bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
“Entre Nosotras:” a qualitative study of a peer-led PrEP project for transgender latinas
Authors: Zamudio-Haas Sophia , Koester Kim , Venegas Luz , Salinas Ariana , Herrera Cinthya , Gutierrez-Mock Luis , Welborn Layla , Deutsch Madeline B. , Sevelius Jae
Published: September 2023

Background

Uptake of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) remains low among transgender people as compared to other subgroups, despite high rates of HIV acquisition. In California, Latinx people comprise 40% of the population and Latina transgender women experience some of the highest burden of HIV of any subgroup, indicating a critical need for appropriate services. With funding from the California HIV/AIDS Research Programs, this academic-community partnership developed, implemented, and evaluated a PrEP project that co-located HIV services with gender affirming care in a Federally Qualified Heath Center (FQHC). Trans and Latinx staff led intervention adaptation and activities.

Methods

This paper engages qualitative methods to describe how a PrEP demonstration project- Triunfo- successfully engaged Spanish-speaking transgender Latinas in services. We conducted 13 in-depth interviews with project participants and five interviews with providers and clinic staff. Interviews were conducted in Spanish or English. We conducted six months of ethnographic observation of intervention activities and recorded field notes. We conducted thematic analysis.

Results

Beneficial elements of the intervention centered around three intertwined themes: creating trusted space, providing comprehensive patient navigation, and offering social support “entre nosotras” (“between us women/girls”). The combination of these factors contributed to the intervention’s success supporting participants to initiate and persist on PrEP, many of whom had previously never received healthcare. Participants shared past experiences with transphobia and concerns around discrimination in a healthcare setting. Developing trust proved foundational to making participants feel welcome and “en casa/ at home” in the healthcare setting, which began from the moment participants entered the clinic and continued throughout their interactions with staff and providers. A gender affirming, bilingual clinician and peer health educators (PHE) played a critical part in intervention development, participant recruitment, and patient navigation.

Conclusions

Our research adds nuance to the existing literature on peer support services and navigation by profiling the multifaced roles that PHE served for participants. PHE proved instrumental to empowering participants to overcome structural and other barriers to healthcare, successfully engaging a group who previously avoided healthcare in clinical settings.
Oral phage therapy with microencapsulated phage A221 against Escherichia coli infections in weaned piglets
Authors: Mao Xinyu , Wu Yuxing , Ma Runwen , Li Lei , Wang Leping , Tan Yizhou , Li Ziyong , Liu Hui , Han Kaiou , Cao Yajie , Li Yinan , Peng Hao , Li Xun , Hu Chuanhuo , Wang Xiaoye
Published: September 2023

Background

Escherichia coli (E. coli) is a common pathogen that often causes diarrhea in piglets. Since bacteria are becoming more and more resistant to antibiotics, phages have become a promising alternative therapy. However, the therapy of oral phage often fails to achieve the desired effect. A novel phage named A221 was isolated by using E. coli GXXW-1103 as host strain, characterized by electron microscopy, genomic sequencing and analyzed by measuring lysis ability in vitro.

Results

Phage A221 was identified as a member of Ackermannviridae, Aglimvirinae, Agtrevirus with 153297 bp genome and effectively inhibited bacterial growth in vitro for 16 h. This study was conducted to evaluate the therapeutic effect of oral microencapsulated phage A221 on E. coli GXXW-1103 infections in weaned piglets. The protective effect of phage was evaluated by body weight analysis, bacterial load and histopathological changes. The results showed that with the treatment of phage A221, the body weight of piglets increased, the percentage of Enterobacteriaceae in duodenum decreased to 0.64%, the lesions in cecum and duodenum were alleviated, and the bacterial load in the jejunal lymph nodes, cecum and spleen were also significantly different with infected group (P < 0.001).

Conclusions

The results showed that phage A221 significantly increased the daily weight gain of piglets, reduced the bacterial load of tissues and the intestinal lesions, achieved the same therapeutic effect as antibiotic Florfenicol. Taken together, oral microencapsulated phage A221 has a good therapeutic effect on bacterial diarrhea of weaned piglets, which provides guidance for the clinical application of phage therapy in the future.
Association of metabolically unhealthy non-obese and metabolically healthy obese individuals with arterial stiffness and 10-year cardiovascular disease risk: a cross-sectional study in Chinese adults
Authors: Guo Wen , Jia Jue , Zhan Mengyao , Li Xiaona , Zhu Wenfang , Lu Jing , Zhao Xin , Xu Nainzhen , Zhang Qun
Published: September 2023

Background

The relationship between metabolically healthy obese individuals (MHO) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk is disputed. This study investigated the association of metabolically unhealthy non-obese(MUNO) individuals and MHO with arterial stiffness and 10-year CVD risk.

Methods

A total of 13,435 participants were enrolled and further divided into the metabolically healthy non-obese (MHNO) phenotype (n = 4927), MUNO phenotype (n = 1971), MHO phenotype (n = 2537) and metabolically unhealthy obese (MUO) phenotype (n = 4000) according to body mass index (BMI) and metabolic status. We used brachial ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) to measure arterial stiffness and the Framingham risk score (FRS) to evaluate the 10-year CVD risk.

