scholarly journals The status of preimplantation genetic testing in the UK and USA

2020 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 986-998 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel Theobald ◽  
Sioban SenGupta ◽  
Joyce Harper
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Testing ◽  
Patient Treatment ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Success Rates ◽  
Preimplantation Genetic Testing ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Reporting Scheme ◽  
Treatment Pathways ◽  
The Usa ◽  
The Uk

Abstract STUDY QUESTION Has the number of preimplantation genetic testing (PGT) cycles in the UK and USA changed between 2014 and 2016? SUMMARY ANSWER From 2014 to 2016, the number of PGT cycles in the UK has remained the same at just under 2% but in the USA has increased from 13% to 27%. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY PGT was introduced as a treatment option for couples at risk of transmitting a known genetic or chromosomal abnormality to their child. This technology has also been applied as an embryo selection tool in the hope of increasing live birth rates per transfer. ART cycles are monitored in the UK by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) and in the USA by the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology (SART). Globally, data are monitored via the ESHRE PGT Consortium. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION This cross-sectional study used the HFEA and SART databases to analyse PGT cycle data and make comparisons with IVF data to examine the success of and changes in patient treatment pathways. Both data sets were analysed from 2014 to 2016. The UK data included 3385 PGT cycles and the USA data included 94 935 PGT cycles. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS Following an extensive review of both databases, filters were applied to analyse the data. An assessment of limitations of each database was also undertaken, taking into account data collection by the ESHRE PGT Consortium. In the UK and USA, the publicly available information from these datasets cannot be separated into different indications. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE The proportion of PGT cycles as a total of ART procedures has remained the same in the UK but increased annually in the USA from 13% to 27%. Between 2014 and 2016 inclusive, 3385 PGT cycles have been performed in the UK, resulting in 1074 PGT babies being born. In the USA 94 935 PGT cycles have been performed, resulting in 26 822 babies being born. This gave a success rate per egg collection for PGT of 32% for the UK and 28% for the USA. Analysis of the data by maternal age shows very different patient populations between the UK and USA. These differences may be related to the way PGT is funded in the UK and USA and the lack of HFEA support for PGT for aneuploidy. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION Data reported by the HFEA and SART have different limitations. As undertaken by the ESHRE PGT Consortium, both data sets should separate PGT data by indication. Although the HFEA collects data from all IVF clinics in the UK, SART data only represent 83% of clinics in the USA. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS Worldwide, a consistent reporting scheme is required in which success rates can convey the effectiveness of PGT approaches for all indications. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S) No specific funding was obtained and there are no competing interests to declare that are directly related to this project. Joyce Harper is the director of the Embryology and PGD Academy, which offers education in these fields.

scholarly journals Utilization of preimplantation genetic testing in the USA

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kaitlyn Roche ◽  
Catherine Racowsky ◽  
Joyce Harper
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Testing ◽  
Older Women ◽  
State Level ◽  
Oocyte Retrieval ◽  
Preimplantation Genetic Testing ◽  
Annual Increase ◽  
Younger Women ◽  
Live Birth Rates ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The Usa

Abstract Purpose To evaluate the use of preimplantation genetic testing (PGT) and live birth rates (LBR) in the USA from 2014 to 2017 and to understand how PGT is being used at a clinic and state level. Methods This study accessed SART data for 2014 to 2017 to determine LBR and the CDC for years 2016 and 2017 to identify PGT usage. Primary cycles included only the first embryo transfer within 1 year of an oocyte retrieval; subsequent cycles included transfers occurring after the first transfer or beyond 1 year of oocyte retrieval. Results In the SART data, the number of primary PGT cycles showed a significant monotonic annual increase from 18,805 in 2014 to 54,442 in 2017 (P = 0.042) and subsequent PGT cycles in these years increased from 2946 to 14,361 (P = 0.01). There was a significant difference in primary PGT cycle use by age, where younger women had a greater percentage of PGT treatment cycles than older women. In both PGT and non-PGT cycles, the LBR per oocyte retrieval decreased significantly from 2014 to 2017 (P<0001) and younger women had a significantly higher LBR per oocyte retrieval compared to older women (P < 0.001). The CDC data revealed that in 2016, just 53 (11.4%) clinics used PGT for more than 50% of their cycles, which increased to 99 (21.4%) clinics in 2017 (P< 0.001). Conclusions A growing number of US clinics are offering PGT to their patients. These findings support re-evaluation of the application for PGT.

