A novel approach for inferring effects on pregnancy loss.

Identifying the determinants of pregnancy loss is a critical public health concern. However, pregnancy loss is often not noticed, and even when it is, it is inconsistently recorded. Thus, past studies have been limited to medically-identified losses or small, highly selected cohorts, which can lead to biased or non-generalizable results.

Development of a territory-wide household-based composite index for measuring relative distribution of households by economic status in individual small areas throughout Hong Kong.

Background: Many countries have developed their country/nation-wide multidimensional area-based index on deprivation or socioeconomic status for resource allocation, service planning and research. However, whether each geographical unit proxied by a single index is sufficiently small to contain a relatively homogeneous population remains questionable. Globally, this is the first study that presents the distribution of domestic households by the territory-wide economic status index decile groups within each of the 2,252 small subunit groups (SSUGs) throughout Hong Kong, with a median study population of 1,300 and a median area of 42,400 m.

Hysterotomy for retained placenta in suspected angular pregnancy.

Background: Angular pregnancy is a rare event and is a commonly missed diagnosis in the antepartum period. Data regarding the optimal mode of delivery and management of the placenta are limited.

Case Description: A patient in her 30s, gravida 3, para 1 presented at 37 weeks with severe range blood pressure and was admitted for induction of labour due to preeclampsia.

Using Parametric g-Computation for Time-to-Event Data and Distributed Lag Models to Identify Critical Exposure Windows for Preterm Birth: An Illustrative Example Using in a Retrospective Birth Cohort Based in Eastern Massachusetts (2011-2016).

Background: Parametric g-computation is an attractive analytic framework to study the health effects of air pollution. Yet, the ability to explore biologically relevant exposure windows within this framework is underdeveloped.

Objectives: We outline a novel framework for how to incorporate complex lag-responses using distributed lag models (DLMs) into parametric g-computation analyses for survival data.

Defects of Metal Halide Perovskites in Photocatalytic Energy Conversion: Friend or Foe?

Photocatalytic solar-to-fuel conversion over metal halide perovskites (MHPs) has recently attracted much attention, while the roles of defects in MHPs are still under debate. Specifically, the mainstream viewpoint is that the defects are detrimental to photocatalytic performance, while some recent studies show that certain types of defects contribute to photoactivity enhancement. However, a systematic summary of why it is contradictory and how the defects in MHPs affect photocatalytic performance is still lacking.

The association of short-term increases in ambient PM2.5 and temperature exposures with stillbirth: racial/ethnic disparities among Medicaid recipients.

Racial/ethnic disparities in the association between short-term (eg, days, weeks), ambient fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and temperature exposures and stillbirth in the United States have been understudied. A time-stratified, case-crossover design using a distributed lag nonlinear model (0- to 6-day lag) was used to estimate stillbirth odds due to short-term increases in average daily PM2.

Approaches for Enhancing Wastewater Treatment of Photocatalytic Fuel Cells: A Review.

Environmental pollution and energy crises have garnered global attention. The substantial discharge of organic waste into water bodies has led to profound environmental contamination. Photocatalytic fuel cells (PFCs) enabling the simultaneous removal of refractory contaminants and recovery of the chemical energy contained in organic pollutants provides a potential strategy to solve environmental issues and the energy crisis.

Regenerative Peripheral Nerve Interface: Surgical Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial in Postamputation Pain.

Surgical procedures, including nerve reconstruction and end-organ muscle reinnervation, have become more prominent in the prosthetic field over the past decade. Primarily developed to increase the functionality of prosthetic limbs, these surgical procedures have also been found to reduce postamputation neuropathic pain. Today, some of these procedures are performed more frequently for the management and prevention of postamputation pain than for prosthetic fitting, indicating a significant need for effective solutions to postamputation pain.

Direct Clinical Pharmacist-Patient Telephone Follow-Up: A Focus on GI Medical Oncology Symptom Management.

Purpose: GI medical oncology care presents unique medication challenges. Here, we captured our clinical pharmacy specialists' (CPSs) involvement in patients with GI cancers starting cycle 1 of a new treatment.

Methods: Our quality initiative was performed in three stages (preintervention, intervention, and postintervention).

Short-Term Increases in NO and O Concentrations during Pregnancy and Stillbirth Risk in the U.S.: A Time-Stratified Case-Crossover Study.

