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1.
J Neurol Phys Ther ; 48(1): 27-37, 2024 Jan 01.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37184472

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Concern for adverse cardiovascular events and limited guidance regarding how to conduct aerobic exercise (AEx) testing for individuals poststroke are key barriers to implementation by physical therapists in stroke rehabilitation. This study aimed to describe the nature and safety of submaximal AEx testing protocols for people with subacute stroke (PwSS) and the nature of comorbidity of PwSS who underwent submaximal AEx testing. METHODS: We conducted a scoping review and searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, and SPORTDiscus from inception to October 29, 2020. Studies involving submaximal AEx testing with PwSS, reporting on participant comorbidity and on adverse events during testing, were eligible. Two reviewers independently conducted title and abstract and full-text screening. One reviewer extracted data; a second reviewer verified data. RESULTS: Thirteen studies involving 452 participants and 19 submaximal AEx testing protocols (10 field test, 7 incremental, and 2 constant load) were included. Hypertension (41%), diabetes (31%), and dyslipidemia (27%) were the most common comorbidities reported. No protocols resulted in a serious adverse event. The most common test termination criterion was a heart rate (HR) limit (9 protocols); a limit of 85% age-predicted maximal HR (APM-HR) most frequently reported. Average APM-HR achieved, computed using mean age and mean peak HR, ranged from 59% to 88% across 13 protocols. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Diverse submaximal AEx testing protocols with conservative test termination criteria can be safely implemented with PwSS. Results can inform clinical practice guidelines and address physical therapists' concerns with the occurrence of serious adverse events during submaximal AEx testing.Video Abstract available for more insights from the authors (see the Video, Supplemental Digital Content 1 available at: http://links.lww.com/JNPT/A430 ).


Subject(s)
Stroke Rehabilitation , Stroke , Humans , Exercise Therapy/methods , Exercise/physiology , Exercise Test/methods , Stroke Rehabilitation/methods
2.
OTJR (Thorofare N J) ; 44(1): 117-127, 2024 01.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37070245

ABSTRACT

This review seeks to understand the literature on patient navigator programs (PNPs) that employ occupational therapists (OTs), including the role (conceptualization), functions (operationalization) of OTs who work as patient navigators (PNs) and the settings and populations they serve. This review also mapped the role of PNs to the 2021 Competencies for Occupational Therapists in Canada. Scoping review methodology by Arksey and O'Malley (2005) was employed. Data were analyzed thematically and numerically to identify frequent patterns. Ten articles were included. Within PNPs, OTs worked in hospitals and communities, but their role was rarely well-defined. Five competency domains (i.e., communication and collaboration, culture, equity and justice, excellence in practice, professional responsibility, and engagement with the profession) were evident in existing PNPs that included OTs. This review supports the increasing interest in OTs as PNs by demonstrating the alignment between the OT competencies and roles and functions of OTs working within PNPs.


Subject(s)
Occupational Therapy , Patient Navigation , Humans , Communication , Occupational Therapists , Occupational Therapy/methods , Surveys and Questionnaires
3.
JMIR Mhealth Uhealth ; 11: e46558, 2023 12 06.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38055318

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: There is growing interest in enhancing stroke self-management support using mobile health (mHealth) technology (eg, smartphones and apps). Despite this growing interest, "self-management support" is inconsistently defined and applied in the poststroke mHealth intervention literature, which limits efforts to synthesize and compare evidence. To address this gap in conceptual clarity, a scoping review was conducted. OBJECTIVE: The objectives were to (1) identify and describe the types of poststroke mHealth interventions evaluated using a randomized controlled trial design, (2) determine whether (and how) such interventions align with well-accepted conceptualizations of self-management support (the theory by Lorig and Holman and the Practical Reviews in Self-Management Support [PRISMS] taxonomy by Pearce and colleagues), and (3) identify the mHealth functions that facilitate self-management. METHODS: A scoping review was conducted according to the methodology by Arksey and O'Malley and Levac et al. In total, 7 databases were searched. Article screening and data extraction were performed by 2 reviewers. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and content analysis. RESULTS: A total of 29 studies (26 interventions) were included. The interventions addressed 7 focal areas (physical exercise, risk factor management, linguistic exercise, activities of daily living training, medication adherence, stroke education, and weight management), 5 types of mobile devices (mobile phones or smartphones, tablets, wearable sensors, wireless monitoring devices, and laptops), and 7 mHealth functions (educating, communicating, goal setting, monitoring, providing feedback, reminding, and motivating). Collectively, the interventions aligned well with the concept of self-management support. However, on an individual basis (per intervention), the alignment was less strong. CONCLUSIONS: On the basis of the results, it is recommended that future research on poststroke mHealth interventions be more theoretically driven, more multidisciplinary, and larger in scale.


