Prisoners engage in a range of risk behaviors that can lead to the transmission of viral infections, such as HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C. In this review, we summarize the epidemiologic ...literature from 2007 to 2017 on 4 key risk behaviors for human immunodeficiency virus and hepatitis C virus among prisoners globally: drug injection, sexual activity, tattooing, and piercing. Of 9,303 peer-reviewed and 4,150 gray literature publications, 140 and 14, respectively, met inclusion criteria covering 53 countries (28%). Regions with high levels of injection drug use were Asia Pacific (20.2%), Eastern Europe and Central Asia (17.3%), and Latin America and the Caribbean (11.3%), although the confidence interval for Latin America was high. Low levels of injection drug use in prison were found in African regions. The highest levels of sexual activity in prison were in Europe and North America (12.1%) and West and Central Africa (13.6%); low levels were reported from the Middle East and North African regions (1.5%). High levels of tattooing were reported from Europe and North America (14.7%), Asia Pacific (21.4%), and Latin America (45.4%). Prisons are burdened with a high prevalence of infectious diseases and risk behaviors for transmission of these diseases, and, commonly, a striking lack of evidence-based infection control measures, even when such measures are available in the surrounding community. Given that most prisoners return to these communities, failure to implement effective responses has repercussions not only prisoner health but also for public health.
This report identifies human skeletal diseases associated with mutations in
WNT1
in a family with dominantly inherited early-onset osteoporosis and in another family with recessive osteogenesis ...imperfecta. WNT1 is shown to be an important ligand for regulating bone mass.
Osteoporosis is a common skeletal disorder characterized by low bone mineral density (BMD), impaired bone quality, and fragility fractures.
1
Although multiple genetic loci, including those for WNT ligands, have been defined on the basis of genomewide association studies in patients with osteoporosis, the known loci are generally associated with odds ratios for fracture that are below 1.1.
2
Recently, novel metabolic pathways in bone cells have been discovered in patients with osteogenesis imperfecta, a mendelian disease characterized by brittle bones.
3
The role of the WNT pathway in bone formation and maintenance has been extensively studied since the identification of mutations in . . .
Assembly processes shaping ecological communities can vary over time following variations of environmental conditions at different scales. Such temporal dynamism is exacerbated by climate change and ...increasing extreme events, and recent evidence suggests that, in turn, community composition and functions can vary substantially. However, empirical relationships between the spatio‐temporal dynamics of communities and that extreme events altering ecosystems are poorly investigated. We quantified the temporal dynamics of stream invertebrate communities over two years across 11 river basins prone to drying, covering a large geographical area of France. We tested predictions on the influence of the spatial arrangement and temporal dynamics of drying events across river networks. Combining a high temporal resolution of community description from taxonomic and functional perspectives, we quantified beta diversity over time and space and partitioned them into additive components: replacement of taxa and richness difference. Frequency and duration of drying events were precisely quantified and basins were classified based on the location of the drying events. We found a strong influence of the spatial drying pattern on the dissimilarities of community composition between sites. The high temporal variability of community structure was directly related to the frequency and duration of drying events. This temporal dynamism of communities was also strongly affected by the spatial drying pattern, indicating that fragmentation had a stronger effect on recolonisation processes for upstream‐drying basins. Finally, biological traits were unevenly distributed in space and time, suggesting a lack of functional redundancy that could have strong implications for ecosystem functions and services. The high temporal dynamics of communities highlighted in this study challenge the current definition of reference conditions in intermittent rivers, and the community sensitivity to frequency and duration of drying suggest that climate change might lead community dynamics to be increasingly driven by stochastic environmental variability.
Unlike in land plants, photosynthesis in many aquatic plants relies on bicarbonate in addition to carbon dioxide (CO
) to compensate for the low diffusivity and potential depletion of CO
in water. ...Concentrations of bicarbonate and CO
vary greatly with catchment geology. In this study, we investigate whether there is a link between these concentrations and the frequency of freshwater plants possessing the bicarbonate use trait. We show, globally, that the frequency of plant species with this trait increases with bicarbonate concentration. Regionally, however, the frequency of bicarbonate use is reduced at sites where the CO
concentration is substantially above the air equilibrium, consistent with this trait being an adaptation to carbon limitation. Future anthropogenic changes of bicarbonate and CO
concentrations may alter the species compositions of freshwater plant communities.
