Scholarly Articles

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Open Access
Toward understanding microbiota homeostasis in the plant kingdom.
(PLoS pathogens, 2021-04) Paasch, Bradley C; He, Sheng Yang
A diverse community of microorganisms inhabits various parts of a plant. Recent findings indicate that perturbations to the normal microbiota can be associated with positive and negative effects on plant health. In this review, we discuss these findings in the context of understanding how microbiota homeostasis is regulated in plants for promoting health and/or for preventing dysbiosis.
Open Access
Peat-based gnotobiotic plant growth systems for Arabidopsis microbiome research.
(Nature protocols, 2021-05) Kremer, James M; Sohrabi, Reza; Paasch, Bradley C; Rhodes, David; Thireault, Caitlin; Schulze-Lefert, Paul; Tiedje, James M; He, Sheng Yang
The complex structure and function of a plant microbiome are driven by many variables, including the environment, microbe-microbe interactions and host factors. Likewise, resident microbiota can influence many host phenotypes. Gnotobiotic growth systems and controlled environments empower researchers to isolate these variables, and standardized methods equip a global research community to harmonize protocols, replicate experiments and collaborate broadly. We developed two easily constructed peat-based gnotobiotic growth platforms: the FlowPot system and the GnotoPot system. Sterile peat is amenable to colonization by microbiota and supports growth of the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana in the presence or absence of microorganisms. The FlowPot system uniquely allows one to flush the substrate with water, nutrients and/or suspensions of microbiota via an irrigation port, and a mesh retainer allows for the inversion of plants for dip or vacuum infiltration protocols. The irrigation port also facilitates passive drainage, preventing root anoxia. In contrast, the GnotoPot system utilizes a compressed peat pellet, widely used in the horticultural industry. GnotoPot construction has fewer steps and requires less user handling, thereby reducing the risk of contamination. Both protocols take up to 4 d to complete with 4-5 h of hands-on time, including substrate and seed sterilization. In this protocol, we provide detailed assembly and inoculation procedures for the two systems. Both systems are modular, do not require a sterile growth chamber, and cost less than US$2 per vessel.
Open Access
A coffee berry borer (Hypothenemus hampei) genome assembly reveals a reduced chemosensory receptor gene repertoire and male-specific genome sequences.
(Scientific reports, 2021-03) Navarro-Escalante, Lucio; Hernandez-Hernandez, Erick M; Nuñez, Jonathan; Acevedo, Flor E; Berrio, Alejandro; Constantino, Luis M; Padilla-Hurtado, Beatriz E; Molina, Diana; Gongora, Carmenza; Acuña, Ricardo; Stuart, Jeff; Benavides, Pablo
Coffee berry borer-CBB (Hypothenemus hampei) is a globally important economic pest of coffee (Coffea spp.). Despite current insect control methods for managing CBB, development of future control strategies requires a better understanding of its biology and interaction with its host plant. Towards this objective, we performed de novo CBB genome and transcriptome sequencing, improved CBB genome assembly and predicted 18,765 protein-encoding genes. Using genome and transcriptome data, we annotated the genes associated with chemosensation and found a reduced gene repertoire composed by 67 odorant receptors (ORs), 62 gustatory receptors (GRs), 33 ionotropic receptors (IRs) and 29 odorant-binding proteins (OBPs). In silico transcript abundance analysis of these chemosensory genes revealed expression enrichment in CBB adults compared with larva. Detection of differentially expressed chemosensory genes between males and females is likely associated with differences in host-finding behavior between sexes. Additionally, we discovered male-specific genome content and identified candidate male-specific expressed genes on these scaffolds, suggesting that a Y-like chromosome may be involved in the CBB's functional haplodiploid mechanism of sex determination.
Open Access
Comparative neurotranscriptomics reveal widespread species differences associated with bonding.
