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Quality & Quantity Nov 2022In recent research, Google Trends data has been identified as a potentially useful data source to complement or even replace otherwise traditional data for predicting...
UNLABELLED
In recent research, Google Trends data has been identified as a potentially useful data source to complement or even replace otherwise traditional data for predicting migration flows. However, the research on this is in its infancy, and as of yet suffers from a distinctive Western bias both in the topics covered as in the applicability of the methods. To examine its wider utility, this paper evaluates the predictive potential of Google Trends data, which captures Google search frequencies, but applies it to the case of Japanese migration flows to Europe. By doing so, we focus on some of the specific challenging aspects of the Japanese language, such as its various writing systems, and of its migration flows, characterized by its relative stability and sometimes limit size. In addition, this research investigates to what extent Google Trends data can be used to empirically test theory in the form of the aspirations and (cap)ability approach. The results show that after careful consideration, this method has the potential to reach satisfactory predictions, but that there are many obstacles to overcome. As such, sufficient care and prior investigation are paramount when attempting this method for less straightforward cases, and additional studies need to address some of the key limitations more in detail to validate or annul some of the findings presented here.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION
The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11135-022-01560-0.
PubMed: 36405390
DOI: 10.1007/s11135-022-01560-0 -
Toxics Feb 2023This paper present seasonal variation in the equivalent concentration (BaP) of PAHs in order to assess the potential cancer risk for two different groups of residents...
This paper present seasonal variation in the equivalent concentration (BaP) of PAHs in order to assess the potential cancer risk for two different groups of residents via ingestion, dermal contact and inhalation pathways. The possible ecological risk caused by PAH atmospheric deposition based on risk quotient was also estimated. A bulk (total, wet and dry) deposition and PM particle fraction (particles with an equivalent aerodynamic diameter < 10 µm) were collected from June 2020 to May 2021 at an urban residential location in the northern part of Zagreb, Croatia. The monthly average of total equivalent BaP mass concentrations of PM varied from 0.057 ng m in July to 3.656 ng m in December; the annul ∑BaP average was 1.348 ng m. In bulk deposition, ∑BaP mass concentrations varied from 1.94 to 57.60 ng L. In both investigated media, BaP had the highest contribution in carcinogenic activity. For PM media, dermal absorption implied the greatest potential cancer risk, followed by ingestion and inhalation. For bulk media, a moderate ecological risk for BaA, BbF and BaP was observed according to the risk quotient approach.
PubMed: 36976993
DOI: 10.3390/toxics11030228 -
PloS One 2024Height loss is reported to be an independent risk factor for all-cause and cardiovascular mortality. Smoking, which is responsible for a considerable proportion of...
Height loss is reported to be an independent risk factor for all-cause and cardiovascular mortality. Smoking, which is responsible for a considerable proportion of deaths due to any cause, is also associated with lumbar disc degeneration, a major risk factor for height loss. Therefore, smoking could be an independent risk factor for height loss. To clarify the association between smoking status and height loss, a retrospective study with 8,984 (5,518 men and 3,466 women) Japanese workers was conducted. The present study population comprised 9,681 workers aged 40-74 years who participated in annual medical examinations between 2011 and 2017 (baseline). Subjects without a height measurement during 2012-2018 (endpoint) were excluded from the analysis (n = 697). Height loss was defined as being in the highest quartile of annul height decrease (1.48 mm/year for men and 1.79 mm/year for women). Independent of known cardiovascular risk factors, smoking was positively associated with height loss among men but not among women. With never smokers as the referent group, the adjusted odds ratio (95% confidence interval) was 1.15 (0.98, 1.35) for former smokers and 1.24 (1.05, 1.46) for current smokers among men, respectively. Among women, the corresponding values were 0.98 (0.79, 1.21) and 0.90 (0.71, 1.16), respectively. Since height loss and smoking are independent risk factors for all-cause and cardiovascular mortality, these results help clarify the mechanisms underlying the association between height loss and mortality risk.
Topics: Male; Humans; Female; Retrospective Studies; Japan; Smoking; Tobacco Smoking; Risk Factors; Cardiovascular Diseases
PubMed: 38359064
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0298121 -
Bioengineered Feb 2022Chronic heart failure (CHF) is a prevalent health concern with complex pathogenesis. This current study set out to estimate the function of the miR-129-5p/Smurf1/PTEN...
