Marginal Analysis Research Articles

Intraoperative Resection Guidance and Rapid Pathological Diagnosis of Osteosarcoma using B7H3 Targeted Probe under NIR-II Fluorescence Imaging.

Complete removal of all tumor tissue with a wide surgical margin is essential for the treatment of osteosarcoma (OS). However, it's difficult, sometimes impossible, to achieve due to the invisible small satellite lesions and blurry tumor boundaries. Besides, intraoperative frozen-section analysis of resection margins of OS is often restricted by the hard tissues around OS, which makes it impossible to know whether a negative margin is achieved. Any unresected small tumor residuals will lead to local recurrence and worse prognosis. Herein, based on the high expression of B7H3 in OS, a targeted probe B7H3-IRDye800CW is synthesized by conjugating anti-B7H3 antibody and IRDye800CW. B7H3-IRDye800CW can accurately label OS areas after intravenous administration, thereby helping surgeons identify and resect residual OS lesions (<2mm) and lung metastatic lesions. The tumor-background ratio reaches 4.42± 1.77 at day 3. After incubating fresh human OS specimen with B7H3-IRDye800CW, it can specifically label the OS area and even the microinvasion area (confirmed by hematoxylin-eosin [HE] staining). The probe labeled area is consistent with the tumor area shown by magnetic resonance imaging and complete HE staining of the specimen. In summary, B7H3-IRDye800CW has translational potential in intraoperative resection guidance and rapid pathological diagnosis of OS.

Impact of pathologic features on local recurrence in penile squamous cell carcinoma after penectomy

BackgroundPenile squamous cell carcinoma (PSCC) is a rare malignancy that may be cured in cases of local disease by resection of the primary tumor. Risk factors and patterns of local recurrence (LR) have not been well described in cases requiring partial or radical penectomy. In this study, we evaluated risk factors for LR and the impact of frozen and final margin assessment. Materials and methodsWe evaluated 119 patients with PSCC who had undergone partial or radical penectomy from 2007 to 2023. Data regarding clinical and pathologic features were collected by retrospective chart review. The primary outcome of interest was LR. Determinants of LR were analyzed by Student's t, Fisher's exact, chi-square and logistic regression analysis. Predictive statistics of frozen margin status on final margin were assessed and LR rates for subsets of frozen and final margin interaction were defined. Finally, all cases of positive margins and LR were described to highlight patterns of LR and the importance of margin status in these cases. ResultsThere were 8 (6.7%) cases of local recurrence. There were no significant predictors of LR, although a trend toward increased LR risk was observed among those with a positive final margin. Positive final margins were found in 15 (13%) cases. Frozen margin analysis was utilized in 79 cases, of which 10 (13%) were positive. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of frozen margin status for final margins were 44%, 92%, 40%, and 93%, respectively. There were no LR among cases in which frozen margin was not sent. Analysis of all cases with positive margin and/or LR identified three subsets of patients: CIS or focally positive margin resulting in either no LR or LR managed with minimal local intervention, bulky disease in which survival is determined by response to subsequent therapy rather than local recurrence, and clinically significant local recurrence requiring continued surveillance and intervention despite negative margins. ConclusionsLR is rare, even in cases of larger, proximal tumors requiring partial or radical penectomy. In this study, no statistically significant risk factors for local recurrence were identified; however, analysis of frozen and final margins provided insight into the importance of margin status and patterns of local recurrence. When feasible, visibly intra-operative negative margins are an excellent predictor of low risk for LR, and, in cases of CIS or focally positive margins, further resection to achieve negative margins is unlikely to reduce the risk of clinically significant LR. Additionally, in cases of bulky disease, the goals of resection should be focused toward palliation and next line therapy.

