided by the standards set forth in the European Union General Data Protection Regulation (EU GDPR). Its independent status is crucial to prevent undue influence from parties with vested interests. Functionally, such an authority would enhance the effectiveness of the Zero Data Sharing Policy through its capacity to conduct investigations and enforce collective rights, thus ensuring the protection of human rights. This research employs normative legal research, utilizing legislation and literature reviews alongside descriptive analysis with a deductive approach to manage qualitative data, concluding that legal protections must be bolstered by optimal oversight through an established Independent Surveillance Authority.

Padasuka Sub-region in Cimenyan District, Bandung Regency tries to give populace organization and common enlistment administrations to the local area as per the standards of the Service Standard Guidelines. To work on the nature of administration, it is important to have an assistance framework in the kelurahan so it can work with the presentation of specialist co-ops in sub-district and further develop the help nature of the mechanical assembly into a modernized framework and work with information assortment/chronicling of populace organization. information. The subsequent framework can be utilized to perform automated information assortment

Abstract Background Previous work has demonstrated that cannabis laws have had a disproportionate impact on Māori, the Indigenous people of Aotearoa New Zealand. In 2019, the New Zealand Government amended cannabis laws, providing police with the power to determine whether a therapeutic or health-centred approach would be more beneficial than a conviction. In the current study, we use population level data to assess whether this law change has ameliorated the bias in cannabis convictions for Māori. Methods Data were drawn from the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI), a large government database hosted by Aotearoa New Zealand’s national statistics office. In the IDI, we selected individuals who (1) were between 18 and 65, (2) were Māori or Pākehā (New Zealanders of European descent) and, (3) had any cannabis charges that proceeded to the courts. Results Māori ethnicity was a significant predictor of the odds of receiving a cannabis conviction for Māori males (Odds: 1.56), with a marginally significant effect for Māori females (Odds: 1.57). Further, for Māori, there was no reduction in the number of cannabis charges before vs. after the amendment to cannabis laws. Conclusion The current study demonstrates that the bias in cannabis convictions for Māori remain. Given this, the New Zealand Government must follow other countries around the world and move forward on cannabis law reform.

There has been a recent emphasis to establish and codify large-scale or national Trusted Research Environments (TREs) in the United Kingdom, with a view to limit smaller, local TREs. The basis for this argument is that it avoids duplication of infrastructure, information governance, privacy risks, monopolies and will promote innovation, particularly with commercial partners. However, the work around establishing TREs in the UK largely ignores the long-established local TRE landscape in Scotland, and the way in which local TREs can actually improve data quality, solve technical architecture challenges, promote information governance and risk minimisation, and encourage innovation and collaboration (both academic and commercial). This data centre profile focuses on the Grampian Data Safe Haven (DaSH),a secure, virtual healthcare data analysis and storage centre located in Aberdeen, Scotland. DaSH was co-established by the NHS Grampian Health Board and University of Aberdeen to allow for the secure processing and linking of health data for the Grampian and Scottish population when it is not practicable to obtain consent from individual patients. As an established trusted research environment now in its 10th operating year, DaSH technology ensures healthcare, social care data and other types of sensitive data, routinely collected and used without individual patient consent, are made accessible for both academic research and clinical service evaluation and improvements whilst protecting individuals' privacy at the local, national and international levels. DaSH has registered almost 600 projects and facilitated over 200 distinct research projects with data hosting, extraction, and novel linkages to completion. Ongoing innovation and collaboration between DaSH and the NHS Grampian Health Board continues to expand researcher access to new types of data and data linkages, introduce new technologies for advanced statistical research methods, and supports interdisciplinary research using population health and social care data for research, clinical and commercial advancements, and real-world practitioner applications. The purpose of this paper is to present DaSH's data population, operating model, architecture and information technology, governance, legislation and management, privacy-by-design principles and data access, data linkage methods, data sources, noteworthy research outputs, and further developments in order to demonstrate the value of local TREs within the data management and access debate.

