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The Planetary Boundary Layer height (PBLH) is essential for studying PBL and ocean‐atmosphere interactions. Marine PBL is usually defined to include a mixed layer (ML) and a capping inversion layer. The ML height (MLH) estimated from the measurements of aerosol backscatter by a lidar was usually compared with PBLH determined from radiosondes/dropsondes in the past, as the PBLH is usually similar to MLH in nature. However, PBLH can be much greater than MLH for decoupled PBL. Here we evaluate the retrieved MLH from an airborne lidar (HSRL‐2) by utilizing 506 co‐located dropsondes during the ACTIVATE field campaign over the Northwest Atlantic from 2020 to 2022. First, we define and determine the MLH and PBLH from the temperature and humidity profiles of each dropsonde, and find that the MLH values from HSRL‐2 and dropsondes agree well with each other, with a coefficient of determination of 0.66 and median difference of 18 m. In contrast, the HSRL‐2 MLH data do not correspond to dropsonde‐derived PBLH, with a median difference of −47 m. Therefore, we modify the current operational and automated HSRL‐2 wavelet‐based algorithm for PBLH retrieval, decreasing the median difference significantly to −8 m. Further data analysis indicates that these conclusions remain the same for cases with higher or lower cloud fractions, and for decoupled PBLs. These results demonstrate the potential of using HSRL‐2 aerosol backscatter data to estimate both marine MLH and PBLH and suggest that lidar‐derived MLH should be compared with radiosonde/dropsonde‐determined MLH (not PBLH) in general. Plain Language Summary: The Planetary Boundary Layer Height (PBLH) is essential for studying the lower atmosphere and its interaction with the surface. Usually, it contains a mixed layer (ML) with vertically well‐mixed (i.e., nearly constant) specific humidity and potential temperature. Over the ocean, the PBL is usually coupled (vertically well‐mixed) and the ML height (MLH) is usually close to PBLH, hence the MLH estimated from the measurements of aerosol backscatter by a lidar is traditionally compared with PBLH determined from radiosondes/dropsondes. However, when the PBL is decoupled (not vertically well mixed), the MLH differs from the PBLH. Here we used dropsondes' thermodynamic profile to evaluate the airborne High‐Spectral‐Resolution Lidar—Generation 2 (HSRL‐2) estimation of MLH and PBLH in airborne field campaign over the northwestern Atlantic (ACTIVATE) from 2020 to 2022. We show that the HSRL‐2 has excellent MLH estimation compared to the dropsondes. We also improved the HSRL‐2 estimation of PBLH. Further data analysis indicates that these conclusions remain the same for cases with different cloud fractions, and for decoupled PBLs. These results demonstrate the potential of using HSRL‐2 aerosol backscatter data to estimate both marine MLH and PBLH and suggest that lidar‐derived MLH should be compared with radiosonde/dropsonde‐determined MLH (not PBLH) in general. Key Points: Dropsondes over the northwest Atlantic are used to determine mixed layer height (MLH) and boundary layer height (PBLH)HSRL‐2 lidar MLH product compares well with dropsonde‐derived MLH but does not correspond to PBLH for decoupled PBLThe current operational HSRL‐2 algorithm is modified to include retrieval of the PBLH for decoupled PBL [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: To examine legislative efforts to regulate new and emerging tobacco and nicotine products (NETNPs) in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) between 2017 and 2022., Aims and Methods: Analysis of online national legislation databases to track NETNP bills using standard snowball search methods., Results: Bills were identified in 15 out of the 33 LAC countries, accounting for a total of 91 bills targeting NETNPs. Mexico had the highest number (n = 38) of bills, followed by Brazil (n = 16), Argentina (n = 10), Colombia (n = 8), and Chile (n = 5). The remaining countries introduced two or fewer NETNP bills. Among the identified 91 bills, the majority (n = 60) addressed both electronic cigarettes and heated tobacco products (HTPs), almost one-third of bills (n = 29) applied only to electronic cigarettes, and only two focused solely on HTPs. Six of the fifteen countries with identified bills, enacted one NETNP law including Barbados, Bolivia, Costa Rica, Guyana, Mexico, and Panama. Since 2019, there has been a steady increase in the amount of NETNP bills introduced in LAC. In 2017 and 2018, 10 NETNP bills were introduced each year followed by 23 NETNP bills introduced in each 2019 and 2020, 19 in 2021, and 16 by August 2022., Conclusions: The substantial increase in the number of NETNP bills introduced since 2019 indicates the growing importance of regulating NETNPs in LAC. As NETNPs continue to evolve and grow it is important to continue monitoring and evaluating tobacco and nicotine regulatory initiatives while also staying ahead of the evolving market of NETNPs., Implications: Previous studies have analyzed the regulatory environment of NETNPs but it is less known about legislative and regulatory efforts and attempts. This is the first known study to analyze legislative bills to regulate NETNPs in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). The substantial increase in the number of NETNP bills introduced in LAC since 2019 indicates the growing importance of regulating NETNPs in LAC. As NETNPs continue to evolve and grow it is important to continue monitoring and evaluating tobacco and nicotine regulatory initiatives while also staying ahead of the evolving market of NETNPs., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco. All rights reserved. For commercial re-use, please contact reprints@oup.com for reprints and translation rights for reprints. All other permissions can be obtained through our RightsLink service via the Permissions link on the article page on our site—for further information please contact journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Objective: Prescription opioid-related deaths increased by 200 % from 2000 to 2014. There has been limited research regarding channels used by pharmaceutical