Variation In Quality Research Articles

Bacteriology and Physicochemical Analysis of Borehole Water in Some Hostels of a Tertiary Institution in Port Harcourt, Nigeria

Several factors influence the quality of water for human consumption. Most of these factors are more of anthropogenic origin than nature and thus exercises an untold health effect on the end-users of such water body. Bacteriology and Physicochemical Analysis of Borehole Water in Some Hostels of a Tertiary Institution in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. Water samples were collected from six (6) hostels for each study period, and subjected to standard laboratory procedures to analyze for parameters such as pH, nitrite, nitrate, dissolved oxygen (DO), electrical conductivity (EC), Phosphate, as well as standard procedures for antibiotics susceptibility and molecular characterization. Result of the physicochemical parameters showed that the parameters ranged from 5.26±3.53 mg/L to 7.61±0.01 mg/L forpH; 0.61±0.01 to 2.56±0.01 mg/L for Dissolved Oxygen (DO); 96±1.41 μS/cm to 503.5±0.71μS/cm for electrical conductivity; 4.56±0.03 mg/L to 20.3±0.01 mg/L for nitrate; 0.003±0mg/L to 0.03±0mg/L for nitrite; 0.12±0mg/L to 0.17±0mg/L for phosphate. Statistical evaluation showed there was a significant difference (p < 0.05) between the mean values of physicochemical parameters studied, except for pH that recorded no statistical difference (p > 0.05). From the study, 5.6% of Staphylococcus species were resistant to Pefloxacin and Rocephin, while 5.9% of Bacillus species were resistant to Ampiclox. Similarly, 3.33% of Salmonella species were resistant to Augmentin, while the rest of the gram negative isolates were either susceptible or within an intermediate range of susceptibility to the antibiotics tested. Molecular characterization of some bacterial species isolated had pairwise identity with Klebsiella pneumonia strain CP27 and Escherichia coli strain RIZHAO 498.1, Staphylococcus haemolyticus strain SH1. The study has shown that the physicochemical water quality variables were all within the WHO limits, with bacterial species having high percentage susceptibility to the antibiotics tested. Regular water quality monitoring is however recommended to ensure continuous access to water of good quality in hostels within the university community.

PENGARUH KUALITAS PELAYANAN TERHADAP MINAT NASABAH DALAM MENGGUNAKAN MOBILE BANKING DAN INTERNET BANKING (Studi Kasus Pada PT. Bank Central Asia Tbk KCU Pangkalpinang Tahun 2024)

This study seeks to examine the impact of customer interest in utilizing mobile banking and internet banking services from four perspectives: service aspects, customer understanding aspects, target accuracy aspects, and timeliness aspects. The case study is conducted at PT. Bank Central Asia Tbk KCU Pangkalpinang in 2024. The study employs a survey method using a questionnaire as the primary data collection tool. The sample includes 100 customers of BCA Bank KCU Pangkalpinang who utilize mobile banking and internet banking services. Data analysis is performed through multiple linear regression to investigate the relationship between the independent variables (service aspects, customer understanding aspects, target accuracy aspects, and timeliness aspects) and the dependent variable (customer interest in using mobile banking and internet banking). The findings of the study reveal that the service aspect has a partial impact on customer interest in using mobile banking and internet banking. Similarly, the customer understanding aspect, target accuracy aspect, and timeliness aspect each partially influence customer interest in these services. When considered together, the service quality variables—comprising the service aspect, customer understanding aspect, target accuracy aspect, and timeliness aspect—have a positive and significant effect on customer interest in using mobile banking and internet banking.

