Perceptions and determinants of partnership trust in the context of Community-Based Participatory Research

Trust is difficult to conceptualize and define because of its diverse applications in different disciplines. Historic mistrust between vulnerable communities and researchers based on past adverse experiences can negatively affect the ability to collaborate and conduct effective research with such populations. Community Based-Participatory Research (CBPR) is a collaborative approach to research that can reduce historic mistrust and health disparities among minority populations. Although how trust development occurs in CBPR partnerships has been explored, there is a need to determine how to move from one stage to the next in fostering and maintaining that trust. The present study contributes to this discussion by addressing the lack of a shared operational definition of partnership trust and of how to measure it in the CBPR literature. We modified Dietz and Den Hartog’s (2006) Multi-dimensional Measure of Trust Model to investigate contextual factors that influence perceptions and development of trust in collaborative partnerships pursuing the reduction of health disparities. We conducted focus groups and key informant interviews with English and Spanish speaking stakeholders of a culturally relevant health promotion organization in the southeastern United States. Stakeholders reported experiencing different types of partnership trust depending on their role, and the length and nature of involvement with the organization. We identified determinants of partnership trust among stakeholders, including organizational, socio-economic, and cultural determinants. Most study participants agreed that trust with Hispanic communities is built slowly, with personal face-to-face contact and follow-up, and that engaging stakeholders throughout the process of working together in an intentional way is vital to building and maintaining trust. Findings of this study will inform the development of a culturally and linguistically relevant quantitative instrument to measure partnership trust in the context of CBPR

Humor Styles Are Related to Loneliness Across 15 Countries

The supplementary materials provided are the R code and dataset used in the research and can be accessed in the Index of Supplementary Materials below. Rogoza, R., & Krammer, G. (2021, August 19). Humor and loneliness across 15 countries. [R script, dataset]. OSF. https://osf.io/jhp6fThe relationships between self-report loneliness and the four humor styles of affiliative, aggressive, self-defeating, and self-enhancing were investigated in 15 countries (N = 4,701). Because loneliness has been suggested to be both commonly experienced and detrimental, we examine if there are similar patterns between humor styles, gender, and age with loneliness in samples of individuals from diverse backgrounds. Across the country samples, affiliative and self-enhancing humor styles negatively correlated with loneliness, self-defeating was positively correlated, and the aggressive humor style was not significantly related. In predicting loneliness, 40.5% of the variance could be accounted. Younger females with lower affiliative, lower self-enhancing, and higher self- defeating humor style scores had higher loneliness scores. The results suggest that although national mean differences may be present, the pattern of relationships between humor styles and loneliness is consistent across these diverse samples, providing some suggestions for mental health promotion among lonely individuals

Development of a recombinase polymerase amplification lateral flow assay for the detection of active Trypanosoma evansi infections

Author summary Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) affecting humans and/or domestic animals severely impair the socio-economic development of endemic areas. One of these diseases, animal trypanosomosis, affects livestock and is caused by the parasites of the Trypanosoma genus. The most widespread causative agent of animal trypanosomosis is T. evansi, which is found in large parts of the world (Africa, Asia, South America, Middle East, and the Mediterranean). Proper control and treatment of the disease requires the availability of reliable and sensitive diagnostic tools. DNA-based detection techniques are powerful and versatile in the sense that they can be tailored to achieve a high specificity and usually allow the reliable detection of low amounts of parasite genetic material. However, many DNA-based methodologies (such as PCR) require trained staff and well-equipped laboratories, which is why the research community has actively investigated in developing amplification strategies that are simple, fast, cost-effective and are suitable for use in minimally equipped laboratories and field settings. In this paper, we describe the development of a diagnostic test under a dipstick format for the specific detection of T. evansi, based on a DNA amplification principle (Recombinase Polymerase Amplification aka RPA) that meets the above-mentioned criteria. Background Animal trypanosomosis caused by Trypanosoma evansi is known as "surra" and is a widespread neglected tropical disease affecting wild and domestic animals mainly in South America, the Middle East, North Africa and Asia. An essential necessity for T. evansi infection control is the availability of reliable and sensitive diagnostic tools. While DNA-based PCR detection techniques meet these criteria, most of them require well-trained and experienced users as well as a laboratory environment allowing correct protocol execution. As an alternative, we developed a recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) test for Type A T. evansi. The technology uses an isothermal nucleic acid amplification approach that is simple, fast, cost-effective and is suitable for use in minimally equipped laboratories and even field settings. Methodology/Principle findings An RPA assay targeting the T. evansi RoTat1.2 VSG gene was designed for the DNA-based detection of T. evansi. Comparing post-amplification visualization by agarose gel electrophoresis and a lateral flow (LF) format reveals that the latter displays a higher sensitivity. The RPA-LF assay is specific for RoTat1.2-expressing strains of T. evansi as it does not detect the genomic DNA of other trypanosomatids. Finally, experimental mouse infection trials demonstrate that the T. evansi specific RPA-LF can be employed as a test-of-cure tool

Speaking up! Adult ESL students' perceptions of native and non-native English speaking teachers.

