Narrow Results

This study examines the health capacity to work among older persons in Japan—that is, how much longer older persons can work based on their health status using nationwide population-based surveys. We first examine how much older persons could work if they worked as much as those with the same mortality rate in the past (Milligan–Wise method). Second, we estimate how much older persons could work if they worked as much as younger persons in similar health (Cutler, Meara, and Richards-Shubik method). The results from both methods underscore a large work capacity among older persons in Japan. In particular, we observe a larger work capacity for the better educated and a negligible difference across regions. Moreover, we find an excess of part-time work, suggesting the need to enhance the flexibility of the choice of working style.

The effect of 5, 10, 20, 40 and 80 mg/kg b. wt. of hydroalcoholic extract of geriforte (an Ayurvedic herbal medicine) administered intraperitoneally was studied on the radiation-induced mortality in mice exposed to 10 Gy of γ-radiation. Treatment of mice with different doses of geriforte consecutively for 5 days before irradiation delayed the onset of mortality and reduced the symptoms of radiation sickness when compared with the non-drug treated irradiated controls. A maximum protection was observed for 10 mg/kg geriforte, where a highest number of survivors were reported by 30 days post-irradiation and further experiments were carried out using this dose of geriforte. The mice were treated with 10 mg/kg b. wt. geriforte or double distilled water (DDW) and exposed to 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11 Gy of gamma radiation and observed for the induction of symptoms of radiation sickness and mortality up to 30 days post-irradiation. The geriforte treatment protected the mice against the GI death as well as bone marrow deaths and the dose reduction factor (DRF) was found to be 1.14. Toxicity study showed that geriforte was non-toxic up to a dose of 4250 mg/kg, where no drug-induced mortality was observed. The LD₅₀ dose of geriforte was found to be 4750 mg/kg b. wt. To understand the mechanism of action of geriforte, free radical scavenging activity of the drug was evaluated. Geriforte was found to scavenge ^•OH, O₂^•-ABTS^•+ and NO^• in a dose-dependent manner. Our study demonstrates that geriforte is a good radioprotective agent and the optimum protective dose of 10 mg/kg was 1/475th of the LD₅₀ dose.

In order to provide a faster and easier way for outcome prediction of sepsis, this study aimed to characterize the pattern of arterial pulse spectrum by a rat cecum ligation and puncture (CLP) model and explore whether specific harmonic components of pulse spectrum are associated with the mortality of CLP rats, followed by the comparison of accuracy between these specific variables and IL-6.

Nineteen Sprague-Dawley rats receiving CLP were analyzed. Femoral artery of each rat was catheterized for blood pressure recording and blood sampling in the first 24 hours after CLP. The former was for off-line pulse spectrum analysis, and the latter for IL-6 assay. These rats were observed for 3-day mortality after CLP, and were divided into survivor or non-survivor groups. Differences of the hemodynamic profile, IL-6, and changes of the harmonics between the 2 groups were analyzed by using the Mann-Whitney test. Kaplan-Meier curves were constructed to characterize cumulative survival with the best prognostic cutoff point.

The characteristic changes of pulse spectrum were different between survivors and non-survivors. The percentage differences of the 2nd harmonic proportion (C2) increased significantly from the 10th hour after CLP, and was higher in the non-survivors. Serum levels of IL-6 were also higher in the non-survivor group. Analyzed by Kaplan-Meier survival curve for 3-day mortality, C2 had a higher accuracy than IL-6 as a predictor.

The pulse spectrum analysis may be applied to evaluate the prognosis of CLP rats, and the rapidly and highly elevated C2 harmonic had a strong association with the 3-day mortality of CLP rats.

