Search

Abstract The academic literature on personal experiences of climate-induced wellbeing erosion (often conceptualised as ‘non-economic losses and damages’) is still limited. This represents a serious climate policy gap that hinders support for marginalised people across the world including Indigenous People. Lately, we have seen a rapid growth in empirical studies exploring linkages between climate change and mental health among Indigenous Inuit in Canada. However, its association with human (im)mobility remains unexplored. This review article brings together the empirical evidence of Inuit experiences and perceptions of climate-related wellbeing loss and (im)mobility while providing climate policy with guidance for appropriate action. The systematic review investigates how Inuit in Arctic Canada felt that climatic changes impacted their (im)mobility and mental health while putting these feelings into a wider context of colonial violence, forced child removal, the residential schools, and other systematic human rights abuses. Twelve electronic databases (four specific to Arctic research) were searched for English and French, peer reviewed, qualitative studies published between 2000 and 2021. Fifteen selected articles were analysed using NVivo and thematic narrative analysis from a climate-violence-health nexus systems approach. Three overarching climate-related wellbeing loss themes, all strongly intertwined with feelings of immobility, emerged from the literature namely ‘identity and cultural loss’, ‘land connection as a source of healing’, and ‘changing environment triggering emotional distress’. The narratives circled around Inuit land connection and how climate-induced temporary (im)mobility interrupted this relationship. Climatic changes isolated Inuit away from the land and cut off their ability to partake in land activities. This strongly eroded Inuit wellbeing, expressed through distress, anxiety, depression, social tension, suicide ideation and deep feelings of cultural loss. The findings showed how Inuit mental health strongly depend on a sustained connection to the land. Further empirical research among other Indigenous People or nomadic groups on wellbeing loss and climate-induced involuntary immobility is urgently needed. Future research should particularly explore how such mental health impacts tie into past and present (post)colonial traumas and current suicide occurrences. This will help climate policy, research, and adaptation planning better prepare and propose more contextually and culturally appropriate health actions in the future.

Adlay (Coix lacryma-jobi L.), a crop closed related to maize (Zea mays L.) and sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.), originated in tropical/subtropical regions of Asia and Africa; southwest China primary center of this plant’s origin, evolution and migration. Adlay is a traditional high-value minor crop used for both medicinal and dietary purposes. Adlay has anti-tumor, anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, blood sugar-lowering, and blood lipid-lowering effects. To clarify the main bioactive components and phytochemical compounds and to fully explore their utility, this review summarizes the research done on the main functional ingredients of adlay, including amino acids and proteins, oils, vitamins and minerals, polysaccharides, and polyphenols. This study also highlighted the application of genome sequencing to tailor nutrient-rich adlay cultivars and nutraceutical product development. Additionally, the acquisition of high-density genomic data combined with next-generation phenotypic analysis will undoubtedly improve our understanding of the potential genetic regulation of adlay nutraceutical traits. This review provides new insights and ideas for the research of adlay in comparison and evolutionary genomics, and a useful reference for molecular breeding and genetic improvement of this important minor crop.

Abstract Background Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL), endemic in Guatemala, mostly affects poor people living in the northern region. A national control program that includes surveillance, diagnose, and treatment offered free of cost by the Ministry of Health (MoH) has been in place since 2003. However, the incidence is increasing and treatment rates are not optimal, suggesting that current efforts are not being effective. This study aimed to understand barriers and facilitators of CL control in Guatemala as experienced and perceived by key stakeholders in order to comprehend what works well and does not and suggest evidence-informed interventions. Methods The study was conducted in the Cobán municipality, the most endemic of Guatemala, situated in the Department of Alta Verapaz. Data were collected during May and June 2019 via focus groups and semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders, including local and national health personnel and residents of four communities of the endemic region. Thematic and content analysis of the collected data was conducted using NVIVO. Results Three overarching issues hamper the effectiveness of current CL efforts: resource scarcity, treatment challenges, and knowledge-action gaps. Scarce economic resources from the MoH and community residents negatively impact incidence, detection of cases and treatment rates in that preventive action is insufficient and healthcare access is low. In addition, local health workers often lack specialized CL training and access to the national CL control guidelines. With regards to the population living in the study area, misunderstanding of disease causation, shame associated with CL lesions, treatment pain fear, and long (often uncertain) waiting times for diagnose and treatment negatively affect people’s willingness to seek help, treatment adherence, and their trust on the healthcare provided. Conclusions Culturally sensitive CL preventive action must be developed. Given the scarce economic resources available for CL control in the country, the involvement of trained community health workers and the inclusion of thermotherapy as a treatment option is also advised. Other cost-effective actions include: ensuring all health workers receive CL training and have access to national CL control guidelines, improving national procurement system to avoid treatment shortages, and provision of motorized vehicles to increase active surveillance and treatment rates. Graphical abstract

