Broad Types Research Articles

EPID-23. HISTORY OF TYPE III IMMUNE HYPERSENSITIVITY IMPROVES SURVIVAL IN GLIOBLASTOMA

Abstract Preexisting atopy, particularly allergic rhinitis, is consistently associated with decreased risk of glioma, and there is evidence that preexisting autoimmune conditions may also decrease risk. Glioblastoma is both locally and systemically immunosuppressive and, unlike many other forms of cancer, its initiation is not strongly linked with chronic inflammation. Therefore, history of immune hypersensitivity could be associated with improved anti-glioma immunosurveillance. We leveraged Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) data combined with Medicare claims to investigate the effect of preexisting immune hypersensitivities on overall survival of glioblastoma patients receiving resection, radiation, and temozolomide (standard of care, or SOC) from 2008-2019. Patients <66 years of age, enrolled in Medicare Advantage, not continuously enrolled in Medicare Part A/B, missing follow-up, reported by autopsy/death certificate only, or who did not receive surgery were excluded. Prior history of immune hypersensitivity (≥6 months prior to primary cancer diagnosis) was identified by ICD-9/ICD-10 codes. Treatment pattern was determined using ICD-9/ICD-10 and HCPCS/CPT codes. Conditions were classified into broad immune hypersensitivity types: type I (IgE-mediated, including atopy), type II (IgG- or IgM-mediated), type III (immune complex-mediated, including lupus and rheumatoid arthritis), and type IV (cell-mediated). Survival comparisons were made using Cox proportional hazard models adjusted for demographics, extent of resection, and Charlson comorbidity score (excluding immune conditions) to estimate hazard ratios, 95% confidence intervals, and p-values. Overall, 44% of 3,426 glioblastoma patients who received SOC had an immune hypersensitivity (type I: 33%, type II: 4%, type III: 8%, and type IV: 15%). These conditions were significantly more common in females (47% vs 41%, p<0.001). After adjustment, only type III immune sensitivity was associated with improved OS (HR=0.81, 95% CI:0.71-0.92, p=0.002). These results suggest that underlying immune-complex mediated hypersensitivity may improve treatment response and prognosis in glioblastoma, and that these pathways could potentially be exploited for therapy.

Luminescent Multifunctional Nanomaterials: Capacitive Removal and Enhanced Detection Efficiency of Heavy Metals Ions for Advanced Water and Wastewater Treatment Application

AbstractIn recent years, heavy metal ions pollution in the industrialized environment of the societies threaten human health that flaunt ill‐sorted blueprints in freshwater resources obviously. The paradigm of designing luminescent multifunctional nanomaterials finds directions to the strategies of synthesizing cost‐effective, green, and versatile nanomaterials not only for detection, but also removal process of heavy metal ions in large scale applications. Among them, discovering the advances of luminescent multifunctional nanomaterials provides broad types of biomaterials, polymers and porous nanoparticles that grabs focal of investigations over the past several years due to their unique advantages such as enhanced detection efficiency with lowest limit of detection (LOD), minimum ions interference in versatile removal process, fast responsivity and selectivity as outstanding as unique physicochemical properties. This review paper tries to highlight the paradigm of principles for design, development, and utilization of luminescence nanomaterials for considering fundamental detection and removal mechanisms of heavy metal ions. In particular, these nanomaterials increase the remediation quality that are tackled in detail by focusing on opportunities and challenges in the field. Finally, design methods of these nanomaterials and concentrating on empowered detection and removal efficiency for heavy metals ions highlights novel prospective and strategies for largescale applications.

Struggles for co-determination: Anti-unionism, obstruction of works councils and employees’ counterstrategies in Germany

In recent years, there has been growing evidence in Germany of efforts by employers to obstruct works councils, trade unions and individual employees in the exercise of their participation rights. When such situations arise, the asymmetry of power intrinsic to the employment relationship will put the employee side at a structural disadvantage. Nonetheless, employees have strategic options to regain their legal rights to co-determination. The article examines, firstly, how employers obstruct works councils, trade union representation and collective bargaining. Secondly, it analyses the strategies and practices the employee side uses in response. Based on 28 case studies from various sectors and a total of 87 interviews, the study identifies two broad types of obstruction of co-determination by employers and six key dimensions that characterize employee resistance. The analysis of successful and failed conflicts points to a wide range of the diverse options available to employees.

