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Stigma against fat people permeates every level of healthcare, yet most attempts to reduce weight stigma among healthcare providers have shown only marginal results. Fat studies, a field that rigorously interrogates negative assumptions about fatness, can help social psychologists understand weight stigma by centering the pathologization of fatness as a major contributor to weight stigma at the structural and interpersonal level. A fat studies approach also reorients the normative goal of weight stigma interventions from reducing stigma to eradicating stigma and calls for methods that reject weight stigma's roots in medicine and medical discourse. Even nuanced and sympathetic models of "obesity" cannot combat stigma that is structurally based in medical authority. We applied these principles to develop a new method of weight stigma intervention: direct contact structured through narrative medicine. In a qualitative pilot study, four medical students and two fat activist community members met for five 2‐hours narrative medicine workshops over 5 weeks. All participants completed focus group interviews about the experience. Interview transcript analysis revealed that these workshops provided a space for depathologizing, humanizing, empathy‐inducing, and power‐leveling interactions between medical students and fat people, where members of both groups reported benefiting from the experience. We conclude that non‐pathologizing approaches to eradicating weight stigma are not only feasible, but both ethically and methodologically necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Keywords: afterload; pulmonary hypertension; reverse remodelling; right ventricle EN afterload pulmonary hypertension reverse remodelling right ventricle 397 399 3 02/03/23 20230201 NES 230201 The right ventricle makes a comeback Remodelling of the right ventricle (RV) is an adaptive response characterized by hypertrophy, fibrosis and stiffening in the presence of supraphysiological pulmonary vasculature afterload. Whether this truly recreates the systemic response to RV afterload, including extracardiac organ dysfunction (congestive hepatopathy, renovascular congestion and splanchnic remodelling) was not assessed and is an important consideration in appropriate models of RV dysfunction and can hopefully be verified in subsequent studies (Boehm et al., [1]). Preclinical investigations show that the extent of RV fibrosis follows an intimate relationship with the degree of RV dysfunction and the ejection fraction (EF) (Rain et al., [4]). [Extracted from the article]

Aims: There is seasonal variation in the incidence of gestational diabetes (GDM) and delivery outcomes of affected patients. We assessed whether there was also evidence of temporal variation in maternal treatment requirements and early neonatal outcomes. Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of women diagnosed with GDM (75 g oral glucose tolerance test, 0 h ≥ 5.1; 1 h ≥ 10.0; 2 h ≥ 8.5 mmol/L) in a UK tertiary obstetric centre (2015–2019) with a singleton infant. Data regarding demographic characteristics, total insulin requirements and neonatal outcomes were extracted from contemporaneous electronic medical records. Linear/logistic regression models using month of the year as a predictor of outcomes were used to assess annual variation. Results: In all, 791 women (50.6% receiving pharmacological treatment) and 790 neonates were included. The likelihood of requiring insulin treatment was highest in November (p < 0.05). The average total daily insulin dose was higher at peak (January) compared to average by 19 units/day (p < 0.05). There was no temporal variation in neonatal intensive care admission, or neonatal capillary blood glucose. However, rates of neonatal hypoglycaemia (defined as <2.6 mmol/L) were highest in December (40% above average; p < 0.05). Conclusions: Women with GDM diagnosed in winter are more likely to require insulin treatment and to require higher insulin doses. Neonates born to winter‐diagnosed mothers had a corresponding increased risk of neonatal hypoglycaemia. Maternal treatment requirements and neonatal outcomes of GDM vary significantly throughout the year, even in a relatively temperate climate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article describes the use of a feminist science studies analytic to explore how the vivisection of a fat, white woman in the documentary "Obesity: The Post Mortem" became acceptable material for a television program, as well as the cultural work performed by such a program. It discusses the significance of the largely positive reviews received by the program from the media and support from regulatory bodies. It examines the effect of the program's use of hegemonic stereotypes about fatness.

