Participatory Action Research (PAR) Training, Course, and Community Based Projects

A Participatory Action Research (PAR) collaboration between a group of Latinx immigrant mothers by the name of Madres Emprendedoras, Entrepreneurial Mothers, and a team of SCU undergraduate students enrolled in an ELSJ course is featured in this poster. We highlight reflections of the PAR training, course, and community based projects in the Guadalupe Washington community, a collaboration that also made possible through the Ignatian Center for Jesuit Education\u27s Thriving Neighbor Initiative

Increased Na+ /Ca2+ exchanger expression/activity constitutes a point of inflection in the progression to heart failure of hypertensive rats

Spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) constitutes a genetic model widely used to study the natural evolution of hypertensive heart disease. Ca2+ -handling alterations are known to occur in SHR. However, the putative modifications of Ca2+ -handling proteins during the progression to heart failure (HF) are not well established. Moreover, the role of apoptosis in SHR is controversial. We investigated intracellular Ca2+ , Ca2+ -handling proteins and apoptosis in SHR vs. control Wistar rats (W) from 3 to 15 months (mo). Changes associated with the transition to HF (i.e. lung edema and decrease in midwall fractional shortening), occurred at 15 mo in 38% of SHR (SHRF). In SHRF, twitch and caffeine-induced Ca2+ transients, significantly decreased relative to 6/9 mo and 15 mo without HF signs. This decrease occurred in association with a decrease in the time constant of caffeine-Ca2+ transient decay and an increase in Na+ /Ca2+ exchanger (NCX) abundance (p, 0.05) with no changes in SERCA2a expression/activity. An increased Ca2+ -calmodulin-kinase II activity, associated with an enhancement of apoptosis (TUNEL and Bax/Bcl2) was observed in SHR relative to W from 3 to 15 mo. Conclusions: 1. Apoptosis is an early and persistent event that may contribute to hypertrophic remodeling but would not participate in the contractile impairment of SHRF. 2. The increase in NCX expression/activity, associated with an increase in Ca2+ efflux from the cell, constitutes a primary alteration of Ca2+ -handling proteins in the evolution to HF. 3. No changes in SERCA2a expression/activity are observed when HF signs become evident.Fil: Rodriguez, Jesica S.. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Centro Cientifico Tecnológico la Plata. Centro de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares "dr. Horacio Eugenio Cingolani"; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de la Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas; ArgentinaFil: Velez Rueda, Jorge Omar. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Centro Cientifico Tecnológico la Plata. Centro de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares "dr. Horacio Eugenio Cingolani"; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de la Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas; ArgentinaFil: Salas, Margarita. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Centro Cientifico Tecnológico la Plata. Centro de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares "dr. Horacio Eugenio Cingolani"; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de la Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas; ArgentinaFil: Becerra, Romina Valeria. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Centro Cientifico Tecnológico la Plata. Centro de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares "dr. Horacio Eugenio Cingolani"; ArgentinaFil: Di Carlo, Mariano Nahuel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Centro Cientifico Tecnológico la Plata. Centro de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares "dr. Horacio Eugenio Cingolani"; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de la Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas; ArgentinaFil: Said, Maria Matilde. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Centro Cientifico Tecnológico la Plata. Centro de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares "dr. Horacio Eugenio Cingolani"; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de la Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas; ArgentinaFil: Vittone, Leticia Beatriz. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Centro Cientifico Tecnológico la Plata. Centro de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares "dr. Horacio Eugenio Cingolani"; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de la Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas; ArgentinaFil: Rinaldi, Gustavo Juan. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Centro Cientifico Tecnológico la Plata. Centro de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares "dr. Horacio Eugenio Cingolani"; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de la Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas; ArgentinaFil: Portiansky, Enrique Leo. Universidad Nacional de la Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias; ArgentinaFil: Mundiña, Cecilia Beatriz. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Centro Cientifico Tecnológico la Plata. Centro de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares "dr. Horacio Eugenio Cingolani"; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de la Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas; ArgentinaFil: Palomeque, Julieta. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Centro Cientifico Tecnológico la Plata. Centro de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares "dr. Horacio Eugenio Cingolani"; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de la Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas; ArgentinaFil: Mattiazzi, Ramona Alicia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Centro Cientifico Tecnológico la Plata. Centro de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares "dr. Horacio Eugenio Cingolani"; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de la Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas; Argentin

Increased Na+/Ca2+ exchanger expression/activity constitutes a point of inflection in the progression to heart failure of hypertensive rats

Spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) constitutes a genetic model widely used to study the natural evolution of hypertensive heart disease. Ca 2+-handling alterations are known to occur in SHR. However, the putative modifications of Ca2+-handling proteins during the progression to heart failure (HF) are not well established. Moreover, the role of apoptosis in SHR is controversial. We investigated intracellular Ca 2+, Ca2+-handling proteins and apoptosis in SHR vs. control Wistar rats (W) from 3 to 15 months (mo). Changes associated with the transition to HF (i.e. lung edema and decrease in midwall fractional shortening), occurred at 15 mo in 38% of SHR (SHRF). In SHRF, twitch and caffeine-induced Ca2+ transients, significantly decreased relative to 6/9 mo and 15 mo without HF signs. This decrease occurred in association with a decrease in the time constant of caffeine-Ca2+ transient decay and an increase in Na+/Ca2+ exchanger (NCX) abundance (p< 0.05) with no changes in SERCA2a expression/activity. An increased Ca 2+-calmodulin-kinase II activity, associated with an enhancement of apoptosis (TUNEL and Bax/Bcl2) was observed in SHR relative to W from 3 to 15 mo. Conclusions: 1. Apoptosis is an early and persistent event that may contribute to hypertrophic remodeling but would not participate in the contractile impairment of SHRF. 2. The increase in NCX expression/activity, associated with an increase in Ca2+ efflux from the cell, constitutes a primary alteration of Ca2+-handling proteins in the evolution to HF. 3. No changes in SERCA2a expression/activity are observed when HF signs become evident.Centro de Investigaciones CardiovascularesFacultad de Ciencias Veterinaria

Increased Na+/Ca2+ exchanger expression/activity constitutes a point of inflection in the progression to heart failure of hypertensive rats

Spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) constitutes a genetic model widely used to study the natural evolution of hypertensive heart disease. Ca 2+-handling alterations are known to occur in SHR. However, the putative modifications of Ca2+-handling proteins during the progression to heart failure (HF) are not well established. Moreover, the role of apoptosis in SHR is controversial. We investigated intracellular Ca 2+, Ca2+-handling proteins and apoptosis in SHR vs. control Wistar rats (W) from 3 to 15 months (mo). Changes associated with the transition to HF (i.e. lung edema and decrease in midwall fractional shortening), occurred at 15 mo in 38% of SHR (SHRF). In SHRF, twitch and caffeine-induced Ca2+ transients, significantly decreased relative to 6/9 mo and 15 mo without HF signs. This decrease occurred in association with a decrease in the time constant of caffeine-Ca2+ transient decay and an increase in Na+/Ca2+ exchanger (NCX) abundance (p< 0.05) with no changes in SERCA2a expression/activity. An increased Ca 2+-calmodulin-kinase II activity, associated with an enhancement of apoptosis (TUNEL and Bax/Bcl2) was observed in SHR relative to W from 3 to 15 mo. Conclusions: 1. Apoptosis is an early and persistent event that may contribute to hypertrophic remodeling but would not participate in the contractile impairment of SHRF. 2. The increase in NCX expression/activity, associated with an increase in Ca2+ efflux from the cell, constitutes a primary alteration of Ca2+-handling proteins in the evolution to HF. 3. No changes in SERCA2a expression/activity are observed when HF signs become evident.Centro de Investigaciones CardiovascularesFacultad de Ciencias Veterinaria

Madres emprendedoras, entrepreneurial mothers: Reflections from a community-based participatory action research course with Mexican immigrant madres in the Silicon Valley

In this paper we present and discuss the creation and implementation of a community-based participatory action research (CBPAR) university course, and corresponding action projects, developed in collaboration with 11 Mexican immigrant madres (mothers). The Greater Washington community constitutes the setting for this project, as it is characterized by growing economic disparities reflective of the gentrification that characterizes the Silicon Valley (California, United States). We begin with a discussion of CBPAR, the community context, and the development of the CBPAR course, and associated projects. Furthermore, we discuss and highlight how the lived experiences of Mexican immigrant madres surfaced in the development of their action projects. All three projects were interconnected and inherently tied to the Mexican immigrant madres’ community experiences, which reflected their personal, political, and economic challenges. The action projects included identifying resources for students with special needs, affordable housing, and public safety. Via these projects, the Mexican immigrant madres demonstrated their leadership, agency, hope, and resilience in the face of increasing systemic inequities, and gained an increased ability to address long-standing issues in their community. We conclude with implications for engaging in CBPAR, as well as lessons learned from this community-based collaboration

Rationale, design and respondent characteristics of the 2013–2014 New York City Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NYC HANES 2013–2014)