Current status of zoobenthic fauna associated with macroalgae fields from the southern Romanian Black Sea coast

The European environmental policies related to marine water management require a periodic environmental status assessment. The Marine Strategy Framework Directive 2008/56/EC clearly specifies that assessment must take into consideration benthic habitat types, including their associated biological communities. The aim of this study is to present the results of the ecological analysis of the zoobenthic communities associated with benthic habitats with macrophytic substrate and to provide new data regarding the qualitative and quantitative structure of macroinvertebrates that populate these habitats type. The broad habitats type Infralittoral rock and biogenic reef and Infralittoral sands were investigated. The analyzed data covers the summer season, 2023 based on the processing of 13 samples collected from Navodari to 2 Mai – Vama Veche, on depths ranging between 1m to 3 m. A total of 80 macrozoobenthic species were found in all macrophytic assemblages, the Polychaeta, Crustacean and Gastropod were the dominant groups, especially Perinereis cultrifera, Platynereis dumerilii, Ampithoe ramondi, Stenothoe monoculoides, Rissoa splendida, Tricolia pullus registering a large number of individuals. For data interpretation a synecological analysis was performed allowing the identification of the species with the most significant contribution in the ecosystem in terms of function, energy exchanges with the environment, the characteristic species of a biotope or those that have an accidental presence in the studied area.

Defining child maltreatment for research and surveillance: a Delphi study in 34 countries

Abstract Background Child maltreatment is a complex public health issue that has consequences across the life-course. Studies to measure child maltreatment and identify interventions and services are constrained by a lack of uniform definitions across sectors and countries. We conducted a Delphi study to reach consensus on types and characteristics of child maltreatment for use in surveillance and research in Europe. Methods Statements were developed following a scoping review and identification of key concepts by an international expert team (n = 19). A multidisciplinary expert panel (n = 70) from 34 countries participated in three rounds of online data collection. We defined consensus as ≥ 70% agreement or disagreement with each statement after the final round. Results Consensus was reached on 26/31 statements, with a participant retention rate of 94%. The definition states that child maltreatment is a subtype of violence against children. The perpetrator can be an adult or minor, but must be in a position of power over the child. To define an act or omission as child maltreatment, it must cause harm or have the potential to cause harm, regardless of intention, severity, chronicity, or the traditional/cultural beliefs of the perpetrator. In addition, the broad umbrella term encompassing emotional, behavioural or cognitive maltreatment should be “psychological”, and psychological maltreatment should be split into sub-types of psychological abuse and psychological neglect. “Neglect” is a broad type of child maltreatment within which there are subtypes that can all be characterised as “failure to provide” or “failure to supervise”. Conclusions This is the first study to demonstrate consensus on the types and key characteristics of child maltreatment across multiple sectors and countries, providing a unified definition of child maltreatment to improve consistency of measurement and surveillance in Europe. This abstract is submitted on behalf of Working Group 1 COST Action 19106. Key messages • A standardised definition is essential for monitoring child maltreatment. • We propose a consensus-based definition that can be used to improve child maltreatment measurement in research and surveillance.

