Systematic review of Janus kinases inhibitors for rheumatoid arthritis: methodology, reporting, and quality of evidence evaluation.

Objective: To evaluate the methodological, reporting and evidence quality of systematic reviews or meta-analyses of Janus kinases (JAK) inhibitors for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methods: Our study systematically retrieved reviews from various databases, spanning from inception to June 2024. Two evaluators independently assessed the methodological, reporting, and evidence quality of each review using the AMSTAR-2 and PRIAMA2020 tools. The evidence quality was evaluated according to GRADE criteria. Six aspects were evaluated: publication year, study type, homogeneity, risk of publication bias, AMSTAR-2 methodology, and PRIAMA2020 reporting quality. Excel 2016 facilitated conversion of scores into radar plots. Results: Following stringent selection criteria, a total of 18 relevant studies were identified. The AMSTAR-2 scores ranged from 4 to 13 points, with five studies rated as low quality and the remaining 13 as critically low quality. All studies encompassed populations, interventions, controls, and outcome measures, demonstrating commendable integrity. However, there is room for improvement in study protocol development and registration, comprehensive search strategies, inclusion and exclusion criteria, conflict of interest disclosure, and discussion of heterogeneity. PRIAMA2020 assessments ranged from 14.5 to 21 points, with two studies scoring below 15 points due to increased bias risk from data transformation and sensitivity analysis. Notably, all reviews (100%) adhered to PRIAMA2020 guidelines for certain items but none met all criteria. GRADE evaluation included 446 outcome measures, with 158 of moderate, 156 of low, and 132 of very low quality, indicating JAK inhibitors is effective in improving RA. According to radar chart, the average rank score was 13.13. One study achieved a balanced score across all dimensions, while 11 exceeded the average, five showed significant differences in PRIAMA2020 scores, and four in AMSTAR two scores. Conclusion: Despite summarizing the efficacy and safety of JAK inhibitors in treating RA, the included studies exhibited poor methodological and reporting quality, along with low-quality evidence overall. Therefore, caution is warranted among decision-makers regarding the use of JAK inhibitors in RA treatment. Urgent requirements include high-quality, multicenter studies investigating JAK inhibitors for RA. Systematic Review registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO, identifier 413415.

Equitable differential privacy.

Differential privacy (DP) has been in the public spotlight since the announcement of its use in the 2020 U.S. Census. While DP algorithms have substantially improved the confidentiality protections provided to Census respondents, concerns have been raised about the accuracy of the DP-protected Census data. The extent to which the use of DP distorts the ability to draw inferences that drive policy about small-populations, especially marginalized communities, has been of particular concern to researchers and policy makers. After all, inaccurate information about marginalized populations can often engender policies that exacerbate rather than ameliorate social inequities. Consequently, computer science experts have focused on developing mechanisms that help achieve equitable privacy, i.e., mechanisms that mitigate the data distortions introduced by privacy protections to ensure equitable outcomes and benefits for all groups, particularly marginalized groups. Our paper extends the conversation on equitable privacy by highlighting the importance of inclusive communication in ensuring equitable outcomes for all social groups through all the stages of deploying a differentially private system. We conceptualize Equitable DP as the design, communication, and implementation of DP algorithms that ensure equitable outcomes. Thus, in addition to adopting computer scientists' recommendations of incorporating equity parameters within DP algorithms, we suggest that it is critical for an organization to also facilitate inclusive communication throughout the design, development, and implementation stages of a DP algorithm to ensure it has an equitable impact on social groups and does not hinder the redressal of social inequities. To demonstrate the importance of communication for Equitable DP, we undertake a case study of the process through which DP was adopted as the newest disclosure avoidance system for the 2020 U.S. Census. Drawing on the Inclusive Science Communication (ISC) framework, we examine the extent to which the Census Bureau's communication strategies encouraged engagement across the diverse groups of users that employ the decennial Census data for research and policy making. Our analysis provides lessons that can be used by other government organizations interested in incorporating the Equitable DP approach in their data collection practices.

Building a healthy nation: A white paper on Olympic sports and the Indian education system.

