Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education Commons^™

Species Diversity And Population Structure In Worm-Snails Of The Dendropoma Genus In Palau, Masasinge Hideos, Julien Lorion, Phd, Kelutel Yoshiwo

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

This report is a preliminary analysis of the mitochondrial genetic diversity of worm-snails (Gastropods, Vermetidae) in Palau. Worm-snails are suspension-feeding gastropods that have tubular uncoiled shells attached to the substrate. Some aggregate to form reefs of their own, forming mats along the water’s edge. There are here used as a model to understand connectivity of populations across Palau.

Samples were collected at 12 different areas with a total of 199 samples overall. Samples were dissected to extract DNA and a fragment of the COI mtDNA gene was then amplified by PCR and sequenced. Pairwise genetic distances were calculated with the …

Banded Application Of Phosgard 0-40-0 To A Representative Area In Guam’S Pago Watershed, Victoria Flisco, Laura Biggs, Phd, Bart Lawrence, Mohammad Golabi, Phd, Joseph Casila

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Water quality and coral reef health in Guam are greatly affected by surface runoff from sedimentation. Mitigation strategies (i.e. tree planting) are difficult to implement in highly degraded settings. We propose to conduct research testing mitigation strategies focusing on ameliorative soil enrichment. We hypothesize that increasing the soils’ resiliency in Guam’s Pago Watershed by banded application of Phosgard 0-40-0 will address critical soil fertility deficiencies (i.e. phosphorus, organic matter, and pH levels). Subsequent landscape scale mitigation projects on Guam may better address reduction from the damaging energy in surface water runoff resulting in extreme soil erosion and sedimentation. These actions …

Determining The Antibacterial Efficacy Of Ylang Ylang (Cananga Odorata) Plant Extract On Staphylococcus Aureus, Maria T. Dizon, Johnny Aldan, Bsn

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

The Ylang Ylang (Cananga odorata) plant extract is highly popular among the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands (CNMI) and is frequently used in local medicine. This can be attributed to its properties as an antiseptic, antidepressant, antiseborrheic, hypotensive, sedative, and nervine substance. It is also used in aromatherapy treatments, perfume, and cosmetic products all over the world. The key chemical constituents of the Ylang Ylang are linalool, germacrene, geranyl acetate, methyl benzoate, and p-cresyl methyl ether, which all contribute to its medicinal effects. With the presence of antibacterial properties, it may be used as an alternative to conventional …

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 …

Exploration Of Antagonist Efficacy For Lpra2 Like Peptide, Ayobami Loye, Ruben R. Gonzalez-Perez, Phd

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Leptin is a small protein hormone that controls satiety and is produced by adipocytes. Obese people have increased levels of circulating leptin. Excessive leptin levels cause a break down in the control of leptin signaling pathways leading to increased angiogenesis, proliferation, cell migration, invasion, and anti-apoptotic events. Obesity and leptin signaling have been linked to cancer progression. Literature shows that LPrA2 is an effective leptin antagonist as it decreases proliferation of breast cancer cells in vitro.

This project compares the effectiveness of LPrA2 like compounds in breast cancer cell-line MDA-MB-468 (M-468 BCs). We hypothesize that the new peptide antagonists have …

Design And Optimization Of A Mycoplasma Detection Assay, Carlos J. León-Rodríguez, Richard J. Noel, Jr., Phd, Tirtsa Porrata-Doria, Ms

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Mycoplasma are among the smallest free living microorganisms. These bacteria grow slowly, lack a rigid cell wall and are not eliminated by filter sterilization methods used in tissue culture. Mycoplasma infection affects biochemical and genetic aspects of cultured cells, resulting in experimental inconsistency. Therefore, it is necessary to establish routine testing for mycoplasma contamination in tissue culture laboratories.

