Journals
2026 EN
Dardari Dured · Piaggesi Alberto · Potier Louis
+17 more
ABSTRACT There is a significant need for trials that evaluate the treatment of University of Texas (UT) grade 2 and 3 diabetic foot ulcers (bone, joint, or tendon exposed wounds). We undertook a trial looking at the effect of intact fish skin graft (IFSG) on these deep and difficult‐to‐heal ulcers. 262 patients Intent to Treat (ITT) patients with UT grade 2 and 3 DFUs were randomised to receive intact fish skin graft (IFSG) or a standardised treatment (SOC) that adhered to the International Working Group on the Diabetic Foot (IWGDF) guidelines. The secondary endpoints that were measured included wound area reduction (WAR), healing rates at 20 and 24 weeks; closure rates by UT grade, perfusion, quality of life, pain reduction and IFSG safety. We report ITT (all randomised) (mITT previosly reported) The (WAR) at 12 weeks was 65.53% for IFSG versus 30.82% for SOC ( p = 0.007). UT 2 wounds (60% of total) exhibited a closure rate of 47% versus 23% at 16 weeks for IFSG versus SOC ( p = 0.0033). Target wound infections were comparable (39 vs. 37) and major outcomes were comparable during the 24 week period (target‐limb amputations 8% vs. 7%). Time‐to‐heal favoured IFSG (restricted mean to 24 weeks 17.31 vs. 19.37 weeks; KM/log‐rank significant; Cox HR 1.59). The in the treatment of deep complex diabetic foot wounds the addition of IFSG significantly improved the number of patients with total wound closure as well as the time to wound closure without increased risk of complications. This improvement in total wound closure and time to wound closure was noted across prior amputation status, quality of perfusion, and UT grade.
Journals
2026 EN
Enav Yael · Mayer Yael
ABSTRACT Aim This study examines the relationships between parental efficacy, parental reflective functioning, and parental age among a unique population of internally displaced Israeli parents. Parents were specifically examined to understand the interplay of parental efficacy, parental reflective functioning, and age as protective factors among displaced children. Through examining these variables, we seek to better understand how to buffer the negative effects of war and displacement on families with young children. Design A cross‐sectional design was employed to gather data pertaining to parents. This research was part of a larger parent–child dyadic intervention. The data presented here were gathered prior to the intervention from January 2024 to June 2024. Methods In all, 97 displaced parents were met in person by the research team. Data pertaining to basic demographics, exposure to war, parental reflective functioning, parental efficacy, and the parent–child relationship were gathered. Information was gathered through online questionnaires using Qualtrics. One participant's responses were excluded due to missing data. Results Younger parents (aged 27–35) exhibited reduced efficacy under high war exposure conditions, while older parents (aged 46–52) demonstrated increased efficacy. These decreases in efficacy became less pronounced in relation to higher age. This association was found to be insignificant for parents aged 35–46. Parental reflective functioning emerged as a protective factor against declining parental efficacy, buffering the effects of low and moderate war exposure, but diminished under high‐stress conditions. Lastly, closer parent–child relationships were found to be associated with higher levels of parental efficacy regardless of war exposure levels. Conclusion These results underscore the conditional nature of the impact of war on parenting, emphasising the importance of tailored interventions to support parents across different life stages and reflective capacities. This study highlights the need for targeted strategies to enhance parental efficacy and resilience, fostering better outcomes for families affected by conflict and displacement. Implications for the Profession and/or Patient Care Age‐appropriate considerations and interventions focusing on parental reflective functioning are imperative when working with parents of different ages affected by war and displacement. Impact This study focused on parenting in wartime, specifically parental efficacy, reflective functioning, and parental age. We found younger parents demonstrate reduced efficacy under conditions of high war exposure, while older parents demonstrate increased efficacy under the same conditions. Additionally, parental reflective functioning buffers the negative effects of reduced parental efficacy among parents of all ages, but only under conditions of low war exposure. These findings are relevant to displaced families around the globe, in addition to families affected by exposure to war. Reporting Method We adhered to the STROBE guidelines for reporting cross‐sectional studies in this manuscript. Patient or Public Contribution No patient or public contribution.
Journals
2026 EN
Hilder Jarvis A. M.
