Can the Arts Change the World? The Transformative Power of the Arts in Fostering and Sustaining Social Change

A group of nonprofit leaders working in the arts, advocacy, political organizing, social services, and education explored the connection between community organizing and creative expression by engaging in collective activities, including visiting various examples of community arts, and experimentation with their own practice. Through this process, the group concluded that arts could be socially transformative; that community arts can create a safe space that allows people to trust and be open to changing; that art can help people reflect together and not talk past one another; and that the process of creating together can be healing and sustaining

Genetic variability and identification of the intermediate snail hosts of Schistosoma mansoni

Studies based on shell or reproductive organ morphology and genetic considerations suggest extensive intraspecific variation in Biomphalaria snails. The high variability at the morphological and genetic levels, as well as the small size of some specimens and similarities between species complicate the correct identification of these snails. Here we review our work using methods based on polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification for analysis of genetic variation and identification of Biomphalaria snails from Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay. Arbitrarily primed-PCR revealed that the genome of B. glabrata exihibits a remarkable degree of intraespecific polymorphism. Low stringency-PCR using primers for 18S rRNA permited the identification of B. glabrata, B. tenagophila and B. occidentalis. The study of individuals obtained from geographically distinct populations exhibits significant intraspecific DNA polymorphism, however specimens from the same species, exhibit some species specific LSPs. We also showed that PCR-restriction fragment of length polymorphism of the internal transcribed spacer region of Biomphalaria rDNA, using DdeI permits the differentiation of the three intermediate hosts of Schistosoma mansoni. The molecular biological techniques used in our studies are very useful for the generation of new knowledge concerning the systematics and population genetics of Biomphalaria snails

Association of SGLT‐2 Inhibitors With Treatment Satisfaction and Diabetes‐Specific and General Health Status in Adults With Cardiovascular Disease and Type 2 Diabetes

Background It is unknown if initiation of a sodium‐glucose cotransporter‐2 inhibitor (SGLT‐2i) is associated with changes in patient‐reported health status outside of clinical trials. Methods and Results Using a prospective observational study design, adults with type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease were recruited from 14 US hospitals between November 2019 and December 2021 if they were new users of noninsulin antidiabetic medications. The primary outcome was change in 6‐month diabetes treatment satisfaction. Secondary outcomes included diabetes‐related symptom distress, diabetes‐specific quality of life, and general health status for all patients and based on cardiovascular disease type. Inverse probability of treatment weight using propensity score was performed to compare outcome changes based on medication use. Of 887 patients (SGLT‐2i: n=242) included in the inverse probability of treatment weight analyses, there was no difference in changes in treatment satisfaction in SGLT‐2i users compared with other diabetes medication users (0.99 [95% CI, −0.14 to 2.13] versus 1.54 [1.08 to 2.00], P=0.38). Initiating an SGLT‐2i versus other diabetes medications was associated with a greater reduction in ophthalmological symptoms (−3.09 [95% CI, −4.99 to −1.18] versus −0.38 [−1.54 to 0.77], P=0.018) but less improvement in hyperglycemia (1.08 [−2.63 to 4.79] versus −3.60 [−5.34 to −1.86], P=0.026). In subgroup analyses by cardiovascular disease type, SGLT‐2i use was associated with a greater reduction in total diabetes symptom burden and neurological sensory symptoms in patients with heart failure. Conclusions Among patients with type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, initiating an SGLT‐2i was not associated with changes in diabetes treatment satisfaction, total diabetes symptoms, diabetes‐specific quality of life, or general health status

Future Role of Health Technology Assessment for Genomic Medicine in Oncology: A Canadian Laboratory Perspective

Genome-based testing in oncology is a rapidly expanding area of health care that is the basis of the emerging area of precision medicine. The efficient and considered adoption of novel genomic medicine testing is hampered in Canada by the fragmented nature of health care oversight as well as by lack of clear and transparent processes to support rapid evaluation, assessment, and implementation of genomic tests. This article provides an overview of some key barriers and proposes approaches to addressing these challenges as a potential pathway to developing a national approach to genomic medicine in oncology