At the intersection of the model minority myth and antiblackness: From Asian American triangulation to recommendations for solidarity.

Asian Americans are situated in a triangulated role in a black-white racial hierarchy designed to legitimize white supremacy (Kim, 1999). However, little is known about the lived experiences of Asian American triangulation and even less so in the context of anti-Asian racism. The present study was initially designed to examine anti-Asian racism at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet, in a sociopolitical climate described as a "racial reckoning," our study evolved to capture the process of racial triangulation and the interplay of anti-Asian racism and antiblackness. Based on the online responses of 201 Asian Americans (from over 32 U.S. states), four themes emerged to showcase the ways in which Asian Americans suffered from and recapitulated racial oppression: (a) anti-Asian racism is overlooked in the black-white racial discourse, (b) anti-Asian racism is not taken seriously, (c) anti-Asian racism is also perpetrated by people of color (POC), and (d) anti-Asian racism is deprioritized in the presence of anti-Black racism. Regarding participant recommendations to combat anti-Asian racism, our second research question focused on areas of convergence with dismantling anti-Black racism. Two key themes emerged: (a) foster Asian American pan-ethnic solidarity and (b) build and strengthen cross-racial coalitions (POC solidarity and White allyship). Altogether, our study descriptively captured the process of racial triangulation to showcase the manifestation and recapitulation of anti-Asian racism and antiblackness. While Asian Americans suffered as victims and perpetrators of racial oppression, they also recognized the need to dismantle white supremacy with racial solidarity, coalition-building, and advocacy. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

"What support?": A qualitative study on social support for Asian American victims of racism during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, anti-Asian racism has surged, yet little is known about Asian Americans' experiences of social support. Therefore, we designed a qualitative, intrinsic, revelatory case study to examine the nature and quality of social support for Asian Americans during the first 6 months of the pandemic. Our sample consisted of 193 Asian Americans (from over 32 U.S. states) disclosing their experiences of inadequate social support. They described their support network as (1) Being unable to relate, (2) Encouraging their silence, (3) Minimizing anti-Asian racism, (4) Denying anti-Asian racism, and (5) Victim-blaming. Regarding our participants' recommendations for increasing social support for Asian Americans, a total of seven recommendations emerged: (1) Legitimize anti-Asian racism, (2) Teach Asian American history, (3) Destigmatize mental health resources to make them accessible for Asian American families (4) Promote bystander intervention trainings, (5) Build solidarity with and beyond Asian Americans to dismantle racism, (6) Increase media attention on anti-Asian racism, and (7) Elect political leaders who will advocate for Asian Americans. Altogether, our findings underscore the need for systemic forms of advocacy to combat anti-Asian racism, and shed light on the injurious nature of social support for Asian American victims of racism.

Crizotinib in Patients With MET-Amplified NSCLC.

INTRODUCTION: MET amplification is a rare, potentially actionable, primary oncogenic driver in patients with NSCLC. METHODS: The influence of MET amplification on the clinical activity of the ALK, ROS1, and MET inhibitor, crizotinib (250 mg twice daily), was examined in patients with NSCLC (NCT00585195) who were enrolled into high (≥4 MET-to-CEP7 ratio), medium (>2.2 to <4 MET-to-CEP7 ratio), or low (≥1.8 to ≤2.2 MET-to-CEP7 ratio) amplification categories. Retrospective next-generation sequencing profiling was performed on archival tumor tissue. End points included objective response rate (ORR), duration of response, and progression-free survival. RESULTS: A total of 38 patients with a MET-to-CEP7 ratio greater than or equal to 1.8 by local fluorescence in situ hybridization testing received crizotinib. All patients were response-assessable, among whom 21, 14, and 3 had high, medium, and low MET amplification, respectively. ORRs of 8 of 21 (38.1%), 2 of 14 (14.3%), and 1 of 3 (33.3%), median duration of response of 5.2, 3.8, and 12.2 months, and median progression-free survival values of 6.7, 1.9, and 1.8 months were observed for those with high, medium, and low MET amplification, respectively. MET amplification gene copy number greater than or equal to 6 was detected by next-generation sequencing in 15 of 19 (78.9%) analyzable patients. Of these 15 patients, objective responses were observed in six (40%), two of whom had concurrent MET exon 14 alterations. No responses were observed among five patients with concurrent KRAS, BRAF, or EGFR mutations. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with high-level, MET-amplified NSCLC responded to crizotinib with the highest ORR. Use of combined diagnostics for MET and other oncogenes may potentially identify patients most likely to respond to crizotinib.