Associations between gaseous pollutant exposure and stillbirth have focused on exposures averaged over trimesters or gestation. We investigated the association between short-term increases in nitrogen dioxide (NO) and ozone (O) concentrations and stillbirth risk among a national sample of 116 788 Medicaid enrollees from 2000 to 2014. A time-stratified case-crossover design was used to estimate distributed (lag 0-lag 6) and cumulative lag effects, which were adjusted for PM concentration and temperature.

Association between gestational exposure to solar activity and pregnancy loss using live births from a Massachusetts-based medical center.

Background: Solar activity has been linked to biological mechanisms important to pregnancy, including folate and melatonin levels and inflammatory markers. Thus, we aimed to investigate the association between gestational solar activity and pregnancy loss.

Methods: Our study included 71,963 singleton births conceived in 2002-2016 and delivered at an academic medical center in Eastern Massachusetts.

Nocardia species distribution and antimicrobial susceptibility within Australia.

Background: Nocardia is a ubiquitous saprophyte capable of causing human disease. Disease is primarily respiratory or cutaneous, usually acquired via inhalation or inoculation. Under the influence of environmental and host factors, Nocardia incidence and species distribution demonstrate geographical variation.

Particle size-dependent and route-specific exposure to liquid crystal monomers in indoor air: Implications for human health risk estimations.

In indoor environments, liquid crystal monomers (LCMs) released from display devices is a significant concern, necessitating a comprehensive investigation into their distribution behaviors and potential health risks. Herein, we examined various LCMs in educational and workplace air and compared their associated health risks through inhalation and dermal absorption routes. 4-propyl-4'-vinylbicyclohexyl (3VbcH) and 4,4'-bis(4-propylcyclohexyl) biphenyl (b3CHB) with median concentrations of 101 and 1460 pg m, were the predominant LCMs in gaseous and particulate phases, respectively.

Slippery Porous-Liquid-Infused Porous Surface (SPIPS) with On-Demand Responsive Switching between "Defensive" and "Offensive" Antifouling Modes.

Slippery liquid-infused porous surfaces (SLIPS) have received widespread attention in the antifouling field. However, the reduction in antifouling performance caused by lubricant loss limits their application in marine antifouling. Herein, inspired by the skin of a poison dart frog which contains venom glands and mucus, a porous liquid (PL) based on ZIF-8 is prepared as a lubricant and injected into a silicone polyurethane (SPU) matrix to construct a new type of SLIPS for marine antifouling applications: the slippery porous-liquid-infused porous surface (SPIPS).

Metal-Based Electrocatalysts for Selective Electrochemical Nitrogen Reduction to Ammonia.

Ammonia (NH) plays a significant role in the manufacture of fertilizers, nitrogen-containing chemical production, and hydrogen storage. The electrochemical nitrogen reduction reaction (e-NRR) is an attractive prospect for achieving clean and sustainable NH production, under mild conditions driven by renewable energy. The sluggish cleavage of N≡N bonds and poor selectivity of e-NRR are the primary challenges for e-NRR, over the competitive hydrogen evolution reaction (HER).

Hepatic Metastasectomy in Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Anal Canal: A Case Series of a Curative Approach.

Background: Squamous cell carcinoma of the anal canal (SCCA) is rare. Most cases are diagnosed in a localized setting. Metastatic SCCA is rare, and investigation has been limited in the past for these patients.

Misclassification Bias in the Assessment of Gene-by-Environment Interactions.

Background: Misclassification bias is a common concern in epidemiologic studies. Despite strong bias on main effects, gene-environment interactions have been shown to be biased towards the null under gene-environment independence. In the context of a recent article examining the interaction between nerve agent exposure and paraoxonase-1 gene on Gulf War Illness, we aimed to assess the impact of recall bias-a common misclassfication bias-on the identification of gene-environment interactions when the independence assumption is violated.

Associations of solar activity and related exposures with fetal growth.

Background: Solar and geomagnetic activity have been shown to suppress melatonin and to degrade folate levels, important hormones for fetal development. We examined whether solar and geomagnetic activity were associated with fetal growth.

Methods: We included 9573 singleton births with 26,879 routine ultrasounds at an academic medical center in Eastern Massachusetts from 2011 through 2016.