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| 3. |
- Buchanan, E. M., et al.
(author)
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The Psychological Science Accelerator's COVID-19 rapid-response dataset
- 2023
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In: Scientific Data. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2052-4463. ; 10:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Psychological Science Accelerator coordinated three large-scale psychological studies to examine the effects of loss-gain framing, cognitive reappraisals, and autonomy framing manipulations on behavioral intentions and affective measures. The data collected (April to October 2020) included specific measures for each experimental study, a general questionnaire examining health prevention behaviors and COVID-19 experience, geographical and cultural context characterization, and demographic information for each participant. Each participant started the study with the same general questions and then was randomized to complete either one longer experiment or two shorter experiments. Data were provided by 73,223 participants with varying completion rates. Participants completed the survey from 111 geopolitical regions in 44 unique languages/dialects. The anonymized dataset described here is provided in both raw and processed formats to facilitate re-use and further analyses. The dataset offers secondary analytic opportunities to explore coping, framing, and self-determination across a diverse, global sample obtained at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, which can be merged with other time-sampled or geographic data.
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| 5. |
- Thoma, B, et al.
(author)
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An international, interprofessional investigation of the self-reported podcast listening habits of emergency clinicians: A METRIQ Study
- 2020
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In: CJEM. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1481-8043 .- 1481-8035. ; 22:1, s. 112-117
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- ObjectivesPodcasts are increasingly being used for medical education. A deeper understanding of usage patterns would inform both producers and researchers of medical podcasts. We aimed to determine how and why podcasts are used by emergency medicine and critical care clinicians.MethodsAn international interprofessional sample (medical students, residents, physicians, nurses, physician assistants, and paramedics) was recruited through direct contact and a multimodal social media (Twitter and Facebook) campaign. Each participant completed a survey outlining how and why they utilize medical podcasts. Recruitment materials included an infographic and study website.Results390 participants from 33 countries and 4 professions (medicine, nursing, paramedicine, physician assistant) completed the survey. Participants most frequently listened to medical podcasts to review new literature (75.8%), learn core material (75.1%), and refresh memory (71.8%). The majority (62.6%) were aware of the ability to listen at increased speeds, but most (76.9%) listened at 1.0 x (normal) speed. All but 25 (6.4%) participants concurrently performed other tasks while listening. Driving (72.3%), exercising (39.7%), and completing chores (39.2%) were the most common. A minority of participants used active learning techniques such as pausing, rewinding, and replaying segments of the podcast. Very few listened to podcasts multiple times.ConclusionsAn international cohort of emergency clinicians use medical podcasts predominantly for learning. Their listening habits (rarely employing active learning strategies and frequently performing concurrent tasks) may not support this goal. Further exploration of the impact of these activities on learning from podcasts is warranted.
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| 11. |
- Bosson, J. K., et al.
(author)
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Psychometric Properties and Correlates of Precarious Manhood Beliefs in 62 Nations
- 2021
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In: Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology. - : SAGE Publications. - 0022-0221 .- 1552-5422. ; 52:3
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Precarious manhood beliefs portray manhood, relative to womanhood, as a social status that is hard to earn, easy to lose, and proven via public action. Here, we present cross-cultural data on a brief measure of precarious manhood beliefs (the Precarious Manhood Beliefs scale [PMB]) that covaries meaningfully with other cross-culturally validated gender ideologies and with country-level indices of gender equality and human development. Using data from university samples in 62 countries across 13 world regions (N = 33,417), we demonstrate: (1) the psychometric isomorphism of the PMB (i.e., its comparability in meaning and statistical properties across the individual and country levels); (2) the PMB's distinctness from, and associations with, ambivalent sexism and ambivalence toward men; and (3) associations of the PMB with nation-level gender equality and human development. Findings are discussed in terms of their statistical and theoretical implications for understanding widely-held beliefs about the precariousness of the male gender role.
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| 14. |
- El-Seedi, H. R., et al.
