Pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and safety of fesomersen, a novel antisense inhibitor of factor XI, in healthy Chinese, Japanese, and Caucasian volunteers.

The inhibition of coagulation factor XI (FXI) presents an attractive approach for anticoagulation as it is not expected to increase the risk of clinically relevant bleeding and is anticipated to be at least as effective as currently available anticoagulants. Fesomersen is a conjugated antisense oligonucleotide that selectively inhibits the expression of FXI. The article describes three clinical studies that investigated the safety, pharmacokinetic (PK), and pharmacodynamic (PD) profiles of fesomersen after subcutaneous (s.c.) injection to healthy participants. The studies included participants from diverse ethnic backgrounds (Caucasian, Japanese, and Chinese). Fesomersen demonstrated good safety and tolerability in all three studies. No major bleeding events were observed. After single-dose s.c. injection, fesomersen was rapidly absorbed into the systemic circulation, with maximum fesomersen-equivalent (fesomersen-eq) concentrations (Cmax) in plasma observed within a few hours. After reaching Cmax, plasma fesomersen-eq concentrations declined in a biphasic fashion. The PD analyses showed that the injection of fesomersen led to dose-dependent reductions in FXI activity and increases in activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT). The maximum observed PD effects were reached between Day 15 and 30, and FXI activity and aPTT returned to near-baseline levels by Day 90 after a single dose. The PK/PD profiles after a single injection were similar among the various ethnic groups. Collectively, the study results suggest that fesomersen has a favorable safety profile and predictable and similar PK and PD profiles across Chinese, Japanese, and Caucasian participants.

Lip Print Pattern among Children Visiting Dental Out patient department.

BACKGROUND: Lip print patterns are unique in every individual. The uniqueness of lip print pattern assists in the personal identification. The objectives of the present study were to study the different lip print patterns among the children visiting Kanti Children's Hospital, and to compare the distribution of lip print patterns based on gender and race. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 300 children visiting the Dental Outpatient Department of Kanti Children's Hospital, Kathmandu, Nepal. Convenience sampling method was used to choose the study subjects. Digital photography method was used to record the image of lips. RESULTS: The study showed 'Long vertical' (Type I) as the most frequent (41%) type of lip print pattern, whereas 'Unspecified' (Type V) was the least frequent (2.7%) type. Prevalence of 'Type I' pattern was significantly higher in males as compared to females (p=0.007) whereas prevalence of 'Type IV' pattern was significantly higher in females as compared to males (p=0.006). 'Type I' pattern was the commonest lip print pattern among both Caucasians and Mongolian, whereas 'Type V' (2%) and 'Type IV' (3.7%) were the least common lip print patterns in Caucasians and Mongolian children respectively. CONCLUSIONS: 'Long vertical' (Type I) was the most common lip print pattern among the children visiting the Dental Outpatient Department of Kanti Children's Hospital, Kathmandu, Nepal. Nevertheless, in higher or lesser numbers, all kinds of lip print patterns as described by Suzuki and Tsuchihashi were seen in the study population.

Bernard Geoffrey Norman Smith (1938-2016).

Bernard Smith was one of the most significant specialists in restorative dentistry of his generation. He was an inspiring undergraduate and postgraduate teacher, a noted international lecturer and a house-builder. Bernard was president of the British Society for Restorative Dentistry and first chairman of the Association of Consultants and Specialists in Restorative Dentistry.

Royal advertising toothpaste pot lids.

Royal patronage is not something new. Engraved images of British royalty were used by early toothpaste manufacturers, dentists and perfumiers to convey royal endorsement to boost their product sales in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Packaged in high-quality ceramic pots, these toothpastes and powders promoted cleaning, beautifying and preserving the teeth and gums. These fascinating containers, sealed with a transfer-printed lid, feature inventive designs and typefaces and highlight sophisticated manufacturing and marketing skills to entice consumers. Many have been re-discovered from the excavation of former rubbish tips and are often the only tangible evidence of long defunct businesses that elected to use this latest form of packaging.

Diagnosed behavioral health conditions during the perinatal period among a commercially insured population by race/ethnicity, 2008-2020.

Objective: We sought to examine trends in diagnosed behavioral health (BH) conditions [mental health (MH) disorders or substance use disorders (SUD)] among pregnant and postpartum individuals between 2008-2020. We then explored the relationship between BH conditions and race/ethnicity, acknowledging race/ethnicity as a social construct that influences health disparities. Methods: This study included delivering individuals, aged 15-44 years, and continuously enrolled in a single commercial health insurance plan for 1 year before and 1 year following delivery between 2008-2020. We used BH conditions as our outcome based on relevant ICD 9/10 codes documented during pregnancy or the postpartum year. Results: In adjusted analyses, white individuals experienced the highest rates of BH conditions, followed by Black, Hispanic, and Asian individuals, respectively. Asian individuals had the largest increase in BH rates, increasing 292%. White individuals had the smallest increase of 192%. The trend remained unchanged even after adjusting for age and Bateman comorbidity score, the trend remained unchanged. Conclusions: The prevalence of diagnosed BH conditions among individuals in the perinatal and postpartum periods increased over time. As national efforts continue to work toward improving perinatal BH, solutions must incorporate the needs of diverse populations to avert preventable morbidity and mortality.