(BMC genomics, 2021-05) Tripp, Joel A; Berrio, Alejandro; McGraw, Lisa A; Matz, Mikhail V; Davis, Jamie K; Inoue, Kiyoshi; Thomas, James W; Young, Larry J; Phelps, Steven M
Background
Pair bonding with a reproductive partner is rare among mammals but is an important feature of human social behavior. Decades of research on monogamous prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster), along with comparative studies using the related non-bonding meadow vole (M. pennsylvanicus), have revealed many of the neural and molecular mechanisms necessary for pair-bond formation in that species. However, these studies have largely focused on just a few neuromodulatory systems. To test the hypothesis that neural gene expression differences underlie differential capacities to bond, we performed RNA-sequencing on tissue from three brain regions important for bonding and other social behaviors across bond-forming prairie voles and non-bonding meadow voles. We examined gene expression in the amygdala, hypothalamus, and combined ventral pallidum/nucleus accumbens in virgins and at three time points after mating to understand species differences in gene expression at baseline, in response to mating, and during bond formation.
Results
We first identified species and brain region as the factors most strongly associated with gene expression in our samples. Next, we found gene categories related to cell structure, translation, and metabolism that differed in expression across species in virgins, as well as categories associated with cell structure, synaptic and neuroendocrine signaling, and transcription and translation that varied among the focal regions in our study. Additionally, we identified genes that were differentially expressed across species after mating in each of our regions of interest. These include genes involved in regulating transcription, neuron structure, and synaptic plasticity. Finally, we identified modules of co-regulated genes that were strongly correlated with brain region in both species, and modules that were correlated with post-mating time points in prairie voles but not meadow voles.
Conclusions
These results reinforce the importance of pre-mating differences that confer the ability to form pair bonds in prairie voles but not promiscuous species such as meadow voles. Gene ontology analysis supports the hypothesis that pair-bond formation involves transcriptional regulation, and changes in neuronal structure. Together, our results expand knowledge of the genes involved in the pair bonding process and open new avenues of research in the molecular mechanisms of bond formation.
Open Access
Single-Cell Transcriptomics Reveals Evolutionary Reconfiguration of Embryonic Cell Fate Specification in the Sea Urchin Heliocidaris erythrogramma.
(Genome biology and evolution, 2025-01) Massri, Abdull J; Berrio, Alejandro; Afanassiev, Anton; Greenstreet, Laura; Pipho, Krista; Byrne, Maria; Schiebinger, Geoffrey; McClay, David R; Wray, Gregory A
Altered regulatory interactions during development likely underlie a large fraction of phenotypic diversity within and between species, yet identifying specific evolutionary changes remains challenging. Analysis of single-cell developmental transcriptomes from multiple species provides a powerful framework for unbiased identification of evolutionary changes in developmental mechanisms. Here, we leverage a "natural experiment" in developmental evolution in sea urchins, where a major life history switch recently evolved in the lineage leading to Heliocidaris erythrogramma, precipitating extensive changes in early development. Comparative analyses of single-cell transcriptome analysis (scRNA-seq) developmental time courses from H. erythrogramma and Lytechinus variegatus (representing the derived and ancestral states, respectively) reveal numerous evolutionary changes in embryonic patterning. The earliest cell fate specification events and the primary signaling center are co-localized in the ancestral developmental gene regulatory network; remarkably, in H. erythrogramma, they are spatially and temporally separate. Fate specification and differentiation are delayed in most embryonic cell lineages, although in some cases, these processes are conserved or even accelerated. Comparative analysis of regulator-target gene co-expression is consistent with many specific interactions being preserved but delayed in H. erythrogramma, while some otherwise widely conserved interactions have likely been lost. Finally, specific patterning events are directly correlated with evolutionary changes in larval morphology, suggesting that they are directly tied to the life history shift. Together, these findings demonstrate that comparative scRNA-seq developmental time courses can reveal a diverse set of evolutionary changes in embryonic patterning and provide an efficient way to identify likely candidate regulatory interactions for subsequent experimental validation.