Limited evidence for the influence of the physical structure and floristics of habitat on a boreal forest bird community

Studies conducted at regional and continental scales show that avian richness, community composition, and abundance are associated with variation in the vegetation physical structure and community composition (floristics) within broad habitat types. The relative contributions of physical structure and floristics are contested, and relationships are often taxon-specific. We used 110 microphone arrays deployed across 90 sampling locations and two breeding seasons to survey an avian community in the boreal forest in Labrador, Canada. Our objectives were (1) to describe the avian community of an underrepresented portion of the boreal forest, (2) to estimate the relationships between avian species richness and habitat characteristics, (3) to estimate if species detection at a given location was related to local habitat characteristics, and (4) to investigate the spatial and temporal patterns of the avian community composition. We detected 32 species at our sampling locations; physical structure and floristics were not related to avian species richness, although estimates of richness were higher on warmer days and lower on windier days. Habitat characteristics were associated with the detection of Boreal Chickadee (Poecile hudsonicus), Yellow-rumped Warbler (Setophaga coronata), American Robin (Turdus migratorius), and Black-throated Green Warbler (Setophaga virens). Finally, avian community composition was only moderately consistent among three categorical forest types and between audio sampling periods in two consecutive breeding seasons. Overall, we show that the structural and floristic traits measured at our study site are not related to the detection of most avian species or to species richness.

Plant communities of high-Andean bofedal wetlands across a trans-Andean transect in southern Peru

Aims: Ecosystems of the Tropical Andes include plant communities above 4,000 m in elevation, associated with wetlands known as bofedales. To enhance our understanding of them, we surveyed bofedal plant communities in the Peruvian Andes. Questions: Which are the most common bofedal plant communities, and what are their main characteristics? Study area: An east-to-west 68 km megatransect in Ayacucho and Huancavelica departments in Peru, the area of influence of a gas pipeline. Methods: We surveyed 127 (1 m × 1 m) permanent plots annually between 2017 and 2019 to assess plant communities, calculated diversity metrics, and applied non-parametric hypothesis testing analysis of similarities and multivariate analyses to the data. Results: We identified 13 plant communities with 3.5 to 11.7 mean species richness. Only seven were statistically different; the other six were rare and require additional surveys to define their status as independent communities. The Distichia muscoides-dominated community was found in most sites (90%), plots (55%), and along the entire elevational range we studied. D. muscoides, Plantago tubulosa, and Rockhausenia pygmaea were the most frequent species in the studied bofedales (in 30 of 31 sites). These species are usually cushion or carpet forming, so average plant cover was high in most plant communities where they occurred (89–98%). The seven plant communities (dominated by D. muscoides, R. pygmaea, Plantago tubulosa, P. rigida, Lachemilla diplophylla, Aciachne pulvinata and Juncus stipulatus) were consistent in their structural and compositional characteristics and maintained differences between them during our three-year study. Conclusions: We show that bofedal plant communities in the southern Peruvian Andes are more heterogeneous than the four broad types previously reported. This heterogeneity occurs at local site levels but also at landscape and regional scales. We highlight the importance of considering this heterogeneity when discussing and implementing management, restoration, and conservation actions in bofedales. Taxonomic reference: WFO (2024)

The That-Trace Effect—A Surface or a Deep Island Phenomenon? Evidence from Resumption and Prolepsis in Igbo

In many languages, a subject/non-subject Ā-extraction asymmetry can be observed: While non-subject extraction is unproblematic, long extraction of the subject requires repair strategies. This phenomenon is known as the that-trace effect. Two broad types of approaches to this effect have been proposed in the literature: (a) structural accounts that prohibit subject extraction in the syntax; (b) surface-oriented PF accounts according to which nothing blocks long subject movement in the syntax, but a surface filter prohibits the output string where a trace follows the complementizer. In this paper, we argue for a syntactic cause of the effect in Igbo (Benue-Congo, Nigeria). The empirical evidence centers around the distribution of resumptive pronouns in the language. We show that Igbo has all the ingredients required for a PF approach to the that-trace effect (viz., long Ā-movement and trace spell-out); nevertheless, it does not apply them to enable long subject extraction but rather resorts to prolepsis (among other strategies). Further evidence against a PF account comes from the impossibility of short subject extraction. Finally, we provide evidence from subextraction from subjects for an antilocality component underlying the subject extraction restriction in Igbo.