Results

The MUO and MUNO phenotypes had higher mean baPWV values than the MHO and MHNO phenotypes, regardless of age (1446.19 ± 233.65 vs. 1423.29 ± 240.72 vs. 1283.57 ± 213.77 vs. 1234.08 ± 215.99 cm/s, P < 0.001). Logistic regression analysis indicated that the MUNO and MUO phenotypes were independently correlated with elevated baPWV and 10-year CVD risk, while the MHO phenotype was independently associated with only the 10-year CVD risk. In metabolically healthy subjects, BMI showed a dose-dependent increase in the risk of elevated baPWV, with an adjusted OR of 1.007 (95% CI 1.004–1.010, P < 0.001). However, in metabolically unhealthy participants, the estimate for the relationship between elevated baPWV and BMI was nonsignificant.

Conclusions

The MUNO phenotype exhibits increased arterial stiffness and 10-year CVD risk. However, BMI is positively and dose-dependently correlated with arterial stiffness only in metabolically healthy subjects. We speculate that metabolic status may be a strong confounder in the obesity–elevated baPWV association.
Gender inequity in the medical profession: the women doctors in Spain (WOMEDS) study
Authors: Santucci Claudia , López-Valcarcel Beatriz González , Avendaño-Solá Cristina , Bautista Mari Carmen , Pino Carmen Gallardo , García Lourdes Lledó , Martín-Perez Elena , López Pilar Garrido
Published: September 2023

Background

The long-standing underrepresentation of women in leadership positions in medicine is well-known, but poorly documented globally. There is some evidence of the gender gap in academia, medical society leadership, or specific problems in some specialties. However, there are no investigations analyzing all medical specialties together and reporting the glass ceiling from a 360º perspective that includes positions in academia, research, professional organizations, and clinical activity. Additionally, the majority of studies have a US perspective, and we wonder if the perspective of a European country might be different. The WOmen in MEDicine in Spain (WOMEDS) project (https://womeds.es) aims to describe and characterize, in a systematic and detailed way, the gender bias in the medical profession in Spain in order to monitor its evolution over time and contribute to prioritizing gender policies.

Methods

We retrieved data for the calendar years 2019–2021 from several sources and selected surveys. We built four groups of indicators to describe leadership positions in the medical profession: (i) leadership in healthcare according to specialty and region; (ii) leadership in scientific and professional bodies; (iii) academic career; and (iv) leadership in clinical research activity. As a summary measure, we reported the women ratios, calculated as the percentage of women in specific top positions divided by the percentage of women in the relevant population.

Results

We found gender inequity in leadership positions in all four settings. During the observed period, only 27.6% of the heads of departments in hospitals were women compared to 61.1% of women in medical staff. Ten of the 46 medical societies grouped in the Spanish Federation of Medical Societies (FACME) (21.7%) had a women president at some point during the study period, and only 4 annual congresses had ratios of women speakers higher than 1. Women were over-represented in the lower positions and underrepresented in the top academic ones. Only 26% and 27%, respectively, of the heads of departments and deans were women. The applications for public funding for research projects are led by women only in 45% of the cases, and the budget granted to women in public calls was 24.3% lower than that of men.

Conclusion

In all the areas analyzed, the leadership positions are still mostly occupied by men despite the feminization of medicine in Spain. The severe gender inequity found calls for urgent interventions within a defined time horizon. Such measures must concern all levels, from national or regional regulation to changes in organizational culture or incentives in specific organizations.
Chemopreventive effect of a milk whey by-product derived from Buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) in protecting from colorectal carcinogenesis
Authors: Cacciola Nunzio Antonio , Venneri Tommaso , Salzano Angela , D’Onofrio Nunzia , Martano Manuela , Saggese Anella , Vinale Francesco , Neglia Gianluca , Campanile Ciro , Baccigalupi Loredana , Maiolino Paola , Cuozzo Mariarosaria , Russo Roberto , Balestrieri Maria Luisa , D’Occhio Michael John , Ricca Ezio , Borrelli Francesca , Campanile Giuseppe
Published: September 2023

Background

Several studies show that natural foods are a source of compounds with anticancer properties that affect the gut microbiota and its metabolites. In the present study, we investigate the effect of a delactosed buffalo milk whey by-product (DMW) on colorectal carcinogenesis.

Methods

The effect of DMW on colorectal carcinoma (CRC) was investigated in the established mouse model of azoxymethane (AOM)-induced colon carcinoma, which closely resembles the human clinical condition of CRC. The effect of DMW on CRC immortalized cell lines was also evaluated to further identify the antineoplastic mechanism of action.

