Promoting Financial Capability of Incarcerated Women for Community Reentry: A Call to Social Workers

Female incarceration rates are increasing at unprecedented rates. The majority of women are poor single mothers, serving sentences for nonviolent drug-related and property offenses. Among challenges faced when transitioning back into society are a history of interpersonal violence and financial instability. This study examines literature with regard to the barriers women experience with an emphasis on financial struggles and explores outcomes of one initiative to begin addressing the financial capability of women in a minimum security prison. Findings reveal women benefited from the class experience. Social workers are called upon for additional financial capability programming and research in this area

Cost-Effectiveness of Chagas Disease Vector Control Strategies in Northwestern Argentina

Despite decreasing rates of prevalence and incidence, Chagas disease remains a serious problem in Latin America, especially for the rural poor. Without vaccines, control and prevention rely mostly on residual spraying of insecticides. Under the aegis of the Southern Cone Initiative, and in agreement with global trends in decentralization of the health systems, in 1992 the Argentinean vector control launched a new vector control program based on community participation. The present study represents the first thorough evaluation of the overall performance of such vector control program and the first comparative assessment of the cost-effectiveness of different vector control strategies in a highly endemic rural area of northwestern Argentina. Supported by results of independent studies, the present work shows that in rural, poor and dispersed areas of the Gran Chaco region, the implementation of a mixed (i.e., vertical attack phase followed by horizontal surveillance) strategy constantly supervised and supported by national or local vector control programs would be the most cost-effective option to interrupt vector-borne transmission of Chagas disease

Phase II study of the farnesyltransferase inhibitor R115777 in advanced melanoma (CALGB 500104)

BACKGROUND: Multiple farnesylated proteins are involved in signal transduction in cancer. Farnesyltransferase inhibitors (FTIs) have been developed as a strategy to inhibit the function of these proteins. As FTIs inhibit proliferation of melanoma cell lines, we undertook a study to assess the impact of a FTI in advanced melanoma. As farnesylated proteins are also important for T cell activation, measurement of effects on T cell function was also pursued. METHODS: A 3-stage trial design was developed with a maximum of 40 patients and early stopping if there were no responders in the first 14, or fewer than 2 responders in the first 28 patients. Eligibility included performance status of 0–1, no prior chemotherapy, at most 1 prior immunotherapy, no brain metastases, and presence of at least 2 cutaneous lesions amenable to biopsy. R115777 was administered twice per day for 21 days of a 28-day cycle. Patients were evaluated every 2 cycles by RECIST. Blood and tumor were analyzed pre-treatment and during week 7. RESULTS: Fourteen patients were enrolled. Two patients had grade 3 toxicities, which included myelosuppression, nausea/vomiting, elevated BUN, and anorexia. There were no clinical responses. All patients analyzed showed potent inhibition of FT activity (85-98%) in tumor tissue; inhibition of phosphorylated ERK and Akt was also observed. T cells showed evidence of FT inhibition and diminished IFN-γ production. CONCLUSIONS: Despite potent target inhibition, R115777 showed no evidence of clinical activity in this cohort of melanoma patients. Inhibition of T cell function by FTIs has potential clinical implications. Clinicaltrials.gov number NCT0006012

Antiviral activity of cyclopentene nitro-ester and derivatives

Disclosed is a method of synthesizing new optically pure heterocyclic compounds using Pd(0) catalyzed intramolecular cyclizations. Analogs of cyclopentanes, like isoxazoline-2-oxide and furan, with similar framework to the cyclopentanes act as anti-HIV and anticancer agents which opens a whole new field for application of these compounds. Starting from a meso-diol, optically pure compounds were prepared without utilizing chiral ligands at any stage of the synthesis. The stereochemical outcome of the product (\u3e99% ee) was influenced by desymmetrization catalyzed by Pseudomonas cepacia lipase and the stereo selective nature of the palladium catalyzed transformations

