Every house is different. It is important that house price indexes take account of these quality differences. Hedonic methods which express house prices as a function of a vector of characteristics ...(such as number of bedrooms and bathrooms, land area and location) are particularly useful for this purpose. I consider here some developments in the hedonic methodology, as it is applied in a housing context, that have occurred in the last three decades. A number of hedonic house price indexes are now available. However, it is often difficult to see how these indexes relate to each other. For this reason I attempt to impose some structure on the literature by developing a taxonomy of hedonic indexes, and then show how existing indexes fit into this taxonomy. Also discussed are some promising areas for future research in the hedonic field. In particular, greater use needs to be made of spatial econometric and nonparametric methods to exploit the increased availability of geospatial data. The main criticisms of the hedonic approach are evaluated and compared with those of the repeat‐sales and stratified median methods. The overall conclusion is that the advantages of the hedonic approach outweigh its disadvantages.
Bacterial infection is highly prevalent in patients who have had a stroke. Despite the potential contribution of micro-aspiration in post-stroke pneumonia, we found that the majority of the ...microorganisms detected in the patients who developed infections after having a stroke were common commensal bacteria that normally reside in the intestinal tracts. In a mouse model of ischemic stroke, post-stroke infection was only observed in mice that were born and raised in specific-pathogen-free facilities; this was not seen in mice that were born and raised in germ-free facilities. Using high-throughput 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing and bioinformatics analyses, we provide evidence demonstrating that the source of the bacteria forming the microbial community in the lungs of post-stroke mice was indeed the host small intestine. Additionally, stroke-induced gut barrier permeability and dysfunction preceded the dissemination of orally inoculated bacteria to peripheral tissues. This study identifies a novel pathway in which stroke promotes the translocation and dissemination of selective strains of bacteria that originated from the host gut microbiota.
It is just over a decade since Vallerand et al. (J Personal Soc Psychol 85:756–767,
2003
) introduced the dualistic model of passion. In this study, we conduct a meta-analytical review of ...relationships between Vallerand et al’s two passions (viz. harmonious and obsessive), and intrapersonal outcomes, and test the moderating role of age, gender, domain, and culture. A systematic literature search yielded 94 studies, within which 27 criterion variables were reported. These criterion variables derived from four research areas within the intrapersonal sphere: (a) well-/ill-being, (b) motivation factors, (c) cognitive outcomes and, (d) behaviour and performance. From these areas we retrieved 1308 independent effect sizes and analysed them using random-effects models. Results showed harmonious passion positively corresponded with positive intrapersonal outcomes (e.g., positive affect, flow, performance). Obsessive passion, conversely, showed positive associations with positive and negative intrapersonal outcomes (e.g., negative affect, rumination, vitality). Correlations were largely invariant across age and gender, but certain relationships were moderated by domain and culture. Implications are discussed.
Blood lipids are established risk factors for myocardial infarction (MI), but uncertainty persists about the relevance of lipids, lipoprotein particles, and circulating metabolites for MI and stroke ...subtypes.
This study sought to investigate the associations of plasma metabolic markers with risks of incident MI, ischemic stroke (IS), and intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH).
In a nested case-control study (912 MI, 1,146 IS, and 1,138 ICH cases, and 1,466 common control subjects) 30 to 79 years of age in China Kadoorie Biobank, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy measured 225 metabolic markers in baseline plasma samples. Logistic regression was used to estimate adjusted odds ratios (ORs) for a 1-SD higher metabolic marker.
Very low-, intermediate-, and low-density lipoprotein particles were positively associated with MI and IS. High-density lipoprotein (HDL) particles were inversely associated with MI apart from small HDL. In contrast, no lipoprotein particles were associated with ICH. Cholesterol in large HDL was inversely associated with MI and IS (OR: 0.79 and 0.88, respectively), whereas cholesterol in small HDL was not (OR: 0.99 and 1.06, respectively). Triglycerides within all lipoproteins, including most HDL particles, were positively associated with MI, with a similar pattern for IS. Glycoprotein acetyls, ketone bodies, glucose, and docosahexaenoic acid were associated with all 3 diseases. The 225 metabolic markers showed concordant associations between MI and IS, but not with ICH.
