South Central Asia Research Articles

Is the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), and Chinas Growing Global Interconnectivity More Generally, Generating Network Effects and Lock-In Dynamics?

Since its inception in 2013, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) by Chinese President Xi Jinping has emerged as a transformative economic strategy aiming to reshape the economic landscape across Asia, Eastern Europe, and Africa. This paper examines the connection between the BRI and network theory, a relatively underexplored area in the existing body of research. The BRI, covering five continents and over 100 countries, focuses mainly on South Asia, Central Asia, and Europe, including Russia, due to their central role in the initiative. The core of this paper lies in analyzing the network effects and lock-in dynamics associated with the BRI, especially in the context of developing countries. Part II delves into the positive arguments for BRIs network effects and lock-in dynamics, drawing on Bryan Druzins theories and adding the concepts of resilience and cultural connectivity. Conversely, challenges to these network effects and dynamics are scrutinized, including sustainability issues, institutional flaws, fragmentism with Chinese characteristics, neo-colonial critiques, and cultural and ideological disparities. A case study focusing on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in Part III sheds light on both the strengths and weaknesses of the BRIs approach. In conclusion, the paper posits that while the BRI is successfully building both material and conceptual foundations for its network, the significance of its network effects and lock-in dynamics is moderated by numerous challenges.

Intestinal protozoa in returning travellers: a GeoSentinel analysis from 2007 to 2019.

Prolonged diarrhoea is common amongst returning travellers and is often caused by intestinal protozoa. However, the epidemiology of travel-associated illness caused by protozoal pathogens is not well described. We analysed records of returning international travellers with illness caused by Giardia duodenalis, Cryptosporidium spp., Cyclospora cayetanensis or Cystoisospora belli, reported to the GeoSentinel Network during January 2007-December 2019. We excluded records of travellers migrating, with an unascertainable exposure country, or from GeoSentinel sites that were not located in high-income countries. There were 2517 cases, 82.3% giardiasis (n = 2072), 11.4% cryptosporidiosis (n = 287), 6.0% cyclosporiasis (n = 150) and 0.3% cystoisosporiasis (n = 8). Overall, most travellers were tourists (64.4%) on long trips (median durations: 18-30days). Cryptosporidiosis more frequently affected people < 18years (13.9%) and cyclosporiasis affected people ≥ 40years (59.4%). Giardiasis was most frequently acquired in South Central Asia (45.8%) and sub-Saharan Africa (22.6%), cryptosporidiosis in sub-Saharan Africa (24.7%) and South-Central Asia (19.5%), cyclosporiasis in South East Asia (31.3%) and Central America (27.3%), and cystoisosporiasis in sub-Saharan Africa (62.5%). Cyclosporiasis cases were reported from countries of uncertain endemicity (e.g. Cambodia) or in countries with no previous evidence of this parasite (e.g. French Guiana). The time from symptom onset to presentation at a GeoSentinel site was the longest amongst travellers with giardiasis (median: 30days). Over 14% of travellers with cryptosporidiosis were hospitalized. This analysis provides new insights into the epidemiology and clinical significance of four intestinal protozoa that can cause morbidity in international travellers. These data might help optimize pretravel advice and post-travel management of patients with travel-associated prolonged gastrointestinal illnesses. This analysis reinforces the importance of international travel-related surveillance to identify sentinel cases and areas where protozoal infections might be undetected or underreported.

Chikungunya infection in returned travellers: results from the geosentinel network, 2005-2020.