(author)
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Hydroxycinnamic Acids : Natural Sources, Biosynthesis, Possible Biological Activities, and Roles in Islamic Medicine
- 2017
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In: Studies in Natural Products Chemistry. - : Elsevier B.V.. ; , s. 1-29
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Book chapter (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Hydroxycinnamic acids are the most widely distributed phenolic acids in plants. Broadly speaking, they can be defined as compounds derived from cinnamic acid. They are present at high concentrations in many food products, including fruits, vegetables, tea, cocoa, and wine. Cinnamic acid has received great attention in oriental research where it has been used as an antioxidant in food additives in Asia and especially in medical studies in China after being proven to be an effective component of medicinal herbs used by traditional medicine. Cinnamic acid is a phenolic acid widely distributed in the plant kingdom. It presents a wide range of potential therapeutic effects useful in the treatments of cancer, diabetes, lung, and cardiovascular diseases, as well as hepatic, neuro-, and photoprotective effects and antimicrobial and antiinflammatory activities. Overall, the pharmaceutical potential of cinnamic acid can be attributed to its ability to scavenge free radicals. However, recent studies have revealed that cinnamic acid presents pharmacological properties beyond those related to its antioxidant activity, such as the ability to competitively inhibit HMG-CoA reductase and activate glucokinase, contributing to reduce hypercholesterolemia and hyperglycemia, respectively. A diet rich in hydroxycinnamic acids is thought to be associated with beneficial health effects such as a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease. The impact of hydroxycinnamic acids on health depends on their intake and pharmacokinetic properties. It can be found free, dimerized or esterified with proteins and polysaccharides in the cell wall, such as arabinoxylans in grasses and xyloglucans in bamboo. Cinnamic acid is an important biological and structural component of the plant cell wall. Due to its ability to stop radical chain reactions by resonance followed by polymerization, cinnamic acid offers protection against UV radiation and is responsible for cross-linking polysaccharides and other cell wall polymers. Cinnamic acid can be absorbed by the small intestine and excreted in the urine, where therapeutic efficacy is dependent on its physiological concentrations and pharmacokinetic properties, which include absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion of metabolites. Mass spectrometry (MS) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, especially 2D NMR (COSY, NOESY, HMQC, and HMBC), are the most useful analytical techniques for the structural elucidation of hydroxycinnamic acids besides UV, IR, CD, X-ray analysis, and chemical degradation. In this chapter, we update the reader about the therapeutic properties of cinnamic acid, reviewing its dietary sources, the pharmacokinetic profile, antioxidant action mechanisms, and therapeutic effects in the treatment and prevention of various diseases, in order to provide a basis for understanding its pharmaceutical potential.
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| 15. |
- Anjum, M., et al.
(author)
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A Multi-Level ML-Based Optimization Framework for IIoT Networks with Distributed IRS Assisted UAVs
- 2023
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In: 2023 IEEE Globecom Workshops (GC Wkshps). - : IEEE conference proceedings. - 9798350370218 ; , s. 1338-1343
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The development of the fifth generation (5G) of cellular systems enables the realization of densely connected, seamlessly integrated, and heterogeneous device networks. While 5G systems were developed to support the Internet of Everything (IoE) paradigm of communication, their mass-scale implementations have excessive capital deployment costs and severely detrimental environmental impacts. Hence, these systems are not feasibly scalable for the envisioned real-time, high-rate, high-reliability, and low-latency requirements of connected consumer, commercial, industrial, healthcare, and environmental processes of the IoE network. The IoE vision is expected to support 30 billion devices by 2030, hence, green communication architectures are critical for the development of next-generation wireless systems. In this context, intelligent reflecting surfaces (IRS) have emerged as a promising disruptive technological advancement that can adjust wireless environments in an energy-efficient manner. This work utilizes and analyzes a multi-node distributed IRS-assisted system in variable channel conditions and resource availability. We then employ machine learning and optimization algorithms for efficient resource allocation and system design of a distributed IRS-enabled industrial Internet of Things (IoT) network. The results show that the proposed data-driven solution is a promising optimization architecture for high-rate, next-generation IoE applications.
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| 16. |
- Johnsson, A., et al.
(author)
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Towards automatic provisioning and validation of Ethernet services over transport networks
- 2011
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In: Proc. IFIP/IEEE Int. Symp. Integr. Netw. Manage., IM. - 9781424492213 ; , s. 1103-1108
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This paper presents a system for automating and integrating the provisioning and validation of Ethernet point-to-point connectivity services over transport networks. The provisioning is based on standard control plane functionality. The service performance is validated using the BART tool for measuring capacity, extended to provide Ethernet measurement capabilities. We report on preliminary results from a proof-of-concept system implemented in a virtualized testbed.
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| 17. |
- Anjum, Asad Ur Rehman, et al.
