Florida-California Cancer Health Equity Center (CaRE2) Community Scientist Research Advocacy Program.

The Community Scientist Program (CSP), a model connecting researchers with community members, is effective to inform and involve the general population in health-related clinical research. Given the existing cancer disparities among Black/African American and Hispanic/Latino/a populations, more models describing how cancer-related CSPs are designed, implemented, and evaluated are needed. The Florida-California Cancer Research, Education and Engagement (CaRE2) Health Equity Center is a tri-institutional, bicoastal center created to eliminate cancer health disparities among Black/African American and Hispanic/Latino/a populations living in California and in Florida. The CaRE2 Center created a Community Scientist Research Advocacy (CSRA) training program for community members to become cancer research advocates. The CSRA program is currently a 13-week program conducted 100% virtually with all materials provided in English and Spanish for participants to learn more about prostate, lung, and pancreas cancers, ongoing research at CaRE2, and ways to share cancer research throughout their communities. Participants attend didactic lectures on cancer research during weeks 1-5. In week 4, participants join CSRA self-selected groups based on cancer-related topics of interest. Each group presents their cancer-related advocacy project developed during weeks 5-12 at the final session. In this paper, we describe the CaRE2 Health Equity Center's CSRA program, share results, and discuss opportunities for improvement in future program evaluation as well as replication of this model in other communities.

The impact of hydroxychloroquine on obstetric outcomes in refractory obstetric antiphospholipid syndrome.

BACKGROUND: The use of low-dose aspirin (LDA) and heparin has improved pregnancy outcomes in women with antiphospholipid syndrome (APS). However, 20-30% still have adverse outcomes despite treatment. Recent retrospective studies showed a beneficial effect of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) in APS due to its anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory and antithrombotic properties. Data in refractory obstetric APS (OAPS) remain scarce and include heterogeneous populations with various concomitant treatments. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to assess the impact on the obstetric outcomes of adding HCQ to classical treatments for women with refractory primary obstetric APS. METHODS: In a retrospective single-centre cohort study, we compared pregnancy outcomes in women with refractory primary OAPS (2004-2019) who received two different treatments in subsequent pregnancies. Group A received 400 mg HCQ + 60 mg enoxaparin + LDA, while Group B received 60 mg enoxaparin + LDA. The main outcome was live birth rates, while pregnancy complications (early and late pregnancy losses and placental-mediated complications) were the secondary outcome. RESULTS: A total of 101 pregnancies in 87 refractory primary OAPS patients were included. The rate of live-born babies in Group A (HCQ) was 97.1% (67/69) vs. 62.5% (20/32) in Group B (RR: 1.55 [95% CI, 1.19-2.1]; p < 0.001). Pregnancy complications in Group A were 8.7% (6/69) vs. 37.5% (12/32) in Group B (RR 0.22 [95% CI, 0.15-0.30]; p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Hydroxychloroquine was associated with a higher rate of live births and a lower prevalence of pregnancy complications in refractory primary obstetric APS. The addition of HCQ to classical treatment may present a promising approach that needs to be confirmed with prospective studies.

Ambient Computing to Support the Association of Contextual Cues with Medication Taking / Cómputo Ambiental para Facilitar la Asociación de Pistas Contextuales con la Toma de Medicamento

The most common reason for non-adherence to medication among older adults is forgetfulness. Contextual cues, such as daily routines, serve as implicit situational information that increases the retrieval process of the intended action. The main contribution is an overview of the process and the technical details of Ambient Computing displays we developed to help seniors use contextual cues to remember actions associated with medication intake (i.e. remember to take medications or remember having taken them earlier). Through a qualitative study, we obtained evidence about the potential of our technological approach to make seniors more responsible and independent for taking medications.

Las razones más comunes para que adultos mayores no se apeguen a la medicación es el olvido. Las rutinas de vida diaria sirven como pistas contextuales que mejoran el proceso cognitivo relacionado con recordar realizar una acción planeada. Nuestro propósito es presentar el proceso de desarrollo, así como detalles técnicos, de Sistemas de Cómputo Ambiental que proveen pistas contextuales al adulto mayor para ayudarle a recordar acciones de su medicación (e.g., recordar medicarse o recordar que se medicaron). Mediante un estudio cualitativo, obtuvimos evidencia del potencial de nuestra tecnología para que el adulto mayor sea más responsable e independiente para medicarse.

