OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to determine adherence with follow-up from the New Zealand pre-school vision screening programme. The study also examined associations between pre-school vision screening outcomes and cognitive measures assessed at the 54-month follow-up in the Growing Up in New Zealand study cohort.
METHODS: A cross-sectional retrospective record review of pre-school vision screening outcomes and hospital ophthalmology records with linkage to Growing Up in New Zealand cohort study data.
RESULTS: Of 176 children referred from vision screening, 21.6% did not attend a referral appointment. Of 138 children who attended a referral appointment, 21.0% did not attend one or more follow-up appointments. Ethnic differences were observed in attendance at referral appointments (attended Māori 13%, Pacific 22.5%, European/Other 64.5%; not attended Māori 26.3%, Pacific 28.9%, European/Other 44.7%; P = 0.04) and follow-up appointments (attended Māori 11.9%, Pacific 15.6%, European/Other 72.5%; not attended Māori 17.2%, Pacific 48.3%, European/Other 34.5%; P = 0.001). Vision screening outcome was significantly associated with letter naming fluency scores (P = 0.01) but not name and numbers scores (P = 0.05).
CONCLUSIONS: Non-attendance at referral and follow-up appointments limits the efficacy of vision screening, particularly for children of Māori and Pacific ethnicity. Children referred from vision screening achieve lower scores on letter naming fluency, a key predictor of reading ability in later childhood. Equity-based improvements are required to ensure that all children referred from vision screening receive appropriate follow-up eye care.

Whole exome sequencing of peripheral blood samples from Tuvan females diagnosed with breast and ovarian cancers (BC/OC) was performed to search for new genes involved in BC/OC pathogenesis. Considering the high cost of whole exome sequencing and study material requirements, 9 samples were selected from 61 genomic DNA samples. A mutation in the LGR4 gene (rs34804482) involved in the tumor-mediated Wnt signaling pathway and a mutation in the BRWD1 gene (rs147211854) involved in chromatin remodeling were identified in BC patients. A mutation in the CITED2 gene (rs77963348) involved in the pathogenesis of primary ovarian insufficiency was identified in a patient with OC and a history of infertility. A mutation in the PDGFRA gene (rs2291591) was identified in two BC/OC patients. LRG4, BRWD1, PDGFRA, and CITED2 germline pathogenic mutations were discovered in Tuvan women diagnosed with BC/OC for the first time.

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。.

BACKGROUND: Occupational classes exert substantial effects on both subjective and objective health outcomes. However, it remains unclear whether the health impact of similar occupational classes varies across racial groups among middle-aged and older adults in the United States.
OBJECTIVE: Grounded in the theory of Minorities\' Diminished Returns (MDRs), which posits that health benefits from resources such as employment are systematically weaker for racial minority populations, particularly Non-Latino Black individuals, this study tested Black-White disparities in the effects of similar occupational classes on health outcomes in middle-aged and older adults.
METHODS: Utilizing data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), we employed a 30-year longitudinal design with a nationally representative sample of middle-aged and older adults in the United States. Six occupational classes-operator, managerial, professional specialty, sales, clerical/admin, and service-served as the key predictor variables (independent variables), with race as the moderator. Various health outcomes, including self-rated health, chronic disease, body mass index (BMI), activities of daily living (ADL), and cognitive function, were measured longitudinally from wave 1 to wave 15 (from baseline to 30 years later). Statistical analyses, incorporating logistic regression models, were conducted to assess associations between occupational class and health outcomes overall and based on race.
RESULTS: Our analysis included 7538 Non-Latino White or Non-Latino Black participants followed for up to 30 years. Initial findings revealed positive health effects of professional occupations on cognitive function and self-rated health over 30 years of follow-uWe also identified significant interactions between race and professional occupational class on all health outcomes, indicating notable racial differences in the effects of professional occupations on health outcomes across domains. The effects of professional occupational class were weaker for Non-Latino Black individuals than for Non-Latino White individuals.
CONCLUSIONS: Consistent with the Minorities\' Diminished Returns theory, our findings indicated less pronounced positive effects of professional occupations on a wide range of health outcomes for Non-Latino Black individuals compared to Non-Latino Whites. These disparities emphasize the critical need to address structural factors that contribute to the diminished returns of prestigious occupations for Non-Latino Black populations.

