Stable Trend Research Articles

Quantification of microplastic by particle size down to 1.1 μm in surface road dust in an urban city, Japan

The impact of microplastics (MPs, plastic particles ≤5 mm) on ecosystems is of great concern. Road surfaces represent a significant source of MPs where plastic fragments are physically and chemically reduced to MPs. However, the literature lacks information on fragmentation tendencies below 11 μm. This study aimed to characterize the occurrence of MPs in road dust in different size fractions down to 1.1 μm. Road dust was collected at five sites near a major road in Kusatsu city, Japan, and partitioned by size into 13 fractions (1.1–850 μm). The coarser fractions accounted for a greater proportion of the dust. The percentage of organic matter, determined by loss on ignition, increased as the fractions became finer. Pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry was used to quantify 12 types of polymers in each fraction. The dust was found to contain nine types of MP, namely, polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polyvinylchloride (PVC), polystyrene (PS), styrene/butadiene rubber (SBR), acrylonitrile/butadiene/styrene resin (ABS), polycarbonate (PC), polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), and polyamide 66 (PA66). The total MP concentration in road dust particles by particle size fraction (concentrationf) began to increase from the 125–250 μm fraction and remained elevated in finer fractions down to 1.1 μm, indicating that MPs in the road dust micronized to at least 1.1 μm. However, for individual polymer types, the tendency for concentrationf to increase or decrease with particle size fraction varied: the concentrationf of some polymers, such as PE and PVC, remained elevated in fractions down to 1.1 μm; the concentrationf of SBR, a rubber-MP, showed a stable or decreasing trend in fractions of 7.0–11 μm and finer. Particles of PE, PVC, and some other plastics might become increasingly finer, even down to 1.1 μm. Further research is needed to understand the comminution limits of these polymers under pertinent environmental conditions.

МЕХАНИЗМЫ РЕШЕНИЯ ДЕМОГРАФИЧЕСКИХ ПРОБЛЕМ УСТОЙЧИВОГО РАЗВИТИЯ СЕЛЬСКИХ ТЕРРИТОРИЙ

An urgent problem of social and economic development of the regions of the Russian Federation is a steady process of depopulation, which is especially acute in rural areas. Thus, the results of a study of the interdependence of the demographic situation, social and economic situation, quality of life and the state of the environment indicate stable negative trends in the regions of Volga Federal District. The assessment of integral indicators for economic, social, environmental and demographic blocks, each of which is represented by official state statistics, made it possible to assess the degree of their differentiation between the constituent entities of the Russian Federation and the causal relationships between them. To classify the regions of Volga Federal District, a hierarchical cluster analysis was carried out using the full connection method, which made it possible to combine them into 3 relatively homogeneous clusters and obtain characteristics for the main blocks - elements of sustainable development. The cluster with a high level of development included 4 regions - the Republic of Tatarstan, Perm Territory, Nizhny Novgorod and Samara regions. The cluster with an average level is represented by 4 subjects of the Russian Federation - the Republic of Bashkortostan, the Republic of Mari El, the Chuvash Republic and the Orenburg region. The regions of 3 clusters have a low level of development, namely the Republic of Mordovia, the Udmurt Republic, the Kirov, Penza, Saratov and Ulyanovsk regions. According to the results of a comparative analysis, both in terms of average indicators of clusters and in individual regions, it is stated that the demographic situation in almost all subjects of Volga Federal District on average for 2019-2021 was unfavorable, the actual indicators significantly exceed the maximum critical values of demographic security. The study of the demographics of the municipalities of the Republic of Mordovia, one of the most crisis regions of Volga Federal District, testifies to an even deeper differentiation of the demographic state, requiring government decisions. This, in turn, is associated with the formation and implementation of an ecistic policy in the regions with the general goal of saving people, especially in peripheral rural areas with a demographic crisis and a low level of economic and social development. It is argued that a regular spatial analysis of the demographic situation is necessary when predicting the social and economic development of regions and municipalities in the long and medium term, as well as when assessing the activities of state regional and municipal authorities.

