Toxic textiles: Potential health risks associated with toxic chemicals in clothing: Maria A. Muñoz and Pamela J. Lein from the University of California, Davis, focus on the potential health risks associated with toxic chemicals in clothing. In 2011, approximately 800 of 3,000 Alaska Airlines attendants began reporting various symptoms, including skin rashes, itchy eyes, and coughing. These complaints coincided with the introduction of new uniforms earlier that year and would continue until February 2014, when the clothing was recalled. Laboratory analyses of the attendants’ uniforms detected various toxic chemicals, including metals (lead, chromium, and cobalt) and known skin irritants, such as toluene, tributyl phosphate, and dimethyl fumarate, in the cloth used to make the uniforms.

Ba proxies have been broadly used to reconstruct past oceanic export production. However, the precise mechanisms underlying barite precipitation in undersaturated seawater are not known. The link between bacterial production and particulate Ba in the ocean suggests that bacteria may play a role. Here we show that under experimental conditions marine bacterial biofilms, particularly extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), are capable of bioaccumulating Ba, providing adequate conditions for barite precipitation. An amorphous P-rich phase is formed at the initial stages of Ba bioaccumulation, which evolves into barite crystals. This supports that in high productivity regions where large amounts of organic matter are subjected to bacterial degradation, the abundant EPS would serve to bind the necessary Ba and form nucleation sites leading to barite precipitation. This also provides new insights into barite precipitation and opens an exciting field to explore the role of EPS in mineral precipitation in the ocean.

The COVID-19 pandemic has created unprecedented challenges and disruptions for autistic individuals receiving specialized treatment services. This caregiver-report survey study (n = 339) explored predictors of satisfaction with autism services during COVID-19 to improve perceived support for these families. Specifically, we investigated whether service delivery medium (telehealth vs. in person), child's emotional functioning, and caregiver stress would predict satisfaction with the most highly utilized services. Satisfaction ratings for ABA/behavioral, speech/language, and occupational therapy were lower when delivered via telehealth as compared to in person. Caregivers who reported higher emotional dysregulation in their children were less satisfied with behavioral therapy services. These results provide a critical caregiver-informed perspective on factors influencing satisfaction with specialized autism services during COVID-19.

High-grade soft tissue sarcomas (STS) are a heterogeneous and aggressive set of cancers. Failure to respond anthracycline chemotherapy, standard first-line treatment, is associated with poor outcomes. We investigated the contribution of STS cancer stem cells (STS-CSCs) to doxorubicin resistance. We identified a positive correlation between CSC abundance and doxorubicin IC₅₀. Utilizing patient-derived samples from five sarcoma subtypes we investigated if a common genetic signature across STS-CSCs could be targeted. We identified Enhancer of Zeste homolog 2 (EZH2), a member of the polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2) responsible for H3K27 methylation as being enriched in CSCs. EZH2 activity and a shared epigenetic profile was observed across subtypes and targeting of EZH2 ablated the STS-CSC population. Treatment of doxorubicin-resistant cell lines with tazemetostat resulted in a decrease in the STS-CSC population. These data confirm the presence of shared genetic programs across distinct subtypes of CSC-STS that can be therapeutically targeted.

Lack of knowledge about psychosis, a condition oftentimes associated with serious mental illness, may contribute to disparities in mental health service use. Psychoeducational interventions aimed at improving psychosis literacy have attracted significant attention recently, but few have focused on the growing numbers of ethnic and linguistic minorities in countries with large immigrant populations, such as the United States. This paper reports on 2 studies designed to evaluate the effectiveness of a DVD version of La CLAve, a psychoeducational program that aims to increase psychosis literacy among Spanish-speaking Latinos. Study 1 is a randomized control study to test directly the efficacy of a DVD version of La CLAve for Spanish speakers across a range of educational backgrounds. Fifty-seven medical students and 68 community residents from Mexico were randomly assigned to view either La CLAve or a psychoeducational program of similar length regarding caregiving. Study 2 employed a single-subjects design to evaluate the effectiveness of the DVD presentation when administered by a community mental health educator. Ninety-three Spanish-speakers from San Diego, California completed assessments both before and after receiving the DVD training. Results from these 2 studies indicate that the DVD version of La CLAve is capable of producing a range of psychosis literacy gains for Spanish-speakers in both the United States and Mexico, even when administered by a community worker. Thus, it has potential for widespread dissemination and use among underserved communities of Spanish-speaking Latinos and for minimizing disparities in mental health service use, particularly as it relates to insufficient knowledge of psychosis.

An expert panel was convened in September 2019 by The International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP) to develop a definition for fermented foods and to describe their role in the human diet. Although these foods have been consumed for thousands of years, they are receiving increased attention among biologists, nutritionists, technologists, clinicians and consumers. Despite this interest, inconsistencies related to the use of the term 'fermented' led the panel to define fermented foods and beverages as "foods made through desired microbial growth and enzymatic conversions of food components". This definition, encompassing the many varieties of fermented foods, is intended to clarify what is (and is not) a fermented food. The distinction between fermented foods and probiotics is further clarified. The panel also addressed the current state of knowledge on the safety, risks and health benefits, including an assessment of the nutritional attributes and a mechanistic rationale for how fermented foods could improve gastrointestinal and general health. The latest advancements in our understanding of the microbial ecology and systems biology of these foods were discussed. Finally, the panel reviewed how fermented foods are regulated and discussed efforts to include them as a separate category in national dietary guidelines.

Developing accurate methods to quantify age-related muscle loss (sarcopenia) could greatly accelerate development of therapies to treat muscle loss in the elderly, as current methods are inaccurate or expensive. The current gold standard method for quantifying sarcopenia is dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) but does not measure muscle directly-it is a composite measure quantifying lean mass (muscle) excluding fat and bone. In humans, DXA overestimates muscle mass, which has led to erroneous conclusions about the importance of skeletal muscle in human health and disease. In animal models, DXA is a popular method for measuring lean mass. However, instrumentation is expensive and is potentially limited by anesthesia concerns. Recently, the D3 -creatine (D3 Cr) dilution method for quantifying muscle mass was developed in humans and rats. This method is faster, cheaper, and more accurate than DXA. Here, we demonstrate that the D3 Cr method is a specific assay for muscle mass in mice, and we test associations with DXA and body weight. We evaluated the D3 Cr method compared to DXA-determined lean body mass (LBM) in aged mice and reported that DXA consistently overestimates muscle mass with age. Overall, we provide evidence that the D3 Cr dilution method directly measures muscle mass in mice. Combined with its ease of use, accessibility, and non-invasive nature, the method may prove to more quickly advance development of preclinical therapies targeting sarcopenia.

Proponents of autism intervention and those of the neurodiversity movement often appear at odds, the former advocating for intensive treatments and the latter arguing that autism must be accepted as a form of diversity. The history of behavioral intervention has understandably outraged many in the Autistic community, though many still value supports focused on quality of life. This commentary argues that Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Interventions (NDBIs) hold promise for bridging the gap between early intervention and the neurodiversity movement. However, we recognize NDBIs have much room to grow and suggest multiple strategies for improvement. We believe these updates are not only feasible for clinicians and researchers to implement but will ultimately lead to improved quality of life for Autistic individuals.