(author)
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Sensitivity Analysis of Mathematical Model to Study the Effect of T Cells Infusion in Treatment of CLL
- 2020
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In: Mathematics. - : MDPI AG. - 2227-7390. ; 8:4
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In this paper, we considered a mathematical model concerned with the treatment of Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) taking into account the effect of superficially infused T cells in this particular type of tumor. The model is described thoroughly by the system of non-linear differential equations explaining the interaction of naive, infected, cancer and immune cell population. The detailed sensitivity analysis with the application is the major part of this paper. The basic objective is to provide insight to how parameters' behavior varies model results by elaborating the results obtained from the application of sensitivity analysis. The sensitivity of the model was evaluated not only theoretically, but also with the help of a numerical approach, producing graphs providing better imminent of results. We argue that the application of the sensitivity analysis method endows an insight into how and which parameters are of primary significance in controlling the spread of leukemia.
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| 19. |
- Cole, John W, et al.
(author)
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Genetics of the thrombomodulin-endothelial cell protein C receptor system and the risk of early-onset ischemic stroke.
- 2018
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In: PloS one. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 13:11
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Polymorphisms in coagulation genes have been associated with early-onset ischemic stroke. Here we pursue an a priori hypothesis that genetic variation in the endothelial-based receptors of the thrombomodulin-protein C system (THBD and PROCR) may similarly be associated with early-onset ischemic stroke. We explored this hypothesis utilizing a multi-stage design of discovery and replication.Discovery was performed in the Genetics-of-Early-Onset Stroke (GEOS) Study, a biracial population-based case-control study of ischemic stroke among men and women aged 15-49 including 829 cases of first ischemic stroke (42.2% African-American) and 850 age-comparable stroke-free controls (38.1% African-American). Twenty-four single-nucleotide-polymorphisms (SNPs) in THBD and 22 SNPs in PROCR were evaluated. Following LD pruning (r2≥0.8), we advanced uncorrelated SNPs forward for association analyses. Associated SNPs were evaluated for replication in an early-onset ischemic stroke population (onset-age<60 years) consisting of 3676 cases and 21118 non-stroke controls from 6 case-control studies. Lastly, we determined if the replicated SNPs also associated with older-onset ischemic stroke in the METASTROKE data-base.Among GEOS Caucasians, PROCR rs9574, which was in strong LD with 8 other SNPs, and one additional independent SNP rs2069951, were significantly associated with ischemic stroke (rs9574, OR = 1.33, p = 0.003; rs2069951, OR = 1.80, p = 0.006) using an additive-model adjusting for age, gender and population-structure. Adjusting for risk factors did not change the associations; however, associations were strengthened among those without risk factors. PROCR rs9574 also associated with early-onset ischemic stroke in the replication sample (OR = 1.08, p = 0.015), but not older-onset stroke. There were no PROCR associations in African-Americans, nor were there any THBD associations in either ethnicity.PROCR polymorphisms are associated with early-onset ischemic stroke in Caucasians.
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| 20. |
- Dierikx, Cindy, et al.
(author)
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A European multicenter evaluation study to investigate the performance on commercially available selective agar plates for the detection of carbapenemase producing Enterobacteriaceae
- 2022
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In: Journal of Microbiological Methods. - : Elsevier. - 0167-7012 .- 1872-8359. ; 193
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) advised to prioritize monitoring carbapenemase producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE) in food producing animals. Therefore, this study evaluated the performance of different commercially available selective agars for the detection of CPE using spiked pig caecal and turkey meat samples and the proposed EFSA cultivation protocol. Eleven laboratories from nine countries received eight samples (four caecal and four meat samples). For each matrix, three samples contained approximately 100 CFU/g CPE, and one sample lacked CPE. After overnight enrichment in buffered peptone water, broths were spread upon Brilliance™ CRE Agar (1), CHROMID® CARBA (2), CHROMagar™ mSuperCARBA™ (3), Chromatic™ CRE (4), CHROMID® OXA-48 (5) and Chromatic™ OXA-48 (6). From plates with suspected growth, one to three colonies were selected for species identification, confirmation of carbapenem resistance and detection of carbapenemase encoding genes, by methods available at participating laboratories. Of the eleven participating laboratories, seven reported species identification, susceptibility tests and genotyping on isolates from all selective agar plates. Agars 2, 4 and 5 performed best, with 100% sensitivity. For agar 3, a sensitivity of 96% was recorded, while agar 1 and 6 performed with 75% and 43% sensitivity, respectively. More background flora was noticed for turkey meat samples than pig caecal samples. Based on this limited set of samples, most commercially available agars performed adequately. The results indicate, however, that OXA-48-like and non-OXA-48-like producers perform very differently, and one should consider which CPE strains are of interest to culture when choosing agar type.
