Real-world crash configurations and traffic violations among newly licensed young drivers with different route familiarity levels.

OBJECTIVE: Young drivers aged 24 and below are at heightened risks of being influenced by their route familiarity levels. This study aims to compare prevalences of crash culpability, crash configurations and risky driver behaviors among newly licensed young drivers when they are driving on roads with different route familiarity levels. METHODS: Based on the road traffic crash and violation data in Yunnan Province of China from January 2017 through December 2019, we classified drivers' different route familiarity levels by utilizing spatial distance away from residence-based method, including driving on high route familiarity (HRF) and low route familiarity (LRF) roads. Prevalence ratios were estimated using generalized estimating equation log-binomial regression models. RESULTS: We identified 12016 newly licensed young drivers driving on HRF roads and 2189 drivers on LRF roads. Within 48 months of licensure, young drivers on LRF roads were more likely to be at fault for their motor vehicle crashes than those on HRF roads. Young drivers on LRF roads were more likely to be with failure to obey traffic control device, with failure to yield right of way, wrong way driving, backing unsafely and improper parking compared with those on HRF roads. Drivers on LRF roads were less likely to be inattentive and driving with unsafe speed and following too closely compared with those on HRF roads. CONCLUSIONS: Several basic aspects of targeted countermeasures can be put forward. Visual impacts such as rectangular rapid-flashing beacon (RRFB) can be used in order to prevent wrong way driving on the tourist roadways. Arranging safety talks and programs in colleges and universities and technical interventions like Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) can be used to reduce young drivers' driving distraction and overconfidence. It is recommended that the driving schools can use these research findings to include in licensure program to make young drivers more aware of the various factors that expose them to crash risks so that more defensive driving may be needed under different situations, and this can also help build the graduated driving licensure (GDL) programme in China.

Living a Threatening Circumstance from a Nursing Perspective.

This introduction reminds nurses to use a nursing perspective in their work with other clinicians and researchers. In this introduction, the humanbecoming perspective is used to help nurses see a group of persons with specific challenges or threatening circumstances as a case study of an important phenomenon, so as to remain as humane as possible in their practice, teaching, and research.

Characteristics, toxicology and major organ pathology of deaths due to acute alcohol toxicity in Australia, 2011-2022.

INTRODUCTION: Acute alcohol toxicity is a significant component of alcohol-related mortality. The study aimed to: (i) determine the circumstances of death and characteristics of fatal alcohol toxicity cases, 2011-2022; (ii) determine their toxicological profile and major autopsy findings; and (iii) determine trends in population mortality rates. METHODS: Retrospective study of acute alcohol toxicity deaths in Australia, 2011-2022, retrieved from the National Coronial Information System. RESULTS: A total of 891 cases were identified, with a mean age of 49.2 years, 71.0% being male. Alcohol use problems were noted in 71.3%. In 57.5% death was attributed solely to acute alcohol toxicity, and combined acute alcohol toxicity/disease in 42.5%. There was evidence of sudden collapse in 24.9% of cases. The mean BAC was 0.331 g/100 mL (range 0.107-0.936), and spirits were the most commonly reported beverages (35.8%). Cases of combined toxicity/disease had significantly lower BACs than those attributed solely to alcohol toxicity (0.296 vs. 0.358 g/100 mL). Cardiomegaly was diagnosed in 32.5%, and severe coronary artery disease in 22.1%. Aspiration of vomitus was noted in 18.0%, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in 19.6%. Severe liver steatosis was present in 33.4% and 13.6% had cirrhosis. There was an average annual percentage increase in deaths of 7.90. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: The 'typical' case was a long-standing, heavy spirits drinker. BACs showed enormous variation and no arbitrary concentration may be deemed lethal. Clinically significant disease was associated with death at a lower BAC and people with such disease may be at increased risk of alcohol poisoning.

The Circumstance-Driven Bivariate Integer-Valued Autoregressive Model.

The novel circumstance-driven bivariate integer-valued autoregressive (CuBINAR) model for non-stationary count time series is proposed. The non-stationarity of the bivariate count process is defined by a joint categorical sequence, which expresses the current state of the process. Additional cross-dependence can be generated via cross-dependent innovations. The model can also be equipped with a marginal bivariate Poisson distribution to make it suitable for low-count time series. Important stochastic properties of the new model are derived. The Yule-Walker and conditional maximum likelihood method are adopted to estimate the unknown parameters. The consistency of these estimators is established, and their finite-sample performance is investigated by a simulation study. The scope and application of the model are illustrated by a real-world data example on sales counts, where a soap product in different stores with a common circumstance factor is investigated.