Profitability Analysis Of Palm Oil Production In Igbo Etiti Local Government Area, Enugu State, Nigeria

&#x0D; This study analyzed the profitability of palm oil production in Igbo Etiti L.G.A of Enugu State, Nigeria. Both multi-stage random and purposive sampling procedures were used to select 120 small-scale palm oil producers. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data from the participants and analysed using frequency, percentage, and gross margin analysis. The results show that more than half (55.0) percent of palm oil producers use the traditional method of palm oil processing to produce their product whereas 17.5 percent used the mechanical method. The producers sourced their palm fruits mainly from self-sourcing (65 percent), friends and relatives (55.8 percent), and the open market (44.2 percent). The profitability analysis indicates that the total cost of N2,503,100 was incurred as the production cost for palm oil in the 2021 production cycle, out of which N429,000 representing 17.1 percent was expended on the total fixed assets while the total variable cost gulped N2,074,100, representing 82.9 percent of the entire cost. The sum of N796,900 was realized as the net profit from palm oil production in the area. This attests to the profitability of palm oil production in the area. The benefit-cost ratio analysis yielded a value above one (1.3), confirming the viability of palm oil production in the area. The study recommends that the government should initiate a policy that will encourage more people to get involved in palm oil production, as well as, facilitate the transition of palm oil production from the traditional method to the mechanical method.&#x0D;

Catastrophic health expenditure and health-related quality of life among older adults in Shandong, China: the moderation effect of daily care by adult children.

Catastrophic health expenditure (CHE) has a considerable impact on older people in later life, but little is known about the relationship between catastrophic health expenditure and health-related quality of life (HRQOL). The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between catastrophic health expenditure and health-related quality of life in older people, and to explore whether the daily care provided by adult children is a moderator in this relationship. Data from the sixth National Health Services Survey in Shandong Province, China. The sample consisted of 8599 elderly people (age ≥ 60 years; 51.7% of female). Health-related quality of life was measured by the health utility value of EQ-5D-3L. Interaction effects were analyzed using Tobit regression models and marginal effects analysis. The catastrophic health expenditure prevalence was 60.5% among older people in Shandong, China. catastrophic health expenditure was significantly associated with lower health-related quality of life (β= - 0.142, P < 0.001). We found that adult children providing daily care services to their parents mitigated the effect of catastrophic health expenditure on health-related quality of life among older people (β = 0.027, P = 0.040). Our findings suggested that catastrophic health expenditure was associated with health-related quality of life and the caring role of older adult children moderated this relationship. Reducing the damage caused by catastrophic health expenditure helps to improve health-related quality of life in older people. Adult children should increase intergenerational contact, provide timely financial and emotional support to reduce the negative impact of catastrophic health expenditure on health-related quality of life.

Hidradenocarcinoma: A Case Series From the Scripps Clinic With a Systematic Review of the Literature.

Hidradenocarcinoma (HAC) is a rare adnexal carcinoma. To the best of the authors' knowledge, there are no published systematic reviews on HAC. To incorporate a case series from the authors' institution and systematically integrate reported information to provide a reference tool for optimization of diagnosis and management. A comprehensive MEDLINE search was conducted from database inception to 2021 using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. This yielded 225 studies with 165 cases of HAC. References of included articles were also searched. In addition, 9 patients with HAC were identified from the authors' institution over the past 10 years. The mean age of HAC presentation is 60 years with a slight male predilection (60%). The head and neck is the most commonly affected region. Over 36% of cases either presented with metastatic disease or went on to metastasize. The most common treatment type was wide local excision, followed by Mohs micrographic surgery. Early detection with accurate histologic interpretation is prudent in all cases of HAC. Wide local excision is the current first-line treatment. However, Mohs micrographic surgery offers complete marginal analysis with evidence of reduced risk of metastasis and better outcomes compared with wide local excision. Currently, there are no National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines for the treatment of HAC, and consensus guidelines are limited to tumor and nodal metastasis staging provided by the American Joint Committee on Cancer, eighth edition. Thus, this case series and systematic review integrates important aspects of diagnosis, workup, and management of HAC.

