Sexual and Relationship Victimization of Hispanic Sexual Minority Women on A University Campus in A U.S.-Mexico Border City

Background: Sexual minority women (SMW) are at high risk for health disparities in response to discrimination and stigma. Sexual victimization (SV) in campus settings is a common issue impacting a majority of female students. Rates of sexual victimization and violence within relationships are higher among SMW compared to non-SMW. To date, only a few studies report sexual and family victimization among minority populations in a campus setting. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to describe the rates and relationships between sexual minority status, SV, and abusive relationships among Hispanic women on a University campus in a U.S.-Mexico border city. Methods: This is a secondary data analysis of data collected at a Hispanic serving institution (N=701) in the second wave of the Sexual Attitudes, Behaviors, and Experiences Study (SABES 2) during the fall semester of 2010. Descriptive statistics and bivariate associations SMW, SV, and abusive relationships were determined with appropriate univariate and bivariate statistics. Adjusted associations were determined using logistic regression. Significance and marginal significance were determined at alpha levels of 0.050 and 0.100, respectively. Results: Among 315 Hispanic women, 9.2% were sexual minorities with high rates for SV (39.2%), and abusive romantic (52.4%) or family relationships (49.7%). In this study, the rates of sexual victimization, family abuse, and romantic relationship abuse were higher for SMW compared to non-SMW. SMW experienced a higher median number of different perpetrators and higher rates of alcohol /drug involvement during incidences of SV, especially consumed by the victim

RAG2−/−γc−/− Mice Transplanted with CD34+ Cells from Human Cord Blood Show Low Levels of Intestinal Engraftment and Are Resistant to Rectal Transmission of Human Immunodeficiency Virus▿

Rectal transmission is one of the main routes of infection by human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1). To efficiently study transmission mechanisms and prevention strategies, a small animal model permissive for rectal transmission of HIV is mandatory. We tested the susceptibility of RAG2−/−γc−/− mice transplanted with human cord blood hematopoietic stem cells to rectal infection with HIV. We rectally exposed these humanized mice to cell-free and cell-associated HIV. All mice remained HIV negative as assessed by plasma viral load. The same mice infected intraperitoneally showed high levels of HIV replication. In the gut-associated lymphatic tissue, we found disproportionately smaller numbers of human cells than in other lymphoid organs. This finding may explain the observed resistance to rectal transmission of HIV. To increase the numbers of local HIV target cells and the likelihood of HIV transmission, we treated mice with different proinflammatory stimuli: local application of interleukin-1β, addition of seminal plasma to the inoculum, or induction of colitis with dextran sodium sulfate. These procedures attracted some human leukocytes, but the transmission rate was still very low. The humanized mice showed low levels of human engraftment in the intestinal tract and seem to be resistant to rectal transmission of HIV, and thus they are an unsuitable model for this application

A stromal cell free culture system generates mouse pro-t cells that can reconstitute t-cell compartments in vivo

T-cell lymphopenia following BM transplantation or diseases such as AIDS result in immunodeficiency. Novel approaches to ameliorate this situation are urgently required. Herein, we describe a novel stromal cell free culture system in which Lineage(-)Sca1(+)c-kit(+) BM hematopoietic progenitors very efficiently differentiate into pro-T cells. This culture system consists of plate-bound Delta-like 4 Notch ligand and the cytokines SCF and IL-7. The pro-T cells developing in these cultures express CD25, CD117, and partially CD44; express cytoplasmic CD3 epsilon; and have their TCR locus partially D-J rearranged. They could be expanded for over 3 months and used to reconstitute the T-cell compartments of sublethally irradiated T-cell-deficient CD3 epsilon(-/-) mice or lethally irradiated WT mice. Pro-T cells generated in this system could partially correct the T-cell lymphopenia of pre-T-/- mice. However, reconstituted CD3 epsilon(-/-) mice suffered from a wasting disease that was prevented by co-injection of purified CD4(+) CD25(high) WT Treg cells. In a T-cell-sufficient or T-lymphopenic setting, the development of disease was not observed. Thus, this in vitro culture system represents a powerful tool to generate large numbers of pro-T cells for transplantation and possibly with clinical applications