Chinese humanitarian actors have worked frequently with the Chinese diaspora in disaster-affected areas, but little, if any, research has been conducted into the important role of the diaspora in disaster response and humanitarian assistance. This paper investigates what local knowledge the Chinese diaspora has offered to humanitarian actors from the People\'s Republic of China (PRC), and how this has contributed to their effectiveness. Based on a case study of the semi-autonomous Indonesian province of Aceh in the aftermath of the Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004, this paper argues that the diaspora can serve as a linchpin in local and international humanitarian action. It can do so by strengthening networks and bringing together local ethnic communities, local governments, and the PRC\'s humanitarian actors, while also offering local knowledge in the form of contextual memory. Such local knowledge may have to be fully utilised to address any underlying ethnic tensions in disaster-affected areas.
中国の人道支援活動家たちは、災害の影響を受けた地域で華僑と頻繁に協力してきたが、災害対応や人道支援における華僑の重要な役割についての研究はほとんど行われていない。この論文は、華僑が中華人民共和国の人道支援活動家たちにどのようなローカルナレッジを提供してきたのか、そしてそれがそれらの活動家の有効性にどのように貢献したかを問うものである。中国の人道支援に焦点を当てた研究は増えているが、被災地における華僑の存在や、それが果たしている役割についてはほとんど注目されていない。この論文では、2004 年の津波後のアチェの事例に基づいて、ネットワークを強化し、地元の民族コミュニティ、地方自治体、中国の人道活動主体を結びつけることによって、華僑が地元および国際的な人道活動の基軸として機能できると論じている。 また、文脈記憶の形でローカルナレッジも提供する。災害の影響を受けた地域の根底にある民族的緊張に対処するには、そのようなローカルナレッジを最大限に活用する必要があるかもしれない。.
中国人道主义行动者经常与受灾地区的华侨合作，但对于华侨在灾害应对和人道主义援助中的重要作用的研究却很少。本文探讨海外华侨向中华人民共和国的人道主义行动者提供了哪些本地知识，以及这些知识如何提高这些行动者的效力。越来越多的研究关注中国的人道主义援助，但灾区华侨的存在及其发挥的作用却很少受到关注。本文以 2004 年海啸过后的亚齐为例，指出侨民可以成为当地和国际人道主义行动的关键，通过加强网络，将当地族裔社区、当地政府和 PRC 人道主义行为者聚集在一起，同时以情境记忆的形式提供当地知识。必须充分利用这些当地知识来解决受灾地区潜在的种族紧张关系。.

Mexico has a population of 129 million and is considered one of the most unequal countries in the world, suffering from widespread health disparities. There is a pressing need to strengthen epidemiologic capacity in Mexico, to help solve the complex health problems the country faces and to reduce health inequities. However, the representation of Mexican epidemiologists in the largest epidemiologic society in North America is low, despite the short distance to the United States. In this commentary, we discuss the barriers to higher representation of Mexican epidemiologists within the Society for Epidemiologic Research (SER), including language barriers, costs, and regional necessities. We also discuss opportunities to expand Mexican SER representation and collaboration. Overall, we hope that this is a call towards expanding SER global participation and starting a conversation on a common agenda for epidemiologic research.

BACKGROUND: Premature coronary artery disease (CAD) is still prevalent worldwide and may differ in various ethnicities. Due to the presence of different ethnicities in Iran, the Iran-premature coronary artery disease (I-PAD) study aimed to determine the frequency of premature CAD and related risk factors based on each ethnicity.
METHODS: In this multi-center case-control study, 4000 patients with premature CAD from ten different ethnicities who lived in different cities of Iran and underwent coronary angiography were enrolled (women aged ≤ 70 and men ≤ 60 years). Patients with CAD defined as obstruction equal or above 75% in at least a single coronary artery or left main ≥ 50% were included in the case group, while patients with normal coronary arteries were included in the control group. Lifestyle behaviors, cardiometabolic risk factors, anthropometric measurements, and other variables were collected. Serum, whole blood, buffy coat, plasma, urine, stool, and saliva samples were stored.
RESULTS: The number of patients enrolled until April 2020 was 2071. The mean age of patients was 53.51 ± 7.52 and 934 (45.09%) of patients were women. To date, about 39.6% of the patients were normal. Also, about 26.0% were with one-vessel disease (1VD), 15.0% with two-vessel disease (2VD), and 15.2% with three-vessel disease (3VD). More than 30000 patients\' biosamples from across the country have been stored.
CONCLUSIONS: Knowing the frequency of premature CAD according to different ethnicities with major differences in their lifestyle behaviors and risk factors can assist health decision-makers. In addition, I-PAD biosamples will be an invaluable source.

