Related Rate Research Articles

Increased risk for thoracic and abdominal aortic aneurysm in the relatives of abdominal aorta aneurysm patients

Abstract Introduction Genetic susceptibilities in aneurysm genes are risk factors for developing aneurysms of the aorta. This translates to a high aneurysm prevalence in relatives of aortic aneurysm patients. For relatives of abdominal aorta aneurysm (AAA) patients, guidelines recommend abdominal ultrasound screening for early detection and management, while for relatives of thoracic aorta aneurysm patients (TAA), transthoracic ultrasound of the ascending aorta and aortic root is recommended. Neither of these guidelines are designed to detect aneurysms in the whole aorta. The incidence of TAA in relatives of AAA index-patients is unknown and may determine whether abdominal ultrasound screening is sufficient for relatives of AAA patients or whether whole aorta screening should be recommended. Furthermore, focused screening of high risk relatives of aneurysm patients may improve the yield of aneurysm detection now that population frequencies are declining. Methods Whole aorta non-contrast CTs of relatives of AAA index-patients were collected retrospectively in a tertiary referral (2016 to 2021). Family history and DNA testing of AAA index-patients were used to classify relatives into high genetic risk (familial disease and/or pathogenic/likely pathogenic variant (P/LP) in an aneurysm gene) or unknown genetic risk (no familial disease or no P/LP detected). TAA were defined as ascending diameters ≥ 45mm or descending diameters ≥ 40mm. Thoracic aortic dilatations (TAD) were defined as ascending diameters of 40-45 mm or descending diameters of 35-40 mm. Abdominal diameters ≥30mm were classified as AAA and diameters between 25-29 mm as abdominal dilatations (AAD). References 1-3. Results CT scans (n=301 relatives, 47% male, age 58(50-65)) showed 34% aortic aneurysms and/or dilatations versus 14% in the general population (age adjusted, p<0.001). TAA was 28-times more frequent (2%, p<0001) and AAA 3 times more frequent (8%, p<0.001) than in the general population. Thoracic and abdominal dilatations occurred in 18% and 17% of relatives. Overall, males were 4 times more likely to have an aneurysm than females (p<0.05). Aneurysms and dilatations occurred at the same rate in relatives with or without a family history or a P/LP in an aneurysm gene. These results endorse total aorta screening for relatives of all AAA patients rather than restricting screening to the abdominal aorta. Conclusions Relatives of AAA patients had a high risk for thoracic and abdominal aneurysms as well as dilatations. This indicates that imaging of the whole aorta will improve early detection of aortic aneurysms in relatives both with and without a family history of aneurysms.

Participation rate and yield of indirect cascade genetic screening for familial hypercholesterolemia using a web-based communication platform (CATCH): a randomized multicenter implementation trial

Abstract Introduction Cascade genetic screening for familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is poorly performed when direct contact with relatives by health professionals is not allowed. We aimed to compare the effectiveness of implementing a web-based communication platform in a large-scale cascade genetic screening program for FH, while maintaining the confidentiality of indirect family contacts. Methods The CATCH study is a prospective randomized open-label multicenter implementation trial that promotes family cascade genetic screening in Swiss adults older than 16 years with a newly diagnosed pathogenic variant for FH. Each family was randomly assigned to a multigenerational indirect cascade genetic screening (1:1) either via the possibility to use of a web-based platform designed to send pre-prepared text messages or emails, and allowing to connect to a specialized clinical center, or a cascade genetic screening via the local recommended procedure. The primary outcome was the 6-month participation rate of relatives, defined as the number of genetic tests performed within 6 months after referral, over the number of eligible relatives for screening, i.e. living first-degree relatives aged 5 years or older. The secondary outcome was the 6-month yield of positive genetic tests, defined as the number of positive tests over the number of eligible relatives. Both outcome estimates were obtained after accounting for family clusters. Results Between 11/20 and 12/23, we enrolled 221 adults with a phenotype of FH for genetic testing, with 87 of them having confirmed genetic FH, corresponding to a total of 401 eligible relatives for cascade screening, with 102 relatives eventually undergoing genetic testing. Among the 87 index cases with genetic FH, 44 were randomly assigned to the web-based platform screening, and 43 were assigned to the local procedure screening. The 6-month participation rate of relatives was 71 of the 218 eligible relatives (29% [95% CI 21–38]) for the web-based platform screening, and 31 of the 183 eligible relatives (14% [95% CI 8–23]) for the local procedure screening (odds ratio (OR) 2.46 [95% CI 1.22–4.98]), p=0.012) (Figure). Similarly, the yield of detection of positive relatives was higher for the web-based platform screening, (16% [95% CI 11–23]) compared to the local procedure screening (7% [95% CI 4–13]), with OR of 2.43 [95% CI 1.11–5.30], p=0.026. Among the 55 positive relatives identified with genetic FH within 6-months, 13.0% were younger than 18 years, 25.5% were current smokers, and 56.0% were not using any lipid-lowering drugs. Conclusions The effectiveness of cascade genetic screening for FH was approximately doubled by integrating a web-based platform that facilitates family communication and access to specialized clinical centers. Modern communication technology is well suited to be integrated in large-scale indirect genetic screening programs to increase the early identification of patients at high cardiovascular risk.

