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Determining cost-saving risk thresholds for statin use
Background The German government has recently drafted a bill proposing a reduction in the prescription threshold for statin use. This study aims to determine the cost-saving risk threshold for statin use in Germany to inform this proposed change. Methods An economic evaluation utilizing a decision-analytic model was performed, using secondary data to compare statin use versus no statin use from the perspective of German sickness fund insurees. The analysis focused on cost savings from avoided cardiovascular (CV) events, translating these avoided events into net savings after accounting for treatment costs and potential side effects. The study considered the German adult population insured by sickness funds and used a lifetime horizon for the analysis. Results The maximum number needed to treat (NNT) to achieve cost savings over 10 years was found to be 39, leading to a minimum CV risk threshold for savings of 10.2%. It was estimated that approximately 19% of the adult population in Germany has a 10-year CV risk of ≥ 10.2%, potentially avoiding between 271,739 and 581,363 CV events over 10 years, with net population savings of approximately €15 billion. Conclusions A threshold for statin prescription in Germany set at a 10.2% 10-year CV risk could significantly increase the number of patients benefiting from statin therapy, reducing CV events and generating substantial cost savings. These findings suggest that adjustments to prescription guidelines could improve cardiovascular outcomes and economic efficiency within the German healthcare system.
Effect of basalt fiber content on mechanical properties of hydrophobic mortar
Community estimate of global glacier mass changes from 2000 to 2023
Abstract Glaciers are indicators of ongoing anthropogenic climate change1. Their melting leads to increased local geohazards2, and impacts marine3 and terrestrial4,5 ecosystems, regional freshwater resources6, and both global water and energy cycles7,8. Together with the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets, glaciers are essential drivers of present9,10 and future11–13 sea-level rise. Previous assessments of global glacier mass changes have been hampered by spatial and temporal limitations and the heterogeneity of existing data series14–16. Here we show in an intercomparison exercise that glaciers worldwide lost 273 ± 16 gigatonnes in mass annually from 2000 to 2023, with an increase of 36 ± 10% from the first (2000–2011) to the second (2012–2023) half of the period. Since 2000, glaciers have lost between 2% and 39% of their ice regionally and about 5% globally. Glacier mass loss is about 18% larger than the loss from the Greenland Ice Sheet and more than twice that from the Antarctic Ice Sheet17. Our results arise from a scientific community effort to collect, homogenize, combine and analyse glacier mass changes from in situ and remote-sensing observations. Although our estimates are in agreement with findings from previous assessments14–16 at a global scale, we found some large regional deviations owing to systematic differences among observation methods. Our results provide a refined baseline for better understanding observational differences and for calibrating model ensembles12,16,18, which will help to narrow projection uncertainty for the twenty-first century11,12,18.
Author Correction: Segregation-dislocation self-organized structures ductilize a work-hardened medium entropy alloy
Spatio-temporal evolution of habitat quality and its influencing factors in karst areas based on the InVEST model
The Critical Karst Zone provides rich natural resources and is an important habitat for the survival and development of the world’s human population. Meanwhile, urbanization processes have disrupted the structure and function of natural ecosystems, endangering biodiversity and habitats. However, existing studies have few frequently explored the combined effects of the natural environment and human activities on changes in habitat quality. This article uses the InVEST model and the GeoDetector method to analyze the changes in landscape patterns, spatiotemporal evolution of habitat quality, and their driving factors in karst areas. The results show that: (i) From 1990 to 2020, forest, cropland, and grassland fluctuated sharply, while the building and waters area showed an exponential upward trend. The overall landscape fragmentation and spatial heterogeneity are enhanced. (ii) The karst habitat quality index decreased from 0.7751 to 0.74085, showing an overall downward trend. The habitat quality shows a spatial distribution pattern of “high in the surrounding areas and low in the central areas”, and autocorrelation analysis shows that county-level units have significant spatial agglomeration effects. (iii) The overall type shows an enhancement of dual factor or non-linear, in which land use intensity and population density are the main driving factors for the spatio-temporal evolution of habitat quality. In summary, adopting stringent ecological protection and restoration initiatives aimed at minimizing human activity intensity and safeguarding natural habitat integrity in karst regions is imperative. Such measures contribute to the scientific underpinning for decision-making regarding the optimization of regional landscape composition and enhance land spatial planning strategies.
