AFRICAN AMERICAN MEN\u27S PROSTATE CANCER KNOWLEDGE AND SELF-EFFICACY FOR INFORMED DECISION-MAKING: A MIXED METHODS STUDY

A mixed methods study was conducted whereby, the quantitative portion has a randomized control design, in an urban Delaware community to examine the effectiveness of an educational intervention, which included the testimony of an African American (AA) prostate cancer survivor on AA men’s (n=98) prostate cancer knowledge and self-efficacy for informed decision making. Guided by Bandura’s Social Cognitive theory, participants’ prostate cancer knowledge measured by PROCASE and for self-efficacy measured by the Prostate Cancer Screening Self-efficacy scale, were evaluated before and following viewing of the American Cancer Society’s prostate cancer video. Participants randomized to the intervention completed evaluations after the intervention. A sample (n=10) from each group participated in their respective focus groups. A control focus group (those who neither watched video or heard speaker) was also evaluated. The MANCOVA, using Pillai’s trace, demonstrated a significant effect of the intervention on knowledge and self-efficacy posttest scores, (V= .28, F6,82 = 4.937, p= .000). Combining a prostate cancer survivor’s testimonial with an educational video increases knowledge and self-efficacy among AA men in this urban community

Juxta-membrane S-acylation of plant receptor-like kinases is likely fortuitous and does not necessarily impact upon function

This work was funded by UK Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council Grants BB/M024911/1 and BB/M010996/1 to P.A.H.S-acylation is a common post-translational modification of membrane protein cysteine residues with many regulatory roles. S-acylation adjacent to transmembrane domains has been described in the literature as affecting diverse protein properties including turnover, trafficking and microdomain partitioning. However, all of these data are derived from mammalian and yeast systems. Here we examine the role of S-acylation adjacent to the transmembrane domain of the plant pathogen perceiving receptor-like kinase FLS2. Surprisingly, S-acylation of FLS2 adjacent to the transmembrane domain is not required for either FLS2 trafficking or signalling function. Expanding this analysis to the wider plant receptor-like kinase family we find that S-acylation adjacent to receptor-like kinase domains is common, affecting ~25% of Arabidopsis receptor-like kinases, but poorly conserved between orthologues through evolution. This suggests that S-acylation of receptor-like kinases at this site is likely the result of chance mutation leading to cysteine occurrence. As transmembrane domains followed by cysteine residues are common motifs for S-acylation to occur, and many S-acyl transferases appear to have lax substrate specificity, we propose that many receptor-like kinases are fortuitously S-acylated once chance mutation has introduced a cysteine at this site. Interestingly some receptor-like kinases show conservation of S-acylation sites between orthologues suggesting that S-acylation has come to play a role and has been positively selected for during evolution. The most notable example of this is in the ERECTA-like family where S-acylation of ERECTA adjacent to the transmembrane domain occurs in all ERECTA orthologues but not in the parental ERECTA-like clade. This suggests that ERECTA S-acylation occurred when ERECTA emerged during the evolution of angiosperms and may have contributed to the neo-functionalisation of ERECTA from ERECTA-like proteins.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Health Disparities in Boys and Men of Color

http://dx.doi.org/10.2105/ajph.2011.30064

Citizenship, Values, & Cultural Concerns: What Americans Want From Immigration Reform

In February 2013, Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI), in partnership with the Brookings Institution, conducted one of the largest surveys ever fielded on immigration policy, immigrants, and religious and cultural changes in the U.S. The survey of nearly 4,500 American adults explores the many divisions -- political, religious, ethnic, geographical, and generational -- within the nation over core values and their relationship to immigration. The new survey also tracks key questions from surveys conducted by PRRI in 2010-2011. This report presents the results of these surveys

Structure of an archaeal PCNA1-PCNA2-FEN1 complex: elucidating PCNA subunit and client enzyme specificity.

The archaeal/eukaryotic proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) toroidal clamp interacts with a host of DNA modifying enzymes, providing a stable anchorage and enhancing their respective processivities. Given the broad range of enzymes with which PCNA has been shown to interact, relatively little is known about the mode of assembly of functionally meaningful combinations of enzymes on the PCNA clamp. We have determined the X-ray crystal structure of the Sulfolobus solfataricus PCNA1-PCNA2 heterodimer, bound to a single copy of the flap endonuclease FEN1 at 2.9 A resolution. We demonstrate the specificity of interaction of the PCNA subunits to form the PCNA1-PCNA2-PCNA3 heterotrimer, as well as providing a rationale for the specific interaction of the C-terminal PIP-box motif of FEN1 for the PCNA1 subunit. The structure explains the specificity of the individual archaeal PCNA subunits for selected repair enzyme 'clients', and provides insights into the co-ordinated assembly of sequential enzymatic steps in PCNA-scaffolded DNA repair cascades

Predicting outcome in acute low back pain using different models of patient profiling