Analisis Pengaruh Harga, Kualitas Produk Dan Kualitas Layanan Terhadap Kepuasan Konsumen Distro Nimco Di Kota Yogyakarta

This research aims to determine price, product quality, service quality on consumer satisfaction of Nimco Yogyakarta Distro in Yogyakarta City. This research uses a quantitative approach, the sampling method in this research was carried out by accidental sampling which is part of the nonprobability sampling technique. The population in the research is all consumers who have purchased products at the Nimco Yogyakarta Distro. The data analysis techniques used are the classical assumption test, normality test, multicollinearity test, heteroscedasticity test and multiple linear regression analysis. The hypothesis tests used are the F test (simultaneous test), T test (partial statistical test), and coefficient of determination test (R2). From the multiple linear regression analysis, the equation Y= 8.927+ 0.850 X1+ 0.474+455+ e. Simultaneous test results (F) have been carried out, resulting in Fcount being greater than Ftable (2289.776> 3.18). So it can be seen that price, product quality, and service quality have a simultaneous influence on consumer satisfaction of Nimco Distro in Yogyakarta City. And the partial test (T) produces Fcount which is greater than Ftable (X1 = 3.976 > 1.677. X2 = 4.681 > 1.677. Service has a partial influence on consumer satisfaction at Nimco Distro in Yogyakarta City. The results of this coefficient of determination show that the correlation between the independent variable and the dependent variable is R= 825a. This shows that the price and quality variables have a close relationship to consumer satisfaction at Nimco Distro Yogyakarta.

Pengaruh Kualitas dan Harga Terhadap Keputusan Pembelian Mobil Hybrid di Jawa Barat dengan Promosi Sebagai Variabel Intervening

This study aims to determine and analyze the effect of product quality on hybrid car purchasing decisions in West Java. To determine and analyze the effect of price on hybrid car purchasing decisions in West Java. To determine and analyze the effect of promotion on hybrid car purchasing decisions in West Java. To determine and analyze the effect of product quality on purchasing decisions through hybrid car promotions in West Java. To determine and analyze the effect of price on purchasing decisions through hybrid car promotions in West Java. This research method uses quantitative samples used in this study as many as 100 respondents using the purposive sampling technique method, the data analysis technique used in this study is path analysis with the structural model analysis tool used in this study, namely SmartPLS. The results of the research that has been conducted can be concluded that the product quality variable has a significant effect on the promotion of hybrid cars in West Java. The price variable has a significant effect on the promotion of hybrid cars in West Java. The product quality variable has a significant effect on the decision to purchase hybrid cars in West Java. The price variable has a significant effect on the decision to purchase hybrid cars in West Java. The promotion variable has a significant effect on the decision to purchase hybrid cars in West Java. The product quality variable has a significant effect on the decision to purchase through the promotion of hybrid cars in West Java. The price variable has a significant effect on the decision to purchase through the promotion of hybrid cars in West Java.

Metaproteomics identifies key cell wall degrading enzymes and proteins potentially related to inter-field variability in fiber quality during flax dew retting

In this study, metaproteomics and biochemical analyses were used to identify for the first time specific proteins and associated micro-organisms responsible for cell wall degrading enzyme activity during dew retting of flax in two adjacent fields in northern France. This approach identified 6032 non-redundant proteins present at 4 key retting stages (R0/day 1, R2/day 6, R4/day 13, and R7/day 25), of which 75 contained CAZy (Carbohydrate Active Enzyme) motifs belonging to 31 different families from all 5 CAZy classes. 19 families were putatively related to the degradation of different plant cell wall polymers including lignin (AA1), pectins (CE13, CE8, PL1, PL3, GH28, GH35), hemicellulose (GH2, GH10, GH26, GH35, GH55, GH3, GH5, GH17) and cellulose (GH5, GH7, GH3, GH94, AA3). Taxonomy of identified proteins indicated that 85 % come from bacteria, 13 % from fungi, and 2 % from plants; however, ∼60 % of CAZymes involved in the degradation of plant wall polymers are of fungal origin. Although 88 % of total proteins and almost 65 % of cell wall degrading CAZymes were similar between the two investigated fields, certain differences in the abundance and dynamics of certain CAZymes might be related to observed inter-field variability in cell wall degrading enzyme activities, stem/fiber yield and industrial qualities of fibers harvested from the two fields. Overall, these results highlight the interest of using metaproteomics for improving our biological understanding of how retting impacts fiber quality. In addition, the identification of several new bacterial and fungal species in this study demonstrates that such an approach is also extremely powerful for generating novel taxonomic data.

