Uptake of Screening Mammogram in West-central Illinois During COVID-19 Pandemic: Lessons Learned

Objectives. The study aims to reveal the trend of mammogram uptake in seventeen rural counties in Illinois to understand how the COVID-19 pandemic is influencing breast cancer screening in the area.Methods. Aggregated data on mammography screening for west central Illinois was provided by the Illinois Hospital Association. Data for 2018 and 2019 was used to determine the typical monthly and annual screenings for the two years before the onset of COVID-19. Then, the two years' data was compared to the 2020 data. The monthly mean values for the aggregated 2018 and 2019 data were generated as the base "year" to compare with the monthly value for 2020. Paired T-Test analysis was used to find if there were any statistically significant differences the years and between the base year and 2020.Results. January 2020 revealed an uptick to 2,921, which is more than the uptake for January 2018 (2700) and January 2019 (2488), and 13% greater than the mean value of 2,594 for the previous two years. This was followed by a gradual decrease in uptake in February 2020 by 4% compared to previous years at a mean of 2518 and a further decline in March (44%), with a drastic fall (98%) by April 2020 at 56 screening mammograms in all 17 counties. The lowest uptake in any three months occurred from March through May 2020. Compared to previous years, increase in uptake was noted across the region in 2020 June (8%) and July (4%) after the pandemic restrictions were relaxed. Overall, the total uptake in 2020 was 15% less than the average annual uptake for 2018-2019 with a deficit of 5,537. There was no statistically significant difference in mammogram uptake across the three years.Conclusion. The findings reveal that there was a significant reduction in uptake during the pandemic restriction period. However, increased uptake during the rest of the year effectively mitigated this reduction to such an extent that there was no statistically significant downturn compared to each of the previous two years. A rising trend in total annual uptake noted in preceding years could have continued without the COVID-19 event.

Sub-divisional summer monsoon rainfall over India in relation to low pressure systems over the Bay of Bengal and adjoining land regions during 1982-1999

A study is undertaken to find out characteristic features of relationship of the low pressure system (LPS) over the Bay of Bengal and adjoining land regions with the rainfall over different meteorological sub-divisions of India during summer monsoon season (June-September). For this purpose, rainfall over 35 meteorological sub-divisions in India and LPS days over west central (WC) Bay, northwest (NW) Bay, northeast (NE) Bay, Bangladesh (BDS), Gangetic West Bengal (GWB), Orissa, north coastal Andhra Pradesh (NCAP), east Madhya Pradesh and Chattisgarh (EMPC) and Jharkhand (JKD) during different monsoon months and the season as a whole over a period of 18 years (1982-1999) are analysed. There is large month to month variation in the impact of the LPS on the sub-divisional monsoon rainfall over India. However, the results presented in the study including developed correlation maps may be helpful to predict 24 hours rainfall based on the location of the LPS and associated monsoon trough. The frequent development and persistence of LPS over NW Bay are favourable for higher seasonal monsoon rainfall over east central India. The development and persistence of LPS over WC Bay adversely affect the seasonal rainfall over this region. On the other hand, the frequent development and persistence of LPS over WC Bay and its subsequent westward movement across NCAP are favourable for higher seasonal rainfall over the peninsular region excluding west coast. The seasonal rainfall over northwest India decreases with increase in LPS days over EMPC. The seasonal rainfall over west central India, northeast India and west coast are not significantly related with the number of LPS days over the regions under consideration.

Pliocene marine Bivalvia of Vale do Freixo (Pombal, Portugal): updated taxonomic list and discussion

The exceptional Pliocene marine faunal assemblages of west central Portugal have been known since the late 19th century. They include highly diverse molluscan faunas whose study is far to be completed. Discovered nearly 40 years ago, Vale do Freixo (Carnide, Pombal) is perhaps the most outstanding fossil site. Neverthless, the bivalves remain relatively unknown. This study focuses on the taxonomy of this relevant group of marine Mollusca. The research, based on a detailed sampling of three fossiliferous beds from the Carnide Formation, yielded a list of 85 species belonging to 75 genera and 32 families. Forty-three species are new for the Carnide area and twenty-three are reported for the first time in the Portuguese Pliocene, increasing to 115 the number of known species in the Mondego Basin in the Beira Litoral.