Objectives
To highlight the detail obtained on a Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) scan of the craniocervical junction and its usefulness to Chiropractors who specialize in the upper cervical ...spine. A review of the dose considerations to patients vs radiography in a chiropractic clinical setting and to review the effective radiation dose to the patient.
Methods
A review of studies discussing cervical biomechanics, neurovascular structures, and abnormal radiographic findings, was discussed in relation to chiropractic clinical relevance. Further studies were evaluated demonstrating radiation dose to the patient from radiographs compared to CBCT.
Results
Incidental and abnormal findings of the craniocervical junction were shown to have superior visualization with CBCT compared to radiography. The radiation dose to the patient for similar imaging protocols to the craniocervical junction and cervical spine was equal or less utilizing CBCT when compared to radiographs.
Conclusions
The use of CBCT for visualization of the craniocervical junction and cervical spine in the chiropractic clinical setting allows for adjunctive visualization of the osseous structures which is germane to clinical protocol. Further with CBCT the effective dose to the patient is equal or less than similar imaging protocols utilizing radiographs to evaluate the craniocervical junction.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Several studies have evaluated whether the distribution of natural environments differs between marginalized and privileged neighborhoods. However, most studies restricted their analyses to a single ...or handful of cities and used different natural environment measures.
We evaluated whether natural environments are inequitably distributed based on socioeconomic status (SES) and race/ethnicity in the contiguous United States.
We obtained SES and race/ethnicity data (2015-2019) for all U.S. Census tracts. For each tract, we calculated the Normalized Different Vegetation Index (NDVI) for 2020, NatureScore (a proprietary measure of the quantity and quality of natural elements) for 2019, park cover for 2020, and blue space for 1984-2018. We used generalized additive models with adjustment for potential confounders and spatial autocorrelation to evaluate associations of SES and race/ethnicity with NDVI, NatureScore, park cover, and odds of containing blue space in all tracts (
) and in urban tracts (
). To compare effect estimates, we standardized NDVI, NatureScore, and park cover so that beta coefficients presented a percentage increase or decrease of the standard deviation (SD).
Tracts with higher SES had higher NDVI, NatureScore, park cover, and odds of containing blue space. For example, urban tracts in the highest median household income quintile had higher NDVI 44.8% of the SD (95% CI: 42.8, 46.8) and park cover 16.2% of the SD (95% CI: 13.5, 19.0) compared with urban tracts in the lowest median household income quintile. Across all tracts, a lower percentage of non-Hispanic White individuals and a higher percentage of Hispanic individuals were associated with lower NDVI and NatureScore. In urban tracts, we observed weak positive associations between percentage non-Hispanic Black and NDVI, NatureScore, and park cover; we did not find any clear associations for percentage Hispanics.
Multiple facets of the natural environment are inequitably distributed in the contiguous United States. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP11164.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
CEKLJ, DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, OILJ, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VSZLJ
3.
Measuring Nature Contact: A Narrative Review Holland, Isabel; DeVille, Nicole V; Browning, Matthew H E M ...
International journal of environmental research and public health,
04/2021, Letnik:
18, Številka:
8
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
While many studies suggest evidence for the health benefits of nature, there is currently no standardized method to measure time spent in nature or nature contact, nor agreement on how best to define ...nature contact in research. The purpose of this review is to summarize how nature contact has been measured in recent health research and provide insight into current metrics of exposure to nature at individual and population scales. The most common methods include surrounding greenness, questionnaires, and global positioning systems (GPS) tracking. Several national-level surveys exist, though these are limited by their cross-sectional design, often measuring only a single component of time spent in nature, and poor links to measures of health. In future research, exposure assessment combining the quantifying (e.g., time spent in nature and frequency of visits to nature) and qualifying (e.g., greenness by the normalized difference of vegetation index (NDVI) and ratings on perception by individuals) aspects of current methods and leveraging innovative methods (e.g., experience sampling methods, ecological momentary assessment) will provide a more comprehensive understanding of the health effects of nature exposure and inform health policy and urban planning.