The Influence of Product Quality and Price on Customer Loyalty in Online Muslim Fashion Retail: A Quantitative Study on Liah Hijab’s Online Shop

Aims: The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of product quality and price on customer loyalty in Liah Hijab's online shop, both partially and simultaneously. Study Design: This type of research is quantitative associative, which is intended to determine the relationship between product quality and price to customer loyalty, both partially and simultaneously. Place and Duration of Study: Liah Hijab's online shop, Makassar, between July and September 2024 Methodology: The population in this study were Liah Hijab consumers who made purchases in 2024. The sampling technique used was purposive sampling with a sample size of 100 respondents, who have made purchases at least 2 times a month. Data collection was carried out by distributing questionnaires online using Google Form. The data obtained was processed using SPSS software and then analyzed through instrument tests and multiple linear regression tests. Results: Based on the results of the F test, it shows that there is a positive and significant relationship between product quality and price on customer loyalty at Liah Hijab’s Online Shop. The t test results show that both product quality and price variables each have a positive and significant influence on customer loyalty. Conclusion: Liah Hijab’s online shop must continue to maintain and improve the quality of the products they have. Furthermore, product pricing also needs to be considered in order to maintain customer loyalty.

Pruned tree-structured temporal convolutional networks for quality variable prediction of industrial process

In real industrial processes, the rapid and accurate acquisition of quality variables is essential. Therefore, this paper proposes a pruned tree-structured temporal convolutional network (PT-TCN) for efficient and accurate variables prediction. First, a novel tree network is developed, utilizing dilated causal convolution blocks as nodes to avoid the loss of local information. Each node extracts distinct local information, and by concatenating all tree nodes, the network can capture a comprehensive range of temporal scales. Then, to avoid the increased complexity caused by the tree structure, we design an online two-stage pruning strategy to compress the tree network without introducing additional computations. During the training process, blocks are initially pruned based on the correlation assessment between quality variables and tree nodes. Subsequently, weight normalization layers are employed to evaluate the importance of output channels in blocks, thereby enabling intra-block channel pruning. The effectiveness of PT-TCN is verified on Tennessee Eastman benchmark process. In addition, experiments on the real zinc flotation process demonstrate that the proposed PT-TCN improves in R2 and MAE by 1.32% and 1.26% respectively in predicting quality variables, and it can reduce 91.8% parameters of the initial tree-structured TCN without sacrificing accuracy.

Patterns and Drivers of CO2 and CH4 Fluxes in an Urbanized River Network and Their Response to Restoration

AbstractCarbon evasion from urban river networks becomes increasingly significant as urbanization accelerates. However, there remains a limited understanding of the overall carbon emission impact integrating CO2 and CH4 dynamics, particularly in response to ecological restoration efforts. In this study, we investigated patterns of fluvial CO2 and CH4 diffusive fluxes across an urban river network in Wuxi, China. Our results reveal that water quality variables, especially dissolved oxygen (DO) and phosphorus content, predominantly influence the variability of carbon emissions. These factors exhibit a stronger correlation with CO2 emissions compared to CH4, indicating a net increase in carbon emissions as water quality deteriorates. Seasonally, higher water temperatures, phosphate levels, and lower DO concentrations lead to increased carbon emissions during summer months. Spatially, areas with lower carbon emissions (averaged 86 mmol m−2 d−1 CO2 and 0.13 mmol m−2 d−1 CH4) are primarily situated near the lake and in river sections where significant water quality improvements have been achieved through ecological restoration efforts. Cluster analysis shows that over 60% of high‐carbon emission (averaged 162 mmol m−2 d−1 CO2 and 1.21 mmol m−2 d−1 CH4) sites in the study area have undergone ecological restoration, suggesting potential for further carbon emission reduction through enhanced restoration practices. Our findings underscore the importance of implementing carbon reduction strategies such as nutrient removal and aeration for oxygenation within water ecological restoration initiatives. Effective matching of restoration strategies holds further potential for mitigating carbon emissions from urban river networks.