Results

Pretreatment of AOM-treated mice with DMW significantly (P < 0.05) reduced the percentage of mice bearing both aberrant crypt foci with more than four crypts (which are early precancerous lesions that progress to CRC) and tumors. In addition, DMW completely counteracted the effect of AOM on protein expression of caspase-9, cleaved caspase-3 and poly ADP-ribose polymerase in colonic tissue. Administration of DMW alone (i.e. without AOM) resulted in changes in the composition of the gut microbiota, leading to enrichment or depletion of genera associated with health and disease, respectively. DMW was also able to restore AOM-induced changes in specific genera of the gut microbiota. Specifically, DMW reduced the genera Atopobiaceae, Ruminococcus 1 and Lachnospiraceae XPB1014 and increased the genera Parabacteroides and Candidatus Saccharimonas, which were increased and reduced, respectively, by AOM. Blood levels of butyric acid and cancer diagnostic markers (5-methylcytidine and glycerophosphocholine), which were increased by AOM treatment, were reduced by DMW. Furthermore, DMW exerted cytotoxic effects on two human CRC cell lines (HCT116 and HT29) and these effects were associated with the induction of apoptotic signaling.

Conclusions

Our results suggest that DMW exerts chemopreventive effects and restores the gut microbiota in AOM-induced CRC, and induces cytotoxic effect on CRC cells. DMW could be an important dietary supplement to support a healthy gut microbiota and reduce the prevalence of CRC in humans.
Psychometric properties of the Trauma Checklist 2.0 and its predictive utility of felony re-offending among high-risk juvenile offenders
Authors: Shold Jenna N. , Maurer J. Michael , Reynolds Brooke L. , Gullapalli Aparna R. , Allen Corey H. , Edwards Bethany G. , Anderson Nathaniel E. , Harenski Carla L. , Neumann Craig S. , Kiehl Kent A.
Published: September 2023

Background

Incarcerated youth are characterized by particularly high rates of childhood trauma, a significant risk factor for outcomes including risky behaviors and recidivism. Trauma-based interventions can ameliorate the negative effects of childhood trauma; however, a critical part of success is careful trauma screening. Due to the limitations associated with commonly used self-report trauma assessments, our team developed the Trauma Checklist (TCL), a trained-rater assessment of childhood trauma specifically created for use with forensic populations. The TCL is designed to provide a more comprehensive assessment of trauma, incorporating categories that are of specific relevance for incarcerated individuals (e.g., traumatic loss). Here, we discuss the continued development made to our original trauma assessment and explore the psychometric properties of this expanded assessment (herein termed the TCL 2.0).

Method

We examined relationships between TCL 2.0 scores, measures of psychopathology, and psychopathic traits in a sample of incarcerated male juvenile offenders (n = 237). In addition, we examined whether TCL 2.0 scores were associated with time to felony re-offense via Cox proportional-hazard regression analyses.

Results

We examined dimensionality of the TCL 2.0 using a principal component analysis (PCA), the results of which were confirmed via exploratory structural equation modeling; the PCA yielded a two-component solution (i.e., PC1 and PC2). We observed that PC1 (Experienced Trauma) scores were positively correlated with mood disorder diagnoses. TCL 2.0 total scores were positively correlated with post-traumatic stress disorder symptomatology and psychopathic traits. Finally, higher PC2 (Community Trauma) scores were associated with faster time to felony re-offending.

Conclusions

These results suggest that the TCL 2.0 may be a beneficial screening tool to provide high-risk youth with appropriate trauma-informed treatment.
Sustainable grafted chitosan-dialdehyde cellulose with high adsorption capacity of heavy metal
Authors: El-Sayed Essam S. Abd , Dacrory Sawsan , Essawy Hisham A. , Ibrahim Hanan S. , Ammar Nabila S. , Kamel Samir
Published: September 2023

A novel adsorbent was prepared using a backbone comprising chemically hybridized dialdehyde cellulose (DAC) with chitosan via Schiff base reaction, followed by graft copolymerization of acrylic acid. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) confirmed the hybridization while scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed intensive covering of chitosan onto the surface of DAC. At the same time, energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) proved the emergence of nitrogen derived from chitosan. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) indicated that the crystallinity of the backbone and graft copolymer structures was neither affected post the hybridization nor the grafting polymerization. The adsorbent showed high swelling capacity (872%) and highly efficient removal and selectivity of Ni2+ in the presence of other disturbing ions such as Pb2+ or Cu2+. The kinetic study found that the second-order kinetic model could better describe the adsorption process of (Cu2+, Ni2+) on the graft copolymer. In contrast, the first-order kinetic model prevails for the binary mixture (Pb2+, Ni2+). Moreover, the correlation coefficient values for the adsorption process of these binary elements using Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms confirmed that the developed grafted DAC/chitosan exhibits a good fit with both isotherm models, which indicates its broadened and complicated structure. Furthermore, the grafted DAC/chitosan exhibited high efficient regeneration and high adsorption capacity for Pb2+, Cu2+ and Ni2+.
From straw to salmon: a technical design and energy balance for production of yeast oil for fish feed from wheat straw
Authors: Sigtryggsson Christian , Karlsson Potter Hanna , Passoth Volkmar , Hansson Per-Anders
Published: September 2023

Background

Aquaculture is a major user of plant-derived feed ingredients, such as vegetable oil. Production of vegetable oil and protein is generally more energy-intensive than production of the marine ingredients they replace, so increasing inclusion of vegetable ingredients increases the energy demand of the feed. Microbial oils, such as yeast oil made by fermentation of lignocellulosic hydrolysate, have been proposed as a complement to plant oils, but energy assessments of microbial oil production are needed. This study presents a mass and energy balance for a biorefinery producing yeast oil through conversion of wheat straw hydrolysate, with co-production of biomethane and power.

