Change in Trust in US Government Health Agencies for Cancer Information in the COVID-19 Era.

This cross-sectional study assesses changes in levels of public trust in US government health agencies providing cancer information.

Colorectal Cancer: Genetic Underpinning and Molecular Therapeutics for Precision Medicine.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) accounts for about 10% of all cancer cases and 9% of cancer-related deaths globally. In the United States alone, CRC represents approximately 12.6% of all cancer cases, with a mortality rate of about 8%. CRC is now the first leading cause of cancer death in men younger than age 50 and second in women younger than age 50. This review delves into the genetic landscape of CRC, highlighting key mutations and their implications in disease progression and treatment. We provide an overview of the current and emerging therapeutic strategies tailored to individual genomic profiles.

Fossils in Myanmar amber demonstrate the diversity of anti-predator strategies of Cretaceous holometabolan insect larvae.

Holometabolan larvae are a major part of the animal biomass and an important food source for many animals. Many larvae evolved anti-predator strategies and some of these can even be recognized in fossils. A Lagerstätte known for well-preserved holometabolan larvae is the approximately 100-million-year-old Kachin amber from Myanmar. Fossils can not only allow to identify structural defensive specializations, but also lifestyle and even behavioral aspects. We review here the different defensive strategies employed by various holometabolan larvae found in Kachin amber, also reporting new cases of a leaf-mining hymenopteran caterpillar and a hangingfly caterpillar with extensive spines. This overview demonstrates that already 100 million years ago many modern strategies had already evolved in multiple lineages, but also reveals some cases of now extinct strategies. The repetitive independent evolution of similar strategies in distantly related lineages indicates that several strategies evolved convergently as a result of similar selective pressures.

Social media use and health promotion among cancer survivors.

OBJECTIVE: Social media is becoming recognized as an effective platform for cancer health promotion, education, care, and support. However, its utility as a health promotion tool remains relatively unexplored. METHODS: Using cross-sectional data from the 2017-2020 Health Information National Trends Survey, we evaluated health-related usage of social media among cancer survivors and individuals without a history of cancer. We also examined the participant characteristics associated with social media usage and evaluated the relationship between social media use and positive health behaviors among the cancer survivors. RESULTS: Overall, cancer survivors (n = 2579) were as likely as individuals without a history of cancer to use social media for health promotion. Males [OR 0.65; 95% CI (0.45, 0.93)] and older adults (>60 years old) [OR 0.27; 95% CI(0.10, 0.77)] were less likely to use social media, while higher income [OR 2.27; 95% CI (1.05, 4.92) middle income; OR 1.90; 95% CI (1.17, 3.09) high income] and educational levels [OR 3.29; 95% CI (1.85, 5.84) some college; OR 2.36; 95% CI (1.30, 4.28) college graduate or more] were associated with more health-related social media use among survivors. Cancer survivors used social media for online support groups more than other individuals, and those who used at least one form of social media for health-related purposes increasingly meet national recommendations for strength training compared to non-users [OR 2.15; 95% CI (1.48, 3.13)]. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings demonstrate the potential utility of social media to promote positive health behaviors among cancer survivors. Further research is needed to describe the efficacy of social media-based interventions for improving health behaviors in diverse cancer populations.

The Morphological Diversity of Dragon Lacewing Larvae (Nevrorthidae, Neuroptera) Changed More over Geological Time Scales Than Anticipated.

Nevrorthidae, the group of dragon lacewings, has often been considered a relic group. Today, dragon lacewings show a scattered distribution, with some species occurring in southern Europe, Japan, Australia, and one in China. The idea that this distribution is only a remnant of an originally larger distribution is further supported by fossils of the group preserved in ambers from the Baltic region (Eocene, ca. 35-40 MaBP) and Myanmar (Kachin amber, Cretaceous, ca. 100 MaBP). Larvae of the group are slender and elongated and live mostly in water. Yet, larvae are in fact very rare. So far, only slightly more than 30 larval specimens, counting all extant and fossil larvae, have been depicted in the literature. Here, we report numerous additional specimens, including extant larvae, but also fossil ones from Baltic and Kachin amber. Together with the already known ones, this sums up to over 100 specimens. We analysed quantitative aspects of the morphology of these larvae and compared them over time to identify changes in the diversity. Despite the enriched sample size, the data set is still unbalanced, with, for example, newly hatched larvae (several dozen specimens) only known from the Eocene. We expected little change in larval morphology over geological time, as indicated by earlier studies. However, on the contrary, we recognised morphologies present in fossils that are now extinct. This result is similar to those for other groups of lacewings which have a relic distribution today, as these have also suffered a loss in diversity in larval forms.

