The Development of a Digital Patient Navigation Tool to Increase Colorectal Cancer Screening Among Federally Qualified Health Center Patients: Acceptability and Usability Testing.

Background: Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) are an essential place for historically underserved patients to access health care, including screening for colorectal cancer (CRC), one of the leading causes of cancer death in the United States. Novel interventions aimed at increasing CRC screening completion rates at FQHCs are crucial.

Objective: This study conducts user testing of a digital patient navigation tool, called eNav, designed to support FQHC patients in preparing for, requesting, and completing CRC screening tests.

The association between food insecurity and colorectal cancer screening: 2018-2021 New York State Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS).

Purpose: To assess the association between food insecurity and colorectal cancer screening uptake in screening eligible participants in New York State.

Methods: We analyzed 28,154 adults who participated in New York State Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) from 2018 to 2021, were age-eligible for colorectal cancer screening based on the USPSTF guidelines at the time of survey administration and answered a version of the administered survey that included the module on food insecurity. Participants were defined as food insecure if they self-reported being always, usually, or sometimes stressed about having enough money to buy nutritious meals in the past 12 months.

One-Stop-Shop Cancer Screening Clinic: Acceptability Testing.

Cancer screenings aid in the early detection of cancer and can help reduce cancer-related mortality. The current model of care for cancer screening is often siloed, based on the targeted cancer site. We tested the acceptability of a new model of care, called the One-Stop-Shop Cancer Screening Clinic, that centralizes cancer screenings and offers patients the option to complete all their recommended cancer screenings within one to two visits.

Multi-cancer early detection (MCED) tests: prioritizing equity from bench to bedside.

Multi-cancer early detection (MCED) tests are blood-based tests designed to screen for signals of multiple cancers. There is growing interest and investment in examining the potential benefits and applications of MCED tests. If MCED tests are shown to have clinical utility, it is important to ensure that all people-regardless of their demographic or socioeconomic background-equitably benefit from these tests.

The unexplored role of alkali and alkaline earth elements (ALAEs) on the structure, processing, and biological effects of bioactive glasses.

Bioactive glass has been employed in several medical applications since its inception in 1969. The compositions of these materials have been investigated extensively with emphasis on glass network formers, therapeutic transition metals, and glass network modifiers. Through these experiments, several commercial and experimental compositions have been developed with varying chemical durability, induced physiological responses, and hydroxyapatite forming abilities.

Mixed-mode size-exclusion silica resin for polishing human antibodies in flow-through mode.

The polishing step in the downstream processing of therapeutic antibodies removes residual impurities from Protein A eluates. Among the various classes of impurities, antibody fragments are especially challenging to remove due to the broad biomolecular diversity generated by a multitude of fragmentation patterns. The current approach to fragment removal relies on ion exchange or mixed-mode adsorbents operated in bind-and-gradient-elution mode.

Identifying Frequently Endorsed Benefits and Barriers to Breast Cancer Screening for African-Born Women in the NYC Metropolitan Area: a Pilot Study.

Most cancer screening data report on Black participants without distinguishing nativity, limiting our understanding of the needs of distinct groups within the African diaspora. The purpose of this pilot study was to assess demographic characteristics and perceptions of the benefits of and barriers to mammography among African immigrant women in New York City (NYC). Forty-two women who were 40 years or older, born in Africa, and English and/or French-speaking were recruited from African immigrant communities in NYC to complete a survey.

Equity and behavioral digital health interventions: Strategies to improve benefit and reach.

Background: Behavioral digital health interventions (e.g., mobile apps, websites, wearables) have been applied widely to improve health outcomes.

Evaluation of the herbicide glyphosate, (aminomethyl)phosphonic acid, and glyphosate-based formulations for genotoxic activity using in vitro assays.

Glyphosate, the most heavily used herbicide world-wide, is applied to plants in complex formulations that promote absorption. The National Toxicology Program reported in 1992 that glyphosate, administered to rats and mice at doses up to 50,000 ppm in feed for 13 weeks, showed little evidence of toxicity, and no induction of micronuclei was observed in the mice in this study. Subsequently, mechanistic studies of glyphosate and glyphosate-based formulations (GBFs) that have focused on DNA damage and oxidative stress suggest that glyphosate may have genotoxic potential.

Trends and perspectives on the commercialization of bioactive glasses.

At least 25 bioactive glass (BG) medical devices have been approved for clinical use by global regulatory agencies. Diverse applications include monolithic implants, bone void fillers, dentin hypersensitivity agents, wound dressing, and cancer therapeutics. The morphology and delivery systems of bioactive glasses have evolved dramatically since the first devices based on 45S5 Bioglass®.

Undue burden: Black faculty, COVID-19, and the racial justice movement.

A crucial reckoning was initiated when the COVID-19 pandemic began to expose and intensify long-standing racial/ethnic health inequities, all while various sectors of society pursued racial justice reform. As a result, there has been a contextual shift towards broader recognition of systemic racism, and not race, as the shared foundational driver of both societal maladies. This confluence of issues is of particular relevance to Black populations disproportionately affected by the pandemic and racial injustice.

The Functional Assessment of Migraine Scale development datasets.

