Inequalities in Cervical Cancer Screening Uptake Between Chinese Migrant Women and Local Women: A Cross-Sectional Study

Introduction: Uptake of cervical cancer screening services in Chinese migrant workers is unknown and may be lower than non-migrant workers in China. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study among migrant and non-migrant women aged 21-65 at 7 provinces across China and administered a questionnaire investigating knowledge and attitudes regarding cervical cancer, human papillomavirus (HPV), and HPV vaccine. We used multivariable logistic regression to evaluate odds of previous cervical cancer screening in migrant workers. Results: 737 women participated in the study. Mean age was 41.9 ± 7.2 years. 50.2% of the participants were migrant workers. 27.6% of the migrant workers reported previous cervical cancer screening compared to 33.2% of local participants. 36.6% migrant workers reported awareness of HPV compared to 40.2% of local participants. In adjusted analysis migrant status was not associated with increased odds of previous cervical cancer screening (aOR = 1.11 95%CI: 0.76-1.60). High school or higher education compared to less than high school education and employer-sponsored insurance compared to uninsured were associated with increased odds of previous cervical cancer screening (aOR = 2.15 95%CI: 1.41-3.27 and aOR = 1.67 95% CI: 1.14-2.45, respectively). Having heard of HPV compared to no awareness of HPV was associated with increased odds of cervical cancer screening (aOR = 2.02 95%CI: 1.41-2.91). Awareness of HPV among migrant workers was associated with increased odds of cervical cancer screening compared to migrant and local participants without awareness (aOR = 2.82 95% CI: 1.70-4.69 and 2.97 95%CI: 1.51-5.83, respectively). Conclusions: Efforts to increase education opportunities, provide insurance, and promote HPV awareness could increase cervical cancer screening uptake in migrant women in China

Reframing human rights: the global network of moral conservative homeschooling activists

In this article, we investigate the composition and actions of a principled issue network within the field of human rights that uses rights-claims to pursue traditionalist goals: the moral conservative pro-homeschooling network. We analyse the rising importance of homeschooling within the global moral conservative movement and examine the transnationalization of pro-homeschooling advocacy. We show that the transnational homeschooling advocacy network, while not successful in court cases, has managed to establish home education as part of a global conservative agenda and has made incursions into redefining the terms of the debate within international organizations. Moral conservative homeschooling advocates use a vocabulary of rights and freedoms, and even of moral pluralism, but in the conservative reading human rights are reframed and used to defend a pro-family agenda that establishes the patriarchal family as the ultimate source of authority and the primary carrier of rights

Physio4FMD: protocol for a multicentre randomised controlled trial of specialist physiotherapy for functional motor disorder

Background Patients with functional motor disorder (FMD) experience persistent and disabling neurological symptoms such as weakness, tremor, dystonia and disordered gait. Physiotherapy is usually considered an important part of treatment; however, sufficiently-powered controlled studies are lacking. Here we present the protocol of a randomised controlled trial (RCT) that aims to evaluate the clinical and cost effectiveness of a specialist physiotherapy programme for FMD. Methods/design The trial is a pragmatic, multicentre, single blind parallel arm randomised controlled trial (RCT). 264 Adults with a clinically definite diagnosis of FMD will be recruited from neurology clinics and randomised to receive either the trial intervention (a specialist physiotherapy protocol) or treatment as usual control (referral to a community physiotherapy service suitable for people with neurological symptoms). Participants will be followed up at 6 and 12 months. The primary outcome is the Physical Function domain of the Short Form 36 questionnaire at 12 months. Secondary domains of measurement will include participant perception of change, mobility, health-related quality of life, health service utilisation, anxiety and depression. Health economic analysis will evaluate the cost impact of trial and control interventions from a health and social care perspective as well as societal perspective. Discussion This trial will be the first adequately-powered RCT of physical-based rehabilitation for FMD. Trial registration International Standard Randomised Controlled Trials Number ISRCTN56136713. Registered 27 March 2018

Physio4FMD: protocol for a multicentre randomised controlled trial of specialist physiotherapy for functional motor disorder.

BACKGROUND: Patients with functional motor disorder (FMD) experience persistent and disabling neurological symptoms such as weakness, tremor, dystonia and disordered gait. Physiotherapy is usually considered an important part of treatment; however, sufficiently-powered controlled studies are lacking. Here we present the protocol of a randomised controlled trial (RCT) that aims to evaluate the clinical and cost effectiveness of a specialist physiotherapy programme for FMD. // METHODS/DESIGN: The trial is a pragmatic, multicentre, single blind parallel arm randomised controlled trial (RCT). 264 Adults with a clinically definite diagnosis of FMD will be recruited from neurology clinics and randomised to receive either the trial intervention (a specialist physiotherapy protocol) or treatment as usual control (referral to a community physiotherapy service suitable for people with neurological symptoms). Participants will be followed up at 6 and 12 months. The primary outcome is the Physical Function domain of the Short Form 36 questionnaire at 12 months. Secondary domains of measurement will include participant perception of change, mobility, health-related quality of life, health service utilisation, anxiety and depression. Health economic analysis will evaluate the cost impact of trial and control interventions from a health and social care perspective as well as societal perspective. // DISCUSSION: This trial will be the first adequately-powered RCT of physical-based rehabilitation for FMD

Grape Seed Proanthocyanidins Inhibit the Invasiveness of Human HNSCC Cells by Targeting EGFR and Reversing the Epithelial-To-Mesenchymal Transition

