Associations of smoke-free policies in multi-unit housing with smoking behavior and second-hand smoke exposure: A systematic review.

Background And Aim: Although considerable progress has been made regarding the implementation of smoke-free policies (SFPs), many people continue to be exposed to second-hand smoke (SHS) in the home environment. The aim of this study was to conduct a systematic review on the association of SFPs in multi-unit housing (MUH) with smoking behavior and SHS exposure.

Methods: In August 2022, we searched five online databases: PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, PsycINFO and CENTRAL.

Heatwaves and Hardship: Shortcomings and Solutions for Enhancing the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program to Mitigate Extreme Heat and Energy Insecurity.

The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) must adapt and evolve to keep pace with the challenges posed by climate change and increased economic strain. Urgent action is needed to improve LIHEAP to effectively address extreme heat and energy insecurity faced by low-income households and protect the health and well-being of disadvantaged groups spurred by climate change. In evaluating LIHEAP's shortcomings, we demonstrate that there is a substantial gap between program eligibility and enrollment, such that many households are not receiving this vital benefit or do so mainly when facing a crisis.

Readiness for a clean energy future: Prevalence, perceptions, and barriers to adoption of electric stoves and solar panels in New York City.

Adoption of electric stoves and rooftop solar can reduce fossil-fuel reliance and improve health by decreasing indoor air pollution and alleviating energy insecurity. This study assessed prevalence and perceptions of these clean-energy technologies to increase adoption in New York City (NYC). A representative survey of 1,950 NYC adults was conducted from February 28 to April 1, 2022.

Relationship between universal health insurance benefits and prostate cancer mortality in Colombia.

Purpose: Prostate cancer is the most common cause for cancer mortality among men in Colombia. Law 100, in 1993, created a contributory regime (private insurance) and subsidized regime (public insurance) in which the subsidized regime had fewer benefits. However, Ruling T760 in July 2012 mandated that both systems must offer equal quality and access to healthcare.

Assessing the Burden of Electrical, Elevator, Heat, Hot Water, and Water Service Interruptions in New York City Public Housing.

Reliable electricity, elevators, heat, hot water, and water are aspects of safe and accessible housing. Interruptions to these services represent a persistent challenge faced by public housing residents in the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA). We compiled outage data spanning 2020-2022 from NYCHA's online service interruptions portal and paired these data with demographic and meteorological sources to understand the burden of these outages.

Cancer mortality among Colombian and foreign populations over a 15-year period.

Purpose: We aimed to compare cancer mortality among foreign- and Colombian populations in Colombia during the period of 2006-2020.

Methods: This retrospective study utilized vital statistics from the Colombian National Department of Statistics (DANE). The dataset included variables such as age group, sex, country of permanent residency, insurance, education level, marital status, ethnicity, and cause of death.

Endothelial c-Myc knockout disrupts metabolic homeostasis and triggers the development of obesity.

Obesity is a major risk factor associated with multiple pathological conditions including diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Endothelial dysfunction is an early predictor of obesity. However, little is known regarding how early endothelial changes trigger obesity.

Unsupervised Clustering Analysis of Regimen and HLA Characteristics in Pediatric Umbilical Cord Blood Transplantation.

HLA matching is a critical factor in allogeneic unrelated hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) because of its impact on post-transplantation survival and quality of life. Umbilical cord blood transplantation (UCBT) offers unique advantages, but determining the optimal approach to graft selection and immunosuppression remains challenging. Unsupervised clustering, a machine learning technique, has potential for analyzing transplantation outcomes, but its application in investigating leukemia outcomes has been limited.

Impact of the universal health insurance benefits on cervical cancer mortality in Colombia.

Background: Cervical cancer patients in Colombia have a lower likelihood of survival compared to breast cancer patients. In 1993, Colombia enrolled citizens in one of two health insurance regimes (contributory-private insurance and subsidized- public insurance) with fewer benefits in the subsidized regime. In 2008, the Constitutional Court required the Colombian government to unify services of both regimes by 2012.

Vigilant Conservation: How Energy Insecure Households Navigate Cumulative and Administrative Burdens.

Energy insecurity research has described the prevalence and circumstances of household energy unaffordability, as well as its outcomes for health. Previous studies have also noted coping strategies that result from energy insecurity. We provide evidence advancing our understanding of the nature and extent of these coping strategies.

Characterisation of RAET1E/ULBP4 exon 4 and 3' untranslated region genetic architecture reveals further diversity and allelic polymorphism.

NKG2D is a natural killer cell activating receptor recognising ligands on infected or tumorigenic cells, leading to their cytolysis. There are eight known genes encoding NKG2D ligands: MICA, MICB and ULBP1-6. MICA and MICB are highly polymorphic and well characterised, whilst ULBP ligands are less polymorphic and the functional implication of their diversity is not well understood.