This essay investigates different registers of embedded and fragmentary focalizations in war cinematography on the Iraq War (2003-11), focusing primarily on The Hurt Locker (2008) and the HBO mini-series Generation Kill (2008), but also addressing American Sniper (2014) and the Abu Ghraib scandal. I argue the “extreme close-up” that focuses almost unilaterally on the men on the ground during the Iraq War implicates a “bigger picture”: a larger frame of discourse put forward by the corporate media and the government. This is primarily achieved through recursive narrative structures and through the use of diegetic ocular apparatuses, which are embedded on screen. These renditions of mise en abyme implicate, renegotiate, and even argue with the wide-angle perspective which frames the Iraq War. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores some of the ways in which contemporary poets are tracing the roots and routes via which objects have come to, and continue to, reside within the walls of the museum. Focusing on poetic mediations of British Museums — on the Museum of London, the Manchester Museum, and the British Museum — the article analyses the works of Bernardine Evaristo, Inua Ellams, and Daljit Nagra. These poetic mediations can be read as literary archaeologies — as the concept is used by Evaristo — which speak to the histories, movements, and contemporaneous moments of colonial encounter that take place within the institution of the museum. The article moves to consider the way in which literary archaeologies might chart both a history of migration — looking at Bernardine Evaristo’s The Emperor’s Babe — and the migration of objects which are displayed in museums in Britain — with a focus on Inua Ellams’s poem Tusk — before going on to examine the museum as institution, as it is presented in Daljit Nagra’s collection British Museum. Setting these distinct, but complementary poetic interventions alongside one another, the article asks: how do these literary archaeologies respond to the histories and present-day stories told by — and about — British museums in the twenty-first century? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The public library system developed slowly in Leicester and encountered much opposition before it began. With the eventual success of its central library, the establishment of branch libraries was mooted. Despite the failure of the very first branch, subsequent branches were successful and answered a very definite need for localized provision of public library services at a time when the central library was inadequate to cope with a rapid growth in demand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Colonial Fortune in Contemporary Fiction in French, Oana Panaïté (2017), Liverpool: Liverpool University Press, 216 pp., ISBN 978-1-78694-029-2, h/bk, £75 Post-Migratory Cultures in Postcolonial France, Kathryn Kleppinger and Laura Reeck (eds) (2018), Liverpool: Liverpool University Press, 296 pp., ISBN 978 1 78694 113 8, h/bk, £80 Postcolonial Poetics: 21st-Century Critical Readings, Elleke Boehmer (2018), London: Palgrave Macmillan, 220 pp., ISBN 978 3 31990 341 5, eBook, £47.99 Nouveaux entretiens avec Maryse Condé: écrivain et témoin de son temps, Françoise Pfaff (2016), Paris: Éditions Karthala, 197 pp., ISBN 978-2-81111-707-8, 19€ Les Lieux de mémoire de la guerre d'indépendance algérienne, Emmanuel Alcaraz (2017), Paris: Karthala, 322 pp., ISBN 978 2 81111 903 4, 24€ La Littérature haïtienne dans la modernité. De la conférence à la publication, Anne Marty (2017), Paris: Karthala, 276 pp., ISBN 978-2-81111-729-0, 25€ From Empire to Exile: History and Memory within the piednoir and harki Communities 1962–2012, Claire Eldridge (2016), Manchester: Manchester University Press, 352 pp., h/bk, ISBN 978 0 71908 723 3, £75.00 La Francosphère littéraire et l'empreinte française, Elena Prus (2012), Chişinǎu: ULIM, 236 pp., ISBN 978-9-97551-426-2 The End of the Cognitive Empire: The Coming of Age of Epistemologies of the South, Bonaventura de Sousa Santos (2018), London: Duke University Press, 392 pp., ISBN 978-1-47800-015-0, p/bk, £18 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Global Wind Atlas (GWA) provides high-resolution databases and maps of the wind resource for all land points and for water points within 200 km of the coastline, excluding Antarctica. The GWA is used to identify and understand the global, national, regional, and local potential for wind energy and to guide energy specialists, policymakers, and planners in the transition to a sustainable energy system. This information is vital to ensuring the growth of wind energy, helping to transition to a sustainable energy system, which will mitigate climate change and meet the world's need for reliable, affordable, and clean energy. The GWA uses the established numerical wind atlas methodology to downscale coarse-resolution wind data to microscale, using linearized flow modeling and high-resolution topographic data. There have been three versions of the GWA, each using mesoscale model data at successively higher spatial resolution. A website and geographic information system (GIS) files support quick and in-depth analysis. Validation data and analysis, using measurements from tall masts located worldwide, are also provided through the web application. The development process of the GWA involves a dialogue between meteorological modelers, wind energy development experts, web designers, and representatives of the end users to provide accurate data in a dynamic and relevant way. This article outlines the general method, specific development, and application of the Global Wind Atlas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Women with a history of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) are