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Car-free development has become popular in recent years due to concerns regarding transport-related health issues in urban areas as well as a growing trend toward sustainability and environmentally friendly living. Although car-free development is regarded as progress to promote active transport modes and healthier cities, the accessibility impacts for its residents remain unclear. To address this knowledge gap, this paper proposes a job accessibility assessment framework that integrates individual and household socio-demographic characteristics into a job accessibility assessment, making it possible to account for commuting preferences of different population groups in accessibility analyses. For this purpose, a stated choice survey was conducted in existing low-car areas in the Netherlands to determine transport use and perception of public transport trip characteristics. Then, the influence of socio-demographic characteristics on trip perceptions was analyzed using a Latent Class Logit (LCL) regression model and Monte Carlo simulations. Finally, a multi-modal transport network combining walking and public transport trips was used to assess potential job accessibility levels of different population groups in a car-free development area. The proposed framework was implemented in a case study in the province of Utrecht (the Netherlands). Results show notable differences between the job accessibility levels within different population groups, reflecting distinct perceptions toward commuting trip characteristics based on socio-demographic characteristics and demonstrating the suitability of the applied approach to assess accessibility levels in car-free development areas. Compared to the sample average distribution, more than 15% lower accessibility levels were observed for starters (age 18-35) in some urban areas, indicating the aversion to longer and more expensive commuting trips. Contrarily, increased accessibility levels for families (>2 persons in household) were observed, demonstrating the acceptance to experience longer commuting travel times and additional costs. No differences were observed between accessibility levels of the sample average and senior adults (age >50).

Abstract Digital technologies in, on, and around bicycles and cyclists are gaining ground. Collectively called Smart Cycling Technologies (SCTs), it is important to evaluate their impact on subjective cycling experiences. Future evaluations can inform the design of SCTs, which in turn can help to realize the abundant benefits of cycling. Wearable body sensors and advanced driver assistance systems are increasingly studied in other domains, however evaluation methods integrating such sensors and systems in the field of cycling research were under-reviewed and under-conceptualized. This paper therefore presents a systematic literature review and conceptual framework to support the use of body sensors in evaluations of the impact of SCTs on perceptions, emotions, feelings, affect, and more, during outdoor bicycle rides. The literature review (n = 40) showed that there is scarce research on this specific use of body sensors. Moreover, existing research designs are typically not tailored to determine impact of SCTs on cycling experience at large scale. Most studies had small sample sizes and explored limited sensors in chest belts and wristbands for evaluating stress response. The evaluation framework helps to overcome these limitations, by synthesizing crucial factors and methods for future evaluations in four categories: (1) experiences with SCTs, (2) experience measurements, (3) causal analysis, (4) confounding variables. The framework also identifies which types of sensors fit well to which types of experiences and SCTs. The seven directions for future research include, for example, experiences of psychological flow, sensors in e-textiles, and cycling with biofeedback. Future interactions between cyclists and SCTs will likely resemble a collaboration between humans and artificial intelligence. Altogether, this paper helps to understand if future support systems for cyclists truly make cycling safer and more attractive.

The 15 min city (or “X-minute city” in general) concept aims to give people access to all essential services and daily needs (e.g., healthcare, education, etc.) within X minutes of active transportation, to improve transport equity, sustainability, and traffic safety. To date, there is a lack of methods and tools to assess to what degree cities currently, or after implementing policies, comply with the X-minute city concept. This research aims to develop a methodology for quantifying the X-minute city through a metric (CSx) that was developed based on an accessibility framework and tested for cycling mode in the Utrecht region in the Netherlands as a study area. Travel data from the Netherlands mobility panel were analysed to determine input characteristics of the metric, such as the weight of destination types. Standardized gravity-based 2-step floating catchment area (2SFCA) accessibility scores for all destination types were weighted and aggregated into a composite metric that shows relative scores as an X-minute city. The results of the analysis show that 100% of the population in the Utrecht region has access to at least one destination for all 9 destination types within 15 min, whereas this number reduces to 94% within a 10 min cycling threshold; indicating the status of Utrecht as a cycling city with cycling-friendly infrastructure. Furthermore, low-income groups do not have lower cycling accessibility to the services in the 15 min city in the study area, reinforcing the notion that cycling can be an effective solution to reduce transport inequalities. The developed metric can be used to assess cities on their way towards becoming X-minute city, prioritise neighbourhoods to develop, set quantifiable goals, and evaluate planning scenarios.

