HEALTH The Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care Act

The Act allows a competent adult to appoint an agent to make health care decisions on his or her behalf. The Act provides the mechanisms for establishing and enforcing a health care agency relationship and a statutory short form durable power of attorney for health care. The Act also defines the responsibilities of health care providers in health care agency situations and provides for penalties, liability, and immunity from liability under some circumstances for both health care providers and agents

Where are the tropical plants? A call for better inclusion of tropical plants in studies investigating and predicting the effects of climate change

Tropical plant species are systematically underrepresented in large-scale analyses or synthesis looking at the potential effects of global climate change.  The reason being that we simply don’t know enough about the distributions and ecologies of most tropical plant species to predict their fate under climate change. This gaping hole in our knowledge is extremely worrisome given the high diversity of tropical plants, the crucial roles that they play in supporting global diversity and ecosystem function, and the elevated threats that climate change may pose to tropical species in general.  </p

Exploratory survey of informal vendor-sold fast food in rural South Africa

Background: South Africa is experiencing a dramatic increase in obesity in both urban and rural areas. It is important to understand access to food better and how this influences food choice in rural environments. This study aimed to explore the nature and availability of fast foods in rural South Africa.Method: Convenience sampling was used to procure fast food samples. The study was conducted in rural northeast South Africa in four villages, part of the South African Medical Research Council and University of the Witwatersrand-Agincourt Health and Socio-Demographic Surveillance System (HSDSS). The outcome measures were assessment of the availability of fast foods and their macronutrient composition.Results: This study highlights the availability of fast foods through informal community vendors. Of note is the limited variety of foods sold by informal vendors, of which a striking two thirds were either vetkoek or fried chips, which on average yielded 943&ndash;5 552 kJ and 11&ndash;64 g fat. Additionally, we found that rural vendors sold a local fast food item, the kota.Conclusion: Given that rural South Africa is undergoing rapid health, social, and nutrition transitions, this study signals the need for more comprehensive research to improve our understanding of the contributory role of fast food and its connection with both livelihoods and the burgeoning obesity epidemic in poorer rural areas. It is through better research and greater understanding that we can work with communities and local government to improve access to more nutrient-rich foods that are less energy dense.Keywords: fast food, vendor, rural, nutrition transition, South Afric

Tibial Tubercle Osteotomy and Medial Patellofemoral Ligament Imbrication for Patellar Instability Due to Trochlear Dysplasia.

BackgroundThe treatment of patellar instability in the setting of trochlear dysplasia is challenging.Purpose/hypothesisThe purpose of this study was to evaluate outcomes for the treatment of recurrent patellar dislocations due to trochlear dysplasia using anteromedialization tibial tubercle osteotomy combined with medial patellofemoral ligament (MPFL) imbrication. We hypothesized that the treatment of patellar instability with tibial tubercle osteotomy and MPFL imbrication would result in improved patient satisfaction and decrease patellar instability events in patients with prior instability and trochlear dysplasia.Study designCase series; Level of evidence, 4.MethodsWe performed a retrospective analysis of patients who underwent MPFL imbrication and concomitant anteromedialization tibial tubercle osteotomy for recurrent patellofemoral instability at a single institution. The minimum follow-up was 1 year. Patient demographic information including age at the time of surgery, sex, body mass index (BMI), tibial tubercle-trochlear groove (TT-TG) distance, and grade of trochlear dysplasia was collected along with relevant operative data. Postoperatively, recurrent dislocation events as well as Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS), Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index, and Kujala scores were collected, and satisfaction was ascertained by asking patients whether they would undergo the procedure again.ResultsA total of 37 knees from 31 patients (23 female) with a mean follow-up of 3.8 years (range, 1-8.9 years) were included. The mean patient age was 28.8 years (range, 14-45 years), the mean BMI was 24 kg/m2 (range, 20-38 kg/m2), and the mean preoperative TT-TG distance was 18.9 mm (range, 8.4-32.4 mm). Two knees were classified as low-grade trochlear dysplasia (Dejour A) and 35 as high-grade trochlear dysplasia (Dejour B-D). At final follow-up, patients reported mean KOOS subscale scores of 86.5 (Pain), 79.8 (Symptoms), 93.9 (Activities of Daily Living), 74.3 (Sports/Recreation), and 61.9 (Quality of Life), as well as a mean Kujala score of 81.3. Mean patient satisfaction was 8.3 of 10. The majority of knees (86.5%; 32/37) remained stable without recurrent instability after this procedure, while 13.5% (5 knees) suffered a recurrent dislocation, with 2 requiring revision surgery. Eight knees (21.6%) underwent subsequent hardware removal.ConclusionAnteromedialization tibial tubercle osteotomy with MPFL imbrication can improve recurrent patellofemoral instability and provide significant clinical benefit to patients with trochlear dysplasia

