Baseline Estimates for Companion Animals Living in Households in Hawai'i: Associated Socio-Demographic, and Select Health Variables, as Measured by a Household Survey.

Information on companion animals in Hawai'i is lacking. The Hawai'i Department of Health's Hawai'i Health Survey, collected data on adults and households by telephone interview. National estimates of companion animals range from 50-67%.

Resilience in Medical Education: Examining the Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Pre-clerkship Curriculum Outcomes and Learner Perceptions at the University of Hawai'i John A. Burns School of Medicine.

The transition to virtual learning formats during the COVID-19 pandemic necessitated substantial curricular adjustments to the University of Hawai'i John A. Burns School of Medicine. This study compares student satisfaction and academic performance between the pre-pandemic (up through March 25, 2020) and pandemic (after March 25, 2020) periods.

Harmful Marketing: An Overlooked Social Determinant of Health.

This paper reviews evidence about the impact of marketing on ill health. We summarize evidence that marketing practices in six industries (tobacco, alcohol, pharmaceutical, processed food, firearm, and fossil fuel) are causal influences on the occurrence of injury, disease, and premature death. For each industry, we provide a brief overview on the extent of harmful marketing, efforts from each industry to obscure or otherwise conceal the impact of their marketing strategies, and efforts to counter the impact of harmful marketing in these industries.

Right Ventricular Injury Definition and Management in Veno-Venous Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation.

Right ventricular injury (RVI) in respiratory failure receiving veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VV ECMO) is associated with significant mortality. A scoping review is necessary to map the current literature and guide future research regarding the definition and management of RVI in patients receiving VV ECMO. We searched for relevant publications on RVI in patients receiving VV ECMO in Medline, EMBASE, and Web of Science.

Binding the Power of Cycloaddition and Cross-Coupling in a Single Mechanism: An Unexpected Bending Journey to Radical Chemistry of Butadiynyl with Conjugated Dienes.

What if an experiment could combine the power of cycloaddition and cross-coupling with the formation of an aromatic molecule in a single collision? Crossed molecular beam experiments augmented with electronic structure and statistical calculations provided compelling evidence on a novel radical route involving 1,3-butadiynyl (HCCCC; X∑) radicals synthesizing (substituted) arylacetylenes in the gas phase upon reactions with 1,3-butadiene (CHCHCHCH; XA) and 2-methyl-1,3-butadiene (isoprene; CHC(CH)CHCH; XA'). This elegant mechanism merges two previously disconnected concepts of cross-coupling and cycloaddition-aromatization in a single collision event via the formation of two new C(sp)-C(sp) bonds and bending the 180° moiety of the linear 1,3-butadiynyl radical out of the ordinary by 60° to 120°. In addition to its importance to fundamental organic chemistry, this unconventional mechanism links two previously separated routes of gas-phase molecular mass growth processes of polyacetylenes and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), respectively, in low-temperature environments such as in cold molecular clouds like the Taurus Molecular Cloud (TMC-1) and in hydrocarbon-rich atmospheres of planets and their moons such as Titan, which revises the established understanding of low-temperature molecular mass growth processes in the Universe.

Pneumothorax suspected secondary to continuous glucose monitor placement in a dog.

The FreeStyle Libre (Abbott) is a human continuous glucose monitor sensor that has been used to monitor glucose concentrations in dogs and cats with diabetes. This sensor and other similar continuous glucose monitoring sensors are increasingly popular in veterinary medicine, specifically for management of diabetes mellitus. The sensor decreases veterinary visits and reduces the stress (and expense) of multiple blood sample collections needed to produce glucose curves.

Overexpression of RGPR-p117 reveals anticancer effects by regulating multiple signaling pathways in bone metastatic human breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells.

The role of RGPR-p117, a transcription factor, which binds to the TTGGC motif in the promoter region of the regucalcin gene, in cell regulation remains to be investigated. This study elucidated whether RGPR-p117 regulates the activity of triple-negative human breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells in vitro. The wild-type and RGPR-p117-overexpressing cancer cells were cultured in DMEM supplemented with fetal bovine serum.

