This study assesses the agrobiodiversity richness, traditional knowledge, and conservation status associated with four key crops-banana, taro, pumpkin, and mustard green-in Northwest Vietnam. Using the 5-cell method, 133 farmer varieties were identified in Mai Son and Sa Pa districts. Mai Son showed the highest level of varietal diversity in banana and pumpkin, while Sa Pa had the higher richness in mustard green and taro. Ethnic groups, particularly Thai and Dao households, played a key role in maintaining this diversity. The findings reveal significant vulnerability to varietal loss, particularly for banana and taro. In contrast, pumpkin varieties in Sa Pa and mustard greens in both districts appear less vulnerable. Declining cultivation of certain farmer varieties is driven by changing preferences, market limitations, and climate variability. Results underscore the need for on-farm conservation strategies such as custodian farmer networks, biodiversity seed fairs, seed banks, improved market access, and nutritional education, to safeguard local varietal diversity and promote sustainable farming systems in the region.

Forensic identification using palatal scans in different ethnic groups

Changing patterns in tongue, oral cavity, laryngeal and hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinomas in New Zealand: Incidence, trends and survival from 2006 to 2022.

Access to mental health care is critical to improving cancer survivors' quality of life; however, evidence on mental health care use among cancer survivors is limited, particularly by race and ethnicity. By using 2012-2021 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey data, this study examined racial and ethnic disparities in mental health care visits, expenditures, prescription pattern, and medication use, adjusted for multiple individual socioeconomic factors and health status among cancer survivors with serious psychological distress (SPD; Kessler Psychological Distress Scale score, ≥13). Of cancer survivors with SPD (N=1132), only 28% had mental health care visits. The number of counseling visits in non-Hispanic Black (NHB) survivors (-1.74 visits; 95% CI,-2.70 to -0.79 visits) and psychiatrist visits in non-Hispanic other (NHO) survivors (-1.21 visits; 95% CI,-1.91 to -0.52 visits) was lower compared with non-Hispanic White (NHW) survivors. NHB survivors spent less on mental health visits than NHW survivors (total annual expenditure: -$226; 95% CI,-$384 to -$68; out-of-pocket expenditure: -$75; 95% CI,-$110 to -$40). Although psychotropic medications were more likely to be prescribed to NHB than NHW survivors by 22.2 percentage points (95% CI,9.2 to 35.2 percentage points), NHB survivors were less likely to use antidepressants (-15.1 percentage points; 95%CI,-24.9 to -5.4 percentage points) and anxiolytics (-12.7 percentage points; 95% CI,-20.0 to -5.4 percentage points). Psychotropic medication prescription was similar between NHW and other racial and ethnic groups but Hispanic survivors were less likely to use antidepressants (-9.6 percentage points; 95% CI,-18.7 to -0.5 percentage points) and NHO survivors were less likely to use anxiolytics (-15.0 percentage points; 95% CI,-24.8 to -5.3 percentage points). Racial and ethnic differences were found in office-based mental health care professional visits, related expenditures, and prescription medication use among cancer survivors with SPD, which calls for equitable interventions in mental health care.

This article examines ritual practices of magical path blocking, which were widespread among Russians and other Eurasian ethnic groups in the 19th and 20th centuries. The research reconstructs a complex of beliefs and ritual actions associated with the creation of symbolic barriers. Drawing on ethnographic, folkloric, and dialecto-logical sources, the author examines such actions within the framework of key rites of passage (such as weddings and funerals), as well as in the context of protection against diseases and evil spirits, the search for missing per-sons, and the identification of individuals accused of sorcery or witchcraft. The study positions these rituals as one of the elements of the road tradition in Russia — a system of stable behavioral stereotypes associated with travel on foot or by horse-drawn transport. Until the first half of the 20th century, the road tradition constituted a signifi-cant aspect of everyday life in Russia. This area of scientific knowledge obviously intersects with ethnography, anthropology, and cultural studies. Symbolic path obstruction had different forms. The article examines such va-rieties as “cutting off a road”, “closing a road”, “chopping the cholera”, “throwing the crosses”, etc. These actions were typically accompanied by the recitation of incantations. The article considers such rituals as performative expressions of cultural meanings rooted in the collective worldview. Analysis reveals that such rituals were grounded in the universal principle of demarcating “one's own” and “other's” space.

Racial and/or Ethnic, Sex, and Age Differences in Smoking Prevalences Among Youth and Young Adults.