Tuberculosis (TB) poses an enduring threat to global health. Consistently ranked among the top 10 causes of death worldwide since 2000, TB has now exceeded HIV-AIDS in terms of deaths inflicted by a single infectious agent. In spite of recently declining TB incident rates, these decreases have been incremental and fall short of threshold levels required to end the global TB epidemic. As in other infectious diseases, the emergence of resistant organisms poses a major impediment to effective TB control. Resistance in mycobacteria may evolve from genetic mutations in target genes which are transmitted during cell multiplication from mother cells to their progeny. A more insidious form of resistance involves sub-populations of non-growing (“dormant”) mycobacterial persisters. Quiescent and genetically identical to their susceptible counterparts, persisters exhibit non-inheritable drug tolerance. Their prevalence account for the protracted treatment period that is required for the treatment of TB. In order to improve the efficacy of treatment against mycobacterial persisters and drug-resistant organisms, novel antitubercular agents are urgently required. Selective targeting of bacterial membranes has been proposed as a viable therapeutic strategy against infectious diseases. The underpinning rationale is that a functionally intact cell membrane is vital for both replicating and dormant bacteria. Perturbing the membrane would thus disrupt a multitude of embedded targets with lethal pleiotropic consequences, besides limiting the emergence of resistant strains. There is growing interest in exploring small molecules as selective disruptors of the mycobacterial membrane. In this review, we examined the recent literature on different chemotypes with membrane perturbing properties, the mechanisms by which they induce membrane disruption and their potential as anti-TB agents. Cationic amphiphilicity is a signature motif that is required of membrane targeting agents but adherence to this broad physical requirement does not necessarily translate to conformity in terms of biological outcomes. Nor does it ensure selective targeting of mycobacterial membranes. These are unresolved issues that require further investigation.

A Dual-Domain Carbonic Anhydrase (DDCA) had been sequenced and characterized from the ctenidia (gills) of the giant clam, Tridacna squamosa, which lives in symbiosis with zooxanthellae. DDCA was expressed predominantly in the ctenidium. The complete cDNA coding sequence of DDCA from T. squamosa comprised 1,803 bp, encoding a protein of 601 amino acids and 66.7 kDa. The deduced DDCA sequence contained two distinct α-CA domains, each with a specific catalytic site. It had a high sequence similarity with tgCA from Tridacna gigas. In T. squamosa, the DDCA was localized apically in certain epithelial cells near the base of the ctenidial filament and the epithelial cells surrounding the tertiary water channels. Due to the presence of two transmembrane regions in the DDCA, one of the Zn2+-containing active sites could be located externally and the other one inside the cell. These results denote that the ctenidial DDCA was positioned to dehydrate HCO3- to CO2 in seawater, and to hydrate the CO2 that had permeated the apical membrane back to HCO3- in the cytoplasm. During insolation, the host clam needs to increase the uptake of inorganic carbon from the ambient seawater to benefit the symbiotic zooxanthellae; only then, can the symbionts conduct photosynthesis and share the photosynthates with the host. Indeed, the transcript and protein levels of DDCA/DDCA in the ctenidium of T. squamosa increased significantly after 6 and 12 h of exposure to light, respectively, denoting that DDCA could participate in the light-enhanced uptake and assimilation of exogenous inorganic carbon.