The impact of COVID-19 national restrictions on dental antibiotic dispensing trends and treatment activity in England: January 2016 to July 2021.

Reducing inappropriate antibiotic prescribing tempers the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance. We aimed to quantify the associated impact of COVID-19-related national restrictions in England on dental antibiotic dispensing and describe changes in appointments and modes of delivery of care. Interrupted time series analyses were completed using NHS Business Service Authority (NHSBSA) ePACT2 data to measure the associated change in antibiotic dispensing in England following COVID-19-related restrictions (which began March 2020). For face-to-face dental consultations, NHS dental treatment plan (FP17) data were used. For remote consultations during the COVID-19 period, NHSBSA Compass system remote management data were used. Between January 2016 and February 2020, there was a decreasing trend in antibiotic dispensing (-0.02 per 1000 population per month, P < 0.05). In contrast, there was an increase of 0.98 per 1000 population (P < 0.05) in March. The peak in antibiotic use occurred between June 2020 and July 2020, once the restrictions were eased. At the end of the study period (July 2021), the elevated prescribing trend had not returned to pre-pandemic counterfactual levels, although exhibiting a declining trend. A stable trend in dental treatment plans was seen pre-COVID-19, with a sharp decline coinciding with the restrictions. Dental treatment plans had not yet returned to the higher pre-pandemic levels. Dental antibiotic prescribing significantly increased with the national COVID-19 restrictions when service delivery was altered with the closure of dental practices and introduction of remote consultations. Teledentistry was likely associated with inappropriate antibiotic prescribing. Continued antimicrobial stewardship and prudent use of antibiotics in dentistry is important.

Investigating the Mechanism of Action of Anti-Dengue Compounds as Potential Binders of Zika Virus RNA-Dependent RNA Polymerase.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has designated the Zika virus (ZIKV) as a significant risk to the general public's health. Currently, there are no vaccinations or medications available to treat or prevent infection with the Zika virus. Thus, it is urgently required to develop a highly efficient therapeutic molecule. In the presented study, a computationally intensive search was carried out to identify potent compounds that have the potential to bind and block the activity of ZIKV NS5 RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp). The anti-dengue chemical library was subjected to high-throughput virtual screening and MM/GBSA analysis in order to rate the potential candidates. The top three compounds were then chosen. According to the MM/GBSA analysis, compound 127042987 from the database had the highest binding affinity to the protein with a minimum binding free energy of -77.16 kcal/mole. Compound 127042987 had the most stable RMSD trend and the greatest number of hydrogen bond interactions when these chemical complexes were evaluated further under a 100 ns molecular dynamics simulation. Compound 127042987 displayed the best binding free energy (GBind) of -96.50 kcal/mol, surpassing the native ligand binding energy (-66.17 kcal/mole). Thereafter, an MM/GBSA binding free energy study was conducted to validate the stability of selected chemical complexes. Overall, this study illustrated that compound 127042987 showed preferred binding free energies, suggesting a possible inhibitory mechanism against ZIKV-RdRp. As per this study, it was proposed that compound 127042987 could be used as a therapeutic option to prevent Zika virus infection. These compounds need to be tested in experiments for further validation.

Evolution of Tactics in Professional Soccer: An Analysis of Team Formations from 2012 to 2021 in the Spanish LaLiga.