Chikungunya is an important travel-related disease because of its rapid geographical expansion and potential for prolonged morbidity. Improved understanding of the epidemiology of travel-related chikungunya infections may influence prevention strategies including education and vaccination. We analysed data from travellers with confirmed or probable chikungunya reported to GeoSentinel sites from 2005 to 2020. Confirmed chikungunya was defined as a compatible clinical history plus either virus isolation, positive nucleic acid test or seroconversion/rising titre in paired sera. Probable chikungunya was defined as a compatible clinical history with a single positive serology result. 1202 travellers (896 confirmed and 306 probable) with chikungunya were included. The median age was 43years (range 0-91; interquartile range [IQR]: 31-55); 707 (58.8%) travellers were female. Most infections were acquired in the Caribbean (28.8%), Southeast Asia (22.8%), South Central Asia (14.2%) and South America (14.2%). The highest numbers of chikungunya cases reported to GeoSentinel were in 2014 (28.3%), 2015 (14.3%) and 2019 (11.9%). The most frequent reasons for travel were tourism (n = 592; 49.3%) and visiting friends or relatives (n = 334; 27.7%). The median time to presentation to a GeoSentinel site was 23days (IQR: 7-52) after symptom onset. In travellers with confirmed chikungunya and no other reported illnesses, the most frequently reported symptoms included musculoskeletal symptoms (98.8%), fever/chills/sweats (68.7%) and dermatologic symptoms (35.5%). Among 917 travellers with information available, 296 (32.3%) had a pretravel consultation. Chikungunya was acquired by international travellers in almost 100 destinations globally. Vector precautions and vaccination where recommended should be integrated into pretravel visits for travellers going to areas with chikungunya or areas with the potential for transmission. Continued surveillance of travel-related chikungunya may help public health officials and clinicians limit the transmission of this potentially debilitating disease by defining regions where protective measures (e.g. pretravel vaccination) should be strongly considered.

When did the Indus River of South-Central Asia take on its “modern” drainage configuration?

Abstract For sedimentary archives to be used as a record of hinterland evolution, the factors affecting the archive must be known. In addition to tectonics, a number of factors, such as changes in climate and paleodrainage, as well as the degree of diagenesis, influence basin sediments. The Indus River delta-fan system of South-Central Asia records a history of Himalayan evolution, and both the onshore and offshore sedimentary repositories have been studied extensively to research orogenesis. However, a number of unknowns remain regarding this system. This paper seeks to elucidate the paleodrainage of the Indus River, in particular when it took on its modern drainage configuration with respect to conjoinment of the main Himalayan (Punjabi) tributary system with the Indus trunk river. We leverage the fact that the Punjabi tributary system has a significantly different provenance signature than the main trunk Indus River, draining mainly the Indian plate. Therefore, after the Punjabi tributary system joined the Indus River, the proportion of Indian plate material in the repositories downstream of the confluence should have been higher than in the upstream repository. We compared bulk Sr-Nd data and detrital zircon U-Pb data from the Cenozoic upstream peripheral foreland basin and downstream Indus delta and Indus Fan repositories. We determined that throughout Neogene times, repositories below the confluence had a higher proportion of material from the Indian plate than those above the confluence. Therefore, we conclude that the Indus River took on its current configuration, with the Punjabi tributary system draining into the Indus trunk river in the Paleogene, early in the history of the orogen. The exact time when the tributary system joined the Indus should correlate with a shift to more Indian plate input in the downstream repositories only. While the upstream repository records no change in Indian plate input from Eocene to Neogene times, a shift to increased material from the Indian plate occurs at the Eocene–Oligocene boundary in the delta, but sometime between 50 Ma and 40 Ma in the fan. Though further work is required to understand the discrepancy between the two downstream repositories, we can conclude that the tributary system joined the Indus trunk river at or before the start of the Oligocene.

The Reality and Prospects of Economic Development of the South Caucasus Region: New Approaches to the Influence of Internal and External Economic Factors

In general, the most favorable position in the Caucasus in terms of territory belongs to the South Caucasus. It is necessary not only to analyze but also to generalize the geoeconomic realities of the South Caucasus region, which increase its importance and affect the system of international economic relations. First of all, it should be noted that the location of water bodies such as the Caspian and Black Seas, surrounded by countries such as Russia, Iran, and Turkey, has turned the South Caucasus region into an East-West and North-South corridor. These factors show that the Caucasus, especially the South Caucasus, occupies an important position in the geo-economic region of the world. In recent years, it is clear that international organizations and the world’s economic powers attach great importance to the region. It is no coincidence that the South Caucasus and Central Asia have led to sustainable development and security from the Mediterranean to China, as well as sustainable development and the export of Caspian oil and gas with the participation of world-renowned companies to the European market.