Self-assembly of chiroptical ionic co-crystals from silver nanoclusters and organic macrocycles.

Atomically precise nanoclusters can be assembled into ordered superlattices with unique electronic, magnetic, optical and catalytic properties. The co-crystallization of nanoclusters with functional organic molecules provides opportunities to access an even wider range of structures and properties, but can be challenging to control synthetically. Here we introduce a supramolecular approach to direct the assembly of atomically precise silver nanoclusters into a series of nanocluster‒organic ionic co-crystals with tunable structures and properties.

Diet-wide analyses for risk of colorectal cancer: prospective study of 12,251 incident cases among 542,778 women in the UK.

Uncertainty remains regarding the role of diet in colorectal cancer development. We examined associations of 97 dietary factors with colorectal cancer risk in 542,778 Million Women Study participants (12,251 incident cases over 16.6 years), and conducted a targeted genetic analysis in the ColoRectal Transdisciplinary Study, Colon Cancer Family Registry, and Genetics and Epidemiology of Colorectal Cancer Consortium (GECCO).

Deconstructing the Monolith: An Educational Module for Understanding Disparities Within Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Populations.

Introduction: Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) people represent one of the largest and most rapidly growing groups in the United States and are often aggregated as a homogeneous, rather than diverse, population in medical research and education. Currently, few educational interventions focus on the disaggregation of AANHPI patient populations and the improvement of knowledge about health disparities that affect AANHPI patients.

Methods: We developed, implemented, and facilitated a workshop for medical students to address AANHPI health disparities, adaptable for in-person and online formats.

Differences in tumor size, clinical, demographic, and socioeconomic profiles of central nervous system tumors among a racially diverse cohort: A retrospective case-control study.

Background: One avenue to improve outcomes among brain tumor patients involves the mitigation of healthcare disparities. Investigating clinical differences among brain tumors across socioeconomic and demographic strata, such can aid in healthcare disparity identification and, by extension, outcome improvement.

Methods: Utilizing a racially diverse population from Hawaii, 323 cases of brain tumors (meningiomas, gliomas, schwannomas, pituitary adenomas, and metastases) were matched by age, sex, and race to 651 controls to investigate the associations between tumor type and various demographic, socioeconomic, and medical comorbidities.

Evaluating health status and risks among Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities in Hawai'i: a respondent-driven sampling approach.

Purpose: Respondent-driven sampling (RDS) is a sampling method that relies on social networks to recruit hard-to-reach populations, and reduces the bias from non-random selection. This study aimed to assess the efficacy of RDS in collecting health assessment data from underrepresented populations not captured by traditional sampling techniques.

Methods: An RDS study was conducted in Hawai'i between 2017 and 2018 of Native Hawaiians, Chuukese, and Marshallese participants.

SARS-CoV-2-induced cytokine storm drives prolonged testicular injury and functional impairment in mice that are mitigated by dexamethasone.

Compromised male reproductive health, including reduced testosterone and sperm count, is one of the long COVID symptoms in individuals recovering from mild-severe disease. COVID-19 patients display testicular injury in the acute stage and altered serum fertility markers in the recovery phase, however, long-term implications on the testis remain unknown. This study characterized the consequences of SARS-CoV-2 on testis function.

Parental effects provide an opportunity for coral resilience following major bleaching events.

Identifying processes that promote coral reef recovery and resilience is crucial as ocean warming becomes more frequent and severe. Sexual reproduction is essential for the replenishment of coral populations and maintenance of genetic diversity; however, the ability for corals to reproduce may be impaired by marine heatwaves that cause coral bleaching. In 2014 and 2015, the Hawaiian Islands experienced coral bleaching with differential bleaching susceptibility in the species Montipora capitata, a dominant reef-building coral in the region.

Advancing Natural Killer Cell Therapy: Genetic Engineering Strategies for Enhanced Cancer Immunotherapy.

Natural killer (NK) cells are pivotal innate immune system components that exhibit spontaneous cytolytic activity against abnormal cells, such as infected and tumor cells. NK cells have shown significant promise in adoptive cell therapy because of their favorable safety profiles and minimal toxicity in clinical settings. Despite their advantages, the therapeutic application of unmodified NK cells faces challenges, including limited in vivo persistence, particularly in the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment.