companies to market prescription opioids. In this study, we investigated pharmaceutical industry use of key opinion leaders (KOLs)., Methods: We conducted a retrospective qualitative review of the first 503 opioid industry documents publicly released, which are held at the University of California, San Francisco Opioid Industry Document Archive (OIDA). We reviewed documents including legal rulings, correspondences, witness statements, clinical studies, and corporate communications for relevance and coded them by themes., Results: Between 2001 and 2019, pharmaceutical companies including Janssen, Purdue Pharma, and Cephalon identified, recruited and developed individuals they referred to as "Key Opinion Leaders," (KOLs) that they recognized could reach strategic audiences to influence prescriber behaviors. Pharmaceutical companies identified KOLs through a variety of sources ranging from partnerships with PR firms to social media analysis and congressional and regulatory sources. Companies recruited KOLs through various methods including surveys to identify common names identified by physicians, internal rankings based on friendliness, and opioid prescribing behaviors. Companies employed KOLs as speakers at conferences for branded opioid products, authors of research articles in support of prescription opioids, and consultants regarding marketing strategies., Conclusions: KOLs were employed by the pharmaceutical industry to leverage their reputations in the service of encouraging healthcare providers to prescribe more opioids. It is critical to ensure that researchers and leaders in the medical field are aware and critical of pharmaceutical corporate profit-led biases and are free from conflicts of interest to avoid inappropriate prescribing and minimize adverse outcomes for patients., Competing Interests: No conflicts of interest to declare., (© 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Introduction: Article 11 of the World Health Organization's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) requires Parties to adopt and implement effective tobacco packaging and labeling policies to communicate health risks and reduce tobacco consumption., Aims and Methods: The goal of this study was to assess adoption of these policies in the WHO African Region (AFRO). We reviewed tobacco packaging and labeling policies adopted in AFRO from the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids' Tobacco Control Laws database (www.tobaccocontrollaws.org). We assessed these policies based on WHO FCTC Article 11 and its Implementation Guidelines examining three subpolicy areas (health warning labels [HWLs], descriptive constituents and emissions information, and misleading packaging and labeling). We developed a scoring system to rank AFRO countries individually and by the World Bank's income-level groups, and documented the progress during 1985-2023., Results: Forty (of 47) AFRO countries adopted national laws, of which a majority adopted large rotating pictorial HWLs and banned misleading descriptors; only Cote d'Ivoire and Mauritius adopted standardized packaging. The higher a country is in the World Bank's income-level group, the stronger their packaging and labeling policies. This observation was not present in the HWLs subpolicy area. Prior to approving the WHO FCTC Article 11 Implementation Guidelines, only 23 countries adopted text-only HWLs, whereas 26 countries adopted pictorial HWLs after the approval., Conclusions: Several AFRO countries have adopted tobacco packaging and labeling policies that align with the WHO FCTC Article 11 Implementation Guidelines. More efforts could be directed toward the low-income group and disseminating standardized packaging throughout AFRO., Implications: In the AFRO, the number of tobacco users is increasing, highlighting the need for tobacco packaging and labeling policies aligned with WHO FCTC Article 11 and its Implementation Guidelines as these are proven tobacco control strategies. This study provides a country- and income-level group ranking of tobacco packaging and labeling policies, and documents the evolution of HWLs adopted in AFRO. It also identifies regional and income-level group successes and gaps in tobacco product packaging and labeling policies and provides recommendations to further align with WHO FCTC Article 11 and its Implementation Guidelines., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco. All rights reserved. For commercial re-use, please contact reprints@oup.com for reprints and translation rights for reprints. All other permissions can be obtained through our RightsLink service via the Permissions link on the article page on our site—for further information please contact journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Background: The aim of this study was to document how Mexico adopted a WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC)-based national tobacco control law., Methods: We analyzed publicly available documents and interviewed 14 key stakeholders. We applied the Multiple Streams Framework (MSF) to analyze these findings., Results: Previous attempts to approve comprehensive FCTC-based initiatives failed due to a lack of political will, the tobacco industry's close connections to policymakers, and a lack of health advocacy coordination. Applying the MSF reveals increased attention towards collecting and sharing data to frame the severity of the problem (problem stream). The expansion of a coordinated health advocacy coalition and activities led to increased support for desired FCTC policy solutions (policy stream). The election of President López Obrador and legislative changes led to a deep renewed focus on tobacco control (politics stream). These three streams converged to create a policy window to secure a strong FCTC-based initiative on the political agenda that was ultimately passed., Conclusions: The Mexican experience illustrates the importance of continued health advocacy and political will in adopting FCTC-based policies. Other countries should follow Mexico's lead by collecting and sharing data through coordinating efforts in order to be prepared to seize political opportunity windows when strong political will is present.

