Immune System Diseases Commons^™

Comparison Of Three Mosquito Traps For Lymphatic Filariasis Molecular Xenomonitoring In American Samoa Villages, Louisa Crawley, Mark Schmaedick, Phd

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Lymphatic filariasis (LF) is a mosquito-borne disease caused by Wuchereria bancrofti, which is endemic in American Samoa. The effort to eliminate LF has been highly successful, and is now in the monitoring phase to ensure continued progress. One of the monitoring methods is molecular xenomonitoring (MX) using PCR to detect W. bancrofti DNA in mosquitoes. Currently MX uses BG Sentinel traps to collect the LF vector Aedes polynesiensis. But the BG Sentinel traps catch relatively few Ae. polynesiensis, and most of those captured have not yet fed on blood. Gravid traps target mosquitoes that have already fed on …

Banded Application Of Geojute® Barriers To A Representative Area In Guam’S Pago Watershed, Joseph L. Casila, Laura Biggs, Phd, Victoria Flisco, Bart Lawrence

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Coral reefs around Guam are faced with multiple threats including soil erosion and sedimentation. In several of Guam’s southern watersheds, infertile soil upland has significantly deterred the growth of erosion-mitigating vegetation. Additionally, sediments that wash down to sea reduce the ability of coral reefs to thrive. The need to ameliorate the ecosystem decline related to erosion and sedimentation is particularly patent and pertinent in Pago Watershed. To inform restoration efforts, this research will identify the efficiency of GeoJute® barriers as a method of erosion control. Factoring cost, labor, and effectiveness in containing sediment, GeoJute® barriers are hypothesized as a practical …

Effect Of Stocking Density On The Growth, Survival, And Settlement Of Sandfish Sea Cucumber (Holothuria Scabra), Quilan Cantero, Manoj Nair, Phd, Justino Smith

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

The US Affiliated Pacific Islands of Micronesia have several commercially important species of sea cucumbers in their water including the sandfish sea cucumbers, Holothuria scabra. Due to their commercial importance, they have been widely exploited and are in the danger of being extinct.

The College of Micronesia Land Grant Program has undertaken the development of hatchery-based sandfish sea cucumber farming technology for local community based economic development, future commercialization, and restocking the depleted stocks in the wild.

In this regard, an experiment was conducted to find out the effect of different stocking densities on the growth, survival, and settlement of …

Determining The Antibacterial Efficacy Of Ylang Ylang (Cananga Ordorata) Plant Extract On Esherichia Coli, Noemi Caacbay, Hervin Jacinto, Md, Rn

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Esherichia coli (E.coli) is a bacterium with high prevalence in the gastrointestinal tract of humans and animals. Discovered in 1885, E. coli is part of normal gut bacteria flora. However, some strains can be pathogenic and may also lead to serious infection. For instance, the pathogen E. coli O157:H7 produces a Shiga toxin, a toxin also produced by the bacterium Shigella dysenteriae, and can cause dysentery in humans. This pathogen is notorious for causing illness, hospitalizations, and deaths annually.

The objective of our research is to determine the antibacterial effectiveness of the Ylang Ylang (Cananga odorata) and …

West Nile Virus And Pattern Recognition Receptors, Jordan Boswell, Verma Saguna, Phd, Chih-Yun Lai

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

West Nile Virus (WNV), RNA virus is a member of the flaviviridae family that causes flu like symptoms in infected individuals, however in 1-2% cases, it causes severe neurological diseases such as encephalitis. There is no antiviral or vaccine approved so far to prevent WNV disease, therefore research to understand immune pathology is very important.

Pattern Recognition Receptors (PRR) are proteins that are expressed by cells to detect virus infection and play an important role in the innate immune system. When a PRR such as Toll-Like Receptors (TLR) and Nod-Like Receptors (NLR) detects a replicating virus, signals are sent out …

Mapping Snail Spatial Distribution In Guam’S Rivers, Anna Katrina Aragon, Timothy Righetti, Phd

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

The family Hydrobiidae, otherwise known as the common mud snail, can be further classified into more specific divisions—and can live in both fresh and brackish water. One example, New Zealand Mud Snails are considered to be a nuisance to the environment because of two recognizable characteristics: its ability to reproduce quickly in high densities, and its capability to survive in many environmental conditions, which allow them to negatively influence the ecosystem’s food-chain and even alter the physical features of its surroundings. Also because of these traits, the family is able to withstand diverse environmental factors, which in turn allow …

Water Borne Diseases In The Rmi During The Years 2004-2015, Patricia Andrew, Abraham Hicking

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Water borne diseases in the Marshall Islands contribute to one of the heavy burdens on the government’s medical expenses for hospitals in the country. These diseases are preventable. Expenses are therefore unnecessary as these can be eliminated or reduced dramatically if proper education and awareness is done regarding water and sanitation issues. These are common issues that government in developing and poor countries take for granted. Little is provided and supported in terms of finance, infrastructure and political commitment.