Antitumor activity of crizotinib in lung cancers harboring a MET exon 14 alteration.

MET exon 14 alterations are oncogenic drivers of non-small-cell lung cancers (NSCLCs)1. These alterations are associated with increased MET activity and preclinical sensitivity to MET inhibition2. Crizotinib is a multikinase inhibitor with potent activity against MET3. The antitumor activity and safety of crizotinib were assessed in 69 patients with advanced NSCLCs harboring MET exon 14 alterations. Objective response rate was 32% (95% confidence interval (CI), 21-45) among 65 response-evaluable patients. Objective responses were observed independent of the molecular heterogeneity that characterizes these cancers and did not vary by splice-site region and mutation type of the MET exon 14 alteration, concurrent increased MET copy number or the detection of a MET exon 14 alteration in circulating tumor DNA. The median duration of response was 9.1 months (95% CI, 6.4-12.7). The median progression-free survival was 7.3 months (95% CI, 5.4-9.1). MET exon 14 alteration defines a molecular subgroup of NSCLCs for which MET inhibition with crizotinib is active. These results address an unmet need for targeted therapy in people with lung cancers with MET exon 14 alterations and adds to an expanding list of genomically driven therapies for oncogenic subsets of NSCLC.

"A lot of us have a very difficult time reconciling what being Muslim is": A phenomenological study on the meaning of being Muslim American.

OBJECTIVES: Little is known about the lived experiences of Muslim Americans and what it means to identify as "Muslim American" within the sociopolitical context of Islamophobia. Although xenophobia, racism, and religious discrimination have been shown to impact identity development, it is unclear how Muslim American youth negotiate and make sense of their identities against this backdrop. METHOD: A qualitative, phenomenological approach guided the research design to explore how 11 Muslim American late adolescents/emerging adults make sense of their Muslim American identities. Using Critical Race Theory (CRT) and Social Identity Theory (SIT) to guide this investigation, we sought to explore the narratives of what it means to be members of the Muslim American community and how participants experienced cultural belongingness. RESULTS: Participants identified four key components that are central to their essence of being Muslim American. These elements were, having (a) a "built-in community," (b) "a lot of ethnic diversity," (c) "a religious practice," and (d) "a feeling that we all have to be this very united group." CONCLUSIONS: Our findings capture the complexities of what it means to be Muslim American, particularly given the heterogeneity within the community. Islamophobia contextualized their meaning-making process by perpetuating group homogeneity as the problem and solution. Clinical and research implications highlight the need to recognize intersectionality and systemic oppression as part of the identity negotiation. Pressures from within and outside of the community converged to impede participants' feelings of cultural belongingness and identity exploration. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Explaining the Immigrant Paradox: The Influence of Acculturation, Enculturation, and Acculturative Stress on Problematic Alcohol Consumption.

The present study explored the Immigrant Paradox (IP), generational differences in problematic alcohol use (alcohol consumption and alcohol-related consequences), among immigrants and US born groups from a number of ethnic minority backgrounds. Our approach separates group differences in problematic alcohol consumption in a counterfactual manner for immigrants and the US born to answer the following counterfactual question: "What would problematic alcohol use levels be for the US born had they been exposed to the alcohol use generation (or protective) processes of immigrants and vice versa?" Multidimensional measures of enculturation (involvement with heritage culture), acculturation (involvement with US culture), acculturative stress, and demographic covariates were used to statistically explain these differences. The sample consisted of Asian American (n = 1,153), Black American (n = 833), and Latinx (n = 1,376) college students from 30 universities. Results indicated significant generational differences in mean levels of alcohol consumption but not alcohol-related consequences. Differences in measured characteristics (endowments) marginally explained differences between immigrants and the US born. On the other hand, endowments significantly explained generational differences and represented an increase in alcohol consumption among immigrants if they had the endowments of the U.S. born. Results are discussed in light of cultural and social factors that contribute to the IP.

Barriers to Healthcare Seeking and Provision Among African American Adults in the Rural Mississippi Delta Region: Community and Provider Perspectives.

