Challenges and Successes in Health Communication Messaging With Asian Americans.

Asians are the fastest growing racial and ethnic group in the United States, and in Michigan, Asians represent 3.4% of the state's population. Asians have long been aggregated as a homogeneous group and stereotyped as a "model minority.

Perceptions of COVID-19 Vaccine, Racism, and Social Vulnerability: An Examination among East Asian Americans, Southeast Asian Americans, South Asian Americans, and Others.

As COVID-19 vaccines are readily available and most U.S. adults who are enthusiastic about the vaccine have received it, motivating those who have not been vaccinated to accept it has become a challenge.

Using Community Engagement and Geographic Information Systems to Address COVID-19 Vaccination Disparities.

The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated existing health disparities and had a disproportionate impact on racial and ethnic minority groups in the United States. Limited COVID-19 data for Asian Americans have led to less attention for this population; nevertheless, available statistics have revealed lesser known impacts of COVID-19 on this population. Even with significant increases in vaccine supply and recent increases in COVID-19 vaccination rates, racial and ethnic disparities in vaccine uptake still persist.

Is a Tumor Suppressor Gene in Colorectal Cancer.

Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer and the third leading cause of cancer death in the United States. Growth factor-independent 1 (GFI1) is a zinc finger transcriptional repressor responsible for controlling secretory cell differentiation in the small intestine and colon. GFI1 plays a significant role in the development of human malignancies, including leukemia, lung cancer, and prostate cancer.

Mesenchymal stem cells induce epithelial proliferation within the inflamed stomach.

Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) sustain cancer cells by creating a microenvironment favorable for tumor growth. In particular, MSCs have been implicated in gastric cancer development. There is extensive evidence suggesting that Hedgehog signaling regulates tumor growth.

Gastritis promotes an activated bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cell with a phenotype reminiscent of a cancer-promoting cell.

Background: Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) promote gastric cancer in response to gastritis. In culture, BM-MSCs are prone to mutation with continued passage but it is unknown whether a similar process occurs in vivo in response to gastritis.

Aim: The purpose of this study was to identify the role of chronic gastritis in the transformation of BM-MSCs leading to an activated cancer-promoting phenotype.

Sonic hedgehog mediates the proliferation and recruitment of transformed mesenchymal stem cells to the stomach.

Studies using Helicobacter-infected mice show that bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) can repopulate the gastric epithelium and promote gastric cancer progression. Within the tumor microenvironment of the stomach, pro-inflammatory cytokine interferon-gamma (IFNγ) and Sonic hedgehog (Shh) are elevated. IFNγ is implicated in tumor proliferation via activation of the Shh signaling pathway in various tissues but whether a similar mechanism exists in the stomach is unknown.

Gastric Sonic Hedgehog acts as a macrophage chemoattractant during the immune response to Helicobacter pylori.

Background & Aims: Macrophages mediate the epithelial response to Helicobacter pylori and are involved in the development of gastritis. Sonic Hedgehog (Shh) regulates gastric epithelial differentiation and function, but little is known about its immunoregulatory role in the stomach. We investigated whether gastric Shh acts as a macrophage chemoattractant during the innate immune response to H pylori infection.

The role of sonic hedgehog reemergence during gastric cancer.

Sonic Hedgehog (Shh) signaling has been extensively studied for its role in developmental biology and cancer biology. The association between Shh and cancer development in general is well established but the functional role of Shh in the development and progression of gastric cancer specifically is largely unknown. Bone marrow-derived stem cells, specifically mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) infiltrate and engraft into the gastric mucosa in response to the chronic inflammatory environment of Helicobacter infection.

Increasing eye contact toward learning materials in a toddler with autism.

Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder often display deficits in eye contact that limit communicating with others, completing tasks, and attending to relevant stimuli. The participant in this study was a two-and-a-half-year-old boy with autism who seldom looked at materials while attempting three different tasks-assembling the pieces of a puzzle, stacking objects, and looking at pictures. This study compared rates of eye contact toward three target materials under two conditions: when food reinforcers were provided when he made eye contact with task materials and when they were withheld.