Abstract The fluted giant clam, Tridacna squamosa, lives in symbiosis with zooxanthellae which reside extracellularly inside a tubular system. Zooxanthellae fix inorganic carbon (Ci) during insolation and donate photosynthate to the host. Carbonic anhydrases catalyze the interconversion of CO2 and HCO3−, of which carbonic anhydrase 2 (CA2) is the most ubiquitous and involved in many biological processes. This study aimed to clone a CA2 homolog (CA2‐like) from the fleshy and colorful outer mantle as well as the thin and whitish inner mantle of T. squamosa, to determine its cellular and subcellular localization, and to examine the effects of light exposure on its gene and protein expression levels. The cDNA coding sequence of CA2‐like from T. squamosa comprised 789 bp, encoding 263 amino acids with an estimated molecular mass of 29.6 kDa. A phenogramic analysis of the deduced CA2‐like sequence denoted an animal origin. CA2‐like was not detectable in the shell‐facing epithelium of the inner mantle adjacent to the extrapallial fluid. Hence, CA2‐like is unlikely to participate directly in light‐enhanced calcification. By contrast, the outer mantle, which contains the highest density of tertiary tubules and zooxanthellae, displayed high level of CA2‐like expression, and CA2‐like was localized to the tubule epithelial cells. More importantly, exposure to light induced significant increases in the protein abundance of CA2‐like in the outer mantle. Hence, CA2‐like could probably take part in the increased supply of inorganic carbon (Ci) from the host clam to the symbiotic zooxanthellae when the latter conduct photosynthesis to fix Ci during light exposure.

Prodromal symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) have been detected within the first year of life. This review evaluated evidence from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of parent-mediated interventions for infants under 24 months who are at risk for ASD. Electronic databases, including grey literature, were searched up till November 2019. Seven RCTs were identified. There was substantial heterogeneity in recruitment, outcome measures and effect size calculations. Interventions did not reduce the risk of later ASD diagnosis and post-intervention effects on infant outcomes were inconsistent, with five studies reporting significant improvements across both treatment and control groups. Moderate level of evidence of intervention effects on parental interaction skills and the small number of RCTs, and significant limitations restrict generalizability across studies.

With the rapid rise of live streaming e-commerce, artificial intelligence (AI) technology has become pivotal in shaping consumer behaviors and purchase decisions. This study explores the application of AI in live streaming e-commerce and analyzes its impact on driving factors behind consumer purchase decisions. Employing a comprehensive methodology including literature review, data analysis, and empirical research, this study identifies key AI-driven factors such as personalized recommendation systems, real-time interaction features, intelligent customer service, and social influence, trust. Conduct a questionnaire survey analysis on 1084 consumers who have participated in live streaming platforms using artificial intelligence technology. The findings reveal that AI significantly enhances consumer engagement and purchase intention, offering valuable insights for both academic research and practical applications in e-commerce platforms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on research into medical gloves global value chains (GVCs), this article examines the interacting roles that states differently positioned in GVCs have played in preventing and eliminating forced labour. Our case study, based on a worker survey and semi-structured interviews across GVC actors, focuses on forced labour in the Malaysian medical gloves sector during the COVID-19 pandemic, linking production in Malaysia, end markets in the UK (primarily through procurement for the National Health Service) and migrant-sending countries, especially Nepal. We analyze the intermeshing effects of the different roles of states, operating at either the horizontal or vertical level of GVC governance, in terms of contributing to issues of forced labour. We identify three state roles in the Malaysia–UK medical gloves chain: producer state (Malaysia), migrant-sending state (Nepal) and regulator-buyer state (UK). We also identify some of the most persistent barriers to resolving forced labour in the value chain. Our research illustrates that Malaysia's complex regulatory, political and institutional dynamics most directly influence forced labour in gloves production, but Nepal's migration policies and the UK's healthcare procurement practices also create forced labour risk in Malaysia. Advancing Gereffi and Lee's (2016: 25) notion of "synergistc governance" and Jessop's (2016) strategic-relational approach (SRA) to the state, we thus argue that the creation of sustained and positive regulatory synergies among states differently positioned in GVCs is necessary for the prevention and elimination of forced labour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although behavioral and neuropsychological studies have suggested two distinct routes of phonological access, their neural substrates have not been clearly elucidated. Here, we designed an artificial language (based on Korean Hangul) that can be read either through addressed (i.e., whole word mapping) or assembled (i.e., grapheme-to-phoneme mapping) phonology. Two matched groups of native English-speaking participants were trained in one of the two conditions, one hour per day for eight days. Behavioral results showed that both groups correctly named more than 90% of the trained words after training. At the neural level, we found a clear dissociation of the neural pathways for addressed and assembled phonologies: There was greater involvement of the anterior cingulate cortex, posterior cingulate cortex, right orbital frontal cortex, angular gyrus and middle temporal gyrus for addressed phonology, but stronger activation in the left precentral gyrus/inferior frontal gyrus and supramarginal gyrus for assembled phonology. Furthermore, we found evidence supporting the strategy-shift hypothesis, which postulates that, with practice, reading strategy shifts from assembled to addressed phonology. Specifically, compared to untrained words, trained words in the assembled phonology group showed stronger activation in the addressed phonology network and less activation in the assembled phonology network. Our results provide clear brain-imaging evidence for the dual-route models of reading. © 2014 Mei et al.

