Correcting Sociodemographic Selection Biases for Population Prediction from Social Media

Social media is increasingly used for large-scale population predictions, such as estimating community health statistics. However, social media users are not typically a representative sample of the intended population - a "selection bias". Within the social sciences, such a bias is typically addressed with restratification techniques, where observations are reweighted according to how under- or over-sampled their socio-demographic groups are. Yet, restratifaction is rarely evaluated for improving prediction. In this two-part study, we first evaluate standard, "out-of-the-box" restratification techniques, finding they provide no improvement and often even degraded prediction accuracies across four tasks of esimating U.S. county population health statistics from Twitter. The core reasons for degraded performance seem to be tied to their reliance on either sparse or shrunken estimates of each population's socio-demographics. In the second part of our study, we develop and evaluate Robust Poststratification, which consists of three methods to address these problems: (1) estimator redistribution to account for shrinking, as well as (2) adaptive binning and (3) informed smoothing to handle sparse socio-demographic estimates. We show that each of these methods leads to significant improvement in prediction accuracies over the standard restratification approaches. Taken together, Robust Poststratification enables state-of-the-art prediction accuracies, yielding a 53.0% increase in variance explained (R ²) in the case of surveyed life satisfaction, and a 17.8% average increase across all tasks.

Sentinel lymph node mapping with indocyanine green compared to blue dye tracer in gynecologic malignancies-A single center experience of 218 patients

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

To compare the detection rates of sentinel lymph nodes after converting the tracer technique from blue dye to indocyanine green (ICG).

METHODS

Patients with uterine or cervical cancer were enrolled for sentinel lymph node (SLN) dissection. A total of 109 consecutive patients were analyzed and compared to a historical cohort of 109 consecutive patients with the sentinel blue dye technique. SLNs were analyzed by ultrastaging.

RESULTS

The bilateral mapping rate of sentinel nodes was significantly higher with the ICG (78%; n = 85) compared to the blue dye tracer (61%; n = 67; p = .006). Neither the mean number of SLN nor the rate of low volume metastases showed significant differences between both cohorts. In the subgroup of endometrial cancer patients, the number of systematic lymph node dissection (LND) was significantly lower in the ICG cohort compared to the blue dye cohort (9% vs. 28%, p = .001).

CONCLUSIONS

ICG improved the detection rate of pelvic SLN compared to blue dye and may be considered as the superior technique. In clinical practice, the rate of systematic LND further decreased after incorporating SLN mapping with ICG. Reliable safety data are still pending.

Well-being is more than happiness and life satisfaction: a multidimensional analysis of 21 countries

Background

Recent trends on measurement of well-being have elevated the scientific standards and rigor associated with approaches for national and international comparisons of well-being. One major theme in this has been the shift toward multidimensional approaches over reliance on traditional metrics such as single measures (e.g. happiness, life satisfaction) or economic proxies (e.g. GDP).

Methods

To produce a cohesive, multidimensional measure of well-being useful for providing meaningful insights for policy, we use data from 2006 and 2012 from the European Social Survey (ESS) to analyze well-being for 21 countries, involving approximately 40,000 individuals for each year. We refer collectively to the items used in the survey as multidimensional psychological well-being (MPWB).

Results

The ten dimensions assessed are used to compute a single value standardized to the population, which supports broad assessment and comparison. It also increases the possibility of exploring individual dimensions of well-being useful for targeting interventions. Insights demonstrate what may be masked when limiting to single dimensions, which can create a failure to identify levers for policy interventions.

Conclusions

We conclude that both the composite score and individual dimensions from this approach constitute valuable levels of analyses for exploring appropriate policies to protect and improve well-being.

Autonomy in consumer choice

We propose that autonomy is a crucial aspect of consumer choice. We offer a definition that situates autonomy among related constructs in philosophy and psychology, contrast actual with perceived autonomy in consumer contexts, examine the resilience of perceived autonomy, and sketch out an agenda for research into the role of perceived autonomy in an evolving marketplace increasingly characterized by automation.

Latent human traits in the language of social media: An open-vocabulary approach

Over the past century, personality theory and research has successfully identified core sets of characteristics that consistently describe and explain fundamental differences in the way people think, feel and behave. Such characteristics were derived through theory, dictionary analyses, and survey research using explicit self-reports. The availability of social media data spanning millions of users now makes it possible to automatically derive characteristics from behavioral data—language use—at large scale. Taking advantage of linguistic information available through Facebook, we study the process of inferring a new set of potential human traits based on unprompted language use. We subject these new traits to a comprehensive set of evaluations and compare them with a popular five factor model of personality. We find that our language-based trait construct is often more generalizable in that it often predicts non-questionnaire-based outcomes better than questionnaire-based traits (e.g. entities someone likes, income and intelligence quotient), while the factors remain nearly as stable as traditional factors. Our approach suggests a value in new constructs of personality derived from everyday human language use.

