The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Medical-Legal Partnership Services and Cases.

Context: Medical-legal partnerships (MLPs) are innovative, promising models that integrate legal service providers and medical professionals to prevent, detect, and address legal, social, and economic needs arising from social inequities that may negatively impact health. The COVID-19 pandemic impacted health care systems across the United States. MLP workflows and legal services were also interrupted by COVID-19 infection prevention and control measures such as no-visitor policies, social distancing, and the cancellation of non-emergent or routine health care services.

The hidden role of heterotrophic bacteria in early carbonate diagenesis.

Microbial impacts on early carbonate diagenesis, particularly the formation of Mg-carbonates at low temperatures, have long eluded scientists. Our breakthrough laboratory experiments with two species of halophilic aerobic bacteria and marine carbonate grains reveal that these bacteria created a distinctive protodolomite (disordered dolomite) rim around the grains. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and X-ray Diffraction (XRD) confirmed the protodolomite formation, while solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) revealed bacterial interactions with carboxylated organic matter, such as extracellular polymeric substances (EPS).

Eliciting patient past experiences of healthcare discrimination as a potential pathway to reduce health disparities: A qualitative study of primary care staff.

Objective: To understand whether and how primary care providers and staff elicit patients' past experiences of healthcare discrimination when providing care.

Data Sources/study Setting: Twenty qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with healthcare staff in primary care roles to inform future interventions to integrate data about past experiences of healthcare discrimination into clinical care.

Study Design: Qualitative study.

Cuidándome: A trauma-informed and cultural adaptation of a chronic disease self-management program for Latina immigrant survivors with a history of adverse childhood experiences and depression or anxiety symptoms.

Objectives: To develop a cultural and trauma-informed mental health self-management program for immigrant Latina survivors of adverse childhood experiences with depression or anxiety symptoms.

Method: Guided by Barrera's five-stage process for cultural adaptation, we collaborated with multiple stakeholders including clinical psychologists, community health workers, and Latina immigrant women with a history of adverse childhood experiences and depression or anxiety to transform a chronic disease self-management program to be trauma informed, culturally appropriate, and focus on self-management of depression and anxiety symptoms.

Results: Adaptations included translating program materials to Spanish, education on how early life adversity and trauma may impact mental health, virtual delivery, more frequent and shorter sessions, and addition of graphics and written prompts in workbook materials.

Searching for microbial contribution to micritization of shallow marine sediments.

Micritization is an early diagenetic process that gradually alters primary carbonate sediment grains through cycles of dissolution and reprecipitation of microcrystalline calcite (micrite). Typically observed in modern shallow marine environments, micritic textures have been recognized as a vital component of storage and flow in hydrocarbon reservoirs, attracting scientific and economic interests. Due to their endolithic activity and the ability to promote nucleation and reprecipitation of carbonate crystals, microorganisms have progressively been shown to be key players in micritization, placing this process at the boundary between the geological and biological realms.

Multitechnique characterization of secondary minerals near HI-SEAS, Hawaii, as Martian subsurface analogues.

Secondary minerals in lava tubes on Earth provide valuable insight into subsurface processes and the preservation of biosignatures on Mars. Inside lava tubes near the Hawaii-Space Exploration and Analog Simulation (HI-SEAS) habitat on the northeast flank of Mauna Loa, Hawaii, a variety of secondary deposits with distinct morphologies were observed consisting of mainly sodium sulphate powders, gypsum crystalline crusts, and small coralloid speleothems that comprise opal and calcite layers. These secondary deposits formed as a result of hydrological processes shortly after the formation and cooling of the lava tubes and are preserved over long periods of time in relatively dry conditions.

Social Image of Old Age, Gendered Ageism and Inclusive Places: Older People in the Media.

Ageism promotes the exclusion of older people from society by generating a negative image that they also internalize. The aim of this article is to investigate older people's social self-image, through statements broadcast on a national Spanish radio program aimed at this group. A qualitative analysis was conducted for a random sample from the sound archive for the Radio Nacional de España program Juntos Paso a Paso (Together, Step by Step) (2008-2021), using codes based on the pillars and determinants of active ageing and the three dimensions of ageism.

Friendly Residential Environments and Subjective Well-Being in Older People with and without Help Needs.

