Correlation of resin composite translucency and IOS accuracy: An in-vitro study.

Background: Different restoration materials have different optical characteristics that influence the intraoral scanner's (IOS) image accuracy. The purpose of this in-vitro investigation was to investigate how composite translucency affected the accuracy of IOS. Material and Methods: GC G-aenial Universal Injectable JE composite plates were used for the study at 3 thicknesses (1-2-3mm). A lab scanner (3Shape E1) obtained 1 reference scan, whereas IOS (Trios3) was used to conduct 10 experimental scans per group. After 3D superimposition, deviation values were used to assess the accuracy (trueness and precision) outcomes for the corresponding groups. Using an LS170 V2.0 colorimeter, the translucency parameter (TP) of the plates was determined from L*a*b* values of CIELAB color space. Results: The composite translucency resulted in a decrease in the scale of digital impressions. The 1mm group had the largest scale reduction (0.02mm) significantly, followed by the 2mm and 3mm groups (0.01mm). No difference was found in mean precision. The colorimeter detects the L*a*b* values and showed that 1mm composite plate expressed the highest TP value, then 2mm and 3mm groups (28.90, 14.26 and 6.49 respectively). The thinner composite, the higher translucency and TP were highly positively correlated to IOS trueness of composite plates. Conclusions: Composite translucency has an impact on optical impression accuracy. In correlation, the optical impression becomes less accurate the more translucent the composite is. This implies that in the digital process, the dentist should specify the appropriate optical properties of composite materials concerning both their mechanical and aesthetic qualities. Key words:Accuracy, translucency, resin composite, digital dentistry, intraoral-scanner.

Hemodynamic characteristics in ruptured and unruptured intracranial aneurysms: a prospective cohort study utilizing the AneurysmFlow™ tool.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Hemodynamic factors significantly influence the onset, progression, and rupture of intracranial aneurysms (IAs). Current rupture risk prediction scores focus primarily on the clinical, anatomical and morphological aspects. This study aimed to investigate the hemodynamic characteristics differences between ruptured and unruptured IAs. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Conducted from July 2021 to July 2022, this prospective cohort study involved patients with ruptured and unruptured IAs undergoing digital subtraction angiography (DSA). Hemodynamic characteristics were assessed using the AneurysmFlow™ tool. Hemodynamic, clinical, anatomical and morphological parameters were compared between ruptured and unruptured IA groups. RESULTS: The study included 127 patients with 135 aneurysms (67 ruptured, 68 unruptured). Complex flow patterns (type 3 and 4) were observed more frequently in ruptured aneurysms compared to unruptured aneurysms (odds ratio [OR], 5.57; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.49-12.45; P < 0.001) in univariate analysis, and were also more common in unruptured aneurysms associated with daughter sacs features (P = 0.015). The mean aneurysm flow amplitude (MAFA) was lower in ruptured aneurysms, and associated with lower flow velocity in the parent artery related to vasospasm. MAFA in the aneurysmal dome or any additional daughter sacs was lowest compared to other regions inside the aneurysms. The technical failure rate of AneurysmFlow™ measurements was 8.5% (12 out of 139 patients). Additionally, hypertension (OR, 0.42; 95% CI, 0.30-0.54; P < 0.001), bifurcation location (AcomA/ACA/MCA/PcomA/posterior circulation) (OR, 0.17; 95% CI, 0.05-0.29; P = 0.005), and irregular shape (OR, 0.19; 95% CI, 0.05-0.35; P = 0.012) were identified as independently associated with rupture. CONCLUSIONS: Complex flow patterns identified on the AneurysmFlow™ tool are significantly more common in ruptured and unruptured aneurysms associated with daughter sac features. The lowest MAFA in the aneurysmal dome and daughter sacs likely indicates specific pathophysiological changes within the aneurysm wall associated with rupture incidence. Hypertension, bifurcation location, and an irregular shape are independently associated with the risk of rupture. Further multicenter studies with larger sample sizes are needed to validate these findings. ABBREVIATIONS: ACA = anterior cerebral artery; AcomA = anterior communicating artery; IAs = intracranial aneurysms; ICA = internal carotid artery; MAFA = mean aneurysm flow amplitude; MCA = middle cerebral artery; PcomA = posterior communicating artery; RIAs = ruptured intracranial aneurysms; SAH = subarachnoid hemorrhage; UIAs = unruptured intracranial aneurysms.

