Discrimination against Mixed-Status Families and its Health Impact on Latino Children

Background and Objective: Restrictive immigration policies and discrimination are associated with negative health outcomes for immigrant and Latino families. Mixed-status families represent a unique subpopulation of Latinos affected by restrictive immigration policies. This qualitative study explored discrimination against mixed-status families and its potential health impact on Latino children from the perspective of Latina mothers. Methods: In 2017, twenty in-depth interviews with Latina mothers of mixed-status families living in northwestern North Carolina were conducted, transcribed, and analyzed. Constant comparison, an approach to grounded theory development, was used. Results: Nine themes emerged that reflected experiences with discrimination and its negative impact on children. Themes included more frequent and severe discrimination during and after the 2016 US presidential election, determination to stay together and remain in the US, experiences of discrimination in multiple settings, the impact of discrimination on child health and well-being, the impact of fear and stress on meeting the needs of children, the burden on children serving as liaisons between families and services, the inability of citizenship to protect against the effects of discrimination, positive and hopeful responses to discrimination, and the potential role of education in building a foundation for reducing discrimination (and thus promoting the health and well-being of Latino children) in the future. Conclusions: Discrimination against mixed-status Latino families constitutes a critical threat to the health and well-being of Latino children. Further research should inform immigration policies that support (rather than threaten) the health, well-being, and health care practices that mitigate the stresses experienced by Latino children

Rootstock effects on scion gene expression in maritime pine

Pines are the dominant conifers in Mediterranean forests. As long-lived sessile organisms that seasonally have to cope with drought periods, they have developed a variety of adaptive responses. However, during last decades, highly intense and long-lasting drought events could have contributed to decay and mortality of the most susceptible trees. Among conifer species, Pinus pinaster Ait. shows remarkable ability to adapt to different environments. Previous molecular analysis of a full-sib family designed to study drought response led us to find active transcriptional activity of stress-responding genes even without water deprivation in tolerant genotypes. To improve our knowledge about communication between above- and below-ground organs of maritime pine, we have analyzed four graft-type constructions using two siblings as rootstocks and their progenitors, Gal 1056 and Oria 6, as scions. Transcriptomic profiles of needles from both scions were modified by the rootstock they were grafted on. However, the most significant differential gene expression was observed in drought-sensitive Gal 1056, while in drought-tolerant Oria 6, differential gene expression was very much lower. Furthermore, both scions grafted onto drought-tolerant rootstocks showed activation of genes involved in tolerance to abiotic stress, and is most remarkable in Oria 6 grafts where higher accumulation of transcripts involved in phytohormone action, transcriptional regulation, photosynthesis and signaling has been found. Additionally, processes, such as those related to secondary metabolism, were mainly associated with the scion genotype. This study provides pioneering information about rootstock effects on scion gene expression in conifers.This work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness (AGL2015-66048-C2-1-R; RTI2018-098015-B-I00), and by University of Alcalá (UAH-AE 2017-2).Peer reviewe

A polygenic and phenotypic risk prediction for polycystic ovary syndrome evaluated by phenomewide association studies

Context: As many as 75% of patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) are estimated tobe unidentified in clinical practice. Objective: Utilizing polygenic risk prediction, we aim to identify the phenome-widecomorbidity patterns characteristic of PCOS to improve accurate diagnosis and preventivetreatment.Design, Patients, and Methods: Leveraging the electronic health records (EHRs) of 124 852individuals, we developed a PCOS risk prediction algorithm by combining polygenic risk scores(PRS) with PCOS component phenotypes into a polygenic and phenotypic risk score (PPRS). Weevaluated its predictive capability across different ancestries and perform a PRS-based phenomewide association study (PheWAS) to assess the phenomic expression of the heightened risk ofPCOS.Results: The integrated polygenic prediction improved the average performance (pseudo-R2)for PCOS detection by 0.228 (61.5-fold), 0.224 (58.8-fold), 0.211 (57.0-fold) over the null modelacross European, African, and multi-ancestry participants respectively. The subsequent PRSpowered PheWAS identified a high level of shared biology between PCOS and a range ofmetabolic and endocrine outcomes, especially with obesity and diabetes: "morbid obesity","type 2 diabetes", "hypercholesterolemia", "disorders of lipid metabolism", "hypertension",and "sleep apnea" reaching phenome-wide significance.Conclusions: Our study has expanded the methodological utility of PRS in patient stratificationand risk prediction, especially in a multifactorial condition like PCOS, across different geneticorigins. By utilizing the individual genome-phenome data available from the EHR, our approachalso demonstrates that polygenic prediction by PRS can provide valuable opportunities todiscover the pleiotropic phenomic network associated with PCOS pathogenesis.Abbreviations: AA, African ancestry; ANOVA, analysis of variance; BMI, body mass index; EA,European ancestry; EHR, electronic health records; eMERGE, electronic Medical Records andGenomics Network; GWAS, genome-wide association study; IBD, identity-by-descent; ICDCM, International Classification of Diseases, Clinical Modification; LD, linkage disequilibrium;MA, multi-ancestry; MAF, minor allele frequency; NIH, National Institutes of Health; PCA,principal component analysis; PheWAS, phenome-wide association study; PCOS, polycysticovary syndrome; PPRS, polygenic and phenotypic risk score; PRS, polygenic risk sc

