Floods after drought: storytelling with agro-pastoralists in a Kenyan dryland

In East African drylands, agro-pastoralists are continuously dealing with recurrent droughts and floods damaging to their livelihoods. Although droughts and floods have been widely studied as separate phenomena, little attention has been paid to agro-pastoral experiences of the relations between successive droughts and floods over time. Yet when floods follow a drought, they are likely to exacerbate or alleviate the impacts of the preceding drought. To address this, we conducted a study in southeastern Kenya’s drylands, organizing storytelling sessions with 213 agro-pastoralist participants. By reconstructing a history of droughts and floods experiences from the 1940s to the early 2020s, we found that droughts and floods are strongly interrelated and ambivalent phenomena. During the latter half of the 20th century, agro-pastoralists narrated droughts as severely disruptive, distinct periods that frequently concluded with flooding, which both alleviated and intensified drought impacts. In the 21st century, however, droughts and floods are no longer experienced as discrete, named events but rather as a new normal. Floods after drought have become more frequent, short-lived, intense, and erosive, their regenerative function diminishing. The participants articulated how they adapt to droughts and floods amidst rapid socio-economic and socio-environmental changes. We found that various drought adaptation measures, largely initiated by (non)governmental organizations operating in drylands, have introduced flood risks. As droughts and floods are expected to become even heavier and frequent in future East African drylands and beyond, the stories underscore a need for adaptation approaches that benefit from the regenerative potential of floods after drought.</p

Exercise training and inflammatory adipokines in patients with type 2 diabetes: a systematic review, meta-analysis, and meta-regression

Background: Improvements in adipocytes levels can reduce the risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease, indicating adipocytes to be a hopeful remedial target in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and other related diseases. However, there is no consensus on the role of various exercise training on adipokines in T2DM and the results are contradictory. Therefore, this systematic review, meta-analysis, and meta-regression investigated the effects of different types of exercise training on some inflammatory adipokines concentrations in T2DM.Methods: A systematic search was conducted in PubMed/MEDLINE, Web of Science, Embase, Google Scholar, and Cochrane up to September 2024. Studies investigating the effects of exercise training on Resistin, apelin, visfatin, and vaspin were included. Meta-analysis was performed using a random-effect model (DerSimonian-Laird method) to calculate weighted means differences with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). The Cochrane Collaboration's tool was also used to asses risk of bias of studies.Results: Analysis of 36 studies (50 intervention arms, n = 1811) demonstrated that exercise training significantly decreased resistin (mean difference [MD]: −1.02 ng/ml, 95% CI −1.48 to −0.57, p Conclusions: Overall, aerobic and combined training decreased inflammatory adipokines with a positive supplementary effect for patient with T2DM.Registration: PROSPERO registration no. CRD42024617538.</p

Structural empowerment and speaking up among overseas trained nurses in the United Kingdom, National Health Service

Structural empowerment within workplaces plays a crucial role in enabling the overseas trained nurses' confidence to speak up against unsafe practice and be affected by adverse workplace culture. In this study levels of structural empowerment were explored utilizing the Condition for Work Effectiveness Questionnaire 2 and hypothetical vignettes to understand speaking-up practices among Overseas trained nurses.Moderate levels of structural empowerment were perceived in the domains of access to opportunity (M = 4.05; SD = 0.09) and access to information (M = 3.52; SD = 0.77). Lower levels were perceived in the domains of access to resources (M = 3.04, SD = 0.88) and access to support (M = 3.49; SD = 0.91). The majority (95.8 %) reported high levels of willingness to speak-up. Access to opportunity and information positively influenced speaking up.Nurses perceive that opportunities to gain new skills and knowledge and information about the values and goals of the organization can empower them to speak up. These areas should be developed in NHS, messages reinforced, and initiatives taken to build confidence around patient safety practices. Their perceived inadequate access to support, through feedback and guidance from co-workers and inadequate access to resources, indicates a need to optimize strategies to address these areas to maintain and enhance patient safety culture.</p

St Andrews Referral Delay in Skin Cancer (StARDISC): a study of keratinocyte skin cancer time to treatment, growth, invasiveness, British Association of Dermatologists risk factors and excision adequacy

