Content Analysis of Digital Media Coverage of the Human Papillomavirus Vaccine School-Entry Requirement Policy in Puerto Rico

BACKGROUND: In August 2018, Puerto Rico (PR) became the 4th state or territory in the United States to adopt a human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine school-entry requirement, for students 11-12 years old. Evidence suggests that the content of media coverage may impact people\u27s perception of HPV vaccine and their willingness to vaccinate. This study aimed to analyze the content of digital news coverage related to the implementation of the policy in PR. METHODS: A content review was conducted of digital media published from January 2017 through December 2018. The content reviewed was carried out in two steps: 1) creating a matrix to summarize each article\u27s content about the policy and 2) qualitative analysis using a grounded theory approach. RESULTS: The search resulted in 34 articles obtained from 17 online local and international news outlets that reported the policy\u27s implementation. Analyses showed that 61% of the news articles did not mention the number of required doses, and 79% discussed the new policy concerning cancer prevention. In 2017, news coverage focused mostly on describing the policy, while 2018 coverage focused on controversies surrounding the implementation. Neutral emergent codes included: 1) Description of the policy; 2) Information about HPV related cancers; and 3) General information about HPV vaccine. Negative emergent codes included: 1) infringement to patient and parental autonomy; 2) Hesitancy from the political sector, and 3) Hesitancy from groups and coalitions. Positive content included: 1) knowledge and acceptance of HPV vaccine for cancer prevention; 2) importance of education and protective sexual behaviors; and 3) new vaccination law proposal. CONCLUSIONS: Most of the media coverage in PR was neutral and included limited information related to the vaccine, HPV, and HPV-related cancers. Neutral and negative themes could influence public concerns regarding the new policy, as well as HPV vaccination rates in PR

Partnering with healthcare systems to improve HPV vaccination:The perspective of immunization program managers

The US’s 64 CDC-funded immunization programs are at the forefront of efforts to improve the quality of adolescent vaccination services. We sought to understand immunization program managers’ perspectives on partnering with healthcare systems to improve HPV vaccine uptake. Managers of 44 state and local immunization programs completed our online survey in 2019. Immunization managers strongly endorsed the importance of partnering with systems to improve HPV vaccine uptake (mean = 3.8/4.0), and most wanted to do so in the next year (mean = 3.5). Immunization managers reported that common barriers included difficulty contacting systems’ leadership (57%), differing organizational cultures (52%), and time (52%). Many perceived systems as not prioritizing HPV vaccination (77%). Immunization managers expressed strong interest in participating in a training on partnering with systems (mean = 3.5). Overall, immunization managers are highly interested in partnering with systems to improve HPV vaccine uptake. Training and other support are needed to expand programs’ capacity for such partnerships

Stability Characterization of the Novel Anti-Cancer HM-10/10 HDL-Mimetic Peptide.

Epithelial adenocarcinoma of the ovary and colon are associated with the highest rates of cancer-related deaths in women in the U.S. The literature supports the role of HDL-associated apolipoproteins in the treatment of cancer and other pro-inflammatory diseases. Previously, we developed a novel 20-amino acid mimetic peptide, HM-10/10, which potently inhibits tumor development and growth in colon and ovarian cancer. Here, we report the properties of HM-10/10 relative to its stability in vitro. The results demonstrated that HM-10/10 had the highest half-life in human plasma compared to plasma from other species tested. HM-10/10 demonstrated stability in human plasma and simulated gastric environment, increasing its promise as an oral pharmaceutical. However, under conditions modeling the small intestine, HM-10/10 demonstrated significant degradation, likely due to the peptidases encountered therein. Furthermore, HM-10/10 demonstrated no evidence of time-dependent drug-drug interactions, although it demonstrated CYP450 induction slightly above cutoff. As proteolytic degradation is a common limitation of peptide-based therapeutics, we are pursuing strategies to improve the stability properties of HM-10/10 by extending its bioavailability while retaining its low toxicity profile. HM-10/10 holds promise as a new agent to address the international women's health crisis of epithelial carcinomas of the ovary and colon