Characterization of soil organic carbon at profile scale in two forest soils under pine and holm oak

Context It is essential to promote soil carbon sequestration as a means to mitigate climate change. Thus, it is fundamental to know the distribution of C in the soil at profile scale, the characteristics of humic substances as indicators of soil organic matter (SOM) turnover and their relationship with other soil properties. Aims Two forest ecosystems under pine and holm oak developed under a Meso-Mediterranean climate in Spain were used to characterize SOM through the complete sequence of layers of the soil profile. Methods General soil analysis, infrared spectroscopic analysis and soil color measurements were conducted for the characterization. Key results Humus form under oak was found to be Mull mesotrophic–Mull acid while humus under pine Moder oligotrophic. The infrared spectrum determined that oxidation of the humic acids was more complete in the deeper horizons. Relationships between intensities of the main spectral bands in both soils followed similar maximum and minimum sequence values. The total humic extract (THE) color measured by reflection was found inversely related to the THE color measured by transmission. In the same way, the color spectrum between 350 and 800 nm in the THE showed an inverse relation between hue/brightness and absorbance values. Conclusions Infrared analysis and color measurements provided evidence of a different level of stabilization of humic substances from each soil, and between the different horizons. Large spatial variability in soil organic carbon quantity and quality was observed. Implications Better understanding of carbon sequestration behavior in different soil ecosystems in its crucial role within the global carbon cycle

The Influence of Incentives, Quality, and Product Availability on Attitude toward Purchase Decision of Battery Electric Vehicle at the Greater Jakarta

Transport and mobility have significant contributions to the emissions in urban cities in Indonesia. The Indonesian government has supported the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) as part of the commitment to zero emissions by 2060. According to The Association of Indonesia Automotive Industries (GAIKINDO), in 2022 the electric vehicle contributes 1.49% of the total domestic passenger car sales in Indonesia. This EV population was too small compared to what the government targeted for the adoption of EVs. This study aims to analyze the influence of government incentives, product quality, and product availability on consumer’s attitudes toward purchase decisions of battery electric vehicles (BEV). A sample of 149 respondents, who have a driving license, live in the greater area of Jakarta were collected through a questionnaire-based primary data. Through a rigorous procedure of structural equation modeling (Smart-PLS), it is found that variables of government incentives and product quality have no significant effect on consumer purchase decision for BEVs. Product availability and attitude variable has positive and significant effect on consumer purchase decision for BEVs. Moreover, the product availability variable is imperative since it is found to be the most significant variable construct. Thus, as the managerial implication, BEV dealer and manufacturer could consider the availability of various choices of electric cars with the price and driving range capabilities. Future research is recommended to cover all types of EVs, collect wider respondents on different areas and also explore different variables that influence EV customer purchase decision.

Exploration of Strawberry Fruit Quality During Harvest Season Under a Semi-Forcing Culture with Plants Nursed Without Chilling

Strawberry, a profitable crop, adapts well to diverse environments. This study evaluated the stability of fruit quality in different strawberry varieties produced as green plants without chilling during the harvest season in northern Uruguay. The focus was on understanding the impact of harvest date versus agricultural practices (different orchards and growers) on key fruit quality variables such as color, firmness, sugars, and acidity. Results indicated that the INIA Yrupé variety showed greater stability in external coloration and sugar content across harvest dates, suggesting that standardizing fruit coloration is viable under challenging conditions. INIA Guapa consistently met minimum requirements for soluble solids and ratio, with stable acidity and red coloration. Firmness was positively correlated with ratio (r = 0.81) and negatively impacted by rainfall 2–3 days before harvest. The findings suggest that harvest date has a more significant impact on INIA Yrupé fruit quality than growing conditions or practices, with variability observed in firmness and ratio but minimal variation in fruit coloration. These insights highlight the importance of harvest timing for maintaining stable fruit quality traits, which is crucial for breeding programs and ensuring consistent sensory quality and crop profitability.

