65,296 research outputs found
The Impact of Sodium Reduction on Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) Primary and Secondary Prevention: An Umbrella Review
No full textThesis (Master's)--University of Washington, 2025University of Washington Abstract The Impact of Sodium Reduction on Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) Primary and Secondary Prevention: An Umbrella Review
Kokou Tbah Tighankpa Chair of the Supervisor Committee: Yanfang Su
Global Health Background: The impact of dietary interventions in primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular diseases is not well synthesized. Specific aim: To determine the health benefits of sodium reduction interventions by comparing primary prevention versus secondary prevention. Data source: PubMed from January 1, 2010, to January 21, 2025. Study selection: Systematic reviews and meta-analyses (SRMAs) of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and cohort studies that explored the impact of sodium reduction interventions on our targeted outcomes: systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), heart failure (HF), cardiovascular diseases (CVD) incidence, and CVD mortality. Data Management: COVIDENCE. Data Synthesis: We screened 425 titles and abstracts and included 10 SRMAs in our umbrella review. In primary prevention, we found that the dietary approaches to stop hypertension (DASH), Sodium-reduced Diet, Sodium Substitution by potassium, and Mediterranean Diet reduce SBP and DBP among normotensive and hypertensive populations. Similarly, the Japanese Diet and DASH were found to be effective in reducing the risk of CVD in general and stroke. In secondary prevention, despite the low quality of the SRMAs assessed by the Modified AMSTAR-2 tool, our review reported a significant impact of the Mediterranean Diet on risk reduction among populations with existing cardiovascular disease conditions and CVD mortality. Conclusion: Sodium reduction interventions could contribute to reducing the global burden of cardiovascular diseases. Besides the Sodium-reduced Diet and Sodium Substitution interventions, food-related interventions can contribute to preventing cardiovascular diseases through both primary and secondary strategies
sj-docx-1-ajs-10.1177_03635465231170699 – Supplemental material for Return to Sport After Anatomic Lateral Ankle Stabilization Surgery for Chronic Ankle Instability: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
No full textSupplemental material, sj-docx-1-ajs-10.1177_03635465231170699 for Return to Sport After Anatomic Lateral Ankle Stabilization Surgery for Chronic Ankle Instability: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis by Yanzhang Li, Tong Su, Yuelin Hu, Chen Jiao, Qinwei Guo, Yanfang Jiang and Dong Jiang in The American Journal of Sports Medicine</p
Power Supply and Ultrasound Functionality in Malawi: Findings from the 2019 Harmonized Health Facility Assessment (HHFA) Census Survey
No full textThesis (Master's)--University of Washington, 2024This study examines the association between power supply and the availability and functionality of ultrasound (USS) equipment in Malawi's healthcare facilities, using data from the 2019 Harmonized Health Facility Assessment (HHFA). A cross-sectional design was utilized, analyzing 1,052 facilities across Malawi's three-tiered healthcare system. Key variables included power access, reliability, usage, and generator availability, with statistical models adjusted for facility level, ownership, and geographic location. The results show a significant association between complete power access and higher odds of functional USS equipment. Facilities with complete power access had over eight times higher odds of functional USS equipment (OR = 8.26, CI 3.58 - 19.04, p < 0.001) than those without power access. Partial power access was associated with lower odds of functional USS equipment (OR = 0.13, CI 0.056 - 0.319, p < 0.001). Facilities that used electricity specifically for medical devices had higher odds of functional USS equipment (OR = 2.83, p < 0.001). Power reliability was also crucial; facilities with fewer than 2 hours of power interruptions per day had higher odds of functional USS (OR = 1.97, p < 0.001). However, generator availability showed a less consistent association, with facilities having generators being less likely to have functional USS equipment (OR = 0.42, p = 0.009). Disparities were observed across facility levels, regions, and ownership types, with secondary and rural facilities showing superior USS functionality compared to primary and urban facilities. Christian Health Association of Malawi (CHAM) and NGO-owned facilities outperformed government-owned facilities in equipment functionality, with CHAM facilities showing 58.9% functional USS compared to 46.4% in government facilities. The study highlights the potential of handheld point-of-care ultrasound (HPOCUS) devices to address power-related constraints, offering a promising solution for resource-limited settings. However, the cross-sectional nature of the data limits causal inferences, and future research should consider additional contextual factors such as workforce and financing. Overall, targeted investments in power infrastructure and innovative diagnostic technologies are essential for improving healthcare delivery in Malawi and similar low-resource settings