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| 21. |
- Gardner, Michael, et al.
(author)
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Gender and telomere length : Systematic review and meta-analysis
- 2014
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In: Experimental Gerontology. - : Elsevier. - 0531-5565 .- 1873-6815. ; 51, s. 15-27
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: It is widely believed that females have longer telomeres than males, although results from studies have been contradictory. Methods: We carried out a systematic review and meta-analyses to test the hypothesis that in humans, females have longer telomeres than males and that this association becomes stronger with increasing age. Searches were conducted in EMBASE and MEDLINE (by November 2009) and additional datasets were obtained from study investigators. Eligible observational studies measured telomeres for both females and males of any age, had a minimum sample size of 100 and included participants not part of a diseased group. We calculated summary estimates using random-effects meta-analyses. Heterogeneity between studies was investigated using sub-group analysis and meta-regression. Results: Meta-analyses from 36 cohorts (36,230 participants) showed that on average females had longer telomeres than males (standardised difference in telomere length between females and males 0.090, 95% CI 0.015, 0.166; age-adjusted). There was little evidence that these associations varied by age group (p = 1.00) or cell type (p = 0.29). However, the size of this difference did vary by measurement methods, with only Southern blot but neither real-time PCR nor Flow-FISH showing a significant difference. This difference was not associated with random measurement error. Conclusions: Telomere length is longer in females thanmales, although this difference was not universally found in studies that did not use Southern blot methods. Further research on explanations for the methodological differences is required. (C) 2013 Published by Elsevier Inc.
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| 22. |
- Klar, Joakim, et al.
(author)
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Whole exome sequencing identifies LRP1 as a pathogenic gene in autosomal recessive keratosis pilaris atrophicans
- 2015
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In: Journal of Medical Genetics. - : BMJ. - 0022-2593 .- 1468-6244. ; 52:9, s. 599-606
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background Keratosis pilaris atrophicans (KPA) is a group of rare genodermatoses characterised by perifollicular keratosis and inflammation that progresses to atrophy and scars of the facial skin. Keratosis pilaris of extensor areas of limbs is a common associated finding. Most cases with KPA are sporadic and no consistent inheritance pattern has been documented.Methods A large consanguineous Pakistani pedigree segregating autosomal recessive KPA of a mixed type was subject to autozygosity mapping and whole exome sequencing. Quantification of mRNA and protein levels was performed on fibroblasts from affected individuals. Cellular uptake of the low-density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor-related protein 1 (LRP1) ligand alpha 2-macroglobulin (alpha M-2) was quantified using fluorescence confocal microscopy.Results Genetic analyses identified a unique homozygous missense variant (K1245R) in the LRP1 in all affected family members. LRP1 encodes the LRP1, a multifunctional cell surface receptor with endocytic functions that belongs to the LDL receptor family. The LRP1 mRNA and LRP1 protein levels in fibroblasts of affected individuals were markedly reduced when compared with controls. Similarly, the LRP1-mediated cellular uptake of alpha M-2 was reduced in patient fibroblasts. Conclusions This is the first report on LRP1 as a pathogenic gene for autosomal recessive KPA and keratosis pilaris. The inflammatory characteristics of the KPA entity in our family suggest a link to the immune-regulatory functions of LRP1.
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| 23. |
- Kowal, Marta, et al.
(author)
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Reasons for Facebook Usage : Data From 46 Countries
- 2020
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In: Frontiers in Psychology. - : Frontiers Media SA. - 1664-1078. ; 11
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Introduction: Seventy-nine percent of internet users use Facebook, and on average they access Facebook eight times a day (Greenwood et al., 2016). To put these numbers into perspective, according to Clement (2019), around 30% of the world's population uses this Online Social Network (OSN) site.Despite the constantly growing body of academic research on Facebook (Chou et al., 2009; Back et al., 2010; Kaplan and Haenlein, 2010; McAndrew and Jeong, 2012; Wilson et al., 2012; Krasnova et al., 2017), there remains limited research regarding the motivation behind Facebook use across different cultures. Our main goal was to collect data from a large cross-cultural sample of Facebook users to examine the roles of sex, age, and, most importantly, cultural differences underlying Facebook use.
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| 24. |
- Lu, Xinnan, et al.