Lipoproteins and lipids showed similar associations with MI and IS, but not with ICH. Within HDL particles, cholesterol concentrations were inversely associated, whereas triglyceride concentrations were positively associated with MI. Glycoprotein acetyls and several non–lipid-related metabolites associated with all 3 diseases.
Display omitted
The availability of pathogen sequence data and use of genomic surveillance is rapidly increasing. Genomic tools and classification systems need updating to reflect this. Here, rabies virus is used as ...an example to showcase the potential value of updated genomic tools to enhance surveillance to better understand epidemiological dynamics and improve disease control. Previous studies have described the evolutionary history of rabies virus, however the resulting taxonomy lacks the definition necessary to identify incursions, lineage turnover and transmission routes at high resolution. Here we propose a lineage classification system based on the dynamic nomenclature used for SARS-CoV-2, defining a lineage by phylogenetic methods for tracking virus spread and comparing sequences across geographic areas. We demonstrate this system through application to the globally distributed Cosmopolitan clade of rabies virus, defining 96 total lineages within the clade, beyond the 22 previously reported. We further show how integration of this tool with a new rabies virus sequence data resource (RABV-GLUE) enables rapid application, for example, highlighting lineage dynamics relevant to control and elimination programmes, such as identifying importations and their sources, as well as areas of persistence and routes of virus movement, including transboundary incursions. This system and the tools developed should be useful for coordinating and targeting control programmes and monitoring progress as countries work towards eliminating dog-mediated rabies, as well as having potential for broader application to the surveillance of other viruses.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Context: Synthetic cannabinoids (SCs) such as "Spice", "K2", etc. are widely available via the internet despite increasing legal restrictions. Currently, the prevalence of use is typically low in the ...general community (<1%) although it is higher among students and some niche groups subject to drug testing. Early evidence suggests that adverse outcomes associated with the use of SCs may be more prevalent and severe than those arising from cannabis consumption. Objectives: To identify systematically the scientific reports of adverse events associated with the consumption of SCs in the medical literature and poison centre data. Method: We searched online databases (Medline, PsycInfo, Embase, Google Scholar and Pubmed) and manually searched reference lists up to December 2014. To be eligible for inclusion, data had to be from hospital, emergency department, drug rehabilitation services or poison centre records of adverse events involving SCs and included both self-reported and/or analytically confirmed consumption. Results: From 256 reports, we identified 106 eligible studies including 37 conference abstracts on about 4000 cases involving at least 26 deaths. Major complications include cardiovascular events (myocardial infarction, ischemic stroke and emboli), acute kidney injury (AKI), generalized tonic-clonic seizures, psychiatric presentations (including first episode psychosis, paranoia, self-harm/suicide ideation) and hyperemesis. However, most presentations were not serious, typically involved young males with tachycardia (≈37-77%), agitation (≈16-41%) and nausea (≈13-94%) requiring only symptomatic care with a length of stay of less than 8 hours. Conclusions: SCs most frequently result in tachycardia, agitation and nausea. These symptoms typically resolve with symptomatic care, including intravenous fluids, benzodiazepines and anti-emetics, and may not require inpatient care. Severe adverse events (stroke, seizure, myocardial infarction, rhabdomyolysis, AKI, psychosis and hyperemesis) and associated deaths manifest less commonly. Precise estimates of their incidence are difficult to calculate due to the lack of widely available, rapid laboratory confirmation, the variety of SC compounds and the unknown number of exposed individuals. Long-term consequences of SCs use are currently unknown.