Research Team Research Articles

Plant-Based Products Originating from Serbia That Affect P-glycoprotein Activity.

Our review paper evaluates the impact of plant-based products, primarily derived from plants from Serbia, on P-glycoprotein (P-gp) activity and their potential in modulating drug resistance in cancer therapy. We focus on the role and regulation of P-gp in cellular physiology and its significance in addressing multidrug resistance in cancer therapy. Additionally, we discuss the modulation of P-gp activity by 55 natural product drugs, including derivatives for some of them, based on our team's research findings since 2011. Specifically, we prospect into sesquiterpenoids from the genera Artemisia, Curcuma, Ferula, Inula, Petasites, and Celastrus; diterpenoids from the genera Salvia and Euphorbia; chalcones from the genera Piper, Glycyrrhiza, Cullen, Artemisia, and Humulus; riccardins from the genera Lunularia, Monoclea, Dumortiera, Plagiochila, and Primula; and diarylheptanoids from the genera Alnus and Curcuma. Through comprehensive analysis, we aim to highlight the potential of natural products mainly identified in plants from Serbia in influencing P-gp activity and overcoming drug resistance in cancer therapy, while also providing insights into future perspectives in this field.

“…I Wish Someone Told Me About That…”: A Qualitative Assessment of the Educational Needs of Patients Undergoing Cystectomy

OBJECTIVESTo utilize patient feedback to identify areas of need for information and ways to improve delivery of education, due to recognition that cystectomy and urinary diversion is a complex operation often overwhelming patients and caregivers. METHODSWe conducted 5 focus groups of bladder cancer patients (separated by gender and diversion type) treated with cystectomy and urinary diversion (n=17). Questions focused on areas of improvement for patient education. Transcripts were analyzed using the Sort and Sift, Think and Shift© method, with insights directing the creation of a flexible codebook. A team of researchers created thematic summaries from individual codes and performed higher level analyses to characterize salient findings. RESULTSPatients described ways to improve the content, timing, and format of education. Most patients expressed a desire to receive a list of common patient experiences pre-operatively. Information they wish they had known beforehand included nuances of new urinary routines, sexual dysfunction, complications such as abdominal adhesions or hernias, and details regarding discharge criteria. Patients had differing opinions on what amount of information should be offered before surgery, but most agreed that options for more details available later were ideal. Preferences on formatting of information varied. Overall, an assortment of formats could allow patients to tailor their process to different learning preferences and individual situations. CONCLUSIONSPatients highlighted key areas for improvement in the breadth, timing, and format of perioperative education. Continued involvement of patients while developing these educational interventions will be pivotal for meeting patient needs and improving outcomes.

The methodology of health education programs in schools—Qualitative study

ObjectiveTo assess strengths and weaknesses of the methodology of health education programs, carried out in the period 2010–2020, in schools in Serbia. DesignQualitative study, a thematic analysis approach. SiteRepresentatives of Public Health institutions, Serbian biggest nongovernmental organization, Youth organization, Ministry of education and municipality. ParticipantsNine professionals working in the field of Public Health and Health education. MethodFocus group gathered nine health and non-health professionals in 2022 year. Focus group was recorded, transcribed verbatim, coded and analyzed by three research team members. A coding template evolved through the analysis, providing the expansion of key concepts. Themes were, one by one, extracted, encoded, classified as the smallest units and interpretive, thematic analysis was applied. ResultsAlthough the Focus group in our study identified among other advantages, support of Health sector to Educational sector as crucial, it emphasized as well following weaknesses: Analyzed health education programs were implemented insufficiently as a separate process in schools, did not have the image of programs shared and integrated into community; Health education needs of schoolchildren, parents, and teachers should be examined prior the education implementation; Well-educated interdisciplinary educators have to be strengthened and supported; Parents participation is necessity; Standards and good practice guidelines are needed, and those developed through Health Promoting Schools program could be practiced. ConclusionIt is necessary to support cross-curricular competence, where health education should be integrated into all school subjects, and should go far beyond the school, grow into a culture of community life, which will interconnect all stakeholders in strong Public Health network.

