Activating mutation of KRAS and BRAF are focused on as potential prognostic and predictive biomarkers in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) treated with anti-EGFR therapies. This study ...investigated the clinicopathological features and prognostic impact of KRAS/BRAF mutation in advanced and recurrent CRC patients.
Patients with advanced and recurrent CRC treated with systemic chemotherapy (n=229) were analysed for KRAS/BRAF genotypes by cycleave PCR. Prognostic factors associated with survival were identified by univariate and multivariate analyses using the Cox proportional hazards model.
KRAS and BRAF mutations were present in 34.5% and 6.5% of patients, respectively. BRAF mutated tumours were more likely to develop on the right of the colon, and to be of the poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma or mucinous carcinoma, and peritoneal metastasis. The median overall survival (OS) for BRAF mutation-positive and KRAS 13 mutation-positive patients was 11.0 and 27.7 months, respectively, which was significantly worse than that for patients with wild-type (wt) KRAS and BRAF (40.6 months) (BRAF; HR=4.25, P<0.001, KRAS13; HR=2.03, P=0.024). After adjustment for significant features by multivariate Cox regression analysis, BRAF mutation was associated with poor OS (HR=4.23, P=0.019).
Presence of mutated BRAF is one of the most powerful prognostic factors for advanced and recurrent CRC. The KRAS13 mutation showed a trend towards poor OS in patients with advanced and recurrent CRC.
Vacant and abandoned buildings pose significant challenges to the health and safety of communities. In 2011 the City of Philadelphia began enforcing a Doors and Windows Ordinance that required ...property owners of abandoned buildings to install working doors and windows in all structural openings or face significant fines. We tested the effects of the new ordinance on the occurrence of crime surrounding abandoned buildings from January 2011 to April 2013 using a difference-in-differences approach. We used Poisson regression models to compare differences in pre- and post-treatment measures of crime for buildings that were remediated as a result of the ordinance (n = 676) or permitted for renovation (n = 241), and randomly-matched control buildings that were not remediated (n = 676) or permitted for renovation (n = 964), while also controlling for sociodemographic and other confounders measured around each building. Building remediations were significantly associated with citywide reductions in overall crimes, total assaults, gun assaults and nuisance crimes (p < 0.001). Building remediations were also significantly associated with reductions in violent gun crimes in one city section (p < 0.01). At the same time, some significant increases were seen in narcotics sales and possession and property crimes around remediated buildings (p < 0.001). Building renovation permits were significantly associated with reductions in all crime classifications across multiple city sections (p < 0.001). We found no significant spatial displacement effects. Doors and windows remediation offers a relatively low-cost method of reducing certain crimes in and around abandoned buildings. Cities with an abundance of decaying and abandoned housing stock might consider some form of this structural change to their built environments as one strategy to enhance public safety.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
•Conducted ecological momentary assessment with residents of four European cities.•Positive mood improved within 10 min of natural environment exposure.•Findings varied by city, gender, age and ...residential green space exposure.•Negative mood declined within 10 min of natural environment exposure.•Weaker associations were found within 30 min of natural environment exposure.
Exposure to natural outdoor environments (NOE) has been shown in population-level studies to reduce anxiety and psychological distress. This study investigated how exposure to one’s everyday natural outdoor environments over one week influenced mood among residents of four European cities including Barcelona (Spain), Stoke-on-Trent (United Kingdom), Doetinchem (The Netherlands) and Kaunas (Lithuania). Participants (n = 368) wore a smartphone equipped with software applications to track location and mood (using mobile ecological momentary assessment (EMA) software), for seven consecutive days. We estimated random-effects ordered logistic regression models to examine the association between mood (positive and negative affect), and exposure to green space, represented by two binary variables indicating exposure versus no exposure to NOE using GPS tracking and satellite and aerial imagery, 10 and 30 min prior to participants’ completing the EMA. Models were adjusted for home city, day of the week, hour of the day, EMA survey type, residential NOE exposure, and sex, age, education level, mental health status and neighbourhood socioeconomic status. In addition, we tested for heterogeneity of effect by city, sex, age, residential NOE exposure and mental health status. Within 10 min of NOE exposure, compared to non-exposure, we found that overall there was a positive relationship with positive affect (OR: 1.39, 95% CI: 1.06, 1.81) of EMA surveys, and non-significant negative association with negative affect (OR: 0.80, 95% CI: 0.58, 1.10). When stratifying, associations were consistently found for Stoke-on-Trent inhabitants and men, while findings by age group were inconsistent. Weaker and less consistent associations were found for exposure 30 min prior to EMA. Our findings support increasing evidence of psychological and mental health benefits of exposure to natural outdoor environments, especially among urban populations such as those included in our study.
