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1. Immune Relevant Animal Models: Opportunities and Challenges

   Radaelli, Enrico; Santagostino, Sara F.; Sellers, Rani S.; Brayton, Cory F.; Overgaard, Nana H.; Fan, Timothy M.; Schachtschneider, Kyle M.; Principe, Daniel R.; Schook, Lawrence B.; Jungersen, Gregers; et al (October 2018, ILAR journal)

   Jungersen, Gregers; Piedrahita, Jorge. (Ed.)

   Valid interpretation of preclinical animal models in immunology-related clinical challenges is important to solve outstanding clinical needs. Given the overall complexity of the immune system and both species- and tissue-specific immune peculiarities, the selection and design of appropriate immune-relevant animal models is, however, not following a straightforward path. The topics in this issue of the ILAR Journal provide assessments of immune-relevant animal models used in oncology, hematopoietic-, CAR-T cell- and xenotransplantation, adjuvants and infectious diseases, and immune privileged inflammation that are providing key insights into unmet human clinical needs. 

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2. Trends in Workplace Wearable Technologies and Connected‐Worker Solutions for Next‐Generation Occupational Safety, Health, and Productivity

   https://doi.org/10.1002/aisy.202100099  

   Patel, Vishal; Chesmore, Austin; Legner, Christopher M.; Pandey, Santosh (September 2021, Advanced Intelligent Systems)

   The workplace influences the safety, health, and productivity of workers at multiple levels. To protect and promote total worker health, smart hardware, and software tools have emerged for the identification, elimination, substitution, and control of occupational hazards. Wearable devices enable constant monitoring of individual workers and the environment, whereas connected worker solutions provide contextual information and decision support. Here, the recent trends in commercial workplace technologies to monitor and manage occupational risks, injuries, accidents, and diseases are reviewed. Workplace safety wearables for safe lifting, ergonomics, hazard identification, sleep monitoring, fatigue management, and heat and cold stress are discussed. Examples of workplace productivity wearables for asset tracking, augmented reality, gesture and motion control, brain wave sensing, and work stress management are given. Workplace health wearables designed for work‐related musculoskeletal disorders, functional movement disorders, respiratory hazards, cardiovascular health, outdoor sun exposure, and continuous glucose monitoring are shown. Connected worker platforms are discussed with information about the architecture, system modules, intelligent operations, and industry applications. Predictive analytics provide contextual information about occupational safety risks, resource allocation, equipment failure, and predictive maintenance. Altogether, these examples highlight the ground‐level benefits of real‐time visibility about frontline workers, work environment, distributed assets, workforce efficiency, and safety compliance. 

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3. To care for them, we need to take care of ourselves: A qualitative study on the health of home health aides

   https://doi.org/10.1111/1475-6773.14147  

   Cho, Jacklyn; Toffey, Brittany; Silva, Ariel F.; Shalev, Ariel; Safford, Monika M.; Phillips, Erica; Lee, Ann; Wiggins, Faith; Kozlov, Elissa; Tsui, Emma K.; et al (March 2023, Health Services Research)

   Abstract ObjectiveTo understand the perspectives of home health aides (HHAs) toward their own health and health behaviors, and how their job impacts both. Data Sources and Study SettingInterviews were conducted with 28 HHAs from 16 unique home care agencies from August 2021 to January 2022. The study was conducted in partnership with the 1199SEIU Training and Employment Fund, a labor‐management fund of the largest health care union in the US. Study DesignA qualitative study with English and Spanish‐speaking HHAs. Interviews were conducted using a semi‐structured topic guide, informed by Pender's Health Promotion Model and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health's Total Worker Health Model. To be eligible, HHAs had to be currently employed by a home care agency in New York, NY. Data Collection/Extraction MethodsInterviews were recorded, professionally transcribed, and analyzed thematically. Principal FindingsThe 28 HHAs had a mean age of 47.6 years (SD 11.1), 39% were non‐Hispanic Black, 43% were Hispanic, and they had a mean of 14.1 years (SD 7.8) of job experience. Five themes emerged; HHAs were: (1) Healthy enough to work, but were managing their own chronic conditions while working; (2) Motivated to be healthy, in part driven by their desire to care for others; (3) Worked closely with sick patients, which influenced their perceptions of health; (4) Experienced occupational and patient‐level barriers to practicing healthy behaviors; (5) Sought support and resources to improve their health and wellbeing. ConclusionsHHAs have numerous health challenges, many of which are influenced by their job. Culturally and occupationally tailored interventions may mitigate the barriers that HHAs experience to achieve optimal health. 

