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Racial and ethnic disparities persist in cancer survival rates across the United States, despite overall improvements. This comprehensive analysis examines trends in 5-year relative survival rates from 2002-2006 to 2015-2019 for major cancer types, elucidating differences among racial/ethnic groups to guide equitable healthcare strategies. Data from the SEER Program spanning 2000-2020 were analyzed, focusing on breast, colorectal, prostate, lung, pancreatic cancers, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, acute leukemia, and multiple myeloma. Age-standardized relative survival rates were calculated to assess racial (White, Black, American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian/Pacific Islander) and ethnic (Hispanic, Non-Hispanic) disparities, utilizing period analysis for recent estimates and excluding cases identified solely through autopsy or death certificates. While significant survival improvements were observed for most cancers, notable disparities persisted. Non-Hispanic Blacks exhibited the largest gain in breast cancer survival, with an increase of 5.2% points (from 77.6 to 82.8%); however, the survival rate remained lower than that of Non-Hispanic Whites (92.1%). Colorectal cancer survival declined overall (64.7-64.1%), marked by a 6.2% point drop for Non-Hispanic American Indian/Alaska Natives (66.3-60.1%). Prostate cancer survival declined across all races, with Non-Hispanic American Indian/Alaska Natives showing a decrease of 7.7% points (from 96.9 to 89.2%). Lung cancer, acute leukemia, and multiple myeloma showed notable increases across groups. Substantial racial/ethnic disparities in cancer survival underscore the notable need for tailored strategies ensuring equitable access to advanced treatments, particularly addressing significant trends in colorectal and pancreatic cancers among specific minority groups. Careful interpretation of statistical significance is warranted given the large dataset., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Since late 2019, COVID-19 has significantly impacted the world. Understanding the evolution of SARS-CoV-2 is crucial for protecting against future infectious pathogens. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive chronological analysis of SARS-CoV-2 evolution by examining mutation prevalence from the source countries of VOCs: United Kingdom, India, Brazil, South Africa, plus two countries: United States, Russia, utilizing genomic sequences from GISAID. Our methodological approach involved large-scale genomic sequence alignment using MAFFT, Python-based data processing on a high-performance computing platform, and advanced statistical methods the Maximal Information Coefficient (MIC), and also Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) models for correlation analysis. Our findings elucidate the dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 evolution, highlighting the virus's changing behaviour over various pandemic stages. Key results include the discovery of three temporal mutation patterns-lineage distinct, long-span, and competitive mutations-with varying levels of impact on the virus. Notably, we observed a convergence of advantageous mutations in the spike protein, especially in the later stages of the pandemic, indicating a substantial evolutionary pressure on the virus. One of the most significant revelations is the predominant role of natural immunity over vaccination-induced immunity in driving these evolutionary changes. This emphasizes the critical need for regular vaccine updates to maintain efficacy against evolving strains. In conclusion, our study not only sheds light on the evolutionary trajectory of SARS-CoV-2 but also underscores the urgency for robust, continuous global data collection and sharing. It highlights the necessity for rapid adaptations in medical countermeasures, including vaccine development, to stay ahead of pathogen evolution. This research provides valuable insights for future pandemic preparedness and response strategies., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Topic: This review summarizes existing evidence of the impact of vision impairment and ocular morbidity and their treatment on children's quality of life (QoL)., Clinical Relevance: Myopia and strabismus are associated with reduced QoL among children. Surgical treatment of strabismus significantly improves affected children's QoL., Methods: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis by screening articles in any language in 9 databases published from inception through August 22, 2022, addressing the impact of vision impairment, ocular morbidity, and their treatment on QoL in children. We reported pooled standardized mean differences (SMDs) using random-effects meta-analysis models. Quality appraisal was performed using Joanna Briggs Institute and National Institutes of Health tools. This study was registered with the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (identifier, CRD42021233323)., Results: Our search identified 29 118 articles, 44 studies (0.15%) of which were included for analysis that included 32 318 participants from 14 countries between 2005 and 2022. Seventeen observational and 4 interventional studies concerned vision impairment, whereas 10 observational and 13 interventional studies described strabismus and other ocular morbidities. Twenty-one studies were included in the meta-analysis. The QoL scores did not differ between children with and without vision impairment (SMD, -1.04; 95% confidence interval [CI], -2.11 to 0.03; P = 0.06; 9 studies). Myopic children demonstrated significantly lower QoL scores than those with normal vision (SMD, -0.60; 95% CI, -1.09 to -0.11; P = 0.02; 7 studies). Children with strabismus showed a significantly lower QoL score compared with those without (SMD, -1.19; 95% CI, -1.66 to -0.73; P < 0.001; 7 studies). Strabismus surgery significantly improved QoL in children (SMD, 1.36; 95% CI, 0.48-2.23; P < 0.001; 7 studies). No randomized controlled trials (RCTs) concerning refractive error and QoL were identified. Among all included studies, 35 (79.5%) were scored as low to moderate quality; the remaining met all quality appraisal tools criteria., Discussion: Reduced QoL was identified in children with myopia and strabismus. Surgical correction of strabismus improves the QoL of affected children, which supports insurance coverage of strabismus surgery. Further studies, especially RCTs, investigating the impact of correction of myopia on QoL are needed., Financial Disclosure(s): Proprietary or commercial disclosure may be found in the Footnotes and Disclosures at the end of this article., (Copyright © 2023 American Academy of Ophthalmology. All rights reserved.)

Importance: A higher incidence of pancreatic cancer has been reported in the Chinese population compared with the White population, but genetic differences are unknown to date. Large-sample germline testing for both familial and sporadic pancreatic cancers has been conducted predominantly in White populations, whereas similar studies in Chinese populations are limited., Objective: To assess the prevalence of germline sequence variations in patients with pancreatic diseases in China., Design, Setting, and Participants: This genetic association study was a case series that included genetic data from patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) or non-PDAC pancreatic diseases seen at The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University in Nanjing, China, between January 2006 and December 2017 (Nanjing cohort). Comparator group data were obtained for a US cohort from Johns Hopkins Hospital (JHH), a population from East Asia from the Exome Aggregation Consortium (ExAC) database, and the larger population from China from the ChinaMAP database. Data were updated and analyzed in July 2021., Main Outcomes and Measures: Next-generation sequencing technology was used to examine the prevalence of deleterious variations in 59 genes of the included Chinese patients with DNA extracted from peripheral blood samples. The Fisher exact test was used to assess differences among the frequencies of germline variations in the study patients vs the comparator groups., Results: A total of 1009 patients with PDAC (627 [62.1%] male; mean [SD] age, 62.8 [10.2] years) and 885 with non-PDAC diseases (477 [53.9%] male; mean [SD] age, 52.0 [15.9] years) from the Nanjing cohort were included for genetic analysis; all were Han Chinese individuals. Pathogenic variations were detected in 63 patients with PDAC (6.2%; 95% CI, 4.7%-7.7%). Variations in BRCA2 (odds ratio [OR], 3.2; 95% CI, 1.4-7.7; P = .008) and PALB2 (OR, 5.2; 95% CI, 1.6-17.0; P = .007) were significantly associated with pancreatic risk in the Nanjing cohort. Pathogenic variants of genes associated with homologous recombination DNA damage repair, including ATM, BRCA1/2, PALB2, BRIP1, FANCA, FANCC, RAD51D, and XRCC2, were found in 34 patients with PDAC (3.4%). No Ashkenazi Jewish-specific BRCA2 variation (p.Ser1982fs) was detected. The odds ratio of a SPINK1 variation in patients with PDAC was 3.2 (95% CI, 1.8-5.7; P < .001) in the Nanjing cohort compared with the ExAC cohort. Variations in the pancreatic secretory enzyme genes CPA1 and CPB1 were not detected in the Nanjing cohort., Conclusions and Relevance: In this genetic association study, sporadic pancreatic cancer was associated with pathogenic germline variations in a cohort from China. These findings provide insights into the genetic background of pancreatic cancer in the Han Chinese population with PDAC.

Loneliness is a perceived deficit in social relationships that is nested within broader cultural meaning systems. This longitudinal study examined predictors of loneliness in Chinese and U.S. children with the hypothesis that peer relationship parameters (number of friends, social preference, and popularity) mediate the associations between behavior qualities and loneliness differently across countries. Fifth-grade Chinese (n = 576, M age  = 10.58 years) and U.S. (White, Black, Asian, n = 540; M age  = 10.23 years) children completed two waves of assessment within an academic year. Shyness and athletic competence more strongly predicted loneliness for U.S. children, and academic ability, and aggression more strongly predicted loneliness for Chinese children. Popularity was a mediator for U.S. children but not Chinese children., (© 2023 The Authors. Child Development © 2023 Society for Research in Child Development.)