A Hyper-Transformer model for Controllable Pareto Front Learning with Split Feasibility Constraints.

Controllable Pareto front learning (CPFL) approximates the Pareto optimal solution set and then locates a non-dominated point with respect to a given reference vector. However, decision-maker objectives were limited to a constraint region in practice, so instead of training on the entire decision space, we only trained on the constraint region. Controllable Pareto front learning with Split Feasibility Constraints (SFC) is a way to find the best Pareto solutions to a split multi-objective optimization problem that meets certain constraints. In the previous study, CPFL used a Hypernetwork model comprising multi-layer perceptron (Hyper-MLP) blocks. Transformer can be more effective than previous architectures on numerous modern deep learning tasks in certain situations due to their distinctive advantages. Therefore, we have developed a hyper-transformer (Hyper-Trans) model for CPFL with SFC. We use the theory of universal approximation for the sequence-to-sequence function to show that the Hyper-Trans model makes MED errors smaller in computational experiments than the Hyper-MLP model.

Cost analysis of establishing and operating the first human milk bank at Da Nang Hospital for Women and Children in Vietnam: an activity-based costing ingredients study.

BACKGROUND: Breastfeeding is the biological norm for feeding infants and young children. When mothers' breastmilk is unavailable, donor human milk (DHM) from a human milk bank (HMB) becomes the next option for small vulnerable newborns. A comprehensive cost analysis is essential for understanding the investments needed to establish, operate, and scale up HMBs. This study aims to estimate and analyze such costs at the first facility established in Vietnam. METHODS: An activity-based costing ingredients (ABC-I) approach was employed, with the cost perspective from service provision agencies (specifically, the project conducted at Da Nang Hospital for Women and Children and Development Partners). Estimated financial costs, based on actual expenditures, were measured in 2023 local currency and then converted to 2023 US dollars (USD). We examined three scenarios: 1) direct start-up costs + indirect start-up costs + implementation costs, 2) direct start-up costs + implementation costs, and 3) capital costs + implementation costs over the 6.5 years of operation. RESULTS: The total start-up cost was USD 616,263, with total expenditure on direct activities at USD 228,131 and indirect activities at USD 388,132. Investment in equipment accounted for the largest proportion (USD 84,213). The monthly costs of Da Nang HMB were USD 25,217, 14,565, and 9,326, corresponding to scenarios 1, 2, and 3, respectively. Over HMB's 6.5 years of operation, on average, the unit costs were USD 166, USD 96, and USD 62 for DHM received and USD 201, USD 116, and USD 74 for pasteurized DHM meeting specified criteria in the corresponding scenarios. Unit costs were highest in the initial six months, decreased, and reached their lowest levels after a year. Then, the unit costs experienced an increase in late 2020 and early 2021. CONCLUSION: Although the unit cost of DHM in Da Nang HMB is comparable to that in certain neighboring countries, intentional measures to reduce disposal rates, improve HMB efficiency, motivate more community-based donors, and establish an HMB service network should be implemented to lower costs.

Why do we engage in everyday interpersonal emotion regulation?

