Search Results (327)

Background/Objectives: Food insecurity has been associated with adverse eating patterns, which increase the risk for overweight and obesity. However, most studies measure food insecurity and eating behaviors cross-sectionally, not assessing whether experiencing food insecurity over time influences eating behaviors. Therefore, this study assessed the relationship between cumulative food insecurity and food approach and food avoidance eating behaviors and evaluated the effect of breastfeeding intensity and duration on this relationship. Methods: The Study of Women, Infant Feeding and Type 2 Diabetes after Gestational Diabetes Pregnancy (SWIFT) is a prospective longitudinal cohort of 1033 mothers diagnosed with gestational diabetes and their youth. Breastfeeding intensity and duration were assessed at research visits and through mailed monthly surveys from birth to one year postpartum. The SWIFT study in Youth (SWIFT-Y) was a cohort of 701 SWIFT offspring that consented to participate in a research visit 11–16 years postpartum. Youth’s BMI was measured at 11–16 years old through a research visit or their electronic health record. At each of the four research visits (6–9 weeks, one year, two years, and 11–16 years postpartum), participants were categorized as being food secure (0) or food insecure (1). Scores across the four visits were summed (range 0–4), reflecting the number of assessments one was classified as food insecure. The Child Eating Behavior Questionnaire was used to measure the prevalence of eight eating behaviors in the youth, with higher scores indicating that the behaviors were more apparent. According to the measure, the behaviors were categorized into two groups: food approach and food avoidance. Food approach consists of youth’s food responsiveness, emotional overeating, enjoyment of food, and desire to drink, and has been positively associated with a child’s BMI. Food avoidance includes the youth’s satiety responsiveness, slowness in eating, emotional undereating, and food fussiness, and is negatively associated with BMI. Linear regressions assessed whether cumulative food insecurity was associated with eating patterns, and exploratory analysis analyzed whether this relationship differed by breastfeeding duration (<six months, ≥six months) and intensity (exclusive, not exclusive), controlling for the child’s BMI and sociodemographic characteristics. Results: In this complete-case secondary analysis (n = 321), each additional experience of food insecurity was associated with a higher food approach score (B = 0.30, 95% CI [0.04, 0.57], p = 0.03), but not food avoidance (B = −0.03, 95% CI [−0.21, 0.15], p = 0.74). These results varied by breastfeeding duration (B = −0.74, p = 0.001), as the relationship remained significant among those who were breastfed for <six months (B = 0.73, p < 0.001) but was attenuated among those who were breastfed for ≥six months (B = −0.26, p = 0.18). Conclusions: Experiencing food insecurity more during childhood is associated with adverse eating patterns at 11–16 years old. However, breastfeeding for ≥six months influenced this relationship, suggesting that early-life feeding may impact the effect of food insecurity on one’s eating behaviors later in life. Full article

Ticks are vectors of bacterial, viral, and protozoan pathogens and represent a growing public health concern in the United States and worldwide. In California, vector surveillance has largely focused on Ixodes pacificus, the major vector of the spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi. However, the presence of multiple medically important Dermacentor species may harbor additional, understudied pathogens. To address this gap, broad pathogen screening was conducted on ticks collected from Siskiyou, Humboldt, Trinity, and Mendocino counties in Northern California, using multiplex quantitative PCR targeting 15 known tick-borne pathogens in the USA. A total of 376 adult ticks were collected in total, comprising I. pacificus, D. similis, D. andersoni, and D. occidentalis, from vegetation and animals between 2023 and 2024. Five established bacterial pathogens, Anaplasma phagocytophilum, B. burgdorferi, B. miyamotoi, Rickettsia monacensis, and R. rhipicephali were detected. Additionally, a genetically divergent Rickettsia-like sequence was detected in one I. pacificus sample that did not match any previously described species in phylogenetic analyses. Furthermore, a short DNA fragment highly similar to the Colorado tick-fever-virus VP12 gene was detected in D. similis. These findings suggest pathogen diversity across multiple tick species in Northern California, including evidence of co-infections, and the detection of potentially novel or poorly characterized microorganisms. Full article