Chronic heart failure (CHF) is a prevalent health concern with complex pathogenesis. This current study set out to estimate the function of the miR-129-5p/Smurf1/PTEN axis on cardiac function injury in CHF. The model of CHF in rats was established. The cardiac function indexes, myocardial tissue damage, and oxidative stress-related factors in CHF rats were evaluated after the interference of Smurf1/miR-129-5p/PTEN. The targeting relationships between miR-129-5p and Smurf1 and between PTEN and Smurf1 were verified. It was found that that after modeling, cardiac functions were impaired, heart/left ventricular/lung weight and the myocardial structure was destroyed, and the degree of fibrosis of myocardial tissue was increased. After Smurf1 knockdown, the cardiac function, myocardial structure, and oxidative stress were improved, and the fibrosis in myocardial tissue was decreased. Smurf1 was a target of miR-129-5p. miR-129-5p could annul the protective effect of Smurf1 silencing on CHF rats. Smurf1 inhibited PTEN expression by promoting PTEN ubiquitination, while miR-129-5p enhanced PTEN expression by inhibiting Smurf1. Meanwhile, overexpression of PTEN annulled the cardiac dysfunction in CHF rats induced by Smurf1. In conclusion, miR-129-5p targeted Smurf1 and repressed the ubiquitination of PTEN, and promoted PTEN expression, thus improving the cardiac function of CHF rats.
Topics: Animals; Chronic Disease; Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic; Heart Failure; Male; MicroRNAs; PTEN Phosphohydrolase; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Ubiquitin-Protein Ligases
PubMed: 35034538
DOI: 10.1080/21655979.2021.2024335 -
International Journal For Equity in... Aug 2020Comprehensive primary care practices, through preconception, preventive, curative, and rehabilitative care, have been a global priority in the promotion of health....
BACKGROUND
Comprehensive primary care practices, through preconception, preventive, curative, and rehabilitative care, have been a global priority in the promotion of health. However, the scope of primary care services has still been in decline in China. Studies on the factors for primary care service scope have centred on human resources and infrastructure; the role of direct government subsidies (DGS) on services scope of primary care facilities were left unanswered. This study aimed to explore the association between the DGS and services scope of primary care facilities in China.
METHODS
A multi-stage, clustered cross-sectional survey using self-administrated questionnaire was conducted among primary care facilities of 36 districts/counties in China. A total of 770 primary care facilities were surveyed with 757 (98.3%) valid respondents. Of the 757 primary care facilities, 469 (62.0%) provided us detailed information of financial revenue and DGS from 2009 to 2016. Therefore, 469 primary care facilities from 31 counties/districts were included in this study. Sasabuchi-Lind-Mehlum tests and multivariate regression models were used to examine the inverted U-shaped relationship between the DGS and service scope.
RESULTS
Of 469 PCFs, 332 (70.8%) were township health centres. Proportion of annul DGS to FR arose from 26.5% in 2009 to 50.5% in 2016. At the low proportion of DGS to financial revenue, an increase in DGS was associated with an increased service scope of primary care facilities, whereas the proportion of DGS to financial revenue over 42.5% might cause narrowed service scope (P = 0.023, 95% CI 11.59-51.74%); for the basic medical care dimension, the cut point is 42.6%. However, association between DGS and service scope of public health by primary care facilities is statistically insignificant.
CONCLUSION
While the DGS successfully achieved equalization of basic preventive and public health services, the disproportionate proportion of DGS to financial revenue is associated with narrowed service scope, which might cause underutilization of primary care and distorted incentive structure of primary care. Future improvements of DGS should focus on the incentive of broader basic medical services provision, such as clarifying service scope of primary care facilities and strategic procurement with a performance-based subsidies system to determine resource allocation.
Topics: Ambulatory Care Facilities; China; Cross-Sectional Studies; Financing, Government; Health Facilities; Health Services; Humans; Primary Health Care; Public Health; Resource Allocation
PubMed: 32778111
DOI: 10.1186/s12939-020-01248-7 -
Journal of Cellular and Molecular... Oct 2021Silicosis is an occupational disease characterized by extensive pulmonary fibrosis, and the underlying pathological process remains uncertain. Herein, we explored the...