The Functional Assessment of Migraine Scale (FAMS) is a newly developed questionnaire that allows patients to indicate their response to migraine treatment [1]. The datasets provided in this article were collected on patients with migraine using survey methodology in two rounds of data collection. In the first dataset ( = 100), patients were shown 210 proposed questions for the FAMS and rated their usefulness and/or relevance for assessing their treatment response [2].

Development of the functional assessment of migraine scale using a patient guided approach.

Purpose: A better understanding of the multi-dimensional burden and impact of migraine has grown over recent years, yet the tools used to measure these concepts have not been updated to reflect such findings. Additionally, due to the increase in the number of both prophylactic and acute therapeutic options for migraine, a comprehensive assessment of treatment response is necessary. The goal of this project was to develop a patient guided outcome measure which evaluates patient identified efficacy factors when appraising migraine treatment response.

Using the HepaCometChip Assay for Broad-Spectrum DNA Damage Analysis.

Exposure to DNA damaging agents can lead to mutations that cause cancer. The liver is particularly vulnerable because it contains high levels of Cytochrome P450 enzymes that can convert xenobiotics into DNA reactive metabolites that form potentially carcinogenic bulky DNA adducts. As such, current requirements for preclinical testing include in vivo testing for DNA damage in the liver, which often requires many animals.

Systematic Review of Colorectal Cancer Screening-Related Apps.

In the United States, colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second leading cause of cancer death in men and women combined. The United States Preventive Services Task Force recommends that average risk adults have regular CRC screening to detect and prevent CRC. Despite published CRC screening guidelines, national CRC screening rates remain suboptimal.

Understanding Black Matriarchal Role Models in the U.S. Attitudes and Beliefs About Breastfeeding.

Despite the tremendous health benefits for both mother and infant, black women (including African Americans and those who self-identify as black) have lower rates of breastfeeding than all other racial groups. Historically, matriarchal role models have been essential within the black family structure. The purpose of this study was to explore matriarchal role models' attitudes and beliefs about breastfeeding.

Novel peptoid-based adsorbents for purifying IgM and IgG from polyclonal and recombinant sources.

Polyclonal immunoglobulin therapeutics comprising dosed IgG and IgM combinations are powerful tools in fighting cancer and severe infections. The inability of protein ligands to produce polyclonal IgG- and IgM-enriched formulations and recover monoclonal IgM calls for novel ligands with superior biorecognition activity. In this study, a peptoid ligand discovered by our group, and integrated into affinity adsorbents LigaTrap Technologies' "Human IgG" and "Human IgM", were utilized to purify IgG and IgM from complex fluids.

Knowledge of the Relationship Between Breastfeeding and Breast Cancer Risk Among Racial and Ethnic Minority Women.

Research indicates breastfeeding can reduce the risk of breast cancer in women. Black and Hispanic women are more likely to die from breast cancer than non-Hispanic white women and are least likely to breastfeed. The current study was designed to evaluate women's knowledge of the link between breastfeeding and decreased breast cancer risk among a racially diverse cohort of pregnant women.

Development of a tablet app designed to improve African Americans' screening colonoscopy rates.

Compared with other racial/ethnic groups, African Americans have the highest colorectal cancer (CRC) morbidity and mortality rates. It is critical to help improve African Americans' CRC prevention efforts in order to reduce the burden of CRC in this community. The aim of this study was to develop and field test a tablet app, called e-Motivate, designed to improve African Americans' screening colonoscopy rates.

Application of the ConNECT Framework to Precision Health and Health Disparities.

Background: An emphasis on precision health (PH) has stimulated precision medicine studies to focus on the interplay of biological, behavioral, and environmental factors with disease risks, treatments, prognoses, and outcomes affecting health disparities. It is imperative, as well, that improving health equity among underserved populations remains central to the efforts and aims of PH.

Objectives: The aim if this study was to apply the transdisciplinary ConNECT Framework: A Model for Advancing Behavioral Medicine Science and Practice to Foster Health Equity to PH by integrating a population health agenda for reducing health disparities.

Controlled Molecular Assembly via Dynamic Confinement of Solvent.

Assembly from ultrasmall solution droplets follows a different dynamic from that of larger scales. Using an independently controlled microfluidic probe in an atomic force microscope, subfemtoliter aqueous droplets containing polymers produce well-defined features with dimensions as small as tens of nanometers. The initial shape of the droplet and the concentration of solute within the droplet play significant roles in the final assembly of polymers due to the ultrafast evaporation rate and spatial confinement by the small droplets.

Low-dose computed tomography lung cancer screening as a teachable moment for smoking cessation among African American smokers: A feasibility study.

Low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) screening may be a teachable moment for smoking cessation among African Americans. African Americans have been understudied within the context of LDCT and smoking cessation. The study objective was to evaluate the feasibility of recruiting African Americans to a future longitudinal trial and to obtain sample size estimates for that trial.

Recombinant Zoster Vaccine (Shingrix) to Prevent Herpes Zoster.

Women ages 50 years and older are at risk for herpes zoster, a reactivated virus from varicella zoster virus (chickenpox) that causes a painful vesicular rash and can result in postherpetic neuralgia. It is estimated that one in three adults will be affected by herpes zoster in their lifetime. Research evidence points to the need to prevent herpes zoster through vaccination.