Open Access
Breakable Barriers: The Impact of Teaching Hands-Only CPR Within Marginalized Communities
(The Journal of Physician Assistant Education) Miller, Kris; Senft Miller, Anna; Bludorn, Janelle
Abstract Knowledge is power, and with that power comes the responsibility to share it. As physician assistant (PA) students, we have seen how life-saving skills like cardiopulmonary resusictation (CPR) can bridge gaps in equity and access. Yet, research reveals that minority communities are less likely to perform CPR during an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). For many, this hesitation stems from fear or lack of knowledge, and it is a critical problem. Each year, over 350,000 Americans experience OHCA, but only 40% receive timely bystander CPR, with significant disparities for women and minority communities. To address these disparities, we joined Coronary By-Physician Assistant Students (Coronary By-PASs), an initiative to teach hands-only CPR in Durham, NC. Founded by Duke PA Program alumna during her training, Coronary By-PASs focuses on overcoming barriers to CPR training, such as financial constraints and geographical inaccessibility. During our involvement, the program grew into a sustainable, student-led project, with a lasting impact on future cohorts. We taught CPR to diverse communities, many of whom had never received training before and built trust through meaningful engagement. One memorable moment came when a participant expressed feeling included for the first time because of diverse training manikins. This experience taught us not only how to teach CPR but also how to foster trust and hope within communities. Beyond CPR instruction, we gained invaluable skills in community planning, advocacy, and communication. Coronary By-PASs is not just a program; it is a model for bridging health care gaps and creating lasting change. We are committed to continuing this work, empowering communities and advancing health care equity.
Open Access
Age-related differences in multiple measures of white matter integrity: A diffusion tensor imaging study of healthy aging.
(Human brain mapping, 2010-03) Bennett, Ilana J; Madden, David J; Vaidya, Chandan J; Howard, Darlene V; Howard, James H
Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) measures diffusion of molecular water, which can be used to calculate indices of white matter integrity. Early DTI studies of aging primarily focused on two global measures of integrity; the average rate (mean diffusivity, MD) and orientation coherence (fractional anisotropy, FA) of diffusion. More recent studies have added measures of water movement parallel (axial diffusivity, AD) and perpendicular (radial diffusivity, RD) to the primary diffusion direction, which are thought to reflect the neural bases of age differences in diffusion (i.e., axonal shrinkage and demyelination, respectively). In this study, patterns of age differences in white matter integrity were assessed by comparing younger and healthy older adults on multiple measures of integrity (FA, AD, and RD). Results revealed two commonly reported patterns (Radial Increase Only and Radial/Axial Increase), and one relatively novel pattern (Radial Increase/Axial Decrease) that varied by brain region and may reflect differential aging of microstructural (e.g., degree of myelination) and macrostructural (e.g., coherence of fiber orientation) properties of white matter. In addition, larger age differences in FA in frontal white matter were consistent with the anterior-posterior gradient of age differences in white matter integrity. Together, these findings complement other recent studies in providing information about patterns of diffusivity that are characteristic of healthy aging.
Open Access
Cerebral white matter integrity and cognitive aging: contributions from diffusion tensor imaging.
(Neuropsychology review, 2009-12) Madden, David J; Bennett, Ilana J; Song, Allen W
The integrity of cerebral white matter is critical for efficient cognitive functioning, but little is known regarding the role of white matter integrity in age-related differences in cognition. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) measures the directional displacement of molecular water and as a result can characterize the properties of white matter that combine to restrict diffusivity in a spatially coherent manner. This review considers DTI studies of aging and their implications for understanding adult age differences in cognitive performance. Decline in white matter integrity contributes to a disconnection among distributed neural systems, with a consistent effect on perceptual speed and executive functioning. The relation between white matter integrity and cognition varies across brain regions, with some evidence suggesting that age-related effects exhibit an anterior-posterior gradient. With continued improvements in spatial resolution and integration with functional brain imaging, DTI holds considerable promise, both for theories of cognitive aging and for translational application.