New particle formation in the free troposphere is a major source of cloud condensation nuclei globally. The prevailing view is that in the free troposphere, new particles are formed predominantly in convective cloud outflows. We present another mechanism using global observations. We find that during stratospheric air intrusion events, the mixing of descending ozone-rich stratospheric air with more moist free tropospheric background results in elevated hydroxyl radical (OH) concentrations. Such mixing is most prevalent near the tropopause where the sulfur dioxide (SO 2 ) mixing ratios are high. The combination of elevated SO 2 and OH levels leads to enhanced sulfuric acid concentrations, promoting particle formation. Such new particle formation occurs frequently and over large geographic regions, representing an important particle source in the midlatitude free troposphere.

Objective: To document tobacco industry strategies to influence regulation of new and emerging tobacco and nicotine products (NETNPs) in Latin America and the Caribbean., Methods: We analyzed industry websites, advocacy reports, news media and government documents related to NETNPs, focusing on electronic cigarettes and heated tobacco products. We also conducted a survey of leading health advocates. We applied the policy dystopia model to analyze industry action and argument-based strategies on NETNP regulations., Results: Industry actors engaged in four instrumental strategies to influence NETNP regulation - coalition management, information management, direct involvement in and access to the policy process, and litigation. Their actions included: lobbying key policy-makers, academics and vaping associations; providing grants to media groups to disseminate favorable NETNP information; participating in public consultations; presenting at public hearings; inserting industry-inspired language into draft NETNP legislation; and filing lawsuits to challenge NETNP bans. The industry disseminated its so-called harm reduction argument through large/influential countries (e.g., Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico). Industry discursive strategies claimed NETNPs were less harmful, provided safer alternatives, and should be regulated as so-called harm reduction products or have fewer restrictions on their sale and use than those currently in place., Conclusion: Our analysis provides a better understanding of industry strategies to undermine tobacco and nicotine control. To help counter industry efforts, health advocates should proactively strengthen government capacities and alert policy-makers to industry attempts to create new regulatory categories (so-called reduced-risk products), provide misleading information of government authorizations of NETNPs, and co-opt so-called harm-reduction messages that serve the industry's agenda., Competing Interests: Conflicts of interest. None declared.

To understand the potential exposure to tobacco smoke in Washoe County (Reno/Sparks), Nevada casinos by measuring air quality in smoking areas relative to non-smoking/non-gaming areas in which minors may be present. To act as a pilot study in community-based health research and policy campaigns by evaluating low-cost air monitors to measure personal secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure. We used customized mobile apps, AtmoTube PRO Air Monitors, and hand clickers to measure the timing and minute-by-minute levels of PM2.5 (a tobacco smoke marker). The app was used to record the number of smokers, minors, and total patrons associated with ~10-minute sequential time periods in standardized casino locations, including outdoor areas, slots, tables, restaurants, bars/lounges, arcades, among others. Between April and May 2022, we successfully visited 14 casinos and 18 distinct types of indoor casino locations. We found high PM2.5 peaks in casino locations even with zero, or a low percentage of, observed active smokers, including in both gaming/non-gaming areas. Indoor areas, regardless of smoking/non-smoking areas, consistently had higher PM2.5 levels than outdoor background levels. Indoor locations had median PM2.5 levels up to 18 times higher than the lowest outdoor background levels. Minors were present throughout all casino locations, and thus were likely exposed to elevated PM2.5 levels. Potential PM2.5 exposures due to smoking can be high regardless of ventilation systems. Small proportions of smokers in a location can lead to high levels of exposure. Establishing comprehensive smoke-free casinos is the only way to protect against SHS harms.

