Racism-Related Diminished Returns of Socioeconomic Status on Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development

Socioeconomic status (SES) influences health, behaviors, and well-being. Emerging information suggests that SES effects on health may be in part be due to SES effects on brain development. We have conducted a mini review of U.S.-based studies examining SES effects on brain development to synthesize the existing knowledge on what brain structures and functions show large and consistent SES influences. We have reviewed SES effects on performance in various cognitive functions such as learning, memory, and language. Additionally, we have reviewed the emerging literature from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study on the effects of social marginalization in reducing the effects of SES on children and youth brain development. These diminished returns of SES in minoritized youth are not due to genetics; rather, we argue that they stem from systemic and structural racism, social stratification, and marginalization that generate inequalities across the SES spectrum. As a result of these diminished returns, inequalities expand from low-SES to mid- and high SES sections of US society.

Cingulo-opercular and Cingulo-parietal Brain Networks Functional Connectivity in Pre-adolescents: Multiplicative Effects of Race, Ethnicity, and Parental Education

Introduction: A growing body of research has shown a diminished association between socioeconomic status (SES) indicators and a wide range of neuroimaging indicators for racial and ethnic minorities compared to majority groups. However, less is known about these effects for resting-state functional connectivity between various brain networks. Purpose: This study investigated racial and ethnic variation in the correlation between parental education and resting-state functional connectivity between the cingulo-opercular (CO) and cingulo-parietal (CP) networks in children. Methods: This cross-sectional study used data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study; we analyzed the resting-state functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (rsfMRI) data of 8,464 American pre-adolescents between the ages of 9 and 10. The main outcome measured was resting-state functional connectivity between the CO and CP networks calculated using rsfMRI. The independent variable was parental education, which was treated as a nominal variable. Age, sex, and family marital status were the study covariates. Race and ethnicity were the moderators. Mixed-effects regression models were used for data analysis, with and without interaction terms between parental education and race and ethnicity. Results: Higher parental education was associated with lower resting-state functional connectivity between the CO and CP networks. Race and ethnicity both showed statistically significant interactions with parental education on children’s resting-state functional connectivity between CO and CP networks, suggesting that the correlation between parental education and the resting-state functional connectivity was significantly weaker for Black and Hispanic pre-adolescents compared to White and non-Hispanic pre-adolescents. Conclusions: In line with the Minorities’ Diminished Returns theory, the association between parental education and pre-adolescents resting-state functional connectivity between CO and CP networks may be weaker in Black and Hispanic children than in White and non-Hispanic children. The weaker link between parental education and brain functional connectivity for Blacks and Hispanics than for Whites and non-Hispanics may reflect the racism, racialization, and social stratification that minimizes the returns of SES indicators, such as parental education for non-Whites, who become others in the US.

Nucleus Accumbens Functional Connectivity with the Default Mode Network: Black Children’s Diminished Returns of Household Income

Introduction: Although research has established a link between socioeconomic status (SES) and neuroimaging measures, weaker SES effects are shown for Blacks than Whites. This is, in part, due to processes such as stratification, racism, mineralization, and othering of Black people in the US. Purpose: This study had two aims: First to test the association between household income and the nucleus accumbens (NAcc) resting-state functional connectivity with the Default Mode Network (DMN) in children, and second, to investigate racial heterogeneity in this association. Methods: This cross-sectional study used data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study. We analyzed the resting-state functional connectivity data using Magnetic Resonance Imaging (rsfMRI) of 7903 US pre-adolescents who were between ages 9 and 10 years old. The main outcome was the NAcc resting-state functional connectivity with DMN. The independent variable was household income. Age, sex, and family structure were the study covariates. Race was the moderator. Mixed-effects regression models were used for data analysis with and without interaction terms between household income and race. Results: Higher household income was associated with higher NAcc resting-state functional connectivity with DMN. Race showed a statistically significant interaction with household income suggesting that the NAcc resting-state functional connectivity with DMN was significantly weaker for Black compared to White pre-adolescents. Conclusions: In line with Minorities’ Diminished Returns (MDRs), the association between household income and pre-adolescents NAcc resting-state functional connectivity with DMN is weaker in Black than in White children. This result is of interest because DMN’s functional connectivity with NAcc may have a role in cognitive flexibility and reward processing. The weaker links between SES indicators and neuroimaging findings for Blacks than for Whites may reflect the racialization of Black people in the US. Social stratification, racism, and discrimination may minimize the returns of SES for Black families, who have been oppressed for centuries.

Ebola Virus Disease in sub-Saharan Africa: Addressing Gaps to Handle Future Outbreaks

Between 2014 and 2016, the three West African countries of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone experienced the deadliest Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak in sub-Saharan Africa. Two years later, a tenth epidemic recurred in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), specifically in the North Kivu and Ituri provinces, which lasted until June 2020. Though they occurred in different countries, a review of how the EVD outbreaks in Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and the DRC were handled by the respective country governments, reveal gaps in disease detection, response and action due to lack of surveillance, an EVD preparedness plan, and weak health systems. This perspective discusses the EVD outbreaks in Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and the DRC, their effects, and draws attention to gaps that need to be addressed by these countries in order to be better prepared to handle future outbreaks. Acting on the proposed recommendations will not only benefit Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and the DRC in the future, but will be of benefit to EVD susceptible countries in sub-Saharan Africa, as we live in a global community where diseases are no respecters of boundaries.

