Average Annual Number Research Articles

The indirect impacts of nonpharmacological COVID-19 control measures on other infectious diseases in Yinchuan, Northwest China: a time series study

BackgroundVarious nonpharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) against COVID-19 continue to have an impact on socioeconomic and population behaviour patterns. However, the effect of NPIs on notifiable infectious diseases remains inconclusive due to the variability of the disease spectrum, high-incidence endemic diseases and environmental factors across different geographical regions. Thus, it is of public health interest to explore the influence of NPIs on notifiable infectious diseases in Yinchuan, Northwest China.MethodsBased on data on notifiable infectious diseases (NIDs), air pollutants, meteorological data, and the number of health institutional personnel in Yinchuan, we first fitted dynamic regression time series models to the incidence of NIDs from 2013 to 2019 and then estimated the incidence for 2020. Then, we compared the projected time series data with the observed incidence of NIDs in 2020. We calculated the relative reduction in NIDs at different emergency response levels in 2020 to identify the impacts of NIPs on NIDs in Yinchuan.ResultsA total of 15,711 cases of NIDs were reported in Yinchuan in 2020, which was 42.59% lower than the average annual number of cases from 2013 to 2019. Natural focal diseases and vector-borne infectious diseases showed an increasing trend, as the observed incidence in 2020 was 46.86% higher than the estimated cases. The observed number of cases changed in respiratory infectious diseases, intestinal infectious diseases and sexually transmitted or bloodborne diseases were 65.27%, 58.45% and 35.01% higher than the expected number, respectively. The NIDs with the highest reductions in each subgroup were hand, foot, and mouth disease (5854 cases), infectious diarrhoea (2157 cases) and scarlet fever (832 cases), respectively. In addition, it was also found that the expected relative reduction in NIDs in 2020 showed a decline across different emergency response levels, as the relative reduction dropped from 65.65% (95% CI: -65.86%, 80.84%) during the level 1 response to 52.72% (95% CI: 20.84%, 66.30%) during the level 3 response.ConclusionsThe widespread implementation of NPIs in 2020 may have had significant inhibitory effects on the incidence of respiratory infectious diseases, intestinal infectious diseases and sexually transmitted or bloodborne diseases. The relative reduction in NIDs during different emergency response levels in 2020 showed a declining trend as the response level changed from level 1 to level 3. These results can serve as essential guidance for policy-makers and stakeholders to take specific actions to control infectious diseases and protect vulnerable populations in the future.

Supporting Grid Infrastructure Through Data‐Driven Analytics

In general, utilities are consistently investing in their electric systems to deliver power with increased reliability, safety, and an improved customer experience. A resilient and high‐performing electric system remains the backbone of our society and economic prosperity. While attempting to maintain reliability, improve safety, and also manage costs, distribution utilities find themselves working to meet decarbonation goals mandated by executive branches at both the state and federal level, congress and state legislatures, and regulators. In order to meet these goals efficiently and effectively, which can often be in conflict with one another, utilities are investing in technologies to digitize their enterprise and create a digital experience for employees and customers. Severe weather events are the most common cause of prolonged power outages and electric infrastructure disruptions. Between 2000 and 2001, approximately 83 percent of reported major outages in the US were attributed to weather‐related events. The average annual number of weather‐related power outages increased by roughly 78 percent during 2011–2021, compared to 2000–2010.

Are outdoor playgrounds the real culprit for elbow fractures in children? A lesson learned from COVID-19 sanitary measures.

The association between elbow fractures and outdoor playgrounds has always been anecdotal. We sought to determine the impact of closing outdoor playgrounds and other play areas during the COVID-19 lockdown on elbow fractures in a pediatric population. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of all elbow fractures from a single pediatric referral hospital between 2016 and 2020 for the months of April and May. The months chosen corresponded to the COVID-19 lockdown during which outdoor playgrounds were closed. Inclusion criteria were elbow fracture diagnosis based on radiography and age younger than 18 years. Fracture type, where the injury occurred and the mechanism of injury were recorded. A total of 370 fractures were reported, with an average of 83 (95% confidence interval [CI] 83-84) per year for 2016-19 and only 36 recorded in 2020. The average annual number of fractures before 2020 was 17 (95% CI 16-17) for schools, and 33 (95% CI 31-34) for outdoor playgrounds, including 22 (95% CI 21-24) falls from playground structures. No fracture was reported in schools in 2020, and only 3 were reported from outdoor playgrounds (including 1 associated with falling from playground structures). We found an association between elbow fractures in a pediatric population and outdoor playground accessibility, but also with indoor public locations. Our findings emphasize the importance of safety measures in those facilities.

