Mindfulness And Psychological Stress In Black Male Caregivers

Background: Mindfulness practices are under-studied in Black communities despite theireffectiveness in improving mental health. When specifically examining Black male caregivers of people living with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia, not much is known about how mindfulness can affect their stress in their role as a caregiver and their identity as a Black male. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to examine mindfulness, self-rated stress, and depressive symptoms among Black male caregivers and non-caregivers and determine whether mindfulness can serve as a protective buffer against psychological stress in each of these groups. Methods: 18 Black male caregivers and 29 non-caregivers completed self-reported questionnaires that measured stress, depression, and mindfulness. First, we examined differences in stress and mindfulness then depression and mindfulness between the caregivers and the non-caregivers using t-tests. We then examined correlations between the different measures separately in the caregiver and the non-caregiver subsamples. Results: There was a significant difference between the two groups for self-perceived stress, with the caregivers having a higher mean Perceived Stress Scale score than non-caregivers (p = 0.048). There were no significant differences on mindfulness (p = 0.638) and depressive symptoms (p = 0.621). As hypothesized, the results showed significant negative correlations between self-rated stress and mindfulness (caregivers p \u3c 0.001, non- caregivers p = 0.015; d = 0.62) and between depressive symptoms and mindfulness (caregivers p \u3c 0.001, non-caregivers p = 0.003; d = 0.38) in both groups. Conclusion: The results of this study support previous findings that mindfulness may protect Black male caregivers from the harmful effects of stress on mental health. Mindfulness has the potential to improve health outcomes in Black men and further research should be conducted to better understand the benefits and challenges of adapting mindfulness practices to specific cultural contexts

Three-dimensional space representation in the human brain

Brain structures that support spatial cognition by encoding one’s position and direction have been extensively studied for decades. In the majority of studies, neural substrates have been investigated on a horizontal two-dimensional plane, whereas humans and other animals also move vertically in a three-dimensional (3D) world. In this thesis, I investigated how 3D spatial information is represented in the human brain using functional MRI experiments and custom-built 3D virtual environments. In the first experiment, participants moved on flat, tilted-up or tilted-down pathways in a 3D lattice structure. Multivoxel pattern analysis revealed that the anterior hippocampus expressed 3D location information that was similarly sensitive to the vertical and horizontal axes. The retrosplenial cortex and posterior hippocampus represented direction information that was only sensitive to the vertical axis. In the second experiment, participants moved in a virtual building with multiple levels and rooms. Using an fMRI repetition suppression analysis, I observed a hierarchical representation of this 3D space, with anterior hippocampus representing local information within a room, while retrosplenial cortex, parahippocampal cortex and posterior hippocampus represented room information within the wider building. As in the first experiment, vertical and horizontal location information was similarly encoded. In the last experiments, participants were placed into a virtual zero-gravity environment where they could move freely along all 3 axes. The thalamus and subiculum expressed horizontal heading information, whereas retrosplenial cortex showed dominant encoding of vertical heading. Using novel fMRI analyses, I also found preliminary evidence of a 3D grid code in the entorhinal cortex. Overall, these experiments demonstrate the capacity of the human brain to implement a flexible and efficient representation of 3D space. The work in this thesis will, I hope, serve as a stepping-stone in our understanding of how we navigate in the real – 3D – world

Multiplex Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction-Based Method for the Rapid Detection of gyrA and parC Mutations in Quinolone-Resistant Escherichia coli and Shigella spp.