Results

The results showed that 1 tonne of yeast oil (37 GJ) would require 9.2 tonnes of straw, 14.7 GJ in fossil primary energy demand, 14.6 GJ of process electricity and 13.3 GJ of process heat, while 21.5 GJ of biomethane (430 kg) and 6 GJ of excess power would be generated simultaneously. By applying economic allocation, the fossil primary energy demand was estimated to 11.9 GJ per tonne oil.

Conclusions

Fossil primary energy demand for yeast oil in the four scenarios studied was estimated to be 10–38% lower than for the commonly used rapeseed oil and process energy demand could be met by parallel combustion of lignin residues. Therefore, feed oil can be produced from existing non-food biomass without causing agricultural expansion.
Regional differences in annual prevalence of sustainable working life in Swedish twin cohort
Authors: Raza Auriba , Wang Mo , Narusyte Jurgita , Svedberg Pia , Ropponen Annina
Published: September 2023

The global rise in life expectancy transforms age structure consequently having impact to the sustainability of social protection systems and working life. This descriptive study aimed to illustrate the annual prevalence of sustainable working life across Swedish residential regions, and investigate differences between age groups, sex, or being identical or fraternal twin. The study sample included 81,231 twins with linkage to national register data on sickness absence, disability pension, unemployment, and residential regions. Regions were classified by Swedish municipalities into nine groups. Sustainable working life were then followed in 1998, 2003, 2008, and 2013. Annual prevalence and Generalized Estimating Equation (GEE) with log linear models for interaction test were used. Medium to large size municipalities (15–24%) had higher annual prevalence of sustainable working life than smaller municipalities (1–7%). Young adults in medium to large size municipalities had high annual prevalence of sustainable working life. We found no differences for sexes or being identical or fraternal twin. To conclude, annual prevalence of sustainable working life in 1998, 2003, 2008 and 2013 differed by region being highest in medium to large size municipalities which may have importance for targeting policies, regulations, and practices in a region-specific way. Further studies on residential regions and sustainable working life would be merited to confirm associations and other influential factors.
Advances of three-dimensional (3D) culture systems for in vitro spermatogenesis
Authors: Salem Maryam , Khadivi Farnaz , Javanbakht Parinaz , Mojaverrostami Sina , Abbasi Mehdi , Feizollahi Narjes , Abbasi Yasaman , Heidarian Ehsan , Rezaei Yazdi Farzane
Published: September 2023

The loss of germ cells and spermatogenic failure in non-obstructive azoospermia are believed to be the main causes of male infertility. Laboratory studies have used in vitro testicular models and different 3-dimensional (3D) culture systems for preservation, proliferation and differentiation of spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) in recent decades. The establishment of testis-like structures would facilitate the study of drug and toxicity screening, pathological mechanisms and in vitro differentiation of SSCs which resulted in possible treatment of male infertility. The different culture systems using cellular aggregation with self-assembling capability, the use of different natural and synthetic biomaterials and various methods for scaffold fabrication provided a suitable 3D niche for testicular cells development. Recently, 3D culture models have noticeably used in research for their architectural and functional similarities to native microenvironment. In this review article, we briefly investigated the recent 3D culture systems that provided a suitable platform for male fertility preservation through organ culture of testis fragments, proliferation and differentiation of SSCs.
Intravitreal allogeneic mesenchymal stem cells: a non-randomized phase II clinical trial for acute non-arteritic optic neuropathy
Authors: Pastor Jose C. , Pastor-Idoate Salvador , López-Paniagua Marina , Para Marta , Blazquez Francisco , Murgui Esther , García Verónica , Coco-Martín Rosa M.
Published: September 2023

Background

An effective treatment for acute non-arteritic ischemic optic neuropathy (NA-AION) has not been known or proven yet. Previous studies have suggested a neuroprotective effect of allogeneic bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells. This study aims to report the results of a clinical trial on patients with acute non-arteritic optic neuropathy (NA-AION) treated with an intravitreal injection of allogeneic bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) (MSV®).

Methods

We conducted a prospective, non-randomized, clinical phase-II study (Eudra CT number 2016-003029-40; ClinicalTrials.gov Registry NCT03173638) that included 5 patients with acute unilateral NA-AION diagnosed within 2 weeks after symptom onset and who received an intravitreal injection of allogeneic BM-MSCs (0.05 ml; cell concentration: 1.5 × 106cells/mL). The patients underwent regular ophthalmological examinations and were followed for one year.

Results

In this trial, allogeneic BM-MSCs appeared to be safe as no patients developed signs of acute nor chronic intraocular inflammation or a significant change in intraocular pressure, although an epiretinal membrane was developed in one patient. A retrolental aggregate formed shortly after the injection spontaneously disappeared within a few weeks in another phakic patient, leaving a subcapsular cataract. Visual improvement was noted in 4 patients, and amplitudes of P100 on the visually evoked potentials recordings increased in three patients. The retinal nerve fiber layer and macular ganglion cell layer thicknesses significantly decreased during the follow-up.

