Prevalence and correlates of handgun carrying and perceived ease of access among adolescents in Florida.

OBJECTIVE: Adolescent firearm violence poses a serious public health concern. The aim of this study is to explore correlates of access to firearms and firearm carrying patterns among adolescents in 2022. While previous research has documented correlates and risk factors for firearm carrying, the majority of this research has relied on samples collected prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and recent shifts in national patterns of firearm violence. METHODS: We analysed data from the 2022 Florida Youth and Substance Use Survey (FYSAS) (N=41 768). Logistic regression models were used to examine associations between demographic, familial, temperamental, and behavioural factors and both ease of perceived firearm access and patterns of firearm carrying. RESULTS: The results suggest that gender, grade level, race, residential setting, having a parent in the military, delinquency, depression, bullying and substance use are associated with perceived firearm access. In addition, gender, grade level, residential setting, ease of firearm access, delinquency, substance use, and bullying are all associated with firearm carrying. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest a host of demographic features and behavioural factors are associated with both perceived ease of firearm access and patterns of firearm carrying. Implications of these findings for reducing access to firearms is discussed.

Bullying Victimization and Youth's Likelihood of Carrying a Handgun.

Recent research suggests that bullying victimization increases the risk of handgun carrying among adolescents. Yet, little to no research has considered whether different types of bullying victimization (i.e., physical, verbal, cyber) shape handgun-carrying behaviors among youth. Understanding these relationships can, however, inform intervention efforts addressing youths' access to and motives for carrying handguns. The purposes of this study are twofold. First, we establish whether there is a relationship between bullying victimization and youth handgun carrying. Second, we seek to determine whether certain types of bullying victimization are associated more strongly with handgun carrying than others, using data from the 2022 Florida Youth Substance Abuse Survey (FYSAS, n = 47,572), a statewide representative sample of Florida middle school and high school students. The results from multinomial regression models indicate that physical bullying and cyberbullying victimization were associated with an elevated risk of carrying a handgun in the past 12 months. Interventions that underscore the importance of comprehensive anti-bullying interventions that not only address traditional physical aggression among adolescents but also mitigate the evolving challenges posed by unsupervised digital spaces may reduce the risk of handgun carrying.

Modelling the female torso and breast during physical activity: Implications on spinal loading.

Methods of modelling the female torso during physical activity often neglect the position and movement of the breast. This novel investigation compares three female torso modelling approaches that differ in complexity (integrated breast, fixed breast, dynamic breast) to determine the effect on spinal joint moments during running and jumping. The commonly used integrated breast model distributed breast mass within the torso, the fixed breast model attached the mass of the breasts to fixed positions on the anterior of the torso, and a new dynamic breast model enabled relative motion between the breasts and anterior torso. Key findings demonstrated minimal differences in lumbar spine moments (<0.05 Nm/kg; 4%) between integrated breast and fixed breast models but greater differences, up to 0.86 Nm/kg (68%) during running and 0.89 Nm/kg (82%) during jumping, when breast motion was included. Thoracic spine moments revealed similar patterns with minimal differences (<0.05 Nm/kg; 11%) between integrated breast and fixed breast models and greater differences, up to 0.48 Nm/kg (92%) during running and 0.63 Nm/kg (66%) during jumping, with the dynamic breast model. Future female musculoskeletal models should consider including breast mass and motion to avoid mis-representing spinal loading in females during running and jumping.

Disease and treatment burden of patients with haemophilia entering the explorer6 non-interventional study.

