Occupational exposures among women beedi workers in Mysore District, India: A mixed-methods study protocol.

Beedi is the most common smoking form of tobacco used in India. The rolling of beedis is performed primarily by women in settings that lack occupational safeguards. The aims of this protocol are to establish methods for the study of occupational exposures among women beedi workers and their experiences and challenges working with unburnt tobacco.

Tailoring a cellulolytic enzyme cocktail for efficient hydrolysis of mildly pretreated lignocellulosic biomass.

Commercially available cellulase cocktails frequently demonstrate high efficiency in hydrolyzing easily digestible pretreated biomass, which often lacks hemicellulose and/or lignin fractions. However, the challenge arises with enzymatic hydrolysis of mildly pretreated lignocellulosic biomasses, which contain cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin in high proportions. This study aimed to address this question by evaluating the supplementation of a commercial cellulolytic cocktail with accessory hemicellulases and two additives (HO and Tween® 80).

Hear my voice: understanding how community health workers in the Peruvian Amazon expanded their roles to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic through community-based participatory research.

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic led to the collapse of the Peruvian health system, disrupting healthcare access for indigenous communities in the Amazon. Our study analysed how community health workers (CHWs) from indigenous communities in the Peruvian Amazon expanded their roles to mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: Fourteen CHWs from Loreto, Peru, participated in a community-based participatory research project using Photovoice, a technique encouraging vulnerable groups to take photos and develop stories illustrating their lived experiences.

Addressing knowledge gaps: the key role of community health workers and healthcare providers in human papillomavirus prevention and vaccine uptake in a border community.

The Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted infection and nearly every person who is sexually active will get HPV at some point in their lifetime without having the HPV vaccine. Healthcare Providers (HCPs) and Community Health Workers (CHWs) play an essential role in promoting the HPV vaccine and providing education about HPV in communities. Three focus groups with CHWs ( = 17) and HCPs ( = 7) were conducted and led by trained facilitators.

Human Papillomavirus Vaccine Acceptance (HPV-VA) and Vaccine Uptake (HPV-VU): assessing the impact of theory, culture, and trusted sources of information in a Hispanic community.

Background: Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted infection and is associated with many types of cancers that disproportionately impact Hispanics. An HPV vaccine is available for individuals ages 9-45 that can prevent up to 90% of HPV-associated cancers. The current study investigates factors associated with accepting the HPV vaccine in a predominately Hispanic community.

Enzymatic hydrolysis cocktail optimization for the intensification of sugar extraction from sugarcane bagasse.

Lignocellulosic biomasses have a very important role as a raw material to produce biofuels and biochemicals. However, a sustainable, efficient, and economically competitive process for the release of sugars from such materials has still not been achieved. In this work, the optimization of the enzymatic hydrolysis cocktail was evaluated as an approach to maximize sugar extraction from mildly pretreated sugarcane bagasse.

Hispanic Survivors and Caregivers of Human Papillomavirus-Associated Cancers: Lived Experiences in a U.S.-Mexico Border Community.

Although human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated cancers are preventable and treatable at early stages, health disparities in HPV-associated cancer outcomes continue to exist among Hispanic populations. Hispanics residing along the U.S.

Food and housing security at a US Hispanic-Serving Institution: An examination before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

University students occupy a socially marginal position and therefore are often underserved by academic and service institutions. This article analyzes food and housing security among students at The University of Texas at El Paso, a Hispanic-Serving Institution located in the U.S.

The Use of Photovoice Methodology to Assess Health Needs and Identify Opportunities Among Migrant Transgender Women in the U.S.-Mexico Border.

Psychosocial, social and structural conditions have rarely been studied among transgender women in the U.S.-Mexico Border.

Analysis of Cancer Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices in Adolescents and Young Adults in Two Texas Rural Communities.

The Youth and Young Adults Cancer Knowledge Attitudes and Practices (C-KAP) exploratory study in 2 rural underserved areas in a border community. C-KAP is an interdisciplinary research pilot project led by university scholars in psychology and social work in partnership with community partners. The exploratory cross-sectional mix-method study recruited 141 (n141) youth and young adults (ages 18-39).

The Impact of Restrictive Policies on Mexican Immigrant Parents and Their Children's Access to Health Care.

This study assessed whether policies that limit Mexican immigrants' access to care affects their children's access to a regular source of care, health insurance, and timely preventive health visits. This was a cross-sectional study among Mexican immigrant parents who attended a health promotion program in Texas, Nevada, New York, and Illinois. A sociodemographic survey, including parental and child variables, was administered.

COVID-19 Imperils Access to Health and Human Services in El Paso, Texas and New York City: Perspectives from Hispanic Parents.

Low-income Hispanic communities are disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic through exacerbated financial vulnerabilities and health challenges. The aim of this study is to assess and compare the self-reported impact and challenges caused by COVID-19 in Mexican-origin parents in New York City (NYC), NY and El Paso, TX. Data is based on routine follow-up calls used to assess uptake of the HPV vaccine and COVID-19 concerns conducted between March and August 2020.

Photovoice: Integrating Course-Based Research in Undergraduate and Graduate Social Work Education.

Research skills are vital to students' professional careers and must be cultivated in the social work curriculum. While students and faculty may hesitate to participate in a course-based research project, the authors believe that the Photovoice method is easily adapted to a variety of class and student needs. Photovoice is a field-oriented and qualitative research method that visually documents and communicates community assets and needs.