Public Health Implications of Types of Cancers in Anatomy-Pathology at the Souro Sanou University Center in Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso

Cancers are the second largest epidemiological burden in Africa. This led us to study the hospital proportions and histological and histogenetic types of cancers in anatomical pathology at the Souro Sanou University Hospital (CHUSS) in Bobo-Dioulasso, and the possible implications for public health. This was a cross-sectional study that ran from June 1 to December 10, 2021 with data inclusion from January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2020. The data collected concerned: notified cases of tumors and those diagnosed with cancer, sociodemographic characteristics, location and histological and histogenetic types of these cancers. Of the 6,316 cancer cases notified by the different clinical services from 2013 to 2020, there were 1,388 cases of cancer confirmed (or 22.0%) by histology at the CHUSS anatomy-pathology department. Of the 3,605 specimens analyzed, this represented a malignancy proportion of 38.5%. There was an average annual number of 173.5 confirmed cancer cases per year. For a sex ratio of 0.4 and a female predominance of 72.1%, the average age of the cancer cases was 49.3±3.9 years (extremes from 1 to 92 years), with the 40–60-year age group being the most represented (46.4%) and those under 15 years of age representing 3.2%. The organs most affected by cancer were breast (25.5%), uterus (22.4%) and stomach (9.1%). Breast (32.9%) and cervical (31.1%) cancers were the most common in women. In men, the most frequent cancers were: stomach (19.8%) and prostate (13.9%). Histologically, more than two out of five cancers were carcinomas. Squamous cell carcinomas accounted for 43.37%, and adenocarcinomas were found in 13.61%. There was no difference in histogenetic or histological type according to age or sex. Affecting more the less than 60 years with 75,1%, it is about cancers avoidable by actions of promotion and prevention in public health. This underlines the importance of setting up a cancer registry and organizing cancer care based on promotion and primary prevention.

Inverse association of hospital volume with in-hospital mortality rate of patients receiving EUS-guided interventions for pancreatic fluid collections

EUS-guided interventions currently serve as first-line treatment for symptomatic pancreatic fluid collections (PFCs) but require high-level expertise and multidisciplinary care. Hospital caseload has not been fully examined in relation to clinical outcomes of patients with endoscopically managed PFCs. Using the Diagnosis Procedure Combination database (a Japanese nationwide inpatient database), we identified 4053 patients receiving EUS-guided treatment of PFCs at 486 hospitals between 2010 and 2020 and examined an association of hospital volume (average annual number of cases at a hospital) with in-hospital mortality. Associations with bleeding, length of stay, and total costs were examined as secondary analyses. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was conducted with adjustment for potential confounders. The hospital volume was inversely associated with the risk of in-hospital mortality (Ptrend< .001). The adjusted odds ratio for in-hospital mortality comparing the extreme quintiles of hospital volume was .17 (95% confidence interval, .09-.33). A restricted cubic spline analysis yielded no statistically significant evidence on the nonlinear relationship (Pnonlinearity= .19). The types of stents (plastic vs lumen-apposing metal stent) seemed to have no effect modification on the volume-mortality relationship (Pinteraction= .58). Higher hospital volume was also associated with lower risk of bleeding, shorter length of stay, and lower medical costs of inpatient care. Higher hospital volume was associated with a lower risk of in-hospital mortality of patients receiving EUS-guided treatment of PFCs. A further investigation is warranted to justify the volume-based selective referral of the patients.

Healthcare utilisation and mortality in people with osteoarthritis in the UK: findings from a national primary care database.