Projecting long-term care costs for home and community-based services in China from 2005 to 2050
No full textObjectives: the aim of this study was to estimate and project the trend in long-term care (LTC) costs for home and community-based services as a percentage of gross domestic product in China between 2005 and 2050.Design: longitudinal.Setting and participants: we used 61,249 observations from 37,702 adults age ≥65 years from waves 2005, 2008, 2011, 2014, and 2018 of the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Surveys.Methods: LTC costs for home and community-based services consisted of the monetary value of time spent on LTC and the direct LTC cost. We used the age-sex-residence-specific weights provided by the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Surveys to estimate the LTC costs from 2005 to 2018. We used a component-based model to project LTC costs, in which the 2-part model was used to estimate the average LTC costs and the multi-state Markov model approach was used to project the future population by age, sex, and disability state.Results: the percentage of older adults with disabilities was projected to increase from 6.1% in 2005 to 7.5% in 2020 and 9.6% in 2050. The total LTC cost for home and community-based services were projected to increase from 0.3% of gross domestic product in 2005 to 0.7% in 2020 and to 6.4% in 2050.Conclusions and implications: policymakers in China should take urgent actions to delay the onset of disabilities among older adults, which would curb the increasing LTC costs and maintain the sustainability of the LTC policies
Association between Acculturation and Sodium to Potassium Ratio and Disparity in Trends by Race/Ethnicity in the U.S.: NHANES 2011-2020
No full textThesis (Master's)--University of Washington, 2024Introduction: Racial disparity in sodium to potassium ratio (Na/K) has been documented. However, we have a limited understanding of the association between culture and diet. The goal of this study is to assess the trends in the Na/K ratio by race/ethnicity and to explore the association between acculturation and Na/K ratio in the U.S.Method: We analyzed data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 2011 to March 2020 (aged ≥14 years). Trend analyses were conducted for each race/ethnicity group and nativity status. A multivariable linear regression model was used to test the association between the Na/K ratio and acculturation measures, adjusting for race/ethnicity, age, sex, BMI, hypertension, energy intake, and seven social determinants of health (SDoH)-related confounders (employment status, income ratio to poverty, food security, education, access to healthcare, healthcare insurance, and marital status).
Results: A nationally representative sample of 23,057 participants was included. The Na/K ratio increased from 2011 to 2020 in the overall study population, especially among the US-born non-Hispanic White and non-Hispanic Black groups. However, a significant decreasing trend for non-Hispanic Asians, especially Asians who were born outside the U.S. was observed. Non-Hispanic Asians had the highest sodium intake, whereas non-Hispanic Blacks had the highest Na/K ratio compared to other race/ethnicity groups. Findings from the multivariable linear regression model indicated that the duration of residency in the U.S. was associated with an increased Na/K ratio (p<0.01). Adjusting for confounders, non-Hispanic Asians had the highest Na/K ratio (p<0.001), followed by non-Hispanic Blacks (p<0.001), other or multi-racial group (p<0.05), and Mexican Americans (p<0.05) compared to the non-Hispanic Whites. A higher Na/K ratio was more likely among women, individuals aged 19-30 years, those with suboptimal weight, those with higher energy intake, and those with marginal or lower food security, as well as those with government healthcare insurance or no healthcare insurance. No other significant associations were found between the Na/K ratio and other variables in the regression models.
Conclusion: The Na/K ratio increased in the U.S. from 2011 to 2020. Prolonged exposure to the U.S. food environment has a significant impact on consuming excessive sodium and insufficient potassium. However, the findings also suggest that non-Hispanic Asians might be less prone to adapting their dietary habits compared to other race/ethnicity groups. Multi-faceted interventions that address the disparity in races/ethnicity and acculturation statuses are needed to reduce the Na/K ratio.
