scholarly journals Retrospective cross-sectional analysis of the changes in marijuana use in the USA, 2005–2018

BMJ Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. e037905
Author(s):  
William Mitchell ◽  
Roma Bhatia ◽  
Nazlee Zebardast
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
At Risk ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Marijuana Use ◽  
High School Education ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Cross Sectional Analysis ◽  
Younger Age ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Sectional Analysis

ObjectivesUnderstanding trends of marijuana use in the USA throughout a period of particularly high adoption of marijuana-legalisation, and understanding demographics most at risk of use, is important in evolving healthcare policy and intervention. This study analyses the demographic-specific changes in the prevalence of marijuana use in the USA between 2005 and 2018.Design, setting and participantsA 14-year retrospective cross-sectional analysis of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey database, a publicly available biennially collected national survey, weighted to represent the entire US population. A total of 35 212 adults between 18 and 69 years old participated in the seven-cycles of surveys analysed (2005–2018).Primary outcome measuredLifetime use, first use before 18 years old, and past-year use of marijuana.ResultsThe majority of adults reported ever using marijuana. While the overall prevalence of lifetime marijuana use remained stable (p=0.53), past-year use increased significantly between 2005 and 2018 (p<0.001) with highest rate of past-year use among younger age groups (p<0.001), males (p<0.001) and those with income below poverty level (p<0.001). Past-year use was the most common among non-Hispanic blacks, and less common among Hispanic/Mexican populations (p<0.002). Trends in past-year use increased among all age categories, males/females, all ethnicities, those with high school education/above, and those at all income levels (p<0.01 for all).ConclusionsWhile lifetime marijuana use remained stable, past-year use significantly increased between 2005 and 2018. While past-year use remained the most common in younger age groups, males, non-Hispanic blacks and those with lower income; increasing trends in past-year use were significant for all age, sex, race and income categories, and for those with high school education/above. With high adoption of marijuana-legalisation laws during this period, our results suggest an associated increase in past-year marijuana use.An accurate understanding of those most at risk can help to inform decisions of healthcare policy-makers and professionals, and facilitate a safe transition of changing marijuana legalisation and use in the USA.

scholarly journals Characteristics of registered clinical trials assessing treatments for COVID-19: a cross-sectional analysis

BMJ Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. e039978 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hemalkumar B Mehta ◽  
Stephan Ehrhardt ◽  
Thomas J Moore ◽  
Jodi B Segal ◽  
G Caleb Alexander
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Trials ◽  
Clinical Investigation ◽  
Scientific Progress ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Design Elements ◽  
Cross Sectional Analysis ◽  
Therapeutic Benefits ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Sectional Analysis

ObjectivesThe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has prompted many initiatives to identify safe and efficacious treatments, yet little is known regarding where early efforts have focused. We aimed to characterise registered clinical trials assessing drugs or plasma treatments for COVID-19.Design, setting and participantsCross-sectional analysis of clinical trials for the treatment of COVID-19 that were registered in the USA or in countries contributing to the WHO’s International Clinical Trials Registry Platform. Relevant trial entries of drugs or plasma were downloaded on 26 March 2020, deduplicated, verified with reviews of major medical journals and WHO websites and independently analysed by two reviewers.Main outcome(s)Trial intervention, sponsorship, critical design elements and specified outcomesResultsOverall, 201 clinical trials were registered for testing the therapeutic benefits of 92 drugs or plasma, including 64 in monotherapy and 28 different combinations. Only eight (8.7%) products or combinations involved new molecular entities. The other test therapies had a wide range of prior medical uses, including as antivirals, antimalarials, immunosuppressants and oncology treatments. In 152 trials (75.7%), patients were randomised to treatment or comparator, including 55 trials with some form of blinding and 97 open-label studies. The 49 (24.4%) of trials without a randomised design included 29 single armed studies and 20 trials with some comparison group. Most trial designs featured multiple endpoints. Clinical endpoints were identified in 134 (66.7%) of trials and included COVID-19 symptoms, death, recovery, required intensive care and hospital discharge. Clinical scales were being used in 33 (16.4%) trials, most often measures of oxygenation and critical illness. Surrogate endpoints or biomarkers were studied in 88 (42.3%) of trials, primarily assays of viral load. Although the trials were initiated in more than 17 countries or regions, 100 (49.8%) were registered in China and 78 (37.8%) in the USA. Registered trials increased rapidly, with the number of registered trials doubling from 1 March to 26 March 2020.ConclusionsWhile accelerating morbidity and mortality from the COVID-19 pandemic has been paralleled by early and rapid clinical investigation, many trials lack features to optimise their scientific value. Global coordination and increased funding of high-quality research may help to maximise scientific progress in rapidly discovering safe and effective treatments.