Stability Characterization of the Novel Anti-Cancer HM-10/10 HDL-Mimetic Peptide

Epithelial adenocarcinoma of the ovary and colon are associated with the highest rates of cancer-related deaths in women in the U.S. The literature supports the role of HDL-associated apolipoproteins in the treatment of cancer and other pro-inflammatory diseases. Previously, we developed a novel 20-amino acid mimetic peptide, HM-10/10, which potently inhibits tumor development and growth in colon and ovarian cancer. Here, we report the properties of HM-10/10 relative to its stability in vitro. The results demonstrated that HM-10/10 had the highest half-life in human plasma compared to plasma from other species tested. HM-10/10 demonstrated stability in human plasma and simulated gastric environment, increasing its promise as an oral pharmaceutical. However, under conditions modeling the small intestine, HM-10/10 demonstrated significant degradation, likely due to the peptidases encountered therein. Furthermore, HM-10/10 demonstrated no evidence of time-dependent drug–drug interactions, although it demonstrated CYP450 induction slightly above cutoff. As proteolytic degradation is a common limitation of peptide-based therapeutics, we are pursuing strategies to improve the stability properties of HM-10/10 by extending its bioavailability while retaining its low toxicity profile. HM-10/10 holds promise as a new agent to address the international women’s health crisis of epithelial carcinomas of the ovary and colon

WDR26 Haploinsufficiency Causes a Recognizable Syndrome of Intellectual Disability, Seizures, Abnormal Gait, and Distinctive Facial Features

We report 15 individuals with de novo pathogenic variants in WDR26. Eleven of the individuals carry loss-of-function mutations, and four harbor missense substitutions. These 15 individuals comprise ten females and five males, and all have intellectual disability with delayed speech, a history of febrile and/or non-febrile seizures, and a wide-based, spastic, and/or stiff-legged gait. These subjects share a set of common facial features that include a prominent maxilla and upper lip that readily reveal the upper gingiva, widely spaced teeth, and a broad nasal tip. Together, these features comprise a recognizable facial phenotype. We compared these features with those of chromosome 1q41q42 microdeletion syndrome, which typically contains WDR26, and noted that clinical features are consistent between the two subsets, suggesting that haploinsufficiency of WDR26 contributes to the pathology of 1q41q42 microdeletion syndrome. Consistent with this, WDR26 loss-of-function single-nucleotide mutations identified in these subjects lead to nonsense-mediated decay with subsequent reduction of RNA expression and protein levels. We derived a structural model of WDR26 and note that missense variants identified in these individuals localize to highly conserved residues of this WD-40-repeat-containing protein. Given that WDR26 mutations have been identified in ∼1 in 2,000 of subjects in our clinical cohorts and that WDR26 might be poorly annotated in exome variant-interpretation pipelines, we would anticipate that this disorder could be more common than currently appreciated

WDR26 Haploinsufficiency Causes a Recognizable Syndrome of Intellectual Disability, Seizures, Abnormal Gait, and Distinctive Facial Features.

We report 15 individuals with de novo pathogenic variants in WDR26. Eleven of the individuals carry loss-of-function mutations, and four harbor missense substitutions. These 15 individuals comprise ten females and five males, and all have intellectual disability with delayed speech, a history of febrile and/or non-febrile seizures, and a wide-based, spastic, and/or stiff-legged gait. These subjects share a set of common facial features that include a prominent maxilla and upper lip that readily reveal the upper gingiva, widely spaced teeth, and a broad nasal tip. Together, these features comprise a recognizable facial phenotype. We compared these features with those of chromosome 1q41q42 microdeletion syndrome, which typically contains WDR26, and noted that clinical features are consistent between the two subsets, suggesting that haploinsufficiency of WDR26 contributes to the pathology of 1q41q42 microdeletion syndrome. Consistent with this, WDR26 loss-of-function single-nucleotide mutations identified in these subjects lead to nonsense-mediated decay with subsequent reduction of RNA expression and protein levels. We derived a structural model of WDR26 and note that missense variants identified in these individuals localize to highly conserved residues of this WD-40-repeat-containing protein. Given that WDR26 mutations have been identified in ∼1 in 2,000 of subjects in our clinical cohorts and that WDR26 might be poorly annotated in exome variant-interpretation pipelines, we would anticipate that this disorder could be more common than currently appreciated