A medium and high-frequency antenna array for radar and radio imaging of the ionosphere is planned for installation in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. Science goals include the study of space weather, radio propagation, meteors, lightning, and plasma physics. Radio imaging is ideal for the study of stimulated ionospheric radio emissions, such as those induced by the Arecibo Observatory high-power HF radio transmitter, which is likely to be restored to operation in the near future. The array will be complemented by a wide variety of instruments fielded by collaborators, and will be a rich source of student projects at all levels.

Resumo Fundamento Apesar da grande proporção de octogenários com embolia pulmonar aguda, há pouca informação indicando a estratégia de manejo ideal, especialmente medidas terapêuticas, como a terapia lítica. Objetivos O número de pacientes idosos diagnosticados com embolia pulmonar aguda aumenta constantemente. Porém, o papel do tratamento trombolítico não está claramente definido entre os octogenários. Nosso objetivo é avaliar a efetividade da terapia lítica em pacientes octogenários diagnosticados com embolia pulmonar. Métodos Cento e quarenta e oito indivíduos (70,3% de mulheres, n=104) com mais de 80 anos foram incluídos no estudo. Os pacientes foram divididos em dois grupos: tratamento trombolítico versus não-trombolítico. As taxas de mortalidade hospitalar e episódios de sangramento foram definidos como desfechos do estudo. Valor de p

Objective: The effect of malnutrition in patients with ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) is not fully understood. In this study, we tried to investigate the prognostic consequence of the Controlling Nutritional Status (CONUT) score in patients with STEMI. Methods: In this study, we evaluated the CONUT scores of 1,028 patients with STEMI and examined its relationship with major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) (all-cause mortality, myocardial reinfarction, and vessel revascularization) during a period of 19.9+-10.3 months. Patients with CONUT score ≥5 were defined as severely malnourished. Predictors of MACE were assessed by Cox regression analysis, and p

Accessibility, livability, and public health in urban areas can be improved by promoting sustainable and eco-friendly modes of transport such as rail transit. The success and feasibility of a rail transit system, however, rely on maintaining sufficient ridership depending on several factors. This study focuses on two of these factors in examining the SunRail transit system: 1) the ridership dynamics in terms of passenger flows between transit stations, and 2) the socio-demographic characteristics of the population living around and travelling between these stations. The SunRail system is the flagship commuter rail line of Greater Orlando, Florida, encouraging denser and more walkable development and promoting a less car-dependent multimodal transportation system. For this purpose, we utilized an instantaneous-balance Bayesian model estimating the origin–destination passenger flows and conducted a comprehensive assessment of the characteristics of residents living within each SunRail station area. The analyses help provide a more detailed understanding of the travel dynamics of SunRail riders as well as who lives and works in all 12 SunRail station areas. Consequently, the findings and insights obtained from the analyses aim to serve urban and transport planners in devising strategies to influence ridership based on the passenger flows and unique characteristics of the station areas.

This study investigates the impacts of the noticeable change in mobility during the COVID-19 pandemic with analyzing its impact on the spatiotemporal patterns of crashes in four demographically different counties in Florida. We employed three methods: (1) a Geographic Information System (GIS)-based method to visualize the spatial differences in crash density patterns, (2) a non-parametric method (Kruskal–Wallis) to examine whether the changes in crash densities are statistically significant, and (3) a negative binomial regression-based approach to identify the significant socio-demographic and transportation-related factors contributing to crash count decrease during COVID-19. Results confirm significant differences in crash densities during the pandemic. This may be due to maintaining social distancing protocols and curfew imposement in all four counties regardless of their sociodemographic dissimilarities. Negative binomial regression results reveal that the presence of youth populations in Leon County are highly correlated with the crash count decrease during COVID-19. Moreover, less crash count decrease in Hillsborough County U.S. Census blocks, mostly populated by the elderly, indicate that this certain age group maintained their mobility patterns, even during the pandemic. Findings have the potential to provide critical insights in dealing with safety concerns of the above-mentioned shifts in mobility patterns for demographically different areas.

