Seasonal Patterns of Injury Characteristics Among Farmers and Ranchers in the U.S. Central States.

OBJECTIVE: In high-risk agricultural environments, tasks, weather, and work conditions vary throughout the year. Also, injuries peak during certain periods. The primary objective of this study was to examine operator- and farm-level characteristics as risk factors for injuries within each of the four seasons. The secondary objective was to examine seasonal differences in the incident location and primary cause of these injuries. METHOD: We analyzed data from the 2018 and 2020 Farm and Ranch Health and Safety Surveys (FRHSS), conducted in seven U.S. states by the Central States Center for Agricultural Safety and Health (CS-CASH), which were collected using a stratified random sampling approach to ensure representativeness. The survey data were merged with operation-level data from the Farm Market iD database. We employed Generalized Estimating Equations (GEE) to examine the association of seasonal injuries with individual and operation-level characteristics. The chi-square test of independence was used to assess the association between injury incident location and season, as well as injury cause and season. Pairwise Z-tests of proportions were conducted to evaluate the differences in the proportions of injuries due to specific combinations of injury location and cause across each pair of seasons. RESULTS: Surveys conducted in 2018 and 2020 yielded a combined response rate of 15.9%, with 5,428 responses and 7,915 unique operators. Of these, 903 operators reported at least one injury during the past 12 months. Seasonally, most injuries occurred in spring (34.2%), followed by summer (24.7%). Male operators had higher injury odds in the spring (adjusted OR = 1.42) and summer (aOR = 2.41). Those managing both a farm and a ranch reported increased injury risks in winter (aOR = 1.73) and spring (aOR = 1.48). Operators in cow-calf operations faced higher springtime injury risks (aOR = 1.45). High stress and exhaustion were consistent risk factors across all seasons. The highest proportion of injury incidents occurred in the farmyard (43.6%), and livestock were the most common cause of injury (24.9%). CONCLUSION: Results highlight the need for season-specific prevention and intervention strategies, considering farmers' and ranchers' risk characteristics, injury locations, and causes. These findings can inform targeted measures for high-risk populations at optimal times and locations.

Alzheimer Disease and Related Dementia Following Hormone-Modulating Therapy in Patients With Breast Cancer.

Importance: Hormone-modulating therapy (HMT) is a widely accepted treatment for hormone receptor-positive breast cancer, although its cognitive effects, including a potential link to Alzheimer disease and related dementias (ADRD), remain understudied. Objective: To investigate the association between HMT for breast cancer treatment and risk of developing ADRD in women aged 65 years or older. Design, Setting, and Participants: This cohort study used a comprehensive dataset from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER)-Medicare linked database to identify patients who did and did not receive HMT treatment within 3 years after the initial diagnosis of breast cancer and assessed their risk of developing ADRD in later life. Individuals with a preexisting diagnosis of ADRD or receiving HMT before the diagnosis of breast cancer were excluded. This study was performed from June 2022 through January 2024. Exposure: Receipt of HMT. Main Outcomes and Measures: Risk of ADRD associated with HMT; associations of risk with age, self-identified race, and HMT type. Risk was measured using hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% CIs and adjusted for potential confounders such as demographic, sociocultural, and clinical variables. Results: Among 18 808 women aged 65 years and older diagnosed with breast cancer between 2007 and 2009 (1266 Black [6.7%], 16 526 White [87.9%], 1016 other [5.4%]), 12 356 (65.7%) received HMT within 3 years after diagnosis, while 6452 (34.3%) did not. The most common age group in both samples was the 75 to 79 years age group (HMT, 2721 women [22.0%]; no HMT, 1469 women [22.8%]), and the majority of women in both groups self-identified as White (HMT, 10 904 women [88.3%]; no HMT, 5622 women [87.1%]). During an average of 12 years of follow-up, 2926 (23.7%) of HMT users and 1802 (27.9%) of non-HMT users developed ADRD. HMT was associated with a 7% lower relative risk of ADRD overall (HR, 0.93; 95% CI, 0.88-0.98; P = .005). The association decreased with age and varied by race. The reduction in ADRD risk associated with HMT was greatest for women aged 65 to 74 years who self-identified as Black (HR, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.62-0.92). This association decreased among women aged 75 years or older (HR, 0.81; 95% CI, 0.67-0.98). Women aged 65 to 74 years who self-identified as White had an 11% relative risk reduction (HR, 0.89; 95% CI, 0.81-0.97), but the association disappeared for women aged 75 years or older (HR, 0.96; 95% CI, 0.90-1.02). Other races showed no significant association between HMT and ADRD. Age- and race-based associations also varied by HMT type. Conclusions and Relevance: In this retrospective cohort study, hormone therapy was associated with protection against ADRD in women aged 65 years or older with newly diagnosed breast cancer; the decrease in risk was relatively greater for Black women and women under age 75 years, while the protective effect of HMT diminished with age and varied by race in women. When deciding to use HMT for breast cancer in women aged 65 years or more, clinicians should consider age, self-identified race, and HMT type in treatment decisions.