White by Another Name? Can Anti-Christian Bias Claims Serve as a Racial Dog Whistle?

Four preregistered experiments (N = 4,307) explored whether anti-Christian bias claims can discreetly signal White allyship among Christian American adults. In Experiments 1 and 2, reading about anti-Christian bias led White, but not Black, Christians to perceive more anti-White bias. Experiments 3 and 4 demonstrate the connection between Christian and White can be leveraged by politicians in the form of a racial dog whistle. In Experiment 3, White Christians perceived a politician concerned about anti-Christian bias as caring more about anti-White bias and more willing to fight for White people (relative to a control). This politician was also perceived as less offensive than a politician concerned about anti-White bias. In Experiment 4, Black Christians perceived a politician concerned about anti-Christian bias as less offensive than one concerned about anti-White bias yet still unlikely to fight for Black people. Results suggest "anti-Christian bias" can provide a relatively palatable way to signal allegiance to White people.

Are patients with type 2 diabetes in the Waikato District provided with adequate education and support in primary care to self-manage their condition? A qualitative study.

Introduction In Aotearoa New Zealand (NZ), type 2 diabetes (T2D) is predominantly managed in primary care. Despite established guidelines, patients are often suboptimally managed, with inequitable health outcomes. To date, few NZ studies have evaluated the primary care management of T2D at the time of diagnosis. Aim This study aims to explore patients' the provision of education and delivery of care to patients at the time of diagnosis, which is a crucial time in the disease trajectory. Methods Participants were recruited from a Maori health provider in the Waikato District, and diagnosed with T2D after January 2020. Patients were texted a link to opt into a survey (larger study) and then registered interest by providing contact details for an interview (current study). Semi-structured interviews were conducted and were audio recorded, transcribed, and thematically analysed. Results In total, 11 participants aged 19-65 years completed the interviews (female n = 9 and male n = 20); the comprised Maori (n = 5), NZ European (n = 5) and Asian (n = 1) participants. Three overarching themes were identified, including: (1) ineffective provision of resources and education methods; (2) poor communication from healthcare practitioners; and (3) health system barriers. Discussion Evidently, there are difficulties in primary care diabetes mellitus diagnosis and management. Improvements could include locally relevant resources tailored to patients' experiences and cultural identities. Utilising whanau support and a non-clinical workforce, such as health navigators/kaiawhina, will drastically address current workforce issues and assist patient self-management. This will allow improved diagnosis experiences and better health outcomes for patients and whanau.

Emotional reactions to concepts of racism and white privilege in non-Aboriginal professionals working in remote Aboriginal communities.

INTRODUCTION: This research, conducted by a non-Aboriginal, White researcher, examines how health professionals working in remote Aboriginal communities engage with antiracism as instructed by national standards, whether strong emotions are elicited while reflecting on these concepts, and how these reactions impact on antiracist professional practice. METHODS: Eleven non-Indigenous allied health professionals were interviewed in a semi-structured format. Interviews were transcribed, thematically analysed and compared to existing literature. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Every participant identified overwhelming emotions that they linked to reflecting on racism, White privilege and colonisation. Professionals reported grappling with denial, anger, guilt, shame, fear, anxiety and perfectionism, loss of belonging, disgust and care. They reported that these emotions caused overwhelm, exhaustion, tensions with colleagues and managers, and disengagement from antiracism efforts, and contributed to staff turmoil and turnover. CONCLUSION: Previously, these emotional reactions and their impact on antiracism have only been described in the context of universities and by antiracist activists. This research identifies for the first time that these reactions also occur in health services in Aboriginal communities. Wider research is needed to better understand how these reactions impact on health service delivery to Aboriginal communities, and to evaluate ways of supporting staff to constructively navigate these reactions and develop antiracist, decolonised professional practice.

Association of the CXCL12 rs1801157 Polymorphism with Breast Cancer Risk: A Meta-Analysis.

