Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors in the Native American Population.

Native Americans are disproportionately affected by cardiovascular disease in comparison with other racial and ethnic groups in the United States. Previous research has analyzed risk factors, quantified prevalence rates, and examined outcomes of cardiovascular disease in Native Americans, yet few studies have considered the role of societal and psychological factors on the increased burden of cardiovascular disease in Native Americans. Modifiable risk factors for cardiovascular disease, including poor nutrition, reduced physical activity, obesity, and increased substance use, are exacerbated in Native American communities due to cultural and historical factors.

Dry eye post-cataract surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Significance: Cataract surgery is one of the most performed surgical procedures worldwide. As a potential complication following cataract surgery, dry eye has the potential to impact visual outcomes, lower patient satisfaction, and be detrimental to quality of life.

Purpose: To evaluate the effect of cataract surgery on dry eye outcomes postoperatively.

Life History Modulates Effects of Inducible Defenses on Consumer-Resource Dynamics.

AbstractInducible defenses can affect the persistence, structure, and stability of consumer-resource systems. Theory shows that these effects depend on characteristics of the inducible defense, including timing, costs, efficacy, and sensitivity to consumer density. However, the expression and costs of inducible defenses often vary among life stages, which has not been captured in previous unstructured models.

Observational Analyses of Ex Vivo Native American Platelet Responses.

Platelet activation plays an essential role in clot formation to prevent blood loss following vascular damage. In pathologic conditions, platelet activation can lead to obstructive clots, disrupting blood flow and resulting in thrombosis. Native Americans suffer disproportionately from arterial disease and previous research has shown that Blacks are enriched in genetic polymorphisms that correlate with higher platelet reactivity contributing to an increased risk for thrombosis.

Long-living transients in ecological models: Recent progress, new challenges, and open questions.

Traditionally, mathematical models in ecology placed an emphasis on asymptotic, long-term dynamics. However, a large number of recent studies highlighted the importance of transient dynamics in ecological and eco-evolutionary systems, in particular 'long transients' that can last for hundreds of generations or even longer. Many models as well as empirical studies indicated that a system can function for a long time in a certain state or regime (a 'metastable regime') but later exhibits an abrupt transition to another regime not preceded by any parameter change (or following the change that occurred long before the transition).