Previous studies have shown that friendly environments are associated with well-being and higher quality of life in older people. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between friendly environments and subjective well-being by segmenting the population according to the need for help in performing activities of daily living (ADLs) in a representative sample of people over 55 years of age in the Basque Country (Spain) (n = 2760). To determine the predictive power of friendliness on subjective well-being, two separate linear regression models were obtained according to the need for help in ADLs.

Coupled C, H, N, S and Fe biogeochemical cycles operating in the continental deep subsurface of the Iberian Pyrite Belt.

Microbial activity is a major contributor to the biogeochemical cycles that make up the life support system of planet Earth. A 613 m deep geomicrobiological perforation and a systematic multi-analytical characterization revealed an unexpected diversity associated with the rock matrix microbiome that operates in the subsurface of the Iberian Pyrite Belt (IPB). Members of 1 class and 16 genera were deemed the most representative microorganisms of the IPB deep subsurface and selected for a deeper analysis.

Puerto Rican healthcare workers' perspectives on the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on their role, patient care, and mental health.

Purpose: To explore the personal and work-related stressors of healthcare workers in Puerto Rico and the organizational support they received during the pandemic.

Design And Methods: We used a qualitative descriptive design and from April - November, 2021, conducted semi-structured individual interviews with Puerto Rican frontline healthcare workers (n = 12) and supervisors (n = 5).

Findings: Thematic analysis revealed five major themes: (a) Organizations' response to COVID-19; (b) increased complexity of patients; (c) intensified work and psychological demand for nurses; (d) overwhelmed and overworked; and (e) recommendations for healthcare leadership.

Patterns of Adverse Childhood Experiences, Social Problem-Solving, and Mental Health Among Latina Immigrants.

Researchers have established the long-term negative impact of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) on mental health. Evidence also shows that different types of ACEs often co-occur and that ACEs profiles have differential impact on mental health. However, this prior research has often omitted first-generation Latino immigrants-a growing segment of the population, with potentially higher risk for ACEs, decreased access to mental health services, and increased risk for remaining in poor mental health.

The Mediating Role of Home-School Dissonance in Linking Maternal Discrimination to Latin American-Origin Adolescent Academic Performance.

Latin American-origin parents play an important role in supporting the formal education of their youth, but cultural, linguistic, and systemic barriers make parent involvement difficult. The aim of the present study was to examine how Latina mothers' experiences with discrimination were associated with short-term changes in their adolescent children's academic performance, directly and indirectly through mothers' appraisal of home-school dissonance. Data were drawn from an ongoing longitudinal study of 547 mother-youth dyads in suburban Atlanta.

Effect of humic acid on CO-wettability in sandstone formation.

Hypothesis: Millions of tons of CO are stored in CO geological storage (CGS) formations (depleted oil reservoirs and deep saline aquifers) every year. These CGS formations naturally contain small concentrations of water-soluble organic components in particular humic acid (HA), which may drastically affect the rock wettability - a significant factor determining storage capacities and containment security. Hence, it is essential to characterise the effect of humic acid concentration on CO-wettability and its associated impact on storage capacity.

Understanding the Role of Past Health Care Discrimination in Help-Seeking and Shared Decision-Making for Depression Treatment Preferences.

As a part of a larger, mixed-methods research study, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 21 adults with depressive symptoms to understand the role that past health care discrimination plays in shaping help-seeking for depression treatment and receiving preferred treatment modalities. We recruited to achieve heterogeneity of racial/ethnic backgrounds and history of health care discrimination in our participant sample. Participants were Hispanic/Latino ( = 4), non-Hispanic/Latino Black ( = 8), or non-Hispanic/Latino White ( = 9).

Stromatolites as Biosignatures of Atmospheric Oxygenation: Carbonate Biomineralization and UV-C Resilience in a sp. Dominated Culture.

Modern stromatolites are key to the record of past microbial activity preserved in fossil carbonate deposits. Mono-phototrophic cultures dominated by the cyanobacterium sp. were obtained from a laboratory-maintained, low magnesium-calcite stromatolite originating from Lagoa Vermelha, Brazil.

Trends in Mental Health Care Use in Medicare from 2009 to 2014 by Gender Minority and Disability Status.