Remittance flows to post-conflict states: perspectives on human security and development

This repository item contains a single issue of the Pardee Center Task Force Reports, a publication series that began publishing in 2009 by the Boston University Frederick S. Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer-Range Future.Migrant remittances – that is, money or other goods sent to relatives in the country of origin– play an increasingly central role in post-conflict reconstruction and national development of conflict-affected states. Private remittances are of central importance for restoring stability and enhancing human security in post-conflict countries. Yet the dynamics of conflict-induced remittance flows and the possibilities of leveraging remittances for post-conflict development have been sparsely researched to date. This Pardee Center Task Force Report is the outcome of an interdisciplinary research project organized by the Boston University Center for Finance, Law & Policy, in collaboration with The Frederick S. Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer-Range Future. The Task Force was convened by Boston University development economist John R. Harris and international banking expert Donald F. Terry, and social anthropologist Daivi Rodima-Taylor, Visiting Researcher at the Boston University African Studies Center, served as lead researcher and editor for the report. The Task Force was asked to research, analyze, and propose policy recommendations regarding the role of remittances in post-conflict environments and their potential to serve as a major source of development funds. The report’s authors collectively suggest a broader approach to remittance institutions that provides flexibility to adapt to specific local practices and to make broader institutional connections in an era of growing population displacement and expanding human and capital flows. Conditions for more productive use of migrants’ remittances are analyzed while drawing upon case studies from post-conflict countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America. The papers in this Task Force Report establish the importance of remittances for sustaining local livelihoods as well as rehabilitating institutional infrastructures and improving financial inclusion in post-conflict environments. Highlighting the increasing complexity of global remittance systems, the report examines the growing informality of conflict-induced remittance flows and explores solutions for more efficient linkages between financial institutions of different scales and degrees of formality. It discusses challenges to regulating international remittance transfers in the context of growing concerns about transparency, and documents the increasing role of diaspora networks and migrant associations in post-conflict co-development initiatives. The Task Force Report authors outline the main challenges to leveraging remittances for post-conflict development and make recommendations for further research and policy applications

Evolutionary heritage shapes tree distributions along an Amazon-to-Andes elevation gradient

Understanding how evolutionary constraints shape the elevational distributions of tree lineages provides valuable insight into the future of tropical montane forests under global change. With narrow elevational ranges, high taxonomic turnover, frequent habitat specialization, and exceptional levels of endemism, tropical montane forests and trees are predicted to be highly sensitive to environmental change. Using plot census data from a gradient traversing > 3,000 m in elevation on the Amazonian flank of the Peruvian Andes, we employ phylogenetic approaches to assess the influence of evolutionary heritage on distribution trends of trees at the genus‐level. We find that closely related lineages tend to occur at similar mean elevations, with sister genera pairs occurring a mean 254 m in elevation closer to each other than the mean elevational difference between non‐sister genera pairs. We also demonstrate phylogenetic clustering both above and below 1,750 m a.s.l, corresponding roughly to the cloud‐base ecotone. Belying these general trends, some lineages occur across many different elevations. However, these highly plastic lineages are not phylogenetically clustered. Overall, our findings suggest that tropical montane forests are home to unique tree lineage diversity, constrained by their evolutionary heritage and vulnerable to substantial losses under environmental changes, such as rising temperatures or an upward shift of the cloud‐base.National Science Foundation, Grant/Award Number: NSF DEB LTREB 1754647 and NSF DEB LTREB 1754664; Natural Environment Research Council, Grant/Award Number: NE/G018278/1 and NE/L002558/1; Australian Research Council, Grant/Award Number: DP17010409

Evolutionary diversity peaks at mid-elevations along an Amazon-to-Andes elevation gradient

