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Global trends in human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated head and neck cancers (HNC), specifically in the oropharynx subsite, have been dynamically changing, leading to new staging and treatment paradigms. Epidemiologic studies have noted regional variations in HPV-associated oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC). While HPV vaccination remains the main preventative approach, vaccination policy in relation to gender neutrality is heterogeneous and particularly sparse in low- and middle-income countries, where the burden of global cancer cases and HPV-associated HNC are not well-characterized in certain regions. This review summarizes the existing literature on regional variations of HPV-associated OPSCC and gender-neutral vaccine policies. Based on available data, the incidence of HPV-associated OPSCC is highest in North America, Europe, and Oceania. As of 2022, 122 of 195 (63%) World Health Organization (WHO) member states had incorporated HPV vaccinations nationally; of these, 41 of 122 (34%) member states have introduced gender-neutral vaccine coverage. Future research is needed to describe continued evolving trends in HPV-associated OPSCC, understand underlying risk factors leading to regional variation in disease, and implement gender-neutral policy more broadly.

BackgroundThe optimal timing of esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) and the impact of clinico-demographic factors on hospitalization outcomes in non-variceal upper gastrointestinal bleeding (NVUGIB) remains an area of active research.AimTo identify independent predictors of outcomes in patients with NVUGIB, with a particular focus on EGD timing, anticoagulation (AC) status, and demographic features.MethodsA retrospective analysis of adult patients with NVUGIB from 2009 to 2014 was performed using validated ICD-9 codes from the National Inpatient Sample database. Patients were stratified by EGD timing relative to hospital admission (≤ 24 h, 24-48 h, 48-72 h, and > 72 h) and then by AC status (yes/no). The primary outcome was all-cause inpatient mortality. Secondary outcomes included healthcare usage.ResultsOf the 1082516 patients admitted for NVUGIB, 553186 (51.1%) underwent EGD. The mean time to EGD was 52.8 h. Early (< 24 h from admission) EGD was associated with significantly decreased mortality, less frequent intensive care unit admission, shorter length of hospital stays, lower hospital costs, and an increased likelihood of discharge to home (all with P < 0.001). AC status was not associated with mortality among patients who underwent early EGD (aOR 0.88, P = 0.193). Male sex (OR 1.30) and Hispanic (OR 1.10) or Asian (aOR 1.38) race were also independent predictors of adverse hospitalization outcomes in NVUGIB.ConclusionBased on this large, nationwide study, early EGD in NVUGIB is associated with lower mortality and decreased healthcare usage, irrespective of AC status. These findings may help guide clinical management and would benefit from prospective validation.

How does thinking differ across cultures? Previously, we reported that Chinese people tend to think more abstractly than Caucasian Americans, as indexed by their propensity to construe actions either abstractly or concretely (Singh et al., 2019). Here we provide further evidence for the cultural diversity of abstract thought: We report action construal data from Japan and South Korea, and compare them to our previous Chinese and American data. Chinese, Japanese, and South Korean patterns of action construal all differed significantly from one another. Whereas Chinese participants construed actions more abstractly than American participants, South Koreans did not differ from Americans, and Japanese participants construed actions less abstractly than Americans. The diversity of these East Asian data challenges the assumption that people from China, Japan, and South Korea have a unified “Eastern” cognitive style. Furthermore, these results challenge the longstanding generalization that Westerners think more abstractly than non-Westerners.

According to a long-standing dogma, Westerners are more capable of thinking abstractly than East Asians. Here, we challenge this generalization by comparing US and Chinese adults in a paradigm case of abstract thinking: analogy. Chinese and American participants completed the most difficult set of Raven’s (2003) Standard Progressive Matrices (SPM), a widely used test of analogical reasoning. For each item, participants attempted to discern the analogical relationships between parts of an incomplete matrix to identify the correct way to complete it. Chinese participants produced significantly more correct answers on the SPM, indicating more successful analogical reasoning. We replicated this result with a second sample of Chinese participants. This cross-cultural difference remained significant when demographic factors were controlled. We predicted this difference, reasoning that East Asian’s sensitivity to context gives them an advantage over Westerners in various kinds of abstract thinking.

