Background Understanding root canal anatomy variations, particularly C-shaped canals, is crucial for successful endodontic treatment. This study used clinical and radiographic methods to assess the prevalence and characteristics of C-shaped canals in mandibular second molars in Western Maharashtra. Materials and methods This prospective study was conducted in the western region of Maharashtra, India. The samples included patients requiring endodontic treatment for mandibular second molars. Clinical evaluation was conducted using a surgical endodontic microscope and cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) imaging. Inclusion and exclusion criteria ensured the selection of a focused and homogeneous sample. Data analysis included assessment of unilateral/bilateral occurrence, canal distribution, and cross-sectional characteristics. Results Out of 200 mandibular second molars, 7.5% exhibited C-shaped root canals, with no significant gender differences. Canal distribution varied across coronal, middle, and apical levels, with prevalent configurations being C1, C2, C3, and C4. No significant differences were observed in canal distribution based on root levels. No significant gender differences were found in the presence of grooves on the root surfaces. Conclusion This study provides valuable insights into the prevalence and characteristics of C-shaped canals in mandibular second molars in Western Maharashtra. Further research into histological and genetic aspects can enhance our understanding, leading to improved treatment strategies for complex root canal anatomy variations.

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.

OBJECTIVE: The BRCA1/2 mutation status testing is the global standard of care for breast cancer patients with a family history of cancer. BRCA1/2 mutations are known to be ethno-specific. For some ethnic groups of the Northern Asia (Buryats, Yakuts, Altaians, Tuvans, Khakasses, etc.) the founder mutations in the BRCA1/2 genes have not been revealed. This systematic review was conducted to assess the prevalence of BRCA1/2 mutation in breast cancer patients inhabiting Eastern Europe and Northern Asia (or Siberia).
METHODS: A total of 23,561 studies published between 2014 and 2024 were analyzed, of which 55 were included in the review. The literature search was conducted using RusMed, Cyberleninka, Google Scholar, eLibrary, NCBI databases (n=5) and conference papers.
RESULTS: The founder mutations (c.5266dupC and/or c.181T>G) of BRCA1 gene that were frequently observed in the Slav peoples were also identified in Chechens, Armenians, Bashkirs, Ukrainians, Mordovians, Mari, Kabardians, Tatars, Uzbeks, Kyrgyz, Ossetians, Khanty indigenous peoples and Adygs. For Chechens, Kabardians, Ingush, Buryats, Khakasses, Sakha, Tuvans and Armenians, rare pathogenic variants of the BRCA1/2, ATM, СНЕК2, BRIP1, NBN, PTEN, TP53, PMS1, XPA, LGR4, BRWD1 and PALB2 genes were found. No data are available about the frequency of pathogenic BRCA1/2 mutations for ethnic groups, such as the Udmurts, Komi, Tajiks, Tabasarans, and Nogais indigenous people.
CONCLUSIONS: This is the first systematic review that provides the spectrum of BRCA mutations in ethnic groups of breast cancer patients inhabiting Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It has been shown that the mutations are ethnospecific (varied widely within groups) and not all groups are equally well studied. Further studies on the ethnic specificity of BRCA gene mutations are required.

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。.

UNASSIGNED: Culture and eating habits, which vary greatly across different ethnic groups, have a substantial impact on drinking behavior. This study aimed to examine whether the drinking patterns and reasons differ by ethnic groups, and provide useful insights for multi-ethnic areas that seek to cut down alcohol intake.
UNASSIGNED: We recruited excessive drinkers and collected the drinking patterns and motivations by questionnaire in a multi-ethnic society. Multiple linear regressions were used to evaluate the variations in drinking characteristics among different ethnic groups.
UNASSIGNED: We recruited 1287 participants through convenience sampling (a non-probability sampling technique used in research where the researcher selects participants or units for a study based on their accessibility and proximity), among whom 439 excessive drinkers were eligible. The mean age was 38 years for the 439 participants, 92.9% were men, 36.0% were Han, and 64.0% were minorities mainly composed of the Yi. The majority of the participants were married (75.9%) and did physical work (58.1%). Ethnic minorities consumed more alcohol on a single occasion than Han people did (47.3 vs 41.8g/session) while drinking less frequently. For the minority and Han participants, 67% and 42% were not used to drinking with food, respectively. Peer pressure and fostering a good atmosphere were the most common drinking reasons for the minority and Han, respectively.
UNASSIGNED: We found substantial differences in drinking patterns and reasons between ethnic minorities and Han ethnicity, attributable to their culture and customs. Findings highlight the importance of drinking habits and motivations in exploring alcohol control education strategies in the context of ethnic integration and population immigration.

