J Racial Ethn Health Disparities
August 2025
Background: African American adults face an elevated risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) compared to other racial and/or ethnic groups in the USA. Although discrimination has been linked to this disparity, the relationship between skin tone discrimination and CVD incidence remains scarce. This study investigated the associations of in-group discrimination (from African American individuals) and out-group skin tone discrimination (from White individuals) with incident CVD and whether these associations differed by sex and optimism.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Patient-provider shared decision-making discussions are an important component of lung cancer screening guidelines, but little is known about factors associated with these discussions among screening-eligible patients. We used Andersen's Behavioral Model of Health Services Utilization to examine factors associated with discussing LCS with a provider.
Patients: Data came from an online survey of N = 516 U.
Plasmodesmata (PD) allow direct communication across the cellulosic plant cell wall, facilitating the intercellular movement of metabolites and signaling molecules within the symplast. In Arabidopsis thaliana embryos with reduced levels of the chloroplast RNA helicase ISE2, intercellular trafficking and the number of branched PD were increased. We therefore investigated the relationship between altered ISE2 expression and intercellular trafficking.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: This study investigated the efficacy of cognitive functional therapy (CFT) versus a sham procedure for pain intensity and disability for patients with non-specific chronic low back pain (CLBP).
Methods: This is a randomised sham-controlled trial conducted in a primary care public health service. A total of 152 participants were randomly assigned to the CFT group (n=76) and the sham group (n=76).
Objective: The burden of chronic low back pain (CLBP) is increasing rapidly along with the global population ageing. Such an increase will occur more rapidly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Yet, few studies have explored the experiences of older adults with CLBP, and these are primarily conducted in high-income countries.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Racial Ethn Health Disparities
November 2024
Objectives: Due to stigmatization associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, certain groups were believed to be the cause of COVID-19 and thus experienced COVID-19-related racism through direct interpersonal and vicarious experiences. This study used quantitative and qualitative responses to examine whether the prevalence of experiencing these types of racism varied across racial and ethnic groups.
Study Design: This cross-sectional study included 5,480 participants in the REACH-US (Race-Related Experiences Associated with COVID-19 and Health in the United States) study, which is a nationally representative survey administered to 5,500 U.
Objective: Ultrasound in combination with microbubbles can enhance accumulation and improve the distribution of various therapeutic agents in tumor tissue, leading to improved efficacy. Understanding the impact of treatment on the tumor microenvironment, concurrently with how microenvironment attributes affect treatment outcome, will be important for selecting appropriate patient cohorts in future clinical trials. The main aim of this work was to investigate the influence of ultrasound and microbubbles on the functional vasculature of cancer tissue.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Racial Ethn Health Disparities
August 2024
Background: County-level barriers (sociodemographic barriers, limited healthcare system resources, healthcare accessibility barriers, irregular healthcare seeking behaviors, low vaccination history) may impact individuals' reasons for receiving the COVID-19 vaccine.
Methods: This study linked data from REACH-US (Race-Related Experiences Associated with COVID-19 and Health in the United States), a nationally representative, online survey of 5475 adults living in the U.S (January-March 2021) to county-level barriers in the COVID-19 Vaccine Coverage Index.
Structural changes to the vocal fold (VF) epithelium, namely, loosened intercellular junctions, have been reported in VF benign lesions. The potential mechanisms responsible for the disruption of cell junctions do not address the contribution of resident microbial communities to this pathological phenomenon. In this study, we focused on determining the relationship between Streptococcus pseudopneumoniae (SP), a dominant bacterial species associated with benign lesions, and Streptococcus salivarius (SS), a commensal bacterium, with human VF epithelial cells in our three-dimensional model of the human VF mucosa.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFImportance: Screening for lung cancer using low-dose computed tomography is associated with reduced lung cancer-specific mortality, but uptake is low in the US; understanding how patients make decisions to engage with lung cancer screening is critical for increasing uptake. Prior research has focused on individual-level psychosocial factors, but environmental factors (eg, historical contexts that include experiencing racism) and modifying factors-those that can be changed to make it easier or harder to undergo screening-also likely affect screening decisions.