Subject(s)
Cell Phone , Self-Management , Humans , Activities of Daily Living , Biomedical Technology , Computers, Handheld , Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
4.
Heart Lung Circ ; 32(12): 1489-1499, 2023 Dec.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37993343

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Transvalvular flow rate (TFR) represents a better reflection of transvalvular flow than the stroke volume index (SVi), and has recently emerged as a useful prognostic tool in patients undergoing surgical aortic valve replacement. There is a paucity of data investigating the role of TFR and its relationship with other clinical or echocardiographic factors in patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). METHOD: This was a retrospective single-centre study of 629 consecutive patients who underwent TAVI between March 2009 and September 2020. Pre-TAVI low TFR was defined as <200 c/s. The primary study end point was all-cause mortality. RESULTS: Low TFR was observed in 41.8% (263/629) of included patients and was associated with increasing age, low body surface area, hypertension, diabetes, atrial fibrillation, left ventricular (LV) dysfunction, and significant mitral regurgitation. LV function status and severity of aortic valve disease were independent predictors of low TFR. Low TFR was significantly associated with long-term all-cause mortality even after adjustment for other risk factors (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] 1.44; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.02-2.03; p=0.038). When data were stratified according to SVi, low TFR was an independent predictor of long-term all-cause mortality in patients with normal SVi (aHR 1.98; 95% CI 1.06-3.69; p=0.032) but not in patients with low SVi (HR 1.23; 95% CI 0.71-2.11; p=0.46; p=0.016 for interaction). CONCLUSIONS: Low TFR is common in patients undergoing TAVI and is an independent predictor of all-cause mortality, particularly in patients with normal SVi.


Subject(s)
Aortic Valve Stenosis , Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement , Ventricular Dysfunction, Left , Humans , Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement/adverse effects , Aortic Valve Stenosis/diagnosis , Aortic Valve Stenosis/surgery , Aortic Valve Stenosis/complications , Retrospective Studies , Treatment Outcome , Aortic Valve/diagnostic imaging , Aortic Valve/surgery , Ventricular Function, Left , Stroke Volume , Severity of Illness Index
5.
Environ Sci Technol ; 57(43): 16255-16264, 2023 10 31.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37856836

ABSTRACT

Carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) are a critical set of strategies to decarbonize the industrial and power sectors and to mitigate global climate change. Pipeline infrastructure connecting CO2 sources and sinks, if not planned strategically, can cause environmental and social impacts by disturbing local landscapes. We investigated the impacts of these considerations on optimal CO2 pipeline routing and sink locations by modifying and leveraging an open-source CCUS infrastructure model, SimCCS. We expanded SimCCS from a cost-minimizing to a multiobjective framework, explicitly incorporating environmental protection objectives. We estimated trade-offs between private costs and environmental and social impacts. Using a version of the model focused on the southeastern United States, we modeled seven scenarios with varying weights given to environmental impacts to evaluate how the pipeline network responds to the multiobjective optimization. We found that the optimal path is sensitive to environmental and social impact considerations in that a small increase in pipeline length (and cost) significantly avoids large environmental and social impacts. We hope such a tool can be used to improve the pipeline permitting and siting processes and contribute to the achievement of decarbonization goals with minimal environmental impacts.


Subject(s)
Carbon Dioxide , Conservation of Natural Resources , Carbon Dioxide/analysis , Industry , Carbon , Southeastern United States
6.
Handb Clin Neurol ; 196: 443-455, 2023.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37620084