Barriers to health care access and utilization are likely to be perceived differently for receivers and providers of health care. This paper compares and contrasts perspectives of lay community members, volunteer community health advisors (CHA), and health care providers related to structural and interpersonal barriers to health care seeking and provision among African American adults experiencing health disparities in the rural Mississippi Delta. Sixty-four Delta residents (24 males, 40 females) participated in nine focus groups organized by role and gender. The constant comparative method was used to identify themes and subthemes from the focus group transcripts. Barriers were broadly categorized as structural and interpersonal with all groups noting structural barriers including poverty, lack of health insurance, and rurality. All groups identified common interpersonal barriers of gender socialization of African American males, and prevention being a low priority. Differences emerged in perceptions of interpersonal barriers between community members and healthcare providers. Community members and CHA fears of serious medical diagnosis, stigma, medical distrust, and racism emerged as factors inhibiting health care utilization. All groups were critical of insurance/regulatory constraints with providers viewing medical guidelines at times restricting their ability to provide quality treatment while community members and CHA viewed providers as receiving compensation for prescribing medications without regard to potential side-effects. These findings shed light on barriers perceived similarly and differently across these stakeholder groups, and offer directions for ongoing research, outreach, clinical work, and health care policy.

The moderating effect of alcohol use on protective and risky sex behaviors among college students in the Southeast United States.

Objective: College students are a high-risk population for new human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) diagnoses. Although condom use self-efficacy and HIV knowledge can protect against risky sexual behavior (RSB), these same protective factors have been shown to exacerbate RSB. The influence of alcohol use can further complicate these protective factors to influence RSB. Participants: 689 African American/Black and non-Hispanic White college students attending a public university in the Southeast United States. Method: This study sought to examine the relations between condom use self-efficacy and HIV knowledge with RSB and the moderating effect of alcohol use. Results: Findings showed positive associations between RSB and HIV knowledge and alcohol use. Unexpectedly, low frequency drinkers with high condom use self-efficacy were at increased risk for RSB compared to high frequency drinking counterparts. Conclusions: Findings point to the need to target prevention services for low-risk drinkers in college settings.

Vietnamese Refugee Elderly Women and Their Experiences of Social Support: A Multiple Case Study.

This study sought to address the gaps in the literature on Asian American gerontology with a multiply marginalized group in terms of gender, immigration status, and context. Guided by a multiple case study approach, we sought to explore how social support was experienced by four Vietnamese elderly refugee women residing in different living arrangements (i.e., alone, with spouse, with adult children, or in a multigenerational household). Within-case analyses were conducted to yield descriptive information about each individual. Additionally, three overarching themes emerged across each of the living arrangements: (1) Burden of care-taking, (2) Distinguishing family from nonfamily help, and (3) Ambivalence toward government-sponsored services. Our findings provide a contextualized understanding of social support to explain the inconsistencies that have been found in the literature on Asian American gerontology and family support. The benefits of living alone are described, along with the potential risks of coresidency.

"We Need Help in the Delta".

The purpose of this study was to better understand the barriers to health promotion among African American older men living in the rural Mississippi Delta. A qualitative, intrinsic case study approach was used to explore the phenomenon of health and the barriers to promoting men's health within the unique context of the Delta. Data included one key informant interview and two focus group interviews with 14 men, with the majority between the ages of 41 and 55 years. Focus group participants were lay community members as well as members of a volunteer community health advisors men's group. Findings underscore the extensiveness of the term "health" and the importance of attending to structural barriers in addressing men's health. Three overarching themes emerged: "men don't talk about health," "health care is not just the issue, everything is," and "we need a strong male to lead." Implications for future research and health promotion efforts are provided.

The relationships of personal and cultural identity to adaptive and maladaptive psychosocial functioning in emerging adults.

The present study examined the extent to which cultural identity would be associated with adaptive and maladaptive psychosocial functioning, both directly and indirectly through a personal identity consolidation. A sample of 773 White, Black, and Hispanic university students completed measures of cultural identity, personal identity consolidation, adaptive psychosocial functioning, internalizing symptoms, and proclivity toward externalizing symptoms. Both heritage and American cultural identity were positively related to adaptive psychosocial functioning; American-culture identity was negatively associated with internalizing symptoms; and heritage-culture identity was negatively related to proclivity toward externalizing symptoms. All of these findings were mediated by personal identity consolidation and were fully consistent across ethnic groups. We discuss implications in terms of broadening the study of identity to include both personal and cultural dimensions of self.

Do good things come to those who drink? A longitudinal investigation of drinking expectancies and hazardous alcohol use in female college athletes.