Gastroenteritis is listed as the highest recorded cases among all other water borne related diseases such as typhoid, amebiasis, giardiasis and …

Igniting Passion For Science Across A Vast Ocean: Nurturing A New Generation Of Pacific Island Scientists, George Hui, Danielle Clements

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

This article introduces the work that was done through the Coordinating Center at the John A. Burns School of Medicine at the University of Hawaii.

Low Alcohol Beneficial Effects On The Cardiac Function During Cardiac Hypertrophy, Kiera Williams, Georges E. Haddad, Phd, Sima Tarzami, Phd, Mustafa Baker

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Chronic low alcohol exposure has been shown clinically to have beneficial cardiac effects; whereas chronic high alcohol consumption can lead to heart failure. We have previously shown that cardiac inotropy is closely related to the activation of the survival PI3K/Akt.

This study aimed to determine the effects of chronic low and high alcohol on cardiac function as well as to determine if low alcohol can alleviate the development of volume-overload-dependent (shunt) cardiac hypertrophy.

Littermate adult rats were put on a 3-months isocaloric Lieber-Decarli liquid diet with either low alcohol (LA: 5mM) or high alcohol (HA: 100mM) levels. The rats were …

Withaferin-A In Ameliorating The Effects Of High Glucose On Inflammatory And Phagocytic Response Of Mouse Macrophages, Trae Whyte, Satyesh K. Sinha, Phd

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Rapidly increasing rates of diabetes mellitus (DM) throughout the world represent an emerging epidemic with profound consequences including diabetic nephropathy (DN). Studies indicate that mj-mediated inflammation correlates with the development of DN. Macrophages exhibit pro- (M1) and anti-inflammatory (M2) phenotypes. Therefore, in the present study, we tested our hypothesis that high glucose suppresses the M2 phenotype and phagocytosis, leading to aberrant cytokine release, and that withaferin-A (an anti-inflammatory molecule) will reduce the pro-inflammatory response of macrophages.

We cultured J-774A.1 macrophage-like cells (ATCC) in RPMI 1640. After reaching 70-80% confluence, the cells were serum starved for 18 hours. Cells were then …

Living Donor Kidney Transplantation: A Focus On The Socioecological Model To Determine Why Hispanics/Latinos Have A Disproportionate Amount Of Kidney Transplants When Compared To Other Ethnic Groups, Melissa Wenceslao, Amy D. Waterman, Phd, Crystal Kynard-Amerson, Mph, Aubre Parnicky, Msw

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Health disparities, especially kidney transplantation disparities, are prevalent in the Hispanic/Latino community. In order to decrease existing kidney transplantation disparities in the Hispanic/Latino community, culturally tailored education surrounding living donor kidney transplants needs to be improved.

The socioecological model depicts factors that affect a patient’s decision making when deciding on obtaining a living kidney donor transplant. These factors often act as barriers, which are categorized as patient-level factors, provider factors, and system factors. Patient-level factors include family and social networks, provider factors include physician and/or health care provider relationships, and system level factors include health care organization efficiency. Developing patient …

Correlation Between Vacs Index And Frailty In Hiv+ People And How It Affects Cognition And Brain Volume, Aslee Welch, Beau Ances, Phd

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that causes an infection within the immune system and can lead to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) if not properly addressed. While this disease specifically attacks the immune system, it also affects other systems, such as the brain.

One major relationship we will be investigating is between HIV status and the Veterans Aging Cohort Study (VACS) index, which includes race, sex and other biomarkers such as CD4 count, viral load, hepatitis C infection, and hemoglobin. We hypothesize that there will be a strong correlation between the VACS index and frailty in those with …

Leptin Induces Proliferation And Notch Expression In Pancreatic Cancer, Felice Watson, Ruben Gonzalez-Perez, Phd

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PA) is an aggressive cancer. It develops in a way that causes almost no detectable symptoms, which leads to a rapid progression and a short survival rate.

Researchers have discovered a link between pancreatic cancer (and other cancer types) and obesity. High levels of leptin, an appetite hormone secreted by adipocytes, have been found in obese people. Studies have shown that the absence of leptin in the body or severe leptin resistance can lead to uncontrolled eating and weight gain, hence, its connection to obesity. Consequently, our lab is analyzing the relationship between obesity and leptin and what …

The Association Between Food Insecurity, Glycemic Control, Self-Care, And Quality Of Life In Adults With Type 2 Diabetes, Allen Walters, Joni S. Williams, Md, Mph, Leonard E. Egede, Md, Ms

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Food insecurity is the inability to obtain adequate nutritious food. Therefore, the study assessed the relationship between food insecurity, glycemic control, self-care behaviors, and quality of life in adults with type 2 diabetes (T2DM).