Open Access
Toward discovery science of human brain function.
(Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2010-03) Biswal, BB; Mennes, M; Zuo, XN; Gohel, S; Kelly, C; Smith, SM; Beckmann, CF; Adelstein, JS; Buckner, RL; Colcombe, S; Dogonowski, AM; Ernst, M; Fair, D; Hampson, M; Hoptman, MJ; Hyde, JS; Kiviniemi, VJ; Kötter, R; Li, SJ; Lin, CP; Lowe, MJ; Mackay, C; Madden, DJ; Madsen, KH; Margulies, DS; Mayberg, HS; McMahon, K; Monk, CS; Mostofsky, SH; Nagel, BJ; Pekar, JJ; Peltier, SJ; Petersen, SE; Riedl, V; Rombouts, SA; Rypma, B; Schlaggar, BL; Schmidt, S; Seidler, RD; Siegle, GJ; Sorg, C; Teng, GJ; Veijola, J; Villringer, A; Walter, M; Wang, L; Weng, XC; Whitfield Gabrieli, S; Williamson, P; Windischberger, C; Zang, YF; Zhang, HY; Castellanos, FX; Milham, MP
Although it is being successfully implemented for exploration of the genome, discovery science has eluded the functional neuroimaging community. The core challenge remains the development of common paradigms for interrogating the myriad functional systems in the brain without the constraints of a priori hypotheses. Resting-state functional MRI (R-fMRI) constitutes a candidate approach capable of addressing this challenge. Imaging the brain during rest reveals large-amplitude spontaneous low-frequency (
Open Access
Age-related Macular Degeneration is associated with faster rates of structural brain changes and widespread differences in connectivity
(2022-07-20) Stout, Jacques A; Dai, Rui; Anderson, Robert J; Cousins, Scott; Zhuang, Jie; Lad, Eleonora M; Whitaker, Diane; Madden, David; Potter, Guy; Whitson, Heather E; Badea, Alexandra
Open Access
Depression and emotion regulation strategy use moderate age-related attentional positivity bias.
(Frontiers in psychology, 2024-01) Faul, Leonard; Bellaiche, Lucas; Madden, David J; Smoski, Moria J; LaBar, Kevin S
Effective emotion regulation is critical for maintaining emotional health in the face of adverse events that accumulate over the lifespan. These abilities are thought to be generally maintained in older adults, accompanied by the emergence of attentional biases to positive information. Such age-related positivity biases, however, are not always reported and may be moderated by individual differences in affective vulnerabilities and competencies, such as those related to dispositional negative affect and emotion regulation styles. To examine these relationships, we analyzed eye-tracking data from 72 participants (35-74 years; 50 female), 44 without and 28 with a diagnosis of Major Depressive Disorder during a free-viewing task comprising neutral-neutral, negative-neutral, and positive-neutral image pairs. Emotional bias scores were calculated based on the ratio of time spent dwelling on the emotional image vs. the neutral image in each emotional-neutral pair. Results indicate that healthy participants exhibited a stronger positivity bias than a negativity bias, whereas individuals with higher depressive symptom scores showed no difference. Next, we examined how age and emotion regulation strategy use (reappraisal vs. suppression, measured with the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire) impacted these effects. Individuals with Major Depressive Disorder did not exhibit a significant relationship between age and positivity bias. However, for healthy participants who self-reported a preference for using reappraisal in daily life, increased age was associated with an increased positivity bias. These findings indicate that the emergence of the positivity effect in older adults is related to reappraisal regulatory preferences in the absence of depressive symptoms.
Open Access
Age-related differences in resting-state, task-related, and structural brain connectivity: graph theoretical analyses and visual search performance.