Background There remain ongoing racial and ethnic disparities in care and outcomes among stroke patients treated in the United States. However, length of stay and inpatient charges warrant further evaluation. Methods The 2019 Nationwide Emergency Department Sample, which includes data from roughly 20% of US emergency departments, was queried for patients with cerebral infarction. Multivariable logistic regression was used to estimate the odds of prolonged length of hospital stay (>75th percentile) and inpatient charges among various race andethnic groups, including income and insurance status, age, modified Charlson Comorbidity Index, vascular risk factors, and delivery of thrombolysis and thrombectomy. Results Of 617 946 estimated patients with acute ischemic stroke, 398 661 (65.5%) were >65 years, and 386 096 (63.5%) were Medicare beneficiaries. Lower income and Medicaid or self‐pay status were more commonly observed in Black and Hispanic versus White patients (P0.05). Prolonged length of stay was also associated with Medicaid (versus Medicare), higher modified Charlson Comorbidity Index, thrombolysis, and thrombectomy (P

Aim: This systematic review aimed to identify the most important social, environmental, biological, and/or genetic risk factors for intellectual disability (ID). Methods: Eligible were published prospective or retrospective comparative studies investigating risk factors for ID in children 4–18 years. Exclusions were single group studies with no comparator without ID and a sample size <100. Electronic databases (Medline, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, PsycInfo, Campbell Collaboration, and CINAHL) were searched for eligible publications from 1980 to 2020. Joanna Briggs Institute critical appraisal instruments, appropriate for study type, were used to assess study quality and risk of bias. Descriptive characteristics and individual study results were presented followed by the synthesis for individual risk factors, also assessed using GRADE. Results: Fifty-eight individual eligible studies were grouped into six exposure topics: sociodemographic; antenatal and perinatal; maternal physical health; maternal mental health; environmental; genetic or biological studies. There were few eligible genetic studies. For half the topics, the certainty of evidence (GRADE) was moderate or high. Conclusion: Multiple studies have examined individual potential determinants of ID, but few have investigated holistically to identify those populations most at risk. Our review would indicate that there are vulnerable groups where risk factors we identified, such as low socioeconomic status, minority ethnicity, teenage motherhood, maternal mental illness, and alcohol abuse, may cluster, highlighting a target for preventive strategies. At-risk populations need to be identified and monitored so that interventions can be implemented when appropriate, at preconception, during pregnancy, or after birth. This could reduce the likelihood of ID and provide optimal opportunities for vulnerable infants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We focus on two types of centralised national examinations (the 10th grade tests and Matura examination) that are being carried out in Lithuania for two decades. The aim of the paper is to analyse assessments of mathematics for the entire Lithuanian secondary school population that have no sampling errors while considering the factors of location, school ownership and gender as important indicators when judging about educational effectiveness in terms of quality and equity. We analyse the results of the 10th grade tests for the 2011–2015 period and the results of the same cohorts participating in the Matura examination. We observe that the distribution of the assessments of both exams is asymmetric with a positive skew. The median often is below the middle of the grade scale indicating poor performance or mismatch between knowledge and examination tasks. There are limited differences in assessments with respect to gender and school location, although we detect a tendency to have better mathematics achievement in private schools. The conclusions drawn from national assessment data is somewhat different from international data thus one cannot neglect national information for the development of educational policy. The variables analysed in the analysis has limited predictive power for achievements in mathematics and further analysis is called-for.

Background X-chromosome specific short tandem repeats (X-STR) are indispensable for parentage analysis, kinship determination and forensic casework. Aim To determine allelic frequencies and forensic parameters of the 12 X-STR markers from the Investigator® Argus X-12® kit panel for the population of the Russian Federation. Subjects and methods We analysed 803 unrelated individuals from 58 localities across the Russian Federation. Intra-population genetic diversity was evaluated and comparison of the Russian population with 19 geographically distant populations performed. Results Heterozygosity values across all the loci ranged from 0.685 for DXS7423 to 0.939 for DXS10135. Deviations from the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium were observed for DXS10074 (p

Background: Dental age estimation is important in clinical practice for orthodontic treatment, forensic sciences and radiology. The Nolla (1960) classification scheme is one of the most frequently utilized estimation tools in teaching and clinical practice. However, the applicability of the Nolla (1960) classification scheme in determining age in a select KwaZulu-Natal population of South Africa is unknown. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the applicability of the Nolla Classification Scheme on a select South African sample of KwaZulu-Natal and develop a regression model to extend the Nolla (1960) maturation and age norm tables beyond 17 years. Materials and methods: 840 digital panoramic radiographs of individuals aged between 5 and 25 years met the inclusion criteria. The 8 maxillary and 8 mandibular teeth in the left quadrant was analysed using the Nolla (1960) Classification Scheme. The paired T-test, Wilcoxon and Polynomial Regression Analysis were performed. Results: The original Nolla (1960) method over-estimated age for the entire sample in this study by −0.39 and −0.57 years in females and males, respectively. While, the modified Nolla (1960), highlighted an overall under-estimation in females, but over-estimation in males aged between 18.00 and 18.99 years. Conclusion: The Nolla Classification scheme over- or under-estimated dental age with the select population group, therefore population-specific tables were developed for the South African Black and Indian population groups of KwaZulu-Natal. This may increase the accuracy of age estimation of the selected South African sample within the KwaZulu-Natal region.