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4. Integrating microbiome science and evolutionary medicine into animal health and conservation

   https://doi.org/10.1111/brv.13030  

   Bornbusch, Sally L.; Power, Michael L.; Schulkin, Jay; Drea, Christine M.; Maslanka, Michael T.; Muletz‐Wolz, Carly R. (November 2023, Biological Reviews)

   ABSTRACT Microbiome science has provided groundbreaking insights into human and animal health. Similarly, evolutionary medicine – the incorporation of eco‐evolutionary concepts into primarily human medical theory and practice – is increasingly recognised for its novel perspectives on modern diseases. Studies of host–microbe relationships have been expanded beyond humans to include a wide range of animal taxa, adding new facets to our understanding of animal ecology, evolution, behaviour, and health. In this review, we propose that a broader application of evolutionary medicine, combined with microbiome science, can provide valuable and innovative perspectives on animal care and conservation. First, we draw on classic ecological principles, such as alternative stable states, to propose an eco‐evolutionary framework for understanding variation in animal microbiomes and their role in animal health and wellbeing. With a focus on mammalian gut microbiomes, we apply this framework to populations of animals under human care, with particular relevance to the many animal species that suffer diseases linked to gut microbial dysfunction (e.g. gut distress and infection, autoimmune disorders, obesity). We discuss diet and microbial landscapes (i.e. the microbes in the animal's external environment), as two factors that are (i) proposed to represent evolutionary mismatches for captive animals, (ii) linked to gut microbiome structure and function, and (iii) potentially best understood from an evolutionary medicine perspective. Keeping within our evolutionary framework, we highlight the potential benefits – and pitfalls – of modern microbial therapies, such as pre‐ and probiotics, faecal microbiota transplants, and microbial rewilding. We discuss the limited, yet growing, empirical evidence for the use of microbial therapies to modulate animal gut microbiomes beneficially. Interspersed throughout, we propose 12 actionable steps, grounded in evolutionary medicine, that can be applied to practical animal care and management. We encourage that these actionable steps be paired with integration of eco‐evolutionary perspectives into our definitions of appropriate animal care standards. The evolutionary perspectives proposed herein may be best appreciated when applied to the broad diversity of species under human care, rather than when solely focused on humans. We urge animal care professionals, veterinarians, nutritionists, scientists, and others to collaborate on these efforts, allowing for simultaneous care of animal patients and the generation of valuable empirical data. 

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5. Design and Evaluation Challenges of Conversational Agents in Health Care and Well-being: Selective Review Study

   https://doi.org/10.2196/38525  

   Kocaballi, Ahmet Baki; Sezgin, Emre; Clark, Leigh; Carroll, John M; Huang, Yungui; Huh-Yoo, Jina; Kim, Junhan; Kocielnik, Rafal; Lee, Yi-Chieh; Mamykina, Lena; et al (January 2022, Journal of Medical Internet Research)

   Background Health care and well-being are 2 main interconnected application areas of conversational agents (CAs). There is a significant increase in research, development, and commercial implementations in this area. In parallel to the increasing interest, new challenges in designing and evaluating CAs have emerged. Objective This study aims to identify key design, development, and evaluation challenges of CAs in health care and well-being research. The focus is on the very recent projects with their emerging challenges. Methods A review study was conducted with 17 invited studies, most of which were presented at the ACM (Association for Computing Machinery) CHI 2020 conference workshop on CAs for health and well-being. Eligibility criteria required the studies to involve a CA applied to a health or well-being project (ongoing or recently finished). The participating studies were asked to report on their projects’ design and evaluation challenges. We used thematic analysis to review the studies. Results The findings include a range of topics from primary care to caring for older adults to health coaching. We identified 4 major themes: (1) Domain Information and Integration, (2) User-System Interaction and Partnership, (3) Evaluation, and (4) Conversational Competence. Conclusions CAs proved their worth during the pandemic as health screening tools, and are expected to stay to further support various health care domains, especially personal health care. Growth in investment in CAs also shows the value as a personal assistant. Our study shows that while some challenges are shared with other CA application areas, safety and privacy remain the major challenges in the health care and well-being domains. An increased level of collaboration across different institutions and entities may be a promising direction to address some of the major challenges that otherwise would be too complex to be addressed by the projects with their limited scope and budget. 

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