Previous studies have shown that smoking tobacco significantly increases both incidence and mortality rates for many diseases. Social media has become one of the most influential platforms for various smoking cessation interventions. However, results from smoking cessation interventions have differed from study to study. Limited studies have summarised cessation outcomes from social media–based interventions. Therefore, the objective of this review is to explore the effectiveness of using social media for smoking cessation. We searched PubMed, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and CINAHL for articles between June 2008 and June 2018, and also assessed the references of selected articles. We included studies that used social media as intervention platforms, provided a baseline assessment before the intervention, and provided smoking cessation outcomes after the intervention. We identified 13 original studies that enrolled between 16 and 1698 participants; 7-day Point Prevalence Abstinence (PPA) rate was the most frequently used measure of abstinence, with a range of 7%–75%, regardless of the measurement time, study design, and analysis methods. Social media–based smoking cessation interventions were effective, because (1) smokers reported higher 7-day PPA rates after intervention compared to baseline and (2) smokers reported higher 7-day PPA rates in intervention groups than in control groups. Moreover, at each time point, approximately half of all smokers in studies reporting abstinence were found to be biochemically abstinent. There were no significant differences in the effectiveness of smoking cessation outcomes between those that used existing popular social networking platforms (e.g. Pechmann et al’s studies) and those that used individually designed interactive platforms (e.g. MyLastDip, iQuit system, Quitxt system). This review highlights the effectiveness of social media–based smoking cessation intervention studies. Due to the widespread use of social media, as well as its low cost, we suggest embedding smoking cessation interventions within existing popular social media platforms.

Background: Combining smoking with poor eating habits significantly elevates the risk of chronic illnesses and early death. Understanding of how dietary quality shifts post-smoking cessation remains limited. The objective of this study is to examine dietary quality – using Healthy Eating Index (HEI – 2020) and its 13 components, among current, former, and never smokers, and particularly the impact of quitting and the duration of cessation on dietary habits. Methods: A cross-sectional analysis of 31,569 adults from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2005–2018 was conducted. Dietary quality was assessed using HEI-2020 scores, which were determined by NIH developed - simple HEI scoring algorithm per person. Smoking status was categorized into current, former, and never smokers, with further subdivisions for current (heavy/light smokers) and former smokers (duration post-cessation). Descriptive analysis and multiple regression models weighted to represent the US population were performed. Results: The current smoking rate was 19.4%, with a higher prevalence in males (22.5%) than females (17.5%). Current smokers reported statistically significantly lower HEI total score than both former and never smokers. Former smokers exhibited HEI scores similar to those of never smokers. The adjusted HEI total scores for current, former, and never smokers were 49.2, 54.0, and 53.3, respectively, with a statistically significant difference (p < 0.001). Moreover, light smokers had better total HEI score than heavy smokers (46.8 vs. 50.8, p < 0.001, respectively), but former and never smokers scored even higher. Quitting smoking immediately improved dietary quality, with former smokers reaching the dietary levels of never smokers within 5–10 years (53.8 vs. 53.3, p > 0.05, respectively). Compared to current smokers, former smokers tended to consume more beneficial foods (e.g., fruits, vegetables, greens and beans, whole grains, proteins, and fatty acids), while also consuming more sodium and less added sugar. Conclusions: Current smokers, particularly heavy smokers, exhibit poorer dietary habits than former and never smokers. The dietary quality of former smokers aligns with never smokers over time, highlighting the positive impact of smoking cessation on diet. This has implications for reducing chronic disease risks associated with poor diet and smoking.

Purpose: To image the human trabecular meshwork (TM) in vivo using adaptive optics gonioscopy (AOG) with approximately 2-μm lateral resolution. Methods: An existing Indiana University adaptive optics scanning laser ophthalmoscope was altered by adding a 12-mm button lens to a clinical gonioscopic lens allowing high-resolution imaging of the human iridocorneal angle. First an anatomic model eye was used to refine the imaging technique and then nine participants (7 controls and 2 participants with pigment dispersion syndrome) were imaged. Results: All nine participants were successfully imaged without adverse events. High-resolution imaging of the human TM was achieved allowing for visualization of the TM beams, and presumed endothelial cells. Uveal meshwork beams in controls averaged 25.5 μm (range, 15.2–44.7) in diameter with pores averaging 42.6 μm (range, 22.3–51.4) while the corneoscleral meshwork pores averaged 8.9 μm (range, 7.7–12.1). Differences in appearance of the uveal and corneoscleral meshwork were noted between the two participants with pigment dispersion syndrome and the controls. These included nearly absent spacing between the beams and enlarged endothelial cells with hyperreflective areas. Conclusions: AOG allows for near cellular level resolution of the human TM in vivo. This may allow for further understanding of age-related changes that occur as well as provide a deeper understanding of medical and surgical alterations for the treatment of glaucoma. Translational Relevance: Further development of this approach may allow for direct measurements at a micometer level in vivo of changes that occur in the human trabecular meshwork with glaucoma and therapeutic interventions.