Population Age Structure and the Vulnerability of States to Coups d’État

Abstract This essay responds to recent critiques of the U.S. State Department’s inconsistent application of congressionally mandated foreign-aid restrictions following several successful coups d’état in countries receiving USAID foreign assistance. This demographic analysis, which conforms to an age-structural modeling and forecasting protocol that was originally developed for U.S. strategic intelligence efforts, finds: (1.) a disproportionately high level of coup vulnerability (the probability of experiencing a successful coup) among youthful countries (median age equal to or less than 25.5 years), particularly among states in the early-youthful segment of this phase (median age equal to or less than 20.5 years); and (2.) a dramatic one-time decline in coup vulnerability among all phases of the age-structural transition following the end of the Cold War. This essay’s two-decade forecast of an expected gradual decline in coups is consistent with the slow and halting pace of age-structural change that is currently projected by the 2022 revision of the UN Population Division’s medium scenario for countries along the equatorial midriff of Africa, and in parts of the Middle East and southcentral Asia. These findings support an alternative criticism – not of the U.S. State Department’s reluctance to restrict foreign assistance to coup perpetrators, but of currently mandated restrictions that neglect to exempt USAID programs known to advance the age-structural transition (i.e. those that extend girls’ educational attainment, improve access to family planning and other reproductive health services, or expand women’s autonomy and rights).

The increased summer monsoon rainfall in Northwest India: Coupling with the Northwestern Arabian Sea warming and modulated by the Silk Road Pattern since 2000

This study investigates changes in rainfall patterns over Northwest India (NWI) and the warming of the Northwestern Arabian Sea (NWAS) since 2000. These changes are attributed to the Silk Road Pattern (SRP) phase change in the late 1990s. The SRP positive phase triggers geostrophic deformation over the Tibetan Plateau (TP) by inducing an anomalous circulation pattern along the westerly jet, at 200 hPa. This deformation along the westerly Jet leads to Jet streaks and thermally indirect ageostrophic circulation over TP. In addition, the intensified heating over the TP led to a westward shift of the South Asian High (SAH). Associated with this, the interaction of positive temperature advection and northward ageostrophic wind (Jet entrance) over south-central Asia generates a southward component of ageostrophic wind (Jet Exit), causing upper-level convergence at southeast TP, excites the sinking cold air thereby strengthen the surface pressure below, over TP. This amplifies the anomalous anticyclone effect over there resulting in strong easterly wind anomalies along the monsoon trough at 850 hPa, disrupting the monsoon circulation. These anomalies, combined with a poleward shifting moisture-laden Low-Level Jet (LLJ), contribute to the warming of the NWAS and increased rainfall over NWI. The NWAS has shown significant summer warming over the past two decades. The poleward shift of the LLJ and SRP-induced circulation changes also impact the ocean dynamics. Given the occurrence of severe floods in this region of the Indian subcontinent, these findings have broader implications for predicting and projecting monsoon variability and extremes.

Importance of Economic Corridors as Driver of Regional Integration: South Caucasus and Central Asian Context

Developing and integrating regions is facilitated by economic corridors, which are strategically arranged infrastructure systems that include roads, railroads, ports, and pipelines. The importance of economic corridors in fostering regional integration across the South Caucasus and Central Asia is investigated in this paper. These corridors promote cooperation and growth among adjacent nations by lowering trade barriers, increasing trade volumes, and fostering economic development. Regional integration along these axes is said to be mostly driven by investments in infrastructure. In sum, economic corridors in the South Caucasus and Central Asia stand out as crucial drivers of regional solidarity, economic growth, and prosperity.

Lower participation among immigrants in colorectal cancer screening in Norway.