Marketing Channel Analysis, Marketing Margins, and Farmer's Share Cinnamon Commodity in Sungai Penuh City, Jambi Province, Indonesia

The cinnamon commodity is quite significant in the economy of Sungai Penuh City, but farmers have not felt its role in improving welfare. The fundamental problems faced by cinnamon farmers in Sungai Penuh City are the weak bargaining position of farmers in the pricing process due to lack of access to price information, the attachment of farmers to collecting traders, and the limited ability of farmers to develop processed cinnamon products allegedly resulting in farmers only getting a small profit from sales. Traders, collectors, and exporters process more to meet domestic and foreign market demand. For this reason, an analysis of the existing condition of marketing margins and farmers' share of cinnamon commodities in Sungai Penuh City is needed. The purpose of this study is to analyze cinnamon marketing margins between farmers, collecting traders and exporters in each marketing channel in Sungai Penuh City, analyze the amount of farmers share obtained by farmers in each cinnamon marketing channel in Sungai Penuh City, and analyze cinnamon marketing functions in the form of physical functions, exchange functions and facility functions between farmers, Collecting traders and exporters in Sungai Penuh City. To answer the study's objectives, the author uses marketing margin analysis methods, profit margin analysis, farmer's share analysis, and marketing function approaches in physical, exchange, and facility functions. This research method uses a qualitative descriptive approach, and the informants in this study are determined by purposive sampling. The results showed that as many as 60 percent of cinnamon farmers in Sungai Penuh City chose and 40 percent chose the two-actor marketing channel. In contrast, the cinnamon marketing channel involving three marketing actors showed that the marketing system was inefficient. In contrast, the cinnamon marketing channel involving two marketing actors showed that the cinnamon marketing system in Sungai Penuh City was efficient.

Empirical Analysis of African Aubergine (Solanum gilo) – Marketing and Income Disparity among Traders in Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria

African Aubergine is an indigenous tropical crop cultivated in Nigeria. Agricultural marketing creates incentives that accelerate the promotion of further production and consumption of harvested produce. Therefore, this study analysed African Aubergine marketing and income disparity among traders in Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria. Primary data collected via multistage sampling from ninety-five (95) respondents was analysed using descriptive statistics, marketing margin and efficiency analysis, Ordinary Least Square regression and Gini Coefficient index. The results show that the mean age, years spent in school, household size, trading experience and quantity of bags sold were 37 years, 8 years, 7 people, 9 years and 8 bags per month, respectively. The estimated marketing margin and efficiency index were ₦1,250 and 0.36, respectively. The estimated coefficients of Ordinary Least Square regression (R2) were 0.773. Thus, the variables (marketing experience, cost price, quantity sold and marketing cost) in the regression model accounted for 77% of the variation in the marketing margin of African Aubergine traders in the study area. The estimated Gini Coefficient was 0.59, indicating a moderate level of income disparity (inequality) in the sales income of the respondents. Several marketing constraints were observed in the study area. Therefore, this study recommends improved credit access and market information dissemination, commodity cost subsidisation, storage technology adoption, market infrastructure development and interventions, commodity price control and policy modification that regulates market activities.

Comparison of Two Techniques for Proximal Margin Analysis of Toe Amputations: A Retrospective Review

Toe amputations are a common podiatric procedure for treatment of osteomyelitis. Whether or not the surgeon obtains a surgical cure, thus resolving the infection, can be difficult to assess. Obtaining a proximal bone margin can assist the treatment team in deciding the duration of postoperative antibiotics, need for reoperation, and postoperative care. The two senior surgeons use different methods to analyze proximal bone margins. The first surgeon obtains a microbiologic culture from the remaining bone, either at the proximal phalanx or metatarsal head, following the removal of the toe to be reviewed for osteomyelitis. Per the second surgeon's technique, the pathologist only analyzes the proximal aspect of the amputated toe for presence of osteomyelitis. Our goal is to analyze the reoperation and reamputation rates between the techniques in which the proximal margin specimens are obtained. A retrospective chart review was performed on all isolated toe or partial toe amputations from March 2017 to September 2022. There were 115 patients who met inclusion criteria. Reoperation and reamputation rates were analyzed for positive and negative infection margins from intraoperative cultures. Our study found an overall 28% reoperation rate and 26% reamputation rate for the negative margins group. In the positive proximal margin group, there was an overall 48% reoperation rate and 44% reamputation rate. Our analysis did not find a statistically significant difference between the reamputation rate in the negative margins group and the reamputation rate in the positive margins group. In conclusion, our study found that a positive proximal margin for osteomyelitis exhibited a nearly double reoperation and reamputation rate compared to patients with a negative margin, and that one margin analysis technique was not inferior to the other in regards to the need for additional surgeries.