Background: Occupational biomonitoring is essential for assessing health risks linked to workplace exposures. The use of 'omics' technologies, such as metabolomics and proteomics, has become crucial in detecting subtle biological alterations induced by occupational hazards, thereby opening novel avenues for biomarker discovery. Aims: This systematic review aims to evaluate the application of metabolomics and proteomics in occupational health. Methods: Following the PRISMA guidelines, we conducted a comprehensive search on PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science for original human studies that use metabolomics or proteomics to assess occupational exposure biomarkers. The risk of bias was assessed by adapting the Cochrane Collaboration tool and the Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale. Results: Of 2311 initially identified articles, 85 met the eligibility criteria. These studies were mainly conducted in China, Europe, and the United States of America, covering a wide range of occupational exposures. The findings revealed that metabolomics and proteomics approaches effectively identified biomarkers related to chemical, physical, biomechanical, and psychosocial hazards. Analytical methods varied, with mass spectrometry-based techniques emerging as the most prevalent. The risk of bias was generally low to moderate, with specific concerns about exposure measurement and confounding factors. Conclusions: Integrating metabolomics and proteomics in occupational health biomonitoring significantly advances our understanding of exposure effects and facilitates the development of personalized preventive interventions. However, challenges remain regarding the complexity of data analysis, biomarker specificity, and the translation of findings into preventive measures. Future research should focus on longitudinal studies and biomarker validation across diverse populations to improve the reliability and applicability of occupational health interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stroke is the number one cause of morbidity in the United States and number two cause of death worldwide. There is a critical unmet medical need for more effective treatments of ischemic stroke, and this need is increasing with the shift in demographics to an older population. Recently, several studies have reported the therapeutic potential of stem cell-derived exosomes as new candidates for cell-free treatment in stoke. This review focuses on the use of stem cell-derived exosomes as a potential treatment tool for stroke patients. Therapy using exosomes can have a clear clinical advantage over stem cell transplantation in terms of safety, cost, and convenience, as well as reducing bench-to-bed latency due to fewer regulatory milestones. In this review article, we focus on (1) the therapeutic potential of exosomes in stroke treatment, (2) the optimization process of upstream and downstream production, and (3) preclinical application in a stroke animal model. Finally, we discuss the limitations and challenges faced by exosome therapy in future clinical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social media platforms are increasingly used during disasters. In the United States, users often consider these platforms to be reliable news sources and they believe first responders will see what they publicly post. While having ways to request help during disasters might save lives, this information is difficult to find because non-relevant content on social media completely overshadows content reflective of who needs help. To resolve this issue, we develop a framework for classifying hurricane-related images that have been human-annotated. Our approach uses transfer learning and classifies each image using the VGG-16 convolutional neural network and multi-layer perceptron classifiers according to the urgency, relevance, and time period, in addition to the presence of damage and relief motifs. We find that our framework not only successfully functions as an accurate method for hurricane-related image classification but also that real-time classification of social media images using a small training set is possible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses the notion of electronic economics by examining financial technology (fintech) firms' performance and corporate governance quality, using data from the United States. The findings support our maintained assumption that due to the economics of electronic platforms perused by financial technology firms, these firms outperform firms from other industries (non-Fintech). The final sample comprises 1,712 company-year observations between 2010 and 2019 (pre-COVID-19). The evidence suggests that our corporate governance quality index, developed from Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development (www.oecd.org/corporate/corporate-governance-factbook.htm, 2019) guidelines, accurately captures corporate governance quality in the United States, principally due to the inclusion of an anti-bribery policy indicator, in the index. The results suggest that this evidence is not merely an artefact due to the corporate governance quality index potentially capturing priced risk factors. Our findings reveal that fintech firms have superior corporate governance quality than non-fintech and that fintech firms place more reliance on internal versus external corporate governance mechanisms, vis-a-vis companies in other industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A dynamic STIRPAT model used in the current study is based on panel data from the eight most populous countries from 1975 to 2020, revealing the nonlinear effects of urbanization routes (percentage of total urbanization, percentage of small cities and percentage of large cities) on carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. Using "Dynamic Display Unrelated Regression (DSUR)" and "Fully Modified Ordinary Least Squares (FMOLS)" regressions, the outcomes reflect that percentage of total urbanization and percentage of small cities have an incremental influence on carbon dioxide emissions. However, square percentage of small cities and square percentage of total urbanization have significant adverse effects on carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. The positive relationship between the percentage of small cities, percentage of total urbanization and CO2 emissions and the negative relationship between the square percentage of small cities, square percentage of total urbanization and CO2 emissions legitimize the inverted U-shaped EKC hypothesis. The impact of the percentage of large cities on carbon dioxide emissions is significantly negative, while the impact of the square percentage of large cities on carbon dioxide emissions is significantly positive, validating a U-shaped EKC hypothesis. The incremental effect of percentage of small cities and percentage of total urbanization on long-term environmental degradation can provide support for ecological modernization theory. Energy intensity, Gross Domestic Product (GDP), industrial growth and transport infrastructure stimulate long-term CO2 emissions. Country-level findings from the AMG estimator support a U-shaped link between the percentage of small cities and CO2 emissions for each country in the entire panel except the United States. In addition, the Dumitrescu and Hulin causality tests yield a two-way causality between emission of carbon dioxide and squared percentage of total urbanization, between the percentage of the large cities and emission of carbon dioxide, and between energy intensity and emission of carbon dioxide. This study proposes renewable energy options and green city-friendly technologies to improve the environmental quality of urban areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon nanomaterials (CNMs) are widely used, which has caused huge pressure on the ecological environment, especially human health. It is necessary to have a detailed understanding and real-time tracking of the current research progress and hot spots on the toxicity of carbon nanomaterials, so as to provide guidance for researchers in this field to carry out new research. In this paper, CiteSpace software was used to perform bibliometric and visual analysis of all publications related to the toxicity of carbon nanomaterials in the Web of Science database. The results show that the number of annual articles has increased significantly since 2004, and 83.1% of the articles were published in the last decade (2013–2022). China has the largest number of publications, while the United States plays an authoritative role in this field. ACS Appl Material Inter is the most published journal, and ACS Nano is the most cited journal. The Chinese Academy of Sciences and Dayong Wang were the institutions and authors with the largest number of papers, respectively. The toxicity and mechanism of CNMs (such as oxidative stress, cell death, and cell membrane damage) and their applications in biomedicine, material synthesis, and sensors, etc., are the research hot topics in this field. The comprehensive risk assessment and safe utilization of CNMs may be an urgent problem to be solved currently. Our findings present the hot topics and development trends in the field of carbon nanomaterials toxicity, which would be helpful to provide a reference for future research directions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While coparenting-related conceptual frameworks and empirical studies have received considerable attention in Western countries, there is far less attention on this topic in other regions. This study seeks to fill this gap by comparing coparenting dynamics between English-speaking and Chinese parents. This study begins by reviewing coparenting relationships in both Western and Chinese contexts. Study participants comprised 399 English-speaking parents living in the US and Canada and 534 Chinese parents living in Mainland China. There were several waves of participant recruitment by sending out the flyers online or utilizing the professional networks to invite eligible parents. The measurement tool CoPAFS (Coparenting across Family Structures), which has been validated in English-speaking culture, was used to compare the differences in coparenting constructs in two cultures. First, the model fit of CoPAFS within Chinese culture was examined with Cronbach Alpha values and relevant model fit indices such as Comparative Fit Index and Root Mean square Residual. As most of the statistics fell below the expected level of excellence, there is a need to locally adjust the entire model in order to better interpret Chinese parenting. The intensity of connection between each factor included in the model and the coparenting relationship as a whole was then investigated. Although most factors were endorsed similarly by Chinese and English-speaking parents, there were notable differences in their opinions regarding communication and trust. While English-speaking parents highly valued these two elements within the coparenting process, Chinese parents showed almost no attentiveness to them. In order to understand factors that may contribute to such a sharp contrast, two main variables, culture and gender, were tested. Through a series of multigroup invariance analyses assessing equivalence across groups, it was discovered that culture emerged as the more dominant determinant