Objectives Demographers are interested in the degree to which marriage is driven by prenuptial pregnancy within particular communities. To help answer this question, we present a novel method which links marriage certificates to birth certificates, where the birth-mother is the marriage-bride, considering only births which occur in the first seven months after a marriage. Approach To identify prenuptial births we employed an unsupervised graph-based record linkage method to link birth and marriage certificates. We first extracted related groups of individuals: babies and their parents from birth certificates, and brides, grooms, and their parents from marriage certificates. To link births with marriages, we employed techniques to address challenges such as changing attribute values over time (such as names and addresses), the ambiguity of attribute values giving priority to rare names over common names, and different relationships encountered at different points in time (by applying temporal constraints). Based on the obtained links we then extracted prenuptial births. Results Using two Scottish data sets containing a total of 38,451 births and 8,667 marriage certificates from the period 1861 to 1901 and employing different linkage thresholds we identified between 853 and 945 first birth-marriage links in the smaller (rural) data set, and between 2,165 and 2,232 links in the larger (urban) data set. In the rural data set, between 16.9% and 17.7% of these links were with birth less than 8 months after marriage (i.e. prenuptial births), where the corresponding ground truth contained 17.6% prenuptial births. For the urban data set, we identified between 51.3% and 51.4% prenuptial births. Our results show clear differences between rural and urban prenuptial pregnancies in 19th Century Scotland. Conclusion We have presented an unsupervised graph-based record linkage method that compares attribute values of individuals and their relationships to link records based on the ambiguity of attribute values, attribute value changes, and temporal constraints. This linking process helps us to identify prenuptial births to help us understand the degree to which marriages may have been driven by pregnancy.

Most advanced technologies for the treatment of type 1 diabetes, such as sensor-pump integrated systems or the artificial pancreas, require accurate glucose predictions on a given future time-horizon as a basis for decision-making support systems. Seasonal stochastic models are data-driven algebraic models that use recent history data and periodic trends to accurately estimate time series data, such as glucose concentration in diabetes. These models have been proven to be a good option to provide accurate blood glucose predictions under free-living conditions. These models can cope with patient variability under variable-length time-stamped daily events in supervision and control applications. However, the seasonal-models-based framework usually needs of several months of data per patient to be fed into the system to adequately train a personalized glucose predictor for each patient. In this work, an in silico analysis of the accuracy of prediction is presented, considering the effect of training a glucose predictor with data from a cohort of patients (population) instead of data from a single patient (individual). Feasibility of population data as an input to the model is asserted, and the effect of the dataset size in the determination of the minimum amount of data for a valid training of the models is studied. Results show that glucose predictors trained with population data can provide predictions of similar magnitude as those trained with individualized data. Overall median root mean squared error (RMSE) (including 25% and 75% percentiles) for the predictor trained with population data are {6.96[4.87,8.67], 12.49[7.96,14.23], 19.52[10.62,23.37], 28.79[12.96,34.57], 32.3[16.20,41.59], 28.8[15.13,37.18]} mg/dL, for prediction horizons (PH) of {15,30,60,120,180,240} min, respectively, while the baseline of the individually trained RMSE results are {6.37[5.07,6.70], 11.27[8.35,12.65], 17.44[11.08,20.93], 22.72[14.29,28.19], 28.45[14.79,34.38], 25.58[13.10,36.60]} mg/dL, both training with 16 weeks of data. Results also show that the use of the population approach reduces the required training data by half, without losing any prediction capability.