Research to date on the native versus non-native English speaker teacher (NEST versus non-NEST) debate has primarily focused on teacher self-perception and performance. A neglected, but essential, viewpoint on this issue comes from English as a second language (ESL) students themselves. This study investigated preferences of adults, specifically immigrant and refugee learners, for NESTs or non-NESTs. A 34-item, 5-point Likert attitudinal survey was given to 102 students (52 immigrants, 50 refugees) enrolled in ESL programs in a large metropolitan area in Texas . After responding to the survey, 32 students volunteered for group interviews to further explain their preferences. Results indicated that adult ESL students have a general preference for NESTs over non-NESTs, but have stronger preferences for NESTs in teaching specific skill areas such as pronunciation and writing. There was not a significant difference between immigrants' and refugees' general preferences for NESTs over non-NESTs based on immigration status

Urinary peptidomics provides a noninvasive humanized readout of diabetic nephropathy in mice

Nephropathy is among the most frequent complications of diabetes and the leading cause of end-stage renal disease. Despite the success of novel drugs in animal models, the majority of the subsequent clinical trials employing those drugs targeting diabetic nephropathy failed. This lack of translational value may in part be due to an inadequate comparability of human disease and animal models that often capture only a few aspects of disease. Here we overcome this limitation by developing a multimolecular noninvasive humanized readout of diabetic nephropathy based on urinary peptidomics. The disease-modified urinary peptides of 2 type 2 diabetic nephropathy mouse models were identified and compared with previously validated urinary peptide markers of diabetic nephropathy in humans to generate a classifier composed of 21 ortholog peptides. This classifier predicted the response to disease and treatment with inhibitors of the renin-angiotensin system in mice. The humanized classifier was significantly correlated with glomerular lesions. Using a human type 2 diabetic validation cohort of 207 patients, the classifier also distinguished between patients with and without diabetic nephropathy, and their response to renin-angiotensin system inhibition. Thus, a combination of multiple molecular features common to both human and murine disease could provide a significant change in translational drug discovery research in type 2 diabetic nephropathy

Reducing Maternal and Child Health Disparities among Latino Immigrants in South Carolina Through a Tailored, Culturally Appropriate and Participant-Driven Initiative

Newly arrived Latino immigrants in South Carolina (SC), especially Latina mothers, experience many health related barriers including a general lack of health services information. The PASOs program, which means “steps” in Spanish, uses education, outreach, partnerships and advocacy to empower Latino families to utilize available health care services throughout SC. PASOs is a community-based program conducted by college trained bilingual/bicultural facilitators with the support from community health care workers (promotores de salud). Participants (n=523) were expectant mothers with an average age of 27 (SD=6) years, mostly from Mexico (69%), with an average of 9 (SD=4) years of education and 7 (SD=5) years living in the US. Repeated measures analyses from pre-test to post-test indicated significant knowledge improvement (p<0.005) regarding the importance of prenatal care, signs of preterm delivery, benefits of breastfeeding, and the importance of folic acid intake during periconception. By the end of the course, the majority of the Latinas (93%; p<0.0001) were able to name a birth control method they planned to use following their current pregnancy. Results of this study emphasize the benefits associated with the implementation of a culturally-appropriate program with newly arrived Latino immigrants, including an increase on preconception, pregnancy, and post-pregnancy knowledge

Efectos de la educación en Biología de la conservación sobre las razones para conservar la diversidad biolóigica

Los humanos valoramos la biodiversidad de diferentes maneras y por distintas razones:porque nos es útil, mejora nuestra calidad de vida, nos proporciona alimento, etc. Existenotras razones que podríamos llamar no utilitarias, por las que valoramos la biodiversidad:razones éticas, estéticas o educativas, entre otras (Kellert, 1996)El objetivo de esta investigación es examinar los efectos que podría tener la educación enbiología de la conservación sobre las diferentes razones que nos llevan a conservar ladiversidad biológica. La metodología consiste en explorar las opiniones de los estudiantesantes y después de cursar el Seminario de Biología de la Conservación I. El cuestionariodiseñado para ello explora nueve razones conservacionistas, basadas –por una parte– enlas propuestas de Ehrenfeld (1976) como el consumo, el turismo, la medicina, la ciencia,la educación, las líneas de base ambiental, los servicios ecosistémicos, el valor intrínsecoy –por otra– en la propuesta de Caro (2002) referente al patrimonio cultural de lahumanidad.Los estudiantes en su conjunto fueron más afines a la conservación luego de cursar elseminario de Biología de la Conservación, en seis de dichas razones; las excepcionesfueron ciencia, valor intrínseco y cultura humana, calificando el consumo como una razónpobre para conservar la biodiversidad, y calificando significativamente altos a laeducación, los servicios ecosistémicos y la medicina

La educación ambiental como estrategia para favorecer el pensamiento crítico.