Interpersonal emotion regulation occurs when people influence others' emotions (extrinsic regulation) or turn to others to influence their own emotions (intrinsic regulation). Research on interpersonal regulation has tended to focus on how people regulate emotions, with little interrogation of why people do it, despite the importance of motives in driving emotion regulation goals and strategy selection. To fill this gap, we conducted a systematic exploration of interpersonal emotion regulation motives, employing a participant-driven approach to document the breadth of motives that people hold across different social contexts. Study 1a (N = 100) provided an initial qualitative examination of motives for both intrinsic and extrinsic interpersonal emotion regulation. Study 1b (N = 399) quantitatively catalogued these motives in recalled social interactions. Study 2 (N = 200), a daily diary study, used the motive taxonomy generated in Studies 1a and 1b to understand why people regulated their own and others' emotions in everyday social interactions over the course of 14 days. Together, our findings reveal the diversity of intrinsic and extrinsic interpersonal emotion regulation motives and open avenues to further explore motives both as a precursor to and an outcome of regulatory processes in daily life. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Work loss among privately insured employees with overweight and obesity in the United States.

Background: Rising obesity rates in the workforce are accompanied by a hidden cost burden to employers due to work productivity loss. Understanding the impact of obesity on work productivity is essential for employers to provide tailored weight loss interventions in the workplace. Objectives: To measure work loss and associated productivity costs among employees with overweight/obesity compared with employees with normal weight. Methods: This retrospective cohort study used the MerativeTM MarketScan® Health and Productivity Management Database to identify adult employees with ≥1 diagnosis code reporting a body mass index (BMI) between 1/1/2015-12/31/2019. Based on the earliest BMI, employees were assigned to normal weight (BMI 19-24.9), overweight (BMI 25-29.9), obesity class 1 (BMI 30-34.9), obesity class 2 (BMI 35-39.9), and obesity class 3 (BMI ≥40) cohorts. Among employees with data for each work loss category (absenteeism, short-term disability [STD], long-term disability [LTD], worker's compensation [WC]) during the 12-month follow-up, the percentage of employees with work loss, number of hours/days lost, and associated productivity costs were reported. Results: 719,482 employees (normal weight: 106,631, overweight: 230,637, obesity class 1: 185,850, obesity class 2: 101,909, obesity class 3: 94,455) were included. Outcomes increased with each higher BMI category for the mean number of absence hours ([in order of BMI category]: 262, 273, 285, 290, 304) and percentage of employees with a claim (STD: 6.8%, 7.6%, 9.7%, 11.7%, 17.0%; LTD: 0.4%, 0.4%, 0.5%, 0.6%, 0.8%; WC: 2.7%, 2.8%, 3.4%, 3.6%, 3.5%). Estimated costs to the employer associated with absenteeism, STD, LTD, and WC were $1,036, $611, $38, and $95 higher per year (respectively) in the obesity class 3 cohort relative to the normal weight cohort. Conclusions: This real-world analysis demonstrated that employees with overweight/obesity had higher loss of work productivity compared with employees with normal weight. Further studies are warranted to determine the long-term impacts on work productivity loss if overweight and obesity are left untreated.

Compensatory Modulation of Seed Storage Protein Synthesis and Alteration of Starch Accumulation by Selective Editing of 13 kDa Prolamin Genes by CRISPR-Cas9 in Rice.

Rice prolamins are categorized into three groups by molecular size (10, 13, or 16 kDa), while the 13 kDa prolamins are assigned to four subgroups (Pro13a-I, Pro13a-II, Pro13b-I, and Pro13b-II) based on cysteine residue content. Since lowering prolamin content in rice is essential to minimize indigestion and allergy risks, we generated four knockout lines using CRISPR-Cas9, which selectively reduced the expression of a specific subgroup of the 13 kDa prolamins. These four mutant rice lines also showed the compensatory expression of glutelins and non-targeted prolamins and were accompanied by low grain weight, altered starch content, and atypically-shaped starch granules and protein bodies. Transcriptome analysis identified 746 differentially expressed genes associated with 13 kDa prolamins during development. Correlation analysis revealed negative associations between genes in Pro13a-I and those in Pro13a-II and Pro13b-I/II subgroups. Furthermore, alterations in the transcription levels of 9 ER stress and 17 transcription factor genes were also observed in mutant rice lines with suppressed expression of 13 kDa prolamin. Our results provide profound insight into the functional role of 13 kDa rice prolamins in the regulatory mechanisms underlying rice seed development, suggesting their promising potential application to improve nutritional and immunological value.

