Do social support and community engagement act as mechanisms in the association between neighbourhood income inequality and the mental health of mothers in Calgary,Canada? A mediation analysis

PurposeAccording to the social determinants of health framework, income inequality is a potential risk factor for adverse mental health. However, few studies have explored the mechanisms suspected to mediate this relationship. The current study addresses this gap through a mediation analysis to determine if social support and community engagement act as mediators linking neighbourhood income inequality to maternal anxiety and depressive symptoms within a cohort of new mothers living in the City of Calgary, Canada.MethodsData collected at three years postpartum from mothers belonging to the All Our Families (AOF) cohort were used in the current study. Maternal data were collected between 2012 and 2015 and linked to neighbourhood socioeconomic data from the 2006 Canadian Census. Income inequality was measured using Gini coefficients derived from 2006 after-tax census data. Generalized structural equation models were used to quantify the associations between income inequality and mental health symptoms, and to assess the potential direct and indirect mediating effects of maternal social support and community engagement.ResultsIncome inequality was not significantly associated with higher depressive symptoms (β = 0.32, 95%CI = −0.067, 0.70), anxiety symptoms (β = 0.11, 95%CI = −0.39, 0.60), or lower social support. Income inequality was not associated with community engagement. For the depression models, higher social support was significantly associated with lower depressive symptoms (β = −0.13, 95%CI = −0.15, −0.097), while community engagement was not significantly associated with depressive symptoms (β = 0.059, 95%CI = −0.15, 0.27). Similarly, for the anxiety models, lower anxiety symptoms were significantly associated with higher levels of social support (β = −0.17, 95%CI = −0.20, −0.13) but not with higher levels of community engagement (β = 0.14, 95%CI = −0.14, 0.41).ConclusionThe current study did not find clear evidence for social support or community engagement mediating the relationship between neighbourhood income inequality and maternal mental health. Future investigations should employ a broader longitudinal approach to capture changes in income inequality, potential mediators, and mental health symptomatology over time.     

Confounded association between proton pump inhibitor use and risk of biliary tract cancer: Result from three cohorts

Recent epidemiological studies suggested that proton pump inhibitor (PPI) use was associated with an increased risk of biliary tract cancer (BTC), however, confounders were not adequately controlled. Our study aimed to evaluate PPI use and subsequent risk of BTC and its subtypes in three well-established cohorts. We conducted a pooled analysis of the subjects free of cancers in UK Biobank (n = 463 643), Nurses' Health Study (NHS, n = 80 235) and NHS II (n = 95 869). Propensity score weighted Cox models were used to estimate marginal HRs of PPIs use on BTC risk, accounting for potential confounders. We documented 284 BTC cases in UK Biobank (median follow-up: 7.6 years), and 91 cases in NHS and NHS II cohorts (median follow-up: 15.8 years). In UK biobank, PPI users had a 96% higher risk of BTC compared to nonusers in crude model (HR 1.96, 95% CI 1.44-2.66), but the effect was attenuated to null after adjusting for potential confounders (HR 0.95, 95% CI 0.60-1.49). PPI use was not associated with risk of BTC in the pooled analysis of three cohorts (HR 0.93, 95% CI 0.60-1.43). We also observed no associations between PPI use with risk of intrahepatic (HR 1.00, 95% CI 0.49-2.04), extrahepatic bile duct (HR 1.09, 95% CI 0.52-2.27) and gallbladder cancers (HR 0.66, 95% CI 0.26-1.66) in UK Biobank. In summary, regular use of PPIs was not associated with the risk of BTC and its subtypes.     

加速康复外科理念在脊柱结核围手术期护理中的应用效果分析

目的: 分析探讨加速康复外科(ERAS)理念在脊柱结核围手术期护理应用中的效果。 方法: 收集青岛市胸科医院外科2017年7月至2020年6月收治的147例脊柱结核患者。其中,2017年7月至2018年12月收治的68例脊柱结核手术患者围手术期应用常规护理,作为对照组;2019年1月至2020年6月收治的79例脊柱结核手术患者在常规护理措施基础上融入了ERAS理念,作为ERAS组。比较两组患者的引流管拔除、最初下床进行功能锻炼、最初自主排尿的时间,术后72h疼痛(采用视觉模拟评分法)评分,住院天数,恶心呕吐、肺部感染、药物性肝损伤的发生率,以及患者满意度的差异。 结果: 与对照组相比,ERAS组患者引流管拔除时间[6.00(4.00,8.00)d和8.00(7.00,8.00)d;W=4321.000,P<0.001]、最初下床进行功能锻炼时间[2.00(2.00,4.00)d和5.50(4.25,6.00)d;W=3376.000,P<0.001]、首次在床上自主排尿时间[5.00(3.00,6.00)h和9.00(7.00,9.00)h;W=3369.000,P<0.001]、术后72h疼痛评分[3.00(2.00,4.00)分和5.00(5.00,6.00)分;W=4078.500,P<0.001]、住院总天数[19.00(18.00,21.00)d和22.00(19.00,27.00)d;W=4791.500,P<0.001]均有所下降,差异均有统计学意义。与对照组相比,ERAS组术后恶心呕吐发生率[7.6%(6/79)和19.1%(13/68);χ²=4.311,P=0.038]、肺部感染发生率[2.5%(2/79)和11.8%(8/68);χ²=4.914,P=0.027]、药物性肝损伤发生率[1.3%(1/79)和13.2%(9/68),χ²=8.258,P=0.004]均有所下降,差异均有统计学意义。ERAS组患者满意度高于对照组[96.2%(76/79)和85.3%(58/68),χ²=7.100,P=0.008],差异有统计学意义。 结论: ERAS理念应用于脊柱结核围手术期护理可以加速患者的康复,减少并发症的发生,提高患者的满意度。     

The effect of different statistical approaches on image quality data obtained from radiological examinations

IntroductionSelection of optimal image acquisition protocols in medical imaging remains a grey area, the superimposed use of the Likert scale in radiological image quality evaluations creates an additional challenge for the statistical analysis of image quality data.Using a simulation study, we have trialled a novel approach to analysing radiological image quality Likert scale data.MethodsA simulation study was undertaken where simulated datasets were generated based on the distribution of Likert scale values according to varying image acquisition protocols from a real dataset. Simulated Likert scale values were pooled in four different ways; the mean, median, mode and the summation of patient Likert scale values of which the total was assigned a categorical Likert scale value. Estimates of bias, MAPE and RMSPE were then calculated for all four pooling approaches to determine which method most accurately represented an expert's opinion.ResultsWhen compared to an expert's opinion, the method of summation and categorisation of Likert scale values was most accurate 49 times out of the 114 (43.0%) tests. The mean 28 times out of 114 (24.6%), the median 23 times out of 114 (20.2%) and the mode 17 times out of 114 (14.9%).ConclusionWe conclude that our method of summation and categorisation of Likert scale values is most often the best representation of the simulated data compared to the expert's opinion.Implications for practiceThere is scope to reproduce this simulation study with multiple observers to reflect clinical reality more accurately with the dynamic nature of multiple observers. This also prompts future investigation into other anatomical areas, to see if the same methods produce similar results.