Exploring the role of cancer fatalism and engagement with skin cancer genetic information in diverse primary care patients.

Objective: To broaden the currently limited reach of genomic innovations, research is needed to understand how psychosocial and cultural factors influence reactions to genetic testing in diverse subgroups. Cancer fatalism is important in cancer prevention and deserves theoretical and empirical attention in the context of genomics and behavior change.

Methods: The current study employed data from a randomized controlled trial (N = 593) offering skin cancer genetic testing (using the melanocortin-1 receptor [MC1R] gene) in primary care in Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA.

Error and bias in race and ethnicity descriptions in medical examiner records in New Mexico: Consequences for understanding mortality among Hispanic/Latinos.

Researchers use public records from deceased individuals to identify trends in manners and causes of death. Errors in the description of race and ethnicity can affect the inferences researchers draw, adversely impacting public health policies designed to eliminate health inequity. Using the New Mexico Decedent Image Database, we examine: 1) the accuracy of death investigator descriptions of race and ethnicity by comparing their reports to those from next of kin (NOK), 2) the impact of decedent age and sex on disagreement between death investigators and NOK, and 3) the relationship between investigators' descriptions of decedent race and ethnicity and cause and manner of death from forensic pathologists (n = 1813).

Comprehension of skin cancer genetic risk feedback in primary care patients.

Few studies have examined comprehension and miscomprehension of genetic risk feedback for moderate-risk genes in the general population. We examined the prevalence and nature of accurate and inaccurate genetic risk feedback comprehension among those who received genetic testing for melanocortin-1-receptor (MC1R) gene variants that confer moderate melanoma risk. Participants (N = 145 Albuquerque, NM) were tested as part of a randomized controlled trial.

"Let's Talk about Skin Cancer": Examining Association between Family Communication about Skin Cancer, Perceived Risk, and Sun Protection Behaviors.

Family communication about skin cancer risk may motivate protective behaviors. However, it is unclear how widespread such communication might be. In this study, we describe prevalence and patterns (across environmental, personal, and behavioral factors) of family communication about skin cancer across N = 600 diverse (79% female, 48% Hispanic, 44% non-Hispanic White) primary care patients from Albuquerque, New Mexico, a geographical location with year-round sun exposure.

Refined, regionally-specific data standards reveal heterogeneity in Hispanic death records.

Hispanic ethnicity can be captured with differing levels of granularity using various data standards, including those from the Office of Management and Budget, Health and Human Services and National Academy of Medicine. Previous research identified seven subgroups of Hispanics in New Mexico using open-ended interviews and information about the culture/history of the state. We examined age and manner of death to determine whether differences among subgroups are hidden by less-refined categorization.

Effect of Superstitious Beliefs and Risk Intuitions on Genetic Test Decisions.

Introduction: Moving beyond numeric representations of risk perceptions, we examine cognitive causation, or superstitious thinking, and negative affect in risk as predictors of (i.e., moderate v.

Behavioral and Psychological Outcomes Associated with Skin Cancer Genetic Testing in Albuquerque Primary Care.

Public availability of genetic information is increasing; thus, efforts to improve diversity in basic and translational research in genomics is a top priority. Given the increasing U.S.

Colonialism, ethnogenesis, and biogeographic ancestry in the US Southwest.

Objective: Differences between self-perceived biogeographic ancestry and estimates derived from DNA are potentially informative about the formation of ethnic identities in different sociohistorical contexts. Here, we compared self-estimates and DNA-estimates in New Mexico, where notions of shared ancestry and ethnic identity have been shaped by centuries of migration and admixture.

Materials And Methods: We asked 507 New Mexicans of Spanish-speaking descent (NMS) to list their ethnic identity and to estimate their percentages of European and Native American ancestry.

Childhood dietary quality predicts adult facial fluctuating asymmetry in contemporary New Mexicans.

Fluctuating asymmetry (FA) in adults is thought to reflect specific types of developmental stress. If true, adult FA may be a proxy for developmental stress in past as well as current populations. To date, studies of the link between development and adult FA have produced ambiguous results due to insufficient measurement data for childhood environments.

Beyond Serial Founder Effects: The Impact of Admixture and Localized Gene Flow on Patterns of Regional Genetic Diversity.

Geneticists have argued that the linear decay in within-population genetic diversity with increasing geographic distance from East Africa is best explained by a phylogenetic process of repeated founder effects, growth, and isolation. However, this serial founder effect (SFE) process has not yet been adequately vetted against other evolutionary processes that may also affect geospatial patterns of diversity. Additionally, studies of the SFE process have been largely based on a limited 52-population sample.

Effects of health literacy skills, educational attainment, and level of melanoma risk on responses to personalized genomic testing.

Objective: Few studies have examined how health literacy impacts responses to genetic information.

Methods: We examined this issue among 145 English or Spanish-speaking adult primary care patients enrolled in a trial that offered testing for MC1R gene variants that confer moderately increased melanoma risk. We investigated whether health literacy skills, educational attainment, or melanoma risk were related to short-term cognitive and affective responses to genetic test results.

Colonialism and the co-evolution of ethnic and genetic structure in New Mexico.

Objective: Socially constructed ethnic identities are frequently rooted in beliefs about common descent that form when people with disparate cultures, languages, and biology come into contact. This study explores connections between beliefs about common descent, as represented by ethnic nomenclatures, and histories of migration and isolation ascertained from genomic data in New Mexicans of Spanish-speaking descent (NMS).

Materials And Methods: We interviewed 507 NMS who further identified using one of seven ethnic terms that they associated with beliefs about connections to past ancestors.

