Prisoners are one of the most vulnerable groups in the community, experiencing high rates of mental illness, drug and alcohol dependence, chronic health conditions, exposure to violence, ...stigmatisation, social isolation and mortality (Kariminia et al. 2007). The World Health Organization (WHO 2010: np) states that prisoners are members of the general population: they come from and usually return to the community. The relation between the health of prisoners, their families and the wider community is thus an acute concern.
The rapid spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has impacted the lives of millions around the globe. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused increasing concern among treatment professionals about ...mental health and risky substance use, especially among those who are struggling with a substance use disorder (SUD). The pandemic's impact on those with an SUD may be heightened in vulnerable communities, such as those living in under-resourced and rural areas. Despite policies loosening restrictions on treatment requirements, unintended mental health consequences may arise among this population. We discuss challenges that under-resourced areas face and propose strategies that may improve outcomes for those seeking treatment for SUDs in these areas.
Madagascar is a threatened global biodiversity hotspot and conservation priority, yet we lack broad‐scale surveys to assess biodiversity across space and time. To fill this gap, we collated camera ...trap surveys, capturing species occurrences within Madagascar into a single standardized database. This data set includes nine distinct protected areas of Madagascar and encompasses 13 subprojects, 38 camera arrays, and 1156 sampling units (independent camera site per survey) within two important biodiversity eco‐regions: western dry deciduous forest and eastern humid rainforest. Camera surveys were conducted from June 2007 to January 2021. The final data set includes 17 unique families of mammals (Bovidae, Canidae, Cheirogaleidae, Daubentoniidae, Equidae, Eupleridae, Felidae, Hominidae, Indriidae, Lemuridae, Lepilemuridae, Muridae, Nesomyidae, Pteropodidae, Soricidae, Suidae, Tenrecidae) comprising 45 species and 27 unique families of birds (Accipitridae, Acrocephalidae, Alcedinidae, Bernieridae, Brachypteraciidae, Caprimulgidae, Cisticolidae, Columbidae, Coraciidae, Corvidae, Cuculidae, Dicruridae, Mesitornithidae, Monarchidae, Motacillidae, Muscicapidae, Numididae, Phasianidae, Rallidae, Sarothruridae, Strigidae, Sturnidae, Sulidae, Threskiornithidae, Upupidae, Vangidae, Zosteropidae) comprising 58 species. Images were processed and verified by individual project data set creators and camera operation and species tables were then collated. The final product represents the first broad‐scale freely available standardized formal faunal database for Madagascar. Data are available through this publication and at DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.5801806. These data will be useful for examining species‐level and community‐level trends in occurrence across space or time within Madagascar and globally, evaluating native and invasive species dynamics, and will aid in determining species conservation status and planning for at‐risk species. There are no copyright restrictions; please cite this paper when using the data for publication.
Polymeric nanoparticles can prove beneficial in oncology as they sidestep limitations associated with traditional small-molecule pharmaceuticals. With respect to drug delivery, polymeric ...nanoparticles possess structural features that make them suitable as carriers for therapy and imaging contrast, as their core/shell morphology offers an effective method of transport that provides increased tumor access with reduced side effects, especially for drugs with low water solubility. Herein, we present a polymeric nanoparticle made from pluronic F127 and vitamin E-TPGS encapsulating coumarin-6 for the optical imaging of cancer. We explored the biophysical properties of the construct using an array of optical and physical techniques, evaluated its uptake in breast cancer cell lines, the
in vivo
toxicokinetics in zebrafish, and its biodistribution profile in mouse xenograft models bearing PC3 tumors overexpressing the prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA). The biophysical characterization of the nanoformulation, combined with its selective uptake by cancer cells, its low
in vivo
toxicity profile, and effective tumor targeting demonstrate the versatility and potential of this nanoparticle formulation for drug delivery applications.
Coumarin-6 is used as a model hydrophobic drug to investigate delivery to tumors
via
polymeric micelles. Photophysical characterization, as well as
in vitro
and
in vivo
experiments showcase this platform for cancer diagnosis and imaging.
Biological invasions can represent important threats to endemic species, including those within the invaders’ food webs. The Asian common toad (
Duttaphrynus melanostictus
) was introduced to ...Madagascar in 2011. This introduction presents a potentially dangerous prey item to a relatively naïve, highly diverse endemic carnivore fauna. Using a multivariate niche modeling approach (background test), we assessed the predicted niche overlap between
D. melanostictus
and six endemic carnivores in eastern Madagascar. The overlap between this potential prey and predators was assessed on four environmental niche axes: temperature, precipitation, vegetation cover and elevation. Our results showed a mixture of niche overlap and divergence between
D. melanostictus
and the six carnivores for environmental axes tested. There was significant overlap with five of the carnivores on temperature and NDVI axes. On the precipitation axis, there was significant overlap between
D. melanostictus
with two species. Our results suggested that wide-ranging, locally rare carnivores may overlap extensively with
D. melanostictus
. The six carnivores that inhabit the eastern rainforest of Madagascar will likely share multiple, niche axes with this novel potential prey item. Species that eat the non-native common toad and are susceptible to its toxins are at conservation risk because their populations may not be robust enough to adapt quickly to this threat. We advocate closely monitoring these emerging interactions and suggest a preemptive conservation strategy for carnivores potentially at risk.
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