Random forest-based prediction of shallow slope stability considering spatiotemporal variations in unsaturated soil moisture
Liver-derived Neuregulin1α stimulates compensatory pancreatic β cell hyperplasia in insulin resistance
Correction: Atorvastatin inhibits Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced vascular inflammation to protect endothelium by inducing Heme Oxygenase-1 (HO-1) expression
Identification of candidate biomarkers correlated with the pathogenesis of breast cancer patients
Understanding capacity fading from structural degradation in Prussian blue analogues for wide-temperature sodium-ion cylindrical battery
Retraction: The impact of trade and financial expansion on volatility of real exchange rate
Establishment and genomic profiling of cholangiocarcinoma cells with functional characterization
Realization of 2D metals at the ångström thickness limit
Inorganic–organic hybrid cobalt spinel oxides for catalyzing the oxygen evolution reaction
Impact of climatic and water quality parameters on Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) broodfish growth: Integrating ARIMA and ARIMAX for precise modeling and forecasting
This study aims to assess the impact of climatic factors and water quality parameters on the growth of tilapia broodfish and develop time series growth models using ARIMA and ARIMAX. Three years longitudinal data on tilapia growth, including length and weight were collected monthly from February 2021 to January 2024. Climatic data were obtained from the Bangladesh Meteorological Department, while water quality parameters in the broodfish pond were measured daily on-site. Key variables such as air temperature, humidity, rainfall, solar intensity, water temperature, dissolved oxygen (DO), pH, and ammonia, showed fluctuation in the ponds. The highest growth rate (5.93%) occurred in April, and the lowest (0.023%) in December. Overall, tilapia growth in weight followed an exponential trend, while the percent growth rate exhibited a seasonal pattern. Pearson correlation analysis indicated a significant association between growth increments and water quality parameters. The ARIMA (3,0,3) model predicted a consistent upward trend in tilapia weight from February 2024 to January 2027. If the pattern continues, the estimated weight of tilapia will reach 803.58 g by the end of January 2027, a 17.05% increase from January 2024, indicating a positive outlook for broodfish health and production. However, the ARIMAX (1,1,1) model for percent weight gain revealed seasonal fluctuations that were strongly influenced by water temperature and solar intensity. Over the three-year period, forecasts indicated a downward trend in percent weight gain during the first year, followed by an upward trend in the second and third years. This indicates the influence of seasonal changes on percent weight gain. The simulation behaviors were consistent with the forecasted trend. These findings have important implications for planning and managing tilapia broodfish production, highlighting the need to consider environmental factors in future aquaculture management.
Elastic net with Bayesian Density Estimation model for feature selection for photovoltaic energy prediction
Racial bias eliminated when ratings switch from five stars to thumbs up or down
Epidemiology and transmission dynamics of multidrug-resistant organisms in nursing homes within the United States
Abstract Nursing home (NH) residents in the United States routinely attend interactive visits for services such as therapy or dialysis, creating opportunities for pathogen transmission. A paucity of studies exist which delineate spread of pathogens beyond residents’ in-room environment. In this prospective cohort study, we recruited 197 newly-admitted residents across three Veterans Affairs NHs to characterize multidrug-resistant organism (MDRO) prevalence, acquisition, and transmission. Participant hands, nares, groin, and seven environmental surfaces were swabbed during 758 regularly scheduled in-room visits; participant hands, healthcare personnel hands, and equipment were swabbed during 345 unscheduled interactive visits. We demonstrate that baseline MDRO colonization and new acquisition is common, and one in six interactive visits result in MDRO transmission. Whole genome sequencing on a subset of participants enabled us to identify sources of transmission where it was unknown using microbiologic methods alone. Our results illustrate MDRO transmission pathways and highlight the need for innovative, multidisciplinary interventions.
Energy assessment of BIPV system in code-compliant residential building in cooling-dominated climates
This study investigates the effects of climate and geographical location on the building integrated photovoltaics (BIPV). An existing residential building was simulated by using IES-VE software for five different climatic zones of Saudi Arabia, which was in accordance with ASHRAE Standard 169–2021 and Saudi Building Codes (SBC) 601/ 602. The results showed that the annual energy production of rooftop PV systems ranged from 49,810.29 kWh to 60,204.29 kWh, with cities such as Najran and Tabuk having higher energy production due to higher solar radiation and better performance of PV systems. The average annual global radiation ranged from 188.15 kWh/m2 to 212.52 kWh/m2, with cities such as Najran and Tabuk having the highest radiation levels. The study found that solar radiation, temperature, cloud cover and regional climate patterns significantly influence monthly energy generation, with cities closer to the equator experiencing higher solar radiation and longer daylight hours. The study also highlighted the importance of considering angular, spectral, temperature and low radiation losses, which range from 2.47% to 2.71%, 0.84% to 1.36% and 8% to 15.4%, respectively for the studies locations. This study would shed light on the impact of climate and location on the performance of PV systems and would therefore be of great interest to policy makers, energy planners and solar industry professionals to make informed decisions about the deployment of rooftop PV systems in different climate regions meet. Enabling a more sustainable energy strategy and a successful transition to a low-carbon future.