Identifying reliable earthquake precursors remains a major challenge in geophysics. Among the most widely investigated candidates are seismicity-based indicators, such as the Gutenberg–Richter $b$-value, and ionospheric disturbances expressed through Total Electron Content (TEC) anomalies. However, these observables are commonly investigated independently, and their quantitative spatial relationship remains poorly constrained. This study investigates the spatio-temporal evolution of $b$-values and GNSS-derived TEC anomalies preceding the 2019 Ridgecrest (Mw 7.1) and 2010 Baja California (Mw 7.2) earthquakes. Temporal analyses reveal progressive reductions in $b$-values prior to both earthquakes, while spatial mapping identifies localized low-$b$ regions with thresholds of $b\le 0.88$ for Ridgecrest and $b\le 0.83$ for Baja California. Independent TEC analyses reveal negative ionospheric anomalies of approximately 2.34 TECU and 4.27 TECU, occurring 9–10 days and ~2 days before the respective mainshocks under geomagnetically quiet conditions. A multi-scale centroid-based spatial validation framework, incorporating both global and local low-$b$ centroids together with Monte Carlo randomization tests, demonstrates that the dominant low-$b$ regions consistently exhibit the closest spatial correspondence with the TEC depletion. The observed centroid separations occupied only a limited fraction of the theoretical earthquake preparation zone, with normalized distances of 0.33 and 0.24 for the global centroids, decreasing to 0.32 and 0.17, respectively, for the dominant local low-$b$ regions. Overall, the results support a stress-conditioned lithosphere–atmosphere–ionosphere coupling framework and demonstrate that integrating long-term seismic stress evolution with GNSS-derived ionospheric observations provides an objective multi-parameter framework for investigating the spatial organization of earthquake preparation processes. Full article

This longitudinal cohort study examined acute and mid-term mental health impacts among 4346 survivors of the 2018 Camp Fire in Northern California using a retrospective survey that asked participants to report symptoms at one, three, and six months post-wildfire. Forty-one percent of participants reported at least one mental health symptom three weeks after the wildfire. Mental health symptoms declined over the six-month follow-up. The mean number of mental health symptoms was 3.7 (95% CI, 3.3–4.1) at three weeks, 3.3 (3.0–3.7) at one month, 3.1 (2.8–3.4) at three months, and 2.7 (2.5–3.1) at six months. Among survivors reporting one or more symptoms, severe home damage was associated with a 1.6-fold higher number of mental health symptoms, preexisting mental health conditions and job loss due to the wildfire were each associated with 1.2-fold increase, and prior physical disabilities with a 1.1-fold increase. Loss of a family member or friend and living alone were also associated with a higher number of mental health symptoms, whereas both younger age (<18 years) and male sex were associated with fewer symptoms. Wildfire exposure is associated with increased mental health risks, particularly among those with preexisting conditions and significant fire-related losses. Full article

Bone regeneration remains a significant clinical challenge, particularly for large or critical-sized defects caused by trauma, disease, or congenital abnormalities. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have emerged as a promising cell source for bone tissue engineering, with their osteogenic differentiation playing a crucial role in bone repair. Biomaterials serve as scaffolds that facilitate MSC-mediated bone regeneration by providing structural support and mimicking the extracellular matrix (ECM). This review explores recent advancements in biomaterials designed to promote MSC osteogenesis through two primary approaches: biochemical and physicomechanical stimuli. Therapeutic agent-loaded scaffolds, incorporating growth factors, small molecules, gene materials, peptides, proteins, and extracellular vesicles (EVs), have been extensively studied for their ability to enhance osteogenic differentiation. However, concerns regarding toxicity, off-target effects, and regulatory limitations have led to increasing interest in biomaterials that utilize physicomechanical cues such as stiffness, viscoelasticity, topography, porosity, and dynamic forces (shear stress, compression, vibration) as alternative or complementary strategies. Furthermore, the synergistic effects of multiple physicomechanical cues are being explored to regulate MSC behavior for promoting bone regeneration. This review discusses current challenges, emerging trends, and future directions in the development of next-generation biomaterials that integrate biochemical and physicomechanical approaches for clinical applications in bone repair and regeneration. Full article