Effect of time of admission on compliance with deep vein thrombosis prophylaxis in a tertiary medical intensive care unit

OBJECTIVE

We sought to evaluate deep vein thrombosis (DVT) prophylaxis compliance according to time of admission in a medical intensive care unit (MICU).

METHODS

This was a retrospective cohort study at a closed tertiary MICU. We classified patients into three groups (week days, weekends, and week nights), according to time of admission. An unweighted risk factor score (RFS) was calculated from 20 known risk factors. We defined DVT prophylaxis compliance as any type of prophylaxis (mechanical or pharmacologic) for RFS 3. Non-compliance was defined as no prophylaxis or single-type prophylaxis for RFS > 3.

RESULTS

We analyzed 105 admissions. Eighty (76.19%) patients received compliant DVT prophylaxis, and 25 (23.81%) patients received non-compliant regimens of whom 11 (10.48%) were not on any prophylaxis. DVT prophylaxis compliance was not different across the three admission groups. The non-compliant DVT prophylaxis group had a higher RFS (3.48 +/- 2.1 vs. 2.25 +/- 1.5; P = 0.011), a trend towards fewer female patients (40% vs. 60%; P = 0.079), and a higher percentage of admissions by interns at the first postgraduate year (PGY) level (28% vs. 5.4%; P = 0.01). Logistic regression revealed that only RFS and PGY level were independent predictors for compliance (P = 0.015 and 0.005 respectively). Time of admission was not a significant factor.

CONCLUSIONS

Time of admission did not influence DVT prophylaxis compliance. Compliance improved with higher PGY level and lower RFS. A higher level of knowledge probably explains the association with PGY level; however, we cannot explain the inverse relationship between RFS and compliance.

The area of glenoid asymmetry identified as important contributor to shoulder strength during pushing and pulling in the coronal plane

The geometrical dimensions of the bones that make up the glenohumeral joint could be a key factor in strength predictability. Understanding the mechanical influence of these dimensions (individually or in combination) on shoulder strength could help explain the mechanism of musculoskeletal disorders. The following study shows how a recently discovered geometric parameter, the area of glenoid asymmetry (AGA), is a good indicator of shoulder strength. A comprehensive study was conducted to test whether glenohumeral geometry, as measured through MRI scans, is correlated with upper arm strength. The isometric shoulder strength of 12 subjects during one-handed arm abduction and adduction in the coronal plane, in a range from 5 to 30 degrees , was correlated with the geometries of their glenoid fossae. All subjects were stronger during adduction than abduction for all arm positions. The results revealed a high correlation in the coronal plane between the AGA and mean maximum force and mean maximum moment when an arm was abducted and adducted in a range from 5 degrees to 30 degrees (0.80, p </or= 0.01 and 0.69, p <or= 0.05, respectively during abduction and 0.61, p <or= 0.04 and 0.61, p <or= 0.04, respectively during adduction). This investigation revealed the repercussion of individual glenoid geometry on the maximum acceptable load applied to the hand during arm abduction and adduction in a coronal plane.

The slip resistance of common footwear materials measured with two slipmeters

The slip resistance of 16 commonly used footwear materials was measured with the Brungraber Mark II and the English XL on 3 floor surfaces under surface conditions of dry, wet, oily and oily wet. Three samples were used for each material combination and surface condition. The results of a one way ANOVA analysis indicated that the differences among different samples were statistically significant for a large number of material combinations and surface conditions. The results indicated that the ranking of materials based on their slip resistance values depends highly on the slipmeters, floor surfaces and surface conditions. For contaminated surfaces including wet, oily and oily wet surfaces, the slip resistance obtained with the English XL was usually higher than that measured with the Brungraber Mark II. The correlation coefficients between the slip resistance obtained with these two slipmeters calculated for different surface conditions indicated a strong correlation with statistical significance.