Myxofibrosarcoma: Outcomes, Prognostic Factors, and Role of Neoadjuvant Radiation Therapy

IntroductionMyxofibrosarcoma (MFS) is a subtype of soft tissue sarcoma with a highly infiltrative growth pattern that leads to a higher risk of inadvertent positive surgical margins and local relapse. Poorly defined tumor margins also pose a challenge for radiotherapy (RT) planning, in terms of treatment volumes and administration of pre- versus post-operative RT. This study aims to evaluate local control and patterns of recurrence in MFS patients treated with neoadjuvant RT followed by definitive surgical excision. Materials and methodsMultiple institutional databases were retrospectively searched for patients diagnosed with MFS between 2013-2021, who were exclusively treated with pre-operative radiotherapy followed by definitive surgery at our institution. The endpoints of the study were defined as local tumor recurrence (LR), distant metastasis (DM), or death from the date of definitive surgery. Results49 patients met the inclusion criteria and were included in the final study. The median age at diagnosis was 67 years, and 71% were male. The tumor was superficially located in 63% of patients and the mean tumor size at presentation was 7.8 cm. All patients received neoadjuvant RT and completed their planned course of treatment. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy was administered in 22% of patients. Inadvertent excision (IE) prior to definitive treatment was performed in 25 patients (51%), 84% of which had superficially located tumors.All margins were assessed using frozen section analysis at the time of definitive surgery, and 100% of patients had negative surgical margins, with 25% having no residual tumor. With a median follow-up of 4.7 years, a 5-year local control (LC) rate was 87%, and 5-year overall survival (OS) was 98%. Tumor depth was associated with DM (p <0.01). ConclusionDespite the infiltrative nature of MFS, preoperative RT followed by definitive surgical excision, especially in the setting of a reliable frozen section margin analysis, is associated with excellent local control.

Psychiatric risks for worsened mental health after psychedelic use.

Resurgent psychedelic research has largely supported the safety and efficacy of psychedelic therapy for the treatment of various psychiatric disorders. As psychedelic use and therapy increase in prevalence, so does the importance of understanding associated risks. Cases of prolonged negative psychological responses to psychedelic therapy seem to be rare; however, studies are limited by biases and small sample sizes. The current analytical approach was motivated by the question of whether rare but significant adverse effects have been under-sampled in psychedelic research studies. A "bottom margin analysis" approach was taken to focus on negative responders to psychedelic use in a pool of naturalistic, observational prospective studies (N = 807). We define "negative response" by a clinically meaningful decline in a generic index of mental health, that is, one standard error from the mean decrease in psychological well-being 4 weeks post-psychedelic use (vs pre-use baseline). We then assessed whether a history of diagnosed mental illness can predict negative responses. We find that 16% of the cohort falls into the "negative responder" subset. Parsing the sample by self-reported history of psychiatric diagnoses, results revealed a disproportionate prevalence of negative responses among those reporting a prior personality disorder diagnosis (31%). One multivariate regression model indicated a greater than four-fold elevated risk of adverse psychological responses to psychedelics in the personality disorder subsample (b = 1.425, p < 0.05). We infer that the presence of a personality disorder may represent an elevated risk for psychedelic use and hypothesize that the importance of psychological support and good therapeutic alliance may be increased in this population.

