Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Volodymyr Radchuk, Zeinu M. Belew, Andre Guendel, Simon Mayer, Alexander Hilo, Goetz Hensel, Rajiv Sharma, Kerstin Neumann, Stefan Ortleb, Steffen Wagner, Aleksandra Muszynska, Christoph Crocoll, Deyang Xu, Iris Hoffie, Jochen Kumlehn, Joerg Fuchs, Fritz F. Peleke, Jedrzej J. Szymanski, Hardy Rolletschek, Hussam H. Nour-Eldin, Ljudmilla Borisjuk
Summary: This study focuses on the functionality of the SWEET family of barley and reveals the crucial role of HvSWEET11b in the distribution of sugars and cytokinins during grain development. Knocking down HvSWEET11b leads to impaired grain development, disrupted sugar and cytokinin distribution, and changes in grain size, starch content, and protein content. The findings highlight the important regulatory role of HvSWEET11b in barley grain filling.
Review
Agronomy
Willis O. Owino, Jane L. Ambuko
Summary: Postharvest losses of mango fruit in developing countries in Africa and Asia can be as high as over 50%, especially during the main harvest season. Micro, small, and medium scale food processing enterprises play a key role in reducing these losses and food waste, while also contributing to food security and national GDP. Processing mango fruit into shelf-stable products not only extends its availability but also meets consumer demand for unique and diverse products with specific qualities and nutritional attributes.
Review
Agronomy
Lacey Harris-Coble, Mulubrhan Balehegn, Adegbola T. Adesogan, Kathleen Colverson
Summary: This review analyzed 72 articles with gender-disaggregated data related to livestock feeding, revealing that women had a higher level of involvement in feed activities in 49% of observations compared to men. Future research focusing on women's roles in feed-related activities could enhance the adoption, scaling, and sustainability of feed improvement interventions through gender-sensitive data collection tools.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Meghan OHearn, Laura Lara-Castor, Frederick Cudhea, Victoria Miller, Julia Reedy, Peilin Shi, Jianyi Zhang, John B. Wong, Christina D. Economos, Renata Micha, Dariush Mozaffarian, Global Dietary Database
Summary: Modeling analysis from the Global Dietary Database estimated that 70% of new global cases of type 2 diabetes are attributable to suboptimal intake of 11 dietary factors. The global burden of diet-attributable type 2 diabetes is significant, with the highest proportions in central and eastern Europe, central Asia, and Latin America. Diet-attributable type 2 diabetes is influenced by factors such as gender, age, urbanization, and education level.
Article
Biology
Lucia Diani, Maria Luisa Forchielli
Summary: This study analyzed dietary patterns in children of different ages and diets, showing that most children had calorie intakes within recommendations but exceeded recommendations in protein and sugar intake. Important dietary education and coordination between families and institutions are necessary to address high sugar intakes in children.
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Andrea Alcaraz, Ariel Esteban Bardach, Natalia Espinola, Lucas Perelli, Federico Rodriguez Cairoli, Althea La Foucade, Cid Manso de Mello Vianna, Giovanni Guevara, Kimberly-Ann Gittens-Baynes, Paula Johns, Vyjanti Beharry, Dario Javier Balan, Alfredo Palacios, Federico Augustovski, Andres Pichon-Riviere
Summary: This study aimed to estimate the disease burden and healthcare costs associated with the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) in Argentina, Brazil, El Salvador, and Trinidad and Tobago. The results indicate a significant burden of disease and death in Latin America and the Caribbean due to the consumption of SSBs.
Article
Development Studies
Sebastien Mary, Avraham Stoler
Summary: The increase in agricultural trade openness has a slightly positive impact on reducing the prevalence of obesity and overweight in developing countries, with a 1% increase in agricultural trade openness leading to a 0.5% decrease in obesity prevalence. Our findings suggest that concerns related to overnutrition associated with agricultural trade liberalization in developing countries are overstated.