The Indian education system has produced top-class global corporate leaders in recent decades. The combination of a solid educational foundation, work ethic, adaptability, technical and analytical skills, leadership abilities, networking, entrepreneurial spirit, and cultural values collectively contribute to the success of Indian students and professionals in the corporate world. On the contrary, India's overall performance in Olympic sports has been modest compared to its population and potential. The education system of any country has a significant role in sporting success. To fully harness the potential of sports in schools, addressing these challenges and creating a supportive environment that values and promotes sporting abilities alongside academic excellence is essential. This will require concerted efforts from various stakeholders, including the schooling system, educational institutions, government, sports organizations, corporate sponsors, and the community. This white paper aims to systematically organize the available knowledge and debates around India's sporting performance in the background of mainstream education culture. This paper also addresses the systemic devaluation, exclusion, disfranchisement, and stereotyping of sports and sportspersons in India. One key argument put forward in this paper is to extend absolute equivalence to Olympic sports disciplines (e.g., football) at par with general academic disciplines (e.g., mathematics) in terms of examinations and award of qualifications within the mainstream education system of India. And India must host the Olympics before 2047.

Bright Structural-Phase-Pure CsPbI3 Core-PbSO4 Shell Nanoplatelets With Ultra-Narrow Emission Bandwidth of 77 meV at 630 nm.

Achieving a narrow emission bandwidth is long pursued for display applications. Among all primary colors, obtaining pure red emission with high visual perception is the most challenging. In this work, CsPbI3 halide perovskite nanoplatelets (NPLs) with rigorously controlled 2D  [PbI6]4- octahedron layer number (n) are demonstrated. A perovskite core-PbSO4 shell structure is designed to prevent aggregation and fusion between NPLs, enabling consistent thickness and quantum confinement strength for each NPL. Consequently, exact n = 4 CsPbI3 NPLs are demonstrated, exhibiting emission peaks around 630 nm, with very narrow spectral bandwidths of <24 nm and high absolute photoluminescence quantum yields up to 85%. The emission of n = 4 NPLs falls exactly within the pure-red region, closely aligning with the International Telecommunication Union Recommendation BT.2020  standard. Measurements suggest predominant stability and color homogeneity compared to traditional red-emitting CsPbIxBr3- x nanocrystals. Finally, proof-of-concept pure-red emissive light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are demonstrated by integrating n = 4 CsPbI3 NPLs films with a blue LED chip, showing an excellent external quantum efficiency of 18.3% and high brightness exceeding 3 × 106 nits. Stringent requirements for future display technologies, are satisfied based on the high color purity, stability, and brightness of CsPbI3 NPLs.

Efficacy of a new vacuum erection device (Vigor 2020) for erectile dysfunction: A retrospective study in Japan.

OBJECTIVES: The vacuum erection device (VED) is a second-line treatment tool recommended in erectile dysfunction (ED) guidelines but has long been unavailable in Japan. A new VED, Vigor 2020® (A & HB Company Limited, Tokyo, Japan), has now been manufactured and received medical approval from the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency in Japan. We conducted a retrospective observational study of ED patients who used Vigor 2020 in clinical practice. METHODS: We analyzed male ED patients aged ≥20 years treated with Vigor 2020 in our outpatient clinics. The primary endpoint was improvement of erection as evaluated by an Erection Hardness Score (EHS) of ≥1 point. Secondary endpoints were improvement of sexual function and adverse events as evaluated by the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) and Male Sexual Health Questionnaire for assessing ejaculatory dysfunction (MSHQ-EjD). RESULTS: Thirty-three patients (mean age, 57.21 [27-86] years) could be evaluated before and after using Vigor 2020. Among the 16 patients with baseline EHS ≤2, 14 (93.33%) improved by ≥1 point, and 10 of these 16 patients (62.50%) improved to EHS ≥3 and could insert vaginally. Significant improvement was observed for IIEF total score and for the MSHQ-EjD in patients with an EHS of ≥3 after use of Vigor 2020. No patient experienced significant adverse events. CONCLUSIONS: The Vigor 2020 may be an efficacious treatment tool for ED. Patients with significant ED experienced not only significant improvement of erection but also improvement of ejaculation with its use.

A study on the grey relation analysis between the overall performance and individual event scores of international elite trampolinists.

