Article
Development Studies
Altaaf Mechiche-Alami, Jihad Yagoubi, Kimberly A. Nicholas
Summary: This study evaluates the potential impact of agricultural land deals on the host countries' food security needs in Africa, finding that they are unlikely to improve food security but rather serve financial interests of transnational companies and local elites. Future agricultural investments should be elaborated in consultation with local communities and marginalized groups to sustainably support their socio-ecological systems.
Article
Education & Educational Research
Igor Chirikov
Summary: Global university rankings have a significant influence on students and higher education policies. This study examines the impact of contracting with rankers on university rankings and finds that universities with frequent contracts with a ranking agency tend to achieve higher positions and improved faculty-student ratio scores.
Article
Plant Sciences
Jonathan P. Lynch
Summary: Root architecture is a key factor in breeding programs for developing crops with better water and nutrient capture abilities. Different root characteristics can provide adaptability to different environments and cultivation methods, playing an important role in improving crop yields, reducing production costs, and enhancing the ecological environment.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
A. Pyka, G. Cardellini, H. van Meijl, P. J. Verkerk
Summary: The article emphasizes the complexity of bioeconomy modeling and the challenges in addressing biodiversity and societal and technological changes. New modeling techniques, such as Agent-Based Modeling, show promise in improving existing models by considering structural change and transformation of economic metabolism. Collaboration between research communities, better description of modeling targets, and reflection on time horizons are important for further developing bioeconomy modeling strategies. Advances in big data and artificial intelligence are also expected to provide valuable insights for future modeling strategies.
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
(2022)
Review
Chemistry, Medicinal
Maria Eva Mingot-Castellano, Jose Maria Bastida, Gonzalo Caballero-Navarro, Laura Entrena Urena, Tomas Jose Gonzalez-Lopez, Jose Ramon Gonzalez-Porras, Nora Butta, Mariana Canaro, Reyes Jimenez-Barcenas, Maria Del Carmen Gomez Del Castillo Solano, Blanca Sanchez-Gonzalez, Cristina Pascual-Izquierdo
Summary: Primary immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is an autoimmune disorder characterized by low platelet counts and bleeding risk. Current treatments have limitations, and therefore a thorough review of novel therapies is necessary. The pathophysiology of ITP is complex, but it also presents an opportunity to uncover new treatment targets.
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Benson Ncube, Maurice Mars, Richard E. Scott
Summary: Many national ehealth strategies lack focus on telemedicine, but developing a telemedicine-specific strategy can address healthcare system needs.
Article
Ethics
Robert Klitzman
Summary: Doctors face moral tensions when deciding whether to prioritize the well-being of unvaccinated patients over their own safety and the safety of others. Treating unvaccinated patients is a duty for doctors, but it creates moral conflict and distress for them.
BMC MEDICAL ETHICS
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Catherine Cabrera, Kanoelani Pilobello, Steven Dalvin, Johanna Bobrow, Darshi Shah, Lori Freed Garg, Sujata Chalise, Patrick Doyle, Glenn A. Miller, David R. Walt, Sara Suliman, Pawan Jolly
Summary: During the early months of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, the medical research community developed diagnostic methods and tools to address testing challenges. They proposed a framework for assessing technologies and clinical validation to guide device selection and application. This approach can be extended to future technology assessments and emerging pathogens.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Nutrition & Dietetics
Mark Messina
Summary: “Feeding a growing population with rising socioeconomic status requires additional sources of calories and protein. Soybeans, with their high production, protein content, healthy fat, nitrogen-fixing ability, low greenhouse gas emissions, affordability, and cultural importance, are uniquely positioned to meet this challenge. Health professionals can advocate for greater consumption of soyfoods for personal and planetary benefits.”
FRONTIERS IN NUTRITION
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Wenqian Cai, Louis A. Tremblay, Lihui An
Summary: Plastic pollution is a global crisis that requires a new global framework to address. Consumers play a vital role at individual and national levels and need to be more aware of the importance of reducing plastic use and increasing recycling.
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
(2022)
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Ilin Sadeghi, James Byrne, Rameen Shakur, Robert Langer
Summary: There is a pressing need for innovative solutions to address global health needs. Polymeric systems have shown significant benefits in healthcare, especially in drug delivery. This review focuses on polymeric drug delivery devices for vaccines, tuberculosis, and contraception.