Conclusions

Besides the development of an epiretinal membrane in one patient, the intravitreal application of allogeneic BM-MSCs appeared to be intraocularly well tolerated. Consequently, not only NA-AION but also BM-MSCs deserve more clinical investigational resources and a larger randomized multicenter trial that would provide stronger evidence both about safety and the potential therapeutic efficacy of intravitreally injected allogeneic BM-MSCs in acute NA-AION.

Trial registration: Safety Assessment of Intravitreal Mesenchymal Stem Cells for Acute Non-Arteritic Anterior Ischemic Optic Neuropathy (NEUROSTEM). NCT03173638. Registered June 02, 2017 https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03173638.
Development and validation of the early warning system scores ontology
Authors: Zayas Cilia E. , Whorton Justin M. , Sexton Kevin W. , Mabry Charles D. , Dowland S. Clint , Brochhausen Mathias
Published: September 2023

Background

Clinical early warning scoring systems, have improved patient outcomes in a range of specializations and global contexts. These systems are used to predict patient deterioration. A multitude of patient-level physiological decompensation data has been made available through the widespread integration of early warning scoring systems within EHRs across national and international health care organizations. These data can be used to promote secondary research. The diversity of early warning scoring systems and various EHR systems is one barrier to secondary analysis of early warning score data. Given that early warning score parameters are varied, this makes it difficult to query across providers and EHR systems. Moreover, mapping and merging the parameters is challenging. We develop and validate the Early Warning System Scores Ontology (EWSSO), representing three commonly used early warning scores: the National Early Warning Score (NEWS), the six-item modified Early Warning Score (MEWS), and the quick Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (qSOFA) to overcome these problems.

Methods

We apply the Software Development Lifecycle Framework—conceived by Winston Boyce in 1970—to model the activities involved in organizing, producing, and evaluating the EWSSO. We also follow OBO Foundry Principles and the principles of best practice for domain ontology design, terms, definitions, and classifications to meet BFO requirements for ontology building.

Results

We developed twenty-nine new classes, reused four classes and four object properties to create the EWSSO. When we queried the data our ontology-based process could differentiate between necessary and unnecessary features for score calculation 100% of the time. Further, our process applied the proper temperature conversions for the early warning score calculator 100% of the time.

Conclusions

Using synthetic datasets, we demonstrate the EWSSO can be used to generate and query health system data on vital signs and provide input to calculate the NEWS, six-item MEWS, and qSOFA. Future work includes extending the EWSSO by introducing additional early warning scores for adult and pediatric patient populations and creating patient profiles that contain clinical, demographic, and outcomes data regarding the patient.
Implementation of substance use screening in rural federally-qualified health center clinics identified high rates of unhealthy alcohol and cannabis use among adult primary care patients
Authors: McNeely Jennifer , McLeman Bethany , Gardner Trip , Nesin Noah , Amarendran Vijay , Farkas Sarah , Wahle Aimee , Pitts Seth , Kline Margaret , King Jacquie , Rosa Carmen , Marsch Lisa , Rotrosen John , Hamilton Leah
Published: September 2023

Background

Screening for substance use in rural primary care clinics faces unique challenges due to limited resources, high patient volumes, and multiple demands on providers. To explore the potential for electronic health record (EHR)-integrated screening in this context, we conducted an implementation feasibility study with a rural federally-qualified health center (FQHC) in Maine. This was an ancillary study to a NIDA Clinical Trials Network study of screening in urban primary care clinics (CTN-0062).

Methods

Researchers worked with stakeholders from three FQHC clinics to define and implement their optimal screening approach. Clinics used the Tobacco, Alcohol, Prescription Medication, and Other Substance (TAPS) Tool, completed on tablet computers in the waiting room, and results were immediately recorded in the EHR. Adult patients presenting for annual preventive care visits, but not those with other visit types, were eligible for screening. Data were analyzed for the first 12 months following implementation at each clinic to assess screening rates and prevalence of reported unhealthy substance use, and documentation of counseling using an EHR-integrated clinical decision support tool, for patients screening positive for moderate-high risk alcohol or drug use.

Results

Screening was completed by 3749 patients, representing 93.4% of those with screening-eligible annual preventive care visits, and 18.5% of adult patients presenting for any type of primary care visit. Screening was self-administered in 92.9% of cases. The prevalence of moderate-high risk substance use detected on screening was 14.6% for tobacco, 30.4% for alcohol, 10.8% for cannabis, 0.3% for illicit drugs, and 0.6% for non-medical use of prescription drugs. Brief substance use counseling was documented for 17.4% of patients with any moderate-high risk alcohol or drug use.

Conclusions

Self-administered EHR-integrated screening was feasible to implement, and detected substantial alcohol, cannabis, and tobacco use in rural FQHC clinics. Counseling was documented for a minority of patients with moderate-high risk use, possibly indicating a need for better support of primary care providers in addressing substance use. There is potential to broaden the reach of screening by offering it at routine medical visits rather than restricting to annual preventive care visits, within these and other rural primary care clinics.
Systematic review of prospective studies assessing risk factors to predict anorexia nervosa onset
Authors: Charrat Jean-Philippe , Massoubre Catherine , Germain Natacha , Gay Aurélia , Galusca Bogdan
Published: September 2023

Background

According to case‒control studies, a multitude of factors contribute to the emergence of anorexia nervosa (AN). The present systematic review examines prospective studies specifically designed to evaluate the prediction of AN onset.