(Brain structure & function, 2024-09) Madden, David J; Merenstein, Jenna L; Mullin, Hollie A; Jain, Shivangi; Rudolph, Marc D; Cohen, Jessica R
Previous magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) research suggests that aging is associated with a decrease in the functional interconnections within and between groups of locally organized brain regions (modules). Further, this age-related decrease in the segregation of modules appears to be more pronounced for a task, relative to a resting state, reflecting the integration of functional modules and attentional allocation necessary to support task performance. Here, using graph-theoretical analyses, we investigated age-related differences in a whole-brain measure of module connectivity, system segregation, for 68 healthy, community-dwelling individuals 18-78 years of age. We obtained resting-state, task-related (visual search), and structural (diffusion-weighted) MRI data. Using a parcellation of modules derived from the participants' resting-state functional MRI data, we demonstrated that the decrease in system segregation from rest to task (i.e., reconfiguration) increased with age, suggesting an age-related increase in the integration of modules required by the attentional demands of visual search. Structural system segregation increased with age, reflecting weaker connectivity both within and between modules. Functional and structural system segregation had qualitatively different influences on age-related decline in visual search performance. Functional system segregation (and reconfiguration) influenced age-related decline in the rate of visual evidence accumulation (drift rate), whereas structural system segregation contributed to age-related slowing of encoding and response processes (nondecision time). The age-related differences in the functional system segregation measures, however, were relatively independent of those associated with structural connectivity.
Open Access
Changes in functional and structural brain connectivity following bilateral hand transplantation
(NeuroImage: Reports, 2024-12-01) Madden, DJ; Merenstein, JL; Harshbarger, TB; Cendales, LC
As a surgical treatment following amputation or loss of an upper limb, nearly 200 hand transplantations have been completed to date. We report here a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) investigation of functional and structural brain connectivity for a bilateral hand transplant patient (female, 60 years of age), with a preoperative baseline and three postoperative testing sessions each separated by approximately six months. We used graph theoretical analyses to estimate connectivity within and between modules (networks of anatomical nodes), particularly a sensorimotor network (SMN), from resting-state functional MRI and structural diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI). For comparison, corresponding MRI measures of connectivity were obtained from 10 healthy, age-matched controls, at a single testing session. The patient's within-module functional connectivity (both SMN and non-SMN modules), and structural within-SMN connectivity, were higher preoperatively than that of the controls, indicating a response to amputation. Postoperatively, the patient's within-module functional connectivity decreased towards the control participants' values, across the 1.5 years postoperatively, particularly for hand-related nodes within the SMN module, suggesting a return to a more canonical functional organization. Whereas the patient's structural connectivity values remained relatively constant postoperatively, some evidence suggested that structural connectivity supported the postoperative changes in within-module functional connectivity.
Open Access
Distributed associations among white matter hyperintensities and structural brain networks with fluid cognition in healthy aging.
(Cognitive, affective & behavioral neuroscience, 2024-12) Rudolph, Marc D; Cohen, Jessica R; Madden, David J
White matter hyperintensities (WMHs) are associated with age-related cognitive impairment and increased risk of Alzheimer's disease. However, the manner by which WMHs contribute to cognitive impairment is unclear. Using a combination of predictive modeling and network neuroscience, we investigated the relationship between structural white matter connectivity and age, fluid cognition, and WMHs in 68 healthy adults (18-78 years). Consistent with previous work, WMHs were increased in older adults and exhibited a strong negative association with fluid cognition. Extending previous work, using predictive modeling, we demonstrated that age, WMHs, and fluid cognition were jointly associated with widespread alterations in structural connectivity. Subcortical-cortical connections between the thalamus/basal ganglia and frontal and parietal regions of the default mode and frontoparietal networks were most prominent. At the network level, both age and WMHs were negatively associated with network density and communicability, and positively associated with modularity. Spatially, WMHs were most prominent in arterial zones served by the middle cerebral artery and associated lenticulostriate branches that supply subcortical regions. Finally, WMHs overlapped with all major white matter tracts, most prominently in tracts that facilitate subcortical-cortical communication and are implicated in fluid cognition, including the anterior thalamic-radiations and forceps minor. Finally, results of mediation analyses suggest that whole-brain WMH load influences age-related decline in fluid cognition. Thus, across multiple levels of analysis, we showed that WMHs were increased in older adults and associated with altered structural white matter connectivity and network topology involving subcortical-cortical pathways critical for fluid cognition.