Evaluating the risk of sepsis attributing to obesity: a two-sample Mendelian randomization study.

BACKGROUND: Sepsis is a reaction to infection with high morbidity and mortality. It has been noted that patients with obesity were more likely to suffer from sepsis. However, the causality remains elucidating, as reverse causality and residual confounding could not be largely mitigated in conventional observational studies. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the risk of sepsis attributed to obesity phenotypes including body mass index (BMI), waist circumstance (WC), and WC adjusted for BMI (WCadjBMI) in a causal way. METHODS: We conducted a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) study using large-scale genome-wide association study summary data with sample sizes ranging from 231 353 to 486 484. The inverse-weighted variance (IVW) was conducted as the primary approach. We also used the weighted median and MR-Egger for causal inference. A sensitivity analysis was conducted to evaluate the reliability of the MR estimates. RESULTS: IVW detected that genetic liability for increased BMI [odds ratio (OR) = 1.40, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.20-1.63, P = 1.52 × 10-5] and WC (OR = 1.02, 95% CI = 1.01-1.03, P = 4.28 × 10-3) predicted a higher risk of sepsis. No evidence was observed for a causal effect of WCadjBMI on sepsis risk (OR = 1.01, 95% CI = 1.00-1.02, P = 0.08). Sensitivity analysis did not identify any bias in the MR results. CONCLUSION: This MR study showed that obesity contributed to an increased risk of sepsis, indicating that obesity management might be beneficial for reducing sepsis risk. Key messages What is already known on this topic-Observational studies have reported the association between obesity and sepsis, but the causality has not been determined. What this study adds-This Mendelian randomization study demonstrated that obesity-related phenotypes, including body mass index and Waist circumstance, causally increased the risk of sepsis. How this study might affect research, practice, or policy-The findings of our study might have an implication for clinicians that obesity management might be a promised strategy for reducing the risk of sepsis.

Automatic Thoughts, Self-Stigma, and Resilience Among Schizophrenia Patients with Metabolic Syndrome: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Purpose: The study aims to clarify the negative psychological state and resilience impairments of schizophrenia (SCZ) with metabolic syndrome (MetS) while evaluating their potential as risk factors. Patients and Methods: We recruited 143 individuals and divided them into three groups. Participants were evaluated using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD)-24, Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAMA)-14, Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire (ATQ), Stigma of Mental Illness scale and Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC). Serum biochemical parameters were measured by automatic biochemistry analyzer. Results: The score of ATQ was highest in the MetS group (F = 14.5, p < 0.001), and the total score of CD-RISC, subscale tenacity score and subscale strength score of CD-RISC were lowest in the MetS group (F = 8.54, p < 0.001; F = 5.79, p = 0.004; F = 10.9, p < 0.001). A stepwise regression analysis demonstrated that a negative correlation was observed among the ATQ with employment status, high-density lipoprotein (HDL-C), and CD-RISC (ß=-0.190, t=-2.297, p = 0.023; ß=-0.278, t=-3.437, p = 0.001; ß=-0.238, t=-2.904, p = 0.004). A positive correlation was observed among the ATQ with waist, TG, WBC, and stigma (ß=0.271, t = 3.340, p = 0.001; ß=0.283, t = 3.509, p = 0.001; ß=0.231, t = 2.815, p = 0.006; ß=0.251, t=-2.504, p = 0.014). The area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve analysis showed that among all independent predictors of ATQ, the TG, waist, HDL-C, CD-RISC, and stigma presented excellent specificity at 0.918, 0.852, 0.759, 0.633, and 0.605, respectively. Conclusion: Results suggested that the non-MetS and MetS groups had grievous sense of stigma, particularly, high degree of ATQ and resilience impairment was shown by the MetS group. The TG, waist, HDL-C of metabolic parameters, CD-RISC, and stigma presented excellent specificity to predict ATQ, and the waist showed excellent specificity to predict low resilience level.

Waist-to-calf circumstance ratio and cognitive function among Chinese older adults: Mediating roles of physical performance and social activity.