(author)
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Ni2P Nanoparticles Embedded in Mesoporous SiO2 for Catalytic Hydrogenation of SO2 to Elemental S
- 2021
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In: ACS Applied Nano Materials. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 2574-0970. ; 4:6, s. 5665-5676
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Highly active nickel phosphide (Ni2P) nanoclusters confined in a mesoporous SiO2 catalyst were synthesized by a two-step process targeting tight control over the Ni2P size and phase. The Ni precursor was incorporated into the MCM-41 matrix by one-pot synthesis, followed by the phosphorization step, which was accomplished in oleylamine with trioctylphosphine at 300 °C so to achieve the phase transformation from Ni to Ni2P. For benchmarking, Ni confined by the mesoporous SiO2 (absence of phosphorization) and 11 nm Ni2P nanoparticles (absence of SiO2) was also prepared. From the microstructural analysis, it was found that the growth of Ni2P nanoclusters was restricted by the mesoporous channels, thus forming ultrafine and highly dispersed Ni2P nanoclusters (<2 nm). The above approach led to promising catalytic performance following the order u-Ni2P@m-SiO2 > n-Ni2P > u-Ni@m-SiO2 > c-Ni2P in the selective hydrogenation of SO2 to S. In particular, u-Ni2P@m-SiO2 exhibited SO2 conversions of 94% at 220 °C and ∼99% at 240 °C, which are higher than the 11 nm stand-alone Ni2P particles (43% at 220 °C and 94% at 320 °C), highlighting the importance of the role played by SiO2 in stabilizing ultrafine nanoparticles of Ni2P. The reaction activation energy Ea over u-Ni2P@m-SiO2 is ∼33 kJ/mol, which is lower than those over n-Ni2P (∼36 kJ/mol) and c-Ni2P (∼66 kJ/mol), suggesting that the reaction becomes energetically favored over the ultrafine Ni2P nanoclusters.
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| 25. |
- Lu, Xinnan, et al.
(author)
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Nickel Phosphide Nanoparticles for Selective Hydrogenation of SO2 to H2S
- 2021
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In: ACS Applied Nano Materials. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 2574-0970. ; 4:7, s. 6568-6582
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Highly mesoporous SiO2-encapsulated NixPy crystals, where (x, y) = (5, 4), (2, 1), and (12, 5), were successfully synthesized by adopting a thermolytic method using oleylamine (OAm), trioctylphosphine (TOP), and trioctylphosphine oxide (TOPO). The Ni5P4@SiO2 system shows the highest reported activity for the selective hydrogenation of SO2 toward H2S at 320 degrees C (96% conversion of SO2 and 99% selectivity to H2S), which was superior to the activity of the commercial CoMoS@Al2O3 catalyst (64% conversion of SO2 and 71% selectivity to H2S at 320 degrees C). The morphology of the Ni5P4 crystal was finely tuned via adjustment of the synthesis parameters receiving a wide spectrum of morphologies (hollow, macroporous-network, and SiO2-confined ultrafine clusters). Intrinsic characteristics of the materials were studied by Xray diffraction, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy/scanning transmission electron microscopy-high-angle annular dark-field imaging, energydispersive X-ray spectroscopy, the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller method, H-2 temperature-programmed reduction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and experimental and calculated P-31 magic-angle spinning solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance toward establishing the structure-performance correlation for the reaction of interest. Characterization of the catalysts after the SO2 hydrogenation reaction proved the preservation of the morphology, crystallinity, and Ni/P ratio for all the catalysts.
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| 26. |
- Palaiokostas, Christos, et al.
(author)
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A genomic-based vision on the genetic diversity and key performance traits in selectively bred Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus)
- 2022
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In: Evolutionary applications. - : Wiley. - 1752-4571. ; 15, s. 565-577
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Routine implementation of genomic information for guiding selection decisions is not yet common in the majority of aquaculture species. Reduced representation sequencing approaches offer a cost-effective solution for obtaining genome-wide information in species with a limited availability of genomic resources. In the current study, we implemented double-digest restriction site-associated DNA sequencing (ddRAD-seq) on an Arctic charr strain with the longest known history of selection (approximately 40 years) aiming to improve selection decisions. In total, 1730 animals reared at four different farms in Sweden and spanning from year classes 2013-2017 were genotyped using ddRAD-seq. Approximately 5000 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were identified, genetic diversity-related metrics were estimated, and genome-wide association studies (GWAS) for body length at different time points and age of sexual maturation were conducted. Low genetic differentiation amongst animals from the different farms was observed based on both the results from pairwise F-st values and principal component analysis (PCA). The existence of associations was investigated between the mean genome-wide heterozygosity of each full-sib family (year class 2017) and the corresponding inbreeding coefficient or survival to the eyed stage. A moderate correlation (-0.33) was estimated between the mean observed heterozygosity of each full-sib family and the corresponding inbreeding coefficient, while no linear association was obtained with the survival to the eyed stage. GWAS did not detect loci with major effect for any of the studied traits. However, genomic regions explaining more than 1% of the additive genetic variance for either studied traits were suggested across 14 different chromosomes. Overall, key insights valuable for future selection decisions of Arctic charr have been obtained, suggesting ddRAD as an attractive genotyping platform for obtaining genome-wide information in a cost-effective manner.