The burden of osteoarthritis (OA) in UK primary care has not been investigated thoroughly. To estimate healthcare use and mortality in people with OA (overall and joint specific). A matched cohort study of adults with an incident diagnosis of OA in primary care were selected for the study using UK national Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) electronic records. Healthcare utilisation was measured as the annual average number of primary care consultations and admissions to hospital after the index date for any cause and all-cause mortality data in 221 807 people with OA and an equal number of controls (with no OA diagnosis) who were matched to the case patients by age (standard deviation 2 years), sex, practice, and year of registration. The associations between OA and healthcare utilisation and all-cause mortality were estimated using multinomial logistic regression and Cox regression, respectively, adjusting for covariates. The mean age of the study population was 61 years and 58% were female. In the OA group, the median number of primary care consultations per year after the index date was 10.91 compared with 9.43 in the non-OA control group (P = 0.001) OA was associated with an increased risk of GP consultation and admission to hospital. The adjusted hazard ratio for all-cause mortality was 1.89 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.85 to 1.93) for any OA, 2.09 (95% CI = 2.01 to 2.19) for knee OA, 2.08 (95% CI = 1.95 to 2.21) for hip OA, and 1.80 (95% CI = 1.58 to 2.06) for wrist/hand OA, compared with the respective non-OA control group. People with OA had increased rates of GP consultations, admissions to hospital, and all-cause mortality that varied across joint sites.

A 6-year nationwide population-based study on the current status of gastric endoscopic resection in Korea using administrative data

Gastric endoscopic resection (ER) is widely performed in Korea. This study aimed to investigate the overall status of gastric ER in Korea. We enrolled ESD or EMR cases performed for gastric cancer and adenoma from 2012 to 2017 by searching the NHIS database. The annual trend of gastric ER and the clinical characteristics were investigated. Institutions were classified into very high-, high-, low-, and very low volume centers (VHVC, HVC, LVC, and VLVC) by the procedure numbers, and institutional types, regional distributions, and medical resources were investigated accordingly. There were 175,370 ER cases during the study period, with an increasing trend over time. The average annual ESD procedure numbers were 3.9, 54.5, 249.5, and 540.3 cases in 131 VLVCs, 119 LVCs, 24 HVCs, and 12 VHVCs, respectively. Among ESD-performing institutions, 44.8% were located in the Seoul Capital Area. The distribution of medical resources showed a positive correlation with the procedural volume. Similar tendencies were also demonstrated in EMR, with some differences in hospital types and regional distribution. Gastric ER and ESD are increasing in Korea. There was a significant variance in the number of ER procedures and the distribution of types, regions, and medical resources according to the procedural volume.

Examining antibiotic prescribing and urine culture testing for urinary tract infections (UTIs) in a primary care spinal cord injury (SCI) cohort.

A retrospective cohort study. To describe antibiotic prescribing and urine culture testing patterns for urinary tract infections (UTIs) in a primary care Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) cohort. A primary care electronic medical records (EMR) database in Ontario. Using linked EMR health administrative databases to identify urine culture and antibiotic prescriptions ordered in primary care for 432 individuals with SCI from January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2015. Descriptive statistics were conducted to describe the SCI cohort, and physicians. Regression analyses were conducted to determine patient and physician factors associated with conducting a urine culture and class of antibiotic prescription. The average annual number of antibiotic prescriptions for UTI for the SCI cohort during study period was 1.9. Urine cultures were conducted for 58.1% of antibiotic prescriptions. Fluroquinolones and nitrofurantoin were the most frequently prescribed antibiotics. Male physicians and international medical graduates were more likely to prescribe fluroquinolones than nitrofurantoin for UTIs. Early-career physicians were more likely to order a urine culture when prescribing an antibiotic. No patient characteristics were associated with obtaining a urine culture or antibiotic class prescription. Nearly 60% of antibiotic prescriptions for UTIs in the SCI population were associated with a urine culture. Only physician characteristics, not patient characteristics, were associated with whether or not a urine culture was conducted, and the class of antibiotic prescribed. Future research should aim to further understand physician factors with antibiotic prescribing and urine culture testing for UTIs in the SCI population.