Chinese medicine (CM) was extensively used to treat COVID-19 in China. We aimed to evaluate the real-world effectiveness of add-on semi-individualized CM during the outbreak. A retrospective cohort of 1788 adult confirmed COVID-19 patients were recruited from 2235 consecutive linked records retrieved from five hospitals in Wuhan during 15 January to 13 March 2020. The mortality of add-on semi-individualized CM users and non-users was compared by inverse probability weighted hazard ratio (HR) and by propensity score matching. Change of biomarkers was compared between groups, and the frequency of CMs used was analyzed. Subgroup analysis was performed to stratify disease severity and dose of CM exposure. The crude mortality was 3.8% in the semi-individualized CM user group and 17.0% among the non-users. Add-on CM was associated with a mortality reduction of 58% (HR = 0.42, 95% CI: 0.23 to 0.77, $p$ = 0.005) among all COVID-19 cases and 66% (HR = 0.34, 95% CI: 0.15 to 0.76, $p$ = 0.009) among severe/critical COVID-19 cases demonstrating dose-dependent response, after inversely weighted with propensity score. The result was robust in various stratified, weighted, matched, adjusted and sensitivity analyses. Severe/critical patients that received add-on CM had a trend of stabilized D-dimer level after 3–7 days of admission when compared to baseline. Immunomodulating and anti-asthmatic CMs were most used. Add-on semi-individualized CM was associated with significantly reduced mortality, especially among severe/critical cases. Chinese medicine could be considered as an add-on regimen for trial use.

In this paper, we have investigated a diffusive predator–prey model with herd behavior. Also, we considered that the mortality of predators is linear as well as quadratic. Using linear stability analysis, we obtain the condition for diffusive instability and identify the corresponding domain in the space of control parameters. Using extensive numerical simulations, we obtain non-Turing spatiotemporal patterns in the model with linear mortality of predators, and Turing pattern formation, namely, spotted pattern and mixed pattern (spots-stripes) in model with quadratic mortality of predators. The results focus on the effect of the changing mortality rates of predator in pattern dynamics of a diffusive predator–prey model and help us in the better understanding of the dynamics of the predator–prey interaction in real environment.

We consider the following matrix reachability problem: given r square matrices with entries in a semiring, is there a product of these matrices which attains a prescribed matrix? Similarly, we define the vector (resp. scalar) reachability problem, by requiring that the matrix product, acting by right multiplication on a prescribed row vector, gives another prescribed row vector (resp. when multiplied on the left and right by prescribed row and column vectors, gives a prescribed scalar). We show that over any semiring, scalar reachability reduces to vector reachability which is equivalent to matrix reachability, and that for any of these problems, the specialization to any r ≥ 2 is equivalent to the specialization to r = 2. As an application of these reductions and of a theorem of Krob, we show that when r = 2, the vector and matrix reachability problems are undecidable over the max-plus semiring (ℤ∪{-∞}, max,+). These reductions also improve known results concerning the classical zero corner problem. Finally, we show that the matrix, vector, and scalar reachability problems are decidable over semirings whose elements are "positive", like the tropical semiring (ℤ∪{+∞}, min,+).

The devastating figures that recently emerged from a demographic study of the impact of HIV/AIDS in some African countries mark the return to the conditions of the XIXth century, when high birth rates were neutralized by equally high death rates. In the State of São Paulo, Brazil, AIDS is the second cause of death among men aged twenty to forty nine years and the first cause of death of women in the same age class. In this work we propose a mathematical treatment to evaluate the impact of AIDS mortality on the age structure of an affected population, namely, that of the state of São Paulo, Brazil. We propose four indicators for the estimation of the impact of AIDS mortality. The first is the age-dependent differences in ten years survival probabilities attributable to AIDS. The second is the difference in the average age of survivors after 10 years of AIDS. The next is the conventional life expectancy at birth for children born in 1996 and with AIDS prevalence assumed at its maximum value and remaining in steady-state afterwards. Finally, we calculate the differences in the life expectancy of individuals considering the effect of AIDS for only ten years. We found that, in the period between 1987 and 1996 the effects were small but very interesting. However, projecting to the future the conditions of 1996, we calculate that the population of the state of São Paulo would lose 3 years in the average life expectancy at birth.