Evaluation of Machine Learning Application on the Prediction of Particulate Matter Concentrations in Small/Medium-Sized City

Objectives:In this study, Machine Learning (ML) algorithms were evaluated to predict the concentration of particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5) using air quality and meteorological data in small/medium-sized city.Methods:ML models, including Multiple Linear Regression (MLR), Decision Tree Regression (DTR), Random Forest (RF), Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGB), Light Gradient Boosting Machine (LGB), were used to predict PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations. Five air quality variables, including NO2, SO2, CO, PM10 and PM2.5, and seven meteorological variables, including temperature, humidity, vapor pressure, wind speed, precipitation, local atmospheric pressure, and sea-level atmosphere pressure, were collected from three air quality monitoring stations and one meteorological observatory from 2017 to 2022. A total of 52,583 sets of data were used for ML. The prediction accuracies of the applied ML models were evaluated using the Root Mean Squared Error (RMSE), Mean Absolute Error (MAE), and Coefficient of determination (R2).Results and Discussion:Higher ML performance was obtained when using the data including PM10 and PM2.5 compared to the data excluding these variables. Among five different ML models, the XGB model showed the highest accuracy in predicting PM10 and PM2.5 one hour in the future. However, poorer performance was obtained as the predicted period increased from one hour to 72 hours.Conclusion:The application of ML algorithms for the short-term prediction of PM10 and PM2.5 was successful in this study. However, more input variables and deep learning algorithms are needed for long-term prediction of PM10 and PM2.5.

SIM-RS Success Factors Based on DeLone and McLean Theory at Hermina OPI Jakabaring Hospital

The information technology system is a technology used to process data, including processing, obtaining, compiling, storing, and manipulating data in various ways to produce quality information, namely information that is relevant, accurate, and timely, which is used in personal, business, and government purposes and is strategic information for decision making. Information systems with technological support are one of the systems that play a significant role in organizational success. The purpose of this study was to determine the success factors of the management information system (SIM-RS) at Hermina OPI Jakabaring Hospital based on the DeLone and McLean theory, which consists of six variables, namely system quality, information quality, service quality, use, user satisfaction and benefits. This research was conducted at Hermina OPI Jakabaring Hospital with a sample of 48 hospital employees who use SIM-RS. The results obtained from this study were based on the system quality variable, which stated that as many as 48% of employees stated SIM-RS quality. Information quality variables as much as 54% of respondents stated that SIM-RS was qualified. As many as 79% of respondents stated that they were satisfied with the service quality variable of SIM-RS. The use variable as many as 43% of respondents stated that SIM-RS was often used. As for the user satisfaction variable, as many as 94% of respondents stated that SIM-RS was of high quality. The benefit variable was that as many as 56% of respondents stated that SIM-RS was useful.

Exploring the Influence of Tropical Cyclones on Regional Air Quality Using Multimodal Deep Learning Techniques

Tropical cyclones (TC) are dynamic atmospheric phenomena featuring extreme low-pressure systems and powerful winds, known for their devastating impacts on weather and the environment. The main purpose of this paper is to consider the subtle involvement of TCs in the air quality index (AQI), focusing on aspects related to the air quality before, during and after cyclones. This research employs multimodal methods, which include meteorological data and different satellite observations. Deep learning approaches, i.e., ConvLSTM, CNN and Real-ESRGAN models, are combined with a regression model to analyze the temporal variability in the air quality associated with tropical cyclones. Deep learning models are deployed to uncover complex patterns and non-linear interdependencies between cyclones’ features and the AQI to give predictive insights into the air quality fluctuations throughout the different stages of tropical cyclones. Furthermore, this study explores the aftermaths of TCs in terms of the air quality with respect to post-cyclone recovery. The findings offer an enhanced view of the role of TCs in the regional or global air quality, which will be useful for policymakers, meteorologists and environmental researchers. Utilizing a CNN for tropical cyclone (TC) classification and the extra trees regressor (ETR) for AQI prediction results in accuracy of 92.02% for the CNN and an R2 of 83.33% for the ETR. Hence, this work adds to our knowledge and enlightens us on the complex interactions between TCs and the air quality, highlighting wider public health concerns regarding climate adaptation and urban renewal.