Clinical management and the duration of disability for work-related low back pain

Clinical practice guidelines recommend a conservative approach to management of acute low back pain (LBP). The present study sought to determine whether health care utilization and the physician's initial management of work-related LBP were associated with disability duration. Clinical management information was obtained for 98 randomly selected, workers' compensation claimants with acute, uncomplicated, disabling work-related LBP. Length of disability was based on indemnity (wage replacement) payments. Disability was significantly associated with increased utilization of specialty referrals (P = 0.013) and provider visits (P < 0.001), use of magnetic resonance imaging (P = 0.003), and use of opioids for more than 7 days (P = 0.013). Effects of early diagnostic imaging (first 30 days of care) on length of disability were observed (P = 0.001). Patients whose treatment course did not involve extended opioid use and early diagnostic testing were 3.78 times more likely (95% confidence interval, 1.6 to 8.9) to have gone off disability status by the end of the study. The nature of the association between these initial clinical management aspects and LBP disability duration merits further exploration.

Risk factors for work-related low back pain in the People's Republic of China

A critical review was conducted of studies of work-related low back pain in the People's Republic of China. The published literature in both the English and Chinese languages from 1983 to 1997 was reviewed for studies that permitted the calculation of prevalence ratios. Thirty-five papers were identified initially, and after quality inclusion/exclusion criteria were applied, 16 (14 in Chinese and two in English) were selected for more detailed review. Prevalence ratios were statistically elevated in all but two of the selected studies. Prevalence ratios for individual groups ranged from 2.0 to 8.5 for bending and twisting, 1.5 to 14.3 for static posture, 1.9 to 5.5 for whole-body vibration, and 2.6 to 9.4 for low-temperature exposure. The literature was limited by the absence of standardized and robust measures of low-back-pain outcomes and exposures and by the omission of fundamental details from research reports. Even with these limitations, the review findings suggest that three physical risk factors, all well known in the international literature, are associated with the prevalence of low back pain in the People's Republic of China.

Methotrexate-induced leukoencephalopathy is treatable with high-dose folinic acid: a case report and analysis of the literature

An episode of leukoencephalopathy is reported in a 13-year-old girl who, after standard radiotherapy for a posterior fossa medulloblastoma, received 8 treatments with a protocol containing a 4-hour infusion of 500 mg/m2 methotrexate and 12 mg intrathecal methotrexate. The leukoencephalopathy, documented clinically and by CT and EEG, cleared after 2350 mg of leucovorin (citrovorum factor, folinic acid) was given in addition to the 135 mg given as part of the therapy. A review of the literature suggests that leukoencephalopathy may be prevented by high doses of leucovorin and can be treated by high doses, if lower doses were used initially. When high dose leucovorin was not used, residual neurological damage is not unusual.

Passage of somatostatin analogue across human and mouse skin

Recent studies have documented beneficial effects of the somatostatin analogue, SMS 201-995 (hereafter referred to as SMS), when administered subcutaneously to patients with a variety of disorders. Since SMS is a small peptide, we tested the ability of two penetrant enhancers--dimethylsulfoxide and N-decylmethylsulfoxide (C10MS)--to promote transcutaneous passage of SMS. Samples of skin from human cadavers and hairless mice were tested in a static diffusion chamber. Application of SMS in conjunction with 1% C10MS resulted in rapid transdermal passage of SMS. These data were confirmed for hairless mouse skin in experiments with a modified diffusion chamber having continuous flow-through of receptor fluid in the subdermal reservoir. In this system, the cumulative amount of SMS that permeated hairless mouse skin was 20 micrograms/cm2/24 hours. Topical application of SMS with C10MS beneath a patch to mice confirmed in vitro data. Topical application of 10 micrograms of SMS resulted in plasma SMS levels of greater than 8,000 pg/ml within 2 hours. We conclude that SMS will cross both human and mouse skin, with a clinically significant flux, when administered topically with C10MS. The data support the feasibility of in vivo human trials of topical SMS therapy.

Respiratory distress due to diffuse cervical hyperostosis

Cervical spondylosis and ankylosing hyperostosis of the cervical vertebrae are common findings. Although these hypertrophic changes can be completely asymptomatic, it is known that dysphagia may occur occasionally in the presence of massive cervical hyperostosis. Laryngotracheal symptoms due to cervical hyperostosis are less frequent and may be managed initially as tumors of the esophagus, trachea, or thyroid gland. The management of two severe cases of dyspnea due to cervical ankylosing hyperostosis are discussed.

Hercon technology for transdermal delivery of drugs

The Hercon controlled drug delivery technology is based on a multi-layered laminated polymeric structure, in which a layer of vinyl chloride copolymer or terpolymer containing the drug is sandwiched between two or more layers of polymeric films. The drug is released from the device at a controlled rate by a process of diffusion through the reservoir and one of the outer layers, which can function as a rate controlling membrane. This basic technology has been successfully utilized for the development and commercialization of Nitroglycerin Transdermal System (NTS, Bolar Pharmaceutical Co., Inc). In vitro and in vivo investigations of transdermal delivery of different other drugs from the Hercon polymeric devices have indicated the feasibility of using this system to meet a variety of therapeutic needs.

