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| 2. |
- Abbott, Benjamin W., et al.
(författare)
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Biomass offsets little or none of permafrost carbon release from soils, streams, and wildfire : an expert assessment
- 2016
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Ingår i: Environmental Research Letters. - : IOP Publishing. - 1748-9326. ; 11:3
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- As the permafrost region warms, its large organic carbon pool will be increasingly vulnerable to decomposition, combustion, and hydrologic export. Models predict that some portion of this release will be offset by increased production of Arctic and boreal biomass; however, the lack of robust estimates of net carbon balance increases the risk of further overshooting international emissions targets. Precise empirical or model-based assessments of the critical factors driving carbon balance are unlikely in the near future, so to address this gap, we present estimates from 98 permafrost-region experts of the response of biomass, wildfire, and hydrologic carbon flux to climate change. Results suggest that contrary to model projections, total permafrost-region biomass could decrease due to water stress and disturbance, factors that are not adequately incorporated in current models. Assessments indicate that end-of-the-century organic carbon release from Arctic rivers and collapsing coastlines could increase by 75% while carbon loss via burning could increase four-fold. Experts identified water balance, shifts in vegetation community, and permafrost degradation as the key sources of uncertainty in predicting future system response. In combination with previous findings, results suggest the permafrost region will become a carbon source to the atmosphere by 2100 regardless of warming scenario but that 65%-85% of permafrost carbon release can still be avoided if human emissions are actively reduced.
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| 4. |
- Gaudet, Mia M, et al.
(författare)
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Blood Levels of Cadmium and Lead in Relation to Breast Cancer Risk in Three Prospective Cohorts.
- 2019
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Ingår i: International Journal of Cancer. - : Wiley-Blackwell. - 0020-7136 .- 1097-0215. ; 144:5, s. 1010-1016
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Cadmium and lead have been classified as carcinogens by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. However, their associations with breast cancer risk are unknown despite their persistence in the environment and ubiquitous human exposure. We examined associations of circulating levels of cadmium and lead with breast cancer risk in three case-control studies nested within the Cancer Prevention Study-II (CPS-II) LifeLink Cohort, European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition - Italy (EPIC-Italy), and the Northern Sweden Health and Disease Study (NSHDS) cohorts. Metal levels were measured in stored erythrocytes from 1,435 cases and 1,433 controls using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. Summary relative risks (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated using random-effects models with each study result weighted by the within- and between-study variances. I2 values were calculated to estimate proportion of between study variation. Using common cut-points, cadmium levels were not associated with breast cancer risk in the CPS-II cohort (continuous RR=1.01, 95% CI 0.76 - 1.34), but were inversely associated with risk in the EPIC- Italy (continuous RR=0.80, 95% CI 0.61 - 1.03) and NSHDS cohorts (continuous RR=0.73, 95% CI 0.54 - 0.97). The inverse association was also evident in the meta-analysis (continuous RR=0.84, 95% CI 0.69 - 1.01) with low between-study heterogeneity. Large differences in lead level distributions precluded a meta-analysis of their association with breast cancer risk; no associations were found in the three studies. Adult cadmium and lead levels were not associated with higher risk of breast cancer in our large meta-analysis.
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| 5. |
- Kilburn, Kelly, et al.
(författare)
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Cash Transfers, Young Women's Economic Well-Being, and HIV Risk : Evidence from HPTN 068
- 2019
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Ingår i: Aids and Behavior. - : Springer-Verlag New York. - 1090-7165 .- 1573-3254. ; 23:5, s. 1178-1194
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Despite the large interest in economic interventions to reduce HIV risk, little research has been done to show whether there are economic gains of these interventions for younger women and what intermediary role economic resources play in changing participants' sexual behavior. This paper contributes to this gap by examining the impacts of a conditional cash transfer (CCT) for young women in South Africa on young women's economic resources and the extent to which they play a role in young women's health and behavior. We used data from HIV Prevention Trials Network 068 study, which provided transfers to young women (in addition to their parents) conditional on the young woman attending at least 80% of school days in the previous month. We found that the CCT increased young women's economic wellbeing in terms of having savings, spending money, being unindebted, and food secure. We also investigated heterogeneous effects of the program by household economic status at baseline because the program was not specifically poverty targeted and found that the results were driven by young women from the poorest families. From these results, we examined heterogeneity by baseline poverty for other outcomes related to HIV risk including sexual behavior and psychosocial well-being. We found psychosocial well-being benefits in young women from the poorest families and that economic wellbeing gains explained much these impacts.
