Transport-related Factors Research Articles

The effect of gelatinized brown rice extract on type 2 diabetes mellitus via inhibition of insulin resistance mediators in HepG2 cells

The purpose of this study evaluated effects of gelatinized brown rice extract (GBE) on type 2 diabetes mellitus by analyzing antioxidant activity, polysaccharide-degrading enzymes activity, and regulation of insulin secretion and glucose transport-related factors in human liver cells (HepG2). Quantified polyphenols and flavonoids in extract showed 6.7 mg gallic acid equivalent/g dry matter (DM) and 5.3 mg quercetin equivalent/g DM, respectively, with DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging activities confirmed to 67.1 ~ 77.7%. Additionally, extract inhibited alpha-glucosidase activity by 81.9%, thereby demonstrating potential for improving blood glucose regulation. To demonstrate alleviation of type 2 diabetes through mitigation of insulin resistance and promotion of glucose transport, expression of genes related to insulin receptor genes (Insulin Receptor Substrate-1, Protein Kinase B) increased by 18.5 ~ 28.3%, while expression of counterregulatory hormone genes (Insulin-like Growth Factor-1) decreased by 33.3%. Additionally, expression of glucose transporter proteins (Glucose Transporter Type-4, 2) increased by 30.9 ~ 42.0%, and expression of proteins that reduce insulin sensitivity (Insulin Receptor Substrate-2) decreased by 34.6%. These results indicated that insulin resistance in hepatocytes alleviated, and glucose transport promoted, leading to decreased blood glucose levels.

Exogenous Lactate Treatment Immediately after Exercise Promotes Glycogen Recovery in Type-II Muscle in Mice.

Recent studies suggest that lactate intake has a positive effect on glycogen recovery after exercise. However, it is important to verify the effect of lactate supplementation alone and the timing of glycogen recovery. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to examine the effect of lactate supplementation immediately after exercise on glycogen recovery in mice liver and skeletal muscle at 1, 3, and 5 h after exercise. Mice were randomly divided into the sedentary, exercise-only, lactate, and saline-treated groups. mRNA expression and activation of glycogen synthesis and lactate transport-related factors in the liver and skeletal muscle were assessed using real-time polymerase chain reaction. Skeletal muscle glycogen concentration showed an increasing trend in the lactate group compared with that in the control group at 3 and 5 h after post-supplementation. Additionally, exogenous lactate supplementation significantly increased the expression of core glycogen synthesis enzymes, lactate transporters, and pyruvate dehydrogenase E1 alpha 1 in the skeletal muscles. Conversely, glycogen synthesis, lactate transport, and glycogen oxidation to acetyl-CoA were not significantly affected in the liver by exogenous lactate supplementation. Overall, these results suggest that post-exercise lactate supplement enables glycogen synthesis and recovery in skeletal muscles.

Transcriptomics reveals age-related changes in ion transport-related factors in yak lungs.

Yaks inhabit high-altitude, low-oxygen regions, where ion transport functions play a crucial role in maintaining intracellular and extracellular ionic balance and regulating pulmonary vascular tension. These functions affect pulmonary ventilation and blood flow rate, aiding tissue development and enhancing oxygen transfer efficiency, thus facilitating better adaptation to hypoxic environments. To investigate the regulatory mechanisms of ion transport-related factors on the growth and development of yak lungs, we employed RNA sequencing (RNA-seq)for sequencing the transcriptome in the lung tissues of neonatal (1-day-old), juvenile (1-year-old), and adult (4-year-old) yaks. We also performed differential gene expression and functional analyses. The results yielded 26 genes associated with ion transport, mainly enriched in the salivary and pancreatic secretion pathways. Finally, we used several methods including quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), and Western blotting (WB), immunohistochemical (IHC) and immunofluorescence (IF) staining to determine the distribution of the expression of the ion transport genes FOXI1, KCNMA1, and SLC12A2 in yak lung tissues. qRT-PCR and WB results indicated that mRNA and protein relative expression levels of FOXI1 and SLC12A2 were significantly higher in neonatal yaks than in juvenile and adult yaks (all p < 0.05), whereas those of KCNMA1 were significantly higher in adult yaks than in neonatal and juvenile yaks (all p < 0.05). IHC and IF results demonstrated that FOXI1, KCNMA1, and SLC12A2 were distributed among the epithelial mucosal layers (including ciliated, goblet, and Clara cells) of the yaks' bronchi and their branches in the lungs across different age groups of yak. Therefore, our results suggested that FOXI1, KCNMA1, and SLC12A2 may be strongly associated with the development and aging processes in yak lungs. These results provide insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying the yak's adaptation to high-altitude environments and valuable references for further research.

