“How Do I Exist in This Body…That’s Outside of the Norm?” Trans and Nonbinary Experiences of Conformity, Coping, and Connection in Atypical Anorexia

Addressing eating disorders (EDs) within trans and nonbinary (TNB) populations is a growing concern, as TNB individuals are two to four times more likely to experience EDs than cisgender women. This study explored the lived experiences of TNB people with atypical anorexia by examining how gender identity impacted experiences of ED illness and (potential) recovery. Nine TNB adults with atypical anorexia were followed for one year and completed semi-structured, in-depth, longitudinal qualitative interviews at baseline, 6 months, and 12 months. Interviews were coded using Braun and Clark’s thematic analysis procedures. Four themes, along with subthemes, emerged regarding the intersection of gender identity and ED experiences: (1) Conforming, (2) Coping, (3) Connecting, and (4) Critiquing. In Conforming, participants highlighted how societal pressures around gender contributed to ED vulnerability. In Coping, participants explained that their EDs represented attempts to cope with the overlapping influences of body dissatisfaction, gender dysphoria, and body disconnection. In Connecting, participants described ED recovery as a process of connecting to self, others, and communities that welcomed and affirmed their diverse identities. In Critiquing, participants described how current ED treatment settings were often unwelcoming of or unprepared for non-cisgender patients. Overall, participants viewed their EDs as intricately linked to their gender identity and experiences of social pressure and discrimination. This study suggests the need for targeted ED prevention and intervention efforts within TNB communities, and the ethical imperative to meaningfully address the needs of TNB patients in ED treatment settings

Outcomes of Operatively Treated Acute Knee Dislocations

Knee dislocation is a complex and rare injury often presenting in the context of high velocity trauma. The aim of this study is to establish the subjective outcomes of surgically treated knee dislocations. A total of 20 knees dislocations treated by open repair were reviewed. Their progress and outcomes were assessed by using a modified Lysholm score questionnaire. Data was obtained on patient demographics, details of injury, investigation, treatment, rehabilitation, 24 months objective outcome and subjective outcomes. Six patients had a vascular deficit and six had neurological deficits. The median range of motion was 0°-100°. Patients with an initially lower pre-injury level of function were able to return an activity level comparable to their pre-injury status. 22% of competitive athletes retuned to competitive sports. 38% of patients undertaking heavy activity returned to comparable pre-injury level of activity and 67% of patients undertaking moderate level of activity before injury returned to a comparable level after repair. 68% regularly had problems running, 70% problem squatting, 40% swelling and 42% problem with stairs. Most patients however did not have locking of the knee or problems with knees giving way. Patients pain scores decreased over time to an acceptable level. Despite the severity of the injury, majority of patients achieved a satisfactory outcome, although none of the patients reached the same level of function as before the injury. 80% of the patients were satisfied with their outcome. All dissatisfied patients suffered postoperative complications

GAPS-megacities: A new global platform for investigating persistent organic pollutants and chemicals of emerging concern in urban air

