Barriers and Facilitators of Colonoscopy Screening Among Latino Men in a Colorectal Cancer Screening Promotion Program.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second leading cause of cancer death among Latino men in the United States, yet they have low screening rates. This study explored barriers and facilitators of colonoscopy screening among Latino participants in a CRC screening promotion program. Six focus groups were conducted, in Spanish, with 45 Latino men, of which 28 had received and 17 had not received a colonoscopy.

Sub-classification of borderline changes into diffuse or focal and its impact on long-term renal transplant outcomes.

Background: Borderline changes (BL) with stable renal function is a controversial category in renal transplantation, given its contradictory outcomes. The aim of this study was to compare the clinical outcomes of BL in patients with stable renal function classified as focal and diffuse according to the extent of tubulitis.

Methods: Patients with no history of rejection with a surveillance graft biopsy at 3 or 12 months showing BL (n = 40), acute cellular rejection (n = 20) or normal biopsies (n = 20), were included in this study.

Regulation of the double-stranded RNA response through ADAR1 licenses metaplastic reprogramming in gastric epithelium.

Cells recognize both foreign and host-derived double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) via a signaling pathway that is usually studied in the context of viral infection. It has become increasingly clear that the sensing and handling of endogenous dsRNA is also critical for cellular differentiation and development. The adenosine RNA deaminase, ADAR1, has been implicated as a central regulator of the dsRNA response, but how regulation of the dsRNA response might mediate cell fate during injury and whether such signaling is cell intrinsic remain unclear.

Engaging Latino Families About COVID-19 Vaccines: A Qualitative Study Conducted in Oregon, USA.

Objectives: Latinos are disproportionately vulnerable to severe COVID-19 due to workplace exposure, multigenerational households, and existing health disparities. Rolling out COVID-19 vaccines among vulnerable Latinos is critical to address disparities. This study explores vaccine perceptions of Latino families to inform culturally centered strategies for vaccine dissemination.

Perceived barriers to and suggested interventions for physical activity during pregnancy among participants of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) in Southern California.

Background: The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) recommends that pregnant women engage in at least 20 to 30 min of moderate-intensity physical activity on most days of the week. Regular exercise during pregnancy is associated with many benefits for the mother and the developing fetus; yet, a large number of pregnant women do not engage in the recommended amounts. This study aimed to investigate barriers to and interventions for physical activity among pregnant WIC participants in Southern California.

Tropism for Spasmolytic Polypeptide-Expressing Metaplasia Allows Helicobacter pylori to Expand Its Intragastric Niche.

Background & Aims: In patients with chronic Helicobacter pylori (H pylori) infection, parietal and chief cell atrophy in the gastric corpus, a process known as spasmolytic polypeptide-expressing metaplasia (SPEM), increases the risk for progression to cancer. The relation between H pylori and these metaplastic changes is unclear. We investigated whether H pylori localizes to regions of SPEM.

Venoms of Micrurus coral snakes: Evolutionary trends in compositional patterns emerging from proteomic analyses.

The application of proteomic tools to the study of snake venoms has led to an impressive growth in the knowledge about their composition (venomics), immunogenicity (antivenomics), and toxicity (toxicovenomics). About one-third of all venomic studies have focused on elapid species, especially those of the Old World. The New World elapids, represented by coral snakes, have been less studied.

BMP-7 Induces Adult Human Pancreatic Exocrine-to-Endocrine Conversion.

The exocrine pancreas can give rise to endocrine insulin-producing cells upon ectopic expression of key transcription factors. However, the need for genetic manipulation remains a translational hurdle for diabetes therapy. Here we report the conversion of adult human nonendocrine pancreatic tissue into endocrine cell types by exposure to bone morphogenetic protein 7.

MicroRNA expression in alpha and beta cells of human pancreatic islets.

microRNAs (miRNAs) play an important role in pancreatic development and adult β-cell physiology. Our hypothesis is based on the assumption that each islet cell type has a specific pattern of miRNA expression. We sought to determine the profile of miRNA expression in α-and β-cells, the main components of pancreatic islets, because this analysis may lead to a better understanding of islet gene regulatory pathways.

Intracardial embryonic delivery of developmental modifiers in utero.

