The frontiers of participatory public engagement

Currently missing from critical literature on public engagement with academic research is a public-centric analysis of the wider contemporary context of developments in the field of public engagement and participation. Drawing on three differently useful strands of the existing theoretical literature on the public, this article compares a diverse sample of 100 participatory public engagement initiatives in order to first, analyse a selection of the myriad ways that the public is being constituted and supported across this contemporary field and second, identify what socio-cultural researchers might learn from these developments. Emerging from this research is a preliminary map of the field of public engagement and participation. This map highlights relationships and divergences that exist among diverse forms of practice and brings into clearer view a set of tensions between different contemporary approaches to public engagement and participation. Two ‘frontiers’ of participatory public engagement that socio-cultural researchers should attend are also identified. At the first, scholars need to be critical regarding the particular versions of the public that their preferred approach to engagement and participation supports and concerning how their specific identifications with the public relate to those being addressed across the wider field. At the second frontier, researchers need to consider the possibilities for political intervention that public engagement and participation practice could open out, both in the settings they are already working and also in the much broader, rapidly developing and increasingly complicated contemporary field of public engagement and participation that this article explores

Hepatitis B Sero-Prevalence and Risk Behaviors Among Immigrant Men in a Population-Based Household Survey in Low-Income Neighborhoods of Northern California

Background Despite an effective vaccine, 60,000 new HBV infections were reported in the US in 2004; 95% in adults. We evaluate HBV sero-prevalence, risk behaviors and self-reported vaccination among Latino immigrant, Asian immigrant and US born low income men in five northern California counties. Methods Population based, cross sectional survey of HBV sero-prevalence and risk behaviors in men aged 18 to 35 years. Results Among 1,512 men screened, Asian immigrants were most likely to have had prior HBV infection (15.1%) and chronic infection (3.8%) compared to US born (prior 5.1%, chronic 0.6%) and Latino immigrant men (prior 2.0%, chronic 0.3%.) Reported HBV vaccination was lowest for Latino immigrants (12%) compared to Asian immigrants and US born men (35% in both.) Latino immigrants reported less educational attainment, medical insurance coverage and access to a physician in the last six months. Discussion Healthcare providers should routinely screen Asian immigrants for HBV regardless of their self reported vaccination status. Latino immigrants may comprise an important group of under-vaccinated, at risk persons in California. HBV testing and vaccination of immigrants soon after US arrival should be encouraged

Recurrent Plasmodium falciparum Malaria Infections in Kenyan Children Diminish T-Cell Immunity to Epstein Barr Virus Lytic but Not Latent Antigens

Plasmodium falciparum malaria (Pf-malaria) and Epstein Barr Virus (EBV) infections coexist in children at risk for endemic Burkitt's lymphoma (eBL); yet studies have only glimpsed the cumulative effect of Pf-malaria on EBV-specific immunity. Using pooled EBV lytic and latent CD8+ T-cell epitope-peptides, IFN-γ ELISPOT responses were surveyed three times among children (10 months to 15 years) in Kenya from 2002–2004. Prevalence ratios (PR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated in association with Pf-malaria exposure, defined at the district-level (Kisumu: holoendemic; Nandi: hypoendemic) and the individual-level. We observed a 46% decrease in positive EBV lytic antigen IFN-γ responses among 5–9 year olds residing in Kisumu compared to Nandi (PR: 0.54; 95% CI: 0.30–0.99). Individual-level analysis in Kisumu revealed further impairment of EBV lytic antigen responses among 5–9 year olds consistently infected with Pf-malaria compared to those never infected. There were no observed district- or individual-level differences between Pf-malaria exposure and EBV latent antigen IFN-γ response. The gradual decrease of EBV lytic antigen but not latent antigen IFN-γ responses after primary infection suggests a specific loss in immunological control over the lytic cycle in children residing in malaria holoendemic areas, further refining our understanding of eBL etiology

Posthospitalization COVID-19 cognitive deficits at 1 year are global and associated with elevated brain injury markers and gray matter volume reduction