The aim of this investigation was to explore the evolution of team formations (TFs) in a top national professional soccer league. A comparative analysis of a total of 3420 matches was performed in 32 professional soccer teams that competed from the 2012/13 to the 2020/21 season in the Spanish LaLiga. The frequency distribution of TFs across seasons presented a statistically significant change (p < 0.001). A 4.2-3.1 TF was most common from 2012/13 to 2016/17, while a 4.4.2 TF was most used from 2017/18 to 2020/2021. TFs such as 4.3.3 and 4.5.1 showed a relatively stable trend over the seasons. Overall, there was a reduction of TFs with 5 midfielders and an increase in the frequency of 2-forward formations (p < 0.001). When the ranking of teams was considered, a 4.3.3 TF was implemented with higher frequency by the Champion and teams that qualified for the Champions League (p < 0.05). However, a 4.2-3.1 TF was most frequent for teams qualified for the UEFA Europa League or teams that got relegated to an inferior category (p < 0.05). These findings highlight that teams competing in LaLiga evolved from the implementation of very few TFs led by the 4.2-3.1 TF, towards a more diverse scenario with a greater variety of tactical positional structures.

The Impact of COVID-19 Outbreak on the RMB Exchange Rate: Evidence from TVP-SV-VAR Model

ABSTRACT Using the Time-Varying Parameter-Stochastic Volatility-Vector Auto Regression model, this study examines the dynamic relationship between Non-deliverable Forwards, Stock Index Gap, Interest Rate Gap, and short-term fluctuations of the RMB exchange rate during the early stage of the COVID-19 outbreak. Our findings indicate that these variables exhibit time-varying characteristics and a relatively significant stable trend. Additionally, in the initial phase of the pandemic, there were substantial capital outflows from the Chinese stock market. However, as the Chinese economic situation improved and the government intervened in a timely manner, exchange rate and Non-deliverable Forwards volatility decreased, leading to a slowdown in outflows.

Trend Feature-Based Anomaly Monitoring of Infrequently Measured KPIs in Wastewater Treatment Process

Anomaly monitoring of key performance indicators (KPIs) is the core to guarantee the stable operation of wastewater treatment process (WWTP). One issue that has not been considered in WWTP is the KPIs can only be sporadically sampled, which is not conductive to the real-time monitoring. To solve this problem, a trend feature-based anomaly monitoring method is proposed. Firstly, a fused multi-step prediction strategy is designed to establish the nonlinear relationship between infrequent KPIs and the variables, with adaptive algorithm updating the parameters. Secondly, autoregressive model is used to represent the variation trends, and a convex optimization problem, with the balance of small residuals and stable trends, is solved to extract trend features of KPIs. Thirdly, the monitoring index, based on the <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\ell _{2}$</tex-math></inline-formula> -norm of the trend features, is utilized to identify the abnormal KPIs. The operating data from WWTP are applied to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed monitoring method.

Effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on emergency department attendances for pediatric injuries in Mozambique’s central hospitals: an interrupted time series and a comparison within the restriction periods between 2019 and 2020

ObjectivesHospital-based studies indicate that restriction measures imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic have affected the number and characteristics of pediatric injuries. However, few studies have been conducted in resource-poor countries. This...

Study on the coupling coordination and obstacle factors between high-quality agricultural development and ecological construction in China

This paper takes the level of high-quality agricultural development and ecological construction in 31 provinces of China from 2011 to 2021 as the research object. The coupling coordination degree model and Moran index are used to explore the coupling coordination stage, types and spatiotemporal evolution trend of agricultural high-quality development and ecological construction in China. The obstacle model is used to determine the key obstacle factors influencing the coupling development of high-quality agricultural and ecological construction in China. The results are as follows: from 2011 to 2021, high-quality agricultural development and ecological construction in 31 provinces maintained a relatively stable growth trend. However, the coupling coordination level between the two is low, and thus such level belongs to the high-quality development lag type of primary coordination agriculture. The agricultural externality index, land yield rate and per capita rural power generation are the biggest obstacles to the coordinated development of high-quality agricultural development and ecological construction in China.

