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In biomedical scientific investigations, expositions of findings are conceptually simplest when they comprise comparisons of discrete groups of individuals or involve discrete features or characteristics of individuals. But the descriptive benefits of categorization become outweighed by their limitations in studies involving dose-response relationships, as in many teratogenic and environmental exposure studies. This article addresses a pair of categorization issues concerning the effects of prenatal alcohol exposure that have important public health consequences: the labeling of individuals as fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) versus fetal alcohol effects (FAE) or alcohol-related neurodevelopmental disorder (ARND), and the categorization of prenatal exposure dose by thresholds. We present data showing that patients with FAS and others with FAE do not have meaningfully different behavioral performance, standardized scores of IQ, arithmetic and adaptive behavior, or secondary disabilities. Similarly overlapping distributions on measures of executive functioning offer a basis for identifying alcohol-affected individuals in a manner that does not simply reflect IQ deficits. At the other end of the teratological continuum, we turn to the reporting of threshold effects in dose-response relationships. Here we illustrate the importance of multivariate analyses using data from the Seattle, Washington, longitudinal prospective study on alcohol and pregnancy. Relationships between many neurobehavioral outcomes and measures of prenatal alcohol exposure are monotone without threshold down to the lowest nonzero levels of exposure, a finding consistent with reports from animal studies. In sum, alcohol effects on the developing human brain appear to be a continuum without threshold when dose and behavioral effects are quantified appropriately.

Underage alcohol use is a public health concern as it remains prevalent and problematic. Protective behavioral strategies (PBS) may prevent or reduce alcohol-related consequences, yet daily-level findings show they instead might be associated with increased drinking and consequences. While parents are a possible source of influence to their child's decision making, it is unclear whether parental communication about alcohol affects drinking outcomes, with mixed findings noted in the literature. Furthermore, little research focuses on understanding how parental communication may impact the use of PBS. This study assessed whether alcohol specific parental communication would be associated with reduced drinking and increased use of PBS. Data from baseline and 3-month follow up were evaluated from a control group of a larger randomized controlled trial on 18- to 20-year-olds in the U.S. (N = 269). Outcomes included drinks per week, peak drinks per occasion, negative consequences and use of PBS. Using negative binomial regression modeling, controlling for age, sex, and whether participants lived with parents, findings revealed that parental communication was not associated with drinks per week, peak drinks per occasion, or negative consequences reported 3 months later. However, it was positively associated with limiting/stopping drinking PBS, manner of drinking PBS, and serious harm reduction PBS reported 3 months later. Results suggest that parental communication about alcohol may be more effective in increasing the use of protective behavioral strategies rather than reduction of drinking. Research is needed to determine why parental communication may influence the use of PBS and how we can strengthen the quality or focus of communication to ultimately increase the impact on risk behaviors.

The present research examined the effect of alcohol aggression expectancies and subjective evaluations of alcohol's effects on aggression in intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetration among college students. We were interested in determining the extent to which these relationships differed across gender.A total of 780 (57.3% female) incoming heavy drinking college freshmen who were between the ages of 18 and 25 years completed self-reported measures of IPV perpetration, alcohol use and problems, and alcohol aggression expectancies and subjective evaluations of those expectancies as part of the baseline assessment for a larger social norms alcohol intervention study. Analyses evaluated the effect of alcohol aggression expectancies and subjective evaluations of those expectancies on IPV perpetration.Results indicated that problem drinking was positively associated with IPV perpetration for those who were lower (beta = .32, p < .001) versus those who were higher (beta = .07, p = ns) in alcohol aggression expectancies. Among men, there was a significantly stronger relationship between problem drinking and IPV perpetration among those who evaluated alcohol's effects on aggression more favorably (beta = .41, p < .001) versus less favorably (beta = .11, p = ns). Among women, there was not a significantly stronger relationship between problem drinking and IPV perpetration at less favorable (beta = .17, p < .05) versus more favorable (beta = .11, p < .06) evaluations of alcohol's effects on aggression.Findings suggest that, in understanding IPV perpetration, it may not be sufficient to evaluate expected alcohol effects without also including whether those effects are viewed as good or bad. Findings also suggest that the relationship between alcohol problems and IPV perpetration may be stronger and more straightforward for men than for women.

Climate change, biodiversity loss, and other environmental changes are rapidly impacting the health of people worldwide, but many clinicians and other health professionals feel unprepared to deal with this burgeoning issue. During the Planetary Health Annual Meeting held in Boston in late 2022, the Clinicians for Planetary Health (C4PH) working group hosted a workshop that highlighted the latest findings of clinicians’ attitudes towards climate change, connections with the related fields of lifestyle medicine and integrative health, lessons learned from implementing “one minute for the planet” in a rural Brazilian clinic, and the benefits of clinicians prescribing time in nature for their patients. This article ends with a few suggestions for healthcare providers to begin implementing planetary health into their professional practice.