Progerin forms an abnormal meshwork and has a dominant-negative effect on the nuclear lamina.

Progerin, the protein that causes Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome, triggers nuclear membrane (NM) ruptures and blebs, but the mechanisms are unclear. We suspected that the expression of progerin changes the overall structure of the nuclear lamina. High-resolution microscopy of smooth muscle cells (SMCs) revealed that lamin A and lamin B1 form independent meshworks with uniformly spaced openings (~0.085 µm2). The expression of progerin in SMCs resulted in the formation of an irregular meshwork with clusters of large openings (up to 1.4 µm2). The expression of progerin acted in a dominant-negative fashion to disrupt the morphology of the endogenous lamin B1 meshwork, triggering irregularities and large openings that closely resembled the irregularities and openings in the progerin meshwork. These abnormal meshworks were strongly associated with NM ruptures and blebs. Of note, the progerin meshwork was markedly abnormal in nuclear blebs that were deficient in lamin B1 (~50% of all blebs). That observation suggested that higher levels of lamin B1 expression might normalize the progerin meshwork and prevent NM ruptures and blebs. Indeed, increased lamin B1 expression reversed the morphological abnormalities in the progerin meshwork and markedly reduced the frequency of NM ruptures and blebs. Thus, progerin expression disrupts the overall structure of the nuclear lamina, but that effect-along with NM ruptures and blebs-can be abrogated by increased lamin B1 expression.

Development and evaluation of a liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method for simultaneous measurement of toxic aldehydes from brain tissue.

Reactive aldehydes are a class of electrophilic low molecular weight compounds that play an essential role in physiological function and lipid peroxidation. These molecules are implicated in many diseases, especially cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases, and are potential endogenous markers of lipid peroxidation. However, there are limited options to accurately quantify multiple reactive aldehydes in brain tissue. This study developed and validated a 3-nitrophenylhydrazine derivatization-based LC-MS/MS method to quantify four reactive aldehydes: malondialdehyde, acrolein, 4-hydroxy-2-hexenal and 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal. Method development involved comparing the sensitivity of detection between widely used derivatization reagents: 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine and 3-nitrophenylhydrazine. Our data showed that 3-nitrophenylhydrazine resulted in greater sensitivity. Additional method development included evaluation of hydrolysis sample pretreatment, selection of protein precipitation reagent, and optimization of derivatization conditions. The optimized conditions included no hydrolysis and use of 20 % trichloroacetic acid as the protein precipitation reagent. The optimized derivatization condition was 25 mM 3-nitrophenylhydrazine reacted at 20 °C for 30 min. The chromatographic conditions were optimized to reduce matrix effects, ion suppression, and efficient analysis time (<7-minute analytical run). The four aldehyde species were accurately quantified in brain tissue using stable-labeled internal standards. Application of this assay to a traumatic brain injury mouse model revealed significant accumulation of acrolein, 4-hydroxy-2-hexenal, and 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal at 28 days post injury. Overall, a validated method was developed to rapidly quantify the most prominent reactive aldehydes associated with lipid peroxidation during injury progression following acute brain trauma.

Machine learning-enhanced gesture recognition through impedance signal analysis.