Many compartment based epidemiological models are written as differential equation systems for various status subpopulation sizes with per person-time transfer rates between compartments. However, field data obtained by sampling at chosen times is usually provided in terms of status proportions from the total observable population (e.g., relative prevalence). Relationships between per person-time transfer rates (incidence, mortality, intervention rates) and proportions are not obvious when heterogeneity is at work because the various subpopulation sizes undergo different attrition rates and are not evolving in synchrony with the corresponding proportions. Rules are proposed to write sets of differential equations for compartment models, directly in terms of the proportions of the total observable at any time. To facilitate the writing of relationships between per person-time transfer rates and proportions, the systems are cast in network equivalent forms satisfying rules analogous to those of electrical networks (Kirchhoff's law for currents). The method is also extended to variability in the rates within a status subpopulation, considering either a fixed set of compartmental subdivisions or an inner continuum of differences in rates.

This paper examines a three compartment model which represents a resource-plant-herbivore system. It establishes that under certain conditions the system has a single interior (all positive) equilibrium and that when it exists is locally asymptotically stable. It has been shown that the reproduction rate of herbivore plays an important role in shaping the dynamics of the model.

Merck and MD Anderson Cancer Center Enter Three-Year Strategic Collaboration.

Cervical Cancer: A Preventable Disease.

Consumption of Grilled Meat Linked to Higher Mortality Risk Among Breast Cancer Survivors.

Prostate Cancer Team Cracks Genetic Code to Show Why Inherited Disease Can Turn Lethal.

Social Interaction Can Affect Breast Cancer Outcomes.

One More Piece in the Puzzle of Liver Cancer Identified.

Synpromics Announces a Research Collaboration with GE Healthcare to Extend the Toolbox for Production of Biologics.

Illumina and Bio-Rad Launch Solution for Single-Cell Genomic Sequencing to Enable Robust Study of Complex Diseases.

The low-intensity ultrasound effects on MCF7 (human breast adenocarcinoma) and MCF10A (healthy breast cells) have been investigated at different sonication protocol to probe the effectiveness and the selectivity of the ultrasound (US) treatment and to understand the implications between cell mortality, biomechanical interactions and cell elastic modulus. Experiments performed at fixed and variable frequency demonstrated the effectiveness of some protocols in killing carcinogenic cells and the healthy cells insensitivity. Variation of elastic properties of MCF7 cells exposed to US under varying sonication conditions was examined. Sonication was carried out at fixed frequency (as it is usually done in therapy protocols), between 400kHz and 620kHz, following two protocols: (i) at fixed power output; (ii) at fixed voltage of the US generator. Evolution of cell stiffness during the US treatment was monitored via atomic force spectroscopy (AFS). It was found that cell mortality has a similar trend of variation with respect to sonication frequency regardless of the way specimens are exposed to US. Mechanical properties do not show a uniform trend with respect to frequency, but variations of Young’s modulus are more marked near the very low (400–480) kHz or very high frequencies (580–620) kHz. The observed variations may be related to mechanical interactions occurring in the cell culture, suggesting a primacy of the environment on other factors.

Population has increased drastically over the years and new diseases compete with the population. Immunisation is a preventive measure, which makes the person resistant or immune to the disease. Vaccination stimulates our own immune system against infection or diseases. Vaccines are available for more than twenty life-threatening diseases and it saves millions of lives throughout the world. In the 70th World Assembly conducted in the year 2017, around 194 countries participated and took the oath to strengthen vaccination thereby achieving goals of Global Vaccine Action Plan (GVAP). In spite of remarkable immunisation progress, approximately 20 million infants are not exposed to vaccination every year. The immunisation progress has stalled or even reversed in some countries, and there is a real risk that complacency will undermine past achievements. This paper considered the database of vaccine consumption rate from many countries issued by WHO to analyse the reason for poor access to vaccine with respect to the morality and poverty levels. For this analysis, the relation between vaccine consumption by children below five years, the children’s death rate record issued by the United Nations Children’s Education Fund (UNICEF), poverty index issued by the United Nations are considered. Multivariate linear regression algorithm is used to identify the correlation between datasets. The result shows that an increase in vaccination coverage results in reduction on mortality rate in most of the countries. A correlation coefficient of 0.7 was found between IMR and the vaccine dosages. Sub-Sahara countries’ poverty index has direct impact on the declined view of vaccination coverage.