Point of care tools to assess advanced liver fibrosis, including the NFS, BARD, FIB-4, and APRI, are of major interest due to their non-invasive nature. However, these tools have not been investigated extensively in the Latina population. Given that the highest rate of NAFLD in Latinos and the most severe presentation of NAFLD is more common in women, we hypothesize that ethnicity may play a role in predicting liver fibrosis, particularly in women.We determined whether ethnicity alone or in association with other parameters can predict the severity of fibrosis in women with NAFLD when included in four tools. We retrospectively included 562 Latina and 133 White Caucasian women with history of NAFLD. Associations between ethnicity and liver fibrosis severity using the four cirrhosis predictor models were studied using backward selection multinomial logistic regression.Latina women compared to White showed lower BMI (p<0.001), higher HbA1c (p<0.001), lower prevalence of bariatric surgery (p<0.001), lower likelihood to smoke (p=0.003), and higher prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) stages 3-5 (p=0.01). Some clinical variables were associated with fibrosis but not univocally in each tool. We did not find differences in the outcome of the four models when holding all other factors and examining ethnicity alone between Latina and White women.Although we did not include data on liver histology, this is the first study examining the role of ethnicity in predicting severity of fibrosis using established non-invasive scores and documenting no association between Latina ethnicity and severity of fibrosis in women with NAFLD.

BACKGROUND: The influence of socioeconomic disparities and multidimensional stressors on youth tobacco and marijuana use is recognized; however, the extent of these effects varies among different racial groups. Understanding the racial differences in the factors influencing substance use is crucial for developing tailored interventions aimed at reducing disparities in tobacco and marijuana use among adolescents.
OBJECTIVE: This study aims to explore the differential effects of socioeconomic disparities and multidimensional stressors on tobacco and marijuana use between Black and White adolescents.
METHODS: Utilizing longitudinal data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study, this research includes a cohort of pre-youth, monitored from the age of 9-10 years for a period of up to 36 months. We examined the impact of various socioeconomic status (SES) indicators and multidimensional stressors, including trauma, financial stress, racial discrimination, and family stress, alongside baseline average cortical thickness and the subsequent initiation of tobacco and marijuana use over the 36-month follow-up.
RESULTS: Overall, 10,777 participants entered our analysis. This included 8263 White and 2514 Black youth. Our findings indicate significant differences in the pathways from SES indicators through stress types to cortical thickness between Black and White youths. Notably, cortical thickness\'s impact on the future initiation of tobacco and marijuana use was present in both groups.
CONCLUSIONS: The study suggests that compared to White adolescents, Black adolescents\' substance use and associated cortical thickness are less influenced by stress and SES indicators. This discrepancy may be attributed to the compounded effects of racism, where psychosocial mechanisms might be more diminished for Black youth than White youth. These findings support the theory of Minorities\' Diminished Returns rather than the cumulative disadvantage or double jeopardy hypothesis, highlighting the need for interventions that address the unique challenges faced by Black adolescents.

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.

(1) Current literature on ethnic minorities, comorbidities, and COVID-19 tends to investigate these factors separately, leaving gaps in our understanding about their interactions. Our review seeks to identify a relationship between ethnicity, comorbidities, and severe COVID-19 outcomes (ICU admission and mortality). We hope to enhance our understanding of the various factors that exacerbate COVID-19 severity and mortality in ethnic minorities in Canada and the USA. (2) All articles were received from PubMed, Scopus, CINAHL, and Ovid EMBASE from November 2020 to June 2022. Included articles contain information regarding comorbidities among ethnic minorities in relation to COVID-19 severity and mortality. (3) A total of 59 articles were included that examined various ethnic groups, including Black/African American, Asian, Hispanic, White/Caucasian, and Indigenous people. We found that the most examined comorbidities were diabetes, hypertension, obesity, and chronic kidney disease. A total of 76.9% of the articles (40 out of 52) found a significant association between different races and COVID-19 mortality, whereas 21.2% of the articles (11 out of 52) did not. (4) COVID-19 ICU admissions and mortality affect various ethnic groups differently, with Black patients generally having the most adverse outcomes. These outcomes may also interact with sex and age, though more research is needed assessing these variables together with ethnicity.