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is responsible for approximately 20,000 deaths per year in the United States. Most of the deaths are due to the metastases. To develop more effective strategies for the prevention of metastasis of HNSCC cells, we have determined the effect of grape seed proanthocyanidins (GSPs) on the invasive potential of HNSCC cell and the mechanisms underlying these effects using OSC19 cells as an in vitro model. Using cell invasion assays, we established that treatment of the OSC19 cells with GSPs resulted in a dose-dependent inhibition of cell invasion. EGFR is over-expressed in 90% of HNSCCs and the EGFR inhibitors, erlotinib and gefitinib, are being explored as therapies for this disease. We found that GSPs treatment reduced the levels of expression of EGFR in the OSC19 cells as well as reducing the activation of NF-κB/p65, a downstream target of EGFR, and the expression of NF-κB-responsive proteins. GSPs treatment also reduced the activity of ERK1/2, an upstream regulator of NF-κB and treatment of the cells with caffeic acid phenethyl ester, an inhibitor of NF-κB, inhibited cell invasion. Overexpression of EGFR and high NF-κB activity play a key role in the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, which is of critical importance in the processes underlying metastasis, and we found treatment with GSPs enhanced the levels of epithelial (E-cadherin, cytokeratins and desmoglein-2) and reduced the levels of mesenchymal (vimentin, fibronectin, N-cadherin and Slug) biomarkers in the OSC19 cells. These results indicate that GSPs have the ability to inhibit HNSCC cell invasion, and do so by targeting the expression of EGFR and activation of NF-κB as well as inhibiting the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition

A community-based intervention (Young SMILES) to improve the health-related quality of life of children and young people of parents with serious mental illness: randomised feasibility protocol

Children and young people of parents with mental illness (COPMI) are at risk of poor mental, physical and emotional health, which can persist into adulthood. They also experience poorer social outcomes and wellbeing as well as poorer quality of life than their peers with ‘healthy’ parents. The needs of COPMI are likely to be significant; however, their prevalence is unknown, although estimates suggest over 60% of adults with a serious mental illness have children. Many receive little or no support and remain ‘hidden’, stigmatised or do not regard themselves as ‘in need’. Recent UK policies have identified supporting COPMI as a key priority, but this alone is insufficient and healthrelated quality of life has been neglected as an outcome

Roles of Electrostatics and Conformation in Protein-Crystal Interactions

In vitro studies have shown that the phosphoprotein osteopontin (OPN) inhibits the nucleation and growth of hydroxyapatite (HA) and other biominerals. In vivo, OPN is believed to prevent the calcification of soft tissues. However, the nature of the interaction between OPN and HA is not understood. In the computational part of the present study, we used molecular dynamics simulations to predict the adsorption of 19 peptides, each 16 amino acids long and collectively covering the entire sequence of OPN, to the {100} face of HA. This analysis showed that there is an inverse relationship between predicted strength of adsorption and peptide isoelectric point (P<0.0001). Analysis of the OPN sequence by PONDR (Predictor of Naturally Disordered Regions) indicated that OPN sequences predicted to adsorb well to HA are highly disordered. In the experimental part of the study, we synthesized phosphorylated and non-phosphorylated peptides corresponding to OPN sequences 65–80 (pSHDHMDDDDDDDDDGD) and 220–235 (pSHEpSTEQSDAIDpSAEK). In agreement with the PONDR analysis, these were shown by circular dichroism spectroscopy to be largely disordered. A constant-composition/seeded growth assay was used to assess the HA-inhibiting potencies of the synthetic peptides. The phosphorylated versions of OPN65-80 (IC50 = 1.93 µg/ml) and OPN220-235 (IC50 = 1.48 µg/ml) are potent inhibitors of HA growth, as is the nonphosphorylated version of OPN65-80 (IC50 = 2.97 µg/ml); the nonphosphorylated version of OPN220-235 has no measurable inhibitory activity. These findings suggest that the adsorption of acidic proteins to Ca2+-rich crystal faces of biominerals is governed by electrostatics and is facilitated by conformational flexibility of the polypeptide chain

Integrative Features of the Yeast Phosphoproteome and Protein–Protein Interaction Map

Following recent advances in high-throughput mass spectrometry (MS)–based proteomics, the numbers of identified phosphoproteins and their phosphosites have greatly increased in a wide variety of organisms. Although a critical role of phosphorylation is control of protein signaling, our understanding of the phosphoproteome remains limited. Here, we report unexpected, large-scale connections revealed between the phosphoproteome and protein interactome by integrative data-mining of yeast multi-omics data. First, new phosphoproteome data on yeast cells were obtained by MS-based proteomics and unified with publicly available yeast phosphoproteome data. This revealed that nearly 60% of ∼6,000 yeast genes encode phosphoproteins. We mapped these unified phosphoproteome data on a yeast protein–protein interaction (PPI) network with other yeast multi-omics datasets containing information about proteome abundance, proteome disorders, literature-derived signaling reactomes, and in vitro substratomes of kinases. In the phospho-PPI, phosphoproteins had more interacting partners than nonphosphoproteins, implying that a large fraction of intracellular protein interaction patterns (including those of protein complex formation) is affected by reversible and alternative phosphorylation reactions. Although highly abundant or unstructured proteins have a high chance of both interacting with other proteins and being phosphorylated within cells, the difference between the number counts of interacting partners of phosphoproteins and nonphosphoproteins was significant independently of protein abundance and disorder level. Moreover, analysis of the phospho-PPI and yeast signaling reactome data suggested that co-phosphorylation of interacting proteins by single kinases is common within cells. These multi-omics analyses illuminate how wide-ranging intracellular phosphorylation events and the diversity of physical protein interactions are largely affected by each other