among the groups of participants. The implications of cross-cultural use of the CoPAFS tool and future research directions are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Limited information is known about the impact of childhood maltreatment on lifetime risk of violent death. This study aimed to compare manner of death, demographics, age at time of death, and the presence of a mental health or substance use disorder among decedents of violent deaths with a history of child maltreatment to those without. Methods: This cross-sectional study compared characteristics of pediatric and adult violent deaths with and without a history of child maltreatment that were captured in the National Violent Death Reporting System from 2014 through 2018. Results: Decedents who were male, multiracial, and had adulthood substance or mental health disorders were more likely to have a history of maltreatment. All-age decedents with a history of maltreatment were more likely to die by homicide. Adult decedents with a history of maltreatment were more likely to die by suicide. Maltreated decedents died significantly younger than non-maltreated decedents. Conclusions: Among victims of violent deaths, an identified history of child maltreatment was associated with increased risk of homicide across the lifespan, adult suicide, and earlier death. A history of child maltreatment was also associated with mental health and substance use disorders, which may reflect one of the pathways through which the child maltreatment-to-death association functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the association between financial strain and psychological distress among middle-aged and older adults, exploring how this association is mediated by sleep problems and moderated by marital status. A subsample of 12,095 adults aged 50 and older was selected from the 2018 National Health Interview Survey. Results showed that financial strain was associated with higher psychological distress, and sleep problems partially mediated this association. Marital status moderated the association between sleep problems and psychological distress, and between financial strain and psychological distress, but not between financial strain and sleep problems. These findings partially support the stress-buffering role of marriage. The study offers valuable insights into the complex relationship between financial strain, sleep problems, marital status, and psychological distress among middle-aged and older adults in the United States, highlighting the need for interventions targeting financial stressors and sleep problems, especially for unmarried individuals, to improve mental health outcomes in this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 2009 H1N1 pandemic (pdm09) lineage of influenza A virus (IAV) crosses interspecies barriers with frequent human-to-swine spillovers each year. These spillovers reassort and drift within swine populations, leading to genetically and antigenically novel IAV that represent a zoonotic threat. We quantified interspecies transmission of the pdm09 lineage, persistence in swine, and identified how evolution in swine impacted zoonotic risk. Human and swine pdm09 case counts between 2010 and 2020 were correlated and human pdm09 burden and circulation directly impacted the detection of pdm09 in pigs. However, there was a relative absence of pdm09 circulation in humans during the 2020–21 season that was not reflected in swine. During the 2020–21 season, most swine pdm09 detections originated from human-to-swine spillovers from the 2018–19 and 2019–20 seasons that persisted in swine. We identified contemporary swine pdm09 representatives of each persistent spillover and quantified cross-reactivity between human seasonal H1 vaccine strains and the swine strains using a panel of monovalent ferret antisera in hemagglutination inhibition (HI) assays. The swine pdm09s had variable antigenic reactivity to vaccine antisera, but each swine pdm09 clade exhibited significant reduction in cross-reactivity to one or more of the human seasonal vaccine strains. Further supporting zoonotic risk, we showed phylogenetic evidence for 17 swine-to-human transmission events of pdm09 from 2010 to 2021, 11 of which were not previously classified as variants, with each of the zoonotic cases associated with persistent circulation of pdm09 in pigs. These data demonstrate that reverse-zoonoses and evolution of pdm09 in swine results in viruses that are capable of zoonotic transmission and represent a potential pandemic threat. Author summary: The diversity and evolution of influenza A virus (IAV) in pigs is linked to the emergence of IAV with zoonotic potential. Human-to-swine transmission of the 2009 H1N1 pandemic (pdm09) IAV lineage repeatedly occurred across the past decade and has increased genetic diversity in pigs: sporadic swine-to-human cases are associated with these viruses. We measured the frequency of human-to-swine transmission of the H1N1 pandemic IAV lineage between 2009 and 2021 and determined how this affected the diversity of IAV in swine and zoonotic risk. We detected 370 separate human-to-swine spillovers, with the frequency of interspecies transmission increasing when the burden of IAV was highest in the human population. Most spillovers were single events without sustained transmission, but a small subset resulted in the emergence, persistence, and cocirculation of different pdm09 genetic clades in US pigs. Each of the pdm09 representative of different persistent spillovers was genetically and antigenically different from human seasonal vaccine strains. The persistence of pdm09 within pigs resulted in at least five recent swine-to-human transmission events. These data suggest that controlling IAV infection in humans working with swine can minimize spillover into pigs, reduce resulting genetic diversity of IAV in pigs, and proactively reduce the potential for swine-to-human transmission of IAV with zoonotic potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Neuropathic pain is caused by a neurological injury or disease and can have a significant impact on people's daily lives. Studies have shown that neuropathic pain is commonly associated with neurodegenerative diseases. In recent years, there has been a lot of literature on the relationship between neuropathic pain and neurodegenerative diseases. However, bibliometrics is rarely used in analyzing the general aspects of studies on neuropathic pain in neurodegenerative diseases Methods: The bibliometric analysis software CiteSpace and VOSviewer were used to analyze the knowledge graph of 387 studies in the Science Citation Index Expanded of the Web of Science Core Collection Database Results: We obtained 2,036 documents through the search, leaving 387 documents after culling. 387 documents were used for the data analysis. The data analysis showed that 330 papers related to neuropathic pain in neurodegenerative diseases were published from 2007-2022, accounting for 85.27% of all published literature. In terms of contributions to the scientific study of neuropathic pain, the United States is in the top tier, with the highest number of publications, citations, and H-indexes Conclusion: The findings in our study may provide researchers with useful information about research trends, frontiers, and cooperative institutions. Multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, and Alzheimer's disease are the three most studied neurodegenerative diseases. Among the pathological basis of neurodegenerative diseases, microglia-regulated neuroinflammation is a hot research topic. Deep brain stimulation and gamma knife radiosurgery are two popular treatments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Hysterectomy, oophorectomy, and tubal ligation are common surgical procedures. The literature regarding cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk after these surgeries has focused on oophorectomy with limited research on hysterectomy or tubal ligation. Materials and Methods: Participants in the Nurses' Health Study II (n = 116,429) were followed from 1989 to 2017. Self-reported gynecologic surgery was categorized as follows: no surgery, hysterectomy alone, hysterectomy with unilateral oophorectomy, and hysterectomy with bilateral oophorectomy. We separately investigated tubal ligation alone. The primary outcome was CVD based on medical-record confirmed fatal and nonfatal myocardial infarction, fatal coronary heart disease, or fatal and nonfatal stroke. Our secondary outcome expanded CVD to include coronary revascularization (coronary artery bypass graft surgery, angioplasty, stent placement). Cox proportional hazard models were used to calculate hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) and were adjusted a priori for confounding factors. We investigated differences by age at surgery (≤50, >50) and menopausal hormone therapy usage. Results: At baseline, participants were on average, 34 years old. During 2,899,787 person-years, we observed 1,864 cases of CVD. Hysterectomy in combination with any oophorectomy was associated with a greater risk of CVD in multivariable-adjusted models (HR hysterectomy with unilateral oophorectomy:1.40 [95% CI: 1.08–1.82]; HR hysterectomy with bilateral oophorectomy:1.27 [1.07–1.51]). Hysterectomy alone, hysterectomy with oophorectomy, and tubal ligation were also associated with an increased risk of combined CVD and coronary revascularization (HR hysterectomy alone: 1.19 [95% CI: 1.02–1.39]; HR hysterectomy with unilateral oophorectomy: 1.29 [1.01–1.64]; HR hysterectomy with bilateral oophorectomy: 1.22 [1.04–1.43]; HR tubal ligation: 1.16 [1.06–1.28]). The association between hysterectomy/oophorectomy and CVD and coronary revascularization risk varied by age at gynecologic surgery, with the strongest association among women who had surgery before age 50 years. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that hysterectomy, alone or in combination with oophorectomy, as well as tubal ligation, may be associated with an increased risk of CVD and coronary revascularization. These findings extend previous research finding that oophorectomy is associated with CVD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Colon cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer in the United States. Colon cancer develops from the many gene mutations found in the genomes of colon cancer cells. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) can cause the development and progression of many cancers, including colon cancer. LncRNAs have been and could be corrected through the gene-editing technology of the clustered repeats of the clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-associated nuclease 9 (CRISPR/Cas9) system to reduce the proliferation of cancer cells in the colon. However, many current delivery systems for transporting CRISPR/Cas9-based therapeutics in vivo need more safety and efficiency. CRISPR/Cas9-based therapeutics require a safe and effective delivery system to more directly and specifically target cancer cells present in the colon. This review will present pertinent evidence for the increased efficiency and safety of using plant-derived exosome-like nanoparticles as nanocarriers for delivering CRISPR/Cas9-based therapeutics to target colon cancer cells directly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common type of dementia and is listed as the sixth-leading cause of death in the United States. Recent findings have linked AD to the aggregation of amyloid beta peptides (Aβ), a proteolytic fragment of 39–43 amino acid residues derived from the amyloid precursor protein. AD has no cure; thus, new therapies to stop the progression of this deadly disease are constantly being searched for. In recent years, chaperone-based medications from medicinal plants have gained significant interest as an anti-AD therapy. Chaperones are responsible for maintaining the three-dimensional shape of proteins and play an important role against neurotoxicity induced by the aggregation of misfolded proteins. Therefore, we hypothesized that proteins extracted from the seeds of Artocarpus camansi Blanco (A. camansi) and Amaranthus dubius Mart. ex Thell (A. dubius) could possess chaperone activity and consequently may exhibit a protective effect against Aβ1–40-induced cytotoxicity. To test this hypothesis, the chaperone activity of these protein extracts was measured using the enzymatic reaction of citrate synthase (CS) under stress conditions. Then, their ability to inhibit the aggregation of Aβ1–40 using a thioflavin T (ThT) fluorescence assay and DLS measurements was determined. Finally, the neuroprotective effect against Aβ1–40 in SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells was evaluated. Our results demonstrated that A. camansi and A. dubius protein extracts exhibited chaperone activity and inhibited Aβ1–40 fibril formation, with A. dubius showing the highest chaperone activity and inhibition at the concentration assessed. Additionally, both protein extracts showed neuroprotective effects against Aβ1–40-induced toxicity. Overall, our data demonstrated that the plant-based proteins studied in this research work can effectively overcome one of the most important characteristics of AD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lung cancer is the primary cause of mortality in the United States and around the globe. Therapeutic options for lung cancer treatment include surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and targeted drug therapy. Medical management is often associated with the development of treatment resistance leading to relapse. Immunotherapy is profoundly altering the approach to cancer treatment owing to its tolerable safety profile, sustained therapeutic response due to immunological memory generation, and effectiveness across a broad patient population. Different tumor-specific vaccination strategies are gaining ground in the treatment of lung cancer. Recent advances in adoptive cell therapy (CAR T, TCR, TIL), the associated clinical trials on lung cancer, and associated hurdles are discussed in this review. Recent trials on lung cancer patients (without a targetable oncogenic driver alteration) reveal significant and sustained responses when treated with programmed death-1/programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-1/PD-L1) checkpoint blockade immunotherapies. Accumulating evidence indicates that a loss of effective anti-tumor immunity is associated with lung tumor evolution. Therapeutic cancer vaccines combined with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) can achieve better therapeutic effects. To this end, the present article encompasses a detailed overview of the recent developments in the immunotherapeutic landscape in targeting small cell lung cancer (SCLC) and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Additionally, the review also explores the implication of nanomedicine in lung cancer immunotherapy as well as the combinatorial application of traditional therapy along with immunotherapy regimens. Finally, ongoing clinical trials, significant obstacles, and the future outlook of this treatment strategy are also highlighted to boost further research in the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The COVID‐19 pandemic has disrupted the lives of US students both at home and at school. Little is known regarding how adolescents perceive COVID‐19 has impacted (both positively and negatively) their academic and social lives and how protective factors, such as hope, may assist with resilience. Importantly, not all pandemic experiences are necessarily negative, and positive perceptions, as well as potential protective factors, are key to understanding the pandemic's role in students' lives. Method: Utilizing quantitative and qualitative approaches, the present study descriptively examined 726 6th through 12th grade (51% female, 53% White) students' perceptions of how COVID‐19 related to educational and life disruptions, and positive aspects of their lives, within the United States. Analyses additionally explored the role of pre‐pandemic hope in improving feelings of school connectedness during the pandemic. Results: Results showed that most students felt that switching to online learning had been difficult and their education had suffered at least moderately, with a sizeable proportion of students feeling less academic motivation compared with last year. When asked to share qualitative answers regarding perceived challenges and positive aspects of life, themes were consistent with quantitative perceptions. Students' pre‐pandemic hope positively predicted students' feelings of school connectedness. Conclusions: Findings paint a complex picture of youth's COVID‐19 experiences and have implications for proactive ways to support students as COVID‐19 continues to affect daily life and educational structures and practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC), the predominant type of esophageal cancer in the United States, develops through Barrett's esophagus (BE)-dysplasia-carcinoma cascade. Gastroesophageal reflux disease, where acidic bile salts refluxate into the esophagus, is the main risk factor for the development of BE and its progression to EAC. The NFE2-related factor 2 (NRF2) is the master cellular antioxidant regulator. We detected high NRF2 protein levels in the EAC cell lines and primary tissues. Knockdown of NRF2 significantly enhanced acidic bile salt-induced oxidative stress, DNA damage, and inhibited EAC cell growth. Brusatol, an NRF2 inhibitor, significantly inhibited NRF2 transcriptional activity and downregulated the NRF2 target genes. We discovered that in addition to inducing apoptosis, Brusatol alone or in combination with cisplatin (CDDP) induced significant lipid peroxidation and ferroptosis, as evidenced by reduced xCT and GPX4 expression, two known ferroptosis markers. The combination of Brusatol and CDDP significantly inhibited EAC tumor xenograft growth in vivo and confirmed the in vitro data showing ferroptosis as an important mechanism in the tumors treated with Brusatol or Brusatol and CDDP combination. Our data support the role of NRF2 in protecting against stress-induced apoptosis and ferroptosis in EACs. Targeting NRF2 in combination with platinum therapy can be an effective strategy for eliminating cancer cells in EAC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tea is a steeped beverage made from the leaves of Camellia sinensis. Globally, this healthy, caffeine-containing drink is one of the most widely consumed beverages. At least 50 countries produce tea and most of the production information and tea research is derived from international sources. Here, we discuss information related to tea production, genetics, and chemistry as well as production issues that affect or are likely to affect emerging tea production and research in the United States. With this review, we relay current knowledge on tea production, threats to tea production, and solutions to production problems to inform this emerging market in the United States. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The aim of our work is to describe the level of evidence supporting therapeutic recommendations in United States pancreatic adenocarcinoma guidelines, and its evolution over time. We recorded the level of evidence for each therapeutic recommendation extracted from the American Society of Clinical Oncology and National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines. In both United States guidelines, less than 9% of therapeutic recommendations are supported by a high level of evidence. In the National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines, there was no significant increase in high level of evidence recommendations over time. However, guidelines authors can only deal with the available evidence to develop recommendations while highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of included studies. There is a need for a more collaborative effort in pancreatic adenocarcinoma treatment to tackle important therapeutic questions and challenge the current framework of evidence. Cancer guidelines are ideally based on high levels of evidence (LOE). We aim to evaluate the LOE supporting recommendations in United States (US) guidelines on pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PDAC) treatment and its evolution over time. We searched for current guidelines from the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) and their prior publicly available versions on societies' websites and/or MEDLINE. We recorded the LOE and class of recommendation (opinion of the writing panel) for each recommendation. We defined high LOE as: a "high" quality of evidence from the GRADE methodology (ASCO) and "Category 1" (NCCN). Our main outcome was the proportion of PDAC recommendations supported by high LOE. Proportions of high LOE recommendations were 5% (2/40) and 8% (12/153) in current ASCO and NCCN guidelines, respectively. Less than 10% of class I recommendations were based on high LOE. For NCCN guidelines, the proportion of high LOE recommendations did not improve over time and only three recommendations increased their LOE. We identified a small percentage of high LOE recommendations for PDAC treatment in US guidelines. However, guidelines authors can only deal with the available evidence. The current framework of evidence should be challenged with consideration of observational evidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While rates of smoking combustible cigarettes in the United States have trended down in recent years, use of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) has dramatically increased, especially among adolescents. The vast majority of e-cigarette users consume "flavored" products that contain a variety of chemosensory-rich additives, and recent literature suggests that these additives have led to the current "teen vaping epidemic." This review, covering research from both human and rodent models, provides a comprehensive overview of the sensory implications of e-cigarette additives and what is currently known about their impact on nicotine use. In doing so, we specifically address the oronasal sensory contributions of e-cigarette additives. Finally, we summarize the existing gaps in the field and highlight future directions needed to better understand the powerful influence of these additives on nicotine use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Relative to other motivations of social withdrawal (i.e., shyness, unsociability), social avoidance is understudied. Furthermore, the relation between social avoidance and externalizing problems seldom has been investigated despite reasons to expect an association. We examined the association between social avoidance