ABSTRACT

The motor phenomena accompanying frontal lobe disease are diverse, reflecting the various roles the frontal lobes play in the organization of motor control. The principal frontal motor areas, the primary motor cortex, the premotor cortex, and the supplementary motor area, have different but interrelated functions in motor control. The principal efferent pathway of the primary motor cortex is the corticospinal tract which conducts fine motor control. Damage to the primary motor cortex and the corticospinal tract results in paralysis and loss of skilled, particularly distal, motor function. Lesions of the premotor cortex interfere with the preparation for the execution of movements and coordinating sequences of limb movement. Mediated through cortico-reticulospinal pathways, the premotor cortex adjusts axial and limb muscle activities. The fine motor skills of the corticospinal tract are superimposed upon these stabilizing movements. Supplementary motor area lesions interrupt self-initiated movements, release alien limb behaviors, and result in grasping. Paralysis, primitive reflexes, and frontal gait disorders are readily observed on examination, but difficulties initiating and sequencing movements are more subtle signs of perturbed higher motor control and require special examination procedures. Prefrontal motor syndromes include motor behaviors that only become apparent when the subject performs spontaneous or self-directed activities, unconstrained by instructions from the examiner. Clinical observation also reveals a slowness to respond to instruction with long delays before initiating action (inertia), but once underway they may be unable to stop (perseveration). Patients sit motionless without spontaneous movement or interest in their surrounds (apathy), yet exhibit distractibility, diverting attention to an incidental peripheral stimulus or an object with which they may then fiddle (environmental dependency and utilization behavior). Little spontaneous speech is initiated (abulia) but echolalia may be stimulated by the examiner's conversation. Restlessness, distractibility, perseveration, and environmentally dependent utilization behaviors coexist with apathy, inertia, and abulia. Mutism and akinesia may alternate with stereotypies and agitation in catatonia. These paradoxical combinations are of considerable diagnostic significance in recognizing frontal lobe motor syndromes.


Subject(s)
Apathy , Frontotemporal Dementia , Motor Cortex , Humans , Syndrome , Paralysis
7.
J Clin Neurosci ; 116: 32-36, 2023 Oct.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37603922

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Lhermitte's phenomenon (LP) is a transient shock-like sensation that radiates down the spine into the extremities, usually with neck flexion. The potential efficacy and tolerability of various symptomatic therapies in the management of LP have not been systematically reviewed previously. METHOD: A systematic review was conducted using PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library from inception to August 2022 for peer-reviewed articles describing the treatment of patients with Lhermitte's phenomenon. The review adheres to the PRISMA guidelines and was registered on PROSPERO. RESULTS: This systematic review included sixty-six articles, which included 450 patients with LP. Treatment of the underlying cause varied by aetiology. Whilst LP is most commonly considered in the context of structural pathology of the cervical cord, medication-induced LP was a common theme in the literature. The most common cause of medication-induced LP was platinum-based chemotherapy agents such as cisplatin and oxaliplatin. In medication-induced LP, symptoms typically resolved with cessation of the causative agent. Non-pharmacological treatment options were associated with mild-moderate symptomatic improvement. The most commonly used agents to treat patients with LP were carbamazepine and gabapentin, which resulted in variable degrees of symptomatic benefit. CONCLUSIONS: No randomised studies currently exist to support the use of symptomatic therapies to treat LP. Observational data suggest that some therapies may yield a symptomatic benefit in the management of LP. However, this systematic review identified a significant paucity of evidence in the literature, which suggests that further controlled studies are needed to investigate the optimal management of this common neurologic phenomenon.


Subject(s)
Antineoplastic Agents, Alkylating , Cervical Cord , Humans , Benzodiazepines , Carbamazepine , Cisplatin
8.
Curr Psychol ; : 1-15, 2023 May 13.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37359673

ABSTRACT

To examine the relationships within and between commonly used measures of loneliness to determine the suitability of the measures in older adults. Further, to determine whether certain items in these measures are more psychometrically robust in terms of capturing different types of loneliness across this population. Data were obtained from 350 older adults via completion of an online survey. Four measures of loneliness were completed. These were the University of California Los Angeles Loneliness Scale 4 (Version 3), the de Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale, the Social and Emotional Loneliness Scale for Adults (Short Version) and a direct measure of loneliness. Analysis via a regularized partial correlation network and via clique percolation revealed that only the SELSA-S encompassed loneliness relating to deficits in social, family and romantic relationships. The remaining measures tapped mostly into social loneliness alone. The direct measure of loneliness had the strongest connection to the UCLA item-4 and the de Jong Gierveld item-1 exhibited the strongest bridge centrality, being a member of the most clusters. The results indicate that should researchers be interested in assessing loneliness resulting from specific relationships, then the SELSA-S would be the most suitable measure. Whereas the other measures are suitable for assessing loneliness more generally. The results further suggest that the de Jong Gierveld item-1 may be a more suitable direct measure of loneliness than that currently employed as it taps into a greater number of relationships.