Precariousness, which refers to experiencing a high level of insecurity and instability in life, manifests in multiple life dimensions and can give rise to mental health issues. Associations with mental health are potentially influenced by migration background. In this study, we examine the associations between precariousness in different life dimensions and depressed mood among individuals with and without migration background. We included 22,039 participants from the baseline measurement of the HELIUS (HEalthy LIfe in an Urban Setting) study, representing the six largest ethnic groups in Amsterdam. We used 13 indicators of precariousness in five life dimensions (employment, financial, housing, cultural and social), 9 assessed through a self-report questionnaire and 4 from neighborhood-level data. Depressed mood was classified as > 9 on the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9, Dutch version). Network models were applied, stratified by migration background. In total, 14.6% experienced depressed mood. Among those who experienced precariousness in at least four dimensions, the corresponding number was 22.1% to 46%, depending on the specific dimensions of precariousness that were experienced. Associations between depressed mood and indicators of precariousness were similar for those with and without a migration background. Depressed mood was associated with marginal work or unemployment, social satisfaction, social frequency, income inadequacy, discrimination, and financial difficulties, and additionally with lost friendship and health literacy among those with a migration background. Individuals with and without depressed mood differ markedly in their experience of precariousness, but associations are mostly consistent between those with and without a migration background.

Stroke is the leading cause of aphasia, disproportionately impacting racially and ethnically diverse populations. With the aging and diversification of the U.S. population, stroke-related aphasia prevalence is expected to rise significantly. This article estimates projected prevalence trends of poststroke aphasia through 2050, focusing explicitly on racial/ethnic differences and contributing social determinants of health (SDOH). This article synthesizes national epidemiological data on stroke prevalence, integrating population projections from the U.S. Census Bureau and public health sources to assess the expected rise in aphasia across racial and ethnic groups. A brief review of literature on SDOH, including socioeconomic status, health care access, and neighborhood factors, is included to contextualize disparities observed in projected aphasia prevalence. The findings demonstrate significant disparities in stroke and aphasia prevalence across different racial and ethnic groups. Specifically, by 2050, poststroke aphasia cases are projected to nearly double, with the Black population expected to have the highest prevalence rate among all racial and ethnic groups. These trends are driven by demographic shifts, including the aging population and racial/ethnic diversification. The findings highlight the need for targeted health care interventions that address disparities rooted in SDOH affecting stroke and aphasia care. Key priorities include expanding culturally responsive speech-language services, improving access to preventive care and poststroke rehabilitation, and supporting high-risk regions like the Stroke Belt. Integrating demographic and SDOH factors into public health planning and workforce development is essential to reduce the growing burden of stroke-related aphasia and prevent deepening health disparities. https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.31141657.

This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (prognosis). The objectives are as follows: Primary objective To identify prognostic factors that predict adverse perinatal outcomes in pregnant women at or beyond 24 weeks' gestation presenting with decreased fetal movements (DFM). Secondary objective To determine the predictive value of DFM prognostic factors in different patients (primiparous versus multiparous; ethnic groups; gestational age and maternal age groups), settings (low- and middle-income versus high-income countries; rural versus urban), and presentations (first versus repeat presentations with DFM; DFM duration).

The rate of cesarean deliveries in nulliparous, term, singleton, vertex (NTSV) patients at our hospital has been about 30% since we began tracking this measure in 2016. Our aim was to evaluate the effect of quality improvement (QI) initiatives on this metric. Our Level IV urban academic center formed a multidisciplinary workgroup in April 2023. We reviewed NTSV cesarean delivery rates stratified by indication, physician practice, and race and ethnicity, which were regularly presented to the department and practice leaders. Nurses audited oxytocin management for adherence to hospital protocol and introduced nonpharmacologic options to help patients cope with labor pain. Retrospective chart review of all NTSV cesarean deliveries from May to October 2023 determined whether the indication for cesarean delivery met American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) criteria for failed induction of labor, active-phase arrest, second-stage arrest, and prelabor/scheduled cesarean delivery. Results were presented at departmental meetings, and each physician was sent a scorecard with their total NTSV cesarean delivery and adherence to ACOG criteria. A retrospective cohort study was conducted around implementation of the QI efforts to safely reduce the NTSV cesarean delivery rate. Overall and race-stratified NTSV cesarean delivery rates decreased over the time period of the hospital QI efforts. The overall preintervention rate was 31.0%, and this decreased significantly to 27.7% after intervention (P=.02). The rate for non-Hispanic White patients decreased significantly (27.7% vs 22.2%, P=.02), whereas non-Hispanic Black patients experienced a trend toward rate reduction from before to after intervention (38.3% vs 31.6%, P=.05). The rate of severe newborn complications was the same before and after intervention (0.5% vs 0.5%, P=.99). Chart review identified 298 NTSV cesarean deliveries, of which 13.8% did not meet ACOG criteria. Failed induction of labor was the most common indication (23.4%) that did not meet criteria across all racial and ethnic groups. Scheduled cesarean delivery rates not meeting ACOG criteria were highest for White and Hispanic patients, driven by cesarean delivery for estimated fetal weight lower than ACOG thresholds. Our hospital NTSV cesarean delivery rate decreased without an increase in severe newborn complication rates. Our chart audit allowed us to identify an opportunity to target specific QI interventions. Sharing disaggregated data and detailed chart review to identify hospital-specific drivers of nonmedically indicated cesarean delivery may be strategies to safely reduce NTSV cesarean delivery rates and drive QI initiatives.