Межбюджетные трансферты и их влияние на сокращение диспропорций регионального развития

The article is devoted to relationship assessment between intergovernmental transfers from federal to regional budgets and the growth of real incomes of the population. It was found that the Gini coefficient, which reflects the deviation of income distribution from absolute equal distribution, in the whole country and for specific entities of the Russian Federation, is slightly higher than 0.4, which, according to the World Bank, is a critical level of inequality. Thus, Russia maintains a consistently high level of interregional income inequality. By assessing the σ- and β-convergence of social and economic indicators of 74 regions of Russia in 2000–2021 it is concluded that there is a process of convergence of real per capita incomes, but the role of intergovernmental transfers in this is not obvious. A positive and significant impact was recorded mainly due to subsidies, which can be explained by their infrastructural nature. It is noteworthy that subsidies, being a direct tool for equalizing the budgetary provision of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation, which are based on a formalized calculation approach, did not have a significant impact on the growth of real incomes of the population. The contribution of intergovernmental transfers is undeniable in the case of fiscal or revenue equalization, but it is not a sustainable factor in regional growth. The model additionally included such indicators as the level of inflation, investment in fixed capital, the share of employees of state bodies and local governments in the average annual number of employees, the ratio of the employed population to the total population, the amount of assigned pensions, etc. The latter had a positive effect on the convergence of real income per capita, which is consistent with the results obtained in the research.

Retrospective analyses of heartworm (Dirofilaria immitis) disease and ectoparasite preventive medication compliance in veterinary practices in the USA

BackgroundCompliance failure with administration of heartworm (HW) disease preventives has been reported as the main contributor to HW disease incidence in medicalized dogs. This study aimed to evaluate purchase compliance with different canine HW preventive products in the USA.MethodsAnonymized transaction data from clinics throughout the USA served as the basis for two retrospective analyses. We first examined the monthly equivalent doses of HW preventive purchases from clinics that had implemented extended-release moxidectin injectables ProHeart® 6 (PH6) and/or ProHeart® 12 (PH12) compared to clinics that prescribed monthly HW preventatives (MHWP) only. In the second analysis, the purchase compliance in practices that dispensed only flea and tick (FT) and HW products separately but did not dispense combination products (dual-therapy practices) was compared to the purchase compliance with the combination product Simparica Trio® (sarolaner, moxidectin, and pyrantel chewable tablets), purchased in clinics having implemented combination therapy in their formulary (combination-therapy practices). In both analyses, the numbers of monthly doses dispensed annually per dog were calculated.ResultsTransaction data from 3,539,990 dogs in 4615 practices were included in the first analysis. In dogs administered PH12 or PH6, the numbers of monthly equivalent doses were 12 and 8.1, respectively. In both clinic types, the average annual number of MHWP doses totaled 7.3. In the second analysis, a total of 919 practices were identified as combination-therapy practices and 434 as dual-therapy-only practices. A total of 246,654 dogs (160,854 dogs in dual-therapy practices and 85,800 dogs in combination-therapy practices) were included in the calculation of the average annual number of monthly doses, which totaled 6.8 (HW preventive products) and 4.4 (FT products) in dual-therapy practices compared to 7.2 months for both FT and HW preventives with Simparica Trio® across both practice types.ConclusionsThe injectable HW preventive PH12 is the only product that provides 12 months of heartworm disease prevention in a single veterinarian-administered injection. When choosing a monthly preventive, the combination therapy was associated with a greater purchase compliance compared with FT and HW products being dispensed separately.Graphical

Monitoring of the flight of aphids on potato plantations in the Arkhangelsk region