AbstractTwo real-time polymerase chain reaction assays were developed to detect mutations in codons 83 and 87 in gyrA and in codons 80 and 91 in parC, the main sites that causes quinolone resistance in pathogenic Escherichia coli and Shigella spp. isolates. These assays can be employed as a useful method for controlling infections caused by quinolone-resistant E coli and Shigella isolates

Prevalent Multidrug-resistant Nonvaccine Serotypes in Pneumococcal Carriage of Healthy Korean Children Associated with the Low Coverage of the Seven-valent Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine

AbstractObjectivesOur previous longitudinal multicenter-based carriage study showed that the average carriage rate of Streptococcus pneumoniae was 16.8% in 582 healthy children attending kindergarten or elementary school in Seoul, Korea. We assessed serotype-specific prevalence and antimicrobial resistance among colonizing pneumococcal isolates from young children in the era of low use of the seven-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7).MethodsSerotypes were determined by an agglutination test with specific antisera or by a multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay. An antimicrobial susceptibility test was performed with broth microdilution in Korean 96-well panels from Dade-MicroScan (Sacramento, CA, USA).ResultsPneumococcal colonization patterns were dynamic and longterm persistent carriage was rare, which indicated a sequential turnover of pneumococcal strains. Of the 369 pneumococci (except for 23 killed isolates), 129 (34.9%) isolates were PCV7 vaccine serotypes (VTs); 213 (57.8%) isolates were nonvaccine serotypes (NVTs); and the remaining 27 (7.2%) isolates were nontypable (NT). The highest rates of multidrug resistance (MDR) were observed in VTs (86.0%; 111/129 isolates) and NVTs (70.0%; 149/213 isolates).ConclusionThis study overall showed the frequent carriage of VTs and NVTs with MDR in healthy children attending kindergarten or elementary school. Efforts should be directed toward reducing the extensive prescription of antibiotics and using new broader vaccines to reduce the expansion of MDR strains of NVTs in our community

Measurements of Location-Dependent Nitric Oxide Levels on Skin Surface in relation to Acupuncture Point

Location-dependent skin surface’s partial nitric oxide pressure (pNO) is studied using highly sensitive amperometric NO microsensor with a small sensing area (diameter  = 76 μm). The pNO level of LI4 (Hegu) acupuncture point is measured and compared with the pNO level of nonacupuncture point. In addition, the mapping of pNO is carried out over the left wrist skin area one- as well as two-dimensionally. Statistically higher pNO levels near the position of acupuncture points than non-acupuncture points are observed consistently, implying tight relationship between the level of NO release of skin and acupuncture points. The amperometric planar NO microsensor successfully monitors the heterogeneity of skin pNO distribution in high spatial resolution due to its advantageous features such as high sensitivity and small sensing dimension. The current study suggests the direct connection between NO and acupuncture points and possibly provides beneficial information to understand physiological roles and basis of the acupuncture points

Multivoxel pattern analysis reveals 3D place information in the human hippocampus

The spatial world is three dimensional (3D) and humans and other animals move both horizontally and vertically within it. Extant neuroscientific studies have typically investigated spatial navigation on a horizontal 2D plane, leaving much unknown about how 3D spatial information is represented in the brain. Specifically, horizontal and vertical information may be encoded in the same or different neural structures with equal or unequal sensitivity. Here, we investigated these possibilities using fMRI while participants were passively moved within a 3D lattice structure as if riding a rollercoaster. Multivoxel pattern analysis was used to test for the existence of information relating to where and in which direction participants were heading in this virtual environment. Behaviorally, participants had similarly accurate memory for vertical and horizontal locations and the right anterior hippocampus (HC) expressed place information that was sensitive to changes along both horizontal and vertical axes. This is suggestive of isotropic 3D place encoding. In contrast, participants indicated their heading direction faster and more accurately when they were heading in a tilted-up or tilted-down direction. This direction information was expressed in the right retrosplenial cortex and posterior HC and was only sensitive to vertical pitch, which could reflect the importance of the vertical (gravity) axis as a reference frame. Overall, our findings extend previous knowledge of how we represent the spatial world and navigate within it by taking into account the important third dimension

Ring finger protein 126 (RNF126) suppresses ionizing radiation-induced p53-binding protein 1 (53BP1) focus formation