9.
Oral Oncol ; 142: 106419, 2023 07.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37178655

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Positive margins following head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) surgery lead to significant morbidity and mortality. Existing Intraoperative Margin Assessment (IMA) techniques are not widely used due to limitations in sampling technique, time constraints and resource requirements. We performed a meta-analysis of the diagnostic performance of existing IMA techniques in HNSCC, providing a benchmark against which emerging techniques may be judged. METHODS: The study was conducted according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) reporting guidelines. Studies were included if they reported diagnostic metrics of techniques used during HNSCC surgery, compared with permanent histopathology. Screening, manuscript review and data extraction was performed by multiple independent observers. Pooled sensitivity and specificity were estimated using the bivariate random effects model. RESULTS: From an initial 2344 references, 35 studies were included for meta-analysis. Sensitivity (Sens), specificity (Spec), diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) were calculated for each group (n, Sens, Spec, DOR, AUROC): frozen section = 13, 0.798, 0.991, 309.8, 0.976; tumour-targeted fluorescence (TTF) = 5, 0.957, 0.827, 66.4, 0.944; optical techniques = 10, 0.919, 0.855, 58.9, 0.925; touch imprint cytology = 3, 0.925, 0.988, 51.1, 0.919; topical staining = 4, 0.918, 0.759, 16.4, 0.833. CONCLUSIONS: Frozen section and TTF had the best diagnostic performance. Frozen section is limited by sampling error. TTF shows promise but involves administration of a systemic agent. Neither is currently in widespread clinical use. Emerging techniques must demonstrate competitive diagnostic accuracy whilst allowing rapid, reliable, cost-effective results.


Subject(s)
Frozen Sections , Head and Neck Neoplasms , Humans , Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck/diagnosis , Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck/surgery , Sensitivity and Specificity , ROC Curve , Head and Neck Neoplasms/diagnosis , Head and Neck Neoplasms/surgery
10.
Antioxidants (Basel) ; 12(4)2023 Mar 31.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37107217

ABSTRACT

Women with gestational diabetes (GD) have reduced antioxidant capacity; however, the relationship between maternal diet, maternal biochemical capacity, breast milk concentration, and infant intake has not been adequately explored in the literature. An exploration of underlying mechanism(s) is warranted, particularly for nutrient antioxidants impacted by maternal intake. These nutrients may provide a means for modifying maternal and infant antioxidant capacity. Oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC), alpha-tocopherol, ascorbic acid, and beta-carotene concentrations were measured in breast milk of women with and without GD. Plasma, three-day diet records, and breast milk were collected at 6 to 8 weeks postpartum. Student's t-test was used to compare breast milk ORAC, nutrient antioxidant concentration and plasma ORAC between women with and without GD. Pearson correlations were used to determine associations among antioxidant concentrations in breast milk and dietary antioxidant intake. Breast milk antioxidant concentrations were associated with maternal intake of beta-carotene (r = 0.629, p = 0.005). Breast milk and plasma ORAC and antioxidant vitamin concentrations were not significantly different between GD and NG women. Breast milk ORAC associated with breast milk alpha-tocopherol for NG (r = 0.763, p = 0.010), but not GD women (r = 0.385, p = 0.35), and with breast milk ascorbic acid for GD (r = 0.722, p = 0.043) but not NG women (r = 0.141, p = 0.70; interaction p = 0.041). In GD participants, breast milk ORAC was significantly associated with plasma ORAC (r = 0.780, p = 0.039). ORAC and antioxidant vitamin concentrations in breast milk in women with GD were comparable to women with NG; however, the relationships between breast milk ORAC and vitamin concentrations differed in GD versus NG women for alpha-tocopherol and ascorbic acid.