Background: In light of the potentially detrimental effects of central fat and decreased muscle mass on cognitive function, it would be beneficial to learn more about the mediating mechanisms underpinning the association between the two. The purpose of this study is to determine the association between waist-to-calf circumstance ratio (WCR) and cognitive function, as well as to investigate whether physical performance and social activity mediate the relationship between WCR and cognitive function among older Chinese adults. Methods: An analysis of 9,652 older Chinese adults was conducted during the 2018 wave of the Chinese Longitudinal Health Longevity Survey (CLHLS). The Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and a self-reported scale were used to measure cognitive function, physical performance, and social activity, respectively. Multiple linear regression and mediation analyses were conducted. Results: The findings suggest that a high WCR had a significant negative association with cognitive function (B = -0.535, 95% CI: -0.754, -0.317). Mediation analysis revealed that a high WCR influenced old adults' cognitive function in three ways: first, through the partial mediating effect of physical performance (B = -0.270; 95% CI: -0.340, -0.203); second, through the partial mediating effect of social activity (B = -0.035; 95% CI: -0.055, -0.017); and third, through the serial mediating effects of physical performance and social activity (B = -0.021, 95% CI: -0.029, -0.015). Conclusion: The study results suggest the adverse impact of a high WCR on older adults' cognitive function, and the possible mechanisms of physical performance and social activity by which the association takes place. Multidimensional health and social interventions aimed at improving physical, social, and cognitive functioning among older adults with sarcopenic obesity are recommended.

Associations between Circumstances Surrounding Overdose and Underlying Classes of Polysubstance Overdose Deaths.

BACKGROUND: The overdose crisis is worsening, with polysubstance overdose deaths involving psychostimulants increasing in the U.S. Substance-specific prevention and intervention activities may not be as effective for polysubstance use, so we sought to classify substances used among overdose decedents to identify unique factors related to these classes. METHODS: We used data from the Nevada State Unintentional Drug Overdose Reporting System, Jan 2019-Jun 2021, which comes from death certificates, coroner/medical examiner reports, and postmortem toxicology. Latent class analysis, multinomial logistic regression, and Chi-squared tests determined underlying drug use classes, differences in characteristics and circumstances surrounding overdose, and assessed relationships between circumstances and drug use classes. RESULTS: We identified four latent classes: (1) prescription drugs (19.1%), (2) predominately methamphetamine (31.4%), (3) multi-drug (28.9%), and (4) opioid and stimulant (20.6%). Compared to other classes, the prescription drug class had a higher percentage of female decedents, from rural counties, with mental health diagnoses, who died at home. The predominately methamphetamine class had a higher percentage of decedents experiencing homelessness. The multi-drug use class had higher percentage of younger and Hispanic decedents. Those in the opioid and stimulant class had higher odds of being recently released from an institutional setting, compared to the multi drug class. CONCLUSIONS: These underlying classes were associated with several characteristics and circumstances that can prove useful for prevention, treatment, and harm reduction agencies when designing programs and interventions to target specific groups of people at-risk for drug overdose.

Inequality of Opportunity: Unobserved Factors in Empirical Research.

The information base of empirical research in the field of inequality of opportunity is discussed. It is shown that the information base is incomplete since many circumstances and efforts remain unobserved, creating an underestimation. The role of family background is studied, including such factors as the integrity of the parental family, the number of siblings, and the psychological atmosphere in the parental family. It is found that the factor of family integrity has a significant impact on estimates for inequality of opportunity.

Characteristics of fatal tapentadol-related toxicity in Australia.

INTRODUCTION: Tapentadol is a centrally acting opioid analgesic prescribed for the treatment of moderate to severe pain. The study aimed to determine the characteristics of Australian toxicity deaths related to tapentadol. METHODS: All cases in which tapentadol use was coded contributory to death (n = 159) were retrieved from the National Coronial Information System (1 July 2000-31 December 2020). RESULTS: The mean age was 48.5 (18-81) and 56% were female. Documented histories of problems with chronic pain (66%), mental health (60.4%), substance use (44%) and injecting drug use (23.3%) were common. The majority of deaths were deemed unintentional (76.1%) and in 18.9% pre-existing disease was co-contributory. The median peripheral blood tapentadol concentration was 1.00 mg L-1 (0.02-47.00), and the median aortic concentration was 2.05 mg L-1 (0.10-30.00). In all cases, psychoactive drugs other than tapentadol were also detected, most commonly antidepressants (72.3%), opioids (66.7%), hypnosedatives (64.2%) and gabapentinoids (43.4%). Of cases where autopsies were conducted, 27.7% were diagnosed with cardiomegaly and 18.5% with severe coronary artery stenosis. Pulmonary oedema (68.1%), aspiration of vomitus (39.5%) and acute pneumonia (26.9%) were common. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: The typical tapentadol-related toxicity death involved unintentional death in the presence of multiple drugs, although a notable minority were intentional self-harm. Multiple morbidities were common. The identification and characteristics of these cases indicate that the adverse event profile of tapentadol needs to be considered in the setting of polypharmacy.