Elevation gradients present enigmatic diversity patterns, with trends often dependent on the dimension of diversity considered. However, focus is often on patterns of taxonomic diversity and interactions between diversity gradients and evolutionary factors, such as lineage age, are poorly understood. We combine forest census data with a genus level phylogeny representing tree ferns, gymnosperms, angiosperms, and an evolutionary depth of 382 million years, to investigate taxonomic and evolutionary diversity patterns across a long tropical montane forest elevation gradient on the Amazonian flank of the Peruvian Andes. We find that evolutionary diversity peaks at mid-elevations and contrasts with taxonomic richness, which is invariant from low to mid-elevation, but then decreases with elevation. We suggest that this trend interacts with variation in the evolutionary ages of lineages across elevation, with contrasting distribution trends between younger and older lineages. For example, while 53% of young lineages (originated by 10 million years ago) occur only below ∼1,750 m asl, just 13% of old lineages (originated by 110 million years ago) are restricted to below ∼1,750 m asl. Overall our results support an Environmental Crossroads hypothesis, whereby a mid-gradient mingling of distinct floras creates an evolutionary diversity in mid-elevation Andean forests that rivals that of the Amazonian lowlands

The association between excess weight and COVID-19 outcomes: An umbrella review

\ua9 2024 The Author(s). Obesity Reviews published by John Wiley &amp; Sons Ltd on behalf of World Obesity Federation.This umbrella review assessed the association between excess weight and COVID-19 outcomes. MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and CINAHL were systematically searched for reviews that assessed the association between excess weight and COVID-19 outcomes. A second-order meta-analysis was conducted on the available data for intensive care unit admission, invasive mechanical ventilation administration, disease severity, hospitalization, and mortality. The quality of included reviews was assessed using the AMSTAR-2 appraisal tool. In total, 52 systematic reviews were included, 49 of which included meta-analyses. The risk of severe outcomes (OR = 1.86; 95% CI: 1.70 to 2.05), intensive care unit admission (OR = 1.58; 95% CI: 1.45 to 1.72), invasive mechanical ventilation administration (OR = 1.70; 95% CI: 1.57 to 1.83), hospitalization (OR = 1.82; 95% CI: 1.61 to 2.05), and mortality (OR = 1.35; 95% CI: 1.24 to 1.48) following COVID-19 infection was significantly higher in individuals living with excess weight compared with those with a healthy weight. There was limited evidence available in the included reviews regarding the influence of moderating factors such as ethnicity, and the majority of included reviews were of poor quality. Obesity appears to represent an important modifiable pre-infection risk factor for severe COVID-19 outcomes, including death

The Prevalence and Clinical Implications of Comorbid Back Pain in Shoulder Instability: A Multicenter Orthopaedic Outcomes Network (MOON) Shoulder Instability Cohort Study.

Background:Understanding predictors of pain is critical, as recent literature shows that comorbid back pain is an independent risk factor for worse functional and patient-reported outcomes (PROs) as well as increased opioid dependence after total joint arthroplasty. Purpose/Hypothesis:The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether comorbid back pain would be predictive of pain or self-reported instability symptoms at the time of stabilization surgery. We hypothesized that comorbid back pain will correlate with increased pain at the time of surgery as well as with worse scores on shoulder-related PRO measures. Study Design:Cross-sectional study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods:As part of the Multicenter Orthopaedic Outcomes Network (MOON) Shoulder Instability cohort, patients consented to participate in pre- and intraoperative data collection. Demographic characteristics, injury history, preoperative PRO scores, and radiologic and intraoperative findings were recorded for patients undergoing surgical shoulder stabilization. Patients were also asked, whether they had any back pain. Results:The study cohort consisted of 1001 patients (81% male; mean age, 24.1 years). Patients with comorbid back pain (158 patients; 15.8%) were significantly older (28.1 vs 23.4 years; P &lt; .001) and were more likely to be female (25.3% vs 17.4%; P = .02) but did not differ in terms of either preoperative imaging or intraoperative findings. Patients with self-reported back pain had significantly worse preoperative pain and shoulder-related PRO scores (American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons score, Western Ontario Shoulder Instability Index) (P &lt; .001), more frequent depression (22.2% vs 8.3%; P &lt; .001), poorer mental health status (worse scores for the RAND 36-Item Health Survey Mental Component Score, Iowa Quick Screen, and Personality Assessment Screener) (P &lt; .01), and worse preoperative expectations (P &lt; .01). Conclusion:Despite having similar physical findings, patients with comorbid back pain had more severe preoperative pain and self-reported symptoms of instability as well as more frequent depression and lower mental health scores. The combination of disproportionate shoulder pain, comorbid back pain and mental health conditions, and inferior preoperative expectations may affect not only the patient's preoperative state but also postoperative pain control and/or postoperative outcomes