Towards an environmental quality standard (EQS) for lithium in fresh water

Lithium (Li), because of its widespread and increasing use in Li-ion batteries, is an element of vital importance to the energy transition away from fossil fuels and toward clean, renewable energy (green energy). Extraction and refining operations, as well as utilisation in a growing number of applications, are expanding and thus increasing the environmental releases of Li. In order to evaluate consequences of such releases, and to risk assess the accumulation of Li in aquatic ecosystems, environmental quality standards (EQS) are needed so that measured concentrations can be evaluated. Satisfactory EQS for Li are yet to be established and therefore derivation of Predicted No Effect Concentrations (PNECs), or interim EQS, are vital for environmental protection. This study compiled Li freshwater ecotoxicology data from global literature, screened and evaluated it, and then employed it to derive PNECs for short term exposures (i.e. concentrations unlikely to cause harm if their duration is short) and PNECs for standard condition exposures (i.e. concentrations unlikely to cause harm if their duration is continuous) in freshwater ecosystems. The generated dataset comprised 194 individual ecotox endpoints from 31 reference sources, spanning 28 species from 10 separate taxonomic groups (broad organism types). The derived PNECs recommended for consideration in environmental regulation are 0.622 mg/L for short term exposures and 15.2 μg/L for standard condition exposures, but with potential adjustment for site specific water conditions incorporating water hardness, dissolved organic carbon concentration and pH.

A qualitative analysis of health service problems and the strategies used to manage them in the COVID-19 pandemic: exploiting generic and context-specific approaches

BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic disrupted health systems around the globe. Lessons from health systems responses to these challenges may help design effective and sustainable health system responses for future challenges. This study aimed to 1/ identify the broad types of health system challenges faced during the pandemic and 2/ develop a typology of health system response to these challenges.MethodsSemi-structured one-on-one online interviews explored the experience of 19 health professionals during COVID-19 in a large state health system in Australia. Data were analysed using constant comparative analysis utilising a sociotechnical system lens.ResultsParticipants described four overarching challenges: 1/ System overload, 2/ Barriers to decision-making, 3/ Education or training gaps, and 4/ Limitations of existing services. The limited time often available to respond meant that specific and well-designed strategies were often not possible, and more generic strategies that relied on the workforce to modify solutions and repair unexpected gaps were common. For example, generic responses to system overload included working longer hours, whilst specific strategies utilised pre-existing technical resources (e.g. converting non-emergency wards into COVID-19 wards).ConclusionDuring the pandemic, it was often not possible to rely on mature strategies to frame responses, and more generic, emergent approaches were commonly required when urgent responses were needed. The degree to which specific strategies were ready-to-hand appeared to dictate how much a strategy relied on such generic approaches. The workforce played a pivotal role in enabling emergent responses that required dealing with uncertainties.

Impact of continuous glucose monitoring on hospitalizations and glucose control in people with type 2 diabetes: real-world analysis.

The real-world benefits of continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) in the broad type 2 diabetes (T2D) population are not well studied. Our study evaluated the impact of CGM use on health care resource utilization over 12 months in adults with T2D. This retrospective cohort analysis used Optum's de-identified Market Clarity data of >79 million people to evaluate CGM use in people with T2D who were treated with non-insulin (NIT), basal insulin (BIT) and prandial insulin therapy (PIT). The primary outcomes were changes in all-cause hospitalizations, acute diabetes-related hospitalizations and acute diabetes-related emergency room visits during the 6- and 12-month post-index period following transition from blood glucose monitoring to CGM. A pre-specified subgroup analysis assessed glucose control and medication changes among people with T2D over 1 year. The analysis included 74 679 adults with T2D (NIT; n = 25 269), (BIT; n = 16 264) and (PIT; n = 33 146). Significant reductions in all-cause hospitalizations, acute diabetes-related hospitalizations and acute diabetes-related emergency room visits were observed in the 6-month post-index period that were sustained during the 6-12 month post-index period (NIT, -10.1%, -31.0%, -30.7%; BIT, -13.9%, -47.6%, -28.2%; and PIT, -22.6%, -52.7%, -36.6%, respectively). A subgroup analysis of 6030 people showed mean glycated haemoglobin reductions at approximately 3 months, which were also sustained throughout the post-index period: NIT, -1.1 (0.05)%; BIT, -1.1 (0.06)%; and PIT, -0.9 (0.04)%, p < 0.0001. CGM use in real-life across different therapeutic regimens in adults with T2D was associated with reductions in health care resource utilization with improved glucose control over 1 year.