The results of the catch of aphids in vegetative plantings of potatoes in 2018–2021 are presented. The studies were carried out in the southern part of the Arkhangelsk region (Kotlas region). Yellow water traps were used to catch winged aphids. It was revealed that 25 species of winged aphids migrate to potato plantations with an average annual number of 162 individuals during the growing season. Of the total number, 7 species of aphids carrying potato viruses were identified. These included Acyrthosiphon pisum Harr., Aphis fabae Scop., Aphis nasturtii Kalt., Aulocarthum solani Kalt., Hyperomyzus lactucae L., Macrosiphum euphorbiae Thomas, and Rhopalosiphum padi L. These species account for 70 to 82% of the abundance structure. Not a single individual of the most harmful species Myzus persicae Sulz was caught. In the group of virus-carrying aphids, the most numerous species are R. padi L. (an average of 48 individuals per season) and A. fabae Scop. (an average of 35 individuals per season). It has been established that the flight of aphids is largely influenced by average daily air temperatures. In the conditions of the hottest year (2021) at an average daily air temperature of 19 °C, the largest annual number of aphids was identified - 181 individuals. Winged aphids are present in potato agrocenoses throughout the entire growing season, which indicates the need for annual monitoring of their numbers and the use of protective measures.

Recent Increase in Incidence of Severe Acute Hepatitis of Unknown Etiology in Children is Associated with Infection with Adenovirus and Other Nonhepatotropic Viruses

To evaluate whether the nature and severity of non-A-E severe acute hepatitis in children noted by the World Health Organization from late 2021 through early 2022 was indeed increased in 2021-2022 compared with prior years. We performed a single-center, retrospective study to track the etiology and outcomes of children with non-A-E severe acute hepatitis in 2021-2022 compared with the prior 3-year periods (2018-2019, 2019-2020, and 2020-2021). We queried electronic medical records of children ≤16years of age with alanine or aspartate aminotransferase levels of >500 IU. Data were analyzed for the periods of October 1, 2021, to May 1, 2022, and compared with the same time periods in 2018-2021. Of 107 children meeting entry criteria, 82 cases occurred from October to May of 2018-2022. The average annual case number was 16.3 in 2018-2021 compared with a 2-fold increase (to 33) in 2021-2022 (P=.0054). Analyses of etiologies showed that this increase was associated with a higher number of children who tested positive for viruses (n=16) when compared with the average of 3.7 for 2018-2021 (P=.018). Adenovirus (26.1%) and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (10.3%) were the most frequently detected viruses in 2021-2022. Despite evidence of acute liver failure in 37.8% of children in the entire cohort and in 47% of those with viral infection, the overall survival rate was high at 91.4% and 88.9%, respectively. The number of children with severe acute hepatitis in our center increased from 2021 to May 2022, with a greater frequency of cases associated with adenovirus, yet transplant-free survival remains high.

The Comprehensive Analysis of the Network of Superstructure Based on Territorial Characteristics of Accommodation and Food and Beverage Service Providers Considering the Financial Crisis and COVID-19: The Case of Bihor County, Romania

This study presents the territorial differences in structure of functioning accommodation and food-and-beverage service providers by their distribution based on registered field of economic activity and financial data on the level of local governments within Bihor County that were classified into four potential destination types. Furthermore, the aim of the research is to identify the concentration of business activities based on their turnover in proportion to the population on the level of local governments using the Hoover-index method for the period of 2005–2020. Lastly, another aim is to examine the efficiency of these hospitality service providers using the Hoover index on their sales revenue in proportion to their labor force between 2005 and 2020. The time frame enabled the examination of the effects of two critical incidents: the financial crisis of 2008 and COVID-19, which impacted the activity of the examined firms in hospitality. As a result, both group of service providers showed a significant increase in number of entities, turnover, and average annual number of employees after 2014. That trend was intensively interrupted by COVID-19, which was not the case for the period of financial crisis. The significance of Oradea and Sânmartin were present as central areas regarding business activities of the examined fields, thus crucially influencing the trends of the county. In the case of territorial inequalities, the two categories showed differing trends, as in the case of efficiency, although lodging services proved to show higher territorial inequalities but better performance.

Forgotten but not gone: Yersinia infections in England, 1975 to 2020.