Gesture recognition is a crucial aspect in the advancement of virtual reality, healthcare, and human-computer interaction, and requires innovative methodologies to meet the increasing demands for precision. This paper presents a novel approach that combines Impedance Signal Spectrum Analysis (ISSA) with machine learning to improve gesture recognition precision. A diverse dataset that included participants from various demographic backgrounds (five individuals) who were each executing a range of predefined gestures. The predefined gestures were designed to encompass a broad spectrum of hand movements, including intricate and subtle variations, to challenge the robustness of the proposed methodology. The machine learning model using the K-Nearest Neighbors (KNN), Gradient Boosting Machine (GBM), Naive Bayes (NB), Logistic Regression (LR), Random Forest (RF), and Support Vector Machine (SVM) algorithms demonstrated notable precision in performance evaluations. The individual accuracy values for each algorithm are as follows: KNN, 86%; GBM, 86%; NB, 84%; LR, 89%; RF, 87%; and SVM, 87%. These results emphasize the importance of impedance features in the refinement of gesture recognition. The adaptability of the model was confirmed under different conditions, highlighting its broad applicability.

Effects of Bacillus subtilis supplementation on reproductive parameters during late gestation in multiparous sows.

Background and Aim: Probiotics are used at different stages of gestation to promote reproductive performance in sows. This study investigated the effect of Bacillus subtilis QST 713 supplementation during late gestation in multiparous sows on different reproductive parameters. Materials and Methods: On day 85 of gestation, 115 multiparous healthy Landrace Yorkshire sows were randomly assigned to two groups with equal parity numbers. The control group (58 sows) was fed with basal diets, and the probiotic group (57 sows) was fed with basal diets +1010 colony-forming unit (CFU) B. subtilis QST 713 from day 85 to parturition. Back fat thickness on days 85 and 110, number of total born, number of born alive, stillbirth and mummy rates, individual birth weight, litter birth weight, within-litter variation of piglet birth weight, and postpartum vaginal discharge duration were recorded and compared between the two groups. Results: The number of total born, number born alive, back fat thickness of sows before farrowing, litter weight, within-litter variation of piglet birth weight, and postpartum vaginal discharge duration were similar in both groups (p > 0.05). Dietary supplementation with B. subtilis QST 713 decreased the stillbirth rate (3.96 vs. 6.39%, p = 0.046) and born dead rate (5.12 vs. 8.57%, p = 0.035) and increased the birth weight of piglets (1552.78 vs. 1506.15 g, p = 0.049). Conclusion: Daily supplementation with 1010 CFU of B. subtilis QST 713 during late gestation in multiparous sows could increase reproductive performance by increasing birth weight and decreasing stillbirth rate.

The 2023 Annual Report of DataDerm™: The Database of The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD).

The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) launched DataDerm™ in 2016 as the clinical data registry platform of AAD. DataDerm has evolved to be the largest database in the world containing information about dermatology patients, capturing information about their course of disease, associated therapeutic interventions, and health outcomes. As of December 31, 2022, DataDerm contained data from 14.2 million unique patients and 53.5 million unique patient visits, with 415 practices representing 1,663 clinicians actively participating in DataDerm in 2022. This article is the fourth in a series of Annual Reports about the status of DataDerm. This year's 2023 annual report presents the progress DataDerm has made in conjunction with OM1, the data analytics partner of DataDerm, with a special highlight on the longitudinal care of common dermatologic conditions in the registry and a detailed focus on skin cancer. Furthermore, we review the current status of DataDerm as a robust representation of real world specialty data, reflecting the day-to-day dermatologic care of patients over time.