JOURNAL OF CONTROLLED RELEASE
(2021)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Ashby F. Walker, Sian Graham, Louise Maple-Brown, Leonard E. Egede, Jennifer A. Campbell, Rebekah J. Walker, Alisha N. Wade, Jean Claude Mbanya, Judith A. Long, Chittaranjan Yajnik, Nihal Thomas, Osagie Ebekozien, Oriyomi Odugbesan, Linda A. Dimeglio, Shivani Agarwal
Summary: Diabetes is a serious chronic disease that disproportionately affects certain communities based on socioeconomic, gender, racial, and ethnic factors. This article emphasizes the need to address the broader social context and systems in order to achieve equity in diabetes care and outcomes on a global scale. It presents best practice approaches and action plans to target diabetes equity, and showcases international examples of addressing diabetes inequity within a larger social context.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Xiaoyang Zhong, Sebastiaan Deetman, Arnold Tukker, Paul Behrens
Summary: There is a pressing sand supply crisis globally, particularly in meeting the increasing demands for infrastructure development. Based on a middle-of-the-road scenario, the use of building sand is projected to increase by approximately 45% from 2020 to 2060, with a significant rise of 300% in low- and lower-middle-income regions and a slight decline in higher-income regions. However, adopting various material efficiency strategies could potentially reduce half of the demand. It is crucial to have international cooperation to address vulnerabilities and inequalities in sand supply.
NATURE SUSTAINABILITY
(2022)
Article
Management
Lingling Zheng, Xuemin (Sterling) Yan
Summary: Hedge funds affiliated with financial conglomerates tend to underperform compared to unaffiliated funds, possibly due to their asset-gathering strategies, overweighting of specific client stocks, higher likelihood of legal and regulatory violations, and greater number of internal conflicts.
MANAGEMENT SCIENCE
(2021)
Review
Ecology
Scott R. Loss, Binbin Li, Lisa C. Horn, Michael R. Mesure, Lei Zhu, Timothy G. Brys, Adriaan M. Dokter, Jared A. Elmore, Richard E. Gibbons, Tania Z. Homayoun, Kyle G. Horton, Patsy Inglet, Benjamin J. Jones, Taylor Keys, Sirena Lao, Sara S. Loss, Kaitlyn L. Parkins, Heather L. Prestridge, Georgia J. Riggs, Corey S. Riding, Katherine R. Sweezey, Anna C. Vallery, Benjamin M. Van Doren, Julia Wang, Caley Zuzula, Andrew Farnsworth
Summary: Bird-window collisions (BWCs) pose a major threat to bird populations worldwide, causing billions of bird deaths annually. Citizen-science campaigns have played a crucial role in generating scientific information, raising public awareness, and advocating for policies to reduce collisions. Overcoming constraints such as funding limitations and engaging stakeholders at scale are essential for further success in addressing BWCs.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Editorial Material
Health Care Sciences & Services
Gary Jonas Fooks, Charlotte Godziewski
Summary: This commentary further expands on the study of the food and beverage industry's opposition to the decision-making tool, providing a deep analysis of corporate power and exploring the challenges in managing industry influence in nutrition policy.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HEALTH POLICY AND MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Review
Substance Abuse
Zaineb Danish Sheikh, J. Robert Branston, Anna B. Gilmore
Summary: This systematic review explores the tobacco industry's responses to tobacco excise tax policies and finds that the industry employs various pricing strategies to undermine tax policies and maximize profits, with variations in strategies observed across different countries.
Article
Substance Abuse
Benoit Gomis, Allen William Andrew Gallagher, Andy Rowell, Anna B. Gilmore
Summary: Research shows that tobacco companies have been actively involved in shaping the Protocol to minimize their own financial and legal costs and increase pressure on smaller competitors. This raises concerns about the effectiveness of the Protocol in controlling illicit tobacco trade and the tobacco industry's ongoing involvement in it.
Article
Substance Abuse
Mateusz Zygmunt Zatonski, Catherine O. Egbe, Lindsay Robertson, Anna Gilmore
Summary: This study examines the public debate in South African print media on the potential effects of tobacco control legislation and tobacco tax regulations, using the concept of framing. Seven overarching frames were identified, with the dominant frames being Economic, Harm reduction and vaping, and Health. The dominance of economic arguments opposing tobacco control legislation, promoted by various organizations including the tobacco industry, poses a risk to tobacco control progress.
Article
Substance Abuse
Sophie Braznell, J. Robert Branston, Anna B. Gilmore
Summary: This study analyzed the information and claims on the relative risks of IQOS made directly to potential consumers through the live webchat service on the IQOS website. The results showed that a variety of claims were used to indicate that IQOS is safer than cigarettes in successful webchat conversations in multiple countries.
Article
Substance Abuse
Thomas R. Hird, Allen William Andrew Gallagher, Karen Evans-Reeves, Mateusz Zatonski, Sarah Dance, Pascal A. Diethelm, Richard Edwards, Anna B. Gilmore
Summary: This paper explores the long-term policy influence strategies of transnational tobacco companies (TTCs) through two case studies, harm reduction and illicit tobacco, revealing that TTCs use reputation management, coalition management, and information management to advance their interests and reshape norms in tobacco control. The findings also suggest the importance of industry denormalization, transparency measures, and addressing corporate power as structural solutions.
Article
Substance Abuse
Richard Edwards, Janet Hoek, Nancy Karreman, Anna Gilmore
Summary: This article critically investigates the transformation claims made by tobacco companies, finding that their focus on new product sales aligns more with profit maximization than the elimination of conventional tobacco use. The analysis also suggests that replacing conventional products with new nicotine products is an unlikely long-term business model. Public health practitioners should lead the transformation debate, establish credible definitions and criteria, and monitor and assess whether transformation is occurring.