Association between depression symptom severity and total cost of care: Findings from a large, 2-year, claims-based, retrospective population health study

BackgroundDespite the substantial impact of depression on individuals and healthcare utilization, little is known about the specific relationship between depression severity and total cost of care (TCC). This study evaluates the association between depression symptom severity and TCC and how changes in severity affect TCC. MethodsThe analysis was conducted using insurance claims data and data from electronic health records between January 1, 2019 and December 31, 2020. Inclusion criteria comprised insured individuals with coverage during 2019 or 2020, aged one year or older, and identified as having depression in at least one year of the study. Depression symptom severity was assessed using the screening Identification and Stratification (IDS) framework and data available to the research team. The main outcome was TCC per member per month (PMPM) evaluated across the two-year period. ResultsAcross 2019 and 2020, 744,854 members met inclusion criteria. A total of 369,460 members were studied across both years. Greater depression symptom severity was associated with higher TCC across both years. Unchanged severity was associated with limited change in TCC from 2019 to 2020. Decrease in depression symptoms was associated with an average $41 reduction in PMPM spend, whereas increase in depression symptom severity was associated with an average $608 increase. LimitationsLimitations include fragmented data, retrospective design that limits causality, and the IDS framework design. ConclusionChanges in depression symptom severity were significantly associated with changes in TCC. Findings reveal financial and clinical opportunities associated with early identification and targeted management of depression.

A UK Specification for Trusted Research Environments

ObjectivesThe need for Trusted Research Environments (TREs) is clear. Several influential reports have highlighted that personal or sensitive data which have been collected for operational, commercial or governmental reasons need to be managed securely in an environment that encourages best practices. TREs are designed to enable only authorised projects and researchers access to sensitive data whilst minimising risk of data exposure. Yet the TRE landscape has grown organically over at least the last decade resulting in heterogeneous environments, making it harder for data to be discovered, shared and used for public benefit. A baseline specification for TREs is required. ApproachWe engaged with around 60 organisations covering government, industry, health and academia through regular, online, shared spaces or “Collaboration Cafés”. We also embedded the public voice within the project by having members of the public within the research team and developed a series of workshops to include and reflect their input to the architecture. The whole project was developed in the open to instil trustworthiness. ResultsThe SATRE project has produced a reference TRE architecture and implementation through significant engagement with the UK TRE community. This baseline specification for UK TREs includes a set of four pillars, 28 capabilities and 160 statements. Conclusions and ImplicationsAn open and transparent TRE specification and architecture for a wide range of stakeholders has been developed. TREs can now use the SATRE specification to evaluate their environments against a common baseline.

Investigation of the differences in characteristics of Welsh farming households with and without off-farm income

ObjectiveTo examine the characteristics of farming households that have no off-farm income, and how they compare to farming households containing at least one person employed in a non-farming occupation. ApproachThis research uses the AD|ARC dataset for Wales held in the SAIL databank at Swansea University. This Research Ready Dataset, created by the research team, is comprised of population census data and existing agricultural datasets. Individuals were split into two groups, those in households where all individuals were primarily employed in farming or unemployed, and those in households where at least one individual was in a non-farming occupation. ResultsComparing these groups, our findings show: There are 8135 farming households with at least one person in a non-farming occupation, and 5415 households with no off-farm income. Households with off-farm income are on average 65% larger than households with no off-farm income. 33% of farming only households consist of a single person; 73% of these farmers are male, and the average age is 62. The average age for farming-only households is 45, and the average age of households with non-farming occupations is 36. We will present detailed findings on the socio-economic and farm business characteristics of these groups. ConclusionUnderstanding differences between households with and without off-farm income provides insights on farm types and households most impacted by changes in agricultural policies and subsidies. This can inform policy design and help authorities deliver commitments on just transitions in a targeted and efficient manner.