BACKGROUND: Classic Kaposi sarcoma (CKS) is a vascular sarcoma associated with human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8), which is known to be more common in Mediterranean elderly men and is characterized by indolent clinical behavior. Xinjiang province in China is considered an endemic region for Kaposi\'s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV), with higher incidence among adults of Kazak and Uyghur ethnicities. Cases of CKS are rarely reported in inland China. Here, we followed a case of CKS for 7 years in a patient of Miao ethnic background in southwestern China.
METHODS: A 63-year-old Miao (southwestern China) man was initially diagnosed with CKS in 2010, having a history of limb lesions for 37 years, with left eyelid and binaural lesions for 9 years. He did not have sexual contact with men and was human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-negative. Due to his lumbago and fever, spinal tuberculosis in the lumbar vertebra was highly suspected after computed tomography (CT) scan. However, diagnostic antituberculosis treatment for 4 weeks failed. The patient was followed up in 2016, when the rash was recovering as the systemic symptoms improved. A new CT was performed, which showed a partial response despite the absence of any medical treatment. The open reading frame (ORF)-K1 of KSHV from skin tissue of the foot was amplified and sequenced, and K1 belonged to subtype A. This genotype is consistent with the typical subtype present in Xinjiang.
CONCLUSIONS: We describe spontaneous partial regression of CKS in a patient of Miao ethnicity in inland China. Our sample may represent an unknown, novel genotype. Surveillance and regulating the immune state may represent a valuable approach for this rare disease.

Orofacial clefts (OFC) have multifactorial aetiology. Established risk factors explain a small proportion of cases.
To evaluate OFC risk by maternal rural residence and race/ethnicity, and test whether these associations changed after US-mandated folic acid fortification.
This population-based case-control study included all non-syndromic OFC cases among Washington State singleton livebirths between 1989-2014 and birth year-matched controls. Data sources included birth certificates and hospital records. Logistic regression estimated odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for OFC by maternal rural-urban residence (adjusted for maternal race/ethnicity) and by maternal race/ethnicity. We evaluated additive and multiplicative effect measure modification by time of folic acid fortification (before vs. after). Probabilistic quantitative bias analysis accounted for potential differential case ascertainment for infants born to Black mothers.
The overall non-syndromic OFC birth prevalence was 1.0 per 1000 livebirths (n = 2136 cases). Among controls (n = 25 826), 76% of mothers were urban residents and 72% were of White race/ethnicity. OFC risk was slightly higher for infants born to rural than to urban mothers, adjusting for race/ethnicity (OR 1.12, 95% CI 1.01, 1.25). The association was similar before and after US-mandated folic acid fortification. Compared with infants born to White mothers, OFC risk was higher for American Indian mothers (OR 1.73, 95% CI 1.35, 2.23) and lower for Black (OR 0.62, 95% CI 0.48, 0.81), Hispanic (OR 0.75, 95% CI 0.64, 0.87), and Asian/Pacific Islander (API) mothers (OR 0.87, 95% CI 0.74, 1.02). Bias analysis suggests the observed difference for Black mothers may be explained by selection bias. Post-fortification, the association of OFC with maternal API race/ethnicity decreased and with maternal Black race/ethnicity increased relative to maternal White race/ethnicity.
Infants born to rural mothers and to American Indian mothers in Washington State during 1989-2014 were at higher OFC risk before and after US-mandated folic acid fortification.

BACKGROUND: Ethnic minorities are underrepresented in health sciences programs in various nations. Furthermore, there is no known research studying the occurrence of physical inactivity (PI) and insufficient sleep (IS), and their effects on academic achievement (AA) in ethnic minority students (EMS) in higher education.
OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is to explore the occurrence of PI and IS, and their independent and mixed effects on AA in EMS of a dental school.
METHODS: Thirty EMS and sixty non-EMSs were matched (1:2) in this case-control study. It was utilized as an administrative dataset that stores register related to the students. Moreover, the grade point average was considered an indicator of AA. Logistic regressions models were run, expressed in odds ratios, complemented by confidence intervals (CIs) of 95%.
RESULTS: A total of 73% and 60% EMS were PI and slept insufficiently, respectively. The groups presented statistically significant differences (P < 0.0001) in physical activity, sleep, and AA, with inferior values for EMS. All unadjusted models showed that PS, IS, and low AA were strongly associated with EMS, demonstrating their independent effect. After controlling for PI and IS, the multivariate model for AA and EMS increased odds by 6.5 times (95%CI: 1.8-23;), indicating that EMS is strongly associated with low AA. Besides, PI and IS were also statistically significant higher (< 0.0001) in the model, demonstrating their mixed effect.
CONCLUSIONS: This study found a higher occurrence of PI and IS in EMS. Besides, independent and mixed effects of these variables on low AA in EMS were very significant.