This study applied grey relational analysis to assess the relationship between individual trampoline event scores and overall performance of top male and female athletes in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Analyzing execution, horizontal, difficulty, timing of flight, and total scores, results showed males excelled significantly in difficulty, timing, and overall performance, while execution and horizontal scores were comparable. For males, timing of flight (excluding outliers) had the greatest influence on total score, followed by difficulty and execution. In females, difficulty dominated, followed by timing and horizontal, with execution least impactful. The study highlighted the primary roles of timing and difficulty scores in overall trampoline performance, with gender variations in score contributions. The findings illuminated the interplay of score components, offering a theoretical framework for targeted trampoline training. For international athletes, key considerations included boosting height index for a robust trampoline foundation; tailoring difficulty levels to athletes' abilities while adhering to scoring rules, without sacrificing technical prowess; and sustaining training to refine quality and stability of routines.

How do we fund Public Health in Australia? How should we?

OBJECTIVE: To map how public health is funded in Australia. To assess whether changes to funding methods might improve system performance. METHODS: Review of publicly accessible documents and discussions with public health key informants. RESULTS: Australia spent $140 per person on public health in 2019-20, (1.8% of total health spending). But there is considerable state and territory variation. This money flows through multiple channels and payment mechanisms. Responsibility for what is funded is largely delegated to authorities close to the problems. This makes it easier to choose the best mechanism for funding an activity. Much information is hidden from view, however. This makes it impossible to assess whether the potential for population benefit is fully realised. CONCLUSIONS: Australia avoids some of the difficulties experienced elsewhere because funding is largely devolved to states in block grants; they shape their own investments. The US, by contrast, prefers categorical funds for specific purposes. Three suggestions for making the funding system here more visible, useful and accountable are canvassed, including 'satellite accounts'. IMPLICATIONS FOR PUBLIC HEALTH: Funding needs to be more transparent before it is possible to assess whether public health system performance could be improved through changes to the way public health is funded.

High-dimensional variable selection accounting for heterogeneity in regression coefficients across multiple data sources.

When analyzing data combined from multiple sources (e.g., hospitals, studies), the heterogeneity across different sources must be accounted for. In this paper, we consider high-dimensional linear regression models for integrative data analysis. We propose a new adaptive clustering penalty (ACP) method to simultaneously select variables and cluster source-specific regression coefficients with sub-homogeneity. We show that the estimator based on the ACP method enjoys a strong oracle property under certain regularity conditions. We also develop an efficient algorithm based on the alternating direction method of multipliers (ADMM) for parameter estimation. We conduct simulation studies to compare the performance of the proposed method to three existing methods (a fused LASSO with adjacent fusion, a pairwise fused LASSO, and a multi-directional shrinkage penalty method). Finally, we apply the proposed method to the multi-center Childhood Adenotonsillectomy Trial to identify sub-homogeneity in the treatment effects across different study sites.

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Association Between Healthy Eating Index-2020 and Oral Microbiome Among Postmenopausal Women.

BACKGROUND: Dietary intake has been suggested to be associated with the oral microbiome, but no study has examined the association between overall diet quality and the oral microbiome. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to investigate the cross-sectional association between the Healthy Eating Index-2020 (HEI-2020) and the diversity and composition of the oral microbiome among participants in the Buffalo Osteoporosis and Periodontal Disease (OsteoPerio) Study. METHODS: In 1175 postmenopausal women (mean age: 67 ± 7.0 y), we estimated the HEI-2020 scores for each woman from a food frequency questionnaire administered from 1997 to 2000. Bacterial DNA was extracted from subgingival plaque samples and analyzed using 16S ribosomal RNA sequencing. The alpha-diversity (within-sample diversity) and ß-diversity (between-sample diversity) across HEI-2020 quartiles were examined using analysis of covariance and permutational multivariate analysis of variance, respectively. The associations between the HEI-2020 score and the relative abundance of microbial taxa were examined by linear regression models. The analyses were further conducted for individual components of the HEI-2020. RESULTS: No statistically significant associations were observed between the HEI-2020 scores and alpha- or beta-diversity. However, greater consumption of seafood, plant proteins, and total protein and lower consumption of added sugars were positively associated with alpha-diversity. After we applied a false detection rate (FDR) correction, higher HEI-2020 scores were significantly associated with decreased abundance of Lautropia, Streptococcus gordonii, Cardiobacterium valvarum, and Cardiobacterium hominis, and increased abundance of Selenomonas sp. oral taxon 133 and Selenomonas dianae (FDR-adjusted P values < 0.10). Additionally, 28 other taxa were identified as being associated with HEI-2020 components. CONCLUSIONS: Although the HEI-2020 was associated with the composition, but not the diversity, of the oral microbiome, individual HEI-2020 components were associated with both its diversity and composition. Specific dietary components may have more impact on the diversity and composition of oral microbiome than overall diet quality assessed by the HEI-2020.