OBJECTIVES: We aimed to characterise baseline disease and treatment burden in a large population with haemophilia A/B, both with (HAwI/HBwI) and without (HA/HB) inhibitors. METHODS: The prospective, non-interventional explorer6 study included patients ≥12 years old with severe HA, severe/moderate HB or HAwI/HBwI of any severity, treated according to local standard of care (excluding previous/current exposure to concizumab or emicizumab). Baseline characteristics and historical clinical data were collected and patient-reported outcomes, including treatment burden, were assessed. RESULTS: The explorer6 study enrolled 231 patients with haemophilia (84 HAwI/HBwI) from 33 countries. At baseline, patients with HA/HB treated with prophylaxis had the lowest median annualised bleeding rates (ABRs; 2.0), irrespective of haemophilia type; of these patients, 27.5% (HA) and 31.4% (HB) had target joints. Patients with HAwI/HBwI treated episodically reported the highest treatment burden. Of these patients, 28.5% (HAwI) and 25.1% (HBwI) performed sports activities in the month before screening. CONCLUSION: Despite receiving routine clinical care, historical and baseline information from patients enrolled in explorer6 showed that patients with HA/HB treated episodically and patients with HAwI/HBwI had higher ABRs, higher treatment burden and participated in sports less than those with HA/HB treated with prophylaxis. Emerging treatments could be beneficial in addressing these unmet medical needs.

Endovascular Aortic Balloon control versus open Aortic cross Clamp in open ruptured abdominal Aortic aneurysm repair.

BACKGROUND: To determine 30-day mortality of endovascular aortic balloon control compared with open aortic cross clamp in open surgical repair (OSR) of ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysms (rAAAs). METHODS: A retrospective cohort review was performed of all adult patients who underwent OSR of an infrarenal rAAA between 2001 and 2018 at a single tertiary care center. A total of 174 patients were identified, of which 21 patients received endovascular aortic balloon control and 137 patients received an open aortic cross clamp. Primary outcome was 30-day mortality. Two-variable multivariate logistic regression was adjusted for preoperative blood pressure and age. RESULTS: Endovascular aortic balloon control was nonsignificantly associated with lower mortality (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 0.75 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.24 to 2.38), P = 0.63), and when placed under local anesthesia showed a trend toward improved mortality (adjusted OR = 0.34 (95%CI 0.06 to 1.77), P = 0.19). Balloon placement under general anesthesia was nonsignificantly associated with worse mortality (adjusted OR = 2.50 (95%CI 0.35 to 9.13), P = 0.46). CONCLUSIONS: There is no significant difference in mortality with the use of endovascular aortic balloon control in rAAA patients undergoing OSR, and it may be considered as an alternative approach to open aortic cross clamp in properly selected patients.

Spinal joint moment prediction following simulated breast surgery using a female whole-body musculoskeletal model.

This study aimed to use a musculoskeletal model to predict changes in spinal moments following simulated breast surgery. A female full body musculoskeletal model with a fully articulated thoracolumbar spine and independent moveable breast segments was customised for this study. Key findings suggest that the simulated removal of breast tissue (750 g to 1501 g) can reduce the magnitude of lumbar spine extensor moments by >0.05 Nm/kg during walking and jogging. A customised female whole-body musculoskeletal model is capable of providing a first approximation of changes in spinal loading following simulated breast surgery.

Age modulates the predictive value of self-reported sleepiness for all-cause mortality risk: insights from a comprehensive national database of veterans.

STUDY OBJECTIVES: Excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) is prevalent and overwhelmingly stems from disturbed sleep. We hypothesized that age modulates the association between EDS and increased all-cause mortality. METHODS: We utilized the Veterans' Health Administration data from 1999-2022. We enrolled participants with sleep related ICD9/10 codes or sleep services. A natural language processing (NLP) pipeline was developed and validated to extract the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) as a self-reported tool to measure EDS from physician progress notes. The NLP's accuracy was assessed through manual annotation of 470 notes. Participants were categorized into Normal-ESS, n-ESS, (ESS 0-10) and high-ESS, h-ESS, (ESS 11-24). We created three age groups: < 50 years; 50 to < 65 years; and ≥ 65 years. The adjusted odds ratio (aOR) of mortality was calculated for age, BMI, sex, race, ethnicity, and the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI), using n-ESS as the reference. Subsequently, we conducted age stratified analysis. RESULTS: The first ESS records were extracted from 423,087 veterans with a mean age of 54.8 (±14.6), mean BMI of 32.6 (±6.2), and 90.5% male. The aOR across all ages was 17% higher (1.15,1.19) in the h-ESS category. The aORs only became statistically significant for individuals aged ≥ 50 years in the h-ESS compared to the n-ESS category (< 50 years: 1.02 [0.96,1.08], 50 to < 65 years 1.13[1.10,1.16]; ≥ 65 years: 1.25 [1.21-1.28]). CONCLUSIONS: High ESS, predicted increased mortality only in participants aged 50 and older. Further research is required to identify this differential behavior in relation to age.