Introduction:Glomerular hyperfiltration is related to several clinical conditions, such as prediabetes and prehypertension, and associated with poor prognosis in long-term follow-up. This study aims to elucidate the relationship between glomerular hyperfiltration and short-term prognosis in patients with STsegment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) treated by percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).Methods:A total of 1.402 patients (24% women, n=338) who had been diagnosed with STEMI and treated by primary PCI were enrolled in the present study. Glomerular hyperfiltration was defined an estimated glomerular filtration rate (GFR) above the 95th percentile based on age- and sex-specific distributions, and a low-filtration rate was defined as an estimated GFR below the 5th percentile. GFR was assessed using the Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration equation. The major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) considered in this work included acute stent thrombosis, re-infarction, cardiogenic shock, and cardiac death within 30 days.Results:MACE was observed in 178 patients (12.6%). High and low GFRs led to higher risks of developing major cardiovascular events [odds ratio (OR): 1.92, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.19-3.08, p

Introduction: In this study, we aimed to determine if neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio could predict long term morbidity and mortality in patients who hospitalized for non-ST segment elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTE-ACS) and had coronary slow flow on coronary angiography. Methods: In this observational study, 111 patients who presented with NSTE-ACS and diagnosed with coronary slow flow phenomenon on angiographic examination were included. Neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) calculated as the ratio of the number of neutrophils to the number of lymphocytes. Patients classified into three groups according to NLR values. The term coronary slow flow phenomenon was depicted by calculating Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction frame count.Patients were followed up and the occurrence of recurrent angina, recurrent myocardial infarction, and long-term mortality was determined using medical records, phone calls, or face-to-face interviews. P values

Introduction: In-stent restenosis (ISR) still constitutes a major problem after percutaneous vascular interventions and the inflammation has a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of such event. The C-reactive protein/albumin ratio (CAR) is a newly identified inflammatory biomarker, and it may be used as an indicator to predict ISR in subjects with coronary artery stenting. In light of these data, our main objective was to investigate the relationship between the preprocedural CAR and ISR in patients undergoing successful iliac artery stent implantation. Methods: In total, 138 consecutive patients who had successful iliac artery stent implantation in a tertiary heart center between 2015 and 2018 were enrolled in the study. The study population was categorized into two groups; patients with ISR and those without ISR during follow-up. The CAR was determined by dividing CRP by serum albumin. Results: In the multivariable regression analysis; the CAR (HR: 2.66, 95% CI: 1.66-4.25, P < 0.01), stent length (HR: 1.01, 95% CI: 0.99-1.02, P = 0.04), and HbA1c levels (HR: 1.22, 95% CI: 0.99-1.51, P = 0.04) were independently related with ISR. A receiver operating curve analysis displayed that the CAR value of >0.29 predicted ISR with sensitivity of 97.5% and specificity of 88.8% (AUC 0.94, P < 0.01). Conclusion: Our findings provide evidence that the CAR may be an applicable inflammatory biomarker in predicting ISR in subjects undergoing iliac artery stenting for the treatment of peripheral artery disease (PAD). Also, the stent length and poor glycemic control were found to be associated with ISR.

Objective: Despite improvements in the technology of catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation (AF), recurrences are still a major problem, even after a successful procedure. The uric acid/albumin ratio (UAR), which is an inexpensive and simple laboratory parameter, has recently been introduced in the literature as a predictor of adverse cardiovascular events. Hence, we aimed to investigate the relationship between the UAR and AF recurrence after catheter ablation. Methods: A total of 170 patients who underwent successful catheter ablation for AF were included. The primary outcome was the late recurrence after treatment. The recurrence (+) and recurrence (−) groups were compared for clinical, laboratory and procedural characteristics as well as the predictors of recurrence assessed by regression analysis. Results: In our study population, 53 (26%) patients developed AF recurrence after catheter ablation. Mean UAR was higher in the recurrence (+) group compared to recurrence (−) group (2.4 ± 0.9 vs. 1.8 ± 0.7, p < 0.01). In multivariable regression analysis, left atrial diameter (HR: 1.08, 95% CI: 1.01–1.16, p = 0.01) and UAR (HR:1.36, 95% CI: 1.06–1.75, p = 0.01) were found to be independent predictors of recurrence. In ROC analysis, the UAR > 1.67 predicted recurrence with a sensitivity of 77% and a specificity of 57% (AUC 0.68, p < 0.01). Conclusion: For the first time in the literature, the UAR were found to be correlated independently with AF recurrence after catheter ablation.