BACKGROUND: Ethnic discrimination is acknowledged as a social determinant of health for Indigenous populations worldwide. This study aimed to investigate embodiment of perceived ethnic discrimination among the Sámi population in Sweden.
METHODS: A population-based health study was conducted among the Sámi population aged 18-84 years in 2021. Perceived discrimination was assessed by three variables: exposure to threat, humiliation treatment and ethnic discrimination. To capture current physical health, complaints of headache, back pain, stomach pain, sleeping problems, dizziness and tiredness were used. An overall somatic complaints score was created by summing up the six individual symptoms. The magnitude of the association between the independent variables and the outcomes was summarised with the β coefficients and prevalence ratios using 95% credible intervals (95% CrI) for inferential purposes.
RESULTS: Overall, 4.3% reported to have been exposed to threat, 26.1% to humiliation and 11.2% and 32.3% to ethnic discrimination in the last 12 months and beyond 12 months, respectively. After mutual adjustment, threat (β=1.25; 95% CrI=0.88 to 1.60), humiliation (β=1.29; 95% CrI: 1.14 to 1.44) and the two categories of discrimination (β=0.92; 95% CI: 0.64 to 1.21 in the last 12 months and β=0.68; 95% CI: 0.54 to 0.83 beyond) remained significantly associated to the overall somatic complaints score. Similar results were found for individual complaints.
CONCLUSIONS: This study has shown a strong relationship between different expressions of perceived ethnic discrimination and a series of somatic complaints among the Sámi in Sweden. Efforts to alleviate interpersonal and institutional discrimination against the Sámi would contribute to improve their health.

BACKGROUND: When conducting a forensic investigation, one of the most important steps is establishing the biological profile of a victim who cannot be positively recognized or is just a skeleton. It has been shown that, among the other clinical indicators, the diameters of dental crowns are a good and dependable source for determining gender in a particular population sample. However, the literature is sparse regarding their assessment as a viable marker for the determination of a particular race. In addition, the need for population-specific data has also been advocated while determining gender dimorphism based on tooth size.
OBJECTIVE: To study the bisexual variation in the permanent dentition of individuals from three different sets of populations: Arabian, South Asian, and East Asian. The other objective is to explore the role of this odontometric analysis in predicting the racial identity of the subjects belonging to the aforementioned population.
METHODS: The research was conducted at the College of Dentistry, AlJouf University in Sakaka. Measurements of mesiodistal and buccolingual (BL) distances were taken using a digital vernier caliper on a total of 75 pairs of research models or casts. Statistical tests were run on the information gathered.
RESULTS: Of the 75 casts, 38 (50.7%) were of male and 37 (49.3%) were of female. Our analysis showed between genders, a significant difference in maxillary central incisor (P = 0.001), first premolar (P = 0.01), and first molar (P = 0.02) while for a mandibular arch, a significant difference was noted for incisors (P = 0.002) with greater tooth dimension in male than in the female. Concerning the BL dimensions, only the mandibular canine showed a significant difference between males and females (P = 0.001). Comparisons of the crown dimensions between population groups showed that the Arabian population consistently exhibits larger tooth dimensions than the other two populations in both arches.
CONCLUSIONS: A few crown dimensions can be used as an adjunctive tool for the identification of the gender and race of an individual.

The English Diabetic Eye Screening Programme (DESP) offers people living with diabetes (PLD) annual eye screening. We examined incidence and determinants of sight-threatening diabetic retinopathy (STDR) in a sociodemographically diverse multi-ethnic population.
North East London DESP cohort data (January 2012 to December 2021) with 137 591 PLD with no retinopathy, or non-STDR at baseline in one/both eyes, were used to calculate STDR incidence rates by sociodemographic factors, diabetes type, and duration. HR from Cox models examined associations with STDR.
There were 16 388 incident STDR cases over a median of 5.4 years (IQR 2.8-8.2; STDR rate 2.214, 95% CI 2.214 to 2.215 per 100 person-years). People with no retinopathy at baseline had a lower risk of sight-threatening diabetic retinopathy (STDR) compared with those with non-STDR in one eye (HR 3.03, 95% CI 2.91 to 3.15, p<0.001) and both eyes (HR 7.88, 95% CI 7.59 to 8.18, p<0.001). Black and South Asian individuals had higher STDR hazards than white individuals (HR 1.57, 95% CI 1.50 to 1.64 and HR 1.36, 95% CI 1.31 to 1.42, respectively). Additionally, every 5-year increase in age at inclusion was associated with an 8% reduction in STDR hazards (p<0.001).
Ethnic disparities exist in a health system limited by capacity rather than patient economic circumstances. Diabetic retinopathy at first screen is a strong determinant of STDR development. By using basic demographic characteristics, screening programmes or clinical practices can stratify risk for sight-threatening diabetic retinopathy development.