Objective: To explore the impact of molecular subtype in endometrial cancer (EC) on CD8+T cell densities. Furthermore, this work will test the assumption that all mismatch repair deficient (MMRd) tumours are immunologically similar which would enable current trial data to be generalised to all MMRd ECs., Methods and Analysis: All tumours were characterised into the four clinical molecular subtypes. For analysis, the TP53 mutant and no-specific molecular profile tumours were grouped together and described as the low mutational burden (LMB) cohort. CD8+T cell counts were taken from four regions of interest which sampled the tumour-stromal interface and the tumour core. CD8+T cell counts were analysed as mean averages., Results: In total, 607 ECs contributed to the analysis. CD8+T cell counts in confirmed Lynch syndrome (LS) ECs were significantly higher than MLH1 -methylated ECs in all tumour locations excluding the tumour stroma. Confirmed LS and path_ POLE ECs had significantly higher CD8+T cell counts across all tumour locations when compared with LMB ECs. There were limited significant differences in CD8+T cell counts between path_ POLE versus confirmed LS ECs. There was no significant difference in the CD8+T cells counts and gene ( MLH1 , MSH2 , MSH6 , PMS2 ) in which the LS pathogenic variant was found; however, this analysis was limited by small numbers., Conclusion: These data indicate that CD8+T cell numbers and distribution is not equal between MLH1 -methylated and confirmed LS ECs. This is relevant when interpreting current trial data looking to the application of checkpoint inhibition treatments in MMRd cancers., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2024. Re-use permitted under CC BY. Published by BMJ.)

Background: Hereditary adenomatous polyposis syndromes, including familial adenomatous polyposis and other rare adenomatous polyposis syndromes, increase the lifetime risk of colorectal and other cancers., Methods: A team of 38 experts convened to update the 2008 European recommendations for the clinical management of patients with adenomatous polyposis syndromes. Additionally, other rare monogenic adenomatous polyposis syndromes were reviewed and added. Eighty-nine clinically relevant questions were answered after a systematic review of the existing literature with grading of the evidence according to Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation methodology. Two levels of consensus were identified: consensus threshold (≥67% of voting guideline committee members voting either 'Strongly agree' or 'Agree' during the Delphi rounds) and high threshold (consensus ≥ 80%)., Results: One hundred and forty statements reached a high level of consensus concerning the management of hereditary adenomatous polyposis syndromes., Conclusion: These updated guidelines provide current, comprehensive, and evidence-based practical recommendations for the management of surveillance and treatment of familial adenomatous polyposis patients, encompassing additionally MUTYH-associated polyposis, gastric adenocarcinoma and proximal polyposis of the stomach and other recently identified polyposis syndromes based on pathogenic variants in other genes than APC or MUTYH. Due to the rarity of these diseases, patients should be managed at specialized centres., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of BJS Foundation Ltd.)

Objective: The objective of this study was to document how Ethiopia adopted a WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC)-based tobacco control law., Methods: We analyzed publicly available documents, including news media articles, advocacy reports, and government documents. We triangulated these findings by interviewing nine key stakeholders. Data were analyzed to construct a historical and thematic narrative and analyzed through a retrospective policy analysis., Results: Local and international health advocacy efforts helped introduce and support WHO FCTC-based legislation by (1) educating policymakers about the WHO FCTC, (2) providing legal assistance in drafting legislation, (3) generating local data to counter industry claims, and (4) producing media advocacy to expose industry activity. Health advocates worked closely with government officials to create a multi-sectoral tobacco committee to institutionalize efforts and insulate tobacco companies from the policymaking process. Japan Tobacco International bought majority shares of the government-owned tobacco company and attempted to participate in the process, using standard industry tactics to undermine legislative efforts. However, with health advocacy assistance, government officials were able to reject these attempts and adopt a WHO FCTC-based law in 2019 that included 100% smoke-free indoor places, a comprehensive ban on tobacco advertising, and large pictorial health warning labels, among other provisions., Conclusion: Sustained local health advocacy efforts supported by international technical and financial assistance can help establish WHO FCTC-based tobacco control laws. Applying a standardized multi-sectoral approach can establish coordinating mechanisms to further institutionalize the WHO FCTC as a legal tool to build support with other government sectors and insulate the tobacco industry from the policymaking process.