scholarly journals Health at the ballot box: disease threat does not predict attractiveness preference in British politicians

2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 160049
Author(s):  
Gustav Nilsonne ◽  
Adam Renberg ◽  
Sandra Tamm ◽  
Mats Lekander
Keyword(s):  
Infant Mortality ◽  
Life Expectancy ◽  
Good Health ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Self Rated Health ◽  
Members Of Parliament ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Adaptive Behaviours ◽  
The Uk

According to disease avoidance theory, selective pressures have shaped adaptive behaviours to avoid people who might transmit infections. Such behavioural immune defence strategies may have social and societal consequences. Attractiveness is perceived as a heuristic cue of good health, and the relative importance of attractiveness is predicted to increase during high disease threat. Here, we investigated whether politicians' attractiveness is more important for electoral success when disease threat is high, in an effort to replicate earlier findings from the USA. We performed a cross-sectional study of 484 members of the House of Commons from England and Wales. Publicly available sexiness ratings (median 5883 ratings/politician) were regressed on measures of disease burden, operationalized as infant mortality, life expectancy and self-rated health. Infant mortality in parliamentary constituencies did not significantly predict sexiness of elected members of parliament ( p  = 0.08), nor did life expectancy ( p  = 0.06), nor self-rated health ( p  = 0.55). Subsample analyses failed to provide further support for the hypothesis. In conclusion, an attractive leader effect was not amplified by disease threat in the UK and these results did not replicate those of earlier studies from the USA concerning the relationship between attractiveness, disease threat and voting preference.

Good and bad events: combining network-based event detection with sentiment analysis

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Iraklis Moutidis ◽  
Hywel T. P. Williams
Keyword(s):  
Sentiment Analysis ◽  
Event Detection ◽  
High Volume ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
News Stories ◽  
Potential Applications ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Entity Disambiguation ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Named Entity Disambiguation

AbstractThe huge volume and velocity of media content published on the Web presents a substantial challenge to human analysts. In prior work, we developed a system (network event detection, NED) to assist analysts by detecting events within high-volume news streams in real time. NED can process a heterogeneous stream of news articles or social media user posts, combining text mining and network analysis to detect breaking news stories and generate an easy-to-understand event summary. In this paper, we expand the NED event detection and summarisation approach in two ways. First, we introduce a new approach to named entity disambiguation for tweets, which contain minimal information due to brevity. Second, we apply sentiment analysis techniques to documents associated with a detected event to characterise the event as either broadly ‘positive’ or ‘negative’ based on media portrayal. Our expansion focuses on Twitter streams since Twitter has become an important news dissemination platform and is often the site where emerging events are first seen. To test the extended methodology, we apply it here to three data sets related to political elections in the UK and the USA. The addition of sentiment analysis to the NED event detection methodology improves the insight gained by the user by allowing quick evaluation of the perceived impact of an event. This approach may have potential applications in domains where public sentiment is relevant to decision-making around events, such as financial markets and politics.

scholarly journals International Comparison of the Levels and Potential Correlates of Objectively Measured Sedentary Time and Physical Activity among Three-to-Four-Year-Old Children

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (11) ◽  
pp. 1929 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kaiseree Dias ◽  
James White ◽  
Russell Jago ◽  
Greet Cardon ◽  
Rachel Davey ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Parental Education ◽  
Sedentary Time ◽  
Linear Regression Models ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Day Of The Week ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Objectively Measured ◽  
Multilevel Linear Regression