Variation in a New Mexico Population.

Background: The Melanocortin 1 Receptor () contributes to pigmentation, an important risk factor for developing melanoma. Evaluating SNPs in and association with race/ethnicity, skin type, and perceived cancer risk in a New Mexico (NM) population will elucidate the role of in a multicultural population.

Methods: We genotyped in 191 NMs attending a primary care clinic in Albuquerque.

Psychosocial and Cultural Determinants of Interest and Uptake of Skin Cancer Genetic Testing in Diverse Primary Care.

Background: Translational research in genomics has limited reach and requires efforts to broaden access and utility in diverse populations. Skin cancer is common and rates are rising, including among Hispanics. Germline variants in the melanocortin-1 receptor (MC1R) gene are common in the population and confer moderate risk for melanoma and basal cell cancers across skin types.

Associations between ethnic identity, regional history, and genomic ancestry in New Mexicans of Spanish-speaking descent.

This study examines associations between ethnic identity, regional history, and genomic ancestry in New Mexicans of Spanish-speaking descent (NMS). In structured interviews, we asked 507 NMS to select from a list of eight ethnic identity terms identified in previous research. We estimated genomic ancestry for each individual from 291,917 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and compared genomic ancestry, age, and birthplace between groups of individuals who identified using each ethnic identity term.

Interest and Uptake of MC1R Testing for Melanoma Risk in a Diverse Primary Care Population: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Germline variants in the MC1R gene are common and confer moderate melanoma risk in those with varied skin types. Approaches to precision skin cancer prevention that include genetic information may promote risk awareness and risk reduction in the general population, including Hispanics.

Objective: To examine prevalence of interest in and uptake of MC1R testing in the general population and examine patterns across demographic and skin cancer risk factors.

Social Identity in New Mexicans of Spanish-Speaking Descent Highlights Limitations of Using Standardized Ethnic Terminology in Research.

In this study, we evaluated the extent to which regional history has shaped the social identity nomenclature in New Mexicans of Spanish-speaking descent (NMSD). We asked 507 NMSD to list the social-identity terms they used to describe themselves and their parents, and we examined the correspondence between these choices and family ties to the region, birthplace, and continental ancestry. NMSD frequently identified using the regional terms "Nuevomexicano/a" (15%) and "Spanish" (12%).

Social-group identity and population substructure in admixed populations in New Mexico and Latin America.

We examined the relationship between continental-level genetic ancestry and racial and ethnic identity in an admixed population in New Mexico with the goal of increasing our understanding of how racial and ethnic identity influence genetic substructure in admixed populations. Our sample consists of 98 New Mexicans who self-identified as Hispanic or Latino (NM-HL) and who further categorized themselves by race and ethnic subgroup membership. The genetic data consist of 270 newly-published autosomal microsatellites from the NM-HL sample and previously published data from 57 globally distributed populations, including 13 admixed samples from Central and South America.

Beyond Serial Founder Effects: The Impact of Admixture and Localized Gene Flow on Patterns of Regional Genetic Diversity.

Geneticists have argued that the linear decay in within-population genetic diversity with increasing geographic distance from East Africa is best explained by a phylogenetic process of repeated founder effects, growth, and isolation. However, this serial founder effect (SFE) process has not yet been adequately vetted against other evolutionary processes that may also affect geospatial patterns of diversity. Additionally, studies of the SFE process have been largely based on a limited 52-population sample.

Implementing an Internet-Delivered Skin Cancer Genetic Testing Intervention to Improve Sun Protection Behavior in a Diverse Population: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Limited translational genomic research currently exists to guide the availability, comprehension, and appropriate use of personalized genomics in diverse general population subgroups. Melanoma skin cancers are preventable, curable, common in the general population, and disproportionately increasing in Hispanics.

Objective: Variants in the melanocortin-1 receptor (MC1R) gene are present in approximately 50% of the population, are major factors in determining sun sensitivity, and confer a 2-to-3-fold increase in melanoma risk in the general population, even in populations with darker skin.

Translation and adaptation of skin cancer genomic risk education materials for implementation in primary care.

Genomic medicine has revolutionized disease risk identification and subsequent risk reduction interventions. Skin cancer risk genomic feedback is a promising vehicle to raise awareness and protective behaviors in the general population, including Hispanics who are largely unaware of their risks. Yet, personalized genomics currently has limited reach.

A Reassessment of the Impact of European Contact on the Structure of Native American Genetic Diversity.

Our current understanding of pre-Columbian history in the Americas rests in part on several trends identified in recent genetic studies. The goal of this study is to reexamine these trends in light of the impact of post-Columbian admixture and the methods used to study admixture. The previously-published data consist of 645 autosomal microsatellite genotypes from 1046 individuals in 63 populations.

The apportionment of human diversity revisited.

Objectives: Studies of the apportionment of human genetic diversity have found that local populations harbor nearly as much diversity as the species as a whole. These studies have been a valuable cornerstone in rejecting race as a biological framework in anthropology. The current study presents new analyses that use updated statistical methods based on bifurcating trees to assess the structure of human genetic diversity and its implications for the existence of canonical biological races.

Social and clinical predictors of drug-resistant tuberculosis in a public hospital, Monterrey, Mexico.

Purpose: Drug-resistant tuberculosis (DRTB) is steadily increasing in Mexico, but little is known of patient risk factors in the Mexico-United States border region. This preliminary case-control study included 95 patients with active pulmonary TB with drug susceptibility results attending the José E. González University Hospital in the urban hub of Nuevo León-the Monterrey Metropolitan Area.