BackgroundYersiniosis is one of the most common food-borne zoonoses in Europe, but there are large variations in the reported incidence between different countries.AimWe aimed to describe the trends and epidemiology of laboratory-confirmed Yersinia infections in England and estimate the average annual number of undiagnosed Yersinia enterocolitica cases, accounting for under-ascertainment.MethodsWe analysed national surveillance data on Yersinia cases reported by laboratories in England between 1975 and 2020 and enhanced surveillance questionnaires from patients diagnosed in a laboratory that has implemented routine Yersinia testing of diarrhoeic samples since 2016.ResultsThe highest incidence of Yersinia infections in England (1.4 cases per 100,000 population) was recorded in 1988 and 1989, with Y. enterocolitica being the predominant species. The reported incidence of Yersinia infections declined during the 1990s and remained low until 2016. Following introduction of commercial PCR at a single laboratory in the South East, the annual incidence increased markedly (13.6 cases per 100,000 population in the catchment area between 2017 and 2020). There were notable changes in age and seasonal distribution of cases over time. The majority of infections were not linked to foreign travel and one in five patients was admitted to hospital. We estimate that around 7,500 Y. enterocolitica infections may be undiagnosed in England annually.ConclusionsFindings suggest a considerable number of undiagnosed yersiniosis cases in England, with possibly important changes in the epidemiology. The apparently low incidence of yersiniosis in England is probably due to limited laboratory testing.

Prostate cancer diagnosis as part of high-tech advanced outpatient medical care

Introduction. The primary focus for improving medical care is introduction of inpatient-replacement forms of healthcare for patients, particularly, with prostate cancer (PCa). Day-care facilities at outpatient institutions and hospitals are considered the most cost-effective and convenient for patients. It is expected that the introduction of new survey methodologies and the optimization of their use in day-hospitals of outpatient clinics will reduce the use of other diagnostic procedures, including invasive ones, and will allow the specialist to determine the treatment tactics and method.Objective. To improve the quality of PCa diagnosis with the use of high-tech advanced outpatient medical care.Materials &amp; methods. To assess the appropriateness and effectiveness of transrectal prostate biopsies (TRPBs) in the day hospital, we have compared the statistics obtained in outpatient clinics with inpatient hospital divisions of the corresponding urban district. A comparative analysis of the data obtained using a standard examination algorithm was carried out: prostate-specific antigen analysis, digital rectal examination and transrectal ultrasound examination with a group of men who used multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI) in the examination algorithm prior to TRPB.Results. The average annual number of TRPBs performed in inpatient urology divisions (three сapital hospitals from Western urban district) was 344, and the PCa detection was 142 (41%). In the outpatient urological unit of the Branch No. 2, Moscow Outpatient Clinics No. 195 for the period from 2010 to 2017, the average annual number of TRPBs was 440, and the PCa detection was 153 (35%) Thus, from the above data, it appears that with inpatient-like PCa detection, one large outpatient urological unit performed on average 24% more TRPBs (440 versus 344) than three inpatient urological divisions in a comparable period of time. When comparing histological data obtained after TRPBs in the absence and presence of pelvic mpMRT, a reliable difference (42% vs 35%) was found in PCa detection, respectively.Conclusion. mpMRI due to its high sensitivity and specificity in PCa diagnosis, which can be recommended as a mandatory diagnostic step before TRPB. In addition, mpMRI can significantly reduce the number of unnecessary TRPBs, increase the effectiveness of timely PCa diagnosis at the early stages.

A Review of Eco-Product Value Realization and Eco-Industry with Enlightenment toward the Forest Ecosystem Services in Karst Ecological Restoration