PURPOSE: To prospectively examine the link between positive and negative drinking expectancies and hazardous alcohol use, and to explore the reciprocal associations between expectancies and hazardous use among female college athletes. METHOD: Participants were part of a larger (n = 189), ongoing longitudinal study on female athletes' socialization experiences and health behaviors from an all-women's college in the Northeastern United States. The sample for the present study were 85 college-aged (17-22 years) female students (Mean age = 19.6) who indicated alcohol use in the past year and provided data at both time points (baseline and one year later). Respondents completed self-report questionnaires on their age, hazardous alcohol use, and expectations about the effects of drinking. RESULTS: Logistic regression analyses showed that positive drinking expectancies predicted increased odds of hazardous alcohol use at baseline and one year later (even after controlling for baseline hazardous use). Positive expectancies accounted for a higher proportion of variance in predicting increased odds of hazardous alcohol use at both time points than did negative expectancies. Bivariate correlational analyses examining the bi-directional associations between expectancies and hazardous alcohol use also revealed some indication that positive expectancies were associated with hazardous alcohol use rather than vice-versa. No such relations emerged for negative expectancies. CONCLUSIONS: Findings shed light on the utility of positive expectancies in predicting concurrent and subsequent hazardous alcohol use among female student-athletes. Future research directions and potential implications for prevention efforts are discussed.

The bifunctional FtsK protein mediates chromosome partitioning and cell division in Caulobacter.

Bacterial chromosome partitioning and cell division are tightly connected cellular processes. We show here that the Caulobacter crescentus FtsK protein localizes to the division plane, where it mediates multiple functions involved in chromosome segregation and cytokinesis. The first 258 amino acids of the N terminus are necessary and sufficient for targeting the protein to the division plane. Furthermore, the FtsK N terminus is required to either assemble or maintain FtsZ rings at the division plane. The FtsK C terminus is essential in Caulobacter and is involved in maintaining accurate chromosome partitioning. In addition, the C-terminal region of FtsK is required for the localization of the topoisomerase IV ParC subunit to the replisome to facilitate chromosomal decatenation prior to cell division. These results suggest that the interdependence between chromosome partitioning and cell division in Caulobacter is mediated, in part, by the FtsK protein.

The bacterial nucleoid: a highly organized and dynamic structure.

Recent advances in bacterial cell biology have revealed unanticipated structural and functional complexity, reminiscent of eukaryotic cells. Particular progress has been made in understanding the structure, replication, and segregation of the bacterial chromosome. It emerged that multiple mechanisms cooperate to establish a dynamic assembly of supercoiled domains, which are stacked in consecutive order to adopt a defined higher-level organization. The position of genetic loci on the chromosome is thereby linearly correlated with their position in the cell. SMC complexes and histone-like proteins continuously remodel the nucleoid to reconcile chromatin compaction with DNA replication and gene regulation. Moreover, active transport processes ensure the efficient segregation of sister chromosomes and the faithful restoration of nucleoid organization while DNA replication and condensation are in progress.

The topoisomerase IV ParC subunit colocalizes with the Caulobacter replisome and is required for polar localization of replication origins.

The process of bacterial DNA replication generates chromosomal topological constraints that are further confounded by simultaneous transcription. Topoisomerases play a key role in ensuring orderly replication and partition of DNA in the face of a continuously changing DNA tertiary structure. In addition to topological constraints, the cellular position of the replication origin is strictly controlled during the cell cycle. In Caulobacter crescentus, the origin of DNA replication is located at the cell pole. Upon initiation of DNA replication, one copy of the duplicated origin sequence rapidly appears at the opposite cell pole. To determine whether the maintenance of DNA topology contributes to the dynamic positioning of a specific DNA region within the cell, we examined origin localization in cells that express temperature-sensitive forms of either the ParC or ParE subunit of topoisomerase (Topo) IV. We found that in the absence of active Topo IV, replication initiation can occur but a significant percent of replication origins are either no longer moved to or maintained at the cell poles. During the replication process, the ParC subunit colocalizes with the replisome, whereas the ParE subunit is dispersed throughout the cell. However, an active ParE subunit is required for ParC localization to the replisome as it moves from the cell pole to the division plane during chromosome replication. We propose that the maintenance of DNA topology throughout the cell cycle contributes to the dynamic positioning of the origin sequence within the cell.

Dynamic localization of proteins and DNA during a bacterial cell cycle.

A cellular differentiation programme that culminates in an asymmetric cell division is an integral part of the cell cycle in the bacterium Caulobacter crescentus. Recent work has uncovered mechanisms that ensure the execution of many events at different times during the cell cycle and at specific places in the cell. Surprisingly, in this one-micron bacterial cell, the dynamic spatial disposition of regulatory proteins, structural proteins and specific regions of the chromosome are important components of both cell-cycle progression and the generation of daughter cells with different cell fates.