Expression of myostatin in the spotted rose snapper Lutjanus guttatus during larval and juvenile development under cultured conditions.

In this study, the developmental expression pattern of myostatin (mstn) in the spotted rose snapper Lutjanus guttatus under culture conditions is presented. The full coding sequence of mstn from L. guttatus was isolated from muscle tissue, obtaining 1134 nucleotides which encode a peptide of 377 amino acids. The phylogenetic analysis indicated that this sequence corresponds to mstn-1. mstn expression was detected in embryonic stages, and maintained at low levels until 28 days post-hatch, when it showed a significant increase, coinciding with the onset of metamorphosis. After that, expression was fluctuating, coinciding probably with periods of rapid and slow muscle growth or individual growth rates. mstn expression was also analysed by body mass with higher levels detected in smaller animals, irrespective of age. mstn was also expressed in other tissues from L. guttatus, presenting higher levels in brain, eye and gill. In brain for instance, two variants of mstn were isolated, both coding sequences were identical to muscle, except that one of them contained a 75 nucleotide deletion in exon 1, maintaining the reading frame but deleting two conserved cysteine residues. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that this brain variant was also mstn-1. The function of this variant is not clear and needs further investigation. These results indicate that mstn-1 participates in different physiological processes other than muscle growth in fishes.

A five-year study of particulate matter (PM2.5) and cerebrovascular diseases.

Cerebrovascular accidents, or strokes, are the second leading cause of mortality and the leading cause of morbidity in both Chile and the rest of the world. However, the relationship between particulate matter pollution and strokes is not well characterized. The association between fine particle concentration and stroke admissions was studied. Data on hospital admissions due to cerebrovascular accidents were collected from the Ministry of Health. Air quality and meteorological data were taken from the Air Quality database of the Santiago Metropolitan Area. Santiago reported 33,624 stroke admissions between January 1, 2002 and December 30, 2006. PM2.5 concentration was markedly seasonal, increasing during the winter. This study found an association between PM2.5 exposure and hospital admissions for stroke; for every PM2.5 concentration increase of 10 µg m(-3), the risk of emergency hospital admissions for cerebrovascular causes increased by 1.29% (95% CI 0.552%-2.03%).

Sulforaphane modulates the expression of Cyp6a2 and Cyp6g1 in larvae of the ST and HB crosses of the Drosophila wing spot test and is genotoxic in the ST cross.

Constitutive overexpression of Cyp6g1 and Cyp6a2 genes in DDT-resistant line Oregon-flare of the Drosophila melanogaster wing spot test (SMART) has been reported. Cyp6g1 and Cyp6a2 expression levels were compared against the ß-actin gene in the standard (ST) and high bioactivation (HB) crosses of the Somatic Mutation and Recombination test (SMART) treated with sulforaphane or phenobarbital as the control inductor. The CYP450s' enzymatic activity was determined by overall NADH consumption. The expression levels of both genes and the CYP450s activity was higher in the HB cross. The Cyp6g1 levels were higher than those of Cyp6a2 in both crosses, but lower than the expression of ß-actin. Sulforaphane decreased Cyp6g1 in the HB cross and increased it in the ST cross; Cyp6a2 expression was inhibited in the ST cross. Sulforaphane resulted mutagenic in the ST cross, which could be related to the inhibition of Cyp6a2. Phenobarbital did not modify the Cyp6g1 levels but increased the Cyp6a2 and CYP450s basal activity. Although the transcript levels were always higher in the HB cross than in the ST, the expression of Cyp6a2 and Cyp6g1 was not constitutive and was independent one from the other. Sulforaphane modulated both genes in a differential way in each cross and, in contrast to its putative protective effect, it resulted to be mutagenic.

Hyperlipoproteinaemia(a) is a common cause of autosomal dominant hypercholesterolaemia.