OBJECTIVE: Monocyte to high-density lipoprotein ratio (MHR) has recently been postulated as a novel parameter related to adverse cardiovascular outcomes. In this study, we aimed to investigate the correlation of MHR with stent restenosis (SR) rates after the primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and bare-metal stent (BMS) implantation. METHODS: In this study, patients who had undergone primary PCI for STEMI and had a control angiogram during follow-up were retrospectively recruited. Patients were categorized according to admission MHR tertiles, clinical and angiographic data were compared. In addition, predictors of SR were evaluated with logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: A total number of 448 patients (240 patients with SR and 208 patients without SR) were included in this study. Patients were categorized into three groups according to tertiles of admission MHR. During a follow-up period of median 12 months, the rate of SR was significantly higher in patients with higher MHR levels (45% in tertile 1, 54% in tertile 2 and 62% in tertile 3, p

Traffic safety and performance measures such as crash risk and queue lengths or travel times are influenced by several important factors including those related to environment, human, and roadway design, especially at intersections. Previous research has studied different aspects related to these factors, yet these characteristics are not fully investigated with a focus on age and experience of drivers. In this paper, we investigate this issue by using a two-phase approach via a case study application on a critical T-intersection in the City of Tallahassee, Florida. The first phase includes a scenario-based microsimulation analysis through the use of a microscopic simulation software, namely VISSIM, to illustrate the variations in traffic performance measures with respect to driver compositions of different age groups in the traffic stream. A variety of scenarios is created where the driving characteristics are provided as inputs to these scenarios in terms of decision making and risk taking. This is also supported by a sensitivity analysis conducted based on the driver composition in the traffic. The second phase includes the analysis of microsimulation outputs via a tool developed by Federal Highway Administration tool, namely the Surrogate Safety Assessment Model (SSAM), in order to determine the traffic conflicts that occur in each scenario. These conflicts are also compared with real-life crash data for validation purposes. Results show that (a) the differences in risk perception that affect driving behavior might be significant in influencing traffic safety and performance measures, and (b) the proposed approach is considerably successful in simulating the actual crash conflict points. Keywords: Traffic safety, Driver age and experience, Traffic performance, Microsimulation, VISSIM, T-intersections

Resilience is mostly considered as a single-dimension attribute of a system. Most of the recent works on resilience treat it as a single-dimension attribute of a system or study the different dimensions of the resilience separately without considering its multi-domain nature. In this paper, we propose an advanced causal inference approach combined with machine learning to characterize the spatio-temporal and multi-domain vulnerability of an urban infrastructure system against extreme weather events. With the proposed causality approach, we perform vulnerability assessment for electricity outages and roadway closures through considering the meteorological, topographic, and demographic attributes of urban areas in the aftermath of the extreme weather events. This proposed holistic approach to multi-network vulnerability assessment paves the ground for characterizing the resilience in a multi-network scheme, which is coined as the concept of “co-resilience.” The proposed causal framework for multi-network vulnerability assessment is validated using the actual data for the impacts of the Hurricane Hermine 2016 and the January Storm 2017 on the Tallahassee, FL, USA. The results achieved from the proposed causality approach indicate a high causal relationship among electricity outages, roadway closures, topographic aspects, and meteorological variables in an urban area. Findings show that the proposed multi-network approach for vulnerability assessment improves the performance of the estimation and prediction of the disaster outcomes and the evaluation of the overall system resilience.

