A Community-Based Education on Cardiovascular Diseases among Vietnamese Buddhist Nuns

Abstract Background: According to the World Health Organization, cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading cause of death (31%) worldwide. Out of those cases, 85% are due to heart attack and stroke. Hypertension is among the most modifiable risk factors for the development of cardiovascular diseases. Since Vietnamese Buddhist nuns have diets high in salt, this makes them at higher risk for hypertension and CVDs. Purpose: This educational project aims to improve cardiovascular health knowledge among Vietnamese Buddhist nuns in the greater Seattle area by implementing culturally tailored community-based health education programs virtually via phone. Methods: A community-based educational program on CVDs for Vietnamese Buddhist nuns was presented virtually via phone by the DNP student in individual sessions. This session included pre-and post-educational tests to assess CVD knowledge and its prevention among Buddhist nuns. This project used evidence-based knowledge to provide culturally-tailored information on CVD for the Vietnamese Buddhist nuns, who are an under-served population in the Seattle area. The assessment of knowledge was done before and after intervention using a survey questionnaire. Results: Five Buddhist nun participants showed an overall improvement of CVDs knowledge after the post-intervention section. The percentage of correct responses to general knowledge about CVDs improved 28% from 64% (pre-intervention) to 92% (post-intervention). The percentage of participants that reported right answers about CVDs signs / symptoms was increased by 40%, and high salt intake, stress level and family history of CVDs were all increased by 20% respectively. Therefore, the desired project goal was achieved. Conclusion: All the nun participants\u27 CVDs knowledge was improved after the education session. This community-based educational program empowers nuns to seek early care for their health, reduces the fear of stigma about health and religious practices, and increases their common knowledge about CVDs

Suprachoroidal and Subretinal Injections of AAV Using Transscleral Microneedles for Retinal Gene Delivery in Nonhuman Primates.

Retinal gene therapy using adeno-associated viruses (AAVs) is constrained by the mode of viral vector delivery. Intravitreal AAV injections are impeded by the internal limiting membrane barrier, while subretinal injections require invasive surgery and produce a limited region of therapeutic effect. In this study, we introduce a novel mode of ocular gene delivery in rhesus macaques using transscleral microneedles to inject AAV8 into the subretinal or suprachoroidal space, a potential space between the choroid and scleral wall of the eye. Using in vivo imaging, we found that suprachoroidal AAV8 produces diffuse, peripheral expression in retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells, but it elicited local infiltration of inflammatory cells. Transscleral subretinal injection of AAV8 using microneedles leads to focal gene expression with transduction of RPE and photoreceptors, and minimal intraocular inflammation. In comparison, intravitreal AAV8 shows minimal transduction of retinal cells, but elicits greater systemic humoral immune responses. Our study introduces a novel mode of transscleral viral delivery that can be performed without vitreoretinal surgery, with focal or diffuse transgene expression patterns suitable for different applications. The decoupling of local and systemic immune responses reveals important insights into the immunological consequences of AAV delivery to different ocular compartments surrounding the blood-retinal barrier

Cyan fluorescent protein expression in ganglion and amacrine cells in a thy1-CFP transgenic mouse retina

PURPOSE: To characterize cyan fluorescent protein (CFP) expression in the retina of the thy1-CFP (B6.Cg-Tg(Thy1-CFP)23Jrs/J) transgenic mouse line. METHODS: CFP expression was characterized using morphometric methods and immunohistochemistry with antibodies to neurofilament light (NF-L), neuronal nuclei (NeuN), POU-domain protein (Brn3a) and calretinin, which immunolabel ganglion cells, and syntaxin 1 (HPC-1), glutamate decarboxylase 67 (GAD(67)), GABA plasma membrane transporter-1 (GAT-1), and choline acetyltransferase (ChAT), which immunolabel amacrine cells. RESULTS: CFP was extensively expressed in the inner retina, primarily in the inner plexiform layer (IPL), ganglion cell layer (GCL), nerve fiber layer, and optic nerve. CFP fluorescent cell bodies were in all retinal regions and their processes ramified in all laminae of the IPL. Some small, weakly CFP fluorescent somata were in the inner nuclear layer (INL). CFP-containing somata in the GCL ranged from 6 to 20 microm in diameter, and they had a density of 2636+/-347 cells/mm2 at 1.5 mm from the optic nerve head. Immunohistochemical studies demonstrated colocalization of CFP with the ganglion cell markers NF-L, NeuN, Brn3a, and calretinin. Immunohistochemistry with antibodies to HPC-1, GAD(67), GAT-1, and ChAT indicated that the small, weakly fluorescent CFP cells in the INL and GCL were cholinergic amacrine cells. CONCLUSIONS: The total number and density of CFP-fluorescent cells in the GCL were within the range of previous estimates of the total number of ganglion cells in the C57BL/6J line. Together these findings suggest that most ganglion cells in the thy1-CFP mouse line 23 express CFP. In conclusion, the thy1-CFP mouse line is highly useful for studies requiring the identification of ganglion cells

Predictive Markers of Coagulopathy in COVID-19 Infection: A Meta Narrative Review