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-targeted therapy represents one of the earliest and most established examples of precision oncology in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), with more than 10 approved agents, including tyrosine kinase inhibitors, bispecific antibodies and antibody–drug conjugates. Over the past two decades, the diagnostic and therapeutic landscape of EGFR-mutant NSCLC has evolved from empiric treatment to mutation subtype-guided strategies, from advanced disease to earlier-stage interventions, and from monotherapy to rational combination regimens. Somatic EGFR mutations remain key predictive biomarkers guiding treatment selection, therapeutic intensification, resistance mechanism-directed treatment, and disease monitoring through plasma circulating tumor DNA burden. In parallel, germline EGFR alterations are increasingly recognized as contributors to inherited lung cancer susceptibility, particularly among never-smokers and familial clusters. Germline EGFR T790M is the best-characterized pathogenic variant, creating a permissive background for multifocal lung nodules and lung adenocarcinoma development, often following acquisition of a second somatic EGFR driver mutation. Recent familial, regional, and paired tumor–normal sequencing studies have expanded the evidence beyond isolated case reports and support an emerging hereditary lung cancer predisposition phenotype. Clinically, germline EGFR should be suspected when EGFR T790M is detected prior to TKI exposure, particularly at variant allele fractions near 50%, or in patients with multifocal ground-glass nodules, multiple primary lung adenocarcinomas, early-onset disease, never/light smoking history, or family history of lung cancer. Confirmation requires germline testing and genetic counseling. This review highlights the current knowledge, recent advances, and future directions in somatic and germline EGFR-mutant NSCLC, emphasizing translational relevance for clinicians and researchers. Full article

Background/Objectives: Though PARP inhibition has improved the management of advanced prostate cancer, patient outcomes may be modest and disease progression on treatment is common. We sought to improve understanding of tumor cell response to PARP inhibition to support development of novel strategies to enhance and/or prolong PARP inhibitor (PARPi) efficacy. Methods: Cell viability assays and microscopy were used for initial characterization of PARPi response in models of advanced prostate cancer. RNA sequencing was performed to investigate time-dependent transcriptomic changes induced by PARP inhibition. Western blots, flow cytometry, and both additional viability assays and microscopy were used to validate RNA sequencing results and test potential therapeutic strategies. Results: Characterization of responses to PARP inhibition reveals time-dependent changes which may be targeted to improve treatment efficacy. In line with the expected PARPi mechanism of action, short-term treatment is largely associated with activation of ATM and the DNA damage response and cell cycle checkpoint signaling. Targeting ATM with clinical stage inhibitors significantly enhances reduction of tumor cell viability by PARP inhibition. Tumor cells exposed to longer-term treatment exhibit SLUG-dependent epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) and evidence for altered fatty acid metabolism, both of which may be targeted to enhance PARPi anti-tumor cell effects. Conclusions: This study provides insight into both short and longer-term cellular response to PARPi treatment and provides a foundation for additional efforts to explore effective strategies to maximize the utility of PARP inhibition for managing prostate cancer. Full article

The Klamath-Siskiyou Ecoregion (KSE) of southwest Oregon–northern California, USA, has globally exceptional biodiversity but is experiencing mounting pressures from climate change and land uses. We conducted an ecoregional conservation assessment of the KSE and the Siskiyou Crest subregion (SCS), a proposed climate refugium within the KSE. We integrated protected area priorities based on established conservation targets with climate change planning and fire risk reduction for communities. Both areas contained very low levels (<30%) of protection (GAP status 1, 2) for nearly all land cover types (n = 17), including serpentine substrates where endemic plants are highly concentrated, older forests with potential refugia properties, and habitat for Northern Spotted Owl (Strix occidentalis caurina) and Pacific fisher (Pekania pennanti). At the ecoregional scale, high-severity fire levels were proportionately similar across GAP land-use status (“managed” vs. protected). However, high-severity fire was lowest for protected areas at the subregional scale, reflective of potential refugium properties. Most fuel treatments by federal agencies were >1 km from nearest structures, far removed from effective community fire protection in both locales. The relatively higher-elevation SCS is projected to maintain refugia properties (cooler, wetter) for longer periods than the KSE; however, that function may dissipate toward the end of the century and under a higher emissions scenario. We recommend increased protections of potential refugia combined with fire risk reduction of the built environment to more effectively maintain unique biota and prepare communities for increased likelihood of wildfire spillover events. Full article