Aerobic granulation in an oxidation ditch using the residual sludge after extracting slime-extracellular polymer substances

Sludge granulation in continuous flow reactors (CFRs) is still of great challenge with the hardly obtained hydraulic selection pressure. A novel method was investigated for cultivating granular sludge in an oxidation ditch by recycling the residual sludge after extracting slime-extracellular polymer substances (slime-EPS). Compared to the raw sludge, bioactivities of the residual sludge slightly decreased based on endogenous, autotrophic, and heterotrophic respiration rates (SOURe, SOURA, and SOURH). When the slime-EPS extracted sludge was returned to the main reactor, the SOURe reduced and maintained stable later. For the first and second recycling, SOURA increased from 0.80 to 1.69 mgO2/gSS/h, and 0.16 to 1.21 mgO2/gSS/h, respectively, while SOURH exhibited initial decrease, subsequent increase and later stable trends. Moreover, total nitrogen in effluent decreased from 8.09 to 7.22 mg/L, and the protein-to-polysaccharide concentration ratio increased from 0.49 to 1.55. In addition, the mixed sludge of raw and residual sludge exhibited higher coaggregation capacity with decreased supernatant turbidity, triggering the granulation process. After 94-day operations, granules larger than 200 μm accounted for 32 % in the oxidation ditch, where neither hydraulic selection pressures nor feast-famine phases were provided. Therefore, returning the slime-EPS extracted sludge to the CFRs is a promising approach for aerobic granulation.

Temporal Trends in Bullying Victimization Among Adolescents Aged 12–15 Years From 29 Countries: A Global Perspective

PurposeBullying victimization among adolescents is a major public health concern. However, multicountry studies investigating temporal trends of bullying victimization among adolescents are scarce, especially from a global perspective. Thus, we aimed to examine the temporal trends of bullying victimization among school-going adolescents between 2003 and 2017 in 29 countries from Africa (n = 5), Asia (n = 18), and the Americas (n = 6). MethodsData on 191,228 students aged 12–15 years [mean (standard deviation) age 13.7 (1.0) years; 48.9% boys] who participated in the Global School-based Student Health Survey were analyzed. Bullying victimization was based on self-report and referred to being bullied at least once in the past 30 days. The prevalence (95% confidence interval) of bullying victimization was calculated for each survey. Crude linear trends in bullying victimization were examined by linear regression models. ResultsThe mean prevalence of bullying victimization across all surveys was 39.4%. There was a large variation in the trends of bullying victimization across countries with a significant increasing and decreasing trend being observed in 6 and 13 countries, respectively. Myanmar, Egypt, and the Philippines showed the sharpest increase. The decrease was modest in most countries which showed a decreasing trend. The remaining countries showed stable trends (n = 10) but some countries such as Seychelles showed consistently high prevalence over time (i.e., ≥ 50%). DiscussionDecreasing trends of bullying victimization were more common than increasing or stable trends in our study including adolescents from 29 countries. However, a high prevalence of bullying was observed in most countries, and thus, further global efforts to combat bullying victimization are necessary.

Increasing incidence of Plasmodium ovale and persistent reporting of Plasmodium vivax in imported malaria cases: an analysis of 9-year surveillance data in four areas of China.

This study aimed at exploring the epidemiological pattern of imported malaria in China before malaria elimination in 2021, to provide evidence-based data for preventing malaria re-establishment in China. Nine-year surveillance data on imported malaria in four provincial-level administrative divisions (PLADs) (Anhui, Chongqing, Guangxi, and Zhejiang) between 2011 and 2019 were thoroughly collected and analyzed. A quite stable trend in imported malaria cases between 2011 and 2019 was observed. In total, 6,064 imported patients were included. Plasmodium falciparum was the most frequently reported species (4,575, 75.6%). Cases of malaria were most frequently imported from Western Africa (54.4%). We identified an increasing trend in P. ovale and a persistence of P. vivax infections among the cases of malaria imported from Western Africa. Most patients (97.5%) were 20-50 years old. Among imported malaria infections, the main purposes for traveling abroad were labor export (4,914/6,064, 81.0%) and business trips (649, 10.7%). Most patients (2,008/6,064, 33.1%) first visited county-level medical institutions when they sought medical help in China. More patients were diagnosed within 3 days after visiting Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCs) or entry-exit quarantine facilities (EQFs) (1,147/1609, 71.3%) than after visiting medical institutions (2,182/3993, 54.6%). Imported malaria still poses a threat to the malaria-free status of China. County-level institutions are the primary targets in China to improve the sensitivity of the surveillance system and prevent the re-establishment of malaria. Health education should focus on exported labors, especially to Western and Central Africa. Increasing trend in P. ovale and persistence of P. vivax infections indicated their underestimations in Western Africa. Efficient diagnostic tools and sensitive monitoring systems are required to identify Plasmodium species in Africa.

