Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice (KAP) toward Cervical Cancer Screening among Adama Science and Technology University Female Students, Ethiopia

Background. Cervical cancer is a complication of Human Papillomavirus (HPV) infection is the second most common cancer in women worldwide. Eighty percent of the cases occur in low-resource countries. According to the 2009 World Health Organization report, the age-adjusted incidence rate of cervical cancer in Ethiopia was 35.9 per 100,000 patients with 7619 annual number of new cases and 60-81 deaths every year. The study is aimed at assessing the level of knowledge, attitude, and practice concerning cervical cancer among female students at Adama Science and Technology University. Methodology. An institutional based cross-sectional study was conducted among 667Adama Science and Technology University female students. A simple random sampling method was used to select the respondents. Structured self-administered questionnaire was used for data collection. Results. About 404 (60.6%) of the participants heard about cervical cancer, 478 (71.7%) had positive attitude towards cervical cancer screening, and only 15 (2.2%) participants were screened for cervical cancer. Lack of information about cervical cancer was the most reported reason for not attending to cervical cancer screening. Conclusion and Recommendation. The study showed that there was low knowledge on cervical cancer and screening for premalignant lesion among women. There is a need to promote and encourage women to early cervical cancer screening at precancerous stage by informing their susceptibility to cervical cancer.

Sri Lankan Footprint in Global Aquatic Science Research: A Scientometric Analysis

The present study summarizes the research productivity and international collaboration in aquatic studies conducted by Sri Lankan scholars during 2000-2019. The study was based on the SCOPUS® database. R programming language, package bibliometrix and Vosviewer software were employed in the analysis. Results of the present study indicate that increasing growth trend in the annual number of publications. A significant correlation (p<0.05) between the number of articles and per capita GDP (Gross Domestic Production) was also observed. Senior authors dominated in terms of the article count, citation count, h index, and other author productivity indices. Journal of the National Science Foundation of Sri Lanka had the highest article count (n=33). Aquatic studies in Sri Lanka were more locally funded. Sri Lanka had strong research collaborations with Japan, South Korea and Australia. During 2000-2019, the transition of aquatic studies from lacustrine field studies to molecular lab-based studies were observed. The findings of the present study may provide a comprehensive understanding on the current context and future directions of aquatic studies in Sri Lanka.

Machine learning models to predict myocardial infarctions from past climatic and environmental conditions

Myocardial infarctions (MI) are a major cause of death worldwide, and temperature extremes, e.g., during heat waves and cold winters, may increase the risk of MI. The relationship between health impacts and climate is complex and is influenced by a multitude of climatic, environmental, socio-demographic, and behavioral factors. Here, we present a Machine Learning (ML) approach for predicting MI events based on multiple environmental and demographic variables. We derived data on MI events from the KORA MI registry dataset for Augsburg, Germany between 1998 and 2015. Multivariable predictors include weather and climate, air pollution (PM10, NO, NO2, SO2, and O3), surrounding vegetation, as well as demographic data. We tested the following ML regression algorithms: Decision Tree, Random Forest, Multi-layer Perceptron, Gradient Boosting and Ridge Regression. The models are able to predict the total annual number of MI reasonably well (adjusted R2 = 0.59 − 0.71). Inter-annual variations and long-term trends are captured. Across models the most important predictors are air pollution and daily temperatures. Variables not related to environmental conditions, such as demographics need to be considered as well. This ML approach provides a promising basis to model future MI under changing environmental conditions, as projected by scenarios for climate and other environmental changes.

Trends in Research on Traditional Chinese Health Exercises for Improving Cognitive Function: A Bibliometric Analysis of the Literature From 2001 to 2020

Although previous studies have investigated the ability of traditional Chinese health exercises (TCHEs) to improve cognitive function, few have utilized bibliometric analyses to address this topic. We aimed to investigate the current status of and developmental trends in this field from 2001 to 2020. We searched the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) for all research publications on cognitive function in relation to TCHEs. CiteSpace V was used to analyze the number of papers, countries, institutions, journals, authors, and citations. We identified hotspots and trends in the field by drawing co-citation reference and co-occurrence keyword maps. From 2001 to 2020, 406 relevant articles were published in the WoSCC, with a gradual increase in the annual number of publications. The three countries/regions with the most publications were the Chinese mainland, the United States, and Canada. Six universities from China and four from the United States were identified as the top 10 institutions. Most research was conducted at universities. Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine was identified as the most productive journal. Together, these findings indicate that TCHEs have received increasing attention as a method for improving cognition.

