The fetus and neonate are especially vulnerable to toxic effects of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), that have been shown to perturb behavioral and neuropsychological development. This study aimed to examine the long-term effects of developmental exposure to PCBs. Doses selected were environmentally relevant to those found in epidemiological studies, on the central nervous system (CNS) of adult rat offspring. Pregnant Sprague Dawley rats were fed cookies that contained a mixture of fourteen PCBs or vehicle (corn oil) daily. PCB doses were 0.011 mg/kg maternal body weight/day (“low”) or 1.10 mg/kg maternal body weight/day (“high”), for 42 days throughout gestation and lactation. Adult offspring were euthanized on postnatal day 450. A battery of immunohistochemical markers of brain structure and function were selected to assess possible effects of developmental PCB exposure. Using a 3×2 factorial design (treatment and sex), two-way analysis of variance revealed significant effects of treatment through the CNS, with no main effect of sex or interaction effects. In comparison with controls, both low and high dose developmental PCB exposure significantly (p < 0.05) increased inhibitory enzyme glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD67) immunoreactivity in the cerebellar vermis, and decreased lipofuscin autofluorescence in the locus coeruleus (LC). Low dose developmental PCB exposure significantly decreased the perimeter of endothelial cells in the periaqueductal gray, ventral orbitofrontal cortex; and decreased lipofuscin in the dorsal striatum, compared to controls. Findings support the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease concept, which broadly posits that early-life perturbations may influence health trajectories over the lifespan.

The knowledge of the Social Determinants of Health (SDH) approach implies Health in All Policies and thorough cultural and social transformations, as well as whole-of-government, whole-of-society policies and governance to address health inequities. Nonetheless, this article argues that in the currently dominant rational decision-making model in health policymaking, these policy implications from the knowledge of the SDH approach would lead to an intrinsic contradiction with the logic of modern bureaucracy based on the legal authority as suggested by Max Weber. Using two examples of social determinants of health — universal health coverage and housing issues — this article demonstrates the potential of the polis model proposed by Deborah Stone to take advantage of the knowledge of the SDH approach to pursue structural policy interventions.

Several studies have been published studying association between parental low birth weight (BW) and neonatal outcomes of their children. To date no systematic review and meta-analysis (SRM) has been published to quantify the impact of maternal and paternal BW on outcomes in the next generation. The aim of this SRM was to analyse the association between parental BW and anthropometric and metabolic outcomes in their children.

Electronic databases were searched for studies documenting BW of parents and children with neonatal outcomes. Primary outcome was to evaluate impact of parental BW on occurrence of LBW in children. Secondary outcomes were to assess impact of parental BW on occurrence of macrosomia, small for gestational age (SGA), preterm labour/delivery, and burden of non-communicable disease in later life.

We screened 54,961 articles, data from 14 studies (320,515 parent–child pairs), which fulfilled all criteria, were analysed. Maternal LBW was associated with higher chances of neonatal LBW [odds ratio (OR)1.95 (95% CI:1.56–2.46); P < 0.01; I2 = 91%], neonatal SGA [OR 2.29(95% CI:1.72–3.05); P < 0.01; I2 = 37%], lower chances of neonatal macrosomia [OR 0.50 (95% CI:0.39–0.65); P < 0.01; I2 = 35%] and had no impact on preterm labour/delivery [OR1.20(95% CI:0.67–2.16); P = 0.53; I2 = 88%]. Maternal macrosomia was associated with higher neonatal macrosomia [OR 2.66 (95% CI:2.44–3.16); P < 0.01; I2 = 48%], lower SGA [OR 0.40(95% CI:0.29–0.53); P < 0.01; I2 = 0%] and preterm labour/delivery [OR 0.77 (95% CI:0.63–0.94); P < 0.01; I2 = 4%]. Paternal but not maternal LBW was predictor of metabolic syndrome and diabetes in adulthood.

Maternal LBW is an important predictor of LBW and SGA in neonates. Maternal macrosomia is an important predictor of neonatal macrosomia; is protective against SGA and preterm labour/childbirth. Neonatal size of parents is reflected in neonatal size of their children.

Preserving viable infective stages of chicken ascarids under laboratory conditions facilitates the maintenance of characterized nematode strains for research purposes. We investigated the survivability of Ascaridia galli eggs exposed to low temperatures and the cryoprotectant dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). Two egg developmental stages (unembryonated or fully embryonated) were stored at 4°C, –20°, or –80°C in sterile water or with 5% and 10% DMSO for 1, 2, 4, or 8 weeks. Egg survival was assessed by morphology following post-storage incubation in 0.1 N H2SO4 at 26°C for unembryonated eggs or with a viability dye exclusion test of hatched larvae for the embryonated eggs. The results revealed that neither DMSO nor the hardy chitinous eggshell protected eggs from freezing damage, and not a single egg survived even for 1 week of storage at –20° or –80°C. DMSO at 10% significantly reduced (P < 0.0001) overall egg survival and embryonation capacity with increasing storage time at 4°C compared to water alone. For both egg developmental stages, egg survival was maintained in 5% DMSO at a rate similar to that in water alone. Unembryonated A. galli eggs survived refrigeration better than embryonated eggs with larval viability declining linearly at almost a double rate in the latter (9.75%/week) compared to the former (5.64 %/week). We conclude that DMSO is unlikely to provide cryoprotection for A. galli eggs and also causes concentration-dependent toxicity with increasing exposure time. Furthermore, survival during refrigeration is better for unembryonated than embryonated eggs.

