Messages About Tobacco and Alcohol Co-users.

OBJECTIVE: People who use both alcohol and combustible tobacco have an increased risk of developing cancer. Few interventions have been developed to inform people about the risks of co-use. This study developed and tested messages about the risks of alcohol and combustible tobacco co-use among adults. METHOD: In June-July 2021, we surveyed 1,300 U.S. adults who used both alcohol and combustible tobacco products within the past 30 days. After reporting their awareness of diseases caused by tobacco and alcohol co-use, participants were randomly assigned to four between-subjects experiments that manipulated specific cancer health effects vs. the word "cancer"; cancer health effects vs. noncancer health effects; different descriptions of co-use (e.g., Using alcohol and tobacco…, Drinking alcohol and smoking tobacco…); and co-use vs. single-use messages. Participants saw one message for each experiment and rated each message using a validated perceived message effectiveness (PME) scale. RESULTS: Awareness of health effects caused by alcohol and tobacco co-use ranged from moderately high for throat cancer (65.4%) to moderately low for colorectal cancer (23.1%). Messages about cancer health effects increased PME more than messages about non-cancer health effects (B=0.18, p=0.01). Messages about some specific cancers-including oral cancer (B=-0.20, p=0.04) and colorectal cancer (B=-0.22, p=0.02) decreased PME more than messages with only the word "cancer." No significant differences were identified for descriptions of co-use or co-use vs. single-use messages. CONCLUSIONS: Messages about some cancer health effects of co-using alcohol and tobacco may be effective when communicating the harms of both drinking alcohol and using tobacco.

Healthcare access for refugees in Greece: Challenges and opportunities.

The arrival of more than one million refugees and migrants in Europe in 2015, most of whom transited through Greece, has placed significant strains on local health systems and demonstrated the need for preparedness to meet the immediate and longer-term health needs of arrivals in EU countries. Population movements will continue to occur and the need for cost effective, appropriate provision of both primary and secondary health services to meet these needs is key. The Global Compact on Migration was ratified in 2018 and forms an overarching, international agreement to address safe, orderly and regular migration which benefits refugees and migrants as well as host communities; however, it did not give due emphasis to health. In this manuscript, we explore the evolution of the health response for refugees in Greece over the last three years, the challenges faced at different times of the response and the efforts to integrate refugees into Greece's health system.

CIB1 contributes to oncogenic signalling by Ras via modulating the subcellular localisation of sphingosine kinase 1.

CIB1 (calcium and integrin binding protein 1) is a small intracellular protein with numerous interacting partners, and hence has been implicated in various cellular functions. Recent studies have revealed emerging roles of CIB1 in regulating cancer cell survival and angiogenesis, although the mechanisms involved have remained largely undefined. In investigating the oncogenic function of CIB1, we initially found that CIB1 is widely up-regulated across a diverse range of cancers, with this upregulation frequently correlating with oncogenic mutations of KRas. Consistent with this, we found that ectopic expression of oncogenic KRas and HRas in cells resulted in elevated CIB1 expression. We previously described the Ca2+-myristoyl switch function of CIB1, and its ability to facilitate agonist-induced plasma membrane localisation of sphingosine kinase 1 (SK1), a location where SK1 is known to elicit oncogenic signalling. Thus, we examined the role this may play in oncogenesis. Consistent with these findings, we demonstrated here that over-expression of CIB1 by itself is sufficient to drive localisation of SK1 to the plasma membrane and enhance the membrane-associated enzymatic activity of SK1, as well as its oncogenic signalling. We subsequently demonstrated that elevated levels of CIB1 resulted in full neoplastic transformation, in a manner dependent on SK1. In agreement with our previous findings that SK1 is a downstream mediator of oncogenic signalling by Ras, we found that targeting CIB1 also inhibited neoplastic growth of cells induced by oncogenic Ras, suggesting an important pro-tumorigenic role for CIB1. Thus, we have demonstrated for the first time a role for CIB1 in neoplastic transformation, and revealed a novel mechanism facilitating oncogenic signalling by Ras and SK1.

Improvements in the method of radiation anomaly detection by spectral comparison ratios.

