Translational Medical Research Commons^™

Standardized Total Fitness Scores And Phase Angle In Cancer Survivors, Paulette Yamada, Trevor Short

Topics in Exercise Science and Kinesiology

Topics in Exercise Science and Kinesiology Volume 4: Issue 1, Article 20, 2023. Cancer treatment can lead to decrement in all components of fitness. Exercise can attenuate these effects and build fitness. Exercise program design for this population continues to evolve with high-intensity interval training at the forefront. Phase angle (PhA) is an indirect measure of cellular health and function and is associated with fitness, health, and reduced disease severity. Continued exploration spurs an emerging question: What type of training should be used to maximize improvements in PhA? We provide a visualization of a cancer rehabilitation fitness profile and present …

Promoting Mammography Screenings In African American Women: Media, Church, And Health Providers, Lasonya Little, Debra C. Wallace, K.Jay Poole

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Due to the underutilization of screening mammography, African American women (AAW) are more likely to experience negative health outcomes after receiving a late-stage breast cancer diagnosis than White Women (WW). The purpose of this article is to examine the roles of the media, health community and the African American church and pastor and their potential impact in AAW screening decisions. Fifteen AAW, ages 45 and older, were invited to participate in a semi-structured interview. Most women agreed the African American pastor and church as well as the health community, and media are an integral part of their lives. Therefore, specific …

Advancing Health Equity In The Us Military, James D. Mancuso, John Young, Jennifer Rusiecki, Shauna Stahlman, Natasha Schvey, Toya Randolph, Candy Wilson, Catherine Witkop, Patrick Hyde, Althea Green, Patcho Santiago, Donald Shell, Tracy Sbrocco

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Eliminating health disparities and achieving health equity are central to US national health objectives and the Military Health System’s “quadruple aim,” which has readiness as its core aim. Because military service members enjoy universal eligibility for health care, it is sometimes assumed that health disparities do not exist in the Department of Defense (DoD). However, while some studies have shown that disparities have been attenuated or eliminated in the DoD, others suggest that significant disparities remain. Reasons these disparities may remain include that universal eligibility for care does not necessarily result in equal to access to care, and that equal …

Improving Community Advisory Board Engagement In Precision Medicine Research To Reduce Health Disparities, Erin Connors, Rebecca Selove, Juan Canedo, Maureen Sanderson, Pamela Hull, Marilyn Adams, Ila Mcdermott, Calvin Barlow, Denice Johns-Porter, Caree Mcafee, Karen Gilliam, Oscar Miller, Nora Cox, Mary Kay Fadden, Stephen King, Hilary Tindle

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Community Advisory Boards (CABs) are used in efforts to reduce health disparities; however, there is little documentation in the literature regarding their use in precision medicine research. In this case study, an academic-CAB partnership developed a questionnaire and patient educational materials for two precision smoking cessation interventions that involved use of genetic information. The community-engaged research (CEnR) literature provided a framework for enhancing benefits to CAB members involved in developing research documents for use with a low-income, ethnically diverse population of smokers. The academic partners integrated three CEnR strategies: 1) in-meeting statements acknowledging their desire to learn from community partners, …

Implementing A Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis Intervention For Safer Conception Among Hiv Serodiscordant Couples: Recommendations For Health Care Providers, Mari-Lynn Drainoni, Dea L. Biancarelli, Ashley A. Leech, Meg Sullivan, Angela R. Bazzi

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Couples in HIV serodiscordant relationships frequently desire children. Although partners who are virally suppressed pose almost no risk of transmitting HIV to their partners, partners who are inconsistently on therapy may transmit HIV to their partners when attempting to conceive. Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is an available safer conception strategy for these couples but is not consistently offered. We sought to better understand barriers to PrEP implementation for couples seeking conception and patient perceptions on what providers could do to encourage use. We conducted in-depth, qualitative interviews with 11 participants representing six couples taking PrEP for safer conception in a safety-net …

Food Insecurity And Pre-Hypertension, Pre-Diabetes In Adult Women: Results From The 2007-2010 National Health And Nutrition Examination Survey, Michelle L. Redmond, Phd, Ms, Fanglong Dong, Phd, Philip Twumasi-Ankrah, Phd, Robert B. Hines, Phd, Mph, Lisette T. Jacobson, Phd, Mpa, Ma, Elizabeth Ablah, Phd, Mph, Judy Johnston, Ms, Rd/Ld, Tracie C. Collins, Md, Mph, Mhcds

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Background

Being food insecure is generally defined as the limited or uncertain availability of safe and nutritious foods and is linked to poor nutrition and fully progressed diet-sensitive chronic diseases. However, little is known about the association between food insecurity and pre-clinical disease such as pre-hypertension and pre-diabetes. This study sought to examine the associations between food insecurity and pre-clinical disease among a racially/ethnically diverse population of women.

