Prevalence of opioid dependence in Scotland 2015-2020: A multi-parameter estimation of prevalence (MPEP) study.

Background And Aims: Drug-related deaths in Scotland more than doubled between 2011 and 2020. To inform policymakers and understand drivers of this increase, we estimated the number of people with opioid dependence aged 15-64 from 2014/15 to 2019/20.

Design: We fitted a Bayesian multi-parameter estimation of prevalence (MPEP) model, using adverse event rates to estimate prevalence of opioid dependence jointly from Opioid Agonist Therapy (OAT), opioid-related mortality and hospital admissions data.

Influenza and the risk of active tuberculosis occurrence among individuals with latent tuberculosis infection: A national cohort study in South Korea (2015-2020).

Background: Influenza's potential impact on active tuberculosis (TB) development has been debated, with limited clinical evidence. To address this, we explored the association between influenza episodes and TB incidence in a national cohort of individuals with latent TB infection (LTBI).

Methods: We examined adults (≥20 years) diagnosed with LTBI between 2015 and 2020, using the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service's national database in South Korea.

Adrenalectomy Outcome Variations Across Different Functional Adrenal Tumors.

Introduction: Adrenalectomy generally has favorable outcomes. It is unknown if patients with functional adrenal tumors experience different clinical outcomes than those with benign adrenal tumors, due to the presence of comorbid conditions secondary to the functional tumor. We investigated outcomes following open and laparoscopic adrenalectomy for benign nonfunctional (BNF) versus functional adrenal masses.

Trends, patterns and relationship of antimicrobial use and resistance in bacterial isolates tested between 2015-2020 in a national referral hospital of Zambia.

Increased antimicrobial resistance (AMR) among bacteria underscores the need to strengthen AMR surveillance and promote data-based prescribing. To evaluate trends and associations between antimicrobial usage (AMU) and AMR, we explored a dataset of 34,672 bacterial isolates collected between 2015 and 2020 from clinical samples at the University Teaching Hospital (UTH) in Lusaka, Zambia. The most frequently isolated species were Escherichia coli (4,986/34,672; 14.

Mapping Blood Lead Levels in China during 1980-2040 with Machine Learning.

Lead poisoning is globally concerning, yet limited testing hinders effective interventions in most countries. We aimed to create annual maps of county-specific blood lead levels in China from 1980 to 2040 using a machine learning model. Blood lead data from China were sourced from 1180 surveys published between 1980 and 2022.

Eco-environmental changes due to human activities in the Erhai Lake Basin from 1990 to 2020.

Human activities have increased with urbanisation in the Erhai Lake Basin, considerably impacting its eco-environmental quality (EEQ). This study aims to reveal the evolution and driving forces of the EEQ using water benefit-based ecological index (WBEI) in response to human activities and policy variations in the Erhai Lake Basin from 1990 to 2020. Results show that (1) the EEQ exhibited a pattern of initial degradation, subsequent improvement, further degradation and a rebound from 1990 to 2020, and the areas with poor and fair EEQ levels mainly concentrated around the Erhai Lake Basin with a high level of urbanisation and relatively flat terrain; (2) the EEQ levels were not optimistic in 1990, 1995 and 2015, and areas with poor and fair EEQ levels accounted for 43.

Measuring resilience for Chinese-speaking populations: a systematic review of Chinese resilience scales.

Introduction: Despite the rapid growth of interdisciplinary resilience research in Chinese contexts, no study has systematically reviewed individual-level measurement scales for Chinese-speaking populations. We report a systematic review of scales developed for or translated/adapted to Chinese-speaking contexts, where we assessed how widely used scales fare in terms of their psychometric qualities.

Methods: Studies included in this review must have been published in peer-reviewed English or Chinese journals between 2015-2020 and included self-reported resilience scales in Chinese-speaking populations.

Type 2 diabetes and health-related quality of life among older Medicare beneficiaries: The mediating role of sleep.

Objective: To examine mediating effects of sleep quality and duration on the association between T2D and QoL among Medicare beneficiaries 65+.