Cohort matters: The relationships between living arrangements and psychological health from the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging (KLoSA).

BACKGROUND: Little is known about cohort variations in the relationships between living arrangements and psychological health among older adults. The current study evaluated whether cohort differences in the intergenerational support affect the differences in the mental health benefits of multigenerational living arrangements, and how they do so. METHODS: Using panel regression models with lagged variables based on South Korean data, we compared the shape of the relationships between living arrangements and psychological conditions of two cohorts of older adults. RESULTS: The study found birth cohort differences in older adults' psychological well-being. Among older adults in recent cohorts, living in a multigenerational household was positively associated with depression and negatively linked with life satisfaction. The cohort variations were partly explained by children's marital status and home ownership. CONCLUSION: The birth cohort variations in psychological health implications of living arrangements may reflect the changing patterns of intergenerational support and family values.

A Descriptive Analysis of Location of Older Adult Falls That Resulted in Emergency Department Visits in the United States, 2015.

Introduction. Falls among older adults (age ≥65) are a common and costly health issue. Knowing where falls occur and whether this location differs by sex and age can inform prevention strategies. Objective. To determine where injurious falls that result in emergency department (ED) visits commonly occur among older adults in the United States, and whether these locations differ by sex and age. Methods. Using 2015 National Electronic Injury Surveillance System-All Injury Program data we reviewed narratives for ED patients aged ≥65 who had an unintentional fall as the primary cause of injury. Results. More fall-related ED visits (71.6%) resulted from falls that occurred indoors. A higher percentage of men's falls occurred outside (38.3%) compared to women's (28.4%). More fall-related ED visits were due to falls at home (79.2%) compared to falls not at home (20.8%). The most common locations for a fall at home were the bedroom, bathroom, and stairs. Conclusion. The majority of falls resulting in ED visits among older adults occurred indoors and varied by sex and age. Knowing common locations of injurious falls can help older adults and caregivers prioritize home modifications. Understanding sex and age differences related to fall location can be used to develop targeted prevention messages.

Associations of General and Abdominal Obesity with the Risk of Glioma Development.

The association between obesity and the risk of glioma remains unclear. We sought to evaluate the potential association between general and abdominal obesity and the risk of glioma based on a nationwide population-based cohort study of Koreans. Using data from the Korean National Health Insurance System cohort, 6,833,744 people older than 20 years who underwent regular national health examination in both 2009 and 2011 were followed until the end of 2017. We documented 4771 glioma cases based on an ICD-10 code of C71 during the median follow-up period of 7.30 years. Individuals with a body mass index (BMI) ≥ 25.0 kg/m2 were at significantly higher risk of developing glioma than those with a BMI < 25.0 kg/m2 (HR 1.08 CI 1.02-1.15). Individuals with a waist circumference (WC) ≥ 90 cm (males)/85 cm (females) also had a significantly higher risk of glioma than those with a WC < 90 cm (males)/85 cm (females) (HR 1.16 CI 1.09-1.24). In the group with a BMI ≥ 25.0 kg/m2, individuals with abdominal obesity were at significantly higher risk of developing glioma (HR 1.18 CI 1.09-1.27) than those without abdominal obesity. The role of abdominal obesity in this association was stronger in women than in men. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first demonstration that obese people may be at higher risk of glioma, especially centrally obese people from an Asian population with a BMI ≥ 25.0 kg/m2. Loss of visceral fat in people with abdominal obesity may reduce their risk of developing glioma.

Sex Differences in the Association Between Obesity and Cognitive Impairment in a Low-Income Elderly Population in Rural China: A Population-Based Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: Obesity is a potentially modifiable risk factor for cognitive impairment. However, sex-specific relationships between obesity and cognitive impairment in late life remain unclear. Objective: We aimed to assess sex differences in the association between various obesity parameters and cognitive impairment in a low-income elderly population in rural China. Methods: A population-based cross-sectional study was conducted to collect basic information from elderly residents aged 60 years and older from April 2014 to August 2014 in rural areas of Tianjin, China. Obesity parameters, including body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC), and Mini Mental State Examination scores were measured, and the relationships between these variables were assessed. Results: A total of 1,081 residents with a mean age of 67.70 years were enrolled in this study. After adjusting for age, educational attainment, smoking status, drinking status, physical exercise participation, and the presence of diabetes and hyperlipidemia, blood pressure group; a high BMI was found to be associated with an increased prevalence of cognitive impairment in elderly women. Each 1-unit increase in BMI was associated with a 5.9% increase in the prevalence of cognitive impairment. WC was related to the prevalence of cognitive impairment in elderly men, and each 1-cm increase in WC was associated with a 4.0% decrease in the prevalence of cognitive impairment. However, there were no significant associations between WC and cognitive function in women or between BMI and cognitive impairment in men. Conclusion: A greater WC was positively associated with better cognitive function in low-income elderly men in rural China, whereas a higher BMI was associated with an increased risk of cognitive impairment in elderly women, independent of sociodemographic, lifestyle, and health-related comorbid factors. Our results suggest weight management of elderly women in rural China may have cognitive benefits. However, randomized controlled trials would be needed to confirm causality.