Abstract Background The morphometric analysis of the individual bones of the human skeleton can be used to estimate the sex of unidentified corpses. Our aims were as follows: to test whether thyroid cartilage can be used for forensic purposes as a predictor of biological sex; to establish the level of sexual dimorphism of the thyroid cartilage in a sample of adult subjects from a population of European Russia; and to test the accuracy of the morphometric parameters obtained from the thyroid cartilage. Results The thyroid cartilage from 100 adults of known age (50 males and 50 females) was obtained during forensic examination; morphometric tests were conducted using Vernier Digital ROKTOOLS ABS DIN 862 0-200/6 inch with measurement accuracy ± 0.01 mm. The measured parameters were N = 31 for each subject. Intra- and inter-observer reproducibility was tested. Multivariate statistical analysis was applied to the measurements. To check the data set for normal distribution, the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was used. Finally, to estimate the sex of the observed individuals, a stepwise discriminant analysis was conducted, using the Wilks’ lambda selection method. The most significant parameters were the outer distance between bases of inferior horn; the inner distance between distal ends of inferior horns; distance between distal ends of left superior and inferior horns; left superior horn length (distance between left superior horn distal end and base); distance between superior and inferior notches; thyroid angle; left lamina height (vertical line along left lamina middle); horizontal distance between anterior intermedium line and the right lamina posterior edge; distance between inferior thyroid notch and line connecting left and right thyroid laminae; and left superior horn thickness at mid-line. The stepwise discriminant analysis resulted in an equation with ten parameters. Conclusions The results of the current study indicated that in the European Russian population, the equation obtained in the stepwise discriminant analysis makes it possible to predict sex with a probability of 100% on the validation set. On the test set, the resultant accuracy was 100% for females and 100% for males. Our findings confirm the scientific evidence that the thyroid cartilage has a pronounced sexual dimorphism.

Background: Previous work has demonstrated that cannabis laws have had a disproportionate impact on Māori, the Indigenous people of Aotearoa New Zealand. In 2019, the New Zealand Government amended cannabis laws, providing police with the power to determine whether a therapeutic or health-centred approach would be more beneficial than a conviction. In the current study, we use population level data to assess whether this law change has ameliorated the bias in cannabis convictions for Māori. Methods: Data were drawn from the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI), a large government database hosted by Aotearoa New Zealand's national statistics office. In the IDI, we selected individuals who (1) were between 18 and 65, (2) were Māori or Pākehā (New Zealanders of European descent) and, (3) had any cannabis charges that proceeded to the courts. Results: Māori ethnicity was a significant predictor of the odds of receiving a cannabis conviction for Māori males (Odds: 1.56), with a marginally significant effect for Māori females (Odds: 1.57). Further, for Māori, there was no reduction in the number of cannabis charges before vs. after the amendment to cannabis laws. Conclusion: The current study demonstrates that the bias in cannabis convictions for Māori remain. Given this, the New Zealand Government must follow other countries around the world and move forward on cannabis law reform. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OpenStreetMap (OSM) is an essential source for acquiring building data, although such data may suffer from quality issues. Many studies have focused on assessing OSM building data quality but few have been carried out on a global scale. This study aims to assess OSM building completeness (a quality measure) for 12,975 cities across the globe. This was achieved by employing population grid data as a proxy for reference building data. Not only the completeness of each city but also that of the grids within that city was assessed. The assessment results were evaluated based on calculating the overall accuracy and the r-square value between estimated and reference OSM building completeness values. Results showed that for 75% of cities, the completeness is lower than 20%; no more than 9% of cities have an estimated completeness higher than 80%. The overall accuracies of most countries were higher than 80%. The estimated completeness was also highly correlated with the reference completeness, which verifies the effectiveness of our approach. These results may be useful for acquiring and updating building data in OSM. A global and open dataset related to OSM building completeness has been made available for public use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Analysis of allele frequencies of short tandem repeat (STR) loci in ethnically diverse populations is essential for forensic reference database construction and studies on population genetics. Aim To analyse genetic polymorphisms of 22 autosomal STR loci in the Serbian population and to compare them with previously published data from some European and Turkish populations. Subjects and methods The study was conducted among 983 unrelated individuals from Serbia. Genotyping was performed using the PowerPlex® Fusion amplification kit. Allele frequencies and forensic parameters were calculated using FORSTAT software. Interpopulation comparisons and genetic distance calculations were performed in Arlequin and POPTREEW software. Results A total of 280 alleles were detected with corresponding allelic frequencies ranging from 0.0005 to 0.5255. Based on heterozygosity and the polymorphism information content, D1S1656 and Penta E may be considered as the most informative markers. Both the combined power of discrimination (CPD) and the combined power of exclusion (CPE) for the 22 analysed loci were higher than 0.999999. The combined match probability (CPM) for all 22 loci was 6.773688e−29. Conclusion With respect to the results, the 22 STR loci are highly polymorphic and discriminating in the Serbian population and could be used for forensic practice and population genetics studies.