Effects of health education on screening rate of first-degree relatives of cancer patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

To synthesize the effects of educational intervention on the screening rate of first-degree relatives of cancer patients. A total of eight Chinese and English databases were searched (PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, Web of Science, Scopus, Medline and China Biology Medicine disc) from the time of library establishment to June 2023, for randomized controlled trials investigating the effects of educational intervention on screening rate of first-degree relatives of cancer patients. Two researchers independently screened and evaluated the quality of studies. RevMan 5.3 software was used to calculate the pooled effect size. Thirteen studies involving 5628 participants were chosen to include in the meta-analysis. The results revealed that health education can increase screening rate of first-degree relatives of cancer patients (RR = 1.39, 95% CI = 1.16-1.65, P = 0.0002). The effect shown after short-term follow-up (≤6 months) was insignificant in terms of improving screening rate (RR = 1.46, 95% CI = 0.94-2.26, P = 0.09), but after long-term follow-up (＞6 months) the improvement was greater (RR = 1.37, 95% CI = 1.13-1.65, P = 0.002). Health education is effective in increasing the screening rate of first-degree relatives of cancer patients. The effect is more evident after long-term than short-term follow-up.

Parametric decay instability of circularly polarized Alfvén waves in magnetically dominated plasma.

We investigate parametric decay instability (PDI) of circularly polarized Alfvén wave into daughter acoustic wave and backward Alfvén wave in magnetically dominated plasma, in which the magnetization parameter σ (energy density ratio of background magnetic field to matter) exceeds unity. We analyze relativistic magnetohydrodynamics (MHD), focusing on wave frequencies sufficiently lower than the plasma and cyclotron frequencies. We derive analytical formulas for the dispersion relation and growth rate of the instability as a function of the magnetization σ, wave amplitude η, and plasma temperature θ. We find that PDI persists even in high magnetization σ, albeit with a decreased growth rate up to σ→∞. Our formulas are useful for estimating the decay of Alfvén wave into acoustic wave and heat in high magnetization σ plasma, which is a ubiquitous phenomenon such as in pulsars, magnetars, and fast radio bursts.

Experimental investigation on the machining performance of honeycomb seal structures by using electrochemical discharge machining

Aerospace metal honeycomb seal structures are an essential component of aircraft engines, and their manufacturing has been at the forefront of industrial focus. Due to the low structural stiffness and high-strength materials, it has become one of the complex components that are difficult to machine. To achieve precision manufacturing of honeycomb seal structures, this study proposes the use of electrochemical discharge machining (ECDM) for machining honeycomb seal structures, which has the high efficiency of electric discharge machining (EDM) and superior surface quality of electrochemical machining (ECM). The experiment results explored the influence of different experimental variables on surface quality, energy distribution relation and material removal rate (MRR). Moreover, in order to predict the machined depth, the mathematical relation between different variables and machined depth was established, which can be expressed as h = 1.407c0.1135u0.3102v-0.391, and a better machining outcome was achieved at 1 wt%, 15 V, and 22 mm/min with an optimal η2 of 0.36. Finally, this study elucidates the material removal mechanism of honeycomb seal structures in ECDM, which demonstrates that ECDM has a high application value in the manufacturing of honeycomb seal structures.

