Introduction to the Special Issue of the Journal of Urban Health on Incarceration and Health

Criminal justice involvement is increasingly recognized as a powerful social determinant of health in urban populations, especially among low income and minority populations. Those who have experienced incarceration have higher rates of infectious and chronic diseases and are at risk of worsened health post-release: mostly due to lack of resources in the community and increased engagement in risk behavior

What Do We Find Attractive about the Face?: Survey Study with Application to Aesthetic Surgery

The appearance of the face is one of the most important factors influencing our perception of beauty. However, few studies have attempted to quantitate what one perceives as beauty. Therefore, this study was conducted with the goal of providing physicians with anatomical data that demonstrate which facial traits most influence our perception of one's attractiveness. In the first phase of the study, faces of 60 participants (30 males and 30 females) were photographed. Next, the photographs were shown to another group of 120 study members (60 males and 60 females), who evaluated the facial features using a Visual Analogue Scale. The highest rated facial parts were then measured using the ImageJ program. In men, the most attractive parts of the face were Type 1:2 lips, a Type IV nose of medium width, blue eyes, brown hair, and a very narrow face. Among females, the most attractive parts of the face were Type 2:1 lips, Type III and V noses of medium width, dark brown eyes, blonde hair, and a narrow face. This is the first study in which the most aesthetically important facial parts have been comprehensively examined. The results obtained in our study show a higher degree of representativeness compared to other studies due to a different methodological approach and can be used as an aesthetic guide and can help in the planning of aesthetic surgery such as lip augmentation and rhinoplasty

Implementing ASH’s guidelines for acute medical care for incarcerated children and adults with sickle cell disease

Abstract: Between 2019 and 2021, the American Society of Hematology (ASH) developed clinical guidelines for managing sickle cell disease (SCD), covering acute pain, acute neurological events, and other complications. However, these guidelines lacked implementation strategies for incarcerated individuals, a vulnerable group with unique challenges. In 2024, an ASH special panel of SCD and carceral health experts convened to address acute SCD care in custody settings, emphasizing timely access to emergency care, including acute management for acute strokes, pain management, and fever evaluation. The ASH special panel recommended prearranged emergency plans for transfer to specialized facilities, continuity of care with SCD specialists, and adherence to community-level care standards. Limitations included insufficient population data and absent chronic care guidelines. The ASH special panel urged that future ASH guidelines address SCD management tailored to carceral settings to reduce morbidity and ensure equitable care

Polyvalent inhibitors of anthrax toxin that target host receptors

Resistance of pathogens to antimicrobial therapeutics has become a widespread problem. Resistance can emerge naturally, but it can also be engineered intentionally, which is an important consideration in designing therapeutics for bioterrorism agents. Blocking host receptors used by pathogens represents a powerful strategy to overcome this problem, because extensive alterations to the pathogen may be required to enable it to switch to a new receptor that can still support pathogenesis. Here, we demonstrate a facile method for producing potent receptor-directed antitoxins. We used phage display to identify a peptide that binds both anthrax-toxin receptors and attached this peptide to a synthetic scaffold. Polyvalency increased the potency of these peptides by >50,000-fold in vitro and enabled the neutralization of anthrax toxin in vivo. This work demonstrates a receptor-directed anthrax-toxin inhibitor and represents a promising strategy to combat a variety of viral and bacterial diseases