11.
BMJ Open ; 13(2): e064169, 2023 02 01.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36725099

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: Motor neuron disease (MND) is an incurable progressive neurodegenerative disease with limited treatment options. There is a pressing need for innovation in identifying therapies to take to clinical trial. Here, we detail a systematic and structured evidence-based approach to inform consensus decision making to select the first two drugs for evaluation in Motor Neuron Disease-Systematic Multi-arm Adaptive Randomised Trial (MND-SMART: NCT04302870), an adaptive platform trial. We aim to identify and prioritise candidate drugs which have the best available evidence for efficacy, acceptable safety profiles and are feasible for evaluation within the trial protocol. METHODS: We conducted a two-stage systematic review to identify potential neuroprotective interventions. First, we reviewed clinical studies in MND, Alzheimer's disease, Huntington's disease, Parkinson's disease and multiple sclerosis, identifying drugs described in at least one MND publication or publications in two or more other diseases. We scored and ranked drugs using a metric evaluating safety, efficacy, study size and study quality. In stage two, we reviewed efficacy of drugs in MND animal models, multicellular eukaryotic models and human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) studies. An expert panel reviewed candidate drugs over two shortlisting rounds and a final selection round, considering the systematic review findings, late breaking evidence, mechanistic plausibility, safety, tolerability and feasibility of evaluation in MND-SMART. RESULTS: From the clinical review, we identified 595 interventions. 66 drugs met our drug/disease logic. Of these, 22 drugs with supportive clinical and preclinical evidence were shortlisted at round 1. Seven drugs proceeded to round 2. The panel reached a consensus to evaluate memantine and trazodone as the first two arms of MND-SMART. DISCUSSION: For future drug selection, we will incorporate automation tools, text-mining and machine learning techniques to the systematic reviews and consider data generated from other domains, including high-throughput phenotypic screening of human iPSCs.


Subject(s)
Motor Neuron Disease , Humans , Consensus , Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells , Motor Neuron Disease/drug therapy , Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
12.
Circ Genom Precis Med ; 16(2): e003791, 2023 04.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36803080

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Congenital heart disease (CHD) is the most common major congenital anomaly and causes significant morbidity and mortality. Epidemiologic evidence supports a role of genetics in the development of CHD. Genetic diagnoses can inform prognosis and clinical management. However, genetic testing is not standardized among individuals with CHD. We sought to develop a list of validated CHD genes using established methods and to evaluate the process of returning genetic results to research participants in a large genomic study. METHODS: Two-hundred ninety-five candidate CHD genes were evaluated using a ClinGen framework. Sequence and copy number variants involving genes in the CHD gene list were analyzed in Pediatric Cardiac Genomics Consortium participants. Pathogenic/likely pathogenic results were confirmed on a new sample in a clinical laboratory improvement amendments-certified laboratory and disclosed to eligible participants. Adult probands and parents of probands who received results were asked to complete a post-disclosure survey. RESULTS: A total of 99 genes had a strong or definitive clinical validity classification. Diagnostic yields for copy number variants and exome sequencing were 1.8% and 3.8%, respectively. Thirty-one probands completed clinical laboratory improvement amendments-confirmation and received results. Participants who completed postdisclosure surveys reported high personal utility and no decision regret after receiving genetic results. CONCLUSIONS: The application of ClinGen criteria to CHD candidate genes yielded a list that can be used to interpret clinical genetic testing for CHD. Applying this gene list to one of the largest research cohorts of CHD participants provides a lower bound for the yield of genetic testing in CHD.


Subject(s)
Heart Defects, Congenital , Adult , Child , Humans , Heart Defects, Congenital/diagnosis , Heart Defects, Congenital/genetics , Genetic Testing , Heart , Genomics , DNA Copy Number Variations
13.
PLoS One ; 17(12): e0266167, 2022.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36580475

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: High levels of loneliness are associated with negative health outcomes and there are several different types of interventions targeted at reducing feelings of loneliness. It is therefore important to accurately measure loneliness. A key unresolved debate in the conceptualisation and measurement of loneliness is whether it has a unidimensional or multidimensional structure. The aim of this study was to examine the dimensional structure of the widely used UCLA Loneliness Scale and establish whether this factorial structure is equivalent in men and women. METHODS AND SAMPLE: Two online UK-based samples were recruited using Prolific. The participants in Study 1 were 492 adults, selected to be nationally representative by age and gender, whilst the participants in Study 2 were 290 older adults aged over 64. In both studies, participants completed the UCLA Loneliness Scale (Version 3) as part of a larger project. RESULTS: In both studies, the best fitting model was one with three factors corresponding to 'Isolation,' 'Relational Connectedness,' and 'Collective Connectedness.' A unidimensional single factor model was a substantially worse fit in both studies. In both studies, there were no meaningful differences between men and women in any of the three factors, suggesting measurement invariance across genders. CONCLUSION: These results are consistent with previous research in supporting a multidimensional, three factor structure to the UCLA scale, rather than a unidimensional structure. Further, the measurement invariance across genders suggests that the UCLA scale can be used to compare levels of loneliness across men and women. Overall the results suggest that loneliness has different facets and thus future research should consider treating the UCLA loneliness scale as a multidimensional scale, or using other scales which are designed to measure the different aspects of loneliness.