Good Samaritan Clause.

This paper is entirely devoted to a new legal instrument called the "Good Samaritan Clause". Its legal recognition constitutes the legislator's response to the concerns raised by the medical community, in view of the unique situation in the country, but also in the world, relating to the prevention, counteraction and suppression of COVID-19. The assumption is that this instrument is to constitute a countertype that excludes the criminal unlawfulness of the act, due to the increased risk of mistakes made by the physicians involved in providing health services during the epidemic. The paper focuses primarily on the dogmatic and legal issues, discussing the catalogue of conditions needed for the application of the instrument mentioned in the title, but it also attempts to critically evaluate the introduced solution. The idea itself of introducing a solution affecting the scope of criminal liability of physicians is good, however, it requires legislative clarification as well.

Impact of prenatal triclosan exposure on gestational age and anthropometric measures at birth: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals such as triclosan (TCS) leads to disrupting the endocrine system and consequently effect on the birth outcomes. The findings of studies in this field are controversial. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This systematic review and meta analysis was conducted based on the identified published papers in Scopus, Web of Science, and PubMed up to November 2019. All steps, including searching, screening, data extracting, and quality assessment, were done by two independent researchers. RESULTS: Finally 15 published papers selected. The number of participants in whom the association of TCS exposure was assessed with birth weight, birth length, birth head circumference, and gestational age were 9112, 4311, 2854, and 3181 mother infant pairs, respectively. The pooled analysis showed that TCS exposure during pregnancy leads to increasing the birth weight for boys with ß= 3.97 and 95% confidence interval (CI) (-3.98, 11.92), and girls with ß= 5.37, 95% CI (-6.00, 16.75), but the association was not statistically significant. In addition, according to fixed effects models, the TCS exposure was not significantly associated with birth length (-0.008, 95% CI [-0.049, 0.034]), birth head circumference (-0.01, 95% CI [-0.08, 0.06]), and gestational age (-0.005, 95% CI [-0.017, 0.006]). Likewise, analysis for data segregated by gender of infants revealed similar results. CONCLUSION: The obtained results depicted that the TCS exposure during pregnancy period was associated with higher birth weight for boys and girls. No significant association was observed for TCS exposure with variation of birth length, head circumference, and gestational age duration. In fact, the results showed the evidence of null associations between maternal TCS exposure and birth outcomes.

[Study on the association between CYP24A1 genetic polymorphisms and risks related to postmenopausal breast cancer].

Objective: To evaluate the associations between CYP24A1 genetic polymorphisms and related risks on breast cancer among postmenopausal women. Methods: We carried out a population-based case-control study to include 1 134 postmenopausal women (589 cases and 545 controls) from Wuxi, Jiangsu province and to explore the association between CYP24A1 polymorphisms and related risks on breast cancer. Seven CYP24A1 variants (rs2209314, rs2585428, rs2762941, rs3787555, rs4909959, rs912505 and rs927650) were genotyped by Sequenom MassARRAY platform. Logistic regression method was used to estimate the CYP24A1 genetic variants and susceptibility of breast cancer. Loci-loci interactions were evaluated by a generalized multifactor dimensionality reduction (GMDR) method. Results: Result showed that rs2209314, rs2585428, rs2762941, rs3787555, rs4909959, rs912505 and rs927650 of CYP24A1 were not associated with breast cancer under the codominant, dominant, recessive or additive models. Among the population with <80 cm waist circumstance, rs2585428 was associated with the reduced risks on breast cancer (OR=0.64, 95%CI: 0.42-0.96). Similar negative association was observed for rs3787555 (OR=0.58, 95%CI: 0.38-0.87). The genotypes of rs2585428, rs3787555 and rs4909959 showed significant interactions with waist circumstance on the risk of breast cancer. Also, rs2209314, rs3787555 and rs912505 in CYP24A1 could alter the risk of breast cancer by way of loci-loci interaction. Conclusion: CYP24A1 variants rs2585428 and rs3787555 were associated with risks of susceptibility on breast cancer, among postmenopausal women.