Cells have evolved sophisticated mechanisms to maintain genomic integrity in response to DNA damage. Ionizing radiation (IR)-induced DNA damage results in the formation of IR-induced foci (iRIF) in the nucleus. The iRIF formation is part of the DNA damage response (DDR), which is an essential signaling cascade that must be strictly regulated because either the loss of or an augmented DDR leads to loss of genome integrity. Accordingly, negative regulation of the DDR is as critical as its activation. In this study, we have identified ring finger protein 126 (RNF126) as a negative regulator of the DDR from a screen of iRIF containing 53BP1. RNF126 overexpression abolishes not only the formation of 53BP1 iRIF but also of RNF168, FK2, RAP80, and BRCA1. However, the iRIF formation of H2AX, MDC1, and RNF8 is maintained, indicating that RNF126 acts between RNF8 and RNF168 during the DDR. In addition, RNF126 overexpression consistently results in the loss of RNF168-mediated H2A monoubiquitination at lysine 13/15 and inhibition of the non-homologous end joining capability. Taken together, our findings reveal that RNF126 is a novel factor involved in the negative regulation of DDR, which is important for sustaining genomic integrity

CAGE Binds to Beclin1, Regulates Autophagic Flux and CAGE-Derived Peptide Confers Sensitivity to Anti-cancer Drugs in Non-small Cell Lung Cancer Cells

The objective of this study was to determine the role of CAGE, a cancer/testis antigen, in resistance of non-small cell lung cancers to anti-cancer drugs. Erlotinib-resistant PC-9 cells (PC-9/ER) with EGFR mutations (ex 19 del + T790M of EGFR), showed higher level of autophagic flux than parental sensitive PC-9 cells. Erlotinib and osimertinib increased autophagic flux and induced the binding of CAGE to Beclin1 in PC-9 cells. The inhibition or induction of autophagy regulated the binding of CAGE to Beclin1 and the responses to anti-cancer drugs. CAGE showed binding to HER2 while HER2 was necessary for binding of CAGE to Beclin1. CAGE was responsible for high level of autophagic flux and resistance to anti-cancer drugs in PC-9/ER cells. A peptide corresponding to the DEAD box domain of CAGE, 266AQTGTGKT273, enhanced the sensitivity of PC-9/ER cells to erlotinib and osimertinib, inhibited the binding of CAGE to Beclin1 and regulated autophagic flux in PC-9/ER cells. Mutant CAGE-derived peptide 266AQTGTGAT273 or 266AQTGTGKA273 did not affect autophagic flux or the binding of CAGE to Beclin1. AQTGTGKT peptide showed binding to CAGE, but not to Beclin1. FITC-AQTGTGKT peptide showed co-localization with CAGE. AQTGTGKT peptide decreased tumorigenic potentials of PC-9/ER and H1975 cells, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells with EGFR mutation (L885R/T790M), by inhibiting autophagic fluxand inhibiting the binding of CAGE to Beclin1. AQTGTGKT peptide also enhanced the sensitivity of H1975 cells to anti-cancer drugs. AQTGTGKT peptide showed tumor homing potential based on ex vivo homing assays of xenograft of H1975 cells. AQTGTGKT peptide restored expression levels of miR-143-3p and miR-373-5p, decreased autophagic flux and conferred sensitivity to anti-cancer drugs. These results present evidence that combination of anti-cancer drug with CAGE-derived peptide could overcome resistance of non-small cell lung cancers to anti-cancer drugs

The first case of abdominal mycotic aneurysm caused by K1 hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae in a healthy adult

Incidence of hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae (hvKp) infection has been steadily increasing in the Asia-Pacific rim. The characteristic of hvKp infection is its ability to cause multiple site infections and unpredictable metastatic spread in the community. We describe the first case of mycotic aneurysm caused by hvKp serotype K1 in a previously healthy man and review the literature. Of a total of 13 cases, including our case, three cases were related to hvKp. Among patients with hvKp, the level of mycotic aneurysm in most patients was the infrarenal aorta, and they underwent an aortic graft or coil embolization. All strains were susceptible to most antimicrobial agents, except ampicillin. Early detection of hvKp can help to prevent the metastatic spread of pathogens and be useful for optimal patient care and epidemiologic research