To alleviate the impacts of freeway incidents and improve the traffic conditions on the entire transportation network, operational systems of discrete facilities need to be coordinated on a corridor. As such, this study focuses on a new traffic diversion methodology for a better utilization of the available traffic capacity of the corridor. The methodology aims to divert incident-induced freeway congestion to the adjacent arterials using the VISSIM microsimulation tool, which can simulate a freeway incident and measure the performance of detour operations. Within the study, an experiment with a 23 full factorial central composite design is utilized in order to define the optimum diversion rate in different demand levels. Experimental results are also modeled with the hierarchical multilevel regression model. Findings indicate that the resultant regression equation can successfully predict the corridor delay with 7 (s/veh) error and 83.85% accuracy. Traffic agencies can employ the proposed hierarchical model to decide whether or not a detour should be implemented. Furthermore, with the estimate of the incident duration and the current V/C ratio on the freeway, the diversion rate that results in a minimum corridor delay can be identified.

INTRODUCTION[|]Pathological studies have suggested that local inflammation, particularly eosinophilic infiltration of the adventitia, could be related to nonatherosclerotic spontaneous coronary artery dissection (NA-SCAD). However, the role of systemic inflammation in the pathogenesis of NA-SCAD remains unknown. Our aim was to investigate systemic inflammatory activation in patients with an acute coronary syndrome (ACS) secondary to NA-SCAD.[¤]METHODS[|]The institutional electronic medical database was reviewed, and 22 patients with NA-SCAD-ACS were identified after the review. Furthermore, 30 random patients with CAD-ACS and 30 random subjects without any history of CAD or ACS with demographic and clinical characteristics similar to those of NA-SCAD-ACS patients were identified from the institutional database to be included in the study. [¤]RESULTS[|]Patients with NA-SCAD-ACS and those with CAD-ACS both had higher white blood cell and neutrophil counts than controls. Neutrophil–lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels were only significantly higher in the NA-SCAD-ACS group [2.01 (1.54–6.17) for NLR and 0.70 (0.13–2.70) for CRP] than in the controls [1.55 (1.27–2.13), p=0.03 for NLR and 0.15 (0.10–0.43), p=0.049 for CRP]; however, there were no differences between the NA-SCAD-ACS and CAD-ACS groups [1.91 (1.41–2.78) for NLR and 0.41 (0.09–1.10) for CRP, p>0.05 for both comparisons] regarding all tested parameters.[¤]DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION[|]The degree of inflammatory activation in NA-SCAD-ACS patients was similar to, or even greater than, that in CAD-ACS patients; thus, suggesting a role of inflammation in the pathophysiology of NA-SCAD-ACS.[¤]

Objective: The aim of this study was to find out the level of death anxiety among 3 groups: patients with acute myocardial infarction, patients with cancer and healthy individuals in two training and research hospitals; also to evaluate its relationship with several sociodemographic and clinical variables. Materials and method: This study was conducted with one hundred and eighty persons (108 male, 72 female) who have been referred to cardiology or oncology departments and the healthy individuals. Participants completed sociodemographic and clinical data form, State and Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-I, STAI-II), Thorson Powell Death Anxiety Scale (TPDAS), Death Depression Scale (DDS). Results: Participants included in the present study were 40% female with an average age of 53.48 for whole group. The mean TPDAS score for patients with AMI was 51.60 ± 16.40, for patients with cancer 37.10 ± 10.23 and for healthy individuals 43.40 ± 13.35. In AMI group there were positive correlations between STAI-I and TPDAS, DDS scores and also between STAI-II and DDS. In cancer group positive correlations were between STAI-I, II and TPDAS, DDS. TPDAS and DDS were positively correlated in all three groups. Women and participants who were unemployed scored higher on DDS. Conclusion: In this study patients with AMI had higher death anxiety than patients with cancer or healthy individuals. Generally death anxiety was related with education, employment and socioeconomic status. Prospective studies carefully searching for different variables in different medical groups would reveal and help us to understand the importance of death anxiety and its impact on courses of physical and mental disorders. Keywords: Death anxiety, Myocardial infarction, Cancer