A pilot study was initiated in 2018 under the Global Atmospheric Passive Sampling (GAPS) Network named GAPS-Megacities. This study included 20 megacities/major cities across the globe with the goal of better understanding and comparing ambient air levels of persistent organic pollutants and other chemicals of emerging concern, to which humans residing in large cities are exposed. The first results from the initial period of sampling are reported for 19 cities for several classes of flame retardants (FRs) including organophosphate esters (OPEs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), and halogenated flame retardants (HFRs) including new flame retardants (NFRs), tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) and hexabromocyclododecane (HBCDD). The two cities, New York (USA) and London (UK) stood out with ∼3.5 to 30 times higher total FR concentrations as compared to other major cities, with total concentrations of OPEs of 15,100 and 14,100 pg/m, respectively. Atmospheric concentrations of OPEs significantly dominated the FR profile at all sites, with total concentrations in air that were 2–5 orders of magnitude higher compared to other targeted chemical classes. A moderately strong and significant correlation (r = 0.625, p < 0.001) was observed for Gross Domestic Product index of the cities with total OPEs levels. Although large differences in FR levels were observed between some cities, when averaged across the five United Nations regions, the FR classes were more evenly distributed and varied by less than a factor of five. Results for Toronto, which is a ‘reference city’ for this study, agreed well with a more in-depth investigation of the level of FRs over different seasons and across eight sites representing different urban source sectors (e.g. traffic, industrial, residential and background). Future sampling periods under this project will investigate trace metals and other contaminant classes, linkages to toxicology, non-targeted analysis, and eventually temporal trends. The study provides a unique urban platform for evaluating global exposome.A global study across 20 megacities/major cities reporting urban air concentrations of flame retardants and plasticizers.Authors thank the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Chemicals Management Plan (CMP) for financial support. The worldwide implementation of the Global Monitoring Plan is made possible thanks to the generous contributions to the Stockholm Convention Voluntary Trust Fund from the Governments of Japan, Norway, Sweden, and through the European Commission’s Thematic Programme for Environment andSustainable Management of Natural Resources, including Energy (ENRTP). Further, the contribution of the projects to support POPs monitoring activities in regions, funded through the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM), is greatly acknowledged. Monitoring activities and data collection and analysis are implemented in the five UN regions in cooperation with strategic partners and through the involvement of Regional Organization Groups and Global Coordination Group. We also thank Yasuyuki Shibata and Yoshikatsu Takazawa (Tokyo, Japan); Juan Mu~noz-Arnanz (Madrid, Spain) and Dilek €Ozkan and Sinan Kızıltug (_Istanbul, Turkey) for their help and assistance in the sampling campaign

The importance of language for language development: Linguistic determinism in the 1980s

The semantic and syntactic functions of verbs are the major aspects of linguistic complexity that contribute to the cognitive requirements for learning language between two and three years of age. Several contrastive categories of verbs emerged from our studies with action/state as the largest and most general. Contrastive subcategories of action verbs were locative/nonlocative action, durative/nondurative action, and completive/noncompletive action. The subcategories of state verbs were volitional/epistemic/notice/communication states. The psychological and linguistic validity of these semantic categories rests on their being coextensive with major grammatical developments and/or their sequential development

Market analysis for cultured proteins in low- and lower-middle income countries.

The global burden of malnutrition is unacceptably high.10 Worldwide, an estimated 22% of children under the age of five were stunted and 8% were wasted in 2018.11 Low-quality diets lacking in essential vitamins, minerals, proteins, and other nutrients are a key contributor to this burden.12 Animal-source foods—such as meat, poultry, fish, eggs, and dairy—are important components of a diverse diet and provide high-quality proteins and other essential nutrients that promote optimal growth and development.13,14,15,16,17As populations and incomes grow, the global demand for animal-source foods is projected to increase substantially, particularly in many low- and lower-middle income countries (LMICs).18,19 However, cost is currently a significant barrier to animal-source food consumption. In addition, meeting this growing demand for animal-source foods will require rapid increases in livestock production, which has significant environmental impacts, requiring considerable land, water, chemical, and energy inputs.10,17,18 Global food production is responsible for roughly one-quarter of all greenhouse gas emissions, most of which (up to 80%) are related to livestock.20,21 Livestock production is also a contributor to water pollution, deforestation, land degradation, overfishing, and antimicrobial resistance.20,22,23 Given these challenges, this report aims to assess the market for potentially more sustainable alternative proteins and their potential for use in LMIC settings. The report focuses on proteins derived from fermentation-based cellular agriculture, called cultured proteins, given their potential near-term time to market and their potential impact in LMIC populations. Most cultured protein manufacturers are developing proteins that are present in animal-source milk and eggs

Post-GWAS Functional Characterization of Susceptibility Variants for Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia

