A service-oriented approach to clinical trial recruitment for dementia and brain health: Methods and case examples of MyAlliance for Brain Health.

Introduction: Recruitment of sufficient and diverse participants into clinical research for Alzheimer's disease and related dementias remains a formidable challenge. The primary goal of this manuscript is to provide an overview of an approach to diversifying research recruitment and to provide case examples of several methods for achieving greater diversity in clinical research enrollment.

Methods: The University of Kansas Alzheimer's Disease Research Center (KU ADRC) developed MyAlliance for Brain Health (MyAlliance), a service-oriented recruitment model.

Summer Cancer Research Experience for High School Students from Historically Marginalized Populations in Kansas City.

The Accelerate Cancer Education (ACE) summer research program at The University of Kansas Cancer Center (KUCC) is a six-week, cancer-focused, summer research experience for high school students from historically marginalized populations in the Kansas City metropolitan area. Cancer affects all populations and continues to be the second leading cause of death in the United States, and a large number of disparities impact racial and ethnic minorities, including increased cancer incidence and mortality. Critically, strategies to bolster diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility are needed to address persistent cancer disparities.

Integrating a focus on health equity in implementation science: Case examples from the national cancer institute's implementation science in cancer control centers (ISC) network.

Background: A Health Equity Task Force (HETF) of members from seven Centers funded by the National Cancer Institute's (NCI) Implementation Science in Cancer Control Centers (ISC) network sought to identify case examples of how Centers were applying a focus on health equity in implementation science to inform future research and capacity-building efforts.

Methods: HETF members at each ISC collected information on how health equity was conceptualized, operationalized, and addressed in initial research and capacity-building efforts across the seven ISC Centers funded in 2019-2020. Each Center completed a questionnaire assessing five health equity domains central to implementation science (e.

Patient reported goals for medications for opioid use disorder: A theory of proximal goal attainment.

Background: There exist substantial patient barriers to accessing medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD), including travel distance, stigma, and availability of MOUD providers. Yet, despite these barriers, there exists a subset of patients who possess the requisite motivation to seek and remain adherent to treatment.

Objective: To explore patient-derived goals in MOUD treatment-adherent patients.

A WNT4- and DKK3-driven canonical to noncanonical Wnt signaling switch controls multiciliogenesis.

Multiciliated cells contain hundreds of cilia whose directional movement powers the mucociliary clearance of the airways, a vital host defense mechanism. Multiciliated cell specification requires canonical Wnt signaling, which then must be turned off. Next, ciliogenesis and polarized ciliary orientation are regulated by noncanonical Wnt/planar cell polarity (Wnt/PCP) signaling.

Community-Centered Patient Journey Map in Opioid Use Disorder: A Tool to Address Compassion Fatigue among Community Pharmacists.

Community pharmacists have become increasingly exposed to opioid use disorders in recent decades. However, both pharmacist training and traditional practice environments have not been adequate to prepare the pharmacist for both the patient care needs and regulatory barriers of patients experiencing opioid use disorders (OUD). As a result, there is a need to increase pharmacists' awareness of both the overall patient experience as they navigate their OUD and the role of the community pharmacy as a touchpoint within that experience.

Preliminary validation of the Diversion Risk Scale (DRS): Using environmental and individual factors to predict opioid-related diversion events.

The standard of care calls for the assessment of patients with chronic pain prior to the initiation of opioids, with one part of this assessment including assessment of the risk of misuse of medications. However, traditional opioid risk assessment tools focus almost entirely on individual factors and on the risk of misuse and addiction to opioids. Diversion of opioid medications has been found to be not uncommon, but to date, there have been no assessment tools specifically designed to assess the risk of diversion.

Social determinants of health and cancer screening implementation and outcomes in the USA: a systematic review protocol.