Objective: To investigate environmental, psychosocial, and modifying factors influencing lung cancer screening decision-making and develop a conceptual framework depicting relationships between these factors.
Background: Trust in the healthcare system may impact adherence to recommended healthcare practices, including willingness to test for and vaccinate against COVID-19. This study examined racial/ethnic differences in the associations between trust in the U.S.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Perceptions of the US healthcare system can impact individuals' healthcare utilization, including vaccination intentions. This study examined the association between perceived racial-ethnic inequities in COVID-19 healthcare and willingness to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
Methods: This study used data from REACH-US, a nationally representative online survey of a large, diverse sample of U.
Optimising drug delivery to tumours remains an obstacle to effective cancer treatment. A prerequisite for successful chemotherapy is that the drugs reach all tumour cells. The vascular network of tumours, extravasation across the capillary wall and penetration throughout the extracellular matrix limit the delivery of drugs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCoral reefs are the most diverse ecosystem on the planet based on the abundance and diversity of phyla and higher taxa. However, it is still difficult to assess the diversity of lower taxa, especially at the species level. One tool for improving the identification of lower taxa are genetic markers that can distinguish cryptic species and assess species boundaries.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) remains a challenging malignancy, mainly due to its resistance to chemotherapy and its complex tumour microenvironment characterised by stromal desmoplasia. There is a need for new strategies to improve the delivery of drugs and therapeutic response. Relevant preclinical tumour models are needed to test potential treatments.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: Structural racism could contribute to racial and ethnic disparities in cancer mortality via its broad effects on housing, economic opportunities, and health care. However, there has been limited focus on incorporating structural racism into simulation models designed to identify practice and policy strategies to support health equity. We reviewed studies evaluating structural racism and cancer mortality disparities to highlight opportunities, challenges, and future directions to capture this broad concept in simulation modeling research.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: County-level vaccination barriers (sociodemographic barriers, limited healthcare system resources, healthcare accessibility barriers, irregular healthcare seeking behaviors, history of low vaccination) may partially explain COVID-19 vaccination intentions among U.S. adults.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSustain Cities Soc
September 2023
The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted people's daily routines, including travel behaviors, social interactions, and work-related activities. However, the potential impacts of COVID-19 on the use of campus locations in higher education such as libraries, food courts, sports facilities, and other destinations are still unknown. Focusing on three largest universities in Texas (Texas A&M university, the University of Texas at Austin, and Texas Tech University), this study compares changes in campus destination visitations between pre and post COVID-19 outbreak (2019 Fall and 2021 Fall semesters, respectively) using the mobility data from SafeGraph.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe European Centre for Disease Control (ECDC) COVID-19 guidelines for non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPI) identify safety, hygiene and physical distancing measures to control SARS-Cov-2 transmission in schools. Because their implementation requires complicated changes, the guidelines also include "accompanying measures" of risk communication, health literacy and community engagement. Although these are considered crucial, their implementation is complex.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMany biotic and abiotic stimuli arrive locally on the plant. For example, attack by an insect or invasion by a fungal pathogen generally starts with a single leaf. However, the responses that are then elicited are often systemic, triggering effects throughout the entire plant body.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn the last two decades, microglia have emerged as key contributors to disease progression in many neurological disorders, not only by exerting their classical immunological functions but also as extremely dynamic cells with the ability to modulate synaptic and neural activity. This dynamic behavior, together with their heterogeneous roles and response to diverse perturbations in the brain parenchyma has raised the idea that microglia activation is more diverse than anticipated and that understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying microglial states is essential to unravel their role in health and disease from development to aging. The Ikzf1 (a.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: COVID-19-related health perceptions may differentially impact college students' stress, and in turn, their mental and physical health. This study examined racial/ethnic differences in college students' underlying perceptions of COVID-19 threat, healthcare discrimination, and U.S.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCollege students are often reluctant to follow U.S. preventive guidelines to lower their risk of COVID-19 infection, despite an increased risk of transmission in college settings.
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