Demand for mental health support services among health professionals in Vietnam: Lesson from COVID-19 Pandemic.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to measure the preferences for mental health support among health professionals, their willingness to support the mental health of colleagues and associated factors. METHOD: A descriptive cross-sectional study was performed from August to October 2022 within five hospitals located in Hanoi, Vietnam. A total of 244 health professionals participated in the study. Data on socio-economic status, health and COVID-19-related characteristics, Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21); and preferences for mental health support services were collected by using a structured self-reported questionnaire. Multivariate logistic regression models were utilized to identify associated factors with the demand for mental support services. RESULTS: 13.9%, 17.1% and 8.6% reported having at least mild depression, anxiety and stress, respectively. There 13.9% did not seek any mental health support during the COVID-19 pandemic. The most common support included talking with friends (52.9%), family (50.8%), colleagues (47.6%) and using social networks/Internet (43.5%). There 31.1% had been aware of mental health services, but only 18.0% used this service at least once. Regarding preferences, 47.3% had a demand for mental support services, and the most preferred service was providing coping skills (25.9%), followed by skills to support others against mental problems (22.2%). Major sources of support included psychiatrists (34.4%), colleagues (29.1%) and family (27.9%). The main preferred channels for support included telephone/mobile phone (35.7%) and Internet (20.9%). Only 12.3% were willing to provide mental support for colleagues during the pandemic. Age, education, perceived mental health status, ever seeking any mental service, and DASS-21 depression score were associated with demand for mental support services. CONCLUSION: This study found a lack of awareness of mental health services for health professionals, as well as moderate levels of demand for this service in this population. Raising awareness and developing tailored mental health support services are important to enhancing the mental well-being of health professionals in Vietnam to prepare for the next pandemic.

New records of amphibians from Ha Tinh Province, Vietnam.

Background: Since the establishment of the Vu Quang National Park in 2002 in Ha Tinh Province, central Vietnam, several surveys on the amphibian fauna have been undertaken in this protected area. In 2009, Nguyen et al. provided a list of 23 amphibian species from Vu Quang National Park. In addition, a new species was described in 2021 from the National Park, namely Vietnamophrynevuquangensis. New information: As a result of our field surveys in 2013 and 2023, a total of 29 species of amphibians was recorded from the Vu Quang National Park. Six of them are recorded for the first time from Ha Tinh Province, comprising three species of Megophryidae, one species of Dicroglossidae, one species of Ranidae and one species of Rhacophoridae. In addition, we provide morphological data and ecological notes on the aforementioned species.

A Rare Case of Panton-Valentine Leukocidin-Related Cervical Empyema.

Staphylococcus aureus is found in the normal skin and mucosa of approximately 30% of healthy populations and is the most common pathogen in human disease associated with bacteria. They are divided into methicillin-sensitive S . aureus (MSSA) and methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA). The S. aureus strains carrying the Panton-Valentine leukocidin genes (SA-PVL) were initially believed to belong to the MRSA group; however, recent reports showed they also belonged to the MSSA group (MSSA-PVL). SA-PVL is common in skin and soft-tissue infections but rare in musculoskeletal infections, especially in spondylodiscitis. We are reporting a case suffering from cervical spondylodiscitis and epidural abscess associated with MSSA carrying the Panton-Valentine leukocidin genes.

Bracketed Stability Evaluation of Methimazole USP in PLO Gel Mediflo™30 Pre-Mixed.

Extemporaneously compounded Methimazole 1% and 10% in PLO Gel Mediflo™30 Pre-Mixed were studied to assess physical, chemical and microbial stability over time. The formulations were stored at room temperature in tightly closed, light resistant plastic containers. Chemical stability was evaluated using a validated, stability indicating HPLC analysis and physical stability was evaluated through observation of organoleptic appearance and pH measurement at predetermined time points. Lastly, antimicrobial effectiveness testing was conducted per USP <51> guidelines. The results indicate that compounded Methimazole remained within the stability criteria for the duration of the study and can be assigned an extended beyond-use-date of 120 days under the studied conditions.

AC conductivity study of mechanochemically synthesized solid electrolytes of Li6-aMa/nnPS5Cl (M = Ca, Mg, Ba, Zn, Al, Y).