Analysis of Research Publications on Leprosy Drugs Related Adverse Drug Reactions – A Scinetometric Study

Abstract: Leprosy is curable and can be treated with multidrug therapy in the early stages. As a result, we chose a Scientometrics evaluation of leprosy research guides on adverse drug reactions to better grasp the current popularity of drug-related responses. During the 2010-2021 a study with a total of 48 publications was selected. This study aims to analyze scientometric tools such as frequency distribution, percentage analysis, double-related growth rate, and interaction rate. During the study period, 7 (14.58%) study publications were submitted in 2018. The related growth rate is identified by decreasing trend and the double time is growing from 2010 to 2021. The 11 published study sizes (22.92%) were provided by top writers, the average Degree of Collaboration is 0.96, and 19 (39.58%) published research articles by headers. India is the largest supplier of 21 leprosy research publications (43.75%). As India is the most productive country in leprosy research, hence there are four out of the top five institutions that are from the Indian center that is listed among the most productive institutions.

Does the fundamental metallicity relation evolve with redshift? I: the correlation between offsets from the mass-metallicity relation and star formation rate

ABSTRACT The scatter about the mass-metallicity relation (MZR) has a correlation with the star formation rate (SFR) of galaxies. The lack of evidence of evolution in correlated scatter at z ≲ 2.5 leads many to refer to the relationship between mass, metallicity, and SFR as the Fundamental Metallicity Relation (FMR). Yet, recent high-redshift (z > 3) JWST observations have challenged the fundamental (i.e. redshift-invariant) nature of the FMR. In this work, we show that the cosmological simulations Illustris, IllustrisTNG, and Evolution and Assembly of GaLaxies and their Environment (EAGLE) all predict MZRs that exhibit scatter with a secondary dependence on SFR up to z = 8. We introduce the concept of a ‘strong’ FMR, where the strength of correlated scatter does not evolve with time, and a ‘weak’ FMR, where there is some time evolution. We find that each simulation analysed has a statistically significant weak FMR – there is non-negligible evolution in the strength of the correlation with SFR. Furthermore, we show that the scatter is reduced an additional ∼10–40 per cent at z ≳ 3 when using a weak FMR, compared to assuming a strong FMR. These results highlight the importance of avoiding coarse redshift binning when assessing the FMR.

Analytical Solutions for Circular Elastic Membranes Under Pressure

Abstract This study investigates the problem of a circular elastic membrane clamped or adhered at its boundary and subjected to uniform transverse pressure. Many analytical solutions for this classical problem have been developed previously, using either a series-based approach (notably accurate but lengthy and implicit) or approximate kinematics (relatively simple yet lacking accuracy). Here, we seek new analytical solutions using a perturbed spherical cap to represent the shape of the pressurized membrane. Our approach yields simple, explicit solutions of remarkable accuracy for the deformed profile, pressure–deflection relation, strain distributions, and energy release rate, which are directly applicable to emerging ultrathin membrane systems.

Heritability of cancers in Japanese population: Estimation from recent cohort data.

Cancers are genetically categorized into common diseases showing a so-called multifactorial inheritance except for rare familial cancers. And as a measure to estimate the strength of genetic factors in the multifactorial diseases, heritability (h2)is generally used. However, there have been few reports on the estimation of heritability for cancers. We calculated the heritability from the incidence in subject population and the familial recurrence rate in first-degree relatives of the affected for cancers quoting the data from a large-scale prospective cohort study by Hidaka et al. published in 2020. This is the first report for heritability of any cancers in Japanese population. The results showed that heritability of overall cancers in Japanese population is 0.064, which is much lower than Nordic population reported by Mucci et al. that was 0.33. For individual cancers, stomach cancer (h2 = 0.14), colorectum cancer (0.006), lung cancer (0.08) and uterine cancer (0.16) accounted for half of the total patients, and each heritability tends to be lower than previously reported for the European descent. The results of this study suggest that heritability of cancers varies greatly by ethnicity. And these results should be important in terms of cancer genetics and in the genetic counseling for cancers.