The objective of this research work was to implement a pedagogical proposal on environmental education to strengthen the fifth grade C students critical thinking from Institución Educativa Diversificado Chía. Founded on the diagnostic test, which showed weakness in the eight critical thinking standards that were evaluated, 3 environmental education activities were proposed that allowed students to learn how relate satisfactorily with their natural environment and support critical thinking skills: a) an environmental newspaper, b) an environmental debate on the construction of mega-structures in natural environments, and c) checking the life cycle of a local butterfly. To interpret each document produced by the students, the technique of documentary analysis was applied, establishing 3 categories of analysis, with their respective subcategories. The strategy favored the scientific and critical thinking skills of the students, who in turn were informed about some environmental situations of their local and national environment, questioning personal, social and governmental actions, expanding their environmental awareness, and improving the intrinsic valuation and aesthetics of biodiversity.El objetivo de esta investigación fue implementar una propuesta pedagógica en educación ambiental para fortalecer el pensamiento crítico de los estudiantes del grado 5c de la Institución Educativa Diversificado de Chía. Con base en el test diagnóstico, que evidenció deficiencias en los ocho estándares de pensamiento crítico que evaluó, se plantearon 3 actividades en educación ambiental  que permitieran a los estudiantes aprender a relacionarse adecuadamente con su entorno natural y favorecer habilidades de pensamiento crítico: a) un periódico ambiental, b) un debate ambiental sobre la construcción de megaestructuras en ambientes naturales, y c) el seguimiento del ciclo de vida de una mariposa local.  Para interpretar cada documento producido por los estudiantes, se  aplicó la técnica del análisis documental, estableciendo 3 categorías de análisis, con sus respectivas subcategorías. La estrategia favoreció las habilidades científicas y de pensamiento crítico de los estudiantes, quienes a su vez se informaron acerca de algunas situaciones ambientales de su entorno local y nacional, cuestionando acciones personales, sociales y gubernamentales, ampliando su conciencia ambiental, y mejorando la valoración intrínseca y estética de la biodiversidad

Consequences of aneuploidy in human fibroblasts with trisomy 21

An extra copy of chromosome 21 causes Down syndrome, the most common genetic disease in humans. The mechanisms contributing to aneuploidy-related pathologies in this syndrome, independent of the identity of the triplicated genes, are not well defined. To characterize aneuploidy-driven phenotypes in trisomy 21 cells, we performed global transcriptome, proteome, and phenotypic analyses of primary human fibroblasts from individuals with Patau (trisomy 13), Edwards (trisomy 18), or Down syndromes. On average, mRNA and protein levels were increased by 1.5-fold in all trisomies, with a subset of proteins enriched for subunits of macromolecular complexes showing signs of posttranscriptional regulation. These results support the lack of evidence for widespread dosage compensation or dysregulation of chromosomal domains in human autosomes. Furthermore, we show that several aneuploidy-associated phenotypes are present in trisomy 21 cells, including lower viability and increased dependency on serine-driven lipid synthesis. Our studies establish a critical role of aneuploidy, independent of triplicated gene identity, in driving cellular defects associated with trisomy 21

Pioglitazone, an Insulin Sensitizing Drug, Attenuates the Development of Kidney and Liver Disease in the PCK Rodent Model of Polycystic Kidney Disease

poster abstractPolycystic kidney disease is a genetic disorder characterized by growth of fluid-filled cysts predominately in kidney and liver. The only treatment currently available is the removal/aspiration of the largest cysts or organ transplantation. Promising pharmaceutical agents in clinical trials interfere with the action of hormones that increase cAMP thereby inhibiting secretion of Cl-, and compensatory fluid flux, into the cysts. Other treatments proposed include chemotherapeutic and immunosuppressive drugs that interfere with cellular proliferation as well as with signaling pathways for Cl- secretion. Long-term use of these agents will have multiple side effects. Based on a recent observation that peroxisome proliferator activated receptor γ agonists such as Actos (pioglitazone) and Avandia (rosiglitazone) decrease mRNA levels of a Cl- transport protein and the Cl- secretory response to vasopressin stimulation in cultured renal cells, it is hypothesized that PPARγ agonists will inhibit cyst growth. The current studies show that a 7 or 14 week feeding regimen of 20 mg/Kg BW pioglitazone inhibits renal and hepatic bile duct cyst growth in a rodent model orthologous to human PKD. In addition, the degree of renal cortical fibrosis was diminished in the pioglitazone-treated animals after 14 weeks. These results suggest that PPARγ agonists may be effective in controlling both renal and hepatic cyst growth and renal fibrotic development in polycystic kidney disease