A novel comparison framework for epidemiological strategies applied to age-based restrictions versus horizontal lockdowns.

During an epidemic, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, policy-makers are faced with the decision of implementing effective, yet socioeconomically costly intervention strategies, such as school and workplace closure, physical distancing, etc. In this study, we propose a rigorous definition of epidemiological strategies. In addition, we develop a scheme for comparing certain epidemiological strategies, with the goal of providing policy-makers with a tool for their systematic comparison. Then, we put the suggested scheme to the test by employing an age-based epidemiological compartment model introduced in Bitsouni et al. (2024), coupled with data from the literature, in order to compare the effectiveness of age-based and horizontal interventions. In general, our findings suggest that these two are comparable, mainly at a low or medium level of intensity.

Host Engineering of Deep-Blue-Fluorescent Organic Light-Emitting Diodes with High Operational Stability and Narrowband Emission.

The realization of highly operationally stable blue organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) is a challenge in both academia and industry. This paper describes the development of anthracene-dibenzofuran host materials, 2-(10-(naphthalen-1-yl)anthracen-9-yl)naphtho[2,3-b]benzofuran (Host 1) and 2-(10-([1,1'-biphenyl]-2-yl)anthracen-9-yl)naphtho[2,3-b]benzofuran (Host 2), namely for use in the emissive layer of an OLED stack. A multiple-resonance thermally activated delayed serves as the blue fluorescence emitter and exhibits an initial luminance of 1000 cd m-2 and long operational stability (i.e., time to decay to 90% of initial luminance) of 249 h. Furthermore, a deep-blue OLED with an optimized top-emitting architecture with a high current efficiency of 154.3 cd A-1, is fabricated and calibrated to a Commission International de l'Éclairage y chromaticity coordinate of 0.048. Moreover, the emission spectrum of this OLED has a narrowband peak at 476 nm with a full width at half maximum (FWHM) of 16 nm. This work provides valuable insights into the design of anthracene-based host materials and highlights the importance of host optimization in improving the operational stability of OLEDs.

Influenza Vaccination Uptake and Associated Factors among Individuals with Diabetes Mellitus in Spain: A Cross-Sectional Study Using Data from the European Health Interview Survey 2020.

BACKGROUND: Vaccination against influenza has proven to reduce influenza-caused hospital entries, treatment times in intensive care units and hospitalisation costs for treating people with Diabetes Mellitus (DM). Despite the existing influenza vaccination recommendations for all persons with DM, in Spain, vaccination hesitancy remains substantial, and vaccination rates lag behind target. We aimed to assess predictors for influenza vaccination uptake and reasons for non-adherence among individuals with DM. METHODS: Data from the 2020 European Health Interview Survey were analysed using uni- and multivariable logistic regression models, stratified by age group and including possible confounders and vaccination as an outcome. Associations with the sociodemographic profile, healthcare access and substance use were explored. RESULTS: Our analysis included 2194 individuals with DM over the age of 15, showing an influenza vaccination rate of 53%. The findings revealed significant predictors of vaccination uptake, including age over 60 years and robust social support. Conversely, younger age, higher education levels, infrequent healthcare interactions and economic barriers emerged as significant obstacles to vaccination. CONCLUSIONS: To enhance vaccination rates, targeted public health interventions should emphasise the importance of vaccination for younger, more educated individuals with DM, those facing economic barriers and those with lower levels of social support, which could bridge the existing gap in vaccination coverage.

Qualitative comparative analysis of policies implemented by 26 European countries during the 2020 great lockdown.