Methods: Data from the Medicare Health Outcome Survey (2015-2020) were used. The outcome was QoL (physical and mental health component-summary scores [PCS and MCS]) measured by the Veterans-Rand-12.

Research review for effects of investment on polarization of wealth.

In South Korea, the polarization of wealth is very serious, and its pace is faster than in other countries. Recently, investments in instruments such as stocks, bitcoins and in real estate are seen as decisive factors that intensify the polarization of wealth in South Korea. The motivation for this study is to analyze effects of investment on polarization of wealth.

The effect of axial length on pseudophakic retinal detachment.

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to analyse the surgical management and outcome regarding axial length in the population affected by pseudophakic retinal detachment (PRD) 2015-2020.

Method: The patients included were from an observational cohort study of patients undergoing cataract surgery in the region of Skåne during 2015-2017. Data were retrieved from the Swedish National Cataract Register and cross-referenced with cases of PRD in the same region from 2015 to 2020.

The Ideal Timing of Bilateral Total Knee Arthroplasty: Simultaneous Versus Staged.

Objectives: The ideal timing for patients undergoing bilateral total knee arthroplasty (TKA) remains unknown. The purpose of this study was to compare 90-day outcomes between unilateral, simultaneous bilateral, and staged bilateral TKA.

Methods: The PearlDiver database was used to retrospectively identify 231,119 patients undergoing primary TKA during 2015-2020, of which 67,956 (29.

Consideration of nutrition and sustainability in public definitions of 'healthy' food: an analysis of submissions to the US FDA.

Objective: To better understand how the public defines 'healthy' foods and to determine whether the public considers sustainability, implicitly and explicitly, in the context of healthy eating.

Design: We conducted a content analysis of public comments submitted to the US FDA in 2016 and 2017 in response to an invitation for feedback on use of the term 'healthy' on food labels. The analysis explored the ways in which commenters' definitions of 'healthy' aligned with the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans and whether their definitions considered sustainability.

Incidence of Influenza-related Medical Encounters and the Associated Healthcare Resource Use and Complications Across Adult Age Groups in the United States During the 2015-2020 Influenza Seasons.

Background: Research on influenza burden in adults has focused on crude subgroups with cut-points at 65 years, limiting insight into how burden varies with increasing age. This study describes the incidence of influenza-related outpatient visits, emergency room visits, and hospitalizations, along with healthcare resource use and complications in the aging adult population.

Methods: Individuals aged ≥18 years in the United States were evaluated retrospectively in 5 seasonal cohorts (2015-2020 seasons) in strata of age with 5-year increments.

Demographic, clinical, and surgical features of patients undergoing thyroidectomy due to thyroid lesions in Southern Iran: A cross-sectional study.

Background And Aims: The incidence of thyroid cancer has witnessed a significant global increase and stands as one of the most prevalent cancers in Iran. This surge is primarily attributed to the escalating incidence of papillary thyroid cancer (PTC), with overdiagnosis emerging as an equally noteworthy factor. Consequently, this study aims to ascertain the incidence of thyroid cancer, along with its clinical presentation, demographic characteristics, and surgical features in patients undergoing thyroid surgery.

Pituitary Adenoma Prevalence and Characteristics of Omani Patients: A Single Center Experience.

Objectives: To estimate the incidence of pituitary adenomas (PA) in adult Omani patients and describe its epidemiological, clinical, and radiological characteristics.

Methods: In this longitudinal, descriptive study, we reviewed the records of all PA patients from January 2015 to January 2020 who presented at the endocrinology facilities at Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, Muscat.

Results: The participants comprised of 112 Omani patients with PA.

Examining NSDUH's Assessment of Fentanyl Use: A Comparison of Trends in Fentanyl Use and Fentanyl Overdose Deaths From 2015 to 2020.

Objective: The National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), as the primary source of epidemiological substance use data in the United States, could illuminate trends in fentanyl use behaviors contributing to the opioid overdose crisis. We hypothesized that the trend in NSDUH prevalence of lifetime fentanyl injection would match the direction and magnitude of the trend in synthetic opioid overdose deaths.