REVIEW OF DEVELOPMENT ECONOMICS
(2021)
Review
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Pilar Camargo-Plazas, Madison Robertson, Beatriz Alvarado, Genevieve C. Pare, Idevania G. Costa, Lenora Duhn
Summary: Diabetes mellitus is a global chronic metabolic health condition, especially concerning in aging societies. Providing relevant education for disease self-management is essential for improving health outcomes and reducing complications for individuals with diabetes. However, there is limited literature on the preferences of older persons in Western countries regarding diabetes self-management education (DSME), highlighting the need for a broad overview. This scoping review aimed to map the available evidence on DSME for individuals aged 65 years and older in Western countries, identifying gaps in knowledge and potential areas for improvement.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Oana-Viorela Nistor, Carmen Alina Bolea, Doina-Georgeta Andronoiu, Mihaela Cotarlet, Nicoleta Stanciuc
Summary: Sea buckthorn is a valuable source of vitamin C and antioxidants, and its berries were used to produce marmalade with different sugar combinations. The marmalades showed significant differences in phytochemical profile and antioxidant activity. Accelerated storage study indicated a decrease in phytochemicals but no significant changes in antioxidant activity. The results highlighted the potential of using sea buckthorn in sugar-based products manufacturing.
Article
Nutrition & Dietetics
Rachel B. Acton, Lana Vanderlee, Jean Adams, Sharon I. Kirkpatrick, Lilia S. Pedraza, Gary Sacks, Christine M. White, Martin White, David Hammond
Summary: This study suggests that in countries with national SSB taxes, people have a higher perceived cost of SSBs and a stronger tax awareness. On the other hand, in countries without SSB taxes or with subnational SSB taxes, the perceived cost and tax awareness are lower. Improving the signalling effect of existing SSB taxes may be necessary, especially in tax settings where changing consumer behavior is a policy objective.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BEHAVIORAL NUTRITION AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
(2022)
Review
Environmental Sciences
Md. Maniruzzaman, Md. Missile Islam, Md. Hazrat Ali, Nobendu Mukerjee, Swastika Maitra, Mohammad Amjad Kamal, Arabinda Ghosh, Melvin A. Castrosanto, Athanasios Alexiou, Ghulam Md. Ashraf, Priti Tagde, Md. Habibur Rahman
Summary: COVID-19 has become a pandemic that disrupts everyone's routine and balanced way of life worldwide. Multiple COVID-19 vaccines have been developed, but the ability of the SARS-CoV-2 virus to mutate poses challenges. It is crucial to spread vaccination programs and prevent the spread of the virus by identifying and isolating infected patients. Additionally, COVID-19 testing methods face issues such as cost, time consumption, and qualified personnel and facilities requirements.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2022)
Review
Psychology, Multidisciplinary
Eldad Bar Lev, Liviu-George Maha, Stefan-Catalin Topliceanu
Summary: The purpose of this paper is to present the main profiles of financial frauds' victims. The analysis captures the main theoretical and empirical background regarding the motives and circumstances of becoming a victim, the dynamics of several social and demographical characteristics of this type of victims, as well as a sample of relevant case studies. The main finding is that, in literature, most of the victims are male people of different ages, employed, married or single, regardless the level of education. For developing countries, the majority of victims act out of naivety and desire to escape from poverty, while some victims from Latin America, China and Nigeria are influenced by greed and lack of empathy.
FRONTIERS IN PSYCHOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Business
Ayse Saka-Helmhout, Maryse M. H. Chappin, Suzana B. Rodrigues
Summary: This study fills a gap in corporate social innovation research in developing countries by exploring the relationship between firm resources-capabilities and institutions to balance business and social interests. The research shows that firm resources and capabilities complement strong institutions in developing countries, and that corporate capabilities can help fill institutional voids to achieve social innovation.
JOURNAL OF BUSINESS ETHICS
(2022)
Article
Agronomy
Henrik Fuellgrabe, Norbert Claassen, Reinhard Hilmer, Heinz-Josef Koch, Klaus Dittert, Tino Kreszies
Summary: Potassium deficiency has a negative impact on sugar beet dry matter and sugar yield formation. Low soil potassium concentrations result in reduced sugar yield, with growth retardation occurring early in the plants' development. High soil potassium levels enhance potassium uptake and overall growth rates, leading to higher sugar yields. Adequate potassium fertilizer should be applied under low soil potassium conditions to support maximum growth and sugar yield. Banded potassium fertilizer application next to the plant rows is recommended for efficient supply.
JOURNAL OF PLANT NUTRITION AND SOIL SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Mathematics
Violeta Cvetkoska, Katerina Fotova Cikovic, Marija Tasheva
Summary: This paper evaluates the relative efficiency of commercial banks in North Macedonia, Serbia, and Croatia using DEA, showing that North Macedonia has the highest efficiency. Providing improvement targets for inefficient banks can help enhance resource allocation and decision-making processes, ultimately improving the operation of the banks.