The failure to make LAI the default route over the same oral when both are available is a lost opportunity to improve outcomes for people with schizophrenia. A striking example is the lost opportunity to improve life expectancy. A sophisticated pharmacoepidemiologic study from Sweden matched antipsychotic prescriptions with mortality rates and found that receiving an LAI version improved longevity by about 30% compared to its equivalent oral counterpart. Published a decade ago, it seems to have had little impact within US mental health services. This paper attempts to explain some of the reasons for complacency in adapting LAIs as a preferred approach for oral that have an LAI option available. Hypotheses include (1) not appreciating the importance of accurate information to guide present and future treatment recommendations, (2) considering LAIs primarily for adherence interventions rather than their more general benefit as a superior information platform, (3) how fear of disclosing nonadherence is a primary cause of misinformation, and (4) complacency with status quo acceptance of misinformation without fully appreciating how it harms future outcomes. The outcome benefits that come from changing from the oral to the LAI, if available, will continue. Advances in formulation technology have greatly improved the safety and flexibility of recent LAIs compared to earlier formulations, and formulation advances will allow for additional antipsychotics currently limited to oral formulation to expand to having an LAI version readily available.

Here we report microfossil helminth analysis of soils/sediments from the Cloudman site, Lake Huron, Michigan, encompassing the Early Late Woodland (AD 500/600–1000) to the early Historic period. Results reveal eggs of the dog nematode Toxocara canis (a first for North America), the human nematode Ascaris lumbricoides, and a species of taeniid cestode, intestinal parasites that could have affected the health of people and their domesticated dogs. The eggs suggest that the presence of dogs at the site remained relatively stable over the c. 1000-year span of this period. The results offer a new line of evidence for possible dog presence and domestication in North America.

Consultation-liaison psychiatry (CLP) refers to the subspecialty of psychiatry and the specialist clinical services that deliver care at the intersection of mental and physical healthcare. CLP services provide specialist medical and multidisciplinary expertise for managing conditions in these areas of mental and physical healthcare overlap, and comorbidity. The Model of Care for CLP was identified as a key priority in Sharing the Vision, the 2020 national mental health policy in Ireland. Following four years of work by a writing group initiated by the Faculty of Liaison Psychiatry at the College of Psychiatrists of Ireland, the Model of Care for CLP in Ireland was launched in May 2025 (Cpsychi H (2025). Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry: A Model of Care for Ireland. Dublin: HSE.).). Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry: A Model of Care for Ireland. Dublin: HSE.). This reflects the collaborative efforts between the Liaison Faculty and the Irish Health Service Executive (HSE). This Model of Care, developed in collaboration with clinicians and patients, the College of Psychiatrists of Ireland, and the HSE, provides a potential template for future collaborations in the development and implementation of National Mental Health policy.

Exposure to certain parasites can occur when hosts encounter clumps of infective larvae during ingestion. Compared to more typical transmission pathways involving the cumulative penetration or ingestion of single larvae, clumped transmission can be expected to lead to complex and variable epidemiological patterns of infection within exposed hosts. We explored this idea in a spatiotemporal survey of wood ants (Formica spp.) infected with metacercariae of the host-manipulating trematode, Dicrocoelium dendriticum. Ant second intermediate hosts are exposed to clumps of cercariae during ingestion of ‘slimeballs’ that are released onto pasture by land snail first intermediate hosts. In a total sample of >650 ants collected during the host-manipulation phase when ants were attached to plants, metacercariae prevalence was 97% and mean intensity was 27 ± 25 (range in intensity = 1–168; variance:mean ratio = 23.1). None of the observed variation in mean metacercariae intensity could be attributed to year (2021, 2022), month (May to August), or nest. Although the recruitment of metacercariae into ants occurred within a narrow window of transmission each summer, the mixed-age structure of our ant samples likely limited our ability to detect seasonal patterns of mean intensity. The absence of significant spatiotemporal patterns in metacercariae intensity in samples of ants likely also reflects infrequent and variable rates of encounter with cercariae-containing slimeballs by individual ants.

Disasters significantly challenge societal resilience, individual psychological health, and sustainable development. This study aimed to culturally adapt the Disaster Adaptation and Resilience Scale (DARS) into Turkish and evaluate its psychometric properties for use in Türkiye. Participants (N = 335) aged 18 and older who had experienced a disaster in the past 5 years completed the Turkish version of the DARS following rigorous translation and expert review procedures. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses revealed a 5-factor structure: Problem-Solving, Optimism, Stress Management, Social Resources, and Physical Resources, accounting for 61.3% of the total variance. Internal consistency was high (Cronbach’s Alpha = 0.910), with subscale values ranging from 0.785 to 0.901. Test-retest reliability and discriminant validity were also established. The Turkish DARS is a valid and reliable tool for evaluating disaster-related adaptation and resilience. Its implementation supports sustainable mental health responses and community preparedness in disaster-prone regions.