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The COVID−19 pandemic may have uniquely impacted families of children in cancer treatment. Primary caregivers (N = 47) completed validated measures of COVID−19 exposure, impact, and psychosocial distress between July 2020 and January 2021. Caregivers reported several pandemic-related disruptions to daily life (COVID−19 exposure) and a negative impact of the pandemic on caregiver mood (70%) and anxiety (72%). A subset of caregivers reported a positive impact of the pandemic on physical wellbeing and family functioning. Family psychosocial distress was associated with higher COVID−19 exposure but not COVID−19 impact. Results highlight family resilience as well as groups with unmet psychosocial needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Increasing fruit and vegetable (FV) consumption is associated with reduced cardiovascular disease risk in observational studies but with little evidence from randomised controlled trials (RCTs). The impact of concurrent pharmacological therapy is unknown. Objective To pool data from six RCTs to examine the effect of increasing FV intake on blood pressure (BP) and lipid profile, also exploring whether effects differed by medication use. Design Across trials, dietary intake was assessed by diet diaries or histories, lipids by routine biochemical methods and BP by automated monitors. Linear regression provided an estimate of the change in lipid profile or BP associated with a one portion increase in self-reported daily FV intake, with interaction terms fitted for medication use. Results The pooled sample included a total of 554 participants (308 males and 246 females). Meta-analysis of regression coefficients revealed no significant change in either systolic or diastolic BP per portion FV increase, although there was significant heterogeneity across trials for systolic BP (I 2 = 73%). Neither adjusting for change in body mass index, nor analysis according to use of anti-hypertensive medication altered the relationship. There was no significant change in lipid profile per portion FV increase, although there was a significant reduction in total cholesterol among those not on lipid-lowering therapy (P  < 0.05 after Bonferroni correction). Conclusion Pooled analysis of six individual FV trials showed no impact of increasing intake on BP or lipids, but there was a total cholesterol-lowering effect in those not on lipid-lowering therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

"Scaling Impact: Finance and Investment for a Better World" by Kusisami Hornberger explores the potential for meaningful change within the finance space to address the climate crisis and achieve the United Nation's 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The book proposes six paradigm shifts, including seeking financial health, providing patient capital, and measuring success based on results. It also highlights the need for private capital and capacity building, not just capital, to bridge the financing gap and create lasting impact. While the book acknowledges systemic issues and the limitations of practices like ESG investing, it offers an optimistic perspective and provides insights into real-world initiatives. However, it falls short in discussing the role of policy and regulatory pressure in driving change. Overall, the book serves as a starting point for those interested in sustainable finance and inspires readers to pursue impactful changes in the finance sector. [Extracted from the article]

Gloeocapsopsis dulcis strain AAB1 is an extremely xerotolerant cyanobacterium isolated from the Atacama Desert (i.e., the driest and oldest desert on Earth) that holds astrobiological significance due to its ability to biosynthesize compatible solutes at ultra-low water activities. We sequenced and assembled the G. dulcis genome de novo using a combination of long- and short-read sequencing, which resulted in high-quality consensus sequences of the chromosome and two plasmids. We leveraged the G. dulcis genome to generate a genome-scale metabolic model (iGd895) to simulate growth in silico. iGd895 represents, to our knowledge, the first genome-scale metabolic reconstruction developed for an extremely xerotolerant cyanobacterium. The model's predictive capability was assessed by comparing the in silico growth rate with in vitro growth rates of G. dulcis, in addition to the synthesis of trehalose. iGd895 allowed us to explore simulations of key metabolic processes such as essential pathways for water-stress tolerance, and significant alterations to reaction flux distribution and metabolic network reorganization resulting from water limitation. Our study provides insights into the potential metabolic strategies employed by G. dulcis, emphasizing the crucial roles of compatible solutes, metabolic water, energy conservation, and the precise regulation of reaction rates in their adaptation to water stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gloeocapsopsis dulcis strain AAB1 is an extremely xerotolerant cyanobacterium isolated from the Atacama Desert (i.e., the driest and oldest desert on Earth) that holds astrobiological significance due to its ability to biosynthesize compatible solutes at ultra-low water activities. We sequenced and assembled the G. dulcis genome de novo using a combination of long- and short-read sequencing, which resulted in high-quality consensus sequences of the chromosome and two plasmids. We leveraged the G. dulcis genome to generate a genome-scale metabolic model (iGd895) to simulate growth in silico. iGd895 represents, to our knowledge, the first genome-scale metabolic reconstruction developed for an extremely xerotolerant cyanobacterium. The model's predictive capability was assessed by comparing the in silico growth rate with in vitro growth rates of G. dulcis, in addition to the synthesis of trehalose. iGd895 allowed us to explore simulations of key metabolic processes such as essential pathways for water-stress tolerance, and significant alterations to reaction flux distribution and metabolic network reorganization resulting from water limitation. Our study provides insights into the potential metabolic strategies employed by G. dulcis, emphasizing the crucial roles of compatible solutes, metabolic water, energy conservation, and the precise regulation of reaction rates in their adaptation to water stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