Our goal is to develop a reliable and cost-effective test for mycoplasma in cell culture based on established methods found in literature. We first cloned and sequenced a PCR product from a commercial mycoplasma detection kit. Sequencing revealed the 16s rRNA as …

Role Of Hiv-1 Nef Lysine Residues 4 And 7 In The Interaction With Calnexin And Inhibition Of Abca1 Activity, Valeria Kaufman, Michael Burkinsky, Md, Phd, Ruth Hunegnaw, Msc, Phd Candidate

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Patients infected with HIV are at increased risk of developing atherosclerosis, a result due partly to the functional impairment of cellular cholesterol transporter, ATP-binding cassette transporter A1 (ABCA1). This transporter mediates efflux of cholesterol from cells to high density lipoprotein, thus allowing cells to maintain normal levels of cholesterol. When ABCA1 function is inhibited, cells, and in particular macrophages, accumulate cholesterol, resulting in formation of atherosclerotic plaques. The HIV-1 protein, Nef downregulates ABCA1 and inhibits the activity of this protein, thereby reducing cholesterol efflux and promoting atherosclerosis, but the molecular mechanism by which Nef inhibits ABCA1 is unknown.

Previous studies …

Collagen Iv Assembly: Production Of A Recombinant Construct For Mechanistic Studies, Kennedy Harris, Billy Hudson, Phd, Isi Ero-Tolliver, Phd, Kyle Brown, Phd

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Basement membranes, specialized extracellular matrix, provide mechanical support for epithelial cells and shape cell behavior by interacting with cell receptors. Collagen IV, the predominant component of basement membrane, comprises six genetically distinct alpha chains (α1 to α6) that assemble to form protomers, which associate to form hexamers, in the scaffold. Non-assembly due to mutations within alpha chains give rise to kidney diseases. Yet, the mechanism of assembly is poorly understood.

Preliminary data in our lab indicated that amino acid 78 of collagen IV α2 NC1 (non-collagenous) domains may play a role in a chloride-dependent switch that supports hexamer formation. We …

Sex Differences In The Sex Differences In The Effects Of Environmental Enrichment After An Early Life Stressor, Alfredo Gutierrez, Annelyn Torres-Reverón, Phd, Raura Doreste-Méndez

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Studies have shown that environmental enrichment can compensate for the effects of an early life stressor such as maternal separation. Behavioral responses and immunohistochemical markers in rats are affected by environmental enrichment after maternal separation. In this study we seek to investigate whether sex influences the behavioral responses of environmental enrichment after maternal separation.

Prior scientific evidence suggests that there are behavioral sex differences in: 1) neural processes underlying successful or failed fear extinction (Gruene et al, 2014); (2) prenatal stress exposure and response to behavioral anxiety tests (Said et al, 2015); and (3) glutamate receptor expression in response to …

Cox2 Plays An Important Role In Maintenance Of Mammary Cancer Stem Cell Population In Human Breast Cancer Cell Lines, Mayra Garcia, Shehla Pervin, Phd, Easter Thames, Meher Parveen, Phd, Melanie Baker

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Breast cancer is a malignant growth in the adipose-rich mammary gland. Initiation and progression of breast tumors involve multiple cell types, among which mammary cancer stem cells play an important role. There are two main types of adipocytes; white adipocytes have previously been found to influence the disease while brown adipocytes, which uniquely express uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1), were recently detected in breast tumors.

We have detected Myf5, a transcription factor, which is expressed in the progenitor population of brown adipocytes, in breast cancer cell lines. We also found an association between expression of Myf5 and COX2 (or Ptgs2), which …

The Role Of Integrin-Associated Protein “Pinch” In Kidney Development, Tyrone Gamble Jr, Roy Zent, Phd, Bertha C. Elias, Phd

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

PINCH (a particularly interesting new cysteine-histidine-rich protein) is a protein that binds with Integrin-linked kinase and Parvin, to form an IPP complex. This complex is formed only when integrin molecules are activated upon interaction with the basement membrane. The IPP complex then acts as a platform for other proteins to come together and regulate cell signaling to and from the extracellular matrix (ECM). This allows for various cellular activities to progress like cell adhesion, migration, proliferation, etc. There are two types of PINCH proteins, PINCH-1 and PINCH-2. Studies from our group have shown that the lack of PINCH-1 in the …