Background: Improving the delivery, uptake, and implementation of cancer screening to meet evidence-based recommendations is needed to reduce persistent cancer health disparities in the USA. Current national public health targets emphasize the role of social determinants of health (SDOH) on cancer screening. However, there remains a need to explicate these linkages, toward the goal of identifying and implementing effective interventions that target and address SDOH to reduce inequities in cancer screening.

Exploring Changes in Gang Involvement and Associated Risk Factors for American Indian Adolescents in Reservation Communities.

Reservation communities are among emerging communities for gang activity, in which reports of a rise in youth and/or criminal gangs began occurring after the 1980s. Gang membership has been found to pose a public health risk, strain community resources, and risk a number of individual negative life outcomes. Perceived increases in reservation gang activity have been observed by law-enforcement and community stakeholders, but comparatively little empirical research has focused specifically on these communities.

The Role of Impulsivity and Stress Mind-Set in Understanding the Mindfulness-Intimate Partner Aggression Relationship.

Perpetration of relational aggression, which is estimated to occur in 60% to 90% of relationships, has been demonstrated to have lasting negative effects both systemically and for its victims. Relational aggression has also been demonstrated to be impacted, in part by impulsivity, stress mind-set, and mindfulness. The present study examined a path analysis model of the relation between mindfulness and relational aggression, utilizing impulsivity as the mediating variable.

A Longitudinal Investigation on the Relation between Self-Compassion and Alcohol Use in a Treatment Sample: A Brief Report.

Alcohol misuse is often a chronic problem such that relapses following treatment are common. One potential protective factor for alcohol misuse is self-compassion, which includes self-kindness, feelings of common humanity, and mindfulness when faced with personal suffering and hardships. This study tested the hypothesis that self-compassion, and specifically self-compassion promoting facets including self-kindness, common humanity, and mindfulness, were longitudinally associated with reduced alcohol use among a sample of men and women in substance use disorder treatment ( = 62).

The Relationship Between Food Deserts, Farmers' Markets, and Food Assistance Programs in Hawai'i Census Tracts.

Due to inadequate resources and limited access to healthy foods, residents who live in food deserts struggle to maintain a healthful diet. Living in a food desert increases the risk of developing diet-related chronic diseases such as obesity. Local farmers' markets serve as community-level interventions, bringing healthy food options to food deserts.

A 20-year study of the bidirectional relationship between anxious and depressive symptomology and pain medication usage.

To investigate the 20-year relationship between anxiety, depression and pain medication use. A total of 521 individuals reporting chronic pain from the National Survey of Midlife Development in the USA (MIDUS) study. Structural equation modeling of 20-year longitudinal survey data.

Preliminary Efficacy of a Recruitment Educational Strategy on Alzheimer's Disease Knowledge, Research Participation Attitudes, and Enrollment Among Hispanics.

Introduction: Hispanics remain underrepresented in dementia clinical research. This one-arm trial aimed to assess the preliminary efficacy of a culturally tailored recruitment educational strategy among Hispanic older adults on dementia knowledge, research participation attitudes, and enrollment.

Method: The recruitment strategy included 6 one-session culturally tailored dementia education events at trusted community senior centers.

The Impact of History of Aggression and Alcohol Use on Aggressive: Responding in the Laboratory.

The current study examines how different levels of past aggression combined with self-reported levels of alcohol use impacted lab-based aggressive responding. Data were collected from 160 male undergraduate college students. Participants completed online measures of drinking (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test) and past aggression (Buss Perry Aggression Questionnaire) prior to a lab session assessing aggressive responding [Point Subtraction Aggression Paradigm (PSAP)].

African American and Latinx Adolescents' Perspectives of Nursing as a Career Choice.

Background: Ensuring a diverse nursing workforce that closely represents the diversity of the population is imperative for culturally competent and equitable care. To accomplish this, purposeful and strategic programs need to be integrated into secondary education. The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore the perceptions and attitudes about the nursing profession among African American and Latinx adolescents.