Perceived severity of childhood emotional, sexual, and physical abuse: Comparisons across psychologists, students, and the general public.

Childhood emotional abuse has been linked with mental and physical health concerns yet may be perceived as less severe than other forms of childhood abuse. The present study aims to (a) understand perceptions of childhood abuse forms across psychologists, general college-level students, and the general public and (b) investigate whether personal emotional abuse history affects perceptions of emotional abuse. Participants (N = 444) completed the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-Short Form and provided perceived abuse severity and offender responsibility on eight case vignettes of emotional, physical, sexual, and no abuse. Research Question 1 was tested with a two-way (Vignette Type × Participant Type) multivariate analysis of variance performed on perceived severity and offender responsibility scores. Research Question 2 included abuse history as a third factor to examine potential moderation. All three groups perceived scenarios regarding emotional abuse as less severe and the offender less responsible than scenarios regarding sexual or physical abuse. Unexpectedly, psychologists were just as variable in their perceptions of abuse severity across abuse forms, as compared to the general public and college students. However, psychologists with emotional abuse histories provided more severe ratings on emotional abuse items, more in line with general public perceptions. College students' and the general public's relative ratings were roughly equivalent regardless of emotional abuse history. The study calls for more attention to emotional abuse in psychologist training programs. Research and training to increase understanding of emotional abuse and its sequelae could move forward related educational outreach and legal proceedings. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Differences in Preferences for Drug Therapy Between Patients with Metastatic Versus Early-Stage Breast Cancer: A Systematic Literature Review.

Compared with early stages (eBC) metastatic BC (mBC) is incurable. In mBC, aggressive treatment may increase the duration of survival but may also cause severe treatment side effects. A better understanding how patients with BC value different aspects of drug therapy might improve treatment effectiveness, satisfaction and adherence. This systematic review aims to identify and summarise studies evaluating patient preferences for drug therapy of BC and to compare preferences of patients with eBC and mBC. The systematic review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The electronic databases PubMed and Web of Science were searched on 22 June 2023. All studies published to this point were considered. Original studies reporting patient preferences on BC drug therapy determined by any type of choice experiment were eligible. A narrative synthesis of the effect measures presented as relative importance ratings, trade-offs (required benefit to make a therapy worthwhile) or monetary values of the treatment attributes was reported for each study. Risk of bias assessment for individual studies was performed using the checklist for observational studies from the STROBE Statement and the checklist from 'Conducting Discrete Choice Experiments to Inform Healthcare Decision Making: A User's Guide'. The study protocol was registered at the PROSPERO database (CRD42022377031). A total of 34 studies met the inclusion criteria were included in the analysis evaluating the preferences of patients with eBC (n = 18), mBC (n = 10) or any stage BC (n = 6) on, for example, chemotherapy, endocrine therapy, hormonal therapy or CKD4/6-inhibitors using different types of choice experiments. Regardless of the stage, most patients valued treatment effectiveness in terms of survival gains higher than potential adverse drug reactions (ADRs). Treatment cost, mode of administration, treatment regimen and monitoring aspects were considered as least important treatment attributes. In addition, preferences concerning 16 different types of ADRs were described, showing high heterogeneity within BC stages. Yet, comparable results across BC stages were observed. Regardless of the stage, patients with BC consistently valued survival gains as the most important attribute and were willing to accept the risk of potential ADRs. Incorporating patient preferences in shared decision making may improve the effectiveness of interventions by enhancing adherence to drug therapy in patients suffering from BC.