Using Syndemics Theory to Examine HIV Sexual Risk Among Latinx Men Who Have Sex with Men in Philadelphia, PA: Findings from the National HIV Behavioral Surveillance.

Latinx men who have sex with men (MSM) continue to be disproportionately impacted by HIV/AIDS. Identifying the role of multiple syndemic factors associated with sexual risk behaviors is imperative in order to develop effective prevention and treatment strategies. Cross-sectional data for this study were derived from three cycles of the Philadelphia portion of the National HIV Behavioral Surveillance System.

Bridging the Gap Between Micro and Macro Practice to Address Homelessness in the U.S.-Mexico Border Region: Implications for Practitioners and Community Stakeholders.

Research and scholarship efforts continue to promote the integration of micro and macro practice in social work practice and education. Despite this, scholarship has documented persistent challenges in the fluid integration between the domains of micro-level service provision and macro-level social change efforts in practice and academic programs. This paper outlines a successful bridge between the micro-macro divide in the form of community-engaged practice to address homelessness and social work education in the U.

[Micro and Macro Social Work Practice in the Context of Tuberculosis].

The study of tuberculosis (TB) in the U.S.-Mexico border involves the consideration of three key components, which are complex and interrelated: the difficulty tracking and providing appropriate TB care due to the epidemiological and pathological characteristics of TB; the border itself is a geographical and epidemiological area that interweaves two nations, two cultures, two health systems and different laws; and the need for prevention and treatment approaches to TB that involve comprehensive clinical care and prevention while also taking into consideration stigma, social context and knowledge.

Adults Experiencing Homelessness in the US-Mexico Border Region: A Photovoice Project.

Homelessness is a social, economic, and political crisis in the United States. In particular, the US-Mexico Border region has seen a surge of homelessness, specifically among veterans, women victims of intimate partner violence, and immigrants. In 2014, 12 persons in El Paso, TX, with experience of being homeless used the photovoice methodology to participate in a project titled, "The Voices and Images of the Residents of the Opportunity Center for the Homeless: A Visual Project on the Identity and Challenges Homeless Adults Face on the Border Region.

Syndemic factors associated with drinking patterns among Latino men and Latina transgender women who have sex with men in New York City.

Alcohol consumption is a significant public health concern among Latino men and Latina transgender women who have sex with men. However, characteristics and behaviors associated with alcohol consumption in this population, particularly in regard to the complex influence of syndemic factors, remain understudied. The purpose of this study was to examine predictors of high-risk alcohol consumption (i.

Relationship Factors Associated with Sexual Risk Behavior and High-Risk Alcohol Consumption Among Latino Men Who Have Sex with Men: Challenges and Opportunities to Intervene on HIV Risk.

The HIV epidemic continues to be a major public health concern, affecting communities with varying prevention and treatment needs. In the U.S.

Nuestra Casa: An advocacy initiative to reduce inequalities and tuberculosis along the US-Mexico border.

The US-Mexico border provides a rich learning environment for professional social workers and at the same time poses some challenges. This article explores some of the unique demographics and social and cultural characteristics in the border region. These characteristics have implications for social work teaching, research, policy and practice.

Integration of Social, Cultural, and Biomedical Strategies into an Existing Couple-Based Behavioral HIV/STI Prevention Intervention: Voices of Latino Male Couples.

Introduction: Successful HIV prevention and treatment requires evidence-based approaches that combine biomedical strategies with behavioral interventions that are socially and culturally appropriate for the population or community being prioritized. Although there has been a push for a combination approach, how best to integrate different strategies into existing behavioral HIV prevention interventions remains unclear. The need to develop effective combination approaches is of particular importance for men who have sex with men (MSM), who face a disproportionately high risk of HIV acquisition.

Adaptation of a Couple-Based HIV/STI Prevention Intervention for Latino Men Who Have Sex With Men in New York City.

Predominantly Spanish-speaking Latino men who have sex with men (MSM) and their same-sex partners continue to be at high risk for HIV and STIs. Behavioral research has identified how relationship dynamics for male couples are associated with sexual risk behavior. Connect 'n Unite (CNU), an evidence-based HIV/STI prevention intervention originally created for Black MSM and their same-sex partners, was adapted for predominantly Spanish-speaking Latino MSM and their same-sex partners on the assumption that its key elements would be translatable while its efficacy would be retained.

[A couple-based approach: An innovative effort to tackle HIV infection among Latino gay men.].

The HIV epidemic is a serious and pervasive health issue in the Latino community. While prevention efforts have helped maintain stability in the overall number of infections among Latinos for more than a decade, this population continues to be affected by HIV at high levels. In particular, Predominantly Spanish-speaking Latino men who have sex with men (MSM) are disproportionately impacted by HIV.

Intimate partner violence and sexual health: voices and images of Latina immigrant survivors in southwestern United States.

Intimate partner violence (IPV), which describes physical and/or sexual assault of a spouse or sexually intimate companion, is a common health care issue across the globe. However, existing health outcomes studies are limited. Additionally, no study to our knowledge has specifically focused on the relationship between IPV and sexual health among Latina immigrants in southwestern United States.

Still a hard-to-reach population? Using social media to recruit Latino gay couples for an HIV intervention adaptation study.

Background: Online social networking use has increased rapidly among African American and Latino men who have sex with men (MSM), making it important to understand how these technologies can be used to reach, retain, and maintain individuals in care and promote health wellness. In particular, the Internet is increasingly recognized as a platform for health communication and education. However, little is known about how primarily Spanish-speaking populations use and engage with each other through social media platforms.