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IJS, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Abstract Objectives To determine the longitudinal relationship of muscle mass and strength with incident type 2 diabetes, and previously unstudied mediating effects of testosterone and inflammation. ...Methods Community-dwelling male participants (aged ≥ 35 years) of the Men Androgens Inflammation Lifestyle Environment and Stress (MAILES) Study underwent biomedical assessment in 2002-2006 and 2007-2010, including hand grip strength (dynamometer), testosterone and inflammatory markers. Body composition (dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry) was assessed at baseline only. Incident type 2 diabetes was defined as a self-reported doctor diagnosis, diabetes medication use, fasting plasma glucose ≥ 7.0 mmol/L, or glycated haemoglobin ≥ 6.5% (48 mmol/mol) at follow-up, that was not present at baseline. Results Of n = 1632 men, incident type 2 diabetes occurred in 146 (8.9%). Muscle mass was not associated with incident type 2 diabetes. Grip strength was inversely associated with incident type 2 diabetes unadjusted odds ratio (OR) per 5kg: 0.87, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.80-0.95; adjusted OR, 95% CI: 0.87, 0.78-0.97. Arm muscle quality (grip strength divided by arm lean mass) was similarly associated with incident type 2 diabetes. Testosterone, IL-6 and TNF-α did not significantly mediate the associations. The population attributable fraction of type 2 diabetes from low grip strength was 27% (13 to 40%), assuming intervention could increase strength by 25%. Conclusions Reduced muscle strength, but not reduced muscle mass, is a risk factor for incident type 2 diabetes in men. This is not mediated by testosterone or inflammation. Intervention could prevent a substantial proportion of disease.
We studied whether medical conditions across 21 broad categories were predictable from social media content across approximately 20 million words written by 999 consenting patients. Facebook language ...significantly improved upon the prediction accuracy of demographic variables for 18 of the 21 disease categories; it was particularly effective at predicting diabetes and mental health conditions including anxiety, depression and psychoses. Social media data are a quantifiable link into the otherwise elusive daily lives of patients, providing an avenue for study and assessment of behavioral and environmental disease risk factors. Analogous to the genome, social media data linked to medical diagnoses can be banked with patients' consent, and an encoding of social media language can be used as markers of disease risk, serve as a screening tool, and elucidate disease epidemiology. In what we believe to be the first report linking electronic medical record data with social media data from consenting patients, we identified that patients' Facebook status updates can predict many health conditions, suggesting opportunities to use social media data to determine disease onset or exacerbation and to conduct social media-based health interventions.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a common, debilitating condition with limited treatment options. Extinction of fear memories through prolonged exposure therapy, the primary evidence-based ...behavioral treatment for PTSD, has only partial efficacy. In mice, pharmacological inhibition of fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) produces elevated levels of anandamide (AEA) and promotes fear extinction, suggesting that FAAH inhibitors may aid fear extinction-based treatments. A human FAAH 385C->A substitution encodes an FAAH enzyme with reduced catabolic efficacy. Individuals homozygous for the FAAH 385A allele may therefore offer a genetic model to evaluate the impact of elevations in AEA signaling in humans, helping to inform whether FAAH inhibitors have the potential to facilitate fear extinction therapy for PTSD. To overcome the challenge posed by low frequency of the AA genotype (appr. 5%), we prospectively genotyped 423 individuals to examine the balanced groups of CC, AC, and AA individuals (n = 25/group). Consistent with its loss-of-function nature, the A allele was dose dependently associated with elevated basal AEA levels, facilitated fear extinction, and enhanced the extinction recall. Moreover, the A-allele homozygotes were protected against stress-induced decreases in AEA and negative emotional consequences of stress. In a humanized mouse model, AA homozygous mice were similarly protected against stress-induced decreases in AEA, both in the periphery, and also in the amygdala and prefrontal cortex, brain structures critically involved in fear extinction and regulation of stress responses. Collectively, these data suggest that AEA signaling can temper aspects of the stress response and that FAAH inhibition may aid the treatment for stress-related psychiatric disorders, such as PTSD.
Highlights • We used a staircase method for evaluating cyclic loads-to-failure of crowns. • We compared the results from cyclic and monotonic testing. • 50 μm was more favorable for the structural ...performance of the crowns than 500 μm.
PDF