Pregabalin Neurotoxicity Associated with Triphasic Waves on Electroencephalogram. Conservative Management or Hemodialysis?

n/a

Lisinopril Induced Visceral Angioedema

n/a

Obstetric Care Made High Reliabile: Perception of Staff on Factors Associated with Practice of High Reliability Organization Principles in a Selected Tertiary Care Maternity Hospital

Introduction: Patient safety and high reliability related to obstetric care has become a global concern especially during this COVID-19 pandemic period.Aim of this study is to assess the components of Socio Technical system as the factors affecting while adopting High-Reliability Organization (HRO) Principles as perceived by staff. Methodology: This is a hospital based descriptive cross-sectional study conducted using a self-administered questionnaire.Results: Out of the five factors affecting HRO practices as perceived by staff, "Organizational Safety Culture" (Mean- 4.25., SD-0.454 Significant at <0.01 level), Communication (SD-4.15, SD-0.579), and Teamwork (Mean:3.95, SD:0.499). are having a statistically significant (p <0.05 corresponding to Spearman’s correlation Coefficient positive association with the practice of HRO principles. According to Multiple linear regression model explains 29% of the variability of the HRO practices (dependent variable) can be explained by the factors affecting HRO practices (independent variables) if all the factors operate together. Gender, age, educational level, designation and working experience act as moderating variables to Organizational Safety Culture. There is a significant (p <0.05) difference of HRO practices among female gender, nursing category of staff which is better than other categories.Conclusion: Organizational safety culture, communication and Teamwork and work environment show significant effect on determining HRO practices which is important for policy makers and administrators to pay attention on above three factors to improve reliability. But these five factors (including leadership and working environment) explains only one third of variability of HRO practices), hence need to study other factors affecting reliability of performance.

Research on Related Problems of Adult Doll Experience Store

The establishment of adult doll experience hall has aroused great controversy. Objectively speaking, this kind of experience hall has certain positive effects, but also has certain potential risks. According to the current laws and regulations, operating an adult doll experience store does not constitute a crime, nor does it constitute a general offense. In practice, the health problems of experience stores are not prominent, which can be avoided through daily business activities and supervision activities; Basically, there is no physical or psychological damage to minors. Relevant departments should treat this new industry correctly, perfect legislation and implement administration according to law.

Study on Countermeasures to Improve College Students’ Willingness of Participation in Body Donation Based on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

The cause of body donation is of great medical and social importance. How to get rid of the shackles of traditional ideas in order to accelerate the development of body donation has become a hot topic under the premise that the willingness of Chinese to participate in body donation is generally low or even unable to meet the needs of medical development. Having an intense sense of social responsibility and a developmental dialectical thinking, college students can view body donation more rationally. For this reason, college students are the ideal target group for the cause of body donation to break away from the shackles of traditional ideology and accelerate the development of itself. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is an essential theory in behavioral science, which is mainly embodied in the intuitive analysis of human needs and the targeted effect of action incentive. Under the circumstances of comprehensive understanding the needs of college students, this paper would deeply analysis the basis, significance and correspondence of their willingness of participating in body donation and discuss how to improve it around five sorts of needs based on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.

Ethnobotanical Survey and Habitat Mapping of Medicinal Plants and Its Implication on Conservation Management in Rural Kwara Communities

Background: In Nigeria, medicinal plants are now being threatened due to increased urbanization, land clearing for farming and over-harvesting from their natural habitats. As such, if such trends continue, some of these medicinal plants might increasingly become not available and in the extreme circumstance be faced with extinction. Methods: An epidemiological descriptive field survey that employed a carefully-structured, closed-ended, interviewer-administered, paper-based questionnaire designed to capture information on the use of medicinal plants as antimalarial and for management of other associated illnesses. We also employed Global Positioning System (Garmin etrex 75) to captures the geo-coordinates of previously identified medicinal plants across the footpath transect at 20 m intervals. A total of twenty-one (21) medicinal plant species were surveyed across five communities with varying numbers per locations. Results: Out of the nine (9) identified traditional healers across the communities, all claimed to have used at least one or combinations of these plants for treatment of malaria. An image classification performed through land cover land use map of the study area revealed six classes: swamp /water bodies, river valley, savanna woodland, degraded woodland, grassland and settlements cluster. Most threatened species such as Aristolochia ringes, Mucuna prurins, Azadirachta indica, Kigelia africana, Citrus limon, Ludwigia suffruticosa, Parkia biglobosa, and Picralima nitida are those found in Malete KWASU campus axis in the degraded woodland and settlement cluster classes. This is due to the high level of forest destruction in the area as a result of growing student population and massive constructions of students’ hostel. We reported that about 60% of original plant cover has been lost between 2005 and 2015. It was observed that availability of surface water bodies played a crucial role in influencing the distribution of identified medicinal plants. The nearest neighbour analysis gave a nearest neighbour index of 0.695 at p=0.000003 and z-score of -4.70314. This shows that the observed random distribution of medicinal plants in the study area was statistically significant. It has been observed that random patterns are usually associated with natural occurrences. The random spatial pattern confirms that these plants have not yet been affected by anthropogenic activities and hence need to be conserved there in the wild. Conclusion: There is need to leverage on conservation of medicinal plants for treating malaria in their natural habitats. Also, the need to ensure sustainable harvesting and other socio-ecological process to ensure these are not threatened to the extreme case of extinction in these communities. In the view of the above, we recommend that KWASU-Malete campus axis be monitored, proper urban planning initiatives implemented and ensure cultivation and preservation of these plants are incorporated into the greening efforts of the Kwara state government in this area.