Urban Green Space and Its Impact on Human Health Kondo, Michelle C; Fluehr, Jaime M; McKeon, Thomas ...
International journal of environmental research and public health,
03/2018, Letnik:
15, Številka:
3
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
: Over half of the world's population now lives in urban areas, and this proportion is expected to increase. While there have been numerous reviews of empirical studies on the link between nature and ...human health, very few have focused on the urban context, and most have examined almost exclusively cross-sectional research. This review is a first step toward assessing the possibility of causal relationships between nature and health in urban settings.
: Through systematic review of published literature, we explored the association between urban green space and human health.
: We found consistent negative association between urban green space exposure and mortality, heart rate, and violence, and positive association with attention, mood, and physical activity. Results were mixed, or no association was found, in studies of urban green space exposure and general health, weight status, depression, and stress (via cortisol concentration). The number of studies was too low to generalize about birth outcomes, blood pressure, heart rate variability, cancer, diabetes, or respiratory symptoms.
: More studies using rigorous study design are needed to make generalizations, and meta-analyses, of these and other health outcomes possible. These findings may assist urban managers, organizations, and communities in their efforts to increase new or preserve existing green space.
Vacant and abandoned buildings are common features in many post-industrial US cities, and are consistent predictors of violence. Demolition programs are regularly employed as an urban land use policy ...to stabilize housing markets and mitigate public health problems including violence. The objective of this research was to examine the effect of vacant building removals on violent and property crimes in Baltimore, MD from 2014 to 2019. We conducted a difference-in-differences analysis using spatio-temporal Bayesian mixed models on six crime types on block faces with and without building removals, before compared with after removal. There were significant reductions in total, violent crimes (with and without assaults), thefts, and burglaries on block faces with building removals relative to their controls. Total crimes decreased 1.4% per mi
2
(CrI: 0.5 – 2.3%), which translates to a relative reduction ~ 2.6 total crimes per mi
2
per year. The largest relative decreases in crime were found among assaults (4.9%; CrI: 3.4 – 6.3%) and violent crimes (3.0%; CrI: 1.9 – 4.1%). Building removals were associated with relative reductions in crime in Baltimore City. The relative reductions in crime, at building removals compared to at control vacant lots, were found among assaults and violent crimes, the crimes of greatest public health concern. Building removals provide co-benefits to their communities, and may be considered part of a crime reduction strategy compatible with other approaches. A systematic effort to understand the role of care for remaining vacant lots could further inform our findings, and efforts to further decrease violence and improve community health.
Cities across the world are undertaking ambitious projects to expand tree canopy by increasing the number of trees planted throughout public and private spaces. In epidemiological studies, ...greenspaces in urban environments have been associated with physical and mental health benefits for city dwellers. Greenworks Philadelphia is a plan to increase tree cover across Philadelphia (PA, USA) by the year 2025. We aimed to assess whether an increase in tree canopy or greenspace in Philadelphia could decrease mortality.
We did a greenspace health impact assessment to estimate the annual premature mortality burden for adult residents associated with projected changes in tree canopy cover in Philadelphia between 2014 and 2025. Using up-to-date exposure–response functions, we calculated the number of preventable annual premature deaths city-wide, and for areas of lower versus higher socioeconomic status, for each of three tree canopy scenarios: low, moderate and ambitious. The ambitious scenario reflected the city's goal of 30% tree canopy cover in each of the city's neighbourhoods; and low and moderate scenarios were based on the varying levels of plantable space across neighbourhoods.
We estimated that 403 (95% interval 298–618) premature deaths overall, including 244 (180–373) premature deaths in areas of lower socioeconomic status, could be prevented annually in Philadelphia if the city were able to meet its goal of increasing tree canopy cover to 30%.
Bringing all of Philadelphia, and particularly its poorer neighbourhoods, up to the 30% goal of tree canopy cover is not without challenge. Nevertheless, policies are warranted that value urban greening efforts as health-promoting and cost-saving measures.
Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, and Generalitat de Catalunya.
