Quality of life assessment in women with breast cancer: benefits, acceptability and utilization

In 2006, breast cancer was the third leading cause of death in American women; however, more women survive breast cancer than any other type of cancer. As the disease progresses, it is important to know how one's health-related quality of life (QOL) is affected for those who receive treatment, those who survive, and those who remain disease-free. The purpose of this study was to summarize the benefits, challenges, and barriers of QOL measurement for female breast cancer patients. A PubMed literature search was conducted using the terms "quality of life" and "breast cancer." The search was then refined with terms related to QOL assessment instruments. The research team reviewed over 100 of the 2,090 articles identified

Cross Cultural Studies in Sino-Foreign Joint Ventures

The People"s Republic of China (PRC) is one of the most lucrative markets in the world. Because of the size and potential of the market, many corporations around the world have made a dash to capture a competitive advantage. In the current era of globalization, the joint venture has emerged as an increasingly useful and popular way for firms to carry out their foreign investment strategy. Joint ventures between foreign firms and local partners have been a particularly important component of the FDI (foreign direct investment) in Asia. This is because the governments of these countries have frequently provided a more favorable investment climate (e.g., in terms of regulations, approvals, licensing requirements, taxes, etc.) to foreign firms entering joint ventures with a local partner than to foreign firms attempting to establish a wholly owned foreign enterprise. The governments want part of the organization s equity, ownership and control to remain local. The foreign firm, unfamiliar with the business environment and culture of the local market, also finds the joint venture the most advantageous way to enter into a strategic alliance with a local firm who is already nestled in that market. This paper will highlight important factors and questions concerning joint venture operations and their ultimate outcomes. It will also strive to raise new questions for the future through three case studies: Beijing-Kentucky Fried Chicken (Beijing-KFC), Pacific Dunlop China, and Shanghai Volkswagen

Filling in the Food Security Gaps: Examining The Farmers\u27 Market System in Norwalk, Connecticut

Farmers’ markets are seen as important venues for increasing access to nutritious food and mitigating chronic diseases. The 2016 Community Health Needs Assessment found chronic disease/obesity to be the primary health priority for the Greater Norwalk Region. In Norwalk, the prevalence of adult obesity reported in 2017 (22%) was significantly higher than the surrounding towns (11%). Farmers’ markets (FM) could be a potential approach to mitigating Norwalk’s chronic disease/obesity challenges through increasing access to nutritious food sources. While there are several small farmers’ markets held each summer in Norwalk, not much is known about the benefits and challenges of farmers’ market utilization in Norwalk from the perspectives of key stakeholders. The Norwalk Health Department hopes to increase farmers’ market usage as an approach to filling important food security gaps. The objectives of this study were as follows: Identify barriers and benefits of the Norwalk farmers’ market system from the perspective of consumers, farmers, and market managers in the Norwalk farmers’ market system, and increase community access to local, state, and federal resources.https://elischolar.library.yale.edu/ysph_pbchrr/1021/thumbnail.jp

Human defensins 5 and 6 enhance HIV-1 infectivity through promoting HIV attachment

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Concurrent sexually transmitted infections (STIs) increase the likelihood of HIV transmission. The levels of defensins are frequently elevated in genital fluids from individuals with STIs. We have previously shown that human defensins 5 and 6 (HD5 and HD6) promote HIV entry and contribute to <it>Neisseria gonorrhoeae</it>-mediated enhancement of HIV infectivity <it>in vitro</it>. In this study, we dissect the molecular mechanism of the HIV enhancing effect of defensins.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>HD5 and HD6 primarily acted on the virion to promote HIV infection. Both HD5 and HD6 antagonized the anti-HIV activities of inhibitors of HIV entry (TAK 779) and fusion (T-20) when the inhibitors were present only during viral attachment; however, when these inhibitors were added back during viral infection they overrode the HIV enhancing effect of defensins. HD5 and HD6 enhanced HIV infectivity by promoting HIV attachment to target cells. Studies using fluorescent HIV containing Vpr-GFP indicated that these defensins enhanced HIV attachment by concentrating virus particles on the target cells. HD5 and HD6 blocked anti-HIV activities of soluble glycosaminoglycans including heparin, chondroitin sulfate, and dextran sulfate. However, heparin, at a high concentration, diminished the HIV enhancing effect of HD5, but not HD6. Additionally, the degree of the HIV enhancing effect of HD5, but not HD6, was increased in heparinase-treated cells. These results suggest that HD5 and haparin/heparan sulfate compete for binding to HIV.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>HD5 and HD6 increased HIV infectivity by concentrating virus on the target cells. These defensins may have a negative effect on the efficacy of microbicides, especially in the setting of STIs.</p

Biologically-active exosomes in plasma of AML patients inhibit innate immunity and promote leukemia progression

AML patients are reported to have impairments of immune cells which contribute to leukemia progression. Tumor-derived exosomes (TEX) have recently emerged as carriers of the molecular and genetic cargo with potent immunosuppressive properties. We showed that plasma of newly-diagnosed AML patients prior to any therapy contained high levels of exosomal proteins relative to those in plasma of normal donors (NC). AML exosomes were enriched in membrane-associated TGF-β1, MICA/MICB and markers of myeloid blasts. We hypothesize that these plasma-derived virus-size (30-100nm) membrane-bound vesicles operating in AML deliver suppressive signals to immune cells and thus may promote leukemia progression

Inflammation mobilizes copper metabolism to promote colon tumorigenesis via an IL-17-STEAP4-XIAP axis.

Copper levels are known to be elevated in inflamed and malignant tissues. But the mechanism underlying this selective enrichment has been elusive. In this study, we report a axis by which inflammatory cytokines, such as IL-17, drive cellular copper uptake via the induction of a metalloreductase, STEAP4. IL-17-induced elevated intracellular copper level leads to the activation of an E3-ligase, XIAP, which potentiates IL-17-induced NFκB activation and suppresses the caspase 3 activity. Importantly, this IL-17-induced STEAP4-dependent cellular copper uptake is critical for colon tumor formation in a murine model of colitis-associated tumorigenesis and STEAP4 expression correlates with IL-17 level and XIAP activation in human colon cancer. In summary, this study reveals a IL-17-STEAP4-XIAP axis through which the inflammatory response induces copper uptake, promoting colon tumorigenesis

Dry transfer of graphene to dielectrics and flexible substrates using polyimide as a transparent and stable intermediate layer

We demonstrate the direct transfer of graphene from Cu foil to glass and flexible substrates such as PET, using polyimide (PI) mixed with an aminosilane (3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane) or only PI, respectively, as intermediate layer. We probe the scalability and roll-to-roll processing of this technique by using two different equipment: hot press and a laminator. High quality, clean and continuous areas of graphene monolayer can be transferred with the advantage of Cu recycling for future growth catalyst as it is peeled-off mechanically from the substrate/PI/graphene structure. More important are the high transparency of the samples together with the electron doping achieved (n&lt;sub&gt;S&lt;/sub&gt;= 0.21 to 4 x 10&lt;sup&gt;13&lt;/sup&gt; cm&lt;sup&gt;-2&lt;/sup&gt;), as the performing graphene face is not in direct contact with PMMA, PI or other materials, and the high mobility (µ&lt;sub&gt;H&lt;/sub&gt; up to 1250 cm&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt;/Vcenterdots). Stability of the structure in terms of sheet resistance (R&lt;sub&gt;S&lt;/sub&gt;) at high temperatures, bending cycles and water immersion make this technique promising for future applications and implementation at the large scale.Postprint (author's final draft