Pengaruh Tata Kelola Perusahaan dan Struktur Kepemilikan Terhadap Persistensi Laba Perusahaan Properti di Masa Covid-19

Profit persistence refers to a stable and sustainable profit trend in the future. The purpose of this study is to analyze and test the effect of the composition of the board of commissioners, audit committee, and managerial ownership on the persistence of profits in property companies during the Covid-19 pandemic. The data analysis method used in this study is descriptive statistical analysis, and inferential statistical analysis using multiple regression to test the research hypothesis. The results showed that (1) the composition of the board of commissioners proved to have no significant effect on the persistence of earnings in LQ45 index property companies during the Covid-19 period. (2) The Audit Committee has been proven to have no significant effect on the persistence of earnings in LQ45 index property companies during the Covid-19 period. (3) Managerial Ownership has been shown to have no significant effect on the persistence of earnings in LQ45 index property companies during the Covid-19 period. Profit persistence is influenced by several factors, but one of them is corporate governance.

The Impact of COVID-19 on Trends of Violence-Related Offences in Australia.

To investigate the medium-term impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on violence-related offences in Australia, and whether there was evidence of a 'dual pandemic' of family violence in addition to COVID-19. Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average time series were conducted to analyse publicly available violent crime statistics data from January 2017 to November 2021. Population rates of homicide, sexual, domestic and non-domestic assault were assessed across each Australian state and territory, with the effects of COVID-19 being modelled using the average monthly World Health Organization COVID-19 stringency rating for each jurisdiction. All jurisdictions in Australia showed increasing or stable domestic assault trends over the past decade, which were not significantly impacted by COVID-19, nor by the subsequent lockdowns. Non-domestic assaults demonstrated a significant, negative relationship with the stringency index for each jurisdiction, except Western Australia. There was no significant change in the rates of homicide or sexual assault across Australia in relation to COVID-19. Overall, there was no evidence of a 'dual pandemic' in Australia, and whilst domestic assaults continue to increase across the country, non-domestic assaults showed a notable but brief decline. However, these have returned to levels at least as high as pre-COVID-19 and some states show a continuing upward trend. The findings also suggest that alcohol availability may have played a role in continuing high violence numbers. Given the ongoing increasing and high levels of family violence in Australia, revised conceptual frameworks and interventions are indicated.

Local prior information and mainland overflow explain avian colonisation in a major land‐bridge island

AbstractAimThe relative roles of intrinsic and extrinsic factors, and those of local and regional variables, in island colonisation, remain major biogeographical questions. Thus, we analysed avian colonisation records of a large land‐bridge island, defining successful colonisation as the occurrence of breeding during at least 3 consecutive years, at species level with the aim of identifying the main determinants of island colonisation by birds.LocationMallorca (Balearic Islands, western Mediterranean).Major TaxaAll avian species recorded in Mallorca Island.MethodsWe performed logistic regression by fitting generalised linear mixed models to data. We explored seven explanatory variables and performed model selection based on Akaike's information criterion.ResultsA total of 26 bird species colonised the island during the study period, a rate of ca. 0.7 colonising species/year. Only seven species were found to attempt colonisation unsuccessfully. Bird species with the highest colonisation probabilities were those with growing population trends on the mainland and a previous status as wintering species on the island (0.58), followed by wintering species with a stable population trend on the mainland (0.37).Main ConclusionsThe high rate of colonisation indicates that the process of incorporation of new species has been very dynamic. Colonisation was dependent on a local factor (having prior information about the island) and a regional factor (density dependence on the nearby continent). However, it was not influenced by body size, diet, habitat or IUCN level of threat. Based on the results of our modelling, we present a predictive list of likely future colonisers.