Methods

Using data from 2007-2010 NHANES, we examined associations between food security and pre-clinical disease among women 18-65 years. Chi-square tests were used to examine differences in demographic variables. Bivariate and multivariable …

Disparities In Healthcare Coverage And Utilization After Expanded Dependent Coverage, Tina Hernandez-Boussard, Doug E. Morrison, Lu Tian, Sanjay Basu

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Background. A goal of expanding insurance coverage is reducing racial disparities in healthcare utilization, however the effects of such expansions under the affordable care act (ACA) on disparities remain unclear. The 2010 dependent coverage expansion provided an opportunity to evaluate disparities following a major coverage expansion.

Objectives. We sought to understand changes in emergency department (ED)utilization following a major insurance expansion, the 2010 dependent coverage expansion.

Research Design. We present changes in coverage and utilization among young adults (19-25 years old) before and after the dependent coverage expansion, compared to a control group (26-31 years old) unaffected …

Patient-Provider Race And Sex Concordance: New Insights Into Antibiotic Prescribing For Acute Bronchitis, Jake R. Morgan, Mari-Lynn Drainoni, Cindy Christiansen, Tamar F. Barlam

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Objective: To examine whether patient and provider concordance by sex or race predicts antibiotic prescribing for acute bronchitis.

Study setting: General Internal Medicine and Family Medicine adult clinics at a large safety-net hospital.

Study design: We used a logistic model of prescribing as a function of race and sex concordance.

Data extraction: Data were extracted from de-identified patient records for those with an acute bronchitis visit between 2008 and 2010.

Principal findings: 71% (95% CI 68%-73%) of visits resulted in an antibiotic prescription. Patients in race-concordant visits were 17% (95% CI 8%-25%) less likely to receive …

Calidad De Vida: An Exploratory Investigation Of Latino Breast Cancer Survivors And Intimate Partners, Sejal Barden, Daniel Gutierrez, Jessica Gonzalez, Shainna Ali

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Advances in addressing psychosocial issues related to cancer treatment and prevention are not reaching all survivors equally. Latina breast cancer survivors and intimate partners are underrepresented in psychosocial interventions, and there is a scarcity of research on the influence of cancer on Latino couples’ quality of life. The purpose of this manuscript is to present findings from a trans-linguistic, dyadic qualitative research study aimed at exploring the influence of cancer on quality of life for Latina breast cancer survivors and their intimate partners. Results highlight several areas that are helpful and hindering to supporting survivorship.

Two Case Examples Of Reaching The Hard-To-Reach: Low Income Minority And Lgbt Individuals, Tricia K. Gatlin, Michael J. Johnson

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

‘Hard-to-reach’ is a term primarily used by researchers to describe groups of people who have been historically difficult to find or contact. It is important for the public interest to include hard-to-reach groups in research because excluding certain sub-populations diminishes the ability to identify groups that potentially have the highest burden of illness and to develop an understanding of why group differences exist. Thus, the purposes of this paper are to: 1) describe the challenges in recruiting hard-to-reach population in two separate research studies; 2) discuss the strategies that were used to overcome those challenges; and 3) provide recommendations for …

Examining Differences In Hpv Awareness And Knowledge And Hpv Vaccine Awareness And Acceptability Between U.S. Hispanic And Island Puerto Rican Women, Daisy Y. Morales-Campos Phd, Robin Vanderpool

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Background: In 2015, only 42% of Puerto Rican (PR) girls aged 13-17 and 44% of U.S. Hispanic girls aged 13-17 were vaccinated with all three Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine doses. These percentages were far lower than the Healthy People 2020 goal of 80% of girls aged 13-15 completing the vaccine series. The purpose of this study was to examine potential differences in HPV awareness and knowledge and HPV vaccine awareness and acceptability between a population-based sample of U.S. Hispanic and island Puerto Rican women.