Aperçu de la pathologie animale en région Pacifique Sud. Applications à la Nouvelle-Calédonie

Energy absorption capability of structures with embedded pores depends upon the amount of voids present and their configurations/distributions. In this study, the energy absorption of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) and polylactic acid (PLA) structures with varying pore shapes and sizes are investigated. The research was performed by two teams comprised of High School/Middle School teachers and undergraduate students as part of National Science Foundation (NSF) sponsored Research Experience for Teacher (RET)/Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) teams. ABS samples were fabricated by Team 1 and utilized cubic unit cells with octahedral pores while Team 2 fabricated PLA samples that utilized unit cells with spherical pores. Eight sets of samples with dimensions 25mm × 25mm × 20mm were fabricated using a Makerbot Replicator 2X for ABS samples and a Lulzbot TAZ 5 for PLA samples. Each sample incorporated a 5 × 5 × 4 array of pores. All the samples were tested in compression and energy absorption per unit material volume of all the samples up to a particular maximum load was calculated from load-deflection curves. It is observed that the specific energy absorption of PLA and ABS porous structures greatly increases with increased porosity. Copyright © 2017 by ASM

The NSF REU/RET Research on Energy Absorbing 3D Printed Polymer Structures

Energy absorption capability of structures with embedded pores depends upon the amount of voids present and their configurations/distributions. In this study, the energy absorption of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) and polylactic acid (PLA) structures with varying pore shapes and sizes are investigated. The research was performed by two teams comprised of High School/Middle School teachers and undergraduate students as part of National Science Foundation (NSF) sponsored Research Experience for Teacher (RET)/Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) teams. ABS samples were fabricated by Team 1 and utilized cubic unit cells with octahedral pores while Team 2 fabricated PLA samples that utilized unit cells with spherical pores. Eight sets of samples with dimensions 25mm × 25mm × 20mm were fabricated using a Makerbot Replicator 2X for ABS samples and a Lulzbot TAZ 5 for PLA samples. Each sample incorporated a 5 × 5 × 4 array of pores. All the samples were tested in compression and energy absorption per unit material volume of all the samples up to a particular maximum load was calculated from load-deflection curves. It is observed that the specific energy absorption of PLA and ABS porous structures greatly increases with increased porosity. Copyright © 2017 by ASM

Phase II study of the farnesyltransferase inhibitor R115777 in advanced melanoma (CALGB 500104)

Abstract Background Multiple farnesylated proteins are involved in signal transduction in cancer. Farnesyltransferase inhibitors (FTIs) have been developed as a strategy to inhibit the function of these proteins. As FTIs inhibit proliferation of melanoma cell lines, we undertook a study to assess the impact of a FTI in advanced melanoma. As farnesylated proteins are also important for T cell activation, measurement of effects on T cell function was also pursued. Methods A 3-stage trial design was developed with a maximum of 40 patients and early stopping if there were no responders in the first 14, or fewer than 2 responders in the first 28 patients. Eligibility included performance status of 0–1, no prior chemotherapy, at most 1 prior immunotherapy, no brain metastases, and presence of at least 2 cutaneous lesions amenable to biopsy. R115777 was administered twice per day for 21 days of a 28-day cycle. Patients were evaluated every 2 cycles by RECIST. Blood and tumor were analyzed pre-treatment and during week 7. Results Fourteen patients were enrolled. Two patients had grade 3 toxicities, which included myelosuppression, nausea/vomiting, elevated BUN, and anorexia. There were no clinical responses. All patients analyzed showed potent inhibition of FT activity (85-98%) in tumor tissue; inhibition of phosphorylated ERK and Akt was also observed. T cells showed evidence of FT inhibition and diminished IFN-γ production. Conclusions Despite potent target inhibition, R115777 showed no evidence of clinical activity in this cohort of melanoma patients. Inhibition of T cell function by FTIs has potential clinical implications. Clinicaltrials.gov number NCT00060125</p