Electroacupuncture for Pain Relief After Endoscopic Sinus Surgery: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Postoperative pain is a common problem after endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS). Electroacupuncture (EA) is proven to be effective in relieving postoperative pain. However, EA has not been studied in patients undergoing ESS. This study was designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of EA compared to a sham control in relieving pain after ESS. A total of 62 patients were randomly allocated to receive either EA (n = 31) or sham EA (n = 31) for 5 sessions, 30 minutes per session for 4 days (2 hours before and 2 hours after surgery, and 3 sessions daily for the following 3 days). There were no significant differences between the 2 groups with regard to demographic characteristics. Compared to the sham EA group, the EA group showed a significantly greater reduction in the pain intensity of single daily scoring with a numerical rating scale at the day following surgery (postoperative day 1, POD1) (−1.35; 95% confidence interval [CI], −1.74 to −0.97; P < .001) and POD2 (−1.16; 95% CI, −1.55 to −0.77; P < .001), whereas no significant between-group difference was detected at the day of surgery (POD0), POD3 or POD6. Intraoperative heart rate and mean blood pressure in the EA group showed a more stable trend. A significant improvement was found for an actigraphy-measured average time of night wakings, recovery time from anesthesia, and quality of recovery-15 in the EA group. No severe adverse events occurred during the trial. Our results demonstrate that EA can serve as an effective adjuvant therapeutic tool for pain relief after ESS. PerspectiveThis randomized sham-controlled, patient-and-assessor blinded trial provided evidence for the first time that EA can relieve postoperative pain and other symptom management in patients after ESS. Trial registration numberChinese Clinical Trial Registry, ChiCTR1900024183, http://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.aspx?proj=40573

Hand Hygiene Compliance and Healthcare Associated Infections Trends in a Tertiary Care Children Hospital, in Years 2016-2022

Healthcare workers hands are the most common vehicle for the transmission of healthcare-associated infections. Hand hygiene is considered the most effective measure for preventing microbial pathogen cross-transmission, and reducing healthcare-associated infections; thus, it’s key to maintain high healthcare workers compliance with this practice.&#x0D; We calculated trends of compliance to hand hygiene and healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) point prevalence in a tertiary care children hospital, in years 2016–2022. We observed a significantly increased hand hygiene compliance from 89.5% (95% CI: 89.1-89.9) in 2016 to 92.1% (95% CI: 91.7-92.4; p&lt;0.001) in 2022. Hand hygiene compliance significantly increased for four out of five moments for hand hygiene, and for most of the professional categories observed. We observed a stable trend of HAIs point prevalence which was 1.8% (95% CI: 0.7-3.6) in 2016, and 2.0% (95% CI:1.0-3.7; p=0.6) in 2022. No significant trends were observed over time stratifying by type of HAIs.&#x0D; Our results document the increased adherence to hand hygiene in the context of pandemic emergency response, associated to maintenance of low prevalence of HAIs.

INTERREGIONAL COMMODITY EXCHANGE OF THE ALTAI KRAI IN 1990-2020 IN THE CONTEXT OF ITS SOCIO-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