Tourists' urban travel modes: Choices for enhanced transport and environmental sustainability

This research investigates tourists’ urban travel mode choices in prominent Chinese tourist cities using latent class nested logit modelling. It identifies Comfort-Driven and Economy-Driven market segments, each exhibiting unique preferences towards transport-related factors as measured by elasticity and willingness-to-pay. Travel cost, walking time, waiting time, transfer time, crowdedness, and parking difficulty significantly affect tourists’ urban travel mode choices. Interestingly, car ownership and environmental consciousness have also been proven significant for both segments, while in-vehicle time is only significant for Comfort-Driven segment. The Comfort-Driven segment shows higher willingness-to-pay for reduced walking and transfer times, and prioritising comfort. Conversely, the Economy-Driven segment is more price-sensitive, focusing on value-for-money options that minimise both monetary and non-monetary costs. This study enhances the theoretical understanding of tourists’ transport service consumption and offers practical guidance with tailored strategies for encouraging low-carbon public transportation, hence it could facilitate the alignment of transport, tourism, and environmental sustainability goals.

TRANSPORTATION-RELATED FACTORS AND THE LIKELIHOOD OF COMPANIONSHIPS AMONG SENIOR CENTER MEMBERS

Abstract Throughout the United States, a variety of programs focus on social engagement to reduce social isolation and loneliness for older adults. An ideal site for this is the senior center. This research takes place in a senior center serving older Hispanic/Latinx adults in an urban community in the northeast United States. Data were collected 9/21-12/21 from 38 of approximately 42 regular members. Cross-sectional social network analysis data were analyzed using exponential random graph modeling (ERGM) of the likelihood of companionship ties among 42 senior center members. Several transportation related factors were significantly associated with the likelihood of companionship ties. Controlling for demographics and frequency of attendance, having missed going to the senior center due to a lack of transportation was associated with a significantly lower likelihood of a companionship tie (p = .004). Companionships were also less likely for members who were transportation cost-burdened (p = .016). Companionships were less likely for those whose primary mode of transportation was driving compared to those who primarily relied on others for rides (p = .016). Results suggest that transportation experiences are significant factors in the social relationships among senior center members. Finding ways to reduce transportation cost burden and the frequency of missing going to the senior center due to lack of transportation should be considered in interventions to enhance social integration for senior center members. Understanding the role of driving oneself in having companionships for senior center members is an area to explore in future research.

Racial and income inequalities in access to healthcare in Brazilian cities

IntroductionPeople's access to public healthcare can importantly contribute to reducing the prevalence of diseases and increasing life expectancy. Despite the advances of Brazil's Unified Health System (SUS), the country faces a permanent challenge in improving the coverage and equity of healthcare to reduce racial, spatial, and income inequalities in access to healthcare. Several studies have explored the spatial dimension of socioeconomic inequalities in access to healthcare in Brazil, but few analyze such inequalities within cities and bring evidence of racial inequalities. MethodsThis paper presents the first large-scale study in Brazil examining the social and racial inequalities of access to healthcare at a high spatial resolution. The analysis covers access to primary and high-complexity public healthcare by public transport, automobile, and walking for the 20 largest cities in Brazil in 2019. ResultsThe results show that individuals with low income, regardless of race, have greater accessibility to primary healthcare in general. In contrast, individuals with high-income, mostly white, have substantially better accessibility to high-complexity healthcare. Yet, we find that racial inequalities in access to healthcare become much smaller when controlling for income. ConclusionsThe results contribute to a better understanding of the geographical dimension of inequalities in access to healthcare in major Brazilian cities, showing how access to healthcare is strongly conditioned by social, economic, and transport-related factors.