Methods

According to the ARMSTAR 2 and PRISMA 2020 checklists, the PubMed, PsycINFO and Cochrane databases were searched. The methodological quality of the studies was assessed with the Downs and Black checklist.

Results

Three articles concerning prospective studies of the general population were ultimately included in the review. The methodological quality of these studies was not optimal. Bidirectional amplification effects were observed between risk factors, some of which could have a relative predictive force as low bodyweight or body dissatisfaction. Even if not included according to specified criteria for this systematic review 11 longitudinal studies, with retrospective analysis of AN onset’ prediction, were also discussed. None of these studies asserted the predictive value of particular risk factors as low body weight, anxiety disorders or childhood aggression.

Conclusions

To date there are insufficient established data to propose predictive markers of AN onset for predictive actions in pre-adolescent or adolescent populations. Future work should further evaluate potential risk factors previously identified in case‒control/retrospective studies within larger prospective investigations in preadolescent populations. It is important to clearly distinguish predisposing factors from precipitating factors in subjects at risk of developing AN.
4-Mercaptobenzoic acid-modified Au@Ag nanoparticle-based colorimetric Cr3+ ions detection in aqueous solution
Authors: Zhang Zhikun , Li Heng , Guo Dongan , Hu Cuixia , Liu Yumin
Published: September 2023

Heavy metal ions pose a threat to both ecological balance and human health owing to the non-biodegradable and poisonous characteristics. A simple, convenient and rapid metal ion monitoring plays a significant role for eliminating metal ions pollution. In this work, we prepared 4-mercaptobenzoic acids (4-MBA)-functionalized silver-coated gold nanoparticles (Au@Ag NPs) as colorimetric probes to construct colorimetric Chromium III (Cr3+) ions detection platform. The results showed that 4-MBA-Au@Ag NPs could effectively coordinate with the low-concentration Cr3+ ions with the group of -COOH, generating the obviously colorimetric reaction. To detection system, the optimal concentration of 4-MBA and pH was 5 μM and 9, respectively. Signal response was found to be proportional to Cr3+ ions concentration in the range from 10 to 500 μM with a correlation coefficient of 0.993, with UV–Vis and colorimetric detection limits determined as 9 μM and 10 μM, respectively. In addition, the recovery of the system was estimated to be from 88.2 to 112.1%, which was satisfactory for practical analysis of samples. The platform would have great potential applications in many areas.
It is time to target psychological readiness (or lack of readiness) in return to sports after Anterior Cruciate Ligament tears
Authors: Faleide Anne Gro Heyn , Inderhaug Eivind
Published: September 2023

Functional recovery has for long been the focus of rehabilitation after an Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injury. It is now increasingly recognized that more attention should be given to patients' mental recovery, their psychological readiness for returning to sport, after such an injury. Within this relatively new field of science, clinicians need clarity on when and how psychological factors should be monitored and how inexpedient psychological responses may be addressed during rehabilitation. In this Expert Opinion suggestions on how targeting psychological readiness may improve rehabilitation and return‐to‐sport evaluations are made based on current evidence—and issues in need of further clarification are addressed.
Comparing the Performance Gap Between Males and Females in the Older Age Groups in IRONMAN® 70.3: An Internet-Based Cross-Sectional Study of More Than 800,000 Race Records
Authors: Knechtle Beat , Valero David , Villiger Elias , Thuany Mabliny , Andrade Marilia Santos , Nikolaidis Pantelis T. , Cuk Ivan , Weiss Katja
Published: September 2023

Background

The sex difference in the three split disciplines (swimming, cycling, and running) and overall race times in triathlon races has mainly been investigated for the Olympic distance and IRONMAN® triathlon formats, but not for the half IRONMAN® distance, i.e., the IRONMAN® 70.3. The aim of the present study was to investigate the sex differences in IRONMAN® 70.3 by age group in 5-year intervals for the split disciplines of this race. Data from 823,459 records (625,393 males and 198,066 females) of all age group finishers (in 5-year intervals) competing in all official IRONMAN® 70.3 races held worldwide between 2004 and 2020 were analyzed, and sex differences by age group and split disciplines were evaluated.

Results

Males were faster than females in all split disciplines and all age groups. The sex difference was lower in swimming than in cycling and running and less pronounced for triathletes between 20 and 50 years of age. After the age of 60 years, females were able to reduce the sex difference to males in swimming and cycling, but not in running, where the reduction in the sex difference started after the age of 70 years. The lowest sex difference was in the age group 75 + years for swimming and cycling and in the age group 30–34 years for running. Across age groups, the sex difference was U-shaped in swimming and running, with an increase after 18–24 years in swimming and after 40–44 years in running. In contrast, the sex difference decreased continuously with the increasing age for cycling.