Silicosis is an occupational disease characterized by extensive pulmonary fibrosis, and the underlying pathological process remains uncertain. Herein, we explored the molecular mechanism by which microRNA-205-5p (miR-205-5p) affects the autophagy of alveolar macrophages (AMs) and pulmonary fibrosis in mice with silicosis through the E2F transcription factor 1 (E2F1)/S-phase kinase-associated protein 2 (SKP2)/Beclin1 axis. Alveolar macrophages (MH-S cells) were exposed to crystalline silica (CS) to develop an in vitro model, and mice were treated with CS to establish an in vivo model. Decreased Beclin1 and increased SKP2 and E2F1 were identified in mice with silicosis. We silenced or overexpressed miR-205-5p, E2F1, SKP2 and Beclin1 to investigate their potential roles in pulmonary fibrosis in vivo and autophagy in vitro. Recombinant adenovirus mRFP-GFP-LC3 was transduced into the MH-S cells to assay autophagic flow. Knocking down Beclin1 promoted pulmonary fibrosis and suppressed the autophagy. Co-immunoprecipitation and ubiquitination assays suggested that SKP2 induced K48-linked ubiquitination of Beclin1. Furthermore, chromatin immunoprecipitation-PCR revealed the site where E2F1 bound to the SKP2 promoter between 1638 bp and 1645 bp. As shown by dual-luciferase reporter gene assay, the transfection with miR-205-5p mimic inhibited the luciferase activity of the wild-type E2F1 3'untranslated region, suggesting that miR-205-5p targeted E2F1. Additionally, miR-205-5p overexpression increased autophagy and reduced the pulmonary fibrosis, while overexpression of E2F1 or SKP2 or inhibition of Beclin1 could annul this effect. The current study elucidated that miR-205-5p targeted E2F1, thereby inhibiting SKP2-mediated Beclin1 ubiquitination to promote macrophage autophagy and inhibit pulmonary fibrosis in mice with silicosis.
Topics: Animals; Autophagy; Beclin-1; Cell Line; Databases, Genetic; Disease Models, Animal; E2F1 Transcription Factor; Gene Expression Profiling; Gene Expression Regulation; Humans; Immunohistochemistry; Macrophages, Alveolar; Mice; MicroRNAs; Models, Biological; Promoter Regions, Genetic; Proteolysis; Pulmonary Fibrosis; S-Phase Kinase-Associated Proteins; Signal Transduction; Silicosis; Ubiquitination
PubMed: 34428336
DOI: 10.1111/jcmm.16825 -
Journal of Environmental Radioactivity Aug 2017Vertical fluxes of total mass (F), particulate organic carbon (F), particulate inorganic carbon (F), Pb (F), and Po (F) were determined by sediment traps deployed at two...
Vertical fluxes of total mass (F), particulate organic carbon (F), particulate inorganic carbon (F), Pb (F), and Po (F) were determined by sediment traps deployed at two depths, 2000 m and 3500 m, at SEATS (South East Asian Time-series Study, 116°00°E, 18°00°N) in the northern South China Sea during June 2008-June 2009. The F ranges from 12.2 to 55.1 mg m d and from 89.3 to 250.8 mg m d, at 2000 m and 3500 m, respectively, and shows seasonal and inter-annul variation. The temporal variation of F, F, and F were in phase with the F, which was coupled with the seasonal cycles of primary production in the euphotic layer. The F ranges from 5 to 48 dpm md and from 38 to 105 dpm md, at 2000 m and 3500 m, respectively. Contrasting with Pb, the F shows poor correlation with F. The F ranges from 3 to 146 dpm md and from 50 to 309 dpm md, at 2000 m and 3500 m, respectively. Episodic events of the settling of biological particles from the surface layer and the regeneration processes the deep layer control the Po removal in the water column of the South China Sea. Strong correlations of the flux and source ratio of Pb, (F/P), and the particulate carbon fluxes were found, which give relationships of F (μg cmy) = 26.8 + 371.0 (F/P) and F (μg cmy) = -1.4 + 533.1 (F/P).
Topics: China; Lead Radioisotopes; Polonium; Radiation Monitoring; Seawater; Water Pollutants, Radioactive
PubMed: 27286908
DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2016.05.026 -
Journal of Pharmaceutical and... Aug 2014Pharmaceutical compounding of capsules is still an important corner stone in today's health care. It allows for a more patient specific treatment plan as opposed to the...