Analyzing spatial patterns and influencing factors of different illegal land use types within ecological spaces: A case study of a fast-growing city

The conflict between socio-economic development and ecological protection results in large areas of illegal land use within ecological spaces. Determining the spatial patterns and influencing mechanisms of illegal land use is important because it is harmful to the natural environment. Previous studies mainly considered macro-scale influencing factors, but rarely analyzed the influencing mechanisms behind different types of illegal land use (e.g., residential areas, industrial areas). Therefore, we assessed the spatial distribution of suspected illegal land use and then investigated the influencing factors of various illegal land use types by combining remote sensing and the maximum entropy algorithm. The accuracies of the models for almost all types of illegal land use were much higher than 0.8. The results indicated that 36.14% of the subdistricts exhibited illegal land use issues in terms of the first-level ecological red lines, and 56.63% of subdistricts had this problem within the second-level ecological red lines. Rural residential areas, residential areas, and industrial areas were the major types of illegal land use. In addition, population, elevation, and transportation had a great impact on the occurrence probability of illegal land use. Particularly, transportation-related factors, such as distance from roads, distance from trunk lines, and distance from highways, had a large impact on illegal residential and industrial areas. Proximity to public transportation facilities was associated with a greater risk of illegal commercial areas. Therefore, local governments should strengthen the management of high-risk areas and monitor them closely to prevent conflicts between urban development and ecological protection plans. They must pay sufficient attention to areas with higher population density, lower elevation, and closer proximity to public transportation facilities. Overall, these conclusions can facilitate the fine-scale protection of ecological spaces and provide a theoretical basis for sustainable ecological planning.

Anticipated Transport Choices in a World Featuring Autonomous Transport Options

(1) Background: The automation of transport systems is well underway; however, it is unclear how this will affect people’s mobility choices. Changes in these choices have implications for health and the sustainability and efficiency of transport systems, making it important to understand how the advent of autonomous vehicles might affect people’s transport behaviors. The aim of the present study was to address this knowledge gap in the Australian context. (2) Methods: Respondents reported their demographic information, current transport behaviors, the perceived importance of transport-related factors, and attitudes toward autonomous vehicles. They then read a vignette describing a future scenario involving autonomous vehicles that was informed by expert stakeholders. After reading the vignette, the respondents selected those transport options that they would anticipate using in the depicted scenario. Descriptive analyses were conducted to examine changes in transport choices, while regression models were employed to identify the predictors of choices in the future scenario. (3) Results: Most respondents envisaged making greater use of active, shared, and public transport options in an autonomous future, compared to their current use of these options. The intended use of private transport options halved. The most consistent predictor for selecting a certain mode of transport was the current use of that option or its non-autonomous equivalent. (4) Conclusion: Overall, favorable changes in the envisaged use of transport were observed for the hypothetical scenario, which was characterized by improved public transport, a practical active transport infrastructure, and relatively cheap shared autonomous vehicles. If policymakers can act to realize these outcomes, the autonomation of transport is likely to lead to positive societal change.

Hepatic lipid metabolism disorders and immunotoxicity induced by cysteamine in early developmental stages of zebrafish

Cysteamine, a sulfhydryl compound, is an intermediate in the metabolism of coenzyme A to taurine in living organisms. However, the potential side effects of cysteamine such as hepatotoxicity in pediatric patients have been reported in some studies. To evaluate the impact of cysteamine on infants and children, larval zebrafish (a vertebrate model) were exposed to 0.18, 0.36 and 0.54 mM cysteamine from 72 hpf to 144 hpf. Alterations in general and pathological evaluation, biochemical parameters, cell proliferation, lipid metabolism factors, inflammatory factors and Wnt signaling pathway levels were examined. Increased liver area and lipid accumulation were observed in liver morphology, staining and histopathology in a dose-dependent manner with cysteamine exposure. In addition, the experimental cysteamine group exhibited higher alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, total triglyceride and total cholesterol levels than the control group. Meanwhile, the levels of lipogenesis-related factors ascended whereas lipid transport-related factors descended. Oxidative stress indicators such as reactive oxygen species, MDA and SOD were upregulated after cysteamine exposure. Afterwards, transcription assays revealed that biotinidase and Wnt pathway-related genes were upregulated in the exposed group, and inhibition of Wnt signaling partially rescued the abnormal liver development. The current study found that cysteamine-induced hepatotoxicity in larval zebrafish is due to inflammation and abnormal lipid metabolism, which is mediated by biotinidase (a potential pantetheinase isoenzyme) and Wnt signaling. This provides a perspective on the safety of cysteamine administration in children and identifies potential targets for protection against adverse reactions.