African Americans are at significantly greater risk for hypertension, as well as worse hypertension-related morbidity and mortality than other racial/ethnic groups. Prior research aiming to address these health disparities has focused on improving individual patient self-management, with few studies testing family-centered interventions. We aimed to explore the perspectives of African Americans with hypertension and their family members on hypertension, self-management, and reciprocal family-hypertension impacts to inform future intervention design. We conducted four dyadic focus groups (90–120 minutes) of African American adults with hypertension (i.e. patients) and their family members. We recruited patients (n = 23) and their family members (n = 23) from four African American-serving Christian churches over a period of three months (69.6% female, M age = 60.73 years). Patient–family member dyads were interviewed conjointly (groups ranged from 4 to 6 dyads, each) by facilitators using open-ended questions to elicit perspectives regarding contributors to hypertension, self-management strategies, family influence on self-management, and the impact of hypertension on the family. A grounded theory approach was used for analysis. Participants' responses highlighted themes of societal risk factors and barriers (e.g. racism-related stress worsens blood pressure), influences of African American culture (e.g. culturally-informed diet practices), the patient–physician relationship (e.g. proactive communication is beneficial), family-level influences on health (e.g. family monitoring patients' health behaviors), and patient-level risk factors and self-management strategies (e.g. prayer to cope with stress). Themes reflected a hierarchical, nested, ecological structure such that themes within unique levels of participants' social systems affected, and were affected by, stress, change, or behavior in the other levels. African American adults with hypertension and their family members described multilevel influences on hypertension and disease self-management, with a strong emphasis on the value of family support. Developing culturally appropriate, family-centered interventions to improve hypertension self-management will be an important next step. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Mental health needs of transgender individuals can be complex with individual, social, and medical factors impacting symptoms. This study examines predictors of mood or anxiety problems among transgender individuals seeking hormone therapy (HT). Methods A retrospective chart review was conducted at 2 clinics providing gender-affirming HT. Cross-sectional data from initial patient encounters (N = 311) were used in this study. Bivariate correlations and multiple logistic regression analyses were carried out. Results Transgender women (TW) were 2.2 times more likely to have mood or anxiety problems while transgender men (TM) were 2.6 times more likely as the number of medical comorbidities increased. For both TW and TM, White race significantly increased the likelihood of mood or anxiety problems. Neither previous nor current HT were associated with mood or anxiety problems for TW and TM. However, receiving multiple gender-affirming procedures decreased the likelihood of mood or anxiety problems for TM. Conclusions Gender-affirming care and addressing comorbidities can be important aspects of mental health needs for transgender individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction/Purpose: One anastomosis gastric bypass (OAGB) and single anastomosis duodenoileostomy with sleeve (SADI-S) are two highly effective bariatric procedures that have been recently endorsed by the American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS). We compared the outcomes and safety profiles of SADI-S and OAGB using the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program (MBSAQIP) database. Materials and Methods: Retrospective analysis on patients who underwent SADI-S or OAGB obtained from the MBSAQIP database 2020–2021. Patients who underwent concurrent procedures (besides EGD) or had missing data were removed. Variables included age, sex, body mass index, American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) class, and pertinent medical comorbidities. Data were analyzed for 30-day postoperative morbidity, mortality, reoperation, reintervention, and readmissions. p values were calculated using Student's t-test or Fisher analysis. Results: A total of 694 and 1068 patients respectively underwent SADI-S or OAGB. Statistically significant comorbidities included age (42.2 ± 10.8 vs. 43.7 ± 12.2), BMI (50.6 ± 9.1 vs. 45.3 ± 7.1), ASA 2 (66 (9.5%) vs. 165 (15.4%)), ASA 4 [69 (9.9%) vs. 20 (1.9%)], and immunosuppressive therapy [24 (3.5%) vs. 17 (1.6%)]. Clavien-Dindo-based analysis highlighted that SADI-S had higher grade 2 (p = 0.005) and grade 4b (p = 0.001) complications. Patients who underwent SADI-S were twice as likely to be readmitted within 30 days (3.7% vs. 1.9%; p = 0.021). Conclusion: SADI-S had higher readmission rates and higher Clavien-Dindo grade 2 and 4b complications. To note, SADI-S patients had higher BMIs. Further studies are needed to determine the long-term complications and efficacy of both operations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our understanding of the cell behaviours and cytoskeletal requirements of axon formation is largely derived from in vitro models but how these relate to axon formation in vivo is not clear. In vitro, neurons progress through a well‐defined multineurite stage to form an axon and both actin and microtubules cooperate to drive the first steps in neurite