Incidence and Prevalence Trends of Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease in the Daegu-Kyungpook Province From 2017 to 2020

Background and Aim: There is paucity of data regarding the epidemiology of pediatric IBD in Asia compared to that of Western countries. We aimed to investigate the incidence and prevalence trends of pediatric inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in the Daegu-Kyungpook province of South Korea from 2017 to 2020.Methods: This study was a multicenter, retrospective study conducted in eight IBD referral centers located in the Daegu-Kyungpook province. Children and adolescents of ≤18 years who were initially diagnosed with IBD between 2017 and 2020 were included. The annual number of children and adolescents newly diagnosed with IBD and the annual resident population of children and adolescents ≤18 years of age in the Daegu-Kyungpook province were investigated to calculate the annual incidence and prevalence in the region.Results: A total 304 children and adolescents that had been diagnosed with IBD were included in this study. Among these patients, 71.4% had been diagnosed with Crohn's disease (CD), and 28.6% with ulcerative colitis (UC). The population based annual incidences of IBD from 2017 to 2020 were each 7.24, 6.82, 10.27, and 13.33 per 100,000, respectively (P for trend &lt;0.001), 4.48, 5.26, 7.39, and 9.8 per 100,000, respectively, for CD (P for trend &lt;0.001), and 2.76, 1.56, 2.88, and 3.53 per 100,000, respectively, for UC (P for trend = 0.174).Conclusion: Pediatric IBD, especially CD has significantly increased recently in the Daegu-Kyungpook province. Epidemiology studies from other regions of Asia are required to better elucidate this trend of increase in Asia.

Quantifying the impact of future extreme heat on the outdoor work sector in the United States

Outdoor workers perform critical societal functions, often despite higher-than-average on-the-job risks and below-average pay. Climate change is expected to increase the frequency of days when it is too hot to safely work outdoors, compounding risks to workers and placing new stressors on the personal, local, state, and federal economies that depend on them. After quantifying the number of outdoor workers in the contiguous United States and their median earnings, we couple heat-based work reduction recommendations from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention with an analysis of hourly weather station data to develop novel algorithms for calculating the annual number of unsafe workdays due to extreme heat. We apply these algorithms to projections of the frequency of extreme heat days to quantify the exposure of the outdoor workforce to extreme heat and the associated earnings at risk under different emissions scenarios and, for the first time, different adaptation measures. With a trajectory of modest greenhouse gas emissions reductions, outdoor worker exposure to extreme heat would triple that of the late 20th-century baseline by mid-century, and earnings at risk would reach an estimated $39.3 billion annually. By the late century with that same trajectory, exposure would increase four-fold compared to the baseline with an estimated $49.2 billion in annual earnings at risk. Losses are considerably higher with a limited-mitigation trajectory. While universal adoption of 2 specific adaptation measures in conjunction could reduce mid-century and late-century economic risks by roughly 90% and 93%, respectively, practical limitations to their adoption suggest that emissions mitigation policies will be critical for ensuring the well-being and livelihoods of outdoor workers in a warming climate.

Qualified personnel migration runoff threatens regional economic security

The article considers the concept of economic security in accordance with the provisions of the Strategy for the Economic Security of the Russian Federation for the Period up to 2030. The urgency of the intellectual migration problem for the regions and its influence on the economic potential of the state entity are emphasized. Today, the issues of reducing labor resources and high rates of the growing migration outflow of the population, which threatens the economic security of the region, acquire special significance for the modern research. Ensuring the regional economic security is possible under the condition of purposeful interaction of the forces and means capable of resisting threats, one of which is the migration outflow. There have been analyzed the statistical data of migration processes, of the labor market and the number of registered organizations and enterprises in the region in the case of the Astrakhan region, proved the impact of migration outflow on the innovation and economic security of the region. There are presented the diagrams of the structure of the leaving population aged 14 and older in the regional context of the Southern Federal District in 2019; migration growth of the population aged 14 years and older with higher professional education by the regions of the Southern Federal District in 2019. A graph of the growth rate of inventive activity over 2015-2020 has been illustrated. A diagram of the number of registered organizations, the growth rate of their number, as well as the average annual number of people employed in the economy of the Astrakhan region in 2018-2020 has been built. The correlation analysis of the probabilistic relationship between two variables - the indicators of the innovative sector of the economy and the number of enterprises and organizations in the region - has been carried out. The conclusions show the objectivity of the migration outflow impact as a threat to the economic security of the region, the need to ensure control over intellectual migration.