Eco-product value realization and eco-industry are in a rapid development stage, but the eco-product value realization mechanism is still unclear. Strengthening research on eco-industry and eco-product value realization not only helps to coordinate the relationship between regional ecologies and the economy but also contributes to regional sustainable development. This study conducted a systematic literature review based on related articles retrieved from the Web of Science database and China National Knowledge Infrastructure database. The results showed the following: (1) Regarding time series, the average annual number of published works in the literature from 2000 to 2017 is less than 4, while the average annual number of published works in the literature from 2018 to 2022 is more than 97. The overall study on eco-product value realization and eco-industry has shown a year-on-year growth trend. (2) The research content primarily involves five aspects, including the connotation and extension of eco-products, eco-product supply, eco-product value accounting, eco-product value realization, and eco-industry. (3) It is essential to deepen the study on the improvement mechanism of the eco-product supply capacity, eco-products property rights, evaluation system for eco-product value realization, ecological compensation mechanism, driving mechanism for eco-products to eco-industry, and coupled development of ecological restoration and eco-industry. Based on the above research, this paper presents an enlightment of the forest ecosystem services in the karst ecological restoration area from three aspects: enhancing the supply ability of eco-products, improving the compensation mechanism of forest ecological services, and coordinating the development of ecosystem services and eco-industries.

Statistical analysis and modeling of factors of resource potential of agricultural development in the region

In modern realities, the issue of effective use of the existing resource potential of the regions is acute, the solution of which directly affects the effectiveness of the functioning of industrial complexes of both individual territories and the country as a whole. Agriculture consists of a system of interconnected industries that produce various types of agricultural products, ensuring the food security of the state and the quality of life of the population. The purpose of the work was to analyze the resource potential of regional agriculture and identify a set of relevant factors (based on processing the flow of statistical data) on the example of the Orenburg region. The economic and statistical apparatus using the Statistica software package was used as a tool for carrying out correlation and regression analysis and building models. The article analyzes various interpretations of the concept of "potential". The components of the resource potential are considered and the factors characterizing them are ordered. A comparison of a number of indicators of agricultural production (the volume of agricultural production in millions of rubles, the size of the acreage of crops, the volume of gross harvest of grain and potatoes, the number of cattle and pigs) by regions of the Volga Federal District is given. The leading subjects of the district have been identified, among them the Orenburg Region, on the materials of which methods of correlation and regression analysis have been implemented and a set of models has been built. As an example, an econometric model of the impact on the volume of agricultural products of a number of factors (characterizing the resource potential of the region) is given, including the area of agricultural land, the average annual number of agricultural workers, the introduction of organic and mineral fertilizers per hectare of crops, the cost of fixed assets by type of economic activity, the volume of investments in fixed capital of agriculture farms. The analysis of the variables included in the model is carried out. Taking into account the identified factors, a set of measures aimed at improving the efficiency of agricultural production in the region is formulated.

Costs of HIV prevention services provided by community-based organizations to female sex workers in Nigeria.

Nigeria has been consistently targeted in sub-Saharan Africa as an HIV-priority country. Its main mode of transmission is heterosexual, and consequently, a key population of interest is female sex workers (FSWs). While HIV prevention services are increasingly implemented by community-based organizations (CBOs) in Nigeria, there is a paucity of evidence on the implementation costs of these organizations. This study seeks to fill this gap by providing new evidence about service delivery unit cost for HIV education (HIVE), HIV counseling and testing (HCT), and sexually transmitted infection (STI) referral services. In a sample of 31 CBOs across Nigeria, we calculated the costs of HIV prevention services for FSWs taking a provider-based perspective. We collected 2016 fiscal year data on tablet computers during a central data training in Abuja, Nigeria, in August 2017. Data collection was part of a cluster-randomized trial examining the effects of management practices in CBOs on HIV prevention service delivery. Staff costs, recurrent inputs, utilities, and training costs were aggregated and allocated to each intervention to produce total cost calculations, and then divided by the number of FSWs served to produce unit costs. Where costs were shared across interventions, a weight proportional to intervention outputs was applied. All cost data were converted to US dollars using the mid-year 2016 exchange rate. We also explored the cost variation across the CBOs, particularly the roles of service scale, geographic location, and time. The average annual number of services provided per CBO was 11,294 for HIVE, 3,326 for HCT, and 473 for STI referrals. The unit cost per FSW tested for HIV was 22 USD, the unit cost per FSW reached with HIV education services was 19 USD, and the unit cost per FSW reached by STI referrals was 3 USD. We found heterogeneity in total and unit costs across CBOs and geographic location. Results from the regression models show that total cost and service scale were positively correlated, while unit costs and scale were consistently negatively correlated; this indicates the presence of economies of scale. By increasing the annual number of services by 100 percent, the unit cost decreases by 50 percent for HIVE, 40 percent for HCT, and 10 percent for STI. There was also evidence that indicates that the level of service provision was not constant over time across the fiscal year. We also found unit costs and management to be negatively correlated, though results were not statistically significant. Estimates for HCT services are relatively similar to previous studies. There is substantial variation in unit costs across facilities, and evidence of a negative relationship between unit costs and scale for all services. This is one of the few studies to measure HIV prevention service delivery costs to female sex workers through CBOs. Furthermore, this study also looked at the relationship between costs and management practices-the first of its kind to do so in Nigeria. Results can be leveraged to strategically plan for future service delivery across similar settings.