Supplementary: A supplementary file includes a table summarizing study participants aged 14 years and over by NHANES cycle and acculturation measures
Energy-Efficient Train Operation: Conclusions and Future Work
No full textThis chapter gives the basic conclusions about energy-efficient train operation covering energy-efficient train driving, energy-efficient train timetabling, regenerative braking, energy storage systems and power supply networks. Future work that will develop energy-efficient train operation further include the interaction of connected driver advisory systems (C-DAS) and automatic train operation (ATO) with railway traffic management systems, cooperative train control in platoons of virtually coupled trains, digital twin technology and particularly its application to power supply systems, and the interaction between the railway network with the electrical power grid and renewable energy generation.Green Open Access added to TU Delft Institutional Repository ‘You share, we take care!’ – Taverne project https://www.openaccess.nl/en/you-share-we-take-care Otherwise as indicated in the copyright section: the publisher is the copyright holder of this work and the author uses the Dutch legislation to make this work public.Transport and Plannin
Relating Research and Teaching: comparing experiences and beliefs
No full textThe relationship between research and teaching has possible benefits and inherent tensions. It is a recurrent topic of discussion by faculty including engineering educators. Exploring a potentially beneficial relationship and is of interest and possible value to engineering faculty, our students, and our stakeholders. Institutions and departments have developed a range of approaches including research-led, research informed, or just plain scholarly. This paper examines the relationship between research and teaching in the undergraduate curriculum. It compares and contrasts evidence of the beliefs and experiences of the engineering faculty and the engineering student. It presents and analyses the result of surveys which gathered qualitative and qualitative data to explore the inter-relationship of research and teaching; in the curriculum; and as it is delivered and experienced in the lab, seminar room and lecture hall. This research builds on existing work developed in a preliminary study which examined ways in which synergies between research and teaching could be achieved, particularly in the ‘hard/applied’ areas of the curriculum. It analyses data from the ‘research-intensive’ and the ‘teaching-intensive’ perspective
Education for Cataloging in Spanish Universities: A Descriptive and Critical Study
No full textObjective: This is a critical descriptive study of the situation of cataloging as an academic discipline within Library and Information Science studies in Spain. Material and methods: The descriptive analysis of the sectional contents of the general and specific guidelines of the degrees of Diplomado (three-year degree) and Licenciado (fiveyear degree) in LIS and the curricular programs of the Spanish university schools or departments. Variables analyzed: The denomination and content descriptors of the course offerings and credit hours. The test-retest method was used, with a qualitative processing of data. Results: General data is given about the studies in LIS: their introduction, the universities that offer them, and the degrees awarded. Cataloging is considered an obligatory core subject matter, and is represented by several courses that present important differences insofar as their denominations, their credits, and their character from one curricular program to the next. The average credit requisite for obligatory courses in cataloging in Spain is 14 (1 credit = 10 class hours), and 19.7 if electives are also considered. At present, this discipline is undergoing a reform that will produce important changes as a result of the adaptation of university studies to the common framework of the European Union
Introduction to Energy-Efficient Train Operation
No full textRailway, as one of the most energy-efficient transport, plays an essential role in improving the world’s energy and environmental sustainability. Statistics about rail share of transport activities and the corresponding energy consumption will demonstrate the energy efficiency of railway and indicate the potential of developing railway transport. Therefore, this chapter will provide an overview of the railway's energy consumption and traffic volume shares. Statistics presented in this chapter show that railway energy consumption decreased in these decades while its transport volume kept stable, and the traffic volume share of the railway is extremely large in urban transport. To achieve the goal of carbon neutralization, the European Union and many countries have conducted research projects on railway energy conservation. The technologies developed in these projects include energy-efficient train driving, integrated timetabling, using regenerative braking energy, etc. A summary of these technologies is also given, along with their potential energy savings, which range from 1 to 25%. This book will analyse and illustrate the whole systems processes of train operation with optimisation solutions. The structure of the following chapters will be presented at the end.Green Open Access added to TU Delft Institutional Repository ‘You share, we take care!’ – Taverne project https://www.openaccess.nl/en/you-share-we-take-care Otherwise as indicated in the copyright section: the publisher is the copyright holder of this work and the author uses the Dutch legislation to make this work public.Transport and Plannin
A Chinese lecturer in an English university: an unfinished journey
No full textThis chapter portraits a learning journey of an academic. The narrative chapter points a way forward to new modes of inter-cultural understanding of learners. The author of this chapter invites the readers to become fellow travellers to gain from his unique learning journeys an understanding of what is common to all learning. The chapter indicates that learning is often transformative, indeterminate and unfinished. The author invites readers to consider following questions: what do they tell us about learning itself? About what it means to be a learner in the first quarter of the 21st Century? What do we learn about the experience of learning
- …