Background: Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) disproportionately affect marginalised groups within impoverished communities, conferring devastating physical, financial and psychosocial effects. Skin-NTDs (SNTDs) are uniquely stigmatising due to their visible nature, rendering affected individuals vulnerable to psychosocial risk and the associated decline in social participation, quality of life and mental health. In response to knowledge gaps identified by current global efforts for integrated control of SNTDs this review gathers existing evidence on the psychosocial effects of SNTDs, with consideration given to the influence of gender. Methods: The study protocol is registered with PROSPERO (CRD42022336676). Data was collected from Embase, Global Health, Medline and Web of Science, with additional articles identified through Google Scholar and bibliography tracking. Qualitative studies published in English between 2005 and 2024 reporting men's and women's experiences with SNTDs were searched. Appropriate data from each included study were inputted into NVivo software to facilitate thematic synthesis. Descriptive and analytic themes were generated through line-by-line coding using an inductive approach. Results: 27 articles of high and moderate quality were included. They pertained to buruli ulcer, cutaneous leishmaniasis, leprosy, lymphatic filariasis, tungiasis, onchocerciasis, schistosomiasis and podoconiosis. Men and women across SNTDs and contexts reported debilitating physical symptoms which impaired their ability to work, socialise and carry out usual daily activities. Some felt (at least initially) well supported by partners and relatives, whereas most experienced avoidance, abandonment and even violence, with women incurring worse SNTD-related social consequences. Many men and most women experienced stigma, with discriminatory behaviours largely attributed to fear of infection, decreased ability to perform gender-specific daily activities, and the perceived association between SNTDs and sinfulness. Self-reported impacts of SNTDs on men's and women's mental wellbeing included low mood, anxiety, low self-esteem, and suicidal ideation. Disease-specific knowledge, early treatment, social support, and disease acceptance were mentioned as protective factors. Conclusion: SNTDs cause significant psychosocial harms, particularly for women. Implementing myth-busting and contact-based educational campaigns and improving access to treatment and to livelihood opportunities and social protection schemes for men and women with a SNTD will help prevent and mitigate these. Author summary: Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) mostly affect marginalised groups in deprived communities, and are known to have harmful physical, financial, social, and mental health consequences. Skin-NTDS (SNTDs) are particularly damaging because they are noticeable, rendering the affected individuals vulnerable to discrimination. This systematic review of the published literature aims to understand the socio-economic and emotional effects of SNTDs and how these are influenced by individuals' gender. Our review includes 27 studies. Men and women experience physical suffering which reduces their ability to work, socialise, and carry out usual daily activities. Some feel well supported by partners, friends, and family, at least initially, while most are avoided, abandoned, and even suffer from verbal and physical violence, particularly women. The reported impacts of SNTDs on individuals' emotional wellbeing include low mood, anxiety, low self-esteem, and suicidal thoughts. Early treatment, disease knowledge, social support networks, and disease acceptance were mentioned as protective factors. We conclude that SNTDs increase individuals' psychosocial suffering, with women being particularly at risk. Ensuring treatment access and socio-economic support for men and women with SNTDs and developing culturally appropriate educational interventions designed to foster more positive attitudes towards people with SNTDs will help prevent and reduce these harms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]