Runoff from heavy precipitation events can lead to microbiological contamination of source waters for public drinking water supplies. Philadelphia is a city of interest for a study of waterborne ...acute gastrointestinal illness (AGI) because of frequent heavy precipitation, extensive impervious landcover, and combined sewer systems that lead to overflows. We conducted a time-series analysis of the association between heavy precipitation and AGI incidence in Philadelphia, served by drinking water from Delaware River and Schuylkill River source waters. AGI cases on each day during the study period (2015-2017) were captured through syndromic surveillance of patients' chief complaint upon presentation at local emergency departments. Daily precipitation was represented by measurements at the Philadelphia International Airport and by modeled precipitation within the watershed boundaries, and we also evaluated stream flowrate as a proxy of precipitation. We estimated the association using distributed lag nonlinear models, assuming a quasi-Poisson distribution of the outcome variable and with adjustment for potential confounding by seasonal and long-term time trends, ambient temperature, day-of-week, and major holidays. We observed an association between heavy precipitation and AGI incidence in Philadelphia that was primarily limited to the spring season, with significant increases in AGI that peaked from 8 to 16 days following a heavy precipitation event. For example, the increase in AGI incidence related to airport precipitation above the 95th percentile (vs no precipitation) during spring reached statistical significance on lag day 7, peaked on day 16 (102% increase, 95% confidence interval: 16%, 252%), and declined while remaining significantly elevated through day 28. Similar associations were observed in analyses of watershed-specific precipitation in relation to AGI cases within the populations served by drinking water from each river. Our results suggest that heavy precipitation events in Philadelphia result in detectable local increases in waterborne AGI.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
•We identify specific locations where bicycle lanes could most effectively reduce crash rates.•Study models address the problem of unknown bicycle traffic flows.•Bicycle lanes reduced crash odds by ...48% in streets with 4-exit intersections.•Bicycle lanes reduced crash odds by 40% in streets with 2-way stop intersections.•Bicycle lanes reduced crash odds by 43% in streets with high traffic volume.
US municipalities are increasingly introducing bicycle lanes to promote bicycle use, increase roadway safety and improve public health. The aim of this study was to identify specific locations where bicycle lanes, if created, could most effectively reduce crash rates. Previous research has found that bike lanes reduce crash incidence, but a lack of comprehensive bicycle traffic flow data has limited researchers’ ability to assess relationships at high spatial resolution. We used Bayesian conditional autoregressive logit models to relate the odds that a bicycle injury crash occurred on a street segment in Philadelphia, PA (n = 37,673) between 2011 and 2014 to characteristics of the street and adjacent intersections. Statistical models included interaction terms to address the problem of unknown bicycle traffic flows, and found bicycle lanes were associated with reduced crash odds of 48% in streets segments adjacent to 4-exit intersections, of 40% in streets with one- or two-way stop intersections, and of 43% in high traffic volume streets. Presence of bicycle lanes was not associated with change in crash odds at intersections with less or more than 4 exits, at 4-way stop and signalized intersections, on one-way streets and streets with trolley tracks, and on streets with low-moderate traffic volume. The effectiveness of bicycle lanes appears to depend most on the configuration of the adjacent intersections and on the volume of vehicular traffic. Our approach can be used to predict specific street segments on which the greatest absolute reduction in bicycle crash odds could occur by installing new bicycle lanes.
Flow dynamics near the spark plug gap have become more important to promote more stable lean/dilute combustion in internal combustion engines. One experimental technique for the measurement of ...instantaneous gaseous flow in an engine cylinder is particle image velocimetry (PIV). However, PIV measurement of the flow near solid objects is difficult because of the flare due to strong scattered light from the solid objects. Therefore, methods that use fluorescent particles (f-particles) have been proposed to reduce this undesirable effect. The mass production of inexpensive inorganic-based f-particles was previously proposed by one of the authors of this paper, assuming flow measurement in a firing engine. Furthermore, flow measurement near the spark plug gap was attempted using PIV with these f-particles, whereby the unsteady flow motion near the spark plug was successfully detected. However, the measurements were conducted under atmospheric conditions at room temperature. Therefore, as a next step, investigation of the effect of ambient pressure and temperature on the fluorescence intensity of the f-particles, is required to clarify the degree of oxygen quenching and temperature quenching of the f-particles. The effect of ambient pressure on fluorescent intensity was investigated fundamentally using a constant volume vessel. As a result, the intensity of fluorescence emitted from the f-particles was almost equal at pressures between 0.1 MPa and 2.0 MPa.
The main objective of this letter is to formulate a new approach of learning a Mahalanobis distance metric for nearest neighbor regression from a training sample set. We propose a modified version of ...the large margin nearest neighbor metric learning method to deal with regression problems. As an application, the prediction of post-operative trunk 3-D shapes in scoliosis surgery using nearest neighbor regression is described. Accuracy of the proposed method is quantitatively evaluated through experiments on real medical data.
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