N‐Dihydrogalactochitosan Drives Conventional and Alternative Activations of STING to Synergize Type I IFN and IL‐1β Productions for Antitumor Immunity.

AbstractN‐dihydrogalactochitosan (GC) is an immune stimulant/adjuvant. Synthesized from chitosan and galactose, GC is a new chemical entity that significantly enhances the immune‐stimulating properties of its parental material, chitosan, making it a promising therapeutic agent. When used in combination with antigenic material, GC stimulates innate and adaptive antitumor and antiviral immunities. However, its mechanism has not been fully investigated. Herein it is demonstrated that GC drives type I IFN activation in antigen‐presenting cells (APCs). More importantly, GC drives alternative STING pathways, leading to inflammatory cell death that enhances dendritic cell (DC) activation. GC‐activated DCs trigger a variety of nucleic acid sensing pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) pathways and IL‐1β production via the activation of the inflammasome. In vivo, GC induces a potent response of type I IFNs and upregulates genes associated with STING signaling within the tumor microenvironment (TME). Moreover, intratumoral delivery of GC reduces the numbers of M2‐like macrophages and increases M1‐like macrophages residing within the TME, while subsequently increasing the number of activated DCs. This findings demonstrate that GC acts as a multimodal immune stimulant via STING to generate a broad type I IFN response. This uniquely broad response holds therapeutic promise in generating enhanced antitumor and antiviral immunities.

An Up-to-Date Overview of Liquid Crystals and Liquid Crystal Polymers for Different Applications: A Review.

Liquid crystals have been extensively used in various applications, such as optoelectronic devices, biomedical applications, sensors and biosensors, and packaging, among others. Liquid crystal polymers are one type of liquid crystal material, combining their intrinsic properties with polymeric flexibility for advanced applications in displays and smart materials. For instance, liquid crystal polymers can serve as drug nanocarriers, forming cubic or hexagonal mesophases, which can be tailored for controlled drug release. Further applications of liquid crystals and liquid crystal polymers include the preparation of membranes for separation processes, such as wastewater treatment. Furthermore, these materials can be used as ion-conducting membranes for fuel cells or lithium batteries due to their broad types of mesophases. This review aims to provide an overall explanation and classification of liquid crystals and liquid crystal polymers. Furthermore, the great potential of these materials relies on their broad range of applications, which are determined by their unique properties. Moreover, this study provides the latest advances in liquid crystal polymer-based membranes and their applications, focusing especially on fuel cells. Moreover, future directions in the applications of various liquid crystals are highlighted.

Applying models of co-production in the context of health and well-being. A narrative review to guide future practice.

Recent years have seen a dramatic growth in interest in the nature and extent of co-production in the health and social care sectors. Due to the proliferation of work on co-production, there is variation in practice in how co-production is defined, understood, and used in practice. We conducted a narrative review to explore, and provide an overview of, which models of health and social care co-production have been developed, applied, and critiqued over recent decades. Seventy-three peer-reviewed articles met our inclusion criteria. In this set of articles, we identified three broad types of models: conceptual/theoretical, practice-oriented, and presenting a typology. We found that practice-oriented models, predominantly from the Health Services Research and Quality Improvement literature, had largely not drawn on conceptual/theoretical models from the disciplinary fields of Public Administration & Management and Sociology. In particular, they have largely neglected theoretical perspectives on relationships and power and agency in co-production work. The concepts of Service-Dominant Logic and Public Service-Dominant Logic as ways to think about the joint, collaborative process of producing new value, particularly in the context of the use of a service, have also been neglected. Our review has identified distinct literatures which have contributed a variety of models of health and social care co-production. Our findings highlight under-explored dimensions of co-production that merit greater attention in the health and social care contexts. The overview of models of co-production we provide aims to offer a useful platform for the integration of different perspectives on co-production in future research and practice in health and social care.