The combined effects of adverse childhood experiences and neighborhood quality on child health and well-being.

BACKGROUND: Many studies have investigated the effects of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) on the health, development, and well-being of children and adolescents. However, most studies have failed to examine whether childhood adversity and ecological factors interact to influence relevant health outcomes. OBJECTIVE: We used pooled data from the 2018-19 National Survey of Children's Health (n = 24,817) to assess the relationship between ACEs, neighborhood quality, and three domains of adolescent health and well-being: mental health (i.e., symptoms of anxiety problems and depression), neurodevelopmental health, and behavioral problems. METHODS: Nine types of ACEs were captured in the NSCH data. Logistic regression models were employed to explore the relationship between ACEs, neighborhood quality, and adolescent health and well-being. RESULTS: Our results indicate that ACEs are associated with each of these domains, with higher ACE scores associated with a higher risk of detrimental outcomes. Neighborhood disorder is also associated with several outcomes. Consistent with our expectations, in the presence of neighborhood disorder the association between higher ACEs exposure and behavior/conduct problems or neurodevelopmental disorders is larger. CONCLUSIONS: Our results have important implications for understanding how individual and contextual factors may combine to influence child health and behaviors, as well as offering policy recommendations that might help children who experience traumatic events.

Age modifies the association between severe sleep apnea and all-cause mortality.

PURPOSE: While sleep apnea (SA) gets more prevalent with advancing age, the impact of age on the association between SA and health outcomes is not well known. We assessed the association between the severity of SA and all-cause mortality in different age groups using large longitudinal data. METHOD: We applied a Natural Language Processing pipeline to extract the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) from the physicians' interpretation of sleep studies performed at the Veteran Health Administration (FY 1999-2022). We categorized the participants as no SA (n-SA, AHI< 5) and severe SA (s-SA, AHI≥30). We grouped the cohort based on age: Young≤40; Middle-aged:40-65; and Older adults≥65; and calculated the odds ratio (aOR) of mortality adjusted for age, sex, race, ethnicity, BMI, and Charlson-Comorbidity Index (CCI) using n-SA as the reference. RESULTS: We identified 146,148 participants (age 52.23 ± 15.02; BMI 32.11 ± 6.05; male 86.7 %; White 66 %). Prevalence of s-SA increased with age. All-cause mortality was lower in s-SA compared to n-SA in the entire cohort (aOR,0.56; 95%CI: 0.54,0.58). Comparing s-SA to n-SA, the all-cause mortality rates (Young 1.86 % vs 1.49 %; Middle-aged 12.07 % vs 13.34 %; and Older adults 26.35 % vs 40.18 %) and the aOR diminished as the age increased (Young: 1.11, 95%CI: 0.93-1.32; Middle-aged: 0.64, 95%CI: 0.61-0.67; and Older adults: 0.44, 95%CI: 0.41-0.46). CONCLUSION: The prevalence of severe SA increased while the odds of all-cause mortality compared to n-SA diminished with age. SA may exert less harmful effects on the aged population. A causality analysis is warranted to assess the relationship between SA, aging, and all-cause mortality.

Building Power on "Mass&Cass": A Community-Centered Approach to Addressing Health Resource Gaps for Persons Experiencing Homelessness in Boston, MA, 2021.