Subject(s)
Emotions , Loneliness , Humans , Male , Female , Aged
14.
Lancet Gastroenterol Hepatol ; 7(8): 755-769, 2022 08.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-35490698

ABSTRACT

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is common, affecting approximately 25% of the general population. The evidence base for the investigation and management of NAFLD is large and growing, but there is currently little practical guidance to support development of services and delivery of care. To address this, we produced a series of evidence-based quality standard recommendations for the management of NAFLD, with the aim of improving patient care. A multidisciplinary group of experts from the British Association for the Study of the Liver and British Society of Gastroenterology NAFLD Special Interest Group produced the recommendations, which cover: management of people with, or at risk of, NAFLD before the gastroenterology or liver clinic; assessment and investigations in secondary care; and management in secondary care. The quality of evidence for each recommendation was evaluated by the Grading of Recommendation Assessment, Development and Evaluation tool. An anonymous modified Delphi voting process was conducted individually by each member of the group to assess the level of agreement with each statement. Statements were included when agreement was 80% or greater. From the final list of statements, a smaller number of auditable key performance indicators were selected to allow services to benchmark their practice. It is hoped that services will review their practice against our recommendations and key performance indicators and institute service development where needed to improve the care of patients with NAFLD.


Subject(s)
Disease Management , Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease , Quality Indicators, Health Care , Consensus , Delphi Technique , Humans , Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease/diagnosis , Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease/therapy , Quality Indicators, Health Care/standards , Societies, Medical , United Kingdom
16.
Environ Sci Technol ; 55(15): 10224-10230, 2021 08 03.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34260219

ABSTRACT

Millions of abandoned oil and gas wells are scattered across the United States, causing methane emissions and other environmental hazards. Governments are increasingly interested in decommissioning these wells but want to do so efficiently. However, information on the costs of decommissioning wells is very limited. In this analysis, we provide new cost estimates for decommissioning oil and gas wells and key cost drivers. We analyze data from up to 19,500 wells and find median decommissioning costs are roughly $20,000 for plugging only and $76,000 for plugging and surface reclamation. In rare cases, costs exceed $1 million per well. Each additional 1,000 feet of well depth increases costs by 20%, older wells are more costly than newer ones, natural gas wells are 9% more expensive than wells that produce oil, and costs vary widely by state. Surface characteristics also matter: each additional 10 feet of elevation change in the 5-acre area surrounding the well raises costs by 3%. Finally, we find that contracting in bulk pays: each additional well per contract reduces decommissioning costs by 3% per well. These findings suggest that regulators can adjust bonding requirements to better match the characteristics of each well.


Subject(s)
Oil and Gas Fields , Water Wells , Environment , Methane , Natural Gas , United States
18.
Ecol Appl ; 31(5): e02322, 2021 07.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-33655588

ABSTRACT

Land protection efforts represent large societal investments and are critical to biodiversity conservation. Land protection involves a complex mosaic of areas managed by multiple organizations, using a variety of mechanisms to achieve different levels of protection. We develop an approach to synthesize, describe, and map this land protection diversity over large spatial scales. We use cluster analysis to find distinct "communities" of land protection based on the organizations involved, the strictness of land protection, and the protection mechanisms used. We also associate identified land protection communities with socioenvironmental variables. Applying these methods to describe land protection communities in counties across the coterminous United States, we recognize five different land protection communities. Two land protection communities occur in areas with low human population size at higher elevations and include a large amount of protected land primarily under federal management. These two community types are differentiated from one another by the particular federal agencies involved, the relative contributions of smaller actors, and the amount of protection by designations vs. conservation easements or covenants. Three remaining land protection communities have less overall protection. Land in one community is primarily protected by federally managed rental contracts and government managed easements; another is managed by a diversity of non-federal actors through fee-ownership and easements; and the third stands out for having the lowest amount of formally recorded protection overall. High elevation and poor quality soils are over-represented in U.S. protected lands. Rental contracts help fill in gaps in counties with high productivity soil while the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service fills in gaps in low-elevation counties. Counties with large numbers of threatened species have more and stricter protection, particularly by regional entities like water management districts. The ability to synthesize and map land protection communities can help conservation planners tailor interventions to local contexts, position local agencies to approach collaborations more strategically, and suggest new hypotheses for researchers regarding interactions among different protection mechanisms.