Subjects at risk of Parkinson’s disease in health checkup examinees: cross-sectional analysis of baseline data of the NaT-PROBE study

2020 ◽  
Vol 267 (5) ◽  
pp. 1516-1526 ◽  
Author(s):  
Makoto Hattori ◽  
Takashi Tsuboi ◽  
Katsunori Yokoi ◽  
Yasuhiro Tanaka ◽  
Maki Sato ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Parkinson’S Disease ◽  
At Risk ◽  
Parkinson's Disease ◽  
Baseline Data ◽  
Health Checkup ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Cross Sectional Analysis ◽  
Sectional Analysis

Regime Types and Discrimination against Ethnoreligious Minorities: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of the Autocracy-Democracy Continuum

2003 ◽  
Vol 51 (3) ◽  
pp. 469-489 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan Fox ◽  
Shmuel Sandler
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
Ethnic Minorities ◽  
Liberal Democracy ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Cross Sectional Analysis ◽  
Regime Types ◽  
Sectional Analysis ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Minorities At Risk

Although many assume that the relationship between the autocracy-democracy continuum and discrimination is linear, with autocracies discriminating the most and democracies discriminating the least, the assumption is not universal. This study uses the Minorities at Risk dataset to test this relationship with regard to government treatment of religiously differentiated ethnic minorities (ethnoreligious minorities) as well as ethnic minorities that are not religiously differentiated. The results show that the pattern of treatment of ethnoreligious minorities differs from that of other ethnic minorities. The extent to which a state is democratic has no clear influence on the level of discrimination against non-religiously differentiated ethnic minorities, but it has a clear influence on the level of discrimination against ethnoreligious minorities. Autocracies discriminate more than democracies against ethnoreligious minorities, but semi-democracies, those governments that are situated between democracies and autocracies, discriminate even less. This result is consistent on all 11 measures used here and is statistically significant for seven of them, and it remains strong when controlling for other factors, including separatism. This phenomenon increases in strength from the beginning to the end of the 1990s. Also, democracies discriminate against ethnoreligious minorities more than they do against other minorities. The nature of liberal democracy may provide an explanation for this phenomenon.

scholarly journals Prominent seasonality of 25(OH)D vitamin deficiency in Latvia: Age and gender-related variations and testing regimen

2022 ◽  
Vol 131 ◽  
pp. 02004
Author(s):  
Sergey Nikulshin ◽  
Jana Osite ◽  
Stella Lapina ◽  
Anda Krisane ◽  
Iveta Dzivite-Krisane ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Latitude ◽  
Social Impact ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Central Laboratory ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Age And Gender ◽  
Younger Age ◽  
Optimal Period ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Sectional Analysis

Seasonality of 25(OH)D deficiency rate is a factor of major clinical and social impact and should be considered when planning for appropriate testing and tailored correction. We present retrospective cross-sectional analysis of over a million 25(OH)D tests performed in two leading Latvian laboratories – Central Laboratory and E.Gulbja Laboratory. Both series of tests demonstrated prominent seasonal variability of 25(OH)D deficiency rate (<20 ng/ml) and critical deficiency rate (<12 ng/ml): the lowest percentage of deficient tests was in August, while a significant peak was found in March-April. This trend was present at all ages and in both genders, variations were pronounced even for a high-latitude country and more prominent for critical deficiency, in younger age groups and in males. Analysis of testing regimens of both laboratories revealed that schedule was not optimal, period of higher testing intensity being far removed from the 25(OH)D deficiency peak.

scholarly journals Factors associated with risk of developmental delay in preschool children in a setting with high rates of malnutrition: a cross-sectional analysis of data from the IHOPE study, Madagascar

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ann Miller ◽  
Andres Garchitorena ◽  
Faramalala Rabemananjara ◽  
Laura Cordier ◽  
Marius Randriamanambintsoa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
Developmental Delay ◽  
Action Plan ◽  
International Norms ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Severe Stunting ◽  
Factors Associated ◽  
Cross Sectional Analysis ◽  
Z Scores ◽  
Sectional Analysis

Abstract Background: 50% of Malagasy children have moderate to severe stunting. In 2016, a new 10-year National Nutrition Action Plan (PNAN III) was initiated to help address stunting and developmental delay. We report factors associated with risk of developmental delay in 3 and 4 year olds in the rural district of Ifanadiana in southeastern Madagascar in 2016. Methods: The data are from a cross-sectional analysis of the 2016 wave of IHOPE panel data (a population-representative cohort study begun in 2014). We interviewed women ages 15-49 using the MICS Early Child Development Indicator (ECDI) module, which includes questions for physical, socio-emotional, learning and literacy/numeracy domains. We analyzed ECDI data using standardized z scores for relative relationships for 2 outcomes: at-risk-for-delay vs. an international standard, and lower-development-than-peers if ECDI z scores were >1 standard deviation below study mean. Covariates included demographics, adult involvement, household environment, and selected child health factors. Variables significant at alpha of 0.1 were included a multivariable model; final models used backward stepwise regression, clustered at the sampling level. Results: Of 432 children ages 3 and 4 years, 173 (40%) were at risk for delay compared to international norms and 68 children (16.0%) had lower-development than peers. This was driven mostly by the literacy/numeracy domain, with only 7% of children considered developmentally on track in that domain. 50.5% of children had moderate to severe stunting. 76 (17.6%) had >=4 stimulation activities in past 3 days. Greater paternal engagement (OR 1.59(1.13, 2.21)) was associated with increased delay vs. international norms. Adolescent motherhood (OR3.89 (1.32, 11.48)) decreased children’s development vs. peers. Engagement from a non-parental adult reduced odds of delay for both outcomes (OR(95%CI =0.76 (0.61, 0.93) & 0.28(0.16, 0.50) respectively). Stunting was not associated with delay risk (1.33 (0.83, 2.14) or low development (0.91(0.47, 1.74)) when controlling for other factors. Conclusions: In this setting of high child malnutrition, stunting is not independently associated with developmental risk. A low proportion of children receive developmentally supportive stimulation from adults, but non-parent adults provide more stimulation in general than either mother or father. Stimulation from non-parent adults is associated with lower odds of delay

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