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| 27. |
- Perrin-Guyomard, Agnès, et al.
(author)
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Multicentre evaluation of a selective isolation protocol for detection of mcr-positive E. coli and Salmonella spp. in food-producing animals and meat
- 2022
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In: Letters in Applied Microbiology. - : Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Inc.. - 0266-8254 .- 1472-765X. ; 75:2, s. 224-233
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This study was conducted to evaluate the performance of a screening protocol to detect and isolate mcr-positive Escherichia coli and Salmonella spp. from animal caecal content and meat samples. We used a multicentre approach involving 12 laboratories from nine European countries. All participants applied the same methodology combining a multiplex PCR performed on DNA extracted from a pre-enrichment step, followed by a selective culture step on three commercially available chromogenic agar plates. The test panel was composed of two negative samples and four samples artificially contaminated with E. coli and Salmonella spp. respectively harbouring mcr-1 or mcr-3 and mcr-4 or mcr-5 genes. PCR screening resulted in a specificity of 100% and a sensitivity of 83%. Sensitivity of each agar medium to detect mcr-positive colistin-resistant E. coli or Salmonella spp. strains was 86% for CHROMID® Colistin R, 75% for CHROMagarTM COL-APSE and 70% for COLISTIGRAM. This combined method was effective to detect and isolate most of the E. coli or Salmonella spp. strains harbouring different mcr genes from food-producing animals and food products and might thus be used as a harmonized protocol for the screening of mcr genes in food-producing animals and food products in Europe.
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| 28. |
- Pirkis, Jane, et al.
(author)
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Suicide numbers during the first 9-15 months of the COVID-19 pandemic compared with pre-existing trends : An interrupted time series analysis in 33 countries
- 2022
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In: eClinicalMedicine. - : Elsevier. - 2589-5370. ; 51
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background Predicted increases in suicide were not generally observed in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the picture may be changing and patterns might vary across demographic groups. We aimed to provide a timely, granular picture of the pandemic's impact on suicides globally. Methods We identified suicide data from official public-sector sources for countries/areas-within-countries, searching websites and academic literature and contacting data custodians and authors as necessary. We sent our first data request on 22nd June 2021 and stopped collecting data on 31st October 2021. We used interrupted time series (ITS) analyses to model the association between the pandemic's emergence and total suicides and suicides by sex-, age-and sex-by-age in each country/area-within-country. We compared the observed and expected numbers of suicides in the pandemic's first nine and first 10-15 months and used meta-regression to explore sources of variation. Findings We sourced data from 33 countries (24 high-income, six upper-middle-income, three lower-middle-income; 25 with whole-country data, 12 with data for area(s)-within-the-country, four with both). There was no evidence of greater-than-expected numbers of suicides in the majority of countries/areas-within-countries in any analysis; more commonly, there was evidence of lower-than-expected numbers. Certain sex, age and sex-by-age groups stood out as potentially concerning, but these were not consistent across countries/areas-within-countries. In the meta-regression, different patterns were not explained by countries' COVID-19 mortality rate, stringency of public health response, economic support level, or presence of a national suicide prevention strategy. Nor were they explained by countries' income level, although the meta-regression only included data from high-income and upper-middle-income countries, and there were suggestions from the ITS analyses that lower-middle-income countries fared less well. Interpretation Although there are some countries/areas-within-countries where overall suicide numbers and numbers for certain sex- and age-based groups are greater-than-expected, these countries/areas-within-countries are in the minority. Any upward movement in suicide numbers in any place or group is concerning, and we need to remain alert to and respond to changes as the pandemic and its mental health and economic consequences continue. Copyright (C) 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)
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