While many studies have found positive correlations between greenness and human health, rural Central Appalachia is an exception. The region has high greenness levels but poor health. The purpose of ...this commentary is to provide a possible explanation for this paradox: three sets of factors overwhelming or attenuating the health benefits of greenness. These include environmental (e.g., steep typography and limited access to green space used for outdoor recreation), social (e.g., chronic poverty, declining coal industry, and limited access to healthcare), and psychological and behavioral factors (e.g., perceptions about health behaviors, healthcare, and greenness). The influence of these factors on the expected health benefits of greenness should be considered as working hypotheses for future research. Policymakers and public health officials need to ensure that greenness-based interventions account for contextual factors and other determinants of health to ensure these interventions have the expected health benefits.
Natural environments have been linked to decreased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and respiratory disease (RSD) mortality. However, few cohort studies have looked at associations of natural ...environments with CVD or RSD hospitalization. The aim of this study was to evaluate these associations in a cohort of U.S. Medicare beneficiaries (∼63 million individuals). Our open cohort included all fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries (2000–2016), aged ≥65, living in the contiguous U.S. We assessed zip code-level park cover based on the United States Geological Survey Protected Areas Database, average greenness (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, NDVI), and percent blue space cover based on Landsat satellite images. Cox-equivalent Poisson models were used to estimate associations of the exposures with first CVD and RSD hospitalization in the full cohort and among those living in urban zip codes (≥1000 persons/mile2). NDVI was weakly negatively correlated with percent park cover (Spearman ρ = −0.23) and not correlated with percent blue space (Spearman ρ = 0.00). After adjustment for potential confounders, percent park cover was not associated with CVD or RSD hospitalization in the full or urban population. An IQR (0.27) increase in NDVI was negatively associated with CVD (HR: 0.97, 95%CI: 0.96, 0.97), but not with RSD hospitalization (HR: 0.99, 95%CI: 0.98, 1.00). In urban zip codes, an IQR increase in NDVI was positively associated with RSD hospitalization (HR: 1.02, 95%CI: 1.00, 1.03). In stratified analyses, percent park cover was negatively associated with CVD and RSD hospitalization for Medicaid eligible individuals and individuals living in low socioeconomic status neighborhoods in the urban population. We observed no associations of percent blue space cover with CVD or RSD hospitalization. This study suggests that natural environments may benefit cardiorespiratory health; however, benefits may be limited to certain contexts and certain health outcomes.
Display omitted
•Greenness and public park cover were weakly negatively correlated with each other.•Public parks were negatively associated with CVD hospitalization in low SES areas.•Greenness was negatively associated with CVD, but not RSD, hospitalizations.•Blue space cover was not associated with CVD and RSD hospitalization.
•Greener schools have higher test scores, even after taking income into account.•Middle school students may get a boost from school greening.•Planting trees within 250m may boost scores most.
...Converging evidence from hundreds of studies suggests that contact with nature enhances learning in elementary and high school students –– could greening in and around schoolyards improve academic achievement in sixth grade students, many of whom are negotiating the transition from elementary to middle school? This study examines the greenness-academic achievement relationship in 450 public schools in Washington State using two different measures of greenness (tree canopy cover and total green cover as assessed via NDVI), at two different scales (250m and 1000m radial buffers around a school), with two different measures of school achievement (the percentage of students meeting or exceeding state standards in reading and math). Six of eight spatial error models showed statistically significant, positive relationships between school greenness and achievement in sixth-graders — tree canopy within 250m of a school predicted better performance in both reading and math, as did total greenness within 250m, and tree canopy within 1000m — even after controlling for 17 potential confounders, including student characteristics, school resources, size, and location. Further analyses suggest that the greenness-achievement ties are primarily driven by the tree cover within 250m of a school. If a community wanted to experiment with greening schools for academic achievement, these findings provide clues as to what might be best to plant and where, suggesting that planting trees within 250m might maximize any effect on achievement.
Exposure to natural environments has been associated with health outcomes related to neurological diseases. However, the few studies that have examined associations of natural environments with ...neurological diseases report mixed findings.
To evaluate associations of natural environments with hospital admissions for Alzheimer disease and related dementias (ADRD) and Parkinson disease (PD) among older adults in the US.
This open cohort study included fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries aged 65 years or older who lived in the contiguous US from January 1, 2000, to December 31, 2016. Beneficiaries entered the cohort on January 1, 2000, or January 1 of the year after enrollment. Data from US Medicare enrollment and Medicare Provider Analysis and Review files, which contain information about individual-level covariates and all hospital admissions for Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries, were analyzed between January 2021 and September 2022.