Designing evidence-based interventions to address socioeconomic disparities in health and health behaviours requires a better understanding of the specific explanatory mechanisms. We aimed to ...investigate a comprehensive range of potential theoretical mediators of physical activity (PA) and screen time in different socioeconomic status (SES) groups: a high SES group of high school students, and a low SES group of vocational school students. The COM-B system, including the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF), was used as a heuristic framework to synthesise different theoretical determinants in this exploratory study.
Finnish vocational and high school students (N = 659) aged 16-19, responded to a survey assessing psychological, social and environmental determinants of activity (PA and screen time). These determinants are mappable into the COM-B domains: capability, opportunity and motivation. The outcome measures were validated self-report measures for PA and screen time. The statistical analyses included a bootstrapping-based mediation procedure.
Regarding PA, there were SES differences in all of the COM-B domains. For example, vocational school students reported using less self-monitoring of PA, weaker injunctive norms to engage in regular PA, and fewer intentions than high school students. Mediation analyses identified potential mediators of the SES-PA relationship in all of three domains: The most important candidates included self-monitoring (CI95 for b: 0.19-0.47), identity (0.04-0.25) and material resources available (0.01-0.16). However, SES was not related to most determinants of screentime, where there were mainly gender differences. Most determinants were similarly related with both behaviours in both SES groups, indicating no major moderation effect of SES on these relationships.
This study revealed that already in the first years of educational differentiation, levels of key PA determinants differ, contributing to socioeconomic differences in PA. The analyses identified the strongest mediators of the SES-PA association, but additional investigation utilising longitudinal and experimental designs are needed. This study demonstrates the usefulness of combining constructs from various theoretical approaches to better understand the role of distinct mechanisms that underpin socioeconomic health behaviour disparities.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Understanding and acting upon risk is notably challenging, and navigating complexity with understandings developed for stable environments may inadvertently build a false sense of safety. Neglecting ...the potential for non-linear change or “black swan” events – highly impactful but uncommon occurrences – may lead to naive optimisation under assumed stability, exposing systems to extreme risks. For instance, loss aversion is seen as a cognitive bias in stable environments, but it can be an evolutionarily advantageous heuristic when complete destruction is possible. This paper advocates for better accounting of non-linear change in decision-making by leveraging insights from complex systems and psychological sciences, which help to identify blindspots in conventional decision-making and to develop risk mitigation plans that are interpreted contextually. In particular, we propose a framework using attractor landscapes to visualize and interpret complex system dynamics. In this context, attractors are states toward which systems naturally evolve, while tipping points – critical thresholds between attractors – can lead to profound, unexpected changes impacting a system’s resilience and well-being. We present four generic attractor landscape types that provide a novel lens for viewing risks and opportunities, and serve as decision-making contexts. The main practical contribution is clarifying when to emphasize particular strategies – optimisation, risk mitigation, exploration, or stabilization – within this framework. Context-appropriate decision making should enhance system resilience and mitigate extreme risks.
Physical activity (PA) has been shown to decline during adolescence, and those with lower education have lower levels of activity already at this age, calling for targeted efforts for them. No ...previous study has demonstrated lasting effects of school-based PA interventions among older adolescents. Furthermore, these interventions have rarely targeted sedentary behaviour (SB) despite its relevance to health. The Let's Move It trial aims to evaluate the effectiveness and the cost-effectiveness of a school-based, multi-level intervention, on PA and SB, among vocational school students. We hypothesise that the intervention is effective in increasing moderate-to-vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA), particularly among those with low or moderate baseline levels, and decreasing SB among all students.