Methods: We restricted our analyses to female respondents from the Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS) …

A Roundtable On Cross-Sector Collaboration And Resource Alignment For Health Equity: Meeting Summary, Onyemaechi Nweke

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Cross-sector collaboration is a highly recommended strategy to eliminate health inequities nationally and globally. In the federal sector, it is evolving into an important approach for solving complex social problems, as evidenced by its steady proliferation the past few decades. Despite the increased adoption of cross-sector collaboration, it is still not a default strategy or preeminent option for managing complex social problems. In September 2015, the Federal Interagency Health Equity Team (FIHET) hosted a Roundtable event to discuss opportunities and strategies to foster widespread adoption of cross-sector collaboration and resource alignment. The Roundtable featured several expert panelists and participants from …

An Assessment Of Funding And Other Capacity Needs For Health Equity Programming Within State-Level Chronic Disease Programs, Tiffany Pertillar, Ann Pobutsky, Phd, Gail Brandt, Edd, Mph, Marisa New, Otr, Mph, Jamielou Delavan, Ba, Robyn Taylor, Mba, Amishi Shah, Mpa, Ma, Folasaya Adunola, Dds, Mph, Onyemaechi Nweke

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Background: Chronic diseases are an important contributor to morbidity and mortality among racial/ethnic minority, low-income, and other under-resourced populations. Given that state health departments (and their chronic disease programs) play a significant role in providing population and preventive health services, their capacity to promote health equity is an important consideration in national efforts to address chronic diseases. The purpose of this study was to examine capacity needs of state chronic disease programs with respect to promoting health equity.

Methods: In 2015, the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors (NACDD) conducted a survey of its members that work within a …

Achieving Health Equity For Indian Country, Jamie Ishcomer

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

The essence of health equity is giving resources where they are needed most. American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/AN) continue to have the worst health outcomes, live in some of the most desperate of conditions, and lack access to even basic amenities that many other Americans could not survive without. Although Tribes have been plagued with social, economic and political injustice for centuries, there is an opportunity to put a stop to the systematic oppression and build up the first peoples of this country. A partnership between the National Indian Health Board (NIHB) and the National Partnership for Action to …

Rhode Island’S Health Equity Zones: Addressing Local Problems With Local Solutions, Nicole Alexander-Scott, Md, Mph, Ana P. Novais, Ma, Carol Hall-Walker, Mpa, Angela B. Ankoma, Mph, Msw, John P. Fulton, Phd

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

The Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) describes the strategies and infrastructure it has developed to fund its placed-based initiatives to address the social determinants of health to eliminate health disparities. Using a data driven and community-led approach, RIDOH funded 10 local collaboratives, each with its own, geographically-defined “Health Equity Zone,” or “HEZ,” and, to support the collaboratives, created a new “Health Equity Institute,” a “HEZ Team” of 9 seasoned project managers, and direct lines of communications between these assets and the Office of the Director of Health.

Implementation Of The National Partnership For Action To End Health Disparities: A Three-Year Retrospective, Oscar Espinosa, Brandon Coffee-Borden, Mpp Coffee-Borden, Mpp, Alexis Bakos, Phd, Mph, Rn, D. Bakos, Phd, Mph, Rn, Onyemaechi Nweke

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

In April 2011, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office of Minority Health (OMH) launched the National Partnership for Action to End Health Disparities (NPA) to increase the effectiveness of efforts to eliminate health disparities by coordinating partners, leaders, and stakeholders committed to action. At its core, the NPA is an experiment in collaboration that relies heavily on those on the front line who are actively engaged in minority health work at multiple levels. It gives them the responsibility of identifying and helping to define core actions, new approaches, and new partnerships that ultimately will help to …

The Guide To Community Preventive Services Review Of Interventions To Promote Health Equity In The United States, Robert Hahn, Jonathan E. Fielding, M.D., M.P.H., M.A., M.B.A, Robert L. Johnson, M.D., Carles Muntaner, M.D., Ph.D., M.H.S., Benedict I. Truman, M.D., M.P.H., Tracy Orleans

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

The optimal approach to eliminating health inequities is through evidence-based interventions. In 2009, the non-federal Community Preventive Services Task Force launched a series of systematic reviews of interventions to promote health equity. Topics to be considered include education, employment, housing, and transportation. Thus far, reviews have focused on educational interventions: center-based early childhood education, full-day kindergarten programs, out-of-school time academic programs, high school completion programs, and school-based health centers. These reviews demonstrate the benefits of diverse educational interventions in advancing health equity. Here, we summarize the strategy of Community Guide health equity reviews, first findings and challenges.