Introduction: During the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe, from March 1 to April 15, 2020, significant variations emerged among countries regarding the implementation of lockdown policies. During this period, viewed strictly from an epidemiological perspective, lockdown measures are considered the most effective means of containing a pandemic. However, the adoption of such measures varied, raising questions about whether the reluctance or failure of countries to implement lockdown policies reflected a disregard for epidemiological knowledge or stemmed from an inability to enforce these measures. Methods: This article employs Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) with 26 European countries as case studies to investigate under what combination of conditions a country would implement lockdown policies. Results: The QCA results identify three distinct combinations of conditions that lead countries to implement lockdown measures. First, countries with relatively concentrated political power are more likely to implement lockdown policies. Among the 10 countries governed by a majority party or majority coalition within a two-party or moderate multi-party system, seven implemented lockdown policies. Second, in cases of relatively dispersed political power, countries facing state fragility risks are more likely to implement lockdown policies. Among the eight countries that meet both conditions, five implemented lockdown policies. Finally, factors such as political heritage, severity of the pandemic, demographic composition, healthcare access, quality standards, and the ruling party's ideology play a lesser role in the decision to enact lockdown measures. Discussion: This article offers a novel perspective on the dynamics of party politics and state capacity in the context of decision-making during the COVID-19 pandemic. It contributes to a deeper understanding of the intricate relationship between political systems and public health crisis management, highlighting how various political and governance factors influence the adoption of public health interventions during crises.

Asymmetric Structural Engineering of Hot-Exciton Emitters Achieving a Breakthrough in Non-Doped BT.2020 Blue OLEDs with a Record 9.5% External Quantum Efficiency.

High-efficiency non-doped deep-blue organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) meeting the standard of BT.2020 color gamut is desired but rarely reported. Herein, an asymmetric structural engineering based on crossed long-short axis (CLSA) strategy is developed to obtain three new deep-blue emitters (BICZ, PHDPYCZ, and PHPYCZ) with a hot-exciton characteristic. Compared to 2BuCz-CNCz featuring a symmetric single hole-transport framework, these asymmetric emitters with the introduction of different electron-transport units show the enhancement of photoluminescence efficiency and improvement of bipolar charge transport capacity. Further combined with high radiative exciton utilization efficiency and light outcoupling efficiency, the non-doped OLED based on PHPYCZ exhibits the best performance with an excellent current efficiency of 3.49%, a record-high maximum external quantum efficiency of 9.5%, and a CIE y coordinate of 0.049 approaching the BT.2020 blue point. The breakthrough obtained in this work can inspire the molecular design of deep-blue emitters for high-performance non-doped BT.2020 blue OLEDs.

Feasibility of using chest strap and dry electrode system for longer term cardiac arrhythmia monitoring: Results from a pilot observational study.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Cardiac arrhythmia diagnostic yield improves with increased duration of monitoring. We investigated patient comfort, diagnostic quality of ECG, and arrhythmia diagnostic yield using a single lead longer term external cardiac monitor (ECM). METHODS: The observational ECM feasibility study enrolled patients with increased risk of cardiac arrhythmia. The ECM investigational prototype was designed using a chest strap with dry electrodes connected to module capable of triggered loop recording of ECG, and automatic detection of arrhythmia. In group-A of study (24-h inpatient), patients wore ECM and Holter that recorded ECG from the ECM and adhesive electrodes. In group-B of study (12-weeks ambulatory), at monthly follow-ups patients filled out a comfort survey and device stored arrhythmia episodes were reviewed. RESULTS: The study enrolled 34 patients (38 % females, average age 57.5 years, 65 % had palpitations, 12 % had syncope). Diagnostic quality ECG was recorded on 76.5 % of the monitoring duration in 12 of 20 patients with reviewable data in group-A, with motion artifacts causing loss in ECG signal for 18.7 % of the time. In 14 patients in group-B, 94.9 % of the survey responses indicated that ECM was comfortable to wear. Cardiac arrhythmia was observed in 4 of 17 patients (24 %) in group-A and 9 of 14 patients (64 %) in group-B in device recorded episodes. All ECM detected pause and tachycardia were inappropriate detections due to motion artifacts and temporary device removal. CONCLUSION: The chest strap-based ECM device was mostly comfortable to wear and recorded diagnostic quality ECG in three-fourth of monitoring period. Cardiac arrhythmia was observed in 64 % of patients over 3-month monitoring along with large number of motion artifact induced inappropriate detections.