Differences in IQRs for zip code-level greenness (normalized difference vegetation index NDVI), percentage park cover, and percentage blue space cover (surface water; ≥1.0% vs <1.0%).
The main outcome was first hospitalizations with a primary or secondary discharge diagnosis of ADRD or PD. To examine associations of exposures to natural environments with ADRD and PD hospitalization, we used Cox-equivalent Poisson models.
We included 61 662 472 and 61 673 367 Medicare beneficiaries in the ADRD and PD cohorts, respectively. For both cohorts, 55.2% of beneficiaries were women. Most beneficiaries in both cohorts were White (84.4%), were not eligible for Medicaid (87.6%), and were aged 65 to 74 years (76.6%) at study entry. We observed 7 737 609 and 1 168 940 first ADRD and PD hospitalizations, respectively. After adjustment for potential individual- and area-level confounders (eg, Medicaid eligibility and zip code-level median household income), NDVI was negatively associated with ADRD hospitalization (hazard ratio HR, 0.95 95% CI, 0.94-0.96, per IQR increase). We found no evidence of an association of percentage park and blue space cover with ADRD hospitalization. In contrast, NDVI (HR, 0.94 95% CI, 0.93-0.95, per IQR increase), percentage park cover (HR, 0.97 95% CI, 0.97-0.98, per IQR increase), and blue space cover (HR, 0.97 95% CI, 0.96-0.98, ≥1.0% vs <1.0%) were associated with a decrease in PD hospitalizations. Patterns of effect modification by demographics differed between exposures.
The findings of this cohort study suggest that some natural environments are associated with a decreased risk of ADRD and PD hospitalization.
We employed time-resolved, in situ neutron reflectometry to observe a dynamic electrode–electrolyte interface under conditions relevant to Li-mediated electrochemical N2 reduction reaction (NRR). ...This method leverages the sensitivity of neutrons to Li and fast time resolution (∼1 min) to observe the formation of a layer containing Li species at the electrode surface within minutes of applying a current density (−0.1 mA/cm2). Notably, within the first 6 min, we did not observe a solid-electrolyte interphase (SEI) distinct from this layer, providing insight into recent reports demonstrating performance advantages of short current cycles interspersed with open-circuit conditions for NRR. At longer time scales following chronopotentiometry (∼2 h), a multilayer SEI remained, though the presence of Li was not evident, indicating that the layers containing Li species observed over shorter time scales degrade almost entirely under open-circuit conditions, leaving SEI layers consisting of electrolyte decomposition products. We thus present the first application of neutron reflectometry toward the NRRthrough fast time-resolved measurements, we have enabled a path toward understanding the electrochemical NRR as well as dynamic systems across a wide range of energy technologies.
Tenofovir alafenamide (TAF) is a key component of HIV treatment, but pharmacokinetic data supporting the use of TAF during pregnancy are limited. In this study, we report pharmacokinetic, safety, and ...birth outcomes for TAF 25 mg with a boosted protease inhibitor in pregnant women living with HIV.
IMPAACT P1026s was a multicenter, nonrandomized, open-label, phase IV prospective study. Pregnant women living with HIV receiving TAF 25 mg with a boosted protease inhibitor were eligible. Intensive pharmacokinetic assessments were performed during the second and third trimesters and 6-12 weeks postpartum. Maternal and cord blood samples were collected at delivery. Infant washout samples were collected through 5-9 days postbirth. Comparisons of paired pharmacokinetic data between pregnancy and postpartum were made using geometric mean ratios (GMR) 90% confidence intervals (CIs) and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests with P < 0.10 considered significant.
Twenty-nine women were enrolled from the United States (median age 31 years and weight 84.5 kg during the third trimester; 48% Black, 45% Hispanic/Latina). TAF AUCtau did not significantly differ in the second GMR 0.62 (90% CI: 0.29 to 1.34); P = 0.46 or third trimester GMR 0.94 (90% CI: 0.63 to 1.39); P = 0.50 vs. postpartum and were comparable with historical data in nonpregnant adults. TAF was only quantifiable in 2/25 maternal delivery samples and below the limit of quantification in all cord blood and infant washout samples, likely because of the short half-life of TAF.
TAF AUCtau did not significantly differ between pregnancy and postpartum. These findings provide reassurance as TAF use during pregnancy continues to expand.
PDF