Homelessness is associated with a multitude of poor health outcomes. However, the full extent of the risks associated with homelessness is not possible to quantify without reliable population data. Here, we outline 3 federal, publicly available data sources for estimating the number of people experiencing homelessness in the United States. We describe the appropriate uses and limitations of each data source in the context of infectious disease epidemiology. These data sources provide an opportunity to expand current research and develop actionable analyses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Multimorbidity clinical risk scores allow clinicians to quickly assess their patients' health for decision making, often for recommendation to care management programs. However, these scores are limited by several issues: existing multimorbidity scores (1) are generally limited to one data group (eg, diagnoses, labs) and may be missing vital information, (2) are usually limited to specific demographic groups (eg, age), and (3) do not formally provide any granularity in the form of more nuanced multimorbidity risk scores to direct clinician attention.Objective: Using diagnosis, lab, prescription, procedure, and demographic data from electronic health records (EHRs), we developed a physiologically diverse and generalizable set of multimorbidity risk scores.Methods: Using EHR data from a nationwide cohort of patients, we developed the total health profile, a set of six integrated risk scores reflecting five distinct organ systems and overall health. We selected the occurrence of an inpatient hospital visitation over a 2-year follow-up window, attributable to specific organ systems, as our risk endpoint. Using a physician-curated set of features, we trained six machine learning models on 794,294 patients to predict the calibrated probability of the aforementioned endpoint, producing risk scores for heart, lung, neuro, kidney, and digestive functions and a sixth score for combined risk. We evaluated the scores using a held-out test cohort of 198,574 patients.Results: Study patients closely matched national census averages, with a median age of 41 years, a median income of $66,829, and racial averages by zip code of 73.8% White, 5.9% Asian, and 11.9% African American. All models were well calibrated and demonstrated strong performance with areas under the receiver operating curve (AUROCs) of 0.83 for the total health score (THS), 0.89 for heart, 0.86 for lung, 0.84 for neuro, 0.90 for kidney, and 0.83 for digestive functions. There was consistent performance of this scoring system across sexes, diverse patient ages, and zip code income levels. Each model learned to generate predictions by focusing on appropriate clinically relevant patient features, such as heart-related hospitalizations and chronic hypertension diagnosis for the heart model. The THS outperformed the other commonly used multimorbidity scoring systems, specifically the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) and the Elixhauser Comorbidity Index (ECI) overall (AUROCs: THS=0.823, CCI=0.735, ECI=0.649) as well as for every age, sex, and income bracket. Performance improvements were most pronounced for middle-aged and lower-income subgroups. Ablation tests using only diagnosis, prescription, social determinants of health, and lab feature groups, while retaining procedure-related features, showed that the combination of feature groups has the best predictive performance, though only marginally better than the diagnosis-only model on at-risk groups.Conclusions: Massive retrospective EHR data sets have made it possible to use machine learning to build practical multimorbidity risk scores that are highly predictive, personalizable, intuitive to explain, and generalizable across diverse patient populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We focus on two types of centralised national examinations (the 10th grade tests and Matura examination) that are being carried out in Lithuania for two decades. The aim of the paper is to analyse assessments of mathematics for the entire Lithuanian secondary school population that have no sampling errors while considering the factors of location, school ownership and gender as important indicators when judging about educational effectiveness in terms of quality and equity. We analyse the results of the 10th grade tests for the 2011-2015 period and the results of the same cohorts participating in the Matura examination. We observe that the distribution of the assessments of both exams is asymmetric with a positive skew. The median often is below the middle of the grade scale indicating poor performance or mismatch between knowledge and examination tasks. There are limited differences in assessments with respect to gender and school location, although we detect a tendency to have better mathematics achievement in private schools. The conclusions drawn from national assessment data is somewhat different from international data thus one cannot neglect national information for the development of educational policy. The variables analysed in the analysis has limited predictive power for achievements in mathematics and further analysis is called-for. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: No studies have examined the frequency of thyroid screening in the Canadian population, and whether thyroid screening and medication use vary by sex, race, income, and preexisting health conditions. Methods: Using data from the 2011, 2012 cycles of the Canadian Community Health Survey, we report rates of thyroid screening among Quebec residents ?35 (n=7024) and rates of thyroid medication use among Quebec residents ?35 (n=16,081). We examine variations in medication use and screening by sex, age, race, immigration status, access to a regular doctor, and health conditions that have been linked to thyroid disease. Results: Of the Quebec residents ?35, 10.3% reported taking thyroid medication and 0.4% reported that the last blood test a physician ordered was to check for a new thyroid condition. Canadian-born residents and those who identified as White reported higher medication use and screening rates, compared to immigrants and those who identified as visible minorities. Racial disparities were especially pronounced, with White Quebec residents reporting three times greater odds of thyroid screening than visible minorities. The strongest predictors of both thyroid medication use and screening were access to a regular doctor. Despite women being eight times more likely to suffer from thyroid disease, women were not significantly more likely to be screened, compared to men (odds ratio=1.38, 95% confidence interval: 0.74?2.60). Discussion: Strategies are needed to decrease disparities in thyroid screening and medication use. Interventions that target health systems (e.g., increasing physician supply), providers (continuing professional education modules about thyroid disease for family physicians), and recipients of care (multilanguage public awareness campaigns and posters at walk-in clinics that describe common symptoms of different thyroid disorders) should be implemented and tested.