and axon morphogenesis. However, these steps are not recapitulated in vivo, and it is not clear whether the underlying cell biological mechanisms may differ also. Here, we investigate the mechanisms that regulate axon formation in embryonic zebrafish spinal neurons in vivo. We find microtubule organising centres are located distant from the site of axon initiation, and microtubule plus‐ends are not enriched in the axon during axon initiation. Focal F‐actin accumulation precedes axon formation, and we find that nocodazole‐treated neurons with no detectable microtubules are still able to form nascent axonal protrusions that are approximately 10‐μm long, dilated and relatively long‐lived. We suggest spinal axon formation in vivo is fundamentally different from axon formation in in vitro models. Synopsis: In vivo imaging of embryonic zebrafish neurons defines early morphological events of axon initiation and shows focal F‐actin is likely the major cytoskeletal player, while microtubules are not required for nascent axon formation. In vivo imaging reveals stereotypical behaviours of nascent axon formation in embryonic spinal neurons.Nascent axon formation is preceded by local F‐actin accumulation but no local enrichment of microtubules.Local F‐actin accumulation and nascent axon formation still occur in the presence of nocodazole treatment that eliminates detectable microtubules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Treating adverse risk myelodysplastic syndromes with azacitidine exacerbates thrombocytopenia. We report a study of eltrombopag in combination with azacitidine using a 3 + 3 cohort design. Patients with baseline platelets of <150 × 109/l received eltrombopag ranging from 25 to 300 mg. An 8‐day pre‐phase of eltrombopag was followed by two cycles of combined therapy. Amongst 31 patients, there were no dose‐limiting toxicities. The maximum tolerated dose (MTD) was 300 mg. Transient increases in bone marrow blasts at day 8 were common but no patient had protocol‐defined progression following eltrombopag monotherapy. Marrow response rates after three and six treatment cycles were 32% and 29% respectively. In all, 70% of patients treated below and 36% treated at the MTD achieved a modified International Working Group 2006 platelet response at the end of cycle two. Of the platelet transfusion independent patients at baseline, 67% treated at the MTD became transfusion dependent during the first two cycles of treatment. Apart from lack of disease progression, our findings concur with a previously reported Phase III study (A StUdy of eltromboPag in myelodysPlastic SyndrOmes Receiving azaciTidine [SUPPORT]). We conclude that eltrombopag/azacitidine is safe in terms of conventional measures defined by adverse‐event reporting. However, in light of SUPPORT and our own descriptive findings regarding efficacy, further combination studies in high‐risk disease should be considered with caution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Surgical site infection (SSI) represents a major burden for patients, doctors, and health systems around the world. The aim of this trial is to assess whether the practice of using separate sterile gloves and instruments to close wounds at the end of surgery compared to current routine hospital practice can reduce surgical site infection at 30-days post-surgery for patients undergoing clean-contaminated, contaminated, or dirty abdominal surgery. Methods: This study protocol describes a pragmatic, international, multi-centre, 2-arm, cluster randomised controlled trial, with an internal pilot. Clusters are defined as hospitals within low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) defined by the Development Assistance Committee (DAC) Official Development Assistance (ODA) list, where there are at least 4 eligible hospitals per country. Hospitals (clusters) must be in LMICs where glove and instrument change are not currently routine practice. Patients (adults and children) undergoing emergency or elective abdominal surgery for a clean-contaminated, contaminated, or dirty operation are eligible for inclusion. Before closing the abdominal wall, surgeons and the scrub nurse will change gloves and use separate, sterile instruments (intervention), versus no changing gloves or using separate, sterile instruments (standard practice, control). The primary outcome is SSI within 30 days after surgery, using the Centre for Disease Control (CDC) criteria. Secondary outcomes are SSI before point of hospital discharge, and readmission, reoperation, length of hospital stay, return to normal activities, and death up to 30-days after surgery. A 12-month internal pilot, including 12 clusters and approximately 600 participants, aims to assess adherence to allocation and follow-up of patients. The main trial is powered to detect a minimum reduction in the primary outcome from 16 to 12%. A total of 12,800 participants will be recruited from 64 clusters (hospitals) each including at least 200 participants. Discussion: Change of gloves and sterile instruments prior to fascial closure in abdominal surgery is a low-cost, simple, intraoperative intervention which involves all members of the surgical and scrub team. If effective at reducing SSI, this practice could be readily implemented across all contexts. The findings of this trial will inform future guideline updates from international healthcare organisations, including the World Health Organization. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03980652. Registered on 9 July 2019 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses about the Photography techniques of Hollis Frampton, an American avant-garde filmmaker, photographer, writer, theoretician, and pioneer of digital art. Topics include Frampton returns to photography after fourteen years devotion largely to filmmaking; the photographs present their objects as gilded, preserved, specimens against a rich black background with informative texts under each photograph; and chronological presentation of his photography of historical collections.

