Cancer/health communication and breast/cervical cancer screening among Asian Americans and five Asian ethnic groups

ABSTRACT

Objectives: This paper is an examination of cancer/health communication factors (i.e. cancer/health information seeking, patient-provider communication (PPC), cancer screening information from providers) and screening for breast and cervical cancer among Asian Americans and five Asian ethnic groups (Chinese, Filipinos, Japanese, Koreans, Vietnamese) in comparison to Whites. Additionally, the relationship between cancer/health communication disparity and cancer screening gaps between Asian Americans and Whites was investigated.

Design: Data comes from a nationally representative sample of 2011–2014 Health Information National Trends Surveys (HINTS).

Results: Asian Americans and most Asian ethnic-groups reported significantly lower rates of cancer/health information seeking and lower evaluations for PPC as compared to Whites, though differences within Asian ethnic groups were observed (Koreans’ greater cancer/health information seeking, Japanese’ higher PPC evaluation). When the cancer/health communication factors were controlled, Asian Americans’ odds of cancer screening were increased. Especially, Asian Americans’ odds of adhering to the breast cancer screening guideline became nearly 1.4 times greater than Whites.

Conclusion: This research demonstrates that health organizations, providers, and Asian American patients’ collaborative efforts to increase the access to quality cancer information, to make culturally competent but straightforward screening recommendations, and to practice effective communication in medical encounters will contribute to diminishing cancer disparities among Asian Americans.     

从积极防御战略浅析我军新型饮用水安全保障体系的构建

随着我军新时期积极防御军事战略的实行,未来战争战场环境将愈发复杂与多样,部队所面临的饮用水水源与水质将更加复杂。我军现有饮用水安全检测、净化技术与装备还存在信息化、一体化程度不高,新型制取饮用水技术研究深度不够,以及对涉及国家安全的重要战略要地水资源现状有待进一步调研等情况。为能在各种特殊和恶劣条件下确保作战人员的饮水用安全,应建立国家战略水资源安全防护体系,加快水安全卫生装备信息化和全天候适应性研究,深入开展特殊环境下饮用水保障新技术研究。     

Automating the generation of lexical patterns for processing free text in clinical documents

Objective Many tasks in natural language processing utilize lexical pattern-matching techniques, including information extraction (IE), negation identification, and syntactic parsing. However, it is generally difficult to derive patterns that achieve acceptable levels of recall while also remaining highly precise.Materials and Methods We present a multiple sequence alignment (MSA)-based technique that automatically generates patterns, thereby leveraging language usage to determine the context of words that influence a given target. MSAs capture the commonalities among word sequences and are able to reveal areas of linguistic stability and variation. In this way, MSAs provide a systemic approach to generating lexical patterns that are generalizable, which will both increase recall levels and maintain high levels of precision.Results The MSA-generated patterns exhibited consistent F1-, F.5-, and F2- scores compared to two baseline techniques for IE across four different tasks. Both baseline techniques performed well for some tasks and less well for others, but MSA was found to consistently perform at a high level for all four tasks.Discussion The performance of MSA on the four extraction tasks indicates the method’s versatility. The results show that the MSA-based patterns are able to handle the extraction of individual data elements as well as relations between two concepts without the need for large amounts of manual intervention.Conclusion We presented an MSA-based framework for generating lexical patterns that showed consistently high levels of both performance and recall over four different extraction tasks when compared to baseline methods.     

The impact of implementing a demand forecasting system into a low-income country's supply chain