How responsible research can improve management decision making

PurposeWe encourage CEOs to exercise greater care when using research to inform their decision-making.Design/methodology/approachFor analytical framing, we draw on published literature to highlight three common inadequacies of research in leadership and management (lack of relevance, lack of credibility, and obsession with theory). We distinguish between three broad types of research: responsible research, irresponsible research and aresponsible research.FindingsWhen commissioning research or using research findings, CEOs should be guided by a six-point checklist that includes applying the principles of responsible research advocated by the Responsible Research for Business Network.Originality/valueWe believe we are the first authors to propose the concept of aresponsible research

Validating statistical properties of resilience indicators derived from simulated longitudinal performance measures of farmed animals

Resilience is commonly defined as the ability of an individual to be minimally affected or to quickly recover from a challenge. Improvement of animals’ resilience is a vital component of sustainable livestock production but has so far been hampered by the lack of established quantitative resilience measures. Several studies proposed that summary statistics of the deviations of an animal’s observed performance from its target performance trajectory (i.e., performance in the absence of challenge) may constitute suitable quantitative resilience indicators. However, these statistical indicators require further validation. The aim of this study was to obtain a better understanding of these resilience indicators in their ability to discriminate between different response types and their dependence on different response characteristics of animals, and data recording features. To this purpose, milk-yield trajectories of individual dairy cattle differing in resilience, without and when exposed to a short-term challenge, were simulated. Individuals were categorised into three broad response types (with individual variation within each type): Fully Resilient animals, which experience no systematic perturbation in milk yield after challenge, Non-Resilient animals whose milk yield permanently deviates from the target trajectory after challenge and Partially Resilient animals that experience temporary perturbations but recover. The following statistical resilience indicators previously suggested in the literature were validated with respect to their ability to discriminate between response types and their sensitivity to various response features and data characteristics: logarithm of mean of squares (LMS), logarithm of variance (LV), skewness (S), lag-1 autocorrelation (AC1), and area under the curve (AUC) of deviations. Furthermore, different methods for estimating unknown target trajectories were evaluated. All of the considered resilience indicators could distinguish between the Fully Resilient response type and either of the other two types when target trajectories were known or estimated using a parametric method. When the comparison was between Partially Resilient and Non-Resilient, only LMS, LV, and AUC could correctly rank the response types, provided that the observation period was at least twice as long as the perturbation period. Skewness was in general the least reliable indicator, although all indicators showed correct dependency on the amplitude and duration of the perturbations. In addition, all resilience indicators except for AC1 were robust to lower frequency of measurements. In general, parametric methods (quantile or repeated regression) combined with three resilience indicators (LMS, LV and AUC) were found the most reliable techniques for ranking animals in terms of their resilience.

Automating population dose survey processing-An Australian feasibility study.

A comprehensive collection of data on doses in adult computed tomography procedures in Australia has not been undertaken for some time. This is largely due to the effort involved in collecting the data required for calculating the population dose. This data collection effort can be greatly reduced, and the coverage increased, if the process can be automated without major changes to the workflow of the imaging facilities providing the data. Success would provide a tool to determine a truly national assessment of the dose incurred through diagnostic imaging in Australia. The aims of this study were to develop an automated tool to categorize electronic records of imaging procedures into a standardized set of broad procedure types, to validate the tool by applying it to data collected from nine facilities, and to assess the feasibility of applying the automated tool to compute population dose and determine the data manipulations required. A rule-based classifier was implemented capitalizing on semantic and clinical rules. The keyword list was initially built from 609 unique study descriptions. It was then refined using an additional 414 unique study descriptions. The classifier was then tested on an additional 1198 unique study descriptions. Input from a radiologist provided the ground truth for the refinement of the classifier. From a sample of 238139 studies containing 2794 unique study descriptions, the classifier correctly classified 2789 study types with only five misclassifications, demonstrating the feasibility of automating the process and the need for data pre-processing. Dose statistics for 21 categories were compiled using the 238139 studies. The classifier achieved excellent classification results using the testing data supplied by the facilities. However, since all data supplied were from public facilities, the performance of the classifier may be biased. The performance of the classifier is yet to be tested on a more representative mix of private and public facilities.

