Using structural equation modeling to assess pathways between structural stigma and tobacco use among sexual and gender minority young adults living in the United States.

Background: Sexual and gender minority young adult (SGM YA) populations use tobacco at higher rates than their non-SGM YA peers. Prior studies have identified significant correlations between interpersonal stigma and tobacco use, yet structural stigma may also influence tobacco use among SGM YA. This study aimed to assess the indirect effects of structural stigma on current tobacco use among SGM YA and non-SGM YA via depletion of economic resources, interpersonal discrimination, and perceived psychological stress.

Mutations in mexT bypass the stringent response dependency of virulence in Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa produces a wealth of virulence factors whose production is controlled via an intricate regulatory systems network. Here, we uncover a major player in the evolution and regulation of virulence that enhances host colonization and antibiotic resistance. By characterizing a collection of mutants lacking the stringent response (SR), a system key for virulence, we show that the loss of the central regulator MexT bypasses absence of the SR, restoring full activation of virulence pathways.

Minority stressors and tobacco use among a US sample of sexual and gender minority young adults.

Introduction: Young adults who are sexual and gender minorities (SGM) are at the highest risk for tobacco initiation in young adulthood. Minority stress theory suggests that sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI)-based discrimination may contribute to nicotine and tobacco use disparities. Our study aimed to quantify the association between SOGI-based distal minority stressors and current tobacco use among SGM young adults living in the United States (US).

Phage-plasmids: missed links between mobile genetic elements.

Phages and plasmids are discrete mobile genetic elements (MGEs) with critical roles in gene dissemination across bacteria but limited scope for exchanging DNA between them. By investigating recent gene-sharing events, Pfeifer and Rocha describe how the hybrid elements phage-plasmids (P-Ps) promote gene flow between MGE types and evolve into new ones.

Impact of transient acquired hypermutability on the inter- and intra-species competitiveness of Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Once acquired, hypermutation is unrelenting, and in the long-term, leads to impaired fitness due to its cumulative impact on the genome. This raises the question of why hypermutators arise so frequently in microbial ecosystems. In this work, we explore this problem by examining how the transient acquisition of hypermutability affects inter- and intra-species competitiveness, and the response to environmental insults such as antibiotic challenge.

Risk factors for developing ventilator-associated lower respiratory tract infection in patients with severe COVID-19: a multinational, multicentre study, prospective, observational study.

Around one-third of patients diagnosed with COVID-19 develop a severe illness that requires admission to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). In clinical practice, clinicians have learned that patients admitted to the ICU due to severe COVID-19 frequently develop ventilator-associated lower respiratory tract infections (VA-LRTI). This study aims to describe the clinical characteristics, the factors associated with VA-LRTI, and its impact on clinical outcomes in patients with severe COVID-19.

Distribution and molecular evolution of the anti-CRISPR family AcrIF7.

Anti-clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPRs) are proteins capable of blocking CRISPR-Cas systems and typically their genes are located on mobile genetic elements. Since their discovery, numerous anti-CRISPR families have been identified. However, little is known about the distribution and sequence diversity of members within a family, nor how these traits influence the anti-CRISPR's function and evolution.

Predicting breast cancer risk in a racially diverse, community-based sample of potentially high-risk women.

Background: Identifying women with high risk of breast cancer is necessary to study high-risk experiences and deliver risk-management care. Risk prediction models estimate individuals' lifetime risk but have rarely been applied in community-based settings among women not yet receiving specialized care. Therefore, we aimed: (1) to apply three breast cancer risk prediction models (i.

Decreased efficacy of antimicrobial agents in a polymicrobial environment.

The airways of people with cystic fibrosis (CF) often harbour diverse polymicrobial communities. These airway infections can be impossible to resolve through antibiotic intervention, even though isolates of the individual species present are susceptible to the treatment when tested in vitro. In this work, we investigate how polymicrobial cultures comprised of key CF-associated pathogens respond to challenge with species-specific antimicrobial agents; colistin (targets Pseudomonas aeruginosa), fusidic acid (targets Staphylococcus aureus), and fluconazole (targets Candida albicans).

Post-Acute Sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 Infection Among Adults Aged ≥18 Years - Long Beach, California, April 1-December 10, 2020.

Post-acute sequelae of COVID-19, also known as "long COVID," is used to describe the long-term symptoms that might be experienced weeks to months after primary infection with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Among persons with a previous COVID-19 diagnosis, estimates of the prevalence of sequelae range from 5% among nonhospitalized persons to 80% among hospitalized persons (1,2). Studies have analyzed the aftereffects of COVID-19, but few have assessed the demographic characteristics associated with long COVID (3,4).

