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Background Although menthol was not banned under the Tobacco Control Act, the law made it clear that this did not prevent the Food and Drug Administration from issuing a product standard to ban menthol to protect public health. The purpose of this review was to update the evidence synthesis regarding the role of menthol in initiation, dependence and cessation. Methods A systematic review of the peer-reviewed literature on menthol cigarettes via a PubMed search through May 9, 2017. The National Cancer Institute’s Bibliography of Literature on Menthol and Tobacco and the FDA’s 2011 report and 2013 addendum were reviewed for additional publications. Included articles addressing initiation, dependence, and cessation were synthesized based on study design and quality, consistency of evidence across populations and over time, coherence of findings across studies, and plausibility of the findings. Results Eighty-two studies on menthol cigarette initiation ( n  = 46), dependence ( n  = 14), and cessation ( n  = 34) were included. Large, representative studies show an association between menthol and youth smoking that is consistent in magnitude and direction. One longitudinal and eight cross-sectional studies demonstrate that menthol smokers report increased nicotine dependence compared to non-menthol smokers. Ten studies support the temporal relationship between menthol and reduced smoking cessation, as they measure cessation success at follow-up. Conclusions The strength and consistency of the associations in these studies support that the removal of menthol from cigarettes is likely to reduce youth smoking initiation, improve smoking cessation outcomes in adult smokers, and in turn, benefit public health.

Background Outside of pruritus, there is no clear consensus on the nature and prevalence of cutaneous manifestations of adverse food reactions (AFRs) in dogs and cats. Results We searched two databases on August 7, 2018, for articles reporting detailed data on the signalment and clinical signs of at least one dog or cat with a cutaneous AFR (CAFR). We identified 233 and 407 citations from which were selected 32 articles reporting original information. Twenty-two articles included data on 825 dogs with CAFRs. The reported age of onset varied from less than one to 13 years of age; a beginning of signs by 6 or 12 months of age was noted in 22 to 38% of dogs, respectively. The female-to-male ratio also varied considerably. Four breeds (German shepherd dogs, West Highland white terriers, Labrador and golden retrievers) accounted for about 40% of affected dogs. Most dogs diagnosed with a CAFR were pruritic, most often in a generalized pattern, with the ears, feet, and abdomen also being frequently affected; the perineum was uncommonly targeted, however. Canine CAFRs presented mainly as recurrent bacterial skin infections, otitis externa and atopic dermatitis. Twelve articles reported novel information on 210 cats with this syndrome. There was no apparent breed and gender predisposition for feline CAFRs, but cats appeared to develop signs later than dogs with the same syndrome. Most cats with a CAFR were pruritic, especially on the head/face and neck, with the abdomen and ears also commonly involved. Symmetric self-induced alopecia, a head-and-neck self-traumatic dermatitis, miliary dermatitis and variants of eosinophilic diseases were the most common manifestations of feline CAFRs. Conclusions CAFRs affect dogs and cats of any age, any breed, and both genders, with the proportion of juvenile dogs diagnosed about twice that of cats. There are no reliable breed predisposition data. Most patients are pruritic, with half the dogs having generalized pruritus and half the cats scratching their face/head or neck. Canine CAFRs most often manifest as bacterial skin infections, otitis externa or atopic dermatitis; cats with CAFRs will exhibit the expected clinical phenotypes associated with feline hypersensitivity dermatitides.

Urban areas expand worldwide, transforming landscapes and creating new challenging habitats. Some bird species, mainly omnivorous feeding on human waste and cavity nesters, commonly breed in these habitats and are, therefore, regarded as urban‐adapted. Although urban areas may provide new nesting sites and abundant human waste, the low breeding success found in some of these species suggests that the poor protein content in human waste might limit breeding parameters. We investigated whether the breeding success of a cavity nester and omnivorous species commonly breeding in urban areas, the Western Jackdaw (Corvus monedula), depended on the availability of good‐quality non‐urban food. We approached the objective by combining a literature review and experiments in the field. With the literature review, we compared jackdaw populations in different habitats across Europe and found that clutch size and number of fledglings per pair decreased with distance to non‐urban foraging grounds, even after controlling for the effect of colony size, latitude, and climate. In two experiments, we tested whether the breeding success of urban pairs could be increased by supplementing high‐quality food, first only during egg formation and second also until chick fledging. Food supplementation during egg formation led to larger eggs and higher hatching success than in urban control nests, but this did not result in higher chick survival. However, when food supplementation was prolonged until fledging in the second experiment, we observed a significant increase of nestling survival. These findings highlight that research and management actions should not only focus on species displaced by urbanization, but also on “urban‐adapted” species, as they might be suffering from a mismatch between availability of nesting sites in buildings and adequate non‐urban food resources. In these cases, nest sites should be provided in or close to adequate food resources. Urban nesting sites and human waste attract many bird species. However, low‐protein content in human waste may lead to lower breeding success. Breeding output in urban areas decreases with distance to non‐urban foraging areas. Food supplementation experiments confirmed that urban food limits reproduction. The mismatch between nesting site availability and quality food should be reduced.

Poultry production is a significant contributor to economic growth and food security in Kenya. Reliable data on day-old chicks (DOCs) production and distribution are essential for formulating effective national policies on poultry production and animal health delivery. Here, we describe the commercial broiler DOCs production, distribution, and associated animal health and antibiotic use practices in Kenya. Data were collected through focus group discussions, individual interviews, and key informant interviews involving three DOCs producers, 128 distributors, two government regulatory agencies, one poultry producers' association and 128 farmers. Across the DOCs production pyramid, animal health and biosecurity practices varied, with stronger management observed in parent stock (PS) than in commercial stock (CS) production facilities. DOCs distribution followed either vertically integrated systems for largescale broiler farms-owned by the CS producers or contracted farms-or horizontal systems involving numerous small-scale distributors. Veterinary drug stores were the main distributors (96%) of CS DOCs to farmers. Veterinary authorities routinely audited PS and CS hatcheries for compliance with biosecurity and animal welfare standards. However, suboptimal animal welfare practices (such as long travel times and transportation stress) and inappropriate antibiotic recommendation to farmers were observed at the distribution level during collection of CS DOCs. These findings provide critical evidence to guide policies on biosecurity, distribution, and animal health practices within the DOCs distribution chain. Factors such as transportation stress, poor biosecurity, and inappropriate antibiotic recommendations can compromise DOCs health, which may result in higher antibiotic use on farms. Strengthening oversight and promoting best practices across the production and distribution system would enhance the quality and health of DOCs supplied to farmers, reduce dependence on antibiotics, and support sustainable poultry production that safeguards both food security and public health.

Not only do we still get to enjoy the emotional support of parents and other family members, we can count on their financial backing as well and well past the age of 18. In addition to providing supportive services for children in foster care, including recreation, mentoringand a residential group home, the foundation hosts a weeklong residential camp and partners with the Atlanta Hawks to provide a basketball mentoring program.