Organized cancer screening programs should be equally accessible for all groups in society. We assessed differences in participation in colorectal cancer (CRC) screening among different immigrant groups. Between 2012 and 2019, 140,000 individuals aged 50 to 74 years were randomly invited to sigmoidoscopy or repeated faecal immunochemical test (FIT) in a CRC screening trial. In this study, we included 46,919 individuals invited to sigmoidoscopy and 70,018 invited to the first round of FIT between 2012 and 2017. We examined difference in participation between non-immigrants and immigrants, and within different immigrant groups by geographic area of origin, using logistic regression models, adjusted for several sociodemographic factors and health factors. In total, we included 106,695 non-immigrants and 10,242 immigrants. The participation rate for FIT was 60% among non-immigrants, 58% among immigrants from Western countries and 37% among immigrants from non-Western countries. The participation rate for sigmoidoscopy was 53% among non-immigrants, 48% among immigrants from Western countries and 23% among immigrants from non-Western countries. Compared to non-immigrants, multivariate adjusted odds ratio for non-participation in FIT screening was 1.13 (95% confidence interval 1.04-1.23) and 1.82 (1.69-1.96) for immigrants from Western and non-Western countries. The corresponding numbers in sigmoidoscopy screening were 1.34 (1.21-1.48) and 2.83 (2.55-3.14). The lowest participation was observed in immigrants from Eastern Europe, Northern Africa and Western Asia, and South-Central Asia. Participation in CRC screening in Norway was particularly low among non-Western immigrants, which could put them at increased risk for late stage diagnosis of CRC. Participation was lower in sigmoidoscopy screening than in FIT screening, especially among immigrants from non-Western countries.

Beyond 55° North latitude: Expanding the northern boundary of initial upper Paleolithic dispersal

Human populations, the bearers of laminar Initial Upper Paleolithic industries (IUP) in Central Eurasia, were adapted to the mosaic environments of mountains and their piedmonts. Until recently, no IUP sites in northern Asia had been found north of 55° North latitude, beyond the mountain belt of southern Siberia. Increasingly over the past 20 years, emerging evidence of human occupation of northern latitudes during the early stages of the Upper Paleolithic have raised questions concerning the boundaries of their adaptation plasticity, the character of these populations that can be seen from their rapid exploration and spread along mountain ranges and in piedmonts regions of Southern Siberia and Central Asia. Ongoing research and reassessment of older data makes it possible to significantly correct perceptions of the limitations of adaptive capabilities of earliest Homo sapiens associated with the mountain belt of South Siberia. Here we consider the distribution of lithic industries, indicating technological and typological IUP components, through the valleys of large Siberian rivers – Yenisei, Angara, and Lena – to latitudes up to 58°-63° North. We hypothesize these lithic industries dispersed within a chronological span approximately comprising Greenland interstadial GI12, about 47–45 ka BP. Lithic assemblages that these populations left behind were impacted by denudation, aeolian, and cryogenic processes during cold phases of MIS-3 and were finally buried in chronologically younger sediments. The evidence from the Kolpakov Ruchei site on the middle Angara reveals the ability of these populations to expand beyond their indigenous zones of mountains and foothills in South Siberia and Central Asia, relying on exploitation of large herd ungulates in the open spaces of subarctic latitudes.

A non-replicative antibiotic resistance-free DNA vaccine delivered by the intranasal route protects against canine leishmaniasis.

Leishmania infantum is the etiological agent of zoonotic visceral leishmaniasis (ZVL). The disease is endemic in Central and South America, Central and South East Asia, and the Mediterranean basin. Dogs are the main reservoir, with an estimated prevalence of approximately 2.5 million dogs in Southern Europe. Current treatments cause side effects, disease recurrence, and drug resistance. Therefore, the development of vaccines against canine leishmaniasis is necessary. We have generated a DNA vaccine based on the non-replicative antibiotic resistance marker-free plasmid vector pPAL that contains the encoding gene for the L. infantum activated protein kinase C receptor analog (LACK). Homologous pPAL-LACK prime-boost intranasal administration confers efficacious protection in Beagle dogs with a reduction of clinical signs and a statistically significant reduction of the parasite burden in the bone marrow of more than 90% of dogs after experimental infection with highly infective promastigotes. This DNA vaccine elicits a robust cellular immune response skewed towards the Th1 profile.