UNLABELLED: Autosomal dominant hypercholesterolaemia (ADH) are a heterogeneous group of monogenic lipid disorders. The plasma level of lipoprotein(a) (Lp(a)) is a heritable trait associated with increased coronary heart disease (CHD) risk. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the frequency of elevated Lp(a) as a cause of ADH and the characteristics of subjects with high Lp(a) (hyperLp(a)). MATERIAL AND METHODS: 200 healthy subjects and 933 unrelated Spanish subjects with a clinical diagnosis of ADH who were screened for low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) and apolipoprotein B (APOB) gene mutations. Standard cardiovascular risk factors and blood lipid levels, including Lp(a), were evaluated. HyperLp(a) was defined as Lp(a) levels >or=95th centile of control values. RESULTS: Lp(a) was higher in 263 subjects without LDLR or APOB mutations (nonLDLR/nonAPOB group) than in 670 subjects with mutations (FH group): 40.0 mg/dl (interquartile range (IR) 15.0-89.0) versus 31.0 mg/dl (IR 11.0-73.7) respectively, p = 0.002. HyperLp(a) was present in 23% of ADH subjects (odds ratio (OR) 5.6 (95% CI, 2.9 to 10.7) versus controls) and 29% of nonLDLR/nonAPOB subjects (OR 7.7; 3.9 to 15.4). After adjusting for Lp(a), LDL cholesterol levels were <95th centile in 28 (10.6%) nonLDLR/nonAPOB subjects and in 9 (1.3%) FH subjects. Lp(a) levels were nonsignificantly higher in ADH subjects with early-onset CHD than in those without (43.5 mg/dl, (IR, 12.0-82.0) versus 31.7 mg/dl (11.8-76.5), respectively). CONCLUSIONS: HyperLp(a) is responsible for ADH in approximately 6% of nonLDLR/nonAPOB subjects. HyperLp(a) would not appear to be a risk factor for early-onset CHD in ADH, independently of whether genetic defects have or have not been demonstrated.

Apoptosis and necrosis increase antigenicity of proteins recognized by antinuclear antibodies.

OBJECTIVE: Present study addresses the issue whether apoptosis and necrosis increases the antigenicity of proteins recognized by antinuclear antibodies. MATERIAL AND METHODS: HEp-2 cells were cultured in standard conditions; apoptosis was induced by camptothecin and necrosis by mercuric chloride. Protein antigenicity of cell extracts was tested onto nitrocellulose membranes and probed with positive or negative sera for antinuclear antibodies by a luminescent-dot-ELISA system. RESULTS: Apoptotic changes in HEp-2 cells appeared by 24 hours of camptothecin exposure, meanwhile the necrotic features become visible earlier. Luminescence was significantly superior in ANA positive sera than in ANA negative controls. Antinuclear antibody sera recognized better the antigens from the apoptotic and necrotic cells than controls without chemical treatments. CONCLUSIONS: Apoptosis and necrosis increase the ANA binding by better availability of intracellular antigens, or by disclosing cryptic epitopes.

Lambda prophage decreases Escherichia coli sensitivity to human serum bactericidal effect.

Escherichia coli C600 and C600(lambda) strains were tested for their susceptibility to the bactericidal action of 4% normal human serum. C600 survival was reduced to 30%, 23% and 16% after 60, 150 and 180 min of exposure to serum, respectively, whereas the percentage of survival of C600(lambda) was 199, 109 and 65% at the same times. The estimated exposition times for 50% killing showed an eight-fold difference, they were 23 and 202 min for C600 and C600(lambda), respectively. None of the two strains tested was killed when incubated with serum whose alternative complement pathway was inactivated by heating at 50 degrees C for 20 min, showing that this pathway, and not the classical one, was responsible of the bactericidal action, a conclusion further supported by the finding that both strains were differentially killed by the alternative complement pathway, C600 showing a 14X, 10X and 4X greater susceptibility than C600(lambda) at 60, 120 and 180 min of exposure to serum whose classical pathway was selectively inhibited by chelation with 10 mM EGTA plus 2 mM MgCl2. We feel that lambda phage may lower the serum sensitivity of its lysogen by altering the bacterial external surface, perhaps by the inclusion of some protein encoded by an accessory gene of the lambda genome, and thus interfering with either the formation, deposition or activity of the membrane attack complex.

[Aneurysm of the Galeno's vein: report of a case]. / Aneurisma de la vena de Galeno: informe de un caso.

Some aspects of pathophysiology, diagnosis and treatment of gastroesophageal reflux (GER) in children are presented. There is considered a multifactorial syndrome. The objective of this review is present new trends in etiology, diagnostic methods, in a practical point of view, specially in places without sophisticated equipment. Finally it is presented rational therapeutical basis en GER management.