Inequality of opportunity in healthcare expenditures: evidence from China.

BACKGROUND: The theory of equality of opportunity attributes total inequality to effort levels and circumstance factors. Inequality attributable to circumstance is defined as inequality of opportunity (IOp), namely inequity. Many studies have been pursued in this area but few concerning health care, especially in China. Despite Chinese health system reforms, healthcare inequity remains. This study explores the extent and sources of IOp in outpatient and inpatient expenditures in China. METHODS: We used three waves (2011, 2013 and 2015) of data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study that offer a nationally representative sample of Chinese residents aged 45 and older. Based on a pooled regression model, we estimated the contribution of circumstance factors to the inequality in outpatient and inpatient expenditures by defining a counterfactual distribution. The "circumstance-free effort" was introduced to deal with the correlation between circumstance and effort. RESULTS: We report a decline in inequity from 2011 to 2015, and the IOp ratio to total inequality in outpatient and inpatient expenditures decreased 9.4% (from 28.6 to 25.9%) and 3.3% (from 49.1 to 47.5%), respectively. Social background, medical supply-side factors, including the type of basic medical insurance, region and community medical resources were important sources of IOp in outpatient and inpatient expenditures. CONCLUSIONS: These findings provide information on which to base policies designed to reduce inequity in healthcare expenditures. It is necessary to transfer more subsidies to the New Co-operative Medical System, and to address the uneven regional distribution of medical resources. Additionally, increasing access to quality primary community clinics may be a pro-poor policy to alleviate inequity in the use of outpatient care. Compared to outpatient services, policies protecting vulnerable populations need to pay more attention to the financing and design of inpatient services.

The effect of Saffron supplementation on waist circumference, HA1C, and glucose metabolism: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials.

OBJECTIVE: Carotenoids (including zeaxanthin and lycopene) and phytosterols reportedly confer beneficial effects on metabolic profile and function, which is of clinical importance. Thus, we sought to review the saffron effects on waist circumstance (WC), fasting plasma glucose (FPG), and HA1C concentrations reported in Randomized Control Trials (RCTs). METHOD: A comprehensive systematic electronic search was performed in PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, Google Scholar, Cochrane, Web of sciences, and SCOPUS to identify RCTs up to February 2019 without any language restrictions. The pooled weighted mean difference (WMD) calculated with DerSimonian-Laird random. PRISMA guidelines adhered to for this meta-analysis. RESULT: Nine articles with 12 arms containing 595 participants were included in this study. Our study found WC was significantly reduced (WMD: -2.18 cm, 95 % CI: -4.05, -0.32) and FPG (WMD: -6.54 mg/dl, 95 % CI: -10.22, -2.85) following saffron intervention. Subgroup analysis highlighted that FPG levels (WMD: -10.24 mg/dl, 95 % CI: -15.76, -4.72) reduced significantly when intervention duration was longer than twelve weeks. There was no significant effect on HA1C levels (WMD: -0.13 mg/dl, 95 % CI: -0.31, 0.04) following saffron intervention. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, the present study indicates beneficial effects on WC and FPG, following saffron supplementation.

Citrus Tree Segmentation from UAV Images Based on Monocular Machine Vision in a Natural Orchard Environment.

The segmentation of citrus trees in a natural orchard environment is a key technology for achieving the fully autonomous operation of agricultural unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Therefore, a tree segmentation method based on monocular machine vision technology and a support vector machine (SVM) algorithm are proposed in this paper to segment citrus trees precisely under different brightness and weed coverage conditions. To reduce the sensitivity to environmental brightness, a selective illumination histogram equalization method was developed to compensate for the illumination, thereby improving the brightness contrast for the foreground without changing its hue and saturation. To accurately differentiate fruit trees from different weed coverage backgrounds, a chromatic aberration segmentation algorithm and the Otsu threshold method were combined to extract potential fruit tree regions. Then, 14 color features, five statistical texture features, and local binary pattern features of those regions were calculated to establish an SVM segmentation model. The proposed method was verified on a dataset with different brightness and weed coverage conditions, and the results show that the citrus tree segmentation accuracy reached 85.27% ± 9.43%; thus, the proposed method achieved better performance than two similar methods.