Pharmaceutical compounding of capsules is still an important corner stone in today's health care. It allows for a more patient specific treatment plan as opposed to the "one size fits all"-approach, used by the pharmaceutical industry when producing fixed dose finished drug products. However, loss of active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) powder during pharmaceutical capsule compounding can lead to under-dosed finished drug products and annul the beneficiary therapeutic effects for the patient. The amount and location of API loss was experimentally determined during capsule compounding of five different preparations: 10 and 20mg hydrocortisone capsules, 4mg triamcinolone capsules and 0.25mg dexamethasone capsules, using a 10% m/m self-made or commercial trituration. The total API amount present in the five capsule preparations varied between 90.8% and 96.6%, demonstrating that for certain preparations, significant API mass loss occurred during the pharmaceutical compounding of capsules. Swabbing results of the different compounding equipment and working areas indicated the mortar surface as the largest API loss location. An agate mortar accounted for the least amount of API loss, whereas an extensively used porcelain mortar accounted for the highest amount of API loss. Optical microscopy and roughness (Ra) determination by profilometry of the different mortar surfaces revealed a significant influence of the mortar surface wear and tear on the observed API loss. This observation can be explained by physical deformation, or scratch formation, of the relatively soft porcelain mortar surface, in which the API particles can become adsorbed. Furthermore, a small effect of the capsulation device material on the API loss was also observed. The presence of a chemical molecule effect on the API loss was demonstrated through data mining using a set of assay results containing 17 different molecules and 1922 assay values. The 17 median assay values were modeled in function of corresponding molecular descriptors, using stepwise multiple linear regression. The obtained MLR model, containing RDF060m, R6e(+) and R3m(+) variables, explained 92.5% of the observed variability between the 17 median assay values.
Topics: Capsules; Data Mining; Dexamethasone; Drug Compounding; Equipment Design; Hydrocortisone; Linear Models; Microscopy; Powders; Triamcinolone
PubMed: 24727282
DOI: 10.1016/j.jpba.2014.03.020 -
Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis Jun 2021Despite the utility of experimental functional analysis methodology, not all applications produce differentiated results. Factors such as interaction effects or...
Despite the utility of experimental functional analysis methodology, not all applications produce differentiated results. Factors such as interaction effects or methodological inefficiencies may compromise the likelihood of obtaining differentiated outcomes. Various studies have addressed methods to improve the efficiency of experimental functional analysis methodology (e.g., analysis of within-session responding). In the current study, we describe an updated model for progressing from brief to extended experimental analyses. The model incorporates several procedural refinements developed over the past 20+ years of experimental functional analysis research and additional conditions to confirm or annul findings. We present data for 20 participants who were referred for assessment and treatment of a variety of behavior problems (e.g., stereotypy, aggression, self-injury). We generally terminated the analyses when response patterns were consistent with established best-practice functional analysis methodology. Results showed conclusive interpretations were obtained for 100% of participants.
Topics: Aggression; Humans; Problem Behavior; Reinforcement, Psychology; Self-Injurious Behavior; Stereotyped Behavior
PubMed: 33914341
DOI: 10.1002/jaba.841 -
Pest Management Science Mar 2016In spite of the extensive use of insecticides to control Culex pipiens in the aftermath of West Nile virus, knowledge of the spatial distribution and frequency of...
BACKGROUND
In spite of the extensive use of insecticides to control Culex pipiens in the aftermath of West Nile virus, knowledge of the spatial distribution and frequency of insecticide resistance in this species is poorly understood in the United States. This paper reports on the occurrence of upregulated esterases that detoxify organophosphates (OPs) and mutations conferring resistance to pyrethroid insecticides in natural and developed areas of New Jersey.
RESULTS
We report the first observations of the OP resistance alleles Ester(B1) and Ester(2) and the classical knockdown resistance (kdr) mutation L1014F in New Jersey Cx. pipiens. Upregulated Ester(B1) peaked at 23% (mean ± SE = 12 ± 2.3%) and Ester(2) at 14% (8 ± 1.8%), and both were widely distributed. L1014F, which confers strong resistance to pyrethroids when homozygous, was also widely distributed and ranged in frequency from 2 to 19% (5.1% heterozygous individuals and 1.4% homozygous).
CONCLUSION
We have demonstrated that OP resistance is common and broadly distributed in New Jersey Cx. pipiens, and that homozygous individuals resistant to pyrethroids are present. Further, we have detected double mutants at Ester and kdr, a condition that may annul the purging effects of insecticide rotations. Our results therefore indicate the need for continued monitoring of insecticide resistance in order to achieve effective mosquito control.
Topics: Alleles; Animals; Cities; Culex; Insect Proteins; Insecticide Resistance; Insecticides; Mosquito Control; New Jersey; Organophosphates; Pyrethrins; Up-Regulation; Wetlands
PubMed: 25809655
DOI: 10.1002/ps.4011