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Abstract Background Prospective cohorts represent an essential design for epidemiological studies and allow for the study of the combined effects of lifestyle, environment, genetic predisposition, and other risk factors on a large variety of disease endpoints. The CONSTANCES cohort is intended to provide public health information and to serve as an "open epidemiologic laboratory" accessible to the epidemiologic research community. Although designed as a "general-purpose" cohort with very broad coverage, it will particularly focus on occupational and social determinants of health, and on aging. Methods/Design The CONSTANCES cohort is designed as a randomly selected representative sample of French adults aged 18-69 years at inception; 200,000 subjects will be included over a five-year period. At inclusion, the selected subjects will be invited to fill a questionnaire and to attend a Health Screening Center (HSC) for a comprehensive health examination: weight, height, blood pressure, electrocardiogram, vision, auditory, spirometry, and biological parameters; for those aged 45 years and older, a specific work-up of functional, physical, and cognitive capacities will be performed. A biobank will be set up. The follow-up includes a yearly self-administered questionnaire, and a periodic visit to an HSC. Social and work-related events and health data will be collected from the French national retirement, health and death databases. The data that will be collected include social and demographic characteristics, socioeconomic status, life events, behaviors, and occupational factors. The health data will cover a wide spectrum: self-reported health scales, reported prevalent and incident diseases, long-term chronic diseases and hospitalizations, sick-leaves, handicaps, limitations, disabilities and injuries, healthcare utilization and services provided, and causes of death. To take into account non-participation at inclusion and attrition throughout the longitudinal follow-up, a cohort of non-participants will be set up and followed through the same national databases as participants. A field-pilot was performed in 2010 in seven HSCs, which included about 3,500 subjects; it showed a satisfactory structure of the sample and a good validity of the collected data. Discussion The constitution of the full eligible sample is planned during the last trimester of 2010, and the cohort will be launched at the beginning of 2011.

We quantified the extent to which the association between education and fast walking speed (FWS) is explained by 17 mediators (cardiovascular risk factors/diseases, comorbidities, health behaviors, socioprofessional characteristics, cognition), and examined whether mediators interact with education, in favor of a reserve hypothesis. Cross-sectional analyses are based on Constances (a population-based study of French adults 45-69 years). Three-meter FWS was measured using photoelectric cells. Education was categorized as lower vs higher. After multiple imputation of missing values, we used counterfactual mediation models for multiple mediators allowing for education × mediator interactions, to estimate the total effect (TE), total indirect effect (TIE), and mediated interaction (IMD) of lower education on FWS. Analyses are based on 71 222 participants (52.6% women; mean age = 57.2 years; 27.2% higher education; mean FWS = 180.2 cm/s). In joint mediation analyses, the TE of lower education was −8.19 cm/s (95% CI, −8.87 to −7.51), with a TIE of −5.76 cm/s (95% CI, −6.10 to −5.41; proportion mediated = 70.3%; 95% CI, 65.6-75.0). The IMD was negative (−2.52; 95% CI, −3.31 to −1.72); 30.8% of the TE and 43.8% of the TIE were attributable to the IMD. Several mediators explain a large part of the association between lower education and slower FWS. The detrimental effect of mediators was more pronounced in participants with lower than in those with higher education, in agreement with a reserve hypothesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article is an interview with Americo Pinto, the Managing Director of the PMO Global Alliance at the Project Management Institute. Pinto discusses the new 'Project Management Offices: A Practice Guide' aimed at supporting PMO professionals in designing, operating, and improving value-driven PMOs. The guide emphasizes a customer-centric approach, practical strategies, and the PMO Value Ring Framework to enhance PMO roles as value drivers within organizations. Pinto also addresses the impact of AI on PMOs, highlighting benefits like efficiency and challenges such as data quality, cultural resistance, transparency, and skills development. [Extracted from the article]

The PM World Journal article discusses the key principles for developing an effective, customer-centric Project Management Office (PMO) as outlined in the keynote presentation by Peter Taylor at the PMO unCon 2024 in Istanbul, Turkey. The best PMOs prioritize consistency, transparency, flexibility, and education, focusing on building trust, understanding customer needs, aligning strategies, effective communication, and demonstrating expertise. The panel discussion at the conference emphasized redefining project success by delivering value that justifies effort and expense, highlighting the importance of measurement systems, team morale, strategic alignment, and customer satisfaction in enhancing organizational success. The event aimed to challenge traditional paradigms and inspire PMOs worldwide to embrace adaptive practices for a dynamic, value-driven future. [Extracted from the article]