Downscaling of Future Precipitation in China’s Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region Using a Weather Generator

To project local precipitation at the existing meteorological stations in China’s Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region in the future, local daily precipitation was simulated for three periods (2006–2030, 2031–2050, and 2051–2070) under RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5 emission scenarios. These projections were statistically downscaled using a weather generator (BCC/RCG-WG) and the output of five global climate models. Based on the downscaled daily precipitation at 174 stations, eight indices describing mean and extreme precipitation climates were calculated. Overall increasing trends in the frequency and intensity of the mean and extreme precipitation were identified for the majority of the stations studied, which is in line with the GCMs’ output. However, the downscaling approach enables more local features to be reflected, adding value to applications at the local scale. Compared with the baseline during 1961–2005, the regional average annual precipitation and its intensity are projected to increase in all three future periods under both RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5. The projected changes in the number of days with precipitation are relatively small across the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region. The regional average annual number of days with precipitation would increase by 0.2~1.0% under both RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5, except during 2031–2050 under RCP 8.5 when it would decrease by 0.7%. The regional averages of annual days with precipitation ≥25 mm and ≥40 mm, the greatest one-day and five-day precipitation in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, are projected to increase by 8~30% during all the three periods. The number of days with daily precipitation ≥40 mm was projected to increase most significantly out of the eight indices, indicating the need to consider increased flooding risk in the future. The average annual maximum number of consecutive days without precipitation in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region is projected to decrease, and the drought risk in this area is expected to decrease.

Trends in the number of patients linked to potential vet-shopping behavior in the United States (2014-2019)

OBJECTIVE To estimate the number of patients linked to vet-shopping behavior (the solicitation of controlled substance prescriptions from multiple veterinarians for misuse) in the United States using 2014–2019 data and characterize mandates for veterinarians to examine prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs) before prescribing controlled substances as of April 2021. SAMPLE National database reporting prescription dispensing from 92% of US pharmacies from 2014 through 2019. PROCEDURES The annual number of patients with dispensed prescriptions for opioid analgesics, opioid cough-and-cold medications, or benzodiazepines from ≥ 4 veterinarians was calculated. State veterinary medical associations were contacted for information on veterinarian PDMP use mandates. RESULTS From 2014 through 2019, the number of patients with prescriptions for any class of controlled substances from ≥ 4 veterinarians tripled from 935 to 2,875 (+207.5%). The number of patients with opioid cough-and-cold medication prescriptions from ≥ 4 veterinarians rose from 150 to 1,348 (+798.9%). The corresponding number for benzodiazepines rose from 185 to 440 (+137.8%). The corresponding number for opioid analgesics peaked at 868 in 2016 before decreasing to 733 in 2019. In April 2021, 10 states mandated veterinarians to examine PDMP records of owners or animals before prescribing controlled substances; 3 mandates excluded benzodiazepines. CLINICAL RELEVANCE Vet shopping in the US may be increasingly common. Mandates for veterinarians to examine PDMPs before prescribing controlled substances might facilitate detection of this behavior. However, benefits of mandates should be weighed against their potential burden on veterinarians.

A Bibliometric Analysis of Atopic Dermatitis Research over the Past Three Decades and Future Perspectives

Atopic dermatitis (AD) has been increasing in prevalence over the past few decades; however, AD has never been analyzed using a bibliometric approach. We searched for AD studies in the dermatology and allergy category of the Web of Science and SCOPUS databases using the keywords “atopic dermatitis”, “eczema”, and “atopy”. In total, 53,460 documents were retrieved. We analyzed annual publication trends and performed keyword and co-authorship network analyses. The annual number of AD publications has increased over the years. Asthma, food allergies, the skin barrier, IgE, and epidemiology have received extensive attention. The keywords ‘allergic rhinitis’, ‘child(ren)’, ‘quality of life’, and ‘probiotics’ have become more commonly used in recent years. AD research has been led by only a few countries, such as the USA, Germany, and the UK, and longstanding research topics such as asthma, allergy, and the immune system continue to be important. We suggest that global collaborations, research in developing countries, and research that is more holistic (thus exploring how genes, the immune system, the environment, and the microbiome together impact AD) are necessary.