Gastric cancer is the second most common cancer in the world. It is also the second most common cause of death from cancer. It has an uneven geographical distribution with incidence and mortality rates that vary greatly from high risk to low risk areas. Even within the same country, there may be variations associated with regional differences or ethnic composition. Time trends over the last few decades reveal a decreasing incidence and mortality. All these, together with incidence and mortality patterns in migrant populations, point to a predominantly environmental etiology in gastric cancer. Gastric cancer carries a poor prognosis with global 5-year survival of less than 20%. Gastric cancer will remain a sizeable healthcare problem for many more years.

The subset selection problem of linear algebra is applied to identify independent patterns of COVID-19 evolution within Brazil. The data consist of a set of mortality curves in states of Brazil. A subset of the most independent curves is selected by using a functional version of the QR matrix decomposition technique with column pivoting. The selected subset is used next as a basis to represent the remaining curves filtering out any data redundancy. For each independent curve, an associated epidemiological region of influence is defined. The results show two main independent curves with a similar two-peak pattern and a 50-day shift between the patterns. Two main epidemiological regions are next identified: one encompassing most of the country from the center and northeast states to the south, an another one containing the Amazonian region at the northwest.

This paper considers the production of biomass of two interconnected chemostats in series with biomass mortality and a growth kinetic of the biomass described by an increasing function. A comparison is made with the productivity of a single chemostat with the same mortality rate and with volume equal to the sum of the volumes of the two chemostats. We determine the operating conditions under which the productivity of the serial configuration is greater than the productivity of the single chemostat. Moreover, the differences and similarities in the results corresponding to the case with mortality and the one without mortality, are highlighted. The mortality leads to surprising results where the productivity of a steady state where the bacteria are washed out in the first chemostat is greater than the one where the bacteria are present in both chemostats.

In ancient times, Cambodia was home to one of the largest city complexes on earth, Angkor. At its apogee in the 12th century, the whole city of Angkor expanded over $>170$ hectares and had a population of 1–2 million people, which was only equaled by that of Ancient Rome. Angkor subsequently declined but remained occupied until the 18th century, at the beginning of the French protectorate.

In modern times, Cambodia became embedded in the global conflict against the occupying Japanese troops during World War II. This was followed by a lasting war that engulfed the whole Southeast Asia area, but the toll paid by the population remained limited. In the second half of the 20th century, Cambodia suddenly became the site of an acute drama, one of the worst that the world has known since the Holocaust. The Khmer Rouge regime led to the collapse of the whole country’s social system and triggered a brutal rise in mortality—direct and induced—and gender imbalance. Together with increased mortality, which eradicated approximately a third of the country’s population, there was a profound drop in fertility.

The nearly total collapse of the Khmer Rouge regime after Cambodia was freed in 1979 was followed by an important rise in fertility leading to a rebound effect or “baby boom” during the 80s. Today, as in 1960 before the Khmer Rouge drama, global fertility rates in Cambodia are similar to those of its neighbor, Vietnam. Total fertility rates, which neared six children per woman in Vietnam and Cambodia in 1960, have, however, dropped in both countries and stand just at population replacement level.

Objective: To describe the clinical profile and predictors of mortality of antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV) patients in Hong Kong. To compare the accuracy of the latest Five-Factor Score (FFS-2009) and the Birmingham Vasculitis Activity Score (BVAS) in prediction of survival with this local cohort.

Methods: A retrospective observational study on newly diagnosed AAV patients, from January 1, 2011 to March 31, 2022, managed in the Kowloon West Cluster (KWC) hospitals in Hong Kong. Demographic and baseline characteristics, clinical profile, and treatment profile were reviewed. Factors associated with mortality were analyzed with the Cox proportional hazards model. The performances of FFS and BVAS in mortality prediction were analyzed by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves.