Guided by the great achievements of lithium (Li)-ion battery technologies, post Li-ion battery technologies have gained a considerable interest in recent years. Their success would allow us to realize a sustainable society, enabling us to mitigate issues like global warming and resource depletion. Of such technologies, Magnesium (Mg) battery technologies have attracted attention as a high energy-density storage system due to the following advantages: (1) potentially high energy-density derived from a divalent nature, (2) low-cost due to the use of an earth abundant metal, and (3) intrinsic safety aspect attributed to non-dendritic growth of Mg. However, these notable advantages are downplayed by undesirable battery reactions and related phenomena. As a result, there are only a few working rechargeable Mg battery systems. One of the root causes for undesirable behavior is the sluggish diffusion of Mg2+ inside a host lattice. Another root cause is the interfacial reaction at the electrode/electrolyte boundary. For the cathode/electrolyte interface, Mg2+ in the electrolyte needs a solvation-desolvation process prior to diffusion inside the cathode. Apart from the solid electrolyte interface (SEI) formed on the cathode, the divalent nature of Mg should cause kinetically slower solvation-desolvation processes than that of Li-ion systems. This would result in a high charge transfer resistance and a larger overpotential. On the contrary, for the anode/electrolyte interface, the Mg deposition and dissolution process depends on the electrolyte nature and its compatibility with Mg metal. Also, the Mg metal/electrolyte interface tends to change over time, and with operating conditions, suggesting the presence of interfacial phenomena on the Mg metal. Hence, the solvation-desolvation process of Mg has to be considered with a possible SEI. Here, we focus on the anode/electrolyte interface in a Mg battery, and discuss the next steps to improve the battery performance.

Fetal alcohol exposure causes severe neuropsychiatric problems, but mechanisms of the ethanol-associated changes in central nervous system development are unclear. In vivo, ethanol's interaction with N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) and gamma-aminobutyric acid type A (GABA(A)) receptors may cause increased apoptosis in the immature forebrain. We examined whether ethanol affects survival of neonatal hippocampal neurons in primary cultures. A 6-day ethanol exposure killed hippocampal neurons with an LD50 of approximately 25 mM. Elevated extracellular potassium or insulin-related growth factor 1 inhibited cell loss. Although potentiation of GABA(A) receptors or complete block of NMDA receptors also kills hippocampal neurons, pharmacological studies suggest that ethanol's interaction with GABA(A) and NMDA receptors is not sufficient to explain ethanol's effects on neuronal survival. Ca(2+) influx in response to depolarization was depressed >50% by chronic ethanol treatment. We suggest that chronic ethanol may promote neuronal loss through a mechanism affecting Ca(2+) influx in addition to effects on postsynaptic GABA and glutamate receptors.

Abstract Background Ethanol use can lead to many health and socio-economic problems. Early identification of risky drinking behaviors helps provide timely clinical and social interventions. Laboratory testing of biomarkers of ethanol use supports the timely identification of individuals with risky drinking behaviors. This review provides an overview of the utility and limitations of ethanol biomarkers in the clinical laboratory. Content Direct assessment of ethanol in tissues and body fluids has limited utility due to the pharmacokinetics of ethanol. Therefore, the evaluation of ethanol use relies on nonvolatile metabolites of ethanol (direct biomarkers) and measurement of the physiological response to the toxic metabolites of ethanol (indirect biomarkers). Ethanol biomarkers help monitor both chronic and acute ethanol use. The points discussed here include the clinical utility of ethanol biomarkers, testing modalities used for laboratory assessment, the specimens of choice, limitations, and clinical interpretation of results. Finally, we discuss the ethical principles that should guide physicians and laboratorians when using these tests to evaluate alcohol use. Summary Indirect biomarkers such as carbohydrate-deficient transferrin, mean corpuscular volume, and liver enzymes activities may suggest heavy ethanol use. They lack sensitivity and specificity for timely detection of risky drinking behavior and have limited utility for acute ethanol use. Direct biomarkers such as ethyl glucuronide, ethyl sulfate, and phosphatidylethanol are considered sensitive and specific for detecting acute and chronic ethanol use. However, laboratory assessment and result interpretation lack standardization, limiting clinical utility. Ethical principles including respect for persons, beneficence, and justice should guide testing.

Polar research plays a vital role in developing our understanding of Earth’s climate system. It is intrinsically interdisciplinary, lending itself to integration into existing undergraduate courses. Here we explore introducing undergraduates to polar research through computational guided inquiry (CGI) modules taught in a variety of courses and disciplines. Students apply course disciplinary techniques to analysis of polar data or research, in the context of climate change, by working through educational modules that include spreadsheets (ExcelTM) or interactive computer programing (Python in a Jupyter Notebook), over a few class or lab periods. The goals of this exploratory curriculum project are to determine instructor perceptions of effectiveness of the educational modules for teaching preexisting disciplinary course objectives, as well as student perceptions of enjoyment and learning. Evaluation consisted of a student questionnaire and interviews with instructors by an external evaluator. Students and instructors overall reported positive experiences with the modules, highlighted the importance of polar data and climate literacy, and noted increases in student understanding of course learning goals and comfort with the computational tools. Professors further reported that students found the modules motivating, fun and engaging. Taken together, this suggests that the modules are an effective means of bringing polar research into undergraduate classrooms while satisfying instructor goals for course learning objectives. Lessons learned include the importance of providing material such as videos to help transition to the topics of polar research and climate change and of supporting widely varying computational fluency.