An Expanded View on the Morphological Diversity of Long-Nosed Antlion Larvae Further Supports a Decline of Silky Lacewings in the Past 100 Million Years.

Lacewings have been suggested to be a relict group. This means that the group of lacewings, Neuroptera, should have been more diverse in the past, which also applies to many ingroups of Neuroptera. Psychopsidae, the group of silky lacewings, is one of the ingroups of Neuroptera which is relatively species-poor in the modern fauna. Larvae of the group Psychopsidae, long-nosed antlions, can be easily identified as such in being larvae of antlion-like lacewings without teeth in their stylets (=compound structure of mandible and maxilla), with empodia (=attachment structures on legs) and with a prominent forward-protruding labrum. Therefore, such larvae can also be recognised in the fossil record. An earlier study demonstrated a decline in the morphological diversity of long-nosed antlion larvae over the past 100 million years. Here, we report several dozen new long-nosed antlion larvae and expand the earlier quantitative study. Our results further corroborate the decline of silky lacewings. Yet, a lack of an indication of saturation indicates that we have still not approached the original diversity of long-nosed antlions in the Cretaceous.

A hatching aphidlion-like lacewing larva in 100 million years old Kachin amber.

We report a fossil aphidlion-like larva preserved with its egg case in 100 million year old Kachin amber, Myanmar. It appears to have been enclosed very shortly after hatching, especially when comparing it with extant aphidlions during hatching. Although hatching aphidlion-like larvae are known from amber from other localities, this is the first case from Myanmar amber, despite the comparably high number of lacewing larvae known from the latter.

The Morphological Diversity of Antlion Larvae and Their Closest Relatives over 100 Million Years.

Among lacewings (Neuroptera), representatives of the groups Ascalaphidae (owlflies) and Myrmeleontidae (antlions) are likely the most widely known ones. The exact taxonomic status of the two groups remains currently unclear, each may in fact be nested in the other group. Herein, we refer to the group including representatives of both with the neutral term "owllion". Owllion larvae are voracious ambush hunters. They are not only known in the extant fauna, but also from the fossil record. We report here new findings of a fossil owlfly larva from Eocene Baltic amber, as well as several owlfly-like larvae from Cretaceous Kachin amber, Myanmar. Based on these fossils, combined with numerous fossil and extant specimens from the literature, collections, and databases, we compared the morphological diversity of the head and mouthpart shapes of the larvae of owllions in the extant fauna with that of owllion-like larvae from three time slices: about 100 million years ago (Cretaceous), about 40 million years ago (Eocene), and about 20 million years ago (Miocene). The comparison reveals that the samples from the Eocene and Miocene are too small for a reliable evaluation. Yet, the Cretaceous larvae allow for some conclusions: (1) the larval morphological diversity of owllion larvae increased over time, indicating a post-Cretaceous diversification; (2) certain morphologies disappeared after the Cretaceous, most likely representing ecological roles that are no longer present nowadays. In comparison, other closely related lineages, e.g., silky lacewings or split-footed lacewings, underwent more drastic losses after the Cretaceous and no subsequent diversifications.

The Diversity of Aphidlion-like Larvae over the Last 130 Million Years.

Aphidlions are larvae of certain lacewings (Neuroptera), and more precisely larvae of the groups Chrysopidae, green lacewings, and Hemerobiidae, brown lacewings. The name 'aphidlion' originates from their ecological function as specialised predators of aphids. Accordingly, they also play an economic role as biological pest control. Aphidlions have, mostly, elongated spindle-shaped bodies, and similarly to most lacewing larvae they are equipped with a pair of venom-injecting stylets. Fossils interpreted as aphidlions are known to be preserved in amber from the Cretaceous (130 and 100 million years ago), the Eocene (about 35 million years ago) and the Miocene (about 15 million years ago) ages. In this study, new aphidlion-like larvae are reported from Cretaceous amber from Myanmar (about 100 million years old) and Eocene Baltic amber. The shapes of head and stylets were compared between the different time slices. With the newly described fossils and specimens from the literature, a total of 361 specimens could be included in the analysis: 70 specimens from the Cretaceous, 5 from the Eocene, 3 from the Miocene, 188 extant larvae of Chrysopidae, and 95 extant larvae of Hemerobiidae. The results indicate that the diversity of head shapes remains largely unchanged over time, yet there is a certain increase in the diversity of head shapes in the larvae of Hemerobiidae. In certain other groups of Neuroptera, a distinct decrease in the diversity of head shapes in larval stages was observed.

