Nicotine Addiction: A Hidden Health Crisis

In the United States, nicotine addiction is an ongoing health crisis (U.S Food and Drug Administration, 2023). Pivotal to this crisis is the prevalence and ease of access to devices that deliver nicotine. Covering a broad spectrum, devices range from traditional forms of tobacco such as cigarettes, pipes, etc. to new nicotine devices such as e-cigarettes and vapes. Yet, even with the health crisis looming, more and more individuals are becoming addicted to nicotine (Ayers et al., 2011; Lyu et al., 2022; Pokhrel et al., 2021). In particular, research indicates that the 18-24 age demographic is significantly more likely to use new nicotine devices like e-cigerettes or vapes (Arora et al., 2016; Czaplicki et al. 2019; Ickes et al., 2020; Inman et al., 2020; Marron, 2017). Because of widespread use by young people, vapes and e-cigerettes have become normalized. This creates a lack of urgency for many young people regarding nicotine addiction as a health crisis due to the way that social influences have obscured the social perception of nicotine devices. Our research aims to uncover the social influences behind the acceptability of new and emerging nicotine devices for the 18-24 age demographic and how they reflect this ongoing health crisis. In Dr. P’s SRM course, we analyzed relevant research literature and used it to guide our research through multiple methodologies. We explored prevalence of usage and current beliefs of new and emerging nicotine devices by surveying college students within the identified susceptible age group (18-24 years), analyzing secondary data, conducting content analysis, and interviewing college students (18-24 years) about nicotine use and experience with nicotine devices. Through this, we engaged with research methods and procedures, but also uncovered information about the ongoing nicotine addiction health crisis

Summary Data for Cross-Shore Transects (Winter 2016-Summer 2020) - Humboldt Coastal Resiliency Project and Climate Ready Project

Sea level rise and/or extreme events are capable of causing excessive erosion on the beaches and foredunes that line the outer edges of the barriers enclosing Humboldt Bay and the Eel River delta within the Eureka littoral cell. Erosion of these protective barriers threatens the natural and cultural resources and infrastructure behind them in two significant estuaries. A major goal of the Climate Ready Project and the Humboldt Coastal Resilience Project was to quantify present day beach-dune morphodynamics, which could then be used to model the impacts of sea level rise and extreme events. For this purpose, a total of 73 cross-shore transects were established along the littoral cell. Elevation and vegetation data collected on transects will be used in a quantitative model to predict beach, dune and barrier responses to sea level rise and extreme events. The purpose of this report is to present raw data in the form of graphs of elevation change along transects as the basis of qualitative observations of response during the period of data collection, 2016-2020. The primary audience is property owners within the study site. Conclusions of this report are based on qualitative analysis and may change when modeling is complete

Prevention Program Sustainability and Associated Determinants: A Literature Review, Version 1.0

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has made millions of dollars available through the Targeted Violence and Terrorism Prevention (TVTP) Grant Program to help communities across the United States develop capabilities to combat terrorism and targeted violence. Given this investment, a key objective is ensuring the long-term impact of these programs, which depends on their sustainment beyond the initial grant. Thus, the purpose of this report is to review the relevant literature on program sustainability and discuss implications for the TVTP Grant Program. We began the review by exploring definitions of sustainability as well as similar social programming concepts, such as adaptation, scalability, and impact. Our review found no consensus definition for prevention program sustainability, suggesting the TVTP Grant Program should develop a bespoke definition guided by strategic program priorities and incorporating other social programming concepts as needed. We then examined the determinants, or factors related positively to long-term programmatic success, of sustainability. All determinants relate to capacity building at two levels: 1. Organizational (Internal). Internal organizational capacity is impacted by (a) internal stakeholder buy-in and engagement, (b) adequacy of personnel resources, particularly in terms of expertise, (c) the presence of ongoing evaluation activities to support adaptations, and (d) support from the funding agency. 2. Community (External). External community capacity is impacted by (a) external stakeholder buy-in and continued engagement beyond the initial award, and (b) the fit between the program offerings and community needs

Dynamic restoration and the impact of native versus invasive vegetation on coastal foredune morphodynamics, Lanphere Dunes, California, USA

The Lanphere Dunes, part of the Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge, has been the focus of foredune restoration efforts since the 1980s. Efforts have centred around removal of an invasive European beach grass species, Ammophila arenaria, introduced in the early 1900s to stabilize the dunes to protect landward communities from coastal flooding and storm surges. Despite effectively stabilizing the foredune, A. arenaria forms monotypic vegetation stands, with highly dense roots, rhizomes, and above-ground biomass that can lead to pronounced scarping of the seaward slope, alongshore steering of wind and sediment, a lack of landward transfer of sand, and a steeper, more peaked profile. Effective foredune restoration must consider the coupled interactions between dominant plant type and the geomorphic processes that influence dune form. A 5 ha reach of recently restored foredune was monitored biannually with terrestrial laser scanner and uncrewed aerial systems platforms between 2015 and 2021 to characterize the impacts of dynamic restoration on foredune form and resiliency. This reach included two control plots: (1) native, non-restored and (2) invasive, and three restored plots revegetated with native species: (3) a native grass (Elymus mollis), (4) a low-lying herb and subshrub assemblage, and (5) a mixture of the native grass, herbs, and subshrubs. After five growing seasons, restored plots exhibited distinct geomorphic and sediment budget differences. Natively vegetated plots recovered from extensive scarping 2 years faster than the invasive plot. Restored plots saw foredune height (0.5–0.7 m) and width increase, landward extension (1 m) while maintaining a similar seaward position, and positive lee-slope sediment budgets that exceeded both control plots. These results suggest that the native vegetation plots allowed increased landward sand transport across the foredune, and increased the capacity of the foredune to recover more quickly following dune scarping

Allogeneic Stem Cells Alter Gene Expression and Improve Healing of Distal Limb Wounds in Horses.

