Mental health care for irregular migrants in Europe: Barriers and how they are overcome

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited

Medicine is patriarchal, but alternative medicine is not the answer

Women are over-represented within alternative medicine, both as consumers and as service providers. In this paper, I show that the appeal of alternative medicine to women relates to the neglect of women’s health needs within scientific medicine. This is concerning because alternative medicine is severely limited in its therapeutic effects; therefore, those who choose alternative therapies are liable to experience inadequate healthcare. I argue that while many patients seek greater autonomy in alternative medicine, the absence of an evidence base and plausible mechanisms of action leaves patients unable to realize meaningful autonomy. This seems morally troubling, especially given that the neglect of women’s needs within scientific medicine seems to contribute to preferences for alternative medicine. I conclude that the liberatory credentials of alternative medicine should be questioned and make recommendations to render scientific medicine better able to meet the needs of typical alternative medicine consumers

EVpedia: a community web portal for extracellular vesicles research

Motivation: Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are spherical bilayered proteolipids, harboring various bioactive molecules. Due to the complexity of the vesicular nomenclatures and components, online searches for EV-related publications and vesicular components are currently challenging. Results: We present an improved version of EVpedia, a public database for EVs research. This community web portal contains a database of publications and vesicular components, identification of orthologous vesicular components, bioinformatic tools and a personalized function. EVpedia includes 6879 publications, 172 080 vesicular components from 263 high-throughput datasets, and has been accessed more than 65 000 times from more than 750 cities. In addition, about 350 members from 73 international research groups have participated in developing EVpedia. This free web-based database might serve as a useful resource to stimulate the emerging field of EV research.X1110478Ysciescopu

New genetic loci link adipose and insulin biology to body fat distribution.

Body fat distribution is a heritable trait and a well-established predictor of adverse metabolic outcomes, independent of overall adiposity. To increase our understanding of the genetic basis of body fat distribution and its molecular links to cardiometabolic traits, here we conduct genome-wide association meta-analyses of traits related to waist and hip circumferences in up to 224,459 individuals. We identify 49 loci (33 new) associated with waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for body mass index (BMI), and an additional 19 loci newly associated with related waist and hip circumference measures (P < 5 × 10(-8)). In total, 20 of the 49 waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for BMI loci show significant sexual dimorphism, 19 of which display a stronger effect in women. The identified loci were enriched for genes expressed in adipose tissue and for putative regulatory elements in adipocytes. Pathway analyses implicated adipogenesis, angiogenesis, transcriptional regulation and insulin resistance as processes affecting fat distribution, providing insight into potential pathophysiological mechanisms

Adverse health outcomes among migrant workers and transnational families in the Asia–Pacific: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background Labour migration is a growing global phenomenon, with migrant workers known to be more likely to experience exploitative and precarious work, impacting their health. Despite hosting over 27 million international migrant workers, the Asia–Pacific region remains underrepresented in global health evidence, limiting the development of targeted, region-specific health interventions. This study aims to investigate the health status of migrant workers and their transnational families in the Asia–Pacific region. Methods We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis (PROSPERO: CRD42024528561) of primary studies published between Jan 1, 2013, and April 1, 2024. We searched MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, and Ovid Global Health for studies reporting work-related morbidity and mortality among international migrant workers and their transnational families in the Asia–Pacific region. A narrative synthesis identified occupational risks; a meta-analysis estimated pooled prevalence of morbidity among migrant workers and relative risks compared to local workers. Findings Of 2877 studies identified, 54 met inclusion criteria, including 38 eligible for meta-analysis, encompassing 86,620 individuals across 17 Asia–Pacific countries. Among migrant workers (n = 64,172), 88.4% experienced occupational injuries and illnesses including work-related injuries, pesticide poisoning symptoms and respiratory diseases (n = 45,661), with 75% of migrant workers in this large dataset working in high-risk sectors such as manufacturing, construction, and services (including drivers and restaurant workers). 3.8% reported symptoms of mental health disorders such as anxiety and depression (n = 1975), and 3.8% had musculoskeletal disorders (n = 1973). The pooled prevalence of at least one work-related morbidity was 37% (95% CI: 27–47; I2 = 99.0%), with a pooled relative risk of 1.29 (95% CI: 1.10–1.52; I2 = 47.4%) compared with local workers. Among transnational families left behind in the migrant worker's country of origin (n = 22,448), 50.1% reported mental health issues (n = 1520), and 31.4% experienced undernutrition (n = 954). Key contributing factors to poor health outcomes of migrant workers included long working hours, workplace hazards, precarious working conditions, and healthcare access barriers. Interpretation Migrant workers in the Asia–Pacific face substantial risks of a wide range of occupational injuries and illnesses. Although some studies support the “healthy migrant effect,” this advantage clearly diminishes over time due to cumulative exposure to occupational and structural stressors. Strengthening occupational safety, regulating working hours, and improving healthcare access, are urgent priorities for countries hosting large migrant worker populations and employers of migrant workers. Funding Ministry of Education, Taiwan; Wellcome Trust (318501/Z/24/Z and 335954/Z/25/Z); UK Medical Research Council (MR/W006677/1); UK National Health Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR209895); the ‘la Caixa' Foundation (LCF/PR/SP21/52930003)

Migrant health in Italy: a better health status difficult to maintain-country of origin and assimilation effects studied from the Italian risk factor surveillance data

Many studies on migrant health have focused on aspects of morbidity and mortality, but very few approach the relevant issues of migrants' health considering behavioral risk factors. Previous studies have often been limited methodologically because of sample size or lack of information on migrant country of origin. Information about risk factors is fundamental to direct any intervention, particularly with regard to non-communicable diseases that are leading causes of death and disease. Thus, the main focus of our analysis is the influence of country of origin and the assimilation process

Quantitative characterization of metabolism and metabolic shifts during growth of the new human cell line AGE1.HN using time resolved metabolic flux analysis

For the improved production of vaccines and therapeutic proteins, a detailed understanding of the metabolic dynamics during batch or fed-batch production is requested. To study the new human cell line AGE1.HN, a flexible metabolic flux analysis method was developed that is considering dynamic changes in growth and metabolism during cultivation. This method comprises analysis of formation of cellular components as well as conversion of major substrates and products, spline fitting of dynamic data and flux estimation using metabolite balancing. During batch cultivation of AGE1.HN three distinct phases were observed, an initial one with consumption of pyruvate and high glycolytic activity, a second characterized by a highly efficient metabolism with very little energy spilling waste production and a third with glutamine limitation and decreasing viability. Main events triggering changes in cellular metabolism were depletion of pyruvate and glutamine. Potential targets for the improvement identified from the analysis are (i) reduction of overflow metabolism in the beginning of cultivation, e.g. accomplished by reduction of pyruvate content in the medium and (ii) prolongation of phase 2 with its highly efficient energy metabolism applying e.g. specific feeding strategies. The method presented allows fast and reliable metabolic flux analysis during the development of producer cells and production processes from microtiter plate to large scale reactors with moderate analytical and computational effort. It seems well suited to guide media optimization and genetic engineering of producing cell lines

Global Protection and the Health Impact of Migration Interception

In the fourth article in a six-part PLoS Medicine series on Migration & Health, Zachary Steel and colleagues discuss the interception phase of migration and the specific health risks and policy needs associated with this phase