Conclusions

In conclusion, the study found that the sex difference in performance decreases with age in the IRONMAN® 70.3 race distance. However, females did not outperform males at older ages. Notably, sex differences were observed across different disciplines, with swimming displaying lower differences compared to cycling and running. These findings underscore the complex interplay between age, sex, and performance in endurance sports, emphasizing the need for additional research to understand the factors influencing these differences.
Bridges of perspectives: representation of people with lived experience of spinal cord injury in editorial boards and peer review
Authors: Nuechterlein Anna , Barretto Tanya , Yehia Alaa , Illes Judy
Published: September 2023

Background

Diversity among editorial boards and in the peer review process maximizes the likelihood that the dissemination of reported results is both relevant and respectful to readers and end users. Past studies have examined diversity among editorial board members and reviewers for factors such as gender, geographic location, and race, but limited research has explored the representation of people with disabilities. Here, we sought to understand the landscape of inclusivity of people with lived experience of spinal cord injury specifically in journals publishing papers (2012–2022) on their quality of life.

Methods

An open and closed 12-question adaptive survey was disseminated to 31 journal editors over a one-month period beginning December 2022.

Results

We received 10 fully completed and 5 partially completed survey responses (response rate 48%). Notwithstanding the small sample, over 50% (8/15) of respondents indicated that their journal review practices involve people with lived experience of spinal cord injury, signaling positive even if incomplete inclusivity practices. The most notable reported barriers to achieving this goal related to identifying and recruiting people with lived experience to serve in the review and editorial process.

Conclusions

In this study we found positive but incomplete trends toward inclusivity in journal practices involving people with lived experience of spinal cord injury. We recommend, therefore, that explicit and genuine efforts are directed toward recruitment through community-based channels. To improve representation even further, we suggest that editors and reviewers be offered the opportunity to self-identify as living with a disability without discrimination or bias.
The accuracy of whole-body 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (18F-FDG PET/CT) in the detection of ovarian cancer relapse in patients with rising cancer antigen 125 (CA-125) levels
Authors: Sami Soha , Hamed Soha Talaat , Adel Lamia , Kandeel Ahmed Abdel Samie , Kamal Eman Faker , Fakhry Sherihan
Published: September 2023

Background

18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET/CT is a noninvasive imaging tool that has been used successfully for the diagnosis, staging, restaging, therapy monitoring, and prognostic prediction of ovarian cancer. For ovarian cancer surveillance, rising CA-125 levels raise the suspicion of recurrence despite its reported low specificity; being elevated in other benign and inflammatory conditions, and thus, confirmation is required. This work aimed to evaluate the role of 18F-FDG PET/CT in suspected ovarian cancer recurrence in patients presenting with elevated CA-125 levels.

Results

Fifty female patients with suspected ovarian cancer recurrence owing to elevated CA-125 levels were included in this study. Recurrence was confirmed in 46/50 cases whether by histopathological confirmation or by serial follow-up imaging and clinical follow-up. Positive PET/CT findings were reported in 45/50 cases with 2 false-negative cases and 1 false-positive case. PET/CT examination was found to be superior to contrast-enhanced CT in the detection of peritoneal metastatic nodules and metastatic lymph nodes. According to this study, the estimated sensitivity, specificity, and overall diagnostic accuracy of PET/CT in the detection of recurrent ovarian cancer were 95.6%, 75%, and 94%, respectively.

Conclusions

In ovarian cancer surveillance, 18F-FDG PET/CT was found to be a sensitive and accurate noninvasive imaging tool that can be used in the detection of recurrent ovarian cancer in patients with elevated CA-125 levels, thus interfering with the management plan. The advantage of whole-body imaging in PET/CT allows for the detection and precise localization of recurrent or metastatic foci in abdominal and extra-abdominal sites as well.
Real-World Pitfalls of Analyzing Real-World Data: A Cautionary Note and Path Forward
Authors: Cooper John D. , Shou Karen , Sunderland Kevin , Pham Kevin , Thornton Jennifer A. , DeStefano Christin B.
Published: September 2023

Judicious interpretation of survival analyses is imperative for oncologists to appropriately use RWD to guide clinical care. Attempting to identify the cause of data missingness, calculating survival months using decimals instead of integers, and using statistical methods to minimize guarantee-time bias can guard against common pitfalls when analyzing RWD, allowing for more accurate and clinically meaningful data interpretation.
Decolonizing US Comparative Literature: The 2022 ACLA Presidential Address
Authors: Shih Shu-mei
Published: September 2023

This essay examines how comparative literature as a discipline has never confronted its interlocking contexts of settler colonialism, imperialism, and racialization as its conditions of possibility in the United States. Inspired by recent efforts at decolonization in other disciplines, this essay calls for decolonizing comparative literature via a critique of the discipline from the nineteenth century to the present. From evolutionary scientism at its origin, overarching and continuing Eurocentrism, the disavowal of area studies, the rise of literary theory, and the primacy of non-US-focused postcolonial studies to problematic conceptions of multiculturalism, the discipline has scrupulously dissociated itself from the US reality. This dissociation, in the final analysis, replicates and supports the settler-colonial structure that evacuates the Indigenous peoples from their land and replaces Indigenous knowledge with settler knowledge, showing comparative literature to be a settler-colonial discipline. Hence, the necessary settler-colonial critique of comparative literature ought to be superseded by Indigeneity-centered practices in our work for decolonization to be possible.
Voicing the Malayan Emergency: Ventriloquizing Subjectivity in British Colonial Film and Radio
Authors: Bloom Peter J.
Published: September 2023