The Influence of Product Quality and Price on Purchasing Decisions of Glad2glow Skincare Products

This research is based on a phenomenon in the modern era where consumers are increasingly aware of the importance of skin care, making skincare products the main choice to support appearance. Glad2Glow, a new skincare brand that entered the Indonesian market in 2023, has attracted a lot of buyers' attention and created fierce competition between brands with product quality and price perception as the main factors in consumers' purchase decisions. This research is quantitative using primary data obtained through the distribution of online questionnaires (Google Form) from May 2024 to August 2024. The population and sample include all consumers who have purchased or used Glad2Glow skincare products. The independent variables are product quality (X1) and price perception (X2), while the dependent variable is the purchase decision (Y). The analysis method involves multiple linear regression analysis, validity and reliability tests, as well as classical assumption tests such as normality tests, multicollinearity tests, heteroscedasticity tests, and hypothesis tests. The results of this study show that (1) product quality variables have a partial effect on the purchase decision of Glad2Glow skincare products, (2) price perception variables have a partial effect on the purchase decision of Glad2Glow skincare products, (3) product quality variables and price perception have a simultaneous effect on the purchase decision of Glad2Glow skincare products.

Productivity and Quality of Facilities and Infrastructure as Support for RRI Tolitoli Broadcasting

This research aims to answer the basic problems faced by Radio Republik Indonesia (RRI) Tolitoli in increasing the productivity and quality of broadcasting facilities and infrastructure. Using a qualitative approach and descriptive research methods, this research was conducted at the Republic of Indonesia Radio Public Broadcasting Institute (LPP RRI) Tolitoli over a three-month period. Primary data was obtained through direct observation and in-depth interviews with six informants selected purposively. The research results show that RRI Tolitoli faces a number of challenges in increasing productivity and broadcast quality, especially related to poor infrastructure conditions. Through analysis of productivity and quality variables, research findings highlight the need for improvements in technical and managerial aspects. Although RRI Tolitoli has demonstrated a strong commitment to providing quality broadcasting services, there is still room for significant improvement in terms of technical infrastructure and resource management. The recommendations resulting from this research can become the basis for continuous improvement efforts in public broadcasting in Indonesia, with the main aim of meeting public demands for broadcasting that is informative, high quality and has a positive impact.

Pengaruh Motivasi, Mutasi dan Kualitas Pelayanan Publik Terhadap Kinerja Pegawai Melalui Kepuasan Kerja Sebagai Variabel Intervening Pada Dinas Kependudukan dan Pencatatan Sipil Kabupaten Kupang

The aim of this research is to determine the influence of motivation, transfer and quality of public services on employee performance through job satisfaction as an intervening variable at the Kupang Regency Population and Civil Registration Service. Data collection methods include observation, recording and questionnaires, using the SmartPLS application. The sample for this research used the census method, totaling 69 employees of the Kupang Regency Population and Civil Registration Service. The results of this research reveal that statistically the performance variable of Kupang Regency Dukcapil service employees is influenced by job satisfaction. The job satisfaction variable is not influenced by service quality, but is influenced by employee motivation and transfer variables. Employee performance variables are not influenced by mutations, but are influenced by service quality variables and motivation variables. The job satisfaction variable cannot act as a mediating variable between the service quality variable and employee performance. Furthermore, the job satisfaction variable can mediate the influence of motivation and mutation variables on employee performance in the Kupang Regency Dukcapil service.

Pengaruh Diskon, Promosi dan Kualitas Pelayanan terhadap Keputusan Pembelian Online dengan Menggunakan Aplikasi Alfagift

This research aims to determine the influence of discounts, promotions and service quality on purchasing decisions using the Alfagift application in Muara Bulian. The analysis used is quantitative analysis using validity and reliability tests, multiple linear regression analysis, t test, F test and coefficient of determination (R2). The research results show that simultaneously there is a significant influence between the discount, promotion and service quality variables on online purchasing decisions using the Alfagift application, but partially only the discount variable does not have a significant influence on online purchasing decisions using the Alfagift application in Muara Bulian.