In November 2021, two grassroots organizations in Boston, Massachusetts-a housing and health justice organization and a student-led nonprofit-established an initiative to provide persons experiencing homelessness (PEH) near the Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea Cass Boulevard ("Mass&Cass") intersection in Boston with access to free COVID-19 education and other wrap-around services. They partnered with hospitals, public health organizations, and advocacy groups to make this happen. This community-driven initiative serves as a model for how to enact a sustainable pipeline for PEH to receive health resources and information, with the voices of those directly impacted at the center. (Am J Public Health. 2024;114(9):870-873. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2024.307713).

Bovine Serum Albumin Bends Over Backward to Interact with Aged Plastics: A Model for Understanding Protein Attachment to Plastic Debris.

Plastic pollution, a major environmental crisis, has a variety of consequences for various organisms within aquatic systems. Beyond the direct toxicity, plastic pollution has the potential to absorb biological toxins and invasive microbial species. To better understand the capability of environmental plastic debris to adsorb these species, we investigated the binding of the model protein bovine serum albumin (BSA) to polyethylene (PE) films at various stages of photodegradation. Circular dichroism and fluorescence studies revealed that BSA undergoes structural rearrangement to accommodate changes to the polymer's surface characteristics (i.e., crystallinity and oxidation state) that occur as the result of photodegradation. To understand how protein structure may inform docking of whole organisms, we studied biofilm formation of bacteriaShewanella oneidensison the photodegraded PE. Interestingly, biofilms preferentially formed on the photodegraded PE that correlated with the state of weathering that induced the most significant structural rearrangement of BSA. Taken together, our work suggests that there are optimal physical and chemical properties of photodegraded polymers that predict which plastic debris will carry biochemical or microbial hitchhikers.

Clinical Practice Patterns in Sickle Cell Disease Treatment: Disease-modifying and Potentially Curative Therapies.

Therapeutic options for sickle cell disease (SCD) have increased recently as well as the development of updated national guidelines. It is not known how these options are being offered or to what degree guidelines are incorporated into clinical practice. This study aimed to describe practice patterns for pediatric hematologists regarding the use of disease-modifying and potentially curative therapies for SCD. A 9-section, cross-sectional electronic survey was disseminated during a 3-month period via SurveyMonkey, to members of the American Society of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Hemoglobinopathy Special Interest Group (ASPHO HSIG). A total of 88 physician members of the ASPHO HSIG were surveyed. Ninety percent of respondents (72/80) start hydroxyurea routinely in patients with HbSS and HbSß 0 thalassemia, regardless of disease severity. Laboratory monitoring was recommended every 3 months for stable dosing in 63.8% (51/80). New therapies were recommended for patients on hydroxyurea who were still experiencing SCD complications: L-glutamine 68.5% (37/54) or crizanlizumab 93.1% (54/58). Voxelotor was recommended for patients on hydroxyurea with low hemoglobin in 65.1% (43/66) of cases. Matched sibling transplant was considered for any disease severity by 55.1% (38/69). Gene therapy trials are offered on-site by 29% (20/69). Our study demonstrated the enhanced utilization of hydroxyurea while revealing the unexplored potential of other disease-modifying therapies in SCD. These findings underscore the importance of continued knowledge acquisition about the long-term efficacy of new medical therapies and addressing barriers to the use of proven therapies and guide the development of future studies of optimal SCD management.

A Qualitative Study Describing Experiences of Pregnancy Discrimination in the Workplace.

OBJECTIVES: Qualitatively assess experiences of occupational pregnancy discrimination. METHODS: A fully remote phenomenological qualitative study was completed leveraging semistructured interviews with a sample of pregnant employees in the United States. Inclusion criteria included being pregnant, working at least 35 hours per week, employed at least 1 year at current employer, and without diagnosed depression/anxiety. RESULTS: Participants (N = 20) were, on average, 30 years of age, worked 42.6 hours per week, self-identified as non-Hispanic black (50%), and earned least a bachelor's degree (85%). Individuals successfully identified various forms of pregnancy discrimination, believing it occurred due to systemic issues or perceptions that women are weak. Most did not report experiences of discrimination fearing retaliation or being unaware of workplace protections. CONCLUSION: Pregnancy discrimination in the workplaces comes in various forms and is an issue for some working pregnant individuals.