Changes in the Morphological Diversity of Larvae of Lance Lacewings, Mantis Lacewings and Their Closer Relatives over 100 Million Years.

Neuroptera, the group of lacewings, comprises only about 6000 species in the modern fauna, but is generally assumed to have been more diverse and important in the past. A major factor of the modern-day ecological diversity of the group, and supposedly in the past as well, is represented by the highly specialised larval forms of lacewings. Quantitative analyses of the morphology of larvae revealed a loss of morphological diversity in several lineages. Here we explored the diversity of the larvae of mantis lacewings (Mantispidae), lance lacewings (Osmylidae), beaded lacewings (Berothidae and Rhachiberothidae, the latter potentially an ingroup of Berothidae), and pleasing lacewings (Dilaridae), as well as fossil larvae, preserved in amber, resembling these. We used shape analysis of the head capsule and stylets (pair of conjoined jaws) as a basis due to the high availability of this body region in extant and fossil specimens and the ecological importance of this region. The analysis revealed a rather constant morphological diversity in Berothidae. Mantispidae appears to have lost certain forms of larvae, but has seen a drastic increase of larval diversity after the Cretaceous; this is in contrast to a significant decrease in diversity in adult forms.

Cavernous Hemangioma of the Left Forearm.

Cavernous hemangiomas are benign hamartomatous proliferation of endothelial tissues. They can arise virtually anywhere in the body and do not contain tissues native to the organ or structure in which they are located. Contrary to what is seen in capillary hemangiomas and the cavernous cutaneous variety, intramuscular hemangiomas almost always never regress. We report a case of intramuscular cavernous hemangioma in an 18-year-old male Nigerian with swelling in the left forearm of 9 years duration. The swelling progressively increased in size and nearly involved the entire forearm with occasional pain and no preceding history of trauma. Pre-operative plain radiographs showed an ill-defined soft tissue swelling with multiple calcifications or phleboliths. Surgical excision with ligation of feeding vessels was done and histology confirmed the diagnosis with free margin of excision. Post-operative clinical improvement was marked.

Toxicological evaluation of fucoidan from Cladosiphon okamuranus.

Fucoidans are sulfated polysaccharides extracted from brown seaweeds. They have a wide spectrum of activity in biological systems. Besides their well-known anticoagulant and anti-thrombotic activity, fucoidans modulate inflammation, possess antiproliferative and anti-adhesive effects on cells, protect cells from viral infection, and interfere with mammalian fertilization. Fucoidans are now used as raw material for development of drugs and are also widely used as a health-promoting food component. However, studies on the toxicity of fucoidans from different brown algae are limited. The present study examined the acute toxicity of varying levels of fucoidan extracted from Okinawa mozuku, a brown alga (Cladosiphon okamuranus), in Wistar rats after oral administration. No significant toxicological changes were induced by fucoidan at a dose of 600 mg/kg of body weight/day. However, with concentrations at and above 1,200 mg/kg of body weight/day, clotting time was significantly prolonged. No other signs of toxicity were observed.

Development and field performance of indy race car head impact padding.

The close-fitting cockpit of the modern Indy car single seat race car has the potential to provide a high level of head and neck impact protection in rear and side impacts. Crash investigation has shown that a wide variety of materials have been used as the padding for these cockpits and, as a result, produced varying outcomes in crashes. Additionally, these pads have not always been positioned for optimal performance. The purpose of this study was to investigate the head impact performance of a variety of energy-absorbing padding materials under impact conditions typical of Indy car rear impacts and to identify superior materials and methods of improving their performance as race car head pads. An extensive series of tests with the helmeted Hybrid III test dummy head and neck on an impact mini-sled was conducted to explore head padding concepts. Following this, a performance specification for a simplified impact test using a rigid headform that simulates the helmeted head was developed and recommendations for performance levels of head padding based on biomechanical data on helmeted head impacts were made. In 1997, during the time that the head pad research was being performed, the Indy Racing League introduced a new chassis specification for their cars. There were a number of rear- and side-impact crashes during that season that resulted in seven severe head injuries. Examples of the head padding in those cars were included in the experimental study. The results of the head pad research were used to specify new padding materials that met the new biomechanical criteria. The placement of the head pads was also changed for better location of the padding. These changes instituted in 1998 have reduced the number of head injuries in crashes similar to or more severe than those of 1997 and have resulted in only occasional moderate head injuries (concussions) in the 1998 and 1999 seasons.