ill patients with COVID-19.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a public health problem, and an unfavorable lifestyle has been suggested as a modifiable risk factor for CKD. Selleck BI-D1870 Cigarette smoking is closely associated with cardiovascular disease and cancers; however, there is a lack of evidence to prove that smoking is harmful for kidney health. Therefore, we aimed to determine the relationship between cigarette smoking and CKD among healthy middle-aged adults.

Using the database from the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study, we analyzed 8,661 participants after excluding those with baseline estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR)<60 ml/min/1.72 m2 or proteinuria. Exposure of interest was smoking status never-, former-, and current-smokers. Primary outcome was incident CKD defined as eGFR <60 ml/min/1.73 m2 or newly developed proteinuria.

The mean age of the subjects was 52 years, and 47.6% of them were males. There were 551 (6.4%) and 1,255 (14.5%) subjects with diabetes and hypertension, respectively. The mean eGFR was 93.0 ml/min/1.73 m2. Among the participants, 5,140 (59.3%), 1,336 (15.4%), and 2,185 (25.2%) were never-smokers, former-smokers, and current-smokers, respectively. During a median follow-up of 11.6 years, incident CKD developed in 1,941 (22.4%) subjects with a crude incidence rate of 25.1 (24.0-26.2) per 1,000 person-years. The multivariable Cox regression analysis after adjustment of confounding factors showed hazard ratios (95% confidence interval) of 1.13 (0.95-1.35) and 1.26 (1.07-1.48) for CKD development in the former- and current-smokers, compared with never-smokers.

This study showed that smoking was associated with a higher risk of incident CKD among healthy middle-aged adults.

This study showed that smoking was associated with a higher risk of incident CKD among healthy middle-aged adults.Every nation prioritizes the inclusive economic growth and development of all regions. However, we observe that economic activities are clustered in space, which results in a disparity in per-capita income among different regions. A complexity-based method was proposed by Hidalgo and Hausmann [PNAS 106, 10570-10575 (2009)] to explain the large gaps in per-capita income across countries. Although there have been extensive studies on countries’ economic complexity using international export data, studies on economic complexity at the regional level are relatively less studied. Here, we study the industrial sector complexity of prefectures in Japan based on the basic information of more than one million firms. We aggregate the data as a bipartite network of prefectures and industrial sectors. We decompose the bipartite network as a prefecture-prefecture network and sector-sector network, which reveals the relationships among them. Similarities among the prefectures and among the sectors are measured using a metric. From these similarity matrices, we cluster the prefectures and sectors using the minimal spanning tree technique. The computed economic complexity index from the structure of the bipartite network shows a high correlation with macroeconomic indicators, such as per-capita gross prefectural product and prefectural income per person. We argue that this index reflects the present economic performance and hidden potential of the prefectures for future growth.Somatic structural variants are an important contributor to cancer development and evolution. Accurate detection of these complex variants from whole genome sequencing data is influenced by a multitude of parameters. However, there are currently no tools for guiding study design nor are there applications that could predict the performance of somatic structural variant detection. To address this gap, we developed Shiny-SoSV, a user-friendly web-based calculator for determining the impact of common variables on the sensitivity, precision and F1 score of somatic structural variant detection, including choice of variant detection tool, sequencing depth of coverage, variant allele fraction, and variant breakpoint resolution. Using simulation studies, we determined singular and combinatoric effects of these variables, modelled the results using a generalised additive model, allowing structural variant detection performance to be predicted for any combination of predictors. Shiny-SoSV provides an interactive and visual platform for users to easily compare individual and combined impact of different parameters. It predicts the performance of a proposed study design, on somatic structural variant detection, prior to the commencement of benchwork. Shiny-SoSV is freely available at https//hcpcg.shinyapps.io/Shiny-SoSV with accompanying user’s guide and example use-cases.

Efforts to promote male partner involvement in the prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) may inadvertently exploit gender power differentials to achieve programme targets.

We explored women’s relative power and perceptions of male partner involvement through interviews with postpartum Zambian women living with HIV (n = 32) using a critical discourse analysis.

Women living with HIV reported far-reaching gender power imbalances, including low participation in household decision-making, economic reliance on husbands, and oppressive gendered sexual norms, which hindered their autonomy and prevented optimal mental and physical health during and after their pregnancy. When the husband was HIV-negative, sero-discordance exacerbated women’s low power in these heterosexual couples. Male involvement in HIV care was both helpful and hurtful, and often walked a fine line between support for the woman and controlling behaviours over her. Inequities in the sexual divisions of power and labour and gender norms, combined with HIV stigma created challenging circumstances for women navigating the PMTCT cascade.

Future programmes should consider the benefits and risks of male partner involvement within specific relationships and according to women’s needs, rather than advocating for universal male involvement in PMTCT. This work highlights the persistent need for gender transformative approaches alongside PMTCT efforts.

Future programmes should consider the benefits and risks of male partner involvement within specific relationships and according to women’s needs, rather than advocating for universal male involvement in PMTCT. This work highlights the persistent need for gender transformative approaches alongside PMTCT efforts.