Publications by authors named "Maria T Hernandez"

The field of participatory research with children developed largely thanks to shared learning between different cultures, places, and disciplines. However, grand narratives and power relationships in academia inherited from colonialism and imperialism can threaten to obstruct the transformative value of this approach. In this article, we present the case of Think Big, a multinational collaboration for participatory research with children that involved adult and child coresearchers from Australia, Chile, Colombia, and the United Kingdom.

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Introduction: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune inflammatory disorder for which Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) genes are well-identified as risk factors. SLE patients have different phenotypes or clinical presentations, which vary among Mexicans. This variation could be explained by ethnicity and admixture.

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Background: Nurses increasingly are identified as key health care members on global health initiatives, and nursing curricula should address this competency to prepare students to work in a global environment. This article will share how processes and structures were established for an international undergraduate nursing student exchange and service-learning experience between two schools of nursing.

Method: The goals of the project were to (a) implement an annual nursing student exchange of approximately 3 weeks in length; (b) select eight students from each school, accompanied by a faculty member, to participate; and (c) provide opportunities for students to participate in service-learning assessments in identified communities.

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In Paraguay, 49% of the population depends on biomass (wood and charcoal) for cooking. Residential biomass burning is a major source of fine particulate matter (PM ) and carbon monoxide (CO) in and around the household environment. In July 2016, cross-sectional household air pollution sampling was conducted in 80 households in rural Paraguay.

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Sewage sludge features high nitrogen and phosphorous contents encouraging its use as a biosolid in agriculture, but it bears potential chemical and microbiological risks. To tease apart the relative contribution of main factors determining the sludge chemical and microbial features, we analysed 28 treatment plants differing in the wastewater origin (municipal residues, agro-food or chemical industries), organic loading rate and treatment technology (extended aeration, activated sludge or activated sludge followed by anaerobic digestion). We found that the treatment technology and the organic loading rate are main determinants of the sludge chemical properties, including its organic load, nutrient and metal contents, and override the effect of the wastewater origin.

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As demand for global health research training continues to grow, many universities are striving to meet the needs of trainees in a manner complementary to research priorities of the institutions hosting trainees, while also increasing capacity for conducting research. We provide an overview of the first 4 years of the Global Health Program for Fellows and Scholars, a collaboration of 20 U.S.

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The purpose of this study is to extend the research on contextual factors that influence the initiation and continued use of methamphetamine (meth) by women on the U.S.-Mexico border.

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Objectives: One of the reported advantages of digital pleural drainage system is the possibility of predicting the occurrence of prolonged air leak (PAL) based on the recorded pleural pressures and/or air flow through chest tubes. Nevertheless, this fact has never been well supported. The objective of this investigation is to evaluate if the occurrence of PAL can accurately be predicted using clinical data and air leak measurements 24 h after lung resection on conventional pleural drainage system (CPDS).

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Background: Previous studies have shown an association between Mexican migration to the United States and an increased frequency of HIV high-risk behaviors among male Mexican migrants. However, the individual level change in these behaviors after migration has not been quantified.

Objective: To estimate the change in HIV high-risk behaviors among Mexican migrants after migration to the United States.

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Objectives: Late HIV testing leads to preventable, severe clinical and public health outcomes. California, lacking a mature HIV surveillance system, has been excluded from documented analyses of late HIV testers in the United States. We identified factors associated with late HIV testing in the California AIDS surveillance data to inform programs of HIV testing and access to treatment.

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The effect of soil amendments prepared from organic wastes (sewage sludge and urban solid waste) at two concentrations (45 t ha(-1) as D1 and 135 t ha(-1) as D2) was evaluated on phytochemicals and microbial quality of rocket, a highly valuable vegetable. The addition of sewage sludge to the soil increased rocket yield 5.5 times compared to control and urban solid waste.

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Methamphetamine and cocaine use have been associated with a vulnerability to HIV infection among men who have sex with men and among men who have sex with women but not specifically among Mexican migrants in the United States. The California-Mexico Epidemiological Surveillance Pilot was a venue-based targeted survey of male and female Mexican migrants living in rural and urban areas in California. Among men (n = 985), the percentage of methamphetamine/cocaine use in the past year was 21% overall, 20% in male work venues, 19% in community venues, and 25% in high-risk behavior venues.

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Background: Although rural Latino migrant laborers have been identified as a group at-risk for acquiring HIV, few studies have examined transmitted diseases (STDs) in urban, Latino migrant laborers.

Goal: To assess the prevalence of STDs in a sample of urban, migrant day laborers in San Francisco.

Study Design: A convenience sample of participants in the Day Laborer Project of the San Francisco Department of Public Health was screened for STDs from September 1994 to January 2001.

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Frontal lobe dysfunction in adults has been associated with impairments of planning abilities, working memory, impulse control, attention and certain aspects of motor coordination. However, very few studies have attempted to assess these functions in children suffering from frontal lobe epilepsy. The aim of the present study was to determine whether some or all of the components of the frontal lobe syndrome are present in children with this disorder.

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