Objective: Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) is a safe and effective treatment for urinary tract calculi. While serious side effects are rare, transient cardiac arrhythmias may occur. New electrocardiographic (ECG) parameters, such as P wave dispersion (PWD), QT dispersion (QTd), T peak to T end (Tp-e) interval, Tp-e interval/QT ratio, and Tp-e interval/corrected QT ratio have been defined to help predict atrial and ventricular arrhythmias. However, effect of ESWL on these ECG parameters has not been previously investigated. The present study was an examination of the effect of ESWL on ECG parameters. Methods: Total of 40 consecutive patients who underwent ESWL were prospectively enrolled in the study. Pre-procedure ECG parameters were compared with post-procedure ECG parameters. Results: PWD values were significantly longer on post-procedure ECG compared with pre-procedure ECG (p=0.017). Corrected QT duration and QTd were significantly longer on post-procedure ECG compared with pre-procedure ECG (p=0.046 and p=0.008, respectively). In addition, Tp-e interval, Tp-e interval/QT ratio, and Tp-e interval/QTc ratio were significantly longer post procedure (p=0.035, p=0.045, and p=0.022, respectively). In univariate correlation analysis, duration of procedure was significantly correlated with post-procedure PWD, QTc, and QTD values. Conclusion: Clinical use of ECG parameters may be helpful in monitoring of patients receiving ungated ESWL in order to detect cardiac dysrhythmia.

Hurricanes lead to substantial infrastructure system damages, such as roadway closures and power outages, in the US annually, especially in states like Florida. As such, this paper aimed to assess the impacts of Hurricane Hermine (2016) and Hurricane Michael (2018) on the City of Tallahassee, the capital of Florida, via exploratory spatial and statistical analyses on power outages and roadway closures. First, a geographical information systems (GIS)-based spatial analysis was conducted to explore the power outages and roadway closure patterns in the city including kernel density estimation (KDE) and density ratio difference (DRD) methods. In order to provide a more detailed assessment on which population segments were more affected, a second step included a statistical analysis to identify the relationships between demographic- and socioeconomic-related variables and the magnitude of power outages and roadway closures caused by these hurricanes. The results indicate that the high-risk locations for roadway closures showed different patterns, whereas power outages seemed to have similar spatial patterns for the hurricanes. The findings of this study can provide useful insights and information for city officials to identify the most vulnerable regions which are under the risk of disruption. This can lead to better infrastructure plans and policies.

Background. An increased risk of ischemic stroke has been reported in patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD). Atrial fibrillation (AF) is strongly associated with ischemic stroke. Prolonged atrial electromechanical delay (EMD) is an independent predictor for the development of AF. Aims. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the atrial conduction parameters in patients with PD and to assess their relation with the severity of PD. Study design. We prospectively enrolled 51 consecutive patients with newly diagnosed PD and 31 age- and sex-matched non-PD subjects. Methods. To assess atrial electromechanical coupling (PA), the time intervals from the onset of p wave on ECG to the late diastolic wave at the septal (PAs) and lateral (PAl) mitral annulus and lateral tricuspid annulus (PAt) were measured on Tissue Doppler Echocardiography (TDE). The difference between PAs-PAl, PAs-PAt, and PAl-PAt were defined as left intra-atrial, right intra-atrial, and interatrial EMD, respectively. P-wave dispersion (PWD) was calculated from the 12-lead ECG. Results. PWD, PAs, PAl, and PAt durations were significantly prolonged in the PD group (all p

Grouping may be an obstacle itself or it may have to be improved to extract better information out of a data stream. Finding trends and dividing a population into parts may be crucial for analyses. This paper offers a modified version of Fisher method that may smoothen the cut point transitions and give out better results. Proven methodology is given with a comparison with the original method. The method may be helpful in forming subgroups in financial data, possibly in technical analyses.Keywords: Grouping, Fisher Method, Trends, Cut points

In previous papers, various notions of compact, T3, T4, and Tychonoff objects in a topological category were introduced and compared. The main objective of this paper is to characterize each of these classes of objects in the categories of filter and local filter convergence spaces as well as to examine how these various generalizations are related.