Sociodemographic factors influencing COVID-19 vaccine uptake and dropout rates in England.

Over the past recent decades, the roles of arts and artistic performances have gained a new significance in the scholarship on social movements in Africa. This scholarship scrutinizes the political significance of arts and popular artistic performances to political mediation. Informed by these scholarly works, this article examines the narratives by which the musicians politicize two interrelated alguitara musical practices in northern Mali and Niamey, Niger. One sheds light on how the musicians of the music festival known as the festival du désert relate this event to the quest of social consensus between ethnics groups in northern Mali. They also situate the festival du désert as a political movement contesting the theocratic project of the Al-Qaida and the Islamic state-affiliated armed groups since 2012.The other alguitara practice in focus here addresses the popular performances of the music group dagh tenere by which the Tuareg refugees from Mali in Niamey call for intra Tuareg consensus in their regions of orgin. An ethnolographic analysis of these musical practices as forms of political mediation and social movement, I submit, futhers scholarly understanding of how ordinary people labor to contribute to building social consensus and assert disagreements in one of the world’s most conflicted regions today. The result of the analysis affords a non state centric perspective on civil society in Africa.

Background: Photo anthropometry is a scientific method that involves using photographs to analyze the proportions of various body parts and to obtain measurements, which can vary significantly across different racial groups. This study aimed to explore photo-anthropometric variations by evaluating the nasofrontal and nasal tip angles of the external nose in Bengali and Manipuri adult males residing in Bangladesh. Materials and methods: This cross-sectional analytical study was carried out in the Department of Anatomy at Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College, Sylhet, between January 2022 and December 2022. Fifty (50) Bengali and fifty (50) Manipuri adult males, aged 25 to 59 years, were chosen through convenient sampling. Photoanthropometric methods were used to collect data from the Sylhet region. The results were presented as mean ± standard deviation, and the two-sample mean "Z" test was employed to compare findings between the groups. Results: The angular measurements of the external nose, the nasofrontal and nasal tip angles, were significantly higher in Manipuri adult males compared to Bengali adult males (p£0.05). Conclusion: The findings of this study will be valuable in the fields of Anatomy, Plastic Surgery, Forensic Medicine, Genetics, and Anthropology for purposes such as identification, planning corrective surgical procedures, and designing nasal models for different ethnic groups. Journal of Brahmanbaria Med. Coll. Volume 07 Issue 02 July 2025 ; 3-7

In 1999, the prevalence of female genital mutilation (FGM) was 5% in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). This study aims to assess FGM prevalence and types, describe its demographic and sociocultural characteristics, and evaluate its long-term impact on pelvic floor and sexual function. A cross-sectional study was conducted from 2021 to 2023 among 519 adult women living in six provinces of the DRC, selected to represent the country's ethnolinguistic diversity. Pregnant women, those within 6 months of childbirth, survivors of sexual violence, and those with war mutilations were excluded. A questionnaire was designed to collect data, supplemented by a vulvar assessment. The variables were compared using appropriate statistical tests (p < 0.05). The prevalence of FGM was 15.2% (95% CI: 12.2%-18.6%). The prevalence of FGM Types I-II and inner labia elongation (ILE) was 1.7% (95% CI: 0.8%-3.3%) and 13.5% (95% CI: 10.7%-16.7%), respectively. ILE was on average performed at the age of 13.8 years, mainly by women themselves (88.6%), while the circumstances of FGM I-II practice were unknown. ILE was practiced among the Swahili (65.7%) and the Baluba (27.1%), while FGM I-II were practiced among the Bangala (100%). Women with ILE were at higher risk of urinary incontinence (OR: 2.02; 95% CI: 1.17-3.45), dyspareunia (OR: 2.07; 95% CI: 1.08-3.99), and sexual satisfaction disorders (OR: 2.75; 95% CI: 1.34-5.52) than women without FGM. FGM is practiced in specific ethnic groups in the DRC, with ILE secondarily leading to long-term effects on pelvic floor and sexual function.