Abstract Background British Association of Dermatologists (BAD) guidelines for managing basal (BCC) and squamous (SCC) cell skin carcinomas are distinct; however, there is a paucity of evidence relating to the histopathological behaviour of SCC and BCC over time, and the implications this has for management guidelines. Objectives To investigate the effect of lesion duration on keratinocyte skin cancer (KSC) growth, the development of high risk factors and excision margin adequacy; further aims included investigating the impact of the presence of high or very high risk histological parameters on excision rates and clearance margins. Methods A cohort study was undertaken with a random sample of patients referred to our Plastic Surgery Skin Cancer Centre with BCC and SCC from January to June 2019 inclusive. Data collected included patient demographics, referral source, lesion duration (first appearance to treatment), histological data, excision margins and skin cancer risk, as defined by BAD guidelines. Results In total, 728 patients were included [397 men, 331 women; median age 77 years (interquartile range 72–85)] who underwent 872 excisions (BCC, n = 454; SCC, n = 418). Longer lesion duration was associated with increased BCC (P 40 mm (P 6 mm (P 3 months had greater median surface areas (706.9 mm2 vs. 295.3 mm2; P < 0.001) and thicknesses (3.5 mm vs. 3 mm; P < 0.001) than those of ≤ 3 months’ duration; the same was found for median BCC surface area (263.9 mm2 vs. 131.9 mm2; P < 0.001). A general decline in the adequate excision of BCCs and SCCs was found with an increasing number of high- or very high risk parameters. Conclusions Longer lesion duration resulted in increased KSC thickness and surface area, and the increased presence of high risk factors as set out by the BAD. This was more common SCCs than for BCCs, and had a negative impact on surgical excision margins. Crucially, lesion duration was significantly associated with increased SCC (but not BCC) thickness at 3 months. Our results support BAD guidance on the management of KSC, identifying the highest risk lesions and informing the practice of skin cancer units.</p

Effect of a multi-ingredient post-workout dietary supplement on body composition and muscle strength – a randomized controlled trial

The aim of the current parallel randomized controlled trial was to compare the effects of ingesting a dietary supplement admixture providing carbohydrates, leucine-fortified whey protein, creatine, β-hydroxy-β-methylbutyrate, and vitamin D3 (Master Recovery 1:1, Crown Sport Nutrition, Spain), versus an isoenergetic carbohydrate-only comparator on body composition, muscle thickness, muscle strength, and performance over a 6-week resistance training program, performed three times per week, in aging, physically active individuals. Twenty participants (10 peri- and post-menopausal females and 10 males) ­completed the study after being randomly assigned to one of the following groups: post-workout multi-ingredient (PWS: n = 10, 52.0 ± 5 years, body mass 82.0 ± 18.0 kg) or a comparator (COM: n = 10, 51 ± 3 years, body mass 85.9 ± 17.0 kg). Treatment consisted of ingesting 60.0 g of the assigned supplement immediately after each workout. Compared to baseline, only PWS increased fat-free mass (+1.34 ± 1.2 kg, p = 0.003), reduced fat mass (–1.09 ± 0.7 kg, p < 0.001), waist circumference (–2.5 ± 1.8 cm, p < 0.001), and waist-to-hip ratio (–0.03 ± 0.03 cm, p = 0.007). At post-intervention, waist circumference reduction was different between groups (p = 0.02, d = 1.19). Both treatments similarly improved vastus lateralis and elbow flexor thickness, medicine ball throw, and endurance performance. Although countermovement jump improved for both treatments, the PWS group showed a significantly higher performance increase compared to COM (p < 0.01, d = 1.47). Compared to ingesting carbohydrates only, the use of a targeted multi-ingredient promoted noticeable body composition outcomes and better vertical jump improvements with no further effects on hypertrophy, upper body, and endurance performance. The study was registered as a clinical trial at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT05769088).</p