Abstract Background: The relationship between psychiatric illness and heart disease has been frequently discussed in the literature. The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between anxiety, depression and overall psychological distress, and coronary slow flow (CSF). Methods: In total, 44 patients with CSF and a control group of 50 patients with normal coronary arteries (NCA) were prospectively recruited. Clinical data, admission laboratory parameters, and echocardiographic and angiographic characteristics were recorded. Symptom Checklist 90 Revised (SCL-90-R), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) scales were administered to each patient. Results: The groups were comparable with respect to age, sex, and atherosclerotic risk factors. In the CSF group, BAI score, BDI score, and general symptom index were significantly higher than controls (13 [18.7] vs. 7.5 [7], p = 0.01; 11 [14.7] vs. 6.5 [7], p = 0.01; 1.76 [0.81] vs. 1.1[0.24], p = 0.01; respectively). Patients with CSF in more than one vessel had the highest test scores. In univariate correlation analysis, mean thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) frame counts were positively correlated with BAI (r = 0.56, p = 0.01), BDI (r = 0.47, p = 0.01), and general symptom index (r = 0.65, p = 0.01). The psychiatric tests were not correlated with risk factors for atherosclerosis. Conclusion: Our study revealed higher rates of depression, anxiety, and overall psychological distress in patients with CSF. This conclusion warrants further studies.

Cycling levels in cities keep increasing, which is accompanied with more cyclists being involved in serious road crashes. This paper aims to contribute to safer urban cycling by examining risk factors associated with cycling in the four largest Dutch cities, incorporating spatial and temporal variations in bicycle crash risk. For this purpose, the crashes and exposure metrics are analysed on an hourly temporal resolution. The results reveal that utilising an hourly temporal resolution in the exposure metrics and bicycle crash risk gives more detailed results compared to daily averages of these metrics. Moreover, the exposure to cyclists and motorised vehicles both have a significant impact on bicycle crash risk. The results also imply that separating cyclists from high-speed motorised vehicles might be more important than implementing a lower speed limit to curb the increasing severity of crashes. Despite some local differences, the overall results of the risk factors are remarkably similar across the cities, providing increased generalisability and transferability of the study. The findings indicate that concerns about the effects of increasing bicycle use and large flows of motorised vehicles on bicycle crash risk are valid, showing the importance of efforts towards improving bicycle safety in cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Aim: It is well-established that individuals with coronary artery disease (CAD) often exhibit autonomic dysfunction and a reduction in vagal function is associated with increased mortality and morbidity. Vagally mediated heart rate recovery (HRR) can be assessed by analyzing the post-exercise heart rate (HR) decay. It is hypothesized that effective exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation (CR) can enhance post-exercise parasympathetic function. This study aims to evaluate the impact of CR on HRR and other cardiac parameters in CAD patients. Methods: This retrospective cohort study was conducted at a single center. It included patients with CAD who were referred to the CR unit and completed either 30 or 60 sessions. These patients were free from angina or angina-equivalent symptoms at the time of enrollment and were receiving guideline-directed medical therapy for ischemic heart disease. A customized CR program was implemented for each patient. To calculate HRR, the maximum HR during the exercise test and HR values at 1, 2, and 3 minutes after exercise cessation were recorded. The differences between the maximum HR and the HR values at the end of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd minutes after exercise were designated as HRR1, HRR2, and HRR3, respectively. Results: This study enrolled 104 patients with CAD. Following CR, there was a significant improvement in functional capacity, as assessed by the 6-minute walk test (from 367.83 [56.58] to 381.61 [53.76], P=0.001), and endurance, as measured by the Cycle Ergometer Test Maximum Watts (from 63.22 [22.29] to 77.38 [19.87], P<0.001). CR also led to a noteworthy increase in HRR1, HRR2, and HRR3 (P=0.036, P=0.015, P=0.002, respectively). Conclusion: In our study, both the functional capacity and endurance of CAD patients improved significantly after CR sessions. Additionally, HRR showed a substantial increase following CR, suggesting that exercise-based CR can enhance post-exercise parasympathetic function. HRR may serve as a potential prognostic marker for predicting outcomes in CR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]