Background: It was our impression that safety outcome trials were getting more frequent, raising ethical issues mainly related to patient autonomy. We and others had also proposed this autonomy would be best served if wording of the informed consents would be in the public domain. Methods: Initially two observers and an arbiter tabulated the main aims of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published in 1990–1991 vs. 2019–2020 as efficacy, safety, or undecided in four mainline medical journals, from the websites. A pragmatic design as well as other salient features was also tabulated. After noting too many trials were categorized as undecided, two additional independent observers and the arbiter did a reassessment. Results: In our reassessment of 889 RCTs, 309 in earlier and 580 in the later time period, 828 (93%) were categorized as efficacy and 47 (5%) as a safety trial. We were undecided in 14 (2%) trials. The proportion of safety outcome trials between the two time periods were similar [14/309 (5%) vs. 33/580 (6%)] while RCTs of any category conducted in the critical care settings notably increased in time [12/309 (4%) vs. 52/580 (9%) OR 2.4; 1.3–4.6]. Death was a primary outcome measure in 0/14 among the earlier and 16/33 (49%) among the later safety outcome trials. Stroke in 9 and myocardial infarction in 8 safety outcome trials were additional primary outcome measures in the same group. There were 2 pragmatic trials in the earlier and 93 in the later period. Conclusion: Although we did not observe a differential increase among the safety outcome trials of all categories, those in critical care settings had significantly increased in time. So did the safety outcome trials with primary outcome measures like death, myocardial infarction, and stroke as well as randomized controlled trials with a pragmatic design. These raise the issue of autonomy related to how clearly the sought-after safety through designing empirical studies primarily to quantitate harm had been worded to the trial participants in plain language. We maintain this issue cannot be adequately addressed unless the informed consent forms, especially for safety outcome trials, are in the public domain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction/Objective: There is currently no tool available to assess the severity of damage in uveitis due to Behçet's syndrome (BS). In this preliminary study, we developed a new grading system to evaluate ocular damage and assessed it in a prospective cohort. Methods: A specialist in BS uveitis (YO) developed a grading system for ocular damage with five grades based on the extent of damage in the posterior segment. YO trained a senior and general ophthalmologist with sample fundus images. BS patients who had undergone color fundus photography during their routine visits in attack-free periods were included in the study. The color fundus photos of this prospective cohort were evaluated blindly by YO and his trainees using the new grading tool. Inter and intra-observer agreement between the graders were assessed by Cohen's kappa analysis. The evaluation of YO was considered as the gold standard. Results: One hundred eighty-five eyes of 108 (29 F/79 M) patients with BS uveitis were graded for damage by two investigators. Their mean age was 38,58 years and their median ocular disease duration was 13 years. The gold standard and the two investigators exhibited substantial concordance with the ocular damage grading system. The inter- and intra-observer agreement were also almost perfect. Conclusion: The newly developed ocular damage grading system enables the standardization of damage severity in BS uveitis. It is imperative to conduct internal and external validations across diverse cohorts. Furthermore, future studies should investigate its correlation with other multimodal imaging methods such as fluorescein angiography and optical coherence tomography. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article is an interview with David W. Power, the Program Director at Microsoft and the Association of International Project Management Officers in New York, USA. Power leads the Global Ambassadors for PMOs initiative, which aims to inspire and mentor emerging leaders in project management offices worldwide. The program focuses on promoting excellence, innovation, and continuous improvement in PMOs to deliver strategic value and operational efficiency. Power emphasizes the importance of advancing PMO standards and empowering the PMO community for better outcomes and increased organizational value. The future vision of PMOs includes leveraging AI technology for optimized risk management, communication, collaboration, and project planning. [Extracted from the article]

Context Although biological findings show that estrogens are beneficial for muscular mass maintenance and bone resorption inhibition, the association of hormonal exposure with physical performance are controversial. Objective We investigated the association of reproductive history and exogenous hormone use with hand-grip strength (GS) in women. Methods Using the data from the CONSTANCES French prospective population-based cohort study, we ran linear mixed models to investigate the association of reproductive history and exogenous hormones use with maximal GS in 37 976 women aged 45 to 69 years recruited between 2012 and 2020. We used multiple imputation by chained equations to control missing values and corrections for multiple testing. Results The mean age of women was 57.2 years. Mean GS was 26.6 kg. After adjustment for age and confounders, GS increased with age at menarche (β+1 year = 0.14; 95% CI, 0.10-0.17) and duration of breastfeeding (β for ≥10 months vs <5 months = 0.39; 95% CI, 0.20-0.59; P for linear trend <.01). Compared to nonmenopausal women, postmenopausal women had significantly lower GS (β = −0.78; 95% CI, −0.98 to −0.58). GS was negatively associated with hormone therapy (HT) past use (β = −0.25; 95% CI, −0.42 to −0.07). Conclusion Our results suggested that menopausal transition was strongly associated with lower GS. However, despite our hypothesis, increased age at menarche and duration of breastfeeding were associated with higher GS and HT past users presented lower GS than HT never users. These findings could help identify women at high risk of poor physical performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Luigi Rosa, Assistant Vice President for the Frederick Douglass Tunnel Program at Amtrak, has extensive experience managing railway projects worldwide. The Frederick Douglass Tunnel Program is a $6 billion investment to replace a tunnel and modernize a segment of the Amtrak Northeast Corridor. Rosa emphasizes the need for effective communication and collaboration with stakeholders for project success. The text also discusses the collapse and rebuild of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, highlighting the importance of swift response and collaboration among agencies. Lessons from this project can be applied to other bridge enhancement projects globally. The interview concludes with a call for continuous learning, collaboration, and embracing innovation in the construction industry. [Extracted from the article]