This is a non-final version of an article published in final form in Spine, 34(18), 1970 - 1975, 2009. Copyright © 2009 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Inc.Study Design. Prospective observational study of prognostic indicators, using data from a randomized, controlled trial of physiotherapy care of acute low back pain (ALBP) with follow-up at 6 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months. Objective. To evaluate which patient profile offers the most useful guide to long-term outcome in ALBP. Summary of Background Data. The evidence used to inform prognostic decision-making is derived largely from studies where baseline data are used to predict future status. Clinicians often see patients on multiple occasions so may profile patients in a variety of ways. It is worth considering if better prognostic decisions can be made from alternative profiles. Methods. Clinical, psychological, and demographic data were collected from a sample of 54 ALBP patients. Three clinical profiles were developed from information collected at baseline, information collected at 6 weeks, and the change in status between these 2 time points. A series of regression models were used to determine the independent and relative contributions of these profiles to the prediction of chronic pain and disability. Results. The baseline profile predicted long-term pain only. The 6-week profile predicted both long-term pain and disability. The change profile only predicted long-term disability (P 0.05). A similar result was obtained when the order of entry was reversed. When predicting long-term disability, after the 6-week profile was entered at the first step, the change profile was not significant when forced in at the second step. However, when the change profile was entered at the first step and the 6-week clinical profile was forced in at the second step, a significant contribution of the 6-week profile was found. Conclusion. The profile derived from information collected at 6 weeks provided the best guide to long-term pain and disability. The baseline profile and change in status offered less predictive value

Measuring nociception in knee osteoarthritis using physiological and movement responses: a proof-of-concept study

Background: Current tools to measure pain are broadly subjective impressions of the impact of the nociceptive impulse felt by the patient. A direct measure of nociception may offer a more objective indicator. Specifically, movement-induced physiological responses to nociception may offer a useful way to monitor knee OA. In this proof-of-concept study, we evaluated whether integrated biomechanical and physiological sensor datasets could display linked and quantifiable information to a nociceptive stimulus. Method: Following ethical approval, we applied a quantified thermal pain stimulus to a volunteer during stationary standing in a gait lab setting. An inertial measurement unit (IMU) and an electromyography (EMG) lower body marker set were tested and integrated with ground reaction force (GRF) data collection. Galvanic skin response electrodes and skin thermal sensors were manually timestamp linked to the integrated system. Results: The integrated EMG, GRF and IMU data show fluctuations within 0.5 seconds of each other when a thermal pain trigger is applied at several time points during a stationary standing test. Manually timestamped physiology measures displayed increased values during testing for skin conductivity (up to 5 µSiemens, 37% compared to baseline) and skin temperature (up to 0.3˚C, 1% compared to baseline). Discussion: This proof-of-concept study suggests that physiological data mimics biomechanical data in response to a known pain stimuli. While this protocol requires further evaluation as to the measurement parameters, the association of the physiological output to the known pain stimulus suggests the potential development of wearable nociceptive sensors that can measure disease progression and treatment effectiveness

Evolutionarily distinct Resistance proteins detect a pathogen effector through its association with different host targets

Knowledge of the evolutionary processes which govern pathogen recognition is critical to understanding durable disease resistance. We determined how Phytophthora infestans effector PiAVR2 is recognised by evolutionarily distinct resistance proteins R2 and Rpi-mcq1. We employed yeast two-hybrid, co-immunoprecipitation, virus-induced gene silencing, transient overexpression, and phosphatase activity assays to investigate the contributions of BSL phosphatases to R2- and Rpi-mcq1-mediated hypersensitive response (R2 HR and Rpi-mcq1 HR, respectively). Silencing PiAVR2 target BSL1 compromises R2 HR. Rpi-mcq1 HR is compromised only when BSL2 and BSL3 are silenced. BSL1 overexpression increases R2 HR and compromises Rpi-mcq1. However, overexpression of BSL2 or BSL3 enhances Rpi-mcq1 and compromises R2 HR. Okadaic acid, which inhibits BSL phosphatase activity, suppresses both recognition events. Moreover, expression of a BSL1 phosphatase-dead (PD) mutant suppresses R2 HR, whereas BSL2-PD and BSL3-PD mutants suppress Rpi-mcq1 HR. R2 interacts with BSL1 in the presence of PiAVR2, but not with BSL2 and BSL3, whereas no interactions were detected between Rpi-mcq1 and BSLs. Thus, BSL1 activity and association with R2 determine recognition of PiAVR2 by R2, whereas BSL2 and BSL3 mediate Rpi-mcq1 perception of PiAVR2. R2 and Rpi-mcq1 utilise distinct mechanisms to detect PiAVR2 based on association with different BSLs, highlighting central roles of these effector targets for both disease and disease resistance

An acetylcholine receptor lacking both γ and ε subunits mediates transmission in zebrafish slow muscle synapses

Fast and slow skeletal muscle types in larval zebrafish can be distinguished by a fivefold difference in the time course of their synaptic decay. Single-channel recordings indicate that this difference is conferred through kinetically distinct nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (AChR) isoforms. The underlying basis for this distinction was explored by cloning zebrafish muscle AChR subunit cDNAs and expressing them in Xenopus laevis oocytes. Measurements of single-channel conductance and mean open burst duration assigned α2βδε to fast muscle synaptic current. Contrary to expectations, receptors composed of only αβδ subunits (presumed to be α2βδ2 receptors) recapitulated the kinetics and conductance of slow muscle single-channel currents. Additional evidence in support of γ/ε-less receptors as mediators of slow muscle synapses was reflected in the inward current rectification of heterologously expressed α2βδ2 receptors, a property normally associated with neuronal-type nicotinic receptors. Similar rectification was reflected in both single-channel and synaptic currents in slow muscle, distinguishing them from fast muscle. The final evidence for α2βδ2 receptors in slow muscle was provided by our ability to convert fast muscle synaptic currents to those of slow muscle by knocking down ε subunit expression in vivo. Thus, for the first time, muscle synaptic function can be ascribed to a receptor isoform that is composed of only three different subunits. The unique functional features offered by the α2βδ2 receptor likely play a central role in mediating the persistent contractions characteristic to this muscle type