Data as infrastructure: Systematic data curation addressing fundamental data content differences across the UK

Objective and ApproachHealth Data Research UK, the UK national institute for health data science, is coordinating efforts alongside national academic partners to streamline data curation at disease, population, and data structure level to enhance data offerings and provide networked data infrastructure supporting whole-UK research. Due to clinical, coding, and system differences across the constituent countries of the UK, data is often not standardised for whole-UK analyses, creating burden on research teams and leading to long data preparation times in order to run even distributed analyses. The approach to solve this is multi-faceted, including deploying data curation and cohort creation algorithms into health data providers’ environments, and through the novel integration of federated analytics solutions (such as those piloted through recent national infrastructure programmes) improving data access and research deployment efficiency. ResultsStandardising data through clinical and structural data curation directly deployed to health data providers creates a framework for whole-UK studies to be readily achievable, and provide the data infrastructure base to integrate new technical federated analytics solutions to deploy and reproduce analytics without unnecessary large scale data migration. Conclusions and ImplicationsSystematic curation of health data within national data providing organisations provides flexibility and choice for researchers in terms of the data they will apply for to answer vital research questions affecting the UK populace. Such advances will improve the quality and efficiency of research for all corners of the UK, and create a community of practice in terms of developing data from health systems to research environments.

COVID-19 Policy Decisions in Manitoba and the Experiences of the Red River Métis: A partnership-based, whole-population linked administrative data study

Systematically marginalized populations, like Red River Métis, have been greatly affected by COVID-19. Manitoba’s Indigenous COVID-19 vaccine policy initially delayed prioritization of Métis. Our research team, which included Métis partners, examined the consequences of these decisions (COVID-19 infections, health service use, vaccine uptake) among Métis, and how earlier prioritization could have improved outcomes. This retrospective cohort study linked data from the Métis Population Database to whole-population COVID testing and vaccination data, and administrative data on health service use. Restricted mean survival time models tested whether vaccination uptake differed between Métis and all other Manitobans (AOM), adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics and comorbidities. A Bayesian model will simulate how prioritization of Métis for vaccination two weeks earlier could have impacted infections. Cumulative prevalence of COVID-19 infection rates were similar among Métis and AOM until May 2021 when rates became higher among Métis. Between May and December 2021, rates of first vaccination were lower among Metis than AOM, as were second vaccination rates between July and November 2021. Métis were more likely than AOM to be hospitalized due to Covid-19 between March and August 2021 and visit physicians for COVID related reasons from October 2020 to Feb 2021 and November 2021 to March 2022. Our analyses simulated what would have occurred had Métis been prioritized for vaccination two weeks before AOM, alongside other Indigenous peoples. Understanding the experiences of Métis relative to AOM is critical to identifying public health strategies which close gaps in vaccine uptake and infections.

Mobil Monitoring Doppler Ultrasound (MoMDUS) study: protocol for a prospective, observational study investigating the use of artificial intelligence and low-cost Doppler ultrasound for the automated quantification of hypertension, pre-eclampsia and fetal growth restriction in rural Guatemala

IntroductionUndetected high-risk conditions in pregnancy are a leading cause of perinatal mortality in low-income and middle-income countries. A key contributor to adverse perinatal outcomes in these settings is limited access...