Probucol-bile acid nanoparticles: a novel approach and promising solution to prevent cellular oxidative stress in sensorineural hearing loss.

The use of antioxidants could thus prove an effective medication to prevent or facilitate recovery from oxidative stress-induced sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL). One promising strategy to prevent SNHL is developing probucol (PB)-based nanoparticles using encapsulation technology and administering them to the inner ear via the established intratympanic route. The preclinical, clinical and epidemiological studies support that PB is a proven antioxidant that could effectively prevent oxidative stress in different study models. Such findings suggest its applicability in preventing oxidative stress within the inner ear and its associated neural cells. However, several hurdles, such as overcoming the blood-labyrinth barrier, ensuring sustained release, minimising systemic side effects and optimising targeted delivery in the intricate inner ear structures, must be overcome to efficiently deliver PB to the inner ear. This review explores the background and pathogenesis of hearing loss, the potential of PB in treating oxidative stress and its cellular mechanisms, and the obstacles linked to inner ear drug delivery for effectively introducing PB to the inner ear.

Hidden support for the lionesses: a breast/bra intervention.

Despite health and performance benefits of appropriate breast support in sport, elite women athletes' knowledge of breasts/bras is poor leading to poor bra choices, breast pain and performance decrements. This multiphase intervention assessed breast/bra issues and preferences, individually prescribed sports bras and evaluated outcomes for the England Senior Women footballers. Breast/bra workshops were delivered to England players; all 36 completed pre-intervention surveys and breast/bra assessments, before being prescribed bras six weeks before European and World Championships (2022, 2023). 24 players completed post-intervention surveys. Pre-intervention outcomes identified poor knowledge, poor bra fit, many bra issues, and cultural sensitivities. Breast pain was prevalent (61%), with 25% reporting clinically significant breast pain. Post-intervention, players reported significant improvements with prescribed sports bras. 91% reported improvements in knowledge and benefiting from the intervention. This successful intervention provided an evidence-base for ongoing breast health initiatives with England Teams, plus roll-out to all levels of women's football.

Adverse childhood experiences, gender, and suicidality among Florida high school students: Examining intervening mechanisms.

BACKGROUND: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) represent a key risk factor for suicidal thoughts and behaviors among adolescents. However, the intervening mechanisms linking ACEs and suicidality, and whether such processes vary by gender, remain underexplored. OBJECTIVE: The present study examines whether the relationships between ACEs and the likelihood of experiencing suicidal thoughts and attempting suicide are indirect through depressive symptoms and low self-control. This study also investigates whether these direct and indirect paths might be moderated by gender. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: The analyses make use of data on a statewide representative sample of students enrolled in public high schools in Florida (N = 23,078) from the 2022 Florida Youth Substance Abuse Survey (FYSAS). METHODS: Generalized structural equation modeling (GSEM) was used to estimate the direct and indirect effects of ACEs on the likelihood of suicidal thoughts and attempting suicide. The indirect effects were assessed using bootstrapping, and between-gender differences in the coefficients were tested. RESULTS: ACEs has direct associations with depressive symptoms, low self-control, and both suicidality outcomes. The effects of ACEs on suicidal thoughts are indirect through both depressive symptoms and low self-control, and the effects of ACEs on suicide attempts are indirect through depressive symptoms. Limited gender differences in these pathways emerge. CONCLUSIONS: For male and female youth, ACEs are associated with heightened depression symptoms and reduced self-control, and both of these factors partially explain the previously established relationship between ACEs and suicidality.

Polymer-Based Nanoparticles for Inner Ear Targeted Trans Differentiation Gene Therapy.