Open Access
Editorial: Guide for authors at Neurobiology of Aging.
(Neurobiology of aging, 2025-01) Madden, David J
Open Access
Depthwise cortical iron relates to functional connectivity and fluid cognition in healthy aging.
(Neurobiology of aging, 2025-04) Merenstein, Jenna L; Zhao, Jiayi; Madden, David J
Age-related differences in fluid cognition have been associated with both the merging of functional brain networks, defined from resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rsfMRI), and with elevated cortical iron, assessed by quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM). Limited information is available, however, regarding the depthwise profile of cortical iron and its potential relation to functional connectivity. Here, using an adult lifespan sample (n = 138; 18-80 years), we assessed relations among graph theoretical measures of functional connectivity, column-based depthwise measures of cortical iron, and fluid cognition (i.e., tests of memory, perceptual-motor speed, executive function). Increased age was related both to less segregated functional networks and to increased cortical iron, especially for superficial depths. Functional network segregation mediated age-related differences in memory, whereas depthwise iron mediated age-related differences in general fluid cognition. Lastly, higher mean parietal iron predicted lower network segregation for adults younger than 45 years of age. These findings suggest that functional connectivity and depthwise cortical iron have distinct, complementary roles in the relation between age and fluid cognition in healthy adults.
Open Access
Characterizing positive and negative quantitative susceptibility values in the cortex following mild traumatic brain injury: a depth- and curvature-based study.
(Cerebral cortex (New York, N.Y. : 1991), 2025-03) Essex, Christi A; Merenstein, Jenna L; Overson, Devon K; Truong, Trong-Kha; Madden, David J; Bedggood, Mayan J; Murray, Helen; Holdsworth, Samantha J; Stewart, Ashley W; Morgan, Catherine; Faull, Richard LM; Hume, Patria; Theadom, Alice; Pedersen, Mangor
Evidence has linked head trauma to increased risk factors for neuropathology, including mechanical deformation of the sulcal fundus and, later, perivascular accumulation of hyperphosphorylated tau adjacent to these spaces related to chronic traumatic encephalopathy. However, little is known about microstructural abnormalities and cellular dyshomeostasis in acute mild traumatic brain injury in humans, particularly in the cortex. To address this gap, we designed the first architectonically motivated quantitative susceptibility mapping study to assess regional patterns of net positive (iron-related) and net negative (myelin-, calcium-, and protein-related) magnetic susceptibility across 34 cortical regions of interest following mild traumatic brain injury. Bilateral, between-group analyses sensitive to cortical depth and curvature were conducted between 25 males with acute (<14 d) sports-related mild traumatic brain injury and 25 age-matched male controls. Results suggest a trauma-induced increase in net positive susceptibility focal to superficial, perivascular-adjacent spaces in the parahippocampal sulcus. Decreases in net negative susceptibility values in distinct voxel populations within the same region indicate a potential dual pathology of neural substrates. These mild traumatic brain injury-related patterns were distinct from age-related processes revealed by correlation analyses. Our findings suggest depth- and curvature-specific deposition of biological substrates in cortical tissue convergent with features of misfolded proteins in trauma-related neurodegeneration.
Open Access
Roles of microbiota in autoimmunity in Arabidopsis leaves.