ObjectiveTo evaluate the potential impact and value of applications (e.g. adjusting ordering levels, storage capacity, transportation capacity, distribution frequency) of data from demand forecasting systems implemented in a lower-income country's vaccine supply chain with different levels of population change to urban areas.Materials and MethodsUsing our software, HERMES, we generated a detailed discrete event simulation model of Niger's entire vaccine supply chain, including every refrigerator, freezer, transport, personnel, vaccine, cost, and location. We represented the introduction of a demand forecasting system to adjust vaccine ordering that could be implemented with increasing delivery frequencies and/or additions of cold chain equipment (storage and/or transportation) across the supply chain during varying degrees of population movement.ResultsImplementing demand forecasting system with increased storage and transport frequency increased the number of successfully administered vaccine doses and lowered the logistics cost per dose up to 34%. Implementing demand forecasting system without storage/transport increases actually decreased vaccine availability in certain circumstances.DiscussionThe potential maximum gains of a demand forecasting system may only be realized if the system is implemented to both augment the supply chain cold storage and transportation. Implementation may have some impact but, in certain circumstances, may hurt delivery. Therefore, implementation of demand forecasting systems with additional storage and transport may be the better approach. Significant decreases in the logistics cost per dose with more administered vaccines support investment in these forecasting systems.ConclusionDemand forecasting systems have the potential to greatly improve vaccine demand fulfilment, and decrease logistics cost/dose when implemented with storage and transportation increases. Simulation modeling can demonstrate the potential health and economic benefits of supply chain improvements.     

Spatial distribution of intestinal parasitic infections in a Kaingáng indigenous village from Southern Brazil

The spatial distribution of enteroparasitosis in an indigenous village from Paraná was evaluated to identify areas of risk for these infections. A cross-sectional study (from November 2010 to June 2011) was performed using Three Faecal Test^® and Kato &; Katz method and a questionnaire on housing and hygiene conditions was administered. Local geostatistical analyses were performed to determine the spatial distribution of intestinal parasitic infections. The overall prevalence of enteroparasites was 67.2?% (457/680), and the most prevalent taxa were Ascaris lumbricoides (48.8?%) and Trichuris trichiura (44.7?%). The prevalence of heavy infection by soil-transmitted helminths was 3.6?% and the families lived in houses with an average of 5.1 residents and < 2 bedrooms per household. The average number of species per individual present spatial heterogeneity with the highest values (≥0.8) in areas with high clustering of residences. The visualization of the spatial distribution of intestinal parasites in this indigenous village is an important contribution to determining health risk areas and planning decisions and services.     

Objective and subjective measures of the neighbourhood environment: Associations with frailty levels

ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to investigate whether perceptions of the neighbourhood environment (NE) and objective measures of the NE were associated with frailty in older adults.MethodsA cross-sectional study in Adelaide, Australia, recruited a sample of 115 community-dwelling adults aged ≥60 years. Respondents’ perceptions of their NEs were assessed using the Neighbourhood Environment Walkability Scale (NEWS). An objective assessment of these NEWS survey questions was conducted using seven variables: residential density, land use mix diversity, street connectivity, accessibility, seasonal persistent green cover, road crash density and crime rate. Frailty was evaluated using the FRAIL (fatigue, resistance, ambulation, illnesses and loss of weight) scale. Multivariable linear regression analyses were employed to assess the associations between NEWS and frailty, and to assess the associations between objective neighbourhood variables and frailty.ResultsFrail and pre-frail older adults were more likely to live in areas with lower residential density, lower density of road crashes, and higher accessibility than robust participants. Additionally, a poorer perception of the overall environment, worse land-use mix and accessibility and worse crime safety were associated with frailty and pre-frailty after adjustment of covariates and objective GIS variables.DiscussionNeighbourhood characteristics, both objective and perceived, are associated with frailty levels in older adults, and that strategies to tackle frailty must consider the impact of the neighbourhood environment.     

基于全民健康信息平台的药品实时监测实践

以厦门市作为国家药品集中采购试点城市的政策要求为背景,分析了原有区域人口健康信息平台在支持试点工作中存在的不足之处.结合厦门市基于大数据架构的全民健康信息平台的建设,开展了全市药品信息实时监测的实践,包括全市药品使用概况、试点药品的采购及使用情况、多维度分析及跨部门数据共享,为促进政府多部门的联合监管、决策提供重要的数据支持.     