Growth and gross margin of broiler starter chicks fed graded levels of watermelon peel meal as a substitute for wheat offal

The performance of broiler chicks fed graded levels of watermelon peel meals as a substitute for wheat offal was investigated using ninety-six 1-day old Amo broiler chicks. They were allotted to four dietary treatments with each having three replicates and 8 birds per replicate in a completely randomized design (CRD). The experiment diets contained 0.0, 1.25, 2.5 and 3.75% dried watermelon and coded as DWMP0.0, DWMP1.25, DWMP2.5 and DWMP3.75. Ninety-six (96) two-weeks old chicks were randomly assigned into four (4) dietary treatments, each having twenty-four (24) birds, and replicated three (3) times in a completely randomized design (CRD). The experimental diets contained 0.0, 1.25, 2.5 and 3.75% dried watermelon peels meal and coded as DWMP0.0, DWMP1.25, DWMP2.5 and DWMP3.75. Results obtained shows no significance (P&gt;0.05) difference in all the growth and economic parameters evaluated. Feed intake and weight gain which are indicators of growth were better in birds fed diets containing 2.5 and 3.75% watermelon peels. Gross margin analysis reveals that it is more economical to feed starter broilers with up to 3.75% DWMP. In conclusion, starter broiler chicks can be conveniently fed DWMP up to 3.75% for better growth and cost effective broiler production.

A comparative analysis of the economics of cassava production and processing by IFAD VCDP participants and non-participants in Benue and Kogi States, Nigeria

This study analyzed the Economics of Cassava production and processing by IFAD VCDP participants and Non-participants in Benue and Kogi States, Nigeria. The objectives of the study were to: describe the socio-economic characteristics of the participants and non-participants along the value chain; estimate the cost and returns on production and processing of cassava by participants and non-participant respondents in the study area, and to identify the constraints to cassava production and processing in the study area. Two hypotheses were formulated and tested. There is no difference between the income of participants and non-participants The study employed the survey research design of descriptive type. Simple random sampling technique and Proportionate sampling (using Taro Yamane) were used to scientifically select 333 participants and 333 non – participants from the two states making 666 respondents. However only 664 questionnaires were found useful. Data collected were analyzed using frequencies, percentages, mean scores, and gross margin. Findings from the study revealed that majority of the respondents were males (52.71%), in the active age range of 31 – 50 years, married (89.31 %,), educated (84%) and had over five years’ experience (74.25%). Gross margin analysis showed that the participants had a gross margin of N792, 952 and Benefit-cost ratio of 6.64 as against N646, 961.76 and 5.83 by non-participant farmers respectively and N820, 374.10 and Benefit-cost ratio of 3.23 for participant processors and N452, 917.85 and 2.03 for non-participant processors respectively. Lack of funds (2.61), poor rural infrastructure (2.29), high transportation (2.42) and poor access to stem cuttings (2.44) constitute constraints to cassava production while lack of funds (2.90), poor rural infrastructure (2.44) and high transportation cost (2.15) constitute constraints to cassava processing. The z-test statistical analysis result revealed income differential of N264, 081 in favour of participants with a t-value of 12.0842 significant at 1% level (Pr. = 0.000). Conclusively, the study provides valuable insights into the dynamics of participants and non-participants in the IFAD VCDP programme, shedding light on their socioeconomic characteristics, and constraints. Notably, the participants in the programme demonstrated a higher mean income compared to non-participants, indicating the positive impact of IFAD project participation on income generation. The study among others recommends that policymakers explore options for providing financial assistance such as microcredit facilities, or grants to the participants, ensuring that financial literacy training accompany these initiatives to ensure responsible use of funds and investment in cassava-related activities.