Results: A total of 83 AAV patients were included in the study. The median age was 70.5 years at diagnosis. Microscopic polyangiitis (MPA; 69.9%) was the most common AAV subtype. The median FFS and BVAS were 2 and 20, respectively. The overall mortality was 45.6% across the study period. Multivariate Cox regression identified age at diagnosis (HR 1.043, $P=0.027$), stabilized peak serum creatinine (HR 1.002, $P=0.001$), hemoglobin level (HR 0.754, $P=0.006$), cardiac involvement (HR 3.862, $P=0.008$), and use of maintenance therapy (HR 0.261, $P=0.002$) as independent predictors of overall survival. Both FFS and BVAS were significant predictors of overall survival. The areas under the curve (AUC) of ROC curves suggested FFS was a good prediction tool for early mortality in 1 year, with an AUC value of 0.874.

Conclusion: Despite the advances in treatment, AAV still carried significant morbidities with high mortality. Clinical predictors and existing scoring systems showed good predictive power on mortality.

This paper presents an empirical analysis devised to understand the complex relationship between extreme temperatures and mortality in 16 Asian countries where more than 50% of the world's population resides. Using a country-year panel on mortality rates and various measures of high temperatures for 1960–2015, the analysis produces two primary findings. First, high temperatures significantly increase annual mortality rates in Asia. Second, this increase is larger in countries with cooler climates where high temperatures are infrequent. These empirical estimates can help inform climate change impact projections on human health for Asia, which is considered to be highly vulnerable to climate change. The results indicate that unabated warming until the end of the century could increase annual mortality rates by more than 40%, highlighting the need for concrete and rapid actions to help individuals and communities adapt to climate change.

In epidemiological studies associations have been observed consistently and coherently between ambient concentrations of particulate matter and morbidity and mortality. With improvement of measurement techniques, the effects became clearer when smaller particle sizes were considered. Therefore, it seems worthwhile to look at the smallest size fraction available today, namely ultrafine particles (UPs, diameter below 0.1 μm) and to compare their health effects with those of fine particles (FPs, diameter below 2.5 μm). However, there are only few studies available which allow such a comparison.

Four panel studies with asthma patients have been performed in Germany and Finland. A decrease of peak expiratory flow and an increase of daily symptoms and medication use was found for elevated daily particle concentrations, and in three of these studies it was strongest for UPs. One large study on daily mortality is available from Germany. It showed comparable effects of fine and ultrafine particles in all size classes considered. However, FPs showed more immediate effects while UPs showed more delayed effects with a lag of four days between particulate concentrations and mortality. Furthermore, immediate effects were clearer in respiratory cases, whereas delayed effects were clearer in cardiovascular cases.

In total, the limited body of studies suggests that there are health effects, due to both UPs and FPs, which might be independent from each other. If this is confirmed in further investigations, it might have important implications for monitoring and regulation, which until now does not exist for UPs. Data from Germany show that FPs cannot be used as indicator for UPs: the time trends for FPs decreased, while UPs was stable and the smallest size fraction of UPs has continually increased since 1991/92.

Acute infection, if not rapidly and accurately detected, can lead to sepsis, organ failure and even death. Current detection of acute infection as well as assessment of a patient’s severity of illness are imperfect. Characterization of a patient’s immune response by quantifying expression levels of specific genes from blood represents a potentially more timely and precise means of accomplishing both tasks. Machine learning methods provide a platform to leverage this host response for development of deployment-ready classification models. Prioritization of promising classifiers is dependent, in part, on hyperparameter optimization for which a number of approaches including grid search, random sampling and Bayesian optimization have been shown to be effective. We compare HO approaches for the development of diagnostic classifiers of acute infection and in-hospital mortality from gene expression of 29 diagnostic markers. We take a deployment-centered approach to our comprehensive analysis, accounting for heterogeneity in our multi-study patient cohort with our choices of dataset partitioning and hyperparameter optimization objective as well as assessing selected classifiers in external (as well as internal) validation. We find that classifiers selected by Bayesian optimization for in-hospital mortality can outperform those selected by grid search or random sampling. However, in contrast to previous research: 1) Bayesian optimization is not more efficient in selecting classifiers in all instances compared to grid search or random sampling-based methods and 2) we note marginal gains in classifier performance in only specific circumstances when using a common variant of Bayesian optimization (i.e. automatic relevance determination). Our analysis highlights the need for further practical, deployment-centered benchmarking of HO approaches in the healthcare context.