Physical activity (PA) patterns track from childhood through to adulthood. The study aimed to determine the levels and correlates of sedentary time (ST), total PA (TPA), and moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) in preschool-aged children. We conducted cross-sectional analyses of 1052 children aged three-to-four-years-old from six studies included in the International Children’s Accelerometry Database. Multilevel linear regression models adjusting for age, gender, season, minutes of wear time, and study clustering effects were used to estimate associations between age, gender, country, season, ethnicity, parental education, day of the week, time of sunrise, time of sunset, and hours of daylight and the daily minutes spent in ST, TPA, and MVPA. Across the UK, Switzerland, Belgium, and the USA, children in our analysis sample spent 490 min in ST per day and 30.0% and 21.2% of children did not engage in recommended daily TPA (≥180 min) and MVPA (≥60 min) guidelines. There was evidence for an association between all 10 potential correlates analyzed and at least one of the outcome variables; average daily minutes spent in ST, TPA and/or MVPA. These correlates can inform the design of public health interventions internationally to decrease ST and increase PA in preschoolers.

scholarly journals A global emission inventory of carbonaceous aerosol from historic records of fossil fuel and biofuel consumption for the period 1860–1997

2008 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 1195-1207 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Junker ◽  
C. Liousse
Keyword(s):  
Technological Development ◽  
Carbonaceous Aerosol ◽  
Steady Increase ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Fuel Production ◽  
Relative Population ◽  
Global Emission ◽  
The Usa ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Aerosol Emissions

Abstract. Country by country emission inventories for carbonaceous aerosol for the period 1860 to 1997 have been constructed on the basis of historic fuel production, use and trade data sets published by the United Nation's Statistical Division UNSTAT (1997), Etemad et al. (1991) and Mitchell (1992, 1993, 1995). The inventories use emission factors variable over time, which have been determined according to changes in technological development. The results indicate that the industrialisation period since 1860 was accompanied by a steady increase in black carbon (BC) and primary organic carbon (POC) emissions up to 1910. The calculations show a moderate decrease of carbonaceous aerosol emissions between 1920 and 1930, followed by an increase up to 1990, the year when emissions began to decrease again. Changes in BC and POC emissions prior to the year 1950 are essentially driven by the USA, Germany and the UK. The USSR, China and India become substantial contributors to carbonaceous aerosol emissions after 1950. Emission maps have been generated with a 1°×1° resolution based on the relative population density in each country. They will provide a helpful tool for assessing the effect of carbonaceous aerosol emissions on observed climate changes of the past.

The nutritional content of children’s breakfast cereals: a cross-sectional analysis of New Zealand, Australia, the UK, Canada and the USA

2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (9) ◽  
pp. 1589-1598 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lynne Chepulis ◽  
Nadine Everson ◽  
Rhoda Ndanuko ◽  
Gael Mearns
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Sugar Content ◽  
Saturated Fat ◽  
Total Sugar ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Breakfast Cereals ◽  
Label Information ◽  
The Usa ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Serving Size

AbstractObjective:To compare the Nutrition Information Panel (NIP) content, serving size and package size of children’s ready-to-eat breakfast cereals (RTEC) available in five different Western countries.Design:NIP label information was collected from RTEC available for purchase in major supermarket chains. Kruskal–Wallis, Mann–Whitney U and χ2 tests were applied to detect differences between countries on manufacturer-declared serving size, total energy (kJ), total protein, fat, saturated fat, carbohydrate, total sugar, Na and fibre content. The Nutrient Profiling Scoring Criterion (NPSC) was used to evaluate the number of products deemed to be ‘unhealthy’.Setting:Supermarkets in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK and the USA.Participants:Children’s breakfast cereals (n 636), including those with and without promotional characters.Results:The majority of children’s RTEC contained substantial levels of total sugar and differences were apparent between countries. Median sugar content per serving was higher in US cereals than all other countries (10·0 v. 7·7–9·1 g; P < 0·0001). Median fat and saturated fat content were lowest in Australia and New Zealand RTEC, while the Na content of RTEC was 60–120 % higher in the USA and Canada than in Australia and the UK (all P ≤ 0·01).Conclusions:Across all countries, there was a high proportion of RTEC marketed for children that had an unhealthy nutrient profile. Strategies and policies are needed to improve the nutrient value of RTEC for children, so they provide a breakfast food that meets nutrition guidelines.