A governance framework for facilitating cross-agency data sharing

Linking data across local authorities and health boards has the potential to reduce inequalities and improve outcomes. However, cross-agency data sharing leads to complexities around data ownership, legal conditions for processing, organisational controls and risk assessments to ensure privacy and confidentiality of subjects whilst facilitating research and service improvements. We share a governance framework for cross-agency data sharing between a local authority and regional health board in Scotland. A cross-sector Child Neglect working group was established with representation from public sector agencies, the NHS, University researchers and a Trusted Research Environment to support research on children’s mental health prescribing and secondary specialist services provision and linking to the Aberdeen City Council Child Protection Register. Lessons learned were captured throughout the governance, data transfer and data linkage phases. Communication is the most important driver, with key individuals, deputies and routes of escalation agreed and involved throughout for clarity of roles and expectation setting. Key lessons learned include requiring input from all parties at the project initiation stage, particularly IG teams, including agreements on necessary templates. Knowledge exchange is required between the research team, data owners and data processors to ensure research protocol requirements are correctly understood and data transfer is supported. If possible, internal and/or external validation of data should also be performed before data is linked. Cross-agency data sharing is a vital means to understanding and improving outcomes for individuals and populations. Critical to this is establishing an action plan and formalised project process to achieve outcomes.

Quality Indicators for Transition from Pediatric to Adult Care for Youth With Chronic Conditions: Proposal for an Online Modified Delphi Study.

The transition from pediatric to adult care poses a significant health system-level challenge impeding the delivery of quality health services for youth with chronic health conditions. In Canada and globally, the transition to adult care is regarded as a top priority in adolescent health in need of readily applicable, adaptable, and relevant national metrics to evaluate and benchmark transition success across disease populations and clinical care settings. Unfortunately, existing literature fails to account for the lack of engagement from youth and caregivers in developing indicators, and its applicability across chronic conditions, primary care involvement, and health equity considerations. Our proposed study aims to establish a consensus-driven set of quality indicators for the transition to adult care that are universally applicable across physical, developmental, and mental health conditions, clinical care settings, and health jurisdictions. Using an integrated knowledge translation (iKT) approach, a panel comprising youth, caregivers, interdisciplinary health care providers, and health system leaders will be established to collaborate with our research team to ensure that the study methodology, materials, and knowledge dissemination are suitable and reflect the perspectives of youth and their families. We will then conduct an iterative 3-round Online Modified Delphi (OMD) study (n=160) to (1) compare and contrast the perspectives of youth, caregivers, health care providers, and health system leaders on quality indicators for transition; and (2) prioritize a key set of quality indicators for transition applicable across disease populations that are the most important, useful, and feasible in the Canadian context. Using the RAND/UCLA Appropriateness Method (RAM) multistage analytic approach, data from each panel and stakeholder group will be examined separately and compared to establish a key set of indicators endorsed by both panels. The study is funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and Physicians Services Incorporated. This study will produce quality indicators to evaluate and inform action equitably to improve transition from pediatric to adult care for youth and their families in Canada. PRR1-10.2196/60860.

A Qualitative Assessment of Reasons for Living and Dying in the Context of Feeling Trapped Among Adults in the United Kingdom

Objective Contemporary approaches to suicide assessment and treatment incorporate reasons for living (RFL) and reasons for dying (RFD). This study qualitatively explored individuals’ self-described RFL and RFD in the context of suicidal thinking and behaviors. Method Within a community United Kingdom (UK) sample, adults (N = 331, aged 16+) responded to eight open-ended questions probing their experiences of suicide, defeat, and entrapment. Utilizing these data, which were collected from a larger online survey examining risk and protective factors for suicidal behaviors, this study explored RFL and RFD within these narratives. After the research team established an initial code book, RFL and RFD codes were subsequently analyzed through inductive and deductive thematic analyses. Results The present study identified five complimentary RFD-RFL themes: (1) Hopelessness-Hopefulness, (2) Stress of Responsibilities-Duty to Responsibilities, (3) Social Disconnection-Social Connection, (4) Death as Sin-Desire for an Afterlife, and (5) Temporary Escapes as Coping-Entrapment (i.e., a lack of escape). Three subthemes within the RFD theme Entrapment were General/Unspecified, By Feelings, and Within Self. Conclusions Identified themes reflect the existing quantitative RFL and RFD literature. The identified RFL and RFD themes are discussed with reference to their clinical applications in advancing suicide-specific assessments and interventions. We propose a dimensional framework for RFD and RFL which informs future suicidal behaviors research and practice.