Background: In the last few years, Mexico adopted public health policies to tackle non-communicable diseases (NCDs), such as front of package nutrition labelling, food marketing restrictions to children, and a soda tax. In parallel, transnational food and beverage industries (F&BIs), their allies, and the government have agreed on public-private partnerships (PPPs) to implement policies or deliver programs. However, research has questioned the benefits of PPPs and exposed its limitations as a suitable mechanism to improve public health. This study analyses how four PPPs between the Mexican government, the F&BI, and allies are working to achieve their goals. We critically assessed the objectives, scope, reported impacts, governance principles and perceived risks and benefits for the public health agenda of these PPPs., Methods: This qualitative study is based on 26 interviews with key actors, and 170 publicly available documents, including 22 obtained through freedom of information (FOI) requests related to four purposively selected PPPs aiming to improve health., Results: We found that the four PPPs studied had minimal public information available on their implementation and impact. The private partners tend to dictate the design, information management, and implementation of the programs, while promoting their brands. Few independent evaluations of the PPPs exist, and none reported on their effectiveness or public health benefits. Good governance principles, such as accountability, transparency, fairness, participation, integrity, and credibility, were barely followed in each of the cases studied. Public officials did not automatically question the conflict of interest (CoI) of such arrangements. When there were COI, the potential risks these posed did not always outweigh the financial benefits of working with the F&BI and its allies., Conclusion: The four PPPs studied produced minimal gains for public health while boosting credibility for the participating transnational F&BIs. It shows the lack of awareness of how these PPPs might be hindering public health gains., (© 2024 The Author(s); Published by Kerman University of Medical Sciences This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.)

Background: While anyone can lobby governments, most lobbying is driven by commercial interests. Due to limited government disclosures, it is often challenging to get a clear picture of who is lobbying whom or why. To help make lobbying more visible to the public, we set out to develop a framework of key criteria for best practice government lobbying disclosures., Methods: We undertook a systematic scoping review of peer-reviewed and grey literature to identify frameworks for measuring or evaluating lobbying transparency. We screened the titles and abstracts of 1727 peer-reviewed and 184 grey literature articles, assessing 230 articles for eligibility. Following screening, we included 15 frameworks from six peer-reviewed and nine grey literature articles in our review. To create our framework of lobbying disclosures, we thematically coded the 15 included frameworks and used an iterative process to synthesise categories., Results: The 15 frameworks covered more than only lobbying disclosures, with the most common other theme about enforcement and compliance. Most frameworks were developed to evaluate lobbying transparency in particular jurisdictions, with the United States the most common. Of the 15 frameworks analysed, those developed by non-governmental organizations (NGOs) focused mainly on improving lobbying regulations, while most peer-reviewed studies developed frameworks to measure, compare and evaluate lobbying regulations. We developed a Framework fOr Comprehensive and Accessible Lobbying (FOCAL). It comprised eight primary categories (scope, timeliness, openness, descriptors, revolving door, relationships, financials, and contact log) covering 50 total indicators., Conclusion: Government transparency plays a crucial role in facilitating access to information about commercial political activities like lobbying. Our framework (FOCAL) offers a template for policy-makers to develop or strengthen regulations to improve lobbying transparency so commercial political influence strategies are more visible and subject to public scrutiny. This is an important step towards rebalancing influence toward the public interest., (© 2024 The Author(s); Published by Kerman University of Medical Sciences This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.)

Objective: To analyse the implementation of front-of-pack nutrition labelling (FOPNL) in Mexico., Design: Review of publicly accessible documents, including legislative websites, news sources, and government, intergovernmental, and advocacy reports. Usage of the policy cycle model to analyse the implementation and evaluation stages of Mexico's General Health Law, amended with FOPNL (2019-2022)., Results: In October 2019, the government published a draft modification of the Norma Oficial Mexicana (Official Mexican Standard) to regulate and enforce a new FOPNL warning label system. A 60-d public consultation period followed (October-December 2019), and the regulation was published in March 2020 and implementation began in October 2020. An analysis of nine key provisions of the Standard revealed that the food and beverage industry and its allies weakened some original provisions including health claims, warnings for added sweeteners and display areas. On the other hand, local and international public health groups maintained key regulations including the ban on cartoon character advertisements, standardised portions and nutrient criteria following international best practices. Early implementation appears to have high compliance and helped contribute to reformulating unhealthy products. Continued barriers to implementation include industry efforts to create double fronts and market their cartoon characters on social media and through digitalised marketing., Conclusion: Early success in implementing the new FOPNL system in Mexico was the result of an inclusive and participatory regulatory process dedicated to maintaining public health advances, local and international health advocacy support, and continued monitoring. Other countries proposing and enacting FOPNL should learn from the Mexican experience to maintain scientifically proven best practices, counter industry barriers and minimise delays in implementation.