Dietaryindex: a user-friendly and versatile R package for standardizing dietary pattern analysis in epidemiological and clinical studies.

BACKGROUND: Few standardized and open-source tools exist for calculating multiple dietary pattern indexes from dietary intake data in epidemiological and clinical studies. OBJECTIVES: The primary aim is to develop and validate dietaryindex, a user-friendly and versatile R package that standardizes the calculation of dietary indexes. METHODS: Dietaryindex can calculate multiple dietary indexes of high interest in research, including the Healthy Eating Index (HEI)-2020, the Alternative HEI 2010, the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension Index, the Alternate Mediterranean Diet Score, the Dietary Inflammatory Index, the American Cancer Society 2020 dietary index, and the Planetary Health Diet Index from the EAT-Lancet Commission. The package includes generic dietary index calculation functions that accept any dietary assessment with preprocessed serving sizes of food groups and nutrients as defined by the research group that developed each index. For ease of use and to eliminate any need for data preprocessing, dietaryindex also offers 1-step functions that directly reference common datasets and tools, including the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), the Automated Self-Administered 24-h Dietary Assessment Tool (ASA24), the Diet History Questionnaire III (DHQ3), and the Block Food Frequency Questionnaire. At least 2 independent researchers validated the serving size definitions and scoring algorithms of dietaryindex. RESULTS: In our validation process, dietaryindex demonstrated full accuracy (100%) in all generic functions with 2-decimal rounding precision when compared with hand-calculated results. Similarly, using NHANES 2017-2018 data and ASA24 and DHQ3 example data, the HEI-2015 outputs from dietaryindex aligned (99.95%-100%) with results using the Statistical Analysis System codes from the National Cancer Institute. CONCLUSIONS: Dietaryindex is a user-friendly, versatile, and validated informatics tool for standardized dietary index calculations. We have open-sourced all validation files and codes with detailed tutorials on GitHub (https://github.com/jamesjiadazhan/dietaryindex).

The effect of information about hazardous chemicals in consumer products on behaviour - A systematic review.

Exposure to hazardous chemicals in consumer products poses significant risks to personal health and the environment, and the combined effects may be negative even if each individual exposure is low. This necessitates informed and effective policies for risk reduction. This systematic review aims to identify and analyse existing evidence on how consumer preferences, product use, and product disposal are affected by information on harmful chemicals in consumer products and by price interventions. The review is conducted according to the PRISMA 2020 guidelines, synthesises forty-eight scientific articles on the relationship between information and consumer responses. No corresponding studies on the effects of price interventions were found. A large share of the identified articles focused on household chemicals, where warning labels are common, while less has been published on "everyday products" where the presence of hazardous chemicals is less clear to consumers. Effects of information on hazardous chemicals on consumer behaviour are highly contextual and dependent on the type of product, consumer behaviour and what kind of label is used. Warning symbols are effective in communicating a general warning of a potential danger, although consumers often misinterpret specifics regarding the exact nature of that danger or what means should be taken to minimise it. Informational texts are more informative but are also often missed or quickly forgotten. Consumer willingness to pay for safer products is generally positive but low. Additional research on how consumers react to information and price signals on chemical hazards is needed to improve policy design.

Evaluation of traditional Chinese exercise for knee osteoarthritis (KOA): an overview of systematic reviews.