This document is an interview with Joe Pusz, an internationally recognized leader in the Project Management and PMO communities. Pusz is the CEO of The PMO Squad, a US-based Project and PMO Consulting firm. The interview discusses key insights from a 2024 PMO Research Report conducted by The PMO Squad, including challenges facing PMOs, the integration of processes within organizations, and the contributions of PMOs to organizations. Pusz also discusses the Organizational Project Delivery Journey, a Systems Dynamics based approach to delivering projects throughout an organization. The interview concludes with a discussion on talent acquisition challenges and the concept of PMO as a Service. [Extracted from the article]

The purpose of this study is to develop a scale to measure the extent of initiative taking behaviors displayed by hospital personnel, while also investigating the effects of emotional labor on such initiative taking behaviors. The development of the initiative taking scale (ITS) was undertaken among healthcare workers to achieve this objective. The research sample comprised 769 clinical and administrative personnel employed in four public hospitals and one private hospital operating in Istanbul. The exploratory factor analysis (EFA) yielded the ITS, which comprises 5 dimensions and 34 items: perceived organizational support, individual competency, willingness to take risks, job autonomy, and failure related trust to supervisor. The Cronbach's alpha coefficients for the scale dimensions, accounting for 53.02% of the overall variance, varied from .67 to .90. The total of Cronbach's alpha coefficient for scale was found to be .93. A confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was performed to test the fit of the theoretical model with the data, and it was determined to be a satisfactory fit. The criterion-related validity for ITS was tested using the emotional labor scale (ELS). The results revealed statistically significant positive correlations between all dimensions of both scales, indicating the existence of criterion-related validity. In addition to descriptive statistics, variance analyses were performed, and the effect of emotional labor on initiative taking behavior was measured by structural equation modeling (SEM) path analysis. It was inferred that the ITS developed for healthcare workers is a valid and reliable measurement tool based on statistical data. The SEM path analysis revealed a significant effect of emotional labor on the initiative taking behavior of hospital personnel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The text is an interview with Robert Joslin, the President of the Association of International Project Management Officers (AIPMO). Joslin has extensive experience in project management and has worked in various sectors. The interview discusses the Ambassadors Program 2024, which aims to recognize and leverage the expertise of PMO professionals worldwide. The program focuses on advancing PMO standards, fostering a sense of community, and promoting the exchange of knowledge and best practices. It includes various components such as webinars, workshops, and networking events, and has four defined roles: Ambassadors, Junior PMO Ambassadors, Steering Committee, and Program Director. The ideal Ambassador is proactive in contributing to the program by participating in events, leading discussions, and initiating projects. The selection process for Ambassadors involves reviewing candidates' experience and contributions to the PMO community. [Extracted from the article]

Introduction Hand grip strength (HGS) is a powerful predictor of disability, morbidity, and mortality in middle-age and elderly subjects. Available evidence on the link between poor HGS and cigarette smoking [...]

Objectives To gain insight into current methods and practices for the assessment of competences during rheumatology training, and to explore the underlying priorities and rationales for competence assessment.Methods We used a qualitative approach through online focus groups (FGs) of rheumatology trainers and trainees, separately. The study included five countries—Denmark, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Spain and the United Kingdom. A summary of current practices of assessment of competences was developed, modified and validated by the FGs based on an independent response to a questionnaire. A prioritising method (9 Diamond technique) was then used to identify and justify key assessment priorities.Results Overall, 26 participants (12 trainers, 14 trainees) participated in nine online FGs (2 per country, Slovenia 1 joint), totalling 12 hours of online discussion. Strong nationally (the Netherlands, UK) or institutionally (Spain, Slovenia, Denmark) standardised approaches were described. Most groups identified providing frequent formative feedback to trainees for developmental purposes as the highest priority. Most discussions identified a need for improvement, particularly in developing streamlined approaches to portfolios that remain close to clinical practice, protecting time for quality observation and feedback, and adopting systematic approaches to incorporating teamwork and professionalism into assessment systems.Conclusion This paper presents a clearer picture of the current practice on the assessment of competences in rheumatology in five European countries and the underlying rationale of trainers’ and trainees’ priorities. This work will inform EULAR Points-to-Consider for the assessment of competences in rheumatology training across Europe.