IntroductionDespite being the fastest-growing ethnic group in the United States, Asian Americans, encompassing all ethnic subgroups, remain notably underrepresented in Parkinson's Disease (PD) research and clinical trials. This qualitative study seeks to address this gap by exploring how Asian Americans experience PD diagnosis, treatment, care, and research participation.MethodsIn-depth interviews were conducted with ten Chinese and Vietnamese people with Parkinson's disease (PWP), nine family care partners, ten providers, and a focus group discussion was conducted with three community advocates in the Greater Boston area. Data were coded using a behavioral model that organizes health services utilization into three domains - predisposing, enabling, and need factors. Resulting themes were then mapped onto an access-to-care framework that conceptualizes access as influenced by both health system characteristics and individuals' abilities to seek, reach, afford, and engage in care.ResultsWe identified individual- and systems-level barriers that present before and after the initial establishment of care, and additional barriers that inhibit research participation among Chinese and Vietnamese PWP. Barriers to delayed diagnosis and reduced quality of care included linguistic and physical inaccessibility to healthcare services, limited health literacy about PD symptoms, cultural beliefs, dissatisfaction with care, shame, and stigma. Outreach from researchers who share a similar ethnicity as PWP may help enhance research participation.ConclusionsOur findings help fill important research gaps regarding the diagnosis and treatment of Asian American PWP. Recommendations for improvements include the need for linguistically- and culturally-tailored health education, outreach, and services to better support Asian American PWP.

The extent to which protocol eligibility criteria contribute to the underrepresentation of racial and ethnic minority populations — including Black, Asian, and Latino Americans — in lung cancer clinical trials remains poorly characterized. This study quantifies the likelihood of clinical trial exclusion attributable to comorbid conditions across racial and ethnic groups among patients with lung cancer. Data were drawn from 1,134 lung cancer clinical trials registered on ClinicalTrials.gov with start dates between January 2014 and December 2024, and patient comorbidity data were obtained from electronic medical records (EMR) at a large urban academic medical center in the Northeast United States. Data analysis was conducted between February and May 2025. Eligibility for trial enrollment was assessed by mapping patient comorbidity profiles against study exclusion criteria; binary logistic regression was used to estimate the likelihood of exclusion by race and ethnicity, with sex and median household income included as covariates. The analytic sample comprised 4,096 patients with lung cancer (73.6% White, 12.8% Asian or Pacific Islander, 3.3% Black or African American, and 1.8% Hispanic/Latino). Compared to White American patients, Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) patients and Black or African American patients were 1.8 times (OR: 1.8, 95% CI: 1.03–3.03) and 1.6 times (OR: 1.6, 95% CI: 1.01–2.48) more likely to be excluded from clinical trials based on their comorbidities, respectively. These findings indicate that standard protocol exclusion criteria may disproportionately screen out racial and ethnic minority patients, particularly Black/African American and AAPI individuals, and may represent a structural contributor to their underrepresentation in lung cancer research. Revising eligibility criteria to better reflect real-world comorbidity burdens could improve the inclusivity and generalizability of lung cancer clinical trials.

There currently exists limited research adopting a qualitative approach to investigate the practice of history teaching in Bosnia and Herzegovina across all three educational programs (i.e. Croatian, Serbian, and Bosniak). The aims of this study are twofold: (1) to identify common perspectives across groups, and (2) to compare pattern-based differences between groups concerning the challenges associated with history teaching in all three ethnic groups. The theoretical framework is grounded in Social Identity Theory, which explores how social categorization leads to the formation of ingroups and outgroups, stereotyping, and broader societal division. The data consist of 21 individual interviews with high school history teachers. The analysis reveals three main themes: (1) common issues and perspectives across groups, (2) differences between groups, and (3) intrapersonal inconsistencies and contradictions. The overall pattern emerging from the interviews portrays teachers as professionally competent individuals who are aware of the challenges concerning the transmission and interpretation of history but are not contributing to their escalation. The teachers in the study also exhibit resignation, acceptance of the current ethnically based education, limited critical reflection, and minimal pedagogical risk-taking. The results are discussed in the context of the choice between ethnic democracy and a shared cooperative future.