Spontaneous postpartum regression of pituitary mass with return of function

A 37-year-old woman undergoing endocrine evaluation during her seventh pregnancy because of headaches, weakness, and hyponatremia was found to have central hypoadrenalism and hypothyroidism. Computed tomography showed a pituitary mass with suprasellar extension but her visual fields were intact. She was treated conservatively with hydrocortisone acetate and levothyroxine sodium until 38 weeks of gestation, when healthy twins were delivered by cesarean section. A few months later, her pituitary function improved, with a significant increase in the adrenocorticotropic hormone level, normal values of basal thyroid-stimulating hormone, growth hormone, and gonadotropins and of their functional reserves, and only a slight elevation in the prolactin level. A repeated computed tomographic scan showed disappearance of the pituitary mass.

Successful non-neurotoxic therapy (without radiation) of a multifocal primary brain lymphoma with a methotrexate, vincristine, and BCNU protocol (DEMOB)

A 3.5-year-old boy with a multifocal primary lymphoma of the brain was treated successfully without neurotoxicity with a treatment regimen that did not include radiation. The protocol of Dexacort (dexamethasone), methotrexate, Oncovin (vincristine), and BCNU (carmustine) (DEMOB), which was developed with the use of MTX pharmacokinetic studies, was given over 7.5 months, and resulted in tumor disappearance on computerized tomography scans and marked improvement in clinical status. The patient remains in good health 3 years after diagnosis (March 1985).

cAMP-dependent protein kinase and protein phosphorylation in developing rat lung

Protein kinase activity that is dependent on 3',5'-Cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP-PK), [3H]cAMP binding, and cAMP-dependent protein phosphorylation were identified and partially characterized in cytosolic preparations of rat lung from day 18 of gestation to adulthood. Major cAMP-dependent phosphoproteins in lung preparations were compared to those in cytosol from purified Type II epithelial cells. Both Type I and Type II regulatory subunits of cAMP-PK were identified in fetal and adult lung. Inhibition of specific [3H]cAMP binding to lung cytosol (to the regulatory subunit of the cAMP-dependent protein kinase) followed the order of potency: cAMP greater than cGMP; adenosine, ADP, and ATP were inactive. Scatchard plots of saturation experiments with [3H]cAMP and lung cytosol were linear. Dissociation constant (KD) for cAMP binding was approximately 2-3 nM, and did not change significantly with age. In contrast, binding capacity varied significantly during development and age-related changes in binding capacity were associated with similar changes in cAMP-dependent histone kinase activity. Both [3H]cAMP binding and cAMP-dependent protein kinase activity decreased slightly before birth, reached maximal activity during the suckling period, and decreased in adulthood. cAMP enhanced histone kinase activity in rat lung cytosol at all ages studied, from day 18 of gestation to adulthood. cAMP also specifically enhanced phosphorylation of several endogenous cytosolic proteins that were identified by autoradiography after sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Major proteins whose phosphorylation was selectively enhanced by cAMP or inhibited by protein kinase inhibitor were approximately Mr = 260,000, 240,000, 97,000, 56,000, 44,000, and 28,000.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Periosteal ganglion: a cause of cortical bone erosion

Three cases of periosteal ganglia of long bones are presented. These lesions are produced by mucoid degeneration and cyst formation of the periosteum to produce external cortical erosion and reactive periosteal new bone. They are not associated with a soft tissue ganglion or an intraosseous lesion. They may radiologically mimic other periosteal lesions or soft tissue neoplasms which erode bone.

beta-Adrenergic receptors and catecholamine sensitive adenylate cyclase in developing rat ventricular myocardium: effect of thyroid status