People from Western and East Asian cultures exhibit systematic differences in perception, attention, and cognition. Why do people from these cultures think differently? According to an influential proposal, psychological differences between Westerners and East Asians reflect, and may derive from, differences between ancient Greek and ancient Chinese philosophies. Here, we critique this proposal in two ways. First, we argue that the way ancient Greek philosophy is represented in the cultural psychology literature is skewed, highlighting differences between ancient Greek and Chinese beliefs, and obscuring similarities. Second, we argue that no causal mechanism has been offered by which ancient philosophies could give rise to modern cross-cultural differences.

Do some cultures think more abstractly than others? According to tests of formal logic and rule-based reasoning, Western-ers tend to think more abstractly than East Asians. Yet, rule-based reasoning is only one type of abstract thinking. Moregenerally, thinking abstractly involves discerning relationships and seeing the big picture. Here we argue that previous testsof attention, perception, and memory can be interpreted as showing that East Asians tend to think more abstractly thanWesterners. To test this hypothesis directly we gave a validated measure of abstract thinking (Vallacher & Wegner, 1989)to Chinese and US individuals. Participants chose either abstract or concrete definitions of events. Across six indepen-dent national samples (total N=1,798), Chinese participants tended to construe events more abstractly, and US participantsmore concretely. Within China, more independent (Western-like) groups chose more concrete definitions. Together, theseresults challenge the generalization that Westerners have a greater propensity for abstract thought.

After viewing Black males faces, US participants are typically faster to categorize weapons and slower to categorize tools than afterviewing White male faces, revealing the activation of implicit stereotypes linking Black males with violent crime. Here we testedwhether hearing Black male voices speaking in African American Vernacular English (AAVE) activates these same threat-relatedstereotypes. In a national US sample, participants were faster to categorize weapons compared to tools after hearing race-neutralnames spoken in AAVE than after hearing them spoken in Standard American English (SAE). Like Black faces, Black voices canactivate violent stereotypes, affecting visual discrimination of objects.

Sports are a microcosm of society. A nations sports reflect its peoples values, and contribute to their social identity. Herewe investigated whether countries previously identified as individualistic versus collectivistic tend to excel in individualsports versus team sports, respectively. Individual sports like golf require athletes to focus on personal goals, whereasteam sports like hockey require players to cooperate and to focus on collective goals. We analyzed the rate of Olympicmedals won in individual versus team sports by 11 countries: 5 Western countries identified previously by sociologicaland psychological research as individualistic, and 6 East Asian or Eastern European countries identified as collectivistic.Paradoxically, results showed that individualistic countries won a greater proportion of medals in team sports, whereascollectivistic countries won more medals in individual sports. Findings support the view that cultural mindsets and valueorientations are domain-specific, not monolithic.

Background: Acute abdomen constitute one of surgical emergencies for surgeons worldwide. Acute onset of abdominal symptoms that possibly threatens life thus demands early diagnosis as well as early treatment. Key to successful diagnosis is high level of suspicion and frequent physical examination with close observation added with diagnostic evaluation. Objectives: To study the proportion of occurrence of various causes of non-traumatic acute abdomen with respect to its various parameters like age, sex, clinical features, surgical treatment and complications of the treated patients. Methods: The data for this prospective study was obtained from 1st April 2020 to 31st March, 2021 with a follow-up period of 1 month in patients diagnosed to have acute abdomen and undergoing treatment in Guru Nanak Dev Hospital, attached Govt. Medical College, Amritsar. Permission was taken for the study from the institutional ethical committee. Results: There was male preponderance as compared to females and the male to female ratio is 1.6:1.Majority of patients were seen in the age group 31 to 40 years. All the cases 100% have pain as major symptom, followed by fever which was present in 78 % cases. The most common sign that can be observed in cases of acute abdomen was tenderness and majority of cases were Appendicitis in 35% of cases followed by perforation peritonitis and cholecystitis 23% each. Conclusion: Acute abdominal pain usually represents a spectrum of conditions including benign and self-limited disease to surgical emergencies. Evaluation of abdominal pain requires an approach that mostly relies on the likelihood of disease, patient history, physical examination, and investigations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]