The global landscape of bladder cancer incidence and mortality in 2020 and projections to 2040.

Bladder cancer (BCa) is one of the most common urological malignancies worldwide. This study examines the global epidemiological profile of BCa incidence and mortality in 2020 and the projected burden to 2040. The estimated number of BCa cases and deaths were extracted from the GLOBOCAN 2020 database. Age-standardised incidence rates (ASIRs) and age-standardised mortality rates (ASMRs) were calculated using the world standard. The predicted BCa incidence and mortality in 2040 was calculated based on demographic projections. Globally, approximately 573 000 new BCa cases and 213 000 deaths occurred in 2020, corresponding to ASIRs and ASMRs of 5.6 and 1.9 per 100 000, respectively. The incidence and mortality rates were approximately 4-fold higher in men (9.5 and 3.3 per 100 000, respectively) than women (2.4 and 0.9, respectively). Across world regions, incidence rates varied at least 12-fold among men and 8-fold among women, with the highest ASIRs for both men and women detected in Southern Europe (26.5 and 5.8 per 100 000, respectively) and Western Europe (21.5 and 5.8, respectively) and the lowest in Middle Africa (2.2) in men and South-Central Asia (0.7) in women. The highest ASMRs for both men and women were found in Northern Africa (9.2 and 1.8 per 100 000, respectively). By 2040, the annual number of new BCa cases and deaths will increase to 991 000 (72.8% increase from 2020) and 397 000 (86.6% increase), respectively. Geographical distributions of BCa incidence and mortality uncovered higher risk of BCa incidence in Southern and Western European populations and higher risk of mortality in Northern African populations. Considering the predicted 73% and 87% increase in annual BCa cases and deaths by 2040 globally, respectively, there is an urgent need to develop and accelerate BCa control initiatives for high-risk populations to tackle global BCa burden and narrow its geographical disparities.

Pitfalls and challenges with population assignments of individuals from admixed populations: Applying Genogeographer on Brazilian individuals

The assignment of individuals to a population can be of importance for the identification of mass disaster victims or criminal offenders in the field of forensic genetics. This assignment is based on biostatistical methods that process data of ancestry informative markers (AIMs), which are selected based on large allele frequency differences between the populations of interest.However, population assignments of individuals with an admixed genetic background are challenging. Admixed individuals are genetic mosaics of chromosomal segments from the parental populations, which may lead to ambiguous or no population assignment. This is problematic since admixture events are a substantial part of human history.In this study, we present challenges of interpreting the evidential weight of population assignments. We used Genogeographer for likelihood ratio (LR) calculations and Brazilians as examples of admixed individuals. Brazilians are a very heterogenous population representing a three-way admixture between Native Americans, Europeans, and Africans. Ancestry informative markers were typed in a total of 589 individuals from Brazil using the Precision ID Ancestry Panel. The Brazilians were assigned to six metapopulations (East Asia, Europe, Middle East, North Africa, South-Central Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa) defined in the Genogeographer software and LRs were calculated if the AIM profile was not an outlier in all metapopulations and simulated two-way (1:1) admixtures of the six metapopulations.Population assignments failed for 55% of the samples. These samples had significantly higher genetic contributions from East Asia, South-Central Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa, and significantly lower genetic contributions from Europe. Most of the individuals with population assignments were assigned to the metapopulations of Middle East (58%) or North Africa (36%), followed by Europe (4%), South-Central Asia (1%), and Sub-Saharan Africa (1%). For 8% of the samples, population assignments were only possible when assignments to simulated two-way (1:1) admixtures of the six metapopulations were considered. Most of these individuals were assigned to two-way admixtures of North Africa, South-Central Asia, or Sub-Saharan Africa.Relatively low median likelihood ratios (LRs<1000) were observed when comparing population likelihoods for Europe, Middle East, North Africa, South-Central Asia, or simulated 1:1 admixtures of these metapopulations. Comparisons including East Asian or Sub-Saharan African populations resulted in larger median LRs (LR>1010).The results suggested that the Precision ID Ancestry Panel provided too little information and that additional markers specifically selected for sub-continental differentiation may be required for accurate population assignment of admixed individuals. Furthermore, a Genogeographer database with additional populations including admixed populations would be advantageous for interpretation of admixed AIM profiles. It would likely increase the number of population assignments and illustrate alternatives to the most likely population, which would be valuable information for the case officer when writing the case report.