Subject(s)
Biodiversity , Conservation of Natural Resources , Animals , Endangered Species , Humans , Ownership , Soil , United States
19.
J Sci Med Sport ; 24(6): 531-535, 2021 Jun.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-33423947

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: Female athletes experience eating disorders (EDs) at clinical, and subclinical, levels; most studies have determined point-prevalence rates through cross-sectional methodologies. To date, few studies have examined the long-term stability of EDs in female athletes; none extend into retirement. DESIGN: A longitudinal investigation of ED classification (i.e., Clinical ED, Subclinical ED, Healthy) and weight control behaviors (e.g., vomiting, laxative use) from when athletes actively competed (T1) into their retirement (T2). METHODS: Participants included U.S. female athletes (N=193) who were collegiate competitors (T1) and eventually were retired from their collegiate sports six years later (T2). RESULTS: At T2, athletes were classified as Healthy (69.9%), Subclinical ED (26.9%), and Clinical ED (3.1%). Overall percentage of Subclinical EDs increased from 18.7% (T1) to 26.9% (T2); 52.8% of T1 Subclinical ED athletes continued to meet criteria for either Subclinical or Clinical ED at T2. Of the 13 Clinical ED athletes at T1, six (46.2%) continued to meet criteria for either a subclinical or clinical ED at T2. Though exercising (2+ hours/day; n=8, 4.1%) and dieting/fasting (4+ times/year; n=14, 7.3%) were the most frequently used weight control behaviors at T2, rates were substantially lower than at T1. CONCLUSIONS: Retirement does not result in immediate remittance of eating concerns among female athletes; many continue or develop Subclinical and Clinical ED symptoms. Thus, addressing healthy body image and nutrition when athletes are competing is imperative to assist prevention and intervention efforts that may alleviate ED symptoms as athletes transition from sport.


Subject(s)
Athletes , Feeding and Eating Disorders/diagnosis , Adult , Age Factors , Athletes/classification , Body Image/psychology , Feeding and Eating Disorders/epidemiology , Feeding and Eating Disorders/prevention & control , Female , Gymnastics/psychology , Gymnastics/statistics & numerical data , Humans , Laxatives/administration & dosage , Longitudinal Studies , Prevalence , Retirement/psychology , Students , Swimming/psychology , Swimming/statistics & numerical data , Time Factors , United States/epidemiology , Universities/statistics & numerical data , Vomiting
20.
Int J Eat Disord ; 54(4): 646-651, 2021 04.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-33382138

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: Due to high prevalence, female athletes are considered a high-risk group for eating disorders (i.e., clinical ED = 2.0% to 19.9%; subclinical ED = 7.1% to 49.2%). Cross-sectional and longitudinal research have identified psychosocial factors that influence current and future disordered eating (e.g., appearance pressures, body satisfaction), but are limited in design (e.g., timeframe, active competitors). Quantitative evaluations of psychosocial predictors of female athletes' disordered eating in retirement are lacking. METHOD: The current study investigated the predictive ability of psychosocial risk factors (e.g., body dissatisfaction, negative affect) from Time1, when collegiate female athletes were actively competing, to Time2, 6 years later when the women were retired (N = 194; Mage = 25.75 years [SD = 1.19]). RESULTS: From Time1 to Time2, 23.5% of the women who were Healthy moved to the Disordered classification; 51% remained in Disordered. The full model for athletes who maintained their Disordered status correctly classified 76% of the athletes. Dietary intent, pressure to exercise and change appearance, body satisfaction, and internalization significantly predicted athletes' maintenance as Disordered. DISCUSSION: Early intervention efforts that address appearance pressures, body image, and healthful eating when athletes are actively competing are vital to help alleviate future distress, particularly in retirement.


Subject(s)
Feeding and Eating Disorders , Sports , Adult , Athletes , Body Image , Cross-Sectional Studies , Feeding and Eating Disorders/diagnosis , Feeding and Eating Disorders/epidemiology , Female , Humans , Retirement
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