The role of the antennal glands and gills in acid-base regulation and ammonia excretion of a marine osmoconforming brachyuran

The excretory mechanisms of stenohaline marine osmoconforming crabs are often compared to those of the more extensively characterized euryhaline osmoregulating crabs. These comparisons may have limitations, given that unlike euryhaline brachyurans the gills of stenohaline marine osmoconformers possess ion-leaky paracellular pathways and lack the capacity to undergo ultrastructural changes that can promote ion-transport processes in dilute media. Furthermore, the antennal glands of stenohaline marine osmoconformers are poorly characterized making it difficult to determine what role urinary processes play in excretion. In the presented study, ammonia excretory processes as well as related acid-base equivalent transport rates and mechanisms were investigated in the Dungeness crab, Metacarcinus magister – an economically valuable stenohaline marine osmoconforming crab. Isolated and perfused gills were found to predominantly eliminate ammonia through a microtubule network-dependent active NH4+ transport mechanism that is likely performed by cells lining the arterial pockets of the gill lamella where critical Na+/K+-ATPase detection was observed. The V-type H+-ATPase – a vital component to transbranchial ammonia excretion mechanisms of euryhaline crabs - was not found to contribute significantly to ammonia excretion; however, this may be due to the transporter's unexpected apical localization. Although unconnected to ammonia excretion rates, a membrane-bound isoform of carbonic anhydrase was localized to the apical and basolateral membranes of lamella suited for respiration. Urine was found to contain significantly less ammonia as well as carbonate species than the hemolymph, indicating that unlike those of some euryhaline crabs the antennal glands of the Dungeness crab reabsorb these molecules rather than eliminate them for excretion.

For better or for worse? Visualizing previous intensity levels improves emotion (dynamic) measurement in experience sampling.

It is a long known reality that humans have difficulty to accurately rate the absolute intensity of internal experiences, yet the predominant way experience sampling (ESM) researchers assess participants' momentary emotion levels is by means of absolute measurement scales. In a daily-life experiment (n = 178), we evaluate the efficacy of two alternative assessment methods that should solicit a simpler, relative emotional evaluation: (a) visualizing a relative anchor point on the absolute rating scale that depicts people's previous emotion rating and (b) phrasing emotion items in a relative way by asking for a comparison with earlier emotion levels, using a relative rating scale. Determining five quality criteria relevant for ESM, we conclude that a visual "Last" anchor significantly improves emotion measurement in daily life: (a) Theoretically, this method has the best perceived user experience, as people, for example, find it the easiest and most accurate way to rate their momentary emotions. Methodologically, this type of measurement generates ESM time series that (b) exhibit less measurement error, produce person-level emotion dynamic measures that are (c) often more stable, and in a few cases show stronger (d) univariate and (e) incremental relations with external criteria like neuroticism and borderline personality (e.g., emotional variability). In sum, we see value in the addition of a relative "Last" anchor to absolute measurement scales of future ESM studies on emotions, as it structures the ambiguous rating space and introduces more standardization within and between individuals. In contrast, using relatively phrased emotion items is not recommended. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Epidemiology of acute stroke presentations to an emergency ambulance service

Objective Stroke is a devastating condition with significant societal and personal costs. Attempts to improve outcomes have increasingly focussed on improvements in prehospital care of these patients. This study aims to provide an epidemiologic profile of stroke presentations to an ambulance service. Methods A descriptive quantitative analysis of linked administrative and clinical patient data across prehospital, hospital, and death records from a two-year period (2016–2017), was used to profile the acute stroke cohort transported by ambulance in Queensland, Australia. The epidemiologic profile of patients and sub-type of stroke is presented. Results There were 17,603 presentations of suspected acute stroke in Queensland during the study period amongst 2,078,140 ambulance responses. A total of 11,578 patients had a confirmed diagnosis of stroke at the time of their final discharge. Of this population 49.8% suffered an Acute Ischaemic Stroke, 12.9% had intracerebral haemorrhage, 4.5% had subarachnoid haemorrhage and 32.8% were transient ischaemic attack. Of those with acute ischaemic stroke (AIS) 9.2% were due to a large vessel occlusion. The three-month stroke related fatality rate was 10%. Conclusion This study demonstrated a lower annual presentation rate of stroke, to an emergency ambulance service, than would be expected based on population studies while the overall mortality rate amongst this population was higher. The reasons for these differences warrant further investigation.