Classifying Neuronal Cell Types Based on Shared Electrophysiological Information from Humans and Mice.

The brain is an intricate system that controls a variety of functions. It consists of a vast number of cells that exhibit diverse characteristics. To understand brain function in health and disease, it is crucial to classify neurons accurately. Recent advancements in machine learning have provided a way to classify neurons based on their electrophysiological activity. This paper presents a deep-learning framework that classifies neurons solely on this basis. The framework uses data from the Allen Cell Types database, which contains a survey of biological features derived from single-cell recordings from mice and humans. The shared information from both sources is used to classify neurons into their broad types with the help of a joint model. An accurate domain-adaptive model, integrating electrophysiological data from both mice and humans, is implemented. Furthermore, data from mouse neurons, which also includes labels of transgenic mouse lines, is further classified into subtypes using an interpretable neural network model. The framework provides state-of-the-art results in terms of accuracy and precision while also providing explanations for the predictions.

White adipocytes in subcutaneous fat depots require KLF15 for maintenance in preclinical models.

Healthy adipose tissue is essential for normal physiology. There are 2 broad types of adipose tissue depots: brown adipose tissue (BAT), which contains adipocytes poised to burn energy through thermogenesis, and white adipose tissue (WAT), which contains adipocytes that store lipids. However, within those types of adipose, adipocytes possess depot and cell-specific properties that have important implications. For example, the subcutaneous and visceral WAT confers divergent risk for metabolic disease. Further, within a depot, different adipocytes can have distinct properties; subcutaneous WAT can contain adipocytes with either white or brown-like (beige) adipocyte properties. However, the pathways that regulate and maintain this cell and depot-specificity are incompletely understood. Here, we found that the transcription factor KLF15 is required for maintaining white adipocyte properties selectively within the subcutaneous WAT. We revealed that deletion of Klf15 is sufficient to induce beige adipocyte properties and that KLF15's direct regulation of Adrb1 is a critical molecular mechanism for this process. We uncovered that this activity is cell autonomous but has systemic implications in mouse models and is conserved in primary human adipose cells. Our results elucidate a pathway for depot-specific maintenance of white adipocyte properties that could enable the development of therapies for obesity and associated diseases.

More Than a Joke: The Intersection of Gender-Based Humor and Gender Inequities Experienced by Women Department Chairs in Academic Medicine.

Purpose: The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study is to describe how women academic department chairs in emergency medicine, surgery, and anesthesiology experience humor in the workplace. Method: Interviews were conducted with 35 women department chairs in academic medicine from 27 institutions that aimed to describe women's leadership emergence. The data from the primary study yielded rich and revealing themes involving participants' experiences with humor in the context of their leadership roles, justifying a secondary analysis focusing specifically on these experiences. Relevant remarks were extracted, coded, and summarized. Results: Participants discussed two broad types of humor-related experiences. First, they described how they responded to aggressive gender-based humor directed at themselves or their colleagues by tolerating it or expressing disapproval. This humor includes demeaning quips, insulting monikers, sexist jokes, and derogatory stories. Participants often did not confront this humor directly as they feared being rejected or ostracized by colleagues. Second, they described how they initiated humor to address gender-related workplace issues by highlighting gender inequalities, coping with sexual harassment and assault, and managing gender-based leadership challenges. Participants felt constrained in their own use of humor because of the need to be taken seriously as women leaders. Conclusion: Women leaders in academic medicine use humor to confront gender-related issues and experience aggressive gender-based humor in the workplace. The constraints placed on women leaders discourage them from effectively confronting this aggressive gender-based humor and perpetuating gender inequities. Eliminating aggressive gender-based humor is needed to create safe and equitable work environments in academic medicine.