British colonial film and radio broadcasting initiatives are described as a foundational context for shaping the Malayan Emergency (1948–60). The development and deployment of counterinsurgency techniques become a means by which to wage war against what came to be identified as the Communist insurgency, previously trained and allied with Anglo-American forces against the Japanese occupation from 1942 to 1945. Key British figures associated with propaganda tactics during World War II, such as Hugh Carelton Greene, were instrumental in developing a new array of techniques for postwar propaganda. This article considers the extent to which film and radio programming were elemental to managing popular aspirations for independence just as economic and political authority became increasingly consolidated within the terms of Anglo-American economic and political interests. It considers how film and media programs contributed to the construction of the “Communist terrorist” by reference to several radio segments and films that were produced during this period. A significant part of the Malayan Emergency was associated with a large-scale population resettlement program known as the Briggs Plan. It was conceived as an effective population-centric strategy of political control that relied upon a biopolitics of security that became integral to Cold War political objectives. It is within the terms of a Cold War media complex that this discussion addresses the context for “radio-cinema governmentality.”
Can the “Comfort Women” Footage Speak? The Afterlives of Camera Images as Document and the Flow of Life
Authors: Kim Han Sang
Published: September 2023

When the US Army footage documenting the Korean victims of wartime sex slavery in the Imperial Japanese Army in China was discovered and released to the public in the summer of 2017, some South Korean academics questioned whether it should be understood as new evidence since it was believed that some of the subjects of the moving image had already been seen and located in photographs discovered previously in the 1990s. This reaction seemed diametrically opposed to that of the mainstream media (and social media), which excitedly praised the discovery of the “brand-new” evidential document depicting those moving women.

This article examines the politics of using film footage excavated from archives long after the original production of the film. Both types of reactions shown toward the “comfort women” footage shared the same attitude, which viewed the footage as a repository containing certain photographic-mechanical evidence to prove someone's existence in a scientific manner. Such a belief in the scientific nature of camera images bears a striking similarity with positivist historical approaches. Contrastingly, what Kracauer saw in film as a medium was rather the presence of things that are difficult to freeze and solidify. His concept of the “flow of life” describes an affinity with life (in the form of everyday life) that he theorized films possess but photographs do not. This article seeks a visual sociological method to explore film as a medium that embodies the reality of the subalterns and, if circumstances allow, speaks on their behalf.
Archiving Facts and Documentary Films: Sites of Memorial Struggle for the October 6, 1976, Massacre in Thailand
Authors: Musikawong Sudarat , Khumsupa Malinee
Published: September 2023

None of the perpetrators involved in the October 6, 1976, massacre in Thailand have been brought to justice. It has been this “culture of impunity” that limits the possibility of truth projects. Past state violence has been protected by the country's blanket amnesty laws and libel laws. Additionally, unreleased archival materials are restricted from public release by copyright law. Audiovisual and documentary evidence for counter-memory projects are thus challenged. On the other hand, evidence collected by activist archivist groups reveals painful memories from the relatives of victims and provides hope for truth-seeking. Collections of photographs, audio interviews, testimonies, and artifacts are utilized by both archivists and documentary filmmakers to forge claims toward restorative justice. And while the dominant discourse forces society at large to keep silent, historians, archivists, and filmmakers collectively resist forgetting. Together they lay claim to photographic and audio evidence as well as personal painful memories to illustrate and generate public dialogue, telling truths through sight and sound. Some of these archival efforts led to practices in participatory documentary-making. Collectively, these efforts in archival practice and filmmaking give birth to an ethic of immediation in humanitarianism. Thailand's next generation is engaged in recalling memories of past state violence and questioning the present authoritarian regime through archival filmmaking and exhibition practices.
Marx for Cats
Authors: La Berge Leigh Claire
Published: September 2023

At the outset of Marx for Cats, Leigh Claire La Berge declares that “all history is the history of cat struggle.” Revising the medieval bestiary form to meet Marxist critique, La Berge follows feline footprints through Western economic history to reveal an animality at the heart of Marxism. She draws on a twelve-hundred-year arc spanning capitalism’s feudal prehistory, its colonialist and imperialist ages, the bourgeois revolutions that supported capitalism, and the communist revolutions that opposed it to outline how cats have long been understood as creatures of economic critique and liberatory possibility. By attending to the repeated archival appearance of lions, tigers, wildcats, and “sabo-tabbies,” La Berge argues that felines are central to how Marxists have imagined the economy, and by asking what humans and animals owe each other in a moment of ecological crisis, La Berge joins current debates about the need for and possibility of eco-socialism. In this playful and generously illustrated radical bestiary, La Berge demonstrates that class struggle is ultimately an interspecies collaboration.