and externalizing problems using a sample of early adolescents in the United States using parents' reports (N = 294; 54.1% boys; M age = 12.43 years). Supporting our hypotheses, structural equation models indicated that social avoidance positively predicted concurrent externalizing problems, controlling for shyness, unsociability, and internalizing problems (including depression and anxiety). Findings highlight that socially avoidant adolescents' behaviors may include avoiding others as well as acting out. Longitudinal work is needed to examine the potential bidirectional relations between social avoidance and externalizing problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to better understand the number and types of social needs experienced by Medicaid beneficiaries with type 2 diabetes, and how their social needs are associated with key health indicators. Also examined were factors that influence patients' interest in navigation services for health and social needs to inform future interventions and service delivery. The study expands upon prior research, much of which has focused on only one social need (e.g., food insecurity) or one health outcome. The hypothesis was that among individuals with type 2 diabetes, those with a greater number of social needs would report more health‐related problems and be more interested in receiving social needs navigation services. Participants completed a cross‐sectional survey by phone (n = 95) or online (n = 14). Most (85%) reported having at least one social need (M = 2.5, SD = 2.2), most commonly not having enough money for unexpected expenses (68%) or necessities like food, shelter and clothing (31%), medical costs (24%), and utilities (23%). Results supported our comprehensive conceptual model. Having more social needs was associated with greater perceived stress, diabetes distress, problems with sleep and executive and cognitive functioning, less frequent diabetes self‐care activities, more days of poor mental health and activity limitations, worse self‐reported health and more hospitalisations. Number of social needs also was positively associated with interest in having a social needs navigator. Social needs were not associated with days of poor physical health, BMI, self‐reported A1C or smoking status. Social needs were associated with a wide range of indicators of poor health and well‐being. Participants with the greatest social need burden were most open to intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Risk stratification for hospitalized adults with COVID-19 is essential to inform decisions about individual patients and allocation of resources. So far, risk models for severe COVID outcomes have included age but have not been optimized to best serve the needs of either older or younger adults. Models also need to be updated to reflect improvements in COVID-19 treatments. This retrospective study analyzed data from 6906 hospitalized adults with COVID-19 from a community health system across five states in the western United States. Risk models were developed to predict mechanical ventilation illness or death across one to 56 days of hospitalization, using clinical data available within the first hour after either admission with COVID-19 or a first positive SARS-CoV-2 test. For the seven-day interval, models for age ≥ 18 and < 50 years reached AUROC 0.81 (95% CI 0.71–0.91) and models for age ≥ 50 years reached AUROC 0.82 (95% CI 0.77–0.86). Models revealed differences in the statistical significance and relative predictive value of risk factors between older and younger patients including age, BMI, vital signs, and laboratory results. In addition, for hospitalized patients, sex and chronic comorbidities had lower predictive value than vital signs and laboratory results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Recent studies in the United States have shown that breast cancer accounts for 30% of all new cancer diagnoses in women and has become the leading cause of cancer deaths in women worldwide. Chondroitin Polymerizing Factor (CHPF), is an enzyme involved in chondroitin sulfate (CS) elongation and a novel key molecule in the poor prognosis of many cancers. However, its role in the development and progression of breast cancer remains unclear. Methods: The transcript expression of CHPF in the Cancer Genome Atlas-Breast Cancer (TCGA-BRCA), Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database was analyzed separately using the limma package of R software, and the relationship between CHPF transcriptional expression and CHPF DNA methylation was investigated in TCGA-BRCA. Kaplan-Meier curves were plotted using the Survival package to further assess the prognostic impact of CHPF DNA methylation/expression. The association between CHPF transcript expression/DNA methylation and cancer immune infiltration and immune markers was investigated using the TIMER and TISIDB databases. We also performed gene ontology (GO) annotation and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis with the clusterProfiler package. Western blotting and RT-PCR were used to verify the protein level and mRNA level of CHPF in breast tissue and cell lines, respectively. Small interfering plasmids and lentiviral plasmids were constructed for transient and stable transfection of breast cancer cell lines MCF-7 and SUM1315, respectively, followed by proliferation-related functional assays, such as CCK8, EDU, clone formation assays; migration and invasion-related functional assays, such as wound healing assay and transwell assays. We also conducted a preliminary study of the mechanism. Results: We observed that CHPF was significantly upregulated in breast cancer tissues and correlated with poor prognosis. CHPF gene transcriptional expression and methylation are associated with immune infiltration immune markers. CHPF promotes proliferation, migration, invasion of the breast cancer cell lines MCF-7 and SUM1315, and is significantly enriched in pathways associated with the ECM-receptor interaction and PI3K-AKT pathway. Conclusion: CHPF transcriptional expression and DNA methylation correlate with immune infiltration and immune markers. Upregulation of CHPF in breast cancer promotes malignant behavior of cancer cells and is associated with poorer survival in breast cancer, possibly through ECM-receptor interactions and the PI3K-AKT pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emerging infectious disease outbreaks are one of multiple stressors responsible for amphibian declines globally. In the northeastern United States, ranaviral diseases are prevalent in amphibians and other ectothermic species, but there is still uncertainty as to whether their presence is leading to population‐level effects. Further, there is also uncertainty surrounding the potential interactions among disease infection prevalence in free‐ranging animals and habitat degradation (co‐occurrence of chemical stressors). The present study was designed to provide field‐based estimates of the relationship between amphibian disease and chemical stressors. We visited 40 wetlands across three protected areas, estimated the prevalence of ranavirus among populations of larval wood frogs and spotted salamanders, and assessed chemical and biological stressors in wetland habitats and larval amphibians using a suite of selected bioassays, screening tools, and chemical analyses. Ranavirus was detected on larval amphibians from each protected area with an estimated occupancy ranging from 0.27 to 0.55. Considerable variation in ranavirus occupancy was also observed within and among each protected area. Of the stressors evaluated, ranavirus prevalence was strongly and positively related to concentrations of metalloestrogens (metals with the potential to bind to estrogen receptors) and total metals in wetland sediments and weakly and negatively related to total pesticide concentrations in larval amphibians. These results can be used by land managers to refine habitat assessments to include such environmental factors with the potential to influence disease susceptibility. Environ Toxicol Chem 2022;41:781–791. © 2022 SETAC. This article has been contributed to by US Government employees and their work is in the public domain in the USA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prevalence of diabetes mellitus (DM) is increasing at a staggering rate around the world. In the United States, more than 30.3 million Americans have DM. Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) accounts for 91.2% of diabetic cases and disproportionately affects African Americans and Hispanics. T2DM is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality among diabetic patients. While significant advances in T2DM treatment have been made, intensive glucose control has failed to reduce the development of macro and microvascular related deaths in this group. This highlights the need to further elucidate the underlying molecular mechanisms contributing to CVD in the setting of T2DM. Endothelial dysfunction (ED) plays an important role in the development of diabetes-induced vascular complications, including CVD and diabetic nephropathy (DN). Thus, the endothelium provides a lucrative means to investigate the molecular events involved in the development of vascular complications associated with T2DM. microRNAs (miRNA) participate in numerous cellular responses, including mediating messages in vascular homeostasis. Exosomes are small extracellular vesicles (40-160 nanometers) that are abundant in circulation and can deliver various molecules, including miRNAs, from donor to recipient cells to facilitate cell-to-cell communication. Endothelial cells are in constant contact with exosomes (and exosomal content) that can induce a functional response. This review discusses the modulatory role of exosomal miRNAs and proteins in diabetes-induced endothelial dysfunction, highlighting the significance of miRNAs as markers, mediators, and potential therapeutic interventions to ameliorate ED in this patient group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pesticides can move off-target resulting in contamination of sensitive water bodies and causing adverse effects on inhabiting species. Through best management practices, such as the implementation of vegetative buffer strips, off-target movement of pesticides can be decreased, and compound degradation can be increased via phytoremediation. In this study, blueflag iris (Iris versicolor), broomsedge (Andropogon virginicus) and switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) were planted in soil treated with one of three commonly used pesticides. At 28, 56 and 112 days after treatment (DAT), plants were destructively harvested and analyzed for pesticide residue in soil and above-ground and below-ground vegetation using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Relative to the amount of pesticide found in planted pots compared to non-planted pots, I. versicolor was found to reduce greater atrazine in soil compared to non-planted pots at 112 DAT by 58.7%. I. versicolor was also the most capable of reducing azoxystrobin, by 86.9% compared to non-planted pots, from the soil at 112 DAT. At the same sampling time, I. versicolor and P. virgatum reduced greater imidacloprid from soil by 62.5% and 64.3% compared to non-planted pots, respectively. This information supports the recommendation for establishment of diverse plant