Studies on the CXCL12 rs1801157 polymorphism show that this polymorphism is involved in development of breast cancer, but its specific relationships or effects are not consistent. The purpose of this meta-analysis was to investigate the association between CXCL12 rs1801157 polymorphism and susceptibility to breast cancer. PubMed, Scopus, Embase, the Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and CNKI were searched for eligible studies through February 01, 2023. A total of ten studies with 2093 cases and 2302 controls were included in this meta-analysis. Overall, there is a significant association between CXCL12 rs1801157 polymorphism and risk of breast cancer under the homozygote genetic model (AA vs. GG, OR= 1.350, 95% CI: 1.050-1.734, p= 0.019). Stratified by ethnicity showed a significant association in Caucasian women, but not among Asian and mixed populations. This meta-analysis confirms that CXCL12 rs1801157 polymorphism is related to breast cancer risk, especially among Caucasian women. However, well-designed large-scale studies are required to further evaluate the results.

Genetic variants associated with osteosarcoma risk: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Osteosarcoma (OS) is the most common type of primary bone malignancy. Common genetic variants including single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have been associated with osteosarcoma risk, however, the results of published studies are inconsistent. The aim of this study was to systematically review genetic association studies to identify SNPs associated with osteosarcoma risk and the effect of race on these associations. We searched the Medline, Embase, Scopus from inception to the end of 2019. Seventy-five articles were eligible for inclusion. These studies investigated the association of 190 SNPs across 79 genes with osteosarcoma, 18 SNPs were associated with the risk of osteosarcoma in the main analysis or in subgroup analysis. Subgroup analysis displayed conflicting effects between Asians and Caucasians. Our review comprehensively summarized the results of published studies investigating the association of genetic variants with osteosarcoma susceptibility, however, their potential value should be confirmed in larger cohorts in different ethnicities.

Differences in metabolic biomarkers in people with schizophrenia who are of Mexican descent compared to non-Hispanic whites.

Metabolic dysfunction is highly prevalent and contributes to premature mortality among people with schizophrenia (PwS), especially in Hispanic/Latino/a/x/e PwS, compared to non-Hispanic White (NHW) PwS. This study evaluated the relative contributions of Mexican descent and schizophrenia diagnosis to metabolic biomarker levels. This cross-sectional study included 115 PwS and 102 non-psychiatric comparison (NC) participants - English-speakers aged 26-66 years, 27% Mexican descent, and 52% women across both groups. Assessments included evaluations of BMI, psychopathology, and fasting metabolic biomarkers. We used ANOVA analyses to compare metabolic outcomes between diagnostic and ethnic subgroups, linear regression models to examine associations between Mexican descent and metabolic outcomes, and Spearman's correlations to examine relationships between metabolic outcomes and illness-related variables in PwS. Mexican PwS had higher hemoglobin A1c levels, insulin resistance, and body mass index than NHW PwS. Mexican descent was associated with higher hemoglobin A1c levels, insulin resistance, body mass index, and leptin levels, controlling for age, sex, depression, education, and smoking. Among Mexican PwS, worse negative symptoms were associated with greater insulin resistance. These findings support the possibility of ethnicity-based differences in metabolic dysregulation, though further investigation is warranted to create targeted health interventions for Hispanic PwS.

"I Was Told to Think Like a Middle-Aged White Woman": A Survey on Identity and the Association of Social Work Boards Exam.

The release of the 2022 Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) exam passage rate report confirmed what many test takers who failed their exam believe. The ASWB exams are biased, with differential passage rates based on the test taker's race, age, and "English as a second language" status. However, the report only offered basic descriptive statistics and lacked insight into the test takers' experience. The present study addresses this gap. Results are from a 2022 survey of individuals who had taken the ASWB master's level licensing exam (N = 1,045) highlighting test taker identity and experience. Thirty percent of the study sample identified as neurodivergent, 29.1 percent as primary caregivers, and 27.1 percent as Black, Indigenous, or persons of color. White respondents had the highest first-attempt passing rates (95.7 percent), followed by Latinx and Black respondents (84.9 percent and 78.2 percent, respectively). Forty-four respondents reported taking the test three or more times before passing. Among this group, 52 percent identified as Black, 25 percent as White, and 18 percent as Latinx. Respondents were asked how they felt their identity impacted their experience, and three interrelated themes emerged: privilege, challenges, and critique of the exam. Respondents discussed the impact of having or not having privilege; the emotional, physical, and financial challenges of preparing for the exam; and the ways in which they experienced the exam as biased.

Post stroke pain: Is there under-diagnosis in Black versus White patients?

Stroke incidence is higher and stroke outcomes are poorer in Black patients compared to White patients. Poststroke pain, however, is not a well understood stroke outcome. Using the National Institutes of Health All of Us Research Program database, we hypothesized that the dataset would demonstrate proportionately higher relative risk of poststroke pain in the Black poststroke patient population compared to the White poststroke patient population. However, our analysis showed that Black stroke patients were diagnosed with poststroke pain at a similar rate as White stroke patients. As our results are not consistent with other poststroke outcomes in the literature, this study identifies a potentially underdiagnosed patient population, highlighting the need for further research.