An Exploration of Accounting Student’s Perspective on Factors Influencing Audit Career Choice

This study aims to explore the factors influencing undergraduate accountancy students at Universiti Teknologi MARA Melaka branch to pursue careers in auditing. A structured questionnaire, distributed to participants via Google Forms, was employed to gather feedback from the students. The participants, categorized based on their academic levels, represent various stages of both theoretical and practical exposure to auditing subjects. The research team administered a questionnaire to evaluate accounting students' perceptions and intentions on the factors influencing careers in auditing. There is a strong positive correlation between job security and career intention followed by career development and a moderately significant positive correlation between job satisfaction and financial reward toward students’ intention to become auditors. A general lack of interest in the profession and concern about work-life balance contribute to the challenges of not pursuing a career in audit. Students perceived that real exposure to the auditing profession via academic visits, engaging experts through seminars, and interactive teaching methods could bridge the gap between academic learning and professional practice. Enhancing the alignment of educational offerings with industry requirements and students’ career aspirations with curriculum development, enhancing teaching methods, and partnerships between academia and industry will assist accounting students in developing a positive view of auditing careers and better preparedness for their future careers in this field.

Effectiveness of an mHealth App That Uses Financial Incentives and Gamification to Promote Health Behavior Change in Adolescents and Caregivers: Protocol for a Clinic-Based Randomized Controlled Trial.

Adolescent and adult obesity continues to be a public health epidemic in the United States. Despite the popularity of mHealth apps with gamification among adolescents, there are insufficient studies to evaluate the efficacy of gamified mHealth apps and financial incentives to motivate sustained health behavior change in adolescents or their adult caregivers. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of gamification techniques and financial incentives used in the novel "CommitFit" mHealth app to motivate health behavior change and improve various mental and physical health metrics in adolescents and their caregivers. This study is a 3-month randomized controlled trial (RCT) with 30 adolescents (aged 13-15 years) and their adult caregivers (N=60). It evaluates "CommitFit," which uses gamification including points and leaderboards to motivate logging and achievement of self-selected health behavior goals (eg, more water, sleep, physical activity, fruits, or vegetables or fewer sugary beverages). The RCT had three arms, each with 10 dyads: (1) CommitFit-only users; (2) CommitFit$, where adolescents were paid US $0.05 for each point they earned; and (3) waitlist control. Intervention dyads used the app for 3 months and had the option to use it for the fourth month without prompts or extra financial incentives. User analytic software was used to evaluate the frequency of user logs and goal achievement. Monthly surveys evaluated self-reported change in the 5 CommitFit health behaviors. Changes in BMI and blood pressure were evaluated for all participants at 3 clinical visits. Mental health, gamification, and behavior economics surveys were completed during the clinical visits. Recruitment began in August 2023 and was completed in 10 weeks. The research team successfully recruited and enrolled 30 dyads. Researchers emailed and called 89 caregivers on a physician-approved adolescent patient list, a 33% recruitment rate. Data collection and analysis will be conducted in the spring and summer of 2024. The results of this study are anticipated to be published between late 2024 and early 2025. This RCT will expand knowledge of the effectiveness of gamification techniques, financial incentives, and mHealth apps to motivate sustained health behavior change among adolescents and caregivers. These results may offer new opportunities to caregivers, health insurers, health care systems, and clinicians to motivate health behavior change in adolescents and caregivers, with the ultimate goal of preventing or reducing obesity and obesity-related diseases. Additional gamification, mental health surveys, and app user analytics included in the study may provide further insight into the characteristics of adolescents or caregivers who would benefit the most from using a gamified mHealth app like CommitFit. DERR1-10.2196/63505.

Human-animal contact to inform zoonotic disease risk across gradients of agricultural land use change in the Central River Region (CRR) of The Gambia (ZooContact): a formative study.