Hearing loss is a significant disability that often goes under recognised, largely due to poor identification, prevention, and treatment. Steps are being made to amend these pitfalls in the investigation of hearing loss, however, the development of a cure to reverse advanced forms remains distant. This review details some current advances in the treatment of hearing loss, with a particular focus on genetic-based nanotechnology and how it may provide a useful avenue for further research. This review presents a broad background on the pathophysiology of hearing loss and some current interventions. We also highlight some potential genes that may be useful in the amelioration of hearing loss. Pathways of cellular differentiation from stem or supporting cell to functional hair cell are covered in detail, as this mechanism represents a key means of regenerating these cell types. Overall, we believe that polymer-based nanotechnology coupled with novel excipients represents a useful area of further research in the treatment of hearing loss, although further studies in this area are required.

Probucol-Ursodeoxycholic Acid Otic Formulations: Stability and In Vitro Assessments for Hearing Loss Treatment.

Targeted drug delivery is an ongoing aspect of scientific research that is expanding through the design of micro- and nanoparticles. In this paper, we focus on spray dried microparticles as carriers for a repurposed lipophilic antioxidant (probucol). We characterise the microparticles and quantify probucol prior to assessing cytotoxicity on both control and cisplatin treated hair cells (known as House Ear Institute-Organ of Corti 1; HEI-OC1). The addition of water-soluble polymers to 2% ß-cyclodextrin resulted in a stable probucol formulation. Ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) used as formulation excipient increases probucol miscibility and microparticle drug content. Formulation characterisations reveals spray drying results in spherical UDCA-drug microparticles with a mean size distribution of ∼5-12 µm. Probucol microparticles show stable short-term storage conditions accounting for only ∼10% loss over seven days. By mimicking cell culture conditions, both UDCA-probucol (67%) and probucol only (82%) microparticles show drug release in the initial two hours. Furthermore, probucol formulations with or without UDCA preserve cell viability and reduce cisplatin-induced oxidative stress. Mitochondrial bioenergetics results in lower basal respiration and non-mitochondrial respiration, with higher maximal respiration, spare capacity, ATP production and proton leak within cisplatin challenged UDCA-probucol groups. Overall, we present a facile method for incorporating lipophilic antioxidant carriers in polymer-based particles that are tolerated by HEI-OC1 cells and show stable drug release, sufficient in reducing cisplatin-induced reactive oxygen species accumulation.

Size Distributions of Microplastics in the St Louis Estuary and Western Lake Superior.

Identifying the sources and fate of microplastics in natural systems has garnered a great deal of attention because of their implications for ecosystem health. This work characterizes the size fraction, morphology, color, and polymer composition of microplastics in western Lake Superior and its adjacent harbor sampled in August and September 2021. The results reveal that the overall microplastic counts are similar, with the harbor stations ranging from 0.62 to 3.32 microplastics per liter and the lake stations ranged from 0.83 to 1.4 microplastics per liter. However, meaningful differences between the sample locations can be seen in the size fraction trends and polymer composition. Namely, the harbor samples had relatively larger amounts of the largest size fraction and more diversity of polymer types, which can be attributed to the urbanized activity and shorter water residence time. Power law size distribution modeling reveals deviations that help in the understanding of potential sources and removal mechanisms, although it significantly underpredicts microplastic counts for smaller-sized particles (5-45 µm), as determined by comparison with concurrently collected microplastic samples enumerated by Nile Red staining and flow cytometry.

Validation of electronic diagnostic codes for rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder.

We investigated the accuracy of International Classification of Diseases (ICD) codes for the identification of veterans with rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder. The charts of 139 randomly sampled veterans with ≥ 1 ICD-9 and ICD-10 code(s) for rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder were reviewed for documentation of a suspected, previous, or current diagnosis; clinical symptoms; and/or empiric treatments for this disorder. Notably, 71 (51.1%) patients with rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder electronic diagnoses had not undergone polysomnography, and 29 (20.9%) had polysomnography reports without commentary on rapid eye movement sleep without atonia. Sleep centers are therefore encouraged to include a brief sentence in polysomnography report templates commenting on the presence/absence of rapid eye movement sleep without atonia. CITATION: Jones MB, Schenck CH, Azarian M, Jorge RE, Sharafkhaneh A, Razjouyan J. Validation of electronic diagnostic codes for rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder. J Clin Sleep Med. 2024;20(8);1387-1389.