The present study was designed to describe the relationships among thyroid status, myocardial growth and myocardial beta-adrenergic receptors in the developing rat ventricle. In normal rat myocardium the beta-adrenergic binding capacity (Bmax) for (-)-[3H] DHA decreased with increasing age and heart size. In order to determine the effect of thyroid status on ventricular growth characteristics and beta-adrenergic receptors, animals were rendered: (1) hypothyroid with propylthiouracil (PTU), (2) euthyroid with PTU and daily thyroxine (T4) replacement, (3) hyperthyroid for several days with daily thyroxine injections or (4) normal controls with sham saline injections. Growth characteristics were similar in euthyroid and normal rat myocardium; ventricular weight, protein and DNA content were similar at postnatal days 5, 15 and 28. Growth in hypothyroid pups was normal until postnatal day 14 at which time the heart weight and protein content were significantly lower than in normal or euthyroid pups, whereas the number of beta-adrenergic receptors was decreased in hypothyroid myocardium at all ages studied. On postnatal day 5 the (-)-[3H]DHA binding (Bmax) was 37 +/- 9 in hypothyroid myocardium compared to 63 +/- 8 fmole per mg protein mean +/- S.D. in euthyroid myocardium. The function of the beta-adrenergic receptors was also decreased in hypothyroid as compared to euthyroid or normal myocardium as demonstrated by a decrease in maximal catecholamine sensitive adenylate cyclase activity in myocardial membranes at 28 days of age. Treatment of hypothyroid or normal pups with T4 resulted in an increase in heart size, protein content and beta-adrenergic receptors. Ventricular DNA content, which describes hyperplastic growth, was not decreased in hypothyroid rats demonstrating that postnatal hypertrophic but not hyperplastic ventricular growth is dependent on thyroid hormone.

Primary osteogenic sarcoma of the sellar region. Case report

✓ A case of primary osteogenic sarcoma of the sellar and parasellar region is described. A biopsy performed through the transnasal transsphenoidal approach appears to be the best method of establishing the diagnosis in lesions in this location. A previous case, documented in the German literature, is discussed together with the case presented here.

Computed tomography in intracranial supratentorial osteochondroma

A case of a huge intracranial frontoparietal osteochondroma in a 20-year-old man is reported. The presenting symptoms were headache, vomiting, and blurred vision. Apart from papilledema, no other abnormal neurological signs were present. A specific preoperative diagnosis could not be reached from the information provided by plain skull films, angiography, and radionuclide scan. The findings on computed tomography were those of a high density mass interspersed with small foci of lower densities, producing a honeycomb appearance, and surrounded by deposits of nodular calcification. The postcontrast scan showed a moderate degree of enhancement with preservation of the precontrast honeycomb pattern. These particular features may enable a correct preoperative histological diagnosis to be offered with a high degree of probability.

Nasal visual field loss with intracranial lesions of the optic nerve pathways

Five patients developed nasal visual field defects as a result of involvement of the intracranial portion of the optic nerves. The cause in each patient, respectively, was as follows: (1) dolichoectatic carotid arteries, (2) optochiasmatic arachnoiditis, (3) meningioma of the olfactory groove, (4) pituitary apoplexy, and (5) pituitary chromophobe adenoma. The common factor in these cases was probably impaired circulation in the prechiasmal arterial anastomotic network. The nasal visual field loss present in these cases was characterized by a pattern similar to that seen in glaucoma but with impairment of visual acuity. The superior nasal visual field was usually normal and the lower temporal visual field often defective.

Intra-operative computerized axial tomography

A case is presented in which the entire surgical procedure for a recurrent brain glioma was carried out on the computerized axial tomography (CAT) table. Repeated intra-operative CAT scans provided vital information as to the extent of the tumor. Using this method there was no remnant of tumor tissue detectable on the CAT scan at the end of the operation.

Congenital vascular malformation of spinal cord simulating diastematomyelia

Diastematomyelia is usually caused by a midline bony, cartilaginous or fibrous spur. A case is presented with splitting of the spinal cord by a large arteriovenous malformation at the thoracolumbar junction. A hairy skin patch, kyphoscoliosis, vertebral anomalies and an arachnoidal cyst were found adjacent to the vascular and neural malformations.

Intermittent exophthalmos due to orbital varicose vein accompanied by varicose veins of the legs

A case of intermittent exophthalmos due to orbital venous veins in which there were associated varicose veins of the legs is described. Of note was the preservation of vision despite the long history (28 years) of the disturbance.

A case of Paget's disease of bone with neurological complications successfully treated with actinomycin D

Apatient with complete paraplegia due to Paget''s disease of bone, which had failed to respond to any other treatment, was subjected to a trial treatment with actinomycin D administered in varying amounts during three series at irregular intervals. By the end of treatment, complete clinical recovery had been obtained, with the patient fully ambulant, and there had been an almost complete normalization of laboratory values of serum alkaline phosphatase and calcium and of urinary hydroxyproline. Follow-up six months later showed no recurrence of the clinical signs; the laboratory levels had remained almost constant, with the exception of hydroxyproline, which was increased. The findings of other workers in this field and the possible mechanism of action of actinomycin D are briefly noted and discussed.