Spatial Characterization Analysis of Residential Material Stock and its Driving Factors: A Case Study of Xi’an

Since the beginning of the 21st century, driven by industrialization and its corresponding economic development, China has been experiencing a period of rapid urbanization. The continued expansion of residential space contributes to material stocks of residential buildings, accounting for a large proportion of the total material stocks. Based on a 4D-GIS model, we studied spatiotemporal distribution characteristics and driving factors of residential building material stock in the central urban area of Xi’an from 1992 to 2021. The study innovatively combined this with the spatial development rule, development speed, and expansion direction of cities to analyze the relationship between stock growth and urban development. We found that residential development in central Xi’an is still undergoing a relatively rapid developmental stage. The spatial growth of residential building stock has a distinct agglomeration pattern, showing the characteristics of multi-center agglomeration, and the hot spots of stock growth are concentrated on and expanding to the edges of central cities. The growth of residential building stock has a distinct direction, primarily in the northeast–southwest direction, consistent with the pattern of urban expansion. We also found that social, economic, and transport-related factors are the main drivers of growth of residential building material stock. This study can help policymakers, urban planners, and environmental planners consider the rational development and utilization of land resources and building materials, and it lays a research foundation for the recycling of construction waste in the future.

Socio-Demographic, Health, and Transport-Related Factors Affecting the COVID-19 Outbreak in Myanmar: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Introduction The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is a worldwide threat in many aspects, making developing countries with scarce primary health care and medical services more vulnerable. Evaluation of the relationship between the COVID-19 pandemic, sociodemographic variables, and medical services provides useful information to take countermeasures to stop the infection spread and could mitigate the damage. Therefore, this study investigated the relationship between the spread of COVID-19 and sociodemographic variables, medical services, and the transportation system in Myanmar. Methodology This study was a cross-sectional study and was conducted using data on COVID-19 cases from August 20, 2020 to January 31, 2021 in Myanmar. We evaluated the association between the COVID-19 cases and 13 independent variables that were sociodemographic, medical services, and transportation system factors using simple linear regression analysis and multiple linear regression analysis in three phases (increasing (from August 20th to October 10th), stable (from October 11st to December 4th) and decreasing phases (from December 5th to January 31st)) on the infection timeline. Results It was found that the population density wasparallelly associatedwith COVID-19 cases. On the other hand, among the medical services factors, the number of doctors was parallelly associated with COVID-19 cases and the number of nurses was inversely related to COVID-19 cases. Conclusions The result indicated that a high population density area was a risk factor for the increase of COVID-19 cases. This supported the worldwide countermeasures to deal with the spread of the infection, such as social distancing, banning largegatherings, working from home, and implementing quarantine procedures for suspected individuals to reduce person-to-person contact. Finally, at least in Myanmar, employing a large number of nurses could reduce the emergence ofnew COVID-19 cases. We believe that our study can make valuable contributions to tackling future epidemics like COVID-19 not only in Myanmar but also in other developing countries. This article was previously presented as an abstract at the 91stconference of The Japanese Society for Hygiene (JSH ) on March 08, 2021.

Relationship between Bruises on Carcasses of Beef Cattle and Transport-Related Factors.