Identification of flutter boundary of a bridge deck section using CFD and flutter margin analysis

Aeroelastic flutter identification of a two-dimensional bridge deck section using time domain techniques is studied. Aeroelastic simulations are performed using the aeroelastic solver available in open source OpenFOAM 5.0, wherein aerodynamic loads are computed using Unsteady Reynolds Average Naiver–Stokes (URANS) solver. The bridge deck section, modelled as a rigid body, exhibits pitch and heave degrees of freedom. Time domain system identification techniques, which include VAR and ERA (Vector auto-regressive and Eigensystem realization algorithm), are used to extract frequency and damping parameters from the aeroelastic response for various wind speeds.Two approaches are used for identification of the flutter boundary. The first consists of tracking the behaviour of damping and identifying the speed at which damping vanishes. The second approach is based on the flutter margin for discrete-time system (FMDS), which exhibits a linear behaviour with dynamic pressure in the vicinity of flutter.Results presented indicate that the ERA yielded slightly better estimates of damping compared to VAR. Furthermore, the FMDS parameter provided a reasonable estimate of the flutter boundary using only two data points, suggesting that this is an efficient strategy (as compared to tracking the damping) for flutter identification when the cost per aeroelastic response data point is high.

Sustainability of Integrated Farming Between Robusta Coffee and Goat Livestock in Pupuan District, Tabanan Regency

Purpose of this research was to analyze actual income, optimize income and analyze the sustainability of integrated farming between Robusta coffee and goat farming in Pupuan District, Tabanan Regency. Location of research was determined purposive with several considerations. The research sample was 30 farmers plus seven experts. Data collected using in-depth interviews, surveys with questionnaires, browsing through the internet, literature studies, farmers' notes and reports from related agencies. Data analysis using Gross Margin analysis, Linear Programming with the help of BLPX88 Software, Multidimensional Scaling (MDS) with RAP-Farm approach, and Participatory Prospective analysis. Based on the research results, it is known that the average actual income of farmers from integrated farming between Robusta coffee and goat livestock is Rp 19.179.508,00 a year or Rp 1.598.292,00 a month. Optimizing the income of all farmers with a cultivated land area of 23.01 ha, it is stated that farming is carried out optimally with a maximum income of IDR 492.081.500,00 a year. An increase of Rp 29.033.405,00 or 6.27% a year from the gross margin value of Rp 463,048,095.00 a year. The sustainability status of all dimensions is stated to be quite sustainable with an index value of 64.73. Based on the Participatory Prospective analysis, it is known that the factors that most influence on sustainability are altitude, farmer's education level, climate conditions, government policy, availability of production inputs, frequency of extension and training of farmers, farmer's knowledge, coordination with institutions/agencies, availability of production facilities, availability of farmer capital. It can be suggested that farmers' income needs to be increased again by using the right farming technology. To maximize farming income, farmers should use labor in families that are still large. It is necessary to increase the index value and status of sustainability in all dimensions through intervention on the most influential key factors.

Impact of Monetary Policy on the Profitability of Nepalese Commercial Banks

This study examines the impact of monetary policy instruments on firm profitability in Nepalese commercial banks from 2007/08 to 2021/22. The research investigates the relationship between profitability and various monetary policy instruments, including broad money supply, statutory liquidity ratio, bank rate, investment in treasury bills, and cash reserve ratio. The analysis reveals diverse return on investment (ROI) trends across banks, with NIMBL initially showing high ROI followed by a drop, SBL and SBI displaying substantial increases, and NABIL and HBL maintaining stable ROI. Net Interest Margin (NIM) analysis shows varying profitability, while monetary policy indicators exhibit diverse and occasionally fluctuating values, influencing borrowing costs and liquidity. Correlation analysis identifies positive associations between NIM, M2, and ROI and negative correlations with TBR and CRR. Regression analysis emphasizes the significance of CRR, IRS, and M2 in impacting ROI. The study concludes that the cash reserve ratio, bank rate, and investment in treasury bills affect Nepalese commercial banks' profitability. Recommendations include managing the cash reserve ratio, maintaining low bank rates, encouraging treasury bill investment, and minimizing the statutory liquidity ratio to enhance profitability. Implications suggest that effective management of monetary policy instruments can improve banks' profitability. Future research could explore additional profitability indicators, expand the sample size and observation years, include other financial institutions, and employ a mixed-method approach for a comprehensive understanding of the impact of monetary policy instruments on bank profitability.