Pilot studies are important initial steps in research, providing a preliminary assessment of the practicality, feasibility, and potential challenges of a proposed study. This study attempts to assess the feasibility, practicality, and acceptability of a study that integrates a human-animal contact (HAC) questionnaire, animal biodiversity survey using acoustic analysis, and zoonotic disease investigation in animals among rural households in the Central River Region (CRR) of The Gambia. The pilot study revealed granular insights that would otherwise go unnoticed, providing vital information that directly guided the design and implementation of the subsequent full-scale study on zoonotic disease risk. A pilot study was conducted in five villages in the CRR of The Gambia. Community sensitization was carried out together with the village leadership, followed by a familiarization tour of the study setting. Questionnaire-based interview was conducted among participants (n = 50) randomly selected to assess the acceptability and reliability of the questionnaire. The feasibility and acceptability of biodiversity surveys and animal sampling were assessed using verbal inquiries from participants and community leaders. The recruitment rate was 96%, and most participants, 50 out of 52, were willing to participate without compensation for lost time during interviews. For animal sampling, 45 out of 50 participants were willing to allow the study team to sample blood and feces from their animals without any form of incentive. All five village heads agreed to the usage of sound recorders to be placed within their community for animal biodiversity assessment. For the survey effort, one field assistant interviewed 25 participants per week. It took a total of 1 h to complete an interview, including random household selection, consenting, and questionnaire interview. The pilot study confirmed the feasibility of the research and informed the design of the larger study. Key parameters, such as community access, acceptability, recruitment success, and logistical requirements, contributed to robust sample size calculations and realistic project cost estimates. Additionally, the study enabled the research team to familiarize themselves with the communities and refine the methods for the full study.

Dynamics of personal financial management: a bibliometric and systematic review on financial literacy, financial capability and financial behavior

PurposeFinancial literacy, capability and behavior are crucial factors in personal financial management, which in turn plays a significant role in individual and societal financial well-being. The objective of this investigation is to explain critical factors and dimensions of personal financial management systems by employing a hybrid approach that encompasses a bibliometric analysis and a systematic review of the literature.Design/methodology/approachThe research team carefully evaluated a selection of 606 scholarly articles from the Scopus database and studied the evolution of personal financial management behavior over 38 years (1986–2023). This research adopted several graphical representations and network structures to comprehend publishing tendencies, high-impact papers, theoretical frameworks, intellectual constructs as well as the current state of research collaboration.FindingsFour major clusters were identified in the field of personal financial management behavior: the relationship between financial literacy and financial capability, factors influencing financial behavior, the impact of financial behavior on financial well-being and the financial behavior of different demographic groups. In addition, by performing content analysis on papers published within the last five years, new themes in personal financial management behavior were identified.Practical implicationsThis investigation serves to equip financial advisors, policy architects and scholarly investigators with a deeper insight into the intricacies of personal financial management behavior and aids in pinpointing prospective domains for forthcoming research.Originality/valueThis study seeks to address a significant vacuum in the current body of research by providing a thorough bibliometric analysis that specifically examines financial literacy, ability and conduct. To the best of our knowledge, no previous research has conducted such a comprehensive investigation in this field. This research aims to identify important researchers and influential works in the subject by using a mixed-methods approach that combines qualitative and quantitative methodologies, including content analysis. The purpose of doing this is to provide exclusive insights and expertise that can be highly valuable to scholars, practitioners, policymakers and other stakeholders who are interested in furthering the comprehension and encouragement of financial literacy and responsible financial behavior.

Stated preferences of adolescents and young adults for sexual and reproductive health services in Africa: a systematic review protocol

BackgroundAdolescence and young adulthood are critical life stages with varied healthcare needs. Adolescents and young adults (AYAs) are often confronted with challenges in their sexual and reproductive health (SRH) and...