Background: Short tandem repeats (STRs) are powerful genetic markers widely used in human genetics. Population data and locus-specific mutation rates of STRs are crucial for the evaluation and interpretation of genetic evidence in forensic and population genetics. Aim: To investigate the mutation rates of 21 autosomal STRs in a population from central south China. Subjects and methods: This study analysed 3420 paternity cases with a Combined Paternity Index >10,000 from Han population in Hunan. A total of 68,743 meiotic transfers were analysed and 62 mutations were identified. Results: The overall mutation rate of STR loci was 0.9 × 10−3 (95% CI, 0.0007–0.0011) and the locus-specific mutation rates were estimated ranging from 0.0000–0.0023. Locus D1S1656 exhibited the highest mutation rate of 2.3 × 10−3 (95% CI, 0.0005–0.0006), followed by D12S391 with a mutation rate of 2.0 × 10−3 (95% CI, 0.0007–0.0044). No mutation was observed at TPOX, D2S1338 or Penta D. One-step mutation cases accounted for 96.77% of total mutations and the ratio of paternal vs maternal mutations was ∼4.85:1. Inter-population comparisons of locus-specific mutation rates of several STRs revealed significant differences between Han in Hunan and Han in other regions of China. Conclusion: The data justified the use of geographical data in further genetic applications.