A gradual increase of aerosol pollution in the Third Pole during the past four decades: Implication for regional climate change

We analyse the long-term (1980–2020) changes in aerosols over the Third Pole (TP) and assess the changes in radiative forcing (RF) using satellite, ground-based and reanalysis data. The annual mean aerosol optical depth (AOD) varies from 0.06 to 0.24, with the highest values of around 0.2 in the north and southwest TP, which are dominated by dust from Taklimakan and Thar deserts, respectively. However, Organic Carbon (OC), Black Carbon (BC) and sulphate aerosols have significant contributions to the total AOD in the south and east TP. High amounts of dust are observed in spring and summer, but BC in winter. Trajectory analysis reveals that the air mass originated from East and South Asia carries BC and OC, whereas the air from South Asia, Central Asia and Middle East brings dust to TP. Significant positive trends in AOD is found in TP, with high values of about 0.002/yr in the eastern and southern TP. There is a gradual increase in BC and OC concentrations during 1980–2020, but the change from 2000 is phenomenal. The RF at the top of the atmosphere varies from -10 to 2 W/m2 in TP, and high positive RF of about 2 W/m2 is estimated in Pamir, Karakoram and Nyainquentanglha mountains, where the massive glacier mass exists. The RF has increased in much of TP during recent decades (2001–2020) with respect to previous decades (1981–2000), which can be due to the rise in BC and dust during the latter period. Therefore, the positive trend in BC and its associated change in RF can amplify the regional warming, and thus, the melting of glaciers or ice in TP. This is a great concern as it is directly connected to the water security of many South Asian countries.

Assessment of Incidence of Metachronous Neoplasms after Surgical Resection of Colorectal Cancer

Abstract Background Cancer colon is the second most common cause of cancer in women and the third most common in men. Globally incidences vary 10-fold with highest rates in Australia, New Zealand, Europe and the US and lowest rates in Africa and South-Central Asia. However, in Egypt, CRC represent 4.2% of all cancers in male and 3.8% in females. Aim of the Work The aim of our study was to assess the incidence of Metachronous neoplasms after curative surgical resection of colorectal cancer and assess different risk factors for metachronous Cancer colon occurrence. Patients and Methods We enrolled 100 patients in this retrospective cohort study to predict incidence and risk factors of metachronous colorectal cancer (CRC) after 6 months of curative surgical resection of colorectal cancer. Results After 6 months of post-operative follow up, 90% of cases had no recurrence of CRC, 5% had polyps and did polypectomy, 5% had mass lesion. So patients were divided into two groups, Group (1) included patients with no recurrent CRC. Group (2) included patients with recurrent CRC. The incidence of metachronous CRC was 5% for mass and 5% for polyps in patients who underwent curative surgical resection of colorectal cancer. In both Univariate and multivariate Logistic regression analysis for the parameters affecting recurrent mass, DM was the only significant risk factor associated with the incidence of metachronous CRC with P values (0.043, 0.049) respectively. Conclusion The incidence of metachronous CRC in this study was 5% for mass and 5% for polyps in patients who underwent curative surgical resection of colorectal cancer. DM is a significant risk factor of metachronous CRC.