ABSTRACT A trend has recently emerged among climate activists of attacking artworks as a means of registering protest. I analyse this mode of protest, which I term political iconoclasm, and offer a novel partial defence of political iconoclasm as a protest strategy for environmental activists. I focus on Just Stop Oil's attack on van Gogh's Sunflowers . I argue that climate activists' art‐attacking protests differ significantly from other recent art‐attacking protests: climate protestors generally target non‐commemorative, morally innocent artworks, and usually do not seek to destroy the artworks they attack. I argue that iconoclastic protests have been unusually good at capturing attention. Moreover, iconoclasm can enable protestors to communicate with their audience in an unusually direct and compelling way. I address some worries about political iconoclasm, and evaluate it against two theories of permissible protest: one on which disobedience must be civil, and another on which disobedience must meet standards of proportionality and necessity, adapted from the ethics of self‐defence and war. I argue that iconoclasm may be permissible on either theory. Iconoclasm is most likely to be permissible when used sparingly, when the artwork attacked has relevant representational content, and when the iconoclastic act transforms the artwork into a protest symbol.
Journals
2026 EN
Georgiou Neophytos · Šrol Jakub · Quarisa Michela
+2 more
ABSTRACT Periods of war and geopolitical conflict heighten perceptions of collective identity threat, which can increase endorsement of conspiracy beliefs and intergroup prejudice. Drawing on the Social Identity Model of Collective Psychological Responses to Threat, this research examined how symbolic identity threat structures conspiracy beliefs and prejudice in Slovakia during the Russo–Ukrainian war. In Study 1 ( N = 397), Western‐ and Eastern‐aligned identity threat corresponded to distinct conspiracy narratives and prejudice targets, indicating that conspiracy endorsement was organized by identity threat rather than reflecting a general tendency toward conspiratorial thinking. In Study 2 ( N = 690), a distinct longitudinal pathway emerged in which identity threat predicted subsequent endorsement of both conflict‐specific and general conspiracy beliefs, which in turn predicted later prejudice toward Ukrainians. Together, these findings provide preliminary evidence for how conspiracy beliefs function within active geopolitical conflicts and why their prejudicial consequences depend on both the form of identity threat and the conflict context in which they arise. Future research in this context may benefit from experimentally varying identity‐based threat appraisals and examining how changes in threat relate to conspiracy endorsement and prejudice over time.
Journals
2026 EN
Tunsjø Øystein
Abstract By drawing on the concept of hedging, this article develops an analytical framework that conceptualises and explains adjustments in the EU's China strategies since the end of the Cold War. It argues that the EU's China strategy shifted from co‐operative to extensive hedging in the post‐Cold War era and shifted from extensive to conflictive hedging in a new US–China bipolar system. Divided into four parts, the article first notes that despite a contemporary US–China bipolar system, the EU has maintained a general strategy of hedging towards China. The second part of the article defines and conceptualises hedging and provides a hedging framework for analysis based on three different types of hedging strategies. The third part explains the shift in the EU's China strategy from co‐operative to extensive hedging in the post‐Cold War era. The fourth part contends that the EU has adjusted from extensive to conflictive hedging in a new US–China bipolar system. The conclusion notes that the Soviet Union posed an overwhelming threat to Western Europe during the previous bipolar system, which compelled the European Economic Community towards containment and balancing. China represents much more of a risk than a threat to the EU in the new bipolar system, which allows the EU to sustain a hedging strategy and prioritise de‐risking.
Journals
2026 EN
Martill Benjamin · Carrapico Helena
Abstract The United Kingdom's departure from the European Union has significantly reshaped the UK–EU security relationship, including both foreign, security and defence policy and police and judicial co‐operation in criminal matters. Whilst Brexit has mainly been discussed in the academic literature as a form of disengagement from the EU, recent developments indicate a nuanced process of selective reconstruction and re‐engagement in the current post‐Brexit period. This editorial introduces the concept of ‘re‐engagement’ as a distinct analytical framework to capture the unique dynamics emerging in the wake of Brexit, which are distinct from both prior EU membership and the disengagement experienced during the withdrawal period. Specifically, it proposes seven characteristics of re‐engagement that can contribute to a greater understanding of post‐Brexit security co‐operation: (1) the perceived directionality of the co‐operation, (2) increased re‐institutionalisation incentives, (3) political path dependence, (4) temporal distance, (5) institutional change, (6) alternatives to re‐engagement and (7) sustainability. By reflecting on these seven characteristics in the context of contemporary developments in the UK–EU security relationship, the editorial underscores how past political trajectories and evolving geopolitical contexts, such as the Ukraine war, have shaped current co‐operative practices and enabled different outcomes for different policy areas within the UK–EU security relationship.
Journals
2026 EN
Haham Liann · Aderka Idan M. · Pine Daniel S.
