Kawm Ntawv Qib Siab Understanding the psychosociocultural educational experiences of Hmong American undergraduates

Using a psychosociocultural framework, this study examined the educational experiences of 85 Hmong American undergraduates attending a predominantly-White university. Differences in class standing indicated that upper-division students reported higher confidence in college-related tasks than their lower-division counterparts, yet the upper-division students perceived a less-welcoming university environment that was incongruent with their cultural values than the lower-division undergraduates. Peer support, college self-efficacy and cultural congruity were salient variables in understanding Hmong American undergraduate’s educational experiences. The study’s limitations, future research directions, and implications for college administrators and faculty are discussed

HMong Parent Day/Hnub Txhawb Nqa Niam Txiv: Implementing Psychosociocultural Educational Programming to Honor Rau Siab

This paper describes the interrelated conceptual activities that took a Psychosociocultural (PSC) approach to direct best practices, interactions, and processes to implement HMong Parent Days effectively. The purpose of HMong Parent Day/ Hnub Txhawb Nqa Niam Txiv, a culturally-centered community-focused intervention, was to bring HMong parents onto a midwestern predominantly White university campus for a day of college knowledge. The day honored HMong parents\u27 support of their children into and through higher education via the cultural value of rau siab (hard work). Three levels of learning that emergent as new knowledge for HMong parents were highlighted and discussed relative to the PSC approach. Implications for scholars and university personnel were provided. The benefits of a culturally-centered community-focused intervention were discussed

The Effects of Mattering and Combat Deployment on Student Service Members/Veterans’ College Adjustment: A Psychosociocultural Approach

This study examined college adjustment for 157 student service members/veterans’ (SSM/V) college adjustment using a psychosociocultural framework to explore psychological (stress), social (connection and university mattering), and cultural (view of self) dimensions. A series of mediation analyses revealed that mattering fully mediated the relationships of social and campus connectedness and negative view of self with college adjustment, respectively. Mattering also partially-mediated the relationship of positive view of self and college adjustment. Although those SSM/V who had been deployed to a combat zone held more negative views of self and reported decreased social connectedness than those who had not, deployment to a combat zone did not moderate the relationships of connection (social and campus) and view of self (positive and negative) with college adjustment. The study’s findings direct student service personnel to provide emic support and programming to support SSM/Vs’ educational experiences and college adjustment

Txoj Kev Ntshiab: Hmong American undergraduates’ perceptions of intellectual phoniness and psychosociocultural persistence decisions

Examining the educational experiences of 103 Hmong American undergraduates, gender and class standing differences emerged using a psychosociocultural approach. Females reported increased perceptions of family and friend support and greater cultural congruity in the university environment than males. Lower-division students indicated greater perceptions of social support from family, greater cultural congruity, and lower self-esteem than upper-division students. Feelings of phoniness emerged as the most significant negative predictor of academic persistence decisions. Implications, limitations, and future research are discussed

Mesenchymal Stromal Cells Primed with Paclitaxel Provide a New Approach for Cancer Therapy

BACKGROUND: Mesenchymal stromal cells may represent an ideal candidate to deliver anti-cancer drugs. In a previous study, we demonstrated that exposure of mouse bone marrow derived stromal cells to Doxorubicin led them to acquire anti-proliferative potential towards co-cultured haematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). We thus hypothesized whether freshly isolated human bone marrow Mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) and mature murine stromal cells (SR4987 line) primed in vitro with anti-cancer drugs and then localized near cancer cells, could inhibit proliferation. METHODS AND PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Paclitaxel (PTX) was used to prime culture of hMSCs and SR4987. Incorporation of PTX into hMSCs was studied by using FICT-labelled-PTX and analyzed by FACS and confocal microscopy. Release of PTX in culture medium by PTX primed hMSCs (hMSCsPTX) was investigated by HPLC. Culture of Endothelial cells (ECs) and aorta ring assay were used to test the anti-angiogenic activity of hMSCsPTX and PTX primed SR4987(SR4987PTX), while anti-tumor activity was tested in vitro on the proliferation of different tumor cell lines and in vivo by co-transplanting hMSCsPTX and SR4987PTX with cancer cells in mice. Nevertheless, despite a loss of cells due to chemo-induced apoptosis, both hMSCs and SR4987 were able to rapidly incorporate PTX and could slowly release PTX in the culture medium in a time dependent manner. PTX primed cells acquired a potent anti-tumor and anti-angiogenic activity in vitro that was dose dependent, and demonstrable by using their conditioned medium or by co-culture assay. Finally, hMSCsPTX and SR4987PTX co-injected with human cancer cells (DU145 and U87MG) and mouse melanoma cells (B16) in immunodeficient and in syngenic mice significantly delayed tumor takes and reduced tumor growth. CONCLUSIONS: These data demonstrate, for the first time, that without any genetic manipulation, mesenchymal stromal cells can uptake and subsequently slowly release PTX. This may lead to potential new tools to increase efficacy of cancer therapy

Perceived educational barriers, cultural fit, coping responses, and psychological well-being of Latina undergraduates

Given the unique educational experiences and disproportional representation of Latinas in higher educatio