Retrospective analysis of pediatric sepsis and the burden of antimicrobial resistance in Duhok, Kurdistan Region of Iraq.

Introduction: Sepsis is a life-threatening complication in pediatric patients. This study primarily aimed to investigate sepsis-causing bacteria and their antimicrobial resistance profile and check the change in the antimicrobial resistance trend for some selected bacteria. In addition, we evaluated the incidence of sepsis, the related mortality rate, and the effectiveness and outcome of the treatment regimes in sepsis pediatric patients. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 4-year data (2018-2021) collected from three intensive care units at the Hevi Pediatric Teaching Hospital. Sepsis screening involved clinical detection and confirmation by blood culture. Results: A total of 520 out of 1,098 (47.35%) blood samples showed positive microbial growth. A decrease in sepsis rate was observed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Coagulase-negative Staphylococci (CoNS) and Klebsiella pneumonia were the most commonly isolated bacteria. A notable variation in the antimicrobial resistance trend was observed among sepsis-causing bacteria. The empirical sepsis treatment recommended by the WHO was ineffective, as certain bacteria exhibited 100% resistance to every antibiotic tested. The mortality rate significantly increased from 1.3% in 2018 to 16.5% in 2021. Discussion: The antimicrobial resistance profile of sepsis causing bacteria is of concerns, indicating a potentially serious situation. Thus, to avoid treatment failure, the monitoring of antimicrobial resistance in pediatric patients is essential.

Optimizing Implant Width Selection in Breast Augmentation: Insights from On-Patient Landmark Positioning in 3D Breast Simulation.

The VECTRA® XT 3D simulation program is a valuable tool for implant selection during the decision-making process of breast augmentations. The software allows for the assignment of automatically or manually positioned anatomical landmarks and provides accompanying measurements. This study aimed to present a strategy for standardizing landmark placement on Vectra® images during primary breast augmentations, optimize implant selection, and insure consistency in breast width data collection. We performed a retrospective analysis of patient data wherein breast width measurements were obtained through Clinical Assessment (CA) and the Vectra® program using both automatically (VA) and manually (VM) placed landmarks. Consideration was also given to the thickness of medial and lateral breast tissues. The suggested implant base width from all groups was then compared to the actual implant (AI) used during surgical procedures. Comparing the change rates in relation to the actual implant width revealed that rates in CA measurements were significantly lower than those in VA (p < 0.05), and similarly lower than those in VM (p < 0.05). Furthermore, change rates in VM were significantly lower than in VA (p < 0.05). Each group showed a significant positive correlation with the actual implant width. The Vectra® XT 3D simulation program is a valuable adjunct in breast augmentation. However, relying on it solely may lead to inaccuracies in the assessment of breast dimensions due to automatic landmarking. To achieve standardized measurements, landmarks can be marked on the patient before creating the Vectra® image. Our results underline the superiority of clinical judgment over simulation programs in establishing a reliable surgical plan.

Evaluating the quality of systematic reviews of comparative studies in autograft-based anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction using the AMSTAR-2 tool: A systematic umbrella review.

There remains a lack of consensus around autograft selection in anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR), though there is a large body of overlapping systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Systematic reviews and their methodological quality were aimed to be further assessed, using a validated tool known as assessing the methodological quality of systematic reviews (AMSTAR-2). MEDLINE, Embase and CENTRAL were searched from inception to 23 April 2023 for systematic reviews (with/without meta-analysis) comparing primary ACLR autografts. A final quality rating from AMSTAR-2 was provided for each study ('critically low', 'low', 'moderate' or 'high' quality). Correlational analyses were conducted for ratings in relation to study characteristics. Two thousand five hundred and ninety-eight studies were screened, and 50 studies were ultimately included. Twenty-four studies (48%) were rated as 'critically low', 17 (34%) as 'low', seven (14%) as 'moderate' and two (4%) as 'high' quality. The least followed domains were reporting on sources of funding (1/50 studies), the impact of risk of bias on results of meta-analyses (11/36 studies) and publication bias (17/36 studies). There was a significant increase in the frequency of studies graded as 'moderate' compared to 'low' or 'critically low' quality over time (p = 0.020). The methodological quality of systematic reviews comparing autografts in ACLR is low, with many studies being rated lower due to commonly absent aspects of systematic review methodology such as investigating sources of funding and publication bias. More recent studies were generally more likely to be of higher quality. Authors are advised to consult AMSTAR-2 prior to conducting systematic reviews in ACLR. Level IV.