A comprehensive knowledge base of synaptic electrophysiology in the rodent hippocampal formation

The cellular and synaptic architecture of the rodent hippocampus has been described in thousands of peer‐reviewed publications. However, no human‐ or machine‐readable public catalog of synaptic electrophysiology data exists for this or any other neural system. Harnessing state‐of‐the‐art information technology, we have developed a cloud‐based toolset for identifying empirical evidence from the scientific literature pertaining to synaptic electrophysiology, for extracting the experimental data of interest, and for linking each entry to relevant text or figure excerpts. Mining more than 1,200 published journal articles, we have identified eight different signal modalities quantified by 90 different methods to measure synaptic amplitude, kinetics, and plasticity in hippocampal neurons. We have designed a data structure that both reflects the differences and maintains the existing relations among experimental modalities. Moreover, we mapped every annotated experiment to identified potential connections, that is, specific pairs of presynaptic and postsynaptic neuron types. To this aim, we leveraged Hippocampome.org , an open‐access knowledge base of morphologically, electrophysiologically, and molecularly characterized neuron types in the rodent hippocampal formation. Specifically, we have implemented a computational pipeline to systematically translate neuron type properties into formal queries in order to find all compatible potential connections. With this system, we have collected nearly 40,000 synaptic data entities covering 88% of the 3,120 potential connections in Hippocampome.org . Correcting membrane potentials with respect to liquid junction potentials significantly reduced the difference between theoretical and experimental reversal potentials, thereby enabling the accurate conversion of all synaptic amplitudes to conductance. This data set allows for large‐scale hypothesis testing of the general rules governing synaptic signals. To illustrate these applications, we confirmed several expected correlations between synaptic measurements and their covariates while suggesting previously unreported ones. We release all data open‐source at Hippocampome.org in order to further research across disciplines.     

Assessing neurophysiological changes associated with combined transcranial direct current stimulation and cognitive‐emotional training for treatment‐resistant depression

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), a form of non‐invasive brain stimulation, is a promising treatment for depression. Recent research suggests that tDCS efficacy can be augmented using concurrent cognitive‐emotional training (CET). However, the neurophysiological changes associated with this combined intervention remain to be elucidated. We therefore examined the effects of tDCS combined with CET using electroencephalography (EEG). A total of 20 participants with treatment‐resistant depression took part in this open‐label study and received 18 sessions over 6 weeks of tDCS and concurrent CET. Resting‐state and task‐related EEG during a 3‐back working memory task were acquired at baseline and immediately following the treatment course. Results showed an improvement in mood and working memory accuracy, but not response time, following the intervention. We did not find significant effects of the intervention on resting‐state power spectral density (frontal theta and alpha asymmetry), time–frequency power (alpha event‐related desynchronisation and theta event‐related synchronisation) or event‐related potentials (P2 and P3 components). We therefore identified little evidence of neurophysiological changes associated with treatment using tDCS and concurrent CET, despite significant improvements in mood and near‐transfer effects of cognitive training to working memory accuracy. Further research incorporating a sham‐controlled group may be necessary to identify the neurophysiological effects of the intervention.     

Light‐dependent development of the tectorotundal projection in pigeons

Left–right differences in the structural and functional organization of the brain are widespread in the animal kingdom and develop in close gene–environment interactions. The visual system of birds like chicks and pigeons exemplifies how sensory experience shapes lateralized visual processing. Owing to an asymmetrical posture of the embryo in the egg, the right eye/ left brain side is more strongly light‐stimulated what triggers asymmetrical differentiation processes leading to a left‐hemispheric dominance for visuomotor control. In pigeons (Columba livia), a critical neuroanatomical element is the asymmetrically organized tectofugal pathway. Here, more fibres cross from the right tectum to the left rotundus than vice versa. In the current study, we tested whether the emergence of this projection asymmetry depends on embryonic light stimulation by tracing tectorotundal neurons in pigeons with and without lateralized embryonic light experience. The quantitative tracing pattern confirmed higher bilateral innervation of the left rotundus in light‐exposed and thus, asymmetrically light‐stimulated pigeons. This was the same in light‐deprived pigeons. Here, however, also the right rotundus received an equally strong bilateral input. This suggests that embryonic light stimulation does not increase bilateral tectal innervation of the stronger stimulated left but rather decreases such an input pattern to the right brain side. Combined with a morphometric analysis, our data indicate that embryonic photic stimulation specifically affects differentiation of the contralateral cell population. Differential modification of ipsi‐ and contralateral tectorotundal connections could have important impact on the regulation of intra‐ and interhemispheric information transfer and ultimately on hemispheric dominance pattern during visual processing.