Improving Access And Utilization Of Data To Support Research And Programs Intended To Eliminate Disparities And Promote Health Equity, Rosaly Correa-De-Araujo

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Numerous Federal initiatives are addressing health and health care disparities. The ultimate goal is to achieve “a nation free of disparities in health and health care.” Social determinants of health remain mostly responsible for health/health care disparities among population groups within and between countries. In the United States, there is little evidence that disparities associated with such determinants are decreasing, with only 10% of those associated with race/ethnicity and income having demonstrated improvement in recent years. A variety of data sources are available from the Federal and private sectors to support research on disparities, but no single national survey seems …

The Impact Of The Patient-Centered Medical Home On Health Disparities In Adults: A Systematic Review Of The Evidence, J. Nwando Olayiwola 2062970, Sonali Sheth, Victor Mleczko, Anna L. Choi, Anjana E. Sharma

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Introduction: The objective of this study was to review the empirical evidence on Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) impact on health disparities in adults.

Methods: We searched PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar to identify studies on PCMH/health homes and health disparities published in English between January 1, 2009 and December 31, 2014. Articles met inclusion criteria if they investigated at least one component of PCMH or health homes in vulnerable populations, defined by PROGRESS-PLUS criteria, and reported differences in one of five clinical quality measures.

Results: 964 articles were identified through database searching and subsequent snowballing. 60 articles underwent full text …

Unique Breast Cancer Features Within The Vietnamese Population, Polly Niravath, Melissa Bondy, Susan G. Hilsenbeck

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer is known to be a heterogeneous disease across women, and even within individual tumors. However, relatively little is known about heterogeneity across cultures. There has been some evidence to suggest that Asian women are more likely to have HER2+ breast cancer than their Caucasian counterparts.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to further investigate the unique pattern of breast cancer incidence and subtype in the Vietnamese population.

METHODS: We retrospectively collected data on all Vietnamese women diagnosed with invasive breast cancer at the Lester & Sue Smith Breast Center in Houston, Texas over a four year …

Assessing Feasibility And Readiness To Address Obesity Through Policy In American Indian Reservations, Valarie Blue Bird Jernigan, Gail Boe, Carolyn Noonan, Leslie Carroll, Dedra Buchwald

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

The Institute of Medicine and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have identified policy and environmental strategies as critical to the prevention and control of obesity. However such strategies are rare in American Indian communities despite significant obesity-related disparities. Tribal policymaking processes differ by tribal nation and are often poorly understood by researchers and public health practitioners, hindering the dissemination, implementation, and successful scale-up of evidence-base obesity strategies in tribal communities. To address these gaps in knowledge we surveyed 138 diverse stakeholders in two American Indian reservations to assess the feasibility of and readiness to implement CDC-recommended obesity policy …

An Examination Of Cultural Competence Training In Us Medical Education Guided By The Tool For Assessing Cultural Competence Training, Valarie Blue Bird Jernigan

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

In the United States, medical students must demonstrate a standard level of “cultural competence,” upon graduation. Cultural competence is most often defined as a set of congruent behaviors, attitudes, and policies that come together in systems, organizations, and among professionals to enable effective work in cross-cultural situations. The Association of American Medical Colleges developed the Tool for Assessing Cultural Competence Training (TACCT) to assist schools in developing and evaluating cultural competence curricula to meet these requirements. This review uses the TACCT as a guideline to describe and assess pedagogical approaches to cultural competence training in US medical education and identify …

Anticancer Effect Of Moringa Oleifera Leaf Extract In Human Cancer Cell Lines, María Del Mar Zayas-Viera, Pablo Vivas-Mejia, Ph.D, Jeyshka Reyes, Phd

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Many medicinal plants are used as chemo preventives and antitumor agents in numerous experimental models of carcinogenesis. Moringa oleifera is a plant that contains several phytochemicals, which have been used for medical purposes including anti-inflammatory, analgesic, metabolism activator, anti-asthmatic, anti-anemia, hormone-producing, liver protector, and detoxifier, among others. Moringa oleifera extracts have also been proposed as potential anticancer agents. Cancer is one of the main causes of deaths worldwide. Although many drugs exist against several types of cancer, more specific agents with lower side effects are necessary. Few reports exist regarding the antitumor activity of Moringa oleifera leaf extract in cancer …

The Role Of Sumo And Coilin In The Cajal Body, Shanya Whitehorse, Mario Izaguirre-Sierra, Phd

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Our lab is solely based on learning about the molecular biology of the cell nucleus using basic model organism such as plants and flies. We focus on the study of the Cajal Body (CB) and specifically, we are interested to know how nuclear bodies can be formed without a membrane. The CB and the nucleolus are conserved nuclear bodies in all eukaryotic cells. CBs contain multiple proteins and RNA species involved in many pathways such as splicing, ribosome biogenesis and telomere maintenance.