Objective: Analyze key barriers to achieving children's right to food under Colombia's food and nutrition security policies and programs. Methods: A literature review was conducted along with 17 semi-structured expert interviews. The law framework on the right to food was applied to analyze findings. Results: Four key barriers were found. First, a reductionist approach prevails in the political narrative. This focuses on ensuring personal food access overlooking societal and environmental impacts. Second, the implementation of policies and programs is passed on to third parties, preventing civic participation and accountability. Third, there are insufficient national data sources and indicators to monitor the impact of interventions and funding. Fourth, program implementation is unequal and inadequate, which inadvertently supports illicit economies that thrive on conditions of hunger and poverty. Conclusion: Children's food and nutrition are reliant on organizations that focus on personal food supply without strengthening civic participation. Strengthening participation requires a human rights approach. International organizations can help the government to engage communities in policy and program improvement and oversight., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they do not have any conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Mejía Toro, Carriedo, Pérez Tamayo and Crosbie.)

Objective: To document the regulatory environment of new tobacco and nicotine products (NTNPs), including electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) and heated tobacco products (HTPs), in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC)., Methods: Review of market research reports and databases, regulatory websites, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, relevant published literature and the 2021 WHO Report on the Global Tobacco Epidemic., Results: ENDS entered the LAC market in the 2010s and are now available in most LAC countries. A majority of LAC countries (n=18) have either banned the commercialisation of ENDS (n=7) or regulated ENDS as tobacco products (n=7), medicinal products (n=1) or consumer products (n=3). The remaining LAC countries (n=15) do not regulate ENDS. HTPs were first introduced in 2017 and have been officially launched in five countries (Colombia, Guatemala, Dominican Republic, Mexico and Costa Rica). Few countries have banned HTP commercialisation (n=3) or regulated commercialisation and use (n=7), while the majority of countries have existing legislation that applies to HTPs (n=19). A few countries (n=4) have no tobacco control legislation and therefore do not regulate HTPs., Conclusion: NTNPs are emerging products in the LAC region. Governments should follow WHO guidance and the decisions of the Conference of Parties to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control and ban or regulate NTNPs as tobacco products; otherwise NTNPs could create a new generation of tobacco and nicotine users., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2023. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Preemptive statutory language within tobacco minimum legal sales age (MLSA) laws has prohibited localities from enacting stricter laws than state statutes. With the recent uptake of state Tobacco 21 laws in the US, the current landscape of preempted MLSA laws is unknown. This study sought to update the status of preemption in MLSA laws enacted in US states between 2015-2022. A public health attorney reviewed state tobacco MLSA laws ( n = 50) and state tobacco control codes, searching for language regarding preemption. When statutes were unclear, case law was reviewed by examining local ordinances that were invalidated by state court decisions. Overall, 40 states enacted Tobacco 21 laws, seven of which expanded or introduced preemption when they increased the MLSA; a total of 26 states (52%) included preemption. Six states (12%) retained 'savings clauses' included in the MLSA prior to Tobacco 21, and 18 states (36%) did not mention preemption. Based on the precedent set by state courts, eight of these 18 states may preempt localities from raising their MLSA. Historically, preemption has slowed the diffusion of best practices in tobacco control, and once implemented, the laws are difficult to repeal. The recent expansion of preemption could inhibit the evolution, development, and implementation of effective tobacco control policies.

Competing Interests: E.C., A.C. and F.G. have nothing to declare.