We present a new procedure for configuring the Nuisance-rejection Spectral Comparison Ratio Anomaly Detection (N-SCRAD) method. The procedure minimizes detectable count rates of source spectra at a specified false positive rate using simulated annealing. We also present a new method for correcting the estimates of background variability used in N-SCRAD to current conditions of the total count rate. The correction lowers detection thresholds for a specified false positive rate, enabling greater sensitivity to targets.

Evaluation of sampling tools for environmental sampling of bacterial endospores from porous and nonporous surfaces.

AIMS: Having and executing a well-defined and validated sampling protocol is critical following a purposeful release of a biological agent for response and recovery activities, for clinical and epidemiological analysis and for forensic purposes. The objective of this study was to address the need for validated sampling and analysis methods called out by the General Accounting Office and others to systematically compare the collection efficiency of various swabs and wipes for collection of bacterial endospores from five different surfaces, both porous and nonporous. This study was also designed to test the collection and extraction solutions used for endospore recovery from swabs and wipes. METHODS AND RESULTS: Eight collection tools, five swabs and three wipes, were used. Three collection/preservation solutions were evaluated: an ink jet aerosol generator was used to apply Bacillus subtilis endospores to five porous and nonporous surfaces. The collection efficiencies of the swabs and wipes were compared using a statistical multiple comparison analysis. CONCLUSIONS: The ScottPure wipe had the highest collection efficiency and phosphate-buffered saline (PBST) with 0.3% Tween was the best collection solution of those tested. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Validated sampling for potential biological warfare is of significant importance and this study answered some relevant questions.

An algorithm for automated bacterial identification using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry.

An algorithm for bacterial identification using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) mass spectrometry is being developed. This mass spectral fingerprint comparison algorithm is fully automated and statistically based, providing objective analysis of samples to be identified. Based on extraction of reference fingerprint ions from test spectra, this approach should lend itself well to real-world applications where samples are likely to be impure. This algorithm is illustrated using a blind study. In the study, MALDI-MS fingerprints for Bacillus atrophaeus ATCC 49337, Bacillus cereus ATCC 14579T, Escherichia coli ATCC 33694, Pantoea agglomerans ATCC 33243, and Pseudomonas putida F1 are collected and form a reference library. The identification of test samples containing one or more reference bacteria, potentially mixed with one species not in the library (Shewanella alga BrY), is performed by comparison to the reference library with a calculated degree of association. Out of 60 samples, no false positives are present, and the correct identification rate is 75%. Missed identifications are largely due to a weak B. cereus signal in the bacterial mixtures. Potential modifications to the algorithm are presented and result in a higher than 90% correct identification rate for the blind study data, suggesting that this approach has the potential for reliable and accurate automated data analysis of MALDI-MS.

Reproducibility of matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry for replicate bacterial culture analysis.

Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOFMS) was used to demonstrate the reproducibility of bacterial spectra collected on different days. The reproducibility of analysis by MALDI-MS of intact Escherichia coli and Bacillus atrophaeus is presented as a replicate culture study in which spectra were collected on ten different occasions over a three-month period and by two different operators. The analysis resulted in the detection of specific biomarkers in the m/z 2000-20 000 range. Some of the peaks in the Escherichia coli spectra are identified by comparison with other published work. All of the spectra obtained are reproducible over the course of the experiment, but operator variability does exist. The Escherichia coli spectra show operator variability while the Bacillus atrophaeus spectra do not. This work demonstrates the utility of MALDI in obtaining consistent spectra from bacteria over a period of time.

Extracting and visualizing matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectral fingerprints.

We have developed a method for constructing and extracting matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) fingerprints. This method is fully automated and statistically based, allowing a large number of spectra to be analyzed at a time in an objective manner. This method can be used to extract the fingerprint of a particular analyte from a spectrum containing multiple analytes. Therefore, this method lends itself well to real-world applications where samples to be analyzed are likely to be impure. We illustrate this method on experimental results from a series of studies of E. coli and B. atrophaeus MALDI time-of-flight mass spectrometry (TOFMS) fingerprints.