The cell secretome includes extracellular vesicles (EVs), nanoscale lipid bilayer-enclosed particles that carry diverse bioactive cargos, including proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids. As key mediators of paracrine signaling, EVs reflect the molecular and functional characteristics of their parent cells and play critical roles in regulating tissue homeostasis and regeneration. Growing evidence supports their therapeutic potential across a wide range of diseases. However, the clinical translation of EV-based therapies remains limited by challenges related to yield, purity, targeting specificity, and functional consistency. Recent advances in biomimetic culture systems—particularly three-dimensional (3D) platforms that recapitulate features of the native extracellular matrix microenvironment—have demonstrated a strong influence on cell phenotype, secretory activity, and EV composition. This review highlights how biochemical and mechanical cues within 3D culture systems regulate EV biogenesis, cargo loading, and functional outcomes and discusses their implications for improving the scalability, efficacy, and clinical translation of EV-based therapeutics. Full article

Hydroclimatic whiplash, characterized by rapid transitions between wet and dry conditions, poses a growing challenge for water resource management and ecosystem stability. However, the spatial and statistical characteristics of wet–dry transitions across the contiguous United States are not fully understood. This study analyzed Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI) and Palmer Hydrological Drought Index (PHDI) records from 344 NOAA climate divisions spanning 1895–2024. Whiplash was defined as a transition between severe drought and severe wetness within 12-month rolling windows. Statistical descriptors including lag-1 autocorrelation, variance, and skewness were evaluated for whiplash and non-whiplash windows to assess differences between them. Whiplash hotspots were identified in Texas, Southern California, northern Colorado, western New Mexico, and parts of the Midwest, with PDSI detecting higher whiplash frequency than PHDI. This difference reflects PDSI’s greater short-term sensitivity to near-surface soil moisture compared to PHDI’s longer-term hydrological persistence. Whiplash windows showed elevated variance and autocorrelation relative to baseline conditions across both indices. These findings demonstrate that hydroclimatic whiplash is strongly dependent on index selection and threshold definition, and that elevated variance and autocorrelation may serve as statistical indicators of transition periods with important implications for drought monitoring and climate adaptation planning. Full article

The purpose of this study is to examine positive and negative emotions about climate change reported by youth living in northern California and explore how these emotions are linked to climate anxiety, activism, and other measures of well-being. We surveyed ethnically diverse first- and second-year students (N = 521, mean age = 19) at a Jesuit, urban university in California in Fall 2022. Survey measures assessed climate-related emotions, eco-anxiety, and eco-impairment, along with activism, optimism, and compassion. Bivariate and multivariate models examined positive and negative eco-emotions, controlling for race, gender, and income. Overall, climate anxiety was linked to greater activism and confidence that actions matter. However, experiencing positive climate-related emotions had a stronger relationship to activism and optimism for the present and future, compared to negative emotions which were linked to higher eco-anxiety and greater compassion for others. Climate education and communication should consider inducing and reinforcing positive emotions to encourage youth activism, especially since negative emotions in response to climate change are linked to worse mental health. More research on a range of climate emotions is needed, and future interventions should test how to induce hope without minimizing the seriousness of climate change to support confidence and youth action. Full article

Within the Veteran’s Health Administration (VHA), peer support specialists (PSSs) have traditionally worked in mental health and behavioral health settings. PSS-facilitated cancer support groups are less common and underused in this setting. The purpose of this study was to understand the acceptability, feasibility, and perceived benefits of a PSS-facilitated peer support group for women veterans with breast cancer. Semi-structured interviews were conducted among veteran participants and health system leaders (HSLs) and were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using rapid qualitative analysis. Key findings from interviews with veterans and HSLs emerged across several domains: The value of shared experiences, peer status and “matching”, virtual aspect, group structure, beneficial topics, and desired outcomes. Veteran participants greatly valued the ability to share experiences and connect with other women veterans with breast cancer and shared a desire for the facilitator to be a peer with an overlapping shared lived experience as they described benefits from peer interactions including supportive coping and instrumental coping. Veterans also reflected on the acceptability of the group being virtual, and uncovered attitudes and preferences regarding group structure, beneficial topics, and desired outcomes. HSLs noted that target outcomes might be linked to feeling connected with community and having an increased feeling of support. Findings suggest that cancer support groups, unlike more traditional mental health support groups at the VHA, may require greater specificity regarding programmatic content and PSS-cancer-experience-matching for group experience to feel authentic and meaningful. Full article

