The perspectives, barriers, and willingness of Utah dentists to engage in human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine practices.

Including dental health providers in human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination could reduce rising rates in HPV-associated oropharyngeal cancer (HPV-OPC). This study assessed Utah dentists' perspectives on providing HPV vaccination education and services in the dental setting. A cross-sectional, 70-item self-administered survey was conducted among a convenience sample of N = 203 practicing Utah dentists. Statistical analyses included Chi Square tests of independence, scaled scores and Cronbach's alpha coefficients. Majority of Utah dentists surveyed perceived that discussing the link between HPV and OPC and recommending the HPV vaccine is within their scope of practice, but not administration of the HPV vaccine. Dentists with >10 minutes of patient education per week were less likely to be concerned about the cultural, social norms or religious ideology of discussing HPV with their patients (p = .024). Rural dentists were more concerned about the safety and liability of the HPV vaccine (p = .011). Good internal consistency was observed survey items regarding barriers and willing to engage in HPV vaccination practices. Dental providers were interested in HPV training and patient education brochures as strategies, but less interested in administering the HPV vaccine. Dental associations support dentists' engagement in HPV education and HPV-OPC prevention. This is the first study in Utah to examine dentists' perspectives on HPV vaccination. Findings have implications for program planning, intervention development, and future research.

Acculturation and HPV infection among Latinas in the United States.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the relationship between acculturation and human papillomavirus (HPV) infection among diverse US Latinas, a group at high risk for cervical cancer. METHODS: Using survey and medical testing data from the 2003-2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), we examined the relationship between acculturation level and HPV infection among diverse Latinas (n=503) and Mexican American women (n=442). Multivariable logistic regression was performed using infection with any type of HPV and with high-risk oncogenic genotypes as outcome variables. RESULTS: More acculturated Mexican American women were more likely to be infected with high-risk HPV than less acculturated women. In multivariate analyses, Mexican Americans with higher levels of self-rated English language ability (2.48 OR, 95% CI: 1.42-4.33); with birth in the US (2.07 OR, 95% CI: 1.03-4.16); and with US born parents (2.98 OR, 95% CI: 1.45-3.72) were more likely to be infected with high-risk HPV genotypes. Mexican American women with higher levels of acculturation were more likely to test positive for other sexually transmitted infections. CONCLUSION: Higher acculturation levels related to more frequent infection with high-risk HPV genotypes and other STIs among US Mexican American women. This association may in part be due to engagement in sexual behaviors.

Localization of arginine biosynthetic enzymes in renal proximal tubules and abundance of mRNA during development.

Argininosuccinate synthetase and argininosuccinate lyase catalyze the conversion of citrulline to arginine in kidney. Immunohistochemical staining of mouse kidney sections with antibodies to these two enzymes, compared with the staining patterns of known markers for proximal tubules, demonstrated that these enzymes are localized within the proximal tubules. The relative abundance of mRNA encoding argininosuccinate synthetase and argininosuccinate lyase during fetal and postnatal development of mouse kidney was also determined. Changes in relative abundance of these mRNA in kidney are coordinate during development, paralleling the developmental profile of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase mRNA, which is also expressed in proximal tubules. Although relative abundances of the mRNA are comparable in liver and kidney of adult mice, the profiles of mRNA abundance during development of these two organs are distinct. The results indicate that these enzymes and their corresponding mRNA can serve as useful markers for examining the differentiation and development of renal proximal tubules in vivo and in cultured explants.

Abundance of mRNAs encoding urea cycle enzymes in fetal and neonatal mouse liver.

The relative abundances of mRNAs encoding the five urea cycle enzymes during development of mouse liver have been determined and compared with those of mRNAs encoding four other liver-specific proteins (phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase, tyrosine aminotransferase, alpha-fetoprotein, and albumin). Urea cycle enzyme mRNAs in fetal liver are expressed at 2-14% of the abundance in adult liver as early as 6 days before birth. Expression of the urea cycle enzyme mRNAs is not coordinate during the fetal and neonatal period. However, profiles of three urea cycle enzyme mRNAs are quite similar to that of alpha-fetoprotein mRNA, suggesting the possibility of a common response to regulatory signals during fetal development. With the exception of ornithine transcarbamylase mRNA, the urea cycle enzyme mRNAs have been shown previously to be inducible by cAMP and glucocorticoids. However, only argininosuccinate lyase mRNA exhibits any significant change in abundance at birth, resembling postnatal expression of tyrosine aminotransferase mRNA. The results indicate that the urea cycle enzyme mRNAs are potentially useful markers for elucidating various features of hepatocyte differentiation in mammals.

Effects of deletions in mouse chromosome 7 on expression of genes encoding the urea-cycle enzymes and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (GTP) in liver, kidney, and intestine.

Chromosomal deletions at and around the albino locus on chromosome 7 of the mouse affect the enzyme activities and steady-state levels of mRNAs for five urea-cycle enzymes in liver. In newborn c3H homozygotes, activities of these enzymes were 43-62% of normal, while corresponding mRNA levels were 14-29% of normal. c14CoS deletion homozygotes expressed mRNA levels for these enzymes which were 32-48% of normal. However, transcription rates of these genes in hepatic nuclei of c3H/c3H mice were reduced only to 57-84% of normal. Since effects of the deletions had previously been noted in the kidney, mRNA levels for three enzymes expressed also in the kidney were examined. Mice homozygous for the c3H deletion, shown previously to have drastically reduced mRNA levels for phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase in the liver, expressed the same deficiency in the kidney, while mRNA levels for argininosuccinate synthetase and argininosuccinate lyase were reduced in the liver but remained unaffected in the kidney. However, mRNA levels for phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase, carbamyl phosphate synthetase I, and ornithine transcarbamylase were unaffected in the intestine of c3H homozygotes. The results suggest that a regulatory factor(s) encoded in the DNA encompassed by the deletion is involved in the normal developmental maturation of hepatocytes and certain cells in the kidney.