Recent genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified several gene variants associated with sporadic chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL/SLL). Many of these CLL/SLL susceptibility loci are located in non-coding or intergenic regions, posing a significant challenge to determine their potential functional relevance. Here, we review the literature of all CLL/SLL GWAS and validation studies, and apply eQTL analysis to identify putatively functional SNPs that affect gene expression that may be causal in the pathogenesis of CLL/SLL. We tested 12 independent risk loci for their potential to alter gene expression through cis-acting mechanisms, using publicly available gene expression profiles with matching genotype information. Sixteen SNPs were identified that are linked to differential expression of SP140, a putative tumor suppressor gene previously associated with CLL/SLL. Three additional SNPs were associated with differential expression of DACT3 and GNG8, which are involved in the WNT/β-catenin- and G protein-coupled receptor signaling pathways, respectively, that have been previously implicated in CLL/SLL pathogenesis. Using in silico functional prediction tools, we found that 14 of the 19 significant eQTL SNPs lie in multiple putative regulatory elements, several of which have prior implications in CLL/SLL or other hematological malignancies. Although experimental validation is needed, our study shows that the use of existing GWAS data in combination with eQTL analysis and in silico methods represents a useful starting point to screen for putatively causal SNPs that may be involved in the etiology of CLL/SLL

A 10 year study of the cause of death in children under 15 years in Manhiça, Mozambique

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Approximately 46 million of the estimated 60 million deaths that occur in the world each year take place in developing countries. Further, this mortality is highest in Sub-Saharan Africa, although causes of mortality in this region are not well documented. The objective of this study is to describe the most frequent causes of mortality in children under 15 years of age in the demographic surveillance area of the Manhiça Health Research Centre, between 1997 and 2006, using the verbal autopsy tool.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Verbal autopsy interviews for causes of death in children began in 1997. Each questionnaire was reviewed independently by three physicians with experience in tropical paediatrics, who assigned the cause of death according to the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10). Each medical doctor attributed a minimum of one and a maximum of 2 causes. A final diagnosis is reached when at least two physicians agreed on the cause of death.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>From January 1997 to December 2006, 568499 person-year at risk (pyrs) and 10037 deaths were recorded in the Manhiça DSS. 3730 deaths with 246658 pyrs were recorded for children under 15 years of age. Verbal autopsy interviews were conducted on 3002 (80.4%) of these deaths. 73.6% of deaths were attributed to communicable diseases, non-communicable diseases accounted for 9.5% of the defined causes of death, and injuries for 3.9% of causes of deaths. Malaria was the single largest cause, accounting for 21.8% of cases. Pneumonia with 9.8% was the second leading cause of death, followed by HIV/AIDS (8.3%) and diarrhoeal diseases with 8%.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The results of this study stand out the big challenges that lie ahead in the fight against infectious diseases in the study area. The pattern of childhood mortality in Manhiça area is typical of developing countries where malaria, pneumonia and HIV/AIDS are important causes of death.</p

The Oldest Case of Decapitation in the New World (Lapa do Santo, East-Central Brazil)

We present here evidence for an early Holocene case of decapitation in the New World (Burial 26), found in the rock shelter of Lapa do Santo in 2007. Lapa do Santo is an archaeological site located in the Lagoa Santa karst in east-central Brazil with evidence of human occupation dating as far back as 11.7-12.7 cal kyBP (95.4% interval). An ultra-filtered AMS age determination on a fragment of the sphenoid provided an age range of 9.1-9.4 cal kyBP (95.4% interval) for Burial 26. The interment was composed of an articulated cranium, mandible and first six cervical vertebrae. Cut marks with a v-shaped profile were observed in the mandible and sixth cervical vertebra. The right hand was amputated and laid over the left side of the face with distal phalanges pointing to the chin and the left hand was amputated and laid over the right side of the face with distal phalanges pointing to the forehead. Strontium analysis comparing Burial 26's isotopic signature to other specimens from Lapa do Santo suggests this was a local member of the group. Therefore, we suggest a ritualized decapitation instead of trophy-taking, testifying for the sophistication of mortuary rituals among hunter-gatherers in the Americas during the early Archaic period. In the apparent absence of wealth goods or elaborated architecture, Lapa do Santo's inhabitants seemed to use the human body to express their cosmological principles regarding death