Previous studies have identified regions where the occurrence of rainfall significantly increases or decreases the probability for subsequent rainfall over periods that range from a few days to several weeks. These observable phenomena are termed "rainfall feedback" (RF). To better understand the land--atmosphere interactions involved in RF, the behavior of RF patterns was analyzed using data from 1849 to 2016 at ~3000 sites in the contiguous United States. We also considered changes in major land-use types and applied a geographically weighted regression model technique for analyzing the predictors of RF. This approach identified non-linear and spatially nonstationary relationships between RF, climate, land use, and land type. RF patterns in certain regions of the United States are predictable by modeling variables associated with climate, season, and land use. The model outputs also demonstrate the extent to which the effect of precipitation, temperature, and land use on RF depend on season and location. Specifically, major changes were observed for land use associated with agriculture in the western United States, which had negative and positive influences on RF in summer and winter, respectively. In contrast, developed land in the eastern United States correlated with positive RF values in summer but with negative ones in winter. We discuss how changes in climate and land use would be expected to affect land-- atmosphere interactions, as well as the possible role that physical mechanisms and rain-enhanced bioaerosol emissions may play in the spatiotemporal changes observed for historical patterns of rainfall frequency in the United States. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: A new diagnosis of pediatric cancer may disrupt family functioning. The current study aimed to describe changes in family rules and routines during the first year of pediatric cancer treatment, and to explore associations with demographics, illness factors, and caregiver distress. Methods: This exploratory mixed‐methods, cross‐sectional study examined 44 primary caregivers of youth in treatment for a new cancer diagnosis in 2019 and 2020, before the onset of the COVID‐19 pandemic. Caregivers completed validated questionnaires assessing demographic and child illness characteristics, psychosocial distress, and cancer‐related stressors, and participated in a semi‐structured interview about family rules and routines. Results: Caregivers reported changes in bedtime, mealtime, and school routines, relaxed behavioral expectations and rules around screen time, and new rules and routines around treatment, medications, and infection control. Caregivers with elevated levels of psychosocial distress reported more changed routines than caregivers with low levels of psychosocial distress. Caregivers who endorsed more cancer‐related stressors reported more new rules and routines than those who reported fewer cancer‐related stressors. Demographic and illness factors were not significantly associated with the number of changed, new, or stable family rules and routines. Conclusions: Families may relax rules and routines during the first several months of diagnosis, and this may be related to side effects of treatment and limited caregiver capacity. The long‐term impact of changes in family rules and routines during cancer treatment warrants further study given that accommodating parenting strategies have been associated with adverse short‐ and long‐term child health and behavior outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Pneumonia is a common and severe complication of abdominal surgery, it is associated with increased length of hospital stay, healthcare costs, and mortality. Further, pulmonary complication rates have risen during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. This study explored the potential cost-effectiveness of administering preoperative chlorhexidine mouthwash versus no-mouthwash at reducing postoperative pneumonia among abdominal surgery patients. Methods: A decision analytic model taking the South African healthcare provider perspective was constructed to compare costs and benefits of mouthwash versus no-mouthwash-surgery at 30 days after abdominal surgery. We assumed two scenarios: (i) the absence of COVID-19; (ii) the presence of COVID-19. Input parameters were collected from published literature including prospective cohort studies and expert opinion. Effectiveness was measured as proportion of pneumonia patients. Deterministic and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were performed to assess the impact of parameter uncertainties. The results of the probabilistic sensitivity analysis were presented using cost-effectiveness planes and cost-effectiveness acceptability curves. Results: In the absence of COVID-19, mouthwash had lower average costs compared to no-mouthwash-surgery, $3,675 (R 63,770) versus $3,958 (R 68,683), and lower proportion of pneumonia patients, 0.029 versus 0.042 (dominance of mouthwash intervention). In the presence of COVID-19, the increase in pneumonia rate due to COVID-19, made mouthwash more dominant as it was more beneficial to reduce pneumonia patients through administering mouthwash. The cost-effectiveness acceptability curves shown that mouthwash surgery is likely to be cost-effective between $0 (R0) and $15,000 (R 260,220) willingness to pay thresholds. Conclusions: Both the absence and presence of SARS-CoV-2, mouthwash is likely to be cost saving intervention for reducing pneumonia after abdominal surgery. However, the available evidence for the effectiveness of mouthwash was extrapolated from cardiac surgery; there is now an urgent need for a robust clinical trial on the intervention on non-cardiac surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Macroeconomic models routinely abstract simultaneously from two features of the US federal tax code: the joint taxation of ordinary capital and labor income and the special taxation of preferential capital income. In this article, we argue that this abstraction omits a "portfolio-effect" mechanism where endogenous changes to the ordinary-preferential composition of households' capital income influence individuals' optimal labor and saving decisions through its impact on their effective marginal tax rates. We demonstrate the quantitative importance of this tax detail by simulating provisions from the recently enacted "Tax Cuts and Jobs Act" using a heterogeneous-agent overlapping generations framework calibrated to the US economy. Our findings imply that accounting for the detailed taxation of labor and capital income should be