Combined lidar and polarimeter retrievals of aerosol, cloud, and ocean microphysical properties involve single-scattering cloud calculations that are time consuming. We create a look-up table to speed up these calculations for water droplets in the atmosphere. In our new Lorenz-Mie look-up table we tabulate the light scattering by an ensemble of homogeneous isotropic spheres at wavelengths starting from 0.35 µm. The look-up table covers liquid water cloud particles with radii in the range of 0.001-500 µm while gaining an increase of up to 10 4 in computational speed. The covered complex refractive indices range from 1.25 to 1.36 for the real part and from 0 to 0.001 for the imaginary part. We show that we can precisely compute inherent optical properties for the particle size distributions ranging up to 100 µm for the effective radius and up to 0.6 for the effective variance. We test wavelengths from 0.35 to 2.3 µm and find that the elements of the normalized scattering matrix as well as the asymmetry parameter, the absorption, backscatter, extinction, and scattering coefficients are precise to within 1% for 96.7%-100% of cases depending on the inherent optical property. We also provide an example of using the look-up table with in situ measurements to determine agreement with remote sensing. The table together with C++, Fortran, MATLAB, and Python codes to interpolate the complex refractive index and apply different particle size distributions are freely available online.

Background: An effective response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic entails a comprehensive strategy that ensures equitable access to all COVID-19-fighting technologies. To achieve this goal, the international community has acknowledged immunization as a public good. However, a trend of grossly unequal dose distribution emerged, owing, among other factors, to pharmaceutical companies' profit-driven actions, jeopardizing the mechanisms built to increase vaccine access. The contradiction between public health interests and corporate discretion in determining vaccine dose distribution poses critical concerns about the health risks associated with lengthening the duration of the pandemic and the eventual liability of companies for violations of human rights., Methods: To evaluate the risks posed to the COVID-19 immunization program, data on vaccine allocation and delivery, vaccine dose application, immunized populations, and the volume of Advanced Purchase Agreements (APAs) between countries and pharmaceutical companies were compiled and assessed. A descriptive analysis was then conducted to analyze the role of pharmaceutical companies in providing equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines., Results: When the data is broken down by income (as of June 2021), it shows that high-income countries (HICs) have already crossed the COVID-19 Vaccine Global Access (COVAX) 20% immunization threshold. However, countries of all other income levels have yet to achieve this mark for fully vaccinated people. Upper-middle-income countries (UMICs) have approximately 3%, low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) have approximately 2% and low-income countries (LICs) have less than 0.1% of fully vaccinated people per hundred. The supply shortage is expected to last until the second half of 2021., Conclusion: As a result of the COVAX failure, a health gap emerged with countries living in a pre-immunization period for an extended time. The existing conflict between the international response to tackle COVID-19 and corporate profit-driven behavior contributed to prolonging pandemic, especially in Africa. Accordingly, there is a need to approve an international treaty that targets the activities of all actors, including the pharmaceutical companies, in protecting human rights and the right to health realms., (© 2022 The Author(s); Published by Kerman University of Medical Sciences This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.)

The South African government imposed one of the strictest lockdowns in the world as part of measures to curb the spread of COVID-19 in the country, including a ban on the sale of tobacco products. This study explored news media coverage of arguments and activities in relation to the South African lockdown tobacco sales ban. We collected media articles published between 26 March to 17 August 2020, which corresponded to the period of the sales ban. Data were sourced via google search and snowball identification of relevant articles. Thematic analysis of data was conducted with the aid of NVivo. We analysed a total of 305 articles relevant to the South African tobacco sales ban during the lockdown. Six major themes were identified in the data: challenges associated with implementing the ban, litigation, and threats of litigation to remove the ban, governance process and politicization of the ban, pro and anti-tobacco sales ban activities and arguments and reactions to the announcement lifting the ban. The initial reason for placing the ban was due to the non-classification of tobacco products as an essential item. Early findings of a link between tobacco smoking and COVID-19 disease severity led to an extension of the ban to protect South Africa's fragile health system. Pro-sales ban arguments included the importance of protecting the health system from collapse due to rising COVID-19 hospitalization, benefit of cessation, and the need for non-smokers to be protected from exposure to secondhand smoke. Anti-sales ban arguments included the adverse effect of nicotine withdrawal symptoms on smokers, loss of jobs and the expansion of the illicit cigarette markets. Litigation against the ban's legality was a strategy used by the tobacco industry to mobilize the public against the ban while promoting their business through the distribution of branded masks and door-to-door delivery which goes against current tobacco regulations. The media could serve as a veritable tool to promote public health if engaged in productive ways to communicate and promote public health regulations to the general population. Engagement with the media should be enhanced as part of health promotion strategies., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2022 Egbe et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Objectives: To assess the adoption of tobacco packaging and labeling policies based on the World Health Organization (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC)'s Article 11 guidelines, in the WHO Region of the Americas (AMRO)., Methods: We reviewed tobacco control laws in AMRO from the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids' Tobacco Control Laws database. We analyzed four sub-policy areas for smoked and smokeless tobacco products: 1) health warning labels (HWLs), 2) constituents and emissions (C&Es), 3) misleading tobacco packaging and labeling, and 4) standardized "plain" packaging., Results: Of 35 countries in AMRO, 31 have tobacco packaging and labeling laws. Twenty-six countries require pictorial HWLs, 24 require warnings printed on at least 50% of the front and back of the packs, and 24 rotate a single or multiple (from 2 to 16) warnings within a specified period (from 5 up to 24 months). Only 21 countries require descriptive messages on toxic C&Es information. Twenty-seven countries ban brand descriptors with references to implied harm reduction (e.g., "light"), 24 ban figures, colors, and other signs, but only 13 prohibit emission yields printed on the packs. Only Canada and Uruguay have adopted standardized tobacco packaging while Uruguay also requires a single presentation (one brand variant) per brand family., Conclusion: Many countries in AMRO have made good progress in adopting multiple, rotating, large pictorial HWLs and banning misleading brand descriptors. However, there needs to be greater attention on other tobacco packaging and labeling provisions with a focus on implementing standardized tobacco packaging.