Suppression of stromal-derived Dickkopf-3 (DKK3) inhibits tumor progression and prolongs survival in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) has a dismal prognosis, and it is unclear whether its stromal infiltrate contributes to its aggressiveness. Here, we demonstrate that Dickkopf-3 (DKK3) is produced by pancreatic stellate cells and is present in most human PDAC. DKK3 stimulates PDAC growth, metastasis, and resistance to chemotherapy with both paracrine and autocrine mechanisms through NF-κB activation.

Occult contralateral inguinal hernias: what is their true incidence and should they be repaired?

Background: The true incidence of occult contralateral inguinal hernia is unknown; however, when found, there exists controversy as to whether or not they should be repaired. The aim of our study is to identify the incidence of contralateral incidental inguinal hernias in our surgical population, compare our results to previous studies timelining occult hernia identification to repair need, and generate debate as to whether incidental contralateral hernias should be repaired at the index operation.

Methods: We reviewed the charts of 297 consecutive patients undergoing robotic inguinal hernia repair between October 2014 and April 2018 at a single facility.

Feasibility of an Alzheimer's disease knowledge intervention in the Latino community.

Latinos experience disparities in Alzheimer's disease (AD) knowledge. The aim of this study was to explore the feasibility of a 45-minute culturally-tailored AD knowledge presentation for professionals serving the Latino community and Latinos served by Latino community organizations. One-session AD knowledge lunch-and-learn events were conducted with 40 professionals and 37 served Latinos.

Neuropsychological Effects of Placebo Stimulants in College Students.

Many college students underestimate or ignore the side-effects associated with nonmedical use of prescription stimulants (NMUPS) and are motivated by hopes of academic enhancement. The present study measured the effect a placebo stimulant and personal expectancies have on subjective physiological changes and cognitive enhancement. Undergraduate college students participated in a two-phase study.

Trait Anger and Partner-Specific Anger Management Moderate the Temporal Association Between Alcohol Use and Dating Violence.

Objective: Research demonstrates alcohol temporally precedes and increases the odds of violence between intimate partners. However, despite an extensive theoretical literature on factors that likely moderate the relationship between alcohol and dating violence, minimal empirical research has examined such moderators.

Method: The purpose of the present study was to examine two potential moderators of this association: trait anger and partner-specific anger management.

Lipocalin-2 Promotes Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma by Regulating Inflammation in the Tumor Microenvironment.

Lipocalin-2 (LCN2) promotes malignant development in many cancer types. LCN2 is upregulated in patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) and in obese individuals, but whether it contributes to PDAC development is unclear. In this study, we investigated the effects of Lcn2 depletion on diet-induced obesity, inflammation, and PDAC development.

The Impact of Virtual Reality on Chronic Pain.

The treatment of chronic pain could benefit from additional non-opioid interventions. Virtual reality (VR) has been shown to be effective in decreasing pain for procedural or acute pain but to date there have been few studies on its use in chronic pain. The present study was an investigation of the impact of a virtual reality application for chronic pain.

Do Alcohol and Marijuana Increase the Risk for Female Dating Violence Victimization? A Prospective Daily Diary Investigation.

Objective: Dating violence is a serious and prevalent problem, with females being victimized by partners at high rates with numerous negative health consequences. Previous research has been equivocal on whether substance use on the part of the victim temporally precedes and, thus, increases the odds of victimization. While the sole responsibility for violence is always with the perpetrator, knowing this information could provide useful information for theory as well as interventions designed to keep women safe.

Development of a Faith-Based Stress Management Intervention in a Rural African American Community.

Background: Faith-based mental health interventions developed and implemented using a community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach hold promise for reaching rural African Americans and addressing health disparities.

Objectives: To describe the development, challenges, and lessons learned from the Trinity Life Management, a faith-based stress management intervention in a rural African American faith community.

Methods: The researchers used a CBPR approach by partnering with the African American faith community to develop a stress management intervention.