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Elham Sharif,1 Sumaya Rahman,1 Yumna Zia,1 Nasser M Rizk1,2 1Biomedical Sciences Department, College of Health Sciences, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar; 2Physiology Department, Mansoura Faculty of Medicine, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt Abstract: This was a prospective cross-sectional study in which 126 female students between the ages of 18 and 30 years were evaluated for the frequency of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) through clinical interview, questionnaire, and anthropometric measurements. The diagnostic criteria of the US National Institutes of Health criteria were used. Menstrual irregularities (MI) were identified, and clinical hyperandrogenism was evaluated by self-assessment of hirsutism using modified Ferriman–Gallwey score. Blood analysis was done for measurement of prolactin, thyroid-stimulating hormone, and the androgen hormones. Of all the students, 37 (30.8%) had MI, 38 (31.7%) had clinical hirsutism, 37 (30.8%) had acne, and 76 (63.3%) had a family history of type 2 diabetes. The estimated frequency of PCOS was 18.33% according to the US National Institutes of Health definition. Hormonal analysis demonstrated a significant increase in androgens (total testosterone, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, and free testosterone), and a significant decrease in sex hormone-binding globulin in our PCOS group, with a P-value

This study examines the experiences of three Australian South Sea Islanders from the same community who are part of a larger research team scheduled to engage in an archaeological research project in Mackay, Queensland, in 2021. The aim of the project was to highlight Australian South Sea Islander knowledge, voices, and lived experiences. However, owing to COVID-19 and persistent lockdowns in Queensland and New South Wales, the project faced significant delays. The timeline was adjusted, with plans to reintroduce the project to the community after an 18-month hiatus, aiming to rekindle interest and encourage participation. This study focuses on designing a community engagement strategy that builds on established protocols for researchers working with Australian South Sea Islander communities. The strategy includes three key steps: visitation, communication, and participation. By integrating the Tok Stori methodology—an Indigenous research approach from the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu—the strategy supports the decolonisation of the collaborative research process, enabling the sharing of Australian South Sea Islander lived experiences in a culturally safe manner. The authors provide contextualised reflections, offering insights from an Australian South Sea Islander perspective.

This scoping review is the first of three publications that are part of a research project funded by the Queensland Department of Education through their 2021 Horizon Grant funding scheme. This scoping review provides an analysis of contemporary literature that identifies approaches currently being used by educators to successfully engage with culturally and linguistically diverse and Indigenous students, families, and their communities to increase their cultural capabilities. A systemic selection process delivered 21 articles that were included in this Scoping Review. The first four Stages of the study identify and discuss four common areas in which educators can improve cultural capabilities: (i) eldership; (ii) connections; (iii) relationships; (iv) practice. In Stage 5 aspects of these four areas are analyzed in a series of case studies along with an in-depth summary of the literature presented in the scoping review. The literature from this scoping review will inform an engagement strategy that will help improve upon the cultural capabilities of educators working with students in Australian South Sea Islander Communities.

Abstract Background Genetic, lifestyle, and environmental factors can lead to perturbations in circulating lipid levels and increase the risk of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. However, how changes in individual lipid species contribute to disease risk is often unclear. Moreover, little is known about the role of lipids on cardiovascular disease in Pakistan, a population historically underrepresented in cardiovascular studies. Methods We characterised the genetic architecture of the human blood lipidome in 5662 hospital controls from the Pakistan Risk of Myocardial Infarction Study (PROMIS) and 13,814 healthy British blood donors from the INTERVAL study. We applied a candidate causal gene prioritisation tool to link the genetic variants associated with each lipid to the most likely causal genes, and Gaussian Graphical Modelling network analysis to identify and illustrate relationships between lipids and genetic loci. Results We identified 253 genetic associations with 181 lipids measured using direct infusion high-resolution mass spectrometry in PROMIS, and 502 genetic associations with 244 lipids in INTERVAL. Our analyses revealed new biological insights at genetic loci associated with cardiometabolic diseases, including novel lipid associations at the LPL, MBOAT7, LIPC, APOE-C1-C2-C4, SGPP1, and SPTLC3 loci. Conclusions Our findings, generated using a distinctive lipidomics platform in an understudied South Asian population, strengthen and expand the knowledge base of the genetic determinants of lipids and their association with cardiometabolic disease-related loci.