Coilin is one of the main proteins in the nucleus and it is known to be required for …

Addressing Diabetes Prevention At The American Indian Summer Medical Wellness Camp, Mahpiya Vanderbilt, Francine Gachupin, Phd, Mph

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

American Indian youth ages 10-19 are nine times more likely of being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes compared to non-Hispanic whites. A family history of diabetes, being overweight, and being inactive are the main risk factors for type 2 diabetes. The American Indian Summer Medical Wellness Camp is a six day camp for American Indian youth where they are taught about nutrition and fitness in an effort to prevent diabetes. What I looked at is if students who have attended the camp in previous years make different choices than the youth who have never attended camp. I hypothesize that if …

Hiv-1 Vpr Causes Synaptodendritic Damage In Neurons, María A. Torres Rivera, Richard Noel, Jr., Phd, Bethzaly Velázquez-Pérez, Neysha Martínez-Orengo, Ms

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

HIV weakens the immune system by infecting and destroying T-cells, leaving the body vulnerable to infection and the development of AIDS. Conventional treatments for HIV, such as combined anti-rectroviral therapy (cART), fail to prevent the development of HIV-associated neurocognitive disorder (HAND). Neurological dysfunction has been directly related to the invasion of HIV in the central nervous system (CNS). HIV produces neurotoxic proteins, such as the Viral Protein R (Vpr), which contribute to HAND. Astrocytes are the most abundant cells in the brain and an important HIV target. We hypothesize that astrocytes expressing Vpr will cause neuronal damage in our co-culture …

Protein Expression Of Steroid Receptors In Macaca Mulatta Endometriotic Lesions, Héctor Torres, Lynette Ruiz, Phd, Olga Gonzalez, Dvm, Luisa Morales, Drph

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Endometriosis is pathologically defined as the presence of endometrial tissue in ectopic locations. Currently, there are no specific, non-invasive biomarkers and no cure for endometriosis. Non-human primates (NHP), including Macaca mulatta (rhesus macaques), have been highlighted as appropriate models to study endometriosis due to genetic, physiological, and anatomical similarities to humans. Research shows endometriosis might be associated with molecular deviations in human peritoneal endometriosis, such as increased levels of estrogen receptors and decreased levels of progesterone receptors.

The aim of this study is to determine protein expression of steroid receptors in five endometriotic lesions of rhesus macaques. We propose that …

Polymer Antimicrobial Synergy Research, Samuel Smith, Charles V. Rice, Phd

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Recent studies have shown that certain polymers, such as branched polyethylenimine (BPEI), have the potential to be antimicrobial. We have been growing certain strains of Bacillus subtilis (B. subtilis) and Escherichia coli (E. coli) and adding in concentrations of ampicillin to find the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs). This allows us to add in different concentrations of BPEI to test for synergy between our antibiotic and our polymer.

To find the MIC of each antibiotic, we grew an overnight of the bacteria in Lysogeny Broth (LB) and let it inoculate for 20 hours. We then inoculated a 24 well culture cluster …

Mt1a Mrna Expression In Human Lung Cells (Beas 2b) After Airborne Pm10 And Copper Exposure: A Possible Biomarker For Asthma, Mariela Rosa-Casillas, Noé Crespo-Hernández, Bs, Mario Ortiz-Martínez, Braulio Jiménez-Vélez

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Puerto Ricans have the highest prevalence, morbidity and mortality of asthma than any other ethnic group in the U.S. and can be triggered by different stimuli such as airborne Particle pollution (PM). PM transfers transition metals, including cooper, to the human airways generating reactive oxygen species (ROS). Metallothionein protein (MT1A) is a free radical scavenger expected to be induced in lung cells by PM exposure; however, this has never been proven nor demonstrated. The hypothesis involves the amounts of PM₁₀ in 2004, which would be significantly higher in the urban sites during months of March and June, thereby increasing …

Indirect Elisa For Detection Of Fascioliasis Igg Antibodies In Human Sera, Ernesto R. Ramos Maldonado, Ana M. Espino, Phd

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Currently, coprological examination based on egg detection in stool samples is used as the most ideal standard for the diagnosis of human fascioliasis. However, this method has been proven not to be adequate when being employed in the acute phase of the disease, and presents a poor sensitivity during the chronic phase. Serodiagnosis has become an excellent alternative to coprological examination in efforts to combat the effects of fascioliasis on human and animal health. Human fascioliasis is usually recognized as an infection of the bile ducts and liver caused by Fasciola hepatica, known to affect over 2 million humans.

In …