ABSTRACT
A Breast Health Research Champion training program was a developed targeting self-identified community breast health advocates from a predominant African-American community with a significant breast cancer mortality disparity. Twelve individuals completed the program that provided training in breast cancer risk and screening, breast cancer research, biospecimen in cancer research, and human research subject protection. The training emphasized four key messages to be disseminated to the community. Trainees hosted a minimum of two social chats with individuals from their social networks and functioned as community researchers, acquiring consent and gathering follow-up data from attendees. Trainees reached 199 individuals from their social networks, and chats were diverse in the venue selected, mode of message transmission, and the audience reached. Post/pre questionnaire data from attendees at the chats showed significant improvement in knowledge, attitudes, and intended behaviors as it relates to breast cancer screening, clinical research, and biospecimen in research. Forty percent of attendees provided 4-week follow-up information. Of respondents eligible for mammography, 38 % had taken action to be screened, and 86 % of respondents had spoken about the information to someone else in their social network. Trainees expressed feelings of empowerment after completing the project, "feeling like the expert," and all trainees were surprised at the enthusiastic response from attendees of their chats. Trainees continued to disseminate the information learned from the training program during the 6 months following the training, reaching an additional 786 individuals in the community.
Subject(s)
Black or African American , Breast Neoplasms/diagnosis , Breast Neoplasms/prevention & control , Community Health Workers/organization & administration , Health Education/methods , Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice , Adult , Aged , Biomedical Research/organization & administration , Breast Neoplasms/ethnology , Community Health Workers/education , Early Detection of Cancer , Female , Health Status Disparities , Humans , Information Dissemination/methods , Mammography , Middle Aged , Research Subjects , Risk Assessment , Risk FactorsABSTRACT
Thromboangiitis obliterans (TAO) is a nonatherosclerotic, nonnecrotizing, nonspecific, segmental inflammatory obliterative vasculitis, characterized by decreased flow to the distal extremities and increased risk of amputation. While smoking cessation is viewed as critical to successful treatment, various therapeutic options have been employed. While many treatment regimens seek to diminish platelet function, there are relatively few studies of platelet function in this disease entity and even fewer that have offered evidence of increased platelet activity. The authors report here 2 cases of TAO in which evaluations for hypercoagulable states and of platelet function were performed. Platelet contractile force (PCF) was found to be 82% higher than a normal control in 1 TAO patient and 340% higher than normal in the second patient. This was true despite the fact that platelet aggregations confirmed suppression of aggregation by antiplatelet medications. Elevated PCF has been seen in a variety of conditions, such as coronary artery disease and diabetes mellitus, in which endothelial function is abnormal. Whether high PCF values play a role in the pathogenesis of these diseases or simply serve as markers of enhanced platelet function and/or endothelial dysfunction awaits additional evaluations.