Simple SummaryThe use of monitoring schemes to determine the health and welfare status of animals at the abattoir level provides useful feedbacks to farmers and to all those involved in the activities carried out before slaughtering. Bruises are considered welfare indicators in cattle carcasses, as they represent a sign of improper handling or management executed during the pre-slaughter phases. The aims of this study were to assess the prevalence of bruises in beef cattle at the slaughterhouse and to determine their correlation with factors linked to animal transport. The 21.6% of the animals included in the study had bruises, which were mainly characterized by being red, small and located in one region. Steers had less probability of presenting bruises compared to the other categories, while animals transported in the condition of a high space allowance had more chance of presenting bruises. Even though more studies are needed, the results of this study have shown that the assessment of bruises on cattle carcasses could reflect some welfare issues occurring during pre-slaughter activities. These data can be used to improve specific procedures and to boost cattle welfare.The assessment of bruises on carcasses at the slaughterhouse has been lately indicated as a valid method to evaluate cattle welfare. However, little is known about the prevalence and the causes of bruises of cattle slaughtered in Italy. The aim of this study was to collect information concerning the prevalence of bruises on the carcasses of beef cattle slaughtered in an Italian abattoir and to determine a relationship between fresh bruises and transport-related factors. In total, 1265 animals were included in this study, with 21.6% of them being positive for at least one bruise, either fresh or old. In most cases, the bruising was mild, with lesions exclusively located in one area of the carcass. Most of the bruised animals (63%) showed at least one red lesion. Occurrence of such red, fresh bruises varied significantly depending on the body parts (p < 0.0001), with the flank being the most affected area (39.5%), followed by the butt (36.0%) and the front (23.8%). The probability of fresh bruising varied significantly depending on the category of each animal (p < 0.0001), with steers showing fewer red bruises than both heifers and veal. Finally, animals transported in conditions of a high density had a lower probability of bruising (p = 0.0003). These findings support the use of a monitoring scheme based on the presence of bruises to assess cattle welfare at the abattoir level in order to provide feedback to farmers and to implement procedures carried out during transport.

Gender inequality, transport, and wellbeing: The case of child healthcare in Uruguay

IntroductionThis paper addresses how transport-related factors and health service provision negatively impacts women's wellbeing and healthcare accessibility. It analyzes space-time costs for the transport component but also those resulting from healthcare quality provision. In particular, it focused on the role played by gender inequality in the distribution of space-time costs related to accessing healthcare for young children in Montevideo, Uruguay's capital city. MethodsWe use a mixed-methods approach, with quantitative indicators and qualitative information to analyze the mechanisms that translate space-time costs into obstacles to access healthcare and women's wellbeing. We build on a survey of 409 individuals in healthcare facilities using a random multistage design to select the sample. We also carried out 30 in-depth interviews with users from low, middle, and high-income sectors. ResultsWe find that taking children to health checkups is women's work. In 3 out of 4 cases, the mother is present at the clinic with the child. Male presence is relatively infrequent and is associated with travel by car to the healthcare facility. Women tend to travel longer and spend more time carrying out the activity. They also have to wait longer once they reach the clinic. Women naturalize this fact in their narratives. ConclusionWe call attention to the need for an integrated approach to study the relationship between transport and women's wellbeing. The case study illustrates that conventional sectorial perspectives may overlook potential severe threats to women's wellbeing. Even with high-quality transport systems, these costs could persist if the quality of healthcare provision forces women to endure waiting time uncertainty and forego significant activities in their daily lives.

Unbalanced Regulation of Sec22b and Ykt6 Blocks Autophagosome Axonal Retrograde Flux in Neuronal Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury.

Cerebral ischemia–reperfusion (I/R) injury in ischemic penumbra is accountable for poor outcome of ischemic stroke patients receiving recanalization therapy. Compelling evidence previously demonstrated a dual role of autophagy in stroke. This study aimed to understand the traits of autophagy in the ischemic penumbra and the potential mechanism that switches the dual role of autophagy. We found that autophagy induction by rapamycin and lithium carbonate performed before ischemia reduced neurologic deficits and infarction, while autophagy induction after reperfusion had the opposite effect in the male murine middle cerebral artery occlusion/reperfusion (MCAO/R) model, both of which were eliminated in mice lacking autophagy (Atg7flox/flox; Nestin-Cre). Autophagic flux determination showed that reperfusion led to a blockage of axonal autophagosome retrograde transport in neurons, which then led to autophagic flux damage. Then, we found that I/R induced changes in the protein levels of Sec22b and Ykt6 in neurons, two autophagosome transport-related factors, in which Sec22b significantly increased and Ykt6 significantly decreased. In the absence of exogenous autophagy induction, Sec22b knock-down and Ykt6 overexpression significantly alleviated autophagic flux damage, infarction, and neurologic deficits in neurons or murine exposed to cerebral I/R in an autophagy-dependent manner. Furthermore, Sec22b knock-down and Ykt6 overexpression switched the outcome of rapamycin posttreatment from deterioration to neuroprotection. Thus, Sec22b and Ykt6 play key roles in neuronal autophagic flux, and modest regulation of Sec22b and Ykt6 may help to reverse the failure of targeting autophagy induction to improve the prognosis of ischemic stroke.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The highly polarized architecture of neurons with neurites presents challenges for material transport, such as autophagosomes, which form at the neurite tip and need to be transported to the cell soma for degradation. Here, we demonstrate that Sec22b and Ykt6 act as autophagosome porters and play an important role in maintaining the integrity of neuronal autophagic flux. Ischemia–reperfusion (I/R)-induced excess Sec22b and loss of Ykt6 in neurons lead to axonal autophagosome retrograde trafficking failure, autophagic flux damage, and finally neuronal injury. Facilitated axonal autophagosome retrograde transport by Sec22b knock-down and Ykt6 overexpression may reduce I/R-induced neuron injury and extend the therapeutic window of pharmacological autophagy induction for neuroprotection.