This study examines trends in Medicare beneficiaries' mental health care use from 2009 to 2014 by gender minority and disability status. Using 2009 to 2014 Medicare claims, we modeled mental health care use (outpatient mental health care, inpatient mental health care, and psychotropic drugs) over time, adjusting for age and behavioral health diagnoses. We compared trends for gender minority beneficiaries (identified using diagnosis codes) to trends for a 5% random sample of other beneficiaries, stratified by original entitlement reason (age vs.

Deciphering Biosignatures in Planetary Contexts.

Microbial life permeates Earth's critical zone and has likely inhabited nearly all our planet's surface and near subsurface since before the beginning of the sedimentary rock record. Given the vast time that Earth has been teeming with life, do astrobiologists truly understand what geological features untouched by biological processes would look like? In the search for extraterrestrial life in the Universe, it is critical to determine what constitutes a biosignature across multiple scales, and how this compares with "abiosignatures" formed by nonliving processes. Developing standards for abiotic and biotic characteristics would provide quantitative metrics for comparison across different data types and observational time frames.

Microbial Mg-rich Carbonates in an Extreme Alkaline Lake (Las Eras, Central Spain).

This paper provides strong evidence for the contribution of the phylum Firmicutes in mediating the primary precipitation of Mg-rich carbonates (hydromagnesite, dolomite, magnesite, and nesquehonite) in recent microbialites from a highly alkaline and ephemeral inland lake (Las Eras, Central Spain). The carbonate mineral precipitation occurs sequentially as the microbial mats decay. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) provided solid proof that hydromagnesite nucleation is initiated on the exopolymeric substances (EPS) and the microbial cells associated to the microbial mat degradation areas.

Nucleation of Fe-rich phosphates and carbonates on microbial cells and exopolymeric substances.

Although phosphate and carbonate are important constituents in ancient and modern environments, it is not yet clear their biogeochemical relationships and their mechanisms of formation. Microbially mediated carbonate formation has been widely studied whereas little is known about the formation of phosphate minerals. Here we report that a new bacterial strain, Tessarococcus lapidicaptus, isolated from the subsurface of Rio Tinto basin (Huelva, SW Spain), is capable of precipitating Fe-rich phosphate and carbonate minerals.

Tessaracoccus lapidicaptus sp. nov., an actinobacterium isolated from the deep subsurface of the Iberian pyrite belt.

A novel actinobacterium, designated IPBSL-7(T), was isolated from a drilling core 297 m deep obtained from the Iberian Pyrite Belt. The strain was isolated anaerobically using nitrate as the electron acceptor. 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis revealed that it was related to Tessaracoccus flavescens SST-39(T) (95.

Microbial mediated formation of Fe-carbonate minerals under extreme acidic conditions.

Discovery of Fe-carbonate precipitation in Rio Tinto, a shallow river with very acidic waters, situated in Huelva, South-western Spain, adds a new dimension to our understanding of carbonate formation. Sediment samples from this low-pH system indicate that carbonates are formed in physico-chemical conditions ranging from acid to neutral pH. Evidence for microbial mediation is observed in secondary electron images (Fig.

Specific jarosite biomineralization by Purpureocillium lilacinum, an acidophilic fungi isolated from Río Tinto.

Río Tinto (Huelva, southwestern Spain) is an extreme environment with a remarkably constant acidic pH and a high concentration of heavy metals, conditions generated by the metabolic activity of chemolithotrophic microorganisms thriving in the rich complex sulfides of the Iberian Pyrite Belt (IPB). Fungal strains isolated from the Tinto basin were characterized morphologically and phylogenetically. The strain identified as Purpureocillium lilacinum specifically induced the formation of a yellow-ocher precipitate, identified as hydronium-jarosite, an iron sulfate mineral which appears in abundance on the banks of Río Tinto.

Prokaryotic communities and operating metabolisms in the surface and the permafrost of Deception Island (Antarctica).

In this study we examined the microbial community composition and operating metabolisms on the surface and in the permafrost of Deception Island, (Antarctica) with an on site antibody microarray biosensor. Samples (down to a depth of 4.2 m) were analysed with LDChip300 (Life Detector Chip), an immunosensor containing more than 300 antibodies targeted to bacterial and archaeal antigens.