An increasing number of studies have observed that ignoring individual exposures to non-residential environments in people\'s daily life may result in misleading findings in research on environmental exposure. This issue was recognized as the neighborhood effect averaging problem (NEAP). This study examines ethnic segregation and exposure through the perspective of NEAP. Focusing on Xining, China, it compares the Hui ethnic minorities and the Han majorities. Using 2010 census data and activity diary data collected in 2013, the study found that NEAP exists when examining ethnic exposure. Respondents who live in highly mixed neighborhoods (with high exposures to the other ethnic group) experience lower activity-space exposures because they tend to conduct their daily activities in ethnically less mixed areas outside their home neighborhoods (which are more segregated). By contrast, respondents who live in highly segregated neighborhoods (with low exposures to the other ethnic group) tend to have higher exposures in their activity locations outside their home neighborhoods (which are less segregated). Therefore, taking into account individuals\' daily activities in non-residential contexts in the assessment of environmental exposure will likely lead to an overall tendency towards the mean exposure. Using Tobit models, we further found that specific types of activity places, especially workplaces and parks, contribute to NEAP. Ignoring individual exposures in people\'s activity places will most likely result in misleading findings in the measurement of environmental exposure, including ethnic exposure.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the association between IL-1β and IL-1α isoforms with chronic periodontitis in two Kenyan ethnic groups, Taitas and Swahilis.
METHODS: A case-control study in which participants were assessed for dental plaque, gingival inflammation, pocket depth and gingival recession after informed consent. Buccal swab samples were obtained and deoxyribonucleic acid was isolated from the swabs using QIAamp DNA purification protocol followed by polymerase chain reaction amplification using specific primers to IL-1 α rs1800587 (-889) and rs17561 (+4845) and IL-1β (rs16944 (-511) and rs11443624 (+3954). Restriction fragment length polymorphisms were recorded and association with clinical data was assessed.
RESULTS: Three hundred and ninety participants were recruited; four loci (-511, -889, +3953 and +4845) were analyzed per subject, equivalent to 1560 analysis events. No deviation from Hardy Weinberg equilibrium 1df was observed. Frequency of allele 2 at IL-1β +3954 was associated with chronic periodontitis in Taitas (OR = 1.94, 95% CI = 1.01 - 3.70, p = 0.045), whereas frequency of allele 1 at IL-1α -889 was associated with chronic periodontitis in Swahilis (OR = 3.16, 95% CI = 1.644 - 6.083, p less than 0.001). Allele 1 at locus IL-1α -889 was also associated with mild, (OR = 5.2, 95% CI = 1.445 - 18.71, p = 0.005), moderate (OR = 4.51, 95% CI = 2.08 - 9.79, p less than 0.001) and severe disease (OR = 2.19, 95% CI = 1.013 - 4.738, p = 0.042) in Swahilis. Haplotype 3 (allele 1 at all four loci) was significantly associated with chronic periodontitis in Taitas (OR = 2.4, 95% CI = 1.1 - 5.14, p = 0.022) and Swahilis (OR = 4.2, 95%CI = 1.35 - 13.3, p = 0.008).
CONCLUSIONS: This study has shown that in the African population of Bantu origin, the two polymorphisms associated with chronic periodontitis are IL-1β +3954 in Taitas and IL-1α-889 in Swahilis. Additionally, haplotype 3 was associated with chronic periodontitis in both ethnic groups.

BACKGROUND: There is evidence of a greater incidence of stroke in native populations and minorities. A total of 34% of the population in the Araucanía Region is indigenous. The association between Mapuche ethnicity and stroke is unknown. The aim of the study was to estimate the magnitude of the association between Mapuche ethnicity and stroke occurrence in patients admitted to the Dr. Hernán Henríquez Aravena Hospital (HHHA) in Temuco, Chile.
METHODS: We performed an incident case-control-paired study with patients hospitalized with an acute stroke in the internal medicine service and controls from other medical services at the HHHA. One control was selected for each case, matched by gender and age (±5 years).
RESULTS: A total of 104 nonconsecutive cases of stroke were included. The proportion of Mapuche individuals was similar between cases and controls (27.9% and 32.7%, respectively, P = .45). Hypertension and overweight-obesity were associated with stroke. Low socioeconomic status, rurality, diabetes, and smoking were associated with Mapuche ethnicity. In the conditional logistic regression model, Mapuche ethnicity was not associated with stroke. The odds ratio was .75 (P = .47, 95% confidence intervals: .35-1.62).
CONCLUSIONS: There is no statistically significant evidence in the study to support the hypothesis of an association between Mapuche ethnicity and stroke. None of the control variables modified the effect of ethnicity on stroke.

Professional organizations and government guidelines recommend cultural competence training for providers, but the lack of a standardized cultural assessment has hindered research. Studies with the DSM-5 Cultural Formulation Interview (CFI) suggest that active learning during training improves perceptions of the CFI\'s usefulness as a cultural competence tool. This column reports demographic characteristics and evaluation scores among 423 providers who completed an online CFI training module developed through the New York State Office of Mental Health. Both the module, which uses the principle of active learning, and the CFI were associated with strong favorability ratings.