Determinants of city-level private car ownership: Effect of vehicle regulation policies and the relative price

Despite many prior studies about the determinants of city-level private car ownership in China, limited studies investigate the effects of vehicle regulation policies and relative price (the ratio of the average car price to GDP per capita) on city-level private car ownership simultaneously. Thus, panel data of 212 cities in China from 2006 to 2015 were collected to explore these effects. The potential explanatory variables include relative price, vehicle regulation policies, socio-economic factors, urban characteristics of the city, and transportation-related factors. The pooled model, fixed-effects model, and random effects model are constructed to analyze the panel data. With the fixed effect on the temporal trend, the fixed-effects model turns out to be the best. Variables including relative price, license plate lottery, vehicle use restriction based on the last digit of the license plate, the average salary of employed workers, and the number of taxis per 10,000 population are all found significant. Supportive policies for alternative fuel cars do not significantly affect private car ownership. One percent increase in the relative price is associated with a 0.08% decrease in private car ownership. The license plate lottery and vehicle use restriction policies would reduce private car ownership by 18.94% and 7.7%, respectively. The finding of this study could provide a helpful reference for policymakers to develop appropriate measures to control the growth of private car ownership of a city.

School neighbourhood and compliance with WHO-recommended annual NO2 guideline: A case study of Greater London

Despite several national and local policies towards cleaner air in England, many schools in London breach the WHO-recommended concentrations of air pollutants such as NO2 and PM2.5. This is while, previous studies highlight significant adverse health effects of air pollutants on children's health. In this paper we adopted a Bayesian spatial hierarchical model to investigate factors that affect the odds of schools exceeding the WHO-recommended concentration of NO2 (i.e., 40 μg/m3 annual mean) in Greater London (UK). We considered a host of variables including schools' characteristics as well as their neighbourhoods' attributes from household, socioeconomic, transport-related, land use, built and natural environment characteristics perspectives. The results indicated that transport-related factors including the number of traffic lights and bus stops in the immediate vicinity of schools, and borough-level bus fuel consumption are determinant factors that increase the likelihood of non-compliance with the WHO guideline. In contrast, distance from roads, river transport, and underground stations, vehicle speed (an indicator of traffic congestion), the proportion of borough-level green space, and the area of green space at schools reduce the likelihood of exceeding the WHO recommended concentration of NO2. We repeated our analysis under a hypothetical scenario in which the recommended concentration of NO2 is 35 μg/m3 – instead of 40 μg/m3. Our results underscore the importance of adopting clean fuel technologies on buses, installing green barriers, and reducing motorised traffic around schools in reducing exposure to NO2 concentrations in proximity to schools. Also, our findings highlight the presence of environmental inequalities in the Greater London area. This study would be useful for local authority decision making with the aim of improving air quality for school-aged children in urban settings.

The impact of COVID-19 on home value in major Texas cities

PurposeThis study aims to analyze the impact of COVID-19 on housing price within four major metropolitan areas in Texas: Austin, Dallas, Houston and San Antonio. The analysis intends to understand economic and mobility drivers behind the housing market under the inclusion of fixed and random effects.Design/methodology/approachThis study used a linear mixed effects model to assess the socioeconomic and housing and transport-related factors contributing to median home prices in four major cities in Texas and to capture unobserved factors operating at spatial and temporal level during the COVID-19 pandemic.FindingsThe regression results indicated that an increase in new COVID-19 cases resulted in an increase in housing price. Additionally, housing price had a significant and negative relationship with the following variables: business cycle index, mortgage rate, percent of single-family homes, population density and foot traffic. Interestingly, unemployment claims did not have a significant impact on housing price, contrary to previous COVID-19 housing market related literature.Originality/valuePrevious literature analyzed the housing market within the first phase of COVID-19, whereas this study analyzed the effects of the COVID-19 throughout the entirety of 2020. The mixed model includes spatial and temporal analyses as well as provides insight into how quantitative-based mobility behavior impacted housing price, rather than relying on qualitative indicators such as shutdown order implementation.

