Associations of ARHGAP26 Polymorphisms with Alzheimer's Disease and Cardiovascular Disease.

The Rho GTPase activating protein 26 (ARHGAP26) gene has been reported to be associated with neuropsychiatric diseases and neurodegenerative diseases including Parkinson's disease. We examined whether the ARHGAP26 gene is associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and/or cardiovascular disease (CVD). Multivariable logistic regression model was used to examine the associations of 154 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within the ARHGAP26 gene with AD and CVD using the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative 1 (ADNI-1) cohort. Fourteen SNPs were associated with AD (top SNP rs3776362 with p = 3.43 × 10-3), while 37 SNPs revealed associations with CVD (top SNP rs415235 with p = 2.06 × 10-4). Interestingly, 13 SNPs were associated with both AD and CVD. SNP rs3776362 was associated with CVD, Functional Activities Questionnaire (FAQ), and Clinical Dementia Rating Sum of Boxes (CDR-SB). A replication study using a Caribbean Hispanics sample showed that 17 SNPs revealed associations with AD, and 12 SNPs were associated with CVD. The third sample using a family-based study design showed that 9 SNPs were associated with AD, and 3 SNPs were associated with CVD. SNP rs6836509 within the ARHGAP10 gene (an important paralogon of ARHGAP26) was associated with AD and cerebrospinal fluid total tau (t-tau) level in the ADNI sample. Several SNPs were functionally important using the RegulomeDB, while a number of SNPs were associated with significant expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) using Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) databases. In conclusion, genetic variants within ARHGAP26 were associated with AD and CVD. These findings add important new insights into the potentially shared pathogenesis of AD and CVD.

Higher Education Food Insecurity Toolkit Development and Feedback.

OBJECTIVE: Develop and gain feedback on a food insecurity toolkit for higher education institutions to provide food insecurity programming on campus that will promote a food-secure campus environment. METHODS: A search of the literature was completed by 2 researchers to develop the toolkit. The toolkit was assessed using an online 27 item open- and close-ended survey. One hundred twenty-six stakeholders from 106 land grant institutions were contacted to provide perceptions of the developed toolkit, including usefulness, barriers to application, and recommendations for improvement. RESULTS: Thirty stakeholders from 27 institutions responded. Thematic analysis of feedback covered 4 main topics: layout, overall content, initiatives, and application. Eight themes emerged: visual appeal, organization, value, provoking, comprehensive, barriers, collaboration, and efficiency. Corrections and recommendations were provided for each topic. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: The themes derived encompassed the objective of the toolkit. This toolkit serves as a resource that can be utilized by student leaders, clubs or organizations, campus stakeholders, or administrators to begin a food security initiative on campus.

Cast into the wilderness: the impact of institutionalized religion on lesbians.

SUMMARY This article addresses the impact of traditional Judeo-Christian religion as a tool of social injustice against lesbians. The prejudices of sexism and heterosexism in religion are addressed. Biblical interpretations of woman-to-woman sexuality are reviewed. Primary Judeo-Christian groups, and their respective positions on homosexuality, are identified. Conversion therapy as a weapon of oppression against lesbians is addressed. Mechanisms for religious/spiritual transformation and empowerment are discussed, and suggestions for therapeutic intervention with lesbians recovering from religious trauma are offered.