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| 6. |
- Kilburn, Kelly N., et al.
(författare)
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Conditional cash transfers and the reduction in partner violence for young women : an investigation of causal pathways using evidence from a randomized experiment in South Africa (HPTN 068)
- 2018
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Ingår i: Journal of the International AIDS Society. - : JOHN WILEY & SONS LTD. - 1758-2652. ; 21
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- IntroductionEvidence has shown that the experience of violence by a partner has important influences on women's risk of HIV acquisition. Using a randomized experiment in northeast South Africa, we found that a conditional cash transfer (CCT) targeted to poor girls in high school reduced the risk of physical intimate partner violence (IPV) in the past 12months by 34%. The purpose of this analysis is to understand the pathways through which the CCT affects IPV. MethodsHPTN 068 was a phase 3, randomized controlled trial in rural Mpumalanga province, South Africa. Eligible young women (aged 13-20) and their parents or guardians were randomly assigned (1:1) to either receive a monthly cash transfer conditional on monthly high school attendance or no cash transfer. Between 2011 and 2015, participants (N=2,448) were interviewed at baseline, then at annual follow-up visits at 12, 24 and 36months. The total effect of the CCT on IPV was estimated using a GEE log-binomial regression model. We then estimated controlled direct effects to examine mediation of direct effects through intermediate pathways. Mediators include sexual partnership measures, the sexual relationship power scale, and household consumption measures. ResultsWe found evidence that the CCT works in part through delaying sexual debut or reducing the number of sexual partners. The intervention interacts with these mediators leading to larger reductions in IPV risk compared to the total effect of the CCT on any physical IPV [RR 0.66, CI(95%):0.59-0.74]. The largest reductions are seen when we estimate the controlled direct effect under no sexual debut [RR 0.57, CI(95%):0.48-0.65] or under no sexual partner in the last 12months [RR 0.53, CI(95%):0.46-0.60]. ConclusionsResults indicate that a CCT for high school girls has protective effects on their experience of IPV and that the effect is due in part to girls choosing not to engage in sexual partnerships, thereby reducing the opportunity for IPV. As a lower exposure to IPV and safer sexual behaviours also protect against HIV acquisition, this study adds to the growing body of evidence on how cash transfers may reduce young women's HIV risk.
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| 7. |
- Kilburn, Kelly, et al.
(författare)
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The Impact of a Conditional Cash Transfer on Multidimensional Deprivation of Young Women : Evidence from South Africa's HTPN 068
- 2020
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Ingår i: Social Indicators Research. - : Springer. - 0303-8300 .- 1573-0921. ; 151:3, s. 865-895
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Despite the growing popularity of multidimensional poverty measurement and analysis, its use to measure the impact of social protection programs remains scarce. Using primary data collected for the evaluation of HIV Prevention Trials Network (HPTN) 068, a randomized, conditional cash transfer intervention for young girls in South Africa that ran from 2011 to 2015, we construct an individual-level measure of multidimensional poverty, a major departure from standard indices that use the household as the unit of analysis. We construct our measure by aggregating multiple deprivation indicators across six dimensions and using a system of nested weights where each domain is weighted equally. Our findings show that the cash transfer consistently reduces deprivations among girls, in particular through the domains of economic agency, violence, and relationships. These results show how social protection interventions can improve the lives of young women beyond single domains and demonstrate the potential for social protection to simultaneously address multiple targets of the SDGs.
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| 8. |
- Machiela, Mitchell J., et al.
(författare)
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Genetically predicted longer telomere length is associated with increased risk of B-cell lymphoma subtypes
- 2016
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Ingår i: Human Molecular Genetics. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0964-6906 .- 1460-2083. ; 25:8, s. 1663-1676
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Evidence from a small number of studies suggests that longer telomere length measured in peripheral leukocytes is associated with an increased risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). However, these studies may be biased by reverse causation, confounded by unmeasured environmental exposures and might miss time points for which prospective telomere measurement would best reveal a relationship between telomere length and NHL risk. We performed an analysis of genetically inferred telomere length and NHL risk in a study of 10 102 NHL cases of the four most common B-cell histologic types and 9562 controls using a genetic risk score (GRS) comprising nine telomere length-associated single-nucleotide polymorphisms. This approach uses existing genotype data and estimates telomere length by weighing the number of telomere length-associated variant alleles an individual carries with the published change in kb of telomere length. The analysis of the telomere length GRS resulted in an association between longer telomere length and increased NHL risk [four B-cell histologic types combined; odds ratio (OR) = 1.49, 95% CI 1.22-1.82, P-value = 8.5 x 10(-5)]. Subtype-specific analyses indicated that chronic lymphocytic leukemia or small lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL/SLL) was the principal NHL subtype contributing to this association (OR = 2.60, 95% CI 1.93-3.51, P-value = 4.0 x 10(-10)). Significant interactions were observed across strata of sex for CLL/SLL and marginal zone lymphoma subtypes as well as age for the follicular lymphoma subtype. Our results indicate that a genetic background that favors longer telomere length may increase NHL risk, particularly risk of CLL/SLL, and are consistent with earlier studies relating longer telomere length with increased NHL risk.