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Melissa Mialon, Gary Fooks, Katherine Cullerton, Clara Gomez-Donoso, Hernando Salcedo Fidalgo, Rima Nakkash, Jennifer Lacy-Nichols
Summary: The recent concerns about commercial determinants of health have prompted organizations worldwide to address these issues. The establishment of the "Governance, Ethics and Conflicts of Interest in Public Health" network in 2018 aims to enhance collaboration with other change advocates and strengthen collective efforts. Academics are encouraged to step outside the realm of peer-reviewed publications and engage with media, political experts, and other stakeholders for a common vision.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HEALTH POLICY AND MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Article
Substance Abuse
Britta Katharina Matthes, Alice Fabbri, Sarah Dance, Louis Laurence, Karin Silver, Anna B. Gilmore
Summary: A study found that British American Tobacco (BAT) and Philip Morris International (PMI) participated in 213 scientific events, covering various fields, mainly in Europe and North America. They disseminated information through posters and presentations. This highlights the importance of rejecting tobacco industry involvement in scientific events.
Review
Medicine, General & Internal
Anna B. Gilmore, Alice Fabbri, Fran Baum, Adam Bertscher, Krista Bondy, Ha-Joon Chang, Sandro Demaio, Agnes Erzse, Nicholas Freudenberg, Sharon Friel, Karen J. Hofman, Paula Johns, Safura Abdool Karim, Jennifer Lacy-Nichols, Camila Maranha Paes de Carvalho, Robert Marten, Martin McKee, Mark Petticrew, Lindsay Robertson, Viroj Tangcharoensathien, Anne Marie Thow
Summary: Although commercial entities can have positive impacts on health and society, evidence shows that some commercial actors, especially the largest transnational corporations, are responsible for escalating rates of avoidable ill health, planetary damage, and social and health inequity. The paper highlights the shift towards market fundamentalism and the power of transnational corporations, which enable commercial actors to cause harm and externalize the costs. This power imbalance leads to policy inertia and escalating health harms, while governments must take action to protect future generations and promote development and economic growth.
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Sharon Friel, Jeff Collin, Mike Daube, Anneliese Depoux, Nicholas Freudenberg, Anna B. Gilmore, Paula Johns, Amos Laar, Robert Marten, Martin McKee, Melissa Mialon
Summary: This paper discusses the future role of the commercial sector in global health and health equity. It does not propose the overthrow of capitalism or full support for corporate partnerships. There is no single solution to eliminate the harms caused by commercial determinants of health, but evidence suggests that progressive economic models, international frameworks, government regulation, compliance mechanisms, and strategic civil society mobilisation can collectively bring about systemic, transformative change to reduce these harms and promote human and planetary wellbeing. The question is not whether the world has the resources or will to act, but whether humanity can survive without making these efforts.
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Jennifer Lacy-Nichols, Sulakshana Nandi, Melissa Mialon, Jim McCambridge, Kelley Lee, Alexandra Jones, Anna B. Gilmore, Sandro Galea, Cassandra de Lacy-Vawdon, Camila Maranha Paes de Carvalho, Fran Baum, Rob Moodie
Summary: Most public health research on the commercial determinants of health to date has focused on a narrow segment of commercial actors, primarily the transnational corporations producing tobacco, alcohol, and ultra-processed foods. However, there is a lack of clear frameworks for differentiating among commercial entities, hindering the governance of commercial interests in public health. This paper aims to develop a framework that enables meaningful distinctions among diverse commercial entities, allowing for a fuller consideration of their impact on health outcomes.
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Arti Singh, Hana Ross, Fiona Dobbie, Allen Gallagher, Tarja Kinnunen, Divine Darlington Logo, Olivia A. Boateng, Anna Gilmore, Linda Bauld, Ellis Owusu-Dabo
Summary: This study aimed to measure the extent of illicit cigarette consumption from single stick sales, determine the nature and types of illicit cigarettes in Ghana, and identify factors associated with illicit cigarette consumption. The results showed that about 20% of the cigarette packs were illicit, with the majority originating from Togo, followed by Nigeria and Cote d'Ivoire. Factors such as convenience stores, border towns, pack price, and the northern zone were associated with higher odds of illicit cigarette sales.
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Nikita L. Poole, Barbara van Straaten, Floor A. van den Brand, Anna B. Gilmore, Marc C. Willemsen, Gera E. Nagelhout
Summary: This research analysed and compared newspaper coverage of three newly implemented tobacco control policies in the Netherlands. The majority of coverage was neutral, but plain packaging and the point-of-sale ban were portrayed more negatively when expressing a positive or negative tone. The tobacco industry appeared frequently in news articles, and arguments opposing the policies focused on negative economic consequences and questioning the need for policy.
Meeting Abstract
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
A. Bertscher, J. Nobles, M. Zatonski, A. Van den Akker, S. Dance, K. Bondy, A. Gilmore, M. Bloomfield
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH
(2022)
