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Introduction A leading cause of death among non-Hispanic American Indians or Alaskan Natives (AI/ANs), apart from cardiovascular disease and unintentional injuries, is chronic liver disease (CLD). This study analyzed recent trends in AI/AN ALD mortality, given their increased incidence of alcoholic liver disease (ALD) and high burden of CLD. Methods This cross-sectional study used data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Wide-Ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research (CDC WONDER). Geographic, age and sex-based temporal mortality trends of ALD deaths were analyzed among the AI/AN population in the US from 1999 to 2020. Joinpoint regression analyses determined trends in ALD crude and age-adjusted mortality rates, identifying the annual percent change (APC) in each subgroup. Results In 1999–2020, the overall age-adjusted mortality rate (AAMR) among AI/ANs increased significantly from 27.2/100,000 to 88.4/100,000. Although men had a higher mortality rate overall, women had a higher increase in APC (2003–2008 APC was 17.7 [95% Cl: 9.9–26.0] and 2018–2020 APC was 25.3 [95% Cl: 11.4–40.9]) compared to men (1999–2020 APC was 5.8 [95% Cl 4.8–6.8]). All age groups studied witnessed an increase in AAMR. However, the age group 45–64 had the highest mortality overall in the preceding 2 decades. Non-metropolitan geographic regions had the highest mortality rate (2018–2020 APC of 25.5 [95% Cl: 5.0–50.0]) compared to medium/small or large metro areas. Western and Midwestern US Census regions had the highest mortality rates. Conclusions Male sex, age 44–65, and rural dwelling was associated with a greater ALD AAMR in AI/AN populations. Social changes due to the Covid-19 pandemic may have led to increased ALD mortality. Discerning the underlying causality of these associations and examining the impact of the social determinants of health, may represent important opportunities to enhance care for AI/ANs as a vulnerable minority population.

This book review analyzes the complex and profound impact active religious participation has on relationships and family outcomes among African Americans and Latinos. In Soul Mates, Wilcox and Wolfinger discuss the legacy of slavery and Jim Crow laws and the resulting devastating effects on African American and Latino families despite their high religious involvement. The authors make the case that many African American men are unlikely candidates for marriage or stable relationships due to trends of family instability driven by the declining income-power of working-class men as well as entry of more women into the labor force, government penalties for low-income couples, revolt against traditional values, increased access to birth control and abortion, and the persistence of discrimination and incarceration of minority men. The authors examine data from six national surveys as well as additional data from interviews, focus groups, ethnographic field work, and an extensive literature review. Wilcox and Wolfinger find evidence that when African American couples actively participate in Christian churches, the men are more likely to adhere to a “code of decency” which decreases street behaviors, such as binge drinking, having multiple sex partners, and having multi-partner fertility, which are known to inhibit family stability. This book will be helpful for health providers who would like to better understand and serve their African American and Latino patients. The findings suggest that health care providers can promote a healthy emotional environment for families by encouraging minority men to renew or maintain church involvement.

Data on food habits of Myotis leibii (Eastern Small-footed Myotis) are scarce. We dissected 172 fecal samples collected from 75 adult (29 males and 46 females) and 2 juvenile (1 male and 1 female) Eastern Small-footed Myotis, captured in mist nets along a forested ridge in northeastern West Virginia in 2008. Fecal samples were dissected and prey items identified to the level of taxonomic order and, when possible, to family. Eastern Small-footed Myotis consumed eight orders of arthropods from 11 families. Lepidoptera (moths) composed 41.5% (±1.9 SE) of adult fecal volume and were found in samples of all 75 adults. Coleoptera (beetles) contributed 30.6 ±1.7% to adult fecal volume and were detected in samples of 97.3% of adults (n = 73). Diptera (flies) composed 16.9 ±1.9% of adult fecal volume and were found in samples of 82.7% of adults (n = 62). Fecal samples of adult females contained a higher percent volume of Lepidoptera (45.9 ± 2.4%, n = 46) than samples of adult males (34.6 ± 3.2%, n = 29). These data provide evidence of moderate dietary specialization on Lepidoptera and demonstrate dietary variation between sexes. Data also indicate Coleoptera and Diptera as important taxonomic groups in the diet of Eastern Small-footed Myotis.