Method: Using logistic regression, we modeled the 2015-2020 trend in synthetic opioid overdose deaths as a proportion of all deaths.

Epidemiological features of 1,332 cases of hip fracture in Shanghai, China (2015-2020).

Purpose: This study aimed to analyze the epidemiological characteristics of hip fracture in all age groups in Shanghai, and to evaluate the hospitalization cost of patients with hip fracture.

Methods: A total of 1,332 hip fracture patients admitted to a tertiary general hospital between January 2015 and May 2020 in Shanghai were included. Age, sex, diagnosis, cause of injury and site, fracture type, comorbidities, length of stay, treatment, outcomes (at discharge) and hospitalization expenses were recorded.

Weight Loss Maintainers Sustain High Diet Quality in Diverse Residential Retail Food Environments.

Background: The relationship between the retail food environment and diet quality has received minimal investigation among weight loss maintainers.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the association between the residential retail food environment and diet quality in weight loss maintainers from WeightWatchers in the United States.

Design: Cross-sectional data were collected between January 2018 and February 2020.

Patterns of aortic valve replacement in Europe and adoption by sex.

Objective: Management of patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS) may differ according to the patient sex. This study aimed to describe patterns of aortic valve replacement (AVR) for severe AS across Europe, including stratification by sex.

Methods: Procedure volume data for surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) and transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) for six years (2015-2020) were extracted from national databases for Austria, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, Finland, France, Germany, Norway, Poland, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland and stratified by sex.

Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Among Emerging Adult Undergraduates: A Longitudinal and Two-Cohort Study.

Mental disorders constitute one of the population's principal health problems, especially among undergraduates. This quantitative study compared levels of depression, anxiety, and stress in a sample of emerging adult university undergraduates from a gender perspective (1) during the initial and intermediate years of emerging adulthood and (2) in two different cohorts. A total of 383 Spanish emerging adult university undergraduates were monitored longitudinally (2015-2018) and two cohorts were compared (2015-2020).

Impact of Nonpharmaceutical Interventions during the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Prevalence of Respiratory Syncytial Virus in Hospitalized Children with Lower Respiratory Tract Infections: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, nonpharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) were implemented in order to control the transmission of SARS-CoV-2, potentially affecting the prevalence of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). This review evaluated the impact of NPIs on RSV-related hospitalizations in children during the lockdown (2020-2021) compared to the pre-pandemic (2015-2020) and post-lockdown (2021-2022) periods. In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched through PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science for studies published in English between 1 January 2015 and 31 December 2022.

A Retrospective Study (2015-2020) on the Risk Factors Associated with the Persistence and Spread of Brucellosis in Buffalo Farms in Caserta Province, Italy.

Bovine and bubaline brucellosis is still present in some regions of Italy. Although control and eradication measures have been implemented for several years, the brucellosis situation remains problematic in the Campania region. The infection is present in the provinces of Salerno and Caserta, with the latter experiencing a drastic increase in the prevalence and incidence of infection in buffalo species (Bubalus bubalis) in recent years.

China's carbon-neutral policies will reduce short-term PM-associated excess incidence of cardiovascular diseases.

China's carbon-neutral target could have benefits for ambient fine particulate matter (PM)-associated mortality. Although previous studies have researched such benefits, the potential impact on cardiovascular disease incidence burden is yet to be investigated thoroughly. Here, we first estimate the association between short-term PM exposure and the incidence of stroke and coronary heart disease (CHD) via a case-crossover study before projecting future changes in short-term PM-associated excess incidence across China from 2025 to 2060 under three different emission scenarios.

Climate change intensifies algal biomass resurgence in eutrophic Lake Taihu, China.

Climate change can significantly alter phytoplankton growth and proliferation, which would counteract restoration efforts to control algal blooms. However, the knowledge is limited about the quantitative evaluation of the causal effect of algal biomass resurgence in large shallow lakes where there is no significant improvement after long term lake restoration. Here, a bucket process-based phytoplankton dynamic model is developed to quantify the contributions of climate change and nutrients concentration changes to phytoplankton biomass resurgence after 2014 in hypereutrophic Lake Taihu, China.