considered an important modeling feature for tax policy analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) and sleeve gastrectomy (SG) reduce blood pressure (BP) in obese patients with hypertension (HTN). We compared the effect of RYGB and SG on BP in obese patients with HTN at a large-volume, private bariatric surgery center using a propensity score analysis. The measurement and management of BP were exclusively left to the patient's provider without any involvement of Tulane investigators. At month 1, RYGB and SG equally decreased: (1) mean body weight: 12.7 vs 13.2 kg (p=not significant (NS)) (2) systolic/diastolic BP: 8.5/5.3 vs 8.0/4.2 mm Hg (p=NS) and (3) average number of antihypertensive medications from 1.5 to 0.8 and from 1.6 to 0.6 per patient (p=NS). From month 1 to 12, BP remained unchanged after RYGB but tended to increase from month 6 to 12 after SG. Remission of HTN occurred in 52% and 44% of patients after RYGB and SG. In contrast to the full effect of RYGB and SG on BP at 1 month, body weight decreases steadily over 12 months after RYGB and SG. In conclusion, early after surgery, RYGB and SG equally reduce BP in obese patients with HTN. Thereafter, RYGB has a more sustained effect on BP than SG. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and queer (LGBQ) young people from religious families are at increased risk of family rejection, poor mental health outcomes, and are overrepresented in mental health services. This article describes a two-part qualitative study aimed at exploring the experiences of LGBQ young adults from religious families in psychotherapy, identifying positive and negative psychotherapy experiences, and understanding the influence of family and religion on the psychotherapy experience. Data were collected through a web-based survey (n = 77) and interviews (n = 7) with LGBQ young adults (ages 18-25) from religious families. The study followed an interpretative phenomenological approach. Integrated results found often invisible, relational therapy processes, and religious discourses as significant to LGBQ young people who seek psychotherapy. Implications for future research, effective systemic family therapy practices with LGBQ young people from religious families, and a critique on ethical and legal limits of confidentiality with policy implications are outlined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: Obesity and its related comorbidities are associated with serious health risks. This trial evaluated the safety and effectiveness of the ORBERA® Intragastric Balloon System (IGB) as an adjunct to lifestyle intervention in a post-marketing clinical setting. Methods and Materials: In this multicenter study, 258 adults with a body mass index of 30–40 kg/m2 were treated with the IGB as an adjunct to weight reduction and followed for up to 12 months. The primary objective was to demonstrate in a post-marketing clinical setting that the incidence of device and procedure-related serious adverse events (SAEs) after 26 weeks of IGB treatment is no greater than 15%. Results: The incidence of device and procedure-related SAEs was 8.9% with a 1-sided upper limit confidence interval of 12.4%, compared with the 9.6% overall SAE rate seen in the US pivotal study; therefore, the primary safety endpoint was met. The key secondary effectiveness endpoint was also met with a mean maximum %TBWL of 12.5 being achieved at the time of IGB removal (26 weeks). Conclusions: The post-marketing safety and effectiveness profile of the IGB are consistent with what was observed in the US pivotal study. No new risks were identified. Clinical trial registration: Clinical Trials.gov NCT02828657 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of British Journal of Surgery is the property of Oxford University Press / USA and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

BACKGROUND: Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and questioning (LGBQ) adolescents are at increased risk of poor mental health due to minority stress, a chronic stress associated discrimination, social rejection, and victimization brought on by prejudicial attitudes towards LGBQ individuals. To improve understanding of the differential impact of various kinds of victimization on mental health outcomes for LGBQ adolescents, we analyzed data from the 2015 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) for victimization and mental health symptom clusters and associations high school youth and compared by sexual orientation and gender. METHODS: Separate Latent Class Analysis (LCA) was conducted to identify profiles of both victimization and mental health symptoms for participants (N = 15,624). Subsequently, stratified weighted logistic regression models were used on an eligible analytic sample of 11,458 to assess differences in the association of victimization and mental health between LGBQ and heterosexual high school students. RESULTS: In each LCA, participants were assigned to one of 3 classes for victimization (minimal, 81.3%; bullying, 12.5%; or physical/sexual violence, 6.2%) and 1 of 2 classes for mental health symptoms (minimal, 81.2%; severe, 18.8%). LGBQ participants were overrepresented in physical/sexual violence and bullying victimization profiles. Both bullying and physical/sexual violence profiles were associated with almost 5 times the odds of endorsing severe mental health symptoms. Conclusions: This study expands our understanding of the relationship between types and effect of peer victimization for LGBQ and heterosexual youth with implications for school health and prevention efforts through increased positive school climate for LGBQ students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The JAK/STAT pathway is an essential signalling cascade required for multiple processes during development and for adult homeostasis. A key question in understanding this pathway is how it is regulated in different cell contexts. Here, we have examined how endocytic processing contributes to signalling by the single cytokine receptor in Drosophila melanogaster cells, Domeless. We identify an evolutionarily conserved di-leucine (di-Leu) motif that is required for Domeless internalisation and show that endocytosis is required for activation of a subset of Domeless targets. Our data indicate that endocytosis both qualitatively and quantitatively regulates Domeless signalling. STAT92E, the single STAT transcription factor in Drosophila, appears to be the target of endocytic regulation, and our studies show that phosphorylation of STAT92E on Tyr704, although necessary, is not always sufficient for target transcription. Finally, we