Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

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 …

Nitric Oxide And Cyclic Gmp Signaling In Cancer Therapy, Armond Dorsey, Ferid Murad, Md, Phd, Ka Bian, Md, Phd

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

The nitric oxide-3’,5’-cyclic guanosine monophosphate signaling pathway (NO-cGMP signaling pathway) is a well-known signal transduction pathway which elicits several physiological processes including: cell proliferation, vasodilation, cardiac protection, etc. In this pathway, NO binds to the ferrous heme of histidine-105 on the prosthetic heme of the β₁ subunit of soluble guanylyl cyclase, resulting in the production of cGMP. This pathway, however, is inhibited in certain cancer cells—as observed in glioma cell lines. As a result, the production of cGMP is reduced. This mechanism may facilitate uncontrolled tumor cell growth.

The cancers under research—lung carcinoma, glioma, and pancreatic carcinoma—are all highly …

Potential Cost Savings Of Not Doing Cd4 Counts In Hiv Positive People In Rhode Island With An Undetectable Viral Load, Ruth Dele-Oni, Ferdinand Schumacher, Zachary Markus, Timothy Flanigan, Md

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

CD4 cells fight infections in the body. When someone contacts Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), their CD4 cells are taken over by HIV which turns them into manufacturers of many copies of the virus. The Viral Load (VL) measures the amount of virus in the blood. When HIV takes over the CD4 cells, the VL increases while the number of necessary CD4 cells decreases. When patients maintain stable treatment, their CD4 counts rise, and VLs may become undetectable, indicating the virus is too little to be detected in their blood. Knowing this, is frequent CD4 counts necessary for those with undetectable …

Defining The Role For Zbp-89 In Atm-Mediated Dna Damage Response To Irradiation In The Intestine, Christine Carethers, Juanita L. Merchant, Md, Phd

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

ZBP-89 (ZNF148, Zfp148) is a zinc-finger transcription factor that inhibits cellular proliferation when overexpressed in cell lines. ZBP-89 forms a protein-protein interaction with p53 and Ataxia-telangiectasia mutated (ATM). However, it is unclear how the interaction modulates the function of these two proteins in vivo.

Double strand DNA breakage induced by -irradiation induces ATM phosphoinositol kinase activity, which initiates a cascade of events culminating in cell cycle arrest, DNA repair or apoptosis. Elevated levels of ZBP-89 induce growth arrest and apoptosis in gastrointestinal cell lines. Therefore, we hypothesize that ZBP-89 facilitates cell growth arrest and activation of the DNA repair pathway …

Induction Of Dusp9 In Xenografts From Human Breast Cancer Cell Lines Increases Mammary Cancer Stem Cells, Albert Barrios, Meher Parveen, Phd, Easter Thames, Melanie Baker, Shelha Pervin, Phd

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Breast cancer remains a complex disease that kills 40,000 women every year. Initiation and progression of breast cancer is influenced by heterogeneous groups of cells, including mammary cancer stem cells (MCSCs). Progression of this dreadful disease is driven by many signaling pathways among which MAPK pathway is highly prominent. Since targeting prominent kinases in MAPK pathway has been unsuccessful to control breast cancer, it is important to examine the phosphatases that regulate the activity of these kinases.

Using xenograft model from breast cancer cell lines, our lab has found that during the initial stages of xenograft development (week 1-4, 100-200mg …

Preparing Underrepresented High School Students To Increase Diversity In The Research And Health Professions, Dolores E. Caffey-Fleming, Ms, Mph, Christopher Reid, Md, Phd

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

This article introduces the work that was done through the Coordinating Center at Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science.

The Step Up Program, Lawrence Agodoa, Md

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

The Short-Term Research Experience Program for Underrepresented Persons (STEP-UP) was established as part of the NIDDK Strategic Plan on Minority Health Disparities. This article provides an overview and introduction of this program. All of the articles that are included in this special issue reflect the work of our coordinating centers, the mentors and their staff, as well as the students.

Baby, This World Is Cruel, Nytesia S. Ross

Journal of Multicultural Affairs

This poem is about a woman's fear of bringing a child into this world.

Tuning "The System": An Evaluation Or Restorative Practices In San Lorenzo School District, Amber White

Master's Projects and Capstones

In 2013, The Director of Student Support Services for the San Lorenzo Unified School District (SLZUSD) implemented a Restorative Practices program in an effort to improve relationships on campus and decrease suspension and expulsion rates in SLZUSD. The Directors push for RP was fueled by the passing of Assembly Bill 1729 (AB-1729), when the California Education Code changed to allow for alternative disciplinary actions. States nationwide have passed bills similar to AB-1729 and allowed schools to use alternative punitive practices. Despite good natured intentions there were many faculty members who did not respond with enthusiasm and there has since been …

2016 August 16 - Medical Student Education Committee Minutes, Medical Student Education Committee, East Tennessee State University

Medical Student Education Committee Minutes

No abstract provided.

Outcomes Of Speech And Language Pilot Program For International Students, Kelly Fussman

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Universities in the United States host a substantial number of international students every academic year. As of the 2015-2016 academic year, Western Kentucky University, located in south-central Kentucky, alone hosts over 1,400 international students. These students often face a number of challenges upon arrival in the United States, especially when it comes to language and cultural differences. A considerable body of research indicates that international students’ educational performance and outcomes are significantly impacted by their cultural identities, psychological and sociocultural experiences, and attitudes in relation to English-speaking societies. Many international students attribute academic and social difficulties to a lack of …

The Impact Of Nutrition And Physical Activity Education On The Knowledge, Attitude, And Behavior Of Muslim Youth From Various Ethnic Backgrounds, Hana L. Jaber, Zainab Rida

UCARE: Research Products

The Islamic Foundation of Lincoln is a growing population within Lincoln including many different racial backgrounds, ethnic identities, and languages. Due to these various backgrounds communication may impair the education of families as well as their attitudes and behaviors. Although there are programs developed for many other minority groups, the Muslim (population comprising the Islamic Foundation of Lincoln) population does not have any data obtained from the community in terms of nutrition and physical activity behaviors, attitudes, and knowledge. This study seeks to understand if there are barriers to communication and if the intervention enhanced nutrition knowledge. This poster reflects …

Dietetic Students Place First And Second In Poster Competition, College Of Education And Human Development

Family and Consumer Sciences News

Two groups of senior dietetic students presented posters at the Annual Conference of Michigan Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics held in Lansing at the end of April.

A Study Of Applications Of 3d Animation For Emergency Medicine Pedagogy, Huilong Zheng

Open Access Theses

There is ample precedent for the use of 3D animation in education, though little research on specific applications in the field of medicine. An experiment was carried out to assess the suitability of 3D animation for educational purposes in emergency medicine courses. Two groups of experimental participants were assessed on their ability to respond to three emergency medical situations in simulated test scenarios. Both groups received equivalent information on how to treat the three different medical emergencies. The control group received the information in traditional lecture format. The experimental group instead received the information from a set of 3D animations. …

Integration Of Basic And Clinical Sciences In Health Professions Education, Waeil Elmisalati, Vidushi Gupta, Cha Vu, Colleen Ahern, Priya Katwala, Aparna Bhat, Nader Burpee, Alivia Shasteen

Dental Medicine Faculty Publications

Part of the Journal of Dental Education's series “Peer Education: Reviews of the Literature,” this manuscript details different aspects of the vertical integration technique of incorporating didactic knowledge into a clinical setting within dental education.