Purpose: Capacity to monitor non-communicable diseases (NCDs) at state or local levels is limited. Emerging approaches include using biomeasures and electronic health record (EHR) data. In 2004, New York City (NYC) performed a population-based health study on adult residents using biomeasures (NYC Health and Nutrition Examination Study, or NYC HANES), modeled after NHANES. A second NYC HANES was launched in 2013 to examine change over time, evaluate municipal policies, and validate a proposed EHR-based surveillance system. We describe the rationale and methods of NYC HANES 2013–2014. Methods: NYC HANES was a population-based, cross-sectional survey of NYC adults using three-stage cluster sampling. Between August 2013 and June 2014, selected participants completed a health interview and physical exam (blood pressure, body mass index, and waist circumference). Fasting biomeasures included diabetes, lipid profiles, kidney function, environmental biomarkers, and select infectious diseases. Results: Of the 3065 households approached, 2742 were eligible and 1827 were successfully screened (67%). A total of 1524 of eligible participants completed the survey (54%), for an overall response rate of 36%. Conclusion: Completing a second NYC HANES a decade after the first study affords an opportunity to understand changes in prevalence, awareness and control of NCDs and evaluate municipal efforts to manage them

Increased Na⁺/Ca²⁺ Exchanger Expression/Activity Constitutes a Point of Inflection in the Progression to Heart Failure of Hypertensive Rats

<div><p>Spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) constitutes a genetic model widely used to study the natural evolution of hypertensive heart disease. Ca²⁺-handling alterations are known to occur in SHR. However, the putative modifications of Ca²⁺-handling proteins during the progression to heart failure (HF) are not well established. Moreover, the role of apoptosis in SHR is controversial. We investigated intracellular Ca²⁺, Ca²⁺-handling proteins and apoptosis in SHR vs. control Wistar rats (W) from 3 to 15 months (mo). Changes associated with the transition to HF (i.e. lung edema and decrease in midwall fractional shortening), occurred at 15 mo in 38% of SHR (SHRF). In SHRF, twitch and caffeine-induced Ca²⁺ transients, significantly decreased relative to 6/9 mo and 15 mo without HF signs. This decrease occurred in association with a decrease in the time constant of caffeine-Ca²⁺ transient decay and an increase in Na⁺/Ca²⁺ exchanger (NCX) abundance (p<0.05) with no changes in SERCA2a expression/activity. An increased Ca²⁺-calmodulin-kinase II activity, associated with an enhancement of apoptosis (TUNEL and Bax/Bcl2) was observed in SHR relative to W from 3 to 15 mo. Conclusions: 1. Apoptosis is an early and persistent event that may contribute to hypertrophic remodeling but would not participate in the contractile impairment of SHRF. 2. The increase in NCX expression/activity, associated with an increase in Ca²⁺ efflux from the cell, constitutes a primary alteration of Ca²⁺-handling proteins in the evolution to HF. 3. No changes in SERCA2a expression/activity are observed when HF signs become evident.</p></div

Progression from hypertrophy to heart failure in Wistar and SHR.

<p>A) Systolic blood pressure (SBP). B) Left ventricular wall/tibial length ratio (LVW/TL). C) Echocardiographic left ventricular mass index (LVMI). D) Lung weight-to-tibial length ratio (LW/TL). E) Left ventricle midwall fractional shortening (MFS). All the above mentioned parameters were evaluated in normotensive (Wistar), hypertensive (SHR) and hypertensive with significant signs of contractile failure (SHRF), at 3, 6, 9, 12 and 15 months of age. Hypertension and hypertrophy were evident from early stages in SHR (A, B and C) while heart failure signs appeared at late stages (D and E). In 15 mo SHR, the evolution of the disease allowed to define two groups with significantly different contractile impairment. *p<0.05 with respect to W of the same age; †p<0.05 with respect to SHR at 15 mo; n≥8 animals per point.</p

Time course of expression and phosphorylation of different proteins involved in intracellullar Ca²⁺ handling.

<p>A) Representative immunoblots and average results of the expression and/or phosphorylation of B) NCX; C) SERCA2a; D) PLN; E) SERCA2a/PLN ratio; F) NCX/SERCA2a ratio; G) pCaMKII; H) pThr¹⁷-PLN; I) pSer²⁸¹⁴-RyR2; J) pSer¹⁶-PLN; K) pSer²⁸⁰⁸-RyR2. The results are expressed as percentage of values obtained in W of the same age. Protein levels were normalized to the loading control glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH). Phosphorylation of PLN and RyR2 was expressed as ratio between phosphorylated and non-phosphorylated forms of the proteins. While SERCA2a expression showed no differences at any time point studied, the expression of NCX was significantly higher only in SHRF. In this latter group, PLN expression and SERCA2a/PLN ratio did not change with respect to W, therefore the ratio NCX/SERCA2a was significantly enhanced. CaMKII and Thr¹⁷-PLN phosphorylations significantly increased from 3 mo in SHR with respect to W. PKA-dependent Ser¹⁶ phosphorylation of PLN increased at 3 mo and then decreased. Phosphorylation of Ser²⁸⁰⁸ and Ser²⁸¹⁴ of RyR2 did not change at any age studied. *p<0.05 with respect to W of the same age; n≥4 animals per group.</p