Assessment of patients' medical fitness to drive by primary care physicians: A cross-sectional study

Objectives: Motor vehicle collisions (MVCs) are a significant health burden in Saudi Arabia. The literature has consistently indicated that chronic medical conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke, obstructive sleep apnea, and neurodevelopmental disorders, increase the risk of MVCs. Therefore, assessment of driver fitness by primary care physicians (PCPs) remains a major health intervention that might reduce MVCs. We studied the practices of PCPs in assessing medical fitness to drive in at-risk patients.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study of all 88 government-funded primary care centers in the city of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. We administered a self-reported questionnaire to PCPs that inquired about their driving risk assessment for specific medical conditions.

Results: Among all PCPs and centers, 189 PCPs (63%) from 74 centers (84%) participated in our survey. The mean age of the PCPs was 40 ± 10 years, and 108 (57%) were men. The average clinical experience of the group was 13 ± 9 years. Fewer than half of PCPs considered diabetes mellitus (45%) and obstructive sleep apnea (46%) as potential risks for MVCs. Approximately 45% of PCPs did not notify any authority or relatives of potential driving issues that they noticed in their patients. Only 15% of the participants believed that PCPs were responsible for alerting authorities about their fitness to drive.

Conclusions: PCPs did not adequately assess their patients' driving history and eligibility. Efforts are needed to improve awareness among PCPs regarding the effects of chronic medical conditions on driving.     

Influences of working pressure on properties for TiO2 films deposited by DC pulse magnetron sputtering

TiO2 films were deposited at room temperature by DC pulse magnetron sputtering system.The crystalline structures,morphological features and photocatalytic activity of TiO2 films were systematically investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD),atomic force microscopy and ultraviolet spectrophotometer,respectively.The results indicated that the working pressure was the key deposition parameters influencing the TiO2 film phase composition at room temperature,which directly affected its photocatalytic activity.With increasing the working pressure,the target self-bias decreases monotonously.Therefore,low temperature TiO2 phase (anatase) could be deposited with high working pressure.The anatase TiO2 films deposited with 1.4 Pa working pressure displayed the highest photocatalytic activity by decomposition of Methyl Orange solution,which the degradation rate reached the maximum (35%) after irradiation by ultraviolet light for 1 h.     

基于GIS的太原市街道机动车污染物空间分布特征分析

在研究太原市机动车污染现状的基础上,结合太原市机动车排放因子模型Mob ile6和污染物扩散模型OSPM的计算结果,在G IS平台上绘制了太原市冬夏两季道路机动车污染物排放强度分布图和道路交通污染物浓度分布图,并对可视化结果作了科学的分析,研究结果表明：（1）太原市冬季街道污染总体上要高于夏季,这种趋势以CO的表现尤为明显;（2）街道NOX小时浓度超标率比CO小时浓度超标率更高,在研究的56条路段中,CO小时浓度都没有超过国家二级标准,NOX小时浓度超标率达38.9%（夏季）;（3）NOX污染主要集中在中心区,而建成区周边道路某些路段污染也较严重。     

Dangerous student car drop-off behaviors and child pedestrian–motor vehicle collisions: An observational study

Objectives: The objective of this study was to examine the association between dangerous student car drop-off behaviors and historical child pedestrian–motor vehicle collisions (PMVCs) near elementary schools in Toronto, Canada.

Methods: Police-reported child PMVCs during school travel times from 2000 to 2011 were mapped within 200 m of 118 elementary schools. Observers measured dangerous student morning car drop-off behaviors and number of children walking to school during one day in 2011. A composite score of school social disadvantage was obtained from the Toronto District School Board. Built environment and traffic features were mapped and included as covariates. A multivariate Poisson regression was used to model the rates of PMVC/number of children walking and dangerous student car drop-off behaviors, adjusting for the built environment and social disadvantage.