+2 more
Background Given the long‐term negative impact of exposure to military conflict, identifying its immediate psychological effects is crucial to develop prevention and intervention approaches, especially in adolescents, a group particularly vulnerable to mental health challenges. Methods We examined 198 war‐exposed Israeli adolescents ( M age = 16.35 years; 131 females, 65 males), 1–3 months into the Israel–Hamas war (2023), using a multi‐method approach combining mental health questionnaires with week‐long momentary sampling throughout the day and nightly diary measures. We focused on risk and protective factors affecting mental health. Results Most adolescents reported clinical levels of anxiety ( M SCARED‐c = 28.54, SD = 15.88) and trauma‐related symptoms ( M CPTCI = 46.78, SD = 15.61). Female gender, increased tiredness, and avoidant coping strategies constituted risk factors for lower psychological well‐being; in‐person social interaction and emotional and problem‐focused coping strategies represented resilience factors. Conclusions By providing comprehensive information on risk and protective factors, this study informs the development of targeted prevention and intervention approaches to support adolescent well‐being in times of extreme stress.
Journals
2026 EN
FEDERLE JONATHAN · MEIER ANDRÉ · MÜLLER GERNOT J.
+1 more
Abstract We identify a “proximity penalty” in the stock market response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine: the closer countries are to Ukraine, the lower their equity returns in a four‐week window around the start of the war. This result holds even at the firm level within Ukraine's neighbors. Trade linkages explain two‐thirds of the proximity penalty. We attribute the remainder—1.1 percentage points in equity returns per 1,000 km of extra distance—to military disaster risk. Evidence from other financial data, geopolitical risk indicators, and aid flow statistics supports the relevance of military tail risk as a spillover channel.
Journals
2026 EN
Camilo Tays Araújo · ValentimLima Evandro · Oliveira José Antônio Cortes
+4 more
ABSTRACT The Wistar Audiogenic Rat (WAR) strain is a genetically selected model of reflex epilepsy, susceptible to mesencephalic and, following chronic stimulation, limbic seizures. In this study, we examined the molecular underpinnings of this seizure progression by assessing gene expression profiles of pre‐synaptic serotonergic components in Dorsal Raphe Nucleus (DRN) and post‐synaptic receptors in the Basolateral Amygdala (BLA), Central Amygdala (CeA), and Hippocampus (HIP). Concurrently, we evaluated mRNA expression of Galanin (Gal) and Prodynorphin (Pdyn) in the Supraoptic Nucleus (SON) and their respective receptors in the BLA, CeA, and HIP. WARs and control Wistar rats underwent a ten‐day audiogenic kindling (AK) protocol, involving twice‐daily exposure to a high‐intensity acoustic stimulus to induce seizures. WARs were sub‐grouped based on their behavioral phenotype (seizure scales) into limbic‐recruited seizures (LiR) and non‐limbic‐recruited (n‐LiR). Quantitative PCR analysis of brain micropunches revealed a significant failure of adaptive plasticity in WARs. Unlike control rats, which showed a robust upregulation of serotonergic (5‐HT‐ergic) components in the DRN in response to the chronic stress of the kindling protocol, WARs had a significantly blunted pre‐synaptic response. Rats that did not show limbic seizures showed compensatory upregulation of amygdala 5‐HT receptors, a mechanism that failed in rats that developed chronic seizures. Furthermore, WARs showed elevated hypothalamic galanin but reduced limbic receptor expression. The opioid system was also imbalanced, with an increase in the pro‐convulsant mu‐opioid receptor. Critically, Pdyn expression was strongly and negatively correlated with limbic seizure severity. Collectively, these findings suggest that the progression to limbic epilepsy, already demonstrated in behavioral and EEG protocols in this model, is driven by a widespread failure of plasticity across interconnected neuromodulatory networks, rather than a single molecular defect, highlighting novel targets for therapeutic intervention.
Journals
2026 EN
McKendrick Alex
ABSTRACT This article examines Britain's post‐war turn from the world's leading food importer to being largely self‐sufficient in food, as a key process within the transition from first to second global food regime. It focuses on the special soil fertility resources mobilised to implement this transition in British agriculture; looking first at the economic, political and military strategic factors which drove the heavy use and stockpiling of chemical fertilisers; and then at Britain's colonial phosphate rock networks. This article affirms the value of a concrete and historicised theoretical approach to Food Regimes Analysis, to appreciate secondary dynamics and regional differences. By employing an archive‐centred historical method with close attention to the role of the state and political economy, this article reveals the endurance of formal colonialism and colonial forms of exploitation—alongside the development of a US‐led international state system—in determining the hierarchy of states under the Second Food Regime.