identify a conserved residue, Thr702, which is essential for Tyr704 phosphorylation. Taken together, our findings identify previously unknown aspects of JAK/STAT pathway regulation likely to play key roles in the spatial and temporal regulation of signalling in vivo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of British Journal of Surgery is the property of Oxford University Press / USA and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Analysis of fiscal policy changes using general equilibrium models with forward-looking agents typically requires a counterfactual adjustment to some fiscal instrument in order to achieve the debt sustainability implied by the government's intertemporal budget constraint. The choice of fiscal instrument can induce economic behavior unrelated to the policy change in models where Ricardian Equivalence does not hold. In this article, we use an overlapping generations framework to examine the effects of alternative fiscal closing assumptions on projected changes to economic aggregates following a change in tax policy, assessing the extent to which the bias associated with a particular fiscal instrument can be mitigated. While we find quantitative differences in projected macroeconomic activity across alternative fiscal instruments, these differences tend to shrink as the closing date is delayed. Ultimately, the choice of fiscal instrument becomes relatively unimportant if fiscal closing can be delayed sufficiently into the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The combination of intragastric balloons (IGB) with comprehensive lifestyle and behavioral changes is critical for ongoing weight loss. Many community and rural practices do not have access to robust obesity resources, limiting the use of IGBs. Online aftercare programs were developed in response to this need, delivering lifestyle coaching to maximize effectiveness. How these programs compare to traditional follow-up is currently unknown. Methods: Using propensity scoring (PS) methods, two large prospective databases of patients undergoing IGB therapy were compared to estimate the difference in percent total body weight loss (%TBWL) between groups while identifying predictors of response. Results: Seven hundred fifty-eight unique patients across 78 different participating practices (online n = 437; clinical registry n = 321) was analyzed. The mean %TBWL at balloon removal was 11% ± 6.9 with an estimated treatment difference (ETD) between online and traditional follow-up of − 1.5% TBWL (95% CI − 3–0.4%; p = 0.125). Three months post-balloon removal, the combined %TBWL was 12.2% ± 8.3 with an ETD of only 1% TBWL (95%CI – 3–3%; p = 0.08). On multivariable linear regression, each incremental follow-up was associated with increased %TBWL (β = 0.6% p = 0.002). Conclusion: Online IGB aftercare programs provide similar weight loss compared with traditional programs. Increased lifestyle coaching whether in person or remotely is associated with more %TBWL at removal and during follow-up. Close follow-up for clinical symptoms is still warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study compared transracial adoption (TRA) parents who adopted internationally to those who adopted domestically (total n = 188; domestic n = 71; international n = 117) on multicultural experiences, perception of discrimination, and positive feelings toward racial minority groups, adoption support, and Parental Cultural Competence (PCC). Next a model for predicting PCC for both groups was tested. Results indicated significant differences between the groups based on multicultural experiences, perception of discrimination and positive feelings towards racial minority groups, and degree of available adoption support. Regression models predicting PCC tested with groups combined and separate suggest the significant role of multicultural experiences in predicting PCC for both groups; however, the largest effect of multicultural experiences on PCC was seen for domestic transracially adoptive parents. Discussion of results is considered with implications for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There are no studies that have assessed the implant stability quotient (ISQ) values of narrow diameter implants placed in artificial dense bone blocks at varying drilling speeds (DSs). Purpose: The aim of the present in vitro experiment was to compare the performance of OSSTELL and Penguin devices to evaluate implant stability at DSs of 800 and 2000 rpm. Materials and Methods: A total of 360 osteotomies were created in dense artificial bone blocks at DSs of 800 and 2000 rpm. Dental implants from three manufacturers (group‐1: NobelActive implants, Nobel Biocare, Yorba Linda, California; group‐2: Zimmer, Eztetic‐Zimmer implants, Zimmer Biomet Dental, Palm Beach Gardens, Florida; and group‐3: Astra Tech implant system, Dentsply Sirona, York, Pennsylvania) were randomly placed in these osteotomies using an insertion torque of 15 Ncm (60 implants/group). Implant stability in all bone blocks immediately following implant placement was evaluated using the OSSTELL and Penguin devices. ISQ values were presented as means ± SD. Statistical significance was set at P < .05. Results: There was no significant difference in the ISQ values obtained from the OSSTELL and Penguin devices for implants in groups 1, 2, and 3. There was no significant difference when ISQ values obtained from the OSSTELL device were compared with the Penguin device for narrow diameter dental implants placed in dense bone blocks with osteotomies performed at 800 and 2000 rpm. ISQ values showed statistically significant higher values for OSSTELL compared to Penguin device. Conclusion: The OSSTELL and Penguin devices are reliable for the assessment of implant stability in dense artificial bone. Implant design and site‐DS does not seem to have a significant impact of implant stability in artificial dense bone blocks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document is a correction notice for an article titled "Unveiling metabolic pathways involved in the extreme desiccation tolerance of an Atacama cyanobacterium" published in Scientific Reports. The correction addresses an incomplete Acknowledgements section in the original article. The correction adds the European Research Council Grant as a source of support for one of the authors. The original article has been corrected. The authors of the article are Rachel A. Moore, Armando Azua-Bustos, Carlos González-Silva, and Christopher E. Carr. [Extracted from the article]