at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). They are therefore recommended to follow a healthy diet and be physically active in order to reduce that risk. However, achieving and maintaining these behaviours in the postpartum period is challenging. This study sought to explore women's views on suggested practical approaches to achieve and maintain a healthy diet and physical activity to reduce T2DM risk. Methods: Semi-structured interviews with 20 participants in Cambridgeshire, UK were conducted at three to 48 months after GDM. The participants' current diet and physical activity, intentions for any changes, and views on potential interventions to help manage T2DM risk through these behaviours were discussed. Framework analysis was used to analyse the transcripts. The interview schedule, suggested interventions, and thematic framework were based on a recent systematic review. Results: Most of the participants wanted to eat more healthily and be more active. A third of the participants considered that postpartum support for these behaviours would be transformative, a third thought it would be beneficial, and a third did not want additional support. The majority agreed that more information about the impact of diet and physical activity on diabetes risk, support to exercise with others, and advice about eating healthily, exercising with a busy schedule, monitoring progress and sustaining changes would facilitate a healthy diet and physical activity. Four other suggested interventions received mixed responses. It would be acceptable for this support to be delivered throughout pregnancy and postpartum through a range of formats. Clinicians were seen to have important roles in giving or signposting to support. Conclusions: Many women would appreciate more support to reduce their T2DM risk after GDM and believe that a variety of interventions to integrate changes into their daily lives would help them to sustain healthier lifestyles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: To explore the views of women with a history of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) on suggested practical approaches to support diabetes screening attendance after GDM, which is recommended but poorly attended. Methods: We conducted semi‐structured interviews with 20 participants in Cambridgeshire, UK who had been diagnosed with GDM and were 3–48 months postpartum. Interviews covered whether participants had been screened and why, plans for future screening and their views on potential interventions to facilitate attendance (at the first postpartum test and annual testing). Framework analysis was used to analyse the transcripts. The interview schedule, suggested interventions and thematic framework were based on a recent systematic review. Results: Sixteen participants had undergone screening since pregnancy, explaining that they had an appointment arranged and wanted reassurance that they did not have diabetes. The participants who had not been tested were not aware that it was recommended. Only 13 had planned to attend subsequent tests at the start of the interview. Eight themes to support future attendance were discussed. The majority of the participants agreed that changing the processes for arranging tests, offering choice in test location and combining appointments would facilitate attendance. Child‐friendly clinics, more opportunities to understand GDM and the role of postpartum testing, stopping self‐testing and increasing their GP's awareness of their pregnancy received inconsistent feedback. The nature of the test used did not appear to influence attendance. Conclusions: The participants wanted to be screened for diabetes after GDM. We have identified interventions that could be relatively simply incorporated into routine practice to facilitate screening attendance, such as flexibility in the appointment location or time and sending invitations for tests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Could sympathetic hyperarousal limit treatment success in complicated grief? The present study investigated persons with complicated grief, a chronic condition with distinct symptoms including persistent intense yearning and longing for the person who died, avoidance of reminders that the person is gone, deep relentless sadness, self-blame, bitterness, or anger in connection with the death, and an inability to gain satisfaction or joy through engaging in meaningful activities or relationships with significant others. Length of bereavement did not correlate with complicated grief scores. Catecholamines (i.e., epinephrine, norepinephrine, dopamine) in plasma were assessed pre- and post-psychotherapeutic treatment. Participants with the highest levels of epinephrine at pre-treatment had the highest levels of complicated grief symptoms at post-treatment, accounting for baseline levels of symptoms. This predictive relationship was not seen for depressive symptoms. The present study supports the hypothesis that catecholamine levels are affected by bereavement, and in turn, can affect the ability of those with complicated grief to benefit from psychotherapy. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Introduction: To guide future preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) implementation for women who inject drugs (WWID), a population increasingly represented in new HIV cases in the United States, we present results from a demonstration project integrated within a syringe services program (SSP) in Philadelphia, PA. Methods: WWID ≥18 years were educated about and offered 24 weeks of daily PrEP. Participants completed surveys and clinical assessments at baseline and at weeks 1, 3, 12, and 24. We used descriptive statistics to estimate feasibility/acceptability, engagement in the care cascade, HIV/sexually transmitted diseases (STI) and pregnancy, issues of safety/tolerability, and preferences/satisfaction with PrEP services. Multivariable logistic regression with generalized estimating equations was used to identify factors associated with PrEP uptake and retention. Results: We recruited 136 WWID. Of those, 95 were included in the final sample, and 63 accepted a PrEP prescription at week 1. Uptake was associated with greater baseline frequency of SSP access [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 1.85; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.24 to 2.77], inconsistent condom use (aOR = 3.38; 95% CI: 1.07 to 10.7), and experiencing sexual assault (aOR = 5.89; 95% CI: 1.02, 33.9). Of these 95, 42 (44.2%) were retained at week 24. Retention was higher among women who reported more frequent baseline SSP access (aOR = 1.46; 95% CI: 1.04 to 2.24). Self-reported adherence was high but discordant with urine-based quantification of tenofovir. Baseline STI prevalence was 17.9%; there were 2 HIV seroconversions and 1 pregnancy. Safety/tolerability issues were uncommon, and acceptability/satisfaction was high. Conclusions: Integrating PrEP with SSP services is feasible and acceptable for WWID. This suggests that daily PrEP is a viable prevention tool for this vulnerable population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The complement system is an intricate cascade of the innate immune system and plays a key role in microbial defense, inflammation, organ development, and tissue regeneration. There is increasing interest in developing complement regulatory and inhibitory agents to treat complement dysfunction. In this study, we describe the nanobody hC3Nb3, which is specific for the C-terminal C345c domain of human and mouse complement component C3/C3b/C3c and potently inhibits C3 cleavage by the alternative pathway. A high-resolution structure of the hC3Nb3-C345c complex explains how the nanobody blocks proconvertase assembly. Surprisingly, although the nanobody does not affect classical pathway-mediated C3 cleavage, hC3Nb3 inhibits classical pathway-driven hemolysis, suggesting that the C-terminal domain of C3b has an important function in classical pathway C5 convertase activity. The hC3Nb3 nanobody binds C3 with low nanomolar affinity in an SDS-resistant complex, and the nanobody is demonstrated to be a powerful reagent for C3 detection in immunohistochemistry and flow cytometry. Overall, the hC3Nb3 nanobody represents a potent inhibitor of both the alternative pathway and the terminal pathway, with possible applications in complement research, diagnostics, and therapeutics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The classical and lectin pathways of the complement system are important for the elimination of pathogens and apoptotic cells and stimulation of the adaptive immune system. Upon activation of these pathways, complement component C4 is proteolytically cleaved, and the major product C4b is deposited on the activator, enabling assembly of a C3 convertase and downstream alternative pathway amplification. Although excessive activation of the lectin and classical pathways contributes to multiple autoimmune and inflammatory diseases and overexpression of a C4 isoform has recently been linked to schizophrenia, a C4 inhibitor and structural characterization of the convertase formed by C4b is lacking. In this study, we present the nanobody hC4Nb8 that binds with picomolar affinity to human C4b and potently inhibits in vitro complement C3 deposition through the classical and lectin pathways in human serum and in mouse serum. The crystal structure of the C4b:hC4Nb8 complex and a threedimensional reconstruction of the C4bC2 proconvertase obtained by electron microscopy together rationalize how hC4Nb8 prevents proconvertase assembly through recognition of a neoepitope exposed in C4b and reveals a unique C2 conformation compared with the alternative pathway proconvertase. On human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived neurons, the nanobody prevents C3 deposition through the classical pathway. Furthermore, hC4Nb8 inhibits the classical pathway-mediated immune complex delivery to follicular dendritic cells in vivo. The hC4Nb8 represents a novel ultrahigh-affinity inhibitor of the classical and lectin pathways of the complement cascade under both in vitro and in vivo conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is an effective but understudied tool for preventing HIV among women who inject drugs (WWID). This article is the first to explore WWID's rationale for PrEP initiation (or refusal) in a real-world setting. Purposive sampling was used to recruit 25 WWID, participating in a PrEP demonstration project operating within a syringe services program, based on whether they initiated or declined PrEP care. Content analysis of qualitative interviews was used to explore decisions to initiate PrEP (or not). We found that WWID view HIV as severe, perceive themselves to be susceptible to HIV, and believe PrEP is beneficial for HIV prevention. For some, however, real and perceived barriers outweighed benefits, leading to decisions not to initiate PrEP. Barriers included HIV stigma, fear of side effects, and needing assurance that PrEP care will be available long-term. Despite viewing PrEP as an important HIV prevention tool, not all WWID who were offered PrEP initiated it. For these women, supports to buffer perceived barriers to initiation and access to post-exposure prophylaxis may be warranted. For women who initiate, it is possible that adherence will wane if perceived risk does not remain high. Research to understand PrEP persistence is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]