Since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) at December 31ths of 2019 in China it quickly spread to more than 200 countries around the word. Government on affected countries have taken actions such as social distancing, reduction of social, commercial and entertainment events, among others, in order to decrease the COVID-19 spreading rate. As a way to evaluate how effective are such actions, we design an agent-based microsimulation model that allows for representing the COVID-19 spreading in Medellín, Colombia by representing individually the social interactions. To set those interactions, we cluster population (home, school, working, and shopping) and use a transport activity to move among clusters generating social interactions. Accordingly, we reproduce the number of cases and deaths caused by the COVID-19 according to Medellín-real data by using the proposed individual social interaction model. Also, we test our model with two scenarios: first one with real government actions and second one without any government actions in Medellín-Colombia. Our model results show that earlypublic-health policies allows for flatting the curve of the COVID-19 spreading in contrast to the scenario without restrictions. As future work, we will include more clusters--e.g.; leisure clusters, transport clusters--and the dynamic of the foreign COVID-19 cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Hitherto, incidence burden of childhood cancer in India has been derived from GLOBOCAN data. Recent analyses have challenged whether this accurately measures the true incidence of childhood cancer. Objective: To use observed data rather than simulation to estimate the number of children (0–14 years), as well as number of children and adolescents (0–19 years), in India who develop cancer every year at the national and state/union territory (UT) level. Methods: Age-specific (five year groups), sex-specific, and state/UT specific population data from India Census 2011 was used. Global average incidence rates from the International Incidence of Childhood Cancer 3 (IICC3) report were used. Incidence rates per million person-years for the 0–14 years and 0–19 years age groups were age-adjusted using the world standard population to provide age-standardized incidence rates, using the age-specific incidence rates for individual age groups (0–4 years, 5–9 years, 10–14 years, and 15–19 years). Results: The national number of children (0–14 years) and, children and adolescents (0–19 years) that may develop cancer every year based on 2011 census are 52,366 and 76,805 persons respectively. Cancer type specific incidence is provided for each state/UT for these age ranges. This national incidence is approximately double of the GLOBOCAN 2018 estimates of incidence of children diagnosed and registered with cancer and the differential is greater in girls. Conclusion: Our analysis proposes new estimates of incident childhood cancer cases in India for children and adolescents. Future regional, national and international research on childhood cancer epidemiology and healthcare accessibility would help further refine these estimates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The morphometric analysis of the individual bones of the human skeleton can be used to estimate the sex of unidentified corpses. Our aims were as follows: to test whether thyroid cartilage can be used for forensic purposes as a predictor of biological sex; to establish the level of sexual dimorphism of the thyroid cartilage in a sample of adult subjects from a population of European Russia; and to test the accuracy of the morphometric parameters obtained from the thyroid cartilage. Results: The thyroid cartilage from 100 adults of known age (50 males and 50 females) was obtained during forensic examination; morphometric tests were conducted using Vernier Digital ROKTOOLS ABS DIN 862 0-200/6 inch with measurement accuracy ± 0.01 mm. The measured parameters were N = 31 for each subject. Intra- and inter-observer reproducibility was tested. Multivariate statistical analysis was applied to the measurements. To check the data set for normal distribution, the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was used. Finally, to estimate the sex of the observed individuals, a stepwise discriminant analysis was conducted, using the Wilks' lambda selection method. The most significant parameters were the outer distance between bases of inferior horn; the inner distance between distal ends of inferior horns; distance between distal ends of left superior and inferior horns; left superior horn length (distance between left superior horn distal end and base); distance between superior and inferior notches; thyroid angle; left lamina height (vertical line along left lamina middle); horizontal distance between anterior intermedium line and the right lamina posterior edge; distance between inferior thyroid notch and line connecting left and right thyroid laminae; and left superior horn thickness at mid-line. The stepwise discriminant analysis resulted in an equation with ten parameters. Conclusions: The results of the current study indicated that in the European Russian population, the equation obtained in the stepwise discriminant analysis makes it possible to predict sex with a probability of 100% on the validation set. On the test set, the resultant accuracy was 100% for females and 100% for males. Our findings confirm the scientific evidence that the thyroid cartilage has a pronounced sexual dimorphism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) U.S. population sample set of unrelated individuals was used to determine allele and haplotype frequencies for seven X-chromosome short tandem repeat (STR) loci in four linkage groups. DXS7132, DXS7423, DXS8378, DXS10074, DXS10103, DXS10135, and HPRTB were sequenced using the ForenSeq DNA Signature Prep Kit on a MiSeq FGx instrument from Verogen. Capillary electrophoresis data produced using the Qiagen Investigator Argus X-12 was compared to ForenSeq length-based alleles and found to be 99 % concordant. For three loci (DXS10103, DXS10074, and HPRTB) the length-based allele call is affected by the extent of flanking region included in the reported sequence. Six of the seven loci gained alleles by sequencing compared to length-based determinations. The increase in alleles are found in both the repeat and flanking region sequences. All sequences for which frequencies are reported in this dataset were cataloged as GenBank records in the STRSeq NCBI BioProject (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/bioproject/380127). Frequency information for both the loci and linkage groups is reported, along with results of statistical tests including gene diversity, polymorphism information content, power of discrimination, and linkage disequilibrium. All supplemental files are available at the NIST Public Data Repository – U.S. population data for Human Identification Markers (https://doi.org/10.18434/t4/1500024).

This data article provides population frequencies for 21 autosomal and two sex determining short tandem repeat (STR) loci in unrelated Kedayan individuals. This article is related to the research paper entitled “Forensic parameters and ancestral fraction in the Kedayan population inferred using 21 autosomal STR loci” [1] where these same data were subjected to ancestry and forensic analyses. We have collected 200 blood samples consisting of 128 male and 72 female volunteer representatives from Kedayan people residing in various parts of Borneo. All 23 STR loci were simultaneously amplified using Globalfiler™ Express PCR and amplicons were separated using an ABI 3500xl Genetic Analyzer. The STR allele calls at each locus were called using GeneMapperⓇ ID-X Software v1.4, while several algorithms in Arlequin software version 3.5 were used to estimate Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium (HWE) and linkage disequilibrium (LD) between pairs of STR loci.