Sexual minority populations and disparities in cardiovascular healthcare

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the leading global cause of death and significant cardiovascular health disparities have been documented. There is growing evidence that sexual minority (SM; e.g. lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, and other non-heterosexual) people are at higher risk of developing CVD compared to heterosexual people across the lifecourse. The minority stress model of cardiovascular health (CVH) theorizes that minority stressors across multiple levels influence CVD risk in SM people through mediated psychosocial, behavioural, and physiological mechanisms. These mechanisms remain understudied, which has hindered the development of clinical and public health interventions to reduce CVD risk among SM people. The purpose of this state-of-the-art review was to: (i) elucidate the potential mechanisms underlying CVH disparities among SM populations; (ii) analyse research gaps; and (iii) provide suggestions for improving cardiovascular care and identifying potential targets for clinical and public health interventions in this population. The authors identified multilevel determinants, such as minority stressors and interpersonal violence, that have been associated with tobacco use, alcohol use, sleep problems, obesity, and hypertension among SM populations. They conclude that studies investigating CVH disparities among SM people have considerable methodological limitations that must be addressed to improve our understanding of mechanisms underlying CVH disparities in this population. The authors subsequently provide suggestions for improving cardiovascular care and considerations for the development and implementation of interventions to reduce CVD risk among SM people. This review can help cardiovascular clinicians and researchers devise strategies to reduce CVH disparities among SM populations.</p

Political “color” and the impact of climate risks on output growth: evidence from a panel of US states

In this paper, we show that the effect of climate risks on economic growth in a panel of 48 contiguous states of the US is contingent on the party affiliation of the local politicians, as captured by a Democratic-Republican Index (DRI). Specifically, our results, based on a regime-dependent local projections model, indicate that extreme weather-related shocks tend to negatively impact output growth more severely, especially in the medium- to long-run, in the Republican-leaning states with low-DRI values compared to those characterized by high-DRIs over the annual period 1967 - 2023. In addition, when we incorporate the information on states that have undertaken explicit targets for reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, following the Climate Change Action Plan implemented in 1993, we find that the significant long-horizon negative effect continues to hold only for the states with low-DRIs, i.e., those that are Republicans-oriented.</p

The Right to Authorship in AI generated works

In the era dominated by digital platforms, knowledge workers grapple with challenges concerning the value of their work, copyright, distribution, and authorship. Urgent questions arise on the devaluation of human creative work through AI interventions and the lack of harmonization in the meaning of authorship under copyright laws across different jurisdictions. How do existing legal frameworks adapt to the nuances of AI-generated content, and to what extent do they safeguard the integrity and dignity of human-authored works and value? As AI contributes to creative processes, who holds authorship and subsequently ownership in generative works, and how can this be reconciled with traditional notions of creativity and intellectual property? What do we understand by creativity in a work environment where artificial and human intelligence are increasingly integrated. This paper responds to these questions. The primary focus lies in navigating the intricacies of AI-generated work versus human-generated work, especially considering the complexities of authorship within UK, EU, and US legal frameworks.</p

Insect trafficking: a green criminological perspective

In May of 2025, four men were sentenced in a Kenyan court for the attempted smuggling of ants. This case underscores a largely overlooked dimension of global wildlife crime: the trafficking of insects. This article aims to discuss the nature of insect trafficking in legal, criminological, and conservation discourses and to argue for its inclusion in broader debates within environmental justice discourse. Exploring legal and policy dimensions of wildlife trafficking through a green criminological lens, this paper underscores the anthropocentric bias in wildlife protection, which marginalises non-charismatic species despite their ecological importance. It concludes that a shift toward ecological and species justice is necessary, advocating for more inclusive legal definitions, improved enforcement mechanisms, and interdisciplinary research. Recognising insects as victims of environmental harm is essential for developing holistic responses to wildlife crime and advancing the goals of green criminology.</p

Who said growth means losing sight of circularity? A futuristic conceptualisation of a circular fashion rental model in the UK

The modern marketplace requires simultaneous growth in sustainable production and consumption, and degrowth in the use of finite resources and waste produced. Circular economy business models present important strategies to minimise raw materials and environmental impacts while allowing economic development. Fashion is a pertinent context to examine as the world’s worst polluter. This conceptual paper examines fashion rental business models that shift the focus of traditional consumption from linear to circular and access-based. Through a two-phase methodology, a comparative analysis of four UK fashion rental startups and four modes of theorising futures, four theorised futures are produced to illustrate circular startup growth. The theoretical and managerial implications of each imagined economy are discussed, as well as how such businesses scale in each scenario and the impact on their circular principles. Finally, we discuss the implications for the macromarketing discipline’s transformative role in imagining sustainable futures.</p