A pooled-analysis of age and sex based coronary artery calcium scores percentiles.

Background: Age and sex based coronary artery calcium score (CAC) percentiles have been used to improve coronary artery disease (CAD) risk prediction. However, the main limitation of the CACs percentiles currently in use is that they are often based on single studies. We performed a pooled analysis of all available studies that reported on CAC percentiles, in order to develop more generalizable age and sex nomograms.

The effects of utility evaluations, biomedical knowledge and modernization on intention to exclusively use biomedical health facilities among rural households in Mozambique.

In resource-limited settings, the choice between utilizing biomedical health services and/or traditional healers is critical to the success of the public health mission. In the literature, this choice has been predicted to be influenced by three major factors: knowledge about biomedical etiologies; cultural modernization; and rational choice. The current study investigated all three of these predicted determinants, applying data from a general household survey conducted in 2010 in Zambézia Province of Mozambique involving 1045 randomly sampled rural households.

Safety organizing, emotional exhaustion, and turnover in hospital nursing units.

Context: Prior research has found that safety organizing behaviors of registered nurses (RNs) positively impact patient safety. However, little research exists on how engaging in safety organizing affects caregivers.

Objectives: While we know that organizational processes can have divergent effects on organizational and employee outcomes, little research exists on the effects of pursuing highly reliable performance through safety organizing on caregivers.

Frustrated Freedom: The Effects of Agency and Wealth on Wellbeing in Rural Mozambique.

In Sen's capability view of poverty, wellbeing is threatened by both deficits of wealth and deficits of individual agency. Sen further predicts that "unfreedom," or low levels of agency will suppress the wellbeing effects of higher levels of wealth. The current paper extends Sen's view to include a condition, labeled "frustrated freedom," in which relatively higher levels of agency can heighten the poverty effects of relatively low levels of material wealth.

Cost prediction in liver transplantation using pretransplant donor and recipient characteristics.

Background: Liver transplantation is a costly procedure and its cost is likely driven by both donor and recipient factors. Recently, the recipient model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) score has been correlated with increased posttransplant cost; however, other factors have not been identified. We sought to identify if other donor and recipient factors are associated with increased cost.