ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Numerous studies have shown a disproportionate impact of COVID-19 infection on Black and Hispanic Americans in the adult patient population. However, few studies have been done with pediatric populations. The aim of this study is to identify the prevalence and distribution of COVID-19 cases among pediatric patients in Miami-Dade and Broward counties and identify any sociodemographic disparities. METHODS: A total of 10,087 children/adolescents ages zero years-old to 20 years-old were tested from July 1, 2020, to December 31, 2020. ArcGIS was used to map cases and obtain sociodemographic data. SPSS software was used to determine significance of data trends and create a predictive model. RESULTS: There were 1,161 pediatric COVID-19 cases detected. White Hispanics and Black Hispanics had statically significantly higher cases when compared to White non-Hispanics and Black non-Hispanics. Percentage of households on food stamps, percentage of households below the poverty line, percentage of minority populations, and percentage of Hispanic population showed a positive correlation with detected pediatric COVID-19 cases. Alternatively, areas with higher median household incomes and higher educational status were negatively correlated with COVID-19. Percentage of Hispanic population and percentage of households below the poverty line were predictive of pediatric COVID-19 cases. CONCLUSION: There was a disproportionate impact of pediatric COVID-19 infection on zip codes of lower socioeconomic status and increased racial/ethnic minority populations. This study demonstrates the need for public health policies that prioritize testing children/adolescents in these communities.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Health Status Disparities , Poverty , Adolescent , Child , Humans , Infant, Newborn , COVID-19/epidemiology , COVID-19/ethnology , Ethnicity/statistics & numerical data , Florida/epidemiology , Hispanic or Latino/ethnology , Hispanic or Latino/statistics & numerical data , Minority Groups/statistics & numerical data , United States/epidemiology , Infant , Child, Preschool , Young Adult , Black or African American/ethnology , Black or African American/statistics & numerical data , White/ethnology , White/statistics & numerical data , Socioeconomic Factors , Poverty/ethnology , Poverty/statistics & numerical data , Child Poverty/ethnology , Child Poverty/statistics & numerical dataABSTRACT
Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is the deadliest form of breast cancer. Unlike other types of breast cancer that can be effectively treated by targeted therapies, no such targeted therapy exists for all TNBC patients. The ADAR1 enzyme carries out A-to-I editing of RNA to prevent sensing of endogenous double-stranded RNAs. ADAR1 is highly expressed in breast cancer including TNBC. Here, we demonstrate that expression of ADAR1, specifically its p150 isoform, is required for the survival of TNBC cell lines. In TNBC cells, knockdown of ADAR1 attenuates proliferation and tumorigenesis. Moreover, ADAR1 knockdown leads to robust translational repression. ADAR1-dependent TNBC cell lines also exhibit elevated IFN stimulated gene expression. IFNAR1 reduction significantly rescued the proliferative defects of ADAR1 loss. These findings establish ADAR1 as a novel therapeutic target for TNBC tumors.