Cost and returns analysis of upland and lowland rice production among farmers in North Central Nigeria

Sustainability of the rice production and farmers’ income in Nigeria raises a serious concern due to the rising costs of production inputs and other factors beyond farmers’ control. As a result, the study compared the cost and returns of rice production in North central, Nigeria. A multistage sampling technique was used to select 387 rice farmers in the study area. Descriptive statistics, gross margin analysis and seeming unrelated regression were used to analyze the dataset collected. The findings revealed that most of the rice farmers were male, averagely young and have at least 9 family members in their respectively households. Results from Kwara State showed that total cost is higher among the upland rice farmers compared to their lowland counterparts, but reverse was the case in term of net profit, as this favoured the lowland rice farmers. For Niger State and pooled data, the lowland rice farmers had higher net profit than the upland rice farmers. Seemingly unrelated regression estimates indicated that costs associated with fertilizer, herbicide, seed, pesticide and labour used were significant and influencing factors affecting the revenue of rice farmers in the study area. While inaccessibility to cheap farm inputs was the major constraint affecting the rice farmers, other challenges include lack of storage, inadequate rainfall and inadequate credit facilities. The study recommended seamless access to improved rice varieties by the farmers as this can scale up adoption of improved technologies, boost production and ultimately the net revenue of rice farmers. Farmers are also advised to join and/or form a registered occupational groups through which credit facilities can easily be accessed, to expand the farming operations because of the positive and complementary role of social group and access to credit.

Dietary patterns and the effect of long-term PM2.5 exposure on metabolic syndrome among Chinese adults: a cross-sectional study

Limited evidence exists regarding the causal effects of air pollution and metabolic syndrome (MetS), as well as the potential moderating effect of adherence to healthy dietary patterns. We recruited participants with accessible clinical characteristics, dietary patterns, and blood biomarkers data from the 2009 China Health and Nutrition Survey. Multi-biomarkers combined with physical examinations were used to determine the status of MetS. The fine particulate matter (PM2.5) concentration was calculated by the near-real-time historical data at the resolution of 1 km. The control function (CF) combined with probit model (CF-Probit) was used to determine the effect of long-term PM2.5 exposure on MetS risk, with wind speed serving as the instrument. We assessed the dietary patterns of each participant using the dietary balance index (DBI). The modification analyses were conducted to investigate the potential moderating role of dietary patterns. The study included 4,277 adult participants participated with a mean age of 50.18 years and an incidence of MetS of 22.38% (957/4277 cases). The mean score for the DBI was 40.23. The mean long-term PM2.5 level was 65.79 μg m−3. The CF-Probit marginal effects analysis showed significant causal effects of chronic PM2.5 exposure on MetS incidence, with a marginal effect of 0.013 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.003–0.022), suggesting that the average partial effect of long-term PM2.5 level on the risk of MetS in adults is 1.3 percentage points. The modification analysis indicated that the average partial effect of PM2.5 level on the risk of MetS is higher for male compared to female (4.22 pencetage points, 95% CI: 2.12 percentage points, 6.35 percentage points) and greater associated with unhealthy dietary patterns (1 percentage point, 95% CI: 0.17 percentage points, 1.86 percentage points). This study found that long-term exposure to PM2.5 increases the risk of MetS, while a healthy dietary pattern can modulate this effect. The findings can provide scientific basis for health protection guidelines for air pollution and provide dietary recommendations for populations.