Survivin, p53, MAC, Complement/C3, fibrinogen and HLA-ABC within hair follicles in central and centrifugal cicatricial alopecia

Abstract Context: Central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia (CCCA; originally entitled follicular degeneration syndrome, or hot comb alopecia) was first described in African American women utilizing hot combs and/or strong chemical hair care products. Case Report: A 67 year old African American female was evaluated for the presence of alopecic areas occurring on the scalp vertex, and spreading centrifugally. The alopecic lesions appeared as diffuse patches, including atrophic small areas surrounding individual hair follicles. Patients and Methods: Skin biopsies for hematoxylin and eosin examination, as well as for direct immunofluorescence and immunohistochemistry analyses were performed. Results: hematoxylin and eosin staining demonstrated histopathologic findings of premature desquamation of the inner root sheath and eccentric thinning of the follicular epithelium, supporting the diagnosis of CCCA. Direct immunofluorescence revealed strong depositions of Complement/C3, fibrinogen and kappa light chains around the hair follicles. Immunohistochemistry demonstrated increased expressions of HLA-ABC (as in African American patients with insulin independent diabetes mellitus). We also detected positive p53, bcl-2 and MAC staining in the hair follicle areas. Conclusions: Follicular degeneration syndrome may have an important immunological component previously not described, and multicolor immunofluorescence may be useful in establishing an early diagnosis

The REDE Model of Healthcare Communication: Optimizing Relationship as a Therapeutic Agent

The REDE model is a conceptual framework for teaching relationship-centered healthcare communication. Based on the premise that genuine relationships are a vital therapeutic agent, use of the framework has the potential to positively influence both patient and provider. The REDE model applies effective communication skills to optimize personal connections in three primary phases of Relationship: Establishment, Development and Engagement (REDE). This paper describes the REDE model and its application to a typical provider-patient interaction

Impacto en conocimientos de los cuidadores de niños y niñas de los jardines sociales de colsubsidio luego de una capacitación en el módulo de vacunas de AIEPI comunitario a sus maestras

Objective. This work shares a pedagogic experience of promotion of the health and it evaluates which is the impact of the component of vaccination in the knowledge of parents, mothers and keepers of the children less than five-year-old who are assisting at the Social Kindergartens administered by Colsubsidio, after having capacitated the group of teachers in the communitarian module of the Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI), knowing that one of the strategies to improve the coverages in the country is empowering the community in order that they realize local actions. Methodology. The whole population of the teachers have been capacitated (n = 89) in the vaccination module IMCI strategy and later these teachers realized an educational intervention to the keepers of children less than five years of age (n = 1350). Result. The analysis has been fulfilled with the methodology proposed by the OMS/OPS with a design of before and later, showed a positive impact in the knowledge of the keepers about vaccines, the moments to realize the immunizations and which of has to be applied to their children. Conclusions. It is possible to infer that the educational community is a group that must be educated in health's topics as a way to modify knowledge in the keepers of children and therefore the indicators of health of the population, especially in the five-year-old children. The IMCI strategy showed to be effective in this kind of actions. Recommendations: It must be realized a work to evaluate the changes in the coverages of vaccination in the studied population