Lacy-Nichols and Williams' examination of the food industry illustrates how it altered its approach from mostly oppositional to regulation to one of appeasement and co-option. This reflection builds upon this by using a commercial determinants of health (CDoH) lens to understand, expose and counter industry co-option, appeasement and partnership strategies that impact public health. Lessons learned from tobacco reveal how tobacco companies maintained public credibility by recruiting scientists to produce industry biased data, co-opting public health groups, gaining access to policy elites and sitting on important government regulatory bodies. Potential counter solutions to food industry appeasement and co-option include (i) understanding corporate actions of health harming industries, (ii) applying mechanisms to minimize industry engagement, (iii) dissecting industry relationship building, and (iv) exposing the negative effects of public private partnerships (PPPs). Such counter-solutions might help to neutralise harmful industry practices, products and policies which currently threaten to undermine healthy food policies., (© 2022 The Author(s); Published by Kerman University of Medical Sciences This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.)

Poor nutrition is one of the leading causes of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), especially in the WHO Region of the Americas (AMRO). In response, international organisations recommend front-of-pack nutrition labelling (FOPNL) systems that present nutrition information clearly to help consumers make healthier choices. In AMRO, all 35 countries have discussed FOPNL, 30 countries have formally introduced FOPNL, eleven have adopted FOPNL, and seven countries (Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela) have implemented FOPNL. FOPNL has gradually spread and evolved to better protect health by increasingly adopting larger warning labels, contrasting background devices for better salience, using "excess" instead of "high in" to improve efficacy, and adopting the Pan American Health Organization's (PAHO) Nutrient Profile Model to better define nutrient thresholds. Early evidence illustrates successful compliance, decreased purchases and product reformulation. Governments still discussing and waiting to implement FOPNL should follow these best practices to help reduce poor nutrition related NCDs. Translated versions of this manuscript are available in Spanish and Portuguese in the supplementary material ., Competing Interests: EC, SH, JO, SRGP, AC and FG have nothing to declare., (© 2022 Pan American Health Organization.)

Objective: The involvement of unhealthy commodity corporations in health policy and research has been identified as an important commercial determinant contributing to the rise of non-communicable diseases. In the USA, health professional associations have been subject to corporate influence. This study explores the interactions between corporations and the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND), and their implications for the profession in the USA and globally., Design: We conducted an inductive analysis of documents (2014-2020) obtained through freedom of information requests, to assess key AND actors' dealings with food, pharmaceutical and agribusiness corporations. We also triangulated this information with publicly available data., Setting: The USA., Participants: Not applicable., Results: The AND, AND Foundation (ANDF) and its key leaders have ongoing interactions with corporations. These include AND's leaders holding key positions in multinational food, pharmaceutical or agribusiness corporations, and AND accepting corporate financial contributions. We found the AND has invested funds in corporations such as Nestlé, PepsiCo and pharmaceutical companies, has discussed internal policies to fit industry needs and has had public positions favouring corporations., Conclusion: The documents reveal a symbiotic relationship between the AND, its Foundation and corporations. Corporations assist the AND and ANDF with financial contributions. AND acts as a pro-industry voice in some policy venues, and with public positions that clash with AND's mission to improve health globally.