Exploratory Study of Determinants of the Spread of COVID-19 before Shelter-in-Place Orders.

This study explores the impact of relevant characteristics of counties and their relationship with increases in COVID-19 cases before shelter-in-place (SIP) orders in the U.S. The recent emergence of COVID-19 occurs when there is little understanding of the related factors affecting the growth and spread of the disease. These relationships are examined through an analysis of 672 counties before SIP orders were issued. Areas that experienced the most significant transmission of disease are identified, and their characteristics are analyzed. A meaningful relationship was found between the increase of COVID-19 cases and several factors. Average commute time and the proportion of commuters using transit had a positive relationship. Along with other socio-economic factors, such as median house value and proportion of the Black population, several transportation-related factors had a significant association with the transmission of the disease. The decrease rate of total vehicle miles traveled (VMT) before and after SIP orders also had a solid and positive relationship with the expansion of the disease. The findings suggest that planners and transportation service providers must integrate evolving public health considerations into transportation services which affect the increase in the transmission of infectious diseases.

Transportation as a barrier to colorectal cancer care

BackgroundTransportation barriers limit access to cancer care services and contribute to suboptimal clinical outcomes. Our objectives were to describe the frequency of Veterans reporting and the factors associated with transportation barriers to or from colorectal cancer (CRC) care visits.MethodsBetween November 2015 and September 2016, Veterans with incident stage I, II, or III CRC completed a mailed survey to assess perceived barriers to recommended care. Participants who reported difficulty with transportation to or from CRC care appointments were categorized as experiencing transportation barriers. We assessed pairwise correlations between transportation barriers, transportation-related factors (e.g., mode of travel), and chaotic lifestyle (e.g., predictability of schedules), and used logistic regression to examine the association between the reporting of transportation difficulties, distance traveled to the nearest Veterans Affairs (VA) facility, and life chaos.ResultsOf the 115 Veterans included in this analysis, 18% reported experiencing transportation barriers. Distance to the VA was not strongly correlated with the reporting of transportation barriers (Spearman’s ρ = 0.12, p = 0.19), but chaotic lifestyle was both positively and significantly correlated with experiencing transportation barriers (Spearman’s ρ = 0.22, p = 0.02). Results from the logistic regression model modestly supported the findings from the pairwise correlations, but were not statistically significant.ConclusionsTransportation is an important barrier to or from CRC care visits, especially among Veterans who experience greater life chaos. Identifying Veterans who experience chaotic lifestyles would allow for timely engagement in behavioral interventions (e.g., organizational skills training) and with support services (e.g., patient navigation).

Epidemiology of newborn transport in India - The reality check

Background: Transporting sick neonates from the periphery to a tertiary care unit is a challenge and transport-related factors can have a bearing on their survival. These factors influence ultimate survival in resource poor settings. Objectives: The objective is to evaluate the transport characteristics for sick newborns from peripheral centers to tertiary care referral hospital. Methods: A prospective study was done with sick newborns transported to our tertiary care teaching hospital over a period of 1 year. The transport logistics were recorded in detail and analyzed. The analyses were repeated for preterm and term babies separately. Results: There were 36.32% preterm babies in the study cohort of 961 newborns. The descriptive profile of the newborns enrolled in the study has been presented along with descriptive summary of the newborn transport logistics. Approximately 23% of babies were born to teen age mothers. Some prereferral counseling was done for only about 20% babies and <1% had vitals monitored during transport. Prereferral stabilization was scarce and around 41% babies had labored breathing or gasping at admission. As many as, 47% babies had no prereferral intervention and 31% had no referral notes; in only 3.3% instances, there was clear prior intimation to the referral unit. Conclusion: Sick newborn transport logistics are to be improved for reducing neonatal mortality in resource poor settings.