The social determinants of ethnic disparities in risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection during the first wave of the pandemic in the UK remain unclear.
In May 2020, a total of 20 195 adults were recruited from the general population into the UK Biobank SARS-CoV-2 Serology Study. Between mid-May and mid-November 2020, participants provided monthly blood samples. At the end of the study, participants completed a questionnaire on social factors during different periods of the pandemic. Logistic regression yielded ORs for the association between ethnicity and SARS-CoV-2 immunoglobulin G antibodies (indicating prior infection) using blood samples collected in July 2020, immediately after the first wave.
After exclusions, 14 571 participants (mean age 56; 58% women) returned a blood sample in July, of whom 997 (7%) had SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. Seropositivity was strongly related to ethnicity: compared with those of White ethnicity, ORs (adjusted for age and sex) for Black, South Asian, Chinese, Mixed and Other ethnic groups were 2.66 (95% CI 1.94-3.60), 1.66 (1.15-2.34), 0.99 (0.42-1.99), 1.42 (1.03-1.91) and 1.79 (1.27-2.47), respectively. Additional adjustment for social factors reduced the overall likelihood ratio statistics for ethnicity by two-thirds (67%; mostly from occupational factors and UK region of residence); more precise measurement of social factors may have further reduced the association.
This study identifies social factors that are likely to account for much of the ethnic disparities in SARS-CoV-2 infection during the first wave in the UK, and highlights the particular relevance of occupation and residential region in the pathway between ethnicity and SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Studies have shown that, compared with the general native population, immigrants display weaker or absent income gradients in mortality. The aim of this study is to examine the extent to which the income gradient is modified by immigrants\' duration of residence in Sweden.
Swedish register data from 2004 to 2016 were used to study the association between individual income and all-cause mortality among foreign-born and Swedish-born individuals at ages 25-64 years. Based on relative indices of inequality (RIIs) and slope indices of inequality (SIIs) derived from Poisson regressions, we measured relative and absolute mortality differentials between the least and most advantaged income ranks. The analyses were stratified by sex, immigrants\' European or non-European origin, and immigrants\' duration of residence in Sweden.
The relative income inequality in mortality among immigrant men was less than half (RII: 2.32; 95% CI: 2.15 to 2.50) than that of Swedish-born men (RII: 6.25; 95% CI: 6.06 to 6.44). The corresponding RII among immigrant women was 1.23 (95% CI: 1.13 to 1.34) compared with an RII of 2.75 (95% CI: 2.65 to 2.86) among Swedish-born women. Inequalities in mortality were lowest among immigrants who resided for less than 10 years in Sweden, and most pronounced among immigrants who resided for more than 20 years in the country. Corresponding analyses of absolute income inequalities in mortality based on the SII were largely consistent with the observed relative inequalities in mortality.
Income inequalities in mortality among immigrants differ by duration of residence in Sweden, suggesting that health inequalities develop in the receiving context.

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is highly transmissible between human beings. We examined differences in the core families with COVID-19 severity and mortality and comorbidities between Arab and Jews and explored the factors associated with COVID-19 severity and mortality to find a genetic component. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 2240 COVID-19 patients (> 18 years of age) randomly selected by online panels and questionnaires in the native language (Hebrew or Arabic) during March 2021-June 2022. Multivariable linear regression models were used to assess correlations with COVID-19 disease severity and mortality. Overall, 1549 (69%) were Arabs and 691 (31%) were Jews. The proportion of participants who died from COVID-19 was higher among Arabs compared with Jews (66% vs. 59%), P < 0.001. The mean number of deaths from COVID-19 and patients with severe COVID-19 was higher in ultra-Orthodox Jewish, non-academic core families and those who lived in the city residence compared with secular, academic core families and who live in the village residence, P < 0.001. A multivariable linear regression model showed a significant association between metabolic, kidney, cardiovascular, and respiratory diseases with COVID-19 severity (B coefficient - 0.43, B coefficient - 0.53, B coefficient - 0.53, B coefficient - 0.42, respectively) and COVID-19 mortality (B coefficient - 0.51, B coefficient - 0.64, B coefficient - 0.67, B coefficient - 0.34, respectively), P < 0.001. COVID-19 severity and mortality were highly associated with comorbidities, ethnicity, social and environmental factors. Furthermore, we believe that genetic factors also contribute to the increase in COVID-19 severity and mortality and the differences rates of these between Arabs and Jews in Israel.