The article considers the driving forces and factors that have a significant impact on the dynamics of trade relations between the Altai Krai and other regions. An assessment is made of the degree of trade's closeness and economic ties between the Altai Krai and other Russian regions, a detailed analysis of their role and place in the exchange of goods with the Altai Krai in 1990-2020 is carried out. The analysis was carried out in two main perspectives of interregional trade — import and export of products, taking into account its commodity structure on the example of two time periods: in the period 2001-2016, as well as in the modern period 2017-2020. The conclusion is made about the importance of demand for the products of Altai manufacturers from the regions of Russia as the most important driver of growth in agriculture and industry. A long-term stable trend of the predominance of imports of industrial and technical products into the region and exports of consumer goods from the region has been revealed. It is proved that the Altai Krai is extremely important for the development of production in a number of Russian regions, despiteits sales market's narrowness and limited domestic demand. The main periods in the development of trade and interregional economic relations, which differ significantly in intensity, are identified. The dynamics of interregional commodity exchange of the region, which occurred under the influence of shifts in its sectoral structure and the structure of domestic demand, is revealed. The features of interregional integration processes in the tradesphere in different chronological periods are revealed and characterized.

Preliminary data on the microbial profile of dry and wet aged bovine meat obtained from different breeds in Sardinia

This study aimed to evaluate the influence of dry and wet aging on microbial profile and physicochemical characteristics of bovine loins obtained from four animals of two different breeds, namely two Friesian cull cows and two Sardo-Bruna bovines. During dry and wet aging aerobic colony count, Enterobacteriaceae, mesophilic lactic acid bacteria, Pseudomonas, molds and yeasts, Salmonella enterica, Listeria monocytogenes and Yersinia enterocolitica, pH and water activity (aw) were determined in meat samples collected from the internal part of the loins. Moreover, the microbial profile was determined with sponge samples taken from the surface of the meat cuts. Samples obtained from Friesian cows were analyzed starting from the first day of the aging period and after 7, 14, and 21 days. Samples obtained from the Sardo Bruna bovines were also analyzed after 28 and 35 days. Wet aging allowed better control of Pseudomonas spp. during storage that showed statistically lower levels (P&gt;0.05) in wet-aged meats with respect to dry-aged meats during aging and particularly at the end of the period (P&gt;0.01) in both cattle breeds. At the end of the experiment (21 days), aerobic colony count and Pseudomonas in Fresian cows’ dry-aged meats showed mean levels &gt;8 log, while lactic acid bacteria mean counts &gt;7 log were detected in wet-aged meats of both cattle breeds. In meats submitted to dry aging, pH was significantly higher (P&lt;0.01) with respect to wet-aged meats at all analysis times and in both cattle breeds. Aw showed a stable trend during both dry and wet aging without significant differences. These preliminary results highlight the critical importance of the strict application of good hygiene practices during all stages of production of these particular cuts of meat intended for aging.

Pulmonary embolism in United States emergency departments, 2010–2018

Little is known about pulmonary embolism (PE) in the United States emergency department (ED). This study aimed to describe the disease burden (visit rate and hospitalization) of PE in the ED and to investigate factors associated with its burden. Data were obtained from the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NHAMCS) from 2010 to 2018. Adult ED visits with PE were identified using the International Classification of Diseases codes. Analyses used descriptive statistics and multivariable logistic regression accounting for the NHAMCS’s complex survey design. Over the 9-year study period, there were an estimated 1,500,000 ED visits for PE, and the proportion of PE visits in the entire ED population increased from 0.1% in 2010–2012 to 0.2% in 2017–2018 (P for trend = 0.002). The mean age was 57 years, and 40% were men. Older age, obesity, history of cancer, and history of venous thromboembolism were independently associated with a higher proportion of PE, whereas the Midwest region was associated with a lower proportion of PE. The utilization of chest computed tomography (CT) scan appeared stable, which was performed in approximately 43% of the visits. About 66% of PE visits were hospitalized, and the trend remained stable. Male sex, arrival during the morning shift, and higher triage levels were independently associated with a higher hospitalization rate, whereas the fall and winter months were independently associated with a lower hospitalization rate. Approximately 8.8% of PE patients were discharged with direct-acting oral anticoagulants. The ED visits for PE continued to increase despite the stable trend in CT use, suggesting a combination of prevalent and incident PE cases in the ED. Hospitalization for PE remains common practice. Some patients are disproportionately affected by PE, and certain patient and hospital factors are associated with hospitalization decisions.