Effectiveness of psychological interventions in endometriosis: a systematic review with meta-analysis

IntroductionEndometriosis is a chronic gynecological disease associated with chronic debilitating pain, poor mental health and quality of life. The objective of this paper is to evaluate the effectiveness of psychological interventions aimed at improving the pain, quality of life and mental health of women with endometriosis.MethodsA systematic review (SR) of the literature with meta-analysis (MA) was carried out. MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO and CENTRAL were searched to locate Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs). The risk of bias assessment of each study was conducted using the Cochrane Collaboration’s RoB 2.0 tool.ResultsSeven RCTs were included (N = 757). The data obtained suggest that psychological interventions reduce dyspareunia [standardized mean difference (SMD): -0.54, 95% CI: −0.86, −0.22] and dyschezia [mean difference (MD): -2.90, 95% CI: −4.55, −1.26] and increase mental health levels (SMD: 0.70, 95% CI: 0. 42, 0.99); they also point to a large reduction in levels of trait anxiety (MD: -6.63, 95% CI: −8.27, −4.99) and depression (MD: -2.49, 95% CI: −3.20, −1.79), and a likely reduction in state anxiety (MD: -9.72, 95% CI: −13.11, −6.33) experienced by women with endometriosis. It was also identified that psychological interventions probably slightly reduce pelvic pain and may increase physical health. However, most of the included studies have a high overall risk of bias or have certain concerns, which limit conclusions about the certainty of the evidence.DiscussionThe available evidence indicates that psychological interventions are effective in improving the pain, quality of life and mental health variables of women with endometriosis.Systematic review registrationhttps://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/, CRD42024516100.

Cardiac contractility index, a novel biomarker of incident heart failure amongst people with normal left ventricular ejection fraction in the UK Biobank

Abstract Background Cardiac contractility index (CCI) is a simple non-invasive measure of myocardial contractility defined by systolic blood pressure divided by indexed left ventricular end-systolic volume. Although left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) is essential for phenotyping patients with suspected heart failure (HF), it is load dependent and insensitive to subtle subclinical ventricular dysfunction. Left ventricular (LV) strain, although more sensitive at detecting subtle disturbances in myocardial function, also does not reflect loading conditions and dependency on image quality and inter-vendor variability limit widespread use. The ability of CCI to identify patients with subclinical left ventricular dysfunction at risk of developing HF is unknown. Purpose We aimed to: 1) explore the relationship between CCI with conventional imaging biomarkers of LV systolic dysfunction and 2) assess whether CCI could identify those at increased risk of incident HF in people without pre-existing left ventricular dysfunction in the UK Biobank imaging study. Methods We explored the relationship between CCI and laboratory and imaging biomarkers of systolic function, including LVEF and LV strain. Scatter plots were constructed for CCI with LVEF and LV strain. Pearson’s coefficients (r) and coefficient of determination (r2) were calculated to assess for correlations. People with sex-specific thresholds of abnormally low LVEF derived from within the same cohort (<48% for men, and <51% for women) were then excluded. CCI was then dichotomised as being high or low based its median value (4.4 mmHg/ml/m2). Age-sex adjusted Cox proportional hazards ratios (HR) with 95% CIs were estimated for the primary outcome of incident HF (derived from linked national digital registries) in addition to modelling with restricted cubic splines. Results We included 38,215 people (median age 55 years, 48% men). There was moderate correlation between CCI with LVEF (r=0.53 [0.53-0.54], R2=0.29; p<0.001), LV global circumferential strain (r=-0.50 [-0.50- -0.49], R2=0.25; p<0.001) and radial strain (r=-0.49 [0.48-0.50], R2=0.24; p<0.001), although was only weekly correlated with LV global longitudinal strain (r=-0.19 [-0.20- -0.18], R2=0.03; p<0.001) (Figure 1A). Using sex-specific thresholds 33,739 (88.3%) had a normal LVEF. During 195,584 person-years of follow-up (median 5.5 years), a total of 221 (0.7%) participants developed HF. Age-sex adjusted low CCI at baseline was associated with an increased risk of incident HF (adjusted HR 1.33 [1.01-1.75]; p=0.043). The association between CCI and incident HF was curvilinear (Figure 1B). Conclusions CCI identifies people with subclinical left ventricular systolic dysfunction at risk of developing incident heart failure.