Ethical Practices for Security Research with At-Risk Populations

A growing body of security and privacy research focuses on at-risk populations - those who are marginalized, stigmatized, and/or criminalized - and who may face significant harm from research conducted about themselves and their communities. For example, recent research has studied family members of those in prison, survivors of domestic violence, undocumented immigrants, and sex workers. At-risk communities have a heightened need for confidentiality, consideration for possible past trauma, and research justice given inherent power differentials. Here, we offer a set of ethical research practices we have deployed in research with multiple at-risk communities. We hope these practices will serve as guidance and a springboard for discussion about what it means to conduct ethical research, particularly with marginalized, stigmatized, and/or criminalized groups

Predicting breast cancer response to neoadjuvant treatment using multi-feature MRI: results from the I-SPY 2 TRIAL.

Dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) MRI provides both morphological and functional information regarding breast tumor response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC). The purpose of this retrospective study is to test if prediction models combining multiple MRI features outperform models with single features. Four features were quantitatively calculated in each MRI exam: functional tumor volume, longest diameter, sphericity, and contralateral background parenchymal enhancement. Logistic regression analysis was used to study the relationship between MRI variables and pathologic complete response (pCR). Predictive performance was estimated using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). The full cohort was stratified by hormone receptor (HR) and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) status (positive or negative). A total of 384 patients (median age: 49 y/o) were included. Results showed analysis with combined features achieved higher AUCs than analysis with any feature alone. AUCs estimated for the combined versus highest AUCs among single features were 0.81 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.76, 0.86) versus 0.79 (95% CI: 0.73, 0.85) in the full cohort, 0.83 (95% CI: 0.77, 0.92) versus 0.73 (95% CI: 0.61, 0.84) in HR-positive/HER2-negative, 0.88 (95% CI: 0.79, 0.97) versus 0.78 (95% CI: 0.63, 0.89) in HR-positive/HER2-positive, 0.83 (95% CI not available) versus 0.75 (95% CI: 0.46, 0.81) in HR-negative/HER2-positive, and 0.82 (95% CI: 0.74, 0.91) versus 0.75 (95% CI: 0.64, 0.83) in triple negatives. Multi-feature MRI analysis improved pCR prediction over analysis of any individual feature that we examined. Additionally, the improvements in prediction were more notable when analysis was conducted according to cancer subtype

Effectiveness of Asthma Inhaler Pharmacotherapy must take into consideration both the device and drug and which is guided by clinically meaningful outcomes

Introduction: The&nbsp; inhalation&nbsp; route&nbsp; remains&nbsp; the&nbsp; mainstay&nbsp; of&nbsp; therapy&nbsp; for asthma&nbsp; and&nbsp; chronic obstructive&nbsp; pulmonary&nbsp; disease&nbsp; (COPD). This confers&nbsp; a&nbsp; number&nbsp; of&nbsp; advantages&nbsp; such&nbsp; as&nbsp; delivery&nbsp; of medication&nbsp; directly&nbsp; to&nbsp; the site of&nbsp; action&nbsp; resulting&nbsp; in&nbsp; faster onset. It also allows&nbsp; smaller&nbsp; doses&nbsp; to&nbsp; be&nbsp; administered&nbsp; and therefore significantly reduces systemic side effects compared with oral therapy. The drug treatment regime for the majority of patients&nbsp; with&nbsp; asthma&nbsp; and&nbsp; COPD is straightforward and is documented in many guidelines [1-3]. However, the choice of which inhaler device to use is less straightforward. Rather than being spoilt for choice, we are frequently confused by the ever-increasing&nbsp; number&nbsp; of&nbsp; devices&nbsp; available.&nbsp; Although&nbsp; inhalation therapy&nbsp; is&nbsp; now&nbsp; the&nbsp; mainstay&nbsp; of&nbsp; asthma&nbsp; treatment,&nbsp; for&nbsp; most patients&nbsp; such&nbsp; treatment&nbsp; is&nbsp; still&nbsp; not&nbsp; optimal.</p

“Disadvantaged in the American-dominated internet”: sex, work, and technology

How do people in a precarious profession leverage technology to grow their business and improve their quality of life? Sex workers sit at the intersection of multiple marginalized identities and makeup a sizeable workforce: the United Nations estimates that at least42 million sex workers are conducting business across the globe.Yet, little research has examined how well technology fulfills sexworkers’ business needs in the face of unique social, political, legal,and safety constraints.We present interviews with 29 sex workers in Germany and Switzerland where such work is legal, offering a first HCI perspective on this population’s use of technology. While our participants demonstrate savvy navigation of online spaces, sex workers encounter frustrating barriers due to an American-dominated internet that enforces puritan values globally. Our findings raise concerns about digital discrimination against sex workers and suggest concrete directions for the design of more inclusive technology

Safer Digital Intimacy For Sex Workers And Beyond: A Technical Research Agenda

Many people engage in digital intimacy: sex workers, their clients, and people who create and share intimate content recreationally. With this intimacy comes significant security and privacy risk, exacerbated by stigma. In this article, we present a commercial digital intimacy threat model and 10 research directions for safer digital intimacyComment: To appear in IEEE Security and Privacy Magazin

Urinary system

The functions performed by the urinary system, also known as the renal system, can be considered as routine (i.e. production and excretion of urine), protective (i.e. elimination of toxins, reactive to blood pressure changes) or balancing (i.e. pH control in the blood and subsequently the urine, and electrolyte reabsorption during formation of urine). The term ‘renal’ simply denotes something that relates to or involves the kidneys. Clinically, urinary system functions are carefully considered in the context of age-related and developmental characteristics when prescribing medications, as medication dosages and their effectiveness are heavily dependent on renal function. The urinary system has an incredible capacity to cope with adversity; for example, when a diseased kidney is removed, the body can still function effectively with only one kidney. This chapter examines the structure and function of the urinary system and how different components of the system complement each other to maintain homeostatic balance through maintenance of acid–base balance in the blood, elimination of metabolic waste products and tight control of blood electrolyte balance. To function effectively, the kidneys—the masters of these processes—are heavily dependent on adequate blood perfusion, which is partially dictated by blood volume, a concept also explored in this chapter

Reversal of end-stage heart failure in juvenile hemochromatosis with iron chelation therapy: a case report

Background: Juvenile hemochromatosis is the most severe form of iron overloading phenotype. Although rare, it should be suspected in patients who present with hypogonadotropic hypogonadism, diabetes mellitus, or cardiomyopathy without a clear cause. Case presentation: A young Serbian male presenting with end-stage heart failure was referred for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. An endomyocardial biopsy revealed cytoplasmic iron deposits in myocytes. His condition was stabilized with biventricular assist devices and he was listed for heart transplantation. Iron chelation therapy was commenced and resulted in rapid removal of iron burden. Serial outpatient echocardiograms demonstrated myocardial recovery such that a successful biventricular assist device explant occurred 131 days after initial implant. Targeted gene sequencing revealed a loss-of-function mutation within the HJV gene, which is consistent with juvenile hemochromatosis. Conclusions: This rare case of a patient with juvenile hemochromatosis associated with a HJV mutation provides histologic evidence documenting the reversal of associated end-stage heart failure, requiring emergent mechanical circulatory support, with iron chelation therapy