A comparison of patient treatment pathways among multidrug-resistant and drug-sensitive TB cases in Delhi, India: A cross-sectional study

2020 ◽  
Vol 67 (4) ◽  
pp. 502-508
Author(s):  
Nandini Sharma ◽  
Anuj Bhatnagar ◽  
Saurav Basu ◽  
Ashwani Khanna ◽  
K.K. Chopra ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Multidrug Resistant ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Patient Treatment ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Treatment Pathways

scholarly journals Loneliness and Its Associated Factors Nine Months after the COVID-19 Outbreak: A Cross-National Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (6) ◽  
pp. 2841
Author(s):  
Tore Bonsaksen ◽  
Mariyana Schoultz ◽  
Hilde Thygesen ◽  
Mary Ruffolo ◽  
Daicia Price ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
National Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Daily Lives ◽  
Emotional Loneliness ◽  
The Usa ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Cross National Study ◽  
The Impact

COVID-19 has been a global healthcare concern impacting multiple aspects of individual and community wellness. As one moves forward with different methods to reduce the infection and mortality rates, it is critical to continue to study the impact that national and local “social distancing” policies have on the daily lives of individuals. The aim of this study was to examine loneliness in relation to risk assessment, measures taken against risks, concerns, and social media use, while adjusting for sociodemographic variables. The cross-sectional study collected data from 3474 individuals from the USA, the UK, Norway, and Australia. Loneliness was measured with the de Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale. Multiple linear regression was used in the analysis of associations between variables. The results showed that concerns about finances were more strongly associated with social loneliness, while concerns about the future was more strongly associated with emotional loneliness. Longer daily time spent on social media was associated with higher emotional loneliness. In conclusion, pandemic-related concerns seem to affect perceptions of loneliness. While social media can be used productively to maintain relationships, and thereby prevent loneliness, excessive use may be counterproductive.

Determinants of a high-quality consultation in medical communications: a systematic review of qualitative and quantitative evidence

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 457-483
Author(s):  
Mohammadkarim Bahadori ◽  
Edris Hasanpoor ◽  
Maryam Yaghoubi ◽  
Elaheh HaghGoshyie
Keyword(s):  
Patient Treatment ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Data Synthesis ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Quantitative Evidence ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Critical Appraisal Skills ◽  
The Uk

Purpose The medical consultation is one of the requirements in diseases diagnosis and patient treatment. In addition, a high-quality consultation is a fundamental demand of patients, and it is one of the rights of every patient. The purpose of this paper is to identify factors affecting the high-quality consultation in medical communications. Design/methodology/approach The following electronic databases were searched: MEDLINE (via PubMed), Web of Science, Cochrane, EMBASE, Scopus and ProQuest until December 2018. In addition, the authors searched Google Scholar. Qualitative and quantitative studies were assessed using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme, Qualitative Checklist and the Center for Evidence-Based Management appraisal checklist, respectively. A stepwise approach was conducted for data synthesis. Findings Of 3,826 identified studies, 29 met the full inclusion criteria. Overall, after quality assessment of studies, 25 studies were included. The studies were conducted in the USA (n=6), the UK (n=6), the Netherlands (n=4), Canada (n=2), Belgium (n=2), Poland (n=2), Germany (n=1), Iran (n=1), Finland (n=1), Austria (n=1), Qatar (n=1), Denmark (n=1) and China (n=1), and five studies were excluded. Data synthesis showed that high-quality consultation consisted of three main categories: structural (4 main themes with 26 sub-themes), process (2 main themes with 33 sub-themes) and outcome (3 main themes with 12 sub-themes) quality. Originality/value Using the indicators of consultation quality improvement can develop physicians’ clinical competence and skills. Decision makers can use them to monitor and evaluate physicians’ performance. A high-quality consultation can be useful in social prescribing that helps patients to manage their disease.

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