Racial-Ethnic Disparities of Obesity Require Community Context-Specific Biomedical Research for Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders.

Compared to the general population of Hawai'i, Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders (NHPI) shoulder a disproportionately high risk for obesity-related cardiometabolic disorders, such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. The gut microbiome is an area of rapid research interest for its role in regulating adjacent metabolic pathways, offering novel opportunities to better understand the etiology of these health disparities. Obesity and the gut microbiome are influenced by regional, racial-ethnic, and community-specific factors, limiting the generalizability of current literature for understudied populations.

Species Infections Detected from Fecal Samples of Animal and Human Hosts in South Africa: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

This study presents a systematic review and meta-analysis approach of species prevalence studies in animal and human hosts published between 1980 and 2020 in South Africa. Extensive searches were conducted on three electronic databases including PubMed, ScienceDirect and Google Scholar. The findings indicated an overall pooled prevalence estimate (PPE) of spp.

Effects of Gut Bacteria on the Fitness of Rice Leaf Folder .

The rice leaf folder is an important migratory pest in Asia. Although this pest possesses diverse bacterial communities in its gut, functions of these bacteria in modulating host fitness, including development durations, pupal weight, adult longevity, and fecundity, remain unknown. We isolated gut bacteria from field-collected larvae using a culture-dependent method and identified 15 bacterial isolates.

A Practical Clinical Approach to Navigate Pulmonary Embolism Management: A Primer and Narrative Review of the Evolving Landscape.

Advances in imaging, pharmacological, and procedural technologies have rapidly expanded the care of pulmonary embolism. Earlier, more accurate identification and quantification has enhanced risk stratification across the spectrum of the disease process, with a number of clinical tools available to prognosticate outcomes and guide treatment. Direct oral anticoagulants have enabled a consistent and more convenient long-term therapeutic option, with a greater shift toward outpatient treatment for a select group of low-risk patients.

AI in Biomedicine-A Forward-Looking Perspective on Health Equity.

As new artificial intelligence (AI) tools are being developed and as AI continues to revolutionize healthcare, its potential to advance health equity is increasingly recognized. The 2024 Research Centers in Minority Institutions (RCMI) Consortium National Conference session titled "Artificial Intelligence: Safely, Ethically, and Responsibly" brought together experts from diverse institutions to explore AI's role and challenges in advancing health equity. This report summarizes presentations and discussions from the conference focused on AI's potential and its challenges, particularly algorithmic bias, transparency, and the under-representation of minority groups in AI datasets.

Revealing 'Eha: A Qualitative Project on Historical Trauma Experiences Among Wāhine.

Historical trauma has been established as a determinant of health among all Hawaiians, but limited research exists on how Wāhine (Native Hawaiian women) uniquely experience historical trauma. A phenomenological qualitative study was conducted to primarily understand how historical trauma, trauma response, and the transmission and modes of intergenerational trauma intersect with sexism and patriarchy among contemporary Wāhine, as described in the Historical Trauma Conceptual Model. With partnership and approval of the Waimānalo Pono Research Hui, interviews were conducted with 13 Wāhine from various generations in Hawai'i.

An Entropy Dynamics Approach to Inferring Fractal-Order Complexity in the Electromagnetics of Solids.

A fractal-order entropy dynamics model is developed to create a modified form of Maxwell's time-dependent electromagnetic equations. The approach uses an information-theoretic method by combining Shannon's entropy with fractional moment constraints in time and space. Optimization of the cost function leads to a time-dependent Bayesian posterior density that is used to homogenize the electromagnetic fields.

Fitness of (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) on Cultivated Wheat and a Weed, Wild Oat (), and Its Implications for Pest Management.

(Walker), a significant migratory pest in many Asian countries, can cause severe damage to wheat crops. Understanding whether wild oat can serve as an alternate host is important for informing predictive models of infestation levels in wheat fields and can improve pest and weed management strategies. We first conducted both choice and no-choice experiments and found that readily laid eggs on both wheat and wild oat, with no significant oviposition preference.