In late 2019, COVID was initially discovered in Wuhan, China, and the COVID-19 pandemic primarily began in early 2020. Along with respiratory distress, COVID-19 patients had an increased risk of forming abnormal clotting. In ICU COVID-19 patients, abnormal clotting increases the risk of mortality by approximately 74% (Montiel et al., 2022). The aim for this meta-narrative review was to identify what hemostatic parameters are predictive of coagulopathy in COVID-19 patients. Determining predictive markers of coagulopathy in COVID-19 infection may allow for early identification of severe cases before bleeding and thrombotic manifestations occur. The review included articles primarily from PubMed and were published between 2020 and 2022. After screening for eligibility, seven articles were deemed fit to be included. Our findings indicate that elevated D-dimer levels were the most common predictive hemostatic parameter utilized, along with elevated Von Willebrand Factor, elevated Factor VIII, and decreased fibrinogen levels. COVID-19 patients that presented with these parameters upon admission were highly likely to experience clotting events such as deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism. Although many of the articles in this review focused on elevated D-dimer as an early marker of coagulopathy, one study found that elevated soluble thrombomodulin was the best predictor of coagulopathy in COVID patients. Future research will be needed to confirm soluble thrombomodulin’s ability as a predictive parameter and compare its suggestive power to D-dimer levels. Clinical trials will also be needed to assess how these predictive markers can be used to inform prophylactic treatment in COVID-19 patients.https://openworks.mdanderson.org/rmps/1003/thumbnail.jp

How Spin Relaxes and Dephases in Bulk Halide Perovskites

Spintronics in halide perovskites has drawn significant attention in recent years, due to highly tunable spin-orbit fields and intriguing interplay with lattice symmetry. Spin lifetime -- a key parameter that determines the applicability of materials for spintronics and spin-based quantum information applications -- has been extensively measured in halide perovskites, but not yet assessed from first-principles calculations. Here, we leverage our recently-developed \emph{ab initio} density-matrix dynamics framework to compute the spin relaxation time ($T_{1}$) and ensemble spin dephasing time ($T_{2}^{*}$) in a prototype halide perovskite, namely CsPbBr$_{3}$ with self-consistent spin-orbit coupling (SOC) and quantum descriptions of the electron scattering processes. We also implement the Land\'e $g$-factor for solids from first principles and take it into account in our dynamics, which is required to accurately capture spin dephasing at external magnetic fields. We thereby predict intrinsic spin lifetimes as an upper bound for experiments, identify the dominant spin relaxation pathways, and evaluate the dependence on temperature, external fields, carrier density,and impurities. Importantly, we find that the Fr{\"o}hlich interaction that dominates carrier relaxation contributes negligibly to spin relaxation, consistent with the spin-conserving nature of this interaction. We investigated the effect of spin-orbit field with inversion asymmetry on spin lifetime, and we demonstrated from our calculation, persistent spin helix can enhance spin lifetime when the spin-split is large, but it can not be realized by Rashba SOC. Our theoretical approach may lead to new strategies to optimize spin and carrier transport properties in spintronics and quantum information applications.Comment: 10 pages, 6 figure

Titanium dioxide - activated carbon composite for photoelectrochemical degradation of phenol

In this study, titanium dioxide (TiO2) and titanium dioxide – activated carbon composite (TiO2–AC) were prepared by sol-gel method for photoelectrochemical (PEC) applications. Characterization of the materials was performed by scanning electron microscope, energy dispersive X-ray analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. The results show that TiO2 was successfully loaded on activated carbon (AC), producing TiO2–AC with 2.61 eV of bandgap energy, lower than that of TiO2 (3.15 eV). Photoanodes based on TiO2 and TiO2–AC were fabricated and applied to PEC experiments for phenol degradation. In comparison with the TiO2 photoanode, the TiO2–AC one exhibited superior photocatalytic activity, which was indicated by a high current density and effective phenol removal. A mechanism of phenol PEC degradation on the TiO2–AC photoanode was proposed, which includes interaction between protonated phenol and active sites bearing oxygen on the photoanode surface. A kinetic model according to this mechanism was also established and fitted to experimental findings, resulting in rate constants of elementary reactions

Distinct Clinical and Laboratory Patterns of Pneumocystis jirovecii Pneumonia in Renal Transplant Recipients.

Late post-transplant Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PcP) has been reported in many renal transplant recipients (RTRs) centers using universal prophylaxis. Specific features of PcP compared to other respiratory infections in the same population are not well reported. We analyzed clinical, laboratory, administrative and radiological data of all confirmed PcP cases between January 2009 and December 2014. To identify factors specifically associated with PcP, we compared clinical and laboratory data of RTRs with non-PcP. Over the study period, 36 cases of PcP were identified. Respiratory distress was more frequent in PcP compared to non-PcP (tachypnea: 59%, 20/34 vs. 25%, 13/53, p = 0.0014; dyspnea: 70%, 23/33 vs. 44%, 24/55, p = 0.0181). In contrast, fever was less frequent in PcP compared to non-PcP pneumonia (35%, 11/31 vs. 76%, 42/55, p = 0.0002). In both cohorts, total lymphocyte count and serum sodium decreased, whereas lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) increased at diagnosis. Serum calcium increased in PcP and decreased in non-PcP. In most PcP cases (58%, 21/36), no formal indication for restart of PcP prophylaxis could be identified. Potential transmission encounters, suggestive of interhuman transmission, were found in 14/36, 39% of patients. Interhuman transmission seems to contribute importantly to PcP among RTRs. Hypercalcemia, but not elevated LDH, was associated with PcP when compared to non-PcP