Elasticity and safety of alkoxyethyl cyanoacrylate tissue adhesives

Cyanoacrylate glues are easily applied to wounds with good cosmetic results. However, they tend to be brittle and can induce local tissue toxicity. A series of cyanoacrylate monomers with a flexible ether linkage and varying side-chain lengths was synthesized and characterized for potential use as tissue adhesives. The effect of side-chain length on synthesis yield, physical and mechanical properties, formaldehyde generation, cytotoxicity in vitro and biocompatibility in vivo were examined. The incorporation of etheric oxygen allowed the production of flexible monomers with good adhesive strength. Monomers with longer side-chains were found to have less toxicity both in vitro and in vivo. Polymerized hexoxyethyl cyanoacrylate was more elastic than its commercially available and widely used alkyl analog 2-octyl cyanoacrylate, without compromising biocompatibility.DuPont MIT Allianc

Mental health and psychosocial support programmes for displaced populations in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs): A systematic review of process, perspectives and experiences

Displacement exerts an ongoing negative impact on people's mental health. The majority of displaced populations are hosted in the global south, yet there is a paucity of evidence synthesis on the implementation of mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) programmes in those contexts. We undertook a systematic review of factors influencing the delivery and receipt of MHPSS programmes for displaced populations in low- and middle-income countries to address this gap. A comprehensive search of 12 bibliographic databases, 25 websites and citation checking were undertaken. Studies published in English from 2013 onwards were included if they contained evidence on the perspectives of adults or children who had engaged in, or programmes providers involved in delivering, MHPSS programmes. Fifteen studies were critically appraised and synthesised. Studies considered programme safety as a proxy for acceptability. Other acceptability themes included stigma, culture and gender. Barriers to the accessibility of MHPSS programmes included language, lack of literacy of programme recipients and location of services. To enhance success, future delivery of MHPSS programmes should address gender and cultural norms to limit mental health stigma. Attention should also be given to designing flexible programmes that take into consideration location and language barriers to ensure they maximise accessibility

Mental health and psychosocial support programmes for displaced populations in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs): A systematic review of process, perspectives and experiences

Displacement exerts an ongoing negative impact on people’s mental health. The majority of displaced populations are hosted in the global south, yet there is a paucity of evidence synthesis on the implementation of mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) programmes in those contexts. We undertook a systematic review of factors influencing the delivery and receipt of MHPSS programmes for displaced populations in low- and middle-income countries to address this gap. A comprehensive search of 12 bibliographic databases, 25 websites and citation checking were undertaken. Studies published in English from 2013 onwards were included if they contained evidence on the perspectives of adults or children who had engaged in, or programmes providers involved in delivering, MHPSS programmes. Fifteen studies were critically appraised and synthesised. Studies considered programme safety as a proxy for acceptability. Other acceptability themes included stigma, culture and gender. Barriers to the accessibility of MHPSS programmes included language, lack of literacy of programme recipients and location of services. To enhance success, future delivery of MHPSS programmes should address gender and cultural norms to limit mental health stigma. Attention should also be given to designing flexible programmes that take into consideration location and language barriers to ensure they maximise accessibility

Identification of new genetic susceptibility loci for breast cancer through consideration of gene-environment interactions

Genes that alter disease risk only in combination with certain environmental exposures may not be detected in genetic association analysis. By using methods accounting for gene-environment (G × E) interaction, we aimed to identify novel genetic loci associated with breast cancer risk. Up to 34,475 cases and 34,786 controls of European ancestry from up to 23 studies in the Breast Cancer Association Consortium were included. Overall, 71,527 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), enriched for association with breast cancer, were tested for interaction with 10 environmental risk factors using three recently proposed hybrid methods and a joint test of association and interaction. Analyses were adjusted for age, study, population stratification, and confounding factors as applicable. Three SNPs in two independent loci showed statistically significant association: SNPs rs10483028 and rs2242714 in perfect linkage disequilibrium on chromosome 21 and rs12197388 in ARID1B on chromosome 6. While rs12197388 was identified using the joint test with parity and with age at menarche (P-values = 3 × 10(−07)), the variants on chromosome 21 q22.12, which showed interaction with adult body mass index (BMI) in 8,891 postmenopausal women, were identified by all methods applied. SNP rs10483028 was associated with breast cancer in women with a BMI below 25 kg/m(2) (OR = 1.26, 95% CI 1.15–1.38) but not in women with a BMI of 30 kg/m(2) or higher (OR = 0.89, 95% CI 0.72–1.11, P for interaction = 3.2 × 10(−05)). Our findings confirm comparable power of the recent methods for detecting G × E interaction and the utility of using G × E interaction analyses to identify new susceptibility loci

Glycogen synthase kinase 3 inhibition controls Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection

Compounds targeting host control of infectious diseases provide an attractive alternative to antimicrobials. A phenotypic screen of a kinase library identified compounds targeting glycogen synthase kinase 3 as potent inhibitors of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) intracellular growth in the human THP-1 cell line and primary human monocytes-derived macrophages (hMDM). CRISPR knockouts and siRNA silencing showed that GSK3 isoforms are needed for the growth of Mtb and that a selected compound, P-4423632 targets GSK3β. GSK3 inhibition was associated with macrophage apoptosis governed by the Mtb secreted protein tyrosine phosphatase A (PtpA). Phospho-proteome analysis of macrophages response to infection revealed a wide array of host signaling and apoptosis pathways controlled by GSK3 and targeted by P-4423632. P-4423632 was additionally found to be active against other intracellular pathogens. Our findings strengthen the notion that targeting host signaling to promote the infected cell’s innate antimicrobial capacity is a feasible and attractive host-directed therapy approach

Assessing interactions between the associations of common genetic susceptibility variants, reproductive history and body mass index with breast cancer risk in the breast cancer association consortium: a combined case-control study.

INTRODUCTION: Several common breast cancer genetic susceptibility variants have recently been identified. We aimed to determine how these variants combine with a subset of other known risk factors to influence breast cancer risk in white women of European ancestry using case-control studies participating in the Breast Cancer Association Consortium. METHODS: We evaluated two-way interactions between each of age at menarche, ever having had a live birth, number of live births, age at first birth and body mass index (BMI) and each of 12 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (10q26-rs2981582 (FGFR2), 8q24-rs13281615, 11p15-rs3817198 (LSP1), 5q11-rs889312 (MAP3K1), 16q12-rs3803662 (TOX3), 2q35-rs13387042, 5p12-rs10941679 (MRPS30), 17q23-rs6504950 (COX11), 3p24-rs4973768 (SLC4A7), CASP8-rs17468277, TGFB1-rs1982073 and ESR1-rs3020314). Interactions were tested for by fitting logistic regression models including per-allele and linear trend main effects for SNPs and risk factors, respectively, and single-parameter interaction terms for linear departure from independent multiplicative effects. RESULTS: These analyses were applied to data for up to 26,349 invasive breast cancer cases and up to 32,208 controls from 21 case-control studies. No statistical evidence of interaction was observed beyond that expected by chance. Analyses were repeated using data from 11 population-based studies, and results were very similar. CONCLUSIONS: The relative risks for breast cancer associated with the common susceptibility variants identified to date do not appear to vary across women with different reproductive histories or body mass index (BMI). The assumption of multiplicative combined effects for these established genetic and other risk factors in risk prediction models appears justified.RIGHTS : This article is licensed under the BioMed Central licence at http://www.biomedcentral.com/about/license which is similar to the 'Creative Commons Attribution Licence'. In brief you may : copy, distribute, and display the work; make derivative works; or make commercial use of the work - under the following conditions: the original author must be given credit; for any reuse or distribution, it must be made clear to others what the license terms of this work are

Korean women: breast cancer knowledge, attitudes and behaviors

INTRODUCTION: Clustered within the nomenclature of Asian American are numerous subgroups, each with their own ethnic heritage, cultural, and linguistic characteristics. An understanding of the prevailing health knowledge, attitudes, and screening behaviors of these subgroups is essential for creating population-specific health promotion programs. METHODS: Korean American women (123) completed baseline surveys of breast cancer knowledge, attitudes, and screening behaviors as part of an Asian grocery store-based breast cancer education program evaluation. Follow-up telephone surveys, initiated two weeks later, were completed by 93 women. RESULTS: Low adherence to the American Cancer Society's breast cancer screening guidelines and insufficient breast cancer knowledge were reported. Participants' receptiveness to the grocery store-based breast cancer education program underscores the importance of finding ways to reach Korean women with breast cancer early detection information and repeated cues for screening. The data also suggest that the Asian grocery store-based cancer education program being tested may have been effective in motivating a proportion of the women to schedule a breast cancer screening between the baseline and follow-up surveys. CONCLUSION: The program offers a viable strategy to reach Korean women that addresses the language, cultural, transportation, and time barriers they face in accessing breast cancer early detection information

Cardiovascular risk factors among Chamorros

BACKGROUND: Little is known regarding the cardiovascular disease risk factors among Chamorros residing in the United States. METHODS: The Chamorro Directory International and the CDC's Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Questionnaire (BRFSS) were used to assess the health related practices and needs of a random sample of 228 Chamorros. RESULTS: Inactivity, hypertension, elevated cholesterol and diabetes mellitus were more prevalent in this Chamorro sample compared to the US average. Participants who were 50-and-older or unemployed were more likely to report hypertension, diabetes and inactivity, but they were also more likely to consume more fruits and vegetables than their younger and employed counterparts. Women were more likely to report hypertension and diabetes, whereas men were more likely to have elevated BMI and to have never had their blood cholesterol checked. CONCLUSION: The study provides data that will help healthcare providers, public health workers and community leaders identify where to focus their health improvement efforts for Chamorros and create culturally competent programs to promote health in this community