(Nature plants, 2024-09) Cheng, Yu Ti; Thireault, Caitlin A; Zhang, Li; Paasch, Bradley C; Sohrabi, Reza; He, Sheng Yang
Over the past three decades, researchers have isolated plant mutants that show constitutively activated defence responses in the absence of pathogen infection. These mutants are called autoimmune mutants and are typically dwarf and/or bearing chlorotic/necrotic lesions. Here, from a genetic screen for Arabidopsis genes involved in maintaining a normal leaf microbiota, we identified TIP GROWTH DEFECTIVE 1 (TIP1), which encodes an S-acyltransferase, as a key player in guarding leaves against abnormal microbiota level and composition under high-humidity conditions. The tip1 mutant has several characteristic phenotypes of classical autoimmune mutants, including a dwarf stature, showing lesions, and having a high basal level of defence gene expression. Gnotobiotic experiments revealed that the autoimmune phenotypes of the tip1 mutant are largely dependent on the presence of microbiota as axenic tip1 plants have markedly reduced autoimmune phenotypes. We found that the microbiota dependency of autoimmune phenotypes is shared by several 'lesion mimic'-type autoimmune mutants in Arabidopsis. It is worth noting that autoimmune phenotypes caused by mutations in two Nucleotide-Binding, Leucine-Rich Repeat (NLR) genes do not require the presence of microbiota and can even be partially alleviated by microbiota. Our results therefore suggest the existence of at least two classes of autoimmunity (microbiota-dependent versus microbiota-independent) in plants. The observed interplay between autoimmunity and microbiota in the lesion mimic class of autoimmunity is reminiscent of the interactions between autoimmunity and dysbiosis in the animal kingdom. These parallels highlight the intricate relationship between host immunity and microbial communities across various biological systems.
Open Access
Hidden Heterogeneity: How the White Racial Category Masks Interethnic Health Inequality.
(Demography, 2025-01) Read, Jen'nan G; Fairfax, Fatima G
Inequality research has often used non-Hispanic Whites as the reference category in measuring U.S. racial and ethnic health disparities, with less attention paid to diversity among Whites. Immigration patterns over the last several decades have led to greater ethnic heterogeneity among Whites, which could be hidden by the aggregate category. Using data from the National Health Interview Survey (2000-2018), we disaggregate non-Hispanic Whites by nativity status (U.S.- and foreign-born) and foreign-born region of birth (Europe, Former Soviet Union, and the Middle East) to examine diversity in health among adults aged 30+ (n = 290,361). We find that foreign-born Whites do not have a consistent immigrant health advantage over U.S.-born Whites, and the presence of an advantage further varies by birth region. Immigrants from the Former Soviet Union (FSU) are particularly disadvantaged, reporting worse self-rated health and higher rates of hypertension (high blood pressure) than U.S.-born and European-born Whites. Middle Eastern immigrants also fare worse than U.S.-born Whites but have health outcomes more similar to European immigrants than to immigrants from the FSU. These findings highlight considerable diversity in health among White subgroups that is masked by the aggregate White category. Future research must continue to monitor growing heterogeneity among Whites and consider more carefully their use as an aggregate category for gauging racial inequality.
Open Access
ACOEM Guidance Statement: Laboratory Animal Allergy.
(Journal of occupational and environmental medicine, 2025-02) Stave, Gregg M; Swift, Melanie D; Gochnour, Michelle K; Hudson, T Warner; Isakari, Marcia T; Behrman, Amy J
Abstract
Ranging from mild respiratory allergy to anaphylaxis, laboratory animal allergy (LAA) can adversely affect an individual's health and career. LAA can be prevented through a hierarchy of controls. However, workers remain at risk as many, if not most, workplaces haven't fully adopted needed prevention practices. To address this risk, organizations should use a multidisciplinary leadership team. Along with participation on the leadership team, occupational medicine physicians should oversee a medical surveillance program that identifies workers with LAA including incident cases, as well as workers with LAA who are symptomatic in the workplace. One indication that medical surveillance may be effective in identifying incident cases is that it is detecting prevalent cases, usually in the range of 10-20% or higher. Programs with lower detection rates of prevalent cases should adjust their approach to medical surveillance. The results of medical surveillance, including the incidence and prevalence of LAA, should be shared within the organization and used to guide the use of controls. Periodic self-audits are recommended to better protect workers by identifying and addressing opportunities for program improvement.