Results: There were 45 child PMVCs, with 29 (64%) sustaining minor injuries resulting in emergency department visits. The mean collision rate was 2.9/10,000 children walking/year (SD = 6.7). Dangerous drop-off behaviors were observed in 104 schools (88%). In the multivariate analysis, each additional dangerous drop-off behavior was associated with a 45% increase in collision rates (incident rate ratio [IRR] = 1.45, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.02, 2.07). Higher speed roads (IRR = 1.27, 95% CI, 1.13, 1.44) and social disadvantage (IRR = 2.99, 95% CI, 1.03, 8.68) were associated with higher collision rates.

Conclusions: Dangerous student car drop-off behaviors were associated with historical nonfatal child PMVC rates during school travel times near schools. Some caution must be taken in interpreting these results due small number of events and limitations in the data collection, because collision data were collected historically over a 12-year period, whereas driving behavior was only observed on a single day in 2011. Targeted multifaceted intervention approaches related to the built environment, enforcement, and education could address dangerous drop-off behaviors near schools to reduce child PMVCs and promote safe walking to school.     

广州市城区站点冬季PM2.5时间变化及碳氮同位素组成特征

于2018年冬季在广州城区磨碟沙站点开展细颗粒物(PM_2.5)样品采集,并获得PM_2.5中水溶性离子、含碳组分、稳定碳氮同位素的组成及时间变化特征,重点讨论了PM_2.5浓度升高时段的化学组成特征变化,进而利用稳定碳氮同位素变化特征探究了主要污染来源。结果表明：采样期间,研究站点PM_2.5平均质量浓度为22.1μg/m³,共出现两个PM_2.5浓度水平升高时段,所对应的平均质量浓度分别达46.0μg/m³和63.0μg/m³。风速降低、温度升高等不利气象条件是导致上述时段PM_2.5浓度上升的重要原因。在上述时段,伴随着PM_2.5浓度的升高,NO^-₃和NH⁺₄浓度均出现显著升高,NO^-₃与SO^2-₄的摩...     

Heterologous overexpression of Populus euphratica BAK1;1 gene enhanced resistance to Pst DC3000 in tobacco北大核心CSCD

BRI1-ASSOCIATED RECEPTORKINASE1(BAK1), a leucine-rich repeat (LRR) receptor protein kinase, plays a significant role in brassinosteroid (BR) signaling. Furthermore, it combines with other LRR-RLKs protein to initiate immune response in plants. The objective of this study was to (1) investigate the function of the Populus euphratica BAK1;1 gene in the resistance of transgenic tobacco to Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato DC3000 (Pst DC3000) and (2) discuss the regulation pathway of PeBAK1;1 involved in the resistance to plant pathogen. We cloned the cDNA sequence of the P. euphratica PeBAK1;1 gene, constructed the pBI121-35S::PeBAK1;1 over-expression vector, and then transformed it into wild-type tobacco by Agrobacterium-mediated transformation to obtain PeBA K 1;1-overexpressing transgenic tobacco plants. The bioinformatic analysis showed that the PeBAK1;1 protein contained all the structural features of the plant SERK family. The phylogenetic tree showed that PeBAK1;1 has the highest sequence homology with PtBAK1. The gene expression profile results indicated that the expression of PeBAK1;1 in the root was higher than that in the leaf and stem. The wild-type tobacco plants showed an obvious susceptibility to Pst DC3000, whereas the transgenic plants exhibited enhanced resistance to Pst DC3000. Compared with that of the wild-type (WT), the real-time PCR and quantitative real-time PCR analysis revealed that the expression of pathogenesis-related genes (including PR1, PR3, PR4, and PR5), BAK1-interacting receptor kinase 1 gene, and BONZAI1 gene was upregulated in 35S::PeBAK1;1 transgenic tobacco plants. In conclusion, the PeBAK1;1 gene plays a positive regulatory role in 35S::PeBAK1;1 transgenic tobacco against Pst DC3000, which can enhance the resistance of plants to pathogen. © 2018 Science Press. All rights reserved.     