species for optimization of phytoremediation capacities. Novelty statement While research has found that plants can absorb and remediate synthetic chemicals, this practice is only sustainable if used with native plants that require low maintenance and are tolerant to the applied substances. Various previous studies observe plants that are fast-growing, tolerant to environmental conditions, require low-maintenance, and are hardy. However, these plant species are not always suitable for any location and are often considered invasive and/or weed-like. The present research initiates a list of plant species which can be used within the southeastern United States and similar areas to phytoremediate commonly used pesticides atrazine, azoxystrobin, and imidacloprid and prevent off-target movement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To determine the association between angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) or angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) use and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) severity and outcomes in US veterans. Patients and Methods: We retrospectively examined 27,556 adult US veterans who tested positive for COVID-19 between March to November 2020. Logistic regression and Cox proportional hazards models using propensity score (PS) for weight, adjustment, and matching were used to examine the odds of an event within 60 days following a COVID-19–positive case date and time to death, respectively, according to ACEI and/or ARB prescription within 6 months prior to the COVID-19–positive case date. Results: The overlap PS weighted logistic regression model showed lower odds of an intensive care unit (ICU) admission (odds ratio [OR] 95% CI 0.77, 0.61–0.98) and death within 60 days (0.87, 0.79–0.97) with an ACEI or ARB prescription. Veterans with an ARB-only prescription also had lower odds of an ICU admission (0.64, 0.44–0.92). The overlap PS weighted model similarly showed a lower risk of time to all-cause mortality in veterans with an ACEI or ARB prescription (HR [95% CI]: 0.87, 0.79–0.97) and an ARB only prescription (0.78, 0.67–0.91). Veterans with an ACEI prescription had higher odds of experiencing a septic event within 60 days after the COVID-19–positive case date (1.22, 1.02–1.46). Conclusion: In this study of a national cohort of US veterans, we found that the use of an ACEI/ARB in patients with COVID-19 was not associated with increased mortality and other worse outcomes. Future studies should examine underlying pathways and further confirm the relationship of ACEI prescription with sepsis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we test the validity of the employment hysteresis hypothesis. For this purpose, we use daily employment data at the national and state levels in the United States from January 8, 2020, to May 30, 2020. We apply the modified version of the Kapetanios-Shin unit root test, along with finite-sample critical values. We find that the employment hysteresis hypothesis is valid in the United States during the COVID-19 era. The validity of the findings does not change when data at the national and state levels are used. The evidence is also valid when the employment levels for all firms and small firms are considered. The results are also robust to employment levels for workers at different income levels and employment in five different sectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: (1) To determine the prevalence of hepatopancreatic injury in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients. (2) To correlate hepatopancreatic injury in COVID-19 with mortality, disease severity, and length of stay in this cohort. Results: Forty-five thousand three hundred sixty patients were included in the analysis, 62.82% of which had either hepatic or pancreatic injury. There was a significant upward trend in transaminases, alkaline phosphatase, prothrombin time, bilirubin, lactate dehydrogenase, and lipase and a downward trend in albumin with an increase in disease severity. COVID-19-positive patients with hepato-pancreatic injury have a significantly higher mortality (OR 3.39, 95%CI 3.15–3.65) after controlling for the differences in age, sex, race/ethnicity, liver cirrhosis, and medication exposures. They also have increased disease severity (OR 2.7, 95%CI 2.5–2.9 critical vs mild/moderate; OR 1.4, 95% CI 1.3–1.5 severe vs mild/moderate) and longer hospital length of stay (2 days). Conclusion: COVID-19 can cause liver injury. Mortality, disease severity, and hospital length of stay are increased in COVID-19 patients with hepatopancreatic injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the number one contributor to death in the United States and worldwide. A risk factor for CVD is high serum low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) concentrations; however, LDL particles exist in a variety of sizes that may differentially affect the progression of CVD. The small, dense LDL particles, compared to the large, buoyant LDL subclass, are considered to be more atherogenic. It has been suggested that replacing saturated fatty acids with monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids decreases the risk for CVD. However, certain studies are not in agreement with this recommendation, as saturated fatty acid intake did not increase the risk for CVD, cardiovascular events, and/or mortality. Furthermore, consumption of saturated fat has been demonstrated to increase large, buoyant LDL particles, which may explain, in part, for the differing outcomes regarding fat consumption on CVD risk. Therefore, the objective was to review intervention trials that explored the effects of fat consumption on LDL particle size in healthy individuals. PubMed and Web of Science were utilized during the search process for journal articles. The results of this review provided evidence that fat consumption increases large, buoyant LDL and/or decreases small, dense LDL particles, and therefore, influences CVD risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines recommend biomarker testing as the first step in the management of patients with advanced non‐small cell lung cancer (aNSCLC). We assessed anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) testing rates and factors related to underuse in community medical systems between 2012 and 2019 to understand guideline adoption. Methods: A retrospective observational study using a nationwide electronic health record (EHR)‐derived deidentified database was conducted. Patients with aNSCLC diagnosed in community medical centers from January 2012 to May 2019 were included to describe the ALK testing trend. This cohort was further restricted to patients diagnosed after 2015 to understand factors associated with testing underuse using mixed‐effects multivariable logistic regression models. Results: Trends for increased ALK testing rates by year were observed in both NCCN guideline‐eligible patients (59.5% in 2012 to 84.1% in 2019) and ‐ineligible patients (15.6% to 50.8%) in a cohort of 41,728 patients. Histology type and smoking status had the greatest impact on test use. Compared with patients with nonsquamous histology and no smoking history, patients with squamous histology and no smoking history (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 7.6; 95% confidence interval [CI], 5.6–10.4), NSCLC histology not otherwise specified (NOS) with smoking history (aOR, 3.4; 95% CI, 2.8–4.2); NSCLC NOS/nonsmoker (aOR, 1.8; 95% CI, 1.1–3.2), and nonsquamous/smoker (aOR, 1.5; 95% CI, 1.3–1.7) were less likely to be tested. Factors related to underuse also included Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status, stage at initial diagnosis, and demographics. Conclusion: This analysis of real‐world data shows increasing test use by year; however, one fifth of patients eligible for ALK testing still remain untested and potentially missing therapeutic options. Implications for Practice: Advancement in treatment of lung cancer is accompanied by an increasing number of tests that should be run to determine potential therapy options for each patient. This study assessed adoption of testing recommendations for anaplastic lymphoma kinase rearrangements in a national database. Although test use increased over the time period studied (2012–2019), there is still room for improvement. Efforts are needed to increase test use in undertested groups, thus enabling eligible patients to benefit from novel lung cancer therapies. This article provides insights on the use of ALK testing recommendations for lung cancer, using a real‐world database and focusing on the adoption of current guideline recommendations at the community practice level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As wildfires increase in extent and severity in the western United States, land managers need new tools to stabilize and rehabilitate impacted hillslopes. One potential tool is the use of three disturbance‐adapted mosses Ceratodon purpureus (Redshank), Funaria hygrometrica (Cord moss), and Bryum argenteum (Silvergreen moss), collectively known as fire mosses. By growing and adding vegetative propagules in the form of gametophyte fragments to burned hillslopes, land managers could potentially increase the rate of moss colonization and stabilize soils. A first step in developing a native plant materials rehabilitation technique is overcoming propagule limitations using ex situ cultivation. We focused on greenhouse cultivation of moss gametophyte fragments allowing us to grow vegetative propagules with control over atmospheric, edaphic, and hydrologic conditions. In this experiment, we grew fire mosses using an easily scalable technique and commercially available materials. We demonstrated repeated success growing these species in the greenhouse and fine‐tuned harvesting techniques to increase productivity. We found that fire moss achieved high cover in 2 months when grown on organic substrate with constant wicking hydration and a protective shade covering, but growth was not favored by addition of burned materials. We successfully upscaled our growing technique, and developed efficient harvest methods. This success overcomes an initial barrier to testing and developing fire mosses as a novel rehabilitation technique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of high-resolution mass spectrometry methods for the measurement of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in environmental samples has dramatically reduced detection limits, leading to problems obtaining clean blanks. When PCBs are detected in samples at concentrations similar to the blanks, blank contamination must be addressed before fingerprinting and source apportionment through positive matrix factorization (PMF) can be successful. We tested a variety of blank correction methods using data from a study of water column concentrations of PCBs in the Spokane River, where concentrations of Σ209PCBs in whole water samples averaged 171 pg/L without blank correction and Σ209PCBs in the blanks averaged 88 pg/L. The results suggest that subtracting blank masses from sample masses can lead to erroneous results. Instead, censoring at one times the batch-specific blank level is a better approach. The sources of PCBs in field and method blanks were investigated by examining their congener profiles via PMF. The results suggest that commercial PCB formulations (in the