Slow light has been proposed as a potential solution to all-optically tunable delay line. However, a slow-light element may degrade data quality in an optical communication system while decreasing group velocity of optical pulses. In this paper, pattern dependence of signal distortion is identified as a main reason for data degradation, which is caused by narrow-band amplitude and phase responses of the slow-light elements. We define figure of merit involving pulse delay and data degradation to optimize slow-light devices. It is shown that the pattern dependence can be reduced by detuning slow-light devices away from the signal carrier frequency, which allows using narrow-band slow-light techniques to increase normalized delay up to 0.8, with Q improvement of 2 dB.

Excessive sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) consumption and abdominal obesity have been independently linked to numerous disorders, including diabetes and elevated C-reactive protein (CRP). This study aimed to explore the association between SSB intake, abdominal obesity, and inflammation in normal and prediabetic adults. Sugar intake from SSBs was calculated from 24-h dietary recalls and further classified into non-, medium-, and high-intake. The status of non- and prediabetes was identified based on hemoglobin A1c level. All analyses were performed under a survey module with appropriate sampling weights to control for the complex survey design. A total of 5250 eligible adults without diabetes were selected from the 2007–2010 NHANES. A 1.31-fold increased risk of developing prediabetes was observed in people who consumed high sugar from SSBs when compared to non-SSB consumers. Among individuals with prediabetes, adults who consumed a high amount of sugar from SSB had a 1.57-fold higher risk to increase CRP when compared to non-SSB consumers, even after adjusting for abdominal obesity. Furthermore, the association between the high amount of sugar intake from SSBs and elevated CRP was strengthened by abdominal obesity in prediabetes (p for interaction term = 0.030). Our findings highlight that a positive association between sugar intake from SSBs and CRP levels was only observed in US adults with prediabetes. Abdominal obesity may strengthen this effect in prediabetic adults with a high amount of sugar intake from SSBs.

The COVID‐19 pandemic has reshaped global health; however, the long‐term burden of long COVID remains poorly understood, especially in low‐ and middle‐income countries (LMICs), where limited surveillance and data gaps may obscure a substantial and sustained impact. Using the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2021 framework, we previously assessed the direct COVID‐19 burden—including incidence, prevalence, mortality, and disability‐adjusted life‐years (DALYs)—across 920 locations during 2020–2021. In this study, we focus on years lived with disability (YLDs), particularly in 2021, as a potential early indicator to identify locations and populations that may be at higher risk of long COVID burden in subsequent years (e.g., 2022–2023). We also examine patterns of inequality to highlight vulnerable groups. Our findings are consistent with multiple large‐scale studies on long COVID and suggest that YLDs may serve as a useful early proxy for ongoing burden. Importantly, we identify notably higher age‐standardized YLD rates in LMICs—especially in Sub‐Saharan Africa and in parts of South Asia and Eastern Europe. These areas, previously underexplored in long COVID research, might be particularly susceptible to its effects. Among the top 10 countries with the highest age‐standardized YLD rates in 2021, 80% fell within the low, low‐middle, and middle Socio‐demographic Index (SDI) categories. These high age‐standardized YLD rates may point to systemic vulnerabilities and entrenched structural health disparities, indicating a potential for considerable and enduring long COVID burden that could persist to the present day in the absence of targeted interventions. Furthermore, our inequality analysis underscores that while both advantaged and disadvantaged groups in LMICs require attention, the most disadvantaged groups warrant special focus due to their more severe resource constraints and restricted capacity for resilience‐building. Overall, this study supports calls for stronger surveillance, expanded access to rehabilitation, and better integration of long COVID care into universal health coverage. Continued GBD updates will be essential for monitoring trends and guiding responsive public health strategies.