SYSTEMIC PERSPECTIVE OF TERM RISK IN BANK FUNDING MARKETS

The transition from term-based reference rates to overnight reference rates has created a dislocation in the market-making processes between the interbank and non-interbank funding, and their respective derivatives markets. This dislocation can be attributed to differences in funding and corresponding interest rate swap transactions, a thesis we explain and characterize in detail. It is then shown how this dislocation may be resolved. Based on a systemic perspective of a stylized financial system, an aggregated banking system is constructed that is void of idiosyncratic credit risks but still vulnerable to liquidity risks. Within this setup, a mathematical modeling framework for term-cognizant interest rate systems is derived that enables the pricing and valuation of bank term funding and associated derivatives transactions with varying liquidity characteristics. Other outcomes include: (i) a detailed analysis of the incomplete market paradigm that encapsulates bank term funding rates and the risk management processes involved therein; and (ii) a recovery of consistency in the pricing and valuation between funding and related interest rate swap transactions, along with a mechanism to exchange term risk.

Investigation of infant deaths associated with critical congenital heart diseases; 2018–2021, Türkiye

BackgroundThe aim of this study was to examine the characteristics of infant mortality associated with critical congenital heart disease (CCHD).MethodsIn a cross-sectional study, data for the study were obtained through Death Notification System, Birth Notification System and Turkish Statistical Institute birth statistics.ResultsOf all infant deaths, 9.8% (4083) were associated with CCHD, and the infant mortality rate specific to CCHD was 8.8 per 10,000 live births. CCHD-related infant deaths accounted for 8.0% of all neonatal deaths, while the CCHD specific neonatal death rate was 4.6 per 10,000 live births. Of the deaths 21.7% occurred in the early neonatal, 30.3% in the late neonatal and 48.0% in the post neonatal period. Group 1 diseases accounted for 59.1% (n = 2415) of CCHD related infant deaths, 40.5% (n = 1652) were in Group 2 and 0.4% (n = 16) were in the unspecified group. Hypoplastic left heart syndrome was the most common CCHD among infant deaths (n = 1012; 24.8%). The highest CCHD related mortality rate was found in infants with preterm birth and low birth-weight while multiparity, maternal age ≥ 35 years, twin/triplet pregnancy, male gender, maternal education in secondary school and below, and cesarean delivery were also associated with higher CCHD related infant mortality rate. There was at least one non-cardiac congenital anomaly/genetic disorder in 26.1% of all cases.ConclusionCCHD holds a significant role in neonatal and infant mortality in Türkiye. To mitigate CCHD-related mortality rates, it is crucial to enhance prenatal diagnosis rates and promote widespread screening for neonatal CCHD.

Improvement in sustainability: Evidence from the mergers and acquisitions market

One approach to improve a firm’s Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) rating is to acquire a target with a higher relative ESG rating. We explore changes in an acquirer’s ESG rating around merger and acquisition (M&amp;A) announcements and provide empirical evidence of a positive relationship between the change in an acquirer’s ESG rating and the target’s relative ESG rating. Of the three components of an ESG rating, an acquirer’s environmental rating displays the largest increase, with social and governance ratings exhibiting a smaller but still significant post-merger increase. This relationship is weaker for cross-border deals or cross-industry deals. However, deals that are both cross-border and same-industry are associated with a larger increase in an acquirer’s ESG rating. In addition to improved ESG ratings, the acquisition of a firm with a superior ESG rating is also associated with higher bid premiums and improved post-merger financial performance which suggests that acquirers act in shareholders’ best interests. JEL Classification: G14, G34