US, Aroclors) continue to be the primary source of PCBs in blanks forty years after PCB production and use were banned in the United States. Other sources of PCBs to blanks include PCB 11 from pigments; PCBs 44 + 47 + 65, 45 + 51, and 68 arising from polymers cured using bis(2,4-dichlorobenzoyl) peroxide; and PCBs 1, 2, 3, 4, 8, 15 and others arising from silicone products derived from phenylsiloxanes, such as silicone-based adhesives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose of Review: This article recounts the history of the diet-heart hypothesis from the late 1950s up to the current day, with revelations that have never before been published in the scientific literature. Insights include the role of authorities in launching the diet-hypothesis, including a potential conflict of interest for the American Heart Association; a number of crucial details regarding studies considered influential to the hypothesis; irregularities in the scientific reviews on saturated fats, for both the 2015 and 2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans; and possible conflicts of interest on the relevant subcommittee reviewing saturated fats for the 2020 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee. Information obtained via the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) on emails from the 2015 process is published here for the first time. These findings are highly relevant to the 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines process, now underway, which has plans for a new review on saturated fats., Recent Findings: Recent findings include shortcomings in the scientific review processes on saturated fats, for both the current 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the previous edition (2015-2020). Revelations include the fact the 2015 Advisory Committee acknowledged, in an e-mail, the lack of scientific justification for any specific numeric cap on these fats. Other, previously unpublished findings include significant potential financial conflicts on the relevant 2020 guidelines subcommittee, including the participation of plant-based advocates, an expert who promotes a plant-based diet for religious reasons, experts who had received extensive funding from industries, such as tree nuts and soy, whose products benefit from continued policy recommendations favoring polyunsaturated fats, and one expert who had spent more than 50 years of her career dedicated to 'proving' the diet-heart hypothesis., Summary: The idea that saturated fats cause heart disease, called the diet-heart hypothesis, was introduced in the 1950s, based on weak, associational evidence. Subsequent clinical trials attempting to substantiate this hypothesis could never establish a causal link. However, these clinical-trial data were largely ignored for decades, until journalists brought them to light about a decade ago. Subsequent reexaminations of this evidence by nutrition experts have now been published in >20 review papers, which have largely concluded that saturated fats have no effect on cardiovascular disease, cardiovascular mortality or total mortality. The current challenge is for this new consensus on saturated fats to be recognized by policy makers, who, in the United States, have shown marked resistance to the introduction of the new evidence. In the case of the 2020 Dietary Guidelines, experts have been found even to deny their own evidence. The global re-evaluation of saturated fats that has occurred over the past decade implies that caps on these fats are not warranted and should no longer be part of national dietary guidelines. Conflicts of interest and longstanding biases stand in the way of updating dietary policy to reflect the current evidence., Competing Interests: This article recounts the history of the diet-heart hypothesis from the late 1950s up to the current day, with revelations that have never before been published in the scientific literature. Insights include the role of authorities in launching the diet-hypothesis, including a potential conflict of interest for the American Heart Association; a number of crucial details regarding studies considered influential to the hypothesis; irregularities in the scientific reviews on saturated fats, for both the 2015 and 2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans; and possible conflicts of interest on the relevant subcommittee reviewing saturated fats for the 2020 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee. Information obtained via the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) on emails from the 2015 process is published here for the first time. These findings are highly relevant to the 2025–2030 Dietary Guidelines process, now underway, which has plans for a new review on saturated fats. The idea that saturated fats cause heart disease, called the diet-heart hypothesis, was introduced in the 1950s, based on weak, associational evidence. Subsequent clinical trials attempting to substantiate this hypothesis could never establish a causal link. However, these clinical-trial data were largely ignored for decades, until journalists brought them to light about a decade ago. Subsequent reexaminations of this evidence by nutrition experts have now been published in >20 review papers, which have largely concluded that saturated fats have no effect on cardiovascular disease, cardiovascular mortality or total mortality. The current challenge is for this new consensus on saturated fats to be recognized by policy makers, who, in the United States, have shown marked resistance to the introduction of the new evidence. In the case of the 2020 Dietary Guidelines, experts have been found even to deny their own evidence. The global re-evaluation of saturated fats that has occurred over the past decade implies that caps on these fats are not warranted and should no longer be part of national dietary guidelines. Conflicts of interest and longstanding biases stand in the way of updating dietary policy to reflect the current evidence., (Copyright © 2022 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

Background: As we all know, this Nobel Prize is awarded to uncover the mechanism of "a glass of cold milk providing instant relief when eating a spicy hot pot"; the key factor, Piezo, has therefore become a clinical research hotspot. Most importantly, the factor of Piezo has been increasingly considered when analyzing the majority of common clinical diseases. The Piezo has entered a new stage and has made a series of progress. This study mainly outlines the knowledge map and detects the potential research hotspots by using bibliometric analysis., Methods: The core collection database of WoS was used to retrieve the bibliographic records related to Piezos from January 1, 2010 to October 8, 2021. CiteSpace was utilized to generate and analyze visual representations of the complex data input., Results: Overall, the number of Piezos publications has shown a significant upward trend since 2010. There were 902 research publications referenced a total of 19,095 times. The United States and China are the two nations with the highest number of published articles in this discipline. The institutions with the most publications are Scripps Research Institute and the University at Buffalo (SUNY-Buffalo). The primary topics of investigation are "endothelial cell" "xerocytosis" "current" "calcium", "mutation" "activated ion channel" "Ca2+ influx" "protein" "smooth muscle" and "nociception". Ardem Patapoutian and Frederick Sachs are the two most prolific authors of scholarly articles. The gene expression is the current focus of research in this topic., Conclusions: Piezo is rapidly developing. This knowledge will be utilized extensively in the process of developing treatments for many diseases. Current research focuses mostly on gene expression., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2022 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

Purpose: Despite the important role of distrust in predicting the intention to use, existing literature has not studied the impact of distrust on the buyer's integration with suppliers and their e-procurement usage in the B2B context, creating major gaps in the e-procurement theory. The purpose of this paper is to fill the gaps in the literature by examining the role and impact of distrust in the e-procurement context. Design/methodology/approach: Data were collected through a web-based survey of purchasing professionals in the USA. ANOVA was used to compare the level of distrust among companies. In addition, the measurement model and hypotheses were tested using the structural equation modeling method. Findings: Empirical findings indicate if buyers have uncertainty or negative expectation on the reliability and capability of the supplier in e-procurement systems, they would tend to hesitate to use e-procurement for purchasing. Furthermore, distrust also inhibits buyers from strengthening the supplier integration through sharing operational and logistics information and collaborating in new product development and purchasing process. Research limitations/implications: This paper discovers the vital role of distrust in the e-procurement context. Distrust has a significant impact on a company's cooperation and commitment with business partners. Additionally, to improve the supplier integration, it is important not only to use e-procurement applications but also to have a mechanism to lower the buyers' distrust level in e-procurement systems. Practical implications: Realizing the important role of distrust, e-procurement vendors could improve the supplier selection process by allowing buyers to review the supplier's reliability and capability, and to interact with the supplier before making any online purchase. Vendors could also build a better supplier verification system and collaborative mechanism to reduce buyers' distrust issues. Originality/value: Despite the important role of distrust in predicting the intention to use, existing literature has not studied the impact of distrust on the buyer's integration with suppliers and their e-procurement usage in the B2B context, creating major gaps in the e-procurement theory. This paper fills the gaps in the literature by examining the role and impact of distrust in the e-procurement context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and aims: Diabetes mellitus is a chronic heterogenic disease characterized by the deregulation of the metabolism of insulin and glucose. The aim of this review has been to evaluate the efficacy of medical plant-based carbohydrates, excluding monosaccharides, to manage glycemic response in clinical trials. Methods: The range of literature presented was compiled by searching electronic databases, including Scopus, PubMed and Cochrane library, from their inception through to June 2018. Only clinical-based studies were considered for this review. Dietary carbohydrates were investigated, especially those containing fiber possessing beneficial effects in the management of hyperglycemia. The most common oligosaccharides, including xylooligosaccharide, isomaltooligosaccharide, fructooligosaccharide, galactooligosaccharide, and sucrose, were able to manage glycemic and insulin metabolism in clinical trials. Results: In light of 77 selected papers, several plant-based oligosaccharides and polysaccharides have been shown to significantly improve the management of glucose