Editorial Material
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Martin McKee, Anthony Staines
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH
(2023)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Lucinda Hiam, Danny Dorling, Martin McKee
Summary: This study explores the views of public health experts on the adverse trends in life expectancy in England and Wales over the past decade, their causes and possible solutions, as well as their opinions on how the pre-pandemic situation influenced the UK's COVID-19 response. The findings show a lack of consensus among experts on the significance and explanations of the decline in life expectancy during this period. Some attributed it to data misinterpretation, widening health inequalities, and disinvestment in public services, while others emphasized social factors. The majority called for increased investment and implementation of existing evidence on reducing health inequalities, highlighting the need to address these underlying issues for pandemic preparedness.
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Henriette. T. Horsdal, Marianne. G. Pedersen, Jorg Schullehner, Cecilie S. Ostergaard, John J. Mcgrath, Esben Agerbo, Allan Timmermann, Ane Marie Closter, Jorgen Brandt, Jesper H. Christensen, Lise M. Frohn, Camilla Geels, Matthias Ketzel, Jibran Khan, Pia Orby, Yulia Olsen, Gregor Levin, Jens-Christian Svenning, Kristine Engemann, Steen Gyldenkaerne, Birgitte Hansen, Ole Hertel, Clive E. Sabel, Christian Erikstrup, Torben Sigsgaard, Carsten B. Pedersen
Summary: The aim of this study is to provide an overview of nationwide environmental data in Denmark and its potential linkage to individual-level records to promote research on the impact of the local environment on human health. Researchers in Denmark can conduct large population-based studies using nationally complete population and health registries. Linking environmental data to individuals enables new possibilities for studying the health effects of the social, built, and physical environment.
SCANDINAVIAN JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Clara Albinana, Zhihong Zhu, Nis Borbye-Lorenzen, Sanne Grundvad Boelt, Arieh S. Cohen, Kristin Skogstrand, Naomi R. Wray, Joana A. Revez, Florian Prive, Liselotte V. Petersen, Cynthia M. Bulik, Oleguer Plana-Ripoll, Katherine L. Musliner, Esben Agerbo, Anders D. Borglum, David M. Hougaard, Merete Nordentoft, Thomas Werge, Preben Bo Mortensen, Bjarni J. Vilhjalmsson, John J. McGrath
Summary: In this study, the authors measured the concentration of 25-hydroxyvitamin D and vitamin D binding protein (DBP) in 65,589 neonatal dried blood samples. They found that the genetic correlates of DBP concentration predict the risk of vitamin D deficiency. Through a genome-wide association study, they identified 26 independent loci related to DBP concentration, with 17 of them in or close to the GC gene. Mendelian randomization analyses revealed a unidirectional effect of higher DBP concentration and higher 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration, as well as a reduced risk of multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Health Policy & Services
Samantha Thomas, May C. van Schalkwyk, Mike Daube, Hannah Pitt, Darragh McGee, Martin McKee
Summary: Children around the world are exposed to extensive marketing for gambling products, which normalizes gambling as harmless entertainment despite evidence of its harms. Regulatory efforts to protect children from gambling marketing are inconsistent and inadequate. A comprehensive public health approach is urgently needed to limit the influence of gambling marketing on young people.
HEALTH PROMOTION INTERNATIONAL
(2023)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Thomas Stubbs, Alexandros Kentikelenis, Daniela Gabor, Jayati Ghosh, Martin McKee
Summary: Recognising the lack of preparedness for the COVID-19 pandemic, international organisations are calling for additional funding to strengthen pandemic preparedness and response systems in low-income and middle-income countries. This article examines the prospects of national health budgets increasing in such a context, revealing that public spending will decrease for almost half of these countries by 2024. The increase in public spending on repaying external debt is a key driver of this austerity wave, potentially leading to deteriorating population health and reduced public health services.
Article
Economics
Gabor Scheiring, Aytalina Azarova, Darja Irdam, Katarzyna Doniec, Martin McKee, David Stuckler, Lawrence King
Summary: An unprecedented mortality crisis occurred in Eastern Europe during the 1990s, resulting in around seven million excess deaths. This study examines the relationship between deindustrialization and mortality in Eastern Europe and proposes a theoretical framework that identifies deindustrialization as a process of social disintegration caused by shock therapy. The findings show that deindustrialization directly influenced male mortality rates and was indirectly mediated by hazardous drinking as a coping strategy.