Purpose This study examines public trust in traditional and religious leaders in Ghana, focusing on the influence of perceived corruption, engagement, responsiveness, and effective management of natural resources. Design/methodology/approach Employing data from the 9th Round of Afrobarometer surveys conducted in 2022, the study utilizes descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression analysis to investigate the factors that predict public trust in these non-state actors. Findings The findings reveal that perceived corruption does not significantly reduce trust in traditional and religious leaders, challenging simplistic assumptions about the relationship between corruption and institutional legitimacy. However, regular engagement, responsiveness to citizens' concerns, and the perception that natural resource extraction benefits the community are positively associated with increased trust. The study also highlights the importance of sociodemographic factors, with higher education levels and certain regions showing lower trust, while affiliation with the ruling party, general social trust, and feeling close to one's ethnic group are associated with higher trust. These results contribute to the understanding of the complex dynamics of trust in traditional and religious leadership in Ghana, offering insights for policymakers, leaders, and civil society organizations working on governance and social cohesion. Originality/value This study offers several original contributions to the understanding of public trust in traditional and religious leaders in Ghana: first, it provides a comprehensive quantitative analysis of factors influencing trust in traditional and religious leaders, addressing a gap in existing literature which has largely focused on qualitative or historical accounts. Second, the use of recent Afrobarometer data and robust statistical analysis adds to the empirical foundation of research in this area. Overall, this study advances our understanding of the complex and evolving role of traditional and religious leaders in modern Ghanaian society, challenging some existing assumptions while providing new insights into the factors that shape public trust in these important figures.

Broadly stated, diversity has a double-edged effect on development, both hindering and facilitating. It hinders development due to problems of plurality, such as incompatibility of interests and policy disagreements. On the other hand, diverse views, values, and problem-solving methods can foster creativity and innovation. An inclusive institution that values diversity and transforms differences into an asset, and one that contributes to mutual thriving, is crucial for multiethnic settings. A system based on shared identity and complementarities can be instrumental for this purpose. The mounting ethnic hostilities among six ethnic groups in the Konso-Derashe-Alle area, caused mainly by resource and administrative issues, worsen an already poor socio-economic condition of the people in the area. Despite the growing enmity, the groups share vast sociocultural and economic values and complementarities on which a cooperative system can be built. While the shared identities include shared myth of origin, inter-ethnic clan identification, and transethnic common norms of governance among others, the complementarities include common local markets, specialization-based economic transactions, and common resource niches. Given these, the study concludes that the groups in the study area are tied through shared values, common fate, and economic interdependence. To this end, the study recommends a shared society system, an inclusive system that fosters shared and complementary spaces for the groups’ mutual economic thriving and interdependence.

African American women carry a disproportionate burden of cardiometabolic disease (CMD) risk and experience higher rates of sleep disturbances compared to other racial and ethnic groups. Sleep and the sleep-regulating hormone melatonin play key roles in modulating inflammation, a biological pathway central to CMD. Chronic exposure to racism and discrimination may exacerbate stress, disrupt sleep and melatonin rhythms, and elevate inflammatory responses, further heightening CMD risk. The purpose of this pilot study is to evaluate the effects of a race-based stress reduction intervention-Resilience, Stress, and Ethnicity (RiSE)-on sleep quality and dim-light melatonin onset (DLMO) as primary outcomes, and to examine inflammation as a secondary outcome among older African American women with CMD risk. Leveraging an ongoing randomized controlled trial (RCT) (R01AG081251), this embedded pilot RCT will randomize 32 women to either the RiSE intervention or an attention control health education program, both delivered via eight weekly online sessions. Sleep quality will be assessed using validated questionnaires and wrist-worn ActiGraph devices for seven nights. DLMO will be determined from seven salivary samples collected around habitual bedtime, and salivary cytokines will be measured for inflammation. All measures will be obtained pre- and post-intervention. This pilot study is the first to examine an integrative, race-based stress reduction intervention targeting sleep and melatonin rhythms in this population. Findings will inform future mechanistic studies and the development of nurse-led strategies to mitigate the adverse physiological consequences of discrimination-related stress on sleep and cardiometabolic health among African American women.