Objective: The aim of this study was to systematically review variables associated with initiation of trauma-centered cognitive-behavioral therapy (TC-CBT) among individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).Methods: PubMed, PsycINFO, Web of Science, Published International Literature on Traumatic Stress (PILOTS), and Scopus were searched in a systematic manner up to 2018, and 26 relevant studies were recovered and analyzed.Results: The average weighted initiation rate was 6% in larger hospital systems with a high rate of trauma and 28% in outpatient mental health settings (range 4%-83%). Older age (odds ratio [OR]=1.56, 95% confidence interval [CI]=0.51-1.61), female gender (OR=1.18, 95% CI=1.08-1.27), black or other racial-ethnic minority group (OR=1.16, 95% CI=1.03-1.28), Veterans Affairs PTSD service connection status (OR=2.30, 95% CI=2.18-2.42), mental health referral (OR=2.28, 95% CI=1.05-3.50), greater staff exposure to TC-CBT (OR=2.30, 95% CI=2.09-2.52), adaptability of TC-CBT to staff workflow (OR=4.66, 95% CI=1.60-7.72), greater PTSD severity (OR=1.46, 95% CI=1.13-1.78), and comorbid depression (OR=1.21, 95% CI=1.14-1.29) increased the likelihood of TC-CBT initiation, whereas delayed treatment reduced the likelihood of TC-CBT initiation (OR=0.93, 95% CI=0.92-0.95). Qualitative studies showed that mental health beliefs (stigma and lack of readiness), provider organizational factors (low availability, privacy issues), and patient lack of time (logistics) were perceived as barriers to initiation by patients and providers.Conclusions: TC-CBT initiation increased among patients who were older and female. Initiation was also higher among providers who had more exposure to TC-CBT in their work environment and when TC-CBT fit into their existing workflow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Motivation Very low-depth sequencing has been proposed as a cost-effective approach to capture low-frequency and rare variation in complex trait association studies. However, a full characterization of the genotype quality and association power for very low-depth sequencing designs is still lacking. Results We perform cohort-wide whole-genome sequencing (WGS) at low depth in 1239 individuals (990 at 1× depth and 249 at 4× depth) from an isolated population, and establish a robust pipeline for calling and imputing very low-depth WGS genotypes from standard bioinformatics tools. Using genotyping chip, whole-exome sequencing (75× depth) and high-depth (22×) WGS data in the same samples, we examine in detail the sensitivity of this approach, and show that imputed 1× WGS recapitulates 95.2% of variants found by imputed GWAS with an average minor allele concordance of 97% for common and low-frequency variants. In our study, 1× further allowed the discovery of 140 844 true low-frequency variants with 73% genotype concordance when compared to high-depth WGS data. Finally, using association results for 57 quantitative traits, we show that very low-depth WGS is an efficient alternative to imputed GWAS chip designs, allowing the discovery of up to twice as many true association signals than the classical imputed GWAS design. Availability and implementation The HELIC genotype and WGS datasets have been deposited to the European Genome-phenome Archive (https://www.ebi.ac.uk/ega/home): EGAD00010000518; EGAD00010000522; EGAD00010000610; EGAD00001001636, EGAD00001001637. The peakplotter software is available at https://github.com/wtsi-team144/peakplotter , the transformPhenotype app can be downloaded at https://github.com/wtsi-team144/transformPhenotype. Supplementary information Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has now emerged as a global public health crisis. Of particular concern is AMR associated with the genus Mycobacterium, including Mycobacterium tuberculosis and the nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM). Emergence of the NTM, in particular Mycobacterium abscessus, in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) represents both a diagnostic and a treatment dilemma. Such resistance drives the need to investigate novel sources of antimicrobials. Medicinal fungi have a well-documented history of use in traditional oriental therapies. Not only is this an ancient practice, but also still today, medical practice in Japan, China, Korea, and other Asian countries continue to rely on fungal-derived antibiotics. A study was, therefore, undertaken to examine the antimicrobial activity of 23 native macrofungal (mushrooms/toadstools) taxa, collected from woodlands in Northern Ireland against six clinical (CF) isolates of M. abscessus, as well as M. abscessus National Collection of Type Cultures (NCTC) Reference strain (NCTC 13031). Methods: Free-growing saprophytic and mycorrhizal macrofungi (n = 23) belonging to the phylum Basidiomycota were collected and were definitively identified employing Polymerase Chain reaction/ITS DNA sequencing. Macrofungal tissues were freeze-dried and reconstituted before employment in antibiotic susceptibility studies. Results: All macrofungi examined showed varying inhibition of the M. abscessus isolates examined with the exception Russula nigricans. The macrofungi displaying maximum antimycobacterial activity against the clinical isolates were (in descending order) M. giganteus (33.6 mg/ml), Hygrocybe nigrescens (38.5 mg/ml) and Hypholoma fasciculare (25.3 mg/ml). Conclusion: Macrofungi may represent a source of novel antimicrobials against M. abscessus, which have not yet been fully explored nor exploited clinically. This is the first report describing the antimycobacterial properties of extracts of M. giganteus against M. abscessus. Further work is now required to identify the constituents and mode of the inhibitory action of these macrofungi against the M. abscessus. Given the gravity of AMR in the NTMs, particularly M. abscessus and the clinical treatment dilemmas that such AMR present, antibiotic drug discovery efforts should now focus on investigating and developing antibacterial compounds from macrofungi, particularly M. giganteus, where there are no or limited current treatment options. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