Argyrodite-type solid electrolytes of Li6PS5Cl doped with multivalent cations (Mg2+, Ba2+, Zn2+, Al3+, Y3+) were prepared via a mechanochemical synthesis method. The lattice constant (a0), interplanar spacing (d220, d311, d222), and micro-strain (ε) showed that the doping elements were incorporated into the crystal structure of Li6PS5Cl. The lattice constant and interplanar spacing of the doped samples were smaller than those of Li6PS5Cl. The prepared samples exhibited a positive lattice strain, and the substituted samples exhibited higher strains than Li6PS5Cl. The doped samples exhibited higher ionic conductivity than Li6PS5Cl at 25 °C. Li5.94Al0.02PS5Cl exhibited the highest σDC of approximately 2.36 × 10-3 S cm-1 at 25 °C. The charge carrier movement at the grain boundary changing from long-range diffusion in Li6PS5Cl to short-range diffusion in Li5.94Al0.02PS5Cl enhanced the conductivity.

Risk factors for development of anti-adalimumab antibodies in non-infectious uveitis.

Purpose: To evaluate risk factors associated with development of anti-adalimumab antibodies (AAA) in patients with non-infectious uveitis treated with adalimumab. Methods: A retrospective, cross-sectional, case-control study was done evaluating patients with non-infectious uveitis treated with adalimumab for at least 12 months and have undergone testing for AAA levels. Demographics, clinical characteristics, grading of ocular inflammation, and previous and concomitant immunomodulatory therapy were assessed. Univariate and multivariate analysis were done to estimate odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence intervals for the various risk factors. Results: A total of 31 patients were included in the analysis, in which 12 patients who tested positive (Group 1) were matched with 19 patients who tested negative for AAA (Group 2). The groups differed significantly in terms of sex (female) (91.7% vs 52.6%, p = 0.046), presence of systemic disease (91.7% vs 42.1%, p = 0.008), and presence of anterior chamber inflammation at baseline (100% vs 63.2%, p = 0.026). A history of interruption in anti-TNF therapy prior to starting or restarting adalimumab was found to have an increased odds for development of AAA (OR 16.89 [2.92, 107.11], p = 0.008), as well as flare-ups (reactivation of disease) during adalimumab therapy (OR 6.77 [1.80, 61.80], p = 0.027). Weekly dosing of adalimumab was shown to decrease odds of AAA development (OR 0.34 [0.02, 0.70], p = 0.040), while concomitant anti-metabolite therapy was not shown to be a statistically significant protective factor (OR 2.22 [0.50, 9.96], p = 0.148). Conclusions: History of interruption in anti-TNF therapy and flare during adalimumab were associated with development of AAA, while weekly dosing of adalimumab was protective against AAA. Identification of those with higher risk of developing AAA may guide in clinical decision making to optimize management for these patients.

Spatio-temporal characterization of drought variability in data-scarce regions using global precipitation data: a case study in Cauto river basin, Cuba.

Drought is considered the most severe water-related disaster in the Cauto river basin, which is the longest river and the main agricultural producer in Cuba. Better understanding of drought characteristics is crucial to drought management. Given the sparsity of ground-based precipitation observations in the Cauto, this study aims at using gridded global precipitation to analyze the spatio-temporal variations of drought in this river basin. Firstly, the monthly Climate Hazards Group InfraRed Precipitation with Station data (CHIRPS) was calibrated with the gauged precipitation using the Thiessen polygon-based method and linear least squares regression equations. Then, the gridded standardized precipitation index (SPI) with time scales of 3, 6, 9 months and drought characteristics, namely, drought frequency, duration and intensity were calculated using the calibrated CHIRPS. Finally, the spatio-temporal analysis was performed to investigate the variations of drought in the Cauto river basin in time and space. The obtained results show that the calibrated CHIRPS is highly consistent with the gauged observations and is capable of determining the magnitude, time, and spatial extent of drought events in the Cauto river basin. The trend analysis by the Mann-Kendall test reveals that although the trend is not statistically significant, the SPI tends to decrease with time in the dry season, which indicates the more severe drought. The spatial analysis indicates that the lower altitude area of the Cauto river basin is suffered from longer drought duration and higher drought intensity than the upper one. This study expresses the importance of open global precipitation data sources in monitoring and quantifying drought characteristics in data-scarce regions.