The design is a cluster-randomised parallel group trial with an internal pilot study. The trial is conducted in six vocational schools in the Helsinki Metropolitan area, Finland. The intervention is carried out in 30 intervention classes, and 27 control classes retain the standard curriculum. The randomisation occurs at school-level to avoid contamination and to aid delivery. Three of the six schools, randomly allocated, receive the 'Let's Move It' intervention which consists of 1) group sessions and poster campaign targeting students' autonomous PA motivation and self-regulation skills, 2) sitting reduction in classrooms via alterations in choice architecture and teacher behaviour, and 3) enhancement of PA opportunities in school, home and community environments. At baseline, student participants are blind to group allocation. The trial is carried out in six batches in 2015-2017, with main measurements at pre-intervention baseline, and 2-month and 14-month follow-ups. Primary outcomes are for PA, MVPA measured by accelerometry and self-report, and for SB, sedentary time and breaks in sedentary time (accelerometry). Key secondary outcomes include measured body composition, self-reported well-being, and psychological variables. Process variables include measures of psychosocial determinants of PA (e.g. autonomous motivation) and use of behaviour change techniques. Process evaluation also includes qualitative interviews. Intervention fidelity is monitored.
The study will establish whether the Let's Move It intervention is effective in increasing PA and reducing SB in vocational school students, and identify key processes explaining the results.
ISRCTN10979479 . Registered: 31.12.2015.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Different biomaterials have been clinically used as bone filling materials, although the mechanisms behind the biological effects are incompletely understood. To address this, we compared the effects ...of five different biomaterials: two bioactive glasses (45S5 and S53P4), hydroxyapatite (HAP), carbonated apatite (CAP), and alumina on the in vitro migration and viability of pre-osteoblastic cells. In addition, we studied the effects of biomaterials' calcium release on cell migration, viability and differentiation. We found differences between the materials as the bioactive glasses promoted rapid pre-osteoblastic cell migration. In contrast, CAP decreased cell migration, which was also associated with lower activity of migration related kinases. Bioactive glasses released significant amounts of calcium into the media, while CAP decreased the calcium concentration. The response of cells to calcium was mechanistically studied by blocking calcium sensing receptor (CaSR) and ATP-gated ion channel P2X7, but this had no effect on cell migration. Surprisingly, HAP and CAP initially decreased cell viability. In summary, bioactive glasses 45S5 and S53P4 had significant and long-lasting effects on the pre-osteoblastic cell migration, which could be related to the observed calcium dissolution. Additionally, bioactive glasses had no negative effects on cell viability, which was observed with HAP and CAP.
Understanding the mechanisms underlying the effects of behaviour change interventions is vital for accumulating valid scientific evidence, and useful to informing practice and policy-making across ...multiple domains. Traditional approaches to such evaluations have applied study designs and statistical models, which implicitly assume that change is linear, constant and caused by independent influences on behaviour (such as behaviour change techniques). This article illustrates limitations of these standard tools, and considers the benefits of adopting a complex adaptive systems approach to behaviour change research. It (1) outlines the complexity of behaviours and behaviour change interventions; (2) introduces readers to some key features of complex systems and how these relate to human behaviour change; and (3) provides suggestions for how researchers can better account for implications of complexity in analysing change mechanisms. We focus on three common features of complex systems (i.e., interconnectedness, non-ergodicity and non-linearity), and introduce Recurrence Analysis, a method for non-linear time series analysis which is able to quantify complex dynamics. The supplemental website provides exemplifying code and data for practical analysis applications. The complex adaptive systems approach can complement traditional investigations by opening up novel avenues for understanding and theorising about the dynamics of behaviour change.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Adhesion of epithelium to the extracellular matrix is crucial for the maintenance of systemic and oral health. In the oral cavity, teeth or artificial dental implants penetrate the soft tissue of the ...gingiva. In this interface, gingival soft tissue needs to be well attached via the epithelial seal to the tooth or implant surface to maintain health. After injury or wounding, epithelial tissue rapidly migrates to form the initial epithelial cover to restore the barrier against infection. These events are crucially dependent on deposition of extracellular matrix and proper activation and function of integrin receptors in the epithelial cells. Recent experimental evidence suggests that epithelial integrins also participate in the regulation of periodontal inflammation. In this review, we will discuss the structure and function of epithelial integrins and their extracellular ligands and elaborate on their potential role in disease and repair processes in the oral cavity.
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