M. abscessus persisted for over two weeks in Dead Sea brine and staphylococcal organisms were able to survive from three to 11 days. The uniqueness of the Dead Sea's chemical composition, particularly its extremely high salinity, eventually leads to the destruction of M. abscessus and S. aureus, including MRSA organisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has rendered certain species of Mycobacterium difficult to treat clinically, particularly, the nontuberculous Mycobacterium, Mycobacterium abscessus. This bacterium is emerging in specific disease populations, including amongst cystic fibrosis (CF) patients, where AMR represent a true treatment dilemma. Therefore, any innovation with traditional antimicrobial compounds in spices, which increases the potency of existing conventional antibiotics should be investigated. Methods: M. abscessus isolates (n = 9 multidrug-resistant clinical isolates from CF patients + 1 Reference Strain) were examined for their direct susceptibility to 27 spices, as well as the interactive effect of this spice combination to their susceptibility to amikacin and linezolid antibiotic, with standard disk diffusion assay. Results: Five isolates of M. abscessus (5/10; 50%) failed to grow on the spice enriched medium, which included four clinical isolates and the National Culture Type Collection (NCTC) Reference Strain. Of the remaining five isolates which grew on the spice medium, no cultural phenotypic differences were observed, compared to unsupplemented controls. In the case of both amikacin and linezolid, the zone of inhibition increased with the inclusion of the spices. Initially, all isolates of M. abscessus were fully resistant to linezolid (mean zone of inhibition = 0 mm), and growth was to the edge of the antibiotic disk, whereas when in the presence of spices, large zones of inhibition were observed (mean zone of inhibition = 33.3 mm). With amikacin, the mean zone of inhibition increased from 23.2 mm to 32.0 mm, in the presence of spices. Conclusion: These data suggest that the spices were interacting synergistically with the antibiotics, thus making the antibiotic more potent against the bacteria tested. This study is significant as it demonstrates a positive interaction between spices and the conventional antimycobacterial antibiotics, amikacin, and linezolid. Given the burden of AMR to M. abscessus, particularly in a patient with chronic disease such as CF, any food-related innovation that can help maximize the potency of existing antimycobacterial antibiotics is to be encouraged and developed. The specific mechanism as to how spices increase the potency of such antibiotics with M. abscessus needs to be elucidated, as well as novel food (spice) delivery modalities developed, including novel medicinal foodstuffs or functional foods, that can harness this beneficial effect in vivo to medicine and society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims/hypothesis: Improved biomarkers are acutely needed for the detection of developing type 1 diabetes, prior to critical loss of beta cell mass. We previously demonstrated that elevated beta cell microRNA 21-5p (miR-21-5p) in rodent and human models of type 1 diabetes increased beta cell apoptosis. We hypothesised that the inflammatory milieu of developing diabetes may also increase miR-21-5p in beta cell extracellular vesicle (EV) cargo and that circulating EV miR-21-5p would be increased during type 1 diabetes development.Methods: MIN6 and EndoC-βH1 beta cell lines and human islets were treated with IL-1β, IFN-γ and TNF-α to mimic the inflammatory milieu of early type 1 diabetes. Serum was collected weekly from 8-week-old female NOD mice until diabetes onset. Sera from a cross-section of 19 children at the time of type 1 diabetes diagnosis and 16 healthy children were also analysed. EVs were isolated from cell culture media or serum using sequential ultracentrifugation or ExoQuick precipitation and EV miRNAs were assayed.Results: Cytokine treatment in beta cell lines and human islets resulted in a 1.5- to threefold increase in miR-21-5p. However, corresponding EVs were further enriched for this miRNA, with a three- to sixfold EV miR-21-5p increase in response to cytokine treatment. This difference was only partially reduced by pre-treatment of beta cells with Z-VAD-FMK to inhibit cytokine-induced caspase activity. Nanoparticle tracking analysis showed cytokines to have no effect on the number of EVs, implicating specific changes within EV cargo as being responsible for the increase in beta cell EV miR-21-5p. Sequential ultracentrifugation to separate EVs by size suggested that this effect was mostly due to cytokine-induced increases in exosome miR-21-5p. Longitudinal serum collections from NOD mice showed that EVs displayed progressive increases in miR-21-5p beginning 3 weeks prior to diabetes onset. To validate the relevance to human diabetes, we assayed serum from children with new-onset type 1 diabetes compared with healthy children. While total serum miR-21-5p and total serum EVs were reduced in diabetic participants, serum EV miR-21-5p was increased threefold compared with non-diabetic individuals. By contrast, both serum and EV miR-375-5p were increased in parallel among diabetic participants.Conclusions/interpretation: We propose that circulating EV miR-21-5p may be a promising marker of developing type 1 diabetes. Additionally, our findings highlight that, for certain miRNAs, total circulating miRNA levels are distinct from circulating EV miRNA content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Bariatric surgery has been shown to be the most effective method of achieving weight loss and alleviating obesity-related comorbidities. Yet, it is not being used equitably. This study seeks to identify if there is a disparity in payer status of patients undergoing bariatric surgery and what factors are associated with this disparity. Methods: We performed a case-control analysis of National Inpatient Sample. We identified adults with body mass index (BMI) greater than or equal to 25 kg/m who underwent bariatric surgery and matched them with overweight inpatient adult controls not undergoing surgery. The sample was analyzed using multivariate logistic regression. Results: We identified 132,342 cases, in which the majority had private insurance (72.8%). Bariatric patients were significantly more likely to be privately insured than any other payer status; Medicare- and Medicaid-covered patients accounted for a low percentage of cases (Medicare 5.1%, OR 0.33, 95% CI 0.29-0.37, p < 0.001; Medicaid 8.7%, OR 0.21, 95% CI 0.18-0.25, p < 0.001). Medicare (OR 1.54, 95% CI 1.33-1.78, p < 0.001) and Medicaid (OR 1.31, 95% CI 1.08-1.60, p = 0.007) patients undergoing bariatric surgery had an increased risk of complications compared to privately insured patients. Conclusions: Publicly insured patients are significantly less likely to undergo bariatric surgery. As a group, these patients experience higher rates of obesity and related complications and thus are most in need of bariatric surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]