Клинальная изменчивость генетических детерминант трегалазной недостаточности в популяциях Южной Сибири, Казахстана, Центральной Азии и Монголии

Introduction. Trehalose or mushroom sugar has been increasingly used in the food industry in the past decades. To be absorbed in the human intestine, trehalose needs to be broken down by an enzyme known as trehalase. Today, it is known that the G→A substitution in the rs2276064 locus of the TREH gene results in the reduced activity of this enzyme. The aim of this study was to analyze the frequency of TREH (rs2276064) alleles and genotypes in the populations of South Siberia, Kazakhstan, Central Asia and Mongolia that differ in the contribution of the ancestral East Eurasian (Mongoloid) component to their gene pools. Methods. We genotyped 987 DNA samples collected from the representatives of 17 indigenous populations from Siberia, Kazakhstan and Mongolia. The samples of 311 ethnic Russians comprised a reference dataset. In addition to estimating the frequencies of TREH alleles and genotypes, we analyzed the contribution of the ancestral East Eurasian (Mongoloid) and West Eurasian (European) ADMIXTURE components for the studied populations using an Illumina 750k microarray of SNP markers. Results. The frequency of the A*TREH allele associated with trehalase deficiency increases from west to east (rsp =0.500, p &lt;0.05). TREH is correlated more strongly with the contribution of the ancestral East Eurasian (Mongolian) component than with the geography of the studied populations: rsp =0.613 (p =0.007); with AA*TREH frequency rsp =0.688 (p =0.002). Conclusions. The rs2276064-А TREH allele is more frequent than previously estimated from clinical data. The more substantial is the contribution of the ancestral East Eurasian (Mongoloid) component, the higher is the frequency of the risk A*TREH allele, which rises dramatically to 29-30% in the Kyrgyz, Khakass, Tuvinian and 39% in Khalkha Mongol populations. Together, carriers of the AG and AA*TREH genotypes make up 35% to 65% of the populations of Oriental origin. We hypothesize that the high frequency of genetic trehalase deficiency determinants in the populations of Siberia, Kazakhstan, Central Asia, and Mongolia is associated with their anthropological characteristics and is not purely dependent on geographic factors. @ 2023. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license

Market intelligence for guiding crop improvement: A systematic review of stakeholder preference studies in the rice sector in the Global South and beyond.

Improvement of crop varieties can be a powerful strategy for addressing food, nutrition, and climate challenges in the Global South if it is guided by market intelligence. We conducted a systematic literature review of stakeholder preference studies that aim at guiding crop improvement in rice, the Global South's most important staple food. We review behavioral indicators such as purchase intention, willingness to pay, acceptance, probability of adoption, and preference. Results from 106 studies reveal important gaps in terms of geographical and stakeholder representation: (1) Southcentral Asia is underrepresented and (2) studies focused either on upstream (farmers) or downstream (consumers) stakeholders along the value chain, while missing out on midstream actors (processors, traders). From the consumer studies, urban consumption zones are adequately represented as sources of end-market opportunities for farmers to tap into demand. Evidence suggests that consumer preferences for intrinsic attributes revolve around eating and cooking quality attributes (i.e., aroma, texture, swelling capacity, taste) and physical traits (i.e., whiteness, size and shape, proportion of broken grains). Evidence from farmer studies reveals that (1) preferences for agronomic attributes dominate and focus on yield, maturity, plant height, lodging tolerance, and tillering ability; (2) yield and early maturity were generally considered priority attributes and were often jointly considered as such; and (3) preferences for abiotic stress tolerance revolve around drought, submergence, and salinity. These insights can help refocus market intelligence research to aid crop improvement in addressing food, nutrition, and climate challenges in the Global South, which may be expanded globally.