Cross sectional study of 356 adults with T2DM recruited from an academic medical center and a veterans affairs medical center. The independent predictor was food insecurity, and the outcomes were glycosylated hemoglobin A1c, self-care behaviors, and quality of life (QOL). Logistic regression was used to assess the independent factors associated with food insecurity. Multiple linear regression was used to assess the association between food insecurity and …

Effects Of Acculturation On Quality Of Life, Chronic Diseases And Health Behaviors In Persons Of African Ancestry, Danielle Stephenson, Camille Ragin, Phd, Elizabeth Blackman, Mph

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

The Black population in Philadelphia comprises of a diverse mix of persons with varied ancestry. We have established a non-cancer control registry (CAP3 study) which involves the collection of bio-specimens, epidemiological, lifestyle, quality of life, chronic conditions, culture and cancer prevention behaviors. Currently there are 707 participants enrolled, 95% from the African diaspora. In this study, the acculturation (the degree to which an individual holds onto their cultural norms) of new and pre-enrolled participants (n = 100) will be assessed and evaluations will be made to determine the relationship between acculturation, chronic conditions, health behaviors and quality of life.

Since …

Elucidating The Expression Profile Of Ezh2 Isoforms In Endometriosis: An Immunohistochemical Study, John Soto-Vargas, Idhaliz Flores, Phd, Mariano Colón-Caraballo, Andrés Velázquez-Garcia

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Endometriosis is an estrogen-dependent gynecological disease that affects 1 out of 10 women of reproductive age causing severe pelvic pain and infertility. Factors including genetics, environment, inflammation, and recently epigenetics have been shown to play roles in the pathophysiology of this disease. Histone methylation is an epigenetic modification that modulates gene expression by causing changes in the chromatin structure. Trimethylation of histone 3 at lysine residue 27 (H3K27me3) is a histone mark related to gene repression. EZH2 is the histone methyltransferase (HMT) responsible of catalyzing H3K27me3. It has been shown that the EZH2 is involved in carcinogenesis; however, the specific …

Glioblastoma Stem Cells, Michael Quintero, Qi Cui, Yanhong Shi, Phd

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Glioblastoma multiforme(GBM) is the most common and malignant primary brain tumor in humans. GBM accounts for 55% of all primary brain cancers, with a median survival rate of 14.6 months. The grim prognosis of GBM can be attributed to glioma stem cells (GSCs), which initiate tumor formation through the stem-like properties of self-renewal and differentiation. The ability of GSCs to resist radiation and chemotherapy contributes to the high rate of tumor recurrence in GBM patients. Consequently, novel therapies that effectively target the population of GSCs are of vital importance.

A promising is to induce the differentiation of GSCs. Previous studies …

Rgs2 And Human Adipogenesis, Kaia Partlow, Alma Madrigal, Yuanxiang Zhao, Phd

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Obesity is characterized by excess adipose tissue and is one of the leading public-health issues of the industrialized world. Gain of adipose tissue can result from accumulation of fat in existing adipocytes (fat cells), as well as increased commitment of stem cells into new adipocytes through a process known as adipogenesis. Although a number of key adipogenic transcription factors such as PPARgamma2 and CEBPalpha are well characterized, the temporal and spatial molecular and cellular events that occur during adipogenesis are still largely unknown. Better understanding of these events could have important implications in finding treatments for obesity.

Human mesenchymal stem …

Dietary Restriction In Drosophila Melanogaster Increases Flight Duration, Nelson Nunez, Mark Frye, Phd, Mehmet Keles, Phd Candidate

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Caloric restriction extends the lifespan in several model animals, including fruit flies, but less is known about the influence upon endurance and sensory-motor performance. For this experiment, all flies will be raised on standard media. At the point of eclosion, they will be transferred to rich, standard, or restricted media. The endurance of a fruit fly can be tested by monitoring how long it is able to maintain active flight. Flight power is quantified by measuring wing beats per second and total wing stroke amplitude. Sensory-motor performance is measured by the animal’s ability to actively fixate on a black bar …

Application Of The Transtheoretical Model In Hispanic And African American Populations To Assess Deceased Kidney Donor Noncompliance, Cynthia Mancilla, Amy D. Waterman, Phd, Crystal Kynard-Amerson, Mph, Aubre Parnicky, Msw

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Given existing health disparities such as financial barriers, lack of education and inadequate health care in minority communities, the rates of deceased kidney donation continues to decline. The transtheoretical model (TTM) assesses the patients’ willingness to pursue deceased kidney donation through application of a stage structured curriculum.

Patients are evaluated into five different stage groups; pre-contemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, and maintenance. This assessment of behavior change as applied to the willingness of a patient to pursue a deceased kidney donor transplant can be tracked over time and used to help determine what stage of change a patient is in during …