Examining associations between prescription stimulant misuse frequency and misuse characteristics by race/ethnicity.

Introduction: The misuse use of prescription stimulants (MPS) among college students is a pressing public health concern. Past research suggests there is variation in MPS frequency by race/ethnicity. According to the Theory of Triadic Influence, a health behavior can increase in frequency based on experiences and characteristics of the behavior.

Prescription stimulant diversion on a college campus: Intrapersonal, interpersonal and environmental correlates.

Introduction: Prescription stimulant diversion is a behavior that increases the availability and accessibility of prescription stimulants for purposes such as misuse. As such, we aimed to develop a theory-guided understanding of diversion correlates.

Methods: Data are from a probability sample of 499 undergraduate college students attending one California university.

Virulence and antimicrobial resistance genes are enriched in the plasmidome of clinical Escherichia coli isolates compared with wastewater isolates from western Kenya.

Many low-middle income countries in Africa have poorly-developed infectious disease monitoring systems. Here, we employed whole genome sequencing (WGS) to investigate the presence/absence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and virulence-associated (VA) genes in a collection of clinical and municipal wastewater Escherichia coli isolates from Kakamega, west Kenya. We were particularly interested to see whether, given the association between infection and water quality, the isolates from these geographically-linked environments might display similar genomic signatures.

A Novel Group of Promiscuous Podophages Infecting Diverse Gammaproteobacteria from River Communities Exhibits Dynamic Intergenus Host Adaptation.

Phages are generally described as species specific or even strain specific, implying an inherent limitation for some to be maintained and spread in diverse bacterial communities. Moreover, phage isolation and host range determination rarely consider the phage ecological context, likely biasing our notion on phage specificity. Here we isolated and characterized a novel group of six promiscuous phages, named Atoyac, existing in rivers and sewage by using a diverse collection of over 600 bacteria retrieved from the same environments as potential hosts.

Daily stressors and diurnal cortisol among sexual and gender minority young adults.

Objective: Minority stress may contribute to poor health by dysregulating stress response systems, including diurnal cortisol rhythms. However, few studies have examined the association between sexual and gender minority stress and diurnal cortisol in lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals. The current investigation tested whether the daily experience of minority stressors is uniquely related to diurnal cortisol above and beyond general stressors.

Substance abuse in adolescents before admission to Peruvian juvenile detention centers: results from a national census in Peru, 2016.

Objectives: To estimate the prevalence of drug use before admission to juvenile detention centers (JDC) in Peru and determine individual, family and social influences on behavior.

Methods: A cross-sectional analysis was performed using data from the 2016 National Population Census in Juvenile Detention Centers (NPCJDC). A total of 1960 Peruvian adolescent offenders were included.

Pharmacological cognitive enhancement: Examining the ethical principles guiding college students' abstention.

Objectives: To understand the ethical principles guiding college students' abstention from pharmacological cognitive enhancement (PCE), and to determine the correlates associated with endorsing different principles.

Design: One-stage cluster sampling was used to implement a paper-based survey among undergraduate students attending one university in the U.S.

Cognitive behavioral therapy, mindfulness, and cortisol habituation: A randomized controlled trial.

Background: Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis dysregulation is associated with disease and may be indexed by poor cortisol habituation (i.e., a failure to show decreased responding with repeated stressor exposure).

An Examination of Demographic and Psychosocial Factors, Barriers to Healthy Eating, and Diet Quality Among African American Adults.

A healthy diet is associated with lower risk of chronic disease. African Americans generally have poor diet quality and experience a higher burden of many chronic diseases. We examined the associations of demographic and psychosocial factors and barriers to diet quality among African American adults.

Prescription stimulant misuse avoidance self-efficacy: Correlates and moderation by race/ethnicity.

This study examined whether personality characteristics, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptomology, psychological distress, and religiosity were associated with prescription stimulant avoidance self-efficacy and whether these relationships were moderated by race/ethnicity among a probability sample of 1,053 college students. We used regression analyses to examine associations between avoidance self-efficacy and the independent variables of interest, and moderation analyses to identify whether these associations were moderated by race/ethnicity. Inattention, hyperactivity, sensation seeking, and psychological distress were inversely associated with prescription stimulant avoidance self-efficacy, whereas religiosity had a direct association.

Physical Activity Among Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Objective: To examine the proportion of Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI) meeting recommended physical activity guidelines for Americans (PAG) and determine differences in physical activity (PA) by sex and between NHPI and Asians when data are disaggregated.

Design: Systematic review and meta-analysis.

Setting: Articles identified in CINAHL, The Cochrane Library, Embase, PsychINFO, PubMed, Scopus, SocINDEX, SPORTDiscus, and Web of Science.