Cardiovascular diseases remain the leading cause of mortality worldwide, highlighting the urgent need for more effective therapeutic strategies. Despite substantial advances in conventional biomaterials, their limited ability to support functional integration and dynamically interact with the biological microenvironment continues to hinder therapeutic outcomes. Native cardiovascular tissues rely on tightly regulated bioelectrical signaling to coordinate cellular communication, tissue homeostasis, and functional repair. Consequently, recreating these bioelectrical cues has emerged as a key design principle in cardiovascular tissue engineering. Electroactive biomaterials have gained increasing attention as a promising platform to address this challenge by enabling electrical modulation of cellular behavior and tissue function. In this review, we summarize the intrinsic bioelectrical properties of cardiovascular tissues and discuss the roles of electrical stimulation in regulating disease-relevant cellular responses. We further highlight recent advances in the development of conductive, piezoelectric, and other electroactive biomaterials for cardiovascular tissue engineering applications. Finally, we critically discuss the major challenges and future opportunities in the field, including tissue-specific responses, stimulation parameter optimization, long-term safety, and clinical translation. Collectively, electroactive biomaterials represent a promising and rapidly evolving frontier for the development of dynamic, responsive, and next-generation therapies for cardiovascular diseases. Full article

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the leading cause of mortality worldwide, driving the continuous evolution of implantable cardiovascular therapies. Although early cardiovascular implants revolutionized the treatment of CVD, they are limited by restenosis, mechanical failure, poor biocompatibility, and inadequate tissue integration. These clinical limitations have driven the development of next-generation implants, with improved hemodynamic performance, regenerative potential, and long-term functionality. Advances in biomaterial science, tissue engineering, biosensors, wireless telemetry, flexible bioelectronics, and translational cardiovascular medicine have transformed cardiovascular implants from passive structural devices into biologically integrated and increasingly intelligent systems capable of interacting dynamically with the host cardiovascular environment. In this review, we summarize the historical evolution, current clinical applications, and emerging technologies of major cardiovascular implants. We further discuss key biological and engineering challenges limiting long-term clinical success and highlight future directions in regenerative biomaterials, smart bioelectronics, and personalized cardiovascular implants for next-generation cardiovascular therapy. Full article

Background: Despite a decline in lung cancer in the U.S., lung cancer among never-smoking Asian American (AsA) women is rising, and subgroup aggregation obscures heterogeneity. We compared primary lung cancer prevalence across disaggregated AsA subgroups and examined factors associated with prevalence such as personal- and family-cancer histories versus Non-Hispanic Whites (NHWs). Methods: This cross-sectional study analyzed electronic health records of AsA women (≥18) in a large Northern California health system (2010–2022). Lung cancer cases were obtained from the hospital registry and categorized by smoking status and self-reported ethnicity. Adjusted prevalence ratios (aPRs) were estimated using targeted maximum likelihood estimation, accounting for sociodemographic, smoking, and clinical covariates. Results: Among 1,843,119 women, 8651 had primary lung cancer; 2429 were never-smokers. In AsA never-smokers, aPRs and 95% confidence intervals versus age-matched NHW were: Chinese (3.36, [3.20–3.53]), Filipino (2.68, [2.55–2.82]), Vietnamese (2.07, [1.96–2.18]), Japanese (1.99, [1.89–2.10]), Korean (1.90, [1.80–2.00]), and Other Asian (0.35, [0.33–0.37]). Personal cancer-history reflected an increase in prevalence among Korean patients (2.91, [2.76–3.06]) while family cancer-history demonstrated increased prevalence among Chinese patients (1.51, [1.42–1.60]). Among women with uterine cancer, Chinese patients had higher lung-cancer prevalence than NHW (1.91, [1.58–2.31]). Conclusions: Never-smoking disaggregated AsA women show heterogeneous lung cancer prevalence, with higher prevalence in Korean women with personal cancer-history and in Chinese women with family cancer-history compared with NHW, supporting history-informed and ethnic-specific lung cancer screenings. Full article