CAMBRIDGE JOURNAL OF ECONOMICS
(2023)
Review
Psychiatry
Michael Berk, Ole Kohler-Forsberg, Megan Turner, Brenda W. J. H. Penninx, Anna Wrobel, Joseph Firth, Amy Loughman, Nicola J. Reavley, John J. Mcgrath, Natalie C. Momen, Oleguer Plana-Ripoll, Adrienne O'Neil, Dan Siskind, Lana J. Williams, Andre F. Carvalho, Lianne Schmaal, Adam J. Walker, Olivia Dean, Ken Walder, Lesley Berk, Seetal Dodd, Alison R. Yung, Wolfgang Marx
Summary: Populations with common physical diseases are more likely to have major depressive disorder (MDD), and people with MDD are at a greater risk for physical diseases. This comorbidity is associated with worse outcomes, reduced treatment adherence, increased mortality, and higher healthcare utilization and costs. Shared genetic and biological pathways, as well as social and lifestyle factors, contribute to the high prevalence of comorbidity. Pharmacotherapies and psychotherapies are effective treatments, and lifestyle interventions and collaborative care models show promise for improving management.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Clara Albinana, Zhihong Zhu, Andrew J. Schork, Andres Ingason, Hugues Aschard, Isabell Brikell, Cynthia M. Bulik, Liselotte V. Petersen, Esben Agerbo, Jakob Grove, Merete Nordentoft, David M. Hougaard, Thomas Werge, Anders D. Borglum, Preben Bo Mortensen, John J. McGrath, Benjamin M. Neale, Florian Prive, Bjarni J. Vilhjalmsson
Summary: The authors have developed a multi-polygenic score framework that increases prediction accuracy for complex diseases and traits. This framework leverages a large library of polygenic scores and is well-suited for emerging biobank data. By utilizing genetically correlated phenotypes, the sample size can be effectively increased without the need for costly and time-consuming collection of additional samples.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Emil M. Pedersen, Esben Agerbo, Oleguer Plana-Ripoll, Jette Steinbach, Morten D. Krebs, David M. Hougaard, Thomas Werge, Merete Nordentoft, Anders D. Borglum, Katherine L. Musliner, Andrea Ganna, Andrew J. Schork, Preben B. Mortensen, John J. Mcgrath, Florian Prive, Bjarni J. Vilhjalmsson
Summary: The authors propose a computationally efficient time-to-event model, called ADuLT, for genome-wide association studies (GWAS) to analyze genetic associations. Simulation results demonstrate that the ADuLT model outperforms Cox regression GWAS and standard case-control GWAS in the presence of ascertainment.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Editorial Material
Medicine, General & Internal
Martin Mckee
BMJ-BRITISH MEDICAL JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Mark A. Green, Martin McKee, Olivia K. L. Hamilton, Richard J. Shaw, John Macleod, Andy Boyd, Srinivasa Vittal Katikireddi
Summary: This study examined the association between disrupted access to healthcare during the covid-19 pandemic and the risk of avoidable hospital admissions. The findings showed that people who experienced disrupted access had a higher likelihood of potentially preventable hospital admission. This highlights the importance of increasing healthcare investment to address the implications of the pandemic and protect treatments and procedures during future pandemics.
BMJ-BRITISH MEDICAL JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Vincenzo Galasso, Vincent Pons, Paola Profeta, Martin Mckee, David Stuckler, Michael Becher, Sylvain Brouard, Martial Foucault
Summary: The study found that altruistic messages have stronger effects on COVID-19 vaccine intentions and behavior compared to egoistic messages. These effects are more significant in countries with high COVID-19 mortality, while weaker in countries with low mortality rates.
Article
Psychiatry
Oleguer Plana-Ripoll, Nanna Weye, Ann Kristin Knudsen, Christian Hakulinen, Kathrine Bang Madsen, Maria Klitgaard Christensen, Esben Agerbo, Thomas Munk Laursen, Merete Nordentoft, Allan Timmermann, Harvey Whiteford, Simon overland, Kim Moesgaard, John McGrath
Summary: This study aimed to estimate the association between different types of mental disorders and working years lost. The findings highlight the substantial impact of mental disorders on workforce participation, emphasizing the need to invest in programs that reduce the burden of lost working years and assist individuals with mental disorders in returning to the workforce.
Review
Health Care Sciences & Services
Alexander Kentikelenis, Abdul Ghaffar, Martin McKee, Livia Dal Zennaro, David Stuckler
Summary: Health policy and systems research (HPSR) is a neglected area in global health financing, with only 2% of funding calls including a discernible HPSR component. Efforts should be made to convince global health funders to institutionalize the inclusion of HPSR components in all funding calls.
HEALTH POLICY AND PLANNING
(2023)