Impact of donor NKG2D and MICA gene polymorphism on clinical outcomes of adult and paediatric allogeneic cord blood transplantation for malignant diseases.

Objectives: NKG2D is an activating receptor expressed by natural killer (NK) and CD8+ T cells and activation intensity varies by NKG2D expression level or nature of its ligand. An NKG2D gene polymorphism determines high (HNK1) or low (LNK1) expression. MICA is the most polymorphic NKG2D ligand and stronger effector cell activation associates with methionine rather than valine at residue 129.

Implementation Outcomes for the SLUMBER Sleep Improvement Program in Long-Term Care.

Objectives: To describe the implementation of a mentored staff-delivered sleep program in nursing facilities.

Design: Modified stepped-wedge unit-level intervention.

Setting And Participants: This program was implemented in 2 New York City nursing facilities, with partial implementation (due to COVID-19) in a third facility.

Post-stroke Cognition is Associated with Stroke Survivor Quality of Life and Caregiver Outcomes: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Disability arising from post-stroke cognitive impairment is a likely contributor to the poor quality of life (QoL) stroke survivors and their carers frequently experience, but this has not been summarily quantified. A systematic literature review and meta-analysis was completed examining the association between general and domain-specific post-stroke cognitive functioning and adult stroke survivor QoL, caregiver QoL, and caregiver burden. Five databases were systematically searched, and eligibility for inclusion, data extraction, and study quality were evaluated by two reviewers using a standardised protocol.

Indoor Temperature and Energy Insecurity: Implications for Prenatal Health Disparities in Extreme Heat Events.

Background: Extreme heat events are a major public health concern and are only expected to increase in intensity and severity as climate change continues to accelerate. Pregnant people are physiologically more vulnerable to the effects of extreme heat, and exposure can induce harm on both the pregnant person and the fetus.

Objectives: This commentary argues that there is a need for greater epidemiological research on indoor heat exposure and energy insecurity as potential drivers of maternal and child environmental health disparities.

Energy Insecurity Indicators Associated With Increased Odds Of Respiratory, Mental Health, And Cardiovascular Conditions.

Energy insecurity, defined as the inability to meet household energy needs, has multiple economic, physical, and coping dimensions that affect health. We conducted the first citywide representative survey of energy insecurity and health in a sample of 1,950 New York City residents in 2022. We compiled ten indicators that characterize energy insecurity as experienced in New York City housing settings and then examined associations between number and types of indicators and health conditions.

The CHANGE (Climate Health ANalysis Grading Evaluation) tool for weight of evidence reviews on climate change and health research.

Background: Climate change has been identified as one of the biggest threats to human health. Despite this claim, there are no standardized tools that assess the rigor of published literature for use in weight of evidence (WOE) reviews. Standardized assessment tools are essential for creating clear and comparable WOE reviews.

Performance of cervical cytology and HPV testing for primary cervical cancer screening in Latin America: an analysis within the ESTAMPA study.

Background: Cervical cytology remains widely used as the initial tool in cervical cancer screening worldwide. WHO guidelines recommend replacing cytology with primary HPV testing to reach cervical cancer elimination goals. We assessed the performance of cytology and high-risk HPV testing to detect cervical precancer, cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) grade 3 or worse (CIN3+) among women aged 30-64 years participating in the ESTAMPA study.

Disparities in preterm birth following the July 1995 Chicago heat wave.

Purpose: To evaluate if changes in preterm birth (PTB, <37 weeks of gestation) incidence differed between non-Hispanic (NH) Black and NH white births following the July 1995 Chicago heat wave-among the most severe U.S. heat waves since 1950.

Lung cancer survival among Florida male firefighters.

Introduction: Lung cancer is a leading cause of cancer incidence and death in the United States. Although most firefighters are fit and do not smoke, they are exposed to many known carcinogens during and in the aftermath of firefighting activities. Comprehensive epidemiologic investigations on lung cancer survival for both career and volunteer firefighters have not been undertaken.

A randomized control trial to support smoke-free policy compliance in public housing.

Background: Smoke-free housing policies in multiunit housing are increasingly widespread interventions to reduce smoking and secondhand smoke exposure. Little research has identified factors that impede compliance with smoke-free housing policies in low-income multiunit housing and test corresponding solutions.

Methods: We are using an experimental design to test two compliance support interventions: (A) a "compliance through reduction (via relocation and reduction in personal smoking) and cessation" intervention targets households with smokers and involves support to shift smoking practices to areas beyond the apartment or building setting, reduce personal smoking, and deliver in-residence smoking cessation support services via trained peer educators and (B) a "compliance through resident endorsement" intervention involving voluntary adoption of smoke-free living environments through personal pledges, visible door markers, and/or via social media.