Microfluidics and Chip Development

During the course of the summer, I had the privilege to work with Dr. Carlos Escobedo and his team of researchers on the topics of microfluidics and Lab-On-Chip (LOC) technology. Microfluidics is a branch of fluid dynamics which utilizes small volumes of fluid to perform tests under ideal conditions, and LOC is the process of using microfluidics for experiments in small-scale environments. I participated in two LOC projects, the first for bacterial analysis and the second for microplastic separation. The goal of the first project was to observe if Vibrio Cholerae bacteria was attracted to a variety of chemo attractants. To observe this interaction under microfluidic conditions, we developed a chip which when flooded with chemoattractant trapped a portion in the chip. We could then remove the non-entrapped chemoattractant from the sides and refill the chip with bacteria. Observations of the bacteria’s movement were then taken using a microscope attached to a digital camera. The second project focused on microplastics, which are plastic particulates under 5mm in diameter, our smallest sample being 10μm. Due to their size standard filtering techniques were ineffective at separating them, which led to us using Deterministic Lateral Displacement (DLD). DLD utilizes an array of pillars to create spots of changing pressure for passing particles. The array is designed so larger particles are unaffected while smaller particulates will be redirected and collected separately. To arrange the plastics into their types, a centrifugal design was used. This design functions similarly to a centrifuge, which by rapidly spinning a substance separates out materials based on density. The chip works under a similar theory, but instead uses a spiral channel to force the particles in a repeated circular spinning motion. The particles then exit with differing directionalities based on where they were in the channel, allowing for collection.

Exhibiting slavery in Australia: Personal narratives and legacies

AbstractThe history of slavery has often been located on the same continuum as that of incarceration. This article explores the development of an exhibition representing the legacies of slavery in Australia, analysing Australian and international exhibitions alongside theories of museology, historiography and memory. It begins by considering the growth of slavery memory since the latter twentieth century, and Australia's own slavery heritage. The second half of the article focuses on curatorial directions and decisions taken in the exhibition, which our research team is currently developing in partnership with the Australian National Maritime Museum as part of an Australian Research Council project. Much of the project's research to date has been biographical, investigating the lives of individual slavers and colonists to explore colonial and racial frameworks still underpinning contemporary Australia. For the exhibition, we are investigating ways of expanding the scope to represent the lives and experiences of enslaved individuals. We are also exploring the challenges of retracing past lives, the potential limits of empathy, and the politics of ownership when telling stories about the past. This includes considering community participation, the biases and silences of the archives, and the use of art in representing the past.

Literature-based database to inform policy making on marine plastic pollution in ASEAN+3

The ASEAN+3 countries urgently need to present actual data on the state of their marine plastics pollution, so that they can respond to the criticisms of being the top-5 global sources of marine plastics based on modeled predictions, as well as to develop effective response policies based on sound data. While the research outputs on marine plastic pollution have increased spectacularly across these countries, their overall resource capacity to access the data remains lacking. This study describes a robust framework developed to use >700 peer-reviewed research publications from the region that can inform policy-making. First, detailed metadata fields were developed for this database focused on extracting information from the publications that are relevant to regional policy questions being asked to adequately respond to the threats posed by marine plastics. Second, the curation of research publications in this database greatly depended on a team of regional researchers, who were apt in the subject matter and a native language speaker. The latter was critical in the capture of non-English articles to boost the quality of database. Some of the key findings from the broad analyses included the rapid increase in research efforts on marine plastics between 2014 and 2021, which coincided with the growing concerns of this environmental crisis, the dominant publication language was English despite the diversity of countries, and the dominant research topic appeared to be of policy response measures. Overall, the database produced adequate and immediate data, where policy-makers can leverage for urgent actions. For example, the output on the status of marine plastic pollution is ever-increasing, but the region could start to focus on knowledge gaps (e.g., sampling in critical sensitive habitats like seagrasses and coral reefs). Finally, this study presented a comprehensive summary of the current state of marine plastic pollution and knowledge gaps (e.g., technical capacity and equipment) of the region that can facilitate discussions among target audience including the governments as well as international and regional regulating bodies, the research community and plastic waste management professionals.