BACKGROUND: Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) has become a public health issue. Several systematic reviews (SRs) and meta-analyses (MAs) indicate that traditional Chinese exercise (TCE) may be an effective treatment for reducing pain and stiffness and improving physical function in people with knee osteoarthritis (KOA). OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the literature quality and evidence for the systematic reviews of TCE for KOA and provide evidence to support the clinical application of TCE for KOA. METHODS: Eight databases were searched from their inception to January 3, 2023, to retrieve relevant literature, including China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang, Chinese Scientific Journal Database (VIP), China Biology Medical literature database (CBM), PubMed, Embase, Web of Science and Cochrane Library, without restrictions on publication date or language. AMSTAR-2 and PRISMA 2020 assessed the methodological and reporting quality of included SRs/MAs. The Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) system was utilized to evaluate the quality of evidence. RESULTS: A total of 18 SRs/MAs were included. The methodological quality was "very low" based on AMSTAR-2. The overall reporting quality was deficient based on PRISMA 2020. The quality of Chinese and English literature differed, with English literature being superior in methodological and reporting quality. Among 93 pieces of evidence obtained, 46 (49.46%) were of very low quality, 34 (36.56%) were of low quality, 13 (13.98%) were of moderate quality, and none were of high quality. TCE was supported by 76 pieces of evidence (81.72%). CONCLUSION: TCE appears beneficial and safe for managing KOA. However, due to the relatively low methodological and evidentiary quality of included SRs/MAs, clinicians should interpret these findings cautiously.

Validation of a digital food frequency questionnaire for the Northern Sweden Diet Database.

BACKGROUND: Dietary habits strongly influence health, with poor diets contributing to numerous deaths annually. Addressing this requires improved dietary habits and consistent monitoring thereof. In northern Sweden, a validated food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) has been used for decades, but trends show that its ability to accurately measure intake has diminished. With changing eating habits and food supply, updating the FFQ was crucial, leading to the development of FFQ2020. This study assessed FFQ2020's relative validity using 24-hour recalls and evaluated its reproducibility. METHODS: Participants were recruited from one of the northern-Sweden population-based health screenings and by advertising. Food intake was registered in an electronic food frequency questionnaire (FFQ2020) (test instrument) and reference data were obtained by six repeated electronic 24-hour dietary recalls (24HDR). Intakes of single foods were aggregated into food groups and healthy diet index scores, and daily energy and nutrient intakes were estimated. Results from the two methods were described and tested in univariate analyses and correlation tests, Bland Altman plots, cross-classification validity, and intra-class correlation analyses. RESULTS: Totally, 628 adults were invited to participate in the study. Of these, 320 joined, and 244 completed at least four 24HDRs. The median intakes in food groups, as well as the mean index scores and estimated nutrient intakes, were largely similar between the FFQ2020 and 24HDR recordings. The correlation coefficients between the two assessments ranged from 0.253 to 0.693 for food groups, 0.520 to 0.614 for diet indices, and 0.340 to 0.629 for energy and nutrients. Intra-class correlation coefficients indicated at least good reproducibility for intakes of food groups, diet index scores, and nutrients. Generally, Bland-Altman plots did not reveal any gross systematic disagreement between the two methods for any of the assessments. However, there were single observations located outside the upper or lower 95% confidence interval (CI) limits for the difference between FFQ2020 and the 24HDR recordings. CONCLUSION: In concert, the results suggest that the relative validity and reproducibility of FFQ2020 are acceptable for trend analyses and group comparisons in large-scale studies but also that extended reference periods would improve the precision of less frequently consumed foods.

Investigating the stability of aromatic carboxylic acids in hydrated magnesium sulfate under UV irradiation to assist detection of organics on Mars.

The Scanning Habitable Environments with Raman and Luminescence for Organics and Chemicals (SHERLOC) instrument onboard the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover detected so far some of the most intense fluorescence signals in association with sulfates analyzing abraded patches of rocks at Jezero crater, Mars. To assess the plausibility of an organic origin of these signals, it is key to understand if organics can survive exposure to ambient Martian UV after exposure by the Perseverance abrasion tool and prior to analysis by SHERLOC. In this work, we investigated the stability of organo-sulfate assemblages under Martian-like UV irradiation and we observed that the spectroscopic features of phthalic and mellitic acid embedded into hydrated magnesium sulfate do not change for UV exposures corresponding to at least 48 Martian sols and, thus, should still be detectable in fluorescence when the SHERLOC analysis takes place, thanks to the photoprotective properties of magnesium sulfate. In addition, different photoproduct bands diagnostic of the parent carboxylic acid molecules could be observed. The photoprotective behavior of hydrated magnesium sulfate corroborates the hypothesis that sulfates might have played a key role in the preservation of organics on Mars, and that the fluorescence signals detected by SHERLOC in association with sulfates could potentially arise from organic compounds.