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| 9. |
- Sampson, Joshua N., et al.
(författare)
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Analysis of Heritability and Shared Heritability Based on Genome-Wide Association Studies for 13 Cancer Types
- 2015
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Ingår i: Journal of the National Cancer Institute. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0027-8874 .- 1460-2105. ; 107:12
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Studies of related individuals have consistently demonstrated notable familial aggregation of cancer. We aim to estimate the heritability and genetic correlation attributable to the additive effects of common single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) for cancer at 13 anatomical sites. Methods: Between 2007 and 2014, the US National Cancer Institute has generated data from genome-wide association studies (GWAS) for 49 492 cancer case patients and 34 131 control patients. We apply novel mixed model methodology (GCTA) to this GWAS data to estimate the heritability of individual cancers, as well as the proportion of heritability attributable to cigarette smoking in smoking-related cancers, and the genetic correlation between pairs of cancers. Results: GWAS heritability was statistically significant at nearly all sites, with the estimates of array-based heritability, h(l)(2), on the liability threshold (LT) scale ranging from 0.05 to 0.38. Estimating the combined heritability of multiple smoking characteristics, we calculate that at least 24% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 14% to 37%) and 7% (95% CI = 4% to 11%) of the heritability for lung and bladder cancer, respectively, can be attributed to genetic determinants of smoking. Most pairs of cancers studied did not show evidence of strong genetic correlation. We found only four pairs of cancers with marginally statistically significant correlations, specifically kidney and testes (rho = 0.73, SE = 0.28), diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and pediatric osteosarcoma (rho = 0.53, SE = 0.21), DLBCL and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) (rho = 0.51, SE = 0.18), and bladder and lung (rho = 0.35, SE = 0.14). Correlation analysis also indicates that the genetic architecture of lung cancer differs between a smoking population of European ancestry and a nonsmoking Asian population, allowing for the possibility that the genetic etiology for the same disease can vary by population and environmental exposures. Conclusion: Our results provide important insights into the genetic architecture of cancers and suggest new avenues for investigation.
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| 10. |
- Tennant, Ryan, et al.
(författare)
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Multi-diciplinary design and implementation of a mass vaccination clinic mobile application to support decision-making
- 2023
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Ingår i: IEEE Journal of Translational Engineering in Health and Medicine. - : IEEE. - 2168-2372. ; 11, s. 60-69
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Mass vaccination clinics are complex systems that combine professionals who do not typically work together. Coordinating vaccine preparation and patient intake is critically important to maintain patient flow equilibrium, requiring continuous communication and shared decision-making to reduce vaccine waste.Objectives: (1) To develop a mobile application (app) that can address the information needs of vaccination clinic stakeholders for end-of-day doses decision-making in mass immunization settings; and (2) to understand usability and clinical implementation among multi-disciplinary users.Methods: Contextual inquiry guided 71.5 hours of observations to inform design characteristics. Rapid iterative testing and evaluation were performed to validate and improve the design. Usability and integration were evaluated through observations, interviews, and the system usability scale.Results: Designing the app required consolidating contextual factors to support information and workload needs. Twenty-four participants used the app at four clinics who reported its effectiveness in reducing stress and improving communication efficiency and satisfaction. They also discussed positive workflow changes and design recommendations to improve its usefulness. The average system usability score was 87 (n=22).Discussion: There is significant potential for mobile apps to improve workflow efficiencies for information sharing and decision-making in vaccination clinics when designed for established cultures and usability, thereby providing frontline workers with greater time to focus on patient care and immunization needs. However, designing and implementing digital systems for dynamic settings is challenging when healthcare teams constantly adapt to evolving complexities. System-level barriers to adoption require further investigation. Future research should explore the implementation of the app within global contexts.
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