SIRT4 loss reprograms intestinal nucleotide metabolism to support proliferation following perturbation of homeostasis.

The intestine is a highly metabolic tissue, but the metabolic programs that influence intestinal crypt proliferation, differentiation, and regeneration are still emerging. Here, we investigate how mitochondrial sirtuin 4 (SIRT4) affects intestinal homeostasis. Intestinal SIRT4 loss promotes cell proliferation in the intestine following ionizing radiation (IR). SIRT4 functions as a tumor suppressor in a mouse model of intestinal cancer, and SIRT4 loss drives dysregulated glutamine and nucleotide metabolism in intestinal adenomas. Intestinal organoids lacking SIRT4 display increased proliferation after IR stress, along with increased glutamine uptake and a shift toward de novo nucleotide biosynthesis over salvage pathways. Inhibition of de novo nucleotide biosynthesis diminishes the growth advantage of SIRT4-deficient organoids after IR stress. This work establishes SIRT4 as a modulator of intestinal metabolism and homeostasis in the setting of DNA-damaging stress.

3D printing modality effect: Distinct printing outcomes dependent on selective laser sintering (SLS) and melt extrusion.

A direct and comprehensive comparative study on different 3D printing modalities was performed. We employed two representative 3D printing modalities, laser- and extrusion-based, which are currently used to produce patient-specific medical implants for clinical translation, to assess how these two different 3D printing modalities affect printing outcomes. The same solid and porous constructs were created from the same biomaterial, a blend of 96% poly-ε-caprolactone (PCL) and 4% hydroxyapatite (HA), using two different 3D printing modalities. Constructs were analyzed to assess their printing characteristics, including morphological, mechanical, and biological properties. We also performed an in vitro accelerated degradation study to compare their degradation behaviors. Despite the same input material, the 3D constructs created from different 3D printing modalities showed distinct differences in morphology, surface roughness and internal void fraction, which resulted in different mechanical properties and cell responses. In addition, the constructs exhibited different degradation rates depending on the 3D printing modalities. Given that each 3D printing modality has inherent characteristics that impact printing outcomes and ultimately implant performance, understanding the characteristics is crucial in selecting the 3D printing modality to create reliable biomedical implants.

Exploring wearable technology use and importance of health monitoring in the hazardous occupations of first responders and professional drivers.

OBJECTIVES: Hazardous materials (HAZMAT) pose risks to the health and safety of professionals involved with transportation and emergency responses. Two distinct occupational groups that encounter HAZMAT events are first responders and professional drivers. Wearable technology is a tool that can assist with monitoring the health of professionals involved in HAZMAT events. The aim of this study was to compare and evaluate the perceptions of first responders and professional drivers on wearable technology and attitudes toward health monitoring. METHODS: A survey was administered to first responders (n = 112) and professional drivers (n = 218). Statistical approaches included bivariate analysis, latent class analysis, logistic regression analysis, and path analysis for the variables of interest. RESULTS: There were significant differences between the groups in perceptions of the benefits of monitoring certain health indicators. Professional drivers were more likely to have a history of wearable technology use compared with first responders (odds ratio [OR] = 10.1; 95% CI, 4.42-22.9), reported greater exposure to HAZMAT (OR = 4.32; 95% CI, 2.24-8.32), and were more willing to have their health data monitored by someone other than themselves (OR = 9.27; 95% CI, 3.67-23.4). A multinomial regression model revealed that occupation was not a significant predictor of class preference for acceptance of monitoring specific health indicators. CONCLUSIONS: Occupation appeared to be important but further analysis uncovered that characteristics of individuals within the occupations were more salient to the use of wearable technology. HAZMAT exposure, someone else monitoring health data, and experience with wearable technology use were found to be important factors for perceptions about benefits of health monitoring with wearable technology.