纳米氧化铝对斑马鱼幼鱼早期运动行为的影响

随着纳米技术的迅猛发展,纳米材料的安全性研究具有十分重要的意义。为探讨纳米氧化铝对斑马鱼幼鱼早期运动行为的影响,本研究将受精后6 h(6 hpf)的斑马鱼胚胎随机分成空白对照组(E3培养液)、纳米氧化铝组(12.5、25、50、100μg·mL~(-1))。采用6孔板染毒,每组160颗卵,共8个孔,每孔20颗卵/10 m L试液,染毒液更新周期为1 d。观察急性毒性和运动行为。结果显示,各纳米氧化铝组无明显的急性毒性;运动行为检测发现,25、50、100μg·m L~(-1)纳米氧化铝组受精后6 d幼鱼(6dpf)黑暗状态下的运动速度、运动距离、趋触性程度较空白对照组均显著下降(P0.05);在6 dpf幼鱼对强光刺激的惊恐逃避反射试验中发现,各组幼鱼在光照1 min内运动速度较光照前的黑暗期均明显下降(P0.05),但25μg·mL~(-1)和100μg·mL~(-1)浓度组在光照时速度下降得更慢(P0.05);关闭光源后,各组幼鱼的运动速度都会上升,但25μg·mL~(-1)和100μg·mL~(-1)浓度组在打开光源后速度上升得更慢(P0.05)。上述结果表明,纳米氧化铝可以影响斑马鱼幼鱼早期的运动行为。     

基于GPS浮动车法的机动车尾气排放量分布特征

以广州市城市干道东风路1902～1903路段为研究对象,根据交通流理论建立了速度-流量模型,采用GPS浮动车速度数据和视频检测流量数据计算了模型的关键参数——阻塞密度,实现了从速度到流量的推算,并采用COPERT Ⅳ模型计算了不同速度等级下的综合排放因子,通过源强法计算该路段00:01─24:00的小时排放量. 对CO,NO_x,VOC和PM综合排放因子的速度敏感性分析表明,当平均速度达50 km/h后,随速度的增加综合排放因子下降明显变缓;对小时排放量的分析表明,污染物排放量主要集中在车流量的高峰时段,且与车流密度有很好的线性相关性,相关系数均大于0.90.      

Defending the Wrist Deviation Test for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Screening: A Comparison of Vibration Thresholds and Distal Motor Latency

This research used distal motor latency (DML) and vibration thresholds (VT) to evaluate 84 hand activity and wrist deviation combinations to determine the best association with carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). Female volunteers, 2 healthy and 2 CTS diagnosed, were age matched and operated a keyboard for 4 hrs a day. Room temperature was 28°C(±2). Beginning DML and VT were taken with a relaxed neutral posture hand. The wrist was deviated in a randomly selected combination, and determinations were taken at 5-min intervals. The trial ended at 20 min or when discomfort was felt. The CTS conditions were discriminated by pain four times, DML once, and VT 14 times. Vibrometry was the most consistent CTS discriminator. The best VT results for wrist positions were obtained with wrist extension and extended extension, whereas the unclenched, clenched, and loaded power grip activities proved to be the most consistent hand activities.     

SAFEST TO TRAVEL BY BICYCLE,CAR, OR BIG TRUCK?

This study compares highway crash incidence, injuries, and costs by vehicle type. Annual crash and injury incidence were estimated using Crashworthiness Data System (1988-1991), National Automotive Sampling System (1982-1986), General Estimates System (1992-1993), and Fatal Analysis Reporting System (1993) data. Costs were computed based on restraint use, body region, and threat-to-life severity of the injury. Costs were then allocated between vehicle types using three different methods in order to answer comparative safety questions. Motor vehicle and bicycle crash costs total $389 billion annually; 75% resulting from passenger vehicles. Motorcycles and bicycles have the highest costs per 1000 vehicle and passenger miles; costs per victim are highest for pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorcyclists. Costs per vehicle mile for heavy trucks and passenger cars are comparable but exceed costs for light trucks. Passenger vehicle occupants are safest if a crash occurs. Light truck, other single truck, and bus occupants have the lowest cost per passenger mile, but higher costs than air and rail travelers. Motorcyclists face the greatest risks. Combination trucks may not impose an excess risk to other drivers, but their drivers face large risks.