Our knowledge of organ ontogeny is largely based on loss-of-function (knockout) or gain-of-function (transgenesis) approaches. However, developmental modulators such as proteins, mRNAs, microRNAs(miRNAs), small interfering RNAs, and other small molecules may complement the above DNA-modifying technologies in a much more direct way. Unfortunately, their use is often limited by the ability of these compounds to cross the placenta and reach physiologically relevant concentrations when administered systemically to the mother.

Inflammation-Mediated Regulation of MicroRNA Expression in Transplanted Pancreatic Islets.

Nonspecific inflammation in the transplant microenvironment results in β-cell dysfunction and death influencing negatively graft outcome. MicroRNA (miRNA) expression and gene target regulation in transplanted islets are not yet well characterized. We evaluated the impact of inflammation on miRNA expression in transplanted rat islets.

Antisense miR-7 impairs insulin expression in developing pancreas and in cultured pancreatic buds.

MicroRNAs regulate gene expression by inhibiting translation or inducing target mRNA degradation. MicroRNAs regulate organ differentiation and embryonic development, including pancreatic specification and islet function. We showed previously that miR-7 is highly expressed in human pancreatic fetal and adult endocrine cells.

TAT-mediated transduction of MafA protein in utero results in enhanced pancreatic insulin expression and changes in islet morphology.

Alongside Pdx1 and Beta2/NeuroD, the transcription factor MafA has been shown to be instrumental in the maintenance of the beta cell phenotype. Indeed, a combination of MafA, Pdx1 and Ngn3 (an upstream regulator of Beta2/NeuroD) was recently reported to lead to the effective reprogramming of acinar cells into insulin-producing beta cells. These experiments set the stage for the development of new strategies to address the impairment of glycemic control in diabetic patients.

Comparative analysis of genomic sequences suggests that Trypanosoma cruzi CL Brener contains two sets of non-intercalated repeats of satellite DNA that correspond to T. cruzi I and T. cruzi II types.

Approximately 10% of the Trypanosoma cruzi genome is formed by a satellite DNA, composed by 195-bp repeats organized in 30+/-10 kb clusters in some, but not all chromosomes. Here, the satellite DNA of six representative T. cruzi strains was sequenced and used for phylogenetic inference.

Chromosomal polymorphism, gene synteny and genome size in T. cruzi I and T. cruzi II groups.

Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and DNA hybridization were used to establish and compare some parameters of the molecular karyotype of nine stocks classified into Trypanosoma cruzi I and T. cruzi II groups. The isolates showed a variable number of chromosomal bands (17-22) comprised between 0.

The largest subunit of the RNA polymerase II of Trypanosoma cruzi lacks the repeats in the carboxy-terminal domain and is encoded by several genes.

The largest subunit of eukaryotic RNA polymerase II (RNA Pol II) of several members of Kinetoplastida order and other early diverging eukaryote contains a serine, tyrosine and proline-rich domain in the carboxyl-terminal instead of the typical heptapeptides repeats found in most eukaryotes. The lack of these repeats seems to reflect the different control of gene transcription found in these organisms. To provide further understanding in these mechanisms, we have characterized the largest subunit of RNA polymerase II (RNA Pol II LSU) in Trypanosoma cruzi.

Organization of satellite DNA in the genome of Trypanosoma cruzi.

Trypanosoma cruzi has about 10(5) copies of a 195 bp repeat, called satellite DNA, which correspond to about 10% of the total DNA. Since very little is known about satellite distribution and function in this and in many other organisms, we studied the genomic organization of satellite DNA in T. cruzi Y, CL Brener, and Silvio X10 cl1 strains.

Evidence for multiple hybrid groups in Trypanosoma cruzi.

A role for parasite genetic variability in the spectrum of Chagas disease is emerging but not yet evident, in part due to an incomplete understanding of the population structure of Trypanosoma cruzi. To investigate further the observed genotypic variation at the sequence and chromosomal levels in strains of standard and field-isolated T. cruzi we have undertaken a comparative analysis of 10 regions of the genome from two isolates representing T.

High prevalence of Trypanosoma rangeli and Trypanosoma cruzi in opossums and triatomids in a formerly-endemic area of Chagas disease in Southeast Brazil.

In Brazil Trypanosoma rangeli has been detected in humans, sylvatic mammals and vectors in the Amazon Basin and in wild rodents in a Southern State. Here we report for the first time a high prevalence of T. rangeli in opossums and triatomids captured in peridomestic environments in a formerly-endemic area of Chagas disease in Southeast Brazil.