Distal extremity wounds are a significant clinical problem in horses and humans and may benefit from mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) therapy. This study evaluated the effects of direct wound treatment with allogeneic stem cells, in terms of gross, histologic, and transcriptional features of healing. Three full-thickness cutaneous wounds were created on each distal forelimb in six healthy horses, for a total of six wounds per horse. Umbilical cord-blood derived equine MSCs were applied to each wound 1 day after wound creation, in one of four forms: (a) normoxic- or (b) hypoxic-preconditioned cells injected into wound margins, or (c) normoxic- or (d) hypoxic-preconditioned cells embedded in an autologous fibrin gel and applied topically to the wound bed. Controls were one blank (saline) injected wound and one blank fibrin gel-treated wound per horse. Data were collected weekly for 6 weeks and included wound surface area, thermography, gene expression, and histologic scoring. Results indicated that MSC treatment by either delivery method was safe and improved histologic outcomes and wound area. Hypoxic-preconditioning did not offer an advantage. MSC treatment by injection resulted in statistically significant increases in transforming growth factor beta and cyclooxygenase-2 expression at week 1. Histologically, significantly more MSC-treated wounds were categorized as pro-healing than pro-inflammatory. Wound area was significantly affected by treatment: MSC-injected wounds were consistently smaller than gel-treated or control wounds. In conclusion, MSC therapy shows promise for distal extremity wounds in horses, particularly when applied by direct injection into the wound margin. Stem Cells Translational Medicine 2018;7:98-108

Wheat bran promotes enrichment within the human colonic microbiota of butyrate-producing bacteria that release ferulic acid

This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. Acknowledgements: The authors acknowledge support from the Scottish Government Food Land and People programme (RESAS). We would like to thank Lorraine Scobbie and Gary Duncan for technical support. Funding for JP, AWW and 454 pyrosequencing was provided by the Wellcome Trust (grant number 098051).Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Fitness effects of altering gene expression noise in <i>Saccharomyces cerevisiae</i>

Gene expression noise is an evolvable property of biological systems that describes differences in expression among genetically identical cells in the same environment. Prior work has shown that expression noise is heritable and can be shaped by selection, but the impact of variation in expression noise on organismal fitness has proven difficult to measure. Here, we quantify the fitness effects of altering expression noise for the TDH3 gene in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We show that increases in expression noise can be deleterious or beneficial depending on the difference between the average expression level of a genotype and the expression level maximizing fitness. We also show that a simple model relating single-cell expression levels to population growth produces patterns consistent with our empirical data. We use this model to explore a broad range of average expression levels and expression noise, providing additional insight into the fitness effects of variation in expression noise

Recommendations for the management of MPS IVA: systematic evidence- and consensus-based guidance.

IntroductionMucopolysaccharidosis (MPS) IVA or Morquio A syndrome is an autosomal recessive lysosomal storage disorder (LSD) caused by deficiency of the N-acetylgalactosamine-6-sulfatase (GALNS) enzyme, which impairs lysosomal degradation of keratan sulphate and chondroitin-6-sulphate. The multiple clinical manifestations of MPS IVA present numerous challenges for management and necessitate the need for individualised treatment. Although treatment guidelines are available, the methodology used to develop this guidance has come under increased scrutiny. This programme was conducted to provide evidence-based, expert-agreed recommendations to optimise management of MPS IVA.MethodsTwenty six international healthcare professionals across multiple disciplines, with expertise in managing MPS IVA, and three patient advocates formed the Steering Committee (SC) and contributed to the development of this guidance. Representatives from six Patient Advocacy Groups (PAGs) were interviewed to gain insights on patient perspectives. A modified-Delphi methodology was used to demonstrate consensus among a wider group of healthcare professionals with experience managing patients with MPS IVA and the manuscript was evaluated against the validated Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation (AGREE II) instrument by three independent reviewers.ResultsA total of 87 guidance statements were developed covering five domains: (1) general management principles; (2) recommended routine monitoring and assessments; (3) disease-modifying interventions (enzyme replacement therapy [ERT] and haematopoietic stem cell transplantation [HSCT]); (4) interventions to support respiratory and sleep disorders; (5) anaesthetics and surgical interventions (including spinal, limb, ophthalmic, cardio-thoracic and ear-nose-throat [ENT] surgeries). Consensus was reached on all statements after two rounds of voting. The overall guideline AGREE II assessment score obtained for the development of the guidance was 5.3/7 (where 1 represents the lowest quality and 7 represents the highest quality of guidance).ConclusionThis manuscript provides evidence- and consensus-based recommendations for the management of patients with MPS IVA and is for use by healthcare professionals that manage the holistic care of patients with the intention to improve clinical- and patient-reported outcomes and enhance patient quality of life. It is recognised that the guidance provided represents a point in time and further research is required to address current knowledge and evidence gaps