Unveiling the Economic Potential of Smallholder Pepper Production in the Kumbungu District of Northern Ghana

This study examines the economic benefits and constraints associated with smallholder pepper production in the Kumbungu District of Northern Ghana. Using a multistage sampling method and semi-structured questionnaire, data were gathered from 200 pepper producers from various communities within the district. Gross Margin analysis, descriptive statistics and Kendall’s Concordance method were employed to analyze the data. The results revealed that male farmers dominated with 88% whiles the remaining 12% were women, the mean age of the respondent was 34.21. Majority of the respondents were married (72.5%) while the remaining were single (27.5%) with no divorcees or widows. 85.5% cultivate pepper on farm size between 1.1 to 2.0 hectares with relatively highest mean productivity. In addition, pepper production in the study area is profitable due to GH₵1.98 return for every GH₵1 invested. Major factors identified and ranked as the main constraints in order of importance were; Insufficient working capital, High cost of production inputs, Low level of government support, Inadequate storage facilities, Perishable nature of pepper, Poor mode of transportation, long distance to market, difficulty in getting land for production and insufficient knowledge in pepper production. Therefore, NGOs and Financial institutions who have interest in agriculture should offer credit facilities to pepper farmers for expanding production. The provision of incentive in the form of subsidy, cost-sharing, price control among others should be instituted by the Government, MOFA and Non-Governmental Organization to aid in the expansion of pepper production in the study area.

Wildlife harvesting from the Afaka Forest Reserve, Kaduna, Nigeria: The prosperity–posterity crossroad

This study examined the harvesting of wildlife from the Afaka Forest Reserve from the standpoint of economic benefits and sustainability. The data for this study were collected using questionnaire and interview in 2017 from eight communities around the Afaka Forest Reserve, Kaduna State, Nigeria. A multi-stage sampling approach was adopted to collect data from 134 respondents who harvest wildlife from the Reserve. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, gross margin analysis, and Gini Index analysis. The findings revealed that wildlife incomes from animals like rabbits, porcupines, bats, and monitor lizards contributed 18.41% of total incomes of communities living around the Afaka Forest Reserve in Kaduna State in 2015. Sixty-one percent of the respondents harvested wildlife at least once in a week. Gross margin was highest in porcupine harvesting (N26, 872.73) while the highest return per Naira invested (N8.02) accrued to harvesting of insects. The average gross margin was N10, 610.86 while average return on investment was N2.35. Wildlife income had a reducing effect on income inequality as the marginal effect of wildlife income on Gini index of total income was -0.0883 meaning a 10% increase in wildlife incomes reduces inequality by about 0.9%. The study recommends that wildlife harvesting regulations which curb indiscriminate harvesting should be enforced alongside continuous sensitization of communities on the importance of sustainable harvesting practices towards a balanced prosperity-posterity equation.

Evaluating Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae screening and treatment among asymptomatic pregnant women to prevent preterm birth and low birthweight in Gaborone, Botswana: A secondary analysis from a non-randomised, cluster-controlled trial.

To evaluate the impact of screening and treating asymptomatic pregnant women for Chlamydia (C.) trachomatis and Neisseria (N.) gonorrhoeae infections on the frequency of preterm birth or low birthweight infants in Botswana. Non-randomised, cluster-controlled trial. Four antenatal care clinics in Gaborone, Botswana. Pregnant women aged ≥15 years, attending a first antenatal care visit, ≤27 weeks of gestation and without urogenital symptoms were eligible. Participants in the intervention clinics received screening (GeneXpert®, Cepheid) during pregnancy and at the postnatal visit. Participants in the standard-of-care clinics received screening at the postnatal visit only. We used multivariable logistic regression and post-estimation predictive margins analysis. Post-hoc analysis was conducted among sub-samples stratified by parity. Preterm birth (<37 weeks of gestation) and low birthweight (<2500 g). After controlling for parity, hypertension, antenatal care visits and clinic site, the predicted prevalence of preterm birth or low birthweight was lower in the intervention arm (11%) compared with the standard-of-care arm (16%) (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 0.59; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.28-1.24). In post-hoc analysis, the intervention was more effective than the standard-of-care (aOR 0.20; 95% CI 0.07-0.64) among nulliparous participants. A C. trachomatis and N. gonorrhoeae infection screening and treatment intervention among asymptomatic pregnant women may have reduced preterm birth or low birthweight outcomes, but results were not statistically significant. Post-hoc analysis found that the intervention reduced adverse outcomes among nulliparous participants.