The War in Ukraine: Risks and Opportunities For the ‘Post‐Soviet South’

AbstractThe invasion of Ukraine sent shock waves through the South Caucasus and Central Asia, subjecting the eight countries of the post‐Soviet area to economic, political, and social challenges. Refusing to support Russia in circumventing sanctions or taking a stand against the invasion could expose these countries to retaliatory measures. But aligning with Moscow could lead to international isolation and the imposition of secondary sanctions. This article explores the ways these countries are navigating the new geopolitics, with Azerbaijan gaining but Armenia seeking new allies. It then examines the economic benefits to these countries of Russia's desperation, though this leaves them vulnerable to US and European penalties. It concludes with an analysis of how these states are dealing with the tensions caused by migration out of Russia. In all of these areas, the post‐Soviet South must weigh the risks of aligning with the weakening great power or the West.

Prevalence of antibiotic use for diarrhea among 1.3 million under-five years children: A multicounty retrospective analysis from 2006-2018.

This paper aims to estimate the prevalence of antibiotic use for diarrhea among under-five children (u5c) in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) using data from 112 Demographic Health Surveys (DHS) conducted between 2006 and 2018. The focus is on understanding the extent of antibiotic usage for managing diarrhea, a condition characterized by frequent loose or watery bowel movements that can lead to severe dehydration. A cross-sectional study design was employed in the DHS. The prevalence of antibiotic use for diarrhea among under-five children was estimated by analyzing DHS data from 2006 to 2018 and using the R statistical programming language. Out of a total of 12,69,944 children under five included in this study, 1,80,067 children had diarrhea and 19,502 children had bloody diarrhea. The overall prevalence of diarrhea estimated at ~14% (prevalence = 0.142; 95% CI = 0.141, 0.142). Among the children with diarrhea, 47,755 child received antibiotic treatment, resulting a prevalence of ~27% (prevalence = 0.27, 95% CI = 0.26, 0.27) globally. Central Asia had the highest prevalence of antibiotic use at ~55% (prevalence = (967/1748) = 0.55, 95% CI = 0.52, 0.59), followed by the Europe region with a prevalence of ~44% (prevalence = (5483/12502) = 0.44, 95% CI = 0.43, 0.45). In the South East and Central Asia region, DHS conducted between 2006 and 2018, showed the highest prevalence of antibiotic use in DHS 2007 (~44%), DHS 2012 (~49%), DHS 2016 (~40%) and DHS 2017 (~65%). The linear trend analysis showed an upward trend for using antibiotic of diarrhea in the South East and Central Asia region. The Central Asia region had the highest proportion of antibiotic use, with an estimated prevalence of ~55% (95% CI = 0.52, 0.59). The Europe region followed closely with a prevalence of ~44% (95% CI = 0.43, 0.45). The South East Asia region had the lowest prevalence of antibiotic use estimated at ~23% (95% CI = 0.22, 0.24), with a gradual increasing trend.

Disease burden, risk factors, and trends of lip, oral cavity, pharyngeal cancers: A global analysis.

Lip, oral and pharyngeal cancers make up a small percentage of total cancer cases worldwide and have reported lower rates of cancer-related deaths globally in 2020, but their 5-year survival rate in either early or advanced stages is different. The study evaluated the global incidence, mortality, risk factors, and temporal trends by age, gender, and geographical locations of lip, oral cavity, and pharyngeal cancer. Incidence and mortality rates were extracted from Cancer Incidence in Five Continents (CI5) volumes I-XI, the Nordic Cancer Registries (NORDCAN), the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program, and the WHO IARC mortality database. Joinpoint regression was used to calculate the Average Annual Percentage Change to examine trends. The highest incidence rates were found in Melanesia and South-Central Asia and mortality rates were 8.2 and 7.5. Risk factors associated with incidence and mortality included HDI, tobacco use, alcohol consumption, poor diet, and chronic health conditions such as hypertension. Increasing trends of incidence and mortality were observed in females from Malta; males aged 50 and above from the United Kingdom, and females aged 50 and above from Slovakia reporting the largest increase. Although global incidence and mortality trends reported an overall decrease, significant increases were found for older age groups and female subjects. Incidence increase may be due to the growing prevalence of lifestyle, metabolic risk factors, and HPV infections, especially in developed countries.