and insulin metabolism in healthy and diabetic patients. Conclusions: Oligosaccharides and polysaccharides derived from plants possess promising hypoglycemic potential, similar to and even more effective than current synthetic drugs, with no deleterious side effects. Abbreviations: AMPK: AMP-activated protein kinase; AX: Arabinoxylan; CAT: Catalase; CFDA: Chinese food and drug administration; DM: Diabetes mellitus; FBS, Fasting blood glucose; FDA: United States food and drug administration; FOS: Fructooligosaccharide; G6Pase: Glucose-6- phosphatase; GCK: glucokinase; GD: Gestational diabetes; GI: Glycemic index; GL: Glycemic load; Glut4: Glucose transporter 4; GOS: Glucooligosaccharide; GPx: glutathione peroxidase; GRAS: generally regarded as safe HCF: high-carbohydrate, high fiber diet; HNF1α: Hepatic nuclear factor 1 alpha, HNF4α: Hepatic nuclear factor 4α; HNF1β: Hepatic nuclear factor 1β; II: Insulinemic index; IOS: Isomaltooligosaccharides; KGM: Konjac glucomannan; LBP: L. barbarum polysaccharide; MODY: Maturity onset diabetes of the young; PECK: phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase; RDS: Rapidly digestible starch; RS: Resistant starch; SBOS: Soybean oligosaccharides; SDS: Slowly digestible starch; SNP: Single nucleotide polymorphism; SOD: Superoxide dismutase; T1DM: Type 1 diabetes; T2DM: Type 2 diabetes mellitus; TBARS: Thiobarbituric acid reactive substances; XOS: Xylooligo-saccharide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relationship between money growth and inflation is a topic of debate among macroeconomists. This paper contributes to the empirical literature on the money‐inflation pass‐through using a Nonlinear Auto‐Regressive Distributed Lag model (NARDL) for three countries (the U.S., U.K. and Japan) over an estimation period spanning 1950Q1 to 2014Q4. This methodology allows for empirical tests of short‐ and long‐run asymmetric responses of inflation to both positive and negative shocks affecting money growth of three monetary aggregates (M1, M2, M0). The results reveal that inflation responds asymmetrically to monetary shocks in the long‐run for all three countries. Robustness tests are also undertaken by carrying out the Hatemi‐J (Empirical Economics, Vol. 43 (2012), pp. 447–456) causality test and splitting the sample period into two, before and after the financial crisis. The findings indicate the existence of a relation between money growth and inflation in the post‐crisis period only in the case of the U.K. When we use different break points, we find that the symmetric relationship more likely occurs in the post‐crisis period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study is to investigate the corrosion behavior of low carbon steel (S235) used in petrochemical industry. The corrosion process was analyzed in simulated wastewater at different values of pH and at different temperatures and also in real wastewater from the exploitation of crude oil from Transylvania, Romania. Two commercial corrosion inhibitors (Nalco 73413 (Nalco Products, USA,) and Galoryl IC20 (ArrMazz Chemicals SAS, USA) were tested at different concentrations. The corrosion behavior was investigated by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and potentiodynamic polarization measurements. Adsorption of these inhibitors was found to obey Langmuir adsorption isotherm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The US Congress set the original goal that 80 per cent of all tax returns should to be filed electronically for the 2007 tax year. Unfortunately, only 70 per cent of the total returns were electronically filed (e-filed) in 2017. This paper aims to examine the longitudinal progress of total tax returns e-filed by individuals, businesses and "other" categories for the period from 2004 to 2017 and projects a timeline to attain the goal. Design/methodology/approach: A comprehensive computation and analysis were performed for the volume, ratios and growth of e-filing for the major types of return. A parallel analysis was performed for the business categories. Applying various time series and exponential smoothing forecasting models, the authors projected major return e-filings for the forecast horizons from 2018 to 2025. Findings: First, individual tax returns filed electronically have attained the target goal of 80 per cent since 2012, the extended deadline by Congress, so have corporations and partnerships for Fiscal Year 2017. Second, both the e-file volume and e-file rate for the grand total, individuals and businesses exhibit monotonically increasing trends over the sample period. Third, of the grand e-filings, individual returns constitute the vast majority of 84 per cent, while business e-files are less than 12 per cent. Originality/value: This study is a holistic and comprehensive analysis of the adoption of e-filing in the USA. From the longitudinal analysis and the variety of forecasting models applied, the results show that the focus should be on the employment tax e-file as it stands at only 41 per cent for 2017 due to few mandates, while the returns make up 65 per cent of total business returns. The authors projected that the grand total e-filing will attain the Congressional goal of 80 per cent by 2020 along with proposed strategies and recommendations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Precipitation process is generally considered to be poorly represented in numerical weather/climate models. Statistical downscaling (SD) methods, which relate precipitation with model resolved dynamics, often provide more accurate precipitation estimates compared to model's raw precipitation products. We introduce the convolutional neural network model to foster this aspect of SD for daily precipitation prediction. Specifically, we restrict the predictors to the variables that are directly resolved by discretizing the atmospheric dynamics equations. In this sense, our model works as an alternative to the existing precipitation‐related parameterization schemes for numerical precipitation estimation. We train the model to learn precipitation‐related dynamical features from the surrounding dynamical fields by optimizing a hierarchical set of spatial convolution kernels. We test the model at 14 geogrid points across the contiguous United States. Results show that provided with enough data, precipitation estimates from the convolutional neural network model outperform the reanalysis precipitation products, as well as SD products using linear regression, nearest neighbor, random forest, or fully connected deep neural network. Evaluation for the test set suggests that the improvements can be seamlessly transferred to numerical weather modeling for improving precipitation prediction. Based on the default network, we examine the impact of the network architectures on model performance. Also, we offer simple visualization and analyzing approaches to interpret the models and their results. Our study contributes to the following two aspects: First, we offer a novel approach to enhance numerical precipitation estimation; second, the proposed model provides important implications for improving precipitation‐related parameterization schemes using a data‐driven approach. Plain Language Summary: The precipitation process is not well simulated in numerical weather models, since it takes place at the scales beyond the resolution of current models. We develop a statistical model using deep learning technique to improve the estimation of precipitation in numerical weather models. Key Points: We offer a novel approach to enhance numerical precipitation estimation using deep convolutional neural network (CNN)The model provides important implications for improving precipitation‐related parameterization schemes using a data‐driven approachThe CNN model outperforms existing precipitation statistical downscaling approaches by learning dominant spatial dynamics features [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Molecular markers in environmental geochemistry include natural product or pollutant chemicals in sediments that are indicative of discharge sources or emission pathways. Four classes of molecular marker compounds, including fatty acids, sterols, PCBs, and PAHs, in surficial sediments (top 2 cm) collected along a downstream transect of the Potomac River within the US mid-Atlantic region were analyzed and correlated with potential pollution discharge sources in close proximity to the sampling sites.Materials and methods: Thirty-five surficial sediment samples were collected using a petite Ponar grab sampler along a 320-km longitudinal transect of the Potomac River (mid-Atlantic USA), a major tributary of Chesapeake Bay, ranging from the upland fluvial river to its confluence with the Bay. The sediments were collected along the transect at approximately equidistant points. The marker chemicals were extracted from sediments using microwave-assisted extraction and quantified on a dry weight basis by gas chromatography or gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Sediment moisture, texture, and organic carbon and nitrogen content were also determined.Results and discussion: Fatty acids and sterols were well correlated with ecological factors in the Potomac River, while the sterol ratio epi+brassicasterol/stigmasterol showed moderate spatial correlation with nearby waste treatment plants (WTPs) and city locations, especially in the upland and tidal freshwater river. The fecal sterol coprostanol also showed moderate spatial correlation with some WTPs in both the upland and tidal river. PCB and PAH concentrations were primarily correlated with urban and large military installations. PCBs in sediments appeared to be predominantly derived from Aroclors while PAHs showed a strong pyrogenic origin. Retene and perylene were unique markers for PAHs in sediment and were indicative of aged organic matter in sediments.Conclusions: The marker chemicals had utility in identifying pollution emission sources and pathways in the Potomac River. For PCB pollutants, sediment profiles reflected localized source emissions from industrial sites. PAHs showed a downstream plume effect derived from urban Washington, DC. Fatty acids and sterols were most useful for identifying ecological shifts (i.e., terrestrial versus aquatic origin), but showed spatial correlations with wastewater treatment plants and cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Relative to other motivations of social withdrawal (i.e., shyness, unsociability), social avoidance is understudied. Furthermore, the relation between social avoidance and externalizing problems seldom has been investigated despite reasons to expect an association. We examined the association between social avoidance and externalizing problems using a sample of early adolescents in the United States using parents' reports (N = 294; 54.1% boys; M age = 12.43 years). Supporting our hypotheses, structural equation models indicated that social avoidance positively predicted concurrent externalizing problems, controlling for shyness, unsociability, and internalizing problems (including depression and anxiety). Findings highlight that socially avoidant adolescents' behaviors may include avoiding others as well as acting out. Longitudinal work is needed to examine the potential bidirectional relations between social avoidance and externalizing problems., (© 2021 Society for Research on Adolescence.)