Monitoring the Dew Amount in Typical Ecosystems of Northeast China from 2005 to 2021

Dew is a part of the water cycle of ecosystems and is a source of water and humidity. The climate characteristics of the frost-free period in Northeast China are suitable for dew condensation, and dew is an important factor of water balance in this area. Northeast China is among the most significant warming areas in China, with an obvious “warm and dry” climate trend, which may affect dew condensation. To determine the dew amounts in different ecosystems in Northeast China and the influence of climate change on these amounts, dew condensation in farmland (corn), wetland (Carex lasiocarpa) and urban ecosystems (Syringa oblata Lindl.) was monitored during the growing period (May to October) from 2005 to 2021. The results showed that the annual average number of dew days was 132.8 in a wetland in Fujin, 122.9 in a farmland in Lishu and 118.1 in an urban area in Changchun. The daily dew intensity in the three ecosystems was lowest in May and highest in July and August. The average daily dew intensity was higher in the wetland (0.125 ± 0.069 mm) than the farmland (0.061 ± 0.026 mm) and urban area (0.028 ± 0.009 mm). The annual dew amount was also highest in the wetland (44.09 ± 7.51 mm) compared to the farmland (34.46 ± 3.54 mm) and much higher than that in the urban ecosystem (25.32 ± 3.29 mm). The annual dew in the farmland, wetland and urban ecosystems accounted for 7.92 ± 2.76%, 14.98 ± 5.93% and 6.71 ± 2.66% of the rainfall in the same period, respectively. The results indicated that dew was an important source of water and that wetlands had greater dew deposition than farmlands and urban areas. Considering the climate data during the dew condensation period from 1957 to 2021, the annual dew amount showed a decreasing trend of −0.40 mm/10a (p &lt; 0.05) in Changchun. However, under the joint influence of relative humidity (RH) and wind speed (V), the impact of climate change on dew condensation was not obvious. This study further clarified the impact of climate change on the near-surface water cycle.

Pediatric Suspected Suicides and Nonfatal Suicide Attempts Reported to United States Poison Control Centers Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

This study investigated the characteristics and compared the trends of pediatric suspected suicide and nonfatal suicide attempts reported to United States (US) poison control centers (PCCs) before and during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. An interrupted time series analysis using an ARIMA model was conducted to evaluate the trends of suspected suicides and nonfatal suicide attempts among children 6-19years old reported to the National Poison Data System during March 2020 through February 2021 (pandemic period) compared with March 2017 through February 2020 (pre-pandemic period). The annual number of cases of suspected suicides and nonfatal suicide attempts increased by 4.5% (6095/136,194) among children 6-19years old during March 2020 through February 2021 compared with the average annual number during the previous three pre-pandemic years. There were 11,876 fewer cases than expected from March 2020 to February 2021, attributable to a decrease in cases during the initial three pandemic months. The average monthly and average daily number of suspected suicides and nonfatal suicide attempts among children 6-12years old and 13-19years old was higher during school months than non-school months and weekdays than weekends during both the pre-pandemic and pandemic periods. There was a greater than expected decrease in the number of suspected suicides and nonfatal suicide attempts among children 6-19years old reported to US PCCs during the early pandemic months, followed by an increase in cases. Recognizing these patterns can help guide an appropriate public health response to similar future crises.