\ua9 The Author(s) 2024.The spectrum, pathophysiology and recovery trajectory of persistent post-COVID-19 cognitive deficits are unknown, limiting our ability to develop prevention and treatment strategies. We report the 1-year cognitive, serum biomarker and neuroimaging findings from a prospective, national study of cognition in 351 COVID-19 patients who required hospitalization, compared with 2,927 normative matched controls. Cognitive deficits were global, associated with elevated brain injury markers and reduced anterior cingulate cortex volume 1 year after COVID-19. Severity of the initial infective insult, postacute psychiatric symptoms and a history of encephalopathy were associated with the greatest deficits. There was strong concordance between subjective and objective cognitive deficits. Longitudinal follow-up in 106 patients demonstrated a trend toward recovery. Together, these findings support the hypothesis that brain injury in moderate to severe COVID-19 may be immune-mediated, and should guide the development of therapeutic strategies

In pursuit of P2X3 antagonists: novel therapeutics for chronic pain and afferent sensitization

Treating pain by inhibiting ATP activation of P2X3-containing receptors heralds an exciting new approach to pain management, and Afferent's program marks the vanguard in a new class of drugs poised to explore this approach to meet the significant unmet needs in pain management. P2X3 receptor subunits are expressed predominately and selectively in so-called C- and Aδ-fiber primary afferent neurons in most tissues and organ systems, including skin, joints, and hollow organs, suggesting a high degree of specificity to the pain sensing system in the human body. P2X3 antagonists block the activation of these fibers by ATP and stand to offer an alternative approach to the management of pain and discomfort. In addition, P2X3 is expressed pre-synaptically at central terminals of C-fiber afferent neurons, where ATP further sensitizes transmission of painful signals. As a result of the selectivity of the expression of P2X3, there is a lower likelihood of adverse effects in the brain, gastrointestinal, or cardiovascular tissues, effects which remain limiting factors for many existing pain therapeutics. In the periphery, ATP (the factor that triggers P2X3 receptor activation) can be released from various cells as a result of tissue inflammation, injury or stress, as well as visceral organ distension, and stimulate these local nociceptors. The P2X3 receptor rationale has aroused a formidable level of investigation producing many reports that clarify the potential role of ATP as a pain mediator, in chronic sensitized states in particular, and has piqued the interest of pharmaceutical companies. P2X receptor-mediated afferent activation has been implicated in inflammatory, visceral, and neuropathic pain states, as well as in airways hyperreactivity, migraine, itch, and cancer pain. It is well appreciated that oftentimes new mechanisms translate poorly from models into clinical efficacy and effectiveness; however, the breadth of activity seen from P2X3 inhibition in models offers a realistic chance that this novel mechanism to inhibit afferent nerve sensitization may find its place in the sun and bring some merciful relief to the torment of persistent discomfort and pain. The development philosophy at Afferent is to conduct proof of concept patient studies and best identify target patient groups that may benefit from this new intervention

Comprehensive reanalysis for CNVs in ES data from unsolved rare disease cases results in new diagnoses

\ua9 The Author(s) 2024.We report the results of a comprehensive copy number variant (CNV) reanalysis of 9171 exome sequencing datasets from 5757 families affected by a rare disease (RD). The data reanalysed was extremely heterogeneous, having been generated using 28 different enrichment kits by 42 different research groups across Europe partnering in the Solve-RD project. Each research group had previously undertaken their own analysis of the data but failed to identify disease-causing variants. We applied three CNV calling algorithms to maximise sensitivity, and rare CNVs overlapping genes of interest, provided by four partner European Reference Networks, were taken forward for interpretation by clinical experts. This reanalysis has resulted